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Facebook: Benchmark of F-Commerce Services
UPDATE: Image above has been updated on July 28, 2011. Please leave comments or additions on the more recent posting. One of my recent obsessions is social commerce, the idea of shared shopping experiences online. On a global basis, Facebook has been leading the charge with socializing commerce in stores (check-ins at retailers) and online


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Cashing out: Cash registers might be ringing their last
New York - Ka-ching! The cash register might be on its final sale.
Stores across the country are ditching the old-fashioned, clunky machines and having salespeople - and even shoppers themselves - ring up sales on smartphones and tablet computers.
Barneys New York, a luxury retailer, this year plans to use iPads or iPod Touch devices for credit and debit card purchases in seven of its nearly two dozen regular-price stores. Urban Outfitters, a teen clothing chain, ordered its last traditional register last fall and plans to go completely mobile one day. And Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is testing a "Scan & Go" app that lets customers scan their items as they shop.
"The traditional cash register is heading toward obsolescence," said Danielle Vitale, chief operating officer of Barneys New York.
That the cash register is getting the boot is no surprise. The writing has been on the wall for a long time for the iconic machine, which was created in the late 1800s. The register was essential in nearly every retail location by 1915, but it now seems outdated in a world in which smartphones and tablets increasingly are replacing everything from books to ATMs to cameras.
Stores like smartphones and tablets because they take up less floor space than registers and free up cashiers to help customers instead of being tethered to one spot. They also are cheaper: For instance, Apple Inc.'s iPads with accessories like credit card readers can cost a store $1,500, compared with $4,000 for a register. And Americans increasingly want the same speedy service in physical stores that they get from shopping online.
J.C. Penney, a mid-price department-store chain, said the response by customers has been great since it started rolling out iPod Touch devices late last year in its 1,100 stores.
It's been a long fall for the cash register, which innovated retail as we know it. The first register was invented following the Civil War by a little known saloon owner. Before then, most store owners were in the dark about whether they were making a profit, and many suffered since it was easy for sales clerks to steal from the cash drawer unnoticed. But by 1915, cash registers were ubiquitous in stores, with more than 1.5 million sold by then.
More recently, stores have been looking for ways to modernize checkout. Since 2003, self-checkout areas that enable customers to scan and bag their own merchandise have become commonplace in grocery and other stores. But recently, there's been a push to go further.
As a result, companies that make traditional cash registers are racing to come up new solutions. NCR Corp., formerly known as the National Cash Register Co., was the first to manufacturer the cash register on a large scale.
Last year, the company that also makes ATMS, self-service checkout machines and airport check-in kiosks, launched a program that merges its software with the iPad. This allows store clerks to detach the iPad from the keyboard at the counter and use it as a mobile checkout device "Retailers have more flexibility and more opportunities to change the shopping experience," said Mark Self, NCR's vice president of retail solutions marketing.
Stores themselves are also taking their cues from the success of Apple Inc. The nation's most profitable retailer moved to mobile checkout in its stores in 2006.
Take upscale handbag maker Coach, which is using iPod Touch devices at half of its 189 factory outlet stores. The company also is testing them in a handful of its 350 regular stores.
The move has enabled Coach to start slimming down its registers to the size of small podiums, leaving extra space that is equivalent to three days of product and a display table for the average store, said Francine Della Badia, Coach's executive vice president of merchandising.
For its part, Wal-Mart is putting checkout in the hands of the shoppers themselves.
The retailer is testing its "Scan & Go" app, which can be used on Apple devices such as iPads, in more than 200 of its more than 4,000 stores nationwide.
The app, which is aimed at reducing long checkout lines, requires that shoppers pay at self-checkout areas. So as it tests the app, Wal-Mart also is expanding the number of self-checkout areas in its stores.
"Our goal is to give choices to all of our customers however they want to shop," said Gibu Thomas, senior vice president of mobile and digital initiatives at Wal-Mart's global e-commerce division."
LAST KA-CHING: Stores across the country are ditching the old-fashioned, clunky machines and having salespeople - and even shoppers themselves - ring up sales on smartphones and tablet computers
SPEEDIER SERVICE: Retailers are responding to the increasing demands of shoppers, who are buying and searching on tablets and smart phones and are looking for a similar speedy service in the stores.
WAVE ON THE WAY OUT: Analysts believe that mobile checkout will become commonplace in the next two to four years.
Never forgive, never forget: Trump once again bashes John McCain over health-care vote
Is the long tradition of cursive handwriting on the way out?
With cap on H-2B visas for foreign workers, businesses struggle to find summer employees

subset: commoncrawl


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A fire swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing at least 245 people and leaving at least 200 injured, police and firefighters said.
Police Maj. Cleberson Braida told local news media that the 245 bodies were brought for identification to a gymnasium in the city of Santa Maria.
That toll apparently would make it the deadliest nightclub fire in more than a decade.
Braida said the club had only one working exit, and the majority of victims died trampled in an attempt to flee.
The cause of the blaze was still under investigation but authorities told local reporters that fireworks, perhaps shot off by the band, erupted in the midst of the performance and one hit the roof.
Michele Schneid, a 22-year-old cashier, told local news media that people began to shout "Fire!," setting off the stampede.
"Many people ran for the bathrooms and wound up dying suffocated," he said.
The newspaper Diario de Santa Maria reported that the fire started at around 2 a.m. at the Kiss nightclub in the city at the southern tip of Brazil, near the borders with Argentina and Uruguay.
Ezekiel Corte Real, 23, was quoted by the paper as saying that he helped people to escape. "I just got out because I'm very strong," he said.
Police estimated 900 people were in the club when the fire broke out.
The fire led President Dilma Roussef to cancel a series of meetings she had scheduled at a summit of Latin American and European leaders in Chile's capital of Santiago, and was headed to Santa Maria, according to the Brazilian foreign ministry.
"It is a tragedy for all of us. I am not going to continue in the meeting (in Chile) for very clear reasons," she said.
"Sad Sunday", tweeted Tarso Genro, the governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. He said all possible action was being taken and that he would be in the city later in the day.
Santa Maria is a university city with a population of around a quarter of a million.
A welding accident reportedly set off a Dec. 25, 2000, fire at a club in Luoyang, China, killing 309.
At least 194 people died at an overcrowded working-class nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2004.
A blaze at the Lame Horse nightclub in Perm, Russia, broke out on Dec. 5, 2009, when an indoor fireworks display ignited a plastic ceiling decorated with branches, killing 152
A nightclub fire in the U.S. state of Rhode Island in 2003 killed 100 people after pyrotechnics used as a stage prop by the 1980s rock band Great White set ablaze cheap soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling.
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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The jurisdictional area represents the state, county or city in which an alleged incident of employment discrimination took place.
The Milwaukee Area Office has jurisdiction over the states of Wisconsin and Iowa.
La Oficina del Distrito de Milwaukee tiene la jurisdicción completa sobre los estados de Wisconsin y de Iowa.


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U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
Famed Restaurant Failed to Stop Manager's Abuse of 22 Male Waiters, Retaliated Against Employees for Complaining, Federal Agency Says
The percentage of sexual harassment complaints filed by men has been steadily growing. While the EEOC does not
keep statistics about the sex of the harasser in those charges, anecdotally, many of the charges appear to involve same sex harassment. The EEOC recently sued a farm for male-on-male sexual harassment and has an on-going lawsuit against a car
dealership for egregious same sex harassment.
NEW YORK - Sparks Steak House, an upscale steakhouse in New York City, will pay $600,000 and take other steps to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York (EEOC v. Micheal Cetta Inc. d/b/a Sparks Steak House, Civil Action No. 1:09-cv-10601), 22 male waiters were subjected to harassment based on their sex, chiefly by one male manager, over a nearly eight-year period. The misconduct included the manager groping the buttocks of the male waiters, making lewd sexual comments and attempting to touch their genitals. Many of the waiters complained to other managers and Sparks' owners, but the harassment did not stop. Some victims of harassment suffered retaliation for complaining by being given more difficult work assignments and/or ultimately being suspended.
Sexual harassment and retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
In addition to paying the $600,000 in damages to be distributed among the victims, the restaurant must prohibit further sexual harassment and retaliation. The settlement also requires the restaurant to: 1) establish a complaint hotline for reporting incidents of discrimination; 2) distribute an amended policy prohibiting sexual harassment and retaliation to all employees; 3) conduct anti-discrimination training for employees; 4) post a public notice about the settlement; and 5) report all sexual harassment and/or retaliation complaints to the EEOC.
"The EEOC is serious about upholding the law, which includes protection against same-sex harassment," said Charles F. Coleman, Jr., lead trial attorney on the case for the EEOC. "When an employer fails to address harassment and responds by retaliating against the victims, it compounds the violation. We believe this is a fair resolution."
EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney Robert D. Rose added, "The severe sexual harassment at Sparks ran rampant for too long. Employers must recognize and act on their duty to prevent sexual harassment of any kind."
The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws against employment discrimination. Further information is available at www.eeoc.gov.


