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Posted 7 years ago
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This bicycle is from the early 30's, and is an unrestored, English Humber Sports model. This model has an unusual fork design, called "Duplex", in which each blade consist of two separate tubes. The stylish chainring includes the shape of five people. The front light is in great shape, however the rear light is missing the bulb (these are turned on by pedaling). The bike is in overall good condition with very little surface rust, but it is missing the chain case and rear fender and the tires are flat. It comes with the original Brook's patent Ladies Saddle seat with name plate still attached. The seat is dry, but does not have any holes.


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No one eats like a hunter, especially in winter. For sportsmen's club members throughout the region, it's now game-dinner time.
For a special coterie, winter in New England builds to a climax at extravagant wild feasts where hunters gather to share their bounty. These celebrations are no place for vegetarians, the finicky or unadventurous.
The dining room is a den for gourmet carnivores who know where their food comes from. They revel in its superiority to the antibiotic- and hormone-laced meat purchased in grocery stores. Of course they know — they harvested it, dressed it, and prepared it.
Here at the game dinners, hunters come eager to laugh, toast each other, and share entertaining tales, some true. There are, of course, the embellished stories of the giants that got away, but the delicious game ceremoniously coming out of the kitchen substantiates their success and skill, restoring credibility to even the most prevaricating rascals present.
At dinner's end, satiated diners appreciatively carrying home leftovers argue they'd much prefer to eat like a hunter than eat like a king. But in truth, someone like King Henry VIII would feel much at home amid the slabs of venison, wild boar and succulent fowl that are truly far beyond fair.
Hunters enjoy the privilege of eating many specialties that can't be bought readily in any market or restaurant — and never sampled in a lifetime by most urbanites who dependently delegate their food acquisition and preparation to someone else. To partake in these extraordinary feasts, one must be a member of a sportsmen's club — or a very lucky guest.
Though not a week goes by that my family doesn't dine on wild fare that we've hunted, fished for, or gathered, I try never to miss opportunities to experience new flavorful experiences provided by my fellow hunters, most of whom have a special secret recipe or two that makes each game dinner a novelty.
The Auburn Sportsman's Club, like several other local clubs, has much chef talent among its membership. The surprising number of Julius Childs among them annually packs the clubhouse with repeat diners having fond memories of unique dinners past. Gary Pray chronicled for posterity the stellar menu of 2012:
Venison Swedish meatballs, fried alligator bites, pepperchini wrapped in venison and bacon, venison cheese manas, crispy wantons filled with cheese and venison sausage, Scotch eggs (venison sausage wrapped around a hard boiled egg, breaded and deep fried), wild boar chili with Fritos and cheddar cheese, chicken fried venison, mashed potatoes with garlic, bacon, cream cheese, and gravy; balsamic glazed kebabs of venison, boar and pineapple; and braised ram served over grits.
Of course, it's obligatory to try every course. This is no time for diets. Between courses, the bar does a brisk business, encouraging further conversation. No one walks away quickly from dinner.
The Walpole Sportsman's Club, not to be outdone by anyone, has its own annual tradition. Its impressive 2012 menu started with cherrystones and shrimp, followed by pheasant, rabbit, moose, deer, fish of several varieties, and wild boar. Totally satiated, most sportsmen ended the evening savoring a fine gentleman's cigar as they listened to the hunting stories of fellow sportsmen.
Over the years, clubs like Rutland and Barre have had astounding game dinners, making reservations for them as tough to get as playoff tickets. Last week, I had the privilege of dining at the Nimrod game dinner. You should have been there.
Bob Hoch and Rob and Robin Tarani directed the kitchen's triumph. In previous years, they had professional chefs from Johnson & Wales and the Salter School. They didn't need them. This year, hunters cooked for hunters. The dinner was gluttonous.
Bartender Bob Horgan, while helping lubricate conversation, served his much-anticipated crab and cheese hors d'oeuvres. Getting the all-you-can-eat buffet started was a traditional stew course, highlighted by bear chili, Michigan venison stew, and fish chowder. Then came the irresistible appetizers.
Completing the course were smoked salmon, pickled herring (fresh and juicy and nothing like what we buy in a jar), pheasant cheese roll with almonds, and fresh fried smelt. The main course fireworks finale included venison stir fry, pheasant popcorn, alligator bites, pheasant pot pie, wild turkey with poppy seeds, venison stuffed peppers, venison heart and liver, venison and moose roasts, game sausage lasagna, and my favorite — barbecued beaver, which rivaled the finest pulled pork in flavor and texture.
A dozen other local clubs — none willing to be outdone — could all claim a first prize for their delightful menus, which will include buffalo, elk, caribou, wild boar, opossum, rabbit, squirrel, muskrat, porcupine, raccoon, quail, partridge, sea duck sausage, Canada goose, mallard, wood duck, striped bass, smoked bluefish, bluefish pat�, gravlax, yellow perch, catfish, crayfish, frogs legs and snapping turtle.
Proudly displaying the epitome of self-reliance and independence, most hunters can handle themselves competently both in the wild and in the kitchen, often delighting their wives, families and friends.
If you don't belong to a local sportsmen's club, you're missing some unforgettable new dining experiences. Life's too short not to try everything special. It's still possible to join one of our clubs before winter's over, if only for the privilege of experiencing a hunter's wild game dinner.
Today through Sunday — CMTA Hartford Boat Show, Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford. Info: www.hartfordboatshow.com.
Saturday — Fisheries management in Massachusetts: 100 years at Lake Wickaboag; speaker, MassWildlife fisheries biologist Richard Hartley. Congress on lakes and ponds at Worcester State University student center. Info and registration: Carol Hildreth, email@example.com.
Saturday and Sunday — Firearm & Knife Show, Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlboro, 500 tables; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Info: www.northeastgunshows.com.
Sunday — West Region Trustees of Reservations Full Moon Winter Night Hike, Doyle Community Park, 464 Abbott Ave., Leominster. Easy trails throughout 160 acres. If there's snow, snowshoes may be rented or bring your own. Info: Josiah Richards, (978) 840-4446, ext. 1905 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Monday — Surfcasting Block Island and First Aid for Fishermen, Rhode Island Saltwater Angler Association seminar, West Valley Inn, West Warwick, R.I. $10.
Thursday through Feb 3 — 11th annual Flora in Winter, Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St., $20. Info: (508) 799-4406 or www.worcesterart.org.
Feb. 8-10 — New England Fishing & Outdoor Expo, DCU Center, Worcester. The winter sportsmen's event of our region. Info: www.newenglandfishingexpo.com, firstname.lastname@example.com or (774) 243-1442.
Feb. 9 — License to carry firearms class, required in Massachusetts to obtain a handgun permit. Taught by a law-enforcement officer and certified educator. Archery Plus, 107 North Spencer Road, Spencer, 1-5 p.m., $100. Call now for reservations, (508) 885-3336.
Feb. 16 — Annual Long Pond Ice Derby to benefit Barton Center/Camp Joslin for kids with diabetes. Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Feb. 16 — Marlboro Fish & Game Club dinner, 6 p.m. Info: firstname.lastname@example.com.
Feb. 16 — Saltwater seminar: Catching Trophies in Trying Times; Speaker: Capt. Ray Stachelek. Emphasis on catching big stripers on a fly, noon to 1:30 p.m., Lower Forty, Madison Street, Worcester. No charge. Call Jim Bender to reserve a spot, (508) 752-4004.
Feb. 23 — Singletary Rod & Gun Club Game dinner. Info: Mike Trottier, (860) 935-5136.
Feb. 23 — Gun Owners Action League annual breakfast meeting, Carriage House, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Advanced reservations required, $25. Info: (508) 393-5333.

