text:
Interesting article, and if you haven't heard it, the Savages debut LP "Silence Yourself" was truly outstanding, and in G&A's top five of last year.
I spent a year being Jehnny Beth, night and day consumed by my persona, traveling the world and fronting Savages, doing my job the best I could. Bigger audiences pushed me to find the entertainer in me, stretch my ego, reach out to the other side of myself, then come back. It was a long and fascinating journey, not without its challenges. I drank too much, got ill, lost my voice and got depressed, until every mirror I faced seemed distorted and I lived 10 years in one. Then I came back to human size and gave my body a rest, stopped alcohol, coffee and cigarettes. I started swimming.
"She's Got A Point."
The tour is over I am back home in London, and while I sit at my desk thinking about the million things I need to do (for Savages — but also for my label Pop Noire) I hear Iggy Pop introducing our song "Shut Up" on his radio show Nitty Gritty on BBC6 music. I listen carefully. He talks about the "rap" intro in the video of "Shut Up," the "Silence Yourself" text I wrote. Just before launching the track he says, "she's got a point," and it makes me smile. I smile because a year ago I remember insisting to keep this intro on the video — when the idea of cutting it was suggested to fit Vevo's standards. I remember emails I sent, the tone I was using, God, I was so fierce:
I already explained my point of view about this and it hasn't changed. I don't want to have two versions of the video online (…) If the goal is to reach a wider audience, then let's reach them as we are, not as they want us to be.
Such determination still impresses me. Today, the "Shut Up" video has reached over a million views, and as I hear Ayse's bass vibrating my speakers on the start of it, I feel content. I was impressed how many times Iggy used the word "happiness" in his radio show. How difficult the path to make us feel happy but how quickly music can take us there, in an instant we find ourselves dancing. "That's useful music," he says playing MC5. Damn right. Useful music. What else can we aspire to?
Yes, what else can we aspire to?
I spent my whole year traveling the world, discovering countries and cities I had never seen, made interesting friends everywhere, played in front of loving crowds — but my life hasn't changed so much. For a start, I am not richer than I was when I started. When I told my dad how much money I earned, he was shocked: "What? You go all around the world and you don't earn more money than I do?"
Now don't get me wrong, the economy of the band isn't bad. We have enough money to survive and make a second record exactly the way we want to. We are lucky, yes, but I mean for example this job doesn't give us the possibility to buy a house if we wanted to, or to start a family if we wanted to, to do what people you know do, when they have a life and their work is successful. Recognition doesn't bring money. Does it matter? Not really, and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't care at all; money is not gonna stop you from enjoying music, or me from making it. Although it doesn't make it easy for me to rent a flat… This week, every landlord I spoke to on the phone said they didn't want to rent their property to artists. I found myself arguing for nothing: "It's not because we do what we like that we can't pay our rent!" That was my reality after two years traveling the world, meeting the most amazing people — people I've admired for years. I wanted to tell these goddamn landlords who they were dealing with.
"Do you know PJ Harvey came to my house?! Do you know that Johnny Marr listens to my music when he goes for a run in the morning? And Yoko Ono came to my show in NYC?!" Seems like making useful music isn't useful to me after all. "I am sorry," they'd reply. "We will need to see some documents."
I feel proud of my generation.
I remember the long tours in America in the tour bus, all the mistakes we've made because it was the first time we've ever done all this. We kind of learned all together as we went along. Savages' tour manager Andy Inglis is an old friend of mine; I chose him because he was a trusted friend and I admired his work ethic. I knew he would never let me down. From the start, I wanted to take my friends along with me. My label Pop Noire was a new structure when we started Savages. We released a 7″ and a live EP together, but when came the album release we agreed that we needed a global partner to release the record internationally. Hence why Matador got into the picture.
Pop Noire is a structure that helps Savages to develop its artistic ideas. Matador understands it, respects it. The work with Johnny Hostile as a producer, Antoine Carlier for artwork and video ("Strife") — and Giorgio Testi too ("Shut Up" / "Fuckers") — were essential to become who we are now. It was great for us to carry on working with people we knew. I also wanted to work with people of my generation.
Backstage at Laneway festival in Australia, I was talking with Archy Marshall (King Krule). I remember him saying, "These are exciting times, man. Lots of great music out there." He was right. I feel proud of my generation. All the things we manage to do no matter how great the financial difficulties. I think it gives us an interesting perspective, a generation with something to say, stories to tell our grandchildren. I look around and I can't help thinking we are making history — what we are doing is important. Me and Johnny Hostile have been investing all our time and money in music for the past eight years, in a decade when musicians like us are struggling to make money out of music. We are lucky enough to be able to survive. When I started making music professionally it was just at the beginning of the crisis. Every year was supposed to be a bad year, and then it never stopped getting worse. When people tell me about old times and how much money they dealt with, I can't really relate to that. So, yes, I think we are quite brave, or maybe just crazy. Only time will tell if we were right.
The Answer
The music of Savages was imagined to function like armor. Four women facing the world, facing the industry, protected by their sound, indestructible. And it worked. We came out with a fully-formed aesthetic, controlled vision, direct sound. Some would say austere. But it was the crowds, all around the world, who taught me it was okay to put down the gun. I remember the first time we played in Portugal. The audience was so happy, I thought, "What to do with so much love?" I wasn't prepared for it. After the show, I talked to Johnny Hostile about it. He said, "You're gonna need to respond to them." I was terrified. "How?" I asked. Like Master Yoda he replied: "The Savages way, you must find." He was right.
At Christmas, Gemma Thompson (Savages guitarist) offered me the biography of Afro-American dancer Josephine Baker, a music-hall star in Paris between the two world wars. Her personality and the way she danced crystallized modern ideas at the time, a play with conventions and female charisma in Colonialist Europe that I found inspiring. I read:
She was a revelation of possibilities in human nature they hadn't suspected. The animal inside of every human being wasn't dark, tormented, savage. It was good natured, lively, sexy rather than sensual, above all, funny.
For some reason, I thought there was something revealing about the future of Savages in these lines; Josephine's sense of humor was a refreshing wake up call, but I knew I hadn't totally found the answer yet. I knew part of me needed to introduce more love into the performance — and I kept looking for ways of doing it in accordance with myself and the band. Then I realized the answer was always right in front of me: "Fuckers."
When journalists ask me, "Who are the Fuckers?" I say I don't know, because the truth is the meaning of the song changes every night. In every city we played, "Fuckers" was taking new shapes and forms in the collective unconsciousness of the crowd. All I had to do is play with that, invent new ghosts, exorcise the spirits of those "who are sustained by your misfortunes" — as Leonard Cohen puts it so beautifully in his Book of Longing. "Fuckers" is a song to feel intimately connected with every individual in the room, a communion song, our own attempt to make "useful music." Finally, I too was able to talk about happiness like Iggy, or dance onstage with Josephine.


