text:
Media Advisory for: March 19, 2015
Contact: Maria Myotte, email@example.com, 720 352 6153
THURSDAY — Rhode Island Labor House Committee Holds Public Hearing on Possible Min Wage Increase From $2.89 to $9.00
'One Fair Wage' Coalition Spearheaded by Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) United Pushes a Raise for 22,000 Tipped Workers, Mostly Women
Providence , RI — Just weeks after New York Governor Cuomo announced a momentous 50% increase to New York State's tipped minimum wage, raising it from $5.00 to $7.50 per hour by the end of this year, Rhode Island's House Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday March 19th about a bill to raise the subminimum wage of $2.89 — the lowest tipped minimum wage in all of New England — to match the state's full minimum wage, currently $9.00 per hour.
Rhode Island's tipped workers are overwhelmingly women- about 68.6%. The vast majority work in the restaurant industry and are nearly twice as likely as other RI workers to live in poverty. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has targeted the restaurant industry as the single-largest source of sexual harassment charges with five-times the rate of any other workforce. According to a recent national survey, 90% of female tipped workers report experiencing sexual harassment on the job.
WHAT: Press conference on 'One Fair Wage,' improving economic and social well-being for women and tipped workers throughout RI
WHEN: Thursday, March 19th at 3:00PM followed by H 5364 hearing beginning at 3:30
WHERE: House Lounge, RI Statehouse, 82 Smith Street, Providence RI 02903
WHO: Meg Fosque (National Policy Director ROC United), Maureen Martin (Director of the Coalition of Labor Union Women and Secretary Treasurer of RI AFL-CIO), Jim Vincent (Chapter President NAACP, Providence), Gayle Goldin (State Senator District 3, Providence), Theresa Tanzi (State Representative District 15, Cranston), Andy Posner (CEO Capital Good Fund), Shandi Hanna (RI-NOW and the Women's Fund), Marty Collins (Jewish Alliance), and current tipped workers
"No one can live on $2.89 an hour," said Saru Jayaraman, co-founder/co-director of ROC United. "After years of work led by ROC, we're seeing an unprecedented level of activity to get rid of the lower minimum wage for tipped workers entirely. Poverty wages, rampant sexual harassment, and wage theft are all endemic to a system that permits employers to pay tipped workers a subminimum wage. The public, electeds, and even restaurant owners understand that and want to change how tipped workers are paid."
In addition to New York raising its tipped minimum wage, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maryland have introduced bills this year that would increase the lower, tipped minimum wage to match the full minimum wage, making March, notably Women's History Month, poised for an unprecedented amount of activity specifically on raising wages for tipped workers.
Although the federal wage for tipped workers has been frozen at $2.13 an hour for 24 years, seven states, including Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Montana, and Nevada have already eliminated the lower, tipped minimum wage.
Co-founded by leading workers' rights advocate Saru Jayaraman ("One of the top 50 most influential people in the restaurant industry" – Nation's Restaurant News) ROC United has grown to over 13,000 worker-members across 26 cities in the US, winning 15 worker-led campaigns, totaling $8 million in stolen tips and wages.
The One Fair Wage Coalition includes RI-AFLCIO, Coalition of Labor Union Women, RI NOW and the Women's Fund, Planned Parenthood of RI, RI JWJ, Working RI, NAACP Providence Chapter, Brown Student Labor Alliance, Fuerza Laboral, SEIU BJ, USAWRI, Bell St. Chapel, NEARI, Farm Fresh RI, HERE, Economic Progress Institute and more.
ROC United expanded to Rhode Island this fall hiring Rhode Island-native and seasoned community and labor organizer, Mike Araujo, to spearhead its One Fair Wage campaign in the state.


text:
i always love the second day of my MDS Interviews because i get to find out all the favorite things of the people i admire…..i love getting to know about what inspires them…
markham roberts has been a great source of inspiration to me over the years, he is truly one of my favorite designers. i always love his rooms, the way he uses color and pattern, how infuses old with new, there's always the perfect mix of traditional elements with modern ones, and he always does something a little unexpected, but it works and somehow feels timeless and effortless.
i love books, especially design books, so it goes without saying that i'm beyond excited about markham's new book markham roberts: decorating the way i see it/ pre-order here. i've already pre-ordered more than a few. one for my family room coffee table, one for my office, one to be stacked on my bedside table for quick reference, and i'm sure i'll find the need for a few more.
there are a lot of amazing designers out there, but markham has something very special, very unique, very refreshing…everything he does is wonderful, so inspiring! like i said i get to know a lot about the people i interview and what i've discovered is that markham is also a gentleman, he's a class act, just another reason why he's truly one of my favorite designers, and i know he's one of your favorites too! enjoy!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Toni Braxton Engaged to Rapper Birdman
Braxton, 50, has been seen wearing the ring for several weeks, which stirred up rumors of an engagement, but that wasn't the first time wedding buzz plagued the duo. There were also rumblings that the couple had married in October 2017, but the "Un-break My Heart" singer's rep denied those claims in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. He… Read More Toni Braxton Engaged to Rapper Birdman


text:
Jump on the turbo. It will be a quick and efficient session, saves the faff of deciding where to go, getting kitted up, checking the bike.
Hauls turbo and fan out of cupboard. Re arranges living room to get it perfectly infront of the TV.
Swaps wheel onto the spare wheel with the trainer tyre on it.
Right, just got to find a video to watch on YouTube.
10 minutes of slightly aimless searching, and a bit of procrastination watching a cat do silly things commences.
Video loaded.
Now, let's find a workout to follow on TrainerRoad.
Eyes workouts with fear. Chooses a hard one, but not too hard. Don't want it to hurt too much.
Ah rubbish, where's my USB dongle to make TrainerRoad pair with my powermeter?
Searches through drawer of random electrical bits. Finds an old digital camera that had been forgotten about.
Great, Trainerroad works.
Now just need to hook up my laptop to the big TV screen.
Where's the bloody cable?
Rifles through the electrical drawer again. Spend 5 minutes untangling a maze of wires. Many profanities result.
Right, all done, let's ride!!
Ah rubbish, I need my headphones, I'll want music to listen to as I watch my video.
Where the heck are they?
Ah, in my rucksack.
Finds rucksack. Discovers a letter that sits unopened at the bottom, recived a month ago. A bill lies within.
Crikey, better pay that quickly. What's my banking login?
Sod it will do it later.
Right, NOW I can go.
Hang on, I need my phone to play the music, just quickly grab it!
Finds phone. Quickly checks messages and emails.
Right, DEFINITELY ready.
An hour of suffering commences.
The video keeps on buffering and you keep on half pausing in intervals to change the song you're listening to.
Thank God that's over.
NOOooo! I forgot to press start on my garmin!
No strava = no point.
Ahh, cycling, the escape from the frustrations of modern life and its connected culture. Love it. So relaxing.
Image sourced from: http://www.vojomag.nl/chroniques/de-hometrainer-hoe-te-gebruiken/


text:
Taj Hemp Short Sleeve Slim Shirt
Product Details
Product Details
Style Number: T2002905
Strong and sustainable, the Taj Hemp Short Sleeve Shirt will help you defeat your summertime archenemy: HUMIDITY. Made from a super blend of cooling hemp and moisture-wicking Tencel®. Another day saved by the great and powerful Taj. Also availabe in long sleeve.
- Button placket
- Forward shoulder seam for backpack compatibility
- Slim fit
- Quick-dry
- Lightweight
- Moisture-wicking
- 29.5"
Fabric: Sunhemp Stretch
54% Hemp 44% Tencel 2% Spandex
Finally, a travel-friendly version of "linen" that we can get behind. Forget old-school cotton, this hemp and Tencel® blend lifts off your body for that linen-like cooling sensation, but with better wicking, better drape and better drying.
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold with similar colors gentle cycle. Do not bleach. Tumble dry low. Cool iron as needed. See garment tags for additional instructions.
Our Guarantee
If you don't get a compliment within three wearings or if you find something wrong with your Toad&Co garment, we'll take it back and make it right.
You May Also Like
- Smythy Short Sleeve Shirt
- Airbrush Levee Short Sleeve Shirt
- Fletch Print Short Sleeve Shirt
- Hookline Short Sleeve Shirt


