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Second Drive down Oct 2010. Mexico
Well', yes I did it again. My youngest son insisted on the adventure and my wife wanted to see the Central America. I could not let the rookies who do not speak a word of Spanish embark on their own. This time though, we had the benefit of three drivers: one drives, one navigates and one sleeps. Rotating positions every so many hours keeps the driver alert on long stretches. Three of us and one Subaru Forester loaded to the brink started from Orlando, FL at 1:00 AM October 6. With gas, bathroom, and lunch breaks we got to Brownsville around 9:20 PM same day.
Mexico in October 2010
Night in Super Motel 6 prepared us to enter Mexico early morning October 7 via the Gateway Bridge. My wife's prior research indicated that there is no legal difference whether we would declare ourselves "transmigrante" or a "tourist". The main hurdle: canceling the temporary car importation permit would be same. Unsure why Mexico has these two categories established, if there is no difference, we filled our visa applications for tourists and endured the interrogation of the immigration officials behind the counter. We were the only ones in this border crossing this early hour. Possible they were simply bored, but for us their rapid fire questioning appeared more like the Spanish inquisition centuries ago. Every one of us repeated the same story of our keen interest to study the indigenous culture in Chiapas Mexico (Chiapas is the state bordering Guatemala). Finally they gave up. We had our tourist visas, car permit and happy to get going before the town and the drug traffickers wake up.
We did not know that feeling happy in Tamaulipas state of Mexico roads and streets is not a good thing.
A police car was waiting for us right after the first left turn off the border crossing. I was driving, they stopped me. Apparently, I slowed down to almost stop, but did not stop completely in front of the stop sign right before the left turn. It certainly is difficult to argue how complete stop is complete. I attempted to ask in my beginner's Spanish how many seconds (or perhaps minutes) I have to stay in the same spot to be considered completely stopped in Mexico. The policeman ignored my question. Different from my experience with Matamoros' traffic police in March, he laid out my options without waiting. I could pay the fine ($60.00) on the spot or go to the office to pay it. The last would have screwed up our travel plans, so I opted to pay on the spot. He was nice to ask if I would like a ticket too, but took off without writing one, even though I said that I wanted the ticket. Appeared, that he knew – no more gringos coming – no reason to keep watching.
Relieved to get out of the miserable town of Matamoros, we enjoyed the hilly landscape of North Eastern Mexico after sunrise. The roads are reasonable, drivers very polite, just watch out for police.
After a gas stop and few hours, we were approaching the port town of Tampico. My son was driving and the police on the road, of course stops us. Apparently, we were driving 39 km/h in 25 km/h zone. There was no sign like that, I argued. The police agreed, but insisted that it is supposed to be there because it is a school zone. Perhaps a drunk driver ran it over, who knows. Rest was repetition of the morning: either pay here (750 pesos or $60.00) or we confiscate your driver's license and you have to go to office to pay the fine and retrieve it. My son did not believe me and did not have the International Drivers Permit to give away. We did pay.
Next traffic light, next police stops us because, apparently we stopped too close to the red light. Oh, there are no lines to indicate were to stop. Maybe they have warn off or covered by dirt. Either 750 pesos or $60.00 here or in the office, which is it going to be? You bet it was way beyond ridiculous, but that wasn't the worst yet. We were crawling at the officially posted speed limit on the toll road around Tampico while the Locals beeping at us and whizzing by on opportunity. Obviously, we were a speed bump, but three fines were more than enough for one day. Approaching a round-about with a yield sign for our lane we slowed to crawl and although no-one was coming we got stopped by a group of policemen. According to them, we did not slow down enough. This officer even spoke English. This was one of the most ridiculous accusations I have ever heard from any of the legal road robbers anywhere in the world. I was "boiling over" and challenged him to show me the Mexican law that specifies the exact speed a car must slow down at a yield sign. Seeing a hesitation and surprise, I continued asking for the method he used to determine our car speed and the precise measurement of our speed. He backed off and I felt relieved. Too early! Understanding that he can not bum $60 out of us, he requested the driver and the car documents. From my Honduras corrupt traffic police experience in March, I should have known what that means. I missed to "connect the dots" and here it came. "This driver does not have insurance to drive this car!" he stated victoriously. "I will have to arrest your son and take him in until the judge will decide what to do with him whenever he gets to it." he continued. "It may take few days, may be a week or more because the judges are busy, but the fine for driving without insurance in Mexico is 6000.00 pesos." the officer explained gladly in Spanish. In defense, I stated, that according to the recent interactions with Mexico officials, car insurance is no longer mandatory for tourists. The officer, very politely, took the "high road" in his reply: " Senior Raud, I am only following instructions of my superiors. You are welcomed to challenge them in front of the judge. Don't you agree this is the best way to resolve the disagreement?" What can you say? Everything appears legit. My wife wanted car insurance at least for Mexico, but somehow we forgot about it in the heat of preparation for the trip. Insurance was for sale also at the border crossing, but when asked, she wasn't interested unless it is required. Since no-one paid any attention, let alone suggesting, we did not buy it. I saw a prospect of getting entangled in the differences of local and federal requirements in Mexico, potentially for weeks, if not months. Seeing this conflict flashing on my face – or so I thought – the officer continued in very friendly Spanish: "I understand that this is a serious detriment to your travel plans. I could offer to collect the fine here, but I could face corruption charges if I do. Therefore, I need compensation for that risk. I'll take the risk and let you go if you give me $1000 in cash." My reply was fast and simple – I do not have that much cash. We never thought we need US dollars in this amount for the whole trip because local currency is always available from ATM's for superior exchange rate. Now the officer "tipped his hand" saying "Ok, give me $500.00 in cash and 1000 pesos". One thousand pesos is about $80. If official fine is 6000 pesos or about $480 then everything above this amount is negotiable. From this point on the real question for me was the minimum amount we can get away with. Simply calling his bluff same way I did with "not slowing down enough" accusation carried too large risk for me. While the exact consequences of an arrest of my angry 19 year old son were unpredictable, knowing him I had to assume the worse.
Leaving the back door open for negotiations I offered him $200.00 explaining that after paying now already 4 fines I will just enough money left to buy gas. He took the lie and we took off changing drivers in first gas station.
Rest of the planned journey for the day went according to the trip-tick. The coastal road was quite improved from March and we made back the time wasted with the corrupt police. We were all fed up with Mexico. My wife wowed never to step on the soil of this lawless country again. My son promised to come back for revenge. Unanimous decision was to drive through the night toward the border of Guatemala to avoid getting robbed yet another time. Since the tourists mostly do not drive at night, stumbling on more corrupt police appeared less likely.
We reached Esmerald Coast beach towns at daylight. By the plan we were supposed to stay here overnight, but decided in favor of a dinner break instead -Canadian beach resort "Villas del Palmar" restaurant "El Tucan" at km 85 on the road 180 between Poza Rica and Nautla. Food was excellent and service even better. Their WI-FI reached our dinner table for latest news from the world and emergency updates for friends watching after our progress. We were done in an hour, ready to continue.
Well', it did not work out like planned. The only road forward was blocked by demonstrators demanding justice for their friend. The line of cars and trucks stopped on the road was miles. The demonstration had closed the road indefinitely. Their friend allegedly was run over by a drunk driver who walked free. They were determined to sit on the road until the justice is done. We had nothing else to do but go to hotel and hope they get what's right by morning. The detour would have been more than 150 km on secondary, unpaved roads. Considering the possibility that the demonstration will end some time over night and the benefits of driving the detour in daylight we decided to stay here overnight. This region is good for overnight stay because there are many hotels in close proximity. The same resort's 285 pesos – $23 appeared reasonable. As we found out after signing in, this was per person, not per room. Always ask first.
We started early the next day, October 8 while it was still dark. Luckily the demonstrators had left. Our objective was to get out of Mexico and we were making good progress early on. Large part of trip-tick second day's route is on autopistas. They are easier and faster to drive, although tolls on some are significant. Getting to the first one from Veracruz to Mexico City is about 50 km and I was in "sleeping seat" of the car. Half an hour into the trip, my wife and son woke me up because the intersection with the next autopista to Acayucan, Minantlan, Coatzacoalcos, wasn't as described in the trip-tick. Potentially we had past it. Seeking a place to stop and ask direction, we reached a rest stop with exits.
The clerks at coffee shops did not know anything. I spotted a policeman next to the clerk in entry booth. She was very knowledgeable. As expected, we were past our intersection by about 25 km. What's worse the autopista to Acayucan was apparently closed because a bridge collapsed few days ago after heavy rains. Luckily there was a secondary road that was to take us about half the way to Acayucan at Cosamoloapan. We had to take a detour on narrow mountain roads to Palomares from there, because the direct secondary road to Acayucan was flooded. The detour was about 50 kilometers longer, but what's worse, the road to the Pacific highway from Palomares was also closed because of landslides. To get to Guatemala, we would need to go from Palomares all the way back to Coatzacoalcos at the Caribbean coast and then another 200+ km toward Yucatan to Villahermosa. From there we can take a mountain road to the border crossings with Guatemala. This was more than 700 km detour on secondary roads, probably congested by traffic because of road closings. We can not make it by the end of the day.
The news was bad, but it was difficult to imagine it could get even worse. Heading back on the autopista we found the intersection without problems. The entry to the autopista to Acayucan was blocked by the cones. The trucker ahead of us said something to the guard and the guard let him on to the autopista. I decided to ask why. Apparently, the autopista was fine until the next exit at Cosamoloapan where the trucker wanted to go. This is about 90 km and same place we could get to on the secondary, longer and slower road. Next 90 km went faster than we anticipated. At the exit I decided to inquire again. It was possible that the situation was quite dynamic and the local knowledge was most accurate. Unfortunately, the exit officials confirmed closure of the autopista further from this point. We had to branch off to a narrow secondary road.
The road hugged a significant river. Driving through villages confirmed seriousness of the situation. Houses were still under water.
People had constructed cardboard, tarp and roof panel huts for them right on the road because it was higher.
Although primitive, the huts had even power for moder conveniences.
Some had boats to retrieve belongings from their home, others had constructed temporary bridges to the roof or second floor of their homes.
The road was two narrow lanes with no shoulders and traffic was heavy. Essentially, we could not move fast. Finally the ground turned higher, but then we got stopped behind a 4 km long line of cars and trucks. As it turned out there was a bridge in construction 4 km ahead. One line was closed and the traffic was re-directed to one lane. After 1.3 hour wait we got going and arrived at next larger town – Tuxtepec in the late afternoon.
Waiting for our turn on the road we had very useful conversations with friendly Mexican truckers. According to them the federal police have the most accurate information on road closures. Truckers did not know about the condition of Palomares – Pacific highway road, but suggested to check with feds in Tuxtepec. If this road would be open then from Palomares we would be on our planned route to Guatemala only about 7 hours away.
Another bit of important information came when we explained our strong reluctance to have anything to do with Mexican traffic police. Apparently, they are known to be after tourists, but only in the states bordering US. Tamaulipas, were we had all our corrupt police encounters is one of the worst. The trucker's advice was simple – offer him to confiscate your driver's license and take to the office. In vast majority of cases he will not bother because there is no money for him and he only loses time with unnecessary paperwork instead of catching other "violators" who will pay on the spot. If he takes the case to the office, then there you explain your version of the events: the signs were missing, how slow is slow enough at the yield sign etc. Good to know for next time if there will be one.
We did search out the federal police station in Tuxtepec and got confirmation that Palomares – Pacific highway road is already open after repairs. We had 175 km to Palomares on mountain roads and then another 7 hours on easy roads to Guatemala. Hope was up again. The first 20 km from Tuxtepec was a breeze, then stop behind an endless line of cars and trucks. Periodic oncoming traffic shared the news – there is road washed away 20 km ahead of us and the remaining line is shared by the repair dump trucks. We started calculating our speed to estimate possible arrival to Palomares, then about 150 km away. We were moving about 7 km an hour. Of course, the hope was that after we get past this road repair we can stretch out and go faster. It was dark when we finally got moving for good, but only for few kilometers to the next and the next road repair. It was difficult to sleep because of the excitement each irregular move created. Some moves were only 100 yards or so. If you were late, others behind you passed and you lost the 100 yard move completely. For longer moves the loss was few car/truck lengths, but to lose even an inch is depressing in situation like this. As the midnight approached numerous trucks pulled aside to the hotels in villages the road passed. The traffic became looser and opportunities to move increased because some road repair crews retired as well. There was a moment after the oncoming traffic ended to rush ahead of the truck line in front because they took longer time to get started. Should the oncoming traffic resume you should find a space between the trucks to "tuck in". This game wasn't for fainthearted. We started taking advantage of these opportunities. After 2:00 AM the traffic loosened up and we had continuous drive for few hours. Passing long lines of slow moving trucks in this narrow and curvy two lane road was at times challenging, but we made pretty good time for these hours. The move stopped again at 6:00 AM because the road repair crews closed the road to establish their supply. Yet, we were not that far from Palomares at that time. It was very surprising that the Mexican truckers and other drivers awake at that time, all took it with a stride. Jokes and friendly comments from the folks who suffered with us meant much more than ridiculous hostility of police in specific Mexico states.
We finally got to Palomares when it was already light. At this time we had been on the road non-stop more than 28 hours since previous morning. Last 18 hours we drove only 180 km. No-one had had much sleep. We filled up the car and had coffee in Palomares' gas station, and made final inquiries for the road condition to Pacific highway that confirmed that the 80 km road is repaired. Hurray – no need for the 700 kilometer detour.
It is a very nice ride down from the top of the pass between the high mountains. Yet, we were all too exhausted to enjoy the scenery. The road had been substantially improved since my last trip in March. We made it to Pacific highway fast. Although my son was driving and there were police checkpoints along the way, we were not stopped at all. Must be corruption hasn't reached that far south yet.
Reaching the Pacific highway we had been on the road 36 hours without a break. We decided to stretch on to Arriaga (130 km) and take an early rest there. There were no surprises on our road to Arriaga. It is a scenic road and easy to drive, recommended any time. We stayed in the same hotel I found in March for the same money – 250 pesos ($20) a room and slept until evening. The dinner in the familiar downtown Arriaga restaurant was tasty, filling and inexpensive as in March. No sign of inflation up North that mysteriously seems to keep evading official measurements. Back to sleep to take off early for Guatemala.
Last stretch in Mexico was event less. The location to cancel your car importation permit is exactly same on the same highway. Right after it the right turn sign to Guatemala leads you around Tapachula to either CD Hidalgo or Talisman. I have been in both and I will never go back to filthy and corrupt CD Hidalgo.
Lessons learned in Mexico this time
It is a beautiful country with wonderful people, but their government sucks. Similar to the country just North from Mexico. I wonder why is that?
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Intro Generatepress Commenter Cookie Opt-In
Within the past ten decades, I've used a lot of different WordPress themes and have been really disappointed. Up until recently, I was utilizing MyThemeShop, which was pretty excellent. But I still had to perform a great deal of customization to make it perform and operate the way I wanted it to. A few of weeks ago I decided to provide GeneratePress a try, and let me just say, it is by far the finest WordPress theme I've found in 10 years. I had been blown away and am now moving all my websites to GeneratePress. I will go into precisely why in my in-depth GeneratePress review below. And if you are wondering, yes I have tried Genesis, Astra, OceanWP, Avada, X theme, Divi in addition to several other lightweight and heavier multi-purpose themes. Generatepress Commenter Cookie Opt-In
To Begin, Click here to download GeneratePress.
GeneratePress Evaluation
GeneratePress is a totally free WordPress theme created by Tom Usborne, a programmer from Canada. I've really seen it for many years from the WordPress repository. Most of you realize that I am fairly picky when it comes to web performance, so I have a tendency to dismiss everything from the repository. Typically because a great deal of stuff on there is not that great, or not encouraged for long. However, in this circumstance, this was a mistake. The motif currently has more than half a million downloads, 80,000+ busy matches, with over 500 5-star ratings. So obviously Tom is doing some thing right here.
I Actually installed the free version of the motif and in a matter of 15 minutes purchased the premium version. I could tell right off the bat, the developer was thinking exactly how I was envisioning a theme should get the job done. And I will go into that more below, but let us first look at some of the features. I'm going to be covering the premium version of the theme, since it's worth very penny. In fact, Tom, if you read this and are visiting Scottsdale, Arizona, coffees on me.
Super lightweight and quick. Modular design allowing you to enable/disable items you do not need running. This is one of the greatest reasons I adore GeneratePress.
Responsive, looks fantastic across all of the devices.
Schema built-in, for greater results in SERPs.
Impressive integration using the WordPress Customizer. I have not been a lover of this customizer in the past, but Tom does it correctly.
Compatible with popular plugins, Yoast SEO, WooCommerce, EDD, BuddyPress, bbPress, and WPML. Fantastic browser service back to IE8.
Additionally, it works great with the popular fast-growing Elementor page builder. If you want to dive into even more customizations, these really are a terrific combo. I've also read that people using Beaver Builder have experienced success.
Resumes prepared.
Font awesome built-in.
Tons of filters and hooks that make it good for developers.
Great active service from the developer. Normally, 3 updates per month.
The Documentation can be unbelievable. Besides have great documentation on their site, the theme has existed long enough that what I wholeheartedly during the setup process was found within a few seconds from their own forum.
Diving Into GeneratePress
Now it is Time for the fun part! I test a new theme right from the box without any customizations to just see how fast the foundation is. This tells me a lot of what I can expect by the time that I add everything for this. Running the inventory GeneratePress WordPress motif on Kinsta hosting clocked in at a whopping 265 ms load time. I was very impressed.
One Thing I was concerned about with GeneratePress was that the modular layout was going to produce a lot of big files, but this is not the case. You can tell that Tom literally worked hard on making sure every file loaded in GeneratePress is as small as possible. With HTTP/2, the number of files is not as important. However, the size is! Have a look at a few of the center GeneratePress files below:
/generatepress/css/unsemantic-grid. min.css 2.9 KB
/generatepress/style. css 7.1 KB
/generatepress/css/mobile. min.css 1.6 KB
/generatepress/js/navigation. min.js 1.1 KB
/generatepress/js/dropdown. min.js 1.5 KB
That is a developer that cares about functionality! And I've Seen exactly the same during all of the premium add-ons. They're as small as you can possibly get them. In fact, Font Awesome is most likely the biggest file included. And that is not even his. With Font Awesome 5 coming around the corner, we could anticipate this to secure smaller too.
The premium add-ons Are installation in what I'd call a modular design. You can activate/deactivate anything you are not using to ensure they do not load on your site. As the co-developer of this perfmatters plugin that has a script supervisor built, I felt right at home for this. Everything should be designed this way.
If You're interested, I'm using the next add-ons on this site:
Page Header
No Child Theme Needed
One of The best features of GeneratePress is I no more have to use a Child theme. This makes my life so much simpler. No more editing my functions.php or header.php files. I will literally upgrade my GeneratePress theme this very moment rather than lose a single customization. The hooks add-on certainly helps make this possible. It allows you to incorporate custom code/PHP anywhere throughout your WordPress website. Generatepress Commenter Cookie Opt-In
Other Things I Love About GeneratePress
On each Page/post you have a lot of options. You can change the sidebar design and the footer widgets.
You Can easily swap a page involving the default to a complete width page, as well as disable components.
The WordPress customizer choices is really where GeneratePress really shines! Bear in mind, lots of these choices are permitted by the premium add-ons. I can't show you everything, otherwise, we would be here daily. But let me show you few which actually come in handy.
Responsive Columns
Another Plugin I highly suggest grabbing is the free Lightweight Grid Columns. Not to my surprise, this can be made by precisely the exact same developer as GeneratePress. It allows you a super easy way to incorporate responsive columns into any page or post. Features include:
Desktop grid width
Tablet grid thickness
Mobile grid thickness
Add Customized classes
Insert custom inline designs
Equal height columns
This is An example under:
You might want to Also catch his amazing WP Display Posts plugin also. See my featured posts on the sidebar of this site? That's using the WP Show Posts plugin. I have it set to show posts from a particular"featured" category. You might also have it show past modified/updated posts, recent posts, etc.. I am using the free version and it works terrific.
To Begin, Click here to download GeneratePress.
Sections Add-on
The Segments add-in in the premium version of GeneratePress allows you to perform all kinds of things concerning design. Consider it like a webpage builder with no bloat. GeneratePress is definitely not just for blogs! I am in reality using GeneratePress to our ecommerce website (perfmatters.io) that is running Easy Digital Downloads. Feel free to look it over. However, as you can see below, it looks nothing like a site.
Speed Tests
For those Of those who are regular readers, you probably did not even notice I changed the entire motif that forces woorkup.com. It just took me about an hour for GeneratePress to mimic my MyThemeShop motif that I had spent annually customizing. Here is a comparison under.
woorkup.com Old MyThemeShop Theme
My older MyThemeShop theme was pretty fast, but I spent a lot of time customizing it. In fact, I have gotten a great deal of emails from you guys asking me to print all my customizations. My advice now is, just get GeneratePress!
woorkup.com New GeneratePress Theme
With the New GeneratePress motif I was able to attain faster speeds and 600 fewer lines of code! And keep in mind, I do not have a kid motif. Each of the customizations were created with the wonderful GP hooks and snippets plugin (both CSS and PHP).
Like the WordPress theme I've working on woorkup? You're in luck. Tom asked if he can make a replica of woorkup for the brand new GeneratePress blog library. I'm happy to allow you to know that now you can put in my woorkup motif in your own GeneratePress site with only a click! It's called the Marketer theme. Get started with a great blog layout instantly.
brianjackson.io Old Array Theme's Theme
I also Moved over my private website, brianjackson.io, to GeneratePress. Previously I had been using a theme from Array Themes. It is a fairly basic minimal website, as I don't use it to get much. As you can see it already loaded pretty fast.
brianjackson.io New GeneratePress Theme
I had been Able to duplicate the entire appearance 100 percent in GeneratePress in under an hour. And since you can see it loads faster! Amazing. I was even able to eliminate a few plugins which weren't needed because of GP.
forgemedia.io Old Array Theme's Theme
I also Moved over our organization site, forgemedia.io, to GeneratePress. Previously I had been using a theme from Array Themes. It's a fairly basic minimal website, as we simply use it to our LLC. As you can see it loaded pretty quickly. Generatepress Commenter Cookie Opt-In
forgemedia.io New GeneratePress Theme
I was Able to again move everything over and get it looking just how I wanted it in under an hour. And since you can see it loads faster! Amazing. I was able to eliminate a total of four plugins and it dropped my total page burden 2x!
I can't express my Excitement about finding GeneratePress and I am moving over all my websites to it (which comprises several EDD e-commerce sites). Once I've got my 9 sites all running in GP with no child themes, my life will be a breeze! The developer has restored my faith in multi-purpose themes, which when done the correct way, can actually perform faster.
And The best news is, I now have a thousand more options to pick from than I did before.
What GeneratePress Is Good For…
GeneratePress Is the perfect option for performance-focused users who wish to have the ability to customize and control exactly how their site appears.
You Can make GeneratePress do pretty much anything. And because GeneratePress has a focus on functionality, the site that you build will have a fantastic foundation to make it load fast.
Because Of that, those who build WordPress websites for a living love GeneratePress. They'll normally pair it with a WordPress page builder and use it for literally any kind of site.
But GeneratePress Might Not Be A Good Combination If…
…you Need something that will immediately look perfect from the box.
For Example, if you know you want to create a fashion blog, you may be happier picking out a market theme that is developed exclusively for fashion bloggers.
While GeneratePress is becoming a great deal simpler to use, thanks to its pre-built Site Library, GeneratePress still seems very barebones if you first install it.
So To make GeneratePress look how you want it to, you'll almost certainly will need to go in and personalize matters. And though the significant advantage of GeneratePress is how customizable it is, many users, especially casual users, do not like having to make those changes .
GeneratePress Features That Make It Unique
Here Are some of the specific features that clarify why GeneratePress is so popular.
Plenty Of Customization Options In The Real-Time WordPress Customizer
Past Performance, another place where GeneratePress does well is its customization choices.
GeneratePress Uses the WordPress Customizer for customization, and this is convenient as you will be able to see all the changes that you create in real time.
The Free variant of GeneratePress gives you adequate options, but should you own GeneratePress Premium, you will have the ability to customize nearly everything about your website.
For Example, if you go in the Design area, you can configure detailed settings to yourown:
- Header — you can move your header round and alter its styling
- Navigation — GeneratePress gives you two different navigation options, including sticky menus
- Sidebar design — you can use a Couple of sidebars
- Blog post design — such as featured image size, metadata, etc..
- Footer layout — just like the number of widgets to add
Similarly, That the Typography area enables you to control the font to get every single element on your site, including buttons:
And You also receive a thorough region to control the colour of each and every element on your website.
All In all, GeneratePress will provide you a lot more customization options in the WordPress Customizer than most other topics. This level of detail might be a bit overwhelming if you're a newcomer. But once you understand how the settings come together, you'll have full control over how your site appears.
Optimized Performance And Quick Page Load Times
Across All of its attributes, GeneratePress consistently has a focus on excellent performance and clean code. The whole motif is less than 30 kB, which is about as little as you'll ever find for a WordPress theme. Even most other optimized WordPress themes are still 200+ kB. And some poorly coded topics can even exceed 1 MB!
GeneratePress Also has no code dependencies, which helps you avoid the leave obstructing error that Google Pagespeed Insights often cites.
Put That together, and you get a superfast-loading theme. How quickly? To give you an idea, I ran a little test.
First, I put up a vacant website using a haphazard popular WordPress.org motif (Envo Magazine). After analyzing its performance with Pingdom, it:
- Had a performance grade of 77
- Loaded in 1.05 moments
- Had a page size of 243.9 kB
- Had 15 asks
That's Not bad at all! But GeneratePress can perform.
Next, I triggered GeneratePress on the same test website without altering anything else. Here's how GeneratePress did:
- Had a performance grade of 87, 10 points greater
- Loaded in 666 ms, ~37% quicker
- Had a page size of 26.8 kB, ~90% smaller
- Had 9 requests, ~40% less
If You perform that same test with different themes, you'll continue to see that GeneratePress is among the fastest-loading WordPress topics in existence. Generatepress Commenter Cookie Opt-In
Other Useful Premium Extensions, Plus A Modular Approach
Past Giving you more design controls from the WordPress Customizer, GeneratePress Premium comes with a lot of other helpful features like:
- Elements — a unique feature that allows you create customized hooks, page headers, or layout templates.
- Page Header — lets you create a unique page header onto a per-page basis.
- Sections — that is kind of like lightweight page building. It permits you to create different"sections" on a page, each with their own design and column preferences.
To Remain lightweight, GeneratePress also gives you a modular interface where you can pick and choose what characteristics you want to trigger.
That Way, you don't have to slow down your site for a quality that you're never going to use.
Pre-Made Starter Sites Make It Easier To Design Your Website
In The last, you had to construct GeneratePress websites from a blank canvas no matter what, which left the theme difficult for casual users to set up.
Earlier In 2018, however, the programmer added a fresh Site Library feature for GeneratePress Premium users that allows you easily import any among those 25+ pre-built demonstration websites .
You Can import them right from the WordPress dashboard.
Yes this Website still uses GeneratePress! All I did was click on a few buttons to import a presentation site.
Page-Level Settings Give You Comprehensive Control Over Each Bit Of Content
With Most topics, every page and post will use the same configurations for the most part. You may have some custom formats or templates — however you don't have very much control past that.
GeneratePress Changes that by giving you a new Design meta name box for every single post and page:
You Can use this meta box to:
- Change how many sidebars your site uses, or the sidebar orientation (like changing the sidebar from right to left)
- Choose the number of footer widgets to use
- Disable certain elements, such as your header, navigation menu, article featured image, post title, or footer
- Produce a special"container" to your page builder
Where These controls would be the most helpful is if you're using a WordPress page builder.
By Disabling certain elements, you're in a position to create the correct baseline for your own page builder design, making it effortless to create custom articles as needed. Generatepress Commenter Cookie Opt-In
GeneratePress Replies: Affordable And Works On Unlimited Sites
The Core GeneratePress theme is available for free at WordPress.org.
Nevertheless, If you are serious about using GeneratePress, I believe you need to purchase the GeneratePress Premium plugin, as that is what produces the theme so flexible. The free version does not give you nearly as many configurations in the WordPress Customizer. And you'll also lose out on the premade Site Library.
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subset: commoncrawl


