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NITTO's SR20DET Stroker kits consist of an increased stroke crankshaft made from solid 4340 billet steel, 4340 one piece forged billet steel I-beam connecting rods and unique JE/Nitto forged piston set along with upgraded thick wall gudgeon pins and premium ring sets. Engine capacity is increased from 2.0ltr to 2.2ltr which provides more power and torque throughout the RPM range. All components have been meticulously machined to exacting tolerances and the highest standards. All Nitto stroker kits are far superior to the cheaper manufactured kits currently available that consist of cast forged crankshafts and high silicone content pistons.
NITTO's SR20DET Stroker kits are designed for use in all motorsport classifications including drag racing, drifting and circuit racing. Rotational capability is lifted to 10,000+ RPM and power handling is rated to 1100 HP *. The changed harmonics due to the crankshaft material and design results in a much "freer revving" more balanced engine.
Continuous testing and development has allowed us to design a kit with extreme strength whilst retaining a sensible reciprocating mass weight.
Available in 2 configurations with H-beam or I-beam con rods.
* Denotes Power Handling Capability with I-Beam Con Rod Kit


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A Policymaker's Guide to The Nation's Report Card
Your role as an education policymaker is critical to the success of the education of the nation's children. We hope that the content on this website will help inform the decisions that you make as a policymaker.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Since 1969, assessments have been conducted periodically in geography, mathematics, reading, science, U.S. history, writing, and other subjects. The information that is collected in the NAEP assessments will no doubt have an impact on your work in education.
In this section, you will find the following:
To examine the assessments in greater detail, explore the Downloads and Tools page where you will find links to the following:

subset: commoncrawl


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This interview was originally broadcast on November 16, 2010. Decoded is now available in paperback.
Long before he sold 50 million records worldwide — and before he appeared alongside Warren Buffett on the cover of Fortune magazine, accumulated 10 Grammy Awards and became the CEO of his own record label — Jay-Z was living with his mom in the Marcy Houses housing project in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, just trying to survive day by day.
"It was a very intense and stressful situation," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day. It was a weird mix of emotions. One day, your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a brand-new bike."
Now 40, Jay-Z hasn't forgotten his past — or the lyrics he's written over the years about his childhood in the projects. In his new book Decoded, he unpacks the detailed riffs and lyrics that make up 36 of his songs — while examining both his own life and the growth of hip-hop over the last two decades.
He also talks candidly, both in the book and on Fresh Air, about the period in his life when he was a teenager selling crack cocaine on the streets.
"At 14 [or] 15 years old, you're thinking about sneakers or you're thinking about some sort of relief from all of the pain you're feeling," he says. "You're thinking about buying some food for the house. You're thinking about paying the extra light bill. So at that young age, you're not thinking about the destruction you're causing your own community."
At the time he was selling, Jay-Z was also coming up with rhymes. He normally wrote down his material in a green notebook he carried around with him — but he never took the notebook with him on the streets, he says.
"I would run into the corner store, the bodega, and just grab a paper bag or buy juice — anything just to get a paper bag," he says. "And I'd write the words on the paper bag and stuff these ideas in my pocket until I got back. Then I would transfer them into the notebook. As I got further and further away from home and my notebook, I had to memorize these rhymes — longer and longer and longer. ... By the time I got to record my first album, I was 26, I didn't need pen or paper — my memory had been trained just to listen to a song, think of the words, and lay them to tape."
Since his first album, he says, he's never written down any of his lyrics.
"I've lost plenty of material," he says. "It's not the best way. I wouldn't advise it to anyone. I've lost a couple albums' worth of great material. ... Think about when you can't remember a word and it drives you crazy. So imagine forgetting an entire rhyme. 'What's that? I said I was the greatest something?' "
Hard-Knock Life
One of the songs Jay-Z writes about extensively in the book is "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," a single from his third album Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life. It samples music from the musical Annie, which Jay-Z says he watched repeatedly as a child.
"When the TV version [of Annie] came on, I was drawn to it," he says. "It was the struggle of this poor kid in this environment and how her life changed. ... It immediately resonated."
Twenty years later, Jay-Z was on a Puff Daddy tour in the late '90s, when he heard a DJ play an instrumental version of "It's the Hard Knock Life" from Annie.
"It immediately brought me back to my childhood and that feeling," he says. "I knew right then and there that I had to make that record, and people would relate to the struggle and the aspiration in it, as well."
To get the rights for "Hard Knock Life," Jay-Z says he "exaggerated a touch" in his letter to the original songwriters, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. He told them how much Annie meant to him growing up, because he won an essay contest as a child and got to see the musical on Broadway, cementing his love for the show. But, he says with a laugh, that actually never happened.
"I wrote a letter about how much Annie meant to me growing up and how I went to a Broadway play — which was an exaggeration," he says. "I saw it on TV. It was a bad lie ... for a good reason."
Jay-Z has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. He is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and the founder of Roc Nation. He was ranked the 5th top male solo artist of the 2000s by Billboard magazine. He has also received a great deal of recognition from the American Music Awards, the BET Awards, and the MTV Video Music Awards.
Interview Highlights
On Sampling The Jackson Five's 'I Want You Back' In "IZZO"
"I grew up in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, and my mom and pop had an extensive record collection, so Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder and all of those sounds and souls of Motown filled the house," he says. "So I was very familiar with the song when Kanye [West] brought me the sample. It had been used in hip-hop previously, but it was just such an interesting and fresh take on it that I was immediately drawn to it."
On How Crack Changed The Marcy Projects In The Mid-'80s
"They have a saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' It changed the authority figure. Crack cocaine was done so openly, and the people who were addicted to it, the fiends, had very little self-respect. It was so highly addictive that they didn't care how they obtained it and they carried that out in front of children, who were dealing at the time. So the relationship of that respect, 'I have to respect my elders' ... that dynamic shifted and it broke forever. It just changed everything from that point on.
"I was very aware of the dangers involved because there were people dying [and] there were people going to jail and it wasn't a one-off. It wasn't an occurrence where everyone was shocked. It wouldn't be a shock like, 'How could that happen in this neighborhood?' It was really a weekly or monthly occurrence."
On Danger Mouse's Grey Album, Which Samples Both Jay-Z And The Beatles Without Copyright Permission
"I think it was a really strong album. I champion any form of creativity. And that was a genius idea to do, and it sparked so many others like it. It's really good. ... I was honored someone took the time to mash those records up with Beatles records. I was honored to be on quote-unquote the same song with The Beatles."
On The Song 'December 4th'
One of the songs Jay-Z writes about extensively in the book is "December 4th" from The Black Album; the song is heavily autobiographical and features riffs by Jay-Z's own mother, Gloria Carter.
"I tricked her [into appearing on that]," he says. "I told her to meet me down at the studio and we were going to go to lunch. She came down to the studio, and I just brought the track up and I said, 'I just want you to talk on it.' Because I knew if I told her [she was going to be on the song], she'd get really nervous. [She said], 'What do you want me to say?' And the rest is history."
On Crotch-Grabbing In Rap Music
"In hip-hop, the music leads first. So usually, you have a hit record and then [the record executives] throw this person on stage who has never been on stage before. So they don't have any experience on how to perform in front of people, hold the mic — all these different things you need to know as a performer. So you get up there, you feel naked. So when you feel naked, what's the first thing you do? You cover yourself. So that bravado is an act of, 'I am so nervous right now. I am scared to death. I'm going to act so tough that I am going to hide it, and I have to grab my crotch.' That's just what happens."
On Misogynistic Rap Lyrics
"A lot of these albums are made when artists are young, 17 or 18 years old, so they've never had any real relationships. And if you come from the neighborhoods we're in, we have low esteem ourselves. And the women, well, the girls — they have low self-esteem as well. These are all dysfunctional relationships at a young age. The poet is pretty much [giving] his take on his dealings with girls at that time. He's not in a stable relationship; he's on the road. He's seeing girls who like him because he makes music. They spend one night together; he gets a phone number. He leaves for the next town and does the same thing over again."
On Using The Word 'Bitch' In '99 Problems'
"That was the writer in me being provocative, because that's what rap music should be at times. That was really directed to all of the people who hear buzz words in rap music — they hear 'bitch' or 'ho' or something and immediately dismiss everything else that takes place. And everything has to be put in context. And when you put it in context, you realize that I wasn't calling any female, besides a female dog, a 'bitch' on this song."
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.


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The Clean Home Your Family Deserves
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DNA Pro Cleaning And Restoration is the leading cleaning company offering hardwood floor cleaning in Herndon VA. Book Today!
Our timely cleaning minimizes disruptions to your day.
Cleanliness reflects positively on the home's owners.
The cleaning materials we use are all eco-friendly and pet-friendly.
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Although regular mopping and vacuuming is the best regular maintenance you can do, your expensive and beautiful hardwood floors need to be maintained professionally. DNA Pro Cleaning & Restoration offers state-of-the-art hardwood floor technologies that work effectively and beautifully on any type of pre-finished, polyurethane sealed or laminate hardwood floors.
Our cleaning process starts by first removing loose soil from the floor, and then cleaning the floor with a specialized cleaning pad attached to a rotary machine. Last, we'll polish the floor to help bring back the shine. Your floors will feel smooth and smell fresh, and, if properly maintained, can last forever.
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Herndon, VA, and surrounding areas are served by our hardwood floor cleaning service. Our locations can help you meet your needs no matter where you are!


