text:
If your friend and his mom are yelling at each other and you're feeling uncomfortable, just pet that furry little companion. Chances are all the fighting is making him a little uneasy as well and he's just too shy to tell you. So help you both out a little and pet the dog!
If the dog bit you when you went to touch it then try another solution! Take your phone out (chances are you already had it out anyway), and start pressing buttons and act like you have friends to text! They won't know either way!
In case your phone died, or the dog came back and took your phone, just stare blankly at the wall and act like you can't hear what they're arguing about. Yes, you may look awkward, but is it really more awkward than hearing them argue about your friend leaving his trouser gravy filled socks on the kitchen table? I think not!
So maybe staring at the wall didn't work. Perhaps you still heard the grueling details of the sock he calls "Betty". Just run to the kitchen (just avoid the table) and grab a block of cheese out of the fridge and eat it. The extreme constipation it causes will buy you at least 45 minutes in the bathroom to avoid the disturbing argument! Just make sure you avoid Betty's sister "Sally" laying in near the toilet!
If everything else fails, just try the simplest method and leave! If you're afraid of offending your friend and his family just sneak out. Crawl on the floor (steering clear off any more socks, of course) and maneuver your way out of the door and all the way home! This way your friend and his family can work out their disturbing family problem and you don't have to sit through it, problem solved!


text:
Hakka Abacus Seeds
I always felt that Hakka cuisine tended to be more on the healthy side haha judging by the lack of 'taste' I tasted in this particular food court's dish, I thought even more so too.
Well, the Hakka Abacus Seeds (looks like the abacus seeds from a real abacus, hence the name) is said to bring about fortune and prosperity. I expected the dish to be crunchy and savoury with a little meat inside, but lo and behold it was soft and mushy. The chopped olives (I presume) added a tinge of savoury flavour to the seeds but apart from that, it was ok for me.
Hakka Eight Treasures
Now, as supposedly one of the main highlights of the traditional cuisine, the Hakka Eight Treasures really stands for its name in simplicity. Nothing too elaborate but the delicate natural flavour of the food. There is a meatball, beancurd with meat stuffing, mushroom with stuffing, bean sauce and a fried beancurd skin.
Still, I am looking for true authentic Hakka food, so any good place to recommend?
Deep down, my stomach is grumbling for the taste of tradition.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
My Spotlighted Author today is the mysterious Lindy Spencer…I really want to dress up as Columbo…or Inspecter Clousea…but I'm probably more like Inspector Gadget!
Lindy Spencer currently lives in Oklahoma with her superhero family – Amazing Husband and Super Smart Dog. Her children have grown and flown, and are currently working on populating their own branches of the family tree.
When Lindy isn't writing she enjoys spending time reading, riding motorcycles, and shooting things with a Canon. Currently she is working on her next novel as well as several other short stories, and she plans to publish a compilation of the collection of photographs she took and were recently on exhibition at the Oklahoma Historic Route 66 Museum.
Her first novel, The Boomerang Effect, is available in print and for e-readers on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Lindy loves to visit with her fans and can be found at www.facebook.com/LindySpencer.Author
I feel like a detective on this interview…you know like Inspector Clousea…fake mustache…big magnifying glass and an awful French accent…I love mysteries….
Do you write as yourself or under a
pseudonym? Why?
I write as myself. When I decided to write I felt that if the
story is my work filled with my blood, sweat and tears, it should wear my name
as well. Besides, how fun is it to see
your name on the cover?
What made you want to be a published
While I was reading the forward to a
book by one of my favorite authors a sentence she said stuck with me. "If you think of a story you would like to
read that hasn't been written yet, you are charged with writing it." The kernel of my first story, The Boomerang
Effect, came to mind one day and took hold.
I remembered what I'd read and took it as a challenge.
What genre do you write in and why?
My preferred genre is mystery. I want to write what I want to read; murder
mysteries and darker topics are interesting to me. I'm not a huge fan of romance novels and I
don't believe I would write a good story if reading it wouldn't hold my
If you could talk to your 12 year
old self, what advice would you give?
Moving isn't a bad thing, it's just
a change; you'll make new friends.
Junior high doesn't last forever, hang in there. And the most important piece of advice I
would have to tell me is to keep working hard, it will pay off and you will be
ok, I promise.
Have any other authors influenced
your writing through theirs?
Every book I read influences my
writing; not only the research books, but the fiction I enjoy in my downtime as
well. Everything you take in makes you a
little bit different than you were the minute before.
If you are a self-published author
what made you take this route and what was your experience (good or bad)?
The reason I self-published was so
that I could keep control of my content.
I would rather publish my own story my way than have someone else tell
me they would be happy to publish me if I would rewrite my story their
way. No thanks, all the same. My experience was good; I researched several
companies and was getting depressed by the cost of self-publishing when I heard
about Smashwords. This company doesn't
charge you to publish your book – they take a small percentage of each copy
sold and that is their fee. Nothing up
front, no extra hidden charges, none of that.
I think their company made my decision into a good experience. If I could go back and do it again, I'd do it
the same way.
How would you rate your writing?
Oh, gosh. I write and rewrite and rewrite again until I
think my writing is the best I can produce, so I'd have to say I rate my
writing as good. I work hard to make it
good. It doesn't come out that way to
start with, but by the time I'm done I'm proud of it.
How do you react to poor reviews of
your book?
Knowing that my work can't please
everyone I don't take the poor reviews personally. For whatever reason they didn't enjoy their
journey and I respect that. When a poor
review gives constructive criticism, though, I can appreciate it as much as a
great review.
What influences your choice of book
I take the overall story into
account, pick out important details, and go from there. I like to visit with my cover designer and
let them have some input as well into the design. My preference is to go with something
original and not pick up a pre-made cover that may have been used on another
book somewhere else, or can still be made available for others to use.
How do you balance your writing with
your real world responsibilities?
The writing gets balanced on the
cookie that's on the plate being balanced on the wine glass. My writing doesn't get as much time as it deserves; my real world takes
precedence. My writing is for pleasure –
if it takes longer to get the next story out, well, that's how it goes. I hope my readers understand that writing
isn't paying the bills (yet) so it sometimes takes the back seat.
Do your characters drive the plots
of your stories or do you plan out your plot?
Both. I plan the plot and then my characters argue
with me. Sometimes they've got better
ideas than I had to begin with, so we go with theirs. Sometimes I make them do what I say. Give and take!
Do you ever write what you dream?
Give an example.
Actually, little known fact, the scene
in my book where Tom is talking to Katy and telling her what he had dreamed the
night before was a dream I actually had.
It was recurring, and once I put it in the book it stopped. To know what that dream was you'll have to
read my book!
Do you market yourself or pay a
I market myself, though I'm not sure
that's the way to go. Come January I'll
be re-evaluating my marketing strategies, reviewing the year, seeing what
worked and what didn't, and perhaps changing that option.
What are your tips for editing?
Don't do it yourself. Well, use the spell checker yourself, no
reason to be silly about it, but let a professional do it. Sometimes as the writer we can't see the
forest for the trees and obvious mistakes slide through unnoticed; don't let
your work go out the door unpolished.
What inspired you to write your
current WIP or current published work?
My current WIP is a sequel to The
Boomerang Effect. I was inspired by the
constant badgering I was getting by readers who wanted to know what happened to
this person or that person or how would this situation be resolved. They demanded a sequel, so they'll get
one. Now, I can't promise it will turn
out the way they would like it to, but that's yet to be seen.
Do you prefer to write stand-alone
novels or a series? Why?
I'm not sure yet. I'd thought my book would be a stand-alone
novel, but it has turned into the opposite.
I've got another story in the beginning stages that I expect to stand
alone. Ask me again after that one comes
out and we'll talk then.
If you could change one thing in the
publishing process what would it be?
I would require all manuscripts to
contain the code that disallows the work to be shared. I believe that would go a long way toward
getting rid of piracy.
What advice would you give to a new
Don't quit. You're closer than you think, just back away
for a few minutes or a few days and let your brain work it out. You'll get there as long as you don't stop
working toward your goal. (When you
think you can't take any more and you want to throw your half-finished manuscript
up in the air and watch the pages flutter to the ground, don't do it;
especially if the pages aren't numbered.
Don't ask me how I know.)
Share a favourite quote from your
"Karma is a well-thrown
boomerang." ~ Andrea Parker
I agree with the piracy thing…it's heartbreaking when you've worked so hard, put you heart and soul into your story to see it on a piracy website. It's not like we charge a fortune for the months of sweat and tears and most times our books cost less than a (deep breath) skinny expresson mochachino latte with extra cream and sprinkles! Anyhows lets have a looksy at her book…
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can end your life – or worse, postpone it indefinitely.
In Aspen Grove, Oklahoma, fifteen-year-old Katy had everything going for her, until an innocent decision to walk home from school set the karmic wheels in motion. Katy suffered a brutal attack, leaving her comatose. The legal system failed to convict the men responsible for this heinous crime – instead found them not guilty.
They've gotten away with it, or so it seems. Darnell and Jerome, then boys, now men, continue on with their lives; Bruce Hanson, the attorney tasked with convicting the two attackers, brushes off his loss and continues his climb up the legal ladder; Office Webster, the policeman who responded to the call for help, the man who destroyed evidence, forgets all about his part in the crime and moves forward in his lazy life; all of this while Katy lies in a hospital bed, still comatose, her life postponed, her loved ones outside of that room hoping and waiting.
Several years go by, bringing us to now. Something, or someone, has found a way to bring these individuals to justice; the perfect murder has been created and is being unleashed on the individuals responsible for Katy's situation.
Are they accidents? Could it be coincidence? Perhaps long-awaited payback in the form of the perfect murder? Revenge is a dish best served cold… and karma is a well-thrown boomerang.
I love mysteries…whoops my TBR has another addition! So here's where everyone else can grab a copy…
And you can stalk her here…


text:
The Lady of Shalott, narrative poem in four sections by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1832 and revised for his 1842 collection Poems.
Typically Victorian in its exaltation of an imprisoned maiden who dies for a chaste love, the poem tells of Elaine of Arthurian legend, shut in her father's coldly beautiful castle on the island of Shalott. Tennyson evokes his heroine's dreamlike, monotonous life through incantatory rhyme and metre.


