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Getting Started with Shopify
Samantha Renée guides you through getting setup on Shopify and launching your first business.Register
The first Shopify store was our own.
Shopify Founder and CEO Tobi Lütke had a dream of selling snowboards online but he couldn't find an affordable way to setup his ecommerce store. So he decided to build the software himself.
After months of coding, Tobi launched his store on the first version of Shopify. Over a decade later and the platform hosts over 600,000 merchants worldwide. One of those stores is Weave Got It - an online business run by Samantha Renée who also works as a Shopify Merchant Success Manager.
In this course, Samantha walks you through the basics of getting setup on Shopify and working towards your first sale.
Become a Shopify Expert
Understand the platform and learn about what you should be focusing on first.
Design Your Store
Explore the theme store and customize the look and feel of your website to make it your own, no coding required.
$5 Product Photography
Samantha shows you how to setup a studio in your home to take professional looking photographs.
Your First Sale
Get a list of quick strategies you can use to earn your first sale (from someone you don't know).
Meet your instructor
Samantha Renée
As an award winning entrepreneur and ecommerce expert, Samantha has helped thousands of entrepreneurs on their path to success. She has strategically designed a life she loves and enjoys encouraging others to do the same. Samantha is currently focused on growing her ecommerce store which is on track to cross the 6-figure mark within the year. Samantha is sharing her experience exclusively with Shopify Academy.
Course outline
Multimillion dollar businesses thrive on Shopify, but they all started the same way, just like you're starting today.
This course is designed to help you take action today while thinking about your business tomorrow.
Understand what you need to focus on now to set your business up for success in the future.
Understanding Shopify
Learn how Shopify works and what it can do for your business.
Signup and Get Started
Go through the steps of signing up and adding important details to get started on the right path.
Store Design 101
Learn how to design your online store with a simple click-and-drag interface.
Launch Your First Product
Add products to your store, adjust settings, and get paid.
Online Customer Service
Discover how to make customers happy and manage orders.
Get Your Launch Checklist
Get your free launch checklist, run a final test and launch your store to the world.
Sign up to access the entire library of courses, workshops, downloads and more.Register
"Shopify is the best and biggest for the reach and ease it offers my customers… They're more confident to buy via a Shopify store."
Frequently asked questions
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for anyone who is just starting to use Shopify or wants to get a better sense of how everything works. Use this course as a step-by-step guide or simply skip ahead to the part of the Shopify platform you need to learn more about.
Do I get a free Shopify trial with the course?
Yes, you can start using Shopify for free for the first 14 days. This is a great way to follow the course content and get hands-on as fast as possible.
Register for Shopify Academy and get free access to…
- On-demand courses
- Live coaching calls
- Business template library
- Community of entrepreneurs


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Few things are better in your work life than being able to reward people with promotions for all their hard work. For the past six years, Stuart Goldman has been our managing editor, turning out some great news and feature stories (several award-winning ones, too). I have watched him grow in his knowledge of the fitness industry and in his skills related to websites, magazine production and digital products. So, I was elated to be able to promote Stuart to executive editor this month. With that new title comes a few new responsibilities. He will be taking some of the administrative tasks off my plate, but he will continue to do the stellar reporting that we have all come to expect from him. I hope you all join me in congratulating Stuart for his fine work and wishing him the best in his new role.
One of the other things that ranks right up there with giving someone a promotion is hiring a new employee. So, I am also pleased to announce that we have a new associate editor, Kelsey Cipolla. Kelsey interned with us two summers ago. I have worked with more than 12 interns during my career, and I would put Kelsey at the top of the list as far as her reporting and writing skills and her attitude. Kelsey comes to us with a journalism degree from the University of Kansas, Lawrence (my alma mater), so we can gang up on our Mizzou Tiger Stuart if we so choose. Look for Kelsey to start covering the university, military and nonprofit markets. If you have news in those markets, please feel free to email Kelsey at firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Supplier Country China (2) Search Options Select Business Type Manufacturer Trading Company Buying Office Agent Distributor/Wholesaler Retailer Others Show Premium Suppliers Subscription Trade Alert Notify me of new sic wafer info. My Recent History Community Recommended Topics Basics of Import-Export SBLC'S AND MTN'S We buy electric motor scrap Business Talk BH6600 back hoe WE HAVE BANK INSTRUMENTS FOR PURCHASE AND LEASE..SBLC/BG Safe Trading Basics Are these companies that sell the firestick 4k legit Is it a legit US frozen chicken feet and pork feet supplier? Ask about sic wafer. Post Topic on sic wafer. Filter


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What a beautiful and enchanting movie!
Haven't we all grown up hearing this gorgeous alluring fairy tale of Cinderella? So much that we know it by heart. Even today if someone rushes in promising to narrate the tale in his own words, we are still willing to fill up the screen with impatient eyes. Kenneth does no different. He takes this fascinating story of a poor creature and lets it thrive on its own narration. All he does is add a flower hither and thither to elevate the grandeur of an already great tale, and he doesn't lag behind in imparting pizzazz.
Just like any brilliant Diegesis, Cinderella runs with a narrative. The voice over is well complemented by an apt drama wore superbly by great actors like Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter and Stellan Skarsgard. Lily James does justice to Cinderella but at times I did feel like something amiss, probably a much needed intensity to her character. Little bit of humour keeps the story upbeat. Helena does a Depp here as the Fairy Godmother. The clichéd bit she pounds on becomes abrupt for a while, and it seemed for a moment thereon the movie was headed towards a disaster, but boy does everything hold up nice! We don't return to magic again and it becomes perfectly digestible after that.
