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Given the nature of this website, I have to ask...what draws you to the romantic suspense genre?
My agent.
I'm an investigative reporter by profession, and investigative journalism can be an adrenaline sport. In fact, investigative journalists are often adrenaline junkies. Over the course of a 20-year career I received numerous death threats; had two bona fide stalkers, one of whom drew the attention and involvement of the FBI; saw what happens when you shoot someone point-blank at the base of the skull with a high-powered weapon (you remove most of their head); saw what happens when human brains dry on the wall; was attacked by two men with switchblades in my home late at night; had a gun held on me twice; and broke a bunch of big stories, winning some fancy national awards.
I also fell off a 40-foot cliff once, but that had nothing to do with journalism.
One evening I was updating my agent on my progress with my second historical romance and told her in passing that I'd gotten a warning from a state official that day. He'd called to say that he was afraid the cement plant I was investigating was whipping its male employees up against me. He feared for my safety. His words: "These guys aren't going to write you a letter to the editor. They're going to beat the shit out of you with baseball bats."
I told my agent this — it was no biggie, just kind of interesting — and she said, "You ought to write romantic suspense, because you live it." And I said, "Yeah, except for the 'romantic' part."
So I determined at that point to try to write a genre I had never read before. Extreme Exposure, the first book in my I-Team series, was my first attempt at romantic suspense. The subject of the story is a journalist who is investigating, ahem, a cement plant.
Is it dangerous being a romantic suspense author?
Not in my experience.
I learned how to shoot guns before I became a romantic suspence author, and I keep armed firearms in the house. The incident with the men who had the switchblades taught me in a very rough and horrible way that you have to be prepared for bad things to happen if you want to be safe. So now I'm armed and safe.
Have you ever experienced a Deja Vu moment, where you find yourself in a scene from one of your books?
No, not really. It's more the reverse. Because all of my books draw on my investigations as a reporter, I find myself reliving those real events and investigations as I write. Extreme Exposure focused on that pollution investigation. Hard Evidencefocused on human sex trafficking, which I had just investigated before I wrote the story. Unlawful Contact draws on 15 years of prison reporting, including my own stay in jail as a bogus felony arrest. Naked Edge draws on a decade of trips to the Navajo reservation to cover Native issues (and my 40-foot fall off the cliff). Breaking Point touches on Las Muertas de Juárez, the murdered women of Juarez, Mexico, which I covered a long time ago it seems.
Do you recall any book bloopers? Edits that slipped past you and made you say, OMG!
Nope. I'm sure there are mistakes but nothing too much more than a typo. There may be things here and there I wish I'd written differently, but not many of those either.
I think being an editor by profession has helped me produce clean manuscripts. That's what my editor tells me, anyway.
What is one stereotype about authors that is completely wrong?
That writing is a game, a form of brain candy. It's hard, hard work. Even writing sex scenes is hard work. In fact, I think that's the hardest part about writing romance.
Broken on the inside. Broken on the outside. I know as an interviewer I am supposed to remain impartial, but I love this hook. Is this what you thought about the characters as you were writing SKIN DEEP?
Megan, the heroine of the story is the little sister of the hero in Unlawful Contact. She has a very tragic and violent past, and I knew she'd need someone special to help her move beyond that, someone who could understand what it was like to have life change irrevocably, to lose something of yourself that you cannot get back. Enter Nate, a former marine who was badly burned in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. He'll have the compassion to understand Megan — and to help her heal.
Thanks so much for having me on Just Romantic Suspense, Maureen! It's been fun!
Teaser from Chapter 9 of Skin Deep:
"Be careful. It's hot."
"Thanks." Megan took the mug of steaming chamomile tea from Nate, a part of her craving something stronger.
While he put more wood on the fire, she sipped, struggling to pull the pieces of herself back together. She felt drained, weak, ragged. It seemed unreal to her that she'd just bared the darkest side of her soul to a man she'd known only for a week, but she had. She'd told him everything.
More than that, she'd buried her face in his shirt and sobbed while he'd held her. The only other men she'd let touch her like that were Marc and Julian, but that was different. Marc was her brother, and Julian… Well, he was like a brother.
What she felt for Nate was very different.
She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. Usually that meant she'd want to get as far away from him as she could, and yet something about him set her at ease.
He poured himself another drink and sat on the sofa. "Are you warm?"
She nodded, grateful for the blanket he'd wrapped around her shoulders.
He leaned back into the cushions, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. Why not?" She no longer had any secrets where he was concerned.
"That reporter your brother took hostage when he broke out of prison—he got her pregnant while they were on the run, and she married him, didn't she?"
Nate's question, as blunt as it was, wasn't what Megan had been expecting.
She laughed. "He and Sophie have been married for almost four years now, and they have two kids—Chase and Addison."
Nate shook his head, a bemused expression on his face. "That's … interesting."
Megan smiled. "Believe it or not, Marc can be very sweet. You haven't exactly seen his soft side."
"No I suppose, I haven't." Nate chuckled. "I don't blame him for watching over you the way he does. If I were in his shoes and spotted some strange guy walking up to my little sister's front door after she'd been attacked, I probably would have done the same thing."
"Marc knows I get … uncomfortable around men, and I guess he does his best to make certain I feel safe." Megan looked away, took a sip of tea.
"Do you feel uncomfortable around me?" It was a sincere question, no defensiveness in his voice, no hint that she needed to lie to protect his ego.
Megan found herself studying him from his short sandy brown hair to his deep set blue eyes to the tanned skin on the left side of his face to the scars on the right. "No—which is kind of strange."
It was both fascinating—and frightening.
"Well, that's good—I think." The smile lines around his eyes crinkled, a hint of humor in his voice.
And she knew she would never get a better time than now to let him know where she stood. "I'm never going to be with a man, Nate. I'm telling you this now because … because I don't want to mislead you. I don't like being touched. I don't like sex. I've never once enjoyed it."
"Never?" His brows bent in a frown.
"Never." She glanced away for a moment, unable to bear the scrutiny of his gaze. "When a man touches me, I feel … revulsion. I instantly feel sick to my stomach. It's all I can do not to shove him away. What those men did to me—it's in my DNA."
Even years of therapy hadn't changed that. A hug from a male acquaintance, a man's arm around her shoulders, an overly long handshake—they all made her want to pull away and run. She couldn't even go to a male doctor.
"I'm sorry. If I'd known… " Nate's frown deepened. "Did I make you feel that way just now when I held you?"
"N-no." Warmth rushed to Megan's cheeks.
"I'm glad to hear that." His forehead furrowed, and he seemed to think about this for a moment as if it were a puzzle he needed to solve. "How about when I caught you when you fell getting off the horse?"
"No." Her cheeks burned hotter.
"What about the times I've held your hand?"
Could he see that she was blushing? God, she hoped not! "No, not then either."
His gaze locked with hers. "And last night—when I kissed you?"
"No." She rushed to explain. "But we were interrupted, and I… I think maybe there just wasn't time for me to react."
Nate set his drink down on the coffee table. "Do you want to test that theory?"
Megan's heart took off at a sprint. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"I could kiss you again just like I did last night—soft and easy—and since we're not going to be interrupted this time, you'll be able to see whether that sense of revulsion kicks in. If it does, we stop."
"And if it doesn't?"
He gave her a lopsided grin. "We'll know you've been kissing the wrong men."
She felt that flutter in her belly again, and time was measured in heartbeats as he watched her, waiting for her answer. Some part of her was afraid their little experiment would fail. Some part of her was afraid it would succeed.
There's no point in trying. You know how this will end, girl.
But did she? Everything had been different with Nate so far.
She drew a steadying breath. "How would we do it?"
"We could do it like we did last night." He spoke matter-of-factly, as if they were discussing how to change a tire. "I'll sit close to you and kiss you nice and slow, and we can see where that takes us."
She nodded. "O-okay."
In a single slow motion, he shifted so that he sat beside her, his face inches from hers, his arm stretched out on the back of the leather sofa behind her. "You tell me if you start to feel queasy or repulsed, alright?"
It was hard to think with him sitting so close. "All right."
"Ready?" He reached out, stroked her cheek with the knuckles of his right hand.
Without closing his eyes, he leaned in, brushed his lips over hers once, twice, three times, the feather-light contact sending shivers through her.
"How are we doing so far?" His eyes looked straight into hers, his voice husky.
"Good." She didn't wait for him this time, but rested her palms against the hard wall of his chest, rose up on one knee, and caressed his lips with hers, increasing the pressure.
More shivers.
His eyes drifted shut, his lashes long and dark. One big hand came to rest on her hip as he steadied her. He caught her lower lip between his, and gave it a soft tug.
Belly flutters.
Her eyes drifted shut, her hands finding their way up his chest and over his shoulders as she drew herself against him, needing to be closer to him, her arms locking behind his neck. She tilted her head, kissed his upper lip, then his lower lip, then the corners of his mouth, her tongue tracing the outline of his lips, her senses stirred by the taste of him, by his masculine scent, by the hard feel of him.
And Megan forgot she'd always been repulsed by this. All she knew was that she wanted more.
Excerpt (c) copyright Pamela Clare 2012
Pamela will be giving away a copy of UNLAWFUL CONTACT to one lucky poster!
Giveaway ends 10pm EST May 11th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email justromanticsuspense @ gmail.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.


