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Adobe's Creative Jam is an event where there is a design competition based around a theme and talks by local creative professionals. The Seattle Creative Jam was centered around UX design, so I partnered with fellow Amazon intern, Abbey Lee, for the design competition. The theme was metamorphosis and we had 3 hours to complete our work using Adobe XD.
We weren't given any prompts other than the word metamorphosis. We thought about transformations and focused on anxiety and depression. We wanted to create an experience to help relieve anxiety attacks and transform the state of mind.
We all experience stress in our everyday lives, whether it be from school, work, or other factors. Sometimes the stress turns into an anxiety attack. Doctors can be expensive and inaccessible. Most people don't seek professional help because they feel that they don't need it, but sometimes it's nice to have someone to talk to.
Conversation is so important. Some people like to talk things out. We wanted provide users with someone to talk to at all times, because you never know when anxiety strikes and your friends and family might be busy. The chat mode allows the user to talk to a bot or a person. We focused on the bot mode because bots are less intimidating to talk to. They are safe, objective, and out of the picture. There might be too much pressure to talk to a real person.
We also wanted to have the bot ask the user how they were feeling before the conversation starts and again at the end. The "I'm okay" button was important to us because we wanted users to actually think about the state of their mind and to say it to themselves when they feel that they're done.
The history section is password protected to ensure privacy. After unlocking it with a passcode, users can see their progress over time. Progress is measured in two ways -- the duration of the conversation and the levels of anxiety that the user inputs.
We also included an emergency contact to make sure there is a quick way to get help if needed.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Data retention and compliance software
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Is all data safe in the cloud? Some lack cloud confidence
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The keys to a compliance-ready records retention schedule
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Big data era requires new approach to information governance strategy
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Risk management, bottom-line benefits from records retention schedules
Data storage is a major business concern. Records retention schedules can help alleviate risk -- and even boost the bottom line. Continue Reading
E-discovery tools and processes lacking in the face of cloud, BYOD
Corporate mobile and cloud use are now common, but e-discovery tools are slow to adapt. In this tip, learn to manage these new e-discovery challenges. Continue Reading


