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So it's been more or less a week of shadow priesting for me, transitioning from creation to destruction, metaphorically speaking. I will say that I am definitely enjoying the shadow side of things and relishing my new role as pew pew in groups. Not to mention that this new style of play has somewhat revitalized my excitement for the game, as is evidenced by increased blogging activities.
So as I've been SPriesting (I know some people hate that term, but I like to think of it as Super Priesting), I've also begun to notice the subtext involved and major differences other than simply dps over healing. It's not all button rotation and spell power for shadowy priests, there's some subtle skill occasionally involved. I know, I was just as shocked as you were.
First off, I found that Mind Sear was truly one of the best spells the devs have ever graced a player with on WoW. With this spell I've managed to hit 12,500 dps on a single pull (pretty much the only good part about Pit of Saron), and have been welcomed with the occasional "hooray, mind sear!" when landing in a random group. As far as I'm concerned, where there's three or more mobs, there's Mind Sear.
I've also begun trying to make sure that replenishment is ticking as often as possible while I'm grouped, optimizing my rotation around constantly having Vampiric Touch on the target so that no matter when Mind Blast comes off cooldown, I'll be refreshing it. This helps to keep my mana more efficient (and I have run oom a couple of times, though never without my shadow fiend ready to go) as well as providing a boost for the rest of the group.
My other big tip is to try to balance your crit and haste. Most places that I've looked have recommended a haste:crit ratio of 1:2, which I've been trying my best to get to through gear, gems and enchants. As a holy priest, I was never too enamored with haste, but I've certainly changed that particular viewpoint. However, it seems as though lately Blizzard is really cramming haste down our throats with almost every dps oriented piece of gear almost exclusively providing haste.
There's also the issue of Spirit. Frankly I love Spirit, it has a multitude of bonuses for holy priests and even some for shadow priests. I've tried my best to get as much spirit as possible, going so far as using "healing" gear as part of my shadow set in order to up the stat and provide a further bonus for me. Though I am pragmatic and if an obvious upgrade that does not feature Spirit fall into my hot little hands, I will almost certainly take it.
The biggest transition for me, however, was learning how to effectively target mobs. Out of laziness I usually use the tab method to cycle through mobs, especially since I'm only usually cycling through mobs when I'm Mind Searing and don't need a particular target. I've heard that the best dps usually rely on click targeting in order to ensure accuracy, but I keep accidently clicking on the wrong mob or a group mate when I try that, even with nameplates up.
Of course, these tips are new to me and hopefully will evolve or change over time in order to provide for quicker and higher dps from ol' Duegie here. Though I feel as though I'm getting it, with my dps averaging between 34 and 3600 in most groups. I'd also appreciate any tips any other more experienced shadow priests might have, even though I am rather perfect.


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Geothermal: monitoring and reporting
- Environment »
- Environmental Information »
- Environmental indicators »
- Geothermal: monitoring and reporting
Our region's geothermal areas are unique and internationally renowned. But many have been damaged by changing land use and energy generation, and there's increased pressure to develop the areas for more energy or as tourist attractions.
Waikato Regional Council regularly monitors and reports on our region's geothermal resources, the pressures they face, and how they are changing.
Our indicators below summarise the results of our science and monitoring programmes, and provide a holistic report on the state of the Waikato region's environment.

subset: commoncrawl


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Item Code: 1993655681086Item Type: CoatMaterial: polyester,cotton,fiberCollar type:v neckClothing placket: cardiganPattern: latticeStyle: casualSleeve: long sleeveClothing details:pocket,printedWaist: looseSeason:winter,autumnCombination:single piece
One Size(Fit for EU 38-44,US8-14,UK12-18,AU12-18,NZ12-18)Length: 98.00 cm/ 38.58 "Bust: Unlimited Shoulder: 64.00 cm/ 25.20 "Sleeve length: 44.00 cm/ 17.32 "Arm: 36.00 cm/ 14.17 "Cuff: 28.00 cm/ 11.02 "Hem: Unlimited Waist: Unlimited
Total Delivery Time=Processing time + Shipping timeProcessing time : 2-5 Business days Normally.
Shipping time
1 Standard Shipping time : 7-12 Business Days , Shipping Cost US $6+ .
2 Express Shipping time : 3-5 Business Days , Shipping Cost US $13+ .
Free shipping for order over $180
Customs And Import Duty
In general,there only be a small number of countries need to clear customs.if unfortunately,your order need to clear customs tax,and you need to make a payment again,please contact with us directly first.We will do our best to solve the matter for you,please do not worry about it.
To find your correct size, use a tape measure and take these measurements. Stand with your back straight in front of a mirror, to make sure that you measure correctly and that the tape measure is kept level.
BustMeasure under your armpits, around your shoulder blades, and over the fullest part of your bust. Don't pull the tape measure too hard. For fitting a bra, you also need the measurement just under your bust.WaistMeasure around your natural waistline. This is the narrow part of your waist, about an inch above your navel. Relax and breath out before you measure.
HipThe hip should be measured around its fullest part (about 8 inch. below your waist).InseamThis is the measurement from your ankle to your groin, when you stand with your legs straight. If possible, ask a friend to help you. This can also be measured on a pair of pants with the proper length.
Processing time : 2-5 Business days Normally.
2 Express Shipping time : 3-5 Business Days , Shipping Cost US $13+ .
In general,there only be a small number of countries need to clear customs.if unfortunately,your order need to clear customs tax,and you need to make a payment again,please contact with us directly first.We will help you with certain amount of the tax,please do not worry about it.
1.Can I change my shipping address after placing an order?
Please be advised that your shipping address cannot be revised after the order has been placed successfully.However,before your order being shipped,we will try our best to help you to revise your shipping address.So please make sure that your shipping address is right and if you have any question,please feel free to contact with us first,we will be very glad to help you solve the matter.
2.How do I track my order?
After your order being shipped, a tracking number will appear. You can track your order on our company's website with the tracking number provided.
Please pay attention: It may take 48 to 72 hours for the tracking information to be updated and sometimes tracking numbers may change. If after 3 days you cannot get the tracking information of your order, please feel free to contact with us for more information.
3.I am not satisfied with the product. What can I do?
If you are not satisfied with the product you received,you'd better return it to us in new condition within 15 days from the delivered date,or we would refuse to accept your request.
Plus Size Women Spring Loose Irregular Midi Dress
Item Code:1995595513918Item Type: Women DressMaterial: CottonSeason: SpringStyle: CasualCollar: Polo CollarPattern Type: SolidDecoration: Irregular Hem,Split,ButtonsClothing Placket: PulloverSleeve Length: Long SleeveCombination: Single Piece
Size S(Fit for EU 36,US6,UK8-10,AU8-10,NZ8-10)Length: 100.00 - 119.00 cm/ 39.37 - 46.85 "Shoulder: 40.00 cm/ 15.75 "Bust: 98.00 cm/ 38.58 "Waist: 97.00 cm/ 38.19 "Hem: 195.00 cm/ 76.77 "Sleeve Length: 59.00 cm/ 23.23 "Cuff: 23.00 cm/ 9.06 "Arm: 37.00 cm/ 14.57 " Size M(Fit for EU 38-40,US8-10,UK12-14,AU12-14,NZ12-14)Length: 102.00 121.00 cm/ 40.16 - 47.64 "Shoulder: 42.00 cm/ 16.54 "Bust: 104.00 cm/ 40.94 "Waist: 103.00 cm/ 40.55 "Hem: 201.00 cm/ 79.13 "Sleeve Length: 60.00 cm/ 23.62 "Cuff: 23.50 cm/ 9.25 "Arm: 39.00 cm/ 15.35 "Size L(Fit for EU42-44,US12-14,UK16-18,AU14-16)Length: 104.00 - 123.00 cm/ 40.94 - 48.43 "Shoulder: 44.50 cm/ 17.52 "Bust: 112.00 cm/ 44.09 "Waist: 111.00 cm/ 43.70 "Hem: 209.00 cm/ 82.28 "Sleeve Length: 61.00 cm/ 24.02 "Cuff: 25.50 cm/ 10.04"Arm: 41.50 cm/ 16.34 "Size XL(Fit for EU46-48,US16-18,UK18-20,AU20-22)Length: 106.00 - 125.00 cm/ 41.73 - 49.21 "Shoulder: 47.50 cm/ 18.70 "Bust: 122.00 cm/ 48.03 "Waist: 121.00 cm/ 47.64 "Hem: 219.00 cm/ 86.22 "Sleeve Length: 62.00 cm/ 24.41 "Cuff: 28.00 cm/ 11.02 "Arm: 44.50 cm/ 17.52 "
PS:The measurement is measured by hands,there will be 1 cm-3cm in error,hope you can understand.
The model height:5'5"/168cm,weight:110lb/50kg
Plus Size Women Casual Solid Spring Ankle Length Pants
Item Code:1994325098558Item Type: PantsMaterial: 65%Polyester,35%CottonSeason: WinterStyle: CasualPattern Type: SolidDecoration: PocketsPants Length: Ankle LengthPants Style: Cross pantsFit Type: LooseSize M(Fit for EU 38-40,US8-10,UK12-14,AU12-14,NZ12-14)Length: 98.00 cm/ 38.58 " Hips: 68.00 cm/ 26.77 " Leg Opening: 25.00 cm/ 9.84 " Waist: 68.00-112.00 cm/ 26.77-44.09 " Size L(Fit for EU42-44,US12-14,UK16-18,AU14-16)Length: 99.50 cm/ 39.17 " Hips: 72.00 cm/ 28.35 " Leg Opening: 26.50 cm/ 10.43 " Waist: 74.00 cm/ 29.13 " Waist: 120.00 cm/ 47.24 " Size XL(Fit for EU46-48,US16-18,UK18-20,AU20-22)Length: 101.00 cm/ 39.76 " Hips: 77.00 cm/ 30.31 " Leg Opening: 28.50 cm/ 11.22 " Waist: 82.00-130.00 cm/ 32.28 " Size XXL(Fit for EU50-52,US20-22,UK24-26,AU22-24)Length: 102.50 cm/ 40.35 " Hips: 82.00 cm/ 32.28 " Leg Opening: 30.50 cm/ 12.01 " Waist: 90.00-140.00 cm/ 35.43-55.12 "
Women Long Sleeve Lacing Slit Loose Solid Dress
Item Code: 1996130910270Item Type:Women DressMain Material: CottonCollar Type: V-NeckClothing Placket: PulloverPattern: SolidStyle: CasualSleeve Length: Long SleevePopular Elements: Lacing,Slit,PocketsWaist: NaturalSeason: Spring,AutumnMain Color: Dark YellowCombination Forms: Single Piece
One Size(Fit for EU 36-38,US6-8,UK8-12,AU8-12,NZ8-12)Length: 104.00 cm/ 40.94 "Bust: 108.00 cm/ 42.52 "Shoulder: 39.00 cm/ 15.35 "Sleeve length: 51.00 cm/ 20.08 "Arm: 30.00 cm/ 11.81 "Cuff: 25.00 cm/ 9.84 "Waist: 130.00 cm/ 51.18 "
Women Winter Casual Cotton Solid Loose Long Sleeve Trench Coat
Item Code:1994320904254Item Type: Trench CoatMaterial: 95%Cotton,5%Polyurethane Elastic FiberSeason: WinterStyle: CasualCollar: HoodedPattern Type: SolidDecoration: Hooded,Buttons,Pockets,Spliced,WaistbeltClothing Placket: PulloverSleeve Length: Long SleeveDresses Length: Mid-CalfSilhouette: Loose
Women Retro Stand Collar Printed Black Dress
Sold Out


