text:
Kindle Voyage - The Best Travel Gadget
KINDLE VOYAGE - The Best Travel Gadget
If you're a page-turning indulgent reader, you have struggled packing books when traveling as I have. I'm guilty of packing a few, especially for long flights. My sister and I still joke about the debacle of our journey across Scandinavia where I carried five books in my backpack. With no elevators and constant uphills, you can imagine bad decisions were made.
Enter Kindle: the perfect solution for travelers. This oh-so-convenient device is ultra lightweight and petite. I pack it in my carry–on, use it while lounging on the beach with an umbrella (sun protection is always a must), and the usual train ride en route to a French village. Kindle is a must for everyone! This Amazon invention has become my travel companion, especially when I dine alone (a lifesaver for those who suffer from anxiety while eating solo.) I don't know why it took me so long to get it. Maybe I was holding on to my love of physical books but with a nomadic lifestyle, who has space for books? Alas, I am wholly embracing the art of Kindle will travel.
Built-in Light
Say goodbye to eyestrain. The built-in light of the Kindle doesn't strain your eyes like many back-lit tablets. You could read for hours comfortably on long flights and without disturbing your neighbor. My favorite part? The no-glare screen. As someone that enjoys reading by the beach, the no-glare screen is one of the Kindle's best features.
Battery Life
With constant use from one full charge, the Kindle Voyage's battery lasted three weeks. Yes, weeks! If I'm traveling for two weeks or less, the charger will be one last thing to worry about!
Out of all the Kindles that Amazon offers, I selected the Kindle Voyage after carefully researching features and comparisons. The Kindle Voyages is a tad lighter than PaperWhite, the built-in light automatically adjust to the environment, and you can turn pages back and forward by applying extra pressure on the sides. At the time of my purchase, the Kindle Oasis was already out, but it was $80 more expensive.
If you have your heart set on the Kindle Oasis, great news. The price has dropped $50 since their launch. It's $50 more expensive than Kindle Voyages, but it has a bigger screen, lighter weight - yes even with a bigger screen, supports audiobooks, and it's waterproof. The Kindle PaperWhite is a great contender as well, ringing up at $80 less than the Voyage. For a more budget-friendly, try the original Kindle for $79.99.
All-New Kindle $79.99
No built-in light
167 ppi Resolution
5.7 oz.
Kindle Paperwhite $119.99
Built-in light 4 LEDs
300 ppi Resolution
7.2 oz.
Kindle Voyage $199.99
Built-in light 6 LEDs + adaptive light sensor
300 ppi Resolution
6.3 oz.
Kindle Oasis $249.99
10 LEDs for enhanced page consistency
300 ppi Resolution
4.6 oz.
The Kindle Voyage has earned a permanent spot in my carry-on bag. Tell me, what do you prefer? Kindle or physical books?
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Diana Fung is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


text:
Hi y'all, I'm SK and you've probably seen me around the Treehouse. I'm a sophomore at Samford University majoring in Journalism and Mass Communications. How did I become involved in Oak Tree Ministries? Well, because of a program called Micah Fellows.
Micah Fellows is a service based honors program at Samford that revolves around Micah 6:8, which says "And what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God". Freshman year, my cohort of Micah Fellows studied the meaning of justice. This year, we are focusing on mercy. Junior year we will focus on humility, then throughout senior year we will be learning about grant writing. Micah Fellows has already provided me with knowledge I wouldn't have learned inside an ordinary classroom.
For example, I filed taxes for Birmingham citizens in low income areas through Impact Alabama. Numbers are not my strength, so I had multiple breakdowns before realizing it's not about me or how well I can file taxes. It's about providing a service to people who may not be shown this kind of love if it weren't for volunteers. I also got to be a listening ear to those who just needed someone to talk to. I heard many stories that stick with me to this day. Because of this experience, I wanted to do something more to make even a small difference in low income communities.
At the end of freshman year, the Micah Fellows had the opportunity to interview with non-profits in Birmingham. Service is a central theme within the program, so each of us are required to intern at a non-profit for three years during our time at Samford. Most people wanted to find one that related to their major, but God was tugging at my heart, telling me I shouldn't go down that path. I interviewed with multiple places. None of them felt quite right for me. Finally, I sat down and talked with Halie and Jesse and I learned about an organization whose mission is something I am passionate about.
They explained how Oak Tree Ministries focuses on reconciling people with God and people with other people in their community. How they work to provide relief to Marks Village, whether that's in times of crisis over over a long period of time. How they work to rehabilitate the community and people, physically and spiritually. And how they build relationships with the people in Mark's village in order to spread the news of the goodness of God.
After interning here for a little over a semester, it's helped me confirm that community is so necessary and that everyone benefits from it. We are all broken, and sometimes the only way to rebuild ourselves is through connecting with others while connecting with God.
So what do I do here? I get to help out a little behind the scenes by helping to organize the newsletter and doing any kind of work needed to prepare for the day. I also volunteer at Reading Club on Thursdays and Bible Club on Sundays.
Recently, God has been telling me to work on vulnerability. I spent a lot of time suppressing that calling, until He broke me down and proved to me I needed to be vulnerable. So, I love getting to talk with my small group of second and third grade boys at Bible Club. Through this time, we all share struggles we face at school with our peers. Then we discuss little things we can change to reduce conflict and show love towards one another. At Oak Tree, God has showed me that vulnerability breeds vulnerability. Trust is gained as relationships are built, which is a pathway for sharing how loving God is and how we can share that love with others.
If you ever see me around, please stop me to say hi!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Location: 2731 Murray St, Port Moody, BC
Meal: Beer Flight
Service: Counter service, no table service.
Atmosphere: Very big space, one of the bigger ones in the area. Loud, pretty loud. Outside patio with astroturf if you want to sit on the ground, tons of seating inside. Fantastic atmosphere and ambiance.
Bottom line: Craft beer can be such a hit and miss unless you know what you like in terms of hops. Parkside Brewery is definitely a place I wanted to check out based on the good things I've heard. Ordered their $7 flight and tried 4 of theirs beers.
1. Dawn Pilsner - this was ok
3. Graffiti IPA - way more depth than #1.
5. Motel Five Hop IPA - perhaps the most intriguing beer of the 4, recommended by the server.
7. Citra IPA- Not as citrusy as I hoped but it was still very refreshing.
Definitely a great place to check out for beers and laughs, make sure you check back tomorrow for the review of the Mexican place outside Parkside Brewery.
Out the door price: Bill came out to under $9 with tip.
Repeat: Yes
Final Rating: 4/5


text:
Absolute Insight Emerging Markets Debt
|Fund Strategy
|Fund Geography
|Emerging Markets
|Investment Advisor
|Insight, a BNY Mellon Company
|Portfolio Manager
|Colm McDonagh
|Fund Currency
|Fund AUM
|Fund AUM (GBP)
|Fund AUM as of
|20 September 2019
|Fund Inception
|28 February 2007
|Fund Indices
AH Macro UCITS Index
Sub Index - RV Macro
Fund Objective
The Fund aims to generate long term capital growth by producing investment returns which display low volatility and low correlation to other markets. The manager seeks to meet the investment objective by investing primarily in the debt, interest rate, and exchange rate instruments that relate to emerging market countries, combining long and/or short (synthetic) positions for hedging/ investment gain strategies.
Reference Index
JP Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index Global Diversified (local); JP Morgan Govt Bond Index - Emerging Market Global Diversified Index (Unhedged, in USD)


text:
We are settled amongst the rolling Herefordshire countryside.
Come and enjoy our little part of this glorious county.
Our luxury pods are hand built on site with quality materials and to a 5* level of glamping comfort.
Our pods are private spaces with personality, warmth and thoughtful touches. At Mike's Meadow you can retreat from the hustle of the busy world. Here you can enjoy space to unwind, and have fun with the whole family.


text:
Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable Free Download standalone latest offline setup for Windows 32-bit and 64-bit. The Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable Free Download You can get single Link for Free Download Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable and download it.
Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable Description:
Adobe Animate CC 2019 v19.0 Portable is New the software released on October 4, 2018, the best software for business, driving activity toolset to give you, and making 2D and 3D Moments for you, Adobe Company Always For us, and it including HTML5 Canvas.
The business' driving activity toolset gives you a chance to make applications, promotions, and stunning media content that moves over any screen. Adobe animate cc portable 64 bit Make intuitive online substance for amusements and advertisements utilizing great outline and liveliness instruments. Fabricate amusement conditions, the plan begins screens and interfaces, Adobe animate cc portable 32 bit make intelligent player sprites, and even incorporate sound. With Portable Animate CC 2019 Download Free, you can do all your advantage plan and coding ideal inside the application.
Portray and draw more expressive characters with weight and tilt-delicate vector brushes that work like the genuine article. Adobe animate portable 32 bit can make your characters flicker, talk, and stroll with basic edge by-outline liveliness. What's more, Adobe animate cc 2017 portable intuitive web pennants that react to client connections, for example, mouse development, contact, and snaps. Contact your crowd on the work area, versatile, and TV by trading your movements to various stages, including HTML5 Canvas, WebGL, Flash/Adobe AIR, and so custom stages like SVG.
Make new postures quicker for vector and raster content utilizing handles on a shape to change the work. No compelling reason to redraw resources on each edge — only tween among postures and make movements. Better control of layers, Animate between stances effortlessly by sorting out your benefits in parent-youngster layers.
finally, Portable Adobe Animate CC 2019 64 bit is the commercial trial version all over the world, so we don,t provide DMCA files as full version so first of all download the software installs it as the trial if you want to buy, please contact Adobe company.
You Can Also Download Adobe Animate CC 2018 18.0 Portable Free
Features For Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable:
- Helpful application for making 2D and so 3D movements which can be utilized in web ventures.
- Furnished with heaps of great arrangement of outline and so coding apparatuses.
- Enables you to create films, cell phone substance, and so recreations effectively.
- No establishment required.
- Backings a wide assortment of illustration and realistic altering devices.
- Backings Timeline and Motion Editor for planning the normal movement for items and characters.
- Furnished with an Effects classification which has a few channels and so mixing abilities.
- Furnished with 3D change highlights which can be utilized for quickening 2D protests in the 3D space.
- Got Deco device which will give you a chance to make vivified impacts of trees, blooms, and mists and so on.
You Can Also Download Adobe InDesign CC 2019 v14.0 Portable Free
File Information
Name: Adobe_Animate_CC_2019_Portable_Trial_Version.rar
File Size: 769 MB
Publisher Of Software: Adobe
File Type: Rar File
Release Date Of: Oct 4,2018
Languages: English
License: Commercial Trial
System Requirements For Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable:
- Operating System: Windows 10/8/7 ( 32 bit / 64 bit ).
- Required Processor: processor 2GHz or higher.
- Memory (RAM): 2 GB RAM or higher.
- Hard Disk Space: 2 GB available hard-disk space for installation.
Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable Free Download
By Clicking the Red below Button Your Download will Start This Setup File Is the standalone offline setup For Adobe Animate CC 2019 Portable Free Download version for Windows.