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I first made contact with Matteo Ruzzon aka Madteo on the dawn of a 600 mile carpool from NYC to the Detroit Electronic Music Festival two years ago. I had no prior knowledge of the artist known as Madteo, but it soon became apparent that the guy was a total head, and a polymath (if you will) when it came to music and beyond.
Originating from Padova, Northern Italy, he soon made his way to the US and now resides in the cultural melting pot of Jackson Heights, where you're as likely to hear Colombian Salsa blaring from passing cars, as you are the latest Drake hit.
Having previously dropped EPs on Workshop and a highly recommended LP on Ra.H/Morphosis' imprint Morphine, Madteo, more recently, released on Belgian imprint Meakusma, exhibiting some pretty deep, cerebral house music. He is also purveyor of the fine $treetwax mix series online, mixing up records sourced locally for…a dollar apiece.
His mix is a good indication of what to expect from a Madteo DJ set, blending the warped and lo-fi with various upbeat jams.
(Direct Download)
1. The O'Jays – Intro
2. Queen – Show Must Go On (Outro)
3. Madteo – Mad See Scrolls (M. Pittman Mix)
4. Madteo – Untitled (DJ Sotofett Mix #4.5)
5. Adriano Celentano – Maledetta Televisione
6. DJ Sotofett – E2
7. LTJ – The party (Super Value Special Edits #15)
8. Kassem Mosse – Untitled
9. Arto Mwambe – E Midi Vice (Moss Mix by 411 ft. Don Papa)
10. M.C. Hammer – Let's Go Deeper
11. Techfunkers – Moonlight
12. Indoor Life – Hot & Cold
13. Joyride – Sgt. Rain
14. SW – Track 1
15. Tony McKenze – House Party
16. Bjorn Torske – Hard Traffikk (And The Lefthanded Very Heavy Traffik Re-Work)
17. Coati Mundi – He Only Wants To Make Love To Himself
18. Don't – 28.02.09 1
19. Madteo – Quantitative Malfeasance
20. Madteo – Untitled
Now in NY, originally from Northern Italy – how did you end up in NYC?
I had been spending time in the US in high school, at those English language summer programs in Universities, then in '93, I did the senior year in a public high school in the DFW Metroplex.. I never graduated as I got banned from the Republic of Texas and so I returned to Italia late April '93 with no intention of staying.. In the 2+ months I spent there I was going to Jesolo, one of Venice's resort town known for clubs and given I was by then quite fluent in Texan language I became friendly with one of those statuesque Scandinavian dancers in this discoteque called Papaya (check the Papaya 12" on Superradio Records, class Italo recorded in '83 expressely for the opening of that club 10yrs before lol ).. many of those dancers in the club scene were model types who'd first made their way to Milan then to the Adriatic riviera, either Jesolo in Veneto or Riccione, Rimini one in the Romagna region where many clubs are. So I went down to Riccione a lot after meeting this girl and her friends, I hung out at the Pensione where a lot of the niteclub staff, dancers and people like Dean & Dan (now well known for their DSquared2 brand) lived. On one of these weekends I met this dude from Long Island who invited me to go to NY and offered to put me up. Less than two months later I was on a plane to JFK. After 3 years of visiting and living in the US I still hadn't been to NYC. By the time we were on the LIE (Long Island Expressway) and came close to the Midtown Tunnel and saw the monster of Madhattan I felt a super rush which I hadn't felt in places like LA or Dallas where I'd lived.
What was it like to party in NYC in the 90s?
How I feel when I think of the 90s, can only be seen from the perspective of my age back then. I was 17-18-19 and just felt a world different about things. We could go into into the much covered subject of the demise of the once great nitelife of NY but hey, I wasn't around for the Garage, the Mudd Club, the Peppermint Lounge, the Funhouse, Danceteria, the Gallery, Better Days, the Saint etc etc ! One thing seems to be clear : the end of the 90s' represent the end of a few other things. Coincidentally, I first saw an iPod about '99 or '00. It feels like it was cooler, more special, and it was easier to socialize even (hard to get some attention when people are constantly hooked on a device, even in bars, clubs etc..) Always loved hanging out in the bathrooms at the Tunnel (Patrick Bateman hangout).. pretty sure they were many a patron's highlight of that discoteque. Everytime you'd went up there and came back down, you had a smile on your face, felt suddenly energized and wanted to dance to La La Land….. Did check out the old Sound Factory before it closed not long after (somewhere in '94 or '95) I remember big bowls of fruit punch and smelling something real nasty on the floor (aka first whiff of angel dust ?)
Jackie 60 on tue nites was nice, small subterranean place, salacious. Remember the winged dude Angel doin his thing there (before he was forced to guzzle down a big Drano cocktail that disintegrated his guts his body was dismembered, stuffed in a suitcase to be found on the shores of the Island of Staten! What I also liked about Jackie 60 is they had dancers and MCs on stage, the lasciviously delivered house music type of MCing, something not too common in NY clubs and reminded me of the Adriatic riviera clubs. This when the meat-packing district was still full of working girls, the streetwalking divas. Gentrification, Over-saturation, homogenization, the destruction of music sales, banks taking over pretty much every street-corner. Everything different. The thought that we are 12yrs post-millennium is abs. freaky to me in so many ways. In the post-innernet era, society's changes are a global process while earlier you had more of an authentic, localized form of cultural development which took different shapes in whatever idiomatic mode of expression they'd manifested . Easy access of info = less differential traits ? Hmmm maybe, in cases , yes. Not a NY problem, shit is shit, the world over, and it stinks !!! If All the World's a Village, then it dont matter which Vill, the East Vill, West Vill. it's World Wide Shit Vill ! But it tastes good. That's what it comes down to : Eating Shit , if you can't eat shit , you aren't fit enough.. Not that I'm good at it or that I like it but I need to say it : 1: we (must) like shit and 2: we are all presstitutes…. Imagine how sweet sweet would be after you gotten used to the shit tang ?. Let's not get into the subject of what if people got used to really liking the shit tang thang but just saying that it could help in learning to appreciate sweet again.
By the way I can hate on globalization, gentrification etc. but every time I take a walk-on-the-mild-side (aka the long gentrified parts of NYC = All of Manhattan except a few still ethnic pockets in the upper portion of the island), I see hot women !! Good looks knows where the money's at. Going from Queens to like, downtown it's like eye-candy all-you-can-eat bouffet, seriously painful. Shit tang is the hurting, pain, rejection, misplaceness, loss, distance, inability to relate and/or communicate that most ppl go through, More OR Less, Everywhere. It is in my opinion accentuated here like everything else is. After 9-11 the saying 'only in NY kids, only in NY' takes a whole nu-meaning as far as I'm concerned. The hip hop thing was that by the mid to late 90s hiphop became the most commercial/mainstream/popular music genre in the US so you couldn't expect corporations like Clear Channel owning 99.9% of all radio stations to be ok with eloquence, wisdom, truth and consciousness being leveraged by the many luminaries of the earlier part of the 90s when rap was still a niche, urban market music. Can you imagine corporate America being OK with a hundred million + ppl studying the lyrics of PE's Chuck D, KRS-1 The Teacher , RZA the Abbot, or Ol' Dirty Dirt McDirt Baby Jesus ? A categoric Hell's tha fuck NO ! Sarcasm is a must or I'm in trouble 🙂
How have these experiences (both in NY and Italia) inspired your current material, both in DJing and production?
I always felt a strong urge to wrap my head, body and soul around music but I thought that's just the thing most kids go through with no serious consideration of being in it for life. The experiences I've had inspire and depress me alternately, it all depends how I look at them and at which one !. Everything a person/artist does and goes through, serves as either a natural inspiration or at least doubtlessly conditions what he does, the style (a regurgitation of some sort) how and why he does it. Everything is a direct consequence of the experiences you have. Whether you admit it or not. It's a constant battle to achieve a balance that's always out of reach. I dunno much about production, At all. I don't like to think of the technical aspects as I know that there many things WRONG with my recordings, I am not happy about it, I would like to have a studio with SOME gear, an engineer to help me out with some basic science, but, Gear, I just can't afford, Engineers have been producers since the 50's when they realized they were so getting ripped off by the con-men getting production credits when they ain't produced shit !! ahah So until then what am I gon do ? NOT make sounds ? That's the conundrum. I still dont' know what I'm doing and if at any time I think I do, I must obviously be illuding myself. And it does happen often. Shame. What I've been trying to, is break it down to the essentials. Digging old records is like going to school. You have to dig one way or another. For better (actually getting-to-know) or worse (actually being-broke-ass !) , the quest of an ever expanding knowledge in everything having to do with 'records' , its makers, the environments, locales and diverse cultural backgrounds in which they thrived, flourished or whence they came out of, has always been an insatiable thirst of mine. It's also another typical route of someone with no classic training to get to know the music. Trying to know more and more about this or that. You're obviously not getting the info straight (formal training), but in practical form (listening) . I say "records" cuz admittedely I'm still not interested in music theory, classic compostional methods etc (my production styles is prove ! lol) .. Frankfully, I'm too caught up reading about the typically naive but passionate know-nothing with the required chutzpah to pull some unique shit out of his ass while simultaneously making a big mess but leaving some sort of impression. I'm still immensely fascinated by the idea that some of the most refreshing things happening in contemporary music come from ppl who could not play an instrument !
Music was one of the big motivating factors that brought me to the US when I was 15 in '91 and into heavy-metal as much as electronic sounds (although then not buying rcds). That magic that happens when the dilettante gets into it and the mistery is one of the main reasons why I'm still enamored by it after 30yrs of buying music, reading books etc. Healthy competitiveness. Doing research is so easy nowadays though. The mixing is a whole other ball game. Rawng !! I listen to my mixes and I can't believe I thought that blend sounded smooth when it dont ! All my mixes have obvious mistakes. if I'm playing a 70-30 ratio of old-to-modern I would make a mistake every few records . But mistakes is relative as if it felt/sounded 'good enough' at the time, it's not so perfect but also many of the songs arent perfect… With old records you can never be sure of reaching a synced up point so Im always anxiously trying to focus on the tempos of both songs then one of them (old records) skips !! . A long learning curve. I don't think I'll ever be as good as the best but I can only try my best. On account of my tastes and approach I do have to say I get bored mixing too much house and techno as it creates "a sound" instead of giving you a more dynamic listening experience. Also that's when you realize mixing house and techno is more a walk in the park. I try to make ppl get up and move, even if my tastes in dance music can be a bit left-field to have quick mass-appeal. Generally it's got to rock but then again it's ALL A MATTER OF TASTE…. Of course you can be the non-mixing selector, I love that, but basically the modern dj was born to rock-the-party. (Kool Herc) .
Songs from the classic decades are more alive, dare more. It's more daring to have five dudes playing at the same time and recording one-takes on two-track and that's a wrap… They are also more fun to (attempt a) blend BECAUSE are more challenging. Since I'm clumsy, I cant see myself learning new turntable tricks, so I go for selection + blending. You take risks, some work, most dont, ones that do make a very nice effect, the other ones might not work but I think it's still better than being predictable by playing just 'tracks' that You Know Is Gon Lock-It-In Smooth so You Look Good. So you can avoid the feeling-to-have-to-look-good by taking chances LoL.
Really enjoyed the most recent collab w/Sensational – (Bangin' On The Ceiling) – How did that come about?
He just happened to walk in while I had that one playing and told him about the lady in fifth floor who's often banging on her ceiling/my floor late at night when I'm being inconsiderate. She must really have enough of me.
Tell us a little about the mix you've sent us.
It's mainly the records I bought while diggin in Padova, my hometown at this old shop nobody goes to buy wax at. Been avidly going there for the past 5yrs everytime Im back in Padova I would go about every other day and start pulling stuff. He has to play the wax for me as it's not a DJ shop..With repeated visits I'd make a pile then before leaving I'd go in one last time and make a final selection from the stack. Always very happy of what I find there as it's a more Italo-European flavor than my usual NY finds.. some cool Italo rcds come from Luca Trevisi's discogs stock. I spent two hours checking some of the lowest priced wax. Lots of great stuff ! Check experiencerecords on Discogs for some great records or http://www.hotgroovyrecords.it/ for his more complete inventory… A few new ones from ACIDO, SEX TAGS, SUED and ATELIER, WORKSHOP, the Joyride LP on MILLIONS OF BRILLIANT IDIOTS given to me by Eevn Tuell, a great LTJ Super Value Special Edit + a RONG Music release I got upon my return in the NY ; COATI MUNDI's nu LP "Coati Mundi is Dancing for the Cabana Code in the Land of Boo-Hoo" , that track is one of the super bombs off the LP .. Also a couple remixes and some of my smothered-take house trax 🙂
Could you describe your process of buying vinyl? How have you honed your skills over the years to get the most bump for your buck?
That's just gotta be a natural process of adding pieces to the puzzle in your relentless quest to know-more….Ever looking back and continuing to investigate the history, my DJing has been totally guided by the music I'm finding at a flea market in Manhattan. In the past 5years I brought home about 5000pcs, considering it ALL comes from 1 stall tended by 1 (very) funny, good man, I think that's pretty cool. A few cohorts hang around him, selling their wares or helping him out (Henry's in great shape but in his late 60s) . A few ppl come by just to sit and chat with him. After years of doing it I enjoy going to this place just to see him. God does work misterious ways as I discovered the spot just when my income nosedived. A blessing in disguise. You lose some then win some, the ways of natural law are irreducible. Defintely inspiring to keep on discovering great old stuff. It also helps put a lot into perspective when I make my sounds. My music digging attitude has always been inspired by the unpredictable, adventurous style of DJin, general eclecticism, and through discerning CD compilations which I was buying in the 90's.
Tell us about the recent European Tour and some of the gigs played there, and some of the people you met for future collabs.
It was not really a tour in that I played a few gigs spread out in 2+ mos.. I stayed in Padova at my parents place and traveled to Germany and Belgium a few times in that space of time. The party up in Bielefeld set up by Pedram Pajou and his buddies in the old anarcho squat building was great, lovely people, open minded and hard at work setting up, then partying all nite then cleaning !. The Meakusma event the following day was also pretty nice , in a raw, large space they called Katakomben.. Thing was, that on the train from Bielefeld, I was passed out and arrived at my stop I realized some punk had jacked my trolley with my gear so I was f.u.c.k.e.d. Ended up improvising something with a bunch of things stored at Meakusma boss's hard drive. It went good after all, I was just BUMMED. But All's Well That Ends Well as I ended up recouping ALL OF THE SAID STOLEN GOODS. About 5 days after making lost-found report with German authorities I was saved !!!. Someone saw the young hoods taking my trolley and called on the police who promptly arrived at the scene and caught the teenaged hoods redhanded. I still can't believe it. Marcellus Pittman had uttered some encouragin "Don't worry , they gon find your shit, trus'me.." words…. They did !! Spoke to him after and he couldn even believe it !! In Berlin these Irish kids are doing some cool parties in a non-club-like locale with a charming vintage character and warmth that fit my mostly un-technofied set that nite. Even Tuell of Workshop was responsible for us DJing together at this party in Heidelberg called Steady Work on Summer Vacation.. Crowd got down and embraced the different music styles…. tempos ranged from 111 to 121 Bumps.per.minute …
The out there music experience was to go and spend a few days with a Doctor of musicology, one of those hard-core mavericks of the Berlin scene, quite ahead of the curve I think.. actually NOT even ahead of ANY curve, just living in his own musical space, which I not only respect but captivates me. Original styles often translate in original intellects, personalites etc… Sometime crazy, often archaic, hazy. Once known as 100Rcds, very few releases out, now doing a project called Passive Musik, where, as he says it, he likes to 'receive sounds' .. He'd program the synths and the 808, but with very sparse and strictly motif-less writing, then fills the space with field recordings. In the case of our collaboration, since he'd heard of my train diss-adventure, it became all about Trains & Stations so he'd prepared about 40 diff. videos of trains from diff parts of the world.. That was our non-musical theme. Any attempt at actual melody by playin whatever there was in his bedroom studio was demoted, sidelined, discarded outright or I was told that he would cut it all off as soon as Id leave !!! LoL.. Passive Musik man, Dr Dirk Budde is not your typical, hmm….producer.. For starters our typical producers arent' PhDs in musicology who turn down a music teaching position at a university as it would distract them from their more important all-day passive music recording sessions.. I became fan of 100Rcds music from the 2 tx released on ACIDO Rcds. The one tk which got me curious to know more was "Gesicht aus diamant" and another one of which I loved the title , "Murks is Dead" (always took that to mean : Murk is Dead buddy, like "Dudes, Deep House ? It was done by them Murks ppl in Miami 20yrs ago or over, it's Over so Get Over It !" .. The Doc aka Muellie Messiah edited and put together a CDR titled "Trains & Stations" with our collaboration/recordings .. It's def. growing on me after a few listens.. I can see his point in 'receiving' when all these train videos were just playing in the background, unsynched, untreated with slight 808 beats, bass station , 404 and Evolver sounds acting as a decoration of the railway auras
Do you play or go out dancing in NY much these days? How has it changed over the years?
I played 10yrs in the same restaurant then that closed and haven't played anywhere regularly since. I'm not a gigging DJ in NY but I will hopefully soon get a place where Ill be able to just play, for days, I dont care where or what it'll be as long as I get to play…I played at a few other places through the yrs but whatever I got I've always gotten on my own and outside of any club scene and I am pretty sure that to be a club DJ or gigging DJ you'd have to build a following, or be in some sort of clique, circle, scene-not-scene, have friends who do parties, run labels etc… something ! In my experience, when opportunities presented themselves, I know I did get a few good music men gigs at the restaurant. I've naturally looked at sharing music with others an organic thing. I've always dreamed of having a music partner and attempted a couple times but the reality is that it's something you end up doing mostly on your own, because most mofos you thought were with you, behind you or on the case either give up on you or on it, turn mad, nasty or both, or are simply your competition. This is only my own experience as there are many long standing, prolific units, groups of friends doing great stuff together. Going out dancing I dont do much as I've no disposable income whatsoever……Am living off iceberg lettuce and goya beans, renting out my bedroom, scraping by.. 2+ mos in Europe was a post-ponement of the day of reckoning..That day is Here and Now. I'm also sorry to say I've become mostly too self-conscious to feel uninhibited and loosen up dancing. I'm more of a back against the wall, head-nodder-cheking-out-the-spectacle(in my head)-with-eyes-closed type… Now I should take that sharing-the-music, build-a-community, lovey-dovey thing back, it's all selfishness actually !!! Maybe it's a selfish egotistical selflessness 🙂
Do you notice a difference between the EU and US underground 'scenes' – is it important for you to release on EU labels, or is it coincidence?
No, it's not important and I would love to be in US labels.. I have something that should be released on Seattle based Nu Earth Kitchen. That will be 1st US release. Since music in the US is one of the most important things with a global resonance, and huge motive of me moving here (others would be people like Malcolm X and shows like Different Strokes, the Jeffersons etc..) wanting to be on a US label is a given. As for scene, US doesn't (really) have a dance music scene. There are valiant efforts being made, I see it and don't want to disrespect the people who put the work in but the way I see it only US dance music scene is the festivals, and (ironically) the trade-marked, Euro megaclubs with their US outposts. Think Pacha, where wunder-kidz like the Martinez Bros are packing thousands while saving up for their future kids college funds. I hear they have skillz so not knocking them but not very underground if 2000 ppl are paying 50$ entrance fees 🙂 Whatever kinda underground you get in America is still coming from the indie, rock crowd.. Which generally means ppl who've caught on to the dance music vibe a lil-late-if-I-may-say. In the past decade getting into classic dance music has become a trend of the indie-rock music buyer type. I'm generalizing to make a point as there are exceptions where rockers have dug disco, techno, house and bought those kind of records but America is still a rock/country/urban music nation at heart. It's obvious that a lot of these young art school kids buying wax today were not listening to house music 20yrs ago mainly cuz they weren't even born but if 50% or more of vinyl purchases are from that generation, so be it, I am willing to share what I know ! I do think that if you are not a live-act, it's harder to come off as o.g these days… Djs used to be seen as culprits who took work off the bands but now since you can be a one man band with a computer set up…. what Im saying is that considering the changes in technology ppl assume that if you play off Serato you r just playing MP3s ripped off the web !!! Digital music turned millions into instant DJs and that pushed many into hardware and that's great! However, I'd have to re-iterate by paraphrasing Waking Life that "..it's all in what you do with the crayons that you're given" .. I love the sound of machines too but what I love LESS is that if it sounds LIKE shit I have on wax that was released in 1980 and of which I have already dozens, if not hundreds of records in my collection then, you know what I'm saying ? I make music on a laptop BUT as far as Buying The Music I think that digital distribution of music is a goddamn scam to destroy the industry, certainly a divide & conquer type of scheme if ya ask me, and all in the name of helping-the-artists ?!! Traditional DJing is still cool for the Euro-set (I only saw one person DJing with time-code in Europe) rubbing elbows with Holyhood hipster types populating NYC and hanging on the rooftops of boutique hotels w/ swimming pools and house club nites in the re-zoned gritty-chic L.E.S. (where Tatum O'neal was busted by undercover police tryna buy crack right around her luxury condo in '08 …!!) ..What the US does have is a bunch of awesome artists doing their thing no matter what, and often being innovative…
What's up next for Madteo – releases and collabs?
First, there will be a new Meakusma 12" with some remixes by some of my fave producers… Then Joy O and his designer/partner Will Bankhead are doing a nu label, Hinge Finger. They've been working on a release from me for the most part of this year so it should happen in the not very distant future.. That will also be 1st UK release ! Then in no particular order, not sure which will be first but the Seattle N.E.K. thing, something on ACIDO Rcds run by the good Dynamo Dreseen who does superb music with Berlin head SVN and often collabs and releases with DJ Sotofett on his labels. Then I will be featuring on an upcoming 12" with a long track prod. by Sotofett which will be relased on a Sex Tags Mania related label. I did improv vox and I hope I'm gon be able to cut some off cuz I was just making it up as I went and it does getz a lil corny in a couple parts. I understand there is something about the voice ppl like him dig as it's not what you say more what voice sounds like but still ! The way it came about, I was staying at Sotofett's, was in his living room while he's in the office/studio then he showed up and was like "Yo man, ready for some vox ?" So I sat down, mic in hand, track going and looked at a Maria Carey LP. Sotofett and his group of related labels, collaborators etc have been a major inspiration for me the past couple yrs. Dynamo was my introduction with a lot of these ppl and I met Acido boss through RaH, Morphine Rcds man. ACIDO man told me about SEX TAGS MANIA, Sven, Daniel Pflumm, the General Elektro and Atelier Rcds ppl , Sotofett and his bro Fettburger etc… He gave me some 12"'s and I was hooked . I heard the rawness, references, passion and depth but in a quirky, leftfield way while maintaining a self-effacing and sarcastic attitude…. I can see some of those guys getting-somewhere !!
Interview by Tom Breslin
Matteo sent us another mix which represents his $treetwax series a bit more. He described it as "not a dance floor mix but a wild ride through a myriad musical lands". Reminiscent of the 6 hour sets he played in a NY restaurant, it's eclectic cut and paste at it's best. Enjoy!
(Right Click & Save)


