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Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) A320F DS 16GB GSM Unlocked International Model, No Warranty (Peach Cloud)
Product Description -
Galaxy A3 (2017)
Simply elegant
Elegance in its purest form. Crafted with minimalism in mind for maximum enjoyment its highly resistant rear 3D Glass and optimal 4.7" display fuse together flawlessly to provide a remarkably seamless design.
Uniform all around
Design that is a delight to hold. Sitting perfectly level with the rear casing the absence of any camera protrusion allows for uniformaly smooth and symmetrical design from all angles.
Coloured by nature
Set trends rather than follow them. All four available muted colour tones are named after natural elements to appeal more to the senses and blend harmoniously with its overall design.*Availability of colours may vary by country.
Coloured by nature
Set trends rather than follow them. All four available muted colour tones are named after natural elements to appeal more to the senses and blend harmoniously with its overall design.*Availability of colours may vary by country.
Bring images to life
Life looks great through the Galaxy A3 (2017). Fitted with a highly capable 13 MP rear camera you can capture the world around you as it was meant to be seen.
Expand your creativity
Enjoy greater creative control to make your visual storytelling much more brilliant. Optimise portraits or spice up colour tones with a set of preset camera filters to enhance your favourite photos.*On-screen image taken with Galaxy A3 (2017).
Capture clearermemories
Sharpen up your selfies. With its optimal 8 MP front camera the Galaxy A3 (2017) captures you in richer detail and outstanding colours so you always look great in every pose.*On-screen image taken with Galaxy A3 (2017).
Safeguarded for the unexpected
Reliable protection so you can keep up with life wherever it takes you. Equipped with IP68 to withstand the elements it shields out everything from liquids to dust in most situations.
Powerfully efficient
Just the boost of power you need. The Galaxy A3 (2017) features significantly longer battery life so you get the most from your device even with heavy usage.
Pack more in
Seamless balance, signature performance. With up to 256 GB of expandable storage you can store even more ofyour favourite multimedia while enhanced dual SIM performance provides greater flexibility when travelling.*Performance specifications may vary by country.
View in an instant
Get the essentials without even waking up your phone so you preserve time and power. With Always On Display your clock and calendar are always in sight for whenever you need them.
Safe and sound Secure
Folder keeps selected apps and sensitive data locked down and separate from the regular contents on your device. It also saves you from having to log in every time with one time authentication.
All with in reach
Peace of mind you can count on. Back up, upgrade and sync your data across all your Galaxy devices so everything is right where you need it. Even better, every Samsung Cloud account comes with 15 GB of storage.
Works both ways
Thanks to its reversible plug orientation USB Type-C cable goes to work whichever way you plug it in to your device. This means you can enjoy hassle-free charging without worrying which side is up.
More to choose from
Dress up and modify your device for whatever suits your needs. From sturdy and stylish cases to durable screen protectors Galaxy A3 (2017) comes with a wide array of efficient accessories to choose from.*Availability of certain products may vary by country. Actual home screen may vary.
Simplify your spending
The easier way to pay. With various payment options, including NFC and MST,Samsung Pay allows you to make purchases swiftly and securely whenever you're on the go.
*Payment options may vary by country.
Copyright ⓒ 1995-2017 SAMSUNG All rights reserved.
|Brand New, Unlocked
|GSM Network
|3G, Edge, GPRS, GSM, HSCSD, WCDMA
|Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE 2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM model only) 3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - A320F/FL HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - A320Y 4G bands LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 5(85
|v4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE
|microUSB v2.0
|Main Display
|Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 4.7 inches
|Color Display
|16.000.000 colors,
|720 x 1280 pixels (~312 ppi pixel density)
|External Display
|Without External Display
|Internal Memory
|Storage Types
|MicroSD, MicroSDHC
|External Memory (UPTO)
|up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
|Memory Slots
|Non-removable Li-Ion 2350 mAh battery
|Standby Time
|Up to 350 h
|Talk Time
|Up to 17 h (3G)
|Talk Time Range
|Vibrate Alert
|With Vibrate Alert
|With Camera
|13 MP, f/1.9,
|Maximum Photo Resolution
|Digital Zoom
|Optical Zoom
|Without Optical Zoom
|Auto Focus
|With Flash
|FM Radio
|With FM Radio
|Other Features
|ANT+ support - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - MP4/WMV/H.264 player - MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+/FLAC player - Photo/video editor - Document viewer
|Video Call
|With SMS
|Package Contents
|PACKAGE CONTENTS: Samsung Galaxy A3 A320F (2017) Battery Charger usb cable Users Guide
|SIM Card Slots
|Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
|SIM Card Modes
|Music Output
|With GPS
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NLXL 'Concrete' wallpaper 03
Concrete effect wallpaper by Piet Boon
Dimensions 48.7cm x 900cm
No repeat!
Heavy-duty wallpaper with paper top-layer and non-woven backing
Colourfast and washable with a soft cloth
No wallpapering table necessary, glue is applied to wall
Leadtime 2-3 weeks. Please email email@example.com for a sample.
Piet Boon is world famous for the incredible sophistication in his designs. The robust yet elegant classic Piet Boon style combines natural materials with subdued colour palettes for an unrivaled look that is authentic in every way. His attention to detail and esthetics can be found in private homes, beach houses, retail stores, resorts, hotels, public spaces, the furniture label and numerous product designs all over the world.
Piet Boon: "We were absolutely stunned when we first visited NLXL. The production methods, level of quality and the company's unique expertise and passion were a real eye opener. We are very proud of our Concrete Wallpaper. The result is amazing in every aspect. One really has to touch it to feel the difference with the real thing.
Concrete with its sober, subdued character is one of my favorite materials. And now there is this fabulous wallpaper which lets one transform a space, be it a wall or ceilings easily and in a very affordable way. We also plan to use it for wainscoting panels and ceilings. Another huge advantage is that minor damages don't show – they simply disappear naturally in the 'structure'."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
To Each Her Own -- A Home VBAC
Here's my story:
I guess it would be best to begin my birth story with my first birth, the birth of my son, Max. Being pregnant with him was as glorious as any first pregnancy could get, zero illness and with all the delightful firsts, thankfully. Like many births that begin in the hospital however, Max's went the way of the c-section. The records show that there were multiple reasons for this, ie, not specifically conclusive; fever (fear of infection - even though I had had IV antibiotics the ENTIRE TIME), fetal heart rate decelerations, CPD, FTP, ETC. Let me just say, I thought I'd "listen to my body" and wrote out a "birth plan". To be fair, "listening to my body" often meant having that 5-inch thick sandwich or going on a Hagen-Daaz run in the middle of the night while pregnant. I believed myself young and fit enough to forego extra Yoga and workouts, that I knew enough about birth in general to do a 3-hour birth class, alone. Sixty-plus pounds later and about 3 weeks overdue, I "listened" to my body and begged to be induced, all day long, crying in hormonal desperation until they admitted me into the hospital. My mother, husband and I waited an hour until we were able to get into a small, triage room, where we stayed for 12 hours until my water broke with little to no fanfare and zero pain. We were then allowed to move into a true L&D room. The birth ran the gamut; IV for GBS antibiotics, Pitocin to get "going", crazy, intense and inconsistent contractions, birth plan out the window, self-administered Fleet enema, fentanyl, an epidural, 3 hours of pushing, all eyes but my own seeing my son's head, all eyes on the monitors, not me, 7 very different labor nurses, 4 Ob's, a pack of interns, a nice 1.5 hour wait for an anesthesiologist, busy with 3 other cesareans, for my URGENT cesarean, during which I actually had to let them know my leg was not on the table...After a total of 32 hours, Max arrived. I sent my anxious husband away to accompany our son with instructions to not let his eyes off of him. The next 9 hours before I saw my son were spent catching sleep in dopey, exhausted bits, interrupted by rounds for stats and sudden panics about Max's whereabouts. I couldn't even hold him when he was there. All that I could manage to voice was an inaudible whisper to bring him closer. I consoled myself that I needed the rest. The maternity ward was no better. Waiting for the next 3 days as per protocol and an additional day for blood test results to show Max was infection-free, was almost as bad if not worse. What might have seemed a not unusual tiff with my mother, saddled with the coming off of drugs and hormones and no sleep, my nurse interpreted as a situation to remedy. Herself a young mother of a 3-month old without decent rest, she took it upon herself, even when I emphatically said I wanted no such thing to happen, to tell my Korean mother that only spouses were allowed to sleep over, shoving the Patients Rights book at her and asking if she could read English. My mother has only lived in the US for 35 years. Unfortunately, mom thought I had orchestrated the whole thing. It was flat out awful, even with my linebacker-sized baby finally with us. I felt assaulted, traumatized, disappointed, misled and totally distrustful of my own judgment. The minute we walked through our own doors and put the carseat with Max still in it down, I bawled into my husband's shoulders. I never wanted another baby again and I'm sure my husband believed I meant it.
At my 6-week check up, I broke down when asked how it all went. Semi-jokingly, I said I was finished with having kids, but mentioned a possible future birth, a possible VBAC. It was quickly stated that I had an 8% chance of successful VBAC, and a 50-60% chance of having the EXACT same traumatic experience, whatever that meant. As soon as I was pregnant again, I could easily schedule a cesarean again and choose the birthdate, bypassing all of the trauma I had previously experienced. I was stunned. Something was deeply unsettling to me, made obvious when my husband asked, "When are you going to write those thank you notes to the doctors?" and my reaction, borderline violent. A year and a half later, a nurse handed me some tissues to dry my eyes after a routine Pap and suggested that I might try some therapy for PTSD-like symptoms. I cried ANY TIME someone asked how the birth was, no matter how hard I tried not to shed a tear.
Though I know not all cesarean births go this way, I also know many do, leaving women severely shaken in their views of everything birth related and sadly at times, in their views of themselves. This very fact should make us reexamine birth from beginning to end more closely.
Let me be clear that I was not so much upset about the cesarean section as I was about the entire chain of events that led to it. In all honesty, the surgery was the easy part. For the second time around, I simply wanted a different experience, one that I owned, one that I was consciously aware and in charge of, with people around me who supported that very wish and respected me enough to talk to me informatively and sensitively.
