text:
Design Thinking – Formalizing Innovation
Innovation has never been as important as it is now, with a market full of asymmetrical competitors and disrupters none innovative enterprises face extinction. innovation has become too important to be considered an organization pastime that employees do in their free time and after they are done with their daily tasks and so many attempts have been made to structure and formalize the innovation process, turning it from a serendipitous hit or miss act to a more structured reliable repeatable business process. Design Thinking has been around since the 60s yet it has been gaining prominence lately with the formalization of innovation trends, organizations such as Procter & Gamble and Pepsi have adopted this methodology and used it to drive innovation internally.
Design Thinking methodology has a broad implementation spectrum, with its design subject ranging from packaging and merchandise to much less tangible such as user experience and business processes.
In enterprises innovation is usually conducted through experimentation, controlled divergent or convergent experiments based on the limitations of the organization with carefully assessed predefined metrics, this analytical sterile nature of experimentation allows for slow progressive improvement of the products but breakthroughs nature do not fit this approach. Design thinking on the other hand is a bridge between intuitive thinking and analytical thinking, it relies on emotions as much as it relies on numbers and completely overlooks the inherited limitations of the current capabilities, what really sets Design Thinking apart though is how it is human centric starting with empathy and including rapid prototyping and experimentation to validate innovative ideas.
For every 1 percent of sales invested in design, profit rose 3 to 4 percent for five years. [1]
One of the ways to implement design thinking is through the 5 Stage-Process proposed by Stanford's d.School, the process is iterative and includes the following stages: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. These steps are non-linear and can be iterated over and over again until a refined acceptable product is produced, For instance you can jump back from the Test Phase to the Define phase to understand why the produced prototype was the correct solution for the problem, alternatively you can jump forward from the Empathise phase to the Prototype phase directly skipping both the define and ideate steps.
Design Thinking is a human centric methodology and hence it starts with empathy, this allows the designer to get a deeper more personal insight of the problem at hand, this phase include coming up with the personas and understanding their experience and their world view.
In this phase the problem gets defined as a problem statement in a human-centric manner, this requires some discipline and builds on the first stage for instance rather than defining a design problem as : "reducing water wastage in residential accounts" it should be defined as "Residential water consumers should be equipped with the tools and information to reduce their water consumption". This phase results in phase 3 Ideate.
In this phase a potential solution is proposed, there are several techniques to achieve that such as Brainwrite, brainstorm and worst possible idea. The main idea here is not to be limited by the organizations limitations and capabilities.
A cheap easy to build prototype is produced in this phase, this prototype should include the essence of the idea and be possible to reproduce at scale. This phase also provides a reality check to the process as limitations and capabilities are explored in this stage.
Once the prototype is produced produced it should be tested by a sample representing the target user. The prototype can be refined and retested until satisfying results are reached.
This 5 stages approach is flexible and can be tailored to fit the problem at hand, the approach can vary based on the setting and the organization as well given how some organizations are more forgiving and failure tolerant than others.
[1] Howkins, John (2003). The Creative Economy: How People Make Money from Ideas. The Penguin Press. pp. 121–122.
[2] https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-stages-in-the-design-thinking-process
[3] Herbert Simon, Sciences of the Artificial (3rd Edition), 1996: https://monoskop.org/images/9/9c/Simon_Herbert_A_The_Sciences_of_the_Artificial_3rd_ed.pdf
Best Practices Development
In some psychological experiment the test subjects were placed in a room with a light bulb and a console full of keys, buttons and levers. The test subjects were told that the light bulb would blink when a very specific set of actions are done on that console and promised to be rewarded for the number of times they got it to glow. The test subjects would then try several approaches and combinations of buttons and levers until they got it to blink and repeated that pattern until at some point reached the conviction that the pattern was discovered. Almost all of the test subjects left the room believing they had cracked the pattern and knew exactly how to get that light bulb to blink.
The light bulb was actually set up to randomly blink with no relation what so ever to the console in front of the test subjects.
This research was part of a study on Operant Conditioning and its impact on superstition and how the human brain creates associations with potentially unrelated things based on the available inputs even when not nearly enough inputs are available to form a valid association the human brain finds a way and associations are created. Examples range from how red cars are perceived to be faster than black ones to how secure certain passwords are.
In my opinion – and this is an opinion peace – Operant Conditioning is how enterprise best practices are formed, over the years certain practices result in success for reasons that might or might not be related to the practices being the reason behind said results or not, and gradually the enterprise gets conditioned to believe that these practices are guaranteed to generate positive results which explains how some of the best practices I've encountered in my career make little or no sense at all, after all best practices can be alternatives defined as superstitions.
Design or Develop
A while ago I was explaining the architecture of a solution I have developed when he made a remark about how my solution was based on the integration of off the shelf Solutions (OTS) rather than a custom development and he added how a custom development would have been more impressive and efficient not to mention superior in every way. Being a solution architect that's a question I have to answer at the beginning of almost every project I am responsible for and the answer is almost always customize and integrate, in this post I'm going to explain the logic behind such as decision.
- Someone has done it better: you might have access to the best developers but unless you are developing something within the core technology of your company you don't have the accumulated experience someone else has especially if that solution is within their core technology area. When you limit yourself to in house developed solution you also limit yourself to the skills you've got within the confines of your company.
- Is it really custom development: unless you are writing machine language or using your own compiler you are actually customising the only difference is the building block size. Developers use libraries and packages that someone with more experience has built and most use it as a black box without fully understanding it's inner workings and they really shouldn't.
- Cost: in theory you can build everything if you have no cost and time constraints however unless it's a toy or personal project cost and time constraints are of key importance. The more customization requires the more costly in terms of time and money a project becomes. Licenses cost money but almost always they are cheaper than the investment needed to build the same functions in house. There is also a hidden costs associated with the involved risks and the bugs that we'll be discovered during QA and initial customer experience.
- Accumulated experience: vendors building OTS solution amount the combined experience of their customers which means they've covered more use cases and edge cases than the your in house development team ever will this experience is merged into the patches and product updates.
- Compliance: it's a lot easier to comply with certification criteria when using larger building blocks (OTS) as the certification bodies are familiar with the OTS solutions and the vendors are usually precertified. Trying to certify an in houe developed solution can be both expensive and time consuming.
- Integration best practices: this point is a bit tricky to explain when in house solution is used the developers use integration short cuts to save time that are often far from the industry best practices, using OTS solutions enforces a certain level of best practices conformity this is valuable as a at a later stage components can be swapped out at a minimum impact.
- Operability & Extensibility: Even if you have the ultimate bespoke solutions built specifically for you, finding people to operate it or build on top if it in the future might prove to be problematic especially if the original team who built it moved on.
So these are the reasons why you should almost always go for customization of OTS rather than in house solutions and using larger building blocks with micro services, how about the situations where you should in fact build your own solution and going for the smallest building block possible (language default libraries)? Thats my next post.
The Indian Aadhaar Biometric Miracle
I belong to a generation that has forsaken the pen for a keyboard and hence the skills required to maintain a static signature is long gone. Personally I've never trusted identity verification by matching a squiggly line on a piece of paper, it just doesn't feel accurate enough, Trying to visually match someone's appearance to a tiny black and white photo on a government issued identification is even less accurate. Luckily biometric verification is slowly replacing such old none accurate methods, already many countries adopted them for border control however very few countries aren't using biometric methods past the point of entry. In comes the Indian Aadhaar project, In few years the Indian government was able to accomplish nothing short of a miracle, collecting the biometric details (fingerprints and iris scans) of more than 1.1Billion citizen a feat that reportedly required a $1Billion investment to achieve. Then gradually introducing biometric verification for many of the daily functions to replace the existing less than accurate methods.
The relatively low price of the fingerprint scanner allowed it to become a ubiquitous and cheap identity verification tool, it is reported that around more than 20 Million checks are done everyday thats around 30000 request per minute (12 hours day), one can only wonder about the SLA requirements for that system or the architecture they are using to conduct that, the checks are all done in real time over public web services. In India such a system is paying for itself as the government was able to close the subsidy leakages that were being dispensed to ghost citizens whom existed only on paper. This has been applauded in an economist article stating that India has leapfrogged every country except Estonia. This is an inaccuracy as Saudi Arabia has already implemented such a system successfully, in Saudi Arabia phone lines can only be sold after an online fingerprint verification done at the shop selling the line, this is done through an online web-service in realtime.
However both the Indian and the Saudi programs are far from perfect, the finger print verification technology has certain challenges that both programs have inherited not all people have clear fingerprints and often people who engage in manual labour have finger prints that can't be verified, More importantly online verification requires a prevalent internet access to work which isn't always suitable for remote areas. The first problem can be resolved as iris scanners become cheaper and easier to use as iris imprints are much more accurate and stable than fingerprints. The internet access however is a challenge that can only be resolved by a huge infrastructure investment which in my opinion is the largest hidden cost for such a program.
I wonder if we are going to see this implemented in Egypt any time soon. The digitization of the identity verification.
MicroCule, A Love Story
Often I find myself in a situation that requires a quick and dirty custom micro-service to support one Proof-Of-Concept or another, with a wide array of NPM available module I usually resort to nodejs and in few minutes I'd have a nodejs script that does exactly what I wanted until just few weeks ago the only option I had for hosting that service would have been hook.io, a free micro-services hosting service that provides decent yet none stellar performance QoS such as with any cloud based free service often things didn't work at the required performance level and sometimes the nodejs module I wanted wasn't available on the server, however other than starting my own app engine and installing all the containers and all the associated hassle I had to make do with whatever was generously offered by hook.io.
In comes Micro-Cule, Micro-cule is a Software Development Kit and Command Line Interface for spawning streaming stateless HTTP microservices for any programming language or arbitrary binary.
Installed on my amazon micro instance it doesn't take more than one, yes ONE command to spawn a fully qualified micro-service to do my bidding, and here is the fun part it supports 20 different languages, so basically its like self hosting a very lean easy to manage middleware that can turn any of your hacked scripts into webservices. Micro-Cule is part of hook.io project but it offers the core service without the whole hook.io array of bells and whistles which I think is a very smart move from hook.io people, given that most of the potential users would just want to run their own webservices rather than offer a webservices hosting service.
I'm in love with microcule given how it has liberated me from heroku, google apps, amazon lambda and the even more cumbersome self hosted solutions and For all means and purposes i think microcule is the perfect webservices hosting solution for prototyping, testing and development, perhaps even production with some careful configuration.
node js script to send email over SMTP
I've had this challenge for which the only solution was building an nodejs webhook adapter for my smtp server. Using webhooks and the following script I was able to enable API access for my email server (which it lacked).
const SMTPConnection = require('smtp-connection');
var options = {
host: 'smtp.gmail.com',
port: 465,
secure: true,
// requireTLS: true,
ignoreTLS: true,
debug: true
var envelope = {
from: '<user>@gmail.com',
to: 'email@example.com',
var auth = {
user: '<user>@gmail.com',
pass: '<pass>',
var message="hello world"
let connection = new SMTPConnection(options);
connection.connect(function(err, connect){
console.log("error connecting");
console.log("attempting to login");
connection.login(auth, function(err, connect){
console.log("error logging in");
console.log("logged in");
connection.send(envelope, message, function(err, result){
console.log("email sent");