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Penthouse 1502: Sweeping views, huge terrace, and a hot tub!
3 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
7 night minimums for XMAS week, NY week, and Spring Break
- Step inside this privately owned stunning penthouse, with upscale furnishings and you'll know you've made an excellent choice for your vacation at Villa La Estancia, situated on one of the most coveted stretch of beach in Cabo San Lucas, Medano Beach, where paradise awaits you!
- Then, step outside onto the large, fully furnished terrace equipped with a large dining table, chaise lounges, a wet bar, refrigerator, and gas grill for your dining enjoyment.
-Later in the evening enjoy the infinity hot tub to soak in the magnificent and endless views of the Sea of Cortez and the famous Land's End rock formation!
This stunning penthouse has it all!
Let your personal concierge arrange dinner reservations, excursions or shop for groceries! (extra charge for shopping and groceries)
There is a spacious living area with upscale furnishings. All rooms have flat screen TVs along with USA satellite and a stereo system which can be heard from all rooms as well as the outdoor terrace. Free incoming and outgoing calls to the USA is provided.
There are three bedrooms all which feature ensuite full bathrooms. There is a large study area which can be converted into a fourth bedroom utilizing the Murphy Bed.
The large contemporary kitchen is full equipped with a breakfast bar area, dining table, full size refrigerator, and many appliances. There is a fully stocked pantry area along with a full laundry room. The dring water is completely filtered throught the Villa Las Estancia complex.
Villa La Estancia is a 5-star resort located on Medano Beach, which is the only swimmable beach in Cabo San Lucas, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. The lavish Cabo resort affords guests all of the amenities of a 5-star resort while enjoying the comforts of your own home. Each villa is privately owned and the U-shaped design allows amazing views from wherever you are staying within the resort.
The U-shaped design of Villa La Estancia surrounds the Infinity Pool and affords all guests a beautiful glimmer of the sapphire blue Sea of Cortez or the gorgeous gardens. Building 1-enjoys views of the Land's End rock formation while Building 3-offers early risers a peek of the beautiful morning sun rise. Building 2 directly overlooks the lush gardens and the sparkling Sea. This ideal location is only a short walk away from the town of Cabo San Lucas. You can either walk the beach, the sidewalks, hop in a taxi or water taxi.
What they offer
- Catering available
- Concierge
- Guests furnish own meals
- Hotel
- Housekeeping included
- Massage
- Private chef
- Air conditioning
- Dryer
- Elevator
- Essentials
- Fitness room
- Garage
- Hair dryer
- Heating
- Ironing board
- Linens
- Living room
- Parking
- Shampoo
- Telephone
- Towels
- Washer
- Wireless Internet
- Beauty spa
- Church
- Cinema
- Coin laundry
- Duty-free
- Library
- Marina
- Museum
- Reef
- Restaurants
- Not necessary
- Deadbolt Lock on Entryway
- Emergency Exit Route
- DVD Player
- Satellite/cable television
- Stereo
- Television
- Fire Extinguisher
- First Aid Kit
- Coffee maker
- Dining area
- Dining room
- Dishwasher
- Microwave
- Oven
- Refrigerator
- Stove
- Toaster
- Utensils
- Beachcombing
- Bird watching
- Boating
- Disco
- Eco-tourism
- Gambling
- Horseback riding
- Naturism
- Paddle boating
- Photography
- Scenic drive
- Shopping
- Sightseeing
- Walking
- Water sports
- Whale watching
- Wildlife viewing
- Babysitting
- Fitness center
- Groceries
- Hospital
- Laundromat
- Massage therapist
- Medical services
- Beach
- Beach view
- Beachfront
- Downtown
- Near ocean
- Ocean view
- Oceanfront
- Resort
- Town
- Water view
- Waterfront
- Balcony
- Garden
- Gazebo
- Grill
- Kayak/canoe
- Outdoor Lighting
- Patio
- Tennis
- Veranda
- Communal pool
- Heated pool
- Hot tub
- Sauna
- Smoke Detector
- Cycling
- Deep sea fishing
- Equestrian events
- Fishing
- Golf
- Hiking
- Jet skiing
- Kayaking
- Mountain biking
- Mountain climbing
- Parasailing
- Sailing
- Scuba
- Snorkeling
- Surf fishing
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Tubing
- Water skiing
- Wind surfing
- Children welcome
- Event rental
- Minimum age limit
- Pets not allowed
- Smoking prohibited
- Wheelchair accessible
- Adventure
- Away-from-it-all
- Family
- Resort complex
- Romantic
- Spa
- Sports activities
- Tourist attractions
Terms & Conditions
Payment in full must be received sixty (60) days prior to occupancy.
A deposit (50% of rental rate) is required to officially reserve your reservation dates.
The damage waiver covers up to $1500 for damage above and beyond the normal wear and tear.
Upon receiving your booking a team member from Cabo Rentals by Jane will contact you to introduce themselves and ask if you have any questions. Also, she will inform you about other services offered. Once full payment has been made, a Guest Information Packet will be sent, via e-mail, prior to your arrival with your reservation number, instructions how to check in and details about the resort and area.
You may not assign your rights under this Agreement to any other person or entity, and you may not sublet your use of the Villa to any other person or entity.
Each villa should be set up with linens, towels, kitchen utensils and necessities, shampoo, conditioner, soap, toilet paper and hair dryers. Please note the following:
No pets allowed. Violators will be assessed a penalty fee and may be evicted from the property.
This is a non-smoking home. You are permitted to smoke outdoors on the terrace only. Any violation of the smoking policy will incur a $500 fine and if additional cleaning is necessary to remove smoke odor from the villa, charges will be assessed and applied to your credit card.
The whirlpool tub in the master bath is provided for the enjoyment of adult guests. Keep children away from the tub unless there is adult supervision.
Telephone service is local and emergency only. Please use a calling card or cell phone.
Check-in time is no earlier than 4 pm. There is only a 4 hour window to clean and set up for the next guests. Checkout time is no later than 11 am the day you are scheduled to leave.
Checkout procedures: Prior to checkout, please place all dishes in the dishwasher and lock all doors..
We will not be liable or responsible for personal items left behind, lost or stolen.
If you leave an item behind, please let us know as soon as possible and we will attempt to locate the item and arrange shipment to you.
You must be 25 years of age to rent this home and provide proof of age with a driver's license.
The villa has a maximum occupancy of six (6) guests. Renters who exceed the occupancy limit and falsify occupancy information at the time of reservation are subject to eviction and will be assessed a non-compliance fee.
Illegal substances are strictly prohibited and grounds for immediate eviction.
Any exceptions to the rules & regulations as written here, must be approved in advance.
Rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice.
Force Majeure. There may be circumstances beyond our control and contemplation, in which the property might not be available for your booking. Examples of these include (but are not limited to) destruction of or severe damage to the property. In the event of Force Majeure, we will do our best to make alternative arrangements for you where possible. If we cannot, or if the alternative arrangements are not acceptable to you, then we will refund all monies paid. This will be the full extent of our liability to you in such circumstances, and we will not be responsible for any other costs connected with any such cancellation, howsoever arising.INDEMNIFICATION You agree to indemnify and defend Villa Owners and hold them harmless from and against any and all claims, actions, damages, liability and expenses including, without limitation, court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees suffered, paid or incurred by Villa Owners (1) in connection with loss of life, personal injury and/or damage to or theft or misappropriation or loss of property occurring in or about, arising from or out of, the Villa or adjacent areas occasioned wholly or in part by any act or omission by you, your agents or invitees unless such claim, action, damage, liability or expense is the result of the intentional and willful misconduct or the gross negligence of the Villa Owners, or (2) from any breach or default on your part in the performance of any agreement on your part to be performed hereunder.
GOVERNING LAW The laws of the State of Illinois shall govern the validity and enforceability of this agreement. Jurisdiction and venue shall be deemed valid and appropriate in DuPage County, Illinois. I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS. I CERTIFY THAT I AM AT LEAST 25 YEARS OF AGE AND THAT I WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CARE OF THIS PROPERTY BEING RENTED UNDER MY NAME. I ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGES OR EXTRA CLEANING CHARGES, SHOULD THEY BE DISCOVERED DURING OR AFTER DEPARTURE.
Check-in / Check-out
Minimum stay: 3 nights Maximum stay: 21 nights Check-in time: 4:00 PM Check-out time: 11:00 AMAccomodations
- Villa La Estancia is a full ownership resort, not a time-share.
- All villas face the Sea of Cortez and surround the Infinity Pool in a "U" shape.
- Two BR Villas offer an A side (Master suite and living area) and B side (Guest suite). The 2 sides share a common terrace overlooking the pool & the Sea of Cortez.
- Larger villas and penthouses have individualized floor plans.
- Family room and bedrooms have TV's.
- Kitchens are fully equipped for cooking & dining including a side-by-side refrigerator with a water/ice dispenser.
- There is a wall safe in the closet in the master bedroom and guest suite for your valuables.
- There is a washer/dryer/laundry tub in every villa.
- Housekeeping comes every other day to change linens, clean bathrooms, etc.,
- Villas have large terraces with lounging, sitting, and dining table with chairs.
- Many villas have gas grills for your cooking pleasure.
- Please restrict all smoking to the terrace area only. Fines of $500 will be charged if smoking occurs in the villas.
- Air conditioners will not operate if the sliding door (s) is open.
- All Villas have full baths in all Bedrooms and a full guest bath off the living area.
- Master suites have Jacuzzi tubs.
- All villas have hair dryers, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, Kleenex & TP.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel more than 60 days before check-in, your deposit will be returned.
If you cancel less than 60 days before check-in, you will forfeit your deposit.
After the first day of the rental, there will be no refunds for any reason.
No credit will be given for shortened stays due to late arrival or early departure for any reason. There are no cancellations or credit due to weather or other conditions beyond the reasonable control of owner.
For Christmas and New Year's Rentals, reservations are ONLY refundable if the Villa can be re-rented at the same rate for the same dates.


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We provide basic camping equipment needed for the weekend (pictured below). You provide sheets, blankets, food and personal items.
Download the TOF Welcome Packet for a more detailed list of what we provide and what you should bring.
A 6 Person Tent, Propane Stove and Fuel, 2 Cooking Pots, 1 Frying Pan, 2 Cots, Tongs, Cooking Spoons, Spatula, 1 Foam Pad per Youth, Wash Basins, Broom, Dust Pan, Mallet, and Coffee Press (on request)
The cost is $75 per family (up to 6 individuals) which includes all park entry and camping fees.
You provide your own meals. Read the TOF Welcome Packet to find camp meal ideas.
Conclusion & Departure
Texas Outdoor Family camping workshops conclude with borrowed gear returned at or before 11am on Sunday. Your onsite Ranger will provide more details at the event.
Individual car camping sites for each family
Potable water at or near each campsite
Restrooms with hot showers
Overnight ranger presence for comfort and confidence
Activities Specific to this Workshop
Tent setup demonstration
Leave No Trace
Fire building
Night activity
Junior Ranger journal
Pets are not allowed on TOF camping workshops.
Weather and Cancellation
We recognize that the weather will impact your camping experience. TOF staff will notify you via email and telephone if your event cancels. If cancelled, we will add your reservation to our transfer list to be eligible for a future event, pending availability. Due to the state's process for handling funds, refunds cannot be offered.
All deposits are non-refundable; however, we will allow you to reschedule to another TOF Workshop if we are notified 10 business days prior to the arrival date. All cancellations within 10 business days or less of arrival date will result in a loss of payment; unless you provide documented circumstances of illness or emergency.
How to Register
Check availability and make an online reservation at your convenience. Click on this link to open the online reservations system.
Make a note of the workshop date – May 21st. It will be required on the next page to complete your reservation.
You also have the option to call (512) 389-8903 and speak to one of our "Texas Outdoor Family" customer service representatives Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
All reservations must be made by 1pm on the Wednesday prior to the event.


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If you're familiar with using a compass (the tool that points to magnetic north, not the one that makes circles) the concept of holding the device level makes sense. It must be level for the needle to balance and rotate freely. You just use your eyes to make sure you're holding the thing right. Now think of a digital compass. They work by measuring the pull of a magnetic field, and have no visual method of showing whether they're level or not. To ensure accurate readings you might use an accelerometer to compensate for a tilted magnetometer.
The process involves taking measurements from both an accelerometer and a magnetometer, then performing calculations with that data to get a true reading. Luckily the equations have been figured out for us and we don't need to get too deep into trigonometry. You will, however, need to use sine, cosine, and arctangent in your calculations. These should be available in your programming language of choice. Arduino (used here) makes use of the avr-libc math library to perform the calculations.


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Directed by Benny Zenga & Brian Vernor.
Four months on a bicycle between Cairo, Egypt and Cape Town South Africa is not your typical African safari.
En route with the Tour d' Afrique, the world's longest bicycle race and expedition, the Zenga Bros. (CAN) and Brian Vernor (USA) make light of this physically daunting trip by sharing a universal love of the bicycle with Africa's roadside mechanics, sporting racers, and innumerable curious strangers.
Traveling more than 70 miles per day, 50 racers and expedition riders experienced the boundless Nubian desert of Sudan, the great majesty of Victoria Falls, and finally the cold rush of the Atlantic Ocean.
Where Are You Go captures the 7,000 mile expedition as a constant adventure full of playfulness and mysterious beauty, and is a testament to the endurance of human curiosity.
Fotos © whereareyougo.com


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How Real-Time Communication Tools and APIs Help Reduce Wait Times
Thanks for reading this article! To better serve our readers, your position in our blog queue is No. 243.
Are you scowling at your monitor yet? If so, you understand the impact wait times (even relatively short ones) can have on a business, specifically where customer satisfaction is involved. More, you probably have an inkling that technology can help to reduce wait times. Real-time communication tools, API integration, and lots of other technology tools can turn wait time into face or phone time for your customers.
Here are some technological approaches you can take to reduce wait times.
Serving Customers Using Real-Time Communication Tools
Depending on your needs and operating size, something as simple as call waiting might be enough to stifle your waiting woes. Other organizations may need to deploy apps or whole call centers to meet this goal. Either way, the secret's in the balance between using technology to streamline the process without leaving customers overly reliant on nonhuman assets.
However, this can be tricky in practice. If you've ever repeatedly shouted, "Agent!" at an uncaring interactive voice response system, you know what that means.
Wait time can also be described as a business's inability to keep up with customer demand for sales or service. Until recently, overcoming that meant building complex call centers or contracting with third-party call center partners, both of which may have severe financial or service-related downsides to consider.
Today, things are different. For instance, the right contact center tools automate and simplify much of the call center creation process, allowing companies to expand or retool with fewer expenses and far less hassle than the best practices of the past.
Scaling for a Better Customer Experience
Scalability is a concern for companies looking to expand their traditional call centers in increments. Where adding to an in-house PBX could incur significant expense and hassle, implementing modernized cloud-based call center solutions generally requires only an internet connection and phones. This makes adding just the right number of agents easier and simpler, which in turn helps combat hold times without overspending — striking the right balance on both sides of the call line.
Sometimes handling the demands of modern customer service means building a stronger network infrastructure. Some retailers, for example, use SIP trunking to make sure that customer calls go through without a hitch during peak periods like the holiday season. This resolves the frustrating problem of encountering a busy signal or dropped call, making life easier for everyone involved by creating a smoother, more satisfying customer experience.
Achieving Balance With API Integration
Technology has created a need for new models and channels for customer service, too. These tech-influenced customer expectations extend beyond the traditional definition of sales and service. If a particular solution reduces the time a customer spends in or around your establishment, it's probably going to be a hit even if the wait prior to the improvement was an expected part of the deal.
These ideas culminate in the API, a tool that has largely laid the groundwork for the digital era. By providing powerful pre-built tools and features that can be implemented in applications, APIs provide a democratizing effect for apps from companies of all sizes. For just one example of the API's power and convenience, an organization could use a Google Maps API to cheaply include a store locator in its app, all without having to program its own complicated route-finding software.
Now consider how API integration can reduce wait times. Say a food service enterprise already employs advanced real-time communication tools in its call center, but it wants to affordably modernize wait times even further. The enterprise could use a communications API to offer customers online ordering options, reducing the cost of implementation, the total cost of ownership, and customer wait times. In other words, APIs give customers tools to reduce wait times without taking standard ordering options away from customers with different preferences.
A combination of modernized old-school tools and new-school technological approaches can help remove unnecessary waits and trim down more resource-intensive aspects of doing business.
Endless Possibilities for On-Demand Customer Service
APIs are endlessly versatile. A company could offer omnichannel communications from within a customer rewards app, implement one-button sales calling from a website, or search a customer's itinerary for the best time to schedule a complex service visit — making calls to a pre-built selection of API tools instead of developing them from the ground up.
APIs can deliver timely customer notifications, too. A dentist's office, for example, can automatically send a reminder about an upcoming or rescheduled appointment via SMS, eliminating the need for a patient to call the practice. A flower shop can use the same technology to let a customer know that their bouquet has arrived, so the customer doesn't have to call to check on the status of their delivery. The customer gets the convenient experience of top-notch, on-demand service, and the business can cost-effectively and efficiently provide it.
Wait Times: Today's Business Tech Challenge
Whether they're a new challenge or a long-time burden for your business, wait times are increasingly less acceptable in the convenience-based digital era. A combination of modernized old-school tools (call centers with real-time communication features) and new-school technological approaches (customer-friendly apps with the right selection of APIs) can help remove unnecessary waits and trim down more resource-intensive aspects of doing business. This makes wait times a natural area of focus for companies looking to add a layer of polish to their experience — as anyone who has been No. 243 in the phone queue will tell you, too much of a good thing can definitely apply to demand.


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Yes you heard it right, all BlogSpot blogs will now be able to display a dynamic count for individual pageviews. We can now easily create this post view counter without worrying about servers or server code. With a free service like Firebase you can now create dynamic and data-driven plugins for blogger without worrying about backend development. Firebase was launched in April 2012 and since then it had been the hub for developers. Amazingly this free plan gives you 10GB Free bandwidth and 5GB Free storage. Which in our case is more than required! We had been lucky to utilize this free service for blogger platform and create some amazing scripts with the help of our developer Ahmed Nasir. Today's tutorial will help you to install a dynamic script that will automatically increment its initial count value when a visitor views your blog posts. The counter data will be stored on a free database provided by Firebase. Lets first see a demo!
UPDATE: Unfortunately firebase is no more free now, its Hacker free plan allows only 50 Max Connections which means it will work for small blogs with just less than 100 visitors per day
Note: The postviews count wont change when you refresh the blog homepage but it will change only when you visit individual posts.
1. Create your Firebase Account
In order to gain access to a free database and be able to keep a backup of your postviews counter data, you must sign up for a free account at Firebase.
Fill up the easy steps sensibly and then once your account has been activated, you must create your first Firebase database.
2. Create a Firebase Database
You can create 2 firebases. At present just create one, we will guide you later in coming posts about amazing things you can play with this free service.
- Towards the bottom right side of your account, you will find the following submit box.
2. Inside this box input your website name. In my case I inserted mybloggertricks and this generated the following firebase URL: https://mybloggertricks.firebaseio.com
3. Finally hit the create button and note down your firebase URL because we would need it later in this tutorial.
3. Installing Postviews Plugin
- Go To Blogger > Template
- Backup your template
- Click Edit HTML
- Tick the box "Expand widget Templates"
- Search for ]]>
- Just above it paste the following CSS code:
/*-------- Post Views ----------*/
#views-container {
width: 85px;
float: right;
}.mbtloading {
background: url('https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHYkd_OUt2PdAsKRVoAXdwZzn1_uD9adlxAgcQ6nv0Cj96_7rXYabsfiM_XhW7Q-odBUlqPtlnwqr-ljQvwhyphenhyphen-PEC-yupuTEjvLpt3nEFMkfqnqAgl4mDZ4lhrCzLF5hYf0JG7Od-Pc4e/s320/mbtloading.gif') no-repeat left center;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
}.viewscount {
float: right;
color: #EE5D06;
font: bold italic 14px arial;
}.views-text {
float: left;
font: bold 12px arial;
color: #333;
background: url('https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9xFG-WYx_ddHQtKxvNA87IW9Cl3NTTLL7YhyucP3cZoAgN9hS4liEveFAMm_Rt_4cbva4HitGTArBH-RsMtX6EcZEtZvEyS5DoJlZ4ejls5ZU47F06A2jSA0dVkE6U988XUp6qGLQBzv/s1600/postviews.png') no-repeat left;
border: 0px;
display: block;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
float: left;
padding: 0px 2px;
- To change the text color of the numeric count, edit #EE5D06
- To change the plugin alignment, change right to left.
7. Next search for  and just above it paste the following JavaScript code:

11. Hit save and you are all done!
Visit your blog and press F5 (refresh page) to see the counts dancing just perfectly! :)
Developers and niche bloggers are most welcome to share this Plugin with their readers and friends. Please attribute the credits back to MBT blog as the only favor in return. It takes hours of efforts to write and debug these scripts. This plugin comes under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Need help?
We just hope this plugin adds new fuel to your blogger powered blogs. We tried best to keep it working as efficient as possible. You wont run out of bandwidth as long as you create your own Firebase accounts and not use ours (our firebase url).
This plugin will display views only once pages are visited. It is not synchronized with your Google analytics stats data, therefore it will only display correct views for the new posts that you publish.
Let me know if you needed any help. We have some more interesting scripts coming up this week. Stay tuned! Peace and blessings buddies :)
Don't forget to try:
If you don't want to get yourself into Serious Technical Trouble while editing your Blog Template then just sit back and relax and let us do the Job for you at a fairly reasonable cost. Submit your order details by Clicking Here »


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Penelope Umbrico: Photographs, Aperture, 2011
Penelope Umbrico (photographs) offers a radical reinterpretation of everyday consumer and vernacular images. Umbrico works "within the virtual world of consumer marketing and social media, traveling through the relentless flow of seductive images, objects, and information that surrounds us, searching for decisive moments—but in these worlds, decisive moments are cultural absurdities." She finds these moments in the pages of consumer product mail-order catalogs, travel and leisure brochures; and websites like Craigslist, EBay, and Flickr. Identifying image typologies—candy-colored horizons and sunsets, books used as props—brings the farcical, surreal nature of consumerism to new light.
Penelope Umbrico (photographs) presents a unique approach to quintessential issues of representation in contemporary culture, including how images are used to construct and communicate consumer desire, and whether or not the growing volume of images we view online fosters a critical visual literacy. This volume, Umbrico's first monograph, is accompanied by a series of essays, appendices of source material, excerpts from theoretical works, and other material serving as resources for engaging further with the work and issues involved.
Order Penelope Umbrico: Photographs at Aperture


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Great content, like great design, is still vitally important. But can you imagine the internet without Google (or other search engines)? How less valuable would all that content be if we didn't have such a tool to sort through it all? It's not content that makes Google.com the most-visited web site; it's the site's ability to make others' content more useful.
Is there a similar role in our industry? Program management comes to mind. Clients sometimes hire firms to provide overall guidance and coordination for large, complex programs. Construction management can serve a similar role in the construction phase of projects. But most A/E firms don't provide either service. Is there a Google-like, value-added service opportunity available for them?
Yes there is--project management. You doth protest? I realize that project management in many cases has been more commoditized than design services. Some clients seemingly don't want to pay for it, banishing it as a line item in the project budget. So how can I mention this as a value-added service?
Consider the role of the project manager. He or she (with the project team's help) diagnoses the problem, pulls together the best available resources to address it, develops the right solution, then delivers it to the client. The PM is an integrator, drawing from multiple disciplines, perspectives, and skill sets, and bringing the right mix to the client.
With a little imagination, that's not too far from what Google does for us on the internet. We plug in the search terms (problem) and Google tries to bring the best match (solution) to our desktop. It employs a team (multiple computers, web bots) to filter thousands of possible sources (potential alternatives) to narrow our choices, using ranking criteria, and help us arrive at the best answer.
Design services are delivered through the PM somewhat like internet content is delivered through Google (work with me here). Sounds good in concept. So why isn't project management more highly valued by clients?
First let me suggest that clients don't value project management more highly because they usually don't see it done all that well. In a recent survey by Morrisey-Goodale, project management received an "A" grade from only 7% of clients, the lowest score among 13 service factors. Project managers, not surprisingly, didn't fare much better, with 12% receiving the highest grade.
Complaints about project management are widespread. In client surveys I've conducted for various firms, the vast majority of criticisms relate to the project management role. Project managers commonly fail to communicate adequately, clearly understand client expectations, respond promptly to client concerns, and effectively coordinate with their project team.
These shortcomings, I believe, contribute substantially to the commoditization of our core services. Think about it: If a trip to the store yields slow service and poor product knowledge, what do you expect? Great prices. On the other hand, there are many examples of stores that can charge more for their products because they provide great service and expert advice.
Are those not attributes of the strong project manager--great service and expert advice? Will clients pay a premium for a premier project manager? Yes, many of them will. If you're like most firms, your most profitable clients are usually those who have a solid relationship with the project manager. That relationship is the value-added product that too many A/E firms seem to underestimate.
Obviously, it won't be easy to persuade clients that your project management is a premium product. They've been programmed to expect too little. You'll have to demonstrate the difference. Let me suggest some core qualities of the high-impact project manager:
- Trusted advice. Provides great counsel, broad insight, problem-solving ability. Doesn't necessarily have to have extraordinary expertise, but knows how to effectively pull together the know-how and skills that are needed.
- Client focus. Makes the client, not the work, the center of every project. Understands the client's business, technical needs, personal expectations. Tailors service delivery to the unique needs of each client.
- Proactive communication. Keeps in regular contact with the client, providing advance notice of changes or developing issues or concerns. Makes the same commitment to the project team, including outside subcontractors and stakeholders.
- Active collaboration. No mavericks here; understands the value of cooperative problem solving and solution development, both with the client and with the team. Integrates multiple perspectives, disciplines, and services to deliver the best possible outcomes.
- Disciplined performance. Routinely tracks progress and metrics to ensure that the project fully satisfies contract requirements and client expectations. Minimizes surprises, delays, budget overruns, mistakes.
- Inspired team contributions. Knows how to get the best out of project team members, providing strong leadership and motivation to perform at a high level. Develops people as part of doing projects so that their value on future projects grows.
There are other attributes I could name, but these comprise a worthy goal. A tall order to achieve these? Yes indeed. But you don't have to perfect these to stand out because most firms seem to accept the status quo for project management. You can go further and make project management your most prized product. Then see if the value of your design services doesn't increase as a result. You might call it the Google Effect.


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Buried in 1743...discovered in 1913
TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY YEARS AGO, French explorers named Verendrye buried a lead plate on a hill. They were among the first white men to set foot in a land that would later be known as South Dakota.
One hundred years ago, Ethel Parish and two friends found the plate while playing on a sunny February day on a hill over Fort Pierre. Their discovery caused historians to rethink their accounts of white man's arrival in this region. The plate captured the imaginations of South Dakotans then, and it has remained one of the state's most treasured museum pieces ever since.
When we visited her in 1989, Ethel Parish Hepner Roberts remembered the day well. She was enjoying an afternoon outdoors with Harriet "Hattie" Foster and George O'Reilly. "It was a Sunday and it was nice and warm, just a little snow," she recalled. "Hattie happened to notice something sticking out of the ground. She kicked it with her toe but it wouldn't budge."
Their curiosity piqued, the youths dug until they unearthed a flat, rectangular plate. "George scraped off the gumbo with his knife and we saw the writing on it. If we had studied our history, we should have probably known what it was. But we just threw it down and went on playing."
The three agreed that George would try to sell it for scrap at the local print shop, where lead was always in demand for the hungry letterpress. Fortunately, on his way home that Sunday evening, he crossed paths with two state legislators, Elmer Anderson of Willow Lake and George White of Kennebec. George told them about the unusual plate and together they returned to the hill and brought the mysterious piece to town.
Doane Robinson, superintendent of the State Historical Society, was promptly notified. Mr. Robinson, a noted historian and researcher, had studied and written of the La Verendrye expedition. Almost immediately, he recognized the origin of the dirty tablet.
"On Monday, some men came to our schoolhouse and took us to the Sylvan Hotel in Pierre, where they questioned us about what we found and how we happened to find it," said Mrs. Roberts. She did not recall who asked the questions, but one of the men was surely the inquisitive Mr. Robinson.
Historians had long disputed the route of the famous La Verendryes. Some claimed the explorers never came as far south as present-day South Dakota, but Mr. Robinson argued that they had. Of course, he felt his version of the Verendrye route was proved by the physical evidence of the plate, which was mentioned in a journal kept during the expedition.
The journal entry states, "I placed on an eminence near the fort (their camp) a tablet of lead, with the arms and inscription of the king and a pyramid of stones for Monsieur Le General; I said to the savages, who did not know of the tablet of lead I had placed in the earth, that I was placing these stones as a memorial of those who had come to their country."
As news of the schoolchildren's discovery was publicized in 1913, it rekindled interest in the dramatic events that led to the settling of the West. Since the plate identified a major landmark of the Verendrye travels, historians reopened their files on the exploration. Still, controversy continued. Some said, for example, that the plate may have been discovered in the 18th or 19th century by Indians and moved to the Fort Pierre hilltop.
Mr. Robinson minced no words in responding to that theory. He wrote, "To suggest that this plate might have been planted at a distant point, recovered by Indians and carried to the mouth of the Bad River (at Fort Pierre) there to be fortuitously dropped upon this eminence (Verendrye Hill) precisely complying with the conditions of the record is a refinement of criticism approaching absurdity."
HISTORY BOOKS WRITTEN SINCE that sunny February Sunday in 1913 note that while the Verendryes were probably not the first white men to arrive here — most historians believe French fur traders made brief excursions within the state's borders perhaps as early as 1679 — the three children's discovery provided a marker that symbolizes a new era on this part of the Western prairie.
Finding the plate had little impact on Ethel Parish's young life. It was just another episode in an adventure that began in 1905 when her parents, Ivan and Amanda Rosetta Parish, came from Wisconsin to South Dakota. Her father worked for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and he accepted an assignment as stationmaster and track repairman at Teton, South Dakota. After a few years at Teton, Mr. Parish filed as a homesteader on a claim near Hayes. By 1913, the Parish family had moved again, to the cow town of Fort Pierre.
She and her five brothers and sisters enjoyed their freedoms, They picked wild plums, grapes and buffalo berries. They found two coyote cubs and played with them just as if they were dogs, "until they got older and grew mean. One day they just disappeared… imagine my father had something to do with that." She remembered picking wildflowers that grew in the hills — but not the gorgeous blooms on the cactus. "They were untouchable, we learned that." She and the other children watched cowboys load and unload cattle at the stockyards, and one of the men taught her to speak some of the Sioux language. At age 90, she still remembered how to count to ten in the Dakotas' native tongue.
With all the excitement of pioneer living, Ethel Parish didn't give a lot of thought to the lead plate she had found with her friends. Shortly after the discovery, her father moved the family south to Vilas, a tiny Miner County town. She got a job in Bill Hepner's general store and soon their relationship blossomed beyond employer-employee. Bill and Ethel married in 1916 and they honeymooned by auto in the northern Black Hills, at a time when the mountains were not yet accommodating to tourists. Together, they ran the Vilas store, selling groceries, farm implements, hardware and even friction-driven Metz automobiles. Bill was also the postmaster and he operated the telephone exchange. As their four children grew older, they helped run the family business, "especially the candy counter," she chuckled. After Bill died in 1969, Ethel continued to serve as the Vilas postmaster for several years. In 1971, she married Levi Roberts, a longtime family friend. He died in 1974 and she lived alone at Vilas until she moved to the Good Samaritan Nursing Home at nearby Howard in the mid 1980s.
Ethel never saw friends George and Hattie after she left Fort Pierre as a 14-year-old. When the South Dakota State Legislature appropriated $700 to purchase the Verendrye plate from the finders, no one knew where she'd gone. The money was awarded to the others — George received $500, Hattie just $200.
Ethel also lost credit for the find. Although townspeople knew there was a third teenager on the hill, the name was not always remembered accurately and other Fort Pierre youngsters occasionally were listed with George and Hattie. She was not invited to a 1933 dedication in Fort Pierre of a monument marking the spot where she had found the Verendrye plate, nor was she in attendance at a 1943 ceremony marking the 200th anniversary of the Verendrye expedition.
The state's lack of interest in her association with the discovery meant little to her, she said. But when Ethel's children grew to adulthood and found their mother was not being properly recognized for her role, they told state officials of the mix-up. Today you can see the Verendrye plate that Ethel, Hattie and George found so long ago at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.
Copyright © 1989, South Dakota Magazine


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The case was made long ago that Fox News is a blight on the media map. It is bad for journalism. It is bad for Democracy. It is bad for America. A so-called "news" network that repeatedly misinforms, even deliberately disinforms, its audience is failing any test of public service embodied by an ethical press.
I, personally, have made the case for an embargo of Fox News by Democrats and progressives (see Starve the Beast: Part I, Part II, Part III), documenting via studied analysis that there is no affirmative value to appearing on Fox News – a network that has established itself as overtly hostile to the Democratic message and its messengers.
See also:
As Fox News Goes Up, The GOP Goes Down. |
However, there is another side to this that has not been addressed previously. Republicans might be well advised to avoid Fox News as well. There is a case to be made that Fox News is demonstrably harmful to the Republican Party. In fact, it may be the worst thing to happen to Republicans in decades. That may seem counter-intuitive when discussing Fox News, the acknowledged public relations division of the Republican Party. Fox has populated its air with right-wing mouthpieces and brazenly partisan advocates for a conservative Republican agenda. They read GOP press releases on the air verbatim as if they were the product of original research. They provide a forum where Republican politicians and pundits can peddle their views unchallenged. So how is this harmful to Republicans?
If all we were witnessing was the emergence of a mainstream conservative network that aspired to advance Republican themes and policies, there would not be much of note here. Most of the conventional media was already center-right before there was a Fox News. But Fox has corralled a stable of the most disreputable, unqualified, extremist, lunatics ever assembled, and is presenting them as experts, analysts, and leaders. These third-rate icons of idiocy are marketed by Fox like any other gag gift (i.e. pet rocks, plastic vomit, Sarah Palin, etc.). So while most Americans have never heard of actual Republican party bosses like House Minority Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, posers like Joe the Plumber and Carrie Prejean have become household names.
Fox News has descended into depths heretofore reserved for fringe characters. They are openly promoting the wackos who believe that President Obama is ineligible to hold office because he isn't a U.S. citizen. They feature commentaries by secessionists and even those calling for an overthrow of the government and the Constitution. This explains how folks like Ralph Peters, a retired military officer who said that the Taliban captors of a U.S. Soldier would be saving us a lot of trouble and expense if they would just kill him, earn airtime on Fox. Peters previously told Fox News that he favors military strikes against media targets. This explains how Glenn Beck can agree with a guest that it would be a good thing if America were attacked again by Osama bin Laden. And don't even get me started on Victoria Jackson, who has joined an ever-lengthening line of psycho-Chicken Littles who compare the President to Hitler.
Good Advice:
"If crazy ideologues have infiltrated the news business, we need to know about it." ~ Bill O'Reilly, 7/16/09 |
The list of loonies extends to politicians like Michele Bachmann, entertainers like Ted Nugent, and of course, the talk show pundits like Rush Limbaugh, whose maniacal rantings are elevated by Fox into their version of political dialogue. It's a dialogue that is consumed with ACORN conspiracies and Manchurian presidents. The problem is that by elevating bona fide nutcases, they are debasing honest and informed discourse. The mental cases are crowding out any reasonable voices that might exist amongst the more moderate Republicans (if there are any left). Fox appears to have made a tactical decision to permit the inmates full run of the asylum.
As a result, the Fox News audience is being dumbed down by a parade of paranoid know-nothings. This strategy appears to be successful for Fox in that it has attracted a loyal viewership that is eager to have their twisted preconceptions affirmed. The conflict-infused fare in which Fox specializes is a ratings juggernaut – just like any good fiction. However, this perceived popularity is having an inordinate impact on the GOP platform. By doubling down on crazy, Fox is driving the center of the Republican Party further down the rabid hole. They are reshaping the party into a more radicalized community of conspiracy nuts. So even as this helps Rupert Murdoch's bottom line, it is making celebrities of political bottom-feeders. That can't be good for the long-term prospects of the Republican Party.
With the Fox network unabashedly promoting the most ridiculous rumors, myths, and nightmares of the rightist fringe, moderate and independent Americans will grow ever more suspicious of the Fox/GOP agenda. Most Americans do not believe that Sonia Sotomayor is a racist; or that FEMA is constructing concentration camps; or that we are on a march toward socialism, communism, fascism, or whatever the right is peddling this week. Most Americans do not believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim, a reptilian alien, or the anti-Christ. In short, most Americans think that the loopy yarns spun by Fox News are fables told by madmen – and believed by even madder men and women who wallow in their doomsday utopia.
Fox News is fond of boasting about their ratings dominance. It is a daily occurrence and the structural core of their argument that they reflect the mood of America. The GOP has bought this argument in its entirety. So it is important to note here that success in the Nielsen ratings has no correlation to public opinion polling. The ratings only measure the program choices of Nielsen's survey participants. That is a subset of the population at large, and not a particularly representative one. It is a sample focused on consumers, not voters. And its respondents are just those willing to have their TV viewing monitored 24 hours a day, which skews the sample in favor of people who aren't creeped out by that. What's more, viewing choices are not necessarily an endorsement of the opinions presented in the program. There are many reasons people choose to watch TV shows, the most frequent being its entertainment value. So any attempt to tie ratings to partisan politics is a foolish exercise that demonstrates a grievous misunderstanding of the business of television.
As for what constitutes success in the television marketplace, due to the broad diversification of available programming, it doesn't take much to be heralded as a hit. A mere 3 share (3% of people watching TV) will land you in the top 10. For cable news the bar is set even lower. In fact, the top rated show on the top rated cable news network (The O'Reilly Factor) only gets about 3 million viewers. That's less than 1% of the American population. It's also less than World Wrestling Entertainment, SpongeBob SquarePants, and the CBS Evening News (the lowest rated broadcast network news program). By contrast, America's Got Talent is seen by 12 million viewers – four times O'Reilly's audience.
Numbers this low ought not to inspire much excitement from political operatives. Nevertheless, Republicans are riding the coattails of Fox News as if it were representative of a booming conservative mandate in the electorate. They are embracing Fox's most delusional eccentrics. This is leading to the promotion of similar eccentrics within the party. Which brings us the absurd spectacle of the network's nuts interviewing the party's pinheads.
The inevitable result of this system of rewarding those farthest from reality is the creation of a constituency of crackpots. It is an endorsement of the philosophy brewed by the Tea Baggers that espouses racism, tyranny, and armed revolt. It is enabling a frightening corps of openly militant adversaries of democracy, free speech, and Constitutional rule. It is the sort of environment that produced the murders of Dr. George Tiller and Holocaust Museum guard Stephen Johns.
This is a textbook example of how the extreme rises to the top. It is also fundamentally contrary to the interests of the Republican Party. The more the population at large associates Republican ideology with the agenda of Fox News, and the fringe operators residing there, the more the party will be perceived as out of touch, or even out of their minds. It seems like such a waste after all of the effort and expense that Fox put into building a pseudo-journalistic enterprise with the goal of confounding viewers with false news-like theatrics.
Make no mistake, Fox News is still managed by hard core party patrons. And I'm not referring just to opinion-driven commentators like Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity, although they are bad enough. No, I am talking about executives and editors like CEO, Roger Ailes, former Nixon and Bush media consultant. I'm talking about Washington Managing Editor and VP, Bill Sammon, an avid right-wing alum of the Washington "Moonie" Times. I'm talking about Business News Chief and VP, Neil Cavuto, antagonistic interrupter extraordinaire. And let us not forget the head hype-master, Rupert Murdoch, whose UK operations were just discovered to have been unlawfully wiretapping celebrities, politicians, and even members of the Royal Family. Augmenting that executive roster are the GOP regulars who are straight out of the just retired Republican White House: Karl Rove, Dana Perino, John Bolton, Dan Senor, and Linda Chavez. And then there are the Fox News clowns…er…"contributors" like Dick Morris, Ann Coulter, Fred Barnes, Charles Krauthammer, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Bernie Goldberg, Michele Malkin, and on and on. If nothing else, Fox is a full-employment program for rightist weasels (and they also operate the Conservative Book Promotion Club).
The mission of Fox News from its inception was to be more than just a voice of opposition to Democrats. It was to utterly crush the left end of the political spectrum leaving only a teetering right wing with no counter balance. Yet, despite the torrid embrace between Republicans and Fox News, it is apparent that Fox is the source of a sort of friendly fire that is decimating the GOP by exalting its most outlandish and unpopular players. And since Republicans have not been particularly popular anyway lately, the anchor being thrown to them by Fox can't be all that helpful – – – Except to Democrats.


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This PNM nozzle will cut from 3 - 6mm.
For a full technical download click here:Esab_Nozzles.pdf


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Quit Your Slave Job! (And Live Your Dream Life)
By Eric Dubay
Video Below – If every day you go to someone else's establishment, work on their schedule, do everything they say, and make money for them, then I'm sorry to bear bad news, but you might be a slave. If you often awake to an alarm clock smothering your dreams to death with a pillow then you very well might be a slave. If you went into debt so you could spend the best years of your life qualifying for a piece of paper to qualify for a salary-wage job, then you're likely a slave. Even if you work in a fancy high-rise building, a compartmentalized neck-tie drone in some sociopathic hierarchy, you might still just be an office slave, an expendable rung on the corporate ladder.
No matter how attractive the position, whenever you work for someone else, your financial means of subsistence, your ability to provide food, water, and shelter for your family, is completely in the hands of another person. Regardless of pension promises or signed contracts, the real fact of the matter is there is no "job security" in working for someone else. If at any time for any reason the boss has a problem with you, the market goes south, your contract's over, the clientele fades, the account goes red, or the business goes belly-up, then you're high and dry on your way to becoming an unemployment statistic. Tenures get overturned, pensions get sucked away, and promises of rich retirements are rarely worth the wait. Real job security and financial freedom means owning your own business (and refusing to pay any taxes, fees or fines from the mafia government that wants to keep you their slave).
The only true success that exists is when we find a way to make a living doing exactly what we want. When you wake up every morning and create your day exactly how you dream it to be, that is success. When your passion and your work are aligned, when you would do your job for free because you like it so much, that is success. The root of "work" and "worship" are the same, and if you're living your dreams aligned with your passions, doing what you were placed here on Earth to do, then your work really is like your worship, your service to the world.
Slave jobs are great for when you need quick reliable short-term income to get back on your feet or gather start-up capital for your next venture, but remaining someone's slave for too long, even high-paid lap-dogs will eventually wish to leave their master. No matter how attractive the position, whenever you work for someone else, you will always be selling your time wholesale to someone who is profiting from you retail. No boss can afford to pay any employee the amount of money which that employee brings to the company, as that would cause the business to bankrupt. The only way to run a profitable business is to pay employees less than they're worth, usually far less. So if you are working for someone else, your financial stability is completely in their hands, and it is guaranteed that they are paying you less than you are worth.
You can't just up and quit your slave job without some serious planning and hard work though. There are several steps that all wage slaves must take before riding the entrepreneurial underground railroad to financial freedom.
The first step to quitting your slave job and manifesting your dream lifestyle is getting a clear picture of your life's purpose. What were you born to do? What makes you happy? What is your true passion? What would you like to spend your days doing? If money wasn't an issue, what would you do with your life? Once the answers to those questions form a clear image in your head, step two is imagining and creating a product or service aligned with your purpose. For instance, if your absolute favorite thing in life is skateboarding, always has been and always will be, it makes you happy and it's your favorite way to spend your time, then your step one is simple and complete. Your step two would be deciding what marketable aspect of your passion appeals most to you. Would you like to open a skate shop? Would you like to manufacture skateboards? Would you like to design them? Would you like to teach skating? Would you like to make skating videos or start a skating magazine? How would you most like to express your passion and how can you use it to enrich, inspire, empower and add value to others?
Once your vision is clear, step three is to get free of all debt. If you quit your slave job but still owe debts to the bank or anyone else, then you are no less of a slave. So it is crucial that you pay off all your debts (and don't take on any more!) To pay off your debts, you must make sure your monthly expenditures always remain lower than your monthly slave income. If your expenditures are too high you must find ways to thriftily cut corners so that you can always stay in the black. Calculate your slave salary minus your monthly expenses equals the amount you can put away each month towards your debt. Also note that if you are able to pay ahead on the principle (and not just the monthly minimum) you can exponentially cut down the total interest due.
Once you are debt free, step four is to take the difference between your slave salary and your monthly expenditures and start saving it! You will need to save up enough money to cover two important costs: the start-up expenses for your entrepreneurial venture, and a savings safety net to fall back on. To calculate your start-up costs add up all the expenses you will need to create and get your product or service on the market. This includes things like materials, advertizing, transportation, consultations, shipping, rentals, any and all potential expenses necessary to start your venture. Beyond this you will also need a savings safety net, enough money to cover your living expenses for several months kept away as an emergency fund in case any unexpected problems arise (which they will). Calculate your average monthly living expenses and save at least 3-12 times that for use if you're ever having trouble living off your business' income alone.
While in the saving phase, now is the time to start your business. If you quit your job first then try to start your venture, it will likely fail to bring in enough reliable income to sustain you, since building a reliable, sustainable income usually takes time. So you will essentially have to work two jobs for a while; your slave job from 9-5, and your dream job from 5-9 (and make sure to get enough sleep in there somewhere). If your business sells a product then you will need to start manufacturing, advertizing, and making sales whenever possible in your down-time. If your business sells a service you will need to refine, advertize and start providing your service on nights and weekends (or whenever you are free). This process of promotion and building a loyal customer base could feasibly take anywhere from a couple months to a couple years.
Advertizing and self-promotion is usually the most difficult, most time and money-consuming part of growing a successful business, but it is also the most important, because without finding some reliable and effective advertizing methods, you will never secure a stable customer base. Once word spreads and repeat sales start coming in, the final step to financial freedom is growing the monthly income from your business until it exceeds your monthly living expenses. When you're making all the money you need to sustain yourself from your own business then you're ready! It's time to quit your slave job and live your dream life!
Life is too beautiful to waste living for someone else. Work and play are too important to be separated. If you love your job so much that you would do it for free then you are certainly on the right path, but anything less than that is selling yourself short. When people say "there just aren't enough good jobs," or when governments and corporations act like they're economic saviors by "creating jobs" for us, I can't help but laugh at the fact that there are, have always been, and always will be just as many "jobs" as there are people on the planet! If you have two functioning arms and half a brain then there will always be work that you can do. What the governments and corporations won't tell you is that it's up to you to create your own job, find your own niche passion, add value to the market, and that's the reality of "job creation." Being "employed" means being a slave, so don't worry about the ever-rising "unemployment rate." In a perfect world every single person would be unemployed (and unemployable!) because they are already making an income doing exactly the work that they worship.


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GTA 5 gets three new screens: see every reveal image here
Grand Theft Auto 5 just received a second trailer. You might have heard. Rockstar has just released every screen from its recent gameplay reveal coverage so far in glorious HD, along with three new shots that show off beach markets, quad biking and a stunning viewpoint. Get them all below.


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When Has A Statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee Killed A Black Person? [Video]
I explain what cultural-Marxists don't want you to focus on.
Help share this video. Every $10 helps shares this video 1,000 times.
About the Author
Mychal Massie
Mychal S. Massie is an ordained minister who spent 13 years in full-time Christian Ministry. Today he serves as founder and Chairman of the Racial Policy Center (RPC), a think tank he officially founded in September 2015. RPC advocates for a colorblind society. He was founder and president of the non-profit "In His Name Ministries." He is the former National Chairman of a conservative Capitol Hill think tank; and a former member of the think tank National Center for Public Policy Research. Read entire bio here


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Books Read:
16. Steal It Back — Sandra Simonds
17. Further Problems with Pleasure — Sandra Simonds
18. Ariel — Sylvia Plath
19. My Ariel — Sina Queyras
Kilometres Ran:
week fifteen — 66.0
To date: 630 KM
It's National Poetry Month. Why April, you may ask? I did. Seems it was started when in 1996 some members of the Academy of American Poets gave away copies of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land outside of a New York post office. Canada NPMed two years later, making this the 20th annual celebration of April cruelty. I've celebrated by reading less poetry than I have since I started keeping track of my annual failure to read 95 Books in one year. I've followed Sandra Simonds on social media for a while. The other day she suggested to me on Goodreads that I might like her new collection Orlando and I thought that maybe I should read some of her already published stuff so I picked up Steal it Back and Further Problems with Pleasure, both of which, I should add, come with five-star reviews on Goodreads from Simonds herself. Who am I to argue? As it happens, I like both very much. Last fall one of my favourite people I've never actually met Sina Queyras AKA Lemon Hound released My Ariel, which Coach House described as "a poem-by-poem engagement with Sylvia Plath's Ariel" so I decided that I should revisit Plath (whom I haven't read since undergrad a lifetime ago) and also decided (since no one could have possibly thought of this before me) that I would read Plath and then the corresponding Queyras, which lasted all of three poems since Coach House are liars. Not to take anything away from Queyras; these poems are pretty great. These aren't happy poems, but neither are the referral materials.
Don't call it a resolution but this year I wanted to at least try to once in a while be a bit social and over a quarter into 2018 I haven't done a very well so I decided this week that I would join the Vancouver Running Co. Thursday night Flight Crew run which sets out at a very reasonable 6:15 p.m. from 1886 West 1st Avenue (which is a very reasonable 2.5 KM jog from my place), for a very reasonable 10 KM weekday evening run. Except that I got Translinked on Thursday and didn't get home until 6:10 so I missed out. Except that I should have remembered from the two or three other times that I've ever joined a social run that social runs never start when they say that they are going to, as Strava let me know later Thursday evening that the Flight Crew took off closer to 6:30. So maybe next week. This week's long run I did some reconnaissance on the second half of the BMO half and finished feeling very confident that I will new or near my PR on May 6. Less encouraging is that Garmin dropped for the second time in as many weeks. I believe in second chances, which is why I believe it may be time for a replacement.


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Garlic is extremely versatile and is found in many recipes. Its well-known for its amazing antioxidant properties and ability to reduce cholesterol.
Apart from cooking with and eating garlic, the juice in fresh garlic will also strengthen and harden weak, brittle fingernails.
How to do it: Chop freshly peeled garlic and put this in your nail polish. Let this sit for a several days, afterwhich your old regular nail polish becomes a strengthening solution! (Some store-bought nail hardeners list garlic extract as an ingredient. e.g. Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener and Oleda Hard Hard Nails.)
Tip: If you don't polish your nails, you can still get the same benefits by dabbing the juice from garlic onto clean nails. (A very quick and easy way to do this is to pierce the peeled whole garlic with the tip of your fingernails. No chopping required!)
Leave the juice to dry, then wash off if you can't stand the smell.


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Stuttgart. Showing the dynamic attitude typical of the brand, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, are continuing the generation change of the 911 model series. Just a few weeks after the new 911s with classic rear-wheel drive, the all-wheel-drive versions Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S are now entering the market in both Coupé and Cabriolet guise.
A whole range of new technologies surrounding the engine, the transmission and drivetrain ensures an even higher standard of driving pleasure on much lower fuel consumption. Particularly the precision and fast response of the new, electronically controlled all-wheel drive offers an even more intense driving experience, above all in interaction with the likewise new flat-six engines with Direct Fuel Injection and the PDK Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe or double-clutch gearbox available as an option.
2009 Porsche Carrera Offers More Power and Fuel Economy
The features and characteristics of the new engines speak for themselves: Depending on the model, the new all-wheel-drive Carrera offers up to 8.5 per cent more power, up to 12.9 per cent more fuel economy, and 15.4 per cent lower CO2 emissions. Specifically, output of the 3.6-litre power unit is up by 20 to 345 bhp (254 kW). At the same time a Carrera 4 Coupé with PDK, to take just one example, consumes a mere 10.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, equal to 28.0 mpg imp. The improvements on the 911 Carrera 4S with its 3.8-litre power unit are equally significant, with maximum output up by 30 to 385 bhp (283 kW) on overall fuel consumption down in the case of Carrera 4S Cabriolet with PDK to 10.7 litres/100 km, equal to 26.4 mpg imp.
In the new generation of the Carrera 4 and Carrera 4S electronically controlled PTM Porsche Traction Management replaces the former all-wheel drive with its viscous multiple-plate clutch. This superior system developed for the 911 Turbo and modified for the Carrera models combines the driving pleasure so typical of Porsche with an even higher standard of driving stability, traction and agile handling further enhanced by the mechanical rear axle differential fitted as standard.
Porsche's Doppelkupplungsgetriebe Transmission Available as an Option
The new all-wheel-drive sports cars come with sporting manual transmission featuring six gears. As an alternative the new models are available with Porsche's new Doppelkupplungsgetriebe replacing the former Tiptronic S automatic converter transmission and offering an even faster gearshift on less fuel. The Doppelkupplungsgetriebe or double-clutch gearbox comes with seven gears shifting electro-
hydraulically without the slightest interruption of traction and pulling force.
The new generation of the 911 model series stands out clearly through the discreet but striking modification of the front end and new lights technology. The new Carrera models come in all cases with bi-xenon headlights and new LED daytime driving lights.
The newly designed rear light clusters also feature LED technology and for the first time Porsche offers Dynamic Bending Lights as an option. It almost goes without saying that all Carrera 4 models come as before with their muscular rear end 44 millimetres or 1.73" wider than on the two-wheel-drive versions. And a new reflector trim bar between the LED rear lights gives the typical rear end of the car even more dynamic character.
All all-wheel-drive Carrera models will be at the dealership as of 25 October 2008.


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Celebrating 50 years of CORK regattas!
CORK -Canadian Olympic training Regatta Kingston was established in 1969 by a group of enthusiastic sailors. This volunteer team all agreed that Kingston offered fantastic fresh-water sailing, exceptional wind and wave conditions, race courses close to shore, knowledgeable officials and volunteers and a welcoming and vibrant city. In short Kingston was ideal for hosting large sailing regattas.
CORK emerged as an established event on the international regatta circuit. Excellent training opportunities became a priority for athletes, coaches and volunteers. This experience and expertise made CORK the preferred choice as the sailing venue for the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Annual events have continued ever since. CORK, attracts participants of all ages, from across the country and around the world from June through to September. Each year more than 1000 boats compete. CORK has hosted 43 World Championships to date, and as many as double that number of North American and Canadian Championships.
Recent highlights include:
- 2007 ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships
- 2010 Optimist North American Championship
- 2014 29er World Championship
- 2015 Laser Senior World Championships, the Laser Master World Championships and the Laser Radial Youth Championships.
The City of Kingston and CORK are excited to welcome the world again in 2019! The event program includes: two world championships: The ILCA Laser Radial Youth World championships and the ILCA Laser 4.7 Youth World Championships. Kingston's Freshwater Sailing Festival continues with the CORK International Optimist Regatta, CORK International & Sail Canada Youth Championships, CORK Olympic Classes Regatta & Sail Canada Senior Championships, The Soling and I14 North American Championships, the National Sea Cadet regatta, and finally the Fall Regatta in September.
CORK will highlight people and events that have contributed to this tremendous achievement! We invite you to celebrate CORK's 50th with us. Check out the action this summer at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour! Dates and details here: 2019 Event Schedule
For more information
CORK website: www.cork.org
CORK Regatta Office: (613)-545-1322
Email: email@example.com
Address: 53 Yonge Street, Kingston Ontario
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CORKSailKingston
Twitter: www.twitter.com/corkkingston
Instagram: www.instagram.com/corkkingston


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Twisted Yarn and Fiber Bags
Natural Croco Shweater Bag Sale
Regular price
Sale price
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Twisted Shweater Bag 4+ Skein Project Bag
The Shawl to Sweater bag=Shweater bag For XLShawl to Sweater size projects or several small projects.
This bag is made from high-quality fabric to suit all your Lg to XL project needs. This bag is roomy with a boxed bottom and will be great for any project and accessories that you may have. This bag will hold multiple balls of yarn and your project too! The bag closes with a drawstring to secure your projects.
- Quilter Quality Cotton Fabric with coordinating inner fabric
- Bag is lined with a fluffy soft fleece interfacing to secure your projects and keep them safe.
- Leather Handle to carry your bag with ease. I have reinforced the handle multiple times to the bag.
- Stitch marker fob/ Yarn Guide plastic ring sewn into the inside of each bag.
- Braided Cotton Drawstring
- Fold over the top to work out of your bag to form a yarn bucket bag
- Fabric Placement may vary from picture shown. I try my best to capture the best design in each bag.
13"tall by 15" wide and 6" deep
(This is a handmade item so, dimensions may vary give or take half an inch from bag to bag)


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We've all seen those pre-movie public service announcements where The Muppets, a dancing bag of popcorn or some other movie character informs us to kindly turn off our electronic devices before the show starts. It's common decency to do so. But when The Little Mermaid Second Screen Live hits theaters next week, Disney is asking you to do the exact opposite: If you go, bring an iPad to the theater to use during the movie.
The film itself is a re-release of the 1989 classic. But since many of the children and parents attending the movie have already seen it, Disney has introduced a second screen feature into the mix to hold your kids' interest in the most high-tech way possible. "By simply downloading the free 'Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid App' to an Apple iPad or iPad mini and bringing their Mermaid-loaded devices to participating theaters, fans and families can interact with the film, play games, find hidden treasure, sing along, and compete with the audience for the chance to win great prizes," the company explains.
The Little Mermaid: Second Screen Live won't be shown everywhere – it's a limited engagement to boost interest in next month's release of the movie on Blu-ray. You'll be able to find a showing at the following theaters starting Friday, September 20:
- City Center 15: Cinema de Lux; White Plains, NY
- Farmingdale Multiplex Cinemas; Farmingdale, NY
- Arclight Beach Cities; El Segundo, CA
- Arclight Sherman Oaks; Sherman Oaks, CA
- Muvico Thousand Oaks 14; Thousand Oaks, CA
- AMC Empire 25; New York
- NY AMC Garden State 16; Paramus, NJ
- AMC Burbank 16; Burbank, CA
- AMC Downtown Disney 12; Anaheim, CA
- AMC Bay Street 16; Emeryville, CA
- AMC Town Center 20; Leawood, KS
- Century Huntington Beach and XD; Huntington Beach,
- CA Cinemark West Plano and XD; West Plano, TX
- Carmike Wynnsong 16; Knoxville, TN
- Carmike 15; Columbus, GA
- And a special run is taking place at the El Capitan theater in Los Angeles, CA on Sundays & Thursdays from September 15th through October 13th.
Second Screen Live: The Little Mermaid App is currently available for download for iPad or iPad mini; be sure you install it before heading to the theater. To obtain tickets to the show, visit your local box office or use an advance ticket purchasing service like Fandango.


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Polygamy, Remixed: One Woman Marries Two Men In Kenya, Sparking National Controversy
An odd marriage arrangement in Kenya is turning the concept of polygamy on its head.
For years, two men in the east African country's Mombasa county had been fighting over a woman who refused to choose between them. Now the suitors, Sylvester Mwendwa and Elijah Kiman, have made peace by agreeing that they would both marry Joyce Wambui and help to raise her children. "She is like the central referee," said Mwendwa to the BBC when he first went public with the story. "She can say whether she wants me or my colleague."
The union isn't entirely set in stone; official recognition of the marriage would require proof that polyandry -- the term for a one-woman, multiple-man union -- is rooted in custom for the three participants.
At present, Kenya's laws on the matter are a bit hazy since the country is home to so many different ethnic groups and cultural mores. Polygamy as it typically occurs -- one man and multiple women -- is widely practiced in Kenya and condoned by the state, though not all unions are fully recognized in a legal sense.
Such is the case in many countries across Africa. Polygamy is more common in majority-Muslim areas, such as eastern Kenya, northern Nigeria, and some areas of North Africa. But plenty of other religions allow the practice as well, and polygamous unions can be found across the continent from Benin to Tanzania to South Africa, where President Jacob Zuma married his fourth wife last year.
"In several sub-Saharan countries, more than 10 percent of married women are in a polygamous union," according to a 2011 study from James Fenske, an economics professor at Oxford University. "Between Senegal and Tanzania stretches a 'polygamy belt' in which it is common to find that more than one-third of married women are polygamous."
Opponents of polygamy point out that it leads to poorer economic outcomes for families and higher incidences of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. The practice also has bad implications for women's rights -- though in Wambui's case, the roles have been reversed. It's no wonder that the level of outside attention she and her husbands have received is unprecedented, and that some Kenyans were outraged by the union.
Indeed, things have not gone well for Mwendwa since the story was run by the BBC earlier this week. A follow-up article from Kenya's own Daily Nation newspaper revealed that Mwendwa was fired from his job and cast from his home after the news went public. "I cannot go back home because I do not feel safe; I know Wambui is hurt," he said.
He added that he still loves his shared wife as much as ever: "It's not because she is a superwoman, but because she is a hard-worker and very beautiful."
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.


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We will break down our reading schedule like this:
Chapters 1 through 16: By October 8th
Here are the bloggers that expressed interest in reading along:
Michele @ Reader's Respite
Carrie @ Books and Movies
Jackie @ Farm Lane Books
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Molly @ The Bumbles
Donna @ From Little Acorns
Alice Teh @ Hello My Name is Alice
Heidenkind's Hideaway
And two maybe's:
Jennifer @ The Literate Housewife
Gavin @ Page 247
What an excellent group! We should have some ripping, lively discussions with this crowd. If anyone else wants to join along, just leave me a comment and join the happy family. See you on the 8th!!!