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WalMart is a lightning rod that attracts petty tyrants who attempt to limit the choices of their neighbors. The latest lighting strike occurred in San Diego when the city council voted to essentially ban WalMart Supercenter stores. If implemented, such a ban would be bad for San Diegos economy and its consumers.
The councils 53 vote prohibits all stores larger than 90,000 square feet, which use 10 percent of their space to sell groceries and other merchandise not subject to sales tax. The ordinances main targets, of course, are WalMarts Supercenters, which average 185,000 square feet. While WalMart has 21 such stores in California, none are located in San Diego yet.
Why ban WalMarts Supercenters? According to Auday Arabo, president of California Independent Grocers and Convenient Stores, WalMart undercuts small momandpop businesses. Although this claim is made often, academic research casts some doubt on it. In 2001, Michael Hicks and Kristy Wilburn published a study in the Review of Regional Studies that examined the effect of WalMart stores in West Virginia. They found that contrary to popular belief, the entrance of WalMart into a community actually led to an increase in the number of retail establishments and an increase in total retail employment. After taking into account other jobs lost because of WalMarts entry, they found that in the long run on net 54 jobs were added in counties where WalMart opened a new store.
How could this be? Although competition from WalMart may put some small retailers out of business, other businesses that complement rather than compete with WalMart are sometimes better able to open shop. In the end, the competition WalMart brings to a community causes some retailers to innovate and offer better products and services, and simultaneously remixes business opportunities by encouraging the closing of some stores and the opening of others.
In an exercise in political doublespeak, San Diego councilman Tony Young, who voted for the superstore ban, stated, I believe that we should support small businesses and thriving businesses. Of course if a business is thriving, it does not need political prohibitions on competitors such as WalMart to survive. Instead, it would need only to maintain the demand for its products by consumers. If Young would like to support small businesses he can do it as all consumers could, by spending his dollars in those stores he supports. He need not impose his will on others by robbing them of their freedom to choose.
Unfortunately, the city council has opted to impose on the rest of the community its own vision of what choices consumers should have. Councilman Young illustrated the arrogance of these planners when he stated, I have a vision for San Diego and that vision is about walkable, livable communities, not big, megastructures that inhibit peoples lives. But what about other peoples visions and desires for products? Why should the council be able to impose their vision on others?
The appropriate way to answer these questions is through the voluntary process of the market, where consumers are free to patronize or not patronize stores of their own choosing. In a free market, the stores that come into existence and survive are those that best correspond to consumers preferences: the diverse mix of stores by size, location, prices, and types of goods and services reflects the collective vision of countless consumers, who vote with their dollars. Prohibitions, such as the one the San Diego Council passed, dont create good communities; instead, they impose the vision of the few who know best on the thousands whose visions are not allowed to be expressed.
WalMarts size and success are a testament to its success in serving the needs of consumers. If the City Councils ordinance is ultimately approved, San Diegos consumers will ultimately be the ones who suffer.
|Benjamin Powell is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University. He Independent Institute books include The Economics of Immigration: Market-Based Approaches, Social Science, and Public Policy, Housing America: Building out of Crisis, and Making Poor Nations Rich.
Few topics in current affairs are as contentious as immigration. Yet despite the controversies, social scientists who study immigration largely agree about its effects, whatever differences they may have about how a nation should change its policies. Their findings, however, have been buried in academic journals accessible only to other scholarsuntil now. Readers can now easily access the substance of the vast scholarly literature about a subject that touches millions of lives.


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The model is Windows 95, Microsoft Corp.'s all-new operating system software that will succeed the company's hugely successful Windows 3.0/3.1 line and MS-DOS products.
Mr. Wangers worries that software buyers, accustomed to the auto industry's habit of starting the model year months before the calendar year, will think Windows 95 is prematurely obsolete.
"It suggests to me that's last year's product," said Mr. Wangers, senior managing partner with Automotive Marketing Consultants, Vista, Calif. "If you're out in May or June of '95 with a '95, it's not exactly new."
In disclosing the official name of Windows 95 earlier this month, Microsoft said the software was "targeted for release" in the first half of next year.
Some corporate identity consultants don't see any problem in Microsoft's introducing "95" in '95.
"I'm more concerned about car companies that sell their '95s in '94," said Larry Ackerman, partner in Anspach Grossman Portugal, a New York-based identity consulting firm.
Microsoft, not surprisingly, also thinks the new nomenclature is perfectly clear: Windows 95 is the version coming out during 1995.
Microsoft is aiming Windows 95 at both the techy crowd and the mass market, and the name is intended to be easy to identify.
Microsoft market research found most PC users were confused by the old engineer-inspired product labeling-Microsoft Windows Version 3.11-and couldn't identify the latest rendition of Windows.
"We have a very confusing scheme of labeling products," acknowledged Paul Maritz, a Microsoft senior VP.
With the new product, Microsoft wanted a simple name that would convey an all-new version of Windows.
"Chicago," the product's much-discussed code name, and another tag bandied about by computer enthusiasts, Windows 4.0, didn't quite convey that. ("Chicago," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates explained last year, was selected as a "non-exotic location" somewhere between Redmond, Wash., company headquarters and "Cairo," the name of an advanced operating system under development.)
Mr. Maritz raises the possibility of releasing modified versions with names like "95A" or "95B." While hardly elegant, the names are fairly simple.
Name experts say Microsoft, the software industry's dominant force, may once again be reshaping the market by introducing the concept of model years. Borrowing a strategy from the car business, it's possible that Microsoft and other software sellers could introduce new models annually.
Microsoft insists that's not now part of the game plan. "We are not committing to doing annual [Windows] updates at this point in time," Mr. Maritz said. "It may be the case that we will be marketing Windows 95 during calendar 1996."
Mr. Maritz boldly projects Microsoft could easily sell 20 million to 30 million copies of Windows 95 in the first year. Microsoft has sold more than 60 million copies of earlier Windows editions. The company plans its biggest-ever marketing and ad campaign-likely exceeding the $100 million targeted over the next year for a Microsoft worldwide branding campaign. Microsoft is using both Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore., and Anderson & Lembke, San Francisco, as agencies on the Windows 95 account.
In introducing 95, Microsoft keeps the golden Windows name on which it recently won trademark protection and a ubiquitous flag logo. "They have a superb masterbrand in Windows," said Clive Chajet, chairman of New York-based image consultants Lippincott & Margulies. "Introducing any product under that umbrella would seem to be a sensible way of proceeding."
Mr. Chajet is already anticipating a logical step in Microsoft's model-year branding: "Windows 2000."
Richard Skews coordinates Marketing Technology.

subset: commoncrawl


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In his chocolate production talk, Koen Dewettinck asks the question, can chocolate save the world? The answer turns out to be no, but it is worth saving.
Many economies of West African countries are driven by cocoa bean production. Not only is it represented on Ghanaian currency, two thirds of the world's cocoa bean production comes from this region. This is particularly impressive because a couple hundred years ago, there were no trees to grow this resource. The problem is the cocoa farmers are aging and upcoming generations are uninterested in this sort of work. Existing trees are aging and becoming susceptible to disease, as others are being cut down and replaced with the more profitable rubber trees.
Rather than importing cocoa beans from the south to northern countries like Belgium, Dewettinck began to transfer knowledge to areas where the beans were grown originally and added value locally. This allowed local people to learn about processing and alter them to fit their needs.
Saving the Chocolate Industry
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Outsmarting the Food Industry
The Benefits of Smiling
Surprising Benefits of Chocolate
The Truth About Food Shortages
Authenticity in Innovation
Koen Dewettinck Keynotes
The Koen Dewettinck talks on chocolate production promote local solutions in the developing world...
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Get inspired by 3,000+ keynote speaker videos & our founder, a top keynote speaker on innovation.
Koen Dewettinck's Chocolate Production Talk Examines Local Solutions
- By: Alyson WyersSep 28, 2013
References: foodscience.ugent.be & youtu.be
References: foodscience.ugent.be & youtu.be


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Property Location
Located in St. Julian's, Hotel Cavalieri is minutes from Spinola Garden and Trig Santa Rita Steps. This 4-star hotel is within close proximity of Sliema Promenade and Paceville.
Make yourself at home in one of the 258 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators. High-speed (wired) Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and satellite programming is available for your entertainment. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and coffee/tea makers.
Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities
Be sure to enjoy recreational amenities, including an indoor pool, a sauna, and a fitness center. Additional amenities include complimentary wireless Internet access, babysitting/childcare (surcharge), and gift shops/newsstands.
Grab a bite at one of the hotel's 2 restaurants, or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). Relax with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge or a poolside bar.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include dry cleaning/laundry services, a 24-hour front desk, and multilingual staff. Event facilities at this hotel consist of conference space and meeting rooms. Free self parking is available onsite.
Are you affiliated with Cavalieri Art Hotel? Apply to the Hotel WiFi Connect program to take control of your account, improve your hotel's confidence score and ranking.
© 2013-2016 Hotel WiFi Test Inc.


