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I have worked with a lot of graphic designers over the years and Keith is light years ahead of all of us. He is fast, efficient, and great under pressure. The final outcome of his work is far superior to just about anything I've seen. He always goes that extra mile—this would include the quality of his designs and the workmanship (the way he puts it all together).
I hired Keith for several projects I needed completed. Keith's professionalism was apparent from the first day. He exceeded both the client's and my expectations whilst delivering a truly unique and spectacular work. I would hire Keith again in a second.
I worked with Keith on a number of large projects and while working with him, found him to be creative, trustworthy and a valuable member of the team. Clients found him to be a great person to work with directly, and co-workers had nothing but good things to say about him. Keith was always easy to work with and offered creative solutions that went above and beyond expectations. The proof of his work was the end result, which in the advertising world is the litmus test of a creative's value.
This is my first start-up business so you can imagine my level of stress and confusion deciding on the right graphic design company. The creative director at Dingaroo spent countless hours guiding me through the process. He patiently listened to my vision and designed and redesigned a number of proofs creating a logo and website that captures the essence of my new business, Sketchbook Studio. I have received countless compliments on the design by both customers and business colleagues.
Keith Frawley immediately began to work on my project and was flexible and eager for feedback. Every iteration was turned around quickly and delivered ahead of schedule. I was amazed how well Keith understood my goal and translated my ideas into a logo and mascot that I love. I am very happy with our results and look forward to working on many more projects together. I enthusiastically recommend Dingaroo for all your creative needs.
Identity/Logo Design
A logo can be more important than your company name – it can set the tone for how people perceive your business. At ...


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Stephens Co. Hospital Announces Christmas Card Contest Winner
Stephens County Hospital is announcing the winner of its first ever Christmas Card Contest.
Tuesday, hospital officials were at Toccoa Elementary School to make the presentation to the winner of this year's contest.
Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said the contest was something that the hospital wanted to try this year for designing its Christmas card.
"We decided to invite the art students from the fourth and fifth grades at Stephens County's four elementary schools to participate in drawing our Christmas card for Stephens County Hospital this year and so we had a number of students participate," said Gambrell. "We had some good drawings, we really did, and we chose a winner."
That winner is Toccoa Elementary School fifth grader Isaiah Tate, who drew a snowman with a blue background for the winning picture.
Isaiah said it feels great to win.
"I have drawn it before, but I think I made it better this time and that is why I got first place," said Isaiah.
Besides having his picture used for the hospital's Christmas card later this year, Isaiah also received a PSP and games from Stephens County Hospital for winning the contest.
Gambrell said that all of the entries will be displayed at Stephens County Hospital.
"We will display all of the entries on what we call the back wall of the hospital, where radiology and lab are," said Gambrell. "I invite all of the parents and students to come see the pictures."
Gambrell said that Stephens County Hospital plans to continue the contest in future years.

subset: commoncrawl


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PHOENIX, AZ --(Marketwired - February 29, 2016) - Are your gums getting smaller and smaller? Dr. Thomas Mattern, a dentist trained in placing dental implants, has undergone training to provide a new technique to repair gum recession with virtually no post-operative discomfort.
The new training, known as The Chao Pinhole™ Surgical Technique, is a method dentists use to move the gums into a position that covers more of the tooth's crown. The technique has become a welcomed alternative to traditional gum surgery, as it does not require the use of scalpels and sutures.
"We're excited for this new technique to begin aiding patients in pain reduction and faster surgery time," Dr. Mattern said. "This can benefit any patient, from kids after completing their ortho treatments to elderly patients who are dealing with gum recession."
Dr. Mattern recently attended training in Alhambra, California, with Dr. John Chao, an internationally known dentist who developed his own pinhole surgery method. The Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique puts a small pinhole in the gum tissue and gradually moves the gums into a more appropriate position. Once the gums are in place, the doctor places collagen strips to stabilize the gums.
Gum recession can be caused by gum disease, hormonal changes in the body or even hard brushing. When the gums recede, the root of the tooth becomes exposed to harmful bacteria and cavities, increasing the risk of tooth loss.
Traditional gum recession surgery uses gum grafts and then stabilizes the gums with sutures. Dr. Mattern said patients who receive the pinhole technique experience little to no post-treatment sensitivity.
"It's amazing to have a technique that simplifies a treatment that historically has been extremely invasive," Dr. Mattern said. "By increasing the comfort of the treatment, we can encourage more patients to address their gum recession problems before the issue causes irreparable damage."
Desert Dentistry is a multi-office practice that offers general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry, dental implants, mini dental implants, short-term orthodontics, sleep apnea treatment, same-day emergency services and TMJ treatment.
Dr. Mattern is a 1988 graduate of Creighton University School of Dentistry and has taken hours of continuing education to provide his patients quality, state-of-the-art care. Dr. Mattern completed the Las Vegas Institute of Cosmetology program and holds a Fellowship with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Dr. Mattern also has been voted the Best Dentist in East Valley and the Best Dentist in Ahwatukee.
He holds memberships with the Academy of General Dentistry, American Dental Association, International Dental Implant Association and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Dr. Mattern takes pride in contributing to his community in many ways by working with St. Vincent de Paul's dental clinic every month, working with Give Kids A Smile and flying to Atoyac, Mexico, to work in the Latin World Ministries dental clinic for the less fortunate.
Desert Dentistry's four convenient locations offer patients free dental exams and X-rays during initial visits and provide affordable care options.
To learn about Desert Dentistry's gum recession treatment or to see results from the pinhole procedure, visit the website at www.pinholesurgicaltechniquesurprisearizona.com or call the office at 480-630-2656.
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/2/29/11G085048/Images/timthumb-45cc8d5a033daf42b0ad535708667d80.jpg
Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dvZEZsbsyI
Media contact information:
Colin Receveur
SmartBox Web Marketing


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Summer is Spec-tacular with eyebobs and O!
Want more blog?
Eyebobs' Iris Apfel-inspired Iris sun reader is looking hot, hot, HOT in the current issue of O Magazine! Sun readers are the perfect way to look chic while lounging in the summer sun with a great book – for instance, the first selection from Oprah's new book club. That's right, the book club is back and better than ever! We could never give away the surprise, so you'll have to check the July issue of O, the Oprah Magazine for her pick. And make sure to get your Iris sun reader today so you can tackle that summer reading list in style!


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Workout of the Day: Thursday, 6.20.13
Don't forget! The Liberty Barbell Classic is this SATURDAY. The deadline to sign up is Wednesday (sooooo… if this is posted at 530pm, you need to sign up RIGHT NOW!) – classes will be cancelled for the meet on Saturday but will definitely be back to normal on Sunday!
Have you seen the details for PROM on Facebook yet? It's on June 29th and I don't know WHY you wouldn't be there… it's only THE BEST THING EVER.
Below, Barrett, mid clean and into the split jerk.
Whether you are cleaning or split jerking one of the most COMMON cues you'll hear is "Keep it Close" – this is true for BOTH lifts and EVEN for the Clean Pull. The farther the bar is out in front of you during the Clean Pull, the more that you stop (at any point!) pulling the bar onto the shoulders in the rack for the Clean, AND the more that you dip in such a way that your bar is not driving in a line slightly behind your head – the HARDER your lifts will be! Barrett does a pretty good job here!
MOVEMENT PREP: Foam Roll Quads, 3 minutes. Pec Minor Release, 1 minute each side. Partner Assisted Seated Lat Stretch, 1 minute per person. Single Leg Squat Hold, 1 minute per side. Single Arm Overhead Walking Lunges (choose your load), complete at least 20 steps total (take breaks if you need them).
SKILL WORK: The Clean Pull, The Hang Clean, The Split Jerk = The Shankle Complex! This is 3 Clean Pulls, one Hang Squat Clean, and 2 Split Jerks.
STRENGTH: Peak the Complex for the rest of the Class Time.
CONDITIONING: (will take place in the back room BEFORE or AFTER class for no more than 15 minutes):
Any rowing you would like to do outside of the HOUR of class time.
Rowing only will be permitted.


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The Capitals assigned defensive prospect Cam Schilling to the AHL's Hershey Bears Tuesday morning, ending his bid for a roster spot at the start of this shortened NHL season.
Schilling, 24, was a long shot to make the Capitals roster out of training camp given the glut of blueliners with NHL experience competing for playing time. The Capitals had eight defensemen in camp and veteran Tom Poti, who is currently on a conditioning assignment with the Bears, also is trying to earn a place in the lineup after missing two years with various injuries.
"Why would I be here if I didn't think I could make this team?" Schilling said Monday. "But I can only control so much, so I can just play and do as much as I can, but other than that it's just trying to get better every day."
The reassignment is a setback for Schilling, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the Indiana native back in Washington at some point this season if injuries warrant a call up.
Schilling said he was already familiar with the system thanks to Coach Adam Oates's stint as co-coach of the Bears during the lockout. That familiarity should also make it easy for him to adapt should he ever be recalled to the Capitals.
"It's basically the same thing. There's little tweaks here and there, but overall it's the same system," Schilling said. "I think they want to have their minor league team do the same thing, so if guys are called up or sent down, stuff like that happens, they don't have to learn a whole new system. It's the exact same.


