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The Advanced Accessory Kit from Wooden Camera is an advanced camera support package designed for the Sony A7, A7R, and A7S cameras. This kit includes the following: a DSLR Quick Cage for secure camera attachment, a height-adjustable DSLR 15mm Base for holding the rods at the correct lens height, two 15mm Rods (15"), a quick-release NATO Handle Kit (Plus, 70mm) which attaches to the top of the cage, and a DSLR A-Box for XLR audio inputs.
The small Wooden Camera Quick Cage for DSLR is a quick-release, height-adjustable cage that fits small-sized DSLR or mirrorless cameras, such as the Sony a7 series, Canon 60D, Nikon D7200, and Panasonic GH4. Your camera cage mounts securely in the case via a low profile 1/4"-20 screw on bottom and a shoe pinch on top. Sporting a minimalist design, the cage maintains access to all vital controls on the sides and rear of the camera, including flip-out and articulating LCD screens. Threaded 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 holes on the arm and top of the cage enable you to attach a variety of accessories. The cage includes a quick-release dovetail plate to attach to tripod plates, existing 15mm support bases, or any ARRI standard bridge plate.
The DSLR 15mm Base from Wooden Camera is a height-adjustable baseplate attachment that provides 15mm lightweight rods at the correct lens height for DSLR cameras when combined with the Quick Cage (DSLR, Small) and Quick Cage (DSLR, Medium). The baseplate can attach to any tripod plate or ARRI standard bridgeplate.
Note: Quick Cage (Small and Medium) are sold separately.
This is a single, 15" long 15mm Support Rod from Wooden Camera for mounting accessories. It is chamfered at each end to ease sliding accessories on and off, and has a hollow interior providing for maximum strength.
This Wooden Camera NATO Handle Kit, consisting of a quick release top handle and 2.8" / 70mm NATO rail, offers a variety of mounting points for attaching viewfinders, focus motors, lights, shock mounts, and other accessories.
The handle features a sideways 15mm rod port, 15mm rod opening in front, 19mm rod opening in the rear, shoe mount, and 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 mounting threads all around. The sideways 15mm rod port is ideal for attaching Wooden Camera's UVF Mount or other viewfinder mounts. Two 1/4"-20 socket screws are included for binding rods in the front and rear rod openings.
The NATO rail can be attached to any two 1/4"-20 threads positioned up to 42mm apart, such as on a cage or select cameras. The handle conveniently slides on and off and secures in place by a lever. A rotating knob on top allows the handle to be adjusted sideways or reversed to the rear by a rosette-like mechanism.
Designed for DSLRs and any camera with a single 3.5mm audio input, the Wooden Camera A-Box for DSLR Cameras adapts two standard XLR male plugs to one right angle 3.5mm stereo plug. This lets you use professional grade microphones to improve the quality of your in-camera audio recording. The A-Box works best with cameras that allow for auto gain control to be disabled.
The A-Box features a single 19mm rod port for clamping onto an industry standard 19mm rod. A 15mm adapter bushing is included for mounting on a 15mm rod. Also included is a bolt-on 19mm rod and for attaching to any 1/4"-20 threaded hole.
Note: This adapter does not provide phantom power.
|Accessory Mount Threads
1/4"-20 holes in standard spacing (9 mm center to center)
3/8"-16 holes in ARRI standard spacing (50 mm center to center)
|4.9 x 4.8 x 4.2" (12.36 x 12.22 x 10.78 cm)
|1 lb (472 g)
|Packaging Info
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|6.0 x 5.0 x 0.2"
|Packaging Info
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|4.3 x 4.3 x 1.1"
|Rod Size
|15 mm
|Rod Length
|15" (38 cm)
|Packaging Info
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|15.0 x 1.0 x 1.0"
|NATO Rail Length
|2.8" / 70 mm
|Rail Mounting Distance
|Up to 1.7" / 42 mm apart
|Packaging Info
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|5.7 x 4.1 x 1.1"
|2 x XLR 3-pin (female)
|3.5 mm stereo mini-jack (male)
|3 x 3 x 7" (7.6 x 7.6 x 17.8 cm)
|12.8 oz (362.87 g)
|Packaging Info
|Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
|6.614 x 4.331 x 3.386"


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Thank you for taking a moment to look at my profile. I consider it an honor for a client to decide to use me. Not only from a business perspective, but also on a personal one as most of my clients have become lifelong friends as well. I dedicate myself 100% to my client's needs in both buying and selling. Outside of work, I try to stay active in Church and community, both by volunteering and family activities.

subset: commoncrawl


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Movieoke at the Whistler: Spring 2019
Movieoke at the Whistler: Spring 2019
2421 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL
The Whistler
09:00 pm
Scenes? Free. Drinks? Nope.
Join us at The Whistler (2421 N. Milwaukee Avenue) for the event Thrillist calls one of the best karaoke spots in the country!
Here's how to participate:
1) Choose a scene.
2) Have a drink.
3) Get on stage.
4) Be awesome.
(repeat as necessary)
"Movieoke" is movie scene karaoke.
Instead of songs, you quote a movie scene of your choice (from over 200 scenes for you to choose from) as it plays for you and the audience (captions will be provided).
It's free to participate, but when you order a drink at the bar, be sure to tip your bartenders. 😉


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It has been a while since H&M decided to collaborate each year with one maisons to bring close this exclusive brands to the public with less capital, last year the collaboration was with Balmain and this year is Kenzo's time.
The collection is going to be available on H&M online shop the following 3th of November at 8 am; and in 250 selected stores. Animal print it's going to be the main character in the collection; it will also be the known Kenzo's sweatshirts. All it's surrounded by colourful colours and outlandish prints. Prices are around from 9,99€ to 399€
It must be said that firstly, when the campaign was launched, people around fashion world said that the collection will not succeed, but after watching how it fits with some bloggers; it has taken another opportunity.
Our favourite garment has been the black and pink coat, and as accessory we opt for the long gloves with the name of the brand. Here we share some pictures from our favourites looks from the collection. Did you know that Iman, David Bowie's widow, it's the face of the collection?
What do you think? Are you going to buy some item? Happy Friday!


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We are delighted that our Trust name has been changed (from South Newcastle Trust) to UNITED ENDEAVOUR TRUST.
We wanted our Trust name to have a broader appeal and not to be a name which tied us to a very small geographical position. We recognise that our current academy membership is from South Newcastle and that we are all very proud of being part of that community. However, as we have started to reach out and work with other schools and partners in industry and business we recognise that we are working further afield.
In Spring and Summer last year working groups of students started to discuss what would be a better name for the Trust and put some considerable effort into researching and suggesting some alternatives. A 'public vote' via our academy websites then provided a response on a preferred name. We feel that our new name really reflects the fact that we want to 'unite' with other learners and sectors of our community and that we all want to put some concentrated effort and real 'endeavour' into the work that we do as a Multi Academy Trust.
We are looking forward to welcoming other academies to join our Trust and to developing other partnerships with other Trusts, schools and outside organisation in order to provide our students and their families with a broad set of opportunities and experiences.


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Procrastination! Drug of the nation... It's been far too long since I blogged, and my list of excuses is long but totally uninteresting.
Unlike events this week - which have been hugely interesting.
ON WEDNESDAY, I travelled to Bac Ninh to meet the province level Red Cross and chat about the progress of our sponsorship program. All very good and well. Then in the afternoon I went to see some children who had previously run away to Hanoi, and we helped them return to their families.
One of the children was a boy named Duong, about 12 years old, who we met in Hanoi just last month. His father beats him badly - and often - so even though Duong went home, we are worried about what will come of him.
The father clearly had mixed feelings about me and my colleague turning up to tell him how to raise his son. So we were relaxed, and won him over with some smiles before giving some friendly advice about how to deal with 'young people these days'. I won't fool myself into believing we've solved all of that family's problems, but I hope that we had a bit of an impact.
THIS MORNING saw another moving case to deal with. In January last year, I was blogging about the many children in our program who were mugged and robbed in the lead-up to Lunar New Year.
Each time one of our kids was mugged - often in daylight, once with a knife - my staff and I would try to track down the robber and get the money back. We were usually successful.
One of the muggers came to see me today to ask for help. He has a heroin addiction, and is desperate to get off. A few years ago he spent 8 months in rehab, but before long he was back with a needle up his arm.
He happens to know Binh, who we helped through rehabiliatation last year, and came asking if we could do the same for him.
After a very long meeting - it's on. He flies to Saigon on Saturday, he's said goodbye to his family already, and we have a rough plan for what to do when he gets out in a year or so.
It's going to be an expensive process; the cost will be somewhere around $2000, which is about 3 times the national GDP. But then, it's only a small amount to give somebody back their whole life.


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So the second assessment that I need to do for ECMP 355 is the self assessment of my mentorship experience. Compared to my work done blogging and social learning my mentorship contribution was much lower. Here are my posts on mentorship throughout the semester, I know very minimal:
"Individually we are one drop.
I did try to make this work, it just did not come together for me. This was in large part to my errors and I will take responsibility for that.I didn't take the initiative necessary to make this a successful experience, that is all on me, I was too content to wait for instructions and then it was already the end of the semester. Some of my classmates had an exceptional mentorship experience and I commend them for the work that they did to make this happen.
Having said that I know how beneficial a mentorship process could be as I move onto my educating career. Not only beneficial for my students but for myself as well. As I mentioned in an earlier post I plan on using a similar process with an instructor at SIIT and her students. I am also hoping that Dean would consider using me as one of his mentorship classrooms next year for ECMP 355.