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In the sixth and final installment of the series, Gary Caplan met up with Gary Rosenfeld, SVP of business development at Agoura Hills, California-based game publisher THQ. Caplan has known the THQ executive for his entire life, but learned a few things about how Rosenfeld approaches the acquisition of licenses and what goes into video game development at one of the top publishers in the US right now.
Gary Caplan: Hi Gary. Thanks a lot for meeting me today. As I told you, one the objectives of this interview series was to talk to people that I've known for a long time and ask questions not commonly brought up by full-time writers. So in your case, one criterion is certainly met. Remember when we first met? How could you? You were about six months old.
Gary Rosenfeld: That's right! Thanks for having me here, Gary.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Where did you grow up?
I was born in Los Angeles, and never ventured very far beyond. I grew up in Encino and went to law school at UCLA. My first job was in downtown L.A. and now I work in Agoura Hills at THQ.
What made you decide to leave the practice of law to go into our business?
I never ever wanted to practice law in the traditional sense. I always felt that the background law school provided would give me a good foundation from which to get into the licensing and entertainment business.
Weren't you in the toy industry at Playmates for quite a while?
That's right. I joined Playmates Interactive Entertainment in 1996, right around the tail end of the Earthworm Jim days and I migrated from the interactive to toys around 1997, at the tail end of the first wave of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so I guess there's a bit of a pattern there. I reported primarily to John Sinclair and had a great six years working with him.
What were the best lessons you learned from John and your experience at Playmates?
I learned to be diligent in evaluating properties and gather all of the facts about a property before presenting it to senior executives or marketing. For example, if it's a television show, it's not just about the series being on Nickelodeon. It's about the time slot it has, what's it going to follow, where it sits in the schedule, how many episodes are going to be produced and whether or not the show is being sold internationally – all that information matters. And I also learned from John to always be alert at a hockey game.(laughs) We were talking over a beer or two and he explained to me that he grew up in Toronto, Canada and attended a Maple Leafs hockey game with his father. They were sitting, watching the game, and a puck came over the boards and hit his dad in the head.
Same thing with licensing, always be alert. You never know when that puck is going to hit you. Can you tell us a little bit about the history of THQ and when was it founded?
THQ was founded in 1990 as a toy and video game company and went public in 1991, and by about '93 or '94 it started focusing exclusively on the video game business.
For fiscal 2007 we reported US$1 billion in sales and in calendar 2006, THQ was the number-three independent publisher in the US. We've continued to grow market over the last few years, so we're on a great trajectory.
What about game development? What percent of games are developed in-house versus out of house?
That varies from year to year. Right now, about 60% are developed internally and 40% are developed by externals. THQ has grown our internal studio system over the last five or six years to the point where we've got 1,400 THQ employees around the world working on product in 16 studios.
Does THQ invite submissions from outside developers and from licensors?
I wouldn't say necessarily invite submissions, but we do always entertain submissions and from people that we have relationships with. We work with external development groups that are developing game ideas, concepts and demos. It's a very important part of our business, external game development and licensing.
How important is licensing to THQ?
Licensed titles have been important to THQ since the inception of the company and will continue to be. Right now, we hold exclusive long-term agreements with Disney for Pixar movies, World Wrestling Entertainment and Nickelodeon. And these provide a great foundation to build our business. We've also established some balance between the licensed IP and original content in the last few years and the key is to maintain the balance. That said we're very interested in expanding our roster of licenses.
I'm sure everybody comes to you with their new movies and TV series. What attributes do you look for when you're deciding to license a property?
There are specific attributes that we are actually looking for when we're evaluating an IP. The first is whether the property lends itself to a great video game, and hopefully a series of video games. So we like to see properties where there's some level of continuity and we can go beyond its first public iteration. Timing is also very important. It takes two years, sometimes more, to develop a triple-A video game. So an opportunity that's six to 10 months out is challenging; it's probably not realistic. We're usually looking at properties on a two-year horizon. Also, we're spending a lot of money in developing our games based on other people's IP, so we have to make sure that the business terms are correct.
What are THQ's biggest titles, licensed and non-licensed?
THQ's number one licensed product to date has been Finding Nemo, which has sold 8.5 million units to date. However, Cars is going very strong with more than 7 million units sold so far. We also have had several original franchises that have broken the one million dollar unit mark, including Saints Row and Destroy all Humans.
Gary, looking at your experiences in the toy and video game industries, what are the key differences between the two when it comes to licensed properties?
I think timing is a very key difference. It takes us a lot longer to develop our product than it took when for toys. When I was at Playmates toys, for example, we got an opportunity to create action figures based on the DreamWorks Antz movie about three months before the movie was set to launch. But we were able to get great product created and get it on shelf day and date with the movie. You couldn't do anything like that in the video game business because the lead times are so different. And investment: We're spending anywhere from US$8 million to US$20 million to create triple-A product. I know that's a wide range, but I think it is a good indication of the type of investment video game companies are forced to make in order to establish licensed properties in this category.
What do you see for the future of the interactive game business?
It's a great time and there's a lot of innovation occurring, I think that game developers are breaking out of some pre-established molds and really innovating. We've seen some big game developers doing different things, smaller projects, things that can be released via Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Live that don't require two years and US$20 million dollars to make.
Moving to your time outside of work, do you have any hobbies, Gary?
I spend a lot of time with my family and kids Zack and Jessie; they're very active in their sporting lives. I've coached their little league baseball and softball teams up until this year, so that takes up a lot of time. And as far as hobbies go, we spend time at the beach and I try to get out and golf as much as I can.
I knew you when you were a little boy, but I don't remember your favorite characters. What was your first lunch box, do you remember?
Charlie Brown with the e comic panels across the top …
Thermos, oh my goodness. I probably gave that to you.
Well Gary, you sent me off on my baseball-card collecting days, giving me the card binders that had all the team logos them.
Wow. That was one of my great contributions to marketing product. A lot of kids had used those binders to save their baseball cards. Who's your favorite character today?
I love Spongebob. He's obviously a man-sponge, or a boy-sponge in a man's body, and I can relate to that. I just trying to keep a little bit of child-like enthusiasm in what I do every day.
In closing, Gary, is there any advice you could give to a new game developer?
I think it's be patient. A new game developer that doesn't have a history and a pedigree of creating strong titles has to be very thorough in their approach and game design and they have to be very realistic in driving a business deal. The notion that a new game developer is going to have a level of control over their IP perhaps isn't realistic given the fact that publishers spend the amount of money they do to create these products. But we're looking to partner with new game designers, people that are trying new things. It's an exciting time.
Great Gary. I would like to thank you very much for meeting me here today and I know that you will have much success in the years to come in your career and at THQ.
Thank you, Gary . You've known me since I was in diapers, and I've watched how you have approached the business. I've learned a lot from you.
Gary Caplan is known in industry circles as 'The
Godfather of Licensing' and is president of Gary Caplan Inc., a Studio City, California-based consultancy
specializing in the marketing and management of licensing programs. For further information, check out www.garycaplaninc.com.