text:
What I Learned As A Trainer
Most people can do the basics with their dog if they do it properly. However, most of my clients are people who have had dogs all their lives and think they know what to do. Honestly, before I became a professional trainer I thought the same because I thought I had good dogs – until I remembered Duffer.


text: Hyundai, along with other foreign automakers, is showing off upcoming models at the Chicago Auto Show. The Korean auto firm displayed the Elantra Coupe, as the brand is adding a new two-door to its lineup. Hyundai says no to trucks Hyundai is currently showing off new cars at the Chicago Auto Show, and the CEO Read on! →


text:
Madam Butterfly Theatre Tickets
A tender kiss can conceal the hardest of hearts.
Anthony Minghella's Olivier Award-winning production returns to the London Coliseum. His staging combines cinematic images and traditional Japanese theatre.
In Puccini's story of unrequited love, Cio-Cio San, a young Japanese girl, falls in love and marries American naval officer Pinkerton. He goes back to the US before the birth of their son leaving Cio-Cio San to await his return. Natalya Romaniw, last season's acclaimed Mimì (La bohème) at ENO, sings the title role for the first time in London. She is joined by tenors Dimitri Pittas and Adam Smith who share the role of Pinkerton.
Show Information
Booking from: 2020-02-26
Booking until: 2020-04-17
Running Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Theatre Information
Theatre: London Coliseum
Address: St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4ES
(3mins) Take Cranbourn Street until St Martin's Lane, where you head right until you reach the theatre.
Location Map
Please note: the location shown on the map is an approximate location of the theatre. In the majority of cases the theatre will be marked on the map so please make sure you locate the exact location yourself. If the theatre is not shown on the map please make sure you locate the correct road name and take account of the directions.


text:
Computer Buying Guides Articles
I even have been working with computer systems for a while now, nonetheless it by no means ceases to nauseate me every-time I open a case that's caked with cigarette soot and blankets of dust/tar. As such, the policing of pc security relates intimately to the ever-evolving relationship between know-how and legislation and the continued need to search out the most efficient and applicable method to handle issues of law and regulation enforcement in a technologically superior world. So, these are all issues to keep in mind if you happen to're searching for a laptop computer for mainstream engineering purposes. As far as Farmville goes, I'm nice at it, I can kill a crop in a day & my animals wouldn't stay in their pen – so I used the handy dandy delete button! If you wish to entrust the security of your computer to Norton software program be my guest. Automated applications and robotics will also be used to intelligently feed knowledge into the pc on station or remotely. All the computer elements connects in in some way with the motherboard.
A workstation is sort of a private pc, but it surely has a extra highly effective microprocessor and a better-quality monitor. Computer show units have been in use almost as long as computer systems themselves. You can hook up your keyboard (or any MIDI controller for that matter) and mess around, it is a good feature to have. The game is one of the most recent flip based mostly technique video games to be released, meaning it offers both outstanding graphics and deep strategic gameplay. It is very easy to show your old computer into a media server and watch online TV anyplace.
Variants of the Abaci continued to be common instruments of calculation and are still in use today in elements of Asia and Africa. Some of the concepts that we take a look at on this lens would possibly need one or two new laptop components to get it done, but all the ideas will be accomplished for minimal investment. Whether you want a graphics card for your laptop relies upon quite a bit upon the duties and software you're making an attempt to run. Warranty: The Level 10GT comes with an ordinary three-year parts and labor guarantee from Thermaltake.
Editing in excessive definition will not be a problem with this highly effective computer as a result of it has an Intel Nvidia GT640 Graphic Card which might run Microsoft's DirectX 10.1 and most different video editing software program on the market. Most computer displays are appropriate with your Mac Mini, Macbook professional, Macbook Air, and iMac desktop computers. Overall it is a great monitor at beneath $200 and one it's best to positively consider.
The differential analyser , a mechanical analog laptop designed to solve differential equations by integration , used wheel-and-disc mechanisms to perform the mixing. Darkspore captures every thing you loved about Spore and mixes it with RPG elements to create probably the greatest games like Spore out there. In 1951, the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation was renamed the Univac Division of Remington Rand.
Recent Posts
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- Apple Computer
- Clothing & Fashion
- Computer Desk
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Games
- Computer Parts
- Computer Programming
- Computer Repair
- Computer Science
- Computers And Internet
- General Article
- High Speed Internet
- Internet Archive
- Internet Computer
- Internet Providers
- Internet Security
- Internet Service
- Internet Services
- Internet Speed
- Internet Tv
- Pets & Animals
- Private Internet Access
- The Internet
- Wireless Internet


text:
Latest News
CO2 storage project begins
OWENSBORO — The Kentucky Geological Survey has started work on a carbon-storage project in Western Kentucky.
The drilling pad has been constructed at the Hancock County site and the road up to the pad has been built, said Dave Williams, a principal investigator for the project.
The Kentucky Geological Survey will inject carbon dioxide into an 8,000-foot-deep well to study the potential of storing carbon dioxide in the earth.
Depending on the outcome of the research, facilities such as power plants that burn coal for power might build wells to store carbon dioxide instead of emitting it into the atmosphere, Hancock Judge-Executive Jack McCaslin told Hancock Fiscal Court last year.
Workers are completing seismic tests and doing imaging on the rocks deep where the Survey's target zones are.
They want to get a better idea of what they are drilling into, Williams said.
The project will cost more than $5 million. The state is paying $1.4 million.
Peabody Energy, ConocoPhillips and E.ON U.S., which formed the Western Kentucky Carbon Storage Foundation, are funding the rest of the project.
The survey is waiting on a commitment from a drilling rig before it can start construction of the well itself.
It is also still waiting for a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency to inject the carbon dioxide.
The earliest start the survey could have is mid-January, Williams said. It is allowed to begin drilling the well without an EPA permit.
The EPA is also requiring the survey to drill a water-monitoring well, along with the well that will contain the carbon dioxide.
It will take about 45 days to drill the well. The testing period is about two weeks.
Carbon dioxide will be brought to the well by truck. The pressure of being deep in the ground will change the carbon dioxide from gas to liquid.
Once testing is complete, the Kentucky Geological Survey will continue to monitor the site.
"We plan to monitor it for five years total," Williams said.


text:
Sailor Moon Crystal Sees New Merchandise
Sailor Moon Crystal has only just launched in Japan and around the world via streaming service Crunchyroll and already the first wave of merchandise has hit the streets. Coming straight from Bandai's Premium online store is the "Sailor Soldier Tiara Ring" pre-order. There are five different styles and have been modelled after the five different tiaras […]Continue Reading


text:
Before Occupy, Credit Default Swaps and the Fiscal Cliff, the 99% have always had it rough. This month, join us for a post-tax season salute to Rodney Dangerfield & Richard Pryor, two of the more subversive citizens ever to pull the lever on the American Dream Machine.
First up is EASY MONEY, (1983) Rodney's first star vehicle, in which hard-partying Monty Capuletti (what is this, Shakespeare?) stands to win his mother-in-law's 10 mil inheritance – just one catch- he must ditch all his considerable vices for one year. Monty must also shepherd his daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh!) to her impending nuptials w/a louse named Julio, as scheming Jeffery Jones does what he does best (scheme) to bilk Monty out of his rightful due. Oops – forgot to mention Pesci as his no good bum best friend. It's a lock!
Then it's BREWSTER'S MILLIONS (1985), the story of Monty Brewster (Pryor), a minor-league baseball catcher who discovers he has a long-lost great uncle (Hume Cronyn), and 300 million to gain if (just one catch)- he can spend 30 million in 30 days. It's up to him & best pal Spike (John Candy) to make sure he can spend said moulah in the most Trump-on-crack foolish ways possible, including waging a campaign for NYC Mayor for 'none of the above.' It's a Walter Hill comedy joint also featuring Obsolete mainstay Rick Moranis, Yakov Smirnoff and a cast of thousand (mooks.) So join us, won't you as we go FULL MONTY & GET RICH QUICK?!
It's all happening at Freddy's Happy Hour, with decadent drink specials, trivia & prizes for youse all!