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- Orders ship within 2-4 business days via FEDEX/USPS
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- Accepts Visa, MC, Amex, & Discover. Terms upon approval.
- Free shipping for orders over $500 going to a commercial address within the contiguous US.
- We will drop ship via FedEx Ground/USPS for no extra fee.
- Delivery to a residential address will incur a residential surcharge per Fedex delivery
lola bean international, located in Northern California, is a wholesale distributor of dog training products. We offer retailers a superior line of quality training pads and disposable waste bags that are d2w compliant and competitively priced.
You and your clients live full lives in challenging times, yet you also maintain sensitivity to the environment we all share. This informs your stance as responsible providers of products to caring pet owners. The people at Lola Bean International share this experiential background, and our products evolved from a heartfelt desire to make pet ownership and training a more positive, pleasant and less time-consuming experience, as well as to fit well in lives lived responsibly in the environment of home and world.
Our family-owned business was created from a conception of companion animal care that is itself embedded in love. This is the foundation of Lola Bean International. We realize that there are many other brands of pet training products available for you to choose from. We also know that there are many levels of quality which is why we took the time and effort to customize each of our products to give you top-tier quality pet products at affordable prices. We would be honored to have Lola Bean products become a featured part of your retail establishment.
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You can create, edit and manage email templates in your Fileboard account.
- Click on More and click on Email Templates.
2. Click on +New E-mail Template to create a template.
Here you can create new templates or edit existing templates. You can also view your own templates, team templates or company templates. These can be adjusted based on whether you are the admin or a team member with specific permissions.
3. Create a new e-mail template.
The email template builder allows you to set the template for yourself, team or company. You can also choose what situation this template would be used for like sending a file link, live meeting invitation or a mass emailing.
The email body supports rich text. You can add basic formatting, as well as some html. You also have the option to add in files that you have uploaded to your account.