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If your library's network is down, please follow the "Network Outages/Circulation Down" instructions. Otherwise, fill out the Support Form below to submit a ticket.
Network Outages/Circulation Down
Check your library's network status by using the Check Network Status button.
If your library has no Internet OR all of your library's circulation computers are down, call the BCCLS Office:
- Monday - Friday: 201-489-1904 (press option 4)
- After Hours: 201-489-1904 (choose option 4 for cell phone coverage)
- If no one answers either of the above refer to: Staff Contacts and Downtime Procedures.
Support Form Help
4-Month Bill
Report an overdue 4-month bill to the patron's home library
Bookmarks, Brochures, etc.
Request a batch of bookmarks, brochures, etc. be sent to your library
Questions about Polaris and circulation support (checking out, renewing, etc.)
Database Error
Report a cataloging mistake (wrong author, title misspelled, missing ISBN, etc.)
Questions about streaming/downloadable content (missing holds, errors, etc.)
Email (Staff)
Report a problem or request to change, add, or remove a BCCLS email address
Equipment (Hardware/Software)
Order new equipment or report a problem with existing equipment (computers, networking, etc.)
Questions about adding or managing your library's items
Mislink Alert
Report a mislinked item to the item-owning library
Patron Barcode Change
Report a barcode change if a patron's home library has changed or if a patron downloads eBooks/eAudiobooks
Patron Email (Bad/Bounced)
Request a patron's email address to be reinstated after it has bounced and been removed from Polaris
Questions or requests on reports or Simply Reports
Web Site/Catalog
Report errors or ask questions about the web site or online catalog (PAC)
Any questions or requests that do not fall in the categories above


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FAQ: Common Questions and Answers About Steel Siding
Thinking about a metallic makeover? According to Home Advisor, steel siding is the longest lasting siding material available and, when compared to other siding materials, is tough to beat. In this blog, we answer the most frequently asked questions we receive about steel siding from homeowners to help you determine whether it is the best option for you.
Seven of the most common questions, and answers, around steel siding.
1. Does steel siding rust?
The simple answer is "no." The process of galvanization means that a layer of protective zinc is added to the surface to prevent rust and corrosion. It is used for a variety of products and applications, such as beams, piping automobiles, aircrafts, ocean liners and military ships, and for good reason. This is what we're offering now for your homes when we refer to "steel siding" – if it stands up to the harshest of salt water, it'll work for your home!
2. Does steel siding dent easily?
Forty-four percent more homeowners worry about a storm damaging their home today than five years ago. hose who choose the strength of steel siding can rest assured knowing it's resistant to denting, damage from hail, wind and even fire. In fact, Ply Gem's steel siding is backed by a 50-year hail warranty. You won't find this type of protection against the elements with other cladding materials such as fiber cement or engineered wood.
3. How long does steel siding last?
According to House Logic, with proper maintenance steel siding can last up to fifty years. This siding material has the strength of galvanized steel, which makes it incredibly tough and durable, so it resists any bumps, dents, and other possible dings. Plus, Ply Gem's steel siding is backed by an industry leading limited lifetime warranty.
4. Is steel siding shiny?
Many envision steel siding as shiny and flat. For traditional styling, Ply Gem Steel Siding has an embossed woodgrain pattern with detailed texture that looks like real wood, without the maintenance, and without the high-gloss look of metal. Today's steel is also made with modern color retention technologies. High-performance products like Ply Gem Steel Siding have a high-performance coating that lasts a lifetime. All colors – even the most rich and vibrant – are backed by a 35-year fade warranty not typically offered in competitive categories.
5. How much does steel siding cost?
Historically, steel siding has sold at a premium price point. Through modern innovations, Ply Gem has reduced steel siding cost and made it much more affordable and cost-effective. Contact an installer for information on pricing.
6. Do installers recommend steel siding?
Installers love steel siding. Why? Because it's beautiful, durable and hail resistant. Additionally, unlike other siding materials, the colors are chalk and fade resistant.
7. Where can I buy steel siding?
If you're shopping for siding steel is a great option. It's attractive, durable and backed by Ply Gem's industry leading warranty. Find a pro that can help you buy steel siding here.


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Labor Day has just passed, meaning that by now most kids have returned to school. Do you dread the inevitable "fine" or some other one word response when you ask your kids, "how was school today?" Do you wish that they would just tell you about their day? I mean really, how hard can it be to talk. Turns out, it's pretty hard. And it might just be that we are asking the wrong questions.
Think about the question "how was school today?" It is about as difficult to answer as "how was work today?" It is an invitation to a one word response not a conversation.
For younger children, the difficulty is that a response requires a summary of the day. Children do not process information like adults do. They are concrete thinkers, not yet having developed abstract thoughts. So taking development into account, it is difficult for children to summarize their day.
As far as older children, they are beginning to separate from their parents and their peers play a more important role in their lives. So again taking development into account, teens often do not want to have a conversation with their parents.
But do not worry, all hope is not lost. Here are some alternative strategies to get your kids, and teens too, talking.
1. Greet your child when they return home. Say "I'm happy you're home" or "it's good to see you." Immediately starting with a question can lead to your child to feel bombarded, overwhelmed, and on the spot to give a response when they have not had a chance to process their day.
2. Give your child a moment of peace. Let your child have a snack or put their feet up for a bit before asking them about their day. If they can't wait to tell you something, they'll tell you. Otherwise, think about how you feel after a long day. Often you just need a breather before engaging in a conversation.
3. Ask specific questions. Ask what your child did fun today, what was their favorite part, what did they not like. Ask about that art project you know they are working on or about what book their teacher read. Make sure the questions are not just focused on academics.
4. Avoid face-to-face situations. Kids and teens typically do not interact well in face-to-face discussions, feeling as if they are being interrogated. Talking while doing something (driving, cooking dinner, etc.) can lead to more in-depth and honest conversation.
5. Listen. I know, this sounds like a no-brainer but if you really observe, you most likely will find you do more of the talking. Asking open-ended questions and not making assumptions will allow you a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of your child and they might just surprise you. You might think your teen is disappointed in that B on their math test, and you may be disappointed, yet they might feel proud of how hard they studied and of achieving such a grade on the most difficult material yet.
6. Do not be a fixer. You want your child to develop problem-solving skills and learn to handle their own difficulties. So if an issue arises, do not immediately jump in trying to make it better. Often this can backfire and minimize your child's feelings. Take the example of responding to teasing by telling your child that the other kids are only jealous. Ask your child how they might deal with the situation, how they feel, and what help you can provide.
You can share any other thoughts or ideas in the comments section below. And I wish you and your kiddos a great school year! Want more insight into talking with your child? Contact me here.


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There are very few things that actually surprise me anymore. But an "erotic corn dog eating contest" at the Iowa State Fair? Okay, I didn't expect that one.
Now it looks like I may be too late to participate - they're trying to shut down such a classy contest. I know, I know, the news is too hard to swallow. I'm sure I could have blown those other competitors away if I'd just known about it... *evil grin*
Competitors — so far it's only been women, and all were required to be at least 18 — are given 30 seconds to demonstrate erotic techniques on the staple state fair treat.
"We stress technique," Pilchen said. "There's a lot of simulation."
Condiments are available if the women want to get creative, he said. "We had ketchup and mustard, but the big hit was mayonnaise."
Audience applause selects the winner.


