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If you want to make sure you're up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by their website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Who Dressed the Dogs Up?
If you want to make sure you're up on all the Sparkle Abbey news, stop by their website and sign up for updates at sparkleabbey.com.
71 comments:
I love the dog!ReplyDelete
A polar bear costume. See you Saturday in Suffolk! Kkcochran (at) hotmail (dot) comReplyDeleteReplies
A polar bear sounds like fun. :-) See you Saturday, Kristin!Delete
A polar bear costume. See you Saturday in Suffolk! Kkcochran (at) hotmail (dot) comReplyDelete
Ha, that Chewie costume is pretty darn cute! Otherwise, maybe go with the classic Swiss rescue dog theme.ReplyDelete
It is! LOL A rescue dog sounds like a fine idea!Delete
Just put a barrel around his neck for a rescue dog centraleast2 at gmail dot comReplyDeleteReplies
Seems like a theme here with the barrel... LOL He'd be a handsome one!Delete
I'm not one to dress up my pets but I think he would look good with a barrel around his neck.ReplyDelete
Bertha, our pets are not wild about being dressed up. :-)Delete
- AnonymousAugust 11, 2016 at 8:09 AM
Love this series. Sparkle thinks up the BEST titles ever. Since a St. Bernard is gentle as a lamb, how about a lamb costume? mlarkin at rmrgroup dot com.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks, Mary Louise! A lamb would be adorable.Delete
Maybe the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz would be cute.ReplyDelete
Oh, the Tin Man. That's a great idea!Delete
I'd go for the classic rescue dog barrel.ReplyDelete
sgiden at verizon(.)netReplies
That would be cute and easy.Delete
I think a hobo costume would be cute.ReplyDelete
That would be. What a cute idea!Delete
We were blessed to have a basset hound named Raisin Lucille Ball Coxon. On Halloween we would dress her in a PumpkinReplyDelete
costume and she would go Trick or Treating with the kids. Our neighbors were just as excited to see her as they were
the kids. firstname.lastname@example.com
A snail or a slug...it would explain the drool (slime) trail lolReplyDeleteReplies
That's hilarious! Very creative and appropriate for a St. Bernard. :)Delete
My daughter now wants a dog that looks like Chewy and we decided that a St Bernard would be great dressed as Jabba the Hut (to keep with the Star Wars theme) firstname.lastname@example.com
LOL Love it! Jabba the Hut and Chewy would be a great pair.Delete
Some kind of bear, I think. This sounds like a series I want to start reading. firstname.lastname@example.com
Thanks Melissa! A St. Bernard pup is perfect for a bear costume.Delete
- Robyn KAugust 11, 2016 at 10:13 AM
Dogs are the best! A cute costume for a Saint Bernard puppy is to go as themself. They are so adorable there's no need to dress them up. Thank you for this chance! firstname.lastname@example.com
We agree, dogs are the best! Of course, Sparkle the kitty, thinks cats are better. :)Delete
A saddle with a small rider?ReplyDelete
libbydod at comcast dot netReplies
That would be fun. We can just see the rider bobbing up and down as Raider runs across the lawn!Delete
How about a tutu and a glittery crown.ReplyDelete
Hope it's a girl.
This would be a new series for me - would
love to try it.
Boy dogs can wear crowns too. :) We're glad you left a comment!Delete
I think he would look cute as a scarecrow, being Fall is just around the corner. Thanks for this very generous giveaway. email@example.com
Oh, that's original! Great idea.Delete
- Annette NAugust 11, 2016 at 12:32 PM
Easy Peasy - a St Bernard can only have the costume of a Swiss Monk. annettena (at) yahoo (dot) comReplyDelete
He should totally go as a lion. I don't know why but I can totally picture it now. Lol!ReplyDelete
LOL Put a fluffy mane around his neck and call it good. We like it!Delete
I never dressed up any of my dogs, but my granddog did have a t-shirt once. A Rotty is not the easiest dog to get any clothes on. This would be a hard contest to judge cause they would all be so cute! email@example.com
LOL We can only imagine trying to put a costume on a Rotty.Delete
How about a pirate? email@example.com
Arrrr! With a hook? That would be classic!Delete
- Elaine N.August 11, 2016 at 1:46 PM
A Star Trek costume.ReplyDelete
Old school Star Trek or New Generation? :)Delete
- Elaine N.August 12, 2016 at 8:09 AM
Original series of course!Delete
I'm just back from the Star Trek 50th Anniversary convention in Las Vegas so I have Trek on my mind. Most of the service animals there had Trek outfits.
A cowboy would be delightful. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)comReplyDeleteReplies
With a cute cowboy hat and boots! Love it.Delete
Little Bo Peep. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)comReplyDeleteReplies
Love! With a sign that says he lost his sheep! :)Delete
- AnonymousAugust 11, 2016 at 5:11 PM
I think a Saint Bernard should be dressed up in a nanny outfit just like the one in Peter Pan...I always thought that was the cutest...Thank you for the contest.ReplyDelete
Marilyn firstname.lastname@example.com
The nanny from Peter Pan would be adorable, Marilyn.Delete
i think a saint puppy dressed as a poodle or a chihuahua would be fun!ReplyDelete
That would be funny!Delete
All of my ideas were already taken. I think the St. Bernard puppy would look good as himself, or a lamb or as some type of bear. I also think a lion would really be amazing.ReplyDelete
Great minds think alike! Thanks for leaving a comment!Delete
Bear would be cute. Parkeremma2003 at yahoo dot comeReplyDeleteReplies
That seems to be a popular idea.Delete
An angel email@example.com
I'd love to see a Saint Bernard puppy dressed up as a lion!ReplyDelete
A horse or a pirate! Thanks for the chance!ReplyDelete
A Canadian Mountie!ReplyDelete
He should go as the Great Pumpkin! email@example.com
A scruffy little scarecrow would be cute.ReplyDelete
Santa Claus! email@example.com
Oh goodness I was just at Michaels last night looking at dog costumes and they were so cute I think for a bigger dog would be one dressed as a cowboy or even a jailer good luck email@example.com
I think a Captain America costume would be great for a Super DOG!MerryReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 12, 2016 at 8:08 PM
I would make a collar with daisy flower petals. GeorgiaReplyDelete
queenvictoria50 (at) aol (dot) com
A turtle. :) Thanks for the chance. turtle6422 (at) gmail (dot) comReplyDelete
Dog parks can be wonderful additions to a community, whether as an inclusion to an existing community park or as a stand-alone, dog specific park. People who are thinking about building a dog park should be aware that there are many pitfalls to be encountered along the way. Alldogsbigandsmall.comReplyDelete