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- Startseite
- Wir über uns
- Programme 2020
- Lehrgangsarchiv
- Netzwerk- und Alumni-Aktivitäten
- Alumni-Treffen im Ausland
- Wiedereinladungsprogramme
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- Sprachfortbildungsangebote
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Herzlich willkommen!
Full Name: Boris Vormann
Nationality: German
Country of Work: Germany
Institution: John-F.-Kennedy Institute for North American Studies
Postition: Postdoctoral Fellow
Course: International Futures 5 in 2009
Can you tell us a bit about your career path and your motivation to follow this profession?
After having participated in International Futures 5 in 2009 I decided to write a PhD thesis in political science, because I felt the urge to develop a deeper-going understanding of globalization processes and their effects on societies. In the three years that followed and that it took me to complete my doctoral work, I studied the development of North American global port cities--New York City, Los Angeles, Montréal, and Vancouver--and the effect that transformations in governance, international trade, and the politics of space had on citizens and workers in these cities. I began to understand, in that process, that although a shift toward the private sector was an important development in many arenas of public life after the 1970s, states still retained important steering capacities as facilitators of different types of global flows. Markets, in other words, cannot exist without state support. As a consequence of having come to this insight I decided to take a more theoretical look at the ways in which states do that kind of facilitating work in the context of globalization processes. My postdoctoral project is designed to answer just this question: How do states in different geographical contexts deal with market failure in the provision of infrastructure, education and security?
How much did you plan your current tasks to be as they are today and how much did you leave to chance?
I planned all of my current tasks and projects. Having said that: not all the projects that I have planned have actually materialized. In that sense, I had to leave certain decisions over my future to others--while at the same time trying to apply only to those projects that would leave me enough room to follow my personal research interests. Despite all coincidences and lucky circumstances, I think that this principle--trying to be able to conduct autonomous work--has served me as a constant guideline.
When it comes to influencing the international agenda or shaping public policies in your country, what main challenges do you face in your daily life as a professional?
Because I am a researcher and not a policy advisor, my work has a more indirect impact on shaping public policies. I think this impact is limited, more indirectly, to the influence of teaching and sporadic interviews, and, perhaps somewhat more immediately but in a longer term horizon, to the re-thinking of seemingly axiomatic assumptions. I believe that this impact can be more powerful than we tend to assume.
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Here's what's going on Talk Among Yourselves, our reader-written blog: WingZero351 pours Last-Gen Zero haterade over all the hype from the outgoing hardware cycle, calling out some heavily marketed titles that didn't deliver. DocSeuss wonders if, among other things, we're watching games more than we're actually playing them. Pibbels sings Last-Gen Hero praises of PlayStation's Instant Game Collection, which he says turns every month into Christmas. The Geek Empress has something… different that you should read. And look at the TAYfolks' wonderful pumpkins! Great work, guys!
Don't forget that you can always go join the voices talking about video games and life in TAY Classic and in the TAY: Open Forum.


