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Every morning at work part of my responsibilities includes putting out new balloons to welcome new prospects to the property. For the most part I get to choose what colors to inflate. Just so long as what I choose is inside the package of balloons within the office. I tend to like bold, bright colors (which are not usually inside the package within the office), but I have made good use of the colors that are available and managed to put together some interesting, yet presentable combinations.
"It is all in the twist of the wrist," the balloon expert at another property said when I asked how hers looked so pretty. Actually, it is a bit more than that. The sizes have to be right, the pattern has to be right and the string has to be the right length. A thin balloon and a bit too much helium leads to a loud gunshot erupting from within the office. I can tell that my senses have either dulled or I've grown accustomed to the environment because now I rarely scream when one pops. I just dig in the bag for another one of the the same color and start the process again.
Once they are inflated, I wrap them with string. Then I do the same with the next sets, layering and joining until I have something that remotely resembles a pattern. Most times the image in my head doesn't fit the finished product, but I acknowledge the fact that I'm not a balloon expert and make a mental note to ask a clown for some lessons. Then I maneuver the large, flying mass out to the road where the welcome sign is and do my best to tether it so that the string is least visible.
On a good day I accomplish this fete and am able to walk back to the office, task complete, with my head held high. Then there are days when, during the process of tethering, the balloons refuse to cooperate and instead find a way to escape from my grasp. When this happens I take my walk of shame back to the office and pray for rain. On sunny days I console myself with the idea that the neighborhood children were going to steal them anyway.
My thoughts are on balloons now because so much has happened since my last post. In fact, that is the reason for the long delay between posts. What has changed? For starters, I'm working full-time, and it is no longer temporary. The two classes I'm taking this semester are coming to an end, but the past few months have been filled with numerous reading assignments, editing assignments, writing assignments and discussion board posts. While this is the normal graduate school course load most students probably don't combine it with full-time work, and if they do, there is usually another breadwinner in the family. Don't get me wrong – it is doable, and I'm certainly counting my blessings, because I couldn't have fallen into a better opportunity, but sometimes I feel like one of those balloons tethered to the welcome sign. Some days I too want to escape.
The life of a writer is not easy, but it is definitely one worth embracing. Every writer has a different path and each uses different tools to produce their craft. I wouldn't be surprised if many of them felt like balloons sometimes too – especially when the rejections start coming in. I haven't submitted anything lately, although I did start a new piece the other day. My time at MSU has taught me to soak up every experience – with that in mind I'm currently working on a story relating to apartment life. I'll keep you posted on the progress.
Thesis semester is just around the corner and I haven't even booked my hotel room yet for Murray. I'm excited, scared, overwhelmed, eager, and apprehensive all at once. More than anything I'd kill for some away time. I'm definitely going to have to follow suit and lock myself away in a cabin like my poet friend Whittney. She will be defending this coming semester and I'm so proud of her. If you recall, we started the program together and were supposed to finish together, but I took this past semester off. I'm glad I did. Out-of-state tuition is a killer and I really needed the time to find my writing voice.
I can't say I completely know my style or can give you authors I think I might share similarities with (the normal questions everyone asks when they find out you want to be a writer), but I can know when I'm not being true to myself and that is a great start. I'm so much farther along than I was when I started the program. I can even say I might have a smidgeon more of confidence. It has all worked out better than I could have ever expected.
I'm a balloon. Maybe today I've escaped and am soaring, enjoying my freedom in the skies. Tomorrow, who knows, I might be tethered to float above the welcome sign, providing a path for those unsettled.
I'm free. I'm floating. I'm good.

subset: commoncrawl


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Police Scotland are currently investigating the body of a woman found near to Cartland Bridge, Lanark this morning.
The Gazette had run an earlier police appeal for Heather Allan (46) who has been missing from Law since 1am this morning.
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City East Magazine, 1972
A Magazine for New Yorkers; Vol. 6, No. 3
|[Return to list]
Dewey Decimal: 974.71 CE
Primary Author:
Secondary Author:
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Year Published: 1972
Number of pages: 23
Resource Type: Misc.
Publisher: CEPCOR, Inc.
Description: Article on East Side Landmarks
Manhattan Gramercy Park
Manhattan Murray Hill