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While Wall Street's recent surge may vanish just as quickly as it arrived, the rebound came with something the market hasn't seen in awhile—buying into a rally.
Since stocks entered bear-market territory during the summer, investors have been notoriously skittish during rallies —often staging late-day selloffs on hopes of quick profits and fears that there are too many headwinds to sustain a move higher.
- Scary Lows Are Over: Charts
But that wasn't the case with the nearly 900-point Dow rally of the past two trading days, particular during Monday's move upward which saw buyers take a mid-day break but then return with full fury as indexes closed about up 5 percent.
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
"The sentiment's starting to switch a little bit," says Nadav Baum, managing director of investments at BPU Investment Management in Pittsburgh. "People are talking that this is a bear market rally, but it could go on a little bit."
For Investors
- Pros Say Stocks Have Bottomed
- Stock Picker's 'Preferred' Strategy
- Four Stock Picks for the Long Haul
- Dow 30 Stocks at a Glance
- Credit Spreads and Libor
In addition to snapping up some of the bigger market movers, investment advisors are pushing their clients into broad-based exchange-traded funds that take advantage of moves higher in the major indexes without as much risk as buying individual stocks.
Also, municipal bonds are getting a lot of attention as market pros look for ways to protect principal while also trying to squeeze out at least modest yields.
"Most of the tax selling is done and the hedge fund redemptions are over," Baum says. "Hopefully we can turn the old Santa Claus rally into year's end. There are some great companies out there that are trading at major discounts."
Obama and the Treasury
Analysts were cheered that even though markets moved lower Tuesday, there was no massive sell-off following the big rally.
The most influential market movers since Friday have been President-elect Barack Obama's appointments of his economic team and a new round of government intervention aimed at stopping the bleeding on Wall Street.
Amidst the developments, investors have been finding value in a variety of ETFs and a handful of strong companies.
Baum has been using the Vanguard Value (NASDAQ: VTV) ETF, which tracks the MSCI US Prime Market Value index. Some of the companies in the fund include ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), General Electric (NYSE: GE), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX). The fund also pays a 5 percent dividend.
In addition, Baum likes some the Select Sector SPDR, or "Spider," ETFs that are popular among investors and play the broad indexes. He advocates the S&P Deposit Receipts (AMEX: SPY) which tracks the movement of the S&P 500.
"You can buy these great baskets of equities and get returns of individual equities," Baum says. "That's a very smart thing to do for individual investors--spread out the risk and still get nice returns."
Emerging Markets Back?
Market rebounds also provide opportunity to ride stocks that were beaten down and are due for a snapback.
Infrastructure plays were the rage earlier in the year as emerging markets continued to explode, but then backed off in the third quarter as global economic gloom set in. But now may be the time to get back on board, especially in light of the Obama administration's likely reliance on public works projects as stimulus to kick-start the economy and the expected resurgence of some of those foreign economies.
"We've stretched the rubber band significantly in one direction," says David Twibell, president of wealth management for Denver-based Colorado Capital Bank. "Nothing goes up or down in a straight line. We've seen this movie before."
CNBC experts discuss how to make money in this market, in video at left.
Twibell has been directing clients gingerly back into infrastructure plays including McDermott International (NYSE: MDR) and Shaw Group (NYSE: SGR).
"The whole theme of development in emerging markets, I don't think we're anywhere near done with that. That's something that's going to go on for decades," Twibell says. "We hit a big pothole here, but I think the outlook for these companies is incredibly strong."
He also is looking at some ETF plays that capitalize on holiday rallies, which he says could be led by small- and mid-cap companies.
Differing Strategies
Needing to capitalize on a Santa Claus-rally is a microcosm of current investing strategy, with differing schools of thought on whether the buy-and-hold three- to five-year investing strategy allows investors to be nimble enough to profit on short-term moves.
Those playing municipal and corporate debt are doing so mostly on a short-term basis, not wanting to get pulled into the longer end of the yield curve. Yields move higher when investors dump bonds and take on more risk in the stock market.
For Investors
- Stock Picker's "Preferred" Strategy
- Four Stock Picks for the Long Haul
- We're Done With Scary Lows: Chart Master
- Investment Tips to Beat Inflation
- Tips to Get a Year-End Bonus
"For longer-term clients we've been buying (stocks) all along," says Randy Carver, president of Carver Financial Services in Mentor, Ohio. "Our philosophy is more of a diversified long-term allocation versus a market-timing trading one. So I think there's some great value out there but you need to be three- to five-year equity investors."
Yet Carver also says investors need to find places to shield themselves from risks, so he's buying municipal debt as well as certificates of deposits to protect cash.
On the equity side, he's in a variety of ETFs, playing some of the SPDR funds as well as the iShares S&P 500 Index (NASDAQ: IVV) fund and the iShares Russell Mid-cap (NASDAQ: IWR) ETF.
BPU's Baum says investors do need to be nimble, but should use caution. He advocates sort of a reverse dollar-cost averaging into stocks, where investors should capitalize on momentum and buy stocks on the way up rather than trying to catch bargains on the way down of companies that are trending lower.
"I would use the nimble thing going in slowly. If you want to invest $10,000, you go in $2,500, take a look at it, and if it goes higher maybe put another $2,500 in," he says. "One thing retail investors don't do a good job of is buy in the way up. Retail investors tend to dollar-cost average on the downside. I would rather buy today on the way up."For more stories from CNBC, go to cnbc.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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If you aren't lucky enough to live around fields full of rusting vintage cars, these 360 panoramic images of a Texas Junkyard might be the next best thing. Jalopnik commenter Supercharger.Heaven tipped us off to these awesome pictures from CTC Auto Ranch in Texas which are good for hours of car spotting.
Hat tip to Supercharger.Heaven!
[CTC Auto Ranch]


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Membership Benefits
WFDF Membership provides the following benefits to national organisations and their players:
- Competition - The ability to compete in world Championships and continental championships. WFDF strives to ensure that these tournaments are the best-run flying disc events in the world. Participation in these events is defined here.
- Promotion - World championships provide opportunities for all members to promote the sport by bringing the best in the world together at a single event.
- Athlete pathways - World championships give your athletes something to strive for beyond your national championships.
- Event standards - WFDF events are produced to the highest standards, serving as a model for competition at national level, and providing resources that can be reused by national organisations..
- Hosting - The opportunity to host world or continental championships, and the financial, administrative and athletic rewards that come with hosting a championship.
- Rules - Standard rules for all disc sports that are used throughout the vast majority of the world.
- Representation - Members have a voice in decision-making processes which affect disc sports globally, nationally and locally.
- Communication - WFDF is a forum for international discussion on the development of disc sports and sharing of ideas and expertise. WFDF disseminates information about disc sports to its members through email lists and its website.
- Lobbying - WFDF promotes disc sports in the international sporting community through its relations to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as recognised IF, its membership of ARISF, Sportaccord (former GAISF) and IWGA.
- Credibility - WFDF's recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its membership of ARISF, Sportaccord (former GAISF) and IWGA and its profile on the international sporting landscape can help national associations gain recognition and support from their governments, corporate sponsors and the wider community.
- Recruitment - Being on WFDF's contact list will attract local and visiting international players to your organisation and events.
- Spirit of the Game - WFDF safeguards spirit of the game globally by developing and communicating programs for strengthening SOTG and by fostering international fellowship bound together with SOTG..
- World Records - Administering world records and the standards by which they are set.
- Inspiration - Athletes that compete internationally often become inspired to get more involved with administration at a local or national level and drive organisations and teams to achieve more.
- Expansion - WFDF facilitates the establishment of disc sports in new countries, through developing ties with established neighbouring national organisations, supplying administrative advice and providing models for competition and development. The establishment of new national organisations provide variety in competition for its existing members, closer to home, and enriches the cultural experience of playing disc sports.
- Long-term benefits - The foundations that WFDF is laying will pay dividends in the long-term to organisations and players at all levels.
- As member associations of an IOC recognised Federation (IOC) WFDF members can apply for national recognition by their National Olympic Committee (NOC) to be granted on their NOCs discretion.


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By Karin Calloway
Related Menus
Asian Meatball Soup
Chicken noodle soup is winter comfort food, and this version takes an Asian turn with hints of lime, ginger, soy sauce and chile sauce. Delicious meatballs, a combination of shrimp, chicken and crabmeat, float in the aromatic broth along with some rice stick noodles.
Place shrimp and chicken in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Scrape the mixture out into a large bowl and stir in garlic, green onions, fish sauce, black pepper and sugar. Add crab and form into 36 balls.
Bring broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, lime juice and ginger to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Drop in the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes. Divide the noodles among 6-8 soup bowls and top with the meatballs. Ladle the broth over the soup and serve with a sprinkling of the chopped cilantro.
Makes 6-8 servings.


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Home > Academics > Academic Resources > Office of Records and Registration > General Education Requirements
General Education Requirements
The general education curriculum is at the heart of a student's educational journey, conveys the values embedded with a rich Mercy heritage, and infuses personal and professional practice with the spirit of liberal learning. It provides a foundation for learning for life and livelihood by exploring a range of disciplines, their relationships and how they contribute to human understanding and the common good.
For students who started in the fall semester of 2010 or after:
- Incoming freshmen will follow the general education program requirements for new students.
- Adult and Transfer students will follow the general education program requirements for transfer and adult students.


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With the new poll out from Public Policy Polling, a company that did an excellent job predicting 2012 races, and 2010 independent candidate Elliot Cutler saying he'll run again, pundits are weighing on Cutler, LePage, and potential Democratic candidates.
All that can get pretty complicated.
However, if Gov. LePage runs for re-election, the race will come down to a basic choice: LePage or no LePage.
Simply put, LePage is polarizing.
The people who like him really like him. He has maintained his support base without almost any erosion.
But the people who don't like him tend to really not like him. A good chunk of them are anyone-but-LePage voters.
Unless the governor changes a fair amount — whether involving policies, an ability to bargain and negotiate in a bipartisan way, or temperament — those dynamics won't change.
And the likelihood that LePage will change much is pretty minimal. He has strong policy views and doesn't seem to have the discipline to maintain calm for that long.
In 2010, the choice was also largely about LePage.
Cutler only did as well as he did because voters who were going to vote for the Democratic candidate, Libby Mitchell, switched to him in the last week, hoping to stop LePage.
Sure, Cutler had core support before then, but his final vote tally came from a combination of people who had him as their first choice and people who didn't have him as their first choice but were voting strategically, hoping to prevent LePage from winning.
In 2014, there probably will be uncertainty through the campaign and then the anti-LePage vote is likely to consolidate.
This may put Cutler in the lead and it may not. That will depend on the ultimate mix of candidates and developments in the campaign.
But ultimately, if Gov. LePage is on the ballot, the 2014 race will be about one person: him.


