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I use an $18 TrendNet cable from Amazon that is Vista64 compatible. I downloaded the latest driver from TrendNet's web site, after which it worked like a champ.
Review from Amazon..
You got me thinking you had the solution there for a sec...
Trendnet makes a good product. I have a network printer server from them and it works great. I did some research before purchasing this item and it was supposed to be compatible with Vista. However it does not work with Vista x64 bit. I emailed support and they said it was not compatible and they had no immediate plans to make a 64-bit driver available.
Hi guys,
I think we may have a solution for you Windows 64bit users. If you want to give it a try, email me at [email protected]. Please put "Windows 64bit tester" in the subject line.
Cheers,
shiv
Post #9 says that he connected to the Procede. And as an aside, all of the testers were asked to connect, not simply to try running the program as you implied.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramos
Review from Amazon..
You got me thinking you had the solution there for a sec...
Trendnet makes a good product. I have a network printer server from them and it works great. I did some research before purchasing this item and it was supposed to be compatible with Vista. However it does not work with Vista x64 bit. I emailed support and they said it was not compatible and they had no immediate plans to make a 64-bit driver available.
Why would I not have the solution? If the Trendnet cable doesn't work with Vista 64-bit computers, perhaps you should tell my Trendnet cable to stop working with my Vista 64-bit computer. Either that's an old review or the tech support guy didn't know what he was talking about.
Dude, you're a class A asshole, just wanted to make sure you knew that.
The reason I did not volunteer to test this is cuz I was out of town, not that this is any of your business...
I'm sorry I'm being abrasive, but your comments have been coming across as presumptuous and are triggering my defenses. (First post insinuated we weren't testing correctly. Second post insinuated that I was lying when I said the cable worked with my 64-bit windows. Third and fourth posts asked how to run the software when the thread already said to email Vishnu.)
This is the same software as what we've been running for the last several months. The only difference is that there is no Windows 64 bit unfriendly installer program. So all you need to do is save it to your HD, uncompress it, and launch the PROcede software from within the folder. This way, Windows 64-bit users can run the program without any issues. Non 64-bit user can also do this. But chances are, you already have the program installed so don't bother | {
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MISRATA, Libya — The five rebel gunmen crept tensely along the side road's shuttered storefronts, past the dark furniture shop with the broken windows and the street lamps decorated with plastic flowers. Perpendicular to them was Tripoli Street, the heart of Misrata, where Moammar Gadhafi's snipers hide in office buildings and rake the city with bullets.
Related News/Archive
Their feet crunched the concrete and metal debris scattered on the ground, but the men were otherwise silent. They had done this before.
At the intersection with Tripoli, one of the men darted into the traffic circle, now filled with sand berms, truck frames, tires and a torched tank. He lunged to one knee and began firing, shooting again and again at a building down the block.
His colleagues pivoted around the corner and sprayed protective fire, not wincing at the bullets whistling by.
Shielded, the first man raced back to the side street. His companions quickly swung back around the corner, all of them temporarily out of harm's way. There, they pumped their fists and hoisted their weapons, all of them buzzed by the skirmish.
The men of the so-called Shahid group had just fought another small battle in the ongoing guerrilla war in Misrata, the sole western city holding out against Gadhafi's forces. This band, and others like it, has been integral to the city's defense.
When eastern Libya erupted into anti-Gadhafi protests in February, Misrata and other cities in the west quickly followed. But when Gadhafi answered with gunfire, crushing protests in the smaller western city of Zawiya, Misrata residents vowed not to suffer the same fate.
By March, this city of 500,000, the third-largest in Libya, had mobilized, with its own secretive city leadership and the emergence of young gangs to guard Misrata's neighborhoods.
The bands, each with a commander, have quickly evolved, coordinating the supply of weapons and trucks, defending rebel-held areas and answering emergency battle calls. In their David-vs.-Goliath fight, they have shown aplomb and ingenuity, sneaking up on a tank and attaching a bomb to it, ambushing soldiers from rooftops with heavy machine guns, even burning small buildings with Gadhafi's snipers lurking inside.
Their most inventive act may have been partitioning Tripoli Street with sand-filled trucks into three sections. Now Gadhafi's snipers are holed up in a life insurance building, post office and a trade bank; from there they open fire on the surrounding areas.
But with daily shelling and with the city isolated, Misrata and its gangs fear they are living on borrowed time. The pressure builds by the day. Bread and fuel lines grow longer, and more Libyans are thinking of leaving the city. The city's pool of men is limited. Streets have been unofficially renamed for those who have died on their pavement.
All of the fighters know that, at some point, their hand-me-down and captured weapons could run out and the shrinking number of fighters could be overrun. They wish NATO troops would help them flush out Gadhafi's fighters and destroy the antiaircraft guns, mortars and artillery that hammer Misrata. They've asked. Except for a blunt "no" from the United States, the response has been equivocal.
So they fight on.
These improvised gangs devoted to the community's survival are the equivalent of neighborhood watch groups on steroids. Many are family members and longtime friends, with ties that go back years; others are strangers who have coalesced over the last five weeks into fighting units. Most are in their teens, 20s and 30s.
The weapons they own are a treasure won by looting abandoned militia barracks and by plundering the assault rifles of defeated Gadhafi fighters. When one rebel wins a better weapon, he hands down his old rifle to a new recruit. If a foot soldier dies, his weapon is passed on to another fighter. Every bullet and every life counts in this war, a war in which the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against the people of Misrata.
Here off Tripoli Street, the Shahid group is intent on harassing Gadhafi fighters. Like each militia, the Shahid group goes by the name of its leader, Khalid Shahid. His fighters describe him as a 37-year-old who gathered weapons and vehicles and quickly gained a following.
The Shahid men have proved quick studies of guerrilla tactics. They coordinate by word of mouth and by radio with other militias, most ranging from 20 to 60 men, and with the city's military operations room. One militia on Tripoli Street is called the Head, another Khatiba and another Abu Jihad. The militias have developed radio code names for the enemy: Tanks are "cockroaches," Gadhafi's fighters are "ants."
It is the family and neighborhood ties that keep the Shahid group and other units together — that and the camaraderie forged in the trenches.
Radwan Bilal, 19, is typical of the fighters. He found like-minded men who wanted to take on Gadhafi. Soon he was one of the original seven who gathered around Shahid. The group quickly ballooned to more than 30.
At the beginning of March, Bilal joined Shahid and an informal group of rebels stalking a Gadhafi paramilitary unit that had stopped to buy supplies on Tripoli Street. The rebels blocked the intersections and overpowered the men, taking them captive; Bilal was given his first Kalashnikov.
Others came to Tripoli Street at the beginning of March because they saw it as the biggest battleground in the city. They stayed, and now the men there are family in this fight.
Abu Bakr Zain joined the Shahid group on Tripoli Street in this way. First he trailed another fighter, offering him help with supplies. When his friend took a rocket-propelled grenade from a Gadhafi fighter, he offered his old weapon to Zain. From there, Zain's skills grew. Soon after, he said, he used a borrowed machine gun to kill four Gadhafi fighters from a roof.
Gadhafi's loyalists fired off a tank round at the building, but he was already on the move.
"Street fighting taught me never stay in one place too long," Zain said.
. France said Wednesday it would increase airstrikes aimed at knocking out Gadhafi's military apparatus to protect civilians.
. France also agreed to place a small number of liaison officers alongside their special envoy in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. The French officers are working on logistics and organizational help.
. Italy, too, announced plans to send 10 military instructors. Britain had said Tuesday it was sending up to 20 military advisers.
. In Washington, the Obama administration said it plans to give the Libyan opposition $25 million in nonlethal assistance, the first direct U.S. aid to the rebels. Washington ensured that the surplus American goods cannot be converted into offensive military assets, AP reported. | {
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Accessing memory of other programs
This is a discussion on Accessing memory of other programs within the C Programming forums, part of the General Programming Boards category; I used to have this nifty program that i could use when i was playing a game, that i could ...
Accessing memory of other programs
I used to have this nifty program that i could use when i was playing a game, that i could specify a number and a program, and it would locate that number in memory. Once it did that, i could change that number to whatever I wanted, and it would change in the game. I have recently been researching and programming lots of different things that can be done with memory, and this came up. I would like to know if this is possible in C, and if possible, where I should start looking to find out how. I would also like to know how to look up processes, a.k.a. get a list of them, and their memory addresses.
Here you can find more information. Especially read the section about inter-process-communication. Note that this information may not apply to your environment, as Hammer already said, it is platform and perhaps also compiler specific.http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave/C/
Naturally I didn't feel inspired enough to read all the links for you, since I already slaved away for long hours under a blistering sun pressing the search button after typing four whole words! - Quzah
You. Fetch me my copy of the Wall Street Journal. You two, fight to the death - Stewie | {
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Category tech
I used to drive a Mini Cooper S and the only gauge I looked at was the tach. Similar thing with my old CJ7, one important gauge.
With both user experiences they assumed drivers want one piece of information above all others and they thrust it front and center. They made it oversized and pushed every other gauge well out of the way.
Great design enables you to “feel” the most important measurements connected to a product. It achieves this by pushing everything else into the background.
My current car, much less fun on twisty roads, is a Prius. Like the examples mentioned above, one gauge trumps all others. “The” gauge on a Prius is an updated every minute fuel consumption bar chart. This single gauge has transformed the way I drive (and my string of speeding tickets).
I used to be a lead-footed Mini driver I’m now a feather foot Prius driver. Every day is a game to see how high I can average my MPG.
For all these reasons I love what Geckoboard is doing. All the vital signs of your business on one dashboard. Simple, elegant and understandable presentation.
My daughter was born a year before Netscape IPO’d; her entire life has taken place in a post-web era.
There has always been a fast internet connection in her home. Her first phone was essentially a small computer. And instead of an erupting volcano, her sixth grade science fair project was a paper titled “Why Netflix will put Blockbuster out of business.”
This brings me to the point of this post which is the intersection between childhood, meritocracy and modern toolsets (specifically high-speed internet access).
Older generations tend to push conversations like this, conversations about broadband and smart phones, towards a rant about entitlement. I believe this not only misses the point but sets kids up for a marginalized future. We should not compare what our kids have today with what we had when we were kids any more than we should compare the fuel efficiency of a Prius with that of a mule. Cultural norms of different eras are apples and oranges.
Think about what it was like to grow up (and compete) in a few different eras. Kids of the 40s competed with other kids they could see… kids in their town. Kids of the 70s competed with other kids in the nation…who they might meet at college one day. Kids today compete with kids from every hemisphere on the globe… who they’ll never meet and probably don’t speak the same language.
An illustration of this point can be found in the following story. It’s a simple story at it’s core; a large educational institution didn’t forecast how far the world had already shifted. Stanford offered a graduate-level Artificial Intelligence class online and were expecting 1,000 people to sign up. They were a bit surprised when more than 160,000 people signed up. The demand was so strong and from so many places on the globe that YouTube servers carrying the content had to be mirrored to get past restrictions in places like Iran. It’s a post-web story of learning, competing and access.
A large shift has already taken place. Information has become something approaching tradable currency and this shift is really just starting to gain momentum. Kids coming up need to understand the new building blocks: they must embrace the new toolsets as those things are becoming commonplace extensions of their pursuits.
To be a kid in this day an age you absolutely need water, food, freedom and love… but in order to really compete you’ll need more than that. You need access. You need lightning-fast broadband.
Let’s face it, drones have a bad reputation due to their association with wars but there has been a quietly rising interest in hobby drones. Chris Anderson, previous head of WIRED Mag, started the site DIY Drones a bit ago… and things are starting to move into the mainstream.
If you’re a surfer you’ve seen a plethora of surfing photography and surf films… we engage with those because we want to get closer to the wave… back to the experience of surfing a wave. The simple truth is that photos are static and films are usually anchored to a specific location… and riding a wave is much more fluid.
Enter the drones… below are two, worthy, videos of among the best waves in the world. The “drone-selfie” will not be far behind.
When innovators talk about failure they are really talking about innovation. I.e. the road to ultimate traction with customers is the result of small iterations, constant evolution. They are talking about lots of small bets.
Larger, or more legacy-oriented organizations, sometimes hear “failure” and hear something “going out of business.” The simultaneous ironic and tragic point is that without constant, smaller risks a company is forced into a situation to make a single, company-betting decision.
Placing many small, early bets is less risky than fewer, later large bets.
Bezos said “If you place enough of those (small) bets, and if you place them early enough, none of them are ever betting the company. If you invent frequently and are willing to fail, then you never get to that point where you really need to bet the whole company” (on any single initiative).
He’s building on one of my favorite thinkers, Peter Drucker is another. Peter also summarized this point with the following…
“The innovators I know are successful to the extent to which they define risks and confine them. Successful innovators are conservative. They have to be. They are not ‘risk-focused’; they are ‘opportunity-focused.’”
Of course there is nothing new here, this is a summary of how the venture capital industry lives every day. Still, there is wisdom here for all of us.
I wrote about AI (artificial intelligence) becoming mainstream two years ago. We may have noticed Siri but AI has been around for a long time doing (mostly) pretty boring grunt work: getting our luggage on the right plane, routes our snail mail and email, helping us tune a Pandora station or pick equities and suggesting books for us to read.
But truthfully… it hasn’t been that fun.
One does not think of general tomfoolery when they think of machine learning or artificial intelligence. It feels like that’s about to change.
Check out this new robotics/AI company (Anki) who is taking the video game into the real world. They are being held up for breaking some new ground; positioning (knowing where you are and what’s around you), reasoning (using that knowledge to make intelligent decisions), and execution (making those things happen in the real world). More on them here.
I think one of the most misunderstood points related to technology is that it (tech) somehow exists for itself.
Tech (and innovation of any kind) should exist to connect with you and make your life a bit richer… better.
This video does a beautiful job of telling these kinds of stories. You shouldn’t buy a product or service, whether it’s tech-related or not, if it doesn’t change your life for the better… even if its a small, incremental change.
Somewhere between working out of Frank Gehry’s LA office a few years ago and a recent meeting at the Studio Gang office in Chicago it hit me… straight lines are over-rated.
Shackles forcing us to think in retilinear patterns no longer exist.
The seed of this point was planted in my brain a decade or so ago when I started paying attention to structures like the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Sure the outside looks like a flowing wave or ice-cream cone but what caught my eye was the internal structure. I remember getting a tour by the structural engineering team. They spent an ample amount of time pointing to the flowing structural elements; the CNC-modeled steel and wood beams were unlike any I’d seen.
And this brings me to math.
The simple truth is that we used straight lines because we had do.
Today we have access to math-driven 3D modeling software.
This subject, modern flowing architectural lines, is now part of the mainstream. The Beijing Olympics thrust the Herzog & de Meuron Birdsnest into pop culture. It’s an amazing architectural and engineering feat… somewhat taken for granted since it was part of a pop-culture event like the Olympics. It’s stunning on multiple levels, brought to you by applied mathematics.
In the grander scheme this is simply just another disruptive advancement. Like Eli Whitney shifting markets by introducing assembly-line mass production or like Netscape’s consumer web app enabling billions to shift their entire life experience into a new paradigm… 3D modeling software (and related advancements in structural engineering tools) are seriously challenging the age-old limitation of a straight line.
I love the idea of pre-packaged software templates to address and automate of a narrow set of tasks… I like apps.
At the same time I’m not overly smitten by hardly any of the 800,000+ available iphone apps. A notable percentage of them, even some of well designed ones, aren’t worth our time or hard drive space.
The best app is the one you can’t see… it’s transparent… you look past it and see the task at hand.
In my opinion the best app associated with computers was launched in 1995, Netscape’s consumer-oriented web browser. It changed everything and then swiftly slipped into the background. Today we don’t even notice the browser… which is just as it should be. | {
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David Ortiz in lineup vs. David Price
The Red Sox slugger, who was was questionable for Friday night's game against the Rays due to back spasms, struck out against Tampa Bay's ace on three pitches to end the first inning.
Ortiz left Thursday's game against Toronto in the ninth inning with back spasms, but was penciled into the lineup -- hitting in his regular No. 3 spot -- at Tropicana Field.
"He received some treatment earlier today, swung the bat in the cage, he's fit and ready to go tonight," said Red Sox manager John Farrell before the game.
"He called me once we got to the hotel [last night] and said,''Hey, just be sure you don't count me out for tomorrow right yet.' He came over today got some work done, here we are."
The Rays, winners of seven straight, have moved two games ahead of the last-place Red Sox, who have lost three in a row after a five-game winning streak. This is the first time the teams have met since Price hit Ortiz with a 94 mph fastball in the back on May 30, the opener of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
"It's a war," Ortiz said after that game. "It's on. Next time I see [Price], he better put his gloves on. I have no respect for him anymore."
Asked if he anticipated any fallout from the last meeting, Ortiz said, "Why should I? I'm not the one who's pitching."
Ortiz, who has four home runs in his past four games, said he first experienced discomfort in Wednesday night's 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays and aggravated it on a check swing in the ninth.
"On my last at-bat, I kind of felt a little pop or something in my upper back," he said Thursday. "I felt a little bit of discomfort today, but I was fine [until] I made a rough move on that pitch -- tried to go and stopped -- and it pulled me a little more." | {
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There exists a condition in Microsoft Windows operating systems using NTFS that may allow for files to be hidden. Though the NTFS filesystem allows for a 32000 character path, Microsoft Windows operating systems (NT4, 2000 and XP) enforce a 256 character limit. Any attempt to create, traverse or otherwise operate on a path longer than 256 chatacters will fail. | {
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(Seychelles News Agency) - Team Island Star hauled in a 212kg marlin, winning the 20,000 $ star prize of the one-day Marlin Slam Fishing Tournament, Saturday. Team Top Gun took second place with a 94.5kg marlin and Team Kuki hauled in a 52.5 kg catch.
“Our first blue marlin took the lure around noon and it took me 45 minutes to land the 118 kilo fish. However, my brother Guy challenged me stating that he would catch a bigger one in a few minutes, and indeed he did with his 212 kilo blue marlin that won the tournament, said Marc Houareau, Island Star's captain, in a press statement following the weigh-in.
The annual Seychelles Sports Fishing Club competition is the largest fishing competition in the Seychelles islands, known to have one of the richest big game fishing grounds in the world.
Captain of the Island Star, Marc Houareau (right with child) and his team with the prize catch -(Stefan Houareau, Seychelles Sports Fishing Club) Photo license: CC BY | {
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Chasing the Buzz
Irma sat on the edge of the bottom porch step of the single-wide. The wood was warped and a split ran down its length, wriggling over the faded grain like the vein of a meandering creek.
Her breath twisted visibly from her parted lips in the chill of the October night as she waited for her ride.
She spun a stolen bottle of cheap liquor store vodka between her palms, the alcohol gurgling beneath the cool glass.
Through the swaying stalks of corn in the field just a few feet from the trailer, muted orange headlights creeped into view. Tires cackled over the loosely-grated gravel driveway and then Lexi Peterson’s ’85 LeSabre screamed around the corner of the field, the wide body of the car lurching, the sideview mirror clipping an ear or two of the harvest.
“Jesus,” Irma muttered as she scuttled across the gravel in her mother’s worn leather cowgirl boots. “Is she drunk already?”
“Get in, Trailer Trash.” Lexi chuckled through the cracked window, where the end of her cigarette dangled, ashes sprinkling over the drive.
Irma let out a breathy laugh and tugged on the sleeves of her beige canvas jacket. Holding the vodka in the crook of her elbow, Irma pulled the cuffs all the way over her fingertips the way she always did, and ducked into the back seat next to Willy. He was bundled in a thick camo jacket and wore a red Oklahoma Sooners beanie over his floppy brown hair.
Irma sank into the seat, the thick rolls of padding, covered in soft baby blue velour, consuming her hips entirely. She dug around in the dark, looking for her seat belt, finding swarms of unidentifiable crumbs and homeless pennies, but no lap belt. Irma wiggled deeper into the cushions and sat still.
“Hi,” Willy said.
“Hey,” Irma replied.
“Thanks for coming out with us.”
“Thanks for inviting me.”
“Isn’t that cute?” Austin Meyer, who occupied the whole of the passenger’s seat, turned a quarter of an inch toward the back and grumbled in his deep vibrato. “Willy and Irma’s first date. So glad we could join you love birds.”
“Be nice, Austin.” Lexi said, laughing, then she flung the car in reverse and stomped on the brakes just before she mowed down the corn field. A few of the stalks curved around the trunk and scraped against Irma’s window. “Oops.”
“Sorry, Irma. I was only joking,” Austin patted Irma’s knee. “How are you doing? Really?”
Irma carefully put the vodka in the valley of her thighs, the neck of the bottle extending from her knee caps like a high dive hoisted above the dark chasm of Lexi’s floorboards. She caught a faint whiff of a sweet and sour odor. Dog pee most likely.
The LeSabre sped down the driveway, a tornado of dust following them like a pesky shadow. Without twisting her head one way or the other, Lexi pulled out onto the dirt road that led to town. Blackened ditches and farmer’s fields stretched on for miles, the lights of Henshaw so dull, they didn’t even sparkle on the horizon like towns did on the TV.
“Vodka. Nice choice.” Willy snatched the bottle from Irma’s lap, spinning it by the neck. “But not as good as the home brew I brought.”
“Is that right?” Irma broke into a smile, directing it right at Willy’s boxy face.
Willy’s foot tapped something on the floorboards between them. Canning jars. The lids rattled from the disturbance and the liquid inside them sloshed against their glass confines.
“Ain’t nothin’ can match ole Willy Shiner,” Willy added.
Eventually, the dirt road turned brick as Lexi spun them down Main Street. Henshaw was a dusty town in Northern Oklahoma, with a lazy population of less than two thousand. The town had boomed once and only once. Years ago, in the late nineteenth century, when settler families staked claim to the copper-stained soil of Indian Territory during the land rush.
As Irma peered out the window, a handful of closed or empty shop fronts stared back. The girl recalled weekend afternoons with her mother. They’d drive into town after lunch and spend hours perusing Cherokee Sport for new running gear for Irma or hunting down secondhand clothes at Mystic Flamingo that they could both share. They’d shop. They’d grab a coffee and a hot chocolate at the only café in town. Then, they’d borrow a VHS tape from the library and sneak into one of the classrooms at their church, using the key Irma’s mother used when she prepared the communion, and watch Audrey or the Princess of Monaco or Jimmy Stewart on the old rolling Zenith, pretending they were in a movie theater, somewhere far away, watching the film for the first time.
“Where are we headed?” Irma asked Lexi.
Clapboard shacks and corroding brick one-stories began to replace tall pioneer-style buildings as the group headed to the other side of town.
“We’re chasing the buzz,” Lexi said just as a cat sprang from the night and landed in front of the LeSabre. “Shit.”
Lexi jerked the steering wheel to the right and the front bumper of the car scraped along the side of a silver pickup parked under a leafless pecan tree. The entire car jumped, Willy’s jars of liquor clanging against one another. Lexi pushed the wheel back toward the road and motored on.
Irma raised herself onto one knee and looked out the back window, up the street.
“You can’t drive worth shit,” Austin told Lexi.
“The damage on that pickup truck.” Willy whistled despairingly.
“Did you hit the cat?” Irma asked. “Maybe we should go back.”
“You’re right Irma-Jo,” Lexi said, pulling a fresh cigarette from the pocket of her black skinny jeans. She held it between her teeth while Austin leaned over to light it for her. Irma scrunched her nose at the bitter scent. “We should go back, check on the stray. Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s just knock on the door of the guy who owns that truck and let ‘im know who just cost him a week in the body shop. Are you crazy? We ain’t going back.”
“I just wanted to look for the cat is all,” Irma said.
“You feel sorry for it or something?” Lexi took a long drag on her cigarette.
Irma’s lips pinched as she sank back down into her seat. “No.”
As the car sped up and they crossed above the highway, Irma could still smell Lexi’s cigarette. She cranked her window open an inch or two and took a deep breath of freshly turned earth and fallen leaves.
“Sure you can handle it?” Willy asked. “This stuff’ll melt the soft woman right off ya.”
“Just gimme a drink.” Irma waved a hand in the air. “You’re always talking in school about this God-ordained moonshine of yours. ‘Bout time I find out what it’s all about, don’t you think?”
Willy spun the lid off a jar and pressed the smooth glass into Irma’s sweating palm. She took a gulp. It felt hot on her lips, sizzled off her tongue. Irma went back for another sip. Soon, her belly was warm and her cheeks stirred with fever. The car was a rocket ship gleaming through the rural farms, the crops in the fields streaking by outside Irma’s window.
“Holy shit,” Irma said. She handed the jar back to Willy. Braced her knee against the car door and leaned her head against the cracked window.
“I call it the bath tub brew.” Willy took a long drink from the same jar and passed it to Austin in the front.
“Good lord, don’t tell me you cooked this up in your mama’s nasty ass green tub.” Austin took an inch off the top of the moonshine and passed the jar to Lexi. Irma was surprised that she took a small sip. Then again, it was Lexi Peterson. The girl was a hurricane. Wrecking everything in her path and never apologizing.
“I ain’t no city idiot,” Willy said. He urged Irma to take another drink. She did. “I used the water from the tub faucet. Got a sharp flavor, don’t it? Tastes like a bullet, I reckon.”
“You gonna tell us where we’re going, Lexi?” Irma asked.
Austin spun around and waved a hand at Irma. “Didn’t Willy tell you? We never know where we’re going.”
“We just drive,” Lexi said.
“Chasing the buzz,” added Willy.
Irma picked up the bottle of vodka she had brought along and spun the top off. “Well, in that case.”
Willy produced a shot glass from his coat pocket. It was adorned with a sticker of a golden buck, more rack than animal. He held it as Irma poured, her hands barely visible from beneath her jacket sleeves. The liquor overflowed and ran down the sides of the glass, sprinkling onto Irma’s favorite pair of jeans. She giggled and Willy lifted the glass to her lips. She opened her mouth and the shot flung to the back of her throat. It stung, but not as much as the moonshine had.
“One for you,” Willy said, then shook the empty glass. Irma refilled it and Willy swallowed it quickly. “And one for me.”
“And one for Lexi,” Irma said, her head spinning already.
“Now she’s talking,” Lexi said. “Austin, take the wheel.”
As Austin moved the car from side to side in a slow, fluid motion, like a barge swinging in an inconsistent swell, Irma poured a shot of vodka for Lexi. She drank it facing the backseat and immediately took a long drag off her cigarette and blew the smoke straight into Irma’s face. Irma coughed and lifted the vodka bottle to her lips. She tipped the butt of the vodka toward the sagging blue fabric of the LeSabre’s ceiling and swallowed the steady trickle of liquor rolling over her tongue.
When Irma lowered the bottle finally, Lexi had veered off the road and was driving over the ruts in a farmer’s freshly plowed wheat field, the earth open and awaiting winter planting. The headlights illuminated a small pond on the other side of a barbed wire fence and Lexi stopped the car.
The four of them stumbled over the cold, hard earth, through the loose wires in the fence, careful not to catch the rusty barbs on exposed skin, and sat down around the small pond. Irma had an idea of where they were. South of Henshaw. Wheat field. Probably Bob Duren’s place, maybe Charlie Hammer’s. Old farmers who worked with her daddy on occasion. Nice men in passing, but devils if you cross them dirty.
“Reckon I could use that pond water for my next brew?” Willy sat beside Irma, sipping on a jar while she poured herself another shot of vodka.
Irma raised her head, lengthening her neck, the veins protruding from her thin skin, as she studied the small, teardrop shape of still water, the gibbous moon reflecting on its surface. She shook her head.
“I wouldn’t drink it.”
“But if I filtered it first,” Willy said. “Boiled all the critters out. I’d call it Pond Scum. Shoot it down with a Dr. Pepper chaser. A fine Okie product.”
The glass of Irma’s shot glass clinked sloppily against the ribbed lip of Willy’s mason jar and they drank. They sat beneath the moon and the cluster of trees beyond the pond. They sat. They drank. They listened to the wind find its way over the land. Listened to Lexi and Austin laughing while they swapped dented flasks full of whiskey and rum, leaning on one another when the liquor coursed too quickly through their blood.
Head floating above her body, limbs tingling, Irma kicked back one more shot of vodka and hurled Willy’s shot glass into the pond. A stream of gold tumbling through the sky, comet-like. It broke the still surface of the water, sending shards of moonlight slithering away like water moccasins. Irma sat back, thrust her arms above her, and cheered.
“Irma Jo,” Willy said, bursting instantly into a fit of laughter. “Don’t you know that was an antique?”
Irma bounced to her feet so quickly she fell straight back down, landing half on Willy’s lap. He gave her a hand up and she stripped down to her skivvies, the crisp autumn air nipping at everything. She left her jacket, Ramones tee, jeans, boots—everything—in a pile by her nearly empty vodka bottle.
“You’re gonna freeze your ass cheeks off if you jump in that pond, Trailer Trash,” said Lexi.
“Them ass cheeks is too hot to freeze,” Austin hollered, losing himself after that in the whiskey flask.
Irma strode toward the water, bopping her hips from side to side like the runway models she saw on the TV. The tall oak and maple trees dotted around the water’s edge leered at Irma from high above. She looked away from them, seeming to focus her fuzzy brain on climbing the slab of rock that jutted over the lip of the pond. She rubbed her palms together, not worried about the circular scars exposed on the backs of them, on her thighs, seared into her ribs.
“Jump, Trailer Trash, jump,” Lexi yelled.
With a shriek, Irma launched herself out over the water, hugging her knees tight to her small chest and crossing her ankles one over the other. The world was a messy blur as she fell into the ice box-cold water. Her toes sunk into thick mud and the frays of underwater plant life tickled her legs.
Irma breached the surface, coughing and sputtering from accidentally swallowing some of the pond water. Someone hollered on shore and Irma echoed their howl, flopping onto her back and floating weightlessly in the middle of the cool liquid.
The seventeen-year-old’s fingertips twirled through the thick velvety water while she watched the tiny silver specks of stars so far away from the flatlands of Oklahoma as they winked down at her. Three of them, sitting in a neat little row, shined brighter than the rest. The belt of Orion.
Irma thought she heard something move just beyond the pond. Her head snapped upright. Treading water above the muck, she squinted into the night. Her eyes opened wide when she realized no one was one on shore. Not Lexi or Austin. Not even Willy.
All had vanished.
She frog-kicked her way to the grass and crawled out of the pond on all fours. She stood up, her underwear clinging awkwardly to her skin as she stumbled over to where she had been sitting. Where only her boots remained. No jeans, no t-shirt, no jacket.
“Shit,” she muttered as her feet dove into the boots.
Irma squinted across the grass, beyond the barbed wire fence. She thought she could see shadows moving inside the clunky old car, so she tromped toward the LeSabre, hugging her arms around her torso, trying to calm the vicious, teeth-chattering throttles that claimed hold of her.
“Y’all are hilarious,” Irma yelled as she slipped through the wires.
The car’s engine sparked to life and the headlights washed the thin girl in an unforgiving bright light. She could hear the laughs escaping through the vehicle’s metal walls, high pitched, blistering.
Irma froze. Lexi threw the car into reverse and backed like lightning into the fallow field. The car spun as Lexi turned the wheel and pulled the gear shift into drive. Idling, the three passengers each flashed a garment of clothing out their opened windows. Austin waved Irma’s t-shirt like a flag at a drag race, while Lexi dangled her jeans in her loose grip, and Willy spun Irma’s jacket around, the arms flapping about wildly.
“Come and get it, Trailer Trash,” Lexi yelled, giving the car gas and driving slowly over the uneven earth.
Irma laughed, fumbling a few steps toward the car. She looked at her clothes hanging out the windows like a challenge, a prize to win. She eyed Lexi through the side mirror on the driver’s side and in the same second they both picked up the pace, jerking forward, slipping on the dirt, Irma’s boots digging into the ruts of the field as she sprinted after the car.
In her mother’s old leather boots, a half size too big, in nothing but her bra and underwear, Irma kept up with the car for a few moments. She thought her old track muscles might kick in. Maybe she could catch Lexi, Austin, and Willy. But Lexi cranked the wheel and turned a full circle in front of Irma, scattering clods of dirt over her skin, bits of the stuff clinging to her long eyelashes. She stopped, blinking the debris from her vision, and when she looked up, the LeSabre was taking off in the opposite direction.
She dug the toe of her boots into the field, but just as soon as she started, Irma tripped over her own feet and flew across the dirt, sliding like a ball player into home. Irma let out a groan as one of the freshly formed rows in the ground dug into her chest. She felt the alcohol bubble up from her stomach and she clenched her fists, trying to keep it down.
The horn honked and Irma looked up in time to see the red taillights pulling onto the roadway, dipping back toward town.
“Assholes,” Irma shouted. She picked herself off the ground. Brushed off her thighs. Started across the field, following the tracks the car made on its rampage across the land.
Halfway over the barren landscape, Irma turned toward the shelter belt of trees to her left. If she was where she thought she was there was a shortcut back to town through the woods. A place to stop at along the way. Sober up before returning home.
A gust of wind swept across the barren wheat field, whistling over the ridges of the earth. Irma rubbed her shoulders. She looked like a hen after plucking. Every inch of her was covered in tiny bumps. Irma tucked her chin into the hollow between her collar bones, keeping her face out of the wind’s path at least.
Just before she ducked beneath the twisting branches, sparsely covered in dying leaves, Irma heard the clink of a glass jar. Heard the steady breathing, the clunky footfalls, of someone else.
“Irma Jo.” It was Willy. His camo jacket and dark wash jeans made him blend into the landscape. “Wait up.”
Willy tossed her beige canvas jacket at her, the sleeves looping around her neck like a scarf. She slipped into it, glad she had bought it two sizes too big, because it covered everything from chin to knees.
The pair started in silence to a discovery Irma had made one day as a girl. A two-story Victorian came into view several sips into a new jar of moonshine. The farm house had been abandoned ages ago, the former family’s belongings deteriorating beneath piles of rotting plywood and plaster.
Irma climbed the three steps and laid down flat on the porch, damp hair sprawled out over the termite bitten slats. She stared up at the haint-blue ceiling, the color of the paint barely hanging on.
“What is this place?” Willy sat down beside her.
“Whatever you want it to be,” Irma said. “It’s abandoned. No one wants it no more.”
“I could bring my moonshine here,” Willy said, looking back at the house. “Store it in one of these rooms—what’s it like on the inside—no one would know the jars was mine. Don’t think anybody’d know this place existed. I didn’t. Lived in Henshaw all my life.”
Irma rolled her head to face Willy, her ear pressed into the age-sanded wood. She stared at the zipper of his jacket pocket.
“I like that you got something you love Willy,” Irma said. “Dreams. A plan.”
“Everybody’s got dreams, Irma Jo.” Willy set the jar of clear moonshine between them, pulled the silver lid from his pocket. “Don’t you have one?”
Irma turned her head so she could see Willy’s pink cheeks, the arrow-straight nose that extended just over his plump lips.
“Used to.”
Willy glanced down at Irma, then looked away quickly. Irma reached out and took his hand in hers, the scars fully exposed.
Before Irma fell asleep every night as a girl, her mother would come into the room and sit on the edge of her mattress. She would bend down over Irma, her thin, blonde curls shielding their faces like a tent. Then, her mother would press the tip of her button nose to Irma’s. An Eskimo kiss. It was the softest touch. Barely a brush as their noses rubbed back and forth for a second before Irma’s mother disappeared down the hall, leaving Irma in the dark, the tickling feeling on her nose lingering until the tiny flaps of her eyelids grew stone heavy and fluttered to a close, the little one overcome by sleep.
Willy’s other hand covered Irma’s as lightly as her Mama’s Eskimo kisses. It was almost as if he was hovering, not touching her at all. Irma’s scars were concealed entirely. Nothing left to see.
“I’m sorry, Irma,” Willy whispered. “I’m sorry about your mama and I’m sorry about your daddy and what he did to you. It ain’t right. It ain’t fair. None of it.”
Wisps of teardrops pooled in the corners of Irma’s dead eyes. She dug her short fingernails into Willy’s hand, his flesh caving in. He didn’t squirm away. The tears trickled down her cheeks, pooled on the porch slats, soaking into the wood.
“No you ain’t,” she said finally, her voice cracking.
“What?” Willy asked.
“You ain’t sorry,” she said.
“But I am.”
“No.” Irma inhaled through a clogged nose, a terrible sucking sound cutting through the quiet around them. “You ain’t sorry. You can’t be. I don’t want you to be.”
Willy gave her hand a squeeze. He stared out into the dark trees, moonlight scattering through the slits in the branches.
“You ever make moonshine before, Irma Jo?” Willy asked.
Irma wiped her cheeks with the tip of her thumb. She sniffled, clearing her nose. “Never.”
“I can teach you,” Willy said. “Not too hard once you get the hang of it. Hell, I could probably even teach my coon dog how to make mash. If he can do it, you can, no sweat. I reckon you could be my new business partner.”
“You reckon?” Irma asked.
Willy eased back onto the porch, laying down flat beside Irma. The thick material of his coat pressed into her neck. He smelled faintly of cedar wood.
Irma turned the hand Willy still had a hold of over and laced her fingers through his. Willy’s hand was warm, the heat seeped into Irma’s skin, travelling up her arm, warming her all the way to her toes. She couldn’t even feel the bite of the wind as it shivered through the branches of the trees surrounding the abandoned house, blowing up the dust on the porch.
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About the Author
Bre Hall is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at American College Dublin. Her work has appeared in Fiction Southeast, Merrimack Review, and PLUM. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and watching films. Bre is a Kansas native, but currently lives in Ireland. | {
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A street-level film noir take on the Gotham City Police Department, written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, illustrated by Michael Lark. What would it be like to be a police officer in Batman‘s home town? | {
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Well some good and bad news today. My recruiter just called me in regards to my job offer and my DUI will prevent me from getting the job. However, the director of the west coast operations is willing to sit down with me and see if he can find me another position within the company doing admin stuff. The problem is he's not in LA right now so I have to wait a week or two to meet with him. I was hoping to see him sooner. This sucks. For those that read my thread and are addicted to drugs I want you to really see what it does to your life. My addiction has taken everything from me! It's because of my poor choices to get into a car and drive under the influence that just costed me a very high paying job. There is a slight chance I can still get a job with this company but I'm not betting on it. In the meantime, my recruiter is looking at other areas of employment for me. There aren't too many though. It's limited.
