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New Collective Voice Director appointed
Collective Voice is pleased to announce the appointment of Oliver Standing as its new Director.
Oliver is currently Director of Policy and Communications at Adfam, the national charity for families affected by drugs and alcohol. He will join the organisation in mid-August and succeed Paul Hayes who has been Collective Voice’s Chief Executive since its inception in 2015.
Karen Biggs, Chair of Collective Voice, said
“I am delighted to welcome Oliver to Collective Voice. He impressed the panel with his passion for the work the sector does. The Board is looking forward to working with Oliver, building on the significant achievements made over the last three years under the expert leadership of Paul Hayes.”
Oliver Standing said
“It’s a real honour to be appointed Collective Voice’s next Director. I’ve been impressed by the progress the organisation has made so far. I look forward to working closely with Karen and the rest of the Board to broaden Collective Voice’s reach and advocate for, and alongside, some of our most vulnerable citizens. Paul will leave big shoes to fill but I’ll enjoy learning from him over the coming months as we work together to ensure a smooth transition.”
Collective Voice is the membership organisation for voluntary sector drug and alcohol treatment providers. Together, its members offer a range of services to over 200,000 people across the country. The current members are Blenheim, CGL, Changing Lives, Cranstoun, DISC, EDP Drug and Alcohol Services, Phoenix Futures and Turning Point. Its Board is comprised of Chief Executive and other senior staff from the membership. | {
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In 2005 faculty in the Northern Arizona University School of Forestry initiated a project to replace the required sophomore-level writing course taught by the English Department with a new course, “Writing in Forestry,” ... | {
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Euro RSCG dropped as Havas restructures
The digital function will be at the core of Havas' activities henceforth.
Come September 2012, Havas will drop the Euro RSCG name globally and rename the agency Havas Worldwide, as it restructures to put digital at the core of its activities around the world.
Havas said it will be working toward bringing its media and advertising capabilities together by housing them under one brand name, but said it will maintain them as separate identities.
In addition the agency introduced its new umbrella brand titled Havas Digital, which will operate across both media and creative as it moves to integrate digital into its agencies and strategies.
"We are changing the name of our core global brand. We have a simple structure and we want to show that we are better integrated than our competitors as well as being more agile and fleet footed," David Jones, CEO, Havas & Euro RSCG Worldwide, said.
In its annual report Havas reported total revenue of 1,645 million for 2011, an increase of 5.9% from the previous year, with digital and social media billings make up 23% of its total revenue.
In the Asia-Pacific, Havas reported growth of 9.8% for full-year 2011 and 7.0% for the fourth quarter. The region's two main growth engines were China and Australia, with the region accounting for 16% of its revenues. | {
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AU Central
Services Directory
Survivors and Dependents Assistance (DEA- Chapter 35)
Dependents' Educational Assistance provides education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of certain veterans. The program offers up to 45 months of education benefits. These benefits may be used for degree and certificate programs, apprenticeship, and on-the-job training. If you are a spouse, you may take a correspondence course. Remedial, deficiency, and refresher courses may be approved under certain circumstances.See also: Frye Scholarship at http://gibill.va.gov/documents/factsheets/fry_scholarship.pdf» more
Eligibility
You must be the son, daughter, or spouse of:
• A veteran who died or is permanently and totally disabled as the result of a service-connected disability. The disability must arise out of active service in the Armed Forces.
• A veteran who died from any cause while such permanent and total service-connected disability was in existence.
• A service member missing in action or captured in line of duty by a hostile force.
• A service member forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power.
• A service member who is hospitalized or receiving outpatient treatment for a service connected permanent and total disability and is likely to be discharged for that disability. This change is effective December 23, 2006.
Period of Eligibility
If you are a son or daughter and wish to receive benefits for attending school or job training, you must be between the ages of 18 and 26. In certain instances, it is possible to begin before age 18 and to continue after age 26. Marriage is not a bar to this benefit. If you are in the Armed Forces, you may not receive this benefit while on active duty. To pursue training after military service, your discharge must not be under dishonorable conditions. VA can extend your period of eligibility by the number of months and days equal to the time spent on active duty. This extension cannot generally go beyond your 31st birthday, there are some exceptions.
If you are a spouse, benefits end 10 years from the date VA finds you eligible or from the date of death of the veteran. If the VA rated the veteran permanently and totally disabled with an effective date of 3 years from discharge a spouse will remain eligible for 20 years from the effective date of the rating. This change is effective October 10, 2008 and no benefits may be paid for any training taken prior to that date.
For surviving spouses (spouses of service members who died on active duty) benefits end 20 years from the date of death. | {
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Puss In Boots
Random Fact : Antonio Banderas who plays the voice of Puss in the movie Puss in Boots, shares a number of skills with his on screen counterpart: Banderas can wield a sword a skill he learned while portraying Zorro in two films, he can hold his own on the dance floor demonstrated on Broadway, as well as archetypal Latin Lover. Click Here For More Movie Facts | {
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Attract Abundance Hypnosis
Attract Abundance Hypnosis gives you unlimited MOMENTUM to notice opportunities and the courage and enthusiasm to stick with your dreams as you allow them to manifest.
It's not magical or voodoo, it is simply the way most successful people approach the way they think of themselves in relation to wealth.
Ever wonder why some people are just LUCKY?
They seem to fall into the right place and the right time. As if for some reason they are wired to get the things that produce more wealth and abundance, more so then others.
Why is it sometimes people with ordinary talent and skill overcome great challenges and circumstances and they come through with great results?
Is it because they believe if they approach things differently then the average earner they will get different results? This belief leads them into making choices that are not the same as most of those who follow along the beaten path.
They are able to do things that others don't, because of their belief system. Their subconscious ability to see past doubt and fear gives them the "lucky" charms, they put into action on a conscious level. Some how in their programming they have what is known as a frequency to vibrate towards more wealth, happiness, and abundance.
Doubter's on the other hand may think they believe consciously that they deserve to gravitate towards higher levels of success, yet somewhere in their subconscious programming are little scripts that repel the very things they are seeking to attract. The good news is that you can trouble shoot these programs.
It's in your wiring.... The subconscious mind knows how to create DNA and bring life into the existence and it also knows what kind of abundance that life is accustomed to operating on according to the programs written at the subconscious level.
The subconscious mind is where creation allows life to come into being. We are wired to be able to create.
When you download Attract Abundance Hypnosis you will reprogram your mind, on that creative level.
Attract Abundance Hypnosis will assist you in becoming subconsciously open to and aware of the opportunities all around you.
So you will draw more situations and opportunities into your life, and also become more open to naturally say YES! when they arrive by planting new seeds of luck and personal achievement with the positive suggestions to your currently existing success programs. Then this session also is designed to go in and weed out the negative programs, that up until now, have been holding you back.
This session will allow you to automatically recognize and act upon opportunities without the clutter of the critical mind, with all it's fears and negative self defeating judgments.
Attract Abundance Hypnosis will help you to GROW your natural ability to consciously and consistently take the right actions that support your programming that says you are absolutely going to get more abundance.
By training your creative mind, you're changing your belief system, and will be open to achieve greater levels of success in the things you attempt to accomplish.
This is how many everyday ordinary people have transformed their outlook in order to achieve higher levels of success in lots of different ways.
It is within your reach to step into your creative potential.
Some of the greatest sales people and business developers also use these techniques to get themselves to higher levels of achievement.
Attract Abundance Hypnosis is a direct way to get out of your limited mind that has gotten you the current results you see in your life to date, and open you up to naturally think in more creative ways, to achieve your financial desires.
It is so subtle that I always asks those who do this session to make a note of where you are at this point in time before you ever listen to this session. Then in 6 months come back and review some of the things you wanted on this day. then keep listening and in a year write down how far you have come .
Imagine being able to automatically grow you natural ability to be in the right place at the right time and having the sense of ease, comfort, and insight to feel confident about it, in such a way that brings wealth and abundance to you.
As you begin to use this affordable download in the privacy and comfort of your own home today, you will appreciate the deep relaxation as you program your mind to gently, easily, and effectively, apply the laws of attraction.
*Grow your minds ability to notice and act upon situations and land with YOUR feet in the right place at the right time.
*Change your subconscious scripts in order to see with clarity new and creative ways to overcome financial challenges as they come into your life you.
*Be free of unnecessary self defeating thoughts and improve your chances of getting through setbacks with a crystal clear awareness of your ability to achieve more wealth, well being, and abundance.
*Go right to the creative mind and train it with words, thoughts, and imaginative scenarios that produce results.
*Begin to see solutions more clearly.
*Let go of the self doubt that keeps you from going out and getting the wealth that is in this world.
*Tune into your inner power compass designed to meet the challenges that are specific to your personality.
*Feel the courage flowing through you so you begin to take on new calculated risks.
*Go beyond and tap into your power within. Take positive steps toward your goals as you move into your awareness of situations and circumstances that are open doors towards your success.
*Become more highly attuned to a life filled with more meaning, purpose, abundance and happiness.
Attract Abundance Hypnosis complimentaryis a neat little exercise I created that you can use to assist you in gaining more clarity about how you relate to money. Bottom line here is, have you ever noticed how some people just doubt too much and are skeptical of the goods things out there in life?
Well, with all the con artists and scammers out there it makes perfect sense to be rational and practical minded.
After all, if you just received an email saying you won a lottery in some foreign country, and you have not recently visited that country, or entered a lottery there, it is safe to assume that it is a scam, not bother opening that email.
That is the part of you that is skeptical, and this part of you has indeed kept you safe, so you may want to thank that part of your self. Yet I would like you to consider asking that part of you to continue to do its job and be a little more watchful ....
of being TOO skeptical.
Allow that part of you to begin to see that too much skepticism can hold you back from taking chances on some great opportunities.
Such as this one I am presenting you with.
The good news is, that there is a part of you that likes to dream, and has great hope in all that life offers.
This part of you is connected to the part of the dreamers in this world who have helped bring many new inventions such as the technology of the internet into existence, even when the doubters said it could never happen.
Your imagination is what attract abundance hypnosis is designed to work with. It is the part of you that is ready to jump onto this session and begin to get the benefits.
If you allow that part of you too have some space for a brief minute here while you make this purchase and if this session does not do what it says here then, I will be more then happy to give you a refund. I am that confident that you skeptics will see some pretty great results.
That is what attract abundance hypnosis is all about !
If you think that might be you, then your the very person I designed this session for!
You see I know that only open minded people looking for new ways to bring more abundance into their lives will land on this page.
Yet, I also know that the very people who land on this page will be the ones who sometimes lack the ability to jump on, when the time is right, which is of course, is why you need this session...
So I have made it completely safe for you to download attract abundance hypnosis, that way, you will get the support in achieving more abundance you came in hopes of finding!
Your going to like this. No risk money back guarantee - don't decide now- listen for 60 days and if you are not completely satified let me know and i will extend a no questions asked refund and you still will get to keep the download. | {
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Wednesday, 28 June 2017
The land we call Canada is of course much older than 150 years, but on July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada came into being with Confederation. With Canada Day and Canada150 just three days, away, I'm jumping on this bandwagon started by a genealogy friend, because as she says, it's because of their early contributions that Canada is such a wonderful place to live.
Here are my direct ancestors who were living in what became Canada in 1867. These are only on my father's side (my maternal grandparents arrived in Canada in 1909 and 1908 respectively):
Charlotte
Butler born 1852 Upper Stewiacke NS
Samuel
Butler born 1816 Halifax
Hugh
Caroline bef 1834 Montreal
Mary Donovan
Caroline bef 1834 Montreal
Rose
Caroline born
1839 Granby, Quebec
John James
Dougherty 1834 Granby, Quebec
Elizabeth
Forbes born abt 1785 Hants NS
Margaret White Godfrey born abt 1797 Colchester NS
Sarah Anne
Moore born 1819 Truro NS
Charles
Nelson born 1812 Rockville NS
Elias
Nelson born 1783 Maitland NS
Elias
Nelson born
1854 Great Village NS
Only Hugh and Mary Caroline came to Canada as immigrants from Ireland. Their daughter, Rose Caroline, my 2nd great grandmother was born here. My 2nd great grandfather John James Dougherty was born in Vermont, and within a year was living in the Eastern Townships.
My Nova Scotia roots are deep, and date back to 1760. The rest of my direct ancestors shown above and living in 1867 were all Nova Scotia-born. The never ending story continues.....
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
A couple of weeks ago, I attended the annual Ontario Genealogical Society conference in Ottawa for four jam-packed brain expanding days. I joined a table of eight to ten at the banquet, where of course the conversations were all about all things genealogy.
During the roundabout conversation, the man seated next to me commented that he often has trouble keeping all of the surnames in his family tree in his head. I said I didn't really have that problem. Conversations continued all around the table. A few minutes later, my dinner companion mentioned that after the conference ended, he was heading to Massachusetts to research his Barber line.
Barber? Well, it just happens that I have that name in my family tree. By this time he was cursing himself that he had not brought his devices to the banquet. Me? Out came my iPad, on which I have not one, but two apps containing my family tree.
We leaned in to look at my screen. We share the same 6th great grandparents, Robert Barber (abt 1700-bef 1790) and Sarah Bean (abt 1704-1790) of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Only at a genealogy conference could this happen. We weren't the only ones to discover cousin connections though. Two people at an adjacent table also discovered that they are related.
Robert and Sarah are the great grandparents of Samuel A. Fisher (1758-1812) who migrated to Nova Scotia, taking their descendants into Canada. I wrote about him here.
My research into my Barber-Bean line back from Robert and Sarah needs more work. My new cousin has done some work that may help me in that task.
This is why I always carry my family tree with me. You never know, do you?
Sunday, 11 June 2017
I posted one of the invaluable pieces of research I've found in the past month about my 1st cousin 3x removed, John Doherty (1807-1872) here. I think I've now found all 12 of John and Margaret Doherty's children, thanks to baptismal, marriage and burial records in Toronto.
Mary SARAH (1839-1920) m Edward McFeely (1832-1898)
Edward James (1840 - ?)
Patrick James (1841-1856)
Frances Helen (1843-bef 1854)
John Thomas (1844- ?)
Henry (abt 1846-?)
Margaret (abt 1847-bef 1930) m Charles N. Dickson (abt 1855-bef 1930)
Thomas (1848-1909) m Jane Elizabeth Dermody (1860-1924)
Martha (abt 1850- aft 1930)
Rosanna (1852-1854)
Frances (1854- ?)
Rosanna Teresa (1858-1948) m Thomas Waldron (1856-1913)
Here are several of the St Paul's Church baptismal records I've located:
Mary Sarah baptized 20 Jan 1839
Edward James baptized 24 May 1840
Patrick James baptized 22 May 1841
Frances Helen baptized 14 Nov 1843 (d bef 1854)
John Thomas baptized 29 Dec 1844
Again, look at the name of one of John's sponsors. Was this Thomas Doherty another relative, or one of the many unrelated Dohertys living in Toronto at that time?
Margaret baptized 31 Jan 1847
Again, look at the name of one of Margaret's sponsors. Another Thomas Doherty.
Thomas baptized 1 Nov 1848
Rosanna baptized 31 May 1852 (d 1 Jan 1854)
Frances baptized 5 Feb 1854
If you're counting, yes, this is only nine. I'm still looking for the baptismal records of the remaining three. As you can see, recycling of names of deceased children was as common in Canada as it was in Ireland.
Margaret Esmonde died on 7 May 1867, while her husband John died on 29 Jul 1872. Both are buried at St Michael's Cemetery in midtown Toronto. By 1857, the cemetery at St Paul's Church, where they were married and where their children were baptized was full in part due to the potato famine in Ireland. That cemetery is now under the adjacent elementary school yard.
St Michael's Cemetery grounds are now closed to the public because of vandalism concerns (don't get me started), but if I make an appointment, I may be able to wander through. I did wander through a couple of times many years ago, when the grounds were still open, and long before I knew that I had relatives buried there.
Working through unindexed parish registers is painstaking. So far, I've found that only three of John's and Margaret's children had children of their own. But there are three sons -- Edward, Henry and John -- whose stories I've yet to find. When I finish this exercise with St Paul's registers, those of St Michael's Cathedral, which opened in 1849, await.
I've also found several McFeely mentions in the St Paul's registers.
Perhaps one of their descendants will find this blog post in their own research.
Saturday, 10 June 2017
It seems like weeks that I've been adding my many new cousins to my database. Oh wait, it has been weeks. Remarkably though, none of these new cousins have done any DNA testing, or if they have, none have matched up with me, my two siblings and two first cousins who have all tested. Despite the many new people, some never married, while others married but had no children. But hope springs.
Just today, I've found 12 new 20th century McCorkell descendants to add to my database. Perhaps someone in the generation that follows them will share some DNA with me and mine.
At this point, I know of only two McFeelys who have done a DNA test, and they happen to be married to one another, each descended from a different brother-in-law of Mary Sarah Doherty McFeely (1839-1920). Yes, we're in touch.
From their 19th century Ontario (via Ireland) roots, the McFeelys and McCorkells, as I've already found, really are scattered across North America.
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Have I mentioned how very pleased I am to have found ancestors who lived in Toronto? Honestly, I feel more legitimate now, participating in Ontario-centric genealogy Facebook or Twitter discussions.
Toronto was a small town in the 1800s. Spending just a couple of hours going through old Toronto city directories is revealing. In 1855--the clearest map I could find online--the core of Toronto looked like this:
1855 map, OldTorontoMaps.blogspot.ca
Three Dungiven area natives had settled in Toronto, starting in about 1833 with John Doherty. After marrying Margaret Esmonde in 1837, John lived with their growing family and worked as a tinsmith on King Street near George Street, as early as 1843.
St Paul's Catholic Church baptismal records tell us that Edward and Susanna McCloskey McFeely and their own growing family were already in Toronto as early as 1838. The McFeely name doesn't appear in the 1833 or 1837 city directories--these are the only two earlier directories available. We know that the McFeelys had left Dungiven between the 1829 baptism there of their son John, and the 1932 baptism in Ste-Foy, Quebec of their son Edward, who would marry my ancestor Sarah Doherty in 1859.
But Edward McFeely does appear in the 1843 city directory living and working as a stone mason on Market Lane, a portion of which still exists today as a pedestrian thoroughfare The McFeely family last appears in the 1850-51 city directory, living on Teraulay Street, which ran north-south between Queen and Gerrard Streets, east of Bay Street, quite near Toronto City Hall's present day location. Teraulay Street no longer exists.
Patrick and Sarah Doherty McCorkell were in Toronto when the 1850-51 city directory was published, joining Sarah's brother John, after spending perhaps four years at most in Saint John, New Brunswick. Patrick's occupation is given as labourer.
I've learned that Patrick and Sarah left their first-born, Augustine (1845-1903) behind in Ireland when they came to Canada in about 1846. I've also learned that Augustine was then brought to Quebec by his aunt, Elleanor Doherty (another new ancestor) in 1850. I'm guessing that Elleanor brought Augustine to Toronto to reunite with his parents. What happened to Elleanor remains a mystery...for now.
The McCorkells seem to have spent almost ten years in Toronto, last appearing in the 1859 city directory, living at 67 Richmond Street East, just east of Yonge Street. This makes sense, as they next appear in the 1861 Canada census .
As was noted by a newly-discovered McFeely cousin this week, these addresses are all near where I live in the oldest part of Toronto.
And so, by 1861 only John Doherty and his family remain in Toronto. The McFeelys had left for Buffalo with their large family by the early 1850s, while the McCorkells had left to farm land near present day Orillia, Ontario, north east of Toronto.
For a look at the present-day area of Toronto shown in the 1855 map, see Google Maps here.
Toronto in those years seems to have been full of people from the north of Ireland, based in small part by the St Paul's Catholic Church parish records. No doubt the Doherty, McFeelys and McCorkells had many familiar faces, or, at the least family names, several from the Dungiven area, around them in their daily lives. I can't imagine that happening in the 21st century, with populations so much bigger than they were in the 19th century.
Contact me!
About Me
My abiding passion is family history research. After many years of serious family history research for both my own family and for extended family, I created this blog to house some of the stories that I've gathered. Genealogy, family history, it's all one and the same for me. No clue is too small to send me off on the hunt of a new lead. | {
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Breeding top quality miniature Shetland ponies for over 45 years
The Kerswell Stud was founded in 1970 and is situated in the Westcountry in Devon. Our breeding is based mainly on South Park and Marshwood bloodlines and careful selection has resulted in ponies of correct conformation with good straight action with beautiful small heads and true Shetland pony characteristics.The ponies have good bone and we place great importance on soundness.
Kerswell Breeding
All colours are bred at the stud and most of our ponies mature around 32” in height. We breed for temperament and the ponies are very good natured and they are ideal for the youngest members of the family to enjoy.
Viewing by appointment only.Please contact us for more information about our stock. | {
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
why did I asked that?
http://ask.fm/Nivalyx/answer/122001472502heartfelt thanks to Fallist for his generous question
----------------------------
why did I asked that?
Accompanied by the ever-shifting ambience of its surroundings a subtle
resonance drifted on the hollow nether. Like a steel attracted to a
magnet by a force unseen it demonstrates a superluminal motion ejecting
the object from its generating source.
Protecting
the content stored within its epiderm from scathe is this entity's sole
job. Its first moments in the wilderness were full of cherish, but as
it traversed further and further, darkness began to ensue. Never in its
life a saying of an easy task being briefed previously to its audial
sensories, but never in its life as well it thought that the wilderness
would be so deceiving. As it ran out of route markers on the trail it
followed sorrow began to struck the entity.
'Help
me' it shouted in desperation. 'It doesn't matter if I vanished within
an instant - what matters more is what lies inside me. Had my inner
shoutings be heard, may it be transformed into a reality'
Within
a moment after its desperate prayer, it saw light. Distantly visible is
a sanctum alien to it, radiating away a rejuvenating aura of eternity.
With its remaining fuel aboard the entity set sail to the light source
as fast as it can.
...but it had been to late.
Halfway
on its conquest, it fell. Similar to a photon flash along with the lost
of its 'mother-ship' the particles within scattered around for a short
tide until it all disappeared into the void. It went lost and not found.
What
it didn't realize though is that the entity in question is just one
among many. A flash after its disappearance, a new carrier agent arise
resurged from the core, carrying away a completely different arrays of
information.
And it all happened in seconds.
----------------------------
Yes,
the above text is a tale of something called 'short-term memory'. Had
it not been rehearsed enough, it won't penetrate the barrier of the
long-term memory storage vault and will be adrift in nowhere near
forever. It's a bliss to unleash and utilize at, yet easily forgettable
after it serves its own purpose.
The
forgetfulness on your statement is an undisputed example of short-term
memory's existence. No, it's not something to be mourned on - having a
functional short-term memory is a bliss, really. Despite its curtailed
living cycle I believe there are countless moments where short-term
memory have done an irreplaceable favor to us. Without the grandiose of
our memory-processing complex this text wouldn't even exist. Nor does
your opening statement I suppose. At this moment allow me express my
gratitude to one of the most easily unnoticed - yet most crucial - thing
my mental had ever possessed :
...dear my memories,thank you for serving me your best throughout my life.
About Me
Further Information
Hello there! As you may see, I don't really write much here - more or less that's because I also administer the Genshiken Story weblog as well.
Other than that, I am (being, but not limited to) a college student, a writer myself which has been contributing to several magazines (either online or physical), and an avid music lover and amateur producer myself (any music that enchants me, no matter what genre - although I can bias-fully say that my musical preference is basically ambients, drum'n'basses, and any catchy songs which provides non-linear bass drops or atmospheric feeling from around the world).
Constantly improving and making people happy is one of my life-time goal. Despite being a heavily introverted person myself, I welcome anyone to chat and befriend me personally! Feel free to~
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Detailed Attributions:
♥ Header contains image from Webtreats, available under CC BY 2.0 License♥ The character in the header is an original character, illustrated by Maya-kira and colored by me♥ Design is based on Jason Morrow's Ethereal, and developed upon Kelompok 112 OSKM ITB 2013's template (which is also a project of mine) | {
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About Me
I received my MA in philosophy of science many years ago and currently reviving my academic interests. I hope to stimulate individuals in the realms of science, philosophy and the arts...to provide as much free information as possible.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Ayn Rand's Playboy interview
Playmate of the month: Nancy Scott photographed by Ron VogelInterview: Ayn Rand by PlayboyFeatures: The Girls of Russia and the Iron Curtain Countries 'Living with Labor' by J. Paul Getty 'The Meddlers' by Arthur C. Clarke 'How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: Conclusion of an Autobiography' by Lenny Bruce.Model: Olga Schoberova photographed by Herman Leonard
PLAYBOY: Miss Rand, your novels and essays, especially your controversial best seller, Atlas Shrugged, present a carefully engineered, internally consistent world view. They are, in effect, the expression of an all-encompassing philosophical system. What do you seek to accomplish with this new philosophy?
RAND: I seek to provide men - or those who care to think - with an integrated, consistent and rational view of life.
PLAYBOY: What are the basic premises of Objectivism? Where does it begin?
RAND: It begins with the axiom that existence exists, which means that an objective reality exists independent of any perceiver or of the perceiver’s emotions, feelings, wishes, hopes or fears. Objectivism holds that reason is man’s only means of perceiving reality and his only guide to action. By reason, I mean the faculty which identifies and integrates the material provided by man’s senses.
PLAYBOY: In Atlas Shrugged your hero, John Galt, declares, “I swear - by my life and my love of it - that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” How is this related to your basic principles?
RAND: Galt’s statement is a dramatized summation of the Objectivist ethics. Any system of ethics is based on and derived, implicitly or explicitly, from a metaphysics. The ethic derived from the metaphysical base of Objectivism holds that, since reason is man’s basic tool of survival, rationality is his highest virtue. To use his mind, to perceive reality and to act accordingly, is man’s moral imperative. The standard of value of the Objectivist ethics is: man’s life - man’s survival qua man - or that which the nature of a rational being requires for his proper survival. The Objectivist ethics, in essence, hold that man exists for his own sake, that the pursuit of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose, that he must not sacrifice himself to others, nor sacrifice others to himself. It is this last that Galt’s statement summarizes.
PLAYBOY: What kind of morality derives from this, in terms of the individual’s behavior?
RAND: This is presented in detail in Atlas Shrugged.
PLAYBOY: The heroine of Atlas Shrugged was, in your words, “completely incapable of experiencing a feeling of fundamental guilt.” Is any system of morality possible without guilt?
RAND: The important word in the statement you quoted is “fundamental.” Fundamental guilt does not mean the ability to judge one’s own actions and regret a wrong action, if one commits it. Fundamental guilt means that man is evil and guilty by nature.
PLAYBOY: You mean original sin?
RAND: Exactly. It is the concept of original sin that my heroine, or I, or any Objectivist, is incapable of accepting or of ever experiencing emotionally. It is the concept of original sin that negates morality. If man is guilty by nature, he has no choice about it. If he has no choice, the issue does not belong in the field of morality. Morality pertains only to the sphere of man’s free will - only to those actions which are open to his choice. To consider man guilty by nature is a contradiction in terms. My heroine would be capable of experiencing guilt about a specific action. Only, being a woman of high moral stature and self-esteem, she would see to it that she never earned any guilt by her actions. She would act in a totally moral manner and, therefore, would not accept an unearned guilt.
PLAYBOY: In Atlas Shrugged, one of your leading characters is asked, “What’s the most depraved type of human being?” His reply is surprising: He doesn’t say a sadist or a murderer or a sex maniac or a dictator; he says, “The man without a purpose.” Yet most people seem to go through their lives without a clearly defined purpose. Do you regard them as depraved?
RAND: Yes, to a certain extent.
PLAYBOY: Why?
RAND: Because that aspect of their character lies at the root of and causes all the evils which you mentioned in your question. Sadism, dictatorship, any form of evil, is the consequence of a man’s evasion of reality. A consequence of his failure to think. The man without a purpose is a man who drifts at the mercy of random feelings or unidentified urges and is capable of any evil, because he is totally out of control of his own life. In order to be in control of your life, you have to have a purpose - a productive purpose.
PLAYBOY: Weren’t Hitler and Stalin, to name two tyrants, in control of their own lives, and didn’t they have a clear purpose?
RAND: Certainly not. Observe that both of them ended as literal psychotics. They were men who lacked self-esteem and, therefore, hated all of existence. Their psychology, in effect, is summarized in Atlas Shrugged by the character of James Taggart. The man who has no purpose, but has to act, acts to destroy others. That is not the same thing as a productive or creative purpose.
PLAYBOY: If a person organizes his life around a single, neatly defined purpose, isn’t he in danger of becoming extremely narrow in his horizons?
RAND: Quite the contrary. A central purpose serves to integrate all the other concerns of a man’s life. It establishes the hierarchy, the relative importance, of his values, it saves him from pointless inner conflicts, it permits him to enjoy life on a wide scale and to carry that enjoyment into any area open to his mind; whereas a man without a purpose is lost in chaos. He does not know what his values are. He does not know how to judge. He cannot tell what is or is not important to him, and, therefore, he drifts helplessly at the mercy of any chance stimulus or any whim of the moment. He can enjoy nothing. He spends his life searching for some value which he will never find.
PLAYBOY: Couldn’t the attempt to rule whim out of life, to act in a totally rational fashion, be viewed as conducive to a juiceless, joyless kind of existence?
RAND: I truly must say that I don’t know what you are talking about. Let’s define our terms. Reason is man’s tool of knowledge, the faculty that enables him to perceive the facts of reality. To act rationally means to act in accordance with the facts of reality. Emotions are not tools of cognition. What you feel tells you nothing about the facts; it merely tells you something about your estimate of the facts. Emotions are the result of your value judgments; they are caused by your basic premises, which you may hold consciously or subconsciously, which may be right or wrong. A whim is an emotion whose cause you neither know nor care to discover. Now what does it mean, to act on whim? It means that a man acts like a zombi, without any knowledge of what he deals with, what he wants to accomplish, or what motivates him. It means that a man acts in a state of temporary insanity. Is this what you call juicy or colorful? I think the only juice that can come out of such a situation is blood. To act against the facts of reality can result only in destruction.
PLAYBOY: Should one ignore emotions altogether, rule them out of one’s life entirely?
RAND: Of course not. One should merely keep them in their place. An emotion is an automatic response, an automatic effect of man’s value premises. An effect, not a cause. There is no necessary clash, no dichotomy between man’s reason and his emotions - provided he observes their proper relationship. A rational man knows - or makes it a point to discover - the source of his emotions, the basic premises from which they come; if his premises are wrong, he corrects them. He never acts on emotions for which he cannot account, the meaning of which he does not understand. In appraising a situation, he knows why he reacts as he does and whether he is right. He has no inner conflicts, his mind and his emotions are integrated, his consciousness is in perfect harmony. His emotions are not his enemies, they are his means of enjoying life. But they are not his guide; the guide is his mind. This relationship cannot be reversed, however. If a man takes his emotions as the cause and his mind as their passive effect, if he is guided by his emotions and uses his mind only to rationalize or justify them somehow - then he is acting immorally, he is condemning himself to misery, failure, defeat, and he will achieve nothing but destruction - his own and that of others.
PLAYBOY: According to your philosophy, work and achievement are the highest goals of life. Do you regard as immoral those who find greater fulfillment in the warmth of friendship and family ties?
RAND: If they place such things as friendship and family ties above their own productive work, yes, then they are immoral. Friendship, family life and human relationships are not primary in a man’s life. A man who places others first, above his own creative work, is an emotional parasite; whereas, if he places his work first, there is no conflict between his work and his enjoyment of human relationships.
PLAYBOY: Do you believe that women as well as men should organize their lives around work - and if so, what kind of work?
RAND: Of course. I believe that women are human beings. What is proper for a man is proper for a woman. The basic principles are the same. I would not attempt to prescribe what kind of work a man should do, and I would not attempt it in regard to women. There is no particular work which is specifically feminine. Women can choose their work according to their own purpose and premises in the same manner as men do.
PLAYBOY: In your opinion, is a woman immoral who chooses to devote herself to home and family instead of a career?
RAND: Not immoral - I would say she is impractical, because a home cannot be a full-time occupation, except when her children are young. However, if she wants a family and wants to make that her career, at least for a while, it would be proper - if she approaches it as a career, that is, if she studies the subject, if she defines the rules and principles by which she wants to bring up her children, if she approaches her task in an intellectual manner. It is a very responsible task and a very important one, but only when treated as a science, not as a mere emotional indulgence.
PLAYBOY: Where, would you say, should romantic love fit into the life of a rational person whose single driving passion is work?
RAND: It is his greatest reward. The only man capable of experiencing a profound romantic love is the man driven by passion for his work - because love is an expression of self-esteem, of the deepest values in a man’s or a woman’s character. One falls in love with the person who shares these values. If a man has no clearly defined values, and no moral character, he is not able to appreciate another person. In this respect, I would like to quote from The Fountainhead, in which the hero utters a line that has often been quoted by readers: “To say ‘I love you’ one must know first how to say the ‘I.’”
PLAYBOY: You hold that one’s own happiness is the highest end, and that self-sacrifice is immoral. Does this apply to love as well as work?
RAND: To love more than to anything else. When you are in love, it means that the person you love is of great personal, selfish importance to you and to your life. If you were selfless, it would have to mean that you derive no personal pleasure or happiness from the company and the existence of the person you love, and that you are motivated only by self-sacrificial pity for that person’s need of you. I don’t have to point out to you that no one would be flattered by, nor would accept, a concept of that kind. Love is not self-sacrifice, but the most profound assertion of your own needs and values. It is for your own happiness that you need the person you love, and that is the greatest compliment, the greatest tribute you can pay to that person.
PLAYBOY: You have denounced the puritan notion that physical love is ugly or evil; yet you have written that “Indiscriminate desire and unselective indulgence are possible only to those who regard sex and themselves as evil.” Would you say that discriminate and selective indulgence in sex is moral?
RAND: I would say that a selective and discriminate sex life is not an indulgence. The term indulgence implies that it is an action taken lightly and casually. I say that sex is one of the most important aspects of man’s life and, therefore, must never be approached lightly or casually. A sexual relationship is proper only on the ground of the highest values one can find in a human being. Sex must not be anything other than a response to values. And that is why I consider promiscuity immoral. Not because sex is evil, but because sex is too good and too important.
PLAYBOY: Does this mean, in your view, that sex should involve only married partners?
RAND: Not necessarily. What sex should involve is a very serious relationship. Whether that relationship should or should not become a marriage is a question which depends on the circumstances and the context of the two persons’ lives. I consider marriage a very important institution, but it is important when and if two people have found the person with whom they wish to spend the rest of their lives - a question of which no man or woman can be automatically certain. When one is certain that one’s choice is final, then marriage is, of course, a desirable state. But this does not mean that any relationship based on less than total certainty is improper. I think the question of an affair or a marriage depends on the knowledge and the position of the two persons involved and should be left up to them. Either is moral, provided only that both parties take the relationship seriously and that it is based on values.
PLAYBOY: As one who champions the cause of enlightened self-interest, how do you feel about dedicating one’s life to hedonistic self-gratification?
RAND: I am profoundly opposed to the philosophy of hedonism. Hedonism is the doctrine which holds that the good is whatever gives you pleasure and, therefore, pleasure is the standard of morality. Objectivism holds that the good must be defined by a rational standard of value, that pleasure is not a first cause, but only a consequence, that only the pleasure which proceeds from a rational value judgment can be regarded as moral, that pleasure, as such, is not a guide to action nor a standard of morality. To say that pleasure should be the standard of morality simply means that whichever values you happen to have chosen, consciously or subconsciously, rationally or irrationally, are right and moral. This means that you are to be guided by chance feelings, emotions and whims, not by your mind. My philosophy is the opposite of hedonism. I hold that one cannot achieve happiness by random, arbitrary or subjective means. One can achieve happiness only on the basis of rational values. By rational values, I do not mean anything that a man may arbitrarily or blindly declare to be rational. It is the province of morality, of the science of ethics, to define for men what is a rational standard and what are the rational values to pursue.
PLAYBOY: You have said that the kind of man who spends his time running after women is a man who “despises himself.” Would you elaborate?
RAND: This type of man is reversing cause and effect in regard to sex. Sex is an expression of a man’s self-esteem, of his own self-value. But the man who does not value himself tries to reverse this process. He tries to derive his self-esteem from his sexual conquests, which cannot be done. He cannot acquire his own value from the number of women who regard him as valuable. Yet that is the hopeless thing which he attempts.
PLAYBOY: You attack the idea that sex is “impervious to reason.” But isn’t sex a nonrational biological instinct?
RAND: No. To begin with, man does not possess any instincts. Physically, sex is merely a capacity. But how a man will exercise this capacity and whom he will find attractive depends on his standard of value. It depends on his premises, which he may hold consciously or subconsciously, and which determine his choices. It is in this manner that his philosophy directs his sex life.
RAND: He is not. A man is equipped with a certain kind of physical mechanism and certain needs, but without any knowledge of how to fulfill them. For instance, man needs food. He experiences hunger. But, unless he learns first to identify this hunger, then to know that he needs food and how to obtain it, he will starve. The need, the hunger, will not tell him how to satisfy it. Man is born with certain physical and psychological needs, but he can neither discover them nor satisfy them without the use of his mind. Man has to discover what is right or wrong for him as a rational being. His so-called urges will not tell him what to do.
PLAYBOY: In Atlas Shrugged you wrote, “There are two sides to every issue. One side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” Isn’t this a rather black-and-white set of values?
RAND: It most certainly is. I most emphatically advocate a black-and-white view of the world. Let us define this. What is meant by the expression “black and white”? It means good and evil. Before you can identify anything as gray, as middle of the road, you have to know what is black and what is white, because gray is merely a mixture of the two. And when you have established that one alternative is good and the other is evil, there is no justification for the choice of a mixture. There is no justification ever for choosing any part of what you know to be evil.
PLAYBOY: Then you believe in absolutes?
RAND: I do.
PLAYBOY: Can’t Objectivism, then, be called a dogma?
RAND: No. A dogma is a set of beliefs accepted on faith; that is, without rational justification or against rational evidence. A dogma is a matter of blind faith. Objectivism is the exact opposite. Objectivism tells you that you must not accept any idea or conviction unless you can demonstrate its truth by means of reason.
PLAYBOY: If widely accepted, couldn’t Objectivism harden into a dogma?
RAND: No. I have found that Objectivism is its own protection against people who might attempt to use it as a dogma. Since Objectivism requires the use of one’s mind, those who attempt to take broad principles and apply them unthinkingly and indiscriminately to the concretes of their own existence find that it cannot be done. They are then compelled either to reject Objectivism or to apply it. When I say apply, I mean that they have to use their own mind, their own thinking, in order to know how to apply Objectivist principles to the specific problems of their own lives.
PLAYBOY: You have said you are opposed to faith. Do you believe in God?
RAND: Certainly not.
PLAYBOY: You’ve been quoted as saying “The cross is the symbol of torture, of the sacrifice of the ideal to the nonideal. I prefer the dollar sign.” Do you truly feel that two thousand years of Christianity can be summed up with the word “torture”?
RAND: To begin with, I never said that. It’s not my style. Neither literarily nor intellectually. I don’t say I prefer the dollar sign - that is cheap nonsense, and please leave this in your copy. I don’t know the origin of that particular quote, but the meaning of the dollar sign is made clear in Atlas Shrugged. It is the symbol, clearly explained in the story, of free trade and, therefore, of a free mind. A free mind and a free economy are corollaries. One can’t exist without the other. The dollar sign, as the symbol of the currency of a free country, is the symbol of the free mind. More than that, as to the historical origin of the dollar sign, although it has never been proved, one very likely hypothesis is that it stands for the initials of the United States. So much for the dollar sign.
Now you want me to speak about the cross. What is correct is that I do regard the cross as the symbol of the sacrifice of the ideal to the nonideal. Isn’t that what it does mean? Christ, in terms of the Christian philosophy, is the human ideal. He personifies that which men should strive to emulate. Yet, according to the Christian mythology, he died on the cross not for his own sins but for the sins of the nonideal people. In other words, a man of perfect virtue was sacrificed for men who are vicious and who are expected or supposed to accept that sacrifice. If I were a Christian, nothing could make me more indignant than that: the notion of sacrificing the ideal to the non-ideal, or virtue to vice. And it is in the name of that symbol that men are asked to sacrifice themselves for their inferiors. That is precisely how the symbolism is used. That is torture.
PLAYBOY: Has no religion, in your estimation, ever offered anything of constructive value to human life?
RAND: Qua religion, no - in the sense of blind belief, belief unsupported by, or contrary to, the facts of reality and the conclusions of reason. Faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason. But you must remember that religion is an early form of philosophy, that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man’s life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy. And, as philosophies, some religions have very valuable moral points. They may have a good influence or proper principles to inculcate, but in a very contradictory context and, on a very - how should I say it? - dangerous or malevolent base: on the ground of faith.
PLAYBOY: Then you would say that if you had to choose between the symbol of the cross and the symbol of the dollar, you would choose the dollar?
RAND: I wouldn’t accept such a choice. Put it another way: If I had to choose between faith and reason, I wouldn’t consider the choice even conceivable. As a human being, one chooses reason.
PLAYBOY: Do you consider wealthy businessmen like the Fords and the Rockefellers immoral because they use their wealth to support charity?
RAND: No. That is their privilege, if they want to. My views on charity are very simple. I do not consider it a major virtue and, above all, I do not consider it a moral duty. There is nothing wrong in helping other people, if and when they are worthy of the help and you can afford to help them. I regard charity as a marginal issue. What I am fighting is the idea that charity is a moral duty and a primary virtue.
PLAYBOY: What is the place of compassion in your philosophical system?
RAND: I regard compassion as proper only toward those who are innocent victims, but not toward those who are morally guilty. If one feels compassion for the victims of a concentration camp, one cannot feel it for the torturers. If one does feel compassion for the torturers, it is an act of moral treason toward the victims.
PLAYBOY: Would it be against the principles of Objectivism for anyone to sacrifice himself by stepping in front of a bullet to protect another person?
RAND: No. It depends on the circumstances. I would step in the way of a bullet if it were aimed at my husband. It is not self-sacrifice to die protecting that which you value: If the value is great enough, you do not care to exist without it. This applies to any alleged sacrifice for those one loves.
PLAYBOY: Would you be willing to die for your cause, and should your followers be willing to die for it? And for the truly nonsacrificial Objectivist, is any cause worth dying for?
RAND: The answer to this is made plain in my book. In Atlas Shrugged I explain that a man has to live for, and when necessary, fight for, his values - because the whole process of living consists of the achievement of values. Man does not survive automatically. He must live like a rational being and accept nothing less. He cannot survive as a brute. Even the simplest value, such as food, has to be created by man, has to be planted, has to be produced. The same is true of his more interesting, more important achievements. All values have to be gained and kept by man, and, if they are threatened, he has to be willing to fight and die, if necessary, for his right to live like a rational being. You ask me, would I be willing to die for Objectivism? I would. But what is more important, I am willing to live for it - which is much more difficult.
PLAYBOY: In your emphasis on reason, you are in philosophical conflict with contemporary writers, novelists and poets - many of whom are self-admitted mystics, or irrationalists, as they have been called. Why is this so?
RAND: Because art has a philosophical base, and the dominant philosophical trends of today are a form of neomysticism. Art is a projection of the artist’s fundamental view of man and of existence. Since most artists do not develop an independent philosophy of their own, they absorb, consciously or subconsciously, the dominant philosophical influences of their time. Most of today’s literature is a faithful reflection of today’s philosophy - and look at it!
PLAYBOY: But shouldn’t a writer reflect his time?
RAND: No. A writer should be an active intellectual leader of his time, not a passive follower riding any current. A writer should shape the values of his culture, he should project and concretize the value goals of man’s life. This is the essence of the Romantic school of literature, which has all but vanished from today’s scene.
PLAYBOY: Leaving us where, literarily speaking?
RAND: At the dead end of Naturalism. Naturalism holds that a writer must be a passive photographer or reporter who must transcribe uncritically whatever he happens to observe around him. Romanticism holds that a writer must present things, not as they are at any given moment, but, to quote Aristotle, “as they might be and ought to be.”
PLAYBOY: Would you say that you are the last of the Romanticists?
RAND: Or the first of their return - to quote one of my own characters in Atlas Shrugged.
PLAYBOY: What is your appraisal of contemporary literature in general?
RAND: Philosophically, immoral. Aesthetically, it bores me to death. It is degenerating into a sewer, devoted exclusively to studies of depravity. And there’s nothing as boring as depravity.
PLAYBOY: Are there any novelists whom you admire?
RAND: Yes. Victor Hugo.
PLAYBOY: What about modern novelists?
RAND: No, there is no one that I could say I admire among the so-called serious writers. I prefer the popular literature of today, which is today’s remnant of Romanticism. My favorite is Mickey Spillane.
PLAYBOY: Why do you like him?
RAND: Because he is primarily a moralist. In a primitive form, the form of a detective novel, he presents the conflict of good and evil, in terms of black and white. He does not present a nasty gray mixture of indistinguishable scoundrels on both sides. He presents an uncompromising conflict. As a writer, he is brilliantly expert at the aspect of literature which I consider most important: plot structure.
PLAYBOY: What do you think of Faulkner?
RAND: Not very much. He is a good stylist, but practically unreadable in content - so I’ve read very little of him.
PLAYBOY: What about Nabokov?
RAND: I have read only one book of his and a half - the half was Lolita, which I couldn’t finish. He is a brilliant stylist, he writes beautifully, but his subjects, his sense of life, his view of man, are so evil that no amount of artistic skill can justify them.
PLAYBOY: As a novelist, do you regard philosophy as the primary purpose of your writing?
RAND: No. My primary purpose is the projection of an ideal man, of man “as he might be and ought to be.” Philosophy is the necessary means to that end.
PLAYBOY: In your early novel, Anthem, your protagonist declares, “It is my will which chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I respect.” Isn’t this anarchism? Is one’s own desire or will the only law one must respect?
RAND: Not one’s own will. This is, more or less, a poetic expression made clear by the total context of the story in Anthem. One’s own rational judgment. You see, I use the term free will in a totally different sense from the one usually attached to it. Free will consists of man’s ability to think or not to think. The act of thinking is man’s primary act of choice. A rational man will never be guided by desires or whims, only by values based on his rational judgment. That is the only authority he can recognize. This does not mean anarchy, because, if a man wants to live in a free, civilized society, he would, in reason, have to choose to observe the laws, when those laws are objective, rational and valid. I have written an article on this subject for The Objectivist Newsletter - on the need and proper function of a government.
PLAYBOY: What, in your view, is the proper function of a government?
RAND: Basically, there is really only one proper function: the protection of individual rights. Since rights can be violated only by physical force, and by certain derivatives of physical force, the proper function of government is to protect men from those who initiate the use of physical force: from those who are criminals. Force, in a free society, may be used only in retaliation and only against those who initiate its use. This is the proper task of government: to serve as a policeman who protects men from the use of force.
PLAYBOY: If force may be used only in retaliation against force, does the government have the right to use force to collect taxes, for example, or to draft soldiers?
RAND: In principle, I believe that taxation should be voluntary, like everything else. But how one would implement this is a very complex question. I can only suggest certain methods, but I would not attempt to insist on them as a definitive answer. A government lottery, for instance, used in many countries in Europe, is one good method of voluntary taxation. There are others. Taxes should be voluntary contributions for the proper governmental services which people do need and therefore would be and should be willing to pay for - as they pay for insurance. But, of course, this is a problem for a distant future, for the time when men will establish a fully free social system. It would be the last, not the first, reform to advocate. As to the draft, it is improper and unconstitutional. It is a violation of fundamental rights, of a man’s right to his own life. No man has the right to send another man to fight and die for his, the sender’s, cause. A country has no right to force men into involuntary servitude. Armies should be strictly voluntary; and, as military authorities will tell you, volunteer armies are the best armies.
PLAYBOY: What about other public needs? Do you consider the post office, for example, a legitimate function of government?
RAND: Now let’s get this straight. My position is fully consistent. Not only the post office, but streets, roads, and above all, schools, should all be privately owned and privately run. I advocate the separation of state and economics. The government should be concerned only with those issues which involve the use of force. This means: the police, the armed services, and the law courts to settle disputes among men. Nothing else. Everything else should be privately run and would be much better run.
PLAYBOY: Would you create any new government departments or agencies?
RAND: No, and I truly cannot discuss things that way. I am not a government planner nor do I spend my time inventing Utopias. I’m talking about principles whose practical applications are clear. If I have said that I am opposed to the initiation of force, what else has to be discussed?
PLAYBOY: What about force in foreign policy? You have said that any free nation had the right to invade Nazi Germany during World War II . . .
RAND: Certainly.
PLAYBOY: . . . And that any free nation today has the moral right - though not the duty - to invade Soviet Russia, Cuba, or any other “slave pen.” Correct?
RAND: Correct. A dictatorship - a country that violates the rights of its own citizens - is an outlaw and can claim no rights.
PLAYBOY: Would you actively advocate that the United States invade Cuba or the Soviet Union?
RAND: Not at present. I don’t think it’s necessary. I would advocate that which the Soviet Union fears above all else: economic boycott. I would advocate a blockade of Cuba and an economic boycott of Soviet Russia; and you would see both those regimes collapse without the loss of a single American life.
PLAYBOY: Would you favor U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations?
RAND: Yes. I do not sanction the grotesque pretense of an organization allegedly devoted to world peace and human rights, which includes Soviet Russia, the worst aggressor and bloodiest butcher in history, as one of its members. The notion of protecting rights, with Soviet Russia among the protectors, is an insult to the concept of rights and to the intelligence of any man who is asked to endorse or sanction such an organization. I do not believe that an individual should cooperate with criminals, and, for all the same reasons, I do not believe that free countries should cooperate with dictatorships.
PLAYBOY: Would you advocate severing diplomatic relations with Russia?
RAND: Yes.
PLAYBOY: How do you feel about the test-ban treaty which was recently signed?
RAND: I agree with Barry Goldwater’s speech on this subject on the Senate floor. The best military authorities, and above all, the best scientific authority, Dr. Teller, the author of the hydrogen bomb, have stated that this treaty is not merely meaningless but positively dangerous to America’s defense.
PLAYBOY: If Senator Goldwater is nominated as the Republican presidential candidate this July, would you vote for him?
RAND: At present, yes. When I say “at present,” I mean the date when this interview is being recorded. I disagree with him on a great many things, but I do agree, predominantly, with his foreign policy. Of any candidates available today, I regard Barry Goldwater as the best. I would vote for him, if he offers us a plausible, or at least semiconsistent, platform.
PLAYBOY: How about Richard Nixon?
RAND: I’m opposed to him. I’m opposed to any compromiser or me-tooer, and Mr. Nixon is probably the champion in this regard.
PLAYBOY: What about President Johnson?
RAND: I have no particular opinion about him.
PLAYBOY: You are a declared anticommunist, antisocialist and antiliberal. Yet you reject the notion that you are a conservative. In fact, you have reserved some of your angriest criticism for conservatives. Where do you stand politically?
RAND: Correction. I never describe my position in terms of negatives. I am an advocate of laissez-faire capitalism, of individual rights - there are no others - of individual freedom. It is on this ground that I oppose any doctrine which proposes the sacrifice of the individual to the collective, such as communism, socialism, the welfare state. fascism, Nazism and modern liberalism. I oppose the conservatives on the same ground. The conservatives are advocates of a mixed economy and of a welfare state. Their difference from the liberals is only one of degree, not of principle.
PLAYBOY: You have charged that America suffers from intellectual bankruptcy. Do you include in this condemnation such right-wing publications as the National Review? Isn’t that magazine a powerful voice against all the things you regard as “statism”?
RAND: I consider National Review the worst and most dangerous magazine in America. The kind of defense that it offers to capitalism results in nothing except the discrediting and destruction of capitalism. Do you want me to tell you why?
PLAYBOY: Yes, please.
RAND: Because it ties capitalism to religion. The ideological position of National Review amounts, in effect, to the following: In order to accept freedom and capitalism, one has to believe in God or in some form of religion, some form of supernatural mysticism. Which means that there are no rational grounds on which one can defend capitalism. Which amounts to an admission that reason is on the side of capitalism’s enemies, that a slave society or a dictatorship is a rational system, and that only on the ground of mystic faith can one believe in freedom. Nothing more derogatory to capitalism could ever be alleged, and the exact opposite is true. Capitalism is the only system that can be defended and validated by reason.
PLAYBOY: You have attacked Governor Nelson Rockefeller for “lumping all opponents of the welfare state with actual crackpots.” It was clear from his remarks that among others, he was aiming his criticism at the John Birch Society. Do you resent being lumped with the John Birchers? Do you consider them “crackpots” or a force for good?
RAND: I resent being lumped with anyone. I resent the modern method of never defining ideas, and lumping totally different people into a collective by means of smears and derogatory terms. I resent Governor Rockefeller’s smear tactics: his refusal to identify specifically whom and what he meant. As far as I’m concerned, I repeat, I don’t want to be lumped with anyone, and certainly not with the John Birch Society. Do I consider them crackpots? No, not necessarily. What is wrong with them is that they don’t seem to have any specific, clearly defined political philosophy. Therefore, some of them may be crackpots, others may be very well-meaning citizens. I consider the Birch Society futile, because they are not for capitalism, but merely against communism. I gather they believe that the disastrous state of today’s world is caused by a communist conspiracy. This is childishly naive and superficial. No country can be destroyed by a mere conspiracy, it can be destroyed only by ideas. The Birchers seem to be either nonintellectual or anti-intellectual. They do not attach importance to ideas. They do not realize that the great battle in the world today is a philosophical, ideological conflict.
PLAYBOY: Are there any political groups in the United States today of which you approve?
RAND: Political groups, as such - no. Is there any political group today which is fully consistent? Such groups today are guided by or advocate blatant contradictions.
PLAYBOY: Do you have any personal political aspirations yourself? Have you ever considered running for office?
RAND: Certainly not. And I trust that you don’t hate me enough to wish such a thing on me.
PLAYBOY: But you are interested in politics, or at least in political theory, aren’t you?
RAND: Let me answer you this way: When I came here from Soviet Russia, I was interested in politics for only one reason - to reach the day when I would not have to be interested in politics. I wanted to secure a society in which I would be free to pursue my own concerns and goals, knowing that the government would not interfere to wreck them, knowing that my life, my work, my future were not at the mercy of the state or of a dictator’s whim. This is still my attitude today. Only today I know that such a society is an ideal not yet achieved, that I cannot expect others to achieve it for me, and that I, like every other responsible citizen, must do everything possible to achieve it. In other words, I am interested in politics only in order to secure and protect freedom.
PLAYBOY: Throughout your work you argue that the way in which the contemporary world is organized, even in the capitalist countries, submerges the individual and stifles initiative. In Atlas Shrugged, John Galt leads a strike of the men of the mind - which results in the collapse of the collectivist society around them. Do you think the time has come for the artists, intellectuals and creative businessmen of today to withdraw their talents from society in this way?
RAND: No, not yet. But before I explain, I must correct one part of your question. What we have today is not a capitalist society, but a mixed economy - that is, a mixture of freedom and controls, which, by the presently dominant trend, is moving toward dictatorship. The action in Atlas Shrugged takes place at a time when society has reached the stage of dictatorship. When and if this happens, that will be the time to go on strike, but not until then.
PLAYBOY: What do you mean by dictatorship? How would you define it?
RAND: A dictatorship is a country that does not recognize individual rights, whose government holds total, unlimited power over men.
PLAYBOY: What is the dividing line, by your definition, between a mixed economy and a dictatorship?
RAND: A dictatorship has four characteristics: one-party rule, executions without trial for political offenses, expropriation or nationalization of private property, and censorship. Above all, this last. So long as men can speak and write freely, so long as there is no censorship, they still have a chance to reform their society or to put it on a better road. When censorship is imposed, that is the sign that men should go on strike intellectually, by which I mean, should not cooperate with the social system in any way whatever.
PLAYBOY: Short of such a strike, what do you believe ought to be done to bring about the societal changes you deem desirable?
RAND: It is ideas that determine social trends, that create or destroy social systems. Therefore, the right ideas, the right philosophy, should be advocated and spread. The disasters of the modern world, including the destruction of capitalism, were caused by the altruist-collectivist philosophy. It is altruism that men should reject.
PLAYBOY: And how would you define altruism?
RAND: It is a moral system which holds that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the sole justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty, value and virtue. This is the moral base of collectivism, of all dictatorships. In order to seek freedom and capitalism, men need a nonmystical, nonaltruistic, rational code of ethics - a morality which holds that man is not a sacrificial animal, that he has the right to exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others, nor others to himself. In other words, what is desperately needed today is the ethics of Objectivism.
PLAYBOY: Then what you are saying is that to achieve these changes one must use essentially educational or propagandistic methods?
RAND: Yes, of course.
PLAYBOY: What do you think of your antagonists’ contention that the moral and political principles of Objectivism place you outside the mainstream of American thought?
RAND: I don’t acknowledge or recognize such a concept as a “mainstream of thought.” That might be appropriate to a dictatorship, to a collectivist society in which thought is controlled and in which there exists a collective mainstream - of slogans, not of thought. There is no such thing in America. There never was. However, I have heard that expression used for the purpose of barring from public communication any innovator, any non-conformist, anyone who has anything original to offer. I am an innovator. This is a term of distinction, a term of honor, rather than something to hide or apologize for. Anyone who has new or valuable ideas to offer stands outside the intellectual status quo. But the status quo is not a stream, let alone a “mainstream.” It is a stagnant swamp. It is the innovators who carry mankind forward.
PLAYBOY: Do you believe that Objectivism as a philosophy will eventually sweep the world?
RAND: Nobody can answer a question of that kind. Men have free will. There is no guarantee that they will choose to be rational, at any one time or in any one generation. Nor is it necessary for a philosophy to “sweep the world.” If you ask the question in a somewhat different form, if you say, do I think that Objectivism will be the philosophy of the future, I would say yes, but with this qualification: If men turn to reason, if they are not destroyed by dictatorship and precipitated into another Dark Ages, if men remain free long enough to have time to think, then Objectivism is the philosophy they will accept.
PLAYBOY: Why?
RAND: In any historical period when men were free, it has always been the most rational philosophy that won. It is from this perspective that I would say, yes, Objectivism will win. But there is no guarantee, no predetermined necessity about it.
PLAYBOY: You are sharply critical of the world as you see it today, and your books offer radical proposals for changing not merely the shape of society, but the very way in which most men work, think and love. Are you optimistic about man’s future?
RAND: Yes, I am optimistic. Collectivism, as an intellectual power and a moral ideal, is dead. But freedom and individualism, and their political expression, capitalism, have not yet been discovered. I think men will have time to discover them. It is significant that the dying collectivist philosophy of today has produced nothing but a cult of depravity, impotence and despair. Look at modern art and literature with their image of man as a helpless, mindless creature doomed to failure, frustration and destruction. This may be the collectivists’ psychological confession, but it is not an image of man. If it were, we would never have risen from the cave. But we did. Look around you and look at history. You will see the achievements of man’s mind. You will see man’s unlimited potentiality for greatness, and the faculty that makes it possible. You will see that man is not a helpless monster by nature, but he becomes one when he discards that faculty: his mind. And if you ask me, what is greatness? - I will answer, it is the capacity to live by the three fundamental values of John Galt: reason, purpose, self esteem.
No comments:
Poet colleague
Annus mirabilis-1905 March is a time of transition winter and spring commence their struggle between moments of ice and mud a robin appears heralding the inevitable life stumbling from its slumber it was in such a period of change in 1905 that the House of Physics would see its Newtonian axioms of an ordered universe collapse into a new frontier where the divisions of time and space matter and energy were to blend as rain and wind in a storm that broke loose within the mind of Albert Einstein where Brownian motion danced seen and unseen, a random walk that became his papers marching through science reshaping the very fabric of the universe we have come to know we all share a common ancestor a star long lost in the eons of memory and yet in that commonality nature demands a permutation a perchance genetic roll of the dice which births a new vision lifting us temporarily from the mystery exposing some of the roots to our existence only to raise a plethora of more questions as did the papers of Einstein in 1905 | {
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Differentiating Between IC/PBS and Bladder Oversensitivity
Differentiating Between IC/PBS and Bladder Oversensitivity
With common and overlapping symptoms and subjective patient reporting, interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) and bladder oversensitivity can be difficult to distinguish, making diagnosis and treatment recommendations tricky. To better differentiate between IC/PBS and bladder oversensitivity in women, Dr Yuh-Chen Kuo, from the department of urology at Taipei City Hospital in Taiwan, and Dr Hann-Chorng Kuo, from the department of urology at Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital in Taiwan, investigated possible factors that could be used to help in the diagnosis.
Using video-urodynamic study results in women with lower urinary tract symptoms, Kuo and Kuo identified women with increased bladder sensation. They then performed potassium chloride (KCl) tests, during which patients graded the degree of pain or urgency during infusion of KCl solution. A 10-point visual analogue scale was used to measure the pain while an urgency severity score was used to grade the severity of the sensation (a score of 1 or greater was also considered a positive response).
In comparison to control participants, Kuo and Kuo found that patients with bladder oversensitivity and patients with IC/PBS had significantly lower cystometric bladder capacity. In addition, they found that frequency and bladder pain symptoms were more common among patients with IC/PBS than among patients with bladder oversensitivity or control subjects.
Kuo and Kuo further noted that storage symptoms and pain had a 45.3% positive predictive value for IC/PBS. In addition, the positive predictive value for IC/PBS increased to 65% when cystometric bladder capacity size of less than 350 ml was added to the criteria. The researchers were able to identify 100% patients with IC/PBS when they included storage symptoms and pain, a cystometric bladder capacity ≤350 ml, and a positive KCl test with a visual analogue pain scale score of at least 2. Indeed, all of the women who had those risk factors showed clinical signs of IC/PBS when they underwent cystoscopic hydrodistention.
While the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases notes diagnosis should be should be based on the presence of positive predictive factors and characteristic cystoscopic findings, recent studies have suggested symptoms alone should lead to a positive diagnosis. This study adds to that literature, noting that patients who report frequency, urgency, or pain symptoms refractory to medical treatment should be treated for IC/PBS without undergoing a cystoscopic hydrodistention procedure.
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Do you have a good teaching case with an accompanying clinical photograph (or 2)? We are inviting fresh new cases on any aspect of primary care. We offer a $75 honorarium for accepted cases. More details on submission, here. | {
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The Latin American international investment and insurance marketplace is one of the fastest-growing in the world, with the demand for protection of assets amid volatile political and economic backdrops as necessary in 2020 as it ever was.
Across the Latin American region, the need for both products and advice is on the rise.
The inaugural International Investment Latin America Forum will look at where the industry is heading, the challenges and opportunities for the industry in the region, and how advisers, brokers and product providers are adapting to political and regulatory changes.The event will take place on Tuesday, 6th June , Miami.
The inaugural International Investment London Forum will look at where the industry is heading, the challenges and opportunities for the industry in the region, and how advisers, brokers and product providers are adapting to political and regulatory changes.The event will take place on Thursday, 30th April at the South Place Hotel, London.
The 21st International Investment Awards will take place on 8th October 2020, at One Whitehall Place, London. The II Awards are the longest-running event of their kind and last year saw a record number of categories and entries.
Millionaires' global wealth shrinking: Report
The wealth of the world's richest people is in decline according to a new report from Capgemini, pointing to the loss of $2trn worldwide in 2018.
The drop was largely driven by a slump in the equity markets and slowing economies in key regions, especially the Asia-Pacific region, according to the World Wealth Report 2019 by Capgemini, a Paris-based consultancy and technology services firm.
The UHNW populations declined by 4%, and their wealth declined by around 6%. This plunge accounted for 75% of the total global wealth decrease.
Asia Pacific accounted for 50% of the global wealth decline, and half of that was driven from China"
The population of millionaires also decreased 0.3% to 18 million last year, according to the report. Millionaires are defined as having investable assets of $1m or more, excluding primary residence, collectibles, consumables, and consumer durables.
The decline in global wealth was driven by China with the Asia-Pacific region representing $1trn of the global decline in wealth, as the HNWI population decreased by 2% and HNWI wealth by 5%. The report notes: "China alone was responsible for more than half (53%) of Asia-Pacific and more than 25% of global HNWI wealth loss."
"Asia Pacific accounted for 50% of the global wealth decline, and half of that was driven from China," says Bill Sullivan, vice president and global head of financial services market intelligence at Capgemini.
Concerns over the US-China trade relationship have continued to weigh down on the value of the Chinese market. Beijing saw a significant deceleration in economic growth in 2018. Its stock markets declined almost 27%, and it had one of the lowest-performing real estate markets, Sullivan said.
Europe also experienced a noticeable dip in millionaires' wealth, responsible for about 24%, or $500bn, of the overall yearly $2trn decline across the globe, according to the report.
North America was flat in the number of millionaires (5.7 million); their combined wealth dropped 1.1% to $19.6trn.
The Middle East recorded an increase in its millionaire population and wealth (by 6% and 4%), the only region to see positive growth.
Despite the decline in wealth among high net worth individuals, their trust and satisfaction for wealth managers remained high.
"However, future success will depend on the agility of wealth management firms to evolve the client experience and find new ways to add value through more personalised services.
"Next-generation technology and closing expectation gaps will aid this, but the landscape is shifting so quickly that companies must not be afraid to overhaul their strategy and business models if needed."
According to the report, investment in next-gen technologies will be critical in order to enhance the client experience. While there is consensus among firm executives and wealth managers that AI is a key game-changer, only 5% of surveyed firms said they had implemented AI strategies across all core areas. | {
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Marina
Royal Solaris Cancun
What a better way to burn the gain calories from our delicious food than taking advantage of our unlimited All Inclusive non-motorized water sports offered in our Marina, located on the Nichupté lagoon, right across the resort?
If you want to relax and enjoy of a wonderful day in the lagoon, we have kayaks, pedal boats, sunfish sailboats and windsurfing gear for you and your family enjoyment.
Want more adrenaline? Ask guest services for the motorized equipment for rent. Anyhow, get ready to enjoy a beautiful day in the paradise that’s Cancun practicing your favorite water sport.
Special Deals
Find the perfect deal for you and your family for your next beach vacations.
Accommodations
Find the best accommodation deals with Royal Solaris Cancun.
Restaurants
Royal Solaris offers you 6 restaurants with delicious menus to temp your taste.
Marina
Enjoy all the fun activities offered at the Marina in Nichupte Lagoon. | {
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9 Happy Days: FOR THE LOVE OF AN A.B.J
APRIL 10, 2014
Woo wee! Today was one of those adrenaline fueled news days, the kind where you don’t even get a chance to… well… you know… Pee. Eww. Sorry to get so personal, but it really is an issue for news people stuck on a story. Not only could I not do–that–I certainly didn’t have time to look for my 100 Happy Days moment! Good thing it found me.
So why was I so busy? Because there was a suspect on the loose with a sawed-off shotgun, a guy who had shot at Tustin police and then ran off. For five hours, there were SWAT teams, and helicopters, and PD everywhere looking for this guy. The coolest part of the day? When the helicopter landed in the middle of the street, loaded two swat officers on either side, and took off again. So super cool! Their takeoff made for a great opening shot to our story.
So why didn’t I chose that picture as my 1oo Happy Days moment? Well… I don’t know. I still find it hard to call a news story like this where shots were fired at an officer and in a neighborhood where there are innocent bystanders, “happy.” Visually amazing? Yeah. Exciting? Hell yes! Awesome to feel the power of the helicopter blades? For sure. Not many people get to see the kinds of things I get to see up close. But happy? Can’t quite go there.
What made me SUPER happy today, was this:
Yes. That is a very sloppy almond butter and jelly sandwich, one I threw together at the last minute before leaving for work. I try to take my lunch every day knowing I could be in situations like this, but don’t always manage. Man, was I ever happy I had, since I was tied to the newsvan with no opportunity to go get something to eat. Around one o’clock, when I was starved out of my tree, I was SO SO happy to remember this little guy existed. It’s the simple things, remember?
That’s the face of a happy girl.
Oh! And they did end up catching the shooter after a resident saw him running through an apartment complex. The helicopter guys kept him in their sights as the ground swat moved in. He surrendered. Dude had quite the long rap sheet.
And now… I’m ready for some real food, so I’m going to call it a night.
Lori Bentley Law
Author, Photographer, Adventurer, Storyteller
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Note from the Author!
Thanks to the Great Website Crash of 2017, many photos prior to that time are missing. Also, the WordPress shift to Gutenberg in January 2019 forced me to rebuild the site since my template wasn’t compatible, so if you run across any weird coding, that’s why. Gradually, I’ll get it all fixed! | {
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In testimony at the Microsoft antitrust trial Wednesday, Mr. Engstrom, a general manager, said "our company would never do something like that." He also said he spent a "fair amount of time explaining to my management" that this didn't happen. | {
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supplementary materials
In the title hydroxamic acid derivate, C21H14N2O5Cl2, the nitro-substituted benzene ring forms dihedral angles of 66.0 (2) and 59.6 (2)°, with the p-chloro and o-chloro-substituted benzene rings, respectively. The dihedral angle between the two chloro-substituted benzene rings is 64.2 (2) Å. In the crystal, weak C-HO hydrogen bonds link the molecules along [010]. The crystal studied was an inversion twin with refined components in the ratio 0.60 (7):0.40 (7).
Hydroxamic acid derivatives have received considerable attention in recent years
as the result of the discovery of their role in the biochemical toxicology of
many drugs and other chemicals (Noh et al., 2009; Zeng et
al.,
2003). The molecular structure of the title compound is sjown in Fig.
1. The
nitro-substituted benzene ring (C16-C24) forms dihedral angles of 66.0 (2) and
59.6 (2)°, with the 4-chloro (C1-C6) and 2-chloro-substituted (C8-C13) benzene
rings, respectively. The dihedral angle between the two chloro-substituted
benzene rings (C1-6/C8-C13) is 64.2 (2)Å. In the crystal, weak C—H···O
hydrogen bonds linke molecules along [010] (Fig .2).
The bond legths and angles can be compared to those in
N-(2-Chlorophenyl)-1-phenylformamido 3-(2-nitrophenyl)propanoate
(Zhang et al., 2012).
The title compound (I) was prepared according to the
method described by Ayyangark et al. (1986). Crystals suitable
for
single-crystal X-ray analysis were grown by slow evaporation of a
solution of (I) in dichloromethane-methanol (1:3 v/v).
Geometry. All e.s.d.'s (except the e.s.d. in the dihedral angle between two l.s. planes)
are estimated using the full covariance matrix. The cell e.s.d.'s are taken
into account individually in the estimation of e.s.d.'s in distances, angles
and torsion angles; correlations between e.s.d.'s in cell parameters are only
used when they are defined by crystal symmetry. An approximate (isotropic)
treatment of cell e.s.d.'s is used for estimating e.s.d.'s involving l.s.
planes.
Refinement. Refinement of F2 against ALL reflections. The weighted R-factor
wR and goodness of fit S are based on F2, conventional
R-factors R are based on F, with F set to zero for
negative F2. The threshold expression of F2 >
σ(F2) is used only for calculating R-factors(gt) etc.
and is not relevant to the choice of reflections for refinement.
R-factors based on F2 are statistically about twice as large
as those based on F, and R- factors based on ALL data will be
even larger. | {
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Rookie Smarts Research
We conducted over 50 interviews with managers, asking them to identify a piece of work (work task) and then analyze that work task using a structured framework for how a particular inexperienced individual (new to the work task) approached the work and then analyze how a particular experienced individual approach the work.
We then conducted a similarly structured analysis with over 40 managers via online survey, digging into greater depth on the behaviors and mindsets of inexperienced professionals vs. experienced professionals performing the same work task. In both of the above scenarios, managers were asked to rate the performance level of each person.
Next we conducted an online survey of over 200 professionals, asking them to analyze how they approached work in a scenario where they were inexperience versus one where they were experienced.
We then analyzed the data, contrasting the work approach of inexperienced professionals and experienced professional by performance level.
The Findings
The following is a summary of the key attributes of inexperienced versus experienced professional for the top and bottom performing categories. The correlation analysis, from which the following conclusions are taken, was completed by an econometrician (MA in Financial Economics from Oxford University and MBA from Stanford University).
Rookies are surprisingly strong performers, performing on par with experienced colleagues in many situations and at higher levels in innovative and urgent work.
Rookies have a unique success profile, with top-performing rookies operating very distinctly from their top-performing experienced colleagues.
Rookies operate in a number of ways that counter conventional logic.
Experience can create several blind spots. As habits form, people often stop seeing new possibilities, seeking new perspectives and going down new paths.
The most impactful factor of success for a rookie is already being in the role of an executive. An executive in rookie mode taking on a new task is highly likely to succeed. In opposition, we found that the most impactful factor of failure for a rookie was being in a manager role. A new manager is much less likely to be successful in a new and difficult task.
The Model
The Rookie Smarts model was developed as a summary of these findings and seeks to present the findings in a simple, memorable framework).
The Implication & Messages
It is not the case that:
Rookies always outperform veterans
Experience is useless
Experienced people should always be “playing the rookie”
The key messages and assertions are:
There are many circumstances in which inexperience is more valuable than experience.
The rookies who perform at their best (and often outperform their experienced counterparts) share similar mindsets. Our research has uncovered these. Some people already have these mindsets. Perhaps they were born with them, or they were learned at their mother’s knee. But each of these mindsets is learnable and can be developed and cultivated. It is a matter of intention and work.
This rookie mindset is a state that we should be able to conjure, to toggle to when we need it.
The most experienced people can learn something from this breed of top-performing rookies. Instead of asking what these newcomers and relatively young people can be learning from those of us with years of experience, we should also be asking what we can be learning from the rookies.
Share On:
“If you want to be a learning machine, improving and growing every year, this is the book for you.”
LASZLO BOCK
SVP of People Operations, Google, Inc.
“Wiseman masterfully shows why novices can outdo veterans, expertise blinds us to fresh ideas, and the brilliance of newbies remains untapped. With sage insights and fascinating examples, Rookie Smarts is a must-read.”
ADAM GRANT
Wharton professor and author of Give and Take
“Wiseman (co-author: The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools, 2014, etc.) provides a big boost for first-time employees and others who refuse to be bound by arbitrary limits. . . .An exciting promotion of lifelong discovery and enthusiasm as answers to routine and business as usual.”
Kirkus Reviews
“As a company grows, nothing is more important than retaining a culture of innovation. Rookie Smarts shows how even a big company can take risks, innovate, and operate like a challenger.” | {
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Transcript
Researchers have created a live embryo of the extinct gastric-brooding frog, which converted its stomach into a uterus and gave birth through its mouth. (Peter Schouten/University of New South Wales)
In the future, extinction may not always be final. That’s the goal of the Lazarus Project, directed by zoologist Michael Archer of the University of New South Wales in Australia. Like the fictional “Jurassic Park” scientists, they’re trying to clone extinct creatures from preserved DNA. And they’ve just hit a milestone with a species of gastric-brooding frog, a bizarre amphibian that incubated its young in its stomach. It’s been gone for over 30 years, but Archer’s team had access to frozen tissue samples.
MICHAEL ARCHER (University of New South Wales, Australia):
So we thought we’d give a go, using a distantly related living frog to provide the host eggs, and the nuclei from this frozen tissue.
HIRSHON:
After several attempts, the extinct DNA revived, and the single cell developed into an early-stage embryo of the lost species. Now, Archer’s team is trying to figure out why it stopped there, and how to take it further. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society. | {
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Q&A With CCUSA Part 4: The Next Steps – Getting Hired
Our last Q&A with CCUSA was all about their interview process and how to get accepted onto the programme. Now you’ve made it through that part, they’re back to tell you all about what happens next and how the hiring process works.
Are you ready to have this much fun this summer?
1. What happens now that I’ve been accepted onto the programme?
Firstly, congratulations on being accepted onto the program. Once you are accepted your entire application is sent over to our American office. They triple check everything and make sure they have all the bits and piece they need and they then accept you. As soon as the American office accepts your application then you enter this database with everyone else’s applications. This is where all camps can see your application and what you have to offer. If they like the look of you then they will be in touch or simply hire you on the spot.
2. When will I hear from camps?
This is a question we get a lot – and the truthful answer is we really don’t know. Once you have completed your application and it is in America it really is out of our hands. The fastest someone has been placed is 3 days. But this process can also take a bit of time. We want to make sure you find the perfect match for you and find you a camp where you are going to be happy. Don’t be worried if your application has been in America for a while and you still haven’t heard anything. For the last 2 years we have placed 100% of accepted applicants and we aim to do the same again this year.
3. I’ve been contacted by a camp, but I’m not sure about them, what should I do?
100% email them back and set up an interview. This is a very common question that we get and the majority of the time an applicant will go into the interview feeling unsure, and come out with a job for the summer and feeling a lot more confident and excited. Sometimes all it takes is a good chat with the camp director and hearing about the camp’s traditions and how it is run for you to realise that actually the camp is a great fit. In some cases, you get out of the interview and still don’t feel confident that it is the right place for you. If this does happen then please don’t hesitate to contact one of us in the UK office and have a chat. We can talk to you about what the next stages would be and getting your application back in America so that camp directors can continue looking at your application. Honesty is always the best policy, so if you are feeling this way then please also been honest to whoever you are having the interview with and they may be able to help you out.
4. It’s been weeks and I still haven’t heard from any camps, is there anything I can do?
Don’t be worried if you haven’t heard from any camps just yet. We work with over 600 camps in America and we have accepted your application because we believe you have the best chance at being hired. If at any point you can go to camp earlier, have new experience working with children, gain a new skill, get another reference, pretty much anything that will make your application stronger then let us know straight away. We will update your application straight away and this could get more camps interested in your application.
5. What happens if I turn down a placement?
We will always advise against turning down a placement. If you are in this situation then please sit down and have a long think, weighing up the pros and cons of why you want to turn down the camp. We know that all the camps we work with are fantastic camps, hence why we work with them. If, after having a good think, you still want to reject the camp then we will have a chat to you and revise what you have put down on your application for what camps you are willing to work at. Your application will then be put back onto the American database so camp directors can view it.
6. How many placements am I likely to be offered?
Once your application is in America, it can only be on review with one camp at a time. If a camp likes the look of your application and has contacted you for an interview then no other camps will be able to view your application. This avoids camps being put under pressure to hire people without considering you properly. Usually, once a camp gets in contact with you, they will offer you a position at camp and once you have accepted and sorted contracts, your application will be removed from the American database.
7. I got placed! Now what do you need from me?
YAY! Now you can get super excited about your summer. Once you have been placed at a camp your footprints account will take 1-2 days to update. The next step is to book your visa appointment. This will appear in the ‘Things to do’ list at the top of your footprints account when it is time to do this. You will also receive a message from Lydia with all the information you need to know.
8. I already have a DBS Check/other Police Check, will this be accepted?
Every single international person that goes to camp needs a new police check every single year. If your police check is dated June 1st or after and is an enhanced DBS then this will fine. However, if you don’t have an enhanced DBS then you will need to apply to for a brand new police check which costs £45. A link to this website and how to apply can be found on your footprints account. If you are confused about whether your police check would be accepted then email Laura on [email protected]
Get ready for the best summer ever!
Keep your eyes peeled for the next Q&A, which will tell you everything you need to know about sorting your visa and flight. If you have any other questions at all about summer camp or CCUSA, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
**I’m returning to camp this summer with CCUSA who have the lowest returner fees and have placed 100% of applicants in the last 2 years. Get in touch with them via their website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, by phoning them on +44 0208 874 6325 or by email at [email protected].**
Disclaimer: CCUSA are waiving my camp fees in return for this blog series, but please rest assured that all opinions are honest and my own. | {
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By now, the trial of Fort Hood gunman Major Nidal Hasan should have concluded with him beginning a life sentenceor awaiting a more appropriate sentenceat Fort Leavenworth. As this issue goes to press, the court martial is in full swing. Some quite remarkable statements have been heard in the courtroom that should push Army leadership toward the correct decision regarding the victims of the horrific events of 5 November 2009.
Immediately after the shooting that claimed the lives of 13 soldiers and wounded more than 30 others, the incident was classified by Department of Defense and administration officials as workplace violence. According to several media outlets, this resulted in survivors being ineligible for thousands of dollars in benefits they would have received had the shooting been classified an act of terrorism.
Determining exactly what took place would have been difficult immediately after the attack, but eyewitness accounts quickly revealed the shooter, before he began firing on defenseless soldiers, yelled an Arabic/Islamic phrase common among terrorists. Giving DOD and administration officials the benefit of the doubtsomething I hesitate to do in such a clear-cut situationthis phrase is recited by Muslims in many situations and is not itself an indication of violent intent. Uttering it immediately before committing mass murder, however, clearly indicated the intent to inflict terror.
DOD has long resisted awarding the Fort Hood victims the Purple Heart, arguing that to do so would require classifying the event as terrorism, which in turn would materially and directly compromise . . . Hasans ability to receive a fair trial (Department of Defense Language Position Paper, FY13 Defense Authorization Bill). That argument is invalid on its face and insulting to the victims. The DOD had no problem stating Hasan was merely a violent co-worker, an equally prejudicial statement. By that logic, classifying the attack as anything other than alleged murder was inappropriate. In spite of these arguments, the shooter himself removed all doubt about the events that day through his own comments while representing himself at court martial.
Hasan never denied being the shooter, so his guilt was never in question. But he has now stated that he is a mujahideen, an Islamic guerrilla fighter. He did not commit workplace violence, but rather an intentional act of terror against American soldiers with the explicit purpose of using dead bodies [to] show that war is an ugly thing and to prevent those troops from deploying to the Middle East. These are the words of a terrorista combatant and enemy of the United Statesnot a disgruntled employee.
The shooter brought the war against radical Islamic fundamentalism to our shores. He committed an act of terrorism and levied war against his own country. In doing so, he did not just commit murder and terrorism; he committed an act of treason for which he should have been tried.
Article III, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution defines treason, in part, as levying war against or adhering to enemies of the United States. Hasan did both that fateful day. He was and is a self-professed adherent to radical Islamic fundamentalism in general and to the teachings of a specific enemy, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by an American drone strike in 2011.
The victims of the Fort Hood shooting were killed and wounded by an enemy of the United States. It is difficult to comprehend how a soldier could attack other soldiers, but it is clear the shooter did exactly that, and his motivation for doing so is unambiguous. Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh must, in the face of such clear evidence, fulfill his responsibility and declare the actions of Nidal Hasan an act as terrorism. The victims deserve all the benefits for which such designation would make them eligible.
The court martial soon will be over, and no statement from the Department of the Army could now influence the fairness of those proceedings. The service must draft Purple Heart citations for those killed and wounded in the Fort Hood shooting. Ceremonies to present the medals to the survivors and family members of those lost must take place without delay. Our soldiers, lost and wounded in action, on our shores as overseas, deserve no less. ________________________________________ Senior Chief Murphy retired from the Navy after 21 years of service. He is a contributing author to Everyday Leader Heroes (Caboodle Books).
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When we first moved into our apartment I went through each room of our apartment with dried sage to clear the energy. Now I am starting to cleanse and clear the air on a regular basis.
I read this amazing post by Gala Darling and was inspired to make my own energy clearing room spray. I used an old Pangea spritz bottle, covered it in washi tape (of course), and added water + drops of lavender and tea tree oil + a splash of vodka and voila! It’s nice as it lightens the smell of the burnt sage and can be used as a quick spritz whenever you need to ‘clear the air’.
So go ahead and get your potions, candles, and dried herbs out – or whatever you need to make your space and your life super charged and super magical.
P.S. If you’d like some more ideas on home rituals… This post by Clementine Daily is great.
What rituals do you have – or would like to have in your sacred space?
I make mini malas – a necklace strung with 108 beads and a unique charm. They are a playful spin on the traditional japa mala, which is used for meditation and prayer. They are smaller, and might be slightly more fashionable than they are functional. They are asymmetrical. They are handmade.
These mini malas have become a physical representation of my love for yoga + spirituality and my desire to express myself and make things. I create these necklaces as a tool for people to be able to connect with themselves in a world that is moving so incredibly fast.
Lately, I have been unearthing a lot of questions and I am craving answers regarding my business and my general life purpose… you know the usual. I wonder how I want these mini malas to live in this world – in the most meaningful way possible.
I wonder…
How can these mini malas add the most value in people’s lives?
How can they be packaged beautifully, functionally, and eco-conciously?
Where can they be so the people who would love them most will find them.
If you have ANY insights, any questions of your own, or anything else that comes to mind I’d LOVE to hear from you. Like really love it. And if you’d like to see if anything catches your eye in my online shop – you can click here.
So I will be sitting here with uncertainty, waiting for answers to reveal themselves and continuing to wish that these mini malas support people to find peace and presence within their days. Thanks so much for reading and sharing whatever thoughts you might have!
Being a mom is complex! I finally have the morning to myself and I feel guilty. But even when I am with Luca I still feel guilty. These thoughts constantly circulate:
Am I talking to him enough?
Am I providing enough stimulation for him?
Am I feeding him nutritious and nourishing meals?
Am I keeping him on a good schedule?
Which all boils down to:
Am I good a mom?
Judging by his smiles I probably am, but it’s nearly impossible for me to FULLY believe it. I doubt, I wonder, I question, and I feel guilty for having time to do my own thing every now and then. I want better information for my heart and mind to process. I want to release this guilt that holds on so tight.
I noticed if I change the order of the words from AM I a good mom? to I AM a good mom! Well then…I am sending myself a completely different message. I am going practice this order and remind myself even new moms need time for themselves and their dreams.
Before it passes – stop and look – because it just might not be there tomorrow.
I know you’re busy. You have big dreams, schemes, and a baby to keep track of – but whenever you can – stop and look. Notice the incredible beauty of life RIGHT NOW. I know you might not have all you yearn for (yet). But you DO have exactly what you dreamed of (and more) 1, 3, 10 years ago. So before you bound off to the next thing, project, email, playdate… savor whatever – whenever. And you will find yourself exactly where you need to be – here.
It has taken a month. But now I am back in love with you (for now anyway).
When I returned I was initially repulsed by your speed, your noise, and your crowds. I was bitter about how tricky it can be to navigate a stroller, a baby, and groceries around your skinny streets and up 10 stairs to our apartment. I was resentful towards your abundant collection of small spaces.
Luckily for the both of us, something has shifted. Maybe you grew on me, or I grew on you – but everything you represented that I hated I am now smitten with. Your energy of promise and the creativity collected in coffee houses, subway cars, dinner parties, and city blocks are actually intoxicating if I stop to take it in and forget about alternate side parking. You hustle and bustle like no other which I see representing possibility and opportunity for the incredible people that live in your zip codes.
Even though certain things still feel condensed and frantic, I am (kind of) back in love with your break neck speed. I’m extracting moments of clarity and bliss and I’m incredibly thankful to be back in love with this city that I call home. So thanks for the tough love – always.
In a city that is zooming and buzzing finding time and space to connect to myself has become so incredibly important. When I practice my daily rituals I am way more grounded and clear. When I don’t (which, with an 8 month old showers are still a little tricky) I am completely off my center. I end up whittling the day away with no clear focus – other than being a mom of course.
The trick is to prioritize these even though there are countless other ways I can spend my time. The small investment in these moments really ends up paying off. I become clear as to how to spend my time and most importantly I end up feeling good.
My mom rides horses. My friend Valerie cooks. My husband hikes. And my grandma knits – even though she is blind! What do you do to keep yourself plugged in and grounded to yourself? | {
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Students around the globe are concerned about their education loan repayment due to the COVID-19 crisis. We demand a 6 months interest-free extension of education loan grace period. Please sign this petition and share it with your friends and family who can also be a voice in this initiative
#StudentLoanExtension
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Does Age Encourage the Formation of Heel Spurs?
Monday, 25 June 2018 00:00
A heel spur is known to be an uncomfortable and painful condition which develops in the heel of the foot and will typically affect the surrounding area. It is a small bony protrusion that grows in between the heel and the arch, and is often referred to as “heel spur syndrome.” If you are afflicted with this condition, there may be strong symptoms indicating its existence, including a sharp pain in the heel, which may be especially prominent in the morning, severe tenderness, or a consistent ache that may often be felt throughout the day. Research has shown that age may play a significant role in the formation of heel spurs and the pads in the heels may wear down as a result of this. This may cause diminished shock absorption in the heel which may cause this ailment to develop. If you would like additional information about heel spurs, a podiatrist can help you with a proper diagnosis and suggest correct treatment options.
Heel spurs are formed by calcium deposits on the back of the foot where the heel is. This can also be caused by small fragments of bone breaking off one section of the foot, attaching onto the back of the foot. Heel spurs can also be bone growth on the back of the foot and may grow in the direction of the arch of the foot.
Older individuals usually suffer from heel spurs and pain sometimes intensifies with age. One of the main conditions spurs are related to is plantar fasciitis.
Pain
The pain associated with spurs is often because of weight placed on the feet. When someone is walking, their entire weight is concentrated on the feet. Bone spurs then have the tendency to affect other bones and tissues around the foot. As the pain continues, the feet will become tender and sensitive over time.
Treatments
There are many ways to treat heel spurs. If one is suffering from heel spurs in conjunction with pain, there are several methods for healing. Medication, surgery, and herbal care are some options.
If you have any questions feel free to contact one of our offices located in North Andover, and Tewksbury, MA. We offer the latest in diagnostic and treatment technology to meet your needs. | {
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Half-Year Review – My Favorite Books of 2017 (so far)
This post is a little late in arriving, and my blog has been very quiet these last few weeks. I’m dealing with some big Life Stuff at the moment which saps all energy right out of me. I can’t concentrate, which means I can’t read, which means I can’t write either. I don’t really know how to deal with my situation at the moment but maybe just sitting down and telling you about all the wonderful books I have read this year will help.
2017 has been a good reading year. My favorite part – and one that led me to a lot of new books I would have otherwise overlooked – has been the Read Diverse 2017 challenge. I’ve mentioned it every time I reviewed a book I read for the challenge and I’ll continute mentioning it because I am having so much fun participating. Any year with a new Cat Valente book is by default a good year, and so far we’ve gotten one slim novel with another middle grade one coming up in September. I also stuck my toe in the waters of Urban Fantasy again and Mishell Baker proved to me that, yeah, there’s stuff in that sub-genre that even I like. Plus, I disocvered a new author that immediately went to my favorites list (Katherine Arden) and a book that totally stole my heart.
So here they are, my favorite books of the year so far (not all published this year):
This has been my absolute favorite book of the year so far and I can’t think of any part of it I didn’t adore. It has great characters, beautiful language, a story steeped in Russian myth and fairy tales, and even fantastic villains. And the cover art is gorgeous. I pre-ordered the sequel before I even finished this book and I can’t wait to read more about Vasya and her family.
I probably liked this one so much because I had had written off Laini Taylor as “just not for me”. Then she comes along with these three stories that are each so perfect and beautifully written that I couldn’t help but fall in love. The mix of fairy tale flavor with original monsters and mythology was just what I needed. In this case, I think the cover is pretty terrible and misleading, so if you’re shying away from this book because of the cover, maybe look past that and give it a chance.
I now read Urban Fantasy! I am so proud. Mishell Baker’s heroine Millie is a double amputee suicide survivor with Borderline Personality Disorder. Oh, and she also stumbles into a job that involves policing traffic between our world and Fairyland. Although it may sound depressing (suicide survivor who lost her legs… that’s not exactly most people’s dream), these books are among the most hopeful, uplifing stories I have ever read. They are fast-paced, the characters are all complex, and the internal magic is quite intriguing.
You can say what you want about Sanderson but he does the epic part in Epic Fantasy really well. This is the second book in the Stormlight Archive series which I enjoyed again as a Graphic Audio book. Although it means waiting about six to twelve months longer for the next instalment, I will continue following Kaladin, Shallan, Dalinar, and Adolin in audiobook format. It’s difficult to say much about the plot without giving stuff away, but there’s just so much to discover on every layer of this book. The world building is insane, all the characters grow, and there are huge battles.
Come on, how could I not love an AI security unit that freed itself from its restraints, not to go on a killing rampage (despite calling itself Murderbot) but to watch endless hours of soap operas? This was one of the most refreshing, heartwarming things I read all year, and it’s set in a future that has a ton of possibilities for sequels. Murderbot stole my heart and became much more than a machine. It’s a full character with likes and dislikes, loyalty, and even fondness towards us silly humans.
It took me long enough to read Palimpsest but it was exactly the kind of experience I hoped it would be. Almost like falling into a dream filled with imagery and deep meaning, there isn’t much plot, but damn was this a beautiful book.The Refrigerator Monologues may have been short and it may not give us the happy endings we would have liked for our various comic book heroines, villainesses, and superheroes’ girlfriends. But it does give them a voice and show that they are much more than just sidekicks or means to an end. I think that is important and, written with Valente’s incredible skill, also a lot of fun to read. You know, the kind of fun that is also heart-breaking.
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples – Saga Volume Seven
Saga continues to go strong. There have been a couple of issues in this series that I didn’t unabashedly love but the overall experience is still overwhelmingly positive. This latest collection was way up there again and it delivers exactly what the series has come to be known for. Great art, amazing characters, a thrilling story that doesn’t shy away from… well, anything really. This is probably my favorite comic series, along with Fables, of all time.
Challenge stats
I’ve technically already reached my goal for my Fairy Tale Retellings challenge. The plan was to read five to eight books and I’ve read six, plus I’m about to finish one more.
Against all expectations, I have also reached my Read Around the World goal, with 5 books read, all set in different places in the world.
I am a little behind on my New Books of 2017 challenge. Although I didn’t set a specific goal, I am working toward 20 books, and so far I’ve read only seven.
There’s even more catching up to do on my Speculative Fiction Authors of Color challenge. I have only read four books so far, but in my defense, I started another one which turned out to be horrible. I may just write a DNF review about that because I can’t stomach the last 40% of that book… But, number one goal for the rest of the year – prioritize Authors of Color!
The Read Diverse 2017 challenge is the one I most enjoy (I may have said this a few hundred times before…) and my goal here is to post 30 reviews of diverse reads, simply because that’s the number you need to reach to receive the final blog button. 🙂
Obviously, surpassing this goal would be great and I’ll do my very best, but if I fill this blog with 30 reviews of diverse authors and stories in one year, I’ll consider this a huge success, even without the button.
Overall, Goodreads tells me I am now 7 books behind my reading goal for the year. I already set that goal pretty low at 84 books and being that far behind is a little crushing, to be honest.
But, I am in the middle of about 8 books right now, so if I find the energy to finally finish them, I should be right back on track. Wish me luck!
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6 thoughts on “Half-Year Review – My Favorite Books of 2017 (so far)”
I also loved The Bird and the Nightingale, and I’m really enjoying Read Diverse 2017. Are you receiving badges? I’ve posted 10 reviews and haven’t gotten one. 30 sounds like a great goal! I’m also in two Read Around the World challenges which helps with diverse reading. | {
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Simon Rogan’s two-Michelin-starred L'Enclume restaurant has once again topped The Good Food Guide 2020’s (GFG) Top 50 list, which is set to be published by Waitrose & Partners this Thursday (12 September).
Chef Martin Wishart is marking the 20th anniversary of his eponymous two Michelin-starred Leith restaurant by attempting to sail across the Atlantic to raise funds for The Cure Parkinson’s Trust (CPT). | {
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The Light
Soldiers in war come back with the thousand yard stare.
This phenomenon, I have heard of
But never have I witnessed it.
Then came the setting down of a beloved friend.
His collar downturned, I held in my hand,
The only restlessness exuding from myself;
He, an overly calm, wise sage of a man,
Long whiskers down the sides of his face.
Then as a last shuddering breath left him,
His eyes sought a far off plain.
Somewhere beyond where I imagine I have ever seen.
His body, gave a quick tug,
Honest brown eyes still fixated on that horizon,
Then relaxation,
The soft tang in the nose of urine,
Muscles void of electric impulses,
Brain going dark,
The light inside him vanishing behind that far off horizon. | {
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Smaller Walmart stores: A threat to local businesses?
Walmart announced plans to introduce hundreds of new smaller stores. Should small business owners be worried?
ByChad Brooks, BusinessNewsDaily ContributorMarch 16, 2011
In this Dec. 15, 2010 photo, a view of the entertainment section of a Walmart store is seen in Alexandria, Va. In February, Walmart reported a 27 percent increase in fourth-quarter net income, as the world’s largest retailer benefited from cost-cutting and strong sales overseas.
A longtime foe of small business owners, big box retailer Walmart now is threatening to invade their space even further with the introduction of hundreds of new smaller stores.
This time around, though, experts believe small business owners, who often have a loyal customer base and knack for customer service, may not be so outmatched.
“People have learned to compete with them over the years,” said Kenneth Stone, a professor of economics at Iowa State University who has been researching Walmart for more than 20 years. “There are many examples around the country of small businesses that are very astute at offering what the public wants.”
According to Bloomberg News, Walmart is beginning construction this month in Arkansas on three of its new smaller-format stores, which will be just one-tenth the size of the usual 185,000 square-foot Supercenters. The smaller stores will feature a grocery section and a pharmacy.Stone said this isn’t the first time the big box giant has tried a new approach.
“They have been playing around with various formats for years, and they haven’t had too much luck with it,” Stone told BusinessNewsDaily. “I think they are going to have a tough time with this one also.”
Retail expert James Dion agrees it could be a difficult start for the smaller Walmart stores. “It is a whole different world in retail running an 8,000- to 10,000-square-foot store, compared to an 80,000- to 100,000-square-foot store,” Dion said. “Walmart is initially going to struggle with this concept, but I think eventually they will get it right.”
While the thought of a new competing business coming to town is a bit worrisome, one local business in Gravette, Ark., – where Walmart is slated to open one of its first smaller stores – is banking on good customer service to keep its patrons from straying to the new competing retailer.
“It is concerning, but competition is good,” said Lindsey Watford, a pharmacist at the Gravette-based Teasley Drug. “Our customers have chosen us because we really get to know them, and go the extra mile for people.”
Dion said small businesses in the towns Walmart targets for its new stores will need to know their customers better than ever and offer top-notch service to keep Walmart from poaching their patrons.
“That is a way for them to compete with (Walmart) initially and forever,” Dion said. “People will pay a little bit more for good customer service.” | {
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The Chief Executive Officer of Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), Geoffrey Odundo, while speaking during the officially trading launch of South Africa’s top investment managers, STANLIB Fahari I-REIT shares on the NSE, has recently urged the land Ministry to address challenges surrounding land ownership and issuance of Title Deeds in order to spur growth in the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Market.
Odundo said uncertainties over land ownership and delays in issuance of Titles could stifle the growth of the REIT market that was launched in a bid to enable Kenyans invest affordably in the lucrative real estate segment. He noted that the exchange is embarking on public education on the market so that Kenyans can take advantage of the offers to come in the future.
“The launch of REITs further enhances financial inclusion in our capital markets as average investors will now be able to invest in large-scale commercial, residential and industrial properties, without requiring large sums of money. I urge other property owners and developers to follow in Stanlib’s footsteps, raising funds to finance their developmental projects through our capital markets,” said Odundo.
I-REIT which is envisioned to invest in properties across the real estate sector will include shopping malls, offices, warehousing and residential. Its initial public offer rose over Sh3.6 billion, a material Sh1 billion above the Sh2.6 threshold required for listing.
Seelan Gobalsamy, Chief Executive Officer STANLIB group said “As we expand across Africa, we aim to focus on alternative assets and transactions that make a real difference in regions where we operate. Our strategy has always been to identify gaps and present opportunities that help grow economies and further improve the business environment and facilitate trade. The STANLIB Fahari I-REIT is positioned to do exactly that”.
The company has footprints in 10 countries in Africa and manages over $46 billion in assets for both institutional and retail clients across Africa. | {
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Same situation as Joel, but a bit later. Supported the Bulls whenever someone brought them up in a debate, this was when they had first drafted Ben Gordon. [Thought he was going to be the star on this team.]
I eventually got more into basketball as I played it, even getting tickets to go to a couple of games in 09, saw D-God play, and marked.
Stormed out of my friend's house [Celts Fan] when we lost to them in the Semis that year. I'm not mad about it now, since the Celtics are fucking trash. I have the last laugh.
Being a displaced Bulls fan is hard, but I'm enjoying the ride.
#THERETURN
Quote:
Because a lot of white people are struggling out here in these streets, so they take to the internet to vent. Imagine how low one must feel, that a whole country is geared towards your success, yet you cant capitalize on it
Same situation as Joel, but a bit later. Supported the Bulls whenever someone brought them up in a debate, this was when they had first drafted Ben Gordon. [Thought he was going to be the star on this team.]
I eventually got more into basketball as I played it, even getting tickets to go to a couple of games in 09, saw D-God play, and marked.
Stormed out of my friend's house [Celts Fan] when we lost to them in the Semis that year. I'm not mad about it now, since the Celtics are fucking trash. I have the last laugh.
When I was really young I liked the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic. Then the Raptors came to be and I slowly transitioned over to CANADA'S TEAM and that's where I'm at and always will be.
I can understand rooting for other teams and especially players (I've always been a huge KG, Shaq, Jordan, T-Mac, and Ray Allen fan especially) but you have to have that one team that above everything else is YOUR TEAM.
When I was really young I liked the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic. Then the Raptors came to be and I slowly transitioned over to CANADA'S TEAM.
I can understand rooting for other teams and especially players (I've always been a huge KG, Shaq, Jordan, T-Mac, and Ray Allen fan especially) but you have to have that one team that above everything else is YOUR TEAM.
So strange, I had like 4 different friends that were Hornets fans back in like 4th grade. They had those badass looking jackets too. I swear to god it was just the colors back then. | {
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Diamond Education Part 2
A Little About Fluoresce
One of the fascinating conversations I have with many consumers is about a diamonds fluorescence (or lack of). This is a natural phenomenon found in approximately 35 percent of diamonds on the market today. Under long wave UV light the diamond may fluoresce a color; blue, yellow, orange, green, and many other subtle hues. It is in your best interest to stay away from any diamond that fluoresces any color other than blue. Why would you buy a colorless diamond to have it fluoresce yellow? Even some diamonds exhibiting strong blue fluorescence can have a poor effect if it becomes too strong. Should the florescence becomes to intense it can make your diamond look milky or dull in bright sun light. Diamonds exhibiting this intensity would be termed overblue (trade term). This is a very rare diamond indeed, but to make sure you’re not buying an overblue diamond it would be a wise choice to purchase diamonds with no more than medium fluorescence unless your jeweler can confirm that it isn't an overblue.
What can a little fluorescence do for your diamond? Many believe that an H or I color diamond can actually appear whiter (more colorless) than it is because of this effect. Many years ago jewelers would refer to colorless diamond that had blue fluorescence as a blue-white diamond.
This is a photo of two diamonds that fluoresce to different degrees. This photo was taken under a long wave UV light source and both of these diamonds have blue fluorescence.
For the consumer trying to use this list sounds simple, but in reality it’s not.
A given diamond with the same color, clarity, and carat can vary by as much as 300 percent! With the new dimension of branding and who’s grading report comes with the diamond (if any at all) the printed Rap Price can swing from 60 percent below Rap to 20 percent above the Rap Price. This fluctuation is from no more than the cut of the diamond, branding effects, and which lab reports may come with a given diamond.
To lay this out in more simple terms, a given diamond that reflects a Rap price of $10,000.00 may actually cost the jeweler from $4,000.00 to as much as $12,000.00 Wow, what a price range with color, clarity, and carat being the same. This report is not easy to use and you must know the diamond market inside and out for this report to have any value. A consumer would find no honest benefit trying to use this report and could actually harm their thoughts of what a fair deal really is.
Watch out for the diamond vendor trying to sell you a diamond using Rap!
I have seen a couple cases where a jeweler uses the Rap list to demonstrate what a deal he has for you. This is very simple if you know what is actually going on.
Here is the sales pitch.
They show you the Rap list and explain this is a wholesale list (which is true). They even let you handle it and read through it if you like. The more you believe in the Rap list the better. They then sell you diamonds at cost (the Rap price) because they are wholesale prices (yea right). In some cases they say we only add a 10 percent profit so the Rap price is now multiplied by 1.1 (you have to love this). Now, what you have bought is a diamond that was bought as much as 60 percent below Rap, and you paid Rap price (maybe 10% over). What kind of deal is it to pay say $1,100 for a diamond that cost $400? Not very smart, but a very misleading sales tactic and many believe they got the deal of a lifetime. Consumers need not pay attention to the Rapaport price list, instead have a great relationship with us, a trusted independent jeweler since 1969.
Shape, this is the general outline of the diamond, it is a completely personal preference. Within the diamond industry there's certain shapes that their length to width ratios demand a premium over other diamonds of the same shape. The final judge should be you and your eyes and what is pleasing to you.
Today many of the diamonds sold are accompanied with a "lab report" or a "certificate". First you must realize that none of these reports are a guarantee, warranty, and they do not certify anything. These reports are an independent opinion of the diamonds grade. Opinions vary, and some labs are deemed to be more strict than others.
There are many different labs producing many different kinds of reports. The four most commonly encountered are from GIA, AGS, EGL USA, and EGL International. Within the diamond industry opinions have formed on the quality of these different grading reports. The opinions are expressed in what price dealers are willing to pay for a diamond with a given grading report. The labs are listed in the normally seen order of price for a given grade diamond, it also represents the typical price difference you may see when shopping for diamonds and comparing diamonds with different grading reports.
AGS (American Gem Society since 1934) Although newer to offering diamond grading documents the AGS is strict in their grading and many of the finest cut diamonds in the world are offered with these documents. Their finest cut grade is often referred to as "Triple Zero (Triple 000)".
GIA (Gemological Institute of America since 1931) Many if not most believe GIA is the world's foremost authority in diamond grading. Because of the strict GIA standards diamonds that are accompanied with these reports will generally command a higher price.
EGL USA (European Gemological Laboratory main office established in NY 1977) Typically our experience has shown this lab is not a strict as the above two labs, their grading seems to be close, in many cases they could be the same or a grade off from the most strict standards.
EGL International (European Gemological Laboratory founded in Belgium 1974, now has many locations around the globe) Our experience has shown that these labs are typically the most lenient of the four labs. Thus the price paid for a diamond accompanied with this grading report is typically much less. This is not to say that these diamonds should not be considered. There are many beautiful diamonds accompanied with these reports, be a little more diligent when shopping diamonds that are accompanied with this lab report.
Remember: Diamond grading is an opinion, you may be best served by comparing actual diamonds and the different grading reports side by side. Don't buy paper, let your eyes decide which diamond is for you. | {
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Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. - Barack Obama
Thursday, May 1, 2008
May Day message from the Workers Party
Singapore Democrats have gone VIDEO with their may day message while the Workers Party have opted for the traditional method. I guess it doesn't matter as long as the message gets out. I would have preferred if they had done a video message but that's just me. ;-)
The top down tripartite collaboration amongst the Government, employers and a pro-government labour union is a sure recipe for potential compromises for the Singaporean worker.
Overall employment creation in Singapore for the whole of 2007 is 236,600, surpassing 176,000 in 2006. However foreign employment rose to a new high of 144,500 in 2007. This means only 38.9% in 236,600 jobs created last year truly benefited Singaporeans.
Singaporeans will be none the better off, even if more jobs are created, when more than 60% of the jobs created go to foreigners. Although Singaporeans may participate in skills upgrading programs, many realize that promotional prospects are limited.
A certain portion of these jobs created could have been part time contract work positions. While the above statistics illustrate a rosy picture of high employment rate boosting the general public’s confidence in the Singapore’s economy, these figures require more detailed analysis to understand the actual employment status that Singaporeans are in.
Could it be that more Singaporeans are holding contractual part-time work positions, whereas foreigners might be benefiting from the full time positions created?
If this is the situation, this will disadvantage some segments of Singaporeans, resulting in less than ideal employment terms, such as compromised medical benefits and annual leave.
Singaporeans’ Societal Standing
To face the future with confidence and optimism, Singaporeans must be assured first of our societal standing in the midst of global uncertainties. Under the current top down tripartite collaboration model bold measures are taken to tackle macro economic challenges, and the impact on Singaporean workers must not be written off.
With reference to a recent report in the local media, Minister Lim Boon Heng gave an explanation to a distressed Singaporean woman concerned about losing her job to a ’sweet young beer girl from China’ that the foreigner’s presence actually helped to draw in businesses, in turn saving the Singaporean woman’s job. Such a ‘brush-off’ comment by a ministerial authority is hardly assuring.
According to Mr Lim’s logic, is he conceding that the PAP has created an economic model whereby Singaporeans must now be dependent on the foreign workers to retain our jobs? Singaporeans must now thank foreigners for helping us keep our jobs!
As a result of this ‘unique’ economic model, the societal standing of the Singaporean worker is now being eroded in our very own country.
Singapore is indeed becoming a ‘City of Possibilities’, however, it’s not for Singaporeans but foreigners. While Singaporeans are still conceptualising our great future filled with ‘possibilities’, alas, this might already have been stealthily taken away.
Showing Compassion
The current harsh reality of rising food prices and inflation is a major concern for all Singaporeans, especially so for the lower wage workers, whose livelihood is also threatened by the increasing numbers of foreign workers.
Our government must be compassionate and be proactive to initiate more substantial measures to help Singaporeans. Whilst NTUC has initiated a food voucher program, our government should also do something on top of the initiatives by NTUC. This is not to suggest that our government should subsidise food prices across the board but they are definitely capable of giving more help.
The Workers’ Party hereby repeats our call to reduce Singapore’s GST rate by 2% and to keep our GST rates at 5% for at least a year. We also propose that the government reduce fuel tax as a compassionate gesture to ease Singaporeans’ financial burdens.
In spite of this sombre backdrop, Workers’ Party encourages fellow Singaporeans to hold our heads high and not to lose heart. The Workers’ Party will continue to pressure the government so that Singaporeans’ privileges and opportunities are not compromised in the midst of a top down tripartite collaboration amongst the Government, employers and a pro-government labour union.
The Workers’ Party wishes all Workers in Singapore a Happy Labour Day.
Beyond Suspicion?
Click here to read the report Prosperity versus individual rights? Human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Singapore by the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute. Click here for their statement. | {
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From Kings of Leon’s latest album, Mechanical Bull, comes the highly cinematic video for their new single “Beautiful War.” The video was directed by Casey McGrath, who co-produced the feature-length 2011 documentary, Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon.
Seeking a vintage ‘70s-era Western movie look, McGrath drew inspiration from the 1980 John Travolta hit Urban Cowboy. The clip stars actor Garrett Hedlund (Friday Night Lights, Tron: Legacy) as a prisoner wrapped up in a treacherous prison-yard rodeo. Over the course of the six-minute short film, we see how Hedlund’s character came to be locked up in the first place.
Kings of Leon’s acclaimed Mechanical Bull, a worldwide hit, debuted in September 2013 at number two on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. The band is set to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live December 14, 2013. Keep up with all the latest Kings of Leon news on the band’s official website. | {
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11/14/2011
A Very She & Him Christmas
She & Him, A VERY SHE & HIM CHRISTMAS (Merge Records)
Zooey Deschanel’s charming singing in ELF became wan and cloying in every subsequent manifestation. Turns out Christmas music is the genre that best suits her vocalizing, as this low-fi collection of Xmas songs with M. Ward is a lovely, if sometimes precious little candy cane in a beautiful package.
No comments:
...and don't call me CHIEF!
Bitten by a radioactive silverfish at the age of five, Karl Heitmueller Jr. (aka Kalli, aka Pops Gustav) gained the power of pop culture hyper-perception.
Now as an adult, he writes, draws and cartoons about comics, movies, television, music, Superman, advertising, design, politics, religion, drinking and jerks.
Sometimes all at once. | {
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ARCELORMITTAL KRYVYI RIH TO INCREASE WAGES TO EMPLOYEES BY 25-70% FROM MAY 1
19 May , 2017
KYIV. May 19 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The administration of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) will raise wages to its workers by 25-70% from May 1 of the current year, plant CEO Paramjit Kahlon has said.
According to a press release from the company, the increase in wages will concern the workers of major professions involved in production processes.
At the same time, the wages lower than UAH 5,000 will be raised by 60-70%, those of UAH 5,000 to UAH 6,000 by 40%, UAH 6,000-7,000 by 35%, UAH 7,000-8,000 by 30%, and UAH 8,000-9,000 by 25%.
There will be no increase in the wages of the administrative staff and the company management.
“We are starting the implementation of a new grade wage system that will objectively take into account the interests of all employees of PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. We have been working hard to change the system of labor remuneration since the beginning of 2017. And I thank all our employees, trade union organizations for cooperation, help and patience. The decision to raise wages is necessary, but very difficult in the conditions in which the company is currently operating,” the director general said. | {
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The rural population of Bangladesh has traditionally depended on folk medicinal healers for treatment of their ailments. These healers use medicinal plants as their primary source of medicinal formulations. Rural patients ... | {
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June
Player Appearance
Autographs are on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10:30, are not guaranteed, and are limited to the first 225 fans in attendance. Autograph passes will be distributed prior to the appearance the day of. You must be present to receive an autograph pass. Fans with a pass may receive one autograph per player. No personalized autographs and no posed photos, please.
Player Appearance
Autographs are on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10:30, are not guaranteed, and are limited to the first 225 fans in attendance. Autograph passes will be distributed prior to the appearance the day of. You must be present to receive an autograph pass. Fans with a pass may receive one autograph per player. No personalized autographs and no posed photos, please.
July29
Player Appearance
Autographs are on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10:30, are not guaranteed, and are limited to the first 225 fans in attendance. Autograph passes will be distributed prior to the appearance the day of. You must be present to receive an autograph pass. Fans with a pass may receive one autograph per player. No personalized autographs and no posed photos, please.
August
August5
Player Appearance
Autographs are on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 10:30, are not guaranteed, and are limited to the first 225 fans in attendance. Autograph passes will be distributed prior to the appearance the day of. You must be present to receive an autograph pass. Fans with a pass may receive one autograph per player. No personalized autographs and no posed photos, please. | {
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} |
Get Tab Feature On Windows Explorer
Microsoft has added lots of stuffs in Windows 8 but still one thing which many users wants is Tabbed feature. many times we need to open lots of explorer and then they will occupy all your screen and it become very hard to work on it.
TabExplorer is an freeware app which allows you to add Tab feature in your Windows Explorer. Its an portable tool so you don’t have to install it. It runs on background and can start with logon too.
Once you run it you will be able to open lots tabs in just one explorer. You can Rename, Open Clone Tab, Close current tab or close all tabs. It works on all OS ahead of Windows 2000 till Windows 7. | {
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Cannes Review: Xavier Dolan's Superb Les Amours Imaginaires
Another film I was looking forward to seeing here in Cannes (after the trailer) was young Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan's newest lavish love story, Les Amours Imaginaires, or simply just Heartbeats in English. I'm not even sure how to explain the style of the film, since I could categorize it as hyper-stylized, but it was one of the most beautifully shot films at Cannes this year and one film that I will definitely not be forgetting anytime soon. Its a uniquely modern bit of cinema that I'm absolutely in love with and I can't even begin to think about it without listening to Dalida's "Bang, Bang" which is used almost as a theme song in the film.
As the writer, director, and star, Xavier Dolan presents a somewhat unusual love story about two friends, one female, one male, who both fall in love with the same guy, both attempting to woo him, but not to much success. Dolan is a gay filmmaker and loves to present that in his films, which makes for a very interesting cinematic experience. It's often times amusing to just watch two different people going after the same guy. The problem is that the story doesn't have much depth and it doesn't break norm. Dolan uses slow-mo and powerful songs to extended scenes and moments, but it causes the story drag on a bit more than it should.
Despite those minor criticisms, I'm in love with this film (and it's lead actress Monia Chokri) as much as I possibly can be, simply because I love Dolan's style and use of music as well as his very modern characters (and the superb performances that embody each of them). It's essentially a fairly simple and amusing love story wrapped in a much more visually stimulating package and it is entertaining to watch, despite a usual desire to discover more intellectual films here in Cannes. That said, this is one film that will remain on my mind after the fest is over. And to get a better idea of its style, watch the teaser we posted a few weeks ago.
Alex, have you seen «J'ai tué ma mère», Dolan's first movie? And if so, how would you compare the 2? Is this one as personnal? I'm from Montreal and Dolan is the MAN of the moment here and his presence in Cannes as the only french canadian filmmaker there makes him even more the center of attention. The guy is 20!!! amazing! Since his first movie was such a hit here, people worry that his second feature might not meet the very high expectations. Anyhow i think it's amazing that you take time to promote lesser known movies to the internet community.
Trying a different format then the one you used for Sundance? I liked the simple "loved it"/"hated it" ratings because it's hard to get a read of which films have been your favorites so far compared to the others. Seems like you love and hate them all a little bit and nothing has really stuck out so far.
raymond
the worst film I saw in cannes (and the least memorable)!
Mike J
My review of this film: Bang Bang - Coup de foudre
This film is awesome in how it so exactly portrays unrequited love when one doesn't yet realize it is unrequited. This film combines visuals, music and mood to emulate love in such a way that I suspect Xavier Dolan must have been influenced by Death in Venice. Nicolas, the love object, reminds me so much of a somewhat older Tadzio that it is uncanny. At one point one of the characters who is after him buys him a hat very similar to the one Tadzio wore in Death in Venice. Nicolas plays those who are in love with him like Tadzio played Dirk Bogarde's character. I think of this film as a modernized version of the famous tragedy though there are differences as well. Les Amours Imaginaires is not a remake of Death in Venice it just uses some of the same techniques and messages. This film is for anyone who has ever loved and been hurt, rejected or perhaps never been loved at all. Nicolas is as painfully beautiful as Tadzio and, hard to believe as it is, is even more beautiful than Xavier Dolan in this film. I highly recommend it. | {
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So what exactly is the government's word worth? We're about to find out.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last month raided the home of a man in Washington state for whom they had a deportation order. Asleep in the same house was the man’s son, Daniel Ramirez Medina, 23, who had been brought to the U.S. at age 7 and who, under President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, has been granted permission to remain and work in the country. When the ICE agents asked where he was born, Ramirez told them, “Mexico,” but added that he had received a deferral from deportation under DACA.
What happened next is under dispute, but after a brief conversation in which the agents say Ramirez told them he was in the country illegally, Ramirez was taken into custody. He now sits in a federal detention center, his DACA protection revoked, and is headed for a deportation hearing.
The government says it revoked Ramirez's DACA status because ICE agents concluded he has gang affiliations, based on Ramirez's statements to them and a tattoo. Ramirez denies that he told agents he associates with gang members despite what his lawyers described as intense pressure to do so, and said his "La Paz BCS" tattoo reflects his birthplace: La Paz, in Baja California Sur.
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All in all, the government's reasons for revoking Ramirez's DACA protection and putting him in deportation proceedings are pretty flimsy, especially since the government had twice before — in 2014 and 2016 — determined that Ramirez had no criminal convictions or gang affiliations and found no other evidence that he might pose a threat to public safety and thus be ineligible for the program. It stretches credulity to think that two rounds of background checks conducted where Ramirez grew up in the Central Valley missed red flags that the ICE agents in Washington have so miraculously found.
It's troubling that the government can upend someone's life based on such thin accusations. People eligible for DACA apply for approval and pay a $495 processing fee to cover the costs of the background check. If approved, the government promises not to seek deportation for two years unless the recipient commits an act that makes him or her ineligible.
Of course, the government should be able to revoke DACA protections if it can demonstrate that a recipient has broken the law or otherwise fallen out of eligibility. In fact, it has revoked DACA relief for 1,500 people since the program began.
But the government should not break faith with recipients so easily as it has done with Ramirez, disrupting his life based on a "he said-he said" interrogation and agents' questionable interpretation of a tattoo. That is neither just nor fair. If Ramirez ultimately is deported, it suggests that the government's promises of protection are not to be taken seriously. | {
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Losi 454 Engine with Combo Pull/Spin Start
At a Glance
The Losi 454 Engine is designed to produce unbeatable low end torque as well as high-rev horsepower for insane top speeds. Dyno tuned and ported for the highest level of power from the first startup, the 454 big block engine can pull a 1/8-scale monster truck from a dead stop up to speed without a hiccup.
The Losi 454 Engine is a terrific power source for ready-to-run vehicles, and will fit all existing big-block applications. The Losi 454 Engine also offers the convenience of a dual Pull Start/Spin Start backplate. Get the engine spinning with a few pulls of the pull start, or use a handheld, push-button Spin Start unit to ease the process.
Features
Designed to produce unbeatable low-end torque as well as high-rev horsepower for high-speed action
Fits all existing big-block applications and is easy to adapt to other models | {
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Gold, Miners and S&P 500 Trends and Trading Signals
Written by: Chris Vermeulen01/14/13 - 10:45 AM EST
Tickers in this article:
GDX GLD SPY
NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Gold and gold miner stocks have underperformed in 2012 disappointing most traders. That being said it has traded in a large sideways range since September 2011 and remains stuck in this range as of this week. Investments trading sideways are not my preferred investment of choice because some commodities and stocks for that matter can trade sideways for years before making another bull market rally.
That being said in the last six months gold has started to show life that a new bull market may be starting. The new year is starting to look as though gold, silver and precious metals miners could lead the market higher if they can break out of their basing patterns. Until we get more bullish price action I am not planning to get long.
Gold ETF and Gold Miner Charts
These daily charts show the trend (up/down) along with short term extreme overbought/oversold trading days. The key to long term success is to trade with the trend 90% of the time. Only after years of experience will you know when it's ok to break the rules and even then the odds are stacked against you.
Gold Miners Daily Chart
S&P 500 Stock Market Analysis
The last five years I have been fine tuning my S&P 500 (SPY) index trading with the use of cycles, sentiment, volume, momentum and the volatility index. Until just recently some of the data I use for generating these extreme overbought/oversold conditions were only available after the market closed. This made the high volatile trading sessions difficult to truly know if an extreme level was reached during the trading session.
The exciting news is that a new data feed and a top notch programmer now allows me to turn this once manual calculation of 17 data points -- taking me an average of 25 minutes to figure out -- into a system that generates signals in real time complete with profit taking signals, trend direction and a protective stop which self-adjusts depending on the market volatility and cycle stages.
Two other benefits are that during extremely high volatility levels and mixed cycles the system does not generate any signals. This allows us to avoid the large daily swings in price that typically shake even the most seasoned traders out of the market for repeated losing trades. Also during potential trend changes when cycles and volatility become choppy, trading signals are not generated helping to avoid the volatility that takes place during reversals points when the bulls and bears are pushing each other around.
Below is a very basic version of the trend and signals for the S&P 500 index as it does not show profit taking, trend reversal stops or protective stops for individual swing trades yet, but it's coming soon. | {
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Pages
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Review: Sword by Realm Lovejoy
Sword
By Realm Lovejoy
Summary: Evil lurks. Camelot sits, vulnerable. The fate of a future king hangs in the balance.
After
surviving a string of brutal trials, sixteen-year-old Morgan le Fay is
an official member of Camelot. But beneath its shining façade, Camelot
is a crumbling government where loyalties are divided.
Nobody
believes Morgan’s suspicions that enemies are closing in. Prince Arthur,
a boy more interested in playing video games than ruling, will not
listen to her, and neither will Lancelot, Camelot’s head of security.
Even Morgan's friend Merlin refuses to take action.
When Morgan
discovers that someone is plotting to assassinate the future king, she
must take her destiny—and his—into her own hands. With the sword
Excalibur beckoning in the distance, Morgan embarks on a seemingly
impossible mission. And before her journey ends, everyone will know what
she is truly capable of . . .
In this second book in the LE FAY series, author Realm Lovejoy takes readers deep into the heart of a splintering Camelot.
Genres: Young Adult, Retellings, Fantasy
Publication Date: November 10, 2015
Series: Le Fay (book 2)
My Rating: 5 stars
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I
loved the first book in the Le Fay series. Dearly. It's still one of my
favorite indie books of all time--BUT I think Sword was even better.
Yes, you read that right, better. No second book slump whatsoever, which
is pretty rare. The characters, plot, the various emotions...everything
was just beautiful.
I enjoyed reading about Morgan in the first
book mostly because she was such an intriguing character. That intrigue
continues in Storm, but more so. The book really delves into
her mental state; there's a lot of focus on her emotions, which I loved
but at times I could not stand because I just wanted her to be okay is that too much to ask.
(That goes to show how emotionally invested in this series I am, so not
necessarily a bad thing.) There are some shocking reveals about her
past in this book, which I did not see coming at all. These reveals
really added to her relationship with Prince Arthur.
Prince Arthur was a character I had no real feelings for in Henge, mostly because he was not shown very often. That changes in Storm,
and I ended up really loving him. He's a very complicated character;
not spoiled like he originally seems to be, but instead a very damaged
kid. He and Morgan have a complicated, yet endearing, relationship. The
way this plays into his personality is very interesting to see, and it
adds a bit of ambiguity to how his character will turn out in the next
book.
Merlin...I cannot describe how I feel about Merlin. He
summons up a well of mixed emotions in me. I can't really say I want
Morgan and him to end up together--I think their relationship has become
a bit too complicated and borderline-toxic for that to happen, so sorry
to anyone who ships them but I am rooting against that. However,
despite my reservations on that end, I really do like reading about him,
because he's not a black-or-white character. Sometimes I will hate him
and sometimes I will feel extremely sorry for him. My feelings for him
have not really changed since the last book.
BUT...LANCELOT.
LANCELOT IS NOW ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS AND I SHIP HIM AND MORGAN I
SHIP IT SO HARD. I thought he was a bit boring in Henge, but
seeing him care for Morgan and be so tender to her really awakened my
feelings for him. He is a precious person, and I want him and Morgan to
be happy forever together.
The plot was fantastically executed.
There were some very tense moments; up until the very end, I was not
sure how the book would end. (Spoiler, highlight to see) Even
though I knew there was another book after this one, I was 90%
convinced at one point that Morgan was going to die. That seems stupid
to write in hindsight, but the author was very good at keeping me
guessing.(end spoiler)
In most second-books-in-a-series, the plot kind of drags--it's more of a
bridge from the first book to the second book than its own entity. In Sword,
the book wastes no time; there is action right from the start, and even
when the book slows down a bit, there are revelations and
emotionally-packed scenes that kept me interested.
I cannot wait to finish the rest of the Le Fay
series. If the next book is as good as this one, I know I will love it.
Even if you have never read the Arthurian legends--or, like me, you
read them when you were eight, thought they were dumb, and subsequently
forgot most of the story--I guarantee you will still be able to love
these wonderful, wonderful books. | {
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When you move (and the tiles move around you) they seem to get darker. Looks like some weird bleeding while moving.I'm using ra4king's deltaTime loop, I use g.translate to have the player in the middle and place everything around him.I've done everything I could think of, like rounding the doubles for player position and such, and everything else seems to be very smooth.I use BufferedImages for all my sprites and tiles, and I'm loading them with ImageIO.
I also sometimes see that the tiles are not being rendered for just one frame or so. Any ideas? What part of the code would you like to see?It's a pretty standard tile-rendering loop...
Note: This is using just Java2D. Is this one of the weird things Slick2D might solve?
Runs just fine but I did get some strange stuff with just the ground tiles. When camera moves left right up or down, there is a strange gradient type lines that go through just the tiles. I would say try it not in full screen and see what happens.
Yes, and the jumps in FPS are accompanied by sporadic input identification. What I mean is that if I'm holding down the shoot button when I get one of those jumps from 41 to 29 FPS I'll end up with less bullets fired during that period (Typically in the form of going from C> C> C> to C> C>).
I might blame it on my computer, since it sometimes acts weird, but...
Runs just fine but I did get some strange stuff with just the ground tiles. When camera moves left right up or down, there is a strange gradient type lines that go through just the tiles. I would say try it not in full screen and see what happens.
I've just ported it from being an applet, because it did the same thing. I was hoping it might just be a problem with the way applets render.
Yes, and the jumps in FPS are accompanied by sporadic input identification. What I mean is that if I'm holding down the shoot button when I get one of those jumps from 41 to 29 FPS I'll end up with less bullets fired during that period (Typically in the form of going from C> C> C> to C> C>).
I might blame it on my computer, since it sometimes acts weird, but...
Well, I just tried it on my desktop computer, and it gets the exact same problems and performance as my laptop (they're equally crappy ).Are you by any chance on a computer with an onboard gfx-chipset or something?
Alright, restarting my computer took care of most of the graphics jumps. My iTunes tends to mess up badly when I listen to Audiobooks (Which is to say always, hah. It gets up to almost 2gigs of Ram.)
What I glean from it, now that I'm not suffering the FPS hiccups:1) What it looks like to me is that your tiles are 'piling' up. If you're doing any sort of culling (IE- only drawing tiles when they're on the screen) then I'd look at that code.)2) Are you making sure to clear the screen before you draw?
Alright, restarting my computer took care of most of the graphics jumps. My iTunes tends to mess up badly when I listen to Audiobooks (Which is to say always, hah. It gets up to almost 2gigs of Ram.)
What I glean from it, now that I'm not suffering the FPS hiccups:1) What it looks like to me is that your tiles are 'piling' up. If you're doing any sort of culling (IE- only drawing tiles when they're on the screen) then I'd look at that code.)2) Are you making sure to clear the screen before you draw?
Phew! You scared me there
This is my method for drawing tiles. I tried quoting out the if-statements, which are responsible for limiting the game to only draw tiles that are visible, or about to be (the +40 and +80). The playerRenderOffset is the translation everything goes through, to be moved to the right portion of the screen.
Hmm, did commenting out the ifs result in a different behavior for the edges? Hmm, as a test to see what's happening, could you edit your tiles so that they have a border? Like, just a single pixel red box around them, and see what happens at the edges?
As an aside, just because I'm odd and picky... I would honestly attempt to compute your 'view' square first, then do the iteration, rather than the other way around.
// Find out the time it took to render, and deduct it from 1000000000ns/60 = 16666667,// to get the amount of time we should sleep after this update, to hit 60fps.endLoopTime = System.nanoTime();setSleepTime(16666667L - (endLoopTime - startTimeOfGameloop));
Hmm, did commenting out the ifs result in a different behavior for the edges? Hmm, as a test to see what's happening, could you edit your tiles so that they have a border? Like, just a single pixel red box around them, and see what happens at the edges?
As an aside, just because I'm odd and picky... I would honestly attempt to compute your 'view' square first, then do the iteration, rather than the other way around.
So I looked at the new jar and now it runs fine but every time I jump the pink lines flicker. Some tiles have red and some blue but where some mix it is pink and those lines flicker when I jump.
I see no other problems what so ever. I really like the particle effects with the blood and ground....I REALLY like the ground.
Thank you! I spent a lot of time on that ground. That little particlespray took me about an hour. It's exceedingly simple, but I think it does the job well. It's just ovals (too small to get a regular shape) and 1px lines ^^
Here's a new version with another almost finished tileset (I have to educate my artist on how to make seamless tiles )Download
I think the problem is, that in my original ground tileset, I used a lot of thin black lines, which made it very obvious that it takes time to change a LED from off (black) to a color, or from one extreme color to another. And yes, you're right about the pink. The red does it a bit for me , too.
Note: CBA to change the color of the particles flying from the ground right now.
Thank you both SO much for helping me find out, that I really didn't have much of a problem here after all
Funny ^^Although that looks just fine, I'm going for a more cartoony feel. I hope the artist won't feel too bad about having to redo most of his work. It is a trade of the business he's in after all, heheh
I just downloaded your jar, and noticed something about how you store your files.This is not really about your problem here, it's more about the problem in another thread you startet. That thread was (in the offtopic part) about the loading time for all your images.
I see you are having a different Image for every tile you have. Don't do this. Put everything in one or more .pngs, and split them at runtime, so you call BufferedImage.getSubimg() for every tile. That should greatly reduce file loading.
I see you are having a different Image for every tile you have. Don't do this. Put everything in one or more .pngs, and split them at runtime, so you call BufferedImage.getSubimg() for every tile. That should greatly reduce file loading.
This is really off topic but I ran the first running example and wanted to say that you should use
1
g.drawString(String.format("%.2f",movementSpeed), x , y);
to view the movement speed rounded to two decimals, unless you're trying to see the exact value that the movement speed is at. Also I'm on a 1920 x 1200 screen and the bullets don't reach to the edge of the screen so it looks odd with them stopping in mid-air. Other than that I really like what you've done with the game so far (movement is smooth), good luck and hope this helps.
This is really off topic but I ran the first running example and wanted to say that you should use
1
g.drawString(String.format("%.2f",movementSpeed), x , y);
to view the movement speed rounded to two decimals, unless you're trying to see the exact value that the movement speed is at. Also I'm on a 1920 x 1200 screen and the bullets don't reach to the edge of the screen so it looks odd with them stopping in mid-air. Other than that I really like what you've done with the game so far (movement is smooth), good luck and hope this helps.
Thanks for the nice words Yes, well, all the HUD was made in a hurry to check for problems while debugging. I usually use DecimalFormat to format to fewer decimals, but this is a much less intrusive and performance-saving way. Thanks for that.
As for the length of the bullet-travel, this is going to be a variable per each type of ammunition, so it is just set to a random travel-length for now. Also, some will penetrate multiple enemies and such. It's gonna be rad! Thanks for the note, though. I'm happy to hear it is running fine, even in HD When the menus are being done, you'll be able to choose between all resolutions available for your gfx-card. For now, I just have a list of a few standard ones.
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Top Crops from Top Chefs
2016 Wine & Chile Fiesta
Jenny's View
Dear Friends,
As many old-timers know, La Fonda has a long association with Indian Market, which once held the judging of artwork here at the hotel, along with preview night. That’s why we are super excited to announce that Winter Indian Market is coming to La Fonda, starting this year!
Dear Friends,
Each September, the five-day Wine & Chile Fiesta gets foodies fixated on the latest and greatest that our city has to offer. And every year our Chef Lane Warner shines with the best of them, competing against French, Italian, Asian, Mediterranean and California cuisine in a city that is one of Tripadvisor’s top ten food destinations nationwide. That’s not easy to do while staying true to New Mexican tradition, which as we know leans heavily toward commodity staples. Diners who appreciate fantastic ingredients tucked into their enchiladas and rellenos – locally sourced and pasture-raised meats, organic produce, not to mention vegetarian and gluten-free options – will find such traditional fare elevated to a new level at La Plazuela, in a lovely environment enhanced by traditional levels of service.
Sure, I’m biased. But Chef Lane racks up impressive accolades from people who don’t even know him and love him as I do. The lion’s share of our Tripadvisor reviews (57 percent) rate La Plazuela “excellent,” and 88 percent rate it “very good” or better. Again, not easy to do when you’re talking about 1,400 reviews, three meals a day, and one of the most popular restaurants in Santa Fe.
It seems fitting (and fun) for La Fonda to once again host the “All Chefs” photo shoot for the cover of Local Flavor magazine’s Wine & Chile issue – see if you can pick out Chef Lane in the 2014 version (hint: something here to help). We’ll also be among the 75 restaurants and 100 wineries participating in the Grand Tasting at the Santa Fe Opera, “the most fun you can have with a wine glass.” Tickets sell out fast, so grab yours ASAP! Otherwise, we can still guarantee you a great meal at La Fonda any other day of the year – just be sure to make reservations for dinner.
TIme for dinner,
Jennifer Lea Kimball
Recipe For Adventure
Basil-serrano pesto is a spicy take on traditional pesto! Perfect for tossing with your favorite pasta dish, or save the leftovers as a sandwich spread or to drizzle over eggs.
Basil-serrano pesto Yields - 2 Cups
INGREDIENTS
1 cup fresh basil
1/8 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pinon nuts, roasted
1 chile serrano, seeded and minced
3 Tbl fresh garlic, minced
Add salt and black pepper to taste
METHOD: Place all these ingredients into food processor, that’s it! Now you can finish your favorite pasta dishes with this wonderful pesto.
Live at La Fonda
Walk around Santa Fe in summer, and you’ll hear bits of languages from around the world – which is why it makes perfect sense to hear musical flavors from multiple continents in La Fiesta Lounge when Los Primos Melodicos take the stage. It’s a wonder how they get so many sounds from three players! Guitarist Eric Cureña, percussionist Fred Simpson, and lead vocalist and bass player J.J. Oviedo blend their globe-trotting musical training for a unique sound that ranges from Cuba to the Balkans. All three hail from Santa Fe, but have their ears tuned to the wide world of rhythm.
We’ll do Mexican boleros, Afro-Cuban, a little bit of flamenco-style rumba, Middle Eastern and Balkan,” says Oviedo, “half and half originals and covers. It’s definitely danceable.” His vocals range from English and Spanish to a little Portuguese for a taste of Brazil. Los Primos Melodicos continue stretching the frontiers of music at La Fiesta Lounge beyond the usual mix of Americana and norteña bands, offering something unique in the City Different. Catch their cool cosmopolitan vibe on Sept. 7, 8, and 30, and for a preview, have a listen to their taste of Cuba on this YouTube video.
It's a Good Time To...
Taste what’s cooking in the City Different at the 26th annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, where the region’s top crops and chefs star in tasting events, cooking demos, wine seminars, and gourmet meals—not to mention golf, cycling, and film! But if your tastes run more to backyard barbecue, sneak off to the Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown at the Santa Fe Railyards (Sept. 9), or pop in to Estrella del Norte Vineyard for a mystery wine tasting (Sept. 18, Oct. 9) or wine history lesson (Sept. 25).
Fall is the perfect season to get outdoors, whether you’re running the Santa Fe Thunder half marathon (Sept. 18) or Wolf Pack Trail Run (Sept. 11), ogling the classic cars at the annual Santa Fe Concorso exotic car show (Sept. 23-25)—which also line up at the Plaza on Saturday morning for free—or driving your own exotic car in the Santa Fe 500 three-day tour of Northern New Mexico (Sept. 26-28).
Burn away election-year worries at the 92nd Zozobra at Fort Marcy Park (Sept. 2), the opening event of the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe. This weekend of festivities is sure to help you forget what’s happening in the rest of the country, as you listen to the Mariachi Extravaganza at the Santa Fe Opera (Sept. 3), watch the children’s pet parade (Sept. 10) or so-called historical/hysterical parade (Sept. 11) and celebrate these festive occasions with bandstand entertainment, food and craft booths all weekend on the Plaza.
Prolong your visit to yesteryear at the Santa Fe Renaissance Fair at El Rancho de las Golondrinas (Sept. 17-18), or experience New Age transformation at UnifyFest the following week (Sept. 22-25), with yoga, health, sustainability, and like-minded celebrations.
Ready to launch your next big break? The inaugural On the Page screenwriter’s conference includes over 40 speakers, two script competitions, and pitch sessions with producers, all day at the conference (Oct. 16). Enjoy a Harvest Festival at the unique animal sanctuary Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood, south of Cerrillos (Sept. 3-4), or head in the other direction for the annual High Road To Taos art tour (Sept. 17-18, 24-25).
The Galisteo Studio Tour takes place Oct. 15-16, while the community of El Rito, between Abiquiu and Ojo Caliente, holds its studio tour Oct. 1-2. On the highway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, Santo Domingo Pueblo celebrates its annual arts and crafts market Sept. 3-5.
Back in town, admission is free to the hunter-jumper competitions at Hipico Santa Fe horse park, where the Fall Series includes an equestrian-themed art exhibit, concerts, craft beer and food booths during Chile Harvest Week (Sept. 14-18) and Ristra Week (Sept. 21-25). A youth-inflected fashion show with pop-up stores takes place Sept. 30 and is produced by the Santa Fe Street blog. Quilters compete in a biennial celebration at the Santa Fe Convention Center (Oct. 7-9). And of course, the biggest event in the state happens in October when tens of thousands of international visitors descend on the Duke City for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (Oct. 1-9).
The Santa Fe Symphony opens its 33rd season with violinst Alexi Kenney playing Brahms, Wagner, and Dvorak (Sept. 25), followed by pianist Olga Kern performing Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Sibelius (Oct. 16), also at the Lensic.
Joseph Illick deciphers the mystery of conducting as part of his popular Notes on Music series (Oct. 4) at the United Church of Santa Fe. A free family concert, Little Red Riding Hood, combines excerpts from famous operas at First Prebyterian Church (Oct. 9).
Cowboy music fans take note: The Lensic presents a salute to Roy Rogers from the modern face of Western music, Riders in the Sky (Sept. 14).
In concert, the traditional Scottish band Tannahill Weavers plays Center Stage (Sept. 13); Neko Case plays a show with Jay Farrar Trio (of Son Volt) at the Santa Fe Opera (Sept. 17); and Lera Lynn, known for her work on HBO’s True Detective, plays Skylight (Sept. 20), followed by Davina & The Vagabonds (Sept. 21) and Elizabeth Cook (Sept. 24). L.A.’s “retro-futuristic” pop band Saint Motel plays Meow Wolf (Sept. 27), with a limited number of VIP packages available.
Neko Case
Saint Motel
The Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst plays The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing (Oct. 5). Villalobos Brothers redefine Mexican music at the Lensic (Oct. 9), where ’60s icon Joan Baez is back on tour and better than ever (Oct. 30). And if you’re a world music fan, you no doubt have tickets already to İGlobalquerque! (Sept. 23-24) at Albuquerque’s National Hispanic Cultural Center; even if you don’t, there are free workshops and other programs for families all day on Saturday.
Villalobos Brothers
Joan Baez
Anda Union (Mongolia)
At The Museums
Calling all Fred heads! If you’re one of the growing number who are fascinated by the legacy of La Fonda’s cultural ancestor Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls, the New Mexico History Museum is holding its fifth annual Fred Harvey Weekend (Oct. 28-30) of events, tours, classes, and more. Lectures and discussions include Steve Harvey, a descendant, and our own CEO Jenny Kimball.
Free admission day on Museum Hill is Sunday, Sept. 25 , when all five institutions are open to the public for free. But come back to the Museum of International Folk Art on a Wednesday to hear a flamenco concert, in some cases paired with a gypsy dinner (Sept. 9, Oct. 7).
Back in town, Rose Simpson discusses her artwork at the New Mexico Museum of Art (Sept. 2), as does videographer Miguel Gandert (Oct. 7) and photographer Don Usner, who both contributed to the lowrider exhibit (Sept. 25). Learn about the National Park Service in a talk at the history museum marking the park system’s centennial (Sept. 4), or get ready for Rosh Hashanah by learning to make the honey cake tishpishti (Sept. 18).
You can celebrate the Day of the Dead at the history museum (Oct. 16) and/or listen to a poetry slam about lowriders with young poets the same day. Each year a handful of individuals and institutions receive Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, whose works you can see and celebrate at the New Mexico Museum of Art (Sept. 23).
Performance
There’s even a film component to Wine & Chile Fiesta.That’s right—the Wine & Chile Film Fiesta pairs a wine and food reception with a choice of films at the Violet Crown and Jean Cocteau cinema houses (Sept. 18-20). Back at the Lensic, the one-man showmanship of Mike Daisey takes on Donald Trump, telling the billionaire’s story as a new American archetype that parallels the rise of “dark money” (Sept. 19).
Mike Daisy
Sri Lankan novelist Ru Freeman speaks with namesake John Freeman, critic and editor of the literary journal of the same name, in a program from Lannan Foundation at the lensic (Sept. 21). And Rita Morena traces her upbringing in Puerto Rico through a legendary seven-decade career in show business (Oct. 27). Met Live in HD starts up again with a new production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (Oct. 8) and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Oct. 22-23), while National Theatre Live in HD reprises the award-winning 2014 production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge (Sept. 30), as well as an anarchic new version of The Threepenny Opera (Sept. 29) and an encore broadcast of the 2011 production of Frankenstein directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle (Oct. 29).
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet presents its final show of the Santa Fe season (Sept. 3), and Performance Santa Fe brings the breathtaking feats of the Shanghai Acrobats to the Lensic for one night (Oct. 6).
La Fonda and Santa Fe In the News
American Way Magazine – Santa Fe Star: The La Fonda on the Plaza hotel debuts a vintage-chic renovation (Page 23) READ MORE | {
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Blom vs Negreanu Set For Sixth "Superstar Showdown"
Published on March 11th, 2011 3:49 am EST
Pokerstars announced earlier today that the next "Superstar Showdown" will pit Viktor "Isildur1" Blom against Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu.
There is a twist though, as the battle between Negreanu and Blom will stretch out over two weeks. On Sunday, March 20th, Negreanu and Blom will sit down at 4 $50/$100 No Limit Hold'em tables with $150,000 available to each of them. "Isildur1" and "KidPoker" will then play the first 2,500 hands of their "Superstar Showdown" match.
At the end of the 2,500 hand battle, the Showdown will be paused for a week.
On Sunday, March 27th, the Showdown will resume. The finishing stacks from March 20th will be carried over, and Negreanu and Blom will play another 2,500 hands. The winner will be the player who is ahead after the full 5,000 hands have been played.
--
The battle between Daniel "KidPoker" Negreanu and Viktor "Isildur1" Blom has been hinted at for a number of weeks now. Negreanu has been sharpening his heads-up game on Pokerstars in recent weeks, and obviously now feels comfortable enough about his game to take on Blom.
Viktor Blom is currently 4-1 in "Superstar Showdown" matches, with wins over Eugene Katchalov, Daniel Cates, Tony G and online qualifier "Dodgyfish72". His lone loss so far has come against Isaac Haxton.
--
Will Daniel Negreanu be able to handle Blom's blistering pace and unrelenting aggression? We'll find out over the next two weekends.. | {
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Wegener, Continental Drift, and unaccepted theories
What does Continental Drift have to do with the Aquatic Ape theory?
A history of Wegener's theory,
suitably edited for effect, is becoming a standard for people with an unaccepted
theory.
(It's often coupled with the ever-popular "inaccurately rendered
Piltdown story".)
Morgan has put forward the Wegener comparison in
The Scars of Evolution, and in many of her sci.anthropology.paleo newsgroup
posts.
Marc Verhaegen continues this tradition -- he actually started making the Wegener comparison with his introductory newsgroup post within days of first getting online, and since then he has done it at least 32 times (as well as putting forward occasional comparisons with Galileo, Copernicus, and Einstein).
David Attenborough's April 2005 BBC Radio4 show on the AAT/H featured Wegener comparisons prominently.
According to the typical way of putting it, Wegener put forward
a simple theory which said the continents had once been one, had split
apart long ago, and slowly moved to their present locations.
For this he was shunned and summarily dismissed by all science, only to be
vindicated several decades after his death by scientists who realized that
Wegener's theory was exactly what had actually happened.
Good story... too bad it didn't happen that way.
It seems that comparing themselves
to Wegener is a popular pursuit with many people.
One problem with
their comparison is that the commonly expressed sentiment -- "no one supported
Wegener" -- is wrong.
It is also a fact that Wegener's proposed mechanisms
were obviously inadequate, as evidenced by the fact that he himself admitted
this was so in the 4th edition of his book.
This part about the mechanism
has special significance for supporters of the AAT/H who look to Wegener's
theory as a icon, and I'll get to that in a moment.
Contrary to these comparisons,
many people who disagreed with Wegener about his idea took it quite seriously:
they disagreed in scientific journals and conferences.
Wegener's idea wasn't
widely accepted because there was no reasonable candidate for a mechanism
capable of producing the effect.
This is a perfectly reasonable objection to a theory.
When finally such a candidate was found, Wegener's underlying
idea -- but not his inadequate mechanism -- was accepted.
Although some reaction was
probably based on being hide-bound, a major reason for Wegener's idea not
being accepted was that he had no reasonable mechanism, apparently no way for it to actually happen. Until a reasonable hypothesis regarding a mechanism was brought forward, it is reasonable
to reject a theory.
In Wegener's case, this took quite a few years,
decades, actually, and this helped opposition harden against the idea.
Wegener was correct only in
the initial part of his claim -- the part about what happened.
He was dead wrong, almost laughably so, about the mechanism.
His mechanism,
a combination of pole-fleeing force and the tidal attraction of the sun
and moon, was far far less powerful than would be necessary (several 1000's
of times so), and Wegener admitted this himself in the 4th edition of his
book.
There are two particularly
interesting aspects of Morgan's and Verhaegen's use of Wegener's theory of continental
drift to try to make her own position seem to be that of a misunderstood
genius.
One is that it contains a common logical flaw, one that I
call the "Fulton's Folly Flaw", which arises when the "misunderstood" person
cries: "They laughed at Fulton, and they laughed at me; therefore I am
a great inventor!"
The second is that Morgan could hardly have picked a worse theory to compare hers with.
The AAT/H claims that hominids evolved from an hominoid ancestor through the mechanism of
an extended period of aquatic living.
Paleoanthropology has also always
suggested that hominids evolved from an hominoid ancestor, but rejects
the mechanism of an aquatic past (well, except for the long ago aquatic past all
life on earth shares).
In other words, the theoretical difference isn't
in what happened (hominids evolving from an hominoid ancestor),
but in the mechanism for it.
The mechanism (an aquatic
past) is the different special thing the AAT/H brings to the table.
The problem here for Morgan and
other AAT/H proponents using the Wegener comparison is that Wegener was correct only in the initial part of his
claim -- the part about what happened.
He was dead wrong, almost laughably so, about the mechanism.
In David Attenborough's April 2005 BBC Radio4 show on the AAT/H his Wegener comparison included a bit of business which seemed calculated to confuse; it was either severely ignorant (hard to believe of Attenborough) or outright dishonest (also hard to believe of Attenborough).
He referred to "Wegener's Plate Tectonics" as having been accepted (in suggesting the AAT/H might also be), but Plate Tectonics was not Wegener's idea at all.
Wegener's idea was Continental Drift and lacked any reasonable mechanism; Plate Tectonics is the missing mechanism and was discovered long after Wegener had died.
This is important for the reasons stated in the next paragraph, and it's odd (at least) that Attenborough conflated the two as they are two very different things.
So the history of Wegener's
exposition of the theory of continental drift is anything but a palliative
for supporters of the AAT/H.
The problem with the AAT/H is not the what
happened part; both the AAT/H and the rest of paleoanthropology agree
that hominids evolved from a hominoid ancestor.
The AAT/H is not offering a new idea there.
The new idea the AAT/H offers is in the mechanism
for this evolution, and it's in the mechanism that the AAT/H, like just Wegener's
theory, falls flat.
Although it's common to claim
that Wegener was universally derided and ridiculed, the facts are, as usual
with facts, more complex.
He certainly had support, especially in
folks from the southern hemisphere where the fossil and geological evidence
was most obvious, and these supporters were not nutty heretic types.
Not everyone agrees; here's Elaine Morgan posting in sci.anthropology.paleo
(Sept. 11, 1995):
El> Wegener asked a good question
- why all the continents looked as if they
El> fitted together, not just
in general outline, but matching in geological
El> detail and parallelism
of wildlife. He came up with a good answer: he
El> proposed that the continents
had once been one big continent which had
El> split up. Nobody worth
mentioning would listen to him.
Let's have a look at just who
Elaine Morgan considers to be "nobody worth mentioning":
Prominent Wegener
supporters included:
Arthur Holmes of Durham and
Edinburgh universities, "he was among the earliest and greatest pioneers
in developing the radiometric methods for determining the ages of rocks
and minerals and the age of the earth itself"; Emile Argand, founder of
the Geological Institute of Neuchatel, Switzerland; S. William Carey, professor
of geology at the University of Tasmania; C.S. Wright; Lester King, professor
of geology at the University of Natal; Professor Reginald A. Daly of Harvard
University, who Marvin calls a scientist "of unchallenged prestige"; Alexander
Du Toit, Johannesburg, South Africa, author of Our Wandering Continents;
Armadeus
W. Grabau, "an American paleontologist and author of several textbooks
on stratigraphy and index fossils"; Leonce Joleaud, French geologist; R.D.
Oldham, "discoverer of the seismic evidence for the earth's core"; and
Dr. W.A.J.M. Waterschoot van der Gracht, "a Dutch geologist and vice president
of the Marland Oil Company". | {
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Sports Parties in New York City
Sports parties are the perfect opportunity to grab all your friends and gather around to support your favorite teams! With our party supplies and rentals, you'll find everything you need to create a fun-filled event! Get your team colors on and prepare to cheer your team on! Search here for Sports Parties in New York City. | {
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Local Dealer for Great American Art
Occasionally we run into clients who know they need art, but aren’t sure what type of art would be best for their space. To assist people in selecting art and to streamline the process of working with an art consultant, we sometimes use an art selection guide. The guide is a collection of…
In an article published by World Health Design, Henry Domke talks about the role that nature art can play in the healing process. Henry was a family practice physician for 25 years before starting a second career as a nature art photographer specializing in healthcare environments. He is a respected member of the healthcare design community…
Your lobby is the first place most visitors encounter. Creating the right first impression can set the tone for their experience. Art plays a pivotal role in how people respond when they enter your lobby. Architectural design creates a general feel for the space. The design itself has its own aesthetic quality. The artwork should…
How Art Led To The Creation Of Yellowstone National Park Posted by: Sarah Bierschwale on October 3, 2016 Written by: Candyce H. Stapen “The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,” Native Americans, trappers, and stalwart pioneers knew about the Yellowstone region’s amazing geysers, hot springs, rivers, bison herds, and bears long before Yellowstone became a national…
Bringing your health care brand to life within your walls can always be challenging. And with smaller patients come both greater challenges and importance in bringing your brand to life through your facilities. A pediatric care facility must balance the delivery of state of the art care with the feelings of assurance, warmth and comfort. […]…
This was a question posed by recently on the EDAC (Evidence-based Design Accreditation and Certification) LinkedIn Group page Source: Is Evidence-Based Design Dying? Copyright Image: http://henrydomke.com/index.php?module=media&pId=102&id=2616
We recently worked on a project for an organization that delivers support services for adults and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, at risk youth, and people with affordable housing needs. Their mission is to give these individuals the opportunity to live independently and to lead normal and productive lives as citizens integrated into the… | {
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Restricted "She's Out of My League" Trailer
A restricted trailer for the upcoming romantic comedy "She's Out of My League," starring Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up) and Alice Eve (Crossing Over), has appeared online. Check it out below.
Plot: Kirk (Baruchel), an average Joe, can't believe his luck. Though he's stuck in a seemingly dead-end job as an airport security agent, against all odds Molly (Eve), a successful and outrageously gorgeous babe falls for him. Kirk is stunned. So are his friends, his family and even his ex-girlfriend. Now he has to figure out how to make the relationship work, even though he's the first to admit "She's Out of My League."
The new movie is directed by Jim Field Smith, who is making his feature film debut. It is scheduled to hit theaters on March 12th.
Baruchel was also a host on PMK as well. I can't really hate on the dude because I've pretty much seen him progress from daytime kids shows to major feature films. He's doing really well for himself co-starring in roles with big names like Rogen, Stiller, RDJ & Nic Cage.
I know, I know...it's Nic Cage. The man maybe covered in financial soot now, but come on! It's Castor Muthaf*ckin' Troy!
But Trig, if you remember the asian dude in My Hometown. (Actually he was the only major asian character on the show) I use to run basketball with him in high school. I remember everytime he approached the basket and he got murdered, the opponents would talk sh*t and say, "Not in My HOMETOWN!" | {
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Identify tank mate please
Suprd71 replied the topic: Identify tank mate please
Good choice on the FX, its a beastly filter that will serve you well. I run several, no issues with any. How is it set up? I have all baskets full of ceramics, I let the stock wrap around sponges handle the mechanical. Keep all filters running for at least 3 months until the FX media can develop its own bacteria colony. | {
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Moderator
Moderator
Since its release, Song of the South has remained a subject of controversy. Some critics have described the film's portrayal of African Americans as racist and offensive, pointing out the black vernacular and other qualities as stereotypes. In addition, the plantationsetting is sometimes criticized as idyllic and glorified. Because of this controversy, Disney has yet to release Song of the South on any home video format in the United States. | {
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Texas Tech's Rashmi Teltumbde returns a shot against Iowa State during her singles match on Sunday in Lubbock. The Red Raiders claimed their first Big 12 title with a win over the Cyclones. (Zach Long)
Texas Tech's Elizabeth Ullathorne returns a shot against Iowa State during her singles match on Sunday in Lubbock. The Red Raiders claimed their first Big 12 title with a win over the Cyclones. (Zach Long)
Texas Tech's Elizabeth Ullathorne returns a shot against Iowa State during her singles match on Sunday in Lubbock. The Red Raiders claimed their first Big 12 title with a win over the Cyclones. (Zach Long)
Texas Tech's Elizabeth Ullathorne returns a shot against Iowa State during her singles match on Sunday in Lubbock. The Red Raiders claimed their first Big 12 title with a win over the Cyclones. (Zach Long)
Texas Tech's Samantha Adams and Kenna Kilgo celebrate a point against Iowa State during their doubles match on Sunday in Lubbock. The Red Raiders claimed their first Big 12 title with a win over the Cyclones. (Zach Long)
Texas Tech's Samantha Adams returns a shot against Iowa State during their doubles match on Sunday in Lubbock. The Red Raiders claimed their first Big 12 title with a win over the Cyclones. (Zach Long)
There was no need for drama at the McLeod Tennis Center on Sunday, but that was just fine with the Texas Tech women’s tennis team.
After a season full of heart-pounding comebacks and nail-biting moments, the regular-season finale against Iowa State served as a coronation, a Sunday stroll to the height of a new frontier.
The No. 19 Lady Raiders breezed past the Cyclones, 5-2, to claim the program’s first-ever Big 12 Conference title, another highlight of the best season in team history — by a long shot.
“It is just an incredible accomplishment those girls just performed,” Tech coach Todd Petty said, moments before being doused in a celebratory Gatorade bath. “I can’t be any prouder of them. This is all about them right now. They made the commitment and followed through on it, and they didn’t stop.”
Before this season, the best Tech had ever finished in the conference was fourth, and the Lady Raiders had never been to the NCAA tournament. Now, the team is the Big 12 Conference champion — it claimed the title outright hours after its own match when Texas was upset by Oklahoma State — and will make its first trip to the tournament, with a good chance to host the first and second rounds.
“That’s what’s so hard to grasp, that we’re the first ones to do this,” said junior Caroline Starck, who clinched the match for Tech when she wrapped up a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Meghan Cassens. “It’s something special that we’ll never forget, and hopefully we can keep it going.”
Tech (18-4, 8-1) marched to the Big 12 title behind breakout performances all season from newcomers and veterans alike. Four different players — Nikki Sanders, Samantha Adams, Kenna Kilgo and Starck — have won at least 20 matches (a total that includes the individuals portion of the schedule in the fall), the first time the team has accomplished that feat since 1987.
Kilgo, a freshman from Waco who spurned offers from hometown Baylor and Texas A&M to play at Tech, won her 27th match on Sunday, the most for a freshman in school history.
“These past few years, these girls have been growing as a team,” Kilgo said. “I’m just lucky enough to come in and be a part of this.”
The Lady Raiders have also received a boost from Rashmi Teltumbde, a transfer from Virginia who has combined with junior Elizabeth Ullathorne to form the Big 12’s best doubles team.
Then there is Starck, the junior from tiny Williams Bay, Wisc., who has gone from part-time tennis player in high school to one of the most decorated players in Tech history.
“It means a lot to me that these girls have put in the time,” Petty said. “This is no fluke. They started this out two years ago when this group of juniors came in, and this was something they were going to accomplish. They followed through with that.”
The Big 12 title is the first for a Tech team since the women’s cross-country team captured a championship in 2010. The Lady Raiders have experienced unprecedented success under Petty, the fourth-year coach who passed on law school to take a graduate assistant job Midwestern State.
Petty said he knew the Lady Raiders could be in for a special season when they fought back from a 3-0 deficit against then-No. 23 Ole Miss. Then the big wins kept coming. Tech opened Big 12 play with its first win against Baylor since 2002, and on April 13 the Lady Raiders topped Texas A&M in thrilling fashion for the first time since 1987, breaking a 27-match losing streak to the Aggies.
Now, Tech will be the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tournament, which begins at 9 a.m. Friday in College Station, and the Lady Raiders are excited to see just how march further the season’s wild ride can carry them.
“This is just a building block for what else we can do,” Starck said. “We have a lot of the season left, and I think we’re going to accomplish some more firsts in Texas Tech history.”
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1. Not hanging assistant coaches' livelihoods out to dry, while annually shopping for greener pastures +
2. Not demonstrating a pattern of insubordinate behavior and disloyal conduct +
3. Not scolding his players for kneeling and praying for an injured player +
4. Not recklessly leaving all negotiations in the hands of others +
5. Not limiting himself to just being a one-trick pony +
6. Living up to his full potential as a coach +
7. Winning an “OUTRIGHT” championship =
JOB STABILITY!
First and foremost congratulations to this marvelous group of female athletes who in two short years went from barely relevant to conference champions. Petty came here and said he would turn this program around: He has done that in spades. Three years ago this team was barely in the top one hundred. Two years after Petty began this team is in the top twenty in the country and the Big 12 Conference Champs. Curry, Tuberville, and Spencer should take some lessons from him.
Second, the administration seems to leave alone the programs that are not the big four (rootball, baseball, and mens and women's basketball). This might explain why mens and women's tennis and track and field teams are all top twenty teams nationally. Men's tennis came in second in the conference and beat Baylor, UT, and TAMU--all perennially ranked among the nation's best. On the other hand, women's basketball ends up second to last, Football had a losing season( if we don't count the cupcake teams before conference play), and baseball is a DISASTER. It is in last place--certainly not the condition that Hayes left the program. The alumni and students need to demand change and demand it now.
Thanks to the Lady Raider's tennis team for brining our first team conference championship to Texas Tech in several years. You exemplify team spirit, dedication, and growth. You have made your university, its students, alumni and supporters very proud. It has been a quick climb to the top--claim your place at the summit and stay there. | {
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Monday, January 31, 2011
I have spent the last week or so working on the dress I am entering in the Operation Dream Dress contest. Lots of lace. Lots of hand sewing. But it is finally starting to look like my vision!
Here is the finished sleeve. I really wasn't even sure I was going to have it there, but everyone who saw my initial sketch idea, commented on how much they like it. Now that I have the lace finished, the rest of the dress should go fairly quickly.As the theme to the contest is 'Artfully Romantic', I felt I needed to have some kind of creative/artsy application to the dress. It will be presented in some silk flowers I plan to put at the shoulder, the lace godet at the skrt, and on the sash. What makes them special, is that they will be made from some silk that I have needle felted. I have a friend who does felting with actual felt, but I had read about fleting on silk. So we started playing with her felting tools and my silk. Here is what we came up with -
Such an unusual texture! I plan to fashion flowers from this felted silk and organza, then embellish with some beading. So much for the sweet. Now for the nasty.
Last fall, my husband had gone to China for the first time. As would be expected, he bought several things to bring home. Some beautiful scarves, pearls for myself and our girls, he bought himelf an airplane model of a chinese fighter, and, well, something I really can't figure out. You have to understand that he is not a drinker - maybe a glass or 2 of wine once in a while. Thats it. And yet, he brought back an entire case (12 bottles!) of Chinese wine! And not just any wine. It is called vinegar wine. It looks like a dark beer. Smells like sour molasses, and tastes like, well, shit. Excuse my french. I could harly get a swallow down. I hate to hurt his feelings, but I really don't know how he can drink this nasty stuff. But he will have to, because I am not touching it! And there are now 12 bottles sitting in the pantry closet!
Monday, January 24, 2011
I've made a little progress on the contest dress and thought I would share, here. You still don't get to see much more than a peek here or there - but isn't anticipation half the fun?!
The dress has a single skirt godet of cream and pink beaded lace -
There will also be a lace bodice, with some pleating -
After draping the lace onto the bodice, and pinning and tacking the pleats, the lace came back off, so I can attach a layer of netting to the back of it for added strength and stability -
Using a long running stitch in a random zig-zag pattern, all across the entire piece, I hand sewed the netting to the back of the lace. This will help the lace to keep it's intended shape,and will also add strength the beaded lace.
Here you can see the pleats that have been tacked down. As this is the wrong side of the lace, the beading is not visible.
Yes, I know,this is a very strange shape! It isn't really representative of the shape of the bodice. It was draped on to the dress, and because of the beading and having to tack everything to the netting before attaching it to the bodice, some of the lace around the edge will be trimmed and cut as I sew it onto the bodice. Each bead left with in 1" of the edge will have to be re-enforced, so as to prevent a horrible disaster of bead droppings!
Friday, January 21, 2011
They are looking for new wedding gown designers to submit their original designs. I will be a bit pressed for time, but I am excited about it. My original idea feel apart when I remembered I had some beautiful lace packed away just waiting for the right dress. So I unpacked it and started playing. It only took a few minutes before I came up with my dress idea. Sketches must be submitted by the end of January. 25 finalists will be chosen to make their gowns and submit them by March 7. Then the gowns will be voted on by readers! As I said, I will be pressed for time. Because I am leaving for a trip out of town on Feb 12 and will not return until Feb 21. Which would only give me a week or so to make the gown. So, in anticipation of atleast becoming a finalist (!) I am getting a head start on the gown now!
I won't show you the sketch, but I will give you a little tease of what it looked like as I was 'playing' with the fabric and lace!
The theme of the gowns is "Artfully Romantic", so your submission needs to be relative to the theme.
You can't really tell in the photo's, but the lace has a light pink threading in it. I have used the lace before in another gown. It has pretty pearl and glass beading in it. This lace was the last of a bolt I got from Gail K's several years ago. I got the whole rest of the bolt. Couldn't resist!
The prize you ask? Well, here's the thing. I'm not thrilled with the fine print. Winner gets a check for $10,000. Sounds really great right? Except, number 1 - Big Daddy gets about 40% right off the top.
You have to give up all rights to your design. You get no residual $$ for any sold dresses. You cannot make or sell the dress yourself for profit. The dress design will not have your name on it at all. I mean - you give up ALL rights to this design you spent hours and hours creating. I'm not jazzed about that. But, then, I don't have a desire to do any mass producing anyway.
My joy comes in the creating, and though I really wish my name would stay on it, perhaps the recognition of just being in the contest would be enough. The money doesn't hurt either.
Monday, January 17, 2011
That's when it all started. The weather started comng in Sunday night, when I sat down to warm up in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine and the internet.
Did you know that Elliot Berman is now one of the merchants at PatternReveiw? Oh yeah . . .
My first purchase of the evening was this large print viscose knit. The print is bigger than I expected, but I think it will look great in a maxi dress!
2nd purchase from Elliot B,. 4 yards of pretty pink cotton stretch sateen.I've been wanting to make myself a vintagy dress with a full skirt.
This one I am disappointed in. It did not look like camo in the picture! And it supposed to be a wool jersey. But you can see through it. Very thin, very scratchy. Very ugly. Maybe I can make something for my son with it. He is the only person I know with a full appreciation of anything camoflauge!
After that fateful evening of late night internet shopping, I was homebound for 5 days, weathering the storm. I did get a ton of work done, so I won't complain. However. By Saturday, cabin fever had had it's way with me. The roads were finally clear (for the most part), and JoAnnes was having a sale. Now, I don't usually buy a lot at JoAnnes anymore, just because I can usually find such great stuff online, or I go up to Gail K's. But there was no way I was venturing into the still snow laden streets of Atlanta. And did I mention, JoAnnes was having a sale? And did I mention I went a little bit crazy?
This piece I found in the bargain bin for $4 a yard. It's a printed chiffon that will make a very pretty summery top.
Here is a gorgeous slinky fabric that I couldn't resist! A fitted wiggle dress with little cap sleeve, maybe a boatneck - line.
A lovely blue color on this stable jersey cotton knit. Bought a new pattern for this one!
So, remember a few blogs ago when I showed you the dotted swiss I had been searching for? I settled for that one. THIS is the one I had been looking for!!!I also got a light weight crepe satin and some lining to go with it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
The past 3 or 4 days have been spent in preparation of the coming winter 'storm'. Those of you in northern states laugh at our seemingly silly preparations and the joy we seem to take in them. I was once one of you! We moved here in November of 1982 (a century ago, surely), and that winter I experienced my first Georgia winter storm. I, too, laughed to see people rushing to the grocery store to stock up; buying sand bags, salt, large sheets of plastic, extra water, gas, bread, milk, oreo's and ofcourse, beer. Being from Minnesota, I found it truly unbelievable to see this near mass hysteria. Little did I know . . .
There are no snow plows in Georgia. Because, you see, Georgia rarely, if ever, gets snow. Even during the big threat of a winter storm. The real threat is ice. It comes down in needles of sleet, to cover everything it touches. Tree's will become so heavy with ice that entire tree's will topple over. Not to mention power lines. If it is outside, it will be covered in a sheet of ice. Roads become skating rinks. Outdoor furniture will resemble ice sculptures. If there is snow, it becomes a thick crust of white. It's really quite beautiful. Hard to believe it can also be so deadly.
So, when the threat looked like it may be real, this time, I began to make my own preparations. It became even more real, when I found out my DH would be gone! He tutored me Saturday, on starting and running the generator. Yes, I was one of those crazy people who ran to the grocery store for milk. And wine, ofcourse! I picked up heavy plastic to cover the big patio window (for insulation), a big new flashlight (since mine has disappeared, once again to my husbands shop), batteries, a lighter for candles, salt to melt ice on the stairs, and extra drinking water. I filled the bathtub full of water for my dogs and cats to drink, or for heating for washing. I was ready.
My husband left (Nashville, for a class he couldn't reschedule), and I settled in. The sleet began last night around 7:00. Shortly it turned to huge flakes of snow, then back to sleet. It was time to go get the generator ready - just in case. I also covered my big window with the plastic. I had made a big pot of Turkey sausage chili that I could warm in the crock pot if I had to use the generator. And I waited. Our electricity goes out at the drop of a hat. Always has, probably always will. Except, this time - it hasn't!
I woke to a slow cold drizzle of sleet and freezing rain, which covered the 1-2 inches of snow on the ground with a glaze of ice. Knowing I wouldn't be going anywhere and that nobody was coming to see me, I did the unthinkable. I stayed in my pajama's all day! I sewed in my Pajama's!! I have never done that before. It was so liberating!
I knew I had to get as much machine sewing done as possible, because the power could go at any time. I've got plenty of hand sewing to work on, should the power go out, but work that has to be done on the machine must get done first.
First, I put a lace - up back into a wedding gown -
Then I started major work on a lace gown. First, I removed 3 strips of lace and the zipper, to take it in almost 4 inches at the back -
I still need to hand sew the lace back down the center back; take it up at the shoulders -
Take it in at the bodice sides -
In at the skirt sides -
the hem -
and the bustling. Probably 2 more days. Provided I have electricity!
At 5:30 I put down my pin cushion, unplugged the iron, called for my sewing assistant, and headed back downstairs.
I was so grateful to still have power. Funny how much we depend on electricity in out lives. We take it so much for granted. Today I am very thankful for it.
I warmed up some of my chili, poured myself a glass of wine, and gave a silent toast to myself, for a good days work.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Congratulations to IowaHoodlum! You guessed 240 dresses, and you were only 8 dresses off. The actual number of dresses I worked on was 248! You will be recieving your gift in the mail, just as soon as I get your address! To all of you who chose not to participate, you have just lost out on an opportunity to win a $25.00 Visa Gift certificate to use wherever you choose!
I do think I made the hint a little too easy though! Next time it will be a little harder!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I had planned to post this first hint yesterday, but it quickly became one of those days where 6:30 PM arrived and I realized I hadn't eaten all day and only had timeto grab a very quick sandwich at Panera on my way to another appointment. Didn't get to finish the sandwich till after 9:00!!
Almost 15% of the dresses I worked on were dresses or gowns I constructed. 1/3 of the dresses I constructed were wedding gowns. I made 4 MOB dresses, 6 BM dresses, 6 Special occasion dresses, 2 Flower girl dresses and 13 garments other than for weddings.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year to everyone!! 2010 proved to be a very productive year for me. It was actually a bit of a suprise. I truly expected my business to be down a bit, because of (and I hate this phrase) 'the economy'. But my business was fine, as a matter of fact, I was busier than ever.
So - we are going to have a little contest here, to celebrate the blessings that the good Lord has bestowed upon me through my business!
The prize, you ask? Why, something wonderful of course! Something everyone can use, male or female, young or old! I promise, you won't be disappointed! But I don't want to giveit away just yet - you have to play along to find out!
Ok - here goes -
The person who can answer this question, getting the closest without going over, wins! The contest will run for one week. Today is Jan. 1, 2011, so on Jan. 7, 2011, a winner will be announced!
Here is the question -
How many dresses have I worked on this past year? This includes wedding gowns, Mother of the Brides, Bridesmaids, flowergirl, prom, everything.
I will be sending out clues during the week, maybe every other day or so, so be watching! Just come back here and post your answers in comments - make sure you leave your email or contact info !
About Me
I am a very happily married wife (35 Years - thankyou very much!), and mother of 3 grown children.
I started my alterations business in 2006; and I have worked very hard to make it into a growning business, where I now, also, do personally designed and created gowns and dresses for ladies. The running of my business consumes my every waking minute at this time in my life. Hobbies are put on the far back burner. They used to be gardening, reading, some cross-stiching and knitting.' Now I design, create and sew. I take measurements, do fittings, rip seams, and sew. When I sleep, I design, then I wake up and 'pre-create' on paper, before I create with fabric. When not working in my sewing studio, I am working on marketing in some form or another. I strive to constantly improve my skills by challenging myself often. I enjoy learning new sewing skills and techniques and consider myself advanced in my abilities. That being said, I believe there is always room to improve ones self! Though I believe the term 'couture' is much over-used in the states today, I do consider myself a couture seamstress. | {
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5 Takeaways That I Learned About Presents
Easy and Effective Tips That Will Help You Find the Best Baby Gifts Quickly
Witnessing your close friend or family member bring another life into this world is more often than not a very exciting and emotional time for most people. At such instances, you will normally be required to bring baby gifts and celebrate the life of both the baby and the mother in most societies. However, according to research done by professionals and experts in industry, most people often find it daunting and time consuming whenever they need to find and purchase baby gifts.
The main reason why most people often struggle whenever they need to find and purchase baby gifts has to be because they don’t have any experience. Millions of people have in the past been able to quickly and effectively find and purchase the best baby gifts in different parts of the world by simply considering a few professional tips and tricks from experts in the industry.
The first thing that you will need to do whenever you need to quickly find and purchase the best baby gifts has to be some basic research on the topic. The only way to know exactly what to look for in a good and effective baby gift has to be through research and that is why it is actually very important and necessary.
One of the most effective methods that anyone can use today whenever they need to quickly find and purchase the best baby gifts has to be through searching on the internet using the right keywords. Searching the internet is normally very effective mainly because there are many unique online stores that specifically stock high quality baby gifts to sell to their customers from different parts of the world. Majority of people today prefer finding and purchasing baby gifts from online stores mainly because it is faster compared to other viable alternatives. According to research done by professionals in the industry, most people that take their time to know whether or not an online store is reputable often end up getting the right baby gifts compared to that don’t.
Another effective professional tip that will come in handy whenever you need to quickly find the right baby gifts in any part of the world today has to be simply asking for referrals from people you know and trust. Going through online reviews from past customers of specific baby gifts will in the long run help you find the right baby gifts quickly. The gender of a new born baby is a very important factor that you should consider whenever you need to quickly find and purchase baby gifts. Getting a personalized baby gift that clearly shows the gender of the newborn is often a good idea that should be popularized. | {
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Thursday, November 04, 2004
The Religion of Politics
He's certainly not the only one who thinks that way. Reading the news, commentaries, political blogs, even blogs by Singaporeans, one cannot avoid the impression that Bush is somewhat of a nincompoop.
But some months ago, soon after Kerry's presidential ambitions became full-blown, I read in a Newsweek article comparing the president and the hopeful. Both were in Yale, both were in Skull and Bones. I also found out later that Bush is the only US president to have an MBA (his was from Harvard), and the only one to have CEO experience.
That's when I started wondering - are we hearing the whole story?
I voiced my thoughts to a rather insightful friend yesterday, when it became clear that Bush was likely to win. The conversation went something like this:
"How come we in Singapore keep hearing that Bush is dumb and all, and we believe it, when some other facts indicate that maybe he's really not that dumb? Somehow we hardly hear from the Bush-supporters, even though it's clear now that there are so many of them."
I further commented, "I know people who are clearly pro-Kerry, as well as who are strongly pro-Bush, and there's no way you could convince those pro-Kerry guys to vote Bush, and vice versa, no matter what the evidence." Think the Iraqi quagmire.
"Well, politics is sometimes like religion. People don't always go by the evidence."
He's right.
I've engaged in a good number of religious debates, and what I've come to realise is that logic and evidence is almost never enough to change the view of the religionist (including atheists etc), and if I probe deeper, the reason for the believer's belief is almost always profoundly personal.
The same with the strongly pro-Bush and pro-Kerry people. I remember watching BBC after the first Presidential Debate. The Bush people thought Bush had won, and the Kerry people thought that Kerry was clearly the winner. The BBC commentator couldn't commit.
Religion or politics, humans have this ability to hear and remember what they want to hear, and forget what they don't.
16 Comments:
While Bush's level of intelligence or lack thereof is not something I am optimistic about, that's not the whole point. It counts for something, but not entirely.
I am deeply fearful of a Bush presidency because if his first 4 years is any indication of what is about to come, I'm afraid, there isn't much hope to grasp onto. In 4 years, he has needlessly polarised America - Left and Right, Dem and Republican, Infidel and Supposedly Patriotic, Weak and Strong. This entire presidency has been about catering to the primordial instincts of the American people: themes including Good and Evil, vengeance, national security, the "homosexual agenda" and the "atheist agenda" and the pressing need to defend against these threats to "American values" - where anybody not with them on this, American or not, is necessarily "anti-American" and/or "activist" and/or "wants to ban the Bible".. is it starting to sound like a bad dream yet?
And for that, I would say he is not completely a nincompoop, unlike what you suggest most opposition towards him arises from. It makes him slightly less so, but still one (though one can still argue his being less of a nincompoop is due to the political smarts of people like Karl Rove and Karen Hughes).
This election was never as clear-cut as "pro-Bush" and "pro-Kerry". These two people were only the manifestations of various sets of ideals, beliefs, different ways of wanting to shape the world. My problem with Bush lies in the twin areas of "Empire" and "Morality". The first has been elaborated upon much, and people who already believe in one side of the story of Empire will not be swayed further by reason or rhetoric. "Morality", however - appears to be the guiding hand of this administration. Bush appears to believe God speaks to him. Dismantling AIDS funding to the African states currently caught up in the epidemic, and insisting the only way he will return that to them is by pushing through programs of abstinence rather than condom use; making up crazy "Bush science" in domestic affairs regarding abortion/premarital sex. It isn't religion anymore. Even if it were, he has taken the faith I (and many others) hold dear, and twisted it into a terrible dream.
I agree with what Adri said. Anyway, I don't think it's about people like us ignoring the facts that Bush may be smarter than we like to think. Four years in office as American President has provided sufficient evidence that he probably isn't. An MBA from Harvard does not a good President make.
Adri pointed out that it's not so much about wanting Kerry to win, but more like not wanting Bush to. And the fact is that America needs a new President to turn around prejudices in the Middle East. Bush is seen as a Muslim hater. Kerry will at least offer America a new start in that area; he can build new bridges with the Arab leaders, who can definitely embrace him more willingly than Bush (without turning away their own people), even if Islamic fundamentalists probably still won't.
Neither do I agree with him on moralising certain issues. But I won't go into that. For me, the opportunity to change Arab opinion is reason enough to vote Kerry in, if nothing else. The world may face a recession if Kerry comes in and reins in the economy with his protectionist stance, but the world stands to lose much more if the Arab-America polarity remains for another four years.
Actually I personally don't think that Bush is stupid, although my post certainly gives that impression.
But indeed, as Adri pointed out very insightfully, the polarisation of America is a very worrying trend. Here's an email that Andrew Sullivan received:"I am a 25 year-old gay man, and I can't even describe how saddened I am today by the re-election of President Bush and the numerous state amendments banning gay marriage that were passed on election day. I'm not really angry... just very sad and afraid. I don't know what country I live in anymore. I thought this was the land of freedom. I thought I was free to pursue my own happiness. But right now I feel like my country hates me. What is going on?"
While the guy's concern is focused on gay rights, his fears reflect many of ours, be it on big issues or small ones.
But I have come to a point where I avoid making too many judgements relating to politics. (This is why my post was merely an observation on the almost-religious fervour of the strong supporters of either side.) When it comes to politics, I've come to realise that there are too many unknowns operating behind the scenes, too much disinformation, and what we learn from the media is almost always never the complete picture (nor the complete truth). We do not have access to the reports on the president's desk every morning. We don't know about the secret agreements between governments that are happening all the time. We do not know why Bush makes certain decisions. But if we were in his position, I'm certain that many of us would make the same decisions in many cases (but certainly not all). I'm not defending Bush now, just trying to keep an open mind.
Whether the future is nauseating or not, let's leave some room for optimism. Sullivan writes:"My main fear with a Kerry victory was that the hard right would never have given him a chance in the war, and would have savaged him as commander-in-chief in order to pave the way for a victory in 2008. Ratcheting the country back to fiscal sanity would also have been a thankless task. Now, Bush will face the consequences of his own policies and we will be able to judge him on that. He has no excuses any more. I hope he succeeds in Iraq, in reforming social security. But no one should give him an easy pass if he fails. "
Personally, and despite my personal preference for that ketchup guy, I believe S'pore will be better off with Bush at the helm. Think about the FTA. I wish I'm more of an idealist than a realist, but reality sucks.
By the way, if you've been following Time, Andrew Sullivan is openly gay. There're like tonnes of what I feel is biased columns by him, and some republican dude in that mag and over the internet.
He talks about the role of "Angry White Male" in re-electing Bush.http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2004/11/politics-of-failure-have-failed-we.html
He follows it up with a post titled "How Sex Determined the Election"http://www.timboucher.com/journal/
Also, I think the polarisation is not something new. Even when Reagan was around. it was the same. The only difference perhaps is that those days we did not have blogs etc. and people living outside the US cared a bit lesser about American politics. Another older example was president Woodrow Wilson who actively promoted segregation by discouraging blacks in federal appointments. One of the nastiest thing he did was to support (even allowing a White House Screening) of DW Griffith's anti-black movie "The Birth of a Nation". This was the movie that idolised the Ku Klux Clan famous. Just like Mr. Bush he intervened in Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti sowing the seeds of anti-Americanism. And Wilson was a Democrat.
To the above comment about Sullivan's being openly gay and implied bias - I must remind you that Sullivan also happens to be a staunch conservative (in all areas other than gay rights/marriage), and backed the war, though now repentant.
I don't think his gayness ever, for a moment, misrepresented or obscured his essays through bias - the man tells it like it is. Most of the time. Is he 'biased'? You bet he is. But in no way more than any straight journalist - they have different concerns, that's all. Sometimes I feel many people call for bias because of some amount of discomfort (deliberate or not) at the openness of gay people in high places, and how much they focus on drawing attention to their cause.
I may not agree with Sullivan on many issues: but he's done an impeccable job on gay rights/marriage.
With regards to your statement, “… his gayness ever, for a moment, misrepresented or obscured his essays through bias….”, I refer you to the rather public spats between him and Pat Buchanan, exchanged vehemently through each other’s columns. I hardly think these occurences are a show of ‘impartiality in journalism’, a term which I personally feel is an oxymororn.
Having said all that, I’ll be the first to admit that I hardly qualify to make an intellectual stand on the writings of the conservative Andrew Sullivan (he’s Republican, by the way), much less the US Presidential Elections. For goodness’ sake, the highest academic qualification I can lay claim to is a mere diploma in tourism management (of all disciplines), which is surely insignificant compared to the Ph.D. in political science by the esteemed Sullivan.
I think Preetam might be right that the polarisation is nothing new; I was just thinking about it this morning. And I'm optimistic because I believe that the general direction that the US is heading is still the right one.
And whether one has a PhD in political science or Dip in tourism mgt is really not relevant - let's not fall into the typical Singaporean paper-equals-merit fallacy.
I respect Sullivan because of his intellectual rigour in general. "In general" because, while pointing out fallacies of others, he has also committed a good number of his own, but those have normally been minor and thus have discounted little from the main thrust and validity of his arguments.
But I also detect some gay-motivated bias in some of his writings (although I haven't read too much of his works). His biases seem to be on the subconscious level as I believe he makes a genuine attempt to be fair.
Anyway I'm not ready to back up my statements about him, at least not here (don't ask me why - weird reasons). If anyone really wants to interact with me on that, email me.
p.s. I'm straight, but I'm tolerant of gays, as long as the male ones keep their hands off my butt! =)
Digression? heh...What I'm wondering about is a gay's view on abortion =)It's almost like me and my buddy when we were in pri 2 furiously debating over Ferrari vs Lamborghini - totally inconsequential.Or maybe it's more like Singaporeans arguing over Bush vs Kerry - inconsequential on the surface, but with deep implications...
adrian said... Adri pointed out that it's not so much about wanting Kerry to win, but more like not wanting Bush to.
That's exactly why Kerry lost. People saw him as an entity relative to Bush, not as an entity of his own.
If the choice has been 'Vote Bush In' or 'Vote Bush Out', then more people who would make the former choice will turn out to vote than people who'd make the latter choice. That's also why the Idol competitions have people vote their favorites in, and not vote the bad ones out. | {
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SMITE's Nu Wa uses the elements to smi... crush her enemies
Elemental mage-lovers have a new champion for their cause in Nu Wa, SMITE's guardian of heaven.
Nu Wa is a half-human, half-snake master of elemental forces. She harnesses the powers of earth, water, fire, etc., to attack from a strategically safe distance. Some of Nu Wa's powers include throwing down a fog to stealth allies, summoning clay soldiers, launching a flame strike on a flammable foe, and casting the pillars of heaven to create an electrical field.
Today's update also includes an optional Amethust Nu Wa skin, a revamp to the friends UI, and an improved beginner tutorial. You can check out Nu Wa's backstory and powers in her official video reveal after the break along with plenty of giant tortoise mutilation and gratuitous cleavage. | {
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Quality Certification Program
For constant improvement of ALTIX-Automatech™ equipment, the "Altitude 10 888" Quality Certification Program has been developed in order to optimize Altix equipment quality & reliability and minimize installation time and improve Customer satisfaction.
Altitude 10 888 Quality Certification Program, driven by Customer Satisfaction defines rules in order to manufacture an error free product. In addition to this comprehensive program, effective real testing of the equipment are carried out to check the machine ability to produce according to the customer specifications. | {
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Make it yourself. Make it your own.
Moving Sale Week 2 – Save Big on My Books and Thread!
Did you take advantage of last week’s inaugural moving sale? I’m overlapping the sales a little each week, so you can still get all PDF patterns for just $5.95 through 12/31/18.
House Update
I hope you had a wonderful holiday! We are knee deep in preparations to move and as you can imagine, many of our Christmas presents involved trips to Ikea and gift cards to the home improvement store! Our closing date is set for Jan 2nd and reality is now beginning to set in.
My daughter chose a new Ikea bedroom set for Christmas and said she’s never too old for pink.Thank goodness it will be my husband’s job to assemble it when we move!
So now it’s time for furniture shopping, picking out paint colors and figuring out where the current furnishings will fit. During my non-sewing time I’ve been doing quite a bit of planning and measuring. I’m approaching our upcoming move very similar to how I plan a quilt: sketch out ideas, play with colors, and get the layout finalized before the big project commences.
For each room, I’ve sketched out a floor-plan to scale using graph paper. This is helping me figure out where the furniture will fit and is very similar to how I plan a quilt!
Fortunately we have a month or two to fix up the new place and move in before we need to sell our current home, but I know that time will fly by quicker than I’d like.
Moving Sale – NO Coupon REquired!
So each week I’ll be having a different sale on my Christa Quilts branded products. Not only will this give us a little extra $$ for moving expenses, but it will also reduce the amount of physical inventory we will need to move. So think of your purchase as doing double duty: you can pick up something great for yourself AND help out our family at the same time!
My Books Are on Sale Through January 4, 2019
Now is a great time to stock you library with all of my books.If you have all 3, you can pick up an extra copy for a friend.
The regular retail price of my books is between $26.99 to $29.99 so this is one heck of a deal! I have several boxes full of each title so that I always have plenty to bring with me to teaching events. But each one weighs over 50 pounds and that’s a lot to move. I’d rather ship them to you instead!
Save Big on My Thread Collections
All 3 of my Aurifil thread sets include 12 spools of 50 weight 100% cotton, that are perfect for piecing and quilting. They retail for $130 or more for the set. Each individual spool sells for $12-$14 so this is probably the biggest deal of the year!! Get them from me for 1 week only for just $94.95 each + $5 us shipping. I’m happy to ship internationally, too!
3 thoughts on “Moving Sale Week 2 – Save Big on My Books and Thread!”
What fun to be planning your new home. Your are proceeding just as I would expect, in an organized way. I am enjoying looking over your shoulder. And yes, I agree with your daughter, she will never be too old for pink. My granddaughter is 30 and she chose pink and black for her baby daughter’s room. | {
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Received Pronunciation
Kate Middleton is posher than Wills, Wills is posher than Posh, Posh is posher than Becks, Becks is posher than…well, than people who say “fooot” instead of “fut.” Or “oweld” instead of “eweld.” Obviously. | {
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Movie Night
Mark down on your calendars! Saturday September 24 is Montgomery PTA’s Annual Free Movie Night! Festivities for the entire family start at 6:00. Bring a picnic dinner, blankets, and chairs and settle in for the movie to start at dusk, typically around 8 pm. Please contact Susan Oh if you’d like to volunteer or help plan Movie Night. | {
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VS Motorsports converts a E46 M3 SMG transmission to manual as a solution rather than buying a new hydraulic pump
The E46 M3 SMG (sequential manual gearbox) is basically the exact same thing as the manual transmission except with a hydraulically actuated shifting mechanism. The hydraulic pump can fail and VS Motorsports states the replacement cost is $2500 (a bit high) from BMW. Regardless, many people have wondered how much it would cost to simply switch an SMG to manual as well as how difficult it would be. VS Motorsports answers the latter below with an SMG to manual swap.
"If you are looking to get the manual swap done, we finished the swap for our good customer and now have the information that many people could not find. We now know without a doubt this can be done, what parts are needed, and what software to get. Having the manual will give you the piece of mind for no more guessing what the problems are, no more replacing smg relays, hydraulic pumps. accumulators, re setting smg adaptations, and worry about smg issues.
What you will need.
-You will need either a manual transmission or just the bell housing off a manual car. (Some people have machined the smg bell housing and inserted the necessary parts from the manual cars but we have not done this and you could run the risk of machining the bell housing wrong and then you are stuck. Then still have to buy a new bell housing or transmission.)
Transmission with the bell housing off
Inside the SMG Bell Housing:
Install the necessary parts missing on a SMG car that a Manual has. We have the list already and know what needs to be ordered. Some of these parts can be upgraded to aftermarket such as the shifter (short shifter), Clutch slave cylinder line, shift boot, etc. Also this is the perfect time to replace the clutch, upgrade clutch or change flywheel.
Manual Shift lever installed.
Updated Software to have the car recognize that it is now a manual. This will turn off the gear indicator and the SMG fault code lights.
Picture of the SMG indictors off.
Lastly you will lose your neutral safety switch and cruise control. Only way to make them work is for us to build a harness to the DME since there is no harness to purchase from BMW. This would take a lot of time for us to do on the first car. So instead of doing that we can delete the neutral safety switch. By doing this it means the car will not have cruise control, and the car could potential start in gear. You will need to take extra precaution to make sure not start the car in gear or it can jump forward/backwards potential hitting a car in front or behind you. "
So the limitation for the E46 SMG is the hydraulic pump? Can that trans hold a lot of power otherwise?
transmission is the same. as far as the pump i dunno.
im on 17k boosted with my smg and others have thousands more miles than i but it appears to be luck of the draw. i know a few boosted guys get issues right out of the gate with the smg system.
fwiw - i bought a complete smg unit prior to turbo with this sort of issue in mind.
VS Motorsports does most of the work on my car and I can say they are have a very knowledgable staff. The best part is that they daily drive and competitively race E46 M3s. This definitely made my search for another used E46 M3 a little easier. I often find very clean SMG E46s but I just really dislike the way it shifts. It's good knowing that there's still an alternative route.
VS Motorsports does most of the work on my car and I can say they are have a very knowledgable staff. The best part is that they daily drive and competitively race E46 M3s. This definitely made my search for another used E46 M3 a little easier. I often find very clean SMG E46s but I just really dislike the way it shifts. It's good knowing that there's still an alternative route.
It is just difficult to find a buyer for a vehicle that has been converted. One call to a dealer and they'll know what options it came with. So really you need to do it right and document the process, so you can show a buyer that the conversion was done properly.
Originally Posted by Sticky
How difficult was it to machine the bellhousing and was that cheaper than buying a manual one?
Machining the bellhousing was not difficult, just not precise. I have some pictures here that show what needs to be done.
To be clear, this is the only difference between an SMG and a manual transmission. The purpose of these additional parts on the manual transmission is to provide gearshift centering. Without these detents, the shifter could flop around between the 1-2 gate and the 5-6 gate with no resistance, and it would be extremely easy to accidentally shift into reverse.
To do the conversion, simply bore those two holes into the bellhousing to install the detents. There are marks in the bellhousing casting that can be a rough guide. These holes will need grooves for snap rings on the outside. Also, the dowel that the spring rests on must be fabricated and installed, as it is not available for purchase.
It is just difficult to find a buyer for a vehicle that has been converted. One call to a dealer and they'll know what options it came with. So really you need to do it right and document the process, so you can show a buyer that the conversion was done properly.
Machining the bellhousing was not difficult, just not precise. I have some pictures here that show what needs to be done.
To be clear, this is the only difference between an SMG and a manual transmission. The purpose of these additional parts on the manual transmission is to provide gearshift centering. Without these detents, the shifter could flop around between the 1-2 gate and the 5-6 gate with no resistance, and it would be extremely easy to accidentally shift into reverse.
To do the conversion, simply bore those two holes into the bellhousing to install the detents. There are marks in the bellhousing casting that can be a rough guide. These holes will need grooves for snap rings on the outside. Also, the dowel that the spring rests on must be fabricated and installed, as it is not available for purchase. | {
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Is your organization prepared for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
If your company does business in Europe, you’ll need to be aware of this new privacy law, which is set to bolster data protections for individuals living within the European Union (EU) starting on May 25, 2018.
The GDPR introduces several specific rights for EU residents, such as the right to access their personal data, correct inaccuracies in their data, erase data, object to the processing of their data, and to obtain a copy of their data. It aims to ensure that personal data is protected no matter where it’s sent, processed, or stored.
For your organization, this means taking a fresh look at how you control exposure to personal data, employ security mechanisms to protect personal data, detect and notify supervisory authorities of breaches within a timely manner, keep records of data-processing activities, and document risks and security measures.
The cost of non-compliance is high, reaching up to €20 million or 4 percent of the worldwide annual revenue of the prior fiscal year, whichever is higher.
06
Mar
Looking to transform your business by improving your on-premises environments, accelerating your move to the cloud, and gaining transformative insights from your data? Here’s your opportunity to learn from the experts and ask the questions that help your organization move forward.
Join us for one or all of these training sessions for a deep dive into a variety of topics, including products like SQL Server 2017, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Cosmos DB, along with Microsoft innovations in artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and big data.
SQL Server 2017
It’s all about choice. Now, you have the flexibility of leveraging SQL Server 2017’s industry-leading performance and security wherever you like—whether that’s on Windows, Linux, or Docker containers. We’re hosting two training sessions this month to help you learn more about the many exciting features of SQL Server 2017.
Automated tuning features such as Adaptive Query Processing and Automatic Plan Correction for faster, more consistent performance. Advanced security features such as encryption at rest and in use, dynamic data masking, and row-level
24
Feb
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sql_server_team/sql-server-replication-enhancement-dynamic-reloading-of-agent-profile-parameters/Source: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sql_server_team/sql-server-replication-enhancement-dynamic-reloading-of-agent-profile-parameters/ With SQL Server 2017 Cumulative Update 3, we introduced an improvement to SQL Server Replication wherein, changes to the Replication agent parameters can be reloaded dynamically, without having to restart the agent. This improvement will be available READ MORE
21
Feb
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2018/02/21/announcing-a-new-update-for-mssql-cli-special-commands/Source: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dataplatforminsider/2018/02/21/announcing-a-new-update-for-mssql-cli-special-commands/ This post is authored by Alan Yu, Program Manager, SQL Server. We have released our first major update for mssql-cli since our recent Public Preview announcement in December. You can view the public preview announcement here. READ MORE
SSMS 17.5 provides support for almost all feature areas on SQL Server 2008 through the latest SQL Server 2017, which is now generally available.
In addition to enhancements and bug fixes, SSMS 17.5 comes with several exciting new features:
Data Discovery and Classification is a new feature for discovering, classifying, labeling and reporting sensitive data in your databases. Query Editor now has support for a SkipsRows option for the Delimited Text External File Format for Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Showplan has enabled the display of estimated plan button for SQL Data Warehouse.
SSMS 17.5 also includes key bug fixes to Showplan, Query Editor, SMO, and Templates, which can be found in the Release Notes.
Data Discovery and Classification
SQL Data Discovery and Classification introduces a new tool built into SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for discovering, classifying, labeling and reporting the sensitive data in your databases.
Discovering and classifying your most sensitive data (business, financial, healthcare, PII, etc.) can play a pivotal role
SSMS 17.5 provides support for almost all feature areas on SQL Server 2008 through the latest SQL Server 2017, which is now generally available.
In addition to enhancements and bug fixes, SSMS 17.5 comes with several exciting new features:
Data Discovery and Classification is a new feature for discovering, classifying, labeling and reporting sensitive data in your databases. Query Editor now has support for a SkipsRows option for the Delimited Text External File Format for Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Showplan has enabled the display of estimated plan button for SQL Data Warehouse.
SSMS 17.5 also includes key bug fixes to Showplan, Query Editor, SMO, and Templates, which can be found in the Release Notes.
Data Discovery and Classification
SQL Data Discovery and Classification introduces a new tool built into SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) for discovering, classifying, labeling and reporting the sensitive data in your databases.
Discovering and classifying your most sensitive data (business, financial, healthcare, PII, etc.) can play a pivotal role
20
Feb
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sql_server_team/more-showplan-enhancements-udfs/Source: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sql_server_team/more-showplan-enhancements-udfs/ As I mentioned on yesterday’s post, with the recent release of SQL Server 2017 CU3, we released yet more showplan enhancements: you can see other posts related to showplan enhancements here. In this article I’ll talk about READ MORE
19
Feb
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sql_server_team/more-showplan-enhancements-row-goal/Source: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/sql_server_team/more-showplan-enhancements-row-goal/ As I shared before, we have been working for over a year to make showplan the one-stop-shop for query performance analysis and troubleshooting (as much as possible). With the recent release of SQL Server 2017 CU3, we READ MORE
SQL Operations Studio is a data management tool that enables you to work with SQL Server, Azure SQL DB and SQL DW from Windows, macOS and Linux. To learn more, visit our GitHub.
SQL Operations Studio was announced for Public Preview on November 15th at Connect(), and this February release is the third major update since the announcement. If you missed it, the January release announcement is available here.
The February release includes several major repo updates and feature releases, including:
We want to use the February Insiders builds to test the auto-update feature. The 0.26.2 build will be released as an auto-update to 0.26.1 (assuming there are no issues that require publishing a new build to successfully support auto-update). | {
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ItsMyURLs for iPhone® Keeps You Connected With Others Across All Apps and Platforms
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ItsMyURLs released ItsMyURLs for iPhone® recently in the US App Store. ItsMyURLs has expanded its popular web app into the mobile space.
It's never been easier to find and connect with people on their profiles.
Awesome, it's such a great tool and app for today's social media and networking. -Front Street Management
Boston, MA (PRWEB)October 04, 2016
ItsMyURLs is the only mobile app whose main purpose is to allow others to find and connect with each other on any social platform or mobile app. There is no simpler way for others to connect with one another or for them to connect with others on all of the many social media platforms available.
Having to navigate through endless social media profiles to get connected with others has now been drastically reduced by the release of ItsMyURLs for iPhone. ItsMyURLs will be releasing a version for Android in the coming weeks as well.
ItsMyURLs gives direct access to one's online presence. It's extremely easy to set up a profile and add app and social profiles. By integrating ItsMyURLs success from the web space into the mobile space, ItsMyURLs for iPhone has a major advantage as they have over 50 million people using their service already. The Thousands of celebrities, youtubers, stars, icons, athletes, and other influential people who use ItsMyURLs will help bring their followers to the iPhone app.
ItsMyURLs Features
Add all app and social profiles easily to one ItsMyURLs profile.
Connect with others on every single app and social profile they have within one touch from their ItsMyURLs.
Follow others on ItsMyURLs to get notifications when they add a new profile to their online presence.
Find interesting celebrities, businesses, media platforms, and others on the "Trending Profiles" section of the app.
ItsMyURLs for iPhone takes advantage of iOS' "Universal Links" technology which will open up the specific app for the link that's chosen, inside that app (as long as that app is installed on your iPhone), otherwise, it will open on via the web browser. For example, by going to Hip Hop Superstar "Raekwon's" ItsMyURLs profile, and selecting his instagram, the instagram app on your iPhone will seamlessly open up directly to Raekwon's instagram profile.
Pricing and Availability
ItsMyURLs is available on the App Store for free. ItsMyURLs is designed for iPhone. ItsMyURLs requires iOS 7.0 or newer. | {
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Cartagenacaribe.com Reverse IP / Reverse DNS lookup results
Our reverse IP / reverse DNS lookup tool is an easy way to view websites hosted on a given IP address.
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It is 12:32 AM CEST when you ran this reverse IP report for Cartagenacaribe.com here on our website, IP-Adress.com. When it comes to Cartagenacaribe.com you can trust that if we have reverse IP information available for it, we will display it further below to assist in your research of Cartagenacaribe. Feel free to run another search for Cartagenacaribe.com or a different search.
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The reverse IP report forCartagenacaribe.com was ran at 12:32 AM CEST on August 3, 2015 and the information is provided below if available. | {
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One rule that should definitely be included is ‘don’t betray your best friend and break my heart.’ Then maybe Kevin Owens turning on Chris Jericho could’ve been averted. After being taken to hospital – wait, my bad…*consults WWE Rule Book*…a local medical facility – Y2J has made his first post on social media since the vicious beat down, sharing an image of better times at the start of the Festival of Friendship, with the caption “Pre-betrayal…WWERedWedding”.
That’s not the only Game of Thrones reference going around in WWE at the moment. Speaking on AfterBuzzTV, Lana has revealed her Dolph Ziggler romance storyline from 2015 was actually based on Cersei Lannister, as Vince McMahon is such a big fan of the show.
Vince infamously watches hardly anything outside of his own WWE product, so it’s very peculiar to find out he keeps up with Game of Thrones. I mean, apart from the occasional hardcore match and Braun Strowman lookalike, there’s nothing wrestling-based in there that would appeal to hi-
The newest addition to the WWE roster Samoa Joe has spoken to Eyes on the Game about how his good friend CM Punk reacted to him getting the call up:
“I remember for years he was championing my cause for coming to WWE, and to see me now he was like ‘oh, of course, the minute I’m gone, you’re here now.’ Between me and him, it’s always been a very interesting relationship. We’re kind of like brothers that fight all the time.”
Hornswoggle used to be very friendly with Punk, but the two have since fallen out. In a shoot interview with the excellent KayFabe Commentaries, the ex-WWE star has explained what happened, as transcribed by WrestleZone:
“I am not in touch with [CM Punk] today because I offended him. I asked for a phone number of a mutual friend that we have from him, which is odd because it wasn’t like he didn’t like the person. He’s still best friends with that person today. He saw it as me using him, we were best friends on the road together for years, but not anymore.”
When asked who Hornswoggle has the most heat with in WWE, he answered:
“Just CM Punk being a dickhead. I never called him out on it, it wasn’t worth it, I just didn’t care anymore to call him out on it. For a while, we were very close, though.”
Matt Morgan wrestled for WWE from 2003-2005 and for TNA from 2007-2013, with a one off match in 2015 before announcing his retirement. But going by his recent Instagram post, The Blueprint might be returning to wrestling. Where exactly, I have no idea, because he name-drops practically every major promotion. | {
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I love these Amoji Masks, ubiquitous Asian digital art reinterpreted through African analog tradition by young contemporary artists. Via @artafrica_mag: ART AFRICA is proud to share our exciting new discovery – Toufic Beyhum (@touficbeyhum), an inspiring photographer, who’s work features on the cover of our DESTINATION HAPPINESS themed, June 2018 print edition. ‘Amoji Masks’ was inspired by the ever-increasing connectivity across the African continent, and the inevitable clash between modern and traditional cultures. Beyhum commissioned young, Namibian artists to recreate familiar emojis in an ‘African mask’ style using both recycled and traditional Namibian materials.
naheliegend: afrikanische masken x emojis 💖 ・・・#Repost@artafrica_mag ・・・ ‘Amoji Masks’ was inspired by the ever-increasing connectivity across the African continent, and the inevitable clash between modern and traditional cultures. Beyhum commissioned young, Namibian artists to recreate familiar emojis in an ‘African mask’ style using both recycled and traditional Namibian materials.
Does a cupcake #emojifondanttopper qualify me to wish and celebrate #worldemojiday2018 ???? 😝😝😝😝😝😜😜😜😜😂😂😂😂😍😍😍😍😘😘😘😘🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈💃💃💃 Logged into Instagram after a long time and I realized scrolling after few posts that it was #worldemojiday few days back and many cake artist across the globe celebrated world emoji day by sharing their creations.... Ya...yaaa.. as usual...😕😐😐😑😑😑 I lost count of my "days" to celebrate after my belated #worldchocolateday post here comes my belated #worldemojiday post😎🙈🙈🙈 Scrolling through my phone gallery.... I realized I never baked an emoji theme cake or cupcakes or cookies up untill now..( sad feeling😓 let's use an emoji here to show how sad I am 😔) Continuing the narration.... Where was I???🤔🤔🤔🤔 ...... Haannnn......😕😕 Never baked anything "Emoji" themed😭😭😭😭 But few months back I made this cute little cupcake topper for a friend of mine 😊😊... And scrolling this picture in my gallery saved me from feeling pathetic about myself 🙈 that at least I can wish and celebrate #worldemojiday with this smiley 😊 Phew 😪 I have something to share. 😜 Hurreyyyyy💃💃💃 This is a fondant cupcake topper minus the cupcake😂😂😂😂😝😝😝😝😝 #Happyworldemojiday people....😍😍😍😍 Here's my share for the celebration....😝😝😜😜😍😍😍😘😘😘😊😊😊😊 What emojis do you use often while you chat?? Sharing my top three emojis that are a regular on my chats 😂 🙈😬 ( can I add one more emoji here?? Please? 😘) Share your top three emojis in the comments section below👇... would love to see 😘😘 #worldemojiday#emojismakeschatsalive#smileyemoji#fondanttopper#cupcaketopper#emojis#dubaibakers#discoverygardens#discoverygardens1#swethashastri#3cscakescookiesndconfectionery
Follow me on Instagram @ swetha_shastri
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curated by @motherland.ch 👑 ・・・#Repost@artafrica_mag ・・・ ”People are constantly looking down at their phones, constantly on their WhatsApp or social media – and I wanted to present traditional African culture, and mix it with the emoji. Basically, I’ve combined African masks and emojis, using everyday materials.” CAPTION: ‘Amoji, Flexed Bicep’, 2017-18. Archival print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper. | {
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Culpeper: Town takes aim at foraging deer on farmland February 2, 2012 Virginia
Town ordinance currently allows all of its residents to shoot at varmints ... Deer would be included among such vermin in the ordinance ... Virginia State Code 29.1-529 permits the shooting of deer on land that is zoned agricultural and is at least five acres in size — if the deer are damaging crops or creating other hazards ...
These articles have been reviewed for relevance and content. Some links to the original article may no longer be active. | {
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Anchor Links with a Fixed Header
I ran into an issue recently where I wanted to use anchors to jump to different sections within a long web page. The problem was every time I clicked the page would jump, but a fixed header would cover part of each section’s content.
After a bit of searching, some trial and error, a simple HTML adjustment and a bit of CSS and the problem was solved.
The Setup and the Problem
I started with a header that was set up like so: (styles inlined for clarification)
<div class="header" style="position: fixed; top: 0;"></div>
Near the top of the page was an unordered list that contains the anchor links:
Now as you can see, I started with adding the IDs to each section. This is when I noticed that clicking on one of the anchor links would actually cause the page to jump to the right section, but some of the content in the section would get covered by the header which is fixed and stays at the top of the page when scrolling occurs.
To overcome the issue a minor HTML adjustment was made and a small amount of CSS was also added to bring it all together.
The Solution That Worked
First, I moved the id’s of each section to a new element: (a span in this case)
The new <span> elements were added right above each section and would serve as the new anchor point. I’m not the biggest fan of empty elements on a page, but it does address the issue.
Once the new <span> elements were in place, a bit of CSS was added:
The height and margin-top numbers are based on the height of the header. Using the Chrome developer tools, this number is easy to figure out.
After these simple adjustments, it was time to jump back in the browser and test it out. Clicking the anchor link jumped down the page and the <span> corrected the space for the header and voilà – The page now jumps correctly!
Well, it sorta works…. what I want to do now is take the huge space out between each of my anchor points. it seems to put a header height space between each section, which is no good for what I am doing.
Greetings! This is my first comment here so I just
wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading through your articles.
Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the
same subjects? Thank you so much!
This was truly a meaningful post. Three cheers to you man !!
I was struggling for past 2 hours on this topic and was not able to find any clue on how to do it in simple measure. Your answers was Bull’s eye , straight to the goal.
Thank you kind sir, one correction though, for the sake of people that will copy-paste your code, please correct the commented part of the anchor css class like this:
.anchor {
display: block;
height: 115px; /* same height as header */
margin-top: -115px; /* same height as header */
visibility: hidden;
}
I wanted to thank you for this awesome solution.
I had the same problem working on a chm help file months ago.
That time this it solved my problem, BUT now another
problem emerged out of the HTML bag.
and that’s when you have to refer to an inline position.
I mean something like this for example:
Something and Anything something else . . .
This work around causes “something else” to be rendered to a new line and
that’s another problem, that I believe is because of “display:block”.
Thanks! This was driving me crazy and your solution is simple and effective. I’d be interested to know what a more “semantic” solution would be, without an empty span, but at this point I’m just happy to have it finally working.
Hello
Just wanted a say a huge thank you for this, I was beginning to think I would never work this one out without making a big mess. I can go away for Christmas now with a smile on my face, thank you so much.
Diane
The same bug appears when finding a page with Ctrl+F: the found text would be under the header.
One have to search and then scroll a little bit up to see the highlighted result…
Did you find a solution for this problem?
Very nice! The only problem I have is when using the CSS :target selector. Now it will affect the invisible span instead of the invisible element. I guess it’s more a Javascript problem now. Good job anyway!
Hi there,
I have a menu item that links to an anchor. When I’m on the same page as the anchor and I click the menu item, it takes me to the place I want and nothing is hidden behind the fixed header. When I’m on a different page, however, and I click the same menu item, I’m taken to the place in the text but the top portion is hidden behind the fixed header. This means that the fix above (and any other fix I can think of) will work correctly if I’m coming from another page, but if I’m coming from the same page it will create a space at the top when I navigate to the anchor. Do you have any idea how to fix this?
Sorry, didn’t work straight out of the box, have a feeling its conflicting somewhere, I did not change any of your variables, simply placed the css in my css file, and the span tags above the section i wanted to anchor to, and when i clicked the menu item, the page just scrolled to the top. I can see this as a great solution, however it did not work for me :/
Works perfectly!
After days of nothing a step forward thanks your advice! Thanks a million!!!!
Tried with IE11, Firefox, Chrome, in a pc, and in Firefox, Opera, and Safari in a Mac : It’s work on all of them!
Hi, I have tried this, but did’t work for me. When I click on the hyperlink ‘link’ e.g. ‘Partners’ to jump to the partner section, the “#partner” hashtag is added to the URL but the page does not load, I then click on the refresh button in the browser (chrome) and it loads. need some help. thank you.
THANKS!!!! So simple… Also to make different on mobile you could add something like
@media only screen and (max-width: 700px){
.anchor{
display: block;
height: 80px; /*same height as header*/
margin-top: -80px; /*same height as header*/
visibility: hidden;
}
}
See the result at my site @ http://sharkt.ca/services/local-seo-canada/ I’m currently doing a mobile version of my site so whit this CSS on top i get the exact result I want. THX a million time.
I have a problem that I have the half fixed jejeje the anchor works perfectly as the way you helped us but…. It doesnt math when you put on the menu the #section… it does the same problem at the beggining, if you check my website you can discover what i am talking about, press “uno” in the menu at the top… but dont scroll down and you will see… but if you scroll down a bit and the you press “uno”it will match perfectly… do you know why?
So, I this solution didn’t work for me… I am trying to find a solution where it doesn’t matter how tall the “fixed” element is but that the section always appears underneath it. I say this because this menu is expandable and will change heights based on different window sizes.
Work great ! But one doubt regarding SEO. As anchor links are very usefull to give strength to the keyword used. would it be harmful for SEO to put the anchor on the wrong element (element above the position the anchor should be) ?
Would be even better to use a trick to be able to keep the anchor position…
I used your trick on my website.
NB: in my case i had to adjust the sized of the invisible span to the screen (desktop or smartphone), and also to add an extra margin to the header (only once become sticky – as the relative position on the page move as well…)
Although, I came here looking for a different problem: I’m building a nav-bar of anchor links that should stick on left of my page id desktop view. Problem is that when I use position:fixed (or absolute), links become unclickable. Have you seen this problem too?
Thank you so much for this simple solution! In a wordpress theme using themefusion – I added your .anchor css code to the code section of the page, then created a menu anchor element calling the CSS class: anchor. Then fiddle with the header sizing (mine was closer to 310px) – worked a charm!
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Welcome to the Teaching & Learning website of KDU Penang University College!
At KDU Penang University College, we put much effort in creating an environment that is conductive to student learning. We strongly believe that everyone can learn and that the environment plays a very critical role in helping shape the learning.
To accomplish this, we pay great attention to the quality of our academic programmes, the quality of our academic staff and the quality of student learning. These three areas are continually monitored and evaluated, thereby enabling a system that continually improves the high quality of the teaching and learning environment at KDU.
There is great emphasis to ensure the careful planning and the proper implementation of the four prongs of the educational map – curriculum design, instructional design and delivery, assessments, and evaluation and continuous-quality-improvement. All these four prongs of teaching and learning are emphasized to ensure that the lecturers are well-trained, so that they deliver classes which are engaging and student-centred, that enable and enhance students’ learning through the provision of active-learning activities, and thus, help students achieve the intended learning outcomes across a variety of domains.
The Teaching & Learning Centre (TLC) plays an important role in achieving this goal by promoting teaching and learning excellence. Hence, you will find that the various resources we provide here are geared towards this emphasis.
Under each of the areas of the website, there is introductory text, which outlines the content and domain of that area. You may wish to browse through that first to determine the areas of interest to you. To access the introductory text, just click on each of the main areas.
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The carbon budgets inquiry will examine how well the budgets recommended by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) correspond to the emissions reductions required by countries such as the UK to limit global warming to 2oC, the Government's target for "avoiding dangerous climate change". The inquiry will look at the two suggested targets for 2020, and how these would affect the trajectory required to meet the UK's target for 2050. The Committee will examine the implications of the latest developments in climate science for carbon budgeting policy. | {
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Who We Help
We understand the unique challenges facing your industry and event. We have extensive experience working on association meetings, sports events, government meetings, trade shows, niche events and many other unique events with organizations like yours.
Our team has decades of experience planning and executing events in your industry for audiences like yours. And our size and scope allows our teams working around the world to share best practices and insights with each other. That means you get the best of both worlds: deep knowledge of your industry and the best insights from other industries to make your event an exceptional experience. | {
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If you’re a precision shooter- hunting, competitive, or military, accuracy is everything. Dimitri Mikroulis has created a reticle that is far and away above the rest: the ACSS (Advanced Combat Sighting System).
How did he get here?
As a kid, he had a pellet gun. Uh,oh that spells trouble. One day he shot a bird with it. He usually just shot at “whatever.” His grandmother grabbed him by the ear, dragged him off, picked up the bird and cooked it.
“It really wasn’t too bad.”
Dimitri eventually started up in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). “I spent 20 years hurting my body,” he told us. But then…he transitioned into shooting. And this is where he shines.
He doesn’t think he’s a genius, but when one person can see things that others don’t…that’s pretty smart. About 10 years ago, Dimitri began an operational study to “Find out what was out there.” He believed he could increase the hit ratio by designing a reticle that helped the shooter with both distance and wind.
“I gathered info on ballistics, reloading, ranging formulas, what parameters and attributes are needed by our soldiers to improve lethality.”
Being “cream of the crop” has also caused people to rip off his designs in some manner. Add to that, bureaucracy has been one of his biggest problems in dealing with the military. He says he’s spent a lot of time chasing people down to get them to listen to him. But as you will see from the videos below, his ability and knowledge of the influences on shooting is sharper than your average math-challenged citizen.
Any branch can access his designs free – they are open source. About 5,000 to 6,000 scopes go out per month.
ACSS Reticle Advanced Combat Sighting System
Reticle means a series of fine lines or fibers in the eyepiece of an optical device (such as a rifle scope) used as a measuring scale or an aid in locating objects. For a shooter, wind speed and distance are important factors. Dimitri’s reticle, the ACSS takes care of both of those situations at once.
Gen 2- the ACSS Aurora
Built in range finders for center mass, full height and half size.
BDC in 50m increments out to 800m
5-10 mph wind holds
Built in leads
The ACSS AURORA was specifically designed for military use. Dimitri is the patent holder of all the ACSS and other reticles.
The following videos are both informational and include a testimonial. The first two are about the Gen 1 ACSS and the last one references the Gen 2 ACSS Aurora.
I'm a published author of 3 in-print creative nonfiction books: Dog Paw Chronicles- Life Journeys, Whispers of Heaven, and Bobby Convict - I've written numerous short stories in anthologies, blogs and editorials. I've been working at Uncle Sam's Misguided Children since 2013. I have two degrees in Criminal Justice and worked for over 31 years at a local police department. I am a patriotic American. | {
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Welcome to the Holiday Gift Guide 2014 Giveaway!
The holiday season is all about giving, although the receiving part is pretty fun too! These wonderful sponsors below want you to have the opportunity to win a holiday gift! Whether you decide to give it away or keep it for yourself is totally up to you, but you can’t win if you don’t enter! With all these cool prizes, you will love your 2014 holiday gift guide! Happy Holidays and enjoy great gifts!
Giveaway is open to US Residents only. Giveaway begins on 11/15 and will end at 11:59pm CST on 11/30!
7 Lucky winners will win the above prizes!
Disclaimer: Work Money Fun and the hosts/cohosts for this giveaway are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Prizes are to be fulfilled by the sposnor. Winners will be chosen and notified via email. Winners will have 48 hours to respond to the email or they will forefit their prize and a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associaled, administered or endorsed by Facebook and is Facebook compliant.
Everything for any holiday is done at our home , and when I say every holiday that is what it is. We enjoy it very much with on an average of 20 people for each. We would like one time to just maybe hide for a holiday period, but we both admitted we would miss it. | {
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Archive for January, 2012
At this point, I would normally say that I’m happy to be 3/4 done with the MBA program…..but I technically already finished last spring. I completed all 54 credits and required courses a semester early!
However, rather than take a trip to Hawaii and eat loco moco and poi all the time, I’ve decided to stay in crab country in Maryland. Why? Because there’s still more to learn of course! I’ve gained a great deal from the past year and a half and have met many wonderful people, yet I still don’t feel like I’m ready to identify myself as an MBA.
A Final Semester Focused on Skills and Experiential Learning
There are a few key classes I’ve been looking forward to in this program, which I will be taking this final semester:
Technology Commercialization – I didn’t got on last year’s Israel commercialization fellowship at the Technion University, so this is my chance to take all of the knowledge and skills I’ve learned to create a whole business plan from the ground up.
Marketing Analytics – You can never get enough statistics….well, that’s definitely hyperbole, but for me it’s important because statistics is a discipline I need to see over and over again to make sure I understand it. Building upon my experience at Kraft Foods in Consumer Insights, Data Modeling and Decision Making, and Data Mining, I’m furthering my understanding of how to applied models to marketing decisions.
Negotiations – A key skill for anyone. I’m looking forward to the roleplay exercises and getting feedback from people about my negotiating style and tactics. You usually don’t get feedback in a real negotiation, so this is an important opportunity.
CIBER Consulting – I’ll be consulting for the Imperial Fish Company in Tunisia and I’ll get to go for a week over Spring Break for site visits and interviews! We’ll be working with a team of Tunisian MBAs!
Over the Winter, I’ve been working on a project I’ve developed with USAID through the Supply Chain and Operations Club. We’re analyzing a current business problem and writing a case analysis to be the base of a business competition we will host at the Smith School! This has been an exciting project and I’ve been learning alot working alongside my teammates. It’s been a great experience in business development and project management. More updates as it happens!
Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 13 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, MS, PhD, and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia. Find out more at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu | {
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A Chaotic Catch Up // Exams, Slump ft. Poetry Being Chucked At You.
lbhefgsbgd I don’t even know that this post is about.* My life is like: yeuwipxmk and exams are going: ycjkwxalmlkx. brilliant see you later.
*I never know,tbh.
Pre-warning-warning: I was really tires when wrote this and TBH I’m feeling a little drowsy like I could pass out.
Warning: im tired and this probably makes no sense. Have fun kids!!
Recently I’ve been so absent from blogging AND I’M SORRY, but I’ll be bad soon since I only have 4 more days of examsssssssss.
whoop whoop.
however. .. that’s still eight exams to go and I’m not gonnnnnnnaaaa make ittttttttttt. I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. I’ve been revising loads, but there are just so many quotes I can’t even. I need to refer to my own freaking post and get motivated. GUYS I’M JUST TOO TIRED TO REVISE.
I should be okay. . . rightttt??????????
And I think that they’re going okay-ishhhh at the moment?? Really, I’m just focussing on getting them OVER WITH so that I can blog and read again after. . .
. . . IF THIS DARN SLUMP REMOVES IT’S PRESENCE FROM MY TIRED LIFE.
Guys. I’ve literally read 1 book this month. But that’s not even the sad part. The sad part is that I haven’t wanted to read in so long, kind of. I mean I want to read, but I feel so guilty.
And I know that I’m allowed to do what I want, and I should be able to read and study, but with all the exams, I’ve just felt too guilty to take a break longer than 30minutes, thinking that those 30 minutes can be the make or break of my exams when I know that it cant. reugiblncjksamgrbenvs why can’t I just be a person who had BALANCE. I still need to find this revision/relaxing balance.
Anyway, so the one book that I read this month was an ARC from Michaela Haze, called The Devil’s Lullaby and it was the sequel in a trilogy. I really enjoyed it, but I used this app where it can read it to you rather than read the pages from the screen, so I listened to it rather than read it. You can check my Goodreads review for it here (bc im all ‘bout that self-promo*)
GUYS I’M TIRED.
*runs away forever.GUYS I’M TIRED. And there was snow everywhere in the UK. . . BUT NOT WHERE I LIVE #NotBitterAtAll.
ALSO THE NEW CASSIE CLARE BOOK. I’M SORRY BUT IM STIL TALKING ABOUT IT.
HGBJDKVSMLXZRBHVJNDM MAGNUS MY ABSOLUTE QUEEN.
QUEEN OF GLITTER
QUEEN OF MAGIC.
QUEEN OF SASS.
^^^^^ yep, that’s the poetry I was gonna show you today. Whoopee!! ^^^^^
and like… YAY FOR THE HOLIDAY BEING SOON. I honestly need sleep for about. . . idk roughly 43* years.
*thousand
So like. .. poems.
These haven’t been edited at alll and you can probably tell and I’M just going to chuck them at you rather than talk about it because I’m NERVOUS OKAY!
SOOOO YEP. These are like 4 poems not one, in case it seemed like they were one. . .
I was gonna share three. . . but then I sent one to ILSA and had to add another because. .. IT MADE SENSE AT THE TIME OKAY?
OK. BYE.
*jumps off boat*
What do. . .you.. . think of my poetry? What have you been reading lately?? Have you met you good reads target? ARE YOU GUYS HYPED FOR THE HOLIDAY??? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!!
AGHAHGHAGH I’ve already told you how much I love your poetry but I’ll say it again: I love your poetry SO SO much, Lu!!! and omg “four more days of exams”?? HOW MANY HAVE YOU HAD ALREADY??? four days of exams is literally all I have. and I’ve definitely been feeling slumpy lately too!! it was first because of NaNo and now I have no idea… but I AM rereading one of the best books ever (Six of Crows) and that’s motivating me A LOT to read!!
rehjfdg vfkdbv YOURE READING SOCCC. OMG TGFNDKJVC *dies* i love it sm.
ahhhhhhhhhh I hope that you de-slump soon!! it’s jrngdfbc not very nice to be slumping : ((((((((
yeahhhhh ahaha i had 9 full days of exams, with two or three each day!
rhejggjk AWW THANK YOU SO MUCH MAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YOU POSTED OMG HOW DID I MISS THIS GIMME A SECOND TO READ THE POST *scrolls back up*
AGHH I HATE THAT YOU ARE IN A SLUMP. Hopefully 2018 is THE RAVEN KING! A GATHERING OF SHADOWS! THE YOUNG ELITES! ALL THE OTHER BOOKS! be slumpy LUUUUUU and good luck in your exams. if you are ever feeling stressed we can talk. you know that…thing I’m really bad at. yeah haha.
Again your poetry is just amazing Lu. Honestly I can’t wait for you to post more of it! 😀
Also I’ll wish you all the luck in the world with your exams, it’s only understandable you’re getting a little behind on blogging because it seems like you have so much going on in your real life at the moment. Eight exams in four days sounds intense but it’ll be over soon and then you’ll be able to relax I’m sure.
Good luck Lu, great post and amazing poetry as well. 🙂 ❤
This post is a mess and it’s the best mess I’ve seen. It represents my internal screaming innthe void atm completely because wut is life even now huh.
Also your poems are beautiful and I’m glad you shared 4 it makes perfect sense it’s an even number the universe is aligned.
Good luck on your exams you’ve been visited by the supportive exam dragon that gives you determination in your exams! YOU CAN DO THIS ❤! | {
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Tips On How To Get Better At Blog Posting!
Blogging is so simple, it’s no wonder everyone is getting in on the fun. A lot of people are creating their own blogs. But for your blog to succeed, you must make decisions and plans. Apply the advice and techniques from this article to help you design the blog that will be right for you.
Use search engine optimization, or SEO, on your blog. Search engine results are likely to be the main way people find your site, so a high ranking for the keywords you think your readers will use ensures that they get to your blog and not your competition. Using keywords strategically placed in your article and title will draw in more readers.
Making frequent and interesting comments on the blog’s of other people is a great way to increase exposure to your own. This can be done simply on sites like Facebook, in writing a blog communities like Blogspot or via programs like Google Reader. Make sure to leave comments on them regularly, whenever you have something interesting to offer.
Check to be certain you have not overused keywords, Adsense postings, images or plug-ins. If you do, your blog could be negatively identified by all search engines, and your efforts would be wasted. Write naturally, and make sure that your blog posts are easy to read.
You should add to your blog as often as possible. Don’t be like other beginning bloggers who don’t update their blog frequently after starting it. This mistake will cost you readers. Readers will get bored waiting for new posts. A good rule is to make new posts and email updates at least once a week.
Differentiate your blog from the mass of “me-too” blogs out there. Content that is unique will attract visitors. Information that isn’t easy to come by will make people read your blog too. Try to post about unusual pastimes or knowledge. Explain how certain popular technologies work. The idea is to motivate readers to click on topics that interest them.
Create a blog that stands out from all the other blogs that already exist. Unique and interesting content will help you gain more readers. Information which is tough to find has the same effect. Try to post about unusual pastimes or knowledge. Explain how certain popular technologies work. The point is give readers a reason to click on your blog when they are seeking a particular kind of information.
Post new content frequently on your blog to keep your readers interested and they will have the incentive to come back to your website regularly. Successful blogs usually post new material every day. If you can’t imagine maintaining that pace, then pre-write several weeks’ worth of content. This content can be used when you do not have time to develop content or are having difficulty coming up with content.
Make sure posts are brief and concise. While depth and details are important qualities to keep in mind, going on and on will likely lose the interest of your readers. People who read blogs look for clear and concise information rather than complicated details. They want the whole pizza, not just the toppings!
Make the appropriate social network links available, so readers can follow your blog. Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are important to helping you spread your blog around the internet. These sites give you many ways you can reach out to your readers and they can also help you draw new readers.
Invite successful bloggers to write guest blogs for your site. This will raise the value of your blog and provide your readers with quality content. You will also experience a boost in readership thanks to fans of the guest blogger stopping by to take a look at your blog. You can build up a really content-rich blog quickly if you can get several good guest bloggers on board.
Make sure that your readers can post comments, and don’t forget to respond! This allows your blog to maintain more of a community feel, where others are actively participating so that relationships are formed. If people notice that you are responding to comments, chances are they will come back once they have made a comment to see what you have said in response.
Post lots of new content on a regular basis, as this will keep readers hungry for more quality posts. Good blogs generally post at least once each day. If this seems like a hectic schedule to keep, create several weeks of pre-written content before making your blog visible to the Web. Doing so will provide you with enough content to post when you are experiencing difficulties.
Start developing your blog’s mailing list as early as possible. The sooner you start, the more time you will have to grow your list. The list can be used to generate more money for you over time. Not starting your mailing list right away is a mistake.
In order to boost traffic, your blog must be focused on providing good quality and engaging content. You will get more returning visitors if the blog’s quality is good and honest.
Your inclusion of keywords that relate to your niche that you highlight or include in lists can help improve your site’s prominence on Web searches. Emphasizing your keywords properly will improve your blog’s search engine performance. This in turn will rapidly expand your reader base. This is a powerful tip that can be very helpful.
Choose unique and less-competitive keywords. If you choose to use the same keywords as every other site then your site will become lost in the sea of internet. Be original in order to attract readers.
Set up your “Contact Me” page right away. Your readers can use this page to get in touch with you if they need to. Your readers could have some very valuable insight and suggestions, so give them a way to share.
Scatter your posts throughout the Internet. This way, you can be sure they will be seen by a wide variety of readers. Don’t limit yourself to a single publishing avenue. You can make yourself available to scores of readers with just one important maneuver. Use every method possible to bring in new readers.
Long blog posts need to be divided into smaller chunks. Really long blogs can be a little overwhelming for your readers. Therefore, it is very important to the success and readability of your blog that you divide large text into more pleasant sections for your viewers.
Make bullet lists as much as possible and use italics for keywords that attract an audience. This helps the search engines access your content and highlight the important aspects of your blog which will bring in more readers over time. This can be an extremely powerful tool that will help your blog be a success.
Stay on top of what your competition is up to and then ensure you’re always the leader of the pack. You need to compete with them so pay attention to their techniques. Your competition will probably be scoping you out with the same ideas in mind.
Make use of social media platforms to direct visitors to your blog, but don’t go overboard with this. On Twitter, if you only tweet hyperlinks to your blog posts, people will start to ignore you. Tweet interesting content, as well.
It is necessary that you use the appropriate font for your blog. Since your blog’s content is the most important feature, you must determine the best font size. You do not want to use a font that is so large that it dominates your blog, but you also do not want to use a font that is too small, making your readers have to strain their eyes to read.
Social networking sites are a great way to promote your blogs. Social media is on the cutting edge of internet technology. If you neglect it, you are missing a golden opportunity to expand your blog’s reader base. Post your blog articles on Twitter and Facebook to make your blog more successful.
Don’t overwhelm readers with multiple topics on one blog site. By attempting to cover many topics within a single blog, you will lose focus and begin to confuse readers. This is a simple rule of thumb that can help you maintain your appeal to visitors.
Always do your homework and research any topic you will cover on your blog. If you are not well versed on the subjects you post about, you could deliver misleading or inaccurate information. You also must know what you’re talking about when responding to comments.
Blogging is a very social experience. You must be accessible to your readers. Be sure to put yourself out there by talking to other people in your market niche. You will not experience success without doing some work. You must engage and interact with potential readers and other bloggers in order to achieve success.
Before you begin blogging, make a choice about what you hope to get out of it. Do you want your blog to make you famous or make you appear to be knowledgeable? Maybe you’re trying to earn more money. Your goals may be varied. It is crucial to know what your goals are, then build your blog accordingly.
You should aim to use short yet relevant content up near the link bar. The link bar level tends to be a very popular hotspot. You may wish to include your total number of subscribers right there. You should use the link bar as a subscribing aid, since it is less popular than the start and end of your blog.
Incentives, such as freebies, can be a great way to draw new visitors and keep them coming back. It doesn’t have to be an expensive item, people love to get anything for free! Hold contests on your blog on a regular basis and you will see a jump in your readership. People who know you do giveaways will frequently check your blog.
Be very careful when using pop-up windows on your blog. Make sure that they load after your content, this way your viewers will read the content instead of just closing pop-ups. This will make your site faster, and you will have a better chance of having recurring users visit your blog.
It is necessary that you use the appropriate font for your blog. It’s vital you incorporate the right font size on your blog, since the most crucial component to any blog is the written content. Your font should strike a nice balance, appearing neither too small nor too large, to get the best results.
Aim to get readers motivated to do what you’d like for them to do. Create informative post or offer videos that can show your visitors how to accomplish these things. When doing this, your readers may actually help advertise your blog.
Advertisements are frequently a big part of blog posting, because that is what helps bloggers earn money. However, if your blog is cluttered up with too many adverts, there is a good chance people will get turned off and not stay long on your site. They’ll see your site as a spam site, and will seek out a site that looks more professional.
Avoid succumbing to writer’s block by varying your content between text, audio, and video formats. This helps to avoid the mundane and livens up your blog with all different kinds of exciting media. Using the aforementioned techniques will ensure that content is fresh and interesting.
As previously discussed, starting a blog may appear relatively easy. Just about everybody wants to share their opinions or interests. Suddenly, however, you realized the magnitude of the task you’d taken on. The information provided in this article is designed to help you run a successful blog.
Don’t let money be your focus. While you can earn money through your blog, focusing on that profit will be obvious to your readers. Focus your energy on building a following and developing relationships by posting content that is interesting and engaging. Blog on a subject you’re passionate about, and that will be obvious to anyone who reads your posts. | {
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PodGrasp Localized with TraductoPro
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The creator of PodGrasp, Gary Hughes, localized his Mac app with TraductoPro and gave the localization tool a five star rating, submitting a detailed case study on the experience.
TraductoPro removed a lot of the tedium from the localization process and let me concentrate on the development of PodGrasp. Using TraductoPro saved me a lot of time and hence money -- said Hughes.
New York, NY (PRWEB)January 28, 2013
The creator of PodGrasp, Gary Hughes, localized his Mac app with TraductoPro and gave the localization tool a five star rating, submitting a detailed case study on the experience.
Hughes said he wanted to use localization to broaden the appeal of PodGrasp by making it easier to use for people whose first language is not English. In his research on localization, prior to choosing TraductoPro, he discovered the process was tedious and found much conflict on the Internet as to what types of services were most effective.
“TraductoPro removed a lot of the tedium from the localization process and let me concentrate on the development of PodGrasp. Using TraductoPro saved me a lot of time and hence money,” said Hughes.
Hughes used TraductoPro to localize PodGrasp in five languages with approximately three hours of work and said he plans to use it to localize the iPhone version of PodGrasp. Within this time, he also localized his app store meta data and began marketing the app in all the new languages within hours.
“The process wasn't perfect but it wasn't far from it and the quick response and attitude from support more than made up for the few issues I had. TraductoPro care about their product and their customers…It’s refreshing to have a slick development tool.”
About PodGrasp
PodGrasp is an audio podcast player for the Mac and iPhone. The app is used to store a podcast history, stream podcasts, and subscribe to podcasts directly from the device. Gary Hughes is the creator of PodGrasp, which can be downloaded in the Mac App Store for $0.99. For more information, visit: http://www.podgrasp.com.
About TraductoPro
TraductoPro is a Mac application to automate the process of localizing Mac and iOS apps. Users import their Xcode projects and the application makes the strings localizable and translates them in the desired language. The interface connects to human translators who return the localized strings and content to the user in usually less than 24 hours. TraductoPro was created by Visual Frames, a software solutions company. For more information or to download TraductoPro, visit http://www.traductoapp.com. | {
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MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo has been cited for drunken driving after authorities said he drove with a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit.
Milwaukee County sheriff's spokeswoman Fran McLaughlin (mik-LOK'-lin) says deputies responded about 2 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a possibly intoxicated driver. She says Gallardo was driving down a Milwaukee freeway at 40 mph in a 55-mph zone.
McLaughlin quotes the arrest report as saying Gallardo had red glassy eyes, slurred speech and smelled like alcohol. The report says his blood-alcohol level was 0.22, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.
McLaughlin says Gallardo faces nearly $800 in fines.
A statement from the Brewers says the team expressed its disappointment to Gallardo and he is taking responsibility for his actions. | {
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LifeWorks Inspiration
A Message from Pastor Robinson
Dr. Sylvester Robinson, JP Co-Founder & Chairman Emeritus
In Genesis 37 verse 9, the “a” clause says, “And he dreamed yet another dream”. I want to encourage everyone that has been on this Jobs Partnership journey with us that this is your season to dream again – and all you need to do is to come into agreement with God about His plans for your life. When you understand the story of Joseph and all that he went through, you will begin to see that the dreams were not about his current condition but were indicative of his future position.
With all the chaos that’s going on in the world and in a land where we are filled with uncertainty and darkness it’s refreshing to know that God will allow us to dream so that we might get clarity for our life’s assignment. I believe that in this season you will not only get clarity about your life’s assignment but God will begin to expose your true value. That means people are going to start seeing you not based on your zip code or your life’s past resume, but based on your gifts, talents, and all that you bring to the table.
So, my challenge to you is to DREAM AGAIN and to AGREE with God about who you are and what you can do to transform the lives of the folks that are struggling in our community – as a volunteer or an employer or a donor to help us expand the ministry.
To AGREE means this:
A – God will ACCOMPANY you on your life’s journey.
G – God will GUIDE you during the waiting period.
R – God will RELEASE you into your specific assignment.
E – God will EQUIP you for your time of appointment.
E – God will EMPOWER you to press through the CRISIS, CHAOS and CHALLENGES on the journey
IT’S TIME TO DREAM AGAIN AND THIS TIME DREAM BIG! We must dream big because there’s a BIG WORK ahead of us. We must dream big because as an organization our goal is to expand from 4 training sites to 8 training sites throughout Orange County. We must dream big because there are more Sonya’s, Stephanie’s, and William’s out there whose lives can be radically changed and impacted. As churches, volunteers, employers, and donors, we must dream big because as you participate in this BIG DREAM, you allow us to come a long side you and together we expand our reach.
If you would like to learn more about JP’s expansion plan, Marc and I would love to meet with you and share the vision God has given us as an organization to serve more people in more places. As you contemplate your year-end giving priorities, please include Jobs Partnership so we can reach the 47% of working families in Orange County who are struggling to pay for basic monthly necessities. Together, we will show them The Way Up! | {
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"He does do PRECISION GUESSWORK based on vague assumptions and unreliable data
of dubious accuracy provided by questionable intellectual
capacity. And in the world of mike. He was going to land that. Thats what no one gets. "
spraypaint "SLUT" on her garage door and then piss in her bed while she sleeps. chicks love that shit.
"i dont spin. i just go straight off the feature and then let the wind blow me how it wants to."- NativeClothing | {
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Pirates broadcaster Bob Walk joined “The Fan Morning Show” for in his regular weekly “Walk on Wednesday” spot this morning. During the interview, he discussed the surprising success of Edinson Volquez. | {
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The Tucson Theatre Announcements List is a monitored e-mail list. Notices from Tucson area theatre companies, filmmakers and others are forwarded to the list members. These notices include auditions, casting calls, openings and other announcements of interest to actors, directors, techies and theatre lovers in our community. This Blog contains an archive of recent posts to the list. For more information go to http://tucsonstage.com
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Tucson: IFASA Three-Minute Thriller 2006
IFASA is pleased to announce the continuation of its annual Three-MinuteThriller contest and event. Entries must be received by October 20th, andentries will be screened at the Halloween event at the Loft Cinema onOctober 28th.
Below are links to two documents. Rules and instructions for submittingfilms for this year's contest, and an application/release form. If you haveany difficulting opening the links, please let me know. | {
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January Clearance-Come Get It!
January Clearance is on now at Al’s Furniture. Floor models must go to make room for new merchandise. Things are going fast; we are adding more items to clearance through January! We have Flexsteel sofa sets up to 40% off! TV carts, Dining sets, and home office up to 30% off! Lamps, Accent Furniture, Occasional Sets, and Mattress Sets up to 50% OFF!! Specials throughout the store. Limited to stock on hand. Al’s Furniture Annual January Clearance Sale way out McHenry Ave, Come Get It!!
Power Adjustable Desk
The newest and most excited new feature in home office furniture is now available at Al’s Furniture. Do you ever get tired of sitting at your desk? Wish you had a workspace you could stand and work at the same time? Now you can with the new Power Adjustable Desk from Aspen Furniture.
A press of a button you can adjust the height of your desk. It adjusts from 32” to 49” and anywhere in between in just seconds. It also has four programmable preset heights so you can program for different users. There are two different styles to choose from. The Harper’s Point Collection in a fossil finish or the Oxford Collection in the whiskey brown finish or peppercorn finish. Each comes with drop front keyboard drawer and two utility drawers. It has two AC outlets and two USB ports.
So come out to Al’s Furniture in Modesto and let us show you all the great features this power adjustable desk has to offer.
We are honored to be once again be voted Modesto Bee’s Reader’s Choice Award Winner for Favorite Furniture Store now for over 15 years. Thank you so much to all our loyal customers and Facebook followers. We couldn’t do it without you. We appreciate you voting for us year after year.
For over 50 years Al’s Furniture has been perfecting the furniture buying experience for you. We find the highest quality furniture, at the best price, so that every piece of furniture you buy from us will provide you the best value for your money.
When you want quality furniture that will last, you’ll want to make that short drive ‘waaay out’ McHenry Avenue to Al’s Furniture store in Modesto. There’s a reason we’ve been voted Modesto’s Favorite Furniture Store year after year. Stop by and let us show you why you’ll want to make Al’s Furniture your favorite furniture store.
Quality Furniture Is The Best Value
For over 50 years Al’s Furniture has been perfecting the furniture buying experience for you. We find the highest quality furniture, at the best price, so that every piece of furniture you buy from us will provide you the best value for your money.
Why Buy Quality Furniture?
It retains its value, even after many years of use. Our founder had a belief; “I’d rather explain the price once, than apologize for the quality forever.” This has been our philosophy since day one. Our store and staff are committed to bringing you a great selection of quality merchandise along with value and exceptional service. Al’s Furniture is a family owned business, that has helped people furnish their homes since 1968 (over 50 years) . One thing has never changed: we still provide a comfortable, friendly place to shop for home furnishings.
Our FLEXSTEEL Furniture Gallery, which is the largest from Sacramento to Fresno, offers the best in comfort and quality. From stationary seating to power reclining with power adjustable headrest and power lumbar support, you will find what you’re looking for with our huge selection of Flexsteel furniture. Flexsteel has been in business for over 125 years.
When you want quality furniture that will last you for years to come rather than just a year or two, then you’ll want to make that short drive ‘waaay out’ McHenry Avenue to Al’s Furniture store in Modesto. We’ve been voted Modesto’s Favorite Furniture Store year after year. Stop by and let us show you why you’ll want to make Al’s Furniture your favorite furniture store.
For over 50 years Al’s Furniture has been perfecting the furniture buying experience for you. We find the highest quality furniture, at the best price, so that every piece of furniture you buy from us, will provide you the best value for your money. When you visit Al’s Furniture, not only will you be visiting a piece of history in our remodeled 1904 Stoddard School building, you’ll be able to see and experience the furniture that you will be taking home. In our huge showrooms, you’ll find Bedroom Furniture, Mattresses, Dining Room Furniture, Home Office Furniture, Recliners, Coffee Tables, Sofas, Sectionals, and the biggest selection of Power Reclining Furniture (including Power Lift Chairs) anywhere in the valley!!
Our customers love being able to hand their furniture down to their children or grandchildren, when they decide they want a new look for their home. They like how quality furniture retains its value, even after many years of use. Our founder, Al Walker, had a belief; “I’d rather explain the price once, than apologize for the quality forever.” This has been our philosophy since day one.
When you want quality furniture that will last you for generations rather than just a year or two, then you’ll want to make that short drive ‘waaay out’ McHenry Avenue to Al’s Furniture store in Modesto. We’ve been voted Modesto’s Favorite Furniture Store year after year. Stop by and let us show you why you’ll want to make Al’s Furniture your favorite furniture store.
One thing has never changed: we still provide a comfortable, friendly place to shop for home furnishings. Our FLEXSTEEL Furniture Gallery, which is the largest from Sacramento to Fresno, offers the best in comfort and quality. From stationary seating to Power reclining with power adjustable headrest and power lumbar support, you will find what you’re looking for with our huge selection of Flexsteel furniture.
Our store and staff are committed to bringing you a great selection of quality merchandise along with value and exceptional service. Al’s Furniture is a family owned business, that has helped people furnish their homes since 1968 (over 50 years) and will continue to evolve with our growing community. Come visit us. We look forward to meeting you! We are honored to be voted Modesto’s favorite furniture store year after year. We want to thank everyone for their loyal support over the last 50 years. We couldn’t do it without you! | {
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Area Code 562 is assigned in California, in all of Los Angeles County: Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pico Rivera, Whittier, overlaid by 213
The 562-976-XXXX Phone Number is located in our around Los Angeles County, CA and other near by areas.
Sick of having those telphone calls which you will not answer because you are not familiar with the number?
This service give you acces to a FREE Reverse Phone Lookup on any number if its listed or not. You now have the resource to trace any number call you receive, obtain data regarding the owner of that number, and find out whether or not it was a call you wanted to take, or if it was just another telemarketer trying to waste your time. Simply include the incoming number in the search box below, and find out exactly who is calling you. Answering your phone calls has never been so worry free.
Area Code 562 is assigned in California, in all of Los Angeles County: Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pico Rivera, Whittier, overlaid by 213 | {
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Judge: Pipeline owners trespassed, but work can continue
By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press
BC-APFN-US--Pipeline Protests,1st Ld-Writethru
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana judge ruled Thursday that a company building an oil pipeline through south Louisiana trespassed on the land of three people opposed to the project, but he allowed the work to continue while awarding the three only $150 apiece in compensation and damages.
Judge Keith Comeaux's ruling Thursday said the land was seized for a legitimate public purpose, and that the land in dispute was of little value to its out-of-state owners. His ruling disappointed opponents of the nearly complete Bayou Bridge Pipeline, who said they would appeal.
Opponents had hoped the St. Martinville-based judge would order the pipeline removed from the relatively small amount of land involved, a small fraction of a 38-acre (15-hectare) tract. Barring that, they had hoped for a major damage award to discourage other corporations from illegally taking land.
Energy Transfer Partners, the project owner, has said the 162-mile (260-kilometer) pipeline is expected to be operational by year's end.
"While the court did find the company trespassed on our clients' land, the damages award validates their business decision," Pamela Spees, an attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights, which worked with Loyola University law professor Bill Quigley and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade on the issue.
ETP issued a brief statement, noting that construction is nearly complete. "We are pleased with the ruling from Judge Comeaux and look forward to bringing the pipeline into service before the end of the year," the emailed statement said.
At the heart of the legal issues was the practice of expropriation — government allowing a private entity to take land, with fair compensation to the owners, for a legitimate public purpose, in this case transferring oil to refineries along the Mississippi River. Comeaux allowed the expropriation to proceed.
During a trial before the judge last week, company attorneys cited a company-hired expert's testimony that more pipelines benefit Louisiana's energy economy and the public at large. Pipeline opponents and the landowners argued that the pipeline project is not for the public good, but for private gain at the expense of potential environmental damage from spills.
Comeaux's ruling noted that hundreds of owners of the 38-acre tract had either not been located or had been compensated for rights of way. But three — siblings Katherine and Peter Aaslestad along with Theda Larson Wright — refused to sign right of way agreements. The three live outside Louisiana but claim deep family roots in the state.
In awarding each of the three $75 apiece in compensation for the land, Comeaux noted that the acreage to be permanently expropriated for the pipeline route was about 1.75 acres; and the calculation of each of the three landowner's financial interest in the tract amounted to, at best, a few dollars in total. Because project owners had at one point offered $75, Comeaux awarded that to each.
Comeaux agreed that the project owners trespassed by failing to get permission to work from the Aaslestads and Wright and by failing to start expropriation proceedings before building. However, he sided with Energy Transfer Partners in noting that the three had never been on the land prior to the expropriation. And he rejected claims of mental anguish, saying "no party has sought medical attention," adding that the three landowners "are self-admitted advocates against pipelines."
He added another $75 apiece in damages for a total of $150 each.
Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC is a joint venture of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and Phillips 66. Energy Transfer Partners built the Dakota Access pipeline, a project that sparked a string of violent clashes between protesters and police in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017. The Bayou Bridge pipeline is the last link in a pipeline network connecting the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota with Louisiana refineries and export terminals. | {
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Brandeis Blue Flower Framed Wall Art-Available in Two Different Sizes
This wall art features a blue flower design with a white frame. The artwork is available in two different sizes. The smaller one measures 13 5/8" X 13 5/8" and the larger size measures 25 5/8" X 25 5/8". Please select the size from the drop down menu. The production time for this item is approximately 4-6 weeks. Please note this item is custom made to order and may not be returned. Please review our return policy on custom made to order items. Click on image for greater detail. | {
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Special Offers
Our priority is to fulfil all existing orders whilst ensuring the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers alike. Please be assured that our warehouse team is working hard to ship all existing orders as quickly and safely as possible. Orders may take up to 7 weeks to be delivered.
Unfortunately you can no longer log into your account, but please do not worry. This does not mean your order is not being processed. You will receive a tracking email as soon as your order has been dispatched. You are still able to contact Customer Services by email at [email protected] or call 0345 602 3030 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm) for any questions you may have.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. The Book People
Home Baking (Hardback)
Bestselling author and TV chef Rachel Allen presents the definitive baking guide. Rachel's recipes always work. Her legions of fans know that they are in safe hands with her. And nowhere is it more important than with baking. Here, in this gorgeous new book, she combines simple yet brilliant techniques with delicious flavours. With over 140 easy-to-follow recipes, Home Baking caters to your every baking need or whim. Whether you're after something traditional like the perfect Birthday Cake, the crispest Brandy Snaps or the crumbliest Cheese Swirls, Rachel has a fail-safe recipe. Or perhaps you're looking for something a bit more unusual, in which case you'll find undiscovered gems such Pashtida with Aubergine, Feta and Mint (an Israeli quiche), Cardamom Butter Biscuits and a Tarte de Saint Tropez. Rachel's recipes range from the super simple (Ginger Squares) to the slightly more complex, including a show-stopping Celebration Cake. Whatever you're after, there will be no deflated souffles or dry sponges in sight. Home Baking's chapters range from Biscuits, Cakes and Sweet Bites to Savoury Bakes, Breads and Desserts. Every recipe includes Rachel's friendly and expert tuition, with clear instructions to ensure that you achieve the perfect bake; however comfortable you are in the kitchen.
Product Details
Product code: BKGVS
ISBN: 9780008179823
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardback
Dimensions: 19.8cm x 25.2cm
Pages: 256
Publish date: 05/10/2017
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2019 - The Book People Ltd. The Book People Ltd is registered in England. Company number 2290665. VAT Number: 664509028. Registered address: The Book People Limited, Salisbury House, Weyside Park, Catteshall Lane, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1XE. | {
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Kardasian is in Thailand with the rest of the family filming the next season Keeping Up With the Kardashians and she's been keeping a photodocumentary of the filming process on her Instagram. As far as we know, this is the first and only time any of her selfies have had such an alarming interruption, but who knows? The animal kingdom isn't necessarily immune to the Kardashian craze. That could have been the elephant's way of asking for an autograph or maybe getting an exclusive on whether or not her wedding will be catered by Burger King. Hell, maybe the elephant was trying to take a selfie of its own before Kim K ran away and ruined the shot.
The real question of the day is why the selfie hasn't been put up on Kardashian's Instagram yet. Did she ever get to take it? Or were the memories associated with the picture too embarrassing to share with the rest of the world? In the case of the latter, it's a little too late for that. | {
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At issue is whether Obamacare's broad mandate of insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients should apply to institutions with moral objections. For more than a year, the administration has struggled to clarify a set of regulations, while provoking 44 legal challenges.
To the administration's credit, it has now abandoned one particularly provocative definition of religious institutions that excluded organizations that employ and serve nonmembers. In fact, many religious institutions serve nonmembers precisely because their faith requires generosity to outsiders.
But the outlines of the mandate remain essentially the same, offering different levels of religious liberty to churches and ministries. An exemption from the mandate still doesn't reach much beyond the doors of a house of worship -- covering only churches, associations of churches and religious orders.
The accommodation for religious charities, colleges and hospitals is effectively unchanged from the last version. While these institutions aren't required to pay directly for contraceptive coverage, they are forced to provide insurance that includes such coverage.
It is a shell game useful only for those who want to deceive themselves.
"The religious institutions are required by the government to give their workers an insurer," says Yuval Levin of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, "and that insurer is required by the government to give those workers abortive and contraceptive coverage, but somehow these religious employers are supposed to imagine that they're not giving their workers access to abortive and contraceptive coverage."
The administration has still made no attempt to deal with the hard cases. Is it right to impose the mandate on a for-profit religious publisher? On a nonreligious prolife organization or a Catholic television station? On a family-owned business with a highly religious owner?
Religious liberty protections are broader for religious institutions than they are for businesses, consistent with the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, religious rights are held by individuals, not only by nonprofit religious institutions.
This law requires government to use the "least restrictive means" to pursue compelling interests at odds with religious belief. Balancing these considerations can be difficult, particularly in a business setting, but the administration isn't even attempting it.
It is a valid public health goal to promote the broad availability of contraception. But is a nearly universal mandate, imposed under threat of heavy fines, really the least restrictive method to achieve this objective? The administration has chosen to promote contraceptive access in the most heavy-handed way possible, then define the tightest exemptions it can get away with.
Now it is establishing a pattern of announcing revisions that include few substantive concessions. This strategy is clearly motivated by the courts, which have pressed for clarification on implementation of the mandate. Recent changes seem narrowly tailored to better withstand judicial scrutiny -- without shifting the policy itself. Cosmetic concessions also have the benefit of dividing opposition to the mandate, providing cover for those in search of fig leaves.
But President Obama's policy does not strike me as cynical. Disturbing, but not cynical. The administration has never shown a particularly high regard for institutional religious liberty.
Obama's Justice Department, in last year's Hosanna-Tabor case, argued that there should be no "ministerial exception" at all -- a contention the Supreme Court labeled "amazing." In this case, the administration views access to contraception as an individual right to be guaranteed by the government, and institutional religious rights as an obstacle and inconvenience.
But the First Amendment, it is worth remembering, was designed as an obstacle and inconvenience to the government.
All this is evidence of a deeper debate. Liberalism, back to John Locke, has understood religion to be a fundamentally private matter. It has a difficult time understanding the existence of loyalties outside the law, and often views them as dangerous (unless the demands of faith are harmless and picturesque, like the Amish). But this is not the way many religious people understand religion. They view it as the grounding for a vision of justice, and the source of standards for a community of believers.
It has been part of the American miracle to balance individual rights with institutional religious freedom -- a difficult task for which the Obama administration shows little appetite. So now it falls to the courts.
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about opinion
The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom. | {
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Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Welcome and thanks for visiting HopeTab.com. Hope Tabernacle is a dynamic, multi-cultural church that meets you right where you are. Whether you are just exploring your faith experience or you're a committed Christ-follower - you are welcome here!
We've put together some information for you to learn more about us, our purpose and what we believe. Please have a look around and take the time to get to know us. We look forward to knowing you!
We offer contemporary, biblically-driven worship services that are alive with energy, as well as excellent childcare, exciting children's ministries and challenging programs for adults.
Midweek Series: Law School - Lessons from the Law of God
Join us on Tuesday night in our midweek service as we study the scriptural principles from the original lawgiver. If we want to please Him, we must understand what His word tells us about His expectations. | {
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Who could forget the soothing voice of Papa Jack as he delivered advices for those lost in love? His fans probably could not. Even after his resignation late last year, his fans were vocal in expressing how much they miss the radio DJ.
Papa Jack, or John Gemperle in real life, made his last broadcast last December 16 last year. He simply announced that he was leaving the radio station, but no reason was given for his resignation.
For twelve years, Papa Jack had been a household name, establishing himself as a love DJ giving blunt interactions with his callers who asked him for friendly advices. This made his radio shows TLC: True Love Conversations and Wild Confessions on top of the ratings game. He also helped established 90.7 Love Radio to the heart of its listeners.
During his final episode, he described his ordeal as ‘a very scary path and road’ for him. He added that there are some principles that could not be given up. He said that the last twelve years had been ‘good.’ He also asked his avid listener to give the same love to whoever would replace him on the radio program.
A post shared by JOHN GEMPERLE (@johngemperle) on Jan 2, 2017 at 5:18am PST
Netizens were quick to speculate that Papa Jack had been forced to resign after he made a Facebook post on his personal account. A photo with a quote, “I didn’t want to go” was posted by the DJ. His fans also connected his post with his statement during his final episode about ‘not giving up some principles.’ | {
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PA Foreclosure Properties
A foreclosed property is 1 that has been taken by a lender, generally a bank, and is being sold when the owner can no longer pay for the loan he or she obtained for it. Most of the time, auctions are held to provide foreclosed houses for sale , and in these events, men and women who recognize the positive aspects of these properties do buy them. Government foreclosed homes are greatest for very first time buyers (IDX net sites), who belong to a middle or low-revenue backgrounds (realtor web sites, sites for enterprise brokers). House auctions offer government and bank foreclosed homes to the market place (actual estate agents website, biz brokers templates). One of the several alternatives that the buyers of foreclosed homes for sale in Memphis TN can opt for is flipping the property. Buyers will not acquire properties that have been foreclosed upon if they don’t have insurance that it really is a clear title, he says.
Mark Stopa, a lawyer in Florida who represents homeowners, says the implications are massive. This frequently happens in the getting of foreclosed homes in Nashville, Tennessee, where the mortgage lenders are aware of occupants who exploit them. And distressed homes, which contain foreclosed properties and that now make up a substantial quantity of housing sales, rose to 34% of sales in August from 32% in July they were 31% in August 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Supplies an exhaustive selection of HUD houses and government foreclosures listings, plus the specialized resources and tools you need to capitalize on your house investment. Before receiving the practice of purchasing foreclosed homes for sale in Memphis TN appropriate, study the genuine estate marketplace properly, realize the trends and discover what to look for in real estate agents. Browse New Jersey real estate listings or browse NJ cities or counties Refine your search by price tag, quantity of bedrooms, bathrooms, and other characteristics.
What this will lead to is a demand for cleaning services by banks and realtors, foreclosed homes for sale is going to need the organization of cleaning service companies so if you are at the moment cleaning buildings you could want to add foreclosures to your several tasks. The marketplace for purchasing foreclosed homes is complete of fierce purchasers with deep pockets.
You will locate a lot of actual estate sites who deal with HUD Foreclosed Homes for Sales in NY These internet sites have all types of HUD Foreclosed Homes for Sales in NY with comprehensive particulars of the properties. Several foreclosed homes are owned by HUD, VA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, these REO’s are listed by asset managers who have a massive listing of foreclosures listed by lenders, other foreclosures are owned by institutions who list them by region. | {
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In any other draft class, Weber State guard Davion Berry would have had probably heard his name called. At the 2014 NBA Draft, however, Berry wasn't drafted, leaving his best opportunity to make an NBA roster as a free agent.
The Blazers summer league entry will play in Las Vegas. According to NBA insiders, Berry--who worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana and the Utah Jazz--was likely “on the cusp” of being drafted late in the second round.
The problem was, none of the teams that worked out Berry had late picks in the second round, the area in which Berry was projected to go. So, he was forced to go the summer league route to make an NBA team.
Even if Berry had been drafted in the second round by an NBA team he would have still likely played on that team’s summer league entry--and had a non-guaranteed contract. In other words, not much, if anything, would have been different had Berry been drafted.
There is also no guarantee that Berry will make the Blazers 12-man regular season roster--Lillard is an All-Star now and won’t play on the Blazers summer league team--but playing for Portland’s summer league squad is still a great opportunity for Berry, the player from Oakland who looks up to Lillard as a player, a mentor and a role model.
That Berry and Lillard both hail from Oakland is a bonus, and so is the fact that both played for the Weber State men's basketball team in college. After those comparisons are over, it’s simply time to for Berry to play ball in Vegas with a chip on his shoulder. Berry averaged 19 points per game for the Wildcats, and he also won Big Sky Conference player of the year honors as a senior, leading Weber to the NCAA Tournament where it lost to Arizona in the first round.
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Brian Shaw is a veteran, award-winning sportswriter, commentator and editor. His work has appeared on Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, The Billings Gazette, The Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News and on sports Internet sites and blogs. He has also been an editor and general assignment reporter at many newspapers including The Salt Lake Tribune and Salt Lake City Weekly, He is a graduate of The University of Montana's School of Journalism. You may contact Brian with your comments and questions. | {
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VRBO is part of the HomeAway family, the world leader in vacation rentals. We offer the largest selection of properties for any travel occasion and every budget. We’re committed to helping families and friends find a perfect vacation rental to create unforgettable travel experiences together.
SummerSpecial $300 per week through September
Booking for Jan Feb March 2019
Lely Resort, FL, USA
About the property
Condo1200 sqft
Bedrooms2
Sleeps6
Bathrooms2
Half Baths0
Minimum Stay3 - 30 nights
2 bed room 2 bath sleeps 6 close to the pool and minutes from the beaches
Lely Resort community. Lely is fully equipped for a long stay with all the conveniences and simple elegance of home - including brand new beds, linens, furnishings and electronics throughout including newer appliances.
The master bedroom (king bed) offers a large closet and luxurious bathroom with shower, tub and sink. . The second bedroom has 2 twin beds and is adjacent to the second fully appointed bathroom. The living room includes a new pull out full sleeper sofa. The lanai/eating area and dining area offer 2 options for dining in. The condo has 3 flat screen TV's in the master bedroom,second bedroom and living room, There is a screened in Lanai to sit and enjoy the evenings over looking a beautiful lake.
The condo is located on the First Floor which allows for a quieter, peaceful setting and beautiful views and security.
After a day of golfing or downtown Naples shopping & dining, enjoy the Sam Snead Tavern & Grill for dinner and drinks located just a short 2 minute walk from the condo. With pool, tennis, fitness, golf, an elegant condo with numerous attractions nearby, you'll consider this paradise.
Marco Island is a close by only a 10 minute drive to some of the best beaches in the USA.
Owner
Cheryl Slagle
Member Since 2014
Response rate:
100%
Response time:
within one hour
Speaks:
english
Calendar last updated:
May 22, 2018
About Cheryl Slagle
Cliff and Cheryl Slagle and Roy and Tina Tong are great friends and live in the Michigan and love the Naples area. Its a great place to bring our familes to enjoy the wonderful amenities Greenlinks has to offer
Cheryl Slagle purchased this Condo in 2014
Why Cheryl Slagle chose Lely Resort
Greenlink is located on the beautiful Lely Island Resort
With golf lovers the 2-18 Hole championship Golf Courses are very desirable. Lely is close to the award wining Naples beaches and beautiful Marco Island, it is close to shopping and dining. Lely is extremely easy to get to a 35 minute drive from Fort Myers Airport and outlet shopping.
What makes this Condo unique
This condo is a little piece of Paradise, located on the lower level and is only steps from the resort pool, it offes a beautiful setting to sit out in the screen lanai and watch the evening away over looking the lake. Walk to the 2 championship golf courses and Sam Sneads restaurant for
dinner or drinks at the club house.
22 Reviews
Exceptional5/5
Latest reviews
1 - 6 of 22
Great condo in perfect location!
5/5
Stayed Jan 2018
Doug & Sharon E.
We had an awesome month in Lely thanks to Cheryl! She was great to work from the time we booked and greeted us when we arrived. The condo was very homey and had everything we needed and then some! The location was ideal as we were close to the pool, beaches, shopping, restaurants, downtown Naples, Marco Island and Everglade City. We highly recommend this condo!
Naples Get Away
Great stay
5/5
Stayed Aug 2017
s w.
We enjoyed our two week stay at the Greenlinks Resort. The location of this condo can't be beat. It is literally a 1 minute walk to the pool. We made dinner on the grills in the pool area a couple of times during our stay and being that close was very convenient. The condo has everything you would need from beach chairs, towels and coolers to noodles for floating in the pool. The kitchen is also well stocked with pots, pans, dishes and utensils. Cheryl is very easy to work with and we wouldn't hesitate to rent again! Thank you for sharing!
Submitted Sep 06, 2017
Perfect for Us!
5/5
Stayed Jul 2017
Erin K.
We just returned home after spending the week in Naples. We were visiting family, and this condo was perfect for us while we were there. The owners had provided all the amenities we needed--beach toys/chairs, a small cooler, kitchen supplies for meals at "home", suggestions for meals out, comfortable beds, and a perfect patio for morning coffee.
The owners were incredibly attentive to any question or need. We had some trouble with the Wi-Fi while we visited. I go contacted the owner through the Home Away app, she returned my message within minutes, and she had spoken to the internet company and fixed the problem before we returned to the condo that afternoon.
This was perfect for our stay, and only wish we'd been able to stay longer!
Submitted Jul 15, 2017
Owner's Response:
We are so pleased you enjoyed our little piece of paradise
Great place to stay and excellent price!
5/5
Stayed Jul 2017
Kelly S.Morganton, NC, US
The property was very clean, and well worth the price! It was on the first floor so it was easy to unload our car. It was also close to the pool, and there are grocery stores and two Walmart stores close by. It is also close to Marco Island where we spent most of our time. The owner was also excellent to work with. She answered all of my questions in a timely manner. I would recommend this property to anyone.
Submitted Jul 07, 2017
Owner's Response:
We are so glad you got to enjoy our little piece of paradise
Everything just great!
5/5
Stayed Apr 2017
Daniel
Was just perfect for our Family. Tennis, pool and beach... Great condo! | {
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US sanctions key Iranian paramilitary force
Washington, D.C.: The US Treasury Department on Tuesday slapped sanctions on an Iranian paramilitary group along with a network of businesses that were providing it financing, as part of Washington’s campaign of maximum economic pressure against Tehran.
In announcing the sanctions, Treasury said a network of more than 20 businesses known as the Bonyad Taavon Basij was financing the Basij Resistance Force, a component of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
It also accused the hardline militia of sending child soldiers to Syria in support of President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.
“The international community must understand that business entanglements with the Bonyad Taavon Basij network and IRGC front companies have real world humanitarian consequences,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The Basij, a paramilitary force formed soon after the 1979 revolution, is one of the Iranian regime’s primary enforcers of internal security with branches in every province and city of Iran, according to the US Treasury.
“In addition to its involvement in violent crackdowns and serious human rights abuses in Iran, the Basij recruits and trains fighters ... including Iranian children, who then deploy to Syria to support the brutal Al Assad regime,” it said.
It added that in addition to Iranians, the militia recruited Afghan immigrants to Iran through coercion, some of whom had fled to Europe as a result, as well as Pakistani nationals.
“Children recruited by Basij have tragically fought and died on the battleground in Syria,” a senior administration official told journalists.
The Bonyad Taavon Basij is said to provide the Basij militia social welfare services, including housing and financial support, and manages economic activities by funding small companies.
“Bonyad Taavon Basij has expanded its reach into Iran’s economy by establishing several investment firms through its financial and investment offshoot Mehr Eqtesad Bank,” the Treasury statement said.
‘Multibillion dollar network’
Among the other companies singled out was Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company (ITMC), the largest tractor manufacturer in the Middle East and North Africa which predates the Iranian revolution, that generates millions of dollars in profit for the investment firms that represent the Basij.
Also targeted was Iran’s Zinc Mines Development Company, described as the country’s “preeminent, multibillion-dollar zinc and lead mining and processing holding company.”
“What we’ve designated here today is a multibillion dollar network that has had significant [links] in Europe and the Middle East,” said a second senior administration official.
Washington pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers in May and is reimposing punishing sanctions on the Middle Eastern country, hoping to pressure Tehran into what President Donald Trump calls a “better deal.”
Full US sanctions are set to hit Iran in November and the country’s economy is already taking a beating.
But the European Union last month announced plans last month for a legal framework to preserve business with Tehran, infuriating Washington.
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Today's News
Schools are in full operation. Flu shots are now available. The itchy eyes and runny nose syndrome known as allergies is still prevalent. And, curses of curses upon us. The kids come home with the cold bug. Fortunately, I rarely get a cold. That is because I think I have met every cold virus there is so now may have somewhat of an immunity. Is this a possible plus for old age?
By Julie Pace and Nedra Pickler
The Associated Press
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Fresh off an intently combative debate, President Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney and their running mates are taking their tuned-up fight to the precious few battleground states where the election is still up for grabs with just 20 days to go.
Setting aside the recommendation of its attorney, the City Council voted 3-2 on Monday to throw its support behind San Miguel County’s proposed sales tax increase, which is one of the measures on the general election ballot.
The council took the position after hearing from its own staff and from County Manager Les Montoya.
Republican Heather Wilson and Democrat Martin Heinrich each entered the final stretch of New Mexico’s Senate race with about $1 million in campaign cash, and a new poll shows Heinrich leading the contest.
According to the latest finance reports, Wilson has raised about $6.2 million since starting her campaign and Heinrich has collected nearly $5.9 million in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman.
In 1962
Thursday, Oct. 18 — The resignation of Dr. Ram S. Gursahani, acting superintendent of the New Mexico State Hospital, was accepted today by the Board of Directors at a specially called meeting. “The reason I’m leaving,” Dr. Gursahani told the directors, “stems from the discharge of a valuable employee [Arthur Tafoya] without sufficient cause. I do not wish to work at an institution which is under the control of the business manager.”
Halloween Monster Bash this Saturday
The Highlands University Performing Arts Club is having a Halloween Monster Bash at 6 p.m. this Saturday at the Music Building choir room. Advance tickets are $5 for adults, and $3 for children under 12 and for seniors and students with ID. Prices increase $1 at the gate. There will be a costume contest with prizes.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 5-15 mph, becoming southwest in the afternoon. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 37. Southwest wind around 10 mph, becoming north after midnight.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 5-10 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon. Clear at night, with a low around 38.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 75. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 46. | {
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microLIQUID -MICROFLUIDIC MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
MicroLIQUID
MICROFLUIDIC
MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
MicroLIQUID -MICROFLUIDIC MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
Molecular diagnostics have improved the diagnosis and treatmentof millions of patients worldwide allowing clinicians to have an early diagnose patients earlier as well as providing better ongoing therapies. At microLIQUID has the capacity towedevelop fully automated molecular diagnostic systems based on microfluidics.
Non microfluidic diagnostic instruments usually require morean importantquantityof costly reagents, long analysis time, established lab infrastructure, and trained professionals to operate, which limits their availability for large-scale screening applications in developed countries and primary care in developing countries. There is a strong demand for robust, cost-effective, and simple-to-operate instruments for molecular diagnostics.
Microfluidicssystems have many advantages, such as short analysis time, reduction in fabrication costs, and low sample/reagent consumption.Besides, Mmost current microfluidicdiagnostic devices are designed to target a single disease, such as a given cancer or a variety of pathogens. The future of molecular diagnostics lies in highly multiplexed microfluidic devices that can screen for potentially hundreds of diseases simultaneously.microLIQUIDis concerned with the development ofdiagnostic systems, having the experience and expertise to develop and manufacture fully automated molecular diagnostics systems | {
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GLOBAL JIHAD
U.K. police arrest 3 more in murder of soldier
Stun guns used on 2 to take them into custody
(Fox News) British police on Saturday arrested three more suspects in connection with the savage killing of an off-duty soldier that has raised fresh concerns about terrorism.
Scotland Yard said counter-terrorism officers arrested two men, aged 24 and 28, at a residential address in southeast London. A third man, 21, was arrested separately on a London street at the same time.
Police said they used a stun gun on two of the suspects. All three were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder. | {
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Coastal scenery, natural history, and human history are featured on these fully narrated, interpretive, exciting and inspiring nature eco tours. We travel to the scenic West Coast villages of Tofino and Ucluelet. Mount Washington for Alpine meadows, flowers, berries and spectacular views. Several tours start just minutes away from Parksville at the many beautiful beaches and Forests in our local area. Discover and experience wildlife viewing; deer, black bear, eagles, tidepools and marine life, big trees, natural wonders and historic sites. Our wine tours awaken your senses when we visit award winning wineries in the “New Tuscany” of Canada here in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island as well as Saltspring Island.
Interpretive Tours for Groups and Individuals
With many years of experience researching, designing and operating sightseeing and nature tours on Vancouver Island Canada, we have the knowledge and expertise to offer complete, interpretive day trip tours to small and large groups and individuals.
Old Growth Forests are not all the same. The Old Growth Rainforest on the west side of Vancouver Island in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park has the world’s tallest Sitka Spruce and giant Western Red Cedars.
Clayquot Sound in theClayquot Sound Biosphere Reserve contains the largest untouched wilderness Rainforests on Vancouver Island. BC’s Pacific Temperate Rainforests have the highest biomass per hectare of any ecosystem on earth.
On the East side of Vancouver Island, the Old Growth Ancient Forest Grove,
Cathedral Grove (MacMillan Park) has Douglas Firs 247 feet tall and 9 feet in diameter.
The BC Big Tree Registry records the largest trees in B.C. The Sitka Spruce in the Little Qualicum River floodplain is the tallest on the East side of Vancouver Island and the fourth tallest in B.C. and was recorded by your guide, Gary Murdock.
Staying in Vancouver ? Call us for arrangements. We pick up from all ferry docks, float plane docks and airports on Vancouver Island.
Whatever your special interest is; rainforests, beaches, wine tasting, history, bird watching, wildlife viewing, biology, botany, marine tidepools, First Nations Culture or just plain fun, we will work with you to deliver the Vancouver Island Nature tour, activity or day trip that will provide you with a lasting memorable experience.
Genuine ecotourism is travel that encourages the protection of wildlife populations and habitat, enhances nature viewing and cross-cultural contacts, and helps to spread wealth to local communities.
* | {
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