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Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Hit the Ground Running
New Years Eve party I felt like doing some sewing.
But something straight forward. Mummy was a wee bit bushed!
The overlocker is threaded dark so a black hanky linen SBCC blouse fit the bill.
And I finally got to use my flash black interfacing.
Elsa dislikes the way the facing can poke out.
MC's advice and bind the arm hole.
I found a scrap on satin binding and was very confident it would work.
Ugly ugly bunching and tucking.
My 'easy' project was derailing fast.
I ran a simple running stitch through the problem area (about an inch either side of the side seam).
Its not visible on this one.
There you go, my first project for 2014.
Elsa loves it and I know she will wear it a lot.
But that sleeve finish, grrrrrr
xx N
16 comments:
Well It looks very lovely Nicole! I had the same problem on Sarah's Princess fairy tale dress. http://sweetpeaandpumkins.blogspot.com/2013_07_01_archive.html I wound up taking the bias off recutting and sewing it all back over again. I was too using satin bias on hers. Very frustrating!!ReplyDelete
Oh I feel for you cause I just know that your garments would normally be perfectly finished! That must feel like an open wound.ReplyDelete
However it IS a gorgeous blouse and I'd wear it a lot too!Replies
Aww thank you Shelley. I would normally not get so stroppy but I had just made a deal with my self to take extra time to get a perfect finish.Delete
Elsa, on the other hand could not give a flip!
Its a great pattern, once I work the sleeve band out I will make on for me (The XXL-snigger)
xx N
What?? I just woke up to 2014 and you already have a sewing project done!?! This top is awesome.ReplyDelete
Over here on the other side of the date line, 2014 just began and I'm having my morning coffee!! I love this blouse, very pretty. You might have better luck with self bias, which would give a little more and stretch a little more ... ? That's how I bound my Bess top sleeves which are similar, and it worked well.ReplyDeleteReplies
Good idea Inder, it was a pretty rigid bias. I will definitely try that as the pattern is a favourite and a pretty quick sew (except for unpicking the sleeve hems 1/2 dozen times).Delete
I was being lazy as the ramie bias frays like the billy-o.
Thank you.
xx N
- AnonymousJanuary 1, 2014 at 11:01 AM
Boo! It looks great, but I oh-so-know that feeling! Sorry it didn't work out for you!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJanuary 1, 2014 at 12:51 PM
Next up, one exactly the same for Peta....ReplyDelete
I love this!
Happy New Year to all of you xx
It's a great basic top that I'm sure will get a lot of wear!ReplyDelete
It is Cindy, if i can get the sleeve hem sorted I will be very happy!.ReplyDelete
xx N
Goegeous top - such a perfect teen pattern.ReplyDelete
The sleeves of the Amelia dress (Green Bee) are similar - next time I make it, I am intending to bind them - but will do it before sewing the side seams
Justine, THAT is another good idea!ReplyDelete
You girls are awesome!


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Looking to become more productive and efficient in the workplace? If so, you've got to start your day on the right foot! Today on the OfficeAnything.com blog, we'll teach you how to do just that. From getting a good nights rest to organizing your workspace before leaving for the day, the difference is in the details! The tips and tricks here will have you up and running at top speed in no time.
It all starts with a good nights rest! If you stay up all night in your recliner watching old movies and eating snacks, your work day will suffer. Save those habits for the weekend. On work nights, treat yourself to a full 8 hours or quality rest. A regular sleep schedule will help you create the structure needed to start your days effectively. Most importantly, get up early enough to avoid rushing through your morning. This all too common practice causes stress that will imprint itself on your work.
Don't forget to eat breakfast. To help you remember, plan it out the night before. The less decisions you have to make in the morning the better. You'll no doubt want to indulge in fatty fast food breakfast treats, but do your best to avoid the temptation. Pack a piece of fruit, yogurt, and some granola to enjoy at your desk each morning. While it's not the most exciting breakfast, it won't leave you feeling overly groggy and in need of a nap the minute you get to work. A healthy and well rounded breakfast will provide you with the energy needed to make it through to your lunch break.
While eating your breakfast, try your hand at multi tasking by creating a plan for your day. It's best to stay busy and avoid extensive down time. When your bored at work, fatigue begins to set in. When fatigue sets it, productivity drops! A detailed daily plan will help you stay on track. Make a list of daily goals for your days. Assign each goal an estimated time of completion. As your morning gets underway, check off each task one by one for a little boost of motivation!
Ever heard of deskercise? It's a real thing! As sitting in your office chair for extended periods of time can actually shorten your lifespan, it's incredibly important to take short breaks every hour. While you might not be able to take a walk outside each time you need a break, you can definitely find the time to stretch at your desk! Simple deskercises involving your chair and office surroundings promote improved health, constant movement, and good blood flow that will help your day run smoothly.
Before you leave the office each day, you'll want to properly organize your space to ensure its ready to roll the next morning. Take the time to organize your file cabinet drawers and put away all the stationary that's currently taking up desk-top real estate. Water your office plants, take out the trash, clean glass surfaces, and vacuum. Cleaning at the end of the day is simple, but it yields big time results. When you return to a well organized space the following morning, you'll be more at ease and ready to tackle the demands of your rigorous work day.

subset: commoncrawl


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Earlier this month, we hosted a group of students from Messmer High School's Pre-Engineering/Skilled Trades courses for a tour of our Mayville facility. As a part of Project Lead The Way's engineering curriculum, these students are empowered to step into the role of an engineer, adopt a probelm-solving mindset, and make the leap from dreamers to doers.
We may have found some future Metalcraft of Mayville employees!


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TV Time-Out #8
SuperBowl 41 is now history, and the dreaded Colts are the champions. For those folks that watched, and there were plenty of us, it was a pretty good game. The Colts are an amazing team, well-coached with tremendous skill. Manning irritates me due simply to his endless product endorsements. What won't he sell? The Bears were the underdogs. But the real bummer was Grossman, a talented, but grossly undisciplined quarterback. He's gonna throw the ball when he wants to throw the ball, even if it is to a Colts player. Oh well. Tom Brady he ain't.
Other highlights include Adam V's missed field goal. While he still gets to walk away with his fourth SuperBowl ring, we don't have to hear how he has never missed a Championship kick again. Let him have the fourth ring. If it means he loses that stat, it's a fair trade.
And what about that Prince dude. Never really understood his attraction as a young punkster, but his halftime show was kick-ass!! These things have a tendency to really suck. But this was like a freakin' light show, with nice sound, great music and real precipitation during Purple Rain. (And he did a Foo Fighters cover!!)
Well done, dude previously know as a symbol.
10 comments:
- Terrible lie said...
Yes I watched the Superbowl.. And I have to say that I was disapointed.. Why couldn't Grossman go out the and surprise the shit out of me? Althought the first few minutes of the game looked promising hahahaha
As for Prince..hahaha I loved that man when I was a kid.. I had his movie and I had to his cassette tape in which I listened to Purple Rain as often as possible
- February 06, 2007 9:12 AM
- Diane said...
flix - totally agree . . . poor Rex embarassed himself I'm afraid with the fumbled snaps and INTs. And performing at half time is a pretty thankless job, even worse in the rain, and Prince did a great job I thought!
- February 06, 2007 6:33 PM
- M-M-M-Mishy said...
I watched the halftime show only. The Foo Fighters do a cover of Darling Nikki, so it was very cool to hear his version of their Best Of You.
So, who won? Just kidding, just kidding. It was the blue team, right?
- February 06, 2007 8:21 PM
- Ryan said...
I never got the whole Prince thing.
I had a migraine on Sunday, so I basically slept the whole day trying to easy my pain. Needless to say i was unable to watch the Super Bowl.
- February 06, 2007 11:29 PM
- GetFlix said...
Amber, growing-up all the chicks were into Prince. I am not a fan, but he is quite the musician!
Diane, do you think Rex even knew he was at the SuperBowl? He looked so high school.
Mish, you saw the best part!!
Ryan, sorry to hear that. It was entertaining, but you didn't miss much.
- February 06, 2007 11:57 PM
- Not-So-Naughty Voyeur said...
Prince was amazing. But, I love him.. so he could have just stood there and I would have cheered :) Because I would have been certain he was thinking something super way groovy cool :)
As for the football... meh. I am a Chiefs fan, and they suck.. so I obviously have no skill at picking a team :)
- February 07, 2007 1:09 AM
- prunella jones said...
I didn't watch. I will try to find the Prince performance on youtube tho. I loved him quite a bit back in the Purple Rain days.
- February 07, 2007 6:05 PM
- LA said...
I was about 22 when a musician friend sat me down and told me the facts of life: Prince is a supreme and innovator, the rest of us are mere mortals.
- February 08, 2007 7:57 PM
- Terrible lie said...
Hahahah When Prince was cool I was 5 hahahaha but I still loved him...
- February 09, 2007 12:42 AM
- v said...
This is basically a re-comment from LA's blog:
I'm no big Prince fan because I'm not a woman nor gay (seriously Ryan, you must not have gotten the memo - I kid, I kid). But I gotta admit the halftime show was pretty solid. And what a great cover.
- February 10, 2007 10:58 PM


