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Master Guide
The Master Guide (MG) class is the top level of class achievement. It is the "Ph.D." of Youth Ministry in the field. You cannot earn your Master Guide, without taking at least one BST (Basic Staff Training) course. The Master Guide is the expert, the advisor, the promoter, for Adventurers, Pathfinders, Ambassadors, Youth Emergency Service Corp and Youth. As such, MG is NOT a Pathfinder Program, it is a Youth Ministry Leadership Program. You now have in the step of one click one of the most current leadership development program for youth ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This concept uses the Master Guide as the foundation for youth ministry leadership, then builds two levels of continuing education that will help keep youth leaders sharp, up-to-date and focused on why we are in this business anyway.
Part One-- Master Guide
This continues to be the highest level of leadership within the Adventurer/ Pathfinder programs of the church. It focuses on one's personal spiritual life and growth first and foremost. General leadership skills are then woven into the sharpening of those skills, which are specifically geared to leading youth in God-ordained areas of development: understanding God's world of nature, outreach ministry, service to others and a life-style that denotes healthy living. As one church leader of the past put it so simply: "You can't teach what you don't know, and you can't lead where you won't go." As leaders we must not only be good at spouting theory if we expect to see success with our youth ministry; we must live what we preach and demonstrate it.
Part Two-- Pathfinder Leadership Award (PLA)
Once the Master Guide level has been completed, most leaders feel they "have arrived" and now have the necessary tools to properly guide their youth through the varied programs the church has for its youth. This feeling of adequacy may last a short time or for quite awhile, but sooner or later one begins to sense that unnecessary mistakes are being made, that the world continues, but somehow "I got left behind." Also, in many areas of the world there are now in place laws that require continuing education on the part of anyone who works with young people, be they paid employees or volunteers. Generally, this expected continuing education can be in the form of youth-related workshops/seminars to be attended on a periodic basis.
There is also a growing group of persons who have put in many years of service to local clubs and are now being asked to share those years of experience and expertise with other clubs as "Area Coordinators" (or other similar titles). It becomes easy for these people to begin living in the past and get out-of-touch with the realities of the present. Getting out of touch is even easier for church-paid employees– namely, youth department directors– at all levels, from local fields to the General Conference.
The purpose of this level of continuing education is to 1) continue equipping leaders for a sharper Pathfinder ministry, and 2) enable those who are finding themselves removed from reality to keep pace. Again, there is a refocus on personal spiritual growth, which must be a never-ending upward path. There are several seminars of advanced-level leadership development and opportunity for practical application of lessons learned.
Part Three-- Advanced Pathfinder Leadership Award (APLA) (Pathfinder Instructor Award– PIA)
This level is heavy on training the trainers– Area Coordinators and others who will be involved in helping local club leadership be as focused and sharp as possible. Persons who attempt this level must be approved by the local conference/field youth department, which would imply that these persons are already living exemplary Seventh-day Adventist Christian lives. They qualify as true role models in their daily living, in leadership and in all Pathfinder-related skills. The skills learned during this level of continuing education will enable the candidate to clearly present the very best of knowledge in the very best of ways so that club leadership will gain the maximum benefit-- implying, therefore, that the children receiving the actual development process might truly become the very best youth in the world. It should be true indeed at every investiture that "these symbols presented represent the very highest ideals of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for its youth."


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"I just wanted to give a HUGE shout out to Lorri Maynard and Prairie Blossom Photography / Lorraine Maynard Fine Art Photography! Lorri has become an amazing friend over the last couple of years. I just got the pictures from our latest photo shoot and I am blown away! She has an amazing talent and she also goes out of her way to make the experience fun and exciting. I highly recommend using her for any occasion that you might need a photographer." Sarah Linder, Eugene, OR
"I had Prairie Blossom Photography photograph my one year old for his first birthday pictures. Lorri did such an amazing job! He is cute a little mover and Lorri got down on the ground and followed him around snapping the most natural, beautiful shots. She didn't care that she got her pants dirty she just wanted to make sure that shecaptured the moment perfectly! I couldn't have asked for better pictures to capture this moment in time and we will always treasure them! Thanks so much Lorri!" - Holly Keeton, Portland, Oregon
"Had great time yesterday with Lorri and Matt! It was really fun! Can't wait for them to do my wedding in July!" - Bride Elect, Holli Smith, Portland, OR
"I loved everything about the photos and the photography! I will use her every time!" - Bride, Rachel Berneau, McMinnville, OR
"We love our wedding photos! They are top notch and highly recommend your photography!" - Bride & Groom, Jan & Russ Barth, Sheridan, OR
"Awesome pictures; Love your work! Thank you so much for taking our pictures! We had a great time taking them and even the kids enjoyed your professional skill. They had a blast rolling down the hill in the park and making wishes on the dandelions. Thank you for making it a fun and memorable experience for us. Great family time well spent with outstanding picture results. Thank you again! We had a blast... 5 stars and recommend Prairie Blossom Photography!" - Natalya Kravets, Portland, OR
"You are not only a talented photographer, you actually treasure people. Treating people like they are special brings out the best in them! Good work!!!" -Teresa Jenne, Willamina, OR
"I wish that you were in Hawaii so you could do some newborn pictures for us! Thank you again for taking our maternity pictures; I absolutely LOVE them!" - Becky Conway, Gresham, OR (Honolulu, Hawaii)

subset: commoncrawl


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Spring is unfolding fast, hurtling towards summer. Here's what went on in the last two weeks:
Lauren's Grape Poppy…they are even more huge now.
I can't remember the specific name of this grass but it is something along the lines of Bunny Tail grass.
Chris made birdhouses out of some gourds we grew last year. They are hanging from our fig tree; currently no residents.
The grape hyacinth's are going to seed.
This is a Linaria maroccana that came in our wildflower seed mixture. There are several varieties and colors that have been blooming in our right-of-way. Really a nice plant!
It seems that it is becoming that time of year when it starts to make it difficult to keep up with everything. Most importantly we got our vegetable garden started this weekend and now there are 20 tomatoes planted! Good things coming!


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Agroecology Europe is currently discussing with different NGOs concerning their implication in the association.
The association wants to develop and organise together with different stakeholders an Agroecology conference in 2017.
The association will engage in autumn with new members and NGOs to further define the Goals and the Vision of the association. (more…)


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The North Parade All-day Christmas Market
14th of December
Forthcoming Saturday Markets
23rd of November 2019 and a special all-day Christmas market will take place on the 14th of December
Market Reminders
Sign up to our mailing list to get reminders prior to each market together with other important market news.
Get market reminders and other North Parade Avenue news by signing up to the mailing list
North Parade Market
Established in July 2012, the first market was held the following October. North Parade Market has quickly become one of the most highly regarded markets in the area. With organic and artisan producers from the local area who bring life and colour to this wonderful central north Oxford street, – avenue!
Please note, some of the traders featured in this video, which was shot in 2016, are no longer or not always at the market.
Commisioned for North Parade Market by Digital Publicist and produced by Bounce Video
Become a trader at North Parade Market
We are really keen to attract new traders to the market. If you have a great product that you think is a good fit for North Parade Market then please click the link below and complete the application form.
Trading Dates for 2019
26th January
9th February / 23rd February
9th March / 23rd March
13th April / 27th April
11th May / 25th May
8th June / 22nd June
13th July / 27th July
10th August / no 4th Saturday market in August
14th September / 28th September
12th October / 26th October
9th November / 23rd November
14th December – Special Christmas afternoon / evening market
North Parade Avenue runs between the Woodstock Road (Church Walk, leading to North Parade Avenue) and Banbury Road.


