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Financial Planning
When you plan with us, you'll have an experienced advisor leading a dedicated team with a diverse range of financial expertise. Our plans are tailored to you from a wide range of financial options and strategies designed to help you achieve the goals you have now, and later on.
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- A trusted specialist who can create a flexible financial strategy that will help leverage opportunities for your life now, and down the road


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Numbers Teething Ring
Only 1 left in stock
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Made from 100% cotton and minky backing the wooden ring teether is great for chewing on.?Teething can be a tough time and babies love to put everything in their mouth. The teether's are CE tested for safety and come with their own label to prove this,?The fabric can be completely removed from the wooden ring and washed separately in the washing machine then re attached. The wooden ring can also be washed in warm soapy water, but do not leave it submerged for long periods of time.Backing design on each teether will vary.?Materials:Front: 100% cottonBacking: 100% polyester minky?Wooden Ring : Maple Wood diameter 54mm
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The other day, in my old copy of The Book of Lists, I read something kind of interesting concerning a particular song by U2 which made me think about some of the really great confessionals that form part of my music collection. Among these are some familiar radio favourites, open secrets like the catchy single Take Your Mama by Scissor Sisters (found on Scissor Sisters, their 2004 debut album). This song takes the listener along on the camp-as-can-be glam disco journey as a young man and his friends show his mother a gay old time on the club scene. Other songs are hidden gems, like the electro-blues of Hideaway, from Erasure's 1987 album The Circus. This features the harrowing chorus:
Why don't you talk to me now?
Oh my mother
Do you still cry yourself to sleep?
Are you still proud of your little boy?
More questions than answers. In 1996, Pet Shop Boys released Bilingual, where the track Metamorphosis presents us with the oh-so-witty line 'What I wanted was to be a family man, but nature had some alternative plans'. The subject is treated with humour and melancholy in equal measure, you see. Everyone knows what George Michael implies when he says that he'd 'service the community' on Outside, released in 1998 on his Best Of collection, Ladies and Gentlemen. And it's obvious that most of these songs have been created by artists who are icons in the gay community. But what I'm getting at is that some songs are less obvious in exploring this theme, both in lyrical content and in who is behind the microphone.
Every straight man's favourite fag, Freddy Mercury, was possessed by the act of perfecting the multi-layered masterpiece Bohemian Rhapsody for Queen's remarkable 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The band had to keep overdubbing the operatic vocals until you could see right through the deteriorating master tape. Brian May once remarked that this ethereal piece of work seemed to literally disappear as they were making it. Opinions differ, of course, but in Bohemain Rhapsody Mercury comes to terms with his own homosexuality. It was during this time that Mercury gave up the straight and narrow for what his gay friends called 'the real life'. For 'Mama, just killed a man', read 'Mary, my old self is dead'. There is no more powerful account of a person's struggle with their own demons. In the end, there truly is 'no escape from reality', unless you are resigned that 'nothing really matters' to you anymore.
The most common interpretation of the lyrical content of One, taken from the 1991 U2 album Achtung Baby, is that it's about lovers who need to end a destructive relationship. According to The Book Of Lists, Bono Hewson 'discovered' that the song was actually about a boy with AIDS addressing his father. Anton Corbijn directed the video for the song, in which Bono is singing to his own father while wearing a black gown. Apparently, the sight of Bono singing in drag upset some management types, who were concerned that the video might imply that only gay people get AIDS. In fact, two other completely different videos were duly created, and these lend themselves more to the many other interpretations of the song. In true U2 style, some of the proceeds from the sale of the One single went to AIDS charities. The Book of Lists calls this song an astonishingly potent cry against a fear so powerful it could sever a father from his ailing son.
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
More questions again. Confessors waiting for a response. This time, will it be judgement or compassion?


