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Monday, July 19, 2010
Up, up... and away!
I guess that the first question on starting a new blog is what to do with it. In my particular case, it is a bit more complicated, demanding that I address two additional queries: why start a new blog when my maiden effort is so seldom updated? And why a blog about comics, something that I must stress from the first moment, I know nothing about?
Well, the answer is not really that difficult to grasp: this is not a new blog; this is just the comics version of HOUSE OF SIN. Not that I will spend much time dallying on the sexual lives of female super-heroes (moreover, because they don't seem to have one), or braving the complex issues of those comic characters's inherent sexyness (although I'll do a bit of both). But, just as I enjoy the thrills of the "damsel in distress" in film and literature, I enjoy them as well in comic format. And like a great philosopher should have said, "with great power, comes great risk of being in distress".
So… on to the second question. And to that one, there is a tad more complex answer. I've always enjoyed reading comics, although I had stopped doing it in the early nineties. Besides the usual European bandes dessinées, like Blake & Mortimer, Michel Vaillant, Bruno Brazil, Ric Hochet, Luc Orient, Tanguy et Laverdure, Morbus Graviis and the superb graphic novels by François Burgeon, I got hooked on Marvel and DC super-hero comics. Particularly on Berni Wrightson's SWAMP THING, Win Mortimer's SUPERGIRL (yes, the hotpants version), Claremont's X-MEN, Miller's DAREDEVIL and BATMAN, Byrne's SUPERMAN and, above all else, Windsor-Smith's CONAN and Frank Thorne's RED SONJA. With the nineties and the ascension of the politically correct mentality, I found super-hero comics becoming too tame, bloodless and sexless, and became annoyed by the manga-derived visual style and the hyper-muscled and ultra-chiseled characters being drawn by almost every artist in DC and Marvel-land. So, with SUPERMAN'S DEATH I bid goodbye to comicbook-reading.
But, alas, with Bendis's take on Marvel's ULTIMATE UNIVERSE and such events as ANNIHILATION, CIVIL WAR and SECRET INVASION, I became once more addicted to the four-color super-hero adventures. In order to get updated, I started reading older comics and browsing the net in search of more information. And that's where I noticed something strangely familiar: just as it had happened with the detective, science fiction and horror novels, the great popular success of comics had drawn upon them the eager eye of ACADEME. Suddenly, comic book adventures are supposed to have a HIGHER MEANING, and a HIDDEN MEANING, usually pertaining, one or both, to the comic's perceived deep seated misogyny and latent homosexuality. There seems to be a war being declared by pompous academics on large-breasted super-heroines, rape-fantasy fixated fanboys and aggressively anti-feminist comic-book writers and artists.
And I want to be a part of that war. Fighting on the side of the underdog. So, my voice will be the voice of the forever enthralled fanboy. Yes, I appreciate meaning in comics. But I don't believe that such a meaning should have to be found in procrustean readings or the absurd application of dead Freudianism and stupid Lacanian pseudo-psychiatry. Comics, as is the case with any other form of popular entertainment, have great relevance as a corpus of works that embrace the whole imagination of the human race: its aspirations, dreams, desires, fears and nightmares. And besides that, it is entertainment. It is a way to free one's inhibitions from the chains of social mores. The greatest battle of the super-powered individual is not the one against his foes, but the one he must do with his own inner demons. The ones that keep urging him to use – to really use – his powers to do as he deems fit. The reader doesn't have to fight that fight. No, the reader can indulge. WE can indulge.
And we don't have to be brow-beaten because of that. We don't have to be told by some pompous and condescending "critic" that "Personally, I can't in general understand how people who read superhero comics in general manage to do so without constantly pointing at the art and laughing out loud." And we don't have to tolerate the infantile moralizing that considers that a woman (and even a super-woman) is a "slut" because she participates in a threesome.
I guess, more than anything else, it was these two comments that made me put my fingers to the keypad again, for such voices cannot be allowed to speak alone. Somebody must point and laugh and deride, and debate them.
Fortunately, the internet is also awash with great and intelligent writing and criticism about comics. I can't and don't intend to single out all the ones to whom I feel most grateful for their insights, devotion and effort to keep interesting blogs (sooner or later, they'll all be right there on my blogroll). But I cannot go without mention Gene Phillips's THE ARCHETYPAL ARCHIVE. It was Gene and his brilliant insights that made plain to me that you can understand comics, enjoy comics, and recognize the value of comics without having to bend their true meaning and without the need to distort the creator's intentions. You can be at the same time enthusiastic and objective about a comic-book joys and limitations. Gene certainly is that.
And so, here I am, and here are my intentions. I'll be writing about the comics I enjoy, not with any academic pretentions, but only in an attempt to translate the joy I derive from comic-book reading. I don't know how frequently I'll post here. I do know I'll be wrong many times. I hope you'll enjoy it if you care to visit here from once in a while.
(And yes, I do love big-breasted and scantly-clad super-heroines.)
1 comment:
Wow, I check out your new blog and find myself fulsomely complimented in the first post! That's somekinda cool; much appreciated.ReplyDelete
Yeah, political correctness bites, especially when it comes from pundits (cough, cough, Heidi McDonald) who act as if it's had no effect whatever and that mainstream comics are a constant assault on feminine sensibilities. Intellectually I know it's in the female genes to kick males in the butt and civilize them, but after a while every complaint sounds pretty much the same: Wonder Woman's bikini is on a par with the rape of the Sabine Women or something.
I will say males make some horrible creative choices. I regard the dullness of 80s Marvel to be the fault of Jim Shooter, despite the fact that in his wilder moments the guy did some freaky fantasies.
I definitely agree with your attack on stifling intellectuals, and Lacan is one of the worst. Freud's someone who's still valuable in special cases, though: I wouldn't mind seeing (or doing) a Freudian analysis of John Byrne!


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A Spooky Spirits Guide
Vintage Cocktails for Cinematic Soirées
Although Utah might be known more for kid-friendly "trunk or treat" candy raids in church parking lots than boozy costume parties, that reputation is changing. Last Halloween, several downtown SLC bars collaborated on costume-mandatory bar crawls, making for even more grown-up opportunities to get out and about in your favorite get-up on All Hallow's Eve. But for those choosing to keep the revelry close to home, might we suggest a movie-night theme? Bring a bit of the silver screen to your spooky soirée this year with sippers built with your favorite cinematic trope at the forefront. From alien invasions to pillaging pirates, these spins on vintage cocktails are as delicious as they are dramatic.
There might be as many great sangria recipes as there are blood-bath-themed vampire movies and slasher films combined. Apropos, as the Spanish word for blood is sangre. Wine punches have been enjoyed across Europe for centuries (think Jane Austen's ubiquitous Claret Cup punch), but particularly so in Spain and Portugal. Sangria became popular in the U.S. after the 1964 World's Fair in New York, where it was served in the Spanish pavilion to rave reviews. And with good reason: Sangria makes for an almost-perfect party standard, easily mixed up beforehand with simple ingredients. While Rioja is the traditional wine used for sangria in Spain, wines like Bordeaux or cabernet sauvignon make a lovely punch; the addition of brandy, a touch of fruit juice and whatever fruit you might like make a pretty forgiving platform for the base wine. Might we even suggest, as Hannibal Lecter did with his oft-quoted liver-and-fava-bean meal in Silence of the Lambs, you use Chianti?
Sangria (serves 6-8)
1/3 cup brandy
1 bottle (750 ml.) red wine
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup red grapes, halved
2 clementines, sliced into rounds
2 black plums, pitted and sliced thinly
1 can blood orange soda (such as San Pellegrino aranciata rossa)
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher, classic punch bowl or cast iron cauldron (in this case, my vintage bean pot).
Add large blocks or spheres of ice to keep the punch cold but slow melting.
How many of our favorite horror stories start with, "It was a dark and stormy night…"? According to the manufacturers of Gosling's Rum—a key ingredient in the classic Dark 'n' Stormy—British sailors stationed in Bermuda during WWI mixed the distinctively dark-colored and flavor-deep Black Seal Rum with spicy ginger beer made on the island at the Royal Naval Officers Club. Although an image of a svelte black seal graces the modern label, the brand originally got its name from the thick black wax used to seal rum-refilled champagne bottles decanted straight from barrels at the distillery. Gosling's claims that the famous cocktail name came from an old sailor, who when looking into his glass said it was "the colour of a cloud only a fool or dead man would sail under."
Full disclosure: The recipe printed here is definitively not a classic Dark 'n' Stormy, a trademark vigorously enforced by Gosling's Black Seal Rum. Their concoction—hailed as the national drink of Bermuda—specifically calls for 1½ ounces of their rum over ice in a highball glass and topped with ginger beer; as several famous bars and cocktail bloggers can attest, using any other booze brand when making a Dark 'n' Stormy will promptly get you a cease and desist letter. (Sorry, Gosling's, but Devour's pockets aren't that deep). This spooky cocktail goes to the dark side with addition of squid ink—a tip picked up from Copper Common bartender Ross Richardson—to create a distinctively dramatic black hue with a subtle saline note. Bonus: An optional split black fig garnish represents the dark "heart" of the sea. These dusky drinks are a perfect addition to sip along with a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea film-fest.
A Dark (and Stormy) Night
1½ ounces Gosling's Black Seal Rum
½ ounce diluted black squid ink*
2 ounces ginger beer
Juice of a ¼ lime
To a hurricane glass filled with cracked ice, add all ingredients.
Stir briefly to combine; garnish with a split fig.
*Squid ink is available at many specialty markets, but the viscous liquid must be diluted with up to an equal part water and strained to make it smooth enough for cocktails.
From the cantina scene in the original Star Wars to indigo-hued Romulan ale illegally imbibed in almost every corner of the Star Trek Federation, the universal galactic theme remains: Drinks throughout the cosmos are apparently as violently colored as they are potent. And there are quite a few alien-themed cocktails fitting that description found through the time-sucking wormhole called Pinterest: the Area 51 Jägermeister-based shooter, the Alien Brain Hemorrhage (which is as disgusting looking as it sounds) and the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (thanks, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). So, while there might not be very many tasty vintage cocktails built around a sci-fi theme, we certainly have lots of vibrant and kitschy precedent for making a cocktail that packs quite a visual wow-factor.
This original cocktail includes some flavors of classic beach drinks like the rum-forward Blue Hawaii, but made with Pisco, a brandy distilled in South America from white muscat grapes and easily identified on the shelf by the famous black Easter Island head bottle shape (a nod to our friends who watch way too much Ancient Aliens on the History Channel). Enlist some early party arrivals to help make "alien eyeball" garnishes by inserting maraschino cherries into whole peeled and pitted lychee fruit. Booze Geek Bonus: Add a splash of tonic water to the cocktail; the quinine naturally found in tonic water glows quite dramatically under black lights.
Roswell Incident
1½ ounces Pisco
½ ounce white rum
¾ ounce blue curaçao
¾ ounce pineapple juice
juice of a ½ lime
To a cocktail shaker with ice, add all ingredients.
Shake until tin is very frosty. Drizzle some grenadine or Luxardo cherry syrup into the bottom of a laboratory beaker or highball glass; swirl to coat the bottom of the glass.
Strain the cocktail into the glass over a large ice sphere.
Garnish with "eyeball" lychee fruit stuffed with cherries.
Cue the eerie theremin soundtrack.
Glamorous, elegant and subtly floral, a WWII-era Arsenic and Old Lace cocktail fits the bill when streaming dark poison-trope comedies like Heathers (1988) or the 1944 film staring Cary Grant after which the cocktail was named. A popular favorite of community theater troupes since playwright Joseph Kesselring opened the Broadway play in 1939, Arsenic and Old Lace tells the slapstick dark comedy story of Mortimer Brewster, a young man who goes back to visit the elderly aunts (Abby and Martha) who raised him through childhood. He discovers that they are killing off lonely old bachelors to end their presumptively "suffering" singlehood by serving them a soupçon of arsenic, strychnine and cyanide mixed in elderberry wine.
Unlike Abby and Martha's erstwhile cocktail of carnage, this drink is a stiff yet floral version of a martini, best made with a very traditional London dry gin so that the flowery tones don't get too overwhelming. This is a cocktail that should smell slightly like perfume without tasting like it. Most cocktail historians note its similarity to the gin and violet liqueur-based Aviation, with the addition of anise notes from absinthe. Break out Grandma's vintage crystal for that extra-dramatic presentation.
Arsenic & Old Lace
1½ ounces London dry gin
½ ounce dry vermouth
¼ ounce crème de violette
A splash of absinthe
Lemon Zest
To a mixing glass with ice, add the gin, vermouth and crème de violette; stir until well chilled.
Add a generous splash of absinthe to a pre-chilled coupe glass, swirl to coat the entire inside of the glass and pour out the excess.
Strain the gin mixture into the absinthe-rinsed glass.
Zap the surface of the cocktail with the oil expressed from a piece of lemon zest and drop the zest into the drink.
It's magically delicious.