text:
Now Hiring: 10,000 Walmart Jobs in the Chicago Area
Walmart has big plans for job creation in Illinois. The massive retailer just announced two new Chicago-area stores that will boost the company to the projected creation of 10,000 jobs in the area by 2015.
Walmart is planning the newly announced small and mid-size stores in the West Englewood community, which is reported to be the heart of a "food desert" and one of Chicago's most under-served communities by large grocery stores.
These new stores, combined with the company's existing projects, will create close to 1,000 new jobs and nearly 200 construction jobs. Walmart's currently slated openings in Chicago include the following:
- A Supercenter in Pullman at 111th St. and South Doty Ave. (opening spring 2013)
- A Supercenter in West Chatham at 83rd St. and Stewart Ave. (opening spring 2012)
- A Walmart Market in the West Loop at West Monroe St. and South Jefferson St. (opening fall 2011)
- A Walmart Market in West Englewood at West 76th St. and South Ashland Ave. (opening spring 2012)
- A Walmart Express in West Englewood at South Western Ave. and West 71st St. (opening winter 2012)
- A Walmart Express in West Chatham at 83rd St. and Stewart Ave. (opening summer 2011)
The Walmart Express stores are a relatively new concept. They'll be less than 30,000 square feet and will sell grocery, pharmacy and limited general merchandise. Walmart Market -- previously called Neighborhood Market -- will range in size from 30,000 to 60,000 square feet and provide a wider assortment of fresh groceries, as well as a bakery and delicatessen. The Walmart Supercenter is intended to be a one-stop shopping destination, offering full service grocery as well as a wide range of general merchandise.
In June 2010, Walmart announced the "Chicago Community Investment Partnership," a five-year plan to open several dozen stores, create approximately 10,000 jobs and 2,000 unionized construction jobs, generate more than $500 million in sales and property taxes and develop charitable partnerships worth $20 million.
"When I met with Walmart last year, I encouraged them to take an approach that addressed the needs of the urban shopper if they truly wanted to make a difference in our underserved neighborhoods," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "Today, it appears that Walmart has done just that by creating smaller urban store formats that will better serve our communities."
Jobs at some of these stores won't be available for a year or two, but to find out about specific openings right now, visit the Walmart Careers site.
Next:Companies Hiring This Week
Related Stories from CNN Money
- 10 Things That Will be Cheaper in 2011
- Boost Your Odds of Finding a Job
- I'm 61. Should I Retire or Keep Working?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
EditLive! provides a full featured user experience - just like your favorite desktop software, but sometimes situations arise that demand a JavaScript-based alternative. Enter Select Edit!
Via a single API, EditLive!'s Select Edit feature will automatically determine the appropriate possible editing environment for the user, letting your editing application remain flexible no matter the environment. EditLive! will load by default, while users without Java will be automatically directed to Enterprise TinyMCE. Additionally, developers will be able to choose the appropriate editor within their own application, allowing for the use of a lightweight alternative when necessary.
Select Edit:
- utilizes the Enterprise TinyMCE Product (licensed separately)
- can automatically choose the best possible editor based on the user's environment
- utilizes a single integration API
- replaces the outgoing Express Edit feature in EditLive! 7.5
Initializing Select Edit
To use select edit, you must first secure an additional license for Enterprise TinyMCE. More details on the Enterprise TinyMCE product can be found here. http://tinymce.ephox.com/
Download the latest build of Enterprise TinyMCE (http://tinymce.ephox.com/download), place the unzipped 'tinymce' folder into your existing EditLive! deployment at:
Next, modify your editing page, include both tiny_mce.js as well as expressEdit.js, as seen below. Note the order of the 3 <script> elements - they must be called in order.
<script language="Javascript" src="../../redistributables/editlivejava/expressEdit/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/tiny_mce.js"></script>
<script language="Javascript" src="../../redistributables/editlivejava/editlivejava.js"></script>
<script language="JavaScript" src="../../redistributables/editlivejava/expressEdit/expressEdit.js"></script>
Finally, modify your call to the editor, adding the 'setExpressEdit' property, and setting it to "automatic". Note the use of string quotes.
<script language="Javascript">
editlivejs = new EditLiveJava("ELApplet", 640, 400);
With the above changes in place, Select Edit is active. By designating the 'setExpressEdit' property to "automatic" Select Edit will choose between EditLive! and Enterprise TinyMCE based on browser compatibility - users incapable of running EditLive! will see Enterprise TinyMCE instead.
Choosing the Editor
The above example will load EditLive! by default and only display Enterprise TinyMCE in situations where EditLive! is unsupported. Developers may choose to load TinyMCE First or only load EditLive!. Further information on setExpressEdit can be found in the EditLive! Reference documentation.
Single Configuration for EditLive! and Enterprise TinyMCE
When using Select Edit, the styles and toolbar buttons specified in the EditLive! configuration file will also be applied to the TinyMCE instance. Note that not all toolbar buttons available to EditLive will be applicable for TinyMCE. For a complete list of EditLive! toolbar buttons which are compatible with TinyMCE please consult theSelect Edit TinyMCE Known Issues article.
Why Enterprise TinyMCE?
Enterprise TinyMCE offers fully tested versions, guaranteed maintenance, a dedicated support team, and access to product experts - unheard of in the open source editing world. This access to Enterprise-level support and the opportunity for commercial licensing will give our customers a truly better overall product - its a big upgrade.
Upgrading from Express Edit
Express Edit (utilizing the CK editor) is no longer available as of EditLive! 7.5. Legacy users of the CK-based Express Edit should plan to migrate over to the Tiny MCE based Select Edit feature. Upgrading is as simple as following the install steps above. Users who had previously set the setExpressEdit property to "always" should update that setting to "automatic" as in the instructions above - enabling the automatic selection between EditLive! and TinyMCE. The "always" setting will force all users onto TinyMCE, regardless of their capability to run EditLive!.
Backwards Compatibility
The Select Edit API is backwards compatible. Users currently using the "true", "false" and "always" settings will still function as they did previously, but now with TinyMCE instead of CKEditor.
Please note that Select Edit does not work if you are using Inline Editing to invoke EditLive. We are aware of this limitation and it will be addressed in a future release of EditLive.
TinyMCE Select Edit Documentation
TinyMCE Select Edit Known Issues


text:
(update 22 April: PC version PC room slowdown bug fixed.)
1 large game, 4 small games
Content Warning (only for the first game):
self-harm, sexual harassment, graphic sexual content
produced by 000, 888, EIT, DEN, and KAS
The project files are included, so you can edit these if you'd like. If you do so, read the README.txt.
A Klikmas Game for Fizzhog.
Fizzhog asked for:
I want it to be over the top --- I'd say maybe
Something about the theatre and stage sets --- Check
Glass - there must be glassware--- More than you can handle
A story - pure melodrama --- Kind of. I'm more of a comedy person but there is some!
I want game assets that can be freely re-used - I may want to make something in response - Included!
Lots of characters--- YES!
Good luck in there! I hope you enjoy it!
***Potential problems- there is a short video file that plays in two of the scenes. If you have it open to full screen you cannot see the text. I can't figure out how to fix it.
Also- I'm bad at spelling (sorry!).
***Fixed Sergio reported bugs. Ignored Clyde reported misspellings
Whoops, by mistake I deleted the whole game from my website, damnit. :o(
an old daily game for testing
it's finished
for each new game I make in this series, I just updated on this same page
forty-seventh game
forty-sixth game
forty-fifth game
forty-fourth game
forty-third game
forty-second game
forty-first game
fortieth game
thirty-ninth game
thirty-eighth game
thirty-seventh game
thirty-sixth game
thirty-fifth game
thirty-fourth game
thirty-third game
thirty-second game
thirty-first game
thirtyth game
twenty-ninth game
twenty-eighth game
twenty-seventh game
twenty-sixth game
twenty-fifth game
twenty-fourth game
twenty-third game
twenty-second game
twenty-first game
twentieth game
nineteenth game
eighteenth game
seventeenth game
sixteenth game
fifteenth game
fourteenth game
thirteenth game
twelfth game
eleventh game
tenth game
ninth game
eighth game
seventh game
sixth game
fifth game
fourth game
third game
second game
first game
Learn the art of harmonic climbing!
Briefly meet a few cuties!
Win the biggest bag of milk in the world!
quasiotter's Sekrit Santa Wish List:
An input dedicated to [a normal human action] that doesn't affect gameplay at all
press C while climbing to cough!
A demake of the first level of your third favourite game, but no-one would actually know it's referencing that game unless you told them
songs feature from my favorite games, although it isn't subtle
Hidden quote from Helen Keller (it can't be the main objective, it's a SECRET! SHHHHHH!)
Secret level had to be cut in the interest of time
Imprecise photogrammetry* for 3.5 objects (*photo textures on a mesh)
No meshes, but many photo textures
Sensory overload that will definitely not crash the game on any computer
Gameplay is restricted to 1 dimension (i.e. can move along the Z-axis only), though the world can be 2D or 3D
The only direction you move in this game is up the mountain.
Someone under 10 or over 60 is the director and/or level designer and/or environment artist and/or foley artist for this
The largest bag of milk in the world. I'm not kidding
It's big.
The skybox subtly reminds you of your dad, without actually looking like him (alt: a friend with really great teeth)
This was made in the level editor of a game you wish more people would play (if it's not a free game, or if it's on a console, make it an auto level [completed without any input] and record it to video please, but if it's the video then it would be funny if you used a bad camera to record the screen and you have to run an executable to see the video instead of posting it to a video hosting site lol)
You need to get this off your chest, so just dump it in this game
Some emotions conveyed in this game are mine.
You never thought you would make a game this tiny
Actually it's pretty big, but the window is only 800x600
You really just wanted to make some characters that you would date if they were real
All characters were designed with maximum datability in mind.
Download the windows one if you're running windows, or the python one if you have python installed.
Read the readme for more information, or contact me on discord at TheCakeFlavor#4666.
Merry Klikmas Danny Burton!
This is a visual novel where you play as Donkey Kong and try and plan a murder and get away with it.
***Sound is pretty important for many of the endings of this game****
***I tried to finish by the deadline and there are a million combos here so I couldn't play test them all, so if you find something is wrong or leads to the wrong place or you didn't say something it says you said or someone doesn't leave the screen or your jump doesn't happen (you get the idea) let me know and I will fix it!
Warnings: murder, violence, somewhat graphic images. Also references to: miscarriage, alcoholism, misogyny, and family death.
This is my typical day in late February of 2017
Linux users: I can make a browser version, but I suspect that the load-times will make the game feel rather sluggish and unpleasant.
Another misleading thumbnail and another Flickgame, this one is in the eyes of your favorite Raphael as he goes through summer doing whatnot. A kinetic novel with no branches but tons of action, this one is sure to entertain. It's a little quiet though so I'll add some BGM attachments if needed/wanted. Nothing too serious, but pure fun for all. Enjoy.
EPeakLanB! (the acronym extension was improvised early am)
The Santa/Grog/Grolby/Tia rat-pack is back with more cast and more blast!
* Written in two languages so nobody understands nobody
* Soundfonted midi music playing to a listener's delight
* Guaranteed to appall and awe the masses in an improvised Christmas/Winter Pageant
* Released a day before Orthodox Christmas
* Other stars/bullets that may or may not shock yoU!!!!!
* Sequel to Arswaeerea
For one more current update: those on mobile platforms there's a mobile version, I don't know how it works/look but:
Have you ever been so lost in a series it inspires a change in your canon, or you decided to take a request and still work out a dream in your head you've been itching to do? EpeakLanB can take you there. The world is also open! Your input can change the direction of where or what those crazy crew members are and/or do next. Suggestions are open, psyches can by hypnotic, and life is full of fiber optics to bring these pipe dreams to sewer life!
Authors' outside-of-game Notes:
This took a bit longer than expected, but released one day before Christmas so that's a +. Ray's story can finally be enjoyed by others.
Part of the time involved watching an entire series for "rewsearch" and that took a while. I don't want to spoil the series and and made an attempt to tread carefully in the finished(?) product to reflect on that so PM me if you want my take on it. Good series though.
Thanks to clyde for the inspiration. Other names of notoriety in bass: Catdodo, Lazi, Moneyfunny, onlyorange. It's really early. I must sleep. The Christmas cycle curse has been broken and for that I can say:
Attachments included: 26283391.txt game script as of now. This site doesn't allow xml attachments so pretend it's text, rename to xml and view it in a browser if you want that layout to see what a bassnovel game is really made of! epeak.txt all of the chinese text here before translation. It isn't in any order. other conceptual art.
edit: smaller image version of the image so it doesn't break the page. original image here
If you'd like to read up on the prequel you're welcome to click on the image below this line:
Or you could choose and play EPeakLanB if you'd like! I made an uninspired PLAY BUTTON animation you can click on that will theoretically take you there. You could also alternatively click on this sentence as well for your enjoyment!
Having Trouble running the game? Maybe the replies to this comment will help!
Interested in dropping a line of feedback/input or just SUP? That would be great pilgrim! Alternatively you can scroll down if you want to reply to one of the commentes instead. *DISCLAIMER* if you object to any comments listed below as I'm not a moderator, don't reply to it as it makes the original message uneditable. Leave a comment next to it or drop the recipient a PM lol. *Other Disclaimer* Game flow and events subject to change, things are unpredicable, just in case.
Acks: mno, dattzies, spindleyq, linhat, 3fox, dorn, yom, chaos, mkapolka, sergio, fvm, superdot, vampirkat, nuuup, jeff, happygreenfrog, blueberryhill, smedis, db20, newt, wil, commodore, orion, bagofmagicfood, erokky, bitbot, everythingistaken, barf, lemmer, sean, racarate, rehasoft, adrian, josh, hellogregor, pillow, left-off-studios, mizzq, lilinx.com, noyb, wertpol, robgba, pirate_sephiroth, aplsos, RedR, snapman, hugs, leilei, scribblewise, clyde, the ug, #sally, #glorioustrainwrecks, forkheads, #gmc, #bottlekids, penjamin, flimsy
Hats are a feature!
Thanks for checking this out, this is my latest visual novel masterpiece Dratmask. It is a beast in size and without enough oomph even on my powerful netbook i've seen it do weird things like characters disappear and the like, so ....
This is dratmask, the plot is ... spoiler, it's a vn. Uhh, it's sort of like 2nd place as it's the sequel, and the song that gets played after 2nd place, so it's naturally a longer song so the game is longer. A lot more work went into this one.
Also if the game crashes after the second song is done playing, that's normal. That's the end of the game. I don't know how to make that not normal, but this is okay. I may make some noise on the forums and ask real nicely and provide them with the sauce and whatnot.
Major thanks go to:
Erik for supplying the engine http://visualnovelty.com/index.html
Mr. T for supplying some voices
Mikan of http://skimlines.com for supplying "Wendy" and in the first vn "Peter"
scribb0 for the character grog this time around http://destructocon.com/
gen8's Anime Face Maker 2 http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/289/5/5/anime_face_maker_2_by_gen8-d30uny4.swf
xdanond's Anime Character Maker 2 http://www.kongregate.com/games/xdanond/anime-character-maker-2
disclaimer: opening the sauce 7z file is spoiler and was meant to do after the game, but i might have been to vague on hinting the password, so yeah, change order there at your own discretion.
VIP thanks:
TTTPPP, Madtom, Scribbit, Goldenhog, Newt, and Bagofmagicfood.
Spindleyq, linhat, cclemon, effbee, pirate_sephiroth, erokky, true, mrsparkle, ray, mojofltr, noyb, orion, oswald, surlent, mizzq, spyroboy, tonyb486, uhh my brother hat, and paul/davr0s
This is my first time actually coding a game, so I thought I'd work with the simplest structure I thought possible: visual novels. In no way could I reach the 2 hour mark with absolutely no code experience for this event, so I extended it to 2 days. In that time, I learned a lot and had to figure a few things out on my own. Still, when I hit that 2 day mark, I had to put it down. The whole concept was to take a space shmup I have never played and make a back story to it (since translations were fantastically bad back then).
I logically chose the game with the giant fish and this is what came of it.


text:
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Articles are from the "Chicago Record" between 1893-1900. This collection was produced by The Carton Club, Chicago, 1941. Illustrated by John T. McCutcheon and Others.
This article contains 4 separate articles from the 'Chicago Record:' 'Some Instances of Political Devotion,' 'Old Days on the Canal,' 'The Junk-Shops of Canal Street' and 'Sidewalk Merchants and Their Wares.'
Some Instances of Political Devotion
ELECTION day was near at hand and the Monica lodging house was full every night.
"Tommy," the proprietor, had all the men listed and tabbed. He was under contract to deliver them early on Tuesday morning at so much per head and he was largely depending on "Cinch" to help him.
"Cinch" was the "scrapper" of the house. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a frowsy head and a rough beard somewhat bleached from long marches in the sun. His enormous capacity for liquor, his ability as a fighter and his supreme antipathy to work made him a natural leader among the bleary guests of the Monica, who had been gathered together that they might exercise their rights as free-born citizens.
When a man came home raving full of stale beer it was the duty of "Cinch" to choke him until he was quiet and then jam him into one of the bunks.
If a member of the colony vent astray and threatened to desert before election day it was "Cinch" who went out among the barrel-houses until he caught the offender and brought him home in disgrace.
It was clear that "Cinch" had in him the making of a practical politician of great value. He proved this by selling out at the right time.
The news reached "Tommy" on the eve of election. The proprietor did not live at the Monica. He had rooms in another building farther to the north, on the dead line between the business houses and the lava beds. At least once a day, however, he came to his hotel to look after his business affairs and the herd of voters.
It was a wearing responsibility, for he knew very well that, as the voting hour drew near, the agents of the corrupt opposition would be among his followers, attempting to lure them away with drinks and bribes.
There can be no greater disgrace for a working politician than to lodge a man for two weeks before election and then lose his vote on election morning. He becomes an object of contempt, and in the next fight no money is "placed" with him.
"Tommy" believed that his forces were true to him. Here, on the night before election, most of the men were in the house, the others were almost sure to turn up before morning, and "Cinch" was full of hopeful promises.
"Tommy" sat apart from the others, smoking a long cigar vigorously, so as to kill the other odors, when he felt a hand laid on his shoulder. Turning about, he saw the small red face of "Bumpers."
"Tommy, they're givin' y' the double-cross," said "Bumpers," in a stage whisper.
"Is that so?" said "Tommy," sarcastically. He was accustomed to get such reports.
"Yes, it's so. 'Cinch' is t'e hull 'ting in it, too. I see him talkin' to Fatty, de fly-cop, a long time to-day, and to-night he passes each o' de boys a buck an says, "stay wit' me an' t'ere's another one in it." "In proof of his assertions, "Bumpers" produced a dollar from a rat's nest, which had once been a pocket.
The sight of the dollar was enough for "Tommy." He handed "Bumpers" another dollar and said: "Keep your face closed."
* * *
It was the predicament of a statesman's life. He knew that the lodgers feared "Cinch" and looked upon him as a leader. "Cinch" had money, too, and was evidently in a deep conspiracy to steal the entire vote of the house. What could be done? "Tommy" made up his mind after some deep thought.
Ten minutes later he and "Cinch" were leaning against a polished bar. "Tommy" was buying drinks, and "Cinch" was gulping them down with evident enjoyment. It was a first-class place and "Cinch" recognized a difference in the whisky.
After remaining there long enough "Tommy" carefully steered the traitor south toward the hotel and pulled him into a 5-cent place. "Cinch" had reached a condition in which the drinks are thrown in mechanically and without calculation of probable effect.
When they reached the lodging house the office was swarming with colonists, and "Cinch" was deeply under the influence of the two kinds of red liquor. Every one knew that when he was in that state he would insist on fighting. They waited in terror.
This was the time for "Tommy." He went behind the high pine desk and removed his hat, coat, collar and cuffs. "Cinch" was declaiming loudly and threatening death to all about him.
"Tommy" walked up to him and gave him a push. "Shut up, you big stiff, and go to bed."
The little company of "hobos" was amazed. So was "Cinch." He started in to kill "Tommy" but "Tommy" had put the drinks in the right place. "Tommy'' butted him, upper-cut him, knocked him down, jumped on him, beat his head against the floor and finally sat on him slowly pummeling his face until "Cinch" cried "Enough."
Then he arose and said: "Is there any other bum that wants to throw me down?"
No one answered.
"To-morrow morning," said "Tommy," "1 want every one of you to go with me and vote. You needn't be afraid of that guy I just licked. To-day I give him some money for you boys and I hear he was tellin' around that it came from the other side. Are you boys with me? [Loud shouts of "Yes!" and "You bet!"] All right."
When "Cinch" arose next morning he was weak, sore and humiliated. His prestige was gone. He fell in line with the others and marched over to the polling place. The precinct did more than was promised and "Tommy" handled "soft money" that evening.
Next day the lodgers were thrown out into the street and the regular rate of 15 cents a night was restored.
* * *
On the morning of the day last December when voters were choosing between Hopkins and Swift a very prominent republican politician, who was a member of the campaign committee, went into the 1st ward to quietly look for frauds. He pulled up his coat-collar, drew his hat forward and loafed around the polling places just to see what was happening and not to attract attention.
In the "Hinky Dink" precinct he was standing apart watching the barrel-house delegation put in enough ballots to offset the entire school-teacher vote. A man with a badge noticed him and called him aside.
"Have you voted yet?" he asked.
"No, not yet."
"Come on over and have a drink."
They went into the headquarters conducted by "Hinky Dink" McKenna and the man wearing the badge stood treat. The two talked for a minute or two about the weather and the probable size of the vote, and then the prominent republican began to edge toward the door. But the other man followed him.
"Here," said he, pushing a half dollar into his hand. "Don't put it off any longer, but go and vote for Hopkins."
The prominent republican was too much amazed to return the money. He began to wonder if he resembled a tramp. It was a good joke, but perhaps the joke was on him. At any rate he didn't tell the story until some time afterward.
* * *
Under the old wide-open system the "floater" was paid to vote a certain ticket which was placed in his hand and which was put into the ballot-box under the eye of the purchaser. Nowadays the only thing to do is to hire him to vote and to depend on his promise that he will vote a certain ticket.
At one of the late elections a precinct boss had been guaranteed $100 if he could get a majority of fifty for the ticket. The precinct had been well canvassed and at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, having checked off the voters, he began to fear that he needed a few more ballots.
Imagine his joy when he saw an even dozen members of his party lounging down toward the polls. He had been sending around for these fellows all day, but they had eluded him. And now, instead of marching up to the polling place, they halted in front of a saloon and began to sun themselves. The "boss" went over to speak to them.
"Boys, you'd better hurry up and vote. Polls close purty soon."
"Aw, we ain't in any hurry," remarked the spokesman.
"You're not goin' back on us, are you?"
"We'll vote your ticket if we vote any, but we don't care much to vote."
"How much do you want?"
"Five apiece, and there's twelve of us."
"You'll not get it. I'll give you a dollar apiece."
"That's all right. We won't vote."
For a quarter of an hour they wrangled, each declaring he would not give in. At the end of that time the "boss" gave $25 and it was divided among them, $3 to the spokesman and $2 to each of the others. Then they marked up and did their duty to the party, and the "boss" saved his $100.
* * *
It is a curious fact in municipal politics that the man who must be paid before he will vote always seeks an office in case his party is victorious.
At the latest important city election the democrats expended over $10,000 in the 1st ward in order to capture the "floaters," the "bums," the "lodgers" and the shoulder-hitters. They captured them by outbidding and outgeneraling the republicans, who were just as anxious to organize what Michael McDonald calls "the better element."
The democrats expended considerably over $2 for each vote obtained in the ward. It was a "fair" price. As the daughter of the Texas congressman says in the play: "Thank goodness every voter was paid and father is under obligations to no one."
Yet the story around the city hail is that after the 1st ward has been bought with hard money it demands other favors. It wishes to run all-night saloons, opium dens, crap games, gambling houses and prize-fighting clubs, all because it gave a majority! It wants to be paid twice.
As for the voters themselves, each one tramps the dim hallway of the city hall looking for some kind of an easy, restful job with a large salary attached.
* * *
Where these patient applicants are gathered together you may hear the tales of political ingratitutde.
One man had his head laid open while attempting to kill a Swede in the "ate" precinct, and yet nothing had been done for him.
Another marched every night and carried a flag, but they hadn't noticed him since election.
The most pathetic story was by a young man who held up two battered hands for inspection. The twisted fingers had evidently been broken, as they were stiff and big and big at the joints.
"See them mits?" said he. "I got 'em that way playing ball for John P. Hopkins. Out there in Pullman he got up a ball team to go out and represent the town. I went out and played all summer and used up my hands. Now he throws me down. That shows how much a man cares for you after he gets in. I always thought John would do the right thing by me. I played good ball, if I do say it myself."
Old Days on the Canal
IN THE good old days, before the town lay under a pall of smoke and the rushing trains bore down their victims at every crossing, life was happy along the "levee."
The "levee" in question is not that part of State Street taken up by cheap theaters, saloons and pawn-shops, but it is and was the row of houses fronting on the Illinois and Michigan Canal just as it joins the south branch of the Chicago River. The "levee" lies just east from Ashland Avenue and would be on a line with 29th Street if the latter could only be extended through the diagonal streets and crowded dock buildings of old Bridgeport.
When the canalboats loaded with grain, came crowding one another up to the stone lock, when money was plenty and profits were big and an army of men found employment along the old Illinois and Michigan, the Canal House was crowded every night,. It was the long, frame hotel at the west end of the row and was called a pretentious hotel in its day.
Some big card games were played inside its walls, and the old captains still remember some of the fine dinners spread there. Along the row were saloons and groceries, the two being much the same in those days, where high revels, with some rough-and-tumble fighting, were of nightly occurrence.
The "levee," the like of which is to be found in every canal or river town, had its rise and fall with the canal.
It began in 1848, when the canal was completed and the first boat came in tow from Lockport. That year Chicago spent over $400,000 in constructing canalboats. The "levee" grew with the traffic until 1866, which was the most prosperous year ever known.
But the epidemic of railroad-building which began just after the close of the war sent branch roads whip-sawing all through the canal's territory. The roads began a persistent fight against the boats. The passenger business they had captured long before, and the war on freights is still waging.
The tolls decreased steadily from 1866, yet the canal is to-day an important waterway of which the late-corners to Chicago know very little and of which the older citizens have forgotten much.
Yet this is the same town that turned out men, women and children on Independence Day in the '30S to celebrate the first excavating.
Hundreds of persons marched down the old Archer's Road to Bridgeport. Others rode in boats which were pulled up the Chicago River by horses. Speeches were made and a spirit of intense jollification marked the beginning of an enterprise which was amply fulfilled and which is now forgotten and neglected, as are the pathetic old buildings along the "levee."
* * *
The Canal House leans wearily forward on its supports. Its windows have been torn out and the front doors are nailed over with boards. The warped clapboards have been worn black by wind and weather. Nothing is needed to complete the ruin.
Only a few years ago a man reopened the front room as a saloon. The old canalboats creeping by were surprised to find a new gilt sign on the dingy front, but they were not surprised when one day it disappeared and the boards were again nailed over the front.
Every square-fronted building in the row stands vacant, with rough boards nailed against the doors and windows. The open ground in front, once a busy street, has sparse bunches of grass overgrowing it. Sometimes for half a day at a time no living thing is seen along the deserted water front. A stone abutment spotted with moss marks the location of the old lock. The greatness of the "levee" lives only in memory.
The Illinois and Michigan Canal divides like a letter Y just before it joins the south branch. On the northern arm of the canal is the lock through which the boats must pass in and out.
On the other arm are the Bridgeport pumps, which make an earnest although somewhat futile effort to lift into the canal from the south branch enough water to cause the river to flow in from Lake Michigan, instead of sending its slow and filthy current out into the city's water supply.
The pumps have never succeeded in purifying the river, but they empty enough black water into the canal to give it a current of four or more miles an hour and give it a level of several feet above the south branch.
* * *
There are about sixty canalboats now plying between Chicago and various points on the canal and the Illinois River. Of these about thirty handle coal from the quarries. The others are grain-boats, which, on the down trips, carry coal, lumber and various other supplies for which there is a country demand.
Until last year the ice-boats did a big business, but the drainage canal along the Des Plaines valley crowded some of the ice houses out of the way and the railroads competed so strongly that they captured the business of those remaining. The ice-boats are floating idly along the canal and a half-dozen big delivery wagons are lined up near the dock, showing all degrees of weather-beaten neglect.
One of the fleets which went down the canal recently consisted of a tug, a heavy stonebarge and one of the veteran ice-boats, roofed over and having little windows along the sides, so that it very closely resembled the pictures of Noah's ark.
Inspector Mulcahy opened the gates at the east and the water ran out. The tug and the stonebarge crept into the lock and the gates closed behind them. The side gate was opened and the rush of water lifted them to the new level.
"What are you goin' to do with the old hulk?" asked the inspector.
"I s'pose we'll knock her into kindlin' wood," replied the mate, or bos'n, or something of the stonebarge.
An elderly man, very short and with iron-gray whiskers, explained that the Iceland was one of the oldest tows on the canal.
"All the old ones are going," he said. "The business is nothing like it used to be, when we traveled with mules and lived, right with our families, on the boats. We could make money in those days. I've seen as many as 300 boats waiting at La Salle, and this country right around here used to be pretty lively, too. This spring I've made two trips to Henry for grain, but there wasn't any money in it.
The railroads cut rates at every point we can touch with boats. But they can't kill the canal, because the state takes care of it and keeps it dredged out."
* * *
There was evidence of the state's care, for two dredges were waving their wet arms just a few hundred yards below the lock and bringing up huge bucketfuls of the black and mushy sediment that had been pumped in from the river.
When a barge was full, a towline was thrown ashore and two mules, a boy riding the one behind, pulled the unspeakable cargo away. In the language of canal mariners, any two boats lashed together make a "fleet," and even the mud-scows are given that resounding title when they travel more than one at a time.
* * *
West from the lock and hugging one another along the south shore are canalboats of all descriptions, some moldy with age, some kept bright with paint and having potted flowers in the windows. One flatboat has a house built on it. Here dwells a large and happy family.
The ancient captain who had been seen at the lock lives on one of his boats, and there were several where women could be seen through the cabin windows, busily setting the table for the noon-day meal. The cloth was white and the butter yellow, so that one rather envied them this continual camping-out kind of life.
* * *
Just across from the "levee" a pug-nosed boat lay at rest and two men were lazily scrubbing her deck. The sunshine was bright and warm and the dull old row of houses seemed to sleep in the genial warmth. All the open ground was sprinkled with yellow dandelions.
Far to the left stood a brick building, once the home of the lock-keeper when he was a man of importance. The trees around the old house had filled out with light-green leaves. This scene was almost rural in its suggestion of modest quietude.
Then a tug came around the point to the east, lashing the water into suds and shrieking like a crazy thing.
The Junk-Shops of Canal Street
SOME one has asked the question: "What becomes of all the pins?"
The question has never been well answered, because there are no dealers in second-hand pins.
What becomes of the empty bottles, the tin cans, the rags, the broken stove-lids and worn-out copper boilers? They go to Canal Street, sooner or later.
That which is rubbish in a backyard becomes merchandise in Canal Street and some lean-fingered speculator converts it into bright money.
Canal Street is an object lesson in economy, a practical sermon on the value of looking after the pennies. A 3-cent bottle is not worth saving, but 100 of these bottles, gathered up by a shaggy gentleman carrying a gunny-sack pouch means a profit of $3, which sum counts very largely along Canal Street.
The junk-shop region of Canal Street lies south from Taylor Street and is being slowly pushed still farther to the south by new brick buildings.
For a block south from Van Buren Street the business front is most imposing, yet the site of these tall handsome buildings with their big windows and gilded signs was occupied only a few years ago by the same sort of tottering, aged and unpainted little structures which may still be found between 12th and 16th streets.
Even in this backward region an occasional brick building is showing itself, making the contrast with its neighbors something painful.
* * *
In this second-hand strip and along the overcrowded streets leading off to the west, reside many Russian Jews, new to American privileges, but half-recovered from the persecution which held them down for generations and compelled, by force of circumstances to exercise their commercial instincts in a modest way.
If frugality and untiring industry count for anything, this district will work out its own salvation. The second generation will do business in tall brick buildings like those up toward Van Buren Street.
In the very heart of this populous settlement stands the magnificent Jewish manual training school, a voluntary contribution by the representative Jews of Chicago to the children of their less favored brethren. It combines the common-school features with the modern methods of manual training for both boys and girls. Over 800 children attend regularly.
* * *
After passing 12th Street one could well imagine himself out of Chicago. Every shop sign is painted in the angular characters of the Hebrew alphabet, and even the play-bills in the windows are in Hebrew.
The queer little cheap stores, the comfortable manner in which whole families take possession of the sidewalk, the strange language of bargain and sale at the front of every grocery, and the heaps of faded merchandise exposed for sale, give to "Junktown" a character all its own.
The bottle dealer, the rag dealer, the scrap-iron man, the grocer. the butcher, the cheap store man and the saloon-keeper are the business magnates. There are also basement shoe-shops and a few blacksmithing places, one of them having Jewish workmen, certainly a hopeful sign.
One purpose of the training school is to encourage the poorer Jews to adopt trades and learn to work with their hands rather than become street peddlers and small dealers in junk.
* * *
Canal Street and its western outlets swarm with children, most of them streaked from playing in the street and, in warm weather, lightly clad with not more than one garment. Happy children they are, most of them plump and healthy, in the bargain.
They are always playing in the sun, for Canal Street is so wide and the houses are so low that there is seldom any shade. A bale of rags or a mound of scrap-iron is a famous playhouse, and there is always a prospect of hanging on behind some slow rag-wagon. The horses on Canal Street are too deliberate to run down any children.
There are thousands of bottles packed in barrels and boxes, which lean against the dingy fronts. A nervous man who dreads contagion will surely hold his breath when he passes one of the rag warehouses. It is a musty and mothy odor that hangs around the ramshackle place, and one doesn't like to stop and think where all of those soiled and tattered things came from.
It seems that all the "played-out" and worthless odds and ends of the town have been dumped on Canal Street.
The rusty scrap-iron lies around in tangled masses. Decrepit wagons are lined up between the houses. Burned-out boilers are strewn on the vacant lots. The crockery exposed for sale at the cheap stores is dusty and cracked, the suits of clothes are ready to fall to pieces from shoddiness.
As for the vegetables, they seem to keep away from Canal Street until they are withered and spotted and consequently cheap.
* * *
The buildings themselves do not stand erect on their foundations. At one corner saloon the bareheaded children go down-hill to get their buckets filled, as the venerable structure seems to have settled back on its haunches. The fences around the scrap-iron yards are propped up from outside.
It is a terribly second-handed neighborhood, and it is no wonder that the eye longs for something new—a new coat of paint on a house, a new dress on a woman, a new "Rags Bought" sign. But everything is picturesquely dull and smoke stained.
At every breath of wind the dust is gathered in clouds and blown into the stuffy little second-story bedrooms, from the windows of which the heads are always sticking out.
* * *
It may be found, upon investigation, that, considering what these poor people get in the way of home comforts, they pay more dearly than the families on a boulevard.
Sidewalk Merchants and Their Wares
HE WAS a beautiful example of patience and long suffering. There under the shelter of the corner and free from the currents of humanity which met at right angles he stood all day long, holding out his merchandise for the inspection of an indifferent public and chanting, "Shoe strings—5 cents a pair."
From the ninety and nine he received not so much as glance.
Perhaps one in a hundred turned his head at sound of the appealing voice, but did not slacken his speed.
About one of a thousand stopped to look at the strings or perhaps to chaff the mournful dealer.
And let it be supposed that one in 10,000, either moved by charity or suddenly reminded of a need, bought a pair of shoestrings and tucked them away in a back pocket.
The dealer always met the buyer with rare self-possession, as if a customer were not a novelty.
He gave no evidence of excitement when a man bought two pairs, and there was no change in his hopeful attitude when a prospective customer broke away without buying. He had the quality of equipoise, so rare in business men.
The bunch of shoe-strings was always the same size and the greasy cap was always set at the same vagabond angle on his gray head. The coat and vest had once been of gay check and were of juvenile design. The coat, for instance, was short behind and slashed away from the third button in front.
At one time there had been silk facing on the lapels, but it had worn down to a few threads. The vest was double-breasted, and there were pins to mark the former location of buttons. The baggy and stained trousers had once been braided down the sides.
These wrecks of cheap gentility were in harmony with the narrow, bony face, which was stubbled with gray beard, while the eyes seemed to have lost all expression except that of tired indifference. The flesh had a dead pallor, for it is a curious fact that whereas whisky will cause one man to puff and redden it will draw the blood from another and eat him from within until there seems to remain only an ashy parchment over the skeleton.
* * *
"Shoe-strings—5 cents a pair."
This quavering cry seemed to have become a habit with him, for sometimes he repeated it over and over when the corner was quiet in the lull of an afternoon and there wasn't a possible customer within hearing distance.
Where did he live how did he live? Suppose he sold as many as five pairs of shoestrings in a day (large estimate). His total receipts would be 25 cents, but not more than half of that would be profit. How could he live for 12½ cents a day? Did he ever eat?
What had been his life? A man who begins early to be a "bum" and drunkard doesnot live to be 60 years old.
Another thing: Any man of 60 can remember well-dressed days of prosperity. Did the shoe-string man remember such days, and if so what must have been his reflections as he stood on the corner all day, starving for liquor?
It would seem that one who has the patience to stand and offer goods could find something more salable than shoestrings. But the sidewalk merchants do not think so, for one sells the 5-cent strings, another cheap handkerchiefs, another collar-buttons and another pocket combs.
Did you ever see any one buy of them?
* * *
Not all of these penny speculators are old and physically disabled.
In a city where manual labor has always commanded a fair remuneration, the broad-shouldered immigrant prefers to take his chances hawking collar-buttons. He would rather make 25 cents a day and be in "business" than work for $1.50 a day.
The rush of immigration is responsible for the unloading in the streets of Chicago of the cheap and picturesque ragamuffins to be found in the poverty districts of European cities. Five years ago the Italian children who played and sang on the street corners were regarded as novelties. Now the streets swarm with them and they are as bold and bothersome as English sparrows.
They tag at coat-tails and beg for pennies. With noisy concertinas and capering dances they infest saloons. The smallest girls have learned the vulgar dances of the day and the larger ones sing bad parodies on popular songs.
Most of the flower girls come from this same class. The flower girl is a thing of beauty on the stage, where she wears bangs and a pink dress and does a neat song and dance.
The flower girl of Clark Street, at the hour of midnight, is a frowsy young creature, who goes from one basement drinking place to another. She fastens flowers in the button-holes, then says: "Give me whatever you please."
Saucy, forward, and with a frightful knowledge of the things which children should not know, she is interesting in her way, but it is not a promising way.
* * *
In the alley where the newsboys gathered there is a ceaseless competition for pennies. The Italian at the end of the alley gives a spoonful of ice-cream on a piece of brown paper for 1 cent. His country-man near by sells hot sausage at 2 cents a link.
In a basement stairway is the waffle boy. Further along is the old woman who offers and enormous sweet cake and a mug of "pop" for 5 cents. Then there is the man who sell popcorn balls at 1 cent each, and if his receipts were all profits he couldn't become rich.
These alley establishments do a lively business at certain hours of the day.
* * *
It is not supposed that all the street merchants belong to a class with the shoe-string man. Many a fruit stand does a business which would be creditable to a retail shop, and the young gentlemen with their show case full of cut roses and sweet-peas come very near being public benefactors.
But the straying "barker" who jingles his collar buttons before you and the frayed mortal who holds out the speckled combs—these are the pitable evidences that Chicago is becoming a metropolis. In order to sustain one feature of metropolitan life, a large number of people must expose either their misery or their helplessness.
* * *
The arch—fiend of the sidewalk business men is he who sells the 50-cent umbrellas and the only mitigating circumstance in his case is that the purchaser might have known that he couldn't get an umbrella for 50 cents.
The umbrella man comes out of hiding every rainy day and you may find him at a down-town corner howling vociferously and holding a real umbrella over a grain sack stuffed full of the alleged umbrellas which he is offering for 50 cents apiece.
Happy is the man who goes home in the rain without yielding to the entreaties, for this is the story of one man who purchased.
The handle was made of varnished pine and the ribs of telegraph wire. It opened with a creak arid assumed a dumpy shape, one side being much depressed; but the owner thought it would answer the purpose. It had the general appearance of an umbrella.
He started out in the heavy rain and the canopy of thin black stuff gathered water like a sponge.
He felt his hand getting wet and discovered that a dark stream was trickling down the pine stick. Then a drop of something fell on his arm and left a stain like a drop of ink.
It would have been bad enough if the umbrella had simply leaked.
But the rain which came through washed out the cheap dye and spattered it over the unhappy man underneath.
He should have thrown away the thing, but he hadn't the courage, because the rain was driving so hard. He kept the umbrella over him and endured the shower bath, but when he reached shelter he was polka-dotted from head to foot.
The umbrella had washed out to a dirty gray color, and the handle seemed covered with mucilage.
He tried to close the thing, but it bagged out fearfully, so he threw it out of the window, and some unsuspecting person stole it and was doubtless punished in due time.


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Well, at least he was tiring different muscles.
While other runners were fretting about what and when to eat before Sunday's Mankato Marathon, Ryan Chukuske was running the course backward, and finishing in time to line up with the rest of the field and tackle the distance again forward, ABC News reports.
According to ABC News, Chukuske took 4:10 for his backward marathon. The marathon's result page gives Chukuske a time of 4:30:31 for his forward run.


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What You'll Experience at a Techstars Startup Weekend
Written by Pattie Diggin/@wcprofpepper
You may be wondering what to expect when you participate in a Techstars Startup Weekend. I felt the same way when I booked my 54 hour experience at Startup Weekend New York, June 26-28, 2017. The venue for the weekend was Galvanize New York and the theme for ideas was Social Impact.
On the morning of June 26th I boarded an Amtrak train out of Exton, Pennsylvania and headed to one of my favorite places, NYC! I arrived at Galvanize around 6pm, registered and enjoyed dinner and networking with a group of about 80 people. Some were there to pitch their ideas, others, like me were there to observe and participate in the process.
After dinner we moved on to "pitches". About 45 people made a 1 minute pitch on their idea for a possible new product or service. The participants then selected the top 12 ideas that would be developed throughout the weekend. If your idea was not selected or if you did not present you made your way over to one of the ideas that had been selected and joined a team of 4 or 5. Then the real work began!
Teams arrived back on Saturday morning ready to dig in, brainstorm, cooperate and create. Throughout the day an impressive team of coaches and mentors were available to meet with participants. Several workshops relevant to idea creation were also presented.
On Sunday groups worked diligently to put the finishing touches on their presentation. As the afternoon drew to a close teams prepared to wow the 1st class judging panel with their idea. Each team gave a 5 minute pitch followed by Q&A from the judges. The three top ideas were recognized but everyone who attended and participated considered themselves a winner because everyone had the opportunity to participate in the Startup Weekend Process!


