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Phone: +44 (0)1638 661434
Fax: +44 (0)1638 668107
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Onwards and upwards ...
At least it's dry this morning with no wind, but the forecast is for it to turn colder, and I mean a lot colder, towards the weekend and into next week. The wind direction will be coming from Siberia and ice and snow is forecast well into March, so don't put your warm clothes away yet. I am sure the bulbs, which have been pushing their leaves up through the ground, will be taking a pull until the warmer weather arrives. We have the same number of staff in this morning with only the one non-runner through illness and we have got on really well cantering on the polytracks on Racecourse Side. I know I keep saying it but I think we have got a lot of really nice horses and all they need to do is stay healthy and for me to place them right for us to have a good year.
We had another new foal last night. Azure Mist started showing signs at lunchtime yesterday and at around 8.45 last night she finally produced a colt foal by Bated Breath. A good dark strong foal with a bit of white on his face, he was soon up and sucking and both mother and son are doing well. Our stud groom, David, is a most brilliant foaler and deserves all the praise we can give him. That is now three on the ground, but we should have quite a few more in the next week or so.
I commented on Monday on the cleanliness of the sampling boxes at Ascot and how it hadn't been mucked out, well in the Dikler piece of the Racing Post today, it looks like Towcester is not far behind. On arrival at the track a certain lucky box was asked for by the stable employee, but when having a look in box 85, they discovered it had not been mucked out and there was still feed stuff on the floor. I just don't know what is going on and until the authorities gets to grip with this situation, there can be no responsibility for the trainer when unlawful substances are found. All racecourses must have an inspection and disinfection policy for their stable yards, but I am sure this is not the case. We in England are supposed to be the best in the world and compared with most countries we are, but with so much racing we cannot afford to drop our standards.
© Mark Tompkins 2018 | Powered by GFM


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What sort of values would an organization have to venerate if it wanted to duplicate Apple's successes?
– Gary Hamel, What Matters Now
For months now I've been circling Apple like a moth around a flame, and have now taken the plunge:
As Vision Room Curator, I will be working off of a MacBook Pro.
As if the Auxano learning curve weren't enough, I am also transitioning from decades of PC use to the world of Apple. I'll have to get back to you on how it's going, but for now, a quick drop-in to noted business thinker and strategist Gary Hamel's thoughts on Apple from his book What Matters Now.
Specifically, his answers to the question above.
Be Passionate – great success is the product of a great passion; it arises from the tireless and inventive pursuit of a noble ideal. To deliver years of exceptional performance, an organization must first dedicate itself to the pursuit of an exceptional ideal.
Lead, Don't Follow – what gets the teams at Apple up every morning? The chance to break new ground and radically redefine the status quo.
Aim to Surprise – as a company, Apple seems committed to exceeding expectations. Jonathan Ives, Apple's head of design, stated "When something exceeds your ability to understand how it works, it becomes sort of magical." That's the bar Apple sets for itself.
Be Unreasonable – greatness doesn't come from compromise, from resigning oneself to the trade-offs others blithely accept. It comes from transcending trade-offs, by turning either/or into both/and. Apple gets this, and frequently challenges itself to do the impossible.
Innovate Incessantly and Pervasively – at Apple, innovation isn't a strategy or a department; instead, it's the basic material that goes into everything the company does. Apparently there are a lot of people at Apple who realize that innovation – in products, services, and business models – is the only strategy for creating long-term value.
Sweat the Details – Apple aims to produce products that work intuitively, seamlessly, and reliably – and this can only happen when hundreds of people take the trouble to sweat the details.
Think Like an Engineer, Feel Like an Artist – a company can't produce beauty if bean counters win every argument. There are lots of people at Apple who work out of both sides of their brain – and understand that their customers do too.
What's the bottom line? Apple's unique success is a product of its unique values, which are uniquely innovation-friendly and customer-centric.
What if Apple's passions were the norm rather than the exception…
…at your church?

subset: commoncrawl


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Late goal earns Quarriers a draw
Kiama Quarriers FC travelled to Keith Bond Oval to meet Oak Flats Falcons on Saturday.
First grade coach James Spence -bouyed by a 2-0 home victory over Wests Illawarra in his side's last league fixture and a pulsating 4-3 victory at Fernhill in the Bert Bampton Cup on Tuesday -was without injured central midfielder Todd Wade so decided on a midfield pairing of Aaron Buzinki and Jacob Lester.
The back four consisted of the familiar quartet of Kane Rowe, Chris Hill, Dean Land and Daniel Gillespie, while Dylan McDonald retained his place in goals. Chris Christodoulou and Jesse Annen started on the wings, and James Donlon and Keegan Beringer spearheaded the strike force.
The opening twenty minutes were fiercely contested but Kiama lacked the craft to breach the experienced Oak Flats defence. Kiama did find the net in the 40th minute after Buzinki met Christodoulou's corner from the left flank with a bullet header. However, referee John Ruscica ruled the goal out for a seemingly innocuous foul in the penalty area.
19-year-old Lester was dangerous in midfield and Donlon held the ball up well but Kiama could not find a breakthrough in the first half and the scores remained 0-0 at half time.
It was Oak Flats who opened the scoring early in the second half. Kiama failed to prevent a dangerous cross coming in from the right flank and midfielder Christian Cappetta nodded past the sprawling McDonald to make it 1-0 to the hosts.
Kiama piled the pressure on Oak Flats and Land's move into central midfield added thrust to their attacking movements. Daniel Swinton came on to play on the right flank while Lester and Annen looked to beguile the Oak Flats defence with their trickery.
The breakthrough finally came with less than ten minutes remaining after Oak Flats goalkeeper Chris Jarman could only parry Buzinki's shot to Lester, who unleashed an unstoppable half volley from 18 metres past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Kiama finished the match stronger and had further chances through Buzinki and Land but the match ended 1-1.
Earlier in the day, Jason Perinich's youth grade side fought hard but let themselves down after conceding a 90th minute goal and losing 1-0 to the young Falcons. Phillip Bitterlin was immense in goals for the Quarriers and saved a second half penalty.
Neil Spence's reserve grade side also fell to a late goal but were incredibly unlucky to lose 2-1. Falcons midfielder Brady Eagleton opened the scoring after their seemed to be a foul on goalkeeper Dean Beichert. Daniel Swinton levelled matters early in the second half with a sharp left-footed shot that evaded the Oak Flats goalkeeper.
Elegant striker Jye Marks suffered a nasty knee injury and had to be withdrawn after Spence had made all three substitutions so his side played with ten men for over 20 minutes. They eventually succumbed to a late headed goal from former Quarriers player Daniel Pisani.
Kiama host Balgownie Rangers at the Quarry on Saturday.
This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.


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In the early stages of turnaround the right support is necessary to create financial stability, access cash flow and identify other means of improving short-term liquidity.
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A liquidity review assess the financial position of the business, it reviews management forecasts and the viability of the business over the short and medium term. It examines the key drivers behind cash flow forecasts, assesses the liquidity of business operations and identifies future funding requirements.
We can provide a full report of the Company's financial position, together with advice and recommendations to stakeholders, lenders and directors on the key issues providing both short term and longer term strategic planning for your business.
Cash and Working Capital Review
This can assist with negotiations with key creditors and facilitate an enhanced on-going relationship with lenders and other stakeholders, by identifying areas where your business can improve its working capital requirement, either through:
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- By accelerating receivables collection.
For further information, please contact one of our Partners who will be able to assist you.


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MidAmerican Energy Company Powering Economic Growth
MidAmerican Energy Company has a local service center in Ottumwa and provides natural gas to area residents and businesses. But the company does a lot more than serve Ottumwa's energy needs.
MidAmerican Energy is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. It provides service to 770,000 electric customers and 751,000 natural gas customers in a 10,600-square mile area in Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska.
The utility is also working to fuel economic growth. Through MidAmerican Energy's local partners program, it teams up with economic development groups in its service areas, providing professional assistance and resources.
"We help communities identify growth needs and work with them on strategic planning," explains Debra Calvert, MidAmerican Energy's business and community development manager.
When Ottumwa leaders realized several years ago they were running out of available properties, MidAmerican Energy was part of a consulting team that was put together by the Ottumwa Economic Development Corporation (OEDC) to identify properties for development.
The team also included Alliant Energy and the Ottumwa Public Works Department. Each brought pieces of information together to help the Helgerson Flats Industrial Center become a certified site.
The 82-acre parcel is scheduled to become certified by the Iowa Economic Development Authority by October 2018. Having a certified site is a boon for a region because it makes it much more competitive when it comes to attracting industry.
MidAmerican Energy assisted OEDC with an analysis that helped identify target industries such as warehousing, logistics and ag-based manufacturing for the site. It also helped with website funding and is planning to assist with site visits, either by meeting with site selectors in person or providing information for requests for proposals.
The company also works closely with existing Iowa businesses. Through its executive call program, it meets annually with business leaders to learn about their challenges and ensure companies are taking advantage of available resources and energy efficiency programs.
When Plastipak Packaging was looking at locating a plant in Ottumwa, MidAmerican Energy was there to help identify the company's gas load and ensure there was adequate capacity and infrastructure in place.
The company is committed to becoming more sustainable and pledges to move beyond coal-fueled energy. Its investments in wind generation are helping it reach its goal to generate 100 percent of its electricity for Iowa customers from renewable sources.
In addition, MidAmerican Energy's new commercial construction program helps customers design more energy-efficient buildings and offers them incentives for doing so.
Visit the company's website to learn more.
Ottumwa, IA 52501