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I'm up every morning at 4:30am reading online and learning new things. Whether it be on my iPhone, my trusty iPad mini or desktop, reading professional articles provides me with more knowledge, direction during confusing times and inspiration to strive for better for my students.
Often times, something that is written by another person will grab my interest touch my heart or add fuel to it internal burning fire of an issue that I'm dealing with. I normally don't #Repost other blogs on my blog but in this case, I just couldn't resist.
#Repost - Diane Ravitch recently posted a speech given by Principal Frank Sutliff. Sutliff is also the President of SAANYS (School Administrators Association of New York State) and a former librarian. This speech was delivered to a crowd of concerned citizens and educators at the Oneonta (New York) Forum on January 18m 2014.
My favorite quote of the article was of course librarian centered:
"I know that I loved reading due to the worlds that it opened; I also know that our so called close readings of prescribed documents and passages will not open up that same love of literature in today's students."
Man did he ever hit that one out of the park! Just read the ENTIRE speech, you will not be disappointed. Remember, feel free to #Repost.
Diane Ravitch Blog
"A Principal Eloquently Denounces Common Core and Race to the Top"


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Pretty small lineup.
End of January on Lake Superior. What would you expect.
Winston going left on his McCoy Nugget. If you took the right, you were committed to dodging a few bowling ball size chucks of ice. Better to go left and ride through the rip of Skiddle size ice pellets.
Win grabs a glassy one, as the swell starts to die off.
John with some walrus sized icicles.
All an all a pretty sweet day for the end of january.
be well
photo's by eric berglund


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At Officiant NYC, we were privileged to be selected to perform a surprise wedding ceremony between an Air Force Captain and his astonished fiancé in honor of Veterans Day!
Kendall and Jack's surreal wedding at The Foundry
A naturally beautiful wedding that embodies their real love.Read More
Brooklyn Bridge Park Weddings.....More binding?
The Manhattan skyline painted in the backdrop as you wed is not the only perk of getting married in Brooklyn Bridge Park. According to the Celtic oath, Vows exchanged near water and over a stone are more binding, like turning mere words into Rock! What's better? You can find a stone from Pebble Beach and Voila' an unbreakable promise to love each other forever
Rainy day Spring Saturdays call for intimate elopements in Central Park.
Another awesome Australian couple, hailing from Sydney, tied the knot today beneath the pale blue trellises of the Ladies' Pavilion. The park was mostly empty, aside from a few runners and cyclists, and the overcast skies made the lush greenery pop.
The bride wore a beautiful knitted cream dress and carried peach-colored French tulips. The groom wore a peach tie to match and a navy suit hand-picked by the bride, complete with shiny black, geometric cufflinks.
During the ceremony, the groom recited the Robert Burn's poem Red, Red Rose to his bride. They had four of their closest friends as their guests.
It was a romantic and rainy affair! Let's hope they get to enjoy some beautiful NYC spring weather before they head back home across the globe, to Sydney.
Relax, Nothing is under control
Just Relax...,.
Question of the moment: why are Australians so cool?!
This couple flew, with their closest family and friends, from the land down under, all the way across the world, to tie the knot in Central Park. Those are their adorable sons in the background, pointing out all the "snapping turtles" in the pond.
But before any of the nuptials began, the bride and groom had to MacGyver their way through some good old-fashioned New York City traffic. We heard the bwap-bwap-bwap of sirens through Central Park, and up rolls the groom and his two sons in a cop car (!!!). You can bet those two boys will always remember their parents' wedding. What an entrance!
Despite her oldest sons' request that the bride wear a sparkly blue, sequined gown to her wedding (that he adamantly insisted she try on when he spotted it through the window of a downtown NYC clothing shop, and then promptly bawled when she didn't purchase it), the bride wore a beautiful beaded cream dress and lilies in her hair. She looked absolutely stunning. The gold that the couples' rings were composed of was mined from the earth by the groom's father and saved for this special occasion. Talk about sentimental value!
Here's the whole crew, babies and all, before popping champagne to celebrate the newlyweds! It's like "icing on the cake" the groom said, of sealing the deal on their marriage.
Maybe we just need more Australians around to make America cool again! Joking...or am I?!
Eloped NYC
We are a New York City based wedding officiant group who marries as many locals as we do foreigners. Couples come from all over the world and from all different states in America to get married here.
NYC is the second most popular place to elope in the the United States. Vegas being the first, naturally. So it's no wonder that we fell in love with Eloped NYC
The reasons we love them:
- They know the coolest spots in NYC and will guide you as a local to hidden locations unbeknownst to tourists
- They organize EVERYTHING for you!
- When I've worked with them, it has been effortless chic. For me and most importantly, for the couple
Eloped NYC is a family of New York City photographers that care about your unique story and how you want it told. They come with a fresh approach to capturing any occasion, and pride themselves on providing incredible imagery that will last a life-time. They work in a relaxed and natural way, no stress or uncomfortable posing, to capture your day!
Modern Fete wedding Modern Fete is a curated group of NYC wedding artists all in one place on the night of April 2nd.
I know this post is a bit delayed, but it's wedding season so better late than never! Last month, we were lucky enough to be chosen to participate in Modern Fete NYC: a curated group of NYC wedding artists all in one place on the night of April 2nd 2017. We had a blast! We met so many engaged cute couples looking for fresh fashionable ideas to enhance their weddings. There were so many state of the art vendors in one place, our heads were spinning. From giant balloons with trailing vines to a hair stylist that could braid hair so creatively that I wanted to kidnap her and keep her in my vanity closet:) The catering samples were palette orgasms. We truly felt honored to be a part of it.
Supreme Court Ruling Legalizing Gay Marriage Nationwide
We here at Officiant NYC are so happy and proud of our country's decision today on marriage equality! All of our families, friends, and children deserve to grow up and live in country that accepts us for who we are and whomever we choose to love.
People all over the world have been hashtagging #lovewins – and today it sure feels like it did.
Since same sex marriage was legalized in New York State since 2011, Officiant NYC has married hundreds of
glowing gay and lesbian couples and can't wait to see the country allow this pure affection of the heart to flourish even further. The Supreme Court has made a wonderful, just, and emotionally intelligent decision and the entirety of country should be celebrating pride this weekend.
We're rejoicing in this news and are so thrilled to do our part in spreading the love.
William Mason Photography
Please contact him for more information
Central Park Location - Strawberry Fields
Central Park Location - Cop Cot
In order to get married in Central Park you do not need a permit, unless you have over 20 people in your party. We do suggest getting a permit for Cop Cot even if you have less than 20 guests. The permit is $25. For more information on Central Park locations, ceremony information and our wedding officiant services please call us at 347-268-1331 or go to our website www.officiantnyc.com
Central Park Location - Bethesda Fountain
The centerpiece of Bethesda Terrace, Bethesda Fountain is one of the most recognized fountains in the world. The neoclassical sculpture, also known as The Angel of the Waters, was designed by Emma Stebbins in 1868 and dedicated in 1873, at which point Stebbins became the first woman to receive commission for a major work of art in the city of New York. Whether you choose to wed by the fountain itself or in the shelter of the lower passage with it magnificent tiled ceiling, this is one of Central Parks most loved wedding sites.


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MoNa, the newly named gallery space formerly known as Plaza Muse, is unveiling two new exhibits with a reception on March 30. The first, MoNa (a namesake to the gallery), is a group exhibit of artists' reinterpretations of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting. This includes works by Alexandra Loesser, Bethany Hadden, Christina Welsh, Dan Butner, Sharon Dowell, Henry Schreiber (see his cleverly titled painting, "Marmo Lisa") and others. The other exhibit, Untethered Land, features new photography by Kyle Worthy.
Free admission. March 30, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Exhibit continues through April 28. MoNa, 1200 Central Ave. 704-970-9676. www.monacharlotte.com.


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After a MIMlister asked about Karen Lodrig or Patrick Bain from Chateau Sonesta, Janet Ziegler, Director of Regional Sales, Sonesta Hotels, Resorts & Nile Cruises,
Mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Office, responded that " Both Karen and Patrick are safe. Karen is in GA with family. I'm not sure where Patrick is, but he has checked in with our corporate office, and he is safe."
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Oh, Barry -- this is just, plain and simply, bad.
Vision has emerged of former Aussie Rules bad boy Barry Hall lashing out in a QAFL grand final match in Queensland on Saturday, throwing back-to-back punches at two separate opposition players.
BARRY HALL LOSES IT with back-to-back swings in @AFLQ grand final. #9Newspic.twitter.com/6MEWBHQ7gH— Nine News Gold Coast (@9NewsGoldCoast) September 26, 2017
The 40-year-old former AFL star was playing for local Gold Coast team Labrador when he was dispossessed of a bouncing ball and first reacted violently to being held by a player from opponent team Palm Beach Currumbin. In one swift move, the AFL Hall of Famer is then seen swinging a punch at the player and hitting him in the face.
The former Saint, Swan and Bulldog was also then later seen angrily approaching another Palm Beach player later in the match, before grounding him with yet another punch.
And if you feel like you're experiencing some Barry Hall-related Déjà vu -- you're not wrong. The punch appeared very, very similar to Hall's famous 2008 clobbering of then West Coast Eagles player Brent Staker.
Now this is where things get a little awkward, because the punches come just three months after Hall publicly condemned that well-known hit on Staker during his Hall of Fame induction and offered the following advice for blokes who think toughness is expressed through fists:
"I do a lot of speaking stuff and guys like to be guys and say, 'Ah, that [Staker punch] was great'. It's just a load of crap, it wasn't great. I'm a father now and I don't want my boy seeing his dad do that.
That comment was seen as a turning point for the man formerly known as "Big Bad Barry", who had seemingly come to terms with what it means to be a real bloke, both for himself and his children.
So much for the "remorse" Barry Hall showed recently regarding the Staker hit. #Grubhttps://t.co/bGd4haaNCB— Matty Craze (@MattCraze) September 26, 2017
Barry hall has always been a good bloke so this is very surprising 🤦🏻♂#tool— Hayden Flint (@haydos_86) September 26, 2017
.@BarryhHall on July 29 interview w/ the Footy Show:— Ant Wingard (@AntWingard) September 26, 2017
"It has to stop. It bothers me that kids have to watch it." https://t.co/8xHCO2xROG
And whether his dual jabs over the weekend were just a brain-snap or not -- it seems now people have no idea what to think.