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San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 835-9888
I had fully planned to do a two-part lunch today, starting with Pizzetta 211 in the
What's neat about Tony's is that the place boasts no less than four different ovens, each used for different types of pizza. The Margherita and Marinara pies are cooked in a domed wood-burning oven. "Classic Italian" pizzas are cooked in a gas-fired domed brick oven. "Classic American" pizzas are cooked in a
One look at Tony's menu and I was hit with a severe case of sticker shock. The 12-inch Margherita sets you back a whopping $18, the highest price I've yet seen for a Marg of that size. This pizza won the 2007 World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy, and pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani makes only 73 of these a day. Well, I thought, this better be worth it. The menu makes sure you know this is "authentic" Neapolitan pizza, describing the Margherita thusly: "Dough mixed by hand using San Felice flour, then proofed in Neapolitan Wood Boxes, San Marzano tomatoes DOP, sea salt, mozzarella fior di latte, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil from Campania."
It's kind of annoying how much they hit you over the head with this stuff as if no one else in the country makes this kind of pizza, but whatever, I figured if the pizza was good enough, they could write an entire novel on the menu and I wouldn't really care.
When the Margherita hit the table steaming hot from the wood-burning oven, it certainly had the visual of a Neapolitan pie down pat. The crust had a nice puffy cornicione and mild charring all around. Fresh from the oven, the chassis was still crisp and didn't flop when I picked up a slice (though that crispness soon faded). White islands of mozzarella floated in the bright red sea of tomato sauce and dark green leaves of fresh basil.
What I love best about Tony's Margherita is that it is properly salted. The sauce, cheese, and crust all have more salt than just about any Neapolitan-style pizza I've eaten, and I was grateful for it. The salt brought out the milky flavor of the cheese, the brightness of the tomatoes, and the rustic bread flavor in the crust. The cheese is a tad on the rubbery side, but as I said, the flavor is good enough that it doesn't really hurt the pizza as a whole.
Unfortunately, it is in no way an $18 pie. I don't know what reasoning Tony has for charging so much for it. Is it the ingredients? The location of the restaurant? Whatever it is, it's just too much to charge for this kind of pie. If it really is because Tony insists on importing all these Italian ingredients, well, the fact is I've had pies that are just as good (and better) made with cheaper domestic products.
The second pie of the afternoon was the Truffle pie (market price today: $28). Normally this white pie is topped with mozzarella, burrata, Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam Triple Cream cheese, wild mushrooms, arugula, parmigiano, and Italian shaved truffles. Today, though, they were out of truffles (more would arrive in 3 weeks, we were told), and so they would be substituting them with truffle oil. We accepted that because Christa and I were both excited to see the
The finished product fell far short of our expectations. Don't misunderstand me: it was good, but it lacked certain elements that made it irresistible during the ordering process. The
Is the pizza at Tony's good? Yeah, you bet. It's great, actually. But for the outrageous prices they're charging, I'm finding the idea of recommending it hard to swallow.
Tonight: Emilia's.
OVENS: Wood & Gas
RECOMMENDED: Margherita


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Kluge is a book by professor of psychology Gary Marcus, about the imperfections and imperfect design of the human mind. Kluge or kludge is a computer programming term, meaning a Rube Goldberg device, an assemblage that executes its purpose in a strange and roundabout way.
The book deals with the imperfect and often counterintuitive way the human mind works, due to the way it was shaped by evolution.
One running theme is the contrast between older parts of the mind, which are good at things like making snap decisions in a hurry, and the newer, more deliberative parts, which are better at planning and thinking through, but work much more slowly.
Critical thinking[edit]
The final chapter, True Wisdom, argues that the imperfection of the mind is a powerful argument against Intelligent Design, and also includes a list of tips for overcoming these imperfections, or working around them:
- Consider alternative hypotheses: was that noise in the attic a ghost, or could it have been a rat?
- Reframe the question: do condoms fail 1% of the time, or do they work 99% of the time?
- Correlation does not entail causation
- Never forget the size of your sample: draw conclusions from large trends, not from a few anecdotes
- Anticipate your own impulsivity: if you can't resist getting up in the middle of the night for an unhealthy snack, make sure you don't buy any unhealthy snack foods.
- Make contingency plans: plan for specific situations, e.g., "if I see french fries, I won't have any" rather than merely make vague plans, e.g., "I will lose weight this year".
- Don't make important decisions when tired: when we are tired or stressed, the deliberative mind is at even more of a disadvantage than normal.
- Weigh benefits against costs: when deciding whether to buy a big-screen TV, consider what else you could do with the money.
- Imagine that your decisions may be spot-checked: we behave differently when we think we may be held accountable.
- Distance yourself: imagine how the decision you make today will feel in six months.
- Beware the vivid: we react strongly to vivid and lurid stories and events; make sure they're not leading you the wrong way.
- Pick your spots: no one can think everything through all the time, so try to be rational in those cases where it'll do the most good.
- Try to be rational: even reminding ourselves to think can help us do so.
He ends with a few recommendations on improving education, centering mostly on teaching children how to think, rather than learning facts. In the age of the Internet, it is easy to look up facts; it is much more important to be able to tell a good source of information from a bad one.


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It is not surprising that America has hundreds of secret societies—after all, they're meant to inspire fascination. Adam Parfrey, the founder and owner of Feral House publishing, has been keeping an eye on them since he watched his first Shriners parade as a child. Their mysterious garb and raucous behavior "provoked me, and stayed with me throughout the decades," he says. Now he's produced Ritual America, a book that reveals these quirky and nefarious underground cultures. "We tried to cover all sides of the story," he says—not always an easy task when the story is about cultures premised on secrecy.
In 1987 Parfrey published his first essay on this theme, "King-Kill 33," in the first edition of his book, Apocalypse Culture. One of the leading subjects of his research, conspiracy theorist James Shelby Downard, proposed a scenario about the JFK assassination that contained a fascinating speculation about the importance of Freemasonic "twilight language" (double and triple meanings, numerology, and onomatology). The essay stirred up controversy, even leading Marilyn Manson to title one of his songs "King Kill 33."
In recent years, Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code bestsellers revived popular interest in secret societies. But none of the books in the latest wave of pro-Masonic and conspiratorial literature, says Parfrey, "had an image-heavy and sociological approach as does Ritual America."
Given the vast number of cults and sub-cults, Parfrey knew his research would be surprising to many. "Despite the success of Joseph Campbell's PBS series a couple decades ago, what good American thinks he's practicing 'rites' or 'rituals?'" Parfrey asks. "These words are thought to refer to what primitives do in foreign lands." Ritual America shows that hundreds of ritualistic oaths and procedures are practiced behind the doors of lodges and clubs, even today.
Parfrey defines a "secret society" as a social group that demands an oath of allegiance to join. "That's our perspective; we know that others may feel differently," he says. "Some service-oriented organizations, like Lions or Elks, have a great deal of secret ritual within its structure. Rotary and Kiwanis, less so, but these organizations, like the Masons, require oaths of allegiance. No oath, no membership."
Researching the book was eye-opening (and, fittingly, the cover illustration is the so-called "eye of providence"). There were an amazing number of groups "particularly at a time when there was no seeming reason for integrating secret rituals into their organizations," he says. "Hundreds of years ago, the Catholic church battled groups of Freemasons over power and money, and the need for secrecy back then was logical." But today it's a bit more mystifying.
Parfrey says his primary source was Albert C. Stevens's The Cyclopaedia of Fraternities (1899). And the subtitle says it all: A Compilation of Existing Authentic Information and the Results of Original Investigation as to the Origins, Derivation, Founders, Development, Aims, Emblems, Character, and Personnel of More than Six Hundred Secret Societies in the United States, Supplemented by Family Trees of Groups and Societies, Names of Many Representative Members. Of those "More than Six Hundred Secret Societies," Freemasonry is the grandaddy, "like AA is the archetype of all the 12-step sobriety movements," Parfrey says. But secret societies had many purposes and took many shapes: labor unions, business groups, rural/agrarian organizations, religious and occult organizations, sobriety groups, drinking groups, immigrants, anti-immigrant organizations. As Parfrey puts it, taking in the breadth of them provides "a snapshot of America."
The question of who gets admitted to these groups recurs as a theme through history. Among the more troubling societies was a fairly large and important group, The Improved Order of the Red Men, which dates back to the early 1800s. Its members dressed in Native American garb and had rituals inspired by that culture—and yet refused to allow Native Americans into their society. Freemasonry and other fraternal groups, which said they welcomed all comers who believed in God, were primarily Protestant in perspective. "As a result, the Ku Klux Klan and other racist groups adopted a close form of Masonic ritualism," Parfrey says.
The rites and rituals of these organizations were often bizarre and intimidating. Parfrey asserts that this was "a way of challenging new members, and providing a boast for all those who get beyond the rituals." There were hazing initiation pranks that made people believe their heads were going to be chopped off, or at the minimum, believe they were drinking goat's blood. "Some groups actually seemed to appeal to the sadistic," he says.
The payoff to membership in societies often extended to outside meeting-hall walls. During the Civil War, a number of soldiers from North and South carried on them proof of their Masonic membership, which was supposed to secure them good treatment from the enemy. "Then there were more business-oriented groups that in time became insurance agencies," Parfrey says. Others served social functions. "A remarkable group, The Veiled Prophet of the Khorassan of St. Louis, which still exists today as a yearly debutante ball and parade, was based on a poem by Thomas Moore," he says. "Promotional material would feature a strangely veiled leader in a fairy tale setting."
And part of the appeal of these societies has long been in their oddball accoutrements: costumes, banners, voting equipment, hoods, emblem jewelry, and outlandish hats, like the fez. "I think the fez, as well as a lot of the Shriners costume was done with an eye to exoticism or orientalism," Parfrey says. "It seems strange, particularly today, that it's demanded that all Shriners recite a bloodcurdling oath with one hand on a King James Bible—and the other hand on a Koran."
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North Dakota CDL Practice Test: Class B - Test 2 2020(From the 2020 North Dakota CDL Handbook)
|Number of tests:
|Number of questions:
|Passing score:
Directions: When applying for this license, applicants must pass a 50-question test. And applicants must score 80% to pass the test. The following questions are based on the details provided in the North Dakota Commercial Driver Handbook. Endorsements that may be used with a Class B CDL include Hazardous Materials, Passenger, Double and Triples, HazMat and Tanker, Air Brakes and School bus. If you need additional information, please contact your local DMV office. You can find your nearest DMV office at North Dakota DMV locations.
1. The tire load is ______.
2. If you have committed two violations of an "out-of-service order" in a ten-year period, you will likely lose your CDL for what amount of time?
3. Why can drivers be at a greater risk of an accident when they drive at night?
4. Automatic front wheel limiting valves ________.
5. Commercial drivers need to be familiar with a number of abbreviations. GCW is one of them and it stands for ________.
6. When you are transporting cargo, you should check your cargo is secure every _____ miles.


