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Fionnuala Sherry
Fionnuala grew up and went to school in Naas in County Kildare, Ireland – surrounded by a musical family that ignited her passion for music at an early age. She started to play the violin at the age of eight, and at fifteen she moved to Dublin to study music. She graduated with honours from Trinity College in Dublin, and the College of Music, and was later employed by the RTE Concert Orchestra, where she was a member for ten years.
In addition to the classical symphonic and operatic repertoire, Fionnuala possessed a much wider musical interest. This is evident in the eclectic body of artists and projects she has been involved with, including The Chieftains, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Chris de Burgh, Bono and Wet Wet Wet. With the Irish Film Orchestra she's also recorded several Hollywood film scores, such as "The River Runs Wild", "A Room With a View" and "The Mask".
That same wide interest in music led her to conceive, write and present her own music series for children on Irish national TV – all this leading up to her fated meeting with Rolf Lovland and the founding of Secret Garden in 1994.
Onstage, she enchants audiences throughout the world, through her musical intensity and soulful performances. In Secret Garden's music, her unique violin virtuosity provides the heartstrings, voice and wings for Lovland's compositions.
She performs on an English John Edward Betts violin from 1790, with a Hill bow, both on stage and in the studio.
I grew up in a family of 5 children as the middle kid. My mom played the piano and my dad was an avid singer; not by profession but simply as a music lover. All my siblings played instruments, so it was very much a musical family. I started playing the piano at 4 or 5. One of my earliest memories is having my own little manuscript book; one page was blank so I could draw a picture on it, and the other page was for music so I wrote my own tunes. Even from that age I was drawn to the sound of the violin. I kept asking for my own violin because I was hooked on the sound – I just knew I had to play it!
I got my first fiddle when I was 8. Because of my piano training, I could quickly play my own tunes, and I just loved to perform. I remember my dad putting me up on a chair and saying, "Play a tune for us, Fionnuala." Parties were my favorite time listening to my parents entertain their friends. Sometimes I could not contain myself and I would get up out of bed and ask my dad if I could play a tune for them. I was always happy to play for everybody.
My parents were both teachers so we grew up enjoying long summer holidays as a whole family. Dad was a bit eccentric and I remember he bought an old bus and converted it into a holiday home. We all brought our fiddles and other instruments and played throughout our summer holidays across Ireland. We were a closely-knit family and music and sport was at the centre of all activities.
I was accepted into the Irish Youth Orchestra as their youngest member at the age of 12. This gave me a unique chance of playing in a large group. I will never forget the sound of all those instruments around me the first time. It was like an explosion of sound – and planted the first seeds for my absolute love of orchestras and and their repetoir.
Apart from performing in Ireland, we also performed in the US and Italy. While in Rome, I managed to successfully audition for a seat in the European Youth Orchestra where we performed Mahler's First Symphony open air – a truly magical experience for a young musician!
When I turned 17, I concentrated on studying music full time. The tennis racquets and riding boots were sadly put away as I worked between the Irish College of Music, studying performance, and completing a compostiion academic degree at Trinity College in Dublin. I also played part time with The Irish Chamber Orchestra.
I financed my student years mainly through my work with the Irish Amateur Music Societies. Not only was it an essential part of my training, it also financed my digs. It gave me great experience in leading, accompanying and playing in the pit seven nights a week. Also due to neccessity, I began to busk frequently on Dublin's Grafton Street. Actually there were two of us; my pal Mairead McCrann and myself. I don't know how many times the police arrested us, as busking was actually illegal those days. We were an unsual sigth as busking was quite uncommon back then. Only a sporadic guitar player here and there but not two classically trained violininsts. The principal of the College of Music even threatened to have us expelled for it. But the money was too good: sometimes we could make 50 quid on a day's work. Besides, we really learned how to work a crowd. Today, Mairead is the leader of Vienna Chamber Orchestra. It's funny that we share this early experience.
The RTE Concert Orchestra offered me a permanent position when I was 21. I had played with this orchestra and The National Symphony Orchestra as a freelancer for years before that, but to finally become a fulltime professional musician was great. I stayed with the orchestra for the next ten years, until I met Rolf. The first thing the principal conductor said to me was I needed a better instrument. This was a dilemma as I was not be able to aford the luxury of buying a new violin. My eldest brother Brian stepped in and helped me finance the violin I play to this day: an English John Edward Betts violin from 1790. It's actually not a full-size violin – it's slightly smaller. I think this has become part of the musical identity of Secret Garden; it has a mellow darkness and earthiness to it that defines our sound.
As a parallel career, I also worked as a TV presenter in Ireland. I wrote and presented my own music programs, initially aimed at kids but later made into mainstream infotainment programs. I guess my energy was pretty unstoppable during those years because I also started my own event company organizing music and entertainment for corporate events. I'm glad I did all of this because it gave me loads of experience in different areas. Still and all, my first love has always been music. The pull toward it is too strong.
During my years in the orchestra I was lucky to also be offered a lot of studio session work. Working with film music and many studio productions was a very valuable part of my background going into my own recordings, and I'm still grateful for the experience. A recording studio became a really familiar place for me and I built up a huge network of musicians, arrangers and other professionals.
Looking back, my dad had probably left an indelible imprint on me. He didn't like so much the formal side of my training as a classical violininst; the endless scales and daily technique practice. He missed me playing 'the tunes'. Ironically, he had developed Alzheimer's by the time I met Rolf. More than anybody, he would have loved Rolf's music; the tunes, and the storytelling melodies. I guess that's why Secret Garden was a full-circle experience for me. By the time I met Rolf in 1994, I had absolutely no reservations in leaving my career behind.
Rolf Løvland – Composer/Arranger/Producer/Keyboardist
Rolf was born in Kristiansand, in southern Norway, in 1955. His first brush with composing came at the early age of nine when he formed his first band. From then on, and throughout his youth, music came to be his constant companion and focus in life. He later studied music at the Music Conservatory in Kristiansand – and continued his Masters Degree studies in music at the Norwegian Institute of Music in Oslo.
By the time he'd unveiled his "Secret Garden" to the world, Rolf had already earned himself a Norwegian Grammy Award and the reputation as Norway's most successful popular songwriter – topping the national radio charts (Norsktoppen) more than 60 times. For two consecutive years, his songs had won the National radio chart "Song of the Year-award".
Rolf was also a two-time winner of the international Eurovision Song Contest final – in 1985 with "La det swinge", and in 1995 with "Nocturne". He is also a four-time winner of Norway's national Eurovision Song Contest finals. In 2007 he received the coveted Achievement Award at the Norwegian Grammies where his international achievements were recognized. Among his most successful songs are "You Raise Me Up" recorded by over 1000 artists (among them are Josh Groban and Westlife and Il Divo) and "I've Dreamed of You" recorded by Barbra Streisand.
The founding of Secret Garden has given Rolf the freedom to explore (and for us to experience) deeper emotional dimension and wider musical landscape than the earlier phase of his career had allowed. It has also proven the composer, Rolf Lovland, to be a musical force of considerable stature.
Stage Instruments: Acoustic Grand Piano or Yamaha Digital piano GT2 or NS3.
Unlike Fionnuala, I didn't come from a significantly musical family. My mother played a bit of piano at home when I was growing up, but none of my family members were musicians. My mom could play a tune from a film or from the radio; she had that keen sense of musicality. In later years she would listen to our music and I could feel it was very close to her heart. It's quite likely she might have had the creative urge to be a musician, but in those days it just wasn't a career option. Still, as a child, you just step into that atmosphere and eat it up. Later in life, I've also been told that my father played a bit accordion, but I can`t remember that I ever heard him play.
I think a pivotal moment in my young life was losing my father to a heart attack when I was 7. In those days in Norway, as it was in many other places, the emotional and psychological side of things wasn't ever spoken about. I didn't realize that my father had even died. I was alone at home, looking out onto the street, and I see a funeral cortege of cars arriving outside our house – everybody was wearing black suits. I wasn't part of the funeral at all, for the simple reason that my mother thought she was protecting me. It was part of the culture, I guess. It never became natural for my mother to open up and invite me into her emotions. I was able to connect the two events in my own mind because I knew that my father had been sick and that it was serious. It was never explained to me how serious it actually was. Now that he was dead, it was just scary. I locked the door to my room from the inside. My aunt came knocking and called out for me but I wouldn't answer. I wouldn't let anyone in. I think there's a symbolism there: I was closed inside a room, where I needed to be with just my emotions. I think of it as a really important moment for me. Because we didn't talk about emotions, I always connect that with the strong urge to discover my own emotions through music. Looking back, I feel that there's a great connection between that event and my decision to be a musician. Music is something that allowed me to express my feelings.
Two years later, when I was nine, I started my own band, called The Ellycats (I didn't know how it was spelled – it should of course have been The Alleycats.) Even inside that band, I wasn't choosing to be the leader, but I ended up being the one who charted the songs that we played: stuff by bands like the Beatles, Beach Boys or the Monkees. I started to figure out by myself what the chords and lyrics were, and then I taught what I had learned to the others. I even wrote my own songs. I guess it was my first discovery of my own creativity.
We weren't about world domination or anything; more about sharing a genuine passion for music. No-one else in Kristiansand was bringing to realization something that pop bands did in England or the US. We did it simply by intuition, but it felt very fulfilling and meaningful. I got my hands on a cheap old drum set; one I could barely look over. One of my friends bought the cheapest electric guitar he could get on mail order. Basically, we took what we had and put it together. Some of our classmates knew about it, but apart from a few private parties we weren't ones for playing publicly. If someone came along to rehearsals, it felt great. Looking back, it allowed me to work with music and feel that I was naturally getting a really good grip on it. It felt intuitive and easy, and it was something you build on with experience. The fact that I wrote my own songs as a 9-year old was probably an important discovery. At that age you're very receptive, and looking back I think this was shaping me significantly.
All the way through school, music had been at every crossroad. When you choose subjects to study, the direction that felt most natural for me was music: nothing else came close. It wasn't an obsession; more like an obligation to pursue it.
By the time it was time to think about Music College, I'd had no formal musical training I'd only ever worked on my own music, so I had no training repertoire. I could play the piano, certainly, but when it came to Mozart or Beethoven, I was blank. When I got accepted into the Conservatoire, I had to work ten hours a day to catch up with others to get to the level that everyone else was at. Thankfully my piano teacher willed me through the first year. It was harder than I had anticipated, but it didn't feel like a sacrifice. It's become one of my strengths as a musician: I love the work and don't mind when it's a long and hard day, because the sense of working on something important justifies something in me. Because of that training I had an analytical approach, and wanted to find out why the music I liked listening to was good.
Aside from one teacher in my 9th grade who was the first person to see in a formal context that I had some talent or special interest in music, no one was really reviewing or advising me. But with this teacher, I dared to discuss and show him my music, and we became close friends. He was the one adult who was truly involved in my creative endeavors and I could never get enough of it.
After studying music at the Conservatory in Kristiansand I moved on to finish my Masters Degree at the University of Oslo. Even though I had a great fascination for music history and science, I stopped being creative. The high academic and musical performance level of my fellow students probably intimidated me. My own composing felt unimportant. I guess I was very singular about my music. I was mostly self-taught and had developed an inner individual confidence but I was afraid of exposing it publicly. Music was a necessity – following me as a close companion ever since childhood. So, I was very relieved when I was back free-lancing again after my years at the university. I loved the musical projects I got involved with; writing music, arranging and producing. It made me aware how important it was to me to express my creativity. Since then, I've never looked back.
Soon I was involved with top artists and productions for the record companies. I was lucky to get a good start as an arranger for the top selling album even on my first year as a professional. But I worked long days and long nights. I was very determined to grab the opportunity once I had the chance; both professionally and to be able to support my family. I suddenly felt that this was what I wanted to do.
By the time I formed Secret Garden together with Fionnuala in 1994, I had done a long list of productions for Norwegian artists. I had build up an experience with arranging and scoring for bands and orchestras and most importantly, I written a string of pop-songs. Actually, I had more than sixty number 1 positions in the national Radio Chart (Norsktoppen); twice composer of 'song of the year'; I was three times winner of the national finals in the Eurovision Song Contest, and even won the international ESC-final for the first time for Norway with 'La Det Swinge' in 1985 – as well as having received a Norwegian Grammy. I had also worked as a musical director for various TV-programs in NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting). I felt my musical career was well established after 13 years as a free-lance professional. I basically had everything I needed – apart from one thing: my own musical project.