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Classic Entertainment & Sports starts off 2014 with an event at Twin River Casino this Friday night, which will feature a bantamweight fight between Andre Soukhamthath and undefeated Kin Moy. Soukhamthath recently became a full-time member of the Blackzillians and is looking for his eighth win in a row. The event is headlined by a middleweight fight between nine-fight CES veteran and Rhode Island fan-favorite Todd Chattelle and Shedrick Goodridge. Both fighters are looking to fight for the vacant CES middleweight title with a win. Although Goodridge sports a losing record overall (4-6), promoter Jimmy Burchfield says it is his style of fighting that keeps him around in CES.
"We know what he brings to the table and, believe me, if he didn't show up to fight and didn't give it 100 percent every single time, we wouldn't want him back and neither would Twin River or the fans. This is a big fight for Todd. He's been in the game a long time and he knows the clock is ticking. He's now been with us for basically half of his career. He's had his ups and downs, but this is a fresh start for him. Win or lose, we know he'll come to fight."
When asked about how he was able to put together the Moy/Soukhamthath fight, Burchfield credited both the fighters' eagerness to ascend to the top of the rankings and the work of his matchmaker Pat Sullivan.
"I give all the credit in the world to our matchmaker Patrick Sullivan. I've wanted to put this fight together for quite some time and he got it done. Pat has his finger on the pulse of MMA, not just in the northeast, but throughout the world. We've watched these two fighters grow through the years, some of it right before our very eyes at Twin River, and it's only fitting that two of the top bantamweights in the region face one another because the only way they're going to get to the top is to go through each other first."
CES featherweight champion Rob Font is also returning to the cage on Friday, less than two months after his last fight, which was a unanimous decision win over Matt DiMarcantonio at CES 20. He takes on CES and Bellator veteran Ahsan Abdullah in a non-title fight.
CES 22 Full Fight Card:
Todd Chattelle (12-9) vs. Shedrick Goodridge (4-6)
Rob Font (8-1) vs. Ahsan Abdulla (5-4)
Andre Soukhamthath (7-1) vs. Kin Moy (4-0)
John Johnston (7-1) vs. William Baptiste (3-0)
Shaun Marmas (5-5-1) vs Matt Doherty (2-0)
Dinis Paiva (3-5) vs. Franklin Isabel (4-6)
Willie Brown Jr. (2-0) vs. Kevin Haley (2-0)
Kyle Bochniak (0-0) vs. Anthony Loycano (1-3)
Adam Quitt (1-3) vs Silvester Murataj (0-2)


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We're pleased to announce that This Is Tmrw will be bringing Yassassin to the H&H on Sunday 8th October.
The band will be touring in support of their debut EP 'Vitamin Y', an annihilating re-work of controlled chaos, nostalgic new wave attitudes and genre fusing music. Check out the video for the live single 'Cherry Pie' below;
Advance £6 tickets are on sale now, you can get hold of yours by clicking here.


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Well Saturday was our quarterly all day team training event and we had to make the dreaded swaps !!! I am not used to having to produce so many cards at once so it is a challenge for me, and to add to this my upline Julie also asked us all to make our swaps on a male theme. I know this put a lot of people out of their comfort zone and i was convinced everyone would opt for clockwork, but not so. Anyway because i was also doing an inspiration station, I didn't quite finish my swaps, and just thought the ladies could add whatever they wanted to make the card suite an occasion, but I did put an upgraded version on my swap on the table I used for my inspiration station :) so here it is ....
Monday, 22 April 2013
Friday, 19 April 2013
Tea for Two ...
Happy to still be here having survived the crazy wind the other night! Robyn text me saying I think we might wake up in Oz, I think she was right but thankfully all was in tact round the house and garden, well the Arbour had blown over and the BBQ was well down the garden but all seems ok. I may have mentioned that I have been busy crafting in preparation for my Upline Julie's training day tomorrow, Lesley and I are doing a scrapbooking inspiration station, but we have thrown a couple of other things in for those who don't scrapbook. I know it's not until tomorrow, and following the event I will be able to post all the other projects I have made, but in the meantime, here is a birdhouse I have re-vamped in the gorgeous Stampin Up Tea for Two papers.
|Not sure about the large flower on the front, but i had made it at the weekend and it was lying on my desk so i thought, yeh go on !!!
Monday, 8 April 2013
Oz - Graphic 45
I have been on a scrapbooking frenzy lately, and have been doing a lot of Stampin Up scrapbooking in preparation for an inspiration station I am doing at my upline's all day training event in April. I don't want to post photo's until the day has passed but last week I had a lovely scrapping day with my friends Lesley and Kathy. Lesley and I had been planning to follow Charlie Jones Magic of Oz youtube demo for some time, and finally got around to it on Wednesday. Oz is one of my all time (old time) favourite movies, and I loved this album when I saw it. It was nice to take a break from what I had been doing and do something totally self indulgent and just for "ME". With the scraps of paper left over from the album I made this 12 x 12 layout .... not quite finished but almost there.
In Colours .... and updates
Well it seems we have been told about some of the colour changes for the forthcoming catalogue in June. I know it's a while away but a lot of people have been worrying about there favourite 2012-2013 in colours and the possibility that they may be going to loose gorgeous colours like Pool party and Wisteria Wonder, well the good news is they are going to be absorbed into the main colour families i.e. Subtles, Neutrals, Brights and Regals. Here's a little chart which shows the proposed changes .... Thanks Nicky Worrilow for posting this on FB......
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BlogPodium Ready (sorta)
I dusted off my cards from last year's bloggy adventure to put to use again. They're still good aside from the lack of an instagram url (funny, there is no way I'd skip that nowadays... how quickly technology changes).
I was inspired by (ok, totally copied) DIY queen Cassie and decided to fancy them up for 2013 with a gold leaf pen. Best invention ever, I love the shiny gold edges! They're all set to go in the awesome gift card holder I picked up from the dollar bin at Target. Score.
Also, did I mention I will be meeting Sarah Richardson??! Yes, pinch me. Along with some other lucky bloggers, I'll be touring her office, sipping tea and chatting all about her new show 'Real Potential' (it airs Sept 19 on HGTV Canada). If you're a fan, you know how crazy exciting this is. Yep, it is going to be a good week.
And what was I thinking planning a family photo session and a trip to BlogPodium all in the same week!?? Trust me when I say this is the tidied version of what my bedroom has looked like this last week (or two - sorry Mike!).
Who else is going to BlogPodium this weekend? And what are you wearing?? haha.
I'm super excited and super nervous, please come say hi if you're there too!
43 comments:
Looking forward on meeting you! The cards look amazing! ;)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks, Gaby! Looking forward to meeting you too!!Delete
I'll be there! I'll look for you and will say hi if I see you first - I'll be the short brunette... because I'm sure there is only one :). Have a safe trip!ReplyDeleteReplies
haha, short brunette, check! There's no way I'll miss ya ;) haha. Looking forward to meeting you Stephanie!Delete
YAY! Good luck tomorrow with the fam jam pics! And have an amazing time at Blogpodium and tea with Sarah Richardson!!! So excited for you!ReplyDelete
gah! I wish I was going! Next year, I promise to join you for one of them :)ReplyDelete
Have fun and soak up some of that 'blogging' inspiration for me too, will ya?
Also, I must hear about the Sarah Richardson meet up!!! So awesome!!
That'd be awesome if you could make it too, Erinn! And it sounds like you'll be heading to TO anyway, yay!!!Delete
Um, yeah. Your life sounds amazing. I need all the deets when you return. Maybe that long overdue coffee will finally happenReplyDeleteReplies
hahaha, well, it's not all roses and sunshine -but this Sarah Richardson thing is definitely pretty awesome ;) and YES I would love to fill you in over coffee!Delete
I'll be there christine and I hope I get to meet you! Look for the brown gal in yellow shoes. :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Yellow shoes! I like that, looking forward to meeting you too :)Delete
Those cards are gorgeous! I'm still putting the finishing touches on mine. Last-minute lady, I am ;) Can't wait to meet you!ReplyDeleteReplies
I'd totally be last minute too if I didn't already have these made a year ago, haha. Looking forward to meeting you too, Vanessa :)Delete
HOLY CRAP YOU'RE MEETING SARAH RICHARDSON!!!!!! I am deadly jealous. So awesome! Your cards are so cute and I love the gold edge. Have a great time.ReplyDeleteReplies
I know!!! I'm pumped :)Delete
Your cards look soo pretty! I wish you a great weekend :)ReplyDelete
I hope you have an amaaaaaazing time this weekend. So sad to have had to back out on Blog Podium...I was so looking forward to being your partner in crime.ReplyDelete
Wishing you lots of luck....you'll do great. Have fun at Sarah's office. That's sure to be legendary!Replies
Thank you, Amy, you will sooo be missed! I hope you have a great time at the Design Show this weekend :)Delete
So exciting about Sarah!! Have a great time, the last 2 Blog Podiums were amazing and this one seems set to top them all! The date is 5 days away from my due date so I didn't register....maybe I'll try to crash an after party :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Yay! So excited for you... I guess going into labour at blogpodium wouldn't be ideal ;)Delete
Your biz cards look AMAZING, gold leaf edges & all! So wish I could attend so I could meet you. When that moment finally happens, I think I'll implode ;-)ReplyDelete
I'm beyond excited to hear all about your family pics, Blogpodium, & all the crazy details in between! Have a blast!!Replies
Canada (and ME) so wants you to come visit us!!Delete
"Diagonal sleep in a king size bed" - hilarious! (And totally makes me re-think my decision not to stay in a hotel.) Can't wait to meet you Christine. Safe travels!ReplyDeleteReplies
Looking forward to meeting you as well, Heather :)Delete
LOVE the liberace cards!!! and I wish I could go to the conference! also, I need to know what ya'll are wearing for your family pics...we have ours in two weeks and I have zero ideas!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks for the "liberace" inspiration, lady! I'll email you some pics of our outfits (it was a doozy trying to decide, let me tell you).Delete
How EXCITING!! Have so mich fun, I am hoping to go next year! LOVE the gold touch to your cards and I think I may have to hit up TARGET and see if I can find a cute card holder.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks! And yes, you gotta love the dollar bin at Target!Delete
Ah you are going to have so much fun Christine! Wish I was going. Love your cards and the card holder so much!ReplyDelete
Oh so pretty - love the cards. Looking forward to meeting you in person Christine! :)ReplyDeleteReplies
looking forward to meeting you too, Lisa!Delete
This is beyond exciting meeting Sarah! We want to hear all the details. Your cards are so pretty!ReplyDeleteReplies
I know, right!!? I will be sure to fill you in when I get back :)Delete
Love your business cards! Gold makes everything better. :) See you at Blog Podium on Saturday!ReplyDelete
I just spray painted my cards on the side. They bled through. I am going with it and calling it art. Love yours!ReplyDelete
Haha! I can totally relate to that bedroom shot! I'll be there on Sat. I'll be sure to find you and say hi. #excitementReplyDelete
Oooh love that gold detailing! See you tomorrow!ReplyDelete
gemma - www.thesweetestdigs.com
beautiful cards!! so fancy!ReplyDelete
kunst schilderijen kopen
First off, I just happened onto your blog from Pinterest. Secondly, I've already bookmarked you! Third, these cards! They are what I've been searching the internet for! How do I find the maker of these lovely cards???ReplyDelete
I love the business cards and hope they were a big hit. But i have to say I'm a bit jealous that you meet Sarah Richardson and that the new show only aired on HGTV Canada. I remember watching her design show over and over and over again when I lived in Vancouver. Then we moved to California and I had to wait for her new show. I record all her episodes and yes, watch them over and over again. Hope both her office and her were super inspiring.ReplyDelete