text:
16th Tennessee Volunteer
Infantry Regiment
Battle Flags
To help those who don't now the Battle Flags listed below by name at some date, hopefully within the next month or two, there will be posted here illustrations of all the Battle Flags mentioned below.
What is a Battle Flag?
They are the flag that an organized body of men follow into battle. The use of distinctive Battle Flags was not unique to American Civil War Regiments as for centuries European Regiments had carried them, other distinctive insignia had been used from before the Romans. The first flags carried by Regiments of American citizens was during the War of 1812.
At the start of the Civil War Companies were raised throughout the South and then formed into Regiments. These Regiments, and also the Companies, received Regimental Roster Company flags from their local communities, many times these flags were usually presented with great ceremony.
The only flag that we can be sure was carried by the 16th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the 'Mountain Flag'.
There is a point of interest is a report by Colonel John H. Savage, Commanding Officer of the Regiment, written after the Battle of Perryville (Chaplin Hills), 8 October 1862. After the Regiment had crossed Chaplains Creek he 'halted the Regiment, ordered my colour bearers to the front and ordered the Regiment to dress on them.' As both the words 'bearers' and 'them' it could be that they were carrying two flags but its probable that this was the posting of the Regimental colours, with its colour guard, and the two flank markers.
These flags depicted here have been kindly made by John Dolan-Heitlinger to what is written here with this in mind any mistakes are mine. I hope that when John has time he will produce all the others that this page needs. Any comments please contact me.
The 'Mountain Flag' (1st National) 1
The 'Mountain Flag' (1st National) 2
On 'July 4. Thursday---Clear and hot.
The 16th Tenn. Regt. was presented with a most beautiful flag today by the
ladies of the Mountain district. Capt. A. L. Davis representing them and
addressing the Regt. Col. Savage received it with a few appropriate
remarks.' Another quote 'The
first regimental flag of the 16th Tenn. Inf. was presented 4 July
1861 at Camp Trousdale in a ceremony attended by a part of 18 men, women and
children from the Upper Cumberland.....On
the 6'
x 9'
banner, the state seal was painted on the blue field, encircled by 11 silver
stars, and inscribed on the white bar in gold were the words 'To the Mountain
Regiment, Tennessee Volunteers.
Presented by Mrs A.
L. Davis, Mrs B.
S. Rhea and Mrs O.
F. Hunt Daughters of the Mountains
July 4, 1861' (1) A further quote says 'At
three o'clock P.M., Col. Savage.....had his regiment paraded and formed into
line when the flag, six feet by nine, made of the best material to be had, was
duly presented to the regiment. The painting on the blue
field consisted of the shield or
coat of arms of the State of Tennessee, beautifully painted on
both sides, with eleven bright
silver stars in a circle around the shield, with one other dimly
painted representing Missouri' (2)
This flag measured 72 inches by 108 inches and was most likely shot to pieces at Murfreesboro with the remnants presented to Colonel John Savage. This flag was made by William J. Fry, Nashville, TN. (Fry advertised his business in the local newspapers saying 'silk and satin flags and banners, gilded and painted to order').
At least two Tennessee infantry regiments used the First National flag with the Tennessee State Seal painted in the canton. After the Battle of Perryville (Chaplin Hills), 8 October 1862, the Regiments in Benjamin F. Cheatam's Division, of which the Regiment was part, were allowed to put 'inverted cross cannon' on their Battle Flags, its unknown whether the Regiment ever did this.
As well as the mentioned eleven stars there was added a twelve star this twelfth star being that of Missouri, which was about to vote on secession.
The two flags are depicted as will be seen the descriptions are slightly different and as we cannot be sure what the battle flag looked like these ideas are the best we can do until more information becomes available.
The 'Polk' pattern flag
It will be noticed both the
'Polk' and 'Cassidy' pattern were being issued as Battle Flags at the same time to
Regiments within Polk's Grand Division (Corps), it's quite likely that with the retirement of
the 'Mountain Flag' either of these could have been now issued to
(To help understand the problems with what would be the next Battle Flag for the Regiment this information covers units that were in Cheatham's Division, of which the 16th Tennessee were members, during the Battles of Perryville and Murfreesboro (Stones River). This information was kindly produced for me.
The 1st Tennessee famously had a 'Polk' Flag.
The 4th Tennessee was issued with a 'Cassidy' flag after Shiloh, but before June 1862.
The 8th Tennessee was issued a 1st National Flag in October 1861, which they carried until it was captured at Murfreesboro.
The 9th Tennessee still had there 1st National after Shiloh, but there is some evidence to suggest that when they were combined with the 6th Tennessee, who were issued with a 'Polk' Flag.
The 19th and 24th Tennessee both had 1st National Flag, but not sure of the usage.
The 27th Tennessee was issued with a 'Cassidy' Flag after Shiloh, but I believe took the 'Polk' Flag when they combined with the 1st Tennessee.
At Murfreesboro, some of Vaughn's Brigades Regiments are reported as having 'Polk' Flags.
Units in Withers Division are also known to have 'Polk' Flags )
Leonidas Polk, the Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana, had these flags issued to the cavalry, infantry and artillery of the 1st Grand Division (later Corps), the flags had been shipped to Polk on 30 January 1862, and were first carried at the Battle of Shiloh.
The Regiment joined the Army of Mississippi (Tennessee) and was assigned to Polk's Corps, Cheatam's Division on the 23 April 1862. The next order of these flags were made of bunting and cotton, and were smaller than the original issue and measuring 28 inches by 51 to 52 inches, they were distributed to Benjamin F. Cheatham's Division on 4 September 1862.
It possible that this flag was carried by the Regiment as a Corps flag and was lost at Murfreesboro (Stones River), 31 December 1862-3 January 1863, as a 'Polk' pattern flag claimed to be that of the 16th Tennessee now resides in the Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, VA. This measures 29 inches by 52 1/2 inches and has 11 stars. This flag was believed to have been recovered from the battlefield at Murfreesboro by Daniel W. Adams Brigade. It was rediscovered in Virginia in April 1865 and then transferred to the US war Department in1906. The flag had been found lying on the ground over which the Regiment had been fighting, along with three Companies of the 51st Tennessee. (Two other Regiments, the 9th and 44th Mississippi (Chalmer's Brigade) had retired in disorder over this ground earlier so its quite possible that it could be theirs, although the 9th had a 'Cassidy').
The 'Cassidy' style, 2nd pattern flag
With the intention of having the Army of Tennessee
adopt a Battle Flag with the style of that of the Army of Northern Virginia Army
Commander Gustave Toutant Beauregard placed the first order with a New Orleans
sail-maker Henry Cassidy, of New Orleans, on the 23 February 1862, these would
become known as the 1st Cassidy.
A second order was placed on the 11 March 1862 for a further 51 flags for Polk's Corps. They were dispatched on the 29 March but failed to arrive before the Battle of Shiloh, 6th-7th April. Some time about the end of May they arrived and were distributed in a haphazard fashion. There were three types infantry, artillery and cavalry. The infantry flags measured 51 inches high by 45 inches long. Both the 1st and 2nd Cassidy looked the same.
The 'Cassidy' style, 3rd pattern, Army of Northern Virginia flag
A third order of 31 flags were placed on the 3rd
March 1862 it seems that they were originally for issue to Hardee's Corps but
they also arrived after the battle of Shiloh and were never issued to this
Corps. They were issued as replacement flags on an 'as needed' basis and
could well have been issued to the Regiment. Only one size was ordered and they
measured 41 inches high by 72 inches long.
(I have been in discussions with Greg Biggs, author of the book called "Volunteer Banners - Tennessee's Civil War Flags" and contributor to "Flags of the World", who feels that its more probable that they were issued with the 2nd pattern Cassidy and not the 3rd.)
1st National flag
With the retirement of the 'Mountain Flag' after the Battle of Murfreesboro it's replacement could have been the 1st National as a Battle Flag, as many other units carried it as such and this was basically the same as the original flag. The flag measured about 36 inches by 83inches. It was usual to put the regimental name in the white canton in black, although red was also used. This was some times written with the Regimental number on a higher plane. Here are two suggestions.
The 'Johnston' style Army of Northern Virginia flag
These flags would most likely have
been carried from early 1864 as when Joe Johnston
again assumed command of the Army of Tennessee, December 1863, he commenced the issuance of a uniform Battle Flag to replace the
half-dozen different designs in service at that time. Early in 1864 probably during March/April the quartermaster
department issued a flag similar to those used by the Army of Northern Virginia,
although rectangular rather than square, it also failed to have the white
border found on the ANV version of that date.
In early 1864, while the Army was at Dalton, ' orders were received for each Regiment to put their State and Regimental number on their flags. Thomas Head and Thompson, with the help of a sign painter, cut letters from fabric, and a young lady sewed them on. When completed, the flag read: '16th Regiment Tennessee Volunteers.''
The average dimensions were 36 inches by 52 inches, the Regimental designation were usually put into the top triangle, with the State in the bottom one, both in white, although there's at least one in existence with a white bar in the top triangle holding both designations in black. Many of this pattern flag had Regimental markings on top and bottom also had the same markings on the left and right on the other side.
Battle honours could be found in the white border that surrounded the blue cross, written in black. Flags were found with the unit designation and the State in the top triangular canton and the rest having battle honours. Crossed cannon are found either in the bottom or the fly triangle canton, and could be found as the center star in the cross.
The 'Johnston' style Army of Northern Virginia flag
This is a representation of what the Regiments flag would have looked like if they could have fielded themselves as a separate Regiment.
The 'Johnston' style 8/16/28th Tennessee Flag
Due to having suffered large casualties the Army reorganization of 14 September 1864 produced the consolidation together of the 8th, 16th, and 28th Tennessee Regiments into one field unit. This Regiment was Commanded by Colonel John H. Anderson of the 8th Tennessee. With this amalgamation the new Regiment could now have a new Battle Flag due to them although this was not issued. (The Regiments still maintained their individual identities in camp and with roles and documentation so its quite possible that all three still carried their individual colours into battle.)
The 'Johnston' style 1st Consolidated Tennessee flag
During the Army reorganization of 9 April 1865 the following units were incorporation into one: 1st (Field's), 6th, 8th, 9th, 16th, 27th, 28th, and 34th Tennessee Infantry Regiments, plus the 24th Tennessee Sharpshooter Battalion. Within this new Regiment what was left of the old 16th formed Companies 'F' and 'K' of the First Consolidated Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Commanded by Colonel Hume R. Field. Once again a new Battle Flag was needed but would never have been ordered let alone carried as the Army was about to surrender.