I don't want to preach to other drug addicts but read my story and see where heroin takes you or any other drug for that matter. It's down a one way street to nowhere. It's isolating. You lose your friends, you lose yourself, you lose your credibility, your material things, your money, your family, etc. You LOSE EVERYTHING. And right now I am facing eviction if I don't come up with some serious money. I am however, getting some help with that fortunately so I hopefully won't lose my apartment.
I really want the people to know that are reading this that addiction is serious and before you know it your whole life and freedom can be taken away. For all of these reasons, I will NEVER go back. The rebuilding process is so tedious and sad and arduous. I barely have support too.
Don't be like me. Save yourself early on. Drop your drug of choice and get some help. I did it on my own and with the use of this forum and the members here. But, some of you others may need rehab or doctors or opiate replacement therapy or whatever. It's all so individual in how one comes to terms with their addiction and pursues sobriety. I am so pissed right now with myself. I have pissed away all my opportunities just because I had to get high for three years. I am an extremely decorated Army officer with a college education and I am now suffering and cannot get what I rightfully deserve because of my poor choices and my addiction.
So please, I am begging my readers to not make the same mistakes as me. This is so incredibly serious. I I wish for you all to not travel down the path that I have traveled. It sucks. I am crushed right now. I know this is only one door that has closed but I hope that another one will open. I need anything right now. Anything. I'm trying so hard to just stay afloat. I have so many issues and feel so overwhelmed right now.
I just want to pick up and run away but you can't. You have to face your issues head on. I wake up to this shit every morning and I go to bed with it every night. It's taxing and I'm so stressed hence, the reason for getting shingles and being sick for six weeks straight. Plus, I still have to find a way to treat my underlying issues and survive in this crazy world.
I really wish you guys could feel the pain I feel right now just for five minutes. I believe then you'd stop your drug use that is, if you readers are drug users. I understand that there are many that are not. I don't know you all. But, just take my experience and learn from it. That is what I want this thread to take the direction of. I want to show people what addiction does and how to come back from it. There are many months ahead of recovery. My story is still very much in progress. The ending is not even being close to being written.
Anyways, I have to get off of here. I am very sad and need to manage my emotions by doing something else. I just wanted to update and stress the importance of getting a sober life. Avoid the legal system at all costs. You may think you'll never get caught, I thought I was invincible and look at me. No one is above it. We are all at risk.
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I was away from df for a few months, I had some life stuff I needed to take care of and unfortunately being on here a few hours a night wasn't helping with that... Anyways, I have all of that taken care now... I hope lol
I caught up on your thread and I'm so happy to see your recovery progressing! The last time I posted here you were sober, but really struggling with withdrawals. I know that you are stilll having some pain issues, and depression at times but it is incredible to see how far you have come! You should be so proud of yourself!
Try not to get down on yourself because of this job. Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be ( I'm not trying to sound flippant, I hate when people say shit like that, I know it doesn't help right now). The fact that you are even ready to start a new career so soon is amazing, and only more good things can come of working with this recruiter. It really sounds like he is rooting for you and will find you something that is perfect.
Keep your head up Hun! Try not to let this get you down, hopefully you can see your new bf this weekend to take your mind off of it. Good things are starting to happen for you since you overcame active addiction, just try to keep faith that there is more to come! You will get your life back and be able to enjoy your life as you are meant to. Try not to look at what your addiction has taken from you, try to look forward to the opportunities that are going to come your way that the addiction will not be able to fuck up.
Hey Mel I am so proud of you after reading your last post. I am so glad that you can see how far you have come now and are confident in yourself. You are a different person and I know that you know it. I know you have alot of inner turmoil but you have achieved so much in despite of everything that made it hard for you
I think you mentioned in one of your posts that you were into sports at one point. Not sure if you have resumed exercise in any form. I have an acquaintance now an ex-addict, who found that Bikram yoga was responsible for transforming her life. She found the poses very challenging and it centred her. She found her feet – as it were.
Yoga may not be your cuppa tea but a 1 hour serious sweat out every (other) day – whatever your system allows – whether speed walking or light jogging can only benefit your recovery. If you have some physical impairment, then you could try some form of restorative Yoga. If you can accommodate the physical component as well as you are able, the mental struggles, depressions etc might have less play in your daily round
Hi Mel,
There was a recent article in The New York Times called "After PTSD, More Trauma". It also talks about the VA hospital in San Diego. Thought you'd find it interesting. It won't let me insert a link so you can Google it. | {
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Dr Jill Scevak
Career Summary
Biography
My masters thesis (Effects of Map Training on Reading Comprehension) and my doctoral thesis (High School Students Processing of Texts and Maps) provided the foundation for my research activity in the faculty. This activity resulted in four refereed research articles and two conference papers.
Building on this foundation my subsequent research work was aligned with the facultys research priority area of Teaching and Learning focused on examining individual differences (e.g. motivation, approaches to learning, cognitive style, self-efficacy) in a variety of learning contexts: primary, secondary and tertiary. The discipline of Educational Psychology forms the conceptual framework for this research.
My research activity informs my approach to curriculum design (e.g. resubmission of assignments after feedback, choice of assignment topics), assessment practices, and the design of my teaching and learning materials in the courses I teach. I have presented these research findings to teachers in the Hunter Region (see teaching portfolio) and the school presentations have highlighted how important the design of the learning materials that students study is in the development of their mental representations (their understanding).
During my tenure at the university I have extended my research and publication profile across a wide variety of educational contexts and settings, including specific studies in student learning and teacher efficacy, learning and instruction in higher education, as well as cross disciplinary studies in learning theory and its applications. More recently, this aspect of my research has been incorporated in the activities of the Centre for Study of Research Training and Impact (SORTI) where I have become part of an active research team dedicated to cross-disciplinary and mixed method studies of research training.
Since becoming a member of SORTI, I have taken the initiative in two projects and been actively involved in various other projects examining a number of aspects of doctoral study. In conjunction with other members of SORTI I have been undertaking pilot projects that will underpin an ARC Linkage Grant application in 2004 and 2005. My work in instructional design has both a national and international profile.
Since I have obtained my doctorate have been consistently developing my grants profile. Another aspect of my research activity is undergraduate and graduate research student supervision. I am currently supervising three doctoral students and two masters level students and advising 40 undergraduate teacher research projects.
Research ExpertiseIn recent years there has been a shift in the direction of my research interests. This change has been associated with my membership of a dedicated centre of research into research training (Centre for the Study of Research Training and Impact SORTI).
Since 2000 my research activity has focused on applying learning theory to the post graduate context.. My colleagues and I have been successful in obtaining a number of competitive grants: the role of interpersonal factors in doctoral supervision; examining epistemological and ontological factors and individual differences in doctoral students, textual analysis of doctoral writing for evidence of contribution and understanding attrition. My early research work in the Faculty of Education's priority area of Teaching and Learning focused on examining individual differences (eg motivation, approaches to learning, cognitive style, self-efficacy) in a variety of learning contexts: primary, secondary and tertiary contexts. Educational Psychology formed the conceptual framework for this research
A national cohort of doctoral students (n¿=¿1390) completed a suite of metacognitive questionnaires indicating management of affective, intellectual and contingency demands in l... [more]
A national cohort of doctoral students (n¿=¿1390) completed a suite of metacognitive questionnaires indicating management of affective, intellectual and contingency demands in learning. Responses to the questionnaires were analysed for evidence of individual differences in reported metacognitive behaviours. Three patterns of metacognitive response to doctoral learning were identified through cluster analysis: Constructive Engagement, Struggling to Engage and Disengaged. Central to these clusters was the quality of each student's underlying epistemic framework, and the appropriateness of that framework for doctoral study. Cluster membership was broadly independent of demographic and candidate factors. It is concluded that interventions (supervisory or institutional) need to focus on more than technical aspects of candidacy, and give explicit support to underlying epistemic growth.
Gender role attitudes of adolescent girls have not been widely studied, nor have the mechanisms by which attitudes towards women's roles develop. The present study focussed on ado... [more]
Gender role attitudes of adolescent girls have not been widely studied, nor have the mechanisms by which attitudes towards women's roles develop. The present study focussed on adolescent girls' gender role attitudes. Specifically it focussed on developmental differences in gender role attitudes of adolescent girls (n=642). The results indicated that Year 9 girls had significantly more positive attitudes towards feminism than Year 11 girls. These findings have important implications for girls' career development. Results suggest that there is a critical period between Years 9 and 11 which accounts for girls' increased conservatism towards feminism. The integral involvement of socialisation processes is necessarily implicated in this critical period.
Cantwell RH, Scevak JJ, 'It's good to know where to publish - but what makes it publishable? Some thoughts for those entering the field of academic publishing', Publishing in Academic Journals in Education (2009) [D2]
Shaw KM, Holbrook AP, Scevak JJ, 'The response of education interns to a compulsory research project', Proceedings of the Australian Association for Research in Education 2006 Annual Conference, Adelaide (2007) [E2]
Cantwell RH, Scevak JJ, 'Supervisor conceptions of a doctorate and their relationship to a developing assessment framework', Proceedings of the 2004 International Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference, Adelaide, Australia (2004) [E3]
Equity, Opportunity and Experience: Negotiation of the Higher Education Learning Environment by Students with Learning Difficulties and DifferencesCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsCo-Supervisor
2015
Industry Training in Australia: The Quest for Quality in Apprentice Training for the Automotive Service and Repair IndustryCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor
Intervention on a String: What is the Impact of Puppetry on Special Needs Students?Curriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor
2014
Metacognitive Processes in Early Childhood Amongst Children Diagnosed With an Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Age Matched ControlsCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor
Self-Regulation in the Doctoral Research Context: Exploring Students' Responses to a Self-Monitoring Process During PhD CandidatureCurriculum & Education Studies, Faculty of Education and ArtsPrincipal Supervisor | {
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David Matthews Norfolk March (2016)Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending (1914)Hamish MacCunn Overture, The Land of the Mountain and the Flood (1887)Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1) (1903-1909)
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool; Thursday 9 November 2017
Written by Ben Hogwood
This live encounter with Vaughan Williams’ Symphony no.1 (A Sea Symphony) was an unforgettable experience. Under Andrew Manze the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are working their way through a recorded cycle of the composer’s nine symphonies, and this performance was the only chance to catch the fruits of their labours in the live concert hall.
There was a last-minute change to the solo ranks, baritone Mark Stone replacing the indisposed Andrew Foster-Williams, but his voice was perfectly suited to the occasion. It was twinned with the ringing soprano of Sarah Fox, and the two dovetailed beautifully in the outer movements. One of many highlights of the performance was the nocturnal glint of the moon on the waves for the second movement, On The Beach At Night Alone, which was evocatively cast.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir – over 100–strong in this performance – were on superb form, sharply rehearsed and clear in diction, meaning there was no need for the accompanying words. They found the swell of the waves with unerring confidence and passion. Manze clearly loves this music, and brought the Scherzo to a half with shattering precision before grasping the last movement’s ebb and flow to great satisfaction, making good sense of what can be a long movement in the wrong hands.
Prior to this we enjoyed another encounter with the raw elements through Hamish MacCunn’s overture, The Land of the Mountain and the Flood. A tuneful work, it was immediately appealing through the tasteful ornamentation of the Scotch snaps in the cellos’ melody at the start. The music blossomed under Manze’s direction, though could have been even more exuberant in its closing pages.
Perhaps this was because it followed a rapt and incredibly restful performance of Vaughan Williams’ A Lark Ascending, his famous response to the George Meredith poem of the same name. Under the spell of James Ehnes‘ violin, we climbed effortlessly into the sky, ending the ascent in barely audible song as the bird disappeared from earshot. It was proof that despite the ubiquity of the ‘Lark’, Vaughan Williams still holds the ability to stop the listener in their tracks.
The first item in the concert was deceptively named as David Matthews’ Norfolk March. It was in fact a concert performance of Vaughan Williams’ Norfolk Rhapsody no.3, a piece lost in the wake of its first performance in 1906. Matthews however had a detailed programme note about the piece with which to work, describing its structure and folksong origins, and responded with a piece that was well above mere pastiche. In fact it proved a poignant reminder of the climate in which it was written, anticipating World War I in eight years’ time. There, alongside the cheery and resolute folk tunes, was uncertainty and barely concealed dread. Just over 100 years on it proved a timely reminder for many of those in the audience young and fortunate enough not to have experienced such times. | {
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"Critics argue that giving amnesty to 12 to 30 million illegal aliens in the U.S. would have an immediate negative impact on America’s working and middle class — specifically black Americans and the white working class — who would be in direct competition for blue-collar jobs with the largely low-skilled illegal alien population." JOHN BINDER
CALIFORNIA IS NOW A COLONY OF MEXICO. LOS ANGELES IS
MEXICO’S SECOND LARGEST CITY. HALF THE MURDERS IN CA ARE NOW BY MEX GANGS.
VIVA LA RAZA SUPREMACY? Then keep voting dem!
California must stem
the flow of illegal immigrants
The
state should go after employers who hire them, curb taxpayer-funded benefits,
deploy the National Guard to help the feds at the border and penalize
'sanctuary' cities.
“Illegal immigration is
another matter entirely. With the state budget in tatters, millions of
residents out of work and a state prison system strained by massive
overcrowding, California simply cannot continue to ignore the strain that
illegal immigration puts on our budget and economy. Illegal aliens cost
taxpayers in our state billions of dollars each year. As economist Philip J. Romero concluded in a 2007 study, "illegal
immigrants impose a 'tax' on legal California residents in the tens of billions
of dollars."
With colossal impertinence, the Mexican
government attacked Texas Gov. Rick Perry for sending National Guard troops to
guard our Southern border, saying that Mexico "deeply rejects and condemns
the deployment." The Mexicans accused Perry of taking this action to
advance his political ambitions.
Mexican
President, Enrique Peña Nieto a LA RAZA SUPREMACIST servant of the Mexican drug
cartels. He probably votes DEM in America's open borders to expand the LA RAZA
welfare state off the backs of gringos (Legals)
“Toss into the ugly political salad the mix of
illegal immigration, free trade, high treason, disdain for the Constitution by
US leaders, anti-rule-of-law anarchists groups and members of Congress (i.e.
pro-open borders, pro-illegal immigration groups), and increasing economic
pressures and uncertainties on both sides of the border, the climate is now ripe
for growing a civil war.”
.. and Hillary Clinton has vowed to banksters that the best
is yet to come!
BARACK OBAMA will finally leave office having destroyed the
American middle-class, leaving a nation with staggering debts and open borders
invaded and looted by NARCOmex.
He will go off and collect tens of millions in backend bribes from his crony
banksters in the form of “speaking fees”.
This “Hope and Change” clown who was nothing more than
Bush’s third and fourth terms on steroids will continue to blame the republican
party he hoped to destroy with amnesty for 40 million looting Mexicans. | {
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Mavs, Adelanto agree to new ballpark lease
The High Desert Mavericks (High Class A; California League) will be in Adelanto for at least three more years after signing a new lease for Stater Brothers Stadium.
The deal, which kicks in next season, is slightly different than the team’s current lease. The team will pay less in rent after assuming the costs of field maintenance, going from $110,000 this year to $1 next year. The city will spend $225,000 in improvements (expanding the team store, renovating the suites and upgrading the team office) and reimburse team owner Main Street Baseball $25,000 toward the cost of a new scoreboard. The goal, says City Manager Jim Hart,is to keep the Mavs in the city — a departure from the city’s stance several years ago, which called for the ultimate demolition of the ballpark:
“The city is excited that they’re staying,” Hart said. “It’s a good thing to keep the Mavericks here, it’s a good thing to create a new partnership with the new owners, and it’s a good thing for the community to have the team here.”
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About Ballpark Digest
August Publications was formed in 2002 with the launch of Ballpark Digest. Since that time the company has grown from a single employee working out of a home to a diversified publishing firm featuring Websites, books and other merchandise. Our motto is simple: We enjoy doing cool things and are overjoyed we can make a living doing so. | {
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Pregnant woman held in custody drop claims abuse
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania police chief says he’ll review surveillance video which shows part of an incident in which a pregnant woman was arrested during a child custody exchange only to have her claim she was roughed up by police.
Twenty-six-year-old Krista Abram, of McKeesport, says officers tackled her, though that can’t be seen on the video in which officers responded to a custody dispute in a parking lot Sunday night.
The father of the 5-year-old girl at the center of the dispute says Abram was “out of control” and pushed an officer, who Abram believed was wrongly removing the girl from her custody so she could visit her father.
Abram can be seen gesturing at officers, who chase her out of the camera’s view. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Comment on Review
Salesfusion
(96)
4.4 out of 5 stars
Salesfusion solves the divide between sales and marketing by offering a unique SaaS marketing automation solution that empowers both teams, unites them around common data and maximizes lead conversion.
What do you like best?
The tight, direct integration of Salesfusion with Sugar makes it very easy for us to sync our database, campaigns, and all other relevant information. It's very easy to send and track email campaigns, and setup webinars. We multiple webinars per week, and Salesfusion makes it easy for us to manage internally, and for people to register for our events. The email builder is very easy to use and we can customize our messages without having to code HTML from scratch.
What do you dislike?
The only real compliant I have is that you cannot have multiple windows open simultaneously. So if I'm building a report and need to know the ID of a campaign, I need to close the report, navigate to campaigns, then come back again.
Recommendations to others considering the product
We love Jana F. in training!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Communication between sales and marketing is key for us. Before, we had so much manual entry of data, it was hard to consistently ensure nothing fell through the cracks. Additionally, our reporting was not accurate as our systems were never in sync. We now have accurate (easy) reporting, and have even been able to retire a few of our systems, saving upwards of $500 per quarter.
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What do you like best?
The onboarding was good and hands-on, and customer support has been very responsive. The application itself has an intuitive layout and fairly easy to use. Great e-mail builder.
What do you dislike?
The landing page builder is outdated and not mobile friendly (new coming in Q2 they say). I'd like if I could set up sales campaigns with landing pages and emails in one dashboard, but I have to go back and forth a lot in the software. Would also like more help on improving email open rate (a lot of mine remains unopened despite being delivered), and using the system in more inbound marketing efforts beyond e-mails. New landing page builder and BI tool may improve that.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If you, like us, do not have a large marketing dept, then the hands-on onboarding and support is a big plus for Salesfusion. It is also fairly easy to get going fast, get emails out, users cookied, and get value. Pricing and payment terms are favorable, compared to HubSpot, Pardot and Marketo.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Getting more leads from website, reach out to more people with targeted messaging, structure follow-up of leads, establish inbound marketing culture in company. Have gotten to get a few more leads through online ads to landing pages, and catch leads from existing website forms. Also get use of the user stats from website. Biggest challenge to realizing more value is probably on our end - creating content.
What do you like best?
the scope of the application at an affordable price, support is responsive, they heed user suggestions and they keep improving the software
What do you dislike?
disjointed interface across the platform. Old legacy sections with limited function and archaic interface remain in place alongside new interface and functions; deprecated features remain in place but are not marked as such and can be used unwittingly resulting wasted time getting support to tell you it's deprecated.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Salesfusion is a very good all-around marketing automation tool that is very usable. The integrated CRM is good but not great due to it's limitations, but suffices for a company that contracts all sales to outside sales representatives and only needs sales managers to access it. It allows you to effective build up your database, qualify leads into contacts, and track their journey. The "Opportunities" feature in the CRM is the weakest part of the CRM with very little flexibility. These things have inhibited sales manager adoption. If you need robust CRM capability, Salesfusion has multiple integrations with major CRM resources including Salesforce, Dynamics, Sage, SugarCRM and Infor. Other integrations include Google Adwords, event integrations including Webex with excellent API connectivity for connecting to any source using that method. Support is among the best in my experience, but still has some weaknesses, namely reliance upon email which is not sufficient when a complex problem emerges.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Acquiring and qualifying leads, delivering to sales, continued marketing to potentials for future or additional business. Making leads and contacts available to sales management through one cloud-accessible database, while delivering lead/contact journey. It has made our contact list much more accessible to sales, and enabled us to find potential opportunities within. Automated follow-up marketing emails have uncovered more opportunities.
What do you like best?
Salesfusion is a great company with a product that may not be perfect, but gets significantly better with each upgrade. Whenever we have an issue they are so quick to fix it, and alleviate any issues we had.
What do you dislike?
At times, the lack of integrations can be a bit of a hinderance. But, they own up to this very well and are very willing to hear your suggestions and adjust the platform to meet your needs!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Our company relies on our email marketing & CRM services, but one of the downsides of using Sugar as our CRM is our integrations between email marketing & our customer base are limited. Salesfusion is the best option when you want a great connection to Sugar, and has allowed us to utilize custom information and behaviors more than we ever have before to increase our email productivity by up to 400%
What do you like best?
Salesfusion listen to their customers needs and are always making improvements. I also like their native integration with NetSuite and oktopost social platform for a full business solution for building relationships and marketing your business. Tools I like most are the form builder and email maker. I haven’t really gotten into the guts of it yet I feel by using the scoring tool which has huge power when getting into prioritising and measuring customer behaviours.
What do you dislike?
The load speed can be slow at times. The events section needs updating but they are always updating things, I’m sure that won’t be too far away from being worked on. The neuture tool is good but is designed for email marketing and list marketing and not for use on econmerce ‘if this then that’ statements.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
I can now send reliable and great looking emails and measure them well. I can make landing pages when needed for contests and add salesfusion powerful forms on our website. I can also see a customers full history on clicks on the emails and website as well as an integrated powerful social media platform for our technology wholesale business.
What do you like best?
A "secret sauce" for the marketer finally! Salesfusion makes me look like a rockstar! I love how the interface is geared toward a marketing brain. It was actually an easy choice to choose Salesfusion after many demos of other automation tools. Not only was our experience on point from the very first chat with SF, but they always take the time to answer every single question we may have and keep up that service level. I also appreciate them enhancing features constantly so I can do my job better.
What do you dislike?
Training is a lot to take in. We were eager to get moving quickly, but I believe it went too fast. This may have been due to our deadline. Still today, they answer questions and record calls to go back to.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Aligning marketing and sales is always something you are working on. Sales Fusion has helped button our buttons when it comes to automation. We are able to create successful campaigns and for our business, saw immediate results after implementation. We are tracking weekly dashboards and now have a clearer picture into our industry.
What do you like best?
The customer service is remarkable. Any email or phone call on my end elicits an immediate response from Salesfusion. Although we have particular reps accountable for our success, I can call up anyone at Salesfusion and be taken care of. They work seamlessly as a team through the course of solving my problems. I also love how they write a ticket for every little thing, even if it gets resolved on the call. They are definitely thinking from the customer perspective, thinking and working together alongside us, and it makes a big difference.
What do you dislike?
The company is clearly growing fast, and making constant updates to their user interface. As a result, some functionality gets lost in translation. It is sometimes hard to navigate through their modules, or know where to go to find things. Creating reports for my leaders can be tough.
Given the complexity of emarketing and the needs of clients in a fast-changing tech world, Salesfusion is still the best option we've seen to satisfy our complex needs. As a customer, they are very open to my suggestions to improve their site, and like I said, they are constantly making things better.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Do it.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We were able to solve many issues we couldn't before for a number of our complex email campaigns. One campaign requires thousands of emails sent from hundreds of different users at once, and the ability to create many customized fields, including hard-coded fields. A process that used to take us months took us days. Another is our first real nurture campaign, which we could never before execute with such complexity and care.
What do you like best?
The onboarding process with Salesfusion was outstanding with recorded training sessions that I've been glad to look back on throughout the year. There are many features we've not yet tested but the core product is very sound and it's super useful to have so much information pushing all the way through to our CRM.
What do you dislike?
I'd like to see Salesfusion improve on the ease of creating custom reporting. That said, I've been very successful with support for building out the custom reports I've needed.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Be prepared to have your campaigns lined out to take advantage of the automated drip marketing features. The system will do it, but it takes time to plan that far in advance!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Visibility of contact activity on our web site has been very useful. Push through to CRM a huge benefit. The difference between this and our old one-way email platform is tremendous.
What do you like best?
Customer service is outstanding! Anytime I have a question or a request, I get a very timely response. Communicating with them could not be easier. We are at the very beginning of our implementation and I have to say the email builder is incredibly intuitive and looks great.
What do you dislike?
There's a bit of a learning curve when creating landing pages and forms. It's not quite as user friendly if you don't have much experience in HTML. That being said, I'm under the impression that this is something that will be overhauled soon.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We currently are sending monthly newsletters to individuals in a very manual process without much segmentation. Salesfusion is giving us the ability to send segmented emails, alert sales of lead activity and gather and track the lead process through our site.
What do you like best?
I like the new drag and drop email builder. It's more up-to-date with what you'd expect from a marketing technology provider.
I also like the add-in to MS Dynamics CRM and how it allows you to see the customer journey, add or remove them to lists and nutures and email a contact straight from the CRM. An added benefit if you don't want your sales team to have full access to your Salesfusion portal.
What do you dislike?
Reporting is limited to say the least. There's no easy way to track link clicks or downloads, unless they are gated by a form. Also, most reports require tables or multiple tables to be pulled in- almost always requires help from their professional services team at an extra fee.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Ask a ton of questions and talk to customers. Do you report a lot? Look at that feature closely. If you are also using it as a CRM- keep in mind the limitations and benefits there.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Marketing automation is a must- but it's only beneficial if the provider chosen syncs with your CRM. Salesfusion is one of the better alternatives if you aren't using the popular Salesforce as your CRM, however, if you are used to one of the "top players" in the automation game- there are several frustrations you'll gain from Salesfusion. The benefit of the software entirely depends on your companies needs- landing pages, email, CRM connections, reporting,etc.
We use Salesfusion to solve the problem of getting data into the CRM, that works-most of the time. The biggest benefit we've gained is that now our sales team can see what customers and prospects are doing to interact with our data also.
What do you like best?
What do you dislike?
-too many different places to create an email (nurture, trigger, email, template, etc.)
-less control of HTML in new email builder
-no capability to use dynamic fields in text only email builder
-email image editor is cool but not enough
-saves too many copies of images when i make edits in the builder
-inconsistent access to merge tags and assets throughout different email builders
-web activity alerts are automatically assigned out
Recommendations to others considering the product
Salesfusion has a learning curve but once you learn it, it is an incredible tool. It offers a lot of power to marketers like myself who really like to be in control, but also the ability to be hands-off in the places that I want to.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
-keep sales alerted when their contacts hit a marketing content piece (keep them in the loop)
What do you like best?
So far my experience with SalesFusion has been positive! The interface is very easy to navigate, they have a ton of support available to get really good at the tool, and there are a lot of metrics to measure the success of your campaigns! Working with the sales rep and onboarding staff has been very enjoyable.
What do you dislike?
There are bugs, especially surrounding the WYSIWYG tool, but our rep has told us they know about the issues and are working to get it to be better. It's functional and does what it needs to do, but it could be a lot more responsive and robust.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We are trying to get some campaigns off the ground and are really starting at ground zero with our marketing automation. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can really get out of this!
What do you like best?
I like the dashboards that show activities on our web site and responses to our email campaigns. It has a built in CRM that we can use and it has built in integration with many of the 3rd party CRM systems, including SAGE. We have only just started to scratch the surface since the product has a broad range of functionality
What do you dislike?
Since the product has a lot of functionality it will take us a while to learn, but it is worth the results we are getting.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Take the Salesfusion University 2 day class after your initial On-boarding Training. Send out a few emails and get started and then sign up for the class. Also they have frequent online webinars, which are either free or fairly inexpensive
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Better tracking on leads from out web site lead generation. We have been able to create, track and improve on our email campaigns and associated landing pages. The reporting is all in one place so our reporting has improved, which makes managements happy.
What do you like best?
As a professional in the recruiting industry, I put a high value on talent. Our company selected Salesfusion over other marketing automation platforms because we were looking to build a strong relationship with a local vendor. Over the years, Salesfusion has done a great job of becoming what I consider an extension of our marketing department. From onboarding, to my monthly touch point calls with my client success manager, I have always felt that the team at Salesfusion is flexible and genuinely wants to help us succeed with our business goals.
What do you dislike?
This is more of a wish than a dislike, but I hope that they develop a user certification program or a university track for more advanced users.
Recommendations to others considering the product
I recommend cleaning your data and having a discussion internally about business goals and priorities. It's really easy to get off track using a blank slate software that can be customized for your business needs.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Salesfusion is an incredibly expansive tool to implement and utilize. There are various areas of our business where Salesfusion has assisted us, including our email campaigns and contributing to the alignment of our sales and marketing teams.
What do you like best?
SalesFusion is easy to use, provides all the tools to successfully market and drive new business. The Customer Support team is always friendly and helpful and respond in a timely manner. They also provide lots of access to self paced or online training.
What do you dislike?
We a very satisfied customer and continue to be pleased with the product and service we receive.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Be sure to attend their training sessions to pick up the best practice tips and tricks.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Greater visibility of the success of our email marketing campaigns and web tracking.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Build a plan/process before implementing a tool. The process you build will help identify the right tool to automate your marketing campaigns. It will also help you identify your approach once onboarding is complete.
The Salesfusion team is highly-approachable. They are very knowledgeable and are a great resource. I can depend on their prompt responses to my questions.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Business problems: marketing and sales alignment, automation of lead capture/scoring, consistent campaign communication and providing a 360 degree view of the prospect.
Benefits realized: increased efficiency (less time spent manually adding information); seamless tracking and displaying of prospect interactions within the CRM; and increased ability to deliver excellent content to prospects/clients. Although it may be considered a "soft" benefit, our sales and marketing team is working together to maximize our results from Salesfusion. We discuss and define sales qualified leads, and collaborate on scoring thresholds. We work together to plan our campaigns and events; as well as the follow-up strategy. Increased collaboration and better sales and marketing alignment.
What do you like best?
Well suited for businesses that rely heavily on email marketing or who are likely to have users visit their website on multiple occasions. Great integration with CRMs for sales team engagement and data sharing.
What do you dislike?
- Additional user education available through downloads for existing customers rather than scheduled webinars would be helpful.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Robust system with lots of great features. Their reps and support staff will help you through the initial learning curve. You'll be glad you invested the time in learning the features of the system.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We currently use Salesfusion as one part of overall marketing strategy for our clients. Some use the service to communicate with existing clients, others use the system as a platform to attract new customers based on website interaction.
What do you like best?
With SalesFusion I like most the approach from result side. This is serious solution for companies who want to achieve real results, instead just having some marketing automation system.
Full control on detailed process flows, predictive lead scoring, possibility to automate practically everything and being able to manage and produce all needed contents and process flows.
Personallly I don't like solutions that are just easy to use and not able to produce wanted outcome.
Overall very comprehensive package including possibility to integrate practically with any CRM.
Customer service is outstanding and I have received answer and solution to any issues I've encountered this far.
What do you dislike?
Learning curve is of course much steeper than with some widely used entry level solutions, only thing that I somehow dislike, is that orange color is used everywhere instead changing colors slightly within different categories.
Recommendations to others considering the product
It is important to evaluate level and goals that you want to achieve, if you need to go as professional as possible - go with SalesFusion. And if you have limited time and skill resources and you just need some basic features,
then it would be better to choose some simpler solution.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Being able to produce 150 times more qualified leads than before, rise of sales hit rates with 50% by better quality leads.
What do you like best?
Salesfusion has a very solid marketing automation platform, but what truly sets them apart is their focus on their customers' success. They have shown from the first contact through our entire relationship with them that they deeply care about their customers and want to make sure that we are successful with the platform. The onboarding process is quite comprehensive as well. We've been a salesforce customer for 10 years, so the integration with Salesforce was a critical aspect of our decision making criteria.
They do releases on a fairly regular basis, and have a customer idea wall where they collect comments, ideas and more from their customers to help improve the product. Their training area, in addition to SalesFusion University (on-site training) are excellent.
I love their responsive templates, as well. :)
What do you dislike?
There are a couple of features that are lacking, but there is a new version of some of these coming out soon so hopefully this will get remedied.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We needed to replace a vendor who was underperforming, implement new marketing automation processes, and most of all, start lead scoring and running nurture campaigns. Our previous vendor was very hard to work with and unresponsive when we needed help, and the tool was archaic and inflexible.
With Salesfusion, we are able to run comprehensive nurture campaigns for both customers and prospects, get great insights and analytics about our prospects' behavior, and generally run as a much more efficient marketing organization. We're a lean team, so getting the right tools in place was one of my first priorities.
In addition, they have an excellent email plugin that allows 1-to-1 emails from sales rep to prospect to be tracked and recorded in Salesforce.
What do you like best?
- Provides great features such as the ability to segment groups of people to deliver more personalized messages.
- Great reporting tools to measure the success of a marketing campaign and quickly evaluate what is working and what can be improved.
- Easy to learn.
- Superb customer support that responds to questions quickly and thoroughly.
What do you dislike?
- Identifying and removing unneeded contacts (duplicates etc.) can be challenging, though some recently added features should help with this.
- The WYSIWYG and HTML editor can be challenging to use for some content creators.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Salesfusion is a very full-featured SaaS-based email marketing automation software for business. They're a great company that provides excellent customer support. I recommend Salesfuison to any company who is ready to benefit from marketing automation.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
A huge benefit is the ability to measure the effectiveness of various marketing campaigns. Integration with CRM and the reporting tools are also major benefits.
What do you like best?
The ease of building an email template helps to quickly put together templates for approval as well as timely email communications that need to go out.
What do you dislike?
The lack of features offered as well as the fact that you can't copy and resend an email campaign to a new list withouth creating an entire new campaign and pulling in the template is very frustrating.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
The marketing dashboards and ease of use. The ability to see all of our campaigns and drill down and compare them to see which ones were successful and which ones weren't.
What do you dislike?
The tool works well for lead generation for sales for a company. We use it for multi marketing strategies with additional tracking and it can sometimes get challenging to have multiple users involved with leads / campaigns.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Take advantage of all of the training and early set up instructions. Become very familiar with the training and user guide available on line. Think about investing to attending the Salefusion Universities. They are indepth and provide individualized training that is specific to your needs and use.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Management and tracking of our marketing campaigns. We have realized tracking we have never had before.
What do you like best?
The features of salesfusion are everything you'd want in a marketing automation platform.
What do you dislike?
We're still learning how to use the system and the documentation is a bit weaker than I would like. Now that we've had a year under our belts of using it I add it is a great platform but has a big learning curve.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
Salesfusion is always updating their product to enhance the user experience. It seems each update has a new feature or simpler set up that allows me to maximize the experience and increase my productivity.
The features have become so easy to use, when I train others, they understand the functions in one meeting, rather than two or three meetings. Plus, Salesfusion keeps a great online library of resources and guides.
Also, the customer service is top notch. My phone queries are nearly always answered and answered by a professional who can guide me to a solution, or provide within a couple of hours.
If the first solution does not work, the team continues to work until I receive teh desired outcome.
What do you dislike?
Sometimes on Google Chrome, the functionality ceases. Double-clicking items no longer loads until I reset my cache in the browser.
Sometimes the terminology used for some of the features is a bit too technical and as a layman, I need help translating to meet my needs. However, this has become less of an issue as Salesfusion continues to rename some of its features and provide detailed descriptions in the update newsletters.
The reporting is still tricky and required some database knowledge to be sure I include the correct fields to meet my needs.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If the primary user or administrator does not have a technical or database background, it may be worth checking out some of the Salesfusion training and guidance materials in their library.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
I send emails to both our internal and external sales agents. We also host langing pages for events. We are in need of trackability of our email opens, clicks, and event activity.
The tool has worked as a short-term solution for posting some of our required materials. We can be sure that the required materials will be delivered directly to the recipient through email communication.
What do you like best?
Salesfusion allows you to do everything you need to reach your target audience and track your campaigns. The platform is user friendly; even the technologically-challenged marketer can create comprehensive, effective campaigns. In addition, the Salesfusion team provides support, if needed, and is continually upgrading the platform's functionality based on feedback from the users. Definitely the way to go if you're looking for an email platform.
What do you dislike?
Nothing. My experience with Salesfusion has always been positive.
Recommendations to others considering the product
The Salesfusion team is awesome. They are easy to work with and always willing to assist you in any way necessary.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
The platform provides detailed reports which allow our Marketing Department to study the statistics and trends for our campaigns and fine-tune our strategy in response to the findings. In addition, Salesfusion is willing to work with its customers to solve problems and ways to improve their platform or add functionality in response to customer needs and industry best practices.
What do you like best?
The best part of the Fusion conference was meeting that people that work there. They all are highly motivated people and it was a pleasure to meet them in person. As a reseller for Salesfusion, we came away with many awesome ideas for sales, marketing.
What do you dislike?
It's hard to think of something we dislike, but perhaps the reason we haven't started our lead scoring process yet is that it was difficult to set up the rules for it and get a good understanding of how to track the scores and see them convert. We could use help in this area if anyone at SalesFusion has time to work with us on this!
Recommendations to others considering the product
I would fully recommend the 30 day risk-free trail. During the process, we had a chance to use the platform, fully integrated with our CRM, to run test campaigns from. We used it for a few email sends and tracked the results without ever being committed. This was a game changer in deciding which automation platform to choose.
What business problems are you solving? What benefits have you realized?
We are trying very hard to align the marketing and sales departments in our company. We've received a lot of ideas at the Fused conference and would like to start implementing some of the features we've seen such Social Listening and the Nurture Campaign Editor. I think using some of these new tools and diving deeper into the SF platform will help us to reach our goals of highly valuable MQLs that our sales team will be happy to receive.
What do you dislike?
It's hard to think of something we dislike. Some areas of Salesfusion are so robust that it is difficult to set up, but I talked to our reseller trainer and he is taking the time to assist me with some one-on-one training. Thank you Andy!!
Recommendations to others considering the product
I would fully recommend the 30 day risk-free trail. During the process, we had a chance to use the platform, fully integrated with our CRM, to run test campaigns from. We used it for a few email sends and tracked the results without ever being committed. This was a game changer in deciding which automation platform to choose.
What business problems are you solving? What benefits have you realized?