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A Smoky "BLT" for Vegetarians: Is It Picnic Time Yet?
We absolutely love the smoky, tangy, crunchy flavors and textures of a good BLT. But this is obviously not a combo for vegetarians, so we were so happy to see this vegetarian "BLT" at Country Living, with smoky blue cheese, beefsteak tomatoes, and one other very special ingredient.
The other ingredient? Rosemary mayonnaise! That adds the final touch to a smoky, snappy sandwich that honestly doesn't need to be limited to a vegetarian crowd. We think this looks absolutely delicious. If you're curious about the smoked blue cheese it calls for, check out our Cheesemonger's post on the Rogue River Creamery, and also this discussion of smoked cheeses in general. We could see this made with a smoked goat cheese, too.
• Get the recipe: Smoky "BLT" at Country Living
(Images: Justin Bernhaut/Country Living; Southern Living)


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Successful marketing is more than reaching customers. It's reaching the right customers at the right time with the right message. Market Doctors has your prescription for direct marketing success, using proven solutions to achieve maximum R.O.I. You want quantifiable results, not just promises. We deliver every time.
Our direct marketing solutions help you reach new customers, expand your customer base, and keep past customers in the loop and coming back for more. Our direct marketing packages laser focus on your target audience, developing creative, attention-grabbing mailing pieces. Never leaving anything to chance, we use targeted customer information to understand your audience's pain points, goals, and mindset, ensuring that each communication not only speaks to your customer's needs but also inspires action. Our full-service direct marketing solutions produce more leads, increase conversions, and dramatically boost your bottom line.
Our marketing specialists will create a highly personalized, creative direct marketing campaign that works seamlessly with your overall marketing plan and produces measurable results.


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Southend Basildon and anyone in the area
Education Centre, Southend University Hospital, Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 0RY
Last Thursday of every month 6-8pm
Terry Catt
01268 754179
This support group welcomes family members. They have 30-40 regular attendees and speakers every month (not necessarily medical). It is an informal meeting with tea and coffee. Wives, partners and family are welcome.


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A Marketing - Sales -Business Lesson
The subject matter is a vertically optimized internet business, the marketing implications are valuable for any business.
It is worth the read not only for content - but for how that content was organized.
If you have your own business, or you are considering starting a business, there is a great deal to be learned by studying this short e-book.
The fellow that wrote this book took his target audience and the benefits of his product as an outline for the presentation.
The product is good - you will notice right off that I bought into it. Of interest here is that you can get a good marketing lesson by deconstructing the organization used to move you through David's presentation.
Your assignment is to take this e-book and decide how to use the well executed style in the most effective way to enhance your own business.
The test is to track your results.
Seven Super Strategies - by David MacGregor


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Hello all!
Time for a new challenge over at TOMIC.
This week we have an inspirational Easter photo and you must have an egg on your project. I've created a tag using Mini Tilda with eggs in her apron. I hope you like it.
Enjoy your day. I hope to see you join us at TOMIC this week!
Stamps - Mini Tilda with Eggs in her Apron
Paper - bazzill, Karen Francess tag
Ink - Memento and Copics
Wild Orchid Crafts - lace, 25mm mahogany rose, green lily, 15mm cream rose, 10mm taupe rose, twill, pearls
Accessories - SU eyelet, cheesecloth, Flowersoft


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Service : 3/5
Environment : 4/5
Portion/Size of Food : 2/5
Price : 2/5 (A little pricey)
The Entrance - Taking From The Table We Seated
Interior Design - Not Bad. A very soothing environment. Very Purple.. No wonder ... the name of the restaurant is Purple Lotus
Appetizer - I ordered the Roasted Duck With Salad. To be honest delicious!! I like the sauce. Taste like Peking Duck Sweet & Sour Sauce. It was a good opening dish
Appetizer -My friend ordered the Grilled Salmon With Salad. It was nice too. Manage to "curi" a bit and taste it.
Soup - Seafood Soup. Taste like mushroom soup for me. ok lo. Pass!
My friend main course - Seafood Platter (Prawn, Salmon and Squid -Sotong) Opps... half of the salmon have been eaten. Anyway, too little...seafood expensive qua
My Main course - 2 types of chicken - deep fried crispy and honey grilled chicken chop. The honey sauce very nice.Complimentary - Ice Lemon Tea. Main course come with red wine. Nice!
Overall, good. A little pricey. Not worth for money. Anyway, it's Christmas eve lo. Still acceptable


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The Fate of the Furious Review
Franchise domination is rampant in modern entertainment, and the current studio goals have consistently been to top every previous entry, with constant remakes, Marvel and DC, and Star Wars films all adopting an annual factory-style of filmmaking. One such film franchise has found recent global success and has managed to surprisingly stay relevant for 16 years, despite its lack of beloved source material or overblown superpowers. Through a consistency in entertaining absurdity, The Fast and the Furious franchise, dedicated to fast cars and familial bonds, has been able to compete in an impressive way since its 2001 conception. In 2015, following the death of Paul Walker, the franchise's star, Furious 7 captured audiences on a global scale, and the film was both a financial and critical success. With the bar set exceedingly high, The Fate of the Furious had fan expectations and the increasing set-piece irrationality to live up to. Utilizing a stellar cast and a building momentum, does The Fate of the Furious continue the franchise's entertaining success, or is it another forgettable entry from an unoriginal Hollywood?
The film follows Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), who is abruptly taken from his honeymoon in Cuba by Cipher (Charlize Theron) to begin stealing global super-weapons. During a confidential EMP heist orchestrated by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), Dom steals the EMP from his own team and leaves Hobbs behind in the wreckage of his car, shocked and enraged. With Dom seemingly going rouge for an unknown cause, his former squad, mostly comprised of Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Tej (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), must come together with Hobbs, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) and the government to stop this villainous force and hopefully save Dom from himself. With the Fast family going head-to-head, no one can truly win, and the fate of the family - and the world - is at stake.
The Fate of the Furious' plot is convoluted, unoriginal, and uninteresting, especially when compared to the established Fast-storyline. At this point, the franchise has gone through so many basic ideas of conflict that this eighth film has been forced to retread some mysterious rogue-related roads, which causes the film to feel overly predictable. In addition to the repetitive plot points, the film has so many characters simultaneously competing for screen-time that it often feels overcrowded and unfocused. With such a large cast, no one character is given enough time to truly shine in the way they did in previous iterations. Gibson's Roman and Ludacris's Tej, both show-stealers in previous films, feel forgotten in this bloated cast of stars, and their banter throughout the film seems like an afterthought to appease longtime fans. Likewise, Theron as Cipher is wholly underutilized, with her character merely serving as a throw-away villain who violently types on a computer and calls it "hacking". Throughout most of the film, it becomes difficult to find any one character to follow and support other than Diesel's Dom. Sadly, Diesel's inability to emote makes Dom the most monotonous character in the entire film, leaving the audience with little to care about for the 2-hour runtime.
Despite the Fate of the Furious' predictability and overcrowding, there is still some unintelligible enjoyment to be found. Fans of the franchise completely understand and accept the secondary nature of the plot, and those who love these films won't care about Diesel's lack of talent or the unnecessary inflation of the cast. To these fans, Fate's plot must only be competent in its ability to deliver stunning and explosive set-pieces, which is truly the strongest aspect of these films. In this regard, The Fate of the Furious doubles down on the ridiculous racing, explosions, and fighting, and its commitment to cartoonish action is what makes the film even remotely watchable. There is something incredibly entertaining about watching a submarine break through the ice to send cars flying, and there is something intense about watching hacked self-driving cars smash through New York City. Every time The Fate of the Furious was losing steam with its dull plot, there would be a ridiculous action scene, like Dwayne Johnson's prison break, to keep the film going.
Through this hilariously absurd action, The Fate of the Furious is able to deliver exactly what fans want, while doing nothing noteworthy to shake up the tired series for the future. It is a harmless and forgettable continuation that will surely find success among its large fan base and maintain the momentum of its predecessors, but with a lack of originality and resonance, the film fails to inspire anticipation for what is to come. The Fate of the Furious will undoubtedly please those that love fast cars, explosions, and one-liners, but it does little to bring in a new audience, and the formula can only sustain it for so long. Without any new roads to travel down, The Fate of the Furious leaves the series with a mediocre attempt to prolong the inevitable death of this franchise.