subset: commoncrawl


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October 23, 2012
Too often women lawyers are hesitant to take the steps that will turn a business development opportunity into an actual client. Those last few steps—asking f or business and closing the deal—feel unnatural and take us outside of our comfort zone. But those steps don't have to be difficult or uncomfortable—they can fit your personal style and showcase your strengths without hype or guile. Here's how to start.
1. TAKE A PERSONAL INVENTORY. Long before you get to the pitching stage, you need to look at the bigger picture. You can't sell a product you don't know. Review what you like most about your practice and your client-relations style, and why. Then review what you like least. Do an external source check and ask several colleagues and clients these same questions.
2. DETERMINE WHAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR CAREER. You don't want to close a deal and find yourself tied to a matter that doesn't fit in with your career goals. Are you looking for a short-term, intense work profile until you start a family? Are you looking for a job that has the elusive work-life balance? Are you looking to be senior partner at a high-billable hours firm? Are you looking for experience before you start your own shop?
3. IDENTIFY YOUR MARKETING TARGETS. Who do you want to do the deal with? Do you want to develop clients who will have steady referrals (appropriate in transaction/
corporate work), or are you looking for individual cases (appropriate for criminal defense/family law matters), or to retain existing clients, or grow them? Does your target reflect your goals as well as your firm's goals?
4. MAKE THE BUSINESS CASE. This isn't personal, even though it feels like it. How well you succeed in your business development efforts will, of course, depend on your ability to sell yourself. However, the decision to award the work will be based on whether the target sees a business reason to hire you, so concentrate on data and facts rather than emotion. This is true whether the target is a big company or an individual.
5. LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT YOUR TARGET. Making a pitch without knowing your target's history, culture, needs and concerns is just plain silly. Use all available resources, from the Internet to experienced lawyers in your firm, so that you go forward from knowledge, not guesses or desperation. Be ready to listen, but with smart ears, when you have your face-to-face meeting. Nothing says you care more than an intelligent question that shows you know your target's business.
6. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR TARGET'S PUMPS. Why would or should they choose you for their legal service needs? You will need to sell yourself as well as your firm. You will need to tie your skills to their issues. To do this, you will have to ask great questions and listen to the answers as building blocks for your pitch.
7. SET UP THE FACE-TO-FACE ONLY WHEN YOU ARE PREPARED. No one wants to be your experiment.
- What have you done to tee up the meeting? Are there materials you want the client to have ahead of time?
- What materials will you provide—on the spot and as follow-ups? Have you adjusted your materials to the target's personality?
- What is the setting for your pitch? Are you in the right place? It doesn't have to be a restaurant or office. Is it the right time of day, week or month to be convenient for the client? Have you allowed enough time?
8. DO A "MOOT COURT" OF YOUR PITCH. This is a presentation, so rehearse. You need to get comfortable talking about yourself, especially your strengths. Ask someone who knows the client to role-play the client. Be ready for the surprise questions, and get feedback on when to quit the pitch. Aim to find your own voice, one that does not feel self-conscious or conceited but conveys the necessary facts about your skills.
9. SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS. Marketing is a long-term investment. Few clients make a decision on the spot. You want to develop a relationship that can grow over time, so rushing it is counterproductive. Your plan should include strategic follow- ups, which can go on for years. But, if you do get the client right away, be ready. Make no false promises.
10. BE CONFIDENT AND CREATIVE. No one wants to hire a lawyer who is tentative or rote. Think out of the box about fees, billing and technology, for example. Tie your innovations to the client's needs. Always listen to your client's issues—no one wants a hard sell. And never insult the competition. Finally, try to have fun. If you don't enjoy the process, no one else will!
About the Author
Roxana C. Bacon is Executive Director of Western Progress, a nonprofit think tank devoted to issues of the American Southwest. She serves on the Ninth Circuit Advisory Board and volunteers as a mentor for young women establishing their own legal practices and businesses.


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Value Line is regarded as the best independent research available. More than just recommendations, Value Line provides the rationale behind its picks for greater understanding.
Investors in America's leading fast-food companies have benefited from excellent price appreciation, as well as dividend growth over the past 10 years, as consumers in emerging markets have provided a vast source of steady, profitable expansion.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (YUM), operator of fast-food chains, such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, has been an excellent performer over the past 10 years. From a 2002 low of $10.20, the share price has climbed steadily, reaching a recent price of around $65 a share. Meanwhile, the dividend payout, has climbed dramatically in the past five years. With its low capital needs relative to its surging cash flow, the company likely earned a return on shareholder's equity of over 80% in 2012.
The company has benefited tremendously from international expansion over the 10-year stretch, as it went from earning the vast majority of its revenues in the U.S. market in 2002, to getting only about a quarter of its revenues domestically in the first three quarters of 2012.
Yum! now boasts about 14,200 restaurants in its International division, mostly franchised, as well as a China division of around 4,500 restaurants, which are mostly company owned. The China division now makes up the largest portion of revenues and operating profits, due to Yum!'s emphasis on company owned restaurants in that country, as well as the breakneck growth of that nation's middle-income citizenry. The company got into the China market early and bet big, a decision that has created exceptional returns for shareholders.
McDonald's Corporation (MCD - Free McDonald's Stock Report) has had an excellent 10-year run as well, with MCD shares rising from a 2002 low of $15.20 a share to about $90 recently. In the same period, the dividend payout rose from $0.24 a share to $2.87 a share, marking an annual growth rate of 26%.
Much of the company's success has come from the increasingly global mix of its sales. The company divides its businesses into four main segments: the United States, Europe, Asia/Pacific/Middle East/Africa (APMEA) and other countries & corporate. The U.S. segment, which accounted for the largest share of revenues and the vast majority of total operating income in 2002, now accounts for less than a third of revenues and less than half of total operating income.
In contrast, the APMEA division has, in recent years, grown its revenues from about $2.4 billion in 2002 to more than $6 billion in 2011. More impressively, its operating income of $64 million in 2002 expanded to a staggering $1.5 billion in 2011. Since establishing its first restaurant in Mainland China in 1990, the chain has expanded rapidly, and is on track to reach its goal of 2,000 restaurants in the fast-emerging economy by the end of 2013. Indeed the company added about 250 new China locations in 2012 alone.
Surprisingly, Europe has become a far bigger portion of McDonald's business as well. Its revenues of $5.1 billion in 2002 more than doubled to $10.9 billion in 2011, making it the largest segment by this category, beating the U.S. division by about 28%. Some of the chain's European success has come from an overhaul inspired by the realization that, as opposed to U.S. customers, who tend to seek speed and convenience from chain restaurants, European consumers prefer a more leisurely dining experience. The upgrades have included wireless Internet connections in many of Europe's outlets and an increased emphasis on aesthetically pleasing store design. However, another large contributor has been the addition of stores in Russia and Eastern Europe, regions that had largely been off-limits to American restaurant chains before the fall of communism. McDonald's opened its first outlet in Russia in 1990. Since then, Russia's market has expanded to almost 300 restaurants, with dozens now being added each year and a target of growing its store count by about 15% per year. In addition, customer volume per store in Russia has become far higher than that in the United States.
While Yum! and McDonald's have already broken into the biggest potential markets, there is still a lot of room to grow. India, with a population that is projected to eventually outstrip even China's, lags far behind in terms of this sort of market penetration. Further, while economic growth in emerging economies has outpaced the developed world in recent years, hundreds of millions are still clamoring to join the nascent middle class. With exceptional long-term growth potential, investors would be wise to take notice of these market-leading companies.
At the time of this article's writing, the author did not have positions in any of the companies mentioned.


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Obama pushes back on criticism of handling of Libya attacks; campaign turns to night of humour
NEW YORK — President Barack Obama on Thursday rejected criticism that his administration has offered a confused response to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, an accusation made repeatedly by Republican challenger Mitt Romney in their campaign for the White House. Of any breakdown that might have led to the killing of four Americans, Obama declared: "We're going to fix it."
On a campaign day where the politics of comedy were to flavour the presidential race, Comedy Central host Jon Stewart got serious in pressing Obama over the government's changing explanation about the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi. When Stewart suggested that even Obama would concede his administration's co-ordination and communication had not been "optimal," Obama said: "If four Americans get killed, it's not optimal. We're going to fix it. All of it."
Romney has pointedly questioned Obama's handling of the matter and his honesty about it to voters. Those accusations led to the fiercest conflict of the presidential debate on Tuesday and will surely come to the fore again on Monday in the campaign's final debate.
Appearing in a taping of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Obama insisted information was shared with the American people as it came in. The attack is under investigation, Obama said, and "the picture eventually gets filled in."
The exchange came on a day when Vice-President Joe Biden compared the policies of Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, to a gun pointed at Americans, and after Romney's son said he was tempted to "take a swing" at Obama when the Democrat questions the GOP candidate's honesty.
Ryan, speaking at a campaign stop in Ocala, Fla., before Biden delivered his comments, accused Obama of sending a divisive message.
"He's basically trying to disqualify his opponent with a sea of negativity," Ryan said. "He's trying to divide this country, pitting people against each other. He's trying to win this election by default. You know what? We're not going to let him get away with that."
The sharpness of the barbs is a reflection of just how tight the race is 19 days out. Hard campaign decisions are being made, state by state.
Romney aides said Thursday that no staff had been dispatched to Michigan or Pennsylvania, where they once suggested he would compete aggressively but has not.
The bickering between campaigns was supposed to take a break Thursday night as both candidates address the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a white-tie gala at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel that has been a required stop for politicians since the end of World War II.
The evening's political dinner is named for the four-term Democratic governor of New York who lost the 1928 presidential race to Republican Herbert Hoover. Smith was the first Catholic to run for president and the dinner named for him is organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York for the benefit of needy children.
In keeping with tradition, both candidates prepared lighthearted remarks for the event. That was also the case four years ago when Obama and GOP nominee John McCain poked fun at themselves and each other just a day after an intense presidential debate at Hofstra University on Long Island.
As in 2008, this year's dinner follows a confrontational debate, also at Hofstra, lending an air of drama to the pivot from acrimony to humour.
Democrats are pushing the accusation that Romney is being dishonest, taking up Obama's refrain since Tuesday's debate that the GOP nominee is offering "a sketchy deal."
"I don't think they were just sketchy," Biden said at a rally in Las Vegas. "I think they were Etch-a-Sketchy."
Obama and Biden are to campaign together next Tuesday in Ohio after Monday night's final debate.
On Libya, Obama has faced scrutiny for shifting explanations of what happened. He pushed back on Thursday.
"We weren't confused about the fact that four Americans had been killed," Obama said.
"I wasn't confused about the fact that we needed to ramp up diplomatic security. … I wasn't confused about the fact that we had to investigate exactly happened so it gets fixed. And I wasn't confused about the fact that we're going to hunt down whoever did it and bring them to justice," the president said.
On another national security issue, Obama said he still wants to close the prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a big unmet promise of his 2008 campaign. The effort was blocked by Congress, which passed a law prohibiting the government from moving prisoners to the U.S. for detention or trial.
Earlier, in Nevada, Biden accused GOP vice-presidential nominee Ryan of sharing a cynical vision of Americans with Romney.
"Ryan has written a book called the 'Young Guns' with two other members of the House," Biden said. "Unfortunately, the bullets are aimed at you."
Romney campaign spokesman Brendan Buck responded that Biden's "over-the-top rhetoric" was disappointing but not surprising.
"In the absence of a vision or plan to move the country forward, the vice-president is left only with ugly political attacks beneath the dignity of the office he occupies," Buck said in a statement emailed to reporters.
The finger-pointing comes after the heated debate this week between Obama and Romney. The GOP nominee's oldest son, Tagg, was asked by a North Carolina radio host Wednesday how it feels to hear the president "call your dad a liar" — a word Obama never used although he repeatedly said Romney's statements weren't true.
Tagg Romney laughed at the question. "You want to rush down the debate stage and take a swing at him. But you know you can't do that because, well first cause there is a lot of Secret Service between you and him, but also because it's the nature of the process," he said.
Another Romney son, Josh, said on ABC's "The View" on Thursday that his brother didn't mean it but was responding to the emotions that arise in the heat of the campaign.
"That brother has slugged me a couple times. I assure you President Obama has nothing to worry about," Josh Romney quipped. "You really don't like to see your dad get beat up by the media or President Obama or whatever it is, so you take it pretty personally. But I think that was just something he was saying off the cuff and I assure you he didn't mean it."
Their mother, Ann Romney, also appearing on "The View," said the negativity of the campaign is very difficult for their family and she initially didn't want to go through another campaign after losing the 2008 Republican primary. She said she agreed to a second run because she feels her husband is uniquely qualified to bring economic hope and prosperity to America
But she didn't hesitate when co-host Barbara Walters asked whether her husband's political career will end if he doesn't win on Nov. 6.
"Absolutely," Mrs. Romney said. "He will not run again, nor will I."
The president campaigned earlier Thursday in tightly contested New Hampshire and asked the state's voters to give him more time in office to get the economy back on track. "I need your help to finish what we started in 2008."
On the celebrity front, Obama picked up the endorsement of rock star Bruce Springsteen, who also backed the Democrat in 2008 and Thursday campaigned for him in Ohio with former President Bill Clinton.
"For 30 years I've been writing about the distance between the American dream and American reality," Springsteen said, reading from a statement on his music stand. "Our vote is the one principal way we get to determine that distance."
Related articles
- A night of humour – after day of campaign criticism (metronews.ca)
- Opinion: Crowley's Obama Favoritism Completely Discredits Her As A Journalist (baltimore.cbslocal.com)
- Rhetoric heats up as emotions run high in '12 race (cnsnews.com)