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Quick updatesMarch 11, 2009 at 9:17 am | Posted in Donruss-Playoff, Football, Panini, Random, Razor, Upper Deck | 4 Comments
As you've probably noticed, my posting has been sparse since the beginning of March. I've been very busy at work and at home recently, with very little time left over to devote to collecting, let alone blogging. This will probably continue at least until the beginning of April. My schedule is pretty packed for the next week and a half, and then my wife and I will be on vacation in Florida from March 20 – 28.
In case you're waiting for it, I'm still working on my follow-up post on 2009 Topps Heritage. It should be ready soon; I just need to find some time to scan some of the cards. One thing that I can tell you is that I was extremely lucky with my two boxes in that I got ZERO doubles! Yes, I managed to get 382 different cards. I got enough base cards that I don't think I'll need to buy any more hobby boxes or packs. I'll just buy the cards that I still need on eBay or Sportlots.
Of course, any time that I take a break from blogging, huge events start to happen. Here's my take on a few of them:
- It's absolutely inexcusable that Razor and Upper Deck have allowed fake "cut" signatures to find their way into their products. I'm sure that everyone has read about this by now, but if you haven't, the details are here. I give Brian Gray of Razor credit for trying to rectify the situation after the fact, but I think that some irreparable damage has been done to the hobby. I know that I'm not alone in saying that I'm much less likely to buy any cut signature card now, but my confidence is shaken in other types of cards too. For example, I doubt that any significant verification is done on the "game used" pieces of memorabilia that are inserted into cards. I think that it's less likely that non-cut certified autographs are fake, but in many cases, the card companies are simply mailing stickers to athletes, who sign them and mail them back. I do believe that the vast majority of athletes are legitimately signing the stickers (and cards) if only because they don't want to see their reputations damaged if they're caught mailing back fake autographs to the card companies. But the potential does exist that there are some fake certified autographs out there. If any evidence of that is ever discovered, get ready to watch the entire card industry implode.
- So apparently Panini is buying Donruss-Playoff (details here). This has the potential to be a very good thing for collectors. First, it keeps Donruss in business. The company was obviously having financial troubles, but Panini seems to have plenty of cash, so that problem is solved. I think it's logical that Panini would use the Donruss name for their U.S.-based card business, and keep many of the existing Donruss, Leaf, and Playoff brand names around. Let's face it, football and baseball card collectors are much more likely to buy cards with the Donruss name on them than Panini. Hopefully they'll keep many of the creative people from the company too. But this is really great news for basketball card collectors. After it was announced that Panini had obtained an exclusive license to produce NBA cards, many collectors assumed that the cards that would be produced would be a joke. But now, the cards are likely to have the Donruss brand name on them, be designed by the Donruss creative team, and be produced at the Donruss facilities. I don't really see any negatives about this deal at this point. Now, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens to Upper Deck, which is also for sale, and has apparently completely given up trying to make quality baseball card products.
- If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I'm a Buffalo Bills football fan. Even though my blog is focused on baseball and cards, my private conversations with friends and family in recent months have been dominated by talk of my disgust for how the team is being run. They have a completely incompetent head coach (Dick Jauron) and coaching staff who are coming back again in 2009, their biggest star player (Marshawn Lynch) is unable to obey the law and stay out of trouble, and they consistently make horrible decisions about what players to let go and what players to sign. It seemed obvious that a 10th straight non-playoff season was on the horizon…
And then they signed Terrell Owens this past weekend. I was completely shocked and blown away by this. My first reaction was disbelief, and then I quickly decided that I hated the signing. After all, T.O. is a complete jackass, a horrible teammate, and he's been a cancer in the locker room of every team that he played for. I mean, if Jerry Jones didn't want him in Dallas anymore, that really says something. The signing also demonstrated the impulsive decision-making in the Bills front office and their complete lack of long-term planning. But amazingly, the more that I thought about it, the more that I started to like the signing. First, it's a one-year deal. If it doesn't work out, the Bills can cleanly cut ties with T.O. after the season. Also, he's going to have to keep his tantrums to a minimum and perform on the field at a high level if he wants any other team to want to sign him next year. But most importantly, T.O. is unquestionably an elite receiver, and he's going to make the Bills offense a lot better. One of their major problems has been that opposing defenses have been able to double-cover Lee Evans, preventing him from getting open and making plays. Now, the Bills will have two top receivers, Evans and Owens. That's going to cause problems for defenders, and it should allow both of them to make more big plays. And if the passing game is much improved, then teams won't be able to load up on the line of scrimmage to stop the run, so Lynch and Fred Jackson should be more productive too. Finally, one of the things that I hated about 2008 was how apathetic it appeared that the coaches and many of the players were. They just didn't have much competitive fire. Say what you will about T.O., but he wants to win more than anyone, and he's not afraid to speak his mind if others around him don't have the same commitment to winning.
Strangely enough, the signing of T.O. has made me a lot more excited about the 2009 football season. If nothing else, he's going to make the team much more exciting to watch, either because of his performance on the field, or his antics off the field. The Bills weren't going to do anything in 2009 without T.O. and now that he's on the team, they have somewhat of a chance. If the Dolphins and Falcons could improve so much between 2007 and 2008, anything is possible with the 2009 Bills.
It looks like this wasn't such a "quick" update after all. I might only have a few more posts for the rest of the month, but I hope that you'll stick around and keep reading Fielder's Choice when I'm able to write more!
1984 Donruss Video Rack Pack Break!January 30, 2009 at 12:46 am | Posted in Donruss-Playoff, My Cards, Video | 10 Comments
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I recently purchased a rack pack of 1984 Donruss baseball cards. I finally got around to opening it on video today. It was quite a thrill since 1984 Donruss is arguably the best looking set of the 1980s, and it's unquestionably the top set of the first half of the decade. It was also apparently produced in smaller quantities than 1984 Topps and 1984 Fleer, so you don't see much of it around today, and it's extremely rare to find unopened packs of it. Before I bought this rack pack, I didn't own any 1984 Donruss cards besides my Don Mattingly rookie.
Check out my rack pack break:
The breakdown:
- 45 cards including 2 Diamond Kings, 2 Rated Rookies, 1 Hall of Famer, and 1 checklist
- 3 Duke Snider puzzle pieces
Opening the rack pack makes me appreciate 1984 Donruss even more. The card design is simply outstanding, especially considering its time period. It is much, much better than anything that Donruss produced until at least 1992 (not including 1990 Leaf). In addition, the Diamond King design from 1984 is the best of all-time, in my opinion, and it was the first year of Rated Rookies. Of course, the Don Mattingly rookie card is iconic, and the set also includes rookies of Darryl Strawberry, Joe Carter, and Tony Fernandez.
I'd love to be able to collect an entire set of 1984 Donruss, but it's tough to find rack packs for as cheap as the one that I bought (it was $10). Unopened boxes sell for over $200. Maybe if I continue to be unimpressed with the 2009 products, I'll go for it. After all, 1984 was the first year that I ever opened a pack of baseball cards (1984 Topps) so it's a special year for me, and it was 25 years ago now.
Blog Bat Around #3: Give collectors what they wantJanuary 19, 2009 at 3:26 pm | Posted in Blogs, Donruss-Playoff, Topps, Upper Deck | 8 Comments
In 2008, Topps and Upper Deck produced 34 different baseball card products between them (and that's counting Series 1 and Series 2 as one product). In addition, there were 4 unlicensed Donruss-Playoff products, and minor sets from companies like Tristar, Just Minors, and Razor. In all, that's over 40 baseball card products, but I'd bet that most collectors have a list of fewer than 10 that they really cared about. There are many things that the card companies can and should do to improve the quality of their products and make collectors care, so that they'll want to collect and spend their money on them…
I believe that all of the products fit into one of three categories: low-end, mid-range, and high-end. Some collectors focus only on the low-end, others focus only on the high-end, some (like me) dabble in both, and most people extend their comfort zones with some of the mid-range sets. Here is my take on the direction that the card companies should be taking with their products in all of these categories.
I'll start with the low end, actually the lowest of the low end: Topps Opening Day and Upper Deck First Edition. When I first found out about these products, I wondered why anyone would ever collect them, and as time has gone by I've realized that I've never heard of anyone who actually does collect them (including kids). I think that the card companies have good intentions with these sets. The price is only 99 cents per pack, there are almost no "hits", and it's easy to build a set. So what's the problem? Both products are very cheap knockoffs of the Topps and Upper Deck flagship products. Topps just changes the color of the border on the Opening Day cards, while Upper Deck makes First Edition less glossy. Other than that, the cards look the same. So they're cheaper, but who actually wants these cards when they can own the "real" Topps and Upper Deck sets for just a little bit more.
I do think that it's important to have a low-end 99 cent product that anyone can afford, but why not make them unique so that people will actually want to collect them? Topps could get rid of Opening Day, and revive the Bazooka brand or Topps Total (which I've heard a lot of collectors praise) to replace it. Upper Deck could wave goodbye to First Edition and bring back Collector's Choice. With a different design and different photos than the flagship Topps and Upper Deck sets, the number of collectors who buy these super low-end products would surely increase. I'd even pick up a blaster or two – and speaking of that, these products really should be retail only. Nobody is going to buy a hobby box of these.
Next up are the low-end sets: Upper Deck Series 1 & 2, Topps Series 1 & 2, Topps Updates & Highlights, Bowman, Upper Deck X, Documentary, and I'll throw in Topps Chrome even though it could be considered mid-range. Upper Deck doesn't need to change anything about its flagship Series 1 & 2 product. The photography is amazing, the card quality is great, there are fun insert sets, and the autographs and relic cards are well done. The Topps flagship product could use a little work. The photography is very lackluster, especially compared to Upper Deck. Some of the inserts are boring (although I love Trading Card History) and the gold foil parallels are completely worthless. I do like the gold bordered parallels though. But the main reason that I don't know if I'll bother collecting regular Topps in 2009 is that I know Topps Chrome is coming. With Chrome, you get the same cards but on the much nicer chrome card stock, and refractors too. I wouldn't mind if Topps merged its flagship set with Chrome. They could ditch all of the current parallels and replace them with chrome and refractor parallels, similar to how Topps Heritage is now. I would absolutely love a set like that. I'd also like to see Topps move back to producing the regular cards on cardboard. A lot of collectors really miss the cardboard that was so distinctive of Topps sets before 1992, and I don't think that anyone would be upset by a return to it. Topps might be able to save some money too.
The problem with Bowman is similar to the problem with the Topps flagship. It has to compete with Bowman Chrome. I'd like to see Topps get rid of the regular Bowman set altogether, and just put all of their effort into Bowman Chrome. The chrome and refractor cards that Topps produces really are much nicer than anything that Upper Deck makes. They should take advantage of that as much as they can by really focusing on the chrome and refractor sets. And of course, everybody wants to see Topps acquire the rights to the very best prospects for its Bowman Chrome prospect cards. Collectors would really pay more for Bowman Chrome with more big-name prospects in the set.
I'll wrap up the low end with Upper Deck X and Documentary. I've never read anything positive about Upper Deck X from anyone. It's really the only product that seems to be universally hated by everyone. It's shocking that it's coming back in 2009, and for Upper Deck's sake, it better be completely overhauled if anyone is going to buy it. They can start by getting rid of the cheap looking "X" design and replace it with something, anything, that collectors might care about. Nobody wants to buy a product that they know was just thrown together with as little creativity and effort as possible. Also, it's a low-end set, so it really should be more than just 100 cards to appeal to set builders. And that brings up another point. Upper Deck loves making 100-card base sets. If they're going to do that, at least change what players are in the set for each team in each product. I don't want to see the same 3-4 Rays in every single set. Documentary isn't really a terrible concept, but it does need to be improved to make more people want to collect it. I recently wrote a post with my thoughts on it here, so I won't rehash it.
Now onto the mid-range. A big part of the mid-range are retro sets. Topps produces Topps Heritage and Allen & Ginter, while Upper Deck counters with Goudey and Timelines (which I consider retro because of the use of past designs). I absolutely love Topps Heritage; it's my favorite set to collect by a large margin. And I love that Topps is now producing Heritage High Numbers at the end of the year too. I wouldn't change anything about Heritage, except hopefully Topps won't feel the need to insert the Updates & Highlights cards into High Numbers packs again in 2009. Allen & Ginter is getting a little stale, and collectors are wary after it was over-produced in 2008. Still, it's probably Topps' most popular set, and one of the few that all types of collectors seem to enjoy. Topps will need to find ways to keep it fresh. One idea that I have is to include chrome and refractor parallels, similar to some of the eTopps Allen & Ginter cards. I'd like to see fewer variations of the mini parallels too. I wouldn't mind seeing some cards of athletes from other team sports in Allen & Ginter to replace some of the old famous people. This would be similar to the Sport Royalty cards in Goudey.
Speaking of Goudey, it's really time for Upper Deck to retire it. It was just announced that they're bringing it back again in 2009, and it's going to look a lot like 2007 Goudey. I loved 2007 Goudey, and I like 2008 Goudey too, but enough is enough. There simply aren't enough old Goudey designs for Upper Deck to use. A Fleer retro set that was done right could effectively replace Goudey in Upper Deck's product lineup, and fill the demand for the Fleer name to make a comeback in the baseball card hobby. Finally, Timelines is a decent enough set to keep around. Player collectors like collecting all of the different card designs of their player, and it's good for set builders too. If Upper Deck used some of its highly memorable designs from 1989 and the early 1990s, then Timelines could be an even better product.
Other Topps mid-range products include Moments & Milestones, Co-Signers, Finest, and Stadium Club. Moments & Milestones was horrible, but it's not coming back for 2009, and hopefully it'll never resurface ever again. Co-Signers needs to either be totally revamped or canceled. For a mid-range product that is named after its "hits" (the Co-Signer dual autographs), the hits really need to be better so that collectors will feel that they're getting some value from a box. I hope that the boxer autographs are history and that we'll only see baseball player autographs in the future. The dual autograph cards should have player combinations that make sense – either teammates or players that have something obvious in common. One autograph per box of a good player (or good players on a dual autograph card) is better than 3 autographs of players that nobody cares about. It wouldn't kill Topps to throw in a couple of relic cards per box either. And they need to get rid of the horribly ugly parallels and just use chrome and refractor parallels like they do in most Topps products. If they do these things and produce nicely designed base cards, Co-Signers wouldn't be that bad.
Topps Finest is a very popular brand with collectors, but it suffered in 2008 because of worthless autographs. The rookie class of 2009 should be much better, which will help, but it would be nice to see more veteran autographs too. I wouldn't change much besides that. Finest always has great looking base cards and beautiful refractors. Topps also might be able to generate more interest in Finest by producing some retail packs with fewer hits, like what they did with Stadium Club in 2008. And that brings me to Stadium Club. Everyone loved the photography of the 2008 cards, and the retail packs were very popular, but collectors hated the over-priced hobby product that featured many worthless "hits". For 2009, Topps should cut down on the number of hits per box, produce higher quality hits, and lower the price of hobby boxes. The concept of Stadium Club is great; they just need to make the hobby packs as appealing to collectors as the retail. And they need to stop short printing the cards that have numbers divisible by 3!
Upper Deck mid-range products include Spectrum, Piece of History, Heroes, Masterpieces, SP Authentic, SPx, and SP Legendary Cuts. Spectrum and Piece of History are both products that I totally ignored in 2008. Every set should have a clear purpose in a company's lineup, and I just don't understand the purpose of sets like these. I'd prefer to see Upper Deck produce fewer sets and really try to make each one the best that it can be with a clear purpose. Unfortunately, both Spectrum and Piece of History are coming back in 2009. I sincerely hope that they serve more of a purpose than the 2008 versions did. I'll probably stay away from both. I wasn't overly impressed by Heroes either. It was OK, but it was just a rehash of a past card design. The multi-colored parallels in Heroes need to be changed. It's unfortunate that Upper Deck doesn't have any parallel that's half as attractive as refractors, but they really could make them better. They should make fewer types of parallels, give them straightforward names, and keep them consistent across products. For example everybody knows what a Topps Xfractor is, and if Upper Deck could establish some standard types of parallels, that should help to increase collector demand for them.
Everyone has heard by now that Masterpieces has been canceled for 2009. Apparently the cost of producing the cards outweighed the money that Upper Deck was making from the product. But Masterpieces is hugely popular with collectors, as can be seen from all of the disappointment that was expressed when people heard about its cancellation. Upper Deck should try to find some way to keep the brand alive. Most people who collected it were set builders, so cutting down on the number of hits (again) might help. Collectors could live with fewer types of parallels too. What we really like are the paintings and the canvas-like texture of the cards. If Upper Deck can reduce the cost of making Masterpieces, and keep the brand alive, they should consider it. I'd also like to see Topps produce a similar set to meet the demand of collectors who will be missing Masterpieces in 2009. The could revive their Topps Gallery brand, and even get Dick Perez involved in creating the artwork.
Out of the SP ("Super Premium") sets, I only collected Legendary Cuts in 2008. The card design was outstanding, and I'd love to see Upper Deck put as much effort into the design of its other sets. That said, Legendary Cuts would definitely be improved if MLB eased its rules about the percentage of cards that can feature retired players. SP Authentic seems to be just another set with an unimaginative design and hits that are less valuable than what you pay for a hobby box. SP Authentic is a great football brand, and maybe Upper Deck can refocus SP Authentic as its top product for rookies in baseball. For example, they could reduce the number of veterans in the set, and make several different rookie subsets, with multiple types of autographed rookie cards. At least that would be something to give SP Authentic a purpose. SPx also suffered from hits that didn't provide much value in 2008. Like Topps Finest, a stronger early season rookie lineup should help in 2009. But SPx could also be improved if Upper Deck focused more on the base cards. Everyone loves the innovative early SPx designs from the mid to late 1990s, and designs like those could be popular again today.