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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
My baby got sauce; yo' baby ain't sweet like mine.
I met up with Kristi and Linnea yesterday for lunch at Bottletree, and it was really fantastic. I had the vegan chili (orgasm) and the roasted red pepper hummus (orgasm orgasm). The weather was just nice enough to sit outside and drink beers and smoke cigarettes and run our mouths. It was a nice afternoon, and something I needed. We all need to spend some time with our bitches sometimes.
Reed and I are both sick at this point. He's been feverish for a few days, so I'm taking him to the doctor tomorrow. I hope he gets better as soon as possible, but he has been SO SNUGGLY for the past few days. We snoozed together on the couch for several hours this morning. It was so relaxing, and I'm sorry that he has to be sick in order for us to share this closeness.
So far I'm just blowing my nose all over the place; I'm crossing my fingers that it won't progress into nasty cough, misery, suicide by codeine cough syrup mode. We'll see.
2 comments:
- lindsey said...
I hate I missed the festivities -- and the chili. Stupid work, always getting in the way. :(
I wish you'd been there too! It IS fun to get some face time with the bitches!
Buff--I hope Reed and you both get better soon! It's weird--as soon as it warms up every one gets sick.
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UNLV Law Blog
Presidencies can exert substantial influence over the path of the U.S. legal justice system. The Interest Group of the Historical past of Worldwide Law welcomes abstracts that have interaction critically with any of those dimensions of neutrality within the history of worldwide law or a combination thereof in historic perspective by reference to relevant episodes within the historical past of international legislation and/or completely different historiographical colleges.
Let us, for a second, imagine that we had been to take this position, that we may outline regulation in this method, by the fact of its normativity, Pashukanis (after his politically motivated self criticism) was to place ahead a very similar position, namely that legislation is the form of regulation and consolidation of production relationships and in addition of other social relationships of class society".
The net impact of this has been to keep average tuition from rising in actual terms, although after all this pattern exacerbates the reverse Robin Hood construction of contemporary authorized education, by which students with lower entrance numbers (and, crucially, decrease SES backgrounds) subsidize the attendance of their better-credentialed, richer, and higher-related classmates.
The issue, with each law companies and legislation schools, is that we clothe ourselves within the rhetoric and privileges of a occupation while pursuing market goals. I find it interesting that folks take a selected law, usually attraction, after which develop into disallusioned when attraction does not appear to work of their lives. Recent historiography on public international law of the lengthy nineteenth century … Read More


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Erfurt Photos
From: Erfurt, Germany
The �gidienkirche, or Church of St. Aegidius, was constructed at the entrance to the Kr�merbrücke from 1321 to 1324 as a replacement for a 12th Century roadside chapel. The sanctuary is one flight up from ground level; from there, a wooden staircase leads into the tower (shown above), where you can enjoy a view of Erfurt's historic center from an outdoor gallery for a small fee.
Methodists purchased the �gidienkirche a number of years ago and turned it into what they jokingly call "the oldest Methodist Church in the world." (The church is 400 years older than the Methodist denomination.)
| Europe for Visitors - Home |
| Contact information, disclosures, audience |
Copyright © 1996-2019 Durant and Cheryl Imboden. All rights reserved.


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Aesthetic Movement Transferware
Bentley Chappell + Nancy Barshter, Montague MA
This is a stunning and hard to find creamware transfer printed Tazza or Raised Cake Stand. It is very finely molded, measuring 5 inches tall on a raised pedestal base, and measures 9 3/4 inches across the top rim. It is transfer printed in a rich chocolate brown or sepia, abundantly decorated around the perimeter with a series of fine botanical engravings including Hydrangeas, Snowbells, Peruvian Lily, along a Stephanotis or Wedding Flower. A spectacular composition of flowers from around the world! The interior rim as well as the base are decorated with a simple ring of interconnected circles, a fantastic example of Aesthetic movement Victorian love of naturalistic beauty.
The underside of bears the impressed mark of Wedgwood and dates to 1878 from the Staffordshire region of England.
This piece is a perfect addition to any collection of Wedgwood creamware or Staffordshire transferware with botanical imagery .
Never Used. The stand is in Excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, stains or repairs.
Fine botanical engravings including Rose Mallow, Sun Drops, Snowbells, Peruvian Lily, along a Stephanotis or Wedding Flower on the inside bottom.
Early Creamware Aesthetic Transferware Waste Bowl BOTANICAL Wedgwood Staffordshire England c. 1878
Pristine shiny clean with only the slightest amount of wear along the rim, consistent with age.
Another shopper is interested in this item
Art for Art's Sake! The largest inventory of 19th C. Aesthetic Transferware available online
See what's new and what's on sale ~ Offers welcome ~ Open 24 hours, 7 days a week


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The National Weather Service is projecting a good chance of some Easter showers on Sunday.
Rain is forecast for much of the greater Baltimore area, with highs in the mid-50s, and winds at 5 to 10 mph in most areas, though perhaps gusting to 15 mph.
The chance of some rain is 90 percent, according to the NWS.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with lows in the lower 40s.


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Essays on financial economics
Date Issued2016
Rivera-Mesias, Alejandro
Export Citation
MetadataShow full item record
Permanent Linkhttps://hdl.handle.net/2144/14519
This dissertation explores the role of information frictions in the design of financial securities, the pricing of securities, and their business cycle implications. The first essay studies the risk- shifting problem between bondholders and shareholders, and the moral hazard problem between shareholders and the manager. Although, these two problems have been studied separately, my model is the first tractable frame-work to study these two frictions jointly. Using my model, I explore: i) How the presence of managerial moral hazard affects the risk-shifting problem, and ii) How optimal policies of the firm change in terms of leverage, managerial compensation, and investment decisions when the two problems are considered jointly. I show that the optimal amount of risk-shifting is amplified in the presence of managerial moral hazard. Moreover, my model delivers a non-monotonic relation between risk-shifting and leverage. This non-monotonicity has the potential to reconcile seemingly contradictory empirical evidence on the sign of this relation. The second essay (coauthored with Jianjun Miao) studies the design of an optimal contract for the manager when the shareholders are concerned about model misspecification. The model delivers counter-cyclical firm level equity premium, and has interesting implications for security design. The third essay incorporates accounting practices into models that generate business cycles through borrowing constraints. I show that the interaction of accounting frictions with the borrowing constraint has implications for the persistence and amplification of macroeconomic shocks.


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Child Care Finder Content
Selecting the best care for your child is a very important decision and it starts with your needs.
View profiles of local licensed child care providers to find out what is available. Use what is most important to you about your child's care to determine your choices. Check out resources that can help you identify high-quality childcare programs.
District of Columbia Early Learning Standards
This revised edition of the District of Columbia Early Learning Standards shows the continuum of learning and development expected of all young children, from birth through grade three. The standards provide parents and teachers with a sense of what children should know and be able to do at various ages and grade levels. They include alignment with Common Core and the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework.
Child Care Subsidy Information
This website from the Department of Human Services provides contact information and office hours for the subsidized child care program, which helps eligible families pay their child care fees.


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Immigrant Bias Claims Lead Macy's to Pay Fine
(CN) – Macy's will pay a nominal penalty and award back pay to resolve allegations that it discriminated against workers based on their immigration status or national origin, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Several people had apparently reported potential immigration-related unfair employment practices at Macy's Retail Holdings by calling a worker hotline operated by the Justice Department's Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC).
"Based on the investigation, the department determined that Macy's engaged in unfair documentary practices against work-authorized immigrant employees during the employment eligibility reverification process and that some employees suffered economic harm through lost work or seniority as a result," the Justice Department said in a statement.
The anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits employers from treating workers differently in the employment eligibility verification or reverification process by demanding more or different documents, or by limiting the worker's choice of documents, based on an individual's immigration status or national origin.
Macy's, which employs approximately 180,000 employees in the United States, settled the allegations by agreeing to revise its employment eligibility reverification policies and procedures and to provide its human resources personnel across the country with anti-discrimination training.
The retailer will also pay the United States $175,000 in civil penalties and create a $100,000 back-pay fund to compensate any individuals who suffered lost wages or loss of seniority as a result of its practices.
The Justice Department will additionally monitor Macy's employment eligibility verification practices and reporting requirements for two years.


