text:
Whiteboard Friday - PPC BasicsWhiteboard Friday
SEOmoz Whiteboard Friday-PPC Basics with Tom Critchlow from Scott Willoughby on Vimeo.
A couple of tools Tom mentions in the video:
Distilled PPC Toolbox
Vertster CTR Validity Checker
Broaden your SEO knowledge with resources for all skill levels.
Quick access to whitepapers, reports, guides, webinars, and case studies.
Get answers from the Moz Community.
Learn how to use Moz products.
Connect with over 600k online marketers.
Instructor-led classes and seminars
If you're brand new to SEO, start here.
An all-in-one SEO toolset to boost your search engine rankings.Learn about Moz Pro
The ultimate link analysis tool, complete with competitor insights.
Get live page metrics right in your Chrome or Firefox browser.
Discover and prioritize the best keywords for your site.
Monitor your SEO performance and get insights to increase organic traffic.
Spot opportunity in target markets with local metrics and top SERP competitors.
Local data management solution to help customers find your business online.Learn about Moz Local
Local data management that is simple and cost effective for hundreds or thousands of locations.
See how complete and consistent your business's location appears across the web.
I have to disagree with some of the methodologies in this video. You talk about the 80/20 rule in the 2nd part of the video but in the first part you tell people to just take every keyword they think might drive traffic and put it in the campaign. This is my advice to newbies.
If you have a newbie jump into PPC using hundreds or thousands of keywords they will likely fail unless they are in a virgin niche. By starting small and working the way up, they learn proper testing and campaign structure techniques.
If you can't make a profit off of the head, then you probably need to find another niche (if doing aff marketing) or get professional help (if the niche is your core business).
I agree with most of your advice however I don't think a PPC newbie should bother with Yahoo and MSN until they've some what mastered Google.
The amount of traffic through Yahoo and especially Microsoft is that small in comparison and whilst it can provide better value then AdWords I think the time is best spent on Google.
I'll second that, last time I launched campaigns for the sites I run on Y! and MSN I was getting ready to throw my PC out the window by the end...
In particular Adcentre is a nightmare (thought Microsoft continually claim to be updating it), it's like wading through treacle trying to get anything done. Plus you can use the offline editor with Adwords which is a pretty useful alternative to the online interface. Last time I spoke to Y! they were 'planning on developing something similar' but that was last year...
It's true that Yahoo! and MSN can provide better CPA (the important metric to measure) then Google Adwords because there is usually less competition. Then again, if you really want to chase after the lowest CPA then you should really bypass all first tier PPC programs and deal with companies like Yandex, Baidu, Miva and Looksmart.
Why don't most people use these PPC channels?
Whether people like it or not, the gold standard in PPC is Google AdWords. I advertise with those PPC companies listed above but that is because I've already exploited most of AdWords reach (including the content network and PPA).
Why don't I recommend a PPC newbie use these PPC companies? Because you're trying to achieve a good ROI on your advertising. With there bad interface, lack of features and small traffic amounts you're not effectively using your time. Whilst you may be getting a better CPA (probably not because all of these PPC programs have little quirks you need to adjust to) you're going to investing too much time on something that doesn't provide the returns.
Thanks for your comment Jeremy - some good points in there though I don't agree with all of it. I think to some extent it depends what kind of business/site you're doing PPC for though so we may both be right :-)
I think the thing I disagree with most is the bit about lots of keyphrases vs small no of keyphrases. I agree that a lot of the work should go into the head keyphrases and you absolutely need to get these profitable but often getting these phrases profitable is a long, slow and arduous process whereas the long-tail is often a quick win since it's cheaper and converts better.
What's the etiquette with giving thumbs up to your own video? To hell with it - I thumbed it up :-)
Thanks for all the positive feedback guys, sorry for talking so fast! Can't believe it came in at like 11 mins. I thought it was like 4 mins tops. Thanks to Scott for putting it together and putting up with me saying OK like EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE...! Sheesh.
I will respond to your questions and points when I can but Will, Duncan and I are all offline for the weekend as Duncan's getting married so might take us a few days :-)
Great roundup - basic but in a sense very in depth. I'm an SEO that does PPC at the same time, and I was wondering if there are others out there?
As for what is missing, I only think you should have talked about conversion tracking, because it is very important in the management process, and so easy to implement (if the client helps out, of course).
I tried to handle the in house PPC for my companies (Im the Director of Web, IT and SO Marketing) for them.. but it became way too much to handle, with SEO, web development and IT coordination.
Needless to say I was stretching myself way too thin, and not focusing my efforts. I contracted it out and has made my life much easier for business development from the tech side. I was also understaffed, so that didn't help any...
Do you find it time consuming when managing the PPC campaigns?
Another great power of PPC is quickly split testing new landing pages, and then applying the knowledge from PPC to converting organic pages. This probably falls under the 80/20 rule. If you can change a small percentage of your page designs and test them via PPC, you can then apply their increases to the rest of your site.
To some extent that works but you also need to be aware of differences in PPC vs organic traffic.
In a perfect world they would ideally act the same but unlike with PPC you can't always direct an organic user to the page you want for them or that they may be in a different stage of the buying cycle.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I suggest reading how Michael Gray uses robots.txt on his landing pages to avoid duplicate content.
Personally, I'd love to see more on PPC. I think any good search marketing campaign needs to incorporate both SEO & PPC - particularly early on while you're trying to get your customer's organic rankings up.
Successful PPC campaigns / conversions also provide some immediate relief to keep the wolves at bay since your SEO efforts take a bit more time to kick in. Any SEO's ever had an impatient customer? ;)
Nice job Tom.
Thanks, Tom!
My boss happened by while I was watching, and I think I clinched a continuing SEOmoz Pro membership budget with your very first point.
As a SEO/PPC noob, I loved the solid summary of the basics, and I'm looking forward to reading/hearing more on PPC in the future here. It seems like such powerful stuff. How come Rand doesn't like it?
Like Stuart, I had a question about the "if it's not converting delete it" statement. Does it actually do harm to leave it in, or is it just a matter of keeping your account neat and current?
Do the keywords have "poor" quality scores?
I suck at linking on SEOmoz but the above is from Brad Geddes' blog and explains that underperforming keywords can effect your high performing keywords.
If I comment without any type of sensical patterns, it must be Friday afternoon.
oh yeah, PPC... I agreed with pretty much everything here. Good Vid. I think other than the mention of min. bids, I'd also keep in mind the level you set your budget to.
I know it can be a scary number to play with, but if you find that you're spending under your daily budget, nudge it up and see how it effects your # of impressions.
Oh, and another tip that will have a positive impact on the green in your wallet. USE THE MV TESTING TOOL FOR YOUR LANDING PAGES. Granted, you'll want to read up on what to test first, but its worth it. In conversions, impressions, and what you'll learn about your audiences tendancies.
Have a killer weekend ya'll.
Great vid :)
And to take it further, if you're interested in the advanced side of things, take a look at http://searchlightdigital.com/advanced-ppc-multivariate-testing-through-applying-pareto-to-orthogonal-arrays/
The best resource when you're first starting out in PPC is to study Google's (I assume you're using AdWords) learning center.
That will give you a starting block. I think the most important factors in PPC are:
1) Trackability (is that a word?) - Like Tom said, you need to be able to track everything otherwise you don't know whats working and what isn't. Just because one keyword gets 100 clicks a day whilst another gets 1 click a day - the latter may be getting a conversion with each click.
2) Campaign/AdGroup Structure - Again, like Tom said (he did a great job) - split content and search and make sure your adgroups are tightly focussed on a theme.
3) Keywords - I wont mention match type because I think it works differently for everyone but you do need to think "what does someone looking for my product search for?" and include those terms. As you go along you'll find terms you missed and terms that just don't work. Don't forget negative keywords!
4) Quality score!!!! - This is the most important part of an ongoing campaign in my mind. A number of different factors make up quality score (do a google search for a full list) but a "great" QS vs a "poor" QS is the difference between paying 5 cents per click or $5 per click and also affects the position of your ad.
5) Ad Copy - My recommendation is a maximum of 4 ads per adgroup but I think that varies between people. Start broadly (like Tom said) and figure out what works. You'll be suprised how small things can increase your CTR and conversion rate. Once you have enough data you can cull the underperforming ones and start testing new variants.
I'm starting to ramble on though. If you read and study all the Google Learning Center and follow Tom's advice you'll be 80% more educated then most people running PPC out there. It's ultimately a learning experience as well. There are foundations that everyone follows but things that work for others won't work for you and vice versa.
You could do that however the best way to setup content is described in this article from Search Engine Land.
It's a different approach then the search network.
Google at least (and I've never even ATTEMPTED in the others) doesn't have a report that does this well. There is something like it in there, but I personally use an inhouse tool that tells me the full referring URL from every conversion. So My tracker tells me when they filled out our form, when they first showed up, the barcode (tells me what keyphrase google served the ad from), and the referring URL which most times has the exact term they used.
I just glance through that to get negative keywords. You can do the same through many analytics programs.
Yes, I was trying through Google's Search Query reports but I just get a "9 other unique queries" message... Would love to find out which other 9....
Thank you Kate (Mary Anne)
Interesting Kate - would be interested to read more about this, perhaps on a youmoz?!
One problem with that method though is you only filter out the search phrases which convert into contact request, you can't filter out searches which came and then left (which are usually the ones you want to filter out)
Hey Tom.
Great summary, I was interested to hear, "If it's not converting delete it"
What kind of time frame do you allow to make that decision?
Sometimes things dont convert or have low conversion rates and I feel like just keeping it on for the advertising value. After all it is advertising.
Gmail is a good example of that. Often high impression, low CTR / Conversion. But I still want my clients to be advertising on Gmail.
See my post below about underperforming keywords having an affect on the ad group as a whole.
As for how long to let it run before making a decision? It depends - if your keyword gets 1000 clicks/day and doesn't convert then it might be two weeks before you cull it. If it gets 10 clicks/day you might need a few months to decide.
Then you have other factors like your budget. How long can you afford to keep it running? If you've got a $100/month campaign budget your answer is different then someone with a $100,000/month campaign.
My advice (and Tom touched on it) is if a keyword or keywords are underperforming in an account, split them out into another adgroup and do some testing with them. By splitting them out you aren't affecting the performing keywords and like you said - it leaves you covered.
It helps to know your cost per acquisition. If your CPA is $30 and keyword A converts 10% of the time then you can afford to bid $3/click where as if keyword B only converts 1% of the time then you can only bid $0.30/click.
I wrote about this on the Distilled blog with a silly title - but a handy lookup table.
The key with deleting anything in PPC is to make sure that you have statistical signifincance before you delete. I use SplitTester.com for this for ad CTR and Conversion testing. You just input a few numbers and the site will crunch them to tell you how certain you can be that one will continue to outperform the other over the long term.
I agreee with Brent, but adding that creating the individual landing pages will help conversion rates on lcick throughs - would also (I assume if your goign to build the page - you would try to best optimize it) for natural search quallity.
Great job! Hey does SEOmoz handle client PPC? If so, I want to talk!
Thx. Rob
Thanks Tom for the explanation! I'm a total newbie so you being very systematic about it helped a lot. And don't let the repetative comments get you down - The good thing about talking fast is the fact that we can always rewind and hear it again. And, the more we hear it, the easier it will be to remember it!I didn't quite get "Before You Go Live" point #6: Thematically (sp?) grouping. Why would it be more beneficial to put keyphrase "B" in it's own group, separate from keyphrase "D"?I was also a little lost with "PPC Maintenance" point #9: Review analytics. If anything, I got how a high bounce rate is bad, but what/how do I make sure it's in line with the rest of my site?
Thank you Tom. I really welcome a bit of PPC (just a bit mind!) on SEOmoz and this is very timely for me as I'm trying to get my head around it as we start to offer more PPC management at our agency.
Questions I have for future posts / videos:
I'll try to answer your questions.
If you're interested in quality score, check out http://searchlightdigital.com/who-else-wants-kick-ass-adwords-quality-score/
If you've got any questions, please leave a comment!
Hi there Pulkiet,
It absolutely does have an effect. If you want a quick overview of what you can do site-side to help increase QS, have a look at http://searchlightdigital.com/who-else-wants-kick-ass-adwords-quality-score/


