text:
IoT-dedicated events are the hottest trend in the trade show world. If you are reading this, it’s likely you have exhibited at one of these many events or are budgeting to do so in the very near future. Being a veteran of these events, I can tell you one obvious fact about these shows: they are populated by a lot of what I call “10 by 10s.” This is my designation for the standard 10′ x 10′ booth that is the entry point for exhibiting at any trade show. Probably no other industry has such a high concentration of these “beginner” booths than the internet of things.
Most people would shrug this off as a statistic only important to those in the trade show business. But it’s actually a clear indication of the state of the internet of things: it’s made up of lots and lots of very small companies trying to gain attention for their “thing” in the vast ecosystem of innovation that is IoT. A fair number of these 10′ x 10′ exhibitor companies are made up of no more than two or three people with very limited budgets. Many will exhibit at one show and fade away before the next. That is the IoT world today, an innovation freight train that’s hard to stay on and easy to fall off!
So you’re a 10 by 10 and know you have something great to share with the industry and world. But, like most 10 x 10s, your talents are technically based — engineering, software, cloud, machine learning, etc. You have no solid idea or experience in how to market and sell yourself correctly outside of a website and basic social media efforts. And of course your finances, whether funded or not, are limited.
So when it comes to marketing and promoting your “thing” efficiently, effectively, clearly and with limited to no budget, what do you do? How do you do it? When you do try something, do you end up spending money only to watch as your budget evaporates away with no tangible results? Do you wonder how your competitors break into new markets and build traction?
Here are five tips to help your 10 x 10 company promote, market and drive awareness of your “thing” without breaking the bank and help you grow out of that beginner booth.
If you want to achieve something in life, you could blindly go into it without taking any form of advice. We all want our ideas to evolve into successful products and companies. One of the greatest challenges of IoT is overcoming the embedded complexity of this ecosystem to convey your message in a fashion that anyone, especially the non-technical, will understand.
The likelihood is that you will make several mistakes unless you find someone who has done it before successfully and implement some of their tools and techniques. This does not mean copying, but analyzing what made something work and see if it can be utilized in your business sector. It matters not if your role model is Cisco, IBM, Verizon or other 10 x 10-ers that have moved up to 10 x 20s.
For example, take a look at the campaign that Bosch ran that exhibited many benefits of IoT in an entertaining and easy-to-understand way. This ad represents why Bosch has become one of the leading companies in IoT. You could learn from Bosch and make a fun, creative video that engages your audience and leaves them wanting more.
Not sure how to find a role model? Do a search on YouTube as to how other companies have marketed their products. Why not start with Bosch to really get your “outside of the box” juices flowing?
Through successful networking, companies can rapidly make contact with other organizations, groups and individuals who share similar interests to themselves. I’m sure you already use sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, which offer great opportunities to get you started at no cost whatsoever.
But do you know how to really use these and others tools the most effective way?
Why not start your own group on LinkedIn to attract other members who can offer solid advice and who share similar interests? Or join some of the IoT-focused groups that already exist and become an active member to meet others and share a steady stream of content while seeking guidance from the group. However, if you are new to all of this, as some entrepreneurs still are, why not follow tip number one and find out how other people network and use these sites effectively?
A little known platform, but one that I have used with great results, is Copybook. This is a global business network that allows any company to add unlimited information, pictures, videos and links to your social media streams. You can even add yourself to real trade shows and events worldwide and it is all for FREE. The moment we added our company, our business profile was shared across Copybook’s network and we instantly had over 500 connections, some of which led to inquiries and new business.
This has been the most exciting discovery (which came to me through practicing #1, finding a role model). Where LinkedIn connects business people globally, Copybook is about connecting companies globally. Check it out. Signing up and creating your company profile is easy and quick. Then learn how to get the most out of this valuable tool to drive global awareness for your company.
All too often people are reluctant to ask their prospects and customers for input on your offerings and what else they would like to see you provide. This is crazy as it is precisely your valued clients who you are trying to satisfy.
Learn about their business and level of understanding about IoT. Remember, IoT is not a place where you just build a “thing” and expect a ready market to say thank you by buying everything you produce. You must first understand your target market, their needs and how you can best fill them.
Ask them how you are doing and what else your company could offer that would meet additional needs they may have. Be a consultant first and you will be amazed at the guidance your prospects and customers will give you!
Frequently, companies try different methods but do not keep an accurate record of what works. Then, in a few months’ time, they find themselves in a similar situation and often make the same mistakes all over again.
Each time you try any form of marketing or advertising strategy, keep an accurate record of what you did and what the results were. Note in detail everything about your efforts including timing (day, week, time of day, etc.), audience (who was your campaign aimed at), size (how large an audience), exact description of what you did, etc. Remember, the “devil is in details” — and that is so true of all marketing campaigns.
Even those 10′ x 10′ trade show booths are expensive. Would you exhibit at an IoT trade show and NOT track every possible metric from the show? If you answered no to this, you need to hire me right now as your IoT consultant so I can get you on track and keep you from wasting money. The metrics you must generate from every trade show represents the same type of effort you should put forth with every marketing, sales and promotional program used by your company.
Your time is valuable. Your money is finite. Use both wisely as the success, or failure, of your business depends on you doing so. Remember, being a 10 by 10 is just the starting point. Good luck, here’s to your success!

lowercased:
iot-dedicated events are the hottest trend in the trade show world. if you are reading this, it’s likely you have exhibited at one of these many events or are budgeting to do so in the very near future. being a veteran of these events, i can tell you one obvious fact about these shows: they are populated by a lot of what i call “10 by 10s.” this is my designation for the standard 10′ x 10′ booth that is the entry point for exhibiting at any trade show. probably no other industry has such a high concentration of these “beginner” booths than the internet of things.
most people would shrug this off as a statistic only important to those in the trade show business. but it’s actually a clear indication of the state of the internet of things: it’s made up of lots and lots of very small companies trying to gain attention for their “thing” in the vast ecosystem of innovation that is iot. a fair number of these 10′ x 10′ exhibitor companies are made up of no more than two or three people with very limited budgets. many will exhibit at one show and fade away before the next. that is the iot world today, an innovation freight train that’s hard to stay on and easy to fall off!
so you’re a 10 by 10 and know you have something great to share with the industry and world. but, like most 10 x 10s, your talents are technically based — engineering, software, cloud, machine learning, etc. you have no solid idea or experience in how to market and sell yourself correctly outside of a website and basic social media efforts. and of course your finances, whether funded or not, are limited.
so when it comes to marketing and promoting your “thing” efficiently, effectively, clearly and with limited to no budget, what do you do? how do you do it? when you do try something, do you end up spending money only to watch as your budget evaporates away with no tangible results? do you wonder how your competitors break into new markets and build traction?
here are five tips to help your 10 x 10 company promote, market and drive awareness of your “thing” without breaking the bank and help you grow out of that beginner booth.
if you want to achieve something in life, you could blindly go into it without taking any form of advice. we all want our ideas to evolve into successful products and companies. one of the greatest challenges of iot is overcoming the embedded complexity of this ecosystem to convey your message in a fashion that anyone, especially the non-technical, will understand.
the likelihood is that you will make several mistakes unless you find someone who has done it before successfully and implement some of their tools and techniques. this does not mean copying, but analyzing what made something work and see if it can be utilized in your business sector. it matters not if your role model is cisco, ibm, verizon or other 10 x 10-ers that have moved up to 10 x 20s.
for example, take a look at the campaign that bosch ran that exhibited many benefits of iot in an entertaining and easy-to-understand way. this ad represents why bosch has become one of the leading companies in iot. you could learn from bosch and make a fun, creative video that engages your audience and leaves them wanting more.
not sure how to find a role model? do a search on youtube as to how other companies have marketed their products. why not start with bosch to really get your “outside of the box” juices flowing?
through successful networking, companies can rapidly make contact with other organizations, groups and individuals who share similar interests to themselves. i’m sure you already use sites such as facebook and linkedin, which offer great opportunities to get you started at no cost whatsoever.
but do you know how to really use these and others tools the most effective way?
why not start your own group on linkedin to attract other members who can offer solid advice and who share similar interests? or join some of the iot-focused groups that already exist and become an active member to meet others and share a steady stream of content while seeking guidance from the group. however, if you are new to all of this, as some entrepreneurs still are, why not follow tip number one and find out how other people network and use these sites effectively?
a little known platform, but one that i have used with great results, is copybook. this is a global business network that allows any company to add unlimited information, pictures, videos and links to your social media streams. you can even add yourself to real trade shows and events worldwide and it is all for free. the moment we added our company, our business profile was shared across copybook’s network and we instantly had over 500 connections, some of which led to inquiries and new business.
this has been the most exciting discovery (which came to me through practicing #1, finding a role model). where linkedin connects business people globally, copybook is about connecting companies globally. check it out. signing up and creating your company profile is easy and quick. then learn how to get the most out of this valuable tool to drive global awareness for your company.
all too often people are reluctant to ask their prospects and customers for input on your offerings and what else they would like to see you provide. this is crazy as it is precisely your valued clients who you are trying to satisfy.
learn about their business and level of understanding about iot. remember, iot is not a place where you just build a “thing” and expect a ready market to say thank you by buying everything you produce. you must first understand your target market, their needs and how you can best fill them.
ask them how you are doing and what else your company could offer that would meet additional needs they may have. be a consultant first and you will be amazed at the guidance your prospects and customers will give you!
frequently, companies try different methods but do not keep an accurate record of what works. then, in a few months’ time, they find themselves in a similar situation and often make the same mistakes all over again.
each time you try any form of marketing or advertising strategy, keep an accurate record of what you did and what the results were. note in detail everything about your efforts including timing (day, week, time of day, etc.), audience (who was your campaign aimed at), size (how large an audience), exact description of what you did, etc. remember, the “devil is in details” — and that is so true of all marketing campaigns.
even those 10′ x 10′ trade show booths are expensive. would you exhibit at an iot trade show and not track every possible metric from the show? if you answered no to this, you need to hire me right now as your iot consultant so i can get you on track and keep you from wasting money. the metrics you must generate from every trade show represents the same type of effort you should put forth with every marketing, sales and promotional program used by your company.
your time is valuable. your money is finite. use both wisely as the success, or failure, of your business depends on you doing so. remember, being a 10 by 10 is just the starting point. good luck, here’s to your success!