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Pakistan: Where there's a Ferris wheel, there's hope.
12 July 2012 at 22:30 anyaraza 10 comments
By Anya Raza | KF18 | Pakistan
Secretly, every fellow really just wants to be in the field.
The thrill-seekers in us wish to go to obscure far-flung places, desperate and desolate, yet magical in our minds.
In my case, not even our car breaking down could hold me back. So off we went, three women on a dusty road. Sometimes we need life to slow down around us, to match the pace of our surroundings. As we moseyed our way through the village, we passed a local mela (fair), complete with food stands, game stalls and a theme park.
The sight of a Ferris wheel halted my breath – my daytime reverie saw me floating above this tiny village less than two hours from Lahore, thrust into a utopian state of oblivion. Upon close inspection I realised there was no one in it, and I was told tearfully that these operate on generators, therefore the chances of dangling above my dreams were high. Ah, it's just as well.
Drifting from stall to stall I was once more momentarily distracted by the giant stacks of jalebis (deep fried sugar syrup), their treacly character gluing to my mind, reminding my taste buds of all that is hot and delightfully (st)icky in the summer.
With the midday sun beating down on us, and the market next to empty, I was reminded of the nocturnal nature of Pakistanis during the summer.
Here we arrived to Fareeda's home, an Asasah borrower since 2007. She told us how her family had gone through several troughs in life, after the death of her only son. She had come to know of Asasah through a friend with whom she used to make mosquito nets by hand.
With the help of several loans through Kiva, Fareeda and her husband managed to expand their business, adding bags, clothes, pillow cases and sleeping bags to their growing list of products.
"In our family it is not customary for women to work. I have become an example in our community – people now come to me for advice!" she explained.
Fareeda's proud husband stood watching, and when I asked him what he thought of her endeavours, he responded with a metaphor, "a motorcycle needs two wheels, if one gets punctured, the whole vehicle will be immobile!"
Fareeda now employs 15 women, her children go to school and she lives in a brick home with running water, electricity, a toilet and several rooms.
This is the ideal we strive towards.
This is the dignity we wish to provide.
This is microfinance at its finest.
I asked Fareeda what she had learned from her success, "just because good days come doesn't mean you should forget the bad."
She further went on to add,"I recommend for everyone to stand on their own two feet. My success doesn't stand still with me, I must pay it forward in order to keep growing."
As we said goodbye, her level of emancipation was clear when she brought out her own camcorder to film us.
With our car still very much inoperable, Fareeda's husband took us on his rickshaw to the nearest intersection, where we jumped onto another rickshaw. Despite our lack of speed, dust caught in my eye and resulted in an inadvertent pit-stop, where wise words were dispensed to me by our rickshaw driver, "this may sound a bit technical to you, but should you find your right eye to be obstructed, blow really hard through your left nostril. I guarantee you it will work."
I solemnly promised I would, and exited the rickshaw to be warmly greeted by the next Kiva borrower, Zara Jameel, and her four children.
Zara recently took a loan from Kiva to expand her business as a seamstress. As her four children clamoured for her attention, Zara patiently taught me a three stitch, and showed me some of her finest pieces of work. She explained how the trade had passed down by her mother, and noted she had already began teaching her oldest daughter too.
Her husband works at a charpoy (traditional rope bed) store, so her income from sewing and embroidering clothes is a welcome addition to the household.
At 23, this confident, comfortable young woman said she didn't want any more children. Her Kiva loan would be used to purchase a sewing machine, after which she would work out her strategy one step at a time. With her youngest Arsalan looking up at her, his eyes capturing the hope she conveyed, I wished her nothing but the best.
My first field trip with Asasah left me feeling energized, excited and hopeful. Next week I enter the belly of the beast, South Punjab, and its roaring successful borrowers. If it's anything like this week, I'll need to do a blog series!
Anya Raza is a Kiva Fellow stationed at Asasah, a microfinance institution in Pakistan. You can lend to one of Asasah's borrowers here, join the Pakistan lending team, and keep reading Anya's posts to learn more about the organization and the many borrowers it helps fund. @anya_raza
Entry filed under: blogsherpa, Family and Community Empowerment, KF18 (Kiva Fellows 18th Class), Pakistan, Uncategorized. Tags: Asasah, blogsherpa, camcorder, empowerment, ferris wheel, jalebi, KF18, Kiva, Kiva Fellows, Lahore, microfinance, mosquito nets, Pakistan, poverty alleviation, Raiwand, www.kiva.org..
10 Comments
[…] For an account of my first field trip with Asasah, through my second blog with Kiva, click here! […]
Thank you for sharing such an uplifting stories. I really hope you continue and show at least some people around the world that there is always hope for a better tomorrow in Pakistan. – Ali
Dear anya,
I congratulate on promoting Pakistan in a very positive manner and wrold can see that we have positive list of things to share other than sucide bombing and currupt politicians.i.e our culture, historical buildings, wall city of lahore, women like farida and zara setting example of empowerment and proven as life partner with equally contributing for financial sustainability of household.
Your pictures and story of women really touched my heart and strengthen my believe of poverty alleviation by giving right financial support to poor household.
please keep posted about Pakistan.
[…] Pakistan: Where There's a Ferris Wheel, There's Hope Anya Raza | KF18 | Pakistan In this post, Anya discusses the excitement that is Kiva Fellow fieldwork, tells us the inspiring stories of two Kiva's borrowers in Pakistan, and describes the sensation of excitement and enthusiasm that is felt by every Fellow after meeting Kiva borrowers. […]
I must say that this is really nice coverage of your visit. I am glad that I was with you in these visits. Your blog make my mind refresh and I remember such a beautiful experience of field with you. You do continue your blog series and I m keenly waiting of your upcoming visits blog.
With all the bad news coming from Pakistan, your blog also shows there is a ray of hope, not all is lost! Women like Zara and Fareeda in their own modest way exemplify "Yes, we can!"


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Face to Face with BJP MLA Vishnu Kumar Raju - Mukha Mukhi - Tv9
In a popular programme of Mukha Mukhi, BJP MLA Vishnu Kumar Raju has highlighted about his party coordinating with TDP and at the same time differences ae surfacing now and then. BJP MLA at one stage heaped praises on AP CM Chandrababu Naidu and at the same time he questioned some of the departments in which corruption has been taking place. Watch the video to explore more.


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A contemporary art exhibit at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines has been shut down amid accusations that the work is "blasphemous". According to a statement, CCP management closed the controversial Kulo exhibition after board members and artists received numerous threats.
While the organization gave few details, they did say that a work of artist Mideo Cruz featuring a red phallus on a cross was vandalized on August 4 when a couple tried to set it on fire.
Cruz said his installation, named Poleteismo or Polytheism, was conceived as a commentary on how idolatry has evolved throughout history. The targeted work symbolized the worship of men in a patriarchal society.
The CCP wouldn't comment on whether they were asked — or told — by the government to close the show. The President of the Philippines, Benigno S. Aquino III, was vocal in his opposition to the exhibition, stating that the work was offensive to the country's Christian majority, and that he told CCP board members such an exhibit was inappropriate for an arts institution that accepts public funds.
Photo: Mideo Cruz's Facebook Page.


