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Maybelline Superstay 14 Hours Lipstick in Please Stay Plum
Hola Chicas..some days back I went to Pachmarhi to enjoy the beauty of this lovely hill station during monsoons. As the days were very cloudy we afraid that may be it would rain heavily and we will miss our day trip to Bee falls and Dhoopgarh but to our surprise soon those clouds vanished behind the hills and there comes the warm sunny days- taking the advantage of the warm sunlight we explore Pachmarhi all day long and while we took lunch break in one hotel I quickly clicked the pics of the captioned lippy in the restaurant only as the lovely Bougainvillea was blooming beautifully-Iam also enclosing a beautiful click picture of Bougainvillea twig laden with pink flowers.
About Maybelline Superstay 14 Hours Lipstick:
Long day ahead? Maybelline's Superstay 14 Hour Lipstick keeps your lips looking gorgeous all day!
With super staying power and a weightless formula, this lipstick feels light, fresh and comfortable. Available in 20 different shades, you're sure to feel spoilt for choice!
Here's why you'll love it:
Has super rich color
Features an ultra-lightweight formula for day-long comfort and freshness
For best results: Apply your lip color by starting in the centre of your upper lip. Work from the centre to the outer edges of your lip, following the contours of your mouth. Then, glide across the entire bottom lip.
Price: 575 INR for 3.3 gm
Packaging: Maybelline 14 hr super stay lipsticks comes in a plastic bullet shape with a white cap(that looks kinda cheap) and the bottom half of the tube clearly displays the shade. This packaging makes it easily distinguishable. The shade name is printed on the bottom of the lipstick. The packaging doesn't feels sturdy and is not travel-friendly as well since the cap don't fits in tightly and may come out if you carry it in your purse :-(.
Colour: The shade Please Stay Plum is plum with slight brown undertones which is a bit dark as per my taste. It has very fine golden chunky particles. The golden slightly shimmer is visible once you apply it and stay till the colour stay on your lips. These golden particles is the reason that I do not use this lippy frequently, and strictly not in my work place.
My view about Maybelline Superstay 14 Hours Lipstick in Please Stay Plum:
The first thing that I notice in this lippy when I take it out is the smell. It has artificial incense like smell which though is not strong but is not subtle that can be ignored either. I like my lippies to be odorless so this is a turn off factor for me. Now lets talk about the pigmentation part- although this lippy looks very pigmented and initially when I started using this lippy it looks richly pigmented, but as the days passes by it started feeling dry and more dry.
The texture is horrible-not at all smooth or creamy and now a days it feels so dry that I literally have to drag it to get the required pigmentation/colour. I have to make it sure before applying this lippy that I have properly moisturised my lips, and if by any chance my lips are dry or chapped then this lippy will do everything to give them a more parched and dry look. I have stopped using this lippy now and instead of directly applying it on my lips I dab it on my fingers and then apply it on my lips as the lippy feels heavy and cakey if I directly apply it on my lips.
This lippy transfers a bit and also doesn't stay put for 14 hours. On my lips it stay up to like 4-5 hours and then I need to reapply it or else the colour disappears from my lips in some parts and some parts of lips still have the colour.
What I like about Maybelline Superstay 14 Hours Lipstick in Please Stay Plum?
- Umm….let me think what is there to like in it? For the sake of mentioning one positive point I'd say that packaging makes it easier to locate the lippy in your stash.
What I don't like about Maybelline Superstay 14 Hours Lipstick in Please Stay Plum?
- Dry and heavy texture.
- Golden shimmers visible on the lips- so it is not an everyday shade for me.
- Weird smell.
- Pricey @Rs.575/- earlier they use to come at the price tag of Rs.525/-
- Not at all I repeat not at all for people with dry lips.
- Claim of 14 hours stay is not true.
- Fades unevenly.
- Cheap looking packaging, loose cap as well.
- Getting drier as the day passes and if you don't use it regularly.
Rating: 1 on a scale of 5.
Shall I recommend it? Hell no, this is one lippy from Maybelline Superstay range that I literally hate, please stay away from it 🙂
Have you tried Maybelline Superstay 14 Hours Lipstick in Please Stay Plum ?
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2016 Bmw 528I At Bmw Of El Cajon
If you're looking for a luxury sedan that offers power, safety, efficiency and high-tech features, look no further than the 2016 BMW 528i. It offers drivers an impressive four-cylinder engine, advanced safety features and high-tech interior with the convenience and entertainment features that drivers love. We're proud to offer this new sedan at your local BMW dealers, BMW of El Cajon, and we can't wait to set you up in one of your own! To find out more about what sets this great sedan apart, keep reading here or take a look at our inventory of new BMW cars.
The four-door 2016 BMW 528i seats five passengers and comes as one fully stocked trim level. Powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged in-line four cylinder, it achieves 241 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. It comes paired to an eight-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive. It also comes equipped with fuel-saving automatic stop-start technology, which shuts down the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill.
When drivers buy a BMW vehicle, they expect a certain level of refinement and class, and the 2016 BMW 528i is no exception. It comes standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, power accessories, dual-zone automatic climate control, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, fog lights, heated seats, heated mirrors, power adjustable front seats, dark wood trim and leather upholstery. Electronic features include Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio streaming, concierge service, navigation with destination download, destination guidance with turn-by-turn navigation and a 10-speaker sound system that includes an auxiliary audio input and USB with external media connection. To check out all the specs and features available, take a look at the 2016 BMW 528i models that we have in stock.
Here at your BMW dealers serving San Diego, there is nothing our team values more than the safety of our drivers. We want to ensure that you feel safe, comfortable and relaxed when you drive off our lot. Standard safety features include all the class-standard airbags, four-wheel antilock disc brakes, brake assist, electronic stability control, traction control, anti-whiplash head restraints, low-tire-pressure warning system, park distance control, rain-sensing wipers and a rearview camera. It also features night vision with pedestrian detection, side- and top-view cameras, parking assistance, emergency communications system, and stolen vehicle tracking and assistance.
Drivers like the 2016 BMW 528i for its refinement, impressive performance and advanced tech features. Its combination of an efficient engine, easy-to-use entertainment features and all the latest safety technologies result in a sedan that is fun, dynamic and safe. We love this great new BMW at your local BMW dealers near Chula Vista, and we can't wait to show it off to Southern California drivers! So head on over to our lot at 720 El Cajon Blvd. in El Cajon to speak to a member of our team today.

