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This year we'll see a lot of Atlantic genomes, possibly soon. I don't have any special gouge, however the ripples are what you'd expect [here] and [here]. In addition to the shaking bushes, there's always one study that jumps out of nowhere with a big surprise.
Here's some papers and posts ahead:
- A sufficient amount of "The Bell Beaker Transition in Europe" by Prieto-Martinez and Salanova is now preview-able that I can begin posting and commenting. Each topic covers some very interesting questions, timely as the genomic question has moved to the forefront of discussion. From linguistics to ethnicity, there's plenty 'cage match' worthy material.
- "Children as Potters" is an interesting subject discussed by Garrido-Pena and Herrero-Corral in a chapter of a recent book "Children, Spaces and Identity"
- Another chapter by Aliaga-Almela, Liesau, Rios, Blasco and Galindo look at Beaker babies in "Infant Burials During the Copper and Bronze Ages in the Iberian Jarama River Valley"
- There's a paper in Quaternary that was presented at a conference this last Spring about a horse butcher site at Portalon. Young foals appear to have been selectively butchered (I commented on this before and the context is pre-Beaker or non-Beaker). This sounds simple, people eating horse chili, but it becomes increasingly problematic, especially because of the effective population size.
It's likely that the Atapuerca horses were genetically similar to the Sorraia and Lusitano. In fact, H.P. Uerpmann (page 70, Olsen) theorized that the smaller Bell Beaker horse around Europe was essentially something akin to the Portuguese Lusitano, and then boom, the same menage that happened between Beakers and the Corded Ware people also happened with Beaker and Corded Ware horses (Warmuth et al, 2011)
|What! What! (Fig.1, Warmuth et al, 2011)
- There's a coming thesis examining the biometrics of Beakerfolk by Jos Kleijne, Kiel University (I'm not sure of the date of this paper)
- There's a thesis (Jessica Ryan) looking at musculoskeletal stress indications of Bell Beaker archers. There have been various examinations and comments on the bodies of Neolithic or Medieval archers, however this will be the first study that examines this specific phenomenon, and certainly that of the Beaker time-frame.
- I believe there will be sequel coming out on Beaker pottery from Moroccan rock shelters.
- Google Earth and zebra mussels are cranking out Neolithic and Bronze Age discoveries on a daily basis. A gigantic and previously unknown circle anomaly was discovered in Britain last week by amateur mousing around the terrain. This year will rock for discoveries.
|Dr. Tibor Bader (Sudwest Presse Photo Initiative)
- In 2015, I had hoped to see a study on vegetarianism in a certain portion Bronze Age and/or Neolithic people. The issue was mentioned by Garrido-Pena (?) in an abstract from Burgos and I looked further into an earlier isotope study and found what look like a small but visible portion of isotopic vegans.
I find this interesting because vegetarianism is most often engendered by people with a certain metaphysical worldview, although a minority in practice. Given what we know about Bronze Age religions, which gave us the majority of modern religions, we may be able to extrapolate how they may have viewed the nature of man and the material world.
And finally, I have a long list of quacky, heuristic, loose-on-the-facts, but free blog posts. This year is going to be for me suckingly busy, but I will not relent. Long live the Beakers!


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Whew! (Part 1)
I'd have liked to start this post off with "I made it"!!! But I'm still pretty far from done being super busy and stressed.
In fact, the only reason I have time to write this post is that it's raining and I'm holding off on my 8 mile run until tomorrow in hopes I won't have to do it on the treadmill. If tomorrow morning is rainy, I'll be putting in some awful time on the treadmill. I'm not even sure I can do 8 miles on it – I seem to have a lot of issues running on the thing now that I've been running so much outside. My entire stride is different and I struggle a lot.
Let's see…. Monday….
Monday's run was…. bad. I hadn't slept much the night before… and by that I mean about 3.5 hours. In fact, I've had issues sleeping all this past week and it really sucks. I felt tired and stressed and I don't know why but that usually makes me push myself too hard and yep – that's exactly what I did. My average pace was 5.3 mph when I've been hovering around 5.1 for a long time. All I could think about was how tired I was and how I would likely end up in bed by 7 pm (and yes, yes I did). It didn't feel right. My body felt tired, I felt out of sync and out of breath.
So I stopped. I felt bad about it but not terrible. I figured my lack of sleep had more to do with it than anything.
Tuesday I had a two hour long department meeting after work. We're working on a big project to redo our curriculum (years of being in No Child Left Behind's looming shadow has led to too big of a focus on standardized testing which led to teachers being encouraged to cram as many facts into student's heads as possible which led to very little learning and very few thinking skills being taught – now we're just saying to heck with it and getting back down to teaching the thinking skills). I'm super glad my district has come around on this.
You'd think it would all be sunshine and roses when some teachers get together and get to improve their curriculum for the good of the students, yes?
I'm pretty much the only one really on board in my department of 4. I've got a bit of support but not in the form of any real willingness to do the work…. which is…. frustrating.
That's me (if I were male) pretending my poor hapless laptop is a coworker.
I truly meant to work out on Tuesday. I got home two hours later than usual determined to work out to relieve stress.
And then I couldn't find a sports bra.
Fine, I'll wear a regular one.
And then I couldn't find the shirt I'd planned on wearing (yeah, to work out in… major tragedy, yes?)
Fine, I'll wear a different one.
And then I found out my cat had peed in my basket of clean clothes I hadn't had time to fold and put away.
And I put on my pj's, put the clothes through the wash twice (because once doesn't get the smell out) and stress ate for the first time in ages.
I won't even tell you the stupid amounts of food I ate or the poor quality of it.
I will tell you it made my IBS act up (well, I'm pretty sure it's stress coupled with too much grease).
And that, my friends, kept me up all night in pain. Another night of no sleep.
I'll save the rest of the gripes for another post.


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We've just returned from our last trip in England. My family and I spent the day in Dover (the one with the white cliffs) and Canterbury. It was really, really cold today, maybe about fifty degrees, and windy. This made the day a bit more disagreeable than it might have been, as the weather was supposed to be warm and we were all dressed for that. However, Dover was still really pretty and we saw the white cliffs, which is another one of those things you don't realize you want to do until you do it. We went to Dover Castle and all of the war exhibits near it.
We weren't sure if we'd make it to Canterbury, or rather, we thought we might get to the city and find that both the cathedral and all of the shops were closed. Asking only got us a million different answers. However, the train station we would end up at in Canterbury was the same one we needed to get back to London and we decided to use that to our advantage; if we got to Canterbury and found that everything was closed, we'd go back to London.
Everything was open, and so I found myself in Canterbury Cathedral for the third time in five months. This meant that I didn't walk around much, though I did take all of my small English change, which I'd never be able to spend without someone wanting to kill me, and dumped it in their donation box. It was pouring on and off, but we managed to get dinner to go and make it back to the train station before it rained again.
Tomorrow, we go home. Adrienne is bringing her stuff to the flat and traveling with us to the airport, since she's on the same flight. Unfortunately, just as it did on my family's first night, the cab service she hired is screwing her over. She's been waiting for them for almost an hour. I may end up going to the uni to help her bring her stuff here on the tube, but we're still waiting to see if the cab will show up.
Anyway… tomorrow we go home. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I definitely don't want to leave England. Besides my London casting inbox suddenly overflowing in these last two weeks (of course), I keep looking at everything and thinking how I can't leave it. I love London and England and the people here too much to leave. I'm talking about the English, yes, but also my friends that I've made here that are otherwise, too. Laura and I had a good-bye chatting session yesterday. I went to her room at school and I figured I'd just stay for a bit (I try to avoid goodbyes), but I kept thinking, 'I'll just stay for fifteen more minutes' until nearly three hours had passed and my mom called and asked me if I would be back for dinner. It was really sad to say goodbye to her. She may live in America, too, but she lives really far away from me. I hope we get to see each other again.
Tomorrow is finishing cleaning up, packing anything we used today, getting an English breakfast and heading to the airport at 12:30 (if our cab shows up this time.) By 4:15, we'll be on the plane and eight hours later, we come home.
For those still looking for the rest of the advice blog, I promise it's coming. I added a lot of stuff from these last two weeks :)
Saturday, June 11, 2011
And So It's Over
Posted by Rachel at 2:59 PM
Labels: family, friends, touristy, transportation, travel, university life
2 comments:
- Aziza said...
Have a safe flight and thanks for the wonderful posts these last few months! They were very entertaining!
- June 12, 2011 at 4:08 AM
- Anonymous said...
Thanks, and thanks for reading!
- June 13, 2011 at 6:52 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Poojan Videos
Shradh at Ghat
I bow down to that three-eyed
Lord Shiva, who is full of sweet fragrance, who
nourishes the human beings. May He free me from
the bondage of Sansara and death, just as a ripe
cucumber fruit is separated from the creeper. May
I be fixed in Immortality! This is the
Maha-Mrityunjaya Mantra.
Our Mission
facilitate the Hindu families want to achieve
Moksha for their deceased family member by
performing Asthi Visarjan and Shradh at holy
Ganges at Kashi Ji ( Varanasi or Benaras ), Gaya, Allahabad (Triveni) in traditional &
religious manner as described in holy granth
"Garur Puran" and "Smriti Shastra" on behalf of
the family members of departing
What is Moksha ?
Contact for any query or Support