text:
Few things in life are guaranteed, but increased prices do not have to be one of them.
There are few commodities, if any, in which pricing has trended downward over time. Outside of unforeseen events, such as changes in the economy and world events, there are often pressures created by producers that lead to pricing volatility. Unsurprisingly, any one or more of these factors is in play at all times, with the result of driving higher prices and increased returns.
Think about electricity prices 10 years ago. They soared once electricity was placed on the open market. Over time, the price has slowly eroded as a result of government subsidy, reduced demand and increased supply. If we look at electricity prices today, they are once again climbing for reasons not clearly understood or predicted during the past decade.
If your company purchases commodities, or any product that relies directly on the consumption of a commodity, then you are exposed to rising prices. To reduce this exposure and improve profitability, hedging and price offsets are necessary, all of which make up part of an effective procurement strategy.
Here are five steps to develop an effective procurement strategy for commodity price protection:
Build a strategy using the above techniques, and you will have greater confidence in the longevity of pricing, thereby mitigating risk and protecting the financial viability of your organization.
Shawn Casemore serves on the board of directors for the Ontario Institute of the Purchasing Management Association of Canada (OIPMAC) and contributes to the advancement of the profession through his teaching with Humber College in the supply chain program. His experience in supply chain management includes leadership roles with companies such as Magna International, Arvin Meritor, N.C.R. and Bruce Power. E-mail Shawn with any questions or comments.
About this blog
From basic commodities to complex services, Purchasingb2b's Procurement Value blog will provide you with best practices and tools to make your purchasing department more cost-effective, strategic and efficient. For more information on contributing to this blog, contact the editor.


text:
Hes not afraid to take anyone on, and Kanye West"s latest target is none other than the Leader of the Free World.
The Love Lockdown rapper told Philadelphias Hot 107.9FM that hes tired of President Barack Obama using his fiancée Kim Kardashian"s name in an attempt to relate to the younger generation.
When asked if he and Obama would ever break bread together, Kanye retorted, Like how he used to come and visit me and my mama and tell me hes about to run for President
West added that since he and Kim are pop icons, Barack likes to reference them just to be down.
I think he shouldnt mention my baby mamas name, cause we both from Chicago. Thats out my thoughts. Thats lower on my priority of thinking at this point.
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"Canadian youth will share a passion and appreciation for Canada's National parks and national Historic Sites; through personal connection they will develop a sense of place and belonging. Youth will move beyond participation towards active ambassadorship."
The Canadian Rockies Outdoor Learning Centre is intended to be a landmark project envisioned to be a beacon of excellence in targeted engagement of youths and an exemplar of a mandate to "engage, educate, and train youth and/or adult leaders of environmental or transformational education, inclusion and outdoor recreation programs that meet the vision of Alberta Parks."
Nestled within the pristine Bow Valley Provincial Park, our Centre will strive to lead the country in innovative, experiential education programs that empower youth through connection to their natural and cultural heritage. At our core is the goal to assist students to see the world around them with new eyes; to connect with nature and the cultural stories of place and to embrace the values of protected areas. As part of the curricula, students participate in mountain recreation, natural science and rehabilitation projects such as non-native species control. A wide range of activities from canoeing to photography will introduce students to the mountain landscape. Students will discover how nature looks, feels and smells. They learn about the dangers inherent in wild places and the rewards of taking the time to truly connect. Through multi or single day immersion and programs they are challenged physically and mentally, and they experience the rewards of taking the time spent in such a special place.
The Centre operates under a comprehensive public safety system ensuring the highest standards of due diligence and care.


text:
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Friday 9 August 2013: a revised strategy
On site: Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews, Ivor Davies, Ashley Tierney, Chris Hobbs, Emma Winter, Frankie Saxton, Ivor Davies, Julie Martin, Jon Goodwyn, Keeley Hale, Kit Carstairs, Molly Barron, Paul Browne, Paul Eland, Phil Dean, Rick Kelly, Sid Rowe, Steve Foulds, Thomas Burningham, Tony Driscoll, Tony Ireland
Weather: overcast, occasional very light drizzle, occasional sunny spells; two rain showers between 11.15 and 11.40, one heavy
With yesterday's discovery of a probable structure, I have changed the site strategy somewhat. The section that was being dug to the north-west of the sondage over the outer ditch has been extended by five metres to the north-east in an attempt to define the extent and plan of the probable foundation trench. There is also a suspiciously similar linear patch of chalk against the north-western edge of the site, that we first identified last year and Caoímhin and I speculated might be structural. Keeley is investigating this.
Chris has returned to his hollow as, following last night's rain, it looks as if he may have underdug it on the west. He has assigned a new context number, (335), to this possible second fill. As excavation progressed, it became clear that this is indeed a lower fill in the hollow. Quite what hollow [318] might have been is completely obscure: it is clearly not just a worn patch in the entrance, but something deliberately created. The near sterility of its fills does not help in interpreting it.
The rain showers helped (briefly) to show up the soil colours. Unfortunately, trowelling is removing the damp surface rapidly and everything is returning to the usual dry grey. Nevertheless, it has helped elucidate what's going on in the inner ditch, where the dark material is clearly restricted to the northern part of the cut. It has also shown up the relatively subtle differences in the area east of the centre, where Frankie and Sid are excavating.
Outer ditch section [289] looks as if we may well bottom it by the end of this week. Fill (314) has been removed to reveal a thin and probably discontinuous layer with a higher proportion of gravelly chalk, which was unfortunately overdug in the south-eastern corner of the section because the material beneath it is identical to (314) above. I am hoping that the stone free material underneath this chalky layer will prove to be the primary silt.
It is very tempting to project what can be seen of the structural trench discovered yesterday into the five metre square being started today and I can convince myself that I can see its line. This is fantasy, as it lies beneath the henge bank, which hasn't yet been removed.
I've been thinking about the chalk deposit, (97), that the inner edge of the inner ditch cuts and which is partly overlain by deposit (94). In the section being excavated through the ditch in the southern arm of the L-shaped section, it is evident that the chalk overlies a soil deposit, which appears to be part of the build-up in the centre of the henge. Originally, I had wondered if (97) was part of the henge bank, but this is clearly not feasible, as it would not have been practical to dig the inner ditch that far into the bank. I'm now wondering if it is material slumped from the inner edge of the bank and evidence for a period of abandonment; might this in turn tie in with (311), the deposit in the outer ditch that I had hypothesised might derive from material tumbling from the outer edge of the bank?
The chalk that Keeley has been investigating is, like the bit investigated by Kit, contained in a slot. This slot seems to have termini at both ends so, although we have traces of a second structure, we cannot define its shape or extent, at least at present. It seems a bit greedy to have two pre-henge structures, but that is what the evidence is currently suggesting. If the slots really are the foundations of buildings, then they seem to have had walls composed of planks, as so far there are no indications of postholes that might have supported a timber framework. This matches the recent discoveries at Kingsmead Quarry in Berkshire, where oak planks were set vertically into foundation trenches.
Where Frankie and Sid have been working, the deposits seem to be filling hollows. Two of the hollows (deposits (301) and (332)) look like worn patches, whereas the other seems deliberately dug. Rick is staring work on the deposit running south through the centre of the henge down to the chalk deposit (97); his posthole, [330], was cut into it. The inner ditch continues to go down slowly, while the outer ditch appears to be getting very close indeed to being bottomed. Topsoil (199) has now all but gone from the new five metre square where the first structure is extending, exposing the bank ((213) in the centre, (200) to the inside and (293) to the outside). We are making good progress, with twelve days left on site; we could always do with more, but I dread to think what additional discoveries we would make in that time!
Posted on 9 August 2013, in Fieldwork. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


