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1000 Splendid Suns
By Khaled Housseini
Khaled Housseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. His family moved to Paris for business, and while they were gone, the Soviets invaded. They were granted asylum in the United States. There Housseini went to high school, college and medical school. While he was an intern, he wrote the New York Times number one best seller, The Kite Runner.
His most recent book A Thousand Splendid Suns is a fictional story taking place in Kabul, Afghanistan, starting in the 1960's to the present time. It begins with the youth of a bastard child-Mariam. Her father slept with her mother, who was his servant. When his wives find out they ask Mariam and her mother to leave the house. Her father visits her once a week along with a religious teacher, mullah Faizullah. The mullah teaches her the Koran, which she becomes strongly fond of.
The other main character is Laila. She is a beautiful blonde haired, green eyed young Afghan girl. Unlike Mariam, she is educated and has friends. She has two brothers who are in the army and her father is an educated man, a teacher.
Laila and Mariam become friends and go through their tribulations together. They stick up for each other in a time when women are maltreated. They help each other and share their secrets and lives with each other. A bond of sisterhood and friendship is born in adversity that nothing can break. These two are meant to be together, to support one another and to love one another.
The characters are believable. They went through a lot of suffering during the changes in Afghanistan. Mariam was my favorite character. She has been through a lot of struggling to make it to become a strong woman who can make decisions for herself, stick up for herself, and take responsibility for her life. She is a victorious woman in a troubled society.
The story goes through the time the Soviets take over, to when the US frees the people from the grip of the Taliban. Many changes happen to Laila and Mariam. Love gained and lost. Children enter the picture and bring joy to Mariam and Laila. Their quest for love and a good, honorable life in Afghanistan is a constant struggle.
When the Taliban take over; women are not allowed to work, travel alone, or be outside alone. There are times when the cruelty of the dominant male becomes outrageous.
This story was very touching. At many times, it was sad. It's a tragedy to hear what happened to Afghanistan and the people living there; the lives that were destroyed, women's rights being taken away, poverty and death. The book was interesting with all its twists and turns. My favorite part of the book was its honesty. It honestly portrayed the lives and attitudes in Afghanistan. What I liked least was how tragic the story was. Even though this book was fictional, I could see it really taking place. I read both books written by the author and I would read another. The fact that it takes place in the Middle East attracts me since I am Middle Eastern.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a real story, a fictional tragedy. It is a quick read and very moving. It makes me appreciate what I have, before it is taken away. I would give this book a 9.5 rating on a one to ten scale. There is still fighting and male dominance in the Middle East, and many women's lives are still in danger.
Robert Etemadi
Eng 180
Kite Runner
By Khaled Hosseini
An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes the reader from Afghanistan in the final days of the monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is an unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant. This beautifully crafted novel is set in Afghanistan, a country that is in the process of being radically changed. The story reflects "the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption. It is also about the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, their lies."
The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner tells a poignant story against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before. "But just as it is old-fashioned in its narration, it is contemporary in its subject - the devastating history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years." Emotionally gripping as it is tender, The Kite Runner definitely grabs the reader's attention so much so that one almost forgets this is a novel and not a memoir. The author manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil, while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned.
Cheryl Altman
The Glass Castle
By Jeannette Walls
In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls delivers an incredible true story of her childhood in the care of her nomadic, non-conforming parents. Rex and Rose Mary Walls are brilliant individuals and their four children inherit many of their good virtues. But her father is the victim of an abusive childhood and finds solace in alcohol. The mother has an artistic gift, but admits to being an "excitement addict". She suffers from bouts of depression and shuns the responsibility of providing for her family. The author's earliest memory is cooking hot dogs on the stove at the age of three.
The family bounces around the Southwest in the 1960's. At one point Rex makes a sharp turn in their dilapidated car, the back door swings open, and Jeanette finds herself accidentally thrown from the back seat of the car. With dust and pebbles stuck on her face she waits for her parents to realize they have lost a passenger. The twenty minute wait is interminable for a toddler.
At the age of 10 the author's family has settled in Rex's West Virginia hometown. The uncouth hillbilly relatives make Rex look like the success story of the clan. Eventually while still in their teens with the support from siblings, the three oldest children move to New York City to escape their parents' insanity and to start their own successful lives.
This book is touching for many reasons. Jeanette Walls overcame extreme odds to achieve her present day status as a contributor to MSNBC. But she always tries to present her parents with affection and generosity. She survives poverty, fires and near starvation to find her place in the world. Her parents instill in her an amazing ability to overcome adversity.
Additionally, the story is thought provoking about the plight of the "homeless". Because of their mental state the parents frequently find themselves on the street or living out of their car. Even with their children established with successful careers, the parents still elect to live on the streets rather than accept assistance from their children.
The Glass Castle is a fast paced book that offers a new perspective on a rarely explored fringe of society.
Denise Green
Associate Faculty
By Lara Santoro
How We Become Blind
Some of us remember this: We are children, lying in the grass, staring at the sky, and wondering when our futures will begin. We had time. It spread out before us like that sky or the grass that held our lounging bodies. Time. We had our fill of it, its vast limitlessness. We saw infinity there, but it was not enough. We longed for our older days not knowing that our time there, in our longed-for futures, would become eclipsed by The List of a Countless Things to Do.
And what, then, would become of this sky into which we had pointed at stars, or found fantastic shapes among the clouds, and wondered about the possibility of a rainbow's pot of gold? The sky would continue to become what it had always been, a vehicle for weather and birds and dreams. It would remain there, always, as it is right now. But for us, the some of us children who had lain in the grass, speeding toward our tomorrows, the sky would narrow itself into that one more thing we just learn to accept, or, better, forget, on our journey of trying to remember the day we became blind.
In her first novel, Lara Santoro has set about the task of restoring our sight. No small feat. Santoro has chosen Africa, of course, a continent where we cannot forget the sky, and she pushes us out of our comfort zone and onto the path of remembrance and forgiveness. On this continent where 700 people a day die from HIV/AIDS--and often simply because they do not have access to what have become ubiquitous retro-viral drugs in the developed world--we come to terms with life as the many characters we meet have come to live it. Here, even the living are dying, or, as Yeats might proclaim, slouching toward their particular resurrections. For what is our human fall from grace without its promise of redemption?
Father Anselmo, as perhaps the conscience of this novel—and of our sense of Mercy/mercy—exhorts us all through his conversations with Anna, the journalist of our tale, we have only to open our eyes to see. Easier said than done, n'est-ce pas? As are our attempts at understanding the human trilogy of faith, hope and love. We are witness to character after character in this novel making, and often failing, in her attempts at grappling with just such an understanding. Santoro reminds us that love hurts (haven't you heard) and sometimes it really is not all that pretty. But, like a casino in Las Vegas for some, for those of us who wake up to discover we are not so blind there comes a reckoning that it is the only game in town worthy of our perpetual, if flawed, service.