text:
Shipping costs are calculated by size and weight of the overall order and destination. All products are shipping from the United Kingdom.
Add the products to the shopping cart, go to VIEW CART and use the "calculate" button to see available shipping cost options.
This acrylic display case has been design for Lego Architecture 21028 New York City.
This case is flat-packed and assembled by screwing together the front and back acrylic panels with the sides, using 8 screws provided. The lid is placed on top.
The Lego model is placed onto the base, which is available in clear, black or white. The clear case is then placed over the model and sits onto the base.
The case is made from 3mm thick acrylic.
Lego model not included.
Approximate Internal Size:
260mm(L) x 50mm(W) x 300mm(H)
International Shipping Costs
For shipping costs for outside of the United Kingdom, please add items to cart and use the "International Shipping" link at the bottom of the cart page to view costs.
No posts found

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Join the (Street) Team/
Do you like to read? Do you like to read things before they are launched? Do you like to read things before they are launched and then tell other people about the thing you just read? Would you like to help me? If you said yes to any of those questions then keep reading, I need your help.
I'm looking for a team of people to help me launch my upcoming book, everPresent. Gospel-Centered Discipleship is releasing the book on March 17 and I'm really excited about it. To help me launch the book I am assembling a street team to generate a little online buzz about the book and let others know about it's publication. I want to see the message of everPresent get into as many hands as possible. Would you like to join my team?
I'm looking for people willing to read the book, review it on your blog and post a rating/review on Amazon.com when the book launches. I will send you a digital copy of everPresent. You read it, write your thoughts about it and share those thoughts on the Internet. You can utilize your blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, etc. to get the word out about everPresent. On St. Paddy's Day we'll celebrate the book's launch together.
Does that sound like fun to you? If this sounds like a way you'd like to help get the word out then fill out the form below and I'll send you some more details to get on the team!
Sign ups for the Street Team have been closed at this time! Thanks.


text:
Skylight Music Theatre presents…
Open House 2014
On Friday, July 25, 2014 the Broadway Theatre Center and its tenants will once again open their doors for free performances, tours and behind the scenes glimpses of production departments.
Event Information
As the resident performing arts companies in the Broadway Theatre Center gear up for their dynamic seasons, they warmly invite Milwaukee to visit their home, wander through and learn about their facilities, grab a drink in their bar, and get a sneak peek of the performing arts season soon to come.
Home to Bel Canto Chorus, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Milwaukee Children's Choir, Present Music, Renaissance Theaterworks and Skylight MusicTheatre, the Broadway Theatre Center is the Historic Third Ward's mecca of music and theatre.
The Broadway Theatre Center is a major destination at Gallery Night featuring FREE self-guided tours of the facility (includes theatres, stages, production shops, dressing rooms and the ever popular bar and salon) and FREE performances by resident companies. On the self-guided tour Broadway Theatre Center visitors will have an opportunity to learn about each resident company and to collect multiple entries for a drawing of prizes.
2014 Open House Performance Schedule
Cabot Theatre
7:00 – 7:15 Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Open Rehearsal
8:00 – 9:00 Season Preview Performance featuring Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks and Bel Canto Chorus
Studio Theatre
5:30 – 7:30 Renaissance Theaterworks Open Rehearsal
Bar and Bistro
6:30 – 7:00 Bel Canto Chorus
7:15 – 7:45 Opera on Tap
Outside the BTC
5:30 – 7:30 Entertainment by Present Music


text: Posted on: Friday, April 13, 2007 by Rajiv Popat The Thick-Skinned Developer Every now and then I meet young, talented and enterprising developers and interns who are hesitant to post code snippets, out of their work environment into the open world. There are some who will not write Code-Project articles for the fear of getting negative feedbacks. Others won't speak at knowledge sharing sessions or trainings, even if it's just within their own organization, until they are fully prepared with an elaborate PPT and have spent hours learning a topic and know it like they know their mother-tongue. Some even worry too much about what their audience thought about a particular training they conducted last month. Here's a piece of advice to every young intern and engineer starting out on their careers: Learn how to get naked! You should have nothing to hide! Nothing. If you are succeeding in your project, say it. If you are failing, say it in a louder voice! If you are an expert in a topic, say it. If you don't know a thing about a topic, say it, in a louder voice! And once you're naked, develop a thicker skin! Don't let the critisms get you down. Instead, use them to become a better developer (and a better person). Being a think-skinned shameless developer who has nothing to hide is a life-style. After you have lived it, you begin to wonder how the developers, who don't follow it, live without it :) Are you a thick-skinned developer? Are you ready to become one? Try the life-style! You might love it! Here are a few steps that can help get you started: Realize how much your code sucks - and then learn to say it with a sense of humor - shamelessly. After all, we all make shitty software… with Bugs! Ask for more time and make your code better - Pick one of your modules that sucks the most and ask for some extra time to re-factor it. If it's not ready to ship and you need to work harder, learn to say so without feeling particularly ashamed about it! Besides writing code learn to talk about code - Try walking into a training that you are about to conduct with just a topic you think you know really well or feel passionately about. No elaborate PPTs, No Preparations! If possible, do this every few weeks. Throw out a few articles at code-project or start a blog - Blogs and articles open up forms of dialogs where it's really easy to be shameless and ask questions or say "I don't know" while answering them. The critism that comes in as comments through your blogs, articles or just ad-hoc email from your readers is usually very constructive. Personally I have and will (hopefully) continue to, learn a lot from Ad-hoc emails and feedback I receive from this blog and my articles. Read Code – Read code that's better than code that you would generally write – Quite a few good open source projects are usually a great place to start. If you can't commit to an open source project submit bug-fixes and patches for the ones you use in your every-day life! Copy Shamelessly – I've copied patterns of coding from every good programmer I ever worked with. In my professional life at work, the most recent example of shameless copy was a different way of writing Configuration Handlers that I picked up from a very capable Developer in my current project. The above points don't form a definitive guide to becoming a shameless thick-skinned developer but if you've never made fun of your own code in a meeting or in a public blog post – they might help you get started on the road of thick-skinned-shamelessness where you might be able to learn much more by being a little more shameless and thick-skinned! I wish you a Safe and a Happy Journey on this road of shameless and thick-skinned development. Personal Thoughts on Software Development posted on Friday, April 13, 2007 8:55:29 AM UTC by Rajiv Popat Comments [4] Trackback Related posts:Are We Really Overworked? Or Just Not Enjoying What We Do?Managers And Their Self-Fulfilling Prophecies.Fake It Till You Become It.Cookie Cutter Vs. Improvised SupportThe Real Story Of Passionate Success.Feeling Like A Phony Is Fine. Not Showing Up Isn't. Tracked by:"Do You Want to Manage Your Team?" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"Programmer Tip - Support What You Write!" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"Are You a One Man Army?" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"TacticSheet - Free Open Source TimeSheet and ExpenseSheet Tracking System" (Tho... [Trackback]"TacticSheet - Free Open Source TimeSheet and ExpenseSheet Tracking System Built... [Trackback]"TacticSheet - Open Source TimeSheet and ExpenseSheet System Built On .NET 3.5" ... [Trackback]"Is Your Client Your Ally?" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"Broken Windows - If Broken They Are, Fix Them You Must" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"Are You Done? Or Just Ninety Percent Done?" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"Is Your Task Done? Or Just Ninety Percent Done?" (ThousandtyOne!) [Trackback]"Breaking The Infinite Loop Of Failure" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Logical... [Trackback]"How Big Is Your Team?" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Logical Thoughts By Raj... [Trackback]"How Big Are Your Teams?" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Logical Thoughts By R... [Trackback]"Opinionated Programmers Are Better Than A Flock Of Sheep" (ThousandtyOne! - .NE... [Trackback]"The War, The Angel, The Devil And The Programmer" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life ... [Trackback]"CMM, RUP and Gant charts don't build Successful Software. Kick Ass Programmers ... [Trackback]"Hey Mr. Jargon, You're Just Full Of Crap!" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Log... [Trackback]"Optimism And Wishful Thinking - A Curse In Software Development" (ThousandtyOne... [Trackback]"Optimism And Wishful Thinking. Two Biggest Curses In Software Development." (Th... [Trackback]"CMM, RUP and Gantt Charts Don't Build Successful Software. Kick Ass Programmers... [Trackback]"Deadlines Driven Development For Dummies" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Logi... [Trackback]"Deadlines Driven Development Is For Dummies" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and L... [Trackback]"The Secret Sauce Of Successful Teams - Are They A Part Of Your Life Vision Or J... [Trackback]"The Secret Sauce Of Successful Teams - Are They A Part Of Your Life Vision Or J... [Trackback]"The Secret Sauce Of Successful Teams - Do You Really Like Them? Or Are They Jus... [Trackback]"The Secret Sauce Of Successful Software Development Teams - Do You Really Like ... [Trackback]"Why Project Managers Should Have Short Memories" (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life a... [Trackback]"Why Project Managers And Team Leaders Should Have Short Memories." (ThousandtyO... [Trackback]"Why People Who Lead Teams Should Have Short Memories." (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, ... [Trackback]"Conviction And A Strong Spine - Two Qualities To Look For In People You Work Wi... [Trackback]"Software Development And The Art Of Giving Up Or Surrendering." (ThousandtyOne!... [Trackback]"Software Development And The Art Of Giving Up Or Surrendering - Shamelessly." (... [Trackback]"Software Development And The Art Of Giving Up - Shamelessly." (ThousandtyOne! -... [Trackback]"Software Development And Learning The Art Of Giving Up - Shamelessly." (Thousan... [Trackback]"Contributing Through Your Blog – What Goes Around Comes Around" (Thousand... [Trackback]"Passionate Blogging And Contributing Through Your Blog – What Goes Around... [Trackback]"Contributing Through Your Blog - What Goes Around Comes Around." (ThousandtyOne... [Trackback]"You Could Be A Micro-Manager Or A Prick - And You May Not Even Know It." (Thous... [Trackback]"Insecurity - Use It Till You Lose It. The Art Of Staying Dangerously Close To B... [Trackback]"Insecurity - Use It Till You Lose It. The Art Of Staying Dangerously Close To G... [Trackback]"Measuring Your Project Health With The F-Word." (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life an... [Trackback]"The F-Word In Software Development." (ThousandtyOne! - .NET, Life and Logical T... [Trackback]


