text:
Borrowing entitlements are as follows:
|Borrower Type
|Number of Items
|Loan Length
|Full-Time Academic
|90 days, 1 week, 1 day
|Part Time Academic
|90 days, 1 week, 1 day
|2 weeks, 1 week, 1 day
|Full-time Undergraduate
|2 weeks, 1 week, 1 day
|Part-time Undergraduate
|2 weeks, 1 week, 1 day
|2 weeks, 1 week, 1 day (but may vary by individual course)
Did you know you can now visit any DIT campus Library or ITT (Tallaght) Library with your ITB student or staff card?
On production of your ITB student or staff card, you may visit any of these libraries and use their print materials for reference purposes. No letter of introduction is required. While you are there, you may also access ITB Library's online databases using Eduroam on your own mobile device, laptop, mobile phone etc. Some terms and conditions apply! Books may not be borrowed and the Library may refuse admission during busy times, for example during exams.
Staff/students can also gain access to other Institute of Technology libraries (Partner libraries), excluding DIT, by obtaining a reader card from the Library Circulation Desk. This is for reference purposes only. Staff/students may also be granted access to other college libraries if the information they require is not available through the Library in ITB. This access is for one specific day and for reference purposes only. Requests must be made in person to the Librarian, whereupon a letter of introduction may be given. This letter must be presented to the librarian in the other college library.
ITB Alumni have reading rights (reference only) to the Institute Library at no charge. There is a charge of 80 euro per annum for borrowing rights. Graduates who wish to use the Library will need to download and complete the following form, and return it to the Library with any payments. Please download the form here
It is stated in the Student Charter that each student in the Institute will be treated as an adult and, as such, are expected to behave in a responsible adult manner, respecting the rights of others. This is further emphasised in the Appropriate Behaviour Charter. This, of course, also applies in the Library and the following regulations aim to ensure that the Library is a comfortable environment for all, which is conducive to study.
1. You must hold a current Institute staff/student ID card to enter the Library, use the facilities and to borrow Library materials. This card must be produced if requested by a member of Library staff.
2. There are designated group study, quiet study and silent study areas in the Library. Noise levels are self-monitoring e.g. if a user is talking in the silent study area, then it is up to the users who have been disturbed to ask that user to move to a group study area. Anyone who continues to disturb others can be asked to leave the Library.
3.There must be no eating or drinking (apart from water in pull-up top bottles) in the Library.
4. Talking on mobile phones, or phones ringing in the Library, is strictly forbidden. They must be set to silent mode. There is an on-the-spot fine of €5 if a mobile rings or if a student is talking on their mobile.
5. If you wish to borrow from the Library you must bring the item and your ID card to the Issue Desk, or use the self-service system. The self-service system can also be used to return books. There is a security system in operation in the Library, so before leaving, ensure that all items have been checked out properly, otherwise a fine of €5 will be imposed.
6. Users have full responsibility for all Library materials borrowed on their ID card.
7. An item must be returned immediately if recalled by the Librarian. Failure to return Library materials
will initially result in a fine, then suspension of borrowing rights and the replacement cost of the materials being incurred by the user.
8. Theft or the defacing of Library property is a serious offence and will be dealt with in the strictest possible manner.
9. Study places may not be reserved in the Library.
10. External users of the Library must first consult with the Librarian for details of membership.
11. It is most important to comply with Copyright regulations. Please observe notices at all photocopiers.
12. Internet access is available to all students of the Institute, however anyone found to be abusing this facility e.g. accessing inappropriate sites, will have their access denied.
NB. All e-mail correspondence from the Library is to student e-mail accounts (e.g. firstname.lastname@example.com). There is no correspondence to any other e-mail address. It is students' responsibility to check their student e-mail regularly. Library users who breach any of the above regulations will be liable to a withdrawal of services and other disciplinary measures.


text:
My name is Carl Baiye and my business CCSiteServices Ltd is proud to be clear on price.
Our costs for the trades we offer are;
We operate a fast same day service throughout all coverage areas, particularly when a plumbing emergency arises. From leaking and burst pipes, to toilets which won't flush, showers which are always cold and faulty boilers, contact us to get these sorted in the quickest possible time.
we will get the job done right and done right first time. It's as simple as that.