One more component of the mid-range category are the prospect-based sets like Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects and Bowman Sterling. Both are high quality products, but they suffered in 2008 because several big-name draft picks signed exclusive contracts with the new Razor card company. Topps should be more aggressive in signing draft picks to exclusive deals of its own in 2009 to keep ahead of the competition. It might be a good idea to allow Upper Deck to produce a prospect-based set too.
Now let's talk about high-end products. A major problem with recent high-end products has been that collectors are getting less value for what they pay for a box or pack of the product. This is due in large part to the rule that limits the percentage of cards featuring retired players. This rule did not affect the unlicensed Playoff Prime Cuts IV that was released in 2008, and that product did very well. Topps and Upper Deck should lobby MLB and the MLBPA hard to overturn this rule so that they can be more competitive in the high-end market.
Topps has two products that I consider high-end: Triple Threads and Topps Sterling. I'm not a fan of either of them. Let's start with the foil sticker autographs. I don't like the foil stickers in any Topps products, but they're even worse in the high-end products. Topps needs to move to clear stickers as quickly as possible. I'm also not a fan of the huge number of variations for each card based on obscure statistics for the player. If there are 200 cards of a player, just number the cards to 200 instead of creating 20 meaningless variations that are numbered to 10. In addition, Topps should stop producing base cards for their high end sets. Do you know anyone who collects Triple Threads or Sterling base cards? I didn't think so. They can replace the base cards with more hits per box to give collectors more value. Topps has a well deserved reputation for producing the worst high-end products in the industry, and they need to take massive steps to change that.
Upper Deck produced four high-end products in 2008. Ballpark Collection and Sweet Spot were on lower side of high-end, while Ultimate and Premier were on the high side. That means that Ultimate and Premier limited the number of cards per pack, increased the quality of the hits, and featured an expensive price tag. I don't collect either product, but I think that they do an adequate job of giving high-end collectors what they want. Ballpark Collection is less expensive, and in my opinion, gives a lot of bang for your buck. I hope that it stays in Upper Deck's 2009 lineup. Finally, Sweet Spot (and Sweet Spot Classic) was a great product in 2007 that was really watered down in 2008. Sweet Spot collectors don't need base cards, and Upper Deck would be well served to return the product to its 2007 configuration. The latest word is that Sweet Spot will be back in 2009 after Upper Deck was considering dropping it. And one more thing – please use real MLB balls for the Sweet Spot autographs to prevent fading. Upper Deck has also produced other high-end sets like Black and Exquisite in previous years. Unless the economy improves dramatically soon, they should leave these brands on the shelf in 2009.
One thing that I believe would improve the quality of Topps and Upper Deck products is competition. I strongly believe that MLB should grant a license to Donruss-Playoff as the third baseball card company in 2010. At the same time, they could limit each company to 12 sets per year, so there would be 36 sets produced between the three companies. This should ensure that the sets that are produced will be of a high quality and serve a real purpose. Donruss-Playoff produced three sets that were well-received by collectors in 2008: Threads, Elite Extra Edition, and Prime Cuts. Playoff Contenders will be released soon. The re-entry of Donruss-Playoff into the licensed baseball card market would trigger Topps and Upper Deck to step up their game to compete, and with all three major card companies having licenses, the minor unlicensed companies like Razor and Tristar would have a much smaller impact on the hobby – and that's a good thing.
So here are the main things that I would like to see in 2009 and 2010 from the card companies:
- Donruss-Playoff granted a license by MLB and the MLBPA.
- Number of card sets from each company reduced with each remaining set serving a specific purpose (unlike Spectrum and Piece of History).
- Replacement of Opening Day and First Edition with meaningful "set building" sets that collectors will want to buy.
- Merger of Topps with Topps Chrome, and Bowman with Bowman Chrome.
- Use of chrome and refractor parallels in all Topps products, including Co-Signers and Allen & Ginter.
- Include more than 100 base cards in low-end and mid-range sets and vary the players from each team who appear in each set.
- Replacement of Goudey with a Fleer retro product.
- Fewer and easier to understand parallels in Upper Deck products. Something that is consistent across brands (like Topps refractors) would be great.
- The return of Upper Deck Masterpieces and Topps Gallery (featuring Dick Perez).
- A change in the rule that limits the amount of retired players in a product. This would improve SP Legendary Cuts, and possibly bring back a set like Topps Retired or Fan Favorites.
- Refocus SP Authentic around great rookie autograph cards, like the football card product.
- Overhaul of Topps high-end sets.
- Return Sweet Spot to its 2007 configuration.
- Forget about base cards in high-end products.
- Increase the quality and decrease the quantity of the hits in all mid-range and high-end products.
- Allow all licensed companies to produce one prospect set per year. They should be aggressive in signing new draft picks to deals to eliminate Razor's influence on the hobby.
So those are the changes that I'd like to see in the baseball card hobby. You might be able to tell that I think about this a lot. Hopefully the card companies will listen to me and other collectors, and they'll give us more of what we want in 2009 and beyond!
Three new Mattingly cards!January 3, 2009 at 8:16 pm | Posted in Donruss-Playoff, My Cards, Upper Deck | 3 Comments
The closer I get to my goal of owning every Don Mattingly card that was made during his playing career, the more difficult it becomes to find the cards that I still need. The last time I was able to acquire one was back in November, leaving me with 12 more on my want list. I was lucky to find 3 of the 12 recently on eBay, knocking out a full one-fourth of my needs! Here are the 1067th, 1068th, and 1069th Don Mattingly cards in my collection:
This card is a "Press Proof" parallel from 1995 Donruss. In 1995, Donruss featured player milestones on their checklists. Mattingly is featured on two checklists. Card #220 honors his 2000 career hits and card #440 honors his 1000 career RBI. This card is a parallel of #440. The regular Donruss cards had silver foil in 1995, while the Press Proofs had gold foil. The Press Proofs were pretty tough to come by, as only one was inserted in every 20 packs of Series 1 and 24 packs of Series 2. This card is from Series 2. According to Beckett, there are only 2,000 copies of each Press Proof card. This means that the demand outweighs the supply for the star players like Don Mattingly. I've had the Press Proof of Mattingly's base card from 1995 Donruss for a while, but I still need the Press Proof of the other checklist (#220).
This card is a Gold parallel from the 1995 Upper Deck Special Edition insert set. The Special Edition cards were a 270-card insert set. One was inserted into every pack of 1995 Upper Deck. The Gold parallels were only inserted into one in every 35 hobby packs, so they were very tough to pull. Since there were 270 of them, you'd only find the Mattingly in one out of every 9,450 packs! It's a very nice looking card, and I had been trying to get it for a long time. I'm pretty sure that was only the second one that appeared on eBay in all of 2008. I narrowly missed out on the first auction, but I won the second one, and I'm very happy to add it to my collection!
Finally, this is a Gold Signature parallel from the "You Make the Play" insert set from 1996 Upper Deck Collector's Choice. There were 90 "You Make the Play" cards (2 cards of 45 different players), and one was inserted into every pack of Collector's Choice. They were shaped like playing cards with rounded corners. You could supposedly play a game with the cards. I guess this was Upper Deck's answer to 1995 Donruss Top of the Order and the non-sports card games of the mid-1990s. Anyway, the Gold Signature cards featured a facsimile gold autograph, similar to the Silver and Gold Signature parallels of the Collector's Choice base cards. They were inserted into one in every 35 packs, so they were pretty difficult to get. There are two Mattingly cards; the other one is a "Flyout" and this one is a "Double". I actually won eBay auctions for the Gold Signature versions of both cards this summer, but the seller who sold me the "Double" card screwed up and sent me the "Flyout" card instead, so I had two copies of the "Flyout" card. He refunded my money and told me that he would send me the "Double" card, but then he accidentally sent it to the wrong person. After a few months of trying to get the person who received the card to send it to me, we gave up. I wasn't able to find it on eBay again until I saw this one.
So now I'm left with only 9 cards from Don Mattingly's playing career that I still need. You can always see the ones that I need here. With some luck, I'll move even closer to completing my near lifelong quest in 2009!
My brother's Christmas presentDecember 20, 2008 at 1:50 am | Posted in Donruss-Playoff, Football, Personal | 4 Comments
I don't think I've mentioned it on this blog yet, but I have a brother who's two years younger than me. We don't have a perfect relationship; like most brothers we've had our ups and downs over the years. Through it all, the one thing we've always had in common is our love of sports. And when we were kids, we both collected cards. We had some great times opening packs together, building sets, and trading.
I'll never forget how much fun we had in 1988 when I taught my brother everything I knew about baseball cards and we both tried to build the 1988 Topps set. It was my third attempt at building a set and his first. We'd spend all of our money on packs every time we were in the grocery store, drug store, gas station, Kmart, or our local hobby store at the time, a place called G&J Enterprises. When we'd open the packs, we'd pull out all of the cards that we needed for our sets and then trade the doubles to each other. I still remember that unfortunate afternoon when he got a bloody nose and he bled all over my Tom Trebelhorn manager card. By the end of the summer, we were both still about 10 cards short of the full set. I still have my cards in a box up in my attic. To this day, I'm still missing those 10 cards.
Anyway, we both collected between 1988 – 1994. It was one of our favorite activities to do together. He continued collecting after I stopped, but he focused mostly on football cards. He was a huge fan of the Atlanta Falcons. I think he was the only kid in all of New York State who liked the Falcons. We grew up about an hour from Buffalo, and there were two types of football fans where we lived – people who loved the Bills (like me) and people who hated the Bills. My brother became one of the haters. I think that the Falcons caught his interest because of Deion Sanders in the early 1990s.
He kept collecting football cards until the early part of this decade, when the huge number of sets and the escalating prices finally drove him out of the hobby. We've been talking over the last few months about my renewed interest in baseball cards, and he's been asking a lot about what the hobby is like today. I haven't told him about my blog yet, but I probably will eventually. In the back of my mind, I think it would be funny if he randomly found it while looking for information about cards online.
So since he doesn't read my blog, I think it's OK for me to show off the Christmas present that I bought for him. Check it out:
Since he's a Falcons fan, he's been extremely happy about how Matt Ryan has played this year. I think that Ryan's cards are hotter than anyone's in the football card hobby right now. Of course this means that his autographed cards are very pricey, but it's for my only brother and I'm hoping that giving him this card will lead him to jump back into the hobby.
The card is from 2008 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia, and it's numbered 068/299. I think it's a great looking card, it's from a good brand, and Ryan's got a very nice signature. The card's surface is pretty shiny too, but you can't really see it in the scan. It's got two event-used jersey pieces and one piece of an event-used football from the NFL Rookie Premiere on May 17. Sure, game-used would be better, but I think that the Rookie Premiere event-used relics are pretty standard in football cards. After all, they don't have any NFL game-used memorabilia when the cards are produced.
So what do the football card collectors out there think of this card?
2008 Donruss Threads Baseball Hobby Box BreakNovember 11, 2008 at 10:26 pm | Posted in Donruss-Playoff, My Cards, Video | 7 Comments
These videos have actually been up on YouTube for a couple of days now, but I'm just now getting around to posting them on the blog. I recently had the pleasure of opening a hobby box of 2008 Donruss Threads, and it was one of the most fun box breaks that I've ever done. Here are the videos. The second one is more exciting than the first due to there being only one hit in the first 12 packs and four hits in the next 12 packs.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Here's the breakdown of what I got:
- 108 base cards (including 10 doubles) – this gives me 98 out of the 100 cards. I'm only missing #33 (George Bush) and #90 (Angel Villalona).
- 1 parallel card (090/100) – Kirk Gibson
- 2 Diamond Kings – Jim Palmer, Bobby Doerr
- 1 Diamond King parallel (165/250) – Phil Niekro
- 2 Century Stars inserts – Dale Murphy, Paul Molitor
- 1 Century Legends inserts – Carl Yastrzemski
- 1 College Greats inserts – Dave Winfield
- 2 Baseball Americana inserts – Eddie Murray (445/500), Karen Allen (456/500)
- Reggie Jackson bat relic card (368/500)
- Michael Hollimon autographed Diamond King (138/500)
- Carlos Gonzalez autographed card (496/975)
- Tyler Henson autographed card (900/999)
- Alan Trammell autographed card (52/75)
This is one of my favorite sets of the year, and it's a bargain for under $80. The base cards look great. I like the design with the baseball stitchings in the corners, and Donruss did a good job editing the photos to take out the MLB team logos. On many of the cards, it's hard to notice the editing. The mix of legendary players and prospects makes it a fun set. The prospect lineup is better than the prospect cards in this year's Bowman and Bowman Chrome. However, a larger base set than 100 cards would have been nice. Buying one box gives you almost an entire base set, so it's tough to do much "set building" and there's less incentive to buy a second box.
The inserts and "hits" are what really sets Threads apart from most of this year's sets. There are Diamond Kings, which I've sorely missed since I returned to the hobby. It's too bad that Dick Perez is now under contract with Topps though. The Century Stars and Century Legends inserts are very nice and will be great additions to collectors' player collections. And I love the College Greats inserts. It is very cool to see a legend like Dave Winfield in his college uniform! Finally, Baseball Americana is a nice crossover type of insert (from Donruss Americana). They feature an interesting mix of baseball legends and stars that have ties to baseball.
As for hits, I was pleased to get a low-numbered autograph from a player who I believe will be in the Hall of Fame eventually, Alan Trammell, and a game-used relic from one of the greatest of all-time, Reggie Jackson. Carlos Gonzalez is a very highly regarded prospect, and I'm glad to add an autograph from him to my collection. Hollimon and Henson are only marginal prospects. Time will tell if their cards will gain any value. In my opinion, the overall quantity and quality of hits in this product is superior to what you can get in boxes of similarly priced cards from Topps and Upper Deck.
So, I am very impressed with this effort from Donruss. I might even buy a box of Elite Extra Edition when it comes out later this year. Donruss probably isn't making any friends within MLB by continuing to produce baseball cards even without a license, but I really hope that they eventually will get their license back. Not only is Donruss capable of making high quality sets, but I believe that adding a third company would push Topps and Upper Deck to improve their product lines. It would be a great situation for collectors.
Here's a look at some of my favorite cards from the box:
Donruss to release another baseball setAugust 10, 2008 at 1:34 am | Posted in Donruss-Playoff | 2 Comments
It's unlikely that Donruss-Playoff will be able to produce another set like last year's Elite Extra Edition now that so many of this year's top draft picks have signed exclusive deals with Razor. By the way, Razor just signed another first round pick, Brett Wallace. You can see the list of all of their signees here.
But Donruss-Playoff is not completely out of the baseball card market this year. I haven't seen it reported on any other blogs, but they issued a press release last week announcing 2008 Donruss Threads Baseball. It will be headlined by a highly regarded 2007 draft pick, Rick Porcello, who signed an exclusive deal with Donruss-Playoff, along with Pete Rose. Other names on the checklist include Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Nolan Ryan. It's scheduled to be released in mid-October.
ARLINGTON, TX (July 30, 2008). – Boasting an unprecedented lineup of retired greats and top-shelf prospects, Donruss Threads makes its trading card debut in October with a release loaded with autographs and memorabilia cards.
Threads will also bring collectors two significant and headlining names not available anywhere else this year: Pete Rose and Rick Porcello.
Rose, whose 4,256 career hits rank No. 1 all-time, and Porcello, the first-round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2007, will have autograph and memorabilia cards in the product. In recent years, Donruss has purchased two Rose game-worn jerseys including a 1973 Cincinnati Reds road jersey worn during the 17-time All-Star's only MVP season.
"Having Pete Rose and Rick Porcello in the set is significant," says Donruss Brand Manager Ben Ecklar. "The all-time hits leader and arguably the top pitching prospect in the minor leagues… Threads will have both."
Porcello had been the only first-round draft pick from the 2007 MLB First Year Player Draft not to have signed certified autographs until Donruss signed him to a deal that was announced in early July. Donruss has obtained a jersey and cap Porcello wore in the 2006 Cape Cod Classic as well as a fielding glove and cleats he wore during minor league play with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. The 19-year-old is in his first full professional season since graduating from high school last year, and has spent the season pitching at Class A Lakeland where he was the starter and winner in the 2008 Florida State League All-Star Game.
Rose's presence in trading card products since 1989 can best be described as sparse, with a market hungry for autograph and memorabilia cards. In addition to the '73 Reds jersey, Donruss also has secured a 1981 Philadelphia Phillies home jersey Rose wore on June 10, 1981 when he collected his 3,630th career hit which at the time tied him with Stan Musial on the all-time hits list.
Both jerseys are autographed by the Hit King, meaning some collectors could receive a game-used swatch with part of a signature.
Threads Baseball – scheduled for a mid-October release – will contain some of the same components that have made Donruss Threads Football so successful including Rookie Class custom nameplate letters autographed and serial numbered. Threads Baseball also will feature some first-time inserts such as Baseball Americana which highlights such American baseball icons as Rose, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Nolan Ryan, Abbott & Costello (Who's On First?), and actors such as Gary Cooper ("Pride of the Yankees"), John Cusack ("Eight Men Out") and Burt Lancaster ("Field of Dreams"). Some of those will include memorabilia, an autograph or dual memorabilia/autograph cards.
"With Threads Baseball, we're striving to touch on all relevant aspects of the game – rookies, veterans, Hall of Famers and personalities," Ecklar says. "And we believe Threads will deliver a great deal of each."
Mays and Porcello will be featured on Threads Baseball packaging.
Good for Donruss-Playoff. I'm still hoping that they'll eventually get a full MLB license again.
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Oval Reusable Urinary Leg Bag
The Oval Reusable Urinary Leg Bag is an all-in-one collection system designed for use with external catheters or male external catheter kits. This leg bag is reusable, and made of dry natural rubber for easy care.
Oval Reusable Urinary Leg Bag Features:
- Dry natural rubber construction
- Biodegradable
- Reusable
- 14 oz capacity
- 8.5" length
- Sold individually
Brand: ReliaMed
Item Number: ZRLB4150
The Oval Reusable Urinary Leg is a great tool for patients who use external catheters. Not only does it attach to the leg with built-in straps for hands-free drainage, but when it comes time to discard it, the unit is biodegradable for eco-friendly disposal.
To purchase the Oval Reusable Urinary Leg Bag simply place your order online through our website. You can also conveniently make your purchase by calling 1-888-687-4334 and speaking with one of our knowledgeable Medical Supply Specialists.