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Westmeath 4-24
Meath 2-17
Allan Devine netted twice as Westmeath made it two wins from two in the Joe McDonagh by comfortably accounting for Meath at TEG Cusack Park.
Robbie Greville and Niall Mitchell also raised green flags to keep the Lake County on course for a place in the final. By contrast, Meath's hopes of reaching the final are all but over after they were also well beaten by Antrim in the first round.
Westmeath had only a point to spare over their neighbours when they met in the Allianz League back in February and another close contest looked to be on the cards when an early Jack Regan goal was followed by points from Regan (two frees), James Kelly and Sean Quigley to give Meath an early advantage. But Westmeath, who had opened the scoring through Aonghus Clarke, had regained parity by the end of the first quarter, 0-8 to 1-5, before Greville's 21st minute goal turned the game on its head.
Devine added another goal and Ciaran Doyle, Niall O'Brien, Clarke and Eoin Price added points to leave Michael Ryan's charges perched on a 2-17 to 1-6 lead at the interval.
The Royals reduced the deficit on the restart through points from Darragh Kelly (two) and substitute Mark O'Sullivan before Mitchell struck for Westmeath's third goal. Alan Douglas kept Meath in it with their second goal before Kelly had a penalty saved by Paddy Carroll with 15 minutes to go.
The visitors were extremely wasteful - firing 17 wides - and their misery was complete when Devine brought his tally to 2-1 when he scored the Lake County's fourth goal in the 65th minute.
Westmeath - P Carroll; S Power, T Doyle, G Greville; L Varley, P Greville, D McNicholas (0-1); E Price (0-5), C Boyle; C Doyle (0-3), A Clarke (0-7), A Devine (2-2, 0-2f); N O'Brien (0-5, 2f), N Mitchell (1-0), R Greville (1-1). Subs: A Craig for L Varley, J Gilligan for D McNicholas, D Clinton for C Boyle, J Boyle for C Doyle, P Maxwell for E Price.
Meath - S McGann; N Weir, S Geraghty, D Kelly (0-3, 2f); J Keena, D Healy, K Keoghan; S Quigley (0-1), S Morris; C McCabe (0-2), J Kelly (0-3), P Conneely (0-2, 1f); A Douglas (1-1), C O'Mealoid, J Regan (1-3, 0-2f). Subs: A Gannon for S Quigley, S Brennan for D Healy, M O'Sullivan (0-2) for C O'Mealoid, P Kelly for J Regan, E O'Donnchadha for S Morris.
Referee - C Cunning.


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So we're in the Never Never, about to fight these goblin chumps. I have no idea how this is going to turn out, so I decided to do some writing to take the edge off.
We have to get a Golden Army. That's really all there is to it. If there isn't already one (or if it's going to be impossible to obtain), then we're going to have to create one for ourselves. It's really the only way I can see to adequately defend the city from all comers. Something—or rather, somethingS—is/are out there, and I have a feeling that we are woefully ill-prepared. The Golden Army is our only hope.
Luther seems to understand this, but he may lack the vision right now to see that it is something we can—and must—accomplish.
J{this area is smudged} refuses to hear any of it, but I think even he knows that without something besides the status quo, Indy stands little chance in the face of the oncoming storm. However, I think he understands more fully than the others the scope of the Power involved—and I think the possibility that it is achievable is what causes his fear. I wonder if I shouldn't be more afraid of it myself.
It's Duke, however, that troubles me the most. He seems to be on board, but I wonder if he will continue to stand with us, when we have at our disposal this most awesome Power. I truly wonder if he will allow us to put it to its purpose—or if he will be tempted to use its Power for other means. Time will tell, and the situation will bear keeping an eye on. The Lady knows, even Merlin had his day.
Whether we gain the army or create it, one thing we will need is power to feed it: to maintain it, and to veil it. I will propose this plan to the others:
1) Discover the most advantageous mystical configurations for harnessing and containing power (i.e., a mystical power "battery" if you will).
2) Plot the city's ley lines and peruse various permutations of the configurations so that the center of the power lies in an area of our choosing.
3) Create the devices for the "battery" and put them in place.
4) House the Golden Army in the location chosen, using the power to veil its location and power the Army.
Now, this doesn't even include the creation of the Army (if necessary), or the acquisition of the Army. This is going to take resources. Way more than we have access to. We are going to need others. Patrons. Allies. We are going to need to form a…"Golden Society" of like-minded individuals to bring this plan to fruition. If we want our city to survive and ever hope of returning to life as normal, this is something that MUST be done!
I admit that I am haunted by the thought of this day and night, and have been since seeing that blasted movie. Not since reading that book have I been so obsessed. And look how that turned out…


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A divorce legally ends a marriage whereas a in legal separation, the parties are still married, but living separately. In a legal separation, as with a divorce, a court order mandates the duties and obligations of the parties with regards to matters such as child support, child custody, the division of marital assets, etc. Parties may consider legal separation as a "trial separation" while they consider whether they want to formally file for divorce.
The divorce process can be completed anywhere between a few months to a couple of years. The more agreeable the parties are to the divorce, the sooner it can be finalized. A contentious divorce or a divorce in which issues are hotly contested can drag on for years.
"Business Law" is a broad category that include all aspects of how to create and run a business. These aspects might include business formation, negotiating and drafting contracts, navigating regulations, buying or managing a business, and litigation over business matters. Business lawyers can help a client foresee potential issues that a business owner might encounter, and are often hired for their advice on preventing future lawsuits.
There are many types of disputes that can arise from the ownership of a business. Breach of contract, partnership disputes, torts, breach of fiduciary duties, business-to-business disputes, shareholder issues, and employment disputes are all issues that might be subject to litigation. There are times when you do have to go to trial to get these kinds of conflicts resolved, but oftentimes these disputes can be resolved without having to go to trial either through negotiation or mediation.
Business lawyers can help a client foresee potential issues that a business owner might encounter, and are often hired for their advice on preventing future lawsuits. It is often prudent to hire an attorney to help form a new business or in anticipation of a potential business dispute.
The outcome of a case can sometimes depend upon early legal representation. A criminal attorney's expertise can guide a client through the legal process and increase a client's chance for a positive outcome. The earlier you hire a criminal attorney, the more the attorney can do for you.
First, never speak to law enforcement without being represented by an attorney. Contact an attorney immediately. Law enforcement has been trained to get you to say something against your best interest. Don't be tricked! Let your attorney speak for you.
The main difference between misdemeanors and felonies is the seriousness of the crime. Misdemeanors (simple assault, public intoxication, vandalism, shoplifting, etc.) are more serious than infractions (parking tickets, etc.) and are usually punishable by fines less than $1000 and up to a year in jail. Misdemeanors are also more likely to result in alternative sentencing like rehabilitation programs or community service. A felony, however, is more serious and usually punishable by long-term jail sentencing, fines, or a combination of both. Examples of felonies include murder, rape, burglary, and drug trafficking.


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Korbie is even smaller than Quaker (and, yes, they have measured to make sure). She just loves celebrate family and special occasions.
Here's a bit more about her!
Full Name: Korbie Tiny Squeaker
Age: Unknown (her parents couldn't keep track of all the kids birthdays)
Birth Place: Pet Shop in New York City
Favorite Movie: Ratatouille
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, crafting
Favorite Craft: Crafts of animals
Motto: "Food is the way to the heart!"
Another of our tiny critters with a very large personality and even larger heart! She also has an unusually large appetite for such a small critter.
Korbie is by far our hungriest critter. We still can't figure out where she puts it all.
She also has a huge heart and just loves everyone and everything. She never has a bad thing to say about anything!
She loves crafts about animals and special occasions because its a great way to give home-made gifts and make everyone feel special.
Mother and Father's day are her favourite.If they could have a brother and sister day she would love that too! Though she has many, MANY brothers and sisters!
Korbie joined our Crafty Critters by accident. She was born in a pet shop in New York city. The nature of those places are no fun! She was caged and kept losing her family as they got adopted. She finally got tired of all the goodbyes. Being the run of all the mice she never got chosen.
One night she escaped and hid in the cargo area of the first bus out of town. This landed her here.
We happened to be at the bus depot waiting for Matilda to arrive from Alaska. We saw a little lost mouse and offered her a home.
We are continuing to help Korbie find all her family members. So far we have found mom and dad as well as 42 of her 167 brothers and sisters.
It's going to be a very large family reunion, but thankfully they are all tiny in size!
Show dad how much you care with Korbie's Fathers Day crafts
Give mom a gift she will never forget - a home-made craft fro you.
Learn about all our Crafty Critters: About Us
Feel free to email us your questions, ideas, or crafting creations.
If you have created any of our ideas we will post your pictures, with credit to you.
If you have an idea of your own, we will create a whole page about it!
We welcome all emails!
Email us at:


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Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.
William Wordsworth
I love this picture! It looks so peaceful - and yet mysterious and wistful and full of possibility.
I want to walk down this frosty, sparkly lane of trees and see where it leads me . . . which makes me think of how that's what it feels like to write a book . . .
We often walk down the empty, cold lanes of our Muse and see where it leads us in our minds and hearts . . .