The same nurse who suggested therapy also reassured me of my willingness to try for a VBAC, vaginal birth after cesarean. I undertook much research before getting pregnant the second time. The occasional homebirth story simply came along with the information that I found. My intention was to go for a VBAC in a hospital setting. I never sought out homebirth as an option, but after getting pregnant again, everything slowly began to point in that direction. After several interviews with OB's about protocols and management of VBAC's, an open house visit to a birth center, more interviews with doulas, I felt somehow stymied and disconnected to my choices. Everything was very what THEY'D do and not what they'd do WITH ME. Tons of emphasis on cesarean prep, just in case. Even a more stereotypical doula was excitedly talking about EFM and quicker access to epidurals so I could just wait and then vaginally birth. What about birth prep? I appealed to a great neighborhood resource, the Potrero Hill Parents Association, for names of anyone, anything VBAC related and one name appeared several times. It was the name of a midwife who has practiced for over 25 years in San Francisco. I decided to meet her as a possible doula candidate.
The same thing happened as always whenever I was asked about my first birth - tears, big, bitter, pitiful tears. Only, when I met Maria, it was the first time I felt like someone understood where exactly those tears were coming from. It wasn't so much that I was disappointed in myself or the hospital, but that I believe in my core of the value of birth, perhaps in the same way one might hold high the experience of pregnancy or breastfeeding as nonnegotiable aspects of early parenthood. I firmly stand by the motto, "To each his own". To me, a VBAC at home was what became the best decision for our family.
It took months more of work at my midwife's behest. Utmost, I had to make sure I was a good candidate for VBAC at home. This was hotly contested between hospital staff. Where one said I was fine and could follow parallel care between midwife and hospital, another said any birth at home is atrocious and irresponsible. However, according to them all, my VBAC chances shot up significantly once the news was out that I was even remotely considering homebirth. One thing was agreed on after that, that my body had the "memory" of getting all the way to pushing and nearly crowning. This was only encouragement.
I had to "deal" with my anger and flatly come to the conclusion that what happened before was the only way my son was going to come home to me, that I couldn't dissect the experience in any way and find one particular person or thing to blame. It was what it was, but it was a big deal. Ok. Fortunately, as time went on, I began to view the first birth as a benefit, an advantage: EXPERIENCE.
My partner, my husband, had to be on board, and this was difficult. One can only imagine the total helplessness he must've felt after going into our first birth supposedly prepared and witnessing what may have looked like sheer torture for me. His impression was that his wife and son were saved. I would like to say I won the case through all the bookmarked pages of studies and journals that deem homebirth safe, the statistics on successful VBAC anywhere, etc, but it was really our deepening trust and in our relationship with our midwife, our birth instructor and ourselves that closed the arguments. We simply came to feel prepared for birth wherever it would end up. Even back on the table.
The last half of my second pregnancy, I knew I wanted to try anything and everything that might up my chances of a successful home VBAC, or HBAC. These things included prenatal yoga, chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, a doula also seeking a VBAC, meditation/visualization, reading, exercise, a well-managed diet (no more Hagen-Daaz), all of which were practiced and administered by a network of people who were very familiar with each other - a family if you will. Most importantly, however, I very much consciously worked on surrounding myself with "believers", those who believed in me, nay-sayers be gone. I canceled lunches with people who said, "You're nuts!". To my surprise, supporters were found in those I thought would be negative. I simply had to be genuinely wholehearted in my sharing the wish for a homebirth and own the work involved.
For our back up hospital, we chose UCSF. Four main reasons brought us to that decision - nurse midwives attend the OB patients, a practice that made us more comfortable in knowing, mobile EFM so I could walk around, bathtubs for each room to relax in and the knowledge that many critical neonatal emergencies end up there. The last, we didn't focus on, but was nice to know.
I tested positive for Group B Strep again. As per protocol in the hospital, I would be given antibiotics intravenously. What were my options now? Maria was great. We discussed a month long course of oral antibiotics, which didn't come about. Instead, we decided to loosely follow a diabetic diet to greatly reduce sugars which feed the bacteria and continue to qualitatively test the GBS, high, medium or low growth. After several weeks we got it down to low, but not zero. I had read a Bay Area Homebirth Collective newsletter about a mom using the surgical cleanser, Hibiclens, directly on herself since GBS is passed through contact. We decided to go this route. At this point, I felt all boxes were checked and bases covered.
Even after all of this, my conviction and confidence stronger than ever, I could not avoid the last panic late into my pregnancy. "What if I have to transfer and have a cesarean again?" As I waited for one of my lovely, long prenatal appointments, serendipity prevailed. My midwife's office is a shared space with chiropractors, one of whom was a patient of my midwife and happened to be there. She simply started telling me of her homebirth experience without my asking. Her experience ended in a transfer and cesarean AND she was pleased. How? Because she went for it, was prepared, respected, consulted, advised, supported and sincerely cared for. I was calmed and mentally began to consider how I'd want to handle the least sought after of my scenarios.
One term used to describe a doula, or midwife acting as doula, is advocate. Key to my comfort with a transfer to a hospital was that my midwife would then be my advocate, like a lawyer to consult with once given some terrible news. This seemed much more supportive and protective than a doctor handing over a clipboard to sign surgical consent in mid-contraction. I actually imagined the comfort in saying, "Talk to my advocate." But, I had to go deeper. Worst case scenario would be that a baby would not come home with us. I was reminded of a question we asked Maria very early before working with her. We asked if she had ever dealt with the death of a baby whose birth she attended. To be sure, this was extremely unpleasant, but I felt it necessary to ask. I felt I should've asked for my first birth in hindsight. The ensuing story obviously brought us to tears, but after processing it further, I realized how comforting in that event that that young family had an advocate, a gentle care provider, a MIDWIFE who'd been with them throughout the process, a friend to humbly share and support in that harrowing moment.
My due date came and went, my calm and patience wavered. Three days later on a sunny afternoon, my water broke. I was elated to finally feel that sensation, not having done so the first time. This was it! I had had a couple of "practice" labors, or "false" labors that lasted about 4 hours each, in the two weeks before. They were helpful in getting me somewhat dilated and really "prepped" to step up to the real deal. Our family went out to Indian dinner, while I had mild contractions 10 minutes apart or so. I literally tried to welcome and savor every one. We came home, bathed and put our son to bed. Max was 2 years and 8 months old and had been told of a new sibling, a sister on the way. I kept quiet that I was in labor to him so he wasn't anxious. We had hoped he would sleep through it all as I labored on another level of the house and if not, a sitter would take him elsewhere. Two and a half seemed too young for me to not worry about him and be able to focus on birthing. My husband and I lay down and listened to relaxation tapes I'd made during hypnotherapy, trying to stay rested and calm. The contractions were like clockwork - coming quicker and stepping up in intensity - all very manageable.
Around midnight, the contractions were 3 minutes apart and I had to stop what I was doing and breathe through them. I couldn't even stand to be talked to, no outer focus, only in. We called our doula and midwife who said they'd be there in about an hour. The birthtub was made ready downstairs near our guestroom, easy after the practice of two false starts. My doula arrived at the same time as my midwife and her apprentice. At the same time, my son woke up. We called the sitter. My contractions were strong and I wanted nothing more than to get in the tub. I was checked to be 7 centimeters! And all of it accomplished before anyone had arrived. We quickly used the Hibiclens, which stung like alcohol, but otherwise, forgettable. The sitter took my son to her house, sadly without a g'bye, but gladly without a clue, I relaxed in the warm water, in the dimly lit and heated room. I only came out twice to check the cervix, it was that comfortable.
Three more hours passed with the rhythmic progression of contractions, rest, heart rate checks, dilation checks, peppered with calming voices of support and encouragement. When it seemed about an hour or so was left to the main event, another midwife arrived. This is standard practice. My team then consisted of husband, doula, two midwives and an apprentice. I was surrounded by believers and in fact, a team of women who felt honored in the presence of birth ~ amazing. My mantra was that I be yoga's corpse pose in between contractions. It worked. I slept. I had prepared by meditating on a chart given by my hypnotherapist of a typical hour of active labor - a 1.5 minute contraction divided into three equal parts is, 30-seconds rise, 30-seconds peak, 30-seconds fall. Being 3 minutes apart, as contractions usually are in this stage, means that in one hour, there is 15 minutes of contractions, only 5 of which are peak, leaving 45 minutes of absolute nothing - REST. I focused on the resting for endurance, my husband in the water supporting me as I leaned into him.
The final stage kicked in. I started to question my resolve. I was too tired. I vomited. I was ready to get this over and done with. I thought of my visualization exercise about an animal. For me it was the mother wolf, and her deeply impressive message that our strength and authority as mothers is inherent, natural and unquestionable. I got motivated. Because of the way I asked for counter pressure on my back and hips, it was thought I was having back labor, baby facing up, so I floated on my back in the water when it was time to push. I could feel her head, but to tell the truth, that made me lose concentration. I focused on the contraction. Not wanting another contraction, I pushed a bit quicker than I should've, resulting in a tear and need of stitches.
Eva was born in the water at 4:15AM on a wet Spring day in April. My husband laughed so hard while I sat in the water feeling a mixture of amazement, joy and great relief, like something was lost, but found again and better. I joked to get pregnant and do it again, right away. A far cry from the first experience. So tired after that last push, I leaned my sleepy head onto my laughing husband's chest as he sat behind me. But then, Eva was placed in my arms and everything hit me. I didn't just DO IT, have a natural childbirth, as one OB said she understood as my sole reason to choose homebirth. No. I totally overcame a very dark and disappointing obstacle, place, thing that had resided within me, through this birth experience. Something that weighed me down as I tried to accept it and go on loving my first bundle of joy. I came out on the side of bliss that all parents want to have somehow, something that is your new baby AND the birth. I was wholly transformed. The experience carried me through most of that first sleepless year and to this day, perhaps for always, and made an impact on those in the room and others in my life. When I think back on that entire process culminating into that moment, I feel the most tender kind of joy. It has become a touchstone. I own it, but I share it. Everyone's experience is unique. To each her own.


