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2 of the 37 first round ARPA E projects were categorized as waste heat capture and one of the vehicle technologies was GMs lightweight car exhaust heat recovery
Lightweight Thermal Energy Recovery (LighTER) System
General Motors R&D received a $2.7 million federal award Monday that will help build a prototype using Shape Memory Alloy, or SMA, that would generate electricity from the heat in automotive exhaust.
"When you heat up a stretched SMA wire, it shrinks back to its pre-stretched length, and when it cools back down it becomes less stiff and can revert to the original shape" said Jan Aase, director of GM's Vehicle Development Research Laboratory. "A loop of this wire could be used to drive an electric generator to charge a battery."
It is too soon to identify a vehicle where this technology could work, but hybrid or conventionally powered vehicles are possible applications.
Advanced Semiconductor Materials for High Efficiency Thermoelectric Devices
Phononic Devices, Inc. (Cary, NC) in partnership with the University of Oklahoma, the University of California Santa Cruz, and the California Institute of Technology, will develop a completely new class of high efficiency thermoelectric devices and materials that combine enhanced Seebeck thermopower with thermally insulating semiconductor materials to increase solid state thermal-to-electric conversion efficiencies to unprecedented levels. With greater than 60% of all U.S. energy lost in the form of waste heat from power plants, industrial processes, and vehicles, this high efficiency new thermoelectrics technology holds great promise to enable the U.S. to tap into this vast hidden energy resource to drastically reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Phononic Devices' approach combines proprietary design concepts, nanostructured materials, and a thin-film semiconductor platform to dramatically improve heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency. The company's breakthrough will enable Thermoelectric Generators (TEG) that harvest waste heat for power generation; it can also be applied in reverse, enabling Thermoelectric Coolers (TEC) that can pump heat out of a system for cooling. Phononic Devices' technology stands to unlock the latent $125 billion market for thermoelectric energy harvesting, cooling, and refrigeration, enabling mass manufacturing and customer adoption at price points undercutting incumbent technologies
Harvesting Low Quality Heat Using Economically Printed Flexible Nanostructured Stacked Thermoelectric Junctions
The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (Urbana, IL), in collaboration with MC10, Inc., will develop an economic and highly scalable non-lithographic approach to fabricate large area arrays of 1-D concentric silicon nanotubes for low cost thermoelectric devices. This low cost, earth abundant, flexible new thermoelectric technology holds great promise to allow the U.S. to begin to harvest the more than 60% of its energy that it loses in the form of waste heat, providing an opportunity to drastically reduce U.S. energy waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Professor Sinha's grant will fund the development of a novel thermoelectric waste heat harvesting device based on large area arrays of 1-D concentric silicon nanotubes which can be inexpensively printed as stacked thermoelectric junctions. This thermoelectric technology holds promise for providing low cost harvesting of energy now lost in the form of waste heat in settings ranging from electricity generation to automobiles to massive data centers. Low quality waste heat constitutes a 2 TW untapped source of energy in the US but is technically challenging to harvest as useful energy. High coefficient of performance thermoelectric conversion such as what the team seeks to achieve, can potentially harness approximately 4-5% of this waste heat and add 23% to the current US electricity production at zero additional carbon or noise emission.


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Module # 1: Body
Advanced Level Embodied Flow Track
Taught by Tara Judelle and Dr. Scott Lyons
Take your practice or teaching to the next level. This "Body" Module is part of our 300 hour advanced level program designed to guide students through a deep and expansive journey of the Body-Mind as a means to experience the path of yoga. The Embodied Flow advanced level yoga teacher training offers a laboratory of asana, psychology, science, research, experiential anatomy, self-contemplation, advanced teaching skills, embodied movement practices, philosophy, and voice work.
The Body Module explores yoga asana through the direct experience of our own body systems, tissues and cells. Students will deepen their knowledge of the body and consciousness, emerging as a more precise and confident practitioner or teacher. Students will receive 100 hours credit towards their 300-hour Advanced Teacher Training Certification.
Prerequisite: A previous 200-hour RYT Teacher Training. Embodied Flow Foundations is highly recommended.
This 100-hour "Body" Module focuses on discovering the total sense of embodiment from the Embodied Flow perspective into the living art of yoga. Using the lens of asana and movement meditation, the Body Module concentrates on foundational material for integrated movement. This immersion utilizes experiential anatomy, kinesiology, and physiology as a platform for effortless and empowered asana.
Human beings can be defined as clusters of consciousness, organized into various densities, frequencies, functions, and sensations. Anatomist Gill Hedley coined the term somanaut to describe those who explore the interior framework of their being. As you experience this module of the Embodied Flow advanced level yoga training, the following subjects taught provide a framework that will allow you to dive ever deeper into the exploration of Self:
Explore the five foundational Principles of Embodied Flow
Introduction of experiential philosophy (the practice of weaving philosophy into an embodied journey)
Discover various systems of the body from a Body-Mind Centering™ perspective
Learn functional biomechanics that allow your students to align from the inside out and the outside in
Explore moving from different points of initiation that allow a greater ease and effortlessness in asana and movement
Examine ways of working with students in their wholeness so as to support their process in an inclusive and empowered way
Introduction to the Embodied Flow method of sequencing classes
Pranayama and meditation practices
Expressing unconscious and conscious aspects of self through movement meditations
Foundational components of manual therapy and bodywork
Tantric philosophy and its relationship to Embodied Flow
Each of our three Advanced Yoga Modules (300 hours total / RYT 500 Standard) count for 100 credit hours towards the Embodied Flow School of Yoga 300-hour Advanced Training. These modules are also open to advanced yoga practitioners for credit with Continuing Education Units (CEU). These Advanced Yoga Modules can be taken by section or all together. Students who take part in all three training modules will receive the 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training certificate from Embodied Flow which allows for your registration as a certified yoga teacher with the internationally acknowledged Yoga Alliance.
Sample Daily Schedule
Note: The last day is a full day, please schedule your flight accordingly. The daily schedule will be subject to change based on the day and the needs of the students. Note- this training includes Brunch. Please note any dietary restrictions on your application.
7:00am - 8:00am: Pranayama, kriya, meditation, contemplation
8:00am - 8:15 am: light breakfast
8:15am - 10:30am: Asana
10:30am - 12:00pm: Brunch
12:00pm - 3:00pm: Lecture/Lab
3:00pm - 4:00pm: Break
4:00pm - 6:30pm: Lab
Ananda Cottages in Ubud, Bali
The Ananda Ubud Cottages are located in the idyllic hills of Bali, just a 25-minute walk from the village center of Ubud, surrounded by lush, green, fertile rice paddies. Traditional Balinese architecture characterizes the cottages. All rooms are air-conditioned with lush garden bathrooms, conveying the essence of the tropics. Ananda Ubud Cottages has an extensive history of offering Yoga and Spa Service since 1978, and it's one of the most notable retreat centers in Ubud.
Ubud is the artistic and cultural heart of Bali. It is home to many painters, dancers, musicians, and sculptors. Three art museums have both traditional and modern fine art. The Ubud market is a favorite with a vast array of local produce. While exploring the nearby Monkey Forest Nature Reserve, you will find an ancient Hindu Temple in the midst of the jungle. Ananda Ubud Cottages is an Ubud accommodation budget, which includes a lush private garden, swimming pool and a very large shala, ideal for group movement in the midst of its peaceful surrounding.
PLEASE NOTE: For all students staying onsite, your price also includes one massage.
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTED RATE- Must be paid in full by September 5, 2019
Tuition + Brunch + Shared Room at Ananda Cottages (12 nights accommodations) – $2750 USD per person
Tuition + Brunch + Single Room at Ananda Cottages (12 nights accommodations) – $3100 USD
Tuition + Brunch + Offsite Accommodations- $2550 USD
STANDARD RATE- Must be paid in full by October 24, 2019
Tuition + Brunch + Shared Room at Ananda Cottages (12 nights accommodations) – $2950 USD per person
Tuition + Brunch + Single Room at Ananda Cottages (12 nights accommodations) – $3300 USD
Tuition + Brunch + Offsite Accommodations- $2750 USD
$1000 USD Deposit is due upon acceptance of the application.
Deposits are non-refundable, non-transferable, and are part of the overall tuition.
For the standard rate, the full payment is due 6 weeks prior to the training commencement (see date above). After this date, full payment for new registration is due immediately.
When booking a shared room while traveling alone, we will do our best to couple you with another same-sex participant that is traveling solo too. In case this is not possible, you will be required to upgrade to a single room. People are coupled based on the order in which bookings come in. So when you book early, there is a high chance that you can share the room with another participant.
Important Logistics
The first training day, December 5th starts with an opening circle at 2 pm.
The last training day, December 16th is a full day ending at 6:00 pm, please schedule your flight accordingly.
If you stay onsite, check-in is December 5th and check-out December 17th.
This training includes brunch. Please note any dietary restrictions on your application
For additional information please contact: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Throughout all of my posting, there have been quite a few articles I've written about the Orr Theater.
The Orr Theatre was located in the western half of what is now the Fowlerville Hardware. If you search on "Orr" in the upper right hand box below the heater, you will find all the articles that have been posted on this site.
Recently, the following memoriabilia was handed over to me to be placed in the Fowlerville Historical Collection. I thought before tucking these items away they should be put added here. There are so many interesting pieces of history to be found in our collection--some day, one day, we will put everything on display.
For now, enjoy the following poster from 1954, a snapshot taken at about that same time, and a band of tickets (note the price and federal tax):


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Join the forumsThe Fone Radar community is a great place to connect with other people from around the world who love the latest smartphones.
Why you should create an account?
- Comment on articles and talk in our forums
- Access to exclusive giveaways & contests
- Get help from Android experts and other device owners.
Register or Login.
Samsung Tablets
Discuss the Samsung tablet lineup. Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Note Pro, Galaxy Tab Pro.
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Escorts in Dubai
We love live in Dubai and we love its Escorts. Please find below top 5 sites in Google searching Escorts in Dubai: www.eurogirlsescort.com/ dubai.cracker.com/ www.alldubaiescorts.me/ massagerepublic.com/ dubaiescorts.club/ Our review considers that Expo is around the corner and escorts are ready to go to Dubai. Our review for Dubai Escorts Club: First of all our… Read More »


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I hereby declare my intention to upvote all themes referring to, or approaching the subject of, the end of the world, armageddon, planetary, galactic or universal destruction, and all other related concepts.
To further this effort, I will downvote all other themes.
This is, after all, the last Ludum Dare before the end of the world, as predicted by internet conspiracy theorists misinterpreting ancient and innaccurate caledars.