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Browse through these SCORE mentoring success stories to learn more about the small businesses we've helped. Use the filters below to browse stories by business topic, entrepreneur type, business stage, or industry. Once you've learned how we've helped others, sign up for your mentor today.
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Mermaid Butter
SCORE mentor Pamela Kaur has helped Schol with every aspect of setting up her business, from choosing the right corporate structure to filing the necessary paperwork with the IRS a Read more
Dawn Schol
President, Mermaid Butter


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"mea culpa" (My fault.)
"Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful (Motto of the US Marine Corps) )
"Si vis pacem, para bellum." (If you wish for peace, prepare for war.(Flavius Vegetius Renatus c. 375 AD.))
"Romani ite domus" (Roman go home! ---(Monty Phyton's Life of Brian))
"POST FESTUM PESTUM" (Literally "After holidays The Plague", it means The end of Holidays is a shit!)
"nemo surdior est quam is qui non audiet" (No man is more deaf than he who will not hear)
"Mutatis mutandis" (With the necessary changes)
"Non ministrari, sed ministrare" (Not to be served, but to serve)
"Domus in colle" (House on the Hill)
"Deus est intus" (God is Within)
"Si me perdis, te perdam" (Waste me and I'll waste you (a sundial motto))
"Hic si stas, hinc eris" (Here you stay, here you belong (a sundial motto)))
"Solem quis dicere falsum audeat" (Who will dare to say that the sun is wrong? (a sundial motto from Virgil's Georgics))
"Sol tibi signa dabit" (The sun will give you signs (a sundial motto from Virgil's Georgics))
"Commune hoc ignorantiae vitium est: quae nescias, nequicquam esse profiteri" - Leon Battista Alberti: De Re Aedificatoria, VI,2 (A common thing with the ignorant, to despise what they do not understand; James Leoni's translation, London 1726 - this translation is not entirely to the point, either, I feel - a better one might be: "A common vice among ignorants is to reject the idea that there is anything to know")
"De mortiis aut bene aut nihil." (Speak well of the dead or not at all.(a more literal translation would be "Of the dead, well or not at all." I'm not 100% on mortiis, I've found people using it as mortiis, mortibus, and mortuis. The next translation seems to be the best version)
"De mortuis, nihil nisi bonum." (Never speak ill of the dead. (more literal "Of the dead, (say) nothing unless good."))
"Carpe Narem" (Pick your nose)
"Quos vult perdere Jovis prius dementat." (Those whom he wants to destroy, Jupiter first makes angry.)
"Verba volant, scripta manent." (Spoken words fly away, written words remain.)
"Veni, Vidi, Ambulavi." (I came, I saw, I walked.)
"In caecus terrae, luscus rex est." (In the land of the blind, the one-eye-man is king.)
"Cogito, Facio Fio!" (Think it, Do it, Become it!)
"Non urinat in ventum" (Don't piss into the wind)
"Homo sapiens non urinat in ventum" (A wise man doesn't piss into the wind)
"Tempus edax rerums" (Time devours all things (quote from Roman poet Ovid))
"Mors Cum Terrore Novo Venit" (Death has come with a new terror)
Postremo pensandum
Quanta doctrinae commoditas sit in libris
Quam facilis, quam arcana!
Quam tuto libris humanae ignorantia paupertatem
sine verecundia denudamus!
Hi sunt magistri qui nos instruunt
sine virgis et ferula,
sine verbis et cholera, sine pannis et pecunia.
si accedis, non dormiunt;
Si inquirens interrogas, non abscondunt;
Non remurmurant si oberres;
Cachinnos nesciunt, si ignores.
(Richard de BuryPhilobiblon, I, 9)
And finally, one must consider how great the ease of learning
there is in books, how yielding, how trusty !
How safely we reveal, without shyness, in the face of our books
the poverty of our human ignorance !
They are teachers who instruct us without switches or rods,
without slaps or anger, without notice of rags or riches.
If you approach them , they are not asleep;
If you ask a question, they do not hide;
They do not mutter at you if you make a mistake;
When you are ignorant, they do not know how to laugh at you.
"Musica delenit bestiam feram." (Music soothes the savage beast.)
"Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?" (How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?)
"Nihil est--in vita priore ego imperator Romanus fui." (That's nothing--in a previous life I was a Roman Emperor.)
"Aio, quantitas magna frumentorum est." (Yes, that is a very large amount of corn.)
"Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem!" (Stand aside plebians! I am on imperial business.)
"Oblitus sum perpolire clepsydras!" (I forgot to polish the clocks!)
"mea culpa" (My fault.)


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A review by Robert Bovington
As an avid reader of books about Spain, I have mixed feelings about this book. Certainly, I did not enjoy it as much as other books that I have read on the subject. I found Howells' literary style too verbose. I wonder whether the author thought: "Why use two or three pithy adjectives when two or three pages of text will do the same job!"
He describes with great detail the strangers that he encounters on his travels, yet often provides little detail on the principal sights. Many of Howells' sentences are inordinately long – 40, 50 words or more! Yet, despite his longwinded descriptions, Howells manages to convey his thoughts to the reader in both a poetic and an extremely descriptive manner. The reader can easily imagine the bleakness of the Meseta and the "insurpassably dirty and dangerous" gipsy quarters of Granada and Seville.
Howells certainly was not, what we today call, politically correct. He frequently describes some of the Spanish women as fat. Nor did the author view his surroundings with rose tinted spectacles. He mentions bad breakfasts; freezing hotels, cold rainy streets and "the thick and noisome stench" of Cervantes former home in Valladolid. But he waxed lyrical about a great deal of his experiences too: the incomparable grandeur of Burgos Cathedral; the glorious masterpiece that is Murillo's "Vision of St Anthony"; the unparalleled beauty of the Alhambra and the magnificent structure that is the Puente Nuevo in Ronda are shortened versions of just some of his descriptions.
I know people's tastes are different but what really surprised me was the author's likes and dislikes regarding the places he visited. He did not like Córdoba but, to be fair, it was raining during his visit and he described the houses as "wet and chill". However, he was also disappointed in that city's beautiful Mezquita. Yet he really liked Algeciras!
Certainly, from the author's text, I gathered that he preferred 'people watching' to visiting the famous sights, which probably explains the imbalance between his descriptions of people and his accounts of the places visited. But, then, the whole expedition was unbalanced. He spent only half an hour in Toledo's magnificent Cathedral and not much longer in the Mezquita, yet he visited Seville Cathedral every day during his fortnight's stay! He appears to have enjoyed Madrid, especially the Prado and he was greatly taken with Granada though, more for the views from within and without the Alhambra than for the wonderful Arabic architecture. He preferred the Palace of Charles V to the Nasrid Palaces in that magnificent monument to the Moors rule in Spain.
Notwithstanding the author's idiosyncrasies, "Familiar Spanish Travels" will probably be an enjoyable read for those readers who wish to partake of a "warts and all" commentary of life in early 20th century Spain.
Robert Bovington
21 May 2015
|1913 hard cover
|1923 reproduction
"Photographs of Spain"
"Spanish Impressions"
"postcards from Spain"
"you couldn't make it up!"
"a grumpy old man in Spain"
"Spanish Expressions"
"Spanish Art"
"Books About Spain"


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Egypt isn't what it appears to be in the media...but that's no real surprise, since not much is. I moved here in the late 80's from Toronto, Canada, with my Canadian/Egyptian husband, my son and my daughter. The children adapted quickly and we decided that this country was a good place to live. Now I wouldn't change my home for anything.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Abu Erdan, An Early Terrorist? Not Exactly
I'll bet you never knew that Audubon Society and some of the other conservation groups started with women's hats. Not the connection that most of us make, but that is true. At the turn of the century it was the fashion to decorate women's hats with feathers, parts of birds and even whole birds, the more exotic the better. The fashion reached a point that birdwatchers could rack up a better spot list sitting on a fashionable corner in New York or London than they could in the field. One of the birds that was most in demand was the egret for the graceful sweep of the snowy feathers and feather collectors went to work on the little egret and cattle egret population of Egypt as they did in North and South America, with the effect that there was general concern that the birds being hunted might become extinct.
The methods used by feather hunters were brutal to say the least. The plumes desired were most attractive during the breeding and nesting period, so this was when the hunters went to work. The result of their efforts was not only dead adults lying about under the trees, but starving young who were still nestlings dependent upon parents for their feeding. Concerned birdwatchers began a media blitz and formed such groups as the Audubon Society to try to turn the tide. Women members lobbied to have feathered hats outlawed and some of the British in Egypt began an unusual public service campaign to inform the people of Egypt of the dangers of killing egrets. Matchbooks, train cars, and posters on buildings proclaimed in Arabic "Abu Erdan saddiq el fellah", meaning "The Egret is the friend of the farmer". Abu Erdan means "father of beaks" in reference to the long beak sported by the egret, and they do assist the farmers of Egypt by eating the grubs, worms and even young mice that might be turned up in the tilling and cultivating of the soil.
The saviour of the egrets was not so much the written word as it was the hairdresser's scissors. Bobbed hair suddenly became fashionable and the extravagant feathered hats that had previously adorned the longer hair were no longer in demand. Gradually the egret populations regained strength. These days cattle egrets are no longer in the least bit endangered. Just before dusk they can be seen gathering in the trees along the road that borders the Cairo Zoo, tall shady eucalyptus and casuarinas where they will be nesting during mating season. In the countryside they can be seen in flocks following a tractor or examining freshly turned soil for bugs and other avian-oriented goodies. Sometimes they will be resting quietly in the sun along a trail as I'm out riding only to take off in a huge white cloud when the horse disturbs them. The cattle egrets still outnumber the little egrets, but sometimes I catch sight of some of the more unusual water birds such as night herons or grey herons. Sometimes life should be for the birds.
4 comments:
- Engy said...
hi Maryanne,
I'm really proud of you coz i've never been proud of being an egyptian as I am now after reading your posts!!.
I loved Egypt in your posts, although i didn't read'em all but I really like it so much may be becoz i have never experinced the things and life you have but I really wish to do and I will do.
Tkanks for your posts (I don't thank you couse am an egyptian as you are too but couse am an reader who liked your way in writting).
I will go on reading your inspiring posts and will write to you again soon.
- epgraves said...
I have been reading your blog for a while and love it. Your descriptions mean a lot to an American who wishes he could visit egypt badly.
I am so happy to have found your site. I live in the U.S. dating a wonderful Egyptian man who has been living in the States for the past 8 years. I would some day want to visit and possibly live in Egypt myself. who knows, but when I do I will try to get in touch with you. I dont know too much about living there, only what he tells me. I love the culture I love the music and the food. I will write to you again soon.
Hi Maryanne,
Im back and happy to say that I've been enjoying programs on tv related to beautiful Egypt and the wonderful Pyramids and other related documentaries on mummies and so forth. I'm getting closer to visiting Egypt and come check out your site often to see new posts. My boyfriend is originally from Demiatt has two brothers and his father still living there and I'm hoping to one day get to meet them as well. Please keep on posting new pics and articles on your site. I do enjoy and can see that others do too as well.
Take care. talk to you soon. I am the anonymous writer on your posts.