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Hello all
Im 29 year old man working at an IT firm. Ever since I got out of college and started working I suffered from anxiety. It comes and goes now.
But there is a pattern that I cant get rid of. Every time something is wrong in office... either I did wrong and have to correct, or some task is given at the end of the day, or something you did might pop an error in the morning I just cant sleep at all.
Now I have become like an administrator of some systems... and whether its my fault or not I am responsible... and have to monitor things regularly in the day time... but my manager also wants monitoring to happen at morning times before I come to office. This work gives very less pay.... no appraisals... no happiness.... but its not this company's fault (and suggesting I change jobs wont solve anxiety issues). They give no perks for working beyond office hours.
I am a disciplined person who has a life beyond 10-12 hours at work. I like to go to gym in the morning... now Im stuck monitoring from 4:30 to 6. Due to the reason at the back of my head that I have to get up at 4:30 I cant sleep at all. This has always happened with me. Anything that needs to be done in the morning or next day.... it keeps rotating in my head.
Please help.
Years back I went to a psychiatrist/psychologist... their medicines just made me fat n numb. Didnt help with sleep. Then I went to a neurologist who suggested some anxiety medicine which was like popping mentos... nothing happened good or bad.
Please help.


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2) Put the chicken into another resealable 4L plastic bag and pound with the flat side of a meat tenderizer to a thickness of 1cm. Add the chicken to the marinade, mix well and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3) While the chicken is marinating, prepare the Asian mayonnaise. In a small, nonreactive bowl, combine all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.
4) Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Heat a large saute pan over a high heat and add 3 tbsp peanut oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes.
5) Once cooked through, remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm. To the same pan add the onion, carrots, pepper and pak choy and saute for 2 minutes longer.
6) Add in the mung bean sprouts, ginger and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
7) Spread each naan with Asian mayonnaise and top with some of the chicken satay saute. Roll and serve immediately.