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Our Team
Sarah is a 1989 graduate of Ball State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. Following college, Sarah joined the USA Group as a Customer Assistance Representative and was rapidly promoted—first to Quality Control Monitor and later to a management position as Quality Control Senior Trainer where she supervised a team of employees covering seven different customer areas.In 1998, Sarah joined Robert W. Baird & Company, Inc. (Baird), a large national Investment Brokerage firm, as a Registered Sales Associate where she assisted two Senior Financial Advisors. Again, Sarah was quickly promoted and became the branch office's Information Technology Representative where she trained staff on all new software and information technology systems. In 1999, Sarah was named Training Coordinator for Baird, traveling throughout the United States. During this period, Sarah implemented a number of programs to assist Baird Advisors in serving the high-net-worth market. Serving in the same position, Sarah was later promoted to Assistant Vice President.To be with family and friends, Sarah returned to her hometown of Yorktown, Indiana in 2003 and accepted a position as Branch Manager and Assistant Vice President with Bank One (now J.P. Morgan Chase) in Muncie, Indiana. In less than two years Sarah increased the branch's assets by more than 38%. She improved the branch's performance levels in every area measured by Bank One and implemented a variety of compliance and customer service initiatives.Sarah is involved in all phases of the investment advisory business with Cardinal Capital including investment management, client service, and financial planning. She is the Chief Compliance Officer charged with monitoring the firm's compliance of State and Federal Securities Rules and implements new technology initiatives.Sarah has always been active in the local community and is a past member of the Exchange Club Board and past Vice President on the Board of the Prevent Child Abuse Council of Delaware County. Sarah sits on the Government Relations Committee for the Muncie/Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and acts as a Chamber Ambassador. She is also a past Board Member for the Hoosier Academy Charter School of Muncie. Sarah was a nominee for the 2009 & 2010 Athena Award. She was awarded the prestigious Chamber Ambassador of the Year award in March 2011. She was once again named Chamber Amassador of the Year in March 2018. She is the Past President for the YWCA Board of Directors of Muncie. She is a current member of the Muncie Sunrise Rotary Club and serves on the clubs board of directors.
Lee Snider has been a financial advisor for more than 25 years helping individuals, families, and businesses achieve their financial goals by providing professional advice and counsel on investment, retirement, and estate planning. He is committed to working with clients and offering them diversified wealth-management solutions to promote financial security.As a caring advisor, Lee is dedicated to developing a solid relationship with our clients by understanding their concerns, objectives, and financial goals. He uses his expertise to assist clients in developing personal financial plans to reach those goals and objectives. Lee is involved in all phases of the investment advisory business at Cardinal Capital Management, including research, investment selection, asset allocation, client service, and financial planning.Lee graduated Magna Cum Laude from Indiana Wesleyan University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He entered the financial services industry in 1985 and in 1991 earned his Chartered Life Underwriters designation. In 1995 he became registered with LPL Financial as a licensed stockbroker and investment advisor representative. In 2000, Lee founded Snider Investment Services, Inc., an independent financial investment firm where he focused on providing personalized, individual service for his clientele. Lee joined the Cardinal Capital Management team in 2012 and brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge, and integrity.Along with his wife Cathie, Lee lives in Muncie where they raised three daughters. He is an active volunteer in his church and community. They are members of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Muncie, Indiana where Lee serves on his parish Finance Council as Chairman. He also served on the Finance Council of the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana for fifteen years. Lee has been involved in the local soccer community for many years, both as a player and a coach. He enjoys travel, spending time with his family, and golfing.
Bill Summers, Scott Houser, and Mike Whisler are all members of Cardinal Capital Management, LLC. These three CPA® partners of Cardinal Capital Management, LLC have more than 100 years combined experience in tax, accounting, and financial planning. In addition to Cardinal Capital Management, LLC, they are all also associated with Summers, Carroll, Whisler, LLC, an Indiana Certified Public Accounting firm.


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Whew! That powerlifting meet really did me in! It turns out, setting FOUR lifetime PRs in a day does a number on a body- Sunday, I probably expended 20 calories total. I simply remained horizontal for the entirety of the day, and consumed everything. EVERY. THING. My body was absolutely mangled.
Monday, though, I hit the gym again, just to get a quick pump, get my blood flowing, as I knew this would help me heal up a bit better. I gasp stuck to machines- I couldn't even face a barbell, to be honest- and just did a 30 minute full-body circuit. As predicted, I woke up Tuesday feeling like a million bucks, and hit the gym hard again for some (what else) SQUATS!
I chose squats very intentionally, for my first real day back in the gym. Having watched my lift videos from the meet a hundred times, my squats bugged me. Oh dear oh dear did they bug me. You see, watching those videos serves a purpose other than patting myself on the back- Nice job, Stephanie, way to pick that shit up– it served as a reflective tool for me, as well. Rather than just watching the video objectively, I started to pick it apart, to find flaws and weaknesses. Now don't twist it, I'm not advocating we all take photos of ourselves and nitpick them until we make ourselves cry, no no. This is not about laughing about my Fucking Squat face, but about improving. You see, when I watched those squat videos, I saw something terrible. Something that had been pointed out to me on meet day, but I didn't really think about until I saw it for myself.
Did you see it? Look past the beastly lift itself, break it down.
Valgus. Collapse.
This is the term for that "knee buckling" you see not too uncommonly. I never realized how pronounced mine was until I took a look at these videos. And this is not ok.
So, what's a girl to do? Wallow in it? Ignore it? Quit?
Fuck that.
It's fixing time. Based on the observations of my friend DJ, a trainer and massage therapist, as well as my own research, and frankly, it seems likely that the problem is weakness in my glutes. I will be the first to admit that my glutes have been a constant struggle- both in strength and mass building. My anatomy is just such that my quads and hamstrings take over movements where my glutes should be firing, which is pretty obvious when you look at me. I'm all thigh, no booty. Luckily, I had already committed to focusing on booty building during the next few months.
Alright. Brace yourself. This is about to be link-city, because I've recently done a lot of reading to augment what I already know and have already tried, and I want to give you the best selection of resources to utilize, being as I've tried LOTS of things, but only a select few have worked for me. Who knew glutes were so picky and individual?
And so, the quest to make these glutes activate commences. Luckily, Brett Contreras exists, and he's compiled a wealth of information on glutes, specifically, including a phenomenal article on addressing valgus collapse! I'll be relying heavily on his sources and his interpretation of many of them in combination to help me not just grown glutes, but increase my glute strength, with the ultimate goal of fixing my squat. Aesthetic glute gains will be appreciated as well, obviously.
So I've been experimenting with this every day. Sometimes multiple times per day, utilizing a set of minibands I ordered for the express purpose of getting these glutes to wake up. Having known that my glutes were a weak point, I've been experimenting with glute activation techniques such as these, these, and these, but I've had only minimal success. Honestly, the addition of these little rubber circles has woken my glutes up- I nearly CRIED the first time I felt them kick in, just doing a simple bodyweight glute bridge with the band around my knees.
My personal glute activation warm-up now looks something like this, though it changes daily as I experiment with what works best for my own glutes. It bears noting that I do this before every working, not just my lower body workouts. Being as glutes are such a large muscle (except mine…Team Tiny Glutes, but, I'm working on it!), they are able to handle the workload, particularly because it's not heavy work, every day.
- 2x 15-20 bodyweight box squats, with miniband (placement just below the knee)
- 2x 20 bodyweight bridges, with miniband (same placement)
- 2x 15-20 miniband seated hip abduction – seated as opposed to walking, because the glute weakness that causes valgus often occurs at the bottom of the squat- where you are as you are seated, so working from this specific angle is beneficial
- 2x 20-30 second single leg glute bridge static holds, each side
Sarah, over at Swole Sarah, recently spoke to a friend with a Masters in biomechanics, who gave her a few ideas to implement, as well, which I'll be trying out, being as my massage therapist recommended I more thoroughly warm up my psoas and gluteus medius as well:
I have also added in some lightweight (well, up to 70% of my max, I guess) squats using the miniband as well, to help me remember to keep pressing those knees out. So far, I've found the combination of the activation warm-up circuit and these banded squats to be really beneficial. My squats are feeling stronger coming out of the hole, and I can feel my glutes firing to help me finish the lift, as opposed to my quads doing the bulk of the work, and, I know that soreness is not an indicator of work accomplished, but for the first time ever I have been experiencing glute DOMS! This is a terrible and exciting new development for me, but, my husband doesn't mind, as this gives him a phenomenal excuse to massage my glutes, which, according to both him and my gym mirror, are looking fan-freaking-tastic this week.
Twerking between sets is optional, but highly recommended. particularly if you're listening to Borgore. Perhaps… better left to the home gym crowd, though… but no judgement if you're dropping it low at 24, either.
I'm going to continue to experiment with activation techniques, and working on fixing up this valgus until my squat is totally reformed. I'll also be adding in some more targeted glute work that I've not been doing, as I prepped to compete for powerlifting- weighted bridges and/or hip thrusts, single leg cable kickbacks with the ab sling, Bulgarian split squats and this banded variation, cable pull-throughs, and the like.
If you've got a super neat trick for strengthening or waking up your glutes, please let me know here or on Facebook! Project Save Stephanie's Squat is in full swing, and hopefully a few others can get a good glute rescue in along with me!