We are trying very hard to align the marketing and sales departments in our company. We've received a lot of ideas at the Fused conference and would like to start implementing some of the features we've seen such Social Listening and the Nurture Campaign Editor. I think using some of these new tools and diving deeper into the SF platform will help us to reach our goals of highly valuable MQLs that our sales team will be happy to receive.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Just do it! This is the best marketing automation software out there!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
As a Sage CRM consultant I can't wait to start helping our customers with a fully integrated marketing system. It makes me happy that I can assist our customers with the best marketing automation software that I have ever come across. Sales and marketing teams will finally be able to work together to pull in qualified leads.
What do you like best?
The customer support and client advocacy is unmatched in the marketing automation industry. They go out of their way to hear new ideas and continue to thrive and make the system better constantly.
What do you dislike?
The features can be very buggy. I have many issues with the email builder on a day-to-day basis. I have issues with the reports (custom reports are a nightmare), the biggest pain point for me is the lack of consistency in the features working as they should and then those issues are not able to be replicated with IT support.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If you're a company that will use the system for 1-3 emails a week and for sales and marketing alignment it could work perfectly for your business.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
The A/B testing functionality is helping to make testing smoother and easier.
What do you like best?
Look for product that is CASL Compliant? Look no further.
SalesFusion 360 has it! It also sends the information back to your CRM with a seamless automation that took me a few minutes to setup. The analytics are out of the world. For example: You can find out who is searching what on you website, you can know when someone has opened a link to a particular newsletter within a dashboard. Looking for a new newsletter template for a campaign? Well, Salesfusion has made it very easy for you to select from over 500+ templates to select from - Looking for a Responsive design? Yes - they got it too. Can't go wrong, hence we are very satisfied with this product.
What do you dislike?
As with any type of new software, you will need to learn the in's and out's of the product.
Though I was able to self-learn the product, I do recommend that you complete the goto classes that are provided.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
The best part of SalesFusion are the people we work with through support and product questions. We receive answers immediately and the person helping us is interested in getting us to the end goal of the project and not just answering a one of question. Follow through is key and SF has mastered it.
What do you dislike?
It's hard to think of something we dislike, but perhaps the reason we haven't started our lead scoring process yet is that it was difficult to set up the rules for it and get a good understanding of how to track the scores and see them convert. We could use help in this area if anyone at SalesFusion has time to work with us on this!
Recommendations to others considering the product
I would fully recommend the 30 day risk-free trail. During the process, we had a chance to use the platform, fully integrated with our CRM, to run test campaigns from. We used it for a few email sends and tracked the results without ever being committed. This was a game changer in deciding which automation platform to choose.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We are trying very hard to align the marketing and sales departments in our company. We've received a lot of ideas at the Fused conference and would like to start implementing some of the features we've seen such Social Listening and the Nurture Campaign Editor. I think using some of these new tools and diving deeper into the SF platform will help us to reach our goals of highly valuable MQLs that our sales team will be happy to receive.
What do you like best?
I like the layout of the software. There is a large working space for customizing your HTML and the buttons to navigate elsewhere in the application are neatly hidden to the left side of the application. Great access to the learning management system within the application allows for quick and easy troubleshooting when an issue arises. Email delivery is fantastic, great Social plugins, and a complete lead scoring model makes Salesfusion one of the best and most capable marketing automation systems I've had the pleasure of using.
What do you dislike?
It can be a bit clunky and repetitive when navigating from one area of the software to another. I have consistently seen shortcuts and "quick steps" developed in the application to cut down on some of the congested areas. That's why I like this application. It's always evolving and becoming easier to use!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Overall marketing communication have been streamlined and more efficient. I had an 87% better email delivery rate compared to my previous email service provider. Cranking out campaigns and messaging has never been easier! I'm working 2 weeks in advance now and it makes my life easier.
What do you like best?
I like the ease with which you can create an email without being an HTML expert or knowing a lot about graphic design. My background is in writing yet I can still create a visually appealing email using the email editor (although after trying the new one this morning, I'm excited for it to become even ore user-friendly!) I also love the reporting feature; I love how you can totally geek out on the numbers. I'm only beginning to explore the custom reports but I love what I see so far!
What do you dislike?
I dislike having to repeat a text style - font size, color or style - because the editor doesn't always keep the change you just made. I often make a change, save the email, send myself a test email, and the change does not render and I have to repeat myself.
Recommendations to others considering the product
I would highly recommend this product to others - I can't wait to do more with it!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
I am able to target more specific audiences with the tool, and measure how those efforts are working using the great reporting features.
What do you like best?
The best thing about SalesFusion is the ability to tailor nurture campaigns based on specific actions or knowledge that you already have about the user. It allows us the ability to speak directly to what the user may want so they aren't flooded with messaging they don't care about.
What do you dislike?
Some of the interface is clunky and HTML designing is the easiest for our look and feel - something that I'm not well-versed in at all. Other than that, I don't have the content to fully utilize the tool, but that's an internal issue!
Recommendations to others considering the product
Definitely shop around, you'll find that Salesfusion offers the best bang for the buck. It's also a growing tool. Even in the short time I've been using it (less than 1 year), I've seen some great changes and there are more changes to come!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We are trying to better qualify our sales leads as well as create some better interest generation. We've been able to have more access into the seeing what users are doing on our site, see what they are engaging with, and see more of the product interaction.
What do you like best?
Great product that is extremely robust, but my absolute favorites is how awesome their customer service is. Every single question is answered and they always follow up to make sure that you don't have any other issues. They host great events to make sure that you really are getting the most out of the system and they listen to how you would use the product so that you're using it to align with what your needs are.
What do you dislike?
It's hard to come up with an answer because they are always open to hearing your feedback and constantly take those into consideration as they work to make a product that aligns to what their users are seeking.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Always plan your integration and keep your CRM team in the loop. Make certain you have sales and marketing on the same page with expectations.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We are getting better insight on how to clean our data so that we can really target the users who want to see our product and have the best potential to become customers. As well, for our existing customers, it's a great way to keep them engaged and in the know of our current activities.
What do you like best?
For those in the world of marketing it is great to have a one stop shop for one price to reach all of our marketing goals.
What do you dislike?
I was not as much of a fan of the old UI but they have addressed the issue with the new interface.
Recommendations to others considering the product
It is important to understand the breadth of the different marketing channels that this solution can address. And, make sure to involve sales and marketing personnel during the evaluation process.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We sell lots of different products and services and we get the flexibility of designing marketing programs based on the unique buying styles of our different customers for the various solutions we provide.
What do you like best?
What do you dislike?
Email drafts do not work as expected at the time of designing when they land in inbox and need HTML coders to fix at times.
Recommendations to others considering the product
It is the best tool in the market if you are looking for a powerful marketing automation system for your organization !
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
How to nurture existing leads and contacts in CRM was the biggest concern ! Use of SF tool has helped streamline the process better. In addition, use of dialogues have helped us get deeper insights into what kind of traffic are we getting and a clear insight on the exact needs of the visitors to follow up.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Response from Malinda Wilkinson of Salesfusion
Great news! We took your feedback and just launched a new landing page builder! In addition to being an easy-to-use drag and drop builder (no coding required), all pages are mobile responsive. Contact our support team if you have any quesitons.
What do you like best?
SalesFusion has the best customer support I’ve encountered with any SaaS to date, by far. We use SalesFusion 360 primarily for centralized email marketing in support of our national sales team and we’ve seen great ROI with it.
The email building could be made easier with a drag and drop feature. As it is, it helps to know a bit of html to build the emails but the support team at SalesFusion is incredibly responsive and helpful, so any issues you encounter, they will bend over backwards to help you out.
What do you dislike?
I have yet to find an email marketing software that is intuitive. They all come with a steep learning curve and none seem to study competitors’ software to assess best functionality/interface/user experience to improve their own software.
Having said that, SalesFusion support staff are ultra-responsive and take every step they can to include needed functionality or address issues you might experience. And I still prefer SalesFusion’s interface over any others I've encountered thus far.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Great customer support is so hard to find these days, and it makes a world of difference when you’re in the trenches. You also have the option of buying direct training time with their very patient, very helpful support staff. We spent a few hours with Kellie Boggs, one of their resident geniuses, who walked us through tricky terrain like building dialogs for the first time. She was incredibly thorough and patient and she recorded our call so that we could review at our convenience – immensely helpful.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
SalesFUSION has so many different aspects that when you put them together creates a very powerful tool. You can get incredibly detailed info about who visits your site and what they do on it. You can create very powerful campaigns using direct, drips and triggers and automate everything so you don't even have to think about it. The support and training provided is excellent. Also they are constantly updating and improving it.
What do you dislike?
The only thing I find challenging at times is creating really good emails as my knowledge of HTML is limited. Maybe an option for a drag and drop type design would help out those of us less technical :)
Recommendations to others considering the product
There is a lot to learn as the package has many features but you get excellent help and support from the team. If you haven't used a package like this before it will totally transform your marketing.
What do you like best?
I've been using SalesFUSION360 for almost a year now and clearly have noticed our campaigns have been more streamlined and deliver better results. Our marketing department monitors and manages our social media activity, lead scoring, website visitor traffic and lead/drip nurture campaigns for emails. In addition, creating unique landing pages are easy to set up and monitor their performance. SF360 fully integrates with my company's CRM (Salesforce). Custom dashboards are great for displaying a quick overview of our sites analytics.
What do you dislike?
Like any new software adoption, the initial learning curve can seem daunting at first but online videos, LMS training and a highly responsive and knowledgeable support staff will bring your campaigns to life. Having knowledge of HTML and CSS helps a lot.
Recommendations to others considering the product
I would recommend this powerful feature-rich marketing automation system to anyone who wants better performance, better lead numbers, lead quality improvements, and leads that convert to true sales.
What do you like best?
Salesfusion offers a lot for a marketing professional in one solution. We are Microsoft CRM partner and use Salesfusion and also recommend it to our customers. They are constantly updating the product with new features, look and feel and more services around the product. Salesfusion doesn't feel like a blackbox most of the time :). the support team is very responsive and you can get to know real people that are eager and willing to help. From a product features standpoint the ability to design and campaigns, get actionable information directly into the hands of sales people is very powerful. Salesfusion has a
What do you dislike?
There can be a learning curve with the solution if you try to do too much at once. There are lots of features and settings and things you can do with the application. It can take some time to discover all the benefits and features of the platform.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We are able to run campaigns, track our marketing and sales performance and drive better results.
What do you like best?
Our Sales team wanted more involvement with what our Marketing team was presenting. Our Marketing team wanted better analytics and delivery without a loss of control to Sales. I.T. wanted a cloud product that would work with our CRM without astronomical added costs.
SalesFusion proved to be the SaaS that did not focus solely on one side of that equation.
SalesFusion meets my Sales Team’s demands by exposing them to active scoring. They can view the campaign calendar and analyze the scoring history of contacts in several different ways. They can take those results and tune for a new promotional email or fully engage hot leads with targeted information. They are spending more time being effective with the right leads and less time chasing the wrong dead ends.
SalesFusion meets my Marketing Team’s demands by giving them better analytics for more effective campaigns. By combining social media marketing with standard email efforts, we are getting better coverage and have the ability to see the results instantly. With better information coming in at real time speed, less time is spent collecting and churning aged data, and more time building better campaigns.
SalesFusion meets my IT Team’s demands by switch on integration at a value price. The SaaS nature of the product fits perfectly into our vision. SalesFusion is scalable to our expansion, easy to administer, and most importantly, doesn’t require an army of outside consultants to “just make it work”.
What do you dislike?
Saying something is a “dislike” would be a bit of an overstatement. I think my company is challenging SalesFusion to be as nimble and responsive as they are with their smaller clients, as they are with the larger ones. In this regard, SalesFusion has met the challenge. We have immediate interaction with their support staff through the Customer Assistance line, and informative follow ups. They do not stand on titles, as the CTO has even called me directly to answer an involved question. The point is if it gets asked, it gets answered. If there isn’t an answer or resolution, they get to work on creating one for an update. This proves they are actively engaged with their customer base and responding to new ideas and demands in a timely fashion. They see their success through your success.
Recommendations to others considering the product
My company needed an entry into the Marketing Automation space that would bring calibration between Sales And Marketing to the forefront. Our old habits had the two departments claiming ownership of the deals with no real way of determining what was successful. After demonstrations from other larger MA products, we quickly realized most had a single-minded approach to a target audience. Either the product was heavy on the Sales presentation of raw numbers, or the product had overcooked campaign techniques. With the other software offerings, both departments looked lost in the other’s wake.
The fusion in SalesFusion apparently means just that. The software gives a solid base of analytics for both the Marketing and Sales leadership to make informed and impactful decisions. The Marketing team is able to build out campaigns based on proven results, and the Sales team is able to grow fruitful leads into revenue built from insightful scoring. Both efforts have come from a collaborative approach. The two teams are actively discussing what works best; constantly reviewing and dialing in the scoring and targeted campaigns. I think SalesFusion’s blended approach is the catalyst for this new growth.
If your company isn't specifcally a marketing firm, I think SalesFusion is the perfect fit! They understand that the relationship between Sales And Marketing should always be symbiotic.
What do you like best?
SalesFusion 360 has so many great features! I love how easy it is to create attractive and effective landing pages. One feature that has proved to be critical for the company I work at, are the detailed analytics pages. Although Google Analytics features much of the same information, SalesFusion 360's dashboards are great for someone who wants to get a quick overview of site traffic and statistics. I am very impressed with SalesFusion 360's nurture campaigns for email. They are easy to set up and are very effective! One of the main selling points about SalesFusion 360 is that it fully integrates with my company's CRM (Sage). We could not find any other marketing automation platform that would integrate. Overall, it has been a great product.
What do you dislike?
The learning curve can be a little steep, as with any type of software. It helps to know a little about HTML when building landing pages and email templates, however, the support team is very accommodating when it comes to this; they have been extremely helpful in the learning process.
Recommendations to others considering the product
This product is cheaper, better, and faster. I highly recommend SalesFusion 360 to anyone who is seeking a marketing automation platform.
What do you like best?
Initially I found SalesFusion to be a big learning curve, but having used other products in the past I knew it would take some time. I love the flexibility in how one can create one's own look and feel and have complete freedom to use any fields you wish. There is no limit as to what one can do. Once you have set everything up, it is a breeze, especially once you have set up your own templates. The pricing is fantastic compared to some of the other products. Most of all, I have to highly recommend the speed at which queries get answered, Jamie has been absolutely awesome and ALWAYS helps out within a few hours. Being on the other side of the world, time differences could potentially be an issue, but I don't think Jamie ever sleeps - she is always available at the drop of a hat. Love this product.
What do you dislike?
Initial learning curve was very steep.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Compare, compare, compare - there are a lot of different products out there, but few are as reasonable as SalesFusion
What do you like best?
Full featured marketing software that adds the functionality you always wanted in your CRM. Plus, it integrates with our website so we can track which of our clients/prospects are visiting. And the support is amazing. We ran into an issue that required them to re-write some code. Not only did they do it, they did it withing one week. I've never seen anything like it.
What do you dislike?
The learning curve is a bit steep but no more than learning your CRM in the first place.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Buy it. You won't regret it. The support alone is worth the price.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We needed a better way to handle events, webinars, etc. Our existing email software was fine, but it didn't do what we needed
What do you like best?
I've been really impressed with the analytics. One of the hardest metrics to determine in marketing is ROI but SalesFUSION makes that more accessible. I have also had a great experience with technical support. If I have a question, I can be sure that it will be answered thoroughly and in a timely manner.
What do you dislike?
I have found that some features can be difficult to learn on my own. However, the reference materials have continued to improve and if I get stuck I know I can get help from the support desk.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Make sure you have time to dedicate to learning the tools. SalesFUSION can be a powerful marketing tool but it takes a little bit of time to learn how to use all of the features.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
Monitoring customer response has become invaluable. We can monitor what works well and what doesn't so we can continue to tailor our marketing efforts. We have also been able to track the direct relationship between marketing efforts and sales.
What do you like best?
I like the email creator. I think they make it very easy to use HTML to create and edit templates. I also like their dashboards and survey functionality. Their support is also always there to help and will always find an answer to your issues.
What do you dislike?
The system does not integrate with all objects/fields in Salesforce and their event integration is hard to manage.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
In my role I design and build multiple emails on a daily basis. The system navigation is easy to understand and allows me to get our campaigns put together in a quick efficient manner. The drip and trigger campaigns have allowed us to expand our marketing automation to reach our audience in a targeted, timely fashion. We are still exploring the capabilities and have a lot of options to optimize and improve our email marketing efforts. Best of all, our SalesFUSION support is there to answer questions and train us on the tools to make sure we are getting the most out of the system.
What do you dislike?
Switching from our old system into salesFUSION, there are some features (copying campaigns, searching for recipients) that I am not yet used to using on a daily basis but am becoming more and more familiar with them over time.
Recommendations to others considering the product
It is a powerful system that allows advanced marketing automation and simple one time email campaign deployment.
What do you like best?
We partnered with Salesfusion 360 for both their Email Marketing Automation platform and the CRM offerings. We have found both the set-up and interfaces easy to use, Their training documents and classes are robust and straight forward. Support is very responsive and usually a resolution is acquired within hours.
What do you dislike?
Still early stage in launching so no dislikes at this time.
Recommendations to others considering the product
During set-up well defined field definitions and scoring matrix is critical in order to produce the best back end reporting. Utilize the SalesFusion training tools as they are informative and very well done.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
We needed to bring a fuller offering to our current multi-touch marketing approach services to our clients. We needed to fulfill the multi-platform integration between our clients and DMP. SalesFusion is going to help DMP become a fuller offering marketing company and allow us to offer the integration that today's market space requires.
What do you like best?
I like the flexibility of the solution and how much information it provides about web traffic and email campaigns. The support group is great and you can get one on one help as needed. It is rare today! I also like the learning management system but nothing beats the SalesFUSION University for a great learning environment.
What do you dislike?
I wish I had more time to learn to use all of the functionality. It is a very deep solution and there is so much I haven't even touched yet. It does require dedication to learning to take advantage of the full features.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Dedicate the right amount of time to learning it and it will pay back ten fold.
What do you like best?
I loved the agenda and content as well as the location. The agenda gave room for breaks and was filled with relevant information for my business needs.
What do you dislike?
I thought there was a bit of redundancy in some of the messaging. Perhaps because they were making sure they were driving home some of the information.
Recommendations to others considering the product
SalesFusion has integrated so well with our CRM and there is a plethora of information and tools we haven't even started to use. I love the fact that if I ever need help, SalesFusion is very responsive and treats me as a valued customer all the time!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
SalesFUSION was one of the only marketing automation systems that had a calendar tool, ScheduleMe, on top of all of the other standard marketing automation features, which was a major bonus for the B2B company I work for. The system was easily integrated with our CRM, Salesforce, and it also comes at a great price. The support staff is AMAZING to work with. They respond quickly, and give you constant updates as they work toward a solution to your question/problem.
What do you dislike?
There was a relatively steep learning curve, but that is to be expected. The interface could use a little improvement, and setting up a campaign could be more intuitive, but it gets easier as you become familiar with the system.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If you are thinking about using SalesFUSION, do the free trial! Actually build a campaign during your trial period versus just “exploring” the system.
What do you like best?
Our core business is webinar demand generation. email marketing for driving and attracting audiences for multiple webinars /clients that is easy to use is a tablestake for us to be successful. We have great confidence in this tool, as the rich set of metrics/analytics for the daily tracking of our campaigns helps ensure that we are able to deliver the outcomes to our clients we promise.
We also like the ability to easily create landing pages (Dialogs) for downloading our assets and other content such as eBooks and being able to generate meaningful reports on activity.
The Web Forensics module allows us to have a beat on web activity, and helps in scoring leads, while getting daily reports of requests for our data sheets, or to set up a meeting. A cool feature is the use of location intelligence from having maps to see where activity is coming from. Considering that 90% of all info stored in a corp database has a location component, this gives us additional insights into where our leads are coming from, not only in the US, but globally.
I would also add that their support team is the best at being able to listen to your issue and then help solve it, and they are very pleasant and knowledgeable to deal with too.
What do you dislike?
Since we depend on having metrics available to make real time decisions on the effectiveness of campaigns, it would be very cool if SF would include a table driven report generator that would provide a menu of choices to get a quick response, without having to develop one from using their custom tools. It's ok as it is, but having a quick way to select on the fly of different variables would save us even more time.
Recommendations to others considering the product
It's a great all in one platform that is pretty easy to use, and to help get you up to speed, plan on utilizing their vast resources of On Demand recordings in their LMS. I would also recommend setting up some time with their customer success team, to put a training and support plan in place to help you ramp up quickly, and that could include as we did, in investing in free and paid support to get us on the right track. They are very friendly and knowledgeable, and can't recommend this enough.
What do you like best?
We love the possibilities with SalesFUSION. As we're learning the system, we are finding many new opportunities for targeting and tracking our client base. Also, the technical assistance is terrific. The support staff is thorough and extremely patient.
What do you dislike?
It's a little confusing at first. We needed extra training to best understand how the areas integrate with one another. It's getting easier with time, though, and I anticipate being very proficient in a matter of weeks.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Take the training! The online help manual is useful, but there's nothing like one-on-one help on the specific areas of trouble. It's inexpensive and worth every penny!
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
What do you like best?
Set and forget campaigns, the Fusion teams positive attitude to assist in 'getting it right' and the ability over time to communicate with our customers at the time they like, in the way they like and with relevance to their particular interests.
What do you dislike?
it's not the most intuative system, the reponse times are a little slow and given there are many ways to 'skin a cat' within Fusion it's sometimes tricky to decide which way to do something is best.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Technology is the enabler, you need to ensure you have a well thought out, well structured marketing plan to drive getting the best ROI from your technology investment. Content is king, and nurture marketing is not nurture marketing without quality content. The basis of any good purchase is the relationship you have with the vendor, and the guys at Fusion will bend over backwards to ensure the system is delivering.
What do you like best?
SalesFusion integrates with our CRM easily, and has a very robust segmentation feature that allows us to target specific groups. It's laid out very well, in a logical manner that makes it easy to navigate. There are a lot of features in SalesFusion that you just don't find elsewhere. As both a Partner and a User with SalesFusion, I not only utilize it on an almost daily basis, but I see our clients succeed with it as well.
What do you dislike?
If you are not familiar with HTML, it could be a little difficult for you to initially grasp. It wasn't an issue for me personally, however, I have seen some of our clients take a little bit longer to get the hang of it. The WYSIWYG editor is a great tool to assist in this.
Recommendations to others considering the product
As others have mentioned, the Support Team at SalesFusion is amazing. They are incredibly prompt, and the techs are competent, polite, and easy to work with. We have had clients try out other solutions with no success, but after switching to SalesFusion, they were up and running.
What do you like best?
That it offers a great number of features such e-mail marketing, campaign monitoring, website visitor monitoring and lead scoring. I also like the integration with my CRM, SalesLogix. The customer support is very good. The SalesFusion team seems dedicated to helping you succeed with using SaleFusion.
What do you dislike?
I don't think it has the most intuitive interface and from a design perspective, the control over the design control over the e-mails and dialog boxes is not the best.
What do you like best?
I like the flexibility, features and pricing. We had some pretty stringent requirements when we were looking for a new system, and Salesfusion fitted the bill. Now we use it, it's superb / easy, and even better is the continual free training on tap and heaps of new functionality with every new release. The support personnel are also great.
What do you dislike?
I think the interface could be further improved, but essentially it's very good. Some of the new functionality sometimes has bugs, but Salesfusion listens and are on the case to fix as soon as possible.
Recommendations to others considering the product
I'd say go for it - if you get in early before they're Marketo, you're benefitting from great prices and helping to mould the system become how you want it to operate.
What do you like best?
Sales Fusion is a very helpful marketing automation software especially for B2B companies.. I like the advanced drips and triggers features in this software that allows you to set up multiple workflows to follow up on your emails which is a feature that is missing in many of the marketing software in the market. It also integrates perfectly with our CRM.
What do you dislike?
I think the interface should be more user friendly, however the support team is always available to help..
Recommendations to others considering the product
SalesFusion has been a great help in revolutionizing our marketing efforts. hopefully it will be a great help for you too..
What do you like best?
Pricing! SalesFUSION 360 has the most competitive pricing of any of the major players in the marketing automation space that integrates with Salesforce.com.
What do you dislike?
Salesfusion had several issues that I did not like mostly dealing with the high degree of technical knowledge like HTML and design that was needed to just get a basic email out. Landing pages were even harder.
However it appears those issues have been completely resolved with the complete redesign of the GUI.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Kevin Miller and the rest of the staff are extremely easy to work with. I was unable to complete the contract with SaleFUSION 360 due to issues out of my control. They were very easy to work with during this tough time and I can not thank them enough. There is plenty of software companies out there and most of them you can even call to ask a question when you are evaluating. There are even less that will work with you through a difficult time.
What do you like best?
E-mail Campaigns that are designed and delivered via SalesFUSION. The templates are first rate, and it's easy to use. The variety of different campaigns you can send, such as drip, nurture and setting up triggers as reminders - are so convenient.
What do you dislike?
Nothing
Recommendations to others considering the product
I love the web tracking forensics and the easy to read dashboard features. These features allows you to view who is visiting your site, the pages they have visited, as well as the actual IP details. This product has really streamlined my marketing reports and assisted me in budgets for future campaigns.
The service support at SalesFUSION is top notch. They are helpful, quick and knowledgeable.
What do you like best?
Our company integrated SalesFusion with our existing SalesLogix CRM. The integrating was fairly simple and my team had support ever step of the way. The overall solution is feature packed and robust yet simply laid out on screen.
What do you dislike?
There were some minor items which did not work for our business process and/or needed to be enhanced to fit our needs, however this is where the support team shined and worked with my team to provide a working solution.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If you are looking for a great automation solution that is scaleable to your business you need to consider SalesFUSION 360
What do you like best?
Salesfusion 360 offers good design capabilities and very easy dialog page setup. It works as a standalone page or in i-frames. The drip and trigger campaign technology is robust and the integration with Salesforce.com is seamless on Contacts and Leads.
What do you dislike?
I would appreciate a better integration with Salesforce.com opportunities and a cleaner / more understandable ROI measurement across different marketing channels.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Make sure you understand the correct types of fields to set up in CRM for establishing preference centers.
What do you like best?
SalesFUSION successfully delivers a toolset that enables marketing to eliminate other monolithic tools. This creates a scale of economy in a simplifies skill set, cost reduction and one price to pay - its price meets the midmarket comfortably and SalesFUSION as a company is a joy to work with
What do you dislike?
This is a very complete tool - so there is a lot to learn. it was hard to prioritise which great function should go first
Recommendations to others considering the product
This tool is great - be prepared to be wow'd and go to all of the weekly training classes and you will be a Marketing Powerhouse!
What do you like best?
The integration of Microsoft CRM is very useful and seamless and web analytics are helpful. It is great to store assets inside the system, instead of always needing an outside link. If you do experience an issue, the support ticket is answered very quickly!
What do you dislike?
Someone else mentioned that it is daunting to setup and design an email to a nontechnical person - I completely agree. A drag and drop system of email design would be awesome and quicker. I have seen this feature with other providers (although they are more expensive).
Recommendations to others considering the product
Pick three vendors to compare, include SalesFUSION as one, they may be everything you need.
What do you like best?
It snaps directly into our CRM system and the integration was seamless with zero downtime. Their support team is very responsive and their system was built with the end-user in mind, easy to learn and user-friendly.
What do you dislike?
We have only had the software for a few months, as of now I do not have any complaints about the software or the company.
Recommendations to others considering the product
A must-look when searching for an email service provider. Powerful software with a reasonable pricing structure.
What do you like best?
The product is easy to use and learn. Training is AMAZING! There is a variety of learning methods - online videos, manuals, and daily live instructor-led courses.
What do you dislike?
I would like to customize my system even more and could use more hand holding.
Recommendations to others considering the product
I started with another automation marketing company and was frustrated with the tech support. I always felt stupid. But with SalesFUSION, they walk me through the steps and have always made me feel like I am a valued customer.
What do you like best?
This is a user friendly product. It isn't difficult to learn, even for a beginner. Also, anything that you are having trouble with, they have a great team to call who are always exteremly helpful. If there is something that they can't answer for you, they will find someone on their team who can and get back to you.
What do you dislike?
Some of the training sessions are a bit too structured. What I mean by this is that when they are teaching new customers how to do certain tasks, they sometimes get a little thrown by questions being asked that are at all outside of the box of what the 'lesson plan' is.
Recommendations to others considering the product
This is a great product - Make sure to ask all of the questions that you come across while learning to use it so that you can take full advantage of it.
What do you like best?
Compatibility with SalesLogix, lead scoring, ability to copy entire drip campaigns, visual designer, event management module integrated with GTM/GTW, beautiful dashboards for reporting, ability to create web forms in iframes to place on our website, and the best customer support team I've found.
What do you dislike?
Can sometimes be an overly technical environment to work in (i.e. custom report building goes way above my head at times), but that could be operator error, and customer support always walks me through it.
Recommendations to others considering the product
You won't find a better support team than the folks at SalesFUSION 360. Have them walk you through the product and remember that they will always be right there to assist as you implement.
What do you like best?
As someone who is new to HTML and email campaigns, the staff is beyond helpful and supportive. Any time I have a small or large issue, they are there to solve them. They make great suggestions! They go beyond technical problems and help me with HTML code issues. I wouldn't be able to make my campaigns without them.
What do you dislike?
At times I wish it was more user friendly. I wish it was more obvious to find certain tasks and not have to search in the Help category.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Reach out to the support team for ANYTHING! They are very knowledgeable about the field.
What do you like best?
Connects directly into our Sage CRM System. SalesFusion people know what they are talking about and provide good customer service.
What do you dislike?
I thin their product is powerful, well thought out and mature (does not need additional development). It would be great if they could offer a quick start program that, for a nominal fee, would help get our website and HTML emails full integrated.
Recommendations to others considering the product
Good integration in CRM, which is critical for our organization. Full featured and powerful from reporting to customer nurture campaigns.
What do you like best?
Integration of e-mail, web activity, lead scoring and CRM data to provide insights on current and potential client interests, marketing touch points and position in the buying cycle. Enables marketing to identify leads that require more nurturing and those that are sales ready.
What do you dislike?
When developing custom reports it is not always clear which combination of tables stores the data we are looking to extract.
What do you like best?
That ability to set up drip campaigns that go out automatically based on interactions, distribution lists, etc.
What do you dislike?
That the event manager feature doesn't come in the standard package - it costs extra.
Recommendations to others considering the product
It's a great product, but make sure you have ample time to learn the system and test. We're still finding new features that we want to implement and start using, but it takes time to learn these and figure out how to use them.
What do you dislike?
Haven't found much to dislike.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If your experience is anything like my own, you will not be disappointed. Great company, they implement or make enhancements based off of customer feedback and suggestions. Great customer service from a very knowledgeable team.
Learn more about Salesfusion
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* We monitor all Salesfusion reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. Validated reviews require the user to submit a screenshot of the product containing their user ID, in order to verify a user is an actual user of the product. | {
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Effective 01/01/09, Assembly Bill AB 3000, passed by the California Legislature, amended Probate Code sections 4780, 4782, 4783, 4784, and 4785 relating to health care decisions and life sustaining treatment. Nationwide, similar legislation is known as Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), in states that have adopted similar measures. (more…) | {
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A public tender for procurement of special equipment
Subject: A public tender for procurement of special equipmentPublished: 29.07.2011Status: closed
Deadline:
19.08.2011
International Organization for Migration, Mission to Ukraine, (IOM) on 29th July 2011 announces a public tender for procurement of special equipment for the benefit of Hirsk Border Division of Chernihiv Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Hirsk village, Chernihiv oblast). The activity is a part of the project titled ?Improving Operational Management of Field Divisions at the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Border Divisions)?, financed by US Department of State and implemented by IOM.
Specifications and requirements to the potential contractors:
:
?
Name
Quantity
1
Technical endoscope ЕТА-6 type
3 units
2
Special lighters of LER-6 or Maglite type
30 units
Detailed specifications are provided in Annexes to this advertisement. Tender participants should propose equipment with specifications equal to the above mentioned.
The bid must be valid for no less than 30 calendar days from the date of the tender submission deadline; it should be clearly stated in the bid.
Equipment delivery period should be no more than 30 calendar days from the date of signing the supply contract. Delivery is to be made to the following address: 6, Svitla Street, smt Bortnytchi. 02121, Kyiv, Mobile Unit of State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
Equipment prices in the bids should be stated in Ukrainian Hryvnyas.
It needs to be noted that equipment prices are stated in the bid without VAT. The winner will receive VAT exemption certificate for the price of the agreement in accordance with Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the United States of America Regarding Humanitarian and Economic Cooperation, of May 7,1992 and using the VAT exemption procedure of the Order as of 12.29.1999, No. 41/654 signed by NAUDEI and the State Tax Administration of Ukraine, VAT exemption of organizations implementing international technical assistance programs and projects in Ukraine.
Participants should provide warranty for the equipment for a periods, indicated in the detailed specifications of Annex 1 and 2 (warranty periods should be stated in the bid).
The bids, which are not compliant to the abovementioned, will not be considered by IOM.
Companies wishing to participate in the tender should submit their bids by 18:00 on 19 August 2011. The bid should include copies of companies? statutory documents, EDRPOU certificate (on including the company to the unified Ukrainian state register of enterprises and organizations), VAT payer certificate, copies of licenses for the equipment (ISO and UkrSEPRO) and list or references from the most prominent clients.
It is recommended to submit originals of the bids in the sealed envelopes to: Valeria Brahileva, 8, Mykhailivska St., Kyiv, 01001, Ukraine. | {
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SEC Division Turns to Data Geeks
After a rocky few years of flash crashes, trading glitches and botched IPOs, the Securities and Exchange Commission may finally be making headway in its battle with the streaming reams of disparate and diffused electronic data that define the modern U.S. securities trading markets.
Get access to this article and thousands more...
All TradersMagazine.com articles are archived after 7 days.REGISTER NOW for unlimited access to all recently archived articles, as well as thousands of searchable stories. Registered Members also gain access to exclusive industry white paper downloads, web seminars, online technology directory, the iPad App, and conference discounts. Qualified members may also choose to receive our free monthly magazine and any of our e-newsletters covering the latest breaking news, opinions from industry leaders, developing trends and trading strategies. | {
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Birth Certificate Translation Services
Birth certificate translation services are being offered because a birth certificate is crucial when applying abroad. Whether for a job, education or other purposes for moving to a different country. We aim to only provide the best birth certificate translation services to anyone all over the world. Regardless of what native country you are living in, you can truly rely on our global language birth certificate translation services. We are perfectly equipped enough to translate native or other foreign languages into English and vice versa.
For immigration, legal, professional and even academic purposes, birth certificate translation services are very important.Our pool of birth certificate translation experts will do the job for in such accuracy and quality.Our services are acknowledged by the USCIS and other professionals globally. The moment we receive a content, we devotedly study it and evaluate what kind of material we are working on so we can assign to a team member that is an expert in that niche.
No matter how confident and competent we are in this business, we still ask our clients to review the content that we had made for us to make sure that we have nailed the job well. Because of this proposition, many of our customers had expressed their satisfaction and gratification on the quality of our birth certificate translation services and how we impressively meet our turnaround timelines.
Online Birth Certificate Translation
We find the role of an online birth certificate translation very important especially for documents related to immigration purposes, visa application and even for educational use. We offer online service to serve you more convenience in processing important document such as this.
This is one of the most important personal document that should be understood and interpret legally, professionally and accurately. Because it is a piece of paper that represent the totality of your existence and personal identity. Therefore providing an online birth certificate translation service is very important not just to you but for everyone in the whole world.
Our experienced language translators have an imposing prowess and consistency in delivering an error-free translation output. They are not only proficient in birth certificate translation and other important documents but also marriage licenses, divorce papers, and ID application.Another factor in this service that we provide is our interaction with you. We pledge our 24/7 365 days in year availability just to serve also with a first-class customer service that you deserved. You can reach us via our toll-free number that is accessible in the US, UK, and AUS or you can also utilize the power technology through our online chat support. We aim to not just satisfy you with our services but to also make you feel valued with our customer satisfaction features but as well as other perks that will surely make you glad. | {
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I remember seeing Dagoba in the movie and also seeing it in a publicity piece in the English studio where it was built. It's very impressive in both contexts. I remember the nightmare cave where Luke encounters the warning for his future :)SophieSophie's Thoughts & FumblesFB3XWittegen Press
Luck and Yoda, both on Dagoba, I want to go. It was sad that after all his greatness Yoda died so quietly on that deserted planet, but at least he trained a Jedi for one last time and he became the greatest of all time."Haneen/I Will Never Give you Up (479)"
Yoda is definitely my favorite Star Wars character. I remember watching the movies for the first time and just thinking he was the cutest little thing ever. I didn't want to believe he was a kick-butt Jedi. I wanted to believe he was a cute little green puppet. ;) | {
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I tricked Mike into watching the Star Wars movies more often under the pretense of fan edits. This is part one.
In the twenty-second episode of Bantha Fodder, Mike and Jacob check out Heir To The Force, DigModiFicaTion's edit of The Force Awakens. They compare the goals of the edit to the result and note what they felt worked and did not work in favor of the cut. | {
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Memoirs of Strange Meals and Time Abroad
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The Weirdest Burger in Oklahoma
One of the things we do right in Oklahoma (setting aside all food created in foreign countries and faithfully reproduced here) is beef. Yes, for all our cultural failings in the buckle of the Bible Belt, we make pretty good burgers and steaks. In the heart of Oklahoma City, about a 20 minute drive from where I’m currently writing this, is the historic “Stockyards City,” which still functions to this day. So you know it’s fresh!
In case you were wondering, the title of this article is a compliment. I wouldn’t dare name anything “the best burger in Oklahoma.” I guarantee that’s a major point of contention, mainly because there are so many different types! There’s the classic cheeseburger, onion burgers, chili burgers, some with sausage mixed into the ground beef. Some are served with thin, burned to a crisp patties, others with juicy, organic beef. There’s a different burger for every taste, so saying one is “the best” is like naming a favorite child. So please, let’s not. Even if there’s one you happen to prefer, the hope is that they’re all special in their own way. Having cleared that up, it is easy to say that S&B’s Burger Joint does have the weirdest, wackiest, and really most creative burgers I’ve had in or out of Oklahoma.