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Visit Tel Faher as Tim Moore takes you on a tour of the key battle sites throughout Israel which manifest God's providential protection of His chosen nation.
Free Magazine!
Enter your contact information to receive a free Lamplighter magazine.
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Del Mar presents AFTER DARK with beats by DJ Classic. Beat the cover and sign up on our guest list by clicking this link here: GUEST LIST. For inquiries regarding reservations for groups or other info please contact email@example.com
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: July 4July 4th Bar Crawl
Later Event: July 7AFTER DARK


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My name is Joey.
I live in San Francisco, but I grew up in northern New Zealand. I'm a software engineer, currently working to build and sustain local food systems with some good folks at Good Eggs.
Please listen to this song I made:
I quite like making music. I made this one with Renoise, but am also a fan of Reaper and have recently aquired an Ableton Push. If you're interested, more music I've written & recorded is available on my SoundCloud page.
Here is a simple JavaScript synthesizer/keyboard demo I've been tinkering with. It's using the Web Audio API, with React, Redux & RxJS.
This is "Lordrakes", an isometric tile-based RPG I made with Flash back in ~2004. Building this is what got me into computer programming and compelled me to study Software Engineering.
Back in my excessively bearded days, I did a wee talk and demo at TechInMotion. It's about graphs and Quid and whatnot.
Here are some photo's I've taken
That's all for now. Thanks for visiting!


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So last week I was hired to photograph a Scion FRS that was completely and insanely modified by Megan Racing's Race Division. The day started with some closeup detail images from underneath the car of the various modifications they performed for a presentation that the company would be doing to show off what they did with this thing. In effect, they turned an already sweet looking ride into a growling piece of art that I'd be afraid to let out of it's cage.
But once we finished the close-ups, it was time to get the entire sucker, so they brought it down off the lift and unleashed it into the parking lot. It was like letting a lion out of it's cage. While they wouldn't let me take the POV shots I jokingly (not really) suggested, they did let me position it around the buildings and lot adjacent to the shop, so I got to work. The time of day was still about an hour away from optimal, but I had to work with what we had, so just went for it, gambling on the game of numbers, if I shot enough, I was bound to come away with a few keepers. This was another instance in which my Eye-Fi card came in handy...that sucker has yet to leave slot two!
Anyhow, I definitely came away with what I thought were some solid keepers, but what I didn't expect was that the shot I ended up liking the best was one that, at the time, was a mistake - a painfully obviously underexposed image as I was trying to compensate for a very bright sky, but I went too far on the right side of the dial.
Yet, for some reason, I didn't delete it.
When I got to my laptop, and loaded them into Lightroom and started starring and flagging the obvious ones, my eye kept glancing over, but eventually passing by one particular shot. "But it was almost a completely solid black frame," I kept telling myself. Regardless, every time I scrolled thought the images, I'd instinctively slow down when I got to that image. So finally, after about 20 minutes of this, I said screw it, I'm gonna play with it. If anything, I can get it out of my system.
So I opened the Develop pane in Lightroom, viewed it at 100%, and RIGHT AWAY knew exactly why I kept subconsciously coming back to it - the highlights. The cars contours were just about perfectly highlighted from a backlit sun. So I decided that's exactly what I'd focused on. Ironically enough, I ended up further under exposing an already underexposed image...I figured it was the mysterious highlights that were drawing me to it, so why not magnify the effect of those very highlights.
That's what I did. I brought up the highlights, I emphasized the shadows, and that created an beautiful contrast with the sky and the silhouette of the background and surroundings - skyscraper stacks of discarded wooden shipping palates.
Yes, the car is insane!! Absolutely. And I'm sure Megan Racing was none too happy that my featured image on a car that they spent so much time and money and energy on was an image where, well, you couldn't see the car, but if you're like me, after seeing this image, you just want to see more, whereas if the car was shown clearly right off the bat, you would have already absorbed the payoff!!
The moral of the story? Make more mistakes!
Without any further adieu, here are the finals:


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The House of invention
Theam's House is the home cum-atelier of the Cambodian artist and designer Lim Muy Theam. Set beside a tranquil environment, the handsome traditional wooden house-atelier with its lust tropical garden hold an unique private collection alongside products conceived and created on site.
...blending the traditional with innovation
Cambodia had always gathered creations from everywhereMORE


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When Jennifer Aniston's hair falls in a salon, everyone hears it.
The trend-setting "Friends" alum chopped off her luscious locks last week, opting for a neck-skimming bob that she debuted while she was out and about in Los Angeles on Monday, according to Us Weekly.
The 44-year-old "We're the Millers" star, who immortalized "The Rachel" haircut with longtime stylist Chris McMillan, said she and McMillian cut off six inches at her direction this time.
"Chris McMillan actually chopped all my hair off!" she told Vogue.com. "I actually don't have any red carpets coming up. This is truly just for me!"
Aniston previously denounced her infamous "Rachel" from 1994 as "horrible" in Marie Claire, explaining that the 'do was too "high maintenance." She described the new cut as a "choppy bob" to Pop Sugar.
Justin Theroux's fiance said she'll begin shooting "Horrible Bosses 2" in a few weeks, but that the cut didn't affect the shoot because she'd be wearing a wig over her honey-colored locks anyway.
"It's fantastic, [the wig] actually saves your hair because you can put a leave-in conditioner in, wrap it, and then it's like putting on a hat," she said. "It's easy and fun and you get to change your look. I did that for 'Life of Crime' as well. It's one of those things they say: 'Once you start wearing a wig, you'll never go back.'"
Her latest cut comes just about a year after Aniston bought the hair-care company Living Proof.
"It's right at my jaw line, maybe a little longer," she said of the new style. "It was kind of spur-of-the-moment. I was flipping through the television channels and I paused it to take a picture and I sent it to Chris, and he said, 'That's [stylist] Lawren Howell from Vogue!' And then he said, 'I just cut that!' So that's it. He went way shorter than hers, but she was the inspiration."
Aniston, whose propensity for simple styles and beachy waves can sometimes befuddle critics, sported a bob back in 2001, following months of wearing extremely long hair extensions for her role in "Rock Star." She later grew out her locks only to chop them off again in 2011, when she got an angular bob.
This time, Aniston opted for the chin-grazing style after her hair reacted poorly to an intensive Brazilian hair-straightening treatment, and because she was "bored."
"I don't know, man. I did it! I feel great. I feel lighter. It's simple, it's really simple, that's for sure. But I'm always one of those girls who does a big old chop just to get it really healthy, to repair all the [damage from] hair coloring and stuff like that. And I just got bored, honestly. It's fun to change it up once in awhile."
Hey, at least it isn't a pixie cut.
Follow Ministry of Gossip @LATcelebs.