text:
Moments ago, the seventh ranked Wisconsin Badgers spoiled Drew Brees’ homecoming visit for the Purdue Boilermaker’s Senior Day, with a dominating 49-20 victory. While Purdue struck blood first, after Wisconsin’s ensuing touchdown drive and TJ Watt’s monster pick 6, Wisconsin never looked back. Wisconsin continues to dominate conference opponents and is now one win away from a Big 10 Championship birth.
Check out our photos from today’s game below.

lowercased:
moments ago, the seventh ranked wisconsin badgers spoiled drew brees’ homecoming visit for the purdue boilermaker’s senior day, with a dominating 49-20 victory. while purdue struck blood first, after wisconsin’s ensuing touchdown drive and tj watt’s monster pick 6, wisconsin never looked back. wisconsin continues to dominate conference opponents and is now one win away from a big 10 championship birth.
check out our photos from today’s game below.


text: The plot extends to approximately 490sqm and comes with full planning consent for the construction of a retail unit extending to approximately 109sqm with a 2 bedroom apartment above. There is also ample parking space to the rear. Highland Council Planning Reference: 14/03298/FUL.

lowercased: the plot extends to approximately 490sqm and comes with full planning consent for the construction of a retail unit extending to approximately 109sqm with a 2 bedroom apartment above. there is also ample parking space to the rear. highland council planning reference: 14/03298/ful.


text:
Ofgem is set to be given a number of new powers as the Government looks to tackle market manipulation in the energy industry.
The energy regulator will be able to impose unlimited fines on firms found guilty of attempting to manipulate the market.
It will also be given the power to inspect premises and seize relevant data under the new Regulation of Wholesale Energy Markets and Transparency (REMIT) legislation announced by Ed Davey.
Discussing the new powers, the energy secretary, Ed Davey, said:"It is vital that we have all weapons at our disposal in the fight against unlawful activity in the energy market.
"It is my role to protect consumers, particularly the most vulnerable, who can suffer the most when markets are abused.
"That's why I have given Ofgem new powers to deal with market manipulation and insider dealing in wholesale gas and electricity."
The powers granted to Ofgem under the REMIT legislation, will arm it far more power than it has previously had, with the threat of higher financial powers a far more potent weapon in its arsenal.
The Government has thus far been slow to introduce the measures however, and will now have to try to force them through before the end of June to comply with demands from Brussels.
Commenting on the REMIT legislation, Ofgem senior partner for markets, Andrew Wright, said: "These powers complement the work we are doing to improve liquidity and transparency in energy markets, and our broader reforms to improve consumer trust and confidence."
As well as giving Ofgem more power to deal with energy firms, the Government is also working alongside said companies to offer customers subsidies on energy improving measures such as new energy efficient boiler or loft and wall insulation through its Green Deal initiative, launched at the end of January.

lowercased:
ofgem is set to be given a number of new powers as the government looks to tackle market manipulation in the energy industry.
the energy regulator will be able to impose unlimited fines on firms found guilty of attempting to manipulate the market.
it will also be given the power to inspect premises and seize relevant data under the new regulation of wholesale energy markets and transparency (remit) legislation announced by ed davey.
discussing the new powers, the energy secretary, ed davey, said:"it is vital that we have all weapons at our disposal in the fight against unlawful activity in the energy market.
"it is my role to protect consumers, particularly the most vulnerable, who can suffer the most when markets are abused.
"that's why i have given ofgem new powers to deal with market manipulation and insider dealing in wholesale gas and electricity."
the powers granted to ofgem under the remit legislation, will arm it far more power than it has previously had, with the threat of higher financial powers a far more potent weapon in its arsenal.
the government has thus far been slow to introduce the measures however, and will now have to try to force them through before the end of june to comply with demands from brussels.
commenting on the remit legislation, ofgem senior partner for markets, andrew wright, said: "these powers complement the work we are doing to improve liquidity and transparency in energy markets, and our broader reforms to improve consumer trust and confidence."
as well as giving ofgem more power to deal with energy firms, the government is also working alongside said companies to offer customers subsidies on energy improving measures such as new energy efficient boiler or loft and wall insulation through its green deal initiative, launched at the end of january.


text:
Van Bo Le-Mentzel is tackling the big question of what makes good entrepreneurship—and he is finding the answer in the Crowd.
Until recently, Andris was homeless, now he is living a life of luxury. His 5-square-metre house has a live-in, dine-in kitchen-bathroom as well as a bedroom with a window. The Unreal Estate House, in which he sleeps, eats, and reads, does not belong to Andris. Many people financed its construction; they all own it together. Van Bo Le-Mentzel likes that: not owning anything, sharing everything. He designed the Unreal Estate House and raised 3,000 euros in material costs via crowd-funding. Not for himself, but for the crowd, and at this particular moment for Andris, because the crowd wants him to be able to live there.
Le-Mentzel is an architect-turned-furniture-designer as well as a keen critic of our type of economy. In the time it takes you to read this article, he will have fished at least three new projects out of the sea of ideas in his head. Le-Mentzel tweets and blogs, teaches workshops, holds presentations, and is constantly kicking off new projects.
the German welfare program for the long-term unemployed, Hartz IV. The designer posts instructions online for free, among them the building plan for the Unreal Estate House, the most sophisticated item so far.
So far, about 50,000 established home improvers and new DIY aficionados have downloaded Le-Mentzel’s instructions from his blog. He estimates that a quarter of them live in precarious circumstances, just like he did when he first started his furniture project. Le-Mentzel does not care about money or copyright, as long as no one else tries to commercialize his ideas. All he wants is to make people a little happier when they build his designs: to get good karma flowing. He likes to observe how the items change through the work of others. He instantly sends the newest creations out into the crowd—a word he uses a lot.
For Le-Mentzel, the crowd is key to a free way of living and working. The crowd meets in online networks and is in a constant state of flux. His crowd is now almost 22,000 strong: people who like his Facebook page Don’t consume, construct! and who share their ideas and support each other. Add to this about 1,000 Twitter followers and an email newsletter list of a few thousand. And the virtual crowd also works in real life: The Unreal Estate House is in Berlin only because someone took it there from Munich, where it had been built in front of the Pinakothek Modern Art Gallery-arranged online.
It was also in cyberspace that Le-Mentzel found around 1,000 people who, like him, adore Chucks, the legendary basketball shoe. But the brand belongs to Nike, which by a long shot fails to meet Le-Mentzel’s standards for fair manufacturing. So he started producing shoes himself, using ecologically sound materials and paying a fair wage to the workers who make them. Via the crowd-funding website startnext, he found enough willing financial supporters of the Karma Chakhs, as he called his alternative model, as well as some people who lent their expertise to the endeavour: fair trade experts, people with connections to factories. That is why Le-Mentzel says he did not launch the production by himself: “The crowd did it.” And the crowd did well: two batches have already been shipped to fans of shoes, humanity, the environment, and the Internet. The third “harvest” is in the pipeline, and the shoe has recently been renamed Karma Classics – it’s already more legendary than the original.
The Karma Classics come to those who want them free of any expectation of profit—but only with their help. Good enterprise brings good Karma, says Le-Mentzel. Money is only a means to an end. To him, the Karma Classics prove that the traditional value chain, which connects one beginning with one outcome, has outlived its purpose. Today, the consumer who used to wait at the end of the chain is involved in every step along the way, is part of the product history, and has to assume responsibility. At the moment, the karma community is taking some of the responsibility off Le-Mentzel’s shoulders: In the future, a Karma Association is to ensure the production and continuous improvement of the sneakers.
With his various initiatives, Le-Mentzel is searching for answers to his 7 W’s—seven objectives that all happen to start with a W in German: free ways of dealing with knowledge, living spaces and the space in the clouds, warmth, water, well-being, and guidance. When asked what he has learned in the past two years, he immediately mentions three things: “First: The crowd is smarter than me. Second: Let the people you do something for get involved as well. And third: It’s okay to fail. The main thing is to get started in the first place.” The designer defines success as something that will let his little son’s future children live well in freedom and fairness—his very own concrete definition of "grand-child-ability."
To achieve this, he has—of course—already launched a number of new ideas. The Crowd Book, for example, that anyone can use as a template to print books with a regular household printer, and the D-Scholarship, a group-financed basic income for full-time volunteers.
While Le-Mentzel is busy, Andris in his mini house might be turning on his Indie-Pendant Lamp, the latest piece of Hartz IV Furniture, and looking out over the softly glistening water. Both are good for karma. And that is what it is all about.
This text is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany License.
The photos are not. Their copyright lies with the photographers. Contact us for redistribution.