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South Coast Wilderness (Laguna Beach Area)
Printed on Waterproof, rip-proof plastic. Available folded. Size of map: 14" x 21"
FM-SCWF (Folded $7.99)
Click images below for more views!
Side 1 shows Franko's Map of South Coast Wilderness. With beautiful green hues, the hills above Laguna Beach, including Crystal Cove State Park, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, James Dilley Greenbelt Preserve, and the City of Irvine Open Space Reserve are shown, with all legally available trails and singletrack for hikers, mountain bikers and horsemen. The trails begin at the edge of Crystal Cove Underwater Park, and ascend up via Moro Canyon, or Moro Ridge Trail on the south side, or No Name Ridge Trail on the north. Crystal Cove's Ticketron, Fenceline, and Rattlesnake singletrack trails are detailed with aerial photo-accuracy. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park is shown with Willow Trail rising up and away from the park headquarters off Laguna Canyon Road. Bommer Ridge road connects to Crystal Cove. Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park is shown winding its way through the beautiful chaparral and riparian woodlands to the spectacular house-covered ridges surrounding. Wood Canyon Trail and West Ridge Trail connects to favorites Aliso and Wood Canyons trails like Mathis Canyon Trail, or Rock-It Trail. Franko's Interpretive Data (i.e., wildlife artwork) includes birds, mammals and reptiles found in Crystal Cove State Park and the San Joaquin Hills, which are referred to as South Coast Wilderness.
Side 2 shows Franko's Map of South Coast Wilderness and it's extended area from Upper Newport Bay to the north to South Laguna on south. The ocean depth contours are shown for interest, along with a number of Franko's kelp forest creatures. Rules and regulations and information about each of the area's fabulous parks are shown as well. IMBA rules for mountain bikers are also spelled out. The majority of the users of this map seem to be mountain bikers, but Franko's Map of South Coast Wilderness is perfect for hikers and equestrians too.


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About 6,000 federal prisoners currently incarcerated for drug offenses are set to be released soon. This is the largest release at one time in the United States, and comes after the U.S. Sentencing Commission agreed to reduce the required amount of time drug offenders are mandated to serve.
This mandate stays in line with what most of the country has come to understand; jailing drug offenders is not the answer to the drug problem in the United States. There are potentially more than 45,000 inmates who could get an earlier release under these new regulations.
The White House has also been pushing for federal and state guidelines to change when it comes to drug offenders; however the decision by the U.S. Sentencing Commission was made separately. Up until recently, federal guidelines had severe time requirements attached to drug offenses. After the policy change, the average amount of time that the commission reduced the time required to serve for drug crimes was two years. Most of the prisoners that are set for release will have, on average, served 8 ½ years of their 10 ½ year sentence.
"Even with the Sentencing Commission's reductions, drug offenders will have served substantial prison sentences. Moreover, these reductions are not automatic. Under the commission's directive, federal judges are required to carefully consider public safety in deciding whether to reduce an inmate's sentence," commented Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.
The public and government push for the reduction in required time for drug offenses has come after many people realized that treating offenders with rehabilitation and counseling is much more effective than keeping them in prison. After several decades of stiff penalties for drug-related crimes, the drug-use rate in the United States has either climbed or remained steady. Proponents of the decrease point out that this is because jailing offenders does very little to rehabilitate them, in fact many offenders either use in prison or make more drug contacts while behind bars.
The offenders that are set to be released will not automatically go home. They are required to go to a half-way house for a pre-determined amount of time and then they will be given a monitored release. Hopefully, this will also include some form of drug treatment or counseling to help prevent relapse and recidivism.


text: Fort Cochin is the perfect place to go to when you don't want to do anything in particular. You can spend your days enjoying languid strolls around the quiet, leafy lanes, browsing through the little boutiques, and sipping coffee at the quaint cafes. However, what I didn't expect was the food – it was a… Continue reading FOUR FABULOUS PLACES TO EAT AT IN FORT COCHIN


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Our nation's federal workforce is among the best in the world, and Congressman Hoyer is proud to represent thousands of federal employees and retirees. In Congress, he has led the fight for fair pay and benefits, with a strong focus on ensuring pay parity between military and civilian personnel, as well as quality health care coverage, a solid retirement system, and fair working conditions. In 1990, he drafted and helped secure passage of the Federal Employee Pay Comparability Act to help ensure fairness in pay and comparability to similar work outside the Federal government.
In recent years, federal employees have been asked to contribute $138 billion toward deficit reduction through freezes to cost-of-living-adjustments and changes to retirement benefits, and Congressman Hoyer has consistently opposed efforts to further target federal workers' wages, benefits, and hours of federal employees. Additionally, he opposes the arbitrary and untargeted spending cuts known as sequestration, which resulted in furloughs for many federal employees in 2013. Congressman Hoyer continues to urge his colleagues to work on a bipartisan basis to replace the sequester and prevent additional furloughs in the future.


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Volume 26
VOLUME 26 - WONDER WOMAN: THE CIRCLE Originally published as Wonder Woman #14–17, January–April 2008
Paradise Island is under siege from the forces of Captain Nazi. As they lay waste to the home of the Amazons their attack threatens to unleash a deadly secret from Wonder Woman's past. After decades of containment, The Circle are ready to return and fulfil their pledge, to end the life of the 'dragon' Princess Diana.
WONDER WOMAN #98 & #105 Originally published in May 1958 & April 1959
In two classic Silver Age tales, discover how Wonder Woman gained her powers from the Olympian gods and earned the title Wonder Girl.
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*These are affiliate links, so if you end up purchasing one of these books you are also supporting the site!
Fertility Awareness Method
The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility brings together over 1000 meticulously researched scientific references to help you understand your menstrual cycle. It aims to better connect women with their menstrual cycles and to break the myth that ovulation is only important when you're ready to have a baby.
In this book you'll learn
- what a normal cycle looks like;
- the best way to chart your cycle and increase your fertility awareness;
- how best to manage critical aspects of your health, including better sleep, exercise and a healthier diet;
- natural methods for managing period pain and PMS;
- how to successfully avoid pregnancy without the pill; and
- how to plan ahead if you do want to get pregnant.
Whether children are a part of your future plans or not, your health matters. Start learning more now, and take control of your fertility and your health.


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All the heart eyes for the 2017 Spring Colors that Pantone picked for its Spring fashion trends report. Naturally, Kale (hello, green!!!) is my fave … but I just love how Pale Dogwood plays as the perfect neutral.
Pale Dogwood (Pantone 13-1404) goes with everything! My favorite combination is pale dogwood-hazelnut-kale. Stunning.


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Romel Floor Lamp F164 Ao 141 by Kinzig Design
The Romel Floor Lamp F164 Ao 141 has a copper and Green two piece blown glass base, matched with an unusual envelope shaped shade shade, covered in purple, raspberry, greem gold and copper colors. It has a double bulb socket and is finished with a beaded pull and beaded finial.
Handmade in the USA.
* Lamp Size: 67" Tall
* Shade Size: 21" Diameter, 19" Tall
* Bulbs: Incandescent 60 watt maximum, double socket. UL Listed
Shipping: approximately two to three weeks.
SHIPPING $65.00... read policy
For any shipping requirement other than ground shipping, please call (845) 679-2622, or email firstname.lastname@example.com
Due to the nature of handcrafted work, subtle variations are natural.
About Kinzig Design
Susan Kinzig and Caryn Kinzig
Kinzig Design is a unique line of artistic table and floor lamps, with vibrant hand-blown glass bases, decorated with brass and copper elements. The glass is blown to Kinzigs' color and shape specifications. Richly colored shades are sewn from embroidered silks and other elegant fabrics. Solid brass and copper hardware, and glass bead pulls and finials, add an extra, elegant touch. Each lamp has an engraved signature on the bottom.
Kinzig Design lamps have a beautiful, distinctive, heirloom quality. Artists Susan Kinzig and Caryn Kinzig refer to these contemporary, designer lamps as "Tradition with a Twist." Kinzig lamps have eye appeal, add warmth, and an artistic accent to living rooms, bedrooms, office spaces, halls, etc. They are timeless works of art that fit nicely into traditional, or contemporary home decor. These lamps make a unique, bold statement, and are ideal for both residential and commercial use.


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Book Reports: How To Make Them Brilliant
Writing book reports is a large part of the "school experience". Some books will be enjoyed while others seem boring or even detestable. However, the common thread among them all is that the student must write an eye catching, informative, and well-written report on them. It is often a difficult task to write such a report on a book that one does not enjoy. It can be equally difficult to express ones enjoyment of a book. With these things in mind, here are some tips and tricks for taking an ordinary book report and making it brilliant!
- Write down all specific instructions given by the teacher/professor. If you have a question or need something clarified, ask.
- Don't think about the report while you are reading the book. Try to dive into the story and enjoy it, without worrying about what to write.
- As you are reading, keep a pen and pad of paper close by. If you see something that you want to remember, jot it down making sure to include the page number.
- Take a few moments to absorb and process what you just read, then sit down and start writing
- Be cautious of rambling! Create a concise introduction, body, and conclusion.
The introduction to a book report is the base of how the entire thing will be judged. It contains key information including the title of the book and the author's name. Some assignments may also require the publication date, publisher name, number of pages, and/or genera. Even if these things are not required, consider adding at least a few of them. The extra effort will go along way towards impressing the teacher.
Also, be sure to include in the introduction a brief summary of what aspects of the book the report covers. Explore some basic plot points and themes used in the book to give a basic understanding of the book itself.
The body is the heart of the report where you explain your opinion of the book and expand on why you have that opinion. Compare the book the others by the same author or within the same genera, do you think this one stands above, falls below, or stays level with the standard? Use examples and excerpts from the book to emphasis your points and opinions.
The conclusion is where everything is wrapped up. Keep this section short and to the point. Reemphasis major points and ideas.


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My name is Shannon Eaglestone and I am seventeen. I am currently
waiting to start my second year at university of Lincoln, school of
agriculture, doing a BETC national diploma in animal management. I
enjoy working with animals and people; I like to work with others
though I can work well on my own. I always finish something I have
started and I am a very persistent person and I am trying to achieve
my goals every day. I enjoy being sociable and like to be surrounded
by people. I like to find things that challenge my mind an push it to
its limits, this is way I am always trying to be the best I can be, I
always give a 110% in to every thing I do.
In my free time I like to spend time with my friends and to meet new
people. I enjoy horse riding and looking after animals I also like to
be out and about no matter what the weather is doing. I am always
ready to get stuck in and help out no matter what the situation is,
clean or dirty.
If I could say one sentence to best describe myself I would say:
"I am a hard working, responsible person with a good sense of humour
and a hunger for life."
Signed: Date:


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This fantastic designer chair is perfect for any modern office or is great to base your office decorating idea around. The base of the Retro Eames 219 Style Black Leather Office Chair matches the chromed arms for stylish looks. The base has a 360-degree swivel system and is also height adjustable. Order this retro-style office chair online today.
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Dr. Chua Soi Lek Wins MCA President Post 2010 !!
Dr. Chua Soi Lek Wins MCA President Post 2010 !!
Former MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek won the president's post with a slim 68-vote majority today, edging former number one Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting and incumbent Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat in the party's elections. Dr Chua, 62, polled 901 votes to Ka Ting's 833. Tee Keat came in third with 578 votes.
Newly-elected MCA Deputy President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai clinched the deputy president's post when he garnered 1,171 votes to beat former vice-president and fellow Cabinet minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha by 65 votes. Kong had obtained 1,106 votes.
For the four posts of vice-president, sole woman contender Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen had the highest number of votes - 1,528, followed by former vice-president Datuk Donald Lim (1,469), Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung (1,202) and Central Committee (CC) member Gan Ping Sieu (also 1,202).
Today's victory is a pleasant one for Dr Chua, who had to battle the two heavyweight rivals but showed that he remains popular in the party despite many upheavals.
MCA Election 2010 Result
A total of 2,315 of the 2,377 eligible delegates voted today, the highest ever turnout in the party's history.
A total of 101 candidates contested the posts of president, deputy president, vice-president (four) and CC member (25) in this party polls, which were last held in October 2008.
Article extracted from NST @ http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20100328193503/Article/index_html


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Last Thursday the #mobicamp event took place in Bern, gathering Swiss CEOs, venture capitalists, angel investors, lawyers, academia, aspiring entrepreneurs and coaches around the "mobile" issues. Sosoftware was present, too. Particularly mind-blowing was the presentation by Andreas Constantinou, of @Visionmobile titled "Assymmetry abound the new rules of the app economy". Following, a small recap and […]
Some takeways from #mobicamp
November 5th, 2012 · No Comments
Tags: mobile market · Mobile Trends · swiss mobicamp


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Newt WOWS At CPAC
Watching a replay while I wait to hear Newt speak. Some guy is speaking right now, stumping/opening for Rick Santorum, Dude just told a joke.
There is this bar a few doors down, into this bar walks a Conservative, a Republican, and a Liberal and the people in the bar call out – Hi Mitt!
A hearty spattering of laughter (delayed) and moderate clapping.
I'm going to live comment/blog while I catch Newts speech on TeeVee. I had wanted to go to CPAC, but decided to be fiscally conservative and sit this one out. Then I heard that the occupy communists were planning to do a bunch of mischief there……….and I was so tempted to go after all. With a handful of old fashioned hatpins. Oh yeah baby!
Watching Rick's speech being replayed – meh – I expected it to be a bit more inspiring. And who is that woman behind him? Is it his daughter? Now, I am NOT trying to be mean to her, but I cannot help but to notice that she looks almost exactly like Rick – and that while Rick is an "OK" looking man, his face on a female is not resulting in a fortunate outcome in terms of beauty.
The following commentary is entirely based on my very own point of view.
Callista is opening for her husband. I can say that I am glad to see her being included. It's good timing, in my opinion. But she is clearly not accustomed to public speaking, although her speech is decent so far. Some amusing little pleasantries. Nice close.
Newt, relaxed and easy. "People based campaign". Thanks his volunteers.
He's speaking about the period where Republican and Conservatives became less and less compatible with each other. The Reagan era.
"Bold solutions – compared to managing decay" The "establishment America" is the America that can't. They are hating on him because he wants to break the grip of the establishment.
I believe he is right on that.
Solutions time.
Unleash American people to rebuild the American we love. Repeal obamacare. Repeal Dodd-Frank. Repeal sarvan-oxley (?) (I don't have that spelled correctly – I am sure.) Those are the appetizers. Then: fire the CZARS. (big applause) Approve the Canadian pipeline to TX. People are hollering NEWWWWT. Something about Jerusalem, and no money for abortion. Ax all attacks that obama has instituted against religion.
By the time obama gets back home to Chi-town (after LOSING re-election) 40% of his activities while in the White House are repudiated. By Newt and Congress.
All that on day one. (I think he should dial back a smidge on that – and PLEASE don't add MORE)
Crowd is responding really well to him. Best of the three so far for crowd response.
12.5 % tax rate. Allows companies to compete – GE will have to pay taxes. Abolish Death Tax – great applause.
Mentions Romney's tax return tax rate – but, and this is important, says nothing negative – says doesn't want to raise Romneys – wants everyone to pay what Mitt does ….. NICE.
He is DEFINING his proposals clearly. He is being very detailed, which is different than the Mitt and Rick, who both spoke in very general terms, but gave little in the way of specifics.
He wants to open US for gas/oil production. Makes US safer and more secure. prosperous. Slammed obama gas prices. "No more having to bow to Saudi Kings….PERIOD," said Newt.
Audit the Fed – who got our money and why? He'll get rid of Bernaki.
Closing on two big topics:
War on religion by obama and courts. It's real, he says. obama is committed to waging war on Catholic church if he wins reelection. Bold solution: "Re-establish the right of the people", said Newt.
Administration lies about who our enemies are, today Americans are being held hostage in Egypt. Need profound national debate about nation security and specifically radical Islamist who seek to kill us.
"Big choice/big decision election." Coins the phrase "Conservative Dream Team" – Perry, Todd Palin, Ollie North, Herman Cain, many more, on his side. Need to teach Republican establishment a lesson!
Nice close, standing O.
Best of the three candidate speeches.
33 Responses to "Newt WOWS At CPAC"
Haahaa….LOL! You made me laugh, LF, with this one:
Then I heard that the occupy communists were planning to do a bunch of mischief there……….and I was so tempted to go after all. With a handful of old fashioned hatpins. Oh yeah baby!
Did you see the CPAC results? The establishment wants Romney.
I was listening to talk radio, I think Levine, and he mentioned reporter talking about coordination between the Paul and Romney campaigns.
If Paul and Romney are coordinating their campaigns, there must be some agreement between them. Supposedly the plum for Paul was the stage for a speech at the convention.
If Romney already has Paul under control, he would have no need to attack him.
I listened to Fox News the other night where is was reported that the Romney campaign started out immediately catering to independents. I supose they assumed the party vote would automatically go to Romney because of the number of conservative candidates each of which will not be able to get enough votes to make it. Romney is now trying to back pedal and go consrvative.
I do think it is unlikely that any one conservative candidate will get the number of required votes. This is unfortunate because if you add up all the votes for the constitutional candidates they exceed what Romney has. Everything is strategy.
BTW LF, I dont know if you have seen this:
I still havent digested the whole thing.


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Update for 2018
The only thing missing right now is a i386 Tumbleweed JeOS image. With that we should be good. Any help on that is highly appreciated.
Update for 2017
The source code for crouton needs to be fixed up and pushed again to see if it gets accpeted upstream. We should be near (TM).
old description
[edit] After some discussions it seems more reasonable to get crouton to be able to build a openSUSE chroot, so I will look into this. If that's to easy/hard/boring I will fallback to some lowlevel kernel/uboot hacking :) [/edit]
With the chromebook R13 [1] the first arm64 based laptop style HW is available. The idea is to enable openSUSE on it. Lot's of things have to be done here:
- find out how the image has to look like and build an image
- forward port the patches needed to get graphics et al working
- enable the mt8173 SoC in u-boot
[1] https://www.amazon.de/Acer-Chromebook-CB5-312T-K0YK-Convertible-Notebook-Multi-Touch/dp/B01N6JR7UE/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&qid=1484905877&sr=8-1&keywords=chromebook+r13
Looking for mad skills in:
arm64 chromeos bash chromebook
This project is part of:
Hack Week 15 Hack Week 16 Hack Week 17
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Pre-Festival Group Tours
The pre-Festival tours offer a fully escorted tour of four special cold climate gardens. Your group of 10+ will be met by a guide, taken to and through the gardens. You provide your own transport, whether car or bus and you can enjoy the gardens exclusively with your group.
Generally two gardens are visited in the morning (10 am and 11 am) followed by lunch from 12 noon - 2.00 pm (arranged by the group) and two gardens in the afternoon (2pm and 3.00 pm).
Watch this website for more information about Pre-Festival Group Tours for 2020.
Contact us for more information:
View the embedded image gallery online at:


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Police Emergency
Played 1496 times
Police Emergency game information:
Drive around the city in your police car and try to hurry up and park it near the building where a robbery is taking place. Then you will have to play a mini-game where you can use your Taser gun to catch all the thieves. As you progress in the game, the levels will become more challenging, so try to collect as many coins as possible and buy some very cool upgrades that will help you keep up. Have a wonderful time playing this amazing game!
How to play:
Use your arrow keys to drive and your space bar to brake.
Add this game to your website or blog!
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You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'prototype' tag.
I am following the Coursera.org course Human Computer Interaction offered by Stanford University. It is taught by Scott Klemmer and is giving me very useful insights in interaction design to improve user interfaces.
The course consists of weekly video lectures and quizzes and a practical component in the form of assignments that are peer graded. I found these very helpful, to get feedback and inspiration from the work of others.
I started a project to find out how technology can help people to pack their bags. Inspired by my own fear to forget my keys when I leave the house. I want to share with you some of the fun I had in the early brainstorms and prototyping:
HCI Assignment 1 – NeedFinding
Packing a bag is something we do so often, that it turns into a routine, but one we are not very focussed on. Leading to doubt over whether we packed a certain item or forgetting to grab that important one item in our hurry to get going.
My goal is to find out how technology can help us to pack our bags.
I observed people packing their bag for a certain occasion to learn about the activity and possible breakdowns and workarounds that technology could play a role in.
Inspiration I found for developing a technology that could help people:
- Key finders
- Generate packing list online
- RFID tags and readers (possible technology)
- RFID reader for iPhone (possible technology)
- X-ray baggage screening (inspiration for artwork)
HCI Assignment 2 – Prototyping
Storyboards had to be pen drawings. For digital storyboards, I prefer the Comic Life software.
I then built a sketch prototype with Balsamiq Mockups, a rapid wireframing tool.
HCI Assignment 3 – Start Building
Things started to be more serious and I had to build two versions of my app with Just in Mind
I learned the hard way that this was a lot of work. And that the hours you put in don not always get the reward you hope for. The peer-grading system disappointed me.
I spend hours grading and giving feedback to others, and received only very low grades for my own project. From which I learned one thing: not only in user interfaces, also in assignments you need clear design for the users. I failed to state my goal and background for my app, so my graders did not understand the point.
Luckily, I received great feedback through the coursera forum. I did decide to stop with the assignments and continue only with the quizzes and lectures, because I started my new job as a content manager.
If you want to know more about this Coursera HCI course, read Jodie Locklear's blog article 'H.C.I. – Honored, Compelled, Inspired.'.
Objective: Develop a tactile toy for children between 6-7 years to learn language. Allowing them to 'catch' and 'order' words. This is one of the results of an evening of brainstorming and paper prototyping:
It is a tool that is made up of different modules, allowing the children to capture objects, showing them to their classmates and telling a story about them. Turning the closed tubes up and down facilitates guessing games based on the sound the caught treasure makes. Other parts allow the taking of photographs, or have a display to show the pictures that are taken. Combining different hollow containers (object in display-tube placed behind a window-part) creates a cumulative experience of several aspects of one object-word.
The module sizes allow the sliding of parts into each other, creating one single tube that can be easily carried with a strap on the back. Connecting the corresponding cylinders allows for the creation of a network (with branching elements) enabling a game of sending words ('Chinese whisper'), sorting objects in different categories and racing games along the coloured path.
A great tool to create storyboards:


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ReAgent Gives Presentation at REACH Conference
REACH: a time to plan
On 4th June 2014, ReAgent was invited to attend the second annual Chemicals Northwest conference. This conference focussed on REACH and was partnered by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Graham Bayliss, the Systems Manager of ReAgent, gave a presentation at the conference. As Graham is responsible for the standards and compliance with legislation within the company, as well as the implementation of REACH, his knowledge on the subject ensured he was qualified to give a thorough presentation.
What is REACH?
REACH is one of the many European legislations that the chemical industry must strictly adhere to. It involves the concept of registering chemicals and communicating their hazardous properties to people. It is vital to ensure you don't pass on any hazardous substances to another person or company without providing them with full and adequate safety information on that substance.
REACH exists to protect human health and the environment through a system of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
For more information, see Simon Tasker's blog post which sums up What is REACH?
Chemicals Northwest
As a member of Chemicals Northwest, we see a number of benefits. We previously put together a list of 7 Reasons you should join Chemicals Northwest.
Attending conferences such as this one gives us the opportunity to put our company name out there and mix with similar businesses in the chemical industry – you never know what contacts you might make. Companies that attend networking events have the chance to listen to presentations and feed off other companies, so we can always learn from each other.
Further information about our REACH presentation is included in the Chemicals Northwest quarterly 'Elements' magazine. In summary, Elements notes how aware ReAgent is of our duties under REACH. We have procedures in place that ensure we meet our responsibility to supply information up and down the supply chain with the management of SDS taking up most of our time on REACH compliance.
As well as seeing the long-term benefits to REACH, ReAgent provides an additional work area around compliance with CLP. We have adapted our business systems through awareness-raising, IT improvements and communications with our supply chain partners.
In case you couldn't make it to 'REACH, a time to plan', the presentation is embedded below. It provides the basic points that ReAgent made and expanded on at the event.