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Tree Surgeons Transforming Landscapes, Sustaining Environments
At Ashwood Group we are a team of highly skilled, experienced and knowledgeable tree surgeons. A number of our team members hold full qualifications from Sparsholt College and/or Merrist Wood who are leaders in the industry. Working out of Surrey and Hampshire, we cater to the entire South East of England and have established ourselves as one of the best tree surgeon firms in the local area due to our friendly, trustworthy and professional service.
We like to encourage customer feedback through questionnaires which are offered upon the completion of every job. By doing so, this enables us to identify areas for improvement as customer satisfaction is vital to our continued success.
We always strive to complete our superior tree surgeons work in a timely manner and to each of our customers individual requirements. We believe that our jobs are only complete once the location is in a safe state for all and has been left tidy (or as we found it).
We offer a vast range of services including; Tree Surgery, Felling and Removal, Wholesale Timber and Firewood, Stump Grinding and Hedge Cutting and have many years of experience in a number of operations. Such as; canopy reductions, dead wooding, pollarding and more. Every client site is unique which is why at Ashwood Group we adapt working methods to suit individual site requirements.
We hold the highest insurance policies for our employees, customers and the general public. The high quality of our work is backed up with fully compliant working practices, by well trained teams. Copies of all NPTC Level 2 qualifying certificates, Employers Liability and Public Liability Insurance Certificates are available upon request. Further evidence that your trees, gardens and grounds will be in capable hands.
With our heritage and background, at Ashwood Group we are committed to going the extra mile for our clients.
"Excellent service. Completed work efficiently and professionally. Thorough and tidy, polite."
Two shrubs removed and stumps ground out
"Very prompt, good job, well done and tidy."
Elder 1 x conifer felled and stump ground out, 1 x elder cherry reduced and shaped.
"From the start to completion of works the level of work has been outstanding. Would have no hesitation in recommending."
1 x conifer felled + stump ground out, 1 x holly felled, 1 x oak reduced and limb removed.
"I had Ashwood Group round today removing an oak tree from my garden. Fantastic group of hard working, polite and courteous group of guys who were also very respectful of my property. I would highly recommend them for any tree removal or tree work."
Removal of an oak tree.
"Good price for work very well done. The guys certainly knew what they were doing. Very polite, hardworking and left site tidy. Would certainly recommend them."
Hedge cutting and cutting down trees
"Just a huge thank you to Ashwood Group Tree Service in Aldershot for donating materials to Crookham Infants School for our Forest School and vegetable garden on site today. What a nice bunch of tree surgeons!"
Crookham Infants School