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Import Motorcycle Insurance
In the recent years, there has been a massive increase in the number of vehicles being imported into the country. This trend that started since 2000, has geared up into full form in the recent years. Most of these imported vehicles are Chinese bikes, scooters and mopeds. This seems to be much of a growing trend these days and with imported vehicles raises the need to insure them as well. Today you can find more and more manufacturers brining in their vehicles into the country and as the race grows, so does the number of insurers as well. Yet in spite of all such advancements in the import vehicle industry, it is still quite a difficult process to get a good import motorcycle insurance today.
What is import motorcycle insurance?
Since import motorcycles are cheaper than the usual ones these days, there are lots of them to be easily found around us. But with new imported bikes comes the need to insure them as well. This is where we have the import motorcycle insurance coming in. Though a majority of insurers and brokers might not be even aware of such insurance, in time to come this type of insurance will become quite important. Import motorcycle insurance helps you to insure your vehicle imported from a foreign country and registered fresh in this country.
What does it cover?
There is a problem with most import motorcycles – their spare parts are not easy to get and in most cases they are not readily available. So when a claim arises with regard to a repair of import motorcycle, the insurer may find it difficult to source such a part and even get authorized repairs for the same. That is why it might be difficult for you to find insurers providing you a complete or fully comprehensive coverage. In cases where you can find one, they might offer you a very high quote – even something more costly than the vehicle itself. The normal coverage offered include third party only bike insurance, third party fire and theft bike insurance, and comprehensive bike insurance.
Why is it different to normal motorcycle insurance?
Import motorcycle insurance is quite different from normal motorcycle insurance because of the reason that it is imported and you need an extra insurance package in this regard. Insurance companies require a completely registered vehicle to provide insurance and to get a registration, insurance is required – this is a pretty tricky situation. So normal motorcycle insurance cannot work for this one! To get your import motorcycle insurance, you need to first register your vehicle in this country and then only you can avail such insurance.
How to find cheap motorcycle insurance?
In order to make you motorcycle insurance cheaper, you need to add a voluntary access to your motorbike policy and add security to your bike like parking it in the garage rather than on the road. Also you need to restrict the number of drivers and the age of drivers included in your policy. Finally, drive a low grouped bike to lower your insurance premiums.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Motorcycle Insurance
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Ski suppliers, including operator/wholesalers meet face to face with ski groups and council decision-makers from across North America.
The Group Exchange format consists of pre-scheduled, one-on-one appointments.
Group Exchange buyers consist of decision-makers from top ski clubs and councils in North America as well as other active groups planning ski trips. Applicants are carefully screened by MTS to ensure they meet the club/council criteria and the delegate requirement of being a decision-maker.
More than 220 suppliers represent almost 200 companies including tour wholesalers, hotels, lodging properties, ski companies, car rentals, ground transportation providers, ski/board rental companies, activity operators, property management groups, travel insurance, tourism bureaus, as well as other sellers of mountain vacation products.
Group Leaders
An invitation to attend MTS will be sent in early November. For information and to learn about the qualifications, please contact Paul Webber at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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CATTS provides a Class Screening service for Preschoolers or Infants/Senior Infant level in Primary Schools.
The screening can be performed by either a Speech & Language Therapist (SLT Screening), Occupational Therapist (OT Screening), or a combination of both professionals to give a Joint OT and SLT Screening for a class.
What benefit would a Class Screening have?
There are many Red Flag signs in the early years which may be spotted by a routine standardised screening of a pupil. In short, a screening can catch those early signs that may possibly give rise for concern later.
The outcome of the screening is usually a short report for the pupil's parent, along with a debrief at class level for the teacher.
What a Class Screening is not:
A Class screening is not an assessment for any pupil which the teacher or parent may have expressed a concern about regarding motor ability, sensory awareness, or speech development. Where you as a teaching or childcare professional have a concern about a pupil, or pupils in your class, please contact us regarding an OT or SLT Assessment to determine any needs.
If you have a concern regarding a pupil and require assistance getting your concern heard at parent or guardian level, we have a Red Flag document which has been found useful by teachers and childcare professionals in the past in explaining when a delay may be a cause for concern.
In order to provide a screening, we would require:
- Parental Permission for each child (CATTS will send you a form you can use, or we can use the school's own one if easier). When we do not receive a parental consent letter, we cannot perform a screening or any other observation (informal or otherwise) on that pupil.
- Use of a spare room or quiet corner of a classroom.
- We usually try to keep the cost of screenings nominal, usually €20 or €30 per child, which is payable on the day.


text: SJTech Solutions offers a wide variety of options to help you establish your brand. We offer packages including all forms of support, be it for a pre-existing infrastructure or one we have designed for you ourselves. Our talented staff are always ready to help you troubleshoot and resolve your issues, be it through email, phone, livechat or even onsite support. You can consult our chart below for pricing options, or request a free quote from our easy to use online form.


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Welcome to the Midwest Herding Connection. This site was developed to be a centralized site for information about herding with your dog in the following Midwestern states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Ohio.
To make this web site a useful tool for locating training, livestock and trials in your area, your input is needed and welcome! My goal is to make this a updated, interactive site with input from clubs and individuals that have expertise and opportunity available to herding enthusiasts in their area.
Thank you for visiting. Please bookmark this page and return often!
This site is intended to be used for information only. Listing of any resource (trainer, facility, or livestock or any other resource) is not an endorsement or a guarantee of expertise or suitability. We urge all dog owners to fully investigate any trainer, facility, or stock before entrusting themselves and their dogs to that facility or trainer.


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A shopkeeper was reported in serious condition Monday after being shot in the chest by a would-be robber, police said.
Mike Eldick, 60, owner of Griffin Discount Market, 2818 Griffin Road, was shot about 8:15 p.m. Sunday, said George Crolius, a spokesman for the Broward Sheriff's Office.
When the gunman announced he was holding up the store, Eldick ran toward the back of the store to warn his son, Crolius said. The gunman fired once before running to a red 1974 or 1975 Ford Mustang in which a driver was waiting, Crolius said.


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Contribution Program
Interested In Being A Writer For TheTalko?
We are always looking for strong passionate writers who are motivated to develop and write engaging content.
TheTalko targets modern women, featuring list-based articles that cover love, sex, fitness fashion and Hollywood gossip.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for writers who can produce in-depth premium content with expert knowledge in one or more of TheTalko's featured categories.
Contributor Program Facts
Two very important facts about our contributor program:
- Will I get credit as the author? YES
- Will I get paid? YES
Apply Today!
If you think you have what it takes and you are ready to write in-depth premium content, apply today to become a contributor. Note: we do not accept any guest posts at the moment.


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On November 16, 2015 I went to the Mission Office for my last time. I got to see the new cambios for the rest of the missionaries. Had my interview with President. Hna Videla gave us her marriage class presentation. We went to the airport...said more goodbyes...and had some amazing contact experiences..(we walked around looking for someone to contact and we saw a man in army camo and felt like we should talk with him. Ended up that his father had just passed away and he was flying home for the funeral...wow...the Spirit truly guides).
It was hard to walk through security, thinking that that might be the last time I would ever be in Chile. I am at peace knowing that I gave my "all" in my mission. That is not saying I was a perfect missionary, but through Christ I was able to give my best and He made up the rest.
When I saw my mom, dad, and Caden via FaceTime waiting for me in the airport, it was a beautiful feeling. To be embraced, hugged, and kissed by those whom I call my family, those who had waited, supported, and prayed for me during those 18 months was a joy beyond words.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
La Despedida
"Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."
-Alma 26:16
That is the only thing I can say about my mission. When people ask me, "Tell me about your mission!" it is like a wave of spiritual, emotional, and physical feelings. I know that the Spirit carried me when I couldn't walk another step. I know that Christ was helping me and cheering me on every step.
This mission experience literally opened my eyes to the splendor and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I love Chile. I love the people I met. But most importantly, I love my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.
The Goodbyes:
Last empanada
The streets of Santiago
My apartment on the 14th floor
Alpaca Wednesdays
The best group of Hermanas- Las quiero mucho
My twin jaja
My family of Independencia
Temple day with Presidente y Hermana Videla
Ataque de El Salto-wonderful member missionaries
Juan Manuel
Hna Gaona
Hna Catia y Ivan
Hna Monica Lopez
Fiorela y Estefani
Funniest pic ever...1...2..3...ahhh
Love them...la Fm Margual y Juliana/Martin
He always practiced his english with us, even while we were in the elevator...
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A second mortgage can be ideal for situations where you want to access the equity in your home but don't want to reconfigure your first mortgage.
This mortgage product can be an instrument used for home renovations, college or university tuition, debt consolidation, or investing in other properties and is handy when you have a financial goal or obligation that small lines of credit or credit cards can't handle.
Oceanvale Mortgage & Finance can secure reasonable secondary financing to help you use your equity as a tool. A second mortgage is similar to a HELOC but is an installment loan, meaning that it is repaid over time with a set number of scheduled payments.
A second mortgage can be more favorable than unsecured debt (credit cards, lines of credit etc.) due to the fact that they generally come with lower rates than the latter.
To find out more about how second mortgage work and to see if it is the right fit for your particular situation, call us to discuss!