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New Delhi, Jan 14 (ANI): Lakhs of devotees from across the country took a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Sunday. While praying and worshipping Goddess Durga, devotees took the holy bath in the sacred waters at the confluence of three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati-called Triveni Sangam in Allahabad. On the other hand many devotees from neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh as well took a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar, also known as 'Sagardwip'. Every year, on Makar Sankranti day, an ocean of pilgrims gathers at these places to worship the Goddess.
Watch the Video below

subset: commoncrawl


text:
November 16, 2015
(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)
Among the 24/7 media voices covering terrorism in Paris, one speaker made me pause. "Terrorists deliberately targeted the everyday life of ordinary Parisians." She explained that in the past, terrorists have targeted particular groups of people for their ideology or actions but this time it was anyone doing what they might do on an ordinary day. The latest atrocious attacks were on no one in particular.
I began to imagine what ordinary might mean to Syrian refugees and millions of people around the world, even some in our own country. In my life, ordinary means that I wake up with certain expectations: I know that I will eat today; I do not hear gunshots outside my house; I have consistent shelter; I give and receive love for others; I feel valued and value others; I am a moral and creative person.
Although millions of humans on our shared planet do not share my ordinary, according to Maslow, we all share a hierarchy of needs—visualized as a pyramid of five basic needs, with the most important at the bottom. Maslow believed we start at the bottom and when one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfill the next and so on to the top.
The most basic is physiological— food, water, breathing, sex, sleep. Safety comes next—security of body, employment, resources, health, property. Following that is love and belonging—friendship and family. As we near the top, we need self-esteem, achievement, respect for and from others. Finally, there is self-actualization—morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts.
My ordinary days rise to the top of the pyramid but there are too many who are stuck at the bottom, lack even the most basic needs that should be fulfilled in anyone's ordinary day.
My gift today is an ordinary day.
> Day 343: No Erasers
You can find links to my other posts on this project here:


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Unified timekeeping, scheduling, payroll, HR and engagement portal
The Power of Unity
WorkforceHUB is a one-stop source for payroll and HR related information. Employees get the information they need through a single portal, saving time and reducing errors or miscommunication.
The portal includes core HR workflows, employee engagement tools, payroll records and easy connection to third-party apps. TimeWorksPlus and TimeSimplicity come plugged into the hub, complete with all their timekeeping and scheduling capability. Employees access the portal via smartphones, tablets or other web-connected devices.
How Does WorkforceHUB Work?
An intuitive web clock designed to provide precise time and attendance.
Keep your employees up to date with company news, events, meetings etc.
Employees can now readily find important documents or links all in one location.
Employees can easily access pay stubs, W-2s, 1099s, direct deposits receipts, etc.
Manage Your Workforce Easier Than Ever
Punch tracking, job costing, break enforcement, time-off requests, time card approvals and accruals. All TimeWorksPlus features included.
Build schedules based on business need, skills required, labor law constraints, employee preferences and much more. Manage multiple shifts with ease. All TimeSimplicity features included.
Bi-Directional Payroll Integration (select platforms)
Give employees easy access to pay stubs, 1099s, direct deposit receipts and W2s. Empower them to update tax details (W4) and personal information.
Simplify the new hire experience. Step employees through activation, benefits, handbook review and more. Ensure timely and accurate completion of all tasks.
Benefits Enrollment
Streamline benefits renewal and change processes. Provide cost analysis, selected benefits, and benefits summary confirmation. Step employees through enrollment including electronic signature.
Performance Reviews
Add structure to the review process. Create your own questions and track responses. Attach employee and manager review documents. Drive the process to completion.
Managed Workflows
Easily build workflows for any common task. Automate processes that require acknowledgment to ensure compliance.
Create and display alerts within the portal. Use templates for common alerts. Set triggers by recipient type or hire date. Build custom fields such as next review date. Copy the manager.
Publish a company directory and announcements, birthday list, recognition wall and more. Enable an anonymous suggestion box. Provide a document and link library, and require read receipts for key items such as the employee handbook.
HUB Apps
Shop for compatible applications that augment your payroll and HR environment. The growing list of options includes employee rewards, 401k management, paycheck advances and more to come.