Website: http://www.carlochanti.co.uk
HaMuch takes no responsibility for information contained on external links from this website.
Ventilation & AC Engineers near London
Carpenters & Joiners near London
Painters & Decorators near London
Choose max price/hour (ex vat or call out)
Air Condition - install, test, maintain, repair, home/office/portable
Ventilation & Heat Recovery - odour, moisture, energy efficiency, ducting
If a member click logo to check membership
Bricklaying - wall, pointing, flashings, chimney
Conversions & Extensions - kitchen side return, loft, basement, conservatory
Damp Proof - condensation, water penetration, tanking, dry & wet rot, mould, woodworm
Door & Window - folding sliding doors, double glazing, sash, roof light, velux
Floors - carpet, wood, screed, concrete, resin, asphalt
Glass - window, double glazing, roof light, structural, mirror, splash back
Ground - drains, demolition, foundations, underpinning, piling, concrete, diamond drilling
Paving - driveway, path, patio
Refurbish - kitchen, bathroom, other
Roof - lead, slate, tile, gutters, drain pipe, cladding, insulation
Steel - staircase, railings, gate, window bars, balustrade, balcony
If a member click logo to check membership
Assembly - flat pack, IKEA
Door - fit, hang, handles, lock, architrave
Furniture - wardrobe, cabinet, bookcase, shelves, radiator cover
Stairs - staircase, banister, spindle
Timber Structure - cabin, tree house, pergola
Windows & Frames - sash, double glazing, draft insulation
Wooden Floors - laminate, floating, solid, parquet, sand, skirting
If a member click logo to check membership
Drains - jetting, rodding, CCTV survey, repair & lining
Guttering - gutter, hoppers/collector, down pipes, drainage channel
Appliance - cooker, hob, fire, pump, extractor fan, air-conditioner
Cables - data, computer, TV, aerial, satellite, speaker
Electric Heating - radiator, boiler, storage heater, underfloor, smart control
Electric Hot Water - electric shower, cylinder immersion, boiling water tap
Entrance & Security - door bell, intercom, burglar alarm, CCTV, sensor lights, entry system wired & wireless
Landlord & Safety - certificates, PAT & fixed testing, security, fire/smoke/CO alarms
Lighting - decorative, path & stairs, security/PIR, armour wired, plug-in, solar
Lights - switches, dimmers, wiring, efficient LED/PIR, garden, design, control
Power - wiring, cable connectors, sockets, fuse board, consumer units
Lighting - decorative, path & stairs, security/PIR, armour wired, plug-in, solar
If a member click logo to check membership
Gas Boiler (Install, Service, Repair) - combi boiler, system boiler, condensing boiler, regular/conventional boiler
Heating Circulation - system design, heating pipes, radiator, underfloor heating, pump, filter, water treatment
Heating Controls - timer, programmer, motorised valve, smart controls, thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), room thermostats
Hot Water - combi boiler, booster pump, cylinder, limescale softener, boiling water tap
Landlord & Safety - certificates, smoke/fire/CO alarms
LPG & Oil Boiler - boiler, fuel storage, controls
Renewable - solar thermal, heat pumps (air/ground), rain water harvesting
Paint Interior - walls, woodwork, smoke & water damage
Paint Special Technique - grain, marble, rag roll, sponge, colourwash, stipple, distress, mural
Painting Exterior - walls, window, doors, fascia
Wallpapering - strip/remove, prepare surface, hang
If a member click logo to check membership
Plasterboarding - plasterboard, dry lining
Plastering - plaster (wet), skimming, artexing, screeding
Rendering - render, cladding, pebble dash
Bathroom - shower, wet room, bath, toilet, bidet, washbasin, tap, mixer valve, booster pump, sump pump, macerator
Drains - jetting, rodding, CCTV survey, repair & lining
Kitchen Plumbing - kitchen sink, kitchen tap, washing machine, dishwasher, waste disposal, water softener
Outdoor Plumbing - outside tap, garden hose, irrigation
Pipework - installation & repair of mains water pipes, heating pipes, water tanks, stopcock
Floor Tiling
Kitchen Tiling
Tile Adhesive, Grout, Cut, Drill
Tile Materials - ceramic, marble, stone, slate, mosaic, carpet, vinyl, rubber, cork, mirror
Wall Tiling
If a member click logo to check membership

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A-series (2cv and derivatives)
More French than a baguette, the A-series range includes number of cars, all sharing the same basic chassis and mechanicals, but varying widely in style.