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No, it's not another Kickstarter. Back in January, before the release of the Veronica Mars movie—which Willa Paskin described as "an extended, excellent episode of the show"—the CW revealed that the series would be getting an online spinoff. At the time, details were scarce, but, today, BuzzFeed revealed that most of the cast (we miss you Mac!) will be in tow for a fictional Web series centered around a fame-seeking Ryan Hansen, the actor who plays Dick Casablancas.
Hansen's character started out as just another rich California surfer dude, but, somehow, as the series progressed and his dad fled the country to avoid criminal charges—and his brother, the mastermind behind a strange and complicated bus crash at the center of Season 2, plunges to his death—he became the unexpected heart of the show. Well, not really. He never became the heart of the show. But that's why this series seems equal parts absurd and wonderful.
It will be very meta. Most of the actors will be playing versions of themselves, and the series will be called Play It Again, Dick, a nod, presumably, to either the incorrectly quoted line from Casablanca, or the Woody Allen movie Play It Again, Sam (or both). Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas is writing the episodes. Here's the premise: Hansen, in an attempt to capitalize on buzz from the Veronica Mars movie, tries to convince his co-stars to join him in a (fictional) Veronica Mars spinoff that Hansen has written. On some level he must succeed, because Kristen Bell will be back playing both a version of herself and her old role of Veronica. Many other favorites will be doing the same: Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, and Percy Daccs III will all be back. Chris Lowell, it seems, will just be playing himself.
Hansen has had a few recent flops in real life, though he's been excellent in Yahoo's Web series, Burning Love, and also in Rob Thomas' other short-lived but much beloved series, Party Down. Both that show (about a group of aspiring actors and writers who work for a catering company in California) and Burning Love (a hilarious send-up of the Bachelor) seem like perfect precedents for this Web series. I'm in.
The series recently wrapped and debuts Sept. 15.


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CHICAGO — Indiana Coach Bob Knight received a one-game suspension from the Big Ten Conference on Saturday as punishment for tossing a chair across the basketball court last weekend during a game with Purdue.
Knight will sit out the Hoosiers' game today against Iowa.
"Indiana University and Coach Knight have advised me that this penalty has been accepted and there will be no appeal of my decision," Big Ten Commissioner Wayne Duke said.
"I have no discretion regarding the penalty to be imposed regarding these violations. The penalties are expressly set forth in the conference's Sportsmanlike Conduct Code."
Angered by the officiating, Knight, 44, hurled a chair across the court during the first five minutes of last Saturday's game at Bloomington, Ind. Indiana lost, 72-63.


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It's been almost a year, hasn't it? You've all probably forgotten about me. For those of you who maintain blogs, I haven't forgotten about you! I've been keeping up with your projects, and greatly enjoying the progress.
So where have I been?
In the past (give or take) ten months, I've...
- had an extended hospital stay (but am now well on the way to recovery),
- given birth to our lovely son, who is perfect,
- lost my great aunt, with whom I was very close,
- helped my husband through his own health issues,
- and suffered the loss of my little "studio", if you can call it that. Which, especially in light of everything else, has been very difficult. No miniatures to help me relax, or take my mind off things!
As things have gotten back onto more of an even keel, my husband and I have been able to start rebuilding my little workspace. Of course, you're all aware, tools and supplies are very expensive so it's been slow going. But the way I look at it is, now I'm free of all the old bits and bobs I'd kept, hoping to use some day but, secretly, knowing would always be junk. We are, as it were, starting afresh.
This tabula rasa has given me the opportunity to really focus on what, precisely, I want to build. I won't be finishing my old projects, as they've been lost. HOWEVER, I WILL be starting a couple of new projects! I'm really quite excited and, already, have started collecting a few supplies. My beautiful Les Chinoiseries wallpaper arrived yesterday, which was quite thrilling. My husband, of course, obediently looked at all of it with me.
Over the next few days (weeks?), I'll hopefully be describing these projects, and getting everyone--including myself--back up to date.
I hope all's well with you, out there in internet land.


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Visitor Parking at ITTC
Visitor parking is available in Lot #206 at Nichols Hall, which is the large lot on the NE side of the building. All of Lot #206 (yellow permit) is available to visitors, except the far row to the south of the lot (red permit).
After parking, please go inside to Room 146, the office directly off of the lobby area, and obtain a temporary parking permit (hangtag) from support staff in that office or to Room 147 Nichols. You will hang this tag from the rearview mirror on your vehicle. Hangtags are available as a.m., p.m. or all day permits. Please specify which permit you will need for your visit at ITTC when picking it up from our support staff.
If requiring a permit for a period of one week or longer, you should contact the person(s) you are visiting at ITTC to make arrangements with Parking Services to purchase a temporary permit for you.


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K-Rain rotary noz 100 360
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Hello Dearests!
We are so tickled that we have made it one year, making you laugh and/or roll your eyes in disgust here at Mommy Dearest Inc. Wow, what a year! We started this venture so unaware of what launching and running a blog entailed. The old saying, "The blind leading the blind" really rings true when observing us trying to figure out Word Press. The night before the launch, Theresa and Susan tried to code something and the entire site shit the bed. Thank God for Dennis (our Web Guy), who had that baby up and running – $125 later. And then, on the morn of October 20, 2015 we launched MDI and the followers just started pouuuurrriiing in. It was like an overnight success amongst our moms, aunts, sisters, cousins and a handful of friends. What a shock to learn that launching a blog was not the only thing you have to do for it to be successful. Who knew? Continue reading


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J Brand denim jacket, Zara dress, Proenza Schouler PS11, Zara sandals
Excuse the slouchiness, I was growing delirious and impatient waiting around with the bf to grab a table at one of our favorite places to eat at. I've been digging the cool combo of blues and whites lately, especially ones with softer tones and off-whites. This periwinkle Zara dress is so ideal for the weather, with its lightweight fabric and thigh-high slits--I love it with sandals, flatforms, sneakers, anything really. Layered with a cropped sweater or a cropped jacket like this one, it becomes such an easygoing layering piece. I wasn't aware HOW good J Brand's denim jackets were, and I'm such a denim jacket fanatic, too, gosh. Cropped, perfectly off-white, and also lightweight... quickly making its way in becoming my summer staple.


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Before all the festive madness starts here at C&C towers, I thought I'd wish all our lovely customers and followers a very merry Christmas and happy new year! This year has been massive for us – we opened our Etsy store in April, and as of today, we have reached over 300 sales. So thank you to everyone out there who helped make out little venture a modest success. We hope to build on that in 2013, which holds lots of exciting things, with brand new patterns hitting the store, new badges, some new free patterns and plenty of geekery. If you haven't learned to cross stitch yet, why not make that your new year's resolution!?
Have an awesome Christmas, geeky stitchers, and be sure to join us in the new year for all the fun! x