text:
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|Tuesday, 11 July 2017
"Talk does not cook rice."
Chinese Proverb.
It's an overcast morning with no wind and very muggy. We have rain forecast for later in the day and I hope we will have a good inch which is so badly needed. It will be the first that Newmarket has had for a while. Everybody is in bright and early today and we are getting on well with the horses, with pipe openers for the two that run tomorrow and the rest having good canters.
Honey Blosssom doing a pipe opener...
with Four Fifty Three and Rum Ration yesterday
We have three runners today, all of them are two year olds, with two at Wolverhampton this afternoon and one at Brighton this evening. Four Fifty Three, who has run twice before, and Rum Ration, making his debut, are the two at Wolverhampton. Four Fifty Three is drawn well in stall one and it will be interesting to see how this big scopy colt will handle the Wolverhampton course, plus he will be in all the kick back possible. Rum Ration is drawn in stall ten on the outside and will have to slot in quickly. He will benefit greatly from today's outing.
Tonight's runner is Honey Blossom who made her debut at Yarmouth. This is a completely different track with its turns, hill and camber. We are having to take on everybody's runners today and I hope Brighton has some rain before the race. Gabriele Malune rides.
Saint Anthony
We were talking yesterday about the apprentice system and how it is claimed they are being exploited. Well, if you read what Richard Fahey has to say about it you see it is not all one way. He puts the figures of what everybody earns out there and it shows that for every apprentice ride he would lose £10 to £12. He also states that he thinks the Professional Jockeys' Association is being so aggressive about this that very shortly nobody will want the hassle of having an apprentice. I cannot agree more and it was what I was trying to get across yesterday. The apprentice system may need a few tweeks but at present there are plenty of opportunities being offered to apprentices, as we are giving Gabriele today and tomorrow but I make nothing out of it and Mr. Cumani will lose £20. I think the Racing Post has stirred up a couple of items lately ie: the whip and this apprentice situation. I don't know why, it doesn't make people buy more papers.
I see the Derby winner, Wings Of Eagles, is recovering well from injury and they don't need to put a pin in the sesamoid bone at the back of his joint. I don't know the exact situation but if he is not going to race again and just be a stallion time is the best healer, and often with these operations horses can do harm to the other leg when they attempt to stand up after the operation.


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First of all—sorry if the title of this post is cheesy. You'll forgive me though, when you check out this super tasty recipe created by the awesome Giada De Laurentiis. If you love to cook, like me, then you know who she is. She is the main cook behind Everyday Italian and Giada at Home; and boy can she cook. Her Italian food is so delicious and she makes her recipes simple so that we can create Italian cuisine at home, with ease. I've attempted a few of her recipes and by far my favorite is her macaroni and Cheese Recipe; and, I recommend you give it a try.
The directions are super simple—click here to view the ingredients and instructions.
I'm going to show you how I make it, and hopefully offer some tips.
First I grease my 13 x 9 inch baking dish.
Next, I boil a large pot of water and once it comes up to a rolling boil I add in a hand full of salt and my wide egg noodles. Then remove them once they are tender.
Then cook up a couple pieces of bacon (I use bacon instead of ham). Next chop the bacon into small bits and chop up your parsley as well—then side aside.
Next, I get a large bowl and grab the following ingredients: 2 cups cream, 2 ½ milk, 2 tsp. flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Toss them into your bowl and whisk. I usually whisk for about 5 minutes because I want the mixture to thicken a bit.
I also use different cheeses for this recipe but it still tastes so good! I just buy two containers of the three cheese blend, and use 1 ¾ of both containers of cheese combined, and save ¼ of the cheese mix for the top of the macaroni. Once I've done that, I add the cheese, bacon, and parsley to the cream mixture and mix.
Next, add the egg noodles.
Then add to your baking dish and top with the remainder of your cheese (that's if you're making it my way) and place into your oven. Another tip I have is leave the macaroni in the oven until the cream is bubbling and the tops are a little toasty. Then let the macaroni sit out for about 10 minutes. It will come out perfect if you do it that way.
Then when it's done, serve it up! Nom nom.
Happy eating! I'm hungry now…
+ Thank you to my lovely sister Angie for assisting me with this macaroni so I wouldn't get my camera dirty :-)


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Welcome to the Gina K Designs fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop! We hope to inspire you to create with the new Gina K Releases! And, as you hop through the blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them because we will choose a few random comments and those stampers will each win a grab bag of Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a few days after the hops.
Today we are sharing projects using Pretty Patterns 2 and Bold Blooms! All of these sets can now be purchased in the What's New section of the Gina K Designs store!
Bold Blooms:
I just love the spectacular giant flowers in this set!! After stamping the flower twice, I cut out just the center portion of the flower on the second image and added it over the other flower for dimension. I added some Fresh Asparagus grosgrain ribbon under the flower. I finished off the card using a sentiment from Stamp It Big! 2 stamped in the gorgeous new Black ink.
Pretty Patterns 2:
I love all the ways to mix and match the patterns using this set. For this card, I went with a classic black and red design. The sentiment is from Stamp It Big! 2.
Wanna see some more projects with these sets? Head on over to these blogs:
- Gina K
- Melanie Muenchinger - Illustrator of Pretty Patterns 2
- Becky Oehlers - Illustrator of Bold Blooms
- AJ Otto
- Beth Silaika
- Carolyn King
- Cathy Tidwell
- Debbie Corbari
- Latisha Yoast
- Lee Murphy
- Michelle Woerner
- Sean Fetterman
- Sharon Harnist
- Tami Mayberry
- Theresa Momber


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Keith Terhune (piano & keyboards)
Keith is currently the director of Paradox Recording Studios, director of music at Admiral Congregational United Church of Christ, charter member of the Seattle Jazz Institute, piano teacher, composer and arranger, software consultant, concert producer, web designer and internet presence consultant.
Recordings available: Cocktails & Ellington - In The Garden - Grace To You with Grace Holden
Services available:
music scoring for composers, symphonic orchestration and accompaniments for recording
artists and film makers, multi-track recording, mixing and mastering, commissioned choral compositions and arrangements, concert productions, public performances, private home concerts, concerts for seniors, piano instruction (specializing in jazz improvisation),
web-hosting and multi-media web design.
Inquires: email@example.com
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I believe you will enjoy using our Web Services.


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>>But to be able to do anything worthwhile with the statements we need >>to know the context of their assertion - they are asserted in this email. > >Well, that is a very controversial claim. WHY do we need to know the >provenance in order to do anything worthwhile? What is wrong with >having as a general assumption that one can usually forget about >provenances (or maybe check them once and then forget about them) and >just draw conclusions? When did you last see the acronym GIGO? >>The url of the email in the archives (say email:765) can be used >to identify >>this. So an application can know the providence of the statements >(the email >>in the archives has a record of the sender), and we have a form of >>grouping - the statements are both in the graph at the uri of this mail. > >OK, maybe provenances are handy. Still, the chief trouble with this >is that there are many other reasons, having nothing to do with >provenance, for wanting to form statement groups, so the grouping >machinery shouldn't be integrated with the provenance machinery. That sounds reasonable. >>Years ago I overheard the police call in the name of someone they'd picked >>up to get further information (wasn't me guv ;-). The response >was concise : >>known, not wanted. In the same fashion, if an application is aware of >>email:765 then it is known, and the statements above are available. This >>data can however remain 'not wanted'. >> >>In practice, an implementation could contain two knowledge bases - one >>'live' and one 'sandbox'. Each would contain a set of graphs, the >difference >>being that the 'sandbox' was passive and 'live' active. By passive here I >>mean that it could be queried, but no logical inference would take place, >>unlike in the live space. > >Well, this is all very interesting, but I have no idea why you want >to go to all this trouble. What problem are you solving here? Seems >to me that the basic picture should be much simpler. RDF graphs make >assertions (most of the time); you can take any RDF anywhere you find >it and draw valid conclusions from it. If you are somewhat paranoid, >you might only want to use RDF from sources you trust: but in >general, the trustworthiness of any conclusion is at least as good as >that of the least trustworthy assumption you derive it from. I seem to have inadvertently led this into the world of trust. Trustworthyness (?) wasn't really the motivation behind the idea (although would be a bonus). You can take any RDF anywhere and draw valid conclusions from it, but doesn't this take us back into the library without an index? Using a sandbox/livebox combination would a means to cheaper data filtering (more 'is this relevant?' than 'do I trust this?'). I might get exactly the same results from my inference engine if I included assertions relating to 'Upper Respiratory Infection' and 'Rapid Deployment Force' in the knowledge base, but if I can be more selective about the assertions made, there's less noise to slow things down. Although I take your point about the difference between provenance and grouping, grouping by provenance is a common occurence, and should be useful. I can >see that your extra quaddish tags/colors/whatever might be one way to >keep track of this, but there are many other possible ways. Couple of examples? [...] >>Putting this more strongly, we only really have two contexts - >'in the wild' >>and 'in application X'. > >No, I think it will have to get much more delicate than that. For >example, I might want to trust any source that is warranted as >trustworthy by an ontology that I trust, or is owned by the US >government. Others might have very different criteria, of course. In >fact I forsee a whole economy of trustworthiness starting to emerge, >eventually. Here you are acting as application X, operating on data found in the wild. The rules for trust (which presumably would select which statements get asserted) aren't inherent in the RDF. (I knew I shouldn't have mentioned the police...) Cheers, Danny.Received on Thursday, 27 June 2002 17:57:38 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Wednesday, 2 March 2016 11:10:38 UTC


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Pressure in an Empty Space – Album Artwork
Year: 2016 – Q1
Client: Buchanan
I was commissioned to create the cover art for Buchanan's 2nd album – "Pressure in an Empty Space". The brief was to convey the feeling of intense pressure and the symbols in this cover art each relate to a song or motif throughout the album.
This project went through a large brainstorming stage with Frontman Josh Simons. We explored many possible directions for the album before settling on the idea of a 'Vacuum wrapped' explosion of shapes. First the basic "composition" was put together using multiple meshes made in 3ds max. These were all retopologised in Zbrush.
I then used Autodesk 3ds Max and the "Lucid Physics" plugin by Ephere to 'drape' a 'cloth' over the top of all the objects. The Lucid plugin is a unified solver – it can do rigid bodies, fluids, cloth, etc. So i added a few forces (Gravity, vortex) behind all the collision geo so the cloth was 'sucked' into the geometry. I was trying to achieve the effect of a "vacuum wrap". I had seen this idea attempted here on the CGTalk forums by Josef 'spacefrog' Wienerroither.
I played with the settings to make the cloth stretch and crumple. The edges of the cloth were pinned in place so they couldn't move – the cloth would have to stretch. The result was then exported to Zbrush to sculpt in extra details and clean up any penetration issues.
The resulting high-poly mesh was exported from Zbrush back to Max using Decimation master & meshlab. It was then rendered in Vray. Final composite was completed with Photoshop.
Below are some extra WIP images from throughout the project:
The Album artwork was developed and rendered at high-resolution, suitable for printing on A2 posters. Some Crops of the Album Art are below.