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Pedestrian Accidents
Phoenix Pedestrian Injury Attorneys
Hundreds of pedestrians in Arizona are hit by cars and injured every year. These injuries can be very serious because they involve a collision between a motor vehicle and a person. Abels & Annes often represents people that have been injured in pedestrian collisions.
In our experience, most pedestrians are injured when drivers fail to pay attention to their surroundings. Motorists often keep a lookout for dangers to themselves, such as cars, trucks and buses, but then they don't watch for those that are most likely to get hurt, such as people on foot, bicyclists and motorcycle riders.
Phoenix pedestrian accidents occur when motorists are not careful in a variety of situations, such as:
- Not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks;
- Backing out of parking spaces in parking lots;
- Driving too fast in residential areas where there are children playing;
- Turning in a stop light intersection, and not keeping a look out for pedestrians rightfully in the crosswalk; and
- Driving while distracted, whether by texting, talking on the cell phone, or other distractions such as eating or drinking.
Although not as common, lawyers at our office have also handled pedestrian injury claims where motorists have lost control of their vehicles in driven up onto sidewalks and into houses and restaurants.
Arizona pedestrian accidents can result in back & neck injuries, fractures (broken bones) involving surgical repair, severe head trauma, and sometimes death.
In 2011, 154 pedestrians were killed, and 1,253 were injured, in crashes with vehicles according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that a pedestrian is injured in an accident every 8 minutes in the USA, and a pedestrian is killed every 113 minutes. In 2007, 4,654 pedestrian accidents resulted in death and around 70,000 were hurt.
Arizona law requires drivers to exercise due care to avoid hitting pedestrians, yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, use the horn to warn them when necessary, use proper precaution if they see a child in the road. But too often, drivers fail to take these necessary precautions and they cause accidents that should never have occurred. In the vast majority of pedestrian-related crashes, the fault does not fault on the pedestrian but rather is due to some type of negligence on the part of the driver. Often, multiple factors may lead to the negligent action, including driving while distracted, failing to check for pedestrian traffic before proceeding into an intersection, and speeding.
Passenger cars are not the only threat facing pedestrians who choose to walk in Phoenix and the surrounding cities. Additional dangers come from semi trucks, buses, vans, and trains. The increased presence of the light rail in Phoenix as well as the ever increasing truck traffic in the area has led to pedestrian accidents with those vehicles, crashes that were much less common in past decades. Regardless of what type of vehicle causes a pedestrian accident, there may be a claim for the damages incurred by the pedestrian if negligence was involved on the part of a driver, an owner of a car, truck, or train, or even by a mechanic who built or performed maintenance work on the vehicle involved.
Speaking with an injury lawyer is the best way to learn about your legal rights and your options following an accident, including whether you may have a valid claim for your injuries. When it comes to finding a lawyer, it is a good idea to deal with a firm that has experience representing the type of accident in which you were involved so that experience can be on your side.
At Abels & Annes, P.C., we have helped many clients who were victimized in pedestrian accidents and we have obtained numerous settlements on behalf of those clients. We are ready to fight just as hard for you. We will work to help you make a financial recovery for your pain and suffering, medical bills, time off work, disfigurement, loss of normal life, and any other loss sustained in the accident. After a crash leaves you injured, make sure you receive any relief to which you are entitled. Call us today and let us help you bring a claim for your damages now. There is no obligation on your part and the initial call is always free, so call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (855) 749-5299 or (602) 819-5191.
Pedestrian accident settlements reached by Abels & Annes:
$600,000 – Resolved heavily contested claim for pedestrian crossing at night an unmarked crosswalk.
$95,000 – Settled case out of court for pedestrian who was hit while in crosswalk.
$255,000 – Insurance policy limits settlement (plus medical payments) for pedestrian who sustained significant head injuries after being struck in the crosswalk by a left turning driver.
$95,000 – Resolved case for a pedestrian that was hit in a crosswalk by a speeding car that was passing stopped cars on the right in a parking lane.
$50,000 – Our client was struck by a vehicle as he stood in the street next to his disabled car. He incurred a deep cut on his leg in the claim resolved for the defendants insurance policy limits.
$40,000 – Plaintiff hit and injured by a vehicle while crossing in an unmarked crosswalk at a T-intersection.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Phoenix area pedestrian accident, please call us at (855) 749-5299 or Contact Us online for a free consultation.


