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For years, Jive has focused on building the best Hosted UC services available. We feel this partnership is a win-win for us and the members of HCDE Choice Partners.
Orem, UT (PRWEB) March 13, 2014
Harris County Department of Education has awarded Jive Communications Inc. a Choice Partners contract, allowing HCDE members access to the competitively bid contract with Jive for Hosted VoIP and other services. Organizations in Texas who have signed an interlocal contract with HCDE can access the legally procured contract. Government entities outside of Texas can access the contract according to their own state law.
"We're excited to be awarded a Choice Partners contract from HCDE for VoIP Services", said Jason Coggins, regional manager of education sales at Jive. "For years, Jive has focused on building the best Hosted UC services available. We feel this partnership is a win-win for us and the members of HCDE Choice Partners." Technology leaders in the cooperative can now simplify procurement, management, and technology adoption with sustainable pricing and budget predictability.
Jive offers Cloud Voice (Hosted VoIP) and other hosted services to education and public sector organizations across the United States, with over 30 school districts in Texas as customers. Jive's Cloud Voice features are delivered via Jive Cloud, a hosted platform built and managed by Jive engineers. With features purpose-built to serve education and public sector organizations, Jive offers enterprise-grade communications at a guaranteed lowest total cost of ownership. See more at jive.com/education or jive.com/government. Jive's Choice Partners page can be found at choicepartners.org/vendors/jive-communications-inc-2.
For more information, contact Jive Education Sales at 888-850-3009 or edu(at)jive(dot)com, or contact Jive Government Sales at 877-333-8880 or govsales(at)jive(dot)com.
About Jive
Jive Communications provides Voice, Video, and Unified Communication services to Education and Public Sector organizations, enhancing collaboration between students, educators and administrators. Jive's hosted solution, Jive Cloud, is rapidly replacing legacy systems with a powerful feature set and enterprise-grade reliability, all at the lowest total cost of ownership available. See more at jive.com.
About HCDE Choice Partners
Harris County Department of Education's Choice Partners is a national cooperative offering legal procurement and contract solutions to meet the purchasing needs of governmental entities. With over 750 members, Choice Partners is a long-recognized cooperative, conducting the competitive bidding process, awarding contracts to superior vendors, and allowing governmental agencies to act immediately to access the contracts they need. See more at choicepartners.org.


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Board of Directors login
Camp staff login
Congregational day camp login
New cabin login
SALT staff login
WELS camps
About us
Contact us
Congregation / ind members
Activity areas
Camp map
General information
Area attractions
Area lodging
2020 camp events and registration
Youth programs
Adult and family programs
Church and school programs
Save money on summer camp
Sign up for summer camp - why?
Summer camp brochure
Summer camp questions
Retreat planning
Current info
Monthly calendar
Current weather
Worldwide photo scavenger hunt
Contact us
God's Word
Daily Bible readings
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Kid's fun page
This we believe
Bible study links
How to help
Building plans
Construction updates
Donate online
Wish list
Digital Products Store
Physical Products Store
Document downloads
WELS links
Camp Facebook page
Camp YouTube page
Video downloads
Camp Phillip 5K--September 6th, 2020
Camp Phillip is ready to RUN. . . . Are you?
Sunday, September 6th, 2020,
YOU can make camp run. Relaxation in creation and renewal in Christ will take on a new meaning as you walk or run through the wonders of Camp Phillip. Feel the breeze, hear the Camp Phillip music, touch the sparkling lakefront and be surrounded by encouraging staff and participants. Camp Phillip has offered each of you something wonderful and meaningful, and this walk/run will benefit the future programs and needs of Camp.
Because we want to include in the fun as many family members as possible, we also have a 1K Camper Scamper for children 10 years of age and younger. Now the whole family can have fun making camp run!
Click here to register online for the 5K--Not ready
Click here to register online for the 1K--Not ready
The registration fee will be $35 for the 5K and $5 for the 1K before August 15th; the $35 for the 5K will include a T-shirt. The registration fee after August 15th will be $35, but will not include a T-shirt. Payment is due at the time of registration. Check-in is open from 10:30 AM till 11:15 AM in the Dining Hall at Camp Phillip. The 1K race will start at 11:15 AM, the 5K race will start at 11:30 AM and will be closed at 1:15 PM. Run, walk or cheer. . . all are welcome!
Not only will you be getting your exercise for the day, you will get the chance to socialize with other camp families and hang out with some Camp Phillip staff. There will be food, music, games and encouragement all around you. It is a great place to come "home" to and spend some quality time with family and friends on Labor Day weekend.
The fee includes a lunch after the run. On the registration form you also have options to purchase meals on Saturday evening and Sunday morning plus lodging for Saturday evening.
Make a weekend of it! Check out
Fall Family Camp
for more information. To register for Fall family camp, print off the
Fall family camp registration form
(found under "
Registration forms
" on the Document downloads page) and mail or fax it to Camp Phillip.
Any questions about Fall Family Camp, lodging or race registration, contact Camp Phillip at
or 920-787-3202.
Do you love Camp Phillip but are not able to make the race? That is okay! Donations are always appreciated and are also necessary in making camp RUN! You can send donations to Camp Phillip at W9944 Buttercup Avenue, Wautoma, WI 54982.
5K sponsors
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Copyright © 2020 Camp Phillip

subset: commoncrawl


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IHG 50% Off Europe Summer Sale 2014
Please note that I receive compensation for many links on this blog. American Express and other banks are advertising partners of this site. Read my Advertiser Disclosure policy to learn more.
IHG has an offer for 50% off their European properties when booked now through July 31, 2014. Stays must be between July 18 and September 28, 2014.
Bookings must be made 3 days prior to arrival. Most available dates are Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but some weekdays may be available as well.
Here is the full list of participating hotels.
Book using this link.
Some of the properties I think most desirable in this promotion –
InterContinental Vienna
InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu
InterContinental Düsseldorf
InterContinental Berlin
InterContinental Frankfurt
InterContinental Berchtesgaden Resort
InterContinental De La Ville Roma
InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam
InterContinental London Park Lane
I will be in Rome later on this summer, so I tested a few dates to see if the InterContinental De La Ville Roma was available. It was!
Clicking further into the rate check told me that it was for a single bed, prepaid only, non-refundable. I decided to pass on the reservation since I'll have someone traveling with me and I prefer having the flexibility to cancel as close to arrival date as possible. But this could be a good option for some, and the savings at some of these properties is significant.
Note that this is a special Partner Offer and the Terms & Conditions state that an ID must be shown at check-in to receive the rate. It is free to get a membership, however, and you can learn more and sign up here as long as you have a UK post code. Just go to "new user" in the top right corner.
Full Terms & Conditions:
• 50% off Best Flex represents a saving of 50% off our Best Flexible rate per room, per night for two adults sharing a standard double/twin room (inclusive of VAT).
• Bookings must be made at least 3 days in advance of first night of stay.
• Offer available for stays on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (with some limited midweek availability – please check when booking).
• Member ID or IHG voucher will be required at check-in as proof of eligibility for this offer.
• Offer only available at participating European InterContinental Hotels; Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites and Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels.
• Offer available for reservations made between 15th May 2014 and 31st July 2014 for stays in the period 18th July 2014 to 28th September 2014.
• All bookings are subject to availability of rooms allocated to this offer at participating hotels.
• Room only rate for InterContinental® Hotels; Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels; Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn® and Staybridge Suites®. Breakfast included for Holiday Inn Express® Hotels.
• Full payment must be made at time of booking; no amendments permitted; no refunds will be given (except where prohibited).
• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion.
• This offer cannot be redeemed with IHG Rewards Club points.
Editorial Note: The opinions expressed here are mine and not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any bank, card issuer, or other company including (but not limited to) American Express unless otherwise stated. Comments made in response to posts are not provided or commissioned, and they have not been reviewed or endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of any advertiser to make sure that questions are answered.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material on this site without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.


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After launching a website, every Denver web design firm will recommend beginning a full-scale SEO campaign. Keeping tabs on the effectiveness of search engine optimization often revolves around Google Analytics and the metrics it provides.
However, it's important to note these automated statistics require careful interpretation and extrapolation. Increasing ROI from your SEO efforts includes more than just following the reported numbers.
Exit Rate
Google defines an exit as the last pageview in a user's session on your website. At first glance, one might assume pages with a high exit rate are negatively impacting your website's performance.
It's far more fruitful to look at the big picture when examining individual page exit rates. For obvious reasons, a contact page with location information can be the last view before a customer visits or calls. Product/pricing pages don't always lead to conversions initially. A user comparing prices or considering purchasing something may very well view these pages multiple times before following through.
Keep an eye on landing pages or opt-in customer info pages. High exit rates aren't necessarily bad, but you'll want to track performance after edits to see how exit rates are changing.
Bounce Rate
A bounce occurs when a user views only one page in a session before leaving. Google's bounce rate metric really shines when it comes to advertising and keywords. Entrance pages will generally have a high bounce rate due to the nature of user habits, but it can indicate slow loading times or poor organization.
Any pages involved in your current marketing and ad campaign will also show increased bounce rates. Weigh this against conversions to determine the effectiveness of your ads.
One positive takeaway from a high bounce rate would be the likelihood of a user bookmarking a certain page. If the page is consistently updated with content or news, users may be satisfied with their view. These pages will inform new navigation layouts or improvements in link visibility on main pages.