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Monday, August 24, 2009
Heavy Rain + Amorous Amphibians = Toad Explosion
One of my first captures that day was a large grayish toad streaked with lime green stripes.
As I held it in my hand and peered into its vertically oriented pupils (like a cat), I admired the spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus holbrooki, before me. It was the first I had seen in months. These unique animals spend nearly their entire life safely nestled within their deep underground burrows. There they wait, until heavy rains trigger some instinct within their small amphibian brains, and they are compelled to emerge. Although it matters not what time of year this rain occurs, not just any storm will do; however, a deluge will suffice. And Claudette had provided the perfect conditions.
Spadefoot toads are considered explosive breeders, meaning that when the time is right, they will emerge from their underground burrows en masse and find nearby depressions in the landscape that have filled with recent rainwater. In a flurry of singing, wrestling, and courtship, they will mate, lay and fertilize their eggs, and then disappear back into the uplands as quickly as they appeared, often returning to the same burrow from whence they came. Left behind are thousands of strings of their gelatinous eggs, the only indication of the breeding frenzy that had just occurred.
I glanced at the back feet of the toad in my hand and quickly noticed their namesake spades. Looking like the blade of a tiny shovel, the dark structures on their heels assists them in their burrowing, which they do butt-first.
When I placed the toad on the ground, it took a moment to collect itself and then hopped away into the underbrush. The next bucket I checked had two spadefoots within it, as did the bucket after that. When I peered into the third bucket three toads gazed back at me, waiting to be released. All of the animals had been captured on one side of the trap, indicating that they had come from the same area, but perhaps more interestingly, were all headed in the same direction. As I headed back to the truck, I again noticed the sounds in the distance and was puzzled by both their number and intensity.
Driving to the next site, my eye was caught by a large flooded area in the forest, an area that was dry before the storm. As I brought the truck to a stop and rolled down the window, I was overwhelmed by a rock concert of sounds. The realization slowly dawned on me that the noises I had heard in the distance were not from a massive flock of crows at all, but rather hundreds of spadefoot toads with one thing on their collective mind. I exited the truck and let my eyes wander along the shoreline and within the depths of the pool. Everywhere were toads singing, toads clasping each other and mating (knocking down vegetation in the process) and toads swimming through the water, perhaps females heading to investigate males with impressive calls. And the calls, what a sound to experience. So many species of frogs have beautiful and melodic songs; it's no wonder how they are able to serenade females with their trills. Spadefoots however, are no Tom Jones. At risk of offending their amphibian sensibilities, I tend to describe spadefoot songs as the sound of dry-heaving.
"hooo ahhhh, hwaaaaa, hwaaaa, hoooahhh"
And they were everywhere. This was surely one of the awesome spectacles of nature that the southeastern United States can provide for the enthusiastic and alert naturalist. Reliably finding spadefoots requires both paying attention to weather patterns and knowing of historic breeding pools. When the conditions are right, one may be treated to quite the show, a show that reveals how subtle features of the landscape may be vital to the persistence of certain amphibian species.
Singing alongside the spadefoots were innumerable oak toads, which sound like baby chickens peeping. These toads also prefer to breed in temporary wetlands, where there are no fish to feed on them or their eggs. The sounds were overwhelming; to make myself heard to my field companion I had to yell over the din. I pledged to return to the site at night, when the bulk of toad activity is thought to occur. If the scene was tremendous at 11:00 in the morning, I couldn't imagine what the experience would be like after the sun had set.
Although other obligations kept me from returning that night, I visited the site after dark the next day, eager to once again observe the frenzied toads. I donned my headlamp and waders and stepped into the water, hoping to get a close look at some of the amorous amphibians. A few minutes of listening revealed nearly a dozen different species of frogs calling to one another, I identified the boinging noise of barking tree frogs, the banjo call of bronze frogs, and the quick trill of gray tree frogs, among many others. There were also several cottonmouths cruising through the water, likely looking for frogs more interested in attracting females than paying attention to hungry and prowling snakes.
Conspicuously absent however, was any sign of adult spadefoots. I couldn't believe that the hundreds of toads I had seen wrestling, mating and patrolling the water only the day before had disappeared. But they had. Adapted to sporadic heavy rainfall and quickly drying wetlands, the toads had come and gone in the blink of an eye. Most were likely already back in their underground burrows, patiently waiting until the next downpour to once again reveal themselves to the world. They left behind hundreds of thousands of spadefoot eggs, hard-pressed to hatch and develop into baby toads before their pond quickly dried. Strung along patches of vegetation throughout the pool, the eggs were the only evidence of the massive explosion of spadefoot activity that had transpired just the day before.
Toad photos are courtesy of Michelle Baragona.
5 comments:
man, you should have called me. I would have loved to hear that!
- August 24, 2009 at 4:02 PM
It's always a treat to experience Spadefoots breeding en masse. Here in Macon County, AL, I'm fortunate to have a large population less than a mile from my house (can actually hear their distant chorus from my front porch). When they're out in force, I go to the site and move individuals from the road as they're slowly crossing it. Even very minimal traffic here (a backroad) takes a surprising toll.
- August 24, 2009 at 11:11 PM
- Charles said...
I've only seen one spadefoot toad and it was a western species that a kid had for pet. He lived in Salt Lake City.
I have much respect for anyone who can id frogs and toads by their calls. Don't know if I could.
- August 25, 2009 at 10:49 AM
- LA said...
Interesting. When do they eat? do they "estivate" during all that time, or do they just live underground like some salamanders? How do they know when to get out? how do....
so many questions!
and on a completely unrelated note, are you aware of any recorded gynandromorphs among herps?
- August 25, 2009 at 10:28 PM
- David Steen said...
Anonymous #2. Glad to hear that you know of your own spot to observe this spectacle. For the follow-up, check out your site about two weeks days after they bred and look for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of spadefoot tadpoles. Maybe two months after that, the area will be covered with tiny frogs.
Charles, as with any skill, it is achievable with some practice. Try going to a swamp, listening for calls, and then finding the singing frog...much more interesting than reading a description in a field guide...and probably more effective too.
LA. Good questions. Spadefoots will eat mostly bugs, as long as they can fit in their mouth they are fair game. Spadefoots in the arid regions of the southwest will estivate during the dry periods. I don't think spadefoots in the Southeastern Coastal Plain they will enter such a deep sleep; at night they may emerge from their burrows to grab some insects. Regarding how they know when to emerge, some fascinating research from the southwest suggests that it's not moisture, but actually low-frequency sounds that prompt spadefoots to head to the surface. Sounds you might hear from rain or thunder. Researchers were able to get spadefoots to emerge by running a motor near their burrows.
Regarding gynandromorphs, there are a number of amphibians and reptiles wherein males may begin showing traits of females, but this is thought to be as a result of environmental contamination. I don't think this fits the bill, but it's closest I'm aware of.
- August 26, 2009 at 6:00 PM


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A Burbank day-care center whose operators' teenage son is accused of molesting a 4-year-old client was ordered Friday to shut down, according to a state suspension that accused the facility of a lack of supervision and failure to provide adequate care.
A woman who answered the door Friday morning of Mejia Family Child Care — which has been operating out of a home on Pepper Street for nearly five years — said the facility is safe for children. If it wasn't, the California Department of Social Services would have shut the operation down, she added.
"They're not stupid," said the woman, who refused to confirm if she was the owner, Lilian Mejia. Holding a plastic children's toy on her front porch, she added: "That's enough proof that the day care is a safe environment."
Michael Weston, a spokesman for the state Department of Social Services, said the order was issued later in the day Friday.
After it's received, "she's not allowed to provide licensed care in the state," he said.
The suspension — which according to the order was "necessary to protect children in care at the facility from substantial threat to their health and safety" — is separate from the criminal investigation centered around the alleged sexual abuse.
An investigation this week by the California Department of Social Services-Community Care Licensing Bureau found that the day care exceeded capacity by one infant.
The order from that investigation also referred to the molestation allegations in claiming Mejia "failed to provide adequate care and supervision."
Mejia has 15 days from the time she receives the order to file an appeal, at which time the suspension becomes a license revocation.
Meanwhile, the 14-year-old boy facing the allegations was released from police custody this week to a family member pending a court date. He is not staying at his parents' Pepper Street home, said Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn.
Police believe the alleged abuse was an isolated incident, but added that the investigation is ongoing.
The teenager, who was not identified because he is a minor, was detained Sunday after the alleged victim's mother called police to lodge the complaint. An investigation determined that the 4-year-old boy was at the day-care center when the alleged abuse occurred.
Police said parents of children attending the day-care center were notified of the allegations and were interviewed. All of the parents who are clients of the facility were also supposed to get a copy of the suspension order Friday, according to Weston.
Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter @atchek.