lowercased:
van bo le-mentzel is tackling the big question of what makes good entrepreneurship—and he is finding the answer in the crowd.
until recently, andris was homeless, now he is living a life of luxury. his 5-square-metre house has a live-in, dine-in kitchen-bathroom as well as a bedroom with a window. the unreal estate house, in which he sleeps, eats, and reads, does not belong to andris. many people financed its construction; they all own it together. van bo le-mentzel likes that: not owning anything, sharing everything. he designed the unreal estate house and raised 3,000 euros in material costs via crowd-funding. not for himself, but for the crowd, and at this particular moment for andris, because the crowd wants him to be able to live there.
le-mentzel is an architect-turned-furniture-designer as well as a keen critic of our type of economy. in the time it takes you to read this article, he will have fished at least three new projects out of the sea of ideas in his head. le-mentzel tweets and blogs, teaches workshops, holds presentations, and is constantly kicking off new projects.
the german welfare program for the long-term unemployed, hartz iv. the designer posts instructions online for free, among them the building plan for the unreal estate house, the most sophisticated item so far.
so far, about 50,000 established home improvers and new diy aficionados have downloaded le-mentzel’s instructions from his blog. he estimates that a quarter of them live in precarious circumstances, just like he did when he first started his furniture project. le-mentzel does not care about money or copyright, as long as no one else tries to commercialize his ideas. all he wants is to make people a little happier when they build his designs: to get good karma flowing. he likes to observe how the items change through the work of others. he instantly sends the newest creations out into the crowd—a word he uses a lot.
for le-mentzel, the crowd is key to a free way of living and working. the crowd meets in online networks and is in a constant state of flux. his crowd is now almost 22,000 strong: people who like his facebook page don’t consume, construct! and who share their ideas and support each other. add to this about 1,000 twitter followers and an email newsletter list of a few thousand. and the virtual crowd also works in real life: the unreal estate house is in berlin only because someone took it there from munich, where it had been built in front of the pinakothek modern art gallery-arranged online.
it was also in cyberspace that le-mentzel found around 1,000 people who, like him, adore chucks, the legendary basketball shoe. but the brand belongs to nike, which by a long shot fails to meet le-mentzel’s standards for fair manufacturing. so he started producing shoes himself, using ecologically sound materials and paying a fair wage to the workers who make them. via the crowd-funding website startnext, he found enough willing financial supporters of the karma chakhs, as he called his alternative model, as well as some people who lent their expertise to the endeavour: fair trade experts, people with connections to factories. that is why le-mentzel says he did not launch the production by himself: “the crowd did it.” and the crowd did well: two batches have already been shipped to fans of shoes, humanity, the environment, and the internet. the third “harvest” is in the pipeline, and the shoe has recently been renamed karma classics – it’s already more legendary than the original.
the karma classics come to those who want them free of any expectation of profit—but only with their help. good enterprise brings good karma, says le-mentzel. money is only a means to an end. to him, the karma classics prove that the traditional value chain, which connects one beginning with one outcome, has outlived its purpose. today, the consumer who used to wait at the end of the chain is involved in every step along the way, is part of the product history, and has to assume responsibility. at the moment, the karma community is taking some of the responsibility off le-mentzel’s shoulders: in the future, a karma association is to ensure the production and continuous improvement of the sneakers.
with his various initiatives, le-mentzel is searching for answers to his 7 w’s—seven objectives that all happen to start with a w in german: free ways of dealing with knowledge, living spaces and the space in the clouds, warmth, water, well-being, and guidance. when asked what he has learned in the past two years, he immediately mentions three things: “first: the crowd is smarter than me. second: let the people you do something for get involved as well. and third: it’s okay to fail. the main thing is to get started in the first place.” the designer defines success as something that will let his little son’s future children live well in freedom and fairness—his very own concrete definition of "grand-child-ability."
to achieve this, he has—of course—already launched a number of new ideas. the crowd book, for example, that anyone can use as a template to print books with a regular household printer, and the d-scholarship, a group-financed basic income for full-time volunteers.
while le-mentzel is busy, andris in his mini house might be turning on his indie-pendant lamp, the latest piece of hartz iv furniture, and looking out over the softly glistening water. both are good for karma. and that is what it is all about.
this text is licensed under a attribution-noncommercial-sharealike 3.0 germany license.
the photos are not. their copyright lies with the photographers. contact us for redistribution.


text:
Batman Spiderman Coloring Pages is one of the best picture references on printable coloring pages for children because of Batman Spiderman Coloring Pages made with a brilliant idea and following the trend of modern coloring pages, as well as being one of the best referrals for your child looking for a coloring page. Batman Spiderman Coloring Pages was posted in November 29, 2018 at 11:53 pm and has viewed by 226 users.
Batman Spiderman Coloring Pages reference also have Tags: batman and spiderman coloring pages, batman spiderman coloring pages, batman vs spiderman coloring pages, free batman and spiderman coloring pages for your convenience in searching this reference more specific.
Batman Spiderman Coloring Pages is one of best Cartoon design coloring pages of the years, this design has been built from brilliant ideas combined with a selection of elegant colors and beautiful architecture designs, would be something amazing if you apply Cartoon design at your coloring pages. Batman Spiderman Coloring Pages just one of the many references we have, you can find other references such as animal coloring pages, coloring pages of nature, cartoon coloring pages, sports coloring pages, fun coloring pages, social coloring pages etc.

lowercased:
batman spiderman coloring pages is one of the best picture references on printable coloring pages for children because of batman spiderman coloring pages made with a brilliant idea and following the trend of modern coloring pages, as well as being one of the best referrals for your child looking for a coloring page. batman spiderman coloring pages was posted in november 29, 2018 at 11:53 pm and has viewed by 226 users.
batman spiderman coloring pages reference also have tags: batman and spiderman coloring pages, batman spiderman coloring pages, batman vs spiderman coloring pages, free batman and spiderman coloring pages for your convenience in searching this reference more specific.
batman spiderman coloring pages is one of best cartoon design coloring pages of the years, this design has been built from brilliant ideas combined with a selection of elegant colors and beautiful architecture designs, would be something amazing if you apply cartoon design at your coloring pages. batman spiderman coloring pages just one of the many references we have, you can find other references such as animal coloring pages, coloring pages of nature, cartoon coloring pages, sports coloring pages, fun coloring pages, social coloring pages etc.


text:
What goes on in the House on the Hill is not ALL that different than what goes on in your house. It’s just writ large.
They negotiate, forge alliances on some things and will forever disagree on others and they HAVE A BUDGET.
If in your house, your partner or family member wasn’t fully forthcoming about the budget or how he or she spent your joint money, how would you feel?
This video (Thanks, Andrew Coyne) gave me a bit of an AHA moment – I hadn’t previously made such a direct comparison, but now that I think of it, it’s obvious. It’s 3 minutes to watch and don’t panic when he introduces himself. It’s accessible. Just keep doing the mental comparisons between your house and The House.
This is a guest blog by a coworker with a lively online persona … but not from my lips or typing shall his/her identity be revealed. I did manage to coax out this guest post on the all-too-common habit of eating out too much for our budgets to handle. Northerners or readers in remote places will particularly relate, I suspect!
Having a single income, owning a home with constant repairs needed, and living in the North where the cost of living is at an all time high makes a person consider setting up an IV system instead of paying for real food. Add to this the temptation of working downtown where there are at least half a dozen establishments with friendly staff waiting to take $20 and hand you a quick answer to the question “what’s for lunch?” and I’ve found myself looking at an empty bank account wondering what happened more than once.
One solution to this is to stop eating. A BETTER solution to this is stop impulse eating. When I moved out of my parent’s place at age 17, some of the advise my mom gave me was “always lock your door”, “cook big meals that can be frozen”, and “learn to budget”. The last two I’ve really taken to heart recently. Every pay day, I sit down and think of what I want to eat for the next two weeks until my next pay cheque. On my last shopping trip, I got everything I needed for breakfasts and lunches for 2 weeks for about $45, and everything I need for suppers for $50, including snacks and desserts. That is every meal I will need for 2 weeks for under $100.
When shopping for food, people tend to do it all in one place, which is understandable, but tends to lead you to do all of your shopping at higher end grocery stores where the meat and produce is fresher and readily available. Unfortunately this also means that the frozen and boxed items are more expensive. Frozen foods, preserves and dry goods are made to the same factory specifications, which from a freshness standpoint makes it a moot point as to where you actually pick them up. A can of soup is a can of soup. My tendancy now is to pick up all of my dry/frozen goods at a grocery store down town, which is the cheapest in YK, and then pick up my fruits/veggies and meats at a store closer to my house.
Another way I save on my food bill is to make a big meal every weekend and freeze the majority of it in single serving containers. If I make a soup or stew on the weekend in my slow cooker (which is a marvelous invention might I add), that will do me for a week or so. Now, the same soup for lunch every single day tends to get quite dull, which is why I make something different every weekend and stockpile my frozen meals. Lasagana here, stew there, pulled pork every once in a while, and I’m happy.
We as Canadians tend to waste a lot of food. One reason being that we buy too much of it, and we buy it on an impulse. When I got home from the store, I used to have to clear out some space before I was able to put any of it away, and a lot of the new items I was putting in the fridge was the same stuff I had just tossed out because I didn’t use it the last time. Just because it sounds like a good idea in the grocery isle, doesn’t mean that you will use it. I’ve also taken to looking at my grocery cart a lot instead of what’s on the shelves, either planning meals in my head and making sure I only get what I need, or just trying to aviod the “oh shiny” reaction to a new flavour of chocolate coated something-or-other that may catch my eye. When it comes to treating myself, I could justify pretty much anything, so long as there was carmel filling involved somehow. Now, it’s 1-2 treats tops per pay period.
All in all, this has made for a much smaller food bill, and a much healthier diet. No more coming home from the store feeling like I accomplished something, then realizing that I spent $100 or so on treats, and only have enough real food for maybe 4 meals. Who knew that taking my mom’s advise would work out so well :).
Readers: I eat out for lunch maybe once/week, tops. That’s partly due to the fact that I can walk home – in -30C, mind you – every day for lunch. How often do you buy lunch, and what do you attribute it to?