text: [Taken from FantasyShrine] : Youhei immediately fell in love with the actor on the late night advertisement, Satomi. After going through some random events, they became lovers. However, how will these two love birds face the upcoming events which involves costumes, a manager, a stalker and maybe an old crush!? Another enjoyable series by Yamato Nase, full of romance and humour!!!

subset: commoncrawl


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Photos wanted!
In a typical OCD moment, I've decided to try and present photos of every model in every book I've written! It gives me a chance to enhance my SQL skills and will, in theory, be a good resource (which I'll share with the origami database!)
Apologies for the lack of photo credits, but it was just too much extra work and since they are from my book(s), I took the liberty of just using pics sourced from the web. Obviously, I'll remove any on request! If you have any missing images, from any book, please let me have them.


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It's official: Oprah Winfrey can do it all.
The talk show queen and Discovery Communications announced today that she'll get her own network, OWN - the Oprah Winfrey Network. The Discovery Health Network will be turned over to her next year.
"The focus of the channel will be the focus of Oprah's brand, which is the educate and inspire people to live the best life they can," said David Zaslav, Discovery Communications chief.
Oprah will turn over her Web site to Discovery, while she is made chairman of the network.


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One numbing loss followed by another numbing loss. Acres of empty seats. No optimism that the people in charge know what they're doing. Little hope that the club will get better, or more interesting, anytime soon.
Does that about sum it up? I'm not sure when Astros' fans went from angry to apathetic, but that's where we are today. It's one thing to have a bad baseball team. Stuff happens. Players get hurt. Players get old. Success is cyclical.
But this is different. The Astros have been buried by a decade of bad decisions, and now it seems they have no idea how to dig themselves out. At this point, they either need to go forward or backwards. That is, throw stacks of money at free agents until the farm system is fixed. Or tear it down and start over.
The Astros would be more interesting either way. Drayton McLane is paralyzed by indecision. His revenues are in free fall, so he's reluctant to go on a spending binge. Yet he seemingly can't bring himself to trade Roy Oswalt, Lance Berkman, Brett Myers and any other player who would bring more than a bag of baseballs.
So here we are. Bad team now. No plan for the future. I'm not sure what Drayton has to fear anymore. Everything he worried might happen has happened. Attendance at Minute Maid Park is down 26 percent since 2007 despite an array of discounts on tickets.
I've always thought Drayton underestimated the intelligence of the fans. He seems to think that if he says the Astros are going to be champions, then fans will think the Astros are going to be champions.
The thing is, he doesn't even believe it anymore. When he says it, it's almost like he's imitating himself. He must know fans laugh at that stuff when it's not followed up by anything substantive.
What he fails to understand is how much fans want to believe, how much they want a plan. If he blows up the roster and starts over, the Astros will be way more interesting than they are now.
If he fills the clubhouse with 25 guys who are thrilled to be wearing the uniform, who approach every game as if it's their last, who are in a I'm-going-to-prove-it mode, he might find that the environment changes.
I don't think he's in any danger of losing fans forever. There's a segment of fans who are only going to go when the Astros have a buzz around them. But there are plenty of others who are looking for a reason to believe in the Astros. They'll come back when Drayton gives them a reason to.
Drayton has been incredibly successful in all his other businesses, but there's a different dynamic in all those other businesses. Baseball requires trust and patience and an understanding that even correct decisions sometimes turn out wrong.
I think Drayton has trouble understanding a failure rate in which 30 draft picks may net only one or two or three major leaguers even in the best of years. At least when he signs a Carlos Lee, he gets an immediate return on his investment.
This is a terrible way to run a team, but I'm sure Drayton got tired of his player development people telling him everything was going to be OK when it clearly wasn't.
But the only solution is to either put Tal Smith and Ed Wade in charge and give them the freedom to do their jobs. Or to find another management team he believes in. Regardless, the worst thing he can do is nothing.


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(CNN) – Historically, presidents have succeeded in dividing the opposition party. But, as CNN contributor Julian Zelizer says, Obama's move on immigration won't fracture the GOP. Instead, the move will likely be thrown back at him and characterized as a politically expedient action taken in an election year.
"Republican Dwight Eisenhower turned the table on Democrats in 1956 and 1957 when he moved out front on civil rights legislation. In this period, the Democratic Party was deeply divided on what to do about racial inequality." [1:45]
"This decision was made through the executive branch's authority, thereby diminishing the payback that comes from winning a battle on the legislative front, which requires building political support and mobilizing the public behind an idea." [2:18]
(CNN) - CNN contributor LZ Granderson says that the reality is some things are still none of our business, and in the political arena, some things should be kept quiet – especially when it involves the nation's security.
"Heads should roll because of the Fast and Furious debacle, but we don't need every detail of that operation made public in order for that to happen." [0:51]
"You see, freedom isn't entirely free. It also isn't squeaky clean. And sometimes the federal government deems it necessary to get its hands dirty in the hopes of achieving something we generally accept as good for the country." [1:21]


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You can defend your online privacy, however. In fact, you must: the simple act of browsing can leave traces of you all over the place, enabling sites to gather information about you without your knowledge. Fortunately, you have numerous ways to combat privacy invasions - from simple browser-setting tweaks to more robust and customisable third-party software to a Web service's solutions. You can just say no to those attacks on your anonymity.
Threats to privacy aren't only online. Any time you buy a house, renew your driver's licence, or change long-distance phone companies, someone is selling your name to telemarketers or junk snail-mailers. It's a database nation out there - you've got to be on your guard not to get sucked in.
Because Internet privacy attacks come at us from every direction, the best way to defend yourself is to take on each enemy individually. Accordingly, we'll explore, one by one, the various options available for controlling Web cookies, spam and your online identity.
Before you do anything else . . .
Control cookie intake
Browse incognito
Eliminate spam
Privatise e-mail
Make chat safe
Software roundup


text:
Wooley - Chunky Knitted Baby Hat -Teal
£14.00 £31.95
Chunky knitted hat in degraded stitch jaquard with double pom pom ears and tyes (baby sizes only) to keep on babies head. Made from a super soft and lofty cotton blend yarn.
- 60% Cotton, 10% Merino, 30% Nylon
- Available in Grey/Pink/Teal.
- Baby: 0-6m, 6-12m, 12-24m.
- Kids: 2-4y, 5-7y.
- Machine Washable at 30°.
Our mini Mobster is 8 kg, 71 cm and is wearing size 6-12 months.