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The 405 got an invite to Vice UK's 10th Birthday bash featuring Crystal Castles, Danny Brown, Andrew W.K., Trash Talk and more at the sweaty Cable, and covered the night of opprobrium using the humble disposable camera. Hell, would you take your precious photo-gear to a place that had 7000 free beers, 20,000 free shots and the aforementioned party-tastic line-up? Thought not.
Anyway the photos once developed filled in some gaps for us from the hedonistic few hours. Apparently we saw a lot of Crystal Castles, and got close to Alice Glass.
The morning after

subset: commoncrawl


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In the last few years, more people have opted to have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. It was passed that each person in the United States needs to have insurance or face paying a penalty per year. The Affordable Care Act is designed to offer affordable health care for everyone. Some love it, and others do not. Whether people like the idea of mandatory health insurance, people at some point will need it, and there are penalties in place if people do not obtain health insurance each year.
USA.gov more info
There are penalties for those who do not obtain and maintain health insurance, and the penalties are increasing each year. The penalty for not having health insurance for 2014 was $95 or one percent of a person's income. The penalty for 2015 is $325 or two percent of a person's income. The penalty for 2016 is two-and-a-half percent of a person's income or $695. These penalties are charged at the time a person files their taxes. More info from www.balsigerinsurance.com website here.
People may only apply for health insurance plans during open enrollment. More info on open enrollment from www.healthcare.gov website here. However, there are special conditions that will allow a person to apply for health insurance at any time. For instance, a person who is recently pregnant or have experienced life-changing circumstances may apply for health insurance. For 2015, open enrollment is closed; however, open enrollment for 2016 begins November 1, 2015. Open enrollment for 2016 ends on January 31, 2016. In years past, the deadlines have been extended. It is doubtful that this trend will continue. During open enrollment, people may change their plans as well and at no other time.
Health insurance plans may be obtained through the Health Insurance Marketplace; however, there are other sites that can be used to obtain health insurance plans. Be aware that other sites are not required to provide plans under all of the metal tiers. The Affordable Care Act is separated into metal tiers. All health insurance plans provide the same minimal coverage for services and health care items for 10 essential benefit categories; however, the costs of health care plans are determined by the metal tier chosen.
The Four Metal Tiers:
The Bronze Plan—40 percent of covered medical expenses are paid by the consumer, and 60 percent are paid by the plan.
The Silver Plan—30 percent of covered medical expenses are paid by the consumer, and 70 percent are paid by the plan.
The Gold Plan—20 percent of covered medical expenses are paid by the consumer, and 80 percent are paid by the plan.
The Platinum Plan—10 percent of covered medical expenses are paid by the consumer, and 90 percent are paid by the plan.
Cost-sharing subsidies are available for those who fall below the poverty level. The subsidies are applied to out-of-pocket expenses.
Sicknesses and injuries can and will happen at some point. Since there are penalties in place, it's extra incentive to be covered by health insurance.
Please note- this is not to be considered professional insurance advice. For professional health insurance information, please consult a qualified company.


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See the problem is that it is a long, narrow space (26' front to back and 13' (ish) width in the living space). Since it's one large space I'm finding it a bit difficult to find a great solution to not only divide the rooms to distinguish the spaces, but also make them cohesive and work together.
Here is the space I'm referring to:
Since we've lost our camera I'm forced to go with an older picture of the space, but you get the idea. The buffet has since been moved under the windows to the far right and the two couches now sit opposite one another in the living space along each long wall.
My thoughts on dividing the room include these options:
- A tall white chunky bookcase that is see-through that would butt (perpendicularly) against the far wall. Something like this perhaps:
Then two substantial chairs in the divider space with a small end table between the two. I'm thinking this Zora chair with a bit higher back, but not completely wing back like. Obviously it would NOT be this fabric! It would have to be something that coordinates with my lovely Hip Berry pillows of course (below).
- Or something that sits more in the middle of that divider space. Maybe a long, narrow white bookcase on it's side again with the two chairs in the living space arranged as suggested above? Then maybe hang (eeks, Michael hates this suggestion as we just got beautiful, smooth ceilings in this space) cutout screen decor panels from the ceiling the width of the bookcase (really the height, but laying down would be the with):
I know, hard to get the idea with these, but they are white plastic with laser cutouts. They come in all kinds of different patterns. You can hang them from one another.
The good thing about either option is they would both look good from either the dining or living space. The goal is for the spaces to still allow for conversation between the two and not completely separate them since that was the original goal in knocking down the walls!
Any other suggestions?


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Today's Above Avalon stories:
- China's "iPhone City"
- Apple's Most Important Partner in China
- Thursday Q&A
We begin today's email with my thoughts and observations on China's "iPhone City." The New York Times took a closer look at how China helped Foxconn establish the facility where nearly half of Apple's iPhones are assembled. We go over two big takeaways from the piece. We then discuss who I view is Apple's most important partner in China. There are issues with the Apple versus China narrative as it doesn't tell the entire story. We end the email with the latest installment of member Q&A, and I answer the following questions from Above Avalon members:
- What is the probability of Apple including AirPods in every iPhone box?
- Will Project Titan be impacted by the Trump administration's stance on U.S. manufacturing?
These stories are available for Above Avalon members. To continue reading, click here.
Become an Above Avalon member to read today's stories and receive future stories in a daily email containing 2-3 stories (10-12 stories/week). You can use the payment forms/links below to sign up ($20/month or $200/year). For more information on membership, click here.