"There are no simple explanations, they don't exist: the minutest crumb of human experience is an aggregate of at least a half a dozen elements," Anna tells us, her readers; and like her, we know that we have stumbled upon this thing called humility, something the Africans have learned well how to serve. It may be difficult for citizens of a democracy to understand that somewhere else, like under the vast African sky, for example, pharmaceuticals belong to the privileged. In the case of such rampant HIV/AIDS infection, it means that life belongs to the privileged as well. In Mercy, both the novel and the African character for whom the novel is named, we learn about bravery in the face of such privilege. Time after time--the essence akin to God according to Father Anselmo—we witness our "privileged" characters come back from the dead. Thanks to Santoro, one or two of them return with her eyes wide open to remind the rest of us there is this task called seeing to attend.
Sarah Vogel
Associate Faculty
Mother Father Deaf
By Paul Preston
Paul Preston, the author, is the son of a deaf couple. He wanted to write a book that opened the world to the truth about growing up with deaf parents. He now manages the newly created National Research and Training Center for Families of Adults with Disabilities. This is a nonprofit organization located in Berkeley, California called Through the Looking Glass. He is also a research associate in medical anthropology at the University of California, San Francisco. He has not written any other books.
This book is non-fiction. It is a research book designed to take the reader into the deaf and hearing cultures, where families embody the conflicts and resolutions of the two often opposing world views. He interviewed one hundred fifty hearing children of deaf parents. He had to limit his research to one hundred fifty since several hundred people volunteered their experiences. This is a rich analysis that is remarkable for its insights into a family normally closed to outsiders. These stories challenge many of mainstream society's common myths and beliefs about hearing and deafness and illustrate the drama of belonging.
The study was done during the mid 90's and it was carried out throughout the United States. The main character is Paul himself but the interviews he conducts are very interesting. I found what Martin, an interviewed subject, said about his father very sad. His dad was a carpenter for several years and never got a supervisory position or went beyond an hourly wage. He stayed with the same company because to get hired as a deaf person was very difficult, as a result he traveled with that company wherever it went and rarely ever saw or spent time with his family. This was all because he was deaf. This is just one of the many discriminating experiences that many of the deaf put up with. It's better now but it still exist even if it is within the deaf person themselves.
This book was interesting because it broadened my view of a different culture. I liked most learning about how children of deaf parents still learn how to talk with the similar ability of a child with hearing parents only no one fully understands why or how this happens, but it does. What I liked least about the book was the language; I am not one for foul language so I did not appreciate reading it. I would like to read another book by this author because he does unique work that is based on factual experiences and he holds no punches even when he disagrees with the material. He is a fair writer and I hope he can write another book maybe on the subject of mainstreaming. I would only recommend this book to people that are interested in the deaf community or work with the deaf. It is a little dry for leisure reading but if you have a goal of learning then I would recommend it. I would give this book an 8.5 on a scale from 1 to 10 because it is a research book and because of the language.
Deborah Huckaby
English 180
Are You Afraid of the Dark
By Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon is one of the world's best selling authors with eighteen novels that have all hit the New York Times' bestsellers list. He is the only author to have won an Oscar, a Tony and an Edgar award and he held the Guinness Book of Records in 2004 for being the most translated author in the world.
In addition to his writing, Sidney Sheldon has created several TV shows including "I Dream of Jeanie", "Hart to Hart", and "The Patty Duke Show." He has also won two Academy Awards as well as two Screenwriters Guild Awards for Best Musicals - "Easter Parade" and "Annie Get Your Gun."
Sidney Sheldon unfortunately passed away in January, 2007 due to complications from pneumonia.
Are You Afraid of the Dark begins with several mysterious deaths occurring in Colorado, New York, Berlin, and Paris. None of the deaths appear to be related and there is no reason to assume that there was any connection between them. Eventually, the police discover that each of the victims was connected to Kingsley International Group (KIG), the largest think tank in the world.
Tanner Kingsley, the head of KIG, requests to meet with two of the victim's widows in New York. Although he assures them that he is doing everything that he can to locate their husband's killers the story unravels with chilling suspense as the women attempt to stay alive. Through several curious events, they become paranoid and untrusting of everyone, including each other. In the end, the women discover who the killer is.
Kelly Harris and Diane Stevens are the main characters. They are the widows of two of the murder victims. Kelly is a beautiful model who is at the height of her career and Diane is a successful artist. They are extremely believable because the incidents are described in such realistic detail and the actions of the characters are consistent throughout. Nothing seemed over exaggerated or unrealistic. I actually found both of the main characters to be equally interesting. They each had unique qualities and played an equally important part in the book.
Unfortunately this was the last book that Sidney Sheldon wrote but it was one of his best. It was his same suspense filled, sitting on the edge of the chair type of book. It was a murder mystery with an unbelievable twist…as all his books are. I loved it.
I am always enthralled with his captivating, suspense filled plots that end with an unusual twist. His books always end with the killer revealed and it is never the person that you expect it to be. All of his novels have very realistic settings that could be placed into a real life scenario. There wasn't anything that I didn't like about the book but if I had to pick something I would have to say that his style is often difficult to follow if you don't read the book all the way through in a short amount of time. The chapters bounce back and forth between incidents and often I would forget what had transpired in the previous chapter if I let a couple of days go by.
I have read all eighteen books by Sidney Sheldon. This was the final book. All of them were excellent and I have recommended them to several people including my god kids. They helped me to love reading. Now I am faced with searching for an author with a similar quality and style and I know that it will be a tough act to follow. This book is definitely a 10.
Kerrie Mays
English 180
Robinson Crusoe
By Daniel Defoe
We've all grown up to love those adventure-filled fantasy stories that our parents indulged us with before bedtime - the ones with happy endings and happily-ever-afters. Well, my novel selection, Robinson Crusoe, I would say is similar to that, but for more advanced readers. The main plot of the story is basically about a 17th century English merchant seaman, Robinson Crusoe, who was shipwrecked on a remote, deserted island, and eventually befriended a barbaric cannibal who he named Friday. After surviving years on the island, he was rescued by a ship, and took Friday with him--back to civilization. After reading the novel a second time, I picked up more details than I did before, as if I watching a movie over. I highly recommend this book for passionate readers who are looking for excitement, adventure, and even some violence in their books. I personally like the book not just because I read it, but for the author's clever way of portraying the underlying themes, such as imperialistic assimilation, friendship, and man's courage and instinct to survive when put in a precarious predicament. It is also about man's will to survive if put in a desperate situation and that all human beings can communicate with each other no matter what language they speak.
As for the author, Daniel Defoe was born in 1660 in London, England to a well-off family - his father, James Defoe, a Presbyterian butcher, and his mother Alice. Throughout the course of his life and career, Defoe was known to be the author of about 370 publications, according to some sources I've come across. Back in his time period, there were rumors that he did write two more sequels to the original Robinson Crusoe, which had become an instant hit. The two subsequent books were titled The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) and The serious Reflections of Robinson Crusoe (1729). Due to the lack of recognition and publicity, over times these works have become a mere rumor in literary history credited to this author.
The only aspect about the book I did not like was the author's style of writing, as it was written in Old English, so I had to slow down my reading a bit. Overall, I would give this book a nine out of ten score, because it is a great book, and I highly recommend it for pleasure reading. I would read Defoe's other books if I come across them in the future. In conclusion, I would recommend this novel to all ages and I'm sure people will come to love the exciting themes and plots the story itself has to offer, even if you are just a casual reader.