text:
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It was August 13, 1902, and upstate New York's A.B. Bouvier found himself far from civilization – in Ontario, Canada's Mine Centre district. He was there to check out some mining property. And as he recounted in two letters to a friend of his – a woman named Emma – the trip hadn't been an easy one.
The two letters are part of a small group of historic documents that I've amassed through the years. The two scrawl-covered pages tell quite a story. And the collector I got the notes from filled in some of the other details.
The first letter tells of a trip across Lake Superior – one that left everyone on the boat (except Bouvier) feeling seasick.
"Lots of the passengers were so sick they could not get up," Bouvier wrote. "I managed to get to breakfast and that was all."
The rolling and pitching Great Lakes boat trip turned out to be the easiest part of his journey north of the border. It illustrates the hard work involved with locating an opportunity.
The lake steamer got Bouvier to the Mine Centre Hotel. But it didn't get him to his objective: the Log Cabin Gold & Copper Co. As the second of his two letters describes, this second leg of his journey was equal parts adventure and sheer terror.
Dear Emma:
We arrived at the mine 12 miles from Mine Centre [tonight]. We came in a small boat those 12 miles which would only carry 3. It was not over two feet wide and [we] had to get in the bottom to keep it from tipping over. This country is all timberland for miles and plenty of small lakes and rivers. No roads. And the only way out is up and down the streams in a boat in the summer and on the ice in the winter. Have a good place to stay at the mine and quite good board (food) but do not want it forever. I do not think I can be home much before Aug. 28 or 30.
Yours truly;
A.B. Bouvier
History – at least not the history that I have – doesn't tell us whether Bouvier invested in the mining project… or, if he did, how that mining project worked out.
But in an era when mining swindles were one of the more popular strategies for separating folks from their hard-earned greenbacks, the two letters do seem to show that Bouvier was a sharp guy… what we'd probably refer to as an "informed investor" in the financial parlance of today.
The Art of Due Diligence
I'm not exaggerating about the proliferation of mining scams, and the risks associated with investing in miners in general – especially so-called "junior miners." Growing up I often heard my grandparents – my Dad's folks – make whispered references to a Canadian gold miner they'd invested in… references that were usually accompanied by some wishful-thinking-type comments to the effect that the shares "could still be valuable… someday."
When my Dad and I cleared out their house to get it ready for sale in 2007, we found the share certificates. And we did our own "due diligence."
Sure enough… they were worthless. As my Dad, William Patalon Jr., recalled yesterday, when the mine was dug there wasn't enough gold to warrant further operation.
My grandfather, William Sr., was a tough-as-nails railroad man, a machinist with the Lehigh Valley Railroad. And both he and my grandmother, "Grandma Anna," were true products of the Great Depression… meaning they were usually conservative and cautious when it came to finance. Right to the ends of their lives, they both avoided debt like it was Satan incarnate and would always pay cash for a new car or other purchase.
So it had to be one heck of a "salesman" who induced them to wriggle out of this cautious financial mindset to plunk part of their savings down on a mine they'd never seen and really knew nothing about.
That family story is part of the reason I was so taken with Bouvier's story. Unlike my grandparents, you see, Bouvier went to see for himself.
But the two historic letters struck a second chord with me: That whole "go and see for ourselves" mindset reminded me of similar stories that two of our own guys here at Money Map Press have related to me.
About the Author
Before he moved into the investment-research business in 2005, William (Bill) Patalon III spent 22 years as an award-winning financial reporter, columnist, and editor. Today he is the Executive Editor and Senior Research Analyst for Money Morning at Money Map Press. With his latest project, Private Briefing, Bill takes you "behind the scenes" of his established investment news website for a closer look at the action. Members get all the expert analysis and exclusive scoops he can't publish... and some of the most valuable picks that turn up in Bill's closed-door sessions with editors and experts.


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COVID-19 Update. We are open and fully operational. Phone reps available Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CST.
Ford F100 Leaf Springs (1942 - 1972)
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text:
Smart Security for rail service – thanks to Digital Services
of all data leaks are caused by only 9 known types of attack
Security for the digital rail worldRailways are and will remain the safest means of transportation. With the growth in digitalization, Rail security – protection from physical interventions and IT tampering – is in more demand than ever. With a comprehensive concept, Siemens Mobility Services will help you to make your systems as safe as possible.
On the safe track – thanks to multi-level Rail security concept
A route network covering 38,000 kilometers, nearly 9,000 train stations and stops, almost 3,500 interlockings, and 70,000 switches and crossings:* in Germany alone, the size of the rail infrastructure is impressive. And there are many starting points where you can make operation management, maintenance, asset management, and many other areas more modern, economical, and efficient with the help of digitalization.
To effectively protect the networked system along with the rapidly growing data volumes against manipulations, the Rail security portfolio from Siemens Mobility Services offers you a multi-level modular concept.
The first step includes a professional Rail security analysis of the status quo of your system. If desired, Mobility Services also performs penetration tests: To do this, our specialists simulate a hacker attack. Based on the results of these tests, weak points in the systems can be eliminated and recommendations for corrective actions can be provided. Continuous monitoring allows us to identify and report relevant Rail security incidents – for example with special software solutions that detect any signs of fraudulent manipulation. Furthermore, Mobility Services supports you through Rail security training with regard to the monitoring of personnel, processes and technology.
*Source: KRITIS-Sektorstudie 2015
Security has many aspects
On the safe side with Siemens Mobility Services
You can use our Rail security concept modularly – always with the added value of our in-depth knowledge of rail systems. Upon request you will initially receive a professional evaluation of your status quo. With your permission, as part of a penetration test our specialists can simulate an intrusion into your system – and reveal any open doors before they are discovered by uninvited cyber guests. If necessary, we harden your system, eliminate vulnerabilities, and install security technologies. We use special software solutions to detect and report events relevant to Rail security during operation. In addition, Siemens Mobility Services offers trainings on topics such as personnel, processes, and technology. With the Siemens Rail Academy, an experienced partner is at your disposal.
"Others may know how to make PCs more secure – but Siemens knows the importance of each individual component in the signaling system. Only Siemens as a manufacturer can evaluate the system and implement changes that do not influence the proof of safety. And if changes are necessary that would require a renewal of this proof, we can implement them as we would with new installations."Jürgen Kott, Siemens Mobility, head of the Support Center Rail Automation
Rail Security Training
The Mobility Academy offers various trainings to get the participants an overview about Cyber Security in general and in the rail environment. They get to know the Holistic Security Concept and the implementation for signalling and control systems.
Rail security with increasing value
Security for carefree travel and passengers who enjoy riding the rails on a regular basis: According to an up-to-date study, in 2015 only 25% of entrepreneurs viewed IT security as a competitive advantage rather than a cost factor – by 2018 that figure is expected to grow to 59%.
The number of cyber attacks is growing steadily. As we want to protect our customers from them, we are developing Cyber Security services together with Darktrace, one of the leading providers of Industrial Immune System. The expertise of both companies complements each other: Darktrace provides the expertise in cyber AI technologies and Siemens Mobility Services provides the know-how for security in railway operations.
To keep our customers one step ahead of cyber attacks, we use continuous state-of-the-art monitoring supported by machine learning and AI.
These systems monitor network traffic in order to detect anomalies and intrusions. These anomalies and suspicious incidents are evaluated by a service team consisting of a Cyber Security Operations Center which is backed up by 2nd and 3rd level expert support and which help customers resolve potential issues.


text: by BBC Eleven climbers have died in north Pakistan trying to scale the world´s second-highest peak, K2, reports say. An eyewitness says 25 climbers reached the summit on Friday, but nine were stranded and froze to death after an avalanche swept away their fixed ropes. In the deadliest day in K2´s history, another climber fell to his death and a porter died recovering a body. The avalanche happened when a chunk from an ice pillar snapped away on a feature called the Bottleneck. Swedish climber Fredrick Streng, who had decided not to attempt the summit, gave the BBC details of the events. He said several expeditions, with a total of 25 climbers, had taken advantage of Friday´s fine weather to reach the summit of K2. But he said they returned late, and were tired when the avalanche struck out the fixed lines. "There were still nine climbers above these ropes, which meant they had to spend the whole night out in the open," he said. "The next morning they were still there, not moving. And people during the night had been hit by the avalanche. One had died, one had fallen at an earlier stage. "At the end of Saturday, 11 people were confirmed dead." ( Source: BBC News )