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« Prev | To Cyriacus, Bishop. | Next » |
Epistle IV.
To Cyriacus, Bishop.
Gregory to Cyriacus, Bishop of Constantinople.
We have received with becoming charity our common sons, George the presbyter and Theodore your deacon; and we rejoice that you have passed from the care of ecclesiastical business to the government of souls, since, according to the voice of the Truth, He that is faithful in a little will be faithful also in much (Luke xvi. 10). And to the servant who administers well it is said, Because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things (Matth. xxv. 23); to whom also it is presently said further with respect to eternal retribution, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Now you say in your letter that you had exceedingly wished for rest. But in this you shew that you have fitly assumed pastoral responsibility, since, as a place of rule should be denied to those who covet it, so it should be offered to those who fly from it. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron (Hebr. v. 4). And again the same excellent preacher says, If one died far all, then all died; and Christ died for all. It remaineth that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again (2 Cor. v. 14, 15). And to the shepherd of holy Church it is said, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Feed My sheep (John xxi. 17). From which words it appears that, if one who is able refuses to feed the sheep of Almighty God, he shews that he does not love the chief Shepherd. For if the Only-begotten of the Father, for accomplishing the good of all, came forth from the secrecy of the Father into the midst of us, what shall we say, if we prefer our secrecy to the good of our 211bneighbours? Thus rest is to be desired by us with all our heart; and yet for the advantage of many it should sometimes be laid aside. For, as we ought with full desire to fly from occupation, so, if there should be a want of some one to preach, we must needs put a willing shoulder under the burden of occupation. And this we are taught by the conduct of two prophets16841684 What follows about Isaiah and Jeremiah occurs also in the Pastoralis Cura, I. 7., one of whom attempted to shun the office of preaching, while the other desired it. For to the Lord who sent him Jeremias replied saying, Ah, Lord God, I cannot speak; for I am a child (Jer. i. 6). And when Almighty God sought for some one to preach, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Isaias offered himself of his own accord, saying, Here am I, send me (Isai. vi. 8). Lo, different voices proceeded outwardly from the two, but they flowed from the same fountain of love.
For indeed there are two precepts of charity; to wit, the love of God and of one's neighbour. Wherefore Isaias, wishing to profit his neighbours by an active life, desires the office of preaching; but Jeremias, longing to cling assiduously to the love of his Maker by a contemplative life, protests against being sent to preach. What, then, one laudably desired the other laudably shrunk from: the latter lest by speaking he should lose the gains of silent contemplation; the former lest by keeping silence he should feel the loss of diligent work. But this is nicely to be observed in both, that he who refused did not resist finally, and he who wished to be sent saw himself previously purged by a coal from the altar; that so no one who has not been purged should dare to approach sacred ministries, nor any one whom heavenly grace chooses refuse proudly under a show of humility.
Moreover I find you in your epistles seeking with great longing after serenity of mind, and panting for tranquillity of thought apart from perturbation. But I know not in what manner your Fraternity can attain to this. For one who has undertaken the pilotage of a ship must needs watch all the more as he further recedes from shore, so as sometimes to foresee from signs the coming storms; sometimes, when they come, either, if they are small, to ride over them in a straight course, or, if they swell violently, to avoid them as they rush on by steering sideways; and often to watch alone when all who are without charge of the ship are at rest. How, moreover, having undertaken the burden of pastoral charge, can you have serenity of thought, seeing that it is written, Behold giants groan under the waters (Job xxvi. 5)? For, according to the words of John, The waters are peoples (Rev. xvii. 15). And the groaning of giants under the waters means that whoso in this world has increased in degree of power, as though in a sort of massive size of body, feels the load of greater tribulation by so much the more as he has taken on himself the care of ruling peoples. But, if the power of the Holy Spirit breathes upon the afflicted mind, forthwith what was done bodily for the people of Israel takes place with us spiritually. For it is written, But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea (Exod. xiv. 29). And through the prophet the Lord promises saying, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and the rivers shall not overflow thee (Isai. xliii. 2). For the rivers overflow those whom the active business of this world confounds with perturbation of mind. But he who is sustained in mind by the grace of the Holy Spirit passes through the waters, and yet is not overflowed by the rivers, because in the midst of crowds of peoples he so proceeds along his way as not to sink the head of his mind beneath the active business of the world.
I also, who, unworthy as I am, have come to a place of rule, had sometimes determined to seek some place of retirement: but, seeing the Divine counsels to be opposed to me, I submitted the neck of my heart to my Maker's yoke; especially reflecting on this, that no hidden places whatever can save the soul without the grace of God; and this we observe sometimes, when even saints go astray. For Lot was righteous in the depraved city itself, and sinned on the mountain (Gen. xix.). But why speak of these instances, when we know of greater ones? For what is pleasanter than Paradise? What safer than Heaven? And yet man out of Paradise, and the angel from heaven, by sinning fell. His power, then, should be sought, His grace implored, without whom we are nowhere without fault, with whom we are nowhere without righteousness. We should, then, take care that perturbation of thought get not the better of our minds; for it can by no means be entirely got rid of. For whosoever is in a place of rule must needs have to think sometimes even of earthly things, and to have a care also of external things, that the flock committed to him may be able to subsist for accomplishing what it has to do. But it should be most carefully seen to, that this same care pass not due measure, and that, when lawfully admitted into the heart, it be not allowed to become excessive. Whence 212bit is rightly said through Ezekiel16851685 The following fanciful interpretation of Ezekiel's direction to priests is found also, almost word for word, in the Pastoralis Cura, II. 7. See note there., Let not the priests shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; but polling let them poll their heads (Ezek. xliv. 20). For what are hairs in the head by signification but thoughts in the mind? For, rising above the brain insensibly, they denote cares of the present life, which from negligent perception, since they come on sometimes importunely, advance as it were without our feeling them. Since, then, all who are over others ought indeed to have outward anxieties, and yet not to devote themselves to them exceedingly, the priests are rightly forbidden either to shave the head or to let their locks grow long, so that they may neither entirely cut off from themselves carnal thoughts for the life of their subjects, nor again allow them to grow too much. And it is also there well said, Polling let them poll their heads; meaning that the anxieties of a temporal charge should both proceed as far as is needful, and yet should be soon cut short, lest they grow to an immoderate length. While therefore both, through external provision administered, the life of bodies is protected, and again intentness of heart is not hindered through the same being immoderate, the hairs on the head of the priest are kept to cover the skin, and cut short so as not to veil the eyes.
Furthermore, we have received in full faith your letters addressed to us, and give thanks to Almighty God, who, by the mutual confession of the faithful, guards the coat that is without seam woven from the top throughout, that is to say His Church, in the unity of grace, from all rent of error; and against the deluge (so to speak) of so many sins of the perishing world constructs an ark of many planks in which the elect of Almighty God may be preserved unto life. For, when we in our turn send the confession of our faith to you, and you shew your charity towards us, what are we doing in holy Church but smearing the ark with pitch; lest any wave of error enter, and kill all the spiritual as being men, and the carnal as being beasts.
But, when you have wisely professed a right faith, it remains doubtless that you should keep the more warily the peace of hearts, because of what the Truth says, Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another (Mark ix. 50). And Paul the apostle admonishes, saying, Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephes. iv. 3). And again he says, Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see God (Hebr. xii. 14). Which peace indeed you will then truly have with us, if you turn away from the pride of a profane name, according to what the same teacher of the Gentiles says, O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane novelties of words (1 Tim. vi. 20). For indeed it is too bad, if these who have been made preachers of humility should glory in the elation of a vain name, when the true preacher says, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. vi. 14.). He then is truly glorious who glories not in temporal power, but, for the name of Christ, glories in His passion. Herein therefore we embrace you from the bottom of our heart, herein we recognize you as priests, if, rejecting the vanity of words, you occupy the place of holiness with holy humility. For behold, we have been scandalized by this impious appellation, and retain in our mind and express in words by no means slight complaints. But your Fraternity knows how the Truth says, If thou offerest thy gift before the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift, and go thy way to be first reconciled to thy brother, and then thou shalt come and offer thy gift (Matth. v. 23, 24). Herein is to be considered, that, while every fault is done away by the offering of sacrifice, so great is the evil of offence engendered in another's heart that from one who has so sinned the Lord accepts not the sacrifice itself which is wont to do away sin. Take heed then with speed to wipe off cause of offence from your heart, that Almighty God may be able to regard as acceptable the sacrifice of your offering.
Furthermore, while you have truly and accurately professed the right faith, we find that among those whom you have held to be condemned by the most holy general synods you have condemned a certain Eudoxius; whose name we have not found mentioned in the Latin language either in synods or in the books of the bishops of blessed memory, Epiphanius, Augustin, or Philaster, whom we know to have been the chief disputants against heretics16861686 It is a sign of Gregory's scanty knowledge of the history of controversies that so far he seems never to have heard of so noted an Arian leader as Eudoxius, whose followers, under the name of Eudoxians, had been specifically condemned in the 1st Canon of the first general Council of Constantinople. But it appears from a subsequent letter (VII. 34), that there was no copy at Rome of the canons of that Council, which had not in fact been accepted there, probably because of the 3rd Canon, which assigned a primacy of honour after Rome to the See of Constantinople as being new Rome. When he wrote this subsequent letter, he had become aware that the Eudoxians had been so condemned, but still had no idea who Eudoxius had been. The fact was that he was not well versed in past ecclesiastical history and, being totally ignorant of Greek, could only consult such Latin writings as were within his reach; and in these he had failed to find Eudoxius mentioned. He applied, however, to the patriarchs of Alexandria and Antioch for further information on the subject (see VII. 34, and VIII. 30), and was at length satisfied that Eudoxius had been a veritable heretic, having been condemned by many Greek Fathers of repute, and concluded that he was "manifestly slain, against whom our heroes have cast so many darts" (VIII. 30).. Now if any one of the catholic 213bFathers really condemns him, we undoubtedly follow their opinion. If, however, in your synodical epistle you have wished to condemn by name those also who, apart from the holy synods, are condemned in the writings of the Fathers, your Fraternity has mentioned too few by many; but if those whom the general synods reject, then too many by this one. But in the midst of all these things it is to be remembered, that in order that we may be free to profess the true faith and to order whatever has to be done in peace and concord, we ought to pray incessantly for the life of our most serene lords and of their offspring, that Almighty God would subdue barbarous nations under their feet, and grant them long and happy lives, to the end that through a Christian empire the faith which is in Christ may reign.
« Prev | To Cyriacus, Bishop. | Next » |


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John Edwards on Tax ReformDemocratic Nominee for Vice President; NC Jr Senator |
EDWARDS: Kerry has voted or co-sponsored over 600 times tax cuts for the American people. We are for more tax cuts for the middle class than they're for, have been for the last four years. But we are not for more tax cuts for multimillionaires. They are. And it is a fundamental difference in what we think needs to be done in this country.
CHENEY: Yesterday, Bush signed an extension of middle-class tax cuts, the 10 percent bracket, the marriage penalty relief and the increase in the child tax credit.
A: I will repeal the Bush tax cuts that benefit only the top 2 percent of Americans. I will also impose a new tax on unearned income for the top 1 percent. At the same time, I will offer new tax cuts to 95 percent of Americans.
ANNOUNCER : John Edwards' plan has been called the best platform of all the candidates. Repeal tax breaks George Bush created for wealthy investors, and target tax cuts to the middle class.
I voted against the Bush tax cuts. I believe we should repeal the tax cuts for those that earn over $200,000 a year, and close a group of corporate tax loop holes. I would not raise taxes on middle class working families because I believe they are the engine of our economy and it would be a mistake and would inhibit long-term economic growth.
Every year National Taxpayers Union (NTU) rates U.S. Representatives and Senators on their actual votes�every vote that significantly affects taxes, spending, debt, and regulatory burdens on consumers and taxpayers. NTU assigned weights to the votes, reflecting the importance of each vote�s effect. NTU has no partisan axe to grind. All Members of Congress are treated the same regardless of political affiliation. Our only constituency is the overburdened American taxpayer. Grades are given impartially, based on the Taxpayer Score. The Taxpayer Score measures the strength of support for reducing spending and regulation and opposing higher taxes. In general, a higher score is better because it means a Member of Congress voted to lessen or limit the burden on taxpayers. The Taxpayer Score can range between zero and 100. We do not expect anyone to score a 100, nor has any legislator ever scored a perfect 100 in the multi-year history of the comprehensive NTU scoring system. A high score does not mean that the Member of Congress was opposed to all spending or all programs. High-scoring Members have indicated that they would vote for many programs if the amount of spending were lower. A Member who wants to increase spending on some programs can achieve a high score if he or she votes for offsetting cuts in other programs. A zero score would indicate that the Member of Congress approved every spending proposal and opposed every pro-taxpayer reform.


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Peace People march against violence in Northern Ireland, 1976
In the 1960s, Northern Ireland began a period of ethno-political conflict called the Troubles. Through a series of social and political injustices, Northern Ireland had become a religiously divided society between historically mainland Protestants and Irish Catholics. Furthermore, the Irish people had become a fragmented body over a range of issues, identities, circumstances and loyalties. The conflict between Protestants and Catholics spilled over into violence, marked by riots and targeted killings between the groups beginning in 1968.


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Sylvilagus floridanus (eastern cottontail)
The toes of cottontails are hard to distinguish. You might see claw marks in the footprint, but counting the toes would be nearly impossible. Their front feet are about 1 inch wide and just a little bit longer (1 inch). Their back feet are about 1 inch wide, and significantly longer (3 inches). Usually you will find that the back feet will be in front of the front feet in their tracks. This is because rabbits cross their back feet in front of the front feet when they hop. The back footprints will almost always be spread wider apart than the front feet.
ArtToday web site (copyright holder; media; identification)
This resource may not be downloaded and used without permission of the copyright holder except for educational fair use.
The Animal Diversity Web team is excited to announce ADW Pocket Guides!
To cite this page: , .2005. "cottontailtracks-gsa.jpg" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed July 22, 2024 at https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/arttoday/cottontailtracks-gsa/
Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. Additional support has come from the Marisla Foundation, UM College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Museum of Zoology, and Information and Technology Services.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.