text:
Archity or Libertextures cushion
31 comments
Woo hoo you made it this far!
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and share your thoughts! ✿◕ ‿ ◕ノ*:・゚✧
Don't worry about a name- just know it is gorgeous! A rose by any other name.....ReplyDelete
Beautiful! Doesn't matter what you call it! :-)ReplyDelete
- Anonymous19 July 2013 at 11:38
Such a special pillow. You'll love it forever. I'm going to check out Very Berry Fabrics because I have decided I cannot live much longer without some Liberty in my life...ReplyDelete
Gorgeous pillow! The Liberty prints are so pretty and the crosshatch prints from Architextures make such great backgroundslReplyDelete
This makes me like Liberty a little bit more. I'm still dubious, but I'll believe you, because it's you! :-PReplyDelete
and so do I :-DReplyDelete
Oh it's beautiful! How about Archiberty? Hehee now it sounds like a person's name huhReplyDelete
The hand quilting you did on this cushion is lovely. Lucky you winning the Liberty Fabrics .. me jealous? Definitely! :)ReplyDelete
Oh, it is beautiful! Just lovely :)ReplyDelete
I'm sure Mark will be over the moon at yet another cushion for the sofa!! Tee heeReplyDelete
Lovely cushion!ReplyDelete
Love it! Awesome job and I love the Liberty with the cross hatch!ReplyDelete
I love it!! So very pretty!ReplyDelete
so so pretty :-)ReplyDelete
Well all the very best sort of people love diamond liberty EPP cushions. It's delicious :-)ReplyDelete
Great job! The fabric goes perfectly with the star!ReplyDelete
esthersipatchandquilt at yahoo dot com
ipatchandquilt dot wordpress dot com
Such a nice cushion! The liberty looks great with the architextures!ReplyDelete
It's gorgeous! I love the happy dotty backing, too.ReplyDelete
Beautiful! They work so well together and I love the stitching!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous combo Lucy - I love it!ReplyDelete
Oooh, that looks fabulous - I really like the combination, which is something I would never have thought of. Brilliant! Thanks so much for giving Very Berry Fabrics a mention. xxxReplyDelete
Either way, it looks be-e-a-utiful! XReplyDelete
Oh, I love Nicey Jane! Anything Heather, really. So happy to see that cushion in it's proper home.ReplyDelete
Sorry about the heat. I can empathize! Except we have AC, of course. We eat a lot of watermelon in the summer, too.
Lois crawling?! Look out! I hope she doesn't work any of her darling chub off with all the new exercise. :)
Oh, I love Nicey Jane! Anything Heather, really. So happy to see that cushion in it's proper home.ReplyDelete
Sorry about the heat. I can empathize! Except we have AC, of course. We eat a lot of watermelon in the summer, too.
Lois crawling?! Look out! I hope she doesn't work any of her darling chub off with all the new exercise. :)
Gorgeous. I haven't actually used mine yet, way to make me feel guilty ;o)ReplyDelete
This is so gorgeous - the hand quilting makes it look so soft and snuggly!ReplyDelete
Your cushion is amazing! Just amazing! Love it!ReplyDelete
Those fabrics compliment each other beautifully! Gorgeous cushion :)ReplyDelete
- Anonymous30 July 2013 at 18:34
Hi Lucy! Your pillow is so beautiful! Lovely pattern and your fabric choises are wonderful!ReplyDelete
I love that burst of liberty! You picked the perfect pattern to show off those fabrics!ReplyDelete


text: Enter our latest Blender Giveaway! ROASTED GARLIC WHITE BEAN DIP WITH ROSEMARY PITA RECIPE Creamier than hummus, with a mellow sweetness from the roasted garlic, this filling spread can be served warm or cold. If you're looking for a snack to boost your immune system and brain power, this garlic and rosemary packed recipe is perfect. For a more intense flavor, we recommend mixing rosemary in your olive oil! With a Blendtec or Vitamix, it's easy to blend this perfect mix of savory and salty healthy dip recipe. All dips and spreads are a … [Read more...]


text:
Photo from owenracing.com
IRR held its own media day on Fat Tuesday, focusing on the all important future of the sport with a young star of tomorrow. Nineteen year old Will Owen drives the number 23 American Medical Response car in IndyCar's Pro Mazda feeder series, merely a few rungs away from the big time.
Right at the start of our delightful interview we asked him if he intends to race in the Indianapolis 500 one day. Without hesitation Will said, "Absolutely. My goal is IndyCar and the Indy 500. I attended the race the first time last year and what a spectacle. Three hundred thousand people, it was awesome. It's a great tradition for the city."
Photo from Indy Race Reviewer
Will's from Castle Rock, Colorado and is an intelligent young racer who we liked immediately. Turns out, Will's quite the pill. It wasn't just that he's well spoken, polite and talented that won us over, but hilariously the underclassman nearly forgot about geology lab Tuesday afternoon. Recalling those foggy, fun college days and knowing how expensive an education is today, we happily postponed the interview until the lab session was complete.
There are numerous reasons to root for Will – he's an American, he's quick and he's a genuinely nice guy. Tellingly his favorite television show is "Top Gear," and although fit he does allow himself the occasional trip to Whattaburger. He also loves the Broncos and Peyton Manning.
Above all else in his particular field, Will's a winner. In 2013, Will won three races in Formula Mazda to go along with an impressive eight podiums. Last year he raced in USF2000 and won an amazing race at Indianapolis in his inaugural campaign, going from last to first. We asked him what it was like to win his first USF2000 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Photo from facebook.com/williamowenracing
"It was a whirlwind, crazy. Continue reading


text:
An oath is a solemn promise about your behavior or your actions. Often, when you take an oath, the promise invokes a divine being. For example, you might swear to God that something is true or swear on the Bible that something is true.
Oaths are taken all the time, both a professional capacity and in a personal capacity. In some cases, you can get into serious trouble for taking an oath and then going back on your word or not living up to your promise. For example, if you testify in court and you take an oath to tell the truth and you then lie on the stand, you can be tried for, and convicted of, perjury. If you take an oath of loyalty to your country and you lie, then you can be tried for treason.
Some examples of oaths include:
"I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God."
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Tradition dictates that presidents add "So Help Me God," after saying the Oath, but this is not in the official text.
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"
Other oaths can also be taken, such as:
All of these are examples of oaths used frequently in American life.
MLA Style
APA Style
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


text:
Food allergies and asthma in children are a big deal. Parents worry about their children having a fatal reaction to a peanut, or whether they won't have their inhalers on hand if they have a nasty asthma attack at school. Physicians have been busy trying to figure out what causes food allergies and asthma, as well as how to treat it.
At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology in New Orleans, it was announced at a press conference that too much folate during pregnancy could be a cause of allergies. This was news to me, but apparently it is a cause of concern and worthy of a study.
At the meeting's featured poster session, there was additional information showing that higher plasma folate levels in pregnant women was significantly associated with an increased risk of their children developing asthma at 3 years of age.
To read more of this post, please visit our sister blog The Mole, which is located at SkinandAllergyNews.com.


text:
Donald J. Trump interrupted a promotion for his new hotel in Washington to shower praise on Newt Gingrich for confronting the Fox News host Megyn Kelly on Tuesday night, when the former House speaker said in an interview that she was "fascinated with sex" in her reporting on Mr. Trump's treatment of women.
Speaking at a gold-gilded lectern at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue on Wednesday, Mr. Trump pointed a finger toward Mr. Gingrich, who was in the audience at the hotel ribbon-cutting.
"Congratulations, Newt, on last night — that was an amazing interview," Mr. Trump said. "We don't play games, Newt, right? We don't play games."
Ms. Kelly has been a frequent target of Mr. Trump ever since she was a moderator at the first Republican primary debate in August 2015 and asked him about his past misogynistic comments.
The video of Ms. Kelly interviewing a hostile Mr. Gingrich went viral on social media within hours of airing.
During the exchange, Mr. Gingrich repeatedly rebuked Ms. Kelly for covering accusations from more than 10 women that Mr. Trump groped or sexually assaulted them.
"You are fascinated by sex and you don't care about public policy," Mr. Gingrich said.
Ms. Kelly seemed taken aback, and chuckled: "Me? Really?"
Mr. Gingrich then tried to shift the discussion toward sexual assault accusations that have been made against former President Bill Clinton over the years. But when Ms. Kelly pointed out that Mr. Clinton is not running for president, Mr. Gingrich excoriated her.
He urged her to say, "Bill Clinton, sexual predator." He went on: "I dare you. Say 'Bill Clinton, sexual predator.'"
Ms. Kelly said that she had covered those accusations as well. Eventually, she cut Mr. Gingrich off, saying, "You can take your anger issues and spend some time working on them, Mr. Speaker."
A short while later, Dan Scavino Jr., Mr. Trump's campaign social media director, posted on Twitter about the exchange.
Mr. Gingrich, a Fox News commentator, also went on Twitter on Wednesday, saying that this was an example of "media bias." He told reporters covering the hotel ceremony that the exchange was merely part of "the business."