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Global automotive adhesive tape market is expected to flourish at a significant CAGR of 7.02% during the forecast period. Moreover, the global automotive adhesive tape market is expected to garner USD 37.68 Million by the end of 2024. Growing demand for automobiles across the globe is expected to strengthen the growth of automotive adhesive tape market in the upcoming years. Further, increasing usage of automotive adhesive tape over fasteners is anticipated to drive the growth of the market of automotive adhesive tape market.
Asia Pacific dominated the overall automotive adhesive tape market and is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period. This can be attributed to significant growth of vehicle production in the region. Countries such as China, India, Japan and South Korea are witnessing the augmented demand for automotive adhesive tapes. North America captured 23% market share in global automotive adhesive tape market in 2016. Moreover, favorable government policies are boosting the demand for automotive adhesive tapes. Further, presence of major manufacturers in the region is expected to strengthen the growth of automotive adhesive tape market in North America.
Rising Production of Automotive Vehicles
Increasing demand and production of automotive vehicles across the globe is anticipated to spur the growth of the automotive adhesive tape market. Moreover, increasing utilization of automotive tapes to fit mirrors, badges and other parts are believed to trigger the growth of automotive adhesive tape market during the forecast period.
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Government Regulations
Major initiatives by government agencies to increase the fuel economy are anticipated to drive the growth of the automotive adhesive tape market. Moreover, rising demand for lightweight vehicle is anticipated to propel the growth of the global automotive adhesive tape market.
Although, rising environmental concerns may dampen the growth of automotive adhesive tape market during the forecast period.
The report titled "Automotive Adhesive Tape Market: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2024" delivers detailed overview of the global automotive adhesive tape market in terms of market segmentation by type, by mechanism, by technology, by vehicle class and by region.
Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth drivers, restraints, supply and demand risk, market attractiveness, BPS analysis and Porter's five force model.
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This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the global automotive adhesive tape market which includes company profiling of The Dow Chemical Company, Avery Dennison Corporation, 3M Company, H.B. Fuller Company, Tesa SE, Intertape Polymer Group, Lohmann GmbH & Co. Kg., Scapa Group Plc, Shurtape Technologies, LLC and Lintec Corporation. The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments. On the whole, the report depicts detailed overview of the global automotive adhesive tape market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.
Research Nester is a leading service provider for strategic market research and consulting. We aim to provide unbiased, unparalleled market insights and industry analysis to help industries, conglomerates and executives to take wise decisions for their future marketing strategy, expansion and investment etc. We believe every business can expand to its new horizon, provided a right guidance at a right time is available through strategic minds. Our out of box thinking helps our clients to take wise decision so as to avoid future uncertainties.
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My name is Rahmat S. Masror, I am a network engineer, I have worked with many national, multi-national and international companies/agencies in Afghanistan and remotely abroad.
I am a computer science graduate and doing my master in this field, I have many certificates from Cisco, Microsoft, 3CX, AVG, Mikrotik and many other companies.
I work with many technology platforms such as Microsoft, Linux, Sun and More.
I have worked on many hardware provider equipments, such as sun servers, hp servers, dell servers vnx storage servers and more.
I am also designing websites for small organizations or friends as a part time works.


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When a person works, makes money, builds a house, makes an effort to improve his standard of living, he appears to be engaged in efforts towards some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannot be called a purposeful life, for these activities do not demonstrate man's unique status. It might seem as if they are the result of deliberation, but if one looks at the matter in depth, one will see that in actual fact the motive force behind these actions is the same urge that motivates an animal in various ways, in its concern for its own survival. It is the driving force of one's desires; the pressure of one's needs, and the wish to fulfil the demands of one's self that underlie such a life. These are the considerations which, in fact, guide a person in his search for his livelihood.
When man grows up, he realizes that there are certain material necessities without which he cannot live. He requires food, clothes, a place to live; he requires a reliable source of income to sustain him throughout his life. He is forced by these considerations to obtain these things. Then he sees that those who have an abundance of these material things enjoy respect and apparently possess every form of happiness and luxury in this world. Thus he is driven on to do more than just seek a livelihood; he desires to earn to a degree greatly in excess of his actual requirements.
In bustling markets, grandiose offices, and opulent buildings, he is not really guided by deliberate thought. Rather, he is being guided by inflated ideas of his own needs, desires, longings and ambitions to achieve fame and high status in this world. For this reason these activities cannot be considered as being directed towards the purpose which sets man apart from the animal and lends him a higher distinction.
To determine the purpose of life is, in short, the effort to make life meaningful. It must surely, therefore, be one which is in accordance with man's unique status; it must be one which leads man on the path to success and progress in terms of his true nature.


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PlayStation Plus Prepares its Debut on PS4 With a Lovely Montage Trailer
Playstation Plus has brought lovely deals and "free" (airquotes obligatory) games to PS3 and PS Vita owners for a while now, and Sony is now preparing to move the service on PS4, propelling it with Driveclub by making it mandatory for online gaming.
Today Sony Computer Entertainment Europe released a trailer for the service with a montage featuring mostly PS4 games, but also reminding us that PS Plus is already available on PS3 and PS Vita, and that subscribers will get access to their instant game collection on all three consoles.
Whether you're interested in the service or not (I can't really fathom why any PlayStation owner wouldn't be, but that's just me), may as well give it a look just below. At the very least you'll get some spiffy gameplay footage, and that's never a bad thing.


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Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner 325 ml – £5.99
Is it any good? On a few levels, it's very good, yes. It removed the dirt and grime easily, and seemed to make the wash mitt glide over the vehicle with ease. Not too much is needed, as one capful will do for 10 litres of water. However, after using it, we decided it needed slightly more. Something like one and a half capfuls will do a better job. Slight negatives means it shouldn't be used in strong sunlight or on hot bodywork. We tried this just to see what happens and the Shampoo Conditioner dried very rapidly and left some streaks on the paintwork. It does leave a good shiny finish and water beads up on un-waxed paintwork well too.
8/10 Doesn't work too well on hot days but the price is good and it leaves a nice look and finish.
Buy Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo & Conditioner from Amazon (USA)
Buy Autoglym Bodywork Shampoo Conditioner from Amazon (UK)


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What Do Your Employees Say About You?
It's human nature for people to want others to say nice things about them, especially when they aren't around to hear it. When you aren't around your employees, do you think they say good things about you?
Your employees listen closest to what other employees have to say. If there is something to be said about you, good or bad, they are bound to take it to heart.
Nathan Washburn from Utah State University and Benjamin Galvin from Brigham Young University recently published an article in Harvard Business Review where they discussed leader surrogates. These are people who have developed admiration and respect for you and actively share favorable information about you. The authors say information relayed from these people is more powerful at motivating other employees than any formal communication you might send out.
Washburn and Galvin offer a few suggestions for developing these leader surrogates:
- Get out more. Take advantage of getting outside of your management team to make contact with people at all levels of the organization. The authors say that your words and actions have greater impact with people at lower levels of the organization. Yet it's these lower ranking employees that have the greatest credibility because there is no perceived benefit for them speaking highly of you.
- Let spontaneous things happen. The best, most inspiring stories are those with surprising and unscripted elements. If you only interact with employees in planned meetings or scripted settings, those great stories won't happen.
- Don't strive for perfection. "A leader's strength in one area can compensate for weakness in another," authors say. They site an example of a CEO who loses his temper, but his strength in the areas of vision, employee concern and standards compensate for that weakness.
- Less can be more. Washburn and Galvin say that it's more important to have authentic, meaningful interactions with a select group of individuals than empty interactions with hundreds of people. "Connect with one person and he or she can promote you to hundreds of people, causing a ripple effect throughout the organization."
- Doing beats talking. Leaders who demonstrate that they live by their own standards inspire others. One of the most effective ways a leader can display a human side is to help out with menial tasks. There are plenty of opportunities to do that on a dairy.
Making a connection with your employees in a meaningful way inspires great work. It doesn't just happen, though, it takes effort on your part as well.