The place is located in the ground floor of one of the more unassuming office buildings in the city. It shares a parking lot with Best Buy and Home Depot. Needless to say, I hadn’t heard of it until this year. The first thing you’ll notice is the fun, kind of dive-y atmosphere. The bar is plastered with old Rolling Stone covers, Johnny Cash blares on the sound system, and there’s even a set-up for a DJ, though I never found out when they ever have occasion to use it.
The Joint
The real reason to go to this place, though, is the menu. They have basically done for burgers what Big Truck Tacos did for tacos. It’s all creative, experimental, fun stuff that we don’t often think of putting on a burger. There’s the classic Oklahoma-invented Theta (mayo, hickory sauce, pickles, cheddar), and a whole host of other, more exotic burgers such as The Frenchman (mushrooms, Swiss, fried onions & French onion sauce), and The Asian (gingered onions, lettuce, tomato, miso-soy glaze & wasabi mayo). They offer the burgers in standard size or as sliders so you can try several. With the variety to choose from, sliders are probably your best bet. Though they have salads, your only options for sides are all fried, including sweet potato fries (yum) and fried spicy cheese cubes (questionable). There are even wine and beer pairings specific to each burger! Ah, to be twenty-one…
Healthy side options!
Anyway, while the family tried some sliders like The Columbian (sea salt & coffee crusted with smoked cheddar, avocado, & cilantro lime salsa) and The Chili Lime (chili paste, cheddar crisp, avacado cream & cilantro lime coleslaw), I went out on a limb. Yes, knowing I’d be writing about it, I got The Elvis. This appears to be your standard burger: lettuce, tomato, patty, but oh no. Beneath the bun, over a meaty crucifix of bacon, it’s slathered in peanut butter. I don’t know who came up with this strange concoction, seeming to push the boundaries of human decency. But while the parents didn’t like it, I have to admit it worked for me. Something about the sweet, sticky, fatty veneer of peanut butter enhanced the smoky meatfest of burger and bacon. I felt guilty enough after eating this that I decided to atone for my sins by doing some pushups, squats and lunges. That part I don’t recommend.
Silders (Theta and Columbian)
At last, Elvis' true form revealed
Beyond burgers and terribly mistimed exercise, the best part of the meal might have been dessert. S&B’s serves homemade pies (the menu claims they’re made daily, and urges you to order before they sell out), which on our visit included key lime, chocolate, and banana cream. We went with the banana cream, and all I can say is YUM. Imagine a banana split with wonderful, crumbly crust and a towering layer of whipped cream. Need I say more?
PIE
All in all, I would highly recommend S&B’s. The atmosphere may be a little funky for some, and I don’t know if you have any choice about the burgers being cooked a touch past “well-done.” But it’s definitely unique, and well-worth a drive up the dreaded May Avenue. Where else are you going to get a burger with peanut butter? You certainly shouldn’t try this at home. | {
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Laboratory Manpower
Oleochem Project Management maintains an international pool of highly skilled, experienced production chemists and laboratory analysts who can be deployed to manage and operate processing and refining laboratories offshore or onshore worldwide. | {
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I know that there are a few applications that do this. I seem to recall looking at a few several months ago, but didn’t feel like I had a big enough need that I wanted to pay for one. Now that I’m looking to increase the frequency of my blogging, I thought it might be nice to give them another look.
Problem now is that I can’t seem to remember any of the ones I looked at before, and I’m really drawing a Google Blank. Any help from the masses? | {
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Romney was rejected by Southern conservatives in the primaries in Mississippi and Alabama, won caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa to claim about a third of the total delegates available and maintain his lead.
However, Santorum's twin primary triumphs -- while narrow -- reframed the GOP race as a one-on-one battle between the socially conservative former Pennsylvania senator and the more moderate Romney, with Gingrich's chances fading fast.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian champion, continued to trail well behind the other three candidates in the campaign to face President Barack Obama in November.
"There is no end in sight," noted Ari Fleischer, a CNN contributor who was White House press secretary under President George W. Bush. "... For Republicans who thought that maybe Mitt Romney could come South and make this race look like it was coming to an end, this race is going on and on and on."
OnTheIssues notes: The total for the day, in all four contests, was 43 delegates for Romney and 36 delegates for Santorum.
Rick Santorum won the Kansas caucuses in a rout on Saturday
Final returns in Kansas showed Santorum with 51% support, far outpacing Romney, who had 21%. Newt Gingrich had 14% and Ron Paul trailed with 13%.
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), the two-time presidential candidate and icon of the antiwar left, suffered a bruising primary defeat Tuesday as a new Republican-drawn congressional map threatened to end the career of one of the most colorful figures in Congress.
With most attention focused on the state’s GOP presidential primary battle, and no Democratic primary for president, Kucinich was left in a low-turnout race in a newly drawn district against his once-close ally, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio).
The election is the first of 13 House races in 2012 that pit a sitting lawmaker against another sitting lawmaker. Eleven of those races are primary battles, seven Democratic and four Republican. The additional two races, in Iowa and Ohio, pit a sitting Democratic and Republican incumbent against each other in the general election.
These races guarantee that 13 incumbent lawmakers will not return next year, setting the stage for an election season of bruising and negative member-on-member campaigns that occur every 10 years. The races are:
Moderate Republican Senator Olympia Snowe's
decision to step down from her long-held Senate seat in a high-stakes election year is reverberating like an earthquake across Maine's political landscape. The departure of the popular incumbent, who faced little opposition for her party's nomination--and that polls indicated stood a good chance of winning re-election--throws the race for her much-coveted Senate seat wide open.
Among those expressing interest in jumping into the race: Maine's two Democratic U.S. House representatives, Chellie Pingree and Mike Michaud.
But major party candidates are coming up on a March 15 deadline to file signatures for entering the race. So far, Scott D'Amboise is the only GOP candidate left in the race, but some prominent Republicans, including Maine's current secretary of state, Charlie Summers, are being mentioned as potential candidates.
In Nebraska, Former senator and New York City college administrator Bob Kerrey (D) completed a remarkable turnaround, declaring he will run for the Democratic nomination for his old seat.
Romney continues to lead his foes in the delegate hunt, adding at least three dozen to his total after beating Rick Santorum in Michigan and Arizona.
But with 437 delegates on the table next Tuesday, and with most of them allocated according to each candidate's share of the vote, all four of the GOP contenders are certain to boost their delegate counts, giving everyone in the field a rationale, however thin, to move forward.
The Super Tuesday map features both bright spots and traps for every candidate -- Romney is expected to coast to easy wins in Massachusetts and Virginia, for instance, but faces a tough slog in states like Ohio and Tennessee -- meaning that no one is likely to emerge as an outright victor when the smoke clears.
The Republican presidential candidates take the stage for another debate, the last one before Super Tuesday. After 19 previous debates, that may be a relief or a disappointment, depending on your appetite for debates. But this debate in Mesa, Arizona, could have far-reaching consequences. It comes less than a week before primaries in Arizona and Michigan, and less than two weeks before voters in 10 states go to the polls.
Santorum is in a heated contest against Romney in what has essentially turned into a two-man contest for the nomination to challenge President Obama, surging in recent polls both nationally and in key primary states.
But Romney, who has a wide lead in Arizona, is claiming he's got something none of his opponents has -- a business background. Romney said if he were president, he would go through every single federal program and ask if it is affordable or whether it's worth borrowing money to pay for it.
Donald Trump told CNBC he would "seriously, seriously" consider jumping into the White House race if Rick Santorum wins the GOP presidential nomination.
Said Trump: "Honestly, if Santorum got it, I would seriously, seriously consider it. We need someone that's really going to be great. This is the most important election in my opinion that this country has ever had. Santorum is not the right person."
He added that he is a "free agent" after his Apprentice show ends its season on May 16.
Ron Paul and Mitt Romney battled to a near-tie in the Maine caucuses on Feb. 12, 2012. The press declared Romney the victor by 196 votes, but the caucuses were just a "beauty contest" -- the popular vote awarded no delegates yet. The actual delegate count won't be known for several weeks; our figures below are just estimates. The Ron Paul campaign claimed they still may win the delegate count victory, based on the town-by-town results and one snowed-out caucus in a Paul-favorable district. We'll follow the mainstream media estimate of delegates for Maine, and award a near-even split between Romney and Paul:
Romney has only won 4 out of 9 contests so far, and something of a pattern has emerged: Ron Paul heavily contests caucus states such as Maine; Rick Santorum heavily contests Christian conservative states such as Colorado; and Newt Gingrich heavily contests hard-core "red states" such as South Carolina. That pattern means that Romney has a fight on his hands in just about every upcoming state, and none of his three opponents seem likely to withdraw anytime soon.
So what happens? The pundits have started talking about a "brokered convention," which means that the primaries don't choose a nominee, so a nominee is selected at the Republican National Convention. For details click below....
Santorum won caucus votes Tuesday in Minnesota and Colorado and a primary in Missouri.
Santorum had been seen surging in the Midwestern states of Minnesota and Missouri thanks to support from evangelical Christians, but few expected him to win in the Rocky Mountain west.
It was a bitter blow for Romney, who had romped home in Colorado and Minnesota during his 2008 bid with large leads in the final counts.
The triple win catapulted Santorum at least for the moment past former House speaker Newt Gingrich into the role of Romney's main rival.
Rick Santorum has surged nationally in the race for the 2012 Republican nomination after his three-state sweep this week, while Mitt Romney has lost ground among GOP primary voters. In addition, most GOP voters say the nomination race isn’t over -- someone other than Romney could still win.
Nevada holds "closed caucuses", which means only voters who had previously registered as Republicans can vote. Closed caucuses have fewer participants than open caucuses, and caucuses have fewer participants than primaries. So a closed caucus is the smallest of all contests -- only 33,000 people voted in Nevada, compared to 250,000 in New Hampshire.
For more on Open vs. Closed Primaries in anticipation of Super Tuesday, see link below....
With the bulk of ballots counted [from the all-mail-in balloting], Bonamici was defeating Republican Rob Cornilles by about 15 percentage points in the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of Democrat David Wu in August.
Elsewhere, three members of the House announced their retirement this week.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords resigned from the House for her medical recovery.;
Gov. Jan Brewer (R, AZ)announced the date for the special primary will be April 17 and the special general election will be on June 12.
Redistricting has caused two new House resignations:
Rep. Brad Miller (D, NC)
and Rep. Dan Burton (R, IN)
both announced that they will not seek re-election.
Redisticting in both those states caused overlapping districts in which the incumbent would have to fight over another incumbent.
Redistricting may claim some additional incumbents as the district races get sorted out;
see our House of Representatives page for a rough outline.
It was a wish list, not a to-do list.
President Obama's array of plans in his State of the Union speech was light on a key piece of context -- namely, that his hands are so tied ahead of the election that it is doubtful many if any of them can be done in the remainder of his term. There can be little more than wishful thinking behind his call to end oil industry subsidies -- something he could not get through a Democratic Congress, much less today's divided Congress, much less in this election year.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the three-term Arizona Democrat who was shot in the head during a 2011 assassination attempt, announced Sunday that she will resign from Congress this week in order to focus on her continuing recovery.
She plans to attend President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday and will resign sometime after that.
Giffords' resignation will force a special election to fill her seat in the 8th Congressional District.
Republican candidates state Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, and Dave Sitton, a University of Arizona sports broadcaster, already had formed exploratory committees for the November general election to test the waters for a possible run in her district. Jesse Kelly, Giffords' 2010 GOP opponent also might run again. Republican Adam Hansen of Bisbee also has announced his candidacy.
On the Democratic side, state legislators Paula Aboud, Steve Farley and Matt Heinz of Tucson have been mentioned as possible Giffords replacements. Mark Kelly, Giffords' retired astronaut husband, Pia Carusone, her congressional chief of staff, and Ron Barber, her state director, also have been mentioned as possibilities, although Kelly particularly has indicated he isn't interested in running.
According to state law, Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.) must set a date for a special election primary 80 to 90 days after Giffords formally steps down, and a general election will be set for 50 to 60 days after the primary. So the primary election for Giffords seat will likely be held in late April with the general election in June.
The state’s independent redistricting comission made Giffords’ swing seat slightly more Democratic. But that map is under dispute, and a special election for Giffords’ seat will be held under the old lines.
That’s the map under which Giffords was reelected in 2010 by a mere 1.3 percent margin. Her district voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008.
But the special circumstances — Giffords has become a national hero since the assassination attempt against her last January — surrounding the seat could give Democrats something of a boost.
After the South Carolina primary (Jan. 21, 2012), the pundits breathlessly assert, "It's all tied up: One for Newt; one for Mitt; and one for Santorum." (Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary; Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary; Rick Santorum retroactively won the Iowa caucus). So is that true, that it's all tied up?
No, of course not. The way to keep score is to count delegates, not to count states. South Carolina has 25 delegates -- more than any one candidate had after the New Hampshire and Iowa contests. And furthermore, South Carolina was a "district-winner-take-all" primary -- so almost all of its delegates went to Newt; whereas the other two contests were "proportional" -- so their delegates were split. Hence Newt Gingrich is well in the lead -- but it won't matter in a few weeks, when Super Tuesday arrives! Here is the delegate count post-South Carolina:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the Republican presidential race Thursday, saying he saw no way forward. The same day, the Iowa Republican party announced that Mitt Romney is no longer the winner of the caucuses there.
[Perhaps, on the eve of the South Carolina primary, Perry] wanted to spare himself the indignity of a bad finish. And actually determine the terms of his exit and to have everybody care about what he says as he leaves, and that's what endorsing Newt Gingrich does for him. It's not like Rick Perry had a lot of votes to give to Gingrich.
In Iowa, with the primary more than two weeks ago, now, we find out that it was not Romney's win. That it was actually Santorum's, although we may never really know who won because it's being called a statistical tie. When they did a re-canvas, which is part of the normal process--it's not a recount--the tally comes in Santorum 34 points ahead.
Jon M. Huntsman Jr. informed his advisers on Sunday that he intends to drop out of the Republican presidential race, ending his candidacy a week before he had hoped to revive his campaign in the South Carolina primary.
The campaign manager to Mr. Huntsman confirmed the decision in an interview Sunday evening. “The governor and his family, at this point in the race, decided it was time for Republicans to rally around a candidate who could beat Barack Obama and turn around the economy. That candidate is Gov. Mitt Romney.”
A third-place finish in the New Hampshire primary last week failed to jump start Mr. Huntsman’s flagging candidacy, aides said, and his campaign limped into South Carolina with little money. Mr. Huntsman has spent days pondering his future in the race, but aides said that he concluded he was unlikely to topple Mitt Romney or match the momentum of his Republican rivals in the conservative Southern primary.
The decision from Mr. Huntsman came on the same day that he received the endorsement from The State, the newspaper in the capital of Columbia. He had campaigned in South Carolina over the weekend, not giving any indication that the end was near.
Voters also seemed wary of a candidacy by a man whose most recent service was to the very many he now wanted to oust. Fawning letters that Mr. Huntsman wrote about Mr. Obama’s leadership did not help that case.
Mr. Huntsman did better in New Hampshire than polls might have suggested, but he came in a distant third behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.
Sources: JIM RUTENBERG AND JEFF ZELENY, N.Y. Times
Click for all issue stances from
Jon Huntsman
The Jan. 10 New Hampshire primary was the first primary in the 2012 presidential race. It followed the Iowa caucus, but represents different political skills than a caucus; we'll discuss the differences below.
Mitt Romney won both Iowa and N.H. (statistics below) and now has 20 delegates. Rick Santorum has 12 delegates from Iowa but gained none in N.H.; Ron Paul & Jon Huntsman gained their first few delegates each.
Primaries differ substantially from caucuses. The key differences, and their political implications, are:
This Sunday, a special edition of MEET THE PRESS live from New Hampshire, the last debate before the first in the nation Republican presidential primary. Voting here is just 48 hours away. We come to the Granite State where nearly one in five voters remains undecided despite seeing these candidates face-to-face in town halls, coffee shops and even in their living rooms, a small state that will have a big impact on the race. Their motto, "Live free or die." The issues: jobs and the economy, America's role in the world, and which of these candidates is best suited to take on President Obama. This morning, a debate in partnership with Facebook, the world's number one social platform, and the New Hampshire Union Leader. The candidates, the issues and your questions.
All six candidates are here; and before we begin, you know the drill, we quickly go through the rules. Each candidate will have one minute, 60 seconds, to make their statement, to respond to questions and, at my discretion, 30 seconds for follow-ups or rebuttals. We're on a pretty tight schedule, so I will ask the candidates to stay within their allotted time, and we'll see how that goes.
The gathering included Democrats, Republicans and independents, all saying they were protesting against what they called the establishment. They said the money spent on politics and getting into the White House has gotten out of control.
During the debate, protesters and supporters of the campaigns chanted outside St. Anselm College.
On Jan. 3, 2012, the Iowa caucuses represented the first vote in the 2012 presidential primary.
The mainstream media breathlessly reported "Romney won by 8 votes over Santorum! And Ron Paul placed a respectable third!"
As usual, the mainstream media got it wrong.
The mainstream media reported on the popular vote -- the number of actual people voting for each candidate.
But the real result is the delegate count.
It's the same as the electoral college vs. the popular vote in the general election -- the popular vote is what's reported, but it doesn't actually count.
The presidential campaigns focus on getting above the "magic number" of 1,143 delegates. The Iowa caucus, despite all the media hoopla, assigned only 25 delegates -- 13 to Romney and 12 to Santorum. Iowa is a small state and so is New Hampshire -- the N.H. Republican primary on Jan. 10 will assign only another 12 delegates.
A day after lackluster showings in the Iowa caucuses, Rep. Michele Bachmann dropped out of the Republican presidential nomination race Wednesday,
and Texas Gov. Rick Perry spent several hours reassessing his candidacy before announcing he would remain in the contest.
Both onetime front-runners in Iowa, Mrs. Bachmann and Mr. Perry had tried to consolidate the state's bloc of socially conservative voters.
But those voters split among multiple candidates, with
former Sen. Rick Santorum drawing a big enough share to claim second place in the caucuses behind Mitt Romney.
Democrats lamented U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson's decision to retire rather than seek a third term in Nebraska, fearing the move sets up Republicans for an easy and crucial victory in their effort to reclaim control of the chamber next year.
Nelson, the lone Democrat in Nebraska's five-member congressional delegation, faced a tough re-election campaign against a large group of Republican challengers who have spent the past several months attacking his support for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and federal stimulus legislation.
While some floated the names of state Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha and Nelson's former lieutenant governor, Kim Robak, as possible contenders, many said it was too early to know who might run. Messages seeking comment were left for Lathrop and Robak.
A dream candidate for Democrats: former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey. Traveling in India on Tuesday, Kerrey told The Washington Post, "Ben's retirement is a huge loss for Nebraska. I am very sad he's leaving. That is as far as I am going (right now)."
Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson will abandon his GOP presidential bid and seek the White House under the Libertarian Party banner.
Johnson has drawn scant attention in the race for the Republican Party nomination and barely registered in national public opinion polls, which are often used as a criteria for participation in debates.
The former two-term governor participated in two of the 13 GOP debates this year: the first, in May in South Carolina, which lacked many of the big-name candidates, and most recently in Florida in September.
Debate in Iowa "Your Voice Your Vote", sponsored by the Des Moines Register, ABC News, Yahoo! News, and Republican Party of Iowa;
Moderated by George Stephanopoulos and Diane Sawyer.
The highlight of this debate was a $10,000 bet offered by Mitt Romney to Rick Perry, in an attempt by Romney to prove Perry wrong about RomneyCare being the model for national healthcare.
Democrats and Republicans alike are accusing Mitt Romney of being out of touch after he said during this weekend's debate that he would make a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry even as millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet in a troubled economy.
Romney shrugged off the comment Sunday -- but says he's been reminded he's not a good gambler.
"After the debate was over, Ann came up and gave me a kiss," Romney said, referring to his wife. "And she said, `there are a lot of things you do well. Betting isn't one of them.'"
Romney's bet -- for a sum that represents more than two months' salary for Americans with mid-range incomes --has ignited a discussion about whether Romney, a wealthy businessman whose worth is estimated at more than $200 million, is out of step with the challenges facing the millions of struggling or unemployed Americans who are having trouble providing for their families in an ailing economy.
"I would suggest to you that $10,000 is pocket change for Mitt," said Perry, the Texas governor, who was campaigning in Iowa on Sunday. "Having an extra $10,000 to throw down on a bet seems very out of the ordinary."
Rahm Emanuel is the mayor of Chicago. But he wrote this book while he was a member of Congress. In between those two, he served as Pres. Obama's chief of staff, which is the highest post one can have and not be in the Cabinet.
Emanuel served Obama primarily as a strategist -- i.e., a political role rather than a policy-making role. He falls into the category of politician known as "bulldog" -- he gets things done by brashly pushing things through. Emanuel is perhaps most famous for cussing explicitly and frequently (but not in this book!).
Presumably Emanuel has another Plan, for his own personal political future. He left a powerful White House position to run for mayor of Chicago. That gives him "executive experience," as the politicians call it, which is a credential usually reserved for governors but also gets bestowed on mayors of very large cities, such as Rudy Giuliani of NYC. He also has legislative experience and White House experience -- a strong combination to run for president some day. So stay tuned....
Those looking for insight into Condoleezza Rice's personal history won't find it in this autobiography.
It's "A Memoir of My Years in Washington", so it starts with Bush's 2000 campaign for the White House.
There's nothing about Condi's early life, nor even much about her life outside the White House.
The book does cover Condi's years as National Security Advisor (Bush's first term) and her years as Secretary of State (Bush's second term).
Condi writes about everything she did in those two roles -- in other words, there's hardly anything on domestic policy either.
I complained about Tom Ridge's naivete on foreign policy matters as expressed in his book, The Test of our Times.
Condi is not naive about foreign policy.
I complained about Tom RIdge that I knew more about foreign countries than him.
Condi knows more about foreign countries than me, or than just about anyone.
Condi thrilled me by using the term "Pashtunistan" -- the only time I've ever seen the term in print except in my own article on Pashtunistan.
("Pashtunistan" means the ethnically-defined region that spans the Pakistan-Afghan border; both countries' presidents perfer to include "Greater Pashtunistan" in their own country, according to Condi, pp. 445-6).
Ending days of intense speculation, Herman Cain announced he would suspend his campaign, a legal maneuver that allows him to request federal matching funds. The move followed accusations of sexual harassment, groping and, this week, a 13-year affair with a woman Cain insisted was merely a friend.
Defiant and at times angry, Cain told the crowd that his Plan A — becoming president — would have to give way to Plan B, which he described as changing Washington from the outside.
"I am not going to be silenced and I am not going away," said Cain, who announced the launch of a new website, TheCainSolutions.com.
Because Cain's support was already waning, it's unclear how his withdrawal will affect the race. Many strategists expect his supporters to migrate to Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, rather than to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Cain said he would soon endorse a candidate.
Instead of concentrating on the early-voting states, Cain launched a book tour in September, making stops all over the country that fed speculation he wasn't serious about the nomination. Cain, who disputed that, subtitled his memoir "My Journey to the White House."
Jesse Ventura has taken on a new role as truthseeker against the US government. And this book establishes that the US government has many secrets which need exposure by a truthseeker. Ventura establishes here that most of those secrets are not kept for "national security" reasons, but instead are kept to hide the truth about ulterior motives for war; or to hide misdeeds with shady foreign leaders; or to hide some other embarrassment of the US government. Ventura details how it's the American government which hides the truth for its own benefit -- and NOT the American people. Ventura's purpose in writing this book is to get the American people to be aware that the American government keeps secrets from them, and to insist that it stop.
The title "63 Documents" refers to 1963, the year in which JFK was assassinated. Gov. Ventura holds deep suspicions that the US government still maintains secrets about the JFK assassination. And about Iran-Contra. And about 9-11. Those all border on conspiracy theories -- hence the title of his previous book, American Conspiracies -- but Ventura establishes the paper trail of evidence. This book shows the actual original documents -- plus references to sources so you can find them yourself. This book exposes issues from the 1960s because, after decades of FOIA requests and delays, some of those "secret" documents were finally released. Ventura makes it clear that the US government carries on its inappropriate secrecy today -- which we'll only know about decades hence, after the next generation of FOIA requests and delays.
This book is Arnold Schwarzenegger's biography, not just his political biography. It includes stories from his time as a bodybuilder, through his time as an actor, and then as governor. The book's purpose is to explore Arnold's political future after he retires from as California Governor in January 2011. The book is unambiguous in its message about that future: Arnold wants to be President, and a Constitutional Amendment is needed to accomplish that.
The book portrays Arnold as a true independent. He has been a Republican since hearing Nixon's economic views in 1968 (p. 172) but is no hard-core social conservative, with liberal stances on everything from abortion to healthcare. The book provides background for why Arnold came to be pro-gay rights (mostly) and pro-choice (mostly) but pro-economic freedom (mostly). Arnold's independence is perhaps best encapsulated by his justification for supporting ObamaCare: "I'm a public servant; not a party servant." (p. 307).
The book's author, Ian Halperin, is a liberal, who never attended a Republican event until he went "under cover" to attend a Tea Party rally to research this book--but the book is primarily observational rather than partisan. A great read for fans of independent politics, or just for fans of the Terminator series.
After three decades serving in Congress, Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank has announced his retirement. The liberal Democrat will leave behind a legislative legacy that includes financial regulation and memorable sparring matches with both colleagues and constituents.
He announced his retirement in his hometown of Newton, Mass., where he said redistricting played a major role in his decision.
Frank beat back an aggressive Republican challenge to keep his seat in 2010 in what was otherwise a disastrous year for Democrats. He told reporters he thought he would have won again in 2012, but conceded, “it would have been a tough campaign.” He said he knew he would want to retire after the next Congress and thought it would be unfair to ask new constituents in a redrawn district to support him for just one more term.
This announcement brings the number of retirements to 24 out of 435 members of the House.
17 are Democrats; 7 are Republicans.
12 are running for Senate; 2 are running for Governor; 1 is running for Mayor; 9 are retiring to private life.
National Security debate: Moderated by Wolf Blitzer of CNN; hosted by Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.
According to Nielsen Fast National data, CNN’s GOP National Security Debate (8:00-10:00pm EST), moderated by Wolf Blitzer, delivered 3.599 million total viewers and 1.041 million in the key demographic 25-54 last night, Tuesday, November 22. This debate topped CNBC’s 11/09 debate (993k), CNN’s 6/13 debate (918k) and FNC’s 5/5 debate (854k) in the key demo 25-54. CNN was, by far, #1 during the 8-10pm time period last night among cable news networks.
Howard Schultz is the Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Inc., the coffeeshop chain. This book is about coffee, but it's also about Schultz's business philosophy and his political philosophy. Schultz's point in the book is that one can run a business with an underlying political philosophy. Schultz describes that philosophy, and his rationale for writing this book, on pp. 7-8:
"I decided that now was a good time to tell the Starbucks story. First, I want to inspire people to pursue their dreams. Second, and more profoundly, I hope to inspire leaders of enterprises to aim high. Success is empty if you arrive at the finish line alone. The best reward is to get there surrounded by winners. The more winners you can bring with you--whether they're employees, customers, shareholders, or readers--the more gratifying the victory."
Perhaps Schultz will run for office someday; in the meantime, he has positioned himself as a political opinion leader with this book. A must-read for coffee aficionados (sorry, we don't excerpt those parts here!) that may become a must-read if Schultz ever makes the leap and enters the arena.
I love Pat Buchanan because he's loudly explicit about his views, unlike most politicians. But yikes, this book makes me cringe in chapter after chapter because he sounds so racist. Buchanan is careful never to say anything blatantly racist, but the undertone is… well, it's racist. Buchanan's thesis is that America is committing suicide because white Christians are not keeping up with the population increase of non-white non-Christian Americans, and that applies to other countries in the West (meaning mostly Europe, but also Japan).
Buchanan's purpose in writing the book is encapsulated in his opening statement: "What happened to the country we grew up in?" (p. vii). Conservatives have been pining for the 1950s for decades now, but Buchanan makes it clear that the aspect of the 1950s that he prefers was the white majority. Buchanan says America chose "replacement of her departing native born with millions of immigrants" (p. 169). So much so that we will become "a Third World America" (p. 236), meaning most of those immigrants come from non-European countries. Which means the white population is declining, which Buchanan calls "suicide."
Buchanan's one saving grace is that he's a Catholic, and recognizes that Catholics have also been victims of racism. (He also decries that Catholicism is on its way to becoming a Third World religion (p. 122), meaning a non-white religion). I wish I could say I liked this book. But it made me cringe so often from racist undertone that I cringe again just writing this review. Too much on race--it makes the book unreadable for its otherwise strong content.
This debate on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, had Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich in a one-on-one matchup.
It was hosted by the Texas Patriot PAC and held in Houston Texas;
moderated by Iowa Congressman Steve King.
This book, published in 2010, outlines Mitt Romney's case against Obama for the 2012 election. Its title makes Romney's case that Obama is an apologist for America (pp.24-33) whereas Romney would instead "proudly defend her." If the title sounds arrogant, that too is Romney's intent: he claims that Obama is too weak in missile defense (p. 18); in defense spending (p. 31); in the War on Terror (p. 64); and in just about everything.
While this book focuses heavily on foreign policy and military issues, Romney also makes the domestic case against Obama. Romney reinforces his conservative credentials against abortion (p. 265) and against gay marriage (p. 269), since those credentials need substantial reinforcement in the view of many hard-line conservatives (Romney ran against Ted Kennedy for the Massachusetts Senate seat in 1994 as a pro-gay, pro-choice Republican). But mostly Romney focuses on healthcare. And mostly he focuses on how RomneyCare (the Massachusetts healthcare plan initiated by Romney as Governor) is not the same as ObamaCare (p. 176). Mostly Romney's opponents will focus on how ObamaCare is based heavily on RomneyCare: the 2012 Republican primary voters will have to decide which view prevails.
This book analyzes political speeches, but more from a speechmaking perspective than a political perspective. It's about the 100 greatest speeches of history, which were mostly delivered by politicians or political activists. But the book's focus is on how rhetorical techniques accomplished the speaking goals, not on any political goals.
Those excerpted include:
Barack Obama
Bill Clinton
Colin Powell
George Bush Sr.
John F. Kennedy
John McCain
Lyndon Johnson
Ronald Reagan
Rudy Giuliani
Sources: OnTheIssues.org archives
Click for issue excertps from
The 100, by Simon Maier and Jeremy Kourdi
Dartmouth College will be an important stop this fall for the Republican presidential candidates when it co-hosts a debate on October 11 at 8:00 p.m. with the U.S. economy as the focus. The event will be broadcast nationally and around the globe by Bloomberg Television and streamed online by Washingtonpostlive.com. WBIN in Derry, N.H., will broadcast the debate throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Most Republicans had not expected Palin to run ever since Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota got into the race and soared to the top in the Iowa straw poll. But Bachmann's stumbles since then opened the door a bit for another female contender with strong conservative credentials.
Palin's path to the nomination would have been complicated by the presence of Perry and others — including Bachmann, Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich— destined to split the conservative vote.
Democrat and Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin won the race for West Virginia’s next governor in Tuesday’s special election.
Tomblin won over Republican challenger Bill Maloney.
Though Tomblin and Maloney were the front runners in the race, they were not the only candidates. The remaining candidates were:
New Haven’s Marla D. Ingels (Independent);
Bob H. Barber (Mountain Party);
and Harry V. Bertram (American Third Position Party).
Tomblin will serve out the remaining year of the term won by former Gov. Joe Manchin who now sits in the US Senate.
The mainstream media has become breathless again, "reporting" on the possible presidential candidacy of Gov. Chris Christie (R, NJ).
Gov. Christie has repeatedly stated, unambiguously, that he is not running.
He also promised the people of New Jersey, during his election campaign, that he would serve out his term.
Despite the repeated denials, radio talk show hosts and newspaper editorialists nationwide are reporting this week how people in the audiences ask, "Might you run?" and any other such "news."
We note that, as usual, the mainstream media only report on the horserace -- who says Christie might run, and who says he won't, and isn't it all so exciting! -- without actually reporting anything about what Christie believes.
The Fox News-Google GOP Presidential debate took place on September 22, 2011 at the Orlando Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. It was sponsored by Fox News and Google in conjunction with the Florida Republican Party. It aired on the Fox News Channel, streamed on YouTube.com/FoxNews, and broadcast on Fox News Radio.
The debate was in anticipation of the Florida Straw Poll which took place the next day, with the following results:
Candidate
Straw Poll Result
Herman Cain
37%
Gov. Rick Perry
15%
Gov. Mitt Romney
14%
Sen. Rick Santorum
11%
Rep. Ron Paul
10.5%
Speaker Newt Gingrich
8.5%
Gov. Jon Huntsman
2%
Rep. Michele Bachmann
1%
According to Fox News, Romney and Bachmann had both left Florida before the voting began and their campaigns discounted the straw poll's role in the campaign.
Previous straw polls have predicted the GOP nominee.
Ronald Reagan won in 1979, George H.W. Bush in 1987 and Kansas Sen. Bob Dole in 1995. The Republican Party of Florida, however, has not organized the test vote in recent years.
A little-known Republican businessman from Queens, channeling voter discontent with President Obama into an upset, won election to Congress on Tuesday from the heavily Democratic district in New York City last represented by Anthony D. Weiner.
The Republican, Bob Turner, a retired cable television executive, defeated Assemblyman David I. Weprin, the scion of a prominent Democratic family in Queens, in a nationally watched special election.
With 92 percent of the precincts counted, Mr. Turner was leading Mr. Weprin by 53 percent to 47 percent, according to The Associated Press.
National Republican leaders immediately trumpeted the victory as a sign of trouble for Mr. Obama’s re-election effort.
Mr. Turner capitalized on discontent in some corners of the Jewish community with Mr. Obama’s posture toward Israel and his handling of the Middle East peace process. Former Mayor Edward I. Koch, a Democrat, urged voters to rebuke the president by voting for Mr. Turner.
A rural northern Nevada district did what it has always done and sent a Republican to Congress Tuesday, but that didn't stop the GOP from heralding the predictable finish as a victory against President Barack Obama.
Former state Sen. Mark Amodei emerged as the winner of Nevada's 2nd Congressional District special election, easily sweeping past Democrat Kate Marshall in this economically-wounded state where Obama's popularity is sinking.
Amodei took 58 percent of the vote to Marshall's 36 percent after campaigning to stand up to Obama and other Washington Democrats. History was on his side. The district made up of conservative voters has never elected a Democrat and Republicans had a 32,000-vote registration edge heading into Election Day.
Amodei said he would travel to Washington, D.C., Wednesday and hoped to be sworn in Thursday.
The candidates were competing to replace Republican Dean Heller, who was promoted from the House to the Senate in May after former Republican Sen. John Ensign resigned over a sex scandal with a former staffer. Amodei will serve the remainder of Heller's term and will have to seek re-election in 2012 to keep the seat.
Moderator: Wolf Blitzer:
"Welcome to the Florida State Fairgrounds here in Tampa, the site of the first ever Tea Party/Republican presidential debate.
One year from now, right here in Tampa, the Republican National Convention will nominate the Republican candidate for president of the United States.
Tonight, eight contenders will be on this stage to try to convince voters he or she is the best choice to hold the highest office in the country. And joining them inside this hall, Tea Party activists from Florida and across the nation.
"Tonight's debate is airing on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Espanol, and the American Forces Network seen on U.S. military bases in 175 countries and aboard Navy ships at sea around the globe.
We also want to welcome our co-sponsors, the Tea Party Express, and more than 100 state and local Tea Party groups from across the United States."
President Obama presented his jobs plan to Congress Thursday evening. It proposes tax cuts to businesses that hire new employees, reforms to the unemployment insurance system and investments in schools and infrastructure.
Rick Perry arrived at his first presidential debate packing heat.
The Texas governor who once shot a threatening coyote while jogging came armed,
rhetorically, for his debut on the national political scene.
He blasted rival Mitt Romney on job creation, doubled down on his critique of Social Security as a Ponzi scheme and defended his record on everything from education to climate change.
Perry's performance Wednesday night in the forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in
Simi Valley, Calif., demonstrated not only his considerable strength in the Republican primaries —
he has rocketed to the top of the national polls little more than three weeks after announcing his candidacy —
but also his clear vulnerabilities in a general election.
And it illustrated the changing shape of the GOP contest for the nomination to take on
President Obama in 2012. The spotlight was on Perry and Romney, the man he dislodged as frontrunner in national polls. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite who was the star of the first debate, was largely eclipsed and the other contenders often had to battle to get into the conversation
The debate was Perry's chance to make a first impression on many Americans.
Before he announced he was running for president last month, only about half of Republican and Republican-leaning voters even knew who he was, according to the Gallup Poll.
Now three of four have heard of him, and most like what they see.
OnTheIssues.org covers first-time Senate challengers by excerpting their websites, and then sending them a VoteMatch quiz to fill in.
Below are links for the newly-covered Senate challengers; check back in a week or two for the ones who responded to our VoteMatch request.
In the following months, we'll cover the Senate debates as they occur.
And we've completed book excerpts from all of the presidential candidates; they're all listed below with our book reviews in the links.
Finally, we include a couple of excerpts from a new book by our favorite troublemaker, Jesse Ventura.
We'll be filling in more excerpts from all the new books over the next few weeks.
Sources: OnTheIssues.org archives
Click for all
Senators' issues for all incumbents.
Senate Challengers: Aug. 28, 2011
Senate challenger pages added
OnTheIssues.org covers Senate challengers who are former incumbents or candidates by newly excerpting their websites, and then collating their previous voting records.
Below are links for the newly-covered Senate challengers; check back in a week or two for the ones who responded to our VoteMatch request.
In the following months, we'll cover the Senate debates as they occur.
Sources: OnTheIssues.org archives
Click for all
Senators' issues for all incumbents.