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An optical diagnostic system based on line imaging of Raman-scattered light has been developed to study the mixing processes in internal combustion engines. The system permits multipoint, single laser-shot measurements of CO2, O2, N2, C3H8, and H2O mole fractions with submillimeter spatial resolution. Selection of appropriate system hardware is discussed, as are subsequent data reduction and analysis procedures. Results are reported for data obtained at multiple crank angles and in two different engine flow fields. Measurements are made at 12 locations simultaneously, each location having measurement volume dimensions of 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm × 0.9 mm. The data are analyzed to obtain statistics of species mole fractions: mean, rms, histograms, and both spatial and cross-species covariance functions. The covariance functions are used to quantify the accuracy of the measured rms mole fraction fluctuations, to determine the integral length scales of the mixture inhomogeneities, and to quantify the cycle-to-cycle fluctuations in bulk mixture composition under well-mixed conditions.
© 1999 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
OSA Recommended Articles
Peter Andresen, Gerard Meijer, Harald Schlüter, Heiner Voges, Andrea Koch, Werner Hentschel, Winfried Oppermann, and Erhard Rothe
Appl. Opt. 29(16) 2392-2404 (1990)
Gaetano Magnotti, Andrew D. Cutler, and Paul M. Danehy
Appl. Opt. 52(20) 4779-4791 (2013)
Johan Hult, Mattias Richter, Jenny Nygren, Marcus Aldén, Anders Hultqvist, Magnus Christensen, and Bengt Johansson
Appl. Opt. 41(24) 5002-5014 (2002)


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The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna is a tertiary institution with a blend of military and civilian staff and students. The Institute conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Aerospace Engineering and allied disciplines. AFIT is accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Universities Commission (NUC), Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) and Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Application are invited for the position below:
Job Title: Technician
Location: Kaduna
- OND in relevant disciplines with at least 3 years cognate experience
Application Closing Date
18th August, 2018.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's and photocopies of credentials with referees to:
The Registrar,
Air Force Institute of Technology,
Kaduna State
Note: Shortlisted applicants will be contacted before the date of interview.


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Mark Zuckerberg's wardrobe is stuffed to the gills with exactly the same clobber so he doesn't have to think about what to wear in the morning. He does this because even the smallest smidgen of mental energy invested in deciding whether it's a brogues or sneakers kinda day (it's normally sneakers) could be better spent. Zuckerberg never bothers about his daily outfit because he removes the need to make a decision in the first place. In short, he has a system – and it's a system you can apply to keeping productive with your writing.
Whilst willpower can be an admirable quality – and researchers have found that people who have it in spades are often super-successful – it's not necessarily the best way to get something done.
Force of will
Ultimately, willpower is about forcing yourself in some way – either to do something or not to do something. It's about trying to take a new course of action – or to stop taking an existing one.
It's about keeping your distractions at bay and sticking with what you're doing through sheer force of will and often through gritted teeth. And let's be honest, all that teeth gritting takes a lot of effort and it isn't easy.
Now clearly, sticking with something – whether that's a daily writing regime, an exercise habit or that scrummy new raw beetroot diet – isn't supposed to be easy.
And I'm definitely not arguing a case for quitting with abandon.
Persisting with something difficult to do for long periods of time can be hugely rewarding. It can lead lead to all sorts of deep work benefits that we crave.
But I do think that it takes more than just grim-faced determination to see a task through to the end. New year's resolutions being a case in point.
Writing resolutions don't work
The vast majority of people who set themselves a resolution on the first day of the year never see it through. We've written about this before. In fact, 92 per cent of new year's resolutions never make it past January.
This isn't because these new year eager beavers aren't committed or have a lower-than-average human quota of willpower but rather, because they don't think through how hard sticking with something over long periods of time really is. They often rely on willpower and self control alone – and that's what makes them fail.
Willpower is finite. It gets depleted – and it can get depleted fast. It might be easy to commit to a resolution after a Christmas holiday of mince-pie packing indulgence. But then, reality kicks in.
You've had a grindingly bad day at work, you've had the meeting from hell, your eldest kid has Tippexed your Lazy Boy again and now you need to force yourself to sit down and write your novel. Then there's that Game of Thrones boxset. Boxset wins. Every time I bet.
Systems are fun!
Routines and systems are hugely important in the creative process. Although I admit 'have a system' doesn't sound the most sexy creative advice ever doled out, the science tells us that they work – and that many of the most productive creatives are also the most regimented and rigorous in their behaviours.
Habits and routines help you become productive because they make you to do things unthinkingly.
Like Obama and his identical wardrobe of presidential knitwear, the more decisions you remove, the less chance you'll get distracted or have your mental energy depleted.
Related reads: How grit, perseverance and passion make you a better writer (and how to develop it) >>
Scheduling is sexy (no really)
For example, many people struggle to find a time in their daily schedules to write. And that's perfectly understandable – you're busy, you're tired, you have other commitments, I get it.
But one of the most excruciatingly painful ways to get something like a writing project done is to spend time and energy trying to find a time each day to complete it.
We've wagged our finger at you before about doing this and we've even come up with our very own traffic light system of scheduling.
In a nutshell, work out which periods of time in your week are totally out of bounds for writing (red), which periods are possible writing times (amber), and which are clear (green).
Then, discard the red times, think about what you might be able to achieve in the amber times (e.g. distracted editing) but book in writing time in those green periods and always stick to them. Then, set up structures around you to help you achieve this. Tell family and friends that green times are writing times – help them to understand that these times are precious to you and need to be respected.
Systems rock
Another tip is to try to turn your writing time into a system – so you do it automatically and unthinkingly.
Research from Stanford University's venerable Behavior Change Lab recommends approaching large projects (like your War and Peace-like novel) into smaller chunks so it becomes more manageable and not so down right scary.
Then, they suggest associating your writing time with something else you do habitually every day – that way it becomes normal rather than something you have to 'find the time' to do.
For example, if you write in the evenings, associate a 30 minute bout of writing when you retire to the drawing room with a fine brandy – or after you've finished your ready meal with a mug of tea.
Either way, once you start doing this then you associate one habit with another and you do it unthinkingly.
Related reads: How to master art of deliberate procrastination >>
Distracted? Moi…?
Lastly, we all get distracted – and that's fine. The key to managing your distractions is to build a system to manage these distractions.
If your particular vice is capturing Pokemon, rather than banning it from your life entirely, manage your use of it and use your love of it as an incentive to help you write.
For example, use 20 minutes to hunt Squirtle with a coffee as a mini power-up to keep you going between bouts of writing. Don't let your urge to Pokemon distract you, save it up as a reward. The more you control it, the less you'll be depleted by being distracted.
Poor Squirtle.
5 actionable points:
- Remember that any activity you need to make choices around will deplete your mental energy.
- Develop as many systems as you can you help you carry out activities unthinkingly.
- Your mental energy is finite – reserve it for your writing, not for thinking about when you're going to write.
- Don't rely on willpower alone to help you sick with a long-term project – use a system.
- Stop 'finding the time' to write – plan in your writing so you don't need to think about it.
- Be nice to squirtle and their Pokeman ilk.