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January 02, 2009
New Year, New site for The Real Estate Cafe!
If you've wondered why this blog has been so quiet for the past six weeks, it's because we've been working on a new site which integrates our blog as well as content from The Real Estate Cafe's original web site. As you can see from the Google search results above, if you type in "real estate cafe," you now get over 300,000 search results. We're still #1, perhaps that's a reflection of our industry leading rebates, or the fact that we were the first real estate cyber cafe (see timeline on our wiki dating back to 1995).
To celebrate, we'd like to invite EVERYONE to join this ePhilanthropy campaign: Regardless of what happens to housing prices in 2009, think we home buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals across the world can work together to turn 1,000 cups of coffee into $1 million for AIDS orphans?
A continent full of AIDS orphans -- including millions in child-headed households -- needs you to respond ASAP. See ASAP: AIDS Shelter Alliance Partner proposal on our wiki, and let us know if you'd like to view the slide show in person some at Starbucks in Greater Boston or via webinar beyond.
We look forward to sharing this campaign with other real estate innovators, particularly those offering client rebates, next week at REBarCamp in New York.
Bill Wendel | 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack (0)
November 11, 2008
Technology Debriefing Post NAR 2008: Best of Breed money-saving tools for home buyers & sellers
Used GoGoPin's new browser-based ad designer to create this call for nominations for "Best of Breed" money-saving applications for home buyers and sellers following the National Association of Realtors convention in Orlando, November 7-10, 2008. Watch this one minute screencast for more information on the proposed technology debriefing. Should we meet in person in Boston, like real estate round tables and technology debriefing hosted in the past by The Real Estate Cafe, or online so anyone can participate?
If you attended the NAR convention and spent time visiting some or all of the 500+ vendors in the EXPO, we'd love to receive your nomination for "Best of Breed" money-saving tools for home buyers and sellers.
Bill Wendel | 09:39 AM in Best of Breed, Do-it-yourself, FSBO: Best Practices, Savings & Rebates, Tech Trends | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
November 06, 2008
RSVP: Private research LIVE from Realtors EXPO
Home buyers, sellers, and fellow real estate innovators: Wish you could attend the National Association of Realtors convention in Orlando this weekend but can't? Interested in participating virtually?
I arrive Friday mid-afternoon and plan to spend all four days visiting 500+ vendors at the Realtor Expo to identify "best of breed" money saving opportunities for home buyers and sellers. Last July, I acted as the LIVE BLOGGER at Inman New's ConnectSF08 and am willing to provide private market research reports LIVE from the floor of the exhibit hall for a few select clients.
Are there are any vendors or competitors on this interactive floor plan you'd like me to check out?
As in the past, I can provide feedback by phone, email, text. This weekend, I hope to experiment with video, live or recorded, as well as screen sharing and video conference calls.
Fees begin at just $25 – $50 per vendor you'd like me to investigate depending on the research question and how you'd like the results presented. That modest fee would cover 15 to 30 minutes, additional time is negotiable.
Bill Wendel | 07:21 PM in Change Agents, Counterintelligence, Fee-for-service, FSBO: Best Practices, Market trends, Real Estate Blogs: Best Practices, Tech Trends, Timing the market | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
October 08, 2008
WBUR/NPR debate: Do buyer agents really help consumers save money?
Having already posted one comment to WBUR's heated discussion about "what caused the housing crisis and how to fix it," I was content to watch the debate unfold yesterday until several posts began spreading misinformation about the role of buyer agents and whether they help clients save money.
First, there is some truth that the current two-sided real estate commission does not align buyer agent compensation with performance. That's why some in the industry offer rebates and others are calling for commissions to be divorced. If that single reform comes out of this crisis, conflicts of interest would be reduced, competitive options would increase, and consumers would save billions of dollars as argued in these blog posts written two to three years ago:
$60 Billion question: How do consumers uncouple real estate commissions?
10 Mega-tends push real estate commissions to a tipping point
Contrary to assertions on WBUR's blog, some REAL buyer agents, not
counterfeit buyer agents or "designated agents," actually do save their
clients money by (1) rebating some or all of the buyer agency fee built
into sales prices, and (2) by helping their clients shop wisely, time
the market, and negotiating aggressively on their behalf. For tangible
evidence, see Wall Street Journal article on the 100% commission
rebate offered by The Real Estate Cafe, our menu of fees & rebates, and map of client savings
totaling over $1 million during a twelve month period.
At least one other buyer agent in Chicago has helped clients save more than $1 million during a twelve month period and there are probably others. More importantly, new referral sites like http://www.ProOffer.com and conversations like this could bring performance based compensation into the real estate industry. My guess is that millions of real estate consumers, both home buyers and sellers, would agree that reform is long overdue!
What's your opinion? Do buyer agents really help consumers save money?
Bill Wendel | 08:21 AM in Change Agents, Commission Reform, Defensive Homebuying, Dual Agency Detective, Inside The Real Estate Cafe, Real Estate Bubble, RECALL: Real Estate Consumer Alliance, Savings & Rebates, Timing the market | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
October 07, 2008
Response to WBUR/NPR: American housing & finance: What went wrong & how to fix it
WBUR / NPR OnPointRadio: Banks and Housing in Crisis
American housing and finance. What went wrong, and how to fix it.
You can join the conversation. What new rules should be in place? Should we make it more difficult to buy a home? Should we stop banks from playing with mortgage securities? Should we put up big firewalls on Wall Street to head off future disasters? Tell us what you think.
MY COMMENT TO WBUR BLOG, yours are welcome as well:
"Speed bumps" to protect the housing market from overheating? That's the role of a buyer agent in individual real estate transactions. Unfortunately, over the past 15 years, the real estate lobby pushed state legislatures nationwide to remove speed bumps by legalizing conflicts of interest inherent in "designated agency."
BLOG POST: Misleading home buyers: Conflict of Interest? What conflict of interest?
From my day-to-day experience as a buyer agent in Greater Boston, I know there have been countless "bidding wars" over the past decade. Conflicts of interest and manipulative business practices made those bidding wars worse. Now the cost is being passed on to society as this case study demonstrates:
"My so-called buyer's agent (who promptly switched roles at contract signing without explanation), initially advised me to bid $750,000 for my house of choice, which was listed at $699,900. When I told her that such an offer was beyond my price range, she was quite adamant that I not offer anything under the list price. When I finally backed out the deal because of her bait and switch scam, I later heard that the house in question sold shortly afterwards for $682,000—in other words, nearly $70,000 less than the bid suggested by my so-called buyer agent."
"This type of price inflation (caused by seller's agents masquerading as buyer's representatives) must have a very distorting impact on housing costs. The economic fallout is enormous: ordinary citizens are forced to move out farther in search of decent, affordable places to live, which leads to a host of problems connected with traffic congestion, suburban sprawl, etc."
"As I perceive it, the real estate cartel's use of dual agency [a.k.a. "designated agency"], which works to the detriment of the average consumer while enriching dishonest agents through the practice of double-dipping, contributes significantly to the manifold problems we see in the residential housing market and therefore should be fully exposed."
This case study is an example of what's wrong with dual agency / designated agency, and why I believe designated agency laws should be repealed and "blind" bidding wars should be managed with regulatory "speed bumps."
So, if Congress, policy makers, and consumers are asking what factors contributed to the overvaluation of housing markets, shouldn't dual agency and blind bidding wars be included in that investigation? My hope is that others will agree that it's time to expose systemic flaws and conflicts of interest in the residential brokerage practices, and the cost of blind bidding wars, not just to individual buyers but to tax payers.
This three minute audio post proposes four regulatory reforms to protect consumers — buyers, sellers, and tax payers — in the future. Please listen, comment, and / or join us for a TweetUp in Boston to listen to the rebroadcast of this program, 7-8pm in Boston.
AUDIO BLOG POST: What regulatory reforms are needed to protect real estate consumers?
Thank you WBUR for your continued coverage of this subject!
Bill Wendel | 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
October 06, 2008
Limited time: "Bailout Bonus" for 4th quarter bargain hunters
As the housing market enters the final quarter of 2008, The Real Estate Cafe is contacting new and long-time clients to get an update on their home buying plans. Can you believe that one member of our 1,000 Click Club has viewed 6,247 MLS pages via The Real Estate Cafe's MLS access system during the past 2.3 years? More than half of those page views (3,847 pages) have been since the start of 2008 and about a third (1,270) were during the 3rd quarter. If you're bargain hunting during the final quarter of 2008 and early 2009, can The Real Estate Cafe help you save money by serving you "a la carte"?
To encourage you to take advantage of falling prices during the current financial crisis, we're willing to reduce our hourly consulting to just $50 for any work requested before close of business TODAY (offer extended through Wednesday, October 8, 2008 if payment made online by 5pm). That's a savings of 50-67% off our current billing rate of $100-$150 per hour. So, if there is any work we can do to help you — for example, download & forward MLS listing data so you can analyze price trends — please let us know ASAP. At a minimum, would you like us to add expired listings to your daily email of MLS listings? An amazing, 1,136 single family listings expired across MA last week (9/27-10/3/08) alone; and surprisingly, 498 listings were priced UNDER $319K!
Bill Wendel | 12:58 PM in Inside The Real Estate Cafe, Savings & Rebates, Timing the market | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
October 03, 2008
How will the Bailout Bill impact home buyers & sellers? txt your answer
If you're unable to join us at the TweetUp tonight at TogetherInMotion, One Broadway in Arlington, text your response to our Wiffiti board so anyone online or at the TweetUp can read your perspective.
Send us an email if you'd like to participate in one of our upcoming Bubble Hours or "Fear of Foreclosure" support groups for anxious homeowners.
Bill Wendel | 05:45 PM in Bubble Hour, Client Feedback, Consumer surveys, Defensive Homebuying, Real Estate Bubble, RECALL: Real Estate Consumer Alliance, Tech Trends | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 02, 2008
What regulatory reforms are needed to protect real estate consumers?
Bill Wendel | 10:01 AM in Change Agents, Dual Agency Detective, Real Estate Consumer Bill of Rights, RECALL: Real Estate Consumer Alliance | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
September 04, 2008
Flames of "irrational exuberance" burning Realtors, too
I've spend the morning deconstructing Realtors are not immune to foreclosure, an amazingly transparent blog post on a leading real estate web site. The author's concluding question -- Why did so many people, including Realtors, buy homes in 2005? -- has been and will continue to be the spring board for innumerable blog posts, talk show interviews, research by economists and parodies on YouTube. But now imagine what the authors of Freakonomics or Saturday Night Live could do with this admission that some real estate agents "helped people buy homes that they could not afford," and then repeated the same mistake themselves.
Personally, I'd love to see investigative reporters dig into the conflicts of interest in the real estate industry and expose how deceptive and manipulative business practices, like dual agency and blind bidding wars, fanned the flames of "irrational exuberance" and, as this highly respected blogger admits, ultimately burned Realtors themselves.
Perhaps industry regulators will create new disclosures to protect consumers and prevent another trillion dollar collapse of the housing market in the future. Were you aware that a Washington think tank estimated a "loss of almost $6 trillion in real housing wealth over the course of the year, an average of $85,000 per homeowner"? Historically, potential home buyers have been advised to ask agents about their sales volume, but now it's wiser to ask prospective buyer agents if any past clients are upside down on their mortgages or involved in foreclosure. What if a such a negative equity or "foreclosure disclosure" were required by law?
Outrageous some might scream, unrealistic others would argue but blogs have already created a decision-making tool for web-savvy home buyers to decide who will best protect their financial interest. Try this experiment, visit two real estate blogs and see what their authors have written about the housing bubble. Look at their posts during 2005 -- was your prospective buyer agent echoing NAR's "anti-bubble" spin or warning homebuyers about the coming meltdown?
In retrospect, this Real Estate Cafe blog post from April 2005 sounds prophetic: Will mobloggers pop the real estate bubble?
My hope is this blogger's admission that Realtors are not immune to foreclosure will expand discussion about systemic flaws and conflicts of interest in the residential brokerage practices, and their cost not just to individual buyers and Realtors but to society. Who could imagine a better time and place for some "straight talk" about the need for real estate reforms than John McCain's speech tonight at the Republican Convention in this blogger's backyard?
Bill Wendel | 02:03 PM in Defensive Homebuying, Dual Agency Detective, Foreclosures, Moblogging in Real Estate, Price trends, Real Estate Bubble, RECALL: Real Estate Consumer Alliance, Timing the market | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
August 12, 2008
"Real Estate Olympics" Redo: Call for Best "Do-it-yourself" money-saving tools at each step in the home buying / selling process
A leading group of real estate technology innovators is using a sports metaphor, the "Real Estate Olympics", to launch a compelling, timely competitive for the "Real Estate Pacesetter of 2008."
However, the first nomination (Zillow.com) and next week's run off between eight companies to pick a single winner suggests that this competition will be a battle of the GIANTS. Compare that with Seth Godin's presentation on "Small is the New Big" to the same group of innovators at ConnectNYC07 and Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2006: "YOU".
If you translate those MEGA-trends into an Olympic metaphor, you get a different kind of competition and a different call for "Best of Breed." Just as the Olympics have 302 events, there are hundreds of steps in the home buying and selling process and real estate innovators empowering consumers with money-saving, do-it-yourself tools at EACH STEP in the process.
For more than a decade, The Real Estate Cafe's has maintained a list of "Best of Breed" innovators at each incremental step, and we are eager to share them with our clients and others. Real Estate innovators, if you think you should be on the list, please send us an email:
1. Nominating yourself for the appropriate step in the home buying and selling process, and
2. Explaining how you help do-it-yourself home buyers or sellers save money (or time).
Any nominations we receive before this weekend from innovators, or consumers who rave about them, will be showcased at our first "FSBO Trade Mart," tentatively scheduled this weekend at TogetherInMotion.com, One Broadway, Arlington, MA. Watch Twitter & FriendFeed for more details.
Bill Wendel | 01:00 PM in "We" companies, Change Agents, Do-it-yourself, Fee-for-service, FSBO: Best Practices, FSBO: For Sale By Owner, RECALL: Real Estate Consumer Alliance, Savings & Rebates, Tech Trends | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)