text:
We just returned from southern California where we attended Natural Products Expo West, the world's largest natural and organic food show. We walked miles (literally about 7 miles per day) to see what's hot and new in foods and beverages.
Here are our
top 5 trends from the show:
CBD Edibles Galore
Since hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states, there were hundreds of brands touting their new hemp-derived CBD products for their wellness benefits. We came home with bags of samples of CBD tinctures, soft gels and vitamins along with candy, honey, tea and other products made with full spectrum CBD. CBD is generally hemp-derived so it doesn't contain THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis) and you won't get a buzz from these tasty edibles.
Regenerative Replaces Sustainable
Some 75 percent of the foods we eat come from just 12 plants and 5 animals. To increase diversity, several food companies are embracing more diverse ingredients and crop biodiversity for a more "regenerative" agricultural system.
General Mills announced that it would be using regenerative ag techniques on a million acres of farmland by 2030. Both Unilever and Danone are multinational companies also looking for ways to promote regenerative agriculture. Look for smaller brands, like start-up Kuli Kuli's moringa and Varietal crackers, that are investing in sustainability and the regenerative movement too.
Oh My Oats!
Oat-infused products were everywhere at this year's Expo. Almond and soymilk are being pushed aside for oatmilks, which are proving to be the darling of the nondairy milk alternatives. Oatmilk is considered more sustainable and has a neutral flavor more similar to cow's milk.
We liked Elmurst 1925 from New York and Mooala creamy coconut oatmilk. Some of our favorite oat-based snacks included Enjoylife's Breakfast Ovals, Oats Overnight (just add your favorite milk), and Bobo's oat bars, cookies and toaster "pastries". They make oats more portable than ever.
'Shroom Boom
Love fungi? If so you'll be thrilled to hear that there's been a boom in all things mushroom. Mushrooms are being touted for their health and wellness benefits, including immune-boosting and anti-cancer properties.
With Outstanding Food's Pig Out Plant-Based Chips, you'll think you're eating bacon, but actually they're just mushrooms with amazing texture and flavor. Similarly, Pan's Mushroom Jerky are vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and high in fiber and vitamin D. We also liked Applegate Farm's Blend Burgers that reduce the amount of organic beef or turkey in a burger patty and fill it out with organic mushrooms. These tasty burgers make it easy to amp up the veggies in your diet.
Plant-Based Burgers…Finally
Plant-based was another huge trend at the show, and new mouth-watering plant-based burgers were drawing big crowds. We liked Morningstar Farms new Cheezeburger, a vegan quarter pound patty with plant-based cheddar "cheeze." Delish. We also liked Strong Roots' hearty quinoa and kale burger, which provided great taste and texture. And, for a burger that looks and cooks like real beef, you'll want to try Sweet Earth Foods Awesome Burger, a soy-based meat alternative.
Top Five Healthy Food Trends to Watch is a post from: Appetite for Health


text:
Chris Hannah, via Propagandhi.com
"Failed States", will be unleashed on September 4th/ 2012 via Epitaph Records, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy it's contents before Nibiru comes flying out of the Oort cloud and annihilates Earth in late December, vindicating paranormalists and pseudo-scientists worldwide for about 14 nano-seconds.
Epitaph records has a short write about about the new album with a track list and a jpeg of the absolutely gorgeous cover art (which I believe was painted by none other than Todd the Rod and laid out by Amphibian).
Keener that I am, I've already pre-ordered the LP (on blue vinyl!) and will now spend the next month and a half listening to the title track on continuous loop.


text:
The lives of marketing technology officers, chief marketing technologists, and other martech professionals are often complicated and draining. Whether they're in control of buying decisions or implementing new marketing tools, the swing between the excitement for a new solution to the drudgery of actually supporting those solutions can take a large toll. From budget burdens to committing their team's man hours—the payoff for every new implementation has to be worth it.
As a marketer for a large B2B company, imagine you're presented with a scalable solution that would improve the efficiency of your customer service, reduce overhead, and could operate 24/7. Oh, and it would be entirely in-house—no third-party service or call center that's likely to muddle your brand image. Sounds like a dream, right?
Only catch: how do you feel about robots? Or rather, bots.
Over the past couple of years, chatbots have become an increasingly popular tool for companies looking to improve their capacity to answer customer questions and requests. Now, thanks to Facebook launching chatbot support for its messenger service back in April 2016, more companies than ever are embracing the automated customer service platform to reduce some of the human burden on the more tedious elements of their content strategy.
Are chatbots the next necessary thing for your marketing mix? Or do they still have a limited use case?
The first important thing to understand about chatbots is what the technology can and cannot do. Ideally, the technology should be able to do three things:
In practice today, chatbots are primarily able to do number two.
Chatbots that can hold complex conversations are difficult to produce. Most approaches involve machine learning (number 3), which is a process by which a chatbot's program is supposed to optimize over time, given enough input from users.
The problem, however, is that people aren't always pleasant or precise online. And machines are really good at learning. Even the bad stuff.
Microsoft learned this the hard way when they invited Twitter to try and help its chat AI, Tay, learn how to speak. In less than 24 hours, the bot went from being "cool with humans" to spouting racist rhetoric, and was subsequently shut down. This was a natural evolution from a similar problem that IBM's supercomputer service Watson also faced back in 2013 when it accidentally memorized all of Urban Dictionary and began cursing at users.
So in terms of fully mimicking human interaction, chatbots today have to be far more limited in scope to minimize the chance that they're ability to optimize goes off the rails and breaks the program as a whole. The result is often a sort of uncanny valley problem, where chatbots are very close to seeming human, but in their few errors they break the illusion in an uncomfortable way.
In response, the most successful brands using chatbots have done two things. First, they've embraced the idea of using a bot, publically announcing it and making the novelty of the marketing tool a draw for their content strategy, rather than something they try to hide. Secondly, they narrow the scope of the chatbot's interactions tightly so that users know pretty much exactly how to interact with it, keeping optimization tighter while also managing user expectations.
Following the novel chatbot model, some B2C brands have seen enormous success.
Uber has embraced Facebook's messenger platform, making it possible for people to contact a "representative" who can schedule a ride for them.
It's a service that's similar to Uber's regular offering (messenger is primarily used on mobile devices—as is Uber's app), but the simple pleasure and convenience of allowing a user to engage other friends in the scheduling conversation, while interacting with a "rep," has proven useful for the brand's users.
Sephora, by comparison, has fully embraced messenger bots as a primary tool to tell its brand story, producing bots that can do everything from scheduling an appointment for your next visit to picking out makeup that matches your skin tone. The focus shifts from a person being on the other end of the line to a tool that provides the user a space they're familiar with.
But while the B2C space has been engaging with chatbots for some time now, these marketing tools have been comparatively slower to pickup in the B2B space. Some brands are seeing great successes with the technology, however.
Expensify is a great example. As a platform, Expensify is supposed to automate the process of gathering and organizing expense reports from your company's employees. To support this, its chatbot "concierge" walks users through the process of submitting expense information, actively troubleshooting potential problems as it goes along, simultaneously making the process easier for the user while protecting the data for the automated platform to use. The result? A reported 75 percent decrease in banking errors.
The potential for bots that can collect data from human users and then drop it into automated data handling is absolutely enormous. It's one of the many reasons that marketing technology giant Salesforce has announced the launch of its Live Message service, which offers brands the ability to build and scale their own chatbots.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful moves for brands to take note of, because it makes it possible for companies to actually customize a tool for their own B2B experience—experiences which are often more complex or particular than a standard B2C customer service interaction. It's also a move that has heated up the competition between Salesforce and Microsoft, signaling that brands may have multiple fully developed services to choose from in very short order.
So it brings us back to our tech officer's original question: are chatbots a useful tool to embrace right now?
If your brand is looking for a large, all-encompassing communication solution, then absolutely not. The technology isn't there yet for brands to be cutting out the human part of telling a story. However, if your brand has an idea to solve a particular problem for your audience that can be automated, then there might be a fun way to work chatbots into your content strategy.


text:
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – With patients usually having to go elsewhere to get an MRI, like Prince George, they won't have to do that anymore with the announcement of a MRI machine coming to the Fort St. John Hospital.
UHNBC will also be getting a new machine, while Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace is getting a machine too.
The process to get the MRI machines started back in 2012 when Northern Health hired a consultant to explore the options for MRI services in Northern BC says Angela De Smit, North East Chief Operating Officer.
Then in 2013, the consultant said that the replacement of the MRI machine at UHNBC was necessary, as well as establishing a mobile unit.
In 2014, they started to look at partnerships with foundations, ministry of health and began a 10-year medical imaging strategy that would help identify care closer to home.
The reason for the placement for the MRI machine that Fort St. John will be receiving was because the new hospital had set aside space that could be used for future placement of an MRI unit.
They did have the option between a moveable unit and a permanent unit, which they ultimately decided to go with the permanent units.
MRI imaging is also safer, using less radiation then a CT scan, according to De Smit. MRI also provides a better image to surgeons and doctors.
The Ministry of Health is committing $3.3 million, and the regional hospitals are also committing to $3.3 million. The Regional Foundation Campaign, which is not the FSJ Hospital Foundation, will commit to $1.6 million. That is the cost for all 3 machines.
Northern Health does around 5,500 scans a year. The new machines will also cut down on people having to go to Prince George and Alberta.
The initial goal was to have them installed by the spring of 2017. They are hoping to have them installed and services available by early 2017. There will be renovation costs, even at the new hospital. Where the MRI machine is going, is currently a meeting room, so they will have to do some changes.