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Simon Mayo used to host an excellent book discussion and review strand as part of his afternoon show on Radio 5 Live, and we're pleased that the book club concept has moved with him over to Radio 2.
The Radio 2 Book Club runs from 18.00 on Monday evenings, and each week features a different author in discussion with Mayo. Listeners are encouraged to get involved by reading the book, and sharing their thoughts via the show's website.
If you don't want to commit to reading the book choice every week, you can usually download a free copy of the first chapter to get an idea of what it is about, and how it is written. If you can't listen live, the author interviews are available for download.
The choice of titles is varied, and in the past year has included novels, biographies and histories, poetry and children's books. There is a Best of 2010 feature by poet Ian Macmillan on the website at the moment, if you want to get an idea of the scope of the programme.
Recent selections have included More Than You Can Say by Paul Torday, Sugar Island by Sanjida O'Connell and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch.
The featured book for the next programme on 21st March is The Gallow's Curse by Karen Maitland, author of Company of Liars and The Owl Killers.
Well worth a listen.


text:
Microsoft's License and Software Assurance model, dubbed Licensing 6.0, has not been met with open arms. As with most things relating to Microsoft licensing, the primary issue is cost. We reported back in October of last year that Microsoft's new scheme was met with resistance, so much so that the company extended the deadline for sign-on and started taking criticisms into account. The deadline to hop on board passed on August 1st, and while analysts were eager to hear from MS about final sign-up rates, Microsoft wasn't saying too much about the success (or lack thereof) of the program. Now the company has formally recognized that the scheme wasn't "easy to understand," and in some cases costs companies more money.
Licensing 6.0 is geared towards term commitments (e.g., 3 years) for those with considerable software expenditures (250+ desktops, for example). It's not for standard home users, or even for small business (yet!). The program is more or less a "replacement" for Microsoft's older volume-licensing agreements, a replacement that is attempting to fuse software subscription ideologies with mass licensing. Yep, this is step one in moving to a software-subscription model. To read more on just what's at stake, and why the program isn't likely to work without massive changes, continue here.


text:
|Project by Brad
|posted 11-29-2012 10:57 PM
|2564 views
|2 times favorited
|17 comments
It was early in the season and the Broncos were getting spanked by Atlanta. Well, at least my lady and I had our cheese plate and a glass of wine to console us. Then it happened. The handle of my favorite cheese knife snapped off at the tip. I was carving off a chunk of "Robusto" cheese from Whole Foods. Clearly the foot pounds of pressure that I applied exceeded the tensile strength of the cheap Chinese plastic handle.
Disgusted, I was half way to the trash with the whole kitten ka boodle before I stopped in mid stride. Rather than consign the blade (which was still good, and oh by the way did I mention how much I like it?) to a landfill to be dug up a thousand years from now by a bearded archeologist, I resolved to fit it with a new handle.
A 2" x 2" piece of pine looked ripe for the project.
So I marked the 4.5" length on a foot-long piece, laid out the center on the end grain and drilled a 1/8" to accept the blade's tang. Then I demarked the handle's end point with shallow saw cuts so as not to sever it from the 1-foot long stick. I did this so that I could more easily shape the handle end because the lower part of the stick would be anchored in my vise.
Next came the drawknife which cut away the bulk of the material. I outlined the perimeter of the ferrule over the end hole then cut away the wood until I got close to fitting it. At this point I switched to 80 grit sandpaper until the ferrule just barely fit over the end.
The drawknife was followed by a very rough rasp, which was followed by a smoother file whose facets looked something like a float. After that I used 80 grit sandpaper to complete the final shaping and finished off the wood going through progressive grits of 100, 220, 320, 400.
One liberal coat of tung oil finish sealed the wood. Then it was a matter of locking the blade in the vise and tapping the wood handle onto the tang. I should have epoxied the tang in the hole, but it feels firm enough at this point.
Then it was time to cut the cheese. Which I did with gusto on my Robusto. Ah…to hold the blade in my hand again is like finding the-most-comfortable-sweatshirt-you-ever-owned-but thought-your-mom threw away, behind the couch.
And it still fits! Cheese on brothers and sisters.
-- "People's lives are their own rewards or punishments."
17 comments so far
#1 posted 11-29-2012 11:27 PM
Nice Work! and nice save!
-- Robert B. Sabina, Ohio..... http://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodenfrogWoodenProd
#2 posted 11-29-2012 11:38 PM
Never toss it, even if it is broken!
I have piles of stuff waiting for handles and hangers and stuff like that!
Good show!
-- Improvise.... Adapt...... Overcome!
#3 posted 11-29-2012 11:39 PM
Good save well done.
-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos wood crafting & woodworking classes
#4 posted 11-30-2012 12:01 AM
Nice save!!
-- http://timetestedtools.net - Collecting is an investment in the past, and the future.
#5 posted 11-30-2012 01:16 AM
Everything is an opportunity for a project
Good work
-- Nature created it, I just assemble it.
#6 posted 11-30-2012 01:32 AM
nice work
-- Nimkee** Joe
#7 posted 11-30-2012 08:57 AM
Man, you really bear down when you cut the cheese.
-- mike...............
#8 posted 11-30-2012 01:38 PM
kitten ka boodle ????
From World Wide Words:
Caboodle has a complicated history. It's been spelt down the years in many different ways, and these days is usually listed in dictionaries with an initial "c". It means a collection of objects, sometimes of people. It commonly turns up in the whole caboodle, meaning "the whole lot". It's recorded in the US from the middle of the nineteenth century. It's probable that the word was originally boodle, with the phrase being the whole kit and boodle, but that the initial sound "k" was added to boodle for euphony.
It seems that the whole kit and caboodle eventually won the linguistic battle for survival in the US because of that repeated "k" sound…
-- "Find out what you cannot do and then go do it!"
#9 posted 11-30-2012 03:40 PM
"Then it was time to cut the cheese…"
Love it! Nice save, too!
-- Don't anthropomorphize your handplanes. They hate it when you do that. -- OldTools Archive --
#10 posted 11-30-2012 06:00 PM
thanks for the story :-)
#11 posted 11-30-2012 09:44 PM
Thanks for the good read!
-- Without the wood, it's just working
#12 posted 11-30-2012 09:44 PM
Mmmmm cheese.
It will taste even better from now on. Well done Brad.
-- Andy - Old Chinese proverb says: "If you think something can't be done, don't interrupt man who is doing it."
#13 posted 11-30-2012 10:54 PM
I like those save stories. I found a ? 5 in 1 tool? used for cleaning paint rollers amoung other things. It had a broken handle. One day my 12 year old grandson was in the shop with me. We were winding down and I said "come over here so I can coach you a little." He made an oak handle from the scrap box. Sanded to fit and securely in place with a coat of polyurethane. Lesson learned – recycle.
The caboodle was revived by some clever marketing about 20-25 years ago. My then teenage daughter had a caboodle. Girls carried the entire kit and caboodle when they spent the night and needed to carry their fixins. It was an over night make up type case.
#14 posted 12-01-2012 10:53 PM
"kit and caboodle", got it. Thank you.
Andy, cheese with wine my friend…preferably a nice chianti from our favorite Tuscan winery of Felsina. Gail and I visited it in 2009 during our visit to Italy. It was a dream come true.
Smitty, I thought you'd enjoy the double entendre.
Overall, the handle is not perfectly rounded. So I've been researching the building of my own treadle lathe.
-- "People's lives are their own rewards or punishments."
#15 posted 12-04-2012 12:37 AM
I love it! Well done.
-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com
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text:
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I often get asked how in the world I'm able to run multiple businesses, do coaching, product launches so effortlessly while spending so much time with my family and traveling the world all at the same time.
It comes down to REAL productivity hacks that work in the real word and I'll teach you here how YOU from now on will EXECUTE like a machine, taking massive action and getting RESULTS because only results count.