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Since the automobile industry's earliest days, innovation has been a fundamental element of progress. A requirement, really. Pioneering a better way to get around doesn't just happen on its own.
In fact, the entire industry is an innovation in itself. Automobile inventors originally were seeking alternatives for steam locomotives, the dominant method of transportation in the 1800s.
The vehicles we drive today—while a far cry from the first automobile, a three-wheeled, steam-engine-powered cart, and even Henry Ford's Model T—exist because of the idea of YES. Yeses that fueled the industry's evolution.
Perhaps the most newsworthy innovation lately has been the rise of self-driving cars.
Uber and Volvo partnered to pilot the first-ever self-driving car service in Pittsburgh. Drivers will still be present, for the time being, in modified Volvo XC90s but will serve merely as supervisors. The SUVs are "outfitted with dozens of sensors that use cameras, lasers, radar, and GPS receivers," according to a Bloomberg article.
Volvo and Uber signed a $300 million agreement to develop a fully self-driving car that will be road-ready by 2021, according to the Bloomberg article. To further its autonomous innovation, Uber recently announced that it acquired self-driving truck startup Otto.
Google and many other companies are also innovating in this space. Google currently has prototypes on the road in California, Texas, Washington, and Arizona, and claims to have driven more than 1.5 million miles.
And startup Drive.ai is using deep learning to create new ways for self-driving cars to communicate with people outside—to give them a voice of sorts.
Companies and startups aren't the only ones having a hand in the self-driving-car revolution.
A recent New York Times article reported that Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and Representative Debbie Dingell are trying to open a self-driving car test center where automakers and regulators can collaborate together to design and test the vehicles.
"[Autonomous vehicles] are inevitable. It's only a matter of time," Andrew Chatham, senior staff engineer and off-board software lead for Google's self-driving car program, told FastCompany. "They are the most logical next step and will have socio-economic and other effects on our society—some good and some bad—quite possibly changing our whole way of life…"
It will be interesting to continue to watch how all these innovators will continue to collectively say yes to evolving the auto industry and to finding new and better ways of getting from point A to point B.


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Nick Clegg has warned against "knee-jerk" reactions to the Woolwich murder, restating his opposition to the "snooper's charter".
Home Secretary Theresa May and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond have called for the legislation to be resurrected in response to the killing of Drummer Rigby in Woolwich last week.
The Deputy Prime Minister said measures in the Communications Data Bill were "disproportionate" and "unworkable", despite claims from Cabinet colleagues that the legislation was necessary to ensure public safety.
Mr Clegg also warned any measures to ban radicals such as Anjem Choudary from TV screens would make them heroes to extremist groups.
The controversial communications legislation would require internet companies to retain records of emails and social media messages for a year and allow police and security agencies to access the data, but not the content of messages.
The Deputy Prime Minister said: "We have got to react in a calm way but also a forensic way in deciding exactly what we can do to stop that kind of radicalisation, extremism taking root in individuals and communities."
He added: "Very important parts of what was proposed just weren't workable because the industry, the Facebooks, the Googles, and all these people upon whose co-operation we rely to go after the bad people just said it wasn't really workable in its present form. Other aspects of it have always struck me as perhaps being disproportionate."
On his regular phone-in show on LBC 97.3 Mr Clegg insisted he was not seeking to limit the powers available to the police and security services.
He said: "I have never suggested that the very considerable powers that our security services and the police have; far in excess, by the way, of many other forces in other parts of the world; should in any way be rolled back.
"Quite the reverse, I'm actually saying in one important respect; matching IP addresses to individual phones and mobile appliances; we should take further action."
Clegg came under fire over the weekend from one of own peers Lord Carlile, who accused the Lib Dem leader of bringing the Communications Data Bill to a halt for "purely political" reasons, and former Conservative leader Michael Howard suggested the party should join forces with Labour to get new laws passed if Liberal Democrats continue to prevent reform.
But Mr Clegg said: "I don't think it is responsible of me or any politician to just disengage from the detail, not deal with the difficult dilemmas here of proportionality and workability and simply make sweeping statements, particularly in the immediate, highly emotive, aftermath of such a terrible and horrific act as we saw last Wednesday. Previous experience suggests that's when we start making mistakes.
"I think the British public want us politicians to strike this very difficult balance of protecting the freedoms, the democracy, the traditions of liberty which these horrific extremists and terrorists want to threaten. They want us to strike the right balance between protecting those but also giving the security services and the police the proportionate, workable tools to keep us safe."
But despite critics arguing the legislation would infringe privacy and act as a recruiting sergeant for terror groups, Defence Secretary Hammond told LBC 97.3 radio's Nick Ferrari show yesterday that it would help preserve civil liberties by protecting citizens and troops from the threat posed by violent extremists.
"Once a suspect is detained, the urgent need is to discover who else is in his network and who else might be about to commit a similar act," he said.
"The danger that we've got, as technology develops, more and more communications are carried out over the internet, Voice Over Internet Protocols, Skype and so on, that the police and security services lose that ability to track that traffic.
"Of course, we have to do this in a way that is sensitive to the concerns about preserving civil liberties. But we preserve our civil liberties by making sure that those who want to murder our citizens and soldiers on our streets can be tracked and monitored and dealt with so that can't cause that kind of mayhem."


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When interior designer Eric Cohler went scouting for a Manhattan pied-à-terre for his brother Matt, one of Silicon Valley's most dynamic venture capitalists, he was initially thinking of a low-key rental. But that changed when the siblings walked into an 1840s redbrick townhouse overlooking historic Gramercy Park. Previously broken up into several apartments, the building had been reconfigured a few years earlier into two glamorous triplexes by architect Michael Haverland, and as soon as the Cohlers stepped into the lower unit, they both thought the same thing: This is it.
With a guest room and kitchenette in the English basement, entertaining areas on the parlor floor, and three bedrooms on the third level, the triplex certainly had a lot going for it, in particular its high ceilings, three fireplaces, and abundant windows, among them two sets of French doors opening to Juliet balconies with views of the park's gated greenery. Drawbacks included a floor plan that resembles a barbell (on each level spacious end rooms are linked by a hall) and the inherent narrowness—the building is only 26 feet wide—that comes with the territory. Still, the designer saw those limitations as a challenge. "I'm at my best with tight parameters," Eric confides. "You can't expand laterally in a townhouse. If you're not careful, it can feel not only cramped but forced."
Known for combining 18th- and 20th-century furniture with an up-to-the-minute sensibility, the designer went to work making the apartment into a peaceful refuge for a client with a notably high-octane career. A onetime musician and one of Facebook's first five hires, Matt is now a general partner at the farsighted venture-capital giant Benchmark, and he cofounded FWD.us, an organization that supports immigration reform and is made up of leaders in the tech community. He also sits on multiple boards, including those of Instagram, Tinder, and the online antiques bazaar 1stdibs, as well as the San Francisco Symphony.
RELATED: Design Lessons from Eric Cohler's Makeover of a Manhattan Triplex
As an antidote to the frenetic pace of Matt's work life, the triplex's front door opens to a soothing palette of earthy neutrals. In the entrance gallery, as throughout the main level, Haverland-designed paneling with an overscale grid motif has been painted a crisp white. Complementing the foyer's woodwork is a fluffy Moroccan-style diamond-pattern runner that's rolled out before a Michael Taylor travertine console table flanked by circa-1905 Josef Hoffmann chairs cushioned in their original leather. Above hangs Richard Avedon's infamous shot of actress Nastassja Kinski being embraced by a Burmese python, part of a small but powerful art collection that features eye-grabbing images by Lotte Jacobi, Edward Weston, and Ellen von Unwerth. "Matt doesn't like the word collector," his brother explains, "but if he were to be classified as one, it would be of photography."
The living and dining rooms, located at opposite ends of the parlor floor, share an intimate yet sophisticated air that comes from their irreverent mix of furnishings, colors, and metallic accents. Both spaces have similarly neutral background tones—the living room's faux-suede walls are mushroom color, the dining room's paneling is golden oak—but they have distinct moods. In the latter, at the rear of the building, an orange Perle Fine painting overlooks a vintage Jules Leleu oval table surrounded by Directoire-inspired chairs by T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings. Built-in oak bookcases ascend a dozen feet, their shelves accessed by a custom-made ladder so the volumes can be read rather than merely looked at from afar. Pride of place has been given to a circa-1912 Steinway grand piano that was inherited from one of the Cohlers' great-grandmothers. "I like to play Bach, but I'm not very good," admits Matt, who occasionally hosts small but festive gatherings when in town.
While the dining room is quietly chic, the living room's vibe is decidedly livelier, thanks in part to a luminous red-and-white abstract canvas by Caio Fonseca and two large blue-hued works, one by painter James Brooks and the other by photographer Alfred Seiland. Atop the quarter-sawn white-oak floor is a marvelous, motley array of furnishings, among them Louis XVI painted armchairs, a curious stool cushioned with shaggy Mongolian lambswool, and a classic Chanel-style suede-covered sofa that Eric describes as "deep enough for napping."
Up the slender, dramatically paneled staircase and past a Von Unwerth photograph of model Nadja Auermann in a black lace cat mask is the master bedroom, a paean to tranquillity, where the same creamy fabric (one of Eric Cohler's own designs for Lee Jofa) is used for the walls, curtains, and headboard. Furthering the cocooning effect are dove-gray carpeting and a sound-deadening layer of cotton batting under the wall upholstery. "Matt travels a lot," his brother notes, "so we wanted a room that would invite slumber. The only interactive element is the fireplace—there's not even a television." Down the hall, though, is the mischievously unrestrained library, painted a glossy persimmon.
Cultured yet without a hint of ostentation, the residence is precisely what Eric and his like-minded brother were aiming for—welcoming and absolutely cozy. "Because at the end of the day," the designer says, "true luxury boils down to comfort."