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Project Implementers
The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the CGIAR's Water, Land and Ecosystems Research Program (WLE), and implemented by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC). The project is coordinated by Jonathan Lautze, Senior Researcher, at IWMI.
United States Agency for International Development for Southern Africa (USAID): Main funder
USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID fosters sustainable development and advance human dignity globally. USAID works in over 100 countries to protect human rights, improve global health, advance food security and agriculture, and improve environmental sustainability. www.usaid.gov
Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) Program:
Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) is a global research-for-development program working through partnerships to provide sustainable solutions for people and societies. WLE works to ensure that agricultural intensification benefits smallholder farmers' livelihoods, is sustainable and makes use of the services provided by ecosystems. WLE aims to tackle key global challenges related to water scarcity, climate variability and environmental degradation and work from farm to landscape scale. WLE partners with 11 CGIAR research centres and FAO. www.wle.cgiar.org
International Water Management Institute:
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a non-profit, scientific research organization focusing on the sustainable use of water and land resources in developing countries. It is headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with regional offices across Asia and Africa. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have real impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health. www.iwmi.org
International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC):
IGRAC is part of the UNESCO family and works closely with UNESCO-IHP Secretariat on implementation of the International Hydrological Programme. Additionally, IGRAC contributes to the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) and has an increasing number of common activities with UNESCO-IHE and other UNESCO Water Centres. IGRAC has a strong link with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) through the WMO-led and supported network of global observations. www.un-igrac.org


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Anne McConigley - living a dream of music
A special birthday present enabled this Fanad woman to fulfil a life-long dream of peforming and recording music, and writing her own songs.
With her disarming smile and piercing green eyes, Anne McConigley, looks the picture of happiness now that she has finally decided to follow her dream.
Most people who know Anne would know her as Anne Biddie, a name she proudly recalls belonged to her great grandmother, a woman who was an independent sheep farmer in her day.
When Anne turned 40, her life dramatically changed.
For years, Anne wanted to sing. As Anne's birthday approached her sister Julie spoke to Terry McGinty, a producer in Ballybofey, to seek advice in relation to Anne's dream. Julie told Terry that Anne wanted to record a CD and on her birthday in June, Anne was presented with the means to do it.
"It was great. It was something that I always wanted to do. I was speechless when they presented me with the vouchers. I started working on the album in September and by January 2011, we were all gathered in the Milford Inn for the launch. A number of local musicians performed on the night," she recalled.
Her CD, 'Country Music in My Soul', was a huge success. Anne has been offered guest spots at gigs at launches and at special events. She has also featured on Hot Country on Sky 201.
"I have never sang so much. Now, I am doing what I wanted to do twenty years ago. Everyone has something which they want to do with their life -- for me it was music," she said.
Anne took to the stage last year and this year at the Country Festival in Letterkenny. During last year's festival she met one of her favourite country stars, Philomena Begley, who offered Anne some kind words and advice on how best to continue with the growth of her career.
Anne believes that her talent for singing came from the Sweeney side of the family. Biddie Sweeney lived in the Fanad area beside the iconic lighthouse.
"Her son was Charlie, my grandfather, and he was known to have been a very good singer. Unfortunately I never met him. I would have loved to have met him. Everyone says to me 'you must have taken after your grandfather'," she said.
When Anne was young she loved to sing. Every Sunday she sang in the chapel choir. When summer came, her relations would come over from Scotland armed with music from Charlie Pride, Brian Coll and Philomena Begley, among others. They would walk to the lighthouse and sing songs as the seagulls flew overhead.
Like many children at that time, Anne would have competed in fleadhs and feis competitions, and later she began to sing in pubs. She loved every minute of it, and dreamt of the day that she would become a professional singer.
"I love singing. I love anything to do with music. It lifts you up when you are feeling down and lifts you even higher when you are happier," she said.
This year, Anne began to prove her talent in earnest. Unlike many other talented singers, Anne has recorded a single, a song that she has penned herself. The song, which has received huge airplay on Highland Radio and further afield, is one that promises to be a huge hit for the Fanad singer. She has also produced a DVD for the single.
"I wanted to do another CD. I called Terry McGinty and told him that I was thinking of singing a song that I had written myself. He said, 'Let's hear it', and it continued from there," she said.
Her new song, "Maybe not today", promises to ensure Anne a lengthy career, proving that not only can she sing but that she can also write excellent songs. Her new single also boasts an excellent group of musicians, with Damien McGeehan on fiddle and Alan McGuckian on guitar.
Anne is also poised to record another two songs that she has written herself. One of the songs is dedicated to her mother, Helen, who lives in Fanad.
Anne's family play a huge part in her life. Her husband, Davaddog, and her two daughters, Sarah, 19 and Eimear, 14, are very proud of her.
"At the moment I am working on my forthcoming album. It will probably be out by the end of the year – there is no point in rushing it," she said wisely.
Many of her fans will be hoping that her next album will be out sooner rather than later, but they will be happy to know that Anne's singles will be played locally and nationally before they will be sold together on an album.
Anyone who would like Anne's new single or her CD can contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com. Fans can also see her work online at the web site You Tube, where they can view the video Anne produced to coincide with her single, "Maybe not today".


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Land Based Activities
Water Based Activities
Air Based Activities
REKAWA is located about 10 km east of the south coast town of Tangalla. Sri Lankan Expeditions works closely with the TCP (Turtle Conservation Project) in their 'Turtle Watch' programme on the Rekawa beach where visitors can observe the ancient ritual of turtles coming ashore and laying eggs. This pioneering conservation programme was started in 1996 to protect sea turtles in their natural habitat while providing an alternative source of income to people formerly dependent on the illegal collection of turtle eggs. Five out of the seven species of marine turtles that are familiar (but endangered) come to nest in this part of the Sri Lankan coastline, making it an ideal location to marvel at one of nature's most fascinating processes!
Located very close to the Rekawa beach itself, the SRI LANKAN EXPEDITIONS CAMP is an ideal location to be based for turtle watching because the staff can do the waiting for you - waking you up when the turtles have arrived! Forget any ideas about cramped tents and sitting on the ground for mealtimes - this is camping in style!
The site is set up prior to your arrival, with everything from the kitchen sink, chairs and tables, toilets, showers and cold beer being transported in. In the evening you can enjoy a hearty barbecue meal in a magical setting - the whole area is lit up with traditional flame torches and a roaring campfire. So sit back, relax and let our experienced staff cater to your every need.
Nearby Locations – Suggestions for Ongoing Itineraries
Tangalle, Matara, Ambalantota, Bundala National Park, Yala National Park
Bird Watching, Participatory/Luxury/Super Luxury Movable Camping, Turtle Watching
City - Rekawa
Category -
Distance from Colombo - 190 km (5 hour drive)
Distance from Airport - 220 Km (6.15 hour drive)
Price Guide - 263 USD onwards
Buckingham Place-Rekawa
Special people and wonderful, hidden away places contribute towards an indefinable uniqueness that inspires many of Sri Lanka's visitors to return - year after year.
Turtle Beach Cabanas
There are 2 private cabanas with open sit outs facing the beautiful secluded beach.
Land Based Activities
Water Based Activities
Air Based Activities


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James Comey, Sally Yates and Preet Bharara all heard Tbl yboneh (Russian for "You're fired") as they drew closer to conclusions regarding Russian interference in the 2016 elections. During a visit to the White House this bilingual ability impressed both Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak for the progress on Mr. Trump's second language skills. As an added bonus, the Russians were provided with highly classified information secured from Israeli Intelligence. These Russian diplomats originally thought the Oval Office meeting was to share Mr. Putin's favorite borscht recipe in exchange for the chocolate cake formula enjoyed by Mr. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a recent state visit to Mar-a-Lago. Instead a true potpourri of détente was enjoyed by all.
RC Lloyd


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Much like the concept behind FLYTE light bulbs which use magnets to float in the air above a small platform, its same designers have imagined a similar concept but with floating plants instead of bulbs.
The floating plants in the LYFE collection feature geometric white pots with small green tropical plants inside. The plants will float above a small wooden platform and rotate using the same magnetic concept that its successor uses. While there are specific plants featured in the design concept, the user will likely be able to customize the pots to fit the plants of their liking.
The floating plants could make an interesting statement piece in a home on their own, could be used in a kitchen for holding herbs, or could be featured alongside other plants for people with a green thumb.
Levitating Magnetic Planters
More Stats +/-
Window-Hugging Planters
Portable At-Home Greenhouses
Whimsical Animal Planters
Decorative Bike Planters
Plant-Accommodating Building Facades
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This article is one of 350,000 experiments. We use crowd filtering, big data and AI to identify insights.