text:
No. 109
Block B Schedule
- Students: Albany Coming Together is looking for two students to be on the panel that reviews the District wide recommendations and helps move Albany forward with this important equity work. Meetings are once a month and stepping into this position would be a great opportunity for any student. For more information, please contact Principal Ritchie in the main office.
- The Spring Social Event of the Year is here! The Flashback Friday Dance will be from 6-10pm on Friday, March 16 at Memorial Hall. We're selling tickets March 6-15 for $15, must bring signed dance agreement form. Join us for throwback bops and an unforgettable night of fun!
- Albany High will be the host site for the 2018 Div. IV boys/girls basketball championships this Saturday, March 3rd. Mr. Lopez is looking for a few responsible students to help with the admission table, shot clock & scoreboard. Students will get paid $50 for your work during the 2 games. Stop by the athletic office for more details.
- Don't forget to turn in your permission slips to the athletic office if you plan on traveling with the boys basketball team to today's basketball game at Campolindo H.S. Only the first 30 students to return their permission slip will be allowed to travel with the team on the bus. Admission will be FREE to all students riding the bus! The bus will depart at 4:30 SHARP so be sure to meet in front of the gym lobby entrance.
- Senior panos are here! If you ordered one you can pick it up in the attendance office.
- The Albany Choirs Program is having a boba sale this Thursday, March 1st! Bring your friends and enjoy some boba! The sale will either be in front of the art building or in the atrium depending on the weather.
College and Career
- The first review session for the 2018 AP Comparative Government exam will be held at 7 pm on Monday evening, 5 March, in Room 207.
Clubs and Teams
- The Model UN Club will meet Wednesday, February 28 at lunch in the Little Theater.
- Best Buddies Club Meeting will be held Thursday, March 1st lunchtime in Room 219.
- Calling all Key Clubbers to another meeting in Room 302 today!
- Bring Change to Mind Club meets today in Room 106. Come discuss National Eating Disorder Awareness Week!
- Boys/Girls Swimming @ 2p


text:
Police said a man was arrested Tuesday night after SWAT officers were called to a south Amarillo house.
James Ortiz was arrested on a parole violation stemming from a narcotics possession charge, Lt. Terry Lichtie said, after Amarillo Police Department's SWAT and narcotics were called to a house at 2906 S. Tyler St.
About 10:40, police were called to the address after Ortiz ran in the back door of the house uninvited, Lichtie said. He had been dropped off by a friend in the alley behind the house, possibly armed, Lichtie said. Two people were in the house when Ortiz entered, Lichtie said.
SWAT and police blocked off the immediate area before Lichtie said Ortiz came out of the house unarmed.


text:
"Walking to school is a simple, hopeful, powerful act. It is an indicator of what we believe and what we value. Of the health of our children, the health of our environment and the health of our communities."
Jennifer Keesmat, former Chief Planner, City of Toronto
School Active Transportation Program
The School Active Transportation Program encourages elementary-school children to walk and wheel to school on a regular basis.
There are plenty of benefits for children such as:
- improved concentration at school
- a chance to learn and practice safety skills
- growth in independence and confidence
- time to connect with a caring adult or friend
- opportunities to make friends with children in their neighbourhood
- spending more time outdoors
- learning about the neighbourhood in which they live
- enjoying safer school zones with less traffic congestion
- a chance to care for our planet by reducing pollution and Green House Gasses
- building a can-do attitude for life
The School Active Transportation Program assists Ottawa schools with educational workshops on pedestrian and bike safety with fun events such as Bike to School Week or International Walk to School Day. School committees work to identify challenges in the neighborhood and implement solutions. With the help of School Travel Planning facilitators, they set targets, track progress, engage partners, and celebrate successes as students get active and healthy.
Since 2010, more than 30 schools have participated in the program. EnviroCentre is proud to deliver School Active Transportation on behalf of Ottawa Student Travel Authority (OSTA) and the City of Ottawa with support from Green Communities Canada.
To learn more about the program visit Ontario Active School Travel.
To find out how your school can participate in the School Active Transportation Program, contact EnviroCentre.


text:
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn't fight her dark side—she embraces it.
It's Lilah Love's job to inhabit a killer's mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin. It's a string of brutal assassinations carried out across the country, each tied to a mysterious tattoo. Body by body, she's followed the clues all the way back to her hometown. And every step of the way, the killer has been following her.
Here, beneath the glamour of the privileged Hamptons community, is a secret long buried but never forgotten. It's bigger than Lilah. It's powerful enough to escape the reach of the FBI. And it's more personal than anyone can imagine. Because it's hiding in Lilah's own past. To fight it, she's forced to turn to her lethally tempting ex, Kane Mendez. He's an expert at bringing out Lilah's darkest impulses. If she plans to survive, she's going to need them.
**You MUST read book one, MURDER NOTES, in order to read this book.
My Review
Murder Girl, the continuation of Lisa Renee Jones' Lilah Love series is just as captivating and intense as Murder Notes because the closer Lilah gets to unraveling the killer's mind and following the clues of the case, the more twisted and interconnected those involved become, making it almost impossible to identify the truths amidst the lies and the guilty amidst the innocent and forcing Lilah to take extreme steps to solve this case, even if it means fully embracing her dark impulses and giving into once dormant desires for a certain man she can't seem to stay away from despite the risks and dangers that surround her life due to her career and where this particular case has led her.
I don't want to give away any part of the plot because it is absolutely necessary to understand and experience every lead…every clue…every discovery as they occur in the story, making readers members of Lilah's team, which not only keeps readers engaged, but it also provides them with a vested interest because as they hypothesize what the information means and what's at stake the longer the case remains unsolved, a resolution becomes mandatory, not only in order to prevent the heinous crimes that continue to run rampant but also to protect Lilah from coming anymore undone than she already is at the hands of a madman as well as a past and a present that somehow intertwine.
Because this series is more of a suspense thriller than a romantic suspense, which is established quite well in Murder Notes, the focus of Murder Girl is on the case, its many sides, and the mental effect it has on Lilah Love. BUT, because Lilah's ex, Kane Mendez, becomes a central figure in the story line, not only in Lilah's everyday life but also in the case, the romantic aspect of the series becomes more prominent, which, in some ways, seemed a bit too predictable…maybe even unnecessary due to the forced change in focus, but I also understand why Lisa Renee Jones added those scenes into the story. Perhaps I'm too absorbed with and too involved in the ins and outs of the profiling case that I didn't want to switch gears, but for those readers who have been waiting for Lilah and Kane to act on those feelings that are so clearly below the surface, they'll be happy with the developments in book 2.
There's still so much to figure out when Murder Girl ends and with the betrayals that have occurred and the lives that are still at risk, I can't even begin to predict where Lisa Renee Jones will lead Lilah Love and all those involved with this case, which means that I will be anxiously waiting for the next book in the series!
4.5 Poison Apples
I enter the building and ignore the pretty brunette behind the triangle-shaped stone desk and head to the stairs.
"Excuse me," she calls out, but I ignore her. Kane knows I'm coming. He has people watching me and this building. He knows I'm in the building by now. I don't need "sweet thing" down there to announce me in yet another way. I'm at the top of the stairs before she finishes her fourth excuse me, which is now a bit louder, as if I just haven't heard her the other three times. I turn down the hallway and walk toward the desk outside Kane's office where Tabitha sits, minus any more originality today than the last time I was here. She's still bleached blonde, with her fake, giant-ass boobs hanging out of a silk blouse with numerous buttons undone that turn it into a slut show that could have been professional.
I pass her without a word, approaching Kane's double doors, when she says, "Drama follows you, Lilah Love."
"No," I say without looking at her. "Dead bodies follow me." I glance over my shoulder at her. "You should remember that."
And with that statement that really had no purpose other than it felt really damn good, I open Kane's door.
I step inside Kane's office and find him sitting behind his desk, just in time to hear him say, "She's here," into his intercom and then release the button.
With exaggerated drama that I reserve for moments when I want to be a smart-ass or simply announce my fucking presence, I use my body to shut the door, but I don't hang out and wait for it to grow roots. I rotate and charge toward Kane and that King Mendez desk of his that he doesn't get to use as shelter. By the time I round the wooden atrocity, he's standing, towering over me in a charcoal suit and a purple shirt with black stripes and some sort of black-and-gray tie. It's flashy, expensive, and works on him when it would not on nine out of ten other people. But then, while I keep a low profile—aside from the door drama, of course—and favor my black nondescript looks, his entire persona says "look at me" with the intended message of "I have nothing to hide." A lie he tells the world and, after he drugged me to keep me from knowing what happened last night, apparently me.
We stand there for a beat or ten without words before he says, "Lilah," and the very fact that he says it like sex is all it takes for me to snap.
I slap him in the face, because my bare fist is too small to hurt him the way his jaw would hurt me. It's also a disgrace to a man to be slapped, which is why one UFC fighter I've watched here and there does it to his opponents. And Kane is my opponent. He turns his head with the force of the blow, my palm stinging in the aftermath.
"Well now, beautiful," he says, fixing me with a brown-eyed stare. "I know you like it rough, but is now the time? We both have questions we want answered."
I slap him again, and this time he catches my wrist before I pull back. I try to slap him with my free hand, and he catches it as well, this time before contact. "You get two, not three."
My gaze flicks to the handprint on his right cheek that matches the one on the left before I meet his stare and say, "Two was pretty damn satisfying."
"Why didn't you tell me about your stalker?" he demands, his question low, lethal, his anger banked just beneath the surface, while mine is the cherry on top of every lie he's told me. "Because we both know that's what we're dealing with here," he adds.
"Let go of me, Kane," I bite out, my voice taut with impatience. No. Make that a desire to smack him again.
"After you tell me about your stalker and the notes."
"Let go of me, Kane," I repeat slowly, "or my next move will be a knee to your family jewels. And I promise you, it will be hard enough that neither of us will have to worry about our urge to fuck ever again." My jaw sets hard, but he doesn't release me. "You drugged me," I remind him, "and then searched my house before leaving me with a gun that I was too drugged to use. So if you think I won't do it—"
He releases me but doesn't step back. "I didn't leave you with a gun you couldn't use. I kept you at my house until sunrise, and I left a team guarding your place, front and back. I protected you, like I always do."
I don't analyze why that makes me angrier. That's for later. For now, there is this: "I'd pull my gun on you and back you off, Kane, but I swore the next time I did that, I'd shoot you. And I need information from you."
"I'm all yours, beautiful," he says, holding his hands out. "I always am." He motions to the sitting area to his left and behind him. "Let's sit and make this peaceful."
"Peaceful, my ass," I say.
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones's heart-pounding thriller of a woman's secrets—and a past that's about to come out of hiding…
As an FBI profiler, it's Lilah Love's job to think like a killer. And she is very good at her job. When a series of murders surface—the victims all stripped naked and shot in the head—Lilah's instincts tell her it's the work of an assassin, not a serial killer. But when the case takes her back to her hometown in the Hamptons and a mysterious but unmistakable connection to her own life, all her assumptions are shaken to the core.
Thrust into a troubled past she's tried to shut the door on, Lilah's back in the town where her father is mayor, her brother is police chief, and she has an intimate history with the local crime lord's son, Kane Mendez. The two share a devastating secret, and only Kane understands Lilah's own darkest impulses. As more corpses surface, so does a series of anonymous notes to Lilah, threatening to expose her. Is the killer someone in her own circle? And is she the next target?
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series.
In addition to the success of Lisa's INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is also the author of the bestselling WHITE LIES and LILAH LOVE series.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women's Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.