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James Francis Pendergast (1856 — November 10, 1911) was a Democratic politician who was to be the first Big City Boss of Kansas City, Missouri. He was the elder brother of Thomas J. Pendergast and Michael J. Pendergast.
Pendergast was born in Gallipolis, Ohio. His family moved to St. Joseph, Missouri in 1859. He moved to Kansas City in 1876. After winning a horse race on a long shot called "Climax" he opened a saloon named for the horse in the West Bottoms.
In 1884 he was elected as a delegate to represent the sixth ward in the Democratic City Convention. In 1887 he became the Democratic committeeman from the first ward. He was elected alderman in 1892. He was to earn nicknames of "Alderman Jim" and "Big Jim" as he achieved grassroots power by doing favors.
Jim's chief rival in this period was Joe Shannon. Jim's faction was called the "goats" because they wanted to climb out of the river bottoms while Shannon's faction was the "rabbits" because they hailed to the river bottom power base.
After his death a statue of him was placed in Mulkey Square overlooking the West Bottoms. It has since been moved to Case Park on Quality Hill.
^The above link is no longer available.


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The Gateway Pundit's Jim Hoft to Speak at Nashville Spirit of America Rally for Trump This Saturday
The Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft will speak in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday March 4th.
Via The Tennessee Star:
Nashville's Spirit of America Rally organizers announced exclusively to The Tennessee Star that grassroots superstar Jim Hoft will appear at the event this Saturday, March 4th.
"We are excited to announce that Jim Hoft of The Gateway Pundit will speak at the rally. His organization has recently been granted White House press credentials to the dismay of the liberal main stream media," Spirit of American organizer and founder of the Memphis Tea Party Mark Skoda said.
"Jim has made a difference at his conservative news blog with over one million views per day during the election. And as a new media leader, he is driving the left crazy," he added.
Jim Hoft stated, "I am really looking forward to speaking to the people of the Great State of Tennessee. President Trump is off to a roaring start and I am proud to stand behind him today as he moves to Make America Great Again. I plan on making a special announcement at Saturday's rally!"
Skoda noted that this confirmation of the March 4 event comes on the eighth anniversary of the first Tea Party rallies, which were held in fifty cities across the country on February 27, 2009. Those rallies were followed by the April 15, 2009 Tax Day Tea Party rallies, which were held in more than 900 cities and attended by an estimated 1 million people.
"President Trump outlined his results in a few short weeks along with an uplifting and visionary agenda last night. This rally, coming on the back of that tremendous speech will be even more of a celebration of our President and his administration," he said.
The agenda includes well-known statewide politicians and activists and represents a diverse set of opinions about the state of the nation and President Trump's agenda.
"We are excited to have Jim join us and to bring his unique style and knowledge of the new media landscape along with the intimate details of the White House press corps," Skoda said.
Rally details for this Saturday can be found online at mainstreetpatriots.us and the Spirit of America Nashville Facebook page. All donations collected will be used exclusively for the costs associated to the Rally.
As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or just generally being a jerk. Enforcement of this policy is at the sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without warning. Guest posting is disabled for security reasons.


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MySQL down from time to time
Running a small Wordpress blog (100-200 visitors) on a 512mb/Ubuntu droplet. There is about 200mb RAM (buffers/cache) in use.
A 1gig swap file is available.
No CPU or traffic peaks. Everything is fine...
But every day the mysql crashes 1-3 times. There are no new error logs.
MySQL went down and it is up again a few minutes later ... don´t need to restart mysql or any thing else.
sometimes Wordpress will get brute-force attempts and crash MySQL.
Installing a plugin like Login Lockdown will allow you to see failed attempts. If you are seeing tons of attempts to login, then that is probably your issue.
Changing your login page from wp-login.php to something different seems to solve that. I think that DigitalOcean does something with .htaccess on their default Wordpress installs, but I always install my own so have never seen what exactly they do.
Any DigitalOcean people there who know what DO does to protect the wp-login.php page?
Sorry, my fault. The problem was the W3 Total cache plugin and its database cache. If I disable it everything works fine.
But thx for your answere anyway!
@holger1411 database caching should not cause a problem, should solve it. maybe you need to check the configuration. are you using OPS, memcached or disk caching?
I use the W3 Total cache plugin for Wordpress.
Everything was enabled (except CDN). After I disabled "Database Cache" and "Object Cache" the error did not appear again...


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Last night the Yankees agreed to send Jesus Montero along with Hector Noesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. As a Yankee fan, I must admit to being a bit surprised by this transaction since I figured we would finally get a full season of Montero in pinstripes, but looking at this trade on a long-term basis things seem to make sense for both sides.
The Mariners currently have a wealth of young starting pitchers with both Danny Hultzen and James Paxton expected to be added to the rotation by 2013 as well as 19 year old prospect Tijuan Walker arguably having the most upside among all pitchers currently in the low minors. Combine this with the pitching friendly confines of Safeco Field and one can see this franchise being able to replenish its pitching staff easier than others.
Pineda has all the makings to be a consistent ace, but his age and late season struggles do point to some drawbacks. In his rookie year last season, Pineda came out strong overpowering hitters with his fastball command that could reach into the high 90's (his four-seam fastball had the average velocity of 94.6) as well as a wipe-out slider that generated a high whiff rate against opposing hitters from both sides of the plate. His one major weakness has been his lack of a legitimate change-up. This could prove troublesome especially for a pitcher with such an extreme home-road split who now must learn to overpower opposing left-handed hitters in a park that is generous to power from that side. Utilizing an effective change-up will help, but he has been effective with his slider which produced a 32.4 percent whiff rate as well as a groundball rate above fifty percent from lefties last season.
The trouble for the M's have been offense and with issues at DH and Justin Smoak performing less than expected – the addition of Montero will give this team some offensive upside for 2012 and beyond.
Montero does project as an above average hitter, but with his positional limitations as well as being a right-handed hitter now playing half his games in Safeco, his value could be dicey. For the Mariners to get the maximum amount in this deal, it's imperative they take a long look at him as a catcher in 2012. If that turns out to be a failure, the team still has first base to fall back on – assuming that Smoak is no longer an everyday player (which could be unfair still given his age, power potential and manageable strikeout rate).
The Yankees have been quiet this offseason leading many to believe that the team's announcement to reduce payroll over the next few seasons could be a legitimate goal. Looking beyond 2012, the Yankees have a lot of money tied up in aging veterans and if the Yankees truly saw Montero as nothing more than a DH/occasional 1B he could be difficult to roster over the next few seasons as players like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter creep closer to age 40.
Using a piece like Jesus Montero while his trade value remains high for Michael Pineda keeps their former clubs from overpaying for these needs this offseason. The Mariners have flirted with the idea of buying into the services of Prince Fielder, but his hefty price tag and long-term commitment could be troublesome down the road. This point is further heightened as other teams in its division such as the Angels and Rangers operate with higher revenues.
On the flip side, the Yankees need quality starters to balance out its rotation, but the premium price placed on All-Star pitching would either continue to drive their payroll abnormally high or cost them quality prospects (something the Yanks were made aware of in its pursuit of Gio Gonzalez last month). These options are untenable for a team looking to get leaner while still staying competitive in 2014
Like the Delmon Young for Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett swap in 2007, this trade will be fiercely debated on both sides and it will be interesting to see how things end up in a few years.