The best known of the A-series, the 2cv is where it all started.
In 1936, Pierre-Jules Boulanger - then vice-president of Citroen - started a project to put the rural French on wheels. The probably apocryphal phrase "Four wheels under an umbrella" might have passed into legend relatively unchallenged, but there's no doubt of the basic intention. A four-seater car that eschewed styling and fripperies in favour of providing transport for the family and their goods at a price that almost everybody could afford.
By 1939, the Toute Petite Voiture (TPV) was ready to go into production. Using exotic materials in it's construction, and with absolutely everything that wasn't strictly necessary left on the drawing board, plans were shelved due to some minor disagreements with the neighbours...
Once that was all sorted out, the time turned out to have been used wisely, and the 2cv that was unveiled at the 1948 Paris Motor Show was a very different beast. Over the next 42 years, the 375cc air-cooled flat-twin pushing out 9bhp, the "ripple" bonnet, the "suicide" front doors, and the fabric hood that reached from rear bumper to windscreen may have all moved a little in the direction of normality - but the basic formula didn't. "Any colour you like as long as it's semi-matt metallic grey" gave way to extravagant two-tone colour schemes evocative of the '20s and '30s. A peak of 29bhp pushed the 2cv to an official top speed around 70mph.
Most importantly of all - the 2cv charmed everybody it met, across the entire world. Over two decades after the last one rolled off the production line, it still does.
As prosperity continued to roll across France through the late '50s, a smaller sister to the DS was conceived. Using the same basic mechanicals, but with an engine expanded to 602cc, the Ami's styling was the work of Flaminio Bertoni, also responsible for the DS, with which it shared many details. It might not have been conventional - but it very quickly became the best selling car in France.
For 1970, the Ami 6 was replaced by the Ami 8, which toned the styling down and replaced the saloon's distinctive reverse-rake rear window with a smooth fastback. Within a couple of years, the Ami 8 was the first of the A-series to gain luxuries as winding front door windows. It remained in production until replacement in 1978 with the Visa.
The Ami 8 also provided the basis for the Ami Super, using the flat four from the GS. "France's Mini Cooper" is now extremely rare, not only because so few were produced (only around three times as many as SMs), but the rust endemic to all Amis meant they provided a great basis for building fast 2cvs...
1965's purchase of Panhard gave Citroen some extra development resource which was tasked to do the unthinkable - replace the 2cv. When the Dyane came out in 1967, it provided a much greater level of refinement than the 2cv, yet without heavily compromising the charm.
What it never quite managed, though, was the very job it was intended to do. The Dyane was discontinued in 1982, eight years before the 2cv.
The Mehari took the 2cv's functionality a step further, being intended as a simple pick-up for farmers and the army. Whilst many were used for that role, it also became loved as a fun beach car. A simple tubular steel armature was bolted to the usual A-series chassis, with panels moulded from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), best known for Lego...
With the 2cv intended to be cheap transport for taking goats/wine/ch
eese etc to market, it was only a matter of time before a version was launched to take more goats/wine/cheese to market in one go. And, in 1951, it arrived, with a corrugated van box being attached aft of the B-pillars of the 2cv car's shell. Over time, it grew a bit - first in rear overhang length, then in body height - with the payload increasing from 250kg to 400kg. In 1978, the most major change happened, with the front end being changed for that of the Dyane, to form the Acadiane. A few inches longer in wheelbase, the Acad saw the A-series van through until 1987, despite the launch of the Visa-based C15 in 1984.
The Bijou was an attempt by Citroen UK to endear the 2cv to the British housewife. With a glassfibre coupe shell styled by the designer of the Lotus Elite, Peter Kirwan-Taylor, it certainly should have suited British tastes. Unfortunately, the Bijou was considerably heavier than the normal
2cv, meaning the already pedestrian performance was even more glacial. Just over 200 were built - across five years. Despite this total commercial failure, the Bijou has survived in extremely high numbers - albeit mainly on "modern" 2cv running gear.
