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This is a absolutely brilliant parody of One Day More from Les Misérables celebrating the recent OneNote Mac launch. It was recorded and produced by the OneNote Engineering Team. A big well done to everyone that took part in this!
Minecon 2013 Florida (Mojangs Minecraft convention) is under 2 months away and while I unfortunately wont be going this year I thought I'd share with you the photos I took from Minecon 2012 Disneyland Paris.
To celebrate the launch of Skype Prepaid Cards in the UK, Skype have created a mural of over 3,000 Skype Cards with artwork by London street artist Mister Batlow. Lucky Londoners outside Waterloo Station picked up cards with free Skype credit ranging from £2 to £50!
These cards now make it easier than ever to call mobiles and landlines, send texts, access WiFi, and most importantly make people smile. They also make the perfect gift.
You can pick up the £10 or £20 Skype Cards at the gift card section of select ASDA, Curry's, PCWorld, Sainsbury's and WHSmith stores.
You can learn more about the cards here: http://www.skype.com/go/prepaidcardUK
Or see more of Mister Batlow's work here: http://www.misterbatlow.com/
But wait dont go anywhere yet!
I have a something to tell you… see that skype banner at the right hand side of my blog? Well you have a chance to win some Skype Credit! All you have to do is come back on any day from now till the 7th of December 2012 at one of the following times: 10am, 2pm, 5pm or 8pm GMT and play a game… it's that simple!
Good luck, please do let me know how you get one.
Today, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the customer preview of the new Microsoft Office, available at office.com/preview. The next release features an intuitive design that works beautifully with touch, stylus, mouse or keyboard across new Windows devices, including tablets. The new Office is social and unlocks modern scenarios in reading, note-taking, meetings and communications and will be delivered to subscribers through a cloud service that is always up to date.
"We are taking bold steps at Microsoft," Ballmer said at the press conference in San Francisco. "The new, modern Office will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility for both consumers and business customers. It is a cloud service and will fully light-up when paired with Windows 8."
While the full lineup of offerings and pricing plans will be announced in the fall, Ballmer discussed three new Office 365 subscription services. When available, each new subscription offer will include the new 2013 editions of the Office applications — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access. In addition, subscribers will receive future rights to version upgrades as well as per-use rights across up to five PCs or Macs and mobile devices. The three new editions will be the following:
- Office 365 Home Premium — designed for families and consumers. This service also includes an additional 20 GB of SkyDrive storage and 60 minutes of Skype world minutes per month.
- Office 365 Small Business Premium — designed for small businesses. This service also includes business-grade email, shared calendars, website tools and HD webconferencing.
- Office 365 ProPlus — designed for enterprise customers who want advanced business capabilities and the flexibility to deploy and manage in the cloud.
Full information available here at this press release.
The 2012 E3 Expo is right around the corner, and fans from all over the world can look forward to accessing the latest Nintendo news right from the comfort of their homes. Nintendo will be using a mix of online and social platforms to provide a steady stream of breaking news and announcements during the video game industry's biggest annual trade show, taking place June 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Featured content will include the Nintendo All-Access Presentation @ E3 2012, which viewers can access online at: http://e3.nintendo.co.uk or stream via Facebook on June 5 at 17.00 GMT (9 a.m. Pacific time). Fans also will enjoy easy access to news and updates from Nintendo on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook throughout the E3 Expo, including information about the Nintendo 3DS handheld system and the upcoming Wii U console.
Fans can choose from the following convenient ways to experience Nintendo content during the E3 Expo:
- Twitter: Twitter users can follow Nintendo @NintendoUK & @NintendoEurope to receive tweets directly from the show. Nintendo representatives will also be live-tweeting events such as the Nintendo All-Access Presentation @ E3 2012 on June 5.
- YouTube: Nintendo will be posting video updates from the show on its YouTube Channels at:
The lineup of videos will include sneak peeks at upcoming hardware and software as well as interviews with game developers.
- Facebook: Facebook users can visit and Like the Nintendo page at http://www.facebook.com/nintendo to get regular updates from the E3 Expo and connect with other Nintendo fans. A special E3 Expo tab will make it simple to access E3 Expo content, including video clips and a Nintendo Instagram gallery. The Nintendo @ E3 Expo app will also allow users to stream the Nintendo All-Access Presentation @ E3 2012 and other events on Facebook.
- Web: Fans can go online to visit the Nintendo All-Access @ E3 2012 website at http://e3.nintendo.com for in-depth information about new and upcoming games and hardware from Nintendo. The site will be optimised for smartphones, so people can keep up-to-date while on the go.
Presented annually by the Entertainment Software Association, the E3 Expo attracts video game professionals, journalists, analysts and business partners from around the globe. Additional information is available at http://www.e3expo.com.
For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.co.uk
Bitdefender, one of the world leading global antivirus companies, has released a tool to find and remove the most complex, dangerous spy tool discovered to date, the Flamer attack toolkit.
Flamer, also known as Skywiper, can steal data; copy passwords; record voice conversations; create screen captures; and even probe Bluetooth devices near the infected computer. The toolkit, which is thought to have spawned past espionage tools such as Stuxnet and Duqu, can spread through local networks or via removable drives such as USB sticks.
"Flamer is the scariest cyber espionage tool we've yet seen. It goes places where other spyware doesn't go, retrieves information others don't retrieve, and ensures the infected computer has no privacy whatsoever," said Catalin Cosoi, Bitdefender's Chief Security Researcher. "Luckily, the Bitdefender removal tool makes it easy to eliminate from your computer."
Flamer is not a single spy tool, but rather an entire toolbox at the command of attackers. In file size, it is the biggest attack tool yet. Its sheer size means researchers will likely still be analysing Flamer for weeks to discover all of its functions.
For further information on Flamer, or to determine whether your computer is infected, download the Bitdefender removal tool at: http://labs.bitdefender.com/2012/05/cyber-espionage-reaches-new-levels-with-flamer/
As a reminder, games on Club Bing have now ended, but you can still redeem your tickets for prizes through May 31, 2012. Prizes will no longer be available to order after May 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM PDT. Please see Club Bing and Terms and Conditions for more information.
If you haven't done so already, please visit the Club Bing Prize Mall to redeem your tickets*. Please note that prize selection is limited and if the prize you ordered is no longer available, Club Bing may substitute a prize or prizes of comparable or higher value.
As an alternative to Club Bing, you can check out Bing Rewards and Bing Entertainment.
- Bing Rewards: Join Bing Rewards and earn credits when you search with Bing. Redeem credits for Redbox one-night movie rentals, Microsoft Points, Amazon.com Gift Cards and more.
- Bing Entertainment: Play a wide range of free online games on Bing. Choose from word games, puzzles, action games and more.
I'm sure by now most of you know what SOPA and PIPA is? If not I urge you to read up on it!
Today the 18th of January 2012 for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 05:00 UTC it has been a web blackout in which various sites, including high-profile sites such as Wikipedia and Minecraft.net have be down/blacked out in opposition of SOPA.
But are you supporting or opposing SOPA? Or do you not really care? Or don't understand what it's all about? Please discuss everything you think about it… should SOPA be stopped?
I asked the same questions to my minecraft server players and here's some of their responses:
As I have thought since I found out not only about SOPA but also PIPA (Protect Interlectual Property Act) I have thought that they could potentially destory everything everyone loves about the internet.
It has been said the internet is already censored in countries like china but the problem these acts bring, not only to their native USA but also to the world in general (as they will cause presidence), it will take the decision of what someone owns from the correct hands of the authorities and the judicial system, and it will place it into the hands of corperations who have already proven to abuse the systems that are currently out there.
A case and point is Megaupload. Universal (UMG?) decided that Megaupload was enableing too much piracy (a term which I already have a problem with) and had it taken down. This caused an uproar among the fans of Megaupload who use it for legal things so they made an original song. This song had original lyrics and music and also endorsed and stared many recording artists (all of whom signed saying that their clips/names could be used). This video was posted to Youtube but then UMG seeing this had it taken down. The trouble is that it did not infringe any copyright but it turns out that UMG does not actually need a valid reason to take down someones video on Youtube. This was then taken to court.
The trouble is that people need to remember that it is not only SOPA that needs to be stoped but people also need to concider PIPA and the effects of that law. I am not saying that something needs to be done about online piracy (again a word I hate) but the decision on what should be taken down should not be in the hands of corperations and compaines. Due process is essential
I do care, but with any laws concerning copyright or internet are too complicated and obscure and need to be rewriten
Vehemently against it. It is a stupid law written by people who have no understanding of the way the underlying infrastructure of the internet works. Blocking sites at a DNS level isn't effective anyway since these sites can still be visited by knowing the public IP of their server and there are already services such as TOR (The Onion Router) which offer alternative DNS lookups.
It will do nothing to combat online piracy and a lot to damage the "free speech" that the US holds so dear. As a UK citizen you'd think that we shouldn't worry about US laws however if this law gets through then it will set a worrying precedent for the rest of the world. The US has already threatened Spain (successfully) into adopting its own SOPA style law.
Also commenting on Robs point, piracy is such a stupid term for it, in order to pirate something you need to steal it and it is impossible to steal something, like a file, which is infinitely copyable without any degradation. It's like saying that when you do one of those brass rubbings at tourist hotspots you are stealing the brass plate. Patently stupid (pun intended!)
Links for more info below:
CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) today unveiled a new public beta program of its industry-leading photo workflow software, PhotoDirector 3. PhotoDirector 3 Beta can be downloaded for free and includes a wide array of new and improved features, including a complete set of new editing tools such as the Wrinkle Remover, Tooth Brush, Skin Smoother and Object Removal.
In June 2011, CyberLink launched the first PhotoDirector public beta program and received feedback from more than 125,000 photographers who participated and inspired a wealth of new improvements and additions for PhotoDirector 3 Beta. With the PhotoDirector 3 public beta program, participants can enjoy exciting new features including a deep set of editing tools that allow users to magically remove objects and people from images and reduce lens defects like geometric distortion. Users can also improve portraits by whitening teeth, removing wrinkles, and smoothing skin and personalizing images by adding watermarks, among a number of other enhancement features.
All consumers and photographers that participate in the PhotoDirector 3 Beta program, and complete a survey or report a bug will receive MediaShow 5 (UK £29.99), CyberLink's media management and slideshow tool, for free, and will have a chance to win a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera. Additionally, users who submit a testimonial describing their experience with PhotoDirector 3 Beta will have a chance to win a Nikon D3100 DSLR camera, PowerDirector 10 and the full version of the official release of PhotoDirector 3 when it's available in early 2012.
"The input we receive in the public beta process is invaluable and weighs heavily into the features we build into our award-winning products," said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. "We have been impressed with the creative feedback and passion that our customers have provided in the past and are confident that the PhotoDirector 3 Beta program will be very successful. We look forward to hearing feedback and testimonials from the program participants."
To download PhotoDirector 3 Beta, or for more information regarding the PhotoDirector 3 Beta program, please visit www.cyberlink.com/event/phd3beta.
Bayan Audio has unveild its premier iPod/iPhone dock with a world-first twin amplifier set-up driving a monster 120W of sound power.
The unique and contemporary Bayan 7 speaker dock for iPod and iPhone delivers balanced, pure acoustics across an impressively wide frequency spectrum1. Effectively squeezing the best out of any audio source it blasts music to a new dimension with superior definition, depth and zero distortion even at high volume.
Beautifully designed in the UK, the Bayan 7 is built from an efficient combination of quality, organic materials and sound-enhancing components which result in a truly natural soundstage.
The Bayan 7 demonstrably outperforms far more expensive speaker docks2, with a near-flat frequency range allowing even untrained ears to pick out subtle notes they never knew existed in those all-time favourite tunes.
Key Features
- 120W sound power output through twin amplifiers
- Dual iPod/ iPhone docking points
- Five way 2.1 channel stereo speaker configuration
- Wide frequency response gets the best from your audio source
- 8" subwoofer for pure deep rich bass
- 12mm solid wood casing for strength and acoustic efficiency
- Natural and realistic soundstage
- Apple certified with support for iPod, iPhone and iPad
- 3.5mm jack to connect other audio sources
- Charge and play functionality (USB at rear for iPad)
- Voice Mode option for audiobooks & podcasts
- IR Remote controller
Whether you're into heavy rock, pop or opera, the choice of speaker can make or break the track. Using a designer combination of high-tech 120W twin amplifier technology and a five-way 2.1 channel speaker configuration with 8" rumbling subwoofer, 2" mid-range and 1" tweeters the Bayan 7 delivers a winning combination of a near-perfect frequency range, natural sound and loud yet defined audio.
What's more, certified Apple compatibility with Charge & Play functionality offers total peace of mind that your Apple iPhone, iPod or tablet will keep on going for hours of listening pleasure.
Wide sound with twin amplifiers and 5-way speaker set-up:
Amplifier Quality and Configuration: Twin amplifiers have been carefully engineered to channel complex and broad spectrum sound, delivering a party-pleasing 120W power performance with depth, definition and zero distortion. One amplifier drives four mid/ high-range speakers whilst the second is dedicated to bass output, and both have been built with the highest quality components for the perfect breadth of rich sound. Such premium amplifier technology is usually only seen in products costing upwards of £500 but is integrated into the Bayan 7 and other single-amp products in the Bayan range, ensuring that you can enjoy wide-frequency natural sound reproduction that is noticeably superior to other products with a comparable or even higher price tag.
Five-Way Speaker Combination: A five-way 2.1 channel stereo speaker configuration is comprised of an 8" bass speaker for weighty deep notes, two 2" long throw mid-range drivers (which oscillate over a greater distance to provide increased output) and two 1" wide projection tweeters for tight sharp high-notes (each of which has been framed in metal, not plastic). This powerful combination makes the Bayan 7 delicately tuned to offer superb balance and an authentic soundstage, bringing each note alive and creating a realistic representation of where instruments would be on-stage for a live sense of presence in the room.
Twin Charge and Play ports for hours of listening:
Twin Ports: The Bayan 7 features twin ports on the front for docking two Apple iPod or iPhone devices at once, and allow simultaneous charging of both. What's more, family members can switch between songs across both devices without swapping docks or files, so everyone's music taste can be catered for without compromise.
Charge and Play: In the fast-paced world of today, battery life will be a concern of the past, with handy Charge & Play supported by the Bayan 7. This time-saving feature works not only with the two iPod/ iPhone ports at the front of the device, but also for any iPad/ tablet connected via the rear 3.5mm/ USBA port too. You can drift away for hours, with the safe knowledge that when you head out the door, the phone or tablet will be fully charged and ready to go.
Natural acoustic-boosting materials and construction quality:
Speaker Housing: Unlike flexing plastic, the rigid 12mm solid wood casing offers not just a design edge, but helps to reduce energy dissipation from the speaker (ensuring it is delivered as sound rather than vibration within the enclosure to produce a far more lucid output) and improves the overall efficiency of the speaker drivers to deliver a wider response.
Speaker Quality: The Bayan 7's quality is driven from the roots; fundamental to this is the use of high grade speaker drivers and materials instead of lower cost components that require digitally-enhancing software. Bayan use cast steel speaker frames that enable the drivers to oscillate far more efficiently and ensure minimal energy dissipation, allowing the speakers to produce the widest range of sound that they are designed for with minimum loss.
This intelligent mix of natural and technical components delivers absorbingly pure audio with a near-flat frequency response. The result is a natural, broad soundstage and refreshing when compared to systems using alternative technologies that result in a synthesised sound, which can prove tiring on the ears.
Control your music with IR remote and music profiles:
Alongside an acoustic experience which delivers your favourite feel-good tracks with full force and emotion, the Bayan also provides a flexible and easy-to-control way to manage your song choices.
IR Remote: All Bayan products bundle a IR remote control as standard, which offers full control from the comfort of your favourite listening spot, including track control (play, pause, skip), volume control and mute, adjustment for bass/ treble and the option to put the unit into standby mode simply by lifting a finger.
Voice mode: The Bayan 7 allows you to switch from Music to Voice mode, an intelligent option which delivers perfect clarity and more pronounced voice whilst listening to audiobooks, podcasts or radio. The power indicator on the top of the unit will change colour to ensure it is always clear which setting has been selected.
Environmentally-friendly materials add green luxury:
Colour: Available in slick black or brilliant white and housed within stunning solid wood, the Bayan 7 promises a contemporary touch for any room inside the home.
Materials: Each product in the Bayan range has been designed not just for keen ears, but with the environment in mind too. Eco-friendly materials are used where possible for internal components (all lead-free), so the Bayan range uses much less plastic than many competitors. This green approach runs through every aspect right down to the product packaging, which has been constructed from recyclable card. Even traditional polythene has been replaced by recycled cloth bags for a hint of green luxury.
Apple certified with support for a host of audio devices:
Bayan is an Apple licensed partner, and all systems used to connect Apple devices use authentic Apple parts including certain control components, and the finished product has been tested and certified to Apple standards.
What's more, the Bayan 7 has been approved with Apple's stringent TDMA Noise Rejection tests, promising stable listening which won't be interrupted by any irritating buzzing caused by interference from mobile phones and other radio transmitters when in use.
The Bayan 7 is thoughtfully designed to be compatible with a whole host of audio devices, including:
Docking through each of the two front connections:
- Apple iPod
- Apple iPhone
Connection via USBA/3.5mm socket tucked neatly away to the rear:
- Apple iPad
- Tablet computers
- Smartphones
- MP3/MP4 players
- Laptops/PC/Netbooks
- *CD/DVD Players
This well-known seal of approval and extensive compatibility with a range of devices means you can rest assured and take maximum confidence in the quality and reliability of the versatile Bayan range.
Pricing and Availability:
The Bayan 7 is £299 inc VAT RRP, and is available from www.bayanaudio.com.


