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Director, Digital & Social Marketing - The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and Bulgari
- Employer
- Marriott International, Inc.
- Location
- Bethesda, MD
- Posted
- Jun 06, 2018
- Closes
- Jun 18, 2018
- Industry
- Media / Journalism / Advertising
- Career Level
- Experienced (Non-Manager)
- Hours
- Full Time
Posting Date Apr 14, 2018 Job Number 18000Y8T Job Category Sales and Marketing Location Marriott International HQ, Bethesda, Maryland VIEW ON MAP Brand Corporate Schedule Full-time Relocation? No Position Type Management Start Your Journey With Us Marriott International is the world's largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed. We believe a great career is a journey of discovery and exploration. So, we ask, where will your journey take you? JOB SUMMARY The Director, Brand Digital & Social Marketing for The Ritz Carlton and St. Regis will play a key role in developing the digital & social strategy designed to drive performance for Marriott's classic luxury portfolio of brands. The role will be a core member of the global marketing organization and an integral part of the assigned brand marketing teams. The director will oversee a team assigned to execute digital & social strategy for our classic luxury portfolio which includes brand extensions for Ritz Carlton Reserve, Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, as well as BVLGARI Hotels. The Director and his/her team are responsible for the planning and execution of digital and social media marketing activities that deliver against brand marketing and digital goals and meet or exceed key performance indicators. The role oversees digital marketing content strategy, social media marketing, as well as strategic influencer activations. The Director will partner with brand marketing to plan all digital & social related activities and prioritize based on goals, performance, budget, and priorities. He/She will lead and oversee the digital content strategy and execution of the comprehensive brand digital eco-system consisting of dedicated brand websites, brand social media channels, and other digital touchpoints across Marriott.com, SPG.com, and more. The Director will oversee the planning and strategy of social media experiences spanning brand and hotel level on key platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and others supporting the brand's overarching strategies (ie awareness, engagement, etc). This role will oversee the strategic use of influencers to enhance brand goals and launch successful activations that drive performance within digital and social channels. The Director partners across the global center media of excellence to ensure digital & social marketing experiences are supported within the brand's overall marketing plan. This role will report to the Senior Director, Brand Digital & Social Marketing Luxury Brands and partner closely with key members of the luxury brand team, global marketing, creative and content studio, digital marketing, public relations, digital agencies, key hotel stakeholders, and the field/continental organizations. CANDIDATE PROFILE Education and Experience Preferred 4-year degree from an accredited university in from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, or related major 8+ years of relevant professional experience in of relevant professional experience in marketing or related function, demonstrating progressive career growth and pattern of exceptional performance. 5-7 years of digital marketing and social media marketing Knowledge and passion for luxury and travel space is strongly encouraged Experiences applicable to the Job Demonstrated experience with digital marketing and advertising strategy and execution Demonstrated experience with developing, launching, managing website and mobile projects Demonstrated experience with Social Media marketing, monitoring, management, content and advertising Demonstrated experience with social media influencer programs Demonstrated experience with digital campaign analytics and reporting Solid understanding of digital marketing trends and industry best practices Solid understanding of mobile platforms, devices and trends Experience or understanding of paid search, SEO, and website measurement and analytics Proven skill in working across multiple and distinct functional organizations (eg, brand marketing, digital, global marketing, international) in support of specific business priorities Effective written and oral communications skills Comfortable working independently Demonstrated experience and success in a highly matrixed cross functional organization Managerial experience Attributes Demonstrates self-confidence, energy and enthusiasm. Ability to solve problems quickly, think creatively, and satisfy Internet speed-to-market requirements. Team player that works well with counterparts from various functions/departments and has the ability to influence the work of counterparts without direct reporting accountability Skilled at establishing effective relationships with internal and external partners CORE WORK ACTIVITIES Digital and Social Media Marketing Leading brand planning efforts, overseeing strategy and execution of holistic digital and social initiatives: Responsible for partnering with brand marketing to plan digital & social marketing efforts that support brand and digital goals. Responsible for designing a strategy and prioritizing, managing, supporting and executing digital marketing strategy initiatives (brand website, social media, paid media, search engine marketing, Marriott.com/SPG.com initiatives, field support) to support the brands. Work autonomously to author and drive digital/social strategy for brand initiatives while also providing strategic guidance for regional and hotel-level initiatives if applicable. Oversee and drive strategy and workflow of digital marketing and advertising campaigns supporting the digital brand strategy. Manage agency / freelance resources and oversee strategic initiatives related to digital and social strategy for the brands they support. Digital and Social Content Strategy oversight and strategy: Direct oversight of brand website strategy, optimizations, and day to day maintenance Lead digital brand ecosystem work in partnership with Marriott.com product leads and Senior Director. Partner with Digital product teams for brand positioning updates to Marriott.com/SPG.com hotel websites Work with agency and internal partners to deliver creative assets such as digital display, video, social media assets, paid search ads, emails, landing pages, on-site promotional placements Oversee brand social media content creation, approval of editorial calendar, and influencer programs implemented by agency or in house. Oversee social media monitoring, advertising, promotions/contests and other activations implemented by agency or in house. Oversee the writing, brand voice and content for brand level social media and digital channels. Oversee agencies and/or social media writers for each brand. Oversee development of the Social Media Playbook for hotels/field/agencies and lead calls related to this content Oversee influencer strategy and leverage best practices across the team. Manage digital/social marketing budget Provide regular direction and communication to internal Paid Media COE and SEO teams to maximize the performance of campaigns. Partner with Measurement and Analytics team on digital dashboard creation, KPI definition and alignment, and regularly report out performance and learnings to key stakeholders and executive team Consult and partner with stakeholders to provide expertise: Consult with brand marketing leads on branded content (video series, brand films, etc) initiatives and in some cases lead them. Liaise with Marriott content studio to collaborate on influencer, MLive, and content creation where relevant. Liaise with internal social media teams to collaborate on best practices and customer care integration. Develop strong relationships with Marriott subject matter experts and channel leaders, agencies, media and distribution partners to cost-effectively maximize opportunities for the brand while ensuring high-quality on-strategy creative is delivered. Monitor and report out on industry best practices and competitive/landscape trends Liaise with internal and external PR teams to ensure tight integration and holistic campaigns. Create streamlined information for internal reports/audits/analysis of digital marketing performance (including but not limited to Marriott.com, SPG.com, Brand Website, Social media, Paid Media, Search) and well as create compelling marketing and reporting presentations Support and liaise with the field organization and other team members on digital/social marketing best practices to ensure digital strategy alignment. Work with the hotels, field organization and agency partners to ensure local level social media is implemented and on strategy, ongoing communication will be critical Keep digital marketing flowcharts/plans/budgets up to date Handle additional projects / functions as assigned Assist senior associates in achieving business results by: Identifying opportunities to enhance process Provide training and guidance to field Participate in annual planning sessions Achieving results within scope of responsibility MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES Building Relationships Coworker Relationships Builds credibility with others and encourages strong working relationships. Creates a work environment in which others feel comfortable sharing thoughts and feedback. Shows awareness of how own behavior impacts others and the work environment. Encourages others to work together. Customer Relationships Models and empowers others to anticipate and respond to customer/stakeholder preferences and feedback. Clearly explains policies in ways that create strong customer/stakeholder relationships. Monitors customer/stakeholder satisfaction and takes appropriate action. Resolves customer/stakeholder issues and concerns raised by others. Global Mindset Creates an environment where everyone is valued and included. Models and coaches others on representing the Company culture of service, opportunity, respect, and fair treatment. Acts when others are treated unfairly or are not valued and respected for their unique skills. Looks for and uses ideas and opinions from diverse sources. Attracts, develops, and retains a multicultural and multigenerational workforce. Gives all associates the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Organizes activities that promote inclusion. Maintains an awareness of changing customer/stakeholder and associate characteristics. Generating Talent and Organizational Capability Organizational Capability Ensures the right jobs are in place to do the work. Looks for ways to better organize work and assign tasks. Continuously improves work processes. Brings together the appropriate mix of associate knowledge and skills to do the job. Models and coaches team on scope of decisionmaking authority. Uses meetings and other forums to regularly communicate with team. Talent Management Reinforces an environment that supports feedback and ongoing development. Models expectations for desired/required acceptable behavior, knowledge, and skill levels. Develops direct reports by identifying needs and partnering on developmental plans. Supports recruitment efforts and builds relationships to attract top talent. Models and coaches others on making effective hiring decisions using available tools and processes. Ensures successful onboarding of new talent. Leadership Adaptability Models and coaches others on staying calm and focused during stressful situations. Communicates to others why change is happening and how it impacts their work. Models flexibility when managing multiple demands and changing priorities. Provides resources that help others deal with change and challenges. Adjusts team and own priorities when experiencing change or challenges. Determines how change impacts stakeholders and communicates concerns to leadership. Communication and Professional Demeanor Clearly presents complex information using different methods. Adapts communication style based on the audience. Demonstrates active listening to ensure understanding. Models and coaches others on appropriately interpreting verbal and nonverbal behavior. Models and coaches others on displaying professionalism and gaining respect from others. Problem Solving and Decision Making Identifies issues and makes suggestions to solve complex problems affecting daily work. Models and coaches others on breaking complex issues into manageable parts. Looks for and shares information with others before making a decision. Models and coaches others on identifying and evaluating alternatives and their implications before making decisions. Involves and gains agreement from others when making key decisions. Makes complex decisions and works with others to implement solutions in reasonable amount of time. Learning and Applying Professional Expertise Applied Learning Sets own career goals and identifies developmental areas for self and others. Uses resources and challenging assignments to improve performance of self and others. Gathers, shares, and uses information about industry and discipline trends and best practices. Budgets for training to support associate development, as applicable. Coaches and holds others accountable for professional growth. Business Acumen Ensures others understand how their work impacts property and team performance. Coaches others on the drivers of performance and their impact on key business and property metrics. Shows an understanding of how different customer/stakeholder groups have different revenue potential. Identifies innovative ways to improve, productivity, customer/stakeholder satisfaction, and profitability. Technical Acumen Maintains advanced technical knowledge and skills and models their use for others. Models and promotes the appropriate use of facilities, equipment, and materials to perform the job. Demonstrates and shares expertise in policies, procedures, and legal requirements. Manages and completes complex technical assignments and coaches others on solving advanced technical issues. Demonstrates and reinforces technical standards and processes to support work requirements. Managing Execution Building and Contributing to Teams Promotes teamwork by explaining how each associate supports shared goals. Builds commitment to team goals by explaining how they support department and property success. Works with team members to solve issues and make decisions that impact them. Manages disagreements among team members. Recognizes department, team, and individual achievements. Driving for Results Creates a team environment that encourages accountability, high standards, and innovation. Makes sure others understand performance expectations. Sets and tracks goal progress for self and others. Monitors the work of others to ensure it is completed on time and meets expectations. Breaks down barriers so team members can accomplish their work. Planning and Organizing Prioritizes group activities based on importance, urgency, and impact to goals. Manages team workload and delegates assignments appropriately. Ensures team members have the equipment, materials, and other resources needed to accomplish their work. Avoids conflicts when setting project timelines and communicates key milestones and deadlines to others. Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. Marriott International does not discriminate on the basis of disability, veteran status or any other basis protected under federal, state or local laws.