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I've been coming to Hounslow all my life and it is really exciting to see quality arts events happening here. I work with Watermans, the arts centre in Brentford, and have been involved in Bell Square myself in 2015. This year I have become the first Bell Square Blogger.
Carousel attracted the biggest crowd I'd seen at the Square. It was fantastic to see people clapping along and cheering at the end. The act itself was best in its moments of high energy, with a toe-tapping folk score. The story that Southpaw was telling was classically tragic. It was great to see a dance show so focused on telling an emotional story captivating a large and diverse group of people.
Of Man and Beast by Company Chameleon didn't draw a huge crowd, due to performing twice in the afternoon and the bad weather. The show itself was very interesting though, again with a narrative focus. It was fun to hear Rage Against the Machine being blared in the middle of Hounslow. Interviewing the performers was a brilliant experience that I recommend to any young people interested in journalism.
Teatr KTO told a wacky but pretty easy-to-follow tale about modern working life. I heard people talking about the show in a local shop after, describing it as very raunchy. And while it wasn't afraid to take risks, the show seemed suitable for everyone. It tackled everyday life in a truthful and funny way. Initially, when the pack of dancers began to sprint away into the high street, I wasn't too pleased about having to chase them down. However, after seeing the crowd grow and change every time they moved, I came to see the decision as incredibly smart. Company Chameleon had said that the venue was great because of the people passing through, but when both the act and the audience are in transit, they become even more intertwined. Despite the show's outlandishness, it seemed to grab people's attentions more than any other. It has been amazing to see audiences getting more involved and the acts connecting more and more.
Check out my video of these three events below:


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You are here:
Biarritz Airport Guide
- Full name: Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne Airport
- Location: The airport is located three miles (5km) from downtown Biarritz.
- Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
- Transfer to the City:
Buses to and form the airport are available via the Chronoplus urban transport network.
- Car rental:
Car rental services are available at the airport.
- Facilities:
Airport facilities include a VIP lounge, shops, a restaurant, a sandwich bar and an ATM.
- Parking:
Parking is available at the airport with the first 20 minutes being free. Parking costs about €3 - €4.10 per hour, and €17 - €20 per day. Long-term parking costs €18.10 for a day, €26.60 for two days, and about €58.30 for a week.
- Website: www.biarritz.aeroport.fr


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2017 Kia Forte Fontana, CA
The 2017 Kia Forte is a multifaceted car that offers the best in style, technology, and luxury. At Valley Kia of Fontana, we believe our customers deserve the highest standard of vehicles. That's why we're proud to introduce the Kia Forte. Between the seemingly endless comforts, state-of-the-art technologies, and easy style, the all new Forte is the perfect care to fit any lifestyle. Take a look at some of the specs and features that set the all new Kia Forte apart from similar vehicles of it's class.
This masterfully crafted compact sedan is an exemplar of sleek, style. An smooth frame mixes seamlessly with bold qualities to create a dynamic exterior. Get the stylish look of a without breaking your wallet. Narrow, striking headlights and taillights give this car a sharp, intelligent look. Designed to fit every lifestyle, this vehicle is an outstanding example of effortless style.
The exterior's exceptional qualities is just the beginning. The Kia Forte isn't just another vehicle; it's the best vehicle of it's class. The interior of the Forte is designed with the complete driver/passenger comfort in mind. What really sets the Forte apart form other vehicles of its class though? Features like the available heated/ventilated front row seats provide comfort and control to passengers. Meanwhile, outstanding technology features like the available infotainment system lets you take control of your drive with hands-free calling, system management systems, and convenient apps like Google Maps™. Safety features like the available Blind Spot Detection and Rear Cross Traffic Alert ensure that the people you love are safe when they're with you. This vehicle offers the best in-class technology features and brings unrivaled convenience to your life.
So, if you're in the market for a new vehicle to match your every needs, stop by Valley Kia of Fontana to check out the 2017 Kia Forte and go for a test drive. We look forward to doing business with you.


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Our History:
In November of 2008, SeaVuria's founder, MaryMargaret Welch, and three other delegates from Eastside Catholic School in Seattle, traveled to Bamba, Kenya to set up a sister school partnership. During this trip they were met with enthusiastic children and devoted teachers, each longing for a quality education, but limited by circumstance. For many students, financial and family constraints limited access to a full education; for teachers, the cultural norm of didactic teaching methods hindered student engagement, specifically impacting math and science scores on national exams.
MaryMargaret and her team signed a covenant of understanding
with these schools, promising to build a partnership of educational opportunities for the students and teachers of Kenya, while enlisting local high school students and teachers of Seattle to be a part of the collaboration. The result of this promise is SeaVuria; named by the students of Kenya as a reflection of the partnership between Seattle (Sea) and the landmark hill of their region, Vuria.
Today, SeaVuria promotes STEM education by organizing learning cooperatives of students and teachers from Seattle and Kenya, and creating projects relevant to current global issues that run simultaneously here and abroad. We work together with teachers to develop standards-based curricula and technology resources to better engage students in science, engineering and math. Student participation in SeaVuria projects here in Seattle has also inspired the inception of student-run scholarship programs, supporting the continued education of many Kenyan students that would otherwise be unable to afford the opportunity for advancement.


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FIT FUNDRAISING was developed by Roy C. Jones, CFRE, an industry leader in relationship building, major giving, marketing and fundraising.
Roy Jones has more than 30 years of relationship building, major gift procurement and fundraising experience. He published two books now on Amazon's Best Selling Business Books on fundraising and major gift development: Rainmaking – The Fundraiser's Guide To Landing Big Gifts and a contributing author in The 101 Mistakes Nonprofits Make and How You Can Avoid Them. He is recognized professionally as one of the top relationship managers in the country. In addition to consulting professionally with some of the nation's top charities, he also founded his own foundation to promote training and philanthropy called the Fundraising Institute Training (FIT) Foundation to assist nonprofits nationwide. www.FundraisingInstituteTraining.com / www.RoyJones.org
Mr. Jones presently serves as Vice President of Development at Mercy Ships, an international charity providing hope and healing to the worlds forgotten poor through a fleet of surgery ships. Hospital ships are the most efficient platform to deliver state-of-the-art surgeries to regions where clean water, electricity, medical facilities and personnel is limited or nonexistent. And, because more than 50% of the world's population lives within 100 miles of the coast, we can reach more people who need care. Jones and his development team help the organization raise more than $80 million annually. The organization provides life saving surgeries and trains medical professionals in some of the most remote and poverty stricken countries on the planet.
Roy Jones formerly served as a Development Advisor and Account Director to the largest fundraising agency in the United States, Russ Reid of Pasadena, California. Mr. Jones advised Russ Reid on major gifts and all areas of development. Russ Reid has been at the forefront of utilizing digital media and all forms of direct response to create fully integrated marketing plans. The agency raised over $2 million a day for over 200 clients including World Vision, St. Jude Children's Cancer Research Hospital, Operation Smile and network programs serving scores of food banks, homeless shelters and rescue missions nationwide.
From 2005 to 2010 Roy Jones served as the chief development officer at America's largest Christian school, Liberty University. Mr. Jones headed the team that provided direct mail, major giving and estate planning programs for the seven colleges in the University system. In the 1990's Jones served as Vice President of Development at U.S.A. Direct where he oversaw fundraising programs which helped raise more than $100 million annually for several national organizations and political campaigns in Washington, D.C.
Jones began his career in the political campaign arena in the 1980's, serving as the first director of coalitions development at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He served on the staff of President George H. W. Bush and the 1992 Bush Presidential campaign as a coalitions specialist. In 1990, he worked internationally for a victorious presidential campaign in Guatemala and conducted training schools on voter contact and grassroots organizing for President Lech Walensa of Poland and his political party, Solidarity. He has remained active in politics as an advisor to statewide and national elections, including serving as the national finance director for U.S. Senator Rick Santorum's Presidential Campaign.
Roy Jones holds two degrees from Liberty University, a B.S. in Political Science and a Master degree in Business Leadership. He is certified by CFRE International as a Certified Fund Raising Executive and a member of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals (AFP) and previously served on the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
He and his wife, Melinda, have 3 sons: Jesse (36), Nathan (35) and Grant (27). Roy and Melinda have been married for 39 years and are now the proud grandparents of (6) Jackson, Mackenzie, Madison, Ruby, Alexander and Dyllan. In addition, to writing and speaking on fundraising, Jones is an accomplished blues guitar player who has studied under Anthony Marinelli in Pasadena, California. He often sets in with east Texas blues musicians in Ben Wheeler, Dallas and Tyler.
You can reach Roy by emailing him at firstname.lastname@example.com or calling him at (434) 258-4416


