text:
In terms of enhancing dealer profitability, Triumph enjoyed a record sales year in 2013, selling 52,089 motorcycles worldwide. Approximately 13,000 of those sales took place in the US, with around 16,000 units projected to be sold domestically in 2014. Since taking over in 2010, the US Triumph dealer network has risen from 165 to 225, and the company believes a 300 dealer-strong-network is achievable in the next couple of years.
On the "promoting brand heritage" side, Triumph has thrown its hat into the race to be the first to break the 400mph barrier on two wheels in the form of The Castrol Rocket streamliner. Triumph-powered streamliners like the "Big D Texas Cigar" and "Gyronaut X-1" held the motorcycle land speed record from 1955 to 1970 and the British marque would like to one again capitalize on that performance-based reputation. Having claim to the "World's Fastest Motorcycle" and being the first to break the vaunted 400mph barrier would be a powerful marketing tool. So Triumph allied itself with Castrol, Hot Rod Conspiracy, and Carpenter Racing and headed out to Bonneville last year with the Castrol Rocket, a 25.5-foot-long carbon fiber-wrapped missile powered by two turbocharged Rocket II engines making more than 1000 hp. The Castrol Rocket, piloted by road racing veteran Jason DiSalvo, got a shakedown at the BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials last year and is eager to attack the Salt once again this year in its pursuit of the title to "World's Fastest Motorcycle." This is just one example of how Triumph has actively promoted its brand heritage since Heichelbech took the helm.
As for his aim to "significantly increase awareness," recent collaborations with companies like Icon and riders like Ernie "E-Dub" Vigil and Nick "Apex" Brocha have thrust bikes like the Triumph Tiger 800XC and the Speed Triple into the limelight. Videos like "Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle 2" (20,230,966 views) and "The Raiden Files -Portland to Dakar" have gone viral, making countless people wish they could bomb up sand dunes or slide out the backside of a Street Triple like the guys from Empire Freestyle. People like Brian Klock of Klock Werks Kustom Cycles and Jason Panther of British Customs have been demonstrating the customizing potential of Triumphs to the current generation of riders. This also hails to the brand's heritage as riders have been cutting and chopping up Triumphs for a long time, from turning them into raked-out choppers to trimming them down into sporty café racers.
So there is evidence Heichelbech's plan of action since he joined Triumph Motorcycles is working. The CEO of Triumph N.A. attended last week's international press launch of the 2014 Commander and LT where he addressed the media about the new models and rode along with journalists. The following day, we had a chance to sit down with him to talk about his tenure at Triumph.
MotoUSA: Yesterday when you were talking to us, you said Triumph doubled their market share. Is that in North America?
Heichelbech: Yes. So we look at, there's two ways to look at market share. The US in general, whether you have a dealer and a market or not. And then in your dealer primary market area. So, we were about 1.5% market share in 2010 as a nation. Now we're 3%, a little over 3%. If you go into where we actually have a dealer in a market, it's almost 5.5% – 6% market share. So that's what I'm talking about, doubling the market share. Our retail sales were up just shy of 60% since 2010.
So what do you think contributed to those gains?
Heichelbech: Well, a couple different things. We just reengineered the business, to be honest with you. So the brand has always been strong, and it's a great story. But, it wasn't being told and it wasn't being told loud enough. So we tried to package the story in a very concise and succinct way and then go out and market it. And so we did that both in endemic and non-endemic magazines, websites, videos. You've probably seen a lot of our videos. We work on YouTube, between Nick and Ernie, and Icon and other partners.
And so that was the one big thing, package the brand correctly in a concise message and then get it out to a lot of people. There's eight – nine million people that have motorcycles in garages. That's a lot of people. Unfortunately, they're not all reading our magazines, our industry magazines, so we've got to reach them, and how do we do that? So it's both inside and outside the industry.
The second thing then was to talk to our dealers because they had been struggling because of the downturn. And we said, look we're going to do a couple things for you. One we're going to make it easier to do business with us. And two, we're going to make you profitable. So we changed all of our programs, all of our margins to basically, we gave them more margin so that they could hire people. You have to have product and people. And so we looked at a number of our programs and said how can we share more of the risk with them, both on a bike side but also on a parts and accessories side, and make sure that when a customer walks into that store they get a good experience with the Triumph brand.
Then like you said (during the presentation of the 2014 Thunderbird Commander and LT the previous night), having the 365, 24/7 support, is that something new?
Heichelbech: Yeah, that started basically in November of 2013. That came out, out of again the strategy of being easy to do business with our dealers but then also the addition of e-comm and talking about, how do we service our customers at the dealer but also ultimately the online customer. Because all of us are busy and we need to be able to interact with those brands that we deem are valuable to us, whenever we want. Right? And so the technology is basically there to do that in a lot of different forms, so how do we take advantage of that? Well, E-comm's one of them. That's 24/7. Okay, what about if people want to talk about lights? What if they have a service issue? What if the dealer has a service issue and we need to communicate with the UK? Well I can do that while everyone's sleeping and when the dealer gets back in the dealership, he's got an answer. So the genesis was, easy to do business with, the e-commerce site and then providing the best service to both customer and customers that befits what we consider a premium brand, which is Triumph. And so that's why we did it.
I was curious, as far as sales, what's the most popular cruiser model?
Heichelbech: Our most popular cruiser model is the Thunderbird. Then it would be the America Speedmaster, those two combined. And then next would be the Rocket III. The Rocket III comes in obviously, a Roadster and Touring version. That's a man's man bike. That's a big mother. It handles really well and feels very nimble. But it can be intimidating when it's just sitting there. But as a cruiser, those are the hot-sellers.
Even more so than models like the Bonnies?
Heichelbech: The Bonnie family, I was just going to say, now the Bonnie family, the Scrambler, the Thruxton, that is our bread-and-butter. Along with the Street Triple, that's a really, really big seller. And then the Tiger 800 and the Explorer. And they're in their own right doing well in their segments. Right now we've got a pretty good lineup and everything's selling pretty well. John Bloor, the owner of our company, has always been a proponent of product investment and that's why we're the only European brand that has a full lineup of product, from small to large. You've probably seen the news that we're going to come out with a 300, a streetbike, so we're just continuing to grow that segment and grow the different segments.
You mentioned the call you received from John Bloor about the Triumph CEO North America position, could you expand on that a little bit. Was that a call out of the blue or were you anticipating it? Why you?
Heichelbech: Well, what happened is, two people that I worked with at Harley went to Triumph. And when they decided that, John decided that he wanted to have someone in the US run the US office, he relied on these two people for their input and I was recommended. So they reached out to me, and I'm sure they reached out to others. And we talked, for probably several months, six months. I knew a lot about Triumph but what I didn't know as a privately held company is the internal workings. So I wanted to learn more about that. The brand was great, the product was great, but I needed to know more. They felt with my unique experience because I worked at Harley, I worked in the Buell business with Erik Buell, I had done both sales, product development, retail environment, so I had a lot of understanding of the dealer network. So that was one of the things they liked about me. The fact that I'm a rider, whether it's a motorcycle, or motocross like I used to. I like to go and do trackdays, so I'm not just a cruiser guy because I worked at Harley. I was one of those guys who hung out with the performance guys at Harley. I wanted to take the drag V-Rod out, you know? So the philosophy and the mindset and the lifestyle all worked and it all came together. I saw it as a great opportunity.
Did you ever expect that you'd be the CEO of a company like Triumph?
Heichelbech: That's a tough question to answer and I'll tell you why. As a kid, you dream about owning your own business. I always dreamed about that or running a business. Did I think it was going to be Triumph? Of course not. But as a little kid, for whatever reason, that was just one of my things. I don't know what it was, I like doing a lot of different things during the day instead of just one thing. That's something you gotta be able to do to run the company, you've got to know all different disciplines and be able to bounce from one to the other. So, did I see myself as CEO of Triumph? To be honest with you, no, because I thought I was probably going to be with Harley my whole career. I'd been there 20 years. Like I said, to get me away from that, I had to see something very, very tremendous. And that's what I see. I really see this brand as being on par with any brand out there, if not better. It just needed to be taken care of and watered and fertilized so it could flourish. And a couple of other different things, whether it be product or marketing, whether it be network. But the brand's not broken and the product's not broken, so those are the two hardest things. They were already building great classics and they showed me what the product plan was going to be, so I saw the Tiger coming, and I saw the new 675 coming, and the R, so I got a glimpse of all that.
Can you touch on any goals moving forward?
Heichelbech: Sure. When I first came to Triumph, one of those things that I set out to do was, we wanted to be the number one import brand in the US. Now I'm not talking dirtbikes and all that, I'm talking 500cc and up. Where that goal came from was, back in the '60s, we were the number one brand. We sold 28,000 Bonnevilles, just Bonnevilles, a year. So my thinking is, from a brand perspective and all the history that goes with it, even though there was a gap, there's no reason we can't take that spot back. You've got great product and you've a wide breadth of product and you've got a great brand. So it's just a few other "P's" of the marketing side that I have to work on. There's been a couple months where we've actually outperformed the fourth-ranking import brand (surpassing Suzuki).
My second goal is to continue to expand the network and expand the product that they sell within their stores to be more profitable. What I mean is I don't want to be just a classics company. I want people to recognize us a full lineup of products. That's why we're trying to show here today that's it not just the LT, it's the Bonneville to the Rocket III, a broad line of cruisers.