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Does Tyson Chandler Give The Dallas Mavericks a Championship Front Line?July 13, 2010
Just after the Utah Jazz snatched Al Jefferson away from Dallas, Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson set their targets on Tyson Chandler after a botched trade to Toronto.
The important players Dallas lost were Erick Dampier, Cuban's most valuable trade piece, and Eddie Najera, two players who spent considerable time at center last year.
In comes Chandler, who just three years ago was a double double machine with the help of Chris Paul in New Orleans. However, Chandler has been extremely limited the past two years due to injuries.
Now the question is, does Chandler's presence give Dallas enough of a big man trio to seriously contend for a championship, or is he just here to fill space because he has a eight figure expiring contract for the pursuit of Paul?
My guess would be Dallas management believes Chandler can make a difference. But they won't hesitate to trade him if Chris Paul becomes available.
The difference that a healthy Chandler can make is enormous. Still on the right side of 30, he can be the player he was in New Orleans: an athletic monster, an opportunistic and hard-working rebounder, and a willing and competent defender.
Defense is especially important on the oldest team in the NBA featuring only one defender (Marion) that can defend against dribble penetration.
Quick point guards like Paul, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, and Monta Ellis have no trouble driving against Dallas defenders because Dampier, Haywood, and Najera would pose little to no threat against a lay-up.
Three of those four point guards have had triple-doubles against Dallas.
Whether this elevates Dallas to championship contention can be debated.
One concern is Chandler's history of injury over the years.
The other is his lack offensive moves.
This means Dirk Nowitzki still has to put the offense on his 32 year old shoulders, with inconsistent help from Jason Kidd, Caron Butler, and Jason Terry.
The verdict is still out on whether Rodrigue Beaubois can make an impact big enough to become Dirk's sidekick on offense.
Chandler can at least be enough of an alley-oop threat to draw some attention away from Dirk. However, that still won't be enough to change the culture of the Dallas offense.
Offensive deficiencies can still be filled through the Mid-Level Exception, as represented by Dallas offering Al Harrington the full MLE to be a spark plug off the bench.
Because of his ability to fill a big need for this team, Tyson Chandler should be a welcomed addition to Dallas and impact them only in a positive way.
To answer the title question, Chandler does not give Dallas a championship front line, but his talents put them in the conversation.
However, if New Orleans comes calling about a Paul for Chandler trade, I would sacrifice this front court and pull the trigger in a heartbeat.


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So two days ago my wife calls me on her way home from work. She is a little upset at some of the news they got in a meeting after work. To give you a little background, my wife is a teacher. Apparently Texas, the state we live in is cutting $5 billion in public school funding. This means things like Art, Music classes and Librarians will be cut along with many other younger teachers depending upon your district.
So you can see why my wife and her school were upset. So the leaders recommended that everyone start doing some old school techniques and start writing their senators. My wife on the other hand has heard me talking about social media for years now and has also been on facebook for several years herself, has decided to update the way she reaches out. Her goal is to get as many people following her page and educate everyone how to get on board and make a difference.
In as little as 2 days, she has set up a Facebook Community Page under the name Save Texas Schools. Beyond just setting this page up, she has been able to collect some 50+ people getting on board with this cause. Only a handful are actual contacts she knows personally.
The great thing is these people are passionate about this cause. They are starting to rally the troops and set up meetings to discuss this problem. Keep in mind these are not necessarily local people they are all over the state. There have been a few people who have already reached out to my wife to connect and join them for in person meetings or phone meetings to band together and solve this issue.
If you are in Texas and do not want to see these big cuts ($5 billion), please go and join this group to Save Texas Schools.
For the rest of you that are regular readers of this blog, here is how it ties into business marketing. I have business owners look at me like I am crazy when I recommend we start using social media to help build their brand, connect with their audience, build traffic to their website and help convert people into leads. The key is getting a bunch of people passionate about your brand. Look at companies like Apple. An Apple user will fight till the death to keep their macs if they are in a majority Windows PC office. That is some passion! Apple's multiple facebook pages are going through the roof as are Apples profits.
So do you want to get your message out to the masses and build a strong following of evangelists? Than maybe you need to set up a Facebook Fan Page for your business. Think of how cool it would be if in two days your business got 50+ followers and had people start calling you to learn more or buy your product. That is the true power and speed of social media when done right. Now get social!


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Highland Capital Management has led the way in terms of honest and pioneering investment banking. The company has garnered a reputation for being disciplined, bold, and experienced. Along with numerous business awards won in the name of their practices, Highland Capital Management has also received a fantastic report thanks to the customers that they serve. The Highland Capital Management team and their affiliates boast an impressive 21 billion dollar current management of assets. Numerous business journals have noted that Highland Capital Management is among the most experienced companies when it comes to investments and capital management. Highland Capital Management's specialities include: long-only funds and separate accounts, credit strategies, distressed and special situations private equity, credit hedge funds, and CLOs, otherwise known as collateralized loan obligations. Highland Capital Management doesn't just focus on standard investment practices. They offer their clients a wide range of alternative investment options. Natural resources, emerging markets, as well as long term and short term equities are available. Highland Capital Management has an extended list of clients that they cater to. That diverse client base includes: corporations, public pension plans, endowments, foundations, fund of funds, high net worth individuals, governments, and last but not least, financial institutions. Highland Capital Management can boast such an impressive resume thanks only to the men and women who helped to foundation the company to become what it is today. Unquestionably, one of those hard working men is James Dondero.
James Dondero on jimdondero.com is the president of Highland Capital Management. Along with making sure that the day to day processes of Highland Capital Management are up to par, Dondero is also credited with founding Highland Capital Management with his business partner. Mark Okada is credited with founding the company with Dondero and the two have never looked back. Dondero has worked in investment marketing for more than 30 years. The time that he and Okada spent working for clients in the credit sector would later pioneer new investment opportunities such as the Collateralized Loan Obligation otherwise known as CLO. Before Dondero made Highland Capital Management his home, he worked diligently for Protective Life's GIC subsidiary. During his time with that firm, Dondero was credited with managing and raising more than 2 billion dollars in funds and assets for the company and their clientele. Between the years 1985 and 1989, Dondero worked for the American Express company. During his time at American Express, Dondero managed more than 1 billion dollars in fixed incomes. With a degree in Finance and Accounting, Dondero has done more than enough with his concentrations to prove that he knows how to get business and manage it accordingly. His peers designated Dondero as the Certified Managements Accountant of the firm as well as the Chartered Financial Analyst. MGM Studios and American Banknote can boast that Dondero serves as the Board of Directors for both companies. Even with so much on his plate, Dondero has managed to positively affect the lives of those that he regularly serves. Dondero's personal website is full of reviews from those who he has helped most. It is encouraging to see that a man who is so business minded has not forgotten the most important part of his job, the individuals that he serves.