The 2cv formed the basis of many other cars over the years, mainly designed to be produced as cheaply and easily as possible in developing economies. Many were simple folded-steel utility vehicles along the lines of the Mehari. Others were licence-built versions of the "normal" cars, before locally-designed developments turned them into very different cars. Julian Marsh's excellent Citroenet site contains details of many of them, and many thanks for the use of his pictures from his site.


text:
The Mars Arena(1997)
(Book 38 in the Deathlands series)
A novel by James Axler (Mel Odom)
In the harsh territory near what used to be the western badlands, Ryan Cawdor and his crew join the search for the wreck of a crashed space station. But in the ruins of Las Vegas he falls prey to a maelstrom of violence. Hostage in a bitter war between regional barons, Ryan finds that even his best efforts is an odds-even gamble, and that his son's life may depend on the whims of destiny.
Genre: Science Fiction
Genre: Science Fiction
Similar books by other authors
(Deathlands, book 30)
James Axler
Circle Thrice
(Deathlands, book 32)
James Axler
Eclipse at Noon
(Deathlands, book 33)
James Axler
(Deathlands, book 34)
James Axler
Used availability for Mel Odom's The Mars Arena
Paperback Editions
July 1997 : UK Mass Market Paperback
Audio Editions
April 2009 : USA Audio CD
April 2001 : Canada Audio Cassette


text:
Maybe you're thinking about switching professions, and are seeking a fantastic and fast-growing job with possibilities to be well-rewarded monetarily, maybe you should consider Dental Assistant Schools in Cleona, PA. The United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 31-percent rise in Dental Assistant positions over the ten year period 2010-2020, with Dental Assistant pay levels exceeding $16/hour on average and over $20/hour for experienced professionals. With a relatively fast certification program, you could change professions in a short time.
What should you consider when selecting Dental Assistant Schools near Cleona, PA?
Focus on Science and Theory
Make sure to search for a program that offers a solid foundation of dental science. As an assistant, you will have to be familiar with everything from how to mix a proper cast for teeth or mix amalgam filling for cavities, to taking and developing x-rays. These are typically skills you should not be taught on the job! You should look for an accredited program with a dental assistant certificate program. This should allow you to understand the fundamentals of the industry, while preparing you to understand on-site job skills. Having said that, remember that not all employers will require you to attend an accredited school.
Real-World Dental Assistant Training
A good dental assisting program in Cleona, PA will offer you a chance to experience what the work is actually like, through internships, externships or laboratory training. This presents a number of benefits: First, you'll be able to make sure that dental assisting is something you truly want to do, instead of just something you want to study. Secondly, you'll gather some practical knowledge in your chosen profession. It can be one thing to learn about the science of developing x-rays, however it is a completely different thing to actually x-ray a real person! Thirdly, having real life experience enables you to be far more valuable to employers. They will know that you are able to handle the tasks, and that it really is what you want to do. The more practical experience you possess as a Dental Assistant, the more likely you are to obtain a job.
Recommended Dental Assistant Schools in Cleona, PA
- Dental Assistant
- Professional Medical Assistant
We Are Focused On Your Success!
At Berks Technical Institute (BTI), your success is our priority. We are dedicated to helping you gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in a career you love. Our training programs are career-focused and taught by industry-experienced instructors in learning labs that can empower each of our students as they enter the job market.
- Dental Assisting - Associate in Specialized Technology
- Medical Assisting - Associate in Specialized Business
- Ultimate Medical Academy is a nonprofit healthcare career school—and students are at the heart of everything we do.
- That's why we offer exclusive student services through your career training and beyond, beginning from the time you enroll online or at our campus in Clearwater, FL.
- We'll also guide you toward the right program for your goals, and help you understand the affordability of your career training.
- So let us know you're interested, and we'll discuss how UMA can help you succeed.
- A.S. - Healthcare Technology and Systems
100% Online & No Standardized Testing
We are committed to helping you achieve your goals and complete your degree as quickly as possible.