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Out of all the talented juniors of that generation, Gasquet was The One.
More flamboyant than Novak Djokovic, who is just under a year younger. More explosive than Andy Murray, with whom he will resume an old rivalry on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday afternoon.
So what do we make of Gasquet's achievements since he turned professional? By any normal standards, he should be considered a roaring success, with a world ranking of 20 and career earnings of £4 million already. But in the world of tennis, where Murray is often painted as a failure despite a tally of 22 career titles, the bar is set frighteningly high.
As a player, Gasquet has never quite achieved the glories envisioned for him when he ruled the junior ranks. And as a personality, the cherub has grown into a somewhat saturnine, distant figure, a man who has been quietly dumped from France's Davis Cup squad after failing to bond with his team-mates.
There is still no one better to watch when he is in full flow. Gasquet's single-handed backhand is one of the most glorious sights in sport. The question is whether he has the resolve to scrap his way past the fourth round of a grand slam — something he has managed only once in 29 attempts.
It is possible that fitness could be an issue too. While the debate over Murray's back spasms dominated the tennis proceedings on Thursday evening, Gasquet and Grigor Dimitrov also made a few news bulletins after fighting out a lung-bursting 38-shot rally. Dimitrov was promptly struck down by such excruciating cramp that he crawled on both knees to his chair, while Gasquet vomited on the court.
"I saw it," said Murray, when asked about the significance of that extraordinary point. "I said in the middle of the rally that I thought that point might decide the match, and it pretty much did. Obviously I'll try to extend the rallies as much as I can."
Murray may have lost to Gasquet in Rome last month, while restricted by his ongoing back issues. But since surviving the near-defeat experience of his physical breakdown against Jarkko Nieminen, he claims to be feeling better than he has for months.
Would he suffer in the same way, if exposed to a minute-long rally? "I would hope not," Murray replied. "In practice you try to replicate stuff you might do in a match. Points like that can be hard to come back from but you hope you are conditioned well enough to deal with it."
In their previous grand slam meetings, Murray has twice outlasted Gasquet, coming back to overturn two-set deficits and steal a win in the end. There was also a more straightforward outing at Wimbledon last year, where he dominated from the outset and came through in almost exactly two hours.
This time, though, there will be a hostile, 15,000-strong crowd to battle as well as Gasquet's virtuoso ball-striking gifts. What a contrast from the junior tournaments these two used to contest as four-foot tall wannabes.
Possible route to final
Richard Gasquet (last 16) The Frenchman beat Murray in their last encounter in Rome last month and their games tend to be hard-fought affairs – most notably the epic under the Wimbledon roof in 2008.
David Ferrer (quarter-final) A clay-court specialist who made Mikhail Youzhny look so foolish in their game on Saturday, the Russian wrote "sorry" to his fans in the clay. Arguably the best of those outside the 'big four'.
Rafael Nadal (semi-final) The Spaniard is nigh-on unbeatable on this surface, having only lost one match in Paris – to Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009. Boasts a 13-5 career win advantage over Murray.
Novak Djokovic (final) If Murray does produce a minor miracle and defeat Nadal, the small matter of Djokovic, his conqueror in the last two Australian Opens, most likely awaits on Sunday.


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How Can Tile Flooring Benefit Your Home?
Category : Home Flooring
You ought to consider installing stone and tile flooring if you would like to transform the appearance of your dwelling. Tile is
Tile is perfect for high-traffic areas like your kitchen as it's very durable. Further, it has been the time-tested traditional alternative for kitchens and bathrooms equally. Installing stylish tile on your entryway is a powerful approach to produce a lasting first impression on your visitors.
With all these sorts of tile to select from, it can be tricky to narrow it down to a pick. It's crucial to install tile correctly to make it look fantastic and will last its whole lifetime. It is possible to also install tile in regions of your house like laundry rooms, entryways, and your basement. It's normal to see tile installed in kitchens and bathrooms since they are simple to clean. Porcelain and ceramic tiles are unique as they may be set up in various places around your house.
Since tiles are a breeze to wash and arrive in moisture resistant choices, they are normally installed in kitchens and baths. Once secured to the ground, it gets quite durable and is easy to clean. Generally, backsplash tile is smaller and not as durable than flooring tile, but it's more design-focused. Just like tile flooring, it is easy to clean and simple to take care of. It follows styles and comes in a variety of styles you can choose from.
Flooring sets the mood for the whole space and home and isn't often changed, meaning your choice is critical. Tile flooring was observed in all sorts of homes for years due to its versatility. Employing commercial tile flooring is also low-cost approach to customize the appearance of your space.
Therefore, any sort of flooring will appear great in the outdoors provided that you have given it enough thought and made a space it is possible to call your own masterpiece. Tile flooring is fast gaining in popularity among homeowners due to the easy care and endurance. It's a durable, stylish, and affordable flooring solution for your residence. It's easy to maintain and will last a lifetime with regular care. Properly installed tile flooring will endure for several years to come. Tile Flooring provides an extensive number of ceramic and porcelain tiles, together with decorative accents that may create a one of a kind personal appearance.
Tile gives a natural and timeless appearance to your house. It is a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms because of its resistance to moisture and heat and because of how easy it is to care for. It has been a top choice among homeowners when it comes to durability and classic style. Ceramic tile is a pure product comprising clay, a range of other naturally occurring minerals and water. Because of this, it is considered a permanent alternative. Ceramic floor tiles are known to be quite versatile.
Tile is among the most highly desirable flooring materials on the current market, which makes it a exceptional selection for the two homes and companies. Tiles come in a huge range of fashions and sizes and they last for several years are simple to wash. Unglazed tile doesn't show wear and tear is slip resistant, so therefore it is most useful in regions with high traffic. It can create the perfect effect for a variety of natural looking themes.
Tile enables you to be creative and make your own customized layout. It can be tricky to install. Despite the fact that it is a popular kitchen and toilet alternative, tile can be set up in other places around your home including outside. Ceramic tiles are offered in a wide selection of colours, size and designs for a variety of rates. Ceramic and porcelain tiles are stylish and long-lasting, together with easy to keep.


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Netflix Exploring Its Options in Response to Consumer Backlash, Hasn't Ruled Out Price Cuts
Posted on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 by Angie Han
Over the past few months, the seemingly untouchable Netflix has been dragged down by a couple of big fat blunders. First, the pricing model change lost the company a projected one million customers and sent stock prices dropping; then, in an effort to (somehow?) smooth over the situation, Netflix hastily introduced Qwikster and instead managed to only further irritate consumers and shareholders alike. It's clear that Netflix needs to do something to turn their fortunes around at this point, or risk becoming the next AOL or MySpace.
But what, exactly? Netflix CFO David Wells recently offered some insight into the various possibilities the company is currently exploring in reaction to the backlash. More details after the jump.
During the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference this week, Wells stated that while he hadn't completely dismissed the idea of price cuts, he did not believe such a move would fix the company's problems. "At this point, we're going to step back and look at a number of things," he said. "But lowering prices, or offering a discount for three or six months, is a little bit of kicking the can down the road. It's certainly in the realm of possibility, but I don't think its going to win back the customers that we lost."
Another potential move would be to introduce an a la carte plan to complement the current subscription model. However, according to Wells, a la carte VOD isn't high on the list of Netflix priorities. "What we said traditionally about VOD was it was a low-margin business that complicates (our) simplicity," he explained. Nevertheless, "[i]n today's evolving and changing world, we'll look at a number of different options."
Wells also said that Netflix is reconsidering one aspect of the Qwikster/Netflix split that had consumers especially peeved: the decision to totally separate queues for the two services. Members planning to subscribe to both services complained that managing two queues would be an added hassle, as they would have to rebuild their lists and re-enter their movie ratings for the recommendation system.
Although Netflix's current woes stemmed largely from a failure to predict consumer reactions, Wells stressed that he didn't want to go too far in the opposite direction and take too much stock in angry comments on blogs and on social media. Wells (rightly) pointed out that upset customers could just be more inclined to speak up, meaning that their views may not necessarily be representative of most customers'.
At this point, I'm not sure what Netflix could do to restore its public image. A price cut, while tempting, actually doesn't seem like the wisest course if it means Netflix will only have to raise fees again in another several months. The a la carte component sounds intriguing, but Wells doesn't sound terribly interested in developing it. Integrating the Netflix and Qwikster queues seems like an obvious win, but probably won't go that far in smoothing things over. It's also conceivable, of course, that Netflix won't end up doing anything at all — that it'll weigh their options and decide that staying the course is the way to go. So…
Discuss: What do you think Netflix should do? (Short of building a time machine to take them back to this past spring to talk some sense into their past selves, I mean.) Or do you think they'll just stick with the original plan?