text: Kenny is a white tiger 'selectively' inbred while in captivity in the United States. As zoo's and exotic pet stores have increased the demand for white tigers, breeders have attempted to recreate the ideal white tiger — large snout, blue eyes, white fur — through relying on a limited pool of captive white tigers. The result? An astoundingly high rate of deformities and health issues. For example, Kenny is mentally retarded and has significant physical limitations.


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Single storey
Contemporary New House Design.
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Iluka 175
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Iluka 175 home design by Bevnol Homes
Bevnol Homes latest design offers a flexible design with some extra upgrades sucah as a large walk in pantry, large shower to ensuite, stone benches and vinyl wrap cupboards throughout.
All Bevnol homes can be individually modified to suit your specific needs and tastes, ensuring that you get the quality of lifestyle that you are searching for.
From upsizing/downsizing of base plans; to additional rooms; to choice of exterior style and finish; to selection of interior scheme & appliances and fittings; we at Bevnol can build the home you've been dreaming of
Four bedrooms
Master bedroom with double Walk in Robe
Ensuite with stone benchtop & vinyl wrap cupboards and large shower
Open plan kitchen boasting 900mm wide freestanding oven, walk in pantry, with stone benchtops & vinyl wrap cupboards
Bathroom with stone bench top & vinyl wrap cupboards
Two living areas
Render to front brick piers
About Bevnol Homes
Bevnol Homes is a family owned company which has been in operation since 1989. Growing from building small speciality homes to consistently placing in the HIA top 100 builders.
With a wealth of knowledge Bevnol Homes is experienced in building standard homes right through to million dollar homes including Child Care Centres, Retirement Villages, Large Multi Unit Sites and specialty projects including Chapels.
Offering a level of personal and professional service Bevnol Homes believes in communicating honestly & effectively with all their valued customers as Pride, Integrity and satisfaction were the pillars on which Bevnol Homes was built. These pillars have carried through into each home over the years.
Bevnol Homes is supported by their valuable office staff & supervisors who all work together to achieve the best result for their clients.
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Choosing Bevnol Homes will provide the following benefits:
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Quality of Construction is the Standard not the exception
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RF 255SA $POA* Get price Single storey House design
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There's a reason Apple is willing to take years of heat over the working conditions inside the Chinese plants building all those iPhones, iPads, and Macs. China is cheaper.
The Dells and the HPs and the Ciscos find it cheaper too. Long ago, they moved away from building servers and networking gear in the U.S., outsourcing almost everything to manufacturers in Asia. After a while, even the giants of the web went to Taiwan and China. Google and Facebook cut the Dells and the HPs out of the equation, going straight to Asian firms who could help them design a new breed of server suited to running a massive online operation — and, yes, build them for less.
But when Silicon Valley startup SeaMicro decided to build a server that would bring the Google ethos to everyone else on the web, it didn't go to Asia. It didn't even go to Mexico. It went seven minutes down the road.
SeaMicro's servers — which save power and space by cramming hundreds of tiny processors into a single chassis — are built by a small Santa Clara, California, manufacturer called NBS. For SeaMicro, doing it here is cheaper than doing it there. The startup isn't building as many machines as Dell or HP or Google, and that changes the economics of the operation. But in manufacturing its servers stateside, SeaMicro also has more control.
"If you're building in Asia, you're Apple. You're building millions and millions of things. You can't turn on a dime. But if we want to make a change, we're on the manufacturing floor immediately"
"The more quickly we can respond to problems — or changes we want to insert into the manufacturing process — the better," says John Turk, the company's vice president of operations and a former operations man at Cisco. "If you're building in Asia, you're Apple. You're building millions and millions of things. You can't turn on a dime…. But if we want to make a change, we're on the manufacturing floor immediately."
SeaMicro's servers are unusual. But its manufacturing strategy is not. As Apple fights off countless complaints over the behavior of Foxconn, its Chinese manufacturing partner, the assumption is that electronics manufacturing only happens in Asia — and a majority of it does. But smaller manufacturers like NBS litter Silicon Valley — not to mention the rest of the U.S. — and over the past two years, according to research outfit Charlie Barnhart & Associates, a large number of American outfits have pulled their manufacturing operations out of Asia and back to Mexico or even the U.S.
"Apple is not going to dump Foxconn and build a plant to build iPads in Fremont," says Jennifer Read, an analyst with Barnhart & Associates who does nothing but track trends across the world of electronics manufacturing. "But in other end markets — industrial, medical, aerospace — the projects have lower volumes and…[involve] more components. In these latter type of projects, we are seeing a return to 'regionalization,' [where products] are being built closer to their end markets. So for the North American end market, they are going to Mexico, or sometimes the U.S. or Canada."
Yes, labor is cheaper in China. But wages are on the rise. And even when labor is cheap, it's only a small part of the equation. So much of the electronics manufacturing process is automated — thanks to inexpensive "pick-and-place machines" that grab chips from tape reels and install them on circuit boards (see video below). And if you move overseas, you're faced with added shipping costs, not to mention the cost of sending your engineers across the world.
But it isn't just about cost. As John Turk says, it's about control.
'Lean Engineering'
SeaMicro's research and development budget is $50 million. That's more than a tenth of the budget at a massive IT company like Dell, and it's all pumped into servers. Turk and his boss, SeaMicro CEO Andrew Feldman, argue that the company is innovating in a way that no server maker has innovated in the past 30 years.
Google and Facebook and upstart server outfit Calxeda may have something to say about that. But the point is well taken. The idea is not just to build an entirely new breed of server, but to evolve that server much quicker than the competition. SeaMicro is a hardware startup. But in a way, Turks says, it can behave like a software startup.
"It's all about how quickly you can deliver new innovations," Turk says. "And that's about more than just how quickly you can design. It's also about how quickly you can actually implement that design in your supply chain, shorting the amount of time it takes to get it to your customers."
SeaMicros's offices — including its engineering operation — are in Sunnyvale, California. If you drive down East Arques Avenue, take a left, and then take another left, you'll cross over into Santa Clara, and you'll find NBS — including its 10,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. The drive is all of two miles, and, yes, seven minutes.
But SeaMicro's choice isn't just about proximity. NBS is a relatively small operation, and before becoming a full-fledged contract manufacturer, NBS was a prototype shop. Because it spent years building one-off prototypes, Turk says, the company has a knack for quickly eliminating flaws in the manufacturing process. In other words, it's not the sort of massive manufacturer that typically serves the like of Dell and HP.
The end result is that NBS is almost an adjunct of SeaMicro. On any given day, SeaMicro engineers can readily show up a NBS to inspect the machines coming off the line. If they decide they need to make an improvement to the server boards coming down the NBS assembly line, they can do so without delay. And if a customer wants a change made — if they want more storage in their systems, say, or less — SeaMicro can make that change just as quickly. "We call it lean engineering," Turk says. "You don't build anything unless engineers can immediately make a tweak and then get it out to the customer."
Return from Foreign Lands
That may seem like a novel approach. And maybe it is for servers shipped to the big names of the internet. But in other ways, it's not. Mike Buetow, the editor in chief of trade pub Circuits Assembly Magazine, says there are at least 250 electronics manufacturers within about 40 miles of San Jose, California, and most of them look a lot like NBS.
For years, so many "original equipment manufacturers," or OEMs — even smaller ones like SeaMicro — have been moving their projects overseas simply because they felt they had to. But many are now coming to their senses. According to Miscoll, over the past two years, 31 percent of the "medium-sized" manufacturing projects that once moved to Asia have now moved them back to North America. Countless other firms are still moving in the other direction, hoping to benefit from cheap labor, but the balance is shifting.