text:
Sudha Goplakrishnan,
AVP, Process & Strategy Consulting at Deutsche Bank Group
I had the chance to attend Shubha's Stock Selection workshop in Bangalore and the experience was highly enriching. Shubha's knowledge of the field and subject along with her style of delivery peppered with live examples and analysis helped us grasp the subject well. It led to engaging conversations about sectors, industries, companies making the participants aware of what to look for while investing in stocks. It was an eye opener for novices like me who have been very wary about investing in stocks. I would highly recommend this workshop for people who has some interest or inclination in investing in the stock markets. Wish Shubha and her venture Moneyshiksha all the success.
Sundara Nagarajan,IT Product R&D Executive and Technologist in System Software
I participated in the stock selection workshop held on 11th and 12th January 2014, as a student. I wish I had attended this class 35 years ago, when I had started earning, so that I could have stopped working for money long ago. Shubha and her team did an outstanding job of explaining the concepts and illustrating the practical aspects for a "non-finance" person like me. She also facilitated good interaction among participants helping them learn from each other. Her approach to building a community of MoneyShiksha learners is a very good way of building long term relationship and value together. I wish Shubha great success in leading her venture to be a value stock. Good luck!
Raghu Dwarakanath,Senior Director of Engineering at Juniper Networks Inc
It's a pleasure to recommend Mrs. Shubha Ganesh and Money Shiksha. I had the opportunity to attend both the mutual funds workshop and the stock selection workshop, conducted by her. The workshops were very informative and extremely useful to me. She is a knowledgeable and an experienced person. She was able to provide the value that I was looking to gain from these workshops. I gladly recommend these workshops to others.
Prashanth Nagaraj,Engineering Manager at Tesco HSC
Good to attend the sessions from money shiksha even if you are already investing. It gives a different perspective of looking at stock, you can use the learnings immediately.
Rajan Chirayath,Participant, Right mutual fund higher returns workshop
Hello Shubha,
The Mutual Fund workshop was very useful and informative, even for someone who knows about the Mutual Funds. Many thanks for running such a useful and informative workshop.
Anand Hariharan, Consultant
I have attended her sessions twice (in total for about 20 hours of classroom training) and in both cases I was literally hooked on to everything she said. She's simply the best in educating a retail investor. She is a grandmaster in analyzing businesses and she has a very easy going but highly effective way of communicating the intricacies of business / stock analysis. Such clarity and deep expertise combined with her approachable persona is what makes her so effective as an investment advisor and trainer. You can never get such insights by reading books or even by doing live business consulting projects. This is a whole new perspective of business. Your ROI would be tremendous for every minute you invest in Shubha's training sessions.


text: View our current original Honda Parts Specials & Coupons on all Honda Parts & Accessories at John Eagle Honda. Print your Honda Parts Coupon for greater savings when purchasing your Honda Parts & Accessories with John Eagle Honda. We are located in the Dallas Fort Worth Area and serve our nearby cities Richardson, Garland, Plano, Lewisville, Irving, Arlington, Fort Worth, Mesquite, and the entire North Texas area. Call our Honda Parts Department with your questions at 855-831-8464 today.