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#432 Uday Kotak
03.08.07, 6:00 PM ET Age: 48
Fortune: self made
Source: banking
Net Worth: $2.2 bil
Country Of Citizenship: India
Residence: Mumbai , India, Asia & Australia
Industry: Finance
Marital Status: married, 2 children
Education: Bombay University, Bachelor of Arts / Science
University of Bombay, Master of Business Administration
Runs Kotak Mahindra Bank, which he cofounded along with tractor tycoon Anand Mahindra as finance firm in 1985. Secured much-prized banking license and converted into bank in 2003. Last year ended 14-year partnership with Goldman Sachs by acquiring the American firm's 25% stake in 2 subsidiaries for $72 million.
Distribution of Billionaires by ResidenceDiameter of disc reflects size of fortune. The red disc indicates Uday Kotak
E-Mail | Print | Comments | Request Reprints | E-Mail Newsletters
del.icio.us | Digg It! | My Yahoo! | RSS
Related SectionsHome > Lists > Billionaires
'); //--> News Headlines | More From Forbes.com | Special Reports


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Alex Steinbach Baby Grand iQ Player Piano (Demo Model) for sale in Melbourne, VIC
Compact in size but big in performance. Bring fun, music and memories to your home.
iQ Pianos are a unique range of traditional acoustic pianos that hide a very big secret. iQ pianos are fitted with the exclusive PianoDisc™ Silent Drive technology. This enables the piano to play by itself with the keys actually moving up and down before your eyes
The Elegance baby grand is an ideal entry level grand piano that will also appeal to recreational and social players. It is a beautiful furniture piece, compact in size and in a range of colours to suit your decor. Its length of 150cm produces improved sound compared to smaller baby grands in the market. Sostenuto pedal included.
Alex Steinbach Baby Grand iQ Mahogany Polished
- Name:Elegance Contemporary
- Model:SIG48 iQ
- Width:148cm
- Depth:145cm
- Height:99cm
- Weight:265kg
$19,995.00 Sale Price
Other items you might also like
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Prestige Pianos & Organs has been Australia's home of fine musical instruments since 1973.
Prestige Pianos & Organs stocks a diverse range of leading brand instruments to suit all individual needs and preferences. Our staff focus on helping customers to buy the right instrument at the right price.
Prestige Pianos & Organs is dedicated to providing the right service and advice to its customers. The motivating force behind the business is a love for music and the joy that it brings to people of all ages.
Catch up on all the latest product updates and information articles. Come visit us today!


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Wadden Sea Ecosystem No. 20 - 2005
Citation: Blew, J. and Südbeck, P. (Eds.) 2005. Migratory Waterbirds in the Wadden Sea 1980 – 2000. Wadden Sea Ecosystem No. 20. Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Group, Joint Monitoring Group of Migratory Birds in the Wadden Sea, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Price: 10 EUR + delivery. To order a hard copy please send an email to info [at] waddensea-secretariat.org
Editorial Foreword
The results of the twenty-year period 1980 - 2000 of the Joint Monitoring on Migratory Birds in the Wadden Sea (JMMB), which is carried out in the framework of the Trilateral Monitoring and Assessment Program (TMAG), are presented in the 20th issue of the Wadden Sea Ecosystem series.
This report succeeds the two reports on joint activities in the field of migratory bird monitoring in 1992/93 (Rösner et al., 1994) as well as in 1993/94 (Poot et al., 1996). In 1994, the evaluation of international Wadden Sea birds counts in the period 1980 - 1991 was published by Meltofte et al., 1994. Besides these issues on results of migratory birds monitoring, a review on important and potential roosting sites in the Wadden Sea were published by the JMMB in 2003. The results of all these reports and further recent data have been taken into account in the compilation of trends in this report.
The present report entails four contributions. In the first and main one, the JMMB gives an overview of numbers and trends 1980 - 2000 for all 34 species of the JMMB-program. Regarding selected species respectively species groups - such as Barnacle Geese and Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Curlews as well as shellfish-eating birds - specific aspects related to habitat use, hunting and mussel and cockle fishery are discussed in more detail by different authors in the following three additional contributions of the issue.
- Overview of Numbers and Trends of Migratory Waterbirdsin the Wadden Sea 1980-2000
- Recent Population Dynamics and Habitat Use of BarnacleGeese and Dark-Bellied Brent Geese in the Wadden Sea
- Curlews in the Wadden Sea - Effects of ShootingProtection in Denmark
- Shellfish-Eating Birds in the Wadden Sea - What can WeLearn from Current Monitoring Programs?