- AA: Medical Office Assistance
Get a hands-on education at Lincoln Tech. Designed for today's tough job market, our in-depth programs cover many fields including: Health Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Hospitality, Automotive Technology, HVAC Technology and Electrical Systems Technology. Financial Aid is available for those who qualify. Programs vary by campus.
- Medical Assistant
Keiser University is a private, not-for-profit university.
- Associate of Science in Medical Assisting Science
Take the fast track to your future at Elmira Business Institute!
Learn how you can get the training you need to begin a rewarding career in a field of high-demand. Complete and submit the form and one of our Admissions Representatives will be in touch soon to tell you more.
- Medical Assisting
- Massage Therapy
- Business Administration
- Electronic Health Records
- Healthcare Information Technology
- Medical Billing & Coding
- Medical Assisting/Medical Clinical Assistant
- Phlebotomist
- Surgical Technology
- Criminal Justice
- Paralegal
- Commercial & Industrial Maintenance Technician
- IT Support Specialist
- Cyber Security
- Medical Assisting - Associate in Specialized Business
Interpersonal Skills
Hardly any occupation is strictly technical, and dental assisting is no exception. It's not enough to know all about the most recent dental procedures and to have finished school with top grades. Up to 75 per cent of all adults in the US suffer from some level of dental fear or phobia. To be successful in this line of work, you must have the ability to know how to handle people who are afraid of tooth and gum treatments, as well as of the dentist's office itself. The best method to learn these skills is through hands-on teaching in the classroom, and becoming comfortable enough with the experience to calm worried patients.
As with virtually any occupation, you will be part of an office team. You need to learn how to interact with patients, and with dentists, hygienists , technicians, and other office workers. A training program which enables you to work in a team environment can help you tremendously in your professional career.
Specialization in Dental Assisting
Dental Assistance is a very diverse field, and the nature of the tasks will vary tremendously from one location to another. Being employed in a small , family-run office in a small town may be very different from being a part of a big, corporate dentist office in a major city. In addition there are a number of different specializations in the field, from pediatric oral care to prison work. In case you are focused on a specific career path, make sure that the you select offers it, or is going to enable you to obtain a position in your desired concentration once you complete your training.
Preparation for the CDA (Certified Dental Assistant) Exam
Although it is unnecessary in many States to pass the Certified Dental Assistant exam, it could provide you with an advantage over the competition. The CDA is a 300-question examination given by the Dental Assisting National Board. In a number of States, passing this exam qualifies one to do more advanced tasks. This obviously makes you more valuable to a possible employer. Regulations differ from State to State so we have created a page that details the State by State Dental Assistant requirements.
Hopefully you've found some useful information and are ready to dive into a new career as a Dental Assistant. Enter your zip code in the search box below and request some information from one or more of the Dental Assistant schools near Cleona, PA listed and you will be on your way to a prosperous future!
Dental Assistant Schools in Cleona, PA reviewed by Audrey REYES on April 23. Very Useful Site
Thank You for creating such a useful site. I was able to get more info about the various schools in my area and found one that worked for my situation. I've now started my training and can't wait to become a Dental Assistant.
Warner Braverton
Latest posts by Warner Braverton (see all)
- Dental Assistant Schools in Houston MO – Find Dental Hygienist Programs - October 22, 2013
- Dental Assistant Schools in Unionville MO – Find Dental Hygienist Schools - October 22, 2013
- Dental Assistant Schools in Elsberry MO – Find Dental Hygienist Schools - October 22, 2013


text:
Today I ran
For a city I've never been to, and a race I could never even hope to run.
To sweat out the sadness, anger, and confusion.
For all the moms and dads who run for sanity, health, pride, strength and to be role models to their children.
For all the people who have lined up at a starting line.
For all the people who had the discipline to train, no matter what the distance.
For a man I never met, and his family, who were changed forever by this tragedy.
To be a part of something bigger.
To thank all my loved ones, who have waited for me at many finish lines.
Because I didn't know what else to do.


text:
Das Boot (1985–1987)
Edited from
longer TV version expands theatrical cut of Das Boot
Referenced in
Spielberg mentions this film.
The mini-series is mentioned.