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In the Garden of Suffering
Bringing our suffering to God is the only way to survive it. I mean that in the sense that one might say that their mother's home made cookies are the only way to eat cookies. Yes, there are other means, but the best option is to suffer in identification with Jesus Christ.
One of the major purposes behind Jesus coming was to identify with humanity… not, of course, for his sake but for ours. As our creator he knows all about humanity and what it entails. Including suffering. However, he came not so that could understand us, but that we might know that he understands us because history witnesses his coming. They saw him BE human. The world saw him suffer, cry, hurt and grieve.
Mark's account of the Gethsemane story (Mark 14) is a great example of how Jesus suffered. How he was "greatly distressed and troubled." How he agonized over the fear of death, over the disappointment of humanity, over his own betrayal.
I pray that today, you would take a moment to identify with Christ… or better yet, know that he identifies with you. Do you suffer pain? Do you suffer disappointment? Do you suffer betrayal? Do you suffer the loss of life or love? Jesus identifies. How precious is our savior who not only saves our souls, but speaks to our souls words of comfort through his willingness to let us see him at his very worst… in suffering.
God… may we see your suffering servant and know that he is also God.
Let the Pastor Grow: An Argument for Multiple Staff Ministries
My first pastorate was at a small church in Oklahoma. Morris, Oklahoma to be exact. Morris isn't on the way to anything. If you end up in Morris, it's because that's where your grandmother lives or some other relative that for whatever reason likes to live in a place that's on the way to nowhere. It's a great little town of about 1400 people (if I remember correctly). In Morris, I worked alone. And boy did I. I worked alone because that's what I knew. While I was there… it never occurred to me to build a base of volunteer staff that could help accomplish more than what I could do alone.
I visited the sick alone. I preached alone. I did the bulletin alone. I sat in my office…. alone.
Then the opportunity came for me to go work at the Carbondale Church of Christ. I was there for about 7 years. To date, the longest stint I had working anywhere. When I first started, my eyes were opened the joy of working with an administrative assistant! Paul was absolutely fantastic. The problem was, I had no idea how to help her help me. In fact, even if I had, I would have quickly learned that Paula was the "church" secretary and not my administrative assistant. While there, I had two short term associate ministers to work with. Both were positive experiences for the most part. But still, I had no idea how to help them help me or to help them help the church.
Then off to Illinois I went. Once again, the only paid staff at a church of about 160 near Peoria. It was there that I think I began to settle into a depression of loneliness. Roy Campbell was fantastic at what he did in terms of church administration, but he wasn't on staff for ministry. He wasn't my helper. And I didn't use his company to my advantage (or his really). In a self-imposed isolation I began to flounder. I was only there for two years. I needed people. I needed help. I needed to grow as a pastor.
Five years ago, I moved to Hutchinson Kansas where I know pastor Crossroads Christian Church: A Place to Start Life Over. Here I was blessed with an opportunity to work with an administrative assistant (who actually is here to help us!) as well as three other full-time ministerial staff. I was not only enamored with the idea of working with multiple staff… I was desparate to get out of a rut of loneliness and isolation in my working environment.
One thing I have learned over the years… and through all these experiences. That is… every pastor needs a partner. . . or even multiple partners. Were I ever to return to working in a small church environment. Which I suspect I will do someday. It will be my goal to surround myself with volunteers who can help me and whom I can help to help themselves and the ministries of the church. Here at Crossroads, we have developed a volunteer staff that has increased our effectiveness exponentially! Not only are they helping us in ministry, but the program has become a great outlet to help each of them to grow spiritually as well (at least I think they would agree!)
So… if you are working in a small church environment and are the proverbial "Lone Ranger." Can I encourage you to find a volunteer staff that can come alongside and help you in your ministry. Use that opportunity to mentor. In doing so, you will grow as a pastor and will help the church to grow as well.
If you build a volunteer ministry staff program, I would encourage you to make sure that they are empowered to to do the job you have given them to do. Give them a desk or an office if you can. Give them status on the bulletin, on the web-site and through other communication avenues. Make sure they know and the church knows that their work is valued and they have full "staff" status (for whatever that's worth!)
Through this you'll find that you also are less lonely, less isolated, less frustrated and free to move into areas of ministry that would never be possible for a "Lone Ranger."
That's all for now. See you later.