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|Go To the New
Ashram Website for current Information
40 Years of the Ashram Community 1967-2007:
Ashram community members and friends who shared our 2008 week in the cloister at Iona Abbey
|New Ashram Website
Ashram Website
Nov 2011: Ashram Press Books & Order Form (PDF)
August 2010: Ashram at Blaithwaite House, near Wigton
August 2009:Ashram at Othona Community, Bradwell
August 2008: Ashram at Iona. Around 18 members of the Community enjoyed a week with the Iona Community and friends at the abbey in Iona - most of us are in the photo above. more text and pictures
Act Together - Ashram Newsletter. You can download the May 2008 issue which contains some dates for 2009. Warning - large file - about 1 Mb PDF.
May 2007: 40 Years. Ashram celebrated 40 years of the Ashram Community with a conference at Cliff College, Derbyshire. A book in preparation will celebrate our history and look to the future. Pictures
October 2006: Deacon Dave sets off for Israel with the International Solidarity Movement. Follow him on his blog.
September 2006: Ashram Weekend at
July-Aug 2006: Ashram Holiday at
|Find out more about Ashram
|Burngreave Ashram
|Radical Christianity
July 2004: Ashram Holiday group picture at Hawick.
May 2003: Ashram has held most of its weekend conferences at Cliff College, since the 1960s. Changes in the catering arrangements at Cliff mean that the May weekend was the last at this venue. pictures
|a new radical program to open up discipleship to Jesus as an exciting, worthwhile option
Unique Opportunities
|in the inner city at Burngreave, Sheffield
Radical Christianity
|new web site with details of 2005 events and Radical Jesus book
More about Ashram Journey Unique Opportunities
Jesus Thing |Starting all over again |Looking
for something |Who you are is where you are |Alternatives |New Community
of Creation |The Journey Downwards |The Jesus Movement |Walking distance
community |Truth as it is in Jesus |Lifestyle of Sharing |Radical Christianity
|Christian Community |Radical Jesus |Shop for Justice |Community Worship
- Liturgies |Community Eating - Recipes |Urban Theology Unit |Contacting
Ashram Community Trust (ACT)
ASHRAM COMMUNITY IS REGISTERED CHARITABLE COMPANY, Charity No. 1099164


text: Field Day Volunteers Needed for June 1 Reported by firstname.lastname@example.com on 5/1/18 Dear Parents and/or Guardians, The end of the school year is rapidly approaching. It will soon be time for our nineteenth annual Young Elementary Field Day!! Field Day is a day where students play games and engage in physical activity outdoors. Our 2018 Nancy Young Field Day will be Friday, June 1. In case of rain, Field Day is cancelled. There is no RAIN DATE. In order to help make the day a success, we will need parent volunteers. There will be 2 sessions: 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM (K, 1, 2) 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM (3, 4, 5) Register Here: Volunteer Sign-Up If you volunteer for the morning session please arrive no later than 11:00 PM and report to the gym so we can begin promptly at 11:15 PM. If you volunteer for the afternoon session please arrive no later than 1:00 PM and report to the gym so we can begin promptly at 1:15 PM. You will not be contacted to verify your participation, however, there will be a Connect ED message sent the evening before to remind all volunteers to report for their scheduled session. Thank you in advance for volunteering your time, our students and I greatly appreciate your help. If you have any questions regarding Field Day, please contact me. Sincerely, Mr. Maldonado Nancy Young PE Teacher firstname.lastname@example.com (630) 375-3814 Log in to Edit


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Natalie Mendes
Product Marketing Manager, Analytics, SAS Australia and New Zealand
Natalie Mendes is SAS Australia and New Zealand Product Marketing Manager for Analytics. Her primary efforts are centered on insuring SAS continues to deliver market viable and industry leading business analytics offerings.
Natalie completed a bachelors in Statistics and Computer Science at Swinburne University in Melbourne in which helped obtain her first professional role as an assistant statistician at Victoria's Country Fire Authority. From there, Natalie secured a role at ANZ Bank as a credit risk analyst, developing credit scorecards and determining the risk of a customer to repay loans. As a SAS programmer (in those days), Natalie moved industries and became a pre-sales business solutions specialist, selling leading edge SAS software and solving complex business problems for large and small businesses. To name a few:
- Social Network Analytics for Telcos
- Credit Risk for Banking
- Customer Segmentation for Retail
Natalie has been in the business analytics industry for 18 years and continues to help customers solve business problems, using the power of analytics to delve deep inside data to uncover insightful information and provide for accurate decision making.


text: Product DescriptionBluetooth wireless connectivity and a USB/SD MP3 Player are directly built into the Gemini DRS-15BLU so that you have options for track playback and connectivity. With the option of Bluetooth you can play tracks directly from a wireless device and roam around the room and listen.The lightweight amplifier and ABS nylon fiber cabinet make the Gemini DRS series of speakers easy to carry to and from an event and sufficiently rugged enough for consistent use. Each cabinet has a smooth recessed molded handle and options for hanging or stand mounting, so getting to the event and setting up is simple.


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Potters David and Becki Dahlstedt Featured Artists Nov. 18 at Arkansas Craft Gallery
Potters David and Becki Dahlstedt will be Featured Artists at the Arkansas Craft Gallery, Nov. 18, from 10-5, when they will demonstrate hand built techniques incorporated into their wheel thrown, functional stoneware. David and Becki have been making pottery together since 1984 when Becki joined David as a crafts interpreter at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. David studied pottery at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, before coming to the Folk Center in 1978. Becki had a studio at the Berkeley Potter's Guild in Berkeley, California, before finding her way to Mountain View.
While demonstrating pottery at the Folk Center they developed an extensive line of decorative and functional stoneware pottery which they continue to produce and market throughout the State. Stoneware may be used in the oven, microwave and dishwasher, as it's fired to a high temperature to create a durable and safe product. In 1990 they began building a studio adjacent to their home with assistance from an Individual Artist's Fellowship which David received from the Arkansas Arts Council. Since 1996 David and Becki have worked exclusively in their home studio, "Mountain View Pottery," near the Court Square in Mountain View.
Dahlstedt pottery has been in the Arkansas Craft Gallery for over 30 years, home to the Arkansas Craft Guild. David and Becki have been active members of the Guild, serving on the Board of Directors and the Standards Committee; Becki spent many hours helping manage the Gallery and promote it. David is pottery instructor at the Arkansas Craft School and will be teaching 2 classes this fall at the school's new location on the corner of Main and Peabody on the Square. He helped build the kiln shed behind the Craft School. For the past 16 years David and Becki have organized and participated in the award winning Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour, held the 3rd weekend of September annually, which welcomes visitors into the private working space created out of their shared talent and passion for their craft.
You can purchase their work by visiting one of the Arkansas galleries where their work is currently available: the Arkansas Craft Gallery, the Ozark Folk Center Gift Shop, and the Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View; the Butler Center Galleries in Little Rock, and Crystal Bridges Museum Store in Bentonville. Or you can contact Becki and David directly to visit their studio year round. Go to Dahlstedtpottery.com for more information.
Email Address: firstname.lastname@example.com
Gallery Shipping Address: 104 East Main Street, Mountain View, Arkansas 72560
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 800, Mountain View, Arkansas 72560
Gallery hours: 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday – Saturday
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ arkansascraftgallery


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|Fender Strat SN: MZO204636
|Jackson clone
|Fender Strat SN: MSZ9313743
© 1997-2016 The author of the musical instruments, guitarworks and the WEB-site itself is Dmitry Victorovich Yeremeyev. All rights reserved. Forbidden: distribution, copying or using in any other way of any materials from this WEB-site without a preliminary written agreement with the author, whom all the rights are belongs to.