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Rachel Uchitel is 'in a serious relationship' with former baseball player Bret Boone.
The twice-married former mistress of Tiger Woods – who also had an affair with Bones actor David Boreanaz – has recently started dating the former Seattle Mariners player, according to the New York Post's Page Six.
Boone, 44, is separated from his wife Suzi, the mother of his four children while Uchitel has a daughter Wyatt with her second husband Matt Hahn.
Ironically, she is set to appear on Thursday's episode of Millionaire Matchmaker, the Bravo show which sees millionaire men and women seek to find love with the help of matchmaker Patti Stanger.
Uchitel, 38,filmed the show last summer but it is not clear when she started dating Boone.
Patti knows Rachel personally and says her Alpha energy causes her to shred through men looking for her soul mate. Will Patti get Rachel to stop being aggressive long enough to let one guy in?
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Two leading US academics — both with strong ties to Taiwan — have condemned the treatment of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and called for the case to be handled fairly.
Arthur Waldron, a professor of international relations at the University of Pennsylvania, said he was "shocked" by "the stench of vindictiveness" associated with Chen's trial.
Law professor Jerome Cohen — a professor of President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) at Harvard University — said that Chen faced the near-impossible task of defending himself from jail and was "fighting with one arm tied behind his back."
Both were speaking at a Washington symposium "Towards Truth and Reconciliation in Taiwan," organized by the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), the Formosa Foundation, the Chen Wen-cheng Memorial Foundation and the Formosan Association for Human Rights.
Turning to the Chen case, Cohen said: "I am very concerned about the huge allegations of corruption. If he has committed crimes he should be prosecuted. But the proceedings should be fair. I still hope the courts will release him under circumstances that will guarantee that he does not flee, but will also guarantee that he has an adequate chance to defend himself as he appeals the sentence."
"Taiwan has to act in ways that will build confidence and lead to internal reconciliation. They do not want to perpetuate the very bitter divisions that now exist," Cohen said.
"If democracy is going to succeed, the Kuomintang [Chinese Nationalist Party, KMT] and the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] must strive for the interests of Taiwan and not for their own immediate partisan interests. Chen's family is awash in unexplained money and you can't ignore that. I am nauseated by the amounts involved. But you have to pursue and investigate and prosecute fairly," he said.
Waldron, who has a long history of links with Taiwan, said: "The way Chen has been treated is not the way a developed and modern country deals with a former head of state. There is an element of the other political side getting its own back."
He said the KMT had "dirty laundry that is stored in all kinds of closets and hidey-holes around Taiwan," adding that their lack of zeal in "pulling this dirty laundry out and going through it" was obvious.
The symposium urged Taipei to launch a "truth and reconciliation" commission — similar to the ones used in East Germany and South Africa — to closely examine human rights violations during the Martial Law era.
"It is our right and responsibility to become involved in this," FAPA president Bob Yang (楊英育) said.
"It will be necessary to deal with complex and difficult issues to move things in the right direction and prevent the repeat of tragedies," he said.
The symposium was inspired by the completion of the film Formosa Betrayed — the fictionalized story of a political assassination organized by the Taiwan government in the 1980s — which is now being shown at film festivals throughout the US and Canada prior to general release.
"When you see the situation on the mainland [China] you can appreciate the enormity of Taiwan's achievement," Cohen said.
"Beijing has no constitutional court and no mechanism for making constitutional rights into reality. But on Taiwan there is this hatred between the KMT and the DPP. It is hard for outsiders to understand. It must be overcome." he said.