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It's time to go home to Jesus
An animated gif of John C. Reilly saying "It's time to go home to Jesus. Goodbye buddy." before putting a pillow over somebody's head. This is from the movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, in which Reilly plays Cal Naughton.
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How to Use Hashtags for Social Media Campaigns
Unless you're living in the caves, you must have come across hashtags – the short links preceded by the pound sign (#) – on social media.
Although frequently misunderstood, Hashtags have become a vital component of social media. The widespread use of hashtags began with Twitter, but has spread to other social networks as well.
Having seen the potential of hashtags for boosting your social media marketing campaigns, it is important to ensure you use them correctly.
Hashtags can be used for different purposes. For instance, you can include a hashtag in a post for improving search ability. Hashtags are effective in tapping into trends, or even creating buzz and conversation regarding your company.
Speaking of boosting search ability, hashtags make things easy for users to sort through the vast information posted on social media networks. Using hashtags, you gain the ability to tap into trending, relevant conversations.
Let's discuss some ways in which you can effectively utilize hashtags.
Always Use Hashtags in Social Media Posts
Initially started with Twitter, hashtags are now widely used in all social media conversations.
If you're using hashtags to promote your business, follow the best practices for using them.
A hashtag can be anything ranging from a single word to abbreviations to a full phrase – but, bear in mind, there can be no spaces between the words in a hashtag. Also, you should not use punctuations or symbols in your hashtag except for the # symbol at the beginning.
Create Your Brand Specific Hashtag
You can always step outside the box and create your own hashtag, but make sure that the hashtag that you're using is actually unique.
No one is going to stop you from using a hashtag that has already been used, but you can run into several problems if you accidentally post a previously used hashtag. It might result in confusion among users who are already familiar with that hashtag in its previous context.
You could also draw negative attention if it previously used in relation to a sensitive topic.
Therefore, research thoroughly before creating and promoting your brand specific hashtag.
Leverage Trending Hashtags
In most cases, it might be a good idea to jump on the bandwagon and leverage the traffic generated by a trending hashtag.
By entering a discussion centered on a trending topic, you can generate great exposure for your brand. However, this technique can go horribly wrong if you are not careful in its usage.
First and foremost, you should make sure you clearly understand the subject and the underlying context of the hashtag. Never make assumptions. Research on how the hashtag is being used. Ensure that your content is relevant to the trending subject. Only then can you leverage the complete potential of the hashtag.
Track and Monitor the Performance
Hashtags can greatly help in driving engagement and exposure.
But if you don't manage your hashtags properly, you could lost out on tremendous marketing opportunities.
That said, there are numerous tools that can help you to organize and even track your hashtag. Among the most popular tools is Hashtagify.me. Using this tool, you can quickly view related hashtags as well as their popularity.
Tagboard is a useful tool to track the performance of hashtags and how well they're being used across networks.
Having a proper understanding of hashtag usage can help you to drive engagement while boosting exposure for your brand. Therefore start working on creating effective and powerful hashtags that will proper your brand exposure and generate leads.


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We Deliver FUN!
we are open year round * call us now (409) 779.7708
Southeast Texas' premier party rental company for every occasions. All of our inflatables are insured and inspected as required by the state of Texas. Funtime Inflatables party rentals are thoroughly cleaned and routinely maintained, guaranteeing safe and fun equipment for you!
We offer rentals for the following:
- Birthday Parties
- Family Celebrations
- Reunions
- School Events
- Church Functions
- Company Events
- Project Graduation Fundraisers
- Graduation Parties
rent one of our new units for tons of fun!!!


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Plan 14 days ahead and take the advantage of 15% savings, to connect you in the heart of the city, for business or leisure.
- 15% savings when you book 14 days in advance
- Daily Continental Breakfast
- Daily Housekeeping Service
- Complimentary Internet access
- Complimentary parking
- Scheduled shuttle service to selected shopping malls
- Offer is valid for bookings from 8 September until 31 December 2018.
- Rates quoted are subject to 6% Goods & Services Tax (GST).
- Offer requires a non-refundable full stay deposit.
- Confirmed bookings cannot be modified or cancelled.
- Subject to availability and not applicable in conjunction with any other promotions.
- Credit card used for online payment has to be presented upon check-in for verification purpose.
Check out Parkroyal Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur for more details about this offer and to book your accommodation now!