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Question: Is your university lecturer a manager? Discuss in terms of managerial functions, managerial roles, and skills.
According to Theodore Levitt, management consist of the rational assessment of a situation and know what is to be done, strategies to achieve the goal, marshalling of resources, control of the activities and finally motivating the resources to do the work. According to Certo & Certo (2006), management is the process of reaching organisational objectives by working with people and other resources. Majority of Academics agree that management has the following three main characteristics.
- It is a process or series of continuing and related activities (management functions).
- It involves and concentrates on reaching organisational goals (goal attainment).
- It reaches these goals by working with and through people and other organisational resources.
A discussion and explanations of the above three characteristic follows.
The process of management is easily identified in the four management functions which are planning, organizing, influencing and controlling.
Planning is the process of outlining what is needed to be done, its duration, when to start and end. This involves short term and long term. The purpose is to ensure that the activities chosen to be executed will bring the organisation closer to its objectives. A famous proverb put this better than anybody else quoting that "Failing to plan is planning to fail". Planning involves detailing the steps required to achieve the objectives and executing it. There are also a good set of tools and proven theories to assist in better planning.
Planning for lecturer involves preparation, teaching, assessment, implement quality, and manage resources as appropriate. Lecturer need to prepare and outline their activity for the whole semester. They need to plan on how many classes that is going to be conducted, and how the subjects are going to be taught. Dato' Dr Abdul Kuddus (2009) in preparing for his class discover that the majority of his class student is above thirty and by knowing that he knows that most of the students have left school but however have abundant knowledge and experience in management. Having had prepared this information will assist him in conducting his classes.
Organizing is the process of assigning the activities to its resources and is a mechanism to put the plan to act. Everybody will be assigned to a task and is required to ensure that it is executed and will contribute to the organisational goals. Good organizing skills will come with better understanding of responsibility, authority and delegation roles. This is also compounded with the need to understand how to manage organisation changes, stress and in some cases also human resources. Lecturer will need to discharge his duties and the objective is to ensure that his students understand and passes the subject. This is done via three methods.
All reading materials are available online and all the students can easily access and have the ability to study on their own using the course guide that is prepared by the lecturer. An online forum is also created where the lecturer and students can communicate every day. Questions are asked from the books and the students are required to answer it in the forum. This will also contribute to the final total marks. In order to answer these questions the student will need to read the book, request guidance from the lecturers and also attend the classes and seminars. Classes are also held every fortnight where the lecturer will spend at least three hours covering three to four chapters of study.
Influencing is another management functions. This involves motivating, leading and directing. This is critical as a better influencer will get a higher productivity level. There are many characteristics that influence the success of influencing such as leadership, motivation, group, teams and corporate culture, the requirement to understand people and attitudes and also the ability to encourage and be innovative in influencing the students. Lecturers are responsible for influencing the students and are required to guide the students in the appropriate direction. Direct involvement in classes creates a human oriented work between the lecturer and the students. Incentives such as early bird bonus can also appeal to the student and will increase their productivity level and motivates the students. The way the classes are conducted will have positive effects and lecturers will use this opportunity to show, guide and lead the students for their academic objectives.
Controlling is the continuing process of control and monitoring of the activities that has commenced. Control is the activity of managing or exerting control over something. According to Roberto Mockler, controlling is a systematic effort by managers to compare performance to standards or plan and determine the variation and take remedial action required to ensure it will achieve organisational objectives. In order for control to be successful, lecturers is required to measure the performance of the student.
This can be done during each class and also during middle of the semester where the students submit their assignment. By this time the lecturer will be able to assess the student's performance and would be able to compare the performance with the current average performance of the university. If the current performance is under average, the lecturer need to provide solutions such as extra class, or modifying the syllabus and even explaining to the students on where they go wrong. Lecturer or the university can also provide guidance for students on tutor basis. This is an ongoing process which commence right before the first class and after the end of each semester.
The four basic management functions are all inter-related and cannot be separated. The lecturer will need to execute all four management functions in order to be successful.
Organisational resources can be categorized in four basic types – human, monetary, raw materials and capital. According to Certo & Certo (2006) management is defined as course of actions taken in order to accomplish organisational goals by working with and these four basic types of resources.
Lecturer need to utilize these resources in order to achieve organisational's objectives. We have dicussed how lecturers and managers are alike in their main characteristics in discharging their duties, but how do lecturers manager effectively or efficiently?
Effective is defined as producing an intended result or having a striking effect. In managerial terms, effective means how manager use their resources in meeting organisational goals. The continuum ranges from effective to ineffective.
Lecturer needs to minimize the resources but at the same time getting the same effect. That is how online academic materials is very helpful. The same amount of students can have access to the library and will be able to download the same materials over and over again. If it is hardcopy, only one student can borrow the book at one time. Online teaching is effective where everybody ubiquitously will have the flexibility to access the materials when they have the time.
Effeciency is defined as being effective without wasting resources. In managerial terms, efficiency is measured by the level of resources wasted or unused during the production process. The lower this is the more efficient the manager is. Lecturer also needs to have good succession plan for academic succession. Senior lecturers should assist in the academic development of junior lecturers. Improving the teaching quality and the academic level of the lecturer also will increase the level of efficiency in teaching the subject matters. With good grooming university will be able to produce more subject matter experts in the field. Most local university now even made it compulsory for lecturers to outline their 10 years plan and must include completing of their doctor of philosophy degree or Ph.D.
Lecturers have full understanding of what their organisation objectives are and will assist in achieving these objectives. Understanding of planning, organizing, influencing and controlling will assist in carrying it out appropriately. As lecturers perform these inter-related functions as managers they will achieve their organisational objectives.
How do we define lecturer's management skill? There are two views which are applicable to this, a class view and a contemporary view.
A classic view explains that manager without skills cannot perform while managers with skill will perform well. These three skills are required for successful manager to perform and are broken down as Technical, Human and Conceptual skills.
Technical skills are skills involving the ability to apply specialized knowledge and expertise to work related. Lecturer need to have a good strong knowledge of the subject matter, only then will the lecturer be able to give good guidance, support and teaching of the subject. Without good technical skill the lecturer will have difficulties when presented with something out of the book or an extension of the subject. A good lecturer must have a good know how of the subject matter indefinitely.
Human skills are skills that are used for working with people. Lecturer is required to have these skills as they interact highly with students and colleagues. It is all about human skills. If the lecturer does not possess these skills it will definitely bring a communication gap between the lecturer and the students.
Conceptual skills are the understanding of seeing the organisation as a whole. Lecturers need to be able to understand how everything falls into place and understand the various functions of each department. This will also assist heavily when the lecturer is required to assist to market their university or in getting research or study grant from the government. By having an in-depth understanding of the organisational's requirement, the lecturer will be more effective in working in-line with the organisational's needs.
A contemporary view of management skills refers that there are three basic types of major activities that modern manager performs which are task-related activities, people-related activities and change-related activities.
These are all functions that lecturer and managers are required to perform.
Task-related activities are critical management related duties in organisation which includes short-term planning, building organisational objectives and performance monitoring. As explained previously, lecturers are required to prepare coursework, organize the teaching methods and monitor the performance of the students.
People-related activities are efforts in managing people in organisations. This includes support and encouraging. Lecturers are required to give support and encouragement to students from time to time. Most university had also created a special department in charge to assist students. These usually offer guidance and consultation to the students.
Change-related activities are about modifying organisational components such as new strategies and visions and everything about changes to the existing establishments. Lecturers are always required to give input to help the university in improving their existing syllabus, research grants, infrastructures and also upholding the quality in the university. From time to time, changes are required to adapt to the changes in the academic world. There is also competition from other university which calls for changes to be made.


text: After the conference last weekend, I stopped to take my niece dress shopping. After much fun, and trying-on of many dresses, and swooping about like an airplane in said dresses, she settled on this one. It's a little big, so we ordered a size down, and we'll get white not ivroy. It's not the big puffy skirt i'd pictured, but she looks so sweet in it. And most importantly, she loves it!


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A number of students of the Mosul University's Faculty of Engineering on Monday staged a demonstration against the arrest of a professor by army forces, according to one of the protest's organizers.
"The students demonstrated inside the campus against the arrest of Professor Omar Ahmad Youssef, without a warrant by army forces last night," Ameer Younes told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
"The angry students demanded authorities in Ninewa to stop the recent arresting campaigns and to free innocent detainees," he explained.
Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, is 405 km north of Baghdad.
(Aswat Al Iraq)