What I really liked about Kenneth's direction was that he didn't take away the magic bit and let it breathe like a fairy tale. If you throw in some rationality into the filmmaking equation, the flick wouldn't be what it set out to become in the first place. There are moral values strewn all across the movie like Gus Gus giving up on his favorite thing, a thing about kindness and courage, and despite every cruelty shown eventually Ella forgiving her stepmother. It all just seems so morally right and meaningful.
There is nothing dark here though. Just a great movie for kids, teenagers, people who want to watch a nice pleasant film for a change and of course for those who love happy endings. Brannagh's love for the classics is worth praising. Just wish him all the best for his future endeavours. On a GOT note, Robb Stark looks alive and really dashing 😉
Disney plays Frozen Fever before the movie and it was downright adorable. Watch out for those Snowgies! We have yet another bunch of Olaf minions in the making. Oooh I am so excited!


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The brilliant Idris Elba is back as the conflicted, perpetually tormented and fatigued detective chief inspector John Luther, the smart British cop who obsessively tracks criminals, sometimes without regard to proper procedure.
'Luther' returns next week as a third miniseries, this one four hours long and airing on consecutive nights Sept. 3-6 on BBC America.
The intense crime-solver is not only working two cases simultaneously, but he's battling a former cop hell-bent on taking him down for his unorthodox-to-illegal methods.
'If he breaks the law, I want his head on a stick,' says his nemesis, George Stark.
Luther is also finding romance, an aspect of the story-telling that has been in short supply until now - and it renders him slightly more talkative and a tad more revealing. Sienna Guillory ('Resident Evil,' 'Love Actually') plays Mary Day, a new love interest.
In addition, he's still grappling with his feelings for one Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson reprising that great character), a canny psycho-killer who got to him previously. She's cleverly reintroduced.
In the past short-run series, the tone has been gritty, intellectually satisfying and emotionally wrenching. This time around, a notable shift takes viewers into darker territory - not just darker but manipulatively scarier with scream-inducing surprises that take their cues from horror flicks. Fans of detective fiction who liked
'Luther' as a puzzle should prepare to be nudged over the line into horror territory. It's a leap some will decline to make.
There seems to have been a conscious decision to add a dose of not just violence but horrific suspense and shocking violence. The first hour in particular feels like a disappointing departure.
The character remains the same, even if he encounters accentuated gore and mental illness in the criminals.
He even grows a bit. The thing about love, he tells Stark, is it can 'bring out the best in you but also the worst ... all your fears, rage, self-doubt.' Of course he's wise when giving advice to others on the subject of love but not so clear-eyed about his own emotional vulnerability.
The third hour dips into the muddy area of vigilante justice and crowd-sourced decisions on guilt or innocence in the age of social media. Luther says he knows nothing about digital technology - and that's a relief. He's best when pounding the pavement, roughing up a suspect or pacing before a wall of thumb-tacked evidence. Elba dominates every scene, his broad shoulders overwhelming the screen.
He's one genius crime-fighter we don't want to watch sitting behind a computer.


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Dana is experienced in writing hard news as well as editorial pieces. With a degree in business she has a special affinity for business-related stories. Because Dana has spent years writing blogs, corporate websites and online news articles, writing for the web has become second nature to her.
Researching history and following business, health and beauty trends are special interests that allow Dana to delve into the old (history) and to learn about the new (business, health and beauty). Her published novels have been historically based.
Although she ultimately became a writer, Dana frequently draws on lessons learned while pursuing a degree in business.
One of Dana's weekly beats with both the Jackson Citizen-Patriot and Traverse City Record Eagle involved covering trends in home decor, design, and architecture.
Dana has written news stories regarding the beauty industry as a reporter and worked as an online editor for Outblush, a beauty and style website.
Dana became a niche writer specializing in real estate from 2009-2011. She has written articles from the perspective of sellers, potential buyers, and real estate professionals.
As a freelance writer Dana has completed hundreds of articles pertaining to finding, retaining, and thriving in one's career.
Dana has written about spirituality in a number of different publications, including daily devotional contributions and blogs.
Dana has spent more than two decades as a newspaper and magazine reporter, covering stories as diverse as school board meetings and neighborhood shootings to new trends in plastic surgery.
Having written for several blogs, Dana believes that the magic lies in writing about things that other people care about in a personalized way.
Dana's clients frequently request that she add compelling content to their web pages in order to keep visitors online and learning about their services.
As a professional writer and reporter, Dana has been called on to write press releases designed to make readers want to learn more on the topic.
Dana has learned through the years that the power of a banner ad lies in the simplicity. Encourage readers to click on an ad by making the topic clear and the design simple.
The idea of direct mail -- whether it be a snail mail or email campaign -- is to assume that the reader will spend less than one second determining whether they want to read the entire thing. Dana has learned to let readers know up front what it's about and to keep it short and sharp.
One of her responsibilities as a corporate writer has been to create concise, yet compelling speeches for business leaders of all kinds.
As the author of four published novels, Dana is accustomed to the intense research and patience it takes to see a project through, from inception to publication.


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Mexican Metalformers Invited to Peruse Coe Press Website
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Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Coe Press Equipment, Sterling Heights, MI, has launched a Spanish version of its website to serve its growing list of customers in Mexico. Mexican stampers can use the site to learn about the firm's coil-feeding lines and cut-to-length systems, and access literature and video downloads; cpec.com/espanol.