Trivia | Goofs | Crazy Credits | Quotes | Alternate Versions | Soundtracks
Related lists from IMDb users
Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!IMDb Mobile site
|Amazon Affiliates


text: Nicole Pierce is a choreographer, dancer, pianist and teacher. She is the artistic director for EgoArt, Inc, a Boston-based dance theater company she founded in 1999. Her work is eclectic in nature and explores traditional concert dance, multimedia installation and dance theater. She serves on the dance faculty of Green Street Studios in Cambridge, MA and Emerson College. Her work has been shown throughout New England, New York and Philadelphia. Nicole is a much sought after teacher and has lead master classes at Harvard University, Tufts University, Salem State College and College of the Holy Cross among others. Nicole also maintains a private practice teaching piano to children and adults.


text:
Deep Town: Mining Factory This game is a sci-fi strategic game where you play as an artificial intelligence game with the goal of collecting and building. Dig deep to the depths of the earth. Shells of a very deep planet …
Deep Town: Mining Factory This game is a sci-fi strategic game where you play as an artificial intelligence game with the goal of collecting and building. Dig deep to the ground. The shell is a very deep planet, with various metals and diamonds, and many rare findings. There is an advanced drilling system in the game that drills in the rocks, you can use robots Various different drilling rigs and different technicians and explosive systems and so on. Build factories Build different buildings and get different mineral resources, melt different metals and make new things and make efficient plant pipelines and sell them for profit. Make your own world in a subterranean city using different robots. Find your own planetin one word of this archeological game. On your drill ride, find caves and send search robots to see what's inside and discover hidden planets in your planet. Answer this question that has been in our minds for many years: where are we? This game is a great and exciting game for you. This game is an excellent strategic game that enables you to use the various elements and with the mechanism of the best miner factory and work on it. Drill. If you are interested in drilling games, you will definitely love this game. [Gallery size = "full" ids = "163729,163730,163731"]
Changes Version 3.8.2
* Opening the 9th area
* Other new features + Various optimizations.
- Name: Deep Town: Mining Factory
- Version: 3.8.2
- Last updated: November 30, 1397
- Android version required: 4.0.3
- Need for rout: no
- Requires Data: No


text:
Who Can Write My Term Paper for Me: Useful Advice
If you want a good term paper written for you from scratch, your two main options are professional academic writing services and freelance writers. Keep reading for more information on how to order your paper from them, and what you can expect.
Writing Services
- Make a search query such as "term paper writing help" to discover relevant writing services.
- Visit the links to evaluate a website's credibility.
A good term paper writing service should offer 24/7 customer support, guarantee 100% originality of the paper, and promise all your money back in case of plagiarism.
- Find out the price.
You should be able to do it before paying anything. The price for completing your term paper should be reasonable –around the average in the market. Both fees that are too high and too low can be a sign of a scammer.
- Choose your writer.
List all requirements you have for your writer, e. g. a proficiency with MS Project or a knowledge of nursing. Ask the manager to find you a writer who has completed a term paper similar to yours. Request a sample of the writer's previous work. Do not be afraid to seem picky. Your term paper is a large piece of work on which your academic performance depends on to a great extent, and you need to be sure in the person to whom you entrust it with.
- Provide your instructions to the writer.
Make sure you do not leave anything important out. The more precise instructions you send, the better the writer will be able to meet your requirements. If your teacher provides additional guidelines later, re-send them to your writer as soon as possible.
- Read the completed parts to see whether you want your writer to revise anything.
You may require the writer to send you the completed work by sections. Show them to your instructor for feedback if possible. If you dislike anything about the paper (or get negative feedback from the instructor), have the writer revise it.
- When satisfied with your paper, submit it to your instructor.
Freelance Writers
Freelance term paper writers usually charge lower fees than writing services, but there is a greater risk as well.
To find a freelance writer, register on any popular freelance website and search for a "research paper writer" or "academic writer." You will see a list of writers. Compare their prices, ratings, and customer feedbacks. Have them do a small fragment of your paper for free if possible. Most freelance writers would agree to it, and you will be able to see how well they actually write.