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The girl across the street was learning ballet.
I wanted to, though I couldn't see.
At the age of eleven,
with a private teacher young and energetic,
I learned to plie, sashay.
With a cassette tape she made
that contained music and her instructions,
I jumped, kicked, skipped across our Arizona kitchen floor.
We moved to Wyoming a year later.
With a different teacher, old and crabby,
I tried a class with other girls,
couldn't tell what they were doing,
dropped out, moved on.
The above poem was recently published in The Pangolin Review. Click this link to hear me read it.
I'm the author of a romance novel, two poetry collections, and a memoir and am currently working on another novel. My work has appeared in The Weekly Avocet, Magnets and Ladders, and other publications. I have a visual impairment and live in Sheridan, Wyoming, where for six years, I cared for my late husband, who was totally blind and partially paralyzed by two strokes soon after we were married. Before that, I was a registered music therapist, working with senior citizens in nursing homes and other facilities. I also taught braille, facilitated a support group for the visually impaired, and served on the advisory board for a state trust fund that allows people with low vision or blindness to purchase adaptive equipment. For more information, please visit my website and blog.
Author Abbie Johnson Taylor
How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver
That's Life: New and Selected Poems
My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds
Click to hear an audio trailer.


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Here is a example of Blackfeet, Cherokee, Norse, Sami connection, Ron West oral tradition of the Blackfeet suggest they came West, may fit with your thoughts about eastern tribes, they had white roots before Columbus? Red Paint people!
The holy man on top of Medicine Wheel Mountain, who advised Wakashi, was white with a long white beard. Look into the Mandans. Remington and James Alexander Thom have both discussed their possible Welsh connection, via a supposed immigration by Prince Madoc.
Drawing in book Swordfish Hunters
This is about the time of the theory that copper was mined in Michigan by Minoans?
The neanderthal buried the dead with red ochre Kurgan also, coast of Norway, to the coast of Labrador, burial mounds with red ochre.
Found in a mix of old alphabets online, looking for historical rune books for research. Do you or the readers know of any sources.
For Greek check Liddell and Scott. For proto-Greek, search Linear A and Linear B scripts. These were quartermaster alphabets for tallying loot, I think.
Odyssey Quotes
Man Hunting, As Always


text: In the current technological world, individuals are hurrying towards the mall to see the most recent gadgets. Who wouldn't ? These gizmos and gadgets, including the lightweight audio players and cell phone towards the extravagant camcorders and portable ...Read more Comments Off on Electronic Gadgets-The Right Gift Every Day Of The Season


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Arizona's Roadside Attractions
Find quirky sites - both naturally formed and man-made - across the state.
Watson Lake (Prescott) by Michael Wilson
It's common to see painted rocks arranged in the letter of the town they are in on the side of a hill – such as a B for Bisbee – but the town of Congress has a special rock formation. While traveling along Highway 89 between Wickenburg and Prescott, you'll spy a 60-ton rock formation that resembles and is painted bright green to look like a frog. It's not simply a quirky find from recent years though; it has been dutifully painted since 1928.
Congress originally came to life when a miner struck gold here in 1884. The addition of a post office and nearby Santa Fe Railroad added to the growing town until the mines closed in the 1930s. Today Congress adds to the list of Arizonan ghost towns and serves as a retirement community to nearby Wickenburg. Each October, residents and visitors gathers to celebrate its history with Old Congress Days, which includes a parade, food, drag races, crafts, and more.
While you are in town, how does a Moscow Mule with a sprig of fresh mint, sweet and savory chicken and waffles, or Elvis French toast stuffed with peanut butter and bananas sound? Surprisingly, in the heart of this sleepy little town there is a top-notch restaurant: Nichols West, owned by a couple who relocated here from New York, gets rave reviews.
Visit City Site
Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce | 216 N. Frontier St. | Wickenburg, AZ | (928) 684-5479 | www.wickenburgchamber.com
|It all started
|How High?
|Head Count
These stories have brought the sizzle lately


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This 4-star modern hotel is close to Cardiff Central Station and the Millennium Stadium, and well located for enjoying the city's nightlife. The on-site restaurant serves both a delicious breakfast and a menu that draws on international cuisine. Decorated with attractive colourful fabrics, every one of the hotel's rooms is fitted with a flat screen TV, free wifi access and a contemporary-style bathroom.
Star Rating: ****
User Rating: 86 (from 4445 reviews)
Hotel ID: 2649089
Explore The Local Area:
Convenience Store:
- Bayview Convenience Stores (0.5 mi, Cardiff CF10 5AD)
- Tesco Express (0.8 mi, St Davids Shopping Centre, Cardiff CF10 1EF)
- Docklands Mini Market (0.8 mi, Cardiff CF10 5EY)
- WHSmith (1.0 mi, Cardiff CF10 1EP)
- SPAR (1.1 mi, Cardiff CF10 1AB)
Shopping Mall:
- Mermaid Quay (0.8 mi, Cardiff CF10 5BZ)
- St davids Centre Rooftop Servicing (0.9 mi, Cardiff CF10)
- The Hayes (1.0 mi, Cardiff CF10 2LE)
- The Capitol Shopping Centre (1.1 mi, Cardiff CF10 2HQ)
- Morgan Quarter (1.4 mi, Cardiff CF10 1AF)
Home Improvements:
- Student-laptops.co.uk (0.5 mi, Cardiff CF10 5LE)
- Clement Browne (0.6 mi, Hayes Bridge Rd, Cardiff CF10 1EG)
- SET Office Supplies (0.8 mi, 63 Penarth Rd, Cardiff CF10 5RA)
- Lakeland (0.8 mi, 71 St Davids Way, Cardiff CF10 2EL)
- Light to Love - Luce Damare (0.9 mi, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5EB)
Shoe Store:
- Whistles (0.6 mi, Hayes Bridge Rd, Cardiff CF10 1EG)
- Clarks (0.7 mi, First Floor, Cardiff CF10 2EL)
- Monsoon (0.8 mi, Cardiff CF10 2DP)
- Oasis (0.8 mi, 46-50 St Davids Way, Cardiff CF10 2UF)
- Dr. Martens (0.9 mi, Cardiff CF10 1AJ)
- Student-laptops.co.uk (0.5 mi, Cardiff CF10 5LE)
- Dragon Computing Ltd (0.6 mi, UK)
- Ferret Information Systems Ltd (0.8 mi, Curran Rd, Cardiff CF10 5NB)
- Orchard Media & Events Group Ltd (0.9 mi, Trade Street, Cardiff CF10 5DT)
- Currys PC World featuring Carphone Warehouse (1.0 mi, St. Davids Shopping Centre, Cardiff CF10 2ER)
Hotel Facilities:
Air Conditioning
Connecting Rooms
Double-glazed windows
Free safe box with laptop capacity
Cleaning Services
Daily housekeeping
Iron and ironing board
Trouser Press
Reception Services
Reception (24 hours)
Wake-up calls
Free internet in the lobby
High speed internet connection
Wi Fi
Wifi in the lobby
Food And Drink
Coffee/tea facilities
Media And Technology
Audio/Visual Equipment
Flat screen LCD TV
Accessible Rooms
En-Suite Bathroom
Business Equipment
Board room
Business Centre
Business facilities
Conference Rooms
Meeting Rooms
Work desk with lamp
Children's menu
Cot on request
Extra bed
High Chairs


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Greg Peters at Morgan Stanley recommends risk.
Basically, he sees everything getting resolved favorably.
Note that he's mainly looking at things from a credit perspective.
We maintain a positive global outlook for the next 3-6 months, and we actually recommend owning risky assets over this horizon. Of course, sequencing the re-entry is critical, particularly for the tactical investor, and we fully appreciate near-term headline risk and volatility. We would suggest owning credit over risk-free assets to satisfy duration needs. Our constructive view is supported by three pillars: (1) resilient US growth; (2) China soft landing; and (3) quieting of the European debt crisis. We think the large move in spreads provides an attractive buying opportunity for credit in the US and Europe, and the best risk-reward opportunity to add beta. Rising rates are a risk, but the carry and potential spread compression are sufficient compensation.


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Octodad: Dadliest Catch is one of the most unique games that has been announced for PlayStation 4 so far.
Developed by Chicago-based indie studio Young Horses, Octodad is the kind of game that is nearly impossible to play without a huge grin on your face.
You play as an Octopus dressed in disguise as a human, trying to go about his day doing normal human activities. Of course, being an octopus without any bones, these seemingly mundane tasks suddenly become hilariously challenging obstacles.
The controls are clumsy, but purposefully so. Walking uses alternating presses of the R2 and L2 triggers to control each foot independently, along with the analogue stick to determine how far to take each step.
Meanwhile, pressing the L1 trigger switches control away from the feet into arm mode. Controlling just your right arm tentacle, you can move it up and down with the right analogue stick, and every other direction using the left stick.
Using these unwieldy arm controls you have to open doors, search through cabinets and put on a bowtie to match Octodad's wedding tuxedo.
Since Octodad's tentacle is covered in suction cups, you will inevitably make a mess of things, accidentally picking up all sorts of things and flinging them across the room while trying to get your bearings.
Where most demos would end with a boss battle, Octodad: Dadliest Catch challenged players to walk down the aisle at Octodad's wedding: a carpet covered in banana peels and lined with tiny pillars topped with priceless vases.
The wedding level is essentially a tutorial to get players accustomed to the bizarre controls, but future levels will see Octodad in more taxing situations like trying to go grocery shopping and flipping burgers on a grill.
If grocery shopping doesn't sound hard, remember that Octodad needs to pass as human, so flailing with the controls will rouse suspicion.
Then again, this is in a world where people aren't immediately suspicious of a giant orange octopus in a blue suit, so there is some leeway so players can still mess around and have fun with it.
It was quite surreal seeing Octodad: Dadliest Catch running on PlayStation 4 at E3, and not just because the game itself is so gleefully quirky.
Young Horses has shown demos for the game in the past running on PC with an Xbox 360 controller, and even made a version of the original Octodad using Kinect.
Motion controls are still a possibility for the PlayStation 4 version; Philip Tibitoski said the SDK to implement gestures with the Move controller and the PlayStation 4 controller's light bar only arrived shortly before E3, so Young Horses hadn't had time to test it yet.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch will be a console exclusive on PlayStation 4 when it launches in 2014, but that will not interfere with plans to also release the PC version.
While Tibitoski noted that Young Horses is still interested in porting Octodad: Dadliest Catch to Xbox One and Kinect at some point, that will depend on securing a publisher.
Right now all attention is on the PlayStation 4 and PC versions, as they continue to refine the most charmingly clumsy hero in gaming.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch will be released on PC and PS4 in 2014.