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I have no use or the U.N. and this country should have no use for the U.N. The U.N. is a disease upon this country and we need to cut it out like a skilled surgeon would cut a tumor from the body.
This is a discussion on Additional thoughts on the UN and world-wide Gun Control within the The Second Amendment & Gun Legislation Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; I read the previous thread on the UN and world-wide gun control with great interest. THEN, I finished reading a great military sci-fi book and ...
I read the previous thread on the UN and world-wide gun control with great interest. THEN, I finished reading a great military sci-fi book and the authors, (both Vets) had a great "Afterword" that touched on this subject, and I wanted to quote a few lines which I think, shed great light on this whole issue. The book, by-the-way is Yellow Eyes by John Ringo and Tom Kratman
"Unfortunately, the West itself has largely fallen under the control of civilizations Dr. Kevorkians, some call them 'Tranzis'....'Tranzi' is short for Transnational Progressive. For a more complete account of their program, look up John O'sullivan's Gulliver's Travails....one of the difficult things about analyzing Tranzis and their works is that they are NOT a conspiracy. What they are is a consensus. Don't be contemptuous; civilization is nothing more than a consesnsus...moreover, the Tranzis are a fairly cohesive consesnsus, espicially on certain ultimate core issues..... at the highest level, the ultimate Tranzi goal, there is complete agreement. (bold added) They want to end national sovereignty and they want global governance by an unelected, self-chosen 'elite. Much of what they say and do will make no sense, even in Tranzi terms, unless that [ultimate goal] is borne in mind...the Tranzis claim that Tranzi courts, to include notionally national Tranzi courts like those of Spain, have universal jurisdiction....Their goal is the destruction of national sovereignty. The right of a people to democratically make their own laws, to govern themselves, is anathema to Tranzi goals and dreams. When they say 'Global Governance,' boys and girls, they MEAN IT. They really intend that unelected bureaucrats and judges, and self-elected elites ought to be able to tell you what to do, how to live, what to pay in taxes, what rights you are not entitled to."
I think that this gives a very telling insight into the philosphical foundations of the whole idea of the UN trying to dis-arm individual people and ultimately their governemnts and thus our right to fight for our freedom. For those of you so inclined, the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer spoke to this movement in his book "How Should We then Live: The rise and fall of Western Civilization" and he wrote this book (if my memory serves me correctly, back in the late 70's/early 80's.
I have no use or the U.N. and this country should have no use for the U.N. The U.N. is a disease upon this country and we need to cut it out like a skilled surgeon would cut a tumor from the body.
"I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger" Mencius"
The U.N. is the most anti-American organization in existence.
Of course it wants a one world government where only IT has the say and the power over anything and everything.
The problem is, our elected officials are giving the U.N. more freedom to decide at the expense of our own good as a country. We have a president and an administration that worships the U.N. and will willing give away certain powers that are not his to give away...all in the name of progress of course.
Those that say the U.N. is powerless to enforce or actually do anything are sticking their heads in the sand.Its not the U.N. screwing us, it our own people screwing us by giving up authority to the U.N.
In my opinion,ceding any authority to the U.N. is treason.
Until we arrest them and hang them it will never cease and it will continue until we are no more.
But hey...I'm simple like that.
Universal Background Checks...the next step towards registration and confiscation.
AR. CHL Instr. 07/02 FFL
Like custom guns and stuff? Check this out...
I would prefer if we would send them packing to Geneva and not give them another dime, then maintain only a seat on the Security Council to veto whatever silliness they espouse.
If the public are bound to yield obedience to laws to which they cannot give their approbation, they are slaves to those who make such laws and enforce them.--Samuel Adams as Candidus, Boston Gazette 20 Jan. 1772
Veteran--USA FA
NRA Benefactor Life
Tennessee Firearms Association Life
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliott
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
Albert Einstein
Me thinks that there may be a bunch of 'simpletons' around here......take a number, I got mine.
Proverbs 27:12 says: The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
Certified Glock Armorer
NRA Life Member
The UN, NATO, and most global organizations all started with the best of intentions, and we know what the road to hell is paved with. So needless to say these groups now are just like every other dictator, they want more power. So sooner the world, not just the USA realizes this the better.
I know not what this "overkill" means.
Honing the knives, Cleaning the longguns, Stocking up ammo.


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To Have and to Hold
painting by artist Carol Keene
20 in X 10 in (50.8 cm X 25.4 cm)
Acrylic on wrapped canvas
$200 USD plus $15 USD s/h in the U.S.
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This painting is available directly from the artist.
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Seneca Police Arrest Toccoa Man on Drug Charge
A 23-year old Toccoa man has been arrested in a drug sweep being conducted by the police in Seneca, South Carolina.
Law enforcement authorities there have confirmed the arrest of Joshua LaDale Oglesby of 23 Riley Street on the charge of manufacture, possession with intent to distribute the controlled substance flunitrazepam.
That is a controlled tablet substance which induces sleep and is prescribed by licensed professionals as a short-term solution to insomnia.
Oglesby was arrested Tuesday morning and lodged in the Oconee County Detention Center.
He and 33 other suspects are targets of what the Seneca Police Department calls "Zero Tolerance" enforcement efforts.
The sweep was officially announced Wednesday.
Seneca Police Chief John Covington says that the department will continue actively seeking the remainder os suspects involved in the operation throughout the day, night and days to come until they have them all in custody.


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[Super Thermometer, Monitoring our Enemies Scientific Advances, Useful Plastics]
This episode is from the WNYC archives. It may contain language which is no longer politically or socially appropriate.
A super heat measuring device - a very sophisticated calorimeter - measures minute changes in the temperature of body proteans, scientists hope this will lead to discoveries about cancer.
Proposed cooperation between military and American bibliographers to keep government informed on our enemies scientific capabilities.
Plastic, see-through shoes to determine how the shoe will fit (because shoe X-rays may be dangerous!)
Interview with Joseph Kenealy of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation.
Antibiotics help animals grow faster - grow to maturity (and ready to sell) faster. Studies on rats show that "this strange something" is passed from mother rat to offspring, uses may be good for children who haven't grown as they should.
Chemistry revolutionizes book binding! New glues help cheaply bind paperback books.
*Differing versions of this program exist. 69767.1, 69767.3, 69767.4 appear to be the same script read by different host and without interview portion of the program. 69767.5 (FLAT) and 69767.6 (EQ) is most complete version.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 69767
Municipal archives id: LT793