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General life commentary from a crossdresser who is gradually coming out to the people around her.
02 January 2014
2013 - a year of disappointment
But it did! In 2013, I managed a total of just 5 outings for the entire year, including IMATS and The Lindy Charm School, that I pushed myself to attend because I'd paid in advance, and the Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival, that I planned months in advance for, because I didn't get there last year!
My sleep patterns are no better than they were last year, or the year before, or any of the dozen or so years before that. :-(
I'm still having a lot of trouble with disorganisation at home making it difficult if not impossible to get organised enough to go out en femme. The most recent example was that I seriously considered going to the New Years Eve cafe night, and got as far as straightening my hair and getting my red wiggle dress out, but couldn't get to the ironing board to press the dress.
We made progress with revising the plans for our house extensions, but we have to wait for approval from the civil engineers before we can submit them to council. I'm really hopeful that we'll actually get started on construction this year. To some extent, it worries me that I'm pinning my hopes on the house extensions making a big difference to my organisation and hence my ability to get out more often. I don't know how I'll cope if we put in a huge amount of time, effort and money and it doesn't help!
Perhaps the most troubling thing is the Catch 22 of outings and depression. Going out en femme helps to alleviate my depression. Not getting out means that the depression gets worse, to the point that I'm too depressed to fight all of the obstacles that make it difficult to go out.
5 comments:
Sounds to me like you have some other underlieing issues here as well, of course making more room just means more room to be disorganised in. Maybe you need to think about what you want,, what you really, really want.ReplyDelete
There are at least 2 issues that I didn't state directly in this post. One, which I've posted about before, is the fact that the cafe night group includes a socialist who has made it perfectly clear that I'm not welcome and is virtually guaranteed to goad me into doing or saying something that I will regret. Hence, even if I try to convince myself to go, I'm still not sure that I want to.ReplyDelete
The other is that I find that I am unable to regularly practice 1950s hair styles, so they take longer to do than they should, and don't generally turn out well. Being a perfectionist, that's a problem!
If the person who wants to make you feel un-welcomed at the "cafe-night" just simply ignore them. F..k them .. or don't!ReplyDelete
I do however agree with Paula Gee in the matter regarding the house expansion! I do live in a small apartment and it never hurt or helped me.
Hope you and yours had a great Christmas and have a happy, safe, and prosporus New Year!
- Anonymous8 January 2014 at 00:43
Why is it necessary to go with 1950's hair styles? Forget the era, stick with simpler hair styles, get out, feel better, practice the hair styles once the depression eases. Or am I missing something?ReplyDelete
I guess it's just "where I'm at" at the moment. If I just straighten my hair, it ends up flat and I feel flat. The '50s styles give it height and body, and that gives me a lift.ReplyDelete


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Saint Mary's have a proud tradition in basketball stretching back over four decades. The school currently enters teams at First year, Second year, Under 16 and Under 19 grades.
During the 1990s the school tasted All Ireland glory under the guidance of our late colleague Helen Tighe. Saint Mary's has reached the regional finals of all age groups over the last few years.
By using the St. Mary's Secondary School, Ballina website you agree to our use of cookies as described in our cookie policy.


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In our study of Colossians chapter two, we will continue to look at Paul's letter to the believers in Colosse and apply it to our lives today. This church was being challenged by the introduction of five different errors concerning faith and Paul addressed them and the answer in each case came down to Christ. Jesus is the answer for the head as well as for the heart of men and we will see that here.
"I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally." NIV translation
Paul starts this section by letting the believers know how his heart aches for them. Paul constantly prayed for the church and all the believers because he knew of the struggles that they faced and he knew the answer to those struggles was only found in Christ.
"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ," NIV translation
This verse speaks to the fact that we are all to be knitted together as a beautiful quilt in Christ. This is only possible through love and love is only possible through Christ. This is so that we can fully understand the mystery of how we are made alive in Christ. The mystery is that, even in the beginning of time, God had a plan to bring us Gentiles (non-Jews) into a right relationship with Him and that plan was to send His Son to the cross to pay for our sins.
"in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." NIV translation
Do you want wisdom and knowledge? They are only found in Christ! He is the answer to all things as He knows all and shares all with us through the Word and the Spirit.


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Human Resources in Research & Practice: RQ Reader
Human Resources in Research and Practice: The RQ Reader offers a broad spectrum of topics on HR management (HRM) essential in today's global world. This book, a best-of-the-best compilation of SHRM's Research Quarterly, presents both research and a practical focus about key areas in people management. Each chapter includes perspectives and experiences of HR professionals in the field with real life scenarios to illustrate the many challenges and opportunities encountered in HRM. - HR professionals, students, and professors all will value the richness of information and resources that provide a solid foundation of knowledge and opportunity for learning about the top issues of human resources. For the HR professional: This resource covers extensive ground, useful and important for everyone, in the HR field. For the student: whether an undergraduate, in grad school or working on a dissertation for a Ph.D., the student will find a wide range of learning that can be directly applied in the classroom, citations for papers, and group study work. For the professor: each chapter presents structures to serve as the basis for classroom discussion, supplemental reading, and/or project assignments.
Part I: Strategic HR Management - For sustainability in today's global marketplace, organizations must be strategic in their approach to human resource management. This section presents five critical areas: employee engagement, organization development, knowledge management, change management, and human capital. These topics are must have's for senior HR professionals and for those learning about human resources on the journey to senior HR work.Chapter 1. Leveraging Employee Engagement for Competitive Advantage: HR's Strategic Role (2007) Chapter 2. Organizational Development: A Strategic HR Tool (200 Chapter 3. Leveraging HR and Knowledge Management in a Challenging Economy (2009) Chapter 4. Change Management: The HR Strategic Imperative as a Business Partner (2007) Chapter 5. Maximizing Human Capital: Demonstrating HR Value with Key Performance Indicators (2006)
Part II: Staffing Management - Staffing management has a wide-reaching impact on the workplace of today and tomorrow. No matter the economic environment, competition for talent is strong. HR professionals need to be knowledgeable about the many resources of talent from the dynamic Millennial generation, the value of diversity in teams, innovation and customer service, to a solid and respectful understanding of cultural differences in the workplace.
- Chapter 6. Talent Management: Driver for Organizational Success (2006)
- Chapter 7. Workplace Diversity: Leveraging the Power of Difference for Competitive Advantage (2005)
- Chapter 8. Selected Cross-Cultural Factors in Human Resource Management (2008)
- Chapter 9. The Multigenerational Workforce: Opportunity for Competitive Success (2009)
- Chapter 10. Global Talent for Competitive Advantage (2010)
Part III: Employee Relations and Organizational Development Leadership. Motivation. Performance. Team work. Ethics. Fairness. What inspires employees to go beyond expectations, for themselves, their group and their organization? Developing leadership skills, working well in a team (local or global), being mentored or mentoring others, effective communication through technology: this section focuses on the important areas of employee relations and organizational development for effective communication, through corporate values, for strong performance.
- Chapter 11. Leadership Development: Optimizing Human Capital for Business Success (2006)
- Chapter 12. Motivation in Todays Workplace: The Link to Performance (2010)
- Chapter 13. Performance Management: Getting It Right from the Start (2004)
- Chapter 14. Successful Transitioning to a Virtual Organization: Challenges, Impact and Technology (2010)
- Chapter 15. Business Ethics: The Role of Culture and Values for an Ethical Workplace (2009)
Part IV: The HR Professional What creates the impetus to learn? No matter ones level of experience in the HR profession, never underestimate the value of knowledge. This section showcases pathways to gain knowledge, be steeped in the value of people and management skills, and contribute to the success of the company's strategy, mission, and goals.
- Chapter 16. Creativity and Innovation in Human Resource Management: A Sign of the Times (2009)
- Chapter 17. Career Development for HR Professionals (2008)
|Human Resources in Research & Practice: RQ Reader