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Oxigen Management Team
Chairman and Managing Director
View Pramod's Biography
Pramod Saxena, a Chemical Engineer from IIT-Roorkee, worked in various capacities spanning over 42 years and had been associated with DCM Group, Essar Group and Motorola. His rich and varied experience spans Telecom, BPO, Steel, Petro Chemicals & Fertilizer industries, where he held lead responsibilities for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), setting up green field projects, Joint Ventures (J&V) and managing business operations in India & abroad. Read more
LinkedIn Profile: View
CEO and Vice Chairman
View Ankur's Biography
Ankur Saxena is the CEO and Vice Chairman of Oxigen. Since 2007, Ankur has been successfully transforming the IT and Development function in Oxigen. He has institutionalized internationally accepted best practices to help Oxigen become a tech savvy and a systems & process driven organization. He is also mentoring a team of young professionals to take Oxigen's Online business into the eCommerce space. He has made several innovations, within the Oxigen Wallet app.
Ankur has also provided his expertise to lead major innovative changes in technology development and IT functions. IT and applications are at the core of Oxigen's business and as this environment is becoming increasingly sophisticated, Ankur's major assignment is to ensure that Oxigen attains cutting edge capabilities and remains on top of the stack. As Oxigen's operations have also simultaneously become complex with higher transaction volumes, Ankur is constantly strengthening and streamlining functions, in the four tech verticals:
- The Operational Core, Back End & Web Development
- Embedded devices(POS) and applications
- Networks / Systems Management and Web coding
- ERP, Process Mapping, Compliance and Automation
Ankur Saxena has spent 13 years in the USA, where he completed his Bachelor and Masters in Telecom and Computer Sciences. He started his career at Motorola and then at Lemko Corp, where he spent ten years developing & architecting software for Next Generation Telecom Networks.
Ankur loves experimenting with new tech, and is passionate about sports cars and has spent several hours racing, at the car tracks, in Chicago, USA and Dubai. He is also fond of Gourmet food.
LinkedIn Profile: View
Joint Managing Director
View Sunil's Biography
Sunil Kulkarni is Oxigen's Joint Managing Director and is in charge of Oxigen's overall Business Operations, Business Development & Growth. His current focus is on growing revenues from business streams such as IOCL, Srei Sahaj, Insurance, Loyalty, and Smart Cities. Sunil is also the lead on Regulatory Compliances, and leads teams of Risk and Fraud, and is the Chairperson of the IS committee.
In 2004, Sunil, as a CEO, took charge of Oxigen Services (then known as India Prepaid Services Pvt Ltd). He and the Chairman, decided to launch in India's first e-Distribution Network for mobile recharge coupons' and its dispensation over Point of Sale (POS) terminals, PC and SMS.
Ever since, Sunil is synominously, referred to as the techno-savvy brain behind developing a successful business model, using Technology, for varied services & products, including Oxigen's Mobile Wallet, which is an innovative payment mechanism and prepaid wallet accessible online/on-mobile. He successfully led the company's development & growth from a Recharges/BillPay company, to an integrated Branchless Banking & Payment Solutions company. He is also responsible for taking the company to its next greenfield opportunity in Domestic & International Remittances, Merchant Payments, Aadhaar enabled payments and Loyalty, to propel Oxigen into its next growth phase. He is active member of Payment Council of India and on board of Business Correspondence Federation of India (BCFI).
Sunil's Milestones in Oxigen
- 2004 - Enabled recharge as e-Voucher on POS Terminal for all telcos.
- 2005 - Launch of e-Top up and bill payments in retail
- 2007 - Integration of DTH recharge
- 2008 - Oxigen Wallet (OxiCash) Platform & Technology Development and its Business Development with affiliates, JV with Microsoft, Roll out of IRCTC and Air Ticketing Oxigen Online Business Development
- 2009 - Business tie-up & Integration of White Label web services for all Banks
- 2010 - PPI License was issued
- 2011 - Kiosk Banking Business Correspondent tie-up with SBI & Service Delivery for SBI Freedom Mobile Application
- 2012 - SBI MobiCash Mobile App Service
- 2013 - Oxigen Money Transfer Service Integration with NPCI on IMP
- 2014 - Oxigen Aadhaar Integration and commercial roll out of India's first eKYC provider for UIDAI for Aadhaar. Aadhaar based Cash Out Pilot for RBI; Oxigen Money Transfer Service, which becomes No.1, leading all Banks & Non-Banks for Q2; Oxigen Wallet becomes India's First Wallet to connect with NPCI's Merchant Payments System; Oxigen Money Transfer Service enabled at Muthoot retail outlets; Sign up with RBL Bank as BC
- 2016 - Launch of Virtual Visa Card, Assisted E-Commerce with Big Bazaar and Oxigen Super Service Agent using Micro ATM with RBL Bank; Federal Bank open Wallet launch for Remittance; DBS Bank eKYC first App only for Bank Account; Launch of Bharat Bill Payments Service; Future group launched Oxigen Powered Future Pay Wallet
- 2017 - Launch of AEPS and Aadhaar Pay and RuPay/VISA/MasterCard Payments on Micro ATM; Micro ATM solution for Cooperative Banks; Samsung Pay Integration on Oxigen Micro ATM; Oxigen Micro ATM supported by NABARD under Financial Inclusion Fund; Amazon Prepaid (Gift) card launched on app as well as on MicroATMs
- 2018 - Expands Micro ATM footprint at Indian Oil fuel stations; Launched ATM Card Cash out on MicroATMs for all cards and added major Gift cards like Flipkart, Uber, BookMyShow, BigBazaar on MicroATM Launched OEMS-Oxigen Expense Management Solution, a paperless Expense Management Solution with RBL Rupay Card linked to the Oxigen Wallet
Prior to joining Oxigen, Sunil served as General Manager-Marketing & Business Development in Motorola India's Wireless Infrastructure business for 9 years. He looked after Business Development, Business Strategy and Product Marketing functions for GSM & CDMA wireless technologies. He started his professional journey in 1986 with Siemens Ltd., where he last served as the Head of Semi-Conductor Division.
As Sunil's portfolio above suggests, it's no surprise that he not only holds a Degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering, from MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur, but is also a Gold medallist.
LinkedIn Profile: View
Group CFO
View Rajpal's Biography
Rajpal Singh Duggal is currently serving as the Group CFO for Oxigen. He looks after Finance and Accounts completely. Prior to this role, Rajpal was responsible for Corporate Strategy and Planning. He has been instrumental in developing an aggressive push for rural markets and developing the financial inclusion strategy. This has given Oxigen an impressive growth in overall business and profitability over the last 5 years.
Rajpal is also credited with successfully leading a multi-departmental team to develop, Oxigen's own new low cost GPRS PoS terminal. He deployed the first batch in 2010. As on date more than 20,000 of these new terminals MicroATMs have been placed in the market and are operating successfully. As it turns out to be, these terminals are now the backbone of Oxigen's new business growth strategy for the future.
In October 2011, Rajpal was appointed as the Vice Chairman of Sahyog Foundation, which spearheads Oxigen's CSR initiatives. He guides and mentors the company's CSR activities. Over the past 7 years Oxigen has made a positive impact on the lives of several thousands of people through interventions in health, education, vocational training and livelihood, in rural locations of India.
With over 44 years of working experience in a diverse industry segments, Rajpal, an MBA from FMS Delhi, started his career as a Management Trainee with the DCM Group where he worked for 10 years. He handled Commercial, Finance and development of MIS. there. He then joined the Raunaq Group (Apollo Tyres) working with a diverse portfolio of functions from inance, Sales & Marketing. His last position was Vice President Business Development handling identification of new project ideas, foreign collaboration and JV's and management of the JV's at operational phase.
He had been in the forefront of innovative financial solutions including fund raising from banks and financial institutions.
As an Entrepreneur he established India's first ever discount format retail store called Discount Circuit, when India did not have any large format retail stores. His large format stores in NCR, 4 of them, had a successful response. This is now being restructured on a web format.
Rajpal is passionate about social causes and is involved in three NGO's namely Literacy India (www.literacyindia.org), Saksham (www.saksham.org) and Muskaan. He had been an active Rotarian and is involved in conceptualizing and implementing several community service projects.
LinkedIn Profile: View
Group President (HR, Brand, MarComm & Corporate Affairs)
View Meher's Biography
Dr. Meher Sarid is a Group President, for Marketing, Brand & Communication, Human Resources, Talent Development, and Administration and is the Brand custodian for Oxigen.
Meher has 26 years of rich experience in Management, Brand, Design, Communication and Service Excellence. In 2006, She started her journey with Oxigen, as a Creative Director and consultant for Brand Bugzy & Mobile wallet OxiCash. She developed this online business creating proprietary content, adding content & VAS through aggregation and its further distribution through WEB/WAP and Retail. Thereafter, in 2007, she took over Oxigen's Marketing, Brand. She has managed Digital Marketing Campaigns, SEO, WAP, Web solutions. In 2013, Meher took over the HR portfolio for the Group, and has been working to bring about a cultural change in the organization to inculcate a "Customer friendly" attitude. She is the flag bearer for transforming the company's culture to attention for 'Quality' and 'Customer First'.
2006- Launch of Bugzy, Citi Venture investment PR ; 2007- Launch of Oxigen Wallet OxiCash- and its business management, PR for JV with Microsoft, Brand Mgmt.; 2008- Oxigen TVC, Online Business Development; 2009- White Label web services for all Banks; 2010- Setting up the Training & Development Department, Quality & Service Excellence. Began the CSR efforts for Oxigen and Sahyog Microfinance Foundation.; 2011- Oxigen Corporate Film, Kiosk Banking Business Correspondent Business Launch; 2012- Call Centre & resolution department delivery streamlining, ISO 9001- 2008 (now 2015) certification, Feet On Street program management, HR and talent development for Oxigen; 2013- Oxigen Money Transfer Service Launch; 2014- Oxigen Aadhaar Market Activations in Rural India, Oxigen Wallet Launch, TVC for Oxigen Wallet and Oxigen Money Transfer.; 2015- became Group HR & Marketing role for 3 companies, On boarding Brand Ambassador Sachin tendulkar, Sponsorship of South African Cricket team for World T20, won awards at IAMAI digital summit.; 2016- Sponsorship for Kerala Blasters team for ISL 2016, roll out of flagship product Oxigen Micro ATM, won several awards; 2017 - Sponsorship for Gujarat Lions for IPL, New Zealand Black caps for World T20, IME Indo Nepal Remittances. 2018 – Aadhar Pay
Awards : 2015 Meher was awarded as India's Most Talented Retail Professionals by CMO Asia. 2017, Meher was awarded a Leadership Award in HR Excellence by Amity Business School. March 2010, she was felicitated by Mrs. Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister Delhi, Govt. of India, for her noteworthy contributions to the Indian Wedding Industry. She was recognized for her role, in both for structuring the Industry and conceptualizing & promoting Inbound wedding tourism to India. December 2009,she was awarded the Pride Of India Gold medal, by the President Of Mauritius, His Excellency Sir Aneroodh Jauganauth, at the Bhartiya Pravasi Divas celebration week.
Prior to Oxigen, Started her career at the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel & Towers, New Delhi, working in Banquet sales, PR and Communication. In 1992, Meher joined Cathay Pacific Airlines, Hong Kong, she started as a Cabin attendant, went on to become a Recruitment & Training Instructor. In 1996, she joined Cathay Pacific's Brand Team and implemented the airlines first and only Brand Identity change, globally in 1997. On her return to India, Meher, set up her events company 1997 -2006, she is recognized as India's first Wedding Planner. She also and owned a few restaurant.