text: Obama Shows Congress Who's Boss President takes more hands-on approach to legislation By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff Posted May 17, 2010 5:12 PM CDT 63 comments President Barack Obama pays tribute to peace officers, who died in the duty last year, during a memorial ceremony on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington Saturday, May 15, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (Newser) – President Obama is growing more assertive on Capitol Hill. Since he took office, the president's supporters have criticized him for not exerting enough control over the details of legislation, instead letting Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi hammer out specifics—even on major administration goals, like the health care bill. On legislation this week concerning the Gulf oil spill and financial regulation, Obama has switched to a prescriptive style, reports Politico. Both bills dealt with issues that could cause big trouble for the Democrats if they're mishandled. "He's stepping in because he'll be held accountable in 2012 if he doesn't," one Democratic staffer says. "The clock is running out, and they realize they need to provide a much more specific idea of what they want," adds another. "We like it. We can use the sense of direction." (Read more Barack Obama stories.) My Take on This Story Report a story error Show results | 13% Annoying 5% Hilarious 3% Intriguing 5% Depressing 64% Brilliant 9% Scary


text: Construction is an expensive business. There are a lot of different costs that go into different forms of construction. Cutting costs is very difficult to do because construction workers are under strict safety regulations. These regulations are for the safety of the worker and the clients, but they usually mean more money. That can be [ Read More ]


text:
Photo exhibition and supporting program, September 2004 - Summer 2006
Photos and information:
>> Pierre Verger: 110 photos, texts
>> Mario Cravo Neto: 44 photo pages
>> Photos from Berlin
A project of the Goethe-Institut and the Pierre Verger Foundation Salvador/Bahia, in cooperation with the Museum of Ethnology Berlin-Dahlem, the Museum of World Cultures Frankfurt a.M., the Linden-Museum Stuttgart, the State Museum of Ethnology Munich and the publishing house Das Wunderhorn Heidelberg. Under the patronage of the Brazilian minister of culture. Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation.
All the venues:
Berlin, September - November 2004
Frankfurt/M., February - June 2005
Stuttgart, June - September 2005
Munich, February - May 2006
Basel, July - August 2006
Supporters>> see: Thanks


text:
It is always great to see staff within your college or school utilising technology and making some attempt at embedding it in to the teaching and learning that is occurring. It's just as great to see staff take it upon themselves to use technology and learn new things themselves through having a go at something that they in the past may not have been all that confident about.
Teaching year 9 can be difficult at the best of times, and teaching year 9 physics can be even more so! So it was great to see a particular year 9 physics class at my college fully engaged in the task that they were involved in through the use of ICT and the excellent hands on activity that they were completing.
The task, to save an egg from a 3m fall from the top of a school building! Students had a range of materials available to them to create a device which would stop the egg from cracking and making a mess everywhere! Students used their MacBooks to research effective methods of construction and held discussions with their teacher about the effects of gravity and how to minimise the impact of the egg when it hits the ground.
Now, for a staff member who is quite good with technology yet does not… entirely embrace it… displayed some outstanding skills when he created the two mini iMovie clips below! Both of which give excellent little insights in to his students work and what they created!


text:
Throughout a multitude of career disciplines, apprenticeships are growing to become the favoured method for employing and developing new talent.
Group Training & Development Ltd is the leading Engineering training provider of engineering apprenticeships in North Devon.
We are currently seeking up to 30 apprentices for the following roles:
Electronic Engineers
Electrical Maintenance Engineers
Fabricators & Welders
Sheet Metal Workers
Test Engineers
CNC Machinists
Live vacancies are available in
GCSE grade C and above in Maths, English, ICT and Science are desirable but not essential, and applications are welcomed from individuals who possess a keen willingness to learn. Excellent career progression opportunities exist for the right candidates.
To find out more about these apprenticeships, phone:
Garry Brown on 07805 696783
or apply online at


text:
I'm writing this on my phone so it's going to be shorter than otherwise. I hate writing on my phone.
Dear Eliza
I love you. Just breathe. You are okay. I know you are on edge. I know the moment is really hard for you. I don't know how to change it.
You've done what you can – some anyways. And done what you dislike like eating a lot of junk food. Eliza, you are okay. The worst is you remain on edge. I just hope that you are able to sleep as you haven't really in a long while. It'll pass. It can change. It will change. Coz today you dunno how to handle life means that one day you will know. And yeah Eliza, there is a lot going on externally, it brings up a lot of the past that you aren't ready to face, and it's okay. You are okay. You've got this. No you won't always act as you should. You've only gotta try. You're worth it… And you will get there.
Luv ya,


text:
Sunday Small Group Woodstock
Every other Sunday until January 5, 2020
4:00pm – 5:30pm
Location: 1048 Ashfern Walk, Woodstock, GA 30189Category: Small Group
Contact: Tony Argo at: email@example.com
Small Groups at Christ Community Church serve as one of the ways through which we build relationships and pursue discipleship in community. Together we seek to celebrate God's goodness, pray for one another, and encourage and learn from each other how to apply God's Word to the everyday circumstances of our lives. Small Groups meet at a variety of times and places throughout the week and welcome new participants to join at any time.
More in Small Group
December 8, 2019 4:00pm – 5:30pmSunday Small Group Kennesaw
December 8, 2019 5:00pm – 7:00pmSunday Small Group Downtown Kennesaw
December 9, 2019 7:00pm – 8:30pmMonday Small Group


text:
Beatrix Potter™ Peter Rabbit™ Nursery
See why the timeless appeal of Potter's stories and characters makes them a beautiful choice for a nursery theme.
The Perfect Window
Easy to follow instructions for creating beautiful windows in your child's room.
The Complete Nursery
Step-by-step tips for choosing versatile furnishings that can grow with your child.
5 Tips For An Eco-Friendly Nursery
Follow our expert's five easy steps to creating an eco-friendly world for your baby.
Growing Spaces - JV Baby - Dresser⁄Changer
Learn how the Kendall Dresser and Changing Table Topper can transition from a nursery to a big-kid room.
Growing Spaces - JV Baby - Crib Conversion
See how smart choices for your nursery can make transitioning to a big-kid room easy.
Growing Spaces - JV Baby - Cardboard Creation
Learn how to make a crafty oversized baseball to decorate an aspiring athlete's bedroom.


text:
A man left partially blind from viewing the 1962 solar eclipse is warning others that even a "quick look" at Monday's celestial event without special glasses can cause permanent damage.
"Oh, 20 seconds probably, that's all it took," Louis Tomososki told KPTV. "I'm glad I didn't go 40 seconds, it would have been even worse."
The 70-year-old was 16 when he and pal Roger Duvall looked up at the eclipse from a baseball field in Oregon. It was a total eclipse in Alaska and Canada but the path of totality didn't reach the Beaver State.
Still, it was enough to cause permanent damage for both teens.
Tomososki closed his left eye and kept the right one open to take a peek — enough to burn a hole in his retina.
"Every time we go to the eye doctor now for an exam, they dilate your eyes and look in and the first thing they say is, 'You looked at a solar eclipse sometime in your life!'" Tomososki said.
Duvall, 70, meanwhile, suffered damage to his left eye.
"We had looked down at the ground and you're still looking at part of the eclipse like it's imprinted in your eye," he told the Washington Post.
Tomososki said he's now able to see someone's face but not their nose, and said that when his left eye is closed, he can only see a "scrambled, whitish spot" through his right eye.
"Have you ever seen a news story where they don't want the license plate seen at home? That's the exact same color of everything, except mine's the size of a pea," he said. "And that was 20 seconds worth of burning. If we had looked longer — or the worst thing, if you switch eyes looking at the sun — then you're in real trouble."
Tomososki added, "A quick look like we did back in 1963 … that quick look cost us. And it could have cost us a lot more."