lowercased:
what goes on in the house on the hill is not all that different than what goes on in your house. it’s just writ large.
they negotiate, forge alliances on some things and will forever disagree on others and they have a budget.
if in your house, your partner or family member wasn’t fully forthcoming about the budget or how he or she spent your joint money, how would you feel?
this video (thanks, andrew coyne) gave me a bit of an aha moment – i hadn’t previously made such a direct comparison, but now that i think of it, it’s obvious. it’s 3 minutes to watch and don’t panic when he introduces himself. it’s accessible. just keep doing the mental comparisons between your house and the house.
this is a guest blog by a coworker with a lively online persona … but not from my lips or typing shall his/her identity be revealed. i did manage to coax out this guest post on the all-too-common habit of eating out too much for our budgets to handle. northerners or readers in remote places will particularly relate, i suspect!
having a single income, owning a home with constant repairs needed, and living in the north where the cost of living is at an all time high makes a person consider setting up an iv system instead of paying for real food. add to this the temptation of working downtown where there are at least half a dozen establishments with friendly staff waiting to take $20 and hand you a quick answer to the question “what’s for lunch?” and i’ve found myself looking at an empty bank account wondering what happened more than once.
one solution to this is to stop eating. a better solution to this is stop impulse eating. when i moved out of my parent’s place at age 17, some of the advise my mom gave me was “always lock your door”, “cook big meals that can be frozen”, and “learn to budget”. the last two i’ve really taken to heart recently. every pay day, i sit down and think of what i want to eat for the next two weeks until my next pay cheque. on my last shopping trip, i got everything i needed for breakfasts and lunches for 2 weeks for about $45, and everything i need for suppers for $50, including snacks and desserts. that is every meal i will need for 2 weeks for under $100.
when shopping for food, people tend to do it all in one place, which is understandable, but tends to lead you to do all of your shopping at higher end grocery stores where the meat and produce is fresher and readily available. unfortunately this also means that the frozen and boxed items are more expensive. frozen foods, preserves and dry goods are made to the same factory specifications, which from a freshness standpoint makes it a moot point as to where you actually pick them up. a can of soup is a can of soup. my tendancy now is to pick up all of my dry/frozen goods at a grocery store down town, which is the cheapest in yk, and then pick up my fruits/veggies and meats at a store closer to my house.
another way i save on my food bill is to make a big meal every weekend and freeze the majority of it in single serving containers. if i make a soup or stew on the weekend in my slow cooker (which is a marvelous invention might i add), that will do me for a week or so. now, the same soup for lunch every single day tends to get quite dull, which is why i make something different every weekend and stockpile my frozen meals. lasagana here, stew there, pulled pork every once in a while, and i’m happy.
we as canadians tend to waste a lot of food. one reason being that we buy too much of it, and we buy it on an impulse. when i got home from the store, i used to have to clear out some space before i was able to put any of it away, and a lot of the new items i was putting in the fridge was the same stuff i had just tossed out because i didn’t use it the last time. just because it sounds like a good idea in the grocery isle, doesn’t mean that you will use it. i’ve also taken to looking at my grocery cart a lot instead of what’s on the shelves, either planning meals in my head and making sure i only get what i need, or just trying to aviod the “oh shiny” reaction to a new flavour of chocolate coated something-or-other that may catch my eye. when it comes to treating myself, i could justify pretty much anything, so long as there was carmel filling involved somehow. now, it’s 1-2 treats tops per pay period.
all in all, this has made for a much smaller food bill, and a much healthier diet. no more coming home from the store feeling like i accomplished something, then realizing that i spent $100 or so on treats, and only have enough real food for maybe 4 meals. who knew that taking my mom’s advise would work out so well :).
readers: i eat out for lunch maybe once/week, tops. that’s partly due to the fact that i can walk home – in -30c, mind you – every day for lunch. how often do you buy lunch, and what do you attribute it to?


text:
For the convenience of rail passengers railways have decided to run the regular service of Train No. 22867/Train No. 22868 Durg – Hazrat Nizamuddin-Durg bi-weekly Hamsafar Express Train No. from 26.04.2017 as per the following programme.
The Train No.22868 Hazrat Nizamuddin – Durg bi-weekly Hamsafar express train will depart from Hazrat Nizamuddin on every Wednesday and Saturday at 08.30 a..m. from 26.04.2017 to arrive at Durg at 06.30 a.m. the next day.
In the return direction the Train No.22867 Durg-Hazrat Nizamuddin bi-weekly Hamsafar Express train will depart from Durg on every Tuesday and Friday at 07.10 a.m. from 28.04.2017 to arrive Hazrat Nizamuddin at 04.30 a.m. the next day.
Comprising of 16 AC 3-tier coaches, the 22867/22868 Durg-Hazrat Nizamuddin-Durg bi-weekly Hamsafar Express train will stop at Raipur, Bhatapara, Bilaspur, Pendra Road, Anuppur, Shahdol, Umaria, Katni Murwara, Damoh, Sagaour, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra Cantt. & Mathura stations enroute in both the directions.

lowercased:
for the convenience of rail passengers railways have decided to run the regular service of train no. 22867/train no. 22868 durg – hazrat nizamuddin-durg bi-weekly hamsafar express train no. from 26.04.2017 as per the following programme.
the train no.22868 hazrat nizamuddin – durg bi-weekly hamsafar express train will depart from hazrat nizamuddin on every wednesday and saturday at 08.30 a..m. from 26.04.2017 to arrive at durg at 06.30 a.m. the next day.
in the return direction the train no.22867 durg-hazrat nizamuddin bi-weekly hamsafar express train will depart from durg on every tuesday and friday at 07.10 a.m. from 28.04.2017 to arrive hazrat nizamuddin at 04.30 a.m. the next day.
comprising of 16 ac 3-tier coaches, the 22867/22868 durg-hazrat nizamuddin-durg bi-weekly hamsafar express train will stop at raipur, bhatapara, bilaspur, pendra road, anuppur, shahdol, umaria, katni murwara, damoh, sagaour, jhansi, gwalior, agra cantt. & mathura stations enroute in both the directions.


text:
Smartphone batteries are not evolving as fast as we want and they unfortunately they don't last forever. Smartphone batteries are drained mostly by those big, luscious screens and occasionally some taxing apps. With that, there are still a number a few things you can do to increase the battery life of your smartphone while using the our Android app.
The settings described below are available under Menu icon (≡) > Settings . For more information, see Managing Android app settings.
Push notifications preserve battery life by allowing the application to alert you to important chat events without remaining continuously connected. Push notifications are enabled by default.
While we recommend using them if at all possible, push notifications aren't supported in certain regions, like China. If you're using the app in one of these regions, you'll need to disable push notifications in order to receive notifications when the app is in the background. Of course, this means the app will remain continuously connected and will drain your battery more quickly. You might also need to take additional steps to make sure the app works on your device without push notifications. For details, see Disabling push notifications.
When this setting is enabled, you'll receive a notification for every single visitor to your site with the Zendesk Chat widget, regardless of whether they initiate a chat. To maximize battery life, we recommend keeping this setting disabled, which is the default setting, especially for high traffic sites.
Enabling this setting means you'll receive a notification each time a visitor starts a chat. New chat request notifications are also fired for every message until an agent joins the chat. If you have a relatively low number of requests on your site and want to be notified of each one, leaving this setting enabled shouldn't have a huge negative impact on your battery life. However, if you have a high traffic site with a lot of chat requests, we recommend disabling it to save battery.

lowercased:
smartphone batteries are not evolving as fast as we want and they unfortunately they don't last forever. smartphone batteries are drained mostly by those big, luscious screens and occasionally some taxing apps. with that, there are still a number a few things you can do to increase the battery life of your smartphone while using the our android app.
the settings described below are available under menu icon (≡) > settings . for more information, see managing android app settings.
push notifications preserve battery life by allowing the application to alert you to important chat events without remaining continuously connected. push notifications are enabled by default.
while we recommend using them if at all possible, push notifications aren't supported in certain regions, like china. if you're using the app in one of these regions, you'll need to disable push notifications in order to receive notifications when the app is in the background. of course, this means the app will remain continuously connected and will drain your battery more quickly. you might also need to take additional steps to make sure the app works on your device without push notifications. for details, see disabling push notifications.
when this setting is enabled, you'll receive a notification for every single visitor to your site with the zendesk chat widget, regardless of whether they initiate a chat. to maximize battery life, we recommend keeping this setting disabled, which is the default setting, especially for high traffic sites.
enabling this setting means you'll receive a notification each time a visitor starts a chat. new chat request notifications are also fired for every message until an agent joins the chat. if you have a relatively low number of requests on your site and want to be notified of each one, leaving this setting enabled shouldn't have a huge negative impact on your battery life. however, if you have a high traffic site with a lot of chat requests, we recommend disabling it to save battery.


text:
With a few tweaks, and in the hands of Michael Krumm, the Nissan GT-R Nismo is capable of recording a 7min 8sec lap of the Nürburgring. This makes it impossibly fast.
Now Nissan will debut this impossibly fast GT-R Nismo-with-a-few-tweaks at next month’s SEMA show – the first time in the US, then – ahead of offering both the pack and the full car for sale for 2016.
Compared to the ‘standard’ Nissan GT-R Nismo, the N-Attack – N stands for Nürburgring, obviously – gets special aero, upgraded suspension that can “handle a punishing road surface full of undulations and turbulent fluctuations”, and a set of proper bucket seats. But no Michael Krumm. Not even as an option.
The 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 is included, in case you’re worried, as are the GT-R’s body, doors, wheels and astonishing ability to bend the fabric of time. You’ll no doubt remember its stats: 591bhp, 481lb ft, 0-62mph in around 2.5 seconds and much g-force.
Steve Millen Sportsparts will be the US’s official installer and dealer for the car, Steve being a treasured member of the Nismo fraternity: he was a Nissan racing driver who won in his ‘famous’ tricolor 300ZX.
Want to see it up close? The N-Attack be showcased on Nissan’s SEMA stand from 3 November. With such potency from the R35 GT-R, what does Nissan have planned for its successor? A ‘Moon Attack’ version?