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Both children's programming and popular music were vastly superior back in my day. I would totally love to break this out at a Halloween party, but I fear that it would be awkward for both of my guests.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
A reminder...
Both children's programming and popular music were vastly superior back in my day. I would totally love to break this out at a Halloween party, but I fear that it would be awkward for both of my guests.
Monday, May 27, 2013
#0071: Bugs Bunny Limo
It's rare these days that you're able to tear me away from my 3DS long enough for me to make a blog entry, but I'll try my best not to get distracted... Though I must confess, there's a noise outside my window right now that was actually distracting me throughout the duration of that opening sentence. I might take a look, and bring my 3DS with me, just in case.
So many of the curios I share with you are devoid of any sort of backstory, and we find ourselves in that familiar territory today, as I unveil to you the sheer majesty of the Bugs Bunny Limo. It is fantastically bizarre, and I'm already struggling to piece together the words necessary to describe its splendour. The first three words that spring to mind, however, are 'what the fuck?'
What we have here, clearly, is Bugs Bunny in a limo. He sports a bow tie, and clutches a carrot closely to his chest, as if it were some kind of trophy. Yosemite Sam is the driver of this limo, and his expression is one of pure fury and hatred. I don't know why Sam is so vexed, whether it's because his nemesis has claimed this prestigious carrot award, or simply due to being stuck in traffic, but whoa nelly, Sam be pissed. He reminds me a little bit of Dr. Robotnik, but that's neither here nor there.
Thorough Googling (or Yahooing if you sleep with your sister) comes up with bupkis. There is another 'Bugs Bunny limo' out there; most appropriately a Happy Meal toy from 1993, but it is not what we see here. This fine automobile, circa 1990, definitely didn't come complete with a cheeseburger and fries.
I think it might actually be a pull-back car, since it makes the appropriate clicks when put in reverse, but it refuses to launch forward afterwards, leading me to believe that it's broken. Possibly another reason for Sam's fury. Due to this, its major function is now to roll in 3 centimetre increments, and to bemuse. It does one of these things much better than the other.
Beyond that, I've got nothing. It's got nothing, frankly, so don't blame me for not coming up with a more verbose way of describing it. So instead, I thought I'd point out an odd coincidence I noticed recently: my favourite Looney Tunes things both have to do with basketball. I loved Space Jam to bits (we all did, I know), and Looney Tunes B-Ball is a great game that would have gotten more attention, had it come out earlier in the SNES' tenure. Its main theme is splendid, and when blasted out of your speakers, makes even the Bugs Bunny limo look fucking PIMP.
Friday, May 17, 2013
#0070: Animals!!
Et voila! A post, as promised. In the early 90s, Northern Getaway was one of my favourite stores in the world. It had this awesome rainforest theme, and was stacked to the brim with neat shit, like sand lizards and sweaters depicting kung-foo frogs with the headline 'Marsh-all Arts'. It was also the site where I first learnt about anti-theft barriers. No, I wasn't a roguish thief or a miniature kleptomaniac, I just wanted to show my dad the cool toy I had found, and he happened to be standing outside the store at the time. I remember being so confused by how I was getting in trouble for nothing, but no blood was spilt that day. Crisis averted.
Also, what in the fuck are those anti-theft barriers actually called? I'm sure I know, but the words are escaping me right now. I typically just call them the 'beepy motherfuckers', a versatile phrase that I've also used to define cars and the Bee Gees.
One of the most frequent causes of expenditure at Northern Getaway came in the form of these delightful animals. Aye, a more specific phrase would be preferable, but Googling for 'animal figurines' just opens the floodgates to eleventy billion unrelated products, most of which belong to the Sylvanian Families. And unless these figures are just going through a nude, four legged phase in which they forego tea parties and quaint cottages, I'm quite positive they aren't Sylvanian.
Before I proceed, I thought I'd express that it was an utter pain in the balls to try and get all of these little things to stand for the photo. These motherfuckers are clearly drunk, and yet another reminder to never work with children or animals. At the front of said photo is the very first one I got, the little golden brown kitty I named Chester. According to the underside of his body, Chester is a somali cat. I don't know if I ever realised that at the time, because it was frankly much easier to just call him a tabby. Everything was a tabby back in them days, whether they were a somali, an abyssinian or a corgi. Made things easier for us simple folk.
I took Chester all over the house (most memorably to the supper table, where I insisted my parents refer to him as 'our dinner guest'), and of course, it led to me wanting every single one of the cats we could find, even the ones that looked incredibly similar, and especially the ones that were just differently coloured versions of the same species.
Hey look! Siamese twins.
After we had exhausted the bevy of feline figurines, we moved onto dogs. I didn't get as many dogs for some reason, either because I was obsessed with cats as a kid or the range of mutts was smaller. Can't remember which. Among the collection is an Alsatian I have recently named Baldrick.
All up, I collected at least 26 of these figurines. I might have had more, but these were the ones I could find. Much like an old southern hoarder, I may have twelve more cats and dogs lurking about the house somewhere. I'll be sure to update you if I ever do find any more, and if you ever do happen to care.
They're bound to prove useful in some educational capacity, so hopefully my fiancé will find a role for them in her classroom. I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of them go missing, because the more I look at them, the more I realise that these things are some really steal-able figurines. Christ, I want to put them in my pocket, and I already own them. Isn't it circuitous that the toys from the store I almost accidentally burglarised are strong candidates for petty theft? I like it. I mean, I like the symbolism, I don't like the idea that some little shit's gonna steal my schnauzer.
I also have other animals, not necessarily from the same series (maybe they are? I can neither prove nor disprove this), but with the same concept: animal figurines with their specific genus printed on their belly. These range from five-lined skink juvenile to dimetrodon to epipedobates tricolor to GIANT FUCKING TURTLE.
It was a veritable jungle in my bedroom. And I don't mean that in a sexual way. In that sense, it was more of an abandoned cave: lonely and damp.
At the very least, these things all did an excellent job of filling out my toy chest. You know how sometimes you had toys that you liked, but never necessarily played with? These were the quintessential also-rans, and I loved them for it. Other than Chester, of course, whose major claim to fame was joining my luncheons.
My new favourite, however, isn't the beloved old
Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for you to meet the hideous bleeding lion.
Is it a haggard Simba after things had turned south in the pride lands? Or is it a battered Aslan, fresh off a most impolite shanking from the White Witch? It's hard to say, but anything is possible. Discuss amongst yourselves. Don't look at his bad eye.
When all else fails, blame the Vaike
I'm sorry, friends. All because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I don't still love you guys. The main reason for my absence lately can be traced almost directly to the 67 hours I have spent playing Fire Emblem Awakening. Oh my god, I love it so. Any scarce fragment of spare time I have, simply has to be dedicated towards playing it and buffing up my paladins. I even ranked the units over on my other blog, if you fancy a peek.
I do however have a bag of toys at my disposal that I have been feeling an itch to dispose of. So bear with me, there will be action (figures). To bide you over, here is my current collection of POP! Vinyls. They represent everything that is important to me, from Canadian superheroes to sea witches to Michael Keaton.
I do however have a bag of toys at my disposal that I have been feeling an itch to dispose of. So bear with me, there will be action (figures). To bide you over, here is my current collection of POP! Vinyls. They represent everything that is important to me, from Canadian superheroes to sea witches to Michael Keaton.
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Saltwater Seahorse White
Saltwater by Natalie Lymer for Riley Blake Designs.
100% cotton. 110cm wide
Sold in increments of 25cm. Each unit equals 25cm.
Multiple units will be cut in one continuous length.
Please note 25cm will be cut across the width of the fabric unless fat quarter stated in the comments field at checkout.


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Kona Countdown 10 days: Kona-inspired dinner
Marni Sumbal
After my last "long" brick (4 hour ride + 4 mile run) I spent the rest of the day resting with Karel (watching cycling on Universal Sports). Around 4pm, it was time for a 3 1/2 hour trip to Bartow Florida for Karel's 9pm criterium race. Karel absolutely LOVES criterium racing at night and this 80 min crit in downtown Bartow was no exception.
(Loving my new Oakley Women Short Sleeve Roadmap tee)
It was too dark for me to take any pics of Karel but here are two from the official photographer at the race.
It was so exciting to watch Karel race as he was really active during the race. I remember just a few years ago in 2006 when he did his first Pro 1,2 race. He was completely exhausted and after his first few races as a Category 1 rider, he continued to tell me "I don't know how those guys do it?".
After riding his bike for all of his life, now at the age of 35, I continue to be inspired by Karel for never wanting to give up and for always wanting to get better. Despite racing with many riders who race as a full-time job, Karel manages to squeeze in 250+ miles/week of training while working at least 45 hours a week as the general manager of the Trek Bicycle Stores in Jacksonville FL and I never hear him complain about anything. I feel super lucky to have Karel in my life and because of him, I continue to find myself wanting to challenge myself in both athletics and in my personal life.
On Sunday evening, my close friends (Mallory and Tyler, Kari and Adam and their beautiful twins Cameron and Logn and Ryan and Katrine) had us over for a Kona-inspired dinner. We enjoyed an evening of good food and lots of laughs (babies are super entertaining!). We caught up with Katrine and Ryan after they both placed 5th in the 25-29 age group at IMWI and had fun chatting with Mallory and Tyler who are participating in the 2-day MS 150 ride this weekend. Karel was surprised with a Key Lime "birthday" cake and I had a special "Tri Marn" cake which was made out of my blueberry muffin recipe!!
I made a yummy "Hawaiian salad" w/ spinach, star fruit, almonds, tomatoes, onions and pineapple and we ended the night by giving our friends a big THANK YOU for supporting both of us as we live a very active lifestyle. Despite our friends being super busy and active themselves, they had time to make me a beautiful card as well as a gift bag filled with thoughtful gifts for my time in Kona.
On the card, they listed several Hawaiian-inspired quotes (perhaps they know me a little too well!) and one of them spoke loud to me:
"Hawaii is the land of big dreams, for both islanders and guests. Those dreams born in Paradise can, indeed, come true" -Sharon Linnea.