text:
ITS Ireland is delighted to announce an upcoming training course in behaviour change for transport professionals, taking place in November.
The course will be given by a team from the Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London (UCL) and will provide participants with an introduction to the principles of behaviour change science and design of behaviour change interventions, using Irish examples of transport projects throughout. Behaviour change is increasingly recognised as central to human well-being, social cohesion and sustainability and is a challenging and complex process, requiring theories, methods and evidence from many academic disciplines. With many cities now introducing lower speed limits, congestion charging, and integrated ticketing in an effort to bring about modal shift from private car use to more sustainable transport modes such as public transport, cycling and walking, transport policymakers and practitioners are playing a key role in projects that aim to bring about large-scale changes in behaviour. This course seeks to increase knowledge of how behaviour change science can be applied to the transport sector, through the presentation of practical, evidence-based frameworks for developing, implementing and evaluating behaviour change interventions.
Who should attend
This course is suitable for anyone who has a role in transport projects that require changes in behaviour and who require an understanding of behavioural science and the methods that can be used to bring about changes in behaviour at an individual, organisational or societal level. The course is also appropriate for anyone who, whilst not tasked with behaviour change themselves, are required to authorise or audit actions submitted by others.
No prior knowledge or experience of behaviour change science is required.
Course Delivery
The course will be presented by facilitators from the Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London (UCL), led by Dr Rachel Carey (Click here for more information). The Centre for Behaviour Change is a unique initiative, harnessing the breadth and depth of academic expertise in behaviour change at UCL to address key challenges facing society. They offer bespoke training workshops and courses to introduce participants to the principles of behaviour change and demonstrate how these can be applied to a range of practical problems.
Course content
Although there are no prerequisites for this course, it is anticipated that delegates will provide some examples of projects that they have worked on or will be working on which can be used in the workshop. Attendance Maximum of 15 delegates. The training course will have the following format:
Day 1 (10.00 – 16.30)
– Introduction to behavioural science principles
– Defining behaviours: Translation of broad problems/objectives to specific, measurable behaviours
– Understanding behaviours: Conducting a 'behavioural diagnosis' using the 'COM-B' model
– Intervention design: Using the Behaviour Change Wheel
Day 2 (10.00 – 16.30)
– Brief recap of Day 1
– Bringing your intervention to life: Selecting behaviour change techniques
– Discussion of metrics for measuring success
– Next steps: Developing action plans for specific problems
Learning Outcomes Delegates should come away with a thorough knowledge of the basic principles of behaviour change and have a toolkit for how to scope and develop intervention strategies
Wood Quay Venue, Civic Offices, Dublin City Council, Dublin 8
Time & Date
Start Date: 23rd November 2017
End Date: 24th November 2017
Course Price
€595 (ITS Ireland Members)
€795 (Non-ITS Ireland Members)
Dr Rachel Carey, Dr Fabiana Lorencatto, Centre for Behaviour Change, UCL
Further information
Overnight accommodation is not available via ITS Ireland and delegates must arrange accommodation for themselves if they are unable to commute. This course will go ahead subject to demand. If it is considered that there is not sufficient demand, this course will either be cancelled or re-scheduled. Delegates will be informed via email. No payments will be taken until such time as the course is confirmed. ITS Ireland cannot be held responsible for any costs related to travel arrangements or accommodation made prior to confirmation of the course going ahead.
Register for Course
Space is limited on this course so please register early in order to secure your place. Please click here to book.
Express your interest
If you have an interest in this course but are still undecided or not yet in a position to make a formal booking then you may like to express your interest in this course by contacting firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Win one of 5 Free Phone Skope Kits, a Hat and T-shirt ($150 value)
Welcome to Phone Skope & Crush with Lee and Tiffany's Contest. To enter for a chance to win please first "like" our page. Second register by entering your name, email and phone number. Don't worry about giving us your info. We will not use your information for anything other then to contact you if you win. However if you'd like to start getting our awesome emails from time to time (we won't fill up your inbox) check the box below and you'll be added to the list! After you submit your info you'll then have a chance to share this contest with your buddies. Be sure to do this last step to make sure you finish getting entered. Good Luck!
Like or follow us on Facebook! The first step is to "like" us on Facebook. If you have already liked us just skip this step and move on to step two.
(You'll need to be logged into your Facebook account)
Like PhoneSkope
[/av_codeblock] [/av_one_full]


text:
© Vogue Images
Vogue India
Just as his Spring/Summer 2016 collection hits the New York Fashion Week runway
Bibhu Mohapatra has an innate understanding of dressing New York women. Especially, when it comes to soiree style. "This is the biggest collection I have done. It starts with day dresses, then it goes into day separates, then evening separates then evening, [a total of] about 43 looks," says the designer. Mohapatra will be pairing Forevermark jewellery with a select few looks. His plan this season is to make luxury jewellery cool; to be worn during the day and not just at night. Vogue chats with the designer about his inspiration and the coming together of the two brands
What is the sensibility you share with Forevermark? I've alligned myself with Forevermark because of the the line and presicion and quality of their design. They are a part of the De Beers Group and the quality is exceptional. I've been talking to them for a while and they were in my radar for a while. We will be using about five to seven pieces in the show.
How did you pair the jewellery with the clothes? The whole idea this season is this bold girl with a liberated spirit yet very luxe. I am looking forward to pairing these beautiful jewels with day pieces. I like the idea of using really high-end, fine jewellery with everyday pieces like maybe a trench coat or a day dress to make it look cooler and younger. I want to make a case for luxury jewellery being cool; that it can be worn during the day and not just at night.
What can we expect from the collection? This collection is inspired by Annemarie Minna Renée Schwarzenbach who was a Swiss-German journalist and a photographer from the 1930s and was a style icon who experimented with her style. She was often seen men's clothes even before Marilyn Deitrich and Katherine Hepburn were seen in trousers. She drove from Europe to Afghanisthan, Iran, she was a nomad at heart. She went against the grain a lot times and that sincerely made her who she was. She passed away at an early age but after that her journals and photographs were published and she became an icon.
Does that mean the collection verges on androgyny? There are a lot of pants and jackets but its really about capturing Annemarie's spirit in the collection. She was inspired by the Bauhaus school and you can tell from her clothes that she was into geometry and simpler lines and looking at her photographs you can tell that the clothes she wore were very linear and modern.
What's the show music like? It's going to be two vocals and it's going to be very uplifting and powerful and emotional at the same time. It has a very celebratory feel to it. We are showing at one of the newer venues of New York Fashion week and its hosted by IMG.


text:
There is something wonderful about cooking together with friends around a barbeque. The smell, the sound, the flavour of the food filling the air just adds to the whole enjoyment. Everdure by Heston Blumenthal is my very own range of barbeques. From quick-starting charcoal, to the convenience of gas, they've each been designed from the ground up, and will change how you think about barbequed food.
Find Out More
Australia's most awarded chef with a clean sheet to design his ultimate home appliances. Professional quality, reliability and functional beauty with innovative and precise control.Find Out More
BLANCO has offered Australians an extensive range of European Kitchen Appliances and accessories since 1978, however the Blanco brand has been forging its way through Europe since 1925.Find Out More
OMEGA is recognised as a front runner in the Australian kitchen industry, providing a benchmark in style, quality and service that many seek to emulate.Find Out More
Robinhood is a leading Australasian brand of kitchen and laundry products. Robinhood products are sourced globally from leading manufacturers, good quality products with modern technology and award winning designs.Find Out More


text:
This is the adorable Sabrina Shirttail Dress from Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. I have been sitting on this pattern for a little while now but knew I wanted to make on up for the spring. Something light and flowy.
This pattern has a cute little pleated bib in the front. I wasn't real sure how I felt about it. And I must admit, I'm still not sure. Part of the reason is I made the dress a size bigger then what my little girl is in so that it will last this spring and next fall. Smart right? So the bib is a little bigger then I would like, but it is really cute with those pleats.
It also has cute plackets on the sleeves for easy on and off around the wrist.
The back has a large keyhole that ties at the top so the dress can get on easily over the head. Overall, it is a very cute pattern. One that I am sure I will use again when she is a bit bigger.
I think she likes it, what do you think? Winner!
Go grab your copy of the Sabrina Shirttail Dress HERE!
(I am a Peek-a-Boo Affiliate, however, all opinions are my own.)


text:
The Process
The stepparent cannot petition the court to change the child's last name. The child's biological parent must file a formal name change petition on the child's behalf at her county courthouse. Before she can do so, however, she must run a notice in the local newspaper for three consecutive weeks notifying the public of her intention to change the child's name. This serves as sufficient notification in Illinois for anyone – including the child's other biological parent – who may object to the name change. After filing the name change petition, the court sets a hearing date to decide the case.
The Hearing
At the hearing, the judge will consider whether the name change is in the child's best interests. You can present any evidence you have that demonstrates to the judge that the name change will benefit the child. The judge will take both biological parents' and the stepparent's opinions into consideration. If the child is old enough to state his own opinion, the judge will also take the child's opinion into consideration when ruling on whether to approve the name change.
Stepparent Adoption
If the stepparent formally adopts the child, the name change procedure differs. In an adoption, the child's biological parent loses all parenting rights to the child while the stepparent gains both the rights and responsibilities that come along with being the child's legal parent. If the stepparent adopts the child, the court will provide him with a Certificate of Adoption. After filing the Certificate of Adoption with the Circuit Clerk, the Office of Vital Records changes the child's surname on her birth certificate to the stepparent's surname.
According to Southern Illinois University School of Law, if the judge denies the name change request, the biological parent cannot simply file another petition. Once an Illinois court makes a ruling, the ruling is final and the court will not address the same issue a second time. Thus, a biological parent and stepparent hoping to change a minor child's name must ensure that they have enough evidence to support the necessity of the name change before filing the petition with the court. In the event the couple's circumstances change and they have enough evidence to support the name change, they may file the name change petition a second time.


text:
October 21, 2008
The current standard for 'Mark to Market' accounting, also known as 'Fair Value Accounting' is flawed in that it forces companies to record entries in their financial statements that are theoretical in both value and result. That is, the decision of whether to sell or retain assets depending on their value is assumed based on the classification of the financial asset (Hold, Trade, Available for Sale) with movement among classes highly discouraged. The consequences of forcing such valuations through the financial statements only serves to further distance the historical fact of what has occurred, as previously recorded, from what will occur once it actually happens.
Rather than attempting to get inside the head of individual business owners and managers by classifying intent based on current perceived values, it seems that the rules should be simplified infavor of actual economic events, not assumed theoretical outcomes.
I propose that companies record assets at amortized cost and impairments be recorded only when they are obviously permanent. Disclosure of estimated current values should be pushed into the footnotes.
While it may seem like an oversimplification, this uncomplicated approach would yield a more meaningful and useable result for all concerned. Those financial statement users that are most concerned with current fair values can gleen such information from the footnotes and adjust accordingly.
Thank you


text:
Telephone table from our stunning Tiverton range. With chunky, gently lime-washed oak tops and chrome details, this painted collection blends classic and contemporary influences for a rustic style all of its own.
This beautiful telephone table will suit most styles and tastes, whether contemporary or rustic. One fitted drawer with chrome cup handle and beautiful woven basket make this an ideal addition to any hallway.