text:
The Not-So-Endless Summer
by Natalie Christensen
When I was young summer felt epic. In my mind's eye, the school months were stacked up, jumbled and cramped, and the summer months were a hazy, vast yellow prairie. In fact my image of summer included waist-high golden grass even though I lived on the coast, between sand and redwoods. Summer was so immense, so sizeable that you never knew who you might be—how different, how tall, how smart—by the end of it, or that there would even be an end to it.
I still think of summer this way, although my nostalgic view may have something to do with two key factors:
1. Montana winter.
Okay, so I skip town for a chunk of the winter these days, but that's because I am traumatized! This West Coast girl still can't accept that there's a real chance of frost and snow from October through April. One year my birthday was celebrated with a snowstorm. My birthday is in June.
When the first crocus pushes it's brave head through frozen dirt, emerging into a grey world of bare branches, people in this part of the country cry from joy. The Facebook feed fills with photos and rumors of said crocus, and some of us make a quick pilgrimage to witness the first bulb. We do this to feel better about life and to store some spring optimism because a single flower does not a warm season make. There may still remain weeks and weeks of long underwear and puffy coats.
So yes, summer, after the long dark winter, does seem unimaginably incredible, forgiving, and languid.
2. I have kids.
Kids are built for summer.
Now, here are the two factors that continually harsh my summer vibe—like a bully on the playground that edges you up against the chainlink fence to forcefeed you the truth about Santa. These pieces form a rival summer perception that competes for my brainspace.
The girls' first summer ritual is to sit at the kitchen counter and make a long list of summer goals. I usually save these lists for the baby books because they are so darned endearing. The list includes things like going to the river, lemonade stands, ice cream, camping, and fort-making.
I love these lists because they are innocent and sweet. Every year they are nearly the same, although these days there are a few teen-like activities thrown on top, like "tie-dye my jean jacket." These lists also stress me out because the girls are serious about them and when I look at the lineup, stretching longer than my arm, and I look at the calendar, I know that it won't all happen.
There isn't enough time.
Regular life.
If I were to sum up a classic summer day from my childhood it would include a bathing suit, massive amounts of time in the water, and snacks in the shade. Now that I am an adult, I can see that our red and white cooler filled with food did not magically appear. (Sorry to just be realizing this now, Mom) Cheese chunks, apple slices, cold grapes, all of these, all of the delicious snacks I devoured, pouring energy back into my waterlogged little body, were orchestrated by my parents.
Summer doesn't feel like a blur of yellow sun and bathing suits anymore because now I am one of the people who has to locate the blasted bathing suits. (Do they even still fit?) And if kids are going to eat snacks in the shade someone better go to the grocery store.
Summer, instead of being languid and easy, is actually the season of most work. In the winter you finish your workday, eat dinner, and call it good. But in summer you hurry to finish your workday, and then work several additional hours prepping for the camping trip or rafting trip or beach trip. I know it's always been this way. Parents have always labored behind the scenes. I was just too little to notice.
These dual realities bring mixed emotions. I feel lovesick, yearning for summer even as it's unfolding, and yet I also feel overwhelmed and stressed, nervous about it's arrival. It's uncomfortable to hold both of these perceptions in one body and yet, I know I can't yield to either one.
I can't sink fully into summer as I did as a kid. I can't stay at the river all day and still, without planning, come home to a hearty fresh meal. Despite a positive body image and a forgiving lifestyle, I still can't wear a bathing suit all day, every day. I also can't give summer the middle finger and tell it to grow up already. I can't allow myself to be a person that knocks out the days like they are just like any other.
What I can do is accept.
I can make peace as quickly as possible with the rapid turn of the earth. I don't have to hold the calendar in a death grip and shoot dirty looks at the sun as it sets a little earlier each night. (I've actually done this.) I can embrace the limited number of days, live them fully knowing I can't say "there's always tomorrow."
I can come to terms with the fact that there is hustle involved in summer. Early hours where you get shit done, late hours where you unpack the ragged dirty car, meals made and eaten and cleaned up after, trips to the grocery store, and other mundane, very un-summer-like tasks such as meetings and paying bills. I don't like it that the world doesn't stop on June 1st, but I don't have to cry about it. (I've done this too.)
I can acknowledge that all the regular parts of life still need to get done and yet not think incessantly about the next task, or the next scheduling snafu. I can sit by the river and do nothing, smell the cottonwoods, toss a pebble, just stand there and enjoy it like it's the true snapshot, the summation of summer.
Because it is.
My kids, belly deep in riverside mud, will certainly hold this moment as summer. That jumbo bag of pretzels they are munching on did appear out of nowhere, at least to them. Lapping waves, birdsong, and mowers, will be the soundtrack for their summer nostalgia and the motivation they will need to hustle extra hard, decades from now, so that their kids have a similar golden-hued snapshot to hold.
And it's not just because my children are young and carefree. It's not because they have no idea what the grocery budget may be or when a bill is due. It's because that riverside hour is the most important part of the day and they know it. Children always know what takes us years to relearn.
My childhood summers weren't actually endless, without tedium or regular crappy life stuff; it's that those aren't the parts that matter, those aren't the pieces I've stored in my heart. I am so glad for that, so glad that I don't have to stop the earth from turning, or muster dark magic to keep the fridge full, in order to enjoy a classic summer. I need only notice it when it's happening.
About Natalie Christensen
Natalie Christensen is a writer, illustrator, and mother living in Missoula, Montana. She is co-creator of Feeleez, a line of tools that support the emotional development of children. She offers life + parenting coaching and on most days can be found on the banks of the Clark Fork river with her family and her yellow dog. Join Natalie and Carrie-Anne for the September edition of MOTHER.
Connect with Natalie—
Feelez | Talk Feeleez | Portfolio | Instagram


text:
Delivery Information
Deliveries will be made by Royal Mail to the address stipulated on your invoice/packing slip. You must ensure that all these details are correct including business names, flat numbers, building names etc. otherwise our courier may not be able to complete the delivery and you will incur another postage charge for re-delivery.
All orders received before 9am on any working day will be shipped the same day.
The seller (that's us) shall determine the method, date and time of delivery. Postponement of delivery at the buyer's request or the failure on the buyer's part to accept delivery then the buyer shall be liable to pay the seller all extra expenses.
We will not be responsible for any business loss (including loss of profits, revenue, contracts, anticipated savings, data, goodwill or wasted expenditure) or any other indirect or consequential loss that is not reasonably foreseeable to both you and us when you began using the website or when a contract for the sale of goods from us to you was formed.
We cannot accept responsibility for late deliveries caused by poor address details, difficult access or no one being available at the delivery address to receive the goods.
All deliveries are made by third party courier companies; when stock is available it will be sent on a 48 hour courier service but there is no guarantee the courier will always achieve this.
The delivery address should include a house number and street name along with a full valid postcode. A telephone number is beneficial in case the delivery address cannot be found. The courier will deliver between 8am and 6pm for home addresses or 9am to 5pm to business addresses Monday to Saturday – someone should be at the delivery address between these times to accept delivery.
If you know you will not be in, please follow instructions on the Royal Mail card that will be posted through the door and collect from your local depot or rearrange delivery by calling 08457 950 950.
As we require a signature from the recipient, Royal Mail will not usually leave in a safe place. However, if you request this and the courier chooses to leave this in the designated location, your parcel is left at your own liability. If the goods are water-damaged or stolen from the place you specify then BEEFIT Snacks accepts no responsibility for this loss - this is at your own risk. If in doubt please provide a work address to deliver to.
Any dates and times are approximate and early or late deliveries will not be an acceptable reason for refusing goods.
We will not be liable to replace any damaged goods at our cost, if this is not notified or refused with the couriers. All items must be inspected when delivering and must be refused if the item has arrived damaged.