subset: commoncrawl


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Also known as the hanger steak, this is a coveted favorite of butchers. There is only one hanging tender steak per bison and it is cut from the primal plate. The deep rich flavor and delicate tenderness requires less cooking time. Roast whole or cut for medallions or kebabs.
16 oz. steak
Recipe for this product:
A classic American favorite, lean and luscious. This steak is cut from the short loin and is extremely tender and flavorful. The New York Strip Steak will always take center stage on any grill.
10 oz. steak
14 oz steak
Recipe for this product:
Steak lovers are serious about their ribeyes. Our juicy, meaty ribeyes will not disappoint. These steaks are incredibly tender due to the area of the bison from which they are cut: the rib primal section. Our 100% grass-fed ribeye steaks will redefine what you think a great steak is.
10 oz. steak
14 oz. steak
Recipes for this product:
Our Petite Tenderloin Filet lives up to its name with a "butter knife" texture and rich grass-fed sweet taste. Very popular for elegant dinner parties, or special dinners at home. Same as our regular Tenderloin Filet, only smaller -- a delicious surprise in a small package!
5 oz. steak
Recipes for this product:


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How It Works
A tiny entry will be made then fine threads are advanced along pre-marked contours. The cannula is inserted into the skin and when taken out, the thread remains in the tissue.
There is no scarring and recovery times are a lot less than those associated with traditional surgery.
To achieve the best results with the Thread-Lift we often use a combination treatment with Dermal Fillers. The Thread-Lift treatment repositions sagging skin, providing definition and contouring and the Dermal Fillers replace the lost volume smoothing the surface lines and wrinkles.


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CEDE Aruba promotes bringing together people and resources for sustainable development.
In the fight against the socioeconomic and social problems in Aruba, we bring the target groups into contact with each other that can strengthen each other and whenever there is an opportunity for social and educational development. We contribute to a community where people of all ages and backgrounds can develop themselves.
We believe that sustainable development in the Aruban community is feasible.
Objectives of CEDE Aruba
- By providing funds.
- Both directly by CEDE Aruba itself and indirectly by acting as an intermediary for other funds, particularly the Cooperating Funds Caribbean Part of the Kingdom.
- By providing support and guidance to local organizations in the following areas:
– the development, guidance and assessment of projects;
– the exploration of financing opportunities for new initiatives.
- By promoting cooperation at all levels; at a micro, meso and macro level.
- By acting as a consultation partner for the professional field and the Aruban government.
- By acting as a catalyst in initiating and supporting new developments.
Team CEDE Aruba
Who are we?
With a team of 3 enthusiastic and passionate permanent employees, we work on the sustainable development in Aruba.
Our subject matter knowledge and drive are the starting points in everything we do.
Daniel Tecklenborg
Bryan Krosendijk
Yolanda Smit
Board CEDE Aruba
Composition of the Board
The Board of CEDE Aruba consists of five persons. The Board members have a broad knowledge and experience.
The Board is not only responsible for, but also involved in determining the course pursued by CEDE Aruba.
Amy Lasten (Chair)
Merl Serrant-Gibbs (Secretary)
Gina Arends (Treasurer)
Estella Brown-Thodé (Member)
Olivia Croes (Member)


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Tracy Jamar is an American textile artist based in New York. Back in the summer of 2015 she approached me, after seeing some of my posts on my Bright Seed Textiles facebook page, and asked if she could feature some of my work in her forthcoming book.
The book has just been published. My copy still hasn't arrived yet, so I don't know which pictures of my work have made the cut, but it's all very exciting!
The work Tracy wanted to include involved shirring (where strips of fabric are sewn onto the base fabric) and wrapping (where strips of fabric are wrapped around a base rope/cord) and coiling (where strips of fabric are rolled up and then sewn onto the base fabric. If you want to find out more, you'll either have to come on one of our workshops or buy Tracy's book. I've included some example pictures below that are likely to be similar to the images appearing in Tracy's book. You can see more of my work on my gallery page.
To find out more about Tracy visit her website www.tracyjamar.com or facebook page Tracy Jamar FiberWorks
shirring & clipped progging Coiling, wrapping & shirring shirring & clipped progging
Leave a Reply.
Jane Jackson & Margaret Kenny
Northumberland based textile artists, makers & rag ruggers.
September 2017


text: However, you would possibly desire to maintain your very best content exclusive for your own website, pr announcements aren't one of these. When you go to sites such as PRweb.com, you are able to syndicate your pr announcements all around the internet and have your word out. I would recommend spending a couple of bucks to get a couple of pr announcements syndicated on quality PR websites, but in the event you possess a tight budget, you are able to make do with just submitting into the totally free ones.


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Nexus Is Comin' Along!
Wednesday October 18, 2017
In just a few short months Nexus has made tremendous progress!
Nexus is going to be located on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach. It will consist of, The Shops at Nexus, a brand new shopping center, as well as luxury studio, one and two-bedroom apartments. It will also include amenities such as, a fitness center, salt water swimming pool, club house, grilling stations, and fire pits.
Not only will you have the ability to enjoy the amenities within the Nexus community, but you'll also have the advantage of only being steps away from shopping, entertainment, and restaurants.
We are excited about the progress and hope you are too!
Learn more here!
More updates to come!


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Hi everyone.
I have been reading both on here and elsewhere that exercising does not aid weight loss and I am not sure I agree and I wonder what your own experiences are.
Surely if you need say 1500 calories a day and you eat those calories and also work off 500 calories you will lose weight - yes/no?
This week I have done a lot of exercise but eaten much more than I have been for the last couple of months. I gained 1/4 lb. I can't believe that if I didn't do all that exercise I wouldn't have gained more.
Ok, I can see that if you eat those 500 calories you have burnt off (especially if you are eating junk) you aren't going to lose weight but if you burn more calories than you need isn't it simple maths and therefore you lose weight?
I think that it is unhelpful saying exercise doesn't aid weight loss as many people like to combine cutting down and exercising - it certainly seems to be working for many people on this site.
I would love to hear about other people's experiences and their view on this


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Carpet rugs form a vital part of house decoration since they boost the great thing about a floor to your excellent extent. They truly are extremely expensive so superior maintenance and cleaning is imperative. Cleansing is completed occasionally to boost the longevity and allow it to be appear new. We could wash the carpets from ourselves nonetheless it isn't going to be easy for your newcomers and due to significantly less experience they may damage the rugs. Within cases like this one can go to get expert rug cleaning where in fact the cleansers return to your property and then wash the carpeting in a expert fashion.
The carpet cleaners perform a great career and also do all the job linked to carpet maintenance. You can call them if you are interested in restoring your destroyed carpets and also cause them to look fresh. Throughout cleaning or repairing they usually do not spoil the original expression of the carpets. So you don't deal with any reduction by buying a brand new rug rather than mending the old one with the assistance of the cleansers clean dryer vent.
The most frequently made services achieved by these are water extraction along with damage restoration of the carpeting, odor removal, pet stain removal, duct cleaning, air duct cleaning, upholstery cleaning, dryer vent cleaning etc. besides carpet cleaning additionally they provide furniture cleaning services which will help you lots of You don't want to worry moving all the major furniture and cleaning them.
A lot of the expert use the technique of steam-cleaning to clean your carpets. They work with a potent truck mounted machine which comes with an outstanding vacuum power plus uses heated water and steam. It can not use any chemical to wash so it is very reasonable. Steam cleaning may not be utilised to remove pet stains and odor also can't be utilised in wools.
Heavy carpetcleaning is utilized where steam cleaning cannot be used. They can be properly used for cleansing woolen carpets and area carpets. It is a exact suitable method for heavy stains or even if you want to eliminate damp or soil dirt.
Bonnet cleaners are used when one needs cleaning. All these cleansers consists of a absorber pad which is dipped in the answer consisting of water and cleaning solvents. It is then implemented over the rugs to clean stains like, pet stain, milk, and dirt dirt etc. spot rug cleaners may be used for small spots which are hard to wash. They contain of aerosol sprays that can be applied over the area after which abandoned sterile.