text:
Consulting – an expedition into the unknown,
aimed at supporting customers to cope with the unexpected,
to explore new territory, to re-discover the seemingly familiar,
& to combine all elements in new ways for the benefit
of the people involved & for the organization as a whole.
We! dwarfs and Giants
Joachim Schwendenwein, evolutionary catalyst
Master's degree in Sociology & Group Dynamics (Vienna), PhD in Organization Consulting (Kassel), Specific Qualifications in Systemic Consulting, Organizational Constellations, Large Group Interventions, Clear Leadership, Innovation et al
20+ years in consulting Projects and & Leadership Development Programs on the main 4 * continents in all sectors
*Africa, The Americas, APAC, Europe
Working areas:
International organizational transformation (Organizational Redesign, PMI, Culture Shift, Product & Business Model Innovation,…), involving Executive Coaching & Team Sparring, Strategic Expeditions, Large Group Interventions,…
Experiential Leadership development, Group & Organization Dynamics


text:
|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|Steve Loughran <ste...@apache.org>
|Re: [VOTE] Graduate Ivy as a subproject of Ant
|Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:15:24 GMT
Xavier Hanin wrote: > Hi, > > As discussed recently on this mailing list [1], I would like to start a > community vote to decide if the Ivy community feels ready to graduate as a > subproject of Ant. > > The graduation guide [2] can be used as a basis to collect information about > what is usually necessary to graduate. > > Note that this is only a community vote, and is the first of three votes > required for graduation, as explained in the graduation guide [2]. > [+1 ] Yes, I think the Ivy podling is ready to graduate as a subproject of Ant [ ] No, I don't think the Ivy podling is ready to graduate as a subproject of Ant because ... -steve --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: email@example.com For additional commands, e-mail: email@example.com
|View raw message


text:
Computer security firm alleges attackers made co-ordinated intrusions into systems of five major oil and gas firms.
The computer security firm McAfee has alleged that attackers made "co-ordinated, covert and targeted" intrusions into the systems of five major oil and gas firms to steal proprietary information.
Reuters said the three largest US-based oil companies – Exxon Mobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips – declined to comment, saying they did not discuss security measures as a matter of policy.
Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said he did not know of the case. "I really have no grasp of this situation, but we frequently hear about these types of reports," he said.
McAfee, which has an interest in publicising security threats, given that it sells products to combat them, said it had provided the data to the FBI.
The FBI said it was aware of cyber threats but could not comment on the specific allegations.
read more HERE


text:
First Friday Art Walks in St. Augustine
Galleries in four art districts open their doors to showcase their artists' works.
Visiting St. Augustine the first weekend of the month? Be sure to arrive on Friday, and don't miss First Friday Art Walks in America's Oldest City.
The first Friday of every month, almost 30 galleries in St. Augustine open their doors to the public, welcoming all to pop in and peruse. First Friday Art Walks take place from 5 to 9 p.m. and are St. Augustine's most popular cultural event.
Whether serious art collectors or just browsing, gallery owners invite visitors strolling St. Augustine's brick-lined streets to check out their exhibits and take part in artist receptions complete with refreshments, live entertainment and objets des artes ranging from fine photography to funky gifts – all available to view or purchase.
The best part? It's all free, and most galleries are within walking distance of one another. Parking is also free after 5 p.m. at many locations downtown, except the Historic Parking Garage. First Friday Art Walks happen rain or shine, and the event typically continues with "after-parties" at nearby local nightclubs and restaurants.
Plaza de la Constitucion divides the galleries into four convenient art districts: North of the Plaza, South of the Plaza, West of the Plaza and East of Downtown. To start your self-guided tour, pick up a map at a participating gallery or download it ahead of time. For more information, call (832) 779-2781.


text:
The 4G speed of the Mukesh Ambani-owned company, which started operations in September, has risen from 5.85 Mbps in November, as per the monthly average mobile data speed published by the regulator. Trai collects and computes the speed of mobile data from subscribers across the country on a real-time basis.
Jio curtailed per-user data consumption to 1GB a day from 4 GB, which contributed to higher speeds, analysts said. The company extended its offer of free voice and data services by three months to March 31.
Reliance Jio's download speed in November was lower than the previous peak speed of 7.26 Mbps in September. Airtel's speed was the highest at 12.03 Mbps in October and it fell to 6.175 Mbps in November. While taking both 3G and 4G data networks into account, Airtel's average download speed slowed to 4.68 Mbps in December from 5.93 Mbps in November and was lower than 7.52 Mbps in October.
The download speed on the Vodafone network increased to 6.7 Mbps in December from 4.9 Mbps in November. Idea's speed improved to 5.037 Mbps last month from 4.36 Mbps in November.


text:
1st International Meeting on Weight Bearing-MRI
A unique educational event bringing together the experts in Weight Bearing-MRI
Weight Bearing-MRI is recognized as a viable method giving additional relevant diagnostic information for patient care which is demonstrated both by the increasing number of publications and Weight Bearing-MRI installations. Therefore Esaote took the initiative to organize this educational event for current and future WB-MRI users. You are invited to participate in the meeting as ample time has been planned to exchange opinions with the experts and trying to work towards standard guidelines in Weight Bearing-MRI.
Scope and Outline of the Meeting
- Sharing the experience of the expert users presenting their studies and addressing important practical issues
- Enhance the understanding of the clinical benefits of Weight Bearing-MRI
Download WB-MRI Meeting Brochure
- 1st International Meeting on Weight Bearing-MRI
(PDF Brochure, 1.3 Mb)
Registration & Accomodation
Registration form is available at: www.weightbearingmri.eu
IMPORTANT: as the number of participants is limited, please register in advance. Participation will be honored on first come first go base. Several packages are available including also hotel accommodation. See the website for details.
Technology and features are system/configuration dependent. Specifications subject to change without notice. Information might refer to products or modalities not yet approved in all countries. For further details, please contact your Esaote sales representative.


text:
We want to give you a voice. We want to let you create your own video brand here. Join us and let's do this market a better place for every player!
- we know you have your own version of the story we would love to hear it here.
- surely you face your frustrations too. Would you tell them publicly? Here is the place where we can help improve your mission.
- client's satisfaction counts most in a business market. Are you satisfied with the recruitment process? We need to know how we can better fit into your needs. Here is a place to tell it to us.


text:
Using the Practice Plan Tool
This learning module is intended for NNE-PTN Practice Facilitators and Quality Improvement Coaches from partner organizations. It provides an overview of the newly developed Practice Plan Tool.
The Practice Plan Tool is designed to assist Practice Facilitators and QI Coaches with facilitating the transformation process. The Practice Plan Tool collects all essential information in one location and can be used to document transformation activities and meeting notes. It also produces a customizable summary document that can be shared with practices. The summary document lists milestones by phase and score and provides current score descriptions, associated TCPi drivers, and the specific actions required to improve the scores from 0 to 1, 1 to 2, and 2 to 3. The goal of this learning module is to provide Practice Facilitators and QI Coaches with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use this tool with their practices.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this module, participants will gain proficiency and understanding in how to:
- Use the Practice Plan Tool.
- Properly import PAT data into the Practice Plan Tool.
- Create vision statements aligned with the 7 Overarching TCPI Project Aims, following the steps involved in using the Practice Plan Tool.
- Use the Practice Plan Tool to set aims and measures.
- Set target completion dates and notes.
- Use the Practice Plan Tool and Summary to plan systematic and continuous transformation activities.
- Understand how to properly format the Practice Plan Summary for printing and saving as a PDF.
- Access and utilize the additional resources located on the supplemental tabs in the Practice Plan Tool.
Intended Audience:
This learning module is intended for NNE-PTN Practice Facilitators and Quality Improvement Coaches from partner organizations.
Module Structure:
This learning module is self-paced and participants can work through the materials at their own pace.
Duration & Fee:
- Estimated Time to Complete: 1 hour
(note: the module is divided into short digestible units [5-15 mins] which can be completed in small increments)
- Registration Fee: FREE for NNE-PTN members
- CME Credits Offered: 1.0
Hardware/Software Requirements:
- Computer with Internet connection
- The quiz tool within the online modules are not fully compatible with smartphones or tablets. In order to avoid issues, such as answers not being recorded, we recommend using a computer to complete the pre- and post-tests.
Assessment and Grading:
This learning module begins with a Pre-Test that will test your knowledge and allow you to gauge your baseline understanding of the topics to be covered. Your pre-test score will not count toward your overall grade. At the end of the module, there is a Post-Test that will determine your final grade. A comparison of your Pre-Test score and Post-Test score will help to assess how much knowledge you've gained. You will have two attempts to complete the Post-Test. Your score must be 75% or better in order to receive a certificate for CME credit.
Please complete the evaluation survey at the conclusion of the learning module.
To Obtain CME Credits:
- Complete the entire learning module.
- Complete the Pre-Test, Post Test, and Evaluation Survey at the end of the module.
- You must earn a score of 75% or higher on the Post-Test in order to qualify for CME credits. You will have three attempts to complete the Post-Test.
- After confirming that the entire learning module is complete and you have received a score of 75% or higher on the Post-Test, your certificate of completion will be generated and available for you for download.
- A CME Documentation Form will be emailed.
Table of Contents:
- Getting Started
- Test Your Knowledge (Pre-Test)
- Unit 1: Introduction to the Practice Plan Tool
- Unit 2: Importing Scores
- Unit 3: Creating the Vision Statement
- Unit 4: Setting Aims and Measures
- Unit 5: Setting Target Completion Dates
- Unit 6: Using the Practice Plan Summary
- Unit 7: The Supplemental Tabs
- Course Wrap Up (Post-test and Evaluation Survey)
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the Maine Medical Association Committee on Continuing Medical Education and Accreditation through the partnership of Maine Medical Education Trust and Qualidigm. The Maine Medical Education Trust is accredited by the Maine Medical Association to provide CME activities for physicians.
The following planners, speakers and authors have indicated that they have no relationships with industry to disclose relative to the content of this activity:
Joan Orr, MCHES, MBA
Program Director
Morgan McGlasson (Presenter)
Research Associate
Institute for Health Policy and Practice
Contact Information:
If you are having technical problems (video freezes or is unplayable, can't print your certificate of completion, etc.) you can submit a Help Request (firstname.lastname@example.com) to the Learning Lab Team. If you have questions related to CME credit and requirements (Pre and Post-test) or course content, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
A trio of YA authors will celebrate the publication of Holly Black's The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories (Feb.), the first original fiction collection from Big Mouth House, the recently launched children's publishing arm of Small Beer Press, and raise money for the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, Mass. The panel, which features Black, Link (The Pretty Monsters), and Cassandra Clare (the Mortal Instruments series), is sponsored by Brookline Booksmith and will be held at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Thursday, March, 11 at 6 p.m. A portion of the $5 ticket price as well as of book sales will be donated to the children's rehabilitation hospital, where the 11-month-old daughter of press founders Link and Gavin Grant is being cared for on the pulmonary ward.
Black brought the collection to Small Beer through a somewhat circuitous route. Her office is in the same refitted warehouse in Easthampton, Mass., which is how she met Link and Grant. For The Poison Eaters the pair encouraged Black to participate in the entire process of making the book. According to Grant, Black not only chose the paper that the cover is printed on, but also the colors and the cover image. The Poison Eaters will launch with one of Small Beer's largest print runs to date, 15,000 copies.
The March event will be Black's only appearance to promote the collection, since she will be doing an extensive tour in May for her first book in the Curse Worker series, White Cat (Margaret K. McElderry, May). To build interest in the panel, Small Beer is encouraging attendees, as well as those who can't make it, to email their questions to the authors in advance. At the event the panelists will answer selected questions posed in advance, as well as questions from the audience.
The Poison Eaters is the second book to be published by Big Mouth House. The first, Joan Aiken's The Serial Garden, came out in October. Forthcoming titles include a novel by YA author Delia Sherman as well as Lydia Millet's first foray into children's books, a series about three children who live on Cape Cod whose mother disappears.
The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories by Holly Black. Small Beer Press/Big Mouth House, $17.99 Feb. ISBN 978-1-931520-63-8