subset: commoncrawl


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You are here: Start » Getting Started » Running and Analysing Programs
Running and Analysing Programs
Example Projects
One of the best ways to learn Adaptive Vision Studio quickly is to study the example projects that come with the application. The File » Open Example... command is a shortcut to the location they are stored in. The list of available projects is also available in the Program Examples section.
Executing Programs
When a project is loaded you can run it simply by clicking the Run button on the Application Toolbar or by pressing F5. This will start continuous program execution; results will be visible in the Data Preview panels. You can also run the program iteration by iteration by clicking Iterate or pressing F6.
When a project is loaded from a file or when new filters are added, the filter instances are displayed subdued. They become highlighted after they are invoked (executed). It is also possible to invoke individual filters one by one by clicking Step Over or Step Into , or by pressing F10 or F11 respectively. The difference between Step Over and Step Into is related to macrofilters – the former invokes entire macrofilters, whereas the latter invokes individual filters inside.
Viewing Results
Once the filters are executed, their output data can be displayed in the Data Previews panels. To display a value of a particular output, just drag and drop from the port of the filter to a Data Preview panel. Remember to press and hold left mouse button during entire movement from the port to the preview. Multiple data can be often displayed in multiple layers of a single preview. This is useful especially for displaying geometrical primitives, paths or regions over images.
In bigger projects you will also find it useful to switch between three different layouts, which can be created to visualize different stages of the algorithm, as well as to the automatic layout mode, which is very useful for interactive analysis of individual filters:
Analysing Data
Data displayed in the Data Preview panels can be analyzed interactively. There are different tools for different types of data available in the main window toolbar. These tools depend on currently selected preview which is marked with a yellow border when window is docked.
For the most common Image type the Data Preview window has the following appearance:
Additionally, there are several usability enhancements:
- Mouse Wheel – zooms in or out the image.
- 3rd Mouse Button + Drag – moves the view.
- Right Click – opens a context menu and allows to save the view to an image file.
Browsing Macrofilters
Except for the most simple applications, programs in Adaptive Vision Studio are composed of many so called macrofilters (subprograms). Instances of macrofilters in the Program Editor can be recognized through the icon which depicts several blue bars. Double clicking on an instance opens the macrofilter in the Program Editor.
There are two other ways of browsing macrofilters. One is through the Macrofilter Navigator at the top of the Program Editor, which displays instances of macrofilters (how they are actually used and nested in the program). Another is through the Project Explorer, which displays definitions of macrofilters (a plain list of all macrofilters from which the user can create instances by dragging and dropping them to the Program Editor; double clicking on an item here opens the macrofilter in the Program Editor).
Definitions of macrofilters correspond to definitions of functions in C++, whereas instances of macrofilters correspond to function calls on a call-stack. Unlike the C++, there is no recurrence in Adaptive Vision Studio and each macrofilter definition has a constant and finite number of instances. Thus, we actually have a static call-tree instead of a dynamic call-stack. This makes program understanding and debugging much easier.
Analysing Operation of a Single Macrofilter
The Iterate Current Macro command can be very useful when you want to focus on a single macrofilter in a program with many macrofilters. It executes the whole program and pauses each time when it comes to the end of the currently selected macrofilter instance.
The Iterate Current Macro command is very similar to setting a breakpoint at the end of some function in a C++ debugger.
Knowing Where You Are
At each moment of a program execution you can see on the Application Status Bar which macrofilter instance is currently being executed. This is called a call-stack, because not only the name of the macrofilter is displayed, but also all the names of the parent macrofilters.
The current position of the execution process is also marked with a green line or frame in the Program Editor:
|Previous: Introduction to Data Flow Programming
|Next: Acquiring Images


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Greenpeace released a very critical report on the Thai Fishing industry and Thai Union – who are the largest canner of tuna in the world and process prawns and other seafood for the Australian market – have come to a very helpful agreement with Greenpeace on ways forward. They recognise:
Greenpeace and Thai Union share an understanding that the problem of labour and human rights violations in global tuna supply chains include, but are not limited to, the following:Forced labour and human rights abuses in the extended seafood supply chain, especially in commercial fleets that stay out at sea for extended periods of time.
- The lack of fair remuneration and decent working conditions for workers in the fishing sector.
- The absence of collective bargaining rights and freedom of association, especially for migrant workers in the fishing sector.
- The lack of contracts in a language that the workers can understand.
- The method of recruitment for workers on fishing boats through brokers that perpetuate labour and human rights abuse.
What they agree to in the labour section of the paper is:
- Vessel code of conduct – Thai Union commits to create a vessel code of conduct with an accompanying auditable standard across its global supply chain by January 2018.
- Audits will be conducted on an ongoing basis by a reputable third party with a proven track record of delivering comprehensive and respected social audit reports. The audit program will be initiated by 2018 in line with Thai Union's SeaChange program, and continue beyond as part of continuous improvement. The Vessel Code of Conduct will be communicated to all vessel suppliers in 2018, with the notification that they can expect to be audited against this Code at any point.
And other agreements in the areas of:
- Support for organizing rights and collective bargaining
- Electronic Catch Data and Traceability (eCDT)
- Audits and transparency
- Ethical recruitment
The report can be downloaded or read at:


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Welcome to Gardenia's Gathering of Roses!
We've developed this guide to help you get the most magic out of this very special event! As always, you can email our Customer Support team at firstname.lastname@example.com for additional information.
Please like and follow the DragonVale Facebook page for all the latest news and information on special event-related promotions:
Getting Started
Why hasn't the event begun in my park yet?
Your park must be at least level 11 to begin this event, which began on January 26th, 2017.
If you're above level 11 and still aren't seeing the event, you might be playing on an older version of DragonVale. Please update to the most recent version through the iOS App Store, Google Play Store, or Amazon Marketplace. The correct version for the event is 3.12.0.
I missed the help menus/event tutorials, what should I do?
If you select the Bouquet Boutique, then tap Help, you can view all the information on the event.
When does the event end?
Gardenia's Gathering of Roses runs through February 14th 2017, concluding on February 15th at 11am MST.
Collecting Roses
This event is all about collecting Roses around your park, playing games, competing in challenges, and turning in the Roses for fabulous prizes at the Bouquet Boutique. How can I earn Roses, you ask?
Earning Roses
- Collecting DragonCash or Harvesting Treats
- Hatching Dragons
- Clearing bushes and trees from new islands
- Playing games
- Competing in challenges
- Collecting daily rewards from the Presentium Compendium
- Competing in Colosseum events
- Questing at the Perch of Kairos and Gaia's Nest
- Receiving gifts from friends
- Visiting friends' parks and tapping Party Hats
- Finding Gardenia strolling in your park
Purchasing Roses
Roses can also be purchased through the Market. Please note that Roses purchased in the Market do not count against your daily collection limit.
Why am I no longer earning Roses?
You've hit your daily cap for Roses. Nice work! More Roses will be available to collect the following day. You can keep track of how close you are to the daily limit by looking at the progress bar/counter below your Rose total.
What is the daily cap of Roses?
Roses are normally limited to 1000 per day, but be on the lookout for special occasions where there are more Roses available! Keep in mind that purchases in the Market do not count against the daily limit.
Why is there a daily collection limit on Roses during Gardenia's Gathering of Roses?
A spell is cast to create Roses every day at the same time, but the magic only allows for a finite amount!
What time do the Roses reset each day?
Your daily cap for Roses will reset each day at 11am MST. Check back each day for more Roses and more chances to earn prizes!
Will there be opportunities to earn bonus Roses?
At random times throughout Gardenia's Gathering of Roses, players can earn more Roses than usual. Stay tuned to our Facebook community to learn more!
The Bouquet Boutique
The Bouquet Boutique can be found on the event island and contains all the prizes that can be earned in the event. Prizes are divided into 3 collections: Dahlia, Daisy, and Daffodil. Collecting more unique prizes will unlock higher tiers.
Exchanging Roses for Prizes
- Visit the Bouquet Boutique and tap the Prizes icon
- View available prizes by tapping each of the different collections
- Select a prize from one of the many items available
- The more unique prizes you earn, the more collections you will unlock
Please Note: If you already own an item from one of the prize collections it will count towards unlocking higher tiers. Multiples of the same item will not be counted in your total.
Activities & Games
Gardenia's Gamery
Gardenia's Gamery contains two different mini games - Make-a-Match and Dragon Drop.
Make-a-Match - You will be presented with a game board of cards placed face-down. Test your memory to match two cards and win Roses!
Dragon Drop - A game of chance, Pachinko style! Tap to drop and win Roses or Gems!
Why can't I play any more games today / When can I play games again?
You'll get 10 plays in Gardenia's Gamery each day. Please note that these 10 plays are shared between both games. You can visit the Gamery to check the time until games can be played again.
The Rose Ring
Similar to cooperative breeding, you can team up with friends' dragons to compete in challenges and win Roses!
- Challenges will last two hours each
- You may complete up to five challenges per day
- Choose the best dragons for the challenge by matching your dragon's elements to the elements of the current challenge
- If you win Gold in the challenge, you can send your friend a thank you and they will receive 15 extra Roses
- Roses collected from the Rose Ring after your daily limit has been reached will be placed into your gifts menu after you reload DragonVale
What happens to my winnings from games and challenges if I've already hit my limit of Roses for the day?
Once you hit your daily collection limit, any winnings from games played thereafter, or from unfinished challenges, will be added to your gifts menu. You may collect these at a later date, but keep in mind accepting these gifts counts toward your daily collection limit.
I was told that Roses were sent to my Gifts menu but they're not there! Why?
Surplus Roses from games or challenges are not added to the Gifts menu until after you close and reload DragonVale. After you've reloaded DragonVale you will see that your Rose winnings have been added to the Backflip Studios gift total.
The Presentium Compendium
The Presentium Compendium rewards you for each day you play during Gardenia's Gathering of Roses. Earn free Roses, Gems, and even dragons!
- Check in each day for magical rewards and special surprises!
- If you miss a day, don't worry, you can spend a few gems to catch up. You cannot collect a day's reward in advance.
- You only have to login to DragonVale each day to be eligible for the reward. If you login, but forget to visit The Presentium Compendium, your reward will still be available to collect next time you visit.
- Roses received from the Presentium Compendium are a bonus and do not count towards your daily limit.
I received a gift of Roses from the Presentium Compendium but they weren't added to my total. What happened?
Roses earned from the Presentium Compendium do not count against your daily limit so they will be added to your overall Rose total, but won't be reflected in the daily counter/progress bar below your Rose total.
End of the Event
When does Gardenia's Gathering of Roses end?
The Gathering of Roses runs through February 14th 2017, concluding on February 15th at 11am MST. After this time it will not be possible to earn additional Roses, but the Bouquet Boutique will remain open for a brief period to allow you to turn in any leftover Roses for prizes.
When does the Bouquet Boutique close?
The Bouquet Boutique will remain open through February 20th and close at 11am MST on the 21st. You will not be able to earn additional Roses during this time, but you will have the opportunity to turn in any leftover Roses for prizes, as well as collect any Roses you may have remaining in your Gifts menu.
I have Roses remaining in my Gifts menu. Will these be added to my total when the event ends?
Here's the scoop. After the event ends, any Roses stored in your Gifts menu must be collected in order to be added to your total. You can collect up to 1,000 Roses from your Gifts menu each day until the Bouquet Boutique closes.
I collected a large gift from a friend but only some of it was added to my total. What happened to the rest of my Roses?
If you collect a gift that puts you over the daily Rose limit (1,000 per day), the surplus Roses are removed from your friend's name and added to the Backflip Studios gift total. Please note that this does not happen until the next time you load DragonVale.
What happens to my leftover Roses at the end of the Gardenia's Gathering of Roses?
Nothing happens to your leftover Roses until the Bouquet Boutique closes. You can still hop in the game, access the Bouquet Boutique and spend your Roses however you'd like. After the Bouquet Boutique closes, we'll turn any leftover Roses into treats and place them into your gifts menu.
Why can I still buy Roses but not earn them?
Based on our decision to leave the Bouquet Boutique open a little longer, we had a discussion that was essentially, "What if I'm really close to getting a prize I really want? What do I do?" - which is a good question. What can we do for players who were close to achieving their goal, but were maybe on vacation when the event ended? Based on a small percentage of users who might want to reach for some items they missed, we decided to keep the Roses available in the Market.
Please note: To prevent any potential issues with purchases made as the event is ending, Rose purchasing will be turned off a few hours before the Bouquet Boutique closes.
We appreciate you stopping by our event FAQ for more information. If you have further questions, please leave a comment on our Facebook page or send us an email: email@example.com