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Illogical, counter-productive ideology punishes the majority of citizens, while granting preferential treatment to the few. Class struggle, conflict, and eventual revolt are unavoidable because societies unable to tax their elites inevitably decline. Those who seek to reduce or avoid their tax obligations emphasize the ineffectiveness of our system.
Extreme wealth disparity is at the core of our political dysfunction and polarization, driven by a tiny minority at the top "buying" government and maneuvering it far right. A dozen billionaires endow think tanks to propagate the ideology that ''government is evil" and no-rules commercialism is necessary - anything to promote the one percent, creating economic Darwinism.
Current economic struggles are due to inadequate spending on goods and services. Austerity deepens depression by shrinking the economy, decreasing revenue - a destructive methodology where everyone ends up with less money, except the rich. The common sense solution is for the government to increase, not curtail, spending. The 2009 stimulus, one-third of which was tax cuts, produced vital economic impact, but America needs more.
Federal aid to state and local governments to rehire firefighters, police, teachers and administrative workers, and to upgrade roads and bridges, would immediately reduce our 4 million unemployed by half, all spending for goods and services. Blocking infrastructure legislation is a destructive GOP maneuver. Roads and bridges are public/private partnerships - the government must be involved!
Deficit reduction will naturally occur when more people are employed, paying taxes, increasing cash flow. Taxes in America, personal and corporate, are actually close to the lowest in overall tax burden of any western country. Reducing tax revenue is expensive, compounded by conservatives underfunding safety-net programs - ultimately squandering billions!
Marketplace.org estimates each U.S. House of Representatives roll call vote costs $2 million in administrative costs, hence the purely political 33 "repeal Obamacare" bills cost nearly $70 million. Add several dozen anti-abortion bills and other GOP "women's issues," then calculate what true fiscal conservatism could have accomplished. Obamacare could be funded with the money wasted to overturn it!
The price tag for uncompensated health care for uninsured patients, including 8.3 million children, was $40 billion in 2010. From a purely self-serving viewpoint, this is nonsensical! These unpaid billions create higher costs for individuals and government, increased insurance premiums, and the probability of contagious epidemics. Bad business!
Florida Gov. Rick Scott cut health department funding, then fast-tracked closing the state's only tuberculosis treatment facility despite CDC warnings of a potential outbreak. Since 2010, 3,000 people may have been exposed to contagious people at Jacksonville shelters, mental health clinics and area jails, yet only 253 people had been evaluated.
Scott refuses expanded Obamacare Medicaid funding, joining other Tea Party governors, including Texas' Rick Perry and our Gov. Nikki Haley. Congressional Republicans killed veterans' jobs and Survivor benefits bills.
Tea Party legislatures waste millions to purge voting records and/or enact stricter ID requirements after GOP primaries, combating a non-problem politically conjured by Karl Rove in the early 2000s. David Iglesias, a Bush/Cheney U.S. attorney, unequivocally debunks voter fraud, "... two years extensive investigation, I couldn't find one case to prosecute."
Paul Ryan's GOP House slashes food stamp funding (SNAP) from the farm bill, yet continues subsidies such as the lucrative sugar program - then lawmakers increased their travel allowance. They should try limiting meals to $1.50 each - the SNAP allowance.
Thousands of corporations profit selling services once provided publicly through local tax revenues. Lower taxes = less revenue = more privatization = higher costs, yet taxpayers think they've economized! States spend 2.5 percent more on a for-profit prison/halfway-house inmate than they do on a public school student!
Public/private union workers are vilified and labeled overpaid for seeking better wages, benefits and working conditions, yet Mitt Romney's ferocious quest for mega-millions wealth is laudable and presidential. Thousands of workers' nest eggs were broken to create Romney's fluffy omelette, yet that's admirable?
Cutting the poor/sick/unemployed/disadvantaged from the bBudget doesn't cut them out of existence. They won't conveniently disappear just because they're abandoned. Stripping funding from needy children, veterans, and elderly, then ballooning the deficit to add another aircraft carrier to the world's current 21 - 11 of which are American - is obscene!
Cold-blooded "conservative" politics have produced fiscal malfeasance ... or is it the other way around?
Sherry McKnight is a Sun City resident and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The look: Initial job interview
Have you ever looked this professional? "No!" says Caitlin Schmid, 21 •You can't go wrong with traditional business attire: a suit (for men and women). •Invest the time to try on many, many options at the store. (She tried on nine.) •Cover up; no cleavage or bare arms •Department store personal shoppers can help, and they're usually free; call for an appointment. •Makeup (with a light touch) shows you care about your appearance. •Jewelry is good — but not flashy or jangly. •Don't show your toes: No sandals; choose closed-toe basic pumps. •Invest in alterations, especially for pants and sleeve length. •Clean, manicured hands with no or classic (not bright) polish. •Add a business case or no-logo tote to complete the look, hold your resume. Her new outfit: Jacket, $128 reduced to $24.99; pants, $79.90; top, $39.90, all the Limited, thelimited.com; necklace and earrings, $25.65, Charter Club, Macy's, macys.com. Her own shoes. Total: $170.44
William DeShazer, Chicago Tribune
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


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blue 22 wrote:fixed it!
drdiags wrote:They probably put the Seahawks on the backside of the poster. Just ran out of space. Its all good.
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They won't sell me the parts I need directly into California because of the laws here. They made me ship the parts to my brother in another state and then it was my responsibility to get the parts home. I guess it isn't their fault but it is still a pain in the a** so I am not giving them 5 stars.

 ----- REPLY from Speed House: Would you consider revising your review to 5 stars and giving your state government ZERO stars instead? We are sorry you live in a state where your consumer freedoms have been trampled but the potential for a particular CA liberal nut job state agency to sue us, even though we are not in your state, is simply not worth ignoring their oppressive demands... no matter how much we disagree with them! We hope some day you are able to move away from that madness (like we did) and experience what true freedom is like outside of over-regulated and oppressive CA!!! -----
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Thanks for helping me be so articulate LOL. Seriously, my Jeep is crazy now. Top notch fabrication and great prices on parts. If I had more money I would be in there every week.
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40060 Solenoid upgrade arrived in Australia five days after ordering thanks to Chad and his excellent customer service.
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All the guys I talked to were really helpful and they helped me figure out what I needed for my project with no pressure. I ended up buying everything from them and my solid axle swap project went pretty smooth, smoother than I thought it would. Every time I had a problem they were there to help, sometimes even after they were closed. Great guys, I highly recommend them.
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The sales team at Speed House is super knowledgeable and they did not try to over-sell me. They made a couple of recommendations that fit my budget perfectly and I am incredibly happy with the results. A ton more pulling power and a 3 MPG improvement!
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The parts came very fast and were very good quality. It was my first time ordering from the United States by the internet and I did not realize that I had to pay taxes and fees when I got the item. I think this should be in some kind of warning screen or something.

 ----- REPLY from Speed House: We are sorry you were surprised by the mandatory taxes that Canada imposes on shipments from the USA; we know that the tax rates up there are incredibly high because of the social programs you have which we don't like government health care and substantial benefits for the natives. I can't offer you any refund for those taxes but, on the bright side, the total amount you paid for the parts including all shipping and taxes should still be substantially less than if you bought the item locally. I appreciate your advice on the warning screen and I will pass that information along to our website developer to see if that can be implemented for international orders. -----
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Bought this for my husband ,He absolutely loves it. This product does what it says and the people are very nice. 5 stars across the board.
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I bought one of the Speed House Dana 60 Solid Axle Swap Kits for my 2004 Chevy Duramax because I was totally fed up with the front end falling apart on my truck. I had to replace the bearings in my 2004 Chevy Duramax 8 times in less than 200k miles, I have had to change the ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arm, pitman arm, and even the entire control arm assemblies more than once. I have broken 2 CV's and the seal keeps leaking on the front differential even after changing it twice. I have sunk well over $10k to have all the maintenance done just to keep this truck on the road. NEVER AGAIN!!! Now I have a BOMBPROOF Dana 60 from Speed House. My truck rides better, works better off road, has more than twice the useable wheel travel that it had before, fits bigger tires without rubbing, looks better, and only sits 3 inches higher than it did from the factory. The stuff I bought from these guys wasn't cheap Chinese junk, it was all hand built in the USA and it fit perfect. Now I wouldn't trade this truck for anything.
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Product is good, shipping is quick, only complaint is the plastic pump. The pump sucks. It's hard to fill the bottles without making a mess.
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Obama's Christmas jobs bonus
When the September jobs number comes out Friday morning, it won't be an exact count of how many Americans found employment last month.
In fact, it won't even be close.
Story Continued Below
And that may be good news for President Barack Obama.
The federal government routinely adjusts its jobs number — at times by several million — in order to discount job growth or losses for seasonal variations in employment, such as the hiring spike precipitated by the holiday season or construction layoffs in the winter.
And September and October are months where the numbers spike in advance of the holiday shopping season.
These seasonal hires will have zero effect on national coverage of the report — nor will they do anything to shield Obama from the monthly barrage of Republican attacks — but research suggests the jobs may help the president sell voters on the idea that the economy is improving with Election Day only a month away.
Even amid disappointing headline employment numbers, when voters get jobs and see other people getting jobs, it will improve their outlook on the economy — and that holds true regardless of whether those jobs are due to real growth or are just part of the season, said Vanderbilt University political scientist Marc Hetherington.
"A powerful personal experience [like] someone getting a job probably has a bigger impact" than national reports, Hetherington said. "If people perceive — and possibly wrongly perceive — green shoots for the economy, that's probably good news for the president."
The goal of these "seasonal adjustments" is to provide a month-to-month comparison of actual economic growth. But the adjustments also open a gap between the official number and the actual number of people getting jobs.
The headline jobs number for September has averaged about 300,000 jobs below the federal government's unadjusted employment count for the month over the past decade. And the gap balloons in October, when government economists routinely subtract about 1 million jobs from their report to adjust for holiday hiring and other fall trends.
Some campaign veterans expressed faith in the triumph of individual experiences over national statistics when it comes to how voters feel about the economy heading into the November elections.
"I just don't think these jobs numbers have much resonance at all outside of political and economic circles. I think this is a conversation we have with one another," Jeff Shesol, a campaign strategist and former speechwriter for President Bill Clinton, said of the official monthly tally that sets off a wave of political press releases. "If people have gotten jobs, if they see neighbors and friends getting jobs again, that's what counts."