text:
I have very mixed feelings about Jane and Paul Bowles and there is a lot about my frustration with them that is outlined in this little trailer to a movie that I've seen. But on the other hand, I can't help but like the Sheltering Sky.
And here—God, they are compelling but also so difficult, but I kind of love/hate this:
The strange marriage of Paul and Jane Bowles, two extraordinarily eccentric characters, exemplified the change in mores from the Edwardian to the modern era and anticipated many of the sexual practices that became common after the social revolution of the 1960s. Both bisexual writers, with wildly different personalities, often separated but closely bound to each other, preferred to have sex with their own kind. Far from hiding their homosexuality, marriage allowed them to express it. The mysterious question of what held them together, as they encouraged each other's work but became rivals in fiction, fascinated and baffled their friends.
Paul Bowles (1910–1999), born in New York and raised on Long Island, was the son of a cruel, tyrannical father, a frustrated would-be violinist who became a dentist. While still in his teens Paul published poems in the French avant-garde magazine transition. He left the University of Virginia after one semester, lived in Paris, studied composition with Aaron Copland, and met Gertrude Stein and many other writers. Always nomadic, in his twenties he traveled extensively in Europe, North Africa, and Central America and composed concert works as well as incidental music for ballet, theater, and film.
Jane Auer (1917–1973) was born to an affluent New York family and moved to Long Island when she was ten years old. Her father died three years later; and in 1931, while at a girls' school in Massachusetts, she broke her leg in a serious riding accident. In the early 1930s she was treated in a Swiss sanatorium for tuberculosis of the knee. After returning to New York in 1937, she met Paul and impulsively invited herself to join him and his Dutch friends on their trip to Mexico. But she hated the primitive country and, soon after arriving, flew straight back to America—not a promising start for their future travels together. Paul and Jane had a certain amount in common. Both were only children, grew up on Long Island, had lived in Europe, and were fluent in French. They did not want to have children, who would interfere with their work and their travels, were essentially homosexual, and felt free to pursue their own sexual interests. In 1938 they surprised all their friends by getting married.
Paul was blue-eyed, thin and elegant, with handsome features and a finely shaped head. Allen Ginsberg—noting Paul's unusual detachment and unwillingness to become emotionally involved—described him as "short frail blond, closecropped hair, nylon suit, very courteous & lively, also a little mechanical or remote somewhere."[1] Jane looked boyish, with a mop of curly and unruly dyed red hair, thick lips, and teeth that seemed too large for her mouth. She wore bright red lipstick and smoked Cuban cigars. The fall from her horse had left her with a permanent limp.
Jane remarked, "Paul and I are so incompatible that we should be in a museum."[2] She had been spoiled and indulged as a child, he had been oppressed and mistreated; she was childlike, he was paternal. She was extravagant, he was careful with money. Jane showed her feelings and was out of control, he hid his emotions and was disciplined. She was volatile and dependent, he was reserved and self-contained—though Jane enabled him to release emotions that he normally repressed. Jane was constantly frightened, Paul loved horrific situations. She was an entertainer, he was an observer—the perfect audience for her zany performances. She drank heavily but hated drugs, he didn't drink but constantly smoked kif (hashish) and considered using narcotics a vital part of his creative process. Jane was stationary, reluctant to move and happiest in familiar surroundings; Paul loved exotic locales, was restless and always eager to move on to the next place. She was tormented by self-doubt, he was calm and confident. Jane, lazy and irresponsible, disliked writing; Paul, hard-working and conscientious, liked it, and she resented his success when he overtook her. Jane was wild and sexually promiscuous (most of her affairs were humiliating disasters), Paul was guarded and circumspect about his sex life. She was miserable, hysterical and jealous; he was patient, even- tempered, and usually quite tolerant. She hated his Arab lovers; he feared her lover Cherifa, who eventually dominated and destroyed Jane's life.
Before her marriage, Jane had slept only with women. When she first met Paul, she immediately recognized him as her enemy, and he didn't realize that he threatened to undermine and perhaps extinguish her lesbianism. On their first night together, after necking and getting into bed naked, Jane, speaking in French as they usually did, said she intended to remain a virgin until she married. Paul failed to seduce her and nothing else happened. Jane's mother, who'd given up on her daughter and (after ten years as a widow) wanted to marry her own fiancé, was ecstatic about Jane's plans to marry Paul. Though Paul's maternal grandfather was Jewish, his anti-Semitic father—whom he hated—was furious with his son for marrying someone he called "a crippled kike."
Their motives for getting married were irrational and empirical, bewildering and complex. Paul wanted to shock and anger his father by choosing a Jewish wife. Though Jane's mother, a decisive factor, was all for the marriage, Paul wrote in his autobiography, "Jane and I used to spin fancies about how amusing it would be to get married and horrify everyone, above all, our respective families."[3] He also mentioned practical and rather prim sexual reasons: "We got married in 1938 and it would not have been possible for us to travel together if we were not married. She was a virgin and couldn't consider living with a man out of wedlock."[4] Both of them were lonely and tired of their solitary lives. Jane, then quite ambitious, wanted to break into literary and musical circles by marrying a well-established and well-connected composer. Repeating the word "amusing," Paul declared, "Jane was so amusing and I thought it would be great fun to be with her all the time."[5]
The actuality of their marriage was even stranger than their motives for marrying. Paul loved Jane but wasn't in love with her. He remarked, "Jane was an ideal companion, and given her needs, I think I was, too. We slept together and had what I considered very good sex."[6] But Jane surprised him by wanting to be with him all the time and, at first, developed an inordinate desire to have sex with him. Their sex life "had gone on for a year and a half after the marriage. Then it had ended. . . . He had tried to renew their sexual relationship, but she did not want to. Later, she came and spent the night with him a few times, but they didn't sleep together, though he tried to persuade her to."[7] He believed she began to decline after their sexual life together had ended.
What thoughts you, my crosstalk literati? I find them elitist, classist, colonialists who also had a side of them that were social revolutionaries who were willing to put themselves in pretty significant lines of fire to live their life like they wanted. And they were talented. But insufferable.


text:
Jedi, Droids and Clone Troopers return for intergalactic fun during LEGOLAND Discovery Center LEGO® Star Wars™ Days. Travel to a galaxy not so far way to enjoy tons of family fun activities and Star Wars themed building. We can't to see you there!
Activities Include:
Build a Star Wars™ themed model in our Creative Workshop.
Meet members of the Star Wars costume fan groups.
Find LEGO® Star Wars™ characters in our MINILAND Scavenger Hunt.
Great photo opportunities with LEGO® Star Wars™ builds.
Participate in Star Wars™ themed costume contest.
Win prizes and giveaways, while supplies last!
Make sure to pre-purchase your tickets in advance to guarantee entry on such busy days! Buy your tickets at least a day in advance and SAVE on the cost of admission.