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Life Lesson: Don't Complain About Your (Famous) Co-Worker On Live TV
Ranting about a co-worker should be done with care, especially when you're a broadcaster, and your co-worker is a much more famous broadcaster, and you're live on TV. But a sportscaster for an NBC affiliate in Jacksonville, Fla., Dan Hicken, turned one of those funny jibes -- the types anchors throw at each other during transitions -- into an extraordinarily uncomfortable diatribe, after famed sportscaster Bob Costas finished his segment seven minutes late.
"He did it to us again. He did it again. He does it every four years," Hicken wailed, like a mother whose child came home past curfew for the second night in a row. Except the child in question is a legend in the industry, who is currently anchoring his ninth Olympics, having reported some of the most breathtaking physical feats humans have ever accomplished. This year Costas was inducted into the the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters' Hall of Fame.
%VIRTUAL-hiringNow-topInds%Costas already has been commended for his coverage this Olympic games. When, as the Israeli team walked the track, he mentioned that it was the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich tragedy -- when 11 Israeli coaches and athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists -- and observed a moment of silence in his commentary. It was a courageous move, given that International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge had refused to allow any mention of the massacre during the opening ceremony.
Costas stature is so great, he's even become something of a motif in rap music, receiving mentions in songs by Ludacris ("For a hefty fee, I'm on your record like Bob Costas"), Domo Genesis ("I'm breaking down the game for you n***** like Bob Costas"), Mac Dre ("Got game like Bob Costa"), and Mr. Muthaf***** eXquire ("Ballers and shotcallers be callin me Bob Costas"). [Some of letters in eXquire's name have replaced with asterisks because it plays on an offensive word].
So it was something of a coup for a local reporter to bash the towering Costas for a full minute. "We're NBC family, Bob!" he yelled, before mocking Costas' reportage. "I'm glad we had the little gymnast girls," he said, as his two co-anchors stood in frozen bemusement. "I'm excited about it. I'm glad we got to interview Michael Phelps six times."
More:$100,000 A Year Jobs That Don't Require A College Degree
"I'm done," he finally said, tapping his fistful of papers a little too aggressively against the anchor desk. "I love him though. He's a great broadcaster."
It's not uncommon for an employee to have his or her ego slightly trampled when a higher-up takes a few liberties at his or her expense. But if a superior is acting in a way that you find inconsiderate or frustrating, there are more effective ways to complain. Here are a few, and ideally none of them should be captured on live television:
If the issue is serious, as in seriously illegal (wage violations, discrimination, or bad company behavior, like your company bundling toxic mortgages and selling them to unknowing investors), make sure you collect evidence, and then show it to your boss's boss, or human resources.
If the issue is more minor, do a cost/benefit analysis. Can this behavior really be changed? Or do you just feel the overwhelming urge to say something about it, even though it won't actually make things better and will only make things really awkward -- or worse?
If there are more pros than cons to complaining, then just wait on it for a second. Bursting into your boss's boss's office, teary-eyed and red-faced and stammering about his jerkiness won't make you appear like the rational party. Stating the facts calmly and cooly, without casting general aspersions on your boss's character, will give your complaint more weight.
If you think this is an issue your co-workers have noticed too, ask them if they'd be willing to complain alongside you. Management has to take a group concern more seriously than that of a single aggrieved employee, who may have a personal vendetta.
Propose a solution. Venting about past wrongs might feel good, but proposing ways to make the future better will actually be good.
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Cati Beauty is a Lisbon based company that provides Makeup & Hairstyling Services in Portugal and abroad.
Come along and get to know Cati, the head, heart and hands behind Cati Beauty
Bridal Beauty Services
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(change of look or touch ups after ceremony)
Beauty Services
Makeup&Hair for Photography/Video
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Meet Cati
Hi! My name is Cati and I'm a Makeup Artist & Hairstylist based in Lisbon, Portugal
I don't quite remember when my little obsession with all things beauty started. I remember, though, that there was never a time when I didn't feel inspired by the visual side of life. As a kid, fashion fascinated me and I wanted to be a part of the making of those beautiful images I so loved to see in magazines. So throughout my school years it was obvious I had to persue Arts; from Music to Paiting, Sculpture and Graphic Design, I did it all.
At 18 I put fashion aside and decided to get a "serious" degree, so I joined the Interior Architecture course in Cardiff, UK, where I lived for 3 crazy exhilarating years. I loved my course and living in another country, but of course when I finished, my true calling was a little bit different from designing spaces, even though it still prepared me for what I do today. So when I returned home to Lisbon I enrolled in a post-grad in Personal Styling (ISLA & ASLEI) and there it was, my first encounter with the Art of Makeup.
While working as a personal stylist I went on to do a few makeup courses at Make Up For Ever Lisbon and with makeup artists such as Helena Batista (Sincolour/Kryolan) and Award Winner Sara Menitra (Milton Agency, London). Soon after, I started freelancing as a Makeup Artist and got to learn some Hairstyling tricks along the way.
Fast foward a few years later and here I am, doing what I love the most and having fun while doing it. Today I'm lucky enough to do Makeup and Hairstyling, work on amazing fashion and TV sets with talented colleagues and make new friends every day. But most of all, I'm lucky and passionate to meet so many different Brides from all over the world, make them feel like a Million Dollars (or Euros, or Pounds) on one of the most special days in their life here in beautiful Portugal.
To me, nothing compares to making someone feel like the best version of themselves and beauty plays a big role in it. I still feel amazed at how empowering makeup & hairstyling can be to a woman and how it can bring us the confidence we need to tackle the day ahead.


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Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Where Everybody Knows Your Name SOCIOLOGIST JAMES COLEMAN, IN HIS
book Public and Private Schools: The Impact of Communities, argues that
school failure for many children is directly related to the erosion of
"social capital'' in contemporary society. Coleman defines social
capital as "the norms, the social networks, and the relationships
between adults and children that are of value for the child's growing
up''--specifically the family and the community. In the community,
social capital exists in the "interest, even the intrusiveness, of one
adult in the activities of someone else's child.'' The deterioration of
family and community, says Coleman, has led to a fundamental vacuum--a
loss of institutions that "induce the kinds of attitudes, effort, and
conception of self that children and youth need to succeed in school
and as adults.'' The article on Newtown, Mo., beginning on page 40 is,
in a very real sense, about social capital. Rural communities like
Newtown are among the few remaining places in this nation where
children find close and caring support from a community of adults. The
teachers at Newtown-Harris School know not only their pupils and their
parents but also their grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and
friends. As one of the teachers says, "In Newtown, everybody knows
everybody, and the familiarity--indeed the intimacy--is part of what
makes Newtown's school so special.'' But, as the title of the article
implies, schools like Newtown-Harris are becoming endangered species as
the rural population in the United States continues its steady decline.
And when the schools close, the communities-- along with their rare
social capital--also die. There is a sad paradox here. The very
characteristics we are seeking to create in our urban and suburban
schools already exist in our disappearing rural schools: real parental
involvement in schools and local interest and support (i.e., social
capital); small classes; flexibility in school structure and
scheduling; collaboration among teachers and cooperative learning among
students; more personal attention for students; the elimination of
tracking and allowing kids to move at their own pace; and the use of
technology to facilitate learning. Newtown-Harris School--like most
rural schools--has all of this but is still on the verge of extinction.
Someone once said, "Only a fool would attempt to stop the march of
time.'' And the direction of that march in this nation has clearly
been--and will continue to be--toward an urban society. But does that
mean nothing can or should be done to preserve schools like
Newtown-Harris for as long as possible? Is the only solution to go on
consolidating such schools into ever larger unified schools that
ultimately embody so many of the negative characteristics that the
current school reform movement laments? As long as there are students
to learn and teachers willing to teach them, small, rural schools have
an important function to perform. They die because eventually they
cannot find the necessary funding to continue or because they are too
small to meet all the academic requirements imposed upon them by state
law. Both of those are policy issues. If the state deemed rural schools
worth saving, it could allocate the necessary resources. After all, if
a school like NewtownHarris disappears, its 83 students will still have
to be educated. And those students would have to be bused (perhaps two
or more hours each day) to another school, which very likely would also
be struggling with financial problems. Economies of scale would
probably result in a somewhat lower per-pupil expenditure, but what the
students lose may be far greater than the monetary savings of
transferring them. The Newtown teachers and administrators have a tacit
agreement that if they cannot provide their children with a "quality
education,'' they will close the school. But a high-quality education
is by no means synonymous with state education requirements. Good
teachers and motivated students in an environment like the one in
NewtownHarris School can light the lamp of lifelong learning, even if
their curriculum is not as broad as that in the "shopping mall high
school.'' And with the inventive use of technology and
distance-learning programs, rural schools can offer their students a
more-than-adequate curriculum. Milton Eisenhower, who often reminisced
about his childhood with Ike in rural Kansas, once said: "The essence
of nostalgia is the awareness that what has been will never be again.''
All the more reason for doing all that can be done now to nourish
schools like Newtown-Harris.
Vol. 02, Issue 08, Page 1-24
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The folk artiste will sing two songs to celebrate Nidhi and Ashutosh's upcoming nuptials
Kuch Toh Log Kahenge's Nidhi (Kritika Kamra) and Ashutosh (Sharad Kelkar) are gearing up for the big day. After going through much heartbreak, the couple will finally see their dream come true when they get to tie the knot next week. The preparations are already on with Nidhi's haldi ceremony happening today. The show's makers have roped in Malini Awasthi, one of the foremost folk singers in India, to add a much needed dash of Awadh to the proceedings.
Till now, whenever there has been a wedding or any grand function, we have seen the same trend – a few popular stars shake their leg to the latest Bollywood numbers. With KTLK, we heard that the makers wanted to bring in the flavour of Lucknow to the proceedings, as that's where the show is set. Malini is known for her proficiency in thumri, dadra and ghazals and has often been credited for reviving these folk traditions. That's why the makers decided to go against the norm and signed Malini. She has sung two songs for the show – one is a well-known folk song and the other one is a song she has composed. Malini said, "It was a great pleasure shooting for Kuch Toh Log Kahenge. I felt back at home in Lucknow, where no wedding is complete without naach-gaana (dance and music). The entire haldi function had the authentic essence of Awadh and that has been brought to life with the ambience created. The cast and crew of the show were also very nice to work with."
The haldi may be going well, but we wonder if it will be smooth sailing for Nidhi and Ashutosh till the wedding. There are already a few hints of trouble in the plot. Ashutosh's haldi ceremony was stalled due to the unavailability of Armaan's mother for the function. Nidhi's grandaunt has made it clear that if Ashutosh doesn't get his haldi done on time, the wedding cannot take place. Will Malini's wishes prove to be a good omen for the couple? Or will the wedding be stalled? What do you think? Tell us!