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Drawing Studio: Winter 2019 5-Week Course
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
Instructor: Michael Budzisz
All drawing levels welcome. In this class we'll work on creating drawings from still life, plaster casts, or reference photos. Learn and develop your abilities in composition, proportion, and rendering with artist and instructor Michael Budzisz. All dry mediums welcome. Basic materials are provided, or bring your own supplies if you prefer. Class meets once a week for five weeks. Ages 12 & up. Cost is $165 (includes materials)
Thursday afternoons from 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm, Jan. 24th – Feb. 21st. – OR – Wednesday evenings from 6 pm – 8:30 pm, Jan. 23rd – Feb. 20th.
Local News
Overnight lane closures on I-66 for demolition at Route 123 and Waples Mill Road overpass this week, Jan. 27-Feb. 1
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
Demolition of the current ramp from I-66 West to Route 123 (Chain Bridge Road) South, and partial demolition of the Waples Mill Road bridge over I-66 will require overnight lane closures on I-66 East and West between Blake Lane and Monument Drive starting Monday, Jan. 27, through Saturday, Feb. 1.
Demolition of the Waples Mill Road bridge over I-66 will begin as early as tonight, Monday, Jan. 27. Demolition of the Route 123 flyover ramp is planned to begin Wednesday night, Jan. 29. Demolition activities for both bridges are anticipated to last approximately three weeks.
Details include:
Monday, Jan. 27, through Thursday, Jan. 30
I-66 West from Blake Lane to Route 50
• A single lane will close at 9 p.m.
• Three lanes will close by 11 p.m. for overhead bridge demolition at Waples Mill Road and the Route 123 ramp (begins Wednesday, Jan. 29).
• Drivers should expect occasional 20-minute stoppages between midnight and 4 a.m.
• All lanes will open by 5 a.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, and Thursday, Jan 30
I-66 East from Monument Drive to Route 123
• A single lane will close by 9 p.m.
• Two lanes will close by 10 p.m. for overhead bridge demolition at Waples Mill Road.
• Traffic approaching Route 123 will be diverted to the collector-distributor lane on the right.
• Drivers should expect occasional 20-minute stoppages between midnight and 4 a.m.
• All lanes will open by 5 a.m.
Friday, Jan. 31
I-66 East from West Ox Road to Route 123
• A single lane will close at 9 p.m.
• Three lanes will close by 11 p.m. for overhead bridge demolition at Waples Mill Road and Route 123.
• Drivers should expect occasional 20-minute stoppages between midnight and 4 a.m.
• All lanes will open by 9 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1
I-66 East from Monument Drive to Waples Mill Road
• A single lane will close by 9 p.m.
• Two lanes will close by 10 p.m. for overhead bridge demolition at Waples Mill Road.
• Drivers should expect occasional 20-minute stoppages between midnight and 4 a.m.
• All lanes will open by 9 a.m.
The Waples Mill Road bridge over I-66 is being rebuilt to provide room for future mass transit as part of the Transform 66 Outside the Beltway Project. This work is being done in phases in order to maintain traffic on Waples Mill Road throughout demolition and reconstruction.
The current ramp from I-66 West to Route 123 South is being demolished to allow construction of new ramps for the redesigned I-66/Route 123 Interchange, to include Express Lanes access to and from the east and west.
All work is weather dependent and will be rescheduled if inclement conditions occur.
Community Events
'Burns' Night' celebrated with haggis, peeps and tatties by kilted crowd at Virginia Beer Museum
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
More than a hundred people, many dressed in Scottish plaid, jammed into the Virginia Beer Museum on historic Chester Street in downtown Front Royal Saturday night to celebrate the birthday of a far away and late-lamented Scottish poet, Robert Burns, who lived and died in the 18th century.
Bagpipes skirled, poetry was read, tartan kilts were the dress of the evening, and a haggis – sheep's entrails cooked in the animal's stomach – was eaten (by some), along with peeps and tatties (mashed turnip and potatoes). All was washed down with "wee drams" of Scotch whiskey, accompanied by many a toast to the Bard of Scotland.
The event this year – owner David Downes launched the local Burns' Night celebration in Front Royal three years ago – fell precisely on the poet's birthday, January 25 (1759). A Scottish flag hanging outside the museum's front entrance proclaimed the Burns night event.
From the official 6 p.m. start of the event, the crowd inside and out – a bonfire burned merrily in back of 16 Chester Street – was kept entertained by piper Sean Patrick while, between times, Eric Bartock, who claims no specific Scottish ancestry but provided the haggis, read the traditional Burns poem "Address to the Devil" to a more-or-less hushed audience, who were informed of Burns' disdainful message to the Calvinists of his era. Bartok then presided over the presentation of the haggis by the sword-bearing Sloan Culver, and ceremoniously made the first cut.
Tribute was paid by Downes to several mini-dressed (tartans, of course!) young women who circulated in the crowd selling 50-50 raffle tickets and generally contributed an attractive side to the more sedate kilts of the menfolk.
Walter Mabe, the new chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, dropped by and said a few words.
Among Burns' best known "hits" is "Auld Lang Syne" published in 1788 and traditionally sung on New Year's. was rendered last Saturday night by scores of lusty voices, during and following one of the "wee dram" toasts.
Meanwhile, at local inns, pubs, and restaurants throughout the United States and most of the English-speaking world, people saluted the memory of this erstwhile Scot who penned 550 poems and songs throughout his relatively short life. The much loved "Rabbie" Burns died on January 1, 1796 at the age of 37.
He will never be forgotten.
(Malcolm Barr Sr. of Rockland, who reported on this event along with Roger Bianchini – the latter noting the flow of Scotland in his maternal blood line – recalls covering a much more sedate, "posh" he called it, Burns' night in Tynemouth, England, close to the Scottish border, in 1949. Downes' event was Barr's first Burns' night celebration since that date 70 years ago, and he said it "brought back many memories" of his days as a teenage "cub" reporter in the United Kingdom.)
Community Events
Seventh "Conversation of Hope" to be held on Tuesday, January 28
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
The WHAT MATTERS community meeting space, "Open House: Meet in the Middle" (213 E. Main Street next to the Daily Grind) serves as a meeting place for community members seeking positivity in this time of controversy for our town and county. At 7pm on the 4th Tuesday of each month, community leaders and citizens gather to engage in one hour of positive reflections and hope. This week's conversation will focus on continuing the conversations of hope to include the local HGTV Hometown Takeover application efforts (info at: www.hgtvhometowntakeover.com and on our Facebook page, Front Royal Home Town Takeover).
During the first "Conversation of Hope" held at "Open House" in June, Chief Kahle Magalis shared a fitting quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
Comments shared throughout our times reflecting have included positive feedback about the school system, about the giving & caring individuals in our community, encouragement to focus on the positive and move forward without delay (by sharing concern but finding solutions and moving on), the acknowledgement that we have a strong sense of community that's full of characters and memories and that we have so much potential and good energy. It has been expressed that this is a good time to be forced to confront what we love and value and to picture the past and what's good about the area.
"This too shall pass" is often uttered as well as the fact that our community has so much to offer as a busy, active and unique area (full of outdoor assets and beauty) where people care about each other and don't let tragedy define us. Niki Foster of the FR/WC Chamber of Commerce encouraged everyone to share the wonderful things we see and be louder than the ugly noise. Representatives of area clergy have been in attendance and said they want to support and serve, especially in these times we are facing.
Please join us on the 4th Tuesday at 7pm at 213 E. Main Street – OPEN HOUSE, to share and witness more encouraging conversations. You are guaranteed to enjoy the hour spent with a wide range of citizens, public officials, volunteers and kind souls!
*Please note that these gatherings are ones of positivity, not negativity. Politics and current events will not be discussed—instead we will remind ourselves why we love our community and provide an opportunity to briefly join together those who care together in the spirit of hope…
Community Events
LFCC offering Entrepreneurship Workshop February 21
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
Are you interested in starting your own business? Maybe you're taking over the family business. While these propositions can be exciting, they can also seem overwhelmingly daunting. That's why LFCC is offering an Entrepreneurship Workshop to help get you off on the right foot Friday, February 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Luray-Page County Center, 334 N. Hawksbill St., Luray.
The workshop is being led by LFCC Professor of Business Administration and Management Virginia Rae. Dr. Rae's background includes co-owning a multimillion business in Northern Virginia, serving as vice president of business services for BB&T, and a position as senior level and executive management career transition consultant for the Miles LeHane Cos.
The workshop will cover the characteristics needed to be a successful entrepreneur, the importance of having a business plan, developing a mission and vision, and managing cash effectively. There will be time for lunch and networking, followed by presentations from area bankers and entrepreneurs.
The workshop is $10, which covers the cost of lunch. To register, go to lfcc.edu/event/entrepreneurship-workshop, or call 540-743-1260.
In the event of closure due to snow, the event will be postponed to February 28.
Local News
Seven WCHS DECA students place in district competition
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
On Friday, January 10, 2020, thirty-three (33) WCHS DECA students competed in the Virginia DECA District 9 Conference held at the Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester. Twelve students were recognized as finalists, with seven students placing in their respective competitive events.
DECA's Competitive Events measure a student's proficiency in knowledge and skills identified by marketing professionals as common academic and technical content across marketing, finance, hospitality, and business management and administration. Students compete in role-play scenarios and written tests. Students placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in these district events then are eligible to compete in the Virginia DECA State Leadership Conference to be held at VA Beach, February 28 – March 1.
The following students placed in their respective events:
- Haley Cockerham: 1st Place in Principles of Hospitality & Tourism
- Reina Garnett: 1st Place in Principles of Finance
- Syndi Davidsen: 2nd Place in Accounting Applications
- DJ Rizzo, Jr.: 2nd Place in Selling
- Wes Merchant: 3rd Place in Sports & Entertainment Marketing
- Jackson Pond: 3rd Place in Principles of Business Management & Administration
- Kyra Robinson: 3rd Place in Personal Financial Literacy
Additionally, the students recognized as Finalists were:
- Halea Hose in Entrepreneurship
- Emily Johnson in Hotel Management
- Makayla Grant in Personal Financial Literacy
- Stephanie Chevez in Principles of Hospitality & Tourism
- Niall Anderson in Principles of Marketing
Students placing at the state conference will be eligible to compete at the International DECA Conference to be held in April in Nashville, TN.
How to survive a layoff
205-A East Main St. | Front Royal
If you've been laid off, it's important to re-evaluate your finances. Here are some tips to help you manage the situation until you find another position.
Evaluate the situation
Review your savings and adjust your budget accordingly. List your recurring expenses, including those for your cable, cell phones, medications, rent and mortgage. Then, tally up what income you have, if any, and determine for how long you can make ends meet.
Decide where to cutback
You probably won't be able to maintain the lifestyle you're used to while you're unemployed. Start by making sure you can cover essential costs, such as those for food, medication and shelter. Then, cut back on unnecessary spending (such as by terminating subscriptions or at least putting them on hold). You should also talk to your financial institution to see whether you can renegotiate bill and credit payments. It's also important to avoid taking on any new debt.
Secure income sources
You'll likely need to supplement your savings while looking for work. Don't wait until you're struggling to meet basic living expenses before looking into securing unemployment benefits. You may also want to consider getting a part-time job until you can find something more permanent.
For more advice, don't hesitate to speak to someone at your financial institution, as they could help you find ways to minimize costs while you find work.
Be prepared
Experts recommend having an emergency fund with sufficient savings to let you live for three to six months. In addition, maintaining a strong professional network could make finding a new job much easier. Periodically updating your resume and attending networking events is a good idea, even if you aren't expecting to be laid off.
King Cartoons
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Find Your Perfect Home.
Sharon Real Estate
Sharon is located in Wisconsin. Sharon, Wisconsin has a population of 2,345. Sharon is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 31% households with children. The county percentage for households with children is 27%.
The median household income in Sharon, Wisconsin is $40,402. The median household income for the surrounding county is $47,471 compared to the national median of $49,877. The median age of people living in Sharon is 40.8 years.
Sharon Weather
The average high temperature in July is 83.19 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 9.98 degrees. The annual precipitation is 34.59.
Sharon Map
Real Estate Near Sharon
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Media Maestro
ATL Area: Communication
ATL Skill: Collaborate with peers and experts using a variety of digital environments and media
One of the benefits of digital technology is the way in which it promotes collaboration. Collaboration is an important tool to allow us to learn from each other and work together to improve the standard of our work. Good collaboration through digital environments is shaped by a mixture of encouragement, appropriate questioning and constructive feedback.
To earn this badge:
Show communication skills by providing examples of digital collaboration with classmates. This can be done through using the "Comments" function when working together in a Google Doc or commenting on a classmate's blog.
This should include:
– Comments that have internet links included that are related to the topic of the writing to promote deeper inquiry
– Comments that provide constructive feedback to promote classmates to think about their work and make changes for improvement
– Comments that inspire reflection by explaining a detailed, different perspective to the topic of writing
When you have written five comments in a Google doc that cover all of the above points when put together or One comment in a blog that covers all above points, you can apply for the badge!
To apply:
– Paste the link to the blog or document in the box below
– If you commented in a Google Doc, share the document you have commented on with firstname.lastname@example.com
– Type your name in the box, too!
Once your commenting skills have been verified you will receive a notification that the badge is now visible on your profile!


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Alright lovelies. I am excited for today. I have been thinking a lot lately how most bloggers seem to have an etsy store. I see all these cute stores, but no way to promote them. I have run into the same problem when I started my own Vinyl Business on Etsy. There are so many great shops out there and I decided to come up with a way to get them all in one place, where we can visit and purchase things that are not only homemade and creative, but blogger owned. Remember I am all about supporting each other through our blogs and such, so why not support each other through our stores and shops as well. So now I have a Saturday Linky Party where you can do just that.
Got an etsy store? Well link it up below. Check out some of the other shops as well. You never know you may just find a new love. Like some of your favorite stores through etsy, so you will be updated when new items list in the shops or sales occur. Lets continue to support each other Blissful and Domestic style.
Ready to party?
Here are the Rules
Be a follower of Blissful and Domestic
Grab a Button - Lets spread the word
Link up only your etsy store or online store/shop
Tutorial/Recipe posts can link up to my other party here
Browse some of the other shops in the party
Like the ones you love
I will feature some shops during the week.
So link up,mingle, and have fun!
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Follow me with BlogLovin Send Me an E-mail Link up at My Party


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The Hub 6th Anniversary Show
The Hub will celebrate its 6th anniversary this Monday (10pm-Midnight) with an extra-special show. A message from The Hub host Bob Girth: Although I usually play current releases and mostly new tracks on The Hub, this Monday I will feature music from 40 years ago. A celebration of California bands heard on Underground FM radio from the late 60s through about 1972. I'll feature artists from L.A. and S.F. only in a mano-a-mano showdown. A "no-holds-barred" deep track cage fight pitting The Strip vs The Haight. It's No Cal vs So Cal in a set-by-set musical knockdown dragout hippiefest. Moby Grape v Love, Buffalo Springfield v The Charlatans, The Doors v Jefferson Airplane, Spirit v Mother Earth. Dab a little patchouli oil behind your ears, light up that strobe candle and let's hippie dance like it's 1970. Love and Peace, Bob Girth The Hub


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Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Mary Halvorson med hyllest til Robert Wyatt på nytt album
Mary Halvorson gir ut albumet "Illusionary Sea" (Firehouse 12) i september 2013, og der serverer hun en hyllest til Robert Wyatt, i form av et arrangement av Philip Catherines 'Nairam' ("Maryan" på Wyatts album "Shleep").
Vi har tidligere vist til Mary Halvorsons gjestepost i "Destination Out" (oktober 2010) "--on Robert Wyatt & Indirect Influence". Der heter det bl.a.:
"The first time I heard Robert Wyatt was in 2006 when a friend played me Rock Bottom (1974). I still remember the feeling of hearing the first track, "Sea Song." I was sitting on my living room floor in front of the stereo. It was one of those rare moments when you are so completely bowled over by a piece of music that you don't know what to think. I wasn't even sure I liked it; I was just completely freaked out. The music was so beautiful, so strange, incredibly dark, and entirely unlike anything I'd heard. That's what I love about Wyatt's music. He's not weird for the sake of being weird. The music is purely his own."
Som bonus får dere Mary Halvorson Quintet: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert fra februar i år.
Labels: Mary Halvorson, Robert Wyatt
1 comment:
Fytti GRIIISEN så fett!!!
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No need to Tackle Maintenance on your Own: Bald Hill Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Has a Great Team of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram Service Specialists Serving Drivers from Warwick, Providence, RI, Johnston, RI and Cranston, RI
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For some reason my attention today has been on the Roman Empire and its rise and fall. Here in North Cyprus there are remnants of Roman occupation all over the place – from the huge complex ruin of Salamis on the south coast to five minutes from here where I live on the north coast to view the Roman fish baths and rock tombs nearby (although I'm not sure if the rock tombs were associated with Roman or earlier history).
To me it's a reminder that nothing is fixed, that we are now seeing the dying stages of the US and British empires and the rise of India and China, not overnight of course, but underway in a slow, inexorably process.
It's the same in our own lives – things which once assumed importance can die away to be replaced by new beliefs, practices and identity, in the great spiral of life. Once we recognise the impermanence of life, we can move more freely and accept the new, knowing when it is time to let go of that which no longer serves us.


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Innsoft has the best support team in the hotel reservations system business. Our tenacious, professional technicians are your best resource for any questions.
For a secondary layer of support, download our product manuals below. These manuals are also located on your Innsoft installation CD.
New in Check-Inn V6
When we updated our software, we created this document to facilitate a smooth transition from version 5 to version 6. This document includes a home screen diagram, tables comparing operations in the two versions, right-click shortcut information, and other handy functions to make your life easier.
Check-Inn V6
Learn how to install, customize and use Check-Inn® v6. This manual can also be reached by press
EMV Addendum
Innsoft has partnered with Zeamster to provide our clients with EMV processing capabilities. Learn how to setup and use EMV and credit card tokenization in Check-Inn. This addendum can also be accessed through the Check-Inn v6 manual.
Innformer works in conjunction with our online hotel reservation systems to create lists of past guests according to arrival date, zip code, room rate, and other variables. The program can also create reports on multiple variables, such as total nights stayed, average daily rate, and average length of stay. This manual will support your installation and use of Innformer.
Innsoft Reservation Client
Learn how to install and use our commission-free online booking engine. Link your private website to the Check-Inn hospitality management system, edit room rates and availability, and interface with GDS, Expedia Quick Connect and Booking.com.
Innsoft Reservation Client Troubleshooting Guide
Read answers to our clients' most frequently asked questions about the Innsoft Reservation Client interfaces, including Check-Inn, GDS, Expedia Quick Connect, and Booking.com. This manual covers fifteen FAQs, such as how to customize Direct Inn colors for your website, and calculating what you've earned from each interface.
Call-Inn Call Accounting
Learn how to install and customize our Call-Inn® guest telephone call accounting software with this manual. Call-Inn allows you to control telephone charges, add specialty call rates, track and post entertainment charges, associate bar/restaurant charges to a client's room, and more.