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Get a head start on Friday's football talk with "NFL AM" beginning at 6 a.m. ET. Today, hear from San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner and Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, plus highlights of Thursday's three Thanksgiving Day games, and all of Friday's news from around the NFL.
Here's what else is on tap for Friday:
Watch an encore of the Houston Texans' 34-31 Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. ET.
» NFL Network schedule
» Tim Tebow sat out of the New York Jets' blowout loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, and revealed after the game that he has two broken ribs. Catch up with all the Week 12 injuries here.
» The holiday spirit didn't end on Thursday: Actors Rainn Wilson, Eric Stonestreet, John Slattery, Hank Azaria and announcing legend Jim Brockmire all join "The Rich Eisen Thanksgiving Special" Friday at 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
» Defensive players in the NFL are becoming increasingly upset about fines imposed by the league, Albert Breer writes in his latest Play Sheet.
» Michael Lombardi checks in with the Front Office View.
» Daniel Jeremiah looks at some of Week 12's best individual matchups in "Who Has The Edge?"
» Bucky Brooks looks ahead to a big weekend of classic rivalry games in college football.
» Find out how your team would fare if the season ended today with the updated Playoff Picture.
» Randall Cobb has emerged as the Green Bay Packers' most versatile weapon, and Michael Fabiano believes Sunday's matchup against the New York Giants will benefit your fantasy team, too.
» Happy birthday to New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, who turns 33 Friday.
Want to get NFL.com's top 10 headlines sent to your inbox daily? Click here for details.


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Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
New West Energy Services Inc. Announces Its Second Quarter Results
By: Marketwired .
Dec. 27, 2012 08:10 PM
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwire) -- 12/28/12 -- New West Energy Services Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NWE) (the "Corporation") is pleased to announce the results for the Corporation for its second quarter ended October 31, 2012.
Revenue from continuing operations for the six month period totaled $8,218,937. Net income from continuing operations for the six month period totaled $1,284,161. The comparative numbers from continuing operations for the six month period ended October 31, 2011 were $7,511,285 and $746,453 respectively. The increase in net income over the previous period is largely due to the recognition of a non-cash item of deferred tax recovery in the amount of $697,188.
On August 24, 2012, the Corporation completed the acquisition of the operating assets of Porterco Welding Ltd. for an aggregate purchase price of $1.4 million. The new subsidiary, under the name Porterco Oilfield Services Inc. ("Porterco"), operates a fleet of trucks and trailers for hauling contaminated drill cuttings as well as providing equipment fabrication and rental services from its base in Slave Lake, Alberta. For the nine week period ending October 31, 2012, Porterco had revenues of $941,497 and net income of $153,244. Porterco has recently added productive capacity related to the truck and trailer fleet and will continue to expand its equipment, trucks and service areas.
The Corporation continues to look at new expansion and acquisition opportunities in the environmental and oilfield services area.
Additional information about the Corporation is available on its website at www.newwestenergyservices.com or under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
About New West Energy Services Inc.
The Corporation operates in the oilfield service industry in Canada through two wholly owned subsidiaries - BearStone Environmental Solutions Inc. and Porterco Oilfield Services Inc. BearStone provides environmental services to the upstream oil and gas industry and also operates a fleet of specialized vacuum and water trucks. Porterco operates a fleet of trucks and trailers for hauling oil contaminated drill cuttings as well as providing equipment rental and custom fabrication services.
Neither the TSX Venture nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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Troopers hurt in DUI crash
Drunken driver rear-ends state police cruiser, police say
Troopers hurt in DUI crash
Drunken driver rear-ends state police cruiser, police say
A drunken driver struck a state police cruiser, injuring two troopers early Friday morning.
State police said the troopers had just finished setting up flares around a crash scene on northbound Interstate 95 in the area of Sandy Springs Road in Prince George's County shortly after midnight Thursday.
After the troopers got back into their cruiser, a car driven by Arcenia D. Macklin, 48, of Laurel, rear-ended the patrol car, injuring both troopers.
Trooper First Class Manuel Moreno, 42, and Trooper John Cabrera, 34, were taken to Prince George's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Macklin has been charged with driving under the influence and for violating the move over law.


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text:
Continuing education course development : role of the rehabilitation department in marketing and promotions of a skilled nursing facility
Document Type
Capstone Project
Degree Type
Occupational Therapy Doctorate (O.T.D.)
College / School
College of Health Sciences
Department / Program
Occupational Therapy
Principal Advisor
David L. Nelson, Ph.D.
File Type
The University of Toledo
University of Toledo Libraries
Digital Publisher
Digital Initiatives
Copyright Holder
Rouslan P. Rechetnikov
Rights Statement
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).


text:
Earn MYER one points when you shop online with Myer.
More information
Product InfoA signature Tesori Bellini style, the One Love Necklace is a classic but contemporary necklace featuring a coin necklace.
This perfect every day necklace can be worn simply or layered with other favourites to complete an individual look. Personalise it with an initial to create a truly sentimental keepsake.
- Coin Diameter = 1.0cm
- Chain Length = 42cm + 3cm extension.
- Also available in Rose Silver & Rose Gold
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You can return and exchange items at one of our 60+ store locations, or return items to us by mail.


text:
No electricity needed. Just 6 screws and you are installed!
- Activates up to 200 times when on for 1 minute at a time when fully charged.
- 6-Volt 4-Ah sealed lead acid rechargeable battery.
- Detects motion up to 35 feet away within a 180 degree area.
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- Plastic body.
Now 50% brighter! Solar-powered 50 LED Security Floodlight automaticallly turns on when motion is detected after dusk. It includes 6 volt 4Ah sealed lead acid rechargeable battery, solar charging panel, and a 15-foot cable. Activates up to 200 times when on for 1 minute at a time.
Additional Info
Additional Info
|Part Number
|What's in the box
|(1) Maxsa 50 LED Solar-Powered Security Floodlight - Black


text: Resources & ToolsMaine is a diverse place, but the people have much in common. We're independent. We're resourceful. And we're used to taking care of ourselves. So, for those of us that like to figure it out for ourselves and don't always have time to stop by a branch, we've created some links to take you quickly to the tools and information you need to keep your life on track. Calculators Money Management Resources FDIC Insurance Estimator Personal Banking Product Disclosures Personal QuickSwitch Kit Rates Reorder Checks Quickbooks & Quicken Instructions