lowercased:
with a few tweaks, and in the hands of michael krumm, the nissan gt-r nismo is capable of recording a 7min 8sec lap of the nürburgring. this makes it impossibly fast.
now nissan will debut this impossibly fast gt-r nismo-with-a-few-tweaks at next month’s sema show – the first time in the us, then – ahead of offering both the pack and the full car for sale for 2016.
compared to the ‘standard’ nissan gt-r nismo, the n-attack – n stands for nürburgring, obviously – gets special aero, upgraded suspension that can “handle a punishing road surface full of undulations and turbulent fluctuations”, and a set of proper bucket seats. but no michael krumm. not even as an option.
the 3.8-litre twin-turbo v6 is included, in case you’re worried, as are the gt-r’s body, doors, wheels and astonishing ability to bend the fabric of time. you’ll no doubt remember its stats: 591bhp, 481lb ft, 0-62mph in around 2.5 seconds and much g-force.
steve millen sportsparts will be the us’s official installer and dealer for the car, steve being a treasured member of the nismo fraternity: he was a nissan racing driver who won in his ‘famous’ tricolor 300zx.
want to see it up close? the n-attack be showcased on nissan’s sema stand from 3 november. with such potency from the r35 gt-r, what does nissan have planned for its successor? a ‘moon attack’ version?


text:
The above are threes stanzas from a chorus in the lyric drama “Hellas” composed by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) with a view to raising money for the Greek War of Independence (1821-1827). The work was inspired by the play “Persae” by the classical Athenian dramatist Aeschylus (525-456 BC) who fought for the Greeks in their victorious battle against the Achaemenid Persians at Marathon in 490 BC.
Taking a break from the ballyhoo of the hustings, we were sitting quietly last night in stillness of the mild mid-winter air on the outside roof-terrace of the Grande Bretagne Hotel in central Athens, switching our attention from the spotlit Acropolis to the right, the peach-coloured neo-Classical Parliament building (the Bouli) to the left and far below us a rapidly emptying Syntagma Square, the political centre of the Greek world, as rival party-political groupies took down their marquees, folded up their banners and made off into the night, some to celebrate likely victory, others to lament probable defeat after a long hard day in which the voters of Greece went to the polls to elect a new parliament.
The exit polls had just predicted a landslide victory for the left-leaning Syriza party and a crushing defeat for its main rival, the incumbent government party New Democracy.
Awakening us from our musings, the door from the restaurant to the terrace suddenly opened and a small wiry man in his late forties shot out, took a quick digital photo of the Acropolis and then went back in.
And then he was gone. But not for long. The door to the restaurant popped up again a few seconds later and out he shot again, his nose twitching, his eyes still a-glare. He had further intelligence to off-load.
And with that he was gone, vanished, volatilized. Who he was, what he was doing here, why he picked on us, we shall never know.
In fact, the only thing we can say for certain about this dude is that he was not best pleased with the way the Greek election was turning out.
However, a little earlier in the evening we had a concrete example of why the left was on a roll that night.
Come evening, journalists, TV crews, photographers, party-political cadres and assorted hangers-on were camped out outside the Syriza HQ in Koumoundhourou Square in the inner-city Psyrri district not far from the Thiseio Temple waiting for the party leader Alexis Tsipras to appear and claim victory.
Meanwhile, in a darkened part of the square, only 20 metres from the entrance to the Syriza block, a sick-looking grey-haired poorly-dressed man in his mid-sixties was rummaging around in a municipal rubbish container looking desperately for something to salvage – half-empty fast food cartons, rotten half-eaten fruit, half-empty drink cans, who knows what.
There are hundreds of thousands of such unfortunates barely keeping body and soul together in today’s Greece. They are the result of six years of merciless austerity (the equivalent of “fiscal waterboarding” according to Syriza) imposed on the Greek people, with the connivance of the New Democracy government, by the hated triad of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for grudgingly conceded loans to bail out – not the people of Greece – but the Greek Banks and their international creditors.
Even a worm will turn. By yesterday the man and woman on the Greek omnibus had had enough – or at least enough of them had. Casting fear aside, the fear of the unknown that had kept them loyal for the past six years to the self-serving euro-lickspittles of the government party and its yes-man ally, the pseudo-socialist party PASOK, unprecedented numbers of Greek citizens voted for change. Merkel’s Junker, Jean-Claude Juncker , the big kahuna of the Brussels bunker, said he wanted the Greeks to return the “old familiar faces” to power. Much good did it do him. The Greeks voted for new blood and for hope. They took to heart Syriza’s campaign slogan: Soon you’ll be able to hope again (“Η ελπίδα έρχεται”).
Syriza (149 seats, composed of the 99 seats it actually won plus a free bonus of 50 extra seats) 36.38 % of votes cast; New Democracy (76 seats) 27.81 %; the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party(17 seats) 6.29 %; the centrist To Potami (The River) party (17 seats) 6.04 %; the KKE Communist party (15 seats) 5.50 % ; the right-leaning ANEL (Independent Greeks) party (13 seats) 4.73%; and the nominally socialist PASOK (13 seats) 4.66 %.
Other parties fell short of the three per cent threshold needed to enter parliament.
The percentage of the electorate that turned out to vote was 63.9 %.
While Syriza was far and away the biggest winner of the day, it should be noted that New Democracy’s vote held up reasonably well, with only a limited decline in both its share of the vote and the number of seats it won – leaving aside the 50 free votes, which now went to Syriza – by comparison with the previous election in June 2012 (see the 2012 figures below).
Mirroring the rise of right-wing anti-immigrant parties throughout Europe in recent years, Golden Dawn is now the third most popular party in Greece, although its share of the vote slipped slightly and it lost one MP compared with the last election. Extraordinarily, Golden Dawn MPs in the outgoing parliament, including its leader Nikos Michaloliakis, are on remand in Korydallos Prison in Piraeus awaiting criminal charges related to the party’s activities.
The johnny-come-lately policy-lite centrist party To Potami (“The River”), led by TV presenter Stavros Theodorakis, did well to gain fourth place in terms of the percentage of votes gained, having come from nowhere. Formed in February 2014, it did not stand (or perhaps we should say “flow”) in the last election.
The KKE Communist Party gained 3 seats and increased its percentage of the vote.
The big loser of the day was the pseudo-socialist party PASOK, led by Evangelos Venizelos of the historic Venizelos political dynasty, whose vote crumbled in terms of both percentage and seats. It was not helped by the fact that the pseudo-socialist vote was split. The scion of a rival PASOK dynasty, George Papandreou, who was Prime Minister of Greece from 2009 to 2011, left PASOK this month to form his own party, the Movement of Democratic Socialists. This fledgling party failed to breach the 3% threshold for eligibility to sit in parliament.
Another big loser in terms of both percentage and seats was the right-leaning ANEL (Independent Greeks) party. Paradoxically, it is with this party that the left-leaning Syriza has opted to go into coalition. Like Syriza, ANEL is said to be opposed to further austerity.
The following, for comparison with yesterday’s results, is an extract from our coverage of the last Greek parliamentary election on 17 June 2012 in our blog Death of Pericles: Sparta defeats Athens . The excerpt also includes an explanation of the extraordinary “50 free bonus seats” given to the party winning the highest percentage of the vote.
With almost all the votes counted in the 17 June 2012 ballot for the country’s 300-seat parliament, the result is as follows: New Democracy (129 seats, composed of the 79 seats it actually won plus a free bonus of 50 extra seats) 29.66 % of votes cast; the radical socialist party Syriza (71 seats) 26.89 %; the nominally socialist party Pasok (33 seats) 12. 28 %; the right-leaning ANEL (Independent Greeks) party (20 seats) 7.51%; the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party(18 seats) 6.92 %; the Dimar (Democratic Left) party (17 seats) 6.25 %; and the KKE (Communist) party (12 seats) 4.50 %.
Other parties fell well short of the three per cent threshold needed to enter parliament.
The proportion of the electorate that turned out to vote was 62.47 %.
In yesterday’s election Syriza won 149 seats – just south of the 151 seats needed to gain an absolute majority of 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament.
Today 26 January 2015, in order to make good this narrow shortfall, the leftist party agreed to form an anti-austerity coalition with the rightist Independent Greeks (“Ανεξάρτητοι Έλληνες”) of ANEL, led by Panos Kammenos, a disgruntled former New Democracy MP. ANEL has 13 seats in the new parliament. On the basis of this agreement, President Karolos Papoulias, the titular head of state, asked Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras to form a new government.
These are still early days.
to what extent, alternatively, the European and US political and financial elites will surreptiously do all they can to thwart the new Greek government, not least out of fear that populist contagion might spread to other European states badly hit by externally imposed austerity (such as Spain, Portugal and Ireland, Italy and France not being immune to popular unrest either).
For some indications as to the problems that lie ahead, readers who have not done so might care to check out the blog we posted on the eve of yesterday’s election: Soon you’ll be able to hope again(“Η ελπίδα έρχεται”).
In that blog we were concerned that Alexis Tsipras might be another Felipe González. Another comparison we might have made is with French Socialist leader François Mitterand (1916-1996), who, as President of France from 1981 to 1995, jettisoned his initial socialist commitments for the status quo of the free market. The former firebrand trade unionist Lula da Silva, who was President of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, is another example of a politician who turned moderate once in power.
However, we need not have gone so far afield to find a political figure that incarnated our concerns. A Mitterand contemporary, Andreas Papandreou (1919-1996) – father of George Papandreou (he of the Movement of Democratic Socialists that went belly up in yesterday’s election) – who was Prime Minister of Greece from 1981 to 1989 and from 1993 to 1996, followed the same political trajectory from left to right.
The jury is still out as far as Tsipras is concerned.
“Oh! pleasant exercise of hope and joy!
Bliss was it indeed – the doubts born of experience being temporarily cast aside – to be alive in Athens at dawn today on the sun-kissed morning of 26 January 2015 – the sky a cerulean blue, the Mediterranean at Piraeus a subway ride away, the temperature heading for a warm sun at noon, lemons and oranges on every branch, palm-trees here, yukkas there and now and again a prickly cactus – a mere twelve hours after the Greek people had revolted against their own Ancien Régime.
This entry was posted in Economics, Europe, Germany, Greece, Literature, Luxembourg, Politics and tagged Achaemenids, Aeschylus, Alexis Tsipras, Andreas Papandreou, ANEL, Evangelos Venizelos, Felipe González, George Papandreous, Jean-Claude Juncker, KKE, Lula da Silva, Marathon, Mitterand, New Democracy, Pasok, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Syntagma, Syriza, William Wordsworth. Bookmark the permalink.