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Click here to access your Favorite Families or select "My Favorite Families" from the "Choose A Family" menu.
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dear expectant mother
Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. We feel honored and blessed to be considered as adoptive parents for your precious baby. We can't even begin to know what you are going through. Your courage is humbling. If you choose us, we promise to provide a safe and loving environment, and also to protect your baby. We wish to give your child guidance as he or she grows. We want to teach your child how to always be him- or herself, how to laugh and be silly and to be open and honest. We promise that your baby will always know where he or she came from. If you choose us and if you wish, we'd like to give part of your name as part of your baby's name. Marymai is adopted and her parents combined her American and Vietnamese names as one. We want to create a baby book so when your baby grows older we can show his or her journey of growing up, and share with him or her how courageous and selfless you are.
Both our families had many traditions and we'd like to carry them on and create new ones. We love to cook and listen to music, to go hiking with our dogs and to travel. Our neighborhood has a lot of children of all ages, so your baby will grow up with lots of friends. We hope that you'll allow us the honor and privilege to care for your baby and have an ongoing relationship with you.
About Us
We are Michael and Marymai. We met and fell instantly in love 19 years ago. We've been married 15 years. We have no children other than our two dogs. Marymai was adopted from Vietnam when she was 18 months old through Operation Baby Lift. Her name combines her Irish-American upbringing with her birth beginnings. Michael was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father worked for the government so he moved around a lot. He attended school in Syria, Nepal, and India. Combined, we have four very fun and silly nephews. We can't wait to bring home a baby to expand our family. Marymai works for a homebuilding company as a Senior Treasury Analyst. She's been with the same company for 12 years. Michael is a Civil Engineer and Project Manager in the Architecture and Engineering industry and has worked for the same company for five years.
Our Home & Pets
In 2016, we moved into a newly-built neighborhood. We live in a four-level, four-bedroom townhouse. It's an end unit with many windows that allow a lot of natural light in. We recently built a garden where we hope to grow plants, flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Our community includes two playgrounds, an amphitheater, a dog park, and a clubhouse with a pool, where the children spend the summer. The neighborhood is extremely diverse in race, ethnicity, and age. Everyone watches out for one another and everyone is quick to communicate if something seems out of the ordinary. The elementary school is within walking distance of our home. We live by a metro station, which offers access to more activities, monuments, and museums in Washington DC.
Our Extended Family
Family is a very large part of our lives. Both our immediate families live close by and we see each other often for dinners and play dates. Michael's dad lives in Thailand and visits every Christmas. Michael's extended family are mostly in Michigan. Marymai's extended family are mostly in New York and Pennsylvania. We love to travel to visit them all. Marymai's fondest memories are of road trips to Pittsburgh to celebrate the holidays and to go to football games. Michael's fondest memories are of traveling to his grandparents and to help make homemade ravioli and sauce. We look forward to continuing these traditions and creating new ones with an adopted child. We were so excited to share with our families that we would like to adopt a baby. Both our moms cried. They know how much we want to have a family of our own. They are thrilled at the idea of being able to spoil another grandchild. And we are happy about free babysitters!
What Led Us To Adoption
Like many couples, we have had our obstacles in having a baby. Our obstacles have only brought us closer together and made our desires stronger. We would love to expand our family and bring home a baby. Marymai's parents have paved the way showing us what joy and love are by raising an adopted baby in a very loving environment. Marymai has never felt different from her two older brothers. We know we can show the same love and devotion. We can't wait to show your baby the world and teach him or her that no obstacle is too big to overcome.
Fun Facts
About Michael
|Civil Engineer, PE
|Bachelors in Anthropology
|Favorite Movie
|Raiders of the Lost Ark
|Favorite Holiday
|Favorite Music Group
|Rush, Umphrey's McGee
|Favorite TV Show
|Game of Thrones
|Favorite Subject in School
|Favorite Activity
|Date Night Dinners & Hiking with Our Dogs
|Favorite Animal
|Cats and Dogs
|Dream Vacation
About Marymai
|Senior Treasury Analyst
|Associates in General Studies
|Favorite Movie
|Jason Bourne Movies
|Favorite Holiday
|Favorite Music Group
|Pink, Maroon 5 & Michael Buble
|Favorite TV Show
|Favorite Subject in School
|Favorite Activity
|Date Night Dinners & Hiking with Our Dogs
|Favorite Animal
|Cats and Dogs
|Dream Vacation
Contact Michael & Marymai
Choose a Family for
Your Baby With Confidence
As you browse our list of hopeful adoptive parents, you can feel confident in knowing that all of the adoptive families working with Angel Adoption are prepared to offer your baby a safe, stable, and loving environment along with a wealth of opportunities for a happy and fulfilling life.
Each adoptive parent has been thoroughly evaluated through a home study course conducted by a licensed agency. A completed home study means the family is emotionally, physically, and financially ready to adopt a baby.
The home study process includes assessments of each parent's character, marital stability, financial situation, lifestyle, and medical history. The agency also runs background checks to verify there is no record of criminal activity or child abuse. In addition, a social worker will inspect the family's home to ensure it is a safe environment for a child.
Furthermore, Angel Adoption requires each family to be educated on adopting and parenting. After a baby has been placed with the adoptive family, a social worker will continue to monitor and supervise the family. We go to great lengths to make sure all the families you have to choose from are going to be excellent parents for your baby!
Not sure how to start? See our How to Choose an Adoptive Family resource page.
If you need more help, you're always welcome to contact us any time!


text: 3 Numbers You Aren't Tracking (But Should) October 2018 BY: JOHN POJETA When I first began my career as an advisor, a mentor gave me two lessons that I still use today: If you can't measure it, don't do it; and the bottom line counts — provided you know how to count. You have heard this advice or some version of it before. In practice, though, tracking your numbers and understanding the nuances of your bottom line can fall by the wayside. The fuzzier our data measurement and tracking become, the more we stunt our growth potential. When you don't know what's working and aren't measuring its true impact, you can't make smarter, more profitable decisions in the future. If you are aggressively pursuing growth, you should track the true return on investment of your marketing and your true bottom line. You may think you are tracking those numbers now, but you are likely overlooking key insights. Measuring Your Prospecting Efforts The game all businesses play is finding a way to put in X amount of money to then get more back out. This is the most basic form of the idea of return on investment, yet we often encounter advisors who aren't assessing the ROI of their prospecting correctly or thoroughly. The apparent simplicity of calculating ROI obscures opportunities to better understand what you can do to make your business grow. "Money in" and "money out" are the ultimate end game, but there are more questions to answer along the way, especially if you are looking at marketing. Ask yourself the following: When will you reasonably break even on a new marketing tactic (and can you tolerate writing checks until then)? At what return will you feel good about a marketing investment? When will you feel great? Given your break-even point and your goals, how do you plan to address your potential discomfort between now and the return? To use a common prospecting tool as an example, suppose you spend four hours this month attending network events. How many prospects will you engage, how many of those prospects will become clients, and what is the total lifetime value of those clients? Let's take this big question apart into its variables: Your investment (time and/or money). You need this to determine your ROI, but we often find that advisors don't know what they are worth per hour or how to measure the value of spending an hour doing one task versus doing another. The specific activity you are measuring. Being clear now makes reviewing your prospecting much easier later. The number of leads you generated. This helps you calculate your conversion rate, but for this calculation to be meaningful, you need a stricter process for defining a lead. If you wanted, you could gather a nearly infinite number of names and phone numbers, but that doesn't mean they are actually opportunities. Develop a process to qualify leads and track them. The conversion rate and total number of those leads. How many clients you obtained for your investment, or what percentage of leads became clients. The true value of the clients you converted. You may find that some sources of clients are actually less profitable than others or that certain types of clients are more likely to provide referrals or increase wallet share. Many advisors don't measure these metrics, yet they have massive potential for driving revenue. You should be able to do this math for all of your prospecting efforts. You may find a piece of your prospecting that perhaps feels good to do — such as an annual direct mail newsletter about your staff to the ZIP codes you target — but is not actually impacting the business. That enables you to reallocate those resources to an aspect of your prospecting that is performing far better, such as your appointment-setting program or your client appreciation events. The Bottom Line You Don't Know About How you measure your bottom line is more than your total net revenue. Net revenue absolutely counts and is important, but by itself does not tell the entire story about the growth or trajectory of your business. The hidden challenge of an upmarket is that you can generate more revenue without ever expanding your customer base in a meaningful way. For example, the health and benefits advisor could see a 15 percent increase in revenue for the business, but that increase might actually be a result of his clients growing — such as a business that expands from 21 employees to 45 employees. In this case, the advisor added new lives to the plan but did not add a new client. If the market hits a downturn and that same client lays off employees, that perceived growth will evaporate. When you look at your bottom line, you need to see the whole story, and that means counting profit alongside the quantity of clients. By tracking these numbers consistently — especially if it's done in conjunction with the first piece of advice — you should be able to see how many new high-value clients you are adding. Your goal is not to get 100 mediocre clients to pad your client count, but rather to add ideal clients as well as bread-and-butter clients alongside the profit growth of your current client base. Under those circumstances, your business will not only grow exponentially, but you also will better insulate yourself from the painful consequences of a recession. Get Started If you don't have this tracking in place currently, the upfront work of going back through your activity and calculating your numbers might seem daunting, but don't let that deter you from the growth opportunities on the other side of that effort. You will gain new understanding of your business and therefore be better equipped to reach new goals.


