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Inside Zend Server is a series of blog posts which I intend to write on Zend Server (time permitted). As I pointed out in my previous post on Zend Server there are a lot of different constituencies that Zend Server applies to. In this post I will focus on developers and system administrators who are using Windows either for developing or running PHP–based Web applications.
Running high-performance and stable PHP on Windows has always been a serious challenge. So much of a challenge that in 2004 we announced a Zend product called "Zend WinEnabler" which had the sole purpose of delivering stable PHP on Windows. As part of building that product we built a FastCGI plug-in for IIS and Apache, ported our byte-code cache to Windows, and invested considerably into delivering a good experience on Windows. The product was later on streamlined into the Zend Core and Zend Platform offering on Windows. While the stability and performance of these product lines was exponentially better than anything that had existed on Windows before there was still a considerable gap compared to other OSes.
In 2006, Microsoft and Zend announced a technical collaboration to improve the experience of PHP on Windows. As part of this collaboration some of the main accomplishments included Microsoft's team delivering a FastCGI component for IIS, we worked on performance enhancements to PHP itself, and made additional investments in making sure PHP is a first-class citizen on Windows incl. Microsoft delivering the SQL Server for PHP extension.
Not only have we leveraged all this work in Zend Server but we have put a very big emphasis on making sure it is absolutely the best PHP production environment for Windows.
Also to be clear, the Zend Server Community Edition is not only meant to be useful to developers but also for production. For example, if you want to run a departmental Wiki in production and you don't care about critical bug and security hot fixes, monitoring, page caching, support, etc. you are still getting production quality bits, native IIS support, a very fast byte-code cache (which we now for the first time include for free) and lots more. Bottom line, you will get performance on Windows better than anything you've ever run also with Zend Server Community Edition and not only with Zend Server.
Some of the main Windows-specific benefits you will experience with Zend Server:
- Native MSI installation following Microsoft best practices (constantly reviewed with the MS certification tool). In addition our MSI supports unattended installation for easy mass deployment.
- Native MSI-based hot fixes. This means unlike Zend Core which was using our homegrown update mechanism you will see applied fixes in "Add or Remove Programs" and for regular hot fixes you will be able to use the standard Windows rollback mechanism.
- Automatically enable and configure the Microsoft FastCGI extension on XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008.
- For Apache users install and enable Zend's FastCGI extension for best performance and reliability.
- Install SQL Server for PHP extension for out-of-the-box connectivity. Also support MySQL, Oracle, DB2, SQLite and more right out of the gate without needing to download third party drivers.
- Automatically tweak Windows system settings which we found to improve performance in our performance and stress tests. For example, we found that Windows' MaxUserPort registry entry needed increasing when we ran MySQL benchmarks under stress.
- We test a huge matrix including IIS and Apache on XP, Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008 in their various OS editions (why does MS have to have so many editions for each OS?).
In short, you will not find another solution with the performance, reliability and native integration to Windows as Zend Server. Zend Server CE and Zend Server both enjoy the same foundation which enables this first-class support and also both versions have been subject to a large amount of performance and stress testing. If you were using Zend Core in conjunction with Zend Platform on Windows you will feel approximately an additional 30% performance boost. If you were using something else then you are likely to realize significantly greater performance improvements. And that is before you tune the environment in more detail. Check out the Zend Server reference manual for more detailed performance tips both for Optimizer+ and specifically for IIS.
Side note: Two bonus tips for anyone running on Windows which aren't directly related to Zend Server are included at the end of this post.
In any case, if you're on Windows I have no doubt that you will be impressed by Zend Server. Guaranteed!
If you have any questions, comments or benchmarks you'd like to share please email them to me at myfirstname at zend.com.
Two bonus tips regarding PHP on Windows:
- If you can avoid running your application from a UNC share and host it on your local drive you will get much better performance.
- If you're on Server 2008 then there's something called a UAC File Virtualization Filter Driver which we have seen to significantly slow down file system performance and hence also many PHP applications. Best to look this up and if you're willing to experiment you can turn it off with the following command "C:\>sc config LUAFV start=disabled" (your mileage may vary and it could cause compatibility issues so make sure to read this article first). I believe an easier way to deal with this is to host your application on another partition (e.g. D:) as I believe by default this filter is not enabled for non-C: drives.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Limits adjusted higher for soaring inflation
A 401(k) plan is a great way to increase your retirement savings. Your employer will deduct your pretax contributions from your paycheck, and your savings will be tax-deferred until you take withdrawals during retirement. (The exception is a Roth 401(k), which is funded with after-tax dollars and from which withdrawals in retirement are tax-free.) Thanks to some recent adjustments by the Internal Revenue Service, your 401(k) will get a bit better in 2023.
Savers are able to contribute as much as $20,500 to a 401(k) plan in 2022, an increase of $1,000 from 2021. Those 50 and older will be able to add another $6,500 — the same catch-up contribution amount as 2021 — for a maximum contribution of $27,000.
In 2023, the contribution limits are even more generous, because those limits are adjusted for inflation each year. Savers will be able to sock away $22,500 a year in 2023; those 50 and above can contribute an additional $7,500, for a total annual contribution of $30,000.
These limits apply to other retirement plans, such as 403(b) plans for employees of public schools and nonprofit organizations, as well as the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan.
There is an upper limit to the combined amount you and your employer can contribute to defined contribution retirement plans. For those age 49 and under, the limit is $61,000 in 2022; that rises to $66,000 in 2023. For those 50 and older, the limit is $67,500 in 2022; that rises to $73,500 in 2023. You can't contribute more than your earned income in any year.
Those increases are good news for retirement savers. As pensions become increasingly uncommon, for most workers the proceeds of their retirement savings, plus Social Security, will be their main source of retirement income. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, just 1 percent of private-sector employees participated in only a pension plan, also known as a defined benefit plan, in 2018, down from 28 percent in 1979. Just 9 percent participated in both a pension plan and a defined contribution plan, such as a 401(k), and 40 percent participated in a defined contribution plan only.
You can start small
If you can't afford to contribute the maximum, invest what you can and then try to increase that amount each year. You may find that putting pretax money into a 401(k) doesn't affect your paycheck as much as you'd think, because of the tax savings.
For example, suppose you had gross pay of $50,000 a year and got paid every two weeks. If you contributed 5 percent of your salary to a 401(k) plan, your contribution would be $96 a pay period, but your pay would fall by $82, assuming you were in the 15 percent tax bracket, according to a calculator from Fidelity Investments. Increase your contribution by one percentage point, to 6 percent, and you'd be saving $115 a month, but your paycheck would fall by $98.
Many employers match 401(k) contributions, which is essentially free money — and can make a big difference in the amount of money in your account at retirement. Let's say you're 50 years old and you earn $50,000, you put 5 percent of your salary a year into your 401(k), and you get 3 percent raises each year until you retire at 65. You'll have $87,376 in your account when you retire, factoring in a 7 percent annual rate of return. Now let's say your employer matches 50 percent of your contribution, up to 5 percent of your salary. You'll have $131,064 in your account, according to AARP's 401(k) calculator.


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Recent Post Scroll Widget is very customizable post widget . There are a lot's of option to display your recent post .
Here some of option list
General option
- Title
- Title Icon
- Query Number Of post:
- Post Type:
- Display : Title or Content
- Shown number of content word:
Styling option
- header Color
- Header font size
- Title/Content Color
- Title/Content font size:
- Read more Color
- Read more font size:
Scrolling option
- Shown number of post on scrollbar:
- Auto scrolling:
- Stop scrolling on hoverr
- Scroll on:
- Direction icon:
- Scrolling Speed in mili second:
Need Support ? Contact Us
Upload the plugin files to the /wp-content/plugins/plugin-name
directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.
Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress
Now Go to Appearance->Widget and set Recent Post Scroll Widget to any widget to display recent post smoothly
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
"Recent Post Scroll Widget" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
ContributorsTranslate "Recent Post Scroll Widget" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
big changes. updated many options
*Initail Release


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Recently I was seeking the Lord in prayer and asking, "Why is it that I see so many traveling to foreign places to assist others when their own homes and communities have such needs?" This is what I heard in return;
"The reason that many travel to other places to serve is simply due to not wanting to face the real issues in their own home. Facing the needs in our own home often requires more than one to two weeks of service and it often has a price that many do not want to pay. So instead, many people often do things in foreign places to often avoid the real issues that they have in their own home."
In other words what the Lord was teaching is about our human nature and how easy it can be to lose our balance when we neglect or overlook our own responsibilities at home. For when we neglect this principle of balance within our homes then this can open the door for Satan to weaken and oppress the body. We can easily see this over the last forty years here in America as I can witness this same lesson within my own life as well. Think about it! How long can a soldier in foreign missions stay focused when their own home is struggling to survive? How long can we expect foreign aid to continue when we can't balance the input with the output?
This teaching explains to me why so many communities, missions and relationships become oppressed. Simply due to neglecting the basic principles of gardening and the importance of maintaining the roots of our foundation. By seeking to live a balanced life through the love of Jesus Christ we learn to plant ourselves upon the Rock of our foundation while staying in tune with the needs of the garden. It is also wise to understand that God calls some to plant while he calls others to assist with the harvest.
For God plants each one of us in different places and in different positions in order to serve His purpose and not our own. Unfortunately many fail to understand this so they allow their seeds to be blown in the wind rather than learning how to plant and work within garden. Think about it! Our home can be related to a garden just as our individual lives. What we give and receive plays a major roll within the productivity of the garden. The home garden is supposed to help serve the community as the community garden helps to serve the city to the state. For when we begin to take care of our own home garden then this leads to a productive harvest that can help feed foreign missions and help maintain the strength within our homes for future generations.
There is a great need within our own communities and our country for men and women that are willing to commit to the work that is needed in every community across America. This need is to simply do what God has called each of us to do and that is, to work within the gardens we have been given and to leave something behind for someone else. Without these men and women that are willing to grab hold of the plow and apply the Instruction of God to their local gardens we might as well prepare for an unproductive harvest and for the locust to continue to devour the crop. Many of you reading this may be thinking it is too late but I strongly disagree! For nothing is over until God say's it is over!!!
How bad would it be to go home and hear one of these questions, "Why did you quit? Why did you not get up off the pughs to help your neighbors? Do you honestly think you were doing your job when you neglected your own home to take care of someone else's? Why did you not stand up and vote for Godly leadership rather than give in to the popularity contest? Did the numbers that came against you give you fear? Did you honestly think your voice or vote would not matter? Have you forgotten the very One who gives you Victory? Why did you simply fail to be a doer instead of just a hearer? There were blessings right at your feet but you simply lost your perspective. All you had to do was get up off the porch and put your hand to the plow to receive the blessings of God! But instead you allowed your fears, weak faith and laziness to infect the garden. This infection has not only affected you but other plants as well.
It is my sincere prayer for a spiritual Awakening here in America. I pray that Americans will recognize the season at hand and the need for true repentance on a national level. Lord help us clean up our own homes and communities so we can continue to spread your love and feed the hungry. Please give us strength and the wisdom to make the right decisions within our own home in order to refresh the garden and continue to supply the needs in foreign missions. Lord I know that nothing is over until You say that it is over, so please Lord forgive us on a national level of the innocent blood that has been shed from the Native Americans to the African Americans and for simply losing our balance with you…I love you Father and I thank you for the pits that you have picked me up from and I thank you for giving me a new life with purpose and with direction and may others find the same…For all glory is yours…amen
"A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' "'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.''
James A. Harrison


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I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Later in the program, we are going to learn what we can about a very sad story out of Chicago. An honor student who had just performed at President Obama's inauguration was shot to death this week just about a mile north of the president's Chicago home. It was apparently a case of mistaken identity. We'll try to find out more in just a few minutes.
But, first, more on Egypt. Since the Arab Spring protests began, we've heard a lot about how traditional players, like the military and a once banned group, the Muslim Brotherhood, are shaping the country's political life now, but there's another unlikely player that we are starting to learn more about: soccer fan clubs.
As we talked about earlier, violent protests have been going on in the coastal city of Port Said. This came after 21 people were sentenced to death in connection with a riot a year earlier after a soccer match in which scores of people died. Some were beaten or stabbed, but most people died of asphyxiation after they were crushed against locked stadium doors.
Now, many members of these clubs, as well as their families, have been outraged by these sentences. Dave Zirin has just written about Egypt's popular soccer fan clubs and the role they are playing in what is going on in Egypt, so we have asked him to tell us more. He is, of course, a frequent participant in our Friday Barbershop roundtable. He's sports editor of The Nation, where his piece was just published.
Welcome back, Dave. Thanks so much for joining us.
DAVE ZIRIN: Well, great to be here, Michel.
MARTIN: So tell us about these soccer fan clubs. I understand that they are known as Ultras. They are mostly young Egyptian men. Tell us, how popular are they? How many people belong to them?
ZIRIN: Absolutely. I mean, Ultras exist in countries all around the world. It's another name for hyper-intense fan clubs for the local soccer teams. Now, it's not uncommon in autocracies to give these Ultras far more liberties in the streets of the country than other, say, more traditional political protesters would have.
It's generally seen as something that they can blow off steam. They go in the streets. They fight. They fight the police. They fight each other. They set off fireworks and people like Hosni Mubarak thought for decades that, well, this is fine because it's not political.
Now, after Tahrir Square started to swell and build and the revolution started to build with the Arab Spring two years ago, the Ultras found themselves in Tahrir Square and they found themselves, to the surprise of everybody, not to themselves and to the more traditional protesters, to actually have a position of leadership inside of Tahrir Square because they were the people who had the most experience in how to fight the state police, how to set up a checkpoint, how to secure an area and even how to set up various pyro distractions from the state police. And they earned a great deal of respect among the more traditional reform and revolutionary forces because of their - really, their endurance and willingness to fight the state police for hours on end.
MARTIN: And what's the role in what's going on now? We just heard from Cairo bureau chief Leila Fadel about the protests and she talked a lot about how a lot of these are motivated by just a lot of anger about the fact that people's lives have not improved. But what about these specific groups that you're talking about, the Ultras? Do they have a specific role in what's going on now?
ZIRIN: Yes, absolutely. One of the things that's made them consistent and continual fighters over the last two years is that their focus has always been on the violent edge of the state apparatus of Egypt and, as your last interview made clear, that has not changed. Whether it was under Mubarak, under the military junta and now under President Mohamed Morsi, it's the same figures as in a straight line of continuum.
And over 800 people have died in the last two years in various protests and whatnot and no one has had to stand trial for that. And there were a lot of hopes that, after the massacre in Port Said - or it's really the soccer riot - the deaths of 74 people at the stadium in Port Said after a soccer match - that people in the state apparatus would be held to account because it was thought by the leading political figures, by the head of the Egyptian Soccer Federation even, put out statements saying, we don't blame the soccer fans. We blame the state police because they allowed people to be asphyxiated against the doors and against the bleachers and it was something that got out of control.
So it was widespread in Egyptian society that the fault for the 74 deaths in Port Said was with the state apparatus and yet, when 21 people were sentenced to be hanged, not one member of the security forces or the state police were among those 21 people. So among the families and among the Ultra fan clubs in Port Said for a team called Al-Masry, they have been in a state of upheaval about that and Al-Ahly, the people whose fans were killed - at first, they put out words of - not celebration, but just appreciation for the verdict, but that very quickly soured as they saw what was taking place around them.