lowercased:
the above are threes stanzas from a chorus in the lyric drama “hellas” composed by the english poet percy bysshe shelley (1792-1822) with a view to raising money for the greek war of independence (1821-1827). the work was inspired by the play “persae” by the classical athenian dramatist aeschylus (525-456 bc) who fought for the greeks in their victorious battle against the achaemenid persians at marathon in 490 bc.
taking a break from the ballyhoo of the hustings, we were sitting quietly last night in stillness of the mild mid-winter air on the outside roof-terrace of the grande bretagne hotel in central athens, switching our attention from the spotlit acropolis to the right, the peach-coloured neo-classical parliament building (the bouli) to the left and far below us a rapidly emptying syntagma square, the political centre of the greek world, as rival party-political groupies took down their marquees, folded up their banners and made off into the night, some to celebrate likely victory, others to lament probable defeat after a long hard day in which the voters of greece went to the polls to elect a new parliament.
the exit polls had just predicted a landslide victory for the left-leaning syriza party and a crushing defeat for its main rival, the incumbent government party new democracy.
awakening us from our musings, the door from the restaurant to the terrace suddenly opened and a small wiry man in his late forties shot out, took a quick digital photo of the acropolis and then went back in.
and then he was gone. but not for long. the door to the restaurant popped up again a few seconds later and out he shot again, his nose twitching, his eyes still a-glare. he had further intelligence to off-load.
and with that he was gone, vanished, volatilized. who he was, what he was doing here, why he picked on us, we shall never know.
in fact, the only thing we can say for certain about this dude is that he was not best pleased with the way the greek election was turning out.
however, a little earlier in the evening we had a concrete example of why the left was on a roll that night.
come evening, journalists, tv crews, photographers, party-political cadres and assorted hangers-on were camped out outside the syriza hq in koumoundhourou square in the inner-city psyrri district not far from the thiseio temple waiting for the party leader alexis tsipras to appear and claim victory.
meanwhile, in a darkened part of the square, only 20 metres from the entrance to the syriza block, a sick-looking grey-haired poorly-dressed man in his mid-sixties was rummaging around in a municipal rubbish container looking desperately for something to salvage – half-empty fast food cartons, rotten half-eaten fruit, half-empty drink cans, who knows what.
there are hundreds of thousands of such unfortunates barely keeping body and soul together in today’s greece. they are the result of six years of merciless austerity (the equivalent of “fiscal waterboarding” according to syriza) imposed on the greek people, with the connivance of the new democracy government, by the hated triad of the european commission, the european central bank and the international monetary fund in exchange for grudgingly conceded loans to bail out – not the people of greece – but the greek banks and their international creditors.
even a worm will turn. by yesterday the man and woman on the greek omnibus had had enough – or at least enough of them had. casting fear aside, the fear of the unknown that had kept them loyal for the past six years to the self-serving euro-lickspittles of the government party and its yes-man ally, the pseudo-socialist party pasok, unprecedented numbers of greek citizens voted for change. merkel’s junker, jean-claude juncker , the big kahuna of the brussels bunker, said he wanted the greeks to return the “old familiar faces” to power. much good did it do him. the greeks voted for new blood and for hope. they took to heart syriza’s campaign slogan: soon you’ll be able to hope again (“η ελπίδα έρχεται”).
syriza (149 seats, composed of the 99 seats it actually won plus a free bonus of 50 extra seats) 36.38 % of votes cast; new democracy (76 seats) 27.81 %; the extreme right-wing golden dawn party(17 seats) 6.29 %; the centrist to potami (the river) party (17 seats) 6.04 %; the kke communist party (15 seats) 5.50 % ; the right-leaning anel (independent greeks) party (13 seats) 4.73%; and the nominally socialist pasok (13 seats) 4.66 %.
other parties fell short of the three per cent threshold needed to enter parliament.
the percentage of the electorate that turned out to vote was 63.9 %.
while syriza was far and away the biggest winner of the day, it should be noted that new democracy’s vote held up reasonably well, with only a limited decline in both its share of the vote and the number of seats it won – leaving aside the 50 free votes, which now went to syriza – by comparison with the previous election in june 2012 (see the 2012 figures below).
mirroring the rise of right-wing anti-immigrant parties throughout europe in recent years, golden dawn is now the third most popular party in greece, although its share of the vote slipped slightly and it lost one mp compared with the last election. extraordinarily, golden dawn mps in the outgoing parliament, including its leader nikos michaloliakis, are on remand in korydallos prison in piraeus awaiting criminal charges related to the party’s activities.
the johnny-come-lately policy-lite centrist party to potami (“the river”), led by tv presenter stavros theodorakis, did well to gain fourth place in terms of the percentage of votes gained, having come from nowhere. formed in february 2014, it did not stand (or perhaps we should say “flow”) in the last election.
the kke communist party gained 3 seats and increased its percentage of the vote.
the big loser of the day was the pseudo-socialist party pasok, led by evangelos venizelos of the historic venizelos political dynasty, whose vote crumbled in terms of both percentage and seats. it was not helped by the fact that the pseudo-socialist vote was split. the scion of a rival pasok dynasty, george papandreou, who was prime minister of greece from 2009 to 2011, left pasok this month to form his own party, the movement of democratic socialists. this fledgling party failed to breach the 3% threshold for eligibility to sit in parliament.
another big loser in terms of both percentage and seats was the right-leaning anel (independent greeks) party. paradoxically, it is with this party that the left-leaning syriza has opted to go into coalition. like syriza, anel is said to be opposed to further austerity.
the following, for comparison with yesterday’s results, is an extract from our coverage of the last greek parliamentary election on 17 june 2012 in our blog death of pericles: sparta defeats athens . the excerpt also includes an explanation of the extraordinary “50 free bonus seats” given to the party winning the highest percentage of the vote.
with almost all the votes counted in the 17 june 2012 ballot for the country’s 300-seat parliament, the result is as follows: new democracy (129 seats, composed of the 79 seats it actually won plus a free bonus of 50 extra seats) 29.66 % of votes cast; the radical socialist party syriza (71 seats) 26.89 %; the nominally socialist party pasok (33 seats) 12. 28 %; the right-leaning anel (independent greeks) party (20 seats) 7.51%; the extreme right-wing golden dawn party(18 seats) 6.92 %; the dimar (democratic left) party (17 seats) 6.25 %; and the kke (communist) party (12 seats) 4.50 %.
other parties fell well short of the three per cent threshold needed to enter parliament.
the proportion of the electorate that turned out to vote was 62.47 %.
in yesterday’s election syriza won 149 seats – just south of the 151 seats needed to gain an absolute majority of 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament.
today 26 january 2015, in order to make good this narrow shortfall, the leftist party agreed to form an anti-austerity coalition with the rightist independent greeks (“ανεξάρτητοι έλληνες”) of anel, led by panos kammenos, a disgruntled former new democracy mp. anel has 13 seats in the new parliament. on the basis of this agreement, president karolos papoulias, the titular head of state, asked syriza leader alexis tsipras to form a new government.
these are still early days.
to what extent, alternatively, the european and us political and financial elites will surreptiously do all they can to thwart the new greek government, not least out of fear that populist contagion might spread to other european states badly hit by externally imposed austerity (such as spain, portugal and ireland, italy and france not being immune to popular unrest either).
for some indications as to the problems that lie ahead, readers who have not done so might care to check out the blog we posted on the eve of yesterday’s election: soon you’ll be able to hope again(“η ελπίδα έρχεται”).
in that blog we were concerned that alexis tsipras might be another felipe gonzález. another comparison we might have made is with french socialist leader françois mitterand (1916-1996), who, as president of france from 1981 to 1995, jettisoned his initial socialist commitments for the status quo of the free market. the former firebrand trade unionist lula da silva, who was president of brazil from 2003 to 2011, is another example of a politician who turned moderate once in power.
however, we need not have gone so far afield to find a political figure that incarnated our concerns. a mitterand contemporary, andreas papandreou (1919-1996) – father of george papandreou (he of the movement of democratic socialists that went belly up in yesterday’s election) – who was prime minister of greece from 1981 to 1989 and from 1993 to 1996, followed the same political trajectory from left to right.
the jury is still out as far as tsipras is concerned.
“oh! pleasant exercise of hope and joy!
bliss was it indeed – the doubts born of experience being temporarily cast aside – to be alive in athens at dawn today on the sun-kissed morning of 26 january 2015 – the sky a cerulean blue, the mediterranean at piraeus a subway ride away, the temperature heading for a warm sun at noon, lemons and oranges on every branch, palm-trees here, yukkas there and now and again a prickly cactus – a mere twelve hours after the greek people had revolted against their own ancien régime.
this entry was posted in economics, europe, germany, greece, literature, luxembourg, politics and tagged achaemenids, aeschylus, alexis tsipras, andreas papandreou, anel, evangelos venizelos, felipe gonzález, george papandreous, jean-claude juncker, kke, lula da silva, marathon, mitterand, new democracy, pasok, percy bysshe shelley, syntagma, syriza, william wordsworth. bookmark the permalink.