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I edited this story a bit a few weeks after I posted it, so some of the comments people made in response to the earlier version might not make sense to someone reading the story and comments for the first time.
Back Pocket Wishes
By Laura McHale Holland
Sparks fly from his eyes when he passes the herd of microphone waving media. "It's a family matter," he growls, brushing a matinee idol curl from his forehead. His sandpaper grip wrenches his wife's rigid wrist. Shoulders hunched, she glares at her toenails, manicured to perfection that morning.
From the chauffeured Mercedes idling at the curb, the child—conceived atop a pile of coats in a back bedroom the night her parents met—watches them approach. Her tiny fingers fumble for back pocket wishes, the simple things she yearns for but dares not show, as dread, seeping from the floor boards, soaks her mary jane shoes.
All of the episodes in this series in the order in which they were posted follow:
The one he always wants to hear


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borage in my garden Last night it took a long while to clear my mind well enough to fall asleep. I am a skilled meditator and have a good practice of keeping myself grounded, but dear god— I was taken to the very edge last night as the specific horrors of what the US government… [Read More]
animal magic
ollie go-golly, the all love dog On Tuesday afternoon around 4:30 pm, I finished a phone call and came down the stairs to take Ollie for a walk. I found him collapsed against the wall, making no sound– just looking up at me in a puddle of twisted arms and legs. He had been getting… [Read More]
Gah. What the what. Fourth Saturday in March 2018, what? Where do my wonderful intentions disappear to? I'm thinking I really had no idea how long it would take for me to rest, reground and recenter. And although I am a big believer in Mary Oliver's adage, "things take the time they take" there's a… [Read More]
symbols, slugs + a F#*KING squirrel
Another book that I am deep into right now is Eastern Body, Western Mind. This morning I was digging into the section on the sixth chakra where we are reminded to notice any symbols recurring for us. Um, hello. Are you serious. The symbol that doesn't seem to want to quit me is in the… [Read More]
365 days doth a year make
gooseberry island :: 29 august 2014 Dear Henry, We were talking about you today.There's a place you never got to visit that you would've totally loved: Gooseberry Island. gooseberry island :: august 29 2014 It's a straight shot south of Providence, an easy drive. Given today is the anniversary of that sad, sad awful no-good… [Read More]


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Photo: Susie Cushner
How to Make It
Step 1
Drop the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño into a food processor with the motor running. Process till minced. Add the yogurt, sugar, and spices. Pulse until blended. In a bowl, pour the yogurt mixture over the potatoes, squash, zucchini, and onion. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Heat oven to 425º F. Spoon the yogurt-marinated vegetables into a large, shallow roasting pan or jelly-roll pan. Bake 30 minutes, turning once, until all the vegetables are fork-tender. Fold in the peas and cilantro. Serve, refrigerating a third of the vegetables for another use.


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Greetings to our PI DevClub community. It's that time once again where we announce the 2019 class of PI DevClub All-Stars. Not to spoil the surprise, but I could have dusted off the 2018 announcement, and only scratched off a couple of names. Allow me to explain these particular awards a bit more. You do not have to be a paid subscriber to PI Developers Club. Anyone who is a subscriber is automatically eligible for the award. For anyone is who is not a subscriber, we review many of their posts to be sure that a significant number of posts are code-related. However, code is not limited to the PI Developer Technologies (AF SDK, PI Web API, SQL Family). We include Asset Analytics and PowerShell as well.
What you will discover common in all the winners is not just a sharp technical knowledge of PI, but more so a willingness to help others. Awards are given as a recognition of such spirit to help others.
PI Developers Club Community All-Stars
This is a repeat across the board as 2018.
- Roger Palmen checks in at the top of our list. This should not be surprising to anyone who even casually follows the forums. Since winning All-Star the previous year, Roger has also climbed to top of the All-Time Leaderboard. Seriously, I have lost track of how many consecutive years Roger has won. 7 or 8 maybe.
- John Messinger wins for the 3rd year in a row.
- Dan Fishman wins for the 2nd year in a row.
It's interesting having a global community because when I wake up in the morning to read the forums, these All-Stars have most likely already replied to most new questions. John is from Australia, Roger from the Netherlands, and Dan is US-based.
PI Developers Club Rising Star
Anyone who has not previously won an All-Star or Rising Star award is eligible for Rising Star as long as some portion of their posts have been code-related. This years recipient is a very prolific poster, the majority of which are not within the PI DevClub forums. Nonetheless since he posts with such a high volume, we were able to easily find many that were code-related.
- Lal Babu Shaik from Australia is the 2019 Rising Star!
The Community All-Stars and Rising Star all win the same award:
- Amazon Gift Card worth 400 USD.
- 1 year free subscription to PI Developers Club.
- 100% discount to one of the following PI World events: Gothenburg 2019 or any PI World 2020.
Employee All-Stars
While all OSIsoft employees are always eager to give a helping hand, we want to recognize those they go the extra mile. Our 2019 Internal All-Stars are:
Sebastien Raposo And Seb is already making a strong claim for 2020 with his excellent, must-read series on Asset Analytics.
Jinmo Yi wins for the 2nd year in a row.
David Hearn is a multiple recipient. I joke that I know when the Asset team has completed their sprint because David's posting activity increases around that time.
The Internal All-Stars each win an Amazon Gift Card worth 200 USD.
Never too late to think of next year
It's not impossible to break into the top 3 and shake the grip that Roger, John, and Dan have on the All-Star awards. I have seen Ernst Amort (prefers being called Holger) and Jim Gavigan each with good activity in their own blogs. Will Rhys Kirk, Asle Frantzen, or Lonnie Bowling find time in their jobs to post more and find themselves returning to the winners circle? Time will tell. See you next year when we announce the 2020 winners.


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|6th Annual GANG Awards - 2007 Released Games
The Game Audio Network Guild held the 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards Show on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference. Congratulations to the following winners:
Sound Design
Voice Acting
to "2008 Awards"
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Violet Hour Fashion
Lavender Body Mist
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As you wind down your day in Violet Hour Fashion sleepwear, it is full of rituals and we want to be a part of them. With our new Lavender Body Mist, we wanted an essential oil mist to use alongside our eye masks to promote aromatherapy when sleeping. Mist on your pillow and eye mask in the evening and enjoy the calming properties of lavender.
Ingredients: distilled water & lavender essential oil (lavandula angustifolia)
To use: Mist on face, pillow or Violet Hour Eye Mask for relaxation.
2 oz / 60 fl oz
Assembled in Denver, CO