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NTP Distribution Inc. announced the addition of Home & Road mattresses, a private label brand developed with The Mobile Outfitters, a division of Lippert Components Inc. According to a press releasee, the mattress line is exclusively distributed through Wilsonville, Ore.-based NTP.
The product line is currently available for delivery only and marks the first private label offering for NTP utilizing its new fleet services resulting from its acquisition by Keystone Automotive Operations Inc. last year.
"We're excited about this new line," said NTP President Greg Boyd. "Big, bulky products like mattresses can be problematic to ship, often making it cost-prohibitive for a lot of customers. Because of our new logistics capabilities, we can deliver this cheaper, faster and better than anyone in the industry."
The new line was one of many new offerings the company had at their show last week in San Diego and is expected to be a big boost to their product mix.
"We wanted to partner with Lippert because we knew they could provide the kind of quality we know our customers expect, at price points that keep them competitive," said Mark Jenson, NTP's vice president of sales and marketing. "We anticipate this addition being a big win for us this year."


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Main page> English> Introduction to Programme
European Funds sites
The Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland (OP DEP) is financed from the ERDF.The reason for the development of this programme was that additional funding was awarded from the European Regional Development Fund for the five most disadvantaged regions: Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie. These voivodships are characterised by the low living standards of their residents, a low dynamic of their economic development, poorly developed and inadequate transport infrastructure and insufficient growth factors.The outreach of the OP DEP covers the areas of intervention of other programmes but it differs in that its scope is restricted to selected areas which, because of the scale of activities and the expected long-term results, may have a special impact on the development processes. This programme is an additional element of support under the structural funds which will enhance the actions of other programmes on the territory of Eastern Poland.The Objective of Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland is: "Hastening the pace of social and economic development in Eastern Poland pursuant to the sustainable development principle".The main objective of the Programme will be achieved through implementation of specific objectives, and namely:
OP DEP contains six priority axes:
This website is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund under the Technical Assistance Programme.
© Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy 2008-2019


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Factors affecting snow leopard & wild-prey at multiple scales
multi-scale approach provides understanding on how different factors are
working to shape snow leopard and wild-prey occurrences and relative abundance
at large and fine spatial scales.
From large to fine spatial scale
a wide-ranging species like snow leopard understanding its distribution at
large-spatial scale is necessary to better inform conservation management at
state or regional scale. At the same time examining how wild-prey of snow
leopard and the habitat gets affected by different forms of natural resource
use is needed to manage wild-prey populations and habitat at the level of a
valley / catchment.
Migratory grazing & snow leopard habitat
Decline in wild-prey population due to rangeland degradation by livestock grazing is a serious problem to snow leopard conservation. While impacts of resident livestock grazing has been documented, impact of migratory livestock grazing remains poorly understood and has been socio-politically contentious, being more often dealt through activism than science-based ecological evidence.
- Examining changes in and factors affecting distribution of snow leopard and its primary prey, bharal and ibex
- Evaluate effect of migratory livestock grazing on vegetation and relative abundance of wild-prey of snow leopard
- Assessing underlying drivers of changes and future directions in migratory grazing practices


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Dr. Harness explains what stage zero breast cancer is.
Dr. Harness:
Stage 0 is what is called in situ cancer. We use that term for all sorts of different cancers including cervical cancer and breast cancer. That means, that the cells are still confined inside the ductal system which means that there is no growth through the walls of the ductal system and all of the cancer is completely removed. A patient should have a nearly 100% chance of being cured. So, in summary then, stage 0 cancer is highly, highly curable.
About Dr. Harness. M.D.:
Dr. Jay Harness is the Director at St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center. Practicing medicine for 35 years, Dr. Harness specializes in general surgery and medical oncology. Graduating medical school from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he conducting his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Recognized nationally and internationally for his work in breast and endocrine surgery, Dr. Harness is the immediate past-President of The American Society of Breast Surgeons and is President-elect of Breast Surgery International. Dr. Harness can assist patients in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
View Dr. Harness Videos:
Visit Dr. Harness at St. Joseph Hospital


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Localife Calgary met on May 11, 2017 to "learn something new" as we came together to make a Greek pastries and to play the card game, Cribbage!
Adorning our aprons, and with a pile of ingredients on the table in front of us, all together we created spanakopita, step by step! Who made up the saying "too many cooks in the kitchen," anyway, because this definitely wasn't true for us Thursday evening! Half a dozen hands on deck led to a lot of laughter. Who knew the word spanakopita could be adapted to fit so many popular song lyrics or used to create so many ridiculous puns?!
We popped our pastry creations in the oven, and then sat down to play Cribbage, a card game that's been played for over 300 years! Those new to the game caught on quickly, and in not long at all, we had hot spanakopita to enjoy as we played. Everyone had their fill, and a giant ball (made from leftover phyllo dough) that we fondly named "The Bomb" was bravely consumed much to everyone's amusement.
Good times were had by all. We hope to see a lots of people out for our next event — a campfire in the mountains!
Matt & Jenna


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This AS Life Live! is the first interactive online talk show for people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by people with AS.
The program is a collaboration between the Spondylitis Association of America, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and Dan Reynolds.
The goal of the series, hosted by Dan Reynolds, AS patient and lead singer of the Grammy award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons, is to inspire and encourage people to live their best lives with AS and to raise awareness of AS. Imagine Dragons has a large USA and international fan base with extensive tours, TV appearances, awards and hits including Radioactive, Demons, Believer and Thunder.
With just the first 3 video interviews released in 2017, This AS Life Live! has reached over 500 million people on social media, and through print, broadcast, and online news coverage.
"Each person's story is unique. As we release more and more of these interviews, I hope that everyone living with AS will find something they can relate to and find value in watching and sharing. Dan has truly been wonderful throughout the series. He is friendly, thoughtful, empathetic, candid, lighthearted, just real." Rich Howard
SAA receives no government funding and relies on the
generous donations from individuals to create and maintain the programs and
services aimed at improving the futures of the 2.7 million Americans affected
by spondylitis.
By Lianne & Scot Gensler
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds discusses living with spondylitis with Rheumatologist Lianne Gensler.
View the full episode tomorrow (5/3/2018)!
Other posts by Lianne & Scot Gensler
Visit our careers page for available positions
16360 Roscoe Blvd. Ste. 100Van Nuys, CA 91406
(800) 777-8189 U.S. only
or (818) 892-1616*Please note: This is not a Crisis Hotline. If you are in a life-threatening crisis, please dial 911 for immediate help in the US. Please follow this link for crisis intervention resources.


text:
Blue printed woven Nehru jacket, has a stand collar, sleeveless, a full button placket
Look stylish in this Nehru jacket from Jack & Jones. Match it with a linen shirt, a pair of chino trousers and moccasins to complete your ensemble.
The model (height 6') is wearing a size M
100% cotton