text:
This topic has been in the news recently, especially with Wes Leonard - high school basketball player from Michigan who collapsed and died after making the winning shot for his team. Sudden Cardiac Death is technically the term used in these tragic events. I encourage you to check out this very informative link from the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation on the subject.
Over the past few days, I did three TV interview segments on this topic on local TV news. Topics discussed include what the current recommendations are as far as medical evaluation before participating in sports, the controversy of cardiac testing all high school athletes, and what steps can be done when a high school athletes collapses suddenly on the field of play. If you find this video informative, I encourage you to check out other videos on general health topics at MikeSevilla.TV. Enjoy!


text:
A new Progressive Conservative government will eliminate inflationary bracket creep in its first full budget year, while beginning to raise the basic personal exemption, giving Manitoba taxpayers a permanent tax break that keeps up with the cost of living.
"Manitobans are taxed to the max," said PC Leader Brian Pallister. "Under the Selinger NDP, Manitoba families pay among the highest taxes in Canada but receive fewer services and less value."
Under the Selinger NDP, the average Manitoba family pays more than $4,000 in additional income taxes and PST every year compared to our neighbours in Saskatchewan.
The Selinger NDP is the only government west of the Maritimes that has refused to automatically raise tax brackets every year to match the rate of inflation. This means many hard-working Manitobans find themselves automatically bumped into higher tax brackets and forced to pay more income tax.
A new Progressive Conservative government will provide immediate and ongoing tax relief for all Manitobans by:
- Indexing the tax brackets and the basic personal exemption by the rate of inflation within our first full budget year.
- Further raising the basic personal exemption towards the national average within our first term.
"Bracket creep is a stealth tax," said Pallister. "Ending this practice gives every Manitoba taxpayer a break."
The Selinger NDP has taken more than $1 billion from Manitobans by broadening the PST base to tax more goods and services and increasing the rate of the PST to 8%. Greg Selinger promised not to raise the PST but did so anyways.
"Our better plan provides tax relief for all Manitobans, including those most in need," added Pallister. "We believe in lower taxes unlike the NDP."


text:
Eligible Magazine TIFF 2013 Bachelor Party
COVE thirtyone Night Club was the perfect setting for the TIFF Bachelor Party, as Eligible Magazine's Gary Wilson hosted a luscious warm up for the eventful and star-jammed TIFF 2013.
It was definitely a night for the single ladies in Toronto to let go and mingle with Michael Stagliano, Arie Luyendyk Jr., Kiptyn Locke and Ed Swiderski who are all former bachelors from ABC's The Bachelor series.
COVE's rooftop patio felt like an oasis in the middle of TO's concrete jungle, as well over a hundred people gathered to enjoy the free cocktails and the tasty hors d'oeuvres. The women were not shy to pose with the Bachelor Stars, and as the night progress, the tequila shots flowed, and the temperature rose, the four hosts had no choice but to join the fun among the crowd of beautiful people.
The party then moved down to the dance floor and the electric crowd let go of whatever little shyness was left in their bones. The shots kept going around, the lights flashed all around, and people danced the night away with the stars of yet another unforgettable film festival in our vibrant TO.
Some of the notables in attendance were: Actor Rupinder Nagra, Actor Raymond Black, Pooja Handa from CP24, Big Brother houseguest Topaz Brady, and socialite Ainsley Kerr, among others.
photos by Diego [wp_cart:High Res. Photos (digital):price:5.90:end]
pictures also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Fashionecsta
follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/FashionEcstasyT
follow us on instagram: @fashionecstasy
Eligible Magazine TIFF 2013 Bachelor Party photos


text:
Gift Vouchers
With a Race Party gift voucher you can choose from all of the different racing options that we offer. From Burnout sessions & casual racing bookings to birthday parties, corporate events and evening celebrations. The choice is up to you.
Vouchers are available in $50, $100, $250 and $500 values.
$500 Gift voucher - click HERE
$250 Gift voucher - click HERE
$100 Gift voucher - click HERE
Gift vouchers are valid for 1 year from date of purchase.


text:
Antonio Breez – "Changes" (Freestyle) [Video]
Antonio Breez is doesn't seem to be letting up with the pumping out of visuals this summer. Following last weeks "Big Poppa" Freestyle, a tribute to Biggie Smalls; Antonio comes with a freestyle to Tupac's " Changes". "I look in the mirror and this is what I face", Antonio paints a picture of his reality living as an artist struggling, aspiring to live a greater life. Directed by Len Luciano, Antonio delivers yet another dope visual. He has also announced that his second studio album, The Migration Narrative releases October 13th.


text:
I'm a Lomo sapien
Man, I loves that camera. It's got bits of duct tape holding it together in one corner and the inside seal is going bald, but it's been a brilliant companion for the past 14 years. Sure, there's usually only a handful of good pictures on each roll, but that's part of the charm; the randomness of it all. I must use it more... Hope you peeps have a lovely weekend!
21 comments:
That first shot is quite wonderful!ReplyDelete
That first shot is quite wonderful ...ReplyDelete
and the last one too !!
wow! these are spectacular! amazing colours...ReplyDelete
I love your fountain pics!ReplyDelete
I am absolutely in love with the top photo. It's quite possibly the best photo I have seen in forever. Wow.ReplyDelete
AHH! I love the lomo too! I can't seem to get mine to work, altho it was given to me used by a friend, so it might not work properly at all!ReplyDelete
your shots are amazing!
I love love the first photo!ReplyDelete
i usually like your funny eye photos quite a lot, and i have to say the fountain shot is incredible!ReplyDelete
have a lomo too, love it for the darker corners of the pix it takes.
- Anonymous9 September 2011 at 20:45
Wonderful pics! It must be a pretty awesome camera!ReplyDelete
Camila Faria
..and oh boy the camera loves you back, too! wow!ReplyDelete
i love it too, these photos are great!ReplyDelete
i bought the kit to fix the seals on mine, but haven't done it yet...thanks for the reminder!
Whoa that picture of the bird Ö, great shot!ReplyDelete
holy! i'm like... speechless. or every word is inappropriate to type here. brilliant.ReplyDelete
these are amaaazing! i just started using a Holga and i wasted my first two rolls of film as it came out blank. but yes, when they do come out, it always reminds you of why you got it in the first place xReplyDelete
Amazing , i could use these for desings =PReplyDelete
Download Best And Free Funny Flirting Software
these are GOLD!ReplyDelete
The first one is amazing.ReplyDelete
awesome shots! that first one, wow!ReplyDelete
Ohhh! How did I miss this one!ReplyDelete
The photos are perfecto!!!!!!
the first one. the first one!!!ReplyDelete
that's just out of this world. wow.
Love the pigeon in the fountains!ReplyDelete


text:
So, it's decided……that once I reach 100 "likes" on my Facebook page I'm going to 'GIVE-AWAY' something über special (and handmade of course! From bespoke stationery to wall art to personalised gifts). AND I wont just stop there…..there will be one for every 100th "Like" milestone there after!!
- Simply 'share' this post, website link or my Facebook Page link onto your Facebook timeline or even your blog,
- mention the 'giveaway' and
- 'Like' my page (if you don't already!)……and it's as easy as that! :)
Right then, let's get this page of mine shared across many more creative folk around the globe (yup, this is open for international followers too!) and get the 'likes' rising! When we get closer to the targets I will reveal what the 'GIVEAWAY' is. Maybe we could even get some suggestions in? Anyway, the winner will be drawn at random and announced on here!
So….what do you say folks? Do you like the sound of that? I need more creative projects to add to the already growing list…..so why not! ;)
A HUGE 'thank you' to all my loyal and avid followers to date and to the very recent ones too!! If you do enjoy following my creative antics here, on Facebook or Twitter then please do share this to get the word out to more like-minded creative people and get yourself closer to a chance of winning something special from me!
I'm excited at the prospect of making stuff for you so why not partake in that excitement with me? ;) xx


text:
The Sod Buster is a sturdy utility knife designed with a skinner blade. Case has been a leading American manufacturer of premium, hand-crafted knives for over 125 years. Still made in Bradford, PA by skilled artisans using the finest materials and time-honored techniques- this rich heritage makes Case knives the brand of choice for sportsmen and knife enthusiasts, as well as being the most collected knives in the world.
- Made with the American workman in mind, this knife has a smooth jet black synthetic handle that is virtually indestructible
- Skinner blade is etched with the Sod Buster plow logo and made of Tru-Sharp surgical steel for lasting beauty and durability
- Blade material: Tru-Sharp surgical steel
- Main blade length: 3.7 in.
- Number of blades: 1
Note: This product may require up to 2 additional days for order processing prior to shipping