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Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
(written from a Production point of view)
Amy Vatanakul is a character animator, texture artist, and previsualization artist who worked for J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions on Star Trek.
Vatanakul earned her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from the University of California in Irvine in 2005. She attended the Gnomon School of Visual Effects until July 2007 and worked as a freelance animator and visual effects artist on the projects Arthur's Asteroids (2007) and Luck of the Draw (2007). After her assignment as lab monitor at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, she joined Bad Robot Productions in September 2007.
External linksEdit
- CGHiccup.com – official site
- Amy Vatanakul at the Internet Movie Database
Community content is available under CC-BY-NC unless otherwise noted.


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STD stands for sexually transmitted disease. Unfortunately, this is a major problem I see in my clinic almost every day. There's a lot of anxiety and embarrassment about this issue, and also a lot of misinformation out there. I think it's a very important topic to discuss rationally and without embarrassment, so I hope my presentation below can help people understand better.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Illness
Food Poisoning — Slideshow
I see a lot of food poisoning in my clinic, especially in the summer, when the hot temperatures make it even harder to preserve food properly. Below is my slide show which highlights the symptoms, causes, prevention and treatments.
The Common Cold — Slideshow
Below is my Powerpoint presentation on the common cold. This is a supplement to my article on the common cold.
Click on the "Full" icon to watch the slideshow on full screen
H1N1 Flu: The Basics
There's been a lot of anxiety and uncertainly regarding the current H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. I've been giving a Powerpoint presentation to local embassies and staff in Beijing, and you can now see it live and onscreen below.
New Article: The Common Cold
Everyone is focused on the H1N1 flu this summer, but don't forget the regular old ganmao (the common cold). This viral infection is very common, but unfortunately the treatments aren't too useful. Fortunately, there is a lot of OTC and home care treatment, and seeing a doctor is usually not needed.… Read the rest


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3 Years (148 weeks); this extensive program will give you everything you need to become a Homeopath.
Homeopathy was developed in Germany at the end of the 18th century. Homeopathy point to two unconventional theories: "like cures like"—the notion that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people; and "law of minimum dose"—the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Many homeopathic remedies are so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain. Homeopathic remedies or medications used are derived from substances that come from plants, minerals, or animals, such as red onion, arnica, crushed whole bees, white arsenic, poison ivy, belladonna, and stinging nettle. Homeopathic remedies are often formulated as sugar pellets to be placed under the tongue; they may also be in other forms, such as ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets. Treatments are "individualized" or tailored to each person—it is not uncommon for different people with the same condition to receive different treatments.
- Job ready within months
- Small Class Sizes with qualified instructors
- Practical application in our clinic on real client
- Relationship building with industry partners
Your Career Profile in Homeopathy & Rewarding Opportunities
The Diploma in Homeopathy will entitle graduates to be able to professionally practice in healthcare centres, clinics and much more.
You can work in a variety of settings, such as:
- Healthcare centres
- Clinics
- Working alongside medical doctors and healthcare practitioners
- Laboratories
- …and many more.
Scholarship, Financing & Payment Methods
At National Institute, we strive to help you find the best suited financing solution to match your unique circumstances. Your Financial Aid options include:
- National Institute's 0% interest financing
- Ontario Second Career Funding
- Student Line of Credit and Loan by major banks and credit unions
- RRSP Loan under Life Long Learning Program
- Registered Education Saving Plan Withdrawal
- National Institute Scholarships
- Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
- Employment Ontario
For further information on your best suited financing option, please fill out our contact form or Call us at 905 463 2006
Payment Methods
We accept:
- Credit Cards, Visa and Master
- Debit Cards
- Bank Draft or Cheque
- Cash
- PayPal Payment