"Much of the drive to China was fostered by Wall Street, who were pushing companies to get lower costs quarter to quarter, and a herd mentality developed."
"Some degree of rationality has returned to the thought process," say Eric Miscoll. "Much of the drive to China was fostered by Wall Street, who were pushing companies to get lower costs quarter to quarter, and a herd mentality developed. This usually emanated from [top executives] that based their assessment on hype rather than fact. As the luster has come off the China solution, more OEMs are willing to rethink their supply solution."
At the same time, the economics are changing. That cheap labor isn't as cheap as it once was. At the moment, Miscoll says, the average wage in China is rising between 1 and 1.5 percent each month. He predicts that between the end of 2011 and the end of 2012, the cost of building a printed circuit board in China will increase at least 8 percent, and if Chinese currency gains strength, he says, the increase could be much higher.
Jennifer Read calls the Apples and the HPs and the Ciscos "the Goliath Fringe." They're in Asia for the long haul, and they account of such a large portion of the market. But they're not the norm. It makes sense for them to be in Asia not only because of the volume of machines they're dealing with but because so many of the machines' components originate in Asia. But for smaller outfits, there are more important considerations, including the ability to move fast. In these cases, it makes more sense to be just down the road.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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Innocent Throw Pillow by Dean Russo brings together art and comfort like never before. This Pillow will add a perfect finishing touch to sofas and beds, and makes a great gift for any occasion.
Every throw pillow is hand-made in the USA, using a 100% washable and soft velvet polyester fabric. The unique design is printed on both sides of the pillow and uses high definition Epson¨ inks to produce a vivid and one-of-a-kind pillow to completely transform the look of your room.
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Homesite Insurance Company of the Midwest has agreed to refund hundreds of thousands of dollars that it overcharged homeowners insurance policyholders in Washington state.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is also fining the company $30,000.
Due to a computer issue, the company says, it used rates last year that were different from the rates approved by Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler for that time period. The rates it charged had been approved for an earlier period.
As a result, Homesite overcharged 4,504 consumers a total of $386,578. (It also undercharged 2,140 customers $154,241, but those policyholders won't have to pay that.)
The company has agreed to contact the overcharged consumers and issue refunds, plus 8 percent interest, by Sept. 30th.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
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text: ATA Attendees Say New Cost-Saving Wrinkles Huge Help ATA Attendees Say New Cost-Saving Wrinkles Huge Help From The Outdoor WireCOLUMBUS, Ohio - Business owners who attended the 2010 ATA Trade Show, January 13-15, in Columbus, Ohio, discovered the event's cost-saving opportunities and incentives were a difference maker and, in many cases, offset the expense to attend.The Archery Trade Association's campaign to incentivize the Show included a coupon book for retailers valued at more than $5,000 in savings, various discounts provided exclusively to ATA Trade Show attendees to eateries in the convention center food court as well as coupons to high-end restaurants within walking distance of the Show venue. Reduced hotel rates - some as low at $99 per night - were offered through the ATA hotel block."Perhaps the greatest savings we can provide is a professional show that's run efficiently before, during and after the show," said Jay McAninch, ATA's CEO/president. "We also try to create programs that save time, money and effort for everyone using them. If a program doesn't meet those objectives, we improve it or try something else."The new Big Buck Tags coupon book is one example of a program created to make the 2010 Show more cost effective for retailers. Developed by the ATA Dealer Council and Board, Big Buck Tags were meant to drive traffic to exhibitors' booths as much as it was created to provide retailers discounts on orders written with participating companies. Among the dealers who capitalized on the coupons was Bryan Partee, owner of Escape Outdoors in Mountain Home, Ark. "It was a benefit," he said. "Anytime you can save a few dollars it's a benefit you can't turn down." Partee emphasized that - coupons or not - the ATA Trade Show generates big savings. "I probably saved about 10 percent or more on every order I placed by being here," he said. "If you place $50,000 worth of orders here, the manufacturers' show discounts save you about $5,000. And that's without Big Buck Tags."Big Buck Tags were given to every retail shop attending and were designed to address exhibitor and retailer demands highlighted in a 2009 post Trade Show survey. Initiated by the ATA and conducted by Responsive Management, the survey confirmed retailers were highly motivated to attend the Show to save money on product. In fact, 68 percent of retailers attending the 2009 Show identified this reason as very important."I'd say at least a quarter to a third of our sales came from people walking in with their Big Buck Tags," said Randy Phillips, owner and president of Arizona Rim Country Products and Archery Headquarters pro shop. Phillips is also a member of the ATA Board of Directors. "That program drove more business to our booth than I anticipated."Those attending the event also qualified for hotel discounts including several hotels in the ATA block offered at a rate under $100. Sandy Taylor, who works with her husband, Tracy, at Taylor's Archery in Lynchburg, Tenn., booked through ATA after shopping prices. "We read the ATA's fliers and went onto the Web site for our room," she said. "The prices through ATA were better. I know because I checked them against what we'd get on our own, and it was a lot cheaper from ATA. We stayed across the street from the convention center.""The ATA process works well," Joe Winter of Jimbo's Archery in Calgary, Alberta, said. "We flew in, and then we took shuttle buses everywhere. The shuttles worked out great for us."Of course, many attendees not only capitalized on hotel savings and complimentary shuttle service, they patronized restaurants providing discounts for ATA members. "The ATA provided a lot of useful programs, information and discounts we used at the Show," said Jen Kresser, vice president of operations for Delta Sports Products. "We had big groups at dinner every night, and they ate some pretty big meals, so the discounts really added up for us."Also this year, the ATA launched a new online registration platform. Registration opened to all working in the archery and bowhunting industry on Nov. 12. By Jan. 8 - just four days before Show open - 7,000 people had registered using the new system with more than 1,000 registering in the final week before the industry gathered in Columbus."Online pre-registration was so successful that it was the biggest Trade Show story of the past year," McAninch said. "Pre-registrations for the all-important dealer, buyer and distributor category met or surpassed its three-day attendance figures at several previous Shows."Each time an attendee registers online, it saves the ATA money by reducing workload at the ATA offices. A faxed of phoned-in registration requires someone to manually record the registration, but an online platform automatically processes each online registration."Everything was flawless this year, whether it was registering for the Show or the hotels," said Phillips. "The ATA has streamlined everything so much. It seemed like we just had a couple of items we had to take care of, and then we were ready to go."As in past years, the ATA will work with Responsive Management to collect data from those who attended the 2010 Trade Show. The survey will formally capture and review Show feedback, its benefits and needs for improvement.About the ATA Trade Show: The ATA Trade Show is the archery and bowhunting industry's largest and most inclusive show. The member-driven event promotes commerce within the industry, and is owned and operated by the ATA. As the only industry show that funds archery and bowhunting growth, the ATA invests in state agencies to coordinate introductory archery initiatives such as National Archery in the Schools Program and the After School Archery Program. Over the past five years, the ATA has invested and pledged nearly $2 million to bring archery shooting facilities and introductory programs to U.S. cities. Meanwhile, the ATA also fights for bowhunting rights in courtrooms across the country. The show is closed to the public and is an order-writing event.About the ATA: Since 1953 ATA has been the trade association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, sales representatives and others working in the archery and bowhunting industry. ATA is dedicated to making the industry profitable by decreasing business overhead, and reducing taxes and government regulation while increasing participation in archery and bowhunting. ATA owns and manages the ATA Trade Show, the archery and bowhunting industry's largest and longest running trade show worldwide. GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing. Sign Me Up