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Mary Pope-Handy
What can you buy for $1 million in Silicon Valley?
With soaring housing prices in Silicon Valley, newcomers and folks potentially relocating here may wonder what can you buy for $1 million in Silicon Valley? This article will provide a snapshot in time and provide a sense of whether your million dollar budget can get you into a house, a townhouse, or a condo – or perhaps "none of the above" – on the valley floor. (Homes in the Los Gatos or Santa Cruz Mountains are generally more affordable, but will of course be farther out.) Not included will be mobile homes, as the space rents are often close to or more than $1,000 per month. Also not included are duplexes, which you'be hard pressed to find many of under that $1 million mark.
If you absolutely must buy a house, and the budget must be under $1 million…
If you absolutely must have a house or single family home, as opposed to a condominium or townhouse, there are a number of areas for you to consider in Santa Clara County, including
- Gilroy
- Morgan Hill
- the Alum Rock area of San Jose
- South San Jose
- the Evergreen area of SJ
- the Berryessa area of SJ
- Downtown and Central San Jose
- Milpitas
- the Blossom Valley area of San Jose
- and the Santa Teresa area of San Jose
- the Los Gatos 95033 (mountains) area – which is vast and contains many small communities
The Los Gatos mountains area varies in price from one community to the next and right now that is a hopping market, I'm told. (Please find info on a list of neighborhoods at the link above.)
To determine where someone could get into a house for under $1,000,000, I pulled the sales from the last 90 days (as of March 1, 2018) and looked at how many of the sales of houses for any given area were under that budget amount. In many places, there were zero – even if I looked back a full year! The areas below are listed in order of the average sale price for these "in budget" properties, though you might prefer to rank them by the average square footage or some other criteria.
Areas in Santa Clara County where a house is possible but unlikely, but a townhouse or condominium may work:
There are some areas in the valley where a few properties that sell under a million are single family homes or houses. When you see ratios of something like 3% of the houses sold are under that price point, it's important to understand that those homes may be major fixer uppers, tear downs, or have a location issue or some other big challenge. But – perhaps you are handy, do not mind the property condition, location, extremely small size, or whatever the presenting issue may be.
These long-shot, but perhaps possible, areas include Willow Glen (area of San Jose), Cambrian (area of San Jose), Santa Clara, and Campbell. In most of these desirable locales, a townhouse or condo is very doable, but a house – not too likely.
What about condos or townhomes? Except for areas which stratospheric pricing like Palo Alto and Los Altos, a condo or townhouse under $1 million should be possible in virtually all of Santa clara County.
Areas where you will NOT find a house for under $1 million
If you absolutely must buy a house, and not a condo or townhome, skip Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and West San Jose. Also skip Santa Clara where the schools are Cupertino. It just isn't going to be in budget.
What about San Mateo county?
In general, San Mateo County is more expensive than Santa Clara County. However, there are some pockets that may work.
Silicon Valley really includes the bayside areas of SMC, not the side that is along the Pacific Ocean. The beachside areas are far more affordable, but you will find the commute to be a bit arduous if you are working in central Silicon Valley. If you don't mind a longer drive, do check into Pacifica (a pretty good value area) and other communities by the shore. that said, Half Moon Bay is super popular, and that price point won't work there.
Redwood City is a good value area overall. The schools do not rank as highly as some other areas, and the plus to that is that home prices are a little more affordable. In the last 90 days, 7 of 103 sold houses were under $1 million. That's not a high percentage, but it may not be impossible. More likely, you'll get a far nicer townhouse with more space than you would a house in RC. Keep your options open there!
Inland, East Palo Alto has been coming into its own, steadily improving, and showing itself to be a good value area. In the last 90 days, 12 of the 17 homes sold went for $1 million or less. Yes, that's hardly any inventory, but it is in range – so keep your eye on it.
Daly city had 33 of 70 homes go for $1 million or less. That's definitely worth checking out, especially if your work takes you to Redwood City or South San Francisco.
Brisbane had 2 of 6 sales sold for $1 million or less. (Inventory so small that you shouldn't count on it.)
South San Francisco had 16 of 43 homes sell in range.
The rest of the areas were either highly unlikely or a slam dunk "no" to selling in budget for a house.
What about the East Bay?
The east bay tends to be more affordable than the south bay or Peninsula. I did not check into those areas as I don't know them as well (though I did live in Fremont for a year when I was in grad school). The bridges can get quite backed up. Over time, I believe that "Silicon Valley" will creep more and more into the east bay, both Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
Some home buyers just must have land, a yard, a detached home. For them, it will be imperative to not spin wheels trying to locate a single family home in areas where they simply won't be "in budget". In Silicon Valley, the usual remedy is "drive a little, save a lot". Hopefully, once BART comes through, the driving will be a whole lot less!
Homes for sale listed at under $1,000,000[idx-listings county="Santa Clara" minprice="500000″ maxprice="1000000″ minbeds="1″ maxbeds="6″ statuses="1″ propertytypes="831,832″ orderby="DateAdded" orderdir="DESC" count="15″ showlargerphotos="true"]
San Jose Districts and their Values
How is home buying in Silicon Valley different from other places?
If you want to buy a Silicon Valley home and you're coming from outside of the area, a few things are done differently here. Rather than give a lengthy explanation, I'll just provide a quick list of things which are different from other parts of California, the U.S. or perhaps the world.
1.) The escrow account, where money is held and disbursed by a neutral third party, is ordinarily with a title company in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area generally. In CA it's legal for real estate brokers to have the escrow account, but that is not the custom here. By contrast, in southern Calif., there are separate companies which often do the escrow work or a real estate broker may handle the funds, called trust funds.
2.) Santa Clara County is a "seller pay county" by tradition when it comes to the escrow fee and who pays the owner's policy of title insurance. (Most of California is either buyer pay or split 50/50. Also, SCC is where San Jose and much of Silicon Valley is located.)
3.) Because it's a "seller pay" county, the seller or the listing agent (the seller's real estate agent) normally chooses the title company. Most of the time, the home owners do not have a preference and don't know anyone working at the nearby title companies, so usually the listing agent suggests which one to utilize. If you purchase the property with a loan, you will need to buy lender's insurance, too – and that's a buyer cost.
4.) While in many east coast states an attorney is involved with the home buying and selling process, here lawyers are seldom involved with real estate sales – unless there is a big problem.
5.) Surveys are not usually part of the transaction here, with exceptions if there are serious doubts about the property boundaries.
6.) Buyers are provided information on natural hazards, and usually also known environmental hazards and area tax liabilities, in most cases via a professional disclosure company such as JCP Disclosures. Things such as 100 year flood plains, liquifaction zones, earthquake fault lines, underground water contamination will be revealed, if known, in most cases.
7.) In some parts of the world, buyers do not have their own real estate professionals for guidance and advocacy, but here they do. Most of the time, in the San Jose and Peninsula area buyers have their own real estate agent working on their behalf. Usually the buyers' agents are paid by the sellers – but they do not represent the sellers. Dual agency is legal in California as long as it is disclosed (and dual agency can mean either the same person or brokerage).
8.) In recent years, it has become the norm to get pre-approved with a lender or bank prior to writing a purchase offer on a house, condo or other home. (If you meet with a Realtor, getting you set up with a reputable lender will be one of the first things he or she asks you to do.) Also it's pretty normal to have to provide "proof of funds" to demonstrate that you have the down payment available. Sometimes our international clients are surprised at the documentation required here, so it's good if you are aware of it upfront.
9.) It usually takes 30-45 days to close escrow on a property here (from the time the sellers accept your contract to the time you actually own it).
Finally, it should be noted that the cost of housing in Silicon Valley is truly exorbitant. Most people know that Silicon Valley houses are very expensive, but until they get out and see what things cost, they really don't understand how extreme it is. Often I tell people to expect to pay twice as much and to get half as much. Unless you are coming from a pricey locale, such as London, Tokyo, Paris, Manhattan or Boston, you may still find yourself in "sticker shock." A half million dollars buys a fairly small, modest home here, in an average area. A million dollars is better – you can get into a better area and better house. The "luxury market" starts somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 million, depending on which area you're considering.
Los Gatos neighborhood videos
As you may know, I have a number of blogs relating to Silicon Valley real estate (I will list them below). My family and I live in Los Gatos, and my office is in Los Gatos too, so my focus is that town and the nearby areas, such as Saratoga, Cupertino, Campbell, Monte Sereno, and parts of San Jose such as Cambrian and Almaden and Willow Glen. One area I'm working on for the blogs, as well as for my Facebook business page, Google + and Twitter are video "drive throughs" of neighborhoods. I'm starting in Los Gatos but eventually hope to get to all of the areas listed above.
Right now, I've got 5 Los Gatos neighborhood videos on my YouTube channel, plus slideshows of a few more areas and parks. Additionally there are some slideshows up of Saratoga and parts of San Jose. Interested in an up close view of these parts of Silicon Valley? Please visit my channel: http://www.youtube.com/PopeHandy Or start with the Los Gatos playlist, below. The first one is a slideshow of Los Gatos as a general intro, and after that there is a mixture of slideshows and drive throughs. Enjoy!
Other blogs about Silicon Valley real estate, homes and neigbhorhoods:
Valley of Hearts Delight – aka San Jose Real Estate Los Gatos Homes
Belwood of Los Gatos blog
Here are a few of the homes for sale in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno right now![idx-listings linkid="445042″ count="15″ showlargerphotos="true"]
More affordable homes to buy or rent in Silicon Valley with better schools
Edit: I originally wrote this post on August 12, 2013, but it is still accurate today, January 25, 2018, and probably will be for years to come.
- Palo Alto (very costly)
- Cupertino (less expensive for the school scores compared to other areas up to #5 on this list)
- Saratoga (very expensive)
- Los Altos & Los Altos Hills
- Los Gatos & Monte Sereno (95030 & 95032)
- Parts of San Jose in Cambrian 95124 and Almaden 95120 (very good value)
- The Los Gatos Mountains (zip code 95033)
- Parts of Fremont (Mission San Jose area)
The shock of Silicon Valley housing costs: how little you can buy on a huge income
If you've just been hired as a high level executive at Apple, Google, Microsoft or any other high tech or biotech firm in Silicon Valley, you may be coming to the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley from an enormous home (5000+ square feet) on an enormous lot (1 acre +). You are a raging success. You are highly regarded. You are on the top of your game. Your house "back home" displays your accomplishments.
You've heard that prices are bad here, but how much worse could they really be? Surely you could downsize a bit to a 3000 to 3500 square foot house on a half acre with a 20 minute commute, right? And you'd still have great schools for "resale value," right? You are prepared to give up the full basement, the pool and tennis court and the 4 car garage. That is enough of an adjustment, isn't it?
No, I'm sorry to say, it isn't.
That house you are leaving behind in the suburbs of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Seattle, San Diego, or wherever you're coming from is a super high end luxury home. It's probably worth $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. But guess what? Here, in a nice area, that's a 2000 SF house on a 10,000 lot in a good area that's a tear down. And in traffic, it's a 40 minute commute. Want an acre in an area with really good public schools at all levels? Think $3 million plus. And that doesn't mean that the house will be turn-key. You will very likely have to remodel or personalize so that you are happy with it, as most of our houses were built between the 1960s and 1980s. (Here a 25 year old home is considered relatively young.)
Why make the sacrifice to live in Silicon Valley?