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Montoursville isn't exactly Hollywood.
But that didn't stop Verdi Productions from not only purchasing a script written by a local man but greenlighting it for production this summer.
"A Bet's a Bet," written by Montoursville native Mark Mussina, will begin shooting in Rhode Island this June. The three-week shooting schedule will be directed by Jonathan Silverman, who directed National Lampoon's recent comedy "Another Dirty Movie," and three-time Emmy Award winner Jennifer Finnigan.
"It's basically an R-rated romantic comedy, kind of battles of the sexes," Mussina said of the script.
The story revolves around a man, who wins at all costs, competing with a woman on a variety of bets, he said.
Mussina first started writing scripts 10 years ago after thinking he should for years. Although he earned a math degree from Susquehanna University, Mussina finally gave writing a try.
"For years, it would've been like, 'Oh, that would be a cool movie or that would be ...' So there has been, I would say, a faint interest (in writing). But somewhere along the line when you're an adult, you kind of realize, sooner or later, 'I have to do this or I'm never going to do it,'" he said.
Over the 10 years Mussina has been writing screenplays, he's had ones he's liked and those he hasn't. Just having someone read a script was a long process, he said.
"I had written a bunch of things; some, I think, are good, some I don't think are good, some I had never finished because I knew they weren't good. Once I finally finished one that I was proud of, then the next challenge is how do you get someone to read it. ... So with the first one I was really (proud of), I couldn't get anyone to read it," Mussina said. "So I wrote another one and that one I actually got some responses and some feedback. And then the third one that I thought was good actually got me an agent and eventually got sold."
His first few scripts were little more tame, Mussina said, but with "A Bet's a Bet," he wanted to try more adult material. He described the film as a "guy's movie." While he was writing the script, "The Hangover" hit theaters and the success of that film was encouraging that there was a market for it, he said.
"A Bet's a Bet" took Mussina about a year to complete, with some late nights included.
"You know, most of the time ... I sell real estate. And I got a wife and three kids, so you just kind of (write) whenever you find the time, whenever you find the motivation. I always tell people it's like going to the gym, when you're in a flow and when you're going and seeing results and then you don't go for three weeks and it's really hard. It's just like that," Mussina said.
"It's like all those stupid projects people have in their garage. Sometimes you write a lot and sometimes you go for a month and you don't even look at it," he added.
And although the Mussina name is well-known in the area because of Mark's brother, Mike, who pitched professionally for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, Mark said he intentionally kept his brother on the outside while trying to get his script optioned.
"It just always sounded corny because we have been on the other side of it where people are like, 'Hey, my nephew is a really good pitcher. Could you come look at my nephew pitch?' So I didn't want to put him in that situation," he said. "And I thought it was more genuine if I could do it on my own."
But after needing investors to get the movie off the ground, Mike was able to help Mark get locals to fund a portion of the movie's budget.
Mussina, a board member of the Central PA Film Office, said it was important that investors be local. He added that he would like to eventually see a film shot in the area.
Now that the start of filming is about two months away, Mussina doesn't have expectations for the film. He just is taking in the experience for now.
"I hope that this is the first of many. Whether they be small-budget, independent films that are becoming more and more prevalent (or not) ... I'm really excited because of the local people that invested," Mussina said.
He compared his writing to a hobby and hopes it encourages other local people to pursue dreams.
"I think it'll encourage people who always wanted to write a novel or wanted to write," Mussina said.


text: Looking for an independently tested product? The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) is an organization that verifies the volume, energy and in some cases, performance, of many common household appliances. Since 1967, we've used outside laboratories to test products, and today you'll find the AHAM Verifide Mark on all products included in our program – making comparing products easier for you.Learn More About AHAM Verifide Programs


text:
Posted in : Forum : Networking, Promotion. Getting Noticed
Discuss ideas on how you promote your work and how you network. DO NOT post ads or links to your Facebook, Myspace or whatever page in here. Those threads will be deleted
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text:
New York: People who suffer serious injuries may have a better chance of surviving if they`re taken to a trauma center by a helicopter instead of an ambulance, suggests new research.
The study`s lead author said he doesn`t know for sure why a helicopter is better than an ambulance or other ground transportation, but two possibilities are the speed of transport and the medical team on the chopper.
"It`s likely some combination. It`s likely not going to be one specific element," said Dr. Samuel Galvagno Jr., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
For their study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Galvagno and his fellow researchers consulted a national database of severely injured patients treated at 900 specialized trauma centers across the United States between 2007 and 2009.
Trauma centers are hospital units that specialize in severe injuries.
Car crashes were the most common cause of injury among transported patients. The database included information on about 62,000 teens and adults who were taken to a trauma center by helicopter and 162,000 who were taken by ambulance.
At first look, ambulance-transported patients seemed to fare best. About 11 percent of them eventually died from their injury, compared to 13 percent of those transported by helicopter.
However, after accounting for factors that might influence the results -- such as patients` age, type of injury and vital signs -- in order to isolate the effect of transportation, the researchers found that being taken to the hospital by helicopter was linked to a higher chance of survival.
Patients` chances of surviving were between one and two percent better if they were transported to trauma centers by helicopter rather than by ambulance.
The researchers didn`t have data on how far away patients were from the hospital when they got injured or what treatments they received from paramedics in the ambulance or helicopter.
Galvagno said there could be other unmeasured differences between patients that influenced the findings.
"It may be that (ground crews) don`t have the same tools available to them that helicopter crews do," he told Reuters Health.
"There is a lot of work to be done on this area still. This is by no means a final answer."
The new findings echo the results of some previous studies, including one published last year and led by Dr. Mark Gestring, director of the Kessler Trauma Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
Gestring told Reuters Health that until the last few years it`s been hard to say if there`s a clear benefit to transporting patients by helicopter, but now doctors can say those people tend to do better.
"I think the trick is when do you use helicopters and when do you not use helicopters… and that is very regional," he said.
What might work for Rochester or Baltimore, Gestring said, might not work for the rest of the country.
"It certainly doesn`t make sense to take a helicopter if you are within 30 minutes by ground," said Galvagno. But he added, "If it was my family member, I`d want them flown if they didn`t have timely access to a trauma center."
There is also a cost associated with using helicopters to transport patients.
While cost estimates vary widely, Galvagno and his colleagues estimated that each helicopter transport costs about $5,000 in Maryland, where flights are typically done by the state police.
That means $325,000 would be spent transporting people to the most specialized trauma centers for each life saved, they calculated.
Galvagno said that amount is not insignificant, but is comparable to other lifesaving procedures such as open-heart surgery.
Bureau Report


text:
Member and Patient Resources
ROCKLEDGE, FL — Following its acquisition of Melbourne Internal Medicine Associates (MIMA), Health First has named James M. Ronaldson, MD, MBA, as the Interim President for the Health First Physicians Group, the existing physician unit at Health First. Effective December 17, Dr. Ronaldson will divide his executive duties, spending time with both Health First and MIMA during the transition period. The newly formed Health First Medical Group, which will combine the Health First Physicians Group and MIMA physicians, will begin official operation in mid-February 2013, following final approvals. At that time, Dr. Ronaldson will serve as the President of the Health First Medical Group, responsible for the strategic development, operational oversight, and financial growth of the newly formed group with over 300 physician providers and nearly 1,000 associates combined.
Most recently Dr. Ronaldson served as the CEO for MIMA, guiding the strategic direction for the multi-specialty independent physician practice. In addition, Dr. Ronaldson maintained his interventional cardiology practice, which he began in 1986. Dr. Ronaldson, who was elected to the MIMA Board of Directors in 1998, most recently served as the group's CEO since 2010. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for twelve years. Under his leadership, Dr. Ronaldson helped to build the MIMA physician group to over 120 physicians, 30 physician extenders, and 700 support professionals. MIMA currently serves patients from 16 locations throughout south Brevard.
"Health First has enjoyed an established relationship with Dr. Ronaldson through his years as a member of the Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center's Medical Staff and in his role on the MIMA acquisition," said Steve Johnson, President/CEO of Health First. "We are honored to have such a seasoned physician leader join Health First as the senior executive for the Health First Medical Group. His proven leadership and the unanimous support of his appointment from both physician groups make him the ideal candidate to build this impressive physician entity for our integrated delivery system."
Dr. Ronaldson has served on the Medical Staff for Health First Holmes Regional Medical Center since 1989. From 1992 to 1999, he served on the Advisory Board of The Heart Center for the hospital. Prior to moving to Brevard, Dr. Ronaldson was an attending cardiologist for the Bay Pines VA Medical Center at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He also served as an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine for the University of South Florida.
Dr. Ronaldson conducted his internship in pediatrics and internal medicine at Staten Island Hospital on Staten Island, and served as Chief Resident at St. Vincent's Medical Center, also on Staten Island. Dr. Ronaldson then completed his fellowship in cardiology at the University of South Florida - Bay Pines VA Medical Center in Tampa. He then moved to Brevard to join the Medical Staff of Health First Holmes Regional. He resides in Melbourne Beach with his wife. The Ronaldsons have three children.
Chief Operating Officer named
Health First has also named Loretta Jo Powell as the new Chief Operating Officer for the Health First Medical Group. Ms. Powell will begin her duties January 14, 2013, reporting directly to Dr. Ronaldson. She comes to Health First from the University Medical Group (UMG) for the Greenville Hospital System in Greenville, SC, where she served as the Administrator of Management Service Organization since 2008.
In her role as Administrator for UMG, she led all aspects of practice management, physician compensation, market/business development, payer contracting/reimbursement, revenue cycle analysis, and customer service and management leadership for 700 multi-disciplinary providers in 135 locations. Ms. Powell joined the Greenville Hospital System in 1993 as the Medical Associates Department Manager.
In 2006, she was named the UMG Director of Operations, where she managed operations for surgery, medicine, orthopedic, OB/GYN, behavioral, neurosurgery, geriatrics, and pediatrics departments. Ms. Powell began her hospital system career in Denver and Indianapolis, working for West Pines Hospital and Arbor Psychiatric Hospital respectively in marketing and business development positions.
"We are fortunate to bring Ms. Powell to Brevard as our Chief Operating Officer," said Johnson. "She has extensive experience and expertise in leading a large physician group, with proven results in organizational consolidation, achievement of cost efficiencies, implementation of performance standards systems and managerial audits, compliance and safety initiatives, as well as oversight of physician revenue cycles."
Ms. Powell obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work at Anderson University in Anderson, IN. She received her Master of Business Administration degree from Webster University in Greenville, SC.
About Health First
Health First is Central Florida's only fully integrated health system. With a Mission to positively change the health and wellness of the communities we serve, Health First offers the latest technological advances and quality care at our four hospitals and through our many Outpatient & Wellness Services, as well as the area's only Trauma and Heart Centers. Health First also offers multiple commercial and Medicare health plans, the largest multi-specialty physician group in Brevard County, and four fitness centers to help members of our community stay healthy.