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If you have any money invested in property, or you are planning to, then it really pays to know as much as you can. The more you understand about the entire process, the more likely it is that you will get more out of it. Yet, it can often be difficult figuring out all the gritty details, not to mention the fact that this is the kind of thing which changes with time. In this article, we are going to attempt to make the whole process as easy as possible. If you are in need of some information, then you should be able to find the basics here. This should hopefully help you to make better decisions surrounding your investments in the future, and hopefully get more out of them. Let's take a look at some of the ins and outs of property investment.
The Importance Of Timing
One of the essential elements when it comes to investing in anything at all is the timing of that investment. This relates both to the timing of the sale and the purchase. Obviously, your main goal in investment is to make as much money as possible from it. This is why you need to pay attention to the markets as closely as you can. It is only by paying attention to the markets that you can properly determine what the best time to buy and sell is. And finding the best time to buy and sell is the best way of ensuring that you get the most that you can from your investment. With that in mind, it is a good idea to begin paying close attention to the relevant markets as soon as possible. The longer you watch them for, the more likely it is that you will be able to get as much as possible out of them.
Choosing The Location
You have no doubt heard of the old saying in real estate – location, location, location. This is meant to illustrate just how important it is that you find the right location for your properties. There are many reasons why choosing a location is centrally important to your investments. One of the main reasons is that the location happens to have a profound impact on the actual value and quality of the investments. This is because many people want to be as central as possible, or to be in certain areas. Of course, you should also think about your proximity to the property you are investing in. You don't want to be too far away, as you might need to carry out work on the building at any point. However, that doesn't mean that you have to stick to the strictly local area. You can really invest in property anywhere, and one of the main things to always bear in mind is cost – so if going elsewhere is likely to be better financially, then that might be the best option.
Work On Current Investments First
It is often tempting to go out and get hold of new properties as quickly as you can. However, the truth is that this is unlikely to be the best way to go about doing it. It is often much more effective to work on any current investments you might have first of all. Get those investments to a point where you are making as much from them as possible, and then you can start to look at bringing in other investments as well. This is for a number of reasons, but mostly it is just a matter of financial stability and safety. As long as you have one solid investment, it doesn't matter quite as much if your subsequent ones don't work out quite as well. You will always have you initial ones to fall back on. Of course, there are many ways of ensuring that you are making the most of your current properties. One of the most effective is to renovate it, even if it is just one room. You could renovate the main bedroom, for example, or the bathroom. These two renovations in particular are likely to make a considerable difference to the value of the house. Once you have made your current properties as valuable as possible, you can start to shop around for new investments.
Reduce Tax
We all know how important it is to pay tax, and nobody here is suggesting that you shouldn't do it, but there are ways of ensuring that you don't have to pay as much. Paying less tax, it goes without saying, means that you are widening your profit margins – and that is really what you are going for. As long as what you are doing is legal, there is no reason not to do whatever you need to to pay less tax. One particularly powerful and popular method is to use a 1031 exchange properties service. Using this service, you can exchange your property for a similar one with higher value, and save on the tax in the process. This can be an extremely lucrative way of making more money out of your property investments.
Decrease Vacancy
Of course, it goes without saying that you probably want to keep a tenant in your property in order to help with the mortgage payments and so on. Buy-to-let is extremely popular, and it is easy to see why. Essentially, you let the tenant pay the mortgage off in the form of rent – and then earn anything above the mortgage cost for yourself. However, there are always going to be costs associated with this process, and it makes sense to want to keep those down as low as possible. To do that, it might be a good idea to decrease vacancy by having one long-term tenant rather than a succession of short-term tenants. That way, you will have to pay much less on administration costs and the like. This is worth bearing in mind if you are considering buy-to-let.


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For Parents
School Life
Educate Together schools are founded on four core principles, one of which is democracy. In the context of school life, parents are actively encouraged to take part in their child's education. This was a radical concept when introduced by Educate Together in the 1970s. Up to that point parents had little insight into their child's school life beyond the brief window the annual parent-teacher meeting offered.
Parental involvement in Educate Together schools can encompass all aspects of school life from formal structures like the Board of Management, the Parent Teacher Association, Faith Formation Groups and Extra Curricular Organisers through to more hands on voluntary roles within the school day. No Educate Together school could operate fully without the support and involvement of its parent body. All parental involvement in school life is undertaken in the full understanding of the professional role of the teacher in the classroom and the formal education of the child.
Establishment of a new school
Educate Together schools are established in an area following an engagement process with local parents. A start-up group is established which liaises with the National Office staff and assists with establishing the extent and longer term potential of local parental support for the school.
The establishment of any new school can be a long process that continues for many years. At present Educate Together is working with over 40 active start-up groups around the country – all made up of parents who want an Educate Together school for their children. In recent years Educate Together has grown substantially and has opened 31 schools in the last 5 years. Parental support of these campaigns has been critical to the successful establishment of these schools.