Why on earth should you move here to the San Jose area when real estate prices are so insanely high? Santa Clara County is bad, and San Mateo County is worse. Why would anyone make that kind of sacrifice in living space and prestige?
First, because this is a great place to live because of who's here. Great minds have coalesced here. From the heavy hitters like Google and Intel to the many fresh startups, the spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well and imbues much of the culture here. Diversity reigns – fabulous people have converged here from all corners of the earth, bringing with them a richness and vibrancy that is appreciated across the area. Want Ethiopian food? No problem. Thai? Easy. Korean, French, Honduran? Check, check, check. You name it, we seem to have it, whether it's Middle Eastern, African, Asian, Pacific Islands, or European, there's something for everyone. (OK I haven't yet seen an Australian restaurant, but I also don't know what counts as classic Australian cuisine other than Vegemite sandwiches and barbecues.)
Additionally, there are a number of great universities in the region: Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCSF (for medical), Santa Clara University, San Jose State, UC Santa Cruz (math, marine biology, astronomy and more).
Second, this is a fantastic place to live because the weather encourages a life where you're not confined to your house and dependent on a big basement. We're talking 300 sunny days a year. This January we hit 70F one day, which is not unusual. Back in the midwest or northeast, they have beautiful snow. Snow for months and months and months. Yes, it's lovely, but doesn't it get old? Here people are golfing, sailing, biking, hiking year round. There are weekend farmers markets open all year! Want snow? No problem, drive to Yosemite, Bear Valley or Tahoe. Enjoy the snow for the weekend – then drive home to the land of palm trees!
Third, this is an exceptional place to live because of what's nearby. Within an hour or two we have San Francisco, the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel, Napa and Sonoma Valleys (wine country). Within 3-5 hours we enjoy Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Santa Barbara and much of the California Coast. (California has an incredible array of climates and a diversity of agriculture and economy seldom seen anywhere.) Minutes away, take a little trek around the valley's mountains and hills, which are full of open space preserves, county, and local parks which make for a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the valley floor.
Moving might mean giving up the palatial house and garden and realizing that your accomplishments are simply not going to be reflected in a ginormous house and yard. The house and yard are often more reflective of when you bought rather than how you were able to buy.
The good news for those who buy here is that Silicon Valley continues to expand and be in demand. Hiring is strong. Economically, tech is leading the way and this area was one of the first to emerge from the Great Recession. Prices are tough to swallow, now more than ever, but as long as huge companies continue to hire, there's no reason to think that real estate won't be a wise investment.
Is it better to rent for awhile, or purchase a home when you first move to Silicon Valley?
Is it a good idea for newcomers to Silicon Valley to rent for a year, or smarter for them to purchase right away? There are many factors to consider, and even more if you are coming from another state or country.
Normally, I would suggest deciding where you want to live generally (example, Almaden area of San Jose 95120) and renting there for a bit first just to make sure it's where you want to be. This is especially true if you have children who will be in public schools, as it can be rough on them if they change again once you've been here for awhile. Renting first enables you to learn the area and takes some pressure off. Also, it can take some time to move money from overseas for your down payment, so the little extra time can help there, too.
However, many people want to buy immediately and will make several trips here before the move to find and purchase a home. Often this is because they see the value in owning (tax benefits, getting kids into certain schools). I've had many people tell me that it helps them to establish themselves in their new community faster if they buy rather than rent.
The current market remains an impacted, strong seller's market which has refused to let up over the last few years. With home prices trending on a seemingly endless climb, some buyers are clamoring to purchase before prices rise higher. Other potential buyers sometimes try to rent with the plan to sit out the storm until the market has cooled, but high demand has raised rental costs as well, and there's no knowing how long it will take for the market to correct, or if it will ever correct below the current trend. For this reason, trying to wait-out the market involves a huge risk.
Back in 2013, when I originally published this post, there was a lot of focus on mortgage interest rates, which were very favorable at the time, hovering between 4.125 and 4.25%. Since most buyers use mortgage loans, the interest rate can be a big factor in budgeting the purchase. To understand the impact, let's compare the 2013 numbers with the predicted rise that was given for 2014 to 5.4% interest.
What does this rise in interest rates mean in terms of housing affordability?
$500,000 mortgage, 30 year fixed at 4.25% = monthly payment of $2459
$500,000 mortgage, 30 year fixed at 5.4% = monthly payment of $2807
Difference = $348, or a 14% increase in the monthly payment
Or, let's look at it in terms of buying power.
$2500 mortgage payment, 30 year term at 4.25% = loan amount of $508,192
$2500 mortgage payment, 30 year term at 5.4% = loan amount of $445,211
To summarize, a rise of interest from 4.25% to 5.4% cuts into the buying power of a $2,500 payment to the tune of almost $63,000.
For most people, the cost of waiting is a significant factor in this buy vs rent decision. My concern is that many people who elect to lease or rent for a year do not understand the risk that may accompany waiting. For most folks relocating to the San Jose or Peninsula area, the hardest thing to manage is the cost of housing. This could become substantially worse by putting off the purchase for a year, so right now I cannot recommend doing that.
Want more info? Please see my Valley of Heart's Delight blog, with the related article
How will rising interest rates impact your home buying power?
Should you find your Realtor first or your lender first? Should they know each other?
It's an old question – should you find your Realtor first or your lender first? I would like to suggest that you find your Realtor first, and then ask your real estate agent for a list of reputable, trusted loan agents or lenders.
Because as with all professionals, lenders (and Realtors) are not created equally.
You will probably spend a LOT more time with your Realtor in viewing homes, reviewing disclosures, writing the contract, meeting inspectors, and so on – so I do suggest that you begin by very carefully choosing the right real estate licensee or broker for yourself. A good Realtor can probably give you between 3 and 10 names of trusted, reputable, reliable, knowledgeable lenders. From there you can interview and choose someone.
It is extremely important that your lender be good at what he or she does. A bad lender – and there are many of them – could cost you the sale, but definitely will create undue stress, will waste your time and ultimately cost you money. This is no exaggeration.
In our hot Silicon Valley real estate market, when there are multiple offers, many listing agents will phone the buyer's lender to see how solid the buyers are and how decent the lender seems to be. The better loan agents will answer the phone when called – because they are anticipating the call. The lesser ones are not paying attention and don't pick up. That small decision, one way or the other, can be critical! A few years back, I spoke with a high powered agent out of Saratoga who told me of this very scenario. She concluded "the lender who didn't take my call cost the buyer the sale." Yes, it matters that much.
A poorly organized loan agent may misplace documentation, causing you to miss work so that you can get it to him or her again in a rush (under pressure of the loan contingency removal date). I have known buyers to lose time from work due to the ineptitude of a loan agent (but not one that I suggested).
All deadlines must be agreed to by buyers and sellers in writing, no exceptions. Can you imagine what it's like to ask your lender how many days will be needed for the loan contingency, only to have to extend it not once, but a few times, because it's just not done yet? A lousy lender will make this happen. Sometimes they are submitting loan packages based on old guidelines rather than current ones. You and I won't be involved at that microscopic level – but if the lender messes up, we'll hear about it later.
In the worst case scenarios, a really terrible mortgage banker or broker will cause so many delays that you close escrow late, causing you, the buyer, to pay some of the seller's coverage costs. If the rates go up during all of the delays, you may pay a higher interest rate too.
That's the gloom and doom of it.
In my real estate practice, often about half of my clients come to me with their own lender. Although this is not ideal (it's better if the Realtor and lender go into it with a good working relationship), often it works out OK. But sometimes it's a train wreck. This doesn't happen, at least not in my experience, if you get a lender I've already vetted. Or if you're working with another great Silicon Valley Realtor, one that he or she has screened. I would not suggest someone incompetent or who will screw up the transaction – of that you can be sure! I want you to buy your home as much as you do, and I want it to be as smooth and hassle free as possible. A bad lender can put all of that in jeopardy, though.
San Jose Mercury News Headlines April 15 – 16 2014: home prices to buy or rent are rising steeply
Flashback Friday!
As I was going through old blog posts, I found this brief installment from April 17th, 2014. Often I write that the current hot sellers market in the Bay is "prolonged," "steady," or "persistent," but seeing these two headlines from over 3 years ago really shows just how unyielding it has been. It is highly unusual to be in such a strong, drawn-out market, but there's no clear indicator that things will change anytime soon, either. Buyers and renters might find some relief now that autumn is here in hopes that it brings the usual seasonal cooling.
Find the original post immediately below. – Update October 22nd, 2017
Here are the headlines from the San Jose Mercury News in mid April 2014:
Rental article: Bay Area apartment rents set record 4/16/14
Excerpt: Bay Area apartment rents are rising at nearly double-digit annual rates and have reached record levels, according to a report released Tuesday, prompting some analysts to warn that the region's economic boom could be choked off by the relentless rise….. Among the Bay Area's three largest cities, San Jose had an average asking rent of $2,066 during this year's January-March quarter, up 10.3 percent from the same period last year, RealFacts reported. Oakland had an average rental rate of $2,187, up 12.3 percent, while San Francisco posted an average of $3,057, up 9.5 percent.
Home buying article: Bay Area home prices jump year over year
Excerpt: March marked more than 20 consecutive months of year-over-year price gains for single-family homes in the East Bay, South Bay and Peninsula, according to real estate information service DataQuick, which released a report on March sales Wednesday…. The San Diego-based company said that prices were up 29.2 percent from the previous March in Alameda County to $575,000. In Contra Costa County, prices rose 22.8 percent to $425,000. Santa Clara County gained 20.3 percent to $800,000, and San Mateo County was up 13.2 percent to $860,000.
Whether you buy or rent, prices have been rising dramatically. When factoring in what housing will cost, include the trajectory of appreciation per month.
What do Silicon Valley view homes cost?
Perhaps you love – even need – a good view in order to feel happy with your new home in a new place. We don't have a lot of water views in Silicon Valley, though there are some of the San Francisco Bay in places. What's easier to find are views of the hills or views of the valley from the views. What do these Silicon Valley view homes cost?
Naturally a lot of the answer has to do with location, home size, condition of the property, and land value. In general, it's difficult to find a house with valley views for less than $2 million unless the property needs a lot of remodeling, repairs, and updating OR is in a very remote location.
Right now, I have a gorgeous Los Gatos view home for sale in the Belgatos area. It is in great condition and features 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and about 3,000 SF of living space close to Belgatos Park in east Los Gatos, which is a "close in" location, not out in the boondocks. It's a remodeled, single story house, stunning condition with a pool and spa, and the list price is $2,288,000. (You can check it out here: 211 Westhill Drive, Los Gatos CA 95030.) Los Gatos is a bargain by Silicon Valley standards. If you haven't spent much time there, I'd invite you to check it out!
Take that same house and move it to Saratoga with Saratoga, and the price would be substantially more expensive, and more still in Los Altos. Silicon Valley view homes vary in condition, size, parcel size, and many other factors. In most cases, the properties which are move-in ready will run between $2,000,000 at the low end to $5,000,000. Supersized estates and land may well cost more. We see homes in Santa Clara County priced up to $20 million at times, and on The Peninsula with much higher ceilings.