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Engineered to be Gold
Here at Western Michigan University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, we offer a nurturing environment that allows each of our students to achieve and grow. We'll give you a solid classroom foundation with exceptional hands-on experiences. You'll work closely with our highly accomplished faculty, who want to get to know you, support you and see you succeed.
Our $100 million facility on WMU's Parkview Campus has 323,000 square feet of teaching and research space, with 75 undergraduate and graduate labs. We share space in the Business Technology and Research Park with 44 high-tech companies.
Uncover your gold!
Our departments
- Chemical and Paper Engineering
- Civil and Construction Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Engineering Design, Manufacturing and Management Systems
- Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
All programs are accredited.


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With each child shot down with a stone in his hand, or on her way home from the bakery; with each cafe turned to carnage when a young man explodes himself upon the innocent; with each shot and countershot, crude rocket launch, or barrage of missiles sent in retribution – with each terrible burst of anger and pain, something beautiful is lost.
Life, of course; that's what's been sacrificed, more than 100,000 times by some estimates, since the tragedy unfolded six decades ago.
But more than human life has been lost in these tragic years. Also diminished are immeasurable quantities of creativity, curiosity, joy, openness, and possibility. Imagine the other paths that might have opened had so many lives not been cut short – and so many dreams not been smashed into shards across a broken landscape of Arab and Jew.
After generations of strife, the holy land yearns for people with heart and vision to think in a different way, to heal in a new way, and to make real the vision for a just peace.
The status quo is unacceptable
For now, the decisions of diplomacy are in the hands of the hardened, the unimaginative, the angry, the weak, the fearful, and the near-defeated. The truth, for the moment, is not encouraging.
For Palestinians, this June marks 44 years under occupation. Their hope of a state to call home has shriveled, along with the land base itself. It began with a vision of a single secular democratic state of Arabs and Jews on the area that now comprises Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. It became a historic compromise for a nation on 22 percent of that land. The reality is limited autonomy and movement on just 10 percent – a "state of leftovers" amid expanding housing projects and segregated roads.
For Israelis, the dream of feeling truly safe and secure, accepted as a neighbor by historic enemies, is scarcely more real than it was in 1949, when the armistice was brokered after the first of many wars. Now a wall has arisen, and security guards no longer stand at sidewalk cafes. But a sense of genuine safety and acceptance remains a desert mirage.
For one people, an endless occupation upon their shrinking land base; for another, an illusory calm, as the winds of revolution blow in from the West and East. For both peoples, and for us on the outside, there is one thing to agree on: The status quo is unacceptable. Real change may seem impossible, but it must come. And if the recent past is a teacher, it may come more swiftly, and more unpredictably, than any self-styled leader or expert could say.
What form this change will take is also unknowable. The international community still calls for two independent nations separated by an international border. But six decades of partition have not worked. Today, half a million Israelis have colonized the lands of a would-be state of Palestine; Israel's population is now one-fifth Palestinian. Arab and Jew are mixed together.
Fresh thinking
Now, with a revolutionary spirit in the Middle Eastern air, with momentum building for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations this September, and a virtual certainty of a coming Palestinian majority on the lands "between the river and the sea," plans discarded long ago are reemerging. Some call for the creation of a single secular democratic state in which ethnic and religious identity are preserved, and whereby Palestinians have a right to return to their old homeland. Others envision a federation or binational state, as dreamed of by the Jewish visionary Martin Buber. Some fondly recall the "tripartite" proposal by the British in 1939, for a government divided between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Other models envision a Middle Eastern Union, a region of open borders in which commerce, technology, and labor flow freely.
Many in Israel, whose friends, neighbors, and very own families have made the ultimate sacrifice to create and maintain a Jewish homeland, shudder at such ideas. Some prefer the politics of ultimate separation, whereby many Palestinian citizens of Israel are deported, or expelled to Jordan.
A middle ground, which acknowledges Israeli fears, is worth considering.
Ambassador Mathias Mossberg of Sweden proposes "parallel" or "dual" states, "superimposed on top of one another. Citizens could freely choose which system to belong to.... The Israeli state would remain a homeland for Jews, and at the same time, become a place in which Palestinians are able to live freely." Israelis are not likely to look well upon this plan, either. But the tectonic plates of democracy and demography are shifting in ways that could change the political landscape dramatically.
Principles of peace
A just and durable peace need not be based on love or appreciation. But it must be based on dignity, equality, and mutual respect. It should include these principles:
Domination is not an option. Life under military occupation is humiliating, enraging, and emotionally damaging. On the 60 percent of the West Bank occupied by Israel, Palestinian children must sometimes be escorted to school by soldiers, lest they be stoned by nearby Jewish settlers. Intimidating checkpoints sometimes require a three-hour wait. Others simply emphasize who is in control. At a checkpoint near Jenin, Alá, a 10-year-old Palestinian music student, was forced recently to remove her violin from its case and play a song for a soldier. This dehumanizes not only the Palestinians forced to endure such encounters, but also the soldier who, consciously or not, is evoking his own people's tragic history.
In a future at peace, occupation must be scarcely imaginable. To hasten that day, some West Bank villages hold weekly, mostly peaceful, protests to confront the occupation, and some of the checkpoints have recently come down.
Security means feeling safe. As barriers fall, trust must rise. This means all people deserve the right to feel safe from the attacks, incursions, and threats. The Palestinian villager must know she can send her child to school in utter safety. And the Israeli city dweller must be free from fear of the random explosion or rocket attack. It is true that the deaths of Israeli citizens of Sderot were but a tiny fraction of the casualties of the 2008 Gaza war, in which 100 times more Palestinians died than Israelis. But Palestinian militants knew full well they were exploiting a terrible wound, born of the Holocaust and rooted deep in the Israeli psyche. Pricking the collective fears of an entire nation is not a good way to achieve freedom. This is why the Palestinian hudna, or truce, which has been largely in place in the West Bank, is such an important development. It is the hudna, perhaps more than the separation wall, that has silenced the suicide bombers. Palestinians are seeing that their own future security and freedom can be gained through nonviolence.
Truth and reconciliation are crucial. Genuine witnessing of each other's tragic history, as fostered by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, points a way forward. Small groups of Israelis and Palestinians are holding such meetings on a private scale: Palestinians who witness the lasting horror of the Holocaust; Israelis who come to terms with the Nakba, or catastrophe, in which 750,000 Palestinians fled or were driven out upon Israel's founding.
Dalia Landau, who grew up in the Israeli town of Ramla, has spent much of her life coming to terms with a terrible truth: that her life in a house of Jerusalem stone was made possible by the expulsion of the al-Khairis, the Arab family who lived there before she and her parents arrived from Bulgaria in 1948. Now that old house is a kindergarten for the Arab children of Ramla, and a place of safe meeting between Arab and Jew. Dalia endorses the "Three A's" – Acknowledgment, Apology, and Amends – as a kind of mutual witness, a wrenching encounter based on understanding the past and embracing the future.
A model of reconciliation
Such lofty ideals may seem unlikely now, but so they did for generations in Australia, before former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd addressed his nation, including the Aboriginal people whose children were taken from them by government decree. The nation's hopes, he said in 2008, lay in "righting the wrongs of the past."
It was time, Mr. Rudd said, "to remove a great stain from the nation's soul and in the true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land...."
It may be a while before the holy land is witness to such restorative justice on an official or widespread scale. But consider the fruits that would come from replacing the sense of ever-present dread with a sense of safety, security, and freedom.
The fruits of settlement
With no checkpoints – and eventually no wall – Arab and Jew alike would enjoy the right to travel and visit family members freely, to swim in the sea, and to pray without fear at Jerusalem's holy sites, in Hebron, and at other sacred places.
The flow of culture and commerce, today increasingly hampered by campaigns of nonviolent resistance including boycotts and international condemnation, would take off with vigor and worldwide support. Artists, writers, and musicians would flood the holy land, bearing witness to the truths of peace. Leaders from the emerging democratic Arab world would come too, connecting economies and even infrastructures: Some dream of a new Orient Express going from Haifa to Saudi Arabia. Solar power, farm technology, and water conservation efforts would multiply. Israelis could visit Lebanon and other Arab neighbors – not as soldiers but as welcomed visitors. Arabs from the Levant to the Gulf could set foot in the holy city and pray at Al Aqsa Mosque.
Jerusalem could be a truly open city, where faith, art, culture and commerce would blend into an international mélange. Nongovernmental organizations could follow, and Jerusalem could become the most cosmopolitan city in the world.
US policy would no longer need to be the focus of derision and rage in the Arab "street." With a just peace in place, Al Qaeda and other militant groups would have lost their greatest recruiting tool: the unresolved conflict in Palestine.
And in the midst of this, no one in the Holy Land would need to instinctively check over his shoulder. No one would be stopped with her violin at a checkpoint. Arab and Jew would be free to meet as equals; to look each other in the eye, and move their separate ways. Or to stop and share a glass of sweet mint tea and listen to the sound of footfalls on the ancient stones, the voices in a dozen languages wafting up from Damascus Gate at the entrance to the Old City.
Sandy Tolan, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, is a longtime radio documentary producer and journalist. He is the author of "The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East."
Editor's note: This is the first essay of "Peace within Reach," a three-part commentary series about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
No. 2 - The Geneva Accord: a breakthrough model
No. 3 - A holy city's peaceful purpose