text:
From the Site: Structural Ipe Decking + Clear Cedar Fencing
The past few weeks have seen a bit of progress at our site in Mission Viejo, where an existing exterior space is being transformed into an outdoor kitchen and living room, starting with new wood fencing and decking.
Beautiful clear-grade cedar enhances the streetscape at both front and rear yards with clean, linear design.
The double-sided construction allows for a solid privacy wall at the location of the new outdoor bbq and kitchen area, an extension of the interior space accessed from the modern kitchen completed by MYD last year.
A new ipe deck invites users to the gathering space beyond, the change in grade also serving as a means to architecturally delineate space.
The system used at this project is a modular series of 24" by 48" structural ipe panels supported by a grid of adjustable pedestals (bison ip). This approach allows for clean installation, enabling access to existing utilities while maintaining a continuous appearance, with no visible hardware, consistent finishes and minimal construction impact. Providing a structural and level surface over the hardscape and landscape, the solid ipe will easily carry the weight of a concrete and steel fire pit to be installed over the new deck.
More updates to come as progress continues at the project site in Mission Viejo.
cheers, myd


text:
Powerbond 20% Underdrive KIT with belt – BA BF 6 Cyl
- Description
- Additional information
- Reviews (0)
The Ford 6 cyl is a serpentine belt engine and benefits from under-driving the accessory pulleys to reduce parasitic power losses from the alternator, air conditioning, water pump and power steering at high engine RPMs.
A smaller, lighter harmonic balancer is like a lightweight flywheel and can sharpen throttle response and allow the engine to rev out faster.
Gains of upto 10rwkw have been found with the underdrive balancer.
The Powerbond 20% under drive balancer for the Ford DOHC 6 engine is SFI approved for all forms of motor sport. The precision CNC machined steel hub and intertia ring is assembled using Powerbond's pressure bonded rubber eliminating balancer separation and spinning. Every Powerbond unit is dynamically balanced at the factory for smooth running at ultra high RPMs
This kit includes the underdrive harmonic balancer, belt and idler pulleys.
Additional information
|4 kg
|22 × 22 × 10 cm
There are no reviews yet.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


text:
Propane Sales in Tupelo and Northeast Mississippi
*** Coming Soon! ***
At Southern Rentals and Sales, we will soon be offering quick propane sales and refills for Tupelo MS and surrounding communities in Northeast Mississippi. From large RV tanks to smaller BBQ grill tanks, we will get your propane filled and on your way before you know it!
For all your propane refill needs in Northeast Mississippi , look no further than Southern Rentals and Sales!


text:
A Conversation with Bill Gates about the Future of Higher Education
Thanks for visiting the Gates Notes.We'd like your feedback.
The Chronicle sat down with Mr. Gates in an exclusive interview Monday to talk about his vision for how colleges can be transformed through
technology. His approach is not simply to drop in tablet computers or other gadgets and hope change happens—a model he said has a "really
horrible track record." Instead, the foundation awards grants to reformers working to fix "inefficiencies" in the current model of
higher education that keep many students from graduating on time, or at all. And he argues for radical reform of college teaching, advocating a move
toward a "flipped" classroom, where students watch videos from superstar professors as homework and use class time for group projects and
other interactive activities. As he put it, "having a lot of kids sit in the lecture class will be viewed at some point as an antiquated
The Microsoft founder doesn't claim to have all the answers. In fact, he describes the foundation's process as one of continual
refinement: "to learn, make mistakes, try new things out, find new partners to do things."
The interview comes on the eve of Mr. Gates's keynote speech at an event Tuesday to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which
created the nationwide system of land-grant colleges. The "convocation" will be held in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Association of
Public Land-Grant Universities.
Below: A complete transcript of the conversation.
On Business's Role in Higher Education
"If you're engaged in some inefficient practice, maybe that's a bad thing."
On Tablets in the Classroom
"Just giving people devices ... has a really horrible track record."
On the Meaning of MOOC's
"Even though I only have a high-school degree, I'm a professional student."
You have been interested in education for quite a while. I was looking back at your 1995 book, The Road Ahead, and you laid out a vision of
education and how it could be transformed with technology. It seems like some of that vision is still only just emerging, so many years later. Did it
take longer than you thought it would?
So who's to blame? Are there things like the U.S. News rankings or other pressures that give colleges the wrong incentives?
There's a moving moment in Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs that describes a time when you visited Mr. Jobs at his
house not long before his passing, and the two you reflected on the innovations you both led in technology. I understand that one thing Steve Jobs
asked you that day was about how technology could change education. What did you tell him?
Getting to some of those ideas, you're famously not a college graduate, since you left Harvard early to start Microsoft. So I'm
curious what you think of EdX out of Harvard and MIT. What do you think of that model of certificates or badges for taking free online courses?
That's interesting. I'm hearing a lot about that idea in the tech industry—such as companies like Microsoft trying to hire
programmers—but do you think this could work as well in things like humanities fields where it's harder to measure mastery?
The Gates Foundation has given tens of millions of dollars to traditional universities and to some new upstart players in higher education.
But with that amount it would be possible to build a new campus of your own—have you considered starting your own university?
For us, our role is different than that. Our role is to make sure that the universities that are out there that already have a lot of professors, a
lot of real estate, a lot of reputation, that if there's ways that they can do things better, like looking at their completion rates and saying,
OK, what are the best-practices? And seeing a student who seems to be disengaged, what do you to do to get them re-engaged?
Even these top universities often only have a 60-percent completion rate. And the average university will have something like a 30-percent
completion rate. So you have an immense amount of wasted resource, and students who end up with a big loan and sort of a negative experience in terms
of their own self-confidence. And so that failing student is a disaster for everyone. And yet there's been surprisingly little put into finding
out who does it well. Even universities knowing their completion rates. It's only been recently with some things we and others have gotten
behind that there have been standard metrics and a willingness to share what is actually a fairly embarrassing statistic for these universities and be
able to say if somebody's got 80 percent, what are they doing? Is it the pool of people they bring in or what they're doing when they get
The role of business in higher education is a hot topic these days. Many new online-education efforts are run by companies, and in some
ways the controversy at the University of Virginia over the forced resignation of the president there was partly about how fast the institution should
move online and adopt a more business-style approach. What would you say to those who worry that businesses, and in some cases even foundations like
yours, are becoming too influential at traditional colleges?
Our goal is pretty simple: Seeing the U.S. education system as a real gem. As the thing that's provided broad opportunity and made the
country do very well. And so the question is how do we renew that when others have looked at what we do well and copied a lot of those things. And so
their universities are getting a lot better. Their completion rates are better than ours. Their efficiency rates are better than ours. The number of
students who go into science and math are better than ours. What is it that we need to do to strengthen this fundamental part of our country that both
in a broad sort of economic level and an individual-rights level is the key enabler. And it's amazing how little effort's been put into
this. Of saying, OK, why are some teachers at any different level way better than others? You've got universities in this country with a 7-
percent completion rate. Why is it that they don't come under pressure to change what they're doing to come up with a better way of doing
things? So if casting light on the current state of the system is a good thing, then we're a positive change. And if not, then people could feel
In blunter terms, some have asked what makes successful business people—even if they are successful at business—qualified to
weigh in on the operation of universities?
Take remedial math, which is an absolute disaster. What destroys more self-confidence than any other educational thing in America is being assigned
to some remedial math when you get into some college, and then it's not taught very well and you end up with this sense of, Hey, I can't
really figure those things out. If we can take and bring the right technical things and people things to that, then that would make a huge
So all the grants are to people in universities, and, yes, some people in universities disagree with other people in universities. But if you have
a sense that completion is a good thing, then you're all eventually going to come to a consensus that yes, we can improve.
Still, these grants do create an incentive—and it's not just your foundation, it's all foundations—to work toward
the goals that the foundation has set out. It sounds like your argument is that you're placing a variety of bets, in a way, rather than telling
universities that this is the way that it should be done with your grant money, which is pretty powerful.
Some of what you've been talking about is getting people to completion by weeding out extraneous courses. There's a concern by
some that that might create pressure to make universities into a kind of job-training area without the citizenship focus of that broad liberal-arts
At a conference in 2010, your said that in five years, "placed-based colleges," would be less important because of the rise of some of
these video-based options and credentials. Should traditional college leaders be worried about their place-based model?
Yes, universities are somewhat reluctant to give up a piece. So it's not clear who those innovators will be. But I think its time is
Tablet computers are big these days. The Surface tablet was just released by Microsoft last week, and iPads are all over campuses, but it
doesn't sound like your approach has been to give devices to students and hope things change that way. What do you think needs to happen for factors
like tablets to really make a difference? Or is that not even part of the equation?
But the device is not the key limiting factor at this point, at least in most countries. If we ever get the curriculum to be super, super good,
then the access piece, which is the most expensive part, will be challenging, requiring special policies to let people get access. The device, you'll
be able to check out of the library a portable PC, so I don't see that as the key thing right now.
Is there a professor or teacher who inspired you to get into education? And of all the things that your foundation could invest in, why
higher education, and where does that passion come from?
In higher ed, there's a part of it that has been extremely strong in the U.S.—the best in the world. You know it hasn't been easy for
other people to do what we've done well. But for the first time now, we see them doing some of those things. The top universities in China, like
Tsinghua, is a world-class university, absolutely in the top 50 universities in the world. So we have to double-down, particularly when there's
new opportunity, which technology is bringing, and when there's a challenge, which all these budget issues are pretty dramatic in that regard.
So there's nothing more catalytic. There's nothing that was more important to me in terms of the kind of opportunity I had personally. I
went to a great high school. I went to a great university. I only went three years, but it doesn't matter; it was still extremely valuable to me to be
in that environment. And I had fantastic professors throughout that whole thing. And so, if every kid could have that kind of education, we'd
achieve a lot of goals both at the individual and country level.
As a foundation, what's next? Do you see new areas, maybe domestic health care, say, or are there other new sectors that the foundation
might get into?
What did you learn from K-12 that you're bringing to higher ed?