Michael Doan
English 180
Mythago Wood
By Robert Holdstock
Robert Holdstock was born in Kent, south-east of London, England, in 1948. He spent his young years in and around the dense woods of Kent, close to where he was born. After nine years of studying in the field of medical Zoology, Holdstock became a full-time writer in 1975, writing mostly science fiction and fantasy. He now lives in London, but escapes as often as he can to the woods he grew up around. His love for the woods is reflected in the settings of many of his books. In addition, many of Holdstock's books feature ancient settings, often with primitive cultures. Holdstock is best known for the Mythago Wood book series, but is also recognized for The Merlin Codex book series, The Dark Wheel, and The Emerald Forest.
In the deep corners of Ryhope woods exist a place that is barely explored by man, let alone shown on maps. There lives a primitive magic, which makes ancient myths and legends come to life. George Huxley had devoted his life to the exploration of the Ryhope woods and its mythological creatures. Little by little, his obsession drove him away from his wife and two young sons. His extensive research of Ryhope guided him to a part of the woods that was full of animals, but also inhabited by monsters and ancient mythological creatures -- Mythagos. George's research on the Mythagos leads him to fall in love with a Mythago Amazon, Guiwenneth, who was the daughter of an exile warrior named Peredur. Guiwenneth's aunt was a vile and heinous woman, who was unable to conceive a child. Because of her greed and desire to fulfill her social status, the aunt kidnapped Guiwenneth. Peredur and his band of warriors, transformed to owls by the magic of the woods, freed Guiwenneth. However, in doing so, Peredur died. For this reason, Guiwenneth was cared for by the owls from that point on.
After George's death, the youngest son, Christian, fell in love with his own Guiwenneth Mythago. Christian and this Guiwenneth joined each other in marriage. However, since Guiwenneth was a Mythago, who needed the magic of the woods to survive, trying to live as a mortal deprived her of her life. Obsessed like his father, Christian tried to restore life to his wife through the magic in the woods.
Christian's brother, Steve, returned from France shortly after his father's passing and found his brother tremendously changed. Christian had started to venture into the woods more frequently and the time spent in there had increased. Determined to find out what mysteries seemed to haunt his family, Steve journeyed into the woods and discovered a world much stranger than he ever could have imagined.
While in the woods, Steve created his own version of Guiwenneth, and the two of them fell in love. That drove Christian to madness, who turned into an evil and merciless brute--bearing more resemblance to a savage animal than a man. Christian became possessed by his desire to have Guiwenneth back. When Steve tried to save Christian from what he had become, Steve faced unimaginable challenges. It turned out that Christian and Steve were reliving an ancient myth in which one of the brothers must die.
Behind this story you find a dramatic family conflict and an overwhelming story of impossible love. I found Guiwenneth to be the most interesting character of the book. I thought it was interesting how Guiwenneth's character was a function of the imagination of the person who she was in contact with. This is the very nature of Mythagos--just as folklore has as many interpretations as it has listeners, a Mythago has as many guises as it has peers.
Mythago Wood is a book full of adventure and ideas that encourage a wild imagination. The book was captivating and it kept my interest throughout the story. What I like most about the book was the way Holdstock writes. He describes characters and settings in a way that they almost feel real. However, one thing that I don't like about the book is the extensive use of unusual names. It tends to be a bit confusing at times.
As I really enjoyed this book, I plan on reading several other books by the same author. I enjoy the setting that the author uses and the way in which he presents it. Although the main characters do not remain the same in other books, the stories of Mythago Wood and some other of Holdstock's books are intertwined.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially someone who likes ancient mythology. My rating of this book is 9 out of 10.
Niclas Helbro
English 180
Left Behind
By Jerry B. Jenkins & Dr. Tim LaHaye
Left Behind is the first book of the Left Behind series written by Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye. Jenkins is a skilled and prominent writer. His writings can be found in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade and Guidepost among numerous other publications. The second author of the Left Behind series is Dr. Tim LaHaye. LaHaye is an expert on Bible prophecies and has written the New York Times best sellers Babylon Rising and The Secret on Ararat.
Left Behind takes place in the future in Chicago and New York and allows the reader to walk through the "beginning of the end" according to the prophecies recorded in the Bible. In order to be able to cover the world wide political happenings as well as personal controversies during this period, the authors cleverly chose two main characters, world-renowned journalist Buck Williams and airline pilot Rayford Steele.
These two men who are strangers to each other are on the same flight when Christ returns to rapture His church, and millions of people around the world disappear leaving behind everything material and a very frightened population. Buck and Rayford's paths continue to cross throughout the story as they search for answers. When Rayford visits a local church and meets Pastor Bruce Barnes, he discovers the truth behind the vanishings, finds faith in Christ, and shares his findings with his daughter Chloe and Buck. Under the teaching of Pastor Barnes, they begin studying the Bible prophecies about the end times and watch as the pages of history unfold before their eyes in exact accordance with the ancient text.
While the world is in an uproar, Nicolae Carpathia, a relatively unknown leader in Romania, quickly rises to power declaring that the world must come together in peace during this time of crisis. Most of the world sees Carpathia as a hero, but Rayford and Buck quickly realize his true identity, the Antichrist, who is prophesied in the Bible. The new Christians are the only ones who are able to see past his schemes and avoid his brainwashing and manipulative powers. The next and final seven years of human history are called the Tribulation Years and will be like nothing humanly imaginable. They realize that they must share the truth about Carpathia with as many people as possible before time runs out and trust God to protect them from his power.
Because it takes place when the world is broken and chaotic, Left Behind is filled with unexpected action and suspense. Bombings, burglaries, military attacks, and supernatural acts of both God and the Antichrist made the book extremely interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat.
The characters were all incredibly believable and easy to relate to. They each had their own faults and areas that they struggled with. Rayford's daughter, in particular, caught my attention as being someone who seemed to accurately portray many college-age students. She listened to her father's new convictions and beliefs but was skeptical about making any decisions of her own. She had to hear of his new faith in an indirect way before the importance of his discovery finally hit her.
During the disappearances, both Rayford and Buck lost close loved ones. Rayford's wife and son disappeared, and Buck's sister-in-law, niece, nephew, and nephew vanished. Both men felt deep sorrow, pain, and emptiness at having lost people that they were so close to. After having also lost relatives over the past few years, I felt that this part of the book was definitely something that I could relate to. I understood the pain and emptiness that they experienced as they went through the healing process.
One of the things that I liked most about this book was the way in which the authors weaved and intertwined the lives of Rayford Steele and Buck Williams. The authors switched back and forth between the characters every scene. Although they did not even meet each other until about three quarters of the way through the book, they had similar friends and acquaintances who often spoke of them. This technique kept the book at a fast pace and allowed me to see two different perspectives in a very creative and ingenious way.
One of the scenes that I disliked the most about the book occurred close to the end. Buck is in a meeting with the chief political leaders of the world when Carpathia commits two murders. Everyone in the room except Buck was brainwashed by Carpathia and claimed to have witnessed a suicide. In addition to this, they all claimed that they never saw Buck at the meeting. Although this scene demonstrated the manipulative abilities of the Antichrist and was a major contributing factor to the book's ending, it seemed rather confusing and difficult to follow.
