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KFnet in T-Town
Aug. 16, 2013 at 8:37am
The Red Hot Turns 6, Will Move Next Door
I've loved The Red Hot since the day they were born and it's never faltered in quality all around. Happy 6th Birthday TRH and crew and I look forward to the new adventures once you occupy the slightly larger (but not too large) space next door.
Jun. 21, 2013 at 1:13pm
Realtor Video Re: Tacoma
The folks over at Coldwell Banker Bain put together this video highlighting life in Tacoma. Take a look!
Aside from the borrowed photos from Flickr (see RR and family in that pic below, plus I noticed one taken by FeedTacoma contributor TacomaMama too!) and the repeated drive-by shots of the same house it's a nice, safe video as one might expect.
Would you change anything in this video to encourage people to move to Tacoma?
Jun. 14, 2013 at 7:37am
Tacoma's Beautiful First Presbyterian Church
Some of Tacoma's historic structures have been torn down, fallen down, or stand empty and decaying. Some are well taken care of and cherished. Case in point: First Presbyterian Church in the Stadium neighborhood. I snapped the photo below in admiration while walking by on a recent Friday.
Here also is a look inside First Presbyterian from a 2008 photo safari.
Jun. 12, 2013 at 10:27am
Quick Bites - A Mighty Dog
New on the menu is the Market Street Pepper Jack Sweet Italian Sausage and it's a winner! The sausage has an amazing snap and it's an all around perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and fluffy delicious bun.
The Red Hot
2914 6th Ave. (map)
Jun. 11, 2013 at 7:12am
Thx for the View, Pacific Ave. Construction
As if the monstrosity of a massive parking garage taking up space in the heart of downtown Tacoma isn't bad enough now we get to see Pacific Plaza North in all it's mottled, barren, cement glory thanks to the removal of mature street trees due to nearby construction.
<optimism>Maybe, now being in plain sight, this will prompt some enterprising developer to see an opportunity to demolish or re-imagine these two blocks for a better downtown.</optimism>
Jun. 8, 2013 at 10:11am
Tacoma Totem Pole Panorama
To better appreciate the detail and beauty of Tacoma's endangered, 110 year old totem pole, I thought I'd share this vertical panorama looking at it from top to bottom. Enjoy!
Jun. 5, 2013 at 7:45am
The Business Case for Corina: A Petition
I know I'm not alone in expressing my love for Corina Bakery. Their rich sausage quiche fills my stomach for breakfast. A cup full of banana and vanilla wafer pudding brings back a bit of childhood. I hear their Valhalla coffee is top notch (I don't drink coffee). Neighborly staff who always has a warm greeting whenever they see you. But there's just one, tiny/huge thing not to love...
Wifi. Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn! It's horrifically bad. After recently striking out on my own I find myself seeking out Corina for all of the above plus their ample room and tables to setup my laptop for a few hours to get some work done. Unfortunately, their connection is spotty and the speed is something akin to a dial-up connection from the late '90s.
Why do I care since it's a free service office by them (and most cafes)? Because they're losing money due to the shabby connectivity. Mine and that of others I've talked to who simply can't get any work done and are opting for other local cafes instead. Well, rather than quietly complain and leave/avoid them I've instead written this post and ask you to sign this petition to encourage improvement.
If you agree, leave your comment below to Corina and ask them to fix/upgrade their 'net connection or wifi routers. Tell them you love them but want to spend more time with them!
We love you Corina!
Fix your wifi and let us give you more money!
Jun. 4, 2013 at 6:41am
Ride Across the Murray Morgan (Video)
Tacoma's beloved Murray Morgan bridge used to look like this. Now, via my scooter ride across it the other day, you can see this gateway into downtown now looks like this.
Have you ventured across the shiny new Murray Morgan yet? Will it's renovation/re-opening usher in a new wave of cross Foss development?
Jun. 3, 2013 at 6:37am
Quick Bites - Savory & Sweet
The ham, roasted asparagus, and gruyere savory crepe (above) and the banana, toasted coconut, and Nutella sweet crepe (below). Both were fresh and fantastically tasty. Prices might surprise some as a little high (the line almost out the door says otherwise) but you could easily share at least a sweet crepe.
Have you been? What'd you have? What'd you think?
Savor Creperie
1916 Pacific Ave. (map)
May. 31, 2013 at 8:36am
Opera Alley: Tacoma's Most Colorful Block
Some neighborhoods have culture, some have plants and flowers, downtown Tacoma's Opera Alley just has, well, color!
Does any other block have as much charm oozing from the walls?
(Plus, of note, B Sharp Coffee House is coming soon to this spot!)
May. 29, 2013 at 6:43am
McKinley Park Needs Your Love (And Help)
Everyone loves the scenic grandure of Point Defiance Park, the city-centric Wright Park, and the chalk of puny-but-loved Frost Park. Another park, Tacoma, needs your love as well: McKinley Park.
Your tax dollars (remember that Metro Parks bond that passed in 2005?) and over 18,000 hours of volunteer time, sweat, blood, and love (just a portion of which can be seen at right) have gone into this historic gem of a public space. McKinley is tucked away in the neighborhood just uphill from the Tacoma Dome on the side of the hill between I-5 and the curve where "D" Street turns into McKinley. This oft-overlooked, tranquil green space sports great walking/jogging trails, brand new play equipment for the kiddos, a skate park, a beautiful and historic spring-fed pond, and even an off-leash area for your pooch.
Some vandals would like McKinley Park to again revert to the forbidden, dark, wooded realm it once was. Seen below in the screenshots from a surveillance camera setup for just this purpose (view video), they've been undoing all that hard work by trashing the landscape restoration and spraying surfaces with tags. "These youths were just the lucky ones and were spotted on camera on the 11th of May," said Lynnette Scheidt, a keystone of Friends of McKinley Park and co-founder of the Dometop Neighborhood Alliance. "On the 8th there were 2 grown men that did the same destruction."
Don't let these few who could care less keep you away from an amazing park! If you recognize the perps pictured here let TPD know at 253-591-5001 -- they have a file open and can add whatever info you have to it. If you don't, share this post in case someone does. Given the chance, Lynette's punishment would be a strong, thorough, "education on saving the earth. A court order to work and learn about why people like us are trying to save this place not destroy it for our future generations." Gotta love that!
Otherwise, love McKinley! Take your next walk there. Have your next birthday picnic there. Positive use and activity will drive out people allergic to such things. Get involved and join the Friends of McKinley Park group on Facebook and keep an eye out for work parties where you can help do your part to make an already beautifully improved park even better.
May. 28, 2013 at 9:06am
RR Too Hot for PLD
Playing politics knows no bounds, even in every-social-circle-overlaps Tacoma. Candidate for City Council Position #2 Patricia Lecy-Davis no longer officially welcomes the endorsement of local political cartoonist, Frost Park chalk off creator*, and father RR Anderson. Via Facebook:
And here's a before and after of PLD's campaign website showing the change:
(click for larger versions)
Can long-time Tacoma champion Patricia Lecy-Davis embrace the City of Neighborhoods-like ideal for this town if she can't let an artist like RR continue to reside on her "official" endorsements list? What do you think -- wise move or political cop-out?
May. 24, 2013 at 9:10am
Re: Skagit River Bridge Collapse
I know the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River wasn't in as bad a shape as many Washington bridges can get. I know an oversize load hit a support which saw a section of bridge (and a few vehicles on it) fall into the thankfully shallow river below. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Tacoma officials, Federal folks, and anyone else involved in seeing our beloved and historic Murray Morgan bridge fixed up and re-opened. Thank you for helping prevent another bridge disaster in Tacoma that we'd never live down.
With that, I share this before and after of the condition of the Murray Morgan in a photo I snapped in April 2012.
Be thankful Tacoma.
May. 20, 2013 at 7:57am
Frost Park Chalk-Off: A Brief History
City of Neighborhoods' Style
Though the ever-qualified RR Anderson kindly took my place (and apparently my identity) as presenter at this weekend's City of Neighborhoods due to a stomach bug boiling within me, I wanted to share the slides of the origins and history of Frost Park.
At the Live Local or Die event. Here, one theme that emerged was if you think of an idea you're in charge of it. Upon learning from Patricia Lecy-Davis that little-known Frost Park was to be fenced off to keep out inappropriate activity, Joe Izenman said we should activate this public place. (photo by RR Anderson)
So we did. At first, our get together's at Frost Park were just lunch mixers, networking. That is, until...
...This email went out to the TacomaArt email listserv from RR Anderson challenging Tacomans to a chalk off. Eventually voting here on FeedTacoma started as did awarding of prizes usually donated from local businesses or organizations.
Since then, there have been 150+ chalk off episodes over 5 years with easily over 1,000 chalk art pieces being created and shared with Tacoma. All done in under an hour.
Though we'd previously received the unofficial blessing from the City that chalking at Frost Park wasn't considered graffiti, later receiving a proclamation from Mayor Strickland was a pretty nice feather in our cap.
C'mon down to watch or chalk! There's always free chalk!
May. 16, 2013 at 8:40am
Q&A with Tacoma Author Erik Hanberg
With the release of a box set of the Beautyman Mysteries I ask local author, business owner at Side x Side, and Metro Parks board member Erik Hanberg about writing, publishing, and advice he has for Tacoma artists and authors.
How long have you considered yourself a writer?
I started writing novels in 7th grade. When I finished my first "novel" it was probably 80 pages long. I thought at the time, that it was what I wanted to do. Since then, I've written 12 books. So I would definitely say that I consider myself to be a writer, even as I've had my regular career going.
What prompted you to make the leap into publishing?
My first foray into publishing was in 2009 with a print-on-demand book, my fundraising guide for small nonprofits. I thought I had a lot to offer and that I could be helpful to small nonprofits. But also I thought that maybe I could just make a little money on the side. I got a lot more experience than I did money.
I started again in 2010, this time with fiction. I published my mystery novel The Saints Go Dying, and I would say that's really where I got the bug to keep publishing. For the first time, more than a handful of friends and family read my stuff. That was the most incredible part--seeing reader reviews on Amazon, getting emails from them, and hearing them ask for more.
How many novels and eBooks have you written to date?
I have 10 novels and 2 nonfiction books (the two nonprofit books). But a lot of those were written in high school and college and they will probably never see the light of day.
In terms of actually published books, I have three mysteries:
The Saints Go Dying
The Marinara Murders
and The Con Before Christmas (a novella actually).
Those are the three books I just assembled into a single ebook download for readers who want to get them all at once.
I also have two books for small (and very small) nonprofits on fundraising and social media.
What drafts of books/stories are you working on now?
I am very excited to say that I have a science fiction adventure novel I am really excited about. I expect to publish it in September. I know I'm biased, but I think it's pretty great.
Is there a story you've always wanted to write but haven't yet?
Always. It's never an issue of finding ideas, just getting them onto paper. I have an idea for a Christmas-themed play that I'd like to get to sometime. I have more mysteries in my series I'd like to get to, plus the next two science fiction novels.
What advice do you have for aspiring Tacoma artists and/or authors?
Finish it. No matter what, you have to finish your book before you can do anything with it. Don't overly worry about quality as you write. Don't go back and edit the first chapter. Do whatever you can to finish the book.