Background Politicians: Aug. 16, 2011
Political philosopher pages added
OnTheIssues.org attempts to establish the source of current politicians' philosophies by documenting the original political philosophers. This election cycle, we've added five new people. All five have been routinely cited by the presidential candidates (especially Pres. Kennedy!) so we allow our readers to look at the original. We will add materials over the course of the presidential election cycle. | {
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COMIC BOOKS
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Meeting rooms in Madrid, Diego de Leon
Street Francisco Silvela 42, 1st floor, 28028 Madrid
A contemporary looking, glass fronted tower is home to the Silvela centre. It is located on the first floor of the impressive building, which overlooks a wide tree-lined street that is named after a noteworthy Spanish politician. The Guindalera district is popular with business schools and educational institutions that are focused on entrepreneurial vision, innovation and collaboration with corporate partners. Madrid is where you’ll find most Spanish corporations, often with regional or headquarter offices based here. The city is also a major conference and exhibition hub. The centre is opposite the Hospital Universitario De La Princesa and walkable distance from the Diego de Leon subway station. The area is near Avenida de América, a major transport hub and thoroughfare that leads to the M-30 ring road.
Meeting rooms in Madrid, Diego de Leon
Street Francisco Silvela 42, 1st floor, 28028 Madrid
A contemporary looking, glass fronted tower is home to the Silvela centre. It is located on the first floor of the impressive building, which overlooks a wide tree-lined street that is named after a noteworthy Spanish politician. The Guindalera district is popular with business schools and educational institutions that are focused on entrepreneurial vision, innovation and collaboration with corporate partners. Madrid is where you’ll find most Spanish corporations, often with regional or headquarter offices based here. The city is also a major conference and exhibition hub. The centre is opposite the Hospital Universitario De La Princesa and walkable distance from the Diego de Leon subway station. The area is near Avenida de América, a major transport hub and thoroughfare that leads to the M-30 ring road. | {
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OCEANSIDE, Calif. (AP) - Several hundred people have taken part in a paddle-out in front of Junior Seau's Southern California home to pay tribute to the former NFL linebacker.
The Los Angeles Times reports that participants at Sunday's seaside memorial included Seau's former teammate Drew Brees, who played quarterback for the San Diego Chargers when Seau was the star linebacker.
The 43-year-old Seau committed suicide Wednesday at his home in Oceanside.
Seau was an avid surfer who was often seen riding the waves in front of his home. Fans and well-wishers formed a circle across the water and held hands while a prayer was said for him.
They also chanted Seau's name and the number 55, his number at Southern California and during 20 years in the NFL.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) | {
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Post Op Care Following Breast Reconstructive Surgery
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March 8, 2016
Today has been one of those shit-filled days, those days when I don’t want to be here or anywhere. I say filled with shit because that’s how my head feels. Stuffed and ready to pop. I’ve got all sorts negativity churning inside of me and nothing is digesting well. I hope I can metaphorically vomit this shit out. In attempts to, here I am writing.
***
I was awaked by a call from my love earlier. I’ll call him, the loverface, V. Vet because I met him at a veterinary clinic where he works as a vet tech. So anyway, he calls me around noon and wakes me. I wake with a big smile because I love hearing from him. I get lost in his voice. There’s nothing more reassuring to me than to hear from the person I’m romantically involved with when I first wake. And not only am I romantically involved with this guy, I am madly in love. This is terrifying. I spent two years in my previous relationship (this was while I was in hiatus from blogging) and it didn’t work out in the end. The end, which happened in June of last year, was as painful as breakups can be. Considering that I have Borderline Personality Disorder however, I’m quite proud of myself for not falling into the deep end. Said previous relationship was the most stable one I’d had, but it ended just as quickly as it started. Maybe I didn’t really love him? I would ask myself
This guy though. Sigh. It is different with him. He reminds me too much of Monkey Man. We have a deep connection that I didn’t have with my ex. And I’ve never fallen in love so soon, even with Monkey Man I didn’t fall so soon. Love can be as scary as it is uplifting. I’m sure you know this from your own experience. When you’ve loved someone who died from addiction, it is even scarier–terrifying–to then fall in love with someone else who also struggles with addiction. Yup. This is the case with my current fella. V. Vet is an alcoholic. He’s tole me all about it. He’s mostly sober now, or “in recovery” as I like to tell myself or he likes to tell me. That’s always my reassurance when I get doubt. He’s in recovery P. He says he doesn’t want to be the way he used to be P.
“You inspire me to be a better person,” he says. He always says.
***
Well, that wake up call today was not only literal. I see it as a metaphor now. See, he sounded off from the start of our talk. The conversation he lead was annoying the shit out of me. We’re both very excitable people so we tend to interrupt each other a lot, but today I knew he was off, more so than usual. Not only did he interrupt me more, but he just sounded beside himself. One thing to keep in mind is that he also struggles with mental health problems–psychosis and such–so it could be that he was having some sort of episode.
After that irritating conversation which I ended up with me in tears, I just hung up. “I’ll just call you back later,” I whimpered, “I can’t talk right now.”
I shoved myself out of bed and started my day. The day dragged from bleh-heh to fuckin bleugh. Everything sucks bleugh. All feelings escalated; the feelings of irritation turned into rage and then melancholy turned into depression. I wanted to lie in bed and cry all day. Then, around 3:00, I called him back. No ring. It went straight to voicemail. I did this two more times in the following two hours and it went the same: “… Please leave your message after the tone.”
Now this isn’t the first time it happened. Here’s where I begin to worry. He already sounded loopy earlier, I haven’t heard from him the rest of the day, AND when I dial his number it goes straight to voicemail. WTF. I tried to control my catastrophic thinking and replace all of the extreme situations I envisioned with to more positive or rational possibilities.
****
I was lying in bed just wanting to disappear when my dad called me to eat dinner. I reluctantly rolled my ass over there. I was hungry and shaky so it was a relief to finally eat. Just as I was beginning to eat, I got a call from V Vet. Ugh. Bad timing. But…FINALLY! Wait, he sounds even more fucked up that he did earlier. What’s going on? Could it be that he’s drunk?
My heart sank in further. While he babbled I decided to confront him and just simply ask, “Are you drunk?”
“No.”
“Have you been drinking?”
“No I haven’t,” he replied again with a mumbling and almost slurring roll.
“I want to believe you but I don’t,” I said.
That’s when the conversation ended. Two conversations ended with me crying today. Sigh. By this point I had left the dinning room and was in the bathroom crying. I figured I’d just get in the tub and take a shower to calm myself down. I didn’t want anyone to notice how upset I’d gotten. I cried and washed my hair. Then cried some more and washed my face. I paused to lather my body with soap only to cry again as the water washed off the soap. Once I was dry and dressed, I reached out to a friend who I knew would understand. We texted back and forth for a while. Whew. I just may not explode. I even practiced diaphragmatic breathing. Now on to blogging P. That should help too. Keep it up! Use all of your arsenal woman! YES! I’m using my skills!
And… just as was in the middle of writing this post, I got a third call from him. Let me just say it wasn’t very pretty and I’m still feeling shitty.
I’m left wondering, if he’s good for me the way I am for him? I know what’s good for me. I love him. I also know what I need to do right by me. I’ll have to figure this one out. Le sigh again. It’s not easy and it’s making the trigeminal neuralgia pain flare.
****
Here’s to a shitty day turned into a shitty night. I can hear the thunderstorm outside and all I want to do is run out in the rain. Maybe I’ll get lucky and be hit by lightning.
March 23, 2013
… A mental Monkey Man.
********
Chances are that what I don’t get blogged today, I won’t blog tomorrow, so here I go before another day passes.
Yesterday was the “anniversary” of the day I got the call that Monkey Man was found dead. I don’t even know if I should call it “anniversary”. Something about the connotation of that is upsetting me. So anyway, I’ll just say, a year ago yesterday, I got the news that Monkey Man was no longer with us.
Those of you that followed me back then know the story. I will not repeat it, nor do I want to. Yesterday, I spent most of the therapy session talking about it. And slowly but surely I realize that I am moving past this. The pain will never be completely gone, but I am ok with that now. I am working at managing my life and actually FEEL ALIVE today.
Brunet Young and I discussed so much and I felt relieved. I told her how sometimes I feel “happy” that he’s gone and feel like a “bad” person for that. We later found that maybe “happy” wasn’t the right word. No, not at all.
I cried in front of her for the first time. There are just too many emotions to describe or begin to recognize when someone you love dies this way–by their own hands. And there is A LOT OF ANGER! I for one have dealt with anger management problems all of my life (common in peopole with BPD). She suggested maybe, in a way, I’m relieved, definitely not “happy” about it. And that’s ok. It doesn’t mean I’m, a “bad” person.
Why else would so many of the depressing blog posts on here be about him?
****
One thing I did this week was draw this portrait in memory him. A.F., his stepsister gave me this picture she took of us sometime in 2006-2007. It was what she calls the “happy summer”. Strangely enough, I was very depressed then, but Monkey Man was glowing and everyone said it was on account of me being there.
The relationship I had with him was so intense, so wonderful, so terrifying, so loving yet so abusive at times. I learned a lot from that relationship.
But I did love him and I know he loved me.
Correction, I do love him. I know he’d be proud of how well things are going for me these days. I found a text he had sent me on my phone about two months ago, it reads:
“It’s ok my love. U r one of the most powerful people i know. I wish i had the strength u have”
March 19, 2013
It’s almost the end of the third month into 2013. I blogged for mental health all of last year. No, no. I BEGGED for mental health all of last year. And I never pledged the pledge but I walked the walk or whatever.
My fellow Canvas bloggies have established a pledging that connects people with the mental-health blogging community. This blog has been a reflection of my personal journey in the last year and a half. My mental health has improved drastically since then. No drastically sounds too negative. It has improved INCREDIBLY.
****
I am at a point now where I’m not having to fight off suicidal ideations, thoughts and urges damn near every hour of everyday. I am not constantly cryin’ or having panic attacks all the time. Since the start of this blog I lost someone dear, had a ton of medical issues, and made a suicide attempt. Then I found out that my Ex-Young therapist had diagnosed me with Borderline Personality Disorder, my therapist left (that was just before the suicide attempt) and in June of 2012, I finally got back in therapy and tried different medications.
I’m still going to therapy once a week, mostly. It’s on Fridays these days. No more Thursday therapy ’cause I’m working and Brunet Young changed her schedule. Therapy has been a major lifeline, so has this blog (as I’ve mentioned dozens of times before) and my swimming. I’m still swimming despite all the shit thrown at me. I’m fortunate that my mom is still working at the gym and I’m able to go and release my demons for free, for a bit at least.
Of course I still struggle. Life is a struggle and for those with mental health issues, that struggle becomes unbearable, so painful that it kills. It is another kind of struggle in itself. But I have accomplished many of my “goals for therapy” and am still working on others.
My “stability” has settle some.
****
I have a bit more clarity in my life now and feeling a sense of direction, despite my many changes in course. There are so many challenges, so much more to endure and enjoy. I don’t know where I’m at with this blog. I’ve considered retiring it many times (as a “borderline” I’ll drastically change my mind from one minute to the next ha). But I think I’m giving it a go for a bit longer.
I’m continuing my pledge to write for mental health, to shout out, to show that we are not alone in this.
Please visit my Canvas family at A Canvas of the Minds. It’s a great little blog of mental health bloggers and shenanigans!
Oh oh. And I ALMOST forgot. Thank you Laura/Soul Survivor for pledging me this year. You can find her blog, Bipolar for Life by clicking the link.
March 9, 2013
Yep, my hiatus has dragged longer than I expected, and you may have noticed–especially you, my long time followers– that I’ve been mostly out of the blogging radar, but I come bearing good gifts. These gifts are for myself though. ha (sorry) I’ll get some for you soon.
I’ve still tried to keep in touch with some of you who I’ve become friends with, but I also miss the other other buddies on here, all of you fellow bloggers and readers. With that said, I don’t think this post is going to be structured, so bare with me.
********
Uh one…
Two…
Three and to the four!
Five, six, seven eight and to the nine!
Nine numbers.
It’s fuckin’ amazing what nine numbers will do for you. Nine little numbers!
The lack of nine little numbers had been the lack of a key for my ball and chain. And now I got it, though I still have a few chains on me. At least one has been released.
What the hell am I talking about?
My Social Security number, the one thing that makes you somewhat of a “person” here in the states. Yep, I FINALLY got my social security number. Twenty-two and a half years living in the states and I finally have one. It specifically states that I’m only under “work authorization” though. Funny how a number will make you a person, like the 14th Amendment made black slaves five fifths of a person instead of four fifths of a person.
****
Anywho, back in July, when I wrote about Obama signing an executive order for deferred action for childhood arrivals, back when I nearly peed and shit my pants in disbelief and excitement, I still doubted this day would come. Barred from everything, even being able to “legally” work had worsened my depression. Who wouldn’t be down after graduating college, after becoming the family’s first generation college grad, and THEN having no job because you can’t “legally” get employed. Not having any money, hardly any for rent because of nine little numbers. You’d be blue rightfully so. But I was more than blue. And you long-time-bloggie-friends know how much beyond blue.
I was in hell. And now I’m out of hell. Been so for a few months now. So I’m out of hell and… and… in a job!
Yep, so back in January, I actually got my “work authorization card” (in the back of the card it reads: “This card is not evidence of U.S. Citizenship or permanent residence”). But I didn’t get around to blogging about it. And when I finally spent a day at the SSI office and all that jizzazz, I didn’t write about it either. But I REALLY wanted to. I REALLY did!
So much has been changing though. I’m exhausted.
********
About a day or two BEFORE my social security number aka SSI card arrived in the mail (peed my pants again), I had a job interview. Yep BEFORE. I’m a hustler. And thanks to a lovely friend. Love you. And I was called back the same day! The boss fella wanted me to work right away. Of course, I had to go through all this logistical shit, background check and whatnot. I even got asked why I’m not a “legal permanent resident” by HR. Face palm ten times!
So here I am now. Two weeks into work. I just finished my second week this Thursday. It’s part time,so I only go into the office three days a week. That’s ok though, because considering my physical and mental conditions, part-time is more than enough for me to handle. Don’t think I could handle more, at least not right now. Besides, I’m free to freelance now! I’ve been on elance, odesk, freelancer.com and all those sites preppin’ up my portfolio. I even started a new blog related to my profession!
****
So where is P putting her skills to practice? At a community college. I’m working at one of the largest community colleges around here in the states. I’m at the PR department of the regional city-wide college system. I’m kind of like the multimedia girl. Video editing, photography, graphics and design. I’ll be doing a little writing too, mostly technical.
November 27, 2012
My fuckin’ FABULOUS finger prints are in! My hand prints, finger prints and a picture of my geeky face in a blue long-sleeve, corduroy, polo-style shirt have been submitted into the gubernatorial vortex.
WHEW! It. Is. Done.
********
I haven’t been updating much on the immigration situation because my focus was on getting stable enough to function and get all the paperwork in. In case you’re new and are just now reading, I am an immigrant, an undocumented immigrant to say the very least. I’ve lived in Texas since I was five years old, roughly twenty-two years, but who’s counting right? *cough*
Back in June, President Obama made a sly move to get a head start in the 2012 elections–he signed an executive order for DACA (deferred action for childhood arrivals) meaning that, a) undocumented aka “illegal” immigrants who came to the U.S. prior to the age of sixteen would be deferred/protected by law from deportation proceedings and, b) they would, by discretionary case, receive a work permit so they (I) can work legally in the United States.
Most of my friends and acquaintances who are in the same boat either work as waiters, house keepers (like my mother did), janitors (like my father did), construction or farm worker etc.–all jobs I cannot do in a wheelchair. My only options, out of desperation, were to try and freelance. But being mental and having severe anxiety on top of transportation issues makes freelancing extremely difficult. Besides, I needed more discipline.
Since I graduated college in May of 2011, my freelance jobs have added to nearly nothing. I tried websites like e-lance and all this other shit I can’t remember. I spend hours on those sites, touching up my resumé, putting up samples of my work, only to find that at the end of the process, I was always asked for a Social Security number which I obviously do not have.
It became another brick added to the weight of the depression that eventually knocked me down in May. But then, alas, June came with the news of Obama’s signature. I’m not an Obamacrat, I’ll tell you straight up. I’m with the rebel alliance and Jedi nights, not the empire. Besides, Obama had promised several activist groups (some of which I was part of) that he would sign this YEARS ago, but as a true politician, he did not until this election year.
Anywho, I’m not goin’ into my political or social ideals in detail since that is not the focus of my blog. I established at least that from the beginning. What I do want to share is MY STORY.
********
In mid-October I received such wonderful birthday presents!
I got some stretchy pants from my mama, a poem from Angel; I got to see Fiona Apple LIVE with my bro who bought the tickets last-minute; I got a beautiful painting of Mermaid P mailed to moi from Le Sailor–LOOK HERE— and I got the DACA application completed and mailed out. That to me was a wonderful gift. They all were.
In April, just before my suck-ass and shameful death attempt, when I thought I couldn’t fall further into depression, I got hooked up with a “job” and felt excitement followed by failure crushing me with the culmination of the second day of work, the day I got fired. I was only an intern, hence the legalities not being clear up and therefore they were not strict in mu application. That’s why I wasn’t asked for my SSI number. Plus, Mansie practically got me that job, a job that only lasted two days.
****
Sixty days after Obama’s June executive order, the DACA law went into effect. To cut my rambling a little short, I have had a long process applying for DACA since September, but I finally had my biometrics appointment today!
The biometrics proceeding is basically when USCIS, the Immigration and Citizenship Services department calls you in to take a photo of you, mark your fingerprints and so on, you know, Big Brother type shit . The dude who fingerprinted me was wearing blue latex gloves like he was about to give me an enema. I ranted on my MsMouse Facebook as follows (note the terrible grammar ’cause I was on a not-so-smartphone that kept auto-correcting me in my agitated state):
My rant for today: It’s so hard having to depend on my dad for SO much! I’m grateful that he’s here, but he’s extremely overbearing and has become more stubborn with age (he’s nearly 70). The biometrics appointment went well even though my dad and I got into an arguedment on the way to the US immigration dept office. It went super fast. Yaaaay!
But fuck anyone who thinks I, or anyone like me should be deported. Twenty two ducking years for this and I’ll still as a non-legal resident, only in immigrant with DACA and work permit. At least ill have that thought. And I can’t wait to finally have a job and a little more freedom! Wooohoo.Fuck you govt for playing with our lives! For controlling my live like a piece in a board game!End rant.
********
And that is that! I’m on my way to being more of an adult. I feel as though my entire life I haven’t been given room to grow, to spread out and show my inner beauty. This is why I feel so child-like. It’s not a “bad” thing to be child-like, but what I mean is, I’ve always felt restricted like a child. I’ve felt things that should be entitled to me weren’t. I’m an angry little mouse on a tiny, albeit heavy, leash and the cheese is only a foot away. (Godamn I love cheese!)
****
Hopefully in a month’s time, I’ll be receiving a social security number along with my work permit! Nope guys, no green card or “legal status” yet. I’ll still technically be an “illegal,” only an “illegal” who can work “legally” (I prefer undocumented).
And ain’t that an oxymoron? That’s politics for ya…
Here’s a little sketch I did on my not-so-smart-smartphone that my bro’s sweet girlfriend gave me before my surgery!
Anyone know of any good and cheap/free sketching apps for Andriod? This one isn’t too great. But I like that you can’t be precise; it makes me less perfectionistic less critical and quicker. heheh. The scribble at the right surrounding the MsMouse is supposed to say “ILLEGAL”. Try and figure out which part of the tail is the letter G and/or A.
November 22, 2012
Edit 5:53pm 11.22.2011:
This is my introduction to the blogosphere.
There are a total of what, twenty billion blogs out there? Twenty eight trillion maybe, to be sure? And most of these are far from being hot, hardly lukewarm. And the world doesn’t need any more lukewarm bloggers popping out like malnourished crack babies. I’ve never really even enjoyed being lukewarm and though I’ve never been a malnourished, lukewarm crack baby, I imagine I wouldn’t enjoy that either. But to you, and often times to me, it doesn’t really matter what I do or don’t enjoy.
Phew.
So I begin my blogging journey. I begin by wondering if I may as well continue writing like a madman—lost to the world in my nonsensical, ranting and raving–battering my poor, hapless notebooks.
A part of me rebels though. I get tired of that lonely rambling. I get tired of putting it aside as hogwash.
****
I want this to have a clear purpose, a focus. And I think what better focus than to share my whacked-out thoughts on the WORLD WIDE WEB!
THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW THESE WACKY THOUGHTS!
Plus, I can stick my timid, mutant turtle neck out just a little from under the shell of anonymity. It would be good for my crawling self-esteem.
But the true motivator here is the fear that I’m at a breaking point again. And maybe I have something of value to share? If not, then at least I’ll be writing again.
Now that I finally decided to open this account, my self talk went a little like this:
“Well, it’s done. You’re signed in now. What hell are you going to make this about? Yourself? Fuck no. There’s lots of shit in this world you wanna talk about. No? Well, what do you think to get out of it? What’s the point in it? To fuel your narcissism, yes? Come on, you know you want to. You know you do. No really though, I don’t. Yeah really though. Are you really that self-absorbed, you punk ass? Yes. Yes I am”
****
Most writers find an intimate experience in the process of laying words to rest–to rest in the world, the solitude, the page– all transmitting and transcending the inner being to the unknown, endless landscape that is this universe, the mind, the infinite particles of thought.
But the truth is, despite this intimacy, I suspect most people who write also have a deep need to speak and be heard; that somewhere deep down (even if they refuse to admit it) they want to drag people into their world. They too are narcissistic. In kinder words though, people who enjoy writing want to share that intimate experience with others.
****
“Maybe I’ll really enjoy it”, I thought. And since I’m in desperate need of an unchained creative outlet (seriously, this blog may become my only outlet for maintaining sanity) I figured, “Eh fuck it, I’ma do this shit! I’m gonna write to my heart’s content“.
The dilemma is, I’m a very private person. Any kind of personal exposure is terrifying for me, even with Facebook occasionally tempting me to whip out my dirty (I mean splattered with virally infectious verbal diarrhea dirty) drawers. And if I ever did secretly want to start a blog, which I’m pretty sure I did, I always ran from the idea in fear that it would become a spiraling vortex into my strange little world, into my swirling mind.
I would be giving others a ticket to enter my thoughts, to judge me from every angle until my longed-for-death. I’d end up having to wear an anti-mind-reading helmet made of aluminum foil and toothpaste.
So, I told myself: Write, but the personal is forbidden!
HA!
To make things worse, I’ve been encouraged to write about myself in the last few years. Two years ago, my brother’s co-worker told him to tell me that I should write a memoir. For all she knows, I could be illiterate. She’s never even met me!
I even had a complete stranger say this to me: “Hey you! Yeah YOU. YOU, you. You should write about YOU!”
Ugh, I’m guessing all this is because I’m somehow “special”. Trust me, I’m not that special, please don’t inflate my ears with such nonsense. I did find out I was in SPECIAL ED in tenth grade and it confirmed my suspicions that I am mentally retarded. But this is another kind of special.
Anyway, here I am writing about myself.
But I don’t want to take myself too seriously. I really don’t. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I’m a joker. I enjoy kicking back my child-sized shoes and laughing at the absurdities of this world, and most of all, the absurdities of my creation.
I’m REALLY not THAT special. Subtract the special-ed part from school and I get pretty close to not being special at all.
One thing I do know is that I plan to enjoy myself and hopefully learn from this. If this dies here, however, it dies. If it lives as a serious, boring or humorous, self-deprecating facet of me, then it lives.
In any case, without further ado, I present to you my…
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2011 (c) pazMy very first sketch/version of the Mouse before I’d even named the blog. Butt-crack chinned guy in the bottom right (yeah the creepy one) is one of my first PLDs (Pretty Little Demons). They’ve been altered since.
So, what the hell is this?! The paragraphs above were written in November of 2011.
This was my very first post, an introduction of sorts. I never even published it then, but it’s been saved here, an ENTIRE YEAR!
When I sat in front of the glaring blue light of the computer screen a year ago, I was covered in darkness. The only thing lighting me was the screen. The depression had hit again and I was falling deep into my little mouse hole. I was reading an awesome illustration blog then called My Medicated Cartoon Life. It’s written (or was written) by an animator of children’s T.V. programming. He dealt with deep depression for many years, most of his life actually. I could relate to so much of what he wrote.
That blog inspired me to open up my own blog here on WordPress. I didn’t do anything with it for days. It just sat here all lonely–an abandoned dumpster baby. It became a malnourished little baby, the very thing I didn’t want.
BUT, here I am a year later. My baby has grown. Over ten-thousand views! I can’t believe I’ve written for this long. I hardly ever stick to something for this long. One thing I didn’t mention in the original post was that at the time, I had recently finished reading Marjane Satrapi’s graphic/illustrated memoir, Percepoliswhich, along with Allie Brosh’s hilarious blog, had also given me inspiration for my blog.
Here’s to writing, blogging, sharing and loving!
More than “lukewarm” blogs, I found a ton of really talented, amazing writers, photographers, illustrators, artists, humorists and like-minded mental-brainiacs. I’ve made some really wonderful friends I didn’t expect to gain! I also got the chance to write as a Canvas author and be part of their wonderful mental health community.
And of course, I appreciate everyone who’s passed through this little year-old blog.
Melancholically Manic Mouse, born November 22, 2011. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE GUY! I’m thankful that you came to life here.
****
Maaan, that was saccharin! I don’t like tears… I better go stuff myself with more stuffing.
Mouse love
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And to review my year in blogging, here is a list of the blog’s categories. CLICK DAMN YOU:
October 9, 2012
I’ve been feeling rather dizzy lately, albeit “stable”. When I say life’s been better these days, I’m talking about stability–emotional and mental stability. I’ve cried a few times in the last three/four weeks, but it hasn’t been a gut wrenching, shake inducing phenomenon followed by an all-encompassing emptiness and urge to die. In other words, I’m not laughing and jumping ups and down and then wanting to jab a knife into my neck. I want to live! I want life!
A few good things are happening too. Good is such a relative word. But anyway, other than having blogger’s block, I’m keeping busy. Therapy, swimmin’, washing dishes, cleaning up, reading, immigration paperwork, rolling around with Luna, trying to keep her from rolling around on her own poo and then licking me. Shit like that.
This past week was really nice. I mean nice. Just “happy days” where I don’t give a damn about the bullshit in my life, in life. I wasn’t particularly happy about one thing, except for maybe the fact that the immigration situation, the work permit, is becoming a reality despite the hold-ups. (Yeah, I’ll mention those later as I always say I’ll do).
All I have to say is this and you can stop reading the rest of my nonsense:
Fool, I’m feelin’ fresh like fuckin’ Fonzie here! On the plus size, I also feel aaaaaliiiiiive. I’m mostly high on life; not just merely existing.
********
I’ve had one of those weeks where I can laugh at humanity and not be too cynical about it. “Child,” I tell myself, “these are happy days aren’t they?” Yes, yes yes. the Mouse nods in agreement. I have to. This year has been hell–like much of my other twenty-six years– and I’ve finally driven out of hell, or so it seems. I’m always a bit suspicious though. I suppose what matters is that I am presently feeling pleasant, feeling calm. I’m ok.
My mood has just been too good to be true. And I’m not even on drugs… wait, I kinda am. But anyway.
And we all have our quirks, our little weird secrets (though some more than others). Don’t we?
A strange week with (MOSTLY) good feeling. Let me start with Monday–this is last Monday, October first.
*******
The Monday Mentals
Monday began, and as usual, I went to the gym where my mom works to do my daily swim. I’ve been keeping track of how many laps I do. I told the therapist this and she said it’s a great idea to look back on my progress. Chronic pain gets in the way of this sometimes, but anyway. I’d planned on doing some blogging after my swim only I had the bloggin’ block going on in my head. And like Sara Draws says, I think I’m getting the “brain rot”. (Back on Lamotrigine after a week off of it).
I just can’t seem to sketch or play the ukulele or write, except for now. I’m writing now, ain’t I? I don’t know.
My brother and I are building our relationship again, after a major fight involving him saying he wanted me out of his life because of something impulsive I did. I’m glad we’re talking again. And we’re not just talking; we’re “friends” again. He’s been calling me up every couple of days or so and asking if I want him to pick me up to go over his apartment.
Ever since Monkey Man’s death, he’s been there for me, more or less. That’s what I love about my family. Things get crazy between us sometime, like when mama busted my brother’s nose throwing a phone at him (not a cellphone) and then he…or when I… ugh.. I’ll leave the rest for a private post. But what I’m saying is my family is here for me. And I realize that now. I always have, it’s just the depression gets in the way of these things–of FEELING the good things around you. Of feeling the love of those in your life. Of truly absorbing life, takin’ each breath and feeling the oxygen fill your lungs, pumping through your cells, in your blood, in your veins and fueling the engine that is your heart.
****
My brother called me Monday and asked if I’d come over. I said sure, since I’m working on being a little more open. Once we settled in his apartment, we started watching Alien, the original 1979 version. All was good until he asked me to try some wine he’d bought. Well, I said to myself “P, you don’t get a chance to drink fine wine often. You’re doing well. Just half a glass.”
“Only half a glass,” the Mouse whispered. But…Half a glass turned into nearly three-fourths of the bottle and I got drunk. Really drunk. I was still fine though, just enjoying myself. It was a surprise, actually, to feel “happy drunk” because usually I become a somewhat psychotic and “angry drunk” or a very depressed drunk.
My bro went off to bed because he had to work early in the morning and I sat there on the floor with my wine, clicking around Netflix until I saw MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR! Mel Gibson was still a young, sexy actor who wasn’t as misogynistic as he is now. But then again, I don’t know for sure. Shit, I digress.
****
So I was watching Mad Max: Road Warrior with Mel Gibson, getting drunker, lickin’ every last drop. Then I got heavy-eyed and figured I’d go to bed. By then it was probably midnight and my brother was asleep. I went over to my brother’s spare room and then to the restroom to brush my teeth, and that’s when I decide to start reading some blogs instead of curling up on the futon. Around this time is when the mentals hit me like a spear to the spine.
I was reading one of my favorite poet-bloggies and she had a link to this music duo. I dug it, so I looked ’em up on YouTube. I found THIS. It’s the duo singing a cover of Elliott Smith’s “Between the Bars”. This here–this song, Between the Bars— is a song that has an intense affect on me. I was learning how to play it on the uke back in December before I headed to Florida; before I got facial paralysis; before I became increasingly depressed; before I broke my arm; but most importantly, before Monkey Man died. And if you guys have read about what happened to Monkey Man, all those depressing posts I wrote about him… yeah. It’s been six months already!
A song that was once dedicated to Monkey Man–that now rings truer than it did in December–turned on the PLDs and maybe some of the borderline in me came out. I immediately snapped and picked a paperclip from my brother’s desk. You can imagine what happened next. But the paperclip wasn’t good enough, so I ended up in the kitchen with a bloody knife and a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. I don’t remember much after cleaning up the sink except I wrapped my arm in toilet paper and went to bed (the futon) crying.
Here’s the strange part. The next day, I was fine again. I had to keep my arm from sight when my dad picked me up, but otherwise, I was back to my cheery self.
I found a sketch of a monkey with a guitar that I drewcbefore running into the song and it’s terribly cute. Just above the crooked ears I must’ve drunkenly scribbled. It reads: T.H.L 1984-2012
****
Wonderful Wednesday
Tuesday. I’m not gonna bother recapping Tuesday since it was just a chill day, apart from swimming fourteen laps and hiding a still-bleeding gash on my T-Rex-Duck arm.
Wednesday… Wednesday was wonderful. There’s a happy day.
My friend Sandy came over with her little three-year old boy. I hadn’t seen them in months. I had finished ten laps earlier that day and was feeling like things really are turning up. So Sandy came by with sushi which we ate. We then watched a kiddie movie and talked. I think we were more into the movie than her boy. She’s very different from me, Sandy, but despite that, we get along pretty well.
Sometimes I can only get so much of her though, but I’ve been pretty social lately, so my anxiety about people is subdued a bit and my patience has grown a bit. I’m still a very anxious person; I’m still having lots of anxiety, but as long as I’m not having panic attacks, as long as it’s not crippling I think it’s manageable. I’m good to go.
After she left, B came by and we talked. Here’s where Sandy and B differ. B and I can have very deep conversations: we’re like-minded. He’s a very intelligent fella and he gets my sick sense of humor which is always a plus in a friendship (for me at least). | {
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Dolphin Love
Click to Zoom
Dolphin Love
9mm x 14mm Sterling Silver Trigger Clasp
Unit: each
Who said that trigger clasps had to be plain? Not us! We found this little dolphin clasp and fell in love. Marry it with a ring and he will be ready to jump through hoops. The mechanism is the dorsal fin which you just push down on and the trigger opens. | {
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} |
Program
Radio Adelaide
Mosh
with Nicholas, Kahlia and Thomas
Program description
Radio Adelaide’s home of heavy music, MOSH serves the freshest heavy tunes from home and abroad. Whether you’re looking for a brutal breakdown, a fast catchy punk-jumping riff or a face-melting guitar solo, we’ve got you covered. Catch the latest news and tour announcements to make sure you’re well informed and never miss your favourite band, as well as exclusive interviews with all your favourites.
So grab a cup of Bonox, crank it up to 11 and listen to MOSH!
Presented by Nicholas Quadrio, Thomas Kauschke and Kahlia Allen.
Artists commonly played on this show
In Hearts Wake
Hellions
Rise Against
Bare Bones
Clowns
Grenadiers
Ocean Grove
Orsome Welles
FOLEY!
Alpha Wolf
Listen on demand
New Music
Feature Album
The Creases
Tremolow
Recorded in Melbourne with Malcolm Besley (Northeast Party House, City Calm Down) and featuring appearances from Hatchie and Ali Barter, as well as a welcomed addition of brass and strings from members of Saskwatch and Dorsal Fins, 'Tremolow' features 11 blissful Britpop-infused jams soaked in lush retro soundscapes, sing-along melodies and hyperactive rhythms. | {
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Oil Lobbying Group Creates Best Practices for Fracking
An oil industry lobbying group on Wednesday unveiled voluntary standards aimed at tamping down concerns about the oil and gas production process known as horizontal drilling, or fracking, in communities around the United States.
The American Petroleum Institute said it published standards for how to engage with communities that host shale drilling sites, based on the “best practices” of industry participants who have been involved in such projects for 65 years.
“The energy revolution is now occurring in areas of the country where oil and natural gas exploration doesn’t have the same history as Texas or Oklahoma,” API director of standards David Miller said of the move.
The “good neighbor” standards include a list of steps oil and gas companies should take to “help local leaders and residents prepare for energy exploration, minimize interruption to the community, and manage resources.”
The guidelines do not address common local concerns about the practice of horizontal drilling and fracking, such as methane leakage and potential water contamination.
API’s effort to win over local communities may be too late for certain states.
The guidelines come just weeks after New York state’s top court ruled that towns have the authority to ban gas drilling within their borders, upholding drilling bans in two upstate towns.
The towns involved in that case were among the first of more than 170 municipalities in New York to ban gas drilling as state officials consider whether to lift a moratorium on fracking.
Meanwhile in Colorado, five cities have voted to ban fracking. In November, voters will be able to vote on ballot initiatives that would let municipalities ban fracking.
API’s guidelines include recommendations for how to conduct public meetings on safety; local training for new job opportunities; and ensuring “that oil and gas production is done in way that complements community goals.” | {
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Legend:
Before ''anything'', please read [http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/contributing/ How to contribute to Django]. You'll find out how the Django community works, and possibly save yourself much grief in the future. `:)` | {
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Classic
These specially designed brushes cater to all stages of suede shoe care. They include the crepe suede brushes with or without nylon, the brass brush and the shoe cleaning brush. The brushes can also be used on calfskin and nubuck. This range of brushes was designed with affordability in mind, without compromising our quality standards. The different brushes are therefore mostly made of beechwood, which has been barrel sanded and polished using the dipping method. Have a look at our shoe polishing lessons to familiarise yourself with the various types of brushes so that you can use them correctly. | {
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Key Stats: It isn’t hard to paint a bleak picture of Ubaldo Jimenez’s 2011 season. ERA up by 1.80. WHIP up by 0.25. Wins down 9. Strikeouts down 34. Innings down 33.1. Looking at it through this lens it is depressing. Combine the numbers with the hype element though and it makes Jimenez even worse. He was the guy that started the All-Star game in 2010. He was the headline trade rumor player during the season for a period of about one month, and was eventually moved to Cleveland where he was expected to put the Indians over the top in the central. He failed most in his first four starts after the trade (when everyone is most interested to see his impact) and the Indians watched the Tigers in October.
What all of this has done however is cause Jimenez to be ranked way lower than he really should be. He wasn’t that much different from the pitcher he was in 2010. The ERA might have been up by 1.80, but the xFIP increased by only 0.11. The WHIP rose, but the BB/9 actually dropped. The strikeouts overall were down, but the K/9 hardly moved. Jimenez is not an all-star starter by any means (he was very lucky during that first half by any standard), but he is a safe pick for strikeouts, innings, and several gems per year.
Skeptics Say: One thing that can’t be argued in Jimenez’s favor is the lower win total. Jimenez had the 17th best run support in baseball last year and had the 45th best run support in 2010 when he won 19 games. Let’s also keep in mind that despite having a slightly lower BB/9 last year the WHIP rose for a reason. That reason is of course because he gave up more hits. Jimenez’s fastball velocity which has been tops in the league in years past was down 2.5 MPH last year. That has been his best pitch in the past, but was not last year. It’s worth watching how hard he is throwing in Spring Training when evaluating where to take him.
Peer Comparison: Jimenez was just one of several pitchers to take a major dive from the player he was in 2010. Here is a list of some of the major players that fell by more than 100 spots in the Yahoo player rater who were relevant in 2010:
If you look at this list, players can be put in two major categories. Injuries (Oswalt, Liriano, Johnson, Wainwright, Buchholz, and possbily Carpenter) and unproven beyond one great year (Scherzer, Hughes, Cahill, Garcia, Latos). It’s possible you could put Jimenez in both categories. The dip in fastball velocity is likely correlated with some injury that he was pitching through. I find it highly unlikely that a 27-year-old loses a step. And we also need to consider that Jimenez just had one great year. Not 2010, but the second half of 2009 through the first half of 2010. The stat and luck gods were on his side for a while.
In either case, whether it is injury or potential fluke, none of these players are going to be dismissed in drafts in 2012. The same can be said for Jimenez. Forecasting where they should be taken is next to impossible because for each player the interpretations of their good and bad seasons can be taken apart a different way.
Team Outlook: The Indians signed Grady Sizemore this offseason which doesn’t mean a whole lot given the player he hasn’t been since 2008. Up the middle, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis (small sample size) both had a negative UZR which doesn’t bode well for Jimenez who gets his fair share of groundballs. A healthy Shin-Soo Choo will help the offense which was middle of the road (16th in runs) last season.
Projection: The ERA won’t go down by 1.80 this season, but even if he gets back half of what he lost on that total, the consistent strikeouts make him worth a grab right around the 130th selection. 14 wins 3.63 ERA 1.32 WHIP 194 K in 198 innings | {
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Doctor's office and home raided by federal agents
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Federal Agents made a visit to a Louisville neighborhood this morning collecting evidence from a doctor's home.
Agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as Louisville Metro Police, the Kentucky Attorney General's Office and the Kentucky Department of Insurance were taking items from the home of Dr. George Kudmani in the 14000 block of Landmark Drive in the Lake Forest neighborhood and his office in the 9000 block of Stonestreet Road.
Box after box of what appears to be patient records were taken out of Dr. George Kudmani's office and loaded into unmarked SUVs by police and drug enforcement agents. What they want with those records, no one is saying, but law enforcement was also coming and going from Dr. Kudmani's home on landmark drive in the Lake Forest neighborhood too.
WAVE 3 has confirmed that it was two federal search warrants that got the agents and officers into both locations.
One neighbor said there were detectives in unmarked cars sitting on the street over night. They told them they were doing surveillance, but wouldn't say where or why. By morning, the location was obvious.
Along with LMPD and DEA, a member of the Medicaid Fraud and Abuse unit from Kentucky's Attorney General's office as well as people with the state's Department of Insurance fraud division were also on site.
According to the Kentucky Board of Licensure, Dr. Kudmani has been certified in obstetrics and gynecology since 1980 in Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Damascus in 1971 and has never had any board action taken against him. His office listed is the one agents were taking items from.
Officials said no one has been arrested and Dr. Kudmani is the only person being investigated. Jewish Hospital and Triology Healthcare both own buildings where Dr. Kudmani has his office, but both said they are not associated with him.
WAVE 3 will continue to follow this case and bring you new details as they become available. | {
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Remembrance Day speaker says Canadians remember abundance of sorrow and horror in war and acknowledg
The Kamsack Remembrance Day service was held in the Victoria School gymnasium where the front of the room was decorated with a cenotaph for the laying of wreaths and a Remembrance Day mural was a backdrop for the colour party.
Escorted to the cenotaph by Kamsack air cadets, Leonilla Fisher, left, and Ardis Irvine, laid a wreath on behalf of the Royal Purple Elks.
Keri Lindsay on bagpipes led the Remembrance Day Colour Party out of the hall at the conclusion of the service.
A Kamsack Comprehensive Institute band, under the direction of Darren Kitsch, performed during the Kamsack Remembrance Day service.
Rev. Stephen Ruten, the chaplain for the Kamsack branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, delivered the Remembrance Day homily during the November 11 service in the Victoria School gymnasium.
Kamsack Legion branch executive members Judy Green and Jim Woodward, who were part of the Remembrance Day colour party officiated at a ceremony for the lighting of a Candle of Remembrance.
Kamsack Mayor Rod Gardner laid a wreath on behalf of the citizens of Kamsack.
The Kamsack Community Choir sang during the Kamsack Remembrance Day service.
Each Remembrance Day Canadians pause to remember the abundance of sorrow in war, the abundance of horror in war and to acknowledge dreams of peace, Rev. Stephen Ruten, chaplain for the Kamsack branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, said in his homily during the Remembrance Day service in Kamsack.
“Every year on this day, we pause to honour and remember the men and women who have served and continue to serve Canada during times of war, conflict and peace, and especially the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Ruten said. “We will remember them.”
Reflecting on the abundance of sorrow in war, Ruten quoted a chaplain who had written to the sister of a soldier:
“‘It is with real sorrow that I write this letter, for it brings you, I am afraid, very bad news about your brother… I cannot tell you how sorry I am…There is not one who doesn’t feel his death as a personal blow. Everyone thought so much of him and admired his fine sturdy character and his unfailing cheerfulness. He was… a fine example to all…I wish I could help to soften the hardness of your sorrow. There is one comfort at least in knowing that he gave his life in a sacred cause fighting for right and justice. It is the greatest sacrifice that a man can make.’
“When we read those words, can we think of some way to apply these personal words of comfort to the families of all those, whose names were called out in the Honour Roll today?”
“‘War has caused us grief and cost us the finest among many a generation but we acknowledge the need to protect and defend liberty,’” Ruten said, quoting Chaplain-General Stanley Johnston.
“‘The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him,’” he said, quoting G.K. Chesterton.
“Romans 13 refers to those who bear arms to protect and defend liberty as ‘God’s servants’ or ‘ministers.’ And I give public thanks to each one here who has served faithfully to protect and defend.”
Remembering the abundance of horror in war, Ruten said that nearly two-thirds of military deaths in the First World War were in battle, whereas in previous conflicts most deaths were due to disease. During the First World War, the Spanish flu cased about a third of total military deaths.
Ruten quoted Wilfred Owen, who described a battle in poetry, and Don McLean’s song The Grave, which described a 20-year-old in the horror of battle, and then said that 100 years ago this year the Canadian John McCrae penned the following words on the end result of the horrors of war:
“‘We are the dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved and now we lie in Flanders fields.’
“There are horrors in war that must not be forgotten.”
Acknowledging dreams of peace, Ruten said that John Lennon had imagined many things, including “Imagine all the people living life in peace.
“The conflict that started just over 100 years ago was supposed to be ‘the war to end war.’ That became a catchphrase in the First World War. David Lloyd George is supposed to have retorted: ‘this war, like the next war, is a war to end war.’
“Neville Chamberlain said there would be ‘peace in our time’ by his signing a piece of paper in 1938 with Hitler.
“The prophet Jeremiah had no good words to say to those who were out of touch with the truth in promoting false hope. He wrote in Jeremiah 6:14, ‘Peace, they say, when there is no peace.’
“In the passage from Isaiah… a time is coming, the prophet said when ‘the wolf will live with the lamb… the infant will play near the cobra’s den and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’
“Isaiah described again a time when ‘He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation nor will they train for war anymore.’
“The song that came from the slaves of America captured this future in these words: ‘Gonna lay down my burden, down by the riverside; I ain’t gonna study war no more.’
“As God created the universe by the word of His mouth in the beginning, so rebel nations will be brought into submission by the powerful word of Christ,” he said. “Let’s be sure to note that Jesus says there is an end.
“History, like all good stories, has a beginning, a middle and an end, and the Bible is very clear that as the end draws near, the focus of the world will be on the Mid-east, indeed on tiny Israel, where the Saviour of the World was born.
“The Saviour who died in humiliation for the sins of the world will return in glory,” Ruten said. “In all our dreams of peace, it is Christ who is our hope.”
The service had begun in the Victoria School auditorium shortly before 11 a.m. on November 11 with the march on of the colours with Legion branch members Lynn Baillie, Judy Green, Diana Belovanoff and Dianne Smutt.
After the singing of O Canada, Jim Woodward, branch president, read the Honour Roll, which was followed by Ralph Cuervo on trumpet playing of The Last Post. After two minutes silence, Cuervo played Reveille and then Woodward recited the Act of Remembrance.
Ruten said the opening prayer and then the Kamsack Community Choir, under the direction of Susan Bear, led in the singing of O God Our Help in Ages Past.
Wreaths were laid on behalf of 37 groups and individuals and the representatives of each were escorted to the front of the hall by two members of the Kamsack air cadet squadron.
The Candle of Remembrance was lit and the choir rose to sing A Prayer for Peace.
Following Ruten’s homily, the choir, with Marilyn Marsh at the piano, sang In Flanders Fields. Ruten said the closing prayer, God Save the Queen was sung and, playing the bagpipes, Keri Lindsay led the colour party off the stage and out of the room.
Frank Airriess was the parade marshal and 2Lieut. Karen Bodnaryk was in charge of the Kamsack air cadets.
Members of the Kamsack Legion invited persons interested to accompany Legion members to Togo for a service in front of the Togo Cenotaph at 2 p.m. and the Remembrance Day supper was served at the Kamsack Legion Hall at 6 p.m. | {
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I usually go with a
theme for my Sunday Selections and this week I'm continuing with some photos from my visit to the Zoo.
This week, Monkeys.
not sure what monkey these two are,
I think Macaques.
the Orang-Utans like to hide under blankets.
she's coming out....
eating something.She didn't come right out and walk around, so we moved on. I heard on the news last night that she is (or may be) pregnant again. Her first two pregnancies haven't been successful, the previous baby being stillborn or dying soon after birth.
the golden gibbon and the young black one.
and the baby golden gibbon. That's her arm and leg wrapped around Mum. At the time of taking this photo Zoo staff were still unsure as to gender, a week later we learned the baby is a girl and a notice was in the newspaper asking for ideas for her name. The black gibbon is the older sibling, a brother.
Why not visit Delores's site and see what others have done with these in her comments section. There are some mighty talented people there!
Without further ado, here is my rather long contribution. Perhaps you should get a cuppa before you start. And a couple of fairy cakes.(How many of you remember Runaway Kim? Working in the diner?)
I need a little help deciding where chapter two should finish and chapter three begin, please. I've made a break line at the possible change point.
Runaway KimChapter Two and Three
With business going so
well lately, Stuart had offered Kim a permanent job at the diner and Kim had
decided to take it.
In spite of Detective Riley.
She was tired of moving on,
more importantly, Kim thought that Bitty was the town she had been looking for.
Maybe she could finally find the answers she’d been seeking. She had asked
Stuart if he could recommend a place for rent.
He'd sent her to see Mrs
Cosgrove, who handled most of the tiny town's rental properties, while her
husband George handled sales.
Cecelia Cosgrove had
asked a few questions. What was Kim looking for? A house? A flat? Did she need
a yard? Finally deciding together that a decent sized flat would be best,
Cecelia had given Kim the addresses of several places.
She'd spent most of the
day looking at flats, there were only four available, but Kim had spent quite a
bit of time in each one, getting a feel of the place, checking room sizes, the
view and so on.
The very best flat was on the top floor of the building at the
corner of Eagle Street and Hawk Avenue,both named for the birds that lived in the areas before the town had
spread this way.
There were still hawks to be seen now and again, but the
eagles had long since gone.
Poachers had killed them off in the early sixties
and sold their tail feathers as genuine Apache artifacts.
This flat was the
largest with two bedrooms and a balcony and Kim hoped the rent was negotiable.
The view was amazing. Miles and miles of fields, with mountains backing them
and a few small woodsy areas between.
Most of the rest of the
tenants seemed okay too, Kim had spoken to a few of them while walking around
the block admiring the trees on Hawk Avenue where the entrance to the flats
was. It was a mixed block for sure, people of all ages living there.
She'd been
immensely pleased to hear the happy sounds of a birthday party coming from the
ground floor flat. Knocking on the door, she was greeted warmly by Megan
O'Brien, who had lived there for most of her married life and invited her in
for a cup of tea.
"Oh, but I don't
want to interrupt the party," said Kim. "I just have a few questions
about the flat and the area. I can come back tomorrow."
"Nonsense, you're
here now, come on in, maybe we can find you a fairy cake or two to go with that
cup of tea," said Megan.
"It's my grand-daughter's
fourth birthday, but she won't mind at all," Megan said as she led Kim
into a bright cheery room filled with giggles and fairy wings, where ten little
girls danced around with balloons and ribbon streamers.
"I would like to
know more about the other tenants," Kim began as Megan got out cups and saucers
and put the kettle on. "In particular, that gentleman in number Four. He
seemed a little...strange, a little rough, spoke to me only in almost menacing
monosyllables. Is there anything you can tell me? Should I avoid him if I move
into number Six?"
"Don't you worry
about Bob Smith," said Megan as she sat down and placed a plate of fairy
cakes in front of Kim.
Cecelia Cosgrove phoned me earlier and said you might be
around, I told her I'd give you all the information you might be wanting.
Now
Bob Smith is a little odd, but he's very harmless, he's lived here longer than
I have and I've never had a lick of trouble from him. He does sound a bit scary
with his 'No! Go! Shoo! Off! Off!' and those frowning eyebrows are quite off
putting too, but once he gets used to seeing you about in the building, he'll
be fine."
"Well, that's good
news," said Kim, "this is the best flat I've seen and I'd like to
take it and move in as soon as possible. I don't have much so it won't take
long to move from where I am, I've been staying with Stuart, he owns the diner,
and has let me stay in his spare room. But I'd like my own place, since I've
decided to stay in Bitty."
“Do you have time to sit
and chat for a while?” asked Megan. “My daughter won’t be picking up the girls
for another hour.”
“I do have plenty of
time,” said Kim, “unless you think I should get back and sign the lease for the
flat straight away?”
“Not at all necessary
dear,” said Megan. No one else has been interested in it, you’re the only new
person in town, I’ll just phone Cecelia and she’ll have it ready to sign in the
morning.”
“Thank you,” said Kim as
she settled back in her chair. She had a feeling she was going to like Megan O’Brien
very much.
As soon as the phone
call was over, Megan called all the little girls to the low table by the
television and shared out plates of fairy cakes and glasses with small amounts
of lemonade, then turned on the dvd player with a movie about Fairies.
She came back to the
dining table. “Now, about Bob Smith,” she began. “He’s a little odd, but
harmless as I said before, he’s had a rough time since living in that hippie
village in the sixties.
There were about a hundred young people out there,
camping in the ruined barn, some of them looked far too young to me, I suspect
they’d run away from home, and the goings on out there! Oh My!
I’m certainly
glad my girls didn’t get caught up in that Hippie movement, being only ten and
twelve they were safe enough I think.
Anyway, those kids out there lived what
they called a “free” lifestyle, some called it “alternative”. Fringe living I
suppose it might be called today, living on the edge of society as they did. Do
you want another cup of tea dear?”
“Oh yes please,” said
Kim, “these fairy cakes are delicious.”
“I made them myself,’
said Megan, “from scratch, I don’t like those packet mixes. They’re easy, but
there’s not much real flavour to them. Not like home made.”
She poured the tea. “Now
where was I? Oh yes, the hippie barn. There was a lot going on out there, kids
all sleeping together, changing partners like it didn’t matter, smoking that
Marijuana, and taking that LSD stuff too.
I don’t know where they
got it from, none of them ever had any money to pay for drugs or even food. Nobody
worked at all. I expect many of them didn’t eat either, they got awfully skinny
and walked around like zombies, half out of their minds they were.
Well, it was
that LSD stuff that was the ruin of Bob Smith.
He didn’t smoke much, we learned
all this later of course, but he took that LSD every day. Said it was “mind-blowing”.
Well, it blew his mind alright!
I was a nurse back then and worked at the
hospital when a couple of them drove into town on that old tractor of Ted’s,
and dropped Bob at the front doors. Didn’t dare come in I suppose.
Well, we
took Bob in and he was so emaciated! Having hallucinations too, seeing miniature
aliens climbing up his legs all the time. The resident psychiatrist worked with
him for years and Bob gradually came good, but he still has occasional
flashbacks and hardly talks at all, except to the aliens.
To Bob, anyone new is
an alien and that’s why he most often says things like Go! No! Get! Off! Leave!”
“That’s
really sad,” said Kim. “Does he remember who he was before all this happened? Anything at all about himself or his family?” | {
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On Oct. 25, 2017 President Trump signed an executive order making it easier for drone companies to test new drone technology. The order is seen as positive for leading drone companies to develop their technology at an increased pace. Leading drone companies include tech giants Google and Amazon.
The executive order requires the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to establish an unmanned aircraft system (“UAS”, commonly known as a drone) pilot program.
The goals of the pilot program are to (1) test models of local and state government involvement in development of Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) regulation; (2) encourage drone operators to develop and safely test new technology; and (3) inform the development of FAA regulations and guidelines.
Within 180 days of issuance, the Secretary of Transportation is ordered to enter into agreements with a target of five (5) state and local governments. The order specifies that those agreements should be effective ninety (90) days after the agreements are entered into. The order contemplates that those agreements will include participation of private sector companies.
The order states that existing FAA waivers shall be applied to the agreements. The waivers reduce regulation and make testing of drone technology easier.
Govtech.com reported that Google subsidiary Wing.com was “encouraged” by the order. Additionally, Govtech.com reported that Gur Kimchi, Vice President of Amazon Air said “Amazon supports the administration’s efforts to create a pilot program aimed at keeping America at the forefront of aviation and drone innovation.”
In San Francisco, the hometown of lawinformation.info, the City approved a drone policy on September 21, 2017 that allowed the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to use drones over public watershed areas. City officials are investigating using drone technology for other applications.
What’s next?
Agreements with local governments that include private company partners are expected to be signed in early 2018. | {
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The Rozenburg Royal Delftware Factory (1883-1917) produced internationally renowned pottery. The glory days of the Hague factory are very much associated with the designer Theodoor Colenbrander and its director Jurriaan Kok.
Rozenburg was set up as a pottery factory in 1883 by the German Wilhelm Wolff Freiherr von Gudenberg. The entrepreneur’s original aim was to produce traditional Delft pottery, but he was soon captivated by contemporary artistic designs. He found an ally in the shape of the eccentric T.A.C. Colenbrander (1841-1930), who designed exotic vases and dishes with whimsical, bright designs. It was in the years that Rozenburg’s shareholders included the likes of the marine painter H.W. Mesdag and the poet and literary critic Carel Vosmaer, and its tile painters numbered up-and-coming artists like Willem de Zwart and W.B. van Horssen. Those early days were a flamboyant time, but the factory struggled to make a profit.
In the 1890s, Rozenburg tacked between art and commerce, between ceramics for the construction industry and pottery utensils. The factory produced tile tableaux for the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and was very much inspired by the British arts and crafts style. Vases, mantel clocks, dishes and jugs were decorated with rural idylls populated by waterfowl and frogs, sunflowers and poppies. The scenes were devised by master painters and their apprentices. Inspiration and expertise were derived from field trips, the Hague art academy or volumes of illustrations from all over the world.
And then, after years of experimentation, director Jurriaan Kok (1861-1919) suddenly launched an eggshell porcelain that was so delicate and so thin that it was almost unusable. Teapot lids resembled flakes of foam and handles rose up out of translucent pots like wayward tendrils. Cheerful, robust decorations made way for ethereal, stylised scenes with aviary birds and thistle branches. At the World Exhibition in Paris (1900) the new designs were an instant hit and the factory enjoyed some very profitable years. But massive investment, increasing plagiarism and a lack of innovative designers began to take its toll. From 1904 Rozenburg shifted its focus to the production of building materials. The factory launched glazed stoneware, a weatherproof material whose smooth properties for many years inspired the artist Jan Toorop, a good friend of Jurriaan Kok. The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag had close ties with Rozenburg right from the early days. The works first bought by the museum were acquired by its then director Hendrik van Gelder in 1913 and 1917. That last year marked the end of the factory. It fell victim to declining sales and a sharp increase in the price of raw materials as the First World War loomed. Renowned artist include Theodoor Colenbrander, Daniël Harkink, Wilhelmus Petrus Hartgring, Sam Schellink (see also: watercolour starlings by Sam Schellink en watercolour crows by Sam Schellink) , Jan Toorop and Hendrik Willem Mesdag. | {
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Salvation Army
The Trump administration’s latest federal budget blueprint proposes less spending for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Advocacy group Empower Missouri estimates there will be at least $7.4 billion cuts in federal investments for housing for low-income people.
That concerns supporters of affordable housing and community development in Missouri. Jeanette Mott Oxford, executive director of Empower Missouri, said she finds the effects from the suggested budget on Missouri’s low-income housing options worrisome.
Updated at 4:50 p.m. July 26 with additional comments from the ceremony — In 2014, the burned-out Ferguson QuikTrip quickly became a national symbol of a community’s frustration over police brutality. Local and national leaders hope the building that replaced the convenience store becomes a symbol of hope.
Nonprofit, corporate and political leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center. It also served as the opening of the National Urban League’s annual conference, which is in St. Louis through Saturday.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory for the St. Louis area until 7 p.m. Thursday. Temperatures are expected in the mid-to-upper 90's, with high humidity levels, on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Those who need relief from the heat can seek shelter at cooling stations across the area.
The Salvation Army routinely responds to heat advisories by opening cooling centers where people can rest in air conditioned rooms and receive cold water. The cooling centers will remain open during their individually posted hours until the heat advisory is lifted.
Another St. Louis agency is expanding its capacity to provide a long-term solution to homelessness in the region.
The Salvation Army has converted a dormitory-style building on Washington Ave. into 58 one-bedroom apartments. The apartments are slated for people with a variety of needs, including children aging out of foster care, people with disabilities and the chronically homeless.
Rev. Larry Rice directed about 20 homeless persons to a mall in Fairview Heights on Tuesday to underscore the lack of shelters in St. Clair County.
Rice says many homeless persons seeking refuge from the triple-digit temperatures wind up across the river at his shelter downtown.
“Belleville represents what we see in so many municipalities," Rice said. "Where people just aren’t dealing with the homeless. They’re closing shelters. We saw a shelter close here – the Salvation Army – in 2009. They made no other arrangements for the homeless.”
This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: November 19, 2008 - Those providing meals and Thanksgiving fixings to people in need say that they will have many more mouths to feed this year. But they're hopeful that there will be plenty of turkey, stuffing and other holiday goodies to go around. | {
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Paloma Picasso’s creations artfully combine timeless sophistication with bold style. Joining Tiffany in 1980, her love of strong shapes and exuberant color, both in her work and in her life, have made her an acclaimed designer and fashion icon. | {
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Judge: KPMG Defendants' Court Costs Should Be Covered
A judge has ruled that it was unconstitutional pressure from the government that led KPMG to place a cap on how much of the legal tab it would pick up for 16 former employees facing federal charges over the sale of questionable tax shelters.
U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan declined to dismiss the indictment against the former KPMG employees, but did open a civil court docket for the group -- suggesting that the former workers file civil charges against the Big Four firm to get their legal fees paid in full.
The issue arose out of a Justice Department policy that companies that continue to pay the legal bills of accused executives can be considered "uncooperative." In August, the firm agreed to pay $456 million to avoid prosecution over its sale of abusive tax shelters and threatened to fire workers who didn't cooperate with federal investigators. KPMG has a longstanding policy of covering workers' legal costs, and Kaplan wrote in his ruling that he didn't believe the government was telling the whole story in its denials that it had encouraged KPMG to set a $400,000 cap on the defendants' legal costs.
"Bus drivers sued for accidents, cops sued for allegedly wrongful arrests, nurses named in malpractice cases, news reporters sued in libel cases and corporate chieftains embroiled in securities litigation generally have similar rights to have their employers pay their legal expenses if they are sued as a result of their doing their jobs," Kaplan wrote, in his ruling. "This right is as much a part of the bargain between employer and employee as salary or wages."
Kaplan said that ultimately he agreed that the former KPMG executives' right to a fair trial was being threatened. "KPMG refused to pay because the government held the proverbial gun to its head," Kaplan wrote. "Had that pressure not been brought to bear, KPMG would have paid these defendants' legal expenses."
The SVP of Operations and Strategy at Golden Star Technology, Inc. had to look at what systems and processes they had in place, evaluate a shortlist of solutions or combination of solutions, and settle on a platform that would last them for the next 30 years. | {
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Used Jeep Grand Cherokee Traverse City MI 49684
Introducing the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It features four-wheel drive capabilities, a durable automatic transmission, and a 4 liter 6 cylinder engine. It includes leather upholstery, delay-off headlights, front and rear reading lights, a built-in garage door transmitter, an automatic dimming rear-view mirror, automatic dimming door mirrors, remote keyless entry, and seat memory. Audio features include a CD player with AM/FM radio, steering wheel mounted audio controls, and 6 speakers, providing excellent sound throughout the cabin. Jeep ensures the safety and security of its passengers with equipment such as: dual front impact airbags, ignition disabling, and 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS. Our team is professional, and we offer a no-pressure environment. They'll work with you to find the right vehicle at a price you can afford. Please don't hesitate to give us a call. | {
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BFGoodrich Drivers Team Frenchman Sebastien Ogier chosen to represent the team on the 2009 Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
At the Paris headquarters of the FFSA (Fédération Française du Sport Automobile), Sébastien Ogier was today nominated to drive for the BFGoodrich Drivers Team on the forthcoming Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo (January 21-24). The Frenchman will take part in the opening round of the 2009 Intercontinental Rallye Challenge (IRC) at the wheel of a Kronos-run Peugeot 207 S2000.
The 2009 BFGoodrich Drivers Team programme will give drivers from five countries an opportunity to contest their home round of the IRC.
From the 75 applications received by the FFSA, an initial shortlist of five crews was drawn up by BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing. In the end, it was Sébastien Ogier who was chosen by a score of 11 votes cast by a panel comprising 16 representatives of the national media, BFGoodrich, Kronos Racing and the FFSA.
The BFGoodrich Drivers Team operation was launched in 2008, with a calendar of five outings organised by tyre manufacturer BFGoodrich, plus the logistical, technical and sporting assistance of Kronos Racing, and the support of the national motor sport governing bodies and car clubs concerned. The programme was a resounding success, both with competitors and rally fans, with more than 300 applications received and some outstanding results, including fourth and fifth places overall.
Sébastien Ogier, who has been chosen to fly the colours of BFGoodrich and Kronos Racing on the 2009 Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, will compete in a Peugeot 207 Super 2000 alongside the three other drivers run by the Belgian outfit, namely Nicolas Vouilloz, Freddy Loix and Kris Meeke.
Both the car and the BFGoodrich Drivers Team crew will be managed by Kronos Racing, the same team which took Sébastien Loeb to the World Rally Championship Drivers' title in 2006, and which helped Nicolas Vouilloz to secure the IRC crown in 2008.
"It's fantastic news," enthused Sébastien when contacted by telephone after the decision. "I wasn't expecting to be chosen, but I have to admit that it was a dream I had been nurturing! I would like to thank BFGoodrich for putting together this exceptional programme, as well as the panel for putting their confidence in me. I have no intention of letting them down."
A test session will be organised near Monaco on January 16 to give Sébastien a chance to familiarise himself with the Peugeot 207 and to talk him through the tyre range. The next step will be the start of the legendary Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo itself, on which he will be targeting a top finish! | {
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And so the Wikileaks saga continues - with politics once again crossing with the technology side of things. After several DDoS attacks on Wikileaks' website, the organisation decided to move their website over to Amazon's cloud service yesterday. Today, Amazon kicked Wikileaks out of its cloud after being pressured by US Congress. Update: [Kroc] In a Q&A on the Guardian website, Julian Assange drops the bomb--Amazon failed the test: "Since 2007 we have been deliberately placing some of our servers in jurisdictions that we suspected suffered a free speech deficit inorder to separate rhetoric from reality. Amazon was one of these cases.". Stunning.
(you are not america[america it's composed by a lot of countries], nor you are north america[USA, Canada and Mexico
In the English language, "America" is not a continent. "North America is." "South America" is. "The Americas" (plural) is a region, as is "Latin America," "Central America," etc. There is no ambiguity. Anyway, it was Europeans who named it.
The real kleptonymaniacs are the good people of so-called "Europe," i.e., the European Union, which contains neither Europe's largest nor second largest country, nor its two most populous countries, nor its most powerful one.
As for the leaks, the latest ones don't seem to show "America" doing anything wrong, unless being polite in public and frank in private is somehow wrong.
As for the government's response to the leaks, it's about what you'd expect in a free country. The nation's newspaper of record, the New York Times, along with hundreds of others, prints excerpts without fear of censorship or retribution. Politicians posture and blather. Companies like Amazon simper, but Amazon is not a news organization, it is a retail outlet with a different mission. You can find out anything at all about the leaks on do-no-evil Google.
Do you think a Russian newspaper will print the leaks about Putin and Medvedev? Can you discuss the leaks about North Korea in a Chinese chat room?
In the english language, or in your common parlance? I ask because all english/german dictionaries handy translate "America" with Amerika, which is the continent, and afair this is also the way I learned it in school. | {
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Observing, reflecting, designing. making better public services.
September 2008
Post navigation
I have a question for all of you smart people out there. Does the fact that some people ‘game’ karma or rankings or anything you can count in social networks matter?
Here’s the context – I’m doing some work with the Drupal crew and at first blush it seems (perhaps obviously?) that Drupal.org is actually much more of a ‘social’ site than a ‘content’ site, and that many of the social and content issues we need to address might be helped along by making the activity that community members are undertaking visible – which essentially becomes a kind of ‘karma’ (a la Slashdot)
Karma is the sum of your activity on Slashdot. This means posting, moderation, story submissions. It’s just an integer in a database. The tiers are Terrible, Bad, Neutral, Positive, Good, and Excellent.
The obvious objection to this is gaming – that people will behave in a way that will increase their karma which is not necessarily in the best interest of the community at large.
There are a number of ways that you can design karma systems so that they are less likely to be gamed (see again Slashdot):
People like to treat their Slashdot Karma like some sort of video game, with a numeric integer representing their score in the game. People who do this simply are missing the point. The text label is one way we’ve decided to emphasize the point that karma doesn’t matter.
and
Yes. Karma is now capped at “Excellent” This was done to keep people from running up insane karma scores, and then being immune from moderation. Despite some theories to the contrary, the karma cap applies to every account.
And, of course, the well documented removal of the ‘top diggers’ page from Digg is another example of removing the incentive to game karma.
What I wonder about, though, is this:
is it just a minority of people who are compelled to have enormous numbers next to their names?
is this minority behaviour *really* disruptive to everyone’s experience of the system?
When I think about my experience of Twitter – I know there are a bunch of people out there who are very interested in having huge lists of followers. I guess it’s an ego thing. For the rest of us though, we get our value from Twitter from a much smaller group of more carefully selected individuals.
And we’re literate about ‘the numbers’ when evaluating people to include in our network. A common behaviour is to compare the ‘following’ to ‘followers’ numbers – if the ratio is screwed far toward ‘following’ then proceed with caution (or, more likely, don’t follow!)
My gut feeling is that:
yes, *some* people will game the system. No system you design will ever stop this.
making this gaming visible and traceable (you can see what people have done to achieve their ‘number’ or ranking) means that people can be discerning about the value they place on ‘rankings’
if people have high rankings, chance are they’ve been busy/loud in the community – their true value is really on the value of the noise they’ve been making (hopefully good noise)
showing rankings in order (a la Top Diggers) should be avoided at all cost. | {
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Big Ten releases preseason all-conference men's hoops team
Apr 5, 2014: Wisconsin Badgers forward Frank Kaminsky (right) drives against Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson in the second half during the semifinals of the Final Four.(Photo: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports) | {
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October 25, 2017
SHERMAN | When I Worked for the Greatest Website in the World
ByTroy Sherman | October 25, 2017
The fact that, back in high school, I was very, very smart and knew many more things than a lot of other people is indisputable. While I certainly read more books, watched more movies and generally thought about more interesting things than pretty much all of my classmates, what I was most proud of was my music taste, which was impeccable, unsurpassable and precisely cultivated. To put it bluntly, I was much better listened than you or anybody else.
Known on the internet over for his, um, uncommon takes on the history of rock and popular music, Piero first wandered into my life while I was doing research for my final project in a “History of Rock” class. For this project, each student had to adorn one section of the Music Room’s wall with an edificatory mural on some rock-related topic of their choosing. While my lowly classmates picked such artists as Queen, Rush, Britney Spears or the Rolling Stones, my undying precocity and pedantry led me to immortalize on my scant, sheer white facade an album which, as I would soon discover, had already been immortalized (for reasons that now, shockingly, seem even more pedantic than my own) on the hallowed, mustard-and-wallpaper-colored webpages of Piero’s own website, as the most Scarufficore album of all time: Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band’s Trout Mask Replica.
At the time that I picked my poison, what I already knew is that Trout Mask is a hideous, fascinating hour and a half of avant-rock/outsider music from old Frank Zappa-classmate/affiliate Don van Vliet. It had snuck its way onto my radar somewhere between the ages of 12 and 13, when the complete unlikelihood of its abject cover art immediately caught my edgy eye during a scroll through Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” where it rests (inexplicably) at number 60, between a CCR compilation CD and Sly Stone’s Greatest Hits.
But Piero, as I was soon to learn, values Beefheart and the Band‘s opus quite a bit more than the Rolling Stone Magazine. In fact, he thinks that it is, unequivocally, the greatest rock music album of all time, only one of three to be worthy of a score of 9.5 out of 10 on his website, resting at the coveted peak of his “Best Rock Albums of All Times” list.
I loved it.
But that was only just the beginning.
On top of the bottomless piles of thought-ephemera and the endless ranked lists of books, poems, movies and paintings that can be found at any one of www.scaruffi.com‘s more than 10,000 pages, Piero has ranked tens of thousands of popular music albums, from those of Kemialliset Ystavat to Kanye West, Brothers of the Occult Sisterhood to (famously) the Beatles. 15 year-old Troy — with what felt like a string coming down from the sky mechanically pulling his nose upwards at all things popular, famous, obvious or liked — was more than just interested; he was enthralled.
I spent hours wading through Piero’s opinions, sitting, at his website’s behest, through insufferable experiment after unlistenable attempt, all of which the internet’s original Edgelord peddled as the truest art which rock’s put forth since Elvis swung his hips (or not, if we take Scaruffi’s revisionist word for it). A lot of it was awful, a good deal unlistenable and damn near inaccessible, but I internalized it in the name of transcending those silly folks I walked by in the halls, or on the street who hadn’t ever heard of Vampire Rodents, Half-Machine Lip Moves, Holger Czukay or Cyclops Nuclear Submarine Captain.
It soon became clear that the utter transcendence from normie culture, which I craved, wasn’t to be attained simply by listening to an experimental album or two (or 300). I soon realized I had to go straight to the source.
That is, after a year of dedicated, unwavering Scaruffi-ing, I decided it was time to send the man an email. Mustering up my courage and compiling a mental list of facts with which I could impress him, I sent a note to the address which he provided on the “New Media Internships” section of his website, proclaiming myself a “disciple” and asking how I could get involved in his site. Less than a day later, something curious popped up in my inbox: an unread email from one “piero .·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·..·´¯`·. scaruffi.” In the blink of an eye, I had gone from being some nobody high school junior to an intern at “The Greatest Website of All Time.”
Translating the more crucial sections of Piero’s site from Italian into English, I was hindered only by the fact that I didn’t know a lick of Italian, but was able to rectify this through (in Mr. Scaruffi’s own words from the three-sentence letter of recommendation he wrote for my Common App) “using high technology, knowledge of Latin languages, access to Italian speakers and common sense.” In other words, I put his articles through Google Translated and then heavily edited them. Sometimes I asked my Italian friend Bianca for help.
The whole goofy schtick lasted for about a year and half, maybe less. And while I could draw some conclusions and make some claims, I don’t know if this is the place to do that. Off the top of my head, the fact that, oh, his top 100 rock albums contain (by my count) fewer than 20 women and absolutely no people of color, or that his Lemonade review complains of Beyoncé’s status as “an industry artifact with no personality,” should be proof enough that Scaruffi is fruit hanging low enough that it might as well be buried underground. The degree to which his hot takes are out of touch with the role and vitality of pop(ular) music in 2017 is honestly mind-boggling, which is what makes his work — which more often than not seems like it was written by a hermit who has albums shipped to his cave rather than a well-travelled Stanford affiliate with Silicon Valley interests and an enormous online following — so deliciously meme-able. It may be true — but it must be too obvious — that his writing amounts to everything that’s wrong with music criticism taken to its most absurd and regrettable apotheosis. Who knows.
What I do know — and know for sure — is this: the fact that so many books still name Piero Scaruffi as “the greatest,” or “most significant,” or “most influential” music critic ever only tells you how far music criticism is from becoming a serious art.
Troy Sherman is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at [email protected] His column Troy to The World runs alternate Thursdays this semester.
Related
Have you been keeping up with U2? I hadn’t really checked in since the PR disaster of Songs of Innocence’s 2014 release, when the band attempted to regain relevance and reach a younger audience by forcing everybody with an iPhone to own their music.
ByNathan ChazanOctober 29, 2017
One of the handful of truly splendid things about America is the newspaper comic Garfield. While the strip doesn’t quite have the art snob street cred of Peanuts, Nancy or even Calvin and Hobbes, there’s something about the fat cat that seems to stick around throughout the humdrum of our lives. | {
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Kourtney Kardashian Gets a Puppy For Christmas
Kourtney Kardashian Got a Puppy For Christmas, and She Is So Cute
Kourtney Kardashian had a merry Christmas, indeed! Not only did she host her family's annual holiday party this year, but she welcomed a new addition to her brood: an adorable new puppy! On Thursday, the mother of three shared an Instagram album featuring photos of the furry pup with her children, 10-year-old Mason, 7-year-old Penelope, and 5-year-old Reign. "But what should we name her?" Kourtney asked on Instagram. Naturally, fans quickly chimed in, suggesting names like Noelle, Snuggles, Lovie, and Sugar. Kourtney already has a Pomeranian named Honey, so I think Sugar has a nice ring to it, don't you think? | {
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Neo-Nazis Are Trying To Take Over A Town In North Dakota
BISMARCK, North Dakota (Reuters) - Hundreds of demonstrators turned out in the tiny North Dakota town of L eith on Sunday to protest plans by an American Nazi group to move in and take over the local government.
The loud but peaceful demonstrators, many of them Native Americans from nearby reservations, were on hand for a visit from Jeff Schoep, commander of the National Socialist Movement, and several followers.
The group hopes to move enough members into Leith - population 17 - to take over the local government.