I found Left Behind to be extremely engaging, inspirational, and motivating. For these reasons I would jump at the opportunity to read other books by the same authors and would definitely recommend this book to others, as well. On a scale of one to ten, I would give Left Behind a solid ten. Whether you are interested in end time Biblical prophecies or just ready for the adventure of a life time, this book would be a fantastic and rewarding read. As it covers the trials and difficulties of a shattered world, this book demonstrates the power of love, faith, and perseverance. Left Behind is an incredible story that shows that even in the most trying and frightening of circumstances, there is hope.
Danielle Pelletier
English 180


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Preparing to say farewell to a special coworker? Or is a special friend or family member headed off on retirement? Before your favorite retiree leaves the office, be sure to send them off with a wonderful treat from our sweet selection of gourmet gift ideas for retirees. From small surprises, to large gift baskets we've got gifts galore for deserving retirees.
Searching for a joint gift from the entire team at the office? It's easy with our online selection of retirement party gifts. We have perfected the art of gifting unique presents from the simplest of Mother's Day cookies all the way to the impressive corporate retirement gifts for her and him. After all, our unique employee retirement gifts come in all shapes and sizes and suit many budgets.
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Experiment Shows What Happens When Men Catcall Someone Close To Them
February 18, 2018
This video has been making its rounds on the internet, and most media organizations are saying that it portrays men being tricked into catcalling their mothers. The reactions are even worse than what you'd expect.
The truth is, this video is actually a PSA created by the sporting equipment company Everlast. The interactions are staged to prove a point: every woman who gets catcalled is someone's daughter, mother, or sister. If any men who catcalled witness those they cared about getting verbally harassed, they'd be upset. This video aims to point out the hypocrisy of the same men doing it to other women.
Make sure to watch the video to see the men's terrified reactions when they see their mothers! Let us know what you thought of this video in the comments on Facebook.
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www.MShepp.com, www.MShepp.us, www.MikeShepp.com, www.MichaelShepp.com. www.Shepp.us
Our daughter and her husband and their three boys live in Orlando. I have two brothers that live in the greater Orlando area.
We Are Orlando. Massacre in Orlando on June 12, 2016 at the Pulse nightclub was the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history with 49 killed and 53 injured. I am proud and love the city I grew up in. I hate to see this happened there, but Orlando is strong and will overcome this, but it may take quite a while. I will pray for those wonded and the families of those that were killed.
Love must overcome Hate.
Congrats to the Bucs for
winning Super Bowl XXXVII
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This medallion is made from high quality die cast to exacting standards to provide a high level of detail in the image. At 1 3/4" in size this medallion offers a fantastic medal for just about any occasion and will last for years to come.
Surrounded by a pair of leaves the detailed theme stands out and bring the medal to your attention. With free engraving and several neck ribbon designs available this is a perfect medal for someone deserving or perhaps a unique gift idea for a friend or family member.
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Mount Street Cemetery, Wellington, 1968
Reference Number: 1/4-075857-F
Mount Street Cemetery, Wellington. Photograph taken 1968 by Charles Fearnley.
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1 image, categorised under Cityscapes, related to Mount Street Cemetery (Wellington), Mount Street and Cemeteries - New Zealand - Wellington Region.
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Fearnley, Charles James, 1915-1988 :Photographs of New Zealand buildings, Reference Number PA-Group-00169 (40 digitised items)
Extent: 1 b&w original negative(s)Cellulose triacetate negative 6 x 7 cm. Horizontal imageVarious Material Types
Conditions governing access to original: Not restricted
Citation: Any publication or exhibition must be accompanied by the credit "Charles Fearnley Collection, Alexander Turnbull Library".
Usage: You can search, browse, print and download items from this website for research and personal study. You are welcome to reproduce the above image(s) on your blog or another website, but please maintain the integrity of the image (i.e. don't crop, recolour or overprint it), reproduce the image's caption information and link back to here (http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=93987). If you would like to use the above image(s) in a different way (e.g. in a print publication), or use the transcription or translation, permission must be obtained. More information about copyright and usage can be found on the Copyright and Usage page of the NLNZ web site.
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Chris Brown's representative cites stress for singer's ill health
CHRIS BROWN's representative has blamed the stress of the singer's ongoing legal troubles for his health scare on Friday (09Aug13).
The singer collapsed in the early hours of Friday at a recording studio in Los Angeles and reports suggested he had suffered a non-epileptic seizure.
An ambulance was called, but Brown is said to have refused treatment.
A representative for the star has now spoken out about the incident, blaming the health scare on "intense fatigue and extreme emotional stress, both due to the continued onslaught of unfounded legal matters and the nonstop negativity".
Brown, 24, is facing a possible prison sentence after he was booked on a hit-and-run charge relating to a car accident in May (13). His probation stemming from his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna was revoked, and he faces up to four years behind bars if found guilty of the hit-and-run.
He is due back in court on 15 August (13).


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The Weekend Dish: 1/21/2012
I hope that everyone has had a good week, and that your weekend is off to a great weekend! The last two days have been snowy here, which, as you know, is right up my alley. I took advantage of a break in the snow yesterday to meet a friend for lunch and then get a tour of the new Giant Eagle Market District up in Pine Twp (for those of you from Pittsburgh). Basically, this store is a foodie's paradise. I felt like a little kid in a candy store! It's the 3rd one in the Pittsburgh area and I'm so glad there's finally one in my neck of the woods. Their cheese area is massive, you can buy fresh pasta, mozzarella that is made right there in the store, bottle your own olive oil and vinegar, or mix them for a vinaigrette, there is every type of bread imaginable, a deli kiosk so you can put in your order and then pick it up when you're done shopping – no more waiting in deli lines! And this is all only in one area of the store. There is a bulk foods section, which is similar to what you find at Whole Foods, where you can buy grains in bulk, as much as you need, as well as nuts, seeds, oats, salts, peppercorns, etc. In that same area is also different types of flours, including spelt, pastry, rye – perfect for trying out a new recipe and not needing a whole 5-pound bag. I could seriously go on and on, I had so much fun shopping and exploring the store, and the folks that showed me around could not have been nicer. If you're a Pittsburgher, definitely plan to hit it up when you're in the area – an awesome grocery shopping experience!
As always, you'll find a recap of what was posted to the site this week as well as some bookmarked recipes from other blogs. Enjoy!
On Brown Eyed Baker This Week
Beef and Cheddar Dog Biscuits {Happy 5th Birthday, Einstein!} – I made homemade dog treats to celebrate my golden retriever's birthday last weekend.
Peanut Butter Blondies – A peanut butter lover's dream!
Focaccia Bread – Quite possibly the best homemade bread that has ever come out of my kitchen.
Minestrone Soup – One of my favorite quick meals in college, I love this homemade version.
Chubby Hubby Rice Krispies Treats – Peanut butter and pretzel Rice Krispies treats that are topped with chocolate. Yummm!
Most Viewed Post This Week: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
What I Bookmarked This Week
Recipes from other blogs that I thought looked especially delicious and that I thought you would like too:
Cacio e Pepe (Ezra Pound Cake)
A simple, classic recipe for pasta with Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper. It's one of my favorite things to eat; definitely Italian comfort food.
Chinese Dumplings (Closet Cooking)
These are one of my favorite appetizers when I eat at an Asian restaurant, and I can't wait to try making them at home.