text:
Recently, I went on my honeymoon to Japan! In addition to eating tasty food, touring, and spending time with my husband, I was most looking forward to shopping for Japanese makeup and beauty products. Since Japanese makeup brands are cheaper in Japan, I wanted to stock up on new products to try out and review!
I’ll be writing more comprehensive reviews later, but here are photos of the best Japanese beauty products I could stuff in my suitcase (and yes, I checked it)! Most of these items were purchased from Don Quijote, Ainz & Tulpe, and Bic Camera.
Here’s a photo of my Japanese Makeup and Beauty Products haul. To avoid redundancies, I left out the doubles and triples (and quadruples) of products I bought.
I’ve been hearing people rave about the Shu Uemura eyelash curler for years. Unfortunately, Sephora no longer carries the Shu Uemura brand, so U.S. fans have to rely on Amazon or the Shu Uemura website. Since it’s a lot cheaper in Japan than the U.S., I took the opportunity to try out this coveted eyelash curler.
I can see why this curler has such a fan following, but it’s definitely not my favorite. While it fans my lashes better than my current curler from Sephora, I do not like how it pinches me if I’m not extra careful. I still use it, mostly because I like how it makes my lashes look, I paid for it, and I feel awkward about giving away a heavily used eyelash curler.
I discovered the Sana Excel eyelash curler after finding a tester at the Don Quijote in Shinjuku (don’t worry, I sanitized it first). I honestly didn’t expect much, but was completely blown away by its strength (which comes from the spring inside the curler). Unlike the Shu Uemura curler, the Sana Excel one doesn’t pinch at all. As much as I wanted to buy 10 of these curlers, I had already blown my cosmetics budget on mascara. Hence, I stuck with one and got extra plastic pads. If you ever visit Japan, I recommend grabbing one (they cost roughly 1000Y, or about $9.16 USD) as the Sana Excel eyelash curler is the best one I have ever used.
Before my honeymoon, I read a number of blogs and reddit threads on the best Japanese beauty products to buy. While I wanted to try everything, I knew that my suitcase and wallet could only handle so much. For mascara, I ultimately narrowed it down to the Kiss Me Heroine Make Long and Curl Mascara (super waterproof version). I initially bought a single tube to try out, and after applying it to my lashes for the first time I sent photos to my friends with the caption, “I have eyelashes!”.
If I was limited to buying one Japanese makeup product, this would be it. I ended up buying multiples of this product for family and friends. While it retails in most stores for 1000Y + tax, I found a set at Ainz & Tulpe in Shibuya which had both the mascara and mascara remover for only 1200Y. You’ll definitely need the mascara remover (or a good oil cleanser, which I forgot to pack for my honeymoon), as it took 3 days for the mascara to finally disappear from my lashes without it.
Prior to my trip, I stopped by the Japanese makeup store near my house to swatch gel eyeliners on my arm. I walked out of the store with lines on my arms that would not come off until I applied oil cleanser later that night. When it comes to staying power, it’s hard to beat Japanese eyeliner.
In Japan, I decided to stick with the Kiss Me brand and buy their Heroine Make Long Stay Gel Eyeliner. I generally prefer gel eyeliner over liquid because I am terrible at applying liquid eyeliner. If you’re a fan of liquid eyeliner, I swatched a few brands at my local Japanese makeup store and their staying power is just as good, if not better than the gel liners.
While in Japan, a friend messaged me asking for eyebrow tint gels. These are gels you apply to your eyebrows and peel off, leaving a waterproof stain behind. During my first visit to Don Quijote in Shibuya, I found the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Lasting Eyebrow Tint along with testers for every color. I ended up walking around with brown swatches on my arms for the rest of the day AND the next day. This product is indeed a temporary eyebrow tattoo.
I ended up getting 04 Smoky Brown, which is the darkest of the four colors offered. The shades all run a little on the warm side, so this product may not work on all skin tones. I haven’t tried this out yet, and am waiting for a series of days where I don’t have to go anywhere just in case I mess up the application!
Later in my trip, I found a sale on Miche Bloomin’ lashes at the Shinjuku Don Quijote, also ranked No. 1 on Cosme Japan and sold in packs of 4 pairs. I got those for all my cousins instead and will save these eyelashes for a future special event. Cosplay for a convention, maybe?
As someone with short lashes, I was especially excited to try out the eyelash growth tonics in Japan. After reading online reviews of various products, I settled on the DHC Eyelash Tonic. It’s a serum designed to coat and condition your eyelashes. It’s also made with mostly natural ingredients like ginseng, olive oil, willow bark extract, and aloe, so I’m not too worried about my eyeballs changing color like with the prescription eyelash growth serum Latisse. I plan on testing the DHC Eyelash Tonic soon and will write a more comprehensive review on it.
I purchased the DHC Lip Cream after reading numerous beauty blogs raving about it. I haven’t tried it yet because I still have a purse full of lip products I’m trying to finish. This will likely be a nighttime product as it has no SPF.
A friend of mine asked me to bring back an acid skincare product to help with her winter skin. I decided to get her a bottle of hyaluronic acid. Hada Labo is an extremely popular brand in the Asian Beauty community and its humectant hyaluronic acid lotion is a holy grail product for many. I got a second bottle for myself to add to my growing list of products to test on my face!
After reading about the Baby Foot Exfoliant Foot Peel (and seeing photos of feet shedding their skin), I had to try it for myself. As with the tinted eyebrow gel, I’m waiting for a time where I don’t have to go out for a few days! I suppose there’s always socks!
While in Japan, I took the opportunity to stock up on travel bottles from the 100Y ($0.92 USD) stores Daiso and Cando. These 15ml and 5ml bottles are perfect for short trips!
This blog post is by no means a comprehensive list of everything available in Japan. I simply did a little research on Google and Reddit before my trip and narrowed it down to what I thought would be the best Japanese beauty products for me. As I try out each one, I’ll make sure to report back on my findings. If you’ve tried any of these items pictured above (ramen included), let me know what you think in the comments section!
Well, I’ve tried ramen and it’s better than make-up.
That’s quite a haul, though! I do want to try that mascara.
As much as I like my skincare and makeup, I have to agree that ramen is so much better!

lowercased:
recently, i went on my honeymoon to japan! in addition to eating tasty food, touring, and spending time with my husband, i was most looking forward to shopping for japanese makeup and beauty products. since japanese makeup brands are cheaper in japan, i wanted to stock up on new products to try out and review!
i’ll be writing more comprehensive reviews later, but here are photos of the best japanese beauty products i could stuff in my suitcase (and yes, i checked it)! most of these items were purchased from don quijote, ainz & tulpe, and bic camera.
here’s a photo of my japanese makeup and beauty products haul. to avoid redundancies, i left out the doubles and triples (and quadruples) of products i bought.
i’ve been hearing people rave about the shu uemura eyelash curler for years. unfortunately, sephora no longer carries the shu uemura brand, so u.s. fans have to rely on amazon or the shu uemura website. since it’s a lot cheaper in japan than the u.s., i took the opportunity to try out this coveted eyelash curler.
i can see why this curler has such a fan following, but it’s definitely not my favorite. while it fans my lashes better than my current curler from sephora, i do not like how it pinches me if i’m not extra careful. i still use it, mostly because i like how it makes my lashes look, i paid for it, and i feel awkward about giving away a heavily used eyelash curler.
i discovered the sana excel eyelash curler after finding a tester at the don quijote in shinjuku (don’t worry, i sanitized it first). i honestly didn’t expect much, but was completely blown away by its strength (which comes from the spring inside the curler). unlike the shu uemura curler, the sana excel one doesn’t pinch at all. as much as i wanted to buy 10 of these curlers, i had already blown my cosmetics budget on mascara. hence, i stuck with one and got extra plastic pads. if you ever visit japan, i recommend grabbing one (they cost roughly 1000y, or about $9.16 usd) as the sana excel eyelash curler is the best one i have ever used.
before my honeymoon, i read a number of blogs and reddit threads on the best japanese beauty products to buy. while i wanted to try everything, i knew that my suitcase and wallet could only handle so much. for mascara, i ultimately narrowed it down to the kiss me heroine make long and curl mascara (super waterproof version). i initially bought a single tube to try out, and after applying it to my lashes for the first time i sent photos to my friends with the caption, “i have eyelashes!”.
if i was limited to buying one japanese makeup product, this would be it. i ended up buying multiples of this product for family and friends. while it retails in most stores for 1000y + tax, i found a set at ainz & tulpe in shibuya which had both the mascara and mascara remover for only 1200y. you’ll definitely need the mascara remover (or a good oil cleanser, which i forgot to pack for my honeymoon), as it took 3 days for the mascara to finally disappear from my lashes without it.
prior to my trip, i stopped by the japanese makeup store near my house to swatch gel eyeliners on my arm. i walked out of the store with lines on my arms that would not come off until i applied oil cleanser later that night. when it comes to staying power, it’s hard to beat japanese eyeliner.
in japan, i decided to stick with the kiss me brand and buy their heroine make long stay gel eyeliner. i generally prefer gel eyeliner over liquid because i am terrible at applying liquid eyeliner. if you’re a fan of liquid eyeliner, i swatched a few brands at my local japanese makeup store and their staying power is just as good, if not better than the gel liners.
while in japan, a friend messaged me asking for eyebrow tint gels. these are gels you apply to your eyebrows and peel off, leaving a waterproof stain behind. during my first visit to don quijote in shibuya, i found the k-palette 1 day tattoo lasting eyebrow tint along with testers for every color. i ended up walking around with brown swatches on my arms for the rest of the day and the next day. this product is indeed a temporary eyebrow tattoo.
i ended up getting 04 smoky brown, which is the darkest of the four colors offered. the shades all run a little on the warm side, so this product may not work on all skin tones. i haven’t tried this out yet, and am waiting for a series of days where i don’t have to go anywhere just in case i mess up the application!
later in my trip, i found a sale on miche bloomin’ lashes at the shinjuku don quijote, also ranked no. 1 on cosme japan and sold in packs of 4 pairs. i got those for all my cousins instead and will save these eyelashes for a future special event. cosplay for a convention, maybe?
as someone with short lashes, i was especially excited to try out the eyelash growth tonics in japan. after reading online reviews of various products, i settled on the dhc eyelash tonic. it’s a serum designed to coat and condition your eyelashes. it’s also made with mostly natural ingredients like ginseng, olive oil, willow bark extract, and aloe, so i’m not too worried about my eyeballs changing color like with the prescription eyelash growth serum latisse. i plan on testing the dhc eyelash tonic soon and will write a more comprehensive review on it.
i purchased the dhc lip cream after reading numerous beauty blogs raving about it. i haven’t tried it yet because i still have a purse full of lip products i’m trying to finish. this will likely be a nighttime product as it has no spf.
a friend of mine asked me to bring back an acid skincare product to help with her winter skin. i decided to get her a bottle of hyaluronic acid. hada labo is an extremely popular brand in the asian beauty community and its humectant hyaluronic acid lotion is a holy grail product for many. i got a second bottle for myself to add to my growing list of products to test on my face!
after reading about the baby foot exfoliant foot peel (and seeing photos of feet shedding their skin), i had to try it for myself. as with the tinted eyebrow gel, i’m waiting for a time where i don’t have to go out for a few days! i suppose there’s always socks!
while in japan, i took the opportunity to stock up on travel bottles from the 100y ($0.92 usd) stores daiso and cando. these 15ml and 5ml bottles are perfect for short trips!
this blog post is by no means a comprehensive list of everything available in japan. i simply did a little research on google and reddit before my trip and narrowed it down to what i thought would be the best japanese beauty products for me. as i try out each one, i’ll make sure to report back on my findings. if you’ve tried any of these items pictured above (ramen included), let me know what you think in the comments section!
well, i’ve tried ramen and it’s better than make-up.
that’s quite a haul, though! i do want to try that mascara.
as much as i like my skincare and makeup, i have to agree that ramen is so much better!