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Declutter your workspace with this four-door stack-on hutch. Mount it to any 72"W base unit for instant additional storage for books, binders and other work materials. And with a variety of durable woodgrain, solid or patterned surface options to choose from, it's easy to customize or coordinate with any office environment.
Product Info
- Overview
- Specifications
- Images
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- Warranty
- Documents
10500 Series 4-Door Stack-On Hutch
10500 Series desks from HON excels at the fundamentals. One of the bestselling HON collections, it features a variety of sizes, shapes, and storage solutions for any work style or office arrangement. The best-in-class construction and wear-resistant laminate stand up for a lifetime. Details include locking drawers, grommets to route and hide cords, and matching conference and occasional tables. For premium quality on a moderate budget, 10500 Series is the solution.
- Stores important materials above the worksurface and within easy reach
- Doors are mounted on high-quality, chrome-plated European hinges to operate smoothly
- Doors can be leveled for alignment
- Makes good use of floor area by utilizing the space above a desk or credenza
- Premium, multi-ply laminate stands up to scratches, spills, stains and boiling liquids, and holds up under heavy use
- Metal-to-metal fastening system for precise fit and unsurpassed durability
- Durable inner-frame construction stands up to the stress of frequent moving and relocation
- Woodgrain, solid and patterned surface materials in over 90 combinations let you customize your office environment
Will it fit in my office? Will it even fit my needs? Before buying, you need to know all the measurements, features and details.
We aren't all interior designers with the ability to visualize a product in various environments. The following images will give you ideas on how to make the most of your HON products, as well as bring a variety of aesthetic options to life.
Let's be honest, you can read volumes about a product, but seeing really is believing. Click a video below to see this product in action.
- Base Model: H105DPSO7236
- Description: Desk Credenza Full Pedestal Stack-On
- Base Model: H105DCH7298
- Description: Executive Workstation
- Base Model: H105HATP
- Description: Desk Credenza Full Pedestal Stack-on
- Base Model: H105ULH72108
- Description: U-Workstation
- Base Model: H105URH72108
- Description: U-Workstation
Warranties are not usually exciting reading material. But we think the HON Full Lifetime Warranty is something special in our industry. It's not that we've worked hard on the warranty itself. Instead, we've worked hard to make it easy to warranty our products. Here is how we can provide and stand by what we believe to be the best warranty in the office furniture industry:
We know what we're doing and do it better than anybody else.
At HON, we are committed to being good listeners and producers. Through our "Voice of the Customer" process, we spend time listening to the people who make businesses go, observing how they work, and learning what they need to be successful. The right products don't wear out, break or malfunction. They just work, and that makes them easy to stand behind.
We let practicality inspire us.
HON designers, engineers, and production people are inspired by practicality. Our office furniture solutions must be functional and effective. We test them in real offices. We have always and will always make tough, enduring products that look good too, because that's what makes sense for our customers.
We are empowered. We are ready.
Every HON member is empowered to serve our customers. Every one. We know that loyalty is a product of performance. It's a matter of making and keeping promises. That's how we keep customers for life. That's what makes us stand out in our markets.
Our warranty is our promise. So it has to be on-the-mark.
We're confident in the value, quality, and durability HON products deliver. If they fail, we give their owners the choice to replace any product that can't be repaired with something comparable, or we refund their purchase price—and we do not mean a prorated refund, we mean a full refund no matter how much the product was used.
Waiting for the fine print? Don't. There is none.
We don't feel our warranty should have fine print because we want it to be clear, concise and easy to understand—just like the products we make.


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South Molton Funeralcare (inc. J. Westacott & Son Funeral Directors)
You can call us 24 hours a day
01769 572 476
During the coronavirus outbreak, we're still open and here to support you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We have had to make some changes to the way we work. All face-to-face meetings must have a pre-arranged appointment, and we can only allow two clients in the funeral home at any one time, both for appointments and visits to the chapel of rest.
To book an appointment, call 01769 572 476 or email us.
Or you can start a funeral arrangement using our online form and someone will call you back.Start arranging a funeral
Contact information for South Molton Funeralcare (inc. J. Westacott & Son Funeral Directors)
2A West Street,
South Molton,
Opening times
- Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
- Saturday to Sunday By appointment
Limited parking is available outside the funeral home.
Our funerals
Traditional Funeral
This option includes a small ceremony and a choice of 4 wood-effect coffins. You can choose to take this option as it is or make changes and we will adjust the price accordingly.
Simple Funeral
A simple option that allows for a small funeral service with the comfort of knowing quality isn't compromised. It's flexible too, your Funeral Director will help you make it as personal as possible.
Direct Cremation
This funeral doesn't include a service, meaning you can celebrate the person's life at a place and time that suits you. Our cortege option enables a special moment to pause, reflect and say goodbye.
Practical help for planning a funeral
What to do when someone dies
Guidance and information on all the different things you need to think about, decide and do when someone dies.
How much does a funeral cost?
Clear and straightforward information about funeral costs so you know what you can expect to pay.
Thank you messages
"We would like to thank you for all your care, help, attention and kindness. You took all the worry away from me so that I could focus on other things."
"We would like to thank you for all your help and advice when arranging Mum's funeral. Right from the start, the care and service you gave us was first class."


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What could be more fun than checking out TRAVEL + LEISURE magazine's Global Bazaar event this upcoming weekend at the Lexington Armory? Inspired by the night markets in Bangkok and curated by T+L's ace editors, there truly is something for everyone at this extravaganza, with all events classified under "Eat + Drink", "See + Do" and "Shop."
You can sate your palate on delicious cuisine and watch cooking demos by culinary stars including Jose Andres and Michael White, taste your way through a fleet of food trucks, and imbibe cocktails and wine from several different parts of the world. And if that's not enough, there is ziplining, jewelry-making, dancing, shopping and more, from a huge range of countries from the Caribbean to the Middle East.
Global Bazaar runs September 28-30 and is the best showcase for international interactive experiences and epic multi-culti fun--you can travel the world all under one roof!
For more details, visit the website.