Chunky Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Crumb Topping (How To: Simplify)
These muffins remind me of the apple-cinnamon bread that I made last year; love this combination of flavors – a great way to start the morning!
Raspberry Crumble Tart (Technicolor Kitchen)
An absolutely gorgeous raspberry tart with crumb topping that has me yearning for summer fruit!
Reese's Peanut Butter Popcorn (Two Peas and Their Pod)
Naturally, I love this spin on caramel corn or homemade Cracker Jack – instead of a caramel coating, the popcorn gets a peanut butter and honey coating, and instead of peanuts, chopped miniature peanut butter cups! I've died and gone to heaven.
Have a delicious weekend!


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Freedom in the World
You are here
2012 Scores
Freedom Rating (1 = best, 7 = worst)
Civil Liberties (1 = best, 7 = worst)
Political Rights (1 = best, 7 = worst)
A three-party coalition that governed for most of the year brought greater stability to Kyrgyzstan in 2011, and a competitive presidential election in October led to Central Asia's first voluntary transfer of power, with interim president Roza Otunbayeva standing down as scheduled. Despite greater openness and political competition, however, serious flaws remained in the treatment of national minorities, due process, prevention of and accountability for torture, and judicial independence.
Shortly after Kyrgyzstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Askar Akayev, a respected physicist, was elected president. He easily won reelection in 1995, and constitutional amendments the following year substantially increased the powers of the presidency. International observers noted serious irregularities in the 2000 parliamentary and presidential elections, which yielded another term for Akayev.
Long-standing frustrations in the economically depressed and politically marginalized south culminated in public protests in 2002. Six protesters were killed when police fired into a crowd in the village of Aksy. Although several prosecutors and police officials were eventually convicted and sentenced to prison, opposition critics continued to argue that senior officials who authorized the use of force were never brought to justice.
After flawed February 2005 parliamentary elections, thousands of demonstrators protested irregularities and ultimately called for Akayev's resignation. On March 24, protesters and opposition supporters stormed the presidential headquarters in Bishkek. Akayev fled abroad and later resigned.
In the July 2005 presidential poll, former prime minister and opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev captured 89 percent of the vote. His victory was regarded as nearly inevitable after Feliks Kulov, his most serious rival, withdrew his presidential candidacy in exchange for the post of prime minister. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) nevertheless concluded that the election represented an improvement over previous votes.
After violently dispersing opposition protests in April 2007, the government enacted constitutional revisions in an October referendum, expanding the parliament from 75 to 90 seats and introducing party-slate balloting. Parliamentary elections in December resulted in a legislature dominated by the newly formed progovernment party Ak Zhol and devoid of opposition representation.
The president consolidated his power in 2008 and 2009, sidelining the country's remaining well-known opposition figures. In March 2009, Medet Sadyrkulov, Bakiyev's former chief of staff, was found dead in a burned-out car near Bishkek. Opposition representatives charged that he had been assassinated because he was planning to join them. Bakiyev won another five-year term in the July 2009 presidential election, taking 75 percent of the vote. OSCE observers concluded that the poll failed to meet international standards, citing evidence of fraud, intimidation of opposition supporters, and the misuse of administrative resources, among other problems.
In April 2010, Bakiyev fled the country amid antigovernment protests in Bishkek, leading to the formation of an interim government. A reported 86 people were killed in the street confrontations, with most victims apparently shot by security forces. In the first half of June, ethnic rioting swept the southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad, leaving hundreds dead. Ethnic Uzbeks suffered the brunt of the violence, and local security forces were accused of abetting attacks on Uzbek communities. Later the same month, a referendum that international observers deemed generally fair confirmed longtime opposition figure Roza Otunbayeva as interim president through December 2011 and approved a new constitution that shifted power from the presidency to the parliament.
Parliamentary elections held in October 2010 were deemed an improvement over Bakiyev-era balloting. Five parties representing different constituencies and ideologies won seats. The new Ata-Jurt party led with 28 of 120 seats, followed by Otunbayeva's Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK) with 26, Ar-Namys with 25, Respublika with 23, and Ata-Meken with 18. Ata-Jurt, the SDPK, and Respublika formed a coalition government in December, leaving Ar-Namys and Ata-Meken in opposition. Almazbek Atambayev of the SDPK became prime minister. The coalition remained stable and governed effectively until after the October 2011 presidential election.
The presidential poll was seen by OSCE observers as free and competitive, though marred by significant irregularities on election day. Atambayev, who had suspended his role as prime minister ahead of the election, defeated 15 other candidates and took 63 percent of the vote. In December, a new coalition composed of the SDPK, Respublika, Ata-Meken, and Ar-Namys was formed, with Omurbek Babanov of Respublika as prime minister.
In 2011, Kyrgyzstan made efforts to balance its relations with Russia and the United States, and improved ties with its Central Asian neighbors as well. When it became clear that Kyrgyzstan's ethnic violence of June 2010 did not threaten regional security, the other countries eased their border restrictions.
Kyrgyzstan is not an electoral democracy, though the parliamentary and presidential elections of 2010 and 2011 were considered improvements over the deeply flawed 2007 parliamentary and 2009 presidential votes. OSCE observers praised the 2010 parliamentary campaign's pluralism and other positive features, but were more critical of the 2011 presidential vote, citing widespread problems with voter lists and numerous faults in the tabulation process.
Constitutional changes adopted in the June 2010 referendum expanded the unicameral parliament from 90 to 120 deputies, with no party allowed to hold more than 65 seats. Parliamentary elections are to be held every five years. The president serves a single six-year term with no possibility of reelection, but retains the power to veto legislation.
The overall aim of the reforms was to establish checks and balances that will ensure political pluralism and prevent the reemergence of an authoritarian, superpresidential system. It remains to be seen whether the country's newly elected leaders will seek to reverse these achievements.
Corruption is pervasive in Kyrgyz society. The nepotistic practices of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, whose sons and brothers were prominent in business and government, were a significant source of popular dissatisfaction prior to his ouster. The interim government charged some members of the Bakiyev regime with corruption, but the results in the largely unreformed courts have been inconclusive. In a worrying sign, recordings leaked in May 2011 purported to reveal members of the interim government discussing lucrative backroom deals; no investigation ensued. Kyrgyzstan was ranked 164 out of 183 countries surveyed in Transparency International's 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Kyrgyz-language media experienced less politically motivated harassment after the fall of the Bakiyev government. However, Uzbek-language media virtually ceased to exist in southern Kyrgyzstan after the June 2010 ethnic violence, when several Uzbek television and radio outlets were closed down. Meanwhile, in April 2010, the interim government transformed the state-run television station into a public broadcaster with an independent oversight board.
The media landscape remained bifurcated along ethnic lines in 2011, with significantly improved conditions for Kyrgyz-language media and vastly worse conditions for Uzbek-language outlets. In May, the authorities said they were searching for the authors of two potentially inflammatory books that described the June 2010 violence as an anti-Uzbek genocide. The electoral law that governed the presidential election effectively barred the broadcasting of foreign media reporting on the campaign. The law's sponsors cited the role of Russian media in smearing certain candidates in the 2010 parliamentary campaign. Although all foreign news broadcast media, including CNN and Euronews, were barred from broadcasting on Kyrgyz channels during the elections period, domestic news providers were not hampered in their electoral reporting. The presidential candidates held lively televised debates, and all candidates had access to the media. Also during 2011, several journalists were physically assaulted by unidentified assailants, in some cases sustaining severe injuries that required hospitalization.