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Difference between revisions of "Marblehead (Ohio)"
Revision as of 23:59, 27 June 2012
Marblehead [5] is a village in Northwest Ohio. It is on the Marblehead Peninsula, which divides Lake Erie from the Sandusky Bay.
Get in
Marblehead is about an hour east of Toledo and 1 1/2 hours west of Cleveland. From Sandusky it takes about 20 minutes.
By boat
Boat launch
By car
From OH 2, exit at OH 269 and head north. The northern terminus of OH 269 is at the exit of East Harbor State Park.
From Port Clinton, follow OH 163 east. OH 163 circles the peninsula.
By plane
Get around
Fishing charters
Lakeside Chautauqua
The village of Lakeside[9] is a gated community on the north shore Marblehead Penninsula. It is one of three remaining Chautauqua communities in the United States. Chautauqua was a movement started in the 1800's to provide adult education on important issues as well as entertainment. Today Lakeside is a vibrant community which offers family-oriented entertainment, concerts, and recreation, lectures and clubs throughout the summer. The village has a number of restaurants, shops, churches, parks and businesses within. Visitors are welcome to purchase a day pass. Others choose to stay longer - the village has cabins, houses, and a hotel with rooms for rent for a day, week or even the entire summer. In keeping with the traditions in which the village was established, smoking and drinking alcohol is banned from the entire village.
Get out
Photo Gallery
<gallery> Image:Marblehead adj to Coast Guard Station 01-30-08.jpg


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Madison, Wisconsin (January 6, 2012) - Michael F. Clear, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of HSA Home Warranty, is pleased to announce several key promotions in the HSA sales team.
Sue Stites has been named Western Regional Vice President. Sue, who has worked with HSA Home Warranty since 1995, has been instrumental in the growth experienced in many of our Midwest markets. As Western Regional Vice President, Sue will bring energy and leadership to the sales team in the western portion of the country.
Teresa Hedlund has been named Eastern Regional Vice President. Teresa has been involved in the real estate industry for more than 30 years, with 10 of those years at HSA. In that time, Teresa has taken on many leadership roles, training and nurturing our sales team. As Eastern Regional Vice President, Teresa will continue to spur growth in the eastern half of the country.
Greg Long has been named Regional Director. Greg joined HSA four years ago as a Territory Manager in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania market. Greg will be responsible for leading the sales team in the Pennsylvania and Ohio markets.
Nichole Taylor has been named Territory Manager. Nichole joined HSA three years ago as a Territory Service Representative in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania market, working with Greg Long to serve HSA's large client base in that market.
As HSA Home Warranty continues to experience strong growth in its key markets, these promotions set the essential framework to facilitate further success in the coming years. "In a static real estate market, we continue to bring on more clients, write more warranties, and increase our capture rate. We experienced a 12% growth in 2011," says Gary Lombardo, Executive Vice President.
The promotion of these individuals will enable HSA to continue to provide the same great service that is contract holders and real estate partners currently enjoy. "We have an outstanding sales team," states Mike Clear, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. "Sue and Teresa are strong sales leaders who will inspire and support our team, allowing us to focus our continued growth in our most successful markets."
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Strategic Plan
PRIDE 2020: Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence
It is with tremendous pride and pleasure that I present to you the Strategic Plan for Delaware State University — Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence — or PRIDE 2020.
Delaware State University is a public, comprehensive 1890 land-grant university established by the Delaware General Assembly on May 15, 1891. In these 123 years, DSU has gone from being a State College offering five courses of study in agriculture, chemistry, the classics, engineering and science to a University offering its 4,505 students 52 baccalaureate, 25 master's and five doctoral degree programs through 21 academic departments. The University has an Honors Program and a number of strategic international partnerships. In addition to its 356-acre main campus with 50 buildings, DSU also has two farm properties, locations in Wilmington and Georgetown, and a fleet of planes for the Aviation Program with a base of operations at the Delaware Air Park in Cheswold.
It has been quite a journey from our humble beginnings. DSU has made significant strides along the way to the year 2014. But that was then, and this is now. PRIDE 2020 outlines for you the steps we will collectively take as we begin our journey toward the next decade — a journey that insures we are a University that prepares tomorrow's leaders, invests in the community's well-being and meets global challenges.
I charged the University Strategic Planning Council with delivering a plan that was comprehensive, challenging and concise. That committee, under the leadership of Provost Alton Thompson, spent two years meeting with members of our Board of Trustees; faculty, staff and students; community members; University supporters; and local, state and national leaders. They listened to all of your thoughts and ideas; they picked the best you had to offer and paired it with state and national priorities and best practices in higher education. With the plan now in place, the University Strategic Planning Implementation Committee will be responsible for implementing, monitoring and tracking the achievement of its goals and objectives.
PRIDE 2020 will become the launching pad for what Delaware State University is to become.
- President Harry L. Williams, Ed.D.


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Wit the Old Town Plan branding presentation debuting Tuesday at 5 p.m. in City Hall's council chambers, city staff is prepared to get community input.
The presentation is part of the culmination of the city's plan to rejuvenate parts of the Ridgecrest downtown area around Balsam Street.
Wit the Old Town Plan branding presentation debuting Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 5 p.m. in City Hall's council chambers, city staff is prepared to get community input.
The presentation is part of the culmination of the city's plan to rejuvenate parts of the Ridgecrest downtown area around Balsam Street.
"The purpose of the Old Town Action Plan is to establish a blueprint for the revitalization of Downtown Ridgecrest and make it an inviting place for visitors and residents," said Ridgecrest City Planner Matthew Alexander Wednesday.
The plan has been in the works since it was conceived of in 2009 as part of the city's revised general plan, according to Alexander.
The decision to move ahead with plans to start revitalizing the downtown stemmed from the city's growth over the last 60 years.
"When Downtown was established as the business and commercial center during the 1950s there were only about 3,000 residents living in Ridgecrest," Alexander said. "Greater Ridgecrest has grown to an urban community with a population of 30,000 today."
With this growth Alexander said came "some problems and concerns with the viability of the City's Central Business District."
Alexander said that while the Old Town Action Plan (OTAP) Committee has made strides since it began working 18 months ago, the missing component was a brand, or marketing strategy.
"Branding will play a significant role in guiding growth and development for the revitalization of Downtown — Ridgecrest's historic and cultural heartland," Alexander said.
That's where marketing and branding expert Ron Smith entered the picture.
Smith, who has more than 30 years of experience and several awards, was instrumental in the revitalization of Downtown Lancaster's project, "The Boulevard." He operates his own Lancaster-based marketing firm.
Smith recently won the seat for California's 36th Assembly seat after serving as Lancaster's vice mayor.
Alexander said that Smith has been an integral part of the visioning process.
"Ron Smith is an extremely creative visionary with excellent design skills," he said.
In addition to bringing years of experience to the table, Alexander said Smith has also done his homework on Ridgecrest's Old Town Plan.
He has met with and enlightened members of the Old Town Action Plan Committee," he said. "I believe that his recommendations benefit Ridgecrest because they offer a fresh, objective and dynamic path for branding the heart of our city."
"I hope everyone enjoys the presentation," Smith said Tuesday. "The staff and some of the committee members I've worked with have all loved it."
Smith said developing a brand was critical for any planning.
"It sets the tone for where you want to go with a downtown," Smith said. "A brand is a promise."
Smith held up Lancaster's downtown, which he was instrumental in help creating.
"I have escorted people coming up from L.A. County around Downtown Lancaster and when they look around they're shocked," Smith said. "They say 'You have this up here in Antelope Valley?'"
Smith said the branding for Ridgecrest's downtown would be unique from Lancaster's Boulevard project and that focus was key to realize a vision for any downtown area.
"A downtown is the heartbeat of the city," Smith said. "You have to stay focused."