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Over at Sugar Bee- Craft Edition... come check us out. We've made a tutorial for darling Dishtowel Cafe Aprons, you don't want to miss it!!
P.S. Sorry for the lack of blogging lately- it's the last of summer, gotta get in all our fun!
August 19, 2010
Guest Blogging Today
Posted by ificould at 8/19/2010
Labels: guest posts
1 comment:
- Ginger Bergemann said...
Saw your guest post and am now following you on GFC. Thanks for sharing all these great tutorials!
- August 19, 2010 at 7:14 PM
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Sales Strategy & Management
How To Determine The True Value Of A Customer
You can boost profits by focusing on the lifetime value of customers. Here's how to look at the real value of a client.
Lifetime value is how much a customer is worth to you over the entire period that they will do business with you. For example, if your average customer spends R200 every time he or she makes a purchase from you, and that customer will typically make one purchase a month and do business with you for five years, their lifetime value is as follows:
R200 x 12 months x 5 years = R12 000
Business owners can effectively boost their profits and the sustainability of their businesses by increasing the lifetime value of their customers. The trick is to change your focus from the single sale now to understanding the idea of lifetime value.
For example, let's say you embark on a campaign to generate new sales leads that costs you R10 000. You get 200 new leads from the campaign. Effectively, each lead has cost you R50. Of these leads, 80 become customers, spending an average of R500 with you twice a year. Your average customer lifetime is two years.
That means that the lifetime value of your customer is R2 000. With 80 new customers spending R2 000 over their customer lifetime period, your campaign has generated R160 000.
And that does not take into account the fact that those 80 new customers might bring you referral business. If 10 of your new customers tell just one friend who buys from you, that's an additional R20 000 worth of business of lifetime value, which means your campaign has generated R180 000.
Related: Your Customers' 'Why' Is More Important Than Their 'Want'
Think long-term
You see, it's not just about the people that your campaign attracts, but the profit you will make from them and their referrals over the course of several years. It's not about market share — it's about wallet share. Instead of trying to get the biggest slice of the market, business owners should focus their attention on increasing the amount of money they make from each customer, over a period of time.
The critical thing is to turn each customer into a lifetime customer. And the way you do that is through customer service, building customer relationships and focusing on generating repeat business.
The truth is that many businesses require customers to make a second purchase before they break even (e.g. if it cost you R200 to acquire the customer and she only spent R100 with you the first time she did business with you). Repeat business is the sure way to profit. And the fact is that it's up to six times less expensive to sell to an existing customer than acquire a new customer.
Type of business
Obviously, your customer lifetime will be different depending on the type of business you run. If you sell cars, your customers might buy once from you every five years, but over a period of 20 years. In that case, you can increase your lifetime value by using car services or add-on products to generate additional repeat business.
Related: Your MVP Isn't Really Viable Until Your Potential Customers Say So
If, on the other hand, you run a quick-service restaurant, your customers probably purchase far more frequently, but for a lower value. You might attract additional repeat business by introducing a loyalty programme where customers get their tenth meal free.
Whatever the case, you can boost your profits by finding customers who will be with you for the long term and ensuring that you take good care of them.
Sales Strategy & Management
Key Tips To Retain Customer And Improve Sales In Ecommerce Sites
If the ideas you are selling are fresh, innovative or even intuitive, you might gain customers, but retaining them actually determines the exact ROIs you can gain from your venture.
Ecommerce in simpler terms is the activity of buying and selling of goods and services over the web. With the increasing reach and accessibility of internet day by day, online mode of business transactions is gaining prominence. For any business, retaining customers is more advantageous than acquiring new ones.
Number Check
The root of customer retention for any business digs deep. And here are few stats to show the depth of its importance:
- Almost around 41% of online revenues generated are from retained customers that too just by 8% of the retention rate.
- If an ecommerce site can increase their customer retention by mere 5% rate their sales can increase by 25% to even 125%.
- Unsatisfactory customer service takes a toll on a business. About 71% of unsatisfied customers end their relation with the vendor.
As the importance of customer retention is being cleared, the next question to pop up is the method of retaining customers. You have to keep note of the important aspects that lead to retaining customers effectively. Here are a few handpicked proven ways to retain your customers and thus improve the sales.
1. Gesture of appreciation
A simple gesture of appreciation or offer or discount can do wonders in enhancing sales. Unexpected surprises or gifts are something which is appreciated by everyone and can cement your relation with your customers.
For this you can add extra discounts, offer vouchers or can send the customer some gifts with a handwritten 'thank you' note couple of days after buying. This unexpected gesture of appreciation will divert customers' attention towards your site.
Related: 6 Steps To Building A Million-Dollar Ecommerce Site In 60 Days
2. Email marketing
Your customers already provide you with data about their choices and preferences. However continuous email campaign is a subtle but effective way of expanding your customer database. Expand the items that are being added in the emails.
Try to innovate the offers and discounts, add newer items to increase your customer's preferences and keep tracking them. Track which sequence of emails is gaining the highest hits.
3. Gold membership
Probably the most used, yet efficient way of customer retention is VIP privileges and Gold membership etc. A policy including reward points and hierarchical VIP status enabling your customers to various privileges offers etc. act as significant ways of improving sales. The alluring offers and VIP memberships will entice your customers to shop more.
4. Customer Services
A seemingly consistent and personalised customer service is what controls most of the brands nowadays. Most of the market researches show that it's the customers who modulate and decide the fates of the brand. So be where your customers are for cementing a professional relation with them.
5. Showing diligence
Just occasional email campaigning and gifts and vouchers aren't enough for successful customer retention. In the era of high-end competition, if you are not careful about the needs, preferences, requirements and most importantly, the complaints of your customers, no matter how much offers or VIP privileges are provided, customer retention is impossible.
Being proactive to the needs of customers, engaging them continuously as well as collecting and reacting to their feedbacks are the three major steps for any customer retention scheme.
Related: Watch List: 15 SA eCommerce Entrepreneurs Who Have Built Successful Online Businesses
6. Create value for Customers
If you are buying online , will you choose to buy from a website that sells low quality products at a cheap price? The answer is certainly no because everybody desires for quality in terms of shopping. Also, cost alone isn't valued by customers, there have to be multiple components of value addition to optimise the overall shopping experience for your customers. As an e-commerce company, you need to master the elements of making a successful e-commerce website and later work upon your plan.
7. Limited period offers
Almost all ecommerce sites nowadays follow the policy of giving limited period offers and big bash discounts etc. A large-scale promotion before the said offer period, and some lucrative offers along with VIP privileges can help.
Improvising the existing privileges too can lure the existing customers into more shopping and hence enhance online retail sales.
8. Transparency in sales
Honesty is the key to success in any field of life. An ecommerce business site is no different. It takes painful long period of time for building up a company's reputation. The only cue card that vouches for the reputation is transparency in sales and company's policy.
The more transparent you are the better feed you get in return. So, whatever be the service you provide, keeping hidden policies and hidden charges is a strict no-no.
9. Promise and supply gap
It's good to aspire for more, for bigger contracts, more sales but aspiration shouldn't blindfold your capabilities. Continuous offerings to customers, more discounts and bigger promise for retaining them shouldn't go beyond your limits and you end up giving lower outputs in reality.
This, in long run, hinders your company's reputation to a considerable extent as well. So, promise only according to your limits and not beyond.
Related: The Future Is Now – Ecommerce Retail Trends For 2019
10. Building up a customer community
Humans are social beings by nature. The brand you are selling can actually act as a platform for different customers. Add a community chat room in your site where your customers or the Gold members can login by their credentials and discuss the pros and cons, offer fresh ideas, match and compare their services etc.
This allows for a rigorous service assessment, customer needs, and fresh idea generation for increasing sales and knowing the pulse of the shopper.
11. Enhancing social shares
This is an add-on feature of the preceded one. Your clients are your potential buyers some of whom are even potential giant-scale buyers. To churn the need of buying in them, incentivise your social platforms. You can do that by putting brand ambassadors' photographs and ask for a competition amongst the clients.
Alluring offers and gifts for the winners will also make it an enticing professional deal. This can act in both retention and outreaching to newer clients. Also, these gifts and competitions can enhance the word-of-mouth publicity as well.
To wrap it up
Retaining customer is as important as reaching new ones. In fact in long term, customer retention plays a pivotal role. So a proper, polite and courteous customer service, a prompt feedback and complaint resolving team, transparent policies and quality performance on-time are few attributes that can retain customers and take your business sky high.
Sales Strategy & Management
The Pros And Cons Of Selling To Your Friends And Family
Don't ignore the first stages of engagement, just because they don't result in immediate purchases.
"When starting out in business, the first people that you rely on to test out a product and pricing are those closest to you or as we teach the kids in the FutureProof programmes, low hanging fruit. But what do you need to keep in mind when using this as your first customer set? The feedback loop from selling to these people will be skewed and if you know this, you can build a business that will survive outside of "easy targets", says Lisa Illingworth.
1. Confidence Boosting
Starting a business is ridiculously hard. To take the plunge is often the scariest thing that we attempt and with the failure rates being heavily stacked against business survival, it should be the goal of every new entrepreneur to boost your confidence. And nothing boosts confidence like an eager customer.
Friends and family make great confidence boosters. It's their mandated job to enthusiastically follow your business Facebook page and buy every product you have to sell, even if it is in early development phase.
2. Gentle Criticism
Intrinsically linked to the first pro, is the second pro that friends and family should deliver criticism in a gentle manner that will not break your fragile spirit. These people should be heavily invested in your personal growth and if this is true, they will be concerned about your infatuation with this business, and not breaking it.
And this may only be because they don't want to field phone calls late at night after the idea tanks or pay your rent when the funds dry up.
3. Cash Flow
The life blood of any new business is the constant trickle of money coming into the business in the early days to keep yourself, the entrepreneur alive and fed. Don't underestimate the necessity of keeping money flowing, even regular but small amounts. Friends and family are great sources of quick, regular purchases and they are more likely to choose your small business over a larger one because of the emotional investment in you.
Related: 7 Lessons For The New Entrepreneur To Take Into 2019
1. Inflated Expectations
Please don't be fooled by the outright enthusiasm that your family and friends have for your new product or service as the general sentiment carried by those that have no idea who you are. You will be sorely disappointed when you find out that all that hype was based on a personal connection and investment in you, the entrepreneur.
When people outside of your personal network see the value at the price you're charging, you are then quite literally, on the money. Until then, keep your expectations in check.
2. False Feedback Loop
I think like most of us who could just not bare the deflated façade creep across a friend's face if you gave them cold, hard feedback that the homemade mix of spices they have randomly thrown together and called 'Chai Tea' is not a tasty as she thinks it is. And thus, we buy a jar and stick it in the back of the pantry hoping it gets forgotten.
This type of feedback loop, whilst protects the relationship, does not protect the young business person from the harsh reality that their product is just not that good. You may be concerned about how a friend will take the news and the impact it will have going forward, a customer will not be that forgiving. The false feedback loop sets an entrepreneur up to fall even farther when the real feedback starts coming in.
3. Market Exhaustion
If the only customers you actually have are those purchasing based on their investment with you this market will quickly become exhausted. If you have not devised a strategy to tell others outside of your network about your business, you will not be developing a continuous stream of new customers through a customer journey.
Related: How Taking Risks – And Failing – Can Lead To Business Success
In marketing, it is almost never that people buy on the first encounter with a business. There needs to be a 'dating' like process where customers get to know, like, trust and try before they make a purchase. If you have ignored growing these segments of your marketing and sales, you will eventually exhaust those in your network and be left with limited cash flow and little market awareness.
What then is the answer to this conundrum? By all means take the confidence boosters from those closest to you that will keep you afloat in the early stages of growth, but keep your expectations measured and seek out the harsh criticism from strangers to refine your offering so as to have real value at a palatable price point.
We teach the kids at Futureproof to find people to buy your service or product that are easy to get to without spending time or money but we don't specify who they are rather to find the low hanging fruit in order to start but spend time marketing to a larger audience at the same time. Don't ignore the first stages of engagement, just because they don't result in immediate purchases.
Sales Strategy & Management
The 7 Rules Of Pitching
If you want to build an investable business and land funding, you need to understand the landscape. Vusi Thembekwayo unpacks how smart businesses attract investors.
Vital Stats
- Player: Vusi Thembekwayo
- Company: My Growth Fund
- Visit: mygrowthfund.co.za
In 2014, Zithande Mbala pitched his business idea, a smart toilet paper lubricating device, to the Dragons on SABC's Dragon's Den. It was a bizarre pitch, not least of all when Zithande valued the business to be worth northwards of $100 million in a few months' time. He was offering a 10% stake in the company for an investment of R1 million.
The Dragons did not respond to Zithande's pitch well. It made for entertaining television, but no one thought they were watching a great investment walk out the door when the Dragons collectively said, 'I'm out'.
And then in 2018, one of those Dragons, Vusi Thembekwayo, saw a smart toilet paper lubricating device at OR Tambo International Airport. He gave Zithande a call, only to discover that the business was off the ground — and had some large contracts to boot.
"How did we miss it? All of us are entrepreneurs and we completely missed it," says Vusi. "I've rewatched that clip a hundred times, trying to figure out why we all thought it was a terrible idea with no hope of making it in the real world."
There are lessons to be learnt in Zithande's pitch for both funders and entrepreneurs looking for funding. "We pre-judged him, which we shouldn't have done. He had an accent that he said came from spending time in New York, but we knew he hadn't. It's a strong lesson for us not to pre-judge, but it's also a lesson for entrepreneurs. We all put on personas — we wear suits to meetings when we wear jeans at the office — it's a part of doing business, but you need to be careful not to come across as inauthentic. If you're trying to be something that you're not for a funder, it might backfire.
Rather be who you are and have confidence in yourself. Authentic, transparent entrepreneurs will be respected, even if you're coming from a completely different space or background to the investors you're approaching."
The next lesson speaks to the nature of both entrepreneurship and finding funding: Always persevere. "If you believe it, do it," says Vusi. "It's a cliché, but clichés exist because they're true. Don't listen to negativity, don't stop, and don't in the moment let the bumps in the road shape your reality.
"There will always be hiccups. We make mistakes. We get rejected. If you let these derail you, you'll never succeed. Most companies don't get funding the first time round. Most entrepreneurs don't succeed with their first ventures. You need to learn to push on, no matter what life throws at you."
But perseverance is just a starting point. If you want to build an investable business and land funding, you need to understand the landscape. These are Vusi's seven lessons in attracting a funder's attention.
Related: Pitching in the Dragons' Den
1. Put each 'no' to good use
According to Vusi, it's almost immediately apparent whether entrepreneurs have pitched their business to investors before, and it works in their favour.
"They answer the questions we're thinking in their presentations, before we need to ask them," he says. "No meeting with a funder is a waste. You can either let the rejections wear you down, or you can learn something and perfect your deck."
2. Record all meetings
"No funder will say anything in a meeting that you can't hear, so ask if you can record the meeting," advises Vusi. "When you play back the recording, you're now a third-party listening in. You can hear yourself — wow, why did I stutter there? Why do I sound so nervous? Why didn't I say this… There is so much you can learn and improve on just by re-living a meeting."
In addition, when you're recording a meeting, you don't need to take a lot of notes and you can be completely present in the discussion.
3. Use the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint
A few years ago, Guy Kawasaki evangelised the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. In a nutshell, a pitch should have ten slides, last no more than 20 minutes and contain no font smaller than 30 points.
"We've seen this combined with design thinking, and it makes for a compelling pitch," says Vusi. "When I first saw it, it seemed so basic and even obvious, and yet so few entrepreneurs use this format. If you do though, you steer away from an executive summary and SWOT analysis and instead focus on the problem, how you're solving it and where the commercial opportunity lies.
"What is the problem you're solving? It's such a basic question to ask, and yet so few businesses start there when they're pitching. Instead, there's a tendency towards, 'This is me and my team, and our amazing clients, and the 15 000 products we offer… and the person you're pitching to is thinking, 'hold on, what's the problem? Help me understand the problem. Because if I get the problem, you have my interest."
4. The goal of the first meeting is to secure a second meeting
You need to grab an investor's attention in the first meeting to secure a second meeting, and the way to achieve that is by piquing their interest with a problem that you can profitably solve. "I've learnt that a pitch has to grab me within the first seven minutes, or my attention starts moving to my emails, to-do list or other urgent matters," admits Vusi.
"I'm present at the beginning of the meeting — that's where you need to unpack the really important stuff. The rest can follow later. If you grab an investor's attention, you will get the opportunity to discuss your team, products and clients. All of those things are important. But you don't want them upfront, and then by the time you're reaching the most crucial part of your presentation you've already lost everyone's interest."
As an entrepreneur, Vusi learnt this lesson the hard way. "We went on fundraising rounds ourselves, and I realised that I had eight slides of fluff upfront, because there were so many things I felt I just 'had' to let them know. The reality is that I needed to present our hook — follow-on questions and meetings will cover everything you need to unpack. But if you don't have that hook, you'll never reach that point."
Related: Pitching To Lenders – How To Get It Right, First Time
5. Practice, practice, practice
"Iteration is important. Deliver your pitch as many times as possible. Practice on business associates, friends, family — anyone who will listen. But make sure some of them are strangers, or at least people who will give you the unvarnished truth. You don't want to feel good and get a pat on your shoulder — you want to perfect your pitch.
"Ideally, what you need is someone who will ask questions from an outsider's perspective. See what they latch onto, or what they don't understand. How long does it take to explain what you do, or the problem you're solving? We all make assumptions and we all understand our businesses and industries, but don't assume the person you're speaking to has the same perspective or knowledge."
6. Don't treat every potential investor as the same
There are a number of key things to understand about the funding landscape. First, venture capital and private equity firms raise money from partners. They have shareholders that they are answerable to, and to whom they need to show returns. They need to grow the capital they invest. Therefore, if there isn't a growth opportunity, there isn't an investment opportunity.
"You need to show how the investment will help you grow the business," says Vusi. "This is a key element — if I put in x, I will be able to get y out. Yes, there's a risk that it won't work, but you need to have a growth story; you need to be able to demonstrate how you plan to get there."
In addition, each fund has a mandate. Approaching an FMCG and Agri investment fund for a tech venture is pointless. Similarly, approaching an eco-fund with a plastic bottled-water concept will not work. Understand the fund, the individual investors and how your business suits their mandate.
6. Know your numbers
If you're a subject matter expert and not a finance person, speak to someone who is. "Tap into your network and find someone in that space. They will understand the money and ask you the questions that relate to that part of the pitch and business. This will give you an idea of what investors will ask so that you can come prepared to answer their questions. Too many entrepreneurs walk into an investment meeting and don't have all the numbers they need at their fingertips. This is a red flag for investors — how will you grow their investment and your business if you don't have a handle on the numbers?"
Pitch to a taxi driver
This is a simple lesson that Vusi himself figured out while taking a ride in a taxi. "We were waiting for passengers and started chatting, first about how the local music industry is changing and then moving on to my business," says Vusi.
"It was an incredible experience. Here was the stranger, asking me questions about my business that I knew the answers to, but had never considered including in my pitch.
"Taxi drivers have a short attention span because of what they do. They also run high-volume, low-margin businesses and work under immense pressure. They understand exactly how to think about their businesses in terms of how much return their vehicles are giving them. Think about it. A taxi driver will charge a passenger R2,50 for a ride, but owes R250 000 on his taxi, so he understands all about capital returns and depreciation cycles. He's an excellent resource — and he's free. You need to get to the point and see if your pitch makes sense."
The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint
Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint is made up of ten slides.
- Title: Provide company name, your name and title, address, email and cell number
- Problem/Opportunity: Describe the pain that you're alleviating or the pleasure you're providing
- Value Proposition: Explain the value of the pain you alleviate or pleasure you provide
- Underlying Magic: Describe the technology, secret sauce or magic behind your product. The less text and the more diagrams, schematics and flowcharts the better. If you have a prototype or demo, now is the time to transition to it. If a picture is worth 1 000 words, a prototype is worth 10 000 slides.
- Business Model: Explain who has your money temporarily in their pocket and how you're going to get it into yours.
- Go-to-Market Plan: Explain how you are going to reach your customer without breaking the bank.
- Competitive Analysis: Provide a complete view of the competitive landscape. Too much is better than too little.
- Management Team: Describe the key players of your management team, board of directors and board of advisors, as well as your major investors. It's okay if you have a less than perfect team. If your team was perfect, you wouldn't need to be pitching.
- Financial Projections and Key Metrics: Provide a three-year forecast containing not only rands but also key metrics, such as number of customers and conversion rates. Do a bottom-up forecast, not top-down.
- Current Status, Accomplishments to Date, Timeline and Use of Funds: Explain the current status of your product, what the near future looks like and how you'll use the money you're trying to raise.
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text:
Kalends; August 1
Things are bad now? Trust me: They will be worse.
On the faithful day the arch was finished,
I was asked to speak the rite, make the wish
Of happy hope, but when I read the verse
For Vestus Spes the ambitious transverse
Arch collapsed on Priestess Hope: She was squished
Flat. Well, then my verse of hope was stale fish
And I was blamed for squashing Hope, accursed
By day's end. I was battered to confess,
And confessed, as who would not. My fault. Oops.
The hopeless part? Itching while restrained. Nope,
Couldn't scratch and still cannot in this blessed
Wall of Spes' squeezed in Santa Nicola
Where I am stuck, a spackled scagliola.
An ancient stranger handed me the leaves
And turned away and slipped into the mist.
On the leaves in slanted Latin were twisted
Letters resisting when I tried to read
Them. I persisted and I could believe
That low whispers rose from the wrinkled list
Of prophesies. "Shush!" I said. It insisted,
Whispering nonsense. I was not deceived,
This was the real thing and it was trouble.
Damned stranger, she didn't want them either.
Wrinkled old Sibyl, floating on the ether;
Ouu, "I want to die. I want to die." double
Tongued witch. Now I am stuck with this old rot when
I thought the cursed things were burned by Christians.
The Pope in Rome can draft a prayer;
John Russell Pope can draw a dome;
The poet Pope can pen a pun;
I hope to style a smart affair
With Liza of the flaming hair.
That girl whose quick ideas run
Quite naked through a hippodrome
Engraved in pictures fine and rare.
O, I have seen her skipping through
Egyptian temples—clever minx,
I've seen her smile back at the sphinx
And wink. Ah…the sphinx winked, too.
Who wouldn't craft a cunning ayre
To win the girl of flaming hair?
Ides; August 13
Old jackal, he will talk with anyone,
As can be seen in his statue.
You'll see, he will talk with you.
But beware, he's a trickster, full of fun
And always changing. The God of seasons,
Growing gardens, cherries too.
You know Pomona? No? Who
Was she? Just a bud that he forced up. Dun
Got her unawares. She was a pretty
Thing, ripe and luscious, sweet rose
Lipped, like you dear. He knows…
I shouldn't tell. I should tell? You will see
That worn old stone blossom with a kiss. Yes,
The God's garden grows on a kiss. Like this.
I Nones—IV Ides, April 4-10
Your Great Mom pebble head's
A cheap Greek trick:
Slick politics;
Nasty, slutty maenads;
Phrygian knuckleheads;
Limp dick eunuch,
Ball-less prick
I dare ya, go ahead,
Beg for another obal,
See what ya get.
State funds? Yet,
Girly, ya got no balls.
Go home, Galli. Foreign
Radical, unRoman.