The government has generally permitted a broad range of religious practices, but all religious organizations must register with the authorities, a process that is often cumbersome and arbitrary. A January 2009 law banned proselytizing and private religious education, and the wearing of headscarves in schools was banned two months later. The government monitors and restricts Islamist groups that it regards as a threat to national security, particularly Hizb ut-Tahrir, an ostensibly nonviolent international movement calling for the creation of a caliphate.
Tight official restrictions on freedom of assembly have not been altered since the Bakiyev era, but enforcement has been eased considerably in practice, and numerous rallies have been held.
Freedom of association is typically upheld, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) participate actively in civic and political life. In 2011, new public advisory councils were established in the parliament and in most ministries, permitting improved monitoring and advocacy by NGOs. However, rising nationalism has affected both ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbek NGO activists. Human rights activists who work on defending Uzbek victims have faced threats, harassment, and physical attacks. In December 2011, the Supreme Court upheld a life sentence against ethnic Uzbek human rights activist Azimjan Askarov, who had been convicted in September 2010 of involvement in the murder of a Kyrgyz police official during the June 2010 violence. Rights organizations and foreign diplomats had called for his release, citing an array of critical flaws in the case against him, including evidence that he was tortured in detention.
The law provides for the formation of trade unions, and unions are generally able to operate without obstruction. However, strikes are prohibited in many sectors. Legal enforcement of union rights is weak, and collective bargaining agreements are not always respected by employers.
The judiciary is not independent and remains dominated by the executive branch. Corruption among judges, who are underpaid, is widespread. In June 2011, civic activists protested the new parliament's judicial appointments, accusing the nominees of past wrongdoing. Defendants' rights, including the presumption of innocence, are not always respected, and there are credible reports of torture against suspects during arrest and interrogation. After a visit to Kyrgyzstan in December 2011, the UN special rapporteur on torture called it a "widespread phenomenon" that was "exacerbated by the reliance placed on confessions in the judicial system." He expressed concern about the lack of effective investigations and convictions of abusers.
The interim government investigated the crimes of Bakiyev-era officials, and a state commission found in April 2011 that there had been 30 prominent contract killings during Bakiyev's tenure. However, the handling of several high-profile cases during the election year demonstrated the politicization and other flaws of the judicial system. The ongoing trials of the Bakiyev family and their accomplices, including a case against 28 former government officials and special forces members for the alleged killing of 86 demonstrators in April 2010, were marred by numerous procedural violations, such as threats against lawyers in the courtroom. Human Rights Watch documented systematic rights violations at numerous trials of ethnic Uzbeks in 2010 and 2011, with defendants attacked in courtrooms, tortured in detention, and convicted on flimsy or fabricated evidence.
The widespread and extensively documented violence against the Uzbek community in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010 cast a harsh light on the plight of ethnic minorities. Uzbeks, who make up nearly half of the population in Osh, had long demanded more political and cultural rights, including greater representation in government, more Uzbek-language schools, and official status for the Uzbek language. The Kyrgyzstan Inquiry Commission (KIC), an independent international body, put the death toll from the worst outbreak of ethnic violence in June at 470, noting that "the majority of victims were ethnic Uzbeks." Government forces were ineffective at stopping ethnic violence, and may have been complicit in it. The report named specific officials in the interim government as having failed in their duties to impartially enforce the law during the clashes. After the violence ebbed, arrests and sweep operations targeted Uzbek neighborhoods and activists. The KIC report was denounced by all segments of the political spectrum, and the parliament voted unanimously to declare the head of the commission, Finnish diplomat Kimmo Kiljunen, persona non grata.
The government generally respects the right of unrestricted travel to and from Kyrgyzstan. However, barriers to internal migration include a requirement that citizens obtain permits to work and settle in particular areas of the country.
Personal connections, corruption, organized crime, and widespread poverty limit business competition and equality of opportunity. Companies that had belonged to the Bakiyev family were nationalized in 2010 pending a new process of privatization. That year's ethnic violence affected property rights in the south, as a large number of businesses, mainly owned by ethnic Uzbeks, were either destroyed or seized during and after the unrest.
Cultural traditions and apathy among law enforcement officials discourage victims of domestic violence and rape from contacting the authorities. Rumors of rapes accompanied the ethnic violence of June 2010, but they frequently remained unconfirmed. The KIC noted that the government response to the few cases of rape that were actually reported was "inadequate if not obstructive." The trafficking of women and girls into forced prostitution abroad is a serious problem, and some victims report that the authorities are involved in trafficking. The practice of bride abduction persists despite being illegal, and few perpetrators are prosecuted.


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Everglades National Park
One of the country's most celebrated natural areas, the EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK is a vast, tranquil wildlife reserve, with a subtle, raw appeal that lies in stark contrast to America's more rugged national parks. The most dramatic sights are small pockets of trees poking above a completely flat sawgrass plain, yet these wide-open spaces resonate with life, forming part of an ever-changing ecosystem that evolved through a unique combination of climate, vegetation and wildlife.
Though it appears to be flat as a table-top, the limestone on which the Everglades stands tilts very slightly towards the southwest. For thousands of years, water from summer storms and the overflow of nearby Lake Okeechobee has moved slowly through the Everglades towards the coast. The water replenishes the sawgrass, which grows on a thin layer of soil formed by decaying vegetation. This gives birth to the algae at the base of a complex food chain that sustains much larger creatures – most importantly alligators. After the floodwaters have reached the sea, drained through the bedrock, or simply evaporated, the Everglades are barren except for the water accumulated in ponds – or "gator holes" – created when an alligator senses water and clears the soil covering it with its tail. Sawgrass covers much of the Everglades, but where natural indentations in the limestone fill with soil, fertile tree islands – or "hammocks" – appear, just high enough to stand above the floodwaters.
Brief history
In the nineteenth century, the Seminole and Miccosukee Native American tribes were forced to live hunter-gatherer existences in the Everglades, and still maintain a sizeable presence here. By the late 1800s, a few towns had sprung up, peopled by settlers who, unlike the Native Americans, looked to exploit the land. As Florida's population grew, the damage caused by hunting, road building and draining for farmland gave rise to a significant conservation lobby. In 1947, a section of the Everglades was declared a national park, which today affords federal protection to a comparatively small area at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Urban development over the last century has edged the Everglades' boundaries further south, and unrestrained commercial use of nearby areas continues to upset the region's natural cycle. The 1200 miles of canals built to divert the flow of water away from the Everglades and toward the state's expanding cities, the poisoning caused by agricultural chemicals from local farmlands, and the broader changes wrought by global warming could yet turn Florida's greatest natural asset into a wasteland.
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If you're a writer, chances are you've heard the Dorothy Parker quote, "I hate writing. I love having written."
It's very, very true. For writing, and (with a verb change) for running.