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How to Fall Asleep Faster Using 10 Simple Tricks
We've all had those nights where we lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, not being able to fall asleep. As the clock continues to tick, it sparks a frenzy of thoughts about not being able to get some serious shut eye. We may think to ourselves, 'Why can't I just fall asleep?' 'I am going to be so unbelievably exhausted tomorrow, how will I possibly be able to get through the day with no sleep?' The more we think about falling asleep, the less likely it is to actually happen, leaving us anxious, restless, and utterly exhausted.
While those nights may be far and few in between, they leave us feeling depleted, and for good reason. Research shows that sleep is critical for our mental functioning, physical response, and emotional well-being. Not getting enough good quality sleep can impair our ability to perform basics tasks, think clearly, and concentrate. It affects our mood, our attention span, and our entire system right down to the cellular level. Over time, research has also shown a clear link between chronic sleep deprivation and obesity, as well as the onset of chronic disease. A lack of sleep over an extended period of time can wreak havoc on our health and overall quality of life.
Sleep is critical, so why not get more of it? Stop staring up at the ceiling wishing and praying that you would fall asleep. Rather, follow these ten easy steps to help you fall asleep faster and have a more restful night.
10Establish a Set Bedtime Routine
According to ABC News, establishing a set bedtime routine is one of the best things you can do to fall asleep faster and stay soundly sleeping throughout the night.
It is probably safe to say that most of us follow a pretty stringent day-to-day routine, especially those of us who work more traditional hours. When we wake up, there are certain tasks we need to complete to get our day started. Brushing our teeth and taking a shower, for instance, are good examples of this. As we move through the day, we may take a lunch break around the same time every day, socialize with the same coworkers, complete certain projects and check particular items off our daily 'to-do' list. In the evening, we may catch a quick workout, cook dinner or spend time with our family, children or friends.
While most of us follow a routine, of sorts, throughout the day, most of us don't have a particular bed time routine. While some of us may go to sleep around the same time every night, we usually find different ways to wind down and our nights may vary from week to week depending on what we have going on in our lives. Establishing, and sticking to, a set bedtime routine can be helpful in securing some shut eye. Eating your last meal around the same time, preparing your body for bed, preparing your room for a restful night's sleep, and then turning the lights off at the same time, every night, can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
A CNN report from early 2016 cited that most American adults spend about 10 hours and 39 minutes, every day, staring at a screen. That is practically half of every day that we spend looking at a computer screen, phone, tablet, or other digital device!
In a virtually connected world, it can tough to limit our screen time on a day to day basis. When it comes to sleep, however, it is critical. Researchers at the National Sleep Foundation claim that certain forms of technology can make it harder for you to fall asleep. Skimming a late night email, for instance, can stimulate your mind, making it more difficult to drift into a deep sleep.
This is not to say, however, that all technology is bad for sleep. There are a number of companies that use technology to actually perpetuate sleep and make it easier for people to track the duration of sleep they get each night. Fit-bits and other exercise trackers are a great example of this.
Regardless of what kind of technology you are using late at night, the best rule of thumb is to limit it as much as possible at least 30 minutes prior to bedtime. Disconnecting from the blue lights of the phones, tablets, and computer screens is one of the best things you can do to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night. Unplugging from the chaos and commotion of the virtual world can help you get the sleep you need to feel better rested and ready to tackle the world!
8Fall Asleep "Write" Away
How many times have you tried to fall asleep and have a million thoughts running through your head? How many times have you laid in bed thinking about the million and one things you have to do the following day?
One of the best ways to fall asleep quickly and soundly is to write all of your thoughts down on paper. If you keep thinking about all of the things you have to do at work the following day, write them down! Make a list that you can reference from when you wake up the next morning. If you are experiencing varying emotions, write them down! Writing down how you are feeling and what you are thinking can help to streamline the mind chatter and calm the commotion in your cerebrum.
Research shows that writing things down as you think of them, especially at night, can help calm your mind and relax your body. This relaxation then prepares you for a restful night's sleep, free from the thoughts that foster unnecessary stimulation.
7Use Lavender
Another great way to fall asleep fast is to scent your room, bedding, and night clothes with lavender.
Lavender is an herb that has been used for ages as an aphrodisiac. It is a popular garden flower that features silky, green leaves and rich, purple flowers that emit a wonderfully soothing aroma. Lavender can be found in the garden, but can also be located in stores that sell essential oils and other herbal remedies.
Research has proven that lavender is a great tool to use to help secure some valuable shut eye. Researchers at Wesleyan University, for example, conducted a study with 32 different men and women. Each group was told to lightly sniff lavender oil prior to bed each night. The two groups were then monitored as they slept. Individuals who had sniffed the lavender oil prior to bedtime, slept more soundly throughout the night and woke up feeling a lot more energized.
The sweet scent of lavender can help calm the mind and soothe the soul. For those looking to fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly throughout the night, lavender is a wonderful tool. Lightly dabbing the underside of your pillow with some lavender oil, or purchasing a diffuser to place the oil in during the night, can help you fall asleep faster, sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed.
6Bedroom Makeover
Have you ever tried to fall asleep, but kept tossing and turning? Have you ever started to fall asleep, but then became too hot or too cold? Have you ever fallen asleep, but then heard a loud and unfamiliar noise outside the window?
Let's face it – we have all been there at one point or another. Whether it is a loud noise or scalding temperatures, there are a lot of things that can prevent us from falling asleep and getting the sleep we need to wake up feeling refreshed. One of the best things to do to ensure a sound night's sleep is to give your bedroom a makeover. We're not talking solely about changing around the comforter or the curtains, but rather, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to sleep.
This means removing any and all electronic devices that serve as sleep distractions. Falling asleep with the television on, or reading a book on a tablet prior to bed, can actually stimulate the brain and prevent the body from falling into a deep slumber. Also, ensuring that the room is kept at a comfortably cool temperature will help to ensure that you fall asleep fast. Eliminating any extra light and added noise can help, too. If it is hard to eliminate all of the excess noise, wearing ear plugs can help. Purchasing light blocking curtains and shades can help to prevent any excess light from filtering in, as well.
Working to create a bedroom that is conducive to sleep will help to ensure that you fall asleep as intended and stay soundly sleeping through the night.
5Prep Your Body
Just as you want to create a bedroom that is conducive to sleep, you want to make sure that you prep your body for sleep, as well. You might be thinking to yourself, 'what does that even mean?' Well, prepping your body includes any activity that promotes relaxation and eliminates excess anxiety, stress and mind chatter prior to bedtime.
The first step in preparing your body for sleep is to figure out what kinds of activities you enjoy that serve to promote restfulness and relaxation. Do you enjoy doing yoga? Do you feel more relaxed when you spend a few minutes stretching? Do you enjoy doing some deep breathing exercises? Perhaps, you like to read to relax your mind?
Whatever it is that you enjoy doing, it is important that you make that a part of your daily bedtime routine. If you enjoy stretching or doing yoga, try to complete a short session prior to turning the lights off for the day. If you enjoy taking a few deep breaths to clear you mind, be sure to do this before you get into bed at night. If reading helps you to relax, grab a book and read for a few minutes before bed each night. Prepping your body and mind for relaxation each night will help you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night.
4Take a Warm Shower
While this certainly goes hand in hand with prepping your body for bed, one of the best things you can do is to take a warm shower prior to hitting the hay. Outside of your yoga poses, side stretches, and book reading, taking a warm shower can help lower your body temperature and make it that much easier to fall asleep fast.
So, why does taking a warm shower help you fall asleep at night? When your internal temperature is warm, your brain and body are stimulated to move, think and do. When your internal thermometer begins to drop and your body begins to cool down, your system tends to mimic the effect. It suddenly becomes more difficult to breathe, think, and act fast. You suddenly move slower. Cooling down naturally on hot, steamy, summer nights can prove difficult. This is where a hot shower can help.
A warm shower prior to hopping into bed can help lower your body temperature without your body having to work overtime to do so. Instead of lying awake in bed as your body temperature begins to decrease, a warm shower can help speed up this process. The warm water from the shower can also help to dilate the blood vessels throughout your body, serving to further relax your muscles. When you are relaxed and your internal temperature is cool, you are more likely to fall asleep fast and stay soundly sleeping throughout the night.
3Hide the Clock
Have you ever laid in bed at night and just stared at the clock? Did you experience that endlessly restless and anxious feeling that grows with every passing second?
Watching the clock on a sleepless night can be painful. This is why experts recommend hiding the clock for the best night's sleep possible. Staring at the clock while you are trying to fall asleep can prevent you from actually doing so. Not only does it take your body longer to shut down, but staring at the clock stimulates the brain and sends it into a fury of calculations and thoughts about whether or not you are going to get enough sleep. Placing the clock face down on your dresser or night stand can help prevent those thoughts from even crossing your mind. Covering it can help, too.
While waking up in the middle of the night is fairly common, it is also recommended that you refrain from looking at the clock or picking up your phone to check the time. Turning on your phone to check the time can interrupt your sleep cycle and make it harder to fall back to sleep. The best advice is to just place your phone on a table further away from your bed to prevent you from grabbing it in the middle of the night. Setting the 'do not disturb' setting on your phone can help, too. Having faith in your alarm clock and refraining from staring at the clock can help you fall into a deeper and more restful sleep.
2Avoid Eating Late & Drinking Too Much Caffeine
Let's face it – life is busy. We spend most of our days running from place to place, trying to cross all the 'to-do's' off our list. By the time we get home at night, it can be hard to have a nice sit down meal without indulging too close to bedtime. Excess calories before bed can not only make it harder to sleep, but also make it easier to pack on the pounds, as well.
Rather than eating too late at night and having to go to bed on a full stomach, experts recommend that you eat your last full meal at least an hour or two before bedtime. This will help to prevent restlessness and any kind of indigestion that may make it harder to fall asleep and stay sleeping throughout the night. If you find that you are hungry close to bed, small snacks are ok. Opt for snacks that are low in unhealthy fats and calories, but high in protein and other nutrients, such as a small handful of nuts, seeds, or an apple.
Caffeine can interrupt your sleep cycle, as well. Too much caffeine throughout the day can make it difficult to fall into a deep and restful sleep. It is recommended that you limit your caffeine intake throughout the day. If you enjoy a few cups of coffee, try drinking them in the morning and early afternoon so that you are not consuming them late at night. Limit your daily intake of energy drinks, tea and chocolate, as well, for these all have caffeine in them.
1Exercise during the day
While there are a number of things you can do to ensure a more restful night's sleep, regular exercise is one of the best. Regular exercise can not only help you look and feel better, but it can help you sleep better, as well.
As we know, exercise releases a chemical in the brain called 'Cortisol'. Cortisol is considered a 'feel good' chemical that stimulates the body, the brain and the soul. The release of this substance is great, unless you are lying in bed trying to fall asleep! When your body and brain are stimulated in such a way, it can make it very difficult to fall asleep fast and stay soundly sleeping throughout the night.
Experts recommend plenty of exercise, but well before you turn off the lights each night. Researchers at the National Sleep Foundation found that individuals who exercised more than 150 minutes each week not only slept better, but fell asleep faster and woke up feeling more well rested and full of energy. More than 2,600 individuals participated in the study, which revealed a 65 percent increase in sleep quality with a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise each week!
They recommend that if you are going to go for a run, or complete an aerobics class of some sort, that you do so earlier in the day. Exercising at least a few hours prior to bedtime, or in the morning, for instance, can help ensure that the release of Cortisol doesn't interfere with your bedtime routine.
Sleep, with regards to our sustained health and wellbeing, is non-negotiable. We know that in order to maximize our performance and live a long, healthy life, we must get enough sleep each night.
Research shows that sleep is critical to our sustained physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. We need sleep in order for our bodies and brains to rest and recuperate from the wears and tears of daily living. Without adequate sleep, we may wake up feeling groggy and irritable. We may experience high levels of moodiness and fogginess as we try to move throughout our day. Mentally, we may have a hard time focusing and concentrating on day to day tasks. We may be more forgetful and have a hard time thinking clearly. Not only can these side effects interfere with our day to day lives, but they are also linked to a wide range of chronic diseases that can be debilitating.
While many of us know and acknowledge how important sleep is, a restful night's sleep can be difficult to maintain. Studies show that most American adults don't get the sleep they need to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, more than 60 percent of adults report a wide range of sleeping problems on a regular basis. In reality, adults are not getting the sleep they need and are certainly feeling the effects of such deprivation.
So, what can we do to fall asleep faster, sleep better throughout the night and ensure we are getting the sleep we need on a regular basis to stay healthy? From taking a warm shower, to reorganizing your bedroom, finding a way to utilize these tips can help to ensure you not only fall asleep faster, but reap the benefits of regular, deep, restful sleep for years to come.