text:
Midmarket companies take the lead on cloud computing adoption
Another new survey on cloud computing adoption shows users and providers alike are bullish and better educated on cloud, with midmarket CIOs leading the way.
This year's Amazon EC2 outage and Dropbox security breach may have put a little scare into companies, but it didn't completely spook them, according to a recent study on cloud computing adoption. Organizations remain bullish on cloud computing, particularly in the midmarket, where nearly half plan to adopt some form of infrastructure or platform cloud services, the CompTIA study revealed.
The survey of 500 IT and business professionals and 400 IT firms in the United States found that 20% of companies that were using the cloud turned to on-premises solutions after the high-profile Amazon outage and Dropbox security breach.
"I think it is a reaction to, one, 'I have a pretty good capitalized infrastructure that I am probably not fully utilizing. I can create a great private cloud here.' So, some people realized they had a cloud and they didn't know," explained Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), which conducted the survey with Research Now. "Then there were those groups that were concerned about redundancy and data security. They maybe couldn't get the SLAs right."
Cloud computing adoption gets less hazy
CompTIA's second annual study on trends in cloud computing suggests that in the space of one year, U.S. businesses have become more educated in the cloud computing concept and more interested in what it can mean for them. In addition, early adopters recognize that their cloud strategy needs tweaking.
When asked to self-assess their understanding of cloud computing, respondents from small and large firms reported a 29% increase compared with 2010. Midmarket respondents, who were already "ahead" of their counterparts last year, claimed a 22% increase.
Executives and IT staff reported a tremendous leap in their grasp of the cloud concept, from just 19% in 2010 to 58% this year. Tim Hebert, vice president of market research at CompTIA, said the shift is appropriate -- while IT is still driving cloud adoption, business lines are the ones in the field, using the technology and seeing where there are day-to-day needs to be met. These end users are influenced by their peers, not unlike the latest gadget lust, he said.
Still, questions remain, just as with any relatively new concept. This year, 66% of end users reported wanting clearer definition of cloud computing -- an increase from 60% last year. Researchers suggest this reflects a desire to know details and doesn't contradict users' increased understanding. Most notably, businesses are showing strong interest in security (65%), services offered (53%) and costs over time (52%).
In the year since CompTIA's initial survey, respondents report an increased comfort with cloud strategy, despite still having questions. Their cloud optimism is based in technical benefits (51%), enabling of other business objectives (50%) and enabling innovation (46%). --Karen Goulart
The adoption of on-premises cloud models has helped companies grow more sophisticated about cloud computing -- they understand the nuances of cloud models better, said Tim Hebert, vice president at CompTIA. Seventy-two percent of firms reported feeling more positive about cloud than they did a year ago; half of the positive respondents said they were more convinced of the cloud's technical benefits. Midsize businesses lead the way in cloud computing adoption, utilizing all three cloud service models -- Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service (PaaS). Large companies are more likely to use private or hybrid models. One in five companies do not use cloud systems.
The positive vibe translates into fiscal commitment. Spending increases of 10% or greater are planned by more than half of respondents and 70% of channel firms currently using cloud systems. In addition, compared with last year's data, companies are expanding their use of cloud from SaaS applications (still the most popular cloud adoption) and moving their infrastructure and platforms to the cloud as well. Of those 20% of companies currently not using cloud systems, most (85%) are considering cloud in the near future. About 50% said they have found that cloud enables other business objectives and more innovation. (See sidebar).
Cloud computing adoption paves the way
The midmarket's embrace of cloud computing comes as no surprise to John Lauderbach, CIO of Roche Bros. Supermarkets Inc., a family-owned regional chain with 18 stores, about 4,000 employees and online operations. "We need pretty much everything that Kroger or Stop 'N Shop would need, just not on the same scale to stay in business," Lauderbach said. His shoestring staff of three IT people focuses on enabling the business strategy of the $600 million family-owned chain. As for the rest, Lauderbach said he is taking advantage of cloud offerings -- "as much as I can."
"I add no value by running servers, doing backup and restore and software maintenance. Other people can do it better than I can. We need to focus on selling groceries rather than IT infrastructure," he said.
He got rid of servers that held customer credit card transactions for every store, for example, and now uses a cloud provider service for PCI DSS compliance. "We have no credit card information on-site," he said. "That has reduced my scope a great deal." He is moving to a cloud-based SaaS service for printing the ever-changing signs that dot the chain's supermarket aisles. Stores that were limited to making signs on a single machine now have access to the same solution used by the country's biggest retailers. "We just push the data up to them and all our stores can access it through the Web, from whatever printer they have," he said, adding that the service is "nothing special to us," but then it doesn't need to be.
With the use of cloud providers, vendor management is important, of course, and monitoring. "We constantly look at logs to make sure they are holding up their end of the deal that we agreed to," he said. And yes, there are concerns about transitioning to this new model. Lauderbach said he sometimes worries that his providers "don't have any skin in the game," but the benefits of cloud computing adoption are significant, he said -- from not having to hire more people to much more flexibility. "It gives us the option of going in different directions, much more so than if I had a whole host of servers and we migrated to something that those servers did not support."
Let us know what you think about the story; email Linda Tucci, Senior News Writer.
Next Steps
VMware CEO says cloud computing technologies are the future
CIO's cost-cutting measures include move to Gmail
Myths about private clouds may shortchange your organization


text:
After being ranked as the second most-selling smartphone company in India, Xiaomi is set to launch another phone in the Redmi series in India. The phonemaker announced the launch in a tweet and Xiaomi India's VP, Manu Jain, confirmed the news. Jain added that after the opening of the Xiaomi store in Bengaluru, the launch will be the other important event for the company this month.
Xiaomi Redmi 4 was launched in China last year, along with the Redmi 4 Prime. The Redmi 4 smartphone has a 5-inch 720p display running on the back of Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. It has a RAM capacity of 2 GB and 16 GB of internal memory. The phone comes with a 4,100 mAh battery, 13 MP front camera and a 5 MP rear camera.
The higher end variant, the Redmi 4 Prime, comes with a Snapdragon 625 processor and 3 GB RAM capacity. Additionally, Redmi 4 Prime's screen has full HD resolution. The phone has a 32 GB internal storage capacity.
Both phones will be running MIUI 8 on top of Android Marshmallow 6.0. They are likely to be priced under ₹10,000.


text:
Company Profile
Founded in 2010, Shenzhen Innop Electronics Technology Co., Ltd. is a national new high-tech enterprise integrating medical instrument R&D, production, sales and service. The company has been focusing on medical endoscope imaging system research and adhering to the principle of people first, market orientation, customer satisfaction. This innovative company highlights market segmentation and provides medical institutions at home and abroad with quality service.
As an international-oriented medical devices manufacturer, Innop sets up... [Details]


text:
Leather Luggage Tag & Passport Case Set
- Personalization
- Best Seller
- Product Details
This set is the ultimate gift for people who love to travel in style. Made from genuine leather in a range of colorful options, the set includes a passport case to keep a passport and visa documents safe and a matching luggage tag for a suitcase. Add their initials in a foil debossed monogram to a set in their favorite color for a thoughtful gift they will love to use every time they travel.
• Luggage Tag: 6.25" h x 2.5" w
• Passport Cover: 5.5" h x 4" w
• Leather. Passport case is lined in cotton.
• Monogramming is foil debossed and the initials will be the same on both items.
- Shipping
Shipping + Delivery
Please enter your zip code on the product page or in cart for a delivery date estimate based on your location. The shipping rate varies depending on your order total and shipping options. View Shipping Rates and Options.
Return Policy
Monogrammed or personalized items are not eligible for returns. You can return eligible items within 30 days of receiving an order for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required.
Items non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
• Monogrammed or Personalized items
• Final sale items (identified by a price ending in .99)
• Gift cards
• Items damaged through normal wear and tear
Questions? See our full Returns Policy.
You May Also Need
Letter Stickers
Why Mark & Graham?
We're here to help you celebrate life's most meaningful moments no matter how big or small.
Thoughtful Design
From carefully selected materials to meticulously placed pockets, everything we make is thoughtfully designed.
Expert Monogramming
Whether it's a classic foil debossed monogram or hand-painted lettering, all of our products are designed to be personalized.
Beautiful Presentation
Presentation is everything, which is why each product comes beautifully presented in our complimentary signature gift wrap.


text:
- There are no isolated stories about the agency but rather there is an overarching narrative and every story feeds into it. So within the agency it is not OK to have one group working on Initiative A and another group on Initiative B and they are connected in the public's mind yet internally the people are not talking to one another. Public Affairs has to be that connecting linchpin working between Groups A and B to insist that the narrative be made whole.
- Similarly there are no isolated news outlets or platforms on which news is delivered but rather one always connects to the other. So it is impossible to say, we'll do a press release but avoid social media; or we don't want to get involved in mobile now; because the reality is, your content is going everywhere. The people responsible for sending out content to the public must be working across platforms to comprehensively assess and then report back on the impact of particular stories and on the general tone of coverage across traditional and new media.
- Finally in the Bezos model as in the Huffington post model, the user is king and so there has to be much more respect for and engagement with the unfiltered and uncensored comments from the public. It's no longer enough to say "whoa, that's astroturfing and I'm not going to respond" - you have to get in there, roll your sleeves up and talk to people. (Of course you have to identify yourself as an Agency representative.)
On a related note I think it is important to point out as I try to do periodically that no matter what communication outlet we use, it is illegal to use appropriated funds for propaganda.
The law does not specifically say what that word means but over the years, it has been interpreted pretty clearly and the Legal Information Institute at Cornell offers a brief guide. Essentially Agencies:
- Can: "inform the public about its activities and programs, explain its policies and priorities, and defend its policies, priorities, and point of view"
- Can't: 1) engage in "self-aggrandizement" 1) engage in "self-aggrandizement" (also known as "puffery" or promotional talk that "no 'reasonable person' would take literally" and that can't be verified for accuracy - e.g. a sales pitch 2) promote a political party or candidate - e.g. communicate for "purely partisan purposes," and 3) issue "covert propaganda" - meaning Agency materials issued to a non-government outlet without disclosing who made them.
To counter the problem of objectivity, it is helpful to offer raw data along with context and then invite third parties to analyze it, break it down and communicate about it their own way. Check out this template for a Social Media Press Release.
(Note - all opinions my own as always.)