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Northeast 4x4 Adventures
The Sao Luis to Fortaleza (or reverse) 4x4 Adventure will take you away from the crowds to the wonderful beaches along the northern coast of Brazil. São Luis, Lençóis Maranhenses, Delta do Parnaiba, Jericoacoara and Fortaleza are some of the legendary places you will visit. The zone is still little known by tourists and has a remarkable beauty and also an astounding peace. It is called the Route of Emotions
Sao Luis to Fortaleza 4x4 -
Fortaleza to Natal
DAY 1 – Origin – São Luis de Maranhao
Airport arrival at São Luis de Maranhao, the capital of the state of Maranhao, and transfer to the pousada, located in the historic city center and declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site for its magnificent colonial architecture. Accommodation.
DAY 2 –São Luis – Barreirinhas (B)
In the morning we will leave for Barreirinhas, making one stop along the way in Rosário or Morros. A local guide will be waiting to take us on a tour through the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park on a Toyota four-wheel drive vehicle. Return to Barreirinhas. Accommodation.
DAY 3 – Lençóis Maranhenses –Parnaiba (B)
After breakfast, we will leave on a speedboat along the Rio Preguiças, passing by the APA – Environmental Protection Area of the Pequeños Lençóis and the towns of Mandacaru (Farol Preguiças) and Caburé. Then we will travel over the magnificent dunes known as the small Lençóis Maranhenses and then by road to the city of Parnaiba. The beauty of the Parnaíba Delta is enhanced by flocks of herons, toucans, yellow-crawed alligators, monkeys, wild horses, lion monkeys, foxes and deer. Accommodation.
DAY 4 –Parnaiba – Jericoacoara (B)
We will leave in the morning from Parnaíba to Jericoacoara on a four-wheel drive, most of the time travelling on a paved road. The journey will continue through a landscape of dunes until we finally arrive to Jericoacoara, which has the most amazing sunset of northeastern Brazil and beautiful beaches surrounded by dunes. Jeri is a place removed from the hurried modern world of screeching sirens, maniac deadlines, traffic jams and endless lineups. A place where streets are paved with sand, where beaches stretch as far as the eye can see and where warm water marries with palm swaying breezes. The trip ends at our accommodation lodge. Accommodation.
DAY 5 – Jericoacoara (B)
Free day to explore this forgotten town of the Northeast
where the rhythm of life changes and the unique landscape will dazzle the visitor. In the midst of sand dunes and lush vegetation, we will be able to take part in many optional activities like horseback riding, yoga classes, surfing or trips on four-wheel drive veh icles over the surrounding beaches such as Tajatuba. Above all, we will enjoy the peace and authenticity of this location. Accommodation.
DAY 6 – Jericoacoara – Fortaleza – Destination (B)
In the morning, transfer on a four-wheel drive vehicle over dunes and roads to the airport of Fortaleza for departure to your next destination.
2019 Price per person in US$ (min. of 2 people):
For the following dates, hotel prices are ON REQUEST: New Year's Eve (30 Dec to 02 Jan), Carnival (01 to 06 Mar), Easter Holidays (18 to 21 Apr), Tiradentes (19 to 22 Apr), Worker's Day (28 Apr to 05 May), Corpus (19 to 23 Jun), Independence (06 to 09 Sep), Aparecida (11 to 14 Oct), All Souls (01 to 04 Nov), Republic Proclamation Day (14 to 18 Nov) and Christmas (20 Dec to 02 Jan)
Not Included:
What to bring?
Throughout the trip travelers will wear short pants, swimsuit/bikini, hardly long pants.Sunscreen and sunglasses are essential for this trip. If they use contact lenses, we suggest bringing glasses for buggy rides, because wind can cause discomfort.
Best travel period?
They can travel throughout the year. Between January and April the weather is unstable, from December to March is the hottest period, and from October to December it's windier and there is less tourism. The period of June and July is when São João festivity takes place in the region, there is less accommodation availability, but there are many folk festivals on weekends.
DAY 1 – Origin – Fortaleza
Airport arrival at Fortaleza and transfer directly to the accommodation place. The hotel is located in the center of the city near Playa de Iracema, ideal for nightlife, and Playa de Meireles, known for its local handcrafts.
DAY 2 – Fortaleza – Canoa Quebrada (B)
After breakfast, we leave Fortaleza in a buggy to ride across the northeastern beaches. From the hotel we go to the coastal town of Canoa Quebrada, travelling across the beaches and dunes of Ceará. At night we
will be able to take a stroll along Broadway, the animated street full of bars and restaurants. Accommodation.
DAY 3 – Canoa Quebrada – Galinhos (B)
After breakfast, we travel into a territory of great natural beauty, with deserted beaches, red cliffs, extensive coconut groves, rock formations and small fishing villages. We will pass through Tibau, Grossos and the spectacular Areia Branca. Crossing the Mossoró River, we arrive to the dunesof São Cristovão. From there, we will drive to Ponta do Mel beach, passing through the Puerto do Mangue, and we continue to Galinhos, where we stop for the night.
DAY 4 – Galinhos – São Miguel do Gostoso (B)
After breakfast, we will ride in a buggy across various beaches arriving at Caiçara, a city lodged between the sea and the dunes. Afterwards, we continue along the trails in order to see the "caatinga," the typical vegetation of the Brazilian "sertâo" (interior) until we arrive at Praia do Marco. From there, we go on to the semi-deserted São Miguel do Gostoso, where we stop for the night.
DAY 5 – São Miguel do Gostoso – Natal (B)
We leave São Miguel do Gostoso, driving across Praia das Garças and Praia de Touros with its huge 63 meters high lighthouse. Then we will go along an extensive stretch of beaches bordered by coconut trees, arriving finally at Maxaranguape. From there, we cross the dunes to the beach of Jacum where we will have the chance to practice aerobunda, and visit Redinha and Genipabú, some of the best known beaches of Brazil. Finally we arrive to Natal and settle into our accommodation place located in the area of Ponta Negra.
DAY 6 – Natal – Destination (B)
Transfer to the airport of Natal for departure to our next destination
2017 Price per person double occupancy in US$:
For the following dates, prices are ON REQUEST: New Year's Eve (30 Dec to 01 Jan ), Carnival (09 to 14 Feb), Easter Holidays (29 Mar to 01 Apr ), Tiradentes (20 to 22 Apr), Worker's Day (27 Apr to 01 May), Corpus (30 May to 03 Jun), Independence (06 to 09 Sep), Aparecida (11 to 14 Oct), All Souls (01 to 04 Nov), Republic Proclamation Day (14 to 18 Nov) and Christmas (20 Dec to 02 Jan).
· 5 night accommodation with breakfast:
· Included visits and transfers:
- Ride in private buggy (2 people per buggy) along the Northeast with driver/ guide for 4 days.
- Private transfer IN FOR + OUT NAT with guide.
· 24 hr support guide (telephone)
Not Included:
· Air transport and airport taxes
· Optional Excursions
· Meals not specified in the section "Included"
· Drinks, tips and personal extras
· Anything not mentioned as included
"we are back home sound and safe and we would like to let you know that we had blast fun during our trip in Brasil. Everything worked as expected and we enjoyed very much all the places we were taken to.
Thanks for helping out and answering to all our questions during the planning phase of the trip." Julia