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Commercial Construction
Let's face it, there is a lot of commercial lease space available thanks to the overall slow down of small businesses in America. To stay competitive and receive the better tenants, that pay on time, at your desired price per square foot, you need to have a modern, fresh look. Savvy commercial tenants know to keep there business updated, they look and pay premium for updated, modern commercial space. Modern finish outs go fast, that's the bottom line. We are the commercial remodeling construction company that can make ready your place at an inexpensive price, so that it will all make sense for you to update your building. Let's open a new chapter in your financial security by updating your commercial property portfolio.
We also take Professional pictures of your new modern building's finish out, and provide them to use for sharing and marketing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Yoga is a great way to get in shape and to relax. Read this article to familiarize yourself with a few basic practices.
Find a place where you can practice yoga comfortably. Choose the kind of environment you can relax in: go to a park or practice at home. You should have enough room and be able to move comfortably and feel at ease about exercising. If you feel self-conscious about people looking at you, stay at home. If the fresh air and the sun help you relax, go to your local park. You can also join a yoga class to exercise with other yoga enthusiasts. Try different environments if you are not sure what is best for you.
Get a quality mat to practice yoga on. You can easily find mats in specialized stores or on the internet. Talk with other yoga enthusiasts to find out what kind of mats are ideal, but you can usually trust most products advertised as yoga mats. Invest in a quality mat but do not assume that the most expensive product is the best. Since you will be taking your mat to yoga class or to the park, choose a product that is resistant enough and will last you years. If necessary, get two or three mats so you have one at home and one at work.
Practicing yoga will become easier over time. At first, you might not be able to fully relax. You can get the most out of your yoga workout by reading about the philosophy of yoga and breathing properly. Use meditation and breathing techniques to focus on your exercises and fully relax. Set goals for yourself and ask questions to other people who practice yoga.
Yoga books can be very helpful. Read reviews of different books and choose one that seems adapted to what you expect to achieve by practicing yoga. Some books focus on relaxation, others help you develop your body through yoga. Perhaps you could read different books and decide how you want to approach yoga. You should also consider joining a yoga class: your instructor will be able to answer your questions and help you develop your own personal approach to yoga and help you meet your goals.
Start with easy poses and keep practicing until you can execute them perfectly. Your muscles will gain flexibility and you will become able to execute more complex poses with time. You can learn poses by joining a yoga class or doing some research online. You should watch videos, read articles or talk to other people who practice yoga to learn about different poses. Keep trying new poses to keep things interesting and work on every part of your body. Take things slowly and upgrade your routine regularly. As you learn new poses, you should also learn more about relaxation and meditation techniques so you can fully master yoga as you progress.
Do not let yoga intimidate you. It is a good exercise if you choose poses that correspond to your current level. Start doing your research or join a class!


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ritz or saltines?
I hope you have seen Wallace and Gromit's Grand Day Out, in which they run out of cheese, build a spaceship and go to the moon for a picnic of mooncheese. It is delightful!
Again I say, again, you're terrific and your writing is visceral and beautiful.Time to self publish a chapbook?Love you,Anne
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Confirmed: Bottega Veneta sets show date for New York Fashion Week
From Milan to New York
It's official! Bottega Veneta is set to join the line-up of coveted brand's on show at New York Fashion Week — a move that follows schedule shake-ups by Tom Ford and Rihanna for Fenty x Puma. The one-off move away from Milan and into the Big Apple will mark the Italian brand's expansion in the US with a new soon-to-open address on Madison Avenue. As for NYFW, expect Bottega Veneta to present a co-ed Fall/Winter '18 collection in the traditional runway set-up next season.
While no further details have been announced, watch this space as Buro 24/7 Middle East brings you more fashion week news. Until then, don't miss the Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer '18 collection from Milan Fashion Week.
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Gran Klutch Neoprene Lunch BagSKU #: NM-n0796a
Item DescriptionMore InformationAdditional Information
High quality neoprene (wetsuit material) lunch bag with zipper closure. Pick the base color and a matching trim/thread color.
Price includes the cost of a one color imprint in one location. Please contact us at 888-206-3047 for more print options, a custom project, or additional print locations.
|Imprint Dimensions
|3" W x 1.5" H
|Standard Production Time