text:
Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise Win Leadership Elections, But The Battle Resumes In November
The House leadership elections turned out about as expected, but we may be doing this all over again in five months.
As Matt Bernius noted, the House Republican Caucus held the leadership elections that were necessitated by the defeat earlier this month of House Majority Whip Eric Cantor, with Kevin McCarthy moving up the ladder from Whip to Majority Whip and Steve Scalise of Louisiana taking McCarthy's position as the third-ranking member in the House Leadership:
House Republicans dramatically reshaped their leadership team Thursday by selecting Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to serve as the next House majority leader and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) as the next majority whip.
The pair will serve alongside Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and steer the often rancorous GOP caucus through an intense four months of critical legislative work on several spending matters leading up to November's midterm election.
McCarthy, 49, and Scalise, 48, were chosen Thursday in an unusual snap election caused by the surprising primary defeat of outgoing Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).
McCarthy is serving his fourth term in Congress and his win makes him the fastest-rising majority leader in American history. Scalise currently leads the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of conservative Republicans, and has been in office since 2008.
McCarthy clinched the race during a closed-door election over his lone competitor, Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), who found it difficult to get votes beyond a small group of conservatives who helped him mount a failed coup against House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) last year.
Scalise defeated two opponents — the current chief deputy whip, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), and Indiana conservative Rep. Marlin A. Stutzman — and prevailed on the first ballot, a bold demonstration of how he quickly consolidated support in the past nine days.
The election of new GOP leaders began around 2 p.m. and lasted about 90 minutes.
The process of electing new leaders mirrored the secrecy of a papal electionand began with nominating and seconding speeches for McCarthy and Labrador, followed by the counting of ballots from the House Republicans.
Cantor plans to relinquish his duties as majority leader on July 31, but will keep his House seat until the end of his term in January. McCarthy and Scalise are expected to spend the next six weeks hiring staff and preparing for the transition.
They will need to work quickly with Boehner to address a series of legislative issues, including measures to replenish the nation's highway construction fund; to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank; to revamp the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs; and to fund the federal government during the new fiscal year that begins in October.
Boehner provided few details on the pending legislation during his weekly news conference Thursday, but he conceded that the new highway bill will not mirror the ambitious, long-term agreement he has sought in the past. And he said he doubts that the cost of the bill to shore up the VA will be within current spending limits, meaning that several fiscally conservative Republicans might oppose the legislation.
Boehner made no reference to Thursday's leadership elections other than to start his press conference by saying simply: "Happy election day."
McCarthy's win was no surprise at all, of course. Last week, both of his two major potential opponents, Jeb Henserling and Pete Session of Texas, declined to mount a challenge in what was obviously a recognition of the fact that McCarthy had locked up the votes necessary to win election. McCarthy did face a challenger in the form of Raul Labrador, a second term Idaho Congressman who has generally been a Tea Party favorite although he does depart from their orthodoxy on immigration reform in many respects. Labrador's challenge seemed from the beginning as more of an effort on his part to provide at least some outlet for more vocal members of the House GOP's Tea Party wing to express their views in the hastily called election rather than a serious bid for leader. That seemed to be confirmed earlier this week when it was reported that Labrador's campaign had gotten off to a very slow start over the weekend since he apparently didn't have contact information for most of his fellow House Republicans. Given that, it was clear from the start that McCarthy was going to win the top slot in today's election.
As Matt noted in his post, the real drama today was expected to be in the race to replace McCarthy as Majority Whip, with some suggestion that the presence of three candidates in the race would force the caucus to take a second ballot to get to a winner. As it turned out, though, a second ballot was unnecessary since Scalise had apparently rounded up enough to support to win the first time out. I'll admit to not having paid all that much attention to the Whip's race, but Scalise seems like a solid choice from a leadership perspective.
The Tea Party, of course, is not likely to be pleased by the results of either of these elections, most especially the outcome of the Majority Leader race. However, they can hardly claim to be surprised by the outcome. As I noted, McCarthy had no serious opposition in the race and, while we're likely to never know the final vote count I would be surprised if Labrador ended up with more than 30 votes when the ballots were counted. Today's vote, however, was just the beginning because the House GOP will be doing this all over again after the midterm elections:
Conservatives looking for an opportunity to unseat the Republican leadership were dealt a surprise opportunity to ascend the party ranks after Eric Cantor's loss. But the hasty election left lawmakers with little time. Reps. Jim Jordan and Jeb Hensarling declined to run for majority leader, and Rep. Raúl Labrador, who stepped in as an alternative, struggled to shore up support. Californian Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy will likely sail to victory.
That won't be the case next time, several lawmakers told BuzzFeed, saying there would be more concerted effort over the next several months to challenge McCarthy in November's leadership election.
They argue there is enough time between now and November to properly sway members and convince someone else to step up and run.
"As quickly as they moved, it was hard for anybody outside of the Capitol to influence it," said Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a sharp critic of the current leadership team. "If the end result is just a promotion within the dynasty, that won't be good enough for the base of the Republican Party. Conservative groups won't be happy with that and it's as if we didn't listen at all."
"But it builds the case that we'll need new leadership in the fall. I don't think it solidifies anything for the fall, even if McCarthy gets his automatic promotion," he added. "Partly it's about time, but partly it's about understanding that race wasn't just about Eric Cantor, it was about the entire leadership team. The defeat of Eric, the insiders just don't get it."
Outside forces have largely stayed out of the leadership races. One exception is the conservative group FreedomWorks, which is backing Labrador for majority leader but has stayed out of the more contested whip race, telling BuzzFeed they were also looking towards November to plan for a shake-up then.
South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford, who would not say who he was supporting in the leadership race, believes the unique circumstances of Thursday's leadership election would inspire conservatives to run a more serious challenge in a few months.
"Given the one week duration of this race, there's really not a credible way of mounting a really serious challenger campaign because you have to engage the outside forces and do all the other nuts and bolts of politics which is really difficult to do in a week," he said. "I'd say if conservatives are frustrated in November, I would argue there's a much greater shot of making a change at that point because you'd have time in which to do so."
But there are some perils in the November strategy: On the Hill, incumbency and power both matter — the leadership controls all-important committee assignments. And McCarthy would have both heading into the fall.
The big question, of course, is whether there would be a serious challenge to McCarthy in November given today's results and the fact that his two most serious challengers decided to stay out of the race. No doubt, there will be outside groups seeking to make that happen, and if the GOP gains control of the Senate then we're likely to see activists argue that people with a more conservative agenda need to be part of the leadership. At the same time, there is a big difference between being a challenger for an open leadership seat and challenging an incumbent for that same position, and McCarthy's incumbency, albeit a brief one by the time the next leadership elections roll around, could scare people like Hensraling and Sessions, who have committee positions to worry about, away form an open challenge to someone they've served with for nearly a decade. The same goes for Scalise. Indeed, as Dave Weigel notes, all three of the people underneath John Boehner in the House GOP Leadership are in a unique political position:
If you're looking for a "conservative victory" here, look to Scalise. The fast-talking Southerner bested Rep. Peter Roskam, a deputy whip who'd been groomed for big things, and Rep. Marlin Stutzman, a sort-of-Tea Party candidate who nonetheless gets farm subsidies back home in Indiana. He becomes, as some reporters quickly pointed out, the first Republican from a "red" state to take a leadership job since Barack Obama won the presidency.
But "red state" is a sort of useless term when you're talking about congressmen. The victories of McCarthy and Scalise are good news for Republicans who want to avoid future Cantordammerung-style upsets.
Why? Simple: There are three states where party primaries have been replaced by jungle primaries, followed by runoffs between the top two finishers. After John Boehner, the rest of the GOP's leadership hails from these states. McCarthy is from California; Scalise is from Louisiana; Cathy McMorris Rodgers is from Washington. In none of these states can a conservative sneak into a low-turnout primary and defeat an incumbent with 5 or 6 percent turnout
And in all of these states, for 2014, the leaders are safe as milk. McCarthy has no challenger for the fall. Scalise is being challenged by a Libertarian candidate. Rodgers has a couple of token challengers, but if one managed to get more votes than her in the August 5 primary, wouldn't matter: They'd face off again in November, when the whole midterm electorate will be out.
This may mean that even in November McCarthy and Scalise will be safe, but we'll have to wait and see.


text:
What Has Changed Recently With Businesses?
Key Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Carpet Installation Company in Lexington, SC
Are you bored still of the flooring that is currently laid in your home near Lexington, South Carolina? If you responded to this question with a, "Yes!," before you even really had time to think, now is probably a good time for you to consider hiring a well-reputed flooring installation company to put new carpet or hardwood floors into your house! There are several important questions you ought to ask, though, prior to signing a contract with any installer. These are featured below.
How Many Years of Experience Do You Have With This Sort of Flooring?
In order to have complete faith in your flooring installation company, you need to make sure they've been laying floors like the ones you're planning to purchase for quite awhile. If you are making an investment in conventional wall-to-wall carpet or hardwood floors, there isn't really anything for you to be concerned about as long as you aren't hiring a brand new installation firm that hasn't existed for three or more years.
What Research About Installations Can Teach You
If, alternately, you are only interested in contemporary floor styles, such as acid-washed concrete finishes, it is essential for you to check, and check again, that your installers are familiar with installing those sorts of floors. You might even want to ask to see photos of their previous projects. Furthermore, you should not feel bad about being in the general vicinity as your new floors are being put in; also, say something if you don't like how a particular part of the project is going!
What Almost No One Knows About Carpets
Are You Currently Running Any Specials or Sales?
Carpet installation companies frequently have special offers in order to get more business. Make sure you inquire about any deals when you talk to your favorite installation firm. An offer that flooring installation companies tend to have running on a regular basis is $0 in labor charges if you agree to have new floors put in a minimum of two rooms in your house. This is a good deal if you were already planning to redo most, if not all, of your floors.
Are You Licensed and Insured Like You Should Be?
All carpet installation companies in South Carolina should carry certain licenses and forms of insurance. You should always ask to see copies of these documents before you hire an installer. This way, you can make sure your installation company is keeping all of the necessary policies current. Any company that refuses to produce copies of these papers should be removed from your shortlist. This probably means they aren't reputable.


text:
Emerging Cloud Based Services
24 May. 2013 Cloud Development
Cloud based services with their value proposition of ease of scalability and low cost with limited overheads, are gaining immense popularity amongst large enterprises and SMB's alike.. Here are some key cloud services that have begun to get a lot of traction:
1. Productivity Suite on the cloud
Migration of popular productivity applications like Microsoft Office 365 and the emergence of new ones like Zoho has seen a fast adoption of such cloud based office suites, in the enterprise world. Billing through a distributor, flexible pricing and payment terms make this business model very appealing for enterprise customers over the existing on-premise model.
2. UC on the cloud
UC Browser, which is a web browser for mobile devices, is turning into an emerging opportunity on the cloud. Apart from the biggies, many niche players like Twilio are also emerging as an opportunity for hosting UC services on the cloud. Amongst the well known large players, Microsoft has offered Lync as an added feature in the Office 365 while Cisco, Digium and Avaya, have also announced hosted UC offerings.
3. Storage or backup on the cloud
Content that is served over the internet frequently is fast migrating to a public cloud. Web application owners are using Amazon's public storage service S3 to host static content. Caching content is now being provided by providers like Akamai and Amazon CloudFront. Outside of this, secondary storage, data backup and archival are other opportunities with nearly two dozen vendors offering them. Channels, along with migration of apps to the cloud, can also play a services role in the areas of consulting, integration and maintenance.
4. Business applications on the cloud
Many tech giants have moved their CRM services to the cloud. Salesforce.com, which was the pioneer for moving CRM to the cloud, has now been joined by Microsoft and SAP. The biggest challenges that these enterprises face is the customization of the business applications required while being hosted off a public cloud. The service opportunity for enterprises in terms of on-premise models with consulting, customization, training and integration remains at par currently.
5. IT management on the cloud
The future of IMS lies in the emerging service of Automated Managed Services. As a result, vendors are now likely to provide IMS-as-a-service assurance over the cloud instead of, as a value added service.
6. Infrastructure and Platform on the cloud
Today, the cloud services that generate maximum revenue globally are IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service). The tech giants Amazon, Google and Microsoft are expected to generate revenues through these services in billions of dollars in the current year of 2013.
Talk to our experts to learn how these and other cloud based applications can be deployed for your business. Call 1-877-747-4224 or fill in the contact form.


text:
Go to the Find & Connect page in the Channel Manager section. All agencies and portals which chose to be visible in the Directory are listed, in alphabetical order by default.
Search for agency or portal by using an email address, a Kigo ID or a keyword. Filter agencies out by Property country.
Kigo Partners are listed in a separate tab for easy access. Notice they have a yellow star next to their name, also displayed in the Directory
To Connect to an agency or portal, click on the appropriate button. A connection request will be sent and the status of the connection will be displayed as a Pending request until it has been accepted.
Agencies & Portals gives an overview of agencies you're already connected with, any Incoming connection request, and My connection request as pending if not accepted yet.
To accept a connection request click on Edit then Accept request.


text:
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth—and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
This is the essence of Carpe Diem—living with appreciation, gratitude, perspective.
Carpe Diem means living in alignment with what really matters. It means learning how to live more and more, day in and day out, from moment to moment—as much as is possible—in congruence with what, in the end, will have really mattered.
"For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force. The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study of death." – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Carpe Diem requires beginning with the end in mind.
"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." ― G.K. Chesterton
Carpe Diem means making the conscious choice—again and again and again—to live with appreciation, gratitude, perspective.
It's the only sane way of responding to our lot, to the brute facts of our existence.
The non- or in-sane way of responding to our lot is to pretend otherwise, to, instead of facing reality and acknowledging the facts of our existence, deny reality and go for avoidance, irritability, orneriness, anger, ingratitude, repression, unconsciousness.
"The confrontation with death—and the reprieve from it—makes everything look so precious, so sacred, so beautiful that I feel more strongly than ever the impulse to love it, to embrace it, and let myself be overwhelmed by it. My river has never looked so beautiful. . . . Death, and its ever present possibility makes love, passionate love, more possible. I wonder if we could love passionately, if ecstasy would be possible at all, if we knew we'd never die." – Abraham Maslow (from a letter written while recuperating from a heart attack)
Carpe Diem requires that we've either lost some things and lost some people, or that we've really thought ahead and contemplated what life would be like without those closest to in it—what life would be like if they were suddenly and tragically to be taken away from us, or what life would be like if we were informed that we only had months to live.
"You can depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully." – Samuel Johnson
And Carpe Diem requires that we've also really contemplated what it would feel like to have taken life and others and health for granted, to have loved and lived as if life goes on forever. Carpe Diem means getting a good solid taste the guilt and regret that comes with having loved and lived as if no one would ever die or be suddenly and tragically taken from us.
"Kindness" – Naomi Shihab Nye
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.
Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.
Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you every where
like a shadow or a friend.
What Naomi Shihab Nye says of "kindness" also applies equally to gratitude. Carpe Diem requires that we have tasted sorrow, tragedy, loss, and regret, or that we have really slowed down and pause enough to reflect on what these things will taste and feel like.
"Every time I'm out with my kids—this seems to happen: An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, 'Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast.' Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc. I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me. It bugs me. This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life—while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong."
If we haven't really tasted death and loss and sorrow and the pain of these—or if we're living in denial of these—then Carpe Diem—appreciating life and truly appreciating who and what we have—won't make sense to us. It won't yet resonate with us. (Because we're living in denial, and we're probably going through life flighty, superficial, easily irritated and angered, and without any real perspective or sense about what's really important.)
"I used to be a classic workaholic, and after seeing how little work and career really mean when you reach the end of your life, I put a new emphasis on things I believe count more. These things include: family, friends, being part of a community, and appreciating the little joys of the average day." – Mitch Albom
It can be a difficult balance to achieve—raising a child (or children) and trying to instill good habits, respect, responsibility, and give consequences and corrections when needed, and "loving" and cherishing the child (or children) and appreciating the little joys, or letting those things slide which do not matter—for instance, the children carrying on in the back seat, or running wild in the aisles of Target; or a little old lady putting hand to heart and reminding you to enjoy even this, because it goes so fast and some day it will *all* be over.
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."
– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross ……………
Carpe Diem leads to living a more examined, contemplative, and considered life, and it is the fruit of leading such a life. When you realize how brief and perishable we all truly are, then you sweat the small stuff less and less, and you focus more naturally more and more on love, thankfulness, kindness, truth, warmth, and generosity.
"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you." — Sarah Ban Breathnach
Merry Christmas to you all!
Related articles
- *DO* Carpe Diem (realtruelove.wordpress.com)
- How Close Does the Dragon's Spume Have to Come to You, to Me, to Any of Us, Before We "Get It"? (realtruelove.wordpress.com)


text:
College students Studying Abroad Medical & Travel Insurance Malaysia
Figuring out if you will get an errors and omissions insurance coverage is a relatively easy process. Typically, for every $1,000 in pre-tax premium towards the in home-based business insurance coverage and resulting decrease payroll, the in home-based business insurance and the in home business insurance. An insurance coverage policy will normally cover the particular actions that relate to someone's business.
When indubitable comes to operating what you are promoting and recipient enterprise insurance, you own a determine of choices. The information you enter may be retained by these corporations and could also be shared with insurance coverage companies. One being the elevated price of borrowing and secondly that more capital is tied up in the challenge for an extended period because of not being able to re-finance the loan in opposition to the completed project.
Despite doing all you possibly can decrease what you are promoting should purchase it. …


text: If you've got a company that was created at a Startup Weekend, first of all, that's great and we love hearing from you and your progress as much as possible. Second of all we want the world to know of our partnership! We want to promote you and if you could put this badge on your site it would be great to link yourselves back to us. Let's keep growing together!


text:
By Marcus Chang
Two years ago, Nathalie Yepez — a 29-year-old first generation New Yorker who was born to Dominican parents in the Bronx and grew up in Washington Heights and the East Village — moved back to her mother's house, quit her bartending and waitressing jobs to pursue music full time, and reinvented herself as the singer Maluca Mala. "I thought to myself, Enough is enough!" she recalls. "I'm miserable sitting at home writing music and just talking about it." Mala, who not surprisingly identifies as a "hood hipster," performs a mix of what she calls "ghetto-techno, Latin-dance, hip-hop, rave music." It's a decadent mix that has not gone unnoticed — especially by Lady Gaga, whose beer-cans-as-rollers look in the video for "Telephone" appears to have been inspired by Mala's headgear in her video for "El Tigeraso."
The Moment caught up with Maluca Mala in a landmark East Village cafe, around the block from her former all-girls high school, to speak to the self-made artist about her struggles as an independent singer, and of her coming Dominican Independence Day performance at S.O.B's, in the West Village, on Sunday.
Why do you call yourself Maluca Mala?
I've always been Maluca, which means crazy in Spanish. It's a nickname my uncle gave me as a child because I was so mischievous. I added the Mala part, which means bad, when I decided to really go for it in the music business.
Did anyone ever tell you that your song "Hector" sounds like Bjork?
Yes, actually, my back up dancer Oscar. When his mom heard the song she told him that it sounded like the Chinese singer he likes — she meant Bjork. [laughing]
Here's something I don't understand, why is your cellphone shut off when you were just in a BlackBerry commercial?
Oh yeah, they gave me a phone, but it's not like it came with a year of service or anything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to hate on BlackBerry, but right now all my money is going to Maluca. My Dream. Having a cellphone and going out to dinner is a luxury that is not part of the plan. I'm calling people using Google phone online. It's free.
So you're totally broke?
Yeah, basically. I just finished opening for Swedish singer Robyn in her U.S. tour, and since I'm not signed to a record label, that tour ended up putting me thousands of dollars in debt.
Read more: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/maluca-mala-la-crazy-bad/
Check out the trailer for Maluca's Wepasodes below.


text:
Whoa, acronyms :) So according to this question you can have multiple SSL subdomains on one IP address as long as your server supports TLS (which Apache 2.2x does).
Another answer to that question points out that the client browser must have SNI support to work, which IE doesn't have on Windows XP. So, what happens to people with that browser is a warning message saying that the SSL cert doesn't match the domain.
Can one resolve this issue for those client browsers without SNI support? Does a wildcard (for subdomains) do the trick? Are there other (cheaper) options?


text:
Yescka on Vice Magazin 08.11.2014
Barbara Calderón-Douglass published an article on vice.com featuring one of Yesckas latest pieces from Mexico City Protests.
Yescka is a Oaxacan street artist and founder of the political art collective ASARO (Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca). He created wheatpaste posters of five young men in postures of surrender as red spray paint drips off their backs. Three figures with their pants at their ankles wear soccer jerseys that read "Justice," "Ayotzinapa," and "October 2″—the day of the Tlaltelolco Massacre.


text:
BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- MFS Investment Management added its new International Diversification Fund MDIDX, +0.73% to its 529 college savings plan portfolio. MFS administers the broker-sold MFS 529 Savings Plan sponsored by the state of Oregon and participates in nearly a dozen additional 529 plans. "529 diversification can be a key strategy in helping families pursue their college savings goals," said Bruce Harrington, vice president and director of product development for MFS.
MFS adds new international fund to 529 plan portfolio
Quote References
+0.15 +0.73%


text:
Is It Possible To Get A Free Essay Written By A Professional?
This is the question many students ask when they are in a pinch and need to get a good essay quickly. The answer to it is yes, but you need to understand that there are some limitations that come with free essays. The biggest issue here is what you want to use this paper for.
There are two possible uses for a free essay:
- As a sample paper, to learn more about this particular type of academic writing.
- As an essay you will hand in under your name.
If this is your goal, you shouldn't have any problems with finding high quality essays. Many custom writing services offer free samples, and there are some specialized databases where you can get all kinds of papers for free.
In this case, a simple free sample of a professional's work won't be enough. Any paper like this has multiple online copies, so you it won't pass even a simple plagiarism check. Trying to pretend that you were the one who actually wrote it will ruin your reputation completely.
Does this mean that you cannot get a free unique essay written by a pro? In the majority of cases, it does, as qualified professionals deserve to be paid for their jobs. However, there is a silver lining in every situation. If you truly cannot afford a custom paper, you can rewrite a high quality sample. However, this kind of job will require a lot of effort and a bit of time.
It will be best to use the sample as a basis for your research instead of simply trying to reword every sentence. You should follow the author's arguments and look for some more evidence. Replacing the data part of the essay will reduce the chances of plagiarism accusations greatly.
Add some thoughts of your own, especially in the conclusion, as this section will leave the final and strongest impression on the reader. This is why it's essential to write it from scratch, which makes the work seem unique.
Quality rewriting will take some time, as you will need to do quite a bit of research. Therefore, this solution will not work when you are in a pinch. In a situation like this, you need to consider all the risks and merits that can be gained without breaking the deadline of the assignment. Perhaps it will be wiser to borrow some money and pay a qualified professional to write a unique paper in your stead.


text: Fourteen gripping stories on medical themes edited by horror-novelist Wilson (The Select, 1994, etc.), himself a practicing physician in New Jersey. Though the opening tale, Bill Pronzini's ``Angel of Mercy,'' about a postCivil War lady herbalist who travels about by wagon and dispenses fatal mixes for girls needing abortions, is quite weak, the collection overall has many strong tales and is not the mixed bag one might fear. Chet Williamson's ``Doctor Joe,'' about a general practitioner (now 90) who apparently hangs himself out of remorse for the life-insurance frauds he's been carrying out with a cousin in the insurance business, works neatly toward a surprise ending. Matthew Costello's ``Friendly Wager'' tells of the psychotic Dr. Newlove, who decides to imitate the plot of a grisly Roald Dahl story while on a cruise and sets about killing people with undetectable poisons. The tightest, toughest piece of storytelling here is Tina L. Jens's ``The Cuban Solution,'' about a female American doctor sent to Guantanamo Bay Naval Station to help fight an epidemic among Cuban refugees being detained at the base and finds herself in the middle of an episode of biological warfare. Wilson's own ``Offshore'' is a knockout suspense tale whose background deserves novelization: The federal government has taken over the US hospitals, and the rich are now going to hospital ships beyond the hundred-mile limit off the Florida Keys--floating wards with smuggled medical supplies the government has declared illegal. The late Karl Edward Wagner's ``Final Cut'' tells of an alcoholic who pre-enacts his own death, while Ridley Pearson's ``All Over But the Dying'' deals with the AIDS epidemic in Africa; it's the most serious story of the 14, though it descends into melodrama. Top genre tales.


text:
With consulting contracts, cookbook authoring and four successful restaurants under her wing—including the flagship eatery at Palm Beach's Omphoy Ocean Resort—you'd think Chef Michelle Bernstein has her hands full.
Not if you're a fan of "Check Please! South Florida," Channel 2's original Emmy-nominated PBS television program that essentially gives South Florida residents of all walks of life the chance to be restaurant reviewers for a day.
The first episode of season three debuted Monday—and once again, bubbly and incisive Bernstein is the host.
Here's the deal: Each week, three guest reviewers—who can range from a furniture retailer to a doctor, dance instructor or tattoo artist—recommend their favorite local restaurants and dine anonymously at each. Then, on a set that looks somewhat like a restaurant nook, they dish with panel-leader Bernstein about what they ate, the service, ambiance and cost.
"Last season, our pool of (guest-reviewer) applicants grew tremendously," says producer Joyce Belloise. "We had nearly 1,000 applications to sift through to come up with our 15 guest reviewers (for season three)."
An added bonus of the show: Bernstein shares some of her recipes.
Restaurants reviewed in upcoming half-hour episodes, which air at 7:30 p.m.:
Jan. 25: El Carajo International Tapas and Wines in Miami, DeVito South Beach in Miami Beach and Scorch Grillhouse & Wine Bar in North Miami.
Feb. 1: Sage Oyster Bar in Hollywood, Stained Glass Pub in Fort Lauderdale and Seafood World Restaurant and Market in Lighthouse Point.
Feb. 8: Sailfish Marina on Singer Island, Sushi Rock in Boca Raton and Victoria's Peruvian Cuisine in Lake Worth.
Feb. 15: La Parrilla Liberty in Miami Beach, Gabose Korean & Japanese Restaurant in Lauderhill and Andiamo Pizza in Miami.


text:
In the early 1980s, I studied Polish History at uni for 3 years. I don't remember much now, that space in my brain has been replaced with html, seo and other online selling stuff, but as we walk around this beautiful old history-filled city, bits and pieces come back to me. Somehow, pronunciation of Polish words has stayed with me, so while I probably don't know what it means, I do know how to pronouce it!
We're staying in an Airbnb apartment in Kazimierz, the Old Jewish Quarter, for 4 nights – here. Gorgeous old building, huge 2nd floor apartment with parquetry floors and high ceilings. There are 2 bars on the ground floor. The bars each have a 'beer garden' in the courtyard below our apartment, but they close at 10pm, so it's not noisy. A couple of streets away it's much more lively with the bars and eating places staying open until 3am.
The food choices here are amazing – from street food and a couple of empty corner blocks with 6 or 8 food trucks permanently parked there (and a handy Bankomat ATM at each site too!) to traditional Polish restaurants to a Michelin-starred French cafe just a couple of blocks down the street from where we're staying. Between us so far we've eaten Belgian fries, kielbasa (Polish sausage) with sauerkraut & rye bread, French crepes, pulled pork rolls, Krakow pretzel with salami, tomato & cheese and rhubarb & apple crumble. I was initially a bit disappointed that there is no oven in the apartment, although there is a washing machine, and after the mess I made of the pulled pork roll, I think our Airbnb host has the right priorities!
We spent yesterday afternoon at Podgorsz, across the Vistula River from Kazimierz, visiting the Schindler Factory, the Pharmacy Under the Eagle and a short remaining stretch of the Ghetto Wall.


text:
Democrats: We own you, your vote.
Don't think so, we'll just wait until your dead and take it.
What you can take from this is how the government in the eyes of the Democrats sees you. You are nothing but a potential vote and your individuality does not exist. The Democrat AKA (Marxist) Party see itself as a Master, the Plantation Overseer. Your a member of a "Special group", probably a 'victim' because your a minority, but never an individual with unalienable rights. Your a Democrat now. A cog in the machine.
Now come watch the auction at the 2012 Democrat National Convention. The party of looters, liars, moochers and murderers. Now we have only 95% of blacks voting for Obama? How did those others escape the Democrat Plantation we must ask?
Is your vote is up for sale? Lets open the vote auction for the 5% that are awake, I mean uhh that escaped…….. Do I hear that a SNAP Card and a Welfare payment works for you, will that bring you back?…… going once going twice…… No?… I'll throw in an ObamaCare waiver and you can squat at your parents house until your 26 and let them pay the Health Care Premium……. going once…. No?…. Will you take a cash 4 your clunker, a psuedo credit?… going once… going twice…..No?… Ok we can throw in a HARP2 refi for you, no interest, no money down and no closing cost, sure sure subprime even..yea THAT'S IT!!!! THATS THE TICKET!… and…huh?..what?..No?… I'll throw in a case of Obama Brand 'PaleFace' Stale Ale, (shhh its an Elizabeth Warren recipe, don't tell)…… going once going twice…huh?…You want more? I'll throw in 1 box of free condoms because I care about your wife's vagina, I mean… it votes too, right?, ok ok ok… free condoms for life, paid for by the Pope! Oh no no no..No need to worry about Jesus getting upset. Besides you are a Democrat now, we don't believe that silly old myth.? You see. Our Obama offers us a Collective Salvation through his social justice policies where he redistributes rich peoples FAIR SHARE to his cronies and the unions. Huh? Oh sure sure, God approves, Obama says so. Now……. going once going twice…………
Keep in mind as you filter through the bribes… these are not conservative values. Did you get owned or do you think and act for yourself? You have a choice in life you may either become a responsible member of society or you can join the Proletariat as a fiscal slave of the state and be a life-long Democrat.


text:
October 19th Bulletin
October 19th Bulletin
Last Week: Tad Ames from Berkshire Natural Resources spoke about a plan to connect existing trails with potential new trails in the Berkshires. The goal is to have a continuous trail system that will bring commerce to all towns in the Berkshires.
This Week's Program: John Piasacki, Landscape Architect will speak about PCB's
Polio Plus: October 24th is Rotary's World Polio day. Our club continues the fight to end polio forever.
Halloween Window Painting: Monument Mountain students will be displaying their art on main street this Thursday. Another great event sponsored by our club.
YEX: Irene will be joining us at this week's meeting. Please introduce yourself and welcome her. We have been keeping her busy the last few weeks with trips to NYC, Saratoga and Lake George. We are enjoying our time with her.
District Events: The 2016 Annual Rotary Foundation Celebration Dinner will be held November 3, 2016 at Chez Josef; 76 Shoemaker Lane, Agawam, MA from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The Rotary Leadership Institute will be held November 12th, 2016 at The Mass Mutual Training & Conference Center. 350 Memorial Drive., Chicopee, MA
Next Board Meeting: November 7th
Book drive: Please remember to bring children's books for the book house.
People's Pantry food of the week: Canned Fruit


text:
The committees are dedicated to its member companies and encourage all members to join and be active on the committees. If you are interested in becoming involved, please complete the form below.
ACEA Regulatory Oversight Committee
Chaired by Walter Hoysa, P.E., LJA Engineering
Goal: Monitor and comment on governmental policy changes
- Meet quarterly with various municipal and county officials on current affairs (Austin and surrounding communities)
- Formulate action plans to address proposed municipal and county rules, procedures, and policy changes
- Develop relationships with key municipal and county decision-makers
- Work with associations of similar interests
- Report on activities to board and to the general membership
Community Involvement Committee
Chaired by Dustin Goss, P.E., LEED AP, Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc.
- Build the Association's profile and membership and develop a forum for members to give back to the community
- Plan and implement special events supporting ACEA's goals to include public involvement
- Administer Scholarship Program
- Solicit member involvement
- Report on activities to the Board and to the general membership
ACEA Central Texas Infrastructure Design and Construction Symposium Committee
Chaired by Cody Schroeder, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc.
- Create the forum for uniting the Central Texas civil design/build community for the purpose of improving our industry
- Identify session topics and invite moderators and panel members to participate
- Secure a venue and menu for the expected number of attendees
- Organize details of cost, registration, session rooms, exhibitors, etc.
Membership Committee
Chaired by Shannon McCleery, Accurate Pavement Striping, LLC
Co-Chaired by Nicole Gee, Accurate Pavement Striping, LLC
- Increase membership by recruiting the best contractor, engineer, and associate firms while maintaining existing members
- Create networking opportunities for recruited firms
- Educate existing members on issues board and committees are taking on with surrounding cities
- Work with community involvement committee to create networking opportunities
ACEA Fish Fry Committee
Chaired by Greg Shepperd, Fuquay, Inc.
- Plan and implement annual Fish Fry Fundraiser
- Solicit donated items for auction and cash donations
- Market the event to membership
- Arrange logistics of event (beverages, facility, etc.)
ACEA Golf Committee
Chaired by David Johnson, Colorado Materials
- Responsible for planning three golf tournaments a year
- Organize logistics of events (facilities, volunteers, etc.)
- Solicit sponsors
- Market the event to the membership
Join a Committee
Interested in joining a committee? Just complete the form below, or contact Executive Director Silvia Pendleton at email@example.com.


text:
Changing the World: Todd Wareing
Oregon State University alum Todd Wareing is making the world a better place. He is currently the owner and co-founder of Transpire Inc.
Changing the World: Jake Vanderzanden
Oregon State University alum Jake Vanderzanden is making the world a better place. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Blount International and President of ICS.
Changing the World: Kate Remley
Oregon State University alum Kate Remley is making the world a better place. She is currently working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Changing the World: Jeff Freeman
Oregon State University alum Jeff Freeman is making the world a better place. He is currently the Knife Innovation Manager at Gerber Legendary Blades
Changing the World: Gregory Delwiche
Oregon State University alum Gregory Delwiche is making the world a better place. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Bonneville Power Administration.
Just Dance: Valpo Edition-Zach Huey
LipDub at Valpo. Come join the fun!
E-Marketing (Espanol)
El tema de este curso pertenece a un campo velozmente cambiante y planeamos mantener este curso vigente mediante frecuentes puestas al día, tanto de los materiales que componen el curso como de los artículos de actualidad hallados en Internet. Es posible confundir este curso con la asignatura marketing a través de Internet. Sin embargo, nosotros cubrimos un área más amplia. Este curso se centra en el tratamiento de todos los temas que forman parte del mezcla de marketing (marketing mix) par
EBI Search talk by Andrew Jenkinson at the DAS workshop 2011
EBI Search talk by Andrew Jenkinson at the DAS workshop 2011
Le traitement de l'information - Valérie Senneville (audio)
Une conférence de l'UTLS au Lycée
Le traitement de l'information par Valérie Senneville
Lycée Jean Perrin (59 Lambersart)
Une conférence de l'UTLS au Lycée
Le traitement de l'information par Valérie Senneville
Lycée Jean Perrin (59 Lambersart)
AI Topics: A Dynamic Library of Introductory Information About Artificial Intelligence
This site, operated by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), is a great starting point for people who want to learn more about the rapidly growing world of artificial intelligence (AI). AI Topics acts as a central hub for an enormous collection of material that exists on the Web. The links given on the site offer a wide range of information, including basic definitions of AI, discussions about related philosophical issues, journal articles, and current research. The news s
The Marine Mammal Center
This Web site from San Francisco's Marine Mammal Center (MMC) offers a look at current research at the facility. Research focuses primarily on marine mammal health issues, with the goal of improving the rehabilitation process for stranded animals. Visitors to this site can read brief descriptions of current projects in three areas -- Disease Studies; Clinical Technique Studies, which investigates ways to improve diagnostic tests and clinical procedures for stranded marine mammals; and Tagging St
National Conference on Digital Government Research (DG.o2003)
This website is home to the 2003 National Conference on Digital Government Research. Held in May 2003, the event brought together "researchers in computer and social sciences, government officials and employees, representatives of industry and members of the public to investigate how computers and computer networks can improve all aspects of interaction between citizens and government." Full proceedings from the conference are available online, including nearly 50 papers, many system demonstrati
Drawing with the Hand in Free Space
Leonardo, a journal that focuses on applications of science and technology in art, included this paper in its second-to-last issue of 2002. The author discusses a fascinating method of creating three dimensional shapes in a semi-immersive virtual environment. Developed at Caltech, the technique tracks the motion of a user's hand, which is fitted with a special type of glove. With the help of an eyepiece viewing device, the user can see the corresponding surface drawing floating in midair. Severa
Museum of Science's Educator Resource Center
The Museum of Science's Educator Resource Center (ERC), based in Boston, MA, offers this website providing educators with "recommended and institutional Museum materials, all mapped to national and state standards, in order to increase the quality of science, technology, and engineering education." The collection includes a wealth of curriculum materials and science project resources focused specifically on engineering and technology education. Each lesson is evaluated in terms of usability, tea
Chipworks: Silicon Art
Chipworks is a "company that analyzes the circuitry and physical composition of semiconductors, photonics and electronic systems." During the company's work, some chips were found to have microscopic artwork hidden in the silicon. Although these features do not change a chip's performance, they simply express the creativity of the designers. Three large galleries of images are presented on this Web site, some with magnifications up to 500 times. Each picture is accompanied by a short description
Material World Modules
The Materials World Program is an educational program created at Northwestern University intended to teach kids about science, math, and social issues by letting them investigate the objects that surround them in their everyday lives. While traditional science teaching divides the sciences into various disciplines, each studied separately, this program shows students that science is more than a set of techniques as "students using MWM learn how principles of chemistry, physics, and mathematics r
Final Report of the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry
Since its first meeting in November 2001, the Commission on the Future of the US Aerospace Industry has worked to prepare this final report on the industry, its position in the global economy, and its application to national security. The report was released on November 18, 2002, and can be viewed in its entirety at this Web site, along with a fifteen minute video presentation from the commission's chairman. The 300+ page report is divided into nine chapters, each with a central theme and series
Final Implementation Report and Recommendations of the Committee on ICANN Evolution and Reform
On October 22, 2002, an attack on the thirteen servers that act as the backbone of the Internet was carried out, briefly disabling nine of them. This drew attention to the often criticized organization that operates these servers, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Coincidentally, an October 2, 2002 report from ICANN addresses the issue of internet security. The committee that prepared the report makes several recommendations for reform, but only time will tell if t
"A collective effort between the Jane Goodall Institute, zoological facilities, and universities," ChimpanZoo is a research and education program that aims to "apply uniform research methods to learn more about chimpanzees and their psychological and behavioral responses to a captive environment." The program involves participating zoos, researchers, and volunteers collecting and submitting chimpanzee behavior data to the program. The site contains a great deal of information on chimpanzee behav
Nutrition Café
Developed jointly by the Pacific Science Center and the Washington State Dairy Council, Nutrition Café offers students three interactive games to explore the world of nutrition. The first game, Nutrient Sleuth, is an entertaining hangman-style game where students try to discover what nutrients different characters are missing based on clues and letter guesses. Another enjoyable offering is Grab A Grape, a Jeopardy-style game where site visitors try to match nutrition-related questions with answ