In August, 2018, Meher was granted an Honorary Doctorate in Management Excellence, by YSU Young scientists University, USA and CIAC Global. She is Diploma in Hotel Management graduate, from the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Applied Nutrition, New Delhi, which is equivalent to a B.Sc degree. She has done a short Post graduate Diploma in International Hospitality, specializing in Event Management & Banquet Décor design at Les Roches, Salzburg, Austria, 1988-1991.
LinkedIn Profile: View
Senior Executive Director and Chief Distribution Officer
View Prashant's Biography
Prashant Verma is currently a Senior Executive Director leading the Retail Sales forces. he wears a couple of hats due to his deep experiance, be it as Oxigen's Chief Distribution Officer or as Oxigen's Chief Commercial Officer. Prashant was one of the first few people to join Oxigen in 2004, built Oxigen's Retail footprint from scratch, by setting up the Distributor and Retailer network. Today, with a modernised approach to Retail footprint acquisistion,he leads the Alternate Distribution Channel. knowing what sells where, like the back of his palm, he manages heads the Supply Management team for inventory purchases and more.
A thorough Sales professional, he successfully appointed a versatile and passionate sales team, to manage and lead Oxigen's ever expanding footprint of retailers. His achievements include rolling out the SBI Business Correspondent Kiosk banking touch points (CSP) for Oxigen at retail In 2011. The in 2013, Prashant was made responsible for the management of end-to-end Customer Service Delivery process for Oxigen. In this portfolio, he has a number of departments reporting in to him like Customer Resolutions, Call centre management, KYC processing, Trading Advance for retail networks, Purchases and more. In December 2014, Prashant built and launched Oxigen's in house Customer Engagement Centre which provided call centre support for Oxigen's vast pan India Retail and CSP business.
He is tech savvy & has in-depth understanding of Oxigen's IT & Platform Development and thus he manages interface with our technology teams.
Prashant brings with him over 26 years of hardcore sales and marketing experience. In the past, Prashant has worked with well-known business houses within the country. Prominent amongst them are his stints with Essar Group and Dishnet DSL Limited. At Essar, he was associated with setting up of the distribution network of Essar Cellphone for their telecom arm in Delhi. At Dishnet DSL, he was instrumental in Launching DSL in Delhi and organizing the internet business of the company into a profitable proposition.
Prashant completed his Diploma in Marketing from William's Business College, Sydney, Australia in 1992. He is a B.Sc graduate from Jabalpur University.
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Executive Director Oil Distribution Sector
View Sanjay's Biography
Sanjay joined the Oxigen family as an Executive Director – Oil Distribution Sector.
Sanjay Srivastava manages the digitization of Business Channels like Oil companies (IOCL, NYARA, BPCL, HPCL) where he is responsible for relationship management and to build a strong retail network of Oxigen's Micro ATM at Petrol pump locations, for Aadhaar enabled payments, Fleet Card top ups and Card payments.
With 29 years of experience in the gamut of Marketing, Process Planning, Sales & Distribution, Training/Mentoring and Key Account Management, he has been successful in contributing to business strategy, project management & business development with esteemed organizations. Sanjay started his professional journey with TELCO and transitioned into management roles with Nestle, Motorola, Jagatjit Industries, Assam Company Ltd. before taking up a challenging role as a National Sales Head for Zee group/ DishTV /Quickcalls Pvt. Ltd. and thereafter, Tata Sky. He has also been on the Faculty board of IILM as a Professor for Marketing & Sales.
In 1982, he graduated in Mechanical Engineering from REC Bhopal, after that he went on to complete a Masters in Management, from IIM Bangalore in 1986. He then did an M.Sc in Automation from the prestigious Imperial College, London, in 1990.
His hobbies include mentoring youngsters in the start-up space and community service.
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Chief Business Officer- Retail Ops Management
View Neha's Biography
Neha Singh Rana, is currently Oxigen's Chief Business Officer for Retail Operations & it's Management. She plays a pivotal role in disseminating business decisions down to the Retail Channel, and Sales staff, to cope up with the ever changing banking environment in the country, and supports retail revenue growth by data analysis. She has recently recast the Sales organization it to optimize costs and has ensured Project wise, Product wise and region wise Profitability @ .5 %
Neha has 12+ years of experience in Retail, Financial Inclusion, Biz ops, Trainings, mobilizing new business streams, revenue assurance and cost optimization.
Neha joined Oxigen in August 2010 to set up Oxigen's Training systems and its operations. She used data analytics to conclude correlation analysis between training and revenue. Consequently from December 2013 she went on to set up the Chairman's Office, a hub center for all business decision making, Business management , processes adherence, as well as, controlling budgets using an approval & control system.
In 2016, she was given additional responsibility of the Management of the Retail Market. She implemented a new methodology to evaluate & validate sales performance by introducing a 100% variable sales force model. This contributed to top line growth from the same vertical & shifted cash flow to online transactions to reduce cash management costs in retail. She reduced operational costs by 30% by plugging leakages and conducting rigorous internal audits. Her achievements in the Retail Business are the Pan India roll out of Oxigen's flagship product, the Oxigen MicroATM, specially with a focus on tier 5 tier 6 cities, IOCL MicroATM rollout, for Aadhaar enabled payments, fleet card top ups and card payments. She also manages relationships for SBI to drive revenues at SBI Kiosk Banks, at Retail, nationally end to end.
Prior to Oxigen, Neha was working for Nokia, handling their Pan India Training Operations ( soft Skill as well as Tech), through an outsourced partner, ChannelPlay and before this she was an Advanced Resolution expert at Dell India. She is a B.Tech Computer Science from Kurukshetra University, 2004. And her hobbies are reading fiction, playing Badminton, Dancing, travelling & getting into debates
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Vice President Online Services (Institutions & Enterprises)
View Ramesh's Biography
Ramesh Swamy is currently a Vice President Online Business, for Institutions & Enterprise. He joined Oxigen Online Business in October, 2016
Ramesh handles key online business channels and flagship solution, Oxigen's Expense Management, one card, one platform for all types of Pay outs & Reimbursements
He also spearheads and manages the roll out of Smart City Projects (starting with Gujarat and then Orrisa), this is an initiative by the respective states to implement smart city solutions which includes going cashless for a plethora of payments ranging from local bus transport, municipal tax collection, parking and a whole lot more.
With over two decades of experience in India, the Middle-East and Malaysia; Ramesh brings deep understanding of Sales and Business Development, managing of Projects from conceptualization to revenue generating, product management and driving distribution; in Payments and Digital Media. A solid team player, Ramesh believes in collaborating with various teams to ensure that set objectives are met.
Having started in the Print Media business in Chennai, Ramesh moved to the Middle-east wherein he was instrumental in launching the online and digital channels for local search, with Primedia and after that he worked in Malaysia, with Ask Me ( An Astro funded venture) to set-up the online search and discovery platform. He was also involved in the payments and micro-lending business in India.
Ramesh graduated with a Bachelors in Arts, with a major in Corporate Secretaryship, from Madras University, 1990. He then completed his post-graduate diploma in Systems Management from NIIT, in 1993.
His hobbies include listening to music and cooking – an ultimate stress buster!
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Head - Legal
View Aakansha's Biography
Aakansha Singh joined Oxigen in September 2015 as Head of Legal. In her role she advises Oxigen and the Leadership team on various matters encompassing legal, like compliance, company secretarial, regulatory and commercial matters. She manages litigations in the retail space / employee and online fraud cases. In a short time with Oxigen, she has efficiently managed the legal function, formalised processes for Legal department, established Compliances and Regulatory functions. Powered with more than fourteen years of legal experience, her journey is a strong mix of litigation and corporate projects.
Prior to Oxigen, she had a five and half years stint with MakeMyTrip, where she handled entire legal portfolio, and gained vast exposure on M&A deals, compliance, contracts drafting, setting up policies for internal and external customers, including handling high stake litigations. Her corporate journey spans working across IT and ITES companies in Bangalore where she had rich experience is working with IT incentive companies on services and product side with organizations like Trigent Software and Cranes software. Before embarking on to an in-house corporate counsel role, she has handled litigation of varied nature including CCI, consumer cases, commercial disputes, representation before EOW, civil and criminal matters in her law firm experience.
Aakansha is a graduate in Law from Faculty of Law, Delhi University and holds a degree in Computer science from PWC.
She is fond of Arts, Fashion and Spirituality. She is currently honing her skills in painting.
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Company Secretary
View Nishant's Biography
Nishant Rana, joined Oxigen as a Company secretary in November 2017.
He is responsible for the corporate compliances of the Oxigen relating to Companies Act, FEMA, RBI etc. His current job responsibilities primarily includes convening Board Meetings, General Meetings, Recording the proceedings, Research on Compliance matters, time-bound filings etc. Nishant has a degree in Law from CCS University, Meerut.
Prior to Oxigen, Nishant worked with a PCS firm (V. K. Chaudhary & Co.) from October 2009 to December 2011 (including 15 months internship) and then with HCL as a CS from December 2011 to October 2017.
His hobbies are travelling, seeing movies and games like Badminton, football and cricket.
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The Pink Shoes
Jennifer is on vacation this week,but wanted to share one of her favorite posts with you this week that she wrote four years ago.
Note from Jennifer: Now that Laurel is almost 11, I find myself often thinking of the days of princess shoes and imaginary friends. And I will remember this moment and be very thankful that I bought the shoes. She wore them for close to two years before they became two babyish. And yes, it was totally worth $14.99 to live in the world of pink sparkly princess shoes for a little longer.
I was searching the children's shoe aisle at Target for some brown loafers that met the uniform code at my daughter's charter school. Then I saw THE SHOES. They were covered in pink glitter and had a satin bow on the front. They would melt any little girl's heart.
I could hear my six year old daughter's voice, "Oh mommy, I will be a princess when I wear those shoes. Look at the sparkles." Being the practical mom that I am, I looked at the price and then put them back. I told myself that there were at least 10 different reasons why I shouldn't buy the shoes with number 1 being that they were totally impractical to number 10 being that my son still needed school clothes. I pushed the cart to the next aisle in the shoe department still searching for the boring school shoes.
Throughout the rest of my shopping trip, I kept thinking about those shoes. I kept hearing her squeal when she first saw them. I could see her showing everyone we ran into her princess shoes. I kept picturing her wearing them every moment I would let her. And I knew her eyes would sparkle each and every time she slipped them on her size 13 feet.
"Well, maybe I will splurge on those shoes next year," I rationalized to myself, "When gas is cheaper and the economy is better."
Then it hit me. Next year she might not think that the princess shoes were the coolest thing in the world. Heck, next year she might not even think they were princess shoes. They might be worn once and shoved in the closet because they were too babyish. I turned my cart around and headed back to the shoes aisle. It was worth $14.99 to live in the world of pink sparkly princess shoes with her as long I possibly could.