MARTIN: I just want to play a short clip from a young Egyptian soccer fan. This is from an interview that we heard on Al Jazeera. This is from a young man named Mohamed Saad.
MOHAMED SAAD: (Through Translator) Ultras are there. We were among the first to support the revolution, alongside the rest of the youths. We fought against Mubarak and then against the military. The Port Said massacre was an act of retaliation by interior ministry forces because of this.
MARTIN: Can you explain that, Dave Zirin, that the idea that this - that what happened to all these people was somehow retaliation by - for the role that these young men played in the revolution? Explain that.
ZIRIN: Sure. Of course, what I'm about to say is both theory and conjecture, but I should make clear that this is theory and conjecture that's shared by - that was said by spokespeople in the Muslim Brotherhood. They were not the ruling party at the time, of course. The military was still in power. Said by every political party in Egypt and, in fact, and as I said before, said by the head of the Egyptian Soccer Federation. It caused the most popular player in Egypt, a player named Mohammed Abu Trika, to actually quit and retire from the sport. He was so disgusted by what he saw that day and what he saw the state officials do.
What happened was Al-Masry won the game three to one against Al-Ahly and it was considered to be an upset and very exciting. They stormed the field. They engaged in violence. There were stabbings. There were beatings and then thousands of Al-Ahly fans attempted to flee and you can see this on video. This is well available online and I link to it at my article on The Nation. There is video evidence of the state police standing by idly while people are getting crushed when they had the capacity to either open the doors or, at the very least, try to clear the crowds away.
So they are given a lot of the blame and so, when people in Port Said see 21 people about to be hanged to death because of what took place, yet see the state not be called into account, it raises then a ton of other issues. It becomes a Pandora's Box for all the ways that there hasn't been justice in the last two years in instances of state violence.
MARTIN: OK. Very briefly, Dave Zirin, to the degree that you can determine this, what is the - how are these current protests affecting the people's attitude about the soccer clubs? Because, as you indicated earlier, they got a lot of respect for their endurance, for their smarts, for their kind of tactical skill - if you want to call it that - during the Arab Spring protests. What about now? How are they being viewed now in the wake of this?
ZIRIN: Well, they're being viewed as being the most courageous and consistent fighters against a regime that is growing in unpopularity and this is very interesting because, certainly, people don't associate sports fandom with these kinds of street actions.
MARTIN: Dave Zirin is sports editor of The Nation. He's host of Sirius XM's "Edge of Sports" and he was kind enough to join us today from NPR's bureau in New York.
Dave Zirin, thank you for joining us.
ZIRIN: My privilege, Michel.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Building up the largest ICG meter data management system in Europe
The cooperation between Landis+Gyr and ČEZ began in 1986 with telemetric systems of the time. Technological developments over the years have led up to the deployment of Landis+Gyr Gridstream Converge. Currently there are 46,000 metering points in Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria connected to Gridstream Converge. The system is designed for the total 85,000 ICG, or industrial metering points, including the calculation of nearly 300,000 load profiles.
The solution is based on Landis+Gyr technologies, particularly the MDM Gridstream Converge center, the www100 data portal and the incorporated messaging system intended for data exchange in liberalized markets.
The metering data center located in Prague collects, verifies and compiles data from industrial and commercial meters providing coverage for I&C customers in these three countries. It also covers the ČEZ Group's Czech production sites. The metering data is read and used by the SAP ERP system and associated IT systems.
Solid system architecture provides full service
The data center uses elaborate hardware architecture which provides maximum security and performance. It contains 16 servers that operate 25 virtual servers, eight routers, 600 modems and a database server. This fail-safe design ensures that the system will operate even in the case of a single component failure.
Consolidated solution of MDM Gridstream Converge has been integrated with the surrounding systems enabling further business metering data processing and communication with Central Data System (CDS), operated by Energy Market Operator and the portal of measured data for the end customers.
Online services enabled
Included in the system is a Landis+Gyr data web portal, which enables customers to log onto their individual energy usage information online and create different reports from the metering data. This service operates through a secure website that links directly to the data center through a dedicated web server, providing faster access and customised service options for ČEZ's customers.
Market dynamics across three countries
Part of the internet communications infrastructure is data management, as required by legislation, amongst all the different suppliers, distributors and producers in the energy market. In the Czech Republic distributors are responsible for reading the meters and transferring the data to market operators. Then other associated market players can gain access to this information via this process. The readout center will provide support for distribution companies in the Czech Republic, as well as distribution companies in Romania and Bulgaria that are part of the ČEZ Group.
The data services center supports all activities related to data readouts from ICG measurement and associated primary processing. This includes validation and processing for invoicing.
The legislative process is completed by the incorporated messaging system. It manages contractual data exchanges, supplier changes and customer connect and disconnect, all in secure EDI or XML format.


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With "the strength of the Adirondacks" as its original motto, The Adirondack Trust Company combines innovative banking with personal, face-to-face service for its customers.
In today's fast-growing Saratoga County market, The Adirondack Trust Company is the leader in market share---and in customer service. Its community-bank philosophy dates back to its founding in 1901, as a vehicle for financing ventures in upstate New York.
The bank's founder, New York State Senator Edgar T. Brackett, recognized the importance of the bank to Saratoga Springs, an exclusive resort known for its curative mineral waters, racecourse and casino. Brackett exhorted his successors to see to it "that the bank is managed not only for the proper purpose of making money for its stockholders, but also for the development of the community where it is located, and to be an example of high dealing to all who come in contact with it."
This vision guided the early bank, which immediately launched a savings department, provided mortgages, and recruited the town's first large factory.
In 1910, Brackett and his close associates fended off a sale attempt, keeping ownership local. Even through the Depression of 1929, the bank remained strong, guided by its president, Charles Van Deusen. Newman E. Wait succeeded him in 1937 and saw to it that the bank remained forward-looking, taking initial steps toward automation and opening the region's first drive-up window for banking. Despite the bank's strength, the city's economy became stagnant due to changes in its historically important resort business.
The foundation for the rebirth of Saratoga Springs was completed by 1966 under the presidency of Newman E. "Pete" Wait Jr. Aided by the construction of the Adirondack Northway (Route I-87), the citizens of Saratoga Springs, with leadership by The Adirondack Trust Company, built a modern, stock-holder-owned hotel; financed the construction of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC); and supported a brilliant expansion plan by Skidmore College.
Joining the bank in 1974, Charles V. Wait took an active role in the city's 1974 "Plan of Action," which responded to competition from the first shopping centers with a well-conceived downtown revitalization; within three years, a formal historic preservation movement was also in place. Charles chaired the Saratoga Springs Plan of Action and the Saratoga Springs Convention Center Committees. He also was the first chairman of both the Saratoga Springs City Center Authority and the Saratoga Springs Special Assessment District.
The beginnings of suburban development in the same period led to the bank's first branch office in 1970 known as the West Church Street branch. Since then---while never changing its resolve to serve the local market---the bank has been guided by its strategic planning to construct offices throughout Saratoga County and has an office in Glens Falls, Warren County and insurance offices in Cambridge, Washington County and Albany. The Bank has ten branch offices and three insurance offices in Albany, Saratoga and Washington Counties.
During Pete Wait's tenure, it became an accepted fact that the major projects in Saratoga Springs were supported---and often led---by the bank. When his son, Charles V. Wait, succeeded him as president in 1984, he continued this philosophy. Today, bank employees work thousands of hours annually for community organizations, and the bank itself is a generous contributor to hundreds of worthy non-profit initiatives each year.