text:
The first thing I can tell you about myself is – I'm scared. Shit scared. Don't ask me why. Or about what. Of course I realise it seems funny that I should start a narrative about a holiday in this fashion. But that is why I've left home all alone to come to a town where I know no one. Because I'm afraid. And I do not want to be afraid anymore. I think it's time to stop hiding. Behind people, and masks, and stories. Stories are beautiful, but it's time to paint my reality with my own shades, whatever they might be. Even if they're darker and uglier, oozing venom- those bleeding cuts are as much a part of me as anything else.
Little things scare me. The men on the train with me. The way they look, and the way they don't. The glare of the corridor light, mildly blurred through the chink in the curtain. The velcro strip is half torn, much like my thoughts. Wary of missing my stop, I try to focus on the rhythm of the wheels, the blinking headlights of cars on the distant highway. After waking up thrice in three hours, I give up on sleep. It's still pitch dark outside as I plug in my headphones and listen to songs. Old ones that I've had ever since my school days. They calm me, reminding me of the seventeen year old girl who had an unabashed bravado. In the flashes of blackish green countryside I occasionally hear her laugh in tandem with the beats of a folk song. She is the first fragment I need.
The cool air slaps my cheeks, oddly soothing. I look around the tiny station, the first part of my journey over. The rest of it will be by road. As I successfully locate and board the bus, there is an odd sense of accomplishment even though it isn't the first time I am traveling on my own. As the bus slowly winds up the hill roads and the lush valleys emerge, I realise why. This is the first time I am traveling for myself. I am sick of existing for someone, with someone. This is the best pilgrimage on earth. The search for lost pieces of my own soul.
I indulge in my favourite activity, walking, as I set out to get a feel of the place. It is, sadly, much more of a town now than it was years ago, and concrete has obscured many a field from view. The tiny art museum in Kotwali Bazaar gives a fine glimpse of history, and is vastly under appreciated by the mobile toting families who are eager to photograph every exhibit.
Someone in need of tranquility would feel more at home in the Civil Lines area, past the hospital and government offices. The Martyrs' Memorial here has an oddly resonant silence that befits the solemnity of the place. Here is a place that has receded into itself despite the intrusions of man. My blood hums in approval. It is a fine place for seekers.
I walk past the pillar of a thousand names, carved into stone, scratched away by years of rain and the more recent initials of young lovers. It irritated me once, this perverse habit of humans of leaving a mark,however trivial on every shred of nature they enter. Now it amuses me, because I know the futility, and I appreciate the attempts at preserving a fragile existence. After all, every one of us wants to leave a mark. Some do it on pillars, and some do it on souls.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wes Welker – photographed here with Ashley Dupre, the hooker made famous by Eliot Spitzer – and Miles Austin were at the Playboy Mansion last weekend where the Playboy Golf Finals were held. (Anyone, apparently, can enter.)
Why is Bode Miller wearing a onesie? There was a pajama party Saturday night, which also explains Wes Welker's robe. And no, there's no hint of a romance between Welker and Dupre. He's dating this Hooters girl, remember? No word on Welker's knee or rotator cuff.
Has everyone grasped the quality of sporting events starting Saturday? Final Four. Easter. (Non-sporting event, but still very good.) Opening Day (night game). National Title game. Tiger at Augusta. Opening Day. Final 10 days of the NBA regular season. Early-entry draft decisions.
Mock the Pointer Sisters all you want, but don't act like this song isn't the jam. It comes on at a party and you're feeling it. Our earliest memory of it? Hearing it at the Forum during a Lakers-Knicks game around 1984.


text:
|After the two races, my dad could relax a little more, so we headed to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful afternoon to walk around the gardens. My dad loves to garden and I think he likes to get new ideas for his own backyard. It was a medium-sized garden with some beautiful water lilies (upper left), a couple of turtles (upper right), a butterfly garden (bottom right), and other pretty flowers, like this ornamental lily (lower left).
|After going to a movie, we headed to a celebratory dinner, because as you know (if you've read more than one of my blog entries) food is my favorite way to celebrate and explore cities properly. I had done a little research prior to the trip and selected DANTE for the occasion. We sat on a cute outdoor patio, had a great waitress and enjoyed an amazing meal. The restaurant is known for their 5-course meals and you can pick from traditional, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or whim (which is what I had - the chef just decides what to make when the next course is ready so it's different for everyone).


text:
A new storm originating from the Northwest will move toward the Southern Plains and eventually through the Southeast this weekend, bringing rain and thunderstorms all the way to the East Coast while snow falls across the interior Northeast.
This Saturday, showers and thunderstorms are expected near the Gulf Coast, including in eastern Texas, portions of Louisiana, Arkansas, and southern Mississippi and Alabama. Also across the Northern Tier where temperatures are above freezing due to a warm, southerly flow, a few showers are possible from southern Michigan and Wisconsin through the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Colder air will invade, however, in the Great Lakes region and Ohio Valley during the overnight hours.
Speaking of the overnight hours, the showers will become more organized and will consolidate into a widespread rain in the Tennessee Valley while scattered showers and thunderstorms sweep through much of the Southeast. Showers will also creep into much of the Mid-Atlantic.
Then on Sunday, while our snowstorm organizes across the interior Northeast and northern New England, rain will fall from coastal Maine through southern New England, and the Mid-Atlantic. Most of this rain will be light, but it will sure make for an ugly, gloomy day. In the Southeast, a line of heavy rain and thunderstorms will likely move eastward through Alabama, Georgia, the Florida Panhandle, and the Carolinas as the day progresses.
Sunday night, the cold front will clear through the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, therefore ending the rain in these regions. The rain will stick around through New England, clearing from west to east throughout the night. Down-east Maine may still begin the day Monday with a lingering light rain.


text:
Tag Archives: internet access
Better internet connection for rural areas in Africa?
Now that television companies are increasingly using digital channels, there are parts of the wireless spectrum which are unused. These could potentially provide cheaper and faster internet access to rural and urban areas. This part of the TV spectrum has … Continue reading
NUANCE : February Issue / numéro de février
The Newsletter of the UbuntuNet Alliance : Network, Collaboration, Education ( NUANCE ) has items of interest to African librarians and network users in its February issue. The AGM of the Alliance will be held at Protea Hotel, Entebbe in … Continue reading
Call for partners – African working group on strengthening access to and use of research information
The collective experience of British Library for Development Studies (BLDS), International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and our partners in African research institutions demonstrates that improving access to and use … Continue reading
Expanding Internet Access to Village Communities in Zambia
Computer Aid with Macha Works have enabled internet access to communities in several Zambian villages. In the village of Macha it is thriving – they have introduced charges to cover the cost – $800-$1000 per month. Whether it is sustainable … Continue reading


text:
Disclosure: This post is part of a hosted stay that we took at no cost. All opinions are my own.
I've lived in New England most of my life, and for years I've heard about Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Course, a deluxe, family-friendly resort in Brewster, MA – right in the Mid-Cape area. Last fall, on an unseasonably hot weekend, we headed about two hours down Route 3 to spend two nights at this deluxe family resort in Cape Cod.
The Accommodations at Ocean Edge Resort
Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club offers several different accommodation types over 429 acres, many of them located right on the waterfront. All of the accommodations are located in two distinct sections of the resort. The Mansion section is located in the historic Nickerson Family Mansion and Carriage House, while the Villages surround Cape Cod's only 18-hole Nicklaus Design championship golf course. During our visit, we stayed in Brewster House, which is part of the Presidential Bay Collection (within the Mansion section). The two-bedroom villa included a kitchenette with a stove top, wine cooler, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and dishwasher, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washer and dryer, and two small porches. It's a great spot for a Cape Cod family beach vacation – you can easily prepare most of your meals in the room if you prefer.
The decor of the villa is a cool, relaxing, coastal theme. Since I love anything nautical and coastal, I especially loved the decor. The beds and linens are also extremely comfortable, and the Tommy Bahama bath amenities are a nice touch. The strong, slight spicy scent is the perfect match for the resort. Turndown service, as well as free WiFi, is offered.
The Amenities and Activities at Ocean Edge Resort
Regardless of which season you travel there, Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club offers numerous amenities and activities for families. With a location right on the Cape Cod Bike Trail, biking is a popular activity. Bike rentals at the resort are available (for an additional fee), and staff members can help direct you to the best bike route for your family.
The private Bay Pines Beach is located right by the Mansion rooms, and is complimentary for Mansion guests only. It's a very quick walk down a private path to access the beach. Beach chairs are provided in season – in the summer, beach attendants help set them up. Although we visited in the fall, it was still very warm out, and really enjoyed spending some time at the beach. Guests of the Villages can't use the beach, but can take advantage of the Brewster Beach Pass along with a complimentary in-season shuttle.
Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club also offers many other family-friendly amenities and activities, including three outdoor pools, two indoor pools, eleven tennis courts, a fitness center, and saunas and whirlpools. We spent an afternoon at one of the outdoor pools, located right by our villa, and it was relaxing and fun. It's a nice break from the beach.
In the summer, and during certain school vacation weeks, Ocean Edge Resort also offers children's activities and programs. We did a sample program during our stay – the kids really enjoyed walking along the beach learning about little critters. Although our sample program was run by the nearby Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, in season, the resort offers their own programming for kids.
The Restaurants at Ocean Edge Resort
Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club boasts three full service restaurants – Bayzo's Pub and Ocean Terrace at the Mansions, and Linx Tavern at the Villages as well as the Shark Bah and Snack Shacks located throughout the property. During our stay, we dined outdoors at the gorgeous Ocean Terrace. The food, although expensive (as is the case at many places on the Cape), was delicious. My kids were especially happy with the "Young Adults" Menu, perfect for kids who aren't quite ready for the adult menu.
The Location of Ocean Edge Resort
There are many restaurants, shops, and activities located right near the resort. In addition, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History is located right down the street.
Check out this video to see more images from our stay.
Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club
2907 Main Street
Brewster, Massachusetts 02631


text:
Recent Posts
Feb 201716
February 2017 Patent Prosecution Update
The February 2017 patent prosecution lunch featured a discussion of issues related to the United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Web-Based Issue Fee From (Web 85b). In addition, a recent case concerning university sovereign immunity to Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings was discussed (Covidien LP v. University of Florida Research Foundation Inc.). The latest USPTO patentable subject matter guidelines for business methods were also discussed. The presentation may be downloaded here.


