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Unpbubshed draft
The Epiphany Hotline
Doris Thorkelson was working on the line at the Burger Buddy processing machine having the worst day of her life when it dawned on her that she had the power to do something about her terrible job.
The pay was lousy but it was the best she could get, a dollar more than minimum wage. With overtime she managed to get by. But the task was monotonous and repetitive, giving her carpal-tunnel pain not to mention the headaches she got from sniffing the fumes of the Savory Flavor spray she injected into the thin slabs of ground chuck as they rolled down the conveyer belt.
Her main responsibility was stamping the meat into round patties and tossing the remnants into a bucket, which a mentally challenged man named Gomez hauled to the top of the steps and tossed its contents into the reprocessing vat. The meat was then extruded from a tube back on the conveyer belt. It was a marvelously efficient operation that fed the kitchen of the massive Burger Buddy Palace in Dthe Westside Mall. The restaurant boasted about selling approximately 1,700 hamburger units a day to diners.
Doris was a vegetarian. But she didn't mind handling the meat so long as she didn't have to eat it. It was her job to do this and even if she hated it she took pride in doing it well. Lately, however, the headache and the pain in her wrists, not to mention the backaches from standing all day, were grinding her down. She needed a job where she could sit.
She checked out the online employment services and learned that call-center jobs for native English speakers were plentiful. She applied to seven of them but got a callback from only one, the Epiphany Hotline. The man at the other of the line, Horace Cauldwell, said he was impressed by her resume: A master's degree in English Literature from Tulane and an earlier career as a systems analyst at IBM. But Horace was most curious about the 18-month gap between IBM and Burger Buddy.
"They fired me, she said. "Those three-piece blue-suited bastards outsourced my job to a contractor in Tamil Nadu. I spent a year-and-half searching for a job in my field but no one hired me because I'm a women, I'm over qualified, I'm over forty and I made too much money at IBM. And maybe my weight was a factor. When my unemployment benefits ran out I had to settle for Burger Buddy.
"We like overqualified applicants because of the nature of the job. It takes a sophisticated operator to answer calls from people with epiphanies. It pays by the call and you get a bonus when you sign them up for our online pay-for-play services ,like the Egg-head Business Incubator and Truisms Copyrighting Center," Horace said. "You make very good money and the customer can't see you so they won't know you're fat."
"I'm not fat," Doris protested. "Just a little plump." It stretched the truth, she had to admit, but Mr. Cauldwell wouldn't mind. He seemed like very nice man.
"No worries, Doris said. We'll have a photo of a pretty model posted for you on our website," he said. "And we'll give you a stage name to protect your privacy. With a voice like yours you'll have them wrapped around your finger. A pleasant voice is vital in this industry and you could make it sound sexy for the male clientele. . It's like a 900 call, only it's totally legit. We're regulated by the State of Louisiana's Institute for High Tech Entrepreneurs and Epiphany Management." Doris asked when she could start.
"My associate will call your tomorrow for the epiphany empathy response test."
Mr. Cauldwell's assistant. Betty Badenov, called Doris the following evening and put her through her paces. First she had to memorize the script that the hotline operators recited when they answered the phone.
"Welcome to the Epiphany Hotline. We're here to help you turn your flash of realization into a sustainable idea for fun and profit. I'm your helper Victoria. Please tell me your name and describe your epiphany. This phone call is being recorded for quality purposes and we'd appreciate it if you could stay on the line after this call has ended or a brief survey and a chance for me to get back on the line to tell you more about our other products and services."
Doris nailed her lines in no time. She had, after all, memorized the complete text of Hamlet in college.
Betty went on to explain the next steps. First, get the caller's full name and contact. The credit card information, which is essential, comes later in the conversation. Doris's role was to play the sympathetic listener, coaxing along her epiphany callers with a lot of ah-hahs and uh-huhs and I sees.
Doris gave notice to Burger Buddy and reported to the call center on Monday. It was located in a strip mall on South Watson Avenue in the iffy part of town. She noticed that most of the storefronts in the mall had their windows covered by brown paper. But a discount cigarette outlet and a Vietnamese sandwich shop were still in business. So was a as mysterious store with blinking Christmas lights strung around its chalky window with a sign reading "No Minors Allowed" posted on the door. She wondered what kind of business that would be. Then she spotted an anonymous storefront that had its Venetian blinds shut and the address Marg0 was looking for stuck on the window with little gold-foiled squares.
She knocked and was admitted by a tall and sleek lady in a black velvet pants suit who reminded her of Cat Woman. Doris was overdressed for the occasion in her best blue IBM skirt suit and high heels. She always prided herself in looking nice at work, even at Buddy Burger. But she became acutely self-conscious of her weight when shook Betty's hand. The woman is gorgeous, Doris thought, like a retired ramp model in her 40s with luxurious red hair and intimidating blue eyes..
"Please, come right in," Cat Woman said. "You must be Doris. I'm Betty. It's such a pleasure to meet you in the flesh."
Doris cringed at the word "flesh," but managed to conceal her embarrassment and reply with poise. She looked around the room to see a dozen women sitting at long collapsible tables wearing headsets and tinkering on laptops while they chatted with Epiphany clients in voices suggesting they were in love. The room was stark, ceiling and walls covered with white acoustical tiles brightened by hanging fluorescent lights. The call center was devoid of furniture save the long tables and a desk where Betty sat typing on her i-Mac server.
"You're all registered honey," Betty said as she fished a headset from a cardboard box and handed it to Doris. "Why don't you sit over there behind one of the laptops that's not in use. Turn it on and follow the instructions in the program that pops up. It's a synch. Your name is now Victoria. Imagine yourself wearing a negligee, and don't forget to get the credit card numbers before you offer the free trial."
That skinny bitch had to say negligee, Doris thought in distemper. I'll show her what I can do wearing army boots. She noticed the laptop was bolted onto the table. Did the machines walk out the door when Betty wasn't watching?
"Hello," Doris said cheerfully when the screen flashed red and beeped, connecting her to the first incoming call. "Welcome to the Epiphany Hotline. We're here to help you turn your flash of realization into a sustainable idea for fun and profit. I'm your helper Victoria. Please tell me your name and describe your epiphany."
"I got a great idea about how the universe works," said a frail voice a man she estimated to be in his eighties. "And I want to get it patented it before someone else steals the idea."
"No worries, we offer deluxe patent services," she said. "now, please share with me your epiphany – in total confidence." She was getting of the ground running.
"You see, we're actually living in a multi-verse that has concentric circles. Not parallel ones like those misguided astrophysicists and sci-fi writers think. Inside my atoms is another solar system that has inside it another solar system and on and on to infinitely," he said. "Same in the other direction. We're all just molecules in an ever-expanding and shrinking circles of universes. I got the in my hot tub last night."
"That's fascinating! I never thought of it that way. What was your name again? I think we really have to work on this ingenious epiphany."
"My name is Lester Philby," he said. "I'm a retired furniture salesman."
"That's terrific," Victoria said. "A hot tub is an ideal place to have an epiphany, our research shows. Saunas too. Many our most successful clients find this to be true."
Betty was eavesdropping at her station for quality control purposes. "This girl's a natural, she told herself. She's going to be a star."
Doris went home after her nine-hour shift brimming with pride and feeling new confidence. She had transferred Lester to the science division for a nominal fee of $300, where a voice recording promised to return his call within two business days.
Doris satisfied a woman who cooked up the idea for an exercise program that ladies could use on their iPods while doing housework – stretching with the broom and dustpan, hip-hopping with the vacuum cleaner, and squeezing kegel exercises while washing the dishes. For a small fee , she directed the caller to the Physical Training unit of the Health Services Department.
She handled, deftly, a homeless veteran who invented a contraption that would allow soldiers with red hair to jump the line for medical services at VA hospitals. It involved a shoebox filled wires and jagged stones. He felt comfortable enough to tell Victoria he had red hair himself and was infuriated by all the discrimination people with red hair suffered from "the man."
"My boss has red hair," Victoria, said tons to console him, "She she seems very well adjusted, but I don't think she's a veteran. I'll have to ask her whether she's experienced discrimination."
Victoria asked him to stay on the line while she looked up the actual number for the VA's crisis hotline, at no charge, knowing, with heavy heart, her client would have to endure three hours listening to patriotic Musak until his line was cut.
Doris thought hard and wondered if she ever showed bias toward redheads. The man's gripe seemed trivial in comparison to the ugly racism targeted at African-Americans and other minorities. Yet it resonated with her because of her weight issue, which she knew had the unspoken effect of prejudice. It's not necessarily a conscious thought on the part of the beholder, but it's real. She didn't need an epiphany to know this.
Of course, there were exceptions. Her old boyfriend, George, used to say he'd love her no matter what shape she was. He'd gently stroked her cheeks and run his fingers through her auburn hair saying how beautiful she was. They had great sex, far better than she had in college when she was thin. One day George moved back home to Alabama. It was too cold in San Francisco, he said. It was devastating.
But now she was a voice-vixen named Victoria. No more hamburgers, no more software algorithms. She had the power to seduce, console and monetize people with interesting ideas. She was smart and beautiful again.
tossing and turning and grinding my teeth. Then last night it came to me in a flash. We need to deploy micro-fiber nets in the upper atmosphere."
"I like that idea, Victoria said. "Now, Sylvester, tell me exactly how it works. I took a class on environmental astrophysics in college, but that was years ago, before the global warming fad caught on."
Epiphany Hotline 4
"So, you've figured a way to reverse global warming? That's terrific," Doris, said to her first caller the next day. "We're going to get you a Nobel Prize for this."
"I'd like that very much" said the man, who identified himself as Sylvester O'Hara, a retired audiologist. "I've been up at night for months think about this problem.
"It's simple, and that's the beauty of it. We make the net out of discarded women's panty hose and treat them with a special substance that reflects UV radiation and blocks solar heat," he said in a giddy voice. "Then we stitch the fabric together in football-field sized patches and send it aloft with hot air balloons stationed d strategically around the globe. Presto! We reverse decades of climate change."
"I wonder what would happen to all the carbon down here. Wouldn't it be trapped inside the net?" she said, following the Hotline's guidelines for "gentle devil's advocacy," which provokes pitched excitement in the epiphanizer that enhances sales
"I knew you'd ask something like that," Sylvester b said. "You see, the net is ionized in a one-way technology so carbon goes through the porous membrane but doesn't come back."
"I never would've imagined panty hose could do that. The idea is so brilliant I'm going to connect you directly to our science division at Ames Research Center. The government needs to know about this. It's a $3,700 deluxe package to get started nd worth every penny. I'll just need to get your credit card information before I transfer you, and oh, yes, your social security number for the background check."
Doris was born for this job, thought Betty, who was monitering the call. She marveling at her improvisational gift. She phoned Horace immediately after hearing Victoria say goodbye to Sylvester, who was laughing and thanking her profusely. "Get over here right away, Horace," Betty said. "You got to see what your new hire is doing. She's an artist, a savant!"
Victoria completed two more slam-dunk epiphany advisory calls before Horace arrived at the scene, racking up $1,20 in up front sales.She could sense that her call-center colleagues were already getting jealous of her quick mastery of epiphany processing. She saw them glare her direction and heard them whispering behind her back. "A one-day wonder," a brazen colleague sneered within earshot. "Just wait until she screws up."
Horace swaggered into the room and turned on his heels when Betty pointed out their new star.
"You're not fat at all," Horace said as he reached out to shake Doris's hand. "As they say, Big is Beautiful, honey. We're lucky to have someone of your formidable talents on our team. Betty says you're knocking their socks off!"
Doris inspected her new boss. He was a little guy, a scrawny rat-like figure with a bent nose and bad teeth. His attire, however, was impressive. Doris could see markings of ostentatious wealth in Horace's finely tailored black suit and flashy Rolex watch. The open collar of his teal shirt revealed a heavy gold chain glittering in the office's fluorescent sheen.
Doris was insulted by Horace's fat comment, but decided she had to shrug f it off. She needed to stop being so sensitive about her appearancesif she was going to be successful at her new career. She's invisible to her epiphany clients anyway, and she was discovering the power of her voice.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Horace," she said. "I like the job very much – it brings out the best in me, helping people to express their dreams and giving them hope, even when their ideas are delusional."
"You got it exactly right, honey," he said. "We are the Epiphany Hot Line and our mission is to help the needy."
The next caller after Doris returned to her folding chair and stuck on her headset was from a man who identified himself as George of the Jungle. "It came to me in a flash," George said. "The earth isn't round at all – it's flat! They've been deceiving us for centuries. They've been keeping up the lie with modern technology at Area 51. I know this to be true because I'm naked and have no pockets."
Victoria flipped through the Epiphany Manual Betty gave her to see if George of the Jungle fit the criteria for Raving Lunatic classification. She followed the instructions and didn't waste time in cutting off the poor man before he could say another word. "Unlikely to have a valid credit card account," said the manual, which consisted of seven pages of printer paper stapled together. She saw Horace across the room wearing headphones and chewing on an unlit cigar. He gave the thumbs-up sign of approval. She wondered whether Horace planned to eavesdrop on her calls all day, It felt creepy. She wondered if the NSA was listening as well and reminded herself to be on the lookout for terroristic epiphanies. She waited for the next call.
When she answered her last call of the morning she could hear slight buzzing on the line, which she figured had to be was Horace listening in on the conversation, not the NSA "Epiphany Hotline. This is Victoria. How may I help you?"
"Hello Victoria. Is that like the Secret Victoria? Maybe I misdialed. My name is Butch Slowinski. I'm single, six-foot-three with an and athletic guild and looking for companionship. Ha ha."
"Not funny, Butch. This isn't a sex-talk line or a call-girl service or a virtual whore house," Victoria said, feeling oats. Doris loved this job. "We're here to listen seriously to your epiphanies and try to help you turn them into reality. Although I might add that I'm wearing a sexy lace bra today. Now, fess up. What's the nature of your brilliant insight?"
"Okay, I'll get right down to it. I'm a retired Navy Seal. I got dinged by a percussion grenade in Afghanistan and during my convalescence I figured out how to win the war against ISIS, " Butch said. It involves strategic dentistry."
"That's absolutely intriguing Butch," Victoria said, suppressing a gigigle. "Go on."
Butch's voice turned into a whisper. "This has to be confidential. The Navy said it doesn't deal with this sort of thing and Homeland Security doesn't return my calls. The idea is to put up a website n Arabic that offer free dental services to Jihadists. The CIA will provide trained Sunni dentist-agents who will implant homing devices in the terrorists' teeth when they're doing root canals. With the aid of satellite technology we'll send in drones and blow them up on the battlefield."
"Oh, wow. That could turn the tide in the war," Victoria said, sounding as earnest as she ciuld be.. "We have contacts in the intelligence community who'd give this serious consideration but it might cost some money to go through backchannels, you know, a bit of baksheesh. I'll give the direct line to our government department. Press #7 and leave a message and someone will definitely return your call this time. Meanwhile let's get your contact information and your credit card number. I think a $800 discounted down-payment fee should get us started. And I neglected to say, thank you for your service. America needs men and women like you to protect our nation."
When Doris saw Horace jumping up and down and clapping his hands she knew she hit the mark. The man thrived on audacity and she was his soldier. He invited her to lunch at the Vietnamese sandwich shop on the other side of the desolate mini-mall. The place served noodles as well as various meats on dry French rolls. Doris had the temerity to correct Horrace's pronunciation.
"It's phuh, not phoh, not phah," she said. "I know some Vietnamese language and the word for noodles is unquestionably pronounced phuh." In fact, Doris had never utterered a word of Vietnamese or eaten phuh, nor phoh, nor phah. I'm getting the drift now, she thought. It's all about the art of deception.
"You're the boss," Horace said. "You're full of bullshit, but you're the best. From now on we'll make sure all the foreign language calls go to you.
Over the next six weeks Doris's Epiphany acumen increased at a phenomenal rate until she was grossing more income that the rest of the staff of operators, earning several bonuses on top of her premium per-call rate. Her colleagues despised her and excluded her from their table at the Vietnamese sandwich shop. Betty stopped monitoring her calls out of trust and concentrated on the other women at the call center, at one point asking Doris to lead a half-hour training session. "Why do you have to gloat about your fucking track record you bitch," one of her students snapped. "I've working here much longer than you, but Betty's directing the best calls your way."
"How could that happen? The program is automated," Doris said, hoping she didn't sound haughty. "It's totally random" Everyone grumbled, some hissed, as they rose in protest and stomped back to their stations to sulk. Betty didn't schedule a second teach-in.
Doris went on to direct caller after caller to the Hotline's special pay-for-play services. The irate customers who called back to complain about being ripped off were screened out by a voice recognition application Doris designed with he IT skills that detected anger and pitched emotion. It was huge improvement in the efficiency of the operation that the operators grudging appreciated without giving any credit to Doris. They didn't need to rudely hang up on their victims. When a nasty call slipped through the screen it was directed to Victoria's line, where, she sweet-talked them and assigned a case number, promising to report the error to customer service. "If you don't hear back within] 48 hours call this number and say "Complaint Line" when prompted. Make sure you have your case number handy, It may be a long wait time due to call volume, so try calling back later in the day," Victoria explained in her best mellifluous voice.
One afternoon Doris was taken off guard when she fielded a call from a man named Bob. He was bold and charming when he started flirting with her, complimenting her for her lovely voice and her phone manners. He jokingly asked her whether her call center was located in Hyderabad or Manila, pronouncing each city in the local accent. Victoria giggled and deflected the question by saying she was not allowed to disclose her whereabouts to annoying callers like him. "You mean to stalkers like me," Bob said in a stenorious laugh that reminded Doris of a Shakespearian actor. "Are you tracing this call? Don't you see I love you, Victoria, oh sweet Victoria!" The tables had turned, Doris realized, Bob was in control of the conversation, seducing her with great skill.
"Okay Bob, I can tell you're a real bull-shitter. You have called the Epiphany Hotline not the circus clown employment center. State your epiphany or I'll hang up on you. Speak up. You need to stop wasting my time."
"You're good, honey. You're very good," Bob said. "You see, I have an eye for talent. I see that Horace and Betty have trained you well. So let me tell you my epiphany. This hotline business is a total scam, a very clever scam. I want you to put Horace on the line right now or there will be serious repercussions. He owes me $780,000 and I aim to collect it."
"I'm so sorry, Bob, but Mr. Caldwell is not in the office right now," Victoria said, seeing trouble ahead. "He's in an important meeting with the police commissioner to discuss ate joint citizen-police community task force on drugs and gang violence. Mr. Caldwell is the chairman of the group, He can't be disturbed until late this afternoon." Buy some time, Doris thought, until Horace sorts this out.
` "That's hilarious, Victoria. Like I said, you're very good at this. When our little problem is solved I want to hire you. Come to work with me and I'll pay you double what that crook Horace gives you," Bob said with bravado. "I'm going to give you my cell phone number. Write it down for yourself and be sure to give it to Horace. Tell him if he doesn't call me by 6:00 pm I'll ruin him. Say Lodi Zen temple. Tell him I know his address and license plate number and that I'm having breakfast with his parole officer tomorrow morning. Tell him special agents from the FBI's anti-terrorism unit will be crawling all over your mini-mall once I report bomb-making at your office, that is unless we can make an accommodation."
Betty wasn't listening to the call so Doris rushed over and blurted out the details.
"How the hell did he find us?" she exclaimed. "I've got to get Horace out of bed. Jesus Christ! I better get home to wake him up. He drank himself silly again last night, but this will open his eyes for sure, It's an un-fucking-mitigated disaster. Doris, can you please hold the fort unlit I get back. Make sure none of the girls get wind of this. I'm counting on you."
Betty sprinted out the door like her black velvet pants were on fire. She didn't return by the end of the day, so Doris had to turn out the lights and lock up, wondering who Bob was and why he put the fear of God in Betty
The following morning Doris went to work as usual, hoping Horace had smooth things over, but she prepared herself in the event Bob followed through with his threat to tip off the FBI on their con game. She parked her car in the rear lot and planned to dash out the back door if agents staged a raid. When she circled around to the front of the building she saw her colleagues milling around outside the office door and peering into the front window. They all looked hopping mad.
Doris looked for herself. The venetian blind had been removed, revealing an empty room, stark and ominous. The folding tables and laptops were gone. A thin layer dust on the floor was marked with boot prints and the narrow tracks left by the tires of moving dollies.
Some of the girls were weeping because they hadn't been paid in a month and were supposed to get their checks at the end of the week. The Epiphany Hotline's workforce was coming out of shock and started yelling and kicking the door and window. Then they turned their rage on Doris, Horace's toady, pointing fingers at he as though she were complicit in the outrage. "Traitor,' one of them screamed. "Bitch! Management whore" Doris saw them stomping their feet, ready to pounce and rip her to pieces.
She stepped back gingerly then trotted around the building to the safety of her car with the angry women in hot pursuit. She stepped on the gas, leaving the irate crowed of Epiphany consultants in her wake. Doris pulled into the nearest Burger Buddy outlet to hide in case any of her former colleagues gave chase.
She took of the situation. She had been had. Horace and Betty didn't have the decency to include their star performer in the contingency escape plan and left her flapping in the breeze, subject to mob violence by her fellow victims. Doris called their cell to confirm her suspicions and found both lines were disconnected.
She went inside to order a Cheese and Bacon Special with spicy fries. She could not imagine going back to the demeaning job she performed with such excellence on the sweatshop assembly line. She now possessed mastery as an epiphany professional, in addition to her advanced skills in the high-tech industry. But the epiphany scam was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and her chances of landing another job as an electronic engineer were virtual nil on account of her age, weight and glaring gaps in her resume. She deserved more, she thought. She may be a little overweight but she was pretty for her age and judged herself to be very smart, competent and resourceful.
Doris chomped on her burger, enjoying the special savory sauce she once had injected into the meat patties herself. In ten years she could retire and live comfortably on her IBM pension and IRA funds, but wanted to do in the meantime? She wanted to be appreciated. She wanted dignity. She wanted o make an honest contribution to society. But the system was stacked against her. Without sufficient cash flow she feared losing her house and living in s cardboard box under a highway bridge.
Then she had an epiphany. She fished through her handbag for the scrap of paper on which she jotted down Bob's phone number. It was a leap of faith. She didn't know what went on between Bob and Horace but sensed that a grave injustice had occurred at a Zen temple in Lodi and that Bob had a legitimate gripe. Doris warned herself she may be involving herself with another swindler, but what did she have to lose? She already missed the thrill of the call center and liked the pay. And Bob was such h a charming man. She held her breath, closed her eyes and dialed the number.
Doris howled with glee on the way home, all four windows zipped open, radio blasting Lead Zeppelin, speeding, swerving, making illegal lane changes, feeling like a skinny teenager again.
Copyright © 2015 Karl Schoenbergeer