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#neverliberal #nevermarxist
After his vote last night there is no other path left except to head to single payer for healthcare. Thanks you rotten piece of crap. But wait!!! maybe he will have an encore and sink tax cuts so his dem friends can win easily in 2018.
There is an alternative. Let Obamacare implode. Then maybe a stop gap would be let health insurance go back to the states and let the free market have a shot.As to the "skinny" version going down, I am truly torn. One part of me says passing it could be a start as removing the mandates would expedite the implosion of Obamacare. OTOH, It would have left too many taxes left in place as expansion of Medicaid. Obama and his henchmen were were very clever in the way they structured Obamacare. They included narcotics too the point politicians would become hooked on the federal money.
Obamacare wont implode. I agree with what they were saying on Fox business this morning. Mod reps and dems will now dump money into obamacare. It will never go away now except when it eventually gets replaced with single payer. Sadly i think McCain will live just long enough to kill tax cuts as well.
Political schmucks yap incessantly that 'we are the greatest'; pious cant too stupid for words.Reality is that we are a tad past 200 years and given the jackasses we label leaders another 200 years is problematic, at best.This performance by the GOP signals that they are either eons beyond stupid or have a subconscious death wish; or likely both. Did any of the R Establishment support Trump from the earliest moments ???Isn't this their revenge against someone they loathe passionately.Suspect his agenda will now wither along w/the economy, making his re-nomination problematic and/or his re-election impossible.
The only hope now is for Trump to line item veto the next federal budget that funds Obamaocare....a good way to let it implode.
Reps arent going to let obamacare fail now. They will prop it up with hundreds of billions of bucks and as soon as dems gain control of congress and president we are going to get single payer. Right now i cant think of a single reason to vote republican in 2018. Most likely we will see a major spending bill early next year propping up ACA.
WHY don't you vote Conservative for a change.
The line item veto is a now-defunct law that granted the president absolute authority to reject specific provisions, or "lines," of a bill sent to his desk by the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate while allowing other parts of it to become law with his signature. The power of the line item veto would allow a president to kill parts of a bill without having to veto the entire piece of legislation.Many governors have this power, and the president of the United States did, too, before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the line-item veto unconstitutional.Critics of the line item veto say it granted the president too much power and allowed the powers of the executive branch to bleed into the duties and obligations of the legislative branch of government. "This act gives the president the unilateral power to change the text of duly enacted statutes," U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in 1998. Specifically, the court found that the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 violated the Presentment Clause of the Constitution, which allows a president to either sign or veto a bill in its entirety. The Presentment Clause states, in part, that a bill "be presented to the president of the United States; if he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it."
I'm not surprised. It's a bit ironic that someone touted for decades as an American hero would consistently shit of his country. Apparently this is what a "maverick" does. How this will play out is unknown. What we do know is the GOP has once again screwed over it's constituents. They raised millions off of the pledge to repeal Obamacare and they gained the majority based on that pledge. We have three possibilities. 1) the voters hold the entire party responsible. 2) the voters only hold those that voted no responsible. 3) they don't care because the democrats are that bad.What will happen is panic in Washington. Next years premiums will be revealed in October. Once again the democrats will be on the defensive but this time so will the republicans. In fact the GOP is in a no win situation. Once again premiums will increase as will deductibles. More exchanges will be on the verge of collapsing and more insurance companies will want to leave the markets. Democrats will want to stabilize it with a bailout. If the GOP doesn't support that they will be blamed for allowing people to lose their coverage. If they support a bailout they will be accused of lying to their constituents. Once again The GOP screwed over the country and once again was led by McCain.


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1Tap Cleaner Pro v2.29 Apk
1Tap Cleaner Pro Apk – to clean all cache, search histories and calls log. A defaults cleaner is also included. Are you running out of your application storage?? You now can get more available storage space by clearing apps created cache/data files.
There are 4 cleaners included in this app. Cache cleaner, History cleaner and Call/Text log cleaner help you to get more free space for the internal phone storage by clearing apps cached files, data files or search/navigation history records. Defaults cleaner helps to clear the default settings.
Auto clear or 1Tap clear all cache, search history, calls log and the best is You don't have to root the phone anymore. This app is crucial to anyone who has memory management issues.
Main Features:-
- 1-tap to clear all cached files
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- List all default apps and clear selected defaults
- Home screen widget shows cache and available size
- Auto clear all cache and history at a specified interval
- Clear cache or history for a specified application
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- List applications by either cache, data, code, total size or app name
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What's new in v2.29
- You can now change the color of dashboard window's icons by going to Menu->Icon color-> Change
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1Tap Cleaner Pro v2.29 Apk


text: On the antsmarching.org (a Dave Matthews Band fan site) forums, there is someone who claims to have gotten an email about a new DMB iPod. He claims it will be $369 and 25GB with a color screen. He also won't copy and paste the email because he is afraid of getting in trouble because the email isn't supposed to be shared. Here's a link to the thread: http://antsmarching.org/forum/showthread.php?t=130200&page=1&pp=30 He also claims that DMB will release their entire catalogue on a per song basis. I hope macrumors finds this at least Page 2 worthy, I'm keeping my fingers crossed as well that this guy isn't BSing.