text:
Items where Author / Artist / Editor is "Mathieu, S."
|See full list of headings
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Butler, Stephen A. and Ikram, M. K. and Mathieu, S. and Iles, Ray K. (2000) The increase in bladder carcinoma cell population induced by the free beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin is a result of an anti-apoptotic effect and not cell proliferation. British journal of cancer, 82 (9). pp. 1553-1556. ISSN 0007-0920


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The good news for Buccaneers defensive end Da'Quan Bowers is that he didn't shoot himself in the leg. The bad news is that this is where the differences to the Plaxico Burress gun possession case end.
Mike Garafolo of USA Today points out that the charge levied against Bowers is identical to the charge that sent former Giants receiver Plaxico Buress to prison for two years: criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
The fact that Bowers wasn't caught with the gun but volunteered to airport employees that he had the weapon in his bag may not matter. New York has tough gun laws, with a 3.5-year mandatory minimum for second-degree possession.
The only question for Bowers is whether the powers-that-be will choose to attempt to make an example out of the 2011 second-round pick. Since there's no real difference between second-degree possession and third-degree possession, which has no minimum sentence, prosecutors could cut Bowers a break, if they choose to.
In the context of the Burress case, Sal Paolantonio of ESPN pointed out the wide differences that often arise in cases of this nature, with 24 percent of the defendants who entered a guilty plea to third-degree criminal possession of a weapon being sentenced to possession with no jail time.
Still, prosecutors could regard Bowers' case differently. Burress took his gun into a Manhattan nightclub, securing it in the waistband of his pants and having it discharge in the building. Though he only shot himself, the end result could have been much worse.
Bowers, if he'd known the severity of the New York law, could have found a way to get rid of the gun short of handing it over and essentially confessing his guilt. Throwing the book at him seems grossly unfair.
Of course, it also seemed unfair to throw the book at Burress. For now, Bowers simply has to wait and see whether the inherently arbitrary wheel of Empire State justice lands on "skate" or "slammer."


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- Jinan ADO Food Machinery Co.,Ltd.
- This is a verified supplier can provide quality products and have passed the Business License Check.
Home>Products>Banana chips processing line>300kg/h Halal Snacks Pringles Potato Chips make machinerys/French Fries Production Line/Potato CriLDs ProceLDing Line
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text:
The three puzzle and word games used in the study, Bejeweled® 2, Peggle™ and Bookworm™ Adventures, are all made by PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual video games. PopCap underwrote the study and provided copies of the games for research purposes.The hypotheses were tested using state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies to measure heart-rate variability, electroencephalography and subjects' mood states pre- and post-activity. The study yielded significant findings in several areas while identifying potential therapeutic applications of casual games as a means of addressing serious mental and physical disorders. Due to the significance of the findings and their implications in health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, ECU's Psychophysiology Lab and is planning to start clinical trials in the fall to determine the efficacy of these games and their prescriptive parameters.In all cases, the changes in stress levels and mood were measured in comparison to a control group that experienced a Web-based activity similar in physical and mental nature to the game-playing groups. Full results of the study will be presented at the Games for Health Conference in Baltimore, Maryland on May 8 by the director of the study, Dr. Carmen Russoniello, associate professor of recreational therapy and director of the Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic at ECU's College of Health and Human Performance. The study results will also be published in a peer-reviewed journal later this year. High-level findings of the study are provided below. Additional data, including detailed charts, can be found at http://www.edu.ecu/biofeedback."I've conducted many clinical studies in the area of recreational therapy in the past, but this was the first one seeking to determine the potential therapeutic value of video games," Russoniello said. "The results of this study are impressive and intriguing, given the extent of the effects of the games on subjects' stress levels and overall mood. When coupled with the very high degree of confidence we have in those results based on the methodology and technologies used, I believe there is a wide range of therapeutic applications of casual games in mood-related disorders such as depression and in stress-related disorders including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Granted, this study was a first step and much more needs to be done before video games can be prescribed to treat medical conditions. However, these exciting results confirm anecdotal evidence that people are playing casual video games to improve their mood and decrease their stress, and herald casual games' potential in health promotion, disease prevention, and treatment of stress- and mood-related disorders."Stress ReliefWith respect to stress relief, measured primarily through HRV which captures sympathetic (fight or flight) and para-sympathetic (relaxation) nervous system activity by assessing the variability in the heart's "beat-to-beat" interval, Bejeweled was found to reduce physical stress activity by 54 percent compared to the control group. There was no statistical difference between male and female subjects. Peggle and Bookworm Adventures did not reduce subjects' physical stress levels significantly but did affect psychological tension, depression and other aspects of mood, in some cases dramatically (see below).Changes in Aspects of MoodMood was measured in six different categories: Psychological Tension, Anger, Depression
ECU News Bureau
| 252-328-6481


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Bridesmaids Trailer [VIDEO]
I'm personally done with Kristen Wiig's over the top characters on Saturday Night Live. To see her just as a frustrated bridesmaid trying to pull a wedding together is something else. When she plays a more low-key character (like she did in Adventureland or Knocked up) she can be quite funny. Looking for another reason to see the movie, how about the gorgeous Wendy McClendon-Covey who you may know as the buxom Deputy Clementine Johnson from Reno 911. Wendy will be appearing on The Rockshow tomorrow morning in the 9:00 hour.


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G-12 Loc: City of Firemaw
THE cloaked man sat hunched next to the potter's stall, his chipped scimitar shoved into the ground. His head was draped in a red cloth that hid his face, and black-green eyes stared out hauntingly from under it. A suit of obsidian armor, forged in the style of Ninjara was on his chest, and a black cape was pinned on his neck. His name was Akira Kiyamoto, but that name had been long forgotten. Now his name was the Daimyo. Simply the Daimyo.
RADJAR Kath sat at the main tbale. It had been a week since the victory at Daggerfall, and though he planned to make a trip to Orion for the Emperor's acceptance, he was nagged on by the fact that Bjarn the Forester was now the ruler of the Forestmen. Though he had never met the old warrior, he immensely respected him, though his father and Bjarn were bitter enemies. Gereld walked in. In the battle, his eye had been put out, and he wore an eyepatch. He'd been promoted to Commander-in-chief, and his armor was bedecked with medals from the war.
"Sir, news from our northern outposts. A week ago sir, while we were at sea, a band of rogues opened the northern passage and traveled through us. Among them was Willem Blackcloak and his aide Graygon, and a beautiful woman assumed to be a princess of the Wolfpack."
"Hmm? What are you suggesting, Gereld?"
"That you find a queen, milord!"
Radjar shuddered at the thought. He had little skill in wooing women, yet he felt intrigued.
"First things first. We head to Forester lands, to show honor to the leader of the Forestmen."


text:
NEW PORT RICHEY — After 13 frustrating years, Pasco County is still no closer to getting a permit for the controversial Ridge Road extension. So commissioners voted this week to get outside help from a high-powered Washington D.C. environmental firm.
County Administrator Michele Baker said Pasco needs the expertise from Dawson & Associates to help break the gridlock with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which rejected the county's latest submittal. Dawson & Associates describes itself as "the nation's premier firm for resolving complex challenges involving federal water resources and environmental regulatory policy and procedures."
The company's website boasts its deep ties to the USACE. "Collectively, our firm's members have spent a combined total of more than 500 years serving in the Corps. This service includes command and senior management of multiple Corps of Engineer Districts and Divisions nationwide, as well as the entire Corps."
While Dawson is a registered lobbyist, Baker stressed that the county was hiring the firm to conduct a one-month review of its Corps application and to advise the county on how best to proceed. "They're retired regulators," Baker told commissioners. "It has never been our desire to lobby our way to a permit. We're hoping they can identify for us why is it that we and Corps aren't on the same page."
The initial review cost $38,500. Baker said if the board elects to hire Dawson as a subcontractor, it would cost the same amount each month to keep them on retainer. But that's a fraction of the $17 million the county already has expended on the project.
"I think you have to do something. We've been struggling and struggling," Commissioner Pat Mulieri said.
Ridge Road currently dead-ends at Moon Lake Road-De Cubellis Road. Pasco County has proposed extending the road east by eight miles to the Suncoast Parkway and later to U.S. 41. Opponents view the proposed road through the 6,000-acre Serenova Tract as an intrusion into a delicate wildlife area and a vehicle for overdevelopment in Pasco.
The EPA has recommended denial of the permit, saying it would have "substantial and unacceptable adverse impacts" on an aquatic resource of national importance.
The road was expected to cost about $65 million to build. Baker said the county ruled out any alternatives that cost more than 150-percent of that figure - that includes elevating the 2.1-mile segment through the Serenova Preserve.
Baker said the fully elevated option would triple the cost, and the only way to make it feasible would be to have a private company build it as a toll road. "Or we could do a partially elevated road for $77 million, and it would reduce the wetland impact," she said. "That was included in our alternatives analysis."
(813) 371-1852
Twitter @LKinslerTBO