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So, I've been the sickest of little squids the last couple of days (I caught a cold at Thanksgiving from my extended, loving family), and then I had to kind of rush to finish my Art Meets Heart canvas for the ARTgarage, which totally makes it sound epic but it totally wasn't. <–It was basically spray painting the canvas and then attaching all the bits and pieces to the canvas.
And, because it's a very 3-dimensional work, a collaged photo-set!
And! I finished my NaNo! I have proof!
If, say, y'all would like to read what I have been writing for NaNo (and I know y'all do 'cause, seriously, why wouldn't y'all want to hear my manic characters be manic because who wouldn't), check my NaNoWriMo tag over on my Tumblr.
I kinda like my novel (what I have of it because–OMG!–plot-y novel is plot-y!), but I have 50,000+ words and am nowhere near being done with the actual novel. <–This is freaking me the fuck out. Seriously. I've never had a novel be so–novel-y.
And, since I have been sickly-squid, I've been watching movies. We all have movies that are our go-to movies when we're sick or upset or whatever; The Avengers has totally become one of those movies for me (and I could go on and on for weeks–and have!–about how amazing it is), but my other movies (and long-time readers will be aware of this) is Julie and Julia.
I know, they don't seem to have anything in common, but emotionally, they do for me for some reason. I think it might be that entire "searching for our places in the world thing" that they both have going on: everyone in the Avengers Initiative because they're all considered freaks because they aren't "normal" people (whatever that means) and are still unfinished people for various reasons, and Julie Powell and Julia Child because they're both trying to find who they want to be.
These are themes that are relevant to my interests.
And, I love this moment in Julie and Julia because it comes so close in the movie after Dor and Julia talking about how they never fit in Pasedina and the near-fisticuffs about McCarthy that Julia gets into with her pops. I just love how they reach for each other like "this was the only place we belonged, with each other" and then, just after, their husbands shake hands, and then there's this feeling of "and now we fit here too with these valiant individuals who are brave enough to love us."
I like it. I like it a lot.
And, this theme of belonging and trying-to-belong I think is something that always permeates my work since, fairytales, really do have this undertone of belonging and not belonging and figuring out how to belong in them.
So, yeah. Belonging.
And, I have waxed rhapsodic in a drugged haze a bit too long, I think.


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• Visit the Palazzo Vecchio (Piazza della Signoria, open daily except Thurs afternoon, €10)
Originally government offices, the Palazzo Vecchio became a palace in the 16th century, as the residence of Cosimo I. The Salone dei Cinquento (Hall of the 500) is immense and covered in paintings and frescoes. The museum has some treasures including a Dante death mask, the Chapel of Eleonora and the Hall of Maps.
• Wander across the Ponte Vecchio
One of the most tourist congested parts of Florence…. but worth a look anyway. Admire the jewellery in shop windows, look up at the incredible Vasari corridor connecting the Palazzo Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, enjoy the river views and soak up the atmosphere…. then get away quickly!
• Marvel at the treasures in the Palazzo Pitti (Piazza dei Pitti, closed Monday, €13)
Near the Ponte Vecchio is the huge Pitti Palace, also a Medici residence at one time, though the exterior is plain and austere. There are several museums inside and single or combined tickets are available. The Palatine Gallery comprises many impressive works of art in richly decorated rooms. Check out the Salone Bianca, a drawing room in shades of white; the Room of Allegories with its original ceiling frescoes; the richly decorated Poccetti Gallery; the Room of Apollo and the Green Room. The Royal Apartments are also open to the public. There is also a costume gallery, silver museum and 'modern' 18th to 20th century art museum.
• Relax in Il Giardino di Boboli (Palazzo Pitti, open daily except first and last Monday, €7)
I did not have time to visit these famous gardens but even a glimpse of them looked very inviting!
• Take in the vista of Florence from the Forte di Belvedere (closed Monday, free entry)
This star-shaped fortress built in 1590 offers a panoramic view of the city. The exhibition Human by Anthony Gormley is currently installed in the grounds and is fascinating.


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GBC Report #71,122 Views / EMail This Post / Print This Post / Home » GBC Report #7
By Sraddhadevi dasi
February 15-17th
During the last three days of the Annual General Meeting of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission, GBC members gave presentations on new publications and the status of various projects.
Anuttama Prabhu, representing the GBC's Guru Services Committee, reported on the Guru Seminars and Guru Retreats program. These programs allow devotees who are serving as initiating or instructing gurus to associate with one another and share their experiences serving Srila Prabhupada in the role of guru. The Guru Seminars and Retreats also aim to enhance skills in counseling disciples and caring for one's own physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
Members of the GBC, including Bhakti Marga Swami, Bhakti Chaitanya Swami, Prahladananda Swami, and Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, who attended the Guru Retreat in Ujjain last October related their experiences. They all expressed enthusiasm and thanks for having such a wonderful retreat last year and strongly urged others to attend future Guru Seminars or Retreats. A Guru Seminar and Retreat will be held in Tirupati next October before the GBC meetings in Juhu, Bombay.
The Guru Services Committee also presented the progress made on developing a seminar for disciples. The idea of such a course is to educate devotees before they receive initiation on the theological, institutional, and practical issues pertaining to discipleship. Some topics include the special position Srila Prabhupada plays in ISKCON as the Founder-Acarya, a theological understanding of Guru-tattva, issues of etiquette between guru and disciple, understanding the initiation ceremony, and the qualifications of a disciple and a guru. Over the course of this year a committee will continue to develop curriculum for this course.
Following the Guru Services Committee, ISKCON's Minister of Education, Sesa Prabhu, updated the GBC Body on the current educational institutions within ISKCON. He reported that the Bhaktivedanta College in Budapest currently has 200 students and offers two Bachelor Degree programs. Bhaktivedanta College in Radhadesh is also growing with 30 full-time students and is looking toward offering degrees in management as well as theology.
Sesa Prabhu also presented to the GBC Body profiles of various religious educational institutions that maintain lifestyle values similar to those of ISKCON. He pointed out that Amrita University, founded by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math in 1994, now has over 13,000 students and 13 university departments. Likewise, Maharishi University of Management in Iowa started off slow, but now has 1,200 students. Maharishi University has seen a 125% student growth rate in the last five years. Moreover, Brigham Young University, a successful Mormon university in Utah has an enrollment of more than 30,000 students. Brigham Young University lists "purity" as a requirement for graduation and funds 70% of student tuition through church tithing.
After presenting these examples, Sesa Prabhu urged that ISKCON look toward the future and put additional energy into further developing our own educational programs. Everyone was in agreement. A directional straw vote was taken, and unanimously the GBC decided to place strong emphasis on the development of education within ISKCON.
Kaunteya Prabhu on behalf of ISKCON's Congregational Development Ministry presented two new publications to the GBC. The first book, Holy Jail, is a compilation by Candramauli Swami on the activities and stories of ISKCON's Prison Ministry. In the thirty years that the ISKCON Prison Ministry has been in operation, hundred of lives of inmates have changed due to the practice of Krishna consciousness and the support received by devotees. For more information on the ISKCON Prison Ministry, please visit www. ipm. bbnow. org.
The second title presented by Kaunteya Prabhu is an English translation of Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Sri Godruma Kalpatavi (The Desire-tree Grove of Godruma.) Sri Godruma Kalpatavi was originally a newsletter produced in Bengal 120 years ago by Bhaktivinoda Thakura to guide leaders and members in his preaching movement. The topics discussed are very practical issues often faced by those with families and careers who also want to fully engage in practicing and preaching Krishna consciousness. Jayapataka Swami felt the Godruma Kalpatavi to be so relevant to lives of devotee today that he translated the text and inspired the current publication. For more information on the Godruma Kalpatavi, please visit www. namahatta. org.
The GBC meetings concluded with words of praise and a standing ovation for this year's GBC Chairman, Romapada Maharaja. Several GBC members expressed their gratitude toward Romapada Maharaja for putting so much time, effort, and care into chairing the GBC. Over the course of the year, he addressed many difficult issues and diligently offered support to ISKCON programs and leaders throughout the world. Many GBC members felt that Romapada Maharaja raised the bar and set a new standard for the position of GBC Chairman.
The GBC Body also welcomed the new GBC Chairman, Madhusevita Prabhu, as well as Hrdaya Caitanya Prabhu and Bhakti Caitanya Swami as members of the incoming GBC Executive Committee.
After twelve days of meetings, members of the GBC appeared satisfied with the amount of work accomplished during the 2010 Annual General Meeting. The GBC will meet again next October at the ISKCON Juhu temple in Bombay.
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"Some topics include the special position Srila Prabhupada plays in ISKCON as the Founder-Acarya, a theological understanding of Guru-tattva, issues of etiquette between guru and disciple, understanding the initiation ceremony, and the qualifications of a disciple and a guru. Over the course of this year a committee will continue to develop curriculum for this course."
These seminars sound interesting and I wonder if they could be made available (in some modified form?) for the general devotees, perhaps in the VIHE or MIHE programs or also in some of the other educational programs we have.
At ISV a couple weeks ago we had some mini-courses on Vaisnava etiquette, temple etiquette, Vaisnava dancing, cooking and better japa. These specialized classes are useful, separate and apart from the regular Bhagavatam and Gita classes. They remind me more of the "bhakta program" idea of providing devotees with basic skills and training in addition to the daily dose of Krishna-katha medicine injected in the ears during regular temple functions.
Particularly these issues about the theology of guru-tattva, etiquette between guru and disciple, the initiation ceremony, and qualifications of guru and disciple are important foundational topics for our training.
Having a more solid foundation in these aspects of our philosophy and practices might have helped us better to avoid some of the political frictions and fractions (or factions) that arose after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance. We should get a firm understanding of these issues through a broader, deeper study of Srila Prabhupada's books and the insights of advanced devotees on these subjects.
I think as a society we may have at times displayed an over-dependence on the qualifications and "personality" of the initiating gurus, rather than on the process by which the qualified disciples, obeying the pure instructions of the initiating and instructing gurus, progress through bhajana-kriya and anartha-nivrtti to become steady, serious, pure vaisnavas.
Sometimes Srila Prabhupada made strong statements against accepting a guru as a "fashion" without actually doing the work required to be transformed into a twice-born, spiritual person, and I think this is partly what he was talking about.
ISKCON is a society for spreading the bona-fide instructions through parampara by which people can be factually transformed into pure devotees.
Comment posted by Akruranatha on March 29th, 2010
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"Dandavats" - 7 new articles
What is Dharma?
By Bhakti Raghava Swami
Modern day occupations connected with factory, industry and all kinds of recently invented hard technologies, have deviated mankind from his more natural occupations connected with land, cows, nature, and God.


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Time Management for e-commerce is an absolutely critical skill area. Time management can be the single biggest block to even starting an e-commerce business. And for an established, busy e-commerce business owner, managing time is just as critical.
In this episode, we focus on the learnings from the wonderful book (and also audio book) –
"7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey
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Absolutely, you can. I've set up my own Amazon mastermind myself, as I mentioned earlier.
Here's the thing – it's really hard work. If I were just selling on Amazon, rather than also running a podcast and coaching, I simply wouldn't do it all again. I'd just plug into an existing group.
But, if you want to create something from scratch, I can give you a ton of reality checks form from personal experience:
Firstly, and most importantly, you've got to gather together a set of people who are worth being peers with in an Amazon group in the first place.
When I first started out on Amazon, and formed my own peer group of Amazon sellers, I looked through the Facebook group of a course that I was in, and searched for people who lived in or near me (in London). I then tried to check out what they had been posting, to see how active they were, whether they were moving forward with the process, etc.
That took a lot of time and effort. Trouble is, that was just a beginning!
Think about it.
There are a lot of people out on the Facebook groups, even within paid courses, who don't have enough money, don't have enough time, and don't have the right attitude.
They hope they can make some money on Amazon. They've often been pitched into the idea that they can easily replace the day job within 3 months (if that's you.
Sure, it happens- but it's pretty rare. Sorry to burst your balloon. It's not a business-like attitude. It's based on hope. Which, as we all know, is not a strategy…).
What I've just described sounds, in fact, like a typical Facebook group of Amazon wannapreneurs.
Which is why my first effort to create a little Amazon mastermind faltered. I had found a bunch of would-be Amazon sellers who lived in London and posted a bit online. Not surprisingly, most of them proved to be very much non-action-takers, and the meetings ended up being people fantasising about starting a business, instead of doing it!
What you need is a filtering system. And, guess what, that takes time and effort to build. What I do these days for the masterminds for Amazon sellers that I run (through Amazing FBA) is have an application process for each Amazon mastermind.
I ask every single applicant to fill in a form with questions that I've honed over a year of working this process. Then in some cases (all cases, for applicants to my $10K Collective Amazon mastermind ), I have a 20-30 minute interview in which I ask detailed questions.
Why bother? Well, see above. What happens to you if you create (with some effort) a peer group of under-capitalized, time-poor un-focussed people? Oh yeah…
Of course, if you are going to filter people out, you need a way of finding possible people in the first place. If you're going to manually do that, you need to be going to a lot of physical meet ups and other big groups.
That's great, but there aren't a whole lot of good ones in the UK. There's a fantastic Amazon meetup in London once a month, run by the excellent Andy Geldman of Webretailer. Then there are various other meet up groups, some of which might be good, but many of which, I suspect, are run by wannabes not business owners.
Once you've gathered your troops, you've got to find a suitable venue for your Amazon meet up.
Firstly, it needs to be reasonably accessible for your members. So the geography and transport links matter. Then it needs to be affordable (money is whole other issue we'll discuss). This all takes quite a bit of time and effort. Even in London, I found it took hours, and we have a ton of business meeting venues in this place.
You need a space that enables you all to think clearly. You could use your own house, of course, if you have the space- and the headspace. But do you really want the kids -or your husband/wife-interrupting a crucial business point? How conducive to clear thinking is that? It's cheap but brings its own issues.
You could use a local pub but I've found (having been in an Amazon mastermind in the past who met in one) that the noise seriously disrupts your ability to hear crucial bits of information. So I can't recommend that.
A quiet cafe is better – but although I find that works great for one-to-one meetings, it's not really the right way for a group of people to work, as they have to basically take over the room to do it. And there's always a screaming infant somewhere (and why should there not be? it's a cafe!)
You need decent wifi of course (although I think it's less important than most people make it. But you shouldn't spend your whole time online. You need to think clearly. Online is not the place for that).
I think a whiteboard or an easel with a flipchart is very, very helpful for brainstorming strategies, or capturing key resources (eg websites or online tools) for the group.
Coffee on tap is great -free, good coffee even better! Easily available toilets are a mundane but crucial part of a good venue. And finally, you ideally want somewhere easy for new members to find, not a cramped room hidden upstairs behind a noisy pub!
I hope that the above experiences save you wasting months of hard work. Frankly, now I know from experience what I know, if I were just selling on Amazon, rather than also running a podcast and coaching, I simply wouldn't do it all again. I'd just plug into an existing group. As indeed I did myself about 18 months ago!
The only reason I go to all the trouble it takes to create and run a Amazon mastermind (which I detailed just some of above), is that it's part of my mission at Amazing FBA.
That mission is to help Amazon sellers and those in the process of establishing their own Amazon businesses to achieve REAL goals. Not just fantasies. And not to take 12 months on something that you could achieve in 3 months (or even 2) with some guidance from experience.
Even then, I couldn't justify the time it takes away from my Amazon business if I didn't charge a certain amount for all the efforts. The cost is pretty modest, by the way, if you compare it to the literally £thousands I've seen some Amazon trainers charge.
Often they turn out to be not true small group masterminds, but actually groups of 30-60 people. There's nothing wrong with paying £10s of thousands if you get value in the £100s of thousands, but I'm pretty suspicious of the value most of those so-called "Amazon masterminds" can really deliver.
So, I guess that brings me fairly unavoidably to mention the Amazon masterminds that I run for Amazing FBA. Again, I don't want to be self-serving, but it would be a bit strange for me not to mention them in the context of Amazon masterminds and masterminds as a whole.
I try to practise what I preach, basically. I said at the start of this article that I believe that a mastermind needs to be interactive; needs to be focussed; and needs to lead its members to action, which leads to their progress.
From the (sometimes painful) experience of trying many approaches in Amazon masterminds (both as a member and group leader), I've found the formula to combine all those good things. Like a lot of good formulas, it's pretty simple. In fact, that's partly why it's so effective.
The secret sauce that I've found to combine all those outcomes, is the "Hot Seat".
I've found that to be so effective that we've made it the overwhelming focus of each Amazon mastermind meeting.
Here's how it works:
Each participant gets minimum 30 minutes to focus on their own business. Specifically, to focus on ONE thing. Even more exactly, the ONE roadblock that when they break through it, it will really move the needle. Will really move their business on -substantially.
So it's very focussed. That's one secret. It's also interactive. Because once the member in the hot seat has outlined their issue, all other members are there to bring their experience and thoughts to the issue.
Of course, it's very helpful if the other members who don't have anything valuable to bring can keep schtum. That way, others who do bring value can help.
But it is excellent business training to encounter business problems and brainstorm solutions. That is the real training we all need as business builders. Not an obsession with the latest trick or grey hat technique (useful as they are, of course). But business thinking and mindset.
There is a huge bonus of having a genuine peer group in an Amazon mastermind. A lot of the people in the group share the same set of problems. So by listening to solutions to another person's problem, you're hearing the solutions to many problems of your own.
SO, the group members can almost not fail to move their business forward. Provided the participants go away and implement this stuff (another crucial word), they Job done! Isn't it?
Well, almost. The implementation piece has proved to be a real challenge for many Amazon mastermind members. Which is why I've recently added in a simple extra process to make sure people are held to account. In other words, to use peer pressure in a very positive way. To get you to do what you said you were going to do!
We've simply added in a quick video call check in once a month. The aim? Simple. To make sure people are implementing what they've said they would.
It's early days, but the results already look promising.
It's fairly obvious where I'm going with this, so I'll just come out and say it:
-if you're convinced of the value of being in an Amazon mastermind
-if you're not wanting to go through the pain, time & effort of creating your own Amazon mastermind,
-AND if you live near London (or can get there)
then obviously I think you should consider the Amazing FBA masterminds!
I'm not going to make a huge pitch for them here; if you want to check them out, there are now two levels:
The Zero to Hero Mastermind, which is geared to those who have not yet launched, and to those doing just a few thousand $ a month (or equivalent) on Amazon (we may form a separate mastermind for the latter as it grows)
The $10K Collective, which is for those doing at least $10K a month on Amazon.
The thing is this. Now, you have a process that means you focus on the biggest win in your business right now. You can get the collective mind to break through blocks and find the actions to get that win. You have a means to hold you to do that action.
Now you have a really powerful driver to move you forward.
Like I said, that may be why nearly all the successful Amazon entrepreneurs I know are part of one.
Wherever you live in the world, I'd encourage you to look for a face-to-face mastermind you can regularly commit to.
The word commit is a key one here too. If you put little in, you get little out.Your peer group will massively impact your wealth and well-being. So Choose wisely who you associate with.
But once you've chosen well, commit to your Amazon mastermind. The more you sweat to rearrange your schedule to get to meetings; spend money on trains or planes to get there; in short, the more you put in- the more you get out.
I can give you a promise from my experiences as an Amazon seller and from running groups. The rewards of a really quality Amazon mastermind are truly many times greater than the effort. And the ROI (for the right group) many times greater than the cost.
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Want to double your revenue? Find the latest tactics and stay ahead of the curve?
These sound like a pitch for the latest high-tech software, right?
Well you'd be wrong. I'm talking about good old-fashioned face-to-face, interactive Amazon masterminds here.
Through Amazon masterminds, I've personally found an amazing Amazon business partner, learnt many tactics that have made me $1000s extra, and been offered deals worth $100K+ a month of revenue.
But let me you how I got here…
First, I should give some background and confess. I've been a member of a private Amazon mastermind of my peers (Amazon sellers) for about 18 months now.
I also set up and ran (free) peer-group Amazon mastermind meetings myself about 2 ½ years ago, which ran for a while. That sputtered out because the people weren't really committed. And I was wanting to focus on selling on Amazon, not running a mastermind for uncommitted people.
I took the learnings from both Amazon masterminds and created something better.
So I've been running a successful (modestly) paid Amazon mastermind meetings for about a year via Amazing FBA (I recently set up a new Amazon mastermind for new sellers, i.e., those who haven't launched yet)
First thing: yes, of course I'm going to mention my own masterminds, at least in passing . I run two Amazon masterminds each month. I'm writing an article about how important masterminds/masterminds are. It's bound to come up! But I'm here to share my experiences of masterminds, not to pitch my own (if you do want to read the pitch for my masterminds/masterminds, of course, click here!)
Second thing: there's a reason why I run an Amazon mastermind each month. Because I believe it's one of the most powerful ways I can truly help Amazon entrepreneurs.
Third thing: from everything I can observe of truly successful Amazon entrepreneurs – it's (still) true that every one of them is a member of some kind of Amazon mastermind or mastermind!
I guess as a person who needs interaction and inspiration, I'm biased. But…
Coincidence? I don't think so.
I personally have got so many results directly from being in masterminds. I've found an amazing Amazon business partner; sold thousands from secret techniques shared within the closed walls of a mastermind; and been invited into strategic partnerships to do deals involving $100s of thousands in revenue.
These results are not chance. But they equally would never have come about simply from networking on the superficial level(valuable as that is) at Amazon conferences.
First, let's start of by defining our terms.
'Amazon' as a business opportunity can be exploited by a huge variety of business models. There could be around 14 business models, according to some authorities. That sounds about right. Certainly common ones include Retail Arbitrage; Online Arbitrage; Drop-Shipping; Wholesaling.
When I say "Amazon", my particular focus here (and that of the podcast/blog and coaching programmes) is selling Private Label products via Amazon FBA.
Secondly, what are we talking about with a 'mastermind'?
I think it's almost easier to say what masterminds are not. They are NOT, as far as I'm concerned, a mass meeting of 100 people where someone from the front discusses or teaches a lesson.
Don't get me wrong. Big meetings can be very valuable -and by the way, Andy Geldman of Webretailer runs an excellent London Amazon meet up most months, where they have really helpful speakers. I've spoken there recently and was very impressed with the setup. It's a great place to learn new strategies and tactics, and to network. But to my mind, it's not a mastermind (and nor does Andy claim it is, just to be clear!)
Andy charges about a fiver to enter his meetings and, while I think that is super-cheap (and he could arguably charge up to £50 or so), he's not charging hundreds, which I think is appropriate.
I think there are various aspects of Amazon masterminds that make them unique.
Firstly, to be really powerful, they need to be very interactive. So all participants have to think hard and engage their brains in a very active way. It develops their business thinking on a deeper level.
Secondly, they need to be focussed. Generalised excitement has its place, but I would argue that place is at a larger conference-type meeting.
Thirdly, they need to move the participants on in their business. How many times have you been to a large group meeting which inspired you to feel excited about business… and when you got home you did…er…absolutely nothing except talk about how exciting it was (it's embarrassing but we may as well be honest with each other – I did that for decades).
I don't believe that really serves anyone long-term. I think the success of a Amazon masterminds is measured in how much action their participants produce and therefore how much progress they make towards their goals.
Which brings me to another question I've been asked a few times recently:
I love this question because it so clearly illustrates a number of things. This is a really important question.
My simple answers: Time; Certainty; Motivation; Action; Progress
Of course, since the invention of Google (and in more recent years, Facebook groups), in theory you can piece together all the knowledge you need to do anything.
The problem is- reinventing the wheel takes a lot of time.
Let's say you are researching Product Research methods. Let's say you manage to gather all the information you would get in a 30-minute hot seat at one Amazon mastermind meeting by taking a week of Google research.
Great. So you saved yourself £49 (or £97 or whatever the mastermind costs). Let's say you multiply that over 4 different areas of business.
You just spent 4 weeks doing something that could have taken you 4 days (in fact, more like 20 hours – including travel time!).
If your future Amazon business is going to generate say $10,000 a month in profit in a few months, you've just incurred an opportunity cost of $10,000.
For the sake of saving £49 (or £97 etc.)
"Penny wise, pound foolish" is I believe what they used to call that!
If you don't value your time, you won't make serious money. Period.
Here's a simple one: how do you know, out of thousands of Facebook posts, which ones are from a solid source, and which aren't? The answer is that it's hard to know! And doing much research on that would take even more hours.
In an Amazon mastermind, you know who you are dealing with; because of non-disclosure and non-compete clauses, you can find out super quickly who to really follow.
Assuming you're smart enough to make sure there are NDAs and NCA's of course (I really, really would check this. There's obviously a lot to be gained for an unscrupulous member to exploit others' product ideas. Make sure there's quality control about who the members are, and make sure that someone is responsible for policing this stuff).
More importantly, you can judge over time who is being successful and actually implementing stuff, and who is just spouting theory they "read somewhere" or from some guru. There is some value in the latter; but the former is WAY more valuable. The ability to really be able to differentiate between the two is really one of the high values you get from small groups where you can really get to know each other properly.
Be honest – how long have you been "researching" the Amazon private label opportunity? After a couple of months without even buying a small amount of inventory, I'm afraid that "research" is cover for "fear/being lost". That's okay, honesty is useful – but why stay lost?
If you've been selling but way below what you know you've targetted, again, that's just called being human. But if you do nothing new about it, nothing changes.
Being with human beings is hardwired into us. We're group animals. It should therefore be no surprise that your peer group (who you hang out with most of the time and compare yourself to) has a massive impact on everything about you. Your attitude. Your health. And, of course, your wealth.
Getting yourself a peer group and stay actually excited instead of being isolated behind your laptop is simply following fundamental principles of human (indeed, primate) social psychology. We violate those principles at our risk. Why fight nature? It's so much more powerful to go with our instincts than to delude ourselves that we can ignore them…and frankly, to stagnate.
This is the kicker. If you've been "researching" for over 3 months without buying something, that isn't going to change unless you change something.
I've lost count of the conversations I've had with people who are painfully obviously using the word "research" as a fig-leaf for "Fear". There. I've said the four-letter word.
Fear is FINE. It's nature's way of flagging up risk. Awareness of risk – contrary to the happy-clappy, "everything is gold" school of Amazon thinking (which is just BS, apologies for being blunt) is actually GOOD for business. What's not good is going in circles, or not assessing the risk objectively.
If you don't have proven strategies (and the latest Amazon hack is NOT a strategy, it's a tactic. And that's fine. But knowing the difference is everything).
You need people to inspire you by showing you what's possible, and hold you accountable. If you've not done it till now, why will that change?
Some people seem able to work in isolation and still succeed with Amazon. I can think of about two people who were really doing that on a big scale. Guess what? They are now collaborating with other Amazon sellers to get to the next level.
So, I guess that brings me fairly unavoidably to mention the Amazon masterminds that I run for Amazing FBA. Again, I don't want to be self-serving, but it would be a bit strange for me not to mention them in the context of Amazon masterminds and masterminds as a whole.
I try to practise what I preach, basically. I said at the start of this article that I believe that a mastermind needs to be interactive; needs to focus members; and needs to lead its members to action, which leads to their progress.
It's fairly obvious where I'm going with this, so I'll just come out and say it:
-if you know the value of being in one of the Amazon masterminds
-if you're not wanting to go through the pain, time & effort of creating your own Amazon mastermind,
-AND if you live near London (or can get there)
then obviously I think you should consider the Amazing FBA Amazon masterminds!
I'm not going to make a huge pitch for them here; if you want to check them out, there are now two levels:
The Zero to Hero Mastermind, which is geared to those who have not yet launched, and to those doing just a few thousand $ a month (or equivalent) on Amazon (we may form a separate mastermind for the latter as it grows)
The $10K Collective, which is for those doing at least $10K a month on Amazon.
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Brad runs a one-stop consulting firm that helps Amazon sellers and one of the strategies they use is not to think of a product or product sales life cycle one dimensionally. There are different phases a product goes through. You want to identify those phases and what is need for each phase. A lot of people are wondering what to do for an Amazon launch. After the review blast is over, what do you do?
They have something called "Spur the Machine" that they do for their ASINs and sellers. It's a four phase approach to the first step of getting something up on Amazon. In their experience, it takes about three months to get a product up and running and there's a lot going into this.
The big thing is to take a snapshot, then stop and review your data. People tend to keep going and make small adjustments along the way. Doing that makes it difficult to see what's happening and what's causing it.
Some research was done on this topic. They gathered data from millions of SKUs and they found that the number of reviews stop mattering after 21 reviews. After that, it's the amount of stars you have. Reviews matter for sure. Intuition would say that a product with 3000 reviews would do better than one with 100. However, according to the data, what really matters is the star rating.
Brad has found that when you run promotions, there is a higher rate of reviews that comes from people buying your product. The normal rate is about 1-3% of people who buy your product, will review your product. That number jumps up quite a bit when you run promotions. Usually, you don't have to give away more than 30-50 units on products with a lower price point. With product over $100, you could probably get away with less.
A Facebook crowd around your brand is a great resource. You can promote new products there and get a good response
If you have built up a following around your brand. i.e. A Facebook page or group. You can leverage that following to help you. When you have an Amazon launch and are trying to get a new product out there, you can post about it on your page or group and tell them about your promotions, and ask them to leave a review. It's a great resource if you have that following.
You can. It's the idea of making your Facebook community feel special.
It's hard to say. Within Amazon, it's an individual person making the call every time. They have their SOPs that say if someone is given a promotion for a review, take it off. If it's in a grey area, Brad has seen them overreach their bounds too much. However, there should be nothing against giving away promotions for your products.
It shouldn't. It's such a new thing and Brad doesn't know what the internal procedures are but it's not an incentivised review. You're not saying, "Here's a product so that you'll review it for us."
Brad could see that argument between two VPs as he has seen in the past, however, he doesn't have much more insight than that. All he can really go on is the success of promotions in that past that his firm has experienced.
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The final 5th part of this miniseries of 5 episodes, this completes this overview of Profit Maximizing Strategies. Remember the basics: you can only increase profit 2 ways:
We looked last time at decreasing your overheads. Here we address the other profit killer: your Direct Costs.
Otherwise known as COGS=Cost of Goods Sold.
look at your Total Landed Cost (TLC): Here are some ideas for reducing these:
-Manufacturing cost – can you negotiate with your supplier for lower costs? If you order more units, can you get a lower per unit price?
-Freight cost – get multiple freight quotes. Order more in bulk so you can sea freight rather than air freight etc. Choose lighter products!
Also consider your Amazon costs when choosing a product:
-Weight handling costs: Consider product weight & calculate costs very carefully if considering a heavy product. Will it make a profit?
-Oversize product costs: same things to consider as heavy products.
-Amazon Warehousing/storage – generally these are low but again very bulky products may increase these – do your P&L calculations carefully as well.
-Receiving warehouse/Prep: compare costs between eg FBA Inspection, Earth Class Mail, EZPrep in the USA.
Other supply chain cost reductions:
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This 2nd way of increasing sales is so neglected, you can get ahead simply by implementing anything in this area!
The simple idea is to increase the AOV=Average Order Value.
It can be more difficult to implement on Amazon than just getting new customers but is potentially much more profitable.
If someone usually buys a $10 widget at 50% margin, you get $5 profit per sale. If you usually sell say 10 orders of 1 $10 widget a day, your profit per month=$5X10X30=$1500
If you can increase the AOV by say just $1, you would end up with $11X50%X10X30 profit=$1650. $150 extra ie 10% extra.
Multiply such effects across several products and it can add to your bottom line quickly.
The simplest way to increase your AOV is simply to increase price! But you have to weigh up against conversion rate changes etc. to see whether that increases or decreases your price.
Another way is to bundle together products physically eg a 3-pack, 4-pack, 6-pack etc etc. Easy and very very easy to sell on Amazon.
Another way that is even easier is to offer a discount via a promotion code. Eg BOGOF (Buy One, Get One Free) or buy 3, get 10% etc etc.
If you set things up wrongly, you'll make less profit, not more, so know your numbers going into this! Done right, this is a simple way to edge up your profit margin.
A harder way but possible on Amazon, is to do cross-sells eg "this is also bought with X" (spatula with slotted spoon for example). It's possible to influence this again using promo codes – you can offer a 25% discount off a slotted spoon, for example, when you buy a silicone spatula etc.
Another way that is hard to do on Amazon but possible, is to upsell eg from a $5 spatula to a $25 frying pan. Same kinds of methods.
Increasingly, we are looking at strategies that will work best when you have control – in other words, you start to build your own email lists (and other assets like social media subscribers/followers etc.).
There is one more basic way to increase sales that is used least of all by Amazon sellers but could be the most powerful of all…read on…to the next episode…
To find out more about the Amazing FBA London Mastermind mentioned in the episode, click here
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#85 The sea…and Natural Rhythms
It's funny how interacting personally with basic natural forces reminds you of some Business basics for Amazon. Here are a couple of thoughts that have struck me while swimming in the sea off the South-East coast of England:
There is a natural rhythm to everything in business. Just like the ebb and flow of the tide, it's almost like a force of nature. If we learn to recognise hear or see those rhythms, we can work with them not against them.
Examples of natural rhythms include:
If you can schedule things in these various levels of business in a way that works with the natural rhythms rather than against them, you'll find you are riding the waves rather than fighting against the tide!
This episode is one of the **Summer Series** of bite-sized chunks of Amazon Strategic Goodness!


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- Home >
- Adhesives, Fixings & Hardware >
- Padlocks >
- Squire Combi 2 Locking Bolt
This Henry Squire bolt is a unique, patented combination-locking bolt. It provides great security for vehicles, beach huts, boats, internal doors, sheds and gates, up and over garage doors, etc. There are 10,000 possible combinations, in the patented 4-wheel combination. The bolt is lockable in open and closed positions for extra security and can be fitted left or right handed. The diecast black finish is rustproof and the design is highly pick resistant. It is supplied with clutch head security screws. The combination bolt is designed for areas where there is a low to medium risk of theft.
Overall width: 50mm
Overall length: 120mm
Bolt diameter: 10mm


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How far along?
13 Weeks
Total weight gain:
Don't know since last visit… 2.3kg
Maternity clothes?
I definitely need them now, I'm just trying to find time to go shopping! Every time I go in to New Look they don't have the jeans in my size…grr!
Stretch marks?
Not yet…have started using Bio-Oil again which I found really helpful last time!
Not as tired as I have been but my sleep is still disturbed by the pee breaks 😦
Best moment this week:
Spending my birthday with family and Devin saying 'Happy Party, Mommy' without anyone prompting him 🙂
Miss anything?
Food cravings:
Lucozade Orange, drinking it all the time! No mad cravings, I'm still just eating a lot!
Anything making you queasy or sick?
Still can't drink milk but I have FINALLY been able to start drinking tea with no milk 🙂 If you're Irish, you understand! So milk, oily foods, chocolate….and then I just still have nausea all the time!
Don't know! Friends and family are starting to make guesses!
Labour signs:
Nausea, really bad back pain, cramps (which are scaring me) … oh and a massive bump and I am pretty sure I can feel movements now!
Belly button in or out?
Still in!
Wedding rings on or off:
Happy or moody most of the time:
Ok, I asked Noel and he says 'back and forth'!
Looking forward to:
Moving next month … (still!)


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Inspired by Janne's quick offer, here's mine: F2F Hosting Offer -- Washington, DC When: 19 and 20 January 2005 (or 12 and 13 January 2005) Where: Washington, DC (Airports: IAD, DCA, BWI) Who: UMD's Mindlab and Tucana Technology We can host a DAWG face to face meeting on the campus of UMD, College Park, which is metro-accessible and about 7 miles from downtown Washington, DC. While we haven't firmed up actual meeting location details, the options include meeting at Mindlab (but our conference room only comfortably holds about 10), at the UMD conference center, or in a CS classroom. At all of these locations we'll have wifi net access, and the classroom buildings are entirely wifi, which is nice. College Park, MD, is about a $50 taxi -- or 1 hr metro -- ride from IAD (aka "Dulles"), which has the most direct flights from Europe and Asia. It's a $25 taxi -- or 30 minute metro -- ride from DCA (aka "National", unless you're a Republican, in which case: aka "Reagan"). There are two or three relatively inexpensive motels in College Park, near the university; there are dozens of hotels a comfortable metro ride away in various parts of DC itself; and the university has a hotel/conference center so that people can stay very close to the meeting place if we use the conference center. I suspect, but can't say for certain yet, that Mindlab/Tucana would provide at least light refreshments during meetings and probably lunches. DC's a fun place and about 30 minutes away by metro from College Park, so there's plenty of opportunities for off-meeting merriment and socializing. As for weather, DC shouldn't be as cold as Finland in January, but we also won't have a sauna nearby or birch branches or endless streams of vodka... YMMV. :> More info: UMD Mindlab site http://www.mindswap.org/ UMD http://www.umd.edu/ UMD Inn and Conference Center http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Facilities/Buildings/umuc/ Computer Science Instruction Center, site of classrooms where meetings could be held -- a totally wifi building http://www.cs.umd.edu/Department/CSIC/ Official Tourism site for Washington DC http://www.washington.org/ Washington DC Sightseeing Map (if you squint, you can see my apartment!) http://sc94.ameslab.gov/TOUR/tour.html Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority http://www.wmata.com/ Ben's Chili Bowl -- a DC institution since 1958 http://www.benschilibowl.com/ Best, Kendall ClarkReceived on Tuesday, 21 September 2004 13:49:13 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Friday, 17 January 2020 17:00:29 UTC