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It's a harsh world out there, and CIOs must be able to handle it.
Here's how to get the job done.
"Are you tough enough to do this job?" I got the best job of my career with my answer to that question. But more about that later. I'm sure you've heard the saying: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. It certainly seems to be a mantra suitable for today's business environment. These are times when tough is not only advisable but imperative.
How do leaders muster the courage to do the tough things? How do you know when tough is good and when it isn't? What do you do to keep your sense of balance during these periods? Over the years I've learned some lessons that may help you.
What Is Tough?
Whether making tough decisions, implementing tough actions or giving tough feedback, there is one overriding rule: act tough, but don't be tough. Don't be personally hardened by the need for difficult actions. Always keep in mind that people's lives are affected by your decision and by how you communicate and implement it. As General Dwight D Eisenhower said: "You do not lead by hitting people over the head; that's assault, not leadership."
Firing someone is probably number one on everyone's list of tough things to do, followed closely by giving a negative performance review. Sig-nificant changes in business conditions also call for difficult decisions and the painful implementation of them. For example, shutting down a business, factory, project or product with the attendant retrenchments is common headline material today. Cutting costs at any level requires decisions and actions that seem onerous at the time. But leaders must be able to execute all of the above skilfully, not only for the sake of the individual but for the survival of the enterprise. The need for tough actions cannot be wished away or waited out. The longer you take, the worse it gets - for everyone.
There are many reasons we tend to try to avoid the tough actions. Most of these actions involve conflict, for instance, and conflict generally feels negative. Sometimes there is an implied criticism of a person or of previous decisions. Tough decisions almost always involve aggressive, rock-the-boat kinds of actions and take a great deal of personal courage. We like to be liked, and being tough gets in the way, at least in the short run. But whatever our particular reasons, none can be justified if you take the proprietor's view. This is your company, no matter where in the hierarchy you sit. As proprietor, you must exhibit great strength of commitment and willingness to take personal risk.
Getting Tough
OK, I'll do it, but how do I do it well?
The first time I had a serious performance issue to deal with, I struggled to help the staff member overcome his problems. We spent many hours in reviewing, counselling and coaching. Despite all this effort, we did not make progress. Ultimately I had to gather the courage to tell him he was going to lose his job. Here was a smart young man who was just not able to get the art of programming. I knew he would be successful at something else and told him that. It was a devastating day for both of us.
Many years later, this young man sent me a letter to let me know what a positive effect I had on his life. If he hadn't been fired, he might still be struggling to succeed at something he could never do well. Instead he became a lawyer and was very successful. The key, he said, was forcing him to confront reality.
Not all situations will be as simple as this one or result in such satisfaction, but there are a few steps that may help address a variety of difficult circumstances.
Turn on the spotlight. Identifying the problem and calling attention to it is the first step. Exposing it to light helps to clarify the real issues rather than the symptoms.
Think positively. Attitude counts for a lot. Be constructive, not destructive. Try to find a solution that meets the greatest set of sometimes competing objectives. When Xerox was considering outsourcing, we did roundtables with employees of the competing vendors to try to understand how they felt before, during and after they were outsourced. They gave us extremely valuable advice.
Do your homework. Consider as many alternatives as possible before narrowing to your final decision. Even in a business turndown, avoid the tendency to hip-shoot a solution. Your current strategy is based on a set of assumptions. Examine the assumptions and make appropriate changes. Then determine if the strategy needs changing. Be sure you don't panic. Your actions will set the tone for the whole organisation.
Rally support. Communicate, communicate, communicate - honestly - to all who are affected, customers or employees. Focus on what you can affect - performance, productivity, revenues, costs. Don't waste energy on what you can't.
Brace yourself. Recognise that tough actions will generally not be popular ones, at least in the short run. Prepare yourself mentally for the storm of protest. (Remember the "Neutron Jack" label assigned to Jack Welch, the CEO of GE.) Also recognise that everyone is affected indirectly, if not directly. After retrenchments, those who stay are sometimes more stressed than those who go. You will have to face a lot of negative energy in the workplace at such times, and that can be exhausting. It is important to be as physically fit as possible.
Look for the silver lining. Keep morale up by focusing on areas of improvement not possible during busier times. Education and development can flourish and better prepare everyone for the next upturn in the business.
Ask three questions. When you are struggling with a tough decision, the following three questions bring things into focus. Am I doing the right thing? Am I doing it for the right reasons? Am I doing it in the right way? Answer yes to all, and your direction is clear. Any "no" answer should cause you to rethink and adjust accordingly.
Tough Enough?
To the question asked of me in the interview, my response was: "I know I am tough enough, because I've done this before. The real question is: Are you tough enough - tough enough to stand behind me when the going gets rough?" I got the job and the support necessary to be successful.
Before retiring in 1999, Patricia Wallington was corporate vice president and CIO at Xerox. In 1997, Wallington, now president of Florida-based CIO Associates, was inducted into the Women in Science and Technology Hall of Fame and named by CIO (US) one of the 12 most influential IT executives of the decade.
The Seven Rules of Toughness
What does it take to be tough enough? Follow these rules:
1 Be compassionate.
2 Don't delay the inevitable.
3 Don't forget that it's your job.
4 Walk in their shoes.
5 Do not panic.
6 Talk often.
7 Look for the silver lining.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


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Yesterday, I was feeling pretty puny. Mom and dad took the older kids to church with them while Nate and I bonded over our puniness. After lunch we drove the 1 1/2 hours home. When we got home, I had reached that point {moms, you'll get this} where I just needed to keep going so that I could make it through the evening. If I stopped to rest, I wasn't going to get back up. And because Handsome Hero was still at work, I had no choice. So I put everything away and started straightening up the house.
After dinner, I put the boys in the bath downstairs. I forgot towels, but they were already in the water, so I ran as fast as I could to get them. When I got to the top of the stairs, Ella said, "Hey, mom, look! I pulled out my loose tooth!"
I congratulated her, but had to run back downstairs to check on the boys. As soon as I got down, the doorbell rang. I called to Ella to come stay with the boys and went to the door. It was my neighbor inviting us to a pumpkin carving. Very fun, except that in less than thirty seconds, screaming ensued from downstairs. Jack was yelling, "Mom!!! There's a bug in the tub!!!!!"
I excused myself, closed the door, went downstairs, and there was Jack, soaking and buck naked, running around screaming, "It's a bug! It's a bug!" Ella was saying, "There IS! There IS a bug!" and Nate didn't care one way or the other.
This. bug. It was big. It was over three inches long. I couldn't believe it. Where was Handsome Hero when I needed him?? I do not do bugs over half an inch, thank you very much. But there it was.
I put on my big girl pants, grabbed a cup that was sitting on the sink, scooped up the monster and flushed it down the toilet. Problem solved, right?
No. Ella started screaming at that point. What is it with my kids and screaming? I was about to get on to her when she said, "My tooth!!! You flushed my tooth! I put my tooth in that cup to keep it safe!!"
You have got to be kidding.
I was busy apologizing all over the place when I noticed something in the tub. Her tooth must have fallen out right before I scooped up the
Well, that crisis anyway.
I washed and put Nate to bed, leaving Jack to play in the tub for a minute. I was on my way back downstairs when Ella started screaming again. It is so hard to be sympathetic when they're screaming. I found her in the kitchen, her hands covered in blood. I thought it was from her tooth, but no. She had hit her head on the corner of the desk and her hair was matted in blood.
I made sure it wasn't a huge wound {it wasn't}, was properly sympathetic, put her on the couch with an ice pack, and ran downstairs to take care of a very pruny Jack. I gave him his clothes and told him to get dressed while I went back up to Ella.
I washed her hair salon-style, while my three-year-old streaked around, still with no clothes on, pretending to be a Robin Hood/soldier/warrior.
Finally, all were clean, all were dressed, all were in bed. I may have forgotten to brush their teeth, but teeth are highly overrated anyway.
Oh, what a night.


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President Donald Trump places his hand on the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Monday, 5/22/2017. PD-USGOV.
Donald Trump's latest international provocation, the decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, marches Trump-backing evangelicals a step closer to their deeply held desire for the fulfillment of Biblical end-times prophecies. A recent CNN article by Diana Bass suggests that, for many evangelicals, Jerusalem is about prophecy, not politics. I would partially agree: It is about prophecy, but it is also explicitly about politics.
Bass explains that many evangelicals, in particular Trump's evangelicals, subscribe to an interpretation of Biblical end-times prophecy known as premillenialist dispensationalism, which outlines a series of events that must occur to precipitate the Second Coming of Jesus and a subsequent millenium of peace on earth. In particular, the Temple must be rebuilt, which will finally trigger a great war at Armageddon. (Note 1. End-times prophecies are much disputed.)
Trump's evangelicals support him partly because he panders to their desire to effect political decisions they believe will fulfill this prophecy. Trump's order to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is one of those political decisions. Another was Trump's earlier prayer at the Western Wall on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (Note 2) Trump on the behalf of his evangelicals is taking political steps to deliberately push the world towards a war, and not just any war, but Armageddon, the war to end all wars. Imagine the response of the Nation of Islam to a de facto U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. Imagine their response to any effort to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. This isn't just some harmless person in the public square brandishing a sign proclaiming that the end is nigh – while Trump and his evangelicals nihilistically play with religious fire, the world becomes a more dangerous place for all of the rest of us.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.
Trump's evangelicals seem to think they not only know what God is thinking, but what God should do next in order to end the world, and they are acting politically to take such steps. In the New Testament, Mark reminds his readers that they might watch for the end of the world, even wait for it, but that only God knows when it will come.
Prophecy will fail in time, languages too, and knowledge as well. For we know things only partially, or prophesy partially, and when the totality is known, the parts will vanish. It is like what I spoke as a child, knew as a child, thought as a child, argued as a child - which, now I am grown up, I put aside. In the same way we see things in a murky reflection now, but shall see them full face when what I have known in part I know fully, just as I am known. For the present, then, three things matter - believing, hoping and loving. But supreme is loving.
Perhaps if Trump's evangelicals revisit Paul's advice in Corinthians 13 they might reassess their actions. There they will be reminded to act humbly in the face of deep ignorance, to act responsibly, to act first and foremost with love, rather than, say, taking steps they believe will foment a cataclysmic battle.
The New Testament, it seems to me, asks us to worship God, seek in our own behavior a loving attitude, and eschew the worst of our inclinations: the selfish, the fearful, the hateful, the bellicose. Promoting great violence in God's name based on disputed interpretations of Biblical prophecy misses the mark widely.
1. There are many interpretations of the revelatory passages of the Bible, and they have changed significantly throughout the history of Christianity. They continue to be disputed today amongst Christian sects. Premillenial dispensationalism was developed as a system and grew rapidly in the U.S. in the early 19th century. End-times prophecies fall under the broader category of Christian eschatology, interpretations of "last things", which are summarized here."Western man has long lived under the shadow of impending disaster: famine, plague, war, flood, earthquake. Under circumstances we by no means fully understand, as in the early apocalyptic days of Christianity, or in the troubled fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of our era, great populations have been moved to mass madness by an almost universal sense of impending doom; and, if only because of the intellectual and emotional heritage of primitive Christian belief in a Second Coming, small sectarian groups have been hailing the immediate end of the world at intervals for two thousand years.One of the constants in the history of Christianity is the continuous emergence of predictions of when the end times will occur based on interpretations of Biblical prophecy."(Crane Brinton, A History Of Western Morals, p. 413)
A partial list of such predictions can be found here.
2. Jerusalem has been a site of much religious conflict between Jews, Christians and Muslims, from the time of Mohammed to today. Trump was the first sitting US President to pray at the wall, something previously considered to be too inflammatory. Trump's prayer at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in May 2017 was not followed by an ecumenical offer to say, pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque on the same site. In fact, he had planned during this visit to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there, but backed off the idea amid warnings from US foreign policy officials as well as from Arab leaders in the region, who warned Trump such a move could hurt chances of reviving peace negotiations and inflame tensions in the region. Six months later Trump went ahead with the recognition anyway.


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Few workplaces are a bed of roses. Interactions among employees and between employees and management can be fraught with misunderstanding, prejudices and mistrust. Yet workplaces that encourage free flow of information, intuitive listening and proactive problem solving are ultimately the best places to work. Unsurprisingly, top performing companies such as Google, Kraft and American Express embody great organizational culture when it comes to workplace communication. Here's how to eliminate barriers to effective communication at work:
Improving cross-gender communication
Often, cross-gender communication in the workplace is laced with misinterpretations due to negative stereotyping. Communication differences between genders should not be construed to mean that males are superior to females and vice-versa. Kathleen Brady, founder of Brady & Associates Career Planners, LLC notes that a cultural shift is necessary for effective cross-gender communication. A true cultural shift requires organizational leaders to draw up a change vision that values both male and female employees. When leaders set an example of equality in how both genders are treated in the workplace, employees will follow suit.
Eliminating obstructive physical barriers
The office layout can tell a lot about the culture and communication practices in an organization. Solid walls and compartmentalized office spaces characterize traditional workplaces. This set up re-emphasizes strict hierarchy and bureaucracy within an organization. Modern workplaces are increasingly embracing a less rigid, more free-flowing office setting that encourages interaction between all members of the organization. Open settings give employees a feeling of being part of a team; they make it easy to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and identify and resolve conflicts faster. Importantly, such a set up encourages an open-door policy that facilitates greater flow of information in the organization.
Supporting lateral information flow
Effective communication can be particularly difficult in strictly hierarchical organizations where information flows in a top-down style. Lateral communication involves the flow of information among employees at the same level of the organization. This type of information flow facilitates greater collaboration among employees and across departments; it saves time, and reduces misunderstanding and conflict. A great way to support lateral communication is encouraging employees to contribute ideas, participate in decision-making, and further develop their own autonomous entrepreneurial activity.
Facilitating cross-cultural communication
"That's not what I meant," "I just don't understand what your expectations are," "I don't take orders from female managers." These are typical issues employees and management deal with in an increasingly multicultural workplace. Simple cultural misunderstandings can result to over blown workplace tensions. Adopting a formal structure to facilitate cultural awareness among new hires and established employees is essential to minimizing cultural tensions. It is the job of the trained manager to mentor and acclimatize employees, and to provide organization-wide training to increase awareness and understanding about the different cultures present at the workplace.
Communication, whether effective or ineffective, does not happen in a vacuum. Admittedly, management plays an important role in creating a culture that supports effective communication. But, ultimately, individual employees have the responsibility to set aside prejudices and to embrace differences in the workplace.