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So many very good suggestions, I'm not sure I have much to add, but I will anyway:
Allow more flexibility in throwing grenades than we have previously seen (for the most part) in this type of game. Often, you can only throw a grenade overhand, with a high throw arc. That's fine when you need to throw a grenade far, but what about when you are just tossing a grenade through an open window right next to you, or rolling it over a low wall you are crouched right next to? Soldiers need to be able to peek around immediate obstacles (like a wall, tree or window/doorway) and toss a grenade, even if the "throwing" distance is more limited than otherwise when doing so. In other games like this I might have an enemy downhill, try throwing a grenade at it (though in reality I might just roll my grenade at the target), but the game's always present high throw arc prevents me from doing so without hitting the tree branches above my head. Situations like that are not realistic, are annoying, and should not occur.
I don't necessarily need each individual soldier under my command to be a fully fleshed-out individual (though they should at least look different from each other), but I would like to be able to create my own player-character avatar. The other soldiers could all just be randomly generated on the fly for all I care, but still have reasonably randomly assigned characteristics that help flesh them out a little. Then how I use them helps flesh them out a bit more, but they don't need to be as detailed in character as the mercenaries in Jagged Alliance. On the other hand I would prefer they not be purely cannon fodder to use as I will and then be discarded without a second thought. There should be some positive and negative consequences when selecting/deselecting different team members that go just a bit beyond their basic combat stats. I don't even really need them to talk to me, at least not much, nor do I care if I overhear conversations they have among each other - unless you've got a good plan to go all out with that like in the first Dragon Age game.
Realism in general is a priority when it comes to nearly everything, but particularly so when it comes to weapons, equipment, movement, firing and wounds. I don't need a ton of weapons and equipment, but a good variety is nice to have. Weapons and equipment don't need to be wearing out all the time, requiring constant maintenance and other such micromanagement shenanigans. Such features can be overly gamey and kind of a nuisance, but weapons should have fairly realistic reliability and should also have realistic methods of dealing with jams (when they happen) - well implemented within game play terms. I don't even necessarily need ammunition of the right type to be loaded in the right magazines by the player before combat, but I am also okay with that level of micromanagement - especially if actually implemented well within game play terms. Inventory management should be relatively realistic, but the UI for that needs to work smoothly and intuitively. Every usable piece of equipment laying around on the battlefield should be easily accessible post-mission in a single menu without having to walk around and search every body and box - which is just an unnecessary micromanagement pain in the butt (despite it being more "realistic").
I'd like weapons to be realistically lethal in their ability to kill and wound, and I want soldiers to be realistically vulnerable to death and wounding. Severely enough wounded individuals should be out of play for awhile, and perhaps never be quite the same again. First aid kits and such should not be able to magically fully heal soldiers. Sometimes the best a bandage can do is help stop bleeding, and death, but not much more. I never like it much when first aid kits can fully heal a near mortally wounded soldier in an instant. Or worse yet, magically bring back to life someone who is already dead. Of course, I understand that, for game play reasons, first aid will probably be less than optimally realistic. That's okay. I just don't want it to be crazy unrealistic. Permanent death needs to be a thing that can happen in the game, as well as permanent serious wounding with consequences.
On that note, though it may be difficult to implement, it would be good to see the game have some good disincentives against scrump saving. Maybe a limited number of save slots? On the other hand, I'd like to be able to save whenever I want, just because sometimes I have to stop playing a game and go deal with real life. I don't want the game to penalize me for that, or reward me for that either. The game should know when you've played far enough since your last save that you now know stuff you shouldn't when you start playing from that last save, and act appropriately by changing things up some since that last save point - so that now that machine gun nest that wiped out half your guys has now moved to a different location, or something like that. Yes, stuff like that is hard to implement, but would be a great incentive for players to just forge ahead despite losses - playing the game a little bit more realistically, which I think would be a good challenge. Replacements for lost soldiers would have to nearly always be available, but they would be newbie guys with appropriately lower stats. At least most of the time. Sometimes you could luck out and get a better guy than you lost, because that would be realistic too.
If movement takes time on the strategic map, I would like for there to be more than one way of getting around the game world - other than my soldiers having to always hoof it on foot!
Camouflage uniforms and equipment, if implemented, should be meaningful in combat visibility terms, and not just for show.
I don't know if your are implementing any kind of a troop morale system. You probably should, and if so it should be reasonably relevant to game play. I have played games where individual troop morale was a stat, but other than that it seemed to have no significant affect on game play. It should. Soldiers should at times, when under fire, after having suffered some losses, and especially if apparently outnumbered, be prone to cowering in fear and running away. In which case they should have a chance to rally themselves, or be rallied by anyone with an above average leadership skill. The influence range of leaders should, for the most part, not be unlimited, but be limited by distance, both visually (line-of-sight) and audibly (how far away can an order be shouted and heard?). Soldiers that are too far away from each other should not be able to easily coordinate their actions, but that might be hard to implement well within the confines of a turn-based game. Soldiers that are too far away from leaders may lose some actions points as a penalty. Soldiers might panic when pushed hard at times, freezing or or running away or going berserk as a consequence. Guys that have anything like that happen to them in a mission should suffer (or sometimes benefit?) consequences that reach beyond that mission in relation to the rest of their team mates. A guy that panicked and ran away would be less trusted/liked by his fellow soldiers. A guy that went berserk might also be less trusted, but could have his bravery/aggressiveness stats increased. You get the picture.
Ugh, so many other suggestions I could make, but a lot of good suggestions have already been made, so I will stop here. All these things suggested take time and money to implement. I'm sure you will therefore not likely be able to implement everything suggested by everyone (nor would you even want to), but I hope that what you do implement is done well, in a way that makes for a good, overall cohesive game, that satisfies enough of us that you are very successful with this game when it is completed. Good luck to you. Stay focused! We are all curious to see how it turns out.
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Reactively Prevent Shoplifting
The first time a shoplifter is caught, he or she will undoubtedly claim that it's the first time they've ever done anything like this, will truly be embarrassed, will offer to buy the item or items, and will swear that they will never do it again. In some cases, it may be true that this experience will prevent shoplifting from occurring in their lives again; for others, the experience may be only a small inconvenience.
This is just opinion, but I believe that very few retail thieves get caught the first time they give it a try. The first time, they are generally very nervous, very suspicious, and extra careful to avoid detection, checking closely for one-way mirrors, CCTV cameras, security tags, or employees in the vicinity. It's only after they become more comfortable and confident that they let their guard down enough to be caught.
But what reaction should a storekeeper or owner have that is likely to prevent this shoplifter from repeating his actions?
First of all, the experience and embarrassment will probably keep a small percentage of shoplifters from stealing again. But for others, letting them walk is only an invitation to suffer future losses from this shoplifter and others who hear that your establishment doesn't prosecute for theft.
Is prosecution always the best course to take to prevent shoplifting? Not always, but usually. The crime of shoplifting is a serious one, costing retailers billions of dollars every year. The courts are generally the best place to take care of shoplifters as they get the benefit of experiencing first hand the consequences of their illegal activities. The storeowner doesn't really know, when a shoplifter is caught in his store, if it's the first or fiftieth time the person has been caught. The court will know at least know if there have been any previous prosecutions and deal with it accordingly. First offenders are usually given deferred judgment which means that the offense will not remain on their record forever, unless they fail to meet the terms of their probation or are arrested on another charge. Repeat offenders receive harsher and harsher penalties.
A shoplifter is responsible for his own situation.
To discuss this and other ways to prevent shoplifting, call 866-914-2567 or click here for contact information.