text: YouTube has had a revamped look for channels in limited beta testing since early February, but it's now ready to spread the new-layout love to interested folks. Dubbed "One Channel," the design refresh places an emphasis on making a user's page look slick across different screen sizes and devices, adapting its style for the occasion -- yes, even on TVs. Along with a look that provides more visual breathing room, a wide image called Channel Art adorns the top of a page, giving the whole affair a stronger Google+ vibe. Now, channel owners can even snag a visitor's attention with a trailer that'll greet them if they aren't a subscriber. The refresh also introduces the ability to organize video playlists with custom sections. Raring to take Mountain View up on the fresh looks? Jab the second source link to get started. If you change your mind after taking the plunge, however, Google's letting users switch back to the old format for a limited time.


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Audible.com's move to Newark in 2007 has been well chronicled and widely praised, but it hasn't been imitated as much as CEO Donald Katz might like.
It's with that in mind that Katz has raised his voice in recent months about the need to rethink how business leaders and policymakers tackle economic development in the state's largest city. His end game seems fairly straightforward — drawing more technology-driven, growth-minded companies like his own to Newark — but his methods might be on a different wavelength from what seems like conventional wisdom.
The city's corporate citizens should focus more on direct investment into startup companies and street-level amenities that draw young professionals, rather than nonprofits and incubator facilities, Katz said. His formula also calls for lawyers, accountants and other professionals to "offer services that a young company needs — that will create dozens of jobs a year — as part of your pro bono effort," rather than simply handing out business cards.
"It's just a different way of thinking, because there are plenty of smart people, there are plenty of well-meaning people, and there's even plenty of capital," said Katz, whose 18-year-old company pioneered online audio books. "It's just how that's deployed, and it cuts across — from the public policy level to the economic policy level."
Katz said a strategy focused on venture capital has worked well in places like Detroit, where Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert has led an effort to revive the city by investing in tech firms and real estate. It's also one that business leaders here aren't averse to: In April, the Newark Regional Business Partnership honored Katz for Audible's move to the city, helping him spread his message directly to fellow business leaders.
The next step is "to figure out exactly how we implement the kinds of things that Don is proposing," said Chip Hallock, the business group's president and CEO. "But I think what he says does make a lot of sense, so certainly people will listen to it."
Audible, which had 125 employees when it moved to Newark, expects to have 600 by the end of this year. The company has expanded its offices atop 1 Washington Park and Rutgers Business School, occupying the type of bright, wide-open and collaborative space that's less familiar to New Jersey and more so to Silicon Valley, or parts of Manhattan.
"This is how you make employees excited, this is how you make yourself feel like you're part of a progressive new company environment," Katz said. He noted, however, that he's "a little frustrated" more businesses don't see the opportunity to build such an office in Newark's transit-rich downtown at much lower costs than Manhattan.
Katz also touts that his employees stuck around after the move to Newark, contrary to what some consultants said would happen, and said the staff has embraced the company's mandate to be socially engaged there. He estimated about 60 students from North Star Academy, a city charter school, have been paid interns with Audible, some of whom were later supported through college scholarships.
Philanthropy and social engagement are in fact longstanding practices among Newark's big companies, but they also may be evolving. Alfred Koeppe, a former PSE&G and Bell Atlantic New Jersey executive in the city, said corporations have historically "filled the gaps that weren't being handled by either state or local government," providing a safety net of social services, mentoring programs and "human and financial capital."
But he also noted that "when you do that, there's a certain dependency that comes with it" that can stall economic development. That's helped fuel a shift over the past decade, in which "the focus for corporate giving in Newark more and more is on workforce development" in current industries through groups like the Newark Alliance, the 14-year-old nonprofit Koeppe helped found and now leads as CEO.
Such a change might sit well with Katz, who insists "nobody is doing anything wrong, because so much of what happens here is well intentioned. But that is damning with faint praise." He said Newark's business leaders must strike a better balance between filling the gaps through philanthropy and finding better ways to create tax revenue and job growth.
"You're not trying to tell people they're not doing a good job," he said. "At some point it's a leadership role to step up and make some changes that become paradigms for other things."
E-mail to: email@example.com
On Twitter: @joshburdnj


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Latest content added for Digital Library Partner: UNT College of Visual Arts and Designhttps://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/partners/UNTCVA/browse/?sort=added_a&fq=untl_decade:2000-2009&fq=untl_collection:TXFC&fq=str_location_country:Brazil2012-07-02T22:15:28-05:00UNT LibrariesThis is a custom feed for browsing Digital Library Partner: UNT College of Visual Arts and DesignSandals2012-07-02T22:15:28-05:00https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87106/

Pair of woman's high-heeled sandals of multi-colored metallic leathers. Designed with rounded, open toes, the shoes have a vamp of an open-work figure 8 created by dark and light blue and violet braided leather bands. Bands of same leather extend from sides of vamp along sides of sandal to heel. Openwork heel formed of same braided leathers in inverted teardrop or petal shapes radiating from heel, and with upper band arching over the heel. Insole of metallic blue leather with inlaid teardrop shape of violet leather. 4" high heel rounded at sides and back tapers to ground and is covered with iridescent blue/great material. Designer's label stamped in silver on insole: "Fanziska Hübener" Stamped into sole: "Hübener, Fanziska"; a circle with inscription "Vero Cuoio / Hand Made Brazil"; sizes: "BR / 35"; "EUR / 37" and "USA / 6" Size sticker on sole: "36"
Pumps2012-07-02T22:15:28-05:00https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87109/

Pumps of ombre violet leather fading from light purple on the heel toward darker purple on the pointed toe. Pyramid 4" heel of shaded purple/violet striped felt with braided black cord between sections.
Shoes2012-07-02T22:15:28-05:00https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87110/

Platform heels of lilac, red, and purple leather, and burgundy patent leather. 2 joining straps at front of red and lilac; angular zigzag cut-out around ankle with Mary Jane straps from sides of lilac leather (silver buckle on outside) and a single joining piece of burgundy patent leather across top; 1" platform of purple leather and 4" elongated heel of burgundy patent leather. Designer label: "Franziska Hübener"
Pumps2012-07-02T22:15:28-05:00https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87111/

Pair of woman's pumps of iridescent gold leather. Designed with rounded, open toes, inner sides cut-away. The leather has lightly scored parallel lines over the surface, creating a striped effect. Elongated wedge-style heel 4" high. Designer's label stamped in silver on insole: "Fanziska Hübener" Stamped into sole: "Hübener, Fanziska"; a circle with inscription "Vero Cuoio / Hand Made Brazil"; sizes: "BR / 38"; "EUR / 40" and "USA / 9"