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See 'Smallville's Lois and Clark Reunited On the Set of 'Crisis on Infinite Earths'
Erica Durance's Lois Lane first appeared on season four of Smallville and remained a mainstay of the series through its conclusion after its tenth season on The CW. By the end of the show, her Lois and Tom Welling's Clark Kent were engaged. And then ... it was over.
Die-hard Smallville fans will finally get a glimpse of what came next when both Welling's Clark and Durance's Lois return for the upcoming Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths." The multishow crossover will not only combine every Arrowverse show currently on the air — Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow — it will feature many famous DC heroes from movies and TV shows past, including Superman Returns' Brandon Routh, Batman: The Animated Series' Kevin Conroy, the original Batman TV series' Robin the Boy Wonder, Burt Ward, along with Durance and Welling, who teased their return with a new Instagram photo.
Behold Lois and Clark, the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" edition:
The five-part "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover begins on December 8 on Supergirl and then continues on December 9's Batwoman, December 10's The Flash and then (after a Christmas break) on January 14's Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. It's going to be quite an event for DC TV fans.
Gallery — The Best Non-Marvel and DC Comic-Book Movies:


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Two Thin Coats: Ashen Grey
Two Thin Coats: Ashen Grey
Regular price
Regular price
Sale price
Unit price
The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy 'Two Thin Coats' Paint Range is a range of paints developed from the ground up with some of the best paint development chemists in the world. These are not paints we just bought off the shelf and bottled. We developed each colour to meet our high standards of what we thought a miniature paint should be. We have been working in partnership with Trans Atlantis Games to create a set of paints that would be useful to any level of hobbyist. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned painter, we believe that you'll find using these paints an absolute joy to use! We are both extremely excited for hobbyists around the world to get their hands on these paints and to give them a whirl…or to apply two thin coats!


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ruby red noseclip
The Octopus noseclip: a colorful mix of ergonomic design and high-quality components. Made of a robust polymer structure, two comfortable and replaceable elastomer nose-pads, a strong quality leash and with a range of funky colors to choose from. For many freedivers, already a new benchmark and the best noseclip ever designed! Already over 4000 units were sold around the world in the first year! Designed and tested by Swiss record holder Pascal Berger (-131m VWT ). Made in Switzerland, for a quality you can trust.
"When I started my free diving career 10 years ago, Paradisia noseclips were the golden standard, now we have a new one! I've tried the nose clips and they are great. I love them. Usually I have something to say about any piece of diving equipment. But this one is next to perfect."
Goran Colak


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Amazing Animal Books
This book is a realistic guide that will teach your kids about the Amazing animals that exist on the continent. For the purpose of conserving the diversity of life, it is important to consider, that every single animal mentioned in this amazing animal book deserves a lot of care and that anyone can take the necessary steps to make sure that they continue to exist. A big part of the book covers the history of these animals, where they are usually found, what they eat, and that sort of thing; there's a lot to be learnt from this book, but if you just want to jump right in and look at the lovely animals, so that you are aware of them, the pictures will suffice. It is the hope of the author that you'll actually get to learn more about these remarkable African animals so that you can appreciate them and maybe even visit the continent. a sneak-peek into the life of spectacular wild animals found in the Mother-Continent. Enjoy!