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Acapulco, Mexico - Vacation Villa
Casa Iguana
Is there a place where the sunset is always perfect?
This recently New
Villa (completed in 2008) will be rented directly by the owners. It will
provide you with a unique opportunity to
enjoy a different kind of tourism, beyond the depersonalized hotel experience. Enjoy professional massages, manicures and pedicures right at our sensual villa.. Our staff of 6 feature healthy gourmet food and are at your service
Airplane View of Casa Iguana with steps down to private beach
18,000 sq. feet Oceanfront Villa
Just 1.5 miles from Coyuca Lagoon & Pie de la Cuesta
Where they filmed "Tarzan" & "Rambo" movies and only 5.6 miles to Acapulco Costera strip hotels and discos
Click on these links to See More Pictures & Information
This place exists.......A place that is a solemn monument to that everyday ritual.
A place where the water is so clear you can see the bottom of the ocean and whales during migration season Nov thru March, a beautiful sight to see.
This would be the perfect spot for a
sunset wedding
family reunion
family vacation
or just a lot of friends
Steps to Private Beach - 10 Story Elevator down to house, pool and luxury suites each with kitchen, bathroom, minisplit individual air-conditioning and a Jacuzzi
Built in drink and head lounges in pool shallow area, kids pool
View from Private Ocean & Beach Access at the bottom of our stairs
Palapa entertainment center has 1/2 bath, tables & bar, frig and freezer for ice
Enjoy Massages, Manicure & Pedicures with the sound of the waves below
Living room & Bar
Our friendly Staff:
Julisa, Margarita, Maralet & Julian
Feed Iggy, our resident Iguana who waits on the cliff
by the kitchen for some breakfast fruit!
The dining room has plenty of room to set 28 people!
Dining area
Kitchen has the best of double everything, including barbecue
Kitchen staff- Juli, Margarita & Mara
Chiles Rellenos stuffed with Manchego Cheese in fresh tomato sauce Fresh Fish Filets with potato and carrot nests
Our Iguana Chef Margarita has over Fifty Gourmet Beautiful recipes
Here are two of her favorite specialties!
Elevator has 4 stops
Typical luxury Suites : Each Luxury Suite has a living room, 2 queen beds in huge air conditioned bedroom,
(extra one or two air conditioned bed-rooms), full bath, Jacuzzi, 2 couch beds, Kitchen, Direct TV from U.S. with Playboy channel
Poolside Bedroom sleeps 10 (2 Queen & 6 Single beds) with a full bath with separate sink makeup area
Then there is Iguana Honeymoon Suite
60 inch TV in special home theater room
Humpback Whale Suite
Humpback Whale suite King bed and High Definition wide screen
Humpback Whale Suite outside Jacuzzi Humpback Whale Suite bath
Honeymoon Iguana Suite: 1 King Bed & 1 day-bed in sitting area (with air-conditioning) Private Bath w/ Double Jacuzzi
Humpback Whale Suite: 1 King Bed & 1 day-bed in sitting area (with air-conditioning) Private Bath w/ Outdoor Jacuzzi
Dolphin 2 bedroom Suite: 2 Queen Beds (with air-conditioning) w/ Private Bath and Jacuzzi , 2 day-beds in sitting area ( with ceiling fan)
Second Bedroom: 2 Queen beds & 6 single beds (with air-conditioning) w/ Private bath
#2 Sailfish Suite: 2 Queen Beds (with air-conditioning) w/ Private Bath and Jacuzzi , 2 day-beds in sitting area (with ceiling fan)
#3 Sea Turtle Suite: 2 Queen Beds (with air-conditioning) w/ Private Bath and Outside Jacuzzi & huge outside patio garden with small Palapa & ocean over look also 2 Single Beds in small adjacent bedroom room with separate air-conditioning (Shares Bath), 2 day-beds in sitting area (with ceiling Fan)
All our floors are special and designed by Sandy Spady
Private small beach below house (Access steps to beach)
View of diving platform for 50ft dive to ocean
Individual alarm clock radios, Direct TV from States in 5 Bedrooms, 200 plus channels with movie channels, plus Playboy channel
Complete security ; high walls, 16 cameras, master locks, double bolt steel doors, armed security man.
House has 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms plus living quarters for staff at 5 car garage top Elevator level.
House is brand new 2007 and has the best of all new appliances, laundry room equipment, elevator , TVs , surround sound, and 5 Jacuzzis (2 are outside).
Staff of 4 to 6 prepare your food, liquor, beverage & maid service at no charge. You purchase or have them purchase your food and drinks for you.
There are no other charges or taxes unless of course you want to tip staff at end of your stay for their fine service which is entirely up to you and customary in Mexico.
High speed DSL Internet Wireless
Casa Iguana
Rates PREMIUM PLAN (see Deluxe plan below)
A credit card is required to secure your reservation. We accept MasterCard & Visa. A 50% deposit is required at time of reservation and our office Bonnavilla Plaza Corp. 2750 Osborne Drive East, Hastings, Nebraska 68901-1006 and We will send you a confirmation. For balance owed, You can either send a cashiers check or we will run your credit card, your choice, one week prior to your arrival.
Year Round Premium Plan Rates
All Premium PLAN rates include:
Complimentary transportation upon arrival from the Acapulco airport to Casa Iguana. (2 trips maximum please)
Complimentary margarita cocktail hour upon arrival at Casa Iguana.
Professional one hour massage, professional manicure and pedicure for each adult guest, all done right in palapa entertainment bar area at house.
1- up to 14 guests: $1400 per Night USD. $1400 per night minimum rental
Additional guests (up to 36): $50 U.S.D. per night per guest There are no other taxes or fees unless you want to tip the staff which is entirely up to you.
Deluxe Plan Rates (April thru October)
Transportation, margarita hour, massage, pedicure, or manicure is not included at no charge but can be arranged for you. 1 guest up to 36 guests $50 U.S.D. per person per night. (2 nights and $1000 U.S.D. per night minimum rental) No other taxes or fees
HOLIDAYS (Christmas, New Year )
14 guests or fewer: $2000 / Night USD
15-32 guests: additional $100 U.S.D. per Night per guest
One-week minimum. If you rent Christmas and New Year's both, there is a 2-week minimum. Free airport pickup, free margarita hour, free 1 hour massage, free manicure, and free pedicure for each adult guest are all included with our spa package over holiday time.
SPRING BREAK DURING MARCH each year
7+ day rental: One-week minimum. $1666 per night up 14 guests (which is $119 per person per night). You can have from 15 to 36 guests total for $89 per person each per night . Up to two Airport pickups included. Massages, manicures and pedicures not included but can be arranged for nominal cost. Margarita hour on arrival is included. No other taxes or fees.
There is a $300 per person refundable "Damage & Theft" deposit required during Spring Break. This Damage & Theft deposit is due 10 days prior to your first rental day. Please send a cashiers check to our office:
Bonnevilla Plaza Corp.
2750 Osborne Dr. East
Hastings, NE 68901-1006
Upon departure inspection, your original check will be returned to you the day after you leave if no damage, theft or broken house rules.
An additional Event Fee will be assessed for special events with 50-250 guests over and above house guests according to following schedule. If you rent Casa Iguana for:
7-days or more the special event fee is $2000 USD
5-days the special event fee is $2500 USD
4-days the special event fee is $3000 USD
3-days the special event fee is $3500 USD
2-days or less the special event fee is $5000 USD.
There are beds for up to 36 people in air conditioning if you want to double up.
There are 6 couch beds with fans in addition for a total of up to 42 people.
Our friendly staff can make arrangements for any activity that you desire
Deep Sea Fishing
Tours & Transportation, Shopping
Childcare Services & Activities, Cici Dolphin Park
Restaurant Reservations
Water ski & Wakeboard, Small boat rentals lagoon
Sunset Cruises of Acapulco Bay
Snorkeling & Diving
Massage & Spa Services
Casa Iguana is ideal for events, weddings, family reunions, corporate events, business meetings or just a get together for good friends!
Events for more than the amount of guests staying at house
up to 250 people maximum.
On your event, you can furnish your own entertainment, caterers, bartenders & waiters.
Our staff will be there to help.
ABSOLUTELY NO FIREWORKS! as there are 2 very large palm palapas on our grounds which could catch fire.!
This is the view of sunset from anywhere in the house
or contact direct:


text:
More on Custom Ant Tasks
For example, custom conditions that implement the Condition interface can be nested under your custom task (or custom type) by providing an add(Condition c) method. Unfortunately, the isset built-in condition type won't work as-is. You would need to redeclare the built-in condition types with slightly modified names—is.set or core.isset, for example—but then you're back to the maintenance headache.
However, in the case of condition types, such hacks aren't necessary. The Ant team has provided the ConditionBase type class, and this class provides working addXXX methods for all the standard Ant tasks as well as a working add(Condition c) method. (The implication here is that they will do their due diligence to keep ConditionBase in sync with the built-in condition types.) Note that ConditionBase also includes these rather helpful methods:
protected int countConditions() { ... } protected java.util.Enumeration getConditions() { ... }
You are forced into subclassing in this case, but you are not likely to ever need to be a task and type at the same time. (If you think you will, keep reading.)
Example 7: An XOR custom condition type with arbitrary nested conditions
Consider you want to create an xor conditional type to round out the standard set of conditionals Ant provides. This means you need to implement the Condition interface and create an eval() method. You also want to nest two (and only two) arbitrary conditions under your xor condition. This means you should subclass from the ConditionBase class as mentioned above.
//XORCondition.java package org.roblybarger; import java.util.Enumeration; import org.apache.tools.ant.BuildException; import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.condition.Condition; import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.condition.ConditionBase; public class XORCondition extends ConditionBase implements Condition { public boolean eval() throws BuildException { if (countConditions()<2) { throw new BuildException("Two nested conditions are required."); } else if (countConditions()>2) { throw new BuildException("Only two nested conditions allowed."); } else { Enumeration<Condition> conditions = getConditions(); boolean b1 = conditions.nextElement().eval(); boolean b2 = conditions.nextElement().eval(); return b1 ^ b2; } } }
Add an entry in the MyAntTypes.properties file:
Update your jar file, and then try it with an Ant file such as this:
<project name="ex7" default="demo" basedir="."> <typedef resource="MyAntTypes.properties" classpath="mytasks.jar"/> <target name="demo"> <property name="propA" value="true"/> <property name="propB" value="false"/> <condition property="xor_check"> <xor> <isset property="propA"/> <isset property="propB"/> </xor> </condition> <!-- gimmick: force a false value if not set to true above --> <condition property="xor_check" value="false"> <not> <isset property="xor_check"/> </not> </condition> <echo message="property value: ${xor_check}"/> </target> </project>
The second condition block isn't really necessary except to force an explicit value of false into the property if the first condition block didn't set it to true. This is only being done so that the echo task actually prints something meaningful regardless of the effect of the xor operation.
Important: Recall that Ant's general behavior is to only set a property if it will get a true value. However, be cautioned to also recall that Ant's behavior in things such as if and unless checks in target attributes only look for the specified property being set, not actually being true. On the other hand, you are free to use explicit iftrue standard conditions for your own purposes. Combined with the if task from the ant-contrib project, you can generate some amazingly spidery ant files. (Weigh the two-edged sword of job-security carefully here.)
Task with Nested Tasks
It is probably not as likely that you will need a task that can have other tasks nested underneath it as it is that you will need to nest types under it. (The standard Ant task set has the sequential and parallel tasks that permit nested tasks, and the ant-contrib project's if task also does this.) Still, the capability exists in two flavors: you want to deal with specific tasks, or you want to deal with any task generically. The first option—handling nested tasks of a specific, known name/class—is handled in a manner very similar to handling specific nested types. If you want to support a nested task with an element name of foo which is backed by a Java class named MyFooTask, provide one of these two methods to store the reference passed to you from Ant:
public void addFoo(MyFooTask t) { ... } public void addConfiguredFoo(MyFooTask t) { ... }
The difference between these two methods, again, is whether Ant passes you the object reference before (first method) or after (second method) processing the element's own attributes and nested elements.
The second option involves handling tasks generically. To accomodate this, your class should implement the org.apache.tools.ant.TaskContainer interface, which requires you to provide an implementation for one method:
public class YourCustomTask extends TaskContainer { ... public void addTask(Task t) { ... } ... }
You will probably want to simply add the generic task object reference to some collection or array and deal with it later:
Vector<Task> tasks; public void init() { tasks = new Vector<Task>(); } public void addTask(Task t) { tasks.add(t); } ...
Of course, when your own task's execute() method is called, you will want to cause your nested tasks to run their own execute method. Although you might be able to directly call the execute() method of some tasks, other tasks may require addition pre-execution processing before they are finally useful. Therefore, the preferred way is to call the perform() method:
public void execute() { ... for(Task t : tasks) { t.perform(); } ... }
Granted, your real-world task will probably have a set of nested types to process as well, and you may need to add error checking and attribute value validation (among other things) before calling certain of the tasks nested underneath your own task.
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text:
There is Mom
by Tim Kavi
so what is this?
across the translucent orb
endless universe so vast
that God in his designs
would seek to make perfect
for sure to last?
but the need for what He created
man or woman
to never be alone?
but the sacredness
of family
of love
and of home?
and in that home
stands a sacred one
sure and true
the fortress of Mom
which every kid
growing up, knew
is true blue
in all she said
and did
until around
every troubled bend
twisted by life's
and uncertain wind?
there is the love
of God
and the love of Mom
gently guiding
assisting in fate
but always loving
there is Mom
there is Mom.
This poem will be read by me later today, at my mom's funeral. My mom was a wonderful person and parent, as well as a poet. I cannot ever surmise how important she was and is, to me and my work. In some small way, I hope this helps others to understand the importance of Moms. There are many mothering influences in the Universe. I love you, mom ! --T.K.