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The heart, and chicken parm, of Sister's Pizza
A beloved sibling memorialized at Hillcrest eatery
Ian Anderson 11 a.m., Dec. 9
Missing: It was early Friday morning, the day before Labor Day. Pirate the Cat was missing, which usually means gone forever in our coastal neighborhood. The canyons that meander through south Encinitas just east of the 5 freeway offer prime pathways for coyotes, (and skunks, raccoons, possums etc.) to lurk around town "prowling for their midnight snack". It is not unusual to see a coyote trotting down the sidewalk late at night. I promised the kids that I would look for Pirate after they went to school. As I walked around to the backyard calling Pirates' name and the obligatory "here kitty kitty", I heard nothing until I got to the back fence. For a split second I thought I heard a cat meow, but whatever I heard was immediately drowned out by the enthusiastic barking of the dogs that live in the yard directly behind our house. Any further noise of any kind I made just brought on more of the same. So off to work I went, secretly thinking we would never see Pirate the Cat again. The Phone Call: My youngest daughter called at about 4PM. Between her sobs I was able to decipher something about her climbing our tree, seeing dogs and some other tree thing, Pirate and no one home. It all clicked. I had heard Pirate meow; the neighboring dogs had probably chased him up a tree in their yard sometime in the night, and had been biding their time until my calls had prompted a meow, which re-ignited their excitement. And there were no people home. It was a Friday before a long weekend, there wasn't much going on at work and a lot of people had already taken off, so I told her that I would come right home and we would somehow rescue Pirate the Cat. On my way home I drove past our neighbor's house. There was no car in the driveway of Pirates' temporary prison. The Dementor: The barrier between our yard and our neighbor's is a rather imposing vine-covered brick structure rising up a good 8 or 9 feet, so I had never actually seen the dogs or their yard. With my family awaiting me to 'save the day', I leaned my ladder up against the wall and climbed up. Sure enough there was Pirate, hanging like a wet towel in the fronds of a 20' tall Queen Palm. Pirate was 3' from the top. I called his name, but the only indication I got that he wasn't dead was an ever so slight twitch of his tail. I called his name again, and BOOM an explosion of dog growls and barking almost sent me backwards off the ladder. I regained my balance/composure and looked down at the fairly non-threatening black lab below, thinking if I talk to him a little, he'll be reasonable and let me get my cat. But, then I saw Him. Waiting in the shadows, the Doberman…. all inky sleek menacing blackness, head and ears seemingly designed for supersonic speed, And just for supremely dramatic emphasis, he unveiled his gleaming grill. Like a Dementor in Harry Potter, he sucked away all hope. I came down the ladder to see 3 expectant faces, and they didn't like the look they saw on mine. I'm the guy who always fixes stuff, but at this point I had nothing.
A Glimmer: Although there was still no car in the driveway, we knocked on the front door again. Within seconds another explosion of growling and barking greeted us from just inside the front door. Over the next 90 minutes we knocked 4 more times and got the same result. From on top of the wall in our backyard I could see what was happening with the dogs. A slightly opened sliding-glass door allowed the dogs to go freely in and out of their house. It was starting to get dark; our neighbors might be gone somewhere for the long Labor Day weekend and Pirate was running out of time. But now there was a glimmer of hope.
Distraction/Extraction: We took a few minutes to finalize the plan, go over details, contingencies and assignments. Everyone was in position. It was time for action. I grabbed my aluminum extension ladder, hauled it to the top of the bordering wall and slid it down the other side of the fence. The dogs barked furiously, the lab backed off a bit and "Dobie Vicious" moved a few steps closer. My wife stood below me with her phone, while the kids went to the neighbors' front door with my phone. When we were all ready, I gave my wife the thumbs up and she gave the order for the kids to start knocking and keep knocking until she said to stop. Without the slightest hesitation both dogs bolted inside the house to the front door. I rattled the noisy aluminum ladder for a good 5 seconds to make sure the dogs wouldn't come back. The coast was clear. I took a few steps down the ladder, leaped to the ground and dashed to the sliding-glass door and slid it closed. I let out an adrenaline fueled "YESSS" and told my wife the "chickens are in the coop". She informed the kids and they rushed back to our house. I moved the ladder to the tree and climbed up for Pirate. As I reached for his limp self, I was afraid we were too late, but then his eyes opened a bit and I heard a faint, weak meow. He willingly let me take him out of the tree; I draped him over my shoulder, climbed down the ladder, moved the ladder back to the wall, climbed back up and passed him to my wife, who was at the top of the other ladder. She handed him to our swollen-eyed daughter, who went into full Florence Nightingale mode and rushed him into our house. During the rescue I kept an eye on the sliding-glass door. Neither dog barked, they just stood there dejected, watching me take "their toy" away.
Phase 2: We were ready for Phase 2. Our son went back to the front door of the neighbors' house and called Mom. When we were all in position, I gave the thumbs up again and she told him to start knocking. I could hear the dogs trying to answer the front door. I hurried back down the ladder and over to the neighbors' sliding-glass door and quietly slid it open enough for the dogs to get through and then flew back to the ladder and to safety.
That night we all went to bed a closer-knit family with a greater understanding of what can be accomplished with a well thought out plan and good teamwork. We'd also had quite an adventure, complete with a storybook ending, just outside of our own back door.
Epilogue: Later that night after some water, food and sleep, Pirate wobbled into the living room and plopped down at my feet. I put him in my lap and he purred. Pirate the Cat made full recovery. To this day, Pirate the Cat seems truly grateful for his rescue. He is always waiting at the front door when I come home, he follows me around like a dog and insists on "helping" me with whatever I'm doing around the house. When it's bedtime he "bulldozes" his way under my arm to get cozy. He is my lion and I am his Androcles.
I am so glad Pirate's story had a happy ending - he's now what is referred to as a "velcro" cat!! Once you save one of a cat's nine lives, they never let you forget it.


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On Friday I learned from Manish and Naval that Rajeev Motwani had died.
Rajeev and Asha invested in Joyce's and my company Renkoo four years ago, and it really was the case that his friendship and his time were the most valuable aspects of that investment. Over the years, he has been a great advisor, confidant, and friend.
We would meet regularly at the University Coffee Cafe in Palo Alto. Every time I talked with him, he made my ideas better — on both technical matters and human matters. On the former, he always asked about algorithms we were developing so that he could suggest ways to improve them; on the latter, he regularly reminded me to be patient so that I could improve myself.
Over the years I've gotten myself into many sticky situations, and Rajeev was always Socratic, calmly advising me and Joyce to be all we can be, and reminding us to believe in ourselves the way he believed in us.
My favorite story about Rajeev is when the going got tough for Renkoo, and we gave every investor an opportunity to exit, his words to me were assured and confident. "Why would I want to leave you?" he asked. "You're just getting started." When I pointed out that other people did want out, he seemed peeved but resolved that everyone reacts differently to difficult situations, and that he was not going anywhere. Great things happen as the result of struggle and experience, and the longer we toil, the more experienced we become.
I never wanted to bother him, but he regularly checked in with me, and frankly I don't know where he found the time. I know he was busy with a million other things, but he always made time for me. In fact, my next call with him was supposed to be today.
I spent a lot of this weekend shocked and sad. I still can't believe he's gone. As I read peoples' thoughts about him — among them Om, David, Ron Conway, and Sergey — one thing really came across: Rajeev Motwani was a kind man. Rajeev gave so much strength and wisdom to so many people that his legacy lives on in all the people we touch and all the work we do.
And that is the greatest compliment I can bestow on anyone. I will truly miss you, Rajeev. Thank you.


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Tune into The Morning Mix with Jay, Desiree and Slater every Thursday morning at 7:40 to catch up on a new recipe with DESIREE'S MIXIN' KITCHEN!
Each week, Desiree will provide a new dish to try, hand-crafted and ready to bring to the table.
These sunny days make me want to sit outside and sip some cold cocktails with my girlfriends! Everyone loves this Mexican treat and always asks me for the secret. Here is the recipe…secret ingredients included! It makes a pitcher, so invite your friends over and whip up a batch! Don't forget to take pics or invite me over! (You know what they say about tequila).
1 can (12 oz) frozen limeade concentrate
12 fl oz QUALITY tequila (don't evah use cheap tequila)
6 fl oz water
6 fl oz Sprite
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1 bottle of Corona beer (I'm sure others would work but have only used Corona)
2 cups of ice
1 lime cut in wedges
Mix all ingredients in large pitcher until limeade has been melted and incorporated. Pour into salt rimmed glasses. Take off your shoes, turn on some Jimmy Buffet or Kenny Chesney, and enjoy!


text: Home - Exchange Students - Past Exchange Students - 2012-2013 - Raimel - Brazil Raimel Garcia Hernandez 2012-13 Outbound to Brazil Hometown: Aventura, FL School: Dr. Michael Krop High School Sponsor: District 6990, FL Host: District 4540, Brazil The Rotary Club TBAå When I say "I'm loving it here" is just little for what I'm really feeling like. Since I stepped out of Guarulhos Airport and received my host family's warm welcome I realized that I started my journey of learning and discovering a world of wonders.I can just say that Brazilians are the most beautiful people in all senses, even when they are mad. They are caring, supper dramatic, funny, ridiculously outgoing, warm, helpful, crazy, and more important, loving people. Their hostage is the warmest I've ever experienced. They'll do everything for you to feel confortable, like home. Brazilian music is really good. Samba is the dance I like the most (even though I suck at it) but I'm still trying to learn how to dance it. Listening to Brazilian music makes you feel high with happiness and love, and not wanting to stop dancing. The food is amazing too. I feel like I'm coming back to the States rolling like a ball, because I just eat too much. I've been going to the gym to loose some of the calories I gained through the day, because they have like great variety of meals, and I just want to try everything, and everything is so delicious. I'm in a food heaven. *__*Besides all the fun and happiness, school is really different here. I've learned a lot of the language pretty fast, but the classes are not that interesting for me. You cannot choose the classes you like or even go by your own peace. Everyone in your grade does the same classes and goes through the year at the same rate. Also classes are really easy (only language is a barrier), but still you can understand pretty well. The student-teacher relationship it's different as it is in the States. Teachers and students have nicknames, and they mess with each other in class and laugh, unlike the States where you call them Mr./Mrs. and there is no much relationship but the student-teacher relationship. Still is pretty interesting the way they teach, like it makes you feel more familiar. >From Oct.18 – Oct. 20/2012 I had the greatest opportunity in my life. I went to Bolivia and then to the Amazon Rainforest. It was the most amazing feeling being in there with all the nature, animals and the peace of the forest. But in all that beauty there was something shocking too. As you go by to enter the rainforest or coming out, you can experience all the deforestation and pollution caused by the construction of the hydroelectric and the man's work. It is changing the landscape completely and bringing problems to the natives of the region. Its devastating the feeling. The experience can be resumed as "a life changing experience: spiritually and consciously."These two months I've spent here were remarkable, and by knowing the culture and my new friends and the language, I feel like the rest of the year is going to be as amazing as this two last month have been, full of knowledge and experiences that will make me look at this world with different vision. I'm really happy for having this 5th choice, the best choice I've ever made. I'm happy for everything that has happened to me. I'm happy for having the great friends that will last as long as I live. And more important, I'm happy for being here, at home, in Brazil.