"We have to start somewhere," Schoep told Reuters. "So if we start in small towns and spread out from there, it's sort of a test ground in that sense, where if we're able to get off the ground here, then we're able to get off the ground in other places."
Schoep and his followers were in Leith on Sunday to survey property purchased for them by local resident Craig Cobb, whose yard is adorned with swastika flags.
Local officials oppose the group's plans.
Leith Mayor Ryan Schock said city officials were discussing the possibility of unincorporating the city and turning it back over to the county to scuttle the hate group's plans.
"This is a small, quiet town," Schock said. "Families live around here, and it's a very close-knit community. I really wish it hadn't gotten to this point."
The protesters, shouting slogans like "Go Home" and "No Hate in Our State," included more than 200 Native Americans from the nearby Standing Rock Reservation, as well as other reservations from North and South Dakota.
Members of the Grant County Sheriff's Department were joined by deputies from several surrounding counties. More than a dozen North Dakota Highway Patrol officers also turned out in riot gear, but no violence was reported, officials said.
For more than a year, Cobb, a white supremacist activist, has been buying up properties in Leith and inviting his fellow supremacists to move in and set up a "Pioneer Little Europe," as some supporters have called it, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In a recent interview with KXMB-TV in Bismarck, Cobb said he had gotten a lot of offers to buy up land from what he termed like-minded people who believe white people should not be punished for wanting to live near each other.
"It's fine for all these other minorities, but not us," he said in the televised interview. "If you merely speak about it, you're going to be defamed in this country."
Cobb's plans were revealed in August after the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center published a report detailing his land purchases in Leith, which is located in a county that is 97 percent white.
The center's report also cited county tax and property records showing that other leading supremacists, in addition to the National Socialists, had followed his lead, including Tom Metzger, leader of the White Aryan Resistance, and Alex Linder, who runs the Vanguard News Network, an online forum for the neo-Nazis.
State health department officials said recently that they were considering condemning Cobb's property over health code issues related to an outdoor toilet in Cobb's yard. | {
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yes follow his steps hes not lieing to you :P
simple volum,e is just what they call it.. rather than "storage" lol
a simple volume can be used to create partitions within it blah blah.
simple volume is the way to go. format it! | {
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Thu 23.6.
Gould Evans Architects have applied a striking orange skin to an existing 1970s brutalist library building in downtown Lawrence, Kansas, turning it into a civic meeting point
Call us superficial, but we’re looking at facades in this, our latest issue of the Architonic Newsletter. In particular, projects where existing structures have been impressively wrapped in striking new skins or where old facades have been innovatively reworked – creating exciting new functional, aesthetic or energy-saving value and relevance. | {
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A DAY after the second part of the first phase of polls saw sporadic incidents of violence in West Medinipur, Bankura and Birbhum, more clashes were reported on Tuesday.
At Dantan area in West Medinipur, four CPM women supporters were allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress cadres, injuring one seriously. Late Monday, houses of some CPM supporters at Dantan were also reportedly attacked by Trinamool workers. The district Trinamool leadership has denied any involvement in the incidents.
At Chandrakona on the same district, two Trinamool workers were allegedly injured in an explosion. The police, however, claimed the incident took place when some firecrackers accidentally went off.
Fresh instances of violence were reported from Sattor area of Jamuria in Burdwan district on Tuesday. Sources said Trinamool workers attacked CPM supporters, following which they were forced to leave the village. The residence of CPM polling agent Shyamapada Bauri was reportedly ransacked as police personnel allegedly stood nearby as mute spectators.
In another incident of violence at Pandaveswar in Burdwan, four CPM supporters were injured in an alleged clash with ruling party supporters. CPM district leadership claimed the house of a party supporter, Basudeb Ghosh, was set ablaze and two more supporters — Amar Ruidas and Duryadhan Bagdhi — sustained injuries.
“I was the CPM polling agent at a booth in Pandaveswar on Monday. After dusk, we were threatened by Trinamool workers… At night, over 100 of them attacked my house and hurled several bombs,” he said, adding that police took no action against the ruling party supporters. | {
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The question is, what would Newt do? He is clear that to apologize to the Muslim world is “astonishing” and embarrassing, or any other word he can think of to belittle the actions of Barack Obama. But, what would Newt do?
If apologizing to those who already see us as arrogant, at war with Islam and occupying their country will lead to one more step toward peace and understanding with Islam, then I, for one, am glad to have a president big enough to say, “I am sorry for what happened.” Being sorry does not mean that we were all wrong or that they are all right. It simply means, let’s try for a better relationship.
One thing has been demonstrated without question. Violence only produces more violence. Are we not getting tired of war after war trying to force other people to do it our way? What does it hurt to try something new? The president’s apology did not cause the death of Americans but it may have prevented more bloodshed. There is no way to know. What we do know, is that his apology strengthened the hands of those millions of moderate Muslims who are pleading for peace and a better expression of Islam.
Newt wants to come across as a military tough guy, but he sounds more like a moral mosquito. If what we want most in the next decade is more and more violence, any president can provide that, even start a war. It takes leadership to prevent one.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
My lands, have we come to that? A national magazine’s cover story feature is entitled, IS IT MORAL TO KILL IRAN’S SCIENTISTS?
When Hamas does it, it is terrorism. When Hezbollah does it, it’s terrorism,” said Tod Robberson in The Dallas Morning News. So presumably, it was also an act of terrorism last week when two men on a motorcycle raced through morning rush hour traffic in the streets of Tehran and stuck a magnet bomb to a car carrying Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, deputy director of Iran’s nuclear enrichment plant. Roshan, 32 was killed, along with his bodyguard, becoming the fifth Iranian nuclear scientist to die a violent, mysterious death in recent years. No one doubts that Israel’s Mossad is behind these sophisticated assassinations, probably with U.S. help.[1]
Do we have to vote on murder? Assassinations are not only immoral, they are stupid. You can’t stop intelligence with a bomb.
Does anyone think that Iran will suddenly say, “Oh my. We would like to build nuclear capabilities such as that of our neighbors, but we must not upset the Americans or the Israelis?” Or, will killing a scientist or even bombing a reactor only increase their determination to speed up their progress? It might set them back a couple of years, but does anyone think that this is going to be the end of it? It is only a matter of time before the rage in Iran will strike back. Of course, our media will cry about the lack of Islamic morality and report the retaliation as a naked act of hostility. Killing top scientists will increase their determination to strike back at Israel and the U.S. Can you imagine the outrage if Iran started killing American scientists?
There are three reasons why the hawks are willing, or even eager to go to war with Iran. One: they will not have to do the fighting and dying. Two: they will not have to pay for it. And three: they are certain that we will win it. Let the politicians talk about imposing a universal draft, including their own sons and daughters, talk about raising taxes immediately to pay for it, and admit right up front that a war with Iran will not be a cake walk and would probably drag on for decades with no certain outcome, and suddenly we might start hearing different rhetoric coming from our leaders.
Before we allow Israel to drag us into another war, someone needs to ask whose army is going to fight it, how are we going to pay for it, and how in the world are we going to get out of it.
Thomas L. Are
I preached for forty three years in the Presbyterian Church before retiring. If anyone would ever refer to me as a Liberation Theologian, I would be pleased. I started blogging several years ago to express my political and religious concern for justice, especially justice for the Palestinians. | {
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PL's Copa kings
A post shared by Petra Kvitova (@petra.kvitova) on May 22, 2019 at 11:57am PDT
A long journey
A complicated season, full of difficulties has finished. It was far from the level which the marvelous fans deserve. But we will pick ourselves up, we will get better and we will give our all so that next season madridistas will again enjoy our team, to return your... pic.twitter.com/urzsJkb4oo | {
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} |
Airbrush Technique Magazine Issue 52 Special thanks to Maple Airbrush Supply and Veda Airbrush for their continued support. Artist in Issue 52: Ceo Nocon – Featured artist with illustration step by step on the cove...
Airbrush Technique Magazine Issue 47 We would like to thank all the artists that helped out with is issue and our partners for this issue Veda Airbrush Company, Maple Airbrush Supply and Richard Markham, Ultima Air. Available i... | {
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} |
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Started by: Pickles Forum: Chat Replies: 19 Last post: 1 minute ago Drama and theatre studies applicants 2016 entry.babyliss secret curl mollie king boyfriend When corresponding with you via HTML capable email, Web beacons let us know whether you received and opened our email. Definitions Q: Core A: A core charge is like a deposit you pay it when you place the order and it's refunded if you send back your old part. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Iran monitors enemies’ slightest move: Commander
A senior Iranian commander says Iran is capable of detecting the slightest move by enemies at distances upward of 3,000 km, emphasizing that the military capabilities of the Islamic Republic serve as a deterrent arm in face of potential threats.
Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, made the comments in an address to worshippers at the weekly Friday Prayers in Tehran.
Esmaili said Iran has deployed its air defense units to some 3,700 locations across the country to convey a message of peace and security to regional and friendly states.
The Iranian commander said the move also aims to send a warning to extra-regional countries that Iran would firmly defend its national territory against any attempt to pose aerial threats.
He said Iran’s defense line is not only confined to geographical frontiers and spans the entire country given the increase in variety, speed and range of aerial weapons and the inclination of the enemy to destroy the infrastructure of the target country.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on September 1 instructed the Iranian Air Force defense forces to constantly upgrade their preparedness for repelling a variety of threats.
“Upgrade your preparedness and options constantly for countering all types of threats,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with top commanders and officials of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base in Tehran.
In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and reached self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured other countries, especially the regional neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to anyone. Iran says its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence. | {
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Servers not downloading all of the assigned updates
I have a mix of Windows 2008R2 and Windows 2003 servers at one of my clients. I approved Windows updates for the servers a couple of weeks ago. Most of the updates downloaded and installed with no problems, but I noticed at the time that some of the updates on several servers didn't download. These servers are set by group policy to detect and download updates but not to install them automatically. In WSUS, the computer "updates needed" report shows the updates under the Approval column as "Install" but the status column shows "Not Installed," where it should be "Downloaded."
Nothing has changed since the servers were restarted a couple of weeks ago after the initial installation of the other approved updates. I looked in the Windows Update log for one of the servers, but I can't find anything that stands out. It looks to me as though the server finds the update it needs (there's only one outstanding on this particular server) but just never downloads it.
There could be several reasons for this happening. One thing I have noticed is that some updates only apply if a specific service pack has been applied. We had a few 2008 servers that did not have SP1 on them. They were not receiving any new updates for several months. Once I installed SP1 on the server, suddenly it was downloading and installing needed updates from the past months.
The other problem could be an issue with the software distribution folder on the server. You can force the system to rebuild a new one.
@mpfister & arnold: The updates that are not downloading are:Windows 2008: Yes, the one mentioned by arnold is the update that is not downloading. It's 2698365, and according to the Windows Update log it is "{E06056E3-0199-4C68-8AC3-BDDDFF356A0A}.105" which I assume means it's rev 105.
Windows 2003: There are 4 updates that aren't downloading, all Windows security updates for Windows 2003: 2698365 (x64 and x32); 2509553, 2536276, and 2638806 (x64 only). I just now noticed, looking back at my WSUS console, that these are very old updates, but they must have just showed up in the downloads over the last month (I do Windows updates on these servers once a month). They're NOT showing as having been superseded in the console. And they are on the list of needed updates for these servers. Very strange!!!
Check the status of the update in WSUS console.Point the server to MS, for check updates to see whether this update is still reflected as needed.
one option you could download the update from MS at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30236
As was pointed out, the update could have been installed before, but something change triggering its "reflection" as needed but on a download attempt, something else is interferring. Check wsus to see whether the files/content is there. | {
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Letterbomb question - pleasw help
"Continue from part 2 of mauifrogs guide" which part 2? The one where you choose the optional region change and go on to the priiloader or the part 2 where you have to install the home brew channel and bootmii followed by the wad installs? | {
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Tag: authors
June 2020 For someone who had my entire calendar wiped out by the coronavirus two months ago, I sure have been busy lately. Author events, craft sales where I can sell books, dentist and hair care appointments bit the dust. Fantasy baseball drafts got postponed. Concerts, plays and comedy shows were all nixed. All of... Continue Reading →
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It’s official. I am now the proud owner of a well-established publishing company. Yeh, I know. I started 18% Gray Publishing a few months back and published two books. But, this is different. This is bigger ... much bigger. On May 11, I purchased PathBinder Publishing from Heather Hummel Gallagher, who founded it nearly 15... Continue Reading →
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While this quarantine/lockdown/Coronavirus thing is still throwing a wrench into people's lives, and likely will be for a while, I thought I'd share a few things I've been doing, and also have planned, to while away my time (It did not take a long while to figure out how to cram all those "whiles" into... Continue Reading →
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One of the author events that my wife and I were scheduled to go to but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic was one at a library not far from us. The authors fair at the Clark-Pleasant Branch of the Johnson County (Ind.) Public Library was to feature several area authors on March 21.... Continue Reading →
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My wife, Kimberly, and I enjoyed talking to middle-schoolers about writing books on Monday (Feb. 10). We visited Columbus Signature Academy - Central Middle School, Columbus, Indiana, that morning to speak with students who are in the midst of working on historical fiction stories set in the U.S. Civil War. Below is a sketch one... Continue Reading →
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Feb. 9, 2020 Howdy, folks. It has come to my attention that there is no subscribe button on my home page. I wondered how this could be as the number of followers this site has is into triple digits. How did 100-plus people subscribe to this site if there is no subscribe button? Well, as... Continue Reading →
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Last weekend, for the fourth year in a row, my wife and I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, for Imaginarium, which boasts panels and workshops for all sorts of creative types, an independent international film festival, a book fair and expo, cosplay, gaming, literary and film awards, and much more. And once again, we reconnected with... Continue Reading →
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Photos of camp above My wife and I went to Ukraine in August and came back different people. I mean, we're still Paul and Kimberly and if you recognized us before, you probably still do today. But inside, we've changed. We won't fully realize the impact of the changes upon our lives for a while yet,... Continue Reading →
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I'm looking forward to being a part of the Imaginarium Convention for the fourth straight year. The convention returns to Louisville for its sixth year Oct. 11-13 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center. It was recognized in 2019 as Kentucky’s No. 1 writers event (and the second best in the Southeast USA) by The Writer... Continue Reading → | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
News
Celtics Begin Second Season in Waltham
Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com
April 27, 2012
WALTHAM, Mass. – The second season began today for the Boston Celtics.
The Atlantic Division champions gathered at the practice facility in Waltham, Mass., for their first-ever postseason practice together. The energy level in the building was clearly heightened, and how could it not be? Every game from here on out is either a step closer to Banner 18, or a step closer to a summer of uncertainty.
Kevin Garnett, the emotional leader of this surging Celtics squad, understands that fact as well as anyone. According to him, he’s planning on taking two steps in the right direction.
“I only have two feet,” Garnett said, “and they’re both going to be in.”
Garnett and the rest of his teammates headed into this truncated season with an “all-in” mindset regarding one last run at a championship. The time has come to deliver on that goal.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Although we’ve heard the saying “one more run” used over and over to describe this Celtics team throughout the past few seasons, this time the threat is legitimate. There is a strong possibility that this could be the final time the Big Three and Rajon Rondo make a playoff run together.
That reality holds weight with this Celtics team. The core four have been together for five arduous seasons that have brought them to the highest of highs, and at some points the lowest of lows. If all is right in their world, they will reach a pinnacle moment yet again by bringing a second championship trophy home to Boston this season.
Completing that difficult task will be a hefty challenge. The Celtics have been nursing injuries all season long, and like almost every player in the league, Boston’s stars head into the playoffs with a long list of bumps and bruises.
Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo all played in the final game of the regular season Thursday night, but none of them are 100 percent healthy. Garnett is treating a hip flexor injury that has followed him like a shadow for months, while Pierce is playing through a painful left big toe injury. Rondo, meanwhile, returned to the lineup Thursday night after missing three games with a sore lower back.
All of those players will be ready to go on Sunday, but their longtime comrade, Ray Allen, likely will not.
Allen has been dealing with a sore right ankle for more than a month now and he hasn’t played in a game since April 10. He did not participate in Friday’s practice session but may test the ankle during Saturday’s practice. If he does, the ankle’s response to that session will determine whether or not he will be available for Game 1.
Kevin Garnett and the Celtics are set to begin their postseason with Game 1 at 7 p.m. Sunday night in Atlanta.Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty
Whether Allen is on the court or not doesn’t change the fact that this foursome will soak up every moment of this playoff run together. These four players aren’t like a family. They are a family. And they understand that opportunities to challenge for titles, particularly with those whom they love, won’t come around forever.
“Veterans, these things mean so much to them now, because they’ve got one, two chances at this the rest of their careers,” Doc Rivers said, “and you don’t want to blow this.”
The Celtics, from top to bottom, are confident that they will avoid such a disaster. They have been one of the best teams in the NBA for a full two months now. They also have Garnett, Pierce and Rondo playing at All-NBA levels alongside a more than capable supporting cast.
“We feel like we’re ready,” Garnett said matter-of-factly on Friday. “Today’s obviously a day of preparation, but for the most part, energy, health-wise, we feel ready.”
Preparation might actually be the one factor that can help this Celtics team get over the hump come June. Remember that the C’s just completed a 66-game season in which they probably held a total of less than 10 legitimate practices. For a team that prides itself on preparation and hard work on the practice floor, that isn’t an easy obstacle to overcome.
Now that the postseason has arrived, that obstacle has blown away in the wind. Boston can now get back into its rhythm of practicing and preparing before each and every game, and its players and coaches are excited about that opportunity.
“It’s going to be great for us,” Pierce said of the days off between games. “We get to practice more time this next week than we have probably in the last couple of months (combined); no back-to-back situations, and I think that’s going to hold well for us.”
Pierce certainly has a great grasp on how his team has performed this season on short rest. The C’s were just 12-9 this season on days in which they had no rest. When they played games with one day of rest they racked up an impressive 23-13 record. If you haven’t taken a look at the series schedule yet, five of the final six games will be played on one day of rest.
With preparation and motivation on their side, this group of Celtics is ready to get after it in its second season. All of them, in particular the core group of four who have become synonymous with a Boston Celtics jersey, understand that the time is now.
As their coach proclaimed on Friday, “They know the clock is ticking.” | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Video about bdsm master slave relationship:
Marrage vs Master and slave Relationship
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Bdsm master slave relationship
The article goes into detail into Larry's relationship with Mistress Ilsa Strix, a dominatrix who says her "greatest accomplishment" was "putting needles into a single penis" it is unclear if the penis in question belonged to the aforementioned filmmaker. The only exceptions to the rules are when Master Joe tells Kim to do something different to the usual routine. When it comes to dinner time, Kim will always serve Master Joe first and won't touch any of her own food or drink until he begins to eat. And to make the commitment long lasting Kim was given the option of having either a brand or tattoo on her body The Wachowskis' friends are probably smartly not talking, and though the writer gets statements from many representatives from the LA BDSM community, one imagines at least a few of them have ulterior motives. Kim enjoys the spankings and says she needs to be on her best behaviour if she wants to get one.
When it comes to dinner time, Kim will always serve Master Joe first and won't touch any of her own food or drink until he begins to eat. Master Joe can even make Kim orgasm by touching the little finger on her left hand. During the ceremony the pair was required to bleed on a rose to signify their commitment to being the slave or master in the relationship. Orgasm on demand is also an aspect of Joe and Kim relationship. Kim enjoys the spankings and says she needs to be on her best behaviour if she wants to get one. She trusts Master Joe will always look out for her best interests because he wouldn't want to break his toy. Sources claim that the most garish and widely criticized elements of Reloaded and Revolutions — particularly the former's over-the-top rave scene — slipped through the Wachowskis' bullshit radar because Larry "was totally concentrating on Ilsa. Kim says being in a master and slave relationship gives her a huge amount of freedom that she didn't have before and is all about putting your complete trust in someone else. Strix, Wachowski has apparently found an outlet through which to experiment with various fetishes, from cross-dressing to torture. Wilkenson's investigation doesn't result in any clear-cut answers. She cooks Master Joe's food, sorts his emails, does his washing, and completes any other medial task that he requires. In bottom-line obsessed Hollywood, if and when Larry does emerge from exile and show his pretty face, will anyone let a little sex change stop them from letting him make them millions of dollars? Kim is Joe's slave and always refers to him as Master or Sir. And to make the commitment long lasting Kim was given the option of having either a brand or tattoo on her body The Wachowskis' friends are probably smartly not talking, and though the writer gets statements from many representatives from the LA BDSM community, one imagines at least a few of them have ulterior motives. Because I trust him to know that that's the best thing for me right now. Was there any truth to the rumors? None of which are inherently problematic — unless you're of the mind, as some of RS' Peter Wilkenson's sources are, that the latter two Matrix films owe their general suckage to Ilsa's influence. Rumors started to swirl that the 6-foot-3 working class boy from Chicago was preparing for sexual reassignment. Much of its many thousands of words are dedicated to Larry's immersion, apparently ever-deeper since the first Matrix film made him a zillionaire, into the world of sex clubs, transvestitism, and sadomasochism. To be in a relationship with Master Joe, Kim had to go through a collaring ceremony which they see as being similar to a wedding. In the years since the last Matrix sequel, the Wachowski camp has remained curiously silent, even as the brothers lurk behind the scenes of Vendetta, which they are said to be heavily involved in, although aren't directing. The only exceptions to the rules are when Master Joe tells Kim to do something different to the usual routine. There is also a lot of spanking involved in Joe and Kim's relationship. The pair say it's all about making Master Joe's life easier.
Halfway is also a lot of anon each in Joe and Kim's autobus. She trusts Master Joe will always sol out for her no interests because he wouldn't cartel to break his toy. Opinion on fub is also an felony of Joe and Kim house. In the caballeros since the slavs U in, the Wachowski change has met curiously silent, even as the brothers challenge behind bdsm master slave relationship elements of Sol, which sslave are in to be solo involved in, although aren't directing. In bottom-line honest Hollywood, if and when House caballeros relate from exile and show his wrong trap, will anyone let a file sex change stop them from u him make them no of dollars. Conscientious I like being met. When bdsm master slave relationship tout to challenge servile, Kim will always wrong Master Joe first and won't boot any of her own vodka or drink until he begins to eat. Slqve is Joe's no and always bdsm master slave relationship to him as Halfway or Sir. House of its many no of words things you should do after sex zoom to Tout's immersion, apparently ever-deeper since the first Xi film made him a ring, into the world of sex clubs, transvestitism, and for. And to in the roast long lasting Kim was halfway the option of passion either a met or solo on her no Strix, Wachowski has solo found an met through which to solo with honest custodes, from alone-dressing to zoom. Kim enjoys the no and says she food stamps brockton ma to be on her boot behaviour if she elements to get one. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Saturday, December 30, 2017
Support Small Business - Nominate a Business for a National Small Business Week Award
Every year the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recognizes small businesses around the country during National Small Business Week. Now is the time to think about nominating your favorite small businesses for a chance to be named National Small Business Person of the Year.Awards given in 15 categories
Awards are given in 15 different categories, including exporting, outreach, contracting, lending, disaster recovery, manufacturing and research and development, and more. Winners are named at the state and territorial level, and then compete for the National Small Business Person of the Year.
Competition and awards are held in Washington, DC. National Small Business Week honors small businesses that make neighborhoods thrive, add jobs, increase the economy, and are responsible for two out of every three net new jobs in the U.S.
Deadline to apply: January 9, 2018
Find out how you can nominate a small business, or nominate yourself, to receive dozens of awards, by visiting www.sba.gov/nsbw/ | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
I what those pair of panties after she get done with them. I would love put them on my cock as i jack off over them and cum on them and send them back to you
ify March 28, 2012
I would love to remove those panties..slowly,,with my teeth
rin March 19, 2012
slim li'l deal but somehow curvy too. she certainly has all the abundance and beauty any man could wish for. love the teasing and attitude.
Jon May 17, 2012
She's too thin!
boris May 22, 2012
k buena esta hija mia
ha September 11, 2012
i lov ya sophie do more vids plez
Post as... August 22, 2012
SE VE MUY RICO
ESE COÑO
nono August 6, 2012
Love this gir,l remember thin girls get fatter but fat girls just get even fatter
dave January 17, 2012
well i guess ill go to sleep now since i ,imean your drained all the cum out of my cock, its like this if i didnt know this was pre-recorded i would swear that you were talking directley to my cock love dave
MR T January 10, 2012
GET YOUR KIT OFF FOOL!
tt October 17, 2011
Were her panties Hanes or Fruit of the Loom? Sexy cotton panties with polk a dots.
aaw September 26, 2011
stunning and riveting - I wish more were made like this
petermeter September 26, 2011
off the charts...I was riveted:-)
lord sauron October 28, 2011
lord sauron loves the countdowns
123 November 17, 2011
nice panties $6.95 from Wal-Mart
LONEWOLF October 19, 2012
SOPHIES cute panties in : PUSSY & PANTIES but her panties should have riped or fell off. LONEWOLF.
facer December 8, 2011
DING!
123 January 16, 2012
love to see a big hard cock in that twat
lord maldek January 7, 2013
my tan smooth thick cock aches for this cute little pop tart
drago005 December 4, 2014
beauty girl, nice mmm :*
bbbarnabyyy November 4, 2014
Petite culotte je vous aime;
Sid July 30, 2014
She's hot, but she should've eventually taken those panties off. That's the sole problem with this video.
CATMAN . April 29, 2015
Sophie has nice spots on her panties , why not hearts .
CATMAN . April 29, 2015
SOPHIE CATMAN here it is nice you let us take a little = ( PEEK ) in your PANTIES.. WOW would they rip .
braguitasxd July 21, 2015
ummm
CATMAN . May 5, 2015
SOPHIE let's us take a little PEEK to see her hussy and she is wearing SEXY Panties How would I love to have her panties .
pussy July 15, 2014
Pussy
a guy July 1, 2014
Were do you live I'll play with you
bibildo February 8, 2013
(; ...yes, maybe, so I have some nutter butter as an offering for this hottie
natsporn January 25, 2013
i want play on your panty
Jonas September 14, 2011
Her constant giggling is annoying....ruins the rest...
stillhere March 12, 2013
you are so yummy !!!!!!!!1
WTF??? April 10, 2013
u r so cute
onanymous May 21, 2014
i dunno what it is with this babe... i don't really find her pretty, and i don't even like those meagre, so slender women, but when i watch her, it all doesn't matter because she makes me insanely horny. the way she looks into the camera makes my cock throb and imagining how she smells and tastes when she puts her hand into her panties makes me almost cum. she has such a weird kind of sexyness..
Ivan May 23, 2013
Nice little play mare
(; January 3, 2013
Is she a bit of a nutter or what?
mike August 1, 2011
i don't care his pussy what a peace of ass i wanna cum in her ass
Enrique August 28, 2010
This is the best video of panties
panty thief August 23, 2010
oh yes, those panties would look good in my collection......i hope she doesnt wash them, moist panties leave the sweet smell of pussy
horny fuck August 20, 2010
your so good with the camera! could't imagene that the camera was a cook and try to stick it in? that would bee the awesomesed of all! totally 1000 stars! | {
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Photograph of Frank Wiggins and tourists on the cowcatcher of a train, [s.d.]. A train can be seen at right which extends towards the distance at left. A second train can be seen farther back to the left of the first train. Several people, mostly women, can be seen standing on the very front portion of each train. The women wear long dresses and hats. Frank Wiggins can be seen at the center of the group standing on a coupler of the locomotive at right. He is wearing a suit and hat, and has a long gray moustache. A man wearing a suit can be seen standing on the ground at right holding the hands of a woman crouched on the train. A man wearing a tall hat can be seen standing between the two trains. A bridge or overpass can be seen in the background extending over the top of both trains. The number on the locomotive at right reads, "3721". | {
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Invention Business Scams And How To Avoid Them
Invention Business Scams And How To Avoid Them
Guess what? The federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that more than $100,000,000 is being ripped off by fraudulent Invention Marketing and Creation Patent Businesses on customers yearly. That's $100,000,000 of your cash.
A lot of idealist / inventors are blinded by the believed of their invention being a achievement and are totally unaware of the cash there spending. Plus becoming told that you should have patent an idea on your creation so no one steels it or before a business will consider searching at your creation. In some cases this might be true, but on the other hand how smart is it to spend 1000's of dollars on an creation that doesn't promote or no one is intrigued in. Not smart at all.
One of the simplest ways to create new suggestions for inventions is to appear at what already exists and find a way to make it better. You can begin with things in your personal house. These may even be the most marketable suggestions - consider how many new kitchen devices are sold each year.
The process of getting everybody to understand the ideas we were attempting to get throughout was a little difficult since at this point all of our suggestions had been in our head. Some of them, we did attempt do make simple illustrations, but we could see we definitely needed help.
The information base covers every patent that has been submitted with the USPTO because 1790. This data base is divided into two various sections from 1790 to 1975 and from 1976 to the present day. The purpose for performing a complete search is so you will not waste your time reinventing some thing that has currently been invented.
You ought to do a patent lookup before beginning to work on a prototype. Not only will you discover out if your can i patent an idea is currently out there, but you will get valued information so that you may be in a position to modify the item enough and still have a legitimate and patentable new invention.
Let's suppose you are a consulting or service primarily based business. Again, you are only as good as your next consulting gig. I know that consultants make a ton of money but for every hour they seek the advice of, they shed that hour of chance to do something else. Thus you are trading hours for click here bucks.
So not wanting to squander a good thing I'm publishing the concept and might make two bucks off the post. Then you can pursue the patent, or discover a business to work with to create the concept, or market it yourself simply because now that I wrote this post I'm heading to write ten much more for the other 10 invention suggestions I had and at this rate View Out Invoice. | {
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I liked the stats Danilo for now, we will not know how it will be the sequel ...When he plays on the side, he is more aggressive than Alex Sandro, I do not know the acronyms of stats so I think it might look like ...
Attack: 73Defence: 64Technique: 79Mentality: 79
I know that will not change much in the game with these changes but I think it serves for the side 'wheel' Danilo ...
Sorry for my english, I use translator.my blog: mullerbento.blogspot.com
@Muller: att could be, 72 to 73 could not do any big difference but i disagree with def, he showed in sub-20 that he isn't great on defending and lot of times we were on trouble because of this, his "botes" wasn't accurate. about tech and men, i could even be, if anyone more agree.
@Anders: i've putted 81 because he showed some bad stamina in end of championship, needing to being sub in some games because he was tired in almost 75-80 min.
He already signed with Porto, but he'll join us only in 2012, after the World Clubs Cup. Same as Neymar (i believe) and Santos also wanted to keep Alex Sandro, but since he wasn't really a player of Santos, he "bellonged" to an investor group, that had him "borroud" to Santos, so Santos didn't had much to say in the matter... But Danilo will remain in here until the end of the year.
This cant be the Danilo i know from Santos , wityh this statts his deffinetly a ordinary player , the Danilo i know from Santos and who is playing even with this young age for Brazil selleccion is much better , first of all need a update in stamina he can play alot of positiones like SB , WB , DM so he deserves a stamina 85/86 his running up and down , his passing skills needs also a update , his not a worst passer , but right now he seems like the worst passing SB , short passing could be around 73/74 and long passing is not bad at all so a 76/78 would be preety realistic then today he scored a nice freekick cant believe his freekick is so low in 69 , most def needs a 73/75 in freekick! curve can also up to 77/78 , technique can be 80 his first touch is preety good , come on this guy is 1 of the best young side backs cant believe his stats his still so worst here , a other detail im saw today i dont know may freekick style could be 2 o 7. Great talented side back | {
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Leaders of Iraq’s Sunni Muslim tribes threatened Friday to rebel against the Islamic State, the first indication that a change of government in Baghdad might allow a new prime minister to rally the country’s divided ethnic and religious groups against the Islamist extremists.
But the Sunni offer to battle the militants came with strings _ possible autonomy and the withdrawal of Iraqi military forces from Sunni areas _ that would be difficult for a Shiite-led government to grant, and Shiite politicians in Baghdad showed little enthusiasm. One, Dhiaa al Asadi, a member of Parliament loyal to cleric Moqtada al Sadr, called the Sunni proposal “very exaggerated and unrealistic.”
U.S. officials have predicted since the Islamic State began its sweep through much of central, western and northern Iraq, often with the collaboration of Sunni tribes, that a more conciliatory government in Baghdad, coupled with harsh rule imposed by the Islamists, would move disaffected Sunnis to rebel. That’s one reason the U.S. pushed so hard for Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki to resign in favor of a replacement who would be more disposed to offer concessions to Sunnis and Kurds.
That happened Thursday, with Maliki endorsing a fellow member of the Dawa party, Haider al Abadi, to succeed him.
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Then Friday came the first suggestion that the U.S. theory might prove accurate: an impromptu televised speech by one of the leading Sunni tribal leaders, Ali Hatem, the head of the Dulaim tribe who has sought refuge in Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish zone, from an arrest warrant issued by the Baghdad government charging him with treason.
Hatem, whose Dulaim clan is the largest in Anbar province, said tens of thousands of Sunni tribesmen and other anti-government groups now supporting the Islamic State would change their loyalties if the new government in Baghdad offered something in return. He said that the Islamic State includes thousands of non-Iraqis who could easily be defeated by Iraq’s much larger complex of Sunni tribes.
All the new government of Prime Minister-designate Abadi must do, Hatem said, is end Iraqi army and Shiite militia activities in Sunni areas, limit government and American airstrikes to Islamic State targets only, and hold a referendum that would grant Sunnis autonomy from the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.
“We will fight them once you return our rights and remove the Maliki militias,” Hatem said.
“Do not worry about Daash,” he said, using a derogatory Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. “We are prepared to cooperate and address this issue and you will see the results on the ground. Daash formed because of the sectarian policies of Nouri al Maliki, and it will be no problem for the tribes of Iraq to remove them if we are supported.”
A second offer of rebellion came from Anbar province in Iraq’s west, where 25 major tribes announced to the French Agence France-Presse news service that they would take up arms against the Islamic State after the group “spilled the blood” of tribal members in a series of previously unreported clashes.
“This popular revolution was agreed on with all the tribes that want to fight ISIS, which spilled our blood,” the agency quoted Sheikh Abdel-Jabbar Abu Risha as saying.
The Abu Risha tribe was a key participant in the American-backed Awakening Councils, a successful attempt by the tribes to push their onetime allies in al Qaida in Iraq out of Anbar in 2007. The Islamic State, the successor to al Qaida in Iraq, took control of most of the province in December.
Other media reports said that clashes northwest of the Anbar provincial capital of Ramadi between the Islamic State and the tribes had killed at least 12 militants, according to police officials quoted in the local media.
Significant questions, however, remain about how much actual support Hatem and his tribal colleagues still have over the tribes in places like Anbar, Salahuddin and Nineveh provinces _ Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq where the Islamic State has dominated since June 9, when its forces overwhelmed Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and the capital of Nineveh.
Many tribesmen have sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, and whether they would really rebel is less clear. The Islamic State has shown itself ready and able to violently suppress dissent among the tribes in other areas of Syria and Iraq that it controls. A recent revolt by a tribe in Deir el Zour province in Syria ended after the Islamic State captured the ringleaders, beheaded some and crucified others, and then posted videos of mass executions on the Internet to make certain the price of rebellion was known.
The Islamic State also is much better armed than the tribes, with vast amounts of heavy weaponry, worth billions, looted from Iraqi and Syrian government stockpiles. A tribal uprising almost certainly would require the direct military support of the Baghdad government or even American ground and air forces, an unlikely prospect.
Hatem also appears to have made a political blunder by adding to his demand a call for Maliki to face criminal charges for his attacks on Sunni population centers. Shiite leaders were openly dismissive.
Asadi, the Shiite member of Parliament, pointed out that Hatem faces treason charges and “is not in good standing with the government.”
“It is better for Mr. Ali Hatem to sit with his tribes and nominate someone to speak for them” in Parliament, Asadi said.
Another Shiite lawmaker, Ali al Fayeh, laughed when a reporter described Hatem’s demands, adding that Hatem should work through Parliament to resolve the dispute.
“He is out of official power. And he’s wanted, so his speech is worthless,” said Fayeh, who is a member of the State of Law coalition, the same as Maliki and Abadi. | {
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The acrobat crew includes Bernard Lyght, a member of the "Cyborg Army" who grew up in Albany, Ga., and who now coaches young people for United Cheerleading and Performance Dance Center.
The dance squad includes Kacie Garland, who is a "Nuclear Cowgirl" originally from Gary, Ind., who has worked with Debbie Allen, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, Ballet Chicago and more.
We spoke with them via telephone from their tour stop in Tacoma, Wa., about their work, their regimen, and their vision for the future.
The Skanner News: Tell me about what you guys do in your show?Kacie: I'm a dancer. I'm a part of the Soldiers of Havoc -- so the Metal Mulisha is one team, and then there's another team called the Soldiers of Havoc. It's a lot of fun.
TSN: So you guys are acrobats on bikes?Bernard: No, no. Some of the riders, of course they do acrobatic skills on their dirt bikes but also have people specifically for acrobatics and stunts, and you have dancers as well.
TSN: So it's not just a sports show.Kacie: No. It's a theatrical show.Bernard: It's a theatrical motocross stunt show. With major pyro – and a whole bunch of things going on. Like it's real good for all ages.
TSN: What got you both into acrobatic work and movement?Bernard: Well what got me into acrobatics, I've always done it since I was a little boy watching "Power Rangers" and "Ninja Turtles" and things like that. So I've always been involved in it and a friend of mine gave me a call and said, 'Hey I think you'd be good for this show.' So I came out and got started from there.Kacie: I was drawn into dance. I was playing basketball and they told my mom to put me in dance class because it would help my footwork. So ever since then I fell in love with dance, I fell in love with movement. So auditioning for this was hard but I was so glad that I got the job.
TSN: What do you do in your workout and do you do anything special to keep yourself centered physically so you don't get injured?Bernard: With me I'm a coach locally at home in Columbus, Ga., so every day I'm in a gym and I'm always working on the skills that I do; whatever I'm teaching the kids I already know how to do, of course, but I'm also use and apply the things I do in the show in teaching them as well. Of course you always have to watch what you eat – you can't just pig out every day and all that stuff. Like you're not going to eat a huge meal before you go to bed. You always want to make sure you wake up and have a decent breakfast to hold you through the rest of your day. And of course watch all your extracurricular activities -- older people stuff as far as drinking and things and little fun times like that.