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Last month we began the process of preparing for the FLSA Exempt Pay changes, announced by the DOL in May, by looking at your workforce and their duties. You can find that article and additional articles on the change on our website: www.gymhq.club. This month, we continue our preparation for the upcoming December 1st due date for compliance with a look at employee compensation.
The single biggest change for which owners need to prepare is the new salary minimum. The salary threshold increases from $455/week ($23,660 per year) to $913/week ($47,476 per year). If left alone with no changes to the current compensation plans beyond the required salary increase, an owner's exempt payroll will double! With payroll constituting one of the biggest expense categories for a business, this could have a major effect on the bottom line. Here are several considerations to make and examples to use while analyzing a business's current pay rates and retrofitting them to comply with the new DOL guidelines:
Calculate each exempt employee's total yearly earnings. You'll need to include all compensation including salary, commissions, and bonuses. Example:
GM Johnny has a salary of $36,000 per year. He has a commission plan in place that pays him on any memberships sold by him directly as well as a bonus structure based on the achieving 100 new memberships per month. Looking at the six months he's been employed, it's established that his average monthly commission is $300 and his average bonus is $500. That gives him an estimated annual commission and bonuses payout of $9,600. So Johnny's estimated annual income is $45,600.
If an employee's current base salary meets or exceeds $47,476, no changes need to be made.
If the employee is close to the earning base stipulated by the new law ($47,476), consider making adjustments to their current compensation plan to bring it into compliance. Continuing with our GM Johnny example:
The new FLSA pay criteria stipulate that up to 10% of the first $47,476 of the employee's income can come from non-discretionary commissions or bonuses. These are bonuses based on clear and measurable goals or a company's profitability. That means if we want to cap Johnny at $47,476 for his annual compensation, $4,747.60 of it may come from commissions and bonus. We can bring his salary up to $42,729 and adjust our commission and bonus structure accordingly. Where he may have been earning $300 in commission on 30 memberships, now his plan pays him $150. His monthly bonus is adjusted to $250. This brings his yearly earnings from these two categories to $4,800. When combined with his new salary, Johnny's yearly income is $47,529. This is only a $1,929 increase to the business for the year.
If the employee's current earnings are much lower than $47,476 per year, consider moving them to hourly pay. Example:
AM Adam has a salary of $24,000 per year. He earns another $10,000 annually from commissions and bonuses. That puts his annual earnings at $34,000. While a review of his job duties indicated that his role does qualify him to be an exempt employee, the business owners have not budgeted $47,476+ each year for his position. In order to comply with the new FLSA pay rates, Adam's pay is changed to $11.50 per hour (his salary divided by 40 hour weeks x 52). He's required to clock-in and out and his commission and bonus structure remain the same. GM Johnny carefully monitors Adam's time clock reports to ensure he's not exceeding 40 hours per week.
*Luckily our example gym isn't in California, so Adam is not limited to less than 8 hours per day to stay out of overtime status.
If you're moving a currently salaried employee to hourly, make sure you factor in the need for and frequency of overtime hours. Example:
After reviewing the hours Adam typically works, Johnny realizes that he's averaging 50 hours each week. He reviews this with the club owners and all agree that Adam is needed for the extra 10 hours each week. Therefore, Adam will be earning overtime pay. Johnny will need to be careful to take Adam's commissions and bonuses into consideration. For the pay period of August 1st to August 15th, Adam worked 108 hours. 20 of these hours these were overtime. He also earned another $350 in commissions and bonuses. Here's a breakdown of Adam's pay:
108 hours x $11.50 + $350 (commissions & bonuses) = $1592 (straight time pay)
$1592 divided by 108 hours worked= $14.74 (regular rate)
$14.74 x ½ = $7.37 (overtime premium)
20 hours of overtime x $7.37 = $147.40 (overtime pay)
Total payout = $1,739.40
If the owner had failed to consider the tendency of Adam's position to require overtime and had set his hourly rate to $11.50 (and made no changes to his commission and bonus plan), Adam would be set to earn $41,745 per year, which is a lot higher than $34,000. The cost to the business would be $7,746 annually. By understanding the implications of overtime pay, the owner could adjust Adam's hourly rate lower than $11.50 and/or modify his commission and bonus structure. Considering the need for and frequency of overtime, as well as its cost, is a must when considering a future pay plan for a position.
Consider the cost of admin when deciding to move a salaried employee to hourly. Who will track the employees' hours, make adjustments when need, and police overtime? Who will ensure calculations for overtime pay are properly made? Does your pay cycle for hours align with your commission and bonus structure? Example:
Gordon pays his team for hours and salary on a semi-monthly basis, but his commission and bonus structures are based on his club's monthly sales and performance quotas. His sales rep Samantha consistently works overtime and Gordon knows he needs to calculate pay based on her regular rate. However, when he pays her for her hours from the first half of the month, commissions and bonuses are not available. How does he ensure Samantha is paid out properly?
For August 1st to 15th, Samantha worked 92 hours. 4 of these hours were overtime. Her hourly rate is $8. Gordon should pay her the following on her check:
92 hours x $8 = $736
$8 x ½ = $4 (overtime premium)
$4 x 4 hours of overtime = $16
Total pay for this check= $752
At the end of the month, Samantha has $400 in commissions and a $100 bonus. Gordon is able to attribute $150 of the commissions to August 1st to 15th and splits the bonus in half as it was earned over the entire month. He then calculates the additional overtime pay due to Samantha for August 1st to 15th.
$200 (commission and bonus) divided by 92= $2.17 (additional income to add into hourly for regular rate)
$2.17 x 4 hours x 1.5 (time and a half) = $13.02 to be added to Samantha's next check.
Finally, a great place to start when building a compensation plan is to determine how much the position should pay when an employee performs well (if commission/bonus based) and work backwards.
As you can see, there are a lot of points to consider as you work toward December 1st. Starting now ensures you have the time necessary to put a thoughtful plan together.


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How the Gates-Grinch Stole Christmas
From an article in this morning's New York Times on the early Christmas season best selling gifts:
In fact, those looking to buy an Xbox 360 may be out of luck. It is largely unavailable now, and the few that can be had are fetching double and triple the $400 retail price from online stores and eBay.
How could that be, with four weeks left in the shopping season? Could Microsoft have so badly calculated demand as to exhaust its available supply four days into the shopping season? If so, what were they thinking? A new marketing campaign to become the Grinch, or to drive would be shoppers into the arms of Sony? And given the fierce cynicism of young consumers, doesn't a buzz-inducing shortage seem just the sort of cue that could make Gatesland even more loathsome to the under 25 crowd?
So, what's Microsoft saying about this? Almost nothing.
Xbox 360 has a site which asserts "Xbox 360 in stores now," and the site has a calnendar of future game releases etc. There's a forlorn comment or two in the Xbox forums, but Google news doesn't have one piece I can find asking the company how such a shortage came to be. With spokesmen as farflung as Ireland being very cagey about supplies, the suspicion grows that Microsoft is managing this to create a shortage which in turn creates buzz.
Here's MajorNelson's take on the situation. And many posters on this thread are very unhappy game-players.
HBS must see a new case study unfolding, and if Microsoft doesn't start the spin machine soon, look for plenty slow news season stories on the worst new product roll-out in a decade.


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Holy Smokes have you ever used a schedule board? They are the best! This is my schedule board that I used this year for about a hundred-million different things. It was so useful in so many ways. I know I know it's just a black poster with a bunch of numbers velcroed on but seriously this beauty rocks my world! Read more of this post to find 6 ways to use a schedule board in your therapy.
Here are a number of uses for this fabulous therapy tool
Evaluation Count Down. When evaluating a kiddo I usually put up a number for each subtest that we need to do. After each subtest they get to take the number off the schedule board and put it in the "all done" pile. It helps them feel a sense of accomplishment and know how much more is ahead.
Incentive to work! I use it all the time to help little munchkins who have short attention spans. It is a visual that helps them know that they have to get so many "things" done before they get a break. Example of use with animal artculation cards below. Make sure that the child knows what they get when they complete the work and provide that reinforcement immediately. This kid LOVES bubbles so I always use the bubbles. Please observe the fabulous butterfly bubble bottle that I got at some wedding four years ago and is now an essential part of my therapy. One of my professors once said that bubbles were like crack for kids. He was right!
Picture Schedule. I use this with a few of my autistic clients. Autistic children are very visual and really crave routine. The schedule board shows them what they can expect to do in a session and what happens at the end.
Sequencing. The numbers are great to help children organize sequences of events.
Sentence Pacing Board. If you are working toward a longer MLU and the child needs a more structured approach you can use the numbers to make a pacing board. Put out 4 numbers if you want the child to use a four word sentence. Put your hand on the numbers as you say the words (e.g. for the phrase "the ball went down" touch 1 for "the", 2 for "ball", 3 for "went", and 4 for "down"). To fade this cue out try clapping instead of pointing to the numbers and then just doing it with a melody and then without any cues at all.
Multisyllabic Words Pacing Board. For kids who struggle articulating multisylabic words try breaking them up into the number of syllables. (e.g.watermelon can be broken up into 4 parts wa-ter-me-lon)
The possibilities are ENDLESS!