See also: Coe Press Equipment Corporation
Related Enterprise Zones: Coil Handling
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In his final legislative act as a senator, Secretary of State John F. Kerry sought to resolve an international dilemma. He filed Senate Bill 48, seeking "permanent resident status for Genesio Januario Oliveira," a gay Brazilian national facing deportation because he does not qualify for a spousal visa.
Now, President Obama is aiming to grant same-sex couples such as Oliveira and his American husband, Tim Coco, equal immigration rights as their heterosexual counterparts. The proposal could allow up to 40,000 foreign nationals in same-sex relationships to apply for legal residency and, potentially, U.S. citizenship.
But the measure has inspired fierce pushback from congressional Republicans and some religious groups, who say it could sink hopes for a comprehensive agreement aimed at providing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants.
The standoff may force Obama to choose between two key interest groups — Hispanics and gays — that helped power his reelection in the fall. The president must weigh how forcefully to push the bill, known as the Uniting American Families Act, while not endangering a long-sought deal to resolve the status of undocumented immigrants, most of whom are Latino.
The same-sex measure was not included in the immigration proposals issued last week by a bipartisan Senate working group, whose overall framework Obama largely embraced. Several key Christian groups that have supported the White House's immigration push have objected to the measure on the grounds that it would erode traditional marriage.
The issue has prompted an intense lobbying effort on both sides, including a letter to the White House from a coalition of influential church organizations and a series of urgent conference calls between advocates, administration officials and lawmakers.
For Obama, the political sensitivity was evident in the public rollout of his immigration plans last Tuesday. Although the same-sex provision was included in documents distributed by the White House, the president did not mention it in his immigration speech in Las Vegas.
"The president in his plan said that you should treat same-sex families the same way we treat heterosexual families," White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said Friday on "Political Capital With Al Hunt." "It's wrong to discriminate. It's a natural extension of the president's view about same-sex marriage, the view about providing equal rights, no matter who you love."
But congressional Republicans immediately condemned the idea and warned that the measure imperils broader immigration reform. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the senators on the eight-member bipartisan working group on immigration, said at a Politico breakfast last week that injecting social issues into the debate over immigration legislation "is the best way to derail it."
"Which is more important: LGBT or border security?" McCain said, using an abbreviation for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. "I'll tell you what my priorities are."
Behind the scenes, the lobbying efforts began before the president's speech. A coalition of religious groups — including Roman Catholics, evangelicals and Southern Baptists — delivered a letter to the White House last week opposing the same-sex measure.
"It's an overreach," said Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy and public affairs at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which signed the letter. "Immigration is hard enough as it is and adding another controversial issue to the mix makes it even harder. I'm surprised the administration would risk sacrificing 11 million people over this issue. It's very combustible."
On a White House conference call with interest groups after Obama's appearance in Las Vegas, the first question was from an evangelical activist who objected to the provision. Religious groups pushed back again Wednesday on another White House call, according to a person who participated in the conversation.
On the other side, several Senate Democrats, including Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), Richard J. Durbin (Ill.) and Robert Menendez (N.J.), had a conference call with gay organizations blaming Republicans for not including the same-sex provision in the bipartisan immigration proposal.
The advocates were told that Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-
Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, would offer an amendment to include the provision in any comprehensive legislation that is formally introduced, according to a person involved in the call.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of same-sex couples wait in limbo. Although the Obama administration has been using its prosecutorial discretion to avoid deporting partners who are illegally in the country, many couples say uncertainty makes it impossible to plan for the long term.
"It's on our mind every day," said Coco, who has been married to Oliveira since 2005 and lives in Haverhill, Mass. "We're always worried about our future."
Obama — who endorsed same-sex marriage in the spring — received broad support and significant campaign funds from the LGBT community. On the campaign trail, Obama often touted as a major achievement his administration's ending of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays.
"He's proven that especially on lesbian [and] gay issues, when he stands up and works for change, that the American public and Congress comes along with him," said Steve Ralls, a spokesman for Immigration Equality, a group pushing for same-sex immigration protections. "That will be the case here, too."
Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez, national field director of GetEqual, a gay civil rights organization, said Obama gave a "really strong vision" for gay rights in his inauguration speech last month.
"I hope that's more than words and will actually bring concrete actions," Sousa-Rodriguez said. If Obama does not fight hard for the same-sex provision, he added, "I'll be highly disappointed."
Not all gay rights groups are united. Some activists said they would not stand in the way of an immigration deal without the same-sex couples provision if the alternative was no reform deal at all. These activists said an overall policy encouraging citizenship could help up to 700,000 illegal immigrants who are estimated to be gay.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court is reviewing the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that mandates marriage benefits only for heterosexual couples. Some gay rights advocates said that if the court strikes down the law, perhaps as early as June, the question of a same-sex provision in immigration law could be rendered irrelevant.
That's little solace for Coco and Oliveira, who spent three years of their marriage apart, after an immigration judge ordered Oliveira to return to Brazil in 2007. Only after Kerry, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made personal appeals for the couple in 2010 did immigration officials grant Oliveira a one-year visa on humanitarian grounds.
With that ruling expired, Kerry stepped in again Jan. 22 with his final Senate bill on behalf of Oliveira, who will be allowed to stay in the country as the legislation is deliberated. Coco, an ad agency owner, doesn't expect it to be approved.
"It took a while for President Obama to evolve on gay marriage, but the nation has evolved much further if you look at the public polls," Coco said. "I believe the president has some obligation to push the envelope. The time has come."