text:
--help options whenever other options are activated. That seemed useful to me because when I type some long command and get lost with options, I don't want to run it (starting dangerous things or polluting the console with error message) nor hit Ctrl-C to request help on the next prompt -- and have to copy-paste it again.
Here is the help message for now:
Usage: Main [Options] <document [document2 [...]]> <document>: logical name of a document to generate. Starts with '/part/' or '/book/' (like URLs). Valid names: /part/somedir/mydoc.html or /book/mybook.pdf Option Description --------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------ -?, -h, --help Shows this help message -t, --targetDirectory <dir> Where generated files go to (default is './generated')It's surprisingly hard to write concise help messages. I had to trick the terms to make -t option as short as possible and I'm still above 80 chars. Including line breaks and whitespace to make the "(default is [...]" message appear on another line doesn't work well as the framework generating help message understands this as one single line and generates many, many dashes in the table header. It could have limited dashes to an underline of "Option" and "Description" headers. I chose to explain document names right after general command syntax because the option list "breaks" the layout somehow. On the other hand, if the option list grows a lot, general syntax will scroll up out of view. But there is always the option to add a "verbose help" option later. One special case arises when a document file starts with a dash (-) and therefore can be confused with an option. A double dash (--) as the last option disambiguates this and we can write (though I'm not sure Novelang supports file names starting with a dash but it's another story):
Main -- -mybook.pdf Main -t somewhere -- -mybook.pdfWriting nice command-line interface is always more complicated than it seems. Lucky me, I found JOpt Simple, an excellent framework that perfectly suited my needs (including the double dash support). It worked flawlessly for everything I needed, including double dash disambiguation. I just ran through some minor annoyances:
- Esoteric Artistic Free License.
- Maven-only distribution hidden somewhere on the website.
- Doesn't use Java Generics (at least
OptionSet#nonOptionArguments()should return a List<String>).


text:
Dunton Environmental work with a wide range of 'blue chip' companies on a national and international level.
We work directly with clients and can act as main contractors and we are also sub-contracted by some of the largest developers and construction companies to carry out remediation services on their behalf.
Dunton Environmental Ltd, Unit 1, Tamebridge Industrial Estate, Aldridge Road, Perry, Barr, West Midlands, B42 2TX, United Kingdom : Company Registration Number 5839536.
Client Login
Designed by Creative Direction.


text:
You're invited to a FABULOUS COMMUNITY FAMILY night of Christmas Carols.
Spread the word, pick up a flyer, everyone's welcome!
When: Saturday 8th December
Time: 5.30pm Pre-Entertainment
Music • Entertainment
BBQ • Coffee • Stalls
Jumping Castle • Wheelie Kids * Pony Rides
Time: 7.30pm Carols Commence
Where: Marion Church of Christ Car Park
Bring: Your family, friends and a chair/rug
This event has ended.


text:
Run This Town series
Available FREE w/KindleUnlimited subscriptionBooks Reading Order
(Watch Me) Break You – BOOK #1
Here comes trouble…
Men. Women. Drugs. Dima Zhirkov's favorite things. Add in the element of danger and he should be right as rain. But not today. It's not working, hasn't for a long time. He's grasping at the flimsiest of straws to prove he's indeed strong enough to run his streets. Until he sets eyes on him. In the midst of a room full of strangers, Dima is drawn to a man as cold and dangerous as he's beautiful. Captivated, Dima embarks on a ruthless campaign to get his new toy into bed.
Here comes the danger…
Xavier "X" Storm is content to pull the strings while someone else handles the day to day dealings of his gang, The Rude Boys. He's after what Dima holds closest—the Coney Island streets. He contracts out the job of killing the Russian, except Dima isn't that easy to kill. When he suddenly shows up in X's path, tempting him to indulge in the dirtiest play, he finds Dima isn't all that easy to shake, either. His cocky attitude and rough submission tempts X to go where he'd vowed to never return, and they plunge head first into an affair fueled by possessive obsession.
Run for cover
Sex and pain Dima can handle, and X delivers the most depraved kind. Their connection is explosive, their games addictive, but Dima can end it whenever he wishes. He doesn't see that X is breaking him down, giving Dima everything he wants and even more than he ever thought to need. By the time he realizes who X is and what he wants, Dima is raw and bullet riddled. It's run or fight. And Dima doesn't back down. Neither does X.Read More
What if loving him…
After recent events that had his life flashing before his eyes, Israel Storm is re-evaluating everything. His friends. His priorities. What's not going to change is the deep connection he's developed with Reggie Turner. They're comfortable with each other, partners in crime with no qualms about sharing women. Whatever Is needs, Reggie is the one he calls. Their bond can survive anything. But maybe not the kiss Reggie plants on him out of nowhere.
…Means losing him?
Despite what Is thinks, that kiss came from somewhere. An un-named current has been flowing between them for months. Reggie doesn't bat for his own team, but the more time he spends with Is, seeing past the rough façade of the man leading The Rude Boys, the more Reggie loses sight of labels and where he fits. All he knows is there's something there, something Is will never acknowledge. One kiss leads to a punch that lands Reggie in the ER, and sends Is digging through his darkest memories in search of himself.
Friendship is all that's left if they bury the truth. If they ignore the pull that makes it impossible to do anything other than fight each other. But denials can be exhausting and hiding isn't working, not when everyone can clearly see your heart's desire. An enemy is out to make an example of Is, and his weapon of choice will leave this Rude Boy bloodied…and bodied.Read More
(Watch Me) Unmask You – BOOK #3
With one tug the thread unravels, and a world built on lies will come tumbling down.
Too many bodies. Rivers of blood. Elias Kote sees them all in his sleep. Only the love of his husband and daughter keeps him alive and fighting. This contract killer is exhausted and weighed down with all the lies he tells every day. Who he is. What he does. How he came to have all he has. Elias can attest to nothing remaining hidden forever, but his secrets, when they do drop, shatters everything. Everyone. And leaves him scrambling to make his family whole again.
Ten years together. Three legally wed. One with their daughter. And in one night Lucky Mousasi's world just…stops. What he thought was a random home invasion turns into way more. Masked men not only brutalize him, but they come armed with knowledge about Lucky, his husband, and the life he thought he knew. It seems nothing is coincidental, certainly not meeting and falling in love with Elias. Bruised, battered, heart ripped open, Lucky walks away.
An intimate rival will stop at nothing to neutralize the threat Elias poses, and the life he built out of guilt and desperation becomes collateral damage. When Lucky takes their daughter and disappears, Elias goes on a rampage. He will get his family back, but first he's on an elimination mission. One bullet at a time.Read More
(Watch Me) Save You – BOOK #4
Is love enough to pull two drowning men back from the edge of darkness?
No one will love you. Tek Ng has heard that statement his entire life, and after all he's been through, he believes it. The tortured reality of who he is wars with everything else in his world. He's got a fiancée he doesn't want, a family legacy he wants to escape, and unrequited love so unavoidable he descends into sexual depravity with the last person he should. Tek is drowning, but he's not sure he wants to be saved.
Quinn Storm hides in his quiet house, afraid of his shadow and his memories. At one time he had a husband and a life, but that was snatched away in a violent attack. Hardly daring to live, Quinn is alive only because he's too scared to end it all himself. He's drowning and wants no chance at being saved.
A favor for a friend brings these two men together just in time for Tek to watch Quinn unravel. Quinn quickly becomes the most important thing in Tek's life, but can he trust Quinn to love him once he realizes what Tek is hiding? Just as they reach for each other, their reprieve is shattered by Tek's demons, leaving Quinn with the realization that he's not the only one in need of saving.Read More