This is the exact system that helps me to achieve so much every year.
This Module is jam-packed with training on how to create, run, execute, fill and most importantly MONETIZE powerful webinars step by step.
You'll learn every single strategy, tactic and tool to rock your webinars like never before or if you're new to it, to do your very first webinar with awesome conversions.
From case studies to webinar recordings to landing pages it's all in here based on what's' working for me every week when it comes to making big money from a webinar quickly.
Mike Filsaime has generated multiple Millions within the Online Marketing Industry and has seen it all, from massive product launches to software solutions and I'm sure you heard of his amazing product called Webinar Jam.
There is one thing Mike always focuses on in any project that he starts and that is THE OFFER.
Forget anything else, you MUST nail the offer and create it in a way that is absolutely irresistible, attractive and powerful.
In this session Mike will teach you directly step by step how to create a powerful offer that converts – you can use this training for your sales page, product launches, membership site and even for your emails – don't miss this one !!!
Frank Kern will teach you directly how to position yourself as THE go-to-solution inside your market place.
There isn't a person more well known than Frank when you think about Internet Marketing and in this session you'll learn how the things and operates when it comes to producing content, making offers and positioning yourself as the ultimate authority.
In addition he's also going to share how you can use Consulting as a fantastic fast and powerful way to generate revenue from scratch and he'll show you step by step how he created a new Million Dollar Business from scratch implementing this.
These 5 Modules Have A Combined Value of $2,485…
Making the decision to invest big money in mentoring was SCARY!
Not only did the coaching have a 30k+ price tag on it, I had to scrounge up the money to participate.
If that wasn't bad enough, I had to face my girlfriend and explain to her why investing in mentoring was crucial to my online success – not an easy task when my online income had been rocky and we were already stressing about paying our bills each month.
The stress and hard work paid off. After receiving the coaching, my online business literally took off.
Instead of sitting in the stands and watching my marketing idols speak or launch their products, I am now on stage beside them, teaching thousands of others how to turn small successes into a real business, doing my own product launches.
Now here is the issue, not everyone can drop $30,000+ to learn from the top buys.
I wanted a way for you to be able to get direct training from Frank, Mike and myself without breaking the bank.
That's why I created Online Marketing Mastery and when I first launched it, the price tag was $997 but today you can get it for a fraction of that.
For the next 3 days you can get all the training for next to nothing but once the timer hits zero on Monday, this offer is gone!
Here is what's up in the Online Marketing World:
First of all, it's important to understand that the online industry is becoming saturated with an endless supply of vendors, and as a result…
Customers are sick of promotional emails. Mailing lists are falling flat. Open rates are zilch. Nada. Nothing.
Click through rates are plummeting and commission revenue is scary low.
It's nearly impossible to build up your Webinar attendance.
Product launches are failing to meet sales goals and profits have slowed to a crawl.
And the number one reason many are failing to create a sustainable business?
Enjoying the Comfort of a Monthly Recurring Income!
So what do you do?
You know you want to break free from the 9 to 5 grind. Fire your boss. Enjoy the freedom of owning your own online business. You want to take control of your life. Do the things you want to do, when you want to do them. Most importantly, you don't want to worry about when your next big payday is coming – you want to live stress free, as your recurring income rolls in.
I'm here to tell you that IS possible.
The next level is what I call the "New Rules of Internet Marketing."
Face it, this business isn't what it used to be. And if you're still jumping bandwagons, trying to master the online marketing world through product after product, you're quickly falling behind.
The old tricks DO NOT work any more.
If you want to succeed, then you have to play by the new rules.
From building strategic sales funnels, to creating membership sites and putting together successful product launches, many of my coaching students have overcome the hurdles and are now embracing the New Rules of Internet marketing.
Mark Marcelletti
Mike Wall
Barbara Ling
Costas Peppas
James Malinchak
Brian Anderson
Now it's your turn to take advantage of these cutting edge strategies.
I know how beneficial training from the best in the industry can be – hey, it changed my life and business.
So instead of your typical boring 3 module info product, I decided to put together this exclusive ultra high quality workshop designed just for you.
Forget the days of struggling to take your business to the next level. No more throwing money away on crappy products for zero return. And the stress? Goodbye.
That will all change when you get Online Marketing Mastery today.
"Alright Mario, How Much Will This Cost?"
Here's the thing.
To get insider access like this to my best kept marketing secrets and learn step-by-step how to implement these strategies, you'd have to get on a personal coaching call with me which would cost $2500 for just 1 hour!
I don't half ass anything, so to properly teach you how to use these strategies in your business, we would need several hours together. That means this level of training could easily cost you upwards of $10 000.
Not to mention, you're also getting a sessions from Frank Kern & Mike Filsaime! Frank rarely speaks at events anymore. Period.
BUT! Frank's made a special exception to participate in Online Marketing Mastery to share with you his best marketing strategies. You can't put a price tag on that quality of knowledge!
If that's not enough to convince you, there are plenty of big names who will be making an appearance in this.
When I did this training live for the first time not long ago everyone had to pay $997 straight up.
Only during this launch special you can get EVERYTHING for:
Now, here's the thing…
Although we'd love to price this low all the time, we can't because it wouldn't be fair to the people that paid $997. So we only do this for this short launch special and then the price goes up no matter what.
If you've managed to read this far, then you KNOW you're ready for this level of training.
You're tired of your profits being rocky and you're really for a stable, monthly recurring income.
So if all you can think of is "I don't know if", then change your thinking to "what if".
For example, what if this is THE training that will skyrocket your success and launch your business into the realm of 6-figure marketers?
You know you want this and I am 100% certain that you will be totally thrilled when you see the transformation your business will take after you experience this online workshop.
To secure your ticket at the lowest rate, get a FREE additional ticket for a guest of your choice AND book your hotel room at a ridiculously low rate, all you have to do is click the buy button below!
We're so absolutely sure that Online Marketing Mastery will help your online business that we're offering an unconditional, NO-question-asked 10-day money back guarantee.
If for whatever reason Consulting Mastery does not satisfy you in any way, simply send us an email within 10 days from your purchase and we'll refund you right away!
So, if for any reason you're not happy, you can get your money back within 10 days. Simply contact us. Give it a try…
You have nothing to lose!
I've said it twice already, but I will say it again, getting trained by the best in the industry completely changed my business forever. I've reached levels of success I could only DREAM of 5 years ago.
If I can do it, you can too
Cease this opportunity with both hands!
Can't Wait see you inside the training,
P.S. You know you want to be successful, and with this COMPLETE training system and the best guest contributors in the industry, you'll have everything you need to jumpstart your business for long-term success. This special is limited and time is flying by FAST! Not to mention, the price is going up! If you wait any longer
grab your Spot, you will end up paying more or missing out completely! Click buy now to secure your spot!
P.P.S. If you choose not to get on board, your business will soon die off while others who have embraced the 'New IM Rules' will soar to success. Don't get left in the dust, click the buy button above now! also check top casinos online
Samuel Golding
Jerome "007" Knyszewski
Dr. Blanche Hayden
Ben Littlefield
Mr X.
Lucy Hoger
Chris Smith
Xavier Lannes
Alex Mut