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Format: Audiobook
A Cast-Off Coven by Juliet Blackwell
Narrator: Xe Sands
Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
Date Read: 2013
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery
More Information:
Students are spooked at the San Francisco School of Fine Arts, and Lily is called in to search for possible paranormal activity. In return she's been promised a trunkful of Victorian-era clothes recently discovered in a school storage closet.
But Lily finds something else: the body of a wealthy patron of the school. In between running the store and seeing her new boyfriend, Max—a "mythbuster" who is uncomfortable with her witchcraft—she uses her sleuthing skills to try to solve the murder. Soon Lily senses something from the school's vintage clothes, but it's not the smell of mothballs—it's the unmistakable aura of evil intent.
Publisher: Penguin, Tantor
Series: A Witchcraft Mystery #2
Also by this author: If Walls Could Talk, Secondhand Spirits, Keeper of the Castle, In a Witch's Wardrobe, Hexes and Hemlines br> br>
Also in this series: Secondhand Spirits, In a Witch's Wardrobe, Spellcasting In Silk
Read/Listened for Fun (Kindle/Audible)
Tracking Books Read Review (short)
Overall Rating: 4.25
Story Rating: 4.50
Character Rating: 4.00
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: A Cast-Off Coven was a wonderful listen with a pretty darn good who-dun-it!
Overall Thoughts: Lily is a unique leading character. I don't always like her but I always love her gumption. She grew a LOT in A Cast-Off Coven and learned a little bit more about herself in the process. I am hoping part of the process means shucking off her current love interest but that remains to be seen. I LOVED the mystery in A Cast-Off Coven. The school was the perfect setting for this one because it involved Lily's two shop gals (my favorite characters) more! My favorite parts in the first two books all involved the side characters and I hope they play a bigger role in the future books! There was a little bit of everything involved in this case: fun, twists, turns, and a bit of old-fashioned sleuthing. I love that Lily's witch powers are just part of how she figures things out! She really does have a great head on her shoulders.
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Xe Sands / Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins
Xe rocks the narration for this series. She plays Lily in a way that totally makes her personality shine. She has really good male voices and her pacing is outstanding. I totally recommend these on audio!
Final Thoughts: I already got the rest of the series on audio and now I need to squeeze them in!
|Story Rating
|Character Rating
Felicia S
During her non-reading time you can find her hanging with her rescue furr children named after book characters: Lizzie a beautiful cattle dog mix (Pound Pup), Cinder a beautiful Shep/Pitt mix (Pound Pup), and Minerva a beautiful Shep/Pitt mix (Foster Fail). Gathering with friends and family, attending conventions, watching movies/tv shows, rooting for the 49rs, and crocheting.
If you want to follow her DIY, Health, and Life adventures check out Mess to Best
My Google Profile
Latest posts by Felicia S (see all)
- Romance Authors of Color Spotlight: Rebekah Weatherspoon - January 15, 2020
- Narrator Spotlight on Andrea Emmes - January 9, 2020
- Romance Authors of Color Spotlight: @WOCInRomance - January 8, 2020


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Last week, a multi-car pile-up on Highway 316 near Buford Road led to the death of one person and the hospitalization of two others.
Unfortunately, this type of tragic accident is not uncommon, especially in areas near Atlanta, which is one of the nation's busiest cities, according to our Toccoa personal injury law firm.
The injuries sustained in these and other accidents are often serious, leaving victims in pain and in some cases, permanently disabled.
Treating these injuries can be prohibitively expensive, making it particularly important for those who are injured in accidents caused by someone else's negligence to retain an experienced personal injury lawyer in Atlanta who can help them seek compensation for their losses.
Personal Injury Claims
Personal injury claims can be filed in response to a variety of accidents ranging from car crashes and workplace accidents to animal attacks and slip and fall accidents.
When those who are injured in these types of accidents can prove that another person or entity was primarily at fault for causing it, they may be eligible to recover damages.
This requires proof that the defendant was legally obligated to use ordinary care and failed to do so, which in turn resulted in the plaintiff's injury.
In fact, because Georgia is a comparative negligence state, even when an injured party contributed to an accident, he or she will not necessarily be barred from recovery.
Instead, the amount of compensation that injured parties can collect will be reduced by their own percentage of fault.
However, if an injured party was more than 50% responsible for an accident, he or she will be unable to recover and could, in fact, be held responsible by the other parties involved.
Collecting Damages
When plaintiffs are able to meet the necessary burden of proof, they could be awarded a variety of damages compensating them for:
- Past and future medical expenses, including costs related to surgery, medications, doctor's appointments, and hospital visits;
- Lost wages for the time that the injured party was forced to take off from work as a result of the accident;
- Loss of future income, which is awarded in cases where a victim's injuries are so severe that he or she becomes permanently disabled by them; and
- Property damage sustained during the accident, including vehicle repair and replacement.
Finally, in serious cases, plaintiffs may be able to recover non-economic damages to compensate them for losses that are more difficult to quantify, such as the pain and suffering endured as a result of an accident, disfigurement, emotional distress, and physical impairment.
To learn more about whether you are eligible for these types of damages, you should contact a personal injury lawyer in Buford who can address your questions.
Important Deadlines
Those who are injured by another person's negligence must file a claim within two years of the date of the accident.
Missing this deadline can have serious consequences, as courts almost always refuse to hear cases filed after this date.
There are, however, exceptions to this general rule.
For example, when a city, county, or government agency was responsible for an injury, victims must file a notice of claim within six months or risk having their case barred.
Call a Dedicated Buford Personal Injury Lawyer
To speak with an experienced personal injury attorney in Buford about your own case, please call the Angell Law Firm, LLC at (770) 217-4954.
A member of our legal team is available to you on a 24/7 basis.


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I love observing people and popular trends, and Instagram is one of my favorite places to do that. I'm not super trendy myself and if I do hop on a trend it's probably an awkward hop on the back of the train as it leaves the station. It took me forever to buy skinny jeans. I like trends, but just have never felt cool enough to join in immediately.
So in the mean time, I will observe from the sidelines . . . and document with doodles:
And in the print design world:


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In all the discussions about bias and prejudice that fill our daily media plate in America, perhaps the most pervasive stereotype is the one that gets analyzed the least: that Republicans are stupid, or greedy, or evil, or all three.
I've spent years defending us from such ignorant assumptions, but with the advent of Donald Trump–and especially his solid win in supposedly conservative, Christian South Carolina–I'm starting to wonder: are liberals actually accidentally right?
I agree with the summary of ideas about Trump and his flock of followers in this Facebook post.
In my zeal to defend solid principles and our own mistreated minority, perhaps I've forgotten one of the fundamentals of conservative thought: our deeply flawed human nature. Nobody–not liberals or any special subset of them, and not conservatives or Christians, either–is immune to it.
Liberals rallied behind an exciting outsider amateur who hinted at mild despotism in 2008, and now a lot of so-called conservatives are doing the same thing. The irony would be funny if it weren't so sad.
The next time I try to explain why conservative ideas are wise, all a liberal will have to say is, "A third of Republicans support Donald Trump," and my argument will be over.
Yes, many liberals support Obama–and the current candidates–for the basest of reasons, but it's undeniable that many Republicans support Trump for the same scary reasons.
It's enough to make me wonder what a lot of Republicans think conservatism is, or why they're even Republicans in the first place. Will all of our presidents from now on just be figureheads in a cult of personality?
I suggest we pray for our country.


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We're all about apps! We asked everyone to help us build our first list of SMBBGR recommendations.
Back in January we heard from Paul and Kelly about how mobile tools can help your business. This started a great conversation about our favorite apps, and we wanted to give everyone a chance to participate.
In April we held an app show and tell; we went around the room and asked everyone for a favorite app. Here's what everyone at the breakfast shared! We're providing this list as a courtesy; we haven't tried all of these apps ourselves. Install at your own risk!
Apps Discussed at SMBBGR
- Rouleur: cycling magazine (iPhone, iPad)
- Kindle: ebook store & reader (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
- Overdrive Media Console: borrow ebooks/audiobooks from Bangor Public Library and others (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
- Meditation Oasis: meditation podcasts (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
- Pulse: choose your favorite news and entertainment feeds and read articles from each (iPhone, iPad, Android)
- Flipboard: customized magazine-like news reader (iPhone, iPad)
- Public Radio Player: access your favorite shows (iPhone)
- Listen: podcast player (Android)
- Instacast: podcast organizer and player (iPhone)
- What's On: TV listings (iPhone, iPad)
Games & Fun
- Draw Something: social drawing game (iPhone, iPad, Android)
- Ticket to Ride: claim train routes competitively (iPhone, iPad)
- Labyrinth of Time: classic game (iPhone)
- Instagram: filters for camera phone images (iPhone, Android)
- Fake-A-Call: customize fake phone calls to get you out of a meeting (iPhone, Android)
- Shake To Charge Battery: joke app to "charge" your phone by shaking (Android)
- Facebook Cover: make Facebook covers from images
- Foursquare: find deals and check into local businesses (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
Tools & Utilities
- HeyTell: voice messaging (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone)
- RunKeeper: fitness tracking (iPhone, Android)
- MyFitnessPal: food diary and fitness tracker (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
- pClock: presentation timer clock (iPhone, iPad, Android)
- pdf-notes: take notes on your PDFs (iPad)
- JotNot: make PDFs from photos (iPhone)
- Dropbox: share files easily online (iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry)
- CardMunch: take photos of business cards and turn them into lists (iPhone)
- Jump Desktop: show desktop on your iPad (iPad, iPhone, Android)
- DisplayLink: use iPad as a display for your computer (iPad)
- WiFi Photo Transfer: mov bulk files between your computer and phone (iPhone)
- PdaNet: USB tethering (Android)
- BAM Analytics: site analytics & stats (iPhone)
- GoDaddy: buy cheap domains and make money off of them (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry)
- Poynt: search for information on what's around (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
Information & Reference
- Realtor.com: home buying information (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone)
- LoopNet: commercial real estate information (iPhone, iPad, Android)
- IMDB: movie times and information (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone)
- Community Connector: Bangor area bus schedules (iPhone, Android)
- Blue Button: medical history
- Emergency Radio: emergency scanner (iPhone)
- 5-0 Radio: emergency scanner (iPhone)
- GasBuddy: community-entered gas prices (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
- Campus Portal: Infinite Campus access for grade/high school info (iPhone, Android)
- Grocery iQ: grocery list with UPC scanning and aisle sorting (iPhone, iPad, Android)
- Shopper: share collaborative shopping lists (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry)
- Cozi: family calendar & shopping lists (iPhone, Android)
- Key Ring: loyalty/shopping cards scannable from your phone (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
- CardStar: coupons, loyalty cards (iPhone, Android, BlackBerry)
- Assignment: delegate events/tasks to people to record
- Teamwork PM: project management and task lists (iPhone, Android)
- Home Gallery: Liberty Mutual app for inventorying your home (iPhone, Android)
- Evernote: shared notes & files between your phone & computer (iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry)
Social Media Breakfast Bangor #11: App show and tell
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Breakfast and speakers: 7:30 – 9:00 AM
Networking: 9:00 – 9:30 AM
Richard E. Dyke Center for Family Business
(One College Circle, at Husson University)
Presenting Sponsor
Social Media Partners