text:
Romney Hits a Rough Patch on the Slopes
By Alec MacGillis
HENNIKER, N.H. -- Mitt Romney was probably looking to recapture some of that Salt Lake City magic when he showed up at Pat's Peak here today to greet skiers taking the slopes on the day after Christmas. The visit allowed to him pose for the cameras with a snowy backdrop behind him, summoning memories of his resurrection of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
But it also posed some peril for him, to an extent he and his campaign may not have fully reckoned beforehand: Pat's Peak is frequented not only by New Hampshire voters but also by throngs of skiers from the Boston area, for whom it is one of the most convenient winter destinations.
Mingling with Massachusetts folks is a bit complicated for Romney these days. He left the State House early this year on uncertain terms, with many of the state's residents feeling aggrieved by the way he turned his focus to a presidential run during the second half of his term.
That feeling has only grown stronger since he hit the campaign trail and began casting Massachusetts as a left-wing bastion that he had to try to bring under control -- "the most liberal state in the country," as he called it in one of his television advertisements.
The many Massachusetts residents Romney shook hands with at the ski slope were as gracious as anyone will be with a dozen cameras recording the moment. But afterwards, some of them were open about their deep ambivalence about seeing their former governor out stumping for the presidency.
Derek Rhodes, an information technology director from North Andover, Mass., said he had noticed how much Romney's positions had shifted rightward since he started running for president, something Rhodes, a Democrat, chalked up to expedience: "He feels he can get voters from the Republican Party that way."
But Rhodes said what he was most bothered by was the criticism of Massachusetts. He noted that Romney's predecessors as governor had been Republicans and that they had left the state in better shape than Romney admits.
"I don't like to hear him say that. He doesn't need to bash Massachusetts," Rhodes said.
Such is Romney's relentless good cheer that he did not let the Massachusetts vibe deter him in the slightest. He moved from table to table in the lodge keeping up the same chatter: "How are the slopes today?"" "I love skiing this slope." "How's the hot chocolate." And, to a wary looking teenager: "You a skier? You must be a boarder."
Web Politics Editor
December 26, 2007; 7:56 PM ET
Save & Share: Previous: Giuliani Seeks Out a Warmer Welcome
Next: Courting the Michael Moore Vote in N.H.
Someone should start a blog titled "Flip-floppers for Romney". He ran as a moderate Republican in Mass. but turned out to be more like a Mormon version of George W. Bush. It became obvious that he changed his political positions, sometimes dramatically, whenever it was politically convenient. Recently Romney even defended Bush's foreign policy after Mike Huckabee offered a mild critique.
Posted by: chrisbak52 | December 27, 2007 5:07 PM | Report abuse
Romney once said: My father marched with Martin Luther King--not true.
He marched with Martin Luther King--not true.
He was a hunter all his life--not true.
I am now beginning to wonder whether or not he can break the chain by actually having had some experience skiing. But it is still a good bet that he may not have skiing experience anywhere previously,
Posted by: archie136 | December 27, 2007 12:54 PM | Report abuse
I'll let scotay252 address the rest of your "responses" but the link to Mitt Romney shutting down Bain Co. to find an employee's missing daughter was posted right here, just last week, on this very blog: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/12/19/new_spot_romney_helped_save_my_1.html
Posted by: JakeD | December 27, 2007 11:10 AM | Report abuse
well put!
Posted by: SteelWheel1 | December 27, 2007 10:48 AM | Report abuse
Below is my response to your post point by point
Your Point #1
I found a man who has pledged to forego his salary as President of the United States and who refused the same as Mass. Governor. Imagine, the president as a true public servant..I find it supremely refreshing.
My response #1
I'm not impress! The salary of a U.S. President is chump change for a guy whose net worth is nearly $300 million.
Your Point #2
I found a man who recently spent a free Saturday morning in October helping San Diego fire victims, without so much as a word to the press? Chopping down trees and cleaning up the neighbor property. That sure makes him hard to trust.
My Response #2
--You will have to prove this one. Mitt panders and flip-flop way to hard just to get some attention. And you want me to believe that Mitt has done such an altruistic thing without extracting every last ounce of photo opportunity.
Your Point #3
I find a man who once shut down his private business, and paid his staff to search for the missing daughter of one of his employees? No questions or expectations, just lets go find her! No one was watching and no one was listening. What does this say about the man?
My response #3
---Again, you will have to prove this one.
Your Point #4
I found a man who has been loyal, faithful and true to his one wife and love for 38 years. Do we not realize what this says about a persons character, to have been so devoted and perfectly faithful in this most sacred of all relationships. And yet, some say he cant be trusted!
My Response #4
---I agree with you on this one.
Your Point #5
Finally, I find a candidate who routinely turns organizations fiscal mismanagement into economic victory for the company and its employees and interests. And far more importantly, there is no one suggesting that he ever broke any laws or violated ethics in doing so! No Blackwater, no Whitewater, no Halliburton.
My response #5
---I agree with you here.
My conclusion
The negatives far out weigh the good. Thumb down on Mitt for me.
Posted by: SteelWheel1 | December 27, 2007 10:44 AM | Report abuse
I agree with you. Mitt did serve Massachusetts and for the most part he did keep his campaign promises as governor of Massachusetts. But was it necessary to besmirch and malign Massachusetts just to pander to far right?
And what does this say about his character? What will he be willing to dump to establish his legacy? I simply don't trust him. Many Americans are all to familiar with this kind of person.
Posted by: SteelWheel1 | December 27, 2007 10:30 AM | Report abuse
martinharry: Mass. is probably the most "Liberal" state of all, is not disputed by most folks. The problem Mitt has is the "Flip-Flop" image that has shown to be accurate. I don't think Religion is that much of a "Factor" other than for the "Evangelicals" that is so important to the GOP. I have been trying to analyze the "Factors" for the GOP, and find Mike Huckabee fits more closely than any other viable candidate now running. NH is the state to watch, an anything but a McCain win there almost certainly means he will drop out and lend his support to Mike.
Posted by: lylepink | December 27, 2007 9:33 AM | Report abuse
Romney will make us proud he is our President and proud to be Americans.
Mitt 2008
Posted by: dkajkr | December 27, 2007 8:29 AM | Report abuse
Massachusetts is a State full of liberals who have elected and re-elected Ted Kennedy, one of the most liberal politicians, repeatedly. Romney has honestly characterized the State. It is unfortunate that some people condemn a man for his public service, saying what he believes and practicing his faith. These attacks lack substance and reflect more the vacuousness of the person making the attack. Perhaps next to the standards Romney has maintained, they find themselves woefully wanting.
Posted by: martinharry | December 27, 2007 7:30 AM | Report abuse
Mr. "Double Guantanamo". Watching him try to out-jingo Giuliani was a sickening sight.
Posted by: rlb1 | December 27, 2007 6:01 AM | Report abuse
Let's talk about principles.....married to the same wife (and obviously in love) and a father who is adored by his 5 sons....anti-abortion....a true Christian (no matter what the Evangelicals want you to believe)...an honorable, hard-working student (with a law and business degree simultaneously achieved at Harvard)....a successful business executive and rescuer of the winter olympics.....and someone who can work with others on the Dem side of the aisle. Mitt Romney is such the obvious choice!!!
Posted by: wendim1 | December 27, 2007 4:10 AM | Report abuse
Mitt never had any principals. He's the ultimate opportunist who will say anything to get elected. In the '90's, Mitt tried to be more liberal than Ted Kennedy. In this decade, he's trying to be more conservative and god-fearing than Mike Huckabee.
I doubt if anyone truly knows who Mitt Romney is, since the sincere, honest and real Mitt has never existed.
Posted by: jim | December 27, 2007 2:17 AM | Report abuse
Mitt, it appears, was once someone with principles.
Then he decided to run for president.
Posted by: reporter1 | December 27, 2007 12:37 AM | Report abuse
So he's a hired gun, willing to work for the "most liberal state in America". A successful businessman and anon-drinking, non-smoking, faithful to his wife kind of guy, huh? OK, so? So are a lot of guys. That doesn't make them fit to be President. He's a man of faith? Well so is "Jesus is my favorite philosopher" Bush and you can see where that kind of mindless, anti-science moralizing gets you when you're in the White House. He has publicly stated that he's OK with torturing people who haven't been given even the semblance of legal treatment if there's a chance that they may have information he wants. He doesn't believe that agnostics and atheists have any right to freedom. He will say whatever he needs to say to close the deal. He's a two-faced phony and he'll never be the POTUS.
Posted by: thebobbob | December 27, 2007 12:36 AM | Report abuse
I have read much diatribe about Mitt Romneys seemingly unquenchable double speak, and that somehow this habit of his makes it impossible for us trust him. Of course, most of what political types say has never been trustworthy, regardless of what side of the aisle one sits upon.
It is behavior, far more than word, that tells me what is really in the heart of person.Show me the money. Talk is cheap! With a search for behaviors in mind, this is what I found when I went looking for Mitt Romneys actions, more than words
I found a man who has pledged to forego his salary as President of the United States and who refused the same as Mass. Governor. Imagine, the president as a true public servant..I find it supremely refreshing.
I found a man who recently spent a free Saturday morning in October helping San Diego fire victims, without so much as a word to the press? Chopping down trees and cleaning up the neighbor property. That sure makes him hard to trust.
I find a man who once shut down his private business, and paid his staff to search for the missing daughter of one of his employees? No questions or expectations, just lets go find her! No one was watching and no one was listening. What does this say about the man?
I found a man who has been loyal, faithful and true to his one wife and love for 38 years. Do we not realize what this says about a persons character, to have been so devoted and perfectly faithful in this most sacred of all relationships. And yet, some say he cant be trusted!
Finally, I find a candidate who routinely turns organizations fiscal mismanagement into economic victory for the company and its employees and interests. And far more importantly, there is no one suggesting that he ever broke any laws or violated ethics in doing so! No Blackwater, no Whitewater, no Halliburton.
So, I am left to conclude, given that I can trust no ones words, that it is only actions I can measure, and behaviors I can assess. From this standpoint, my choice for president is so easy and Mitt is that man!"
Posted by: scotay252 | December 27, 2007 12:11 AM | Report abuse
What a slimy little flip-flopper... And in NH a week before Iowa? Not good.
Posted by: parkerfl | December 26, 2007 10:26 PM | Report abuse
I think it very natural that Romney's position would start to reflect the broader electorate he would be serving as President of the United States. He served liberal Massachuetts the way he promised and that would serve them best. He was their Governor, but he is not running for Governor anymore and his responsibility will be to a much larger community. It is silly to think that the President of the United States should limit himself to the desires of one state. He was fair to Massachuetts and he needs to be fair now to the United States of America. I think he kept his campaign promises to Massachuetts. He may not have agreed with the liberal majority, but he respected the voted in laws of that State.
Posted by: manwaringjd | December 26, 2007 9:28 PM | Report abuse
Well is Massachuetts or isn't Massachuetts one of the most LIBERAL states in the nation. I believe that it probably is. What Romeny said is factual
Posted by: manwaringjd | December 26, 2007 9:15 PM | Report abuse
Sort of adds a new meaning to the phrase "Media Mogals"!
Ice cold bumps on the Path!
Posted by: rat-the | December 26, 2007 8:33 PM | Report abuse
The comments to this entry are closed.


text:
Be part of the conversation. Let us help you tell the story of your brand in the voice that fits your overall marketing strategy in a way that is entertaining, informative, engaging, and authentic — and make sure it reaches the right audience.
Creative solutions for businesses, brands, and publishers.
Our publishing partners are as passionate about their cities and neighborhoods as their readers are. Access to this carefully curated network allows advertisers to reach customers where they live, and talk about what they love.
Drawing on our relationships with our publishing partners, we can reach the right audience for your message, and the right message for your audience. By utilizing audience data, retargeting, and social media we can extend our reach to all corners.
Website development. Landing pages. Display advertising. Sponsored posts. Strategic placements. Social media amplification. Analysis and optimization. By combining our services and products we craft effective, real-time digital campaigns.
Designing a simple, elegant site that looks great across all devices is just the beginning. We work with you to create a long-term content strategy so your audience has a reason to keep coming back.
First impressions count, and we're here to help you look your best. From logos and websites to comprehensive brand strategies, our creative team is committed to helping brands make visceral, emotional connections that result in lasting relationships.