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To plant a dwarf fruit tree, select the site, prepare the planting hole, place the tree, back fill the hole, and stake and mulch the tree. Dwarf fruit trees must be planted with the graft union, which is located near the base of the trunk, exposed above the soil level.
Dwarf fruit trees should be planted in direct sunlight and grow best in loose, workable soil that is rich in organic matter. Select a site with good soil quality.
Dig a planting hole two to three times the diameter of the tree's root zone to loosen the soil for future root growth. The hole should be just deep enough to keep the graft union above soil level when the tree is placed in the hole. Do not disturb the soil at the bottom of the hole when planting containerized trees. When planting bare root trees, create a small mound in the center of the hole. Remove the container carefully, or spread the bare roots out gently, and place the tree in the center of the hole.
When back filling the planting hole, use the same soil excavated from the hole. Press down on the soil to ensure there are no air pockets. Dwarf fruit trees may need a permanent stake installed to ensure development of a straight trunk. After back filling, add a thin layer of organic mulch to maintain soil moisture and temperature levels.


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The Eminence Kilomax Pro 18A PA Replacement Speaker is a perfect subwoofer for DJ rigs, touring subs, club subs, and bass guitar cabs. The Kilomax features a Kapton coil former for increased rigidity and thermal protection; a polyamide-coated, 2-layer copper voice coil for improved power handling and durability; ferrite magnet material; 0.25" extended core for greater cone travel and increased power handling; die-cast aluminum basket for rigidity; a paper cone; Kilomax aluminum heatsink to transfer heat from the motor structure; and core periphery ventilation.
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Not in a good mood/Sad
Slowly calming down from the day, still hurting and weak, but that is getting better. I am officially off the pravastatin as my doc agrees with me. I will be starting the other med, Welchol, on Thursday, and sooooooo happy for insurance, as it is costing me $30 copay a month! I can't imagine what it would be like with out insurance. I know that is not so bad, equals a buck a day.
Which brings me around to why I can't sleep again tonight. I KNOW I need to take care of myself and these are serious issues, but now I am spending money on myself and that takes money away from what my family needs daily. We are extremely tight budget, paycheck to paycheck and often times there isn't anything left before the next payday. I know I can't not take my meds. But man, it is making me feel like a failure. My daughter asked earlier if we could get something special as a treat for after school today, and I had to tell her no, which she hears quite often for various reasons, but this time it is because of me. MY copays to the doctors and the meds. I just don't know what to do about that.
I am hoping to keep the scripts spread out over the month so the weekly out of pocket isn't so bad. Also signed up with hubby's insurance for the flex plan to take money out every week. Thinking I need to up it by $10 though.
Not sure how to fix that in the short term, I know by getting healthier it will help in the long run.
I want to scream, vent, cry, run away from everything!! I want to talk to someone face to face and not see judgement, or be afraid that they will think I am nuts!
I am having nightmares, which is common for me, but for the last few weeks they have really turned and been almost nightly. I find myself waking up from these nightmares and of course hubby is not there, he is on his way to work, has to be there by 5 am. Then while I am still in nightmare mode my mind is not thinking clearly and I believe the nightmare has come true and hubby took off and took the kids too!
We have been married for 15 years, in May it will be 16. He is my rock! We have had our ups and downs, and have gone through H*LL and back, but we are not having problems. We talk daily on his breaks at work, I know the time it takes for him to get home to me from work, he rushes to get home! I tell him constantly he should get a hobby, or a few more friends ;) But he swears he wants to be with his family, and I love him dearly for that!
I hate feeling this way, but I don't know what to do about it! I guess I will just have to deal until I figure out what it is :(
6 replies
It's the old oxygen in the airplane thing…take care of yourself so you can take care of the others, but believe me when I say I hear the pain, confusion, and sorrow you are expressing. It is tough and it does hurt when we have to tell our kids "no" because we can't afford something and we do feel quilty when we feel we can't afford it because of our own needs.
About your nightmares…I find sometimes physical changes and medication changes trigger them. You said you've had them before…but they are now more frequent. Another thing to ponder.
You also talk about the twilight time when you are first waking up, when things are always so distorted, and frequently frightening. You mentioned your fear in the dreamworld that your husband and children are gone. It sounds like he is up early, but I wonder if it might not be good for you to go to bed earlier if you need to and then have him wake you up when he gets up so that you won't have that time of fear and uncertainty. Getting up with him might get you day off on more solid footing despite the yawns. When you are past this stage, you can always go back to sleeping in later.
You are going through a lot of change right now. You and your feelings will even out. Things will get better. This is a time of transition, and it will level out in a while. I'm really glad the doc. agreed that you didn't need the statins. You were just in too much pain.
You are so wise! I hope this helps her!
Next Discussion: Motivation Mantras »


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Tuesday, August 2, 2011
You Know You Are A Farmer's Wife When......
While cleaning house last night I came up with a top 10 plus 1 {that is 11....I'm so good at math...lol} list {someday to be a top 20 or 30 as I can continually come up with new thoughts to add} about being a farm wife. Anyone who is in agriculture or has ever been around it will be able to relate!!!
So here goes.......
You know you are a farmer's wife when.......
* sign language takes on a whole new meaning.
* you can make the meal you prepared for 2 men stretch to feed 4 hungry men when your husband gives you 15 minutes warning that some extra help showed up.
* your bathtub is not only for children, but newborn baby calves.
* 5am is not considered the middle of the night, but time to get up.
* the guy at the parts counter knows you by your first name and not Mrs._____.
* you know the difference between a pickup and a truck.
* the most used app on your ipod is the weather radar.
* you can't sleep because it rained and you want to be the first to report your total rainfall on Facebook.
* you know exactly where to go by following directions like....go up yonder here and turn by the old Smith place and go north about a mile or so till you go past the old wood windmill and then you'll see a fence line with old boots on it........
* you can't go out for your birthday because it is time to drill wheat or go out for your anniversary because you are planting corn or take a summer vacation because you are putting up hay.
* supper time is anywhere from 6pm to midnight.
8 comments:
- JenniferAugust 4, 2011 at 9:35 AM
Hello Farmers Wife, not sure how I came upon your blog, but I love it! From your stories, crafts, and recipes. Although I am not a farmer's wife, I am a farmer's daughter and your list totally hit home for me! Keep up the great post :)ReplyDelete
I am definately not a farmers wife but, I would like to have a calf for a day.ReplyDelete
- Nancy C.August 15, 2011 at 10:01 PM
Love this post and the pictures! Thanks for being such a hard-working farming family!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 14, 2013 at 12:55 PM
I'm a mid western farmers granddaughter and these brought back great summer memories. I was actually raised out side of Washington DC & spent a few memorable summers in SW Mo.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 12, 2013 at 7:17 PM
Love this site, I am a working farm wife, I work as an RN at a clinic for a Doctor, after I get up at 4 am drink coffee help milk 80 cows feed all calves, then I come home to start over helping to finish milking cows feed calves and start supper. We fall into bed at 9ish and sleep soundly til next day, this is our life 7 days a week, 12 months a year. we get really tired but it's in our BLOOD. Oh Well, Wishing city people understood how hard we work to produce great quality milk they drink.ReplyDeleteReplies
You go girl!!!! One of the many reasons I fell in love with my husband was seeing how committed he was to get up at the crack of dawn EVERYDAY and feed cows. I give you a big shout out!!! There are times when my hubs is farming in Hastings so that leaves me on chore duty before I head out the door to work. I do understand the dairy business. My hubs actually worked at a dairy and AI'd heifers. They milked 3 times a day. LOTS OF WORK!!! We also have friends with a dairy in WI. I would love to go visit them someday.Delete
Thank you so much for reading!!!
- AnonymousApril 11, 2014 at 11:00 AM
You nailed that one anonymous...I grew up in town and marrried into farm life...wow 30 years ago already...uffda time flies...I know how little I knew then and it was still more than most know today..We have cut back on the feeder cattle but only a little..I have even begun to look forward to haying. that scares me..Delete
- AnonymousJuly 28, 2016 at 6:57 AM
Farming is really great, this is true. It is also not easy and needs some financial investments. And farming cannot be without good quality equipment. For example, you will definitely need good quality buckets and tubs. I found it here apromera.com for my dad, a farmer. We are satisfied with the quality and prices.ReplyDelete


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Having recently returned from holidays, I was pleased to find Mabel's death certificate waiting for me in the post. As I suspected, she died in Wales. I had heard that she had been living in Bristol with husband Edward (Jack). It turns out that Mabel died on 15 October 1970 at the Energlyn Hospital in Caerphilly.
This is where Energlyn is located in Caerphilly:
View Larger Map
Caerphilly is about 17km north of Cardiff.
Mabel was age 88 at her death. Her occupation was given as "widow of Edward John Newton" and "personal secretary". It appears that her last address was "Brodawel" which was a care home in Energlyn, Caerphilly. Her death was registered by Charlotte Agnes Nicholas, cousin, who lived at 140 Plassey Street, Penarth, the former home of their grandfather, William Huxtable Ball.
The cause of death was given as "acute bronchopneumonia" and cerebral arteriosclerosis.
Cheers, K.


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Barfell Industries
|Energy Audit and Grant Application for Hose Manufacturer
Barfell manufacture over 90% of hose sold in Australia. Enhar was commissioned to assist prepare a Clean Technology Grant Application for the plant to replace an ageing air compressor and investigate other energy saving opportunities.
Enhar conducted an energy audit of the site and identified the carbon savings and energy reduction in the production process arising from installation of the energy efficient variable speed compressor. Enhar also incorporated energy savings from air leak detection and repair and thermal insulation of chilled water pipework as well as other measures. Enhar prepared the grant application aiming to obtain government funding matching Barfell's investment 1 for 1, seeking $36,000 of grant funds towards a project total cost of $72,000.
The grant was confirmed. All measures are installed and Barfells are seeing significant reductions in energy usage and costs per unit of product.
Through Enhars energy audit and assistance, Barfell are currently applying for a Victorian Government grant to upgrade the chilled water system.


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from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- proper n. A maritime traditional county of Wales. bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the east by Denbighshire, to the south by Cardigan Bay and Merionethshire, and to the west by Caernarfon Bay and the Menai Strait, which separates it from Anglesey.
Sorry, no etymologies found.
The Diaries of William Searell of Beddgelert, Caernarfonshire, 1844-1846 competed against over 80 other entries from across the UK.
William's diaries contain a fascinating first-hand account of life in rural Caernarfonshire in the middle of the 19th century, as experienced by an unusually observant 14-year-old.
In 1902, the spot where Llywelyn fell was marked by a memorial stone obelisk but replaced in 1956 by a block of Trefor Grey Granite from Llywelyn's native Caernarfonshire.
Chairman of the board of management, David Lewis, told the society's council at Builth Wells that this year's feature county, Caernarfonshire, had raised £220,000, meeting the cost of the improvement for the showground's main ring.
Her third husband was Maurice Wynn, of the powerful Gwydir family, based at Llanrwst in Caernarfonshire, to whom she was married by early 1573.
FUW Caernarfonshire county executive officer Gwynedd Watkin said: We welcome the National Trust's plans to invest in the farm and provide an opportunity for a local farmer to earn a living at Llyndy while bringing economic and cultural benefits to the community.
Caernarfonshire, Llandudno, Little Orme 1903 posted on 07/05/2010 3: 09: 31 PM PDT
+ a fascinating first-hand account of life in mid 19th century rural Caernarfonshire, as experienced by an unusually observant 14-year-old;
New from the British Library: Spectacular hidden treasures online for the first time « ResourceShelf


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I also stalled out for several weeks on my jubilee quilt. I made the mistake of asking people for advice and there were too many suggestions that it only overwhelmed me. I forced myself to just do it!
So I am, and I hope you like it. And if you don't like it, please don't tell me! lol
Thank you all for commenting on the books. I'm not quite finished with mine, so that will go out as soon as I read the final words. Without further ado here are the winners:
The winners of a book and a pin:
Carrie- Cricketwood Prim
BeeBee- BeeBees Quilts and More
Beth- Beth's Crafts
Winners of the quilt pins:
Jacky from Netherlands- no email
Dora- Dora the Quilter
Please send me your mailing address and I'll get them out right away.
Have a fantastic weekend!!


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Google celebrates Saul Bass on his birthday today.
In signature style, Brand New picks apart its own "hardcore" conference logo—a graphically executed Megatron of design trends.
Why won't the debate of digital vs. film—which is better—just die already?
In Adobe's ascent to the Creative Cloud, dedicated Fireworks users feel left behind.
// From our friends at Communication Arts


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5/23 at 12:30 a.m. Jarod J. Donothan, 33, of Middle Road, Woolwich, was arrested on U.S. Route 1 by Officer Mike Lever on an outstanding local warrant.
5/23 at 10 p.m. Allen L. Fogg, 27, of Heath Lane, was arrested on Heath Lane by Officer Eric Bryan on an outstanding local warrant.
5/7 Thomas Koehling, 43, of Spring Street, was issued a summons on Spring Street by Officer Mark Steele on a charge of criminal trespass.
5/22 Kelly A. Cavallaro, 30, of Elm Street, was issued a summons on Centre Street on a charge of operating with a suspended or revoked license.
5/20 at 4:36 a.m. Smoke investigation on Congress Avenue.
5/20 at 12:01 p.m. Unattended burn on Marshall Avenue.
5/20 at 8:01 p.m. Overheated power panel on Oak Grove Avenue.
5/21 at 4:06 p.m. Motor vehicle collision on High Street and U.S. Route 1.
5/21 at 3:08 p.m. Mulch fire on State Road.
5/21 at 3:29 p.m. Mulch fire on Chandler Drive.
5/22 at 2:24 p.m. Wires down on Court and Quimby streets.
5/23 at 11:46 a.m. Mulch fire on Chandler Drive.
5/23 at 1:32 p.m. Mulch fire on Chandler Drive.
5/23 at 7:47 p.m. Grill fire on Bedford Street.
5/24 at 11:10 p.m. Mulch fire on Washington Street.
Bath emergency medical services responded to 34 calls from May 18-24.


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Finding BioInspiration with Terratek Flex
Learn how a group of product designers used our elastomer to fill a gap in the 3D printing filament market.
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5 Cool Things About LeBron James
LeBron James announced he will return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But plenty of Cavs fans are still upset with him since he left town in 2010. WSJ's Lee Hawkins cites five things about Lebron that should make them reconsider.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... still the Prime James is returning to Cleveland City where just a few years ago he was the spine it's it's hard to believe that it wouldn't be at least the few clean and plans that are still sore ... over the fact that his two thousand Tint departure for my because businesses including a reported fifty million dollars the year in that book or the people who still don't like him here are five ... things about the privacy ... why ... he's made himself into one of the most valuable brands and for Forbes estimates he earned a hundred and twenty six million dollars in paying salary during his NBA career but that is because checks have always come from endorsement deals ... that include the seven year ninety million dollars half with Nike and additional deals with local color and upper deck to ... the North Warren Buffett ... around two thousandseven O'Brian s Marquis jet founder Ken Victor to introduce into Buffett thinking Buffett would be a good resource and mentor ... in the sports world rife with bankruptcies in scandal ... an athlete who uses his platform to Ford's business relationships that can help bring value ... in its current and post a reader is extraordinary ... three ... he's a great businessman ... when Apple purchase of Beats Electronics for three billion dollars recently ... the brown reportedly realize a profit of thirty million dollars in cash and stock ... that's thanks to a small stake YouTube in the company in exchange for an endorsement ... even owns a stake in Liverpool FC to British soccer club's ... things to another marketing to reach the jetty strive ... for ... he's a gutsy leader ... whether you agree with them or not ... Brian James is not afraid to take a stand on the issues that he cares about he did so early in Korea when he appointed his friend never Carter and is now teaching rich off ... the market is Korea against the advice of most of the sporting world and he wasn't afraid to weigh in on controversial issues such as that rate on Martin case ... and the Donald Sterling come ... by and most importantly he's forgiving when the bride decided to leave leaving for Miami in two thousand ten ... Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert called the decision of power in the Pretoria ... and even said that Stephen would win a championship before the brown one ... of course we know what happened ... and abroad was smart enough to that the comment slide on the possibility that he could eventually ... go back ... going back to a city that hasn't won the title since nineteen sixty four when the Browns won the NFL championship perhaps O'Brien can help change that now wouldn't that be cool for Cleveland ... for The Wall Street Journal ... on the talk ...


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'Dredd' Lays Down the Law With New Poster and Pics
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to get stoked for the 'Dredd' -- that is, if you weren't stoked already. We've got the official poster and two new images from the film that are rather... arresting. (Please, hold your applause until the end.)
The poster and images come courtesy of our friends at JoBlo, and while they don't show off too much, that poster is pretty sleek, promising a confident, different take on the source material.
Based on the British comic book character, 'Dredd' is about a future where uniformed judges have the power to cite, arrest, prosecute, and even execute, removing the need for traditionally structured law enforcement.
A movie based on the story was released in 1995 starring Sylvester Stallone as the titular Judge Dredd, a judge convicted a crime he didn't commit. The film was very much a product of its time, with corny dialogue, ridiculous costumes, and absurd action.
We're hoping for something a little more advanced this time around, as Karl Urban dons the suit to take down a gang dealing drugs that alter the fabric of the user's reality. 'Dredd' co-stars Olivia Thirlby and Lena Headey and is directed by Pete Travis ('Vantage Point').
Check out the new poster and images below.