text:
The IMF released its World Economic Outlook today and, to put it mildly, the new numbers are disappointing-- most especially for developed economies.
We're looking at a slowdown the world over, partly due to economic shocks (think: Europe), and also partly due to a lack of aggressive, coordinated action to fight financial crises.
The worst part is that this is assuming the best. It assumes that Euro-zone leaders will be able to solve their problems, and that U.S. politicians can strike a healthy balance between debt reduction and fiscal stimulus. The IMF is also hoping that the market holds out.


text:
Archive for January 2017
January 31, 2017
Lawmakers aim to identify students with disabilities early
(Del.) In an effort to improve early intervention of students with disabilities, Delaware lawmakers are seeking to close a gap in school funding that leaves almost 2,500 of the state's youngest learners without special education resources.CONTINUE READING
January 31, 2017
A status quo budget for CTC is a sign of better times
(Calif.) For the first time in several years, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing will have a status quo budget with no special grants, no new authority to hike fees and no extraordinary cost-saving measures.CONTINUE READING
January 30, 2017
ESSA deadline looming, state struggle to complete plans
(District of Columbia) Even with the time extensions that the U.S. Department of Education has granted states to develop and submit plans detailing how each will abide by the Every Student Succeeds Act, there appears to be a lot of work to do.CONTINUE READING
January 30, 2017
Fake news spurs call for media literacy lessons in schools
(Calif.) The recent alarm over the potential spread of fake news has prompted two California lawmakers to call for media literacy education in schools, as evidence shows that many children and some adults are largely unable to distinguish between fact and fiction online.CONTINUE READING
January 26, 2017
Bills aim to lessen student contact with law enforcement
(Calif.) A pair of bills introduced this month seeks to limit student interaction with police on campus following numerous high profile incidents of minor violations escalating to violence against students.CONTINUE READING
January 26, 2017
States backslide on teacher evaluations
(District of Columbia) Many observers of the nation's public schools figured the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act would also put an end to the debate over teacher evaluations because the law repealed federal incentives to improve educator review.CONTINUE READING
January 25, 2017
Tech giant alleged to have shared private student data
(Miss.) Google Inc. allegedly collected students' personal information and search history to help advertisers target children, according to a lawsuit filed by the state of Mississippi.CONTINUE READING
January 25, 2017
Addendum to LCAP to fill in for federal accountability
(Calif.) As the legislative and regulatory tangles surrounding the Every Student Succeeds Act begin to unwind, local educational agencies in California will be required later this year to file yet another disclosure report.CONTINUE READING
January 24, 2017
Computer science dilemma: a stand-alone or part of STEM?
(Calif.) Computer science curriculum is being pushed at virtually every school district in the U.S.–but a fundamental question continues to slow development:
Whether it should be taught as a standalone subject or be integrated into math and science courses.CONTINUE READING
January 24, 2017
Overhaul bill fixing Ohio's charter schools
(District of Columbia) The beleaguered charter school system in Ohio is showing signs of recovery one year after lawmakers adopted a sweeping set of reforms, according to new research.CONTINUE READING


text:
Wool industry warming up in Sonoma County
The used machine from North Carolina weighs 15,000 pounds and required two days to change just half its 10,000 needles.
It now sits in an old barn attached to a store on the main highway in Valley Ford, where its owners take raw wool and make wide strips of felt for artisan clothing and other uses.
"There really isn't a textile industry in California," said Ariana Strozzi, who with her partner Casey Mazzucchi last fall opened the Valley Ford Mercantile & Wool Mill.
The couple had to go out of state to buy the old needle loom and to purchase a wool carding machine that came from Ohio. The two pieces of equipment together cost about $85,000, Strozzi said.
Mazzucchi and Strozzi are part of fledgling efforts to make more goods locally from the wool of North Coast sheep. The participants include local ranchers and advocates who maintain that consumers should shift to natural fibers and away from more environmentally harmful synthetic fabrics.
Even as Americans are largely ignorant about modern food production, "they don't know where their clothing comes from," said Dustin Kahn, the administrative director of Fibershed, a Marin County nonprofit.
The group maintains that seemingly inexpensive clothes from overseas come with huge hidden costs, including water pollution, the exploitation of garment workers and reliance on petrochemicals for fabrics, dyes and long-distance shipping.
Last month, Fibershed released a feasibility study that proposed a $26 million wool mill for California. The facility, complete with solar power and an extensive water recycling system, would be able to weave almost 5 million pounds of wool a year into fabrics for a range of garments.
Just as Sonoma County farmers have sought out niche markets for such foods as artisan cheeses and organic vegetables, some sheep ranchers are trying to figure out ways to get more money for their wool than is available on the commodity market.
The new efforts in wool come as lamb production appears to be rising in Sonoma County after decades of decline. Lamb provides more than 95 percent of the income from sheep operations, and ranchers increasingly are trying to sell their meat as a niche product that commands a higher price.
Crop report estimates are considered a rough gauge, but they show lamb production steadily rising between 2008 and 2012.
Even though wool currently brings in a small amount of money on the ranches, some sheep producers are trying to figure out ways to earn more for it.
"As a rancher, you have to make money on the lamb. You have to make money on the wool," said Lake County sheep rancher Jaime Irwin. For her operation, Irwin and her husband, Robert, also receive income for grazing their sheep on wineries and other lands.
In an effort to receive more for their wool, the Irwins are adding to their flocks more Corriedale sheep. That breed is valued not only for its meat but also for a higher quality of wool for socks, shirts and sweaters. In contrast, most North Coast farmers use other breeds, including Suffolks and Hampshires, that produce a coarser, lower-value wool better suited for bedding and blankets.
"The sheep actually fit with what we're doing in the vineyards," Robert Irwin said of Corriedales. The couple plan to take a class on grading sheep fleece this spring as part of their efforts to boost the value of their wool.


text:
Craig Clemens: Writing your way to impact.
One of my good friends, Craig, the best copywriter around, taught me an important lesson on this podcast, "it's not about you! It's all about them!"
Sounds simple, I know! BUT - when you're writing for your audience it's easy to get lost in your own stories and forget how it relates to them.
Craig has turned multiple companies into million dollar brands through writing alone. So, I'm sure you're wondering...
How can you impact your readers and the world with writing? Craig Clemens has the answers.
Our guest:
When it comes to writing brand messages that turn in millions of people into happy customers, there is no one more effective than Craig Clemens. In the last 2 years, Craig has written 3 of the 4 biggest direct-to-consumer campaigns on the internet (as ranked by AdBeat.com), the most successful bringing in 33,600 new customers in it's first 2 days live on the web, and doing so at a profit. It's not uncommon for his brand stories to go viral, with a recent message viewed by a startling 28 million people, and another by 22 million. Craig honed his craft mentoring under legendary entrepreneur Eben Pagan, and now spends his time working with his own team of up and coming writers. Craig is an avid investor and advisor to tech start-ups including Andela and Zenrez, and is always looking for new opportunities to add value.
Quick Preview of the Podcast:
- How to influence and gain authority with your writing.
- The most common website copy mistakes and how to fix them.
- Why it's not about you and all about them.
- What you need to know before writing for anyone.
If you know your vision statement, writing becomes a lot easier. Discover your "Breakthrough Vision Statement" by texting "mybreakthrough" to 33444 or by clicking here.
Learn how you can have more of an impact on readers, spread your message, and change the world with Craig.
Live Light,
Thanks for listening!
If you dug this episode, please share with your tribe (highlight to share).
AND - please leave an honest review for SoulFeed on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are super helpful.
As always, live in love and spread your light!


text: TheSodaGnome 1 Posted September 7, 2017 I buy a catwa mesh head and a maityana body. I go to a skin store and they have a skin for the head by itself. Catwa applier. Ok where in the heck is the body skin? I get demo for head seems to work ok. I search for long time fine a room in store that says "classic bodies." I get the demo and its lips only! For 1,500 lindens. What? I could not find a body skin demo anywhere in store. I don't get it. Make up and head only stores? For thousands of lindens? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
Formerly SVP of Sales & Strategic Alliances at Cellrox, Nadler will lead Cellrox's growth stage and drive widespread adoption of Mobile Virtualization
BOSTON and TEL AVIV – October 13, 2015 – Cellrox, the pioneer in Mobile Virtualization, has named Dror Nadler Chief Executive Officer. Previously SVP of Sales & Strategic Alliances, Nadler will lead Cellrox through its Series B round and execute the company's commercialization strategy. Omer Eiferman, co-founder and former CEO of Cellrox, will serve on the company's Board of Directors.
An accomplished sales and business development executive, Nadler has led the go-to market strategy for Cellrox. After joining the company in May 2014, he spearheaded Cellrox's first commercial contracts with OEMs, carriers and business solutions providers. Responsible for both sales and marketing at Cellrox, Nadler has become a thought leader in mobile security and privacy, and he has raised public awareness of Mobile Virtualization. Thanks to Nadler's success building traction with OEMs, Cellrox is well positioned to raise its Series B financing round and expand sales efforts.
"As we transition from an engineering-focused startup to a customer-driven company, we need a leader who can drive widespread adoption of Mobile Virtualization. Dror has shown beyond doubt that he is the best person for this job," said Omer Eiferman, Cellrox co-founder and board member. "At this stage in Cellrox's growth, having a US-based CEO will be a key strategic advantage for the company."
Nadler brings over 20 years of leadership experience to the role of CEO. Before joining Cellrox, Nadler was VP of Global Sales Engineering at Rapid7, an information security company, where he drove business growth, global expansion and operational efficiencies. Prior to Rapid7, Nadler held a variety of business development, sales and marketing leadership roles throughout his 13-year tenure at EMC Corporation. Most recently, he served as a Senior Director of EMC's Emerging Technologies Center where he was responsible for bringing newly developed and acquired technologies to market.
Nadler holds an LL.B. degree in Law from IDC Herzeliya, a Master's degree in Software Engineering with Honors from Harvard University and an Executive MBA with Honors from Boston University. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts and will continue to lead Cellrox's global expansion from there.
"We now use our smartphones and tablets to pay for goods, do work, play games, socialize and store private information. Anyone who breaks into these devices can find out everything about us. This is why Mobile Virtualization must become the gold standard of digital security and privacy," said Dror Nadler, CEO of Cellrox. "To isolate and protect sensitive data, people need the ability to turn one physical smartphone into multiple virtual smartphones that are each designated for different uses. Today, Cellrox has the only solution that can virtualize mobile devices without diminishing their performance."
Nadler continued, "I am grateful for the vote of confidence from our founders and board of directors. It's an honor to represent this technology and lead such a talented team."
About Cellrox
Cellrox is a pioneer in mobile virtualization. The company's award-winning ThinVisor technology enables co-hosting of two or more individual, independent and secure virtual environments on a single mobile device. By creating an impenetrable wall between the different virtual instances, Cellrox enables proactive security and application transparency. With one phone, but two or more virtual instances, users can switch multiple Virtual Mobile Instances with one tap. Cellrox was founded in 2011 by seasoned entrepreneurs and technology leaders. The company is privately held with headquarters located in Israel. For additional information, please visit www.cellrox.com or follow us on Twitter @Cellrox.