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Snow-067 - Video Wallpaper
How to set as wallpaper?
1. Download: The Lively Wallpaper Metro The computer must be win10 or above operating system.
2. How to add wallpaper from local file or webpage?
Step 1. Download the wallpaper file. If the wallpaper is a video file, download it and then unzip it. Step 2. Open the Lively Wallpaper Metro, Just click "Add wallpaper"tab and click Browse or enter a web URL. Step 3. Or Drag and drop file to "Library" list.
3. See the App tutorial for more questions.
Wallpaper introduction
Format: MP4
Size: 83MB
Size: 83MB


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Senior .NET Software Engineer required at Rainsoft Financials Pvt. Ltd
Location: Karachi - Pakistan
Experience: 6 Years
Shift Timings: Morning Shift
Job Type: Full-Time
Rainsoft Financials is seeking talented Senior .NET Software Engineer to join our growing team. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will be developing software as a service solution for the US finance industry delivering cutting-edge business processes and consumer experience through software. You will be expected to work in a dynamic team environment. You should be able to quickly gain a system-level understanding of our platform and. You should have a mastery of software engineering best practices including test-driven development, coding for reuse, readability, and good object-oriented design. As a senior software engineer, you will be expected to share and mentor other engineers on best practices.
Candidate Must Have :
Extensive expertise in .Net Core, C#, ASP.net, MVC , LINQ quires, HTML/XHTML, HTML5,CSS3
Sound experience in different frameworks Entity Framework, MVC, JQuery and Angular JS
Experience in Interface Protocols & Standards Web API, JQuery, JSON, Ajax, JavaScript Libraries, TCP/IP
Expertise in Agile Programming, OOP, Design Patterns, Object-Oriented Design, Multithreading, Enterprise Design Patterns, Continuous Integration.
Hands-on experience in MS Visual Studio, MS Project, MS Visio, Servers/Platforms, IIS, Azure, SVN, GIT, Microsoft SQL
Write and unit test, working, efficient, code using ASP Dot Net MVC platform
Collaborate with a QA Analyst and Product Manager to design and deliver quality units of the functionality on a weekly basis
Utilize best programming techniques, develop and follow the software development life cycle.
Participate in a fifteen-minute daily stand up meeting to report progress.
Participate in weekly meetings to estimate complexity, clarify requirements, and plan the implementation of business requirements.
Consult and assist other Engineers with design and implementation as needed.
Apply Now:
View All Jobs In Pakistan: Careerokay.com


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Did you know that your church can offer The Trinity Mission as its very own? We can create yourchurchsite.messiahgf.thetrinitymission.org and it will have your name branded above The Trinity Mission logo on the top of each page as well as links back to your church's main web site.
Why? Well, our goal is to help individuals and families develop habits of daily prayer but we strongly believe that this should be done within the context of the church. We would rather churches offer our resources as their own ministry to their mission field. We actually want your church to be the face and name of the promoters of daily prayer in your community.
You don't have to be on church staff to get this going either. Talk to your pastor. Send them here to read more.


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Blog Listing
- @Number71
- Beauty In Ruins
- Best Fantasy Books HQ
- Bitten By Books
- Booknest
- Bookworm Blues
- Charlotte's Library
- Civilian Reader
- Critical Mass
- Curated Fantasy Books
- Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews
- Everything is Nice
- Falcata Times
- Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews
- Fantasy Cafe
- Fantasy Literature
- Gold Not Glittering
- GoodKindles
- Grimdark Magazine
- Hellnotes
- io9
- Jabberwock
- Jeff VanderMeer
- King of the Nerds
- Layers of Thought
- Lynn's Book Blog
- Neth Space
- Novel Notions
- Omnivoracious
- Only The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Pat's Fantasy Hotlist
- Pyr-O-Mania
- Realms Of My Mind
- Rob's Blog O' Stuff
- Rockstarlit Bookasylum
- SciFiChick.com
- Smorgasbord Fantasia
- Speculative Book Review
- Stainless Steel Droppings
- Tez Says
- The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.
- The B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog
- The Bibliosanctum
- The Book Smugglers
- The Fantasy Hive
- The Fantasy Inn
- The Nocturnal Library
- The OF Blog
- The Qwillery
- The Speculative Scotsman
- The Vinciolo Journal
- The Wertzone
- Thoughts Stained With Ink
- Tip the Wink
- Tor.com
- Val's Random Comments
- Voyager Books
- Walker of Worlds
- Whatever
- Whispers & Wonder
Blog Archive
- Winners of the Max Frei/The Stranger Giveaway!
- Spotlight on Selected May Books
- 2009 Arthur C. Clarke Award Winner
- "Nights of Villjamur" by Mark Charan Newton (Revie...
- Winners of The Crown Conspiracy & Avempartha Givea...
- "Agents of Artifice" by Ari Marmell (Reviewed by D...
- Flash News: FBC's co-editor Fabio Fernandes publis...
- On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: Book 1 in...
- 2009 Nebula Award - The Winners
- Overlooked Masterpiece Novella: The Crystal Cosmos...
- Nebula Awards Weekend
- Nebula Awards Finalists, Part 1 - Brasyl, by Ian M...
- Interview with Alan Campbell (Interviewed by Mihir...
- Index of Reviews
- "Heroes of the Valley" by Jonathan Stroud (Reviewe...
- Michael Cox, Editor and Author of 'The Meaning of ...
- Winners of the Waltz With Bashir + Britten and Bru...
- Overlooked Debut: "Peacekeeper" by Laura E. Reeve ...
- Publishing News from Orbit
- J.G. Ballard RIP 19th April 2009
- "The Absence" by Bill Hussey (Reviewed by Robert T...
- The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky (Spo...
- Gemmell Award for Fantasy Final Voting
- "The Laurentine Spy" by Emily Gee (Reviewed by Liv...
- Other Earths by Nick Gevers (ed) and Jay Lake (ed)...
- "The Horsemen's Gambit" by David B Coe (Reviewed b...
- In the Courts of the Sun by Brian D'Amato (reviewe...
- David Gemmell short list announced; Liviu comments...
- "Blood of Ambrose" by James Enge (Reviewed by Robe...
- "A Madness of Angels" by Kate Griffin — New Book T...
- PKD Award - The Winners
- Books recently read and on my current reading list...
- "God of Clocks" by Alan Campbell (Reviewed by Robe...
- The Philip K. Dick Award Nominees, Part 4 - Termin...
- The Philip K. Dick Award Nominees, Part 3 - Emissa...
- Winners of the Walter Jon Williams/This Is Not A G...
- Spotlight on Alternative Coordinates #1 (by Liviu ...
- The Philip K. Dick Award Nominees, Part 2 - Time M...
- "Corambis" by Sarah Monette (Reviewed by Liviu C. ...
- The Philip K. Dick Award Nominees, Part 1 - Plague...
- Spotlight on Impossibillia by Douglas Smith (by Li...
- Tor Officially Announces Release Date for 12th Whe...
- "A Madness of Angels" by Kate Griffin (Reviewed by...
- Fantasy Book Critic clarifications
- Fantasy Book Critic Update
- "The Stranger" by Max Frei (Reviewed by Robert Tho...
- Winners of "The Mystery of Grace" + "Blood & Ice" ...
- "Keeper of Light and Dust" by Natasha Mostert (Rev...
- Index of Monthly Spotlights
- SPOTLIGHT: Books of April 2009
James Graham Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009) was a British novelist and a short story writer and former Japanese internee. He was born in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China. He was a prominent member of the New Wave in science fiction. His best known books are the controversial Crash, and the autobiographical novel Empire of the Sun, both of which have been adapted to film.
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7th Pay Commission to increase President's salary
The recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission and the corresponding salary hikes are currently being implemented, with effect from 01.01.2016.
The minimum salary has been raised to Rs.18,000 per month, and the maximum salary offered now stands at Rs.2.5 lakhs.
The salary of the first Citizen of India, the President, is lower than the maximum wages paid by the Central Government.
All the announcements published by the Central Government are made in the name of the President. He is also the Chief Commander of all the three forces – the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy.
All the cabinet decisions become law only after the President gives his approval. But, ironically, some employees of the Central Government draw larger salaries that he does!
The President of India currently gets Rs.1.5 Lakhs per month. But the Central Cabinet secretary earns Rs.1 Lakh more than him.
The Central Government Secretaries earn Rs.2.25 Lakhs per month. With so many officials drawing higher salaries than the President, therefore, it has now been decided that the President's salary ought to be raised.
The President shall henceforth be paid Rs.5 lakhs per month, more than three times the salary that he currently makes.
This will come into effect from January 2017 onwards. He shall be entitled to a lifetime pension of Rs.1.5 Lakhs. His wife shall draw pension of Rs.30,000 per month. The Vice President currently makes Rs.1.10 Lakhs per month. His salary is going to be increased to Rs.3 lakhs per month.
The President's salary was previously revised in 2008. It was increased by three times from Rs.50,000 to Rs.1.5 Lakhs. Circumstances have changed so much, necessitating another threefold increase of salary.
Usually, the hike in the President's salary is also accompanied by increase in the salaries of the Prime Minister, ministers, and the Members of Parliament.
A demand for salary hikes is expected to be presented soon in the Parliament.
Source: http://www.cgstaffnews.in/


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Sending out a huge Grazie to Michela in Milan for rounding out our wonderful set of activities by the moms from BabyccinoBlog. Michela kept telling us how UN-kid friendly Milan is, but she managed to come up with a fun array of activities for moms, babies, and young children.
We're all in favor of mama getting a cappuccino break…I hope if I ever make it out to Italy with bambinos, she'll show me the best spots in person.
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the Italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.
Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it's a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco's cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.
Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid's shops and jewelery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour.
Head to Leonardo da Vinci Science Museum, where the highlights are the models of the machines designed by Leonardo and a real submarine. The Toti is a war submarine, built in Italy in 1967 and is over 46 meters long. Its transportation to the Museum took place in the middle of august and during the night to minimise disruption. It was very spectacular! Tickets can be booked in advance or bought at the Museum entry.
Unfortunately the cafeteria is closed until further notice, so you can walk down Via San Vittore and have a sandwich in one of the many cafés or have a slice of pizza or focaccia from one of the bakeries.
After lunch have a stroll around the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio. It's the quintessential Milanese church, very austere and elegant. Kids can run around in the porch if they still have some energy to burn off after the Museum visit.
Take Corso Genova, a nice shopping street, and walk towards the Navigli. These canals are what is left of the whole canal system that existed in Milan in the middle ages. The neighbourhood is very characteristic, a bit bohemian maybe. If it's summer the streets along the canals will be pedestrianised and all the bars will have tables outside. You should have an aperitive, this is the ultimate Milanese habit. You get a drink and the bar provides so many snacks that you may as well skip dinner. Try to go early in the evening, so that it's not too crowded.
Go (window) shopping in what is known as "fashion quadrilateral". All the streets around Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga are lined with the boutiques of all the designers you can think of, Italians or not. You could have a quick stop for an espresso either in Cova or in Sant Ambroeus. Both patisseries are extremely posh, but an espresso or cappuccino taken at the counter will cost more or less like in any other bar. Then walk down Corso Vittorio Emanuele until Piazza Duomo. Get the elevator (or climb the stairs if you feel sporty) to the top of the Duomo. Here you can walk on the roof among hundreds of statues and all the spires; the tallest of them measures 109 meters. You also get a great view of the city, if it isn't too cloudy.
You can have lunch on the 7th floor of la Rinascente, the best department store in Milan. They have nice restaurants, not too expensive and with a terrace that faces the big stained glass windows of the Duomo. As an alternative you can walk around the corner and have the best panzerotto in town from Luini; unfortunately there's no seating, but they are yummy and quite inexpensive!
Take your kids to the Castello Sofrzesco, a true castle in the center of town! You can walk around the courtyard and then enter and visit some of the permanent galleries. Children may not be too interested on what's on show, but they will love walking in the big corridors of the castle.
The castle borders the Sempione Park, one of the only two (decent sized) parks of Milan. Nothing compares to London parks, but your kids can run and play. There is a playground towards the other end (you can reach it in 10 minutes) and also an electric little train that children love to ride.
You can stop for lunch in Bar Bianco in the middle of the park; they serve sandwiches and a selection of warm dishes. If the weather is nice it is definitely a good choice. If it's raining, head for the Triennale, where you can have lunch at the Design Café. The cafeteria was recently refurbished reopening in April and the mind behind the project is Carlo Cracco, one of Italy's most well-known chefs.
Take the underground and go to Piazzale Loreto, then start walking down Corso Buenos Aires to get the Italian high street experience. Continue down Corso Venezia, an extremely elegant street bordered by luxury buildings. You will get to Giardini Pubblici — the other nice park in Milan. It hosts the Natural History Museum and the Planetarium. Together with playgrounds, merry-go-rounds and electric train you can also find a little coach with horses and ponies that children can ride. You can have a sandwich or coffee at Bar Bianco nearby.
Exit from Via Palestro, you will be facing the Villa Belgioioso Bonaparte (known as Villa Reale) and the Contemporary Art Museum. On the side of the main entry there is a gate that leads to a little garden where adults can enter only if in the company of a child. It is very small, but it is extremely well kept and if you have a crawling child you can let him free without fear of dog poo, cigarette butts and the like.
If you missed any of the week's worth of fun activities from the other BabyCCINO moms, check out London, Paris, and Amsterdam. Or go visit their wonderful website.
- Best Gifts for a One Year Old – Top picks for 2023 - October 10, 2023
- 6 Fool-Proof Strategies for When Your Toddler Won't Stay in Bed - August 13, 2023
- Kids Backpacks; My Very Strong Opinions on Them - July 15, 2023


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Hey everyone! We are totally stoked to announce a new tour for UNINVITED by Sophie Jordan which releases on January 28th 2014.
The tour runs for two weeks - January 20th- 24th and 27th-31st - and will have one stop per day.
This tour will have a mix of reviews, guest posts, and interviews.
The bloggers who are chosen as hosts for a guest post or interview stop will be required to come up with guest post topics (at least three) or interview questions (at least five). Interviews can be author or character interviews.
Review copies eBooks will be supplied to all bloggers via Edelweiss.
Details on a giveaway are TK.
If you'd like to be considered to be a stop on this tour, please first sign up as a tour host and then fill out the sign-up form HERE.
***Sign-ups are open until January 2nd at noon PST**
Once the blog hosts have been chosen and the tour schedule finalized we will have a post announcing the tour.
Please note: Signing up for the tour does not guarantee you will be selected. We will reach out to all hosts that have been chosen once the sign-ups have closed.
We are so unbelievably thrilled to be hosting this tour for Sophie's book UNINVITED and we cannot wait for its release this January!
About the Book
Title: UNINVITED
Author: Sophie Jordan
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 384
Pub. Date: January 28, 2014
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble
The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.
When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.
Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.
The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.


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Welcome to our website.
Hello and welcome to the Vin Man!
My name is David Pugh and I would like to tell you a little about The Vin Man.
My wife Wendy and I like to travel, we like to meet people, sit outside Tavernas and restaurants and enjoy the food, the wine and meeting fellow travelers on the dusty road.
When we go home, Wendy churns our lots of nice food, for me, family and friends.
But for us there's more to it than that. We have a battered old pine farmhouse table in our kitchen. Now, Wendy would like a new one. But you know, I won't let her get rid of the old one.
Because that table carries the scars of battle. There are wine stains on it from many hours eating good food, drinking good wine with good friends. Its like a comfortable armchair, its like a few wrinkles around the eyes. Its got laughter lines. And I call it 'The Talking Table'.
So in essence that's what the Vin Man is about. Take a good look at our Vin Man logo, his name is Russell. He was painted by some great friends of ours. He's an old friend we have had loads of laughs with, maybe we've eaten too much on Christmas Day, over indulged a bit on the wine front together, but we wouldn't really want to be without him.
I'm not trying to sell you the 'lifestyle', but perhaps if you will permit me, I'm trying to sell you the Spirit of Good Times. So I hope you can join Wendy, Russell and I some time for a glass of wine around The Talking Table.
Let Russell take you on a guided tour.Kind regardsTHE VIN MAN
You might like to see some of the places we have visited:
Web: www.villa-kerasia.grEmail: email@example.com APARTMENTS, PERIVOLOS, SANTORINI
Web: www.glarossantorini.grEmail: email@example.com FISH TAVERNA, PERIVOLOS BEACH
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com RAZES, SOUTH WEST FRANCE
Web: www.lasrazes.comEmail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Space Travel Design - Pokémon Quokka TCG Playmat
Space Travel Design - Pokémon Quokka TCG Playmat
Designed to suit the Pokémon Trading Card Game, this Quokka Playmat is available with the card outlines if you choose!
Our playmats are made of high-quality materials so you can rely on them for many years to come. You'll love the convenience of having a design none of your friends have. Order your playmat ready for your next tournament or game session with friends.
We also offer custom image TCG Playmats, shop for them here!
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🗒Note: Photos of product in action may be for other TCGs or show outdated card layouts. Please view the digital mock up in the first image as the current print version.
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⭐ 4.9 Average Reviews (160+)
Product Information
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Custom Playmats
Do you love playing games? Why restrict yourself to small mass-produced playmats? Customise your gaming experience. We produce custom playmats that are the perfect size and shape for your next battle. Our playmats are made of high-quality materials so you can rely on them for many years to come. You'll love the convenience of having a personalsed playmat ready for your next tournament or game session with friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clean my Quokka TCG Playmat?
1) Fill a bowl or tub with cold water and soak your playmat.
2) Scrub your playmat with a soft bristle brush.
3) Rinse away the soap using cold water, making sure there are no suds on the front or back.
4) Pat your playmat dry with a towel.
Can I put my playmat in the washing machine?
You can machine wash but we recommend hand washing it. The image will last longer if you hand wash it!
Can you sponsor me?
We get this question a lot. We're always looking for creators, brand or groups to work with. Please contact us and include as much information as possible. With most of our attention on helping customers, we only have time to reply to a few of these. Thank you for understanding :)
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The choice is YOURS based on preference. The price is the same for each edge style!
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What thickness is good enough for me?
Here is a rough run down of each size, please see the Size Guide page for a full breakdown of pros of each.
2mm Thickness
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Most of our playmat are printed as they are ordered.
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After we print the playmat (avg 4 days) we will ship it out ASAP. Shipping can take anywhere between 7 days and 30 days depending where you live. We average 10 days delivery (after printing)
Do you ship internationally?
Yes, we do! While we'd love to ship to 100% of the countries in the world, we are unfortunately limited to our shipping partners at present. We do ship to Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and more
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What companies are doing about work-from-home fatigue
A new survey shows people want more of their previous office life back
A year into the pandemic, there are growing signs of fatigue with homeworking.
People's ideal number of remote work days is slipping, according to a March survey. They feel less productive at home than a year ago. Even though the majority want flexibility in choosing when and where they work, a growing part of the workforce doesn't want to work from home at all in the future.
"While working from home extensively, people feel stuck in an 'endless day' and they are losing the notion of time," says Flore Pradere, Research Director, Global Corporate Research, JLL. "Employees are aspiring to more balanced working patterns."
While work is likely to be far more flexible than before the pandemic, companies in recent months have been reckoning with exactly how they will implement hybrid structures to satisfying what both employees and companies require.
What employees say they require has changed over the course of the pandemic. In the JLL survey of 3,300 employees conducted in March, people said they want to work from home 1.5 days a week. This was down from 2 days in a similar JLL survey conducted last April.
Only 37% of the workforce now feels more productive at home than in the office, as opposed to 48% last year. And while 88% of respondents still want to choose their working hours, a third do not want to work from home at all.
In response to shifting sentiments, companies are trying to bring people back to the office to help spur the kind of innovative and collaborative thinking that happens in person, while keeping schedules loose.
Approaches vary widely. Ford Motor Company, for example, recently said it would transition in July to a "flexible hybrid work model" that allows people to stay home for heads-down work, and come into the office for projects that are collaborative. Bloomberg, on the other hand, reportedly told all employees to return to the office once vaccinated.
In Singapore, DBS Group Holdings Ltd. is allowing all staff to work up to 40 percent of their time remotely. United Overseas Bank Ltd. announced it will allow roughly 65 percent of its workforce to work at home two days a week once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
"Although the work from home experiment during COVID was deemed successful, the long term mental health implications are still being understood," says Cynthia Kantor, Chief Product Officer, Work Dynamics, JLL. "What is clear is that over 75% of workers have missed being in the office at least part of the time and close to 80% of our clients prefer a hybrid approach. This is a very dynamic situation, and we are prepared to support our clients in any model they choose."
The sweet spot for feeling engaged, empowered and fulfilled – at least for most surveyed office workers – is working from the office at a minimum of three days per week. The survey showed that if employees are working from home more than two days a week, engagement starts to taper off, and anxiety about the future can start to increase.
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The sweet spot
"Achieving productivity at home is a tricky challenge," Pradere says. "Highly productive homeworkers demand support and recognition."
At the other end of the spectrum, less productive homeworkers can veer into feeling unfulfilled in their job. The office is key in offering them structure and a sense of purpose.
This is the challenge companies are confronting, says Kantor.
"While the notion of hybrid work is great in theory, putting it into practice is no small task," she says. "But the companies that can keep employees engaged and committed are going to win the war for talent."
It's a war that never really went away, despite economic troubles in 2020. In the U.S., the unemployment level for skilled workers is falling.
Companies aiming to boost productivity in this new environment are considering workplaces that encourage and support different needs: socialization and collaboration, focused work, creative spaces for brainstorming, areas dedicated to learning and development, or spaces connected with nature.
Some people will seek out the office as a quiet place to focus and concentrate because their homes might not be conducive to that. Others, especially younger workers new to the workplace, will be focused on engaging and networking with others.
"Finding the right mix will vary from one company to the other," Kantor says. "The best workplaces are those created with input from employees."


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George Soros conspiracy theories surge as protests sweep US
George Soros conspiracy theories surge as protests sweep US
They say he hires protesters and rents buses to transport them. Some say he has people stash piles of bricks to be hurled into glass storefronts or at police.
George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist who has long been a target of conspiracy theories, is now being falsely accused of orchestrating and funding the protests over police killings of Black people that have roiled the United States. Amplified by a growing number of people on the far right, including some Republican leaders, online posts about Soros have skyrocketed in recent weeks.
They have been accompanied by online ads bought by conservative groups that call on authorities to "investigate George Soros for funding domestic terrorism and his decades-long corruption."
Soros, 89, has donated billions of dollars of his personal wealth to liberal and anti-authoritarian causes around the world, making him a favored target among many on the right. The Hungarian-American, who is Jewish, has also been the subject of anti-Semitic attacks and conspiracy theories for decades.
Such hoaxes can now travel farther and faster with social media.
Over just four days in late May, negative Twitter posts about Soros spiked from about 20,000 a day to more than 500,000 a day, according to an analysis by the Anti-Defamation League.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London think tank focused on extremism and polarization, also found a pronounced jump on Facebook, where there were 68,746 mentions of Soros in May. The previous record of 38,326 Soros mentions was in October 2018, when angry posts alleged he was helping migrant caravans headed to the U.S.
The new wave began as nationwide demonstrations emerged over George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Some insist Soros financed the protests, while others say he colluded with police to fake Floyd's death last month. But all available evidence suggests the protests are what they seem: gatherings of thousands of Americans upset about police brutality and racial injustice.
"I think partly it's an attempt to distract from the real matters at hand — the pandemic, the protests or the Black Lives Matter movement," Laura Silber, chief communications officer for Soros' philanthropic Open Society Foundations, said of the theories. "It's pretty demeaning to the people out there protesting when someone says they're all paid. It's insulting."
A look at some of the claims:
— Soros pays protesters. No evidence has been presented to suggest demonstrators were paid by Soros or his organizations. It's a new take on an old hoax: past versions claimed Soros paid for a long list of other events, including the 2017 Women's March held just after President Donald Trump's inauguration.
— Soros pays to transport protesters. Last week, a photo claiming to show two buses emblazoned with the words "Soros Riot Dance Squad" got widespread attention. The photo was cited as proof of Soros' involvement in the protests, but it was bogus. The original photo showed two unmarked buses; someone later doctored it to add the language supposedly implicating Soros.
— Soros organizes stashing piles of bricks near protests. Several false claims involving stockpiles of bricks have been debunked, and no evidence has turned up showing they were purposefully placed.
Experts who study conspiracy theories say the new claims about Soros are a way to delegitimize the protests and the actual reasons behind them. Some see anti-Semitism, or a new spin on the age-old hoax that a shadowy cabal of rich men — whether it's the Illuminati, the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, Bill Gates or Soros — is manipulating world events.
The theories have had real-world consequences. In 2018, amid news of caravans of migrants making their way toward the U.S.-Mexico border, online misinformation about Soros was linked to violence. Cesar Sayoc, a Florida man who was obsessed with Trump, mentioned Soros dozens of times on social media before mailing pipe bombs to newsrooms, top Democrats and Soros himself.
Despite significant scrutiny, no evidence was ever found to tie the caravan to Soros. Trump, however, helped fan the flames when asked whether Soros was involved.
"I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of people say yes," the president said.
Still, some Republicans have begun pushing back on false claims of Soros' connection to the protests and those spreading the rumors. After several Republican Party chairpeople in a Texas county shared posts claiming Soros was behind the demonstrations, the state party leader called on them to resign.
Experts say conspiracy theories can become a problem when they lead to threats of violence or cause people to lose trust in important institutions. They can fade into the background only to reemerge at times of crisis.
"Conspiracy theories are like themselves viruses," said Josh Introne, a Syracuse University information studies professor who researches conspiracy theories. "The characters may change a little, and the theory itself may mutate. But they stick around."
Klepper reported from Providence, Rhode Island, and Hinnant from Paris.


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I've been meaning to learn more about the serious "unfun" games known as "Nordic Larping" ever since I learned about the activity from Eleanor Saitta at WeirdShitCon. Lucky for me, Paul Graham Raven just happened to finish a three part series of articles for Rhizome on the topic:
First played in 1998, Ground Zero has a good claim to ur-game status, and is a great example of the 'un-fun' ideas that Nordic larp plays with: its players sat in a room standing in for an Ohio nuclear shelter circa the Cuban Missile Crisis, listening to mocked-up radio reports of a blossoming bout of Mutually Assured Destruction, then spent the rest of the game having their characters come to terms with the annihilation of the world outside. Far from being an outlier, the deep emotional implications of Ground Zero are indicative of the psychological spaces that Nordic larp would go on to explore.
For the sake of simplicity, I'll be following Stark's lead and using 'Nordic larp' to refer specifically to the avant-garde school of gameplay rather than the geographically-defined set of players. As Stark is careful to point out, larp in the Nordic countries is not a monolith so much as a collection of localised scenes, and the Knudepunkt circuit — despite its greater visibility to outsiders — is a marginal part of the greater whole.
Marginal it may be, but Nordic larp is a teeming ecosystem of styles and approaches which, again, mirrors the confusion of subgenres and styles to be found in the contemporary genre fiction scene.
Full Story: Rhizome: This Is a Game: A (very) Brief History of Larp
Part 2: This is More Than a Game
I also just read Adi Robertson's experience playing perhaps the first Nordic Larp in North America:
Other larps build a more open-ended world. The White War, a larp about military occupation, is one; Mad About the Boy is another: it has a few scripted events, but the outcomes have been vastly different over its three runs. In one Norwegian run, the Last Man's arrival was met with tea and blankets. In our version, the game ended with a convoluted quadruple-cross and a lot of brandished prop guns — although, while our organizers feared Americans might be trigger-happy, none were actually fired. The forty of us were given a place to live and people to be; what we did with that was up to us.
Giving players this control tends to lead to unexpected results. "I don't think I've ever organized a larp where at one point I haven't said the following words: He did what? She did what?" Raaum says. In one of her larps, the World War II-based 1942, a group of soldiers was meant to execute a prisoner, but the plan was derailed. "They were meant to feel what it was like to look her in the eye and shoot her." Their commander, however, "wanted to spare his soldiers their feelings, so he did it himself. That's bullshit," she adds.
In some cases, though, this turns out well, even if it started with a failure on the organizers' part. Finnish war larp Valokaari was meant to feel cramped and filled with interpersonal conflict, but due to a misunderstanding, participants decided to play it as a hyper-realistic military enactment. "The characters who we expected to get on each others' nerves never did," the organizers wrote in larp anthology States of Play, "because most of them spent all their time either patrolling, eating or sleeping." At the end, the players considered the game a success, even if the game hadn't worked out remotely how the organizers intended.


text: İtem, I give unto my wife my fecond best bed, with the furniture.9 Item, I give and bequeath to my faid daughter Judith my broad filver gilt bowl. All the rest of my goods, chattels, leafes, plate, jewels, and houfhold ftuff whatsoever, after my debts and legacies paid, and my funeral expences difcharged, I give devife, and bequeath to my fon-in-law, John Hall, gent. and my daughter Sufanna his wife, whom I ordain and make executors of this my laft will and teftament. And I do entreat and appoint the said Thomas Ruffel, efq. and Francis Collins, gent. to be overfeers hereof. And do revoke all former wills, and publish this to be my faft will and teftament. In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand, the day and year first above written. By me' William Shakspeare. Witness to the publishing hereof, Fra. Collyns,2 Hamnet Sadler,5 Robert Whattcott. my fecond best bed, with the furniture.] Thus Sbakfpeare's original will. Mr. Theobald and the other modern editors have been more bountiful to Mrs. Shakspeare, having printed instead of these words, "—my brown belt bed, with the furniture." MALONE. It appears, in the original will of Shakspeare, (now in the Prerogative-Office, Doctor's Commons,) that he had forgot his wife; the legacy to her being expreffed by an interlineation, as well as thofe to Heminge, Burbage, and Condell. The will is written on three theets of paper, the two laft of which are undoubtedly fubfcribed with Shakspeare's own hand. The first indeed has his name in the margin, but it differs fomewhat in spelling as well as manner, from the two fignatures that M VOL. I. Probatum fuit teftamentum fuprafcriptum apuď London, coram Magiftro William Byrde, Legum Doctore, &c. vicefimo fecundo die menfis Junii, Anno Domini 1616; juramento Johannis Hall unius ex. cui, &c. de bene, &c. jurat. refervata poteftate, &c. Sufanna Hall, alt ex. &c. eam cum venerit, &c. petitur. &c. follow. The reader will find a fac fimile of all the three, as well as thofe of the witneffes, oppofite this page. STEEVENS. The name at the top of the margin of the first sheet was probably written by the scrivener who drew the will. This was the conftant practice in Shakspeare's time. MALONE. By me William Shakspeare.] This was the mode of our poet's time. Thus the Register of Stratford is figned at the bottom of each page, in the year 1616: "Per me Richard Watts, Minifter." Thefe concluding words have hitherto been inaccurately exhibited thus: "the day and year firft above-written by me, William Shakspeare." Neither the day, nor year, nor any preceding part of this will, was written by our poet. By me," &c. only means-The above is the will of me William Shakspeare. MALONE. 2 3 Fra. Collins,] See p. 157. MALONE. Julius Shaw,] was born in Sept. 1571. He married Anne Boyes, May 5, 1594; and died at Stratford in June 1629. MALONE. John Robinfon,] John, fon of Thomas Robinson, was baptized at Stratford, Nov, 30, 1589. I know not when he died. MALONE. THE DEDICATION OF THE PLAYERS. TO THE MOST NOBLE AND INCOMPARABLE PAIRE OF BRETHREN, WILLIAM, Earle of PEMBROKE, &c. Lord Chamberlaine to the Kings moft Excellent Majeftie; AND PHILIP, Earle of MONTGOMERY, &c. Gentleman of his Majefties Bed-chamber. Both Knights of the Moft Noble Order of the Garter, and our fingular good LORDS. RIGHT HONOURABLE, WHILST we ftudie to be thankfull in our particular, for the many favors we have received from your L. L. we are falne upon the ill fortune, to mingle two the most diverse things that can be, feare, and rashnesse; rafhneffe in the enterprize, and feare of the fucceffe. For, when we value the places your H. H. fuftaine, wee cannot but know the dignity greater, than to defcend to the reading of thefe trifles: and, while we name them trifles, we have deprived ourselves of the de fence of our dedication. But fince your L. L. have been pleased to thinke these trifles fomething, heretofore; and have profequuted both them, and their authour living, with fo much favour; we hope that (they out-living him, and he not having the fate, common with fome, to be exequutor to his owne writings) you will use the fame indulgence toward them, you have done unto their parent. There is a great difference, whether any booke choose his patrones, or find them: this hath done both. For fo much were your L. L. likings of the feveral parts, when they were acted, as before they were published, the volume asked to be yours. We have but collected them, and done an office to the dead, to procure his orphanes, guardians; without ambition either of felfe-profit, or fame: onely to keepe the memory of fo worthy a friend, and fellow alive, as was our SHAKSPEARE, by humble offer of his playes, to your most noble patronage. Wherein, as we have juftly observed no man to come neere your L. L. but with a kind of religious addreffe, it hath bin the height of our care, who are the prefenters, to make the prefent worthy of your H. H. by the perfection. But, there we muft alfo crave our abilities to be confidered, my lords. We cannot goe beyond our owne powers. Country hands reach forth milke, creame, fruits, or what they have: and many nations (we have heard) that had not gummes and incenfe, obtained their requests with a leavened cake. It was no fault to approach their Country hands reach forth milk, &c. and many nationsthat had not gummes and incenfe, obtained their requests with a leavened cake.] This feems to have been one of the commonplaces of dedication in Shakspeare's age. We find it in Morley's Dedication of a Book of Songs to Sir Robert Cecil, 1595: "I have prefumed (fays he) to make offer of thefe fimple compofi gods by what meanes they could and the moft, though meaneft, of things are made more precious, when they are dedicated to temples. In that name therefore, we moft humbly confecrate to your H. H. these remaines of your fervant SHAKSPEARE; that what delight is in them may be ever your L. L. the reputation his, and the faults ours, if any be committed, by a paire fo carefull to fhew their gratitude both to the living, and the dead, as is Your Lordfhippes moft bounden, JOHN HEMINGE, HENRY CONDELL. tions of mine, imitating (right honourable) in this the customs of the old world, who wanting incenfe to offer up to their gods, made shift infteade thereof to honour them with milk." The fame thought (if I recollect right) is again employed by the players in their dedication of Fletcher's plays, folio 1647. MALONE. |


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March 2019
The 2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) is an annual report by the Department of State to Congress prepared in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act. It describes the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade in Calendar Year 2018. Volume I covers drug and chemical control activities. Volume II covers money laundering and financial crimes.