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So I've been super impressed with how well the MacBook Air manages to run Windows and Mac OS simultaneously using Parallel, much better than my MacBook Pro, both seem to run effortlessly even for graphic intensive applications. But took a while to figure out how to remap the keyboards. So here, mostly for my memory in case I need to do it again
First I needed PC Keyboard Hack which is only necessary to remap Caps Locks. But that's important for me since I have adapted the Unix convention of using that for Ctrl. If you don't care about that you can bypass this first step.
Then used pckeyboardhack to (mac osx allows some limited remapping functionality of caps locks, but their version creates some delay issues)
remap Caps lock to Control_r
This solves the remapping problem for Windows, but for Mac OS, I'd want Caps Locks to be Command rather than Control, (e.g. copy and paste in windows is ctrl-C, ctrl-V, but it is command-C and command-V in macOS).
So then I installed keyremapformacbook with the following options selected
So then I installed keyremapformacbook with the following options selected
Command l to option l (only in virtual machine)
Option l to command l only in virtual machine
So that Command L acts as Alt in the virtual machine (otherwise the default Parallels mapping has the location of Alt and Win reversed)
Command r to home
Option r to end
Since home and end are not on the keyboard, and using Fn is annoying especially when I use shift or ctrl with home or end.
Command arrow and command delete work differently in Mac-OS. Option Arrow and Option Delete have the same functionality so:
command delete to option delete
command arrow to option_l arrow
To fix Caps Locks for within MacOS, I want the following option which for some reason is not a default option.
control_r to command_r (except in virtual machine)
Fortunately, Keyboard Remap offer an extensive XML language that lets you create your own re-mappings.
<?xml version="1.0"?> <root> <item> <name>Control_R to Command_R (except in virtual machine, RDC)</name> <identifier>private.ctrlrtocmdrexceptvirtualmacine</identifier> <not>VIRTUALMACHINE</not> <not>REMOTEDESKTOPCONNECTION</not> <autogen>--KeyToKey-- KeyCode::CONTROL_R, KeyCode::COMMAND_R</autogen> </item> </root>
Finally, to make up for the missing Page Up and Page Down keys, I used Sharpkeys in Windows to Remap F11 and F12. F11 and F12 seem to key in MacOS to remap universally, but I use Ctrl-Page Up and Ctrl Page Down to much in Chrome, so I added the application shortcut Ctrl-F11 and Ctrl-F12 in MacOS to select Next and Previous Tab within Chrome. It still frustrates me that unlike Windows, where every menu item is accessible by keyboard, MacOS is just the opposite, it at least allows nice flexibility in creating keyboard shortcuts. I lastly remapped Option/Alt F, to select the menu bar as well.


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|The System of Selling CDs � System of a Down new CD Release Tuesday
|Friday, 22 November 2002
On the heels of their hugely successful sophomore album "Toxicity," System of a Down will release their new album titled Steal This Album! this Tuesday, November 26. The disc has no booklet and no artwork except for the title scribbled across the CD and will be sold in clear jewel cases. The album will be comprised of original, unreleased past material from system.
There will be a limited run of 50,000 CDs released with artwork by each band member. Drummer John Dolmayan's CD features an abstract image; guitartist Daron Malakian's a drawing of two people in an intimate situation; basist Shavo Odadjian's a maze-like illustration and vocalist Serj Tankian's is a concentric circle of words and phrases.
These limited edition CDs are being released so their core fans could have something collectable. Like the standard Steal This Album! the limited run discs will be packaged in a clear jewel case with no booklet. Both CDs will sell for the same retail price ($18.98) and will be in stores November 26, 2002.


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Meets every other month, at 5:00 PM at the Park Office, 2930 S. Union Avenue, Alliance, Ohio 44601
Per ordinance Number 08-06, the KAB Commission shall consist of ten members, residents of the greater Alliance area, nominated by the Mayor and approved by Council. Terms are for two years and no member shall serve more than two successive terms. The members shall be nominated from the following groups: Business, Industry, or Professional – 1; Labor – 1; Community Service Organizations – 1; Primary Education – 1; Secondary Education – 1; Higher Education – 1; Members at Large – 3. Safety/Service Director is a permanent, non-voting ex-officio member.
Marikay Colbert - Business, Industry, or Professional (Alliance Computer Exchange)
Helen Miller- Labor
Kathryn Miller - Community Service Organization (Shade Tree Commission)
Jocelyn Zeedrich - Primary Education (Northside Elementary)
Elyse Cain- Secondary Education (Alliance High School)
Jamie Greiner - Higher Education (University of Mount Union)
Sharon Andreani - At Large
Beth Gray - At Large
Brittany Shields - At Large
Barb Sferra - Representing Safety Service Director


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Reading Recap: December 2015.
In all the excitement and hustle and bustle of a new year, I forgot to recap the five books I read in December. December is hectic for everyone, but I admit it's especially hectic in retail; I miraculously managed to read five books in December: two geared toward a younger audience, one thriller, and one nonfiction title I relished all month long.
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. You've already heard me rave about this young adult novel; it made my "best books of 2015" list, and although it's a YA title, Dumplin' has a ton of crossover appeal. When self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Clifford – called Dumplin' by her beauty pageant mother – falls in love for the first time, her confidence begins to take a nosedive. How to get it back? With Texas beauty pageants, best friends, and Dolly Parton, of course. I'm still raving about this book, all these weeks later. It's funny and realistic and utterly readable; I had a hard time ever putting it down. It's just the YA book this world needed. (If you read a lot of YA, you know what I mean.)
Adventures of Miss Petitfour by Anne Michaels. I picked Adventures of Miss Petitfour up based on cover art alone; acclaimed watercolor artist Emma Block illustrated this new middle reader book, and her eye-catching drawings are dispersed throughout its pages. The book details a different Miss Petitfour adventure each chapter; each of the stories, then, are stand alone, which can help early readers who are adjusting to the chapter book format. Miss Petitfour reminded me a bit of quirky Amelia Bedelia; the silly antics aren't quite there, but the sweetness of the story is. Adventures of Miss Petitfour felt old-fashioned in the best possible way, and I love recommending to customers looking for the perfect birthday gift.
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. When I'm in the middle of a reading slump, there's nothing better to help me get back on track than a well-done thriller. (Sometimes, it doesn't even have to be well done, as long as the plot clips along at a steady pace.) I wasn't in a reading slump in December, but I was desperate for a quick read, and In a Dark, Dark Wood seemed like a good fit. The novel features a bachelorette weekend gone wrong, and after 48 hours in a cottage in the remote English countryside, our protagonist Lenora winds up in a hospital bed. Someone is dead, but now the reader has to follow Lenora's memory to figure out who and why. In a Dark, Dark Wood is part Clue, part Before I Go to Sleep (it garnered comparisons to Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, but the Before I Go to Sleep comparison is the most accurate, I think). I read this book over a weekend, and I found it compelling, but it didn't make too much of an impact. It's made several "best of" lists for 2015, so if you're into suspense novels, give this one a try. I do think it's worth the read, particularly when the book comes out in paperback later this year. (I'm thinking beach read.)
Live from New York by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales. There's nothing quite like an oral history to get you through the longest part of your year. Live from New York is 700 pages all about Saturday Night Live; the book is written entirely in interview format, which I thought might be distracting – or boring – but instead made for perfect reading every night when I crawled my aching feet into bed. I'm not even the biggest SNL fan, but I thought this book was fascinating. I'm sure I've been a pleasure to have at dinner parties over the past few weeks because I now have a plethora of SNL anecdotes to share. I actually think this would be a fun book to read to prep for a New York City trip; there are so many details about the city and the history of the show. I really wound up enjoying this book, which I grabbed off the shelf on a whim one night and then proceeded to read off and on all month long.
Voracious by Cara Nicoletti. When you own a bookstore, people stop buying you books as gifts. It's a sad phenomenon, really, and I think it's due, in part, to the assumption that I've already read anything someone could buy me. (Not true.) Luckily, my mom understands my plight, and for Christmas, I was given Voracious, a memoir by butcher Cara Nicoletti. The subtitle of Voracious is A Hungry Girl Cooks Her Way through Great Books, and that's really the book in a nutshell. Nicoletti has loved the kitchen and the written word for as long as she can remember, and in this book, she combines her love of both. Each essay is brief, but features a favorite of Nicoletti's books, ranging from The Boxcar Children to Emma to The Silence of the Lambs. Her selections run the gamut, and there appears to be no rhyme or reason to their order, but that's okay. The books are each followed by an appropriately-themed recipe, and I found my mouth watering on several occasions. The book isn't groundbreaking, but it's a lovely tribute to the books Nicoletti loves, and it's really a beautiful book itself: colored illustrations and thick, semi-glossy paper make this a great gift for the book lover in your life. (I love my copy.)


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Charlee has been sick the past two weeks. Just when I thought it was getting better, it's come back again. I feel so bad for her...and the poor princess is back down to 18.6 pounds :( Her check-up is in two weeks, and I'm sure they're going to freak out if she's still down this small.
I did find some Pediasure and she's drinking it and holding it down okay. And she can eat baby food. I feel weird feeding my 17.5 month old baby food, but hey, if it stays down....I don't care WHAT it is!
About a month ago, we had to convert her crib over to a toddler bed because the front panel broke. Well, then she decided to start chewing on the final back piece, so we decided to buy her a plastic one. One of my friends had one in a yard sale so we bought it and she LOVES it :) She's going to bed so easy now!!! She goes to the bottom and points at the sticker and says "Pooh Bay-er"
Now I'm just working on the family cookbook. I'll probably go ahead and post most of the recipes on here, so I can keep track of them!