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It has been an eventful year for Newport Beach and Costa Mesa – dotted with tragedy, controversy, humor, serious and sometimes wacky politics. It kicked off in January, when a jury convicted Jeffrey Hubbard, the superintendent of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, of misappropriation of public funds. And it finished this month with a few homeowners boycotting the beloved Christmas Boat Parade. Here is a roundup of the news events that the Register covered in 2012 and a quick look ahead at what is to come on some of these issues.
Sting operations and setups
Police officers tested the sobriety of Councilman Jim Righeimer in August after receiving a call that he was driving recklessly. From there, the story spun out of control.
Turns out the caller, Chris Lanzillo, was a private detective working for a law firm representing the police union. Not one to miss an opportunity to criticize labor, Righeimer blasted the tactics as typical union intimidation during contract negotiations. Soon, city managers elsewhere stepped forward, as did others who had also tangled with the law firm Lackie, Dammeier, McGill & Ethir.
Then in a strange twist, Lanzillo told the Orange County Register that he was actually trying to sting another councilman, Gary Monahan, the night he made the DUI call on Righeimer. Lanzillo said he sent a woman into Monahan's pub, Skosh Monahan's, in the hopes of catching the married father in a compromising position.
What's next: The Orange County District Attorney's office is still investigating the incident.
End of an era at Piecemakers
The founder of the Piecemakers, a group of communally living religious crafters, died this year, amid the organization's ongoing bankruptcy. Marie Kolasinski was known for her strident antigovernment views, which landed her in jail. In April, she died of natural causes at age 90.
Also, the Piecemakers were forced to sell their $2 million East Mesa Verde Drive office complex in August as part of bankruptcy proceedings. The group declared bankruptcy in 2009 after the recession ate into their Country Store sales. They sell quilts and other handicrafts and offer lessons in sewing, knitting, stitching and cooking. Kolasinski was sent to jail in 2007 when she refused to allow county health investigators to inspect the group's Adams Avenue kitchen and tearoom.
What's next: The Unitarian Universalist Church purchased the office complex and plans to move there in January.
Jeffrey Hubbard convicted
The superintendent of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District was convicted in January on two felony counts of misappropriation of public funds. Jeffrey Hubbard was found guilty for his actions at his previous job as superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District. A Los Angeles jury found he enriched a subordinate without school board permission by awarding her a bonus and increasing her car allowance.
Hubbard, who served nearly four days of his 60-day jail sentence, was fired from his Newport-Mesa post. The district named Fred Navarro as Hubbard's replacement in June.
What's next: In November, Hubbard appealed his conviction in the state 2nd District Court of Appeal, claiming he followed normal procedures in Beverly Hills. The state has until Jan. 11 to reply.
Helping Costa Mesa's homeless
This was the year that Costa Mesa officials rolled out their Homeless Task Force initiatives. They combine strict enforcement against smoking in parks and other common homeless behavior, with hiring a social worker and other measures meant to help people off the streets.
As administrators carried out their "carrot and stick" plan, then-Mayor Eric Bever surprised nearly everyone when he called for the investigation and potential closure of Someone Cares Soup Kitchen and Share Our Selves, two of the city's longest-standing nonprofits. He said they attract homeless people from across the region and compared them to nightclubs that are neighborhood "nuisances." The blowback against Bever was regional.
Aside from the nonprofits, the city's resources are now directed to about 120 homeless people that officials consider Costa Mesa homeless. In October, volunteers with Vanguard University canvassed the city and interviewed hundreds of poor and homeless.
What's next: The city is finalizing that list and planning to develop housing with substance abuse and other services.
The battle for Measure V
In any other city, this could have been an arcane public policy debate. Not in Costa Mesa, where city officials have warred with organized labor. Hundreds of people even turned out to a forum on the merits of a city charter, and the debate raged up to the November election. Many longtime residents said they had never seen the city so divided.
Then-Councilman Jim Righeimer proposed that the city switch to a charter form of government, to give the council more control over its affairs. He and the rest of the council drafted a charter – essentially a local constitution – hostile to organized labor. Unions around the state spent hundreds of thousands of dollars against the charter ballot measure, Measure V, and it was defeated by nearly 60 percent of voters.
Now that Righeimer and the council majority cannot unilaterally privatize union jobs, they have offered an olive branch. Officials in December rescinded the remaining 70 pink slips they issued to city employees, and have asked the Costa Mesa City Employees Association to settle its lawsuit against the city.
What's next: Righeimer says he would like to try again. He plans to create a citizen charter committee that would draft something less divisive for the June 2014 ballot.
New Civic Center
The new Civic Center at Avocado Avenue and Farallon Drive (renamed Civic Center Drive) – the subject of controversy over the last decade – is near completion. In fact, the City Council had its first meeting in the new Council Chambers Dec. 11 so termed-out Councilman Steve Rosansky could have his last meeting there. The $131.4 million project has a wave-shaped roof and several lookout points with ocean views and "green" features that take advantage of the ocean breeze and mild temperatures. The campus will also house a library, a parking garage, two parks, including a dog park, and bridges overlooking wetlands. A pedestrian bridge over San Miguel Drive, now under construction, will link two large parks.
What's next: The community center, city hall offices, library and other facilities at the new Civic Center are expected to be ready in early spring. The city plans to have a grand opening for the public in the summer.
Dock fees and boat parade boycott
Business owners and residents who owned docks packed Council Chambers to lodge a loud protest against tideland fees. Residents saw their fees go up from a $100 annual dock inspection fee to 52.5 cents per square foot. A group called "Stop the Dock Tax" threatened to protest the 104th annual Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade if the council voted in favor of the increases. However, the council voted 5-1 during a special meeting Dec. 11 in favor of the fee hike. Although some residents did turn their lights off during the boat parade, most residents participated in the annual holiday tradition.
Bike safety
2012 saw the city of Newport Beach shift its attention to the issue of bicycle safety. There were two fatal bicycle accidents just in the month of September. On Sept. 14, Sarah Leaf was struck and killed at East Coast Highway and Bayside Drive. The following day, Catherine Campion-Ritz, a beloved local physician, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Newport Coast Drive. In October, the City Council unanimously approved a bike safety-improvement fund and also waived fees associated with a memorial bike ride held Oct. 28 in honor of Leaf and Campion-Ritz. The improvement fund would use city money, including grants, in a 3-to-1 ratio to match private donations up to $450,000. The city also painted sharrows, or shared-lane markings, on East Coast Highway between Avocado and Hazel avenues and Bayside Drive between El Paseo and Carnation – both in Corona del Mar. The Newport Beach Memorial Ride group has raised more than $76,000 since October, according to organizers.
What's next: The group intends to continue raising money for the Bicycle Safety Improvement Fund, which was created after the fatal accidents. In addition to raising awareness among motorists and bicyclists with its "Same Roads, Same Rules" campaign, the city is also in the process of creating a map that will show safe routes for bicyclists.
Banning Ranch
In August, the City Council approved the Banning Ranch development, which was proposed by a private developer, to convert one-fourth of a 401-acre property into a 1,375-home residential and commercial project. The plan received first approval during a prior council meeting. In December, a state appellate court denied the Banning Ranch Conservancy's appeal to require the city to cancel its environmental approval of Sunset Park, which is adjacent to Banning Ranch. While the conservancy maintained that the two projects were interconnected, the court opined otherwise.
Beach fire rings
Newport Beach officials in 2012 discussed asking the California Coastal Commission's permission to remove the city's 60 beach fire rings. Coastal Commissioners say it could take months to review the matter because the beaches are public and the fire rings are considered a public amenity. An online petition was created to stop the removal of the rings. According to Save the Pits, a website created by those who support the fire rings, 5,578 people signed the petition. The controversy about the fire pits dates back to 2009 when the council discussed the possibility, but tabled the issue because it was taking up too much staff time. In September 2011, Councilwoman Nancy Gardner asked the Parks Commission to study the issue again partly because of a claim filed against Huntington Beach after a boy was burned on a fire ring there. The city's Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission voted 4-3 to remove the rings during a meeting in February. The rings cost the city about $50,000 each year to clean and maintain.
What's next: The Coastal Commission is still in the process of reviewing the city's request.
Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or email@example.com; 714-796-7909 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Hi everyone. You may have noticed that GameSpot is starting to look, sound, and feel different these days. GameSpot's content group is actually being reorganized to focus more on video and to explore new directions, and as it turns out, I'm not going along for the ride. As of today, Friday the 11th, 2011, my job has been eliminated.
Up until today, I was the managing editor of GameSpot. But it began for me in January 1998, all the way back from when GameSpot was a small startup company based out of a cramped two-story San Francisco building that used to be a travel agency. For 14 years, I've been covering PC games, console games, handheld games, and game hardware through reviews, previews, newsletters, customer service, news developments, press conferences, trade shows, video shows, special features, op-ed columns, and strategy guides, among other things. During those 14 years, I never took a step back. Not in the good times, not in the bad times, and not even in the weird and scary times. To make a long story short (too late), I did everything I could to make contributions that were valuable, useful, and even crucial to the site's prosperity, its editorial integrity, and in some cases, its survival. Anyone who says otherwise either doesn't actually know anything about GameSpot, is a liar, or both.
So you may be wondering why you've never heard of me, but as a programmer might say, that's working as intended. Let me explain, and even less briefly this time.
I signed on at GameSpot at a time when anyone could get rich by buying any old stock in the market or by "doing something with the Internet." As you might expect, with people everywhere starting to get rich, they also started getting a little big for their britches. Everyone outside the game industry, and also in it, considered him/her/itself to be a genius, and proclaimed their greatness to the heavens. Game magazines and Websites scored juicy exclusive stories on upcoming games by gushing not just about the games, but also about how awesomely awesome the developers were. You know--stroke the old egos a little bit. It often worked. Then the year 2000 came along. The year of the Tech Wreck, when the bubble burst, etc.. Advertising budgets, particularly for Internet companies like ours, dried up seemingly overnight and sites like GameSpot really started feeling the pinch. With the American economy already contracting going into the following year, we then had a certain series of events happen on September 11 of 2001, which made having a job writing about video games seem trivial and petty, and also not very practical or stable, what with the stock market also tanking and everybody on the TV claiming the end times were upon us.
That's when it dawned on me...there might be something to that old saying about pride coming before the fall. I've never cared for selfishness or self-importance, but it became very clear just how many people were making it their mission to seek out the spotlight, and how there didn't seem to be enough people driven to build something that was useful or substantial. I made the conscious decision, there and then, to go the exact opposite way, to double down on what I felt was truly important: Holding myself and anyone who worked with me to a higher standard of writing, and doing whatever I could to ensure that GameSpot's content was as good as it could be. To try to help build something that actually was great, rather than stand around talking about how great I was or wasn't.
If self-aggrandizing bloggers with diarrhea at the mouth were the problem, I wanted to be part of the solution. I wanted to share the most interesting games, and the most interesting aspects of these games, with the readers of GameSpot, so that they could discover games they might otherwise have missed, and so that they might share these games--which were, you know, only for losers who live in their moms' basements--with new people, and maybe have these new people discover that video games aren't just for loser basement-dwellers. That these so-called "video games" are actually pretty cool. And the whole time, I wanted the games themselves to be front and center. I wanted the games to be the stars. Because it wasn't about me. It's never been about me.
At this point, I'd like to shift gears and comment on the current state of the game biz. You could say it has some problems right now. Publishers who produce retail products are at war with retailers who sell used games. On the one hand, several game publishers are now offering preorder "bonuses" (such as day-one DLC) that effectively penalize customers for not buying new games, while resellers continue to grow fatter and fatter by buying used/trade-in games at $20, then turning around and reselling the same used game for $40-50 and pocketing the difference. As a result, digital distribution is clearly the future, except that digital services keep getting hacked and spiraling bandwidth costs are making widespread distribution of large digital files seem increasingly untenable. (Don't take my word for it. Ask Netflix.) Or maybe the real future is in social, free-to-play, and mobile games, except that many of these games nickel-and-dime their customers to death with microtransactions that are baked directly into the actual design of the games themselves. The only common thread here is that paying customers lose. Want to get this new game? You either pay full price+ for it, or you pay slightly less for a "used" version lacking content and often with crippled online capabilities. Go social/mobile/free-to-play and enjoy a new breed of games that are specifically designed to be mind-numbing unless you pay money to make them less so.
Sadly, I don't have any good solutions to these problems off the top of my head, other than to point out that smart customers will really appreciate it when game companies present their products in a way that doesn't burden said customers with these problems. (Hint, hint game companies. Also: Hint, hint, customers.) However, if you, like me, work, or worked, in the actual game industry and have begun, like me, to wonder exactly what you've been fighting for, let me point out that there are still good people writing about and covering games, and that there are still great development houses out there looking to make games that are actually enjoyable as games, and also that the barrier to entry on actual development has never been lower for those thinking about crossing that line themselves.
I'd also like to remind my brethren (or, former brethren as it were) that even though games are increasingly being considered a "business" in the sense of being cash cows to exploit, they've actually always been a business. Your hard work, professionalism, integrity, and willingness to contribute to something that's bigger than yourself are not only what got you here--they're what made the game industry so successful, and they're what will continue to ensure that you, and games, thrive. You writers and reviewers and news reporters, you video producers, you graphic designers, you programmers, you testers, you producers, you game designers, you artists, you musicians, you sound technicians, you voice actors, you product managers, you community managers, you publicists, you Web page builders, you copyeditors...each of you is an important part of this business. And there's no shame in being part of a business, especially one that's produced so much enjoyment for so many, and for so many years.
The very best people to do business with are knowledgeable, productive, detail-oriented, solutions-focused, considerate, easy to work with, and always learning. I've met countless people who evince these great qualities and I'm sure there are many more in this industry out there that I simply haven't met. These are the qualities that will serve you in good stead, regardless of whether everyone is making tablet games now (or "freemium" online RPGs now, or big-budget first-person shooters now). These qualities are what give you real value, both as a creator and as an employee/employer. These qualities are what will give you staying power out there, even when times are tough, and when it seems like the whole world's gone crazy, and that there are no opportunities and no real hope. Regardless of whatever irrational decisions come down from on high or whatever unfair market forces try to cut you off at the knees, there will always be a place for people with your skill, creativity, talent, drive, and relentless pursuit of self-improvement.
I think I've said enough at this point, so I'll be signing off now.
Goodbye and good luck to all of you.