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Create memorable experiences for someone you love.
The Spa at Parknasilla
Make yourself at home in our two bedroom/two bathroom lodges, a pleasant three minute walk from the hotel.
Each unique in style and design and affording you stunning views of the Kenmare Bay or the Kerry Mountains.
Spacious three bedroom houses located within the estate and a 10 minute walk from the hotel.
For major events, you are welcome to book Parknasilla Hotel for private use and you also have the option of reserving our self-catering Lodges and Villas for additional guests.
The minimum requirement is that you reserve our 70 hotel rooms, which means that you'll have exclusive access to an historic Manor House to enjoy your own private party.
The Pygmalion Restaurant can comfortably cater to 180 guests.
Terms and Conditions apply and will vary, depending on the time of year.
Call us at: 064 66 75600 or email firstname.lastname@example.com and one of our Events Team will assist you.
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First, a disclaimer. My intent has never been to use this blog to cover the "inside baseball" aspects of jazz record collecting. There are other blogs that already address those sorts of issues quite well. Nevertheless, a recent auction caught my attention—as well as the attention of many others, I'm sure—and I want to take … Continue reading Jackie's Got a Brand New (and Very Expensive) Bag
Category: Jackie McLean
Pressing Issues: Jackie McLean, It's Time! (1978 Blue Note King Records)
Updated on 4/18/18: Retroactively changed the post title to reflect the new name for my record overview feature, "Pressing Issues." Don't ask about the feature name candidates that didn't make the cut. (Ha! No pun intended there!) Updated on 4/19/18: Included cover design and liner note credits. Original pressing: Blue Note Records, BLP 4179 & BST 84179 (1965) This one: King Records, GXK … Continue reading Pressing Issues: Jackie McLean, It's Time! (1978 Blue Note King Records)


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|Silas by Sabrina Paige
Call me Robin Hood.
I'm a grifter. A con artist.
I don't steal from the rich. I take from the worst of the worst, the people who deserve to be hustled.
I have two rules - keep moving and never fall in love.
I only ever thought about breaking them for one boy. And that boy just walked right back into my life, a ghost from the past. Silas Saint.
Now he's a man. Arrogant and sexy as f**k, he's sure as hell not the person I fell in love with, a lifetime ago.
But when he touches me, it's enough to make me forget my own name. He makes me want to break all my rules.
I've been fighting as long as I could remember. Sh**, I think I came out of the womb swinging. I even tried to go legit until trouble sent me out of Las Vegas and back to West Bend.
I never expected a different kind of trouble to come waltzing back into my life, all curves and tattoos and sass. Tempest Wilde.
Any idea what "tempest" means? A violent f**cking windstorm. That's s**t I don't need.
I loved her once, a lifetime ago. Before I knew better.
Love is for suckers, and I'm sure as hell not a sucker.
But the way she looks at me? It makes me want to give her everything I have.
I'm had a hard time deciding whether I like Elias or Silas more. Sabrina Paige do has some great talent in writing easy to read smutt story with really likable characters.
When I first met Silas in previous book, I thought he was the bad twin, the rule breaker, the heartbreaker. So color me surprised when I found out he was pining after his first love, who unfortunately is a con artist.
Tempest met Silas when they were 17, she was brought up to follow her parent footstep as con artist. When she up and left West Bend with her family, she stole away Silas heart.
Now 7 years later, Silas came across Tempest in Vegas during his fight and all their old feelings for each other resurface. So much had change over the years, Tempest is still running her scam, but for a better cause and Silas is trying to convince Tempest to place down her roots.
There were a bunch of colorful characters in Tempest's crew. I specifically intrigued with Iver. He had such a James Bond persona, all polish and suave. I honestly don't mind if Sabrina skip the other Saint brothers story and write one for Iver instead.
I read this series for the uncomplicated smutt and having a side mystery is just an icing on the cake. The little mystery surrounding the Saint family is still not solve and I don't feel like the author put much effort into making it a big deal. There is definitely a lot of loose end everywhere, but I don't mind it one bit. I need to find out when the next one is coming out. I wonder who is Luke's mystery girl.
Rating 4/5