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"There was one a herd of elephants. Elephants young, elephants old, elephants tall or fat or thin. Elephants like this, that or the other, all different but all happy and all the same colour. All that is except Elmer."
Thus begins a book series I love to share with Kindergarten. There are more than ten books in this series. Why do I love Elmer?
- He is kind.
- He is an individual.
- He is brave.
- He is a problem solver.
- He loves a joke.
- He likes to make others happy.
- He is friendly.
- He is unique.
In the first book Elmer has a great idea for a practical joke. He covers his body with berry juice and makes himself all grey. Then he heads back to join the herd wearing his disguise. "After a while Elmer felt that something was wrong. But what? He looked around : same old jungle, same old bright sky, same old rain cloud that came over from time to time and lastly same old elephants."
Can you guess what is about to happen? The best part comes right at the end. The other elephants enjoy this joke so much they decide to have an annual Elmer day. Everyone parades in bright colours except for Elmer himself who comes decorated in an ordinary elephant colour.
There is so much merchandise around about Elmer. I have the toy, the cassette tape and a place mat. In New York I also saw a toy of Rose. Here are some teaching materials. The picture below shows Elmer with his cousin WIlbur!


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Scott Says
Panthers have gone mostly hungry since nearly putting a '50-burger' on Arizona
The last time Carolina and Arizona played the Panthers scored 49 points.
It was the high point of that giddy 17-2 season of a year ago – Carolina's complete demolition of a good Cardinals team in the NFC Championship Game.
Carolina won 49-15. Arizona committed an astonishing seven turnovers. Panthers cornerback Josh Norman proclaimed that the Panthers could have "put a 50-burger" on the Cardinals – referring to the number of points Carolina scored – but that the Carolina coaches had called off the dogs. It was the biggest NFL game ever played in Charlotte, and it turned out to be one of the best.
Since then, the Panthers have lost six of their past seven games including the Super Bowl. Things have gotten very bad very fast.
So there will be no seven turnovers Sunday, and no 49 points. But the key matchup, to me, will be Carolina's offense (which can still be excellent) vs. Arizona's defense (which hasn't allowed a touchdown in either of its past two games).
Cam Newton had four total touchdowns in the NFC title game. He's going to need another very good game Sunday if Carolina is going to beat the Cardinals, because we all know about the Panthers' defensive problems.
▪ I am looking to see which team makes a special-teams error first Sunday. Arizona would have beaten Seattle last week if not for a totally preventable blocked punt and then an overtime clank on a 24-yard field goal. The Panthers have been hit-and-miss all season on special teams – mostly miss.
▪ If you think Arizona and Carolina sure seem to play each other a lot, you are right. Including the playoffs, this is the 10th matchup between the two teams over the past 10 seasons.
▪ Prediction time. I am 3-3 picking the Panthers this season after correctly calling their loss against New Orleans. Although Carolina is getting healthier, I am still not a believer in this erratic defense. My pick: Arizona 26, Carolina 16.
Fowler: firstname.lastname@example.com; Twitter: @scott_fowler


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Assume that a non-dividend-paying security with price \(S_t\) at time \(t\) can move to either \(S_t u\) or \(S_t d\) at time \(t + 1\). The continuously compounded rate of interest is \(r\), and \(u > e^r > d\). A financial derivative pays \(\alpha\) if \(S_{t+1}\) = \(S_t u\) and \(\beta\) if \(S_{t+1} = S_t d\).
A portfolio of cash (amount \(x\)) and the underlying security (value \(y\)) at time \(t\) exactly replicates the payoff of the derivative at time \(t + 1\).
I have two comments before I answer:
Firstly, the title of your question doesn't really relate to the problem description. Let me clarify what I mean, an at-the-money call or put option is an option where the current underlying security price \( S_t \) is the same as the strike price \( K \) (i.e. \(S_t = K \) ). The question that you're beginning to ask looks like building a hedging portfolio (which is, I guess, a generalisation of pricing the puts and calls).
Secondly, you haven't asked a question. You've written the first half of a problem statement. Let us know what you want answered, what you have tried in order to solve the problem and then where you are getting stuck.
Help me help you.
PS good luck with your test!
As Chris mentioned previously, the info you have provided is not enough. If we assume the \( \alpha\) and \(\beta\) to be the payoffs in this one step binomial model, we need to know if they are above the strike price of the call or put options to see if they can be exercised. Generally the payoff of the derivative described by you though is:
\(= e^{-r}*E^Q[X]\)
\( = e^{-r}*(q*\alpha + (1-q)*\beta)\) where \(q = \dfrac{e^r - d}{u-d}\)


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March, Admission: $15
Where: 21852 County Rd. 2178, Troup, Texas, US
Vendors: 50+ / Attendance: 14,000 / Campground near faire site, hotels within 15 miles.
How to Register
Click on the above link to register by going to our website. Just enter your detail and pay the registration fees.
Fees : $15


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Thank you for your willingness to be obedient to the Lord by volunteering your time and talent at Grace Bible Church. Please fill out the following form with your talents and areas of service. Someone will be in touch with you shortly.
It may take a moment for your information to be submitted.


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Lisa Ford Berry - Founder / Forever Michael's Mother
Dr. Shadi Jani MD, MS - President
Shirley Widdrshoven - Secretary/Treasure
Elizabeth Stowell RN - Salem General Hospital
Jessica Wharton MFT - Sacramento City Unified School Dist.
Cole Zick - Capital Christian Center
Watch. Stand fast in the faith. Be Strong.Be Brave. Our mission is to create awareness that demands accountability while calling for action to empower our children with resiliencey so our children will grow up to be caring and confident adults.
Michael Joseph Berry was a victim of a peer abuse driven bullycide based on homophobic biased harassment. What started out as a joke had far reaching unintended consequences. The truth was murdered. Michael was left to flounder with adult like problems, and those problems spread like wild fire taking on a life of it's own and in its wake the perfect storm of death and destruction descended on our youngest son. He shot himself on his 17th birthday, September 15, 2008 while at Mira Loma High School located in Sacramento, CA.
Brave Society is Michael's legacy. It is the legacy of love, and the ongoing work to always help the hurting by speaking life; to do something and to say something, and in that moment to plant seeds of hope.
Copyright 2016.| Brave Society, Inc. | All Rights Reserved. | All donations are tax deductible 27-3893084 | Privacy | Terms of Use


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Posted on March 21, 2012
by Kelsey
in Blog
[View the story "Chicago Agencies Reflect on SXSW Interactive" on Storify]
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How To Maximize Your "Fun Money"
In college, you have to handle your budget. Unfortunately for many of us, that can be difficult: you pay for the Internet one week and you find out you have no money for books, or socks, or suddenly you're ten-thousand dollars deep in gambling debt. It happens to all of us (okay, maybe just me?)
Now, I don't know much about how to budget properly. But I know something about how to budget fun money.
We all know how to maximize the bang our dollars take us in an evening at the basic level: pre-gaming, for example. But we're all college students here, so let's go further with some basic mathematics.
1. Cheap Isn't Free
The biggest college fallacy in spending money occurs when people avoid expensive options in favor of cheap ones, because cheap sounds so appealing. Normally, this is sound business: cheap is a college student's best friend. But sometimes more expensive options are overlooked unfairly.
For example: I was on the way home from a bar last night, and it was cold. I was with two friends deciding what to do. Do we take the bus, the cab, or walk home? It was too far and cold to walk, and we almost took the bus until we did some math: the bus cost two dollars a person and the cab would average out to about four. Rather than wait ten minutes for a slower bus, we splurged the two extra bucks for a cab and felt like weird, rich Princes.
Remember that next time you cancel on cool, more fancy plans: $15 for dinner is a little more expensive, but if you were going to spend $9 anyway, $15 isn't as expensive as it sounds.
2. Use Your Beer Math
To calculate the value of your beer, don't look at the price. Follow this easy process: take the alcohol content of the beer, multiply it by the size, and divide the price by it. That's the penny-per-drunk outlook of your beer.
Many cheap beers are weaker (and worse tasting) and even a worse deal than hidden, strange options in your local liquor store. A $16 twelve-pack that averages a 7.1% APV is a better deal than that $20 thirty-rack of 3.4% light-beer and, of course, it tastes better.
3. Friends Are Cool (And Cheap)
Buying in bulk always makes things cheaper and more fun. You know this already. But the best part is that, if you think it through, your friends can reduce the prices even further.
I am that one guy who always gets drunk and buys pitchers or nachos for the table. Find your friend like that and roll out with him.
I have a DJ friend who spins and has guest and drink tickets. Find your friend like that and roll with him.
I have a friend with a car who doesn't drink much since he plays sports. Have him drive you.
With your super-team of pals, you can find money flying around, so to speak. A penny saved is a penny earned, right? So hanging out is like a part-time job.
4. Money Ain't Everything
I once spent an absolutely absurd weekend in Vegas on someone else's tab. I don't want to make anyone jealous but believe me when I say there was literally a champagne fight at one point.
It was absolutely insane. It was one of the best weekends of my life. The other best weekend involved cheap beer and pals, though.
So what am I saying? Money isn't everything. The difference between expensive and cheap is much different than the difference between some and none. Don't get good wine: get tons of "okay" wine. Because wine is more than okay: it's awesome.
Go quantity over quality, because hey, maybe we're too young to appreciate it. Save the caviar for the later years; for now, pizza and PBR will do just fine.