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Executive Summary
Figure 1. Adoption Approaches
• Organizational Strategy
– Release Tactics
– Viral - Rather than target any particular business unit or employee group, an enterprise can opt to announce the site and let people join and invite co-workers to participate.
– Managed Demand - This phased approach makes the solution available to segments of the enterprise over time. By constraining availability, business and IT decision-makers can learn, adjust, and iterate based on sponsor and participate feedback.
– Enterprise Rollout - This is the social collaboration equivalent of complete migration. It means releasing the necessary collaboration tools to all users across the enterprise as the same time.
– Audience Tactics
– Top-down - The top-down approach is when the executives in the organization become active users with the hope that others will follow by example. Sell management leadership teams on the value gained by the enterprise in having their business units and departments participate in the social platform. Involve them as sponsors as well as actual participants.
– Middle-out - While top-down and bottom-up approaches may gain most attention, there is also strong value in focusing on the middle group. The middle group includes the people managers that are between leadership and the individual contributors. Their influence may be most important because they have the direct attention of those above and below.
– Bottom-up - The bottom-up approach includes introduction among the working rank and file with the hope that their individual successes will spread across the organization in a viral fashion. Sell employees on the value of the social platform and let them create a groundswell of interest and participation. Nurture the grassroots leaders and help them in their champion role as the local ambassador of the solution.
• Participation Strategy
– Seeding Tactics
– People - "Champions" often act as vocal supporters and might be power-users themselves. Champions can emerge based on their own passion or are handpicked because they have an affinity for social collaboration and are capable of leading or influencing others. Effective champions can help raise awareness and lead people to the platform. Persuading certain workers that are prominent community leaders or offline community groups to use the site can help influence employees to join and participate as well.
– Content - Adding new and unique content, or moving existing information from other intranet sites to the social network site, can create a reason for workers to visit on a repeated basis. They learn about the social capabilities as they interact with the information they seek.
– Applications - Taking full advantage of the platform's social networking capabilities can help deliver new types of applications (e.g., corporate directory and expertise location). These social applications can encourage employees to complete their profiles and use such tools to build relationships with co-workers as they solve business problems.
– Events. Use of the platform as an environment for different types of employee gatherings (e.g., corporate announcements, webcasts, community town halls, scavenger hunts) that encourages employee participation can also help with adoption efforts.
– Personal Value Tactics
– Rewards and Gamification - This area focuses on ways to recognize employees' participation and to encourage positive contributions. It focuses on how platform capabilities can be used in conjunction with change management practices to motivate people, often in the form of badges and leadership boards.
– "What's in it for me?" (WIIFM) Promotion - Many organizations fall into the trap of not properly communicating to individuals what the business value is for them to use the platform. For instance, how can it make their job easier? How can it make them more productive? How can it help them increase efficiency? These questions are not always answered well but they need to be. Since the platform is a social environment where people participate voluntarily, helping them understand how their individual needs are being satisfied is important.
• Factors influencing adoption - Adoption of social collaboration is heavily influenced by many dynamics, not all of which can be controlled (e.g., demographics, culture, geographic spread, familiarity of employees with social tools, technical aptitude, etc.); there are no "one size fits all" recommendations. Based on the unique characteristics of an organization, one or more of these approaches might work better than others.
• Pulse checks and refocusing the adoption strategy - Adoption practices should be continually evaluated and adjusted as needed. Behaviors will change, attitudes will change, use cases will change, and functionality will change. Constant pulse checks on adoption in the form of metrics and analytics, formal surveys, and anecdotal feedback will help provide that insight needed to determine how to adjust your strategy and tactics.
• Governance and process - The strategies and approaches presented in this paper should be evaluated and implemented within the context of an overall governance and change management program. There must be an overarching program directing the effort both up front and during maintenance that defines the necessary processes of the program around which these strategies and approaches are evaluated and executed. It is strongly recommended that users establish a governance and change management framework from within which these adoption tactics can be channeled properly.
• Business value adoption versus Utilization - There is a sizeable difference between simply using collaboration tools and using them specifically within the context of impacting the business. The ultimate goal is to have workers collaborate socially to increase productivity, innovation, or efficiency. But some of the approaches here will focus more on luring those initial users to the enterprise collaboration platform from a strict utilization standpoint, with the belief that that shift will lead to collaborating socially, ultimately leading to business value.
Practitioner's Guide: Describing and Applying the Model
Breaking Down Organizational Strategy
Figure 2. Viral Release Tactic
Table 1. Viral Considerations
• Many references are made to social collaboration being "self-organizing." This means that the structure does not need to be specified and there does not need to be explicit instructions on what to do because the masses will figure out the best way to use it.
• This approach makes the assumption that the masses have some degree of familiarity with social collaboration. Without the familiarity, the viral approach will be futile.
• This approach also makes the assumption that there will be some leadership shown within those initial pockets of users - and those emerging leaders will be the ones helping to pull others in and build momentum.
• The most difficult aspect of this strategy is that it is not necessarily a strategy that can be managed. In many ways, it is something that just happens or may not happen at all. It is being included in this list because it is important to be aware of it. Since it is rooted in the masses, it can have a powerful effect.
"Organized Chaos"
• As mentioned above, since viral adoption is something that just happens (to some extent, spontaneously), it can be a bit chaotic. An alternate approach is "organized chaos" - a term used to define provision of some levels of control to the viral initiative.
• Ensuring users are properly trained and have all the help materials they need is a good way to help prepare for "organized chaos." Without this, they may give up if they encounter a roadblock.
• It is important to provide an area to go to for additional help or questions. To keep the momentum, identifying a core group to help will help keep moving things along within the various pockets of users. This could mean providing a discussion forum so that these initial users can share ideas and help one another or even providing a way to contact the core team with any major issues. If an organization is in the early stages of deployment, the normal help desk or IT group may not yet be supporting the platform. If that is the case, a tier 0 or tier 1 support mechanism should be set in place.
• Seeding ideas, content, and communities can also help provide initial structure and content so that the initial users are not walking into a blank slate. For example, as mentioned above, providing support for these uses is important so it may be of value to have a community set up for the initial users to share ideas and offer help to one another.
"Technographic Profile"
• Forrester describes the participation behaviors of employees as it relates to social tools through "Social Technographics," which segments the workforce in the following roles: Creators, conversationalists, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, and inactives (Source: http://blogs.forrester.com/category/social_technographics).
• A viral adoption is largely driven by those on the top rung of the profile - the creators, conversationalists, and critics - because they are the ones fleshing out the platform with content. These are the people creating posts and blogs, uploading documents, commenting on the content, etc.
• But as the technographic profile calls out, there are many other profiles to take into account. It can be argued that the viral wave will be led by the creators, conversationalists, and critics, but those on the lower rungs - joiners, spectators, and inactivesdo not share the personality characteristics that would lead them to engage. So the viral approach may simply end up attracting a very homogenous group of users which do not reflect the profile of the enterprise as a whole.
Managed Demand
Figure 3. Managed Demand Release Tactic
Table 2. Managed Demand Considerations
User Group Profiling
• Different user groups vary on many levels such as their business objectives, process workflows, potential collaboration use cases, and collaboration pain points
• Because of these differences, it is important to identify and profile the various groups
• Based on the profile, it can be evaluated which group(s) should be included in the initial deployment and which should not
User Group Phasing
• A phased deployment centers on having a roadmap that shows the deployment timing for each user group
• A variety of factors should be taken into account when determining the phasing of various groups, such as size, number of locations, geographic spread, potential use cases, potential need, functionality need versus functionality available, etc.
• This deployment roadmap should be treated as a living document since there may be factors that arise which may require adjustments during the rollout
• The roadmap should also be made publically available and posted so that everyone is aware of the timeframes for their respective groups
Marketing Promotions
• One approach to potentially generate demand is to publicize the successes of the currently deployed groups, using newsletters, live meetings, etc. If a group of users has their own victories publicized then others can gain ideas on how they can make use of the platform; this may generate discussion and adoption within those other groups
Enterprise Rollout
Figure 4. Enterprise Rollout Release Tactic
Table 3. Enterprise Rollout Considerations
User Group Profiling
• Just as it was important with managed demand, user group profiling is equally important with an enterprise rollout
• Just because the platform will be rolled out to all users at once does not mean they entire enterprise should be treated as a single entity. That is a dangerous pitfall that must be avoided because the individual groups that comprise the enterprise will have their own processes, ways of collaboration, and motivations
• It will still be important to cater to the specific collaboration needs and address the collaboration pain points of each group individually
• More coordination and planning will be required because there will be multiple streams of planning and analysis
Training and End-User Enablement
• With a phased approach, it is easier to make incremental adjustments to the training approach, deployment approach, and overall user-readiness approach
• Deploying to all users at once does not offer the luxury of adjusting approaches based on lessons learned from the previous release. Therefore, it is even more important to make sure that all the necessary controls are in place to support the influx of users
Maintaining the Program
• Even though there will be a single rollout from a user perspective, that should not be the only phase for the program
• The program team needs to monitor the usage patterns, solicit feedback and enhancement requests, and continue to learn how the platform can be enhanced to increase the ability to achieve business value through its use
• Just because all of the users will be activated simultaneously does not mean that the platform should stop evolving; there should still be a defined roadmap that shows the functionality enhancements and tool integrations that are anticipated in future phases
Figure 5. Top-Down Audience Tactic
Table 4. Top-down Considerations
• The most atomic element of social collaboration is the microblog, popularized by Twitter, which is a short update akin to Tweets of what the person is doing or thinking, or even a general question to the larger group
• A major benefit of microblogging is that it takes a matter of seconds for someone to write a microblog so an executive can update multiple times throughout the day and have it only take a few minutes of time
• An executive who frequently microblogs helps the larger group gain better insight into their activities and what they are doing and thinking; They may more closely identify with organizational goals
• This may inspire users coming into the tool as lurkers to use the functionality as well
Executive Blogging
• Executive blogs can be used to share what is on the mind of the executives in an informal way
• Executives should aim to blog on a regular basis (not necessarily a hard schedule but persistent) and avoid dropping out after awhile
• A blog encourages people to comment and interact with the executive - creating a direct means of communication that normally employees may not have. This is a core benefit of social collaboration and helps to flatten out the organization.
• An executive-sponsored online community can be used for a number of purposes, such as strategic projects, special interest topics, innovation hubs, etc. Select communities can act as a feedback loop directly to executive sponsors, giving employees the sense of having a direct voice to senior management.
Figure 6. Middle-Out Audience Tactic
Table 5. Middle-out Considerations
Team Management
There are a number of activities that occur between a people manager and the team being managed that could benefit from social collaboration. Examples include:
• Team or individual goals - Posting a list of goals, assignments, latest progress, etc.
• Team calendar - Listing of team meetings, upcoming out-of-office times for members, training, etc.
• New employee onboarding - Storing all introductory documents, new-hire checklists, initial training, etc.
• Capacity planning - Posting a schedule that shows the people on the team where they are spending their time
The one downside is that this type of usage of social collaboration is that it engages subordinates only and not necessarily those groups above
Project Management
• Project items such as status updates, meeting minutes, and executive dashboard metrics can all be moved out of email an onto a community
• Documents related to the project can also be stored in a community library
• Not only will these approaches led users to the platform, but they can also encourage collaboration around those documents
Personal Communications
• There are many aspects here that are similar with the executive role modeling approach. The individuals in the group not only serve as role models to those below, but also can help lead the way for those above.
• Redirecting personal communications from methods like email may encourage others to use the platform as well
• Using the platform to provide dashboard status updates or other deliverables can direct people to the site and also encourage collaboration around those documents
Figure 7. Bottom-Up Audience Tactic
Table 6. Bottom-Up Considerations
Initial Groups
• One of the primary challenges is identifying where within the organization to start the initiative; what groups make most sense to be the forerunners
• As discussed earlier with phased rollouts, a crucial consideration is selecting the right groups based on their characteristics. If the initiative is started with a group that is not willing, not ready, or not capable, then social collaboration adoption will have a high probability of failing from the start. Select the initial base wisely since those groups will serve as the foundation
• The initial groups do not need to be connected. For example, there may be a small pocket within the IT team, another pocket within human resources, and another pocket within select project teams that are good pilot candidates. Each will require a degree of shepherding but can be tracked individually and may provide their own unique perspectives on what works and does not. If the initial focus is on three groups, one may flourish while the others may falter. The flourishing group will serve as the root as the initiative spreads and the others will serve as guidance as to what needs to change
Bottom-Up Versus Viral Approach
• The viral and bottom-up approaches share many similar characteristics