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For MBTA's assessment of the Cryptoporticus and North Terrace, important features of William Hamilton's 1789 Federal style expansion of his estate at the Woodlands, MBTA created a rectified photographic reflected ceiling plan of the 90-foot long vault. The plan has provided the team with a baseline document to map and record masonry conditions, sample locations, and deficiencies in the structure.
To create the continuous photograph (image at top), Mark designed and fabricated a track with camera mount that he and Beth incrementally moved along the length of the vault, positioning the camera relative to known points temporarily marked on the structure. High-resolution photographs were taken using a 17mm wide angle lens. Distortion was removed with computer software, and then assembled in AutoCAD using a measured grid of points rectified to the known points in the photographs.


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Industry experts are hoping the Department of Labor pre-empts Congress in issuing new regulations mandating increased disclosures for retirement plan fees.
Fee disclosure has become a hot-button issue in the retirement services industry during the past several months, particularly as many plan participants have lost much of their retirement savings because of the recession. Specifically, members of Congress and the Department of Labor want to increase the transparency of what fees employers pay providers and what responsibilities fall to participants.
In comments at the American Council of Life Insurers' meeting September 11 in Washington, Phyllis C. Borzi, the assistant secretary of the Labor Department's Employee Benefits Security Administration, said the agency was focusing on the proposals the previous administration left pending including a fee disclosure proposal, people who attended the conference said.
Meanwhile, members of Congress have introduced their own bills.
In June, the House Education and Labor Committee approved the 401(k) Fair Disclosure and Pension Security Act, which among other things requires 401(k) plans to disclose how much plan participants are paying in fees; mandates that plan administrators offer at least one low-cost index fund in their plans; and requires that companies offer investment advice to plan participants.
Industry experts welcome the widespread interest but worry that many of the legislative proposals are mired in politics.
"The legislative approach has gotten off track from the central theme of the bill and instead has resulted in a turf war between bundled and unbundled providers," says Ed Ferrigno, vice president, Washington affairs, for the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America. "You have service providers dominating the debate."
Also, many observers believe that regulations from the Department of Labor would be more practical and easier to follow.
"The Hill has a lot of political axes to grind, whereas the Department of Labor has always been involved in these processes and tends to be very practical," said Rick Menson, a partner in the Atlanta office of the law firm of McGuireWoods. "The question is who is going to be first—the Hill or the Department of Labor?"
Regulations from the Department of Labor also are preferable to legislation because they allow for a comment period from the industry, said Lynn Dudley, senior vice president of policy for the American Benefits Council, who attended the ACLI meeting.
"We can fret over the timing of things and do so over an open forum so that we come out with something that is workable," Dudley said. "The regulatory proposals in the agencies work very well because we have a lot of career staff; I think this adds some consistency so there is a sense of direction that helps the process."
The American Benefits Council is concerned that employers might get stuck in a back-and-forth of legislative proposals from Congress and regulations coming from the Department of Labor, Dudley said.
"We think the agency is sensitive to our concern that if regulations come out, we have to comply with that, and then if legislation comes out, we have to comply with that," she says.
While the House Education and Labor Committee welcomes guidance from the Department of Labor, it still feels that legislation on the issue is necessary, spokesman Aaron Albright said.
"There are certain things that the Department of Labor is doing that would be good steps, but we think Congress also has an opportunity to ensure that these reforms are codified into law," he said.
Gloria Della, a spokeswoman for the Department of Labor, didn't provide immediate comment.
—Jessica Marquez
Stay informed and connected. Get human resources news and HR features via Workforce Management's Twitter feed or RSS feeds for mobile devices and news readers.