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Sonos 'Playlist Potluck' dinner
February 21st, 2017
Over the years I've held and hosted a lot of dinners and lunches matching all sorts of drinks like whisky, tequila, beer and of course wine. We've even matched food with art too! Years ago I was invited to Dom Perignon along with David Thompson, Mark Edwards, Pascal Aussignac and Georgio Locatelli to each cook a course at the chateau. Each course, Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy had successfully matched a champagne, including David Thompson's fiery Thai green curry. This shows anything is possible if you put your mind to it, although somewhat challenging! Cooking in Mexico was one of those rare challenges. Matching every one of the six courses to Tequila and Mescal and having to shop for it, but it's a challenge I love wherever I am in the world.
Last week I was presented with a new challenge; I hosted a dinner in my Kitchen Library for Sonos called the 'Playlist Potluck' dinner. I've used Sonos at home for years so this was a great dinner to host with some friends in the creative world. The challenge this time was to create a menu and match a song to each dish. My guests, who included Stephen Webster, Alice Temperley, Miranda Donovan and Nicky Clarke all had to create their own play list for the evening.
My part in fact, was really quite simple, I thought rather than my normal menu wording which includes the provenance and the producer where relevant, I would just use one word for each dish, leaving a lot for the imagination.
As always, Kevin and I put together a simple menu, using words like lobster, caviar, chicken and egg, cheese etc. All the guests are very familiar with our menus from the restaurants so I thought this 'one word dish' would throw them a little, especially when the lobster course turned up as a lobster won ton broth. I often cook Asian or Indian when throwing a dinner party as it's not what my guests expect from me so that's why the Sonos playlist potluck evening worked so well.


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Having hair on unwanted areas of your face can feel shameful and traumatic, especially for women. Everyone who has ever suffered from unwanted facial hair knows that shaving, waxing, or using hair-removing creams just doesn't cut it; its temporary, painful, and often expensive. Instead, discreetly get your unwanted facial hair removed with laser facial hair removal. Millennium can help clients remove hair from every area of the face, including:
- The Upper Lip
- Chin
- Neck
- Side burns
The benefits of choosing laser facial hair removal, rather than the other methods of hair removal, are numerous. Millennium Wellness Center and Med Spa can help clients remove unwanted facial hair safely and permanently with FDA-cleared lasers. You can finally feel confident again without wasting money on temporary forms of hair removal.
Although it is often assumed that only women seek to remove facial hair with laser hair removal, the practice has been increasing in popularity among men. Are you tired of constantly shaving your face to maintain your desired look? Do you constantly get annoyed by how fast your beard, moustache, or sideburns grow back after shaving, and how itchy it is when the hair on your face is growing back? Do the common cuts, burns, and bumps irritate you? If so, facial laser hair removal is for you! A few common procedures for men include:
- The Neckline, to help maintain a long-term style of facial hair.
- The Full Beard.
- The Full Neck, front and back.


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Thousands More NBN Customers To Be Compensated For Slow Internet
ACCC investigation wraps up
A Christmas bonus is on the way to almost 9,000 Optus customers who've been putting up with slow internet for months.
The company has agreed to compensate a total of 8,700 customers, after admitting it may have breached Australian Consumer Law with its promises of speedy connections.
An ACCC investigation found almost half of customers who signed up to the telco's plans, including "Boost Max", between 1 September 2015 to 30 June 2017 were unable to reach promised download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, and maximum upload speeds of up to 40 megabits per second, or 100/40 plans.
It revealed that those speeds were never going to be possible, because of the technical limitations on fibre to the node and fibre to the building NBN connections.
Optus is the second company to face action for false NBN promises... back in November, Telstra was forced into a similar situation.


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Kitchen Revamp with Vetrazzo
I have always subscribed to two design philosophies when creating interiors: "classically current," meaning I look to the past for inspiration and combine those influences with contemporary designs, and "livable luxury," which is the idea that interiors should be stunning and able to stand up to the wear and tear of everyday life. There's no sense in having a picture-perfect interior if one spilled glass of wine or coffee could ruin the whole design! Life happens, and I always try to ensure my designs will stand up to these everyday twists and turns for my clients.
I often test out new products or designs in my own home before recommending them to clients because if a product can stand up to my lively and curious 5-year-olds, then I feel much more comfortable recommending them to my clients.
When it came time to design my line of performance surfaces with Vetrazzo, I knew from the beginning I would want to install at least one of the four colorways in my home. I had worked with Vetrazzo on projects in the past and was always thrilled with the finished product so I was extremely excited for my own Vetrazzo install day!
Read on to see my kitchen transformation featuring the Fair Pearl surface from the Vetrazzo By Laura U line.
When buying my home, the kitchen sold me! When renovating five years ago, I opted for Walnut countertops and considered the wood to be a natural and unique element to the otherwise crisp interior. However, now the twins are old enough to reach the counters themselves so the wood finish quickly became less practical for our busy family. The spills increased, rings from cups were left on the counters, and visitors couldn't help but treat the walnut as a cutting board – it is wood after all. It was time for a change!
The Fair Pearl colorway from the Vetrazzo By Laura U product line was the perfect solution to the constant maintenance of our wooden countertops. The neutral palette of blush shades and pearly iridescence (complete with flecks of mother-of-pearl) perfectly complemented the rest of the interior and, most importantly, all four of the surfaces in this product line are non-porous, stain resistant and no sealer is required. You heard correctly! Not only do I not need to worry about daily spills anymore, but I also don't need to worry about setting reminders to have the counters sealed each year either. That, my friends, is what livable luxury is all about!
I personally was so over the top with how the install turned out but the girls were even more excited about the change. They love a fun renovation project – go figure – and were even into participating in our photoshoot for the Vetrazzo collaboration! They were the perfect little models. 🙂
To learn more about the Vetrazzo By Laura U product line, visit Vetrazzo's website to download a lookbook or check out this video to learn more about the inspiration and creation of the designs!