I've been slogging away on the treadmill for a little more than a month now. Sometimes I walk, sometimes I jog, sometimes I merely trudge along. But whether I'm enjoying it or not, I keep moving—mostly thanks to my Spotify "RUN" playlist.
Every song has a job to do.
1. Fighter by Christina Aguilera gets me going. It's my battle cry.
2. Firework by Katy Perry is next. Cheesy? Hell yeah. But I kinda love it anyway.
3. When Let's Get it Started by the Black Eyed Peas begins, I know I need to kick it up a notch.
Next up? Eighties rock.
4. Take On Me by Ah-Ha kicks things off. It's got a good beat, and the guy spent the whole video running, remember?
5. Maniac from Flashdance makes its appearance just as my elbows start flying and my jog starts to get a bit spastic.
6. And for some reason, Kickstart My Heart by none other than Motley Crue actually does help me kick it a little harder.
But after that? I am in serious pain. Serious. Pain.
7. That's why Stronger by Kelly Clarkston comes next. I need the reminder that I am not, in fact, going to die.
At this point, the worst is over. I just have to keep moving for a little while longer.
8. So The Middle by Jimmy Eat World is next. Sometimes it cheers me up. Sometimes it just makes me want to curse.
9. Edge of Glory by Lady Gaga? If it's been a good workout, it makes me smile and move a little faster. If it's been a bad one, it just makes me want to scream.
10. Last but not least is Raise Your Glass by P!nk. It's a good F-You kind of song—and by that point? I'm ready to flip the treadmill off.
So that's my current playlist. What do you like to sweat to?
3 Comments on Ten Tunes To Walk, Jog and Curse By.
The Distance CakeReply
Closer Nine Inch Nails
Rehab Amy Winehouse
Who Says You Can't Go Home Bon Jovi
Bandages Hot Hot Heat (oddly great beat to run to)
Talk To Me, Dance With Me Hot Hot Heat
Hey Baby No Doubt
Thanks for this. I need to add a few more songs to my 'sweat list'. 😉Reply


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Wallcast.com turn your desktop background into a personalized display of pictures from you, your family and your friends. Multiple times per day, your wallpaper will be refreshed to display a fresh collage of photos you like, stunningly presented on a beautiful background image of your choice. Wallcast.com allows your family and friends to send photos to your wallpaper – and you can send the latest photos you snapped to theirs. All that without privacy concerns: all uploaded pictures remain private, and only people you invite can send you new ones.
Venture Slogan: Bring Life to Your Wallpaper
Venture Link: wallcast.com
Source: Venturebin.com


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Morning Brief: November 11
Honoring those who have served
Get your bugles ready! Manhattan's 5th Avenue will be the site of the annual "America's Parade" to honor U.S. military veterans. Veterans Day is held on November 11th each year to mark the day that combat ended in World War 1.


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Exclusive Cabinet Refacing Contractor Leads
Cabinet Refacing Leads To Grow Your Business
We're more than a cabinet refacing lead generation company, we develop a marketing strategy specifically for your cabinet refacing company. Buying quality leads for your cabinet refacing business can be difficult, and if you're like most cabinet refacing contractors, we hear how they are "sick" of buying low quality leads that are sold to multiple cabinet refacing contractors. Here at Connexion Solutions we are not just providing your cabinet refacing business with leads we are providing you with a complete marketing strategy that can take your business to the next level. We partner with our cabinet refacing contractors and work on building their business. We work hard at developing high quality exclusive leads for cabinet refacing contractors, yes you are buying exclusive cabinet refacing leads with Connexion Solutions.
Not All Cabinet Refacing Installer Leads are the Same
Getting high quality cabinet refacing leads can be a bit of hit and miss with most lead brokers. Our exclusive leads for cabinet refacing installers are risk and stress free from Connexion Solutions. With our exclusive leads your cabinet refacing business can increase your revenues while maintaining control over your advertising and marketing budgets. Our no-risk pay per lead program is designed for construction and home improvement businesses, just like your cabinet refacing company. We are focused on driving real customers at a fixed cost on a regular basis. Here at Connexion Solutions we do all the marketing, advertising and digital services including pay per click advertising, seo, website design and build, testing, optimization and maintenance so you don't have to.
All you ever pay for are the quality live leads we send directly to your telephone or email. And all of this without any risk on your behalf, you only pay for quality leads, if we don't deliver leads to your business you don't pay a cent – we can't make things any more fair than that.
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Qualified Leads Call You
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Advertising for cabinet refacing companies can be expensive, and you never really know the number of quality leads you will generate from traditional advertising methods. We know how difficult it can be for local cabinet refacing installers to find high quality residential and commercial cabinet refacing leads, so we have created an exclusive lead program just for cabinet refacing company's. Our exclusive cabinet refacing lead program is different.
First off we generate our own cabinet refacing leads for our client/partners in local markets. Each and every lead we generate for you is an exclusive cabinet refacing lead, this means only you will benefit from this quality customer. We do not sell leads to multiple cabinet refacing contractors, this method of one lead per customer provides you with the highest quality lead and at the same time you are not having to deal with other cabinet refacing contractors trying to sell your customer, there is no race to see who can give the cabinet refacing customer the lowest price. You maintain your margins while at the same time creating goodwill with the customer as they are not receiving numerous calls from other cabinet refacing contractors. At Connexion Solutions we generate leads for most home improvement categories.
What's The Best Way To Get Cabinet Refacing Leads?
In the past most construction related businesses including cabinet refacing contractors would advertise in local newspapers, on radio, place a sign on the front lawn of the house you are working at, canvas the area and hand out pamphlets or door knocker flyers, buy sales leads and also the good old the yellow pages. The yellow pages are not where people look anymore to find a plumber or cabinet refacing contractor they turn to Google, Yahoo, or Bing. Here at Connexion Solutions we are experts in generating cabinet refacing leads for contractors, repair services and commercial cabinet refacing jobs. We are generating you new leads on a regular basis with digital marketing. We develop lead generation websites for local cabinet refacing company's and with seo and other marketing methods we generate local cabinet refacing leads daily for cabinet refacing companies across the country.
What Makes Connexion Solution's Exclusive Cabinet Refacing Leads Different?
The biggest difference between Connexion Solutions and the other large lead companies is they rely on generic leads and sell a single lead to multiple cabinet refacing contractors. At Connexion Solutions we develop leads that pre sell your cabinet refacing company, and your brand and you are the only cabinet refacing company getting the lead.
Our 100% Lead Guarantee. If the original lead you get is no good, we will credit your account. Our simple return policy makes it easy for our Contractors to request a lead credit by logging into our online portal, and clicking "Request Credit". That's it! We will listen to the recorded call to verify that the lead is in fact bad, and we will credit your account.
Part of our Contractor Marketing Program includes building you a new website with feature rich content about your cabinet refacing business, talking about your local market, your employees and so much more. Probably the best part of being in the Contractor Marketing Program is we build the website, do all the advertising, marketing, seo, social media and all you ever pay is a fixed rate for each exclusive cabinet refacing lead we send you.


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The Dukes Count Sheriff's Office is responsible for the transportation of our inmates to the courts in Dukes County, to other courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to other correctional facilities and to health care facilities. The Sheriff does this under the authority of the Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 37, Sections 24 and 25.