The Adirondack Trust Company led in the use of computers as early as 1962 and, with the technology revolution, it has been quick to maximize its potential. Automated teller machines (ATMs) were introduced in 1980, assisting the bank in serving an increasing transaction load while it maintained its highly personal service in all face-to-face transactions. In 1987, computers supported the launch of the bank's trust department, which now has nearly $400 million under management.
Computers were brought into direct customer use with the launch in 2000 of WebWise® Online Banking. In the first year, nineteen percent of the bank's checking account customers signed up for this service. Now nearly fifty percent of the bank's checking customers use WebWise Online Banking.
The Adirondack Trust Company's reputation continues to grow. Every year the bank receives the highest accolades from the various rating services; informally, it is sometimes called "the upstate Morgan." In 1989, Money magazine listed it among the nation's 100 safest banks, a distinction that gave it coast-to-coast visibility of the best kind.
By the end of the 20th century, the revival of Saratoga Springs was nationally known. All five of its most visible projects of the period---two new commercial buildings downtown, adaptive reuse of a large mill, expansion of the city's senior living complex, and an elegant hotel restoration---were financed by the bank.
The bank has continued to grow through the acquisition of four insurance agencies in five years. The bank now provides a full complement of insurance services to personal and business customers. From auto, home and life insurance to employee benefits programs, worker's compensation and general business liability insurance services, the bank continues to grow and meet the expectations of its customers.
To accommodate its expanding business the bank constructed a new building near its main office. The new building, named after the Mabee family, is 25,000 square feet and houses a variety of departments such as insurance and trust. In staying with the bank's philosophy of helping businesses grow, there is ground-level retail space at below market rates for new entrepreneurs.
The bank continues to adhere to strict financial standards and announced record results for 2009. The strong financial results are a testament to the commitment that the bank (the only one owned and headquartered in Saratoga County) makes to its balance sheet while helping local customers grow and expand. By remaining a strong, locally owned and operated bank, they are positioned to help individuals and businesses in the bank's market area. Financial stability allows the bank to continue to give significant dollars back to non-profits throughout its market area and in turn help hundreds of organizations. Employees contribute thousands of hours to serve on the boards and be involved with local community organizations.
The most noted hallmark of the bank is its continued commitment to dedicated customer service. Each day, every single transaction is as important as the first one when the bank opened its doors for business on January 2, 1902. Every single employee is accessible to customers via the phone or in person. This commitment and paying attention to the details of each customer relationship is what truly has established the bank as a leader in its market.
Saratoga Springs is an economic powerhouse, and The Adirondack Trust Company, which celebrated its centennial in September 2001, is its premier bank, with a forty-eight percent market share in Saratoga Springs. With total assets over $883 million, The Adirondack Trust Company today gives evidence of its motto chosen long ago: "It has the strength of the Adirondacks."


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Call Us Now
In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about selling a house without probate. We will also look at how probate works, how you can sell a house before and without probate and how Affidavit of Heirship, Small Estate Affidavit and Judicial Determination of Heirship work.
But, first thing's first.
First, let's look at what a probate sale means.
The dictionary identifies several meanings of the word probate, however, in our case, it's a method of administrating a property after you die.
Probate is used to transfer your property in an orderly matter.
Yes. Your will determines the transfer of your estate during a probate. If you don't have a will, the transfer is decided by the laws of your state – and that's when you are able to avoid probate. In this article, I define 7 ways you can avoid probate and sell your house fast.
N. Brian Caverly and Jordan S. Simon defined four processes to a probate:
Selling a house without probate is a lot easier than you think.
A real estate agent might often tell you that your house cannot be sold unless it's probated. They are WRONG.
Selling a house without probate is possible and it is, in fact, very common.
SFgate identifies four ways of selling a house without probate:
If you're lucky enough and the decedent placed his property in a living trust, you will avoid probate. If you are named as a trustee, you are able to sell the house without probate court approval.
Jointly Held Real Estate
In California, joint tenancy is free of probate. If you are the executor and the co-owner of the property, you are also free of probate and have full authority after solo ownership.
Independent Administration of Estates Act
Independent Administration of Estates Act doesn't really avoid probate, at least not completely. Instead, you are able to avoid probate under specific circumstances. 90% rule applies – as the executor, you can sell the house for at least 90% of its value. However, you must give notice to those interested in the property and get an approval from the court. This is bypassed if the deceased clearly states that you are solely responsible for the property after his or hers death.
Summary Probate
Properties of a smaller or limited value can be appraised and filed for a smaller affidavit instead. Depending on the state, these values may differ.
Here are three more ways you can sell a house without probate in TX.
Affidavit of Heirship, Small Estate Affidavit and Judicial Determination of Heirship
You can use Affidavit of Heirship when your loved one died and didn't leave a will, however, you are still left with a property.
In the case of no will, the probate is not needed. Just file the Affidavit of Heirship and sell your house FAST.
The Affidavit of Heirship requires two witnesses who must swear under Oath. The two witnesses must:
The Small Estate Affidavit is filed in the same country in which the Decedent resided during the time of their death.
Along with the same information as was stated in the Affidavit of Heirship, the witness must also provide signatures of all heirs and two objective witnesses.
Please note that this option will only avoid probate if the property value is less than $50,000.
If the deceased hasn't left a will, Judicial Determination of Heirship can also be applied. In this case, the court acts in charge and determines the heirs, which can often resolve in a distribution of the property among these heirs.
Out of the three options, the Judicial Determination of Heirship is the most time-consuming and the most expensive. You will have to file an application with the Probate Court, the Court will appoint an attorney who will investigate the identity of the heirs and schedule a hearing once the procedure was done.
When someone dies without leaving a Will, the Court can conduct a formal Determination of Heirship. During this process, the Court will make a formal declaration as to the identity of the Decedent's heirs. Pursuant to that declaration of the heirs, the Decedent's property can be divided and distributed among the heirs.
Roddy Offers Buys Houses, located in Uvalde, will give you a cash offer on your property in less than 24 hours of making a request. As a bonus point, your property can be sold in less than a week.
We buy houses in the Uvalde area. If you need to sell your Uvalde area house fast and would like to get a no-obligation cash offer, call us now at 469-406-6961. Whether you decide to sell your house to us or not, Roddy Offers Buys Houses would like to help answer questions you might have about the process.


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BEREA, Ohio – The Cleveland Browns' training camp hasn't lacked for drama because of quarterback Deshaun Watson's NFL disciplinary case over sexual misconduct allegations.
Now, there's a new storyline involving running back Kareem Hunt — even if the head coach insists the 27-year-old's fight for an extension is "normal."
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The NFL's rushing leader in 2017 demanded a trade after the team denied his request for a long-term contract extension, holding himself out of team drills Friday and Saturday in protest, but rejoining on Sunday. Hunt was not made available to speak with the media.
"We are working, there is no distraction," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on the practice field. "I understand there are things that happen that certainly get attention, and that's OK. ... This is normal. This is NFL football, as far as I know."
Hunt did his best to prove Stefanski's point, taking part in all offensive sets on the sunny afternoon before voluntarily running post-practice sprints in the sweltering 90-degree heat. He was joined by backup quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Josh Rosen.
Stefanski declined to answer questions specifically about Hunt, just as he has about the status of Watson, the controversial quarterback who is waiting to see how long he will be suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy.
Hunt is in the final season of a two-year, $12 million extension signed in 2020. If the Cleveland-area native is on the active roster for all 17 games, he will earn $6.25 million this season.
Stefanski said he wouldn't address whether Hunt was penalized for sitting out part of camp.
"I am not going to get into anything that has to do with our players, conversations that I have with our players, and those types of things," he added. "If our players are healthy, they practice."