• The most important shared characteristic is the need to have some leadership shown within those initial pockets of users. These leaders can be most effective if they exhibit three skillsets: 1) Technical competency to help them confidently explore the various areas of the platform; 2) Social collaboration savviness to help them determine the best ways to make use out of the platform; and 3) Influence of others to help pull people onboard and win them to social collaboration adoption. If no one rises up as a champion, then the initiative may stall with this particular approach
Breaking Down Participation Strategy
Figure 8. People Seeding Tactic
Table 7. People Considerations
Selecting the Best "Champions"
• A common mistake is to simply ask the general user population who wants to be a champion. It is not just a matter of having people eager, but more importantly, the need is to have people with the right skillset to be effective in this role.
• One approach is to handpick champions by evaluating who the active collaborators already are within the organization. This can be done by looking at use of any existing social collaboration tools that may be in use.
• If there are no existing social collaboration tools in place, it may be helpful to identify who the active users are on the consumer tools mentioned above. This can be done through manual inspection, which may be a bit laborious, or by polling the user population on their use of those types of tools.
Point the Champions in the Correct Direction
• If the champion group is a small subset of overall users, there can be a lot of direct, focused messaging and training provided to them.
• From a messaging perspective, it is important to be very prescriptive with what their role entails. They need to know who they should help, how they should help, and how they should be using the platform.
• From a training perspective, a common approach is train-the-trainer - where champions are taught everything they would need to help others. This training would not only include a detailed review of functionality but also the best ways to provide guidance to the masses
"Tier-Zero" Support and the Self-Building Help Wiki
• While it may be normal to open up a trouble ticket with IT for issues related to email or one of the back-office systems, an enterprise collaboration platform by its nature is different and should be supported differently. One concept that often works well is establishing the champion group as "tier-zero" support. Before sending an end user through the formal process of opening up a trouble ticket and contacting the help desk, they could instead take the opportunity to reach out to the champions for support.
• A self-help community can be created within the platform itself that would allow end users to posts questions and non-urgent issues. Champions would then be instructed to patrol that community as their time permits and respond accordingly.
• This approach not only takes advantage of the collective knowledge of the workforce, but it also results in a help wiki that is built automatically. Unlike a traditional trouble ticketing system, where only the submitter can see the solution to their issue, this approach would keep everything in the open and continually growing so that other users can benefit from previously answered questions and solved issues.
Figure 9. Content Seeding Tactic
Table 8. Content Considerations
Sample Approaches
Shared Folder Content
• Oftentimes, enterprises have a wealth of content (individual files and documents) that may exist in shared folders, shared drives, or other common location.
• Moving that content into the platform will not only reduce the hardware infrastructure required to maintain those shared drives, but that content can now be socially enabled. It will be taggable and much easier to locate since it will be wrapped in the social context of the site.
• This would typically be done as part of a one-time migration where a switch would occur at the time of launch.
Web Content and Functionality
• Whenever a new site or application is rolled out, users often complain about having yet another site they need to go to. Part of the benefit of an enterprise social collaboration platform is that it does not just offer social collaboration functionality; if the tool is enterprise-ready like Cisco WebEx Social, then it can play a dual role as both a social collaboration tool and an enterprise portal.
• Enterprise portals originated with the proposed benefit of bringing all of an organization's tools, content, etc. under a single umbrella - a place to unify the disparate tools. This concept can still hold with enterprise collaboration portals by porting over various web content, presenting it within context of the social platform, or by creating customized portlets with a new user interface.
Email Attachments
• While the top two items mentioned fall into the category of existing content that requires a migration or cutover, the email attachment approach is one directed at the individual level. Because of that, it's more difficult to govern. You will have to rely upon champions and other advocates to employ this method to encourage users to visit the site.
• Rather than add an attachment to an email, the user would upload the content to the social platform and provide a link or otherwise direct users to that file. For example, instead of emailing meeting minutes, a project manager would instead upload those notes to a project community or related post and direct users to that instead.
• The main benefit with this process is that the collaboration around those documents can occur on a platform that by its nature supports social interaction. Email has its limitations here - the discussions can be fragmented over multiple threads with varying distribution lists. When it is uploaded to the site, the discussion on the document can be preserved for anyone to see. The owner can also have the ability to control permissions centrally, whereas email can spread to unintended recipients.
• This also has the added benefit of saving storage space. Rather transporting files over email which can weigh on the network, you can point users to the same link.
Figure 10. Applications Seeding Tactic
Table 9. Applications Considerations
Asynchronous Collaboration
• Asynchronous collaboration is the ability of individuals to collaborate at their own convenience.
• Email is an example of asynchronous collaboration. The message is sent and then the recipient replies back as time permits.
• From a social collaboration perspective, there a few asynchronous applications that should be a part of the platform, as mentioned above. They include blogs, wikis, posts, discussion forums, etc.
• These core social applications can provide the base for brining users into the platform.
Synchronous Collaboration
• Synchronous collaboration is the ability of individuals to collaborate real time.
• Having both asynchronous and synchronous applications allows for collaboration escalation. For lesser priority or urgency items, asynchronous, or offline may be fine. But as urgency increases, having the ability to escalate that to synchronous collaboration can be critical.
• Examples of synchronous collaboration include click-to-call, click-to-IM, and click-to-meet (online web meetings).
Other Critical Social Applications
• Expertise location is the ability to search for experts, view profiles, or search for individuals based on self-defined tags for attributes such as areas of expertise, interests, etc. Typical corporate directories contain only contact information and organization information whereas a social collaboration platform can extend information to include those additional attributes that will help facilitate finding individuals with a specific expertise.
• Ideation is the ability to brainstorm and collaborate on new ideas, vote and promote the best ones, and more. This is at the core of innovation, which many experts consider to be a foundational element of social collaboration (along with productivity and efficiency gains).
"Single Pane of Glass"
• A social platform can benefit from pulling downstream applications and content into a dashboard even if those applications and content are not directly social.
• By pulling in back-office applications (time and expense applications, payroll applications, human resources applications, legacy self-help applications, etc.) and presenting them within the context of the social platform can create a "single pane of glass." This was an original value proposition for enterprise portals: users no longer need to go to individual, disparate applications. Instead, everything can be housed under a single umbrella to result in increased end-user efficiency.
• The other opportunity that this creates is the ability to improve the usability of those legacy applications. This could provide even more incentive to use the platform. Instead of interfacing with the outdated, unfriendly user interfaces of certain legacy applications, having a user interface re-designed and its flow enhanced could improve end-user satisfaction.
"App Store"
• When the first Apple iPhone was released, it came with approximately 15 applications pre-loaded on the phone. While that was enough to gain early success, it was not until a year later, when Apple introduced the App Store that the adoption of the device increased dramatically. The App Store created the development ecosystem that allowed Apple to exponentially increase the different things that could be done with an iPhone.
• A parallel can be made with social platforms. The more apps that are available, the more potential there is for individual users to find value. And do not just focus on what is available out of the box, but also what third-party add-ons apps may exist.
Figure 11. Events Seeding Tactic
Table 10. Events Considerations
Facilitator Role
• Any virtual event is going to need a facilitator to ensure all the proper content is in place, that access and permissions are appropriately set, and that communications have been sent.
• The facilitator does not necessarily need to be the one creating all of the content, but that person should work closely with the content creators and presenters.
• The facilitator would be responsible for providing direction on how to use the platform for the particular event.
"Tweet Chats"
• Twitter has popularized the use of hashtags, including using them during various conferences and events, where specific hashtags are promoted (e.g. #e2conf for the Enterprise 2.0 conference, #cl12 for the 2012 Cisco Live conference)
• This allows participants to discuss the particular event so long as they stamp their comments with the appropriate hashtag.
• Through filtering of the activity stream, it can become a live chat around the topics of the event.
• Some people may wonder why event facilitators do not use a chat room instead. A chat room falls short on a couple levels. One is data persistence -in most cases, the chat will be lost once the window is shut down and if it is saved, it is saved locally by the user. If it is done through micro-posts or Tweets on a collaboration platform, then it is retrievable by anyone at anytime for future reference.
Live Versus Offline
• When people think about events, they typically think of a live, real-time activity.
• Many collaboration platforms lend themselves to support offline events as well.
• An example may be annual insurance elections, where a community can be set up with the appropriate areas for all the various content and information that might be needed. Discussion forums can be established for people to ask questions or provide commentary.
• An added benefit can be that instead of just posting content, the collaboration platform will allow users to interact around that content. This functionality can turn it into a socially-enabled event.
Rewards and Gamification
Figure 12. Rewards and Gamification Personal Value Tactic
Table 11. Rewards and Gamification Considerations
• Badges are a concept used very much in the gaming world and have spilled over into enterprise social software, building upon the same concept that users want to attain rewards and acknowledgement of their activity.
• Badges can be given for performing certain activities, such as uploading a document, recording a video, replying to a post, creating a community, etc. For example, one badge might be given for creating 10 blogs. Once a user has done that, they can display the badge for all to see in their profile.
• Badges can be earned multiple times. So in the example above, the initial badge was attained with the creation of the tenth blog. Once that user creates their twentieth blog, they would receive a second level of that same badge. It can be a counter that shows how many times that particular badge was earned, such as having bronze, silver, gold, or platinum versions of the badge.
Reputation Levels
• Simply being active on the platform - creating content or commenting on content - does not necessarily mean it is helpful to others. While a user's level of activity can show the extent of usage, it does not give insight into the relevance or helpfulness of content, comments, etc.
• Reputation levels are created from other users' "likes," or ratings of posts, documents, and comments. It is the users themselves calling out what they are finding to be most helpful.
• A gauge of respect and knowledge, reputation levels can foster a sense of pride as they are attained. They have the added benefit of pointing users to the most helpful and knowledgeable users. So when it comes to soliciting feedback, it is easy to focus on the replies from those with a higher reputation.
• On an enterprise-wide platform, it can be quite satisfying and personally rewarding for users to see their name listed on top of leaderboards related to the site - especially when they know that everyone else throughout the organization can see those same names.
• A common leaderboard that many collaboration platforms have is "Top Contributors." This leaderboard tends to rank users who have uploaded the most documents, created the most posts, etc.
• Multiple timeframe segmentations help even more. If the only leaderboard is for "all-time" contributors, then any new users will not have much of a chance to enter into the list. It is therefore, beneficial to post leaderboards for the month or even down to the week.
• Management should recognize those on the leaderboard. The theme of recognition is threaded through all of these ideas. It is not just a matter of being on the leaderboard: it is that others in the organization recognize and acknowledge that accomplishment.
• Contests are another way to increase usage by users hoping to gain recognition, without being constrained by the platform's functionality.
• Two examples that focus on users understanding the customization and extensibility aspects of the platform are "Best My Profile Layout" and "Best Community Layout." Enticing the user base to be creative in how they customize their own spaces or a community space will also have the added benefit of giving others ideas of what they can do. The more people understand what they can do, the more they will be able to do. But not everything can be absorbed or addressed during training. There should be ongoing learning so that ideas spread across the users. Contests can enable that momentum.
• Another effective contest example is the "Best Use of Social Collaboration." This may be even more enlightening and helpful to other users because not only can they see what the platform can do, but they also see real ways others are using it, which can lead them to build on existing ideas.
"What's in It for Me?" (WIIFM) Promotion
Figure 13. WIIFM Personal Value Tactic
Table 12. WIIFM Promotion Considerations
Use Case Identification
• It will not be possible to understand the value component of adoption of the platform if it is not clear how the platform will be used. This begins with use cases.
• When identifying use cases, it is important to also identify the various sub-groups within the organization because each group may have different needs or collaboration challenges and thus, different use cases.
• Make sure to tie the uses cases back to some component of value or some challenge that needs to be addressed. A big mistake that many people make is pushing users to do something on the platform because the functionality supports it. If using the platform does not make their job easier, then pushing users to use it can have an adverse affect on adoption.
Business Value Identification
• Once it is clear how the platform will be used, the business value and WIIFM statements can be constructed.
• These should be clear and direct. A sample statement would read something like, "You will be able to do X task 30 minutes faster than without the social collaboration platform because of a, b, and c."
WIIFM-Based Training
• There can be many different approaches to training and one minor mistake is to focus solely on the functionality.
• The training should wrap the "how to" functionality discussion within the context of why users should adopt - talking through how to use that functionality to meet the use cases and how that will make a job easier.
• Continual reinforcement around how certain features or activities will make a user's job easier is vital. Continual reinforcement will emphasize the point that they should be using the tool and there is direct benefit.
Marketing Promotions
• While training is one good platform for conveying the value for adoption, it should not be the only vehicle.
• There should be an adoption team in place that collects user feedback (either anecdotally, through formal surveys, etc.). Part of this feedback should include the successes that individual users or teams have experienced.
• As with the managed-demand approach, these successes should be publicized across the enterprise.
For More Information


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Thanas wrote:European fantasy has the only multi-universe, multi-dimensional and multi-multiverse spanning entity. So they win by default as they have the only entitiy able to survive all the MAD that will be flung around.
You mean Brahman????
Alyrium Denryle wrote:First, cannon fodder infantry: Europe wins. In a real contest
There's an old Chinese saying which goes something like 'first is courage, second is strength, third is skill'. It doesn't matter how good your steel is if the men wielding it are cowards or undisciplined. Shit, didn't you listen to Robe Vader in Conan?


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We went out the other day for some more trianing for retreiving from a pigeon hide, which went very well. The last four birds he went out , picked up without fussing and brought them back through the hide entrance and dropped them at my feet. He is beginning to show some good form at the moment marking the birds down and going straight to them. He didn't bother with the decoys or the rotary, nor did he run out with the gun shots.
Is there anything else that the dog would need for pigeon shooting - other than the usual witty remarks of gun fit, swing through etc
Thank you


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Our mission: To protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in B.C.
September 18, 2015
Have you gotten wild with your camera? If not, there's still time. Amateur photographers across British Columbia still have nearly two weeks to get their entries into the BC SPCA's Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest, an annual competition that features the best of B.C.'s wildlife, as captured through the lens of photographers in both urban and wild settings.
"The photos we receive are stunning! They really showcase the beauty and the diversity of wildlife that live in this vast province," says BC SPCA chief scientific officer Dr. Sara Dubois. "Participants have until Sept. 30 to submit their most impressive digital images. Usually, the biggest challenge for the judges is choosing winners from all the amazing photos we receive."
The contest supports the BC SPCA's Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) on Vancouver Island, where more than 2,500 orphaned and injured wildlife are cared for each year.
Prizes are awarded for the top three photos in each of two categories: Wild Settings and Backyard Habitats. Photographers must be amateurs, aged 14 and up. Photos entered in previous contests have been featured in the BC SPCA's Animal Sense and Bark! Magazines, as well as in BC SPCA educational materials, local newspapers, websites and social media – a testament to the caliber of the photos that are entered.
Learn more about this year's contest and view past winners' images at spca.bc.ca/wildlife-in-focus. For more information, email email@example.com.
Photos by Pauline Paquet and George Bowron
The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a not-for-profit organization reliant on public donations. Our mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in B.C.
Don't have email? Don't worry! Call us at 1-800-665-1868


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This show is open to everyone that has an open mind and a strong gut to handle the topics that we share with the public. We discuss subjects that range from politics to religion. So please keep in mind that we are not here to offend anyone.
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April 7, 2013
Box Score | Notes | Highlights
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (McLane Stadium)
Score: Michigan 6, Michigan State 2
Records: U-M (16-14, 4-2 Big Ten), MSU (17-11, 2-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, April 9 -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 5:35 p.m.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The University of Michigan baseball team completed a three-game series sweep of Michigan State with a 6-2 win over the Spartans Sunday afternoon (April 7) at McLane Stadium. Two runs in the first and ninth innings, and another quality pitching performance highlighted U-M's first Big Ten series sweep since 2008.
For the second straight day, Michigan plated a pair of runs in the first inning. This time, the Wolverines used the longball as sophomore Zach Zott (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion) crushed a two-run home run to right field, scoring freshman Jacob Cronenworth (St. Clair, Mich./St. Clair), who drew a one-out walk.
The Wolverines went on top 3-0 in the top of the third. Freshman Travis Maezes (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) reached on an infield single with one out. Maezes came around to score on a Cronenworth double to right. The Maize and Blue added a run in the top of the hits as junior Cole Martin (Bay City, Mich./John Glenn) singled up the middle to score Zott.
A pair of sacrifice flies from the Spartans cut the U-M lead in half in the bottom of the sixth, but the Wolverines pushed the lead back to four runs in the top of the ninth. Freshman Jack Sexton (Goldens Bridge, N.Y./Fordham Prep) led off the inning with a single to right. He moved to third on an infield single from Martin. Sophomore Eric Jacobson (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius) singled to left center to score Sexton and Cronenworth brought in Michigan's sixth run with a sacrifice fly to left.
Senior/junior Logan McAnallen (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt) earned the win on the mound. McAnallen, who grew up near East Lansing, allowed just two runs and five hits with three strikeouts and a walk to move to 2-2 on the year. Sophomore Matt Ogden (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) did not allow a hit in 2.2 innings of relief and senior Kyle Clark (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) pitched a scoreless ninth to preserve the win and the sweep.
Martin went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Wolverines offense, while Zott and Sexton had two hits apiece. Zott joined Cronenworth with two runs-batted-in for the afternoon.
Michigan will travel to South Bend, Ind., for a Tuesday (April 9) game with Notre Dame.First pitch is set for 5:35 p.m.
Contact: Kent Reichert (734) 763-4423
Sign up for Michigan Insider to be the first to learn about 2018 Michigan baseball ticket opportunities.