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In the past year and a half, the U.S. property and casualty insurance market has experienced several challenges: stockholder pressure to return to profitability, poor performance by its investments, and the tremendous changes in reinsurance availability and cost that the events of September 11 generated. On February 25th of this year, members of the first annual ACA Insurance Roundtable met in Washington, D.C. at the ACA National Conference to talk about changes and trends.
Trends observed in camp claims in the last year mirror those seen in the general population — medical costs, prescription costs, and emergency room visit costs continue to rise. There were fewer severe injuries, but the frequency of others was about normal. In addition, it was noted that there appear to be more nuisance claims, some of which seem to be driven by harder economic times.
Here is a summary of points on which there appeared to be general agreement.
General Liability
An increase in general liability injury claims was discussed. Family and visiting days seemed to be providing a large share of the injuries. The ACA Insurance Roundtable theorized that, while safety procedures for campers were well prepared and regulated, visitors to camp were more likely to get into claim generating situations. Visitors were either not aware of camp policies and regulations or were from other age groups (such as younger siblings and grandparents) for whom the terrain and activities were not designed.
"Extreme" sports, either mimicking those seen on TV or self-created, were responsible for a number of injuries. Those discussed were described as frequently arising spontaneously during free time, and were, therefore, not as likely to be well planned or supervised.
Claims arising during power boating activities seem to have increased in the past few years, and they were described as being attributable to errors in judgment and/or inattention to speed. The training and procedures for power boats do not appear to be as carefully constructed and executed as they usually are for auto use, although the consensus was that they should be. (Note: ACA standards now require boat-specific training for all drivers of motorized boats, including personal watercraft.)
Proclivity for sexual misconduct continues to be difficult to catch before hiring. The currently available state background checks were described as being "Swiss cheese" in effectiveness, even though social service agencies have been granted more authority in this area. International staffing was identified as creating a special issue with no capability to do thorough background checks in the jurisdictions where the individuals spend most of their time. (International placement agencies are requiring applicants to provide evidence of a police record check from their local law enforcement. A copy is available to the director.) The current church publicity has brought the child molestation issue to the forefront again.
Workers Compensation
Staff injuries on ropes courses are rising, particularly among ropes course instructors and facilitators. It seems likely that "familiarity is breeding contempt," or it may be that "third generation" in-house training is less effective, and key elements may be missed as staff pass on the training they received from professional trainers to other staff. (Note: ACA standards require that camps with ropes courses have a supervisor on staff who has certification or documented training and experience directly from a recognized organization or certifying body.)
Motor Vehicle Liability/Workers' Compensation
Operationally, auto claims history seems to have improved, but vehicle use during staff time off remains an issue. Probable contributing factors postulated included late night fatigue, drinking, and too many people riding in backs of vehicles without seat belts.
Property Coverage
Regular property claims were described as "normal," and it was noted that they are potentially more controllable than liability claims. The number of collapse claims of older buildings caused by heavy wet snows may be declining not because of preventative maintenance, nor strengthening of structures, but because fewer of those older buildings remain in service.
There were at least three major fires last year. Outdated wiring is frequently responsible for the fires. The cost of replacing old rustic cobbled buildings is high, and there is an ongoing effort to assure that appropriate valuations for buildings are being made. Nevertheless, it was the sense of the group that most camps are insured at "replacement cost," rather than "actual cash value at time of loss." Because business interruption and extra expense coverages are often called upon when there are major fires, establishing reasonably accurate values is important to avoid "underinsured" penalties.
Trends in Recent Renewals
During the year-end renewals, round table members said they saw across-the-board price increases of 10 to 35 percent. More than one person said that increases were especially large in situations where a camp may have suffered repeated losses or where the premiums being charged were clearly insufficient in the recent past. A number of camps whose coverage was under priced last year experienced major sticker shock.
Increasing deductibles for liability coverage is probably not a helpful strategy for most camps, for several reasons. Camps would need to go to $5-10K deductibles to see any real decrease in premium costs. In addition, many underwriters do not want the risk of having a high deductible where litigation is possible and the camp may be handling the issue and loss. Underwriters see it as potentially increasing their risk if the claim is not properly handled from the very beginning.
High limit umbrellas may be harder to come by than they have been in the recent past, and 30 to 50 percent or higher increases in premium for less coverage were mentioned.
At least one of the ACA Insurance Roundtable members said that while there was a risk that publishing the above noted "generally seen increases" could turn them into "a fact" for all, the market (especially the reinsurance market) is still in flux. As an example, it was noted that over a year ago, during a workshop session held by the ACA Insurance Committee, one camp reported an increase in premium of 300 percent.
What Camp Directors Can Do
Faced with potentially astronomical insurance increases for which little or no provision may have been made in the tuition rates, there are still a few steps a director can take.
Reduce Property Coverage
One may choose to leave the individual cabins uninsured, choosing to retain that replacement risk and focus on major buildings, such as dining facilities. (This is not a risk to take lightly, as a forest fire could certainly damage or destroy several structures.) Nonprofit organizations often assume that they can raise funds to replace buildings if necessary and for-profits with decent balance sheets may find building loans/mortgages are a reasonable substitute for property coverage. But if business interruption or extra expense is needed, generally buying property coverage is not "avoidable."
Fire Suppression Systems
Camps can control property insurance costs in a number of ways. Sprinklers in the dining hall were recommended to provide rate reduction (or at this time, at least "rate control"). Indoor cooking fire risk controlled with hoods and ducts with suppression systems are also practical and useful. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) code 96 says you must have a suppression system, and NFPA 300 calls for a wet pipe system, though older systems are grandfathered. However, use of a wet pipe sprinkler over a dry one is generally preferred to address the "life" safety issue. (The sooner the water starts flowing, the more time for evacuation.) Wet pipe systems do need to be properly installed and maintained, of course, unrepaired water leaks may lead to unusual levels of mold.
Liability claims arising out of "toxic mold" may well replace asbestos and lead poisoning claims. Exclusions are being sought by many insurers not only for homeowners' but also commercial liability policies, such as are sold to camps. Obviously, mold spores are common, but when dealing with children, camps must consider how parents will respond to seeing obvious mold in camp facilities when their children have asthma and allergies.
Electrical Repairs
It was generally recommended that a competent licensed electrician should do all electrical repairs and the camp's annual examination. (Even if the maintenance person is skilled, a "new set of eyes" may find something that another missed — before a gnawing squirrel or mouse does!)
Auto Liability
"Off duty" auto liability exposure may be approached in a number of ways. Using a camp van or bus with a designated driver to take counselors out may decrease incidents, but it means that the camp has more "off-duty" risk. In addition, depending on the number of counselors in a camp-supplied van or bus, there is more chance that a greater number of employees will be in the same accident than if they were in individual automobiles. It would probably also eliminate doubt about coverage under worker's compensation policies, but in many jurisdictions 24-hour coverage for resident camp employees is already presumed. Non-supervised nontraditional activities held off site create additional risk.
User Groups
Leasing of facilities for group use also exposes the camp to additional liability as well as potential property damage. Usually the camp has less control of the group's activities and the group is not as familiar with equipment and procedures. Requiring certificates of insurance for groups can help. The coverage should be at least $1 million or equal to the camp limit. (There was no discussion as to whether it is always to the camp's advantage to be "additional insured," "additional named insured," etc., and there are competing theories on the matter.)
There was agreement that camps need to define responsibility and liability in the contracts, including addressing appropriate supervision of the group. It was suggested that the rental agreement define limits on the right to use the facilities. (Note: ACA standards specify that contracts address such supervision and responsibility concerns.) Hold harmless agreements (backed by insurance or other reliable funding) and releases can be helpful. If the risk is large, it was suggested that the camp include a lawyer in the drafting of the contract(s). It was also suggested that camps develop procedures to be followed in every situation; (e.g. when there is an accident, need to evacuate, or some other "unexpected" event, not just procedures for "the usual situation and operation.")
Other Steps
Camps should also make efforts to control the risk of visitors on their site. Develop safety features for visitors, and set limits, and train staff as needed. Distinguish between campers, counselors and visitors in procedures.
Invite your underwriters to camp. When they see the procedures you follow and the precautions you take on a
day-to-day basis, it will help them understand that the risks of camp are subject to intelligent management that helps prevent and control losses. These underwriters are also helpful in helping you to better define risks at your camp and how you can go about reducing these risks.
Most insurance professionals had been predicting that another "hard market" was approaching. With appropriate adjustments to your risk management plans and sensible adjustments to your programs and coverages, your camp program should be able to survive this one too. ACA can provide you a resource in helping to answer your questions
if you should need it.
Originally published in the 2002 Spring issue of The CampLine.


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DIY Trend: Negative Space
May 2017
When it comes to nail trends, our Global Color Ambassador Madeline Poole is the expert on what's hot. This season, she reports that Negative Space is the cute spring nail-art look that you can create at home.
"Fashion week Spring 2017 saw tons of nails in this style on the runway" reported Madeline, "such was the case at Proenza Schoeler and Vera Wang". Negative Space's design makes a feature of empty space and asymmetry, something seen not only on nails this season, but also in the collections of designers like Christopher Kane, who showed sheer panelled negative-space dresses.
The Negative Space trend is simple to create yourself. All you need is a regular bobby pin, Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Creme de la Creme, and Miracle Gel Top Coat. The USA's #1 no light gel system, Miracle Gel will make your nails on-trend for up to 14 days of color and shine.
Get the look:
How to apply
Starting with clean nails, apply the 'Negative Space' design with Miracle Gel in Creme de la Creme to your nails using the bobby pin.
Apply a coat of Miracle Gel Top Coat to seal your mani.