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Stable Scoop Episode 286 -American Horsewoman's Challenge, Dyer Trots for Tots and Helena Goes Pony Clubbing
[podloveaudio src="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/stablescoop.horseradionetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/StableScoopEpisode286.mp3″ duration="51:18″ title="Stable Scoop Episode 286″]
Coach Jenn and Helena Bee start out the show with a great chat about Pony Club right before Jim Hutchins stops by for a to tell us about the American Horsewoman's Challenge. Rounding out the show Tack & Habit gets an overdose of cute with Dyer Equestrian Trots for Tots. Listen in…
Stable Scoop Episode 286 – Show Notes and Links:
- Host: Helena Bee and Glenn the Geek (see host bios)
- Pic: Glenn and the ladies from Dyer Equestrian at AETA
- Guest Co-Host: Coach Jenn from Horse Tip Daily and HORSES IN THE MORNING
- Guest: Jim Hutchinson from American Horsewoman's Challenge
- Tack and Habit: Dyer Equestrian Trots for Tots. Here we are at AETA
- Link: Click here for the free 15 day Audible trial offer: www.audibletrial.com/hrn
- Visit our Facebook page for all the pics and posts.
- Thanks to our Sponsors: Road to the Horse, Equisketch and Southern Equine Expo
Listen, Download or Subscribe:
We want to hear from you! Drop us an email or leave us a voicemail.