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The Child Rights Governance Project at ACPF was designed with these developments and rationales in mind. It seeks to contribute to improved implementation and enforcement of child rights and child protection laws and policies in Africa, through building evidence and knowledge on better child protection and child rights governance practices, as well as by contributing to the enhancement of the capacity of institutions to better link child rights policy to practice and promote greater government accountability. It is widely documented that, whereas resource availability and prioritisation play a significant role in the implementation of the rights, the inadequacy of resource and knowledge capacity amongst key stakeholders in the sector is a major impediment to the fulfilment of and accountability for the implementation of these rights. The project therefore seeks to build knowledge on better ways of co-ordination within institutions as well as amongst different institutions across the sectoral spectrum.
The objectives of the Project are regional, multi-sectoral and cross-thematic. The Project seeks to build on previous initiatives and will devote substantial attention to consolidating the gains made in advocating for child rights governance and child protection within the ACERWC and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), especially the East African Community (EAC). One of the greatest gains made within the EAC in the past few years has been the adoption of the EAC Child Policy in 2016. Furthermore, the EAC is a unique region having two of the world's six pathfinder countries in addressing violence against children. These countries have the necessary and demonstrable political will and policy foundations to lead by example in protecting children against all forms of violence. Paying keen attention to and building upon the gains made in respect of the EAC is therefore essential to achieving the goals of the Project.
Cross-country co-operation among CSOs and governments in addressing child protection challenges is also a central theme of this Project. Co-operation and cross-learning across regions both within the government and CSO sectors also form an important element of the Project. It seeks to boost capacity and facilitate transfer of knowledge and better collaboration and synergy among African CSOs by strengthening the African Partnership to End Violence Against Children (APEVAC) as a pan-African platform established to facilitate the uptake of the VAC aspects in the Agenda 2040 for Children in Africa and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through catalysing innovative programming, knowledge building and cross-country sharing. The Project will also continue building the capacity of CSOs to monitor the implementation of children's rights.
Collaboration amongst the RECs is necessary given the enormity of child protection challenges and the similarity of the challenges facing the various sub-regions in the continent. The African Union's Agenda 2063 has clearly articulated the need for greater integration of the continent, which includes cross-country and inter-regional collaboration in advancing human rights, especially children's rights. The RECs can play an important role in linking the AU with Member States and in creating stronger integration within their own sub-regions as well as with their sub-regional counterparts.


text: Hi there, I am the author of the current GNOME Clipboard Manager application. Being aware that only a clipboard manager is not what people actually really need, I am planning to create a new type of daemon. My plans are to create a desktop-daemon that serves all types of desktop services. My plans are to make this desktop-daemon platform independent and network transparant. The first module that I am planning to create is a clipboard-daemon. This clipboard daemon will keep a small history of clipboards and will talk XML with it's clients; Applications (on the network and/or the localhost) can then ask the daemon to get a layer of a clipboard in the history (A clipboard can have different layers, or targets. For example the HTML view of such a clipboard, or the TEXT view, the PNG view or whatever format the application desires). Because such clipboards can be binary the content will be or UUEncoded or served as a HTTP url 'example' : <clipboardlayer> <mimetype>image/png</mimetype> <sourcetype>url</sourcetype> <url>http://computername:pppp/clipboardmanager/binitem?clipboard=current/image.png</url> </clipboardlayer> or <clipboardlayer> <mimetype>image/png</mimetype> <sourcetype>embedded</sourcetype> <embedded>UUENCODED DATA</embedded> </clipboardlayer> Of course can the client also request a preview of such a clipboard. This request will result in clipboard manager having cropped the content (in case of UTF8-data) or resized content (in case of image-data) or ... Sample clients that will want such a preview will be the TrayIcon-client (see below). I want to make this application network and platform independent. Therefor I am choosing to develop the application in as much C# as possible. I am planning to create a few platform dependant plugins (like the ClipboardManager plugin for Gtk+ which will use the GtkClipboard C-API object) and a plugin for Microsoft Windows and a plugin for KDE and a plugin for MacOS X (once Mono works on MacOS X) and and and. My plans are to not restrict the daemon for clipboard purposes only. I have the most experience with the clipboard so this module will be the first service that I will be completing (as a prove of concept). I am now searching for both ideas and developers who share the same view. I hope that people who do will not only share the same view but will also help me develop this daemon. Some clients for the clipboard-plugin that I am planning to create are - An editor GUI - A PanelApplet or TrayIcon (this will be like Klipper on KDE) - A hotkey-popupmenu (for example CTRL+ALT+V will show a menu with all available clipboards in the daemon's history at the current mouse position) All clients that I am planning to create will also be network transparant (so you can choose to copy and paste from any source that is running the daemon on your network) My first idea for such a pluggable framework is to create a lot abstract classes in C#. Then, to create a valid plugin for the framework you will have to implement the abstract methods. The ClipboardManager plugin will be a first implementation of such a plugin (prove of concept). Plugins will be normal .NET assemblies (DotNET .dll files). I have already developed a standalone ClipboardManager in C# using Mono which does work. During the development I noticed that I was just rewriting the current GNOME Clipboard Manager in C#. Having a very rich framework (the .NET framework) I feel that I could create a much better thing. You can find the sources of the current .NET version of GNOME Clipboard Manager (only the daemon, no GUI code -client- is finished atm) http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/gcm/Gcm.Net/ I kindly invite people who are interested in this idea to join the mailinglist of gcm. Once I actually started this project I will most likely rename, recode and redesign it and start a new project on sourceforge. http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/gcm-devel Note that this might be a very good project to learn about gtk-sharp, C# and Mono for a lot people :-). Sample applications that could use such a Clipboard Manager Plugin are Word processors, Integrated Development Environments, Spreadsheet applications, Chat applications and browsers. Extra benefits of such a clipboard manager plugin : - A history of clipboards - This will fix the GNOME Clipboard (closing an application will not mean that its clipboard gets removed) - Saving clipboards between sessions - Using clipboards across your networks - Previewing clipboards in the history Maybe you think that the idea of creating the clipboard as a service might sound stupid .. well, storing and saving settings in GNOME (GConf) is also a daemon... and imho it's not stupid to use a daemon for that purpose. And a clipboard imho, is a lot like: "hey give me the clipboard", and "hey, this is the new clipboard". So it actually "should" be a service in stead of every desktop application being a service when it ownes the clipboard -which is how things are now-. My opinion is that a lot desktop-things could be like a service : - The list of open windows (for taskbars) - The current song playing in your audio application (and the available songs) - The people who are online at this moment (msn, AOL, Yahoo, IRC, ...) - Your E-mails - The history in your browser and bookmarks - ... ps. It's not because these items are very often private items on your desktop that it's a horrible thing to make a service for it. Just make it a secure service and everything is fine. We are opensource, right? So doing things with private data is okay (users know that we are not abusing their data, because they can read our sourcecode!). Some day we will have computer screens all over the place in our homes: in the kitchen, in our bed, a large computer screen in stead of a television, PDA's and other small devices, in our car, .. I can imagine that if the desktop will be GNOME .. GNOME will have to behave much more service-oriented than it does right now (Bonobo is not enough). My opinion , short: Lets take care of the future in stead of trying to become what Windows was in 1997. With Mono (or any other programming language) we (will) have the correct tools. ps. I also have a daytime job and a girlfriend so don't expect me to finish this project is a short time :-))) -it is, atm, only an idea- -- Philip Van Hoof, Software Developer @ Cronos home: me at freax dot org work: Philip dot VanHoof at cronos dot be http://www.freax.be, http://www.freax.eu.org


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If you follow the blog, you've seen me write (repeatedly) "I love natural wood and white!" So how about this side table / end table refab? From alley find to interior designed. Complete how-to at Design, Dining and Diapers.
From time to time this blog may generate compensation through free products, sponsorship, advertising/ads and links. Compensation will not, in any way, influence my opinion or content of my posts. I am committed to what I do here and I reserve the right to decline offers of advertising and sponsorships if they are not consistent with the goals and philosophy of this blog and its readers.


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Nearly 50 years later, the battle over voting rights still rages on. While Philadelphia voter turnout was a dismal 9% in the 2013 Primary there are efforts underway that would further hinder free and open access to the ballot place, crucial to our democratic system of government. Nationally, the United States Supreme Court struck down a section of the Voting Rights Act.
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, legislators enacted a photo ID law that places onerous restrictions on the right to vote. Yet, at the same time, two thirds of all States have enacted early voting initiatives and one third of all States have enacted electronic registration to make it easier for voters to exercise their rights to vote.
Join us, the Americans for Democratic Action, Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter, for a discussion of the state of suffrage today and what we can do locally to overcome barriers and enfranchise our electorate.
There is an accessible entrance to the Ethical Society on Manning Street between 19th and 20th Streets.


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In order to embedd Facebook Reviews in a Website Template, there are a set of steps to be performed.
First we need to create a UDPA to contain the code for the reviews.
Second, we need to edit the property template to include that UDPA. Remember to apply the newly modified template to all properties.
Once this is done, let's get the code from Facebook. You may first select the property you want to be reviewed.
- Go to your Website --> Click on a Property and Copy the URL.
- Access the URL: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/comments/
- Paste the URL from your Property
- Insert 608.
- Custom decission. This is the number of reviews that will be displayed.
- Light
- Click on "Get the Code".
- Select the code from the HTML5 tab and copy the generated code from the 2 boxes displayed.
- Go to your Kigo Back Office. Select a Property and click on Edit. Then paste it to the UDPA reviews field of the property.
- And this should be the final result...


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Two new Baryons at LHC.
Two new Baryons at LHC.
Two new Baryons at LHCb.
LHCb, the famed experiment at CERN, Switzerland found a year ago two new Baryons. These are important steps in testing the validity of our state of the art understanding of current model of the Physical Universe, mostly in considering the "particle constituents" of the matter around us, and known by the name Standard Model — of Particle Physics.
Atoms with nuclei and electrons. Nucleus has nucleons in it which are two types, protons and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are Baryons with each having two different combination of 3 quarks — uud and udd.
Protons and Neutrons as Baryons, that is an eternal bond of 3 quarks. uud and udd. Note that the spring is the gluon. Much like a spring transmits a mechanical force these gluons have an assigned duty to transfer the strong nuclear forces from one participant to the other.
1. First off it does so by colliding protons with protons at gigantic speeds, at the speed of light. So these protons are 1000 times more energetic than their own mass. If you are 60 kg, your energy is 600 Joule, if you move freely a distance of 1 meter, consider yourself to be thrown so fast that you have 1000 times that energy. Both examples are approximately true.
2. Protons are called Baryons. Anything with 3 quarks in them, as we know them today are called as Baryon. The 3 quarks will never separate into single relationship status. Its a triangular love, in which each partner has their share of love meted out. Sorry particles are decidedly promiscuous. ;) And never break their relations as long as they are bonded this way.
3. These new baryons — 3 quarks in eternal bonding, are about 6 times heavier than proton. SInce protons were bombarded onto each other madly, with energies that are 1000 times bigger than their own mass, the possibility of heavier particles such as these new baryons materialized. So the protons did not break in a way quarks will cry out "I am single again" but rather go into relationships with other quarks and form heavier relationships.


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Since December 2012 the Central African Republic (CAR) has endured the worst crisis in its long history of armed rebellion, coups d'etat, mutinies, foreign intervention and human suffering. Following the overthrow of President Francois Bozizé by the predominantly Muslim Séléka rebel alliance on 24 March 2013, the group's fighters perpetrated widespread and systematic violations of human rights. The Séléka especially targeted the majority Christian population, and their abuses led to the emergence of anti-balaka militias who, in turn, focused their vengeance upon civilians from CAR's Muslim minority. All parties to the conflict have committed mass atrocity crimes, including targeted killings on the basis of religious identity.
This occasional paper from the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect analyzes the international response to human rights violations and mass atrocities in CAR. Despite clear warnings of the threat of atrocities due to growing armed conflict, the international response was woefully inadequate on all levels. The case of CAR demonstrates that despite considerable normative progress since the adoption of the Responsibility to Protect at the 2005 UN World Summit, the international community still struggles in its ability to translate early warning into timely and effective response.
The crisis in CAR is far from over. If the international community is serious about preventing yet another relapse into violent conflict, the focus must be on long-term engagement with the transitional authorities and people of CAR. This will be the true test of the global commitment to upholding the Responsibility to Protect in the Central African Republic.


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Area of expertise
Freelancers and healing professions
Freelancers are subject to different rules than business owners where tax law is concerned. Freelancers do not have to pay trade tax and can use more straightforward methods for determining their profits. The goal here is to retain freelance status for all income and to avoid "infection" from trade income. We will be at your side every step of the way from the founding of your start-up up to the final tax assessment and ensure clear and straightforward bookkeeping, as well as the fulfilment of all your tax obligations.
Special expertise is required for those in healthcare professions. We offer you a customized account system for doctors, dentists, pharmacists and care professions that points out all important information to you regarding your financial and income situation, and to monitor the requirements for VAT exemption in accordance with § 4 No. 14 UStG (Turnover Tax Act) and the exemption from trade tax. We have experience in consulting for sole practitioners, group practices, and joint practices, as well as in the founding, expansion, and splitting up of practices.
Above all, our range of services includes the following:
- Start-up consulting
- Financial accounting, payroll accounting, annual financial statements
- Profit determination in accordance with § 4 Para. 3 of the Income Tax Act (Einkommensteuergesetz)
- Compilation of dissolution balance sheets
- Compilation of income tax returns
- Compilation of declarations for the separate and combined identification of tax bases for income taxation
- Compilation of VAT returns
- Review of tax statements
- Conducting out-of-court legal appeals
- Legal action in financial courts and the Federal Fiscal Court (BFH)
- Consulting on all issues related to income tax, VAT, and trade tax


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You've put a lot of time, energy and resources into your digital marketing efforts—so you deserve to know the results of your blood, sweat and dollars. When digital marketing performance is properly measured, data can drive real results. At smart panda labs, our analysts are always looking to connect the dots, helping clients determine what's working, fix what's not and make digital decisions informed by data.
So how does your marketing measure up? Here are five tips from our panda analysts for measuring your digital initiatives.
1. get with the plan
Your company may have a business plan, a 401k plan and a fire escape plan, but does it have an analytics plan? If not, it's time to define a method for capturing and evaluating the metrics that serve as your key performance indicators. This most likely means tracking:
- Who is coming to your site
- What they're doing once they get there (their behavior)
- Who is converting
- Which conversions are actually driving revenue
You'll also need to select an analytics platform for evaluating the data you collect. We commonly use Google Analytics (free or premium) and Adobe Analytics, although there are many others out there.
Keep in mind that it doesn't matter which tool you're using if you're only using a small percentage of its capabilities. Make sure you have the people and the commitment to understand your weapon of choice. We often help our clients find the tool that is best suited for their needs and budget.
2. know thy users
Analytics can reveal more about your website traffic than page visits and bounce rate. If your website functions to capture leads, you may want to know how many visitors are completing your forms and what the most popular path to conversion is on your site. Are there pages, tiles or modules that seem to drive more form completions?
If you are trying to maximize conversions on a revenue-generating site, website analytics can tell you what patterns are driving visitors to the shopping cart or booking engine. It can also help to optimize these pages to ensure an error-free user experience.
By taking a long hard look at site traffic, click-throughs and other forms of user data, you can better understand who the real converters are—and focus on targeting them.
3. integrate channels
If the goal of analyzing data is to help you see what's working, then it's important to tie online activity to offline results. While the Internet may be a key part of your business, you also need to find a way to consistently connect in-person and phone interactions with your data. Multichannel integration makes data more accurate, and therefore more useful.
Recently, smart panda labs helped a healthcare client understand the online behavior of site visitors who later purchased services over the phone. By assigning an individual identification code to all website visitors and by passing that ID along to the client's back-end database, it became possible to trace conversion all the way from initial site contact to the final offline transaction.
Did the customer see an FAQ section? Did they watch a video? Was their initial visit to the site the result of paid search or an email? The goal of analysis is to find out what works, so you can repeat it.
4. run tests, run
Once you know what's working and what's not, you can test digital campaign changes—variables versus controls—to see if shorter forms, different colored buttons or a change in word choice improves results. Our analysts work closely with our testing experts to make and test assumptions, leading to informed design and development recommendations.
Learn more about digital testing in our recent blog posts or download our free white paper, "Put Your Digital Marketing to the Test: Data-Driven Decision Making with A/B Testing."
5. reap the rewards
Smart testing, thoughtful analysis and strategic implementation of your findings can lead to a surge in conversions and more successful customer engagement on many levels. Don't miss an opportunity to measure the metrics that matter most to your company.
Want some smart pandas on your side? We can provide you with:
- Straightforward reports that summarize important data and make it simple to review and share
- Objective recommendations for improving your digital strategy
- Multichannel integration
- Analytics tool implementation
- Audits, tests and more
Ready to chat about the science of your analytics? Contact us for a free consultation.


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Contact email@example.com if you have any questions about the following global missions or would like to participate.
UMCOR - United Methodist Committee on Relief
Cleaning Buckets and Health Kits may be collected as needed for disaster relief and distributed through UMCOR to the area in need.
CLICK HERE for a list of items that will go in the bucket. You will find additional information on the web page that may be useful.
Financial donations are always useful and welcome (please write "UMCOR" in the memo line of your check to SJA).
CLICK HERE to visit UMCOR's website.
Covenant Relationship Program
A donation of $1250 to Carmen Melendez and Alejandro Rodriguez of GYTTE (Give Ye Them to Eat) and a donation of $1250 to Carlos and Emily Romero of HFN (Heart for the Nations) will be made in 2017. The combined gifts will fulfill our yearly goal of giving $2500 to GBGM missionaries and will qualify SJA for 5-star recognition in 2017.
CLICK HERE for the CTC Missionary Support webpage.
CLICK HERE to read about Heart for the Nations & Carlos and Emily Romero.
Bead for Life
Parties held to sell Ugandan made products. BeadforLife eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans and concerned world citizens. Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads. Women in Northern Uganda gather shea nuts and press them into shea butter for cosmetics and soaps. And people who care open their hearts, homes and communities to buy and sell both products.
CLICK HERE to visit the BeadforLife website.


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Recently my friends and I took a girls' trip to our alma mater. After a day of reminiscing on campus, we headed back to our hotel room. First item on our list: make a mad dash to the nearest electrical…Read More
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and it's a great time to talk to your teenager about the dangers of distracted driving. Most anti-texting-while-driving campaigns focus their message on teenagers, and presumably should. Teens have the least driving experience and it…Read More
So you just bought the iPhone 5 and are enjoying the endless conveniences and fun that come with a smartphone. If you're like most people, your mobile device goes where you go. And a device that goes everywhere you go is…Read More
Distracted driving. It's a term we've heard a lot lately. My job requires me to drive quite a bit and it seems like I see people driving while staring at their cell phones every time I'm on the road. The…Read More


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Accent your day with opulent chartreuse. This fashionable slightly sheer velvet dévoré pullover blouse features a posh geometric pattern, puffed sleeves and ruffles in a silk-softened fabric. We recommend you wear it with our NUDE cami, 218070.
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Classic Poetry - "In The Desert" by Stephen Crane
In the Desert
by Stephen Crane
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter—bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
"Because it is bitter,
"And because it is my heart."
A contemporary and friend of Joseph Conrad, H. G. Wells, and Henry James, Stephen Crane is best known for his internationally acclaimed novel, The Red Badge of Courage. HIs poetry follows the same vein. Realistic, direct and unsentimental, it was quite different from the day's norm. A unique soul, Stephen Crane died when he was only 28.
4 comments:
This is on my very short list of all time favorite poems. As you say, he was way ahead of his time stylistically. I think I've read all of his available poems in print, as well as many of his stories. Did you know he had never seen a battle when he wrote "Red Badge"? It all came from his imagination. What a great choice.ReplyDelete
Oh, this brings back memories. In high school I read Red Badge of Courage and then discovered his poetry. Like Fireblossom, I read them all. And I remember this one REALLY clearly. Thanks for sharing this, Kim!ReplyDelete
Those last three lines were always among my most favorite in poetry.ReplyDelete
I have more of his poetry memorized than most, probably because it's short, but also because of the power. He called his poems "pills."ReplyDelete
This community is not meant to be used in a negative manner. We ask that you be respectful of all the people on this site as each individual writer is entitled to their own opinion, style, and path to creativity.