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Market Research and Analysis
MMCNV sets objectives to identify services and amenities which the market perceived to have value. Yacht Owners don't like to pay for amenities or services that they don't use. If they feel that the dockage rates are helping to support amenities, like a pool, which they do not use, then eventually the Yacht will move on. Crew must be made comfortable and have compelling reasons to endorse a location – a Key Consideration.
- Conducting market research to identify unmet needs that represent new development opportunities for the market.
- Identify if the project made economic sense and added value to the surrounding upland area.
- Improve the upland site ROI while adding the MROI.
- Clear identification of the capitol expense parameters for the development of the facility was critical to success.
- Solid Time Line for Development.
Strategic Market Planning
In a marina environment as in any business, Strategic marketing planning is a vital part of the process that the operational and managerial staff of a company go through to create and implement effective marketing strategies. Sadly, most marine related businesses overlook this step in any planning process and do not capitalize on the benefits and advantages.
Proceeding with a marina or resort marina development without setting the SMP process in motion is like building a yacht without a set of plans. Failure is a foregone conclusion.
The aspects that contribute to strategic marketing planning include:
- Identifying promotional opportunities and evaluating the marketing opportunities;
- Researching, analyzing and identifying the target markets;
- Developing a strategic position for the company to pursue along with how to implement the strategy;
- Preparation and implementation of the marketing plan;
- Measuring and evaluating the results of the marketing efforts of the company.
Once a strategic marketing plan is in place, the company can use the plan as a guide in conducting its daily business as well as making short-term and long-term decisions. Implementation of the strategic marketing plan typically leads companies to the tactical marketing portion of conducting business. The strategic marketing plan transitions into the company's plan for product and service development; the communication plan on how the company intends on promoting the business offerings; developing the sales plan; and finally putting together the customer service plan on how the company intends on interacting with current and potential customers.
The primary benefit of a strategic marketing plan is that it puts a written guide in place for a business to follow to reach its goals and objectives. The second major advantage of strategic marketing planning is that is allows the business to create and utilize consistent messaging internally and externally. Consistent messaging in marketing creates efficient companies because employees and customers understand what the company offers and how the company offers it. They work toward a common goal. Efficient companies typically see an increase in revenues and market share, while it sees a decrease in expenses. Ultimately, it all leads to an increase in company profitability.
MMCNV understands how the Strategic Market Planning process is tied to a new marina project and where the pitfalls and the jewels all lie. Having pre-developed successful plans in place which are a result of previous project experiences allows a simple and economical roll out to evolve. A roll out that will include all the elements a developer needs right out of the box.
Media Planning and Placement
Effective media plans don't happen by accident. The best media plans come from employing a disciplined approach to the entire media placement process. This process includes exhaustive media planning, negotiating low rates and "added-value", thoroughly auditing both the plans' execution and results and then reevaluating the media strategy to address opportunities for improvement. Media Management. While this includes "media buying", Media Management is a far more comprehensive approach to placing targeted advertising in successful focused Marine Related publications. Publications that attract the right clients – the yachting clients. Unfortunately, not all advertising agencies are equipped to provide this type of Marina & Yachting Media Management. While some ad agencies might produce great ads, they are limited in the experience or resources they have to commit to developing media plans that can maximize MROI (Marina Return on Investment). Moreover, while in-house media buyers may do an adequate job of negotiating rates and placing a schedule, they often have neither the planning experience nor the analytic tools necessary to be truly effective at measuring and optimizing the buys. As such, the media placement doesn't deliver the results it should. That's where MMCNV can help!
Marine Media Management, as practiced at MMCNV, involves four distinct steps. MMCNV's experience over the past 25 years is that employing this type of comprehensive approach lowers media costs and improves media results. Placing a media buy might sound simple, but creating and executing a Marine & Yachting Centric media plan that will reach the greatest number of target consumers… in the most effective way… and generating the most effective response… at the lowest possible cost takes hard work… much of which comes well after the media runs.
At MMCNV we understand the tactics, employ the experienced professionals and cover the waterfront. All to insure our clients success.
Marketing Positioning and Competitive Analysis
Marina Entrepreneurs and Yachting business people must constantly examine their competitors to provide greater customer value and satisfaction than them. A good marketing strategy is incomplete without a competitor analysis and businesses must make sincere efforts in gaining a strategic advantage against their competitors in today's market. It's not enough to launch new products with the latest features and technologies; businesses must position their offerings strongly against the competition to make an impact in the minds of the end-users.
To do this, business owners must not only understand their own strengths and weaknesses but also of the competitor's. This is where competitor analysis comes into play and if you are the owner of a small business or a start-up, you should ensure to have a competitive marketing strategy in place. A good business strategy goes a long way. The process of understanding who your competitors are, their marketing strategies, the strengths and weaknesses of their products or services in comparison to yours so as to improve your marketing plan is called competitor analysis. It helps you understand the uniqueness of your product or service thereby giving you a definite advantage in attracting the target customers. A competitive analysis is a critical part of a company's marketing plan and must compare the firm's size and industry position with respect to that of its competitors. Based on this comparison, certain strategies can be adopted to reap greater benefits from the overall brand marketing efforts.
MMCNV has compiled and maintains extensive information data banks of every marina and resort facility built in the last 20 years. We draw from these resources to support our clients and their projects as an added service.
Customer Relationship Management
Customer relationship management (CRM) is an approach to managing a company's interaction with current and future customers. The CRM approach tries to analyze data about customers' history with a company, in order to better improve business relationships with customers, specifically focusing on retaining customers, in order to drive sales growth.
One important aspect of the CRM approach is the systems of CRM that compile information from a range of different channels, including a company's website, telephone, email, live chat, marketing materials, social media, and more.
Through the CRM approach and the systems used to facilitate CRM, businesses learn more about their target audiences and how to best cater to their needs. However, the adoption of the CRM approach may also occasionally lead to favoritism within an audience of consumers, leading to dissatisfaction among customers and defeating the purpose of CRM.
The main components of CRM are building and managing customer relationships through marketing, observing relationships as they mature through distinct phases, managing these relationships at each stage and recognizing that the distribution of value of a relationship to the firm is not homogenous. When building and managing customer relationships through marketing, firms might benefit from using a variety of tools to help organizational design, incentive schemes, customer structures, and more to optimize the reach of its marketing campaigns. Through the acknowledgement of the distinct phases of CRM, businesses will be able to benefit from seeing the interaction of multiple relationships as connected transactions. The final factor of CRM highlights the importance of CRM through accounting for the profitability of customer relationships. Through studying the particular spending habits of customers, a firm may be able to dedicate different resources and amounts of attention to different types of consumers.
Event Planning and Public Relations
Well thought out and creative "out of the box" marketing and promotion plans focused upon introducing new customers to your facility while retaining existing members. Special events based upon fun, and family centered ways to enjoy and participate in the boating lifestyle. From sailing regattas, to world class sport fishing tournaments broadcast on live TV, and rendezvous with the occasional event thrown in for fun, we know how to have a good time on and around the water.
Full Marketing and Sales Representation
Most closely-held business owners became successful by doing what they do best, running their business; they are actively involved in the day-to-day operations of their company and their expertise lies in dealing with customers, employees, inventory and the challenges that come with running a business. MMCNV is successful because realizing the maximum value for your years of hard work, is what we do best. We can manage the entire acquisition process for you, so that you can continue to focus on the day-to-day operations of your business, which must be maintained during the sale process.
Sell Side Representation – Whether exploring a sale in the near term or implementing a strategic plan over a longer term horizon of one to five years, business sale can present great opportunities for business owners to grow or retire from their company. MMCNV helps develop the best course of action to maximize ultimate sale price in order to guarantee the promised future for both the business owner and ongoing operations of the selling company.
Buy Side Representation – In a growing economy, expanding your business may be the best option to increase market share and revenues. Growth through acquisition presents opportunity to achieve higher profitability through existing customers, revenues and established brand equity. MMCNV helps business owners narrow down and approach acquisition targets and navigate the due diligence process to ensure the best possible outcome for the future of the company.
The business sale process can be extremely complex, and sometimes the smallest of details can mean a substantial difference in the net proceeds to you as the seller: It's not just the price, but the terms of the transaction that can make this difference. MMCNV has the experience and applied knowledge to ensure your business sale is managed and negotiated correctly.
There are many large, corporate brokerage firms to choose from; they will have multi-member teams with seemingly impressive credentials and they will manage numerous acquisitions at a time, spanning several different industries.
They may also charge large upfront retainer and/or valuation fees and may not have the industry knowledge, contacts, dedication or focus needed to successfully negotiate YOUR business sale.
MMCNV however is a specialized boutique firm with specific experience related to the marina and resort industry. We have "corporate" experience, a large qualified and diverse buyer network, and proven results and, we guarantee a very personalized turn-key service.
Web Site Design and Positioning
Our services combine together to provide an holistic approach to waterfront facilities. Our team of web experts help you from stage one of branding to the final stages of launch and marketing. Our design team will present sketches, creative ideas and even 3D renders to bring your vision to life. Our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) team runs market research, and begins to analyzing data for your market. This is how potential users will begin to find you on Google, Yahoo, and Bing! We also offer Social media setup, design and integration with your website. All our sites are full responsive, meaning they work on all devices, all the time. We also offer professional photography and videography.
For further information or to make an appointment to discuss your requirements, please contact Jeff D Boyd by email or call +721-545-2500


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1972 MG B Roadster (SOLD)
Click to enlarge
Excellent rust free body/floors/chassis, very good black paint. 55,000 actual verified miles since new.. Just had $7,000+ worth of work....complete engine rebuilt, transmission services, brakes redone, new hubs, on and on. And now....a gorgeous MGB,
Our tests: 170-180 psi compression in every cylinder, no smoke cold or hot, 60+ psi oil pressure when warm. Al 'factory perfect.' And indicating high compression pistons for more power and torque.
All new tan interior, new top, new wood dashboard, carpeted trunk with spare wheel cover, stereo/CD, wire wheels with new hubs,wheel bearings, and new chrome knock offs, wood steering wheel, oil cooler with new Aeroquip line and pressure fittings and thermostatic control, twin SUs, AND..........has perfect working overdrive. With a new o'drive solenoid.
Really hard to beat a Spring/Summer/Fall car such as this.....105mph top speed, easy cruising (especially with overdrive) at 80-90 mph, economical, great handling, ride, steering, shifting, and easy to service and maintain. And still with the capacity for all year 'round use.....heaters are adequate, tops fit well and we have plenty of hardtops we can offer for any of the MGBs we have for sale.
We have checked over this car, pads and shows look good, all fluids changed or topped up, front end is tight, wiring looks good, has an expensive Mallory coil and dual point distributor, interior light works, and it runs and drives very well.
And ready for 'round town, daily use, country roads, or longer distance touring.


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Since 2007, Manchester Science Festival has been a place for innovative, surprising and meaningful experiences, where people of all ages can ignite their curiosity in science.
Every year, we have welcomed over 130,000 visitors to events around Manchester City Centre and across Greater Manchester.
Taking a break in 2019
Since 2007, the Manchester Science Festival has grown in size and scope to become the largest science festival of its kind in the country. 2018 was an incredible year for the festival, with more events and partners than ever before.
Producing and curating the hundreds of events that make up the festival each year is a massive undertaking, and so we made the decision to pause for a year in 2019 to allow the team to reflect on past festivals and review how to make the most of our successes before starting work on the 2020 festival.
We have a very clear ambition to build on the success and impact of the Manchester Science Festival and we are looking forward to sharing this exciting journey with you. We hope you'll join us in 2020 to celebrate the return of the Manchester Science Festival for its 13th year.
To be the first to recieve future Manchester Science Festival announcements, sign up to our newsletter.
Discover more
The Josh Award
The Josh Award is the UK's national award in STEM communication, established to recognise and encourage talented practitioners who are in the early stages of their professional career, to pursue innovation and creativity in science communication and engagement.
Supporters and sponsors
Information about our supporters, sponsors and everyone else who has helped make Manchester Science Festival a success each year.
Festival blog posts
Take a peek behind the scenes at Manchester Science Festival on our blog, covering everything from cyborgs to Sellotape, from brewing beer to beat boxing.


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A while back I got a letter from the Lib Dems telling me "Trident will not be renewed this parliament - not on a Liberal Democrat watch".
This ran though my mind today as I watched Defence Secretary Liam Fox stand up in parliament to pronounce 'thunderbirds are go' on the next phase of building a replacement for Trident.
It's not the full replacement mind – just £3bn worth. Just some nuclear reactors, a bit of steel for the hull, the electrics, bits of the combat system…and only for three submarines…
And in the small print of today's announcement the MoD admit that these submarines are going to cost not £11-14bn, but a stonking £25bn. (Download MoD pdf document, see section 6.1)
The government's spin doctors are apparently at great pains to say this isn't an increase in the actual cost of the project. It's inflation. Yeees well back in 1960 you could probably get a lovely detached house for £5,000 but that is kind of irrelevant…its 2011 and given all the cutbacks we are all pretty interested in what things actually cost!
So did we see another Lib Dem commitment fall today?
The other main announcement was that there's going to be an 18-month assessment into whether there are any alternatives to Trident replacement. Interestingly the study will report jointly to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. So looks like the real test of whether the Lib Dems really do have some influence on this issue is yet to happen. Will Nick Clegg yet intervene and ensure he keeps his election promise?


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Letterkenny Credit Union Art Competition
For this year's Letterkenny Art competition 2015/2016 students were asked to produce a piece of artwork based on the theme given "Happiness is…"
Mrs. Crossan had a number of winners (pictured) from her class who submitted a piece for the competition.
• Catherine Boyce was a winner again this year, picking up the overall prize in the 14-17 age category. Her entry will now go on to the Ulster heat for All Ireland selection.
• Ryan Lynch was second in the 14- 17 age Special Category.
• Jack Doyle was third in the 11- 13 age category.
Congratulations to all of the winners who received prize money for their work.
The Bar of Ireland:
TY Programme
Congratulations to Nazar Dorrian who has been selected by The Bar of Ireland to spend a week at the Bar in February.
Nazar will spend a full week in February in Dublin where he will: watch trials; visit King's Inn, the Four Courts and the Criminal Courts of Justice; hear talks by a sitting judge and a court garda; and take part in mock trials with other students and barristers.
Ulster Senior B Final
Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair 4-2 Errigal College, Letterkenny (a.e.t.)
This was the final result in what was a fascinating Ulster Senior B Final played in Gweedore on Tuesday 19th of January.
The Errigal College team managed by Mr McMenamin, were 2-1 up with only a minute remaining, only to have Odhrán McFadden score following a corner. Then, in extra-time, two penalties from substitute Sean Ó Fearraigh – one in either period – sealed the win.
It was a bruising and absorbing encounter in which the lads pushed hard right until the final whistle.,
Errigal College, Letterkenny: Ciaran Cleary; Paddy Sharpe, Conor Quill (Conor Faul 91), Kalvin McCormick, Jerry Obi (Gabriel Aduaka, 91); Sean Cleary, Kyle Sylvia, Kealan O'Donnell, Gary Steen; Igor Arriel, Emmanual Okorali.
First in Donegal
Errigal College has become the first school in Co. Donegal to implement the daily Health and Wellbeing programme which is part of the new "Framework for Junior Cycle.
First years spend 30 minutes every morning doing a series of active fun exercises and games.
The programme is based on creating a positive attitude towards a healthy active life, teaching the students about the effects of healthy eating and exercise. It aims at targeting three core areas of wellbeing: activity, nutrition and mental health.
The course was launched in Errigal College by Mr Donncha Gallagher, HSE. He told the students about the importance of healthy eating, and being aware of the hidden sugar content in all foods. One of Errigal College's SNAs, Mrs Mary Stewart commented that "The information was hugely important. The effects of sugar on behaviour was very revealing!"
LYIT students are also involved in this programme. They will monitor the ongoing fitness levels of the students, and health benefits at regular intervals.
Young Social Innovators
Transition year students are currently working on their Young Social Innovators project. The Young Social Innovators competition involves choosing a social concern and completing actions to combat the concern.
The students decided to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for those from different countries who do not have English as their first language.
They carried out a survey to find out the different languages that are spoken in our school and created a database for teachers and students.
They are creating a wallet sized card for teachers with "Hello, How are you?" in different languages and a place-mat for each classroom with phrases that a student may need to use. The phrases will be translated into a variety of different languages. This is a positive step in inclusion for all those without English as their first language in the school.
Errigal College has been at the forefront when it comes to welcoming and including students whose first language is not English. Errigal College is one of the first schools in Donegal to have an EAL policy as part of its overall school plan.
Leaving Cert Study Skills
Leaving Cert students are currently availing of a study skills class once a week in school. The purpose of the class is to guide students with their study and introduce them to various study techniques. Career's teacher Donna Mc Gowan and English teacher Katie Mulhern are delivering the class.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Donegal Live editorial team any time. To contact Donegal Democrat and Donegal People's Press, email firstname.lastname@example.com To contact Donegal Post, email firstname.lastname@example.com To contact Inish Times, email firstname.lastname@example.com.
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The Perfect Boracay Hideaway
Hotel Soffia Boracay Location
Hotel Address:
Sitio Hagdan, Brgy. Yapak
Boracay Island
Malay, Aklan, 5608
Location Information:
This Boracay Island hotel offers you the best of both worlds: a quiet retreat from and easy accessibility to the pulsating atmosphere of one of the finest beaches on the planet. This Mediterranean-style hotel is about an hour from Caticlan Airport and a 2-hour travel from Kalibo Airport.
Hotel Soffia Boracay is located on the hilltop of Hagdan Yapak, you are treated to a spectacular 360-degree view of the island any time of the day.
But if you wish to have a feel of the fun and adventure, this hotel in Boracay, Philippines provides shuttle services to take you to White Beach, Puka Beach, and Balinghai Beach — at the very least, you're 5 minutes away. There are also free shuttle services to D'Mall Budget Mart that leave every hour, so you won't have to miss out on anything when at this Boracay Island hotel.


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Game Informer Cover : Destiny 2 Forsaken
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Sheltered Thicket
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The Last City - Occupied Temple
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The Last City - Ruined City
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Well in Swamp
Milky Well
Waterway concept for Nessus in Destiny 2.
Nessus Landing Zone in Destiny 2.
Crashed Colony Ship in Nessus.
Gravity Effects on Nessus in Destiny 2
The Cradle in IO
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Iron Temple
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Prospector Grenade Launcher in Destiny 2
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Hydro Dam in EDZ
Felwinter's Peak Cliffside
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Survivor's Camp @ CTN Expo 2015
Griffin Lair
Composition Sketches
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Process of Research Lab design
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Crash Site of ARK
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