text:
Do you know the difference between hunger and fullness?
At Gail's, we will teach you the difference.
We will also teach you to examine your eating habits and create new and better eating habits.
We will design your food prescription to ensure that you are eating the correct foods in the correct portions at the optimum intervals.
We do the work for you, all you have to do is follow your food prescription.
We're here to help you.
You are always very careful to read all the instructions on the bottle. You do your homework, being sure to follow his or her advice to the letter.
Why are you so careful?
When your doctor gives you a prescription you wouldn't consider taking more medicine than he or she prescribed.
Would you?
Because your health, and that of your family is important to you.
We ensure each and every client receives the utmost support, motivation and nutritional advice to help them reach their realistic goal weight and improve their quality of life!
Here are the facts and some advice:
Focus on changing the habits that have caused your weight gain. It takes 21 days to change a habit.
People who keep a food journal - are more inclined to see not only what - but why - and when they are eating, and why they are often eating when they are not really hungry.
You may feel hungry, when in reality - you are actually thirsty.
Try a glass of water instead of food.
A person can only survive for three days without water.
A person can survive for six to seven days without food.
Approach dinner as a ritual - it's not a race - nor is it homework.
Learn to eat at the kitchen table. Use pretty plates and make this an event. An enjoyable event.
Break yourself of the habit of eating from the carton. Or eating in the car or on the run.
Try not to eat in front of the T.V. Make this family time.
If you arrange only the food you require on your plate, and then store the remainder in the fridge (perhaps for lunch tomorrow).
You are less inclined to eat more than your body needs.
If you think you need a snack, step away from the fridge.
Focus on something else for 7 minutes. If you are still hungry, then perhaps you really are!
Eat your food in as close to it's natural state as possible.
Manufacturers generally add sugar and fats to processed foods not to mention sodium (another name for salt).
If you raid the refrigerator when you're watching T.V,
Are you really hungry?
Are you just bored?
Don't rely on the unpredictability of will power alone.
You are better off to rely on desire, perseverance and patience.
Have a Plan - call it a food budget.
When you remodel your home who would you trust the job to ?
A random stranger with questionable talents?
A professional with a proven track record who has the tools and the skill to handle the job.


text:
Mrs Natasha Jennings1, Ms Claire Hatherley1, Ms Rachel Cross1,2, Dr Grainne Lowe1,3, Dr Gerard O'Reilly1,4, Dr Biswadev Mitra1,4, Dr Paul Jennings5
1Emergency and Trauma Centre, The Alfred Hospital, Commercial Road, Melbourne VIC 3004; 2La Trobe University, Alfred Clinical School Melbourne VIC 3004; 3Deakin University, Burwood, VIC 3125; 4National Trauma Reserach Institute, The Alfred Hospital, Prahran, VIC 3181; 5Department of Community Emergency Health and Paramedic Practice, Monash University
Background. Nurse led analgesia programs have been found to be safe and effective in reducing time to analgesia and improve the quality of pain assessment and treatment. A pre-implementation study demonstrated poor compliance with the national target of patients receiving analgesia within 30 minutes (26.6%: 95% CI: 19.1-35.1), prolonged times for first doses of analgesia (median time 60.5 (IQR 30-87) mins and poor documentation of pain scores (PS; 52.3%). Pain protocol initiating nurses (P-PIN) in the emergency department (ED) of a busy urban hospital was introduced in December 2016 to standardise the approach to nurse led analgesia, reduce time to analgesia, improve pain score documentation and improve efficiency of pain control. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and effectiveness of this protocol.
Methods. A retrospective explicit review of the medical records of all patients receiving P-PIN analgesia was conducted at one-month intervals. Data extracted included patient demographics, compliance with the national standard of analgesia within 30minutes, time to first dose of analgesia, pain score documentation and protocol violations.
Results. There were 48 patients that received nurse led analgesia during the first 3 months of the protocol intervention. Compliance with the national target of patients receiving analgesia within 30 minutes was 91%. The median time to first dose of analgesia was 16 (IQR 10.5-26) mins. There were no adverse errors reported and documentation of PS was 100%. There was one protocol violation for nurse led analgesia being given to a patient with chest pain, which is an exclusion criterion.
Discussion. Pain protocols have been shown to improve the incidence, accuracy and documentation of pain assessment and treatment efficiency. Translation of these findings into clinical nursing practice helps to reduce the gap in translational of research to clinical practice. A thorough implementation strategy and education program with close evaluation focusing on patient safety has been used to optimise outcomes for patients presenting with pain to the ED.
Tash is an emergency nurse practitioner with a focus on advancing nursing practice.
Claire is a Clinical Nurse Educator at the Alfred Emergency & Trauma Centre. She has completed her Masters of Nursing (Emergency Care) with a specific focus on emergency management and treatment of pain.


text:
I haven't posted this yet, so with their new CD release it's probably a good time.
Music Video for The Strange Magic, from their new album "Songs to Burn."
Shot at the Railway Club and Lamplighter Pub in Vancouver. The amazing archival footage comes from Archive.org.
Check them out at:


text:
As parents we all love to splurge on our little bundle of joy the apple of our eyes. However there are some parents who are willing to go that extra mile by spending more than what you would normally expect. The kind where their baby gets the extreme best of the best products that are limited edition in the market. Here are some of the few that caught our eyes.
The mini mat
Weaning kids are all messy eaters. And we have been taught that it's ok since that's how babies learn and develop. However for the busy mums on the go who do not have time for clean ups, or does not want food to be spilled on their luxurious carpets, here is an ingenious way to avoid them. These mini mats are silicon mats that act as suctions to the tables that will help the fall of food to your precious flooring. Many mums magazines have recommended this product as it makes cleaning a breeze.
Organic toothpaste products
Sworn by mums magazines this has become a favorite among the rich and famous. Current users are completely obsessed with this and has no plans of switching either. This toothpaste is all natural, free of preservatives, sugar and color free and sweetened with organic flavorings. Packaging that comes with it is recyclable and environmental friendly. Visit this link http://www.mumsdelivery.com.au/mag/ for more info about mums magazines in Australia.
Teething mittens
There's simply no greater feeling than see the streaks of little white teeth from your loved ones smile. But before that glimpse of white teeth sprout out, there is the crucial part of the teething process. Babies tend to drool and bit of the next best thing they get on hands level. To accompany this baby geniuses have invented this teething mitten as its made out of flexible surface that makes teething safe and fun.
Flavored face wipes
Toss away the scented face wipes, the next best thing is these flavored face wipes that made with organic natural plant extracts. This makes wiping the faces of your kids much more easier due to the pleasing fragrance and taste. Presently available in peach flavor and the developers mentioned there are more flavors to be released. Let's hope for chocolate maybe?
Fancy bath time toys
No more plastic toys that just float or blow bubbles when its bath time. There a new hip toy that gets wet along with your baby, feeds on liquid soap or bar soap and foams up a like never before, making bubbles bath more fun to indulge in. These toys are machine washable, made with the state of the art materials and are also easy to air dry.


text:
Official Blurb:
Cocky? Absof*ckinglutely
Sexy? That's what they say
Unstoppable? You bet your ass
NFL Golden boy, Super Bowl MVP, and the league's hottest player—on and off the field. To most, I'm a celebrity, with the records to prove it.
Fame, fortune, family… I've got it all.
Except Grace Monroe.
Two years ago, Grace turned my world upside down with just one look. I didn't stand a chance against the shy, southern beauty with the radiant violet eyes. Our intense connection was unlike any force I've ever faced. Then she disappeared, without a word, leaving me with nothing but questions, a handful of memories, and a lifetime of what-ifs.
Now she's back, and so much more than the girl I once knew. Stunning, successful, and sexy as sin, she's my fantasy come true.
One taste, one touch, one moan, and I'm addicted.
Grace is the game changer I never saw coming. Everything I've ever wanted is finally within reach.
Suddenly, I'm playing the most important game of my life… a game where losing isn't an option.
Because this time… winning means forever.
An another story in the Bennett Brothers world? YES, PLEASE!
After falling in love and heart ache with Hotshot that Ms. Sanders had me at ARC even as much as I cried while reading it. It gave me a rare case of the feels.
Sexy Six is just that. I devoured this second chance romance book. Where Hotshot had angst, Sexy Six had action. Well, it honestly had everything except Sasha, but I digress. Nick and Grace's story is filled with ups, downs, and in-betweens. The chemistry between these two characters are off the charts and you can't help, but fall in love with them. Grace's grandfather is a hoot, and the humor between the characters just sucked me in more. I will say Shaw and Bizzy fans will get their lips wet on seeing their favorite couple again.
Sanders has a gift for writing complex characters in an even more complex world. She sucks you in from the first page and leaves you with such a book hangover that you want to re-read it immediately. That being said, when do I get Mathis and Claire, because, well, I need it now.


text:
Arnold Clark, the car giant, is known throughout the UK for their leasing and business sales services. The company has a huge network of more than 145 branches, a transport division and over 20 manufacturers of new car.
It serves as a one point contact for all business and personal vehicle requirements. Whether you are looking for a new van or a car, Arnold Clark has plenty of great finance options available for customers. Some of the main car finance options and car loans available at Arnold Clark are as discussed below.
Personal contract hire
PCH or personal contract hire is much like contract hire but is available only to private individuals. This finance plan offers the same type of benefits as any contract hire and it offers fixed cost motoring. It is an alternate option for those who do not want to consider a company car scheme.
With this car credit option, the risk of residual value is minimized as is the case in most traditional ownership plans. Arnold Clark also provides maintenance packages along with their auto loan which would help you avoid any maintenance issues in the future.
With this plan, VAT would be included in the monthly payment. Some of the main benefits of using this finance option is that you would be able to get this option for new as well as used cars. You would also get a Road Fund License and the option to get a complete maintenance package.
Commercial vehicle finance
For commercial purposes, Arnold Clark provides contract hire services through Arnold Clark Vehicle Management which is the vehicle leasing sister concern of the company. With Contract Hire, the risk is eliminated. This finance option is quite helpful for companies who are interested in getting a car fleet but don't want to worry about the plummeting value of the cars, interest rate rise or service cost rise. The rentals that would have to be paid to the company would be locked through the hire duration.
Arnold Clark offers the option to have the maintenance of the vehicle included in the contract or go for a non-maintenance agreement, as preferred by the client. There would be a fixed duration for the hire agreement during which a fixed installment would have to be paid. At the end of this duration, the vehicle would have to be returned back to the company.
Arnold Clark offers its car finance options for new cars, used cars as well as nearly used cars. Borrowers can use the car finance calculator on the website or ask for a car finance quote online through which they would be able to calculate the installment that they would need to pay for the car that they are interested in. Arnold Clark also offers cars on rent as well as contract purchase option to its customers.