subset: commoncrawl


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The reapersbumpturtorial.rar file you have requested: Shadow of Chernobyl / Utilities / Reaper's Bumpmaps for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Tutorial - 5.52mb is not available. Perhaps try browsing all files for the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and upload any files you want to share or are missing. This is the only information we could locate:
This is tutorial how to make the bumpmaps for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. Here, You've got a two hi-res movies (1600x1170) with tutorial. First is about normal bumpmaps, second is about scopes. It is not so easy, but that films will be helpful, I think.You need Photoshop with DDS plugin and Paint.NET (Paint.NET is free, You can download it from here: Getpaint.net).Sorry about English, it is not my familiar languageREAPER
We recommend you return to the download list and browse the links from there. If the problem persists, contact us with the details.


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NIAM Recruitment 2016 :: Assistant Director, Research Officer, Hostel Manager & more : A Government of India Organization, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, C.C.S National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCS NIAM), Jaipur issued a job notification to recruit 09 Director, Deputy Director, Assistant Director, Account Officer, Research Officer, Hostel Manger vacancies in 2016 2017 officially at Jaipur, Rajasthan. Candidates who are searching for government jobs in Rajasthan, they can utilize this latest National Institute of Agricultural & Research Officer (NIAM) employment notification. Eligible candidates should apply prescribed application form through www.ccsniam.gov.in against NIAM Recruitment 2016 notification. Eligibility details like educational qualification, age limit, Pay Scale, exam date, exam fee, selection process, last date, syllabus and more information mentioned below.
NIAM Latest Jobs 2016 – 17 Vacancy Details
No.of Vacancies : 09
Type of Job : Government
Year : 2016 2017
Official Web Portal : www.ccsniam.gov.in
Jobs at : National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCS NIAM)
Location : Jaipur, Rajasthan
Name of the Post :
- Director – 01
- Deputy Director – 01
- Assistant Officer – 02
- Account Officer – 01
- Research Officer – 03
- Hostel Manager – 01
Eligibility Details of NIAM Recruitment 2016 – 09 Assistant Director, Research Officer, Hostel Manager Jobs
Educational Qualification : Applicants should possess Master's Degree, Ph.D, B.Com, Diploma in Hotel Management or its equivalent qualification from any government authorized university/institution. (refer notification)
Age Limit : Candidates age minimum 30 years and maximum 50 years. Upper age limit is applicable as per govt norms to reserved category candidates.
Selection Process : Applied candidates selection based on their performance in conducted test/interview, certificate verification.
Salary : Final selected candidates will earn appropriate monthly payment from National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (CCS NIAM).
How to Apply Application for NIAM 2016 Recruitment : Eligible candidates go through official website www.ccsniam.gov.in for prescribed application form and submit last date of NIAM Director, Assistant Director, Research Officer and more.
Instructions to Apply Offline :
- Visit official website of NIAM Recruitment www.ccsniam.gov.in.
- Choose download application Link
- Now full fill application form as per instructions and attach necessary certificates.
- Finally send through post.
Postal Address
To Director General,
CCS National Institute of Agricultural Marketing,
Kota Road,
Near Sanganer,
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Remember Dates :
Application Submission Last Date : 10-11-2016
Doubts and more information applicants pleased to visit below mentioned official notification for recent employment (Sarkari Naukri Bharti) news.
Official Links :
Click to Download NIAM Recruitment 2016 PDF Notification : http://www.ccsniam.gov.in/images/pdfs/Recruitment_for_various_post.pdf
Click Above to Download Application Form 2016-17 :
More Jobs


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Sexting is the new smoking: Brit parents fear children are at risk
THE school sexting epidemic is so bad parents worry about it more than their children smoking.
A study found 87% of parents think schools are not doing enough to tackle the problem.
YouGov's report also showed only 13% think involving the police is the best approach.
Pressure to make PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) compulsory in schools is now growing.
"The message from parents is loud and clear"Joe Hayman
Another survey found 91% of parents think pupils should be taught about sexting's dangers.
Joe Hayman, head of the PSHE Association, said: "The message from parents is loud and clear.
"They want their children educated on risks such as sexting to prevent them from doing something they might regret.
"When young people share sexual images, they don't know whose hands the photos will end up in."
Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts, an ambassador for Barnardo's, warned: "As the problem is getting bigger, the level of support needed is not growing with it."


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- Implement a Multi-year Culture Change Initiative
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Teaching your employees about your business can help them be more productive and more engaged. We can collaborate with you to create your own company university combining live, online and video training. This is an excellent solution for transferring the crucial knowledge and skills as part of succession planning.
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If your organization has a specific development need, consider partnering with us to create a custom training package. We can either design a program completely from scratch or we can use some of our existing modules, customize them to meet your needs and add in new content to achieve your desired outcome.