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Where does starvation abide in the apple today? What are some of the causes of apple hunger? Are citizens of developed countries altruistic monetarily to the advancing abatement efforts? In this commodity I will abode these questions with the achievement that by creating an compassionate of the accepted apple ache situation, about acquainted individuals will do their allotment in accidental to an abolishment of this concealed suffering.
It is a able-bodied accepted actuality that there is abundant aliment in the apple to augment every animal getting on earth. Sadly, malnutrition and ache still agonize one out of every seven humans in the apple today. Or, from a hardly altered statistical perspective, the accepted apple citizenry is 4,712,200,000. The amount of angular is 797,900,000. Accordingly 17% of the apple citizenry is currently angular or starving. No amount how you appraise the issue, a accepted crisis is at hand. Why is this so?
The causes of starvation are complex, but there are some accepted accoutrement that assume to be associated with this problem. First and foremost, starvation is acquired by poverty. To abode the botheration of apple ache again the botheration of all-around abjection accept to be addressed. Therefore, the catechism that we should appraise is what are the causes of poverty. A absolute altercation on the causes of all-around abjection is alfresco the ambit of this article. Entire textbooks accept been accounting on the subject. For our discussion, it is answer to say that one of the above causes of abjection is governments advancing behavior that arrest cocky sufficiency.
Areas of starvation are aswell characterized by assiduous problems in cultivating aliment from abridgement of seed, abundant land, and tools. Those that can abound food, accept to accord with insects, drought, floods, and war, which can aftereffect in complete abolition of crops. Historically, areas of Africa accept accomplished alternate locusts infestations, which can absolutely abort crops.
Other causes of apple ache are accompanying to the globalize arrangement of aliment production. The globalize arrangement of aliment assembly and barter favors a assurance on consign crops while acute adjoin small-scale farmers and affluence crops. Many third apple countries consign out to abundant aliment while accordingly not befitting abundant aliment to sustain their own people.
AIDS is a cogent could cause of hunger. In societies afflicted by AIDS, dearth is added baleful and difficult to combat. Why is this so? AIDS attacks the a lot of advantageous individuals aural society. Beneath advantageous humans aural association agency beneath individuals to plan the jobs that absorb aliment production. This is one contributor to the starvation currently demography abode in Africa.
Weather plays a above role in agreement of the prevalence of starvation. Areas of aridity leads to non-useable acreage with consecutive famine. This is able-bodied known. But beneath able-bodied accepted is that floods can aswell advance to starvation. Crops can be abounding and accordingly destroyed, which in aspect produces the aforementioned aftereffect as drought. In both cases, acclimate can aftermath a complete abridgement of cocky sufficiency.
Military conflicts, both centralized and amid adjoining countries, can advance to starvation. These conflicts can aftereffect in abolition of crops. Government money is directed at allotment the battle at the amount of the craving people. Funds are absent from amusing and bread-and-butter development. Military conflicts can aswell aftereffect in the displacement of ample groups of people, removing them from their farms and their way of life. Humans can end up in refugee camps, absolutely abased on abatement aid.
The adroit factors of apple ache are numerous, and assertive factors change from year to year, accordingly at any accustomed time, some areas may be added decumbent again others. The admeasurement of drought, flood, centralized conflicts, and war with adjoining countries can alter over time. Therefore, these factors absorb a capricious affect on the amount to which citizenry of affected countries ache from starvation.
A aggregate of these adroit factors in a accurate arena is a blueprint for disaster. If this occurs, ample calibration starvation can yield place. A case in point. The Horn of Africa has apparent astringent aridity accompanying with centralized conflicts. This is arch to the development of a tragedy. In this arena currently 11 actor humans are on the border of starvation.
Historically, assertive areas of the apple accept had a top prevalence of ache and starvation. These areas are the axial arena of South America, ample areas of East, Central, and Southern Africa, and regions of South Asia. As of 2006, the accepted hot spots, those areas which are adversity the greatest amount of starvation, are as follows:
This breadth in axial Africa has been disturbing to cope with the adverse appulse of aridity and locusts infestations.
In this arena acute abjection has been added affronted by a political crisis, floods, close storms, and hurricanes.
Horn of Africa:
An estimated 11 actor humans in the Horn of Africa "are on the border of starvation" because of astringent aridity and war. Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia charge aliment aid, water, new livestock and seeds. This is a above ache crisis in development.
Poverty in Afghanistan, fabricated worse by drought, has contributed abundantly to their ache problem.
The contempo convulsion accompanying with a astringent winter accept produced starvation conditions. Recently, mud slides accept bedfast abatement efforts.
North Korea:
Food crisis acquired by the countries bread-and-butter problems, is circuitous by capricious and astringent acclimate conditions. To date, the North Korean government has bootless in its assignment to accommodate for it's craving people. The North Korean government has in fact banned adopted aid.
A 40 year civilian battle and the actionable biologic barter accept acquired accumulation displacement and poverty.
Democratic Republic of Congo:
3.4 actor humans accept been internally displaced as a aftereffect of a continuing centralized conflict.
They are disturbing to cope with the adverse appulse of a contempo drought.
Southern Africa:
Erratic weather, abridgement of berry and fertilizer, abiding poverty, and AIDS accept been accidental factors to starvation.
These are the areas of the apple which are currently adversity the accomplished levels of malnutrition and hunger. With this compassionate of area abatement efforts are needed, we accept to abode the catechism of alone response. Are individuals of developed countries altruistic to abatement efforts? A lot of about acquainted individuals accord to abatement efforts if the botheration is presented to them.
A above botheration in the abatement accomplishment is the accepted citizenry of developed countries not alive about the accepted ache crisis. Account organizations, added accurately television news, are not giving abundant absorption to the all-around ache situation. While an in abyss altercation as to the affidavit for this is alfresco the ambit of this article, a few credibility can be made.
Evidently, the American TV account organizations, do not anticipate apple ache is abundant of a adventure back starvation is a circadian occurrence. I suspect, from the angle of these account organizations, that 24,000 humans per day dying from ache is not a big abundant account story. If 1,386 humans died from blow Katrina, the account advantage was enormous. Five months afterwards blow Katrina hit New Orleans, TV account organizations were still binding all they could out of this story. Granted this was an accessible tragedy, but an even bigger tragedy, abundant bigger, is traveling on in Africa and the accepted accessible does not even apperceive about it.
I accept apparent little to about no advantage accustomed by American TV account organizations on the adverse ache crisis in the Horn of Africa. I accept alone abstruse of this crisis through RSS feeds on the Internet. Television account organizations such as CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC are appropriately far not advertisement on this crisis. Hopefully this will change.
It is axiomatic that the American TV account organizations do not absolutely accommodate absolute and complete news, rather they awning the contest and alone accommodate what they feel may be absorbing to their audience. Account organizations should present the account and accordingly advance top journalistic standards. Maybe these account organizations charge to absorb a college akin of moral obligation into their accommodation authoritative process, if chief which belief to cover. In any case, humans can not accord if they do not apperceive the botheration exists.
We accept addressed some key questions in adjustment to characterize the accepted cachet of the apple ache situation. We accept advised area ache is the a lot of accustomed in the apple today, and we accept articular some of the adroit factors which accord to malnutrition, hunger, and starvation. We accept assured that a lot of about acquainted individuals would accord to the abolishment of hunger, if they knew about the crisis. Finally, we accept empiric that the amount of apple ache advantage by TV account organizations is actual abundant lacking.
Even admitting TV account organizations accept not been accoutrement the accepted apple ache crisis, by account this article, you accept developed an compassionate of the amount to which starvation is accustomed in the apple today. If you are account this in a developed country, which is awful acceptable back you are account it on a computer which has Internet access, you accept a moral obligation to accord either time or money to advice in the abolishment of concealed suffering. Winston Churchill already said "we accomplish a active by what we get, but we accomplish a activity by what we give." We accept to all do our allotment to annihilate apple hunger.


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Why Proving and Scaling DevOps Is So Hard
My team and I regularly meet with customers who ask the same question over and over, "how do we become successful with DevOps at scale?" This question is normally followed with a laundry list of "here is what we are doing around…" infrastructure automation, container pilots, continuous integration, test automation, cloud platforms, etc. The brief summary is concluded with comments about how difficult acceptance and adoption of these new tools and practices are. So why is DevOps so difficult to scale?
First off, DevOps is extremely pervasive. Success with DevOps will change or influence nearly every aspect of IT and even many parts of the business. Even setting a simple goal, like "deploy into production every 30 days", touches software development, testing, operations, infrastructure management, databases, security, compliance, architecture, release management, project management, and more. I believe that everyone "knows" that DevOps is big but until you can map out the end-to-end process and rationalize the associated stakeholder and SME community, getting acceptance and/or adoption of DevOps and Continuous Delivery will be impossible. Success will require the input, expertise, and support of this community. Don't underestimate the complexity and size of your enterprise value stream; you will need their support to implement tools, set standards, and drive adoption at-scale. Tackle it iteratively and use early wins to generate momentum.


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Crude oil prices of $50-55 per barrel would be a "sweet point" for Egypt, the country's minister of trade and industry told CNBC on Thursday.
WTI and Brent crude oil futures are trading around $47-$48 a barrel, following a partial rebound this year after a sharp rout from mid-2014 onwards.
Egypt is the largest non-OPEC oil producer in Africa, according to the Energy Information Administration.