text:
Red coming here had more meaning than just less travel for me. She was going to meet my daughter Kirsten as well. This was, of course, very important.
After Red left, I asked Kirsten's opinion and she said, "She's just wonderful." This morning, Kirsten was talking about how pretty and funny Red is. I have to say the day went very well and Kirsten is correct. Red is wonderful, pretty and funny. I have been wanting to share more of our time together with my readers so you can see more of this as well, but it is not that easy.
Since I include lots of pictures of the activities I write about (which she has become a part of) and hate to leave my readers without details, I convinced Red to allow some of the pictures I have of us together to be used. So as not to betray her confidence, I will still not give away her name and gave her final say on what pictures could be used. So, my readers will finally get to see what she looks like starting with this post.
Yesterday morning, we intended to head south to Giant City for some rappelling on a 140 foot rock bluff. However, right before leaving we had to change our plans. My brother Kyle, who had all the equipment, couldn't make it. We (Red, myself, my daughter and her friend Charles) decided to go to the area anyway.
|Giant City Water Tower
|She is right behind the guy with the glasses. Isn't she beautiful?
|Red tripped right before the snap.
After leaving Giant City, we sought out a Root Beer Saloon and enjoyed root beer floats in the small town of Alto Pass. We then made our way to a natural bridge that I had heard about. After a long winding drive down a terrible gravel road we finally arrived. A short hike through the woods and there it was.
|Between the bright background and her light colored shirt,
I think the picture is a little overexposed.
|I know it's blurry. I wasn't ready.
|Red using the curb for a pillow.
We were happy it was a nice night, because it took Adam a considerable amount of time to get to us. When we called him, he had just ordered a meal at Chili's, so he could not leave until it arrived and he had eaten it. Forty-five minutes later, when he had gotten on the road, he was upset that he hadn't been able to enjoy a dessert.
Having never been to Elkville before, he was following the GPS on his smartphone which led him through a small town that happened to be having a carnival. Still depressed over missing his dessert, he stopped and scoured the event for a food cart. After buying a funnel cake with extra powdered sugar, he got back on the road with a smile on his face.
Since he drives a pickup, Kirsten and Charles had to ride in the back and we arrived home four hours after the initial breakdown. Add to this the fact that Red still had a 3 1/2 hour drive to get back home and she had a very long night.
Despite the unanticipated turmoil, we had a wonderful day. Adam was wonderful for coming to rescue us. Red is still coming back next week. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery. We ate at a great Thai place and we ran into this guy in Carbondale.
|He was out killing zombies.
Don't ask. We didn't.