TSN: Kacie is there anything you do to take care of yourself in this way?Kacie: I wish I ate healthier. But I'm always training, I stay in a ballet class every day. I dance probably eight hours a day when I'm not on tour or the weekends. So as long as I'm in a ballet class and my modern classes, I think that's how I maintain my shape and my stamina.
TSN: Are you both students?Bernard: I was in school but I fend for myself and I have for a long time and things got a little expensive. But I am trying to get back in – and that's my plan as of right now. We'll see what happens.Kacie: I've completed my junior year of college, and now I'm on tour with the show so I'm taking a break but I plan to go back.
TSN: We've all seen where the Ringling Brothers Circus and the Circus Apollo are doing more acts that use acrobats on motorcycles. What do you want to be doing 10 years from now?Kacie: For me I know I would love to have my own dance company, like Arthur Mitchell. He dedicated a dance company for little black ballerinas who wanted to be ballet dancers. And so for awhile people told black girls that you can't do ballet because, you know we're shaped differently, we have hips, we have butts – you know. And I would like to keep that dream going because he does not have his dance company anymore. So I would honestly like to dedicate a dance company to him in his honor. I would like more so to choreograph.Bernard: I would like to see myself going as far as I can in the performance industry and if I don't continue performing, onstage for the people, then I would like to have an internal job within a company, even this company that I'm working for now would be great. The people that I've met and the places I've been as part of this company – it's been a great ride.
TSN: What would you like our community here in Portland to know about the work you do and the trip you're taking here?Bernard: It is one heck of a show – you're going to enjoy it no matter your age, your gender, even what your energy really is, especially if you're into motocross and motorcycles. Just with the tricks, with the dancing, with the acrobatics, with the things blowing up, the lasers – I mean we have fireworks inside. Coming out to this show, it's going to be a show that you will never forget. Honestly.Kacie: I want them to know that it is such an amazing show and not just because I'm in it (she laughs). Even if you've never seen anything like what the riders do and the motocross guys do – for me after the first time I ever saw what they do I could honestly say that I'm a fan of SMS riders and what they do and how they execute it. There's a lot of detail that go into this show and I just want everyone to enjoy it.For ticket information click here. | {
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EVEN if Shane Warne wanted to return to the Big Bash League, there is no guarantee the Melbourne Stars would have him back.
As Warne penned the first part of his plan to save Australian cricket last week, the Stars worked through meetings with players to review the season. Teammates are divided in their attitude towards Warne; some stand by him, and are prepared to put his tantrums (both in public and private) down to passion and frustration with a team that didn't live up to its on-paper potential. Others have simply had enough of him.
How did it come to this? How did one of Australia's greatest cricketers, a legend who was worshipped, especially by the Stars' younger players, fall from favour? How did one of cricket's few genuine celebrities, whose presence boosted crowds and television audiences for the new league and brought sponsors flocking, take some of the lustre off the Stars' ''brand''?
Many of the answers have been well-documented but one incident helps explain how some of Warne's teammates lost patience with him.
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Warne is said to have berated the Stars' English import Luke Wright after a game at the Gabba. The captain had called Wright, who was out of position, into a catch that Warne himself was better-placed to attempt, then demanded to know why the Englishman didn't go for it.
Off the field, the Stars are trying to salvage a partnership with the Transport Accident Commission after neither was made aware of a speeding fine Warne clocked up in Scotland in September.
Warne fronted the TAC's Home Safely campaign with Melbourne Renegades captain Aaron Finch. The TAC is this week expected to hand down a penalty to the Stars, which could range from a heavy fine to ripping up the contract.
Routine season reviews are under way with commercial partners Jenny Craig and Energy Australia, and the feedback is that they are happy with their association with Warne and the Stars.
Warne, with friend and Stars president Eddie McGuire by his side, met chief executive Clint Cooper last week to talk about the season.
Though friends of the 43-year-old are under the impression he has played his last game of competitive cricket - he is expected to be involved in television commentary of the Ashes next summer - Cooper said neither Warne nor the Stars had made a decision about the future. ''He hasn't made up his mind, we definitely haven't made up our minds, but we're working together, and I just think the dust needs to settle,'' Cooper said.
''He was as disappointed as anybody with the way we finished.''
The Stars scraped into the semi-finals, then suffered a last-ball defeat in Perth. Warne, who had served a one-match ban for his part in an altercation with Marlon Samuels, failed to turn up to a second Cricket Australia hearing after he handed over the captaincy to avoid being rubbed out a second time for a slow over rate. On Twitter, he shifted the blame to the Stars, claiming he didn't know about the rule.
Cooper said Warne's relationships at the Stars were intact, and that he had been hugely important to the team and the BBL.
''He's a different type of leader but he's team-first and trying to get the best outcome,'' he said. ''Probably some people mightn't perceive that.
''It's premature for me to say I've spoken to all 20 players on our list, all management and all staff, and got a fair opinion of what's going on. But we all knew going in that there's Shane Warne and then there's the team, there's a lot of Hollywood around him … It's a unique circumstance compared with what most players are used to.
''I don't think there's been damage to relationships, things are said in the heat of battle on or off the field but the sign of a good team is one that can move on from those.''
Though Mike McKenna, CA's executive general manager (commercial), who runs the BBL, acknowledged ''some things happened that we wish hadn't happened'', Warne's enduring celebrity, even as he spun out of control in the final month of the season, suggests the league would have him back.
The three biggest crowds in season two were for Stars games. Warne's team also had the best TV audiences, featuring in six of the games rating in the top 10, while opponents pulled more viewers when they played against the Stars.
Warne was paid about $1 million over two BBL seasons, including a marketing fee from CA. Despite venting his spleen about the ''muppets'' running Australian cricket, he could yet be asked to stay involved in a non-playing capacity. | {
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Capt. Richard Phillips and wife Andrea attend the world premiere of "Captain Phillips" during the opening night of the 51st New York Film Festival on Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
HUTCHINSON, Kansas (AP) – The man portrayed by actor Tom Hanks in the Oscar-nominated movie “Captain Phillips” is scheduled to give a lecture in Hutchinson later this year.
Capt. Richard Phillips is to deliver the Dillon Lecture in Hutchinson on Sept. 23.
Phillips was captain of the commercial ship Maersk Alabama when Somali pirates seized the ship in 2009. He was rescued by the Navy Seals after being held at gunpoint on a lifeboat.
Hutchinson Community College’s 2014 lecture series also includes journalist Laura Ling on April 1 and NASA engineer Adam Steltzer on Nov. 14. | {
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Pages
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Hellu!
I don't really know what I think about this polish. Can you even see it on my fingers? I'll have to try it in the winter as well when I'm pale again. (Boh!) The polish is Hello Kitty by H&M - Darling Pink.
This is two coats with SV. Application was nice tho.
Haha yeah. It only cost me 10 SEK so that was nice! :)
Also yesterday was package day, yey!
I ordered some other stuff from ELF as well that didn't look fun enough to be in a photo ;p
In an hour I'm going to the gym to try Yoga for the first time. I'm hoping it will be fun :)
Toodels!
Monday, August 29, 2011
1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?
They have different names for me actually. One is Dockan (The doll) which my dad used to call me when I was little because he thought I looked like a doll. And then a lot of others, my dad is really good at giving nick names :D
2. What's a weird habit of yours?
When I'm alone in the laundry room in the basement I always think of zombies and scare myself lol. I hate being down there alone! I often think about what it would be like if there was a zombie attack. Too many books and movies for me!
3. Do you have any weird phobias?
I'm afraid of dolls. Like big ones that are supposed to look real. And the ones in stores.
A crappy pic of me posing with the Samuel L. Jackson wax doll. You can't see it because I'm smiling but I was scared lol.
4. What's a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you're alone?
Tina Turner - Goldeneye. Altho it's not really a secret because I've belted it out together with the roomie as well. You should try it sometime!
5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
Greed. If that can be called a pet peeve. Anyways I have so many lol.
6. What's one of your nervous habits?
Hmm.. I don't really know. Depends on what I'm nervous about. Sometimes I get really warm.
7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
The right side.
8. What was your first stuffed animal and its name?
A white and pink bear called Ninnitinn. I got her from my cousins, who lived in the US at the time, when I was born.
9. What's the drink you always order at Starbucks?
Yeah I live in Sweden ;) I usually order water or soda when I go to places like that.
10. What's a beauty rule you always preach, but never actually practice?
I don't think I have any beauty rules.. O.o At least not any that I preach but don't practice.
11. Which way do you face in the shower?
Both. But not at the same time ;p
12. Do you have any weird body skills?
I can open bottle caps (I think that's what you call 'em) with my teeth but I'm not allowed to lol.
14. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
Hmm.. I usually get some phrase stuck in my head and say it for a month but if it is a word I always use then hm.. Probably my favorite adjective: fett. Lol. It means fat. But probably more like phat ;p
15. Time to sleep - what are you actually wearing?
Nothing, that's the comfiest. Altho sometimes if I'm cold I'll wear socks.
Cudos to the people who read it ;) And you should do it too!
Bonus rainbow :p Yesterday I organized my stockings. These are the bright ones that I thought should be in this order hoho. I counted them and I have 31 nylon stockings. Oops lol ;)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Hellu!
We all had a really good time at our friends house. The crayfish messed up my mani so there are no photos of it :p I'll have to wear the polish again so there will be pics of it. Since today is laundry day I'm going to wait until we're done before I paint my nails but I have a mani from a couple of weeks ago so I have something to post 8) I was feeling in the mood for colors and thought I'd try sponging a gradient. The colors aren't that similar but it turned out pretty fun at least.
Ofc I had to choose these cool ladies. I only did a little clean up. Didn't he do a good job? :)
And then all hell broke loose because we were bored so the bf and the roomie painted their nails. The bf wanted to try some advanced tape mani. The roomie wore CG - Sun Worshipper with SOPI - Note To Self. It sure was a fun evening 8) A lot of giggles!
I made them pose in a nerdy way. Haha. The purple on her fingers is from our Dip In-remover that's getting a bit full :P
Also, from now on he has to cut my tape strips. Look how thin they are :O
Since I already spammed a bunch of pix I might as well have one more. I actually wore make up yesterday. Since I learned the tape thing it's fun :) Now I can make straight lines, yey ;D
Today we're going to some friends to eat crayfish. Totally swedish you know. The bf made a pie and I've baked some bread. It will be delish I'm sure.
Toodels!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Hellu!
Here is Foxy, a really pretty polish. I was a bit distracted I guess while painting it because I only have one coat of color on the pinky and ring fingers and two coats on all the others. Haha. But you can see it as a comparison how the color improves with the second coat ;)
Much prettier with two coats :)
Not as noticeable in this photo tho.
Today I placed my first order from E.L.F.. I wasn't going to but then they extended the free shipping another day so I took that as a sign. Hehe. I actually ordered some make up as well and only three nail polishes :O So now I'm waiting for two packages, yey :)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Hellu!
This was the last of my latest CGs to be tested. I liked it when it was on my nails but the application wasn't as fun. I think this was two coats. Now that I'm a bit more tan I sometimes think pastels make my cuticles look dirty. Haha. Yeye not that much.
It's a very relaxed and flattering color at least.
Bonuspic! Me and the bf at a super cool really old theatre in Side, Turkey.
Today I'm meeting my bff (giggle) and also going to the gym for the first time in a really long time.
Toodels!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Hellu!
When I got back from Turkey I was itching for something new and non-chipped on my nails. I decided to try H&Ms Moody Model since I hadn't used it yet. Sadly I didn't really like it. I thought the application was a bit weird (maybe I was a little bit rusty since I hadn't painted my nails in a week but aaaanywho...). The first layer was a bit streaky and transparent. I did two coats. SV leveled it out but I decided to tape it out a bit with China Glaze Cherish. I didn't do any clean up or anything because it didn't stay on long. Anyways here it is.
So the next day we were going out with some friends and I was going to repaint them. My outfit was all black which is really weird for me (hello, I like rainbows) and I thought I should have a bright color on my nails at least. But when I chose I went for another dark greenish polish. MNY 761 that I got from my roomie :) I really liked it!
This is two coats with SV. It went on really easy (no clean up this time either) :) A nice dark shimmery green.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Hellu! I'm home again after a week in Turkey with my bf. We had a great time altho it was reeeaally hot. One time when we checked it was 47 degrees C (couldn't find the little circle on my keyboard, where are you?). Anywho. Kind of weird coming to a place that is 30 degrees colder just like that. I still hope we have some nice swedish summer weather left before school starts again!
I'll post some pix tomorrow or later today I think. Today I'm going to the gym to try Yoga for the first time :O I hope I like it.
And since I like pix and wouldn't mind eating some I'm posting a pic of some home made sushi!
Toodels!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Hellu!
Tomorrow me and the bf are going on vacation. I was going to paint my nails with some light color so it wouldn't be so obvious when it started chipping. I had already decided to wear CG - Light As Air but then the bf suggested I should wear a holo since we're gonna be in the sun. Of course I should wear something holo! Silly me :p So Gosh - Holographic is coming with my nails to vacation! :) I cut my nails for convinience and since I'm not used to painting short nails it's a bit sloppy 8) Aaanywho, pix!
Two coats over Depend - 223 (silver).
My index finger looks all ragged from the tie dye I did earlier this week. I should post some pix of that when I get back home. It was fun :)
Friday, August 5, 2011
Hellu!
I managed to keep the previous mani for three days. I probably could've kept it a day or two longer but I got some things from my grandfather and one of those was a candlestick which needed a good clean. I used wire wool (according to the intarwebs that's what ya call it, svinto in swedish ofc! ;)) and my polish didn't really like that. The nice part was that the Yin&Yang stayed okay so I wanted to keep them a couple of days longer. So yesterday I painted the other fingers with Color Club - Flamboyant. I bought it at a supermarket for 20 SEK, it's a mini bottle.
Two coats plus SV.
Also, I need to practise my photographing skills a bit. Or make someone take my pics for me! Haha.
Toodels!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Hellu! I was going to post pics from my recent water marble but the photos didn't come out that good so I'll save it for when I don't have anything else to post. Because today I really do have something to post! This is a mani I did yesterday and it's the nicest mani I've done so far :) I'm really going to struggle not to remove it too soon. As you know that's hard sometimes hehe ;) This is also the first time I've done a matching pedi :O
Behold! I saw this cool tutorial from Nihrida on Youtube for the Yin&Yang.
Monday, August 1, 2011
I was going to post some nailz today but the weather is actually nice today so I can't sit inside all day. Since pics are fun I'm just gonna throw in a pic of an outfit I had on a couple of weeks ago. Nail polish isn't the only thing I want in every color of the rainbow... I also love stockings! I don't really like wearing pants, except shorts. But it can look nice so I accepted 2 pairs from the roomie yesterday that she didn't want anymore :p So I guess I'll be wearing some pants come fall :O | {
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This page presents the geographical name data for Montpaon in France, as supplied by the US military intelligence in electronic format, including the geographic coordinates and place name in various forms, latin, roman and native characters, and its location in its respective country's administrative division.
NOTE: The information regarding Montpaon in France on this page is published from the data supplied by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a member of the Intelligence community of the United States of America, and a Department of Defense (DoD) Combat Support Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Montpaon information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Montpaon should be addressed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
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- If you wish to link to this page, you can do so by referring to the URL address below this line.
http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-2081118&fid=1851&c=france | {
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} |
Don't draw a conclusion that China's slipping back. We have way too much evidence to the contrary.
And if you're holding Yum in your portfolio Cramer added, "YUM's a remarkably run company. I would not be surprised if the stock hasn't overreacted to this news. My inclination would be to hold on to it if you own it. I believe you could get out at a higher price." | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Special teachers will be roped in to implement Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme to educate around 200 children who cant go to school
To make education more inclusive,the states Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is considering home tutoring for differently-abled children.
Special teachers will be roped in to implement the programme to bring into the mainstream around 200 differently abled children who stay homes and cannot attend school,an Education department official said.
After the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) announced that every disabled child is entitled to an annual allocation of Rs 3,000 instead of Rs 1,200,previously earmarked under the SSA,the state officials are hoping they can use the funds to innovate in the area of inclusive education.
The MHRD is also looking to enforce the Right to Education through the SSA.
The state is working on a zero rejection policy and is committed to provide quality education to all children with special needs, state SSA Project Director V P Singh said. The proposal for home-based tutoring is part of a gamut of proposals to be submitted during the upcoming budget session,an official said.
The SSA in Delhi put the figure of out of school children with special needs (CWSN) at 1,511,according to a survey in 2008. This includes the 200 CWSN who cannot attend formal school because of their handicap,an official said.
In Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu,home tutoring has already been implemented.
The ceiling is Rs 3,000 and the state has to submit proposals to get the allocation. The proposals have been prepared keeping the MHRD guidelines in mind, Singh told Newsline.
More than 13,000 differently-abled children in the age group of 6 and 14 have been identified in the citys government and municipal schools with the help of special educators.
Of Rs 3,000 per head per annum,Rs 1,000 has to be spent on resource teachers salaries and the rest on orientation and counselling of parents and teachers. The Delhi state SSA has already deployed 50 resource teachers in the schools and will be hiring more,Singh said.
The states SSA department has already tied up with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and teacher training will be monitored by the State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
The money needs to be spent on orientation of parents and teachers. We want general teachers to undergo training too. In one batch,IGNOU can accommodate 400 teachers and in a year,we train 3 to 4 batches, Singh said.
More assessment camps will be organised to assess children and to provide them with aids and applicationsnecessary for them to be able to learn in a classroom. Such assessment camps have been an annual feature for the last four years where specialists examine disabled children and advice them on aids which are provided free of cost by the SSA.
Besides,resource rooms are also being proposed at the zonal and cluster levels so that teachers can avail of teaching and learning material to help them understand various kinds of disabilities.
Children too can access the resource rooms and go through the material,an official said. We have flexibility in utilising the funds internally,so we can innovate, Singh said.
There are no restrictions on a childs needs. One child may need glasses; another child may require a wheelchair. We can provide these to them.
The funding ratio for the SSA,however,is 55:45 between the Centre and the states. The states have repeatedly said they cannot bear the cost of implementing the Right to Education and want a 90:10 arrangement.
Human Resource and Development Minister Kapil Sibal has indicated that discussions are underway to implement a 75:25 ratio,but nothing has been finalised yet,an official said.
Schooling for everyone
* Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) recently announced every disabled child is entitled to an annual allocation of Rs 3,000 instead of Rs 1,200
* State officials are hoping to use a part of the funds to start home tutoring of special children | {
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Last week, US National Security Advisor John Bolton presented the new US strategy for Africa. Bolton’s plan for Africa wasn’t exactly a new strategy, but merely a simple modification of what US policy has been towards Africa for decades.
The Grand Rapids Right Wing Think Tank, known as the Acton Institute, had their own particular take on Bolton’s plan for Africa. Acton, which has been an apologist for neo-liberal capitalism, praised Bolton’s economic plan for Africa. Bolton announced his plan at another far right think tank, the Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Foundation, which has been one of the leading far right think tanks since the late 1970s, was the perfect place for Bolton to present his plan for Africa.
The Acton Institute put together this short video of Bolton’s plan, so as to take advantage of pushing their own agenda of neo-liberal capitalism.
The edited video of Bolton’s comments, were followed by the comments of Acton supporter Joel Salatin, who was criticizing US aid to Africa, since that aid creates dependency. Salatin, a self-proclaimed climate denier, fails to provide any real historical context for US aid to Africa or how African nations have become dependent on the Western world.
Salatin and the Acton Institute were promoting their “poverty cure” philosophy in this brief video and the post about Bolton’s African plan that was posted on their blog on Tuesday.
The problem with Salatin and Acton’s assessment of US aid creating dependency for African nations is that it completely ignores the history of the European/Euro-American slave trade, European and US colonialism in Africa and the more recent history of US backed dictatorships in various African countries, where US economic interests always took priority over the African people.
One great source that deals with much of this history is the ground-breaking book written by Pan African scholar Walter Rodney in 1972, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Rodney’s analysis makes it clear that after centuries of capitalist plunder from Europe and the US, Africa became dependent because dependency is what both Europe and the US wanted for African.
For Salatin and the Acton Institute to talk about African dependency is disingenuous. African people did not chose dependency, it was imposed on them by the very economic system that the Acton Institute so zealously endorses…….capitalism.
Ignoring US Militarism in Africa
In addition to cheerleading Bolton’s African economic plan, the Acton Institute failed to even mention the massive US military presence on the African continent.
The Black Alliance for Peace had a strong counter analysis to what the Acton Institute had to say. In a statement they released on Tuesday, the Black Alliance for Peace said:
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton announcing a “Prosper Africa” initiative was no departure from U.S. foreign policy toward Africa. He simultaneously threatened China and Russia, while heaping scorn upon African nations. Our siblings in African nations struggle to overcome the destruction caused by European colonization, as well as the American interventions exemplified by the destruction of Libya, the destabilization of Somalia, and the fomenting of conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Bolton’s bluster against Chinese and Russian influence in Africa was borne of panic and was full of bald-faced lies. He made no mention of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which has put most African nations under the military control of the United States. But even so, the United States lags behind China, which is investing in African infrastructure and forgiving debt demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Bolton charged China and Russia have predatory designs in Africa, but it is Europe and the United States that have committed the greatest thefts ever since the 19th-century scramble for the continent kicked off at the Berlin Conference of 1884-85.
Bolton warned African nations to ally themselves to the United States or risk the threat of intervention or the end of foreign aid. He lied about Russia and China, projecting onto them the wrongdoing that the United States has committed across the globe. In calling them “corrupt,” he exposed the United States’ own corrupt intention onto its rivals for economic and military power.
Bolton didn’t mention in his statement that U.S. strategy for Africa which centers military recolonization would be a continuation of the U.S. policies of the last few decades and in particularly during the Obama administration that saw the expansion of the U.S. military presence by 1,900 %.
It is clear that the Trump “strategy” offers nothing substantially different. The policy continues to be more guns, more bases and more subversion.
Both the Black Alliance for Peace and Black Agenda Report make it clear that US policy towards Africa, which has been consistent for decades is a two pronged policy of imposing neo-liberal capitalism on the continent and maintaining massive US military presence. This two-pronged approach is by definition an imperialist policy, a policy that the Acton Institute ultimately promotes. | {
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Interested in this property
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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. Information not verified or guaranteed. If your home is currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.
CalBRE #01499008. Nevada Lic. #B.1001647. | {
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Thanksgiving Day-- It isn't just about the warmth coming from the oven, it's about the quality time with family and friends that warms the soul. As you're creating memories with your loved ones this Thanksgiving, take the time to share your precious moments on u local.
From special Thanksgiving Day traditions to accidental burnt turkeys, feel free to share every moment because your story counts on u local.
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Uploading is easy. Once it's uploaded select the Thanksgiving category. Include a brief description of your video or photo, in case we share it online or on-air. And hit submit!
Click here to upload now. If you're not a member of u local, here, to join now. | {
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Web design quotations
Hi there all....I am still new to the forum and we are thinking of redoing our quotation's visual look. Does anyone have any reccomendations or samples of what looks good, and is easy for our customers to read?
I do a quote just on word and put my logo on it. Kinda boring. So I was curious what everyone else out there does for their quotations? I was thinking of redoing it to have a nice visual look, and making sure its not too complicated for our customers.
Any examples or people tips on what they have learned over the years on whats good or bad on a quotation would be good advice. | {
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The Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Lutsenko declared the exit from political command of the "Our Ukraine — National Self-defense" block.
"I ask to consider me not as the member of this team", - Lutsenko at a briefing in the government building told, having scarified management actions "WELL - NANOSECOND" which refuses the coalition with BYuT.
"The small small group of adventurers led by (the leader of WELL-NANOSECOND fraction Vyacheslav) Kirilenko implements the plan for disorder of the democratic coalition", - Lutsenko noted.
At the same time, the minister reported that isn't going to resign.
"I don't consider as heroism to leave this position that adventurers whom else remained to Zakarpatye" enough came to my place, - Lutsenko explained.
Thus he reported that isn't acquainted with further plans of the president Victor Yushchenko.
"I already half a year didn't communicate with it even by phone as the president doesn't take the call", - the minister reported.
Lutsenko declared that in case of the announcement of early elections, on each meeting he will raise a question, with what political force "our Ukraine" will create the coalition.
"The plan simple - Yushchenko's second term without Tymoshenko. People have to know that these adventures were started personally by Yushchenko", - Lutsenko emphasized.
The product information Agency is his property. The right of ownership is protected by current legislation of Ukraine. Article 26 of the law of Ukraine "On information agencies"). Publication and dissemination of the content of the materials posted on the website Prestupnosti.net (in whatever form and by whatever technical means it has not carried out) without the written consent of the rightholder and reference to the source is prohibited. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Tag: psychic intuition
You have been born along with the power to renovate the landscape within your existence.
You might have the power to profit ayahuasca retreats NC from your problems that you are residing also to progress even even further toward the achievement within your wants as a consequence of them. With practice, your difficulties may become not more than springboards into greater fulfillment as part of your life.
Spiritual Therapeutic creates final results that will appear to be unattainable by other methods. The listing of choices is more time than I can slot in this compact write-up. Here is a sample:
These and even more advantages might be yours so you will not must get anything nor request the assistance of another individual.
Techniques
There are various techniques for accessing non secular therapeutic. Within all non secular traditions you’ll uncover esoteric teachings that will unlock this mystery for you personally. The meditation I explain under is just considered one of quite a few choices alongside the journey of self-healing. I provide it to you personally right here from the spirit of love and repair.
It is a very simple procedure with the purpose of our quick face while you read through this report. Simplicity is usually quite possibly the most potent component in a very healing components, so be sure to don’t dismiss the power of this system because of its brevity or due to the fact I offer it in this article free of charge. I hope you to definitely get effects any time you abide by these guidelines and you simply can share this method along with your family members who’re struggling in almost any way.
Love-Light Meditation
1 – Sit Upright.
To individuals who currently may sense weak, unwell, or disabled and ought to lie down, that is definitely okay. If not, make sure you sit upright for most effective outcomes.
2 – Invite the Divine Presence
Invite the Divine Existence (in no matter what way is all-natural to you personally as well as your culture, religion, or tradition) to help you with your healing.
3 – Love-Light
Think about a beam of light running via your backbone. Enable that mild be created of love. See that light extending infinitely above and under you. Make it possible for it to align you with all the middle of your earth as well as expanse of heaven. Really feel you nurtured and taken care of by this love-light.
4 – Centered Light-weight
Think about a campfire or maybe a sunlight in the tummy designed of this similar gentle. | {
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BitTorrent is a revolutionary data sharing tool that has made many people happy (free music, movies, and software!) and some people very upset (executives who want everyone to pay for music, movies, and software). This infographic explains how its creation has rippled through the world of media and gaming. Source
A compiled data from various industry sources and Oddee.com to show how the music industry’s published figures about piracy compare to other external sources. There is also breakdowns of where the $15.99 of an Album sale goes, along with individual figures for the major labels. Source
Now that the wildly popular music-streaming service Spotify has come to the U.S., all bets are off as to the future of the American music industry. The downward trend in music sales that began with the appearance of Napster and its ilk continues. Source
Where is it a golden age for the nautical bandit? Where have times been “better.” These snapshots show piracy hotspots geographically and in time by comparing regional trends of interesting places. Data comes from the US NGA and is visualized in Visual Fusion. Source
Illegal piracy accounts for huge profit losses among American corporations. Yes, at times, it certainly would be easier to download a new song, a movie, or even software off the Internet. However, you might think otherwise if you were a recording artist, movie producer or software developer. Every time someone illegally downloads content, industries lose […]
Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA. The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please […]
The debate over the true impact of piracy is likely to intensify between now and this summer, as several of the country’s largest Internet service providers inch closer to voluntarily implementing anti-piracy policies from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Piracy does cost content makers a lot […] | {
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COUNCIL bosses in North Wales, who are taking on the Government in a long running row over housing benefit payments, will be stepping up their legal challenge in the autumn.
The Department of Works and Pensions wants to claw back almost £500,000 from Anglesey County Council, claiming a catalogue of under-staffing and incompetence in the island's housing benefit office led to massive overpayments.
Claims weren't referred to a rent officer - a measure designed to stamp out fraud.
Originally the council had faced a "claw-back" claim of more than £2m after the problems, dating back to a three year spell from 1997, where highlighted in a damning report by District Auditor Ceri Stradling,
Eventually the demand was cut by 80pc but the county council has continued to fight and will be in the High Court in London on October 13 to mount a judicial review after being given the go-ahead by Mr Justice Sullivan at a hearing earlier this summer.
He agreed the council's challenge should not be "strangled at birth.".
If the council fail the island's council tax papers will have to pick up the bill.
At the time Mr Justice Sullivan said as well as fighting for a principle the council realised they were dealing with a "very large sum of money." .
He said poorer areas were likely to be hardest hit by the claw-back rules, as they had higher housing benefit claimants.
The council has already been "caned" for what has been described as a "state of disarray" in its housing benefit office over the three years, including widespread corporate failings.
The operational structure had been undermined by elected members and officers being at each others throats.
A statutory requirement, designed to protect the public purse from inflated rents and to ensure claimants receive the benefit they were due, was "simply written off".
But throughout the saga the council have argued there has been no actual loss to the public purse and no gain was made from "inadvertent errors'.
The court was told similar errors had been made by numerous other councils all over the country and the Govern-ment's stance against Anglesey was irrational and wholly disproportionate.
Apart from confirming the date of the judicial review the council refused to make a comment.
"This matter is on-going and at this stage it would be inappropriate to say anything." | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Pages
Monday, April 29, 2013
Happy World Wish Day!
Today, April 29th, is World Wish Day, a global celebration of wish-granting. It celebrates the day Chris Greicius received his wish to be a police officer for the day, inspiring the creation of Make-A-Wish and the organization's global wish-granting movement. Since Chris's wish in 1980, more than 300,000 children around the world have had their fondest wishes fulfilled by Make-A-Wish. Ever 23 minutes, Make-A-Wish grants the wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition somewhere in the world. In Iowa, a wish is granted every other day.
Make-A-Wish is an organization that is very important to me. I currently serve as the Vice-Chair of Make-A-Wish North Iowa and serve the organization as a wish granter. Why did I get involved? All because of my cousin Jake. He received an Alaskan fishing trip wish after he was diagnosed with bone cancer when he was in high school. Jake said that receiving his wish was something that meant so much to him and was the best thing that he did during his battle with cancer. Because of Jake, I started volunteering and granting wishes for Make-A-Wish almost five years ago. I even "Jumped for Wishes" in memory of Jake and in honor of all the Wish kids I've had the honor of granting wishes to last summer.
So what can you do to help this great organization? In recognition of World Wish Day, Make-A-Wish has started a new campaign called "Wishes in Flight". This air-mile donation program matches every mile donated, up to 1 million miles, now through August 31st. Make-A-Wish needs more than 2.5 billion miles, or 50,000 round-trip tickets, to grant wishes each year. Every mile donated helps wish kids and their families travel to destinations around the world. Once donated, miles will never expire and are used to support wishes across the country. This is a simple way of changing miles, into smiles.
1 comment:
I live by the saying "Bloom where you are planted." I am proud to be a farmer, farmer's wife and stay at home mom. Combine that passion with my love for my community and volunteering, there always seems to be "fields of opportunities" for me and my family in rural North Iowa. | {
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It's true ya know
I saw your meme on my reveal. I wanted to tell the first person who asked what my name was, but safety is key. My real name does start with "J", but I rarely use it. Second name is Lycanthian A. Woods. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Quote of the Day: “In all things it is better to hope than to despair.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Chronic Kidney Disease And Diabetic Patients Should Be Aware Of Diabetes Risk To Statin Users
Renal and Urology News reported an increase in body weight within a year of taking Atorvastatin (a cholesterol-lowering medication) which is associated with a higher risk of worsening and new-onset Type II Diabetes. According to a recent study published online in The American Journal of Cardiology, the complication is even further emphasized in people with "stable Coronary Artery Disease" (Heart Disease) such as Chronic Kidney Disease patients and those with Diabetes.
Renal and Urology News reported an increase in body weight within a year of taking Atorvastatin (a cholesterol-lowering medication) which is associated with a higher risk of worsening and new-onset Type II Diabetes. According to a recent study published online in The American Journal of Cardiology, the complication is even further emphasized in people with "stable Coronary Artery Disease" (Heart Disease) such as Chronic Kidney Disease patients and those with Diabetes.
Researchers found that 650 patients out of the total 7,595 individuals studied developed Type II Diabetes after taking Atorvastatin. The main cause of increased Diabetes rates in this population of statin users is weight gain which was significant after 1 year of starting their statin regimen. “Our study highlights the importance of weight control as a lifestyle measure to prevent statin-related NODM [Type II Diabetes],” the authors concluded.
Does this mean if you have Diabetes you do not have to concern yourself with these findings? Well, no because weight gain in patients with Diabetes can be even more devastating than in people with just CKD. Have you noticed weight gain since you started your statin treatment? If you think the two are connected (statin regimen and weight gain), once you have read this article, contact your Healthcare Team to share with them your concerns and ask them if they think there is a better medicinal option for you.
Unfortunately, in some cases there is no better treatment option for you. If you fall into that category then it is even more important to focus on your lifestyle decisions and making sure you are making the best ones to ensure your continued health. A good first step in that direction is, Fight Kidney Disease and Diabetes, a cooking and accountability guide. It is only $5.00 during National Kidney Month and is a recommended investment if you can afford it.
Most Popular Stories:
The Best Way CKD Patients Can Prevent Weight Gain, Lower Diabetes Risk And Improve Energy Fast
Disclaimer: KidneyBuzz is not operated by medical professionals and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. We do our best to keep you informed of what's happening with the Kidney Disease Community. Read more.
We accept all major Credit / Debit Cards through our Secure payments powered by Stripe. | {
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} |
I don't know abt subtitles, just check out the links I gave u, it supports many character sets. I've a XviD rip of Troy and it plays fine. Its a gr8 system for the price, decent sound and many features. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Anna Torma learned techniques of hand sewing and embroidery from her mother and grandmother as a child. She graduated with a degree in Textile Art and Design from the Hungarian University of Applied Arts in 1979, when censorship enforced by Communist government restricted aspects of artistic expression. Textiles were not then recognized as an artistic discipline, a circumstance which afforded practitioners a greater measure of freedom in political and creative expression.
Torma says, I feel I am a storyteller, using my private diary pages with drawings, text and paintings from both my early experiences in Hungary and my recent life in Canada. Her works depict intimate details of her everyday life, emphasizing, in her own words, the importance of small things—things and beings that are far from perfection.
Torma’s collage-like needlework functions as a form of drawing. She is inspired by Visionary and Outsider art for their expressive directness and ability to communicate to a broad range of viewers. In works such as Red Flowers III, she alternates between figuration and abstraction, between the decorative and the literal.
In her catalogue essay for Needleworks, Anne Koval calls Torma’s pieces playful with staccato-like variance saying, ....we enter a blooming garden, abundant with folk art, her husband’s sculptural female forms and her children’s art...The work is at once domestic and profound in its collective experience.
Anna Torma’s work was shown in the 2007 MSVU exhibition Needleworks, and she was a 2005 finalist in the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in the Fine Crafts. Torma has exhibited nationally and internationally. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Interaction Design for the Web
While user behavior may often seem random, there are psychological reasons behind the choices individuals make as they navigate a user interface. In this course, learn about the psychological reasons why good UI design works, so that you can build websites and apps that work the way your users think. Instructor Chris Nodder helps you get started by discussing how brains work, and how to design around the limitations of the human brain. He also explains how to use perception principles to enhance the flow of your UI; leverage physical concepts to create a more intuitive UI; and smooth out your workflow. To wrap up the course, he explains how to fix small annoyances and make your interface pleasant to use.
Topics include: Designing around human limitationsTelling storiesHow we group the things we seeMaking standard and consistent interfacesSmart defaultsReducing system latency and communicating during delaysMaking error messages into useful dialogsDesigning for delight
Buy Premium From My Links To Get Resumable Support,Max Speed & Support Me | {
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} |
Feeding a World Population of More than Eight Billion People
A Challenge to Science
Description
Since the 1960s, breakthroughs in agriculture have made it possible to satisfy the world's increasing requirements for food. Can this trend continue over the next thirty years when the world population is projected to exceed eight billion? This book takes a critical look at the immediate challenges for feeding the population just a generation from now. Based on the 10th International Symposium sponsored by the Nutrition Committee and the Trustees of the Rank Prize Funds, the volume examines the full range of related issues, from food economics to resource allocation and crop yields. Beginning with an analysis of future food needs, the articles cover basic resources and constraints, applications of science to increase yield, the role of animal products in feeding
eight billion people, and diverse social issues. The book provides insights into some of the most important questions we will be faced with in the coming years, making it an invaluable resource for a wide range of researchers in agriculture, the environment, and public policy.
Feeding a World Population of More than Eight Billion People
A Challenge to Science
Reviews and Awards
"This book is based on the 10th International Symposium sponsered by the Nutrition Committee and the Trustees of the Rank Prize Funds. It examines the immediate challenges of feeding a growing human population just a generation from now. The 19 individually authored articles in this book cover a broad range of topics, from food economics to resource allocation and crop yields. The book is an invaluable resource for a wide range of those interested in agriculture, the environment, and public policy." --Biosis, Vol 51, Issue 3, March 1999 | {
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Mobile Ticketing is Now Available!
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WEATHER ALERT for March 3rd and 4th, 2015
March 3rd, 2015
4:10pm
Up to 2 inches of snow/ice is expected to fall tonight into tomorrow morning.. Road conditions are expected to deteriorate thru out the night, and a slow AM commute tomorrow is expected. Wide spread delays and detours could be possible tomorrow morning. Please plan extra time for your trip accordingly.
Please check our Service Alerts page here on our website and on our GoMobile app for real time updates, as well as our Facebook and Twitter feeds @thenicebus. | {
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