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Ella 5th Birthday - Kid Junction! - Thomas Campbell
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Ella 5th Birthday - Kid Junction!
Ella enjoys her 5th birthday at Kid Junction and at home (with presents!)
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We're big fans of Andrew McCarthy. However, I'm unable to find any merit in his suggestion in today's NRO that the Bush administration consider conferring with a "bipartisan" group of Senators about judicial nominations. McCarthy notes that Senator Charles Schumer has proposed the creation of a "small, bipartisan group" of senators that "should meet with the president sometime in the next few weeks and eventually even make joint recommendations to the president of nominees that are highly qualified and could get broad, bipartisan support in the Senate." McCarthy states that this suggestion should not be dismissed out-of-hand.
I believe that it should be. There are two possible outcomes to Schumer's approach, neither good: (1) President Bush nominates fewer conservatives than he otherwise would and (2) President Bush ultimately sticks to his guns, but from a weaker position. In the second scenario, the adminstration's position would be weaker because there would be identifiable moderate alteratives to Bush's conservative nominees who will have been blessed by a "bipartisan" committee. Bipartisan recommendations always take on a special status that bears no relation to their merit. Think of the 9/11 commission's recommendations.
Had the president been sending nothing but conservative nominees to the Senate, a conciliatory position might have more to recommend it. However, the truth is that Bush at times has sent the Senate slates of nominees containing a mixture of moderates and conservatives. Early on, he proposed such a slate and, in a gesture of good will, even included Roger Gregory, an African-American Clinton recess appointee to the Fourth Circuit. Later he nominated two more African-Americans for the Fourth Circuit, conservative Claude Allen and non-conservative Allyson Duncan. The Democrats' response has been to confirm the moderates and block many of the conservatives. For example, Gregory and Duncan now sit on the Fourth Circuit; Allen does not. In short, Schumer and his colleagues have never acted in good faith, and the administration should not deal with them at this point.
There have always been only two sensible ways to respond to the Democratic obstruction of judicial nominees: (1) wage all-out war (using the so-called nuclear option to prevent a filibuster) and (2) fight, but not all-out, and let the Democrats take the political fall-out for obstructing judges. Now, these two approaches are about to merge because the Democrats have threatened to shut down the Senate if the Republicans fight all-out against their obstruction. This means that the harder the Republicans fight, the more political damage the Democrats are likely to inflict on themselves. Why should the Republicans save the Democrats from themselves.
HINDROCKET agrees: It would be hard to think of a worse idea than setting up a small, bipartisan group of Senators who would suggest the names of "highly qualified" judges who would receive "broad, bipartisan support in the Senate." As a matter of tradition, Senators already have too much influence, in my opinion, on nominations for District Court judges. But that isn't where the problems are, and it isn't what they're talking about now. The Constitution gives the President the right to name judges to the federal bench, not the Senate; still less an unofficial, "bipartisan" committee of Senators. I can understand why Senators would want to chip away at this Presidential power, but why any President would agree to it is beyond me.
The Constitution gives the Senate the right to "advi[s]e and consent" to the President's nominations; it doesn't say the Senate can "advise, consent or stall," or "advise, consent or refuse to take a vote until the President nominates a candidate preferred by the minority." President Bush and the Senate Republicans are in a commanding position, both Constitutionally and politically, which it would be foolish to back away from.
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"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell


text:
The Arab Street Responds To Fear Of Memes By Producing Tons Of Meme Videos
from the harlem-sheikh dept
Which brings us back to Tunisia. They seem to have a problem with this Gangam Style, Harlem Shake combo-video produced by some apparently fun-loving Tunisian students (the original was taken down due to a highly questionable copyright claim, by the way, because while even the Tunisian government wasn't evil enough to block the video, a bogus DMCA claim had no such qualms).
For reasons that will never make sense to me, the Tunisian government apparently had a problem with the video and its popularity, prompting an investigation. And if you think about it for five seconds, you've probably already guessed what the response from Tunisia's people has been.
They danced en masse to the song and posted their exploits on YouTube. That prompted a quarter of a million hits and reports of an investigation by the country's minister of education and that prompted a backlash. Video after video after video of Tunisians proudly doing the Harlem shake in defiance.Dear Tunisian people: congratulations! You've officially been made full members of the internet community now that you've engaged in trolling your own government as a form of protest. It's only a matter of time before you'll be naming soft drinks after fluid-expelling geriatrics.
Over in Egypt, the government didn't stop at a simple investigation, however. Four students were arrested for taking part in this Harlem Shake video shot in front of the Giza pyramids.
The response? A massive protest Harlem Shake performed directly in front of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters.
Sorry, Middle East governments, but the people have spoken, and they want their damned memes. And, actually, that brings to mind the obvious question: how the hell are memes a threat to you to begin with?


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Zoey Deutch & Thomas Mann Talk 'Beautiful Creatures' with JJJ -- Exclusive!
There's just ONE MORE DAY until Beautiful Creatures hits theaters and JJJ will be in line to see it again!
We recently had the pleasure to chat with stars Zoey Deutch and Thomas Mann earlier this month and got the scoop on filming, their friendship and more. Check it:
JJJ: Thomas, Emmy Rossum talked to us about your "faux" dates with her during your down time. Did you freak out over the rats we heard about?
Thomas Mann: "No, I didn't freak out. It was just a really nice touch to a really romantic evening. [laughs] No, I'm just kidding. We would go out and bond with our cast mates, so me and Emmy went out one night and literally sat with our feet dangling like over the edge of the side of where the Mississippi River is. It was super late at night, it was like drizzling rain, it was really picturesque and really nice. Then all of a sudden I see something and I'm like, 'What is that a bird over there?' And [Emmy] was like, 'What are you blind? That's a rat!' There was a few of them! Yeah, we had some nice times together, for sure."
Zoey Deutch: "Yeah, it always felt good for the rest of us when we would all be hanging have a great time and y'all would just split off and be like, look we're the cool ones and we love each other! What? I'm not mad! I'm not bitter, you crazy loon! (laughs)"
(Click inside for the rest of our interview with Zoey and Thomas…)
JJJ: You two have a lot of chemistry, did you spend a lot of time together?
TM: "Tell them what we did."
ZD: "Okay, Thomas. I will tell them what we did. (laughs) We had so much time off together, at the same time, so we would go exploring together. We went on an alligator tour together which is our favorite little tale to tell, and it was a great time. New Orleans is such a fascinating city, there's really something for everybody, in my opinion. I know it kind of gets this reputation of just being the place to go to have your bachelor party, for lack of a better description. It's really just so cultured, and there's so much history, and there's great food and great music and great art. Architecture, it's beautiful."
TM: "Yeah, it's one of my favorite cities ever. I had a bike I would ride around on my days off."
ZD: "We had the opportunity to explore it together."
JJJ: Was everything close enough to just bike around?
TM: "Yeah, it's spread out enough that you can't really walk everywhere. There's a trolley system, but a bike is a perfect way to get around there, I think. I could live in New Orleans if I had more friends there."
JJJ: What was the funniest thing that happened on set?
TM: "Alden [Ehrenreich] getting food poisoning was pretty funny."
ZD: "That's really compassionate of you. Probably my favorite quality of Thomas is his ability to really feel for others, exhibited right there."
TM: "It was funny though! It was really funny!"
ZD: "You had stomach issues as well, do you want me to tell all of the world about that, too? One day we were on the plantation, and…"
TM: "I had my fair share of Pepto Bismol on the set."
ZD: "We got really close. It just all happened really quickly, and we were all best friends, and you were ill."
TM: "It's just like they make all this great food on set for in the mornings, and you're just like, I'm not gonna pass this up. Even though I just woke up and my stomach is kind of ugh, so I'm drinking coffee and eating this spicy omelet thing. It just killed me inside, so I had to take something, and that was sort of what happened with Alden. Except he had to leave after every take to go use the restroom."
ZD: "I was walking across the street and I saw Thomas and Alden and they were like, 'Oh you wanna come out? We're gonna go get some food, some Mexican food.' I was like no, I'm gonna pass. I think I had like a psychic premonition, I just had a psychic moment. It's supposed to be a very haunted city, maybe I just took over something. And Alden had food poisoning the next day, and I was like what if I had gone? What if? Think I would still be here today?"
TM: "I went with him and I didn't get food poisoning from that place."
ZD: "Thomas. Okay. (laughs)"
JJJ: Were you able to get to go inside Ravenwood Manor?
ZD: "We got in trouble because we went in and tried to take a picture."
TM: "They were still building it and were trying to take pictures of the staircase and stuff. The production designer was like, 'Hey! Uh-uh.'"
ZD: "Direct quote. (laughs) 'Hey, uh-uh. Give me those pictures!' The sets were so, so beautiful, and the world is so specific, and when I read the script I was excited to see how they were gonna create this environment. Richard LaGravenese and Philippe Rousselot who is the [Director of Photography] did such an amazing job of keeping a consistent tone, aesthetically speaking. I found that I didn't want to leave the world at the end of the movie, which is always a wonderful feeling to leave a movie and feel that close to it's world."
TM: "It's a very specific world, and it's a very specific part of the world. The region that we're in, South Carolina, it has all it's own quirks."
ZD: "I was talking in terms of the magical aspect, how they were gonna create…"
TM: "Seeing them build everything and Richard's attention to detail, all the thought and the decisions he had to make just based on the aesthetic of those giant set pieces alone was just insane."
ZD: "When I walked onto the set of the table, the spinning table, there was no vagueness involved. It was all so specific, and I don't have any other word to describe it because everything was so thought out. I think that's also true of the story, and Richard, being the writer and the director, you would be worried that they would be married to the words or something. Richard was so involved in just trying to make it the best story that he could. In every scene he would just try and talk to everyone and see their opinion and try and find the core of the scene. You would do some improv and he always kind of embraced that."
TM: "Yeah, he was very open to suggestions from people."
ZD: "He gives you permission to feel comfortable, which is very rare I feel. And he's a very kind person, he was great to work with."
JJJ: You have been going on this book tour with authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, how close have you gotten with them?
TM: "Pretty close. It's always great to see them, and they are so excited to finally see their baby come to life on the big screen. We're happy to make that happen for them. Every time I see them we're always doing something for the movie anyway, and we actually got to have dinner with them while we were on the press tour and that was really nice. Their enthusiasm for the movie and for us being in the cast is really supportive, so that's all we can ask for."
ZD: "They're amazing. I can only imagine how emotional it would be to write something, to create a story, to create a world, to create characters, and then for people to want to bring it to life. For that to be what's happening, I mean, they're so excited and that's really awesome to be around. Because we're excited as well, very excited!"
Beautiful Creatures opens TOMORROW, February 14th!
Posted to: Beautiful Creatures, Exclusive, Thomas Mann, Zoey Deutch