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Is Disney Vacation Club Worth It – Do you know what is Disney Vacation Club (DVC) ? Disney Vacation Club is commonly known, is Disney's version of timeshare trip ownership. Since 1991, Disney Vacation Club has grown from a single resort to 13 uniquely themed resorts. Here they are:
Beach Resorts
- Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas,
Ko Olina, Hawaii
- Disney's Hilton
Head Island Resort, South Carolina
- Disney's Vero Beach Resort, Florida
- The Villas at Disney's Grand
Californian Hotel & Spa
Walt Disney World
- Villas at Disney's Wilderness Resort
- Bay
Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
- Disney's Beach Club Villas
- Disney's Boardwalk Villas
- Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas
- Disney's Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
- Disney's Old Key West
- The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney's Saratoga Springs
Resort & Spa
See Also : Disney Vacation Packages All Inclusive
What Difference Of Disney Vacation Club and What Extra Benefit?
Disney Vacation Club Resorts was different from traditional hotels in a couple of ways. First, the apartments are
larger and replicate small apartments. Disney Vacation Club (DVC) housings wander from studios with kitchenettes to multiple bedroom villas with full kitchens, laundering machines, dryers and multiple bathrooms. Convertible sofas make the place of some bunks to provide a living region. The design gratifies to guests with large pedigrees, who are interested extra gap, or intend to invest more time inside of their apartments than the average inn guest.
The second change is the amenities. Having your own kitchen and being able to do your own laundry is not something you find in a standard inn. Guests have the option of spending more time in their apartments and less experience going out for meals.
Hand-in-hand with that is a difference in housekeeping services. For stands less than 7 days, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) guests will simply receive" rubbish and towel" busines on the 4th date of their stand. That includes vacating the trash, changing the towels and changing the toiletries. For stays of eight daylights or more, there is one day of full housekeeping on the 4th date and" rubbish and towel" service is done on the 8th date.
The cycle repeats starting on the 12 th date for even longer stands. Additional housekeeping services are available at an added cost for guests who prefer to have it more frequently .
For extra benefits Perks of Disney Vacation Club (DVC) membership gets some discounts on Dining, Shopping, Relations and Recreation, Tours and Tickets as well as Exclusive Member Events of Disney Vacation Club (DVC).
Is Disney Vacation Club Worth It For You?
This is the threshold question, because if you are ( voluntarily) a Values and Moderates type party, Disney Vacation Club may never move business appreciation for you. Nonetheless, it can be a difficult question to answer, because it's tough to forecast your vacationing dress in the future. If you only go Deluxe, and see requiring luxurious housings in the future, Disney Vacation Club might be right for you.
Where Disney Vacation Club (DVC) does even more sense is for those who have boys or see soon having boys, and are tired of sleeping in the same small-minded quarters with them at a Moderate Resort. Disney Vacation Club, and its one-bedroom forces and larger, are correct for you as it gives you the option to detached yourself from the boys at night. If you're frequently booking the Art of Animation Family Suites, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a great-nicer-alternative. Similarly, if you have to volume two or more areas at a Value or Moderate, it might be for you.
If you are a commando park tourer who mainly notebooks All Star Movies, find the Value Resorts acceptable, and you stay up until all hours of the nighttime and get up for line stop daily, Disney Vacation Club may not be a good alternative for you. This is for two reasons. First, because the initial cost of Disney Vacation Club plus the cost of the annual upkeep costs will be higher than resources in the amount of the yearly cost of a room at a Value Resort over the life of the Disney Vacation Club contract, presupposing rational price increases of those areas and factoring for the time value of coin( not factoring in a rational discount off of rack pace for the Value Resort, which you will apparently receive; formerly you factor this in, the results are even more lopsided ). Second, because you simply don't need one of the vacation-home wording areas offered by Disney Vacation Club.
That articulated, even if you do shortly stay at Value Resorts, after one stay at a DVC used, "youve been" secured. For countless people, it's one of those," I didn't realize what I was missing until I tried it" situations. Our first stay at the BoardWalk Villas unquestionably did it hard for us to stay in Value housings again! If you're not sure whether Disney Vacation Club housings will be a good fit, tariff Disney Vacation Club or DVC points! There are a number of places from which you can tariff points, and they volunteer a inexpensive mode to' get your hoofs soaked' with Disney Vacation Club (DVC), so to speak. You can also volume Deluxe Villas from Disney directly, although this isn't as cost-effective.
A final concern to its implementation of housings: Disney Vacation Club still might not be right for you if you can't stand the idea of MouseKeeping not scavenging your room daily. To us, this is such a minor, unimportant thing, but it bears mentioning. Conversely, if you like the notion of being able to do your laundry, prepare a snack in your in-room kitchen, or enjoy a entire host of other " home-away-from-home" amenities, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) are correct for you.
Hopefully this article can answer many questions : " Is Disney Vacation Club Worth It ?"


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By Richard Leiby
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 29, 2005
What's ahead for Valerie Plame?
Lost in the din of the leak scandal that has consumed Washington is the very personal impact on the willowy blond CIA operative at its center. Plame, 42, wife of former U.S. ambassador Joseph Wilson, has become the most famous spy in the world, but her career has been derailed. It appears likely she will leave the CIA, some acquaintances say, but she hasn't publicly signaled her plans.
Plame, the mother of 5-year-old twins, recently told a friend, Jane Honikman, that she intends to retire from the agency where she has worked for 20 years. "She really wants to be with her kids -- that's her plan, to be that mom," said Honikman, founder of a postpartum depression support network in which Plame has been active.
Although Plame has been under "tremendous stress" as the subject of global publicity and political spin, Honikman added, "she has a good sense of humor still and a wonderful, charming ability to look on the bright side." Several friends say she was devastated by the disclosure of her name in July 2003, but she went on with her life: She and Wilson circulated socially, took weekend walks along the C&O Canal and went to church. At events where media were present, Plame unfailingly smiled and exchanged pleasantries.
She has never granted an interview, effectively gagged by the CIA, whose guidelines require employees to clear media contacts and publications. But she hasn't been totally averse to publicity. She once posed for a Vanity Fair photograph in her husband's Jaguar, ala Grace Kelly, wearing sunglasses and a headscarf. For many critics of her media-savvy husband, that offered proof enough that she was out to capitalize on her notoriety -- further fodder in an affair that has become as highly politicized as any other White House scandal.
Wilson, whose credibility and qualifications have come under withering Republican fire ever since he went public about his CIA-sponsored trip to Niger and criticisms of the Iraq war, said yesterday in a statement: "While I may engage in public discourse, my wife and my family are private people. They did not choose to be brought into the public square, and they do not wish to be under the glare of cameras. . . . This case is not about me or my family, no matter how others might try to make it so."
Plame, the daughter of an Air Force colonel and an elementary school teacher, was recruited by the CIA at 22, shortly after graduation from Pennsylvania State University. She was in the 1985-86 class of CIA officers trained at "The Farm" near Williamsburg, where the curriculum included learning to drive under fire, blowing up cars and handling an AK-47.
Her career postings are classified, but she was one of the elite clandestine spies -- an officer with nonofficial cover who works overseas in business or other jobs and has no diplomatic protection if detected or arrested.
In 2006, she will have 20 years with the agency. As such she qualifies for retirement but would not receive full benefits unless she stays with the agency until age 50.
After she was named in a syndicated column by Robert Novak, Plame had no chance of working again in her chosen field, her friends say, and the strain of remaining at the agency has taken its toll.
"For all intents and purposes out at the CIA, she's like a leper . . . she's radioactive," said Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and acquaintance of Plame's who was in her officer training class. "There are instances where some people at headquarters have shunned her. In other cases they don't know what to say. It's like someone whose child has died: What do you say to them?
"There are a variety of things she could have done at the agency. She could have become a station chief overseas and run espionage operations. It has destroyed her life on that front. What is she supposed to do now, wear a button saying, " 'Hi, I work for the CIA'?"
Wilson and his lawyer, Christopher Wolf, would not comment on Plame's plans. But Wolf -- who has also been the couple's next-door neighbor for seven years -- said: "She was absolutely devastated by this on lots of levels. . . . Valerie was by definition the ultimate private person. She didn't seek any publicity or any acclaim or any thanks for her work."
After the outing, said Wolf, "her career was over, she knew it was over, and certainly her contacts were put in jeopardy . . . and her family was put at risk."
Last winter, Plame drafted an op-ed article to explain her role in her husband's Niger trip, but the agency would not permit her to submit it for publication. "While I would love to share Valerie's article with readers, so long as her agency refuses to allow her to defend herself, there is nothing she or I can do," Wilson wrote in the recently issued paperback edition of his bestseller "The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies That Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity."
In the book he quoted a CIA response to Plame telling her "publication of your article has the potential to affect your ability to perform your official duties and the agency's ability to perform its mission." As long as she remains in the CIA -- and even beyond retirement -- national security restrictions would typically apply if she wrote, say, a memoir.
Wilson and Plame, who were married in 1998, live in the District's Palisades neighborhood in a spacious home with a back-deck view of the Washington Monument. Their son and daughter are in kindergarten. (Wilson has another grown set of twins from an earlier marriage.) Before Novak's column, neighbors and friends had no clue she was a spy -- they knew her as a "consultant" in the energy business.
"She's going to be a huge asset no matter what she does," said Plame's friend Honikman, founder of Postpartum Support International, a group the CIA officer contacted for help in overcoming her own severe bout with postpartum depression. "She's too smart a woman . . . and would maximize whatever opportunities lie ahead."
Plame served as executive director of a local postpartum support chapter but had to resign because "it was too much stress" after she was outed, Honikman said. "She had to stay focused on herself and her family." Honikman added, "I admire her for the incredible strength she has shown to endure this."
There is no indication that yesterday's indictment of vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby will end Plame's time in the public firestorm. By late afternoon, Republicans were on television trying to reopen debate on just what Plame did at the CIA and how covert the woman really was.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.