text:
Photography is becoming more common as cameras are getting cheaper and smarter. But is it a skill that you are good at? With photography, you do need to gain as much knowledge as you can in order to be able to keep improving your skills. Here are some great tips to add to your knowledge.
Decide what aspects of your subject you want to capture in your photograph. The perfect photo will seem like a tiny window focused in on select details about your subject. You should avoid showing too much when taking a photograph. If you want to give a more general impression of something, take a series of pictures, rather than a single photograph with no real focus or details.
Use different colors, features, and angles with your camera. An original object is something that is not required to take a great looking picture. Great photographs can be made by taking a picture of something that isn't usually interesting and making it interesting. Experiment to find your style.
Always be careful when packing your equipment for a trip. Bring along some cleaning accessories, extra batteries, and any lenses you may need. Don't take more with you than you absolutely need.
Pictures of people are great. You must always seek permission first. When traveling, seeing these photographs will cause you to remember particular memories, even though the individuals you took a picture of don't stand out when you take their picture. Candid shots of people wearing normal, casual clothes work really well.
In this digital age it can still be pleasurable to experiment with old fashioned film photography to achieve some different results. Black and white ISO 200 film will take beautiful photos with an old time charm. The developed film can be printed on art or handmade papers, producing interesting artistic effects.
If you are looking to improve your photography skills, you should begin by investigating the art of proper composition. Lackluster composition can ruin the potential of a shot, just as any piece of art in any medium needs good composition. Learn how to implement quality composition into your photography, and you will notice a vast improvement.
In many pictures, people will be looking directly into the camera. Shake things up a bit by having your subject look away from the lens and focus on something in the distance. It can also work well for them to focus on something that is in the picture.
Though it is tempting to put your digital camera on the lowest setting in order to get more images on the card before having to download them, make sure you realize what you are sacrificing in terms of print quality. Only use the lower settings when you are absolutely sure that you will only be displaying the images on a computer screen.
With the preceding tips under your belt, you should be better prepared to refine your photography skills through sensible practice. This article can help only if you apply what you have learned to your photography sessions.


text:
Seattle is a dark city when there is no moon in sight. During the Artwalk we made our way into this back alley, where artists and patrons gathered for three different exhibitions of art.
One, a post modern expressionist exhibition, two; an exhibition of masks made of tin, and three; a duet of two young ladys singing jazz, in harmony, accompanied by a stand up base and guitarist.
It was lively, and a great way to "feel" the art.
I appreciate the avaunt gaudiness and immediacy that comes out on First Thursday Artwalks, and the fact people come out to play along with the artists.
Music is a big part of the equation here in this fragmented city. The musicians seem to be the glue that holds it together. I say this because musicians, more than than flat or 3D artists, are everywhere. They fill the seams. As a result it's not difficult to get to the configuration of what makes Seattle work; it's as if the cracks and fissures left open, on purpose, esposing its rough fenestration.


text:
Study Site Trials
The SICS selected for trialling in this Study Site are described below:
|General Treatment Category
|Study Site Trials
|Cover crops, tillage, irrigation management
1. Desertification, wind erosion and organic matter decline
- Regulated vs Constant Deficit Irrigation and Minimum tillage in olive orchards;
-Regulated vs Constant Deficit Irrigation and Minimum tillage plus pruning residues added in olive orchards;
-Regulated vs Constant Deficit Irrigation and Minimum Tillage plus temporal cover crops (natural weeds and sowed) in olive orchards;
-Regulated vs standard irrigation and non-tillage (herbicide weed control) in peach orchards;
-Regulated vs standard irrigation and Non-tillage plus pruning residues added and temporal natural vegetation in peach orchards;
-Regulated vs standard irrigation and Non-tillage plus pruning residues and temporal cover crops sowed in peach orchards
Geographical description
The study site is included in the province of Almería (South East Spain,)between coordinates 2° 11' 10" W and 2° 31' 10" W; and 37° 00' 04",7 N and 37° 10' 04",7 N. The climate is arid (Mediterranean South). Rainfall is very scarce, always inferior to 300 mm per year. ETo is in a range between 1,400 – 1,500 mm/year. Although the province is not very large (8774 km2), we have within the study site two main areas where past and ongoing work of interest for the proposal is being (or has been) carried out.
Area A is located in the Sorbas-Tabernas Basin which is one of the Neogene basins of the Betic Cordilleras situated in a crustal transcurrent shear zone. It is an intra-montane depression, bounded by the Sierra de Filabres to the North and the Sierra Alhamilla to the South and at the leeward side of the Nevada and Gador ranges, all of which are over 2000 m above sea level. The altitude ranges between 200 and 400 m.a.s.l. Soils in this area are developed on carbonated Tertiary parent materials, sometimes with high amounts of gypsum, or on Quaternary parent materials including sands, conglomerates or clays of fluvial origin. Dominant soils in this area belong to the Leptosol or Regosol Reference Group, although we can find Cambisols that tend to be exploited for olive cultivation. These soils are loamy to sandy loam in texture, with basic pH, low organic matter and nutrients content and shallow depth. We find soils with high amounts of soluble salts more soluble than gypsum. The stratigraphic series, the Tortonian-age Chozas formation that gave rise to the Tabernas badlands, is about 150-m thick and includes mudstone and some calcareous sandstone. The mudstone has been identified as calcareous and gypsiferous predominantly composed of 80% silt grains with the following mineralogical composition: muscovite 35%, paragonite 10%, minerals with a main peak at 1.4 nm (mainly chlorite and a small amount of smectite) 3%, quartz 9%, calcite 20% to 35%, dolomite 2% to 5% and gypsum 5% to 20%. The climate is semiarid thermo-Mediterranean with an average annual temperature of 17.8ºC and an average annual rainfall of 235 mm, which is among the driest areas in Europe. The pronounced regional semiarid climate in the SE Iberian Peninsula is determined by its geographical location, in the rainfall shadow of the main Betic ranges and the proximity of northern Africa. In the autumn, rainfall is associated with incoming fronts from the Mediterranean Sea, which sometimes results in storms and torrential rains. Most rainfall events are low magnitude and low intensity. The average minimum temperature is 4.1°C in the coldest month and an average maximum of 34.7°C in the hottest month. Daily amplitudes average 13.7°C in summer. Potential evaporation is around 4 to 5 times higher than annual precipitation.
Area B is located in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. There the climate is semiarid warm Mediterranean. The mean annual temperature oscillates around 18-19ºC, and frosts are sporadic, occurring only on isolated days. Mean annual rainfall is approximately 220 mm per year, with prolonged summer droughts, strong inter- (larger than 30%) and intra-annual variations and 9 to 12 months in which precipitation is not sufficient to compensate for potential evapotranspiration. Annual potential evapotranspiration is around 1400 mm. Soils are mainly calcaric Regosols developed on a wide variety of carbonated parent materials, in different topographic positions with slopes ranging between 0% and 40%. These soils present basic pH, with loamy or coarser textures, low organic matter and nutrients content and shallow depth, except for the very scarce calcaric Fluvisols found as spots in the "Ramblas" around the study zone. We can also find soils affected by salts as a consequence of the xeric moisture regimen of the area.
Land uses include tree and annual crops cultivation, occasionally in protected structures (greenhouses and under mesh), pasturage (especially goat herds) and recreational activities (touristic uses, beaches in Cabo de Gata, and cinema in Tabernas area). Industry development is scarce and of composed by small enterprises. The exploitation of natural resources is regulated by the current zoning plan (PORN, 2008). Agriculture is one of the main activities, covering 26% of the park area. The abandonment of some agricultural areas and simultaneous intensification in certain others (i.e., water fed agricultural systems and greenhouses) are the main causes of degradation in the park.
| Almería map showing study sites and EC towers
|Stone fruit orchards sited in Agua Amarga at bloom.
Cropping systems
Tree crops orchards of different species planted at varied densities can be found in the study area, being perhaps the most representative, olives (Area A) and almond and stone fruits (Area B). In Area A (Tabernas) we found conventional and also some organic olive orchards with a tree density labelled as intensive for this crop (200-300 trees/ha; density considered low instead for many other fruit trees). Modern new super high density orchards (1500-2500 trees/ha) with mechanized harvesting using adapted grape harvesters are in development in the area. In intensive orchards olive trees are vase trained while in super high density orchards usually central-leader training systems are used. In Area B, the most interesting new development is focused on intensive (600-800 trees/ha) very large orchards of low chilling stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums). Trees are commonly trained in a vase shape, with 4-5 main scaffolds where productive wood is formed (Figure 2).
Non-tillage and weed control with herbicides or reduced tillage is usually applied in most modern olive and stone fruit orchards in the study site. Most of these orchards are drip irrigated. Conventional fertilizers are normally used, mainly N (several applications per year) and K. Conventional or chemical control of pest and diseases is normally used. Main pests and disease in olive orchards are olive fruit fly, prays, black scale, peacock spot, and verticillium wilt. Verticillium has no cure since no effective control on this soil fungus is available. Excessive irrigation and runoff contribute to the dispersion of this lethal disease. Temporal cover crops can be used instead of conventional tillage for soil improvement and for reducing erosion. Nonetheless, the very scarce rainfall in the area makes difficult for growers to adopt this management technique. In intensive stone fruit orchards of Area B the control of weed is achieved also by herbicides and reduced tillage in areas where infiltration problems occurs, and where gullies of certain depth appear. High soil compaction can also be a problem and is commonly resolved by owners by tillage. Watering is performed by drip irrigation too. Water needs are determined according to an estimation of crop evapotranspiration using climate data from nearby weather stations. Standard fertilization common in the area includes 110, 65 and 160 kg ha-1 year-1 of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively. Deficiencies in microelements are solved by foliar fertilization. Biological and cultural methods are first used to control pests and diseases. When really needed, chemical control is also achieved, switching active ingredients. Main pests in stone fruit crops are aphids, tripses, mites and San Jose scale. Main diseases are powdery mildew, leaf curl and Phytophthora.
High content of salts of Tabernas area soil is a common cause of yield reduction. Excessive N fertilization contributes to this problem, increasing also the sensitivity to pests and diseases and crop costs. Scarce water resources and regulation limitation due to the protection of environment in orchards sited in the Natural Park Cabo de Gata-Nijar might reduce yield, and increase costs for stone fruit trees. Flower and fruit thinning represent the most important cost. Excessive watering has been occasionally linked with damages caused by soil fungus (Phytopthora in this case) suggesting an improvement can be achieved. Excessive nitrogen application also leads to higher damages caused soil and airborne fungi. An adequate control of nitrogen level avoids some yield losses and improves fruit quality and enhances postharvest.
External factors and drivers
Current UE strategies of agricultural and rural development policies contribute to put in action help lines for rural areas of the study site through the Program LIFE and FEADER Regulation. UE objectives include the implementation of different tools in the period 2014-2020 to support the adoption of beneficial practices for the
conservation of climate and environment (the so called greening EU strategies). Among potential beneficiaries of those help lines we find organic farmers and growers of permanent crops such as olive and fruit trees. Special attention will be given too to farms totally or partially located in areas included in EU Directive 92/43, relative to natural habitats conservation, Directive 2000/60, linked to actions in the field of water protection, and Directive 2009/147, relative to the protection of wild birds.
Other Programs and Normative are established. At national level we should mention Red Natura 2000 plan that will implement the help lines established in 1305/2013 and 1306/2013 Regulations. In Andalusia, through the Program for Rural Development, these areas may find tools to sustain the economy of those areas. Two different types of actions and helplines deserve mentioning: modernisation of agricultural exploitations and animal husbandries, and Preservation of the nature and landscape in agricultural exploitations. Organic production of food in Andalusia is reinforced by regional normatives (besides Commission Regulation (EC) No 889/2008) aiming to supervise production and labelling of organic products.
Regarding societal drivers we must recognise that the characteristics of the crops of the study site confer to them of a multifunctional character due to their localization (often within and/or in the limits of natural areas protected by law). In these systems, excellent products very much appreciated by customers are being produced. Further development of agriculture in the area is extremely important since it represents the main economic activity and the first source of income for the families. This development is also essential since might be of help allowing fixing rural population to the site. Maintaining profitable agriculture in the area diminishes the risk of fire and help minimizing erosion when sustainable practices in the farms are achieved. The concept of multi-functionality for the agrarian systems represents the recognition of the capacity of rural areas to create an aggregate of goods and services of different kinds: economic, but also social and environmental.
The multi-functionality of the services provided by rural can be studied under two complementary orientations: the establishment of the list of goods and services being produced, and the demand that the society makes of them trying to identify the preferences of the Society. Combining both orientations, offer and demand, an integral analysis can be performed to orientate tools and instruments of intervention within EU agricultural politic in order to maximize the social welfare derived from the agricultural activities in the study site.
Climate change may contribute to the aridity of the zone; higher frequency of extreme episodes of rainfall and drought would make more vulnerable the environment, increasing erosion, already a very serious problem in the badlands of Tabernas. Global warming could make more difficult to satisfy chilling requirements of the crops, most of them with reduced need of winter chilling, however. Displacement of crop phenology to earlier bloom could increase the risks of frost, although warm winters in the study site suggests seldom occurrence of damages. Increasing temperatures during winter and spring will accelerate fruit ripening and harvest with positive effects on prices and profitability.