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Planet Sam
Father's Day
by ravenbait on Jun.21, 2015, under Planet Sam
It's Solstice, which means I should have just finished riding from Kirkcaldy to Aberdeen, but a medial collateral ligament injury put paid to that. It's also Father's Day and my Dad's birthday.
Last year was the first of his birthdays he missed, and things were so raw it was a speed bump in an ongoing road of sadness. This year it has been harder. The run up to Father's Day, with the endless advertising to remind me of what we've lost, has been more difficult to handle than I predicted. There are all these things I want to share with him. My first pro sale as a writer. Our new house and my somewhat small dream of being able to host the family for Christmas in a home that we own and is big enough to accommodate them. His excitement and happiness on meeting my niece, his first grandchild.
I'm sad because we were only just starting to make up for all the years I was away and barely had opportunity to speak to him, never mind spend time with him; because I have scant few happy memories of him to treasure after the age of 16; because we had plans to do something about that which will forever remain plans.
I've cried a lot, at random, occasionally in awkward places, and hidden it not just out of that deep British reticence when it comes to expressing emotions or seeing them expressed, but because it's deeply personal and he wouldn't have wanted me to be sad.
This too shall pass.
A few years back we were riding the Dumb Run and it was his birthday on the Sunday, as it is this year. The route took us past my parents' house and I made everyone stop so I could post a birthday card through the letterbox. In it was a nonsense poem about sorry to have missed him, but I didn't want to wake him up because it was 6am and:
…we are just passing through
on a bicycle ride from Dumbarton to St Andrews
Missing you today, Dad. Missing you every day.
New House Journal. Day 9.
by ravenbait on Apr.24, 2015, under Life with Frood, Planet Sam, Writing
As yet, communication is still reliant on either voice contact or a mobile signal that never improves beyond General Packet Radio Service.
Great news! After much patient discussion with the choirs of internet angels, we are to be reconnected to the virtual world on Wednesday the 29th of this month. This is later than we had hoped, but earlier than I have come to expect from previous experience of reinstating such nebulous lines of communication with the outside world. Better yet, the connection will be one of these ultra-modern, exceedingly quick affairs I have previously seen advertised on the moving picture box, but not experienced for myself. A wonderful woman called Christine explained to me that the standard copper cables in this part of the world had proved so inferior to the company quality standard, the company had taken the decision to replace them.
Such is the speed of this new connection, which I understand is made of some type of silk — Christine used the term fibre, and as this is for connecting to the web one is led to infer it must be extruded from the abdomen of some kind of arthropod, perhaps perforce, as one cannot imagine such a thing being domesticated — we are obliged to replace our now antiquated equipment with new equivalents. No more tin can attached to string, although one cannot help but note that string is also a type of fibre.
A conversation with another angel, this one from the choir of appliances, has produced an appointment with an engineer to whom the relevant spare parts for our oven have already been dispatched. In less than a fortnight we should once again have full use of our cookery station, and I greatly look forward to our first fresh loaf of bread in what is now month. A mere two days after that a gentleman from a nearby town is arriving to sweep our chimneys and inspect the wood burner with a view to offering a quote for repair.
With the arrival of a replacement steam generator, and these appointments in place, we can see the end of the initial phase of transition. By the end of this week we hope to have removed all trace of our presence at our previous locale, lest our enemies use it to find us and wreak terrible and unjust revenge for imagined slights.
I have now acquired the relevant maps for the new location, and have undertaken a small amount of exploration. The velocipedes are eager to exercise, disappointed as they are that riding to and from work each day is now an impossibility. There may be a compromise involving utilising the railway service for part of the trip, but that experiment is for a later date.
My mother has been to visit, presenting us with a magnificent birdbath. She knows how important it is to us that we rapidly form excellent relationships with the local wildlife, our first line of defence. Already the resident blackbird, a fine fellow called Edgar, has shown his appreciation for this wonderful and thoughtful gift.
I think we could be very happy here.
New House Journal. Day 5.
by ravenbait on Apr.20, 2015, under Planet Sam, Writing
Day 5 of no internet and but intermittent mobile signal.
Spiders, woodlice and centipedes have accompanied us on the move and already find new homes in the crevices and corners. Thus far no mice or rats. We have reason to believe the semi-feudal rodent society in our previous abode had reached the terminal stage of decadence. Chocolate and sunflower seeds turned gateway substances to pharmacy grade drugs, which proved, ultimately, to be too much for their tiny, furry bodies. All that remains is a stained skirting board and faint regret about man's inevitable and inseparable influence on nature.
Our bodies are broken and weary from physical labour. Every strange noise sounds as if an alarm call of something wrong we did not notice when viewing the property. I would be unsurprised to find a crackling tape of a hitherto unknown language concealed beneath a floorboard, and can only trust I would have the sense not to play more than enough to recognise the hazard.
There is evidence the previous occupants hid their penchant for animals and cigarettes under a layer of hastily applied paint. We find feathers and fur in unusual places, wiring duct-taped as if bound for kidnapping, strange marks on and gaps in the skirting.
The stove, too — a great iron beast that has been dirtied and cracked, its interior parts disintegrated from application of heat more intense than it was intended to endure. One wonders what was burnt in there that required so intense a flame. The imagination sets forth down many twisted paths and recoils, peering out from behind parted fingers in ghoulish fascination.
The dishwashing appliance — Oh triumph of modern engineering! — is usable after focused cleaning. The laundry device is functional, but the rubber seal is encrusted with the dehydrated fossil of some black ichor I have thus far been unable to remove. One can only hope it is not the oocyst colony of some terrible, carnivorous slime mould. I almost wept in discovering the steam generator I acquired for such eventualities was defective.
The oven is worse news. Although there is power, the switch on this futuristic, overly complicated machine does not function. I lack sufficient learning to tackle the repair myself. It may require a specialist engineer, an expense for which we had not planned.
More later. I have distracted myself for long enough from the trial of unpacking.
A Triathlete's Guide to Words – Bench Fat
by ravenbait on Aug.31, 2014, under Planet Sam, Word Guide
bench fat /bɛn(t)ʃ fat/
Unwanted weight gained by an athlete when taking a break from training as a result of injury or illness. Caused by the failure of permanom to go away and bacon to cease existing just because training has been suspended. Not to be confused with normal, healthy weight gain that occurs when an endurance athlete stops training so goddamned much she barely has time to brush her hair in the morning. Neither should it be used pejoratively. This term is reserved for athletes to vent about the frustrations caused by being unable to participate in one's sport.
A Triathlete's Guide to Words – Witching Hour
by ravenbait on Aug.10, 2014, under Word Guide
witching hour /ˈwɪtʃɪŋ ˌaʊə(r)/
22:00 hours (10pm) local time. All bicycle repairs should be completed by this time. Any repair or fettling taking place later than this has a substantially increased risk of going terribly, horribly, dreadfully wrong. Replacing bar tape will result in severed brake cables, spoke tensioning will result in pringled wheels, etc. The only exceptions are emergency repairs carried out while on a ride that is not due to finish until later than this time.
A Triathlete's Guide to Words – Permanom
by ravenbait on Jul.11, 2014, under Planet Sam, Word Guide
#1 in a new series of random definitions.
permanom /'pɜr mə nɒm/
A hunger that exists perpetually, without significant change, no matter how much food is eaten. Generally assumed to arise from significant daily calorie expenditure. Can continue for a significant period after daily exercise has stopped (c.f. 'bench fat'). Makes all foodstuffs more appetising, especially bacon.
By The Light Of The Dazzling Stream
by ravenbait on May.17, 2014, under Planet Sam
My Dad. Scientist, engineer, aquanaut, racing driver, yachtsman, adventurer, philanthropist. Ambitious, driven, restless, passionate, romantic, generous.
My hero.
I mean 'hero' in the sense of Odysseus battling gods and monsters across the sea in his quest to return to Penelope and Telemachus. When I was young, he was this amazing figure who was as handy in a laboratory as he was under the bonnet of a car, and as useful under the sea as he was helming a boat over it. He encouraged me to participate in things most girls were too busy swooning over boy bands or collecting Cindy accessories to consider — I dived, sailed, snorkelled, beachbombed on uninhabited islands. I learned to track, to fish, to build fires.
He taught me to be independent: to have faith in my ability to learn new skills and look after myself. To be sensible and pragmatic in unfamiliar and scary situations. To think critically and not panic when things don't go to plan. I wasn't pressed into pretty pink dresses or told I was going to be a princess; my parents gave me wetsuits, snorkelling gear, ski lessons, a sailing dinghy. He gave me the support and encouragement I needed to step outside my comfort zones and rely on my own strength to get me through. It is possibly the most valuable lesson a father can give his daughter: to stand up for herself and know she can be strong and has the intelligence to work out solutions to her problems herself.
He raised and cultivated a family of do-ers, but do-ers who were also thinkers. My brother and I had an amazing childhood, and my Mum has never been the kind to sit in a kitchen discussing cakes and knitting while the men smoke cigars and talk about cars. Like all true heroes, he expected those who stood and worked with him to be loyal, courageous, practical and clever, and helped them achieve it.
Above all else, beneath all else, running through all else like butter gluing pastry layers in a mille feuille, I've always wanted to make my family proud, and never to disappoint them. This has been the compass in my cockpit, helping me navigate life. I have looked up to my Dad with the kind of hero worship young girls reserve for celebrities and women leave behind as they age.
Despite of, or perhaps because of, his foibles, imperfections and frailties, I never left it behind.
I owe him more than I can possibly recount, and he will always set the standard to which I hold myself.
My Dad died in a motor-racing accident at the Jim Clark Revival at Hockenheim, on 11th April, and while the phrase "he died doing what he loved" is of little comfort to those who have to carry on without him, in this case it is very true.
I am extraordinarily grateful to the people from the motor-racing community, both British and international, who came forward to support my Mum and my brother during that difficult time. A more generous, kind, thoughtful bunch of people I'm not sure you could meet. Their help and contributions, big and small, made a very difficult time that little bit less so. The friends and family who have given us their support and a steady shoulder are hugely appreciated by all of us.
I'm also grateful to all those who came to the funeral. It made me incredibly proud of my Dad, to see so many come to pay their respects. My thanks to those who gave so generously in support of the RNLI in his memory — it meant a lot.
I've written several poems in my efforts to navigate this experience, but none of them does justice to the man, nor is a tenth as good as the piece my Mum wrote. The following poem was left in the book of condolences. It's by Adam Lindsay Gordon and expresses something I will set next to my compass in memory of my hero.
Potters' Clay
Though the pitcher that goes to the sparkling rill
Too oft gets broken at last,
There are scores of others its place to fill
When its earth to the earth is cast;
Keep that pitcher at home, let it never roam,
But lie like a useless clod,
Yet sooner or later the hour will come
When its chips are thrown to the sod.
Is it wise, then, say, in the waning day,
When the vessel is crack'd and old,
To cherish the battered potter's clay,
As though it were virgin gold?
Take care of yourself, dull, boorish elf,
Though prudent and safe you seem,
Your pitcher will break on the musty shelf,
And mine by the dazzling stream.
Dr Al Fleming
21 June 1944 – 11 April 2014
(Photograph courtesy of John Allan, used with permission.)
Last Call for Last.fm
by ravenbait on Mar.29, 2014, under Planet Sam, process, Writing
I've been a long-term paying subscriber to Last.fm. Paying, mind. I include a link to my profile in any list of social media addresses. If you look down and to the right, you'll find a widget showing what I have most recently listened to, a service provided by a Last.fm app.
Music is important to me for my writing. As a neuro-atypical synaesthete, for whom background noise can occasionally be physically distressing, music is an obligatory defence against the outside world when I'm trying to lose myself in a story, whether writing or reading. I listen to music when I'm training. I can't imagine life without it. I spend more than I should on music – for the shapes, for the soundscapes, for the inspiration, for the motivation, for the rhythm, sometimes for the distraction – and I love discovering new artists. I used to be a heavy Pandora user. When that ceased being available in the UK, I switched to Last.fm, which offered a similar service.
Two days ago I received an email that said the service was changing.
From 28th April, our subscription radio streaming service will come to an end. This means subscriber radio will no longer work on any platform or device. We're making this change to focus on improving scrobbling and recommendations, while continuing our goal of being your #onemusichome. Of course you'll still be able to listen to all of your favourite stations on the new Last.fm Player, as well as listen to your favourite tracks with our recently launched on demand playback feature via Spotify.
If, like me, you're not sure what that means, allow me to simplify.
The last.fm streaming service ceases to be from the 28th April. You will no longer be able to open the desktop app, turn on your favourite radio channel, and have it play for as long as you like with no ads. Instead, you will have to go to the website, where you can start your radio station, but it will stream videos from YouTube, complete with the adverts.
Even if you subscribe.
As a subscriber, you can get 30% discount in the forthcoming merchandise store (woot, I'm sure) and use tags to exert some illusion of control over your ad-filled youtube stream. And your avatar will say "subscriber", so everyone knows you're a sucker prepared to pay for a 30% discount on a lousy t-shirt.
Needless to say, I am cancelling my subscription.
I don't know if there's anything out there offering Last.fm's comprehensive level of curation and discovery. They had one of the largest catalogues on the internet for streaming music and cross-platform availability. They had a range encompassing obscure industrial ambient and popular classical. I had prog rock, opera, trance, dance, electronica, baroque… I have yet to find a genre Last.fm has excluded, whether by act or omission.
Last.fm claim that they are going to focus on scrobbling, but I have no idea where they get the idea that anyone is going to pay for a service that merely records what one has been listening to recently. Don't get me wrong: it's fun knowing how my musical habits are changing, but my musical habits are constantly changing. I don't really need something to tell me that.
There are plenty of artists who have earned royalties because I discovered them on a streaming service. Artists I didn't know, like Roly Porter (I now own his two most recent studio albums on CD); artists I knew and loved but whose catalogue included songs I hadn't heard before, or hadn't heard in a very long time. Streaming radio is a way for people who love music to discover new things to love, and people are willing to pay for things they love.
Yes, there will always be those who say why pay for something if it's available for free, but they're the hawks of Game Theory, and they're outnumbered by those who want to reward the creator of something good. If we don't reward our artists, they will stop making art. Most people with half a brain cell can comprehend that.
I have spent 6 years teaching Last.fm what I like, which is a considerable investment, and now starts the difficult quest for another streaming service, and the painful process of teaching it what I like.
Any recommendations?
I can haz music?
by ravenbait on Mar.07, 2014, under Planet Sam, rambling
I have a Ford Mondeo Estate. He's called Claude, in line with the Frood Standard Naming Convention*. I do love my car. He's big and red and swallows two bicycles without thinking about it. When I race, I can lay Thokk or Peregrine nicely in the back and don't have to worry about them being damaged.
The one problem is the stereo.
Back in the day, this thing had a 6 CD multichanger, but it ate my CDs. It just swallowed them, much like Claude swallows bikes. I ended up with 8 CDs in there, all trapped, while the CD player insisted it was empty.
Feed me, it said, whenever I pressed the eject button. I'M HUNGRY.
Needless to say, it wouldn't play.
So we had to use the radio. Which was fine, until the radio started cutting out. Initially we thought it had got damp in the car wash, but no. It was merely possessed. After a while, whatever demon was infesting it and eating the tunes gave up and went away, presumably sated, and I have spent the last couple of years listening contentedly to Classic FM while driving around in my big red Claude (not a euphemism).
When Frood achieved New Job recently, we had to acquire another car, as he needs one for work. We now have a small, greenish-grey Ford Fiesta, called Bill for short (we're still working on pronunciation of his full name). Claude took against Bill – not in any specific, spiteful way. He's a big boy, he's above that sort of thing. He knows Bill can't take two bikes and all our plush camping gear. He knows he's more comfortable for long journeys and is one of my most important pieces of triathlon gear. He knows he's loved.
Nevertheless, he has decided to host a radio demon again, and my FM radio is now cutting out after a couple of minutes. I don't know if he felt sorry for the one living in Bill's radio when we first got him (as Bill's radio was doing the same thing but works fine, now), or what, but Classic FM is lost.
I've been listening to Absolute Radio on Medium Wave, instead. They have a no-repeat guarantee, and that means they play a lot of old favourites, including songs I haven't heard in years.
I listen to music when writing, and need to match the shape of the music to what I'm writing. Thus, I necessarily have a wide range of music in my collection. I acquire music usually by hearing something I really like, or which matches a specific shape in a work in progress, or gives me an idea for a brand new story. My most recent purchases have included Verdi's Macbeth (they used Patria Oppressa as the music in the Hannibal episode Sorbet and I fell in love), Sky (a prog group with John Williams, ermagerd – one day someone will buy me a copy of the now highly-collectible Cadmium and I'll have a wibbly-wobbly flashback to being 11 years old and reading Ursula Le Guin in bed), and Aion (I love The Serpent's Egg).
Then along came Absolute Radio, and I've had too many moments of "Oh gods, I love this!" over the past couple of weeks. I've had to add two R.E.M. albums (WHY did we not have any already?) and today I gave in to the impulse to grab some Kula Shaker.
I need to stop. I know this stuff is cheap, mostly – certainly cheaper than a night out, which we don't do – but, seriously, I have books and bike parts looking at me reproachfully from my "to get" list, and I'm at serious risk of falling out with Fingal permanently.
I should persuade that radio demon to depart from Claude so I can have Classic FM back. Or switch to the Gaelic language radio station, which is largely unintelligble.
*Names must use the final three letters of the number plate in order, although they may occur any place in the word. Claude's number plate ends AUE. I've also had cars named Rasputin and Voltaire.
Change is in the air
by ravenbait on Sep.21, 2013, under Geekery, Planet Sam, website, Writing
Today it's the Autumn Equinox, although autumn arrived here in the 'shire a couple of weeks ago. We've been grateful for getting our first wood delivery in early; the fire has already been in use on the cold evenings as the nights draw in. It's remarkable how quickly things change when they get going. It's almost as if winter has attached a big bit of elastic to the sun, and while summer clings on as long as it can, eventually the strain gets too much and it snaps back. We're in the penduluum stage right now, with cold nights and warm days, sudden showers and oddly hot, humid lunch breaks.
The weather isn't the only thing that's changing. In some vague effort to tidy things up and make this blog slightly less disjointed*, I have started a new blog over at ravenbait.com. I will use that to focus on my writing, leaving this blog — my home on the internet for 15 years now — for all the random stuff that fills in the gaps§. I'm not a big one for cross-posting, although I'm not saying I never do it. I doubt I'll take all the writing away from this site as it's such a big part of my life, but I won't be cluttering up the writing blog with Playstation posts, recipes, triathlon, wittering about adverts, complaining about Doctor Who (unless it's a comment on specifics of the writing), gear reviews or odes to bicycles. And Stitch. Mustn't forget Stitch.
If you come here for the velocipedes and the wittering, carry on as you were. You won't notice much. If you come here to read what I think about writing, specifically my writing, then take yourself over to ravenbait.com where I'm slowly building up steam.
* 'Less disjointed' is all relative, you understand. This is me we're talking about.
§ And it's a tight squeeze for a lot of it, I can assure you.


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This page is a listing of the campaign design theory posts that I have made. Don't expect a whole lot of coherence, as this is more or less a compilation of all of my musings on how to design a role-playing campaign drawing upon my experience of playing and running games over the last three decades.
Religion in Dungeons & Dragons
Top Down or Bottom Up


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Hello again!
I've raved about LVX before, and this gorgeous nude is right up the same alley.
LVX Rive is one of the best nudes I've tried. I've found that nudes with a tan hue work best my olive skin tone. The polish went on like smooth satin and settled really nicely into my nails. Lately, I've been wearing lots of Spring pastels, but today I felt like taking a bit of a hiatus from those trendy mints and lilacs. I just love the classy touch that a nude polish brings to your nails – especially Rive by LVX.
As I've mentioned before, I love this brand. LVX is cruelty-free, vegan, and nontoxic… but over everything, I love LVX because of their superior quality and chip-free formula. LVX Rive is a beautiful nude with a wonderful formula – perfect anytime of year!


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The vehicle has just over 102,000 miles on it.
I had a low hum noise from my front right wheel. Brought it to my local mechanic who took it for a short ride and stated it needed a new front right wheel bearing & hub which he replaced. $342.00 for parts and labor.
All is quiet again.
Source: http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php/25410-08-Dodge-Caravan-3.3?goto=newpost
Cheap Mini Bus Hire Mini Van Rentals Discount Mini Bus Rentals Mini Van Hire


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How To Crochet Leaf Branch
Hi crochet lovers around the world. In today's video tutorial we will be showing you how to make very beautiful leaf branch, which is simple and funny to do. We hope you will enjoy this well explained tutorial so much and master it easily. This leaf branch can be used in decorating many different items, such as bags, hats, scarfs, pullovers and so on. Also will be the perfect gift for your friends, family members or beloved ones. The applique will brighten up any room of your adobe. This unique and exquisite branch will definitely attract everyone's attention and will highlight your creative nature.


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TIA Tuesday: Vox versus JesusJune 24, 2008 — Deacon Duncan
Last time we saw how Vox Day brilliantly "refuted" Richard Dawkins's rebuttal of the cosmological argument by conceding that the cosmological argument doesn't necessarily lead to any conclusion materially different from ordinary atheistic evolution. In today's installment, he goes even further, proving Dawkins "wrong" by the simple expedient of throwing out the Gospel and pretty much everything Jesus ever said about God.
Dawkins makes three even more serious mistakes in attempting to demonstrate the improbability of divine complexity when he argues that a designer capable of not only designing, but continually monitoring and controlling the individual status of every particle in the universe must be complex, especially if the designer's consciousness is also occupied with the activities of every single sentient being across the billions of galaxies, answering their prayers, inflicting suffering on them and so forth. But here he is confusing the design of the universe, which is the topic under discussion, with the active management of the universe, which is not.
Notice that it's not Dawkins who is confusing things here. Dawkins said IF the Designer is also supposed to be the kind of sovereign deity who controls every detail of His creation, then He's going to be more complex than the details he manages. Why would Dawkins bring this topic into a discussion of creation? Simply because many Christians do argue that the Creator is indeed just such a sovereign God. And we see that Dawkins is right on target when Vox responds to this challenge by discarding the Christian idea of God.
The designer of the universe need not monitor it, in fact, the concept of a hands-off Creator God has been around for centuries, it is the deity of the nineteenth-century Deists whom today's atheists regard as spiritual ancestors. A distinction between the divine designer and an active divine monitor is not only inherent to the Gnostic heretics, but to Bible-believing Christians as well. The common, but misguided, concept of divine puppet mastery, or omniderigence, is addressed in detail in Chapter XV, but for now it is sufficient to state that because Christian and other theologies do not require any belief in ongoing divine monitoring or active control (even if they permit it), that particular aspect of God's supposed complexity does not belong in any argument from improbability.
Notice, what Vox is discarding here is the notion that the Creator "is also occupied with the activities of every single sentient being across the billions of galaxies, answering their prayers, inflicting suffering on them and so forth." Vox tries to make a pointless distinction between theologies that require divine control and those that merely permit it, but that's irrelevant, because Dawkins is speaking of a deity who would be capable of that kind of control. Thus Vox must reject the idea that God even could answer prayers if He wanted to. In order for Dawkins to be wrong, Jesus must have been wrong when he portrayed God as caring for even birds and flowers, and as numbering the hairs on your head. Either that or Jesus was wrong when he referred to the Genesis creator as God.
It's rather amusing in a way. Creationists take it for granted that God is an unimaginably complex being, much more sophisticated and incomprehensible than the visible universe, and they make the argument that the universe requires this kind of complexity as a necessary and sufficient cause. Dawkins points out the rather obvious flaw that God Himself would thus require an even more complex cause, assuming that complex things require more-complex causes. Vox's double-barreled rebuttal is to reject both the creationist assumption that complex effects require more-complex causes, AND the creationist assumption that God is a being complex enough to create the universe, direct the course of Nature, and hear and answer the prayers of mankind. Vox has not so much refuted Dawkins's argument, as made it moot through abject surrender.
Vox wraps up this particular tour de force by comparing God to a network packet sniffer, a tool used by network engineers to monitor network reliability and/or to inspect the data being transmitted. According to Vox, God does not need to be as complex as the data He monitors because a packet sniffer is less complex than the data it records. Of course, a packet sniffer is useless by itself—to actually understand and interpret the data requires interaction with something more complex, like, say, a human engineer. But never mind; reducing God to a brainless tool is sufficient to serve Vox's purposes at this point, so he's more than happy to make that concession in order to provide himself with another pretext to claim to have refuted Dawkins. Poor God!
If there's one thing that comes through more clearly than any other in this section, it's that Vox himself does not seriously believe the Christian faith. Oh, sure, he believes IN the Christian faith, in some form. Or something similar to a Christian faith. But realistically, he doesn't believe that all those dogmas are actually true. They're just ideas, concepts, beliefs that you appeal to when it suits the need of the moment. If they every get in your way, you simply discard them. It's not like they're actual facts or anything.


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With its ability to connect, inform and engage; evoke feelings of joy, sadness, empathy, jealousy or generally just irritate the hell out of you – love it, or loathe it…social media is certainly making the world a smaller place.
I mention this point only because without social media, the contents of this blog post would probably not exist. From my dining companions, that I finally have the pleasure of meeting (after a year of inflicting my virtual presence on them); here's looking at you The Plate Licked Clean, Füüd Blog, Mac n Me and Bwyta yn y Brifddinas – to the pop-up sensation – Keralan Karavan, whose two quirky and fun-loving Keralan farmers, I have been following online with interest, for a number of years now!
Born out of the ashes of the unfortunate closure of Spiceberry on Caroline Street in 2015, the idea of creating a South Indian pop-up restaurant concept in Cardiff, became a reality shortly afterwards for Chef Pankaj Krishnan, in the form of Keralan Karavan.
Since its initial pop-up in Truffles on Church Street in Cardiff, it has gone from strength to strength, with further events in The Full Moon, BrewDog, a Bollywood supperclub in Cocorico Patisserie (how did I miss that one!) and more recently the kitchen take-overs in Small Bar, Cardiff…which is subsequently where I finally catch up with them.
I will say that 10 minutes in the company of Krish and his team, and you can understand why the concept is doing so well. It is fantastic to hear a chef talk with such enthusiasm about his home-style cooking; with a smile, he compares himself to a 'mad scientist' in terms of Indian cookery, essentially always seeking to discover the perfect 'spice' formula. He shares that the plan was always to give his father's heritage a shout-out by creating a vibrant pop-up that was all about promoting good vibes, and celebrating good times with good food – the only thing that goes through my mind is that 'good' really should be upgraded to 'great'. However, he is quick to add that his mum is his harshest critic, and that years later he still strives to appease her with one good dish. He leaves me laughing with a demonstration of her usual response; an Indian head nod and "it's ok!".
Escaping from the heat of the kitchen, it's at this point that I'm keen to experience for myself, the dishes that everyone has been raving about.
Divided into three sections; the menu is small, but perfectly formed. Leading the way, are four dishes labelled as 'small plates', but if you're there for the duration, they could quite happily be contenders for the ultimate in Indian street food starters. Priced between £2.50 and £4.50, you would think choosing would be easy…although if you're anything like me, it is a little too tempting to opt for one of each!
With seven of us dining, naturally the menu is going to be put to the test. While I finally choose the Keralan Fried Chicken, I am reassured by the silence which descends, that both the Kottayam Beef Pepper Roast and Onion Bhajee would have been more than worthy choices too.
Anjee Bajee Onion Bhajee | £3.50
KFC (Keralan Fried Chicken) | £4
After the award for chicken supplier blunder of the year went to KFC last month, it was great to see that Keralan Karavan's playfully named dish was a) plentiful in the aforementioned bird and b) knocked the socks off Colonel Sanders' secret recipe. 11 herbs and spices? Pah! Marinated in Kashmir red chilli powder, fennel powder and rice powder, the tender bite size chicken pieces are deep fried, drizzled with a tangy mango chutney and arrive with a Keralan salad, topped with nigella seeds. Delivering a mild heat, the fennel adds to the chilli and brings the dish together in a comforting, aromatic and flavoursome tray of, for want of a better phrase, pure 'finger-licking' Indian goodness.
When it comes to food, I love being a 'guinea pig' (just to clarify…not the snuffly, furry kind) – but it's an amusing fact, based on my inability as a child to eat anything that wasn't beige in colour, or had any remote health benefit to it. Consequently, there is nothing more likely to put a smile on my face than if a chef turns around and says "try this…it's not on the menu yet."
So when two beautifully presented trays magically appear at the table, you can see seven pairs of eyes eagerly light up. A dish native to Kerala and usually found on breakfast tables (although I'd quite happily eat these anytime of the day); ten roasted eggs sit atop a 'gravy' of onions, tomatoes, coriander powder, ginger and garlic, each of which is cradled in a lettuce leaf. There's simply only one way to eat these…and you can forget the knife and fork! Comforting and delicately infused with aromatic spices, the sole piece of feedback I can give, is to get them on the menu as a matter of public importance!
Aunty Maria's Beef Curry | £8.95
Mains come in the form of three choices of curry; both Malabar Chicken and Kerelan Rajma look tempting, however on this occasion I opt for the third – 'Aunty Maria's Beef Curry'. Naturally, I have no clue who Aunty Maria is, but damn does she know how to make a good curry.
Unlike many states in India, beef is actually a secular dish in Kerala, where much of the population, cutting across class and religion, consume it. It is therefore lovely to see that Keralan Karavan's dish is a family recipe. Flavoured with deep, distinctive Keralan spices and coconut paste, it certainly lives up to its 'Maharaja's Curry Bowl' description as a 'soulful' dish. Tender slow-cooked chunks of beef in a thick, comforting gravy, are highly fragranced with the usual spice suspects, and accompanied with a soft chapati, rainbow pipe popadums and fluffy Kewra 'scented' steamed rice. And while I will say that personally, a touch more heat would have elevated the dish even further for me; from taste, to portion size, I really can't find fault here.
Feeling a tad on the full side, at this stage I would usually happily bypass the sweet course. However, I know what's coming…because tucked down at the bottom of the menu sits something a little bit special.
Mango and Coconut Cheesecake | £4
Ok…I'm going to put my hands up and say traditional Indian desserts and myself do not usually get along – gulab jamun (too sweet for my palate), gajar ka halwa (strange texture and again too sweet)…there's a common theme. I can just about stretch to kulfi, but you can't go too wrong with ice cream (except if you're dairy intolerant…oops). That said, I have experienced some truly delicious desserts with an Indian twist, and the above would certainly be more than worthy of joining this clan. I mean, who can say no to a generous slice of creamy, rich home-made mango and coconut cheesecake, with a chocolate and cardamom crumb base. In essence, pudding heaven on a plate.
Bonus Points
- These dishes are created and cooked by a chef who has an enormous amount of pride in what he does. Taking you on a true journey of Keralan cuisine, this combined with the warm welcome from an amazing team (with a special shout out to Cally) – transports you, and leaves you imagining that you are dining in someone's home, rather than a bar in Cardiff.
- There should be no argument that these dishes are fantastic value for money. I promise, you will not be going home hungry.
- Location wise – as a pop-up venue, Small Bar Cardiff is perfect. What more could you want? Lively and friendly atmosphere…check. Local independent beers and ciders…check. Curry…check.
Would I recommend a visit to a Keralan Karavan pop-up?
The best thing is that I can now alter this question to exclude 'pop-up'. As of last week it was officially announced that after the highly successful pop-up in January, Keralan Karavan will now be taking up a permanent residency in Small Bar, Cardiff…a big whoop and hooray to that news!
There is a whole lot of love going on in the city for this pop-up, and it's wonderful to see a venture getting so much local support. It therefore goes without saying that if you enjoy authentic Indian food, I highly recommend checking out Keralan Karavan. I personally will be heading back soon, if nothing else to try out Chef's hula hoop trick with the pipe popadums – ha ha!
Address | Small Bar Cardiff, 17 Church Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BG
To follow the antics of the Keralan farmers, check out @keralankaravan on Twitter…eat, drink and be merry (but don't forget your sunglasses!).
- On a personal note, (once you've read this post ha ha…please scroll up and hit the links for my dining companions. Made up of some of Cardiff's best (and I will say, amusing) food and restaurant bloggers, you really are in for a treat, and a great insight into some of the fabulous independent eateries in the city.
We were not invited to Keralan Karavan as bloggers, but instead decided to inflict our presence on them! With the exception of the sharing dishes of roasted eggs and two portions of cheesecake, which were very kindly complimentary, all dishes were paid for by the group.


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In Path of Exile, currently encroaching darkness drops MUCH less than it used to, it was a lot of fun turning in these cards because there are lots of fun unique maps and getting these occasionally was an interesting and engaging break from the monotony of mapping and definitely wasn't overpowered, since the good maps were pretty harshly weighted in the first place.
Now this card is very scarce and hall of grandmasters farming has effectively been killed (along with the no loot dropping from exiles which still hasn't been fixed). So, can we please have the old encroaching darkness drop rate back? Let's take a look at the view of collectors of path of exile currency:
1. Drop rate changes are almost never mentioned in patch notes. They've only ever mentioned them in a few very specific cases.
2. I'm level 88 and still don't have the recipe to beastcraft an unique map, and even if I did, the rate on which I would be finding the required beasts would probably be abysmal low. They did a really poor job if they thought nerfing Encroaching Darkness was necessary because of beastcrafting.
3. That actually happened to me too. I beat the beasts and then it didn't give me a map. I was pretty upset.
4. I had this happen, but what was up was that one of the beasts was a plummeting ursa, and it never dropped onto the arena until I wandered into all of the little pens the beasts come out of.
5. Agreed. It feels like drop rates at this point are so diluted and low that I end up with tabs of hundreds of partial poe items/frags/cards, etc..it is starting to wear on me, as drop rates lower as soon as new items it mechanics are released.
6. I would rather have even drop rates where they actually Nerf great items and buff shitty items (knowing there will never be perfect balance), but striving for build diversity and not every build or even 50% wanting headhunter, belly of the beast, etc
In any case, what I believed is that GGG will of course keep working to improve every aspect of the league they can.