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2019 Civil War Conference Speakers & Guides:
Larry Alexander is a journalist and military historian who has written a number of books about WWII. In 2005 he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Alexander knew Dick Winters. His book "Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, the Man Who Led the Band of Brothers" was published in 2005 and made the New York Times best-seller list.
Ted Alexanderis the co-founder and host of our seminars. He is the author, editor, or contributor to 10 books on the Civil War and other aspects of American history, as well as more than 200 book reviews and articles for publications such as Civil War Times and The Washington Times. He recently retired as the Chief Historian at Antietam National Battlefield.
Scott Anderson has been co-coordinator for Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours for more than 15 years. He is the author of a number of articles on the Civil War for publications such as The Washington Times. Currently, he is a part-time lecturer at Shepherd University.
Edwin C. Bearss is America's premier battlefield tour guide. Bearss is a former Marine who served in the Pacific in WWII and is the Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service. Author of more than 20 books and numerous articles on the Civil War, he has been a featured commentator on Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The Civil War," History Channel and C-Span. Bearss has been a mainstay of the Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours since our founding in 1989.
Steve Bockmilleris a planner for the city of Hagerstown and the author of several books including "Hagerstown in the Civil War." He is also a member of the U.S.S. Constellation Museum Advisory Board.
Steve French is a West Virginia native and author of the award-winning "Imboden's Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign" along with "Rebel Chronicles: Raiders, Scouts and Train Robbers of the Upper-Potomac," and the recently released "Phantoms of the South Fork: Captain McNeill and His Rangers." His articles have appeared in numerous publications including The Washington Times. French's awards include the 2009 Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Book Award, the 2016 Henry Kyd Douglas Award, and others.
Col. Douglas Mastrianois retired from the U.S. Army where he served several places including NATO Headquarters in Germany and the U.S. Army War College. His first book was "Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne." Mastriano received multiple awards for this book, including the 2015 William E. Colby Award.
David Moore is a veteran Living Historian with more than 40 years of depicting soldiers and civilians of the colonial period. David is retired from the Maryland State Park system where he served for 37 years as a Historian at Fort Frederick State Park. He currently is Vice President and Project Manager at Pennsylvania's FortLoudoun, where he oversees facility repairs, reconstruction and development.
Thomas J. Ryan is the author of "Spies, Scouts and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign," an award-winning book about intelligence operations in the campaign. His latest book is "Lee is Trapped and Must Be Taken": Eleven Fateful Days after Gettysburg, July 4-14, 1863. Mr. Ryan is the Ed Bearss Awardee for 2017.
Dr. Richard Sommers is the Senior Historian Emeritus at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center and an instructor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. He has been a commentator on C–Span and The History Channel and recently authored "Challenges of Command in the Civil War."
Martin West is this year's Scholar in Residence at the Symposium. West is recognized both here and abroad as one of the foremost scholars on the colonial wars of America. He served as Director of Fort Ligonier from 1981 until his retirement in 2011. He served on the Advisory Council of George Washington Scholars at Mount Vernon and lectures frequently at colleges and historical groups. West is contributor and editor of four works on the colonial wars. His latest publication is the editing of "Bouquet's Expedition Against the Ohio Indians in 1764."
Dennis Frye is the Chief Historian at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. He has appeared numerous times as a commentator on PBS, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and A&E. Frye is the author of more than 98 articles and nine books. His latest is September Suspense: Lincoln's Union in Peril.
Wayne Motts is the CEO of the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. A licensed battlefield guide at Gettysburg National Military Park, he is the former Adams County Historical Society director and is the author of several works including a new study of Pickett's Charge and a biography of Confederate General Lewis A. Armistead.
Jim Schmick is the co-founder of Camp Curtin Historical Society and has been recognized by the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatvies for promoting Pennsylvania history and restoration efforts. Jim is appointed to the Gettysburg, PA Monuments Project Committee by State Rep. Harry Readshaw of the 36th Legislative Dist., Alleghany Co. He has also been honored with the Historian of the Year for the Cumberland County Historical Society.
Past Speakers & Guides
(who we hope to host again soon!):
Perry Jamieson is a retired historian with the Department of the Defense and the author of numerous books on the Civil War, tactics and other aspects of military history such as Attack and Die: Civil War Military Tactics and the Southern Heritage, co-authored with Grady McWhitney. His other works include Crossing the Deadly Ground: United States Army Tactics, 1865-1899 and Winfield Scott Hancock: Gettysburg Hero.
Christopher Kolakowski is the Director of the Douglas MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Va. He has spent his career interpreting/preserving American military history with various institutions including NPS, Civil War Trust, and others. He has published two books on the Civil War including a volume on the 1862 Virginia Campaigns.
Steve Bockmiller is a planner for the city of Hagerstown. The author of several books, his latest is Hagerstown in the Civil War. He is a member of the U.S.S. Constellation Museum Advisory Board and is a member of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Advisory Board.
Tom Clemens earned his doctoral degree at George Mason University where he studied under Maryland Campaign historian Dr. Joseph L. Harsh. He has published a wide variety of magazine articles and book reviews, has appeared in several documentary programs, and is a licensed tour guide at Antietam National Battlefield. A retired professor from Hagerstown Community College, he also helped found and is the current president of Save Historic Antietam Foundation, Inc. Clemens is the editor of the two volume Maryland Campaign by Ezra Carman.
Stuart Dempsey is a veteran leader of American Revolution, Civil War and European World War II tours, where one of his areas of specialization is the 20th century history of Berlin. Dempsey has served as a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park since 2004. He is the author of many articles for various historical magazines, is completing a book-length manuscript on selected Federal units at Gettysburg, and has taught courses on military history for Harrisburg Area Community College.
Mike Gorman is a native of Richmond, Va. and attended the Virginia Military Institute. He has worked for the National Park Service since 1999. He is also recognized as an expert on Civil War photography and currently is working on a book on the wartime photography of Richmond. In 2011, he served as an historical advisor on the set of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln and more recently on the film Free State of Jones.
Drew Gruber holds his B.A. from Mary Washington College and his M.S. from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the executive director of Civil War Trails, a member of the Virginia Board of Historic Resources and interim director for the Williamsburg Battlefield Association.
Ethan Rafuseis Associate Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is the author of several books, including McClellan's War.
David Ruth is Superintendent of Richmond National Battlefield Park (NBP). He is a native of Pennsylvania and a graduate of Virginia Tec. Ruth has been with the National Park Service for 42 years. Besides Richmond, he has served at parks such as Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park., Manassas National Battlefield Park and Fort Sumter National Monument. He is an active preservationist and has done much to upgrade Richmond NBP.
Ed Sanders has over 20 years of experience at Richmond National Battlefield Park presenting tours and programs. During his time as a front line ranger, he was awarded the Northeast Region's Excellence in Interpretation award for his work in interpretive programming. In 2010, Ed was made the Supervisory Park Ranger at Richmond NBP.
John A. Miller currently serves as the Washington Township Historian and Museum Director of the Monterey Pass Battlefield Park. He has written numerous articles on the Civil War, and most recent publication is about Maryland's Catoctin Mountain during the Civil War.
Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters is a retired U.S. Army officer, author, and media commentator. He has written 30 works of fiction and non-fiction. Among them are the critically acclaimed Civil War novels: Cain at Gettysburg and Hell or Richmond.
Dana Shoaf is the editor of Civil War Times magazine, the largest and oldest popular Civil War magazine. He also serves on the Washington Post's Civil War sesquicentennial advisory board.
Steve French is an authority on the Civil War in the Lower Shenandoah Valley. He has authored a number of books on the subject, including an award-winning study of General John Imboden's command in the Gettysburg Campaign.
Jerry W. Holsworth is the assistant archivist for the Handley Regional Library in Winchester. Holsworth often gives Civil War tours and has written several articles for Blue and Gray Magazine as well as the Civil War Times. He is the author of Civil War Winchester and Stonewall Jackson and Winchester.
Scott Patchan is a director on the board of the Kernstown Battlefield Association in Winchester, Virginia and is a member of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation's Resource Protection Committee. He is the author of many articles and books including The Last Battle of Winchester: Phil Sheridan, Jubal Early, and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
John Schildt is a battlefield guide at Antietam National Battlefield. He has been a lecturer and guide for the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute, Chicago CWRT, and other groups. He has written many books on Antietam including Frederick in the Civil War and Hills of Glory.
Daniel Carroll Toomey is this country's major authority on Maryland in the Civil War. He has authored more than ten books on the subject, including The Civil War in Maryland. He is currently the guest curator at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum for their project, The War Came by Train, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
Keven Walker is the CEO of Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. Walker serves as a member of the NPS national advisory team on cultural resources and historic preservation. He is the author of Antietam: A Guide to the Landscape and Farmsteads, and is a frequent and popular speaker/tour guide for groups such as Chambersburg Civil War Seminars & Tours.
Jeffry Wert is the author of a number of books on the Civil War, including The Sword of Lincoln: The Army of the Potomac and Gettysburg: Day Three, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Wert is a frequent speaker at our seminars.
Eric Wittenberg is one of this country's foremost experts on Civil War cavalry. He is the author of more than a dozen books on the subject, including the best-selling Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg. Mr. Wittenberg has also written Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan.
Gary Ecelbarger is the author of seven books, four contributed works, and more than two dozen magazine articles about the Civil War and its participants. He has written three books specific to the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, including battle histories of Kernstown, Front Royal and Winchester, and within the past five years has published three feature Generals Tours for Blue & Gray Magazine on 1862 operations at Front Royal, Cross Keys and Port Republic. Among the topics for his future book projects is a history of the final two weeks of the campaign. Ecelbarger has lived in Northern Virginia for the past 25 years; he resides in Annandale with his wife and three children.
Gregory Urwin is a military historian whose work spans the American War of Independence through World War 2. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and has published nine books. He currently serves as the general editor of a new book series, Campaigns and Commanders, which blends traditional operational history and military biography with the "new military history."
Mitch Yockelson is the recipient of the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award, is an archivist with the National Archives and a professor of military history at Norwich. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and he has appeared on 60 Minutes, Fox News, PBS, and The History Channel. He is the author of four books, including biographies of Generals MacArthur and Grant.
Tom Parson is a park ranger/historian at the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, a unit of Shiloh National Military Park. His research focuses on the military activities in North Mississippi during the Civil War. Parson is the author of Bear Flag and Bay State in the Civil War: The Californians of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed "Work for Giants": The Campaign and Battle of Tupelo/Harrisburg, Mississippi, June – July 1864.
Tim Smith is the leading authority on the Battle of Shiloh. He is the author of the award-winning study Shiloh: Conquer or Perish. Smith is also the author or editor of more than 12 other books on the Civil War including Rethinking Shiloh: Myth and Memory and Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation. He currently teaches at the University of Tennessee, Martin.
Starke Miller is the leading authority on Ole Miss in the Civil War and has a tour company, Miller Civil War Tours. Miller is the historian for the 11th Mississippi Memorial Committee and is working on his first book, University of Ole Miss at Shiloh: Students and Alumni.
Larry Mangus has served as the Commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for nine years and is the President of the Friends of the Seige and Battle of Corinth Commission. Mangus is also a volunteer at Shiloh National Military Park and has an extensive Civil War collection on display at the Corinth Interpretive Civil War Center. He has relatives on both sides of the Civil War with one from the Union who fought at Shiloh.
Robert E. L. Krick is one of the leading authorities on the Civil War in and around Richmond. He is an historian at Richmond National Battlefield Park and a 28-year veteran of the NPS serving in places like Little Bighorn Battlefield and Manassas National Battlefield. His latest book is Staff Officers in Gray.
Robert M. Dunkerly is a historian, award-winning author, and speaker who is actively involved in historic preservation and research. He has worked at nine historic sites, written twelve books and over twenty articles. He is a past President of the Richmond Civil War Round Table, and has taught courses at Central Virginia Community College, the University of Richmond, and the Virginia Historical Society. Dunkerly is currently a Park Ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park.
Doug Crenshaw studied history at Randolph-Macon College and the University of Richmond. A volunteer for the Richmond National Battlefield Park, he is a popular speaker, and tour leader. His book, Fort Harrison and The Battle of Chaffin's Farm, was nominated in the nonfiction category for a Library of Virginia Literary award. Doug has also written The Battle of Glendale: Robert E. Lee's Lost Opportunity, and It Shall not be Given Up!, a survey and tour of the Seven Days campaign.
John J. Fox III is a native of Richmond, Va, and is a seven year veteran of the U.S. Army where he served as a tank commander and aviator. Fox is the author of three books on the Civil War, including the critically acclaimed Stuart's Finest Hour: The Ride Around McClellan, June 1862.