text:
Discussions between Greece and officials from the "troika" of the European Union, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund will pause for 10 days so that Greece can perform a technical study of its economic data.
This pause follows revelations yesterday that Greece will miss its deficit-cutting and privatization goals.
In a press conference this morning, Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told reporters, "Yesterday night it was decided to conclude the first cycle of talks and a second cycle will begin in about 10 days on September 14," per a Reuters report.
He also confirmed that expectations of Greece's contraction had come in worse than expected at a number "very close" to 5%.
Yields on Greek 2-year bonds went through the roof shortly after his press conference, hitting a eurozone record.
According to the AP, he insisted that this break had been "planned," and that austerity measures beyond those already approved by the Parliament would not be adopted.
Nonetheless, controversy will pervade this development, particularly on the heels of yesterday's announcement. Fail ling to meet announced goals could jeopardize $11 billion in bailout funds from the troika.


text:
Sponsored by MOFGA, Fedco, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Sunday, October 14, 2018
12 noon to 4:00 p.m. Rain or Shine
doors open at 11:30am
held at the Common Ground Education Center
294 Crosby Brook Road, Unity, Maine
$4 for non-members, $2 for members
Kids get in free!
Celebrate the history, flavor and tradition of Maine apples, while honoring the importance of a diversified, perennial agriculture.
WORKSHOPS: Hands-on kitchen workshops and speakers on a variety of apple topics
stay tuned for a detailed schedule
DELICIOUS TREATS: Apple cheddar pizza, apple hand pies, soups, cornbread, scones, ice cream, honey, homemade chocolate, maple syrup and chaga tea. We will even have gluten-free apple cake!
GOODS TO BUY: Maine-made wooden cheeseboards, beeswax candles, cookbooks, books for children and gardening books, pie contest and much more!
ONGOING ALL AFTERNOON: Cider pressing, apple tastings, apple identifications, educational fruit displays, vendors including Fedco Trees and Organic Grower Supplies


text:
Solanna is a full-service Design Firm specializing in luxurious contemporary residential projects. Solanna utilizes the latest in design technology to incorporate fine craftsmanship into every design. From initial design inspiration through Construction Administration, Solanna expertly guides each project to ensure a value-driven project that is unmatched in the world of High-End Residential Design.
— design —
From initial design inspiration to construction administration, Solanna expertly guides each project with passion, accountability, and transparency to ensure a value-driven project that is unmatched in the world of high-end residential design.
our process
Vision Crafting
Typically brought into the project to facilitate the conceptual stage of a project, Solanna Design orchestrates the "Vision" for the project from a select gathering of design intent information regarding the design, budget and schedule objectives of the project.
Design Development
Drawing our inspiration from the client's lifestyle, the architect's vision, and the authentic nature of the project, we pull ideas for floor materials, wall surfaces, ceiling details, wood and stone finishes, cabinetry, and exterior finishes.
Drawing, Drafting & Construction Documentation
We define and design all the interior architectural elements of the project: doors and windows, mill-work, cabinetry, fireplaces, staircases, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, appliances, and hardware. We begin to build our specification binders for the client and contractor and complete CAD drawings for bidding and execution of details.
Finish Materials & Fixtures
The most prominent influences on the selection of finish materials are architectural style, degree of authenticity, function, aesthetics, and budget. Here we specify materials for flooring, walls, ceilings, kitchens, bathrooms, cabinetry, railings and fireplace surrounds. We also consult on the selection of exterior materials such as roofing, wall cladding, paving stone, railing, millwork materials, pool tiles, etc.
Site Visits & Trade Meetings
Throughout the construction of a project, we attend weekly job site meetings with the architect, builder, job site supervisor, and trade contractors to review design decisions, material installations, and construction schedules.
Interior Design Development
Through a series of client meetings and detailed presentations the color scheme is created, furniture layouts are finalized, finishes are specified, and budgets are reviewed. At this point we select wall coverings, drapery and window shades, decorative lighting, furniture, fabrics, rugs, art, and accessories.
Ordering and Expediting
We begin the process by creating purchase orders for all of our vendors and reviewing all of our selections for correct scale, balance, and proportion. We double check order information, confirm prices and lead-times, re-select back ordered or discontinued items, arrange crating, shipping and expedited delivery.
After construction and a detailed cleaning are complete, we begin the installation. This phase takes approximately two weeks to one month and includes installing carpet, hanging drapery, laying rugs, placing and detailing furniture, making beds, hanging art, stocking cabinets and closets, and placing accessories.
Post Installation
Once the punch lists are complete and final details have been attended to, the house becomes a home. As an extension of Solanna Designs concierge style service, we are always available for follow up questions or future needs. Solanna clients are lifetime clients…


text: Vernon and I have been in contact off and on over the last 6 months. I met him at the Sunday Friendship Breakfasts and we seemed to immediately hit it off. He is a good man, trying hard to make a come back from a checkered past. I admire him for his determination to get back on his feet. Vern has started a handyman business called "Humble Beginnings". At the moment he is living at Crossroads. The winter has been both bad for his new business but at the same time the heavy snow falls have provided opportunities for work, shoveling off roofs and removing icicles. We are collaborating on a web page that will hopefully will generate some business. I'm rooting for him to make it. You can hear Vernon tell it like it is here: