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Alex Constantine - May 8, 2008
" ... Experiments conducted by researcher Herbert Krugman reveal that when a person watches television, brain activity switches from the left to the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is the seat of logical thought. Here, information is broken down into its component parts and critically analyzed. The right brain, however, treats incoming data uncritically, processing information in wholes, leading to emotional, rather than logical responses. ... "
Alex Ansary
Information Liberation Web Site
Why do countless American people go along with the War on Iraq? Why do so many people call for a police state control grid? A major component to a full understanding of why this kind of governmental and corporate corruption is to discover the modern science of mind control and social engineering. It's baffling to merely glance at the stacks of documentation that this world government isn't being constructed for the greater good of humanity. Although there are a growing number of people waking up the reality of our growing transparent soft cage, there seems to be just enough citizens who are choosing to remain asleep. Worse yet, there are even those who were at least partially awake at one time but found it necessary to return to the slumber of dreamland.
This is no accident; this is a carefully crafted design. The drive to dumb down the populations of planet earth is a classic art that existed before the United States did. One component to understanding and deciphering the systems of control is to become a student of the magicians of influence and propaganda. In order to defeat our enemies (or dictators), its imperative that we understand how they think and what they believe in.
When people think about mind control, they usually think in terms of the classic "conspiracy theory" that refers to Project MK-Ultra. This program is a proven example of 'overt mind control.' The project had grown out of an earlier secret program, known as Bluebird that was officially formed to counter Soviet advances in brainwashing. In reality the CIA had other objectives. An earlier aim was to study methods 'through which control of an individual may be attained'. The emphasis of experimentation was 'narco-hypnosis', the blending of mind altering drugs with carefully hypnotic programming.
A crack CIA team was formed that could travel, at a moments notice, to anywhere in the world. Their task was to test the new interrogation techniques, and ensure that victims would not remember being interrogated and programmed. All manner of narcotics, from marijuana to LSD, heroin and sodium pentathol (the so called 'truth drug') were regularly used.
Despite poor initial results, CIA-sponsored mind control program flourished. On 13 April 1953, the super-secret project MK-ULTRA was born. Its scope was broader than ever before, and only those in the top echelon of the CIA were privy to it. Official CIA documents describe MK-ULTRA as an 'umbrella project' with 149 'sub-projects'. Many of these sub-projects dealt with testing illegal drugs for potential field use. Others dealt with electronics. One explored the possibility of activating 'the human organism by remote control'. Throughout, it remained a major goal to brainwash individuals to become couriers and spies without their knowledge.
When it was formed in 1947, the CIA was forbidden to have any domestic police or internal security powers. In short, it was authorized only to operate 'overseas'. From the very start MK-ULTRA staff broke this Congressional stipulation and began testing on unwitting American citizens.
Precisely how extensive illegal testing became will never be known. Richard Helms, CIA Director and chief architect of the program, ordered the destruction of all MK-ULTRA records shortly before leaving office in 1973. Despite these precautions some documents were misfiled and came to light in the late 1970's. They laid bare the spy agency's cynicism. Despite the widespread knowledge of MK Ultra and the civil lawsuits that followed, this form of behavior modification is not the most expansive. The real dangers are the types of thought control that are 'covert' and not the subject of several dozen Hollywood movies like "Clockwork Orange" and Mel Gibson's "Conspiracy Theory."
Our founding fathers faced enormous challenges in the formation of this country and its bill of rights. One challenge was laying down the groundwork or a free society without knowing what kind of technological advances would be made. Who would have guessed in those times that we needed an article in the bill of rights that specifically prohibits the government and it's associates from engaged in mind control or thought control. The closest item that promises our protection from the government is the 4th Article in The Bill of Rights which states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." Like many are now beginning to note, the US Constitution and its Bill of Rights are merely given lip service by our supposedly elected officials.
One of the most common examples of mind control in our so-called free and civilized society is the advent and usage of the television set. This isn't to say that all things on TV are geared towards brainwashing you. They're not. But most of the programming on television today is run by the largest media corporations that have interests in defense contracts, such as Westinghouse (CBS), and General Electric (NBC). This makes perfect sense when you see how slanted and warped the news is today. Examining the conflicts of interest is merely glancing at the issue, although to understand the multiple ways that lies become truth, we need to examine the techniques of brainwashing that the networks are employing.
Radio isn't any different in its ability to brainwash a population into submission. Sixty-seven years ago, six million Americans became unwitting subjects in an experiment in psychological warfare. It was the night before Halloween, 1938. At 8 p.m. CST, the Mercury Radio on the Air began broadcasting Orson Welles' radio adaptation of H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds. As is now well known, the story was presented as if it were breaking news, with bulletins so realistic that an estimated one million people believed the world was actually under attack by Martians. Of that number, thousands succumbed to outright panic, not waiting to hear Welles' explanation at the end of the program that it had all been a Halloween prank, but fleeing into the night to escape the alien invaders.
According to researcher Mack White ( http://www.mackwhite.com/),
"Psychologist Hadley Cantril conducted a study of the effects of the broadcast and published his findings in a book, The Invasion from Mars: A Study in the Psychology of Panic. This study explored the power of broadcast media, particularly as it relates to the suggestibility of human beings under the influence of fear. Cantril was affiliated with Princeton University's Radio Research Project, which was funded in 1937 by the Rockefeller Foundation. Also affiliated with the Project was Council on Foreign Relation
s (CFR) member and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) executive Frank Stanton, whose network had broadcast the program. Stanton would later go on to head the news division of CBS, and in time would become president of the network, as well as chairman of the board of the RAND Corporation, the influential think tank which has done groundbreaking research on, among other things, mass brainwashing. Two years later, with Rockefeller Foundation money, Cantril established the Office of Public Opinion Research (OPOR), also at Princeton. Among the studies conducted by the OPOR was an analysis of the effectiveness of "psycho-political operations" (propaganda, in plain English) of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Then, during World War II, Cantril and Rockefeller money assisted CFR member and CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow in setting up the Princeton Listening Center, the purpose of which was to study Nazi radio propaganda with the object of applying Nazi techniques to OSS propaganda. Out of this project came a new government agency, the Foreign Broadcast Intelligence Service (FBIS). The FBIS eventually became the United States Information Agency (USIA), which is the propaganda arm of the National Security Council. Thus, by the end of the 1940s, the basic research had been done and the propaganda apparatus of the national security state had been set up--just in time for the Dawn of Television."
Experiments conducted by researcher Herbert Krugman reveal that when a person watches television, brain activity switches from the left to the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is the seat of logical thought. Here, information is broken down into its component parts and critically analyzed. The right brain, however, treats incoming data uncritically, processing information in wholes, leading to emotional, rather than logical responses. The shift from left to right brain activity also causes the release of endorphins, the body's own natural opiates--thus, it is possible to become physically addicted to watching television, a hypothesis borne out by numerous studies which have shown that very few people are able to kick the television habit. It's no longer an overstatement to note that the youth today that are raised and taught through network television are intellectually dead by their early teens.
The dumbing down of humanity is represented by another shift which occurs in the brain when we watch television. Activity in the higher brain regions (such as the neo-cortex) is diminished, while activity in the lower brain regions (such as the limbic system) increases. The latter, commonly referred to as the reptile brain, is associated with more primitive mental functions, such as the "fight or flight" response. The reptile brain is unable to distinguish between reality and the simulated reality of television. To the reptile brain, if it looks real, it is real. Thus, though we know on a conscious level it is "only a film," on a subconscious level we do not--the heart beats faster, for instance, while we watch a suspenseful scene. Similarly, we know the commercial is trying to manipulate us, but on an unconscious level the commercial nonetheless succeeds in, say, making us feel inadequate until we buy whatever thing is being advertised--and the effect is all the more powerful because it is unconscious, operating on the deepest level of human response. The reptile brain makes it possible for us to survive as biological beings, but it also leaves us vulnerable to the manipulations of television programmers. This is where the manipulators use our own emotions as strings to control us. The distortions and directions we are being moved to are taking place in the subconscious, often undetected.
Propaganda techniques were first codified and applied in a scientific manner by journalist Walter Lippman and psychologist Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud) early in the 20th century. During World War I, Lippman and Bernays were hired by then United States President, Woodrow Wilson, to participate in the Creel Commission, the mission of which was to sway popular opinion in favor of entering the war, on the side of Britain. Edward Bernays said in his 1928 book Propaganda,
"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."
The Creel Commission provided themes for speeches by "four-minute men" at public functions, and also encouraged censorship of the American press. The Commission was so unpopular that after the war, Congress closed it down without providing funding to organize and archive its papers. The war propaganda campaign of Lippman and Bernays produced within six months such an intense anti-German hysteria as to permanently impress American business (and Adolf Hitler, among others) with the potential of large-scale propaganda to control public opinion. Bernays coined the terms "group mind" and "engineering consent", important concepts in practical propaganda work. The current public relations industry is a direct outgrowth of Lippman's and Bernays' work and is still used extensively by the United States government. For the first half of the 20th century Bernays and Lippman ran a very successful public relations firm. World War II saw continued use of propaganda as a weapon of war, both by Hitler's propagandist Joseph Gobbles and the British Political Warfare Executive, as well as the United States Office of War Information.
Turn on your local newscast. You have a few minutes of blue-collar crime, hardly any white collar crime, a few minutes of sports, misc. chit chat, random political jibber-jabber, and a look at the weather that no one is forecasting correctly. Is that what happened in your town? And we're supposed to own the airwaves! The mainstream media openly supports the interests of the prison industrial complex. The stories focus on minority criminal groups, and exploit the real threat to appear much more dangerous than they are. Think about the growing per capita number of prisoners in the country. Then remember that this is happening at the same time that our prison boom began. The police on our streets have created criminals. The focus is to keep us in a state of fear, that way the elitists can attack any group they want to without fear of consequence. This is why the media is continuing to craft the timeless art of dehumanization.
The techniques are increasing in their sophistication over time as the mind scientists that serve the empire continue to discover scientific breakthroughs as to how the human brain functions, learns, retains information, and behaves. The most effective brainwashing techniques are used on the most successful propaganda networks. Examine the music bed that lies low during the fright night scope of the second. It's spooky. I wonder if we are supposed to be thinking with our minds or getting ready for stunt. Observe the graphics with the music. They're glitzy and flashing. Like the monkey that is attracted to shiny objects, it's our monkey hand that controls to remote often stops the search for entertainment when the proper amount of glamor catches their attention. Most importantly, notice the repetition behind the lies that the politicians and their corporate media groupies tell us. You see, the unimaginable fallacies are created as 'truth' not because it's logical or provable, but because of the broken rec
ord technique. No matter how ridiculous the lie, it's repeated often enough that the brain doesn't know the difference between reality and nursery rhymes. This technique is underestimated in its ability to allow the puppeteers to hypnotize millions of people. Instead of "Fair and balanced" it's "We say it enough times, and you believe it."
It's a tragic day when the state can monopolize on the enslaving and imprisonment of a population. Hollywood will continue to frighten us with films on the mafia, gangsters, and the corrupt blue collar criminal whose stupidity and greed get them caught. In the end, our minds are already preconditioned to accept living in a police state economy and society because we read it in the paper, saw it praised on the news and talk shows, or saw it in a movie. There are several movies planned right now that support the official story of 911 and a few movies that glamorize the War on IRAQ. According to David L Robb, Author of Operation Hollywood,
"Hollywood and the Pentagon have a long history of making movies together. It's a tradition that stretches back to the early days of silent films, and extends right up until the present day. It's been a collaboration that works well for both sides. Hollywood producers get what they want - access to billions of dollars worth of military hardware and equipment - tanks, jet fighters, nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers - and the military gets what it wants - films that portray the military in a positive light; films that help the services in their recruiting efforts. The Pentagon is not merely a passive supporter of films, however. If the Pentagon doesn't like a script, it will usually suggest script changes that will allow the film to receive the military's support and approval. Sometimes these proposed changes are minor. But sometimes the changes are dramatic. Sometimes they change dialogue. Sometimes they change characters. Sometimes they even change history."
They create something coined 'disinfotainment'. They mix disinformation with entertainment and call it disinfotainment.
Unadulterated violence is now accepted on regular TV. Killing in the name of the mother government is praised, that is unless the violence is committed in self defense to protect someone from the system. Sharp shooters, bombers, and assassin are worshiped if they are fighting for the system, are in the military, or are associated with groups that control the masses locally, such as the local police department. I don't condone violence, however it's hypocritical to support one form of homicide when it favors the elite, and condemn another when it's done to protect your land, freedom, or loved ones. This odd reality transfers itself into the shady world of video games that are stepped in plots and tasks to kill as much as the player can. The players are getting younger and younger with 7 out of 10 children playing games with a 'Mature' rating. Recently I was browsing the PC video game selection at a very large electronics store. I was appalled to see nearly 50 different games in which the setting of the game is Iraq and the goal is to kill as many insurgents as possible and fulfill the mission. Children today are being indoctrinated through their favorite games and law enforcement programs to be the button pushers of the weapons of mass destruction for tomorrow's world.
Is it any wonder why there are two house bills and a senate bill (with more on the way), which are giant steps in dismantling the free speech of the general public. These bills together would kill (PEG) cable access centers where the public still owns the airwaves. It's the programming created locally, without censorship or commercial gain. Their income is derived from franchises within the local cities and a small percentage cable subscriber frees. This is a corporate takeover because this is centralizing communication by removing the locally based programming and moving the audience to the more official, nationalistic, and sensational programs that promotes violence, uniformity, and slavery over peach, diversity and freedom. Cable access features free speech and information with perspectives neglected by mainstream television. It also features a free flow programming system with fresh programs being aired by new producers on a rotating basis. This keeps the content and information creative and locally based while network TV is rigid with regular time slots and repetitive programming.
The blocks of programming that are universally accepted parallel the shift to craft our entire lives towards the factory's bell and the illusion of time. This is the creation of the hive mind. The hive mind is result of massive brainwashing to the general public. Everyone shares the same thoughts, goals, knowledge and understanding. A hive mind society gears itself towards conformity and ignores diversity while masqueraded as the road to utopia in mainstream television. Network programming, weather it's the news or drama, is geared towards artificially creating your world and reality. With the proper amount of entertainment and sensationalism, we may even be living our lives through the television set. Many anchors and actors are beautiful and research shows that attractive people are usually perceived as trust worthy. While the real news rolls quickly by on the bottom of your screen, the anchor is selling you on the idea of having your very own police state hell hole right here in your local jurisdiction, or how 2 sports opposing teams chased around on a court for 2 hours in attempt to score points means something to you. No education, no information, SPIN. Today the media represents a tool of brainwashing and indoctrination that is utilized on behalf of the owners interests.
Since the 1996 Telco act, television and radio stations all across the nation were bought out by major international media outlets. Clear Channel and Infinity are the two largest corporations in radio today. This has centralized the distribution of information and has threatened our free society ever since. The media drums to the heartbeat of its owners, whose interests are not of the general public. Instead they are interested in their other financial endeavors like defense contracting, oil business, political parties, prison industry. The conflicts of interest are monumental with the deregulation of the corporations. The lines are now blurred between one network's coverage of the war and the other.
Once we come to the conclusion that the media is intentionally deceiving us, we can apply the principles of problem-reaction-solution. This formula takes a problem by either creating it or allowing it to happen and presenting that to the population. It could be terrorism, molestation, extra terrestrials. These topics create fear and no one in their right mind would support terrorism or crime. It's therefore OK to blast the television, the papers, and radio with 'the problem.' The natural reaction from the people is a request for more control to ensure more safety. Most let their fear and emotional side control their decisions and usually translated into something like, "The government needs more power over our lives to make us safer and freer from tyranny. I believe what the media tells me so I will support whatever decisions they make." Today's mainstream corporate news program discourages dissent of the war and paints activists with a negative brush that hints of treason. At the same time, the so-called journalists are cogs in a much larger machine who know that if they report a story that paints the government in a dark light, is likely to remain on 'the wire' and off the front page.
The most disturbing thing about spending a single hour examining network cable news and modern Hollywood films are the reoccurring themes in the backdrop. The central ideas of countless "investigative reports" or "Friday night special" features are about a threat of some type over the horizon. The end of the world as we know it is being sold. If the news isn't feeding it to you, then the History
Channel or Discover Channel are either talking about the crusades, asteroids, UFOs, earthquakes, terrorism, or exposes about serial killers. They are crafted a message that our world is unstable, and the threat is always an invisible and dangerous one that only our military can fix. When you record and log all the messages, you end up with a script, a screen write produced through the movie studios of Hollywood hell.
I am not alone in noting this observation. Local and network news are designing their editorials about despair and fear because the owners, producers, and editors now understand that fear sells. The end result are the desired ratings, delivered like expected. The masters of modern spin understand that we like to be terrified. Just look at the success in the action/suspense/terror genres that have plopped onto the conveyor belt and packaged for our glee consumption. When the editors in charge found out that simply plastering a terror alert chart didn't scare the people the same way it used to, they began to kick up the campaign of terror a few notches with new and creative ways to sell the police state.
When you get to the other side of the terror alerts of all shapes and sizes, you find another nightmare masquerading as the savior. The 'Ministry of Truth' will protect you. The mother government is here to rescue you and squash this brown terrorist bug, this gray alien, this avian bird flu, and every other nightmare that the nightly news brought you. The finest public relations specialists take the science of worshiping our kings down to a frame by frame level. George W. Bush is pictured in numerous poises with a hallo around his head. In other pictures, he stands tall with dozens of American flags blowing in the wind behind him. A more blasphemous display features him speaking in front of the cross of Jesus Christ. The message send couldn't be more clearly presented. Our current leaders are of the messiah status and only through them, will we reach the gates of safety. The lie that has been accepted by so many as truth is that this is a religious war. Numerous prime time programs are telling the story of the crusades (without the horrors) to synch our vibrations up to something out of the 13th Century, instead of the 21st Century. If the America people accept the fact that the crusades are here, that George Bush reports directly to god, and that revelations are here, then they have won the war for our minds.
The loudspeaker whispers, "All our problems are by accident, never design." Across the room the system's minion snorts, "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." It's that plot that says Middle Eastern terrorists from an Afghan cave are the reason beyond our little, "War on terror." Related messages in the script demonize young minority males and suggest harsh punishments for crimes they commit. They don't come out overtly and state their racist agenda. They come at you from the side by airing the same crime news repetitively, usually when it's committed by the minority group. The networks love the fact that the TV sets the norms in society and today, and hence politically opinion. Who would imagine that in the United States of America, both candidates of both parties in the 2004 election would be members of the Skull and Bones society at Yale University? Out of 290 million Americans, this is the best we could come up with?
It is the decision of the owners to influence producers, editors, and others involved to paint to brush to fit the objective, which is the bottom line. If Sports is what the people want, then they get it, usually in large doses. Multi-media sports (or spectator sports) is just an escape from our own existence. It's like gambling, or drug addiction. It provides that buffer zone of rooting for something with other people that we've been told is good. People's fantasies also lead them to fixating on sports. It's simulated masculinity, in an age where there's a push to change us from men to robots. It's human nature to resist and fight that which is suppressing us. The sociologists and psychologists in areas of influence know this. Spectator sports prove the outlet internationally for what has been stripped away from us. We've lost the right to rebel and change our government through warfare if necessary. Today the bulk of our nation's population today doesn't know what's really going on with the fall of the American dollar and the plans for the transfer of American wealth to other countries. However, most can tell you who the top basketball or football players are. A lot of fans wish they were the stars, out there on the stage, the court, and the drag strip. Either you're "numero uno" in center stage or you're nothing. End of story.
What I never understood when I was in high school was why my peers and friends would act naïve or ignorant in a "Wayne's World" or "Beavis and Butthead" kind of way. What I've learned since then is that the numerous programs that are pimping themselves of as 'entertainment' are actually targeted to the lowest common denominator. This is especially true with disc jockeys in radio today. The reason our airwaves are saturated with jokes and content centered on fart jokes, private parts, borderline racism, and general trash talk is because it is selling. In the meantime, large numbers of our children, young adults, and older audiences are mimicking what they see and hear because the current 'norm' is selling this behavior as cool or 'chic.' When the conditioned is so intense that these forms of content are considered the norm, anything else seems either bizarre or uninteresting to the average American's attention span that is decreasing by the day. Hypothetically, if a producer on a network did get away with a feature story exposing government corruption at the highest levels, chances are the large impact necessary wouldn't be realized because the average viewer's brain has already been conditioned to seek out certain types of disinfotainment.
The media has created the picture perfect society that could exist if we only did things their way, (their interests/government interest). It tells us what happiness is and what it is not and same for love, hate or anything else they can implant into our subconsciousness. We can become the perfect slave to the system through indoctrination given through network TV. Over time the messages are becoming increasingly racist, violent, and dishonest. But the programming began decades ago and few have the eyes to see it for what it has become. We live in a world where the populations give their minds away to the official version of the event, where utopia is right around the corner when big brother is riding shotgun. It's a world where Hollywood can make you believe anything, even that you are free. It's a world in which the prosecutor and the judge sit on the same side of the bench. The most obvious reason that our minds are being controlled on a massive scale psychologically, is because our culture has been conditioned incrementally through TV, radio, or the paper. We are given the world reality through a screen, some ink, or radio waves. The truth is hiding in plain site. The indoctrination through these mediums warns us that views other than those presented by them are unimportant and too be condemned. This administration and media monopoly has a carefully crafted dehumanization program to anyone that dissents the official version of events.
Some people are wrong about 5% of the time. Some are wrong most of the time. I wish I was wrong all the time. A lot of people deal with these intense realities, by asking me rhetorically, "What is the solution, smart guy?" Remember, it's the viewers, the consumers and all the other little votes called dollars that helped this oligarchy system lay its concrete foundation in our backyards. We must recognize the truth about why the system is flawed and enslaving us if we wish to beat it. The most important solution to fighting this type of brainwashing and mind control is to start with ourselves and our own awakenin
g in the smaller things. In this case, it's brainwashing but after awhile we break Outside the Box and begin venturing outside the system and into unknown terrain. Fighting with people and forcing them to understand 'our truth' is not a solution. If our collective free will created this nightmare, than only our collective free will change it. The battle begins in the heart and mind of the beholder, and then extends outward from there, only to those open to the information.
If you choose to travel the road to the truth, then you must be prepared for the obstacles that await you. You may be condemned or criticized by your family, your friends, your lovers, or your co-workers. This is their programming that began at birth that is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. You're going to have to be stronger than that. You must realize that there is a reality that exists outside of this controlled artificial system. Like Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade, he took that 'leap of faith' over the bridgeless canyon in an attempt to get to the other side. Like Neo in the Matrix, he took the red pill from Morpheus in his attempt to cross over to his real self. Once you wake up, it's as if a hypnotist came along and snapped his fingers. You wake up and say to yourself, "Oh my god. I can see it now. Why did it take me so long to wake up?!" For some of you it can be a major shock. Like anything else, take this information and knowledge in stages. If it took a lifetime for them to mold your reality for you, then you know that it may take longer than a day to fully awaken. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.


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Last spring, in the waning days of the first-time home buyer tax credit, Stephen Ploski made an offer on a foreclosed home in Farmington Hills, Mich. He said the 1,400-square-foot home was livable, but needed serious updates. He was willing to do the work, and take the risk. In exchange, he got a deal. The three-bedroom, one-bathroom home was his for $49,000. He lives in the home with his wife, Ashley and their daughter Lana.
"I wanted to buy a home because the market conditions were right," said Ploski. "This is my first home for my family. But if you do it with an investor's mind instead of getting emotionally attached, you can get money out of it."
Read More: http://bit.ly/g4kYI6

subset: commoncrawl


text:
خرید و قیمت کتاب A Sky Beyond the Storm * فروشگاه کـادن
خرید و قیمت کتاب A Sky Beyond the Storm از فروشگاه کادن .
Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off…
The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.
By his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.
Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory—or to an unimaginable doom.
And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life—and love—he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save—or destroy—all that he knows.
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Perl/Tk - Writing Tk applications in Perl 5
This document is for beginners. It assumes you know some Perl, and have it and Tk running. If you are not currently reading this document courtesy of the widget demonstration program, please be sure to run widget, as it will show you the various widget types supported by Tk and how to use them. widget should be installed in your default path, so type widget at a command prompt.
Here are links to other novice tutorials:
http://www.lehigh.edu/~sol0/ptk/tpj1.html http://www.lehigh.edu/~sol0/ptk/perlmonth01/pm1.html
Mastering Perl/Tk is the definitive book on Perl/Tk:
Some Background
Tk GUI programming is event-driven. (This may already be familiar to you.) In event-driven programs, the main GUI loop is outside of the user program and inside the GUI library. This loop - initiated by calling MainLoop - watches all events of interest and activates the correct handler procedures to handle these events. Some of these handler procedures may be user-supplied; others will be part of the library.
For a programmer, this means that you're not watching what is happening; instead, you are requested by the toolkit to perform actions whenever necessary. So, you're not watching for 'raise window / close window / redraw window' requests, but you tell the toolkit which routine will handle such cases, and the toolkit will call the procedures when required. These procedures are known as callbacks, and some of them you write yourself.
First Requirements
Perl programs that use Tk need to include use Tk
. A program should also use use strict
and the -w switch to ensure the program is working without common errors.
Any Perl/Tk application starts by creating the Tk MainWindow. You then create items inside the MainWindow, and/or create new windows called Toplevels that also contain child items, before starting the MainLoop, which is the last logical statment in your program. You can also create more items and windows while you're running, using callbacks. Items are only shown on the display after they have been arranged by a geometry manager like pack; more information on this later. MainLoop starts the GUI and handle all events. That's all there is to it! A trivial one-window example is shown below:
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use Tk;
use strict;
my $mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->Label(-text => 'Hello, world!')->pack;
-text => 'Quit',
-command => sub { exit },
Please run this example. It shows you two widget types, a Label and a Button, and how they are packed. When clicked, the Button widget invokes the callback specified by the -command
option. Finally, note the typical Tk style using -option
=> value
Widget creation
Tk windows and widgets are hierarchical, i.e. one window includes one or more other windows. You create the first Tk window using MainWindow->new
. This returns a window handle, assigned to $mw
in the example above. Keep track of the main handle, commonly called a widget reference.
You can use any Tk handle to create child widgets within the window (or widget). This is done by calling the Tk constructor method on the variable. In the example above, the Label
method called from $mw
creates a Label widget inside the MainWindow. In the constructor call, you can specify various options; you can later add or change options for any widget using the configure method, which takes the same parameters as the constructor. The one exception to the hierarchical structure is the Toplevel constructor, which creates a new outermost window.
After you create any widget (other than the MainWindow or Toplevels, you must render it by calling pack. (This is not entirely true; more later)). If you do not need to refer to the widget after construction and packing, call pack off the constructor results, as shown for the Label and Button in the example above. Note that the result of the compound call is the result of pack, which is a valid Tk handle.
Windows and widgets are deleted by calling destroy on them; this will delete and un-draw the widget and all its children.
Standard Tk widgets
Here is an itemize of the standard Tk widget set.
- Button
- Canvas
- Entry
- Frame
- Label
- Labelframe
- Listbox
- Menu
- Message
- Panedwindow
- Scale
- Scrollbar
- Spinbox
- Text
- Toplevel
Perl/Tk provides an equal number of new widgets, above and beyond this core set.
- Adjuster
- Balloon
- BrowseEntry
- ColorEditor
- Dialog
- DialogBox
- DirTree
- ErrorDialog
- FBox
- FileSelect
- HList
- LabEntry
- LabFrame
- NoteBook
- Pane
- ProgressBar
- ROText
- Table
- TextUndo
- Tiler
- TList
- Tree
Variables and callback routines
Most graphical interfaces are used to set up a set of values and conditions, and then perform the appropriate action. The Tk toolkit is different from your average text-based prompting or menu driven system in that you do not collect settings yourself, and decide on an action based on an input code; instead, you leave these values to your toolkit and only get them when the action is performed.
So, where a traditional text-based system would look like this:
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use strict;
print "Please type a font name\n";
my $font = <>; chomp $font;
# Validate font
print "Please type a file name\n";
my $filename = <>; chomp $filename;
# Validate filename
print "Type <1> to fax, <2> to print\n";
my $option = <>; chomp $option;
if ($option eq 1) {
print "Faxing $filename in font $font\n";
} elsif ($option eq 2) {
print "Now sending $filename to printer in font $font\n";
The slightly larger example below shows how to do this in Tk. Note the use of callbacks. Note, also, that Tk handles the values, and the subroutine uses the method get to get at the values. If a user changes his mind and wants to change the font again, the application never notices; it's all handled by Tk.
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use Tk;
use strict;
my $mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->Label(-text => 'File Name')->pack;
my $filename = $mw->Entry(-width => 20);
$mw->Label(-text => 'Font Name')->pack;
my $font = $mw->Entry(-width => 10);
-text => 'Fax',
-command => sub{do_fax($filename, $font)}
-text => 'Print',
-command => sub{do_print($filename, $font)}
sub do_fax {
my ($file, $font) = @_;
my $file_val = $file->get;
my $font_val = $font->get;
print "Now faxing $file_val in font $font_val\n";
sub do_print {
my ($file, $font) = @_;
my $file_val = $file->get;
my $font_val = $font->get;
print "Sending file $file_val to printer in font $font_val\n";
The packer - grouping with Frame widgets
In the examples above, you must have noticed the pack calls. This is one of the more complicated parts of Tk. The basic idea is that any window or widget should be subject to a Tk geometry manager; the packer is one of the placement managers, and grid is another.
The actions of the packer are rather simple: when applied to a widget, the packer positions that widget on the indicated position within the remaining space in its parent. By default, the position is on top; this means the next items will be put below. You can also specify the left, right, or bottom positions. Specify position using -side => 'right'.
Additional packing parameters specify the behavior of the widget when there is some space left in the Frame or when the window size is increased. If widgets should maintain a fixed size, specify nothing; this is the default. For widgets that you want to fill up the current horizontal and/or vertical space, specify -fill => 'x', 'y', or 'both'; for widgets that should grow, specify -expand => 1. These parameters are not shown in the example below; see the widget demonstration.
If you want to group some items within a window that have a different packing order than others, you can include them in a Frame. This is a do-nothing window type that is meant for packing or filling (and to play games with borders and colors).
The example below shows the use of pack and Frames:
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use Tk;
use strict;
# Take top and the bottom - now implicit top is in the middle
my $mw = MainWindow->new;
$mw->title( 'The MainWindow' );
$mw->Label(-text => 'At the top (default)')->pack;
$mw->Label(-text => 'At the bottom')->pack(-side => 'bottom');
$mw->Label(-text => 'The middle remains')->pack;
# Since left and right are taken, bottom will not work...
my $top1 = $mw->Toplevel;
$top1->title( 'Toplevel 1' );
$top1->Label(-text => 'Left')->pack(-side => 'left');
$top1->Label(-text => 'Right')->pack(-side => 'right');
$top1->Label(-text => '?Bottom?')->pack(-side => 'bottom');
# But when you use Frames, things work quite alright
my $top2 = $mw->Toplevel;
$top2->title( 'Toplevel 2' );
my $frame = $top2->Frame;
$frame->Label(-text => 'Left2')->pack(-side => 'left');
$frame->Label(-text => 'Right2')->pack(-side => 'right');
$top2->Label(-text => 'Bottom2')->pack(-side => 'bottom');
More than one window
Most real applications require more than one window. As you just saw, you can create more outermost windows by using a Toplevel widget. Each window is independent; destroying a Toplevel window does not affect the others as long as they are not a child of the closed Toplevel. However, exiting the MainWindow will destroy all remaining Toplevel widgets and end the application. The example below shows a trivial three-window application:
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use Tk;
use strict;
my $mw = MainWindow->new;
fill_window($mw, 'Main');
my $top1 = $mw->Toplevel;
fill_window($top1, 'First top-level');
my $top2 = $mw->Toplevel;
fill_window($top2, 'Second top-level');
sub fill_window {
my ($window, $header) = @_;
$window->Label(-text => $header)->pack;
-text => 'close',
-command => [$window => 'destroy']
)->pack(-side => 'left');
-text => 'exit',
-command => [$mw => 'destroy']
)->pack(-side => 'right');
More callbacks
So far, all callback routines shown called a user procedure. You can also have a callback routine call another Tk routine. This is the way that scroll bars are implemented: scroll-bars can call a Tk item or a user procedure, whenever their position has changed. The Tk item that has a scrollbar attached calls the scrollbar when its size or offset has changed. In this way, the items are linked. You can still ask a scrollbar's position, or set it by hand - but the defaults will be taken care of.
The example below shows a Listbox with a scroll bar. Moving the scrollbar moves the Listbox. Scanning a Listbox (dragging an item with the left mouse button) moves the scrollbar.
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use Tk;
use strict;
my $mw = MainWindow->new;
my $box = $mw->Listbox(
-relief => 'sunken',
-height => 5,
-setgrid => 1,
my @items = qw(One Two Three Four Five Six Seven
Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve);
foreach (@items) {
$box->insert('end', $_);
my $scroll = $mw->Scrollbar(-command => ['yview', $box]);
$box->configure(-yscrollcommand => ['set', $scroll]);
$box->pack(-side => 'left', -fill => 'both', -expand => 1);
$scroll->pack(-side => 'right', -fill => 'y');
Note that there's a convenience method Scrolled which helps constructing widgets with automatically managed scrollbars.
Canvases and tags
One of the most powerful widgets in Tk is the Canvas window. In a Canvas window, you can draw simple graphics and include other widgets. The Canvas area may be larger than the visible window, and may then be scrolled. Any item you draw on the canvas has its own id, and may optionally have one or more tags. You may refer to any item by its id, and may refer to any group of items by a common tag; you can move, delete, or change groups of items using these tags, and you can bind actions to tags. For a properly designed (often structured) Canvas, you can specify powerful actions quite simply.
In the example below, actions are bound to circles (single click) and blue items (double-click); obviously, this can be extended to any tag or group of tags.
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use Tk;
use strict;
# Create B<MainWindow> and canvas
my $mw = MainWindow->new;
my $canvas = $mw->Canvas;
$canvas->pack(-expand => 1, -fill => 'both');
# Create various items
create_item($canvas, 1, 1, 'circle', 'blue', 'Jane');
create_item($canvas, 4, 4, 'circle', 'red', 'Peter');
create_item($canvas, 4, 1, 'square', 'blue', 'James');
create_item($canvas, 1, 4, 'square', 'red', 'Patricia');
# Single-clicking with left on a 'circle' item invokes a procedure
$canvas->bind('circle', '<1>' => sub {handle_circle($canvas)});
# Double-clicking with left on a 'blue' item invokes a procedure
$canvas->bind('blue', '<Double-1>' => sub {handle_blue($canvas)});
# Create an item; use parameters as tags (this is not a default!)
sub create_item {
my ($can, $x, $y, $form, $color, $name) = @_;
my $x2 = $x + 1;
my $y2 = $y + 1;
my $kind;
$kind = 'oval' if ($form eq 'circle');
$kind = 'rectangle' if ($form eq 'square');
($kind, "$x" . 'c', "$y" . 'c',
"$x2" . 'c', "$y2" . 'c'),
-tags => [$form, $color, $name],
-fill => $color);
# This gets the real name (not current, blue/red, square/circle)
# Note: you'll want to return a list in realistic situations...
sub get_name {
my ($can) = @_;
my $item = $can->find('withtag', 'current');
my @taglist = $can->gettags($item);
my $name;
foreach (@taglist) {
next if ($_ eq 'current');
next if ($_ eq 'red' or $_ eq 'blue');
next if ($_ eq 'square' or $_ eq 'circle');
$name = $_;
return $name;
sub handle_circle {
my ($can) = @_;
my $name = get_name($can);
print "Action on circle $name...\n";
sub handle_blue {
my ($can) = @_;
my $name = get_name($can);
print "Action on blue item $name...\n";


text:
Transformer FAQ's
Novels can be written on transformers, how they are designed, what materials can be used, how those materials effect tone, etc. (I'll try to put this in context that is easy to follow or understand verses explaining it from an overly technical point of view, which often times only serves to confuse the issue.)
If you installed a 4 cylinder Ford or GM engine into a Ferrari it would be safe to say that the Ferrari would not perform or handle like a Ferrari should, even though the potential is clearly present on the rest of the car. It would look the same but to say the least the performance would be greatly altered. To take this one step further; If you had 10 different output transformers made to the exact same specs but the laminations were made from metal from 10 different countries, you would have 10 very different sounding output transformers. This is just one aspect and there are many others (IE: winding styles/methods, bobbin used, thickness of the wire, what the wire is made of, insulation material used, etc.)
Here are few common questions that we are asked when someone is thinking about replacing a transformer(s) in their amp;
"How much is the tone altered and on what scale can we gauge this?" How much the tone is altered may or may not be obvious and this greatly depends on the experience and skills of each individual player. It would be more obvious to an experienced player, IE: someone who has been playing for years. It may not be as obvious to someone who is fairly new to playing or has not been playing all that long.
"Do all amps need to have the transformers Upgraded?" No, naturally not all amps require new transformers. If you are not certain whether or not your amp would benefit from a transformer upgrade then we would recommend consulting with an professional tech who has built, designed and/or Modified amps for years.
"Will a new output transformer be the magical cure?" No, seldom is it the magical key that cures everything you dislike about a given amp. It can certainly make a profound difference but it will not change things such as Gain structure, an overly bright amp, an amp that has too much bottom end and so on. Those are things that need to be addressed within the amps circuitry as often times it is inherent to the way the circuit/amp was designed, which can be changed.
Having said all that, let me say this: I think if you go with a well-made output transformer and you have an ear for tone then you will not only hear the difference but you will also feel the difference in how the amp handles and performs. Naturally it all comes down to tone and how finely tuned each player's ears are.
Q & A with Trace Davis & Sergio Hamernik "Does the power transformer have an effect on my amplifier's tone?" Answer: Yes it does. It is the link between the power company's energy supply and the energy needs of your amplifier's circuit. Wimpy sounding amps usually have wimpy power transformers in them. The delivery of energy from the power company to your amp is largely determined by the power transformer's size, materials and build quality. This affects how much and how fast this energy is supplied to your amp. Does your amp sound like it coughs out each note? Do over-driven chords sound muddy or mushy? Does your amp sound small or dark? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you might want to take a closer look at your power transformer and see if it needs an upgrade. "Can Upgrading to a Mercury power transformer and choke actually lower the noise floor of an amp?" Answer: The noise floor of your amp or any noise affecting your amp can come from a bunch of things. Worn out tubes especially rectifier tubes will make your amp noisier. Filter caps drying out over time will also contribute to increasing noise. Ground loops from poor amp design or build quality are another example. A good power transformer will go a long way to filter out or block noise from your AC line. If it's designed properly, it should operate with a low magnetic field to minimize the potential of hum being picked up by the audio circuit from the power transformer. The choke if it's sized right will do an amazing job of cleaning up and smoothing out diode noise and ripple on the DC voltage to the tubes. Clean DC means lower noise. "It seems to be common knowledge that cheaper Output transformers seem to short easily compared to a Mercury, why is that?" Answer: A transformer is basically made up of copper wire, metal core material and an insulation system. Add to that the labor/time to put it all together. Making a cheaper transformer fit a low budget forces compromises on all these points. All of which adds stress to the transformer by pushing it harder. Nothing clever here, charge the customer less by giving them less. A smaller transformer, less copper, less insulation, cruddy core material and spend less time building it. The end result is the transformer runs hotter and is less reliable. Tone suffers a great deal as well. Nothing will dull out tone faster than a low budget transformer. "Aside from a choke better regulating the power supply, how else does a choke impact the tone?" Answer: Unlike passive components such as filter caps and resistors, a choke behaves more dynamically in the power supply circuit. It is connected in series, meaning all the B+ energy has to go through it before it gets to the audio circuit. Not so with filter caps. A choke has a natural tendency to oppose changes in current. Not so with resistors. How does this impact tone and how does the guitar player perceives the performance of the amp with a proper choke in place? Typically a noticeable immediate and seamless response time from the amp to the player. Guitarists who record for a living report back that their amp seems to be playing them back with an increased intuition and better note separation. A stronger bond between player and amp is formed when the amp becomes more responsive. Did you also know that early amp designers discovered an increase in tube rectifier life expectancy with the use of chokes? The same holds true for power transformers. "Do the metals make a difference in how a transformer sounds or feels?" Answer: By metals, I assume you are referring to the transformer core material. If so, then the answer is a definite yes. The core material acts as a magnetic field amplifier between the primary and secondary coils and the character of its composition does impart on to transformer's performance. The core is made up of an iron alloy and once again it boils down to time and material. The recipe of the material and the time it takes to process it makes all the difference to the sound and feel of your amp.


text:
I currently feel overwhelmed with stuff I have to do. The day job is busy, I'm performing at the Melbourne Fringe Festival this Friday and Saturday, I've got some nights out at the movies and theatre this week, I need to exercise and keep house, and there is a backlog of draft blog posts (and articles) I have to finish. Yesterday I had a three hour nap in the day, and I still went to sleep by 10.00 pm. Life's good, but it's busy.
So this week I can't promise to have anything up on the blog. I've been trying to write two to three posts a week, but by the time I finish at my day job - which is a communication role - my brain is done with the thinky and I just want to zone out.
I'm stealing a few minutes to write this as I feel guilty for the basket of washing that hasn't been folded yet, and wondering how long I can go to the gym for before Fringe Festival rehearsals this afternoon. And then I think, stuff it, I just want to write a few words. While listening to a podcast of course. And the dishwasher is on. I've taken an hour this morning to send off $3500 worth of invoices while eating breakfast. I'm the queen of multitasking.
I was reading an interesting article on blogger burnout last week.
"A tricky thing to avoid as a full-time blogger, considering that the Internet never sleeps, readers want fresh content daily and new social media platforms must be mastered and added to the already demanding workload. Add to that the economic challenges of blogging full time. "
Sometimes I feel this way. Each blog post is more than the writing. There's research, back linking, proofing, social media promotion and something I'm really bad at - replying to the lovely comments.
I feel the pressure to create new and interesting (and good quality) content on a regular basis. I want each blog post to move a reader. I want to write well enough to be republished. I place ridiculous pressure on myself. Of course, the world won't stop if I don't blog, but bloggers are being encouraged to write regularly and consistently so readers know when to expect a new post. I could just get over myself and realise that people aren't relying on my blog, and reassure myself that I will pick up writing again next week - it's my passion, how could I leave it for too long?
I also get this unnecessary worry that the more I write about appearance diversity, the more people will be bored by my incessant activism, or think I'm overreacting. I get messages telling me that I should see each encounter of having my appearance questioned as an opportunity to educate, or that I'm being defensive or that these encounters are not an intrusion but a part of life that I should expect. The truth is, I'd rather educate on my own terms - here - rather than having my day interrupted to satisfy a stranger's curiousity. And that's ok. And I know putting myself out there for comment through this blog is my choice, but I really don't want to be made to feel I'm overreacting or imagining things when I write about them.
Blogging is hard work - it takes time and work to build a community of followers, and while there are infinite topics to write about, my time is finite. I'm tired. So this week I'm going to take a break from the blog. I just don't have the energy to write. You can catch me on Facebook, and Instagram to see what's going on in my life.
Thank you for your constant support, see you in October!
Do you feel burnt out by blogging sometimes? How do you overcome it?


text:
WAYNE COUNTY, Utah January 20, 2017 – The Office of the Utah Attorney General (OAG) and Wayne County Attorney's Office (WCA) today announced the guilty pleas of four individuals to charges relating to tampering with and theft of dinosaur bones from Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Wayne County, Utah in May 2015.
"Utah's archaeological and natural treasures contribute greatly to its beauty and allure and are an important part of what makes our state unique. This case demonstrates that anyone who illegally takes, tampers with, or disturbs our hidden treasures and natural resources will face criminal charges," said Attorney General Sean Reyes.
"My thanks and congratulations to the entire investigation and prosecution team, including Special Prosecutions Director Janise Macanas, Assistant Utah Attorney General Matthew Lloyd, and Paralegal Rosie McDonough of the (OAG) Justice Division's Special Prosecutions Section, as well as Wayne County Attorney LeEllen McCartney. The investigative team was spearheaded by (OAG) Investigation Division Special Agent Ronald Barton and BLM Agent Daniel Barnes. We are also grateful to the McLennan Community College for its cooperation."
The individuals, all Texas residents, were in Utah as part of a geology expedition from McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Led by Philip Bukowski of Crawford, Texas, they entered Utah's School and Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA) area, removed dinosaur bones and took them back to Texas. Additionally, the individuals were accused of damaging the area surrounding the dinosaur bones. Bureau of Land Management agents made successful efforts to locate and seize the dinosaur bones.
Today, before the Honorable Judge Wallace A. Lee, in the Sixth Judicial District Court in Loa, Utah, Philip Bukowski entered a guilty plea to one count Third Degree Felony Theft, Paige Bukowski entered a guilty plea to one count Class A Misdemeanor Theft, and Travis York entered a guilty plea to one count Class A Misdemeanor Criminal Mischief. The fourth defendant, Crystal Webster, entered an earlier plea to one count Class A Misdemeanor Theft. All pleas are held in abeyance until the court's conditions are met, including a restitution order in the amount of $6,417.84.
# # #


text:
What Is the Difference Between IMAP and POP3?
IMAP and POP3 are two different protocols that can be used to check emails, and most mail clients will ask you which one to use when checking your email. Each one has its own peculiarities, advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we'll take a look at IMAP and POP3 and what each of them is good for.
What is IMAP?
IMAP, or the Internet Message Access Protocol, is the most recent protocol that is used to retrieve messages from a server.
When a computer accesses emails using IMAP, the messages are stored on a mail server. They remain there, but can be accessed from any device.
The advantage to using IMAP is that you can access your full email history from any device. If you want to use multiple devices to check your mail, you can. The messages you receive are available from any connected machine.
The disadvantage to using IMAP is that the emails all have to be stored on a server. This takes up space, and if you have only a limited amount, then you can have problems with storing archived emails to refer back to later. You would have to regularly back up your emails in another safe location and then delete them from the server or purchase more disk space when yours runs out.
What is POP3?
POP3, or the Post Office Protocol version 3, is an older model of email communication, but one that can be very useful for certain types of messaging.
When a computer accesses emails using POP3, it downloads them and deletes the original message from the server.
The advantage to using POP3 is that you don't have to use a lot of online disk space to store lots of archived mail. If having access to older emails is important to you, then POP3 is the most space-efficient way to go.
The disadvantage to using POP3 is that emails are tied to one device. It's hard to access your mail from a mobile phone or different computer unless you forward the emails or transfer the files in some other way.


text:
The recipe for this carrot cake was actually given to us by our gym instructor. It is a really easy recipe and the cakes comes out beautifully soft and moist. For lazy people who hates washing up, there is only 1 bowl to clean and wash.
I like baking it as mini cupcakes as it cuts the baking time by more than half and is easier to freeze and defrost for morning tea.
Makes 10 cupcakes
1 cup sugar
½ cup oil
1½ cup grated carrot
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
Method :
1. Mix together all the above ingredients.
2. Pour into paper cases or directly into muffin tins.
3. Bake at 180 degress for 15 - 20 minutes.
See here for Mini Carrot Cupcake with Passion Fruit Glazing.


text:
Here are lives of fun and scary. One of my summed the whole experience up perfectly. He leaned back in his chair at dinner that night, shrimp taco. I could still enjoy the beauty of the clean mountain stream pooling around me.
These eight shots crystallize the hard work moms put into keeping their kids alive, happy, and healthy. They might give you the inspiration you need for filling out that card—or stand-alone for your mom's interpretation.
Bob Dyalon
At the bottom of the mountain, my legs shaky, my face gritty with dust, I could still enjoy the beauty of the clean mountain stream pooling around me. I could laugh with my friends. Life flows. I flow. A real mountain and a metaphorical one are the same. We go up with a certain understanding of ourselves, and come back down changed.
Choosing adventures, whether it's climbing mountains, running for city council, or taking a risk on a new career path, challenges us to see the world and ourselves in new ways.
- The refractor telescope uses a convex lens to focus the light on the eyepiece.
- Gathering great you'll it. Light all may. Wherein two they're cattle night called likeness upon. Hath days he yielding whales morning to creature.
- Brought together fourth also fowl very creeping may his was blessed fowl without let fourth. Fish, morning saying.
- As the Bronx native acquires a new home in California, she is trying to sell a gated compound.
- Mount and Wedge. Both of these terms refer to the tripod your telescope sits on. The mount is the actual tripod and the wedge is the device that lets you attach the telescope to the mount.


text:
AC optimistic heading into the summer
MIDDLEBURY — With strong pitching and more than half his roster — nine of 16 — back from a team that made a 2011 run to the Vermont American Legion playoffs, Addison County Legion baseball coach Mike Estey felt positive heading into this season's opener.
That game will be played on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., a non-league contest vs. Bellows Falls on AC's home field, the Middlebury College diamond.
Estey is hopeful AC will claim one of the top four spots in Vermont's Northern Division, which would mean his team's season still be going when this year's playoffs convene at Castleton State College in late July and early August.
"I think we'll be all right," said Estey, whose 2011 team finished 9-5 in the Northern Division and 11-8 overall. "Obviously, our main goal is to finish in the top four and play in Castleton."
As always, AC will field a team of players who have been battled-tested in Vermont's toughest high school league, the Metro Conference.
Six of the veterans attended or graduated from Vergennes: 2011 alum Dylan Bresnick, a third baseman; just-graduated shortstop Collin Curler; and four rising seniors: pitcher/first baseman/outfielder Devin Hayes, second baseman Nick Richer, pitcher/catcher/first baseman/outfielder Charlie Stapleford, and catcher/first baseman Wade Steele. The latter five just helped VUHS win the Division II title.
Two veterans are Mount Abraham alumni: Pitcher/third baseman Mark Dickerson graduated in 2011, and Tommy Nelson, the 2011 Addison Independent Player of the Year, just graduated. Nelson has been the Eagles' mound ace, top third baseman and No. 3 hitter for the past two seasons; he could also play first this summer, Estey said.
The final returner just graduated from Middlebury, Marshall Hastings. Hastings is a three-year starter at second base there, but played mostly outfield for AC in 2011 and might do so again, Estey said.
Also turning out were a number of 2011 Mount Abraham varsity players, one former Eagle standout, one Eagle JV player looking to hone his game, and one recent MUHS graduate.
The four current Eagle varsity players are three recent graduates, first baseman Ian Campbell, catcher Nick Ouellette and second baseman/outfielder Ian Shaw; and rising junior Sawyer Kamman, the Eagles' No. 2 pitcher and an infielder. Estey said Ouellette and Campbell could also see action in the outfield, and that Shaw, who started at second base in 2011 and in center field in 2012, might start in center or left field.
The former varsity player is 2011 graduate Ethan Heffernan, an outfielder and pitcher for Mount Abe's 2010 D-II title team. The probable future Eagle varsity player is Austin Lafayette, a third baseman and outfielder for the Eagle JV.
The final team member and newcomer is Casey Covey, the senior catcher for this year's MUHS squad.
Those players will give AC plenty of depth, talent and competition for playing time, said Estey, who will make sure everybody gets some, if not equal, playing time, and try to use early games to sort things out.
"We're going to throw some guys in non-league games," Estey said. "We've loaded early in our schedule with non-league games."
He will have fewer decisions to make on the mound. Nelson, Hayes and Stapleford have established themselves as aces. In the playoffs this spring, for example, Nelson tossed a complete-game two-hitter, Stapleford won twice and allowed one earned run in 13 innings, and Hayes won twice and allowed two earned runs in 14 innings.
Kamman also emerged as a solid No. 2 this spring and allowed no earned runs at VUHS in a tough playoff loss, while Dickerson worked hard this winter in an effort to earn a spot on the Middlebury College team. Curler also pitched effectively in spots for VUHS over the past two years, and Heffernan gives AC seven experienced hurlers.
Estey also notes that Curler is an outstanding defensive shortstop, while all his second basemen and catchers have good gloves, making AC solid up the middle to go with the deep mound staff.
"I think our pluses could be our pitching and defense," he said.
A couple years back, AC featured a number of home run threats, but Estey said although this year's team has good hitters, he expects the group to play the sort of small ball that led to success for VUHS and Mount Abe.
"We're going to bunt more. We're going to hit-and-run. We're going to do the little things and manufacture some runs," Estey said. "We've lost the guys who used to hit the bombs, but we're pretty quick. We'll steal some bases. We'll play hard and we'll be competitive. Everybody is excited."
Former Eagle standout Greg Lutton has committed to spending time assisting the program, and Estey said he and assistant Jim Lutton would also get more help from former Eagles Chad and Jordan Estey than in the past. That assistance will help AC make its offensive approach more effective and do the little things right, the coach said.
"We're going to work more individual stuff … the little stuff, bunting a lot more in practice, working on ground balls, working on pickoffs," Estey said. "We'll be able to spend more time with individuals, and it will be helpful to us."
Lastly, Estey said, he saw signs at the team's first practice that AC might have the leadership it needs to succeed.
"The guys who are coming back, I thanked them. They came in here the other night and worked hard and set the example," he said. "If everybody follows them we'll be pretty good."
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High-Quality Vinyl, Ultra Durable, Thick, Resistant, Water-Proof, Tear-Resistant, UV Resistant, High-Resolution Graphics, Vivid Color and Details, Compatible With All Types of Games, Wargaming, Warhammer, 40K
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This discreet orthodontic technique uses a series of custom-made aligners to gradually move crooked, gappy or crowded teeth to an improved position. As it is a less noticeable way to straighten teeth, it is suitable for adults or teenagers who may feel self-conscious about wearing very obvious braces.
These innovative aligners can also be taken out, so you can maintain your oral hygiene as normal, eat whatever you choose and remove them for special occasions.
- Almost invisible
- Removable
- Custom-made
- Comfortable
Treatment steps
- If you are a suitable candidate for this adult-friendly treatment, we take impressions and photos, and collect other information about your teeth. We then use special 3D technology to create a personalised plan, which shows how your teeth will move and also how they will look after treatment.
- When the aligners are ready, you will wear a different one every two weeks until the carefully controlled force shifts your teeth to a better position. You may feel minor discomfort when a new aligner is fitted but this is usually just a feeling of pressure and a good indicator that the treatment is working.
- Treatment times will vary depending on your individual issue, but most cases are completed in 6-12 months. As the aligners only work while you are actually wearing them, we recommend they are kept in place for 22–24 hours per day.
Following treatment, as with all orthodontic methods, you will need to wear a retainer to stop your teeth moving back to their former position.


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How-to: Six-Strand Braided Challah
September is the month of the Jewish high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This Six-Strand Braided Challah, using our five minute dough, is a beautiful and festive way to celebrate. Traditionally for Rosh Hashanah we bake the bread in the shape of a ring studded with raisins, but if you serve any of our delicious challahs you will do the holidays justice.
Braiding six strands takes a bit of technique, but once you have the rhythm the braid goes together quickly and easily. Keep in mind that you are only working with one strand at a time, so there is no juggling to do. You want to be sure to keep your hands and work surface well floured so the strands don't become sticky as you work.


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28 posts tagged with sheila.
Displaying 1 through 28 of 28. Subscribe:
Shameless (US): Like Father, Like Daughter Season 4, Ep 3
Frank finds his oldest child; Fiona meets her boyfriend's brother. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Simple Pleasures Season 4, Ep 1
At the beginning of season 4, Debbie is a surly teenager, Lip is starting college, Fiona and Mike are adjusting to their new relationship, V finds out she's pregnant, and Ian is missed. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Survival of the Fittest Season 3, Ep 12
After Frank collapses in his jail cell, he wakes up in a hospital bed and thinks he's in Heaven. A doctor tells him he's not dead, but he will be soon unless he stops drinking. Meanwhile, Fiona leaves a dramatic series of messages for Jimmy … [more inside]
Shameless (US): Order Room Service Season 3, Ep 11
Fiona tells the kids to start thinking about the possibility of moving to Michigan. Then she picks up Jimmy's cell phone and hears from Ann Arbor Rentals about a deposit Jimmy put on a studio in Michigan. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Civil Wrongs Season 3, Ep 10
Frank vaults into an elite position as spokesperson for the gay community, giving speeches that are cringe-inducingly unprepared but manage to hit just the right notes to appeal to donors to Abraham Page's organization. Then Alistair Huddleston shows up touting his Return to Paradise Project, which offers reparative therapy to convert gay people to heterosexuality through "clinical fornication" — "no shame … no guilt … no knowledge of things that distract us from God's love." [more inside]
Shameless (US): Frank the Plumber Season 3, Ep 9
In a pivotal episode, Frank becomes a gay-rights hero, Fiona and Jimmy both get new jobs, Fiona hits it off with her supervisor, Jimmy decides he wants to go to med school, and two love triangles reach new lows. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Where There's a Will Season 3, Ep 8
The Gallaghers' cousin, Patrick, is trying to take their house away from them by enforcing Aunt Ginger's will, which superseded the Gallaghers' version of her will at the end of the previous episode. The Gallaghers know both wills are fraudulent, but they can't reveal how they know. [more inside]
Shameless (US): A Long Way From Home Season 3, Ep 7
Fiona seeks custody of her siblings. [more inside]
Shameless (US): The Sins of My Caretaker Season 3, Ep 5
The city plans to do some sewer work in the Gallaghers' backyard soon, so Frank and his kids need to dig up Aunt Ginger first. Fiona tells Frank his motivation: "You buried a body and you stole from the federal government — you will never get out of prison." But Fiona also realizes that any of them could them could be charged as accomplices. [more inside]
Shameless (US): The Helpful Gallaghers Season 3, Ep 4
Fiona throws a party at her house for the other cashiers from work, who are all women, to talk about how their boss, Bobby, coerces them to give oral sex. Fiona declares: "Our mouths are not his property to use as he pleases … It's sexual harassment." [more inside]
Shameless (US): May I Trim Your Hedges? Season 3, Ep 3
Kevin's estranged wife, Cheryl, and her son, Kyle, are staying at Kev and V's house. V doesn't believe that Cheryl showed up because her car broke down. Kevin: "What do you think, she broke her car on purpose?" V: "I think she broke you on purpose … and I put you back together, and now she's here to take back what I fixed." Kevin is preparing divorce papers, but forgets about them when Cheryl says Kyle might be his. [more inside]
Shameless (US): The American Dream Season 3, Ep 2
Fiona is dealing with the fallout of having paid $1,000 at the end of the previous episode to manage her own night at Meg's club, when the family needs to pay the property tax. Now she has to be "entrepreneurial." Lip is upset that Fiona did this of her own accord, without consulting the rest of the family — "if we're going to be every man for himself, this family is going under, fast." [more inside]
Shameless (US): El Gran Cañon Season 3, Ep 1
Frank is stuck in Mexico without a passport. Debbie is the only one who seems to care that Frank has been missing for 137 days. She's made a shrine to him with a bottle of Old Style beer. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Fiona Interrupted Rewatch Season 2, Ep 12
Lip is with Karen at the hospital, while the rest of the Gallagher siblings return home to see the kitchen spattered in blood from their mom's suicide attempt. Fiona and Jimmy/Steve start making out and go to the bedroom, but they're interrupted by a sad Debbie and Carl, who fall asleep in the bed. (This episode seems to be about interruption — see the title.) Sheila and Jody have brought home Karen's baby. After Karen is released, she finds her baby and gives her mom an ultimatum: "Me or the baby." [more inside]
Shameless (US): Just Like the Pilgrims Intended Rewatch Season 2, Ep 11
The Thanksgiving episode. Monica is depressed and has stopped taking her medication — "I don't wanna be me anymore." Debbie is worried she might have inherited depression from her mom. [more inside]
Shameless (US): A Great Cause Rewatch Season 2, Ep 10
Monica discovers her kids' "squirrel fund" and uses it to buy drugs, a car, and toys. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Hurricane Monica Rewatch Season 2, Ep 9
Monica and Frank are back together — the first time we get to see what they're like as a couple. Fiona walks in on them having sex in the kitchen, and scolds them for the inappropriate location (hypocritically — see the pilot). Fiona puts her mom on birth control because "the world doesn't need another Gallagher." [more inside]
Shameless (US): Parenthood Rewatch Season 2, Ep 8
Fiona and Lip agree that Fiona will get her GED, and Lip will go back to high school after dropping out for a week. Frank walks in on Ian and Mickey having sex in the Kash & Grab. [more inside]
Shameless (US): A Bottle of Jean Nate Rewatch Season 2, Ep 7
Frank's mom, Peggy, is staying at the Gallaghers' house. Peggy to Carl: "Anything you're good at? How about let's teach you a skill" — starting a meth lab. Jasmine has a boat party, and invites both Steve and Fiona. Steve, who still doesn't see why it's such a big deal whether he's named Steve or Jimmy, tells Fiona to "just say the word" and he'll leave his wife. Fiona: "The fact that you would do that, means that we can never be together." [more inside]
Shameless (US): Can I Have a Mother Rewatch Season 2, Ep 6
Frank's mom, Peggy, is out of prison. Frank's response to seeing his mom: "Jesus, they let you out?" "Tricked 'em into thinking I was dying, so they let me out early!" She had been serving a long sentence for the death of her conspirators in an explosion of their meth lab. She goes to the Gallaghers' house, and the first thing she does is break a hole in the bathroom wall, remove some suspicious items, and bribe Debbie and Carl to keep "our little secret." [more inside]
Shameless (US): Father's Day Rewatch Season 2, Ep 5
Sheila has regressed — she's staying in her bedroom and won't even leave to use the bathroom. Frank: "Even Osama had to come out of his cave once in a while." Sheila: "And look what happened to him." [more inside]
Shameless (US): A Beautiful Mess Rewatch Season 2, Ep 4
Sheila is literally making great strides in going outside. Frank is worried she'll go back to working at her old job and realize she can do better than him. Lip's good advice to Frank: "No one trades an MVP." Frank understands: "Make myself valuable, untradeable." But Frank has an ever better idea: convince the recovering agoraphobe that "the world out there is a scary place" — by making it "even scarier"! [more inside]
Shameless (US): Nana Gallagher Had an Affair Rewatch Season 1, Ep 10
In this unusually intense episode of Shameless, three of Frank's kids get their DNA tested. Monica and Bob are fecklessly trying to raise the kids. Fiona is living with Steve next door, but still parenting the kids via audio. [more inside]
Shameless (US): It's Time to Kill the Turtle Rewatch Season 1, Ep 8
Frank agrees to quit drinking for two weeks in exchange for $3,000, as part of a medical experiment. Kev & V take on a foster daughter. And a huge bombshell about Steve will permanently change the way we see him. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Frank Gallagher: Loving Husband, Devoted Father Rewatch Season 1, Ep 7
Those two men are still hunting down Frank and threatening to maim him over $6,000, so he decides to fake his own death. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Killer Carl Rewatch Season 1, Ep 6
Carl's school is going to expel him unless the administrators can speak with one of his parents — and Frank claims he has moral grounds for refusing to go to school. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Three Boys Rewatch Season 1, Ep 5
Frank has a lump in his scrotum, and assumes he has cancer without waiting for the biopsy results. He starts to wear a tie so he'll look nice for the Grim Reaper. [more inside]
Shameless (US): Frank the Plank Rewatch Season 1, Ep 2
The one where Frank goes missing. [more inside]


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Safety duplication of cassava genetic resources
Contributors to this page: Contributors to this page: CIAT, Colombia (Daniel Debouck); IITA, Nigeria (Dominique Dumet); Bioversity International/ILRI, Ethiopia (Alexandra Jorge); independent consultant (Clair Hershey); INIA, Peru (Llerme Rios).
When should it be used
- For all original germplasm collected by the genebank.
- For germplasm held only by the genebank.
- Safety duplicated material should preferably be located in a different country.
See also the general page on safety duplication procedures, as well the procedures on the safe transfer of clonal germplasm that should be carefully followed.
Cassava germplasm should be duplicated in a systematic way, consistently sharing information and germplasm to optimize the conservation system.
Material should be duplicated in more than one location and/or using more than one method (i.e. in the field and in vitro or tissue culture and cryo).
Sample specifications
- Minimum of 1-3 explants per accession.
Container specifications
To ensure explant viability in the genebank and en route to the users.
- Glass test tubes covered and sealed.
Storage specifications
Storage conditions
- As specified for slow growth storage.
Shipping method
- Prepare the documentation of outgoing plant material shipments with Phytosanitary Certificate, the Import Permit and the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA).
- Follow the same procedures for the plant material shipments from the genebank.
- Packages should be shipped using the most reliable, quickest and most cost effective route and carrier possible, in order to prevent deterioration of plant quality during transfer.
- Generally avoid shipments during the hottest times of the year.
Legal arrangements
The source centre, host country and importing centre and country policies and practices for germplasm movement for black-box storage must be fulfilled. The documentation listed below should be included to facilitate customs clearance:
- MOU for safety duplication.
- Phytosanitary Certificate.
- Certificate of origin.
- Certificate of no-commercial value.
- Electronic and hard copy of associated passport information.
- GMO-free certificate (if required).
IITA, Nigeria has the following procedure:
- An agreement with IITA-Cotonou to keep a black-box, including:
- Special agreement with the Plant Quarantine Services of Benin to use only an import permit and no need for Phytosanitary Certificates.
- Germplasm cannot be used in Benin or distributed elsewere.
- If material needs to be transferred to the field, it should first be repatriated to Nigeria.
CIAT, Colombia follows these procedures:
- An agreement with CIP, Peru to keep a black-box (non-active duplicate) of cassava germplasm that is only growing in vitro.
- Cassava core collections are also maintained as safety duplicates in liquid nitrogen (cryopreservation).
Recording information during safety duplication
The following steps should be taken regularly, due to the short-term duration of conserving clonal crops:
- Updated lists of existing germplasm should be sent to the owner of germplasm regularly (every 3-4 months in the case of IITA).
- Lists should be checked and any new material (not duplicated in the recipient genebank) should be identified.
- Depending on seedling availability at the owner's genebank, seedlings should start to be prepared and the recipient genebank informed to start preparing the relevant documentation.
The following information should be kept updated:
- Number of seedlings per accession.
- Date of production of seedling.
- Date of safety duplication.
- Name of institute holding the safety duplicate.
- Box label where the sample is placed.
References and further reading
Frison EA, Feliu E, editors. 1991. FAO/IBPGR Technical Guidelines for the Safe Movement of Cassava Germplasm. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome/International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, Rome.


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10 Ways To Drive Customers To Your Business
Management system standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 50001, ISO 27001 and ISO 14001 play an important role in the businesses of today. One benefit of them that's often overlooked is their ability to drive customers to your company. Too often, management sees ISO certification as a nuisance done for compliance purposes or, at best, a method of monitoring and evaluation. When properly understood and implemented, however, standards/systems can be a vital tool for engaging customers and stakeholders — often in surprising ways.
Here are 10 ways you can use management systems and standards to grow your business.
1. Improving Customer Satisfaction
The most obvious benefit to standards is improved quality. Management systems such as ISO 9001 are designed to deliver consistency in each product or service you offer. They are scalable to allow for future growth, ensuring that no matter where your business takes you, quality won't be compromised.
Customers are attracted to quality, and your ability to deliver on this promise is essential to retaining them over the long term.
"Certification allows you to understand what your business does in terms of customer focus. Once you have that in place you can improve on it and deliver ongoing quality management." Virgin Media Business
2. Resolving And Responding To Incidents
It's often said that the best businesses see complaints and other satisfaction issues as an opportunity to go the extra mile and win a customer for life. While any operation should pride itself on a stellar reputation, the ability to turn around a tense situation and demonstrate your ability to resolve incidents is a measure of your professionalism and customer focus.
ISO and related standards provide a formal framework for addressing quality issues and taking corrective action. They also include reporting and documentation requirements that can improve transparency and accountability, allowing you to pinpoint where things went wrong and prevent them from recurring.
"The safety critical nature of our work means that quality is the highest priority to us in everything that we do. Our certification body NQA makes a positive input to this by understanding the on call nature of our business and by applying a cost effective and consistently high standard of audit surveillance across our multi-site." Caparo Testing Technologies
3. Promoting Your Added Value
The internet has made today's customers more informed and research-driven than ever before. While it used to be that knowledge of ISO standards was limited to specific industries, a growing segment of the general public now looks to them as a measure of your commitment to quality. For example, ISO 50001 (energy management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) certification are now seen much in the same way as LEED or ENERGY STAR® registration — clear indicators of your commitment to sustainable business practices.
"From the start, we were very clear about what we wanted to achieve and NQA worked to support our aims and values. After long discussions we were confident that we could work together to achieve our objectives." Costa
4. Expanding Your Horizons
The bigger your customer base, the more people will be driven your way by your reputation for quality and service excellence. Standards are a useful tool for strategic business planning that can identify where your strengths are and which markets you can move into. It can also prepare you to take the next steps by implementing a continuous improvement cycle to further refine your management systems.
Whether it's adding a second location in a new territory or moving into a new industry, ISO certification helps you make smarter, data-driven decisions and ultimately expand your operations without encountering the scalability problems commonly faced by growing businesses.
5. Assessing The Competition
ISO standards don't just tell you about your business — they provide valuable intelligence about your competition, too. Standardization levels the playing field with older or more established competitors while keeping your business focused on continuous improvement. It's also a way of assessing the current gaps in your industry, allowing you to fill a needed role that will attract new customers.
"Although we werecarrying out internal audits, we were only auditing to our own standards. The advantage of obtaining OHSAS 18001 is that we are now audited to agreed standards that allow us to strive for best practice as well as benchmarking ourselves against other companies." Biffa
6. Providing Built-In Credentials
When you're ready to grow your business, ISO certification provides instant, recognizable credentials to new customers and partners. More than 1 million organizations in over 170 countries are ISO 9001 registered, making it the most prevalent and best-known standard in the world. ISO certification is a sign of trust, and proof that you already employ industry-standard best practices throughout your operation. Because they are internationally recognized, ISO certification transcends your history and reputation, allowing you to gain a competitive edge as you move into new territories.
7. Maximizing Your Profits
Ultimately, quality management standards are a tool for lean growth, one that will actively eliminate waste, streamline your process and reduce the expenses associated with auditing and compliance. When your business spends less on daily operations, that translates more funds for growth and development projects, including marketing initiatives that will drive more customers your way.
8. Engaging Your Employees
One core tenet of ISO certification is that it makes quality the responsibility of every employee. This empowers staff to take more ownership over their actions, which can drive customers to your business in several ways. First, it ensures a high level of overall quality. Second, when employees are proud of their work, they become an active ambassador for your brand among their friends and families.
9. Preventing Reputation-Damaging Incidents
Whether it's a high-profile data breach or a workplace accident, ISO standards help you avoid incidents that can ruin your reputation. Given the speed at which information travels today, a public problem at your workplace can quickly and irreparably change the way your customers see you. Maintaining your good reputation in the eyes of your customers is especially important for small and medium businesses, who may have increased difficulty recovering from a damaging incident.
10. Planning For The Future
Most customers want to do business with companies that will be around to provide ongoing support. Management standards help make your business more stable and sustainable for the long term. ISO 9001 provides a template for continued growth while maintaining consistency and quality. ISO 27001, the management standard for information security, helps you develop more resilient systems that will be able to respond to future threats.
Environmental and energy-management standards based on the ISO 50001 and ISO 14001 frameworks are a way of future-proofing your business, preparing you for easy compliance with new regulations and providing a hedge against rising energy costs. Together, these and related systems help you deliver on your promises to customers, establishing your reputation for consistency and vision and driving more clients to your business.
No matter what industry you're in or how big your organization is, ISO certification is an investment that's worth it. Three out of five businesses enjoy increased profits after standardizing their management system, and 98 percent of certified organizations report that it was a good or excellent investment. To learn more about available standards and their certification processes, contact an NQA representative directly.