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Married and Faithless
10/22/2017 | Share this article: View CommentsBy Melissa ~
I grew up in a pretty Christian home. I went to church every Sunday and all relevant holidays. I even attended youth group when I got into middle school. The world made sense and my fellow Christians had all the answers. Growing up I knew that my father was way more fundamental than my mother and it didn't seem to matter that much until I got to high school and they divorced. The divorce itself was not an issue, it was a relief. I noticed however that my mother's faith seemed to be dying. I tried not to think about it that much, just prayed every now and again that her faith would become stronger. I followed what my father wanted and went to Boise Bible College where I obtained an AS in Bible Studies.
Ironically that is what started my own loss of faith. I had several horrible experiences that showed me just how much the christian faith tears people down rather than build them up. Contrary to what they preached, I had never experienced such a lack of grace and love from "God's Church." Rather than making me feel loved and made in God's image, it made me feel like a dirty sinner. It caused me to break up with mu fiance at the time because we were having troubles being "pure." After a while we did end up getting back together and I started noticing that every other couple on campus was having the same problem. Even though we all were asking for self control repeatedly and urgently, it seemed that there was no reply and I was just yelling to the sky. This was my first hint that maybe there was no one listening. And if everyone had that same problem, maybe it wasn't a problem.
I married my now husband, probably too young, in part so that we could stop being sinners. I had not completed my decent from faith and I was still desperately trying to hang on. However, the more time I spent in the real world, and the more research I did on my own, the more it was revealed to me that all of my education at BBC was based on outdated, cherry picked, and misrepresented information, in essence straw men. Many of the assertions made about biblical texts are simply not true and the way the education was structured it left students with little to back up their faith with other than, "my professor told me so."
I also started to seriously consider my mothers point of view on things as it seemed my prayers about her faith had not been answered. I also realized that my father is a crazy fundamentalist and chauvinist, though not necessarily towards me or my sister, which is why I didn't notice sooner.
I just know that in the end I need to be true to myself if I am to have any hope of being happy.Now I am married to the youth pastor of a christian church having lost my faith and I am a poor faker, never having the ability to deny my true self. I am a great liar though, which I wouldn't say is a good quality, but it allows me to get by when my lack of christian-ness is inevitably noticed. I am going back to school to become a forestry engineer because my true passion is saving the world from Climate Change and my husband is fully supportive. I don't have to be in ministry if I don't want to, and he has hinted that he would not leave me were I to lose my faith. Though I am still uncertain if I should tell him or not. Well, I know I should, because hiding something is never a good idea in a marriage. But it's still very scary, especially because we live in such a faith saturated community, I don't know what would happen if word got out that the youth pastors wife is an atheist. Most people here are older and stuck in their ways.
I don't know even if I want to stay in this marriage. I love my husband very much, but there are things like a meaningful career that I want to pursue even more, and I don't know if I can do this in the place that we live, and I don't think my husband is willing to leave. I can't really ask him to because I would be asking him to give up his dream career for mine and that is totally not fair. We have talked about what my future career will look like because he also realizes that he can't ask me to give up my aspirations either. I just started school so there is no telling what opportunities I might have in the future, maybe it will all work out and maybe it won't. Maybe it was just a mistake to move to where we are to take this opportunity, because it didn't leave a lot of room for adaption, but it was also better than staying where we were, where there was even less room for for either of our aspirations.
I just know that in the end I need to be true to myself if I am to have any hope of being happy. I hate the idea of feeling like I wasted my life and contributed nothing to the betterment of the human race/world. I am not willing to be a bystander to history.
Luckily on a recent family trip one of my brothers who has reacted intensely against my father and fundamental religions of all kinds (he just got a tattoo of a goats head with a satanic cross on his leg) has planted some doubts in my husband. I'm not sure how well they have taken hold, it seems like my husband just decided that he didn't need to answer those question as soon as we got back home where it is so faith saturated. I hope that maybe I can take him down with me, maybe that is horrible I don't know. Then I could reveal all and we could leave this place and have a happy marriage closer to family and good schools and opportunity, and I wouldn't have to worry about my future kids going through religion like I did.
My mom has recommended a book called "Misquoting Jesus" that I hope will be informative and helpful to my cause. If I am to take my husbands faith down it needs to be quick and thorough because he is not going to sit through all the documentaries I've watched and read all the same books and articles. He's not as interested in information the same way I am, and probably never researched anything that wasn't sex related or homework. I will have to do it in a series of conversations. He generally doesn't accept new information until the second or third conversation when he has gotten used to it. I have been able to convince him that science and religion are not in opposition, and that evolution may really be a thing, though he of course does not accept that it was the mechanism to life's creation. I know that if I can't explain how evolution is what happened he will insist on not accepting it so I have to come at it from a different direction so that then it is the only option.
Sorry this was so long and Thank you so much for reading to the end. Any advice or just observation is appreciated.
Filed Under: Testimonials


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Best Hotel & Guest House Near Huntsham, Devon
The Ginger Peanut
If you are looking for guest house accommodation, guest houses, b&bs or local hotels near Huntsham Court or minutes from Huntsham in Devon then we think the best choice is the Ginger Peanut in Bampton, Devon. Bampton is the nearest village to Huntsham, Devon and Huntsham Court – plus the Ginger Peanut has 5 lovely bedrooms newly refurbished with, in our opinion, the most comfy beds in Devon!
Guest houses typically don't have restaurants either and the restaurant at the Ginger Peanut in Bampton is amazing with locally sourced produce from across Devon lovingly cooked by chef Peter Mundy. There is a cosy restaurant bar and hotel style back room witht he option for private dining for up to 14 guests.
Why our team love the Ginger Peanut in Bampton – it's not just because it's nearer Huntsham than almost all other hotels and guest houses. It's also because:
1. it's great food and great accommodation at sensible prices (rooms from just £75);
2. it's beautifully styled with our favourite interior in Devon;
3. it's more private that a Devon B&B or guest house, more intimate than a hotel and the restaurant does a great breakfast.
4. it also has the option for private dining in a lovely room for up to 14 people.

subset: commoncrawl


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Looking for unique German ❤gifts? | Grab Oma's cookbooks! | Don't miss Oma's ❤Newsletter | Make Oma's favorite recipe
by Elke
My Mutti used to make this dish often back in Germany
First peel potatoes and carrots and cook till tender. I used 2 pounds of sirloin ground beef, one onion, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.
Fry meat till till nice and brown add water and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes, make gravy with flour and water or use gravy mix, both are just fine.
When potatoes and carrots are done, drain and add butter, milk, salt, pepper and mash.
Enjoy, hope you will love it as much as me.....
{we also called it Haschee }
Comments for Haschee - Hackfleischsosse mit Kartoffel-Karottenbrei
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"When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful."
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Xmas pack (Overlay+Transition+Webcam frame) !!
Merry Christmas Ninjas !!!
Add a little Bit (Or A LOT!) of Xmas touch to your streams and try out those new animiated Overlay, webcam frame & Transition( set to Stinger/1500ms).
Feel free to contact me on Discord, DLive chat or Fanbase in case you need a costumed overlay or GIF alerts, I might very well make any idea you have in your mind possible.
Peace ^^
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Or, "Wash, Rinse and Repeat" - the RINO mantra. The so called "electable" candidates have gotten smothered and razed by the anti-American POS in the last 2 elections. The only commendable achievement these traitors could possibly consummate in the near future is to eventually expose themselves as the frauds they really are to the the few American's that are still fooled by them.
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According to Pew Research Center, almost 25% of all Americans participate in the sharing economy, doing things from driving for ride-sharing apps like Lyft or Uber, or performing odd jobs through platforms like TaskRabbit or Fiver. Proponents of these digital earning platforms say that beyond an income, they also offer important benefits such as freedom and flexibility to work at a time and place of one's choosing, or the ability to turn a hobby into a source of income. However, others worry that this type of gig work represents a shift in which workers face increased financial instability and are required to be responsible for their own pay and benefits.
Approximately 8% of Americans used digital platforms to take on a job or task, and 18% earned money by selling something online, while 1% rented out their properties on a home-sharing site. Adding up everyone who has performed at least of these activities, approximately 24% of American adults have earned money in the gig economy in 2016.
The survey highlights several themes related to the platform economy:
Other key findings from the report include:
So how much do most Americans actually earn from their side hustles? Recent data calculations from Earnest and reported by Priceonomics and CNBC show that 85% of side-gig workers make less than $500 per month. And of all the platforms examined, Airbnb hosts earn the most.
Money Earned in the Sharing Economy by Platform
Source: CNBC
It is unsurprising that the platforms with the higher average monthly earnings are those where people are able to capitalize on their assets (such as real estate or cars) to create streams of passive income.
The Six-Figure Freelancer?
Beyond sharing economy platforms, there are other ways that freelancers earn income. According to U.S. Census data, about 3.2 million U.S. freelancers (or one-fifth of all U.S. freelancers) earn at least six-figures per year. This type of freelancer, projected to represent 43% of the workforce by 2020, generated almost approximately $1.2 trillion in revenue in 2016 across freelance work, part-time gigs and projects. Data from LinkedIn ProFinder reveals that just over half of all independent professionals' report earning 100% of their annual income from freelance work. In 2016, the leading industries for work are working, business consulting, and design.


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Moody's Names Qatar as Fastest-growing GCC Insurance Market
Qatar's insurance market will continue to experience significant growth over the coming years given its low insurance penetration level in the region, a report from Moody's Investors Service predicts.
The credit rating agency (CRA) notes that the largest local insurers are the most profitable, but are often exposed to high underwriting risk associated with the engineering and energy lines.
According to Moody's, Qatar is the fastest-growing insurance market in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with a compound annual growth rate of 22.4% between 2006 and 2013. Qatar's insurance industry recorded premiums of US$2.0bn in 2013, equating to approximately 10% of the premiums written in the GCC, making it the region's third-largest insurance market.
"The growth of Qatar's insurance market results from the nation's rapid economic progress, as shown by a gross domestic product (GDP) that has more than tripled since 2006, a strong focus on infrastructure development and an increasing population which has doubled over the past decade," said Moody's analyst Mohammed Ali Londe. "To a lesser extent, the growth is also spurred by third-party motor insurance and health insurance becoming compulsory."
Engineering and energy are the main lines that have experienced rapid growth and also carry the highest underwriting risk, particularly in terms of loss severity, as indicated by the volatile claims ratios of the larger national insurers that dominate these lines.
The remaining insurers compete more actively in motor insurance, as third-party motor insurance is compulsory in Qatar, and medical insurance, as a result of the in-progress tiered implementation of compulsory medical cover for nationals, expatriates and visitors.
Low retention levels in energy and infrastructure insurance show a high reliance on reinsurers, indicating limited risk-bearing capacity, although motor, health and other wealth management related products are generally retained by the insurers.
Moody's also notes that results are mixed when it comes to profitability. Qatar's largest national companies registered positive returns on capital in 2013-14, resulting from underwriting large energy and infrastructure projects, but pricing competition for the remainder of the market has driven poor underwriting performance for many of the smaller groups.
All Qatari insurers benefit from strong capitalisation levels, diversified asset portfolios, and have relatively low or non-existent levels of financial borrowing. Insurers also benefit from a strengthening regulatory environment, coupled with a strong operating environment as Qatar has stepped up its spending ahead of hosting the World Cup in 2022.


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The Thai Red Cross College of Nursing, (TRCN) founded in 1914, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in Thailand . TRCN is solely school of Thai Red Cross Society. Each year enrolling more than 1,000 nursing students in its baccalaureate, post graduate, and practical nursing programs, TRCN develops strong leaders who shape the profession of nursing and have a powerful impact on the health care environment. The Red Cross Principles are applied to all of the TRCN's initiatives.
The College restructured nursing program and introduced a four-year Bachelor of Nursing Science in 1971. During the 1980s and in response to government initiatives and developments in the nursing profession under the drives, most TRCN faculty members have developed their advanced knowledge in higher education both national and international experience.
TRCN has the commitment in order to explore and develop a body of knowledge in nursing. In addition, the institution has provide nursing personnel who has a characteristic and high ability in nursing profession, to have the identity of the Thai Red Cross nurses. The institution is a healthy faculty setting in order to let the society to depend on our knowledge and experiences related to health promotion.
These values guide our individual and collective decisions, and those decisions support the achievement of the learning outcomes. In all that it does, the college demonstrates the values of:
Moral respect Leadership in Nursing Social Consciousness Global perspectives


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Equestrian Homes Have Special Insurance Needs
Specially Crafted
Equestrian Homes with special characteristics and architectural features require unique coverage. The Masterpiece plan is the answer. This insurance plan is specially crafted to protect the unique features and fine furnishings of distinctive homes, providing homeowners with the broad, tailored coverages needed, and the high level of claims service we expect.
Coverage Benefits:
* Additional replacement coverage up to 200% – Doubles your home replacement coverage
* Cash settlement option in case of a total loss – Can take the cash option and be done.
* Accommodations and increased expenses – Comfortable living when out of your home.
* Higher limits for valuable items – Expands coverage for Artwork, Rugs, Jewelry, etc.
* Extended Liability Coverage – Includes libel & slander defense (normally excluded)
* Business and Large Animal Liability – Liability for these activities is Included.
* Family Protection – Kidnap Expense, Home Invasion, Car Jacking, Stalking Expenses.


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Undergraduate programs in C&M provide students with a multidisciplinary education that is essential for leadership in a global society being constantly transformed by new communication processes and technologies. Rensselaer's strong technological culture provides students with an unrivaled hands-on education in using and creating media that shape information for societal impact.
Our programs prepare students to compete for and attain employment in emerging fields that combine knowledge of multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks and methods for media production and innovation.
B.S. Programs
- B.S. in Communication:
This program provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of communication in today's information society. It provides both a theoretical foundation in basic communication principles and a hands-on education in applying those principles to communicating in a world driven by technology and new media. This program offers students optional tracks of study: Media and Culture, Human-Computer Interaction, Professional Writing and Presentation, Literature and Expression, and Design Studio. These tracks provide coherent sets of courses to give students breadth and depth within a subject area.
- B.S. in Communication with a Concentration in Graphic Design:
This program provides a curriculum for undergraduate students who seek professional careers in the authorship and design of information for communication purposes. It provides a focused study in communication design for print and digital media and prepares students for a 21st century professional career developing and designing communication experiences for the good of society.
- B.S. in EMAC (Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication):
This interdisciplinary program provides a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines Communication and Arts, with concentrations in Digital Storytelling, Graphic Design, Interaction Design, Marketing Communication and Design, and Sound Design and Popular Culture. This program encourages students to be creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, and entrepreneurs who will use media technologies in innovative ways in industry, art, and education, giving them a flexible advantage in today's challenging economy.
- B.S. in GSAS (Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences) with a concentration in Writing for Games (B.S. in Communication)
This interdisciplinary program allows students to choose specific concentrations, such as art, programming, writing, human-computer interaction, management, and cognitive science, to prepare them for careers in all sectors of the video game industry, from commercial blockbusters to independent games, serious and experimental games, and games as art.
- B.S. in ITWS (Information Technology & Web Science) with concentration in Communication:
This interdisciplinary program is offered in cooperation with the School of Science. Students learn about the physical science underlying the Web and the social science of its impact. They also learn the skills involved in running large-scale information systems and developing Web applications. Students take a core set of courses in Web and IT development, along with courses in Management and also Communication.
Dual Majors
Communication programs are popular choices for dual majors at Rensselaer. Below are examples that continue to attract student interest.
- COMM/DSIS: B.S. in Communication (with an emphasis in Graphic Design) and Design, Innovation, and Society
- COMM/BMGT: B.S. in Communication and Business Management
- COMM/CSCI: B.S. in Communication and Computer Science
- COMM/MATH: B.S. in Communication and Math
- COMM/GSAS: B.S. in Communication and Games and Simulations Arts and Sciences
- Minors are available through C&M and are open to the entire undergraduate population at Rensselaer.


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Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Announcing the My Little Po-Mo Volume 2 Kickstarter!
You can back the Kickstarter here!
And as long as you have your wallets out, two more worthy causes to which you can give: You can help Viga pay for art school (and earn some custom art in the process), or you can help the family of Michael Morones, the bullied Brony boy who attempted suicide.
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Backed. I even have an essay in mind already...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 20, 2014 at 1:19 AM
you should start one of these for meduka meguca.ReplyDeleteReplies
Assuming you're serious, the main issue is that The Very Soil will end up being too short for a print book. So basically I need to either create a book that has large amounts of non-Madoka content, or do it as an e-book only. Either way, my editor is going to be busy with the pony book until June-ish, so it'll be a while yet.Delete
- AnonymousFebruary 27, 2014 at 8:16 PM
isn't the whole idea behind the kick starter is that its paying you to just sit down and crank out this stuff? I mean, obviously if you don't want to theres that, but it doesn't seem like there isn't enough material to make a booklet of some kind even if you didn't want to put together a tome. while your own assessments are striking there's also those made by others that might be included or just gone over yourself. the tarot symbology is a good example.Delete
Depends on the Kickstarter. The ones I run pay strictly for editing and design services, all of the work I actually do myself is free.Delete
Yeah, one option would be to just add a lot of additional content, but here's the thing: MLPoMo vol. 1 is a short book, and that's with as much content as I could think to add to a 26-episode season. Madoka is 12 episodes and a movie, so it's barely half as long to start with.
Or to put it in perspective another way: When I finish it, The Very Soil will be about the same length as the *one post* I made on real-world alchemy and FMA.


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Mr. Satish Singh is working with IHM Ahmedabad since 2013. He has done his B.Sc. (H & H.A.) degree from IGNOU and Certified Hospitality Trainer programme from Institute of Hotel Management, Gwalior.
He has taught at IHM Bhopal and IHM Ahmedabad as Teaching Associate for 4 years and 2 months.
His area is Food & Beverage Service and coordinates in various events and activities.


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Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurates Electropreneur Park at Delhi University, South Campus
New Delhi: Initiatives such as 'Make in India', 'Digital India' along-with 'Startup India' launched by Government of India have injected new hopes in India's electronics system design and product development space. Taking the vision forward, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has set-up Electropreneur Park at University of Delhi, South Campus to incubate 50 early stage start-ups and create at least 5 global companies over a period of 5 years. This incubation centre has been set up through a unique consortium of Government, Academia and Industry represented by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Delhi University (DU) and Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA).
Electropreneur Park (EP) has been inaugurated today by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon'ble Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology. In his speech, Hon'ble Minister laid focus on the thrust being provided by the Government to create conducive environment for promoting electronics manufacturing in the country resulting into acceleration of investment in the sector. Particularly, the need and opportunity for fostering innovation, creation of IPR and development of new electronics products in the country.
Shri P.P.Chaudhary, Hon'ble MoS for Law & Justice and Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India has graced the occasion as Guest of Honour. Hon'ble MoS in his address mention the platforms are being made available for encouraging youth and start ups to undertake entrepreneurial initiatives.
The incubation centre has already onboard 6 early stage startups, with a few more in the process of on-boarding. The startups under incubation were awarded the admission certificate during the inauguration of the centre.
Electropreneur Park has received over 200 proposals for incubation, out of which six incubatees are on-board with the park working on their product ideas. More incubtees are expected to join the park very soon. A brief introduction of the incubatees is as follows:
– Arogya Medtech Pvt. Ltd. – Cerebros® : Portable and low cost combination of Neuro-imaging ( EEG) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for stroke detection
– Ceantra Technologies Pvt. Ltd.- Connected Vehicle Platform that enables Monitoring of Vehicle Health, Better Road Safety and Data driven Online Driver Marketplace
– Intutive Scientific Research & Evaluations Pvt. Ltd. – Multi-featured women safety IOT wearable which includes features of SoS message, audible alarm and self defence
– Resonant Electronics Pvt. Ltd. – Smart Modular Switch Boards, Smart Monitoring Control Panel Boards and Analytics for energy management and control system
– Starbru Techsystems Pvt. Ltd.- Tactical android wireless data card (TAWDC) can be interfaced with Indian Army radio for sending images
– Stemrobo Technologies Pvt. Ltd.- Creating multiple Electronic development and learning kits to be used in schools and institutes for skill development in ESDM sector
Prof. Yogesh K Tyagi, Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, Dr. Ajay Kumar Additional, Secretary, MeitY, Shri Rajiv Bansal Joint Secretary MeitY, Dr. Omkar Rai, Director General, Software Technology Park of India (STPI) and Shri Ashok Chandak, Former Chairman, IESA & Member PMG of Electropreneur Park were also present on the occasion apart from representatives of Industry Association, members of academia etc.


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By: Elizabeth Anderson
FM welcomed the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall from September 8 through September 12, to honor the 58,272 fallen Vietnam War service members.
It was brought to FM by local law enforcement and was greeted with an opening ceremony on the morning of Friday, September 8.
Standing six feet tall and stretching approximately 300 feet from end to end, the wall is a 3/5 scale of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
Margaret DiGiacomo, a Traveling Memorial Wall visitor said, "It's wonderful to see something like that but it's still very disheartening and hard to believe so many young people passed away."
According to the college President Dustin Swanger, the event was a great success, with more than 4,000 students, staff and community members visiting the wall throughout its five days on campus.
The event was coordinated by the FM Veteran Club, who raised $10,000 and provided volunteers for the event.


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– Jo-Ann Leinwand –
Keller Williams Realty Boston Metro
607 Boylston Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02116
Tel: 617-399-1314
Cell: 617-584-5074
Markets Served: Boston, MA; Newton, Massachusetts; Brookline, Massachusetts; Suffolk County, Massachusetts; Middlesex County, Massachusetts;
Specialties: Co-ops/Condos; Downtown; Executive Relocation;
What do Clients Say?
t was my great pleasure to work with Jo-Ann Leinwand in the sale of two homes... She is a very dedicated and extremely thorough real estate agent who worked tirelessly in the sale of both of my homes. Her knowledge of the field of real estate was impressive as she made valuable comparisons to other homes in the area, allowing me to come up with a realistic selling price for my homes. This allowed me to sell both of my homes quickly; without sacrificing my asking price. She has a very analytical eye, and was able to look at my homes and make suggestions regarding the presentation to ensure the homes were pleasing to the eye of potential buyers. She does intense research when she lists a home, and she has enormous creativity which shows itself in her listing documents. She is the ultimate professional, presenting herself with class and grace in all that she does. I feel extremely fortunate to have had Ms. Leinwand as my real estate broker, and would highly recommend her services.D. Baird
We worked with Jo-Ann Leinwand for over six months as she helped us find and purchase the perfect condo for us, and it was a joy every step of the way. Jo-Ann is reliable, thoughtful, trustworthy, and wonderfully pleasant (even after hours and hours of viewing more than a dozen properties in a single weekend!). She carefully considers the client's needs, makes herself available within the client's schedule, and provides sound and solid advice—but never in a way that is pushy or self-serving. We felt entirely confident all along that she was truly looking out for us, giving us all the best that could be hoped for in an agent, one who strives to find for clients what they want, need, and can afford—and really the best of what's available that meets these essential criteria. I couldn't more highly recommend Jo-Ann to anyone seeking to purchase property in the Boston area.K. Munroe
I would like to write a recommendation for Jo-Ann Leinwand. She sold my condo in the Back Bay quickly! Jo-Ann went beyond what a realtor is required to do. She puts 200% plus into her work. To her selling a home goes beyond just putting it on the market. She first comes in and helps stage the house. She takes her time and works with you. If you need something extra when she is in the stagging process, she will bring it in. Her marketing is excellent. She promotes your house in all the Internet sites and well as the newspapers, and magazines. Jo-Ann also gave me immediate feedback from any showings and open houses. I always knew who was looking at my house and what they thought. If at anytime I needed to speak to her, all I did was call. If she was not available, she would call back shortly afterwards. That is something I felt was important in the communication between a realtor and a seller. She is a professional, caring, and knowledgeable person in her field. Those are only a few adjectives that describe Jo-Ann. I would recommend her to anyone who is thinking of selling their home.S. Gaskin
Jo-Ann was so helpful with staging and setting up the open houses. I was so overwhelmed with a baby and having to get everything ready. She was available and played a very important role in the whol process. We couldn't have pictured it better!J. Hanson
We have had the pleasure of working with Jo-Ann twice now - once for the purchase of my condo and again for its sale. If I weren't moving away from the area, I would absolutely seek out Jo-Ann again for future home purchases! She is diligent, resourceful, understanding, accommodating, kind, personable, and truly is one of, if not, the best real estate agent in the area!H. Chen
About Jo-Ann
- Member of the Institue for Luxury Home Marketing
- Accredited Home Staging Professional, ASP
- Accredited Buyer's Realtor, ABR
- Member, Greater Boston Association of Realtors
- Member, National Association of Realtors
- President, Greater Boston Women's Council of Realtors 2007-2008
- Board of Directors, Neighborhood Association of Back Bay - 2007-present
- Board of Directors, College Club of Boston - 2010-2013
- Professional Mediator with Community Dispute Settlement Center, Cambridge, MA 2006-present
- 6 Years as a Quality/Process Management Consultant
- 8 Years as a Career Development Counselor
- Lesley University, M.A., Cambridge, MA
- Life-Time Resident of Massachusetts


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Every affiliate marketer is constantly seeking to build an affiliate program that pays so they can make money on the Internet. Ideally you would like a magic quick fix that would generate your affiliate program with no effort, wouldn't all of us! The truth is that there isn't really a miracle answer, but the real answer is not that complicated and is easy to get to know and implement.
In principle it is the appreciation and utilization of excellent marketing practices that have been proven to perform over the years. These are time-tested tactics that work just as well when correctly applied to the online affiliate marketing world of today. You will see claims of 'breakthrough techniques' from time to time, and some of these are genuine. They arise from a coming together of specific marketing conditions and online services; but they do not last as the conditions and services change constantly.
So here are three fundamental marketing tips to help you construct a strong foundation for your online affiliate marketing business that pays.
1. Use separate web pages for each separate product you are promoting.
It is very tempting, especially for newcomers, to want to promote every product via every channel so that you are presenting your visitors with options - but it's a wrong move. It may be tempting to offer choice, but keep to a single track so as to get your visitor to make a simple decision, to buy or not to buy. You will get a better conversion rate this way.
Use the web page's space to give your visitor all the reasons why they should click that 'Buy Now' button. Emphasize the benefits they will receive from their purchase, especially any distinguishing ones. It is the benefits that people buy, not the features.
Include genuine product reviews, buy and try the product yourself, and get real testimonials from end users. Make sure they are genuine and that you can back up the sources if you are challenged.
Finally, make sure your visitors know what to do - make your affiliate link very clear and bright.
2. Offer free reports to your visitors.
It's a fact of marketing that most visitors to your site will not buy first time. They need to trust that you and your recommendations will be right for them than other's will be. So you should be wanting to contact them several times to build the right degree of trust. Hence you need their email address - and to get that you offer something of value; your free report.Once you have that address you can send carefully written emails giving them good reasons for buying, and buying through your link, using an auto-responder system,. Market studies show that many sales are not concluded until the seventh contact, so build a sequence of at least 10 contact messages.
3. Drive targeted buying visitors to your website.
For example, if your website was about a puppy training product then there is no point in you wasting any of your time or money driving someone who is only interested in cats there. This is especially true when you are using a 'paid traffic' method such as Pay Per Click'. Study other ads, try variations - always be seeking to improve your buying and list sign up results
In summary
\* Promote products on their own pages or websites
\* Build a list of prospects using a free report and then use it to build trust
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Michael Stanley
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Michael Stanley, 55
September 2016


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Noj C. Kocak, 29
NAPLES — Noj Colin Kocak, 29, passed away on Saturday, June 7, 2014, in Naples, with his mother and sister by his side.
Noj was born on Aug. 11, 1984, in Denver, Colo.
Noj was a devoted father and a loving uncle. His light shines on in the heart of his daughter who has his endearing smile and kind soul.
Noj graduated from Portland High School in 2002. His most valued gift from this time was the friendships and bonds he made with his band of brothers. Noj was a hard worker and an empathetic heart. He will be greatly missed and loved forever.
Noj is survived by his daughter, Cassandra Kocak of Cumberland; his mother, Kim Kocak of Westbrook; and his sister, Maria Desmond of Naples.
A celebration of life was held on Monday, June 16, 2014, at the American Legion, 17 Dunn Street, Westbrook.


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Having grown from c.100 employees to nearly 300 employees in 6 months, new-bank-on-the-block Monzo have one hell of a story to tell.
They've smashed through the notorious 150-people mark without a moment to catch their breath, which is enough to make anyone break out in a sweat.
Yet at last week's Culturevist event, Monzo's people team shared how they are using this rapid growth as a tool for culture change.
With such rapid growth they are forced to regularly rewrite their 'people playbook' and find ways to authentically evolve their culture, given that what works for a team of 30 often doesn't work for a team of 300.
Here are the 3 most interesting insights from behind the scenes at Monzo:
Monzo's culture really is in their actions
Culture is how people feel, how people act and what people say everyday and not stagnant words written in a mission statement.
– Tara, Monzo People Team
So simple, right? Yet it takes real effort and commitment to evolve a positive, cohesive culture that people really live. And the magic is in the actions, both big and small.
Whether it's team members actually taking the one month unpaid leave that is offered to employees as an example to their peers. Or perhaps the Slackbot that encourages people to use more inclusive language:
Or how Monzo organised funded lunches for 5 random people from across the business to break down silos. Since this proved difficult to scale, they've introduced food carts to bring people together over food at the office.
Or how teams communicate with senior and junior hires in the same way that they do with customers; heavy on the emojis. Ultimately, it's human:
We're just humans hiring other humans.
– Monzo People Team
Monzo distinguish between team leads and managers
Monzo recognise the tension and potential conflict of interest that can come from the same person being responsible for an individuals' output and performance as well as their career growth and development.
With the recent introduction of Managers – to support peoples' growth and development – who are usually distinct from Team Leads – who manage workload – Monzo are following the path that many other leading fast-growing companies have taken.
'Manager' has certain connotations… I wonder if they might find a more fitting name for these roles, like 'coach' or 'guide'.
At Monzo, targets are not linked to financial incentives
We set high and hard goals. If we don't hit them then that's ok, as long as there's a clear reason why we didn't.
– Monzo People Team
Monzo have removed financial incentives, like bonuses, from quarterly goals but instead focus on overall performance to ensure a cohesive team.
The resounding message is that culture is critical at Monzo and that their culture evolves with each lurch forward in the workforce.
The session finished with some challenging questions posed to the Monzo People team:
"What happens when you find brilliant technical talent who don't fit your culture? Would you hire them?"
"Do you have bad days" (that was a yes… they are human!)
In short, Monzo seems to be an exciting, progressive place to be where the people team are making up and then ripping up their 'people handbook' as they grow.
The key thoughts I'll take away from the session are about how we, at GroHappy, can live our values through our behaviours and make our distributed team members feel special and part of our culture.
Most importantly, I'll take away the mindset of embracing rapid change as a tool for evolving culture.


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Things are stirring in Switzerland of late. We featured the rather brilliant Lord Kesseli & The Drums a few months back and now One Sentence. Supervisor have popped up on our radar. They make widescreen psych-pop; sweeping in scope and drenched in reverb.
They are launching their new single, Scope Explosion, for free for a limited period from 20th February via Bandcamp and to accompany it they have released this quite extraordinary surrealist animated video by Swiss artist Etienne Mory, who explains: "the video for Scope Explosion depicts how I experienced the song. Its inexplicable anxiety, curiosity, physical desire and relief." This really has to be seen to be appreciated.