text:
"A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short" - Schopenhauer.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Where Do Fictional Characters Come From?
I have enjoyed reading Alan Hollinghurst's new novel The Stranger's Child, which centres around a First World War poet called Cecil Valance and I notice that some people have been having fun trying to identify "the original of" Cecil, arguing, for example that he is "based on" Rupert Brooke. This in spite of the fact that Brooke is mentioned in the novel alongside Cecil Valance. I found myself playing the game too, seeing Julian Grenfell and maybe a bit of Charles Hamilton Sorley in this character. And then I reminded myself that this is fiction. That's right: invention, imagination, creation. Novelists, even conventionally realistic ones, are not newspaper reporters (perhaps a bad analogy just now but you know what I mean) but they may well build their characters out of the raw material of people they have known and experienced. In an autobiographical novel the relationship one supposes is clear enough but mostly characters are amalgams of perhaps three or four people or they are pure invention. In so far as we observe the mantra of the creative writing classes – Write About What You Know – then we will draw on actual experience, but surely what matters is the significance and meaning of the character in the novel's overall aesthetic structure. "The only sure truth about characters in prose fiction," wrote Susan Sontag, "is that they are, in Henry James' phrase, 'a compositional resource'." The more we emphasise the realism of the novel over its other elements, the more we will think these detective games matter.
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
So whenever anyone asks us what signs Isabelle knows, we always draw a complete blank. Usually the conversation goes like this:
Us: "Yeah, Isabelle signs and talks a ton now."
Them: "That's cool. What does she sign and/or say?"
Us: "Uh...."
I have no idea why it's so hard for us to remember, but we always seem to forget all that she knows whenever someone prompts the question so I figured I should keep track of her vocabulary at some point. That way, I can look back to remember how far she's progressed. Even with Jadon, whenever we tried to count the signs he knew we'd get to maybe 20 and then a long while later we'd realize that we completely left out large categories of signs.
With Jadon, we never used many aids only because I thought that they were unnecessary and I didn't want to spend the money on them at the time. I bought a couple of signing books to learn what I wanted to learn and then I proceeded to teach Jadon. Obviously, if you want to teach your child sign language, you have to keep consistent and continually use the signs. It's hard though when you have to learn them first and then teach them to your child. Anyway, we ended up buying the Baby Signing Time DVD and CD series because it was featured on BabySteals.com. (My love for that site is enough for another post...) We figured it was a good price and that we'd use it so we couldn't really pass it up. Well, my attitude toward aids has definitely changed. Sure, aids aren't necessary but they are definitely nice. Isabelle has learned signs from watching these DVDs that I haven't been teaching her. I pick several signs at a time that are most relevant for the moment to teach her, but she's somehow amazingly picked up signs that I never reinforced. I also took out some flash cards that I bought before she was born to teach her once I thought she was ready and she picked up those really quickly too. They're animal flash cards from Sign Babies. She loves animals so it was the perfect choice for her and she loves going through them.
Isabelle loves Baby Signing Time. She used to sign 'baby' every time she woke up from sleeping because she wanted to watch it. We've since then bought some more Signing Time DVDs and some more flash cards to teach her and Jadon some new signs. We'll see if we continue to buy more signing stuff, but it's definitely nice to see how much we've all picked up. It is American Sign Language after all, so it's nice to have the basics of another language down if we ever need it.
So here's a list of signs that Isabelle for sure knows and signs when asked:
Eat - Drink - Cracker - Water - Cereal - Milk - Banana - Juice - Finished - Mom - Dad - More - Bird - Fish - Cat - Dog - Horse - Frog - Hurt - Shoes - Socks - Hat - Coat - Please - Thank You - Sorry - Car - Train - Bus - Bike - Airplane - Boat - Ball - Doll - Bear - Wash Hands - Soap - Water - Sleep - Bath - Brush Teeth - Books - Blanket - Outside - Wind - Rain - Snow - Sun - Cloud - Tree - Grass - Flower - Leaf - Stop - Again - Go - Bug - Star - Moon - Nice - Feel - Happy - Laugh - Sad - Cry - Hot - Cold - Yes - No - Me - You - Dirty - Clean - Apple - Pear - Carrot - Peach - Juice - Bubble - Balloon - Telephone - Music - Your Turn - My Turn - Read - Thirsty - House - Home - Brother - Uncle - Aunt - Cousin - Boots - Gloves - Feelings - Grumpy - Surprise - Silly - Excited - Colors - Red - Blue - Rainbow - Strawberry - Pear - Peach - Grapes - Beans - Baby - Time - Turtle - Cow - Squirrel - Lion - Butterfly -Tiger - Kangaroo - Mouse - Alligator - Sheep - Elephant - Spider - Giraffe - Rabbit - Pig - Monkey - Snake
Not sure if this list is complete, but it's a good overview of everything that Isabelle knows how to sign back at this point. We're still working on colors and we'll move over to the alphabet at some point when she's ready since it's one of the DVDs we have.


text:
Combining Your Startup With a Touch of Philanthropy
It is not unusual to hear of billionaire tech leaders like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg to promote and give to philanthropic causes but what is unusual is to hear about startups that base their plan around philanthropic activities along with whatever service or product they are marketing. The new startups have the opportunity to create not only successful businesses but also charitable contributions that grow with their company.
According to one study around 85% of the general public thinks that corporations should give back to causes be it environmental, or social issues the general consensus is that businesses have an obligation to give back. Consumers spend their money with these companies and want to know that their money is being used to better the communities they live in or the world as a whole.
So how do you combine your product, brand, or service with a philanthropic cause? There are many models to choose from such as simply choosing a charity or starting your own to contribute to on an annual basis. Another is to follow the example some online companies such as Ebay that ask buyers and sellers if they would like to add on by contributing to various charities. The possibilities for giving back really lie in the soul of the startup and the creativity of those hoping to give back from the beginning and carry it through throughout the life of the company.
For many startups angel investors were more likely to invest if they knew those partnering to start the company were attached to a philanthropic cause that they felt strongly about. The buy in had to do with the passion for the innovation or service as well as the strong need to help and give back. To link up with potential investors or learn more about philanthropy and startups bring your innovation to The iFestival.


text:
S4BB has released a new set of Easter themes for their awesome app, Theme. The new packs have been pushed out to those of you who already have the app, so you should be able to activate it now if you want.
For the time being, the two themes are free. After Easter, however, if you want to use them on your phone you'll have to purchase them. If you don't have Theme, you can download it for the Z10, Z30, Z3, Q5, Q10, and P'9982 from BlackBerry World.


text:
New Campaign
ProductFully Liveried Taxis fitted with interior tip-up seat adverts
LocationCentral London
DurationLong Term,
Xero creates beautiful accounting and payroll software for small to medium sized business. Taxi Advertising was the perfect solution to target small businesses in and around London. We were delighted to provide Fully Liveried Taxis to Xero, you can see the taxis in more detail below.
Businesses perform better when they have instant access to real-time financials – with Xero you and your advisors can take advantage of business opportunities and avoid problems when it matters. With Xero you can see your cashflow in real-time with online accounting, invoicing, billing & banking.


text:
I retired early from New York to Williamsburg, Virginia, to spend more time writing and to recover from what Richard Louv has called 'nature deficit disorder'.
I grew up in and around London, which sounds too urban for fostering a love of nature. Starting my career in Cambridge under Nobel Laureate (Sir) Robert Edwards, I studied animal and human reproduction, embryology, and aging. Later, much later, I married Lucinda Veeck, who was the embryologist on the first successful IVF team in America. We both owe our careers to Bob, as do upwards of five million babies conceived using IVF. Along the way, I was on the faculty of Edinburgh, Leeds, McGill, the Jones Institute, and lastly I was a professor and research director at Cornell's Weill Medical College in Manhattan.
Naturally, I want to write about subjects I know or care about – science, medicine, and wonders in nature. Sounds rather lofty? You bet! But I sip my medicine in small doses, and only when I think it is safe to swallow. I hope you don't think the posts are too eclectic, but let's see how they turn out each week …
One more thing. This blog doesn't accept any advertising revenue, and the books shown in the sidebar were published by our non-profit publishing company, Jamestowne Bookworks. It's very liberating not to worry about money!
January 1, 2013
When I started posting these musings last year I wondered where they would wander, and guessed it would be a wide territory. True. My keyboard clatters to different tunes every week depending on what is currently buzzing in my head. This week it is insects, sometimes science, sporadically health or medicine, often wondrous things in nature, and occasionally I felt compelled by a human interest story. The picture panel below gives a few clues. But my aim to observe rather than campaign or advertise has not changed, and hence I have been careless about the number of visitors hitting my website.
Robert Louis Stephenson wrote it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive, and that's an apt metaphor for my work. Writing provides momentum for exploring subjects that trigger my curiosity and imagination or help the struggle to understand the dark and sad sides of life. It is satisfying to upload another post, and sometimes a relief, but my goal was realized before I reached the final draft. It's a bonus if readers enjoy it.
They might be surprised to find more posts about nature than anything in biomedicine for which I was called expert. But a fascination with the natural world reaches back to childhood before I had a career, to a time when the word Green only meant a color. The gap that opened at the end of a career quickly filled with a long-postponed passion.
For all the brilliant advantages of being alive in these times, not least this mode of communication, there is a deep shadow of apprehension about the legacy we leave to future generations. A lot of diversity in nature has been lost since Alfred Russel Wallace was in the Indonesian jungle and John James Audubon hiked the virgin American forests, and species have vanished more rapidly since my own boyhood. As the most invasive and destructive species we are slowly waking from dreams of total conquest over nature to responsibilities for its care, even if mainly driven by self-interest in an era labeled the Sixth Extinction. But there is an irony, and perhaps an obstacle, that this late concern is coming at a time when people are even more disconnected from nature and our food sources because human populations everywhere are drifting to urban dwelling. In cities an appreciation for wild things is mostly a second-hand experience.
That is why Mr. Louv deserves to be read. And it is also why in my imagination I am pulled to the Wild Wood, like the opposite pole of a magnet, where we are aliens. I sympathize with the Rat: "Beyond the Wild Wood comes the Wild World…And that's something that doesn't matter either to you or to me. I've never been there, and I'm never going, nor you either, if you've got any sense at all." (Wind in the Willows).
August 1, 2014