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Tom Thomson - Judo
Date of Birth: May 7, 1947
Birth Place: Hamilton, ON
Hometown: Ancaster, ON
Residence: Brantford, ON
Tom Thomson has been coaching for 28 years. His involvement in judo started out as an athlete, but he later turned to coaching. In 1984, Thomson was faced with a challenge when he was presented with his first athlete with a visual impairment. Having had no experience with athletes with a disability, he built a programme through trial and error. Thomson has since lectured in university classrooms on this subject and has even contributed a section to the Judo Canada instructor's manual.
Today, Thomson is the national team coach for Paralympic judo and is aiming to medal with all three of his athletes in London, which will be his fourth participation at the Paralympic Games. In 2011, Thomson led his three athletes to three bronze medals at the Guadalajara Parapan American Games.
The athletes he has coached throughout the years have won one Paralympic bronze medal, two World bronze medals, five Parapan American gold medals, four Parapan American silver medals, and six Parapan American bronze medals, as well as a number of regional medals.


text:
Who doesn't like free stuff? If you are a rabid collector with more "jones" than money, you'll look for anyway to scrounge free stuff to "feed the need"
You know what they say about assumptions right? So if you guys already know this stuff don't shoot me.
Upper Deck NPN
Have you ever read the fine print on a wrapper? Part of the text reads, "No Purchase Necessary. For your chance to win these inserts, at the same odds. . yadda . . yadda"
Basically this is there way of getting around gambling and lottery laws.
No it's not out of the kindness of their heart.
Typically, you had to fill out a 3x5 card and mail it with a SASE.
Time consuming and not FREE.
Well Upper Deck now provides collectors the ability to utilize an online NPN system.
Tuff Stuff/SCD
Both websites have a daily weepstakes for autographed photos, and mini-helmets.
I actually won a very cool Bob Feller B&W 8x10.
It takes just seconds, as you can populate the fields in the registration form via AutoFill.
SCD Daily Sweepstakes
Tuff Stuff Daily Sweepstakes
Rittenhouse Archive
For non-sportscard collectors, scifihobby.com offers FREE samples of pending and current releases.


text:
President Donald Trump refused to sign off on National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster's plan to send more US troops to Afghanistan, Politico reported.
McMaster and Cabinet officials eventually agreed on a plan to send a "modest" number of more troops to Afghanistan during a meeting last week, Politico said, but Trump sent it back to them.
Inside sources also told Politico that the meeting was a "s--- show" and that "words were exchanged."
Trump's Cabinet has apparently been split on what to do in Afghanistan for a number of months. McMaster and Defense Secretary James Mattis both favor deploying additional troops, while Jared Kushner and Steve Bannon are opposed to doing so, The New York Times reported in May.
Trump's refusal to sign off on his Cabinet's plan might also signal his lack of confidence in McMaster, Politico said, citing multiple senior US officials. Trump even reportedly "tunes out" McMaster at times.
Still, Trump doesn't appear to know quite what to do about Afghanistan.
"We've been there for many years," Trump told reporters last week. "We've been there for now close to 17 years, and I want to find out why we've been there for 17 years, how it's going, and what we should do in terms of additional ideas."
When Trump was asked last week if the US would send more troops to Afghanistan, he said, "We'll see."
The problem, which Politico said Trump might be grappling with, is that there aren't many options left that previous presidents haven't already tried.
Trump even had lunch with US troops last week to hear their ideas on what to do in Afghanistan.
And Kushner and Bannon even reportedly reached out to former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince to devise a plan for Afghanistan, but "Mattis politely declined" Prince's idea to send private contractors to the country.
"I don't think there is any serious analyst of the situation in Afghanistan who believes that the war is winnable," Laurel Miller, who until recently was a US diplomat to Afghanistan and Pakistan but now works for the RAND Corporation, told Politico.
Still, The Wall Street Journal reported in early July that that everyone in the administration believes that US troops should remain there "for as long as they are needed. There will be no timelines for withdrawal."
While some have said the situation in Afghanistan is a stalemate, other studies have characterized it as a deteriorating situation. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction released a report in April detailing the declining situation.
More than 2,200 US troops have died and more than 20,000 more have been wounded since the war began. There are currently over 10,000 US troops there, and the US is spending $3.1 billion a month on the war.


text:
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The mulled wine brand Sternthaler leans on the well-known fairy tale"Sternthaler" by the famous storyteller Gebrüder Grimmwhich, like the mulled wine beverage itself, is an integral part of itGerman tradition and culture are. The Nuremberg ChristkindlesMulled wine is made from high-quality intense-tasting red winesmanufactured. By adding selected spices...
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text:
991 posts,
200 followers
following 160
Feb 2013 Madrid, Spain Website
view all » Latest Cakes
view all » Latest Activity
- Alien Egg Cake
- Harry Potter Hogwarts themed Drip Cake
- Summer Holiday in Hawaii Cake - Sweet Summer Collaboration
- Zoe's Fancy Cakes
- Corpse Bride Doll Cak
- " Vintage metalic Butterfly" cake
- DREAMLAND COLLABORATION: "Keep on dreaming"
- DREAMLAND COLLABORATION: "Keep on dreaming"
- Country Music
- Sandra Smiley
22 Comments
Dear Laura …your cakes are wonderful !
Your cakes are crazy good Laura, LOVE the gargoyle xx
Indeed!! You are very talented!!
Thank you so much!
Thank you for following me, you have such a wonderful cakes, how could I miss them? Of course I ´m now following you too :-)
Very very very beautiful cakes!
dziękuje Lauro za Twój komentarz jest mi bardzo miło…:))Robisz piękne wspaniałe torty Twoja galeria jest imponująca:)))pozdrawiam Danka
Your works are GREAT _
flawless beautiful work!
Hi Laura thank you for commenting on my book cake :) your work is amazing, i'm following you now :) Enza xx
Hi Laura, so glad I'm following you here and now on facebook, y estas en Madrid, mi madre es de ahi :-) xx
Hi Laura !! Thanks so much for the follow and lovely comment … And now I've found you on FB too … Fab work !! Have fun :) xx
New follower!! love your cakes!!
You are very talented! I saw you for the first time some months ago because of your R2D2 cake. It was outstanding! Your works are amazing so here I am to see your next moves.
Hugs from Spain! from the north of Spain! haha :D
Love your work new follow from me. Have a blessed day.


text:
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Daily Archives: July 25, 2018
Garden Myth Busters! Vinegar for Weeds
THE MYTH: Vinegar is an effective way to kill weeds.
THE REALITY: Household vinegar has long been heralded for its many uses around the home and garden, but is it actually an effective weed control method? Continue reading
Posted in Garden Myth Busters!, Intern Projects Tagged Acetic acid, Garden Myths, Vinegar, Weed killer


text:
FS15-ModmanagerPro lets you organize your mod files in profiles. In each profile you can activate/deactivate each single mod. There are other tools which do the same. We just do it in a smarter way.
Why should you use FS15-ModmanagerPro?
Your mod files are being saved just once on your harddrive – independently of the number of profiles. Other mod management tools copy each mod into a directory for each profile. FS15-ModmanagerPro uses a feature of modern filesystems like NTFS called symbolic links. Each (mod)file is strored only once on your harddisk and is linked to your profile directories. Thus, a lot of disk space can be saved. And you gain full control over your mods and versions of mods files for all your profiles.
There is no limit in the numer of profiles and mods.
You only have to take care of one single mod archive.
FS15-ModmanagerPro is OpenSource Software, you can freely distribute or change it.
FS15-ModmanagerPro is designed multilingual (English and German implemented)
Of course, a version of Giants Farming Simulator 2015 is required. Furthermore, Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5.1 and a NTFS formatted Partition is needed.
This download includes a 'setup.exe' file, which can be installed the usual way. The program leads you through the first steps in creating your own mod archive an profiles.
FS15-ModmanagerPro needs elevated rights to create the symbolic links in your filesystem. This is due to a restriction from Microsoft Windows.


text:
Tessenderlo sells Chelsea to Graham Partners
Tessenderlo Group (NYSE Euronext: TESB) sold its subsidiary Chelsea Building Products Inc. (US) to Graham Partners, a US-based, privately-held investment company. The Valence Group provided M&A advisory services to Tessenderlo on the transaction.
Chelsea Building Products designs and produces PVC profiles for windows and doors and specialty products for the US remodeling and new construction market.
Peter Hall, Partner at The Valence Group said: This is the third divestiture on which we have advised Tessenderlo in 2011. Were pleased to have been able to play a continuing role in supporting the Tessenderlo team as they reconfigure their portfolio.