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Te Ao Hangarau hosts four internships annually as part of 'The Pipeline' within the Ka Hao project. The internship/tauira programme provides commercial experience across a range of creative digital disciplines with Ariki Creative, Maui Studios and Manu Media.
Interning with Te Ao Hangarau is an opportunity for rangatahi coming up through our wananga and planned education pathways.
Watch this space to see what our tauira for 2017 have been getting up to!
Pirika grew up in his early days in Te Puke, small-town Bay of Plenty, but has spent most of his life in Ōtautahi.
He's been a creative in every sense of the word since day dot and was insprired to study mahi whakairo in Rotorua. He is now a successful, respected tattoo artist and specialises in Tamoko.
Pirika signed on the dotted line in August to bring fresh cultural design expertise to Te Ao Hangarau and has already begun mahi in earnest. He has jumped on the tohu design for Te Koha Suicide Prevention, a new initiative in Te Waipounamu, as well as the design for a new Waihōpai Rūnanga tohu. He's also currently getting amongst the 'Māorification of illustrations for the Māui Studios graphic novel, Tūmatauenga vs Te Whiro.
Pirika says he is most looking forward to up-skilling and gaining knowledge from working within Te Ao Hangarau.
Arielle has lived in Ōtautahi for the past four years but originally hails from Tokoroa in the South Waikato. She spent time in Palmerston North and Wellington while studying before taking the leap across Te Moana o Raukawa to start a career in journalism.
She has moved from journalism to corporate public relations to working in bars and as a receptionist - all roles which she says contributed invaluable experiences to her toolkit as a professional communicator. Since May 2017, she has embarked on her own journey being self-employed under the brand name, AKM Creative Communication.
As of August 31, Arielle has come onboard the TAH kaupapa as an intern keen to learn the basics of videography and design, grow her experience as a photographer and share her expertise in media relations, corporate and community communication.
Tommy was born in Whanganui Haunui -a-Pāpārangi Tommy was born in Whanganui, but moved to Christchurch when he was seven. He spent the rest of his schooling years in Christchurch and attended Victoria University in Wellington.
Tommy has always been creative, and has dabbled in music production for several years as well as learning Photoshop basics when he was young. He fell into design only in 2016 and decided to put real effort in by changing his career, and started out by taking the odd job from Ariki Creative.
Tommy says "I found that I loved the mahi and that the design industry might finally be the starting point for a rewarding career - so I jumped at the opportunity to join this programme as I knew the hands-on experience could help me to further bolster my skillset."
He looks forward to working with like-minded individuals, with drive and high-achieving aspirations similar to his own. Currently every job has challenged him, as the huge variety of mahi means nothing is ever the same as before yet he is confident active learning is the fastest and most effective method for him.


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- Zero pressure accumulation
- Clean room installation
- Clean room installation
- Easy installation
- True product singulation
- No mechanical sensor roller
- Photo eye controlled
Driving belts – 3/16" diameter urethane "O" rings from drive shaft to rollers.
Bed – 7" x 1 1/2" x 12 gauge powder painted formed steel channel frame with heavy duty cross braces and splice plates.
Rollers – 1.9" diameter x 16 gauge galvanized steel tread rollers with 7/16" hex shaft and sealed, greased for life bearings, spaced on 3" centers.
Sensing device – NEMA 1 photoelectric sensor in each zone detects presence of product and activates accumulation feature in the trailing zone if upstream zone is occupied.
Power supply – 120 VAC power supply controls accumulation feature with 24 VDC output. Power supply will control 50 accumulation zones.
Air requirements – 20 to 35 psi recommended operating pressure.
Accumulation zones – 24", 30", or 36" long, air operated. Conveyor frame length changes with zone lengths.
Filter/Regulator – Supplied loose for mounting to conveyor side frame.
Guard rails – 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 12 gauge galvanized guard rails - both sides.
Floor supports – Adjustable 31 1/2" to 45 1/2" from floor to top of roller. One support supplied at each end of conveyor and at each bed joint.
Drive – 2 foot module with motor and reducer.
Drive shaft – 1" diameter steel shaft, driven by motor and reducer, runs full length of conveyor. Chain coupling supplied at bed joints to couple sections together.
Drive spools – Delrin spools on drive shaft supply driving power to tread rollers.
Drive shaft bearings – Sealed, pre-lubricated, self aligning, precision ball bearings on drive shaft.
Speed reducer – C-face mounted heavy duty worm gear reducer.
Drive guard – Expanded metal guard full length of conveyor covers drive shaft and other moving drive components.
The A/C250 accumulation conveyor incorporates chain driven urethane traction wheels with molded Delrin sprocket to drive carrying rollers. It offers true zero-pressure accumulation and versatility – controlled discharge zones, optional release modes, and dual sensor arrangements.
True zero-pressure accumulation.
No fine tuning required.
3" carrying roller spacing.
30" long accumulation zones.
Pre-engineered and assembled.
Low maintenance.
Self adjusting elements.
Powder coat finish.
Optional power take-off (pto) to slave drive t/c250 curves and junctions.
Optional light load sensors.
Specifications and Data
Frame – 5-1/2" x 1-1/4" x 10 gauge formed steel channel. Powder coat grey finish.
Carrying Rollers – 1.9" diameter x 16 gauge, galvanized rollers on 3" centers.
Sensor Rollers – Aluminum rollers with grease packed bearings, pivotally mounted at 30" centers.
Clutch – Precision molded sprocket and urethane tread mounted on channel frame, four in each accumulation zone.
Drive Chain – No. 40 roller chain.
Bed Widths – 16", 22", 28", 34", and 40" between frames.
Bed Lengths – Available from 12'-0" minimum to 150'-0" maximum in 30" increments.
Capacity – 100 pounds per foot.
Drive – End type located at discharge end of conveyor with automatic chain tensioner. Sprocket keyed to 1-7/16" diameter
Steel shaft mounted in grease packed-for-life bearings.
Take-Up – Manually adjustable screw type at infeed end.
Power Unit – From 1/3 to 3 HP TEFC, C-FACE motor/reducer units. Side mounted units available for low elevation.
Speeds – 45, 60, 75, 90, 120, 150, and 180 feet per minute.
Power Take-Off Units – Chain drive components (1:1 speed ratio) and end terminal connection to adjoining "upstream" powered belt, A/C, and T/C conveyors.
Operating Air Pressure – 5-10 PSI. An air filter/regulator is furnished with each conveyor.
Operational Release Modes – Singulation, Slug, and Auto-Slug.
The Accuglide powered roller conveyor provides quiet, positive transportation and zero-pressure accumulation of cartons, totes, etc. in accumulation lines that may include both straight and curve sections. Accuglide is available with operational modes that allow for maximum output at the lowest possible speed, and integrates 24-volt photo-eye sensors with zone control modules to optimize product detection and flow.
The integration of 24-volt photo-eye sensors and zone control modules into Accuglide's design provides the following benefits:
- Easy zone control/power connections
- Quick and easy conveyor release mode configuration
- Sections delivered ready to install and run (sensors/control modules)
- Micro connector power/communication connections
- Safe low-voltage power supply requirements
- Photo-eyes factory installed and aligned
- Release rates available up to 95 %
- Acceptance rates up to 100 %
- Quiet non-contacting sensors
- No product minimum weight limitation
- Product minimum height 25 mm (1 in)
Simple, efficient roller chain (RC50 w/extended pins) and urethane driver pad are pneumatically raised to engage and power the carrier rollers. They are lowered to disengage power from the rollers when sensors detect the presence of product within the next downstream zone.
- Medium weight pallets
- Drum filling operations
- Large carton accumulation
- Handles product on slip sheets
- Photo eye controlled
Bed – Conveying surface width 14", 16", 18", 24", 28", and 34". 5 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 10 gauge powder painted formed steel channel both sides. Sections are bolted together with butt couplings and floor supports.
Tread rollers – 2" diameter x 12 gauge steel rollers with #40 sprockets welded to roller tube, 7/16" hex shaft. Rollers spaced on 4", or 6" centers, set low 1 1/2". Roller to roller driven.
Drive – Located near center of conveyor length, under conveyor frame.
Drive chain – RC #40 for roller to roller connections, RC #50 chain drive for each zone. Chains are totally enclosed by metal guards.
Floor supports – 28" to 42" adjustable from floor to top of rollers. One support supplied at each end of conveyor and at each bed joint.
Accumulation zones – Standard zone lengths are 24", 30", and 36" with a maximum of 30 zones per drive. Conveyor frame lengths change with zone lengths and zone length must be divisible by roller centers. Each zone is driven by an air clutch and controlled by a photo eye sensor.
Sensing device – NEMA 1 photo electric sensor in each zone detects product presence and activates accumulation feature in trailing zone if upstream zone is occupied.
Power supply – 120 VAC power supply controls accumulation feature with 24 VDC output. Power supply will control 50 accumulation zones.
Air requirements – 30 PSI minimum.
Filter/Regulator – Mounted to conveyor side frame. 50 PSI recommended operating pressure with free air consumption of .001 cu. ft. per sensor operation.
Capacity – 250 pounds per foot; maximum unit load 1000 lbs. Not to exceed Load capacity.