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I sure am glad I pulled out the TOM AND JERRY DVDs a few weeks ago. What a treasure trove of great art. MGM at its best was incredibly good. If Disney was the gold standard, perhaps MGM was sterling silver! Really wonderful art.
Here is the first installment of some great background art from THE CAT AND THE MERMOUSE.
This first recreated pan B/G features three cel overlays on the left. The blanket (Tom is under there), the beach umbrella and left-most bottle.
I love the vintage tanning lotion bottles!
The next few are beautifully murky underwater backgrounds:
Believe it or not, this is only part of an incredible pan B/G... Tom and Jerry swim through a chase scene from right to left. I stopped just as Tom closes in on Jerry. I left Jerry in (as the titular mermouse) at the far left. Once again, for your viewing pleasure, I have broken this incredible long B/G into sections (Left, middle and right) so you can better admire the details.


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MIDDLETOWN - Connecticut State Police responded to nearly 500 accidents, two of which were fatal, during the four-day New Year's holiday.
Police on Tuesday announced that they responded to 494 accidents during the enforcement period that started at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and ended at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
The fatal accidents were in Trumbull on Friday and in Glastonbury on Saturday. Fifty-four of the accident resulted in injury.
During the same period a year ago, police responded to 276 accidents, including two fatal accidents in which a total of three people died.
Police arrested 28 people for driving under the influence this year, compared to 34 during the same span a year ago, while speeding citations dropped to 611 this year from 705 during the year-ago period.


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Digital transformation is a broad term encompassing the evolution of an organization's activities, processes and competencies to address the growing importance of technology in all aspects of business. Every organization has a slightly different journey toward transformation as they move to adopt the latest technologies, expand their information management ecosystems and improve operational processes.
A simple euphemism for digital transformation is "going paperless," but digitalization involves more than the conversion of paper to electronic documents. The digital transformation journey goes beyond technology with people and processes playing a crucial role in the evolution toward a digital business.
Once information and content has been digitized, evolving further into a digital business begins with the identification of business processes that can be automated and optimized.
Both simple processes and complex procedures with multiple integrations benefit from process automation. By prioritizing operational needs and developing a digital strategy to address those needs, an organization can make its processes more efficient and streamlined.
The time, effort, and costs needed to for a complete digital transformation are substantial, but the potential returns far outweigh them. Some of the most significant benefits for businesses include:
An enterprise information platform can play an integral role in the evolution toward digital transformation. A platform's natively integrated enterprise content management (ECM), business process management (BPM) and case management capabilities save companies money while improving productivity. Features such as automated document and data recognition and routing enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Beyond managing content, processes and cases, a centralized enterprise information platform provides:
Ultimately, an enterprise information platform helps organizations adapt to the evolving digital landscape, now and in the future.
To learn more about digital transformation and the benefits of an enterprise information platform, click here.


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Sega to release Dreamcast titles in HD for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network
Peter Donnell / 7 years ago
SEGA has teased that it "may be working on" HD XBLA/PSN ports of both Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia.
The news came via an interview with SEGA's brand manager Ben Harborne, who said that the firm was already well aware of what Dreamcast games fans would like to see remade for HD digital platforms.
"I can tell you what it's going to be, it's going to be Shenmue. And Skies Of Arcadia too," he said.
"They're a couple of our most requested games. I can't say 'yes' or 'no', but we may be working on them."
SEGA is currently working on an XBLA/PSN re-release of stylish skater Jet Set Radio, which is due out this summer.
An XBLA release of Shenmue was first rumoured back in April 2010 when a source known as 'XBOX360LEAKER' posted an image on NeoGAF alleging to be a screenshot from a secret Xbox 360 test network game library. The image featured an icon of Shenmue star Ryu Hazuki's head.
Source: GamerZines


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Another ski video from Niseko
Another ski video from Niseko - Loading...
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By: MitchPee
Date Uploaded: 07/05/2012
Tags: niseko hokkaido backcountry
Description: Some tricks and stuff
If you want to embed on the SnowJapanForums, simply copy the URL (address) of this page - the video will then appear within a post on the Forums without the need to do anything else. For other embedding, copy and paste this code:
Post a Comment
July 7th 2012 - new SnowJapan.TV site launched!
The initial issues we had with Comments, Favorites and Likes functionality have been sorted. If you do encounter any problems at any time or have any comments, please do contact us. Hope you enjoy the new site.


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It's Reba McEntire's House!
According to Celebrity Detective, Reba McEntire's Beverly Hills, Calif. home is worth $10M. There's a swimming pool, tennis court, putting green … heck, all the famous redhead and her husband Narvel Blackstock need is a Walmart and they'd never have to leave!
The couple also owns a home near Nashville that sits on the Cumberland River. As a sitcom star, McEntire spent loads of time in Los Angeles filming, so she needed a place both here and in Music City!


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'Ring-fenced' Funds
The Award Letter provided by the Wellcome Trust will provide a breakdown of the funds awarded, by category.
Prior to December 2015, budgets were categorised as either 'Ring Fenced' or 'Transferable'.
From 1st December 2015 this distinction will no longer apply; grant holders will be able to move funds in and out of budgets, giving the flexibility to spend funds in the best interests of their research.
This amendment will also apply retrospectively to existing awards. More on this change in policy can be found here.
Transferring costs between budget headings
Though awarded funds are considered transferrable, some restrictions do apply; small scale transfers do not need approval, however any significant transfer of funds should be discussed with the Trust.
Generally, what constitutes significant is to be determined by the grant holder's judgement. Examples given by the Trust of significant transfers are as follows:
- fellows and students being employed for less time (eg six months or longer) than awarded and the resulting salary (and fee) budget underspends being used for other purposes
- staff spending less time working overseas than anticipated and no longer needing the awarded overseas allowances
- funding for research management support costs being spent on other activities
- funding for public engagement activities being spent on other activities
- major changes to research staffing levels
- major changes in animal usage and equipment purchases.


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Welcome to the Pregnancy Baby Shower! Brought to you by Chicco and BabyCenter! Today we'll have six discussion topics/games and each topic will have a prize to win!
This hour's topic is simple, help us pack a virtual diaper bag! Just comment with ONE thing you'd add to your hospital bag and we'll fill our bag one item at a time!
Just comment on this thread to enter for a chance to win! One lucky winner will receive a $100.00 Target gift card!
Every comment = a chance to win, so feel free to comment multiple times. We'll announce the winner at 5:00 pm ET!


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Things have been a little quiet around here. And there is a reason…
So, I'm afraid I have been keeping a secret from most of you. I have spent the past 3 months secretly plotting with 30 people to tackle Pakistan's unspoken epidemic: Domestic Violence. You can see the website now that is has been launched: www.chaynpakistan.org. I was keeping a low profile about it because I wasn't sure how it was going to be received in Pakistan. I wanted the wave of criticism to hit me after I had launched it. Thankfully, so far, I have received nothing but appreciation so I thought it's time to let you all in on why and how I did it.
Let me give you the back story which you won't read in any of the other articles….
I grew up in a happy home yet I knew not everyone grew up like that. I have always been passionate about women's rights. Patriarchy is in the air you breathe in Pakistan. The mix of religion, politics and culture makes for a society that entrenches misogyny and accepts domestic violence. I have always wanted to do something to support women in Pakistan. When I was a kid, I dreamt about having a charity. As I grew older, it became a social enterprise. However, something always stopped me. I didn't have the network of support in Pakistan that I do now. Interestingly, it's only now that I have developed and discovered the feminist groups in Pakistan thanks to Facebook groups.
I participated in a hack weekend with MakeSense and GloberShapers where we had a weekend to launch a new strategy for Children Of Addicted Parents, a charity providing a peer-support network for children of addicted parents. I was facilitating the hack weekend and helped shape the flow of conversations through out the three days. Emma Spiegler, an inspiring young woman, who was spear-heading the organisation wanted to find a better way of engaging the online community and grow the charity efficiently. We discussed what worked, what didn't and where the opportunities were for her.
While I was working on this, I had a #lightbulb moment: Wouldn't it be great if there was a Wikipedia-meets-Womens-Aid website for women experiencing domestic violence in Pakistan? From researching online for months on domestic violence resources in Pakistan for two friend escaping a situation of abuse – I knew no such site existed. The day after the Hack Weekend, I sat down at One Canada Square(towering above London's east side) and sketched out the website on paper sprawled over a table at Level 39. I also knew that women found it hard to find factual information about laws in pakistan and the help available online. Furthermore, because women in such situations are extremely depressed, they are unable to think rationally about their options available to them. I always say being depressed is like wearing sunglasses – the world has a different hue. It all looks different. It's important for women to have information on mental health so they can identify and understand things like depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. And then there is the issue about knowing what divorce laws are and what options there are to study and work in Pakistan.
80-90% of women in Pakistan face domestic violence(Reuters, We Can Report). Pakistan's the third most dangerous country in the word for women (Reuters, 2011). I wanted Chayn to be the switch that makes women identify abuse, question it and use the information on the website to make an informed decision. Whether they decide to stay or leave, that is their choice.
When we started, I was determined to treat this as a lean startup. The website as you see it now is the minimum viable product. I gave myself and my team an ultimatum of 3 months because I knew that things never get done if you leave them on for too long. I approached liberal Pakistani activist groups on Facebook and my existing networks to help me recruit volunteers. I developed a content strategy with my friends Evangelia and Devin after taking inspiration from websites like Women's Aid and Help Guide. Once that was done – it took 70 volunteers from around the world to put the Chayn website together. We had a particularly strong social media and digital marketing campaign (of course we did! I was involved). It all culminated to the launch on Pakistan's Independence Day. All those months of long days and long nights, google hangouts, facebook discussions and heavy web development finally paid off.
The support for Chayn has been tremendous from all corners of the world. We were featured in Dawn, The Samosa and Oximity. The website has had over 4000 page views. There is a powerful story of a woman about how she escaped abuse on the Chayn blog at the moment. I recommend you to read it. Whenever I read it (I've read it many times), it fills me with a sense of purpose. Here is what she said about Chayn:
"Chayn is a truly laudable attempt to reach out to those who are looking for some 'chayn'. I believe if I had had access to Chayn back some 4-5 years ago, I would have dealt with my life with more prudence. I made some really hasty decisions because I didn't have someone to help me prepare to step out of the abusive relationship(s) I was in. Though I did not have barriers to seeking help, I still held back because of lack of support since there was practically no support available for me online. Why? Because none of the countless websites was specifically tailored for Pakistani culture. So Chayn would have been of great help in the darkest hours of my life. No wonder Chayn gives me a commendable sense of purpose; to help others find peace (chayn) like I found it."
This is why I do it. This is why everyone at Chayn does it.
I really want to thank my fantastic volunteers for making my ideas on a a sheet of paper spring alive. Their enthusiasm and ideas drive Chayn forward.
What is next for Chayn? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. We are getting lots of feedback that we are using to improve the website. It's an overcrowded website so it'll always be in progress. If you have an idea – do send it to us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
And there is one simple thing you can do to help Chayn: Share it on your social networks. We want to reach out to as many women as possible.
NOTE: Chayn has moved from http://www.chayn.org to http://www.chaynpakistan.org because of a nasty domain host who closed down and refused access to chayn.org