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Pearl Jam
The word supergroup usually inspires suspicion—the whole is seldom equivalent to the sum of its parts. And the term comes up a lot in descriptions of Lucy Pearl, which comprises Toni Tony Tone's Raphael Saadiq, En Vogue's Dawn Robinson, and A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad. As the band opened their show at S.O.B.'s, supergroup clichés seemed to be in effect: the flamboyantly dressed backing band, the smoke machine, Raphael Saadiq in a poncho and beads ripping through a wailing guitar solo. But then Dawn Robinson stepped onstage. Shit, no wonder everyone "used to have a crush on Dawn from En Vogue": She looked like a Vargas Girl (albeit one costumed by the Road Warrior) and exuded charm like a palpable haze. Then she unleashed that voice, tearing right into a version of En Vogue's "Don't Let Go," which segued into a reconstruction of Tribe's "Award Tour," which slipped into some Toni Tony, and everything was gonna be alright.
On the Stevie Wonder-ful "Everyday," Raphael and Dawn goofed Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell-style, playing off each other both physically and vocally while a beaming Shaheed showed off his new braces, all obviously more pals than coworkers. The vibe extended to the rest of the band, whether it was Raphael's cousin—"first cousin"—on bass or Dawn slipping in with the backup singers like they were her long-lost . . . you know. The jams were as potent as the structured songs, a request to "Do that again" or "Break it down a little bit" immediately, smoothly taking hold. As they closed with their sexy, groove-heavy single "Dance Tonight," audience and band chanting the chorus and shaking ass, Lucy Pearl seemed pretty damn super indeed. —Lissa Townsend Rodgers
The Road Leads Home
A lean and largely electric combo propelled Miriam Makeba from '60s classics like "The Click Song" through most of her new Putumayo CD, Homeland, during the "Badenya 2000" showcase. Describing her ensemble—which included a Madagascan guitarist and Makeba's own granddaughter—and the seven other artists on the bill as "a mini-Organization of African Unity" drawn from all corners of "our very troubled continent," Makeba urged an audience full of transplanted Africans and U.N. dignitaries not to give up on Africa. The one-hour performance was a tantalizing preview of the North American tour that the South African singer will launch in July.
Makeba's background in musical theater served her well as she danced, crooned, and exhorted her way through 14 songs of hope and struggle, each tastily embellished with rich vocal harmonies and airy synthesizer effects. At 68, she still has the electrifying vocal power and presence that won her international acclaim 40 years ago. At City Center, playing rousing township anthems like "Masakhane" or silky English-language ballads like "Africa Is Where My Heart Lies," Makeba growled in the middle of melodic phrases like Celia Cruz, hit big, sustained notes like Patti LaBelle, and routinely deployed the impeccable timing and diction of a jazz singer. Her rendition of Hugh Masakela's "Soweto Blues" was a heartrending reminder of the atrocities of apartheid, while her sexy remake of "Pata Pata" evoked a resilient warmth and playfulness. Having helped define the pan-African dimension of the American civil rights movement, Miriam Makeba remains unparalleled when it comes to using her art to articulate problematic African realities. In the '60s she succeeded in making presidents, prime ministers, and hoi polloi think more about Africa. Four decades later, Homeland reveals Makeba still manning the barricades, still willing and able to draw serious attention to the Motherland. —Carol Cooper
Surface Tension
Sarah Dougher sets the Knitting Factory audience straight right away: "It's pronounced 'dooger,' not 'dour.' " Precision is important to the Portland singer-songwriter, as well as, perhaps, a wish to preempt hasty conclusions. For if performing involves setting up a relationship with the audience, Dougher—in basic black, her feet firmly apart in a defiant stance—seems unwilling to make things easy for us. What's expansive and warm on her two solo albums is drastically minimized live: Songs that breathed with piano, harmonica, drums, and bass are now studies in austere economy. With only two guitars and an occasional electric piano, the charm of the material takes longer to sink in. It eventually does, though, because that severe demeanor is just a front—Dougher's humor and tenderness are hiding in plain sight. Typically, she advises us not to break the picket line at MOMA, then segues into "Art Lover." Her secret weapon is that she makes everybody feel as if they're the only one who gets the joke.
If Sarah Dougher basically revamps folk-rock (the young Joni Mitchell's always within earshot), the Bangs have decided that the Go-Go's just weren't fast enough. The first thing guitarist Sarah Utter does is put on earplugs—an accurate warning of what's to come, as well as a nice finishing touch to her red suit and knee-high stockings. This is what Cindy Sherman's Office Killer should have looked like: the blank-faced punk temp as agent of corporate mayhem. But appearances can be deceiving, and the Olympia, Washington, band isn't here to search and destroy. After all, Utter's stage foil is wholesome-looking bassist Maggie Vail (sister of Bikini Kill's drummer, Tobi), and the Bangs' self-contained eruptions are reined in within classic-pop parameters. In the end their pretend toughness turns out to be fast but not so furious, a sourball with a sweet aftertaste. —Elisabeth Vincentelli


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Numerous reasons for graduate school
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Every May and December thousands of students across the country graduate with their bachelor degrees. While some students may choose to enter graduate school to delay entering the workforce after college, others apply to further their education and professionalism.
"I definitely wasn't scared to face the real world because I wanted to make money and start my career," Hillary Siegfried a WT grad who recently graduated from Oklahoma State University with a graduate degree, said. "I did finish my undergraduate degree in three years, so it made sense to just keep going and continue my education while I was young. However, personally I wanted to gain more knowledge in my degree area and be prepared for the real world, and graduate school helped with that."
Wanting more knowledge isn't the only reason many students decide to attend graduate school.
"A year ago, that was the mentality in Education majors, because a lot of teachers were being laid off," Elsa Diego-Medrano, an Instructor of Reading and Early Childhood at WT, said. "So they decided that they would get their Masters in the meantime. That really wasn't the case though, because the pool to choose from was so big, that the credentials were so high."
For others, the decision to enter graduate school derives from their determination to change careers altogether.
"Bachelor degrees are a dime a dozen, so you need something more to stand out," Ellie Anders, graduate student of History, said. "I was working professionally in technical theater and I came to the end of a career. Worked in it for several years and I was finished. I wanted to start something new," Anders said.
And still others choose graduate school, not because of boredom or fear of the economy in their field, but to further the career they have already chosen to pursue.
"I wanted to be a professional and not to be at an entry level position," said Ashley Schilling, who is currently working on her Masters in Communication Disorders at WT.


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This page can be used to get a 303 See Other HTTP redirect to a
Skype resource. For instance, if you are using a wiki that only
http:// hyperlinks, but you wanted to link to
skype:echo123 to call the user
you can instead link to http://s11.no/s/skype:echo123.
This page will also provide a link to download Skype if it has not
been installed or the
skype: protocol is not registered in the
The URIs minted below
http://s11.no/s/skype: can also
be used for statements about Skype contacts in RDF if the
skype: protocol is not desireable.
echo123 with your Skype name
To find your own Skype name, click "Profile" in Skype.
To find the Skype name of a contact, right click on the contact within Skype and click "View contact"
To find the URI for a group chat in Skype, type
uri into the chat window. Append that to
For persistent Skype telcons, click "Create a group" and then use
/topic Something something to give it a name.
Participants who followed the links can click "Join call", lurk in
the text chat, or leave the chat.
(Note: the Linux Skype client and older OS X clients are currently
not able to initiate a group call in this way, and will instead
create a duplicate call which can't
be joined by URI.)
This service is made using Apache 2 redirection and PHP. See https://github.com/stain/s/ for source code and to suggest improvements/pull requests.


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Virtuos contributed to 5 of the top 5 highest grossing opening weekend films of all time
Virtuos contributed to 5 of the top 5 highest grossing opening weekend films of all time
Shanghai, China – June 30th 2016 – Virtuos is proud to have had the exciting opportunity to partner with Industrial Light & Magic on yet another blockbuster superhero movie.
Captain America: Civil War is the thirteenth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, to which Virtuos also contributed.
Our movie team produced several unique superhero vehicles along with digital doubles that include Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Virtuos produced top quality assets for 5 tentpole films in 2015. Captain America: Civil War marks the first blockbuster release of 2016 that we have contributed to.
With Captain America: Civil War release Virtuos has officially contributed to all 5 of the top 5 highest grossing opening weekend films of all time. (source: Box Office Mojo). The lineup of Virtuos-contributed movies included Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, the two Avengers movies and Captain America: Civil War.
About Virtuos
Founded in 2004, Virtuos Ltd. is a leading videogame content production company with operations in China, Vietnam, Canada, France, Japan, Ireland and the United States. With over 1,200 full-time professionals, Virtuos specializes in game development and AAA 3D art production for consoles and mobile titles, enabling its customers to generate additional revenue and achieve operational efficiency. For over a decade, Virtuos has successfully delivered high quality content for nearly 1000 projects and its customers include 18 of the top 20 digital entertainment companies worldwide. For more information, please visit www.virtuosgames.com.


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I hope you catch an eel, Ollie. I like how you presented your information with Marcus too.
Wow Ollie I hope you catch an eel. you have done a great job with this post.but you might need to update your post and move your photo. Great work keep it up!