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Hey, beautiful people! It's summer, so I am going to try my best to do recaps of my wash days again. My sister is visiting for a couple weeks, and she brought products from Shea Moisture's Jamaican Black Castor Oil line with her, so I decided to try them. I previously reviewed the edge treatment here.
For this wash day, I forgot to deep condition beforehand again; so, my wash day just started off with a shampoo. I washed my hair in four sections, shampooing and then detangling each section with conditioner. I used the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow and Restore Shampoo and my Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship Conditioner. The shampoo was not bad and not good, just ok. It did not leave my hair feeling stripped, but I didn't necessarily feel like my hair was clean either. Also, my eyes itched a little while I was washing my hair, but I can't say for certain that it was the shampoo that did it. I would need to try it gain to be certain, and I don't think I'm going to try it again.
After my shampoo and condition, I dried my hair lightly with a regular towel. Yes, I know this is a no-no in the curly girl bible, but I just scrunched my hair, making sure I didn't rough up my cuticles. Next, I put in the Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Leave-In Conditioner. This leave-in conditioner is surprisingly light, especially because it is in a jar. It is the consistency of a very thin lotion. Because it is so light, I was worried that it would not be enough, so I also used Camille Rose Almond Jai Twisting Butter. Then, I put my damp hair in two cornrows to dry.
Total wash and styling time: ~30 minutes


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Dear Ms. Zarah,
Good day! I am currently updating our Library Instruction Program. I would like to ask you of some recommendations. What topics should we include for Prep, Grade 1 and grade 2? We are exclusive for boys and I know you have great experience in teaching.
The email came from Ms. Angelic Abayan Bautista, school librarian of Marist School, Marikina.


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10 Ways to Develop Your Employees
Investing in the development of employees is the most important and rewarding thing a manager can do. For some reason, it's often the last thing on a manager's "to do" list.
From a purely selfish perspective, when you develop employees, they become smarter, more productive, they perform at a higher level, and ultimately, make you look like a rock star. Developing employee skills also helps with recruiting and retaining the best employees, and it allows you to delegate so you can focus on your other roles as a manager. Most importantly, it's rewarding because it's what leadership is all about; making a difference in the lives of others.
If you're unsure what steps to take to be a mentoring and motivating manager, these ten steps will help you.
Start With Yourself
Before you can credibly and effectively develop others, you should develop yourself first. Otherwise, you may come across as hypocritical, instead of mentoring. Shaping good behavior starts with role modeling and will also help sharpen your development skills.
Establish a Foundation of Trust and Mutual Respect
Employees need to know that a development discussion isn't just a sneaky way to get an employee to admit their weaknesses. To know the right way to go about this, see How to Build Trust on Your Team.
Turn Your Weekly Meetings Into Learning Opportunities
Development isn't a once or twice a year occurrence or something you send your employees to HR for. Susan M. Heathfield's guidepost Learn the Best Talent Management Practices has some excellent instructions for tackling this.
Ask Questions
Coaching questions force an employee to think and figure things out for themselves. Questions can also be revisited after an assignment is completed as a way to reflect back on lessons learned and a way to cement the new knowledge or skill. See Coaching Questions for Managers Using the GROW Model for a plethora of examples.
Learn How to Delegate
A lot of managers will spend time on work that comfortable, but do not need to be doing. Letting go of the responsibilities you enjoy will help you develop your employee's skills and frees up your time, so it's a win-win. But, don't expect your employee to do things the same way you would do them. Your employee may fall at first and need additional instructions, but that's how people learn.
Give Stretch Assignments
Other than a job change, stretch assignments are hands down the best way to learn and develop. As a manager, you're in a position to look for opportunities for your employees that are aligned with their development needs and career aspirations. Don't think about picking the most qualified person for the assignment. Instead, think about picking the right developmental assignment for the person.
Make Networking Introductions
Managers are often in the enviable position of being able to make introductions, open doors, and connect employees to role models, subject matter experts, and mentors. Most likely someone helped open doors for you so pay it forward whenever you can.
We all have behavioral blind spots. A manager is often the person who can tactfully help an employee see a weakness that's getting in the way of his or her effectiveness or advancement. Use 7 Ways for a Manager to Prepare for a Performance Review as a useful guide to help with this sticky issue.
Help Navigate Organizational Politics and Culture
While "politics" is often viewed as a dirty word, it's the way things get done in organizations, and your staff needs to know this. Job shadowing and role-playing are two ways to educate employees about the ins and outs of being politically savvy.
Be Willing to Spend Real Money
Lastly, whenever possible, enrich your employee's developmental goals with training, conferences, coaches, and other tangible resources. A good training program, while not a substitute for what you can accomplish as a manager, will enhance your efforts.


text: La Crosse Scale, LLC has been a scale industry leader for over 60 years. La Crosse Scale long-standing reputation for superior service and leading edge hardware and software solutions to the weighing and bar coding industries has set us apart from many scale companies. At La Crosse Scale we sell and service scales and bar code equipment for almost every application ranging from truck scales, floor scales, bench scales, and cranes scales to laboratory and analytical balances as well as label software for the thermal transfer bar code printing technologies. Our technical support team can assist in providing you with customized control of your processes, from box labeling, automated control of materials, and integration paths to your PLC enterprise network. We look forward to serving you!


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- Fall/Halloween
- Shop Latest Release
- Shop Featured Products
- Clear Stamps
- Dies
Our Seen On Halloween Stamp Set contains silhouette images of Halloween icons which contain these lovely, hand drawn sentiments inside. They are the perfect greetings for your Halloween cards, projects and party invitations!
You might see some familiar images here and you'd be right! The ghost image will stamp perfectly on the largest die in our previously released Stitched Ghosts Die Set and the witch will stamp perfectly on our previously released Bats & Broomsticks Die Set. We did this because we love the idea of being able to breathe new life into and stretch the goodies you already have in your collection!
This set also contains brand new images like the black cat, witch hat, and the AWESOME pumpkins! Additional elements included in the set will help you to adorn the pumpkins but there are also some mini sentiments that can be used in lots of ways which we think you'll enjoy.
This stamp set REALLY comes to life when used with the previously released dies mentioned above but also when used with our coordinating Seen On Halloween Dies!
4 x 6 Set of 16 Stamps
©Lil' Inker Designs, LLC


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Last week my coach planted the seed that we can build community within ourselves. "How would I build community inside myself and what would that mean," I wondered.
I thought about the characteristics of a community:
- Diverse base of people
- Competing elements
- Defined by a physical space (traditionally)
Then I thought about some things successful communities do:
- Balance priorities, consider the diverse system and protect the vulnerable
- Honor the physical space
- Share a common purpose and vision
- Make progress, expanding beyond outdated rules, norms, thoughts and actions.
When listing these characteristics, it became clear that we can absolutely build community inside ourselves:
Balance Priorities
We have different selves that need to be recognized, celebrated, nurtured and protected. When you're feeling out of balance, one or more of your selves is left behind. Perhaps your professional self has taken over and your physical self suffers. Or maybe your creative self is squashed by your parent self. Building community within yourself takes leadership that recognizes all of your diverse and interconnected selves. What is your most vulnerable self that needs protection? What priorities might you shift so that your forgotten selves can re-emerge? How can you consider the whole system of selves when making decisions?
Honor the Physical Space
We rely on public services to maintain a healthy community. Trash collection and sewage lines ensure our waste doesn't spread disease. As the leader of yourself, make sure the "waste" inside of you has a way to escape. Those negative thoughts can literally spread disease. Exercise, journaling and therapy are all productive ways of purging your trash. Just as cities make room for open space to encourage relaxation and play, remember that you need a break from the hustle and bustle too. Honor your physical space with food, exercise, meditation and playtime. How could you build a more sustainable community inside yourself? What life practices honor your physical space?
Shared Purpose and Vision
A shared purpose and vision helps you see the big picture, especially when you're balancing so many diverse parts in the system. Just as a community makes a plan before it builds a road, take some time to consider where you're going and what you hope to find at the end of your journey. Your purpose and vision help to elevate your thinking beyond today's events so you can build the legacy you want to leave. If you had to guess at your life's purpose, what would it be? How do you hope the world will be different as a result of your life?
Thriving communities recognize that rules and norms that once served the system might now hinder its progress. As you move through life, consider what rules, norms, thoughts and actions no longer serve you. We evolve when we can expand to new ways of seeing the world. What "laws" that once protected you are now stifling your growth? What changes in your personal policy should you make to keep up with the times?
Recognizing the different pieces of yourself can make you feel fractionated. The more you honor those different selves and appreciate how they interconnect, the more whole and peaceful you'll feel. Celebrate the diverse community that bustles inside of you. Take care of each of your many selves, especially the most vulnerable. Your greatest leadership opportunity lies within yourself.