text:
Doing No Harm
My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts...
Doing No Harm was yet another clean romance by Carla Kelly with lots of emotions and "feel good" vibe. I generally love the setting and characters Ms. Kelly draws through her narration; so simple, yet so very complicated. But that is human nature I guess.
The year is 1816. Royal Navy's one of the most esteemed surgeons Captain Douglas Bowden has seen it all, done it all in the decks of many ships he'd doctored over the past 25 years. Now in his late 30s, Douglas wants to say goodbye to it all. He's decided to retire, find a small, peaceful place, start over as a village/town surgeon... maybe marry and have some kids and live that way for the rest of his life. Would that life was so simple! Even though the officials try to convince him to not to resign, citing that experts like Douglas are needed on a daily basis, Douglas is not listening to anyone. He wants peace. He wants quiet, because Douglas has been missing both for all his life.
Douglas's father was a cooper. Living at the lower edges of society, Douglas had no future to speak of. He joined the navy at the age of 12 after his mother died. But Douglas was also brilliant and very hardworking, which saw him getting several big promotions over the years, ending up as the Captain. The glimpses of just how devoted he was to his work are given through his own monologues. Even though he'd earned a small fortune, which doubled with the help of a few clever investments, Douglas had no big dream. He wanted to live frugal as he always had, preferably somewhere not near the sea. He's had enough of that for a lifetime. He can't even sleep well because of the PTSD that haunts him every single night. Nightmares of war, of the patients he couldn't save threaten to choke him but Duncan has no one turn to. That was until he met Olive Grant.
Now there in lies the ultimate story. Duncan didn't want to be anywhere near the sea, but who was he kidding? He couldn't live far from the sea anyway because the sea is in his blood. His quest for a perfect place to start over brings him to one of Scotland's very small and poor, an almost forgotten village called Edgar, which once used to be a tourist destination. Duncan originally had no interest to stay there but for a few days. The shabby look, the overflow of poor, illiterate and very much unwanted Highlanders who were rooted out of their own lands where they lived for thousands of years, all because of the so called "Highland Clearances" (google it, or read the afterward, a very much historical fact), made Duncan want to be somewhere else pronto. However, on his very first day, the moment he stepped into Edgar, Duncan's life changed irrevocably. For one, he gets his first patient while looking for Miss Grant's famous tearoom. Not only he finally finds his way to the tearoom with a boy with broken leg in his arms, he also meets the famous Miss Grant, who, as Duncan would come to respect as the Kind Lady of Edgar.
Olive has been in Edgar all her life. It's her hometown, and her deceased father being the Vicar, she was brought up to be responsible for whom she deem are her people. But it's not all about responsibility. Olive loves the people of Edgar, which is such a small village that here, everyone knows everyone's business. And everyone here certainly knows the Kind Lady who lets the older folks eat free meals every day. Who'd help anyone in need as soon as the word reaches her. She does whatever she can, however she can to help. And yet Olive doesn't have a lot of money. Whatever she'd inherited from her father is about to run out and she doesn't know how she's going to carry on. She's been doing everything on her own so long, yet sometimes, even a lonely, plain spinster wants someone to rely on. Wants to share her burden with someone special. Until one Douglas Bowden stepped into her life very unexpectedly, Olive too thought she stood alone in this world.
In the past, Olive has tried to help the Highlanders fallen on such hard times, but she's only one person. The people still harbored the old superstitions, and no one wanted these poor, illiterate beings who have no special skills to speak of other than farming and herding kettle, which is not at all needed at a fishing village like Edgar. Hence, they couldn't really eke out a livelihood. Even though some worked at the slowly running small fishing docks in the preparation of the fish that were brought there, many didn't even have that. And it led some to drink copiously and act violently. You'd see some examples of that in the story, as Duncan has to deal with it firsthand. Olive wanted to help them but she had no idea what to do, how to go about it... where even to start. She wasn't worldly, she didn't know people who could help.
But when Douglas Bowden came in with a charming smile on his rough and tanned face, Olive knew he was a blessing to this little village. They needed a doctor so, so bad… but more so, they needed a savior. Douglas was all wrapped up in a tough, yet gentle package. Tough, because he could put up a front when it was needed; he had to while dealing with his patients, the dead and the dying. Gentle, because… well, you just have to read to know why I said it. Douglas is a gentleman inside and out, with a wry wit that brought smile to Olive's face. Soon, even the thought of him would smiles on her face regularly. But he'd also made it certain everyone knew that he isn't here to stay. But is it all that simple?
Douglas wanted to leave after treating the little boy who broke his leg... then he found this patient or that, with problems big and small, needing for his help badly. And it went on from there... Of course, Douglas would help no matter what, even if this wasn't in his future plan to settle in such a shabby place with no hope of a respectable earning. Soon he was renting a place for himself, temporarily of course, so he could leave when this or that patient is finally healed. Would that life was that simple and not playing tricks on him! On the inside, Douglas knew he was falling in love with Edgar and it's people... but most of all, one tall and curvy tearoom owner who has stolen his heart with her kind ways and her beautiful, soul-warming smile. He knew Olive Grant was as much his calling as his vocation but did she think of him that way? Douglas was scared to even entertain the notion. He wasn't a goodlooking guy, he didn't even think he could charm a lady (though everybody else thought the other way round) but would he make a good husband? A good father? Can Olive live with him and his thousand wartime demons for the rest of their lives?
Whatever was in his mind, soon Douglas was also taking charge of the Highlander problem. Not only he was man of hard work, Douglas was also used to taking charge effectively. It was in his nature, so no one questioned Douglas even once about his intentions. By then, even after Douglas's repeated notice about his looming departure (mostly to convince himself he had to), everyone in Edgar was already calling him their Doctor. Their trust in him was unshakable. Even in his mind Douglas knew he'd already rooted in a place that would've never been in his original plan. Nope, life isn't that simple after all.
The Highlanders thrown out of their lands were drowning into a sea of hopelessness. They were so poor, they couldn't even make do sometimes. There are scenes here that'd simply gut you when you read about their misery but Douglas was determined to turn things around. And for that he started planning. Ever industrial, he finds jobs for little Highlander children who can make charms and wind chimes from sea shells to sell to a few tourists that still visited the village. The children were soon earning a tidy amount which not only gave them something to look forward to, but also returned the pride they lost when they were so humiliatingly booted out. The ones that were killed in that horrendous act probably were saved from that humiliation. Yet the ones that didn't were still suffering from the nightmares, even the children.
All Highlanders are proud creatures, which was a reason why many of them suffered silently yet didn't ask for help. Douglas and Olive even figured out a way to help those who were too proud to ask, without making them think they were taking charities. They'd work here and there, stuff they can do and Olive would feed them in return. These two were meant to be a team, no doubt about that! A plan forms again in Douglas's mind about the shipbuilding business that fallen out of favor after the village lost many of its men either to war or to better propositions in bigger towns. They never returned and so, the dock sat abandoned. Douglas planned to bring the dry docks to its former glory, knowing he could do it with the help of a good shipwright. And he knew some good ones! He knew it'd be a long, trying road but he simply couldn't sit there and watch these people suffer. Soon the town was turning its luck with their beloved Doctor's help; someone who already was highly revered. Olive also got a good deal out of the newly formed Telford Boat Works as their official caterer, all thanks to Douglas.
At this point, quite a few months have passed instead of 2 that Douglas had originally planned on staying. It was time he left. He'd done all he could for Edgar, he isn't needed anymore. But can he really leave behind these people and start somewhere anew? People whose lives have irreversibly entwined with his? Most importantly, does he even want to? And what of Miss Grant?
Funny thing is, Douglas probably knew how Olive felt about him. After all, they'd shared some fine kisses, however impulsive they were and enjoyed them to boot. Douglas wanted more, Olive also wanted more... but both were so unsure of one another's feelings, no thanks to their own past. I'd say Douglas was more vulnerable, so he pushed Olive away a few times, which confused and hurt her. At 28, Olive knew she wasn't the topnotch marriage material but after all they've been through, he must feel their mutual attraction? Yet she didn't know if they indeed had a future together for quite a while.
Fortunately, in the end, all was figured out in the sweetest way possible, where both Douglas and Olive knew they're happier and stronger together rather than apart, so it'd have been an idiocy to leave behind the love they'd never thought they'd find. Love do catch people unawares, that you find it in the most unexpected of places.
There's no "bad" Carla Kelly novel in my eyes. In all, I enjoyed Doing No Harm as I do any Carla Kelly book, clean or otherwise. However, at times it felt that the dialogues of this story were a bit on the cheesy side. I don't know, but I did roll my eyes here and there. I recommend it nonetheless if you're looking to spend your time on a lonely afternoon doing some reading. 3.5 stars.
PS: I'm still not sure why the epilogue, a letter from Douglas to one of his friends and comrades, was set in 1987! :/ Was someone reading it in 1987? No idea. But it did catch me by surprise.


text:
"Leadership is action, not position."
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
"It always seems impossible until it's done."
Geneva Analytics is aggressive in the marketplace, and we believe that strategic planning is essential. However, we also recogize that the best of plans have little value without implementation and being result-oriented.
We provide a full service economic and community development program that centers on the revitalization of vacant and abandoned properties. Additionally, we offer development and support of new entrepreneurship ventures, public perception surveys and real estate related services.
We work with local government officials, agencies and community organizations to move derelict houses, dormant factories and strip malls from liabilities into assets.
Job generation with economic diversification is the foundation to provide services necessary for sustainable quality of life for residents and businesses alike.
Our corporate operating philosophy is based on clearly defined goals and objectives, in-depth evaluation and verification of relevant data, development of realistic supporting budgets, real time implementation, progress related metrics and timely reporting.
Please review some of the articles we have published below, or visit our Services page for additional information.
Making Sense of Retail Site Selection
Click on the above image to link to the article published in the July 2015 issue of Trade & Industry Development
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text:
Romanian hacker charged with breaching NASA computers
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 07:05am (Mla time) 06/27/2007
BUCHAREST -- A young Romanian has been charged with hacking into NASA computers and causing more than 1.5 million dollars (1.1 million euros) of damage for the US space agency, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Victor Faur, 26, from the western town of Arad, was also accused of breaking into the computers of the US navy and the Department of Energy between November 2005 and September 2006, a statement said.
Romanian police alerted NASA in July last year that its servers had been breached by unknown people based in Romania.
An ensuing probe, launched jointly by Romanian police and the FBI, led to Faur.
NASA had to rebuild its systems and scientists and engineers had to manually communicate with spacecraft, resulting in huge losses for NASA.
Faur, meanwhile, said in television interviews that his action was aimed at "proving that several computers are vulnerable to attack," and underlined that he had not tried to make any "material gains."
"I had neither modified nor erased the files, nor destroyed the communications systems," said Faur, who was formally put under investigation in December and has been barred from leaving the country.
An earlier indictment by the US Attorney's Office charges Faur with leading a hacking group called the "WhiteHat Team," which broke into the systems because of their reputation of being among the most secure in the world.
Instruction :
Please make your comment/s on the news article above in no less than 300 words.
Use this thread for your softcopy comment/s. Hardcopy answer should reach my table on July 02, 2007 (Monday) on or before 09:30am.
Check this BLOG everyday … new case study might be uploaded