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|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|3 - 30 nights
Welcome to our condo(St Augustine Beach, Ocean & Racquet Resort-a gated complex)on the beautiful white beaches of Anastasia Island, St Augustine Beach, Florida. Our well-landscaped, family oriented condo is a ground floor corner unit. You have easy access(only a few steps) to the properties' private gated boardwalks that cross dunes leading to the pristine expansive beaches and the fantastic Atlantic Ocean! Enjoy the pools(one heated) both about 150 yards from the condo, hot tubs (5 Jacuzzi-one is only a few steps away), four-newly remodeled lighted tennis courts and a racquet ball court. Bring your fishing pole for surf fishing and pond fishing on the property.
We have new porcelain floors throughout plus a new heating/cooling unit that's extra quiet. The master bedroom has a KING SIZE bed,and newly remodeled private bathroom with step-in tile shower. We have twin beds in the guest bedroom . The kitchen has been remodeled with granite counter tops and is fully equipped,. Living room has Smart TV, sofa, recliner, and new sliding glass doors that open onto a private tiled patio. Flat screen TV's in both bedrooms . Free fast/secure internet is provided. We have a notebook listing must-see attractions and menus from our favorite restaurants.
We are located only minutes from town and many attractions. Be sure and take a leisurely horse-drawn carriage ride around 'Old' St Augustine. Don't miss the 17th century fort, Castillo de Marcos or the historic St Augustine Lighthouse/Museum plus numerous other historic sites and attractions. St Augustine established in 1565 is the oldest city in the United States.
Keywords: Condo
My wife and I are retired educators that fell in love with beautiful St. Augustine many years ago. We live north of Atlanta in the foothills of the mountains. We are big college football fans---a house totally divided. I am a Roll Tide Alabama fan and Rodney is a Dawg---that's a Georgia Bull Dog.
Rodney and Jane Abernathy purchased this condo in 1990
Visit the Castillo de Marcos (17th century fort), Famous St George Street (shops, restaurants, stores), Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth, World of Golf Village, San Sebastian Winery, Premium Outlet Mall (one of North Florida's largest), Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, St Augustine Alligator Farm, Potter's Wax Museum, 3-D World, Ghost Tours, Tour Trains, The IMAX Theater, St Augustine Lighthouse/Museum
|$95 + Tax
|Refundable damage deposit
|Tax Rate


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Online Pet Food
Your pets are likely part of your family. Just as when feeding your family it's important to feel them the healthiest food at a price you can afford. Whether you have a dog, cat or other furry creature, buying them online pet food makes a difference in their health and wellness. It is absolutely possible to feed them a healthy diet on a budget by shopping for online pet food. Shopping for online pet food also allows you to purchase gourmet, specialty and hard-to-find food. The World Wide Web allows you to tap into all of the resources available in order to stock up on the best online pet food for your pets.
Shopping for online pet food allows you to find the same food at lower costs in contrast to what you would find at a local pet store or retailer. Those stores often increase the prices in order to cover operating costs but online pet food does not. Online pet food is preferable as they don't need to charge for the operating costs and thus there isn't as high of a mark-up. Online pet food is often marked cheaper than what you find in retails stores due to less of a need for overhead and operations. All you have to do is compared the in-store prices to the online pet food prices and you will typically see a marked difference. Online retailers often offer more in the form of discounts and sales.
Another way that shopping for online pet food is ideal is that instead of walking through the aisles and hopefully choosing the right food based on packaging or reputation, shopping online allows you plenty of leisure time to search through the offered selection and do the necessary research to choose the right one. Many online retailers offer extremely low shipping and this allows you to buy in bulk.
For those with a hectic schedule or that live in a rural area, online pet food shopping can be an absolute life saver. It can be more difficult to find a decent selection at retail stores. Busy professionals and parents really appreciate the ability to buy online pet food and stock up instead of having to make more frequent runs to pet stores.
Buying online pet food means a much larger selection of items. Pet stores are only so large and can only carry certain brands as there is limited space. Those retails pet stores often don't carry many specialty brands or not enough varieties of food, especially wet dog or cat food. Purchasing online pet food means having far more access to different brands and types of food. This especially comes in handy when you have a kitten, a senior pet or one with specific health conditions.
As you can see, there are a variety of benefits to online pet food shopping. It allows you to choose the best food, at lower prices and provides a stress-free shopping experience. Taking care of your furry friends has never been easier than shopping for online pet food. In addition to online pet food, you can also purchase tasty treats for your pet.
Online Pet Food


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Summer is a great time for visiting with friends, as well as tackling projects around your home. Combine the two, and invite your friends for a "Declutter Party!"
A "Declutter Party" is a wonderful opportunity to simplify your home by clearing out unnecessary items, as well as providing a frugal option for obtaining some needed things. (Plus having fun with friends at the same time!)


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Elizabeth I Facts

Known For: Elizabeth was the queen of England and accomplished many things during her reign (1558-1603), including defeating the Spanish Armada.
Dates: 1533-1603
Parentage: Henry VIII, king of England and France, and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, queen of England, daughter of Thomas Boleyn, earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, courtier and nobleman. Elizabeth had a half-sister, Mary (daughter of Catherine of Aragon) and a brother, Edward VI (son of Jane Seymour, Henry's only legitimate son)
Also Known As: Elizabeth Tudor, Good Queen Bess

Early Years

Elizabeth I was born on September 7, 1533 and would be the only surviving child of Anne Boleyn. She was baptized on September 10th and was named after her grandmother, Elizabeth of York. Elizabeth I was a bitter disappointment as her parents had been certain that she would be a boy, the one Henry VIII so desperately wanted.

Elizabeth rarely saw her mother and before she was three, Anne Boleyn was executed on trumped up charges of adultery and treason. Elizabeth was then declared illegitimate, as her half-sister, Mary, had been. Despite this, Elizabeth was educated under some of the most highly regarded educators of the time, including William Grindal and Roger Ascham. By the time she had reached her teens, Elizabeth knew Latin, Greek, French, and Italian. She was also a talented musician, able to play the spinet and lute, and even composed a little.

An act of Parliament in 1543 restored Mary and Elizabeth to the line of succession though it did not restore their legitimacy. Henry died in 1547 and Edward, his only son, succeeded to the throne. Elizabeth went to live with Henry's widow, Catherine Parr. When Parr became pregnant in 1548, she sent Elizabeth away to set up her own household, having become uncomfortable with her husband's over familiarity with young Elizabeth.

After Parr's death in 1548, Seymour began scheming to achieve more power and one of his plans was to marry Elizabeth. After he was executed for treason, Elizabeth experienced her first brush with scandal and had to endure rigorous investigation. Not being allowed to show herself in court, Elizabeth was forced to wait out the scandal. After it had passed, Elizabeth spent the rest of her brother's reign living quietly and dressing simplistically, eschewing jewelry and gaining a reputation as a respectable lady.

Succession to the Throne

Edward attempted to disinherit both his sisters, favoring his cousin Lady Jane Grey for the throne. However, he did so without the backing of Parliament and his will was patently illegal, as well as unpopular. After his death in 1533, Mary succeeded to the throne and Elizabeth joined her procession. Unfortunately, Elizabeth soon lost favor with her Catholic sister, likely due to England seeing her as the Protestant alternative to Mary.

When Mary wed her cousin, Philip II of Spain, Thomas Wyatt led a rebellion, which Mary blamed on Elizabeth. She sent Elizabeth to the Tower. Staying in the same apartments that her mother had waited in during her own trial and before her execution, Elizabeth feared the same fate. After two months, nothing could be proven and likely at the urging of her husband, Mary released her sister. After Mary's death, Elizabeth peacefully inherited the throne.

After experiencing constant religious persecution and war under Mary, the English hoped for a new beginning with Elizabeth. She began her reign with a theme of national unity. Her first act was to appoint William Cecil as her principle secretary, which would prove to be a long and fruitful partnership.

Elizabeth decided to follow a path of reform in the church settlement in 1559. She favored restoring the Edwardian religious settlement. The nation at large accepted the reestablishing of Protestant worship. Elizabeth demanded only outward obedience, unwilling to force consciences. She was mostly easygoing about this decision and it was only after a number of plots on her life that she enacted harsher legislation.

There are a number of historical perspectives on Elizabeth's own faith. Many Elizabethan historians have pointed out that if she was a Protestant, she was a strange sort of Protestant. She disliked preaching immensely, which is an important part of the faith. Many Protestants were disappointed in her legislation, but Elizabeth was not concerned about doctrine or practice. Her primary concern was always public order, which required religious uniformity. Instability in religion would unsettle political order.

The Question of Marriage

One question that dogged Elizabeth, particularly in the early part of her reign, was the question of succession. Numerous times, the parliament presented her with official requests that she marry. Most of the English population hoped that marriage would solve the problem of a woman ruling. Women were not believed to be capable of leading forces into battle. Their mental powers were considered to be inferior to men. Elizabeth was often confronted with such sexist ideas and believed to be unable to comprehend such matters of governance. Men often gave her unsolicited advice, particularly in regards to the will of God, which only men were believed to be able to interpret.

Despite the frustration this must have caused, Elizabeth governed with her head. She knew how to use courtship as a useful political tool, and she wielded it masterfully. Throughout her life, Elizabeth had a variety of suitors and she often used her unmarried status to her advantage. The closest she came to marriage was likely with Robert Dudley, a relationship that rumors swirled around for years. In the end, she refused to marry and also refused to name a political successor. Many have speculated that her reluctance to marry could have been due to her own father's example. It is possible that from an early age, Elizabeth equated marriage with death. Elizabeth herself declared that she was married to her kingdom and England would be fine with an unmarried ruler.

Her problems with religion and succession would become interconnected in the Mary Queen of Scots affair. Mary Stuart, Elizabeth's Catholic cousin, was the granddaughter of Henry's sister and seen by many to be the rightful heir to the throne. At the beginning of Elizabeth's reign, Mary had asserted her claim to English succession. After returning to her homeland in 1562, the two queens had an uneasy but civil relationship. Elizabeth had even offered her favorite courtier to Mary as a husband.

In 1568, Mary fled Scotland after her marriage to Lord Darnley ended in bloody drama and she put herself in Elizabeth's hands, hoping to be restored to power. Elizabeth didn't want to return Mary to full power in Scotland, but she didn't want the Scots to execute her either. She kept Mary in confinement for nineteen years, but her presence in England proved to be detrimental to the precarious religious balance within the country.

After Mary became involved in a plot against the queen's life, the Court clamored for her death and Elizabeth found it impossible to resist. She fought against signing the execution warrant until the bitter end, going so far as to encourage private assassination. After a momentary yielding, that Elizabeth would likely have had a change of heart about, her ministers had Mary beheaded. Elizabeth was infuriated at them, but could do little after the execution had been carried out.

The execution convinced Philip in Spain that it was time to conquer England and restore Catholicism within the country. Stuart's execution also meant that he would not have to put an ally of France on the throne. In 1588, he launched the infamous Armada.

With the launching of the Armada, Elizabeth experienced one of the greatest moments in her reign. In 1588, she went to Tilbury Camp to encourage the troops, infamously declaring that though she had "the body of a weak and feeble woman, I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare invade the borders of my realm…" (Tudor England: An Encyclopedia, 225). In the end, England defeated the Armada and Elizabeth was victorious. This would prove to be the climax of Elizabeth's reign.

Later Years

The last fifteen years of her reign were the hardest on Elizabeth. Her most trusted advisers died. Some of the younger men in court began to struggle for power. Most infamously, Essex led a poorly planned and executed rebellion against the queen in 1601. It failed miserably and he was executed.