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The Beginner Floral Painting with wOil DVD includes approximately 117 minutes of instructional lessons taught by Donna Dewberry. Projects include Red Parrot Tulip, Old World Poppy, Open Faced Poppy's and English Garden. Donna has certified over 6,000 instructors around the world since 1987, and in 2011 started the Dewberry U education program adding wOil certified instructors worldwide.
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Seasick Steve, "Man From Another Time" CD Release
by Gary Graff
Halfway through his fourth album, "Man From Another Time,"Seasick Steve confesses that his "greatest fear before I die is to turn into a boring old fart." But that doesn't seem likely. With a globetrotting life story that plays like a John Steinbeck novel (or a John Ford movie) of redemption, the idiosyncratic 65-year-old troubadour (real name: Steve Gene Wold) returns to the United States following expatriate success in the United Kingdom. Full of blues and roots tracks, the new 13-song set lives up to its title. Steve channels the likes of John Lee Hooker ("That's All," "Seasick Boogie"),Bo Diddley ("Diddley Bo") and Son House ("My Home [Blue Eyes]," "Just Because I Can [CSX]"). And "The Banjo Song" is raw and dark enough to have fit on the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack. As plain-spoken a wordsmith as you'll find, Steve also sings about John Deere tractors ("Big Green and Yeller"), Dust Bowl blues ("Wenatchee"), jail yards and train cars with weathered credibility.


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Sept. 1, 2017
This story appears in the fall 2017 edition of the Northwest Alumni Magazine. To view the magazine in its entirety, click here.
Northwest Missouri State University alumnus Corey Quinonez believes in the power of a beard. So much that he's growing a business out of his desire to take care of his facial hair and help others do the same.
In 2015, he established K.C. Beard Balms, a unique line of balms, oils, wax and washes created to help control, soften, nourish, moisturize and condition beards as well as skin. "Believe in your beard" is the company's motto.
"'Believe' is my go-to word," he said. "I always tell people to believe. It's just to help people, be themselves, believe in themselves."
After graduating from Northwest in 2002 with his bachelor's degree in psychology, Quinonez ventured into business and found a career as a headhunter. Eventually, he was bitten by the entrepreneur bug.
He had had facial hair in some form for as long as he could grow it. Then, sometime around 2010, he decided to let it go and hasn't shaved since.
"It just happened, and I was like, 'OK, what am I going to do with this?'" he said. "That's when I got into the beard products, and next thing I know I'm making beard care products."
Quinonez had tried all kinds of products but couldn't find one that accomplished what he wanted.
"I wanted to make an all-in-one product so I did a lot of research," he said. "It was a lot of hard work, a lot of trial and error. Then I found something that I wanted, that I would use every day because I am a customer, too."
Quinonez connected with an apiary to provide the beeswax used in his balms and established important relationships with vendors to secure other ingredients.
Quinonez's products use a mixture of 12 ingredients and a collection of essential oils that give each balm a specific scent.
After "a lot of math and a lot of science," Quinonez concocted "a soft, scoopable product." He shared it with friends to test. He launched a website. And K.C. Beard Balms was born.
In addition to selling products online and shipping them across the globe, K.C. Beard Balms works with retailers in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Colorado and Idaho. The company plans to expand to additional markets this fall.
In a short time, K.C. Beard Balms has grabbed spots in British GQ, Glamour, Wired and Vogue in addition to an assortment of profiles in Kansas City area lifestyle magazines. In June, it partnered with the Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, an annual initiative of actors and Kansas City metro natives, including Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis, to benefit Children's Mercy Hospital. A container of a specially formulated Big Slick Beard Balm was placed in celebrity swag bags, and all proceeds from sales of the product went to Children's Mercy.
Quinonez also has developed a tobacco-infused balm in partnership with Diebel's Sportsmens Gallery and a hops-infused balm with Boulevard Brewing Company.
"It's been an amazing, fun ride, from the opportunities to the collaborations," he said. "I don't think we've scratched the surface yet of where we can take it or what we can do."
Mark Hornickel, Communication Manager
firstname.lastname@example.com | 660.562.1704 | Fax: 660.562.1900
Northwest Missouri State University
215 Administration Building | 800 University Drive | Maryville, MO 64468


text:
JAM = Jesus And Me
JAM is kid friendly worship and class for ages 3-18.
Our Mission is to share Jesus.
We Worship. We Learn. We share.
We love others as Jesus loves us.
We make our world better because WE are the church.
Family Meal begins at 6 pm. Join us!
Jobs for JAM
We need your "GLAD TO DO IT!"
Teach 3 & 4 yro during JAM Wednesday class 7-7:30 p.m
Teach Children's Church monthly: for 3-10 yro during Sunday Worship
Attendance Assistant: greet kids, welcome friends, count at the meal and during worship
Christmas Program Coordinator: 3 rehearsals and program on
December 16
Game Night Organizers: 3 game nights for 3-5th and 6-12th (Dates: 9-12, 12-12-19 and 5-8)
Substitute Teacher: for JAM and Children's Church
Adults Among us: Join JAM monthly to sit with the kids during the meal and worship.
Please email Peggy if you are able to help!
JAM (Jesus And Me)
meets Wednesdays, 6-7:30pm
JAM will not meet on the following days:
Oct. 17, Oct. 31, Nov. 21, Dec. 26
Registration for JAM 2018
Download the
Award Winning
Deep Blue Curriculum


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Dear Customer,
We want to make sure you, and all our customers, receive quality service from Taylor & Tyler, your local Ruud provider.
That's why we hope you will take a minute to share your thoughts about your recent experience with us now.
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"I am really pleased with Taylor & Tyler Heating & A/C services. The contractor was great. I would definitely recommend this company to my friends & family!"


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I-Pass Illinois Live Chat
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I-Pass Illinois Phone Number: 800-824-7277
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text:
Sunday's Semi Truck Wreck
During the wee hours on Sunday, June 5th, 2011, the driver hauling a load of lobster lost control of his eighteen wheel semi-tractor truck and overturned it on the main road in LaVerniere, Magdalen Islands. He was not hurt in the accident but some of the lobster were destroyed.
The truck was hauling its load to the ferry in Grindstone for the return voyage to Prince Edward Island. The particulars of the accident are still unknown as the local police force, Surete du Quebec are still investigating.
More information to come....
Photo was taken by Diane Hebert and is from a collection in her album on FaceBook.


text:
Sears has a new catalogue out " Sears our buyers best" catalogue dos not honour all the sales in its catalogue. I ordered 6 pairs of Dickies work pants regular price 39.99 on sale for 19.99 the person taking the order said the pants were not on sale.
This catalogues start date is Sept.25
until June 17, 2011. In the catalogue on page 79 shows the pics and add 1/3 of the page I explained, his answer was that Sears made a mistake and these work pants should not have been in this catalogue, they are not on sale and only offered are at the regular price of $39.99. How can this be?
Well I guess Big corperations once again can do what ever they want. Beware Consumers Sears not what you think they are.
Seriously, they should have either mailed out a flier or something stating that the price was incorrect but if they didn't, then they should honor the price.