text:
A day in the life of missionaries in Woodstock, Virginia
In June, I spent a full day trailing two Spanish-speaking elders serving full-time missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The experience was a memorable, educational whirlwind and exposed my readers to the unpredictable nature of volunteer missionary work in a multicultural, fast-paced area.
On Friday, July 11, eager to appreciate the differences in work in diverse areas, I scheduled a similar adventure with the full-time missionaries serving in my own backyard — Woodstock, Virginia. Though we're in the same mission as our friends in Baltimore, the backdrop for the work couldn't be more different.
The Woodstock Ward (congregation) part of the Winchester Virginia Stake (like a diocese) sits in the middle of Shenandoah County and is blessed with two sets of full-time missionaries. We have a phenomenal companionship of both elders and sisters, and while they live in tiny Woodstock — population 5,000 — they are responsible for a county with 42,000 people spread across 513 square miles.
For perspective, the missionaries I joined in Baltimore work in a city with a density of 7,671 people per square mile. I witnessed firsthand how they encounter more people every day than they could possibly talk to. In Woodstock, the missionaries labor in an area with just 67 residents per square mile.
My day began by coordinating schedules with Elders Kenneth Kuhn of Las Vegas and Spencer Jensen of Lewiston, Utah; and Sisters Briana Moore of The Woodlands, Texas, and Brook Swisher of Brentwood, California. I planned to bounce back and forth between them throughout the day, helping as much as I could without becoming a distraction or overstepping my role.
After their studies, I was scheduled to meet the sisters for an appointment with a friend in the town of Strasburg, another small town at the northern edge of their massive area. Much to their disappointment, and despite confirming the appointment the night before, the woman wasn't home. With an hour free before lunch, and already having used 15 of their preciously allotted monthly driving miles, they decided to contact people on the street for an hour.
In Baltimore, this would mean near nonstop contacts on the bustling streets. In Strasburg, this meant walking a full block without passing anyone. I caught up with them on the sidewalk and we made our way north. Soon Sister Swisher, perhaps one of the most irrepressibly bubbly and positive missionaries ever to wear a tag, was gushing over an infant in a stroller. (It is said that if Sister Swisher laughs in Virginia, her family hears it in California. This is unconfirmed.)
The woman pushing the stroller, Janet, was very impressed by the sisters and agreed to a visit. Already the sisters were wondering if the earlier missed appointment had been divine design.
We stepped into an indoor flea market and I introduced the missionaries to the owner, Sally, a relative of a local church member. They chatted freely and the sisters expressed genuine concern when learning that Sally's husband recently passed away. Before we left, Sally accepted an invitation for a visit to discuss what the church believes about the eternal nature of families and the importance of temples.
Although the sisters had packed a lunch, we felt prompted to step into a Mexican restaurant across the street. After the sisters were seated, I invited the server, Jose, to give them three minutes before they left for the beginning of the most important message he might ever hear. He agreed, and I left the sisters to their lunch. They reported later that, indeed, he had listened and had passed along his name and address to meet with the elders for a more formal discussion.
Next, I met Elders Kuhn and Jensen in Woodstock. To save them miles, as members often do, I drove them to the small town of Mount Jackson. They'd long wanted to street contact in the quaint community, but had never had an opportunity. Their large area and a mileage limit means carefully budgeting each month. While biking is possible in and around Woodstock, driving or finding rides with members are the best options to and from the other small towns in the rural county.
We walked together for a block and a half before passing anyone on our side of the street and stepped into a quiet gift shop. After browsing for a few minutes and making small talk with the owner, Jensen, a seasoned, confident elder, explained their purpose and asked the owner if he would like to hear their "unique message." He took their name and number on a pass-along card, but politely declined. After several more minutes, we said goodbye.
We dashed across the street and the elders approached a Hispanic woman. Kuhn, who is serving a Spanish-speaking mission and speaks extraordinarily well for being in the field less than a year, introduced us and described their work. The woman, Enriqueta, asked what differentiated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from her Catholic faith. With impressive poise and conviction, Kuhn laid out a few key differences and before we walked away, the woman gave her address and accepted an invitation for a weekend visit.
Running late, we hurried back to Woodstock for an appointment with a family they'd met a few days prior. When we finally arrived at the apartment complex, the family was in the parking lot struggling with a large desk they needed carried to their second-floor apartment. Both the husband and wife have health problems and they were thankful for the elders' help. Though they were then unable to meet with the missionaries, they expressed gratitude for their service and asked them to return the next day.
"That was my favorite experience," Kuhn said when we later recapped our time together. "We arrived at exactly the time we needed to be there. It really taught me that the Lord's plans always come before our own and that they are often nothing like what we were expecting. We just have to try our best and he'll help us with what we missed."
Jensen, a talented district leader, agreed. "Heavenly Father knows where each one of his children is, and I believe he places us in their paths. We just need to have the faith and courage to share with them this message of happiness."
Meanwhile, the sisters had another key appointment fall through, this time with a less-active member they've been working with for quite some time. It was obvious they weren't disappointed for themselves, but for her.
As is common in many missions, we spent some time in the afternoon performing service. The ward mission leader and his wife, Jerry and Christine Clipp, arranged for us to help a neighbor cut and clear a large, fallen branch. Jim Heishman, another local member, provided the chainsaw and completed the team. Many hands handled the work in only an hour.
Jeanne, the 88-year-young neighbor, was delighted with the missionaries' energy and enthusiasm. There were no expectations and not a whiff of pressure to teach or even return. There were, however, hugs for the sisters and handshakes for the elders. (I, of course, took a hug. How could I not?)
After changing back into dresses, shirts and ties, the sisters and elders survived dinner at my family's home and we discussed how their day compared to missionaries serving in places like Baltimore. They referenced their daily goal of inviting 20 people to hear more, a recent challenge from Elder M. Russell Ballard, and how challenging it is in a place where they might only see 20 people from dawn to dusk. And that's counting their companion.
Soon I was racing out the door with the elders to meet with a family in Edinburg, another small town outside of Woodstock. The family's trials and challenges were heartbreaking, and I was touched by the young elders' empathy for situations they cannot yet begin to understand. Before my time with the elders came to a close, Jensen moved swiftly to hand a card to a jogger and invited her to visit the church's website.
"Thank you!" she said sincerely and without breaking stride.
"You never know," he smiled.
While the elders went to visit a member family, I met the sisters at the home of a recent convert, Sue, in Tomsbrook, yet another small town on the other side of Woodstock. Sue's love for the missionaries is written in her country-mile-wide smile. They each shared a favorite scripture with Sue and watched a "Mormon Message" on the church's website.
It was impossible not to notice how Swisher and Moore interacted with Sue as true sisters would, not because of their nametags, but because of their unconditional love for one another.
When the "day in the life" experience came to a close, I expressed how every day presents an opportunity for growth. "So, what did you learn today?"
Moore, who remarkably is only a few weeks into her first area, sounded like a confident veteran. "Everything happens for a reason. We don't know how everything is going to play out, but it doesn't matter, because God knows. We weren't meant to have that first appointment. We ended up being in the right place at the right time to share the gospel with others." Moore also expressed her gratitude for a companion with an unrelentingly positive attitude. "I cannot imagine a better trainer."
Swisher, at the other end of her mission, learned plenty, too. "Plans don't always work out. In fact, they rarely work out exactly how you wanted. But this doesn't mean failure. It means you tried your best, but it wasn't where you were supposed to be. When plans have fallen through on my mission, usually unexpected opportunities come. I've also learned how I've developed unconditional love for people I hardly know. I might only meet someone once, but I love them and want the best for them and their families."
When I finally returned home, I relayed the details of the day, and my wife asked, "So, what did you learn?"
Of all the differences in the work we observed that day (and there were many), I was reminded that the similarities are all that matter. It's the same spirit at their side, the same unconditional love and the same faith.
In places like little Woodstock, Virginia, and perhaps where you live, missionaries don't have hundreds of thousands in their paths every day. But they love each and every one with the same spirit and joy as every other missionary in every other area.
And while they might only have 42,000 in their sights, at the speed Moore, Swisher, Kuhn and Jensen work, they could find them all.
And if they do, it just might happen one flea market, one stroller and one jogger at a time.


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Total U.S. Unit Count: 2,035 / 1,587 franchised
Franchise Fee: $30,000
Total Start-Up Costs: $306,300–$371,100 for a freestanding unit
Royalty: 5% of gross sales
Renewal Fee: $15,000
Marketing Fee: 4% of gross sales
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, Atlanta-based Popeyes has plans for accelerated growth throughout 2012, both on and off U.S. soil.
Popeyes vice president of development Greg Vojnovic says the company's strategic plan execution and highly franchised business model generate profitable results for system operators. Those include efficient advertising of relevant, traffic-driving new product innovations; effective tools to support and measure improved speed of service and guest experience; supply chain cost reductions, process improvements, and training that improve profitability; and site-selection tools that have resulted in a pipeline of qualified operators opening new restaurants with AUV above 2011's system average of $1.1 million.
To further boost its appeal, Popeyes offers numerous current franchisee incentives, including a rapid-year development program for those who open their units within six to nine months of site approval, incentives for opening freestanding units in specific markets, and incentive programs for minorities, women, and military veterans.
An Outside View: Omholt credits the Popeyes franchise management team with cooking up impressive shareholder and franchisee value.
"All of their key metrics from the annual report—revenues, net income, [earnings per share], free cash flow, same-store sales, etc.—demonstrate an impressive trend line," he says.
Total U.S. Unit Count: 99 / 96 franchised
Franchise Fee: $30,000–$35,000
Total Start-Up Costs: $375,628–$536,594
Royalty: 5% of gross sales
Renewal Fee: $17,500
Marketing Fee: 3% of gross sales
Driven by an on-trend menu that promotes 52 fresh ingredients and salads averaging less than 300 calories, Saladworks continues making headway as an alternative to traditional fast food fare.
With AUV over $1 million, Saladworks boasts a sales-to-investment ratio hovering near 2:1, a tally that continues to attract franchisees to the Pennsylvania-based system.
Saladworks chairman and CEO John Scardapane says the company's franchise model has proved stable and scalable over 25 years. He points specifically to the fact that more than 70 percent of franchise partners own or have committed to own more than one location.
Scardapane adds that franchisees also benefit from protected search areas and store territories, as well as catering opportunities that produce a supplemental revenue stream. There are also various training and support measures, such as ongoing business consultation, targeted local and regional marketing plans, social media tool boxes, and continual menu development.
An Outside View: Jameson says Saladworks has a formula for success with its healthy, nutritious, and flavorful salads along with fresh soups and sandwiches served quickly in a colorful and fun environment. "Start-up costs are reasonable and sales at a level that can provide a reasonable ROI for franchisees," he says.
The five times weekly e-newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest industry news and additions to this website.