text:
The Office Support position helps our office run efficiently. The qualified candidate will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day office functions, which include but are not limited to office maintenance, supplies, services and some administrative tasks. Successful applicants will be highly organized and be able to multi-task while working under limited supervision. Candidates must be a team player with the ability to work independently as well.Apply Online
Job Responsibilities:
What makes Rubenstein Law the best is our people. We are a strong team of like-minded individuals dedicated to helping others. Raul Garcia, Attorney


text:
As I walk through the door and call out to Cassie; "I'm home!" I'm hoping she won't be mad that I pigged out at the Dairy Queen without her. Shawna was working and she was always good for a sundae or a banana split and today I got both, plus a big 7-Up. The thing is, Shawna likes me but hates Cassie.
In my foster family you have to take whatever food you can get because there's never a guarantee our drunken foster mom will actually miracle her ass into the kitchen and make dinner. Hell, it's a miracle if there's food in the house, let alone ice cream and soda.
Cassie doesn't answer, which is weird because the front door was unlocked and I can see her backpack on the floor by the stairs, so I know she's home from school. I start thinking that maybe she went back out when I hear the toilet lid upstairs clatter like someone dropped it.
I run up the stairs, yelling "Caaaasssssiiiieeeee, answer meeeeeeeee" hoping it will make her smile. Her smiles are rare. They're rare for both of us - there's not a lot to smile about in our shitty lives. We're not really sisters, we're foster sisters, but we love each other like real sisters.
But she's not in our bedroom, so I dump my bag on my bed and head down the hall to the bathroom. The door is ajar, so I push it open slowly ..."You peeing?" I ask as I slide inside.
Holy shit.
The first thing I see are her feet. She's still wearing her jeans and sneakers and her toes are pointed at the floor. She's naked from the waist up and her nipples are puckered and tight. Her thighs are quivering and her hips are doing this kind of obscene slow motion humping motion. I look up and see the nylon strap tight around her throat and it's tied around the pipe that runs across the ceiling. Her mouth is open and her tongue is working like she's gagging, and I guess she is.
I rush toward her and as I do I see the lipstick message scrawled on the cracked bathroom mirror.
Carrie - Do NOT cut me down!
I feel the cold rush flood through my bowels when I read it. She's doing it. She's really doing it and we swore to each other that if either ever did, the other wouldn't stop her.
"... fuck ..." it kind of knocks the wind out of me.
I back up until my butt hits the wall and my knees kind of give out and I slide down until I'm sitting on the floor. The sound of the toilet seat clattering must have been her stepping off of it or maybe kicking it as she started hanging. I take a deep breath and look up to watch her die.
Her eyes are closed and her mouth open, her tongue working like she's trying to get something out of her throat. Her belly is plumped out like she ate too much and like I said before, her hips are kind of humping the air really slowly like she's trying to rub her crotch on something that isn't there. Every few seconds her body kind of shudders and her feet kick a bit. I can hear wet sounds coming from her throat, and an odd sound coming from her belly - like the gurgling sound your stomach makes when you have diarrhea - but it's different, this is more rhythmic. As I watch, she raises her shaking hands and fumbles on her chest until she gets her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers and twirls them the way she likes. I get a shiver realizing that she's feeling very sexual as she chokes to death.
I keep watching, wondering what she's really going on for her as her body starts to stiffen. It's like all her muscles are tightening up, and she arches her back and lifts her head to the side. Her eyes open then roll back in her head and she gets this amazing O-face - [like an orgasm face]. Her body starts shaking really bad and she lets go of her nipples and makes little fists in front of her chest - her forearms jerk and spasm. Her hips are really humping now and I see that the crotch of her jeans is darkening. She's peeing herself and I watch the dark wetness spread down her inner thighs. She starts convulsing, her body jerking and spasming and it is hard to watch. It goes on for a long time and I wonder if she's having a seizure but after a few minutes she calms ...
She lowers her head again and her arms drop to her sides and her legs relax. She opens her eyes and stares at the wall but I get the feeling she isn't really seeing anything. I watch as she tucks her thumbs into her palms and her eyelids droop and close.. Her belly sags and her body goes limp, kind of slumping. Her pink tongue is sticking out a bit between her lips that have a bluish tint.
She's gone.
My tears come. And I feel so ashamed because one of my first thoughts is that now I'm all alone. I don't know how long I sit and cry.