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Sunday Brunch - Lieven Bertels
18/11/2012 , 1:09 PM by june cowle
With the Sydney Festival fast approaching (January 5th to 27th)Simon thought he'd get a preview and a behind the scenes look with Festival Director Lieven Bertels - our guest for this week's Sunday Brunch.
(Follow this link if you'd like to hear the brunch again)
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16 Channel Analog HD Security System with 16 720p Security Cameras 2TB HDD (QC9416-16BY-2)
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Welcome to Bullets by Scarlett. Clark's Bullets by Scarlett is 100% Cowboy Owned and operated! I take great pride in my work! All bullets are made by me in the shop in Lexington, SC. The bullets are cast in a climate controlled facility to insure consistent quality and to keep me comfortable. :-) Custom sizing and unlubed bullets are available, please ask. There may or may not be an additional cost.
If you like what you see, please tell others! If you don't, please let us know! I appreciate your support and value your business.
Scarlett Darlin'
Owner, Clark's Bullets by Scarlett


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USAID's Business Literacy Program (BLP) in Nepal, which was implemente...
Oxfam and DEPROSC have agreed to extend Emergency Response to Nepal Ea...
DEPROSC-Nepal and World Vision International have entered into an agre...
Ms. Alaina B. Teplitz visited Jajarkote tole, Chhinchu, Surkhet and in...
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DEPROSC-Nepal greatly effort for the transparency in Microfinance. Check
DEPROSC has published its report "The Reflection" summarizing its major interventions and lesson learned since its establishment in 1993.
Click here to download reflection.
BLP photo came in 1st place in FtF global photo contest Click on image for Detail
DEPROSC - Nepal, is one the leading developmental NGOs in Nepal. It was established on 26 September 1993, when the political system allowed people organize and contribute for nation building. Our main thirst is the poverty reduction and we have an integrated approach for it. That's why we work in thematic areas of economic promotion and social development. Until now, we have served in 54 districts of the country at different times and served around 250,000 families of different ethnicities and geography. Nepalese civil society sector or NGOs are considerably dependent on the donor community but DEPROSC has prepared some ground to continue its mission even during less external funding. As we work closely with grassroot groups/organizations, mostly in the rural Nepal, we are familiar with the rural context, the challenges in development and rising aspirations of people. With consistent focus on its long term vision to empower Nepal through economic promotion and social development, DEPROSC has worked through all those challenges and obstacles to ensure that the benefits of development reached onto the doors of Nepali in need. In the given context, we have tried to concentrate on geographically and socially excluded, marginalized and discriminated populations through people centered development.
In the course of our journey of last 24 years, we have successfully implemented 78 development projects and 40 research projects in diverse disciplines such as: food security and sustainable livelihood, microfinance, education and empowerment, disaster and humanitarian assistance, WASH, rural community assets creation/rehabilitation and natural resource management. As our inclination has been to serve the communities in remote and to the population below poverty line, we have good exposures in livelihood and poverty dimensions in Nepal. With its effort to see empowered Nepal, DEPROSC is reviewing its strategies in the changing development contexts and needs of Nepal.
This is a three year projects for 20 districts of western regions. This program aims to graduate 48000 participants in 2,000 locations. Five modules were developed covering literacy and numeracy, nutrition, life skills, entrepreneurship skills and access to finance. The participants attend the business literacy classes for two hours per day for 48 weeks (except on Saturdays and main festivals) and improve their resilience. This program has two phases: 1st phase implemented on 10 district of mid-west and 2nd phase will be implemented on another 10 districts of west and far west.
Click image to go to application
DEPROSC- Nepal is a non-profit making organization established in September 1993 under "Association Registration act 1978" as a non-governmental organization (NGO). It is affiliated to Social Welfare Council (SWC) and is receiving approvals from SWC for foreign aid mobilization. DEPROSC-Nepal has its Central Office in Kathmandu, Nepal and two regional offices, one each in Biratnagar (Eastern region) and Nepalgunj (Mid- and Far western region). The Central Office is located at Thapathali, Kathmandu with necessary space and equipment to run as a national NGO.
For the last 24 years, we have been working in several thematic areas including livelihood improvement, social development (education, health, hygiene, nutrition, and child development), community micro assets, natural resource management, disaster risk management, and rural finance. The organization has been involved in implementing different humanitarian assistance programs during national crisis such as in Koshi flood, diarohea outbreak in mid-west in 2008, insurgency (2003-2006), food crisis in the hills and mountains of mid and far west, earthquake response in Nuwakot, Kathmandu and Lalitpur. Currently, DEPROSC-Nepal is working in 34 districts of 4 development regions, launching nine different projects.
DEPROSC-Nepal has strongly contributed in microfinance's sector development of the country by providing directly lending services and promoting microfinance/cooperatives in the hills. It has promoted two national level microfinance financial institutions, namely: DEPROSC Laghubitta Bikash Bank (Microfinance Bank) and NADEP Microfinance Financial Institution. The two institutions are serving over 140,000 families at present.
DEPROSC wants to see a peaceful, prosperous and empowered Nepal.
DEPROSC-Nepal is committed to enhance the participation of rural people in general and poorest of the poor, children, women and marginalized ethnic groups in particular in their development process through:
DEPROSC-Nepal aims at empowering rural people for attaining self-sustaining socio-economic uplift through a package of policy research, action research and training. Its specific objectives are to:
Copyright 2010 Development Project Service Center. All rights reserved.
DEPROSC Nepal
PO box 10953
Thapathali Height, Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977-1-4244723
Fax: +977-1-4262396
firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com


text: Baylor will test WVU's improved defense By Dave Hickman October 3, 2013 Story Share AP Photo First-year starter Bryce Petty quarterbacks a Baylor offense averaging 751 yards through three games. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The test that West Virginia's defense faces Saturday from the offense of No. 17 Baylor is one the Mountaineers would have flunked a year ago.In fact, it's one they did flunk.Sure, WVU managed to win, but no 70-63 football victory has ever been credited to great defense. The Mountaineers gave up 700 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns. Get this: West Virginia had a receiver, Stedman Bailey, who had 13 catches for 303 yards and he wasn't even the most productive pass-catcher on the field. That's because WVU's own notoriously inept pass defense allowed Terrance Williams 17 catches for 314 yards.Don't look now, but Baylor's offense has improved since last season. The Bears are, in round figures, averaging 751 yards and 70 points.West Virginia's defense, though, is no longer inept. In fact, through the first five games of the season, a defense that was routinely abused last season has yet to be even mildly embarrassed this season. Oklahoma scored but 16 points and Oklahoma State only 21. Maryland got 37, but largely because the WVU offense handed out scoring opportunities.The West Virginia defense is playing with confidence and energy and is succeeding."Yeah, that's obviously true,'' coach Dana Holgorsen said. "But we'll see how they do this week playing the best offense in college football in Baylor."Indeed, that's another kind of test.West Virginia (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) faces Baylor (3-0, 0-0) Saturday night in Waco, Texas. The 8 p.m. (ET) game will be televised by Fox Sports 1.That's where the Mountaineers will be tested perhaps in a way they won't be tested again this season. Perhaps no offense ever has had some of the off-the-charts numbers Baylor's posting this season. In additions to those averages of 751.3 yards and 69.7 points per game, consider: In back-to-back games, the Bears have 781 yards and 70 points. That wouldn't be a bad two-game total, but Baylor did 781 and 70 against Buffalo and another 781 and 70 against Louisiana-Monroe.Baylor has run 229 plays and scored 209 points. That's an average of nearly a point per play (0.913). It's an absurd stat.In three games this season and despite playing backups for much of the second halves of all three, Baylor's offense has yet to go three-and-out. In fact, the Bears have faced only 35 third downs later on in drives. Think about that. Out of 229 plays, only 35 have been third downs and five were go-for-it fourth downs. So 189 of those 229 plays were first and second downs.What chance does a defense have if it can't even get to third down? That's the challenge that faces West Virginia. It's a challenge last year's defense would have had no chance of answering. This year? Well, they have as good a chance as most anyone else.What a difference a year makes. "Yeah, it does. But we're not playing 10 true freshmen now,'' Holgorsen said. "That's probably the biggest difference.'' Well, West Virginia wasn't actually playing 10 true freshmen on defense a year ago, either. It was "just'' seven. Four others were redshirt freshmen. Still, that's 11 defensive players who had never before played in a college game.It's more than just experience, though. Keith Patterson took over as the defensive coordinator at the end of the regular season in 2012 and so now has been on the job 10 months, through bowl game prep, spring practice, fall camp and five games of the season. The difference he's made is noticeable."Coach Patterson's done a great job of corralling these guys and teaching them the game,'' Holgorsen said.But how?"Last year we had a version of his 3-4 defense and then when he took over before the bowl game he started installing his and his only version of the 3-4 defense,'' Holgorsen said. "Having one voice is obviously the right thing, especially his voice. "He's doing a fantastic job of teaching them the game the way he knows how to teach it. And then you couple that with [having] experienced guys.''Indeed, the experience has shown. Safeties Darwin Cook and Karl Joseph have provided a tremendous boost all around, while corners Ishmael Banks, Travis Bell and true freshman Daryl Worley have amped up the pass coverage. The linebackers have been hit with injuries, but there was enough depth there to begin with. And the defensive line has been kept fresh by rotating at least six players in the three front spots."We're getting great senior leadership with Darwin Cook and Shaq Rowell and Will Clarke. And then we've got guys that are coming on,'' Holgorsen said. "Our corners aren't true freshmen like they were last year. Travis Bell's an experienced guy that's really emerged at corner. Icky Banks is an experienced guy that's really emerged at corner. And then those 10 true freshmen are not true freshmen anymore.''Then throw in junior college guys with more experience like Dontrill Hyman and Brandon Golson."It's a combination of a lot of things,'' Holgorsen said.There's no question, though, that the competition this year has been different. West Virginia hasn't faced a series of experienced quarterbacks running explosive offenses like last season, and there aren't many down the road, either. Even the best offenses WVU will still face generally have new quarterbacks or unsettled situations at the position.Baylor has a new quarterback, too, in Bryce Petty, but it hasn't seemed to matter yet."Last year there were so many experienced offenses that we faced, this Baylor team being one of them,'' Holgorsen said. "You've got to be willing to step up and play at the highest level possible each and every week. And that's one thing that our defense has bought into and they're doing a good job of that.''Reach Dave Hickman at 304-348-1734 or email@example.com or follow him at Twitter.com/dphickman1. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Thomas Memorial to charge upfront co-pays for non-emergency ER visits 2 Overdose deaths in KY have hit unprecedented levels, officials say 3 Balzout co-founder Scott Cable dies at 54 4 Names released in fatal crash on Interstate 79 5 Kanawha grand jury indicts 75 Henry, Pittman on C-USA basketball watch list Previous Story Grantham, college football playoffs and underclassmen Next Story


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Stephen Talkington
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North Carolina, USA
Oct. 1, 1859
Crawford County
Arkansas, USA
Stephen Talkington was born in 1783 in North or South Carolina.(1) It is believed he was the son of Robert Talkington and Elizabeth ______ who came to Kentucky probably from South Carolina sometime between 1790 and 1799.(2) Robert died in Logan County, Kentucky, USA in 1799 when Stephen would have been about sixteen. In 1803 the family had 150 acres.
Stephen married Sarah "Sally" Acock the 29th of March, 1807 in Christian County, Kentucky, USA.(3) The marriage was sealed and dated the 25th of April, 1807 Christian County, Kentucky, USA. Stephen sealed it with an X. He must not have been able to write at the time. It was officially recorded the 9th of May, 1807.4) Their marriage license reads:
Christian Co., Ky.
March the 02 ninth day 1807. Was Joined in Marriage Stephen
Taulkenton and Sally Acock acording to Law. Lewis Moore
Know all men by these presents that
We Stephen Taulkinton & Thos Deloch
are held and fermly bound unto Christopher
Greenup Gov. Of Ky. In the penal
sum of fifty pounds and for the
Payt of which will and truly to be
made an (blurred spot) we bind ourselves
our heirs, Ececutors and Adms. of jointly
severally & firmly by these present
sealed with our seals and entered
the 25th day of April, 1807.
The Conditions of the above obligation
is such that whereas there is a Marriage intended
between the above bound Steven Taulkinton
and Sally Acock for which a license
has this day issued now if there should
be no lawful objection to obstruct this
marriage then this obligation to be void
Else to remain in full force & virtue.
Stephen X Taulkinton (seal)
Thos Deloch (Seal)
Sarah was born about 1784 in North Carolina.(5) Her name appears as Acock and Adcock. Her parentage is uncertain. She may be the seventh child of John Acock or, she might be the daughter of Robert Acock, Sr. and Mary Blanchett.(6) There is also a Richard Nelson Alcock who lived close to the Talkington land who may be her father.(7)
On the 11th of December, 1813 Stephen purchased the Sapp land at the sale of his mother's estate (John, his brother, married Lottie Sapp, Washington County, Kentucky, USA in 1795.). On the 8th of November, 1816 after a tax default, he was granted forty-nine acres in Christian County, Kentucky, USA. He signed as a witness to his nephew's, Joseph Talkington's, marriage license in 1816.
It is believed that Stephen and Sarah had six children all born in Kentucky: Edward P. born in 1808 , Allen born in 1810, Margaret Elizabeth born in 1812, Mary Ann born about 1814, Sarah Ann born about 1819, and Isaac Newton born in 1822. Stephen and his family are listed in the 1810 Christian County, Kentucky, USA census.(8) The family migrated to Arkansas in 1826 along with the Bland family. Stephen with his oldest three children, Edward, Allen, and Margaret, came by land driving the livestock. Sarah and the three youngest children, Mary, Sarah, and Isaac traveled by riverboat. They are listed in the 1830 census of Hempstead County, Arkansas, USA,(9) the 1840 census of Washington County, Arkansas, USA,(10) and the 1850 census of Jasper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA.(11) In 1850 Stephen was listed as 67 and Sarah as 66. Neither could read nor write. They owned no real property and although Stephen was not employed, they had two male slaves ages 33 and 19. They were probably living in a home on Isaac's land since he and his family lived next door to them.
Stephen died the 1st of October, 1859 of typhoid fever in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA.(12) He is buried in the Fairview Cemetery at Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. In 1987 there was no marker on his grave. Sarah died after 1850 and before the 1860 census probably in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. She too is buried in Fairview Cemetery in Van Buren, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. Stephen and Sarah probably had six children.
(1) This date is from Wayne L. Talkington and the census records. According to Shirley Wimpey Ward he was born in 1779 in Logan County, Kentucky, USA in Lester, Neal and Allied Families. In the 1860 Arkansas Special Mortality Schedule covering the period from June 1859 to June 1860 it lists Stepehen Talkington of Crawford County, Arkansas, USA; age eighty; male; died in October; born in South Carolina; cause typhoid fever. All information on Stephen and Sarah Talkington and their descendants is from Lester, Neal and Allied Families�, by Shirley Wimpey Ward, March 1987 unless otherwise noted.
(2) From circumstantial evidence using land records.
(3) Wendy L. Elliott in a letter in 1984.
(4) Official record reads: "Groom Taulkenton, Stephen: Bride Sally Adcock: License Issued Apr. 25, 1807: Marriage Date May 9, 1807: By Lewis Moore."
(5) The 1850 census of Jasper, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA. Her name is listed as Sarah in the census and Sally on the marriage document.
(6) Shirley Wimpey Ward lists the father of Sarah (Sally) Acock as John Acock the third child of Richard Acock who was born in 1717 in Virginia. Wayne Talkington said Sarah (Sally) Acock may have been the child of Robert Acock, Sr. Robert Acock was born in 1753 in Warren County, North Carolina, USA. He died in 1847 in Todd County, Kentucky, USA at the age of 94. His estate was settled in Todd County, Kentucky, USA. Will Book G has no mention of heirs. He served in the American Revolution for two and a half years. He entered service as a private in Turner Company of the 3rd Regiment the 20th of April, 1776. He was in the battles of Brandyine and Germantown and was honorably discharged the 10th of October, 1778. In 1820 he applied for a pension and received it the rest of his life. He married Mary Blanchett the 25th of July, 1780 in Warren County, North Carolina, USA. They came to Kentucky by 1800. They had five sons: Robert, William, John, Allen, and Henry. No daughters were listed in the D.A.R. records.
(7) From Lauritta Her Parents and Grandparents, by Leslie Silverman, September 2001, p70. "Kentucky Land Grant Records for 1797 state 'there is granted by the said commonwealth unto Richard N. Allcock assignment of Thomas Grayson a certain tract a parcel of land containing two hundred acres by survey bearing date the fifth day of January one thousand and seven hundred ninety lying and being in the County of Logan.' The 1800 tax lists for Muhlenberg County, just north of Logan, show a Richard Nelson Alcock. As this man would have lived close to the Talkington's home this man may be Sally's father."
(8) Stephen Talkington, males 1 under 45 (Stephen), 2 under 10, (Allen and Edward), females 1 under 26 (Sarah).
(9) Stephen Talkington: 2 boys 1800-1810 (Edward 1808 and Allen 1810), 1 boy 1820-1825 (Isaac Walton 1822), 2 girls 1815-1820 (Margaret 1812 and Sarah Ann 1819), 1 girl 1820-1825 (Unknown).
(10) 1 male under 20 (Isaac W. 18), 1 male under 60 (Stephen 57), 1 female under 30 (Unknown, Sarah Ann married in 1837), 1 female under 60 (Sarah 56).
(11) 1850 Jasper Township, Crawford County, Arkansas, USA, House 44, Steven 67, Sarah 66, no occ, both b. N.C.
(12) Van Buren Press, October 7, 1859, under the heading "Died" reported, "In this City, on the 1st Oct., Stephen Talkington in the 80th year of his age."
All information on Stephen and Sarah Talkington and their descendants is from:
1)" Lester, Neal and Allied Families...," by Shirley Wimpey Ward
2) Wendy L. Elliott in a letter to Holly Breidenbach in 1984
3) R. Cecil Shipley's, Talkington genealogy report, Feb. 2, 2000
4)"Genealogy of the Talkington's and Long's," by Wayne L. Talkington, 1972
5) Research done by Fae Lenaire Sutton before 1972
Family links:
Talkington (1784 - ____)
Edward Pennington Talkington (1808 - 1870)
Margaret Elizabeth
Lester (1812 - 1900)
Sarah Ann
Dyer (1820 - 1881)
Calculated relationship
Fairview Cemetery
Van Buren
Crawford County
Arkansas, USA
Created by:
Wilton Golson
Record added: Sep 02, 2009
Find A Grave Memorial# 41488626
Cemetery Photo
Added by:
Ronald Walton
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My 9th great grand uncle. Rest in Peace.
Clinton D. English, San Francisco, CA.
Added: Nov. 9, 2011
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bicycle corona unique
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- Source: eBay
- Sold Date: Apr 13, 2008
- Channel: Auction House
Collectable Mountain bike made and Paint by Corona beer, never use in mint condition. has shimano 21 speed, don't miss this awesome oportunity.