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Krogerus advised private-equity firm Sponsor Capital on the creation of CompAid Group and its acquisition of PT-Keskus Oy, Comp-Aid Oy, Suomen Proteesipalvelu Oy and Rehamed Oy. Sponsor Capital and the current owner of Comp-Aid Oy, Petteri Mäki, will be the principal shareholders of the new Group.
CompAid Group is a supplier of assistive devices, health care supplies and hospital equipment.
Sami Martola led the Krogerus team. He was primarily assisted by associates Suvi Tervahartiala and Anna Metso. Päivi Toivari led the financing team.


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Beachfront condo in Savannah Beach & Racquet Club community on the North End
Nicely-appointed living room
Kick back after a day at the beach
Open-concept kitchen, living and dining space
Update kitchen for all of your cooking needs
Balcony with great ocean views
Balcony with great ocean views
Wonderful view of the ocean from the condo unit
Stunning view of the ocean
Get a good night's rest in the cozy queen bed
Get a good night's rest in the cozy queen bed
Cheery hall bathroon
Cheery hall bathroon
Cheery hall bathroon
Splash around in the community pool
Outdoor shower for your convenience
Great little balcony
Savannah Beach and Raquet Club building A
Easy access to the beach
Easy access to the beach
Entrance to Savannah Beach and Raquet Club
Don't forget your raquets. Enjoy a game of tennis with your partner
Community grills
There is an open kitchen and living area that opens up to a patio which looks out onto the bay. The living area also offers a flat screen TV and DVD, and the fully equipped kitchen is accompanied by a dining table. Coin-operated laundry is available onsite, just 30 feet from the condo.
This condo enjoys access to a shared outdoor charcoal grill, pool and lounge area, tennis courts, and incredible beach access in a quiet area where you'll feel like you have Tybee Beach all to yourself. The unit is also within walking distance to shops, restaurants, and other attractions on the North End.
Please note that the Savannah Beach & Racquet Club offers only one vehicle per condo. Vehicles without a parking permit will be towed. No events with a higher number of guests than the occupancy of the house are permitted and there is a minimum age requirement of 21 for renters.
As our gift to you for booking with us, we offer free admission to select Tybee attractions. Called the Xplorie Program, our guests will receive one free adult admission ticket, per night stay, to attractions like dolphin tours, bike rentals and kayak rentals. It's our way of saying "thanks!"
Tybee City Number: 02913V


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Wanna to start a code club? No money? No equipment? Shit. Well, you better have some brass neck, mate. Here are some things of note you may learn along the way:
1. People care about this
There's a hunger for learning. People in threadbare communities know just how important this stuff is. They are smart, capable but lack resources and opportunities.
2. Collaboration is wonderful
Encourage it in your students. Learning new technical skills is hard, so pairing people together is a good approach. It makes class immediately more social, supportive and fun.
3. Some people need more help than others
Class is only as successful as the most challenged student. If you can bring them along with patience and creativity, you've won. Remember, it's a foreign language.
4. Hustle!
Beg, borrow and steal everything you need. Being a shameless self-promoter matters. It's not a natural pose for me, but I suppose my being talented and good-looking helps. See?
5. Make allies
Lots of people want you to succeed. Who can help you get this done? I'm trying to find that out.
6. Share the load
Doing this alone is hard work. I know. Ask for help, and lean on your students. I'm going to do more of this next week.
7. Find inspiring stories
Everything has it's cultural context. Starting the class with the Mae Jemison story was an electrifying entry. It said, "This is your house. There's a place for you here, too."
Here's how it went down:


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logan shopper tote
595.00 178.50
This product is sold out.
dimensions: 12.6" W x 14.2" H x 5.5" D
handle drop: 9.5"
want les essentiels logan shopper tote in brownstone/jet black
- unlined leather shopper tote
- detachable zippered pouch
- interior pocket
- top snap closure
- 100% italian leather
- imported
all available inventory will ship within 1 business day via UPS ground. flat rate ups ground shipping for $8 on all orders. shipping rates and return policy.


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Another flower to plant in the Pixie Garden Quilt Block of the Month!
How is your Pixie Garden growing?
Another flower to plant in the Pixie Garden Quilt Block of the Month!
How is your Pixie Garden growing?
Tiny heart cornerstones for the baby quilt that didn't get finished.
A row of sunflower (with a few unfinished schoolhouse) birdhouses.
A custom Christmas ornament. Lucky for me, the cat looked just like my Betsy Cat. Did you even know we do custom ornaments? You can find a custom order form HERE.
What's in the works for you?
Finally remembered to post a photo of my completed Scrappy Hearts (find the pattern HERE).
It was a fun, quick project that used up some very old scraps. All was machined pieced but the final stitching of the binding I did by hand. It was a time I needed a little "thread therapy" with slow, satisfying hand work. I learned 2 things:
Most people wouldn't notice (they are very slight) but I sure do! Vowing to do better next time. At least Betsy still approves. 🙂
A new baby quilt that I hope is done this week.
A field of sunflower birdhouses. The beginning of 100+ birdhouses to paint.
What's in the works for you?
Have you started my latest block of the month, the Pixie Garden Quilt?
This BOM has two different background blocks. In presenting the blocks each month, I alternate the two blocks so, upon finishing 3 months' blocks, you can put them together into a row. A sort of instant gratification.
Sue in Wisconsin, along with 7 other online friends, has started her own Pixie Garden. She assumed she could do all of the Block A's first but by the second month, discovered that wasn't going to work. So she went ahead and made all of the background blocks.
Don't they look great! I love the scrappy look and vibrant colors. She tells me, "I'm trying, in 2013 to use up some of my stash – what's that joke? I've achieved S.A.B.L.E. status – Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy?" LOL!
Her little blanket-stitched blue bird is so nicely done.
Thanks so much for sharing, Sue! She will be giving me updates from her group on their progress. I look forward to seeing how other quilters make this design their own. Best part – making new quilting friends! 🙂
It's only a few more days until Valentines Day. Those of us in New England might be staying pretty close to home, what with a big snowstorm/blizzard in the works. Here's a free project for this weekend using a bunch of those red and white scraps to make a cute holiday decoration. Scrappy Hearts table runner is made with half square triangles and squares, super easy to piece.
Mine should be done tomorrow. It was supposed to be done tonight but life kind of got in the way. I'd love to hear if you've made one also!
The resolution really got me moving! Project 2 was a bunch of pot holders made from scraps leftover from Deb's table runner.
Project 3 was supposed to have been done for Christmas but the Virginia grandkids will still love them. These pillowcases are a fun, quick project. I'm especially crazy about the fishy one.
The helpers are my constant companions, Smoky and Betsy.
For project 4, the top was actually finished since September so it was just a matter of quilting this baby quilt. It'll go to a great-nephew whose mother loves elephants. I'm pretty fond of this one myself.
I wasn't sure if putting black into a baby quilt was a mistake. But it's such a bright, cheery quilt, it will be OK. See that nice narrow yellow border around the center? I had cut the center too small so had to bring it up to size – I was not resewing all of those little blocks. Serendipity!
So proud to announce another new pattern! Many of you are familiar with my 2012 BOM, the Lattice Garden Quilt. It's now available as a pattern.
So much time and creative energy goes into designing every new pattern, not to mention the joy (frustration???) of working with the computer. But I'm always so very grateful to the many online quilters who do the "testing" for me. If I've gotten anything wrong, someone is sure to let me know and I do appreciate any input.
It's a new year and we're still in January so it's okay to talk about resolutions. I confess – I'm very good at starting projects but absolutely stink at finishing. Anything. Like I'm allergic to finishing. So it is time to pull out some of those many, many UFO's and deal with them. My goal in 2013 is to finish 4 things a month with many of them being said UFO's. I may be setting myself up for disappointment, but no more so than continuing to pile them up!
My first project for almost every year is a gift for my daughter-in-law Deb whose birthday is January 8. All fall and early winter, especially December, are so insanely hectic, it is pure joy to sit down and quilt something for Deb. The borders on this runner are a border print but yes, the center is all pieced squares. She uses it on the cherry coffee table my hubby Bill made for Deb and our son Bill. Though my quilting is erratic (I'm still feeling like a newbie machine quilter), it came out good enough. Though not really a UFO, it's one project done!