text:
A controlled buy was probable cause to arrest. United States v. Jackson, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158445 (M.D. Pa. Sep. 18, 2018).*
Plaintiffs' claim that an administrative code violation search was a pretext for a criminal search fails on the merits on summary judgment. Newberry v. County of San Bernardino, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 26420 (9th Cir. Sep. 18, 2018).*
"The affidavit thus establishes the following: (1) a specific sale of marijuana by the defendant to a confidential informant; (2) the reliability of the informant; (3) based on the informant's reliability, the defendant's ongoing practice of selling marijuana (not a one-time sale); (4) the common practice of drug dealers keeping drugs, weapons, business records and large sums of cash secured someplace; (5) the common practice of drug dealers using their residences for these purposes; and (6) the common practice of drug dealers making sales away from their residences precisely because evidence (including proceeds) of their illegal activity is kept there. The defendant makes no challenge to the accuracy, reliability or weight of items (2) – (6); instead, he ignores them." United States v. Hill, 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 158928 (S.D. Ala. Sep. 18, 2018).*


text:
Meany PTSA votes to approve budget
The Meany PTSA Revised 2017-2018 budget has been approved! In consultation with the administration and BLT reps and reflective of parent survey input, the $77K budget covers Meany students' planners; supports each individual teacher as well as all academic departments, including Special Ed and ELL; contributes toward after-school academic interventions; supports social-emotional, diversity, and outreach efforts; and sets aside some funds for community-building events. Together with seed money from the Washington Middle School split, all contributions to the Meany PTSA this year support this year's students. Read an overview of the adopted budget.
Last day to order Meany spirit wear
The Meany spirit wear order deadline has been extended to today, Friday December 1st! From t-shirts to polos, hoodies to hats, we've got some Meany gear for your family. Get your order in today by 2:30 pm! View the merchandise and download the order form here. You can purchase with a credit card, or attach a check payable to Corporate Promotions.
Annual Fund update
With nearly $15,000 raised so far, we're on pace to reach our goal, as long as we keep up this good momentum. Funds help with academic classroom support, additional resources for teachers, and opportunities for students to extend their learning beyond the school day. This is our primary fundraiser as there will be no auction this year. The deadline is December 31st and you can make your contribution today by visiting meanyptsa.org/donate or by sending a check, made payable to the Meany PTSA, to the school office. We are striving for 100% participation, so please make your gift today to support Meany students, teachers, and the entire Meany community. Thank you!
Winter cheer concert reception
Please join us for a cookie, coffee, and hot cocoa reception prior to the winter concert on Tuesday, December 12th starting at 5:30 pm in the Meany Cafe. Kids can grab a treat prior to heading to their classes to warm-up, and parents can linger in the cafe while waiting for the concert to start at 7 pm. All are welcome — even if you don't have a performer, come and support the music program and meet some new people in the Meany community. Please sign up if you can help by bringing cookies or serving. Questions? Contact Lara Kreyenhagen.
Race & Equity Team meeting
The next Meany Race and Equity Team meeting will be on Monday, December 4th from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the Meany library. The Meany Race and Equity Team is a group of parents and teachers dedicated to closing the achievement and opportunity gap. We hope you can join us. Contact John Benner to learn more.
Special Education parent group
The Meany Special Education parent group will next meet on Wednesday, January 10th at 6:30 pm in the library. Please join us if you have a child with a 504 or IEP, want to learn more about Special Education, or are interested in being an ally for Special Education and supporting this vital part of our diverse school community. Contact Lori Hiltz to RSVP or learn more.


text:
Departure: Friday morning
Return: Sunday evening
Before November 6th: 200€
After November 6th: 250€
Roundtrip flights from Berlin (outside of Germany). ✈
Shared accommodation for 2 nights. (rated 8.0 or higher on booking.com)
One delicious tribe meal. 🌽
A personalised city guide with awesome recommendations.
Thoughtfully designed experiences/challenges for your tribe.
An awesome story to tell your friends & family. 😎
Does not include: transport within the cities, tour guides, llama rides, ugly fridge magnets.
If you're thinking 'is this worth taking a day off work?', the answer is 100% yes! If you have any other questions feel free to send us a message or read the FAQ.
Pictures from past adventures


text:
Thanks to a really generous donation last week our fund-raising is now at just over $2000. This donation was for $400, and took me somewhat by surprise. Yes I had included a $400 option on the GoFundMe, but I wasn't really expecting anyone to take it up. Needless to say I'm really thankful.
I have been asked why I'm asking for funding from people and groups. In effect I've been asked why I'm deserving of support. It's a fair question, and I'll do my best to respond.
First and foremost, I'd say that whether or not I'm deserving of your support is really up to you. I can make a case, but it's always your choice. I have no way of knowing if you've read this and decided not to support me, I only know of your decision to do so. We all have choices to make about where we share our money, I'll make mine as you'll make yours.
In a nut-shell the reason I'm asking for your help is that I'm blind. Because I'm blind I can only ride a tandem. If I could see I could ride a regular bike which would cost a lot less, and it would hardly seem reasonable to be asking people for support.
We're looking at a basic racing tandem bike at around $10,000. A similarly spec'd single bike is around the $1000-$1500 mark. It's a pretty big penalty for being blind and wanting to participate in sport. As many of my blind friends point out, a blind person taking part in sport (and particularly an aerobic sport) needs a guide (or pilot) to keep us safe, and that immediately doubles participation costs. In the case of cycling (or triathlon, for that matter) we're also looking at specialist equipment.
It's not like I'm blind through any fault of my own, though even if I were would it be any less equitable?
If we can win the Tandem Category of the National Para-Cycling Series on an old tandem that was never built for racing, imagine how we might compete with a modern machine.
But we don't get that chance without help from you, as a sponsor, a community group donor or as an individual donor.
As individuals anyone can help with any amount. 20 people donating $5 is still $100. I'd really love an opportunity, and a little can help get me there.
Sponsors and community groups can check out the support us page, individuals can donate either by using PayPal (with a credit card or via their linked accounts) with GoFundMe or by direct deposit to:
Account Name: Tandem Armidale Racing Team
Account: 735588


text:
Free Drinks? Here's a Free Rant
The narration goes like this: "This guy asked to meet tomorrow at a bar. Should I go? Free drinks…"
"He's a bad texter, but he'll probably pay for dinner."
"I'm at dinner right now, and I just ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. I hope he pays. I don't want to see him again."
Stop right there.
All the above statements have reduced the man – or whoever is paying for the drinks and/or meal – to a paystub. In some cases, before you've even met. This behavior needs to stop. You should not be going out with someone if the only enticement is a free meal.
Dates are meant for respective parties to get to know one another. They are not meant as charity food drives.
Hindsight bias is okay. You can deduce after the date that the only good thing about it was, "They paid for my filet mignon." But Gabriel help me if I hear you walking into a date from the get-go with the sole motivation of filling your empty stomach.
Free things should not be what sways you to go on a date. That is called taking advantage of someone. A lot of my (female) friends confess to this practice, and it's a real reason for guys (or whoever) to not offer up more date invitations when talking to someone.
Day in and months out, we millennials like to bewail the current conditions of millennial dating. We don't go on dates anymore. We only text each other after midnight. Our bedrooms have become laboratories for conceiving new STIs. And while we can blame multiple sources – Tinder et al., our parents, that time at summer camp – has anyone stopped to consider that maybe dates aren't offered out more freely because guys can't afford it?
Yes, we've come a long way. It is no longer the faux pas it once was for a guy not to cover the first date or unheard of for a woman to offer to split the bill, but there's still a lurking expectation that "He at least offered to pay, right?" Of course, this is probably a vestige of the patriarchy (I'll let the feminist scholars correct me if I'm wrong): A dated assumption that men should always be able to afford both halves of the meal and an assertion of wealth over the woman (read: dominance).
But it is just as bad to exploit this dogma.
Admittedly, some
men people do take advantage of women other people or have their own double standards where buying dinner means a misinformed right to sex or other commodities. Here is the chance to sidestep such abuses. Don't fight fire with fire.
Citing free drinks is also a cop-out. We are the generation competing to not care about dating, love, and our own feelings. "Free drinks" is another excuse in our arsenal. We say, "I'm only going for drinks," not "I might possibly enjoy their company or want to actually meet someone; ugh, who would want to do that?"
And is a meal with someone you don't like actually worth your time? Even if there are appetizers?
If you're decidedly not interested in the person or are dreading the date, then cancel. Don't go through with it because you didn't go to the grocery store this week. Or, if you insist upon showing up, at least offer to pay.