Towards the end of her reign, England experienced a blossoming literary culture. Edward Spenser and William Shakespeare were both supported by the queen and likely drew inspiration from their regal leader. Aside from literature, architecture, music, and painting were also experiencing much popularity.

Elizabeth held her final Parliament in 1601. She died on March 24th, 1603. She had never named an heir. Her cousin, James VI, the son of Mary Stuart, ascended to the throne after Elizabeth.

Legacy

Elizabeth has been remembered more for her successes. She is mostly remembered as a monarch that loved her people and was much loved in return. Elizabeth was always revered and seen as almost divine. Her unmarried status often led to comparisons of Elizabeth with Diana, the Virgin Mary, and even a Vestal Virgin (Tuccia).

Elizabeth went out of her way to cultivate a wider public. In the early years of her reign, she often went out to the country on annual visits to aristocratic houses, showing herself to most of the public along the road in the country and townsfolk of southern England.

In poetry, she has been celebrated as an English embodiment of feminine strength associated with such mythic heroines as Judith, Esther, Diana, Astraea, Gloriana, and Minerva. In her personal writings, she shows wit and intelligence. Throughout her reign, she proved to be a capable politician.

Against all the odds, Elizabeth managed to use her gender to her advantage. She was able to face the numerous problems her confronting her kingdom in 1558. She reigned for almost half a century, always surmounting whatever challenges stood in her way. Keenly aware of the increased burdens due to her gender, Elizabeth managed to construct a complex personality that awed and charmed her subjects. She impresses people even today and her name has become synonymous with strong women.

Sources Consulted

Collinson, Patrick. "Elizabeth I." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2004. 95-129. Print.

Dewald, Jonathan, and Wallace MacCaffrey. "Elizabeth I (England)." Europe 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 447-250. Print.

Kinney, Arthur F., David W. Swain, and Carol Levin. "Elizabeth I." Tudor England: an encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 2001. 223-226. Print.

Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. "Queen Elizabeth I." The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English. 3. ed. New York: Norton, 2007. 65-68. Print.

Recommended Reading

Marcus, Leah S., Janel Mueller, and Mary Beth Rose. Elizabeth I: Collected Works. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2000. Print.

Weir, Alison. The Life of Elizabeth I. New York: Ballantine, 1998. Print.


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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Baby, It's Cold Outside by Emma Chase, Jennifer Probst, Kate Meader, Kristen Proby, Melody Anne
Series: Tangled #4.5
Narrator: Deacon Lee, Madeleine Maby, Rebekkah Ross, Sebastian York
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio on October 28th 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Audiobook
Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
Source: Publisher
Audio | Goodreads
Outside it may be frosty, so turn the heat way up with these stories of desire!
Can a determined woman executive and a playboy billionaire survive being stranded together in a snowstorm? Jennifer Probst depicts an encounter almost too hot to handle…
Drew and Kate play an encore to Tangled in this sexy take on a "Christmas Carol" by Emma Chase. When a Christmas Eve argument condemns Drew to a troubled night, three dream women teach him that no gift could be more tantalizing than Kate…
With Kristen Proby, ski slopes are quite delightful. Grace Douglas is sure she'll never learn to ski, but instructor Jacob Baxter could teach her lessons of a different kind…
Can a southern California transplant survive Montana's deep snows? Melody Anne, author of the bestselling Andersons series, melts the icy drifts completely away with the heat between sexy Hawk Winchester and brand-new teacher Natalie Duncan…
What could be hotter than a firefighter? Kate Meader shows how hot it can get as Beck Rivera and heiress-turned-tattoo-artist Darcy Cochrane discover that nothing ignites holiday flames like rekindling a lost love…
SEARCHING FOR YOU by Jennifer Probst
Narrated by Madeleine Maby
4 stars
This is my first time listening to Madeleine Maby and "reading" Jennifer Probst. I enjoyed both of the ladies' work.
Sexy romance where the couple meets again after 10 years really worked for me. I love romances were the couple gets a second chance at love. And boy do these two have some heat between them.
SEARCHING FOR YOU is part of Probst's Searching For series. Since I enjoyed this novella I may check out the other books in this series.
IT'S A WONDERFUL TANGLED CHRISTMAS CAROL by Emma Chase
Narrated by Sebastian York
5 stars
This was the story is the reason I wanted to listen to the anthology and it was easily my favorite of all the stories.
York's narration is fantastic as always. Love getting a twist on the holiday story from Drew's POV. Fans of Chase's Tangled series will LOVE seeing how Drew gets into trouble on Christmas Eve!
SAVING GRACE by Kristen Proby
Dual narration (Deacon Lee and Rebekkah Ross) for Grace and Jacob's POVs.
3 stars
This is my first time "reading" Proby and my first time listening to Ross' narration. Both were pleasant enough. I'd give them both another try. Deacon Lee does a great job with Jacob's POV and his british accent. He sounded like two different people when he did other character's without the accent. Ross also did well with making the characters sound different. She has a very young, naive sounding voice for Grace and then pulls off Jacob's voice.
Like many novellas the romance moves really fast and that's one of the weak points in SAVING GRACE. I think Grace and Jacob's story would have been great for a full length novel, giving them time to fall in love in a believable time. But if you over look the instant-a-love then Grace and Jacob's HEA is a sweet and sexy read to get you in the move for cocoa and steamy fireplace loving.
SAFE IN HIS ARMS by Melody Anne
Dual narration: (Deacon Lee and Rebekkah Ross)
I would say that the narration came off as wooden but it wasn't the narrator since I listen to them narrate SAVING GRAVE. So it was the writing that fell flat for me. After listening for an hour I skipped to the next story.
REKINDLE THE FLAME by Kate Meader
Dual narration: (S York and Madeleine Maby)
2.5 stars
I only finished this story because of the narrators. Both York and Maby delivered a great performance. The story itself was a little lacking. I think the only thing that saved it from being an instant-a-love story was that the couple knew each other from their past and came together for a second chance love story. I generally love this trope but I just didn't fall in love with the couple and wasn't every invested in wither they got a HEA or not.
After 17 years I've finally finished my BA in English (no I do not want to be a teacher). Before majoring in English I would not have touched anything labeled "classic", but I have enjoyed a few along the way in my college career.
While I hated to read growing up, I am now an avid book reader and audiobook listener. I love rejecting reality one book at a time. I only read fiction within my favorite (at least to date) genres which include: most romance (paranormal, contemporary, D/s, BDSM, M/M)Urban Fantasy, and a few YA (mostly PNR or UF from favorite adult authors, but I'm slowly stepping out of my comfort zone after enjoying a few contemporary YA novels in adolescent literature class I took).
Latest posts by Jennifer (see all)
- Closing Time . . . - December 31, 2017
- Audible Romance Package - December 30, 2017
- Top 10 of 2017 – Top 10 Books I'm looking forward to in 2018 - December 29, 2017


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Sometimes I do asshole things like tell my friends "I got everyone presents!" then show up with updated business cards – it's a giant letdown. This song is a lot like that. A new song featuring Tupac has all the characteristics of a monumental jam, but unfortunately it sounds like a copy and paste mess.
Dr. Zhivago called. He wants his hat back.


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4515 Willard Ave. #2210
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
eniko.basa at verizon dot net
Wed, 30 Jul 2014 06:44:53 EDT by admin, 91340 views
Villanova University, PA
Education paper by Nagy-Zekmi, Silvia (all papers)
"End the University as We Know It": Global – Tech – Academe
The title echoes Mark Taylor's article that appeared in The New York Times about the reasons of the current crisis of universities. In this paper I will address one aspect of this crisis, the technological leap that landed us in the information age and its consequences for higher education. With the ubiquitous mooc-s (massive open online courses) and ever more scarce funding higher education is sliding into the digital realm. As education budgets are continuously cut in Hungary and 16 members of the European community(1), digital education is a constant issue of discussion, as it was in the 2013 global summit of graduate education held in Budapest http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/deanknuth-attends-global-summit-graduate-education-hungary titled "Graduate Education and the Promises of Technology." New technological media challenge the traditional, grammar-centric concept of intellectual activity (i.e. the superiority of written language as opposed to spoken language), as scholars are confronted with a broad diversity of cultural expressions that cannot simply be reduced to words (written or spoken). "Computer technology is creating a new kind of public, a cyberculture with all its utopian and apocalyptic possibilities"(2)
Higher Education in Hungary:
In Hungary the population that participates in higher education has quadrupled since the system change in 1990 (http://mta.hu/data/cikk/13/10/36/cikk_131036/BeracsJozsef.pdf) in spite of the fact that birthrates are in steady decline and that the costs of higher education now are split between the state and the students. Changes in the financing and structure of higher education in Hungary, in addition to the Bologna process, whose "framework for common efforts to reform and modernize […] higher education systems" (Bologna Process Implementation Report 2012) are two main factors that influence the benefit of higher education to an individual. I will elaborate on the strength and weaknesses of the current system in Hungary contextualized by borderless education opportunities in the EU. I will elaborate on several aspects of the implementation of the Bologna accords and how they affected the nature of higher education in universities, such as ELTE, JATE, and Corvinus. Moreover, I will address in my paper the academic crisis of higher education to which I alluded earlier, namely the ransformation in our understanding of what constitutes "knowledge" and how it affects the system of higher education in Hungary.
1 Garben. Sasha. "The Future of Higher Education in Europe." ww.lse.ac.uk/europeaninstitute/leqs/leqspaper50.pdf
2 Tofts, Darren and Murray McKeich. Memory Trade: A Prehistory of Cyberculture. Newark, NJ: Gordon & Breach
Publishing, 1998. p. 4.
Brief Professional Bio:
Silvia Nagy-Zekmi is a professor of Hispanic and cultural studies, and director of the Cultural Studies Program at Villanova University (Philadelphia). She publishes on a wide array of subjects ranging from Latin American, postcolonial and cultural studies, in addition to literary and cultural theories. Her latest publications include: Global Academe: Engaging Public Intellectual Discourse (2012) and Truth to Power: Public Intellectuals In and Out of Academe (2010 -with Karyn Hollis) Perennial Empire (2011) and Colonization or Globalization? (2009 - with Chantal Zabus), Moros en la costa: Orientalismo en America Latina (2008), Paradoxical Citizenship: Edward Said (2006, 2008); the award winning Democracy in Chile: The Legacy of September 11, 1973 (with Fernando Leiva, 2005), Le Maghreb Postcolonial (2003). She is currently working on a manuscript titled: The Postcolonial Condition: Eurocentric Discourses in Latin America. More information: www.wix.com/snzekmi/cv , or www19.homepage.villanova.edu/silvia.nagyzekmi/


text: Rich Posted: 8/27/2010 8:07am PDT Wow, I'm not sure how Toyota does it but each time they amaze me as they make each new model even uglier than the previous one. This "truck" looks like a cross between a Camry and a cat with a Chesire grin. Not cool. Not hip. Not desirable. Dmitry Posted: 9/15/2010 1:26pm PDT Hey Rich, that's what you get these days. Monster SUV's and trucks that consume so little fuel. This is a family oriented SUV that seats 7, yes 7 people. I don't know any other SUV that offers that.


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I just got done reading Andy Blanks' The 7 Best Practices For Teaching Teenagers The Bible. As someone who doesn't have a seminarian background I've found it intimidating over the years learning how to incorporate scripture into my messages and small group curriculum. Even if you have been to seminary or studied theology I'm sure you know learning scripture is a lot different from teaching it. But, one of the responsibilities that comes with youth ministry is teaching the Bible; however, what about your volunteers?
Have you ever thought about their comfort level with scripture? Do any of them have experience outside of personal use? Most of them probably joined your ministry thinking, "I just want to spend time with the teens." When you tell them to teach scripture I'm sure many of them are thinking, "Wait, what? I'm no expert."
That's why this book is helpful. For those of us in full time ministry it's a refresher and a chance to refocus on the basics of one of the essential spiritual habits. But, for our ministers it's a chance for them to build confidence and a solid foundation when it comes to growing disciples.
There are many things I love about the book; however, two things stand out:
- It's A Quick Read – The book moves quickly because of the variety of story, exercise and application. While there are moments to pause, reflect and go deeper, it's really a book that's easy to navigate through. I've found many books on practical ministry overwritten that drag on, but this one gets right to the point. Because it's a quick read, I'm not worried about giving this out to my team to read. I'm a book junky, not everyone is; but, this one is definitely worth the time.
- It's Filled With Concrete Application – At times the book encourages you to stop, reflect and even try some of the practices out. It's not the first book that does this; however, it's done in a way that's clear and easy. Whether you are reading the book on your own or with your team, you can definitely use the exercises to build confidence.
Again, this book is a quick read and it's broken down just as the title suggest, 7 Best Practices. They are:
Best Practice #1 – Engaging With God
Best Practice #2 – Prepare Well, Teach Well
Best Practice #3 – Context Is Key
Best Practice #4 – Embrace Unpredictability
Best Practice #5 – Plan For Interaction
Best Practice #6 – Teach For Application
Best Practice #7 – Know Your Role
My big takeaway from reading this book is the fact that I need to spend more time looking at scripture instead of just reciting and retyping it. As Andy puts it:
To be an effective Bible teacher, you must regularly seek to know God by engaging with Him through His Word.
There have been weeks where I've gone preaching God's word to students; yet, struggled to embrace His word for my life. This book was a reminder that if we are investing in teens, we need to be invested in God's plan for us, otherwise you have to wonder, "What am I doing in ministry?" As a youth minister I greatly appreciate the love and encouragement poured into this book.
As great as this book is for youth ministers, I would strongly recommend it for any volunteer in your ministry that has fellowship or discipleship role with a student. This will take the edge out of teaching scripture, give them some practical tools and show them how to go deeper. So if you get a chance, head over to ym360.com to learn more.
Which of the 7 Best Practices are you best at doing? Which one do you need to revisit?


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Mother Bear, Gavin, Keith
Cousins Jack and Ben talkin' it over
Tim's grandparents Gordon & Carolyn Teague
Oh and Gavin also liked the tree…
The toy on the right is Gavin's Santa present. It makes noise and has little balls that go with it, so it's definitely a hit with the 7 month old plus crowd (Ben liked it too!). Here are Tim and Ben with their favorite presents. Tim is wearing his new Tony Romo Cowboys jersey and Ben is holding Lady. Oh the joy. I thought Tim might cry when he pulled his jersey out of the box. I cannot remember if he slept in it or cuddled up with it… hmmmm… You see, because I bought him this I get to be his wife for at least another few years! HA!
At first Ben played with his shed on the floor, where Santa had set it up, but then it had to be moved to his train table. It might actually be a tie for favorite present…
Gavin liked his Santa present but unfortunately we did not have the batteries required. Thank goodness Walgreens is open on Christmas Day. The thought of people working there today does upset me but it sure is nice when you need something… So, once those were installed it was much more fun.
We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and our friends Chandler, Claudia and Ethan came over. Ethan brought some of his Christmas presents over and the boys had fun playing together as usual. Have you ever seen a Catepillar bakehoe and T-Rex race before? Well today is your lucky day!
We had a very nice and enjoyable Christmas at home. Although I did miss being with my family at this very special time of the year, I didn"t miss having to lug home all the goods! My parents will be here in a couple of days to celebrate with us and once more I can only be so thankful for the family and friends that surround us.
Of course let us not forget the real "present" of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his Name shall be called: Wonderful, Counselor, All Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6
Merry Christmas!


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Vince Salvatore, 6th Dan Aikikai
Salvatore Sensei was influenced at an early age by his uncle, who was a black belt in Aikido. In 1987, in search of the masters of the art, he moved to Japan. He was a live-in apprentice at the original Aikido School under Saito Sensei in Iwama, Japan. Studying intensively under Saito Sensei, he lived in Japan until July of 1999.
Salvatore Sensei has been practicing Aikido for over thirty years and has been a full time Aikido instructor since 2002 at Aikido of Reno. He is still and avid student, teacher and mentor who teaches, trains and collaborates with Aikido practitioners around the world.
His goal and vision for Aikido of Reno is to keep expanding his Aikido as well as his students at Aikido of Reno. He also strives to continue to help educate the community in less violent ways of conflict resolution. Henderson Aikido is extremely grateful for the support of Salvatore Sensei as; teacher, mentor and friend in all aspects of our schools development and growth.


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Indybay FeatureRelated Categories: San Francisco | Womyn
Operation Rescue in town Saturday at the Moscone Center
Operation Rescue will be in San Francisco Saturday.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are holding their 2005 Annual Clinical Meeting (ACM) in San Francisco, at the Moscone Center, May 7-11, 2005. Operation Rescue, angered at the thought of ongoing training of abortion and other health care providers, plans to protest them.
See press release from Operation Rescue below
From: Troy Newman <info [at] operationrescue.org>
Date: May 3, 2005 5:14 PM
Subject: 2,000 Abortionists Under One Roof!
2,000 Abortionists Under One Roof!
May 03, 2005
Join Operation Rescue in San Francisco to expose and challenge the
largest gathering of child-killers
Dear Rescuer,
Imagine having all the abortionists in North America in the same place
at the same time. Yes, every purveyor of child-killing in one location.
If you were given an opportunity to speak to them, what would you say?
Do you know what I would tell them?
Nothing! Absolutely nothing.
No, I wouldn't tell them - I'd show them!
I'd show them the horrible truth, the sordid outcome of every abortion
they have ever committed, the grim corpses of the precious babies
snuffed out in the genesis of their short life. I would make them view the
death from which the abortion industry profiteers.
Then I'd pray with them and for them. . .
But this isn't a dream.
It will soon become a reality this week as we travel with the Truth
Trucks to San Francisco for the annual convention of abortion providers.
This is a great opportunity for you to help us show the truth to most of
the abortionists in North America -- all at once.
The group is called the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, or (ACOG), boasting a strong membership of over 45,000
While not every member is an abortionist, their bylaws and so-called
"code of ethical conduct" stresses that every member support, encourage,
and endorse the act of baby-killing. This is one case where there is
guilt by association!
Just take one look at their website, http://acog.com , and you will
see some of their OUTRAGEUOS seminar titles being taught during at a
previous convention.
As you examine intently these seminar names and try not to be gnash
your teeth.
Very Early Surgical Abortion: Pearls and Pitfalls taught by abortionist
E. Steve Lichtenberg, MD, MPH of Chicago, Illinois. (This is the
abortionist that may have killed that girl in Chicago last year - click here
to read about it.)
Obstetrical Vacuum Extraction: Old Principles and New Paradigms taught
by abortionist Fredrik F. Broekhuizen, MD of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Abortion Complications: Prevention and Management taught by abortionist
Enayat Hakim-Elahi, MD of Jamaica, New York.
Then to follow up the "management" of these abortion complications, the
abortionists can attend this aptly titled class:
How to Practice Ambulatory Obstetrics (or maybe it should be called
"How to mop up after a botched abortion") taught by Washington C. Hill, MD
of Sarasota, Florida.
Or how about this seminar?
Pain Relief in Abortion taught be abortionist Eleanor Drey, MD of San
Francisco, California.
We at Operation Rescue routinely see women rushed to the emergency
room, reeling in pain after the abortionist punctures a bowel, slices
through a woman's uterus, or lacerates a cervix. We have documented injuries
and even a death (as recently as January 13 of this year) in Wichita,
Kansas, on our website. And each of these "complications" is commonplace
- so common, in fact, that ACOG has to provide extension classes on how
to cope with their mistakes.
I remember young Angela from San Bernardino, California. We watched
with horror as she was wheeled out the back door of an abortion mill by
paramedics and EMTs. Clinging to life, she lay on a stretcher that was
rushed into the back of the awaiting ambulance even as she was being
resuscitated. Angela barely survived her abortion, and she will forever
suffer its consequences. Her massive brain damage, doctors say, will
prevent her from ever being able walk or communicate again.
Just a few months ago, late term abortionist helped "terminate" 19
year-old Christin. She died of "heart failure" while Tiller was killing her
unborn child.
How could this happen? Because abortion is a dangerous act that murders
a baby and injures many moms. Angela's abortionist, James Long, was
forced to pay millions of dollars and was disciplined by the Medical
Board. Tiller is under investigation by the Attorney General, but only
because we documented Christin's death and reported it to the authorities.
Both abortionists were members of ACOG.
Is it ethical to accept an abortionist as an OB/GYN? It sounds to me
like a conflict of interest. Webster's dictionary defines Ethics as a set
of principles of right conduct or theory or a system of moral values.
So do you think the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
will be competent to provide clear ethical standards at a lecture like
this one?
Bioethical Issues in Obstetrics and Gynecology taught by Uwe E. Freese,
MD of Oak Park, Illinois.
I seriously doubt it! Not when they already endorse the unspeakable act
of Partial Birth Abortion. That's right, the same organization
responsible for the caring of infants and moms voted to oppose all proposed
restrictions on the most gruesome of abortion procedures.
That is why I am bringing the Truth Trucks to San Francisco for a week
of hard-hitting truth! Our vivid, full-color graphics are perfect for
this venue.
Operation Rescue has traveled many thousands of miles across our great
land to expose the dreadful act of abortion. But I don't believe there
will be a better opportunity than this. It is an opportunity to reach
all the abortionists all at once.
I mean it! This is the opportunity to reach many, many abortionists.
And I have great hope in the success of our endeavor.
You see, I know from experience that not every abortionist wants to be
one. Some commit abortions because they mistakenly assume that "because
it is legal it must be right." Or they reason that because the ACOG
says abortion should be supported, they must participate in the killing.
And I also know from experience that many times, all it takes is just
one photograph or just one person telling them abortion is wrong to
change hearts and minds against abortion.
One at a time we win this fight. And one at a time we saw over 40
abortionists in San Diego quit killing children. Now I want to take the same
message, in fact, an improved message, directly to San Francisco.
Together we can make a difference. I am praying for the abortionists
and Ob/Gyns to be converted for Life at the ACOG Convention.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Perhaps the Truth
Trucks will speak volumes to the hearts and minds of all these
So, I must rely on your help. I am so convinced San Francisco is the
place to be, that I have already scheduled the event, made reservations
and marked off my calendar. I will be there and I trust you are just as
excited about this opportunity as we are here at Operation Rescue.
Here is my list of action items:
1. Call or write the ACOG and tell them how appalled you are at their
training seminars and supporting abortion.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
409 12th Street, SW, PO Box 96920, Washington, DC 20090
(202)638-5577; (202)863-1647
acm [at] acog.org
2. Pray for us. We will be face to face with hundreds or maybe
thousands of abortionists, some even from your home town. We want to win them
over to Life, thus keeping them from killing more children and wounding
women like Angela. Pray God would move through us to accomplish this.
3. Join us in San Francisco. I am serious. I know we are winning this
fight against abortion. The number of men and women who will commit
abortions is rapidly dwindling and the numbers of abortions are down. We
can sense victory! And that is exactly why we must try even harder and
work even longer hours to convert the abortionists and spare the precious
Now is the time to act. San Francisco is the place to be to reach
nearly every abortionist in America and Canada. Now you can do your part to
ensure the Truth Trucks get there on time and are placed in exactly the
right location.
Can you imagine the chatter inside the Convention Center when they see
our Truth Trucks roll up and park in the front spot?
I can just hear some of them say, "These are the same Truth Trucks that
follow me in my home town." Or some may say for the first time, "If
that is what abortion does to a baby, then I want no part of it."
Some "part-time" abortionists may silently lay down their tools of
death forever - just because you helped them see the Truth.
I pray it will be so.
Please take a moment right now to drop a note of indignation to the
ACOG, pray for ORW, and come to San Francisco. We are going to San
Francisco in faith to testify to the abortionists. God bless you!
Donate to Our Work
For Christ and Life,
Troy Newman
Operation Rescue
email: info [at] operationrescue.org
phone: 800 705-1175
web: http://www.operationrescue.org
Listed below are the latest comments about this post.
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There are different types of shares, and you must be well familiar with all of them. But first lets talk about shares. You may define shares as a smaller part of capital that is known as "Share" and a person, who owes shares is known as the shareholder. We may also define shares as one of the units in the company into which the total capital of the company is divided. Justice Farewell defines Share in the following words "A share is the interest of the shareholder in the company. It is measured by the sum of money for the purpose of liability in the first place and of interest in the second place". Holders of the shares are called shareholders or members of the company.
- The share of a company shall be a moveable property. It is transferable in the manner provided by the articles of the company.
- The share capital is non refundable except in the case of winding up and reduction of capital.
- Each share in a company shall have a distinctive number.
Types of Shares
Basically there are three types of shares into which the whole capital of the company is divided.
- Equity shares
- Preference shares
- Deferred Shares
- Equity Shares
Equity share are also called ordinary shares. The holders of equity shares are the real owners of a company. The ordinary shareholders have voting rights in the meetings of the company. They are entitled to receive dividend as are declared by the board of directors. The equity share capital cannot be redeemed during the life time of the company.
Merits of Equity Shares
The merits of equity shares are as under:-
01- Venture capital. Equity Shares are the most important and popular type of shares. It is therefore, called a venture capital of the company.
02- No burden on a company's resources. Since the dividend is to be paid out of the profit of the company, therefore they impose no load on the resources of a company.
03- Provision of long term finance. The equity shares provide long term finance to the company.
04- No charge on the assets. The equity shares do not create any charge on the assets of a company. The Company can raise further funds. If it desires, through mortgage of property or other assets.
05- Payment of profit. Equity shareholders are paid profit after all the other claims are met by the company.
06- Rate of dividend. The rate of dividend on ordinary shares depends upon the profit of the company.
- Preferences Shares
Preferences Share as the name suggested, it has certain preferences as compared to other types of shares. The main preferences of these shareholders over others in brief are as under:-
- The first preference is for compensation of dividend. Whenever the company distributes profits, the dividend is first paid on preferences share capital.
- In case of winding up the company, the preferences shareholders have a prior right in regard to repayments of capital.
Classes of Preferences Shares
The main types of preference shares are as under:-
01- Cumulative preference shares. In this type of preference share, dividends were paid also for those years in which no profit is earned. Whenever, the company declares profits, the cumulative preference shares are paid dividend for all the previous years in which dividend could not be declared.
02- Non cumulative preference shares. In this type of preference shares, the holders do not have any claim regarding amount outstanding of dividend. They are paid dividend if a company earns profit.
03- Convertible preference shares. The convertible preference shares are those which the holders can convert into equity shares at specified period of time. The right of conversion is to be authorized by the Articles of Associations of the company.
- Deferred Shares
Deferred Shares are also called founders Shares. They were used to be issued to the promoters of the company. Dividend on deferred shares was paid after the claim of all other shareholders has been met including equity shareholders. The deferred shareholder has one vote. These shares enabled the promoters to control the working of the company with a very small investment.


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3DOcean IKEA MOSES Swivel chair 3D Model 681383
3DOcean IKEA MOSES Swivel chair 3D Model 681383
3D Model \ Furnishings \ Seating
Office \ Chair \ Armchair \ Room \ Furniture \ Materials \ Interior
3D Model - IKEA MOSES Swivel chair 3D Model 681383 by humster3d @ 3DOcean
3D Model \ Furnishings \ Seating
3D File Formats Included: .3ds (multi format), .c4d (cinema 4d), .fbx (multi format), .lwo (lightwave), .max (3ds Max), .mb (maya), .obj (multi format); Animated: No; Created In: 3ds max 2010, cinema 4d r11, maya 8.5; Geometry: Polygons; Materials: Yes; Poly Count: 0; Rigged: No; Textured: Yes; UV Layout: No.
IKEA MOSES Swivel chair – 3D Model.
Room environment included.
Color: black.
Assembled size.
Width: 59 cm.
Depth: 58 cm.
Min. height: 87 cm.
Max. height: 98 cm.
Seat width: 47 cm.
Seat depth: 38 cm.
Min. seat height: 42 cm.
Max. seat height: 53 cm.
Key features.
- Height adjustable for a comfortable sitting posture.
This model is made in accordance with the proportions and sizes of real furniture.
Dacia Logan sedan 2013; Buick Regal GS 2012; Chevrolet Colorado Hotshot II 2011; Chevrolet Colorado Hotshot I Lowboy 2011; Chevrolet Colorado Hotshot I 2011; Ford Transit Connect SWB 2012; Ford Transit Connect LWB 2012.
Keywords: 3D furniture, 3d models, IKEA MOSES, armchair, chair, collection, detailed, furniture, home, house, ikea, interior, materials, office, office armchair, office chair, photorealistic, room, room environment, sitting, swivel.


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Wedding Officiant in and around Milan, Nm.
Life's Moments are those times in life that we decide to make an unique recognition of life changing events. Weddings are celebrations, weddings are ceremonies, however most of all weddings are a new beginning, a minute in time to be treasured. Having the ideal Minister is important.
For these minutes, we offer extensive Wedding Minister solutions, Not So Formal Wedding officiating, and also wedding event services. From the very conventional to modern services, our weddings and also officiating solutions are made to show your desires, desires as well as desires. We will assist you to craft an event, spiritual or nonreligious that will certainly be a treasured memory for years to come.
Ministerial services as well as wedding celebration officiating in the Milan, Nm area is our specialty, yet we could travel if the requirement occurs. We give a full array of Not So Formal Wedding plans; from elopement on the courthouse steps to one of the most elaborate formal wedding you might want.
We also provide the finest in Justice of the Peace or nonreligious weddings. These civil ceremonies provide their very own kind of celebration, whether it be with family or just a couple as well as a couple of witnesses, your wedding event is an unique moment to be cherished.


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- Ingredients:
- 1 container of fresh strawberries
- 1 lg container creamy whipped cream
- 1 package cream cheese (softened)
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 box cheesecake flavored pudding
- 1 freezer bag
- To Make: Wash strawberries, cut an X in the top, allow to dry, chill in fridge for 2-3 mins Fold together whipped cream and pudding till blended. Slowly add cream cheese and vanilla extract. Place into freezer bag (zip locked) and chill for 30-35 mins in the refrigerator. Remove bag from fridge, snip a corner off and pipe into the strawberries. (Enjoy!!)


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Sports Eyewear
Whether you take up a sport as a hobby or as a competitor, your vision plays an integral role in your performance on the field. Coordination, concentration, balance and accuracy are just a few of the vision-related skills required for good sports performance. Depending on the sport you play, sports sunglasses and protective eyewear can greatly enhance your game play and visual performance.
Selecting the right sunglasses for sport will greatly impact your performance on the sporting field. Consider the following features:
- UV and glare protection offered by polarised lenses will help you maintain clear vision and good visual concentration while protecting your eyes from harsh UV rays. Polarised lenses will also enhance clarity, colour and overall visual depth.
- Plastic frames will provide the most comfortable support as they are lightweight and impact resistant, providing good stability and safety. Choose nose bridges and temple grips which are non-slip as this will ensure your sunglasses remain in a stable position on your face throughout movement and when you are working up a sweat.
- Wrap-around frame designs are best suited for sport, as it protects the whole eye area and prevents loose particles such as dust from entering the eyes.
Playing sport is a common cause of eye injuries across all age groups. Some sports require protective eyewear depending on the level of risk to your eyes, in particular:
- High-speed ball sports
- Squash
- Indoor cricket
- Team water sports
- Gun sports
Protective eyewear can also be tailored to your prescription.
Orthokeratology is currently one of the most sought-after treatments in our Behavioural Optometry practices in Sydney, especially by sportspeople.
Also known as Ortho-K, this unique technology utilises custom-fitted contact lenses to improve vision through the reshaping of the cornea while you sleep. It is a safe, non-invasive and convenient process, which allows you the freedom to see clearly without daytime vision correction, since the lenses are worn overnight.
Ortho-K is ideal for swimmers, surfers, cyclists, runners or those who simply prefer not to wear glasses or contact lenses during the day. Like refractive surgery, Ortho-K gives clear unaided visual acuity; however, it has no surgical risks and is reversible.
Visit our Orthokeratology Sydney website for more information or contact our Sydney Smart Vision Optometry practices to schedule an Ortho-K consultation.


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Maui Property Search
Search for Maui Homes and Condos for sale.
Contact us by Email
or call (800) 579-1525
The Coconut Chronicles
The MauiRealEstate.com Newsletter
Volume 15 » page 3...
Maui Real Estate Market Update
While monthly real estate statistics on Maui tend to fluctuate due to our small market size, looking at Maui Real Estate statistics over months and years can reveal broader trends. Over the last few years, the trend has been markedly upwards. Over the first four months of the year, changes in the market are starting to become apparent. Statistics will often lag a little behind the market. The increase in new listings in the end of 2005 was the first sign of a market change. The April statistics provide the clearest glimpse yet in market changes. The most glaring of which is monthly sales volume. There were 68 homes sold in April of 2006 compared to 116 sold in April of 2005. There were 222 condo sales in April of 2005. The numbers for April of 2006 were down to 111. May had similar statistics with volume of sales down from the same time last year. The one apparent anomaly was that median sales price increased in the condo market and among homes in some communities. The big increase in the condo market can be attributed largely to Wailea Beach Villas. Sales in this high end development played a big role with a number of closes in the $2,000,000 + range. Increases in sales prices in the Napili Condo market and Haiku Home market can not be as easily explained. More sellers and less buyers generally results in some measure of decreases. Thus far, this does not appear to be the case. It will be interesting to monitor this phenomenon over the next couple of months.
Thank you again for taking the time to read the Coconut Chronicles. As always, feedback and questions are most appreciated.
If you know anyone else who might enjoy these articles, please feel free to forward a link to this page.
Warmest Alohas,


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For those on the road an open / free WIFI - WLAN signal is a great find. With the excellent portability of the iPad (Mini) it's quite easy to quickly catch up with e-mail or browse a bit. That is - if you manage to get within range of the WIFI signal. Unfortunately the iPad is not known for it's excellent WIFI signal range. Here's an overview of weak WIFI signal fixes and solutions for those with an iPad.
Ipad WIFI / WLAN signal basics
First a few basics about WIFI signals;
- Optimal WIFI reception is established with a so called Line-Of-Sight between sender and receiver. Any obstruction in the signal path causes reflections and can affect signal strength. The best position for a WIFI router or access point is an elevated one, rising above furniture, trees, walls etc.
- Unequal WIFI transmission power between WIFI access point and iPad can cause the iPad to register the incoming signal (3 bar in the left upper corner) but it's own WIFI signal can be too weak to reach the WIFI access point. A powerful WIFI access point can reach far, but the iPad can't cover the same distance back with it's limited WIFI transmission power.
- Other transmission signals like Bluetooth, 3G / 4G cellular modems can affect the reach of the WIFI signal of the iPad.
- WIFI signal jammers like a Microwave (from the neighbors) can annihilate your iPad WIFI reception dramatically.
The iPad isn't known for it's long range WIFI capabilities. It's a device designed to be used in an urban office / home setting. For those who travel with an iPad it means - move close as possible to the WIFI access point or use extra WIFI hardware in case you travel with a motorhome, car or yacht.
iPad WIFI - WLAN weak signal fixes
The start point is that your iPad is Internet connected over weak WIFI -WLAN causing frequently disconnects or a slow intermittent internet.
To measure improvements - use the free iOS SpeedTest App to see if the actions below have a positive effect on download and upload speeds.
What you can do on your iPad;
- Move as close as possible to the WIFI access point. Measure your internet speed at this position several times - it's the benchmark for your best possible speed at that location..
Try different locations and measure the iPad internet speed (3 times). See how each position affects the iPads internet speed. If the speed drops, see what objects are in the Line of Sight / WIFI signal path. Stay at the location with the best speed.
- If possible turn-off Bluetooth, GPS and the Cellular modem. Measure the iPad internet speed again.
- Move up screen brightness and turn of auto-brightness. In some iPad models the screen intensity interferes with the WIFI signal strength.
- In Settings - WIFI - "NetworkName" tap the "Forget this Network" bar.
Then discover the same WIFI WLAN network and join it again.
- Clear the network settings through Settings - Reset - Reset Network Settings.
Then reset the iPad (hold power button for several seconds)
In case your iPad never shows 3 bars of WIFI strength even when very close to the WIFI access point consider visiting an Apple service center.
To survey the WIFI landscape in your area, use the free WIFI NetSurveyor at the location where the iPad is used the most;
See point 4 below what you can do with the NetSurveyor
What you can do if you can control or own the WIFI router / Access point
Important: Before changing anything on your WIFI router / access point - backup the current configuration to an external file.
- Place the WIFI access point / router on an elevated spot to create an obstruction free line of sight with your iPad.
- If supported use an external antenna for your WIFI access point / router and place the antenna on an elevated spot. The Antenna Wire must be of good quality, the antenna of the right length.
- Experiment with antenna orientations if your WIFI access points has a double antenna.
- Survey the WIFI landscape with Netsurveyor - if your WIFI access point shares the same channel with another WIFI access point, try to change the channel.Or use the AUTO channel feature to let your WIFI access point choose the best channel.
- Use the WIFI mode N instead of the modes B /G if your WIFI access point supports that. The N mode has the highest speed and reaches further than B or G mode.
- Disable QoS - (Quality of Service). Some WIFI routers use an implementation with negative effect on the iPad WIFI speed.
- Disable MMS - (Multi Media Services). Some WIFI routers have an implementation that interferes with the network speed your iPad is capable of.
- Upgrade the firmware of your WIFI access point or router. Be careful - be sure you read the manufacturers instruction carefully and known what you are doing. The penalty could be a dead WIFI access point if the firmware upgrade goes bonkers.
- Invest in a WIFI-N mode router or Access Point is the current one is from the B / G WIFI mode era.
A few popular WIFI access points and routers with N-mode capability for consumers & professionals
Networking tools used in this article
Tools used in this article are in the iPad software tools section;
iPad - Speedtest App by OOKLA
Windows - WIFI Netsurveyor tool


text: I searched but could not find any threads on this subject.... Do any of you have that one customer who simply drives you crazy? I have this residential customer who is quickly becoming a serious PITA. He is a retired postal worker so I don't know if he has a grudge against us or not but his delivery "requirements" far exceed what we are required to provide. His home is a perfect front door driver release yet he insists that we deliver everything to his back door, which is actually located on a side street. No problem---I drive down that street, turn around in the first driveway on the right, pull up to his house, DR BD. Normally he is not home (thank goodness) but last time he was there and he told me that I am to open his back door and put everything inside of his house. I told him that I do not feel comfortable going in to his home and that all deliveries would be made per his request to his rear door and that they would be bagged in case of inclement weather. I had an S&V ride on Tuesday and discussed this stop with my on-car, who agreed that we should not be going in to customers' homes. Anyway, I received an ODS yesterday reminding me that all deliveries to this house are to be made to the rear door. I am to the point where I am seriously considering putting this guy on will call. My question to you: Should I give in to the customers "requests" and open the rear door to his home and place the packages inside his home or should I stick to my guns and continue to place the packages out of sight and weather at his rear door per his request?


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Professional workshop
This centrally located Wanganui workshop, refurbished to a high standard, has a slab and aluminium plate floor with carpeted management area alongside. It is excellent for those looking for a central clean 93 sq m workshop, with vehicle entry via a sheltered three metre sectional door. A must view for the specialist tradesperson with an eye for a quality central location. For lease $16,780 including outgoings, plus GST.


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I was born and raised in Minnesota. I was baptized at eight years old like many other LDS members. When I was sixteen years old I went with my Young Women's group to Nauvoo, while I was there I felt the spirit so strongly. I felt my testimony turn from faith to knowledge. I knew that the church was true and I can never deny that fact.
I have always felt that there was more to the story, that there was more truth to be learned. I am always comfortable with asking questions in order to learn all I can about the gospel. I have also felt for many years that there was more to the story concerning a woman's role in the church.
I have prayed about it for myself and felt Heavenly Father's love for me, it was overwhelming. I knew that my prayers were heard and I received my own confirmation about women's ordination.
My name is Courtney, I am 23 years old; I love movies, all things history, and the church. I believe women should be ordained.