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CENTENNIAL, Colo. — The judge in the Colorado theater shooting case says prosecutors can present evidence involving the suspect's memberships on two dating websites.
James Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to charges alleging he killed 12 people and injured 70 at an Aurora movie theater on July 20, 2012. His trial is scheduled for February.
Prosecutors say Holmes put up profiles in 2012 on Adultfriendfinder.com and Match.com that had the tagline, "Will you visit me in prison," and could indicate his mental state.
Holmes' attorneys argued that the information was irrelevant and potentially prejudicial, especially without confirmation of the taglines' meaning and intent or who wrote them.
Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. ruled Thursday that the information can be introduced, and jurors can decide what weight to give it.


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National Feb 1, 2011
PIA Marketing Tool Kit outlines traditional, new media strategies
GLENMONT, N.Y.–The Professional Insurance Agents Associations of Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York State Inc., today introduced its new Agency Marketing Tool Kit. This free resource helps independent agencies use a variety of tools to reach current and prospective customers throughout the year, via the PIA website at www.pia.org/COMM/sam/. It includes consumer content in ready-to-use format, such as tweets, pre-formatted web articles and press releases and provides a calendar to show agents the optimal way to use these tools.
"Sales and marketing are what our members do best–its their very livelihood," said PIA Executive Director Diane Fowler. "This tool kit is intended to make their jobs easier, providing innovative twists on proven techniques. PIAs tools and resources enhance the value of their PIA membership and help them do what they already do–but even better."
Exclusive to PIA members, this updated benefit incorporates new media tools and emphasizes that traditional marketing tools are still effective at cutting through the clutter their clients deal with in the digital age. The website highlights how agencies can use brochures, fliers, media relations and community outreach in conjunction with new social networking media such as Facebook, Twitter and their own agency websites to enhance their marketing plans. The tool kit reminds agents to explain to their customers the advantage of working with an independent agent It also explains the importance of direct-marketing, e-mail and website campaigns; as well as discussing how agents can create public relations, customer relations and social media strategies for retention and lead generation.
The tool kit also includes links to important resources and other PIA member benefits, such as The Sales and Marketing Report, a free, subscription-based e-newsletter; members also receive access to the PIA logo and the Careers in Insurance presentation, which can be used as a community service tool to raise awareness about both the insurance industry and the products and services their agency offers.
For more information about the new Agency Marketing Tool Kit and the myriad other benefits of PIA membership, independent insurance agents in Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York are encouraged to call (800) 424-4244.
PIACT, PIANH, PIANJ and PIANY are trade associations representing professional, independent insurance agencies, brokerages and their employees throughout their respective states.


text: Sorry Jesus. The Star Wars Minifig may be nice, but it's got nothing on this Battlestar Galactica Cylon LEGO minifig. Its eyes light up (just like yours) but has that glowing red dot flash back and forth like in the show. Yes, the light moves. We have it on video. THIS is the best use of light-emitting diodes sir. Good day!


text:
Tanner M. wants to play
with you!
Sign up for a free Blizzard Account to join Tanner M. in the Nexus.
Prove your might, and you'll be greatly rewarded! Recruits must be level 5 or lower to be eligible for rewards.
Log in and you'll receive:
Reach Level 10 and receive:
Rewards are only awarded in the game region where the initial recruitment took place. For example, if a player in the Americas sends a recruitment link to players in Europe, the recruits will not receive rewards unless they also play in the Americas.


text:
On this day 120 years ago, the headman behind World War II and the Holocaust was born in what was then known as Austria-Hungary. He died in 1945, but lives on in video games as the eternal bad guy.
"Celebrate" Hitler's B-day or just seize an excuse to play video games with the following titles where the Fuhrer makes many an appearance either as a vague threat or an actual character you can kill (or at least punch).
Note: This list was put together from two different lists and half-remembered boss fights from my childhood; if you spot an inaccuracy or want to add to the list, hit me up in the comments.
Axis & Allies
Bionic Commando (Japanese version)
Capcom Classics: Mini-Mix (includes Bionic Commando)
Castle Wolfenstein
Command and Conquer: Red Alert
Empire Earth
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Medal of Honor: Frontline
Medal of Honor: Heroes 2
Operation Darkness
Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45
Persona 2: Innocent Sin (
I think only the Japanese version There's only a Japanese version)
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Rush for Berlin
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron
Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de...
Total Carnage
War Front: Turning Point
War Times
Wolfenstein 3D
Adolf Hitler [GiantBomb]
Adolf Hitler in popular culture [Wikipedia]


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Investing: Fund flows as stock market indicator
Have you ever driven the wrong way on a highway because you thought you'd get there faster than everyone else? Do you put your shoes on before your socks? Have you put a $20 bill into a dollar-bill changer just to prove it wrong?
If so, you're not a contrarian — a bold thinker who does things differently to get better results. You're a nimrod. Real contrarians know that you make money only by going against the crowd at key inflection points. They also know that some indicators really aren't very good for measuring key inflection points.
Today's Bad Contrary Indicator: mutual fund flows. In theory, when people are pulling money from stock funds, it's a good idea to buy. After all, mutual funds are for small investors, and small investors usually buy high and sell low.
Aside from the annoying snobbery of this notion — most individuals handle their affairs pretty intelligently — fund flows just aren't a good indication of popular sentiment.
ASK MATT: Trying to time the stock market
INVESTING: Follow insiders on stock buys?
First, let's look at the indicator. Every week, the Investment Company Institute, the mutual fund trade organization, publishes estimated long-term mutual fund flows. In this particular series, "long-term" means "stock and bond funds, excluding money market funds." The ICI breaks the flows down into several categories. We're concentrating on total stock fund flows.
The ICI's calculation shows how much money has gone in or out of stock funds in a particular week, taking into account moves up or down in the funds' share prices. Since March 2009, when the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index bottomed, investors have yanked $247 billion from stock funds, according to the ICI.
That's a decent chunk of change, even in the world of stock funds, which now have about $5.8 trillion in assets. In fact, stock funds have recorded net redemptions every year from 2008 through 2012, the longest streak since the mid-1970s.
And fund investors look particularly dumb because the S&P has gained 121% since the stock market bottomed on March 9, 2009. The average stock fund has gained 143%, including reinvested dividends.
What alarms contrarians even more is that investors have suddenly started putting money into stock funds. For the two weeks ended Jan. 16, for example, the ICI estimates that investors put $23.6 billion more into stock funds than they withdrew. If investors sell when the market is rising, does this sudden reversal mean that the smart money should be selling?
Well, no. Let's start with the fact that individuals may not be as dumb as a cursory glance might indicate. First, investors were net sellers of stock funds from the top of the market in October 2007 through the bottom in March 2009, to the tune of $280 billion. If you're going to view mutual fund redemptions as a contrary indicator, it has to work in one direction, but not both.
Two other factors warp the data from mutual fund redemptions:
• Exchange traded funds. The ICI's most-watched data are from garden-variety open-end mutual funds, which are what you typically own in 401(k) plans. ETFs have soared in popularity over the past few years. Investors poured about $345 billion into stock ETFs since the S&P 500's 2009 low.
• Hybrid funds. After the bone-crushing bear markets of 2000-2002 and 2007-2009, many investors figured that they would be better off in an asset allocation fund, which mixes stocks, bonds and money markets for you. In some cases, investors weren't as much fleeing the stock market as they were embracing ready-mix funds.
• Seasonality. Investors tend to put more money into stock funds in January, in part because they tend to fund IRAs then.
Finally, the notion that individual investors are dingbats should be put to rest. First of all, the majority of money in the market is controlled by institutional investors. By definition, they are the ones who sell at the bottom and buy at the top. Want to know who did all that buying of Apple in the past six months? By and large, it was institutional money.
And fund investors moved $101 billion into bond funds during the 2007-2009 bear market, which was a smart move. The average U.S. government bond fund gained 9% during that period, while the S&P 500 lost more than 50%.
If one were to look for a contrary indicator, it would be from bond funds. Contrarians don't look for trends — they look for peaks of trends in hopes of a reversal. Investors have moved a staggering $1 trillion into bond funds after the March 2009 stock market bottom. Those kind of big moves should be viewed suspiciously.
It hasn't been a bad bet — yet, anyway. Government bond funds have gained about 21% since the stock market bottom, and high-yield junk bond funds have soared 105%.
Nevertheless, given that bonds have been in a bull market since 1981 and have little room yet to run, investors' small steps back into stocks might be a good move — not a contrary sell indicator. And if you're basing your moves in and out of the market on any one contrary indicator, you might find yourself in the wrong lane in oncoming traffic.


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text:
We all know how important innovation is to drive growth in consumer products companies. However, less than 0.5% of all new products that launch achieve enduring breakthrough performance. How do you rise to the top?
Nielsen helps you consistently achieve better innovation outcomes, faster and more efficiently. We offer solutions for every stage of the innovation process—from identifying profitable unmet opportunities and screening and optimizing concepts to testing products and package designs, accurately forecasting sales and optimizing pricing and product line assortment.
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Understand how consumers view your packaging and develop new package designs that help your brand better stand out and drive purchase.