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The Horn of Plenty4
Gulworthy Devon, TAVISTOCK, PL19 8JD
Price FromView Rooms
- Excellent
- 6 guest reviews
"Horn of Plenty is local to me and although I have had lunch in the past there, never stayed or had dinner. From start to finish, the experie..."
"The hotel is set in a beautiful location, perfect for a peaceful escape. Staff are friendly and welcoming. The room we stayed in was in a ne..."
"A lovely hotel with splendid views very nice rooms and gorgeous food ... staff were also very friendly and welcoming..."
"Very friendly and attentive staff..."
"Lovely place to stay for a romantic getaway..."
About the hotel
Renowned as one of Devon's top restaurants and Hotels, this beautiful country house offers breathtaking views over the Tamar Valley, friendly staff, elegant surroundings and free Wi-Fi and parking. Originally built in the 19th Century, this historic house sits proudly within five acres of gardens, surrounded by gloriously peaceful countryside. Privately owned, it offers a wonderfully warm welcome and friendly personalised service.
It offers 16 beautifully appointed en-suite bedrooms. Those in the Main House retain an elegant, classic style whilst the Coach House rooms have a more contemporary finish. Having been awarded 2 AA Rosettes, the fine dining restaurant has garnered an excellent reputation for the quality of its food. Passionate about creating exciting and innovative dishes, they are committed to using fresh, locally sourced produce from across Devon and Cornwall. The Hotel is just 20 minutes from the A30 and 30 from Plymouth and is a great base from which to explore such attractions as Dartmoor National Park, the Tamar Valley, The Eden Project and Buckland Abbey.
Read MoreLess
Facilities Show/hide
- Main
- Hotel Non-Smoking Throughout, Cots available, Wedding Licence, Safety Deposit Box, Tea/Coffee making facilities in each room, Hairdryer in each room, Telephone In Each Room, Pets Allowed, Ground floor bedrooms
- Parking
- Car parking available onsite
- Business
- Wi-Fi Available, Meeting Facilities, Wi-Fi Available In Public Areas, Wi-Fi Available In Rooms
- Dining
- Restaurant
- In Room Entertainment
- Leisure
- Mountain Bike Hire, Tennis Courts, Horse Riding
Useful Info Show/hide
- Between 15:00 and 18:00
- By 11:00 hours
- Up to 12 years old
- The price shown is based on the occupancy and dates you have searched for. Prices and availability are subject to change based on the arrival date, number of nights and occupancy searched for. All prices are inclusive of all local taxes.
- Pets are allowed
Customer Reviews
Our reviews are from genuine LateRooms.com customers. We verify that the customer has stayed before leaving a review.
100% would recommend it to a friend
Customer service
Food quality
Room quality
Horn of Plenty is local to me and although I have had lunch in the past there, never stayed or had dinner.
From start to finish, the experie...
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Picturesque and peaceful
The hotel is set in a beautiful location, perfect for a peaceful escape.
Staff are friendly and welcoming. The room we stayed in was in a ne...
Read More Less


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Latest testimonials
We were extremely pleased with the quality and timely result, which produced a significantly increased rental, with new kitchen, laundry, bathroom and lighting design, and a full re-paint and polished floorboards. This all occurred without architectural plans, but aided by Scott's ideas and impressive attention to detail as a hands on project manager.
Scott was most communicative, and flexibly responsive to our changing needs - both face-to-face and in writing. His contractors' work was high class.
I would thoroughly recommend Hansen Living for similar residential renovations.
We really appreciated your professionalism & helpful assistance in the makeover of my mother's East Malvern home. Your advice captured the era of the home beautifully & helped set a most pleasant & warm inviting atmosphere.
Your team of colleagues were all most helpful & obliging & carried out their allotted tasks with great professionalism.
The end result was a most successful transformation & we thank you for your participation.
Felix and Carol
I would just like to advise that Kirsten, Scott and their team at Hansen Living are a total delight to work with when it comes to home improvement and interior design. They were an invaluable asset to us completing the rather extensive improvements within an extremely tight time frame.
There is no doubt that their work assisted us in obtaining a wonderful result at auction. In addition, because of the terrific work they did on that project, they are now helping us turn our new house into a home that will eventually be a delight to live in.
John and Sarah
We sold our unit in Bentleigh approximately 15 months ago. We asked Scott, Kirsten and their team at Hansen Living to provide an overall makeover of our home in preparation for sale.
We found the whole process professional, timely and of high quality. The team took care of paintwork, carpeting, furnishing and decorating. The final product was fabulous and was met by compliments from all those who inspected the property.
We were thrilled with the result and would highly recommend Hansen Living to others.
Darryl and Lara
We engaged Hansen Living to undertake the works and were very happy with Scott's construction knowledge, leadership, organisation of tradesmen and quality of the works that were undertaken. Scott's own high expectations meant that he also offered insights as to what he believed was or was not up to his own high standards.
We were extremely appreciate that the fit out was achieved within a very tight timeframe as we were changing premises and only had a limited change over period.
We would recommend Hansen Living for any building works or project management.
The Australian Lending & Investment Centre


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Still at Paris fashion week wherever the French fashion store company gladiator Vinton has staged the Fall/Winter 2015-16 women's ready-made assortment. Comfy Warm And Sensual Autumn Winter Outfits 2015-2016.
The French luxury fashion label gladiator Vinton has shown its FW 2015/16 women wear assortment outlined by elegant stylish seventies ambiance and slightly of ultra-modern and modern angle at identical time, the presence of glamour and comfy elements;
The classic fur brushed sheepskin coats in icy white, black and animal pattern, aesthetical dresses with cutout and embroideries, comfortable knit sweatshirts in numerous colors, glam animal skin skirt, toed shoes and booties,
Elegant tailored suit sport jacket and trousers highlight the runway, whereas the enduring accessories of the house like purses and shades complete a complete fabulous look dedicated to next cold season. Comfy Warm And Sensual Autumn Winter Outfits 2015-2016


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From Good Asian Drivers [which is gone!!!]: A dramatic revision Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl"
Hip hip hooray for community matriarchs!
Bad Starbucks! Sexual harassment is NOT part of fair trade.
Back in my day, when we went natural, we had to make our own goshdang hair products out of coconut oil, shea butter, and HATE FOR THE MAN. You young'uns have it easy, with your etsy and your hair entrepreneurs.
Is rape over-used in fiction?
Vagina breath mints? Really now?
Thoughts on the "perfect fat"
AGAIN. A fantasy is not consent!
Piers Anthony has not YET published a series or stand alone that hasn't gotten pervy/rapey fast. Tatham Mound and Firefly are no exception. I'm actually kinda dreading finishing the Mode series, since the skeevy rape/race issues in For All Eternity made me so upset.
Dunno about you other black ladies in the house, but personally, I don't want a man who's threatened by my success. The misogyny in assuming that only men do the pickin' and the choosin' in matters of the heart is redonkulous.
Remembering George Tiller. [article locked]


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We all have little things about our personality that we recognize as personal quirks that we don't necessarily share with others, or hope they just don't notice. Or if they do they notice, we hope they either ignore it or get over it because, hey, that's just how we are.
I had a recent experience where a friend of mine revealed to me that they have what appears to be the exact same personal quirk I do. What made it so cool is that I've realized for years that – OK, this is different than most everybody but I'm stuck with it, so be it, maybe I'm a little crazy, oh well.
But hey, if it's not just you….you're not crazy, right?