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October 04, 2015
Use These Classroom Upgrades to Revolutionize the School Day
Contemporary classrooms have moved far beyond the worlds of pen and paper. Many technological advances are helping teachers everywhere engage and educate students of all ages and abilities like never before. Take a look at some of the best recent innovations that you can use to revolutionize your classroom.
Google Drive Aids Paperless Collaboration
Google's free Google Drive is a powerful and green classroom collaboration tool for teachers and students. Group work is a breeze with Google Drive. Students can create and collaborate on the same Google Doc, then make changes to it whenever inspiration strikes. Rather than working in their own notebooks on many documents that must be synthesized, students can keep all their ideas in a central location.
Google Drive also makes classrooms more sustainable. Instead of distributing a photocopied assignment brief to every student, teachers can share the same document in "view only" mode to prevent wasted paper. Assignments can then be completed and submitted through it as well, which puts an end to that old excuse about doggie-devoured paperwork.
The cloud-based service is part of the Google Apps for Education platform. It's telling that, by September 2012, Edudemic reported that 72 of the top 100 schools in the United States were using this platform. Clearly, the schools that matter know that it gets results. If your school district isn't on board yet, you can create a personal account to use Google Drive for free to give your students the same competitive edge.
If you're struggling to get your head around it, TeachThought makes it simple with an informative video tutorial about using Google Docs in the classroom.
Glogster Helps Students Create Digital Projects
The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies states that students should be able to design and share digital information. Blogging platform Glogster helps them gain competency in this important skill.
Think of Glogster as the 21st century version of a poster board. The site helps students create engaging, interactive projects which integrate text with static pictures, audio, and video components.
Teachers can ask their students to create the virtual online posters known as "glogs" any time they'd assign a traditional poster presentation. The digital format helps engage reluctant students and challenges gifted ones. New Learning UK has created a great 90-second YouTube video that demonstrates how students might use Glogster.
Portfolios Go Digital
Portfolios also have entered the digital age with the advent of ePortfolios. According to the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, the ePortfolios available through providers like Desire2Learn and Digication mix traditional portfolio features with multimedia items.
These ePortfolios allow students to build a record they can be proud of and reflect on their learning anywhere that they have Internet access. According to Stony Brook University, they may even serve as professional, personality-driven portfolios when students are ready for college or full-time work.
It's important to strike a balance between allowing the ePortfolios to be student-controlled spaces while ensuring that pupils make an effort in maintaining these resources. You may choose to forgo control over the structure or organization of the portfolios but ask for regular contributions of a certain size or length.
Skylight Makes Microscopes Smarter
It's not just modern phones that are getting smarter. Contemporary science classrooms are also making their microscopes smarter. The Skylight is a smartphone-to-microscope attachment which allows students to capture photos from the microscope eyepiece on their phones.
It has great implications for classrooms, particularly when resources are scarce. A traditional microscope allows just one student to see the image at a time. With the Skylight, teachers can take an image and project it so the entire class can see it. They can then draw attention to particular parts of the image or even send it to absent students via email.
Skylight co-creator Andrew Miller told Mashable the device also helps engage an increasingly tech-savvy generation of students. "Younger people, who are used to always being with their phones, can interact with old technology in a new way," he explained.
Clickers Help Engage Students
Hand-held electronic devices called "clickers" are changing the way that teachers quiz their students. Students use the clickers to tap in their answers to multiple-choice questions posed by their teachers. They're a great way to keep kids engaged, particularly in large classrooms. They also help teachers gauge the retention of shy students who may be reluctant to participate verbally.
An Ohio State University study found that students who used the devices during their physics lectures scored 10 percent better on their final exams than students without clickers. They also helped reduce the achievement gap between male and female students. The researchers suggested this could boost the self-esteem of female students and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM fields.
While the studies looked specifically at the clickers' application in science classrooms, the devices could be valuable for reviewing any topic.
Google Glass Has Untapped Potential
Google Glass has only been available to the public since May 2014, so it's a little early to assess the impact it will have on modern classrooms. However, educational experts believe the wearable technology could revolutionize the way students learn.
"We're just scratching the surface with this new, exciting tool," EducatorU.org co-founder and Glass Explorer Andrew Marcinek wrote on Edutopia. He's already seen students using Glass to provide firsthand video documentation of classroom assignments and record lectures. At Swallow Union Elementary School, Glass allows students to film themselves with commentary as they solve problems. This gives them valuable insight into the process. Marcinek says that students find the devices easy to use and appreciate their firsthand perspective which cannot be replicated by video recorders on smartphones and tablets.
In the future, we might see students wearing Glass on field trips so they can access facts and figures about the sites they see or learning new languages in real time using the inbuilt translator. Students could use the Glass to share the scientific wonders they discover in their backyards with classmates, and teachers could use the facial recognition function to recall students. The sky's the limit!
These technological advances and others like them are helping to revolutionize modern classrooms like never before. Implement them in your own classroom, and you'll probably see them start to pay off right away in terms of student engagement.
This post was originally featured on Edudemic and was written by the staff of Edudemic.>


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Are you a franchisee thinking about how to best fund college for your children? Your research will quickly lead you to 529 plans, and in my opinion and experience as a purchaser it is probably the best option for college savings. You will also hear about Coverdale Education Savings Accounts but for tax complications and low investment levels it is probably more trouble than it is worth. 529 Plans are sponsored by states and enable USA-citizens to save after-tax money in an investment account that will accumulate earnings tax free and withdrawals are tax free if used to pay defined educational expenses. Some states offer small income tax breaks for investing in a 529 plan. For example, in Illinois: Individuals subject to Illinois state income tax can deduct from their taxable income up to a maximum of $10,000 per year for contributions made toward the purchase of any College Illinois! Prepaid Tuition Program contract.* Married couples filing jointly can deduct up to $20,000 per year.** This state tax deduction reduces the individuals' adjusted gross income (AGI) by the amount contributed up to $10,000 (or $20,000 for those filing jointly). Contribution Limits Contributions are included in the annual $13,000 exclusion from federal gift taxes for gifts made to any one person. But, unique to 529 plans, a contributor can give up to five times that amount ($65,000) in one year and treat that contribution as if it were made over five years for gift-tax purposes. Fees; NY direct sold @ .17% is lowest in USA You'll have to do the math to see if the tax savings in the long run outweighs the higher fees of your state's 529 plan. A benchmark to use is New York's direct sold 529 plan which imposes a combined annual fee of .17% starting …Read More »
9 Common Interview Questions That Are Actually Illegal
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/secrets-toyour-success/9-common-interview-questions-actually-illegal-201733303.html Interesting perspective on illegal interview questions. Franchisees and the hiring.managers should be aware of these as training guidelines. I think The article can be more clear about what the actual action is that is illegal. Asking the questions or discovering the answer isn't illegal, only using it as the reason for certain employment decisions is prohibited. But why tread on thin ice with these issues? Just avoid these topics as a general rule.Read More »
[Updated Mar 15, '12] Pizza Fusion agrees to buyout from Unique Pizza & Subs
Unique Pizza and Subs, a 7-unit pizza-sports bar chain traded on OTC Pink Current tier, has agreed to acquire the well branded Pizza Fusion, an 11-unit organic pizza chain. I think there is more to this story, as Pizza Fusion seems to be a much strong player than Unique Pizza & Subs. It could be seen as more of reverse merger with Pizza Fusion as the driver, whereby Pizza Fusion can now be publicly traded and potentially raise more cash for expansion. [updated March 15, 2012] I found another interesting article about this merger. [more here] It seems there may be some Bacon Raton, FL penny stock promotion linked to this merger, and it's not the first time Pizza Fusion has flirted with the Pink Sheets marketplace to attract needed capital, as you can read below: Trafford, Pa.-based Unique Pizza, which recently issued news releases about two franchising agreements, also said in January it was in the "secondary stage" of selling its pizza in China. The China announcement, which indicated a financial partner was actually still seeking a distributor in China, was issued by Mirador Consulting via PR Newswire and gave a Boca Raton phone number. Boca Raton is known nationwide as a center of penny stock promoters and penny stock companies, which would include Pink Sheets companies like Unique Pizza. Unique's Pizza 2007 filing said the company had raised $718,993 of a $1 million offering, so one question is how the current deal will be funded. The news release said the deal is subject to execution of a definitive agreement and other conditions including the availability of working capital. A chart on MarketWatch shows no trading volume in Unique Pizza since January, when the announcement of the China deal and a sports pizza sports bar were made. However, …Read More »
Tim Horton may switch from fresh to premade donuts, judge says
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/02/28/tim-hortons-class-action.html Justice George Strathy of the Ontario Superior Court recently issued a summary judgment in favour of Tim Hortons, dismissing an attempt by some franchisees to argue that the chain was wrongly profiting from a switch in how the company makes its baked goods. Under what's known as the "Always Fresh Conversion" several years ago, the company stopped making baked goods from scratch in each location every day, and instead started shipping partially baked items that had been flash frozen before final baking in ovens at all Tims locations every morning. The new system has proven very profitable for the parent company, but some franchisees complained it simply downloaded new costs to them while the parent company pocketed the savings. The case also alleged that Tims was requiring franchisees to sell new lunch menu items at break-even prices — or sometimes even at a loss. The plaintiffs allege that's a breach of their franchise agreements, which states ingredients would be sold to franchisees at commercially reasonable prices. The judge dismissed all aspects of the suit, saying Tims is well within its rights as a franchisor to implement new procedures and technologies to its business model "In order to keep the system healthy and competitive, the franchisor must be permitted to introduce new products, new methods of production or sale, and new techniques," the ruling reads. "It would not be commercially reasonable to require that the franchisor can only implement system-wide changes … if the proposed change is [demonstrated] to be an improvement that benefits that particular franchisee." Nearly ever franchise agreement I've read allows the franchisor flexibility in specifying what products must be sold, even if this involves a fundamental change in the way the product is produced. I doubt the primary motivation of Tim Horton's is financial, I'm …Read More »
Franchisors at or near Bankruptcy
Here is a partial list of franchisors that have filed bankruptcy, or are reported near filing bankruptcy recently. Perkins Marie Callender's Old Country Buffet Real Mex Restaurants Giordano's Cork and Olive Dial-a-Mattress Bally Total Fitness Friendly's Souper Salad Sbarro Dippin' Dots The Little Gym Fatburger (A little controversial -Fatburger parent company not part of bankruptcy, but the two subsidiaries accounted for 72% its total revenue in 2008. The bankruptcy came under pressure from G.E. Capital Business Asset Funding, which Fatburger owed $3.9 million for defaulted loans.) Mrs. Fields / TCBY A bit older bankruptcies. It shows that some brands can recover quite well, especially Denny's, Day's Inn, 7-Eleven and Church's Chicken: Bennigan's – 2008 Baker's Square – 2008 Roadhouse Grill – 2007 Ground Round -2004 Boston Market – 1998 Denny's – 1997 Church's Chicken – 1991 Sizzler's – 1996 Krystal – 1995 Day's Inn – 1990 7-Eleven – 1990Read More »
Papa John's Franchisee to Go Public in Germany, Previous Fraud with Investors?
WorldWide Papa's is going public on the heels of opening up its 5th store in Russia. But, there are people who claim to have invested with WordWide Papa in Russia but were ignored by the company once they received the investment. The whole story isn't here, but a company that fails to communicate with its investors in a respectful manner must be avoided. I've seen a lot of investment fraud as an attorney, and I still am amazed at how often folks will steal from people they know.Read More »
Negotiating a Commercial Lease, Especially Restaurants
I just finished negotiating a commercial lease for a restaurant and thought this would be a good opportunity to relay some real time advice on the topic. Everything is negotiable in a lease agreement. You simply have to ask for it in a sensible and compelling manner. But just because everything is negotiable doesn't mean you should try to negotiate everything. Pick your battles, and accept some reasonable offers. When you've been emailing red-lined lease drafts back and forth with the landlord and you've reached a stalemate on several key issues, schedule a face-to-face meeting to hammer out the rest. It will usually help drive things to completion. Be reasonable. Don't try to hammer the landlord on every aspect of the lease. For example, if the price per square foot is reasonable compared to the market, then offer to pay the full rate and focus on other things like build out assistance, CAM, start of lease payments, hiatus of lease payments for remodeling, personal guarantees, etc. Some landlords hold dear the price the receive per square foot but will heavily negotiate many other things. List everything in an exhibit what you will take with you at the expiration or termination of the lease, or the landlord will claim it as a permanent fixture or improvement and not let you take it. Most parties routinely start a lease negotiation with a Letter of Intent ("LOI") to hammer out the big details like pricing, tenant improvements and the like. A minority of other will recommend not starting off with a LOI, such as the self-proclaimed "Lease Coach" who touts his $1k-$7k services at the National Restaurant Association trade shows. What's my opinion? In a perfect world I'd prefer starting out with the lease but I don't think in the end it …Read More »
Terminating a Franchise by Krispy Kreme
You're a franchisee and your financial and operational problems are snowballing out of control. The result is you're not operating in compliance and you're late on payments to the franchisor, and the franchisor decides that you need to stop operating. How does the franchisor shut down your store using the courts? See Krispy Kreme v Satellite Donuts (franchisee)Read More »
Are Non-compete Agreements enforceable if signed by employee after being hired?
Test time! Is the following non-competition agreement enforceable? "Frank, a Jimmy John's franchisee, hired his nephew, Nick, to begin working at his Jimmy John's franchise in Ohio. Three months after Nick started working, Frank realized that Nick never returned the noncompete agreement he gave Nick during their initial discussions about the job. The non-compete agreement states that Nick is prohibited from participating in another sub shop within 15 miles while employed and for two years following employment. Frank has trusted Nick with recipes and procedures that are proprietary and trade secrets of Jimmy John's, so Frank wants to be sure his entrepreneurial minded nephew doesn't get any funny ideas about starting his own neighborhood sub shop. When Frank approached Nick about signing the non-compete agreement, Nick said he forgot and promptly signed and returned the agreement to Nick. Two months later, Nick quits to open up Nick's Original Gourmet Subs a few blocks away. It's modern decor and authentic rocker vibe is attracting Frank's customers away, and Frank's sales drop 40%. Frank sues Nick for breaching his non-compete agreement. Who wins? Hint: The issue is whether an employee's continued employment is sufficient consideration (is it enough benefit) for the employee to make the agreement enforceable. The short answer is… it depends what state you are in. In Ohio, it would be enforceable. In Washington, South Carolina, Colorado and Minnesota, the non-compete agreement would not be enforceable because continued employment IS NOT sufficient consideration, courts require more benefit such as a pay raise. In Illinois, the outcome is uncertain. Illinois courts have held that continued employment for a "substantial period of time" will constitute sufficient consideration. The length of time that the employee remains on the job, along with the manner in which the employment ends, are relevant factors for Illinois …Read More »
Brand Positioning Will Help Us, Says Largest Pizza Hut Franchisee
The marketing function performed by most franchisors can mean the difference between a flat year-over-year sales, and 13% year-over-year decrease in sales. For Pizza Hut's largest franchisee, NPC, that difference in sales a massive amount of money. Hypothetically, if the average Pizza Hut does $1.5 million in sales, then we are talking about a $195,000 difference per store. With 1,150 stores, we're talking about $22.4 million. That's a large distribution check for the owners to miss out on!Read More »
Double Cheeseburgers cost more than $1 to produce and sell
Burger King franchisees are suing their franchisor over being forced to price the double cheeseburger at maximum of $1. Franchisees' problem is that it costs more than $1 to make and sell. I'm sure Burger King corporate response to the loss argument is that the total average sale involving the $1 double cheeseburger turns a profit, because on average people also buy at least a drink and fries.Read More »
Franchisee loses his pizza franchise
A former franchisee of Pizza Pizza in Ontario lost his franchise for allegedly falling behind on payments to the franchisor. This whole relationships seems to have gone mismanaged by both sides. The franchisee wasn't keeping good sales records and delivery drivers were impatient with customers, and the franchisor let bad practices continue for too long. http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/Local/article/524725Read More »
Who Controls the Ads, Franchisee or Franchisor?
source: USA Today Which donut hole do you prefer, the "A Hole" or "B Hole?" That is ruffling feather of some franchisees. Unfortunatley, there is not much the franchisees can do about it legally. Franchisees can only voice their opinion, sometimes it works: Burger King recently acquiesced to franchisee pressure to tone down its advertising. In the spring, consumer groups and franchisees said that a kids meal with a SpongeBob SquarePants cartoon character giveaway was too sexy. In the ad, women with square derrieres dance to Baby Got Back. Same-store sales for Burger King are due at the end of the month, but on Monday, its largest franchisee reported a 5.5% sales drop in the quarter.Read More »
Why Franchisors LOVE Multi-Unit Development Agreements
Franchisors love to sell multi-unit development agreements, but some of the reasons may not be so obvious. Multi-unit franchisee typically pre-pay a portion of the franchise fees for each potential location. Similar to a non-refundable downpayment. Lately, many franchisee haven't opened their additional locations or have slowed the opening pace, but the franchisor still keeps their pre-paid franchise fees, which is typically $5,000 – $15,000 per location. For example, if a franchisee signs an agreement to develop 10 units, then he may pre-pay a franchise fee of $10,000 per unit, or $100,000 for the rights to open 10 units. He still would pay the remainder of the (oftern discounted) franchise fee as each location is opened. The Development Agreements typically set a timeline for openings, and if you don't keep to the schedule which is often opening at least one per year, then you lose your pre-paid franchise fee. The parties are negotiating one franchise and development agreement rather than a new agreement upon each new opening. Concentration of stores in one small area will help franchise sales in neighboring areas Generally multi-unit buyers have more reserve cash, so stores are less likely to fail from lack of short-term capital. A multi-unit franchisee is more likely to honor their penalty charges for closing a unit, compared to a single unit franchisee who has less assets.Read More »
Franchise Agreement Checklist
For those looking to familiarize themselves with franchise agreements, this checklist from the Jacksonville, Florida Chamber of Commerce provides a good start.Read More »
Who Control's Pricing? Can you discount?
In the United States, resale price maintenance (RPM) is illegal under current U.S. Antitrust laws. In Japan, the Fair Trade Commission's ordered Seven-Eleven Japan to end its refusal to allow franchise stores to discount bento boxed meals and other food items when the food is close to expiration. This will force all convenience store chains in Japan to review their policy of fixed prices for such products.Hat Tip: Chris Conner @ FranCorp's BlogRead More »


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The Georgetown University Energy Prize challenges small- to medium-size towns, cities, and counties to rethink their energy use, and implement creative strategies to increase efficiency. Currently, a select group of communities are leading the way by bringing together their local governments, residents, utilities, and to demonstrate success in reducing energy consumption over a two-year period.
- About the Energy Prize
- Background Information
- Semifinalist Communities
- 50 Competing Communities
- Why Energy Efficiency Matters
- The Georgetown University Energy Prize is a multi-million dollar competition that is challenging small- to medium-size towns, cities, and counties to work together with their local governments, residents, utilities, and others to achieve innovative, replicable, scalable and continual reductions in the per account energy consumption of gas and electricity.
- Throughout history, highly visible prize competitions have demonstrated their capacity to spur innovative approaches to some of the most difficult challenges faced by humanity.
- The Georgetown University Energy Prize will recognize noteworthy communities for their achievements in energy efficiency and innovative approaches to addressing this challenge.
- Formally launched in April of 2014, the Georgetown University Energy Prize represents years of study and development that brought leading academics together with government officials, industry professionals, and top national and global non-governmental organizations.
- The Prize is representative of American communities, having invited all cities and counties in the United States with a population between 5,000 and 250,000 to participate. More than 65 percent of the country – greater than 200 million Americans – live in cities and counties of this size, and the innovative approaches that emerge will lead the way for significant change that can impact a majority of Americans.
- Local communities have long been the incubators for the practical implementation of innovative approaches to difficult problems. The Georgetown University Energy Prize will provide a powerful platform for communities to showcase city and county innovations to a national audience.
- On January 14, 2015, the Georgetown University Energy Prize will announce the 50 communities who have been selected from among a national field to advance to the Semifinal round of the competition. With over 100 communities expressing interest, the field has now been narrowed to a group of select cities and counties who will be competing through 2016 to reduce their energy consumption and are vying to make it into the Finalist round in 2017.
- The Prize is tapping the imagination, creativity, and spirit of competition between cities and counties across the country to develop sustainable energy-saving innovations.
- Communities will need to demonstrate their ability to not only reduce energy consumption, but also to sustain it over a two-year period with significant improvements in adoption rates.
- Communities will also need to demonstrate that their actions are replicable and scalable in other communities across the country.
- Georgetown University is seeking to identify, study, and advance these best practices, creating the tools for other cities and counties across the country to drastically improve their energy efficiency.
- Each of the communities advancing to the Semifinals have developed multi-year energy savings plans, in addition to assembling and securing signed commitments of collaboration from their local government, electric and natural gas utilities, and many community-based organizations.
- The Semifinalist communities hail from 26 states across the U.S.—from Alaska to Florida, from Vermont to Alabama, from California to Tennessee, and everywhere in between. Not only do these communities come from across the map, they come from across the political spectrum, represent all socioeconomic strata, and include demographically diverse populations.
- The Prize participants are engaged in a friendly competition and communities across the country are collaborating with one another to advance energy efficiency for all.
- Every community participating is working toward one goal: to develop innovative, replicable new approaches to community-wide energy efficiency.
- Only one community will bring home the Prize, but every community will win. Based on their own projections, individual communities anticipate that they will save $10 million or more by the end of the competition. Nationally, the 50 participating communities are on pace to save over $200 million and over 3.8 billion metric tons of CO2 per year. To become more energy efficient, these communities are:
- implementing bold policy approaches;
- conducting deep data-mining of their energy use;
- creating novel financing mechanisms;
- focusing primarily on energy-intensive low-income neighborhoods; and
- trying radically unique approaches to behavior change, using gamification or the latest methods in social science research—one community is even mobilizing kids as a vector for change by creating a "pester power" campaign.
- While we're experts at mining for coal, for example, America does a poor job mining for efficiency. More than half of the total energy produced in the U.S. is wasted due to inefficiencies.[1]
- Recent reports[2] show that increasing America's economic productivity and security is tied more closely to energy efficiency than to increasing the production of energy.
- Among the world's 12 largest economies, America ranks 9th in terms of overall energy efficiency and 4th for energy efficiency of buildings.[3]
- Energy efficiency is the world's most important "fuel" and is a critical zero-emissions resource needed to meet the nation's growing energy needs. The energy saved through investments in efficiency eclipses the energy generated by any other single fuel source, including coal, oil, gas, biofuels, and solar.[4]
- While there are many initiatives and incentives available from governments, nonprofits and private corporations, the adoption rate for energy efficiency programs, such as home retrofits, remains very low.[5] This is a "stuck" problem and we need serious breakthrough thinking to improve America's energy standing for the future.
- Regardless of the energy source, increased efficiency is a positive step for America and there is significant room for improvement. By tackling one part of the problem where it relates to household and municipal energy use, the Georgetown University Energy Prize is positioned to be the catalyst for long-term positive change.
[1] According to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, using Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration data from August 2010, out of all energy produced, the U.S. has an energy efficiency rate of 42 percent, which means 58 percent of all the energy we produce is wasted: www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2010/images/energy-flow-annotated.pdf
[2] According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's Research Report E133 published February 18, 2013: www.aceee.org/research-report/e133
[3] According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy 2012 International Scorecard, in a ranking of the world's 12 largest economies in terms of energy efficiency: www.aceee.org/portal/national-policy/international-scorecard
[4] International Energy Agency Energy Efficiency Market Report 2013. www.iea.org/Textbase/npsum/EEMR2013SUM.pdf.
[5] According to the Regulatory Assistance Project, studies suggest the least-cost path to meeting climate goals requires averaging at least 5% annual market penetration of whole-house residential retrofits, yet no jurisdiction is currently reaching even 2% per year: www.raponline.org/
Duluth energy efficiency is important to our residents and our local economy. This competition is a great way of encouraging residents to take steps that create longMayor Don Ness
term commitment to saving energy and practicing good stewardship. The benefits of this competition are far greater than the prize; I encourage the Duluth community to get involved.