text:
Search Blog
Follow Me on Social Media
to my personal journal through my viewfinder. A place where I leave the world behind and try to find the spirit of what I am seeing.
Feel free to look around at all the posts and pages. If you'd like to borrow a photo(s) for your non-commercial blog or website, be my guest. Please, do not alter the photo(s) and be sure to link back to this blog with a prominent photo credit(s). Thank you and I'm thrilled you dropped in!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Top 3 Views
June 2019 M T W T F S S « May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Best of Views Infinitum
Disney Blogs
Favorite Blogs
Photo Essays
Follow Me on Tweeter
- PHOTO GALLERY: @crushball at @rome_generals fr. 6/22/19. @NYCBLbaseball #Cortland #Rome #newyork #nycbl #baseball… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… : 16 hours ago
- I guess oil and gas can blow up like hydrogen. Should we stop making gasoline now? Massive fire breaks out at Phila… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… : 2 days ago
- RT @neiltyson: Science Literacy empowers you to know when others lie about objective realities. : 2 days ago
- Bay Lake Resorts from the water at #WaltDisneyWorld using @SkylumSoftware #intensifyck #polarizer #travel… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… : 2 days ago
- Charging my @Honda #Clarity #PHEV in @Syracuse1848 with @ChargePointnet. Need more of these stations around the 'Cu… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… : 3 days ago


text:
There is however a much bigger picture involved here than a local council working hard to deliver against a strategy of economic development and regeneration. Let's examine a few hard facts, mostly from council and Office of National Statistics sources, about the challenges we face about our island. An ageing population and twenty years of demographic change; accelerated by this Government's recently revealed 'Dispersal' and 'Inward migration' policy to seaside towns such as Margate, Hastings and Dover, has dramatically changed the face of the place where I grew-up:
- Thanet has a disproportionately large population of elderly residents and the lowest life expectancy in Kent. The health of people in Thanet is the worst in the South-east.
- Those residents over the age of 50 (which includes me) now account for 40.8% of the population, the highest proportion of 50+ adults in the country. This figure will continue to increase as time goes by and presents tough financial challenges to the statutory agencies at a time when central Government budgets are in unprecedented crisis.
- Adults over 65 and 85 are once again higher than the national picture and annual incomes are lower. This has significant implications in regard to sustaining the local economy of our towns where disposable income is involved.
- Thanet is characterized by household incomes significantly below the national and regional average but demand for new housing continues to increase and in particular those with disabled access. Meanwhile, Government is reducing its support for disabled facilities grants for the many homes that require it locally, leaving Thanet to find the funding and a £2.3 million backlog in applications.
- There are over 4,000 people on the housing register and 35% of all homes in Thanet fail to meet the decent homes standard
- Thanet has the highest levels of domestic abuse in Kent.
- Unemployment is more than twice that of the South-east as a whole but qualifications are below the average.
- Thanet experiences the highest levels of criminal damage in Kent.
- The demographic mix in Thanet is changing rapidly with significant increases in ethnic groups.
Recently, I wrote that my own back-of-an-envelope calculation from a recent presentation suggested that every man, woman and child on the island has been subsidized by Government, in terms of services to the sum of £7,000 each. I also reminded people that collected council tax only pays 40% of what we need to deliver all our local services and that the balance of 60% comes from Government. This is about to be slashed, leaving the close to £6 million gap over five years, reported in Your Thanet last week.
This last decade of Labour government policies has proved disasterous for the island and yesterday's papers revealed what may have been going on behind the scenes in regard to Labour's efforts to win new seats through the simple expedient of making them poorer and more diverse. From looking at the published league of local deprivation, Thanet North sticks out like a sore thumb. It should be Labour but it's not, a tiny island of blue surrounded by a sea of red. But you draw your own conclusions; don't take my word for it.
So, Thanet Bloggers and local papers and local film producers who are so quick to criticize, tell me where the money comes from to deliver on all your grand plans, if efforts to rebuild and regenerate our local economy are frustrated? We need to give local people jobs, homes, opportunities and a future and these can't be found by turning back the clock or even under this Government, which seems so cynically intent on perpetuating and growing our benefits dependent culture, keeping us poor by sending us its poor and homeless in large numbers and against our wishes.


text:
A Google User
L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
"A Google User"
Despite the line being extremely long for the buffet it was absolutely worth it. The servers are fantastic in the food is excellent and always fresh. Despite the food costing a lot the food is fantastic. There's not many places where you can eat all you can on crab legs and crawfish. There's so many dessert options it's hard to choose. We'll go back in the future definitely


text:
Blue Brushed Limestone 40cm x 60cm
This finish is the result of intensive grinding of the surface with special brush-type tools. The brushes consist of fine diamond particles trapped in a plastic matrix. The specific surface density of the particles determines the final blue-gray colour of the stone surface. Blue Brushed is a highly durable finish, perfectly suitable for indoor or outdoor applications. Kilkenny Limestone also makes a perfect hearth for underneath stoves or in front of fireplaces.
To keep it looking great it is vital that the correct tile sealers are applied on installation to maintain its natural look. For this we recommend Qualtz Inviseal Omega Wall and Floor Tile Sealer.
4.17 pieces per square meter
13kg / piece
|Best Tile online store has been established to bring genuine Moroccan tiles to the forefront of interior design. The tiles from Morocco Spain and France are well known not only for their simplicity but their versatility and flair for colour. Why not visit the largest tile showroom in the Southeast of Ireland. We've got the biggest range of tiles and accessories available at the lowest prices.
|Moroccan Handmade Encaustic Cement Tiles have been used throughout the Islamic world for thousands of years in Morocco, France & Spain. Each tile is traditionally handcrafted by artisans using local materials.
|Moroccan Type Glazed Tiles This is a truly stunning range of tiles that will add real atmosphere wherever it is used.
Tiles in this range use traditional Mediterranean and Arabesque designs.
|Indian Slate Tiles are a beautiful and versatile product that adds a feeling of warmth and timeless elegance to compliment or feature any design. Hand selected for texture and colour, Slate tiles create an exceptional surface.
|Metro Subway Tiles reflecting the splendour of Valencian tiles, some reflect ceramic tradition, carefully redesigned for contemporary decor. In design they have enjoyed the collaboration of prestigious designers.
|Victorian Type Tiles 10cm x10cm Wall and Floor Tiles. Reflecting the splendour of Victorian Type Tiles, carefully redesigned for contemporary decor. Victorian tiles collection captures the exquisite styling of the period.
|Handmade Terracotta Tiles are a classic floor covering timeless and not subject to the whims of current fashions. Terracotta, perfect traditional settings, with a character achievable with handmade tiles.
|Cement Tile Fitting, Sealing and Maintenance | Floor Area Calculator | Tile Quantity Calculator | Best Tile - Tile Simulator | Shade Variation | Best Tile Gallery | Moroccan Tile FAQ


text:
Recording date: February 4, 2016
Antenna engineers are often faced with the task of modifying or improving an existing design or evaluating the suitability of a purchased antenna for a specific application. Information that is learned in these investigations needs to be captured in a structured and efficient way so that it can easily be shared, reviewed and refined as design requirements change.
In this webinar we will explore some of the ways in which Antenna Magus can be used in conjunction with CST® STUDIO SUITE® to accelerate these tasks. The discussion will include a demonstration of both basic and advanced Antenna Magus workflows based on practical examples.
Your session has expired. Redirecting you to the login page...