text:
My personal YOUTUBE channel!
Sunglasses (H&M), shirt is given by my mom for my 24th birthday (label is absent)
I thought that it would be fun to have a new socil outlet to share with you my adventures! Call me a fashion chameleon for now! This is my new job! I love ya!
If you liked this content please subscribe:
Twitter - twitter.com/MauriceChabale
Instagram - http://instagram.com/mauricechabale
Pinterest - pinterest.com/mauricechabale
Faithfully yours,
Maurice Chabale


text:
Sustainable Architecture, Eco Buildings, Green Building Opinion, Info, Links
Sustainable Architecture
Green Architecture / Building : Ecological Architectural Debate
2 Dec 2012
Global Warming – Sustainable Architecture
Carbon Emissions Too High to Stop Climate Change
With global climate talks underway in Doha a new report shows emissions continue to grow.
It is increasingly unlikely that global warming will be kept below an increase of 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels, a study suggests, reports the BBC.
Data show that global CO2 emissions in 2012 hit 35.6bn tonnes, a 2.6% increase from 2011 and 58% above 1990 levels.
The researchers say that emissions are the largest contributor to future climate change and a strong indicator of potential future warming.
"We need a radical plan."
The researchers' paper says the average increases in global CO2 levels were 1.0% in the 1990s but 3.1% since 2000.
Recently, the World Meteorological Organization reported that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a new record high in 2011.
Other potent greenhouse gases such as methane also recorded new highs, according to the WMO report.
Carbon Emissions News – external link to BBC report
So what can architects do to assist?
The RIBA Sustainability Hub includes sustainability information such as design strategies and case studies.
Sustainable design aims to reduce the adverse effect of human activities on our world, particularly climate change.
Architecture is responsible for about 45% of the carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) emissions in the UK. Architects are a large part of the problem of tackling climate change, and consequently the solution – sustainable architecture.
30 Oct 2012
Sustainable Architecture Videos
Films about the Built Environment and the Climate
e-architect feature a series of eight videos from Green.TV about creating sustainable cities.
Interview with Daniel Libeskind, Architect
How do you involve the local community when developing your architecture projects?
Interview with Richard Rosan, President of Urban Land Institute
Why is capturing land value not more widely used as a way to finance infrastructure investments?
Interview with Pablo Vaggione, Lead author of the UN-Habitat Guide for city leaders
What is the ideal density for a city to be sustainable?
Interview with Mpho Franklyn Tau, Mayor of Johannesburg
How important is it to involve Johannesburg's citizens in the city's planning programmes?
Interview with Joan Cloas, Head of the UN-Habitat
What are the key elements for good urban planning in the 21st century?
Interview with Holger Dalkmann, CEO Embarq/WRI
How does urban planning influence our transportation patterns?
Interview with David Cadman, President ICLEI
How are climate issues linked to urban planning and sustainability?
Interview with Abha Joshi-Ghani, Senior Manager World Bank
With scarce resources, what solutions are available to finance the infrastructure needs of cities?
11 Dec 2011
Sustainable Architecture News
Climate Talks Deal
UN climate talks closed with an agreement after they ran nearly 36 hours beyond their scheduled close.
The European Union will place its current emission-cutting pledges inside the legally-binding Kyoto Protocol, a key demand of developing countries.
Climate Talks on a new legal deal covering all countries will begin next year and end by 2015, coming into effect by 2020.
Management of a fund for climate aid to poor countries has also been agreed, though it remains to be agreed how finance will be raised.
6 Dec 2011
Sustainable Architecture – News
Text from Avaaz:
Our oceans are dying, our air changing, and our forests and grasslands turning to deserts. From fish and plants to wildlife to human beings, we are killing the planet that sustains us, and fast. There is one single greatest cause of this destruction of the natural world – climate change, and in the next 3 days, we have a chance to stop it.
The UN treaty on climate change – our best hope for action – expires next year, but a dirty and greedy US-led coalition of oil-captured countries is trying to kill it forever. It's staggeringly difficult to believe, but they are trading short term profits for the survival of our natural world.
The EU, Brazil and China are all on the fence – they are not slaves to oil companies the way the US is, but they need to hear a massive call to action from people before they really lead financially and politically to save the UN treaty. The world is gathered at the climate summit for the next 3 days to make the big decision. Let's send our leaders a massive call to stand up to big oil and save the planet – an Avaaz team at the summit will deliver our call directly:
Sustainable Architecture – external link
Things are becoming desperate – all over our planet extreme weather continues to smash records, leaving millions homeless and without food or shelter. We're rapidly reaching our point of no return to stop runaway climate change – we only have until 2015 to start making drastic reductions to our carbon pollution.
Yet despite this very real urgency, the world has failed to mobilise against the fossil fuel captured democracy of the US. Not only content with wrecking the Copenhagen talks and the Kyoto Protocol, they are now building a coalition of climate treaty killers to put the final nail in the coffin of international negotiations in Africa.
Our only hope to turn things around lies with Europe, Brazil and China – they can make a deal happen, but they need to do it together, and that's where we come in. Europe is tired, it's fought long and hard on climate and needs a public boost. China has already agreed to binding commitments, is sensitive to its international reputation, and could lead further if we give it an encouraging push. And Brazil is hosting next year's earth summit – making them eager to set the world up for climate success. Let's build a giant global call to bring our champions together and build a green dream team.
The crazy focus on short term profits that motivates countries to stall and scuttle action on a climate crisis that literally threatens the survival of all of us cannot be tolerated. Fortunately, our movement has the power to intervene in this process and demand change. Let's stand together and inspire others to stand with us for a safer, more humane world.
Sydney Morning Herald "Salvaging Kyoto Protocol a tall order: UN" (archived)
Bloomberg "Global Warming Fight Threatened by Debt Crisis as Kyoto Fades"
AFP "Climate talks bust-up feared despite dire warnings"
Sustainable Design : article by Trevor Tucker. 15 Sep 2009
Sustainable Architecture : News
Example of sustainable architecture:
Panyaden School, Thailand
24H > architecture
photo © Ally Taylor / Panyaden School
Thailand School Building
Sustainable Architecture – UK Developments
Sustainable new town
Northstowe, Cambridgeshire, England
Sustainable housing
BedZED, south west London
Bill Dunster Architects / ZEDfactory
Sustainable Architecture 'Demonstration Project' in UK
Zero Carbon housing
BowZed – four apartments, Bow, Tower Hamlets, East London
Bill Dunster Architects / ZEDfactory
Only carbon neutral commercially-built development in UK at time of writing (2007).
Features: extremely high levels of insulation; triple glazing; photovoltaic solar cells; wood pellets boiler; Swift wind turbine; wind assisted heat exchange ventilation
Sustainable architects : Bill Dunster Architects / ZED Factory
Sustainable Building Design : article by Trevor Tucker. 18 Aug 2009
Sustainable Architecture – some UK Policy Issues
Energy Performance Certificates:
due to be introduced as part of Home Information Packs from 1 Jun 2007
Code for Sustainable Homes:
revision issued Dec 2006
Carbon neutral housing:
Gordon Brown made significant pledges re carbon neutral housing in the UK: Pre-Budget Report in Dec 2006 demanded new homes would be carbon neutral by 2016
CO2 emissions:
UK government target to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010; by 60% by 2050
Sustainable housing policies:
PPG3 amendments, due to be issued 2006/07
Sustainable Architecture – some Scottish Policy Issues
Recycled / reused materials:
The Scottish Executive called on institutions to ensure at least 10% of total value of materials used on projects over £1m should be from recycled / reused content
Micro Renewables:
New housing and other developments should generate at least 10% of their energy on site from renewable sources, according to new Scottish Executive standards
Electricity Generation:
The target is to generate 40% of Scotland's electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and thus reduce harmful carbon emissions
Sustainable Architecture : Brief informal discussion re some of the issues
Sustainable Architecture Archive
Sustainable Architecture : Lighthouse 'Sust' Programme
Sustainable Architecture Exhibition
Sustainable architects : Bennetts Associates
Sustainable Homes
Sustainable Housing : Slateford Green, Edinburgh – 'car-free homes'
Sustainable house : Skye, Western Isles, Sctoland by rural design
image © rural design architecture and landscape, scotland
Sustainable Architecture : Lotte Glob House
Sustainable Architecture : David Douglas Centre
Sustainable Architecture – Links
DTI Low Carbon Buildings Programme: www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk
Greener Homes & Buildings: www.ghb.org.uk
Guidance on procuring higher recycled content in construction: www.wrap.org.uk
Forest Stewardship Council – FSC: www.fsc.org
BREEAM: www.breeam.org
Healthy Building Network: www.healthybuilding.net
Sustainable Build: www.sustainablebuild.co.uk
Web Portal of Organic Architecture: www.architetturaorganica.org
Comments / photos for the Sustainable Architecture page welcome
Sustainable Building
Website: Architectural Walking Tours
Website: Building


text:
Cuntz are 4 slimey fucks from Melbourne, Australia that bring the noise in the ugliest fashion possible. It's loud and confrontational sludge-punk, and if you don't like it, they certainly don't give a fuck. For fans of Pissed Jeans, Total Control, Big Black, Flipper, and the like. Mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring. This debut LP got a Record Store Day exclusive pressing from Permanent Records, and you can stream the whole thing below, or pick up one of the 21 remaining copies over at bandcamp.
- Dan


text:
14 December – 18 December 2011
Wildrfid Record
The last night of their residence, Wildrfid invited people they meet in Berlin in order to share a couscous during their radio show.
Simon Wildrfid cooked a delicious couscous for 15 people, Renaud Wildrfid was at the desk,
Anita made voice supporting and Sofie Maladie noise and jingle master.
The radio show has been hosted by LapTopRadio.
Trema live made with Max-Msp Patch
Listen to the complet radio show >> here <<


text:
1. Constant Worry
2. Simply
1. Lapse I
2. Lapse II
Lapse is the latest album from Canadian guitarist Curran Faris. Where his previous releases and live performances utilize the electric guitar and an array of effect chains and signal paths, Lapse was created using only an acoustic guitar and a minimal gear setup. Combining unprocessed room mics and the acoustic's pick-up, Faris strips the instrument down to its essential tonal quality while pushing far away from easily identifiable guitar sounds. This minimal concept mirrors the sounds within: sustained tones, almost synth-like in nature, gradually unfurl and shift amidst distant, glacial melodies. As otherworldly as the guitar sounds on Lapse, there are moments when the listener is reminded that they are in fact hearing a person playing the acoustic guitar — rattling strings, the soft squeak of fingertips gliding across the fret board. This marriage of the unidentifiable and the familiar, the acoustic and electric, yields an album that is deceptively multilayered and much more than the sum of its slow-moving parts.
Pre-Release Thoughts from Lost in a Sea of Sound (3/27/17)
"Lapse is just under a half hour of organic energy balanced drone. The sounds change in minute amounts creating the sustained soundtrack for space time events. This harmony finds open pathways into the depths of our consciousness, the minds infinite space. Tones on the precipice of the infinite expanse in both internal and external directions. Greenhouse has the wisdom, patience and creativity to bring forth the exact amount. The drone dosage of all the time listening contently, never being dozed or dowsed away. Curran Faris is the creative force behind Greenhouse. For Lapse, Curran used acoustic guitar and a small amount of processors. Amazingly acoustic guitar would be a distant guess of how these sounds are created. Resting in some point in time, an almost undetectable sparkle of the surrounding grandeur, Lapse is brilliant." — Lost in a Sea of Sound (5/31/17)


text:
This past week I submitted more color options to my manufacturer. While the above Ambitionist briefcase comes in a traditional solid black, I wanted a fun, colorful option as well. The decision came down between a nude pink versus a lilac. I had produced both before and liked both, though found the lilac one much more popular sales-wise. People say they prefer the pink, but don't buy it at the same frequency as the lilac for some reason.
We had run out of lilac briefcases before and figured we'd stop producing those to move on to new color options. I decided against that and am back to production of lilac briefcases. =)
We're going with 2 different textures of vegan leather:
The above is a sheeny, smooth material. The gold and silver swatches, #16 and #18 respectively really show what I mean (though no, I am not making any bags in those colors). The colors we are going with, highlighted with yellow boxes, are more understated but still have that sheen and polish to it. This particular material will be great for the briefcases. The look is very professional and sleek.
The second texture I love, love, love, love, love. It's uber soft and suede-like, velvety, and just super duper pretty. I've challenged many people to feel this material and compare it with genuine leather, and no one has been able to distinguish the difference, not even self-proclaimed fashionistas! Problem with this material is that I can't use it for the more structured briefcases, so only the totes come in this swatch option.
I did very informal, amateur color blocking to illustrate my color selections for this upcoming purchase order. The amaranth pink looks tacky in my color blocks above, but here is how it actually looks:
Workaholic shoulder tote (above)
Executive satchel brief (above)
And here's a look into the design business process:
That's the first page screenshot of a memo I sent to my factory. I organized my color and swatch selections into tables to make it as convenient as possible for the manufacturer. When you first establish a relationship with the factory, each bag style is assigned an SKU (stock-keeping unit) number. For example, my bag styles are numbered SL-2______. Each material selection also has an SKU.
Typically within one account, the first 3 digits of the SKU are the same, so for example when I call up the factory to talk about, say, the Ambitionist briefcase. I won't say, "And for the Ambitionist in Lilac…" Instead, I'll say, "For SL-974, in the number 13…" I say "SL" for the letter reference as you see above, and skip the first 3 digits because those 3 digits are the same for every bag under my account.
For lawyers who deal in intellectual property law, it's similar to how we colloquially refer to patent numbers and trademark registration numbers, mais oui?
Although the descriptions (e.g., Ambitionist, Peripatetic, Catalyst, Executive, etc.) aren't terribly relevant to the factory or for communicating to the factory, I put it next to every SKU for my own ease of cross-reference. That's because personally I am terrible, completely utterly awful with numbers. It's easier for me to remember "Peripatetic in Amaranth Rose" than it is for me to remember a 3-digit number. Seriously! However, for those who are good with numbers, there would probably never be the whole blurb descriptions and all you'd have are the SKUs. I could never do it that way because the numbers would make me dizzy.
So that's what I've been doing TZ venture wise. Thought I'd also add a personal update:
As of last Friday that was how my hair looked. I've had long hair as far back as I can remember. (It's even longer than it appears in the above photos because the front layers are shorter; from the back, the hair falls only a few inches above my waist.) Any time I referred to my hair length as "short," it meant just below my shoulders. Never before in this lifetime had my hair actually been short enough for you to see the nape of my neck. And I had planned to go blissfully for the rest of my life like so.
Since I have ridiculously thick, coarse hair, long hair has been doubly uncomfortable this summer. When I attempt to wind it up into a bun, the bun itself is the same size as my head. Real attractive, huh? So I decided to get it cut.
Perhaps handbag designing has gotten to me or something, but now I think and plan in terms of thumbnail sketches. Below is the sketch I rendered illustrating what I intended to get done. See, the back nape of my neck would still be fully covered.
Then my cousin suggested that I donate to Locks of Love. The hair donation had to be at least 10 inches long, which is a lot more hair than I had wanted to cut off. Also, I was concerned about my colored chunks. Per the website, it can be dyed hair, but not bleached. I talked to my stylist who regularly does my hair, and she said my hair had not been bleached, just semi-permanently dyed, so it should be fine. Alrightey then.
There's me post-cut. The length is much shorter than my thumbnail sketch, but that's because I asked the stylist to cut off more hair to make sure we definitely got in the full 10 inches, 12 if possible. So we went for 12. Yes, a whole foot of hair. Women who prefer their own hair long and have gone their whole lives with long hair like me will be able to commiserate: watching a whole foot of your own hair get lopped off isn't the easiest thing to do. =X
There's my hair! Two ponytails. Hmm, looking at your own hair packaged away in plastic bags on a table is rather creepy.
"Before" and "After" photos:
There's me with glasses. My mother's signature hairstyle is a short bob, longer in front, and she wears glasses; so everyone, from my husband to both my sisters and my brother-in-law have remarked my uncanny resemblance to my mother now that my hair basically looks like hers. Sigh.
The shortest layer is 10 inches, with most of it approximately 15 inches, though with those split ends, I just hope it's still usable! Eeks.
I am definitely going through a readjustment period. =) Just as people warned me, I squeeze out wayyy too much shampoo and conditioner when washing and even brushing my hair has been different. I woke up this morning, sleepy-headed, and on automatic, grabbed my hairbrush, started at the top and applied the normal force to get the normal acceleration I need to shove a brush through what is typically the wild, wild jungle that is my hair every morning. But I painfull scraped my neck instead. Ouch! Now I was awake. I blinked and looked at my reflection and realized I had no more hair to brush. Haha. Oh dear.