Hunt has been productive during his three seasons with the Browns, but he missed nine games last year with calf and ankle injuries. He gained a league-best 1,327 yards rushing as a rookie for the Chiefs in 2017.
But like Watson, Hunt arrived in Cleveland with his own baggage. He was suspended by the NFL for the first eight games in 2019 because of off-field behavior, including shoving and kicking a woman while with Kansas City.
In 2020, Hunt rushed for 841 yards in 2020 and added 304 yards receiving. He led the team with 11 touchdowns and was a complementary piece for Pro Bowl selection Nick Chubb.
The Browns are now as deep as any team at the position, reducing the leverage that Hunt perceives he has.
Chubb rushed for 1,259 yards last season and D'Ernest Johnson is an emerging talent who gained 534 as a third-stringer. Cleveland also drafted Cincinnati's Jerome Ford in the fifth round.
"All of our guys have to earn a role and carve it out," Stefanski said.
NOTES: Rookie K Cade York made a 45-yard field goal to wind up the two-hour practice, earning the players an early exit from the training facility before they have Monday off. ... WR David Bell (foot) revealed that a stress fracture was the reason he was unavailable at the start of camp. ... CB Denzel Ward (foot), WR Michael Woods II (hamstring), LB Silas Kelly (hamstring), DT Sheldon Day (back) and CB Shaun Jolly (groin) did not practice. ... Browns assistant Callie Brownson coached the U.S. National Team to a 42-14 win over Great Britain in the gold medal game at the IFAF Women's Tackle World Championship in Finland.
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL


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On Tuesday, my guest post on Grammar Mistakes, Fixes, and Writing Tips for the Excellence-Minded Blogger went live on AHREFS blog.
It was exciting because, for me, this post was a stretch beyond my comfort zone.
Why did this particular blog intimidate me? For one thing, the length and depth of the posts on AHREFS were more than I am used to. In addition, they do in-depth research on keywords before posting. Plus, they use lots of internal and external links (links to other posts on their blog and to data and research that supports the strategies they offer).
And, of course, the writing is always high quality. These guys take their blogging very seriously.
So, I wondered, could I do all that? I'm not a research wiz and I don't know as much about keywords as I'd like. And could I come up with all those examples by end of month?
How I Came to Guest Posting
Guest posting is a great strategy for reaching new people with your message and also can benefit your search engine rankings.
Guest blogging also invites you to stretch your metaphoric muscles. It can stretch you as a writer—as it did me—to write to a specific audience and write to the style and guidelines of the blog where you are posting.
However, I wasn't trying to be strategic (and land a guest post) at the time.
Instead, I was wandering the Twitterverse looking at interesting content to share and found a blog post on The 2 Best Online Marketing Strategies for Businesses on a Tight Budget by Jacob McMillen. It was an impressive post—as are all the posts on AHREFS. [2022 note: I've taken out the article links as the blog is updated and these links no longer work]
I happened to notice a typo and I know I like to hear from my readers so I can correct any typos on my blog. I figured they might be of like mind.
So I wrote them.
And they wrote me back. Next thing, their blog editor, David McSweeney, invited me to write a guest post on grammar and writing tips for bloggers.
I felt so excited to be invited, because AHREFS has high standards. Their posts are full of excellent content—fresh ideas and strategies that are tested and work, excellent examples, quality links, research…
I took up David's invitation.
Writing My Guest Post—Step by Step
I looked up their guest blogging guidelines. Uh oh. They didn't seem to have any.
I emailed David who responded with, "We actually took them down as we are being very selective about guest posts at the moment. We're more inviting people than looking for unsolicited pitches. The main guideline is that posts should be detailed and actionable."
Now, the pressure was on.
As I browsed the site, the pressure mounted—each post seemed more well-researched and meaty than the last. And many posts had all these fancy screen captures to take readers step-by-step through their strategies. I had no clue how to do those screen capture thingies.
Plus examples for every strategy suggested.
How was I going to pull this off?
I have to admit. I spent more time writing the AHREFS post than I spend on most of my own posts, which tend to be much shorter and don't have much research associated with the majority of them. Don't get me wrong—I'm proud of my blog posts. They're just a different style from AHREFS and a lot more informal.
Of course, about half of that extensive time I took to write my guest post was in researching their posts and then worrying about whether I possessed the chops.
I incorporated many of the strategies they suggested and modelled: headlines to break up text, lots of white space, internal and external links, including colleagues in the post.
I did not incorporate everything. I didn't link to lots of research–but I did ask the folks at Grammarly for expert input (a quote) and any research they had on grammar and reader perceptions.
I didn't do extensive keyword research—it's not my expertise. I realize that's a bit ironic since AHREFS offers tools for keyword research and search engine optimization! However, I did include my keywords in my title and throughout the post, in a non-spammy way.
I quickly realized that if I wanted examples, the best way to do it would be to include advice from my colleagues—writers, bloggers and, specifically, grammar bloggers.
I identified colleagues I've known for years—Frances Caballo, Stuart Horwitz, Ginger Moran, Michael Larsen, Samantha Bennett—and, with some help from Frances Caballo, I identified colleagues I've recently gotten to know a bit through Twitter—Jane Friedman, Mignon Fogarty (Grammar Girl), Susanne Lakin (whom I'd guest blogged for earlier, thanks to my friends at Shelton Interactive) and the folks at Grammarly. I even heard a great tip on a teleseminar on SEO tips with Neil Patel and asked him if I could quote him (Answer? "Yes.").
Confession: At least two weeks passed between the time I identified colleagues and the time I actually got around to asking most of them. I think I delayed because of my overall fear of writing the post. In retrospect, it would have been less stressful—and more considerate—to email colleagues as soon as I placed them on my list.
I handed in my post with more than a little trepidation.
When David responded favorably ("Wow, what a great post.") I could finally relax.
Then he wrote back asking if I was open to a new title. Of course.
While, at times, I have a knack for book titles (The Creativity Cure comes to mind), I often struggle with titles for blog posts (and email subject lines, BTW). So, it wasn't a total surprise when David asked about changing the title (the original white bread version being, "Grammar and Writing Tips for Bloggers").
We brainstormed by email and David suggested modifying one of my subheads and using that as a more compelling blog title. Done.
11 Lessons I Learned Guest Blogging for AHREFS
So, here are my takeaways from the experience, as well as earlier experiences writing guest posts for Writers Digest, Live Write Thrive, Positive Writer and Inspired Living Publishing:
- Don't be afraid to reach out to people you don't know. You never know what will come of it.
- Be willing to write outside your comfort zone.
- Read the submissions/style guidelines. If they are not posted, ask for any guidelines they want to share.
- Be sure to look at several of the blog's most current posts and match those posts on length, style, content and, to some extent, tone.
- Link to other posts on that blog/website.
- Consider including and quoting other experts as a way to spread the love, reach more people and add texture and depth to your post.
- Know your weaknesses. Decide whether you need help on particular aspects that are not your forte.
- Spend time on penning a compelling title. If that's not your strong point, see tip #7.
- Start as soon as possible. I should have emailed colleagues sooner for their tips and strategies.
- Make it actionable. This is something they stress on the AHREFS blog.
- Take a deep breath and enjoy the process. Worrying about whether you'll do a good job just wastes time and energy.
Have you ever guest posted on a blog? What was your experience? Feel free to share any takeaways and a link to your post. And if you invite guest bloggers, please share any additional tips or takeaways to share with our community?


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Aquaproiect S.A. is a renowned design, studies and consulting company in the field of water management and environmental engineering, with an experience of 60 years and a large sphere of activities, specialized in river regulation and flood protection works, the design of water construction works (dams and storage reservoirs, water diversion and head races, dikes, water supply systems and sewerage systems), irrigation systems, civil constructional works, roads and bridges, waste storages, studies in the fields of topography, geodesy, geology, environmental protection studies and engineering and studies on low, mean and high water management, technical assistance, consultancy, construction behavior tracking and documentation for permits and authorizations.