text:
Franchisee Advice
5 Tips For Franchise Agreements
Below are 5 tips to ensure that your franchise agreement complies with the CPA.
South Africa has some great homegrown franchises – Mugg and Bean, Steers, Debonairs and Nandos, to name a few. South Africa is also no stranger to international franchise groups, such as McDonalds, KFC, Wimpy and SPAR, although there has been an increase in the number of international franchises investing in South Africa in recent years.
The Consumer Protection Act, No 68 of 2008 ("CPA") is the first piece of legislation in South Africa that specifically regulates franchise agreements. The CPA prescribes certain minimum requirements for franchise agreements, as well as certain information that must be disclosed prior to a franchise agreement being signed. It is important that all franchise agreements comply with the CPA as provisions in franchise agreements may be declared to be void for non-compliance.
Below are 5 tips to ensure that your franchise agreement complies with the CPA:
1. Make sure you meet the minimum requirements
The CPA prescribes "minimum requirements" for franchise agreements. These requirements, which are set out in the Regulations to the CPA, set out mandatory terms (i.e. terms which must be included) and prohibited terms (i.e. terms which must not be included). They also prescribe that franchise agreements must be drafted in simple and plain language so as to be easily understood. Legal jargon must be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
Related: The Perils Of The Franchise Agreement
2. Include prescribed minimum information
The CPA prescribes minimum information that must be included in a franchise agreement. Most of this minimum prescribed information is fairly general in nature and would be contained in the franchise agreement in the ordinary course (for example, name and description of the types of goods or services that the franchise relates to, the obligations of the franchisor and franchisee, and any territorial rights).
There are, however, certain more unusual requirements in relation to prescribed information, which information would not necessarily be contained in a franchise agreement in the ordinary course (for example, the qualifications of the franchisor's directors, and details of the members/shareholders of the franchisor). These more unusual requirements must be kept in mind when preparing a franchise agreement.
3. Prepare a disclosure document
The CPA requires the franchisor to provide certain minimum prescribed information to the franchisee in a disclosure document delivered to the franchisee prior to the signature of the franchise agreement (including a list of current franchisees, if any, and of outlets owned by the franchisor; the direct contact details of the existing franchisees; an organogram depicting the support system in place for franchisees; and an auditors certificate confirming that that the franchisor's audited annual financial statements are in order).
This information is intended to provide the franchisee with enough information about the franchise, its financial viability and potential business success so as to enable the franchisee to make an informed decision as to whether or not he/she wishes to "acquire" the particular franchise.
4. Prepare a non-disclosure agreement
It is important to ensure the protection of confidential information which may be disclosed to the prospective franchisee during the preliminary stages of negotiating and concluding a franchise agreement.
This may include, for example, the growth of the franchisor's turnover, and written projections in respect of levels of potential sales, income and profit. Although not a requirement under the CPA, it is advisable for a franchisor to ensure that a prospective franchisee executes an appropriate confidentiality agreement prior to being sent the disclosure document.
Related: What Constitutes a Fair and Balanced Franchise Agreement?
5. Beware the "cooling-off" period
It is important to bear in mind that a franchisee has an entitlement under the CPA to cancel a franchise agreement without cost or penalty within 10 business days after signing such agreement, by giving written notice to the franchisor.
Franchisee Advice
6 Top Tips For Reading Management Accounts
There is a golden key that reveals the secret of whether your business will survive and thrive. It is keeping tabs on the figures that summarise the strength of your business – your monthly management accounts.
There is a golden key that reveals the secret of whether your business will survive and thrive. It is not the brilliance of your business concept. It is not your talent for talking clients to sign on the dotted line. It is keeping tabs on the figures that summarise the strength of your business – your monthly management accounts.
Related: 6 Things You Need To Know About Profit And Cashflow
Many entrepreneurs are usually more interested in operations and find product development or sales much more enjoyable than catching up on accounts. I sympathise – I'm one of them! So if you feel the same way, my top tip is always to make sure that you partner with or employ someone who can oversee the finances for you.
But that does not mean you can let the figure boffins and the finances take care of themselves. To function properly in your business, you need to know the outcome of your sales and development strategies – and the story of that is told in your management accounts.
If you never look at your management accounts, it is like blinding yourself in one eye. It means you risk being literally blindsided by a big surprise, whether it is heading for a significant loss or being confronted by an unexpected provisional tax payment.
Here is how Engela van Loggerenberg, our Group Financial Manager, puts management accounts in perspective for our new franchisees. She urges them to focus on six key areas:
- Priorities: Management accounts can help you pinpoint areas that you need to prioritise, whether to capitalise on growth or because they are not performing as well as you hoped.
- Strength: All businesses aim to grow their assets over time and the balance sheet in your management accounts will reflect whether and how you are achieving that.
- Control: A strong balance sheet is one that shows you have your business liabilities well controlled. The key marker here is your current liquidity ratio, which results from dividing your current assets by your current liabilities. To keep your business healthy, always aim to keep this ratio at least 2:1.
- Revenue: Ideally, you want to see your revenue grow month by month. Check your income statement both for the trend in actual revenue and also for actual against budgeted revenue to check how well your strategies are delivering results.
- Profitability: Of course, revenue is not the same as profitability. You need to know your gross profit – the basic figure of your sales less the cost of those goods – and net profit, which also deducts a range of other expenses including taxes. Track the percentage of these two profit figures as well as the actual cash amount they represent to keep a check on whether your costs are creeping up too high.
- Finance: Most businesses at some point want to finance their growth by borrowing from a bank. A set of well-regulated management accounts is a prerequisite to obtaining finance.
Your management accounts do not have to be particularly complicated to give you these vital pointers – and if you are figure-shy, the more straightforward the better.
The important thing, though, is that you do not allow yourself to be too scared to ask if there is something which is not clear to you. That is the way to keep control of this key to your business fortunes and to keep building your business from strength to strength.
Related: 7 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Managing Cash In The Business
Company Posts
A Three-Pronged Approach To Franchise Success
Danie Nel, head of business development for Cash Crusaders franchising, says the brand's success over the past 22 years is attributed to the sentiment that "a profitable franchisee is a happy franchisee."
What is your current footprint?
220 Stores. We're looking to increase that number by another 20 stores for the 2018 financial year, which will then bring us to a total of 240 stores. Depending on the economy, we're looking to grow our footprint even more to around 300 to 350 stores nationwide in the near future.
What are some of your brand's biggest achievements that other franchises can learn from?
Our ability to read the retail market and innovate to stay ahead of times. We have recently launched an online platform where customers can sell their goods or borrow money — all online. This was a first for online retailing. One other achievement that I would wish to highlight is the launch of our mobile phone range, Doogee, exclusive to Cash Crusaders. Personally, having the honour of opening our 200th store was a tremendous achievement.
Franchisor involvement has also played a big role in the success of the organisation. Our CEO Sean Stegmann and other senior managers are as much involved in the business as any other operations manager or operator.
There is simply no 'ivory tower' management in our business and it makes a huge difference.
Related: How Sorbet Franchisee Kate Holahan Is Nailing Success By Following Her Dream
What are some of the challenges you've encountered and how have you overcome these?
Some of our daily challenges include securing a premises at a favourable rental and securing a franchisee with sufficient unencumbered capital, who is credit- worthy. Once the store is open, cash flow management and stock procurement is key.
In addition to this, it's a challenge to achieve profitability immediately and to meet franchisee expectations. It's also vital to ensure superb customer service and to retain those customers in the current retail and economic climate. I would say that our single biggest challenge is to retain and to build our customer base.
What attracts franchisees to Cash Crusaders?
Our unique retail model that allows for multiple streams of income through one business. These three profit centres include: New goods (variety of imported quality goods), second-hand goods (which we buy directly from the public, either through customers coming directly to our stores, or via our house-buy system offered by some of our stores) and secured lending (a financial service where customers can borrow money against valuables, determined at store level, and the loan is repaid within 30 days — or the contract is renewed for another 30 days with interest and service fees charged).
Why is it important for successful franchises such as yours to have a strong banking partner and how does it benefit both the franchisor and the franchisee?
Gone are the days where you just got a deposit book or cheque book and a little business loan from your bank. Banking has become more sophisticated and the technology that the bank offers is as important as its service, making life for both the franchisee and the franchisor easier on a day-to-day basis.
Franchisee Advice
5 S-Words Make Your Store Site Pay For Itself
Richard Mukheibir, CEO of Cash Converters recently addressed delegates at the FASA (Franchise Association of SA) conference on the topic of choosing the best location for their business. He spoke about the 5-S technique to assist business owners with deciding which premises is best suited for their business.
The combination of continuing trading uncertainty in South Africa and the new financial year for many businesses can add up to carefully reviewing costs – including leases on premises. Choosing a site to set up or relocate your business can be just as stressful as deciding where to buy a house – and just as fundamental to its health, finances and sustainability, says Richard Mukheibir, CEO of Cash Converters.
This is not the time to snap up the property with the cheapest rental as that might turn out to be something you regret in the long run. Nor is it the time to be dazzled by the swankiest premises you can find. The potential for bragging rights could turn out to be poor value for money.
"This is a time for your head to rule your heart regardless of the industry you trade in." he says.
The real-estate mantra of "location, location, location" works just as effectively in commercial as it does in private property but you will often be looking for rather different factors. Mukheibir shares his 5-S technique to help you begin narrowing down the areas where you will consider locating your business – first at the macro level, focus in further to the meso level, then look more closely at the micro level before you start weighing up specific sites.
1. Strategy
Remind yourself of the medium and long-term strategies you have developed for your business. Keep your understanding of your business's customers, purpose and growth prospects top of mind when you are selecting the areas where you will start looking for sites.
Related: Effective Ways To Bring Customers To Your Door
2. Scope
Within those areas, redline any sections where you feel the competition from other businesses will detract from your potential to grow your market. Greenline areas where there are good synergies between the people who live or work there and the demographic that you have identified as your target market.
3. Synergy
Make sure there is clearly a good pool of potential customers for you – size definitely matters when it comes to ensuring that there are plenty of customers available to you. Look specifically for facilities that cater for the kind of customers you want to attract. Sports stores benefit from being close to schools and tertiary colleges, for example.
4. Sight
Although many businesses now have an online element, most still benefit from attracting customers to walk through the door. For your premises to be a good fit for your business, you should be located in plain sight and ensure that your ability to market yourself locally through signage and lamp-post posters is not restricted by local bylaws.
Related: FASA Establishes Industry Specific Food Franchise Forum
5. Security
You will attract and retain good customers and staff if they feel they're secure in the area. This perception includes factors such as easy, safe parking and a welcoming environment.
"Making a success of your business is not just about the product or your branding," says Mukheibir. "It can be as fundamental as finding a site that ends up paying for itself. To do this, it must offer you a well-calculated gap in the market where the strong demand for the product or service that your business offers ensures sales and profit. If you have considered all these steps carefully, you will never worry about making rent and wages payment again."