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The Inn on Biltmore Estate
Biltmore's legacy of gracious hospitality is reflected in the honors The Inn receives.
AAA Four Diamond Award
Forbes Travel Guide
Four Star Award
17 consecutive years
Southern Living
The South's Best Hotel 2017
Bravo Badge, 2015
The Dining Room at The Inn on Biltmore Estate
See The Dining Room's awards here.
Condé Nast Traveler
Named #11 among U.S. Hotels for 2009
Gold List 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Top 100 Hotels – Readers' Choice Awards 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012
Reader's Poll for Top 75 US Hotel Spas – Inn on Biltmore Estate 2012, 2013
Travel + Leisure
500 World's Best Hotels 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
World's Best Awards – Top Resorts in Continental U.S. & Canada 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014
#10 in Family 50 – The Most Family-Friendly Resorts in the U.S. & Canada 2007
Wine Spectator
Award of Excellence, 2006–2013, for The Dining Room at The Inn on Biltmore Estate
Biltmore Receives Grand Award for Landscape Excellence
Biltmore has been awarded two 2007 Green Star Grand Awards by the Professional Grounds Management Society in recognition for maintaining our grounds at a high degree of excellence. Biltmore's Horticulture Department was recognized for landscaping on both the estate and The Inn on Biltmore Estate.
Notable Quotes
"Some grounds! 8,000 acres of field and stream surround George Vanderbilt's 1895 Biltmore mansion. Kid Magnet: The on-site River Bend Farm, which re-creates rural life in the 1890s."
Travel + Leisure, 2007
"The Inn on Biltmore Estate: On 8,000 acres adjacent to Biltmore House, George Vanderbilt's 19th-century chateau. Competitive Edge: Next best thing to a European vacation (formal gardens, on-site winery). Don't Miss: The off-road Land Rover driving school."
Travel + Leisure, 2006
"Sip wine and watch the sun set behind the Blue Ridge Mountains from a rocker on the porch of this fieldstone and stucco hotel, three hours from Charlotte. Gracious staff combines Southern hospitality with fine service. Floral rooms recall English and French manors. The main dining room serves regional cuisine around a fireplace; try the perfectly cooked trout."
Condé Nast Traveler, 2006
Guest Comments
"The food was wonderful and the staff was gracious and helpful. We do plan to come back and stay again at The Inn. Thanks for a wonderful stay!"
C.S., St. Simons Island, Georgia
"From the rooms with fresh flowers to the robes and slippers, The Inn on Biltmore Estate is our version of heaven on earth."
M.G., Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
"It has been a long time since we went anywhere and were greeted so warmly. Each person who cared for us did it with friendliness and compassion."
Ray & Celeste
Learn more about The Inn on Biltmore Estate


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- 10th Dec 19 - 11th Dec 19
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Venue Phone: +44 808 168 1168
Venue Website: https://www.cctvenues.co.uk/venues/barbicanAddress:
CCT Venues Barbican is located in the heart of London, next door to Barbican tube and close to hotels and restaurants. There are a good selection of Air BnB properties nearby too.
Free teas and coffee is provided throughout the day and complementary sparkling and still water is availible in the training room. A healthy cooked lunch is provided along with a continental breakfast to start your training off right.


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Not to be outdone by Metallica, Guns N' Roses have announced more details regarding their very own previously announced 3D concert movie.
Titled 'Appetite for Democracy 3D,' the upcoming movie was filmed during the band's 2012 residency at the Joint in the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas, and came during a run of dates in which GNR were celebrating "twenty-five years of 'Appetite for Destruction' and four years of 'Chinese Democracy.'" Calling the performances an "absolute ambush on the city of sin," the 'Appetite for Democracy 3D' website promises the movie will put the viewer "in the best seat in the house for an electrifying once in a lifetime live concert performance."
Of course, this footage is a couple of years old now, but it's coming out at an opportune time for GNR, who have just announced their return to Vegas for a second residency at the Joint, set to unfold over nine days between May 21-June 7.
Although no date has been announced for either the DVD/Blu-ray release or what seems to be a planned theatrical run, fans can register to order 'Appetite' at the site and sign up to be emailed when the movie comes to their city. Watch the trailer above, and take a look at the complete announced track listing below.
Guns N' Roses 'Appetite for Democracy 3D' Tracklist:
'Chinese Democracy'
'Welcome to the Jungle'
'It's So Easy'
'Mr. Brownstone'
'Rocket Queen'
'Live and Let Die'
'This I Love'
'Catcher in the Rye'
'Street of Dreams'
'You Could Be Mine'
'Sweet Child o' Mine'
'Another Brick in the Wall Part 2′
'November Rain'
'Don't Cry'
'Civil War'
'The Seeker'
'Knockin' on Heaven's Door'
'Don't Let It Bring You Down'
'Used to Love Her'
'Paradise City'


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Bits and pieces from the local sports scene.
Fielder awarded for her leadership: Drake University junior women's soccer player Melanie Fielder — a Burbank High graduate — has been named one of the top juniors at the college as part of the Leaders and Luminaries luncheon held recently.
"Melanie is very deserving of being honored as a top junior," Bulldogs head Coach Lindsey Horner said in a press release. "She earns impressive grades and is very involved in broadcast news activities outside of the classroom, which is difficult to balance while being a Division I athlete. Most importantly, she has developed into a confident leader who puts a lot of energy and passion into everything she pursues."
The award is presented annually to third-year students who have demonstrated leadership abilities and involvement in the campus community that are scholastically in good standing with the university.
Fielder, who boasts a 3.47 grade-point average and is majoring in journalism, also received her team's Academic Excellence Award. The team honor is given to the player who earned the highest grade-point average in a calendar year. Fielder earned a 4.0 in the spring and a 3.75 in the fall for a team high 3.88 for 2010.
Fielder, a defender, also had a fine year for Drake this past season. For her efforts, she was given the most improved player award. The honor is bestowed upon the player whose contributions on the field have shown the most improvement from the previous season, as well as through the course of the fall season.
Fielder made strong contributions to a Drake defensive unit that posted nine shutouts, tying a school record.
Last season, the Bulldogs posted a 10-6-3 mark, including 3-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The 10 wins marked Drake's first double-figure win campaign since going 12-6-2 during its NCAA Tournament season in 2006.
Arkansas, Tubert place forth in SEC tournament and make it to NCAA event: Burroughs High graduate Emily Tubert and the 11th-ranked University of Arkansas women's golf team were selected to participate in the NCAA Central Regional as a four seed, as the tournament pairings were released Monday.
The Razorbacks are making the program's 10th NCAA Regional appearance and their ninth consecutive appearance. Arkansas travels to the Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Ind., at the Notre Dame-hosted event.
"We are obviously very excited to be selected as a fourth-seed in the Central Regional," Arkansas Coach Shauna Estes-Taylor said on the Arkansas website. "It is indicative of how well we have played all year. But our mission is in front of us. We are looking forward to going in to Notre Dame all firing and to put ourselves in a position to win a championship."
The Razorbacks will continue to practice this week for the tournament scheduled for May 5-7.
The Razorbacks are making the program's 10th NCAA Regional appearance in the 16-year history of the program. Arkansas' first appearance came in 2000 when there were just two regional sites — East and West. Arkansas was sent east under the direction of former head coach Ulrika Belline where they finished 23rd in the program's only East appearance.
The Razorbacks have been to four West and four Central Regional Championships, making three consecutive trips west (2008, 2009, 2010).
Arkansas has advanced out of the Regional Championship to the NCAA Championship three times as a team and once with an individual. The Razorbacks came out of the West twice in 2006 and 2008, the Central once in 2005 and former Razorback Stacy Lewis advanced in 2007 out of the Central. Lewis went on to win the NCAA Individual title that year.
The top eight teams from each of the three NCAA Regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championship May 18-21 in Bryan, Texas.
The Razorbacks have settled into a lineup and are expected to travel seniors Kelli Shean and Corinna Rees, sophomore Victoria Vela, redshirt freshman Emma Lavy and Tubert, a true freshman.
The Warren Golf Course is a familiar venue for the Razorbacks. Tubert has several championship rounds under her belt there, winning the Public Links title last summer. Lavy has also played the course.
"Emily won the Public Links there and Emma has also played the course," Estes-Taylor noted. "Our men's team has played championship golf there as well so we will learn all we can about the course before we get there."
In a recent tournament, Arkansas moved up and down the leaderboard, rallying late to finish fourth at the 2011 Southeastern Conference Women's Golf Championship April 21 at the Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala.
Tubert recorded five pars and birdied 18 to tie for fourth place as an individual. Tubert opened the tournament with a 69 followed by rounds of 72-74 for a one-under-par 215 for the three day event. Tubert was five strokes off the lead.
Lavy, also playing in her first SEC Championship, finished tied for 12th overall with a 221. Lavy, a Fayetteville, Ark., native, was solid throughout the tournament shooting 74-73-74 for 221.
As a team, Razorbacks finished with a 298 in the third round of the windy event. Arkansas finished 28 over with an 892 with rounds of 289-305-298. It was as low as seventh late in the scoring on the final day, but the strong finish on the last three holes made a big difference in the team finish.
Host and No. 17 Auburn won the event on its home course, finishing with an 864 in the narrow, challenging venue. Third-ranked Alabama hung on for second. It was 11 strokes off the lead, finishing with an 875. LSU, ranked eighth, edged into third with 887, followed by Arkansas with 892.
Arkansas' best team finish in the event came in 2008 with a second-place showing. The Razorbacks have won two individual titles, both by Stacy Lewis in 2005 and 2008 during her freshman and senior seasons, respectively.
Jeff Tully


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Category : Invoice.
Topic : Myob invoice template location. Author : Kobe Solberg.
Posted : Mon, Sep 09th 2019 17:45 PM.
Format : jpg/jpeg.
Plus, invoice factoring is a flexible arrangement because it does not require any long-term contracts. Additionally, invoice factoring makes it easier for you to offer credit terms to customers. This can help you increase your sales without negatively impacting your cash flow.