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There are so many clever food bloggers out there constantly experimenting and coming up with new recipes and healthier ways of enjoying the foods we all love. It's what inspired me to experiment in the kitchen and start a blog of my own.
Here are some ideas from other food bloggers, swap this for that:
Crisps/Chips ---> Kale Chips
Chocolate bars ---> Three-Ingredient Chocolate Bars and Raw Chocolate
Cookies ---> Almond Meal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie dough ---> Healthy Cookie Dough Dip
Cupcakes ---> Chocolate Cupcakes
Donuts ---> Banana and Cinnamon Donuts
Ice cream ---> "Nutella" Ice Cream and Mint Chip Ice Cream
Macaroons ---> Raw Vegan Protein Coconut Macaroons
Check them out and see what you think!


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So the Doomtree hip hop collective is pretty big up here in MN. And producer Lazerbeak is kind of the cog that makes it all work, at least in my opinion. He's got a new album out now. And when I heard he was having a contest where MCs could rap over one of his beats, I figured why not.
My song is called TATTOOS FOR TODDLERS. Check it out here:
Guante by Lava Bangers Rap Contest
I wanted to write a fully-realized song for this; it's subject matter that I've tackled before, but it's something I'm passionate about so it was fun to take a crack at it from a new angle. Singing and fast-rapping are two things that I rarely do, and that's pretty much all this song is, so it was a great challenge too. See More Perspective mixed and recorded it. If I don't win, we'll probably just remix it and release it as something else.
If you like it, you can vote for it HERE.
Voting ends on Monday. If I win, I get a million dollars or something. So any re-posts, RTs or forwards are much appreciated.
You can check out the other entries HERE. Shout to Homeless and Analyrical because I know them, haha.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 02, 2012
Video: "Neutral: An Open Letter to Michele Bachmann"
This piece really isn't about Michele Bachmann-- as I say in the poem, she's a convenient figurehead. The problem here is much bigger, of course. I'll let the poem speak for itself, but definitely wanted to share some further reading material and ways to plug in:
MINNPOST: "Bullying gay and lesbian kids: How a school district became a suicide contagion area"
A Star Tribune piece about GSAs in the Anoka-Hennepin school district.
A Star Tribune piece about how the neutrality policy is being challenged.
Website for the Southern Poverty Law Center
This page at the MN Activist Project lists a few organizations in the Twin Cities area who do work around LGBTQ rights. Check them out and get involved.
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Canada Day 2018
Feeling the LOVE @ Kingsmen Pub & Grill in Pickering!!
You Are All Welcome Here!!!
Augy G LIVE @ Spezzo in Richmond Hill
WAAAY Back In The Day In LA
Graduating class 1980. MIT (GIT back then)
The G Brothers
Augy G
@ Spezzo Train in Richmond Hill
With Mystery Harmonica Lady
Open Mic Tuesdays
Can't Take The Sudbury out of the Guitar Player
With Brother Ernie @ The Shore Grill and Grotto


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Bossland GmbH is a company that specializes in making cheats for popular games and it also made a World of Warcraft cheat bot. The World of Warcraft cheat bot replicated the moves of users and caused damage in the world. This ruins the experience for other players as the World of Warcraft cheat bot puts the player that uses the cheat at a significant advantage.
Also check out: Warcraft Remastered Editions Wouldn't Be Fun, According to Blizzard
Blizzard went to court against this World of Warcraft cheat company and the German Federal Court of Justice ruled in Blizzards favor saying that:
Bossland is dedicated to illegal activities through the creation and distribution of these bot for World of Warcraft.
The company was also ruled over for copyright infringement. Blizzard is actively going to court against companies that are creating cheats for games and this World of Warcraft Cheat Company is only just the beginning.
Overwatch is also a game owned by Blizzard and the company is taking steps against companies that are creating cheats for Overwatch as well.
It is interesting to see the lengths that companies are willing to go in order to protect their IPs and it is good. Multiplayer games are no fun if they are not balanced properly and cheaters cause the game to be spoiled one way or the other.
There is no fun in bullying other people that are new to the game and this is what causes people to hesitate when getting into multiplayer games. Buying the game is a huge barrier to entry and when people know that there are people that are going to be cheating and ruining the experience for other people then people are going to hesitate.
It is good to know what this World of Warcraft cheat bot maker has been brought to justice and while this does not mean that the game is clean from cheaters but it is a step in the right direction.