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spreadtheword brauchte ein neues Website Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 53 Designs von 19 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
Calling all web 2.0 designers! We need a modern, clean, simple and innovative website for our new online photo backup business "fotochimp", that will appeal to our Gen-Y target audience. Get those fun and creative juices flowing!
We are inviting you to give us our identity! Design us a home page for our new business and make some easy cash! We now have our logo and chimp character (http://99designs.com/contests/14223…es/1048056) and are in need of an awesome FUN website to match!
About Us
Fotochimp is an online photo backup business targeted at Gen-Y who have mountains of photos, videos, music and other valuable data stored on their 'less-than-reliable' home computers. We offer a cheap, easy way to make sure they never lose these electronic 'valuables'.We want our business to have a fun, 'hip', playful and yet simple and modern web 2.0 feeling. The face of our business will be our CHIMP CHARACTER who will appear throughout the website as a 'guide' to explain things and give it a personal touch. Use our existing chimp designs in the link above (if you can) to feature him on the home page, but we will be getting him designed in other positions / expressions that we may replace it with.
We like the minimalist type designs that draw your attention to the important parts and don't have unnecessary boxes or text. Because we want to avoid excess / useless clutter and content here is a precise list of what we need on the home page:
- A navigation menu with these titles: Home, Sign Up, How It Works, FAQ's, About, Contact
- A login section (e.g. username / password fields and a login button)
- Our logo
- A prominent "sign up now" button / link
- A spot on the page to display promo's such as "free T-shirt for the first 100 customers" - you can use this promo as the example
- A prominent and simple explanation of 'what we do / how it works' such as "Step 1: Sign Up, Step 2: Download the program, Step 3: Upload your stuff!". The message here should be easy to read and understand without being over cluttered with images or text. This should be the main focus of the page along with the "Sign up now" button.
- Footer - not sure of the exact links to be in the footer, so please use standard examples such as "About Us, Contact, etc" (see designs we like)
Designs We Like:
http://www.silverbackapp.com/ - BEAUTIFUL! Well themed, vibrant and intuitive + good footer.
http://www.crowdspring.com/ - simplicity, bold centre statement (image), non-cluttering, LOVE the web2.0 verbose footers.(footer optional - however would love to see some pages with a strong large verbose footer, and a cut down trim version).
OTHER DESIGN STYLES WE LOVE:www.utorrent.com - clean layout
https://mozy.com/ - testimonials 'light box' is great
http://wufoo.com/ - playful, fun
http://istats.com.au/ - clean layout
http://uservoice.com/ - bold centre statement (image & text), attracts to key points you need to look at
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/ - bold centre statement (image & text)
http://www.webnode.com/ - layout and bright colors
http://www.mailchimp.com/ - simple, clean
http://tr.im/ - we like that it is not cluttered
http://www.motorola.com/ - we like the bold statement in the centre with an image.
http://www.hoptoadapp.com - clean layout
Please pay special attention to our "wants" and "not wants" below, the winning design will tick all or most of these boxes!
But most of all, put on your FUN hat and give us your most innovative, creative and unique designs!
- Only a home page is required (in PSD format), we will then use the general layout & button / header / text styles to create the rest of the website from there.
- If you need the logo in vector format or have any questions please PM or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
- Don't waste everyone's time and copy designs from templatemonster or any other website. You will get caught and reported! We only want unique designs and true designers!
- There may be the opportunity for further work for the winning designer - make us fall in love with your design!
- Fun yet professional
- Simple yet informative
- "Web 2.0" style (e.g. bold titles, non-cluttered, use of shadows / gradients, etc)
- Innovative / Different / Creative / Interesting / "Cool" / Appealing to a young audience
- A website that suits our logo (link above)
- The chimp character to feature prominently in the design
- Clutter.
- Too much text or too many images making it clunky and slow to load
- Boring or old style designs


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The Internet would have you believe that the Whitey Bulger movie has wrapped. Not true. We're told director Scott Cooper still has two weeks of work remaining on the biopic based on "Black Mass," the book by Dick Lehr and Gerry O'Neill. What is true is that Johnny Depp, who stars as the South Boston mobster, has finished his part in the film. Depp's last scene, shot Monday in Lynn, involved Bulger getting out of a car and viciously beating a drug dealer with a wrench. It was a quick scene and when it was over, the cast and crew paused to give Depp a group hug — OK, it was a round of applause — for his work on the movie. (The actor's fiance, Amber Heard, was on set to enjoy the moment.) The final two weeks of filming will take place in Boston and focus on the FBI's role in the Bulger story. We're sorry to see Depp depart Boston. When he wasn't busy filming, the actor could be found browsing the stacks at the Brattle Book Shop, picking up a pie at Regina Pizzeria, or playing guitar on stage withWillie Nelsonor Aerosmith. Depp's appearance with the Bad Boys from Boston at the Xfinity Center was preceded, we're told, by a visit to the "Black Mass" set by Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and his wife Billie. It makes sense then that the actor would return the favor, dropping by while the rockers were doing their job.
More coverage:
• Johnny Depp joins Aerosmith on stage
• Willie Nelson holds a rollicking family affair
• Revere Beach transforms into Miami Beach for 'Black Mass'
• Meet the cast of the local Whitey Bulger movie
• Benedict Cumberbatch arrives in Boston, fans rejoice
• 'Black Mass' takes its sets to Lynn and back to the '70s and '80s
• 'Black Mass' shoots in East Boston, 'Grey Lady' in South Boston
• Johnny Depp takes a break from his Whitey Bulger costume
• 'Black Mass' shoots in Chelsea
• Johnny Depp, as Whitey, recreates Halloran murder
• 'Black Mass' films in Dorchester
• Benedict Cumberbatch takes role in 'Whitey' movie
• Double-takes abound as Bulger movie films in Cambridge


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Dominick R. Pilla Associates (DRPILLA) recently completed the first LEED for Homes Gold certified home in Sag Harbor, NY. DRPILLA combined modern architectural design with environmental building strategies to produce this high-performance 8,000 square foot bay front residence. Special consideration was given to site sustainability, water efficiency and energy-efficient construction. The most notable design features that characterize this private residence as a high-performance home include a 10-KW photovoltaic rooftop system, a drought-tolerant, indigenous plant landscape design, an extremely efficient geothermal mechanical/electrical system, a solar thermal system for domestic hot water and the swimming pool, and a blend of eco-friendly design strategies ranging from using reclaimed cypress siding to separating, recycling and diverting up to 75% of demolition and construction debris from the landfill.
The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!
The building's modern design includes a flat roof, which provides ample area for the placement of the photovoltaic roof panels. The flat roof design also allows the equipment to be hidden from view at ground level. All domestic hot water is heated through a solar thermal system. Additionally, the pool is heated completely by the solar heating system. Pool water is pumped through a filter and then through solar collectors, where it is heated before it is returned to the pool.
It was essential to the owner that every decision made was environmentally sound. Most important was the choice of windows and window insulation, since approximately one-quarter of heat gains and losses occur through windows. The window-laden rear façade is comprised of Argon filled double-pane windows with a low-e coating which limits excessive solar heat gain, effectively lowering interior heating and cooling costs.
DRPILLA worked with the client to identify local designers and craftspeople who shared their commitment to sustainability. The entire team collaborated on the selection of sustainable materials and high performance systems. Beyond recycled materials, the design team worked with reused and reclaimed products. The best example was the use of wood from two failing cherry trees on the property. Interior Designer Richard Mervis collaborated with local wood-workers to use the trees to make stair treads, tables, the powder room vanity top, statues and benches.
The combined building systems of this private Residence create a 44% more efficient building than the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standards for a conventional home of the same size and demands. This helped earn the original and truly eco-friendly property its LEED Gold rating.