Aquaproiect SA currently has approx. 100 employees, undertaking its activity in its Bucharest Headquarters (Romania), Erbil Subsidiary – Kurdistan Autonomous Region of Iraq and Chisinau Subsidiary – Republic of Moldova.
The company employs a wide range of specialties covering areas such as: Hydrotechnics, Land Reclamation, Civil Engineering, Mechanics / Hydromechanics, Automation, Road & Bridge building, Hydro-energy, Architecture, Environmental, Geotechnics / Geology, Topography / Geodesy, GIS Specialists, Labor Health & Safety Experts, Economics, IT & other support staff.
The main activity of S.C. AQUAPROIECT S.A. according to CAEN1 codification is CODE 7112 – Activities of Engineering and Related Technical Consultancy.
AQUAPROIECT S.A. is a renowned company, continuing the activity of the "Design Institute for Hydraulic Constructions" founded in 1953 in Romania. Throughout its existence, the company gradually expanded its array of activity, today representing a dominant force in the market and covering a large array of activities.
The types of activities undertaken by the company are:
Environmental and water management studies, including hydrological and hydraulic studies, basin water management plans and flood control maps. The company has undertaken a significant number of projects as environmental impact assessments, undertaking of EIA procedure, environmental balance studies, as well as obtaining the necessary permits and authorizations for a large diversity of works, including water management permits, environmental authorizations, up to obtaining of construction authorization.
Studies and design for water course management and land reclamation improvement – irrigation systems, drainage systems, soil erosion control, water regulations, embankment design of works for flood control against sea coastal erosion and coastal stabilization.
Oil industry studies and engineering, from investigation works undertaken for pollution evaluation, remediation solutions and decontamination projects, field which expanded starting with 2012.
Land studies (topographic surveying, geotechnical studies), holding the technical expertise and necessary equipment to conduct such studies.
Technical assistance in the field and supervision of construction works.
Civil construction architecture and design of infrastructure works (such as water supply and/or sewerage systems, pumping stations, roads and bridges design, design of ecological waste disposal sites).
Design and behavior tracking of water constructional works (dams and storage reservoirs, dikes, extensions, intakes, headraces and hydro-mechanical equipment).
Informational systems.
The sphere of engineering works provided by S.C. AQUAPROIECT S.A. covers a project from its pre-feasibility stage, through feasibility study, elaboration of technical documentations for obtaining the necessary authorizations and permits, technical design, execution details, all the way through project management implementation, consultancy in tender book specifications, monitoring and works supervision.
The company holds the necessary authorizations for undertaking the above activities, and its competency is proved by its history in the market of over 58 years and hundreds of successful projects. Moreover, the company is a member of internal and international bodies in the field and has high class specialists (doctors in sciences, university teaching staff, authors of technical publications, inventors etc.) with rich experience in the designing of river basin development works for low, mean and high water management with a view to providing water users, protecting against the destructive effects of floods, and environmental protection.
Currently S.C. Aquaproiect S.A. provides most of the technical assistance services for the National Water Basin Administrations which intend to obtain European funding for investment projects, for developing the capacity of flood risk management and for supporting the elaboration of projects in the sector of main risks management caused by climate changes, mainly by floods and coastal erosion, within LIOP (Large Infrastructure Operational Program), Axis 5 – Promoting the adaptation to climate changes, prevention and management of risks, Special Objective (SO) 5.1 – Reducing the effects and damages over the population caused by natural phenomena associated to main risks accentuated by climate changes, mainly by floods and coastal erosion.
The projects aim to promote the actions oriented to preventing the main risks accentuated by climate changes phenomena, especially by floods and coastal erosion, in order to avoid economic damages and loss of lives, and also aim to align to requirements of directives in this domain. Also it contributes to complying with 2007/60/CE Directive regarding risk assessment and management.
Within these projects are included specific measures for green infrastructure, and only where these measures prove inefficient, other structural measures are proposed. The proposed structural measures consist of rehabilitation of infra-structure for reducing the impact of some extreme meteorological phenomena and only in some particular cases the construction of new infrastructure is proposed, when in implementation or by modeling the green infrastructure models, they prove to be inefficient.
At the same time, the proposed investments for these measures will contribute for limiting the effects of other phenomena specific to climate change, for example drought or landslides.
S.C. AQUAPROIECT S.A. holds a large variety of certificates and attestations as required by the activity domain, as follows:
Certificate regarding the implementation and maintaining a quality system according to the standard SR EN ISO 9001: 2008, issued by S.R.A.C. / IQNet
Certificate for certifying the environment management system, according to the standard SR EN ISO 14001: 2005, issued by S.R.A.C. / IQNet
Certificate for certifying the occupational health and security management system, according to SR EN OHSAS 18001: 2007, issued by S.R.A.C. / IQNet
Certificate for attesting the Information Security Management System, according to international standard ISO/IEC 27001: 2013, issued by S.R.A.C. / IQNet
Certificate for attesting the Social Responsibility system, according to international standard SA 8000: 2008, issued by IQNet
Certificate for Drawing up the documentation for request of Water Management Permit substantiation and works in the fields of: hydraulic studies, hydro-geological studies, water management studies and documentation for obtaining the water management permit / authorization, issued by the Romanian Ministry of Environment
Certificate of incorporation at the National Register of Study Developers for environmental protection, for RM (environmental impact), RIM (environmental impact report), BM (environmental balance), RA (field report), RS (security report), EA (environmental assessment), issued by the Romanian Ministry of Environment
Authorization for Laboratory testing, GTF profile, issued by the Romanian State Construction Inspectorate
Certificate of Technical Attestation for design and consultancy, road works, bridges and related works, issued by the Association Professional Roads and Bridges in Romania
Authorization Certificate for drawing and verifying works in the field of Cadaster, geodesy and mapping, class I, issued by the Romanian National Agency of Cadaster and Real Estate Advertising
Attestation certificate for attesting legal entities which have the capacity to perform activities in the field of land reclamation on agricultural land, issued by the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Certificate for "Designing electrical wires, aerial and underground, at nominal voltage of 0.4 kV 20-kv and transformer station with superior nominal voltage of maximum 20 kV", issued by the Romanian National Authority of Energy Regulation
Authorization of Railway Provider, issued by the Romanian Railway Authority – AFER
Railway Technical Agreement, for Design services in the field of railway infrastructure, issued by the Romanian Railway Authority – AFER
Railway Technical Agreement, for providing topographical, geodesic geologic, hydraulic and hydro-geologic studies for railway infrastructure, issued by the Romanian Railway Authority – AFER
Railway Technical Agreement, for providing impact studies and monitoring the environmental factors for railway infrastructure areas, issued by the Romanian Railway Authority – AFER
Certificate for Design of forestry roads, issued by National Directive Romsilva
Certificate for Works of land reclamation in forestry sector, issued by Romanian Ministry of Environment and Forests
Authorization for Design of systems and installations for signal, alarm an alert in case of fire, issued by MAI-IGSU, Romanian National Center for Security in Case of Fire and Civil Protection
1 CAEN – classification of the activities in the national economy in accordance to the NACE (classification of economic activities in the EU) and CITI (International Standard Classification (rev. 3) adopted by UNO in February 1989).


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Passport Forgotten, Bogusky Elfed, Apple Spoofed, Portals Die
- Kid runs away from home, forgets passport, TV show promoted.
- Alex Bogusky gets his elf on over at Office Max.
- If you're going to spoof a Mac/PC ad for your holiday card, the least you could do what make it good. TM Advertising didn't.