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Sony HAP-Z1ES Hi-Res Music Player review
Leave digital music storage and playback to this outstanding component
Computers are amazing machines, but they aren't optimized for audiophile sound quality. Compensating for their shortcomings means adding an external digital-to-analog converter, quality cables, and playback software capable of getting most from your music.
But there's another option – the Sony HAP-Z1ES. It removes the computer from the playback chain while offering stunning sound and lots of storage in a single, high-performance component. It's also compatible with high-resolution music files, for sound quality that eclipses CDs. Enticed by the prospect of amazing sound and freeing my computer up for other tasks, I excitedly took it home to check it out.
The HAP-Z1ES hi-res digital music server.
Store your entire music library
With a built-in 1 TB hard disk drive under the hood, the HAP-1ES offers plenty of on-board storage – enough to hold around 23,000 CD-quality songs or more than 7,000 high-res recordings. Not enough? You can expand by adding an external hard drive connected via the rear-panel USB input. This drive must be formatted by the HAP-Z1ES – there's no plug-and-play capability for using it with a computer.
A full-color display, large jog dial and selection buttons make navigating your music library easy and intuitive. There's also a free remote app for smartphones and tablets.
File transfer between your computer and the HAP-Z1ES (and a connected external hard drive) is done over your home network – either using the player's built-in Wi-Fi or the Ethernet connection. You can use the free HAP Music Transfer software to automatically copy files to the player's hard drive – it can even automatically scan for new music in a particular folder on a networked computer. Or, you can simply drag and drop files into the player's memory with your computer.
File transfer is very slow. A wired connection speeds it up a bit. Once you've transferred your entire library, you won't need to do it again except when you want to add new songs or albums.
Studio-quality sound with high-res playback
If you're after top-performance sound from a digital (or any) source, you need to check out high-resolution music. Sites like HDtracks offer a huge selection of better-than-CD downloads. The HAP-Z1ES is compatible with high-res files up to 24-bit/192kHz. It also handles DSD files up to 5.6Mhz, so it's good with just about any digital file you can throw at it.
The HAP-Z1ES offers balanced and unbalanced analog outputs – the RCA outs will work with any amp or receiver, while the XLR outputs allow a low-noise balanced connection to high-end amps like Sony's companion integrated amplifier, the TA-A1ES.
Built for serious sound quality
The first thing I noticed when I went to pick up the HAP-Z1ES in the Crutchfield Labs was how heavy it is. This thing is built like a tank and has the fit and finish you'd expect from audiophile-grade equipment. The gleaming silver finish of the streamlined chassis conceals the heavy-duty construction. Every component is designed and placed with an eye on minimizing distortion, from the separate large-capacity power transformers for digital and analog circuits to the dual-plated base and the rigid internal framing.
Test drive
With so much attention to detail in the design of this machine, my expectations were pretty high. Once I got it up and running, the HAP-Z1ES consistently surpassed them.
I compared it to my MacBook® which I paired with the Sony PHA-2 DAC – an excellent device in its own right. I sampled high-res and CD-quality tracks to see how much of an upgrade the HAP-Z1ES represents over a more than respectable digital front-end. Both sources were connected to my Onkyo stereo receiver via AudioQuest RCA cables.
The free Sony HDD Audio app lets you control the player and view album art and file type and resolution on your smartphone or tablet.
I started out with the title cut from Paul Simon's Graceland, a song I've often used as a reference track. I cued the song up on both the HAP-Z1ES and my MacBook with the PHA-2 DAC, so I could jump between each source for comparison. Before I even got a chance to compare, I knew the HAP-Z1ES was the clear winner. Immediately, my PSB Image T5 tower speakers sounded better than they ever have.
As good as the MacBook/PHA-2 combination is, every part of the performance was sharper with the HAP-Z1ES – vocals were clearer, the overall sound was cleaner, instrument separation was better, the soundstage was larger, and the background was dead quiet. More listening yielded the same results – the HAP-Z1ES is completely awesome. The PHA-2 is a very good DAC, but the HAP-Z1ES resoundingly trumped it by offering up more smoothness, deeper bass, and better overall clarity.
Excited by what I was hearing, I convinced my wife to humor me and listen to this fabulous machine. She's not into all this audio business, but she could pinpoint the Z1ES's ability to deliver exquisite vocal clarity. It wasn't long before she wrested control of the player from me and was picking out music, getting caught up in this player's outstanding sound.
DSD files offer up smooth sound
DSD is a format Sony originally developed for Super Audio CDs. It's enjoyed a comeback lately thanks to the availability of DSD downloads and compatible equipment from Sony and other manufacturers. I had never listened to DSD files before, so I was excited to hear what all the fuss was about.
I played a DSD file of Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," a song I'm neither enamored with nor excited about after being bludgeoned by it continuously for years by classic rock radio stations. But listening to it in DSD with the HAP-Z1ES made me love that song like I never could before. Clapton's classic guitar melody spread out across the width of the massive soundstage with lots of natural reverb ringing out. Every instrument was breathtakingly clear and meticulously placed in the massive soundstage. The lead vocal image was positively huge. When the backing vocals come in, the voices blended together beautifully while each remained clearly distinguishable. I felt like a producer in the studio listening to the master tapes.
The DAC inside the HAP-Z1ES can upsample all signals to DSD. I decided to see how much of a difference, if any, this upsampling would make. I cued up Wilco's "Forget the Flowers," a country-style acoustic tune. With the DSD remastering engine engaged, the bass sounded fuller, the vocal image got larger, and the soundstage had more depth. You may be well served to leave this setting on all the time.
App control with your smartphone or tablet
This player's network connectivity lets you control the player with your smartphone or tablet using Sony's free HDD Audio remote app. It makes it easy to search through a large music library stored on the player's internal hard drive. The app is great, but I also loved using the front-panel jog dial and color display to scroll through music. I never had a reason to take the included remote out of the box.
The remote app lets you browse your entire music library, choose from hundreds of Internet radio stations, and select a player-generated playlist based on your mood (SenseMe channels).
Free your stereo from your computer
Having ripped my entire CD collection to an external hard drive, my computer is my main source for music playback at home. While I love having my entire library at my fingertips, the HAP-Z1ES makes it even more convenient. It takes just a few seconds to boot up – my computer is slow to boot, and I have to open software to start playback. Plus, the computer's fan can disrupt quiet musical passages with its noisy whirring. It's also nice to have all your files backed up on the 'Z1ES's internal server, just in case your other storage device fails.
Most people (like me) use their computer for much more than just music. The HAP-Z1ES frees it up for homework, bill-paying, video-watching, and web surfing.
A lower-cost alternative
If you're looking for a less expensive option, Sony's HAP-S1 is a scaled-down version of the 'Z1ES. It features a 500GB internal hard drive and also has a built-in amplifier for driving a pair of bookshelf speakers.
The bottom line
The best audio gear makes you want to run through your entire music collection to hear it be reborn. That's exactly what I did with the Sony HAP-Z1ES – I couldn't get enough of it. Every track I sampled brought a new thrill. And it took my high-resolution music to soaring new heights. Plus, I loved how it freed up my computer for other uses besides music listening. This superb all-in-one digital server/player has shot right to the top of my wish list.


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Union Pacific's Big Boy 4014 is in the roundhouse at Cheyenne for restoration to service.
Hermosa Tunnels. Trains photograph.
A relatively new Chesapeake and Ohio Mallet Compound 2-6-6-2 is going from the Baltimore and Ohio Museum to the Western Maryland Scenic for restoration. The Mallet will fit the Scenic's turntables.
Unattributed photograph courtesy Railway Age.
The same article notes that restoration of Norfolk and Western 611 continues. And 611 will have company in the operating streamlined steam category. The Coalition for Sustainable Rail will use a streamlined cladding similar to that on a sister Santa Fe 4-6-4 on its demonstration locomotive.
Coalition for Sustainable Rail artwork.
Closer to Cold Spring Shops, the Illinois Railway Museum have announced steam days on which 1630 will pull trains.
Yes, she will be in steam Independence Day weekend.