text:
Login to my Lennar
Forgot Your Password?
Enter the email address that was
used to create your account. If found
in our system, password reset url will be
emailed to this account.
Thank You!
An email has been sent to your account with password reset url. Please follow the instruction to update your password.
Thank you for your interest in Starlight at Altair Irvine! Please complete the contact information below to receive email updates on sales releases, events, promotions, and more!
To comply with real estate laws in some states, we require your state of residency before we can respond to your request.
Thank you for your interest in Lennar homes in Residence 1 at Altair Irvine: Starlight. Your request has been submitted and a Lennar Associate will contact you shortly.
Elevation A
Elevation B
Elevation C
Cal Coastal888-292-6593
We're here to help.
Want to meet your Internet New Home Consultant? Select the desired location of your new home:
Meet your personal Internet New Home Consultant.
Cal Coastal
Meet your INHC
Let's talk
Enter your phone number and we'll immediately call you to talk about all things Lennar.
19 Plans are favorited.
View Plans
Share this page
This spacious two-story home is designed for the way people live today. The open concept living space includes a dining room, large great room and gourmet kitchen that seamlessly connect to one large entertaining area where the stackable sliders are opened to the outdoor California room. A downstairs master suite includes a spa-like master bathroom and oversized walk-in closet. The second story loft is a generously-sized additional living space and has great connectivity to the first floor as it is open to the great room below. This four bedroom home includes walk-in closets in each bedroom and provides a great floorplan layout for everyday living.
In addition, each home showcases Lennar's Everything's Included® program, which gives buyers thousands of dollars of upgraded appointments as standard, including the world's first Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Home Design™.
Join the interest list to receive the most up-to-date information!
Downloads & Links
New Home Consultants:Yvette OchoaJulie Hodges
Location for this community
57 GravityIrvine, CA949-234-7880
Use your current location
Select your stateAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Get directions
Send to mobile
Select your provider
Enter a valid phone number below to send
Phone Number:
Send New
View byGridList
Sort byPriceAlphabeticalLocation
First PagePreviousNextLast Page
Are you beginning your home buying journey? Consider the opportunities that come with buying a brand new home. From modern design to quality features, you'll discover an array of benefits when you buy new!
You're ready to buy a home. What now? myLennar is where you'll find all the info you need to manage the personal process of shopping, buying, owning and enjoying your Lennar home. So whether you're taking the first steps to purchase a home or learning how to care for the one you already own – you can find it all at myLennar.
Learn more
Save your favorite Lennar homes and communities. Create a scrapbook of your home coming to life. Manage your home contacts and documents all in one place.
Thanks for your interest
Lennar doesn't currently build homes in this area.View everywhere we build.
Use your current location or View everywhere we build
in Irvine, California


text:
iPhoto makes managing your photos as easy as taking them. It helps you organize your photos so you can find them fast. Edit them so they look their best. And share them with your friends and family.
Version history
- iPhoto 1: 2001
- iPhoto 2 (iLife): 3 January 2003
- iPhoto 3: 2003
- iPhoto 4 (iLife '04): 6 January 2004
- iPhoto 5 (iLife '05): 11 January 2005
- iPhoto 6 (iLife '06): 10 January 2006
- iPhoto 7 (iLife '08): 7 August 2007
- iPhoto 8 (iLife '09): 6 January 2009
Iphoto Link
Windows XP:
So has the unthinkable happened? Can Windows users get their own version of iPhoto?
Almost. Apple hasn't ported iPhoto over to Windows, but a company called Lifescape Solutions is introducing the closest thing to iPhoto I've ever seen. It's called Picasa.
If I said Picasa is the best Windows program I've seen all year I'd be guilty of misstatement. It's the best Windows program I've seen EVER. Period. End of argument. It's incredible. Except for an inexplicable flaw in the program, Picasa is amazing!
You can try it out for free at www.picasa.net.
What does Picasa do?
-Add name tags
-Upload from Picasa
-Geotag your photos with Google Maps
-Import, upload, and share
and many more..


text:
- Glenna Jean
- >
- Swizzle Purple Bedding
- >
- Swizzle Purple Full/Queen Duvet
Swizzle Purple Full/Queen Duvet
per item
Sweet Potato by Glenna Jean Swizzle Purple Full/Queen Duvet (Reversible Purple Chevron/Grey Velvet) (87x91") Your little girl will love the Swizzle Purple reversible duvet featuring Chevron modern design in soft purple for her full/queen bed. A grey velvet is featured on the reverse side. Matching hemmed skirt is sold separately. 100% cotton pink chevron print trimmed with warm grey piping Measures 87x91" and has a Velcro closure. Reversible purple chevron and grey velvet Machine washable Handmade in USA


text:
ECR's Big Idea requires sharing of information
The breathtaking pace of change in the packaged goods sector was underlined in Hamburg earlier this month when over 2000 delegates from across Europe gathered for the 3rd European conference on Efficient Consumer Response. Three years after the European ECR bandwagon got rolling, it has led to the biggest grocery industry conference ever and, judging by what was said there, it's only just getting started.
The launching pad for ECR was the realisation that an enormous amount of marketing effort and spend is currently wasted, and that there is a huge potential for cost savings. Whether we are looking at category management, promotions, assortment or new product introductions, again and again the message from ECR pilot projects is the same: less is more.
In promotions, for example, it is now widely accepted that the total cost of most brand manufacturer promotions amount to more than the extra sales they generate, and retailers are beginning to realise the same thing. Further, those promotions that are worthwhile could be managed a lot better. First results from ECR Europe projects on promotions management suggest that a little process redesign could cut costs by more than eight per cent, funds which should go straight to the bottom line.
In category management as a whole, pilot project have had even more dramatic effects. In one detergent project in Sweden involving Lever, for example, 20 per cent of the category's stock keeping units (SKUs) were delisted as surplus to consumer requirements, yet the result of this renewed focus was a sales jump of nine per cent (from a long term, slow decline) and a seven per cent category market share jump for the retailer. In an other dental care project involving Colgate
Palmolive, the SKU count went down by 25 per cent, the retailer's market share rose by 11 per cent, and its profit margins went up by 9 per cent. But, these cost savings represent just the first step towards ECR paradise. The second step, now receiving top priority within the ECR movement, is the development of "best practice" methodologies for planning and conducting promotions, introducing new products, reviewing category ranges, implementing category management, and so on. Soon, it will be very difficult for a brand manager to do his job without using these best practices methodologies as a base.
It's the third stage, however, where things really get interesting. ECR started out simply enough. The aim was to make the supply chain as lean as possible: to cut out anything that wastes time or money. The search for these savings led those involved to take a total view of the system: to look at brands in the contexts of categories and categories in the context of retailers' overall marketing strategies, and to judge the effectiveness of each marketing activity not only by its short-term impact on sales but its long-term effects up and down the supply chain.
It was then realised that it's not possible to take a total system view if manufacturers and retailers fail to share information about shoppers, consumers, sales etc. This in turn led to ECR's Big Idea. It is impossible to get manufacturers and retailers to share commercially sensitive information unless there is mutual benefit in doing so – unless, that is, their marketing objectives are recast to align with one another. This is where the creative possibilities begin to emerge. How about collaborating to jointly identify the best promotional tactics and to maximise the potential of new sources of consumer information, for example?
In one Spanish pilot, Elida Fabergé and Auchan have worked together to interrogate household panel data and used conversion model research techniques (MW June 6 1997) to identify consumers they would both benefit from targeting – those who are both secondary uses of Elida Faberge brands and Auchan stores. In another project, Kraft Jacobs Suchard and Gruppo GS in Italy have worked together to trawl through loyalty card data to jointly identify – and market to – consumers in the attitudinal cluster "seeking healthy relaxation".
Even more ambitious ECR Europe's new goal for packaged goods marketers: to grow the market as a whole, reversing packaged goods' declining share of purse compared with other sectors such as fast food, entertainment, travel and telecoms. Starting point was a massive pan-European research project involving 30,000 consumer interviews. The ultimate aim is to move what Alex Lintner, the Roland Berger consulting partner coordinating the project, calls the shift from consumer satisfaction to "consumer enthusiasm".
The ECR initiative to recreate consumer enthusiasm is being led by Tesco, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg and Albert Heijn. The challenge, declared Albert Heijn's Anita de Hart, is to transform routines into events and habits into surprises, and to make marketing which comes across as "for everybody" into marketing which is "for me".
Compared with the hard-nosed cost-cutting side of ECR, engendering consumer enthusiasm is inspiring. But it doesn't mean that ECR is getting any easier. On the contrary. According to Coopers & Lybrand research unveiled at the conference, the gap between ECR leaders – those best able to actually implement ECR concepts – and the rest is growing. For example, the average company's ECR maturity score for efficient promotions is little better than "just starting out".
It's also noticeable that in most category management projects the biggest gains go to the retailer. And aligning marketing objectives is much more easily said than done. There are, for example, huge obstacles in the way of genuine information sharing. As Luc Vandervelde, President of the French retailer Promodès and new co-chairman of ECR Europe (with Unilever's Tony Burgmans) commented, "We know that in ten years time our biggest asset will not be our hypermarket walls but our customer data – why should we give it away?".
There are also all sorts of misconceptions about ECR. Until now, it has been badly marketed. If it had been dubbed The Campaign for Real Brands and Real Marketing it would have been nearer the mark. Now, however, things are finally taking off.
And as Tesco's supply chain development director Graham Booth told the conference, "we're only just touching the iceberg".


text:
Gille Barbier's L'Hospice is the most creative idea I have seen in awhile. The concept of being a superhero is flipped on its head in these photos, which showcase the geriatric side of being superly endowed.
These photos make me uncomfortable. I never thought of my favorite superheroes getting old and decrepit. Gille Barbier's L'Hospice is a telling reminder that nobody can escape aging. Not even superheroes.
Implications - Though old age has been seen as a negative thing in society for decades, consumers are finally catching on to the bright side of aging. In today's society, old age is seen as a mark of experience and wisdom; essentially, true beauty. Thus, companies that use elderly citizens in their campaigns will seem avant garde in their perception of what is attractive.
Gilles Barbier's L'hospice Makes Me Want to Visit My Grandma
Michael Hines — February 28, 2010 — Fashion
References: documentsdartistes.org & theworldsbestever