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Kimchi and fried marinated tofu are the only two fillings in these tacos, but they are both so flavorful you don't need anything else!
To make them you'll need:
Small corn tortillas
8 ounces of firm tofu, diced into small cubes
1 TB canola oil
Tofu Marinade:
3 TB soy sauce
1/2 TS chili garlic paste
1 TS fish sauce
1 TS minced ginger
2 TS lime juice
1 clove of garlic minced
Dice tofu into 1/2 inch squares. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and toss with the tofu. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes. Then, heat a large wok or cast iron skillet with oil. Using a slotted spoon, remove tofu from marinade and quickly stir fry it on all sides.
Chili - Soy Vinaigrette:
1/2 TS chili garlic paste
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB rice wine vinegar
3 TB neutral oil
Warm tortillas. Fill with tofu. Top with kimchi. Drizzle with chili-soy vinaigrette and cilantro. Enjoy!
You can find our kimchi out at the farmer's markets with us or in our tasting room. If you've had a chance to pick it up before we'd love to see how you're using it! Use hashtag #theurbancanningco and find us on Instagram @theurbancanningco. To see a list of our markets and events head over to our Markets + Events page! Our kitchen and tasting room is located at 1040 4 Street N in St. Petersburg, Florida. Cheers!


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It's been one fire to extinguish after another for for the Donald Trump campaign in the past several days, so Seth Meyers recapped what he called a "disastrous" week for Trump on NBC's "Late Night."
"His campaign is in full meltdown mode," the host said before picking apart everything that's gone wrong.
Among the things that drew people's ire, the Republican presidential candidate attacked the family of a solider who was killed in combat, threw a crying baby out of his rally, didn't seem to know that Russia had occupied Crimea, and suggested the presidential election would be "rigged."
And then Trump refused to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and John McCain in their current primaries, which one reporter described as the "final straw" for many in the GOP.
"This is the final straw?" Meyers said, before referring back to Trump's comments about women and his proposed wall along the Mexican border. "What happened to all the other straws?"
Mike Huckabee went on TV to say that Trump would be better served once in the White House, where he'd be surrounded by a lot more experts. But Meyers wasn't having it.
"He'll be way cooler and more reasonable just as soon as we give him more power," Meyers said sarcastically. "I'm not sure it's all the comforting when the biggest promise you can make about your candidate is, 'He'll have adults around him and we'll lock him out of his Twitter account.'"
Watch the video below:


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Founder and CEO of Greencopper
Music technology innovator Gwenaël Le Bodic, founder and CEO of Greencopper, is reimagining the live music performance experience with technical solutions that deepen fan bonds, connect communities, and foster exciting new music discoveries.
For Gwenaël, Greencopper is the culmination of a journey to connect his passion and expertise in the realm of technology with his desire to make a tangible meaningful contribution to the music industry. Gwenaël has a unique resume for a music technology innovator. He wields 15 years of experience building large-scale telecom-grade solutions in the domain of mobile messaging for several powerhouse telecommunications companies. He's highly regarded in this context and has authored three technology manuals and been awarded nine patents. Parallel to his development work, Gwenaël has worked in the realm of product management. As a technology entrepreneur, this fusion of profession experiences has given him the ability to build innovative products well aligned with marketplace needs.
"For me, it's all about how I can create value for others," the Montreal-based technology entrepreneur says. "There is nothing more rewarding than seeing people use technology you developed—your hard work in action."
It was while enjoying one of his main passions, live music, that Gwenaël had something of an epiphany that brought together his desire to connect his professional experience and passion for technology with his need to offer a significant service to the public at large. "I remember going to a Montreal festival thumbing through a complex booklet of show times to figure out my day's itinerary. I thought: 'Wouldn't it be nice to have a tool in my pocket to make the discovery and planning easier?'" This would be the moment that launched a new era for live music performance.
In addition to helping festivalgoers manage overwhelming schedules, Greencopper innovations offer interactive maps and music discovery tools that foster deeper connections with fans throughout the festival—before, during and after—profoundly enhancing their experience. Greencopper offers technological solutions that help engaged fans interact through Facebook and other social media outlets. And Greencopper also nurtures meaningfully connections between brands and consumers. Currently, Greencopper is launching a highly anticipated new service, Golive, which brings the company's internationally recognized technology developed over the past 5 years to a larger festival network of all sizes, so organizers can create their own mobile apps and publish a user-friendly event calendar on their website.
In 2009, Gwenaël built his first mobile music app, and later that year brokered impressive deals in France and back home in Canada, supplying apps to enhance big-ticket music festivals. Since then, Greencopper has become the world's largest provider of innovative technology solutions to music festival organizers, delivering sophisticated technology to over 200 festivals in 22 countries, serving over 6 million users worldwide. Greencopper's customer references include Pitchfork Music Festival, Sasquatch! Festival, CMJ, Canada's Osheaga, Mexico's Corona Capital, and German festivals organized by the FKP Scorpio promoter.
Reflecting back on the past five years, Gwenaël says: "The most meaningful experience has been the opportunity to see firsthand music fans using our apps at festivals, being able to share content with friends. I find that deeply rewarding and just amazing."


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Mel Gibson's original trailer for his new film
January 27, 2010
Response to Marcus Westbury on the Oz Internet Filter
January 22, 2010
Marcus Westbury wrote this bemoaning the Australian internet filter. See here.
Here is my response, in agreement, and further outlining and discussing the dilemma:
Hi Marcus,
I hope we all do something about this filter. I'd be more than happy to join, campaign, etc., against this filter. I am very anti censorship on anything and everything; word, image, art, photography, etc… that is not technically illegal like material involving the abuse/harm of minors and snuff movies.
One of the things on the Government blacklist that they wanted banned was The Abby Winters site run by G Media, an Aussie soft core porn site. It features 18 to 25 year old nude models. I read that founder Garion Hall was charged with producing illegal material (… it is illegal to make porn or it seems even nude erotica here in Victoria, an absurd law, I might add!) and child pornography ( probably because a model or two on his site had false ID, or he messed up in his age checking process… or who knows?). Anyway, the Abby Winters site looks to be a perfectly normal and harmless one of girls 18 and over without clothes like legions of others all over the web. Why is this site being black listed?
The link is here: http://www.abbywinters.com/portal/
I think the adding of a site like Abby Winters, whose main offense appears to be that it is erotica and made in Australia to the banned list is the thin edge of the wedge. You can see it could be applied to a vast number of legal nude sites online, including ones dealing with erotica and art.
I feel this filter is a real and tragic death for a creative, free thinking and sexually unrepressed Australia.
RE: Content of the censored material. When they say Sexual Violence be sure that they mean Sadomasochism and B&D. A lifestyle as legit as the homosexual one, in these times, I would strongly suggest. Which means any bondage, kinky or spanking text or images amongst consenting adults no matter how innocent, or even just erotica, can be banned. Even Bettie Page stills from Irving Klaw could be labeled Sexual Violence!
Here is just one blog entry from a female spanking fan who realizes her own sexuality blog could and will be banned in her own country and bemoans the situation: http://michellesspankingdiary.com/?p=157
This filter can easily be applied to imagery from the art world and to the work of people dealing in areas of transgression and sexuality. Artists whose work could be banned (…to name just a few) include: Larry Clark, Trevor Brown, the Chapman Brothers, Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton, John Willie, Irving Klaw, Richard Kern, Suehiro Maruo, Toshio Saeki, De Sade, Lautreamont, Bataille, Sacher Masoch, et al…all deal with sexual violence in art, photo or text.
What do they mean, also, by 'other' criminal activity? How to grow pot or drug advice sites? Pro Grafitti sites? How to circumvent the filter? Holocaust Denial? Pro Palestinian, or pro terrorist sites like ones on Hamas, or whatever else, from this controversial political field.
The question of monitoring and regulation is another minefield.
Also, the video game bans currently in force are crazy. It's become a major part of 18 to 50 year old culture and now its policed and restricted in a way far more draconian than film ever was. Why?
Your piece makes many salient points most important is that it can be circumvented by criminals anyway, which makes it implementation completely pointless. The need is there to action change from the arts community like they/we did to support Bill Henson. This issue is a much, much bigger one than the Henson issue, as it is a blanket ban on so much material, images and information. And it seems to be about to implemented with little fight from the arts community!
Best Regards
Richard Wolstencroft
MUFF director and Hellfire Club founder
The Beautiful and Damned joins the The Pack
January 17, 2010
My latest feature will be released through Peter Castaldi's new distribution company The Pack in 2010. It will have a theatrical run in Australian capitals and play some regional engagements before a DVD release later in 2010.
The Beautiful and Damned had its World Premiere at The F.Scott Fitzgerald Festival last October in Baltimore after being sneak previewed at MUFF X in 09. It will have its Official Australian Premiere in Sydney at the cool new Oz Film Festival The Australian Film Festival in April.
Wolstencroft is also planning to shoot the second part of his low budget "March On Rome" feature trilogy in the second half of 2010.
See her for details:
The Melbourne Underground Film Festival is proud to officially announce the dawn of its eleventh year in this exciting new decade. The call for entries to the 2010 festival has now officially opened for all national and international films, and the MUFF team is buckling down and prepping for the announcement of new festival plans, events, and of course, the 2010 MUFF theme.
The 2009 festival, MUFF X, went off with a like a pair of Yemenis exploding underpants in last August under the theme of 'MUFF ATTACKS'. The tenth in a long line of transgressive MUFFs held in Melbourne and directed by veteran filmmaker/troublemaker Richard Wolstencroft, MUFF X continued the proud tradition of offering an underground alternative to mainstream contemporary cinema in Australia. With a focus on spotlighting Australian-made independent feature films, many of which are swept under the cultural rug because of a lack of government or industry support.
Major MUFF X awards were taken out by Nathan Chrisoffel's sci-fi epic Eraser Children (which has since enjoyed award-winning screening as the opening film of the Fantastic Planet Film Festival), Dominic Deacon's exploitation flick Bad Habits (which has recently secured American DVD distribution) and Andrew Scarano's documentary Into the Shadows, which has played at cinemas all over the country since its premiere.
So great was the success of the 2009 festival that the MUFF team are ready to jump straight back in for another round of subverting the OZ cinema status quo. Plans are already underway at undisclosed locations and wheels are in motion to make MUFF 11 bigger, better with added bite in the year to come. Expect more guests, meaner films, more awards for shorts and our aggressive and unique retrospectives. The call for entries is open for both shorts and features of all varieties, with entry details to be found on the MUFF website.
The MUFF team look forward to seeing you all for another year of deviancy, debauchery and damned good Indy entertainment at the 11th annual festival! Get to it boppers!
For more updates, see www.muff.com.au
How many groups are you allowed to join on Facebook?
January 17, 2010
Answer: 300. I found this information nowhere on the web, so here it is here at Idea Fix your trusty guide to Facebook – Not!