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Chivas Regal Uses SpyderLynk SnapTags to Engage Hip Urbanites in 1st Ever Mobile Loyalty Campaign
The "Chivas Brotherhood" mobile loyalty campaign uses 2D barcodes with class.
Chivas Regal, a brand of scotch whisky that has achieved global status, is considered to be the "epitome of style, substance and exclusivity." By teaming up with SpyderLynk, Alcone Marketing Group and Urbandaddy.com they are demonstrating the ability to launch a new mobile loyalty campaign with style, substance and exclusivity as well.
The campaign will use Spyderlynk's SnapTag™, a logo-centric 2D mobile barcode, to engage hip mobile consumers through the Chivas Brotherhood mobile loyalty program. Currently, SnapTag is the only logo-centric 2D mobile barcode in the marketplace today, which provides the campaign some of the style and exclusivity as mentioned above. Qualified participants over the age of 21 can join the Chivas Brotherhood simply by scanning the SnapTag with their mobile phone.
Now for the substance behind the mobile campaign. New members in the Brotherhood will not only receive regular updates about tastings and special events in their cities, but will also be treated to Urban Daddy's free exclusive email magazine, a trusted source of unique and local lifestyle recommendations for hip urbanites. To top it off, there is a chance for members to win a trip for four to Scotland.
"This is a great opportunity for all of us to demonstrate how easy it is to integrate our 2D mobile barcode solution into traditional marketing efforts. Our cutting edge technology allows Chivas to interact with hip young consumers who like to communicate on one of their most valued possessions that go everywhere they go – their mobile phone," said Nicole Skogg, CEO of SpyderLynk. "Joining Chivas Brotherhood to get great offers is as simple as snapping a picture of the Chivas SnapTag with a mobile phone camera and either texting to a short code/mobile number or emailing it. We send a text to confirm that the mobile user wants to join. It's that simple! We've successfully managed mobile campaigns for beverage brand powerhouses such as Coke Zero, Bud Light, Coors Light and now Chivas – we know what it takes to manage a successful mobile campaign that produces results!"
"We are excited to integrate SnapTags into Chivas marketing mix to advance their loyalty program membership," said Todd Zullo, Account Supervisor at Alcone Marketing Group. "We looked at a number of mobile solutions and felt that the expertise and support provided by SpyderLynk, combined with their cutting edge technology, represented an ideal opportunity for Chivas' first foray into mobile marketing."
Once again, knowing the customer, providing meaningful rewards, and using a bit of style, are key elements in a successful 2D barcode campaign, and Chivas Regal has given us yet another great example.
If you liked this article, also try:
QR Codes Change Face of Loyalty Cards
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Most seasoned PC users are familiar with the concept of defragging your hard disk but ask them the last time they defragged and they probably won't have an answer. Windows actually comes with a defragmentation utility built-in but depending on whether or not you've run into problems with your computer in the past, you either manually shut it off or a program did. Also, the traditional defragmenting program requires you to either run it manually or on a schedule. Enter Diskeeper 2008.
Main screen of Diskeeper
The latest version of Diskeeper features a slew of innovative features that will transparently optimize your hard disk. For example, the program will sit in the background and automatically and in real-time defrag your hard disk. According to the company, it "handles performance-robbing fragmentation as it occurs". It also includes a bunch of other goodies like InviTasking Technology, I-FAAST 2.0, Frag Shield 2.0, and some core defrag engine enhancements. There's even an option for Boot-Time Defragmentation, for defragging files that couldn't be moved while Windows was in use. All of these work together to improve the performance of your hard drive.
For my real world tests I installed Diskeeper 2008 on two machines. The first machine was a Vista box, tricked out to be a media center and a gaming machine. After installing and uninstalling a number of applications on the Vista box, I noticed some serious performance issues and even the occasional frozen screen which required me to force the machine to shutdown. I also noticed that sometimes it appeared as if some directories were missing. Needless to say, I was rooting for Diskeeper.
I installed Diskeeper 2008 and clicked the Defragment button. It immediately popped up a box that showed how fragmented the drive was. When the program completed and said that the drive had been "Defragmented" I shut down the machine and rebooted. I immediately noticed a significant improvement in boot-up time and haven't had a problem since. The nicest thing about Diskeeper is that I really don't have to think about the fragmentation of my hard drive again since it will run in the background and automatically defrag the drive as necessary.
For my second real world test of Diskeeper 2008, I installed in on the Windows XP partition of my MacBook. Again, the install took no time at all and the defragmentation took less than five minutes. I wasn't experiencing any performance issues before but I had some pretty large files that I deleted recently, so it's good to know that at least the drive is being cared for while I work from now on. I should also mention that pretty much anything can be customized, so if you have specific files that you want left alone, that's a click away.
Screen showing file performance on the drive
Screen showing file structure on the drive
Since the Vista experience I detailed above basically saved my machine, I highly recommend that you give Diskeeper 2008 a run on your own machine using the 30-day download. If you like it, pick up a copy for $29.95 at Diskeeper.com.


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Hot Dog! Nathan's is up 40%!July 2, 2012: 9:44 AM ET
When you think about the 4th of July, fireworks, backyard barbecues and Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" (music with cannons!) probably come to mind. And thanks largely to ESPN, the gluttonous International Hot Dog Eating Contest down in Brooklyn's Coney Island has also become a national Independence Day tradition.
The contest has been going on since 1916 at the Nathan's Famous hot dog stand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues -- go Brooklyn Cyclones! -- and has been aired live on Disney (DIS)-owned ESPN since 2004. (It's on tape delay this year though due to something called Wimbledon taking precedence.) Despite the revolting images of grown men and women stuffing tube steaks into their mouths as fast as they can, this is arguably great PR for Nathan's, which has 304 locations around the world.
You might be surprised to know that Nathan's (NATH) is publicly traded. So this event is also a great chance to look at the stock. And guess what? Nathan's has been a huge "wiener" (sorry!) this year.
Shares are up more than 40%! To put that in perspective, Nathan's has outperformed 482 of the stocks in the S&P 500, including momentum studs like eBay (EBAY), Salesforce.com (CRM) and Whole Foods (WFM). And it is only trailing Apple's (AAPL) year-to-date return by a few percentage points.
Why has Nathan's done so well? Simply put, people are eating a lot of hot dogs. The company reported in early June that revenue for its most recent fiscal year (which ended in March) was up nearly 16% from a year earlier. And earnings per share more than tripled.
But the bulk of the growth is not with the actual restaurants, of which only 5 are owned by the company. The rest are franchised and Nathan's gets royalties and fees from them.
Nathan's generates most of its sales from what it calls its Branded Product Program, which allows other foodservice providers at places like sports stadiums, casinos, movie theaters and retailers such as Sears (SHLD)-owned Kmart to sell hot dogs, crinkle-cut french fries and other Nathan's-branded goodies on their menu. That business accounted for nearly 60% of sales in the most recent fiscal year. And sales rose more than 26%.
Still, this is a risky stock. The company said in its most recent annual report with the SEC that 42% of its Branded Product Program's business comes from just 6 accounts, and added that the contracts with these customers are "relatively short-term."
The company has also been involved in a lengthy legal battle with its main supplier, SMG, over sales of Nathan's seasonings to SMG. A court has ruled in favor of SMG, which means Nathan's could owe SMG nearly $5 million in damages. That's a lot of mustard for a company that only earned about $6.2 million in profit last year. Nathan's is appealing the case. In addition, Nathan's is seeking to terminate its licensing agreement with SMG before the deal ends in 2014.
The market value for Nathan's is only about $128 million and the number of shares trading is tiny: the average daily volume over the past three months is just a little over 14,000 shares. Small companies with a limited amount of shares trading can tend to be extremely volatile.
What's more, only one analyst follows the stock, but there are no earnings or revenue estimates listed for the company. So it is impossible to judge the company on expectations of future growth. For what it's worth, Nathan's trades at 24 times actual fiscal 2012 earnings. That makes the company more expensive on a trailing basis than fast food giants McDonald's (MCD) and KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell owner Yum! Brands (YUM).
Related: Burger King is back with a Whopper-ing debut
Nonetheless, Nathan's has some impressive backers. Activist hedge fund Steel Partners (SPLP), Mario Gabelli's GAMCO and Dimensional Fund Advisors, the firm co-founded by David Booth, one of the pioneers of index investing, are big institutional owners of the stock.
And Nathan's huge jump this year is actually the continuation of a hot streak dating back to the end of the Great Recession and bear market. Since bottoming at about $11 in early 2009, the stock is up nearly 170% and shares have finished in the black for the past three years.
It probably helps that Nathan's has been aggressively buying back its own stock over the past few years. While that does nothing to help the actual business, reducing share count does boost earnings per share. It's also led some to speculate that management may want to take the whole company private some day.
So if watching Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas and Joey Chestnut (alas, there is still a rift between the Major League Eating organization that sanctions the hot dog eating contest and the esophageally-gifted Takeru Kobayashi) try to repeat as chomping champions on Wednesday is part of your 4th of July plans, remember that Nathan's stock may add some relish to your portfolio too.