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The Gateway to Glacier Bay, Gustavus offers a microcosm of all the natural beauty of Alaska. Gustavus is not too big — no industry interfering with the wilderness, no influx of cruise travelers, no string of souvenir shops — and not too small. Lodgings cater to personal tastes and are available in a range of prices and a variety of styles. Many of our restaurants feature local seafood and produce fresh from the garden.
Alaska's Gateway to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
- The Nature Conservancy's Forelands Preserve – part of 17 miles of wild, open beach lands
- Fishing – Salt and Freshwater
- Whale Watching – and Nature Tours
- Kayaking – Guided and Unguided Trips
- Hiking, Beachcombing and Biking
- Photography Tours
- Flightseeing
- Galleries and Artists' Studios
Gustavus is just right for your Alaska vacation!
Gustavus is ideally situated on Icy Strait, in northern southeast Alaska, a short flight from Juneau via jet or air taxi. Home to 450 people, Gustavus is surrounded by Glacier Bay National Park and is adjacent to the Tongass National Forest, with 360-degree views of snow-capped mountains. In summer, wildflowers bloom in the fields and rain-kissed vegetables grow in local gardens. The Salmon River meanders through town, where occasional visitors include moose, eagles and maybe a bear or two.
Then explore this site to find everything you need to plan your trip. For more information, contact individual businesses or call or write the Gustavus Visitors Association, P.O. Box 167, Gustavus, AK 99826. Our number is 907-500-5143.
Whether you want time to relax with your family and friends or seek solace in the wilderness, Gustavus is the place. Come to Gustavus for a week, stay for two, gather memories for a lifetime. Gustavus – it's just right!


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Views: 1537
Replies to This Discussion
Haha! Love the "tennisface."
Good little backhand there, Shereef!
Yeah, tennisface not always very flattering but good to know I'm concentrating a little ;)
Yeah Tim, work in progress man. Hope I always work on bits and pieces making game always fun!
Something tells me that The International Chris Evert Enthusiasts Website has little to do with tennis.
Well, if they love wood so much, they oughtta make new ones! Start production instead of whining about it! j/k
I know what that sentiment is and I have four wood racquets myself, but the way of the future is already here. Volkl is putting organic material (pulp) in their racquets and so is Wilson with their basalt. There has been a move back towards more feel in graphite racquets in the last five years, so I'm not too worried.
That Brian Gottfried racquet looks really nice. $69.99 is a fair price.
Wow! Are those as mint as they look? The design of Maxply Forts made them very flexible in the head and more rigid in the shaft, the opposite of Kramers. I hit with one a few years ago. What a great racquet Forts were! Please, do these frames justice and string them with VS Touch or Team. It's worth every penny.
They are as new and never even been strung. I almost feel bad I'll play with them and a part of me wants to keep them unscathed. I believe the tournament one was the last wood racquet dunlop ever made. They started adding graphite to the handle and a bit to the connection of stem and head for added rigidty. Of course still a wood racquet so will not be stiff. I guess I will have to pony up for the gut string.
© 2019 Created by Mark / The Mayor. Powered by


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I love writing letters, receiving packages in the mail, and sending packages too. A few days ago, I decided to create a care package for my mom. Before running out to stores and buying a bunch of stuff, I looked around the house for stuff I could give to my mom.
For example, I have three books that she's been dying to read including: My Stroke of Insight, Curious?, and Buddha's Brain. I was planning on giving these books to the library; instead I'll send them to my mom. Other items I included in the package are a dark pink journal and a bag of Ruby Nectar tea, from The Jasmine Pearl.
Even though the care package has a lot of fun goodies included, I felt stuck. So yesterday I asked for help on Google +.
Here's the question I asked:
"Have you ever created a care package? What goodies did you include?"
If you're looking for good ideas to include in a care package, read these tips:
"A good quality moisturiser that smells devine. Something very soothing about using them, it's like self-care & love on both physical and emotional level". -Akiyo Kano
"A booklet of inspirational/happy quotes. Good quality chocolate. Words and food for the soul." -Mary Huang
"Stationary and stamps, hot tea packets, a gift card to a restaurant or coffee shop, funnyfuzzy socks, homemade cookies." -Becca Truly
"You know, I was just talking with someone yesterday about this. I made a care package several years ago for a friend when his mom died. I went and got several kinds of looseleaf tea, a small tea pot, tea cups, organic chocolate, and put it in a wooden box. We had worked together at a coffee shop and I knew some of the tea that we'd both liked so I got some of that (genmaicha) and I also put in some that I had recently discovered that seemed somehow right for grieving and restoration (jasmine)." -Amanda Abel
"I suppose it depends on her likes. Every year I send my mom, who moved to Florida, an envelope of fall leaves that I preserve using wax paper and an iron. In the spring I try to send her a couple of dogwood flowers. I also send her books I think she will enjoy, and now that we both have kindles I can gift her books to her kindle. I send her sparkly jewelry to wear with her ballroom dancing outfits, lotions and smells goods, candles, pictures of the weather changing and her grandkids, just little things I find that makes me think of her from day to day. I send her husband teas and little trinkets that remind me of him." -Heather Greeson
"If you know it'll get there in a timely manner, homemade cookies are the best inclusion. I used some bubble wrap to help protect them, although I've heard even broken cookies still taste great. Also, a great drink to accompany them would really add that extra bit of joy to it. Perhaps hot chocolate or some yummy tea? Maybe even a little coffee?" -Meredith Shadwill
If you're creating a care package for a loved one, consider:
1. Giving away stuff you aren't using, but make sure the items are things the person can use.
2. Think about what the person loves, like chocolate, books, a journal, jewelry, or lotion.
3. Make a list of stuff you can make by hand, like a card, scarf, or mittens.
4. Remember, if you create a package with love the person receiving the goodies will be very happy!
Micro-action: Create a care package of your own.


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Our computers are built with the highest quality, name brand components, ISO 9002 certified manufacturing processes, and designed for Windows® certifications. These systems are built and tested in a clean-room environment, not built from parts in the back of some small retail store.
Making sense of those difficult machines and programs requires either a great deal of patience, or a great deal of experience.
Central Point of Contact
Ever go through the incredibly frustrating routine of calling your service department and explaining your issue, only to repeat the entire story to the next technician if you are disconnected or have to call back? We don't have hundreds of employees working on thousands of issues. We get to know you and your business by incorporating a philosophy of project management. Each of our technicians serves as a project manager. That person is ultimately responsible to keep you as well as any visiting technician informed about your individual situation. We keep logs of service calls and use them to diagnose current and past issues. Your project manager can even act as a liason between your company and a third party company when you don't wish to be bothered by the details.
Furthermore, we are often used to help customers determine what technology needs you may have in the near future. We are capable of researching just the right piece of software or equipment that can do what you need it to do. Our project managers are aware of the makeup, structure, method and politics of your company and it serves us well when attending to your needs. We keep your company abreast of virus and security issues that might affect your business and your data. We match technology with our customer's needs and alert them to new advances that might increase their effectiveness at home or in their office. We establish long-term relationships and make friends of our customers.
Big vs. Small
National vs local? There's just no comparison. We can respond quicker, more efficiently and concentrate on getting you up operationally better than national companies that need to make service-call quotas. Our technicians our based in your hometown, not in Asia. Our systems have no off-branded pieces inside. They have standard Intel OEM boards, processors, network and graphic adapters just as the national brands use. They are constructed and tested the same as the national brands are. We give you the same quality PC; we just give better service. CCS Technologies serves medium and small-sized businesses as well as simple residential customers...and that's just where we want to be.
Servicing What We Sell
We only sell computers that we have the infrastructure in place to repair. Our CompTia A+ certified technicians have an in-depth knowledge of the Intel architecture inside our PC's and know how to obtain and manipulate the correct drivers as well as diagnose problems with hardware.
We are familiar with the processes of some national companies as one of our employees is a previous technician for these very same vendors. He came to work with us because of the lack of professionalism, empathy and experience he found in the national PC business. He can tell you first-hand about the problems associated with sending unskilled technicians out to residential and business customers who are ill-prepared for the questions they will most likely be asked.
• "Can you get my data back?"
• "Will you reinstall Windows?"
• "Will you leave my old hard drive so I can destroy the sensitive data?"
In most cases, the policy of your typical national brand is no, no and no. Most of these companies do not have their own service department for field repair of desktops and laptops. Instead, they farm these jobs out to other companies in the area and provide their technicians with some limited training. For over 30 years, CCS Technologies has treated their customers like we would wish to be treated. We help you get your data back whenever possible, we get your operating system up and running again, and we let you dispose of your old sensitive data. We obtain appropriate certifications and the training never ends. Wouldn't you rather purchase a computer from the same company that would have to repair it if necessary?
Over 40 Years of Experience
When you call your service department for repair or just a question, is that technician located in West Michigan? How about somewhere in Michigan? The United States?
Some national brands save money by training employees to answer your calls in India, the Philippines, and Mexico. Our technicians are located right here in West Michigan and always have been. We have no aspirations to go beyond this area as its residents have treated us well and we have roots here.
We strive to answer your calls within the first three rings. It's a policy that we have because we don't enjoy waiting on hold ourselves. Why sit on the phone for almost an hour, just to get a keyboard replaced? In most cases, even if a technician is not currently available, we will give your issue attention or resolve it within 24 hours. In emergency cases we maintain a 2 hour response time. If you have a question and need it resolved quickly, our receptionist forwards the calls to the technician's cell phone and you will most likely be called within the hour.
The Golden Rule
"Press one for sales"
"Press two for technical support"
"Then Press 5, then 9."
"Enter your serial number and press star"
"Your call is important to us, please hold."
[Cue cheezy music.]
Ok, if your call was important to them, you'd be talking to someone and not a robot. CCS Technologies does not use touch tone prompts during business hours. A real person answers the phone. Our hold times for a technician are usually less than a minute. If the technician can't get to your call, he'll call you back within minutes. You normally don't need to leave your number because we already know it.
And how many companies use the web as their method of troubleshooting your problem. You sometimes have to sit there for 5 minutes while a recorded voice gives you a dissertation on how to access their knowledge base on the web. That's fine, but what if your problem is that you can't access the web?
National companies can save money by hiring less employees and letting the touch tone robots or their million dollar web sites do some of the work. Our philosophy is this: if our technicians are too busy, it must be time to hire another technician. How different would your computer experience be if this is the kind of support you are used to?