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Digital tools for the first few months of parenting
posted by: Mile High Mamas
Everyone tells you that having a new baby at home is hard, but I did not understand what they meant until ours arrived. The sleep deprivation. The constant nursing. The endless laundry. Did I mention the sleep deprivation?
No matter how cute the baby's dimples or squeezable his thighs, keeping the little creature alive and settling into life with a new family member is grueling. But with today's digital tools, we have some benefits that our parents and grandparents did not.
Here are a few apps, devices and websites to make life a bit easier during those first few months of sleepless nights and days spent cooped up at home.
Read e-books
Even though I fell asleep the second I hit a sofa or bed those first few weeks, I somehow managed to do more reading than I had in months. That was because I quickly figured out that during the hours a day — really, hours — that a baby spends nursing, I could read.
The problem is that nursing is a two-hands job at first, so turning the pages of a paper book was impossible. That is how I finally became a Kindle convert. Just as my apartment became overrun with board books, I embraced e-books, because I could prop the Kindle on the couch and turn the pages with a finger.
And for those 3 a.m. feedings, when you are too exhausted even to read, you can stream Netflix or Hulu on the iPad.
Shed the baby weight
Photos of postpartum celebrities suggest that the extra weight just disappears. But for those of us who do not have personal trainers arriving at our doorsteps the day we give birth, exercise seems an impossible feat, even when we can comfortably walk again. Who can find the time, not to mention the child care, to go to the gym?
The Nike Training Club iPad app changed that for me. With the app, you can exercise in your living room while the baby naps or, as I did, sit the baby in a bouncer chair and entertain him by jumping and lunging around.
Unlike most home-workout videos that hardly feel like a workout, this one leaves you sore and has enough levels and variations to keep it that way.
Easy thank-you notes
Just when all the energy you have for chores is consumed by changing diapers and cleaning bottles, your friends and family shower you with gifts. And gifts mean thank-you notes. And there are all the requests for baby pictures.
I quickly developed a system for the notes. Take a cellphone photo of the gift and the return address, because you will invariably forget which blanket came from whom, and delete the photos once the thank-you note is sent.
To avoid paper and stamps altogether, send a paper thank-you note virtually. Using Apple's Cards app, you can dress the baby in the hand-knit sweater from your aunt, snap a photo with your iPhone, write a note and the address and Apple sends a real card, complete with a cursive address.
Put apps to work for you
How to share photos with great-grandparents who do not use e-mail, much less Instagram? Download the Walgreens app. It lets you upload photos from your phone and pick up prints an hour later.
You can also use it to make a shopping list, because you cannot trust your baby brain to remember diapers, wipes and infant Tylenol the next time you are at the drugstore.
Set pill reminders to take your painkillers in the middle of the night and order refills by scanning the pill bottle with your phone.
The lap function on the iPhone's stopwatch turns out to be handy for timing contractions. (Also, it makes the fathers-to-be feel useful as they watch mothers in labor writhe.)
We break our rule of no screens for baby for video calls with the grandparents using Apple's FaceTime. The Fisher-Price Apptivity case, with handles made for babies, securely holds the phone and protects it against biting, drooling and dropping.
Then there is an entire category of apps unknown to anyone but new parents — for tracking everything from what time your baby last ate, slept and dirtied his diaper (trust me, you care); the baby's height, weight and immunizations; which side the baby last nursed on and your freezer stash of milk. They include Baby Timer and Milk Maid by Earlybird Software and Total Baby by Andesigned.
Put apps to work for baby
Instead of throwing away your old iPod, give it to your baby. Download a white-noise app that plays all night (especially helpful for apartment living, when neighbors can be so inconsiderate as to have a barbecue at an ungodly hour like 7 p.m.). We downloaded ours, White Noise Ambience by Logicworks, in a state of desperation in the middle of the night, in a hotel with paper-thin walls.
Download lullabies, too. My favorite came from Rockabye Baby, which has transformed the songs of artists from Madonna to the Beatles into soothing, instrumental lullabies. For our baby, Bob Marley was magic. I'm still not convinced there are babies lulled to sleep by Metallica or Kanye West, but apparently they exist.
Diapers and more, on demand
When I asked new parents which app or site they could not live without, most responded with Diapers.com. It offers free, often overnight shipping on orders more than $49, which you quickly reach (these creatures need a lot of diapers), and you can add all the other things you no longer have time to go out and buy, from paper towels to pet food.
In addition, Diapers.com, Amazon.com and other e-commerce companies such as Honest Co. let you order diaper subscriptions, so you will not find yourself in a dire and dirty situation at 2 a.m.
Because of those 2 a.m. diaper changes, you are in no mood to cook. Recruit your friends to sign up to bring you food on MealBaby or order restaurant delivery using Seamless or GrubHub. More startups are delivering more types of things, like Munchery for meals made by local chefs and Rewinery for wine, both in San Francisco.
And for everything else — from assembling the crib to baby-proofing the house — there is TaskRabbit. Suddenly, it seems perfectly reasonable to hire someone to do things you never would have dreamed of doing in your pre-baby life — like buying seven pairs of the elastic waist pants you finally found that fit, or addressing baby gift thank-you notes, both of which are jobs new mothers posted on the site.
New York Times
February 15, 2013
These are great resources, Claire.
Hope you are getting some shut eye! 🙂


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Re: dot command doesn't when Intellisense was used
In VS2005 (I haven't tried it yet in 2010, which I realize is the focus nowadays....I'll try to remember to do that and see):
If a line in the file exists as:
and you do an insert by placing cursor at the semicolon and typing "i", and you make the line:
a = new Typename;
a problem happens when you let Intellisense fill in the Typename. If you then try to repeat the action on another line, say here:
what you get when you place the cursor at the semicolon and type . (dot) is:
b = new
Note the added newline (which I'm guessing is because I typed <Enter> to select the Typename within the Intellisense completion list.
Basically, viEmu seems not to understand that there was text added by Intellisense and that the terminating newline was meant for Intellisense, not as something to be placed into the file.


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Category: CrossFit
Entering the cult of CrossFit in 2016
December 15, 2015
As of Monday, January 4, it looks like I will serve my first week in the cult of CrossFit. I have been thinking about joining CrossFit for a while because I am already interested in kettlebells and Concept2 Indoor Rowers and some of my best friends have transformed their lives through a commitment to CrossFit. […]


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X-SmallA Mini bag designed to carry your lipstick, phone, keys and cash. Leave the wallet at home... this IS your wallet.
SmallIf you need to carry more than the basics, a small bag also allows for either a small wallet OR a small cosmetic case.
MediumThe perfect size for everyday. Cosmetic bag, phone and small wallet with a bit of room to spare.
LargeThis size could double as an office tote or carry-on. Great for moms that need to carry extras for the kiddos.
X-LargeOversized and awesome. These bags aren't made to be filled to the brim. They're for the girl that loves drama.


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This stamp set will also be available to purchase.


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First, there was political newcomer Tom Allon, who really got out in front of the pack and announced very early his intentions to run for mayor, taking a shot at a potential opponent, embattled city Comptroller John Liu.
In case you've been preoccupied with catching up on Downton Abbey for the past month or so and have been completely ignoring the news,, Liu is waist deep in a fundraising scandal that has now snared his campaign treasurer, Jia "Jenny" Hou.
Hou was charged with orchestrating large donations to Liu's campaign that would exceed those eligible for the city's generous matching funds program by breaking them up into smaller, fictitious donations. She faces up to 60 years in prison if convicted.
Her arrest not only implicates Liu by association, but naturally calls into question his own bid for mayor, which until the recent controversy seemed like a foregone conclusion. Allon, who heads up Manhattan Media, went on the offensive, calling for Liu to resign his current post in light of the scandal in an interview he gave to the Daily News.
Allon is considered a long shot to win, but if his potential opponents keep shooting themselves in the foot, his chances are going to get a lot better.
And then there was State Senator Jose Peralta, who this week registered a new campaign committee - "Peralta 2013" - with the Board of Elections, lending credence to the rumors that had been swirling that he was considering running for the post of Queens borough president next year.
He would join a list of potential candidates that includes Assemblywoman Grace Meng and councilmen Leroy Comrie and Peter Vallone, Jr.
We don't like to get racial here at Pol Position, but in case you didn't notice, that's a Hispanic, an Asian, an African American and an Italian American running for the post in a borough that is essentially one-quarter white, one-quarter Latino, one-quarter black, and one-quarter Asian. Can anyone say "splitting the vote?"
And then there was news from the congressional race between Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and incumbent Congressman Ed Towns. Last week, Jeffries was quoted in City & State newspaper being highly critical of Towns, arguing that he has been ineffective in serving his district.
Later that night, Towns put out a press release - without once mentioning Jeffries by name - stating that he would not go negative in the campaign, but that he understands that his unnamed opponent "is eager to ascend to a higher office and I have no problem with anybody being ambitious, but throwing out unsubstantiated charges is not the way to do it."
Oh, we forgot to mention that outspoken Councilman Charles Barron is also a candidate in the race, so we predict it won't take long before Towns abandons the high road and some serious mudslinging gets underway.
And a few more asides from other possible races...
It looks like Assemblyman Rory Lancman is serious about challenging newly elected Republican Congressman Bob Turner, at least if his Twitter account is to be believed. Last week, in response to the new Congressional district maps, the social media-savvy Lancman tweeted "GOP maps have a clean Lancman v Turner district. We're ready." So are we!
And Dan O'Connor, who is mounting a challenge to Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, announced that he raised $12,000 in a five-day fundraising push last week. Not bad for a relative unknown in New York City political circles, but he'll have to raise a lot more than that to unseat the long-serving Velazquez.
Stay tuned.


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