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Not All is Lost When you Lose Your Memory
What happens if you are not able to grab memory? Obviously, a full memory capture of the suspect system will give you the best chance at recovering volatile information from the system but if you can't, not all is lost.
Hibernation and page files contain data that can help put the pieces of the puzzle back together. The hibernation file, hiberfil.sys, is a compressed copy of the memory when the system last went into hibernation. When entering hibernation mode, the system saves the contents of its random access memory (RAM) to a hard disk. When the system resumes or "wakes up," the system is exactly as it was before entering hibernation mode. The page file, pagefile.sys, is used to store page-size blocks of memory that do not currently fit into physical memory known as swapped pages. Although Windows® supports up to 16 page files, normally only one is used.
Page files cannot be processed with Volatility so I will discuss them briefly before I continue with the hibernation file analysis. While the page file is just the "holes" in memory where blocks are stored to disk, it will often contain information that can be relevant to the case you are trying to solve. To start your analysis on the page file you could use the strings command, but this could take a long time to step through the file. The options you have is to pipe your strings command through grep to look for specific strings like so:
Or you can use the page_brute tool to make quicker work of it. Page_brute breaks the page file into page-sized blocks and scans it with Yara signatures. The nice thing here is you can create a Yara rule with strings that you are interested in to apply to the page file. This will pull the entire block where there is a positive hit from the yara signature so there will still be a lot of strings to go through, but it's useful for identifying relevant information in the page file.
Now let's get back to the hibernation file. Since the hibernation file is just a compressed copy of the memory, we can use Volatility the same way we would with any other memory sample. But, we will need to first decompress it by converting it to a raw memory dump. This too can be done using Volatility. Volatility will actually work with the hiberfil.sys file, but it is extremely slow because it will have to decompress it every time a different plugin is used. Just decompress it once using the imagecopy plugin and it will speed up the process.
As we can see in the following images, using Volatility on the hibernation file works as expected. Many of the plugins are able to return the relevant information. The catch, however, is that when a system goes into hibernation mode the network connections are closed so the connections plugin will not return the network connections of the system. The good news is we can look at the running processes with the pslist plugin, check associated handles with processes, and so forth.
Also, malware may have had a chance to clean up before going into hibernation mode and hide itself from memory analysis. If it didn't though, we can still use the malfind command to locate malware injected into different processes.
To wrap it up, I want to reiterate the importance of capturing memory during incident response and memory analysis during your forensics examination. The evidence in memory can make or break your case and is too critical to do without. Now that you know what you can do with the hibernation and page file, you have an alternative approach in such a situation.
Be Calm and Memory On.


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California Water Service Group Awards $60,000 in Scholarships to Students
California Water Service Group (Cal Water) today announced that 24 students in its service areas were awarded a total of $60,000 in college scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year. The winners, recognized for their outstanding academic achievement and community service, included two grand-prize recipients each receiving $10,000, along with 10 students who are first-generation college students.
Grand-prize winner Shannon Chen, valedictorian of her Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. high school, is now a freshman studying civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University. While in high school, Shannon was also the winner of the Earthwatch Student Field Research Award, participated in Arctic's Edge climate change research, and traveled to Bolivia to study the water supply and offer medical assistance.
Jacob Ngo, grand-prize winner and valedictorian of his Salinas, Calif. high school, is a freshman studying immunology and pathogenesis at the University of California, Berkeley. Jacob was a volunteer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium as part of its Teen Conservation Leaders Program and was awarded the Key to the Math Department while in high school.
In addition to the top two scholarships, Cal Water awarded 22 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,500 to students throughout the Group's California, Hawaii, and Washington service areas.
The scholarship program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Scholarships are funded by Cal Water's shareholders, not ratepayers, as part of the Group's philanthropic giving program.
"The drive and dedication of these young adults in our service areas continues to amaze and inspire me year after year," President and CEO Martin A. Kropelnicki said. "We're committed to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve, and I'm so proud to be able to help some of our future's finest achieve their dreams of higher education. I am particularly pleased that so many of these students are trailblazers as the first in their families to pursue higher education."
To be eligible for a scholarship, students must live in a Cal Water service area, plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational-technical school, and not already possess a degree or diploma from an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational-technical school.
The next scholarship cycle will open in spring 2017 for students pursuing higher education in the fall of 2017. To learn more about the scholarship program, visit the scholarship program web page.


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Harriet Reuter Hapgood's YA debut, 'The Square Root of Summer' is out this month. Rejoice! It's a wonderfully beautiful and quirky story about one girl's very exceptional journey through loss and heartache.
In honour of this, we're celebrating all the great YA out there that takes on such sensitive and soul-wrenching issues such as grief and loss, and does so in very differing and refreshing ways.
1. 'The Square Root of Summer' – Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Curious – Quirky – Dark matter
2. 'We Were Liars' – e. lockhart
Poetic – Addictive – Mesmorising
3. 'The Sky is Everywhere' – Jandy Nelson
Beautiful – Hopeful – Seizing
4. 'Looking for Alaska' – John Green
Clever – Arresting – Lingering
5. 'A Monster Calls' – Patrick Ness
Visual – Dark – Lights on?
6. 'I Was Here' – Gayle Forman
Brave – Emotional – Careful
7. 'Far From You' – Tess Sharpe
Intelligent – Raw – Evocative
8. 'The Book Thief' – Markus Zusak
Creative – Memorable – Balanced
9. '13 Reasons Why' – Jay Asher
Heartrending – Haunting – Drama
10. 'Someone Like You' – Sarah Dessen
Strength – Friendship – Moving forward
11. 'Me, Earl and the Dying Girl' – Jesse Andrews
Different – Odd – Perspective
12. 'Belzhar' – Meg Wolitzer
Psychological – Kicker – Magical realism
Which books would you add to this list? Tweet us @maximumpopbooks
Also, clicky here to grab your copy of 'The Square Root of Summer'.
- May is a huge month for YA releases and here are a few we're most looking forward to
- Cover Reveal: Look at the amazing animated cover for Kimberly McCreight's 'The Outliers'!
- 11 of the most remarkable YA ladies, inspired by Jennifer Donnelly's 'These Shallow Graves'
- Maximum Pop! Books is on Facebook!
- 5 reasons you need to read Liz Kessler's 'Read Me Like a Book'. Like, immediately.
- 17 of the bestest and the weirdest books about cats
- We crapped ourselves at 'Goosebumps Alive'. Are you brave enough for London's newest immersive theatre experience?
- WIN! Holy moly – 50 books giveaway to celebrate our new Facebook!


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Playing games in the pool with your toddler helps her become comfortable being in the water, getting her face wet and hopefully, eventually learning to swim. It's important to note that no matter how much your little one loves being in the pool, young children should never be left in or near a swimming pool without an adult close enough to touch them, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. That's why even if your toddler is wearing a properly-fitted flotation device, pool games are only for playing when you or another responsible adult are in the water with her.
Entering the Water
The simple act of being submerged in a large pool of water can be intimidating for even the most fearless toddlers. Try singing small songs that bring your toddler into the pool at a particular time; for example, singing "Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posy, ashes, ashes we all fall doooown" [at which point you'd lower your toddler from the side of the pool into the water]. This gives your little one some sense of what's coming and makes the transition more entertaining than simply placing her in the pool, according to Huggies Parenting Resource page. Try this tactic with her favorite rhythms or count to three.
Blowing Bubbles
Blowing bubbles helps toddlers practice exhaling under water. Practice by holding your toddler while you both lower your faces in the water and see who can blow the biggest bubbles. You can also dance your toddler around in a circle while holding her and singing a song, and at a particular point, pause to put your faces in the water and blow bubbles. Wait for your child to put her face in on her own, never force her head -- or any other part of her body -- under water.
Kicking is a fundamental skill to developing strong swimming skills. Have your toddler rest her head on your shoulder and float on her back. Ask her to push her belly out so her back stays straight, and tell her to kick as hard as she can with her legs. Walk backward so she feels like her kicking really is propelling her through the water, and ask her to try and kick you all the way to the other side of the wall. For an older toddler, practice holding on to the wall side by side in shallow water, and tell her you're both going to practice kicking so hard the wall moves.
Paddle Roundup
All the toys your toddler loves in the bath are also entertaining in the swimming pool. Set a few of her favorite toys in the water, and encourage her to catch them by doggie paddling while you support her torso so she doesn't slip underwater. You can also spread a few toys a couple inches apart and have her try to gather the toys in a central point by swimming around them. Again, be sure to support her torso or make sure she's wearing a properly-fitted flotation device and stand within a reachable distance before encouraging her to "swim" anywhere.


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Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar is an author, poet, spiritual counselor, inspirational speaker and the senior rabbi at Congregation B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim in Deerfield, IL. She is the author of several books, among them Omer: A Counting, published in 2014 by CCAR Press. She is also published in numerous anthologies and has created liturgy, rituals, and ceremonies.
Rabbi Kedar teaches courses and designs retreats on finding meaning and purpose in our busy lives, creating a prayerful and intentional life, spiritual awakening, forgiveness, and intentional leadership. She offers workshops in engagement, vision, and creating the synagogue for the 21st century.
She and her husband Ezra are the proud parents of Talia, Moti, Shiri and Ilan and grandparents of Lihi and Maya, all who live in Israel.
Karyn D. Kedar


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Since 1990, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team has been designing, building, and racing America's best solar vehicles. With eight overall national championships and five consecutive wins, five top-three World finishes, and one international championship, they are America's No. 1 team! The team's legacy of excellence has been upheld over its history. This year, they celebrated their team's 25th anniversary of solar car racing with a fourth place finish within an hour of first place at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.
"As a sponsor of the University of Michigan's Solar Car, Micron is driving the next-generation automotive designers to find cost-effective ways to reduce electricity consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change," said Edina Lee, University of Michigan Solar Car Team. "We appreciate Micron's decision to sponsor us in delivering sustainable computing options for today's consumers and for the future."
"Micron is committed to the development and use of green solutions—from the creation of energy-saving products for our customers to the sponsorship of green initiatives," said Axel Schiller, marketing director of the automotive division at Micron. "We are proud to sponsor the University of Michigan's state-of-the-art car that placed fourth in the 2015 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia."
Visit this page for more information on the University of Michigan's Solar Car, and click here for more information on Micron's automotive solutions.