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|The Lions Club of Ghatkopar established in 1958 has entered into its 50th year. It is now celebrating its Golden Jubilee year of rendering continuous services to the community.
The services by Lions Club fanned out to Medical Checkup Camps, Eye Sight Camp, Cataract Operations, Artificial Limbs to Handicapped, Yoga Center, Blood Bank, Book Bank, Education Aid, Literacy Center, Library, Etc.
The Lions Club also extended on constructing permanent Monumental Project for City Developments such as Community Hall, Gardens, Fountains, Bus-Stop Shelters, Drinking Water, Old-age Homes, Hospitals, Diagnostic Center, Clinics and so on.
The club members have joined Hand-to-Hand for 'PARTNERSHIP IN SERVICE' and fellowship with others.
This year club has planned for grand GOLDEN JUBILEEcelebration with mega permanent monumental projects and to fructify the project, with its limited resources, it has ventured on a massive donation campaign. We request the public to support the club activity and generous donations is solicited. As an added incentive to the public the donations made to the club, incidentally registered under the charitable trust, is exempted under section 80 G of the Income Tax Act.
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.


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Public Outreach
Main Content
The Department has an active and extensive program of public outreach that promotes science literacy in a wide range of demographic groups. These outreach activities include public lectures, elderhostels, inservice workshops for K-12 teachers, planetarium shows for K-12 students, and department open houses and stargazing for members of the public. To request a field trip, please use the Field Trip Request Form.
Other Local Astronomy and Science Outreach Programs
PA Space Grant Consortium
PSU Astronomy Club
PSU Science Lions
PSU Mars Society
Central PA Observers
Science U Summer Camps
Summer Experience in the Eberly College of Science (SEECoS)


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My name is Alex Drummond, I'm a first-time filmmaker and longtime waiter. I've written and directed an ultra low-budget horror-comedy feature called
THE SHOWER KILLER PARTY. It's about a group of friends who get trapped at a baby shower when a mysterious outbreak starts turning people into homicidal maniacs.
I'm originally from New Jersey and I moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to pursue my dream of screenwriting and filmmaking. I've written a lot of bad scripts and I've served a lot of good cheeseburgers. During that time, I've become a much better waiter, and it's possible that my writing has improved as well.
I made
The Shower Killer Party with my wife, Rachael, and our friends Andy Hoff, Stephanie Tobey, Drew Benda, Mike Kuciak and Suzanne Sena. Many of us worked together at a restaurant called Gulfstream in Century City (not Mike and Suzanne). We decided to make a feature so that we could showcase our talents and stop waiting to be chosen. Yes, the waiters were tired of waiting.
We raised most of our budget via our website,
www.theshowerthemovie.com, http://www.killerpartymovie.comand we also have a good chunk on credit cards.
We had our world premiere at Shriekfest Film Festival in Los Angeles. We also played at Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco, Nevermore Film Festival in Durham, NC, The International Horror & Sci-Fi Festival in Phoenix, Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival, Motor City Nightmares, Fright Night Film Festival in Louisville, The Los Angeles Fear & Fantasy Film Festival, New Orleans Horror Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival West, Spooky Movie International Film Festival, Eerie Horror Film Festival and Macabre Faire Film Festival.
My goal with this blog is to chronicle the journey of
The Shower Killer Party and to share the story of how a waiter from New Jersey made an independent movie with his wife and friends. (And to provide the information necessary for my children to know why their father went insane during their early years.)
All the best,


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PCGS Newsletter News
July 28, 2015 | Vol 15 Issue 15
A Night at the Museum
Step inside the National Museum of American History's newly opened "The Value of Money" exhibit with a personal tour from PCGS CoinFacts president Ron Guth. As Ron describes, this new exhibit serves as a portal into the world of numismatics.
High End Toned Commemorative 1936 Oregon 50C PCGS MS68
Only through Legend will you find coins like this high end commemorative. Glowing bold luster and original colors circle the rims and...
Updates Just For You!
PCGS Customer Service manager David Talk runs down some of the recent updates to customer account features found on PCGS.com. David also reviews recent changes to Cert Verification and discusses the next upcoming Public Friday.
Sponsored by L&C Coins
I started collecting coins
as a...
Last issue's winner of a PCGS Polo Shirt: Robert Latham
View All Lots from Regency XIII at ANA Show
View all coins from the upcoming auction at the ANA World's Fair of Money.
PCGS Grading Contest Returns to Long Beach
So you think you can grade? Here's your chance to prove your skills! Join PCGS at the September Long Beach Expo and try your skills in one of three categories – Dealers & Associates, Collectors and Young Numismatists. Reserve your spot today as spaces are limited.
Introduction to Coin Grading – Strike
In a video available exclusively to our eCollector subscribers, PCGS Director of Education Mike Sherman discusses how strike affects the grade that a coin will receive.
David Hall's Rare Coin Market Report
David discusses the global gold and silver coin markets and the current pricing discrepancy we are witnessing.
Buy the Book before the Coin...in the Digital Era
Have you ever bought or sold coins with bad information? In this short video, Ron Guth explains how to prevent this risk.
|Collectors Club
|Submit Coins
|Price Guide
|Set Registry®
|PCGS CoinFacts
© 2015 PCGS, Inc. A Division of Collectors Universe. All Rights Reserved. NASDAQ: CLCT
For advertising, please contact Rebecca Tran at [email protected], or call: (949)567-1356.


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Muzaffarnagar Candidate's Communal Twist | Balyan Wants Burqa-Clad Women Checked
#Phase1LokSabhaElections #BattleFor2019 #ElectionsWithNews18 #LokSabhaElections2019 #Elections2019 #ElectionsWithNews18 #BattleOf2019 #ABillionVotes
#Elections2019 #LokSabhaElections2019
#Countdown #IndiaElects
#ElectionWatch #ElectionNewstrack
Muzaffarnagar Candidate's Communal Twist | Balyan Wants Burqa-Clad Women Checked
Ninety-one Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states and two Union Territories, including all seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, will go to polls on April 11 in the first phase of the elections. Unions ministers Nitin Gadkari, Kiren Rijiju and VK Singh are among several big names who will contest on Thursday.
Watch all LIVE updates 2019 Phase 1 Lok Sabha Election in this LIVE Session of CNN-News18.
CNN-News18 (formerly known as CNN-IBN) has been the world's window to India and India's window to the world. The channel has been a 'thought leader' and has pioneered several path-breaking initiatives that include CNN-News18 Indian of the Year, Real Heroes, The Citizen Journalist Show, India Positive, State of the Nation (channel's flagship bi-annual poll) to name a few. During the last 9 years, the channel has won over 197 awards and accolades at the prestigious Asian Television Awards, Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards, Indian Television Academy Awards, News Television Awards and Indian Telly Awards, making it India's Most Awarded English News Channel. CNN-IBN's news portal IBNLive.com has now changed to News18.com
Subscribe our channel for latest news updates: https://goo.gl/rgjh7Q
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Googleplus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+cnnnews18
Website: http://www.news18.com


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Publishing and finding the [NatSpec] (Ethereum-Natural-Specification-Format) documentation for a contract is an important part of the Ethereum system. There are two pieces to this puzzle: the first is for a given client to be able to determine, given a call to a contract, what a trustworthy NatSpec documentation hash for the contract is; the second is to find the actual NatSpec documentation body given its content hash.
The former, trusted content determination, will ultimately be accomplished through a sophisticated reputation system. In the meantime, we (the Ethereum foundation) will maintain our own curated repository of trusted NatSpec documentation hashes in a contract. The contract is trivial, just providing a mapping from contract code hash to NatSpec JSON file hash. It can be found here. We, alone, will retain the key updating and adding entries to this contract.
This contract will have a specific address on the PoC-9 & Frontier testnet, probably referenced from the Ethereum services contract.
The latter, content publishing and distribution, will ultimately be accomplished through the "Swarm" subsystem or IPFS. Until then, we will piggy back on the existing workaround for content-based publication and distribution; the URL Hint system.


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Design and Installation
Coolheat can provide FREE no-obligation surveys and competitive quotation tailored to your requirements.
Our Sales department are fully qualified and experienced refrigeration specialists who can ensure you are offered the best product for your needs and budget, with excellent value for money.
We strive to always offer the best possible Customer Service and understand the importance of work being carried out efficiently, with minimum disruption to your work/living area.
Installations of new equipment come with the following: (unless otherwise specified on our quotation)
- All Health & Safety paperwork, including Permits, Certificates, Safety Method Statements, Task Procedures & Risk Assessments.
- A commissioning sheet supplied on completion.
- Warranty (in accordance with the manufacturer)
- Recycling/disposal of old equipment, in line with legal requirements & environmental concerns.
Coolheat offers free no-obligation surveys and quotations tailored to your requirements. Call us today on 01420 82410 to make an appointment.


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The Weeknd Reveals "Starboy" Album Cover
The Weeknd surprised fans tonight with the reveal of his Starboy album cover artwork. Abel didn't tell fans when the album is coming, but with a cover reveal happening, it's likely to come soon. The cover photo is by Nabil and you can check out another from the photo shoot below.
i come alive in the fall time pic.twitter.com/NHeVl3Q7Nn
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) September 21, 2016
Stay tuned for more.


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After a few days' rest we carried on with our search and arranged to meet a different agent to visit this house. The day before our rendezvous she emailed us to say she had hurt a hand and was unable to drive so gave us full details of how to find it for ourselves. When we arrived the owner was ready to greet us and act as stand-in agent himself. In French of course!
First impressions were very promising. The house consisted of a two storey and a single storey house joined together to make a substantial dwelling. It was in a lovely position above a narrow, little used road, with views towards the river. The land across the road and down to the river, including the river bank, also belonged to the house.
The house looked beautiful on the outside and sat very well in its plot of land. Parts of the building dated back to the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and the external walls had been restored to a high standard.
The garden was amazing. It had several small, themed areas for sitting, relaxing or just admiring the view. It was crammed with lovely plants, all beautifully situated and well tended. A true gardener's delight.
Many of the garden features were obviously home-made but to a very good standard and with a great deal of thought and skill. These people were definitely passionate and talented gardeners. It reminded me of some of the English gardens owned by the National Trust that we have visited. There was also a large vegetable garden and orchard.
The land across the road stretched down to the river Claise and had the opportunity for some good fishing. The river bank was well cared for.
Inside, the house was a bit quirky. First impressions were good and there were lots of modern features but in the living room there seemed to be something like rough concrete on the walls which had been painted white.
It was a strange mixture of old and new which somehow didn't quite work. There was also carpet on the walls in several places! But I told myself that it was only decoration, and it could be changed.
The very modern theme continued in a downstairs bedroom and bathroom.
It was in the bathroom that I felt that this house was probably not for us. Although elaborately and lavishly decorated in parts, none of it was to our taste and the cost of turning a house of this size into somewhere we would enjoy living could be huge. We are not averse to redecorating, or installing a new kitchen or bathroom, but in this house everything needed to be changed for us to love it.
I also noticed a strong smell of damp at this end of the house. Not the kind of damp smell you get if someone has just taken a shower – the other kind of damp, coming from the walls themselves.
Upstairs there was a lot more finishing off to do. This floor had been divided into several odd-shaped rooms and passageways, being used for bedrooms and other odd bits of office space, and nothing was actually finished. There was a massive fireplace which looked very out of place. Rooms and corridors had been crammed in around it whereas it would have made a great feature in say a large bedroom. Instead the owners had gone for several small bedrooms – something that we had seen time and again in renovated houses. There was no bathroom of any kind upstairs either.
There were also two rather dilapidated barns, used as garages and storage. They both needed completely new roofs and a lot of money spending to make them safe and properly useful.
This house was almost right. It looked beautiful and with a bit of imagination and hard work it could be finished off and turned into a lovely home. In reality it was just too much work for us. It was right at the top of our budget and there would not be enough left in the kitty to do all the work we would want to do.
The garden itself was a full-time project to keep it up to the standard that it was now. I suppose we could have removed a lot of the flower beds and made it less high maintenance but that seemed wrong somehow. These people had created a beautiful garden and it would be heartbreaking to destroy it – or not be able to keep up with it.
It was, however, pretty close to what we were looking for. I felt the best was yet to come and surely it couldn't be far away now.


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James Corden of The Late Late Show has a series he does on his show that we absolutely love. It's called Carpool Karaoke. Essentially, he picks up famous musical artists in his car — One Direction, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, they've all done it — and as they drive around town, they talk and sing along to their biggest hits.
Yes, it's as delightful as that sounds.
Since he started doing it, we've seen some really great ones, for sure. But, as she tends to do, Adele just totally blew them away. I mean, it's nearly 15 minutes of Adele and James Corden driving around a rainy London, singing not just her own hits but those of the Spice Girls and Nicki Minaj! This was almost too much for us.
While it would be our worst nightmare for the incomparable Adele to hear the way we just absolutely mutilate her songs when we sing them alone in the car, obviously James Corden can hold his own. Not only that, but he simultaneously conducts an awesome interview where we learn so much about our beloved "A-bomb." Such as:
- When Adele drinks too much wine she will approach fans and offer to buy them things.
- James thinks Adele is the female "Phil Collins" (in a good way).
- Adele played the drums on Hello.
- Adele is a really big Spice Girls fan (who isn't?!).
Watch the full clip above to find out more, like what childhood hero left Adele "heartbroken" and what she plans to name her next album. We promise you'll fall even more in love with these two than you already are.More On


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So now the festive season is well and truly over and we have passed the milestone of Roo turning one, I can finally catch my breath and check in here; I'm sorry I've neglected you! I also went back to work at the start of January – it's been emotional.
One of our nieces, drew Roo this picture of 'Daniel' the tiger before Christmas, he's so sweet:
I thought it would be fun to make her drawing into a toy to send to her as a Christmas gift.
I cut him out of lovely organic linen and embroidered his stripes and face using cotton embroidery thread.
I added some embroidery on the back and gave him a little knitted jumper to keep him cosy.
He is a little mischievous though! When it came to posting time, Daniel had to burn off some of that energy and Christmas excitement before his long trip to the USA. First I found him here:
And then here hanging with the swallows:
It took a while to find him here:
And here:
He listened to a couple of his faves before getting into the Christmas spirit and then into the post:
Making a toy from a child's drawing was possibly one of the most fun things I've done! I really enjoyed trying to make him resemble the drawing and seeing him come to life.


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All-American cookout and picnic favorites like hamburgers and barbecue, comfort dishes like macaroni and cheese and New England clam chowder, American cuisine stars the recipes of new American chefs and home cooks, plus classic dishes like American Chop Suey and Shoo-Fly Pie.
Nachos with Shrimp and Avocado Tomato Salsa
Perfect of gathering of all kinds, these nachos are a great pick-up snack.
Corn Cakes
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil at medium temperature. Add corn and half of green onions and season with salt and pepper;…
Rosemary and Lemon Cake
Glaze: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Add the melted butter to the sugar. Add enough citrus juice, fresh fruit or other flavoring to…
Blood Orange and Almond Cake
To make the syrup: Put the sugar and liquid, along with your preferred flavoring, into a small pan over low heat. Allow the sugar to…
Appalachian Trail Mix
The Appalachian Trail is a footpath that leads all the way from Georgia to Maine. For hiking or a simple stroll through the neighborhood, a snack of trail mix is an easy way to boost energy and get a quick protein punch.
Barbecue Burgers
These burgers with barbecue flavor cooked right into the beef are sure to be a hit with football fans on game day.
Easy New Year's Day One-Pot Meal
This easy, one-pot dish includes the Southern traditional New Year's foods of black-eyed peas for luck and cabbage to represent money in the new year.
Cranberry Crumble
Fresh cranberries and tart apples combine with sweet dried apricots in a moist buttermilk cake that's perfect for fall and winter holidays.
Braised Cabbage Rolls
Turkey and quinoa make for a healthy spin on a classic. Great for dinner or a shared appetizer!
Apple Cream Cheese Tart
Like cheesecake—but maybe even better—this tart makes the most of autumn apples.


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As a Microsoft employee, I want to do my small part in making MSN Search better. They have the little "Help us improve" link at the bottom of the MSN Search result page, but it isn't that easy to figure out what needs improving? So I cooked up this quick-n-dirty search page to compare the MSN Search results with Google's:
It is actually more useful than expected, and after a few hours became my new homepage (replacing www.Google.com). The page is simple (static) html so feel free to download it and run it from your local machine for best performance. But if you like it - please remember to use that MSN feedback link every now and then 🙂


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December 31, 2019
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2019
December 31, 2019
Registration data will be available from: January 01, 2020 to: February 24, 2020
Registration data will be available from: February 25, 2020 to: March 03, 2020
December 31, 2019
February 01, 2020
Cancellation Policy:
|Date of Receiving Cancellation Request
|Percent of registration fee refund
|December 31, 2019 To January 15th, 2020
|January 16, 2020 To February 5th, 2020
|February 6, 2020 To March 3rd, 2020
* The cancelation policy is not applicable for Early Bird and Group 10+
Group 5+ Discounted Rate Conditions:
- To get the group 5+ rate, registration for all the group members should be done on the same day.
- All registrants must be from the same organization .
- On the same day of the group registration, an e-mail should also be sent to firstname.lastname@example.com including: number of group members, participants' names, titles, and their automated registration codes. (Please mention the organization's name in the e-mail subject).
Group 10+ Discounted Rate Conditions (Sanabel's Members Only):
- Registration for all the group members (10+) must be completed on the same day (the names could be referenced as numbers; however, the participants' names and titles have to be submitted by December 31st, 2019).
- The registration fee for all the group members (10 +) must be paid before December 31st, 2019.
- Sanabel's membership fees 2019 has to be paid.
- Refund Policy. Not applicable for this category.
- All registrant should be from the same organization.
Payment Options:
Transfer fees directly into Sanabel's bank account
Sanabel Bank Information:
- Beneficiary Name: Sanabel-Microfinance Network of Arab Countries.
- Bank Name: Arab African International Bank.
- Bank Branch: Mohandeseen.
- Bank Address: 48 Gezirat El Arab Street- Giza, Egypt.
- Account Number: 590905-3931-USD-002.
- SWIFT Code: ARAIEGCXMOH.
Wire transfer reference number is your conference reference number that will be sent to you by e-mail once you have submitted the registration form.
Please include in your payment:
- The total registration fees; wire transfer fees are the responsibility of the registrant. Any discrepancies in amount received should be settled during your registration on site.
- Your organization's name as it appears in the reference section of your transfer
- Send an e-mail to: firstname.lastname@example.com providing us with a copy of the dated and stamped bank transfer to ensure Sanabel matches your payment.
Pay Online:
Select 'pay online' option in the registration form on the Sanabel Conference Website and follow instructions.


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From paving cul-de-sacs to clearing land for new home foundations, the equipment needs of the general contractor vary widely from day to day.
Whether you're repaving a highway or developing an industrial complex, Peterson sells the construction machines you need. The Cat lineup of construction machines is unmatched in the industry for its breadth of available options, and Peterson's team is committed to finding the perfect machine for you.
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Whether you're breaking concrete on a derelict overpass or demolishing an industrial complex, you can depend on Cat demolition equipment to withstand the abuses of your environment and deliver safety, performance, and reliability all day, every day.
When you're building new roads, doing the job right the first time is your main priority. Cat paving equipment makes accomplishing that goal simply easier.
Whether you're doing residential or commercial landscaping, the days of wheelbarrows and shovels are behind us.
As a West Coast logger, you work in some of the most challenging conditions in the world: thankfully, Peterson has your back with the solutions you need to handle every part of the logging process, from first entry to extraction to landing to millyard.
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This product can expose you to chemicals including Lead and lead compounds, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov


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Submission Rules
• All entrants must complete the online submission form.
• No entry will be accepted after 12:01 am, Aug. 11, 2017.
• Space is available on the entry form for a statement about the article or series of articles – how it was prepared and what response or change, if any, came from those organizations or individuals who were the subjects of the investigation.
• Entries will be accepted from individuals, a reporting team or a news organization. Any entry with more than three names will be considered a "staff" effort and will be reflected that way on the awards given to the winners. If the entry is a series of investigative reports, a maximum of five stories will be accepted as a single entry.
• Each entrant (individual, news organization, reporting team) is limited to no more than two submissions per category. The entry fee is $30 per submission.
• Because these awards are for enterprise and investigative reporting, judges will be looking for stories that reflect uniqueness in revealing information to the audience about issues that need attention, issues that need remedy, wrongs that need to be righted.
• All judging is conducted by journalists from outside the state of Texas, and the judges' decisions are final. On rare occasions, judges may decide that some of the categories did not have reporting that merited an award.
• Winners be announced at the awards dinner in June (more details to come).
• The material submitted for judging cannot be returned and becomes the property of the Press Club of Dallas, for the purpose of promoting and publicizing the annual competition.
Deadline for submissions: This contest is for work during calendar year 2016. Deadline is 12:01 am on Aug. 11, 2017.
Hugh Aynesworth Awards | About Hugh Aynesworth | About The Reporting Categories | About The Divisions | About Entry Categories | Judges | Submission Rules


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Kelly Weeks, Ph.D., is a business development consultant specializing in the industrial operations sector.
- Professional
Kelly began his professional development 25 years ago throughopportunities in a grocery store retail environment. Over the following 10 years, he worked in different areas as department manager. After obtaining a B.B.A., he moved to the industry sector, more specifically manufacturing. He was initially in operations then, over time, moved into a more supervisory role at the completion of his M.B.A. Routine tasks involved decision-making in fields of production, operations, logistics, and supply chain.
- Academic
Kelly is qualified in most areas of management. Kelly is a native of Mississippi where he earned his Ph.D. in Operations Management. He has gone on to further his business credentials by obtaining a Six Sigma Black Belt in 2008. In 2010, he completed certification requirements for a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt (CSSMBB). Kelly is a reviewer for several academic journals and an active member of numerous academic organizations.
Kelly initially became involved in consulting through companies directly soliciting his advice and expertise. Kelly has assisted various firms in revenue generation improvement, daily operations optimization, transportation, supply chain analysis, workforce development, turnaround evaluation and economic analysis. He has worked in a variety of fields such as ports, manufacturing, education, retail, energy, oil and gas, and construction.
He regularly writes academic articles in his capacity as a university professor and faculty member. He has published over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles in various journals. He has also published two chapters in research-oriented textbooks. Kelly has in-depth experience in grant writing and submissions. He has also submitted external grants at state and federal agencies alike.
Kelly is an active faculty member and professor at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, USA. He facilitates a number of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level of curriculum. Kelly has been instrumental in developing numerous graduate courses, particularly in the fields of operations and supply chain.
Kelly is married and the proud father of one girl and two boys. He has been a Beaumont area resident since 2014 and is a member of the Westgate Memorial Baptist Church. He delights in taking his family to the beach and enjoys water activities. Kelly is an animal advocate and has an Alaskan malamute named Ember.
KELLY WEEKS, President
Mahdi Safa, Ph.D., is a project management consultant specializing in planning, budgeting, organizing, and controlling resources, procedures and protocols.
- Professional
Mahdi has over 20 years of experience in academia and industry with extensive project portfolios as well as experience managing large, complex multi-use development projects. He began his career as an Assistant Project Manager and evolved into positions including Director of Planning Department, and Project Executive for notable Firms. Mahdi is well known for his ability to make decisions quickly and under pressure while maintaining the best interest of the client and proving fairness to contractors to maintain schedule and quality. He is well recognized for his cross cultural expertise, which he leverages during all of his client engagements.
- Academic
Mahdi is qualified in most areas of project management. Mahdi has a unique combination of engineering and business development expertise by focusing Ph.D. and Masters in Construction Management, Industrial Engineering, and Business Administration. He has received several research and teaching awards and has numerous publications.
Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Mahdi started his professional life as an engineer and progressed tothe level of Senior Manager.His success in conducting original research and translating it into practical applications. Mahdi has a 20 year history of work with individuals, teams and organizations helpingthem clarify what they want and focus on getting it. Mahdi has dedicated his career to implementing pragmatic solutions based on the best practices and research available. Mahdi brings years of experience in designing, implementing, delivering, and leading a broad range of training and development initiatives that support business strategies and objectives.
Mahdi has an extensive list of publications on project management, leadership, global business skills, and supply chain management. He has published in his high quality journals and attended at highly rated conferences. His research has been cited internationally, and he has received awards recognizing the impact of his research. His research is innovative and his unique methods have gained substantial attention within several fields as demonstrated by this impressive track record of success for a researcher. Through his professional life and research experience, Mahdi has grown to value exceptional communication among technical disciplines, and has focused on taking an interdisciplinary approach in his research. Tomorrow's technology will be shaped by such applications and academia will evolve around institutions that facilitate interdisciplinary research.Mahdi has also served as a reviewer for several key journals in the project management field, as he is internationally recognized as an authoritative researcher.He also has strong background in publishing scientific research results as well as proposal writing.
Dr. Mahdi Safa is an active faculty member and professor at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, USA. Mahdi has worked in the field of technical project management in both academia and industry. This perspective has provided him with a broad view of this contemporary topic.He facilitates a number of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level of curriculum. Mahdi is a skilled instructor and program developer who consistently receives exceptional reviews for his engaging, high energy classes and workshops. He specializes in teaching practical skills using interactive learning methods. Mahdi's passion is working with intact work teams to improve group effectiveness, whether it is teaching new techniques to improve interpersonal dynamics, or using process tools to improve critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making.
Mahdi lives in Beaumont, TX with his wife Maryam, and they have two children: Parsa and Sara.He enjoys numerous sports, including judo, soccer, cycling, swimming, walking and golf.
MAHDI SAFA, Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Price is a scientist, businessman and entrepreneur, with more than 30 years in the biopharmaceutical industry.
- Professional
Dr. Price is currently Executive Vice President of Business Development at Nascent Biotech and, with Dr. Fernando Larios, has formed Biogenin. Dr. Price has been CEO of GalenBio, Inc., President and CEO of Goodwin Biotechnology, and he was the first CEO of CropTech Corporation. Formerly, he worked for Cardinal Health, a Fortune 16 company, where he was Vice President of Biotechnology Services.
Dr. Price has also held senior- level management positions at BioReliance, Damon Biotech in the U.K. and Ortho Diagnostic Systems. In addition, he co-founded the Institute for Cell Analysis at the University of Miami (FL), the International Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the University of Guadalajara, and Quality Biotech. He has served as Board Chairman of the Virginia Biotechnology Association and Maryland's counterpart, MdBIO.
- Academic
In early 2016, Dr. Price was appointed the Ben J. Rogers Chair in Entrepreneurism of the College of Business at Lamar University (Beaumont, TX). Presently, he is Adjunct Professor in the Business School at Virginia Commonwealth University, Visiting Professor at the University of Guadalajara School of Business (CUCEA), and Professor of Business at Universidad Panamericana (Guadalajara) – where he teaches a course entitled "Entrepreneurism and Business Planning for Innovation Driven Companies". He holds the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biophysics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is the author of more than 50 articles in the scientific and business literature.
BRANDON PRICE, Lead Consultant
We are committed to providing customers with solutions that are both timely and effective. We achieve this by employing highly skilled academic and industry team members, as well as utilizing cutting edge equipment and software. Above all, we are dedicated to providing a positive experience and quality product to customers.
Your organization's senior leaders should set directions and create a customer focus, clear and visible values, and high expectations. The directions, values, and expectations should balance the needs of all your stakeholders. Your leaders should ensure the creation of strategies, systems, and methods for achieving performance excellence, stimulating innovation, building knowledge and capabilities, and ensuring organizational sustainability. The values and strategies should help guide all of your organization's activities and decisions. Senior leaders should inspire and motivate your entire workforce and should encourage all employees, including any volunteers, to contribute, to develop and learn, to be innovative, and to be creative. Senior leaders should be responsible to your organization's governance body for their actions and performance. The governance body should be responsible ultimately to all your stakeholders for the ethics, actions, and performance of your organization and its senior leaders.
Senior leaders should serve as role models through their ethical behavior and their personal involvement in planning, communications, coaching, development of future leaders, review of organizational performance, and employee recognition. As role models, they can reinforce ethics, values, and expectations while building leadership, commitment, and initiative throughout your organization.
Quality and performance are judged by an organization's customers. Thus, your organization must take into account all product and service features and characteristics and all modes of customer access that contribute value to your customers. Such behavior leads to customer acquisition, satisfaction, preference, referral, retention and loyalty, and to business expansion. Customer-driven excellence has both current and future components: understanding today's customer desires and anticipating future customer desires and marketplace potential.
Value and satisfaction may be influenced by many factors throughout your customers' overall experience with your organization. These factors include your organization's customer relationships, which help to build trust, confidence, and loyalty.
Customer-driven excellence means much more than reducing defects and errors, merely meeting specifications, or reducing complaints. Nevertheless, these factors contribute to your customers' view of your organization and thus also are important parts of customer-driven excellence. In addition, your organization's success in recovering from defects, service errors, and mistakes is crucial to retaining customers and building customer relationships.
Customer-driven organizations address not only the product and service characteristics that meet basic customer requirements but also those features and characteristics that differentiate products and services from competing offerings. Such differentiation may be based on new or modified offerings, combinations of product and service offerings, customization of offerings, multiple access mechanisms, rapid response, or special relationships.
Customer-driven excellence is thus a strategic concept. It is directed toward customer retention and loyalty, market share gain, and growth. It demands constant sensitivity to changing and emerging customer and market requirements and to the factors that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. It demands listening to your customers. It demands anticipating changes in the marketplace. Therefore, customer- driven excellence demands awareness of developments in technology and competitors' offerings, as well as rapid and flexible responses to customer, environmental, and market changes.
Achieving the highest levels of organizational performance requires a well-executed approach to organizational and personal learning. Organizational learning includes both continuous improvement of existing approaches and significant change, leading to new goals and approaches. Learning needs to be embedded in the way your organization operates. This means that learning
- is a regular part of daily work;
- is practiced at personal, work unit, and organizational levels;
- results in solving problems at their source ("root cause");
- is focused on building and sharing knowledge throughout your organization; and
- is driven by opportunities to effect significant, meaningful change.
Sources for learning include employees' and volunteers' ideas, research and development (R&D), customers' input, best practice sharing, and benchmarking.
Organizational learning can result in
- enhancing value to customers through new and improved products and services;
- developing new business opportunities;
- reducing errors, defects, waste, and related costs;
- improving responsiveness and cycle time performance;
- increasing productivity and effectiveness in the use of all your resources; and
- enhancing your organization's performance in fulfilling its societal responsibilities and its service to your community.
Employees' success depends increasingly on having opportunities for personal learning and on practicing new skills. In organizations that rely on volunteers, the volunteers' personal learning also is important, and their learning and skill development should be considered with employees'. Organizations invest in employees' personal learning through education, training, and other opportunities for continuing growth and development. Such opportunities might include job rotation and increased pay for demonstrated knowledge and skills. On-the-job training offers a cost-effective way to train and to better link training to your organizational needs and priorities. Education and training programs may benefit from advanced technologies, such as computer- and Internet- based learning and satellite broadcasts.
Personal learning can result in
- more satisfied and versatile employees who stay with your organization,
- organizational cross-functional learning,
- the building of your organization's knowledge assets, and
- an improved environment for innovation.
Thus, learning is directed not only toward better products and services but also toward being more responsive, adaptive, innovative, and efficient—giving your organization market- place sustainability and performance advantages and giving your employees satisfaction and motivation to excel.
An organization's success depends increasingly on the diverse backgrounds, knowledge, skills, creativity, and motivation of all its employees and partners, including both paid employees and volunteers, as appropriate.
Valuing employees means committing to their satisfaction, development, and well-being. Increasingly, this involves more flexible, high-performance work practices tailored to employees with varying workplace and home life needs. Major challenges in the area of valuing employees include
- demonstrating your leaders' commitment to your employees' success,
- providing recognition that goes beyond the regular compensation system,
- offering development and progression within your organization,
- sharing your organization's knowledge so your employees can better serve your customers and contribute to achieving your strategic objectives,
- creating an environment that encourages risk taking and innovation, and
- creating a supportive environ- ment for a diverse workforce.
Organizations need to build internal and external partner- ships to better accomplish overall goals. Internal partnerships might include labor-management cooperation. Partnerships with employees might entail employee development, cross-training, or new work organizations, such as high- performance work teams. Internal partnerships also might involve creating network relationships among your work units to improve flexibility, responsiveness, and knowledge sharing.
External partnerships might be with customers, suppliers, and nonprofit or education organizations. Strategic partner- ships or alliances are increasingly important kinds of exter- nal partnerships. Such partnerships might offer entry into new markets or a basis for new products or services. Also, partnerships might permit the blending of your organiza- tion's core competencies or leadership capabilities with the complementary strengths and capabilities of partners to address common issues.
Successful internal and external partnerships develop longer- term objectives, thereby creating a basis for mutual investments and respect. Partners should address the key requirements for success, means for regular communication, approaches to evaluating progress, and means for adapting to changing conditions. In some cases, joint education and training could offer a cost-effective method for employee development.
Success in today's ever-changing, globally competitive environment demands agility—a capacity for rapid change and flexibility. E-business requires and enables more rapid, flexible, and customized responses. Organizations face ever-shorter cycles for the introduction of new/improved products and services, and nonprofit and governmental organizations are increasingly being asked to respond rapidly to new or emerging social issues. Major improvements in response times often require simplification of work units and processes or the ability for rapid changeover from one process to another. Cross-trained and empowered employees are vital assets in such a demanding environment.
A major success factor in meeting competitive challenges is the design-to-introduction (product or service initiation) or innovation cycle time. To meet the demands of rapidly changing markets, organizations need to carry out stage-to- stage integration (such as concurrent engineering) of activities from research or concept to commercialization or implementation.
All aspects of time performance now are more critical, and cycle time has become a key process measure. Other important benefits can be derived from this focus on time; time improvements often drive simultaneous improvements in organization, quality, cost, and productivity.
Your organization's planning should anticipate many factors, such as customers' expectations, new business and partnering opportunities, employee development and hiring needs, the increasingly global marketplace, technological developments, the evolving e-business environment, changes in customer and market segments, evolving regulatory requirements, changes in community and societal expectations and needs, and strategic moves by competitors. Strategic objectives and resource allocations need to accommodate these influences. A focus on the future includes developing employees and suppliers, accomplishing effective succession planning, creating opportunities for innovation, and anticipating public responsibilities and concerns.
In today's competitive environment, creating a sustainable organization requires understanding the short- and longer- term factors that affect your organization and marketplace. Pursuit of sustainable growth and market leadership requires a strong future orientation and a willingness to make long- term commitments to key stakeholders—your customers, employees, suppliers, partners, stockholders, the public, and your community.
Innovation means making meaningful change to improve an organization's products, services, programs, processes, and operations and to create new value for the organization's stakeholders. Innovation should lead your organization to new dimensions of performance. Innovation is no longer strictly the purview of research and development departments; innovation is important for all aspects of your operations and all processes. Organizations should be led and managed so that innovation becomes part of the learning culture. Innovation should be integrated into daily work and should be supported by your performance improvement system.
Innovation builds on the accumulated knowledge of your organization and its employees. Therefore, the ability to rapidly disseminate and capitalize on this knowledge is critical to driving organizational innovation.
Organizations depend on the measurement and analysis of performance. Such measurements should derive from business needs and strategy, and they should provide critical data and information about key processes, outputs, and results. Many types of data and information are needed for performance management. Performance measurement should include customer, product, and service performance; comparisons of operational, market, and competitive performance; supplier, employee, cost, and financial performance; and governance and compliance. Data should be segmented by, for example, markets, product lines, and employee groups to facilitate analysis.
Analysis refers to extracting larger meaning from data and information to support evaluation, decision making, and improvement. Analysis entails using data to determine trends, projections, and cause and effect that might not otherwise be evident. Analysis supports a variety of purposes, such as planning, reviewing your overall performance, improving operations, accomplishing change management, and com- paring your performance with competitors' or with "best practices" benchmarks.
A major consideration in performance improvement and change management involves the selection and use of performance measures or indicators. The measures or indicators you select should best represent the factors that lead to improved customer, operational, financial, and ethical performance. A comprehensive set of measures or indicators tied to customer and organizational performance requirements represents a clear basis for aligning all processes with your organization's goals. Through the analysis of data from your tracking processes, your measures or indicators themselves may be evaluated and changed to better support your goals.
An organization's leaders should stress responsibilities to the public, ethical behavior, and the need to practice good citizenship. Leaders should be role models for your organization in focusing on ethics and protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Protection of health, safety, and the environment includes your organization's operations, as well as the life cycles of your products and services. Also, organizations should emphasize resource conservation and waste reduction at the source. Planning should anticipate adverse impacts from production, distribution, transportation, use, and disposal of your products. Effective planning should prevent problems, provide for a forthright response if problems occur, and make available information and support needed to maintain public awareness, safety, and confidence.
For many organizations, the product or service design stage is critical from the point of view of public responsibility. Design decisions impact your production processes and often the content of municipal and industrial waste. Effective design strategies should anticipate growing environmental concerns and responsibilities.
Organizations should not only meet all local, state, and federal laws and regulatory requirements, but they should treat these and related requirements as opportunities for improvement "beyond mere compliance." Organizations should stress ethical behavior in all stakeholder transactions and interactions. Highly ethical conduct should be a requirement of and should be monitored by the organization's governance body.
Practicing good citizenship refers to leadership and support within the limits of an organization's resources of publicly important purposes. Such purposes might include improving education and health care in your community, pursuing environmental excellence, practicing resource conservation, performing community service, improving industry and business practices, and sharing nonproprietary information. Leadership as a corporate citizen also entails influencing other organizations, private and public, to partner for these purposes.
Managing social responsibility requires the use of appropriate measures and leadership responsibility for those measures.
An organization's performance measurements need to focus on key results. Results should be used to create and balance value for your key stakeholders—customers, employees, stock- holders, suppliers, partners, the public, and the community. By creating value for your key stakeholders, your organization builds loyalty, contributes to growing the economy, and contributes to society. To meet the sometimes conflicting and changing aims that balancing value implies, organizational strategy explicitly should include key stakeholder requirements. This will help ensure that plans and actions meet differing stakeholder needs and avoid adverse impacts on any stakeholders. The use of a balanced composite of leading and lagging performance measures offers an effective means to communicate short- and longer-term priorities, monitor actual performance, and provide a clear basis for improving results.
This provide a systems perspective for managing your organization and its key processes to achieve results—performance excellence. These seven Categories and the Core Values form the building blocks and the integrating mechanism for the system. However, successful management of overall performance requires organization- specific synthesis, alignment, and integration. Synthesis means looking at your organization as a whole and builds on key business requirements, including your strategic objectives and action plans. Alignment means using the key linkages among requirements to ensure consistency of plans, processes, measures, and actions. Integration builds on alignment, so that the individual components of your performance management system operate in a fully interconnected manner.
A systems perspective includes your senior leaders' focus on strategic directions and on your customers. It means that your senior leaders monitor, respond to, and manage performance based on your results. A systems perspective also includes using your measures, indicators, and organizational knowledge to build your key strategies. It means linking these strategies with your key processes and aligning your resources to improve overall performance and satisfy customers and stakeholders.
Thus, a systems perspective means managing your whole organization, as well as its components, to achieve success.