Sgt. Travis Bissey is in charge of the Transportation Division.
In FY 2011 there were 1,209 inmate transports as indicated below:
To Courts 497
From Courts 322
To Other Correctional Facilities 28
From Other Correctional Facilities 29
To Health Care Facilities 168
From Health Care Facilities 165
Total Inmates Transported 1,209


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Liverpool could lose out on signing Real Madrid playmaker Esteban Granero, according to Talksport.
Spanish new money side Malaga are reportedly set to gazump the Anfield club in the bidding for the 24-year-old.
Kenny Dalglish was thought to be keen on Granero to add some creativity to his midfield.
Liverpool have been struggling to score goals in recent months and the Scot is searching for solutions for this problem.
The Spanish Under-21 international has fallen out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu under Jose Mourinho – playing just 11 minutes in La Liga this season.
He is keen for a move to secure first team football and it was thought Liverpool were set to crush Blackburn Robers vain hopes of taking him on loan.
Real would prefer a permanent transfer and fellow La Liga side Malaga have come out as rivals to Kenny Dalglish's side for Granero's signature.
Former Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini is the boss at newly wealthy Malaga and it was under the Argentine Granero had his most successful spell with Los Merengues.
Pellgrini is thought to be keen on bringing the former Getafe midfielder to join his Malaga revolution and their link may have put paid to Liverpool's hopes.


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Train 7820 at Cheltenham Station 001
Like African drumming?
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Transcription stats
All of the below is on libcontent.lib.ua.edu.
Update on success of this round of transcriptions
All the TransLive scripts create an output file in the ./output directory in /srv/scripts/transcripts/mediawiki/. These output files are dated tab-delimited text files intended to be opened in Excel or another spreadsheet software.
The columns are:
- "CollID" for the collection identifier,
- "NumItemsTranscribed" for the number of items transcribed for that collection thus far in this round, and
- "NumTranscriptions" for the total number of transcriptions for the collection.
A collection with multi-page items may have many more transcriptions than items (up to one per page). Only the latest transcription is counted, as that's what's retrieved when you run these scripts. Note that if you are selectively running TransLive on one collection after another, these output files will all be named with today's date and will hence overwrite one another (at present) -- so you may want to retrieve the output files between processing each collection for deletion.
Total Transcripts in u0003 and u0002 thus far
In /srv/scripts/transcripts/ there are two scripts of interest: numPagesAndTrans and getTransCount.
Run numPagesAndTrans first; it will traverse the directories of u0003 (Hoole Manuscripts) and u0002 (Hoole Rare Books) and count the number of pages per item, and the number of transcripts (and OCR files) per item and per collection. This information is stored in the InfoTrack database numItemPages table.
getTransCount utilizes this information, so it should be run second. What it does is report the information gathered from the previous script and will also yank the title of the collection out of the allColls table, formatting the results in the ./output directory as a dated tab-delimited text file intended to be opened in Excel or another spreadsheet software.
The columns of information are:
- "Collnum" for the collection identifier;
- "Title" for the collection title;
- "NumItems" for the number of items in the collection;
- "NumItemsTranscribed and/Or OCRd" for the number of items transcribed or OCRd in that collection;
- "NumPages" for the total page count for that collection;
- "NumTranscriptions" and
- "NumOCRd" for a breakdown of the "NumItemsTranscribed" column. Some things may have been OCR'd and then transcribed (perhaps the OCR has not been removed), but for the most part, this will give you a sense of where the gaps are in terms of what should still be transcribed. Generally, if we can't OCR it, it should be transcribed.


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If anyone wants to play tennis in Northern Kentucky, let me know. I am a 3.5 player
Views: 123
Replies to This Discussion
Hey Josh...I'd def like to play...only been playing for a year so I'd out myself closer to 2.5.....come a LONG way in a year, esp my serve so I imagine I'd at least keep up lol. Just lemme know if and when...I live in Hebron so close to a number of courts
Mark, let me know when you can play. I am usually free any evening except for Tuesdays and free on 3/4 weekends.
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Should I open the mushaf to review or should I close the mushaf and read from memory so that if I forget, I open the..
Assalamu aleikum wa rahmatu lilahi wa barakatuh
Alhamdu lilahi I follow my schedule to review at least twice a week all the juz that I have memorized. My question is:
Should I open the mushaf to review or should I close the mushaf and read from memory so that if I forget, I open the mushaf and correct myself? In other words, which method is more efficient: reading from memory or reading from the mushaf?
Wa salamu aleikum wa rahmatu lilahi wa barakatuh
Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Both ways should be incorporated into a review program because sometimes you think you have read a section without a mistake and in reality, you made some mistakes. You will only realize the mistakes by opening the mushaf and reviewing. At the same time it is vital to recite by memory without having the mushaf open to check on how firm your memory is and find any trouble spots and work on them. A third necessary technique for review is having someone who is knowledgeable of the Qur'an listen to you recite while he/she reads from an open mushaf. Of course it is not always easy to find someone willing to do this, but if you and a friend who is also memorizing the Qur'an and you listen to each other recite by memory, it is an excellent tool for review along with the first two ways laid out in the question.
May Allah grant you complete memorization of the Qur'an and grant you firm memorization and application of it in your life. Ameen.
Wa assalaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.


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Representative, 74th District
The legislative session keeps grinding on. The budget process actually shows more promise than the tax issues. The budget is so complex that hearings and work have to continue to make the 80- or even the 90-day deadline.
Many of the budgets presented are being trimmed more than was originally proposed. I have not heard from some of the budget committees, so do not know what is happening, particularly in education and social services.
The reason budgets are being trimmed is because the projected revenue and expenditures do not balance. There does not seem to be consensus to raise taxes or continue sales taxes at the current level, so budget trimming is going on to make a balanced budget as is required by the State Constitution.
Early on, the governor was hoping to convince the legislature to allow the higher sales tax rates to continue, even though the promise was to sunset the 0.6 percent sales tax in 2013. In addition, the governor wanted to eliminate the mortgage tax deduction on state income tax. All this was in an effort to continue to push down state income taxes for businesses and individuals.
The theory is that lowering income taxes stimulates job growth the quickest. It is difficult to find information that actually confirms that theory, although it is easy to find information that says the total tax burden has an effect on stimulating job growth. Tax policy can have so many consequences that thorough study is needed on any tax bill. Even then, consequences can occur that no one thought about.
A large agriculture bill passed out of the committee for consideration by the full House. That bill included the allowance for small amounts of water use for other purposes and refining what class and size of water retention dams need regular inspection. Also included is adjusting a couple of aspects of the flex accounts for farmers that irrigate and are running up against the pumping limit and a proposal to make it easier for counties, cities, and private individuals to do routine tree and brush cleaning in rivers and streams. Quite a lot for one bill but all related to water in some way.
When the dust clears after this week, I need to check and see what legislative measures have passed and which are still in committee. Understand that any bill not acted on this year is still in play for next year as we have a two-year cycle for legislation that coincides with the House election cycle.
The wet snow we received was most welcome. It also caused the legislature to take a break as state offices were closed so crews could clear out the snow. Please contact me with your concerns on legislative matters. The pace will pick up as we begin taking a look at what the Senate has passed to the House for consideration.