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Mary-Louise Parker
Date Of Birth:
2 August 1964
Place Of Birth:
Fort Jackson, South Carolina
Mary-Louise Parker is a stage and screen leading lady who is best known for her role as a suburban dope dealer in the cable TV series Weeds. On Broadway she won rave reviews for Prelude to a Kiss (1990-91) and a Tony Award for Proof (2000-03). She made her mark on the big screen in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and Boys on the Side (1995), and and even bigger impression on TV, with the miniseries Angels in America (2003) and a recurring role as Amy Gardner on The West Wing (2001-06). She suffered through the tabloid role of jilted girlfriend in 2003, when actor Billy Crudup left their relationship while Parker was seven months pregnant, but her career has since rocketed forward. Since 2005 she's been the star of the successful series Weeds, while still appearing on stage and in films, including The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007, opposite Brad Pitt) and The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008).
See also:
Copyright © 1998-2018 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.


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Visit Hastings Racecourse for live thoroughbred racing in a legendary location with spectacular mountain and waterfront views, simulcast racing from many of the world's most prestigious tracks, a variety of dining experiences, and more. If you're looking for things to do in Vancouver, there's no better way to spend your day than to gather your friends or family for a trip to Hastings. Feel the rush of the races, enjoy a great meal, or try your luck at our casino slots. Hastings Racecourse is Bred For Excitement!
Book your group and reserve a Hastings Racecourse venue for your next event.
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Mailing Address:
188 N. Renfrew St., Vancouver ,BC V5K 3N8
Phone number:
Main Line: 604 254 1631
Toll Free: 877 977 7702
HPI Phone Wagering: 1 888 675 2387 (BETS)


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Privacy Rights Re-"Kindled": eBook Reader Privacy
There has been a tremendous sea change in the publishing landscape over the last several years. As people have been shifting from buying books in brick and mortar stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble, to online distribution of physical media like Amazon, to the rise of electronic distribution like Amazon's Kindle or Apple's iBooks ecosystems, the ease and accessibility of obtaining and exploring new works has been steadily increasing. However, what has remained constant Continue Reading →


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Want to conserve energy? Start at home.
Click here to watch the original video that accompanies this blog entry.
My ongoing quest to lessen my impact on the environment one small change at a time has never hit closer to home than it did two weeks ago when I had an energy audit done by a contractor working for Xcel Energy. The prognosis on my 10-year-old, two-story house indicated that my home is a leaky, energy gobbling monster that needs to go on a low-carbon diet!
Xcel and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission launched the Home Energy Audit program in 2008 as part of a multi-prong attack to cope with rising natural gas and electricity prices. To try to persuade more customers to participate, Xcel is covering 60 percent of the price of the audit. The balance shows up on the customer's bill as a one-line charge item after the audit is completed.
Research indicates that homeowners who do an energy audit and then make the suggested home improvements save as much as 50 percent or more on their monthly energy bill.
"In the long run, paying for those audits is cheaper than it is to build new power plants to keep rates lower," says Bruce Peterson, Xcel's product portfolio manager and home energy audit guru.
There are three kinds of home energy audits.
The first, a standard audit including a carbon monoxide test, is $60.
The second includes those services, plus a blower door air leakage test, for $90. The blower door test is used to measure the air leakage of the home, or how much convective heat is lost or gained depending on the season.
The third type of audit includes an infrared camera scan for $120. The scan reveals red hot spots and cool blues where energy is being lost.
I wanted comprehensive tests done on my house — instead of concentrating on a single component such as windows — so I opted for the third audit. Because in any house, the various components interact with one another and with the residents. If I change just one part of the house, all of the other parts are effected and must also be adjusted to maintain the same energy usage. Plus, a comprehensive audit tells homeowners where to get started with their home improvements.
Here's a hint: Look for spider webs. If you find them, you know that's an area where air is leaking in and out of the house, because spiders were able to shimmy through a crack or crevice from the outside.
"Windows get a bad rap," Peterson said, "but replacing them is often not the first or the wisest place a person should spend their money."
Xcel sent Francisco Reina of Lightly Treading to do my audit. He's that company's RESNET energy rater, which means he's been through an accredited training program to do home energy audits. The audit usually takes less than two hours, but my brain was fried when it was done. Still, as a first time homeowner, I got more out of the audit than just the details of my energy usage.
Reina tirelessly walked me through all the major systems in my house, showing me where my insulation is (or isn't, in some cases), explaining how to set up my programmable thermostat, and talking about easy fixes I could tackle myself. His report prioritizes the projects I should handle first for the greatest impact on my natural gas and electricity usage. If I make all of the home improvements suggested in the audit, I could get an estimated $855 in rebates from Xcel.
Here's the lowdown: Front Range homes the size of mine (2,500 square feet) typically use 70 Therms of natural gas and 635 kilowatts of electricity per month. My home uses as much as 848 kilowatts of electricity (in July) and 131 Therms of gas (in December).
Reina gave me this list of prioritized recommendations, plus the estimated cost of improvements, along with how much I would likely save once I make these improvements.
1. Use power strips. This will cut the electricity flowing to unused electronics and appliances. Reina said this equipment is still using energy even when it's turned off. To prove it, he showed me what a "ghost load" looks like. In an infrared photo, it is visible as hot area around my TV, laptop and desktop computer. The only way to stop that lost energy is to unplug the appliances and turn them off. And the most convenient way to do that is with a power strip.