Self-publish. Pay an editor to copy edit your work, hire a cover designer, and get your book onto the Kindle. It can be as easy as uploading a file to a website (or much more complex if you want a all the features of an ebook). Publish it, email your friends, try some marketing ideas, and see what it's like to publish. Don't just wait for a publisher. If it's a great novel, you can always submit it later to Penguin or whoever. But in the meantime, getting real readers is going to make you want to write that much more.
Write the next book. I've sold more than 10,000 books between ebooks, print books, and audiobooks, but those have been split between a variety of books. When one of my books has a spike in sales from a marketing push, interested readers can find all my other books. Sales really took off once I had multiple books.
What's your favorite comment or review you've received on a site like Amazon or elsewhere?
This might be my favorite, from [local UWT professor and actor/singer] Andrew Fry's daughter Savannah on her book blog, when she reviewed The Marinara Murders:
"In my world, filled with mystery novels, I felt like I hadn't read this one before."
Thanks to Erik for his time -- now go buy his books!
May. 15, 2013 at 7:27am
Tim Meadows ♥'s Tacoma
Seriously. At least that what it seems like given the following Tim Meadows in Tacoma sightings timeline:
- Nov. 2012 - Played Tacoma Comedy Club
- Apr. 2013 - Spotted at Corina Bakery, Grand Cinema
- May 2013 - Spotted at High Voltage Records, Pacific Grill
The first one makes sense but the others, as reported mostly on Facebook or Twitter, don't. I reached out to Mr. Meadows' talent agency but haven't received a response.
Why do you think Tim Meadows seemingly can't get enough Tacoma?
May. 10, 2013 at 11:20am
New Pierce Transit Website & Mobile Launch
Though riders may be feeling recent cuts made to service, Pierce Transit is offering better service than ever via it's new website. Launched yesterday, the site includes clean and easy trip planning, route alerts, quick access to route schedules, and a streamlined mobile version of the site perfect for use via smartphones when on the go. The mobile version offers real-time bus arrival times and shows stops near you via GPS!
The site was designed and developed by SiteCrafting and everyone put in tons of hard work to get it to this launch. It was one of the last projects I contributed front end CSS and HTML to before ending my time there and I'm proud it's finally live to serve Pierce County. Though I'm biased, it's the best damn looking and working transit website out there!
May. 9, 2013 at 7:58am
Guerrilla Safety, Triangle District Style
Photo by @ksymer
Safety first! And, heck, if the City won't do it just get 'er done yourself. That's the attitude of many who love their Tacoma neighborhood as much as the residents and businesses of the Triangle District do. It's appears someone (let's just say it was that devious Goddess of Commerce dame) has taken to a little guerrilla painting of bike safety sharrows (above) and an impressively lengthy set of crosswalk hashes (below) at the funky intersection of Baker and St. Helens.
Photo by @lizkaster
Though these markings on the street may not be sanctioned, it's a powerful statement in a passionate neighborhood towards making it safer for anyone on foot or biking -- both ingredients that help make for a vibrant, more livable downtown Tacoma. Or anywhere for that matter.
Bravo and thanks Ms. Goddess! I, for one, look forward to other improvements you have up that bronze dress of yours!
May. 8, 2013 at 8:10am
Sarah Jones Brings Free Art Friday to Tacoma
Tacoma's artist community has a history of generosity from Beautiful Angle and (more recently) Slide Sideways hanging posters for the taking to Monkeyshines sprinkling hand-blown glass balls about town. If Sarah Jones has her way, Free Art Friday will add to that tradition, well, every Friday!
As Sarah found out searching the 'net a bit Free Art Friday isn't new but she was inspired. It's in other U.S. cities and even other countries so why not Tacoma? A contact from the next nearest Free Art Friday she could find in Salem, OR told her all it takes to start is someone willing -- so start Sarah did. On March 29 Sarah started spreading her free art around Tacoma.
The style of work Sarah leaves around town varies. Her focus is on found materials to keep costs down but also challenge her own creativity. A stroll through some of her photos on Facebook shows pieces like stenciled records, hand-drawn and painted medallions and wine corks, re-purposed and embellished paintings and frames, and (my personal favorite) river rock zombie critters.
Sarah was born in Tacoma and spent some of her youth in Shelton and even Texas before moving back to the City of Destiny in 1992. She's worked jobs in escrow (just in time for the crash in 2007/08), as a beautician, and most recently for the Breast Cancer Resource Center which closed up in 2012 due to lack of funding. Sarah's been out of work since then and certainly has her hands full raising four kids ranging in age from their teens to kindergarten.
Meeting people via the salon she worked opened Sarah's eyes to her own creativity. "I was so inspired by some of the local artists that I met," she said. "I remember telling one of them that I had always wished I could paint, and she said 'Anyone can paint, it just takes doing it!' So, I decided I would give it a try."
Sarah hasn't made much of an income from her art [yet] but she loves creating with her hands. Most of all she likes the feeling she gets from making someone happy. But she can't do it alone. Her plan is to spread art in Tacoma every Friday but sometimes life can get in the way. Other artists have already been in touch to join in but the more the merrier!
Email Sarah to find out how you could participate or, if you're a business owner, how you could help sponsor to keep the free art flowing! Also check out other Free Art Friday's to be inspired.
Photos and art by Sarah Jones
Apr. 30, 2013 at 6:32am
1022 'Genius' Ousted
News 'round Tacoma has been a little hard to digest of late: Some mighty heated discussion about what is authentic Hilltop, the shuttering of Tacoma's Weekly Volcano entertainment rag, and now a tectonic shift at many people's favorite place for a craft cocktails: 1022 South.
An email being forwarded around tells the tale of outrage from someone close to the "talented genius of a person who has invested his creative life blood for the past four years into a thriving Tacoma jewel of a business" Chris Keil.
The gist of the letter mentions Chris' pouring of his heart and ideas into 1022 in return for a small percentage from owners Neil Harris and Richard Stubbs. The author writes, "Chris was fired this morning and, after seeing how these two men have treated other business partners in the past, I recognize that these two do not have Tacoma's best interest in mind."
There are certainly two sides to every coin especially when it comes to business but the outcome remains the same. You can, however, keep your eyes on Chris' next adventure via Hilltop Kitchen if you're a devout follower of his good works. Nevertheless, like the letter's author, will you avoid (and encourage others to) 1022 from here on out or see how it fares its post-Keil phase?
Apr. 28, 2013 at 3:37pm
R.I.P. Weekly Volcano
Wow. And, contrary to the letter they posted below, I didn't see this coming. Did you?
Here's the full text of their farewell letter:
Greetings South Sound campers,
This may come as a shock, but the news isn't a surprise. The Weekly Volcano will no longer stand alone as an alternative newsweekly, but rather be converted into the entertainment supplement to the Ranger and Northwest Airlifter, the weekly newspapers serving the South Sound military community. By every measure not related to advertising sales, the Weekly Volcano has been a success. Unlike many newspapers and magazines, we didn't suffer from declining readership, online or in print — only declining revenue. But in the end the money is what matters, it pays for the news department, fancy special sections, expansive arts coverage, marketing, daily happy hour in our fifth floor lounge and, sadly, this website and its blogs.
The Weekly Volcano will continue to report on and review South Sound music, culture and craziness without a change in circulation or attitude. This website will merge with our sister site, northwestmilitary.com, over the next week. Restaurant reviews? You will find them on northwestmilitary.com. Theater reviews? They'll be there too. Music calendars? Yup.
To all of you who supported us over the years by picking up our feisty alt rag or read us online, who shared our work or shouted at it: we can never thank you enough.
Ron Swarner
Weekly Volcano
Apr. 18, 2013 at 7:00am
New Haub Wing at TAM
The News Tribune shows us a rendering of the new Western American art wing that will be packed full of goodies from that massive Haub donation last year. It will certainly help fill in a dead space along Pacific but does some grass and a big, blank, brown wall help activate that area? Or is there no hope for a space with no parking on the other side of a massive Pacific Ave/light rail track divide?
Apr. 8, 2013 at 10:47am
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Toppled Water Forest
Museum of Glass Water Forest, Tacoma, WA (as of Sat. night)
Thanks to Claudia Riedener for the photo!
Mar. 22, 2013 at 9:07am
My Note to SoundTransit re: Link Expansion
I highly encourage anyone who cares to fill out Sound Transit's Link light rail expansion survey. That being said, I'm completely behind the Stadium/6th Ave. route. Here's my comments to ST in support of that:
A route down 6th Ave is the best choice at this time for a successful Link. Connecting the active areas of 6th Ave, Stadium and downtown will guarantee ridership success. Even if a fee for riding is charged it will be utilized far more than buses along the same route. Plus, extensions from there to other Tacoma neighborhoods (e.g. Hilltop/Hospitals, Proctor, Westgate) will be more easily possible.
While I appreciate the idea of a cheaper connection to the eastside may be good for a lower income community it's not good for retaining and promoting neighborhoods like Stadium and 6th Ave that already have the highest density populations of the City plus a likelihood of becoming more so with mixed-use rules in place.
Please don't just go with the cheapest option but instead the 6th Ave option. The original Link is a huge success and Tacoma's eager for more. Don't cheap out on us just because we're not Seattle. We appreciate and demand the best.
I also noted that, once a route is chosen, SoundTransit should immediately get with potentially construction-effected businesses to help them prep for any hardships. They should help guide businesses towards loans or rainy day/construction funds to help ease any short-term pain caused by construction for a better future for their Tacoma neighborhood.
So where do you think the new Link expansion should go?
Mar. 19, 2013 at 11:39am
Historic Tour: City of Tacoma Website
We all know the City of Tacoma's website generally stinks for information access and for it's general 1990s-ness. But did you know the City still hasn't delivered on a new website that was farmed out to a Canadian firm in late 2011 for a Summer 2012 launch? That's right. Here's the timeline of web failure:
- October 2011 - City chooses Toronto firm over local options for new website
- April 2012 - City RFP released for "Website Redesign Project Manager"
- March 2013 - New website user/usage survey posted
It's always good to get user feedback before embarking on such an endeavor but this time around experienced, local firms* may have an edge via a new ordinance reported on Exit133 just this morning. Does this all coincide with a new bid that'll be going out for Tacoma to finally get a website and access to services it deserves? Signs are pointing to yes.
I wonder, however, how much of that $70,000 was spend with that Canadian firm for nothing to come of it?
* Full disclosure: I work for one of the firms passed up by the City of Destiny who would rock the socks off a new City of Tacoma website. In general, however, I believe in good digital access to information and services but also to going local where possible.
Although I have another home on the web I thought it might be nice to lead by example a bit and put this blog system up to the test myself.
So far, so good... Funny how I build web tools for other people that are far better than the one's I have setup over on KFnet.
Hey Clear Channel, Clean Up Your Crap!
Advantage: Tacoma
Quick Bites


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Logo Design
Logo design is the cornerstone of your branding. I strive to deliver custom logos designed with the client's mission and brand identity in mind.
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With over ten years of hands on freelance experience behind me, I have the perspective needed to organize and manage your project, as well as the technical knowledge to see it to completion.
I strive to keep up to date on current web design methods and technologies. Over time, this has provided me with a well rounded skill-set.
Rogue Easyweb is just one person, me. This is valuable to you as a customer as the project manager, sales, design and development departments are all one person. One point of contact, no hassle!
Creativity is my favorite aspect of web design, logo design and photography. I can be the creative engine for your website, branding or photography project.

subset: commoncrawl


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Martial Art 武术
Chinese martial arts, colloquially referred to as kung fu or gung fu (Chinese: 功夫; pinyin: gōngfu) and wushu (simplified Chinese: 武术; traditional Chinese: 武術; pinyin: wǔshù), are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" (家; jiā), "sects" (派; pài) or "schools" (門, mén) of martial arts.
© Copyright 2015 by bestchinesebooks.com.


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Yesterday, Mrs Morris taught 4B while Miss Jordan was at a professional development day. One of the activities the students worked on with Mrs Morris was a colour poem.
We take in our surroundings using all five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. The students in 4B reflected on this and created a poem that described a colour using the five senses. They used lots of adjectives (describing words) and descriptive imagery in their writing.
The students created their poems by:
- brainstorming their ideas
- drafting their poem
- publishing their work
The published pieces are all fantastic and really create a clear image in the reader's mind!
Tip: click on "full screen" to view the poems more clearly.
4B now have a colourful display of their poetry to brighten up their classroom!


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Saturday, April 12, 2014
Photo: Trudy and Nancy
Nancy and I have worked together since 1996. She is an amazing team member and contributes so much. In addition to her excellent skills and tolerance for hard work, she is fluent in Spanish. She grew up in Mexico City, as both her father and grandfather were Americans who lived and worked in Mexico City.
She translates documents for us and enables us to produce work product for clients in both English and Spanish whenever that ability is needed, as I enjoy conversational Spanish but would not attempt to produce a grammatically correct document in Spanish.
Tomorrow I will show and explain why Nancy brought Trudy into the office.
This week we have photos of the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.
Posted by Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com at 2:30 AM
Labels: People and Culture, Reptiles
2 comments:
- Kate said...
A very talented woman!
- April 12, 2014 at 4:19 AM
- Sharon said...
Hi Nancy!
- April 12, 2014 at 7:13 AM
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New Responsive Silverstripe CMS website
We were approached by the East Midlands Teaching School Alliance to build them a brand new, fully mobile responsive and easy to use content managed website. Their current website was not mobile friendly nor was it easy to update and maintain.
The new website needed to also have the additional functionality of a Schools Intranet to enable member schools to manage and maintain their own information within the CMS that could only be accessed through additional levels of security.
Responsive Web Design, Web Design, Bespoke Module Creation
Visit website
Modern, User Friendly Design
East Midlands Teaching School Alliance (EMTSA) needed a modern, easy to use, customer (visitor) friendly design.
We used our customer block page builder to enable them to manage and maintain the freshness of the design on Desk Top, Tablet and Mobile.
Schools Login Area
Part of the specification was to build a custom intranet within the Silverstripe CMS for schools to manage and maintain all their relevant information.
We built this to provide the most flexible solution possible enabling the schools to create user defined tabs.
This was also built to enable schools to share information via the intranet without data being shared across the web.
Like what you see?
Then talk to the team about how we can take your project to the next level


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My bad there are two 114eqs you have the astro master and not the power seeker. So yea 50x and 100x.
My bad there are two 114eqs you have the astro master and not the power seeker. So yea 50x and 100x.
Btw since the thing I posted earlier said small and medium focal ratios can do deep space am I gonna be able to see any of that with mine? Just wondering because I'm dying sitting at my computer doing work when I'd rather be checking out the telescope >_<
I pulled the trigger on the Orion yesterday, tracking info says it should be here tomorrow. And of course the clouds just rolled in this week lol.
Got it put togther tonight at least. I think i did it right...
Gonna take the manual to work to read and learn how to use it tomorrow and hopefully get to play around with it in the evening. So excite.
Also, light pollution can be a pain the ass if you in an area that is pretty bright. There is this scale called the Bortle Scale that is loosely used as a ranking system to determine how dark your area is.
Here is the color coding scale:
And here is a map showing the skyglow/light pollution overlay.
I live in an area that is Class 6/7 but I can still view the Orion Nebula and other deep space objects. There is a way to get around a bit of the light pollution though.
Since most streetlamps that have the yellow/orange tint emit High Pressure Sodium Vapor, you can get a light pollution filter that block out the light emissions from those areas of the spectrum
spoilered for size
Basically the light pollution filter will have dips where the peaks are in the wavelengths blocking out those emission lines allowing for darker viewing.
Thats really helpful, thanks. Where I live is a 7 I will look into the light filter thing in the future, for tonight I'm gonna focus on getting the telescope outside and learning how to use it. I figure its gonna take a bit for me to be able to find an object and then learn to focus on it properly.
My telescope is on the truck for delivery today. Can't wait to get home, put it together, and be sad that there's not an inch of clear sky right now.
Was a pain in the butt trying to get even Jupiter in view last night, got it for a min before it dipped into the tree line. Local park is the darkest area for me with out driving anywhere on work nights. Contacts didn't help when trying to focus it ><. Seems like Im gonna need a lower mm eye piece then 10mm to get anymore detail on it.
Moar questions.
So I figured out how to locate the celestial north pole with my telescope by adjusting the latitude. Now trying to figure out the declination and R.A system. Not really sure how to have a reference point for both of them so that I can use the given Dec. and R.A. coordinates of an object to find it D:
Am I better off just using Altitude and Azimuth coordinates?
Basically a little bit of this right now
I mean I could forgo all this and just point my phone with google sky maps at the sky to tell me the general location of things, but I'd like to learn the basics x.x
Ah I see. The telescope came with a SkyX Light edition program that also gives me the coordinates, I'll check out Stellarium see if its any better.
First stint out tonight was able to get the moon into focus and check it out for a while. Good detail on the craters and what not. Gotta get a better handle on the movements so I can pinpoint things better.
Since my telescopes highest useful magnification was listed as 269x and my smallest eyepiece is 10mm which gives 100x would it be worth it for me to invest in smaller eyepieces for more magnification?
Ready for some clear skies!
Yeah Barlows are the way to go to get the extra magnification. They come in 2x and 3x, but usually 2x will get the job done depending on your eyepiece.
The clouds cleared enough tonight that I can see the moon. It's amazing the definition you can see at this distance. Next stop, Saturn.
Sucks, tomorrow is a good night for saturn, I'm not gonna be home


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Thúy Hằng
Social Club, which is perched on the 23rd level of the M Gallery Hotel des Arts in HCM City, is one of the most talked about destinations for pretty locals and expats' nights out, so we headed up there for a dining experience.
Stepping out from the elevator, we walked into a spacious venue that looks decidedly mellow with velvet chairs and couches. Conceived by the internationally acclaimed Super Potato design firm of Japan, Social Club's gorgeous, sumptuous interior is reminiscent of 1930s Indochina. Here, guests can enjoy modern European cuisine, paired with an array of spirits, fine wine and champagnes as well as artful, handcrafted cocktails from the stunning oak wood bar. Most notably, from such a high level, diners also have a great bird's-eye view overlooking the city.
On the day we visited the restaurant, we were lucky to be treated to delicious creations made by the hotel's Executive Chef Anne Cecile Degenne, who described herself as a passionate and creative professional in the culinary arts. Before moving to HCM City last September to charm the taste buds of connoisseurs at Social Club, Degenne accumulated experience in several luxury hotels, such as Sofitel So Singapore, Sofitel Manila and Eden Rock in St Barthelemy.
Our dinner opened with Hokkaido scallop ceviche, pomelo and daikon – a very fresh and light starter. The cube-sized scallop was perfectly marinated with lime juice and accompanied by juicy pomelo and sliced red turnip. The fresh taste of the dish was enhanced by additional seasonings, including green spring onion, white onion and diced tomato. A small and crunchy slice of bacon topped the portion, adding an interesting contrast to other soft ingredients in the dish.
The dinner continued with seared foie gras, beluga lentils and celeriac, or turnip-rooted celery. The foie gras had a nice caramel colour on its surface while still remaining buttery and smooth tasting inside. I loved the feeling when it melted in my mouth. The tiny black and glistening lentils, named for the caviar they resemble, were braised perfectly to pair with the foie gras, aiming to reduce the fatty feeling of the high-protein luxury food.
While waiting for the next course to be served, we were quite excited to observe chef Degenne and her team working in their open kitchen.
The beautiful chef was very active in conducting her kitchen's orchestra to prepare our next course – roasted lobster, spinach and porcini. Visually, I especially liked this creation, as it looked like art with a nice layout and brilliant colours – the red of the lobster against the yellow of the pumpkin mash bed. Sautéed green spinach and brown porcini completed the plate's layout.
It is really a 'wow' dish. The Canadian lobster was succulent; the pumpkin was lightly sweet (thank God for this because if it was as sweet as it usually is, the dish could be considered a dessert), the spinach was lightly crunchy, and the porcini was aromatic –altogether offering a great experience in taste and flavour. Moreover, the foam of the white wine paired with orange zest brought a very unique taste to the dish.
The next main course was grilled beef tenderloin, asparagus and shallot confit. Needless to say, the course was very nice. While the ruby-coloured beef was tender as it should be, the confit shallot brought a delightful twist to a traditional dish. I also liked the green dash underneath the tenderloin created from asparagus and basil. It not only served the décor's 'function', but also gave diners a 'healthy' feeling.
Our gourmet experience ended with a lemon tart. Unlike the traditional version, in which the filling was contained inside a pastry shell, chef Degenne placed the lemon-flavoured filling on a bed of almond crumble with lemon sorbet on top. She also used tiny marshmallow bars and ginger jelly to adorn her dessert creation. After having so much protein-rich food, the lemon dessert was really a nice way to balance the calories. – VNS
Social Club Restaurant & Lounge
23rd Floor, Hotel de Arts Saigon
76-78 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai Street, District 3, HCM City
Opening hours: 5.30pm - 2.30am
Comment: Excellent food, fantastic view, and a nice atmosphere.


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Africa Trip 2012 – Week one
Kurasini Secondary School has a plan. It has 42 pages and lots of detail. This government school in Dar es Salaam is not unlike other schools in Tanzania or indeed Africa; 1,573 students with 27 classrooms and teachers mean most classes contain over 50 students and some have up to 85. It is hard to see how a quality education can be delivered with these constraints, however it is ambitious. And it has a plan.
In line with the government's objectives, Kurasini wants to focus on Science and ICT. Both the government and the school know that these are essential to societal progress, job creation and employment. So the plan includes very specific details on the construction of new buildings, laboratories, a library and a computer lab. However Kurasini has history on the latter.
The school was kindly in receipt of 18 PCs from the Tanzanian Cigarette Company (TCC) a few years back. However, the lab was not properly prepared (surge protection, security and furniture) and the teachers were not trained. Now the PCs are in the Principal's office awaiting a recycling solution.
In the budget there is a line item for new PC's at US$700 each. The plan is impressive, however the main problem is that the €250k required to deliver it has not been forthcoming.
In the last few weeks, Camara Tanzania was in touch with Kurasini. Now they have a functional secure computer lab with power protection and furniture. Camara supported them in preparing the lab and after the teachers were trained in how to use and maintain ICT in Education, 20 PCs loaded with educational software were installed. All of this was achieved at US$100 per PC, a fraction of the budgeted cost. Plus Camara is taking back the old PCs for recycling.
From meeting Ethiopian and Tanzanian Ministers this week, two things are clear. ICT is a significant priority for both governments generally and specifically in education. The second is that the challenges are significant and innovative solutions are needed to meet them. Kurasini's plan is great however it predominantly remains a dream. Unlike the computer lab which has become a reality.


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Puzzle Mod Contest!
written by: Terrence Sellers
Can you do better?
At Cooler Master we always strive to push the limits of PC building and to help Makers power their passion. Usually this means using PC's to create new things, both digital and physical. But every so often that passion goes full circle. Makers using Cooler Master products to recreate Cooler Master products in their own ways. Today we would like to announce the MasterCase 5 Puzzle Mod Contest.
We used a single board micro-computer to turn the Puzzle Mod into a fully functional PC, but we think you can do better. This fully modular puzzle model can be changed and used in so many ways. If you had a Puzzle Mod what would you do with it? Paint it? Mod it? Build it into something else? How would you make it yours?
How To Enter
Submit your ideas on our Puzzle Mod Contest Facebook post and we'll award our favorites with a free Puzzle Mod.
- Contest is open to all Cooler Master followers worldwide.
- Cooler Master will ship prizes to an address of the winners' choosing free of charge.
- You must be following Cooler Master's Facebook page at the time of submission.
- Submissions must be made in English.
- Submissions can and are encouraged to include visual aids such as but not limited to sketches, photos, and videos.
- Two winners will be selected by Cooler Master.
- The submission with the most Facebook likes will also win a free Puzzle Mod.
- Entries can only win one Puzzle Mod. You can't win both the Cooler Master and people's choice prizes.
- Only one submission per a person will be accepted.
- Submissions will be accepted until 12:00 AM (EST) Friday October 7th, 2016.
- Winners will be announced Friday October 13th.


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Population and ...
News Archive
Family Planning and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Data Booklet
2019 revision of World Population Prospects
2018 revision of World Urbanization Prospects
Technical Paper 2019-1
A Sensitivity Analysis of Parameters Used in Spectrum's Aids Impact Model: The Role of the Sex Ratio of HIV Incidence and Adult Treatment on Mortality Levels and Trends.
Infocharts on population policies
Policies on Population Ageing | Policies to influence fertility and promote work-family balance
The World's Cities in 2018
A new data booklet, The World's Cities in 2018, based on the 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects, has been launched in advance of World Cities Day (31 October).
Levels and trends in Child Mortality Report 2018
The 2018 Report, launched on 18 September, provides levels and trends in child mortality.
World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision
The 2018 Revision, provides updated and comprehensive estimates and projections of the urban and rural populations of all countries and of major urban agglomerations.
Data | Methodology report | The speed of urbanization around the world | Press Briefing | Director's Statement
Release of three data sets on family planning and marital status
World Contraceptive Use 2018 | Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2018
Estimates and Projections of Women of Reproductive Age Who Are Married or in a Union 2018
International Migration Report 2017 (Highlights)
The 2017 report analyzes levels and trends in international migration, discusses the contribution of net migration to overall population change and presents updated information on the status of ratification of relevant international instruments.
Household Size and Composition Around the World 2017: Data Booklet
A new data booklet presenting household size and household composition for 199 countries or areas circa 2010 or most recent available data
Making Family Planning Count
An initiative to improve the global communities ability to track progress and improve accessibility of the demographic data required for estimating family planning. [read more]
World Population Ageing 2017
A new report on global trends in population ageing and the living arrangements of older persons launched on the occasion of the UN International Day of Older Persons 2017.
Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2017
New study by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation released on 19 October 2017 [read more]
World Contraceptive Use by Marital Status and Age 2017
Country-specific estimates of contraceptive prevalence and the unmet need for family planning disaggregated by marital status and age, based on survey data available as of July 2017.
50th Session Commission on Population and Development
New York, 3-7 April 2017
7 July 2017: Presentation of the report of the CPD (follow us live)
Commission on Population and Development, 50th session (3-7 April 2017)
on the theme, "Changing population age structures and sustainable development" [read more]
The World's Cities in 2016
New databooklet highlighting the current and future population growth in cities around the globe.
Report of the Secretary-General on International migration and development (A/71/296)
Demographic Components of Future Population Growth: 2015 Revision
New projections of the contributions of fertility, mortality, migration and the current age structure of population to future population growth. [read more]
World Marriage Data 2015
An up-to-date set of data on the marital status of the population by age and sex for 231 countries or areas of the world.
World Population Ageing 2015
A collection of new material released on the theme of World Population Ageing.
Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2015 Report
New UN study released on 12 November 2015 reveals significant decline in maternal mortality – but much remains to be done [read more]
World Contraceptive Use 2015
New data and a series of annual estimates and projections (1970-2030) of family planning indicators for 195 countries or areas of the world are available. Read about the data and trends
Report on the forty-eighth session of the Commission on Population and Development (E/CN.9/2015/7)
The report provides a summary of the forty-eighth session, including an overview of its organization of work, deliberations and decisions.
Preparing the world for important population changes
In 2015, the world will adopt a new set of goals for the next fifteen years of sustainable development.
Population, Consumption and the Environment 2015
A newly released Wall Chart presenting the latest data available on 14 indicators at the national, regional and global levels.
World Population Prospects: 2015 Revision
The 2015 Revision provides the demographic data and indicators to assess population trends at the global, regional and national levels and to calculate many other key indicators [read more]
48th Session of the Commission on Population and Development
New York, 13 to 17 April 2015
Realizing the future we want: integrating population issues into sustainable development, including in the post-2015 development agenda
Abortion Policies : New Publications
New publication on Abortion Policies and Reproductive Health around the World and a supporting Population Fact Sheet. [read more]
General Assembly Special Session on ICPD beyond 2014
On 22 September 2014, world leaders united at UN Headquarters for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the follow-up to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) beyond 2014. [Webcast] [Statements]
Probabilistic Population Projections (PPP)
On 11 July the Population Division released a new revision of Probabilistic Population Projections, including stochastic projections of total fertility and life expectancy at birth for all countries and areas of the world.
A/69/207-Report of the Secretary-General on International Migration and development
World population stabilization unlikely this century
"recently released population projections based on data until 2012 and a Bayesian probabilistic methodology. Analysis of these data reveals that, contrary to previous literature, world population is unlikely to stop growing this century." [requires subscription for full article]
World Contraceptive Use 2014
This newest release presents data on key family planning indicators for 194 countries. Read more
Population and Development in SIDS 2014 (wall chart)
This wall chart presents the latest data available on 16 indicators of demographic, environmental and economic characteristics of the populations of SIDS, Read more
Forty-seventh Session of the Commission on Population and Development
The session focused on the "Assessment of the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development." Read more
2013 High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development
The High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development took place on 3 and 4 October 2013 in New York at United Nations Headquarters. Read more
World Population Ageing 2013
The World Population Ageing 2013 report provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes new features on the socio-economic and health aspects of ageing. Read more
Trends in Family Planning: The 2013 Revision
New estimates and projections of family planning indicators are produced for 194 countries and areas of the world (an annual series from 1970 to 2030). Read more
World Population Policies 2013
Documenting changes in Government views and policies from 1976 to 2013. Read more
New set of demographic maps available online
Providing geographic visualizations on a broad set of data. Read more
Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2013 Revision
New global migrant stock estimates by age, sex and country of origin produced for all countries and areas in the world. Read more
World Mortality Report 2013
Focusing in particular on the implementation period of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, from 1990-1995 to 2010-2015. Read more
Report of the Secretary-General on International Migration and Development
High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, New York, 3-4 October 2013.
National Transfer Accounts Manual: Measuring and Analysing the Generational Economy (United Nations, 2013)
National Transfer Accounts (NTA) provide a coherent accounting framework of economic flows from one age group or generation to another. This manual presents the concepts, methods and estimation procedures to measure these flows over the life-cycle. Read more
Urban and Rural Population by Age and Sex, 1980-2015 (version 2, August 2013)
This updates the first release, incorporating recently available data from the 2010 census round, improvements in the estimation procedure and the software used to process and display the data...read more.
World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision
Volume I: Comprehensive Tables. ST/ESA/SER.A/336. Read more
Highlights and Advance Tables. ESA/P/WP.228. Read more
International Migration Policies 2013
International Migration Policies 2013 wall chart provides up-to-date and objective information on Government views and policies on immigration and emigration for all 193 Member States and three non-Member States of the United Nations.
World Abortion Policies 2013
World Abortion Policies 2013 wall chart provides information on legal grounds for abortion.
World Population Policies 2011
This report provides comprehensive and up-to-date information available on the population policy situation and trends for all countries from 1976 to 2011... read more
2013 Update for the MDG database
Updated Data on Adolescent Birth Rate , Contraceptive Prevalence and Unmet Need for Family Planning...read more
MortPak version 4.3
Updated version of MortPak available for Public download... read more
New Technical Paper on Internal Migration
No. 2013/1 - Cross-national comparisons of internal migration: An update on global patterns and trends
New Fertility and Family Planning Data
World Contraceptive Use 2012, World Fertility Data 2012, World Marriage Data 2012
The Lancet article
National, regional, and global rates and trends in contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for family planning between 1990 and 2015: a systematic and comprehensive analysis - Article free of charge with registration


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Reliance Nippon Life Insurance Company is amongst the leading private sector life insurance companies in India in terms of individual WRP (weighted received premium) and new business WRP.
The company is one of the largest non-bank supported private life insurers with over 10 million policy holders, a strong distribution network of approx. 750* branches and
over 65,000 advisors as on March 31, 2018. The company holds one of the top Claim Settlement Ratios in the industry which stands at 95.17% as of March 31, 2018.
Rated amongst the Top 3 Most Trusted Life Insurance Brand by Brand Equity's Most Trusted Brands Survey 2018, the company's vision is "To be a company people are proud of, trust in and grow with; providing financial independence to every life we touch." With this in mind, Reliance Nippon Life caters to five distinct segments, namely Protection, Child, Retirement, Saving & Investment and Health; for individuals as well as Groups/Corporate entities.
Reliance Nippon Life Insurance Company is a part of Reliance Capital, one of India's leading private sector financial services companies, which ranks among the top private sector financial services and non-banking companies, in terms of net worth. Reliance Capital has interests in asset management and mutual funds, stock broking, life & general insurance, proprietary investments, private equity and other activities in financial services.
In FY'16, post the enabling regulations, Nippon Life increased its stake in Reliance Life from 26% to 49%, subsequent to the receipt of all regulatory approval. Nippon Life Insurance, also called Nissay, with 25% market share is Japan's largest private life insurer. The Company, with over 29 million policies in Japan, offers a wide range of products, including individual and group life and annuity policies through various distribution channels and mainly uses face-to-face sales channel for its traditional insurance products. The company primarily operates in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia and is headquartered in Osaka, Japan. It is ranked 114th in Global Fortune 500 firms in 2016.
Planning people's future and standing by them in their hour of need goes beyond business, it takes a selfless intent of thinking well for others. Our advisors enjoy high credibility and stature in society, having helped not only shape future of families, but also recuperate in tough times.
Life insurance is a long-term financial instrument that helps you fulfill your family members' financial needs at important milestones, even in your absence. It also allows the family to pay off any mortgage, liabilities, medical expenses or loans, so that these liabilities don't cause an additional burden to them.
When deciding on the amount of life cover, you should not only think of your outstanding loans and debts, but also the finances your family will require to pay for childcare, school fees/higher education costs, marriage, and other financial goals adjusted to inflation. Ideally, one should take a cover which is not less than 10 to 15 times of one's annual income.
Reliance Online Term is an ideal plan for today's generation. It provides you a large cover at an affordable rate along with the convenience of completely buying it online in just a few clicks. Even your medical tests can happen at your home.


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Hearing loss can be compensable under Part E of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) if such loss arises as a result of exposure to one or more of the organic solvents listed below in conjunction with employment in at least one of certain specified labor categories during a prescribed timeframe.
a. Conditions for Acceptance. To be compensable, all of the following conditions must be satisfied for the employee:
(1) Exposure to certain specific organic solvents for 10 consecutive years;
(2) Verified covered employment within at least one specific job category for a period of 10 consecutive years, completed prior to 1990; and
(3) Diagnosed sensorineural hearing loss in both ears (conductive hearing loss is not known to be linked to toxic substance exposure).
If an employee has a diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, and the employee was exposed to one of the listed chemical solvents, and worked in one of the listed labor categories for the required concurrent and unbroken 10-year period, then the claim can be accepted for the covered illness of hearing loss. Compensable claims for sensorineural hearing loss due to organic solvent exposure must have evidence in the case file that the employee was concurrently exposed to certain specific organic solvents and worked within a certain job category for a consecutive and unbroken period of ten years, completed prior to 1990. Experts have determined that at least one of these organic solvents would likely have been used in covered facilities prior to 1990. Currently, the only organic solvents shown in research literature to contribute to sensorineural hearing loss are the following:
• Toluene
• Styrene
• Xylene
• Trichloroethylene
• Methyl Ethyl Ketone
• Methyl Isobutyl Ketone
• Ethyl Benzene
To be compensable, the employee must have worked in one of the following labor categories for a continuous 10-year period, completed prior to 1990:
- Boilermaker
- Chemical Operator
- Chemist
- Electrician/Electrical Maintenance/Lineman
- Electroplater/Electroplating Technician
- Garage/Auto/Equipment Mechanic
- Guard/Security Officer/Security Patrol Officer (i.e. firearm cleaning activities)
- Instrument Mechanic/ Instrument technician
- Janitor
- Laboratory Analyst/Aide
- Laboratory Technician/Technologist
- Lubricator
- Machinist
- Maintenance Mechanic
- Millwright
- Operator (most any kind)
- Painter
- Pipefitter
- Printer/Reproduction clerk
- Refrigeration Mechanic/HVAC Mechanic
- Sheet Metal Worker
- Utility Operator
If you need more information about a Social Security Disability/SSI, personal injury, EEOICPA, long or short-term disability, VA disability, Railroad Retirement Board disability, or a workers compensation matter, please contact the Law Offices of Tony Farmer and John Dreiser for a free case evaluation. We can be reached at (865) 584-1211 or (800) 806-4611 or through our website.


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During each release of CodeSmith, one thing we always do is test upgrade scenarios between each versions and check for backwards compatibility among other tests. Recently, I was amazed at how much change has taken place between CodeSmith 4.x and the latest CodeSmith 5.1.x release when it comes to the user interface. CodeSmith has made a huge effort to make CodeSmith rock solid, crazy fast, and easy to use. I'd like to give everyone a quick inside look as to how I think CodeSmith has accomplished this.Our goal from the beginning was to make CodeSmith a top notch dependable tool. I think we have accomplished this through various forms. In the previous version of CodeSmith a user would have to report every bug they found by using the built in tool, support or the community. We have found that most of the time you're in a hurry and stop using the tool or don't report the issue. We have spent the time to make bug reporting much easier and provide us with as much possible as you want us to. So we can fix the bug with as little user intervention as possible. You can also choose in the options to send us feedback automatically, or you can choose the default option to send feedback at your digression.When a crash occurred in CodeSmith 4.x you had the option to send in a crash report via the following dialog. We have found that the previous approach doesn't allow us to reproduce the issue as easily and most of the time doesn't provide enough information.
Since the introduction of CodeSmith 5.1.x we have added new functionality to CodeSmith that allows the user to selectively choose which pieces of information are sent back to us.
If you click on the click here link you will be presented with the following dialog that lets you choose which pieces of information you want to send back.
This additional information allows our project managers and team see what issues end users like yourself are experiencing so we can get a bug fix out quickly. If you provide your email address, we will contact you and let you know that we are looking into the issue. We have gathered a lot of feedback through the use of error reporting that has changed how we as a company work on bugs in the product.User feedback is very important to us. We review all user feedback that comes into CodeSmith via support, surveys, and the community forums. With the latest build of CodeSmith, It has become even easier to contact CodeSmith and let us know what you think. From the Help menu select feedback and you are prompted with the following dialog that allows you to ask a question, submit an idea or bug report. We have also included the functionality to search previous submitted ideas and vote on them.
You might be thinking to yourself, CodeSmith might be stable, but is it faster with the new release. The answer to that question is YES. We have spent a great deal of time focusing on Template Caching to ensure you never need to recompile a template unless a change has taken place. We have also introduced a new feature we call deep load. Deep loading allows us to grab all your schema information in advance so we don't need to make multiple round trips back to your database. We have also spent time working with performance and memory profilers tweaking CodeSmith for optimal performance. If you come across a scenario where you think CodeSmith is slow, please let us know by submitting a bug report. We have made improvements to the user interface across the board to allow you to know exactly how CodeSmith is working. Take for example, previously when CodeSmith started up you were prompted with a dialog like the following when samples were extracted:
This dialog would freeze CodeSmith, so naturally you would think that CodeSmith had stopped working. We have since changed this to be multithreaded and also display you a progress bar.
Another major change we have made is to simplify configuration.
Can't you tell this dialog was made by a developer ;). Let us know what you think of the new configuration dialog!
We love being organized and providing you with all of our samples applications and templates. Below is a comparison between what you would have seen in CodeSmith 4.x and CodeSmith 5.x. Besides adding and updating a lot of the templates. We have now also made it easier to find the template you are looking for.
In CodeSmith 5.1 we have also included the sample applications to most of the Framework Templates. You can find this in the Documents\CodeSmith\Samples\v5.1\Projects\Framework-Samples folder on your computer. I hope that if you were a previous user of CodeSmith and you try out the latest version of 5.x you notice these major changes as well as the minor changes like threading enhancements so you can navigate around CodeSmith features much quicker.
It's the littlest of things that we do, that make CodeSmith shine. - Blake Niemyjski - windowscoding.com;


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I do. I've been using the same concealer (Urban Decay Concealer Stick in CIA) forever, and have repurchased it probably 3 times now. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this concealer, and I love it, but every now and then, I just NEED to try something new!
|$19 USD for .30 fl oz
Overall I've really been enjoying this concealer from MAC!
If you have issues with concealer creasing under the eyes, this one might be a little less likely to move around and settle into lines.
Have you tried this concealer before? Do you have a 'holy grail' concealer, or do you love trying new products too much to stick to one?
[This product was purchased by me with my own money and I'm not in any way endorsed or affiliated with MAC Cosmetics.]


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18b – Central Bank Analysis Resources
Track Course Progression:
Course Progression:
18b - Central Bank Analysis Resources
Now that you have seen the best free resources (in our opinion) it's time to take a look at just one paid premium resource. And so that we don't offend you we will also offer some more free additional resources that can help you take your trading with the fundamentals to the next level.
In this Article:
- Audio Squawks and News Feeds
- Audio Squawks and News Feeds History
- RANsquawk
- Financial Juice
- Additional Resources
- Reuters
- FX Street
- Investopedia
- Analysis Resource Wrap Up
Audio Squawks and News Feeds
One of the great benefits of modern technology is that there is always someone or companies pushing into new territories. Now, while audio squawks and news feeds are not something that is new to the Forex market they are an amazing technological breakthrough that could potentially help you with your Forex trading immensely.
There are many varieties of premium news feeds with costs from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month. However, there is very little difference in this age of information. There are also a few free versions but with these you will notice a much lower quality of experience.
All institutional Forex traders in virtually every single firm, fund, or bank on the planet have access to real time news feeds and audio squawk. Bloomberg and Reuters are the two most well-known.
The news feed should inform you of everything that is relevant and what is currently driving the market sentiment at that precise moment. The goal of the news feed is to find out as quickly as possible what has been driving prices during the most recent trading session. It should also alert you in real time of anything that happens unexpectedly in the current session while you are at your desk trading.
The Forex market moves fast and there can be violent reactions to fresh news hitting the wires. The point of an audio squawk and news feed is to get you that information as fast as possible.
Audio Squawks and News Feeds History
How audio squawks and news feeds came into existence is an interesting story. There are hundreds of different news sources all with their own unique selling features and price tags. It's not very practical for a trading firm to purchase every one of these trading tools for each trader they employ. This is because trying to follow all these news flows would turn into a full time job in itself and would not be efficient.
At the same time, traders need to know exactly what is happening in real time. They need to have access to the latest research and developments to execute their trades and make sure that existing positions are not at risk.
The solution to this inefficiency was to create an audio squawk desk within the financial institution. The audio squawk desk would employ a team of analysts whose sole purpose was to monitor all available news flows on dozens of monitors all day long.
These rooms would be connected to the main trading floor through a sound system so that when something major happened it could be squawked off to all the traders at the same time. This meant that the traders could focus on trading without missing out on anything important. The traders left the information gathering to the in house analysts.
Next came the development of news feeds to accompany the audio squawk. Everything that was previously squawked was also written out after the fact so that traders could catch up on anything they may have missed for whatever reason.
It became obvious that there was strong demand for this type of service was very strong from smaller trading companies that couldn't afford to staff an in house team of analysts. Out of this was born an industry of audio squawk and news feed companies setting up and offering their services to the smaller financial institutions.
This made access to this type of market moving news and information possible to a much wider range of companies and even individual investors. And now even you and us can participate at this high level of information.
Now that you know the history and importance of audio squawks and news feeds let's take a look at a couple.
Ransquawk is a premium paid audio squawk and news feed service that is available to retail traders. You can check them out on their website and maybe take a free trial if you are interested.
This is a real-time news feed and audio squawk service that does all the heavy lifting for you. They do a rundown of all market moving news events beforehand and provide instant analysis from some of the best analysts in the business.
They do a session recap for all trading sessions that gets you up to speed on the things that moved the market while you were not at your desk. This is a slick way to get tuned into the important things in just a couple minutes.
They have a premium economic calendar that goes way beyond anything that Forex Factory does. There are also have a research suite that gets you prepared for the upcoming risk events a week ahead, central bank reports, option expiry calendar, and ad-hoc analysis of unscheduled events.
You can read our article that Two Blokes wrote that breaks down all the benefits for you (And a TBT discount!).
Financial Juice
If you don't want to go the route of a paid service such as RANsquawk then you can check out Financial juice.
This has a free news feed and audio squawk but you sign up for a free account. This feed is delayed by a couple minutes but it is still better than not having anything at all. It gives you a chance to test out audio and news feeds without having to invest any money. Keep in mind that it is not anywhere near as good as a premium paid audio squawk and news feed but it is a good place to try something new when you are learning all this information.
Additional Resources
There are also a few other great websites if you want to dig go a little deeper in your personal research. You can also compare all the sites to see which ones you prefer more. There is no right answer as to which website you prefer. Our preference is Forex Live but maybe you like these other ones better.
This is not a very timely website but it has some good weekend reading articles. If you have missed a trading session or have not been at your trading desk for a while this site is good to get you caught up on major events that have been shaping the Forex market recently. This site is more similar to Bloomberg.
FX Street
This has some decent analysts and articles dedicated to FX. If you want to keep it fundamentals and sentiment then you might want to stick with their news or analysis tabs. One thing to keep in mind with this site is that while it does offer fundamental and sentiment news it tends to lean on the more technical analysis side of trading. This is fine but it is something to be aware of.
This is a great place to get good definitions on terms that you may not understand. If we have thrown some information at you that maybe you did not fully grasp then Investopedia typically can fill in any gaps. This is not a news site but it's definitely helpful to have a go to place to fill in any holes you may have with terminology or definitions.
Analysis Resource Wrap Up
These free resources should not be underestimated just because they are free. Even when you are introduced to premium news feeds and research they should still be part of your regular routine because they offer a lot of value.
There are of course some extremely valuable paid services such as RANsquawk that will enhance your trading but in the beginning having information the fastest is not going to make you a better fundamental and sentiment trader. Rather, focussing on understanding and interpreting the information is more of the concern. Once you are proficient with your understanding of the Forex fundamentals and sentiment then it will be time to start looking at the more premium tools and information sources.
Up Next
Good job! That's it for the Fundamentals section. Up next we are going to dive into economic cycles and understand what makes them tick so that you can apply your new fundamental knowledge more practically.


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On-line supplementto the Maritime Market magazine
Damen Shipyards will unveil its new Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) at EUROPORT 2011 and will launch a complete PSV range in the next few months. The PSV 3300 E3 is a dedicated supply vessel to transport supplies to oil and gas rigs and is specifically designed to perform safely in adverse weather conditions. The first two vessels will be built at the renowned Damen shipyard in Galati, Romania. Delivery is scheduled for early 2013.DAMEN PLATFORM SUPPLY VESSEL 3300 E3Damen's new vessel series will range from the smallest PSV of 1,500 dwt to the largest of approximately 6,500 dwt. The new range of vessels is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2012. Although the series of vessels are primarily designed as PSVs, the platforms can also serve as a basis for other offshore support services such as diving support, drilling or well stimulation. The vessels can also play a role in oil recovery and firefighting operations.PSV 3300 E3A unique eye-catching design, with a well-designed, sleek bow makes the PSV 3300 E3 a distinctive vessel. The vessel boasts a large 700 m² main deck and can carry 10% more cargo than Damen's former PSV. Even though it has a larger cargo capacity, the new vessel will have improved speed performance with the same engine size, facilitating significant savings in fuel costs and emissions. This vessel follows on from the Damen PSV 3000 of which nearly 20 have been built so far.R&DDamen has spent a lot of time on Research & Development and model tests of the new 80 m long vessel. This resulted in a modern hull with lower resistance and extremely good seakeeping behaviour. Mark Couwenberg, one of the ship's designers, describes the vessel as a "sea truck" because it offers efficient, reliable and safe logistics at sea. He stresses that the new vessel type has benefited from design input from the PSV 3300's Norwegian client and from operational studies carried out on Damen PSV 3000 vessels operating in the North Sea. "We examined the logbooks and asked the crew to fill in questionnaires. We really looked at how these vessels were being used and all of this input was fed into the new PSV 3300 design. This added to extensive experience that we had already built up from our designs for the Brazilian market, where more than 15 of these vessels are operating to the full satisfaction of their owners."Hull design"We have spent considerable time on extensive CFD studies to investigate and optimise the hull shape. A model of the resulting hull has been tested at Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (Marin) to verify the results," he adds. The slender hull reduces fuel oil consumption, not only in calm water but especially in rough seas. Safety and comfort firstSlamming has been reduced to very low levels, which results in improved comfort and safety for the crew, vessel and cargo. Safety and comfort have been given a high priority in the new vessel. Accommodation is designed to the current standards in the 24/7 offshore industry and each cabin has access to the Internet, radio and television.The vessel provides a very safe working environment, especially on deck but also in all other working areas. Additionally, there is a safe, sheltered foredeck.Environmental careThe Damen mind-set during the design process is to reduce the impact vessels have on the environment and to build ships according to the Damen E3 principles that take into account the needs of the planet, the people operating the ship and the owner's need to make a profit: Environmentally friendly, Efficient in operation and Economically viable. "The starting point here was the right hull because this is vital in reducing fuel consumption," stresses Jan van Os, Product Director Damen Offshore & Transport. "Every tonne of fuel saved translates to a reduction of emissions." In addition, the vessels fulfil the latest requirements of Clean Design and Environmental Protection standards of the major classification societies. The location of oil tanks, hull coatings, refrigerants, ballast water and other environmental aspects were also given special attention. All in all, Damen expects the PSV 3300 E3 and its smaller and larger sister vessels to be a successful design. Mr van Os says: "Essentially, the new PSV is more productive, more environmentally friendly and has many interesting features. We look forward to presenting the model at EUROPORT 2011 and discussing it with our clients."
Please see Damen Shipyards Group company electronic office
Damen Shipyards Group operates 32 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.Damen's focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low 'total cost of ownership', high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
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Dirty Job
by Gina Capristo-Gajdosik
I coach screenwriters and creatives. It is my extreme pleasure to attempt to bridge the gap between creativity and organization. It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it.
Many new writers don't understand this process and yet we use it every day; we write with our hearts and revise with our heads because chaos is self-organizing. Our screenplay needs to be organized. However, I find that most beginners focus more on the chaos than in the organizing.
Professionals understand that it is in the organizing where you unearth the magic. As a coach, I read lots of potentials. I read ideas that are not yet fully organized, due to a lack of understanding of this very process. Indeed, writing is a process, the kind of process that cannot be rushed. There are no shortcuts. Our work asks us to be patient and nurture it, every day, bottle-feed if necessary, hold it, cradle it…let it rest. Every new "creative" falsely assumes that with that stream of consciousness creativity comes, fully realized and edited. Consciousness needs you to edit, in fact, consciousness needs you to be dedicated, fully present, humble and able to see your work, clearly. What your heart sees on the page, is not necessarily "on the page," and that is why what I do is so important. But that is also why it's a dirty job. I bust balloons.
I was also once a new scribe. I went through all of the above as well. I still do from time to time. This is the nature of the beast. Feedback is essential and sometimes difficult to hear, yet it separates the amateur from the professional. There are rules to this kind of organization that you simply cannot ignore. They are found deep into page 60, where you suddenly get lost, like your hero, and everyone is wondering if you will ever make it in this business. This is the business of screenwriting. It is a long and winding road that scribe David Seidler knows, very well. He first read about King George VI's life after overcoming a stuttering condition during his youth. He started writing the script for "The King's Speech" as early as the 1980s, but at the request of the King's widow, postponed his work until her death in 2002. Principal photography didn't take place until 2009. Seidler eventually won an Oscar for his screenplay in 2011.
Imagine if he had just given up? What good would have come of that? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I strongly believe that we are not responsible for all of our projects, just a portion of it; that when it comes to getting it out to the world, a whole new energy takes over, but only if we are intelligent enough to know when to let go.


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Rigid Rail Enclosed Track in a Bridge Format
The FLS FlexBridge provides the functionality of our FlexRail rigid rail enclosed track in a bridge format. Much like an overhead crane, the FlexBridge can be positioned anywhere along the runway and provide large areas of fall protection coverage. The FlexBridge is an ideal solution in industrial applications with existing overhead cranes or varying areas where fall protection is needed.
Maximum Flexibility and Coverage
Flexible Lifeline System's FlexBridge is a cartesian bridge fall protection solution that provides maximum flexibility and coverage for users. A typical FlexBridge system consists of parallel runways that support a FlexRail bridge. Users manually move the FlexBridge in to the work position. This provides fall protection coverage over a wide area.
The FlexBridge system can also be retrofitted to existing overhead crane runways, providing a viable option for overhead fall protection in areas with cranes. The FlexBridge can be designed for spans from 6' to 60'. Shorter bridge spans will automatically follow the user's movement, while longer spans require manual positioning.
Adaptable Application
The FlexBridge system has gained popularity because it gives the owner the flexibility of changing the layout of their operations without having to reconfigure their fall protection sytems. In hangars and facilities where change is the norm, the FlexBridge rigid rail fall protection system is a preferred solution.
FlexBridge is commonly used in applications such as fixed wing and rotary aircraft hangars and industrial and manufacturing facilities with overhead cranes.


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And Now Summer Is ... Over?
I did not approve this. And I do not approve of it.
Nor, for that matter, of this from yesterday:
Halloween candy in the store. In August. No, people. No.
I mostly knit, sometimes crochet or cross-stitch. I read, a lot. I love cats. I love hockey, especially my local team, the Boston Bruins. Want more? Read on.
Labels: Florida
"...according to a Wall Street Journal article of a few years ago, some 59 percent of Americans don't own a single book."What?
Labels: read
Labels: cats
Labels: decor


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No spoilers for any of the three 'Cloverfield' film follow!
The Cloverfield Paradox dropped in unexpectedly immediately after the Super Bowl this year and was another home run for building hype within the series. Building hype is something that is now mistaken for showing off as much of the film as humanly possible before its' release. The 'Cloverfield' franchise has quelled that belief and has proven three times now how to successfully build hype in three totally different ways.
The original 'Cloverfield' is probably more famous for its viral marketing than the actual film. Attached as a trailer before 'Transformers' in Summer 2007, a few clips pieces together revealed next to nothing apart from something big was attacking New York. Even more bizarre was the lack of a title. The trailer and all posters were best remembered for a headless Statue of Liberty with the date 1.18.08 and nothing more. As 'Transformers' was one of the biggest hits of the summer, buzz about this strange clip spread like wildfire. Paramount had managed to keep the entire filming of 'Cloverfield' under wrapped so no reporters were actively following it before hand to try and get a scoop. Everybody was in the same boat, nobody knew what to expect.
As you'd expect in the months that followed, hundreds of theories appeared. Some claimed it was a new Godzilla film, others reported it was a spin-off from Abram's 'Lost'. Possible titles such as 'The Parasite' and 'Monsterous' were rumoured. What was incredible is no one really came close with any guesses. Considering all big pictures now will have some kind of set leak or rumours that turn out to be spot on, this was something really unprecedented. To add to the mystery even more, characters from the film were given their own MySpace pages (remember that?!) which gave an insight into their lives and that alone. No plot details were hidden within, but that didn't stop people trying to uncover any secrets. As well as this, a viral site called 1.18.08.com featured time-coded photos of events within the film's universe, left for readers to interpret. It had only been a few weeks but the interest for the film had only skyrocketed since the initial trailer.
November came around and finally everyone got some answers. The second trailer revealed the title and showed off a bit more action, but still kept the plot and, more crucially, what exactly was causing all the chaos a secret. Even better was there was only two months left to wait. They had let the excitement die down a little only to reignite it with a single stroke of a match. Whereas most big films have their first trailers shown up to a year early, 'Cloverfield' showed how a more secretive and mysterious approach can work wonders in the shape of a cool $170 million back on a $25 million budget.
Once the dust had settled, people were already pestering Abrams and co for a sequel. The film's director, Matt Reeves, hinted that another film had already been made in the same format, following a different group of survivors we briefly see on the Brooklyn Bridge scene, whereas J. J. Abrams was more reluctant to move forward with a sequel. A year past, then another year and still no answers. Both men's responses to any question about it became more and more vague as the time past. But people still weren't giving up. J. J. Abrams' 'Super 8' gained attention as a secret sequel to 'Cloverfield' but Abrams dismissed this rumour rather quickly. 2012 came around and screenwriter Drew Goddard said how he was ready to move forward with a sequel and that scheduling conflicts between the three was causing such a delay. This was the last piece of concrete information anyone received about a possible sequel and everybody had slowly begun to accept the idea was one that would never come to fruition. But then, on 15th January 2016, something groundbreaking happened.
Audience members who went to see the entirely forgettable '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' were treated to an incredible new trailer for a tense thriller, confined within a bunker starring John Goodman. It intrigued almost everyone, then after the Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character looked outside, the word 'Cloverfield' appeared (as shown above) and broke the internet. Despite living in an age where nothing is truly kept secret within the film industry, Abrams and co did the impossible once again, and dropped the sequel everyone had been waiting for, for over eight years, out of the blue. Better still is the film would be released in under two months. The hype was happening once again and with such limited time until it dropped, wasn't going anywhere.
The film released a few TV spots and another trailer that perhaps showed off a little too much, but the majority was still a secret. Despite 'Cloverfield' being in the title, we didn't even know if there was a monster above ground or if Howard is lying. The final fifteen minutes did split audiences, but the majority, myself included, enjoyed it. '10 Cloverfield Lane' was not only an improvement over its predecessor, but was one of the finest films of 2016. By doing away with the found-footage format, which had become stale and repetitive thanks to shoddy studio horror films, they managed to keep the franchise feeling new and original. Abrams stated that it wasn't a sequel, more of a 'blood relative', like an anthology series. By putting this film and any other future projects under the 'Cloverfield' banner, Bad Robot turned solo films that would've been slightly profitable into guaranteed successes.
Following on from the best viral campaign ever and one of the biggest surprises in recent memory, people were on higher alert for any news about the next instalment. Sadly, thanks to a social media age and confirmation there would be more films, it was leaked that a new sci-fi movie called 'God Particle' was actually the next instalment within the 'Cloverfield' series near the end of 2016. Bad Robot declined to comment before Paramount eventually confirmed it. Time passed and after an initial February 2017 release date, it was pushed back three times to mid 2018. Rumours began at the start of the year that it's budget had overspent by a lot and that Netflix were interested in picking up the film from Paramount. The element of surprise seemed to have been lost on its third time around and in a way it had. Everyone knew who was starring in it and that eventually it would drop on Netflix. With all this in mind, they still did something pretty unprecedented that I'm sure everyone is now well aware of.
Having it's debut trailer at the Super Bowl was always a smart move, it's one of the biggest prime time slots for advertising all year. Announcing it was going to be released immediately after the game was genius. Each subsequent release managed to have a smaller time scale between announcement and release, so making the jump from two months (already insanely short) all the way to around 4 hours is insane. In the days that followed, it came to light that the actors themselves weren't even aware of the deal until the morning of its announcement, in an effort to try and still surprise the world. While the reaction to it has been pretty negative since release (Including my own), there's no denying it was another masterstroke of advertising and building hype. With such little time until its release, it was firmly in people minds and not going anywhere. A cynical person may say the studio knew it would receive negative reviews and that Netflix was a more guaranteed bankroll success, but Abrams dismissed this and said the studio found the concept of releasing it online immediately "fun". Whatever the real reason, 'The Cloverfield Paradox' still managed to shock us all, despite everyone knowing of its existence.
It's unclear what state the next film ('Overlord') is going to be released in. Perhaps Netflix own the rights to that too, or maybe they'll go back to a theatrical release, right now there's no definitive answer. I personally can't see it going back to the big screen, as Netflix is such a bankable investment on new projects that something with this much of a following will peak interest without fail. Looking at it from a business venture, negative reviews haven't stopped other Netflix films such as 'Bright' or 'The Ridiculous Six' from gaining audiences and earning more money in the rights to own it compared to a typical cinematic release. Perhaps Netflix could have yet another selling point with owning any new 'Cloverfield' films and releasing them with no prior warnings and let the internet forums do the advertising for them. If you look at the length of time between each initial announcement and release, we went from six months down to two followed by a mere four hours. If the pattern is to be followed for their next release, an instant release wouldn't be so bizarre and would keep up with the element of mystery and surprise the series has become renowned for. We could be looking at a future instalment being released under the disguise of another title all together and only when the first few audience members emerge from the screening, word of the deception will spread. There are countless ideas for future release and the marketing team probably have the next few already lined up. Despite a really poor third instalment, the next 'Cloverfield' film will still be met with excitement and interest on the basis of how well and uniquely the marketing has been handled on three separate occasions. By going against the normality of a typical pre-release schedule of a big film, 'Cloverfield' has cemented itself in cinematic history and I can't wait to see how they handle their next few releases.


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Credit cards can be useful financial tools, especially when you need to borrow money or make large expensive purchases. They also can put you in debt if you don't manage them properly. Here is a quick guide to understanding credit cards.
1. Why It's Important to Own a Credit Card
Credit cards can help you pursue financial opportunities in your present and your future. They allow you to borrow money for large expenses; they can even help you in an emergency. Credit cards can also help build your credit history — that is, if you consistently make payments on time and keep your debt levels low. If you build a good credit history, you can find yourself less stressed and more financially literate. You'll also have a better chance of receiving other loans, like a mortgage or auto loan, with reasonable terms and lower interest rates.
2. How Credit Cards Work
A credit card is an agreement between you and a bank or financial entity. First, you have to apply for the credit card. Then, if your credit history meets their standards, you will most likely be approved. Depending on the card's issuer, you may have an annual fee for the card. Each month, you will receive a bill for your credit card along with a credit card statement asking for a minimum payment on your balance. If you choose to pay only that minimum amount, you may find yourself accumulating more debt due to the card's interest rate. To avoid paying interest on your card, you might want to consider clearing your balance before the end of the month. (Remember, too, it's wise to keep an eye on your credit as you work to beef up your score. You can view two of your free credit scores, updated every two weeks, on Credit.com.)
3. How to Properly Use a Credit Card
It is important to use your credit card carefully and responsibly. First, make sure you pay your credit card on time every month. This is crucial. If you miss a payment, you may get hit with a fee. And if you continue to miss your payments, know this will negatively impact your credit history, which could hurt you in the future when you try to secure a loan.
So pay off your charges in full every month, if you can. This will boost your credit score, ensure you always have a positive credit history and most importantly, keep you out of debt. If you do choose to carry a balance on your credit card after making your monthly payment, then I recommend using less than 30% of your available credit. (For best scoring purposes, you may want to aim to keep your credit utilization below 10% of your available credit.) This way you will never be too in over your head.
Remember, if you rack up charges on your credit card and can't afford to pay them off, then you will likely continue to get hit with interest rate charges until you pay those balances down, leaving you more in debt than you'd planned. (Some cards offers 0% introductory or balance-transfer annual percentage rates that let you avoid interest for a period of time.)
Lastly, it is okay to own multiple credit cards, but it's important to treat each card with the same care. Each month, try to pay more than the minimum or maintain a $0 balance. And if you are looking to open more credit cards, it's a good idea not to do so all at once, as having too many inquiries in a short period could raise a red flag to lenders that hurts your score.
Image: Antonio_Diaz


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