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Sunday, December 13, 2009
Elf Warmers
Short and cute, these wristwarmers make a fast crochet project... great for stash-busting too. The instructions for making them are included in the Witch Warmers in Crochet pattern. Just use the short version notes in italics. You can make short anklewarmers, too, and a matching neckwarmer to complete the look.
If you prefer, you can knit these using the original Witch Warmers pattern, designed for knitters.
The yarn for this project was I Love This Yarn Sportweight by Hobby Lobby. It's 100% acrylic, inexpensive, and it has a lovely, soft feel when working with it and wearing it. In order to make this project, I broke down and bought acrylic to save money, and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. Since these wristwarmers were a holiday project, I don't expect to be washing and drying them a lot, so they will probably continue to look good for a long time.
You can find another variation for Witch Warmers in Crochet here:
Evening-Length Winter Warmers
Posted by Amanda Steves at 2:20 PM
Labels: Christmas, crochet, cuffs, gauntlets, goth, holiday, stash buster, stash-busting, witch warmers in crochet, wristwarmers, Yule
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It's been important to give in to the beauty of the day and to the rhythm of life here. Some days have been grey, overcast and windy where the studio skylight is pelted with rain and small bits of hail. It was good to stay inside and focus on my work those days. But many days have cleared at some point to glorious, blue skies and it was impossible to stay indoors. Giving in to the rhythm of the weather has been important. I love that changeability. My cottage looks out onto the Ballinskelligs Bay and the islands of Scariff and Deenish. I have taken hundreds of photos of those islands with the changing skies over them. The light and sky change by the hour. Yesterday a cloud nestled right down on Cill Rialaig and I couldn't see the islands at all.
I wrote in a post from home just before I left that I was looking forward to experiencing that thin place between the worlds. I can feel this at some of the ancient sites. The trip here has been expanding in many ways. That's the blessing of travel--the way it cracks open my mind and breaks me out of my daily life and routines, forces me to try out new ways of living, and keeps me in the moment. Simply following the unfolding of the day has been important. It brought us to the ancient hermitage site up the road, just when the biggest rainbow I'd ever seen, shone over the bay. Our spontaneous decision to stay for the night after we'd seen Rebecca's artist friend, gave us time the next day to visit the Irish artist Charles Tyrrell, whose work Rebecca and I saw in Dublin last year at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He lives at the far end of the Beara Peninsula in a very remote place. Getting there was a journey itself , stunning views and terrifyingly narrow, steep roads but it was a delight to visit his home and studio and chat about painting. He was most generous with his time and his conversation.
Later that day we had time to visit the incredible stone circle at Uragh.
Later that day we had time to visit the incredible stone circle at Uragh.
My work has moved in directions I would not have expected but then I came here with the idea of letting it move and change with the energy of the place, working mainly in black and white. Although this work is not about the land in a direct way, it is heavily influenced by the land. How can it not be, with the stunning views on clear days and the wind and rain sometimes lashing at the cottage on others?
Rebecca leaves for home on Friday and my journey continues to Scotland. I will miss this rather primitive little cottage with it's paint-splattered concrete floor, the steep ladder to the bed/loft area and the old plastic radio with it's big dial tuned to the RTE Lyric station. This afternoon I'll walk up to the hermitage site where I've been so many times now and sit for a while in that prayerful place. Thank you to all who are involved with making Cill Rialaig available for artists. Thanks to this land and to the ancestors. Go Raibth Maith Agat.


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Friday, July 8, 2011
iPhone image of the week...
5 comments:
- Blue Fruit said...
Oh that's interesting, you went for more of the Pantons. Weren't you going to have some other style of chair, with just 2 of these, or is my memory playing tricks?
- July 9, 2011 at 10:31 AM
- meenal bishnoi said...
Your memory is perfect, Virginia..that was the initial plan as we were trying to contain the budget..but the two looked so good..we decided to get four more!! Now I will put a totally different pair at the ends..maybe upholstered winged chairs to break the monotony!! xx meenal
- July 9, 2011 at 10:49 AM
- cart-wheels said...
Oh no, tech issues! I've been dealing with my own these past two weeks, and have been following you for a couple months now - so it's nice to hear [well, not nice to hear!] that someone else is experiencing hard drive errors, etc as well!
Best of luck to the both of us, and I'll look forward to your posts until everything is up and running again:)
- July 9, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Love it!!
- July 10, 2011 at 12:02 AM
- meenal bishnoi said...
cart-wheels-: sorry to know you are having tech trouble too..hope it is sorted out soon!
- July 10, 2011 at 2:00 AM


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Aalborg Energie Technik a/s Biomass CHP Plant
Zignago Power S.r.l. belongs to the family-owned company Zignago Holding SpA.
The biomass CHP plant utilises forestry wood, clean, uncontaminated wood residues and agricultural waste (e.g. straw, miscanthus, maize).
The Zignago plant is quite unique because of its wide range of fuels:
The biomass boiler plant was successfully commissioned and handed over in the beginning of 2012. The official performance test, carried out by FORCE, indicated the following performance:
All measured performances were better than the guaranteed performances by a good margin.
The plant was upgraded in 2014, with a tail end heat exchanger, condenser and district heating system to supply district heating to the nearby villages and to the Zignago industrial facilities.
AET designed, supplied, constructed and commissioned the following scope of supply:
Besides the above scope, AET assisted in the engineering the of the steam turbine and condenser as well as heat balance optimisation.
To obtain more information about this biomass plant and/or generally about Aalborg Energie Technik a/s:


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Ask a Law Question, Get an Answer ASAP!
Thank you for your question
My name is Clare
I shall do my best to help you but I need some further information first
What happened to the mortgage on the property?
What assets do you each have NOW and what income do you each have now
Why did you transfer the house to her?
has she been paying a Repayment Mortgage?
What is your current housing position?
Just to check - are you aware that the site charges extra for a phone call.
IT is still open for you to make an application for Financial relief within the old Divorce Proceedings - but the fact that you transferred the property to her such a short time ago is likely to be a major problem.
The only issue will the property - there is no point in even attempting to claim for Personal Possessions - you can only claim second hand value - and the court will simply say that you should have taken action at the time.
With regard to the house your ex will be able to claim credit for the capital paid off the mortgage - and is likely to get a larger share of any equity in any event since she was the one who compromised her earning capacity to care for the children
Accordingly the very best you might achieve given the delay would potentially be an 80/20 split in her favour AFTER credit has been given for any mortgage she has repaid.
That is before comparison pf Pensions - and assuming that the Court do not decide that the Transfer three years ago did not denote a final settlement that your ex has since acted upon.
Please ask if you need further details
How much did you receive and when?
So you received £40,000 in 2003.
How much was the property worth then and how much was outstanding on the mortgage.
How much did you pay in Child Maintenance?
In that case I am sorry but your chances of achieving anything at all are remote in the extreme.
Your received half of the equity at the time that you separated by way of raising a loan at that time.
I appreciate that you paid the loan - but you paid no Child Maintenance so your ex paid off the Original mortgage and paid for the chidlren alone.
The Court will take this into account.
The fact that your father paid off the loan at the time of the Transfer is simply not going to be enough and I suspect the Court will see this as a fair settlement.
I am sorry I know that it is not what you wished to hear but I ma afraid that this is a reflection of the approach that a court is likely to take
Sadly I can only be honest about the position - and looking forward does indeed sound good!


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- Green Construction Paper for the Background
- Light Green Construction Paper for Stems and Leaves
- Glue
- Scissors
- Origami Paper or... I actually cut squares out of paper I had that came in a large variety pack... I cut them down to 5" x 5"
I originally saw this on Kids Artists and couldn't wait to try it with my kiddos! Check out her blog for some great step by step directions.
The toughest part was making the "double square," but once they got the hang of it, they were on a roll!


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At Sorenson Tree Service, LLC, we'll do a great job removing dead or dangerous trees from your property. But, after we're finished, what should you do with all that open space?
Why not plant a new tree? Our team can:
In the years since our founding, Sorenson Tree Service has grown our reputation far beyond the borders of Madelia, Minnesota. We've accomplished this by offering great work and outstanding customer service to all customers within Madelia, Mankato, MN and surround area homes and businesses. You can trust our team to do the job right.
Contact us to get a quote for tree planting at your home or business.