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Recently Canberra was the host city for the CBC National Conference and what a sensational weekend it was for all.
The ACT SCBWI branch kicked things off with an informal gathering of local members, visiting members and a terrific turn up with quite a few newbies interested in finding out what SCBWI had to offer. Everyone settled in and the talking, laughter and noise reached new levels as more arrived. How lovely it was to catch up with those who live in the far reaches of our country and that chance to share a coffee and chat is something that only a conference can bring. It was also lovely to meet some new people who bravely popped in and introduced themselves to what looked like a family wedding, rather than a morning tea. But given SCBWI is a family- they were warmly welcomed and we all squished along the long bench tables so they could join the rabble. It is my joy to announce that many of these lovely folk joined SCBWI. WELCOME to the gang folks.
Enjoy some snapshots of well-loved SCBWI faces that shared the weekend and the many events spread across the capital's most sensational, iconic locations.


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The 19th Jinjiang Footwear & The 2nd Sports Industry International Exposition, China
Exhibition exhibits selling points:Delicate soft anti-fur upper, with wear-resistant tear resistance, combined with special socks designed to improve the comfort of shoes. Help face both sides of the cowhide openings set, breathing micro-hole to help the shoes in the air circulation, refused to hot; integrated stable tongue, to prevent sediment infiltration shoes, feet comfortable and not easy to shift.
Jinjiang Xiongyi Shoes & Plastic Products Co., Ltd.
Main Products: Finished Shoes
Kaida (China) Co., Ltd.
Main Products: Sports Shoes and Leisure Shoes
Wenta (Fujian) Group Co., Ltd.
Main Products: Sports Shoes, Vulcanized Shoes, RB, TPR, PU, MD Soles
Jinjiang Zhongxin Footwear Co., Ltd.
Main Products: Work Shoes, Fashion Shoes, Leisure and Sports Shoes
The 19th Jinjiang Footwear & Sports Industry International Exposition,China is due to take place from April 18 to 21, 2017 in Jinjiang, Fujian Province with a show space of 60000 square meters and 2200 international standard booths, covering finished footwear products, sporting equipment, footwear machinery and auxiliary material for footwear,
The year's exposition will take the initiative to connect the strategies of " one belt and one road","internet " and "Intelligence Manufacturing 2025", adhere to the exhibition ideas of "internationalization and specialization" organize more than 30 purchase merchants, as a carrier and platform for the enterprises to seek information, make friends and do business, and help turn the city into one featuring sports and international creativity.
The 19th Jinjiang Footwear & Sports Industry International Exposition welcome all of you to participate in the footwear exposition and make the exposition more wonderful.We eagerly await your arrival to join the grand event and add to this Expositional infinite splendor.


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Big announcement: I have purchased this blog a custom domain! Once the domain is activated (which might take a day or two), you will be able to access this blog by going to "sithobserver.com" instead of "sithobserver.blogspot.com". The original Blogspot address WILL still work, but this will be a pretty major shortcut.
This domain wasn't exactly free, so I hope that this blog will benefit from it. Expect for this new link to be ready for use by at least March 28, 2014.


text: comScore's latest smartphone report for the U.S is out. The quarter of NDJ 2012 & 2013 saw Apple grab the no.1 slot amongst smartphone manufacturers, with a 37.8% share outpacing its nearest competitor Samsung by a significant margin (16.4%). Android was the top dog on the platforms front, with a 52.3% share and thus beating Apple. Read More >>


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About Us
About Loretto Properties, LLC, Lamar Hunt, Jr., and James Arkell. Loretto Properties is a Kansas City real estate company dedicated to providing affordable and quality single-family housing to the community. Their motto "Investing in Families by Investing in Communities" is the belief shared by founders, Lamar Hunt Jr. and James Arkell. Both men live by these words each day. Meet our two passionate founders:
Lamar Hunt, Jr.
Lamar Hunt, Jr. comes from a family of investors. Over fifty years ago, his father Lamar Hunt invested in a new professional sports league called the American Football League (AFL) and started a team called the Dallas Texans. Before the AFL successfully merged with the older and more established NFL, Mr. Hunt relocated the team changing its name to the Kansas City Chiefs. After the success of the United States hosting the 1994 Soccer World Cup, Lamar Hunt, Jr.'s father became a founder/investor in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996 and the Hunt family continues to be the owners/operators of the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas franchises. This legacy laid the foundation for Lamar Hunt Jr.'s understanding of the importance of investing in communities.
In 1994, Lamar Hunt, Jr. began his own career in both business and philanthropy. He served on several private school boards in the Dallas area and became active in various charitable endeavors. This early philanthropic work culminated in the present service on the Advisory Board of Catholic Radio, KEXS 1090 Kansas City/Excelsior Springs, Missouri . Recently, the Archbishop of Kansas City , Kansas , the Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann named Lamar Hunt Jr. as one of twelve members of the Case Review Task Force. In addition, Mr. Hunt also serves on the board of the Kansas City Chief's Charitable Foundation. Both he and his spouse, Rita, have their own charitable trust that makes gifts in the Dallas and Kansas City metro areas.
With regards to his business career, Lamar Hunt Jr. is the founding/managing partner of Loretto Properties, LLC. He is on the advisory board of the Arrowhead Trusts which manages the Hunt family's interest in the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and FC Dallas of the MLS. Lamar also serves on the board of directors of Hunt Midwest Enterprises, a Kansas City company specializing in real estate development and mining.
Mr. Hunt is married to Rita Hunt. Between them, they are the proud parents of nine children and two grandchildren.
James Arkell
The Vice President of Loretto Properties LLC loves helping his fellow man; especially because, at his darkest hour, someone reached out to help him. That experience made James a big believer in second chances. With that second chance, James has built a new life consisting of God, family, and various business and charity pursuits. It should not be a big surprise to those who really know him. He sits on multiple boards including: Community Housing of Wyandotte County, Valley Hope Executive Board, and Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education.
It all began at an early age. At twelve, James learned the meaning of hard work when he started his own lawn mowing business. The sweat that business produced propelled him to work diligently in school and after college James worked in a variety of positions allowing him to hone his sales and marketing skills and gain the necessary experience to ultimately run his own company.
In 2006, James sought help from two entities: God and a 12 step program for alcoholism. His prayers were heard and then answered. The shackles of his addiction were unlocked. James was set free. With this freedom, two traits were released. The first was his inherent entrepreneurial spirit. The second was James' desire to help others.
In 2006, James Arkell started an executive driving service. It quickly became successful. In 2011, James was offered an opportunity with Loretto Properties, LLC. It was the perfect match. The company received a hard working, no-task-is-beneath-me guy and James received a position that not only allowed him to exercise his entrepreneurial talents but help Kansas City families as well. James jumped in with both feet.
From day one, he studied the business. In short order, he learned about the Kansas City real estate market and was buying and renovating single family properties. This put him in contact with families needing quality, comfortable and affordable housing. The families he deals with love him. The bottom line is that Loretto Properties LLC has thrived through his hard work. In the five years Loretto has been in business they have quickly expanded from the single family market into commercial real estate development.
But when the day is done, James heads home to his wife and four children perhaps to play in the backyard or engage in a wrestling match with his son. When he is not at home or working hard for the company, you may find him in church, at the St. Mary's soup kitchen or supporting various other charitable groups. And of course, you may also find him with another lost soul trying to give back what was so freely given to him.


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Austin has been home for the Mo's a whopping four months. The most common question we get, "So, how do you like Austin?" Naturally. And almost as naturally, our answer is, "We love it!" The people we work with, the church we're setting roots in, and the city. Smaller than LA but still a little hipster and holy family friendly!
Tyson is in guitar heaven. He and the guys do an innumerable amount of stuff every day, but if I had to put a ratio on it, playing guitars is about 80% of their day. #everyguitarplayersdream
Of course worship isn't about equipment and tone, nor is it about skill. It's about giving God glory for who He is and what He's doing in the lives of His people. But excellence does have its place. So glad to be a part of a team that is on board with that kind of vision.
We're pretty thankful for this safe place of strangers who are quickly becoming family.
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If you're ever bored or stuck at home on a Sunday morning and want to get your worship on, you can watch our weekend service online!