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Nahid Majid OBE Director Cabe at the Design Council
Nahid is an Urban Designer Town Planner and has led on the development and delivery of major capital projects within the UK and internationally. She has worked across the public and private sectors, as a Planning Officer with Local Authorities, an Urban Designer for City Challenge developing the Spitalfields Design Strategy, Urban Renaissance Manager for The Prince of Wales Foundation for The Built Environment, before joining the private sector as Associate Director of Regeneration at Turner and Townsend Construction Management, leading on large scale infrastructure projects, and sustainable place making, and was part of the legacy working group for the Olympic 2012 bid.
More recently, Nahid was a Senior Civil Servant in Government, leading on Area Initiatives and the £70 million 15 UK City Strategy Pathfinders and Localism. She represented London Local Authorities in the allocation of £60 million European Structural Funds in the European Unit in GOL. Prior to joining the Design Council in February 2012 Nahid was Director of Programme Development at The Mayors Fund for London at City Hall. Nahid has Chaired a number of Government Working Groups, and is an active volunteer and mentor.


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The Complete Book of Genesis
Chapter 42
Please bear with me for a minute while I digress to tackle a strange subject: Egyptian public policy during the Josephean administration. Joseph is, of course, Pharaoh's viceroy during the fat years and the famine. To hear the author of Genesis tell it, he's the best viceroy the Middle Kingdom had ever seen. But to a modern reader, Joseph is appalling. Here's what he does: During the seven fat years, he gathers grain from all over the country in warehouses. When the famine comes, he sells grain to the hungry Egyptians and to foreign buyers. This is all well and good. As the famine worsens, Egypt's peasants return to Joseph to beg for help. So Joseph sells them more grain, collecting "all the money that was to be found in the land of Egypt … as payment for the rations." The people were still hungry. Joseph feeds them, but seizes all their horses, sheep, cattle, and donkeys as payment. The famine continues. The Egyptian people, having given all their money and livestock to Pharaoh, come back to Joseph once more. This time, Joseph takes all their land in exchange for grain: "Thus the land passed over to Pharaoh." Joseph explains the new deal to them: They will be sharecroppers, and will hand over one-fifth of their harvest every year to Pharaoh, keeping the balance for themselves. They reply, "We are grateful to my lord, and we shall be serfs to Pharaoh."
Didn't someone write a book on the biblical roots of capitalism and free enterprise? How did he handle this episode? Our hero Joseph abolishes private property, turns freeholders into serfs, and transforms a decentralized farm economy into a command-economy dictatorship. This is bad economics and worse public policy. This is China, 1949. Joseph is Chairman Mao. (And, to speculate a little bit, perhaps this centralized dictatorship established by Joseph is what ultimately led to the Israelites enslavement in Egypt. Once you create a voracious state apparatus, it must be fed. Is it a surprise that slavery became part of its diet? In a less totalitarian state, perhaps slavery wouldn't have been as necessary or as feasible. This digression has been brought to you by the American Enterprise Institute.)
Chapters 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46
But that's my last bad word to say about Joseph. On to Joseph's reconciliation with his family, which is a four-chapter rush. As a story, the tale of Joseph rocks. First of all, it rockets forward, propelled by an incredible narrative drive. Second, it makes sense—unlike a lot of the other Genesis stories: The plot is clear, and the characters behave in complicated, recognizably human ways. And, best of all, it's rife with tension: We are forced to wait for Joseph's redemption. But Genesis doesn't let us off easy. It keeps us glued to our seats, chapter after chapter, holding on for—to borrow a reality-TV expression—the "reveal."
The IMDB-style plot summary: Facing famine, Jacob dispatches all his sons except beloved Benjamin to Egypt to buy grain. They are brought to Joseph to beg for his help. They don't recognize him, but he recognizes them. Testing his brothers, he calls them spies and demands that one stay as a hostage until they return with their youngest brother. The brothers somehow recognize that this is payback for their cruelty to Joseph: "Alas, we are being punished on account of our brother, because we looked on at his anguish, yet paid no heed as he pleaded with us." Joseph overhears them and weeps privately. They depart with grain, and Joseph takes Simeon as his hostage. Back at home, Jacob refuses to let Benjamin return to Egypt, even after Reuben * offers Jacob his two sons as a sacrifice if Benjamin is hurt. (There are baklava-like layers of hostage complexity: One son offering two grandsons so he can take another son back to ransom yet another son, all at the behest of still another, missing son.) Finally, the famine is so severe that Jacob agrees to send Benjamin. When Joseph sees Benjamin, he again weeps privately. He sells them more grain. He plants his own silver goblet in Benjamin's grain sack, then sends his servants to stop the brothers and accuse them of theft. He demands that whoever stole the cup serve as his slave. When it turns up in Benjamin's bag, the brothers prostrate themselves before Joseph (as in his dream). Judah pleads eloquently for Joseph to spare Benjamin, saying it would kill their father. He implores Joseph to take him as a slave instead. Finally Joseph, "who could no longer control himself," reveals himself to his brothers. Joseph weeps again. "His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians [in other rooms] could hear." Then Joseph forgives them sweetly and wholly.
He sends the brothers back to Jacob, but not before throwing his arms around Benjamin and weeping one more time. Jacob and all his sons and their families—70 people in all, not counting wives or daughters, which, of course, the Bible doesn't—move to Egypt. Joseph meets them along the way, embraces his father, and "wept on his neck a good while." Then they settle in Egypt with Pharaoh's blessing and prosper.
The beauty in this story, beyond its basic happy ending—brothers redeemed, father at peace, etc.—is the heart of Joseph. Even as he tricks his brothers and makes them suffer, he is anguished. His weeping is no sign of weakness. It proves his goodness. He forgives them the terrible wrong they did him. And he forgives them because the Lord is with him. His acknowledgement to God is pure and heartfelt. When he forgives his brothers, he tells them:
Do not be distressed or reproach yourselves that you sold me hither; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you. … God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance. So it was not you who sent me here, but God.
To me, Joseph is the most persuasive argument for faith in Genesis. His consistent belief in the Lord, even through slavery and prison, carries him forward. This faith doesn't merely make him great and powerful, though it does. It also makes him good. It makes him able to weep, and weep, and weep again, and forgive.
Chapter 48
Jacob cannot stop his old tricks. On his deathbed in Egypt, he decides to adopt Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh as his own. As Isaac was when he tricked him out of Esau's blessing, Jacob is blind. Jacob intentionally places his right hand on younger son Ephraim and his left hand on older son Manasseh. Joseph tries to switch the hands—"Not so, Father … for the other is the first-born; place your right hand upon his head." But Jacob refuses. He says Ephraim deserves the greater right-handed blessing, because Ephraim will be the greater man. Jacob just has to connive and wheedle and play favorites, even while dying.
Until reading this, I never knew why, when Jews bless our sons on Shabbat, we bless them in the name of Ephraim and Manasseh. It turns out we are following Jacob's instructions: "By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh." I find it unsettling, in a good way, that the very words I spoke to my son (himself a "Jacob") Friday night, in a Hebrew I don't understand, are exactly the same words that my fathers and forefathers have been speaking to their sons every Friday night for 3,000 or 4,000 years. Until this passage, my journey through the Torah has been about reading a great story, exploring my people's history and learning moral (and immoral) lessons. The religious practices Genesis describes are animal sacrifices, altar-building, idol-burying—things that have absolutely nothing to do with my life in 2006. This blessing is the first moment that the Torah intersects with my actual religious life—where its instructions are still living and followed (by me). I know there are dozens of more such moments to come (Passover rituals, etc.), but this first one really gets me.
Jacob summons his sons to his deathbed for their blessing. You'd think from the text that he hadn't been paying attention, but has he ever! He strips Reuben of the rank of firstborn, because Reuben slept with Jacob's concubine—an incident that Jacob never mentioned when it happened. "For when you mounted your father's bed, you brought disgrace—my couch he mounted!" The next two sons, Simeon and Levi, were the murderers of Shechem's family—an incident Jacob made little of at the time. But now, he casts them out, condemning their tribes to subservience and weakness. "Cursed be their anger so fierce, and their wrath so relentless." Fourth son Judah—the stand-up guy who offered himself as a slave in Benjamin's place—is called the "lion" by Jacob and blessed with authority over the others. The other brothers are dealt with more cursorily, but there are lots of great animal metaphors: Dan is a "serpent by the road." Issachar is "a strong-boned ass." Benjamin is "a ravenous wolf." It's pretty obvious, and Etz Hayim confirms this, that these paternal blessings are a way of explaining the status of each of the tribes at the time Genesis was written. The tribe of Judah was supreme in Israel, which is explained by Jacob's blessing and Judah's stand-up behavior. The tribes of Simeon and Levi were a mess, so Genesis explains this with Jacob's curse.
Chapter 50
Jacob and Joseph die, and that's the end of Genesis.
Thoughts on Blogging the Bible? Please e-mail David Plotz at firstname.lastname@example.com. (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)