text:
in Memphis (South Region) against UNC & next one to follow.
Believe me, all the Memphis fans that I know have tremendous respect for Mark Few and the Zags basketball. We are like the Rodney Dangerfields of the college basketball.
Believe me, all the locals will be rooting for you guys all the way to F-4. I hope pargo and other guards keep driving the ball as UNC's defense is weak in that area; and I hope few exploits that and get Hansborough in early foul trouble.
Nice. I just hope the majority of you Memphis fans will hold onto your tix, and get out to the games - not sell them to folks wearing 'lina blue.
I hear you. I don't think that would happen. This is Memphis' first time to host regionals at FEDEX forum and I think everyone wants to enjout and be part of that.
Good, because it should be 2 great games on Friday. If anyone does decide to sell tix, encourage them to sell to folks wearing orange or red - not 'lina blue! They can sit in your bars and watch on TV!
Zag nation won't be able to cheer in person for your Tigers, but if positive vibes matter in the universe, you will be getting them from us.
Here's to a Memphis GU championship game!
Beat the media darlings UNC. You should have a boat load of UM fans. It should be a home game for the ZAGS!
I would bet that a good majority of GU fans at least have Memphis playing in the national championship game. We've obviously played you and UConn, and we know who the better team is. Good luck to the Tigers, take care of business and show them how ridiculous it was not to give you a #1 seed.
Thanks for the kudos! I know a #1 seed can make for a slightly easier path to the championship, but if a team is really that good, maybe it won't make a difference... The South region sold out so fast I didn't get tickets but I hope there are a lot of Tiger fans rooting for the Zags.
It seems Carolina and Duke always get to play a couple of their tourney games close to home. Let the FedEx forum be the Zags "second" home and send the 'heels packing!
I have the Tigers in the ship! Of course noone wants to play the Heels, however, id certainly take Memphis at this point.
Guys i have a tingly feeling that this is our year.

lowercased:
in memphis (south region) against unc & next one to follow.
believe me, all the memphis fans that i know have tremendous respect for mark few and the zags basketball. we are like the rodney dangerfields of the college basketball.
believe me, all the locals will be rooting for you guys all the way to f-4. i hope pargo and other guards keep driving the ball as unc's defense is weak in that area; and i hope few exploits that and get hansborough in early foul trouble.
nice. i just hope the majority of you memphis fans will hold onto your tix, and get out to the games - not sell them to folks wearing 'lina blue.
i hear you. i don't think that would happen. this is memphis' first time to host regionals at fedex forum and i think everyone wants to enjout and be part of that.
good, because it should be 2 great games on friday. if anyone does decide to sell tix, encourage them to sell to folks wearing orange or red - not 'lina blue! they can sit in your bars and watch on tv!
zag nation won't be able to cheer in person for your tigers, but if positive vibes matter in the universe, you will be getting them from us.
here's to a memphis gu championship game!
beat the media darlings unc. you should have a boat load of um fans. it should be a home game for the zags!
i would bet that a good majority of gu fans at least have memphis playing in the national championship game. we've obviously played you and uconn, and we know who the better team is. good luck to the tigers, take care of business and show them how ridiculous it was not to give you a #1 seed.
thanks for the kudos! i know a #1 seed can make for a slightly easier path to the championship, but if a team is really that good, maybe it won't make a difference... the south region sold out so fast i didn't get tickets but i hope there are a lot of tiger fans rooting for the zags.
it seems carolina and duke always get to play a couple of their tourney games close to home. let the fedex forum be the zags "second" home and send the 'heels packing!
i have the tigers in the ship! of course noone wants to play the heels, however, id certainly take memphis at this point.
guys i have a tingly feeling that this is our year.


text:
Check out latest releases, mixes, event and travel news.
Dive into electronic music scenes worldwide. Get tips and background information from local music personalities. Find out about the latest hot spots and authentic places.
Tune in the conversations with DJ’s, producer, booker, promoter and nightlife people. We are talking about music and travel and gather interesting background information.
tunes&wings is an online magazine that looks into the heart of the techno scene by traveling the world, meeting inspiring protagonists and following them into their world.

lowercased:
check out latest releases, mixes, event and travel news.
dive into electronic music scenes worldwide. get tips and background information from local music personalities. find out about the latest hot spots and authentic places.
tune in the conversations with dj’s, producer, booker, promoter and nightlife people. we are talking about music and travel and gather interesting background information.
tunes&wings is an online magazine that looks into the heart of the techno scene by traveling the world, meeting inspiring protagonists and following them into their world.


text:
We’re a small remote team focused 100% on building the best ecommerce experiences on the web using Shopify. We’re engaged in interesting projects for nationally recognized brands, rapidly growing ecommerce startups and lots of folks in between.
Leading out with strong design, a clean and friendly development process, and an attention to quality is how we have delighted our clients, and grown our agency. Our quality-driven approach has led to success, and opportunities we couldn’t have imagined.
Today, our clients are successful, established merchants with specialized shops and complex needs. The opportunity to service these clients is challenging and exciting.
We are seeking an experienced front end web developer to join our small team to help us continue this tradition, leading our clients (and our agency) into the future.
Freedom to work. We get out of your way and trust you to do what you do best.
We’re selective about the clients we work with.
Live in western North America, able to work regular business hours every day*.
Experience with Shopify and/or Liquid.
Solid backend full-stack dev experience.
If you also have experience with Shopify and/or Liquid that’s a big plus. If you don’t, but are a quick study, we’ll help you get up to speed.
The position: You’ll work with our designers who will provide design direction. You’ll typically be the sole developer on your projects, taking full ownership of a project from a development standpoint. We are craftsmen/women. This is a position where your attention to detail and desire to do things right will be encouraged and rewarded.
Vacation: Two weeks paid vacation (available from the day you start) plus 7 paid holidays, and we also take off the week between Christmas and New Years.
Remote work: Western North America is your office.
Yearly retreat: Each year we all gather as a team for a week somewhere fun to connect, learn, and have a lot of fun together.
You must be located in North America, and live in the Pacific or Mountain time zones available to work regular full time hours to be considered for this position.

lowercased:
we’re a small remote team focused 100% on building the best ecommerce experiences on the web using shopify. we’re engaged in interesting projects for nationally recognized brands, rapidly growing ecommerce startups and lots of folks in between.
leading out with strong design, a clean and friendly development process, and an attention to quality is how we have delighted our clients, and grown our agency. our quality-driven approach has led to success, and opportunities we couldn’t have imagined.
today, our clients are successful, established merchants with specialized shops and complex needs. the opportunity to service these clients is challenging and exciting.
we are seeking an experienced front end web developer to join our small team to help us continue this tradition, leading our clients (and our agency) into the future.
freedom to work. we get out of your way and trust you to do what you do best.
we’re selective about the clients we work with.
live in western north america, able to work regular business hours every day*.
experience with shopify and/or liquid.
solid backend full-stack dev experience.
if you also have experience with shopify and/or liquid that’s a big plus. if you don’t, but are a quick study, we’ll help you get up to speed.
the position: you’ll work with our designers who will provide design direction. you’ll typically be the sole developer on your projects, taking full ownership of a project from a development standpoint. we are craftsmen/women. this is a position where your attention to detail and desire to do things right will be encouraged and rewarded.
vacation: two weeks paid vacation (available from the day you start) plus 7 paid holidays, and we also take off the week between christmas and new years.
remote work: western north america is your office.
yearly retreat: each year we all gather as a team for a week somewhere fun to connect, learn, and have a lot of fun together.
you must be located in north america, and live in the pacific or mountain time zones available to work regular full time hours to be considered for this position.