text:
|A New Breed
cover image at Equestria Daily
|action, superheroes
|Princess Luna, Trixie
A New Breed is a fan fiction written by Polecat and can be found on Equestria Daily. It is an action-packed story taking place in a speculative near-future Equestria that is at war with an extra-terrestrial threat led by the Nightmare.
The characters and their powers are inspired and influenced by comic book heroes, with Marvel being a particularly prominent inspiration.
Seemingly in response to the arrival of the space-born imps, many ponies and other beings including the Mane 6 develop extraordinary powers and are dubbed "Specials" by pony society. Princess Luna creates an Agency to organize and train Specials to fight the imp invasion.
The story itself begins several years after the start of the war, when Twilight Sparkle remains the only member of the Mane 6 still living, and she is an elderly mare no longer on active duty. The plot follows Clockwork Key, a mare with a Special talent for technology and employed by the Agency as a coordinator for the team led by her brother, Warpony, until a routine mission against a squad of imps turns out to be a trap designed to lure out and capture Twilight. Warpony sacrifices his life to foil the plan, but Twilight dies as well.
Later, Clockwork is invited by Luna to become part of a new team of Specials whose task will be to locate the Nightmare's stronghold and destroy it. Over the course of the story, Clockwork develops a suit of flying battle armor to use on missions while dealing with strife and changes to her team, the loss of the Elements of Harmony to the Imps, and the politics surrounding the Agency.
Clockwork Key/ Dragonfly
A khaki earth pony mare with a Special talent for technology. Her hearing is highly sensitive to the acoustics and sounds of materials, making her capable of locating anything that is not working at peak efficiency. In fact, inefficient machinery irritates her to the point of distraction, turning her into something of a perfectionist. Her mind works faster than the average pony's, and she's constantly taking mental notes on her armor and puzzling over the features that evade her initial attempts to implement. Due to her own talents and her brother's status, she is familiar with many members of the agency, including most of her original team.
Her Dragonfly armor is clearly inspired by Iron Man.
A blind earth pony with psychic powers, including powerful telepathy, telekinesis, and creating solid energy constructs. She's the personal student of Princess Luna and is rather introverted and awkward at the start. Her telepathic powers allow her to link all of her teammates mind's into a communications network and can speak with Luna at almost any distance unless blocked by magic. She wears a purple body suit that covers her entire body, but as she grows closer to Clockwork she begins to remove it while off-duty.
With her Special power of immortality and perpetual youth, Trixie has had time to increase her magic skills to the degree that she becomes the most powerful unicorn in the world following Twilight's death. Her arrogant, boastful attitude remains intact until she begins to warm to Clockwork and reveals herself to be driven more by a desire to prove herself as a legitimate successor to Twilight than by gaining praise.
An earth pony stallion from Stalliongrad, his Special power is a coat of extremely tough but flexible metal. He is a close friend of Clockwork's family and takes her under his wing, so to speak, when she's brought onto the team. He's a jovial fellow who always looks on the bright side of things and is not afraid to give advice when it's needed. Even after losing his metal coat and use of his rear legs in battle, he continues to find ways to give Clockwork moral support.
The most famous Special still living, and has the pride and sense of entitlement to go with it. He's basically a flying brick -- fast and super-strong. He takes an instant dislike to Clockwork's presence on the team, due in part to their less-than-friendly past, and does not grasp the concept of working together.
A unicorn mare with a Special talent for teleportation, somewhat akin to Nightcrawler of the X-men. She's a later addition to the team following the departure of the buffalo Thunderhooves, and seems to bring the spirit of Pinkie Pie to the group with her clownish behavior and witty one-liners in battle. She can generate a rapier of magic energy from her horn, which she uses to deadly effect in tandem with her teleporting powers. Tome dislikes her initially, seeing her as a rival performer.
A female griffon that Celestia buys out of slavery (Special griffons are considered to be chattel by their own kind) and brought onto the team to fill a vacancy. Her talent is to coat her wings in razor-sharp metal, and she had been trained as a body-guard while in slavery. She is blunt and does not suffer fools lightly, but welcomes the warm and friendly treatment she is given in pony society. She devotes herself to the team as much out of appreciation to the Princesses as out of a desire to bring peace.
Polecat has recently started Book 2 of the story. Picking up a few months after the end of the war against the Nightmare and the Imps, the story opens at a dig site in Zebra lands, where a stallion named Relic and a male Zebra named Quagga have just unearthed four orbs rumored to be part of a set of six male-oriented counterparts to the Elements of Harmony (which work exclusively for females). Princess Celestia makes a surprise visit to the site, much to Relic and Quagga's fear, since they were under the impression that seeking these Elements is a crime of treason in Equestria. Celestia interviews the pair in private to determine their reasons for seeking the orbs and they tell her they only seek for balance between male and female ponies, the latter of which currently outnumber the former in the general population. Satisfied, Celestia tells them the history of the orbs, the Elements of Justice, that she had created for the very purpose of equalizing the genders, but at the cost of entering an extended period of dormancy and losing the set to a corrupting force, and gives Relic and Quagga a secret task to research the means of finding the "spark" that will create the sixth Element of Justice, and track down the resting place of EoJ #5, Sacrifice.
Meanwhile in Canterlot, the Agency of Specials has officially disbanded as a military force and remains only to train new Sepcials. The current bearers of the Elements of Harmony - Clockwork Key and her team - presently live together along with Skillet in a royally appointed mansion and are employed as dignitaries to try and improve diplomatic ties betwene Equestria and some of its neighbors. Most of the team has adjusted to their new life, but Clockwork is suffering from a form of PSTD and keeps expecting another Imp attack to be around the next corner.


text:
After months of interaction at THEMUSEUM, the fishing line on the canoe had been under a great deal of stress. This was anticipated — this is art that is meant to be touched, and touching means wear and tear. The canoe is meant to be alive and to take on different shapes as it moves between galleries. Ultimately, this is a portage project in which the canoe undergoes several transformations en route back to Algonquin Park, where it was first christened in 2009 at the outset of the project.
All philosophising aside, it was very painful to take scissors to the strings of the canoe that had been visibly stretched beyond repair. In a matter of seconds I had undone dozens of hours of work, the contributions of several volunteers. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary to cut all of the strings since some were still in good shape. Robert Alton at the Tom Thomson Gallery in Owen Sound assured me that the canoe could be shipped the 200 kilometres to the gallery without suffering any damage. Indeed, this was the case.
I traveled to Owen Sound with my star canoe-wrapping team, Adam Bradley and Cameron Stott. I shouldn't call these guys gluttons for punishment — they had already wrapped about 7 or 8 kms of fishing line around the canoe for the first installation. On the other hand, Cameron's tendency to turn canoe wrapping into an intense body-building exercise is cause for questioning the team's "artistic intentions."
To spare the backs, quads, and minds of the wrapping team, I decided to build an apparatus designed specifically for wrapping fishing line around a canoe. It took no more than a piece of threaded rebar, some wingnuts (no jokes please), and piece of metal strapping with holes. The result is pictured below:
The device provides canoe-wrappers with a 100% increase in efficiency while improving the quality of the wrapping. Of course, the wrappers, being well-schooled in Karl Marx, Frederick Taylor, and the industrial revolution were not pleased with my under-ambitious design, and they decided to attempt yet another 100% increase in efficiency. Their efforts succeeded, and we ended up with a 4-spool mechanism that cut down the wrapping time to under 6 hours.
Obviously, these students were trained in the Critical Media Lab. My thanks goes out to them once again, and also to Robert Alton and Virginia Eichhorn at the Tom Thomson Gallery. Your support is greatly appreciated.


text:
Hushed missives, in black envelopes
Unheeded squeals, in vanquished souls
How faith dwells deep, in misspent hopes
Who pay to fear, womanhood's tolls!
How one become, all feminine forms
When sinful contours, die away
Stray tombs of lust, in uniforms
Snared jailbirds, in moral melee!
Two questions, glare thru a placid tear
Resent black millstones, of modesty
"Why we, a penance, for a sin austere!
Faith, a means to avow, men's dynasty!"
Alas, hajis of this, black pilgrimage
Tread soullessly, in search of a name
Drunk to death, with a spent outrage
Rejoice pious pain, Shrines Of Shame!
© 2018 Vikas Chandra


text:
This little gem was brought to my attention by Andrew Hay. If you aren't following him, you should start. You'll be smarter for it.
This morning, he posted a link about a new position that exists (maybe?!) somewhere in the industry. The position is called the Chief IoT (Internet of Things) Officer. Yes, you read that correctly. While IoT is a big concern and getting it wrong can really jam a lot of things up, it's not like IoT demands its own board level position.
Just like with IT, there are two major components to IoT administration. The first is implementation/operation and the second is security. Implementation and operation should be handled by the CIO. Security should be handled by the CISO. Some will argue that IoT is so fundamentally different from regular devices that a new C level position is required. I think this is hogwash.
At Rendition Infosec, we usually can tell a lot about the security posture at an organization just by looking at the org chart. When the CISO reports to the CIO, you can usually anticipate problems in security. News about the security posture of information systems is simply not accurately reported when the CISO doesn't report to the board with an independent voice.
Creating another position in the C-suite for IoT will simply confuse non-technical board members about an already confusing topic. Will the CIoTO (??) be in charge of security or just implementation for IoT? What about the obvious places where regular IT and IoT merge in operation? We already see friction between IT and information security on issues of who is responsible for administering security tools like the SIEM. Obviously this will just create more issues with no real benefit.
That being said, organizations should not neglect IoT. IoT devices come with their own unique challenges. The CIO and the CISO should both have advisors who can help them identify upcoming trends in IoT adoption and take appropriate action to maximize value to the organization. Ignoring IoT is almost as stupid as having a Chief IoT Officer.
Is your organization adopting IoT devices? Do you have specific policies governing IoT? Is your organization considering a C-level IoT officer? Leave a comment and let me know what you see coming for IoT.


text:
Dear Families,
We are having a special visitor on Wednesday, November 30. Bishop Nelson J. Perez, will be celebrating mass with us beginning at 11 am in the School Chapel. Afterwards, we will have an International Buffet for lunch in the Cafeteria.
Bishop Perez is an Auxiliary Bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. He serves as Vicar for the Hispanic Apostolate and Vicar for Eastern Long Island. He taught in Catholic School before he entered the Seminary and led Catholic Schools while a Pastor in Philadelphia. I served with Bishop Perez on the search committee for the new Diocesan Superintendent of Schools and continue to serve with him on other educational initiatives in Diocese.
We would like your participation on this special day. You are most welcome to join us for the liturgy. We also invite any our students to come to school dressed in outfits from their cultural heritage. We have students and families from all over the globe, and it would be awesome to have them represented. Additionally, we would like to invite anyone who is interested to send a favorite family food item to share at the International Buffet.
If you are able to participate, you can reply online.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours truly,
Mr. Paul P. Clagnaz
Proud Principal


text:
|Front View
Layout of my card was inspired by Debby's card.
I am fan of Debby 's work, her card are amazing always n I loved arrangement on this card a lot !
|Card by Jocelyn Olson
|Card by Debby Hughes
And the vibrant water-colored background from Jocelyn's card.
I was blown away by the bright bg , white die-cuts and wanted to try it as soon as I saw it !
Here is my take ..
|Side View
Now the very interesting part..How is the Washi tape ? didn't notice ?? the film strip ..
What will be your reaction if I tell you it can be created in three steps that too from basic supplies ??(not my original idea ,lots of bloggers have already shared it ,I am sharing my version )
Step 1 : Take a tissue paper of your choice (colored,printed) .I took a plain one
Step 2: Adhere a double side tape gently removing wrinkles if any (unless you want a textured tape :D ).
Do not remove the backing.
|DIY Washi tape
I hope it is useful,tell me if you like it :) .
Linking it to :
Case Study Anniversary week #3
Beyond Grey Challenges : # 57 Watercolors
The Mixed Media card Challenge: # 2 Summer (cool colors[summer] ,texture [handmade paper],inks[distress ink,watercolor,marker],dimension[foam tape])


text:
Mac's classes run for baby's of 6 weeks old through to Boys and Girls of 5 years of age.
Our Mac the Monkey classes are something unique to us and have been developed by our team of staff over the last 10 years. The classes start from 6 weeks old through to 5/6 years old (when they are ready to move onto our 'older' classes). The classes are structured to allow as many sensory activities and experiences to take place in class enhancing the development of your little treasure !
We all know that children thrive on music and sensory stimulation and that Early Years Education is very important and the development of the baby in their first few years is vital and really sets them up for life. Our Mac the Monkey programme aims to grow and enhance the development of your little one whilst teach technical skills in the performing arts. Our under 3 years classes give a special time for you to bond with your little one.