2) Shorten the dryer hose. Reina applauded the fact that I often use dryer racks instead of the dryer, but he was dismayed to discover that my dryer hose wasn't even connected to the vent, creating a major fire hazard. The disconnected dryer hose also adds excessive moisture to my basement — the very area where you want the least moisture.
3) Install fabric thermal window treatments, exterior solar shades or retractable awnings. These will help cool down my south-facing bedroom windows. An aftermarket, low-e hard coat also can be applied to the windows to reduce summer heat gain. And I need to start replacing my light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs.
4) Extinguish the standing pilot on my fireplace. This one really blew my mind. That thing has been running non-stop since I bought the house in 2004. Like most homeowners, according to Reina, I had no idea it needed to be turned off. This alone could have saved me nearly $100 a year on my energy bill. "Think about how much harder your air conditioning had to work to cool this area where that standing pilot was pumping out heat," Reina said.
5) Wrap my water heater and pipes. This is an easy fix I can do myself. Turns out my furnace filter wasn't properly installed either. Plus, the air conditioner pan also appeared to be plugged up and condensation was leaking from it into the furnace.
6) Air seal the home. Especially around windows and doors, large cracks or holes in the caulking are a problem.
7) Insulate cantilevers and the garage floor. A cantilever is a structural element in a home that is completely fixed at one end to the main structure and completely free at the other end, such as balconies and bay windows. Insulation needs to be added to the floor above the garage to reduce convective air currents and add improved insulation performance to a typically and historically deficient area. One of my guest bedrooms had 2×10 floor joists with no insulation at all! In the kitchen, a large bay window had little to no insulation either. The only way to fix this is to hire a professional to drill a hole in the wall and blow in cellulose to pack insulation in those areas, creating an air barrier.
And that's not all. Reina's infrared camera showed that I was losing heat in my living room with a leaky bottom wall plate, in my bedroom attic knee wall where there was no insulation at all, in my attic access, in the soffit vent in my master bedroom, in the top wall plates in my master bathroom, in the rim of my mechanical room, and in the soffit ceiling of the garage. My ducts are leaking, too.
Air leakage from the attic access
Missing insulation in the wall cavity in a bedroom attic knee wall.
Leaky bottom wall plates in my front living room.
Missing insulation in my mechanical room
Insufficient insulation in the garage below my master bedroom makes it the hottest room in my house.
There was one piece of good news. Reina said my home's previous owner had already updated my attic insulation, adding about 16 extra inches of blown fiberglass to bring it up to a level of R-40. He suggested I add an extra 4 inches of blown cellulose, which would bump me up to an R-50 for greater comfort and performance.
The estimated costs for these improvements: up to $2,300.
The estimated energy savings: at least $650 per year.
The total rebates available for these improvements: up to $855. That could make my final investment more like $1450. Sounds like a deal to me.
"I believe if all the improvements are performed, (those savings) will arrive at a much higher figure," Reina added.
Now I know how and where my home is consuming too much energy. But Xcel wants to make sure that customers like me take the next step and fix their problem areas. To make that process easier, the company created the Home Performance with Energy Star program, which includes a list of approved contractors that will use the energy audit program to complete the improvements needed. Afterwards, a private auditor will inspect the work and make sure it was done properly.
"In addition to the list of contractors, we talk about rebates on qualified improvements, equipment and appliances and provide you with cash back to help buy down the cost of what we are recommending," Peterson said. "After the work has been done, Home Performance will send out the inspector and we will collect receipts for work you've paid for. We fill out the (rebate) applications for you and send them into Xcel so you don't have to do anything."
Finally, here are the basic steps to a more energy-efficient home using this Xcel program:
1) Sign up for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. Call Xcel Energy at 800-895-4999 or xcelenergy.com/residential and click on Programs & Resource. Choose Home Energy Audit or Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. If you haven't already had an audit, an agent will help you get one.
2) Choose a contractor to install the recommended improvements.
3) Have an auditor inspect the improvements.
4) Give the auditor your receipts and he/she will submit your rebate paperwork to Xcel.
— Sheba R. Wheeler


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By Samuel Njoku
By this time next week the Baltimore Ravens may be Super Bowl champions. No one outside the city of Baltimore gave them a chance, but they are a football game away from immortality. That's a far cry from the team that lost to Charlie Batch earlier this year. And lost in all the talk of sibling rivalries and retirement talk rests a 6'6" quarterback that nobody gave a chance. Joe Flacco kept trying to tell us and most wouldn't listen. But you'd be a fool to think of him as anything else. Joe Flacco is an elite quarterback.
Before we delve any deeper into the madness that is the "elite QB" criteria let me preface by saying that the term elite is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to football. Growing up, you never heard the term when describing players such as Dan Marino, Steve Young, or Troy Aikman. Some time between the NFL's induction of Thursday Night Football and ESPN's creation of the QBR system, the term elite QB began getting thrown around more than Kim Kardashian's phone number. But for the sake of conversation, we'll speak on the term elite quarterback as if it actually means anything. And please believe me when I say it doesn't.
For starters, the two best quarterbacks in the NFL are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Let's throw in Aaron Rodgers in the mix just for the heck of it. How many of them are playing in the Super Bowl this year? See where I'm going with this. Back in the 90's, a quarterback was measured by his ability to win games – not throw touchdowns. It was a beautiful time where championships meant everything and Pro Bowls meant nothing. Times sure have changed, haven't they? Back then, a quarterback with 54 wins in his first 5 seasons would be a gem. Top that with a knack for making AFC Championship appearances and you have a man with a pretty active bank account. But in the 21st century, we're more concerned with your quarterback rating. Hey ESPN, can you tell me how low Flacco's QBR was this year. It's hard to hear you over all that champagne popping in the Ravens locker room.
It's easy to criticize Flacco when he doesn't play perfect. He doesn't say much. And when he does say something interesting on the microphone, we want to beat him up for it.
"I assume everybody thinks they're a top-five quarterback," Flacco stated earlier this year. "I mean, I think I'm the best. I don't think I'm top five, I think I'm the best. I don't think I'd be very successful at my job if I didn't feel that way. I mean, C'mon? That's not really too tough of a question. But that doesn't mean that things are gonna work out that way. It just means that that's the way it is, that's the way I feel it is, and that's the way I feel it should be."
Back when Flacco made that statement, the national media were all over the kid. Who does Flacco think he is? What's with all the self confidence? It was actually pretty funny to watch. Of course it's not nearly as funny as watching the same analysts eat crow now. They'll praise him now because he beat the god known as Tom Brady. And Flacco deserves it. But the recognition is long overdue. All Joe Flacco does is win football games. His poise is superb. His arm strength is second to none. And his will to win is one of the most underrated characteristics in the young quarterback's repertoire. So how does Flacco feel about finally shutting up the haters?
"I really don't care, Flacco told reporters on Thursday. "You know, there are guys out there that have got to make a living on hating on somebody. If that's going to be us, if that's going to be me, then I plan on being around for a while. And if you want to continue to do it, I'll be here."
He's absolutely right. He will be in Baltimore for a long time. There's no way the Ravens let go of Flacco. Not with the memories of Kyle Boller and Elvis Grbac still fresh in the mind of Ozzie Newsome. They've been looking for an elite quarterback for years now. It appears as though they have found their man. And now everyone knows it – including Joe Flacco. Of course he's known all along.
Check out these articles for more Ravens news:
- http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/01/27/baltimore-holds-send-off-rally-for-the-ravens-monday/
- http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/01/28/john-eisenberg-talks-baltimore-ravens-big-game-chances/
- http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/01/28/baltimore-sends-the-ravens-to-new-orleans-in-style-watch-it-live-on-wjz-at-1130-a-m/
- http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/01/28/former-ravens-safety-kim-herring-talks-big-game/
For more Local Football Bloggers and the latest Ravens news, see CBS Sports Baltimore
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. He can be reached for comments at firstname.lastname@example.com. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.


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St. Petersburg, Fla. – The beginning of Georgia Southwestern softball team's spring break road trip began with a split at Eckerd College on Tueday. The second game featured three homeruns by Nellie Moore, Keri Tompkins, and Jordan Miller.
The Lady 'Canes were at bat 28 times in which time they achieved four runs and eight hits.
Miller started things off in the second inning with a homerun bringing the score to 1-0.
Eckerd College was able to bring in one run in the fourth from a single hit to third base.
The sixth inning proved to be very exciting for the Lady 'Canes as Moore and Tompkins hit back to back home runs in the left field territory.
Early in the seventh inning Lauren Thrasher kept things going with a double into left field. Later in the inning, Erin Steele hit a single to bring in Thrasher.
Eckerd College was able to score two more runs during the seventh inning.
Pastor (8-6) took the win for the Lady 'Canes after pitching all seven innings and only giving up six hits and three runs.
Eckerd College's Erin Dixson (8-8) took the loss after pitching all seven innings. Dixson gave up eight hits, four runs, three homeruns, and three errors.
The tables turned a bit during the second game of the day as Eckerd found the winning side. Eckerd had homeruns by Chelsea Jeffares and two doubles by Kara Oberer and Sydney Dinelli. The Lady 'Canes were only able to responded with one double.
The Lady 'Canes appeared to be starting things off well when Moore reached first off a single and stole her way all the way to third. Tompkins the next batter up was able to bat Moore in for the first point.
Eckerd responded with a homerun in the first. Then in the bottom of the third, off a double to left field by Dinelli, two runs were brought in. Shortly after, Dinelli and Alex Barone were able to finish her trip home after Amber Hay made contact.
The Lady 'Canes were able to respond in the fifth inning when Mary Beth Wilson hit a double into right center bringing Ashley Clifton and Erin Steele home.
In the next inning Rachel McElroy brought Tompkins home when she hit a single up the middle. Later in the inning, Clifton hit a single into center field that let McElroy finish her trip around the bases. At the end of the inning, the score was tied.
However, Eckerd College was able to get three more runs in and GSW was unable to complete another run.
Ashley Cavender (7-6) took the loss for GSW after pitching 5.1 innings and having allowed nine hits and eight runs. Pastor finished the game for the Lady Canes. Pastor only faced three batters, she allowed one hit.
Erin Dixson (9-8) took the win as the win was achieved while she was pitching. Dixson faced 11 batters in the second game and allowed four hits and two runs. Amber Hay started the game and pitched five innings. Hay allowed seven hits and three runs. Hay also achieved seven strikeouts.
Concluding these two games Georgia Southwestern moves onto 16-12 overall record. Eckerd College moves to a 14-all overall record.
Lakeland, Fla. – The next stop for the Lady 'Canes was against Florida Southern on Wednesday. Homeruns were seen in the split series from Allison Pastor, Miller, and Moore.