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The 2011 volleyball season at Bluffton High School started with a bang in May and a busy summer prepared the Bobcats to start their seasons this week.
The Junior Varsity team opens its regular season with three matches at St. Vincent's Academy in Savannah today and the varsity makes it's season debut Thursday at home against St. Vincent's and Effingham High School.
In May, at our three-week spring practice, we had 53 girls come out — which is by far the largest number we've had in the eight-year history of Bluffton High.
During our twice-a-week summer practices and conditioning we averaged about 25 girls, another new record.
On June 30 we entered two teams in a summer tournament at Beaufort High and our entries finished first and third.
In July we ended our summer program by sending nine players to the team camp at Clemson University where they learned a lot and got to play against some top teams from South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina.
Following our tryouts in early August, we began an intensive daily pre-season conditioning and practice schedule for both the JV and varsity teams.
Since then the varsity has played six scrimmage matches in Savannah, going 4-2, and the JV has played three scrimmage matches in Savannah, going 1-2.
The 2011 varsity team is probably the youngest team we have ever had with the possible exception of the 2004 team when Bluffton High first opened.
This year's varsity has only one senior in Dani Bothe; four juniors — Morgan Delaplane, Abby Roulston, Liz Collins and Fallon Cocuzza); four sophomores — Mackenzie Cooler, Jordan Franklin, Jordan Underwood and Mikyla Houghlan; and three freshmen — Grace Collins, Haley Kohler and Lauren Kendrick.
The good news is that we have five returning varsity players — Bothe, Delaplane, Roulston, Cooler, and Franklin — all of whom were starters in 2010. Nine of our 12 players have played one or more years of club volleyball.
This balance of youth and experience should bode well for the team, especially as the season progresses and we get more competition under our belt.
BHS Bobcats Volleyball Varsity
25 - Dani Bothe
8 - Morgan Delaplane
19 - Abby Roulston
7 - Elizabeth Collins
23 - Fallon Cocuzza
6 - Mackenzie Cooler
20 - Jordan Franklin
14 - Jordan Underwood
4 - Mikyla Houghlan
5 - Haley Kohler
7 - Grace Collins
33 - Lauren Kendrick
Coach - Al Stern
Coach - Katie Cox
Manager - Megan Kelley
BHS Bobcat Volleyball JV
12 - Melissa Bornstein
1 - Alexa Polcari
11 - Imone Stewart
3 - Holley Dymock
7 - Jillian Koves
19 - Victoria Branagan
8 - Alexis Bennett
10 - Stephanie Tighe
31 - Madison Cooler
17 - Annie Franklin
14 - Valeria Lara
Coach - Tina Franklin
BHS Bobcats Volleyball Varsity
Sept. 1: St. Vincent's/Effingham, 5:30 p.m. at Bluffton
Sept. 3: St. Vincent's Academy Play Date, 10:15 a.m. at St. Vincent's/Savannah Christian
Sept. 6: South Effingham/Glenn Hills, 5:30 p.m. at South Effingham
Sept. 7: Savannah Christian, 5:30 p.m. at Bluffton
Sept. 9-10: Tournament, 3:30 p.m. at Glynn Academy
Sept. 12: Hilton Head Prep, 5:45 p.m. at Hilton Head
Sept. 13: SCPS/St. Vincent's Academy, 6 p.m. at St. Vincent's
Sept. 15: Lake Marion/Berkeley, 5:30 p.m. at Lake Marion
Sept. 16-17: Tournament, 6 p.m. at Lovett School
Sept. 20: St. Vincent's Academy/SCDS, 6 p.m. at St. Vincent's
Sept. 22: Berkeley/Battery Creek, 5:30 p.m. at Battery Creek
Sept. 26: Effingham/Statesboro, 5 p.m. at Effingham
Sept. 29: Lake Marion/Cane Bay, 5:30 p.m. at Lake Marion
Oct. 4: Hilton Head High/Cane Bay, 6 p.m. at Hilton Head
Oct. 8: Tournament, 8:30 a.m. at Bluffton
Oct. 13: Battery Creek/Whale Branch, 5:30 p.m. at Bluffton
Oct. 14-15: Tournament, 5 p.m. at Wando
Oct. 18: Hilton Head High/Hilton Head Prep, 5:30 p.m. at Bluffton
Oct. 25: State Playoffs
Nov. 5: State Championships
BHS Bobcat Volleyball JV
Aug. 31: SVA/SCPS/SCDS, 4 p.m. at St. Vincent's Academy
Sept. 1: St. Vincent's/Effingham, 4 p.m. at Bluffton
Sept. 6: South Effingham/Glenn Hills, 4:30 p.m. at South Effingham
Sept. 7: Savannah Christian, 4 p.m. at Bluffton
Sept. 12: Hilton Head Prep, 4:15 p.m. at Hilton Head
Sept. 15: Beaufort, 5 p.m. at Bluffton
Sept. 17: JV Tournament, 9 a.m. at Glynn Academy
Sept. 22: Berkeley/Battery Creek, 4 p.m. at Battery Creek
Sept. 26: Effingham/Statesboro, 4 p.m., at Effingham
Oct. 1: JV Tournament, 8:30 a.m. at bluffton
Oct. 4: Hilton Head High/Cane Bay, 4 p.m. at Hilton Head
Oct. 11: Beaufort, 5 p.m. at Beaufort
Oct. 13: Battery Creek/Whale Branch, 4 p.m. at Bluffton
Oct. 15: JV Tournament, 9 a.m. at Lugoff-Elgin
Oct. 18: Hilton Head High/Hilton Head Prep, 4 p.m. at Bluffton


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Boston 2018
Total Impact Boston convened investment advisors, wealth managers, and investors who wanted to gain actionable and executable information on impact investment. In addition, in partnership with key Boston stakeholders, we highlighted place-based opportunities and the impact success stories of the greater Boston area.
BOSTON 2018 VIDEOs
Boston 2018 Photos
Philadelphia 2018
The inaugural Total Impact conference was held in Philadelphia in April 2018. In partnership with ImpactPHL, Good Capital Project hosted over 300 practitioners, thought leaders, advisors, and investors.


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OneSpin, 14 Co-Hosts to Present "Verified" at DAC 2018
DAC's Hottest Social Event to be Held at Golden Gate Tap Room
MUNICH and SAN JOSE, CALIF. – June 6, 2018 – OneSpin® Solutions, provider of innovative formal verification solutions for highly reliable, digital integrated circuits (ICs), will host the second annual "Verified," a celebration of the verification ecosystem Monday, June 25, during the Design Automation Conference (DAC).
Verified will be held at the Golden Gate Tap Room, second floor, 449 Powell Street in San Francisco from 8 p.m. until midnight, and will feature live music and dancing, vintage arcade and table games, snacks and drinks.
The invitation-only event brings together the verification community for networking and fun with co-hosts Agnisys, AMIQ EDA, Austemper Design Systems, Avery Design Systems, Blue Pearl Software, Breker Verification Systems, Concept Engineering, Dassault Systemes, EDACafe, Electronic System Design Alliance, Metrics, MunEDA, Semifore and Verific Design Automation.
"We couldn't ask for a better location for Verified than the Golden Gate Tap Room," says McKenzie Ross, OneSpin's marketing communications manager, and organizer of Verified. "Located just off San Francisco's legendary Union Square, it is one of the city's most popular gathering places. Opportunities for fun abound in this laid-back, retro venue featuring a staggering list of 100+ beers, an abundant wine selection and tasty pub fare."
Although Verified is invitation-only, a limited number of tickets are available from OneSpin or its co-hosts: https://www.onespin.com/verified/.
OneSpin also will sponsor this year's Heart of Technology (HOT) 55 Party now combined with the DAC opening reception Sunday from 6 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Moscone Center West's third-floor mezzanine. Ross is an organizer of this event as well.
OneSpin will demonstrate its comprehensive formal verification solutions at DAC Booth #2611 Monday-Wednesday, June 25-27, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
About OneSpin Solutions
OneSpin Solutions has emerged as a leader in formal verification through a range of advanced electronic design automation (EDA) solutions for digital integrated circuits. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, OneSpin enables users to address design challenges in areas where reliability really counts: safety-critical verification, SystemC/C++ high-level synthesis (HLS) code analysis and FPGA equivalence checking. OneSpin's advanced formal verification platform and dedication to getting it right the first time have fueled dramatic growth over the past five years as the company forges partnerships with leading electronics suppliers to pursue design perfection. OneSpin: Making Electronics Reliable.
Engage with OneSpin at:
Website: www.OneSpin.com
Twitter: @OneSpinSolution
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/onespin-solutions
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OneSpinSolutions
OneSpin, OneSpin Solutions and the OneSpin logo are trademarks of OneSpin Solutions GmbH. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, contact:
Nanette Collins
Public Relations for OneSpin
(617) 437-1822


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Weekend Box Office: 'Frozen' Handily Beats 'Catching Fire' for Top Spot
Despite early calls for a close box office battle with Disney's Frozen, the odds simply weren't in favor of Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire this weekend.
Both films were estimated to bring between $30 million to $40 million in domestic ticket sales over the past three days. But only Frozen proved capable of doing so, earning approximately $31.6 million during its second weekend in the U.S., or a 53% decrease from its record-setting Thanksgiving debut. As it stands, Frozen has earned just over $190 million worldwide, already eclipsing Disney's lofty $150 million production budget for the animated film.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate's Catching Fire brought "just" $27 million during its third weekend stateside, good for a 63.6% week-to-week plunge. To its credit, however, Lionsgate's $130 million sequel did set the record a week ago for the largest-ever Thanksgiving weekend haul. In addition -- and with plenty of box office life remaining -- Catching Fire has already achieved a stunning $673.4 million global gross, which means it should have no trouble eclipsing the first Hunger Games' 24-week, $691.2 million total.
The other guys...
Finishing a distant third was Relativity Media's R-rated newcomer, Out of the Furnace, which arrived at the low end of expectations with just $5.3 million. Worse yet, I wouldn't expect Out of the Furnace to pick up steam going forward given its troublesome C+ CinemaScore, which indicates audiences left theaters underwhelmed.
Next, Disney's Thor: The Dark World continued running up the score, earning fourth place with its $4.7 million fifth-weekend haul. Disney's Marvel-inspired sequel has grabbed an impressive $610.3 million worldwide, or a nearly 36% improvement over the 16-week total of its 2011 predecessor.
Disney also secured fifth place with $3.8 million from another holdover in Delivery Man, which has shown inexplicable legs since its meager $7.9 million launch three weeks ago. All told, Delivery Man has earned a decent $26 million so far -- the vast majority from domestic audiences -- matching the entertainment giant's budget for the PG-13 comedy.
Tolkien fans rejoice
But the curtains haven't rolled on 2013 yet. This Friday, Time Warner's Warner Bros. will bring the second installment of J.R.R Tolkien's most famous book to life in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
Expectations are high as the first Hobbit film earned over $1 billion following its own December launch last year. But Time Warner should have nothing to worry about this time around as Smaug is enjoying high praise from early critics, who've gone so far as dubbing it a "huge improvement" over the first film thanks to both an increased number of action sequences and a "true cliffhanger" at the end.
That said, I wouldn't expect Time Warner and Smaug to have a significant negative impact on the holdover performance of Frozen, which caters to a fundamentally different group of movie-goers. However, Smaug could certainly slow the progress of Catching Fire, even if the effect is minimal considering Lionsgate's movie has already collected the majority of its worldwide total.
The battle doesn't end here
With all the focus on the big screen, it's easy to forget these companies are also fighting hard for your attention at home. The companies that prevail in this epic disruption could go on to earn their shareholders untold sums of money. And the companies that lose could very well end up in bankruptcy court within a matter of years. With this in mind, our top technology analysts created a groundbreaking free report that sorts out the likely winners from the losers. In doing so, they reveal the handful of companies that are best positioned to make their shareholders exceptionally rich over the next few decades. To download this invaluable free report before the rest of the market catches on, simply click here now.
The article Weekend Box Office: 'Frozen' Handily Beats 'Catching Fire' for Top Spot originally appeared on Fool.com.Fool contributor Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of Walt Disney. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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The artist's Art Happens commission forms the centrepiece of her first solo exhibition in the UK.
In 1910, the French artist Adolphe Valette sat in a corner of Albert Square, the city he had made his home, and captured the scene in an intimate, characterful painting that felt more like a portrait than a landscape.
Following a successful campaign on the Art Fund's crowdfunding platform Art Happens, Manchester Art Gallery has commissioned artist Emily Allchurch to recreate Valette's scene as a collage of contemporary photographs of the city.


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Emergency motion asks judge to order Michael Brown to turn over cash
The trustee in Michael Brown's federal bankruptcy case has asked the judge to compel the former hand surgeon to turn over all cash in his possession as of a month ago.
Ronald J. Sommers, a Houston lawyer who last month was named as the Chapter 11 trustee in Brown's bankruptcy case, filed an emergency motion Monday in U.S. District Jeff Bohm's court.
The motion asks that Brown be ordered to turn over the money by 5 p.m. Oct. 22.
An emergency hearing on the motion was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Oct. 21 before Bohm.
The motion Sommers filed also called upon Brown to provide an accounting for missing funds.
According to the motion, bank statements provided by Brown's counsel showed that he withdrew $300,000 on Sept. 5. Those funds became property of the debtor's bankruptcy estate on Sept. 24, when the bankruptcy case was reinstated, but the funds have not been delivered to the trustee, Sommers' motion states.
"As long as the debtor has possession and control over funds which are property of the debtor's bankruptcy estate, those funds are at risk of depletion," the motion states.
Brown filed for bankruptcy in January in Florida but withdrew the request the next month. The case was reinstated Sept. 23 with a transfer from Miami to Houston. On Sept. 30, Bohm approved Sommers' appointment as trustee.
In the motion filed Monday, Sommers said he was holding $26,511, including $12,341 turned over from one of Brown's accounts at Community Bank of Texas and $14,170 which the trustee's counsel found in a safe during an inspection of Brown's home in Florida, the motion states.


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Nation & World
Marco Rubio, calling on new conservative generation, launches presidential run
Marco Rubio stood Monday in the grand hall of Miami's Freedom Tower, the place where Cuban exiles were first welcomed into the United States, and declared himself the heir to their legacy as the newest candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
"I know my candidacy might seem improbable to some watching from abroad. After all, in many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful," Rubio said. "But I live in an exceptional country. ... where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege."
Rubio, who rose from the obscure West Miami City Commission to the U.S. Senate in a mere dozen years, cast himself as a break from the past — a message pointed directly at his onetime mentor and likely Republican rival Jeb Bush and Democrat Hillary Clinton, who unveiled her own presidential bid Sunday.
"Yesterday is over, and we are never going back," Rubio said, without naming names. "You see, we Americans are proud of our history, but our country has always been about the future. And before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America.
"But we can't do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past," said the 43-year-old Rubio. "We must change the decisions we are making by changing the people who are making them."
He later made the crowd roar with a reference to leaders who "put us at a disadvantage by taxing, borrowing and regulating like it's 1999."
Rubio's much-anticipated remarks Monday evening were no surprise — earlier in the day, he had revealed to political donors that he was going to run for president — but they established a theme for a campaign in which Rubio will tie his Cuban immigrant parents' journey to his own swift political success, and promise those same opportunities to voters.
He delivered a speech thin on policy details but aspirational in its message, repeating the personal narrative he has effectively deployed since becoming the first Cuban-American speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
He even broke into Spanish to remember his late father. "He used to tell me all the time: " En este país, ustedes van a poder lograr todas las cosas que nosotros no pudimos," Rubio said. In this country, you will achieve all the things we never could.
To Rubio followers, the anecdotes were familiar. But on this day they were aimed at a different, national audience.
"Now, the time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American century," he said.
Democrats characterized Rubio as a partisan who caved into conservative pressure on immigration and supports tired, ineffective ideas. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, called Rubio a "self-interested and opportunistic politician."
"At every turn, Marco Rubio has pandered to the Republican base, throughout his whole career, instead of doing what's best for his constituents and his country," she said.
Rubio, who has lined up a series of national interviews, will hold fundraisers Thursday in New York and Boston, and campaign Friday in New Hampshire. He will return Tuesday to Washington for a Senate hearing on a possible deal regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Rubio's Senate seat comes up for re-election next year, and he cannot be on the ballot for two federal offices at the same time. He had said repeatedly he wouldn't seek another Senate term if he ran for president, though his re-election papers aren't due until May 2016.
Republicans and Democrats have been recruiting Senate candidates, with Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy of Jupiter already campaigning. A potential GOP contender, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, is a close Rubio friend and was seated in a prominent spot on Monday's stage.
Rubio has had little time to pass significant legislation on Capitol Hill, exposing him to criticism that — like President Barack Obama, some conservatives say — he's too inexperienced for the White House. Rubio likes to note he is the former Florida House speaker, while Obama didn't hold a leadership post as a state lawmaker.
But other Obama comparisons might be more favorable for Rubio. When Clinton's weekend campaign launch threatened to overshadow Rubio's Monday plans, his advisers called the timing fortuitous because it would create an old-versus-new contrast between the two candidates.
Rubio's 20-minute speech began slowly, without introduction, timed to coincide precisely with television news schedules. "Wow, that's a lot of cell phones," Rubio quipped at the audience recording and photographing him. But he warmed up, even ad-libbing a well-received mention to the erosion of human rights in Cuba and Venezuela. He called on "modernizing" immigration laws, reforming higher education and repealing and replacing Obamacare.
When he wrapped up his speech, his wife, Jeanette, and their four young children — Amanda, Daniella, Anthony and Dominick — embraced him.
He spoke to a crowd of hundreds of supporters, including Sergio J. Sixto, a 61-year-old ex-political prisoner in Cuba who attended with his daughter Driena, 21, a student at Rubio's politics class at Florida International University.
"He is going to be the next president of the United States," Sergio Sixto said. "The only thing is he needs to be known. He is the most humble, nice, charismatic person."
"He is trying to make this country a better country," said Elsa Janulionis, 66, who was also born in Cuba. "He wants us to be the leader again."
Outside the Freedom Tower, which is part of Miami Dade College, stood small groups of demonstrators. Some protested that Rubio backed away from comprehensive immigration reform in Congress. Others called him a "climate denier" for questioning the extent to which climate change is caused by humans.
For Rubio, Monday began at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, where he met over breakfast with financial backers and telephoned other donors reveal his plans. Sunday night, several hundred friends and family members gathered at the home of former Latin Builders Association President Bernie Navarro, who introduced Rubio as "the next president of the United States."
Rubio, a first-term senator, will now try to break through the GOP field, where several candidates are vying for the same base of conservative voters. Already in the race are Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
No Republican, however, looms larger for Rubio than Bush, the former Florida governor. The prospect of their dueling candidacies has split Republican loyalists in the nation's largest swing state, with much of the party establishment already choosing the older and more experienced Bush. Two of Miami's three Cuban-American U.S. House members have endorsed him, and none attended Monday's event.
Bush, the 62-year-old son and brother of two former presidents, announced in December that he would explore his own run — complicating Rubio's plans, which had been laid out in deliberate fashion since he joined the Senate in 2010. But he kept them anyway, seeing an unsettled primary where he could emerge as a unifier of tea partiers, moderates and traditional conservatives. If he doesn't, a national campaign brings little downside; he could still be positioned to run for governor in 2018 or for president in 2020 or 2024.
"I have heard some suggest that I should step aside and wait my turn. But I cannot," Rubio said. "Because I believe our very identity as an exceptional nation is at stake, and I can make a difference as president."