- Joe Jaffe examines the long, slow death of the portal.


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Startup Mentors
I've had several Startup CTO Consulting sessions recently where it became apparent that the Founder needed help with the business and product as much or more than the technology. I suggested that they should look for someone like me, but on the business end. Then we discussed how they could go about finding this startup business advisor.
Then I got an email that asked:
I'm leading the marketing efforts for an early-stage startup. I recently completed an MBA, which I feel gave me a good basis in the fundamentals of building our brand from the ground up. However, I often wish that I had someone more experienced both in marketing and working in a startup environment that I could go to for advice. Do you have any suggestions for how to find a good mentor?
Great question and I believe that just like finding a Technical Advisor for your startup is critical, finding a good mentor is critical.
Mentor vs. Advisor
Generally when I talk about startup mentors and advisors, I distinguish them in terms of:
- Mentor focus is You:
The marketing person above is looking for someone to help them with their personal challenge. They want someone who understands their current role and can help them be successful there. They will also be concerned about how this leads to their next role. They may open doors to the next role. - Advisor focus is Your Business:
The startup founders need help with the business and I'm advising them to find an Advisor who will focus more on the business then on them as a person. They likely want someone who knows the industry and can open doors that can help the business.
These are not mutually exclusive and good mentors and advisors get into both.
Finding Potential Mentors
You are looking for someone who is
- A couple steps ahead of you in progression
- Have worked in similar roles in similar kinds of companies
- Local to you
For example, I'm looking for a marketing professional who's worked at a couple early-stage startups ideally one of these is B2B selling to advertisers and is located in Los Angeles area.
You should begin asking at networking events and people you know in the startup world.
For me, I'd use LinkedIn. The challenge is that LinkedIn is not that great with finding people who were at early-stage startups. So the way I would do it is to find examples of specific startups that have grown up locally and who marketed similar to how you plan to market. Then you search for the people who were in marketing there early on. Likely they've progressed, so it may be a pretty natural fit. This can take some work, but its worth it.
This also avoids a common problem that will sometimes happen when you go the networking route. People will suggest folks who are high profile. They regularly speaks at conferences, used to work at Google, and have other similarly impressive aspects to their background. That may sound good, but that doesn't make them a good mentor.
Have they worked in similar kinds of situations? Most of us are not Google. An early-stage startup is a different animal. From Why Every Startup Founder Needs a Mentor - And How to Find One
Don't just fall in love with someone's reputation, perceived celebrity or name. Identify someone who could be directly relevant to what you want to do, or who is pursuing a similar vision. And someone who is likely to have the time and the inclination to help you.
Mentor Progression
To me this is a complex problem, it's a bit like dating/marriage. You are the person who wants to commit but you have no idea if the other party is going to be willing to commit to you.
I don't believe that you should go out saying to a potential mentor that you are looking for a mentor. While that's open and honest, you know how it works out if you bring up commitment too early. And I'm not alone. In How to Find and Keep Your Ideal Mentor:
Once you've identified an ideal mentor, you need to create the relationship that houses the mentorship. Here's a little secret about finding mentors — nobody has time to mentor you. And they probably lack interest initially. If you've ever sought out mentors, you've probably found that many of them were reluctant to make the commitment and ran when they heard the word "mentor."
So, where do you start? For me, its coffee?
Can I buy you a coffee and talk to you about my challenges?
Or in the case of the LinkedIn outreach:
Hi John,
I'm leading the marketing efforts for StartupRoar, an early-stage startup that sells to B2B advertisers. We are doing well, but have some interesting challenges.
It looks like you were in a similar kind of role at XXX and you likely had some of the same challenges.
Would you be open to getting together for coffee and talk about my challenges and how you addressed them before?
If you are working on something interesting and you ask nicely, there are a lot of people who are willing to have the conversation. And sometimes that grows into more conversations.
If you've talked to a bunch of people and no one is willing to get coffee with you, then that's a sign that you are working on something that's not interesting or you've not done your homework.
At the end of your first coffee, if things have gone well, I like to say
This was great. I really appreciate your time. I've got a lot of great ideas and things to do. Would you be open to getting together again at some point as I continue down this path?
That's right, you begin to set up your second date right at the end of your first date.
Accelerator / Incubator Mentors
Most accelerators and incubators have a long list of potential mentors. I'm a mentor at Start Engine and Founders Institute LA. I want to warn you that just because you are going into one of these programs doesn't mean you will find a mentor. It means you have easy access to people who could become a mentor. You still have to do the work of connecting with these people and turning them into an actual mentor.
In Startup Mentoring, The Socratic Way, Fred Destin tells us:
The faster you can get past the pitch phase ("let me convince you that my idea is great")to the constructive phase ("let me exchange with you to make this thing better"), the more benefit you will both derive from the interaction.
I've been in lots of conversations where the founder is just pitching me. This happens a lot at the incubators / accelerators. I'm thinking I'm in the meeting trying to help. All we get are pitches and most often there's not opportunity for a startup to say, "I could use some help with X."
We all have challenges - lots of challenges. Be open about your challenges, especially when you are talking to a potential mentor.
You still need to tell them about your challenges and start with a meeting/coffee.
Let me stop here, because if you are in a program like this, then just go over to Ben Yoskovitz's post How to Maximize the Value of Mentors in Accelerators.
Do Your Homework
I worked on a startup project with Stedman Graham and when he was doing a presentation for a group of teachers, he said something similar to this CNN interview that really stuck with me:
Everybody's equal because we have 24 hours. The question becomes, "What do you do with your 24 hours?"
He's talking about making life choices, but anyone who's worked in a startup knows that there are always a million things to do and we constantly make choices about where we will spend our time.
The same is true of your advisors and mentors. So show respect for their time by doing your homework before you ask them questions.
I wrote about this a long time ago in Questions Before You Ask. In that case, I was talking about the homework you should do before you reach out through LinkedIn for a question.
There's a ton of information out there, so if you have a particular situation, make sure you've:
- Searched for Answers
- Keep a List of What You've Found
- Read through What You Find
- Compose What You Find Into a Preliminary Answer
- Figure Out What the Real Question Is
- Ask the Real Question
If you are asking your mentor questions that shows you've not done your homework, you will likely lose access to that person's time. They will push you to do your homework the first time. The second time, say goodbye.
Additional Resources
- Venture Hacks - Advisors Series
- Finding (And Keeping) The Right Advisors For Your Business
- What is a Mentor Cycle
- Mentoring the mentors: Advice and inspiration for startup mentors
- How I Try to Mentor Startups (And Hopefully Add Value)
- Mentor Manifesto
- Find and engage great mentors
- Startup Mentoring Sessions - How to Get the Most Out of Them


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Diamox tablets and injection and Diamox SR capsules all contain the active ingredient acetazolamide, which is a type of medicine called a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. Acetazolamide has a few different uses. Its main use is in treating glaucoma, which is a condition where the pressure inside the eyeball is too high.
What is Diamox used for?
Diamox tablets and injection are used for:
- Open angle glaucoma.
- Glaucoma caused by another disease of the eye (secondary glaucoma).
- Lowering the pressure in the eye before surgery for closed angle glaucoma.
- Excess fluid retention (oedema), for example caused by heart failure, pre-menstrual syndrome or other medicines.
- Epilepsy.
Diamox tablets can also be used to prevent altitude sickness, though this is an unlicensed use of the medicine and should not be used as a subsitute for gradual acclimatisation to altitude.
Diamox SR capsules are only used for glaucoma.
How does Diamox work?
- Diamox tablets and injection and Diamox SR capsules all contain the active ingredient acetazolamide, which is a type of medicine called a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. Acetazolamide has a few different uses. Its main use is in treating glaucoma, which is a condition where the pressure inside the eyeball is too high.
- The pressure within the eyeball is normally maintained by a continuous flow of liquid called aqueous humour through the eyeball. Aqueous humour is produced by a part of the eye called the ciliary body. If aqueous humour builds up inside the eyeball, this increases the pressure within the eyeball, known as intraocular pressure. This pressure needs to be reduced, as otherwise it can damage the optic nerve and impair vision.
- Acetazolamide reduces the pressure in the eyeball by decreasing the production of aqueous humour. It does this by blocking the action of an enzyme in the body called carbonic anhydrase. Carbonic anhydrase is usually responsible for producing a salt called bicarbonate in the body. Bicarbonate is needed for the production of the aqueous humour. By decreasing the production of bicarbonate, acetazolamide decreases the production of aqueous humour.
- Acetazolamide is sometimes used to help treat fluid retention. In this situation it works in the kidneys, where it increases the amount of bicarbonate that passes into the urine. Bicarbonate draws water alongside it from the kidneys into the urine. This results in a small increase in the amount of water being lost from the body, a process known as diuresis. Acetazolamide causes only minor water loss; it is a weak diuretic. It is normally used in combination with other different types of diuretics to relieve fluid retention.
- Acetazolamide may also be used in the treatment of epilepsy. It is not fully understood how it works in this condition, though it is thought to stabilise the electrical activity of nerves.
- The brain and nerves are made up of many nerve cells that communicate with each other through electrical signals. These signals must be carefully regulated for the brain and nerves to function properly. When abnormally rapid and repetitive electrical signals are released in the brain, the brain becomes over-stimulated and normal function is disturbed. This results in fits or seizures.
- Certain chemicals must enter the nerve cells in order for electrical signals to be generated in the nerves. By decreasing the amount of bicarbonate produced in the body, acetazolamide alters the balance of chemicals in the blood. This may alter the amounts of chemicals that can enter the nerve cells. This in turn may help prevent the excessively rapid and repetitive firing of electrical signals and thus stabilise the electrical nerve activity in the brain.
How do I take Diamox?
- Diamox tablets and Diamox SR capsules can be taken either with or without food.
- Diamox SR capsules are sustained-release capsules that are designed to release the medicine slowly over the day. These capsules should be swallowed whole with a drink of water and not opened, chewed or crushed, as this would damage the sustained-release action.
- The dose prescribed and how often the medicine needs to be taken depends on the condition being treated. It is important to follow the instructions given by your doctor. These will be printed on the dispensing label your pharmacist has put on the packet of medicine.
Important information about Diamox
- This medicine may cause drowsiness and various other side effects that could affect your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. You should not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and are sure that it won't affect your performance.
- This medicine may cause skin rashes and you should consult your doctor if you develop a rash, skin peeling, itching, or other unexplained skin reaction while taking this medicine.
- If you are having long-term treatment with this medicine it is recommended that you should have regular blood tests to monitor the levels of electrolytes (eg sodium and potassium) and the levels of blood cells in your blood. Consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms while taking this medicine, as they may indicate a problem with your blood cells: unexplained bruising or bleeding, purple spots, sore throat, mouth ulcers, high temperature (fever), feeling unusually tired or general illness.
Diamox should be used with caution in
- Elderly people.
- People with breathing difficulties such as emphysema.
- People with decreased kidney or liver function.
- People with a history of kidney stones.
- People who have difficulty passing urine.
- People who have unstable levels of electrolytes (salts such as sodium and potassium) in their blood.
Diamox should not be used in
- People who are allergic to medicines from the sulphonamide group, eg the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole.
- People with underactive adrenal glands (the glands that produce the body's natural steroid hormones).
- People with low levels of potassium or sodium in their blood (hypokalaemia or hyponatraemia).
- People with high levels of chloride in their blood (hyperchloraemic acidosis).
- Severe kidney disease.
- Severe liver disease.
- Long-term use in a type of glaucoma called chronic non-congestive angle-closure glaucoma.
- Pregnancy.
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- The safety of this medicine for use during pregnancy has not been established. It should not be used in pregnancy, particularly during the first trimester. Seek further medical advice from your doctor.
- This medicine may pass into breast milk in small amounts. It should be used with caution during breastfeeding and only if the benefit to the mother outweighs any potential risk to the nursing infant. Seek further medical advice from your doctor.
Possible side effects of Diamox
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Pins and needles or tingling sensations, particularly in the hands or feet.
- Decreased appetite.
- Metallic taste in the mouth.
- Increased production of urine (polyuria).
- Flushing.
- Headache.
- Dizziness.
- Thirst.
- Fatigue.
- Irritability.
- Depression.
- Decreased sex drive.
- Drowsiness.
- Confusion.
- Disturbances of the gut such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea.
- Problems with hearing.
- Temporary short-sightedness.
- Kidney stones.
- Abnormal liver or kidney function.
- Disturbances in the levels of electrolytes in your blood.
- Disturbances in the normal numbers of blood cells in your blood.
- Severe allergic skin reactions.
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
If you think you have experienced a side effect from a medicine or vaccine you should check the patient information leaflet. This lists the known side effects and what to do if you get them. You can also get advice from your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. If they think it's necessary they'll report it for you.
How can Diamox affect other medicines?
It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to make sure that the combination is safe.
Acetazolamide may increase the blood levels of the following medicines and may therefore increase the risk of their side effects:
- carbamazepine
- ciclosporin
- phenytoin
- quinidine.
Acetazolamide can decrease the amount of lithium in the blood, making it less effective.
Acetazolamide can make the antibiotic methenamine less effective at treating urinary tract infections.
There may be an increase in side effects such as drowsiness, confusion, lethargy, hyperventilation and ringing in the ears when acetazolamide is taken with high doses of aspirin.
There may be an increased risk of osteomalacia and rickets if acetazolamide is used in combination with phenytoin, phenobarbital or primidone.
Acetazolamide can sometimes decrease the amount of potassium in the blood. If it is used in combination with any of the following medicines, which can also lower potassium in the blood, the risk of a low blood potassium level (hypokalaemia) may be increased:
- beta2 sympathomimetics such as salbutamol, salmeterol
- corticosteroids such as prednisolone, dexamethasone
- diuretics such as furosemide, bendroflumethiazide
- theophylline.
If you experience a low blood potassium level while taking this medicine this can increase the risk of side effects from the following medicines:
- amiodarone
- arsenic trioxide
- digoxin
- disopyramide
- flecainide.


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Falz Da BadhGuyz presents the Official video for his new release "Sweet Boy" which he dropped in the early hour of today.
The new song which is said to be the anthem of Falz new association SBA (SweetBoysAssociation) has gotten a visual to shows what it takes to be a sweet boy, the criteria, Looks/Outfit and commitment attached.
The visual has cameo appearance of the registered members of SBA, Adekunle God, Tobi Bakre, Nobel Igwe, Sess, Banky W, Lasisi Elenu, Ric Hassani
Watch and Enjoy below


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- Fully
staffed - 150 Steps
to the beach - 6
Welcome to Villa Canggu
Contemporary-styled, two-in-one Villa Canggu, complete with swimming pools and an exciting selection of artwork, is located 100 metres from the beach (close enough to hear the surf) in Canggu, which is fast evolving as Bali's hippest seaside scene. The villa is divided into two separate residences which can be rented jointly or independently: four-bedroom Villa Canggu South is adjoined by two-bedroom Villa Canggu North, offering guests the choice of a two, four or six-bedroom renting option.
The villa is well suited for groups of friends or families with plentiful facilities and a professional team of staff including a manager, butlers, security, a car and driver with special daily rate, and a private chef.


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