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As her classmates watched, horrified, a student in Jaipur fell off the sixth floor of a building while her father was teaching some of them zipping, according to media reports.
Aditi Sanghi, NDTV reported, lost her balance and plunged to her death while watching another student zip-line. She was a student of the International College for Girls in Jaipur. Zip-lining is a popular entertainment sport involving a free-moving pulley that help enthusiasts slide down a steel cable across the gradient of a slope.
Sunil Sanghi, Aditi's father, is a trained mountaineer and rock-climbing expert who teaches the skills at several colleges in the city.
"It does not appear to be a case of suicide," Mukesh Chaudhary, a police officer handling the case, told NDTV. The grainy cell-phone video shows another zip-liner sliding down the rope while Aditi is seen in the background suddenly missing her footing and falling.
Aditi herself was a trainer and demonstrator, but was not wearing a harness at the time, said another report.
"Aditi Sanghi had done one demonstration and she was present on the terrace alongwith another instructor. During this, unfortunately, she became imbalanced and fell. As soon as the University administration got to know about it, it, alongwith her father, took Aditi Sanghi to Metro Mass hospital for treatment but unfortunately she died," Dr. Rakhi Gupta, the registrar of the IIS University, was quoted as saying by India Today.


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Prima – Memory Hardware – Chipboard Album – Tiny
Everyone likes tiny things! Start a fun DIY project with the Tiny Chipboard Album that is part of the Memory Hardware Collection by Prima. The package includes one 4.5″ x 4.5″ chipboard album that features six interior pages that measure 4″ x 4″.
In Stock


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H&R Block
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We look at your life through tax - and find ways to help. H&R Block is a global consumer tax services provider that prepares one in every seven U.S. tax returns. H&R Block is global leader in tax preparation services - we've prepared more than 700 million tax returns through retail locations and at-home, digital solutions since 1955. And with approximately 12,000 tax offices in all 50 states, as well as U.S. territories, military bases and abroad, we're always available to help you file your taxes. Find your local Cape May Court House tax office and schedule an appointment today.
H&R Block can be found at 20 Court House S Dennis Rd . The following is offered: Taxes . In Cape May Court House there are 2 other Taxes. An overview can be found here.
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2018 Mercedes Benz S Class Release Date & Price
2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Exterior
During the street, monitoring systems of the car will detect other road users and send out impulses to the Light emitting diodes which are separately managed which in turn light up dark sections of the road. The fender has additionally been modified and is incorporated with new air intakes. The grille nevertheless is maintained more than unchanged.
The flanks also feature delicate changes such as modified ORVMs along with new signal lighting, a chrome strip that runs together the lower section of the car and new multi-spoke alloy wheels. The rear appears unchanged from the current S-Class.
2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Interior
The cabin also functions bigger a display without control keys between them, as is the case in the present models. The outbound model's rotary selector for the infotainment system has been replaced with a touchpad controller.
Additionally, the model is also anticipated to feature electronic functions similar to the a single on the E-Class. Likely functions includes a Drive Aviator semi-autonomous feature amongst others. The S-Class cabin will be in a better position than the E-Class to back up its standing as the best luxurious sedan in the automaker's lineup.
2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Engine and performance
The car maker might retune the current engines to provide much more energy or could decide to hook up the model with new mills. Amongst the likely engines to be featured is the 4.0 L engine from the automaker's AMG brand.
2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Price and Release Date
2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Competition
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz S-Class will go one-on-one with the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and the Jaguar XJ. Models from traditionally low high-class automakers are also getting up quick hence these automakers have to continually update their models to stay a step ahead within this luxury sedan market.