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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) The Current War (2017) Succession (HBO Pilot)
Thanks to Mrs Q on the forum for posting this
Tonight on the BBC we have a programme clash in the UK! Part 2 of Matthews narration for the Nuremberg Trials is on at 9pm on BBC 2, while on BBC 4 at the same time, is the last part of Reader I Married Him with more clips from Pemberworths resident artist Pinky Andrexa.
With a bit of luck Pinky can tape her programme and I will be able to tape the audio for Nuremberg Trials.. ..and we will get them into the galleries soon!
Oh and Spooks series 5 is on BBC1 at the same time too! You would think the programmers at the BBC centre could do better!
Hi-res IMFD images recently added to the galleries.
Reader I Married Him:
Daisy Goodwin delves into one of the most successful literary genres - romantic fiction. From Jane Austen to the present day, via Mills & Boon, this three-part series explores the enduring appeal of the love story and the integral part it plays in readers' lives.
We are proud to announce that one of our forum members was interviewed and appeared on this television show in the UK on BBC. We have put up a few clips of PinkyAndrexa in our galleries. Please watch and enjoy as she promotes the best Darcy ever, Matthew Macfadyen.


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How our cider is made
Following traditional techniques, Urban Tree Cider production begins on the farm, giving it a unique grove to glass quality. We harvest our apples by hand and transport them to Atlanta's first cidery where they are transformed into delicious and natural hard cider.
"At Urban Tree, we are involved in every step of the process to let the very best characteristics shine through." – Tim Resuta, Owner and Head Cider Maker
Upon arrival at Urban Tree Cidery, the apples are washed and milled to a pulp before being pressed into a fresh juice. Yeast is added to the juice before undergoing the fermentation process in which sugar is transformed into alcohol, all while maintaining the fruit's natural expressiveness. After the fermentation process completes, the now hard cider is filtered to remove any remaining yeast or solid pulp.
Once the science of fermentation is over, the arts of blending, aging, and infusion can begin. Each Urban Tree cider style follows a recipe that has been perfected over time and tested throughout the process to ensure premium quality.
Finally, the cider is carbonated, bottled, and made ready for thirsty folks to enjoy the delicious complexity of Urban Tree's handcrafted labor of love.


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Date: Sep 30, 2017
Press Release Number: 181-2017
Motorists strongly urged to use mass transit and consider alternate routes; PATH rail to add extra trains during peak hours on all lines
Drivers who typically commute through the Holland Tunnel are urged to use mass transit –particularly during the morning and evening rush hours -- due to fire damage to the nearby Route 139 ramp in Jersey City that is maintained by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The extensive structural damage to the ramp has resulted in closures to three of five lanes nearly back to the tunnel, with the 60-percent capacity reduction expected to cause significant delays for westbound traffic in Jersey City and Hoboken. Lower Manhattan also can expect backups on local streets accessing the tunnel entrance to New Jersey, particularly if one of the tunnel's two westbound lanes must be closed if gridlock occurs on the New Jersey side.
Drivers should use mass transit, consider alternate work hours or telecommute if possible since other crossing like the Lincoln Tunnel may face delays due to the diverted traffic.
The Port Authority and NJ DOT have activated their Offices of Emergency Management to continuously monitor the situation and streamline communications with other state and local officials. Agency officials are working on traffic management plans to lessen potential congestion impacts and will coordinate implementation with counterparts at NJ DOT, NJ Transit, New Jersey State Police, Jersey City, Hoboken and Manhattan, New York City officials, as well as New York Waterways ferry service.
PATH rail is poised to add two extra trains hourly during the morning and evening rush hours on each of its three lines: Newark to World Trade Center, Hoboken to World Trade Center and Journal Square to 33rd Street starting Monday morning.
Travelers to Newark Liberty International Airport are encouraged to use NJ Transit rail service from New York Penn Station to access the Newark AirTrain to the airport's terminals.
Along with urging drivers to use mass transit options and seeking ways to increase rail, bus and ferry capacity, the Port Authority is taking other significant steps to help its state and local partners alleviate the anticipated problems. Ongoing construction work on the Bayonne Bridge, for example, has been suspended to help ease regional traffic.
"The Port Authority is urging travelers to use mass transit and consider alternate work hours and telecommuting to help minimize the anticipated gridlock at the Holland Tunnel until repairs are made to New Jersey's nearby Route 139 ramp,'' said Diannae Ehler, the Port Authority's Director of Tunnels, Bridges & Terminals. "The agency will assist our transportation partners to help minimize congestion around the tunnel, and we have offered engineering help if needed to evaluate and speed repairs on the state's ramp."
Agency, state and local officials are conferring on opening a third lane before the Monday morning rush along the Holland Tunnel's westbound exit lanes if feasible, while also adding additional police officers, closing certain side roads and adjusting traffic light patterns to help move traffic more efficiently.
On average, more than 2,600 vehicles per rush hour and 46,000 vehicles daily travel from Manhattan to New Jersey via the Holland Tunnel.
Port Authority Police are currently staffing intersections to optimize and balance traffic flow on both westbound 14th street and the local north/south roadways. This presence will be maintained through the weekend, with needs reassessed for the start of Monday's weekday travel patterns.
The Port Authority's Engineering Department has offered the support of staff and its resources to assess the extent of ramp damage and assist with implementation of a repair strategy.
For the most up-to-date traffic and transit information, please see use the following links:
NY Waterway has morning and evening rush-hour service between Port Liberty and Liberty Harbor in Jersey City and Manhattan. Both terminals are accessible from the New Jersey Turnpike and have parking.
Ferry terminals at Paulus Hook and Harborside in Jersey City and the Hoboken Rail/Ferry Terminal all are served but the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.
Visit nywaterway.com for complete information or call 1-800-53-FERRY.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency's network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit?http://www.panynj.gov.


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"You cannot adopt, rescue or warehouse your way out of overpopulation." -Dr. Jeffrey Young
This is one of Dr. Jeff's most remarkable quote, it is about the importance of spaying and neutering above all other methods of action in animal welfare. Dr. Jeffrey Young is a world known veterinarian and owner of Planned Pethood Plus & Planned Pethood International, he also have an international TV show in Animal Planet called "The Rocky Mountain Vet". He has been travelling all over the world to advocate spaying and neutering, he has created a big impact for over 30 years of his advocacy. He have also build low-cost veterinary clinics in Mexico and veterinary training center in Slovakia. He stands by his mission to help reduce pet over population all over the world through thinking globally and acting locally.
We are indeed very fortunate and grateful to be able to join his Japan tour. The campaign "Spay It Forward" and "Time for Low-Kill" is headed by Mr. Yamasaki Hiro, he has been an animal welfare advocate in Japan for more than a decade, it all started when a earthquake in his hometown changed his life towards animals. He is now determined to build a human bridge with animal welfare advocates and veterinarians in Japan with other countries. He greatly supports PPBCC Foundation and our spay and neuter advocacy, through inviting us, we had the opportunity to present our foundation to the Japanese community and share the work that we do in the Philippines.
It has been an unforgettable experience to visit different places in Japan and see different situations that animal welfare advocates, veterinarians and supporters are facing. "No-Kill" movement has been becoming rampant in Japan, and it is alarming as "No-Kill" movement is a delicate and controversial issue.
Dr. Jeffrey Young presented and explained the dangers of "No Kill" movement and how it harbors more harm than good for the animals. He have not seen a shelter / warehousing that practiced "No Kill" without unintentionally causing cruelty because of negligence and incapacity. A shelter that takes in and keeps more animals than they are capable of only causes suffering to all the animals in their care. Some of which doesn't even practice spaying and neutering the animals that comes in and out. It cost a huge amount of money and never meets the quality of life that each animal deserves. It also doesn't solve over population. "I believe no-kill shelters are the most inhumane trend in animal welfare. " -Dr. Jeff
5 Freedoms of Animals
- Freedom from hunger and thirst (food and water)
- Freedom from discomfort (shelter)
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease (medical care)
- Freedom to express normal behavior (exercise)
- Freedom from fear and distress (love and understanding)
"Low kill" is a movement that should be applied in all private and government shelters. It includes proper assessment of each animal that are fit for adoption and those that needs to be put to sleep. Dr. Jeff points out that he is not after euthanizing healthy and adoptable animals, he is for those animals that physically doesn't have the quality of life anymore or are highly aggressive that it will be impossible for them to be re-homed and will pose more harm towards people and other animals. In perspective these shelters should also measure the amount of animals they can intake. And above all mandate spaying and neutering for all the animals that comes in. This is the only way sheltering will be humane. More discussions and questions arose in Dr. Jeff's talk, it created a healthy debate for the Japanese community and clarifications on the ongoing "No Kill" movement.
In Hiroshima, the students of Hiroshima International School surprised us with their level of understanding with the on-going situation, they also presented their own interpretation of the pet over population and "No Kill" movement. They are the hope of the future and we are very impressed with their presentation.
The day before they also gave a tour at the "Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park"


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The Clean Water Act and subsequent regulations are now causing economic hardship for cities forced to treat water runoff from storms as polluted water.
About David Todd
David A. Todd holds Master and Bachelor degrees in Civil Engineering. He is also a genealogist by avocation, an environmentalist by choice, and a writer by passion. David grew up in Rhode Island, where he attended public schools in Cranston and then the University of Rhode Island. In his adult life, David has lived in Kansas City; Saudi Arabia; Asheboro, North Carolina; Kuwait; and currently resides in Northwest Arkansas. Along the way, David acquired a love for history and poetry.
David currently works at CEI Engineering Associates, Inc. in Bentonville, Arkansas. He is Corporate Trainer for Engineering, which includes planning and conducting training classes and mentoring younger staff. He is the senior engineer at the company, and hence gets called on to do the more difficult projects that most of the younger engineers don't feel confident to tackle. He has recently worked on a number of floodplain studies and mapping projects, and is a registered engineer in three states, a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control, and a Certified Construction Specifier (certification lapsed).
David has been actively pursuing genealogy for fifteen years, and has documented much of his and his wife's ancestry and family history. He has been writing creatively for eleven years, has completed one novel (unpublished), begun a second, planned a third, and has a dozen more waiting their turn to escape from the gray cells to paper or pixels. David has also written a number of poems; sonnets are his preferred form – and has had nine poems published. He has also written a newspaper column (historical-political), feature articles for the local weekly, and is actively pursuing magazine freelancing. David also authors a twice-monthly column at Buildipedia.
David is married to Lynda, and they reside in Bella Vista, AR. They have two adult children.


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Teenagers in central and south Warwickshire are set to benefit from an extensive summer activities programme, thanks to more than #500,000 of government funding.
The programme, which will be run by Warwickshire?s Community Education Service, Coventry and Warwickshire Connexions Service and Coventry City Council?s Youth Service, is being funded by #540,000 from the government?s New Opportunities Fund.
The Activities for Young People programme is aimed at year 11 pupils, specifically those who have not decided on what to do after leaving school.
The activities are geared to act as a springboard for school-leavers to consider new opportunities.
This year, 360 young people in Coventry and Warwickshire will have the opportunity to take part.
The programme will include a preparatory phase, during which young people will meet youth workers and personal advisers on a five-day residential course.
Activities available will include tall ship sailing courses, outdoor adventure programmes, dance and drama workshops, a DJing and music workshop, driving programmes and narrowboat sailing.
Young people with special needs will be able to take part in an out-door adventure programme.
The activities will take place at centres in the Lake District, Cumbria, Northamptonshire, Essex and North Wales.
Steve Stewart, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Connexions Service, said: ?Having the opportunity to give young people these new experiences is very rewarding.
?We ran a very successful programme last year and I?m pleased to say that 80percent of the young people who took part have since gone on to education or jobs with training.
?I know that young people who took part in last year?s programme had a great experience and developed their confidence and self-esteem no end.?


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As a graduate student, you should make sure that there is a good correspondence between individual educational career goals and the particular program features of the department in which study is contemplated. Such a determination will ideally be made before your admission to the department. The department head or graduate coordinator can answer specific questions about research or artistic programs, departmental requirements, financial support, placement opportunities, etc. Once admitted, you should proactively monitor events that may affect your educational and career goals. Always remember, department heads, advisors, and committee members can often be helpful sources for counseling and contacts leading to successful career placement.
You are responsible for knowing departmental and University requirements and standards. If any questions arise, seek clarification within the department or from the Graduate School.
You are responsible for keeping your advisor and Advisory Committee members informed of your progress in your program of study and for regularly consulting the advisor and committee. If changes are made in the program of study, you are responsible for securing approval of all members of the committee beforehand.
For more information, please review the Student Rights and Responsibilities section of the Graduate & Professional Bulletin.
Principles of Community
The Principles of Community support the Colorado State University mission and vision of access, research, teaching, service and engagement. A collaborative and vibrant community is a foundation for learning, critical inquiry, and discovery. Therefore, each member of the CSU community has a responsibility to uphold these principles when engaging with one another and acting on behalf of the University.
We create and nurture inclusive environments and welcome, value and affirm all members of our community, including their various identities, skills, ideas, talents and contributions.
We are accountable for our actions and will act ethically and honestly in all our interactions.
We honor the inherent dignity of all people within an environment where we are committed to freedom of expression, critical discourse, and the advancement of knowledge.
We are responsible, individually and collectively, to give of our time, talents, and resources to promote the well-being of each other and the development of our local, regional, and global communities.
Social Justice
We have the right to be treated and the responsibility to treat others with fairness and equity, the duty to challenge prejudice, and to uphold the laws, policies and procedures that promote justice in all respects.


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Unlike many of the other divisions of The Walt Disney Company, Disney Channel, for years, suffered from a bad image. Or perhaps it was a lack of an image.
Disney theme parks, movies and other aspects of the Disney brand bring to mind images of action, innovation and fun. Disney Channel has often seemed, well, just there.
Over the last two years, the channel has done much to undo the idea that it had become stodgy and only for little kids by recasting itself as a brand that is connected to the daily lives of kids and families.
'What we're trying to do with the image is present our channel in the most active and contemporary way that we can,' says Eleo Hensleigh, senior vice president of marketing at Disney Channel.
Bridging the heritage and equity of the Disney brand name to a modern-day feel poses the challenge of how to be contemporary while staying within the 'trust boundaries' that the Disney brand established long ago. 'When we started to talk about being more contemporary, people immediately thought we meant we were going to be edgy,' says Hensleigh. 'Contemporary has a lot of different meanings to it. You can still have sense of humor, a personality and take risks if you understand safety and trust issues that are a core component of the Disney brand.'
Making Disney Channel relevant to kids and families has manifested itself in an overall cohesive and coherent look, feel and attitude that begins with programming and extends into all of the areas where viewers experience the channel, be it in advertising, on-line, on-air, at a public event or on a piece of licensed product.
The new image campaign was launched last March, when Disney scrapped its old logo in place of one that reinforced the heritage of the Disney brand while presenting the channel as a fun and exciting destination for kids and families. On-air, it began to showcase more children during interstitial segments. 'That started us building a relationship [with viewers] that kids like [them] are on Disney,' says Hensleigh.
Disney Channel marketing campaigns are designed to drive tune-in, but also to connect viewers with the channel. 'We want to create a dynamic that extends beyond television and not just see this as a passive and finite television experience,' she says.
One such program is the channel's 'PremEARS in the Park' initiative. Last summer, Disney partnered with local cable channels from 10 cities in the U.S. to bring the Disney Channel experience to kids and families by inviting them to attend a free four-night mini-movie festival. 'All they had to do was show up. They didn't have to spend a dime. An awful lot of goodwill came from that,' she says. A second tour will be held this summer.
The channel has also begun broadcasting 'Family Service Announcements,' or FSAs, which celebrate family. In each segment, stars such as Celine Dion and Michael J. Fox talk from the heart about their experiences growing up in their family, or becoming parents and starting their own family. The intention of the announcements, which debuted in February, is for viewers to see that the issues that families face are universal.
Competing for time in households where the options are plentiful presents a challenge to any maker of television programming. The surge in Disney ratings over the last year indicates that Disney Channel has shaken the cobwebs from its image and has become more responsive to creating an environment that makes the channel part of kids' lifestyles. EK
In this report:
- Programming: Back to basics
- Disney Channel time line
- Marketing: Not your parents' Disney
- Q&A with Anne Sweeney
- Drawing up Toon Disney
- International: Vive le Mickey