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Note from Tina: One Mom's Battle has many faces and its my honor to share them with you. My healing comes from sharing my story and from hearing your stories. There is power in numbers and our numbers are growing. It is my hope that this little "village" will be one strong voice which provides education to our court system and most importantly, brings change to our Family Court System. I am excited to share today's blog with you because it was written by a gentleman who has had his life turned upside down by his ex-wife. In gratitude, Tina
A Male Perspective: Perhaps I am naive, but religious leaders should be held to a higher standard than most. If you listen to their words and messages, the focus is always on strategies to make the world a better place, or enhance your child's life or to do the right thing. They should be grounded in high morals and ethics. They are not perfect people but should strive to be so.
What I experienced in my marriage, however, was an ex-wife – and religious leader – who preached the exact opposite of what she practiced.
I initially admired my ex-wife. I saw her as ambitious, savvy and attractive. We married about 18 months after we met and lived in two different cities before settling in to her home country. We have three wonderful children.
Immediately after we had our first child, we moved to the city where my ex-wife had grown up. That's when things began to change for me. I remember chalking up my discomfort to being a relatively new father and the fact that I was living in a new country. But it was so much more than that. My life was now my ex-wife's life. As a religious leader, she was always on the go: nightly committee meetings, church services, life cycle events – these were all part of the life that she led and that I had accepted. At times, it was a difficult life. We didn't have much quality family time, as our schedule was essentially built around her schedule.
As the years went on, two more children were born. But I felt stuck. I was stuck. My career was seemingly never good enough for her or her family. Even when it came to my children, I also felt scrutinized by my ex-wife, even though I spent considerable time with them.
Just before I learned about my ex-wife's affair, my family visited for my oldest son's birthday. When they returned, they told that they couldn't believe how stressed I looked considering how much I was doing for my wife and kids. They were amazed and remarked that they would never want to trade places with me.
And then I learned about my ex-wife's affair with a staff member from her congregation. Yes – HER congregation. Six months prior to learning about the affair, we had moved to a neighboring community to start a new church. I was excited for my ex-wife, but concerned about the impact on my family. In many ways, I felt this was not the right decision because of how it might impact my kids. It wasn't the right time to do this – I thought. We had a very young family – I thought. My ex-wife convinced me that the reason I was reluctant to make the move was because I was afraid of change, which may be partially true. But it was so much more than that.
At any rate, I convinced myself that my ex-wife would do an amazing job and we packed our bags for the new community. Six months later, I witnessed the affair between my ex-wife and a staff member and the rest is history.
Of course, the affair was my fault. And then I acted the way I did because of my parent's upbringing. Ah, the beating my ex gave me. Through minimal counselling after I witnessed the infidelity, I (finally) knew there was something very wrong with this person. Why was she always blaming others for her failures? Why did she regularly belittle people even though she was a religious figure? Why did she lack empathy and common "sweetness" except when she had to (in front of crowds, on stage)? Despite the hurt and shock of the affair, it was clear that this woman – my wife – did not love me. She only loved herself.
Shortly after our separation, the false accusations began against me – this when my ex-wife had asked for an amicable separation. Threats of defamation suits against me got the ball rolling to keep my mouth shut about her affair and other matters. After all, few clergy would remain in a position of power after word gets out (although ironically that doesn't last long). On top of the defamation suit I faced, my ex-wife:
- Threatened that after I included a clause in the draft separation agreement, she would among other things, make Child Protective Services very interested in me. She did eventually go to Child Protective Services – making false accusations along the way.
- Constantly harassed me through e-mails and texts.
- Suggested that my oldest child's behaviour was my fault because of "bad parenting".
- Developed "lists" of complaints against me for our mediator to review.
- Recently accused me of abusing my kids ("on good authority").
- Befriended and manipulated a counsellor from the local social service agency, who refused to see me (or my kids) because of a "conflict of interest". Only through a three-month complaint process did the counsellor manage to understand that my ex-wife was lying to her. After all, who are you going to believe – me or the female leader of a progressive church?
- Threatened to call the police on my girlfriend after she returned my son late from a haircut.
- Denied access of my oldest son, literally congratulating him for not going with me on certain days.
- Went into my car on several occasions to ensure I had properly installed my youngest daughter's car seat – this even after the local social services agency confirmed that I had installed it properly.
And to be quite honest, this only covers a bit of it. She is reckless and erratic. She regularly projects – recently referring to me as a bully. She shows no boundaries. She lacks empathy – so much so that someone closely connected to our case suggested that she was the least empathetic person that they had ever met. But she is so incredibly believable – again, who is not going to trust the local religious leader?
And despite all of this, my access time with my kids has been reduced. Yes – reduced. The system rewards a person like this because of what she does for my kids (or is perceived to do for my kids), not who she is. Apparently, helping them with their homework or getting them to bed at 8:30 sharp is more important than the emotional support that I give my kids (not that I'm lax at either one of these, although I give them a few more minutes at night J). Apparently, the home they've known for just 18 months is more stable than the one I've made for them in the last six months.
My kids are the most important thing to me. They are not the most important thing to my ex-wife. As she once told me in front of a marriage counsellor right after I learned about the infidelity, "this (her new job) was supposed to be our fourth child and OUR path." For me, there is no comparison.
It is the impact this has had on my kids that hurts me the most. While I know I can be the father I want to be outside of the marriage – as I am no longer my ex-wife's punching bag – I feel a great sense of guilt, and sadness and pain. My kids don't deserve this. I've taken so many bullets, and I will take more to shield my kids from this person.
In essence, my ex-wife represents what's wrong with our society. She preaches against bullies, but acts like one regularly. She promotes family values, but regularly discourages her kids to have a relationship with me. She speaks about qualities like compassion and empathy when she shows none (unless people are watching). She advocates the importance of our souls but lacks her own.
The question most people ask is, don't people know what has happened here? My answer is simple. Some know and don't care. My ex-wife is fairly popular in the community and some want to ride her coattails. Others know only what she tells them. Still others are seemingly left in the dark, too ignorant to figure out what occurred right under their noses. That said, many people have figured out what has happened and in some cases, have come to support me. Eventually, many others will, as well.
As for me, it was relatively easy to move on from the actual relationship. It was how my ex twisted the knife that nearly ruined me and my relationship with my young kids. At times, I wanted to give up. Everyone and everything seemed against me. Today, I have found a new love – a woman who shows more compassion to me and my kids than I ever knew possible. It's a strange feeling – to be truly loved by this woman – but it feels amazing.
Some would say that such experiences only make you stronger. I would be lying if I said this was the case. The wounds run pretty deep. But I am rebuilding myself and my life. It takes time. But I will do it for my kids and my new love and for my new life. I will be happy again. ###
Resources for men who are abused: www.menwhoareabused.com and www.shrink4men.com
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Click the link to purchase Tina's new book, "Divorcing a Narcissist- One Mom's Battle." You will find insight, red flag reflections and strategies on how to survive (and thrive!) while divorcing of co-parenting with a narcissist. Tired of panicking at the site of a new email from the narcissist in your inbox? Learn how to decode the emails and see them for what they are. You will learn to forgive yourself and you will begin to heal.


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Cirque du Soleil at Harrods
This event has now finished. Wed Dec 26 2012
Time Out says
Harrods' famous sale kicks off with a performance from the breathtaking circus troupe, who will entertain the queue of eager shoppers before the doors open.
Harrods details
Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd, London, United Kingdom SW1X 7QN
The distinctive terracotta façade with its dark-green awnings stirs up some of the most divided feelings in the capital: for every tourist who...Read full venue review
Transport Knightsbridge
020 7730 1234
10am-8pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun