text:
With Memorial Day this past Monday, it was great timing for a group of players, coaches and I to visit the Naval Special Warfare Unit in Coronado, CA. One of the most eye-opening experiences that any of us have ever had. There was a group of potential SEALS that were in their second week of seeing if they have the right stuff. 35 had already "rang the bell" and decided that it wasn't for them. The group was pulling themselves off the beach, carrying their rafts when we got there. They were in day 2, week 2 of a 4 week "weeding out" course that challenged their minds as much as their bodies. If they make it through the 4 week trial, they then will have to endure one more week long test. They will be allowed to have 4 hours sleep total in those 7 days, (2 hours on Wednesday and 2 on Thursday) as they are put through more mental and physical testing. All of this, just to be one of the select few that are honored with the SEAL name.
As we spent the day, talking with veteran members of the established SEAL teams, it was obvious that these men had something "different" about them. One of the most obvious traits was the humility that they had in conversation, and the genuine love they have for their teammates, and their country. I was fortunate to spend some time with one gentleman who had been active on multiple different SEAL teams, and had been a team leader and an instructor. I asked him what were the characteristics that he commonly saw in the men who ended up making it through the process and being selected. His response blew me away. He said that "There are 5 things these men MUST have in order to be a SEAL:
1) They must be physically tough. (He followed this by saying that this is the easiest of the qualities to find.)
2)They must be mentally tough
3)They must be morally tough. (He described this as doing the RIGHT thing, all the time...even when nobody is looking.
4)They must believe that the needs of the team are greater than the needs of themselves individually.
5)They must be humble.
What a great list, and it is no coincidence that this is just about the exact same list that I gave my guys in spring training, as I listed out the things I believe to be most important for us to have a winning team.
What does this have to do with baseball and coaching kids? Nothing really, except that I believe this just reinforces the need for coaches to begin to help raise up high character kids. They may not be destined for the Big Leagues, but they just may make a difference in the Board Room, and may even be a modern day hero that fights for our freedom.
A big "Thank-You" to all the vets out there who sacrificed more than we can understand, so many of us can live in a great country that is truly free. You are the ones that should be asked for your autograph everyday.
Thank you for serving us.


text:
Sent in by readers;
✝ This is the correct weblog for everyone who desires to find out about this subject. You understand so considerably its pretty much difficult to argue with you (not that I really would want?-HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject that's been written about for years. Awesome stuff, just awesome!
✝ I'm impressed, I ought to say. Actually rarely do I encounter a blog that's both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you might have hit the nail on the head. Your idea is outstanding; the concern is something that not enough people today are speaking intelligently about. I'm highly happy that I stumbled across this in my search for some thing relating to this.
✝ I'm really impressed with your writing skills as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Either way keeps up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays..
✝ My wife and i have been absolutely lucky Albert managed to conclude his investigation through the entire precious recommendations he received using your blog. It's not at all simplistic just to continually be handing out methods that men and women have been selling. And we do understand we have got you to thank for this. These explanations you've made, the simple site navigation, the relationships your site make it easier to instill – it's everything fabulous, and it's really helping our son in addition to our family consider that this issue is excellent, which is certainly pretty vital. Thanks for the whole thing!
Wonderful products from you finding out, man. We have fully understand the things before for you to and you really are equally efficiently magnificent. I personally just like just what you've received here, certainly just like that which you are saying together with the means by you express it. You are making this satisfying however, you simply take proper care of to help keep the idea smart. We can't delay to view the best value much more of your current stuff. This may be a classic huge web-site.
✝ This write-up is quite appealing to thinking people like me. It's not only thought-provoking, it draws you in from the beginning. This is well-written content material. The views here are also appealing to me. Thank you.
✝ This crazy world were living in, Temptation is everywhere. With all this happening in this era, why do we "People" commit to all this sin? isn't it, because of Adam and Eve are the reason why man fall into temptation? If Adam and Eve didn't eat the fruit of LIFE or disobey GOD, how this world would be? would it be a perfect place? a place with no temptation or where people commit to no sin? But then how do we
repent? I know by praying and asking the Fathers forgiveness. However, everyday we "people" commit sin,due our actions and thoughts. So, do we ask the father forgiveness everyday in order to repent? is that okay?
✝ Thank you for your article.
Anyone can respond to this article through the comment section.
✝ I like this web blog very much, It's a rattling nice situation to read and obtain info .
✝ Good post but I was wondering if you could write a little more on this topic? I'd be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Kudos! red peep toe shoes http://buyredbottomoutlet.webs.com/
✝ Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
✝ Hey very nice site!! Man .. Beautiful .. Amazing .. I'll bookmark your site and take the feeds also
✝ You have a lot of useful pointers on this site. This is a well composed article that I have bookmarked for future reading. Have a fun.
✝ An impressive share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing just a little analysis on this. And he in fact purchased me breakfast mainly because I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to talk about this, I really feel strongly about it and love reading a lot more on this subject. If probable, as you grow to be expertise, would you mind updating your weblog with far more details? It is actually extremely beneficial for me. Large thumb up for this blog post!
christian louboutin sale
✝ I hope you never stop! This is one of the best blogs Ive ever read.Thanks !!!
✝ If any one desires to be a successful blogger, after that he/she must look at this piece of writing, as it carries techniques related to that.
✝Submitted on 2013/04/09 at 5:16 pm
Many thanks to get a really great submit — to supply again somewhat, heres the quote from my own prime 100: 4. It really is in no way also delayed to be what exactly you might have been. – George Eliot
✝ Thanks for a really great post : to present back somewhat, heres any estimate from my major 100: 24. Exactly what is situated behind all of us along with just what lies prior to us all are usually small concerns when compared with what exactly sits in all of us. — Ron Waldo Emerson
✝ Thank you to get a really great post — to offer again a bit, heres a quotation from my own leading 100: eighty-five. End up being whom you are as well as say what you sense, mainly because people who mind don't make a difference and the ones exactly who matter don't head. — Dr. Seuss
✝ Appreciate it for the really good article – to present again slightly, heres a new quote from the top 100: 6. Great brains examine thoughts. Regular minds focus on events. Small intellects discuss men and women. – Eleanor Roosevelt
✝ That is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very accurate information… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read article!
✝ After study some of the weblog posts on your internet site now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark web site list and is going to be checking back soon. Pls take a look at my web webpage as well and let me know what you believe.
✝ What did you use to make the dots? El día de hoy durante una conversación
telefónica que sostuve personalmente con Alex, mencionó con un tono muy serio y franco que su situación era precaria
Israel should remember to not to sell their soul to anyone, but remember the Almighty God. That's who you should answer to. However, they should also be very careful of attacks, because a big one would find its mark. Their survival is directly proportional to their adhesion to God. If you slip then an attack would find it's mark.
That's the way God wants it; the winner would not be the ones with the most guns and bombs anymore but their relationship with God. In other words, Regardless of how much guns and bombs you have, you can still be weakened so badly close to being destroyed.
If you have problems with what i just said, it will be some price to pay. It will be like me telling you…don't take that pill because you will die instantly. Would you like to find out?
More to come!
China is setting themselves up for total global control, putting their best people in place.
The history channel has a new version of the Bible and has attracted many people breaking attendance records. Now, we have already seen the Bible illustrated from different versions, but this version has an edge. The edge was simple from the line " He is already here" . Everyone wants to know what or who, they were referring to. Everyone is also anxious to see the timeline of events.
Just think if that line wasn't there. It probably won't break any record.
Or do you really think that all these people have been changed overnight to be devoted followers.
It is a beautiful thing to believe in God. You have no idea. Don't let material wealth put you on some short-lived pedestal. The real deal is the supreme Father.
While some of you take such great care of your bodies, you should also spend as much time taking care of your soul. Although you are unable to see your soul, you need to be aware that you are made up of half physical and half mystical being. The mystical is not visible to the naked eye, rather it works through the mind. That brings us to the mind which is also not visible, however, you know it is there. It processes your thoughts, but you cannot see it. It manages your feelings and you cannot see it. It manages pain, and although you cannot see as I've said, you can feel it. When your mind is out of sync with your brain, it is said that you are a lunatic. It all adds up; indeed. You have a mind that cannot be seen or touched, but you believe in it.
I am asking you to believe in God, whom you cannot see or touch as well. Believe with constant prayer and you will begin to feel the effects of Him because you will be opening the door to higher spirituality. Once that door is opened, you will have also opened the door to many new unlimited spiritual experiences. And when another person tells you to "not believe in God because they are unable to equate the supreme being to the feeling from praying and feel he does not exist"……. you may look that person straight in the eyes and ask; "Who is the Lunatic now?" … "You are out of Sync."
If I had asked you to become a Christian and you said no, you may have thought you've won. That does not deter my ability to do His work. He was never looking for a headcount on my part…. just an effort to do His work.
Go ahead and walk away with your back toward me. I would say, "Go in Peace and may God Bless You."
That blessing that I bestowed upon you will someday be the key that will finally open your heart.
The day will come when you beckon another to become a Christian. The day will come when you beckon another to feel and experience what you have experienced.
On that day He would smile and I would smile…. for nothing would please Him more!
Our healing water stands alone, because it's divine power is unbelievable. Having that much divine power, it will remove the HIV-aids virus from you within a few months.
It remains mystifying to the doctors, because their records indicates that you do have the HIV-aids virus. Now that they are re checking your status after 4 months, it indicates that you no longer have the HIV-aids virus.
He/she simply don't know what to make of it. Meanwhile you can go ahead on you merry way enjoying life. But remember who cleaned you up. It's the almighty God, you should praise Him and thank Him each day.
Don't thank me!
It's through Him I can perform all of these miracles.
It's His power and His instructions.
While supply lasts!
Why is it that supernatural beings once on earth always have trouble with other people grabbing and wanting that which doesn't belong to them?
Why is the need to feed this greed……
drive people crazy enough that they too must have supernatural power?
Why is it this need to feed the greed…
Drive them to a point of lunacy?
Why is the belief that this need to feed the greed….
Will bring them closer to God. Is it because they believe that it will give them the edge over other men?
Remember, God knows what time it is. In other words, He knows everything, even the fact that you aren't the one and He will cast you down just the same as He did satan.
So where does that put you?
Your desire to look down and trample on other men is wrong and that desire should be out of your mind.
So, cut me some slack or else I will call you out.
Why not have the need to feed the greed…..
For repentance !
I am just a messenger, the only messenger. There is none other to come.
If you are Looking for love don't look outside. Look inside! You can't find love outside, if you can't find it inside. Because everyone will eventually realize that you are incapable of love.
When you find love within, then you will see love in everything.
When you find love within, then your love to another will be real.
When you find love within, then you will see the beauty of life.
When you find love within, then you will see God in everything.
Because God is LOVE and lOVE is Godly.
Everything you do will be greatly admired, because it was done with love.
Because love can change everything!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
My day begins with a steaming hot cup of Assam tea, yeah i have been adviced on the goodness of warm water with lime juice and honey, but what's life if we can't enjoy our own beverages!
I quickly tie my walking shoes, thanking the mastermind inventor of it (my heels actually thank him/her). At this point i am in a great hurry to be out and my sluggish husband always tests my morning patience by dilly-dallying in searching of things like keys, socks, cellphone....AAAAAGGGGG!!!
And then i am off. The fresh air hits my lungs and my limbs are raring to go.
When that lazy lump of a hubby abandons me sometimes, i take my Ipod and plunge into a musical world. Sometimes the nonsensical lyrics of Honey Singh make me smile in memory of days in Ludhiana, Punjab; Nikki Minaj and Jessie J pep me up with my loveliest memories of the U.K, bollywood songs bring longing for mumbai and the oh so romantic marine drive.
And before this piece of writing becomes a trip down memory lane, back to mornings.
My companions come in all shapes and sizes! There are those who struggle, pant and puff; Those who race and overtake others like they are the Obamas of the walking track; Some people put their music on speakers so when they cross you you know what their taste in music is like- Bhajans mostly or old bollywood hits. Now speaking of which, i feel the kind of music one listens to is like a window to the kind of person you are.
Okay back to morning walks- one interesting thing i often observe is the way people glance at each other when they cross each other's paths. Some seem to look you up and down and say "Tsk!Tsk! so overweight!!" While some kind of admire you silently or maybe like my Hubby says who has the time like you to think so much?!
Have you noticed how people do the stretching and the exercising? Some look so hilarious, i actually saw a man holding a tree and swinging around it! and a women doing some kind of breathing exercise that seems like she was gasping for breath!some people clap as they walk,is it to cheer themselves or some kind of yogic stance?
Here i must again bring back mumbai to tell you all about my fantistic Marine drive morning walks- the thing about Mumbai is nobody looks at anybody!!! Its as if you don't exist! People walk alone, or as couples or as the typical SOBO Gujju buissinessmen group- more i think to discuss their deals, mixing buissness with exercise! And the open sea, aah, the crashing waves- but all that some other time. Back to sweet Nagpur morning walks. See the best thing in Nagpur is the forest at Seminary Hills and thats where i take my morning walks. If i need a reason why i am inspired to tumble out of bed every morning it must be this.
And as it often happens in the middle of my walking, i am seized by an urgent need to sit down or bunk the walk midway and cheat myself off the track and take a detour or a shortcut- i can't. See that's the beauty of the "forest walk" in Nagpur, they have a narrow jogging track and you are forced to complete the whole round at least once (almost like life itself, no shortcuts and no going back)!
So at the end you reach back home tired but with euphoric feelings and muscle soreness, but the endorphins released in the body making you feel exhilarated and ready to face you day!
See you in the morning!


text:
Download Approaches to Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion, An Issue of Interventional Cardiology Clinics, – Randall Lee
This issue of Interventional Cardiology Clinics examines approaches to left atrial appendage exclusion. Topics include stroke and bleeding risks in patients with atrial fibrillation, embryology and anatomy, rationale, catheter-based endocardial closure, pericardial access, catheter-based epicardial closure, surgical closure, device and left atrial appendage specific characteristic for successful closure, clinical results, the role of CTA and MRA imaging, imaging with TEE, post-procedural management, and prevention and management of complications.
Author: Randall Lee
Format: PDF
Size: 23.62 Mb


text:
Films of the Fortnight at Altrincham Vue CinemaBy Mark Rocks at
Here's the latest instalment of our new fortnightly feature, where we hand-pick a selection of films showing at our only cinema, Vue Altrincham.
Film fan Mark Rocks takes you through them…
For full showing times and to secure your tickets, visit: https://www.myvue.com/cinema/altrincham
Out This Week
xXx 3: The Return of Xander Cage (12A)
It's been more than a decade since Vin Diesel made his debut as extreme-sports guy turned superspy, Xander Cage, in the 2002 film xXx (Triple X) and it seems the thrill seeker can't resist a comeback. After sitting two Fast & Furious movies out, he rolled by once more as Dominic Toretto, back at the wheel to drive his team to new success. Now, after years of teasing a return to the role, Diesel appears once again and this time it's a race against time.
After coming out of self-imposed exile, Xander Cage must recover a sinister weapon known as Pandora's Box, a device that controls every military satellite in the world.
Recruiting a new group of thrill-seeking cohorts including Bafta winning Samuel L. Jackson, Xander finds himself entangled in a deadly conspiracy that points to collusion at the highest levels of government.
Out next week
Trainspotting T2 (18)
Taking a trip down memory lane through the 90s always brings back bouts of nostalgia and dreams of a place that seemed better than it probably was.
Local boy Danny Boyle gave us Trainspotting – a film that provided every teenager in 1996 Britain with a monologue they could recite from memory, voiced by a selection of rogue characters that proudly chose not to choose life.
Two decades on from its predecessor, Boyle's Trainspotting T2 shows the original foursome (Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner and Jonny Lee Miller) are as mismatched as ever when Renton (McGregor) comes back to Edinburgh from Amsterdam, where he has been hiding out.
However it doesn't take the group of veteran junkies long to realise that they still have three big things in common: their pasts, and an abiding dread of the future and the inevitability that chaos and bloodshed will follow as history repeats itself.
Last Chance to See
Passengers (12A)
What do you get when you put two of cinema's biggest stars at the moment together as romantic leads? What if that movie was an isolated intergalactic adventure movie with blockbuster special effects and thrilling twists aplenty? What if that movie also had Michael Sheen as a bartender robot? Well Hollywood thinks it may have the answers with Passengers.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as two lone space-crew members who awake from their cryosleep a little too early – 90 years too early. Being the only people awake (not to mention probably the two most attractive people on the ship) they easily begin to warm to each other. However, something sinister which could mean the death for everyone on board rears its ugly head and it's up to our astro-insomniacs to save the day.
Sci-fi flicks are currently on something of a winning streak, with last year's The Martian, Nolan's Interstellar and Sandra Bullock floatathon Gravity being huge hits with the Christmas crowds, we expect festive film fans looking to the stars to be on board for Passengers as well.
Family Favourite
Sing! (U)
After conquering the box office with Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets, Illumination Entertainment returns with its sweetest and most charming project yet.
In Garth Jennings' quirky animated musical, a koala impresario is forced to stage a grand singing competition for the world's animals in order to save his elegant theatre that has fallen on hard times.
A chorus of A list celebrities take on some of the world's biggest hits including a rendition of Taylor Swift's Grammy winning 'Shake It Off' from Reese Witherspoon and Kingsman: The Secret Service's Tom Egerton delivers a solo performance of The Zombie's 'The Way I Feel Inside.'
The 23-song soundtrack features music from various genres and artists which means there will be something for everybody in the family to enjoy!
Coming Soon
Rings (15)
Forget the soppy lovey-dovey rom-coms this Valentine's season and opt for something a little more ghoulish. Albeit it will end up being a date for three: you, your partner and Samara Morgan.
February brings about a new chapter in the Ring horror movie franchise, titled 'Rings' and although it has been over a decade since the infamous deadly videotape was in circulation, it has been confirmed that this hotly-anticipated psychological thriller is a sequel to its 2002 companion.
A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a movie within the movie that no one has ever seen before.
The fresh reboot brings with it a cast of fresh talent, including Alex Roe (Sniper: Legacy) who plays protagonist 'Holt' and The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki features in a supporting role.
'Rings' hits cinemas on February 3rd.
For full showing times and to secure your tickets, visit: https://www.myvue.com/cinema/altrincham


text:
Over 5 million Americans suffer with Alzheimer's disease. It is estimated that there are more than 15 million caregivers providing care to those with Alzheimer's and related dementias. The emotional toll on both those with the disease and their caregivers is overwhelming. They need assistance. They need resources. They need care. They call the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's toll-free hotline.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America's toll-free hotline delivers compassion, knowledge, and care through licensed social workers, and provides information, counseling, and referrals to community resources across the nation. Licensed social workers will respond to your questions and direct you to appropriate local resources to meet your needs. No question is too small; no concern too insignificant.
The hotline operates Monday through Friday, 9 am to 9 pm (EST) and 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays. During these hours, social workers are available by phone, as well as via Skype and live chat. Counseling is available in English and Spanish. Thousands of callers reach out and receive help each month. Help enhance the work of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America by donating to the cause. With additional funding, we can serve and provide care to more people that are desperately in need of help.
You can help. Just $10 helps fund the Alzheimer's Foundation of America's toll-free hotline.
Update from the Field
January 2018
With the help of YOUR donations, the AFA has been able to extend the National Toll-Free Hotline's hours to help more caregivers. Previously, the hotline operated Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. The hotline now operates until 9 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays. With continued funding, the AFA hopes to increase the hotline's operating hours to 24 hours a day, every day, so caregivers can call and receive help at any time.
We have received a number of stories from caregivers who have benefited from the hotline's expanded hours of operation.
One story comes from Jeff in the midwest, whose high stress job made it impossible to call the hotline during work hours. With access to the after hours National Toll-Free Hotline, he was able to speak repeatedly to a social worker who educated him on what was going on with his father, and provided him with local resources he could utilize.
Another story comes to us from Leonard, whose mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She lives alone and would regularly wander off, and once accidentally set fire to her kitchen because she forgot to turn a burner off. Leonard, frustrated and worried, contacted the hotline several times in one night. After multiple calls and conversations, AFA's licensed dementia-certified social worker was able to guide Leonard to first obtaining an in home aide for his mother. Additionally, through referrals to AFA's member organizations, his mother is now in an adult day social program to keep her engaged and occupied during the day.
The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) is a non-profit organization comprised of 1,700 member and associate member organizations across the U.S. dedicated to meeting the educational, social and emotional needs of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, and their families and caregivers. AFA's mission is "to provide optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families." AFA believes that by raising awareness of the disease and educating healthcare professionals and the public at large, we will help remove the fear and denial surrounding Alzheimer's disease and related illnesses, lead to early detection and proper treatment, prompt greater utilization of community resources and ultimately improve quality of life.
Free Standard Shipping in the U.S. on your entire cart when you donate $15.00 or more in our Gift That Gives More™ program. See Current Promotions for details.
Why a Gift That Gives More™ is a smart, effective donation.
100% of your Gift That Gives More™ donation will go as a charitable gift to GreaterGood.org. GreaterGood stores pay the credit card transaction fee, so every cent of your donation goes to charity. GreaterGood.org has ultimate authority and discretion with regard to the distribution of its funds.
Please note: A free downloadable certificate is available to print for easy gift giving for any non-disaster related Gift That Gives More™. The "gift message" field during check-out does not apply to your Gift That Gives More™ certificate.


text:
A Logo promotes brand visibility and creates an identity for your company. The logo of your company speaks volumes about who you are. It needs to be crafted to mirror your company's identity and philosophy.
For more details, please feel free to Contact Us with the requirements for your project.


text:
Dreams of a Nature Machine
Dreams Of A Nature Machine
The Source Family commune founded by Father YOD started in the late 1960's in Los Angeles. One of the members of the commune, father whom was the guitarist for 'Savage Sons of Yahowa', gave birth to Banihart Obitea. Banihart spent most of his childhood around the members of the Source Family. After the death of Father YOD, a sub-commune of the Source Family moved to Drop City.
Very much influenced by the cultural psyche of the time, Banihart imagined the tarmac roads winding through landscapes retaken by nature. He experimented with images, texts, and drafts of what this machine might look like. Perhaps there will come a day when cars are obsolete, and the value of abandoned highways will be reclaimed by alternative communes.
The prints displayed are experiments by Baniharts', some that show futuristic visions of the atmospheric change from a satellite viewpoint, or imagined nature.
Back to Projects
©2017 Deborah Tchoudjinoff


text:
It's been about five years since I got involved in the points and miles game, and it's really changed my life for the better. Not just in terms of how I travel, but how I earn a living and spend my free time. I remember reading about the U.S. Mint Deal in an NPR article and then signing up for a free trial of the Travel Hacking Cartel to learn more. That only left me more confused: What did credit cards have to do with traveling for free? Was that really all people were doing to earn miles? How was this sustainable? These were some of the questions I was left with, so I explored further and soon came across the single most useful resource in my journey: FreeFrequentFlyerMiles.com.
Free Frequent Flyer Miles is run by a man named Gary Steiger. I've never met him but Rick, the founder of Frugal Travel Guy, told me he's been in the game for many years. He seems to be a low key guy, staying out of the press and points and miles conferences, but I think his blog deserves way more credit than it receives. It may not be the flashiest looking blog out there. But it was absolutely the most useful to me. Why? Because it covered the most basic thing we're all looking for: All the different ways to collect airline miles and hotel points, at minimal out of pocket cost. By reading through the entire blog, I was able to create my own database of deals. I also learned about all the major points and miles blogs that I still read today.
Gary does a great job of keeping the site updated with the latest information. As an added bonus, it's done in a very simple format that makes everything easy to find. The "What's New" page has a list of credit card deals and bonus point promotions listed by date. There's everything from well known deals like the 75,000 point Citi Hilton HHonors Visa sign-up bonus to 25,000 miles offered by United Airlines for the purchase of a used Mercedes. Where else do you see random deals like this? None of the other points and miles blogs I still read on a regular basis.
If you're new to points and miles or want a comprehensive database of ways to earn more miles, check out the Free Frequent Flyer Miles blog. It's a great resource for both newbies and those who've been involved in this game for many years. I learned more from reading this blog than any other. The site isn't well optimized, so you may not come across it during a Google search. Check it out and hopefully you'll find new ways to earn extra miles through the many offers listed.
Some would argue that sites like Flyertalk or Reddit are the best places to get information about points, miles, and travel hacking in general. I do use these resources for various purposes. However, when it comes to finding a comprehensive database of points and miles deals, I find Free Frequent Flyer Miles to be the best resource. Why? Because everything is in one place and easily searchable.
What was the most useful resource in your quest to learn more about the points and miles game? Are there any blogs you want to give a shoutout to that don't get much attention?
Subscribe to Blog via Email


text:
Geoff Goodman ha scritto
D.Va's damage is definitely on the lower side, much like Winstons. They are this way for a similar reason: They are both very mobile and hard to kill. Every character in the game has strengths and weaknesses, its part of what makes the teamplay work well.
That said, I do think the is some room for some D.Va improvements, but these are unlikely to take the shape of increasing her damage output significantly.
Yes she gets taken down quickly if she is fighting multiple targets, unlike Winston/Reinhardt because of their barriers. When I say she is difficult to kill its speaking from a smaller skirmish standpoint, which she can usually set up due to her Flight ability.
There was a time, when she was first implemented, where she had more damage than she does now. The way that played out is that she would fly into someone's face, destroy them, and fly away. There was little that person could do because her mobility.
As I said I think she can use some help in other areas, but I don't have anything concrete yet. The goal is that she should be a viable aggressive initiation tank, much like Winston can be right now, rather than some sort of beefy flying assassin. So any changes will likely be helping her in that direction.
Geoff Goodman ha scritto
I've been watching McCree carefully since we've released. McCree's flashbang plays an important role in being a strong option against very fast/agile teams (tracers/genjis/etc). It is also a nice tool to prevent close range devastating abilities and ultimates such as Reaper's Death Blossom.
That said, its probably a bit too good at dealing damage to higher health targets such as Tanks and barriers. I don't have any concrete changes yet, but I'm going to be testing some things internally to see how he plays.
Right. I think I wasn't clear enough. By saying 'its probably a bit too good at dealing damage to higher health targets' I mean his flash/fan combo, not the flash itself. Fan is more likely to see changes than flash at this point.


text: Back to all posts SOLD OUT! We're thrilled to let you know that our show at The Lincoln Theatre on Saturday April 14 is sold out! Thank you! Leave a comment Add comment Please log in or register to include your contact info. Name to show on site Log out Name Location * Comment Add comment


text:
Injuries and a suspension have forced the Florida Gators to shuffle some personnel this week in preparation for Saturday's game at Florida State.
Injuries and a suspension have forced the Florida Gators to shuffle some personnel this week in preparation for Saturday's game at Florida State.
With defensive tackle Matt Patchan out with a sprained knee and starting nose tackle Lawrence Marsh questionable with a sprained knee, sophomore Torrey Davis is being moved from tackle to the nose, where he would see playing time behind junior Brandon Antwine, who moves up as the starter.
At tackle, Terron Sanders is the starter, with redshirt freshman Jaye Howard stepping into Patchan's role as the backup.
"We'll roll guys in there (at the tackle positions)," defensive line coach Dan McCarney said. "Jaye Howard, Terron Sanders, Brandon Antwine. (Antwine) played great (against The Citadel). Jaye Howard and Torrey Davis did a lot of good things.
"We'll find a way to put a good defensive line on the field. We have to. That's why you build depth, because you're going to get guys nicked up. It's part of the game. This isn't tennis, it's football. Unfortunately, injuries are part of it."
McCarney said the top four tackles (Antwine, Sanders, Davis and Howard) will all see work at both tackle positions this week.
"We'll make sure they can play both," McCarney said.
Meyer said Antwine will be held out of practice today and Wednesday due to soreness in his back. Antwine missed last season when a muscle in his back died.
"We're very thin (at defensive tackle) right now," Meyer said. "We're hoping Marsh can give us something in the ball game."
Marsh will be re-evaluated later in the week.
"We'll be ready without him," McCarney said. "We'll plan that he's not going to be there. If he gets back later in the week, fantastic."
On offense, the Gators have made a move to make up for the loss of No. 3 quarterback Cameron Newton, who was been suspended indefinitely after his arrest for theft last week. Punter Chase Henry is now the third-team quarterback, while wide receiver Percy Harvin also is taking some shotgun snaps this week.
"Chas Henry is meeting with the quarterbacks full time now," Meyer said. "And (Sunday) at practice, Percy took some direct snaps. We have very little throw game with Percy at quarterback."
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Henry was a three-year starting quarterback at East Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., where he threw for more than 1,700 yards his junior season.
"He's an excellent quarterback, a very functional player," Meyer said. "He's a very smart, very competitive player. I love him. He's a tremendous player."


text:
RYE, N.Y. -- Two years ago, the winds and tides of Superstorm Sandy destroyed the boardwalk along Playland Amusement Park and blew the roof off its historic Ice Casino.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, County Executive Rob Astorino marked that dark second anniversary with bright news: After nearly $5 million in repairs -- including replacement of boilers destroyed by saltwater from Long Island Sound -- the popular ice skating rink has reopened. It took skilled craftsmen to piece together the high-vaulted roof with crisscrossing wooden beams to preserve the integrity of the 85-year-old art deco structure.
Completion of the project was welcome news for the Manhattanville Valiants' college hockey teams, which train and compete at Playland. For the past two hockey seasons, the nationally ranked men's and women's teams commuted to Stamford, Conn., for practice and games -- a daunting task whenever Interstate 95 was jammed due to accidents, traffic or storms.
Thousands of younger hockey players and figure skaters from various clubs and teams, including Rye High School, also were thrilled to resume ice time again this fall.
At Thursday's press conference, Astorino threw down a ceremonial puck on center ice for an "official" reopening of the Ice Casino. He was joined by Shane Coppola, chairman and chief executive of American Skating Entertainment Centers; Jon Strauss, president of Manhattanville College; and Mike Richter, former goaltender for the New York Rangers;
"Our Ice Casino at Playland is like a great athlete," Astorino said. "When it gets knocked down, it gets up and comes back stronger than ever. ... Put on your skates. The Ice Casino's back!"
On the evening of Oct. 29 and into the morning of Oct, 30, 2012, Superstorm Sandy tore up the East Coast, including the county-owned Playland Park, leaving billions of dollars of damage in its wake.
As the new ice rink operator, American Skating of Elmsford will invest $640,000 into the building over the next 18 months. This money will rebuild and modernize the interior, upgrading the main lobby, floors, lighting, electronics, bathrooms and locker rooms.
Manhattanville's hockey teams are regular participants in the national playoffs. The women's team has qualified for eight NCAA appearances since 1999, and the men's team has qualified four times -- not to mention numerous ECAA league titles. "It's wonderful for Manhattanville to get back on its 'home ice' at Playland," Strauss said.
In addition to the RHS teams and booster club, other returnees include the Westchester Dragons/Mariners, Rye Rangers, New Rochelle Lightning, Hockey North America, Rye Figure Skating Club, Westchester Vipers, HVHL Mite League, Fordham Prep, Nates Euro Hockey, Rye Town Titans and Team Image.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


text:
Hey! Those of us here at Tight Ends are taking some time off after a great season!
See you for March Madness! 🏀
A sports podcast for the rest of us!
Super Bowl Lii meets Tight Ends Lii! This week we talk Patriots (boo!) and Eagles (yay!). Hubby Frank joins to chat Super Bowl parties (he makes the best dip) and some Australian Open! 52 feels pretty good!
Can't believe we reached 52 along with the Super Bowl. We'd like to thank our family and coaches. We couldn't have done it without the team staff and Calgary local craft beer.
Brought to you by:
Alberta Podcast Network
The Playbook:
Gronk playing Xbox
Pro Bowl Dodgeball controversy!
Bill Belichick in his (retirement) suit.
Nick Foles talks about his daughter. 😢
Postal Service – great band! (YouTube)
Federer emotional Australian Open win. (YouTube)
TENNIS COMING TO CALGARY! (Twitter)
Evanston Athletics buzzer beater! (Twitter)
I AM SO EXCITED!! My little bro, Blair, joins me this week to talk NFL Playoffs and his unusual way of picking winners. We also chat with his boss, Calgary Ward 9 Councilor Gian-Carlo Carra about city sporting facilities! Also, our friend, Tamara Robertson from MythBusters is back to tell us about her trip to Puerto Rico for relief efforts. Her last visit with us is here!
This episode is so packed we can't have borders on it.
Brought to you by:
Alberta Podcast Network
The Playbook:
Blair is drinking Happy Belly Kombucha
Vanda is drinking Medicine Hat Brewing Co. Gentleman's Stout
Crokicurl! (Hurry!! Hard!! Bleach!!)Philly is a "Rider's Paradise"!
Livin' In an Amish Paradise! -Weird Al (YouTube)
Tweet of the Week!! – Soccer Player Julie and Tight End Zach Ertz – so cute it ERTZ! (Twitter)
This week Jodie the Personal Trainer is back! The ladies talk NFL Playoff weekend, amazing Viking win, and ice dancing…yes…ice dancing. It's so cold it's hot!
Episode title is from a loved movie from my youth. Cutting Edge. If you watch it after hearing this episode let me know! @thetightends We can do a review on our next episode!
Proud to be sponsored by: Alberta Women Entrepreneurs: Learning Day – Feb 20th. Listen to the episode to get the Promo Code and 10% off!
The Playbook:
Cutting Edge movie! Toe Pick!
Gronk says NO! What the heck is goin on people?!
Case Keenum looking for his keys!
Vikings win! With Titantic theme music. (YouTube)
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir perfect performance!
Tessa and Scott reality show!! (YouTube trailer)
Canadian Snowboarders McMorris and McMorris reality show!!
Elladj Balde Canadian skater. Swoon!
Girl scores 50th goal after not being about to walk months earlier!
This week Vanda welcomes her OLDEST friend, Beverly. She had her first Fantasy experience with Tight Ends Fantasy Football League! They talk Wildcard Weekend (or Playoffs Lite) and Beverly listens to Vanda rant about the Baylor coaching staff. For Halftime they talk about travel tips with kids! (Don't take them!) 🙂 Kidding! Beverly has some really great tips!
Couldn't come up with a title this week!! The only other option was "Gwyneth Paltrow got me kicked out of Starbucks".
Proud to be sponsored by:Alberta Women Entrepreneurs: Learning Day – Feb 20th. Listen to the episode to get the Promo Code and 10% off!
Halftime Show: Dream Destinations!
Whitehorse, Yukon!
Travel Asia with kids!
Croatia travel
The Playbook:
From the Bench: Wrong Bracket!!
Gronk in TAKEN (on a train) movie trailer. (YouTube)
Vanda's 2-minute rant! University of Houston hires Baylor coaches.
Titan's Mariota deflection TD!! (YouTube)
Jalen Ramsey interception! (YouTube)
Sam Ficken Ram's kicker was in finance until he got the bat signal!
Bills Mafia raises money for Cincinnati QBs foundation…AWWWW!
Beverly at a Bills/Raiders game in Buffalo! Sweary-apologetic guy in the back.


text:
Welcome To Anytime Bail Bonds
Are you located in the states of Louisiana or Texas and finding that you are in need of a local bail bonds service that will be able to help you, no matter what time or day that you call? Is your location in the cities of Shreveport, Louisiana; Bossier City, Louisiana; Marshall, Texas; Minden, Louisiana; or Mansfield, Louisiana? Do you need a low cost bail bonds service that will always provide you with the level of respect, care, and expertise that you deserve in order to help you to get out of jail quickly? Are you or is someone that you know in need of a bail bonds service in the middle of the night, and you are looking for a closeby bail bonds company that will be able to take 24 hr emergency calls at any day of the week?
If you have answered to any or all of these questions with an affirmative, then what you have been searching for all of this time is sure to be the high quality, experienced, and finest bail bonds service in the entire state of Louisiana as well as the state of Texas -- right here at Anytime Bail Bonds! Anytime Bail Bonds is without a doubt the very best choice of bail bonds service that you could make if you have been searching for a truly reliable, affordable, and experienced bail bonds agent, as we make sure to offer the finest bail bonds service around. Learn More
Service Areas:
- Shreveport
- Bossier City
- Minden
- Mansfield
- Coushatta


text:
Thursday, November 09, 2006
We wish you a speedy recovery
A certain someone's soul mate was rushed to the hospital yesterday with horrible stomach pains, and wound up receiving an emergency appendectomy. Get well soon, Al Jefferson!
Posted by Roger Williams at 11/09/2006 07:26:00 AM
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
::Blouse, Belt, and Necklace - Thrifted, Shoes - Steve Madden, Jeans - I don't remember!::
I have been extremely busy these last few weeks, and haven't really had the time OR a stable internet connection to blog. Anywho, I'm back and these pics are old! If you follow me on twitter you probably recognize the print in my shirt because I twitpic'd (?) it. Stepped out in this fit last Friday to a friend's farewell dinner. She's moving to LA to work and learn from one of the most talked about stylists on "The RZP"!! I'm sad to see her leave but I hope to visit her soon!
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @KrystleMii!!


text:
So, I'm feelin' pretty good lately. Like I'm owning shit. Well, not shit, more like, ME.
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Blame the Butterfly.
I like to have philosophical conversations with my 6 year old.
You know why?
Because kids minds are so untainted and optimistic, they tend to take things at a very "face value" level. Using what they know (which is not much) they sometimes come to funny and suprisingly palpable conclusions, and have no qualms about rejecting logical things adamantly.
The other is because they're soo fucking easy to whoop in checkers. King me.
"Thanks mommy!"
She is officially delighted and becomes even more so when she makes the connection.
Why the fuck did I just say destined?? Now I'm gonna have to go ahead and…
ell that was just a funny coincidence."
Hmmm, let's see how 'stupid' she thinks that idea is.
"Well, some people believe that everything that happens is because of every little decision you make. Like the fact that we decided to walk on the sunny side of the street caused us to find the quarter. If we had just crossed over, we would've missed it altogether."
She is pensive now and for once, not talking.
"I'm gonna blow her fucking mind right about now.." I think.
"And not just that, but some people believe that that it's not just every little decision YOU make but any little change that happens around you or even far away can change your future…"
I think I've said too much now. Which may not be bad. I'm about to say more.
"So, there's this thing called the Butterfly Effect…"
I start explaining how a butterfly flapping his wings somewhere can start off a chain of events which could have possibly made this side of the street sunny enough for us to find the quarter.
"Coooool" she says "but, if we can't see the butterfly… and we don't know where he is, but he still makes the street sunny… then it's like HE'S the one writing OUR story and we're just the people acting it out….? I think the butterfly made us find that quarter, and it's been waiting for us all along."
OOOooooo. She's got me. Which is good. The brain is churning, wheels spinning and she's even got me pondering shit for a minute.
I'm about to correct her again about who found the quarter, but on second thought, I just shut up and enjoy the thoughtful silence.
Itchy Bitches
Feeling itchy?
Although there are many different kinds of itches there is typically
one thing that unites them all:
They are all for the most part, beyond your control.
So, Where do they come from? Why do they happen?
And more importantly, what is the best way to scratch 'em? Well, I think I kinda have it figured out, and here it is:
1.The Sneeze Foreplay Itch — You know the one. The nose tickle that lasts forever. The one where you look like an idiot for 30+ seconds before you actually sneeze. Mouth all open, nose in the air. People are already 'God Blessing' your ass in anticipation. And usually, the dumber your face looks, the bigger the sneeze(s).
What it means — It can mean a couple of things, usually though, it signifies the onset of either a cold or allergy season and so therefore carries with it notions of fear and disdain.
What you can do — Well I can't tell you what to do about your allergies, but I CAN give you a suggested way to eradicate The Sneeze Foreplay Itch. It sounds and looks very cliche but putting your finger under your nose actually works! Must be some kind of physics thing involving air, gravity and boogers. Of course you look like an even bigger dummy but in the long run, your co-workers will thank you for not spraying them with snot, spit and germs.
2. The Sneak Attack Smack In the Middle of Your Back Itch — I'm not a religious person, but I am absolutely convinced that this is God's way of being a turd. (I see you laughing up there...) I mean why else would that shit just come out of nowhere? And it's never a little tiny itch either, it's always mega intense. Did I mention it's physically impossible to reach as well? Seriously, it's like licking your elbow, or seeing your ears… I mean unless you're in Cirque Du Soleil and can bend your ass in half, your fucked.
What it means — As I said earlier, it's a cruel joke of some higher power, and if not a 'joke' it's gotta be like a mini-karma thing. Nothing big like what would happen to you if you killed a puppy. More like not telling someone their skirt's stuck in their panty hose.
What you can do — Well, the best scenario to be in if this should happen to you is with a close friend or family member. Y'know, someone you don't mind asking to do the deed for you. Asking a stranger can make you look a bit like a primadonna though, so try and avoid. The second best thing would be to have some kind of arm extender. It doesn't have to be a back-scratcher per say, it can be something as simple as a pen or even a chopstick should you coincidentally be in a Chinese restaurant. If you're alone though, I'm sorry to say, you have no other choice then to use the Grizzly Technique of rubbing your back vigorously on a tree, building or other rough surface. You will find your mother-in-law's 5 o'clock shadow works nicely for this.
3. The Bottom of the Boot Foot Itch — This one is very closely related to the previously mentioned Middle of Your Back Itch in that it strikes you mysteriously and is extremely annoying. It is always in the middle of your instep right on the sole of your foot, and to make matters worse, it almost always occurs when you're wearing a boot or other lace-up complicated footwear. It is not quite as bad as the Back Itch though, because you can actually reach it by yourself …. it just takes a little maneuvering.
What it means — Well, it can either be a karma/God joke thing, or it can simply be something not so esoteric, like say, a little piece of crud that got caught in your sock and is now, after walking around a bit, becoming a big pain in your ass. The fact that it usually occurs whilst wearing inconvenient footwear however, suggests the former. (Yo! I said I see you laughing up there!!)
What you can do — Well, unfortunately, there's no getting around this one. You actually have to stop what your doing and take of your goddamn shoe. Sticking anything down the boot risks running your stockings, and besides, you can never make that 90 degree turn to get to the sole of your foot. So just bite the bullet, find a discreet place, and hope you wearing a presentable sock. And if you're not, fuck it. Nothing beats that feeling of relief you get from getting in a thorough scratch session.
4. The Vicarious Cootie Itch A.K.A. The Mind Fuck Itch — Now THIS itch is quite evil. I say this because well, it's not even a real itch. Meaning it cannot be squelched by a simple scratch. This is the itch that happens when you get a letter from your kids school informing you that someone has LICE. This is the itch that happens when you see a BED BUG commercial. THIS is the itch that happens when you're watching the shower scene in ARACHNOPHOBIA. Let me expound. In the case of the lice letter, you're affected immediately in your head, for the others, it can be an entire body experience. It's precursor is usually that "YEEeeEEeee" chill, you know, when your teeth clench and you get the shudder thing. Then you feel one little itch, and another, and before you know it, you have psychosomatically given yourself whatever it was you were thinking in your mind. It's totally contagious too. All you have to do is mention the said creepy crawly to a friend and… BAM!! now they have the Vicarious Cootie Itch too …. dang, I think I'm getting a case of it just by writing this…
What it means — It means that you have had some kind of personal cootie run-in or some kind of creepy crawly phobia… or both. Don't be ashamed though, it's more common then you may think… in fact, I have yet to encounter a person who has never experienced this particular kind of itch…. and if they say they haven't, they're lying.
What you can do — Because, as I said earlier, this is a Mind Fuck Itch, you have to get your mind the fuck out of it. In other words, distract, distract, DISTRACT! Now, since we're all parents here this should be easy. I mean, we're all practiced in the art of distraction otherwise how else would we get toddlers to do what we want? You're gonna get a fight if you say "NO, you can't" to a toddler but if you're smart, you'll go with the old "Look at the birdie!! Look at the birdie!!" trick in order to lure them where you want them. It's like the carrot and the stubborn mule — he won't go if you pull him but if you have a good enough di
straction, he'll follow your lead. So if your brain is caught with images of bed bugs sucking your blood as you sleep, just push in pictures of puppies and chocolate and in no time, you'll be cured!
5. The Time For Another One Itch — This one's a fucking DOOZY. Now, did you think I wasn't going to have a MOMMY reference in this whole list??? C'mon, this IS PaRANThood after all isn't it??? So, let's talk about this one. This One More Baby Itch is the most dangerous itch of them all. It usually happens when your youngest child is about 2 1/2 – 3 years old. It's a very complex and convoluted itch because it is very real in your mind AND body, and yet, it is completely ILLOGICAL. It can be particularly provoked by being in the company of infants. On rare occasions, it can even be husband influenced. While it's happening though, it can have very profound physical effects such as spontaneous lactation, and yet it has a creeper quality, allowing itself to periodically withdraw following good self-rationalizing session. But not unlike that weird creeper dude in that photo at your friends birthday, it's always there, waiting, whether you see it at the time or not. And if you succumb… it's effects last your entire fucking life.
What it means — Well, it means unfortunately, that you're a pretty normal chick. Us moms are the ultimate dichotomy. The first half being, that since you're a mother once already, you are familiar with all of the lovely aspects that accompany the act of nurturing. The tender moments you've experienced now draw you back, like a drug. The satisfaction and contentment of a newborn babe asleep in your arms is unmatchable. The smell, the feel, the warmth… it's all completely enticing, and has somehow slipped away with the toddler you once cradled who is now a mouthy jerk. You yearn for that same closeness. You so enjoyed wrapping a tiny child almost completely inside yourself that you have almost forgotten that. other. part….. That other half of the dichotomy. That suck ass part that after considering and rehashing, has many times kept The Itch at bey and is somehow STILL so much a part of us. I don't know just how they derived the word MOM from the word MOTHER, but I'm pretty sure they didn't. I believe the word MOM is an acronym for Master Of Masochism. There's this kind of worrier pride thing that goes along with being a mom isn't there? It's like we're on Survivor. We go through the harshness that is pregnancy, allowing our bodies to take a beating, then birth (have some more!) then all the shit that happens after…in fact, sometimes I even think we have a secret need for this part too…. (I STILL see you laughing up there by the way… NOW CUT IT OUT!!)
What you can do — Believe it or not, the answer is simple. Well, maybe straight forward is a better term… There are three ways to go in this situation. a) You can succumb to the Itch and have another child. I have done this once, and at times have wanted to fucking kill myself, but overall, I regret nothing. b) You can override the itch using some strong will power and eventually when your child gets older and you become an actual real person again you just might be grateful you made that decision… but beware, there is no guarantee it will not rear it's head again….
or 3) Get a fucking DOG. After the second time that Itch crept up on my ass, I got a dog. He's about as tall as my two year old and very cute. He completely fulfills my need to nurture and cuddle, just without the stretchmarks or the sitters. I still gotta deal with a little piss and poo, but at this point, that's a cake walk.
Well I hope that was not only enjoyable but informative, and now, here are some "Itches" that didn't make the list but definitely deserve an honorable mention…
The Seven Year Itch
The Teenage I Knew I Shouldn't Have Slept With That Guy Crotch Itch
The I Wanna Go Out, Get Drunk And Dance Itch
and finally,
The This Cast Fucking Sucks Itch
I'm having an "I Hate My Life" moment. Ok, let me re-phrase that so I can breathe without screaming… I'm having an "I Hate My Life Right Now" moment.
The kids, the husband, the messy house, they're all closing in on me. Every "Mommy!!" feels like a piranha bite. The mess in each room is morphing in to quicksand, pulling me deeper in to piles of play food and Duplo blocks. The stroller is a giant tower, piled high with coats not hung up because the closet itself has become a dangerous avalanche zone. The husband is questioning me about dinner and the defrosted chicken that's sitting warm on the counter.
"How long has it been out?" "Are you sure it's still good?" "Did you forget to put it in the fridge?"
The cat has just knocked down the plant spraying soil all over the floor — I think what a good fur stole he would make as I sit on my hands and knees picking up pieces of pearlite.
"Sign my homework!" "Give me juicebox!" "Are you making broccoli?!" "MOMMY!!!" "Meeooooww!!" AARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I feel like running away, maybe under the cloak of night… Yeah, that's IT!! I'll steal away quietly while the monsters are sleeping. Tip-toeing over toys I will slowly open the front door. A thin stripe of light from the buildings hallway will slice through the dark living room. My final vision as I back silently out of the house will be of the cat lazily opening one eye just in time to be the sole witness of my departure….
I'll flip him the bird.
With just some money and a small bag of clothes, I'll catch a yellow checker cab. The driver will have a newsboy cap, some serious 5 o'clock shadow, and will be chewing what's left of a cigar nub in the corner of his mouth.
"Where ya headed Miss?" he'll ask over his shoulder in a thick Brooklyn accent.
"The airport." I'll respond without even a pause. It'll be raining lightly.
I can see myself at the counter now. Like in the movies when someone goes to the airport and just picks some far away destination blindly from the departure board — It'll be a place I can't pronounce.
The lady at the desk will ask me "Round trip Ma'am?" and I'll just look at her all snarky…
"One way." I'll say, with a determined look and slap down the money. I'll wear a kerchief on my head and some big black sunglasses even if it IS night… maybe some red lipstick. I'll seem nervous — like I'm running from the law.
Maybe I'll find a small bar in the terminal and sip a dry martini while a mysterious and handsome traveler eyes me. He should have a hat …. a fedora.
He'll ask me where I'm headed but before I can answer…
"Flight 753 is now boarding… Flight 753 is now boarding" the monotone voice will echo throughout the terminals.
"I'll let you know when I get there.." will be my response. With a last gulp I'll finish the martini, push a twenty across the bar and grab my little suitcase.
"Keep the change."
I can feel the mysterious traveler's eyes on my back as I make my way to the gate. I'll give my boarding pass to the attendant and start the long walk down the ramp towards the plane's open hatch. There will be a moment where I'll glance over my shoulder as if having second thoughts…. is that a tear..? No, just some dust. The slim male attendant greets me at the hatch.
"Hello ma'am, let's see.. ahh yes, that's 11B straight down on your left."
I'll find my seat and as I push my suitcase in to the overhead compartment a strong hand comes up over my shoulder from what seems out of nowhere, giving my bag the last shove it needs to shimmy in to the cramped space.
Swirling around I come face to face with the mysterious handsome traveler….
"You never did tell me where you were headed…."
Then BAM something hits me in the head!! I'm seeing stars… no, not stars, I'm seeing, rainbows….. no, just one rainbow…… a rainbow of crayons as the box of Crayolas fall from my 6 year old's top bunk crashing down on my head….
Shit. Oh well, who was I kidding? At least I got away for a minute, even if it was only in my mind.
Gimme the phone, we're having pizza tonight….
The Little Girl Who Cried "OUCH"!
So, you see, my daughter has become:
I assume that just like all annoying things children do, it's a stage that will pass at some point and I KNOW that this past weekend has taught her a lesson… at least for now…
It's Saturday morning and Daddy has already left for work. It's errand time and this morning's errands involve the supermarket, and the pet store.
"You know how I have this cough??"
"Yes, the same cough you get every year around this time?"
"Yea, well sometimes it hurts when I put my head this way.." She says pointing her chin at her toes..
"Oh yeah? Well, does it hurt a lot or does it feel like maybe you slept funny…?"
"Not a lot. Oh, and my foot has been hurting too.."
I'm getting skeptical now.
"Well, sometimes this one, but sometimes the other one hurts too…"
Okay, I'm pretty positive that at this point, she's full of shit.
"Oh, and one more thing.."
"My ear feels funny."
"Well you have a little cough and cold so maybe you just have a some pressure from being congested…?"
"Yeah, probably mommy.."
The rest of the walk home is pretty quiet which is a bit unusual, but enjoyable nonetheless, so I speak no more of the neck, cough, foot, or ear and just relish in the silence.
Again — *YES/NO/MINE/NO!!!*
"Excuse ME!" I say marching back in, now more pissed.
"Nyeah NYEAH NYEAH!" this child says to me, millimeters away from having her tongue stuck out!!!!!
No more then 20 minutes in to my decompression movie, and I start hearing it.
"Where was this cough earlier??" I'm thinking.
"What is the problem?!" I ask down the hallway…
Out comes a sobby disheveled little girl, lip blubbering…
Oh boy, here we fucking go….
I feel her head, no fever. I look in her ear, a little bit of wax. I give her Tylenol.
*cough cough cough*
From the other room… "OUCH, my ear……"
At this point, I'm at a loss. She has no fever, she's been fine all morning. So fine, in fact, that she's up to sass me and fight with her sister!!"Miss OUCHIE" herself is now suddenly crying in pain the moment she is forced to take on a punishment. She seems to be in the same amount of "pain" despite the Tylenol …
Now, I don't say this so often, but, thank God Daddy's home.
He barely gets his foot in the door when I practically accost him with the annoying details leading up to his arrival.
"Really?" he says, "You know how she is…."
"EXACTLY. So please, just take her so she gets busted… PLEASE."
Reluctantly he puts her coat on, glaring at me all the while.
About forty minutes later, in walks the both of them. My husband hands me a diagnosis:
I'm speechless.
5 "Firsts" We'd Rather Forget, But Just Can't.
Baby's first step, first hair cut, first words, first tooth. These are all moments that we as parents relish. We WAIT for these moments and even commemorate them in brag books, scrap books, and video diaries. They are signifiers of time, milestones in our childrens growth and development both physical and psychological. "Experts" even have gone as far as to pinpoint at what ages you can expect to see such firsts….. just another example of a bunch of bullshit to make moms feel bad or as though they're child is abnormal. You know normal mommy injustices.
So, yes, these firsts are quite darling and make for a really cute picture… but if you know me, you know I'm all about commiseration of shit.
So, let's talk about all the other FIRSTS. The ones that happen to EVERYONE but rarely have a cute accompanying picture in a brag book or nary a mention in all of those "How To Parent" bullshit books….. you can run but you can't hide from…
1.The First Time Your Baby Chooses DADDY Over YOU
You can't believe it. The same child you sacrificed your whole body for. The same child, for many of us, whose mouth has been stuck to your tit since birth. The same child YOU got up with in the middle of the night a BILLION times to rock and hush and hold in order to lull back to sleep… you feel betrayed and hurt… you can't really understand it….who the hell is this miniature TRAITOR!?
Don't feel bad, your baby is just now old enough now to think beyond survival. She wants what's new, whats novel and right now, it's Dad. Be proud! You have made her feel safe and secure for so long, she finally feels okay getting the fuck away from you!! Don't be a dummy, GET OUT BY YOURSELF! As a matter of fact, RUN. Go get a mani/pedi for fuck's sake. And don't worry, as soon as she feels tired/sick/bad she'll be right back up your ass and you be wishing for another Daddy moment.
Looks cute now but at the time, you kinda wanna punch 'em both in the face…
2.Your child's first BLOODY Injury
You don't really realize just how this moment is going to effect you until it happens. There ARE a couple of words that pop in to my mind though, like TERROR, PANIC and SEVERE DURESS. Of course you suspected at some point this would happen, but to see your child bloody in any way for the first time can throw you for quite a doozy. It usually happens one of two ways. You got your classic:
The ME Book by Jean Tymms
Look familiar? Not the elephant part… just the knee part.. although…….
3. First Stomach Bug
Now, if your kid is over one and you still haven't dealt with this, consider yourself DAMN LUCKY.
You know, there are people you may have known, or have seen on TV that have been around a dead body. Well, I myself haven't but I have heard the same thing come out of several people's
I ALWAYS SAY, I'll take a three day fever over a one day stomach bug no doubt about it. At least with a regular fever, they just want to lay around and be pampered, that I can handle…. oh, and did I mention, in about 12 hours, you'll have it too?
Yup, this'll be you! Only difference? No one will give a rat's ass.
4.Baby's First Shoplift
So there you are, once again with the stroller in the baby supply store (it seems the only place you go to nowadays) and you're browsing around. Your kid is fussing and being snarky so you hand them some kind of knick-knack to keep him quiet. You pick up a couple of pairs of socks, maybe some bibs and some kind of feeding contraption that looks really fucking cool but turns out to be yet another useless piece of shit that you feel guilty about chucking. (Why did I do that again???) You pay for your stuff get half way home only to realize you kid has sill got that $5.00-$10.00 knick-knack in his slimy little drooly hands… SHIT! What do you do?? Do you go back? He already drooled all over it and now they'll just make you buy it…
Don't worry, he's not destined for a life of crime, besides, it only takes ONE time of him setting off the store alarm before he learns his lesson of "You can't just take thing from the store!" and your lesson of checking the damn stroller before you leave!!
Can he work on the chain gang if he can't walk yet?
5. Baby's First Playground Pummel
This is my final first. Not because I don't have a MILLION more, but because nap time's almost over.
So you're in the playground AGAIN watching as your kids crawls, wobbles or stomps through every dirty puddle she can find, completely disregarding any and all equipment specifically designed to engage her. Finally choosing the nastiest puddle, she stops. Up comes another cute little girl around the same age equally drawn to the same disgusting puddle. You turn to see her mother approach and smile.
o sorry," you say.
So, remember, you may not want to remember them, but it's these shitty firsts that help us keep it all in perspective!
Love always,
Tween. I got a problem with that.
TWEEN sounds just like TEEN, and since they practically ARE I have a great fucking idea! Let's tell all little girls who are between 10-12 that they have moved up from the rank of "kid" to "tween"!
This way they can go ahead and get a jump start on only giving a shit about boys, clothes and make-up! (You know, all that good stuff that's marketed to girls in the teen sect).
So what if they don't have boobs, I'm sure we can shove their little immature bodies in to some kind of training bra and that way also give them a jump start on being sexual! Two birds, one stone…it's ingenious. So what's the smallest size string bikini briefs come in these days? Oh, and furthermore, can we get them with printed little sayings on them?? Like, I dunno, AWESOME, or I LOVE TEXTING, or, no, wait, I got it! DIVA! I'm on a roll here, not only can we sexualize them at 11 but incorporate an ignorant and uppity attitude at the same time! There I go again, killing two birds with one pair of inappropriate underwear.
Let's seeeee, what else what else… I'm sooo totally not done yet like, fer sure! AHA! Let's set up a bunch of really awesome role models for them to look up to. I vote for anyone blonde! I mean, they may be stupid but they're certainly prettier then brunettes. Besides, who ever said girls have to be smart? As long as they can be as sarcastic as possible and get the boy, they're good. I know this because all the Tween shows on Disney and Nick Jr. tell me!
Speaking of Disney… thank GOD for them right? I mean who else has been there for our daughters since day one? Teaching the importance of being beautiful and always waiting for a man to come save you?? I mean have you ever witnessed the lesson of low-self esteem taught so effortlessly? So naturally? It's like you almost don't even realize it, it's so fluid! Which princess was your daughter for Halloween? Mine was Belle, which of course means Beautiful!! Who the fuck wants to be Mulan anyway?
Where was I? Oh yeah, TWEEN, a double digit age is a double digit age right? Fuck it, 10 year olds are basically Divas in training, so let's make sure they know it.
Soooooo, 7,8,9 is almost 10… how about SWEEN? Like soon to be TWEEN?? I'm thinkin kitten heels……..
Listen, we can perpetuate this shit or not, we just gotta know it's THERE.
The Quasi-Ellusive, Not-So-Mysterious…. SAHD
Ok, here's the scenario,


text:
Researchers say it would be a quick, inexpensive and simple way to find the disease early.
Right now, mammograms and self-exams are the leading ways for detecting breast cancer. But researchers at the University of Texas say the cancer causes a change in the type and amount of proteins in secretions from the salivary glands. By checking those proteins, doctors think they'll be able to distinguish between healthy women, those with benign breast tumors and those with cancer.


text:
Re: Angelina Co., TX Marriages
In reply to:
Re: Angelina Co., TX Marriages
Cliff Gibbs 12/07/10
According to my calculations, which are occasionally correct, you and Weldon are 4th cousins, since Edward Absher is also his 3rd great grandfather. Edward's son Jacob Absher is Weldon's 2nd great grandfather.
Joel Dyer is Weldon's 2nd. cousin.We see him and Gayle most years at the Carlisle reunion.How is your mother connected to Joel?
My Email is firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Our expertise and services vary from building embedded products to the provision web services and interactive GUI for monitoring and control purposes in organizations and companies.
We have a highly skilled team of engineers who are experts in working with micro-controller based embedded system design. We work on micro controllers from Texas Instruments, Renesas Semiconductors, Microchip Semiconductors, Analog Devices and NXP semiconductors. Our solutions for embedded systems related services are available in wired and wireless technology. Our engineers are equipped with knowledge and expertise in FPGA program with Xilinx as well. Along with these, we have a strong designing team for Schematic designing and PCB Layout designing.
Coming to Network related solutions, we provide Broadcom processors based on an advanced gateway for IOT (Internet of Things), which enables connection of individual machinery in an organization to the Internet. We are equipped with the facilities that can provide Wi-Fi Ethernet based connectivity for indoor and industrial monitoring. We are well-known for our monitoring services and also provide complete web service based solutions with user-friendly Graphical User Interface for monitoring and control in an organization.
With an expert team in place, Optimized Solutions has a large degree of experience in low cost, rugged and fully embedded IOT solutions. We have built several advance feature embedded products. We also provide some customized embedded solutions to help an organization meet its needs.
We provide ATE (Automated Test Equipment) that perform tests on a device using automation, which helps in performing measurements and evaluating the test results quickly. We provide a wide range of electronic devices for measuring and sourcing the electrical and physical parameters in the industrial or non industrial area.
We also provide customized solutions in data acquisition. Our skilled team of engineers understands the criticality of data in any process or experiment and they continue to explore and re-invent methods of acquiring, analyzing and presenting these data in a manner that scientists and engineers appreciate. There are numerous individuals in the company who are experts in the LabVIEW system design software, which is an integral part of managing and making sense out of measurement and data acquisition instruments.
Please fill-in the business enquiry form and one of our
representiatives will be in touch with you soon.


text:
Well-Appointed Guestrooms with Modern Amenities
Indulge and Enjoy the Comforts of Our Guest Room Amenities
Once you've explored all that Pigeon Forge has to offer, delight in the guest room amenities within our lodging experience. La Quinta Pigeon Forge is dedicated towards optimizing the convenience of our guests' travel and enhancing comfort during their stay. Our brand new hotel rooms in Pigeon Forge are equipped with well-adorned décor, luxurious bedding and modern delights. Our lodging in Pigeon Forge offers the conveniences of home with the pleasure of traveling. In your suite you'll find Pigeon Forge, TN hotel amenities that include:
- 42" HD flat screen televisions
- Premium cable channels
- Free wi-fi
- Granite counter top bathroom vanities
- Microwaves
- Refrigerators
- Free Wi-Fi
- Spacious non-smoking accommodations
- Coffee makers
- Hair dryers
- Alarm clock
- Room Safe
- Iron with ironing board
- Pet-friendly rooms available
- Whirlpool tubs available in suites
Relish in these amenities and much more in our Pigeon Forge hotel rooms. At La Quinta Inn & Suites we're dedicated towards providing our guests with an experience that they won't forget. Reserve a suite today - don't miss an opportunity to experience all the area attractions that Pigeon Forge has to offer.


text:
Amboseli National Park
Located about a four-hour drive (240 km or 150 miles) southeast of Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is well known for its herds of big tusked elephants. A scenic park in its own right, Amboseli is synonymous with two particular things – majestic herds of elephant and glorious views of Mount Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania. Kenya's second most popular national park after the Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli was declared a UNESCO-Mab Biosphere Reserve in 1991. During heavy rains, the basin at the centre of the park floods, attracting hordes of wildlife. The reserve is an excellent place to view the Big Five, as well as lesser known and rarer wildlife species.
Why visit Amboseli?
Situated toward the south and south-east, Amboseli boasts magnificent views of mighty Mount Kilimanjaro, which lies on the other side of the border. The park is known for its great …


text:
This is the second part of a two-part piece on Rawls, Cohen and enhanced intelligence. In the first post, I outlined how enhanced intelligence and socioeconomical stratification are linked, and applied Rawls' difference principle, and Cohen's critique of it, on the issue at hand. This post introduces five enhancement distribution schemes that are compatible with the difference principle. Some of these schemes are even acceptable by Cohen's egalitarian standards.
Egalitarian Approaches for Embracing Enhanced Intelligence
In the previous post, I discussed the question of whether enhancements only available to the elite can constitute an improvement in light of the difference principle. Perhaps intelligence enhancements, even if restricted to the wealthy, would benefit the whole society, for example if the enhanced would find ways to act in order to remove world hunger. On the other hand, could intelligence further alienate the elite from the masses, diminishing the empathy they feel for the underprivileged? I find both equally unlikely: there is no reason to assume that increased intelligence would increase empathy or sense of social duty, but neither is there any reason to assume it would diminish them.
In this post, I will offer five sketches for strategies of accepting intelligence enhancements while staying mindful of social inequalities. Some of them are stronger or more feasible than others, some require very specific circumstances; all of them are compatible with Rawls' difference principle, and some even respond to Cohen's concerns. I will start with schemes of adopting enhancements for a limited group of people for a number of reasons: first, any medical enhancement technique should be initially applied only to a limited number of subjects for obvious safety reasons. Secondly, should the enhancement be too costly to reach the whole population, or should it, for example, require a difficult surgery, its availability thereby being limited by the number of competent surgeons, widespread adoption of the enhancement could be beyond our means.
Meanwhile, should the enhancement be easy to administer, eventual universal availability is only a question of distribution. I will discuss widespread enhancement towards the end of this post.
Continue reading Equally Smart, part II: Egalitarian Approaches for Embracing Enhanced Intelligence


text:
If you are not able to ride but you want to join VeloSano by fundraising for the cause, register as a Virtual Rider. It's a great way to be involved and do your part to help raise dollars for cancer research.
Becoming a Virtual Rider is also the perfect solution for people who reside in remote offices who can't ride but want to fundraise for a team. If you are VeloSano Volunteer, we encourage you to also register as a Virtual Rider and fundraise for cancer research.
Register as a Virtual Rider, fulfill your Required Self-Pledge to raise a minimum of $25, personalize your fundraising page, and then ask every friend, family member and co-worker possible to donate to you in support of cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.
Yes, but only for your Required Self-Pledge of $25.
There is no fundraising minimum / commitment for Virtual Riders; just the Required Self-Donation of $25. However, VeloSano is focused on raising as much money as possible for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.
We encourage you to go all-out, maximize your fundraising potential and become a Big Wheeler by raising $1,000 or more!
Virtual Riders can become a Big Wheeler by raising $1,000 or more. A Virtual Rider Big Wheeler will receive:
If accomplished by the October 1, 2018 fundraising deadline:
Yes! Please visit Search for a Team to look up the name of the team you want to join. Once you find your team, click the 'Join This Team' button. Upon completing your registration, the Team Captain will be notified that you have been added as a member.


text:
WINNERS of the 2017 LAUNCH Competition
Rob Moore and Sarah Yates (both MBA 18) were co-chairs.
Click here to read about the Competition and Winners
Click here to read about the 2017 Teams
Grand Prize: Oishii Farm
Oishii Farm revolutionizes controlled environment agriculture by leveraging innovative technologies from Japan.
Runner Up: Butterfly Medical
Butterfly Medical has developed an implantable device for the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, which the company says affects 50 percent of men over age 60..
Audience Choice: Mekonos
Mekonos is developing a new approach for non-viral cell engineering using a proprietary silicon nano-robotic chip (KAREL) that delivers biomaterial or molecules into potentially, millions of individual cells.
Plug & Play in-kind winners: Kokko
Kokko helps companies build digital experiences that give consumers the confidence to purchase when color is critical.
WINNERS of the 2016 LAUNCH Competition
Alex Evangelides and Eddie Gandevia (both MBA 17) were co-chairs.
Click here to read about the Competition and Winners
Click here to read about the 2016 Teams
Click here to see Scenes from the Demo Day and Finals
Click here to view the Finals Online Guidebook
Click here to see videos of the Finals on YouTube
Grand Prize: LiftEd
Lifted makes an iPad application that helps education professionals accurately measure and reliably report the progress of special education students. There are nearly seven million pre-K to grade 12 students in the U.S. with legally diagnosed disabilities. LiftED enables educators to personalize student learning goals, analyze learning trends to make real-time adjustment to teaching methods, and share progress with school districts and parents.
The team includes co-founder and CEO Andrew Hill and Amy Chou, both MBA 16.
Second Prize: Butterfly Medical
Butterfly Medical has developed an implantable device for the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), the non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate, which the company says affects 50 percent of men over age 60.
The team includes CEO Idan Geva, MBA 09.
Second Prize (Social): Dost
Dost built a mobile phone platform that helps break the cycle of illiteracy by delivering early education content and activities to low-income moms. Dost was also a finalist in the 2016 Global Social Venture Competition.
The team includes Founder and CEO Sneha Sheth, MBA 16; Sindhuja Jeyabal, MIMS 16, I School; and Devanshi Unadkat, PhD candidate, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education.
Audience Choice: Innovein
Innovein provides a prosthetic valve for the veins that helps cure venous leg ulcers, a condition that affects roughly four million people in the United States.
Third Prize: Players' Lounge
Players' Lounge is a social video gaming startup that provides gamers with a platform to play their favorite sports games for cash and prizes.
The team includes co-founder and CFO Mark Murphy, MBA 17.
WINNERS of the 2015 LAUNCH Competition
Dan Schoening and Franklin Russell (both MBA 16) were co-chairs.
Click here to read about the Competition and Winners
Click here to read about the 2015 Teams
Click here to view the Finals Program Booklet [pdf]
Click here to see videos of the Finals on YouTube
Grand Prize: Transcense
Transcense has created a mobile app that allows people with hearing-impairments to understand and participate in group conversations.
Team includes Thibault Duchemin, MEng, 14
Runner-up: xendit
Xendit has built an app to transfer money around the world at a fraction of the cost of established money-wiring services.
Team: Moses Lo and Vivek Ahuja, both MBA 15; and Bo Chen and Juan Gonzalez, both EECS 13.
Faculty Choice: DeviceFarm
DeviceFarm has built a medical device to cure fungal nail infections.
Team includes Jeffrey Roe, PhD Bioengineering, 89.
Audience Choice: Optucourse
Optucourse aims to improve online learning via live online discussions.
Team: Jonathan Heyne, MBA 15; Armando Fox, PhD Computer Science, 98
WINNERS of the 2014 LAUNCH Competition
Kristen Duffel and Moses Lo (both MBA 15) were co-chairs.
Click here to see photos of the 2014 LAUNCH Finals and Awards Ceremony
Click here to read the 2014 winners press release
Click here to see the finals program booklet
Click here to see scenes from the 2014 Finals
Click here to see the 2014 LAUNCH Finals on Youtube
Grand Prize and First Place IT & Web Track: ReMeeting
ReMeeting is a mobile meeting recorder and personal cloud service for reviewing and sharing in-person meetings. Instead of plain audio files, we use speech and language technologies to produce an interactive document that is searchable by speakers and keywords.
Team: Arlo Faria, Korbinian Riedhammer, PhD, Erika Pfaffen, MBA, and David Imseng, PhD
First Place Energy & Cleantech Track: Picoyune
Picoyune is a chemical sensing company whose patented technology condenses a laboratory's worth of equipment into handheld monitors anyone can use.
Team: Andy Reed, Jay James, Jeff Crosby, Daniel Sherman
First Place Life Sciences Track: Awair: Breathe Better Technology
Awair is a medical device company focused on solving patient needs in pulmonary and critical care. Their first product, the Wyshbone catheter, numbs the throat to eliminate discomfort from the breathing tube for critically ill ventilated patients.
Team: Rush Bartlett and Frank Wang
First Place Products & Services Track: Teaman & Co.
Teaman & Company is bringing the experience of buying luxury and bespoke jewelry to the world. The company uses 3D printing and high touch service to bring their clients extraordinary artisanal pieces and unique gemstones they've never seen before.
Team: Chloe Alpert and Alastair Trueger (MBA 15)
People's Choice Award: ViVita Technologies
ViVita's mission is to eliminate the donor organ and tissue shortage with off-the-shelf, animal-derived replacements.
Team: Jeni Lee and Maelene Wong
Elevator Pitch Winner: SmartBod
SmartBod builds vibrators that learn from and adapt to a woman's physiological reactions, heightening her level of pleasure and enlightening her (and her partner) about her sexual preferences.
WINNERS of the 2013 UC Berkeley Startup Competition
Slava Balter and Alex Loa (both MBA 14) were co-chairs.
Click here and click here to read the 2013 winners press releases
Click here to see the finals program booklet
Click here to see photos of the 2013 Finals on Facebook
Click here to see the 2013 Finals on Youtube
Grand Prize and First Place Healthcare: Resido Medical
Resido Medical has developed a small wearable device for patients with Essential Tremor that improves their hand and wrist tremor without interfering in their ability to perform daily activities. It is reversible, acts in peripheral nerves, is low risk to patients, and provides acceptable treatment options without the side-effects of any competing technology or drug.
Team: Kate Rosenbluth, PhD, John Paderi, PhD, and Vijay Rajasekhar
First Place IT & Web: SweatGuru
SweatGuru is the OpenTable of fitness: a software platform that provides fitness businesses with a single solution for business management and growth, and consumers with a single destination for discovering, reserving, and paying for fitness classes online.
First Place Products and Services: Produk.me
Produk.me is a consumer relationship platform that captures and brings consumer & product post purchase usage and behavior data together with social interaction data intelligently to power brands, e-tailors, and service providers for brand loyalty, upsell, product improvements & product/services discovery.
The team includes Haas entrepreneurship lecturer Ajay Bam.
First Place Energy and Cleantech: Seismos
Seismos is a breakthrough seismic technology developed by the Berkeley Lawrence Laboratory. Our company focuses on CO2 EOR applications and allows real time, continuous monitoring of underground reservoirs, while accurately tracking CO2 flows. We enable operators to realize 70% gain on incremental Oil production while saving 50% on CO2 costs. Unlike existing seismic technologies, Seismos requires no field crew or disruptive equipment and offers continuous real-time monitoring rather than weeks of intensive data processing. Real time monitoring allows for real time adjustments of the CO2 flows in case of production anomalies without any disruption in the regular oil production operations.
The team includes Haas alumnus Panos Adamopoulos, MBA 01.
People's Choice Award: Eventable
Eventable is a revolutionary new marketing platform that helps marketers promote events and sales to their customers through the unique medium of calendar feeds. Our event marketing platform is focused on converting a customer's online actions into in-store shopping experiences.
Elevator Pitch Winner: Fresh Picks
Fresh Picks has aims to make a large-scale impact by re-imagining the prepared food system and revolutionizing the way people select meals outside of the home.
The team includes Haas students Minnie Fong, MBA 13, and Katie Fritts, MBA 14.
WINNERS of the 2012 UC Berkeley Startup Competition
Nick Mascioli (MBA 13), Adam Sterling (MBA 12), and Tom VanLangen (MBA 13) were co-chairs.
Click here to see the 2012 winners press release
Click here to see the finals program booklet
Click here to see the 2012 Bplan Finals and Awards Ceremony on YouTube
Click here to see the photos of the 2012 Bplan Finals and Awards Ceremony
Grand Prize and First Place Life Science & Healthcare: Calcula Technologies
Calcula Technologies is developing a novel urological medical device for the removal of kidney stones outside of the operating room. Our patent pending technology will treat 4M patients/year in the US and EU. With clear FDA predicates and existing CPT reimbursement codes Calcula will be a major disruption in the field of Urology.
Team: David Gal, Buzz Bonneau (MBA 11), Dan Azagury, MD, Kate Garrett
First Place IT & Web: Kloudless, Inc.
Kloudless is a free service that helps you manage all the things you put in the cloud. We enable users to search for, access, and manage their information that is spread across the Internet. We're starting with email attachments, the black hole of cloud services, and will expand to other cloud services in the near future. Our solution addresses an increasingly large problem as more and more information moves into the cloud.
First Place Energy & Cleantech: HARBO Technologies
During the first critical hours, oil-spills spread, split, and create escalating irreversible damage. HARBO develops the only emergency oil-spill containment solution for immediate response. HARBO's Zero Time to Spill system is at standby position on-board oil-tankers/rigs and other ships and deploys a boom (floating barrier) within minutes to contain spills. HARBO's advantage: Minimizing environmental damage, avoiding large containment/cleanup expenses, offering superb cost- efficiency and preventing a PR nightmare. "Containing oil-spills when they're small, preventing big disasters."
People's Choice Award and First Place Products & Services: Back to the Roots
Back to the Roots, started by two Haas Business School undergrads, promotes sustainability and zero-waste, while reconnecting people to food through its grow-at-home mushroom kit. Our gourmet mushroom kits are made with 100% recycled coffee grounds, and produce 2 pounds of fresh oyster mushrooms in just 10 days! People of all ages can actually grow and eat their own mushrooms all at home, a unique experience in today's urban lifestyle.
Elevator Pitch Winner: Nanoly
2.1 million people die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases. People living in remote areas of the world struggle to receive immunization because vaccines must be kept refrigerated. Nanoly's technology enables cheap, effective, and safe delivery of vaccines to anywhere in the world. Nanoly is developing a nanoparticle and hydrogel based chemical shield that can be directly mixed with liquid vaccines to protect them for improved storage and transportation without the need for refrigeration.
To read about the winners of the UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition (1999-2011), predecessor to LAUNCH, please click here.


text:
The degree of reliability of estimates of the extent to which their reality no one thinks, but it would be necessary. Reports valuation of enterprises, as well as works of kitsch, are designed for customers (and customers) – amateurs who are not in a position to judge the quality of its proposed activities, the level of skill of their authors, the value and useful to make acquisitions. Such people are not hypnotized by the content and showiness, the brightness of the appearance of the product, brand valuation company, and they are willing to pay for it, sometimes a lot. In a hack-and the creators of Appraisers kitsch goals are the same: to earn as quickly as possible and as much as possible with minimal work on their performance. The easiest would be to not pay attention to what and why they write this or that foreign authors publications on the valuation of enterprises and businesses. Sad willingness of many of our appraisers sometimes thoughtlessly, and often deliberately disagree with the statement that the rating companies – the science and art, as in This ordinary evaluation activities deliberately and wrongly equated with real science and real art whose achievements are recognized and revered throughout the world.
This malicious idea, a sort of prop-mimicry by Art benefit a number of appraisers, as it helps them hide a professional insolvency and dishonesty, to cover the perceived impropriety usually issued to customers of the results evaluation. Using the DCF in conjunction "with the creation of works of art assessment" allows many companies today appraisers without much mental effort and detailed calculations, by intuition, for a decent payment of such work, give customers the evaluation of all the things that are asked, or what suits them out of ignorance, no matter how objectively, these estimates reflect the harsh reality. Therefore, and made modest attempt to deal with the plausibility of this claim.