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posted by Eugenia Loli on Mon 23rd Aug 2010 20:13 UTC
Kevin Rose, of Digg fame, wrote a blog post yesterday about the upcoming revolution of the TV. A sentiment that I of course agree with. However, trying to think one step ahead, it makes sense to envision that the next big device that will get "smart," is the car. And when this happens soon, everything else will follow.
So if you want to reduce the temperature of your fridge, or turn on your oven so food will be ready by the time you get home (obviously not a safe idea, but it could be done), or turn off the lights on your home, turn on your Roomba, program these disco lights, move your hi-fi's audio output from room to room as you walk by, shoot that video from your digicam strapped on your tripod by using your tablet as its preview device, or open the garage door for your returning-from-shopping wife who forgot the keys, you could do that, all from the other side of the planet if necessary.
By that time, running a base smart OS with some wireless abilities, will be cheap. Right now, some such home-automation solutions exist, but they are pretty expensive, not as extensive in terms of device support, and they require special software on the client. Obviously, we could do better than that. We could extend support to every device, and make this "data translation" a standard.
Going a step further, I like to imagine this base OS to be the same for all devices. Be it Android or (an open version of) iOS, I think it would be beneficial for everyone to run the same OS. This way, firmware updates could be easier, since there would be active development of the base OS.
Some people might not see the benefit of it all, they might even find the whole thing silly. "Why the heck would I want my fridge to by smart?", they'd say. However, I'm pretty sure that if you could transport someone from 1950 in 1980, he would also find silly 1980's TV remote controls. "Move your a$$ and change the channel manually", he'd think. "I can't believe how lazy people have become in 1980", he'd continue. But truth is, automation and remote controlling your assets is one of these things that need to be experienced before people can't live without them.
So, I personally believe that within 10 years time, every major electronic device will run a smart OS. Most of these devices would be interconnected on the home network, and they will expose special info that your main controlling device, e.g. a tablet, or a smartphone, will "understand" and build a GUI for it, on the fly. The electronics needed for it would be cheap.


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Scripture: Acts 20:20 NIV You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
Observation: In the field of optometry, we refer to people having perfect eye sight as having 20/20 vision. Here in Acts 20:20 Paul was speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus. I have heard people referring to this verse as giving a 20/20 vision for the church. There must be both public meetings AND from house to house.
Application: Being a part of a congregation of believers who meet publically and regularly is an important part of my Christian life. But just as important is my life at home. My church should be concerned that I attend the weekly public meetings, but they should also be concerned about getting the Word into my life at home.
Prayer: Lord, I was so blest by the public meeting this past Sunday. I sensed Your Presence in our worship and in the ministry of the Word. I am also enjoying Your Presence as I study your Word here at home. Amen
Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!


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October 23, 2012
How can small firms compete with big firms when it comes to attracting and retaining quality staff? Easily, if they're willing to think outside the box about win-win ways to create a positive work environment. This is good for you, as the employer, too, because just as negativity builds and feeds on itself, so does positivity—and from a business perspective, a happy workplace equals a productive workplace. So how can you achieve this pleasant goal on a limited HR budget? Here are some ideas.
Compensating Equitably and Creatively
Studies have shown that financial remuneration is not the most important factor in determining job satisfaction. Still, it's hard to feel appreciated as an employee if you are being paid below the normal range. Plus, rewarding behavior that contributes positively to the bottom line helps motivate and retain quality employees, so it's usually a win-win scenario from all sides. Some lawyers even tie their staff's remuneration to the office's profitability.
However, doing so by bonuses, rather than permanent wage increases, can make good sense from the viewpoint of small firm employers. And whatever your budget, it's a nice way to compensate staff who come up with ideas that help your firm's bottom line.
In addition, be open to alternative perks whose value to the employee outweighs their financial cost to the firm. Many employees rank flexibility in work hours and location (e.g., the ability to work some days from home) of high importance. As another example, an employee might choose to accept lower wages in return for certain benefits (e.g., medical ones). Another idea is allowing staff to "bank" time that they put in outside their usual work hours. They can then draw on this bank to attend a doctor's appointment, enjoy a longer weekend or even work out at the gym during an extended lunchtime. This kind of banking can be as simple as setting up a ledger that keeps a tally of (1) overtime worked and (2) work hours missed for each employee on an annual basis. It lets employees tend to the surprises of life to which we're all subject and gives them a sense of personal control over their time, while also helping the employer control otherwise avoidable absenteeism.
Implementing a "Respect Required" Policy
Nothing confirms being valued like being respected. Therefore, you should never tolerate rudeness in your office—from anyone, including clients. While it can be expected that clients involved in litigation, divorce, bankruptcy and similar stressful matters can be on edge and may act inappropriately from time to time, apologies should be required for any outbursts. For habitual offenders, consider terminating the lawyer-client relationship. Likewise with the employer-employee relationship with rude or unreasonable staff members.
According to the Pareto Principle, also widely known as the 80/20 rule, a full 80 percent of effects typically come from 20 percent of causes. So, for example, 80 percent of the aggravation or frustrations one experiences practicing law will come from 20 percent of one's files. Similarly, 80 percent of staff problems will originate from 20 percent of one's employees. Eliminating the source of the problem thus goes a long way in improving the workplace environment.
However, you may not even be aware that you have such problems, since staff may be hesitant to share the situation with you. An easy way to discover if there are any difficult individuals affecting your practice is to conduct a confidential survey of your employees. Ask them who are the three people they would fire if they could. This refers not only to clients and other staff members, but to vendors and anyone else they may be dealing with as part of their work. If the same name keeps reappearing, you are now aware of a major source of interference with productivity, which should be dealt with as quickly as possible.
It goes without saying that you also need to treat staff with complete courtesy. However, have you considered how the manner in which you handle delegation and supervision can create resentments, too? Minimal delegation and excessive supervision says "I don't trust you"—and it creates employees who rely on the employer as their safety net. Before you know it, they stop trying to be the best because, after all, you are there to catch their mistakes.
On the other hand, excessive delegation can result in feelings of being overburdened and taken for granted. It's important to discuss the kind of delegation that meets both parties' comfort levels. Your mission is to show respect for employees' capabilities and encourage their capacity to grow while simultaneously acknowledging that there's only so much time in a day.
Showing Appreciation with Small Gestures and Get-Togethers
Small and continuous gestures can bring big dividends in staff satisfaction and loyalty. For example, calendaring your employees' birthdays and then buying them a cake to share with the entire staff is an easy thing to do and a great morale booster. You can also take advantage of Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Secretary/Staff Day in inexpensive ways to create a positive atmosphere.
In addition, occasional out-of-the-office daytime events such as lunch get-togethers create a wonderful bonding opportunity and are almost always appreciated. The office needn't be shut down all afternoon, of course—picking restaurants with buffets or preordering from the menu ensures that it can be done in a time-effective manner.
Another nice touch is to have a special stock of basic food staples in the office, such as specialty teas and coffees, hot chocolate and chicken bouillon, or ramen noodles, protein bars and other nourishing snacks. From a business perspective, these are relatively inexpensive items. Plus, it helps productivity by avoiding out-of-the-office trips by employees to grab these kinds of things, and it's especially good for those days when people feel too busy to stop for lunch. The resulting productivity more than makes up for the small cost.
Also, how about creating a library of books, CDs and DVDs of your own material that your staff can borrow? You can periodically rotate the contents to meet everyone's tastes. In addition, you could find out which magazines in your office your staff likes to read, so when new issues arrive, you can give them the older ones to take home. This is another small perk of no real cost to the employer.
Which brings us to charitable endeavors. Regardless of how often you are asked, it is important to support (even if nominally) your staff's fund-raising efforts, whether they be for a favorite charity or their children's extracurricular activities. Even if you are on a diet, buy that chocolate bar and give it to someone else. Refusing to spend $3 to support your staff's charitable efforts sends an unnecessary negative message.
Another method of fund-raising that's increasingly popular with charities is the silent auction. Here again, providing a donation is a win-win proposition, because while you are supporting your employee's charitable efforts, others attending the fund-raising event will be made aware of your generosity, garnering you inexpensive publicity and goodwill.
Add Your Own IdeasThese are but a few thoughts on how to create a positive environment. There are many more ways you can show appreciation on a small budget—it simply takes a little creativity combined with the desire to see it through. Your efforts will invariably be worth it in achieving a more satisfying and successful workplace.
About the Author
Pascale Daigneault is a principal of Fleck & Daigneault, a personal injury litigation firm in Point Edward (Sarnia), ON.