text:
How to Look More Experienced in Real Estate Investing
When you're just getting into real estate investing, it's really easy to get intimidated, especially when you see other investors who have a lot more…
Wed Jun 12 2019
If finding the money for your real estate deals is proving to be a giant headache and putting a damper on your real estate dreams, don't worry. You're certainly not alone. Of the thousands of real estate investors our team has mentored, at least half of them refer to their lack of access to funding as being a major obstacle to their success.
The good news is that today there are more financing opportunities out there than ever before—if you know where to look of course.
Approaching a bank to provide you financing to fund your real estate business can lead to much disappointment—fewer than 30 percent of businesses are actually funded this way.
But, don't get discouraged with those kinds of odds. Sometimes you just have to get creative. And remember that you don't just need to limit yourself to traditional banks. Instead, it's all about thinking outside the box. Two of the biggest trends in real estate funding are peer-to-peer lending and real estate crowdfunding.
• Peer-to-peer lending is literally one person, or peer, loaning money to another. No banks are involved. This is also known as a private money loan—and contrary to what you might think, it's not about tapping a friend on the shoulder to spot you some cash. Peer-to-peer lending is big business and there are many organizations set up to match investors with opportunities. This kind of lending has been successful in countries all around the world including England and New Zealand, but it is still just catching on in the United States.
• Crowdfunding works quite literally as its name suggests—funding sourced from a crowd, usually using an online platform. You might already be familiar with crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe.com or Kickstarter.com. There are crowdfunding opportunities specifically for entrepreneurs, and even those specifically catering to real estate entrepreneurs.
Bear in mind that peer-to-peer lending and crowdsourcing are just two ways of financing your real estate deals out of a list of more than 39 different options that I could rattle off without thinking twice.
The bottom line is this: you don't need banks to loan you the money to succeed in real estate investing. You don't even need good credit to be loaned money. All you need is a great real estate deal and an investor, or a group of investors, that can see the value of the deal, and who are happy to pony up the cash in return for your sweat equity.
When you're just getting into real estate investing, it's really easy to get intimidated, especially when you see other investors who have a lot more…
When it comes to generating leads, it pays to be friends with at least a couple of wholesalers. Wholesalers will buy contracts on flip houses…


text:
High Availability Redundant Actuation Systems (HARAS)
The HARAS project, supported by the ATI and led by Triumph Actuation Systems UK, directly addresses five topics within this call, encompassing areas of technology for more electric aircraft, and specifically targeting unmanned vehicles and their electrical actuation systems. The main aim of this project is to investigate the development of high availability, fault tolerant electrical actuation solutions suited to emerging Unmanned Vehicle Aircraft (UAV). An example is a flight control surface which most notably has a requirement for combined functionality (such as combined aileron, elevator and rudder) with restrictions in maximum component diameter, but available space across the length of the surface. The project's output will be a demonstrator that is anticipated to be suited towards an aircraft of MTOW 7,000-10,000 kg that will provide a basis for development in technological areas such as fault-tolerance, health monitoring, advanced motor design, and maintenance-free (for life) fitting. This three-year project will be managed by a consortium made up of Electric Actuation, Motor and Linear Transmission specialists.Download the High Availability Redundant Actuation Systems (HARAS) case study


text:
India's SCO membership rests upon the support India received from Russia and that it why the most important leg of Modi's European visit was the two day visit to Russia which followed upon his visits to Spain and Germany. Thereafter, he went to France. Russia is no ordinary country, it has been one of India's steadfast friends in the past 70 years. And considering that there are really no contentious issues between the two countries and actual congruence on issues like terrorism, relations with Afghanistan and Iran, this relationship promises to deliver more in the coming decades.
Then there are issues that Russia will not sign on such as the support for the freedom of navigation and the UNCLOS, an oblique criticism of China and the South China Sea. Germany agreed to a general reference, while Spain took the step of agreeing with India that the South China sea issue needed to be resolved through peaceful means and avoidance of "unilateral actions that raise tensions."
Spain and Germany are also important in the context of its recent accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), and the Wassenaar Arrangement, NSG and Australia Group which it is seeking to join. All three countries are supportive on India on these issues.
Visits to Russia usually have practical outcomes. And so it was with the present visit which led to the two countries to sign an agreement to build two new reactors in Kudankulam and a loan of $ 4.2 billion to build them. In his interview with PTI Putin referred to "deep cooperation in delicate areas such as missiles," something Russia has with no other country. He noted that Indo-Russian defence cooperation is at an "unprecedented level in its volume and quality." Hopefully the visit would have given a push to stalled projects such as the manufacture in India of the Kamov 226T helicopter and the fifth generation fighter. India's ongoing cooperation on the second nuclear propelled submarine and the extended range Brahmos are of great strategic importance.
Despite all the political hype surrounding the visit, the fact is that India's economic engagement with all three countries is below par. India total trade with Germany is just Euro 18 billion and its FDI in India is just about Euro 1 billion and India's investment in Germany ae around Euro 7 billion. Trade with Spain is just about $ 5 billion, though surprisingly, Spain's FDI in India at $ 2.32 billion, though low, is double that of Germany's. Indo-French trade was Euro 8.58 billion in 2016, French investments in India are around Euro 6 billion and India's investment there is Euro 188 million.
The biggest underperformance in economic ties is with our friend Russia. Total trade last year was just $ 7.71 billion which was actually a decline of 1.5 per cent over 2015. Russian investments in India are of the order of $ 16 billion and Indian investments in Russia are about $ 13 billion, mainly in the energy sector. Of course, this does not take into account the money spent by India in buying defence equipment and spares.
One big problem India has with Germany and Russia is the lack of a free trade agreement. Talks with Germany on an FTA stalled in 2013 after 16 rounds and since then bilateral treaties with Germany and other European countries have also lapsed. FTA talks with the Eurasian Economic Union anchored by Russia are yet to get underway. There is an impression among many countries that India is a difficult country to deal with on trade issues.
When looking at our ties with these European countries it would be useful to compare them with those of China. In 2016, German trade with China was of the order of Euro 170 billion, making it Germany's most important trade partner. Total German FDI in China is around Euro 50 billion, Chinese investment is around Euro 18.5 billion. Bilateral trade between China and Russia is of the order of $ 69.5 billion in 2016 and is growing rapidly. China's investment in Russia is around $ 40 billion and growing. China has ben on a buying spree in Europe, acquiring companies with a view of enhancing its own capabilities. They have bought companies dealing with robotics, telecom, aviation, energy, fashion and entertainment.
Beyond these figures are the trends over the horizon. China's OBOR project aimed at consolidating ties with Europe and all three countries that Modi visited play an important role here. This year, 2000 or so trains will go from cities in China to European destinations like Madrid, Duisberg in Germany. Most of them travel through the Russian railway system. China is also developing maritime linkages via the Mediterranean into the heart of rich Europe. China's strategy of Eurasian consolidation is closely linked to its aim of becoming a developed country by 2050 and it is systematically working towards it.
There are many opportunities for India through its close political ties with Russia and Germany. One of these is the International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC), a multi-modal transportation project that will ferry containers from Indian ports like Kandla and Mumbai to Russia and Europe via Iran. So far little has been done to promote the scheme, except to test its feasibility. Likewise it needs to speed up the linkages to Central Asia through Chah Bahar.
It is not surprising therefore that in Astana, Modi played a low key game. After all this was the first meeting India was attending as a full member. Nevertheless, he did make it a point to tell the audience, which included Nawaz Sharif and Xi Jinping, that India strongly supported connectivity projects, but wanted them to take into account issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Perhaps India's membership in SCO could provide the answer to the challenging issues that divide New Delhi, Islamabad and Beijing.
Greater Kashmir June 14, 2017