text:
The World's Strongest Librarian
A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of FamilyeBook - 2013
From the critics
Community Activity
CommentAdd a Comment
This is a wonderfully honest memoir. Moving, funny, and inspirational! It is unusually well-written, and serves as a reminder that there is more to fitness than attainment of a desired physique.
The World's Strongest Librarian is an interesting and well-rounded memoir, with aspects that may appeal to a variety of readers, whether you are looking to read about a fellow book lover, or to understand Mormonism or Tourette Syndrome better. Hanagarne tackles all these subjects with humour and self-deprecation.
Full review: https://shayshortt.com/2017/01/19/the-worlds-strongest-librarian/
Humorous, poignant memoir of a man who was bullied as a kid for his size and clumsiness, to say nothing of the fact that he was a Mormon. In high school his clumsiness and tics were diagnosed as Tourette's syndrome, but he was given no way of dealing with it. This stretched his faith to the breaking point, which he tried to hide from his pious mother. He went on his Mission, but it made him physically ill, and he was sent home. This failure lost him his girl. Somehow, libraries became his refuge, and a career as a librarian gave him hope. So did a loving Mormon wife who accepted his wavering faith, and a son who gave him something to live for. Weight lifting, and an autistic weight lifter teaches him how to breathe through his worst tics. He's able to avoid self-pity, and comes to understanding and self acceptance.
This is one of my (new) favorite books of all time. I have loved the library since I was a kid and this book celebrates libraries. Also an endearing story of Josh's life with Tourette's.
I related to Josh in so many ways, I started to think the book was written just for me. Very uplifting story.
Hanagarne can write, especially movingly about being a librarian & about his disability. But a whole section about his struggles when he's stuck could have been cut shorter. His taste in reading--Stephen King, Vonnegut--is typically male. The weightlifting parts just flew over my head.
Josh Hanagarne is a librarian and a lapsed Mormon, which made me feel like we were destined to be spirit-animals right off the bat. But the similarities dwindle from there. Josh suffers from Tourette Syndrome so severe that, in its darkest moments, has caused him to punch himself repeatedly in his own face. In The World's Strongest Librarian, Josh writes about turning to books and strength training to cope with his crushing challenges. This is a moving and enjoyable read, and Hanagarne is a totally lovable bookworm — consider: his adorable childhood crush on Fern from Charlotte's Web, his adolescent binge reading sessions of Sweet Valley High, and his enduring obsession with the non-Mormon-approved Stephen King. Books were Josh's friends when friends were tough to come by, and that love shines through in a bubbly and heartfelt way throughout all his struggles and soul-searching. The World's Strongest Librarian is also a fascinating read about faith — what it means to have it, question it, lose it, reclaim it, and ultimately make peace with it.
SummaryAdd a Summary
Librarians come in many stripes, and a 6'7" weight lifter with Tourette Syndrome is just one of them. Raised Mormon in Utah, Josh Hanagarne was a bookish kid who developed uncontrollable tics when he was in elementary school, though it would take him many years to get a proper diagnosis. The World's Strongest Librarian chronicles the many ways that Tourette Syndrome interrupted his life. It cut short the mission he was expected to serve for his church, dragged out his university career so that it took him ten years to graduate, and kept him from holding down a job for very long. But the book is also a paean to libraries, and an examination of family and faith, as Hanagarne finds his calling, gets married, and comes to question the church in which he was raised.
This non-fiction book is amazing! Hanagame explains what it is like to have Tourette's, and describes his journey of learning to live and control it, while exploring his faith, as well as his place in this world. I learned so much! His humor, and how he uses it to describe painful experiences, is inspiring
QuotesAdd a Quote
I finally had verification of something I had long suspected—there was a daily intensity quota that had to be met. I had to expend a certain amount of energy on tics each day. It could be meted out over many small tics, or a few dozen huge ones.
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