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Failing to see Mt Fuji from Hakusan's separate mountain
Was it really necessary to get up two hours before daylight? I may have been rash enough to put the question to the Sensei over our pre-dawn cup of coffee. "You'll see," was all she said.
Soon after daybreak, we were walking up through a shadowy forest. The sun had yet to climb over Chiburi-one, the ridge we were heading for. Now I was beginning to understand the early start – geographically speaking, Bessan may be only an appendage to the Hakusan massif. Yet, as the name suggests, it is a "separate mountain", and to climb it, you need to raise yourself through much the same interval – sixteen hundred vertical metres – as for Hakusan.
We stopped to fill our water bottles at a spring from central casting – a little rill of snow-chilled water, clear as crystal glass, burbling out from under a mossy arch of boulders. No wonder the trees like it here. As we climbed on in the growing light, the giant horse-chestnuts, oaks and katsura gradually gave way to beech trees.
On the ridge proper, we passed through a stand of maple, their leaves backlit a dramatic yellow against the liquid-blue autumn sky. Now we were in the realm of the kōyō, the autumn colours for which Japan's mountain forests are justly famed.
But – or was this just a nostalgia attack? – perhaps those autumnal ochres and maroons and crimsons weren't flaring quite as they used to. Stripping off another layer of fibre-pile, I wondered if it was just too warm to start the leaves turning properly.
A clatter of rotor blades cut into our musings – a dun-coloured helicopter, a military spotter, choppered its way up the valley, then circled back. This hatsu-yuki no longer belonged to us.
Refreshed, we climbed into the realm of the dake-kamba, the rosy-barked high mountain birch. An exposed path led across a flank of the ridge. Fortunately, the black earth of the path was dry. Then suddenly we left the trees and moved up onto a grassy hogsback.
There's sometimes a large snake here, sunning itself, said the Sensei, whose encounters with the local wildlife include quite a few bear and viper sightings. Privately, I hoped it was too late in the year for such denizens, but you never know your luck in these warming times.
Again our musings were interrupted – this time, the whup-whup of rotor blades came from a big Bell helicopter, complete with chin-turret for its gyro-stabilised cameras. Apparently, a visit from NHK. And already the craft was sashaying to and fro across the summit ridge opposite, reeling in footage of the year's first snow for the evening news show.
On the col, a cold wind blew. Taking shelter in a hollow, the Sensei delegated the summit push to me. Ten minutes along the level ridge I came up to a small shrine, fringed with icicles – it's said that Taichō Daishi, the monk who "opened" Hakusan in that first year of Yōrō (717) also pioneered the Chiburi ridge route to this subsidiary peak.
Beyond a summit marker inscribed with our height – 2,399 metres – the rocky spine of Honshū floated above a blue gulf of low-level haze. My gaze tracked rightwards from the hacksaw serrations of the Northern Alps – yes, there was the pimple of Yari and the statelier domes of the Hodaka massif – across a gap to Ontake, isolated and aloof – and then further still, southwards, to the indistinct ripples of the Chuo Alps.
Those ripples … I wish I'd looked harder in that direction. According to Michio Masunaga in his magisterial book on the mountains of Echizen, an Edo-era scholar named Kuroda Tomoari (1792-1859), who climbed Bessan in search of medicinal herbs, reported that he saw Mt Fuji from here.
Is this really possible? By consensus, Japan's highest mountain can't be seen from the top of Hakusan, fully 300 metres higher than Bessan, because the line of sight is blocked by Ontake. As for Bessan, Masunaga-san says that Mt Fuji would simply be hidden by the earth's curvature; he himself, in a lifetime of mountaineering, has never seen the mountain from Bessan.
Hoping to settle the question, I later looked at my copy of the Handbook for Climbing Mt Fuji. Unfortunately, this invaluable reference just muddies matters further - it has a map that suggests that Mt Fuji can indeed be seen from the prefectures of both Fukui and Ishikawa, in which the Hakusan/Bessan massif stands. But, if so, where are those lofty viewpoints?
There was no time to pursue such enquiries now. The Sensei would be freezing in her bower of creeping pine, and we'd better be heading down – the sun was already westering tendentiously towards the Japan Sea.
Sixteen hundred downward metres are hard on the knees. Ours were laughing, as the Japanese say. Yet we managed to keep the sun in the sky until the lowermost woods. Then he dipped below the ridge and we were left darkling. Stars were pricking through the forest canopy by the time we reached the Sensei's van. There was no need to ask again why we'd got up so early.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Meizan spring & autumn (5)
Posted by Project Hyakumeizan at 7:37 PM
Labels: travelogue
2 comments:
- wes said...
Alas, the long-awaited installment in the Hokuriku Chronicles. Such brilliant weather you had on the "other mountain" - quite stark contrast from when I traversed over the beast in horizontal rain and biting winds……
- February 5, 2016 at 1:34 PM
- Amber said...
It must have been a shocking reality check to have a helicopter whiz by you as you were trying to enjoy serenity! Also I like your photos! It's nice to observe nature on both a macro and a micro level. Lucky for me I get to go hiking with "the Sensei" tomorrow!
- February 7, 2016 at 3:13 AM
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Intercoolers improve efficiency and power in turbo applications by rapidly radiating heat from the compressed intake charge before it enters combustion. Intercooler fins play a crucial role in the intercooler's ability to keep your vehicle's intake temperatures cool. Over time, the intercooler's fins can bend or clog from road debris and rocks, causing a disruption in airflow that causes a loss in performance, not to mention becoming a real eyesore.
We noticed our Subaru top-mount intercooler had a fair few extra-squashed fins. Not wanting to pony up and purchasing a new core, we decided to make repairs using simple household items. We should mention there are other options to fixing those fins, which include purchasing a fin straightener, or fin rake that's sold online. Although using a rake fin would seem the most practical in quickly straightening those damaged fins, this tool isn't always the best item to use as we found out with our intercooler. Many aftermarket intercooler's cores, including ones such as Greddy, don't have long rows of straight fins. Rather, they consist of condensed short, zigzag rows that require more attention when straightening. To address this issue, we gathered up a number of items to create our own DIY kit, which included a set of tweezers (the type your girlfriend or perhaps yourself would use to pluck eyebrows), toothpicks, and a pair of screwdrivers.
Using a pair of flat-head screwdrivers and plenty of patience, methodically wedge the bent fin between both flat ends of the two screwdrivers and press together to straighten them back to their original shape.
If the screwdriver method isn't working out, a pair of wide-tip tweezers with a flat face is another alternative.
Notice after using a set of tweezers that the intercooler fins were shaped in a square pattern. Don't worry, we have a quick fix for that as well.
We used toothpicks to contour the fins by simply pressing alongside each edge to achieve a nice rounded corner, similar to the factory design.


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Hi everyone! Hope you have a great Sunday.
Today I want to share with you my project for Simply Magnolia Challenge midway reminder
CAS / Fully Loaded.
For the rules challenge please visit our blog challenge HERE
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Challenges :
~ The Ribbon Girl Blog - May Card Challenge


text:
To become a manager, acquire managerial skills, become more productive at work, earn a master's degree, and seek other opportunities for advancement if necessary. A formal education is not required, but having a degree increases your chance of becoming a manager.
- Enhance your skills
Learn such skills as organizing, planning and creativity. Study leadership qualities, and learn how to make quick decisions. Learn how to communicate well in written and oral forms.
- Become proactive
Learn as much as you can about your current position, and perform to the best of your ability. Use your creativity to come up with new ideas that enhance company performance. Demonstrate an ability to solve problems effectively, and volunteer to do unpopular tasks. Help out other coworkers where necessary. Let your manager know about your desire to advance within the company. Participate in training or mentor programs to stand out.
- Obtain a degree
Choose an area of speciality in the business field that interests you. Earn a bachelor's degree, and earn a master's degree in business administration to get ahead.
- Seek a job
Find another line of work if your current job does not allow you to advance. Use search engines, company websites and trade journals to find work. Conduct research on the company before applying.