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Till now we have seen the basics of RS232 communication, the function of level converter and the internal USART of AVR micro. After understanding the USART of AVR we have also written a easy to use function to initialize the USART. That was the first step to use RS232. Now we will see how we can actually send/receive data via rs232. As this tutorial is intended for those who are never used USART we will keep the things simple so as to just concentrate on the "USART" part. Of course after you are comfortable with usart you can make it more usable my using interrupt driven mechanism rather than "polling" the usart.
So lets get started! In this section we will make two functions :-
- USARTReadChar() : To read the data (char) from the USART buffer.
- USARTWriteChar(): To write a given data (char) to the USART.
This two functions will demonstrate the use of USART in the most basic and simplest way. After that you can easily write functions that can write strings to USART.
Reading From The USART : USARTReadChar() Function.
This function will help you read data from the USART. For example if you use your PC to send data to your micro the data is automatically received by the USART of AVR and put in a buffer and bit in a register (UCSRA) is also set to indicate that data is available in buffer. Its now your duty to read this data from the register and process it, otherwise if new data comes in the previous one will be lost. So the funda is that wait until the RXC bit (bit no 7) in UCSRA is SET and then read the UDR register of the USART.
(See the full description of USART registers)
char USARTReadChar()
//Wait untill a data is available
while(!(UCSRA & (1<<RXC)))
//Do nothing
//Now USART has got data from host
//and is available is buffer
return UDR;
Writing to USART : USARTWriteChar()
This function will help you write a given character data to the USART. Actually we write to the buffer of USART and the rest is done by USART, that means it automatically sends the data over RS232 line. One thing we need to keep in mind is that before writing to USART buffer we must first check that the buffer is free or not. It its not we simply wait until it is free. If its not free it means that USART is still busy sending some other data and once it finishes it will take the new data from buffer and start sending it.
Please not that the data held in the buffer is not the current data which the USART is busy sending. USART reads data from the buffer to its shift register which it starts sending and thus the buffer is free for your data. Every time the USART gets it data from buffer and thus making it empty it notifies this to the CPU by telling "USART Data Register Ran Empty" (UDRE) . It does so by setting a bit (UDRE bit no 5) in UCSRA register.
So in our function we first wait until this bit is set (by the USART ), once this is set we are sure that buffer is empty and we can write new data to it.
(See the full description of USART registers)
void USARTWriteChar(char data)
//Wait until the transmitter is ready
while(!(UCSRA & (1<<UDRE)))
//Do nothing
//Now write the data to USART buffer
Note: Actually their are two separate buffers, one for transmitter and one for receiver. But they share common address. The trick is that all "writes" goes to the Transmitter's buffer while any "read" you performs comes from the receiver's buffer.
That means if we read UDR we are reading from receivers buffer and when we are writing to UDR we are writing to transmitters buffer.
UDR=some_data; //Goes to transmitter
some_data=UDR; //Data comes from receiver
(See the full description of USART registers)
Sample program to use AVR USART
The following program makes use of the two functions we developed. This program simply waits for data to become available and then echoes it back via transmitter but with little modification. For example if you send "A" to it, it will send you back "[A]" that is input data but surrounded by square bracket. This program is enough to test the USART yet easy to understand.
A simple program to demonstrate the use of USART of AVR micro
See: www.eXtremeElectronics.co.in for more info
Author : Avinash Gupta
E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Date : 29 Dec 2008
ATmega8 @ 16MHz
Suitable level converter on RX/TX line
Connected to PC via RS232
PC Software : Hyper terminal @ 19200 baud
No Parity,1 Stop Bit,
Flow Control = NONE
#include <avr/io.h>
#include <inttypes.h>
//This function is used to initialize the USART
//at a given UBRR value
void USARTInit(uint16_t ubrr_value)
//Set Baud rate
UBRRL = ubrr_value;
UBRRH = (ubrr_value>>8);
/*Set Frame Format
>> Asynchronous mode
>> No Parity
>> 1 StopBit
>> char size 8
//Enable The receiver and transmitter
//This function is used to read the available data
//from USART. This function will wait untill data is
char USARTReadChar()
//Wait untill a data is available
while(!(UCSRA & (1<<RXC)))
//Do nothing
//Now USART has got data from host
//and is available is buffer
return UDR;
//This fuction writes the given "data" to
//the USART which then transmit it via TX line
void USARTWriteChar(char data)
//Wait untill the transmitter is ready
while(!(UCSRA & (1<<UDRE)))
//Do nothing
//Now write the data to USART buffer
void main()
//This DEMO program will demonstrate the use of simple
//function for using the USART for data communication
//Varriable Declaration
char data;
/*First Initialize the USART with baud rate = 19200bps
for Baud rate = 19200bps
UBRR value = 51
USARTInit(51); //UBRR = 51
//Loop forever
//Read data
/* Now send the same data but but surround it in
square bracket. For example if user sent 'a' our
system will echo back '[a]'.
- Hex file for ATmega8 ready to burn !
- Atmel Studio 6 Project File
- Proteus Simulation File, for super quick testing!
Running the USART Demo
You can run the above program in a ATmega8, ATmega16, ATmega32 cpu running at 16MHz without any modification. If you are using different clock frequency you have to change the UBRR value that we are passing to USARTInit() function. See previous tutorial for calculating UBRR value. AVR running the USART demo program can be interface to PC using following three ways.
Connect to a Physical COM Port.
If you are lucky and own a really old PC then you may find a Physical COM port on your PC's back. It is a 9 pin D type male connector. In this case you have to make a RS232 to TTL converter and connect the MCU to COM port via it.
Connect to a Virtual COM Port.
Connect Via a Chip CP2102.
CP2102 is single chip USB to UART Bridge by SiLabs. This chip can be used to connect your embedded applications to USB port and enable them to transfer data with PC. It is the easiest path to build PC interfaced projects, like a PC controlled robot. We have a very good CP2102 module that can be used right out of the box. We have done all PCBs and fine SMD soldering for you.
CP2102 Based Module.
Female sides provide easy connection to headers.
xBoard MINI v2.0 with ATmega8 MCU
ATmega8 Connected to CP2102
Connect via Chip PL2303
PL2303 is yet another low cost chip for USB to serial (TTL Level) conversion. We also have a complete board for it too !
PL2303 based USB to USART Module
Those who are not so lucky may buy a Virtual COM port. Again in this case too you need to built a RS232 to TTL converter and connect the MCU to COM port via it.
Fig. USB to Serial Converter
Finding the COM port number of Serial Port
A PC can have several COM ports, each may have some peripheral connected to it like a Modem. Serial Ports on PC are numbered like COM1, COM2 … COMn etc. You first need to figure out in which COM port you have connected the AVR. Only after you have a correct COM port number you can communicate with the AVR using tools such as Hyperterminal. The steps below shows how to get COM port number in case of Virtual COM Ports.
Right Click on "My Computer" icon in Windows Desktop.
My Computer Icon on Windows Desktop
Select "Properties"
System Context Menu
The System Properties will open up. Go to the "Hardware" Tab.
System Properties.
In Hardware tab select "Device Manager" button. It will open up device manager.
Open Device Manager
In Device Manager Find the Node "Ports (COM & LPT)"
Expand the PORT node in Device Manager
Depending on whether you are using a "USB to Serial Converter" or "CP2102 USB/USART Bridge Module" you have to find the port with following name.
- Prolific USB-to-Serial if you are using Bafo USB to Serial Converter.
- Silicon Labs CP210x if you are using CP2102 chip.
Note down the COM port number next to the port name. You need to open this Port in Hyperterminal.
COM Port Number
COM Port Number
Communication using a Terminal Program on PC.
Since this is the introductory article about serial communication, we won't be going in much detail on PC end COM port programming. For this reason we will be using a ready made software for sending and receiving serial data. I will be showing how to use two different terminal program to exchange data with embedded application.
Windows Hyperterminal
This is a default terminal program shipped with Windows OS. You can start it from
Start Menu->All Programs->Accessories->Communication->Hyperterminal.
Hyperterminal is not available in Windows Vista or Windows 7 so you have to use other terminal programs like RealTerm.
On startup it will ask for a connection name. Here we will enter AVR
Create New Connection
After that select a COM port you want to use. If you are using USB to serial adaptor please confirm which COM port number it is using. Other COM ports are usually connected to some device say an Internal modem etc. While some others are Bluetooth COM ports. Don't use them. If you have a physical com port then most probably it will be COM1. If you select wrong COM port during this step you won't be able to communicate with the AVR MCU and won't get expected results.
Select COM Port
Now setup the COM port parameters as follows.
- Bits per second: 19200
- Data bits: 8
- Parity: None
- Stop bits: 1
- Flow Control: None
Setting up the COM port
HyperTerminal is ready for communication now! If everything went right HyperTerminal and AVR will talk happily and AVR will send the following message as we have programmed it.
Screenshot of Hyperterminal Showing the message received from AVR
If the screen shows similar message then you have successfully created a link between PC and your AVR micro. It shows that PC can read the data sent by AVR. To test if the AVR can also read Hyperterminal, press some keys on PC keyboard. Hyperterminal will send them over COM port to the AVR mcu where AVR will process the data. In the simple test program this processing includes returning the same data but enclosed inside [ and ], so if you press 'k' then AVR will return [k]. If you are able to see this on PC screen then you are sure that AVR is receiving the data correctly.
That's it! It fully tests the Serial Communication Routine and your hardware setup.
Setting Up Realterm and using it to communicate with AVR
If you are running Windows Vista or Windows 7 then the Hyperterminal Program may not be available. So in place of it you can use Realterm. It can be downloaded from here.
Start Realterm from its Desktop Icon. You will get a screen similar to this. Increase the Value of Row to 40 to see whole message.
Screenshot of Realterm Showing the message received from AVR
Setup Realterm as follows. Go to the Port Tab and set it as follows.
- Baud: 19200
- Port: Port where you have connected the AVR
- Data bits: 8
- Parity: None
- Stop bits: 1
- Hardware Flow Control: None
Screenshot of Realterm Setup
After setting up Realterm connect the AVR board with COM port and switch it on. Rest process is same as given above for Hyperterminal.
See Also
- Home Made AVR devboard – To experiment with AVR micros first make this.
- Making a RS232 level converter.
- RS232 / USART related
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Engagement Announcement Form
Use the form below to submit your good news. The Banner publishes engagement announcements as a public service. However, we cannot guarantee when an announcement will be published, and we cannot call to notify you of the date it will run. All announcements must include a daytime telephone number and an email address in case any details need to be checked. The bride, groom or their parents must either currently reside in or previously resided in The Banner's coverage area (all towns/areas within 15 miles of Knightstown) for announcements to be published. Former residents please indicate where in the local area you previously resided.
A black-and-white or good-quality color photo of the couple may be submitted. Photographs may be brought to the newspaper office at 24 N. Washington Street in Knightstown, mailed to: The Banner, PO Box 116, Knightstown, IN 46148 or emailed to email@example.com. Also, on the confirmation page following completion of the form below there will be an option for you to upload a photo from your computer .
We reserve the right to edit announcements, to determine size and location of both pictures and copy and to refuse photos of unacceptable quality and/or size. Acceptable sizes are wallet size and up to 8x10s. No profiles, Polaroid or long-distance shots will be accepted. Photos may be picked up at the newspaper's office after publication or will be returned by mail if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is provided.
If you have any trouble processing this form, please email email@example.com


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Title: Also Known As
Author: Robin Benway
May Contain Spoilers
From Amazon:
Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.
When I saw Also Known As on Netgalley, I immediately requested a copy. I love YA books featuring spies, espionage, and danger, and this title looked like it had all of that in spades. Plus, as an added bonus, protagonist Maggie is a gifted safe-cracker. Seriously, it just doesn't get any more fun than that! The first chapter kind of bogged me down, but once I hit my stride, I gobbled Also Known As in just an afternoon. I didn't want to put it down, and it had me so engaged in the story that I was able to overlook a few inconsistences that would have driven me crazy otherwise. This is a fun read, with a confident though in over her head heroine, and an engaging cast of supporting characters. I really hope Maggie will return for more adventures.
Maggie has been living the life of a spy forever. Both of her parents are employed by the Collective, and they spend their days trying to make the world a safer place by putting the brakes on gun runners, human traffickers, and other nefarious plots designed to shake up the world order. Maggie has been cracking locks since she was a toddler, and she fully expects to follow in her parents' spy footsteps, cracking locks and stealing away with evil doers' plans to destroy peace and stability. When she's given her first solo assignment in NYC, she couldn't be more thrilled. All she has to do is befriend Jesse Oliver. Jesse's father runs a powerful publishing empire, and he's planning to run an expose outing Maggie, her family, and the Collective. If she can't steal the documents that threaten to ruin her family, they will be in big, big danger.
Now, I'm not even going to wonder why the Collective, a super secret spy organization, is putting an inexperienced spy in charge of saving everyone's bacon. Instead, I allowed myself to get sucked into Maggie's upbeat and very entertaining narrative. She has all of the confidence in the world, and she is going to make everyone proud of her. She is going to live up to her legacy and steal those damaging documents! All she has to do is pretend to be friends with Jesse, and she's in like Flynn!
Only that's not how things work out. As Maggie embraces her assignment, she's determined to do everything in her power to be successful. But as she makes friends with a social outcast, and gets caught up in going to school and hanging out with kids her own age, she starts to see that it's more difficult to pretend that she ever had thought. And after she and Jesse connect on a personal level, she realizes, to her dismay, that she's not pretending anymore. She really likes him, and she really likes her new friend Roux, and she knows her parents are never going to understand her lapse in judgment. They've trained her better than that, haven't they?
I loved Maggie's anxiety about hurting her new friends. Now that she actually has some, she is loathe to lose them. She is lying to everyone, though, and it's making her miserable. Being a teen spy is just not as easy as it sounds! She can't let her parents know that she kissed Jesse (and that she'd do it again in a second), or that her friendship with Roux isn't just for cover. She is dealing with so many issues that she never considered, it's no wonder she can't get a decent night's sleep!
Also Known As lived up to all of my expectations, and even exceeded them. The pacing is spot on, the plot never lagged, and Maggie is a fun, likable character, even if she did need to be knocked down a peg or two. Recommended for fans of Ally Carter. Check back later today for your chance to win a copy of Also Known As!
Grade: B/B+
Review copy provided by publisher


text:
Thursday, May 31
2012 Memorial Tournament TV Schedule and Notes
THE 2012 MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT begins today at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Purse: $6.2 million
Winner's share: $1.16 million
Defending champion: Steve Stricker
2012 Memorial Tournament Leaderboard
Inside the field
Tee times
Inside the course
Player interviews
Tournament overview
Tour report
Tournament news
Memorial Tournament website
TV coverage of the 2012 Memorial Tournament is on Golf Channel and CBS.
Thu, 5/31:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET
Fri, 6/1:
GOLF 3p - 6p ET
Sat, 6/2:
CBS 3p - 6p ET
Sun, 6/3:
CBS 2:30p - 6p ET
SIRIUS-XM broadcast times
(Image: Courtesy of PGATour.com)
2 comments:
- The Grateful Golfer said...
The Memorial is another great tournament. I really enjoy having Jack as a guest commentator! Unfortunately, they are still focused too much on Tiger. He is a great golfer, however I would like to see some of the up and coming players. I look forward to a fantastic afternoon of watching the final round.
- Beginners Golf said...
Well lets face it Tiger puts butts on seats. The only time he really isn't the main attraction is when he is out of contention.
I agree with you grateful golfer I like to see a variety of players, which I do. However Tiger does dominate preceedings. Thats just the way it is though and I accept that.
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text:
St Andrews Flag (150x90cm)
St Andrews Flag (150x90cm)
Screen printed onto 100% woven polyester in bold, clear colours, it has a double stitched hem all around and a reinforced hem on the hanging side. Comes complete with 2 metal eyelets for hanging.
Dimensions: 150 x 90cm (5' x 3' Ft)
Click here to be the first to review this product.
- BFPO Tax Free
We offer BFPO Tax Free sales to qualifying destinations, click here to read more.
- Do you give discounts to Cadets or military personnel?
No we do not as our prices have been historically competitive with other surplus stores and all of our customers are in the military.
- What condition are the items you sell?
All items are brand new and un-used unless otherwise stated.
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You can pay by all major Credit and Debit Cards either over the telephone or through our "Secure Payment Gateway" and through PayPal on the web site. We no longer accept cheques or cash for mail orders.
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Yes it is we our secure-server software SSL encrypts information to ensure that your transactions are private and protected.
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We aim to deliver in the UK within 2-3 working days, however delivery may take up to 14 days, please allow up to 28 days for International orders.
BFPO orders are shipped through the UK BFPO system. Delivery to European destinations is 7-10 days and 10-14 days for the Rest of the World including Afghanistan. However delivery can take up to 28 days.
- Can I cancel and order?
You can cancel your order at any time at no cost.
- What happens if my parcel is lost or delayed?
We are happy to replace or refund any item not delivered or lost in the post. 14 days in the UK and 28 days for the Rest of the World.
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Yes we are happy to ship to most international destinations, all goods are shipped via Airmail. All postage is charged at cost, what we pay you pay. We only declare true and accurate values on all shipments, we can not write down value of goods for "Customs Declarations"
We aim to process your order the same or the very next working day.
Standard delivery in UK is 3-5 working days(Non-Guranteed), we do offer a next day service, this is at an additional cost, orders must be placed before 2pm.
BFPO orders will take slightly longer to deliver.
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We are happy to accept International orders and do ship to most locations worldwide.
Our shipping partners are Royal Mail, Parcelforce and
We offer a no-hassle returns policy of 28 days on all orders.
For more details about delivery charges, please see our Deliveries Page
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