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Last Chance Saloon
a novel by Marian Keyes
PRICE : IDR 35.000,- (used, good condition)
Poolberg, 2000, ISBN 1-85371-982-X, 596 pages, english, paperback
Amazon.com Review
Desperately single thirtysomething men and women populate Keyes's breezy novel. Childhood friends Tara, Katherine, and Fintan muddle along, dealing with the indignities and inconveniences we all face–and then some. Tara's perfectly horrible, freeloading boyfriend Thomas watches her diet like a hawk and remarks cruelly on the size of her posterior, comparing her unfavorably to younger, thinner women. Katherine is a professional success, but her personal life is nonexistent. Every one of her prior relationships–six in all–has ended disastrously, with Katherine getting dumped. Each time, she retreats further and further into her shell, until her most intimate relationship is with her remote control. Fashion industry insider Fintan has found true love with his Italian boyfriend, Sandro, but a health crisis threatens their happiness. Tara, Katherine, and Fintan, as well as their quirky cast of friends (people with names like Lorcan and Mandii), live, love, and learn the hard way, the only way they can. Not quite as obsessive as Bridget Jones and that damn diary of hers, Keyes manages to convey a painfully accurate portrayal of what it means to be single today, tempered by a few of life's less humiliating and more important lessons, like the value of true friendship. Funny and irreverent, Keyes's Last Chance Saloon is a terrific vacation read. –Alison Trinkle
From Publishers Weekly
Imagine Bridget Jones in a Jacobean revenge drama, a sort of 'Tis a Pity She's Single that's the flavor of this entry in the urban unmarried female angst sweepstakes. This time, the protagonists are two London women who grew up together in the small, repressive Irish town of Knockavoy. Tara, a computer analyst, lives with Thomas, a bitter and miserly high school geography teacher. Afraid to live on her own, she is willing to overlook the fact that Thomas ignores her birthday, constantly monitors her eating habits and insults her friends under the guise of being "honest." Katherine Casey, an accountant for an advertising agency, wears boring suits, has a hyperorganized underwear drawer and brushes off all advances, including those of attractive advertising account executive Joe Roth. As they turn 31, each woman is full of suggestions for improving the other's life and full of excuses for doing nothing about her own. That begins to change when Fintan O'Grady, their gay pal and fellow Knockavoy refugee, falls ill with a mysterious disease. As their paths are crisscrossed by a self-centered Irish actor named Lorcan Larkin, Fintan emotionally blackmails Tara and Katherine into making long-needed changes. Keyes (Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married) effectively describes the young women's searches for autonomy and love, but her flippant, arch tone is less effective when recounting the more grim stories of Fintan and Lorcan. In addition, some of the repartee, perhaps fresh when the book was originally published in Great Britain in 2001, already seems shopworn. The Knockavoy refugees are a sympathetic trio, however, and their deftly plotted saga is likely to appeal to fellow singletons. (Aug.)Forecast: Readers will have to be nearly as desperate as the heroines of Keyes's relationship drama to find satisfaction here but there's no underestimating the appeal of even halfway decent girl-talk books.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.