Florida Southern started things off with two runs in the third inning. By the fourth inning, Pastor rocked a ball out of right field. This homerun also brought in Moore. Following this homerun, Jordan Miller hit a homerun out of left field, to bring the score 3-2.
Florida Southern was able to tie the score in the fifth after Kim Booker advanced on a wild pitch.
The two teams went back and forth all the way to the ninth inning. At the bottom of the ninth, with bases loaded, Leah Pemberton was able to bring in Priscilla Gonzalez for the winning run.
Cavender (7-7) took the loss after pitching the final 2.1 innings and facing 12 batters as she gave up the winning run. Cavender gave up five hits and one run. Pastor was the starting pitcher for the Lady 'Canes. She pitched six innings and gave up five hits, three runs, and walked five.
Florida Southern's Chelsea Oglevie (8-4) took the win after pitching all nine innings, facing 35 batters, and only giving up eight hits, three runs, and two homeruns.
The second game for Wednesday afternoon took a little longer than desired to see runs up on the scoreboard.
Erin Steele was the first Hurricane to bring in a run, as she was able to make it home after a pass ball was thrown in the fifth inning.
The Lady 'Canes kept things moving in the sixth inning, Lauren Thrasher brought Tompkins in after reaching on a fielding error by the pitcher. Shortly after, Kiley Doster hit a double into right center bringing Thrasher home.
By the seventh inning Moore hit a home run to also bring in McElroy. Chelsea Hodges kept things moving with a single up the left center to allow Tompkins to score.
After a hard fought two games, the Lady 'Canes seemed to finish this game with ease in the final three innings.
Cavender (8-7) took the win for the Lady 'Canes. She pitched six innings and allowed six hits. Pastor contributed an inning only facing three batters and striking out one.
Flordia Southern's Hannah Loyer (1-1) takes the loss after pitching six innings and allowing four hits and three runs. Loyer was able to make an impressive ten strikeouts on the Lady 'Canes. Kelli Connors finished the game for Florida Southern allowing four hits and three runs; one of which was a homerun.
St. Augustine, Fla. – The final stop for the Lady 'Canes was on Saturday afternoon against Flagler. The Lady 'Canes were able to split the doubleheader with their Peach Belt Conference foe.
The beginning of the game was unproductive for both teams until the sixth inning. However, Cavender and her defense had a great start. In the first inning Cavender struck out two swinging. While the other Flagler batter was taken care of with an out from Mason Moreland to Clifton at first.
In the bottom of the second, Cavender walked one who later advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Then the defense took care of the rest when Moreland caught a pop up and Hayley Knight caught a line drive.
In the third inning was the first time Flagler was able to achieve hits. However these batters were left strained on base after the third out was a pop up caught by Moreland.
In the fourth inning, the first out came from a third to first base throw out. The next came when Moore and Moreland caught a runner stealing to second. Moore also caught a ball hit into foul territory for the third out.
The bottom of the fifth inning started with a fly out to right fielder, McElroy. Cavender then struck a batter out looking. Following this out was Miller catching a ball in foul territory, completing the third out.
The Lady 'Canes then were able to break the no scoring streak with a run at the top of the sixth. Miller hit a single bunt to the pitcher, where Pastor was able to bring herself home. The inning finished with one run, three hits, no errors, and three left on base.
Flagler was then able to bring in two more runs. With bases loaded, two girls were walked in during the six inning. After a pitching change, only three more batters came up.
The Lady 'Canes were unable to get another run on the scoreboard before the end of the game.
Cavender (7-7) took the loss after allowing five hits and two runs. Cavender faced 23 batters, walked four and struck out four. Pastor finished the game pitching one inning and facing three batters. Flagler College's Kalyn Loverich (9-8) takes the win for Flagler after pitching all seven innings and only allowing nine hits and one run.
GSW was off to an early start in the second game. In the second inning, Moreland hit a single up center field, to bring in McElroy for the first score. In the next inning, Moore hit a homerun into left field. The Lady 'Canes were then leading the score 2-0. At the bottom of the inning Flagler was able to complete a run.
In the fifth inning, Thrasher hit double down the left line to bring in McElroy and Steele. Clifton finished up the scores for the inning hitting a single up the middle to bring Thrasher home.
In the top of the sixth, Tompkins hit a big single down the left side which allowed Hayley Knight to bring in the final score for the Lady 'Canes.
Pastor (9-6) takes credit for the win for GSW after pitching all seven innings. Pastor only allowed six hits and one run. She also struck out four of the 27 batters faced.
Flagler's Katelynn Smith (4-6) took the loss after pitching 4.2 innings, giving up ten hits and five runs. Tinsley Smith also made an appearance during the game pitching in 2.1 facing nine batters and only gave up one hit and one run.
Georgia Southwestern finishes this weeks games' with an 18-14 overall record and 2-4 Peach Belt Conference record. Flagler College concludes the series 17-21 overall and 5-5 in the PBC.
After the week's games, Nellie Moore now has 10 homeruns in her count. Keri Tompkins isn't too far behind with five homeruns. Jordan Miller and Allison Pastor add three homeruns each. The Lady 'Canes have a total of 25 homeruns compared to their opponents played 16 homeruns against.
Allison Pastor has pitched in exactly 100 innings during her senior year in which time she has a 9-6 record and has 59 strikeouts. Ashley Cavender has pitched in 92 innings and has 46 strikeouts.
The Lady 'Canes are back at it tomorrow, Sunday, against Armstrong in a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.


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Preliminary hearing in Swanson killing begins
A question about whether God forgives murderers was part of a preliminary hearing in the 1980 killing of a South Lake Tahoe gas station attendant.