text:
Sam Shmith: Plate Glass - Art Collector
|Sam Shmitch, Untitled (Plate Glass #1), 2013. Pigment print and baryta paper, 227.5 x 126cm. Courtesy: the artist and Arc One Gallery, Melbourne
|In Plate Glass, Sam Shmith's seven new large-scale landscapes operate as a portrait of our attempts to grasp that which we are existent within and yet secluded from. Shmith's photographic mastery elucidates the polyvalent function of plate glass; offering transparency, perspective, protection and reflection. It is the particular function of windows to permit the interior and exterior, the inside and the outside, to be united. Yet in looking out a window, we also demarcate our own private, sheltered enclaves. Depicting expansive composite landscapes - often as they are encountered in transit - Shmith's works take us to places unrecognizable, yet strangely familiar.
|Opening: 4pm Saturday 18 May 2013
|Exhibition closes: 15 June 2013
|Location: Arc One Gallery, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
|Contact: 03 9650 0589
|Email: email@example.com


text:
I've been procastinating lately. It's taken me forever to get my hair cut, make an appointment with the eye doctor, get summer camps lined up for the kids. I have the French to handle these situations but still, it takes energy to think about the vocabulary I will need, imagine what I might hear and how to respond. Inevitably, it's never as difficult as I anticipate and even if I make a mistake, who really cares? But I guess I'm just not over that hump yet.
I remember reading in another expat's blog a while back that she never felt so alive as she did in Paris. At the time it didn't resonate with me at least in the exhilarated, thrilled sense of the phrase. I mean who can feel that way all the time? But then again, it's certainly true that living here takes a lot more energy than my old life ever did. And that's not to say I didn't enjoy my life in DC -- our neighborhood and friends, the kids' school, our family life, my job and colleagues. And I never did anything halfway. It's more that I really didn't have to stretch too much. It was more about the challenge of getting it all done and getting it done well than testing new experiences and going out of my comfort zone.
Even as certain aspects of Parisian life become more familiar, there's still a sense of newness for me, and as a result still an everpresent struggle to understand how things work and make things happen. Some days I'm completely up for it, others not so much.
There, now that that's off my chest, I best get off my butt and get to it.
Monday, March 30, 2009
2 comments:
- Starman said...
While it's not likely any American will ever truly understand the way things are done in France, I think you are to be congratulated on your accomplishments.
- March 30, 2009 at 7:47 PM
- Anne said...
Starman: That's kind of you to say.
- March 30, 2009 at 8:30 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Skip to Content
Home > Care & Treatment > Orthopedics > Joint Replacement Center > Joint Replacement Care Team
When you get treatment at Olmsted Medical Center's (OMC) Joint Replacement Center, you'll work with a specially trained team whose sole focus is to ensure your safe and successful recovery. Depending on your condition and procedure, you may work with some of the following care providers:
• Anesthesiologist – Administers the medications that keep you comfortable during surgery and manages your immediate post-operative pain• Chaplain – Serves your spiritual needs as well as those of your family, regardless of your religious denomination• Dietitian – Gives nutritional counseling to help you make healthy eating choices and understand the connection between diet and healing• Hospitalist – Follows your medical care during your stay at the Joint Replacement Center and works with your orthopedic surgeon to meet your care needs• Joint replacement nurse navigator – Coordinates your surgical care, prepares you for what to expect during treatment and recovery, and helps you transition back to your daily life• Nursing team – Helps prepare you for surgery, assists in the operating room, cares for you post-surgery, and keeps you comfortable and safe while you're in the hospital• Occupational therapy team – Teaches you how to safely and effectively perform daily living activities, such as bathing and dressing, and use special equipment that aid in your recovery, such as reachers or shower seats• Orthopedic surgeon – Performs your joint replacement surgery and supervises your care throughout your stay at the Joint Replacement Center• Orthopedic surgery scheduler – Arranges your pre-operative appointments and registers you with the Joint Replacement Center• Patient care assistant – Helps you with activities such as bathing, dressing, and getting to the bathroom• Personal coach – Supports you and helps you prepare for and recover from your joint replacement procedure (usually a spouse, friend, or family member)• Pharmacist – Manages your medications while you're in the hospital and meets with you before you leave to review your discharge medications• Physical therapy team – Develops and implements a rehabilitation plan that helps you gain strength and motion in your new joint; teaches you post-surgery recovery skills, such as how to get in and out of your car• Physician assistant – Works with your orthopedic surgeon to help with your care• Primary care provider – Manages your overall health and stays in contact with your orthopedic surgeon to help provide post-operative care• Social worker – Helps you with your discharge needs and, if needed, arranges for home health services or a short-term stay at a skilled nursing facilityDuring your joint replacement or other orthopedic treatment plan, you may also work with laboratory technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, and orthopedic office staff.
OMC's orthopedic surgery department and joint replacement center can be reached Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (except on holidays), at:
Appointment tel: 507.292.7187
Joint Replacement Navigator: 507.529.6735
Mailing address:
Olmsted Medical CenterAttn: Orthopedic Surgery/Joint Replacement Center1650 Fourth Street SE Rochester, MN 55904
View More
1650 Fourth Street SE
Rochester, MN 55904
Patient Portal | Pay My Bill


text: tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42900635370788021502018-09-17T04:43:36.136-04:00LearningZealotMark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-19211558985234832442015-09-08T15:25:00.001-04:002015-09-08T15:25:50.941-04:00Goodbye from the Learning Zealot Sunrise or sunset? Each day we are blessed to receive both. Brilliant moments in time. This blog has been a brilliant moment in time for me. Blogger made life very easy, it was my space to write and reflect and start or add to conversations. Those conversations changed me over the years. My journey as an ISD, then as manager of L&D has taken another step. This time putting learning in it's Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-9085086307280740482015-08-13T14:47:00.001-04:002015-08-13T14:47:28.071-04:00Changing Words. Changing Practices. Changing Culture. Part II Several months ago I wrote the first post of this title. In it I shared how through continual conversation and examples I was able to help some key stakeholders stop calling everything training when it came to a performance solution. The idea being that change happens one conversation at a time and that maybe to shift a culture we need to begin by changing the words we use. Words are powerful inMark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-58587590565067961202015-08-10T12:10:00.000-04:002015-08-10T12:10:38.312-04:00Social Media Is Like a Light Social media is often criticized for bringing out the ugliness of society. But isn't that what we want!? What we need?! Racism, sexism, ageism, the "isms" have been able to hide for far to long and social media works to ferret them out for everyone to see. The latest example was brought to light by the posting of a quote by Engineer, Isis Wegner of OneLogin along with her image in a Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-30593969292527813792015-08-06T13:26:00.001-04:002015-08-06T13:26:21.970-04:00Social Tools: Organizational Learning's Uber I had my first Uber service recently in Austin, TX. It was nothing short of remarkable. A few glitches (mostly self caused) but a far better experience than I have ever had in a cab. It was during this ride, and conversation with my driver William, that I made a few connections between business, learning and needs. It's got me to thinking that if content, context and connection is king, queen Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-19532912989177440562015-07-28T11:18:00.001-04:002015-07-28T11:18:03.229-04:00Lead Social By Leading With Social A colleague and friend who I regularly chat with, where we bounce ideas and thoughts off each other, is at the cusp of where many folks leading the social charge in organizations are; helping key leaders and stakeholder to build awareness and better understanding of the value of being more social themselves. Meetings are being set, slides developed, activities, agendas, use cases identified Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-89619285906214632492015-07-22T14:06:00.000-04:002015-07-22T14:06:46.149-04:00Embraceable Me Yesterday Tracy Parish challenged me to do a #Blimage. If you are unfamiliar, this is an interesting and fun approach to inspiring a blog post. It was introduced by Steve Wheeler and friends and the original post can be found here. Tracy wrote an excellent post based on an image of a cemetery titled Learning While Wandering. I enjoyed that she looked at learning very personally versus Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-60535249764231663612015-07-13T16:08:00.000-04:002015-07-20T11:45:30.573-04:00Choices, Choices When I was a kid we had about 7 maybe 8 television channels (I grew up somewhere between rabbit ears and cable). It was easy then to decide what to watch or if to watch at all. Today though I can have options of up to 650 channels. Do I need that many? No. Are most worth my time? No. But I will experiment and give some a chance. If I find value, they stay in my line up. If not they are quicklyMark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-65400633183409516622015-07-13T15:18:00.002-04:002015-07-13T15:20:59.356-04:00Losing the Soul of Social Technology can extend the human condition but it can also work to dehumanize, transforming the sincere ideals of community and relationships into exploitable resources. The vendor marketing machines have lots of money and content marketing is their new effort to turn spin doctors into gurus as they work to convince you they are not selling but educating. Let the buyer beware. Some "though Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-47444531170936072122015-06-30T12:33:00.000-04:002015-06-30T12:33:05.127-04:00Conversation Brings Change, Naturally I've been thinking about Media Naturalness theory for some time. Well, more often it just pops up because it's not like I've invested all than much effort into it. In short, if you're not familiar, Media Naturalness Theory is the idea that human beings were built for face-to-face communication over thousands of years of evolution. Our gestures, voice inflection, eye movement, body language all Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-28553831347821648032015-06-19T11:41:00.000-04:002015-06-19T11:43:51.803-04:00Big Social Isn't Always Best I've been thinking more about how Social has become SO big, so fast. Maybe it's having been in Texas recently (where everything is bigger!) for mLearnCon last week or it's because I've been reading a lot of Stowe Boyd's reviews and research tied into his ideas on "sets vs. scenes." Social is not necessarily getting bigger in the sense of popularity but in the sense that enterprise social, toMark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-16790610796845780922015-06-03T11:51:00.002-04:002015-06-03T11:51:58.710-04:00The Open Office: Right Idea, Wrong ApproachIn a not so recent article (Dec 2014) criticizing the open office idea as getting it wrong and ruining the workplace, the author ranted about how negatively disruptive this disruptive approach has been in her own circumstance. To that I say exactly- it's not for everyone. Organizations are as unique as fingerprints and if companies don't first understand the nature of the work being performed andMark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-47131314126418431302015-05-26T14:54:00.002-04:002015-05-26T14:54:35.781-04:00We Don't Do Social Here Implement, Do, Start, Launch, are all terms that indicate a program or project is underway. It's the language of the business initiative. But when these words precede the action of "Social", it's a bit perplexing. We don't "do" social, we are social. Being social is just connecting, communicating, and sharing usually with the key action of conversing. Don't let anyone tell you differentMark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-68271519213949145252015-05-19T11:14:00.001-04:002015-05-19T11:14:32.034-04:00Network Navigating I've written recently about the futility of organizational internal social efforts. Their efforts to corral conversations into an ESN is ineffective and short sighted. Wirearchy is here. It exists with or without ones conscious effort as our networks extend in multiple directions and multiple "places." We will go to where our people are and if our people overlap, all the better, but the Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-23221726322298222962015-05-15T12:27:00.001-04:002015-05-15T12:27:21.291-04:00From The Business of Learning to The Learning Business As you may have heard, about 3 weeks ago I joined the eLearning Guild and will be working closely with the learning community and onsite events. It's a small step in my employment journey but a large leap in my career. So, how's it going so far? Really good. I am getting immersed in the processes and people that make up this organization and contributing immediately where I can. I'm also being Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-73817491227728476482015-05-08T15:09:00.000-04:002015-05-13T09:06:28.325-04:00The "Working" Culture and the Struggles of Social Business Tim Kastelle recently shared his excellent post about flat management efforts at Zappos and how they paid about 210 people to leave if they didn't like the direction of the organization. He went on to point out that in the past 12 days over 15,000 people were laid off in various industries (which can be seen on a site that tracks daily layoffs) as an exclamation point about the ridiculous Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-41759825481038557712015-04-15T11:34:00.002-04:002015-04-15T12:00:56.837-04:00Social Inconvenience is ImportantSocial networking is not always convenient. Our networks can be large, small, and many are in niche areas of interest but in all we've historically driven for miles, run in groups, flown to new cities, met in questionable venues and navigated personality differences to connect with the people that matter. The inconvenience of connecting with our network is never so great to dismiss them, we Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-64815777409302838522015-03-17T11:00:00.000-04:002015-03-18T11:47:55.660-04:00Hook 'em When They're Young In the late 1980's the R.J. Reynold's tobacco company used a cartoon Joe Camel character to market it's cigarettes. The company received heavy criticism for what was seen as an insidious effort to get children to start smoking early> create a habit> get addicted >stay a smokers for life... a life which we know would be greatly shortened. Well, if it was an intentional effort, it was highly Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-6427678260213643462015-03-11T14:13:00.000-04:002015-03-11T14:26:35.407-04:00Money Talks, Bullsh*t Walks Ah the tentative marriage of Democracy and Capitalism. When times are financially good, incumbents win. When times are tough, the public moves to "throw the bums out!" In many organizations L&D is the long serving incumbent and as we know when organizational times get tough, L&D seems to be the first "bum" to get the boot. But what if the organization is profitable and division, departments and Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-88015077421989232812015-03-09T10:36:00.002-04:002015-03-09T10:36:59.808-04:00Social Inception Have you seen the movie Inception? It's a fantastic sci-fi film where people infiltrate other people's subconscious while they sleep and remove information or, in the case of the title, plant an idea. When the person awakens, they think the idea is their own. Now I do believe that the same idea can spring up independently from different people in different locations at the same time. Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-76071754625467747722015-03-05T14:01:00.002-05:002015-04-03T11:45:33.939-04:00L&Ds Business Is Not In Driving Social Business I'm becoming more convinced that organizational efforts to help people build social networks and personal knowledge management skills should not involve L&D any more than the Accounting department. And it appears it not just me. Sam Burrough and Martin Couzins recently co-led a MOOC on Social Learning and asked the question in a final Tweetchat: "What role should L&D play in Social Learning?Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-2880766598718612062015-02-17T13:27:00.001-05:002015-02-17T13:27:26.604-05:00Enter the Rectangle Today when we encounter a little white rectangle on a screen, we instinctively know what to do don't we? Keyboard + interface with a text box = type. We also know through experience that selecting publish, send, post, or tweet can initiate a change in both ourselves and others, yet so many still hesitate or refuse to try. What really prevents people from engaging is not a technicalMark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-79143129650556968692015-02-10T15:01:00.003-05:002015-02-10T15:01:48.636-05:00Shortening the Social Tool Learning Curve with Open Office Hours We strove from the onset to make the technical part of social networking as easy as possible and really modified our ESN platform to focus on the basic elements of social; community, collaboration and sharing. No frills, no unnecessary functionality. Our strategy has been "grease the wheel only when it squeaks," meaning that we will present functionality and features when the needs arise. Even Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-10408636090334050522015-01-30T12:48:00.001-05:002015-01-30T12:48:08.650-05:00Practice Makes Permanent James Tyer and I co-authored this post to share that we are hosting a workshop in Orlando on March 24th at the eLearning Guild's Learning Solutions 2015 conference 'Kick-start Your Personal and Organizational Social Learning Journey'. We have created the agenda based on our experiences developing and supporting personal and organizational social learning practices. The workshop has a simpleMark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-1452612929933083102015-01-27T14:36:00.001-05:002015-02-06T15:02:56.486-05:00Our Social Reflex While being carried, an infant may lose its balance and unconsciously, instinctively, grab on to their mothers. This is known as the Moro Reflex and it is considered to be a sign of our only unlearned fear. For the infant, to disconnect is an emotional and physical fear, possibly one of short-term pain, long-term loss or ultimately death. According to research this reflex typically fades away Mark Britzhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-4290063537078802150.post-22002134578382801502014-12-05T09:02:00.001-05:002014-12-05T09:05:54.425-05:00Of Social Tools And Toys "Twitter is for morons and b-level actors." I remember reading this in a Newsweek article in 2009. Funny thing is five years later I find many still believe this, and why not? Traditional media and late night talk show hosts do a wonderful job of highlighting only the harmful and the humorous. But what they don't know is how powerful this and other social tools are too many people for Mark Britzhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com


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|(Nothing beats running in this)
What a perfectly cool, mid-morning run I had today. Fall has definitely landed, full force, here in the Pacific Northwest. Went out for a 4.5 miler and chose to stay on a local trail - excellent decision. There is something about running alongside nature that makes it so much easier and a lot more enjoyable. I kept a pretty even 9.40 mile pace the whole time - which for me is darn good!
It was nice to finally get back on my feet. I've had an issue these past few weeks with what I think is a pinched nerve on the top of my right foot. The only thing that makes sense to me is perhaps I laced up a little too tight one day. Checked a few online resources to help justify my self diagnosis and I'm hoping we are all correct. Since it flarred up during last Sunday's 5 miler, decided to give it a rest and stuck to my trainer this past week. Felt good to get some miles in on the bike, but I hate to lose any running time.
Took off this morning and the foot felt fine - heck, even my ever bothersome hip was happy to be on the path. Around mile 4 the aching started to flare up again - aarrgghh. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Maybe time for new shoes, not sure. I only have about 350 on my Brookes now, and was hoping to get in at least another month or so. Ah, such is the life of an endurance enthuse....if it's not new shoes, it's tires, or wheels, or bike shorts, or bathing suits, or goggles...you get the idea.
In other news, researching potential training plans for Boise. Crap. Little intimidated. Example of what my peak week will likely include:
6750 yards of swimming/6 hours
145 miles on the bike/7 hours
20 miles of running/5.1 hours
= 18 hours/170 miles
On their own, each discipline sounds easy – but jam 18 hours and 170 miles into 1 week? On top of a full time job, swim practice and school events for the kid and any sort of family time.…..guess you know how much "free" time I'll be enjoying these next 6 months. I'm exhausted (terrified) just thinking about it! If this is what is required to train for a half IM – I can't even begin to imagine what a full looks like.
"Calm down, ding dong and just stay focused on your half marathon. You'll have all sorts of time to worry about what's next when this is over." - says the rational voice in my head. (I really need to listen to her more often...but sometimes I just don't like her level headed ways)
One race at a time…..


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Community Service
East Shore Baptist serve our community in Lower Paxton Township, Harrisburg PA through various projects.
Jesus said to "go" and make disciples, and to love our neighbors, as we love ourselves.
East Shore Baptist Church is committed to loving our neighbors--and sometimes that is evidenced in creative ways! We strive to serve our community in unique ways. The projects range from Christmas caroling, working alongside our Township to assist in their events, and the collection and distribution of food to families in need. We've made bandages for hospitals in Africa, held an event for the men of the Keystone Correctional Facility, led games for children at a Township event, and participated in, or held many other community service activities. Ultimately, we believe that the Church should be out serving and loving others, and not just doing things, within the walls of the church building. We are putting feet to our faith!
I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
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The UK has become one of the main battlefields for the world's mobile operators – Dutch, Japanese and Swedish telecoms are all targeting the sector for aggressive expansion.
Dutch mobile operator KPN has partnered with Japanese telecom giant, NTT DoCoMo, to buy a stake in Hutchison Whampoa. Hutchison's 3G license is due to it being partly owned by Canadian company TIW – which paid £4.38bn for band A in the UK's 3G license auction in April.
The investment is believed to be costing the companies in the region of £2bn for a 35 percent stake. NTT DoCoMo blazed the trail for interactive multimedia mobile content in Japan with its i-Mode phone.
Swedish mobile telecom, Telia will enter the UK market with its mobile Internet portal, Speedy Tomato. The site is due to launch by the end of the year.
Speedy Tomato will offer personalised services, including calendaring, address books and e-mail access via a mobile phone, as well as news and advertising from companies selected by individual users.


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site: http://www.ucd.ie/hr/jobvacancies/
(Select "Job Vacancies for External Candidates" and then "Search by Reference Number". The reference number for the position is: 005353.)


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So, the good ship NOW has been scuttled with all hands on board by a tycoon desperate to get his hands on a satellite broadcaster. We shouldn't be asking how low Rupert Murdoch will stoop because he was born lower than a snake's bum and has never had any intention of rising above that level.
The shock decision to close down a profitable Sunday newspaper is a sign of how much Rupert wants control of BSkyB stop a sliding share price, but don't think for a second there isn't a plan B or that News Corp is suddenly going to become a paragon of journalistic ethics. There is talk of the Sun picking up the slack the Screws will leave behind (so Ford will be able to start advertising again with a clear conscience). Of course, many good people will be turfed out, but like any media organisation these days, the people that put out the product day in, day out, are dispensible. While the pompous editors of Fleet Street dine at the Groucho Club, or executives with mucky hands get the blessing of Rupert good people lose their jobs. In many ways this is as disgusting as the phone hacking.
And what of our erstwhile leaders? David Cameron has promised an inquiry, but he had to be pushed bloody hard before he could find a word harder than "shocking" to describe what was going on at Wapping. Yet again, a prime minister has failed to grow a pair and take the Murdochs on. It's not as if he owes them a clear-cut parliamentary majority because it wasn't The Sun what won it for the Tories this time round. Murdoch senior doesn't rate him, despite Rebekah Brooks and James Murdoch's almost infantile pleading with the old Yank that Cameron was the man to wear the News Corp seal of approval.
But there are dirty paw prints all over Cameron too. He employed Andy Coulson as his director of communications and he has a very close professional relationship with Brooks. Yet he somehow believes that the "I was unaware of events taking place under my stewardship" defence is somehow valid. For a man who blathers on about accountability from the top this is either remarkable stupidity or breathtaking arrogance. Whichever way you slice it it is not acceptable from a nation's leader. He wouldn't allow it from a member of the government, so why allow it from this bunch?
Sadly though, Dastardly Dave let the Dirty Digger through the doors of Downing Street within days of becoming PM and that in many ways seals the deal (as it did with Tony Blair).
The snake may have slithered back out the door of Number 10, but Cameron will know that you don't prod one when it's cornered, especially when the poison it has on you might sink your premiership as quickly as old Rupert sunk one of his own vessels. GOTCHA!