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In Zen Buddhism, an 'ensō' is a circle that is hand-drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes to express a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. It also symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength and elegance.
We kept these characteristics in mind when designing our new gi, the Ensō. This is evident in the minimalist aesthetic, quality construction and attention to detail.
For the sequel, every aspect of our best-selling, original Ensō has been upgraded and improved.
Key Features:
- Contrast Stitching
- 500gm Pearl Weave Jacket
- 10 Ounce Ripstop Trousers
- Pre-Shrunk, 100% Cotton
- EVA Foam-Padded Collar
- Scratch Free, Double-Woven Trim Tape
New for the Enso 2.0:
- Revamped Design by Gartista™
- Upgraded paneling on trousers for better hip mobility
- Sublimated print inside the jacket
- Stretch-rope drawstring
- Lighter weight
- Improved cut for better fit
- Higher-definition embroidery
Sizing Guide:


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Kent Shakespeare was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, functioning as both a combat operative and the resident medical expert. He joined the Legion under the codename "Impulse" sometime after the Magic War, but resigned along with many others during the Black Dawn. During his retirement, he became a medical student at an Outpost called Medicus One, where he would be reintroduced to the Legion during an attack from the Persuader.[1] He was later erased from history by waves of chronal entropy during Zero Hour.[2]
In this revised timeline, Kent Shakespeare becomes Superman at some point. His contemporaries are Brane Taylor as Batman and Elna Kent as Superwoman. Shakespeare was defeated by Epoch, and then saved by Batman and Superwoman.[3]
Powers and Abilities
- Medical Science: Kent has extensive Medical knowledge, having attended Medical School. He is a capable paramedic, and has spent time working in the Medicus One clinic outpost.
Recommended Reading
- 28 Appearances of Richard Kent Shakespeare (Pre-Zero Hour)
- 6 Images featuring Richard Kent Shakespeare (Pre-Zero Hour)
- 1 Quotations by or about Richard Kent Shakespeare (Pre-Zero Hour)
- Character Gallery: Richard Kent Shakespeare (Pre-Zero Hour)
Legion of Super-Heroes member


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We're off to see the wizard!
Finally! The 2009 Rational Software Conference is almost here!
We've been primping and preening and prepping and polishing, and this weekend, Rational Support will join thousands of Rational Software fans in travelling to Orlando for what is SURE to be a fun and informative week.
Some stuff I'm looking forward to...
The keynotes
The sessions
The Jazz cafe
Innovation '09
The Mythbusters
and MOST of all,
getting to meet colleagues, friends, and clients in PERSON. As much as I'm a social networking geek, nothing replaces a nice face-to-face meeting with people I only see rarely, and in some cases, have never met in person!
If you can't make the conference, hopefully you can follow along at home via the RSC@Home Keynote replays, a Remote RSC event near you, or just follow along HERE, where I'll be live-blogging the event.
Also you can follow @RationalSupport on Twitter, or follow the #rsc2009 Twitter stream to see what EVERYONE is saying.
AND, we have aflickr pool created. Please join and add your conference photos!
Looking forward to meeting you at the conference!


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Referral Program
At The Summit, we like to show a token of our appreciation when a member has their friends and family join The Summit Family. Summit members receive a $10 credit on their account when the friend or family member joins and mentions your name! There's no limit to how much credit you can receive, so start referring today.
Summit members that referred their friends and family have won a wide variety of prizes such as: Lawn Furniture, Recliners, iPods, and Cash. These contests are held periodically.


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Here's the message:
To my fans, friends, and associates...
I would like to start the New Year by addressing the recent rumors and speculation regarding my departure from Slipknot. I want to make it very clear that I DID NOT QUIT SLIPKNOT. This band has been my life for the last 18 years, and I would never abandon it, or my fans. This news has shocked and blindsided me as much as it has all of you. While there is much I would like to say, I must remain silent to further details at this time. I would like to thank you all for your unwavering love and support, and wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year.


text: I'm loooopin your track Sundial in the past few days and sounds pretty cool to me!! Thank you, we're glad you like the track First things first, why cheaters? It's because you're cheating on your former bands? see Bombay show pig etc. Yes that's kind of right. We came up with the name because this band started as a side project for everyone and felt as if we were all cheating on our main focus, our first love. Now CHEATERS has evolved into more than just a small affair, but we still all have other bands and projects on the go. I see that Lenka and Mathias have already worked together with Kill 'em Mister. how did you come up with the idea of the new band, and how do the new members fit in? Kill 'em Mister was a lot of fun and we really loved working with Richard and Joost (Kill 'em mister). Around that time Lenka went travelling through Siberia for half a year, and the other guys all had new job/school opportunities coming up too. So Kill 'em mister slowly tuned down a bit, in a natural way. After a while Mathias and Lenka decided to write some new songs and thought it would be really cool to work with Tobias and Raul. Not just because they're good friends, but also because they're inspiring musicians with good taste and influences. They give the music of CHEATERS and live show that extra bit of edginess it needs. Who is writing the lyrics and who is taking care of the music? Lenka writes all of the lyrics and vocal lines, and Mathias is in charge of the music. Though we help each other out as well, so in some songs it's not so clear cut. Main source of inspiration? That's a difficult question, as we are inspired by so many different bands. At the moment we could say we're inspired a lot by Grimes, Empress of, Child of Lov, Roisin Murphy, Palbomen, Caribou. But also some of the 80's/90's hits that will never grow old. Tonight your first EP Neon Dreams and MRRK's work will be presented to the public, can you give us a sneaky peak (or tell us something about it)? Yeah, so basically for our first EP release show we wanted to deliver something a bit more than us just playing our songs. We wanted to combine our performance with art and visuals that would both encapture the vibe of our music and also reinforce it. We all really love MRRK's work, so we asked him if he would like to design the artwork for the EP, help make the new music video but also exhibit his work at our release. He was really excited too, so that's when it all started. This Thursday you can expect a fun night in which our music and MRRK's graphic art, inspired by the music of Neon Dreams, come together. The DOKA will be dressed up with Mark's designs and we will be taking the stage. You are based in the Netherlands (Amsterdam) what do you think about the music scene here? Haha hmm what to say. The Dutch music scene is very small, obviously also because the Netherlands is a small country. And compared to for instance the U.K the diversity is limited. If you really want to reach out with music (that isn't extremely main stream) you will have to jump the boarders and tour in other countries. But that may sound more negative than we mean it: there is a lot of good stuff coming from here as well. There are lots of inspiring bands, dj's, song writers and producers around that are taking things to a next level and working hard within the platform that is available. Also there are lots of initiatives of groups of creative people (Kytopia, radio mortale, daily indie etc.) working together to make the platform bigger, and trying to make more things possible in the Dutch music scene even though there is never enough money or space. For a band in Holland, like in all other countries you have to work hard to make things happen. Are you planning to go on tour and participate in festivals this summer? Where can our readers find more (places, dates etc.)? Yes we will definitely be participating in festivals this summer. We have Tweetakt (Utrecht), Bevrijdingsfestival (Amsterdam), Zwartecross (Lichtevoorde) and Manana Manana (Hummelo) coming up. And more gigs will be coming up soon. Readers can find more info on our website www.cheatersmusic.com or on facebook:facebook.com/cheatersband. Interview: Monyart


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By Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen
Typically, men think about their health at one time -- during a crisis. But the problem with that wait-and-treat approach is that men are constantly responding to health emergencies rather than preventing them.
So what's the prescription for better men's health? Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen say there are 11 things a man should eat every day --or nearly every day --to keep things running smoothly.
1. Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals that will keep your body healthy. Foods rich in magnesium like beets, raisins, dates and soybeans are especially important because they'll keep your bowels moving regularly. Dr. Roizen says a man should eat about five handfuls of fruits and vegetables a day.
2. A man should shoot to get about 25 grams of fiber in his diet every day. You can reach this goal through foods like artichokes, lima beans, soybeans, grapefruit, certain berries and whole grains.
Dr. Oz says that eating whole grains isn't just the latest craze -- they offer multiple benefits to health, including achieving proper poop. But first you need to read the label. When you're buying bread, make sure it says "100 percent whole grain" or "100 percent whole wheat." If the label says something else --like "7-grain" or "multigrain" -- it may not be whole grain.
One of Oprah's favorite whole grain choices is steel cut oatmeal for its crunchy texture. To reach your goal for fiber, the USDA recommends eating at least three servings of whole grains a day.
3. Dr. Oz says you can significantly reduce your chances of getting cancer by eating foods rich in folate -- you should get about 800 milligrams a day. If you don't take it as a supplement, you can find folate in orange juice, spinach and other leafy green vegetables.
"Folate decreases arterial aging, decreases blood pressure and decreases cancer rate," Dr. Roizen says. On labels, look for the words "folate" or "folic," he says.
4. As well as being good for the heart, tomatoes decrease risk of arterial aging, heart disease, stroke, memory loss, impotence and wrinkling of the skin, Dr. Roizen says. And tomato-based products contain lycopene, which has been shown to fight cancer.
But to really reap the benefits, you can't just put a few slices of an heirloom tomato in your salad. The best way to get the positive effects is by eating 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce a week. "It takes 165 raw tomatoes to equal 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce," Dr. Roizen says. "So it's much easier to have tomato sauce."
Dr. Roizen adds that it doesn't matter what kind of tomato sauce you have, "as long as it's cooked, and you eat it with a little olive oil and a little healthy fat because it's much better absorbed with it."
5. Dr. Roizen says walnuts and almonds are excellent for health. And not only are walnuts and hazelnuts excellent sources of heart-healthy omega-3s, but if you eat nuts before sugars (in dishes like pasta or corn on the cob), the fat in the nuts will slow your stomach and help your body most effectively process that sugar. One thing to remember is to keep nuts refrigerated so they don't oxidize.
6. If there's a true magic pill, Dr. Oz says it could be baby aspirin. "It's cheap and easy to take aspirin," he says. "Aspirin has many, many helping elements. It helps your skin, it helps about anything you can imagine. It has some potential risks if people have sensitive stomachs. But for cancer, you've got to be on it."
A man over 35 should take two baby aspirin --or 162.5 milligrams --every day. It can reduce his rise of arterial aging by 36 percent.
7. In recent years, there has been a lot of conflicting information about eating fish. On the one hand, fish is consistently regarded as a terrific source of low-fat protein. On the other hand, there are persistent concerns about mercury and other environmental impurities.
Dr. Roizen says you just have to remember a few great fish -- tilapia, salmon, flounder, cod and mahi-mahi --especially if they are wild caught. And not only is salmon a great source of protein, it has the added health bonus of being full of omega-3s, which are important for a healthy heart. According to Dr. Roizen, you should eat a serving of these fish three times a week.
8. Dr. Roizen says that it is important to drink eight glasses -- or about 64 ounces -- of fluid every day. "It helps move the poop and gives you better hydration. It actually cuts down on wrinkles, too, because you hydrate your skin when you take it internally."
9. "Red wine has a chemical in it called rezveritrol, which is a very strong antioxidant that's also been shown to be heart-healthy," Dr. Oz says.
Why red and not white? "Red wine has the material from the skins of the grapes [which provides the rezveritrol]. The white wine has that skin stripped away. So if you're going to drink wine and you're going to take the hit on calories, drink red wine."
10. Men will stand up and cheer for this next Dr. Oz tidbit --coffee is actually good for you in reasonable amounts.
Coffee actually has been shown to reduce liver cancer and to be effective with -- or with symptoms of -- Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, Dr. Oz says. "So there are a bunch of different places where coffee can play a role. The reason it got a bad name is because it does have side effects, for example, migraine headaches and heart palpitations. But if you're not having them, coffee is reasonable."
Did we mention, it's good for those bowel movements, too? Dr. Oz suggests 24 ounces of coffee a day is a rational amount for one person.
11. The calcium in milk is obviously good for bones -- any man with a mother has heard that one. But the other important ingredient is vitamin D, which is a cancer-fighting agent. While your body can actually get this vital nutrient from the sun, if you live north of Los Angeles or Atlanta, you won't get enough vitamin D in winter and you'll need to supplement it. A glass of milk or fortified orange juice a day should do the trick.