The question was posed to Jenna Weller by Andrew Sanford during a conversation the former roommates had during the summer of 2010, according to Weller's testimony in El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville on Tuesday.
Sanford is accused of killing 16-year-old Richard Swanson during robbery of the former South "Y" Shell station on Aug. 14, 1980.
El Dorado County prosecutors charged Sanford with murder in connection to Swanson's death in March. Sanford, who was 50 years old at the time charges were filed, pleaded not guilty the following month.
During the 2010 conversation, Weller said Sanford told her "him and his friends did something and he thought someone may have died."
"He said a kid may have died and asked me if I thought that God would forgive him," Weller said later in the hearing.
She told Sanford she thought God did forgive murderers, but did not press him for details about his comments, according to her testimony.
During cross-examination of Weller, Sanford's attorney, Erik Schlueter, highlighted that Weller's comments lacked details and did not include a confirmation that anyone had died.
He asked Judge James Wagoner to strike her testimony from the record, saying there was an "insufficient nexus" to connect her conversation with Sanford to the case.
"There's just no tie-in of anything: Time, date, place," Schlueter said. "There's nothing of relevance."
"Comments did not come out that he murdered anybody," Schlueter said.
El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney Patricia Kelliher was successful in getting Wagoner to allow Weller's testimony on the conversation, saying Sanford's statements were relevant to his state of mind and unique enough to be relevant to the case.
Also at Tuesday's hearing, Kelliher called former South Lake Tahoe Police department evidence technician Richard Hartman, who described how Swanson was found in a back office of the gas station that August morning.
"The office was in disarray," Hartman said. "Things had been tossed around. The victim was on the floor in a pool of blood."
Swanson was lying in the fetal position, Hartman said. His arms had been bound to his sides with duct tape and his face was wrapped in duct tape from just underneath his eyes to his chin, the retired evidence technician said. Swanson had also suffered head trauma and had a contusion in the area of his left eye, Hartman said.
Additional witnesses are expected to take the stand Wednesday. Cross-examination of Hartman is scheduled to continue Thursday.
The preliminary hearing is expected to last through the end of February. At the conclusion of the hearing, Wagoner will determine if there is enough evidence for the case to proceed.


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WASHINGTON -- On its last day in session before the election, the Senate tied itself in knots over 41 polar bear carcasses that hunters want to bring home from Canada as big game trophies.
After punting tough decisions on far weightier issues like raising taxes and cutting spending, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., insisted that the Senate address the wide-ranging sportsmen's bill before voting on must-pass legislation to prevent the government from shutting down at the end of next week.
Republicans resisted for a while Friday, contending the only reason Reid wanted the vote now on the bill long sought by hunters and sport fishermen was to benefit Democratic incumbent Jon Tester's re-election prospects in a tossup race in Montana that could determine which party runs the Senate next year.
"This isn't a campaign studio, It's the Senate," Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., complained on the Senate floor Friday. "We've got responsibilities to meet. Let's meet them. And leave the politics out of it for once."
The House had passed a similar bill in April that was co-sponsored by Rep. Denny Rehberg, Tester's Republican opponent in the Montana Senate race. In the end, Tester would get only a test vote as the Senate, yet again, punted another issue until after the election.
Tester's bill combines 19 measures favorable to outdoorsmen. In addition to dealing with the polar bear hides, it would allow more hunting and fishing on federal lands, let bow hunters cross federal land where hunting isn't allowed, encourage federal land agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities to maintain shooting ranges, exclude ammunition and tackle from federal environmental laws that regulate lead, boost fish populations and protect animal habitat.
Tester suggested that Friday's compromise allowing for a test vote but delaying a final one exemplifies why Congress has such a poor approval rating from voters.
"That might take some of the politics out of it and if we ever made a decision here without politics it would be an earth shattering day," Tester said. "This bill right here is a prime example of what is wrong in Washington, D.C. -- it's being held up for no reason whatsoever."
The polar bear provision would allow the 41 hunters --including two in Montana -- who killed polar bears in Canada just before a 2008 ban on polar bear trophy imports took effect to bring the bears' bodies across the border. The hunters involved were not able to bring the trophies home before the Fish and Wildlife Services listed them as a threatened species.
Tester said it would just allow a few people who have polar bear trophies stored in Canada to finally bring them home. "These polar bears are dead, they are in cold storage and we know exactly who they are," he said.
Michael Markarian of The Humane Society of the United States criticized the measure. "The cumulative impacts of incentivizing this killing over and over again are contrary to American conservation law," he said.
By MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press


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InTouch needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 45 designs submitted by 25 freelance designers.
SelectArt.com is an online art collectibles portal taliored to the Art Market... Such as Paintings, Jewelry, Sculpture, etc. Members are allowed to post Auctions, Trades, and Services.
You have complete freedom on the design.
Looking for a new 2.0 design for Art Auction Site - we have been working on 2 designs but not happy with the looks.
Looking for something that is very user frendly and the categories and links are noticable. You can see the 2 sites at http://www.selectart.com and the most recent redesign at beta.selectart.com. the new menu structre is on the beta site.
The site will be heavly marketed in the coming months after the redesign is layed in.
Color scheme is wide open and design are wide open.. The elements that are in the beta site will be in the new site except for the design.
Final version to be HTML and PSD..
Please use web safe fonts in the design
Inner pages also.
not to use the http://www.selectart.com or the beta.selectart.com designs