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WASHINGTON -- Dilaudid, Neurontin and Benadryl.
"Benadryl for the itching, because I itch everywhere," Capt. Florent Groberg said.
The 29-year-old watched other men with prosthetic legs walk past him on Tuesday in a cafeteria at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington D.C. Groberg's left leg was immobilized in a blue cast, one not 30 minutes old.
Six months of numbing drugs. Six months away from home.
While nearly 3,000 soldiers with Fort Carson's 4th Brigade Combat Team got on with their lives in Colorado when they returned home in November and December from Afghanistan, Groberg remained 1,600 miles away at one of the nation's largest military hospitals.
He lives in a soldier's barracks while tenants rent his three bedroom house with its two-car garage in Colorado Springs.
He waits for doctor's appointments. He's always waiting.
"You know how people dread going to the hospital, or to the doctor's because they hate waiting?" Groberg said. "You know how you hate that? That's like my daily life.
"Yeah. It sucks."
The skin grafts, the stretched tendons, the 27 operations to deal with the missing flesh torn from his calf — six months of pain and drug-laced monotony began with nine seconds of terror in Afghanistan.
Groberg walked along a street in Asadabad, Afghanistan, a route that he said Americans had walked 15 minutes earlier while checking for insurgents.
The captain, two colonels, two command sergeants major and a host of Fort Carson officers on Aug. 8 strode toward an Afghan provincial building.
Nearby, an Afghan man walked backwards.
Groberg couldn't figure it out. His sergeant noticed it, and then Groberg saw it too — this man, walking backwards, "acting real iffy."
"The hardest part of the war that we're fighting is recognizing your foes — you know, good from foes," Groberg said.
"And then one of them will make a right turn and just blow himself up."
This man walking backwards suddenly turned 90 degrees. Then he came for Col. James Mingus, the brigade's commander.
Groberg met him, hit him — and with his sergeant by his side, threw the Afghan onto the ground.
Moments later, the captain woke up 30 feet from where he had stood.
In that time, a second suicide bomber had struck from a different direction, said Maj. Christopher Thomas, a brigade spokesman.
Groberg's helmet straps were loose, so he threw it off. His rifle was "chewed up," so he cast it aside. He saw something — a child maybe — lying dead to his left.
One soldier grabbed Groberg. Another, Spc. Daniel Balderrama, went to work.
The blast ripped two ligaments inside the specialist's knee, but still Balderrama tied a tourniquet on the captain's leg.
"I got you, sir," Groberg remembers hearing. "You'll be fine, sir. We're going to save that leg. You'll be good. No problem, sir."
Around them, chaos reigned.
Bleeding from a ball bearing that tore through his wrist, Lt. Col. Brandon Newton searched for the brigade's top enlisted soldier, Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Griffin.
He found the stocky man.
"He was — obviously, he didn't feel a thing," said Newton, then the commander of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. "So you make hard decisions with the medics."
Griffin died, as did Maj. Thomas Kennedy, Maj. Walter Gray — an Air Force officer who helped coordinate air strikes — and Ragaei Abdel Fattah, a state department employee.
As the dust cleared, Groberg got one more status report — "KIA, sir. All of them, KIA."
A soldier put him in a four-seat, armored vehicle and slammed the door.
He was alone. Reality sank in. His leg no longer felt numb.
"It felt like somebody took a blowtorch, just fricking burning my leg," Groberg said. "My leg was melting.
"It was the worst pain I ever felt. Until this damn surgery."
The procedure was as complicated as it was graphic.
To illustrate the point, Groberg pulled out his phone and showed pictures.
Seven incisions, each helping to stretch a tendon from inside his left foot to the other side, were made by doctors on Feb. 4 at Walter Reed.
The painful surgery — his 27th since the Aug. 8 attack — was a setback to a recovery process that appeared to near an end last month.
In the months immediately following the bombing, doctors pulled skin from his thigh to patch up his calf, which lost 45-percent of its muscle to ball bearings from the suicide bomber's vest.
Groberg slowly put weight on the foot. He used an Alter-G Treadmill, which inflates a balloon around the waist, holding the patient up while simulating a feeling of walking on air.
He doesn't anticipate ever doing anything strenuous without a carbon-fiber brace. But five months after the attack, he ran half a mile on a treadmill in four minutes.
"You couldn't even tell I'd been injured," he said. "But then again, my foot was caving in."
In late January, tendons inside his foot slowly constricted, turning the limb into a club.
"It was real iffy," he said. "We didn't know if it (the surgery) was going to happen until about two weeks ago. It was kind of last minute."
Nearly every day since that operation, he's played video games or read in bed. He's read about two dozen books since August.
His mother is helping, cooking and cleaning his room while he downs cocktails of pain pills.
There is the so-called "good life of Walter Reed," he said. Celebrities and politicians — Chicago White Sox players, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch and President Barack Obama — have stopped by his room.
But those are exceptions. Most days, he's alone with his mother and his doctors.
His comrades are back at Fort Carson.
"I don't stay in touch as often as I could with some of my soldiers because you kind of want to be there," Groberg said. "I've got my mission here to get better. I don't want to be living in two spots at once."
Groberg clutched Mingus' hand.
For months, he had wanted to see his boss. His chance came with a last-minute plane ticket back to Colorado Springs.
On Thursday, at a ceremony at Fort Carson commemorating Mingus' departure to another post, Groberg bid the colonel farewell. Mingus suffered a concussion in the August blast.
The captain leaned in and gave the man he was protecting that August day a hug.
Groberg watched as the widow of a man who died in the attack wept nearby.
That woman, Pam Griffin, received a standing ovation from hundreds of people in memory of her husband, Command Sgt. Maj. Griffin. She accepted that applause, then let out a deep sigh that shook her body.
"It does hurt — she understands it," Groberg said. "She's such a strong woman. It's hard to see it, but it shows how resilient people can be."
Also at Thursday's ceremony was Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Mulryan, the top enlisted soldier of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. He was in the group of leaders the bombers attacked, and he watched Griffin die. He sought therapy with the brigade's psychologist, Katie Kopp, after surviving the attack.
"It's tough. ... I saw her — I don't know how many times," said Mulryan, as he fought back tears.
Groberg also goes to therapy — but he prefers to call it "social work."
"It's not therapy," Groberg said. "You just go out there and talk about like, how's everything."
He paused.
"Like, I guess it is almost like therapy. I guess it is."
Groberg said he's made peace with what happened.
"In my own mind, I take full responsibility," Groberg said. "It's my patrol and I lost four people. I mean, it's just the way it is.
"People sort of like look at it saying it could have been worse. Yeah, I mean, the way they did it, I don't know how we could have stopped it from anybody being hurt."
That mindset was captured in the ultimatum he gave doctors after his last surgery.
He OK'd the operation — so long as he could attend an Army leadership course for captains on May 27 at Fort Benning, Ga.
His ambition has precedent in the Army.
Army medical technology advanced during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, helping soldiers survive once-deadly battlefield wounds. And the Army became more willing to accommodate injured soldiers, often by finding them less strenuous positions, said David Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland.
It remains to be seen whether that practice will change with the Army's plans to downsize as the war in Afghanistan winds to a close.
"If you have fewer warriors, then you have to be more sure that all of your soldiers can be warriors." Segal said.
Groberg's wants to regain his title as a company commander.
"I love what I do — I appreciate what I do, I appreciate the people I work with," Groberg said.
"Plus, I kind of want to see their faces when one of those little kids tells me... 'I can't do that, I can't run two miles," Groberg said. "And I show up with a brace and a Frankenstein leg and I beat them. And I'm like 'If I can do it as a gimp, you don't think you can do it?'
"Cmon, now. Let's get real."
Contact Jakob Rodgers: 476-1654
Twitter @jakobrodgers
Facebook Jakob Rodgers


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Anna Van Reil Releases New Single 'Echo'
Following her recent funding success through NZ on Air, award-winning singer-songwriter Anna van Riel has collaborated with family members Tasmin van Riel and Jeromy van Riel on a new single from her forthcoming album Fishing For Stars.
Echo, recorded by Wanaka arist Danny Fairley (Arma Del Amor) has a contemporary pop flavour appealing to both children and adults, and tells the story of a young girl calling to her ancestors during Matariki. This begins a journey that leads her through a magical garden and up into a tree house where she makes a wish come true.
"I wrote the song, my brother Te Reo Māori teacher Jeromy added a beautiful karakia and my 10-year old neice Tasmin sang and also stars in the music video. It's so special that we've created this together", Anna shares.
"Up-and-coming videographer Ollie Larkin of Wanaka filmed Echo and I had Traci Meek and Kevin Reid from Invercargill work on animation. I wanted to keep this project as local as possible to support local art makers" States Anna of the video's creation.
Although born full-blooded Dutch, New Zealand born Anna and her siblings call them Kiwi first and foremost.
"Jeromy is incredibly knowledgeable in Māori folklore and articulate in Te Reo. Having grown up in NZ, I know more Māori than Dutch. Tasmin is the only one out of the three of us with Māori ancestry " laughs Anna.
Echo is the second single from the new collection of songs on 'Fishing for Stars' due out November 23rd.
"It's been such a beautiful adventure creating a new album for kids. I'm excited to share it", says Anna.
Stream Echo on SPOTIFY
Purchase Echo on iTunes and Bandcamp
Watch Echo on YouTube
Back to Artist News


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Pax Tandon
Holistic Wellness Coach and Media Personality Pax Tandon brings mind, body and spiritual healing to teens and young adults by applying Positive Psychology to real life issues. Prakriti from the Sanskrit language means "nature." It is according to Hinduism, the basic nature of intelligence by which the universe exists and functions and is described as the "primal motive force."
Tandon is an expert in Positive Psychology, which is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.
Tandon holds a Master's Degree in Positive Psychology from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. She graduated from the Wharton Schoolof the University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in Psychology from the college.
Born in West Philadelphia to devoted parents, her seemingly perfect life was shattered at the age of 14 when the onslaught of major depression paralyzed her. Tandon broke free from depression during her experience on "Rap Around," a local teen talk show. It gave her perspective on debilitating issues other teens were facing, and her ability to help and be helped by her peers. She had found her passion and calling in life: to use the media to help others flourish, specifically teens and young adults.
Tandon spent several years as a news anchor, host and producer at CNBC-TV18 in India. She also hosted "Spotlight on Bollywood" for Spotlight TV, and "Bollywood Hour" for JKS TV, both in New York City. She has made several appearances on Veria Living programs including "Over the Hump" and "Workout from Within." She has also been recruited for International radio appearances, including "Weekend Blend with Orla Barry," and "Lunchtime with Eamon Keene." Pax is proud to lend her face and voice to Intellistreets, a lighting technology solution that has the potential to revolutionize the synthesis of safety, operations and entertainment across the globe.
Currently, Tandon is working on a pilot project where she guides local Philadelphia teens and their families to wellness using holistic methods, mindfulness and positive psychology. She sees traditional therapy approaches as working through obstacles. Using positive psychology, she places the emphasis on working around issues to garner quick results and happier people. Tandon coaches the teens and as transformations begin, they flourish and grow.
Pax Tandon: certified life coach, yoga instructor, laughter therapist and all-around queen of balance.
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