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The last time I spoke to my husband was a year ago, he contacted me- first time since the separation hearing- because he got a letter informing him that he had to pay property tax on our flat, and it wasn't fair. As I read his name, there was a flood of emotion. Not hatred, not hatred. Just the memory of when his name went with mine, when we were tied up together. His name, his name, the name I was forced to sign after my own on the act of sale when we bought the apartment, even though I didn't take his stupid name because I didn't want to, and I already had my own double barrelled name anyway. But they were all men around the table.
There was the ancient white haired notary, impeccable, ivory hands like a pope's, latest in a long line of king's lackeys, Oh the money that man skims off the top. The cream of my life's earnings. Then my father, shaking hands and knocking his fist on the table, asking if it's mahogany, one piece? What a table. One solid piece of wood. One of these for the office, eh? Waggling his eyebrows at me. So alien to us, the legal, the formal world. He's a businessman, there's a certain amount of respect for him even though he's scruffy and unconventional with bitten cuticles and a battered leather briefcase. Me, dressed up nice, makeup, well groomed for an Irish woman but not quite up to Italian standards. I was just a little girl to them, playing house, peering over the shoulders of the men. And there we were, my dad, my Papi, who was getting more estranged from me every day, and my husband, and then the owner, a weasly man waving his hand sickly to indicate all the properties he owned, who regarded our odd little family with some disgust. Foreigners, and an Italian who didn't drive or dress in the style he could clearly afford to. Those men, they just looked at me blankly as I said I didn't want to sign his name after mine on all the documents.
Why should I? I elected not to take his name when we married. Isn't a signature something important, something expressive? How could I SIGN a name that isn't mine? They just looked at me and said "that's how we do things in Italy." I said no, it's not my name. There were so many pages in that document, each to be signed. Each page. And it wasn't my name. But my dad said this isn't Ireland, this is how it goes here. I bristled. The little notary added, trying to help, trying to move it all along, because his time was more money than I could imagine, he said "it's so we know who you are, who the document is talking about." Without my husband's name at the end, presumably, I could have been anyone, anyone. I wonder if an unmarried couple buys a house, how the hell anyone knows whose name that is, with the female name, the name unattached to any man mentioned. Who is she, if not someone's wife?
But this feminist blather, I couldn't even begin to verbalise. I was outnumbered, and making too much of it, so I swallowed the bile and gracelessly signed around 80 times, 80 times, like I'd been a bad girl, 80 times to drill it into me, Abby Natascha Di Gianni Flicker in Garcia Ramirez, over and over as the men watched until I had hot tears stinging my eyes, and I fell into a place where the words had a beat, and it drummed through my fingers, Abby Natascha Di Gianni Flicker in Garcia Ramirez, again and again and again and my fingers cramped and seized up, it wasn't fair, nothing was fair, I was buying a lousy little apartment that needed work, and I was the only one of us with any money at all, and I was putting my every penny into the notary fees, to pay the little man, and the estate agent fees, so Graziella could have her Jimmy Choos, the odious woman, almost deformed by her sense of style. Blue mascara and perma tan and frosted lips, and everything so bright and lifted, a sad caricature of youth.
All my money, my grandparents' generous gift to me, into this apartment with this man, and I loved him still then, but then I know that I had learnt to love alongside hate, too. Stubbornly, because I didn't want to let go of love wherever I found it, it was too intoxicating. And I sort of always hated him, from the beginning, when he was awful and cruel and used me. And made me feel stupid, or invalid, or like a silly woman, when I was so much cleverer than him. Perhaps that was why he did it.
So I handed over the money, all those thousands, I never saw money like that before or since, and the notary thanked me but it was nothing to him. It was just some kids playing house, plankton, and he had such big fish. But it was all the money I ever had. And then three years later, a year ago, maybe, he emails me, this man whose name I signed with mine, his name brings me back to that table made from one piece of mahogany and impregnated with the metallics of sweat and money. And after his name, after I let myself float off into venomous memory, it subsides, and I can read the message.
We haven't spoken in so long, it's surreal to converse with him. Scary, because for so long he's inhabited a world that's unchangeable, fixed- that is, the past, but now he's writing to me and I remember how volatile and poisonous he became, so I'm very aware that this exchange now is not fixed, this is all being written as I write, as I choose my reply. Choose carefully. He holds some power still, to fuck with my life. So I read and reread, and think before I type. He says they're asking him for property tax, but it's not fair, because he doesn't even live in the apartment, so why should he pay? Oh, fair. That word. What is fair? Who teaches us the word, even? What use does it have? The last time you could judge a thing to be fair, I believe it was a birthday party and somebody was cutting the cake with Pythagoras theorems and a spirit level. I point my index finger at the computer screen and its neighbours squeeze tight into a fist. It's a strange gesture, I've never made it before. But I must be physical, or I'll burst something in my head. My jaw is clenched too.
Oh you you you… Not fair. Not fair to leave me with the whole mortgage, and all those old bills, and never pay, knowing if you don't I will, and if I don't, my father has to, because he's our guarantor. And all the money I put in, and all the money my dad put in, and then you say it's not fair I get to live in the apartment.
When I told my lawyer, the bitch with the sexless frame stamped in Versace, when I told her he moved out, and never paid me another cent, she told me firmly, you're a fool. she didn't think much of my dad or I. She was polite to him, and talked to me like I hadn't just got married too young, but more like I'd come over from Estonia and given my passport and money to a man in a van who claimed he was a modelling agent. She glared at me as I spoke, her jaw sharp enough to castrate, and I never knew if I was giving her too much information or too little, but she thought I was a damned fool for not trying to get anything from him when we split, and not just that, but to lose money too.
I asked her if I could sue him for the money he owed me, but she said no, there was no point, it would cost more to sue than I'd get back. And he could just skip the country anyway. That wasn't fair. Debt is an awful thing, it hangs around your neck like a bag of rocks, and it hurts because it's heavy but also you remember when you picked up those rocks, and you remember that you made that choice for yourself, back then, and you didn't care it would hurt now because it was good then. It was hard to be stuck in Italy for a year on my own, with a separation, having lost my closest ally in the country, and custody of all our friends, and with my little sisters wanting to cheer me up but lacking the tools, because they were too young. And with that debt, but it was worse still because it wasn't my debt, and I hadn't picked up the rocks.
They were his, him, the man with the name, the name they slapped on me, and he left when he wanted, he moved on as soon as he was ready, he met a new girl, kept the visa from our marriage, met his new girl. An Italian. She's older than me, less attractive, simpler looking. The kind of girl a man would go crazy to love, because she'd make him happy. Not me. I don't make men happy. I drag them down, and up, and down again. I'm sweet sometimes but then maybe too sweet, and then I'm all claws and pathos and I need, need need. And I'm not sure of anything but I'm passionate about it all, passionately optimistic, but nihilistic, and obsessive and compulsive and impulsive and lazy and hopeless and full of scorn. A woman like that, all simplicity, grounded, real; god, I've looked down on that kind of wman but she could make a man happy.
I don't feel jealous, no, he's a stranger now, I look at his face and I don't even know if I remember anything about him, anything I used to know, his secrets, his face, the lines… Oh yes, but there were lines under his eyes, in a sort of network, I remember looking at them, scrutinising his face and thinking he's older than me, he'll die first, and I'll be so lonely without him. But that was another face, and another version of me. there isn't a grain left of the girl who loved him or cared if he lived or died. I'm not jealous, not of that petty, greedy, mean bully. I'm not jealous. It just feels sad, sometimes, that the people who aren't good enough for me, supposedly, well, they're much more capable of finding happiness. Simplicity, and perhaps humility. I find it harder now,because I want so much, and I start to wonder if all my self satisfaction isn't just self soothing, and maybe i don't have anything to offer a man after all.
Maybe I'm just young, and men are attracted to me, and I'm intelligent, so I tell myself I'm this full package, this wonderful woman, too good for most I meet. But I'm lonely, now, sometimes. Not in my own thoughts. It's the physical space, it starts to feel like time for me to move on, onto someone, try it again, more sensible this time, less of a fool, or a different kind of fool. I'm not jealous he moved on, I'm just sad that he's better at it than I am, that I'm the one still recalling these moments with anger because he's the last person to share my life, and I haven't found someone to fill that space since, not really. And tonight, he wrote to me again, a year since we last exchanged some curt, emotionless words, and tonight he asks not for money, but for information. When are we getting divorced? When can we apply? Can we already? Are we good to go?
It occurs to me, he wants to marry his girlfriend. I tell him October. We'll need a lawyer. A lady told me we could share one, if it's amicable. I snorted.
Amicable, like our marriage. He never hit me.
He never hit me. But I took a fucking pummelling.
Tonight I tell him October, and I'm about to say we need a lawyer, but I choose not to. I don't need to enter a discussion with him now. I can't bear to let him back into my reality. He's boxed up, fixed, sealed, he stays the same, in the past. If I engage with him now, I can't… it's all old. It's all been pored over, I've woven all my own justifications around the past, processed everything, and now I'm firmly in the right, and I didn't hurt him, no, he deserved it. And anyway I was hurt too. And he got a visa, and I got his debt. So it's all set in stone, and let it rest. Please.
But sooner or later i'll have to not just engage, but speak face to face with him.
With husband. Dick.
The last time I saw Dick was Italy, two years ago, and I had lost weight and given up smoking and I felt so good and happy to be casting off the things that held me, that saddened me. I wore a blue dress I'd bought before our wedding, that I'd considered getting married in but it was a bit tight and then it got too tight altogether as I put on weight.
I had never worn it before, and he didn't know it was nearly my wedding dress. But I knew, and it gave me a secret power. I wore it confidently, looking great, looking much better than I looked on my wedding day. I felt better. I felt free, or closer to it than ever. In the pit of my stomach was a little twisted piece of pleasure, because I was wearing a dress I couldn't wear while we were together, and now I was better, a better version of myself without him. We met outside and walked in, the Palazzo di giustizia, big awful hideous eyesore, reminds me always of the Ministries in 1984. Minitru, Miniluv… We walked past staircase A, B, C… it's a huge complex. A path runs all around, and it takes ages. Lawyers everywhere. The invisible strings of money and power whipping past as heels clicked neatly. Ball stomping heels.
We made small talk. Waited outside the courtroom, finally were ushered in. An old man, a beautiful old man with crinkled eyes and an appropriately gentle smile for us, in a little room. He was the judge, apparently. I expected an amphitheatre of a court room. Of course it wouldn't be that. It was a little office. We sat in rows facing the judge. Mari Angela, my lawyer. Dick. Me. I remembered our wedding day. The stony faced registrar asking do you, and Dick bellowed "ABSOLUTELY." And I was embarrassed, a little, and annoyed that he did it and not I, and then I was going to be the boring one who said I do.
But the judge read our statement made nine months before when we had really split, and the terms of the separation, which I craned my neck to see because I remembered his tears falling on the page and a sick part of me wanted to see the smudged writing. We agreed and signed, and I signed my own name, and then the judge said you are now legally separated, and I wish you the best of luck. And his eyes were on mine as he said that, and I got a feeling of his wishing me well, specifically me, and his understanding, in those eyes, of what I had escaped from, the sad stifled life. I felt he must see so many couples do what we did, and he must catch these glimpses. But his eyes sought me out, and I thought he recognised me and understood. And I felt the whoosh of freedom, and my mouth stretched out into a grin, and I begged myself to stop grinning, to switch it off, go back to the sombre divorce face, it was so rude, so cruel to grin, god, no, and Dick there looking sad and lost. I couldn't stop smiling so I smirked, but that was awful too, so I strained and strained and covered my face with a hand and scratched my nose, desperately. But the smile leaked out anyway and I was just grateful my body didn't break out into a dance, or leap into the air, because it felt like it might have.
Oh, to be truly free. October, October. How long will it take and how much will it cost, to get there?
To finally leave him behind, Dick, his name, his face, his part in my life.


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BBC NEWS | Technology | Twitter followers 'can be bought':
"Twitter users who lack an audience for their messages can now buy followers.Oh, good grief... buying followers? Hmmmm...
Australian social media marketing company uSocial is offering a paid service that finds followers for users of the micro-blogging service."
Actually, this has got me thinking. There seem to be three main ways in which Twitter is used:
1. Those who see it as a consumption-only medium: happy to follow but rarely contribute directly... primarily following celebs etc
2. Those who see it as a community of reciprocity: sharing, retweeting and commenting
3. Those who see it as a broadcast-only medium: collecting followers, but rarely interacting with them... primarily using it as a means to transmit their message
There are people who seem to flit between the three main groups above but I think that people / organisations tend to broadly fit into one of the above. I suppose there's a fourth way in which it's used - as a 'because others are using it' choice. However, these people rarely if ever post updates or add followers and eventually the account lies dormant and the service is declared 'pointless'. For me, however, the way it works most effectively is in the middle - the community of reciprocity. You build up an idea of the person behind the account through the way they behave. The way they interact. The way they involve and share. For those people, a network can't be bought... it's sought out and / or earned.
I was thinking that this idea of online communities of reciprocity relates to why online communities do or don't work as well. It's not enough to say that an online community is automatically a 'community of practice' just because someone has set it up to be so (I've attended several conferences / talks where the talk was of communities of practice and all they actually meant was that they'd set up some online forums). Without the recipricous element, it is a sterile place to be and the potential for longevity isn't (I would guess) as powerful.
You can buy your Twitter followers if you want... it won't necessarily buy an engaged set of followers. I wonder how effective services such as uSocial will be and what the quality will be like for those who pay for it??


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Thestation needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 50 designs submitted by 15 freelance designers.
Cross Roads Convenience
We are a christian family who lives literally in the wild wild west. We are Wyoming ranchers and business owners. We will be opening a convenience store in 2011. The store is located at the "crossroads" of two highways that intersect the entrance to one of the largest natural gas exploration fields in the united states...The Jonah Field. Before the gas and oil industry hit town, this county was home to a thriving fur trade industry, with many a "stage stop" and the Oregon Trail is nearby.
We are the only store available for a 25 mile radius and 70% of our market is oil and gas field workers. They are big, strong, rough, tough, overworked and hungry! We also service local ranchers, outdoorsmen (hunters, fishermen, atv and motorcycle riders, hikers) and travelers on their way to and from Yellowstone National Park.
We would like our theme to have a western flair, a christian "cross" located somewhere in the logo (be creative), and could also incorporate the oil and gas industry in some way.
The logo needs to not be too "busy" so we can get our information across quickly while our customers are driving 65 mph.
We encourage creativity with the design and feel free to use color. Please do not use any stock images or clip art in the logo. To view a logo we love that is from another company that we own please go to http://www.522health.com and see the "horse" logo
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.