text:
If you haven't heard of Natural Recovery, it is the "phenomenon" where substance abusers stop abusing substances without having received any sort of treatment or 12 step group attendance. Natural Recovery is also known as Self Change, Self Recovery, Spontaneous Remission, Auto-Remission, and other names.
There is a lot of peer reviewed research on natural recovery from alcohol abuse, but it's often harder to find the research on natural recovery from illicit drug use, which is why I'm happy that my friends at SJRH turned me on to this compilation of research. I've seen a few of these studies before, but many I haven't.
Although there are a few methodological problems in here, the main thrust of these studies is that when we actually use a control group of heroin abusers who haven't been to treatment (or didn't stay long enough to be classified as treated) we usually end up seeing that the rate of recovery for both treated and untreated heroin abusers is essentially identical. In some cases, the data suggests that your chances of recovery are better if you never receive treatment.
Anyways, this research is very significant because it addresses what is known as the most addictive drug – heroin. And it shows that people stop using it without medical help. And that calls into question the common knowledge that "you can't quit on your own" or "you can't quit without professional help". Historically, people have, and they still do today. We just don't hear about it that much because they don't present themselves to medical authorities, and they often keep their stories of natural recovery private because of the stigma associated with the "incurable disease of addiction".
Citation: NATURAL RECOVERY FROM HEROIN ADDICTION: A REVIEW OF THE INCIDENCE LITERATURE by Dan Waldorf & Patrick Biernacki


text:
Hire a range of golf, utility or transport vehicles from Carryway. We offer short term event hire of longer term contract hire options. See links below to our various hire options.
Want to benefit from the convenience of one of our electric or petrol utility vehicles, but your requirements can't justify a purchase? No problem! Here at Carryway, we offer hire and lease schemes which allow you to use one of our many vehicles for a highly competitive price.
You can hire any of our vehicles on a short-term agreement, or even a long-term agreement. To find out more enquire online or get in touch and speak to one of our friendly members of staff.
By getting in contact with us or even browsing what's available on our website, you can see the kinds of golf buggies and utility vehicles that are available. If you need any help, we will explain the benefits of different models and help you find the vehicle solution.
Contact us now:
Interested in our products or have any queries? Don't hesitate to get in touch.
The Carryway buggy was a lifesaver – and that's no exaggeration! We were racing in the Aston Martin Le Mans Festival, which is a 45 mins support race just before the start for the big 24hr race. Our garages were about 2km away so getting all our gear to/from the pitlane for the race was made so simple because of the buggy! And it would have taken (the team) ages to get there and back! We are enormously proud of our new buggy and the livery made for it. It helps us stand out and helps raise our profile, not to mention being an essential team donkey."
Thank you Carryway for supplying the buggy for us at Chatsworth this year. All went well and no issues at all – it was a definite improvement on the equipment supplied last year by a different company. Happy to use you again for next year .
Thank you for the excellent customer service that we recently received from Hugh Healy, Carryway Support. Hugh was very thorough and had excellent communications with us regarding our buggy fleet at The Westerwood Resort – nothing was too difficult for him.
Our open day event is a very important day for us, and it makes life much easier to have a relationship with a company (Carryway) that we can rely on each year.
Carryway are always a pleasure to deal with and their drivers are always friendly and professional. It takes a little bit of worry out of my job knowing that I can rely on your good service.
Many thanks to the team, especially Adam who was friendly, helpful and professional.
It is a pleasure to work with Carryway, the service and support they provide has been first class. We originally signed up for 14 brand new buggies for one year to sample working with the company.
We were pleased with the service and the product provided and have since signed up for the next few seasons and hopefully with many more to come after that.
Once again Carryway has been on hand to support the annual Have a Heart charity golf day at Newcastle's fantastic Close House Golf Course. The star studded event featured over 50 celebrities including Ant & Dec, Alan Shearer, Lee Westwood, Ronan Keating and Iain Wright to name just a few, […]
Carryway has recently supplied Breckonborough Equestrian Ltd with a number of golf and utility vehicles for use at this year's Richmond Horse Trails. The trials at Richmond takes place over 3 days at the end of August and feature a broad range of riding competitions. Located on the border of […]
Last week saw us send a Club Car Villager Six transport buggy on hire to the spectacular Dundas Castle in Queensferry, Edinburgh. Dundas Castle which dates back to the 15th century is a five star exclusive venue, which means guests have the luxury of having the whole place to themselves […]
Last week saw us supply over 40 additional golf buggies and utility vehicles for a one day event at the spectacular Newcastle golf club, Close House. Each year the club puts on a host of charity competitions and events, however the Have a Heart Trophy which took place on the […]
Rother Valley Golf Centre has just taken delivery of 10 Club Car Precedent golf buggies on hire from Carryway. The par 72 course which was designed by Mark Roe in 1997 offers golfers beautiful views across neighbouring Rother Valley Country Park, and also the surrounding countryside. The club is situated […]
Interested in our products? Simply fill in the form and get credit today.


text:
The South Dakota Division of Rehabilitation Services is a program that provides individualized vocational rehabilitation and supportive services to assist eligible individuals with disabilities to get and keep jobs compatible with their skills and abilities. 605-773-3195 http://dhs.sd.gov/drs/vocrehab/vr.aspx#
The South Dakota Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired provides individualized rehabilitation services that result in optimal employment and independent living outcomes for citizens who are blind or visually impaired. 605-773-4644
In South Dakota there are four American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Programs (Section 121 Programs) that provide culturally appropriate vocational rehabilitation services to American Indians with disabilities, who reside on or near Federal or State Reservations and who are a member of a State or Federal Tribe.
Oglala Sioux Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation, Pine Ridge, SD, 605-867-2798
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation, Eagle Butte, SD, 605-964-4400
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation, McLaughlin, SD, 605-823-4222
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation, Lower Brule, SD, 605-473-5584
Project Skills is a paid work experience program for high school students with disabilities in South Dakota. The program is a cooperative arrangement between the state vocational rehabilitation agencies and the local school districts. http://dhs.sd.gov/drs/projectskills/default.aspx
Helping people find jobs is a big part of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation's job. They have people and resources dedicated to helping people find the job they want and need. 605-773-3101 http://dlr.sd.gov/jobseekerservices/default.aspx
Career Learning Centers (CLCs) work closely with the South Dakota Department of Labor to provide education and employment training services that meet the needs of local job seekers and businesses. 605-773-3101 http://dol.sd.gov/workforce_training/clcs.aspx


text:
12 pages
Can the internet solve the problem of mass education, and bring human beings to a new level of community? Drawing on a diverse array of thinkers from Plato to Kierkegaard, On the Internet argues that there is much in common between the disembodied, free floating web and Descartes' separation of mind and body. Hubert Dreyfus also shows how Kierkegaard's insights into the origins of a media-obsessed public anticipate the web surfer, blogger and chat room. Drawing on studies of the isolation experienced by many internet users and the insights of philosopher such as Descartes and Kierkegaard, Dreyfus shows how the internet's privatisation of experience ignores essential human capacities such as trust, moods, risk, shared local concerns and commitment.
The second edition includes a brand new chapter on 'Second Life' and is revised and updated throughout.
Praise for the first edition:
"A well-crafted polemic…We need more teachers like Dreyfus himself, integrating the web into courses that are still deeply human." - Adam Morton, Times Literary Supplement
"…sharp and stimulating discussion of the promises of the Intenet. Going beyond the hype of the cybercrowd, Dreyfus a celebrated writer on philosophy and technology, asks whether the Internet can really bring humanity to a new level of community and solve the problems of mass education. Dreyfus' critique of huper learning provides much food for thought and raises the level of the discussions amongst concerned educators and technologists." - First Monday
"A clear discussion of the promises of the Internet…brings a philosopher's eye to bear on an issue that affects all of us." - Ubiquity
"Interesting and definitely much needed…a short and thought provoking book that can be read by any net enthusiast and/or scholar who is interested in the topics of learning, knowledge and identity in relation to the Internet." - Humanist
"At a time when bookstores and magazine stands are saturated with titles about the internet, it comes as no small, blessed relief to read one that is actually interesting and realistic, whose arguments are worth thinking about and engaging with Whether you're a novice to the internet or someone deeply involved with it - as a user or developer - On the Internet will engage you in topics ranging from the seemingly mundane (hyperlinks) to current trends toward distance learning." - Tech Directions
"This book is an important addition to the growing literature on the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet." - Revue Philosophique
'Three of the first batch deserve high praise: On Immigration and Refugees, by the great logician (and campaigner for racial equality) Michael Dummett; On Belief, by that master of postmodern paradox, Slavoj Zizek; and On the Internet by Hubert L Dreyfus.' - Boyd Tonkin, The Independent
'This is clearly an important series. I look forward to reading future volumes.' - Frank Kermode, author of Shakespeare's Language
'Both rigorous and accessible.' - Humanist News
'The series looks superb.' - Quentin Skinner
'An excellent and beautiful series.' - Ben Rogers, author of A.J.Ayer: A Life
"Routledge's Thinking in Action series is the theory junkie's answer to the eminently pocketable Penguin 60s series.' - Mute Magazine
'Routledge's new series, Thinking in Action, brings philosophers to our aid.' - The Evening Standard
'A welcome new series by Routledge.' - Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society
Thinking in Action is a major series that takes philosophy to its public. Each book in the series is written by a major international philosopher or thinker, engages with an important contemporary topic, and is clearly and accessibly written. The series informs and sharpens debate on topics as wide ranging as the internet, religion, the problem of immigration and refugees and the way we think about science. Punchy, short, and stimulating, Thinking in Action is an indispensable series of books for anyone who wants to think seriously about major issues confronting us today.
Edited by Simon Critchley, New School University, USA and Richard Kearney, Boston College, USA