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I often see blog posts attempting to discuss which social media tool a business should start with or posts that outline the unique benefits and applications of each tool. However, according to the authors of Groundswell, this technology-focused thinking can be a marketing pitfall. In the article below, I will use Groundswell's alternative approach to organizing social media marketing by presenting a case study of Earth Balance.
Analyzing Earth Balance's Social Media Marketing and
Its Effectiveness in Achieving Marketing Objectives
Most marketers in the organic industry have some conception of the value of incorporating social media into a comprehensive marketing plan. However, there are very few examples within the industry of marketers who are effectively utilizing a balanced approach to social media on behalf of their business. In Goundswell, Bernoff and Li (2011) suggested that a business may not realize its full potential in the social media landscape if it is focusing on the technologies, i.e. the specific social media websites (p. 18). In other words, a marketing pitfall, which many in the organic industry may find themselves in, is organizing their marketing plan around their "Twitter strategy," "Facebook strategy," "Pintrest strategy," etc. In response to this common tendency among marketers, the authors of Groundswell offered five marketing objectives, which were listed as listening, talking, energizing, helping, and embracing. Using these objectives as core themes, this case study will show that a business within the organic industry, Earth Balance, has an impressive social media presence, not because its utilization of each technology is strategic or unique, but rather that its presence on multiple platforms work together to achieve the said objectives
Historically, when businesses wanted to listen to their targeted consumers, marketers utilized syndicated research (provided by professional groups such as Nielsen and Mintel), surveys, or focus groups. However, as Bernoff and Li pointed out, these tired methods will "answer any question you can think up. But they can't tell you what you never thought to ask (p. 80). Consequently, they advised marketers to use social media to establish an online community, which serves as "a continuously running, huge, engaged focus group – a natural interaction where you can listen" (p. 82). Earth Balance has effectively established a listening community, which it calls "made just right ™ by earth balance ®" (2013). This community page is actually a standalone blog, which includes frequent, keyword-rich editorial content generated by Earth Balance and community members. The blog has areas where Earth Balance's community can submit their own recipes, participate in bake-offs and recipe contests, as well as debate with each other on hot topics in vegan news. What is particularly noteworthy, and what most likely contributes to fulfilling Earth Balance's listening objective, is how active its community is on the site.
As many bloggers recognize, posting content is not as much as a challenge as getting readers to comment on the content. This dilemma was represented in numbers within a North American Technographics Online Benchmark survey, which showed that only 33% of U.S. online adults "react to other online content" (p. 44). Yet, Earth Balance's articles earn a surprising amount comments. For instance, in February of 2013, Earth Balance posted four articles that attracted seventy-one comments. In one particular article, the author concluded by asking readers to suggest plant-based lifestyle topics that they would like to see featured on a talk show. Thirteen individuals replied with thoughtful suggestions (Made Just Right, Comments section, 2013). This is one of many examples of how Earth Balance's blog is used to fulfill the listening objective. The user-generated comments contain a wealth of conversations that serve as ideal listening-material for Earth Balance.
As mentioned above, Earth Balance's blog includes an area where its target market can submit their personal recipes. This area is specifically conducive to supporting the talking objective, because as Bernoff and Li explained, it allows people to interact with each other and enables them to share the user-generated content on other social networks (p. 104). In the case of Earth Balance's Community Recipe section (2013), visitors can comment on a peer recipe and easily share their approval of the recipe through the Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Pinterest widgets, which are provided immediately after the recipe's directions. In addition to the Community Recipe section, Pinterest is another tool used by Earth Balance to fulfill the talking objective. In fact, its Pintrest site boasts 10,104 Followers and its content (including user-generated content) has been pinned 3,601 times. These impressive numbers indicate that Earth Balance is achieving the talking objective, by helping people spread its brand through their interactions with each other.
Bernoff and Li explained that energizing occurs when a business's best customers use social media platforms "to recruit their peers" (p. xiv). However, in order for a business like Earth Balance to measure and track whether or not the energizing objective is being fulfilled, it must enable its customers to share their recruitment stories. Earth Balance successfully uses its Facebook page to achieve this, which coincidently has 36,835 likes. For example, on July 3, 2013 at 11:32, one of Earth Balance's customers provided a link to her personal blog with the comment, "Hello, just wanted to share this lovely Strawberry and Wild Blueberry Galette recipe with you…all possible thanks to your lovely shortening and butter spread" (Earth Balance official Facebook page, Recent Posts by Others section). Two days earlier, co-author of VeganForHer, Ginny Kisch Messina, commented, "…introduced the hosts of Denver's morning TV show to Earth Balance today. They agreed that this vegan spread is better than butter!" These posts are just two out of presumably thousands of instances on Earth Balance's Facebook page that indicate the company is not only successfully using social media to energize its constituents, but it is providing the platform to measure its performance on the objective.
Helping and Embracing
According to Bernoff and Li, the final two objectives are perhaps the most difficult and time consuming for businesses to realize. In fact, when speaking of the helping objective, the authors suggested that "supporting customers is a burden;" (p. 157) and in regards to the embracing objective, they insisted that using social media to include customers in "your development and innovation process" can only be described in one way: "it's challenging" (p. 182). While there is no clear evidence online that Earth Balance is using social media to collaborate with customers to develop new products, it is successfully using its Twitter account to aid in the helping objective (@Earth_Balance, 2013). For example, Earth Balance visibly monitors the social media site for mentions of its brand name. Evidence of this can be found in its Twitter feed on July 3, 2013, when two non-followers of Earth Balance were discussing a "PB with coconut oil" under the brand name "earth balance." In short order, Earth Balance's official Twitter account responded to the conversation with a link to its website and a comment reading "That would be our Creamy Coconut and Peanut Spread! Enjoy." Similarly, on July 2, 2013, a Twitter user was immediately directed by Earth Balance to a local Whole Foods store in response to her or his question about where the Vegan Aged White Cheddar Flavor Puffs could be found in Milwaukee. These two examples are representative of a very active and responsive presence that Earth Balance maintains on Twitter. This presence is a critical component of the helping objective, because it allows a space within the social landscape where Earth Balance can enthusiastically solve customers' problems, while 20,093 of its Twitter followers watch it do so.
It is suggested that Earth Balance should strengthen this effort by allowing the loyal followers to participate in product development. Bernoff and Li explained that the helping objective naturally leads into the embracing objective, because the ongoing "dialogue – especially with your most active customers – inevitably draws them into to your development process" (p.177). The authors suggested, that a business like Earth Balance, should capitalize on these dialogues to help with product developments and improvements, since the "conversations are more efficient than asking questions in a survey, conducting engineering study, or having executives review every suggestion" (p. 183). It is possible that Earth Balance is currently utilizing dialogues with customers to develop and/ or improve products. If this is, indeed, the case, it could make good use of these instances by including the stories of embracing customers' suggestions in compelling blog posts to share with its online community.
Despite the lack of online evidence that Earth Balance is aggressively using product-related conversations on social media sites to help achieve an embracing objective, this case study showed that Earth Balance is very effective in other areas within the social media landscape. In fact, as illustrated above, the company uses a dynamic community blog to listen to its constituents. Earth Balance also provides space on its blog and on Pintrest to feature user-generated recipes and pictures, which encourages talking between its customers. Additionally, the company has a robust Facebook page that displays thousands of examples of how energized customers persuade their peers to try Earth Balance products. Finally, this case study showed how Earth balance successfully uses Twitter to help its constituents. While there are so many respectable attempts by businesses in the organic industry to incorporate social media tools into its marketing efforts, Earth Balance's approach is exceptionally effective, because it grounded in social media marketing objectives, rather than social media technologies.
If you are a marketer at Earth Balance, or a leader of an organic business like Earth Balance, I would love to hear how you organize your social media marketing efforts. If you need help with this effort, please give me a shout: seacatanna@gmail, @AnnaSeacat
End Note: There has been a recent debate about whether or not Earth Balance's assertions that its products are organic and Non-GMO is false, as in an April 2013 article published on the OCA. The intent of this case study is to not enter that debate; rather it simply stated that Earth Balance operates within the organic industry and that its social media efforts are effective. Moreover, it was suggested that other players within the same industry could benefit from studying these effective social media tactics, period.
@Earth_Balance. (2013). Tweets. Retrieved on July 4, 2013 from
Bernoff, J. & Li, C. (2011). Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social
Technologies. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.
Community Recipes. (2013). Earth Balance's Online Community Blog. Retrieved from
Earth Balance Facebook. (2013). Recent Posts by Others. Retrieved on July 4, 2013 from
Made Just Right. Earth Balance's Online Community Blog. Retrieved on July 4, 2013
from http://mjr.earthbalancenatural.com/
New Plant-Based Lifestyle Show: What Would Julieanna Do? (2013). Made Just Right by Earth
Balnace. Comments Section. Retrieved from http://mjr.earthbalancenatural.com/what-