I finally wipe my eyes and blow my nose on the sleeve of my hoodie and stand up. I don't want to look at her.
I look at the mirror again and I see the note under it - it's a folded sheet of lined paper with my name on it. I pick it up and take it to our bedroom and sit on the bed to read it ...
"I'm sorry, Carrie. I wanted to wait for you, but I didn't want you to try and talk me out of it. You're a good sister, so I know you would try. And I'm sorry I put you through this, but my plan was to wait until you were home because I didn't want to die alone. I love you for being here for me - I know it probably didn't seem like I noticed you, but I've been through this before and believe me - I knew you were there.
"We've talked about doing this for so long ... just talked and talked and talked. It seemed whenever I wanted to, you didn't and when you did, I didn't. I couldn't wait anymore. I want this, Carrie ... I want it so bad.
"I never told you the whole story, but that time I told you that I tried to kill myself at Brad's place when I ran away that time? Well, I hanged myself in his basement. He found me and cut me down. I wish he hadn't.
"I'm telling you this, because in case you're serious about it - it's a pretty good way to go. Before Brad cut me down I swear Carrie, I was in total bliss - there's something that happens inside when you hang that's fucking amazing. It hurts at first when the rope tightens - it feels like it's crushing your throat [and I guess it is], but after a few seconds ... well, I don't want to gross you out with details, but it's amazing what happens inside your body - the feelings are so intense and so ... sexual. I already thought I was dead and was happy about that when Brad cut me down and got me breathing again. I was so mad at him.
"Anyway. I love you so much and I hope I see you in heaven. And if you want to join me, there's another strap.
"All my love to my dear sweet sister, Cassie."
I sit for a long time, reading and re-reading her note.
We had talked about it so many times, knowing our lives were shit. Knowing that men abused us - used us for sex when we were little. Knowing our foster mom was a drunk. Knowing our clothes came from the thrift store and were never very clean.
And we knew that our lives would be shit forever - we were FOSTER KIDS and no one wanted their kids hanging out with our kind.
I fold the letter and put it in my jean pocket and go back to the bathroom. I go to Cassie's body and wrap my arms around her hips and hug her tight. I can smell her pee, her underarm sweat, and that girl-crotch smell we get, but those things smell good to me because they are hers.
I look up and I see the other strap - she's already tied it off for me on the pipe and there's a loop in the other end.
I climb up onto the toilet seat and handle the strap. I realize she got them out of the garage - they're the strap part of the old tie-down thingies for our foster dad's pick-up truck.
Standing up here, I'm almost on the same level as Cassie now. Her back is to me, so I stroke her hair.
Poor sweet Cassie, she deserved a better life. I guess I did too. Maybe we get a do-over.
I look back up at the loop in the strap, and without really thinking much I pull it over my head. I have to rise up on my tip-toes to get it under my chin and it fits pretty snug when I lower my heels back down flat. To keep from choking, I have to hold my chin up high. I wonder if Cassie had to do that too.
I think about getting back up on my tip-toes and pulling it off. Then I wonder if I should, or if I should leave a note like Cassie did. Then I think; Who the fuck am I going to leave a note for?
Her words keep running through my mind as I stand here with this strap so tight around my throat; "I swear Cassie, I was in total bliss - there's something that happens inside when you hang that's pretty amazing".
What the fuck ...
I inch my feet to the edge of the toilet seat and let them slide off.
"glurk" I make this wet gagging sound and holy shit does it get tight fast. And Cassie was right - it does hurt. It hurts a lot - it feels like my throat is being crushed and the blood is pounding in my face. I kick a little bit as I panic but all that does it turn me so I'm facing Cassie's left side - my lower belly is pressed against her hip, her hair is in my face, in my mouth.
I'm working my jaw and I can feel the pressure in the back of my throat - it feels like a foreign object is stuck down my gullet, choking me. I'm trying to draw air and I lift my hands to claw at the strap - but it's so fucking tight there's no way I can loosen it. I try anyway and it is pointless.
And all of a sudden things start to change ...
I start to feel things ...
First, the strap squeezing my throat and pushing the root of my tongue up into the back of my throat starts to feel ... I don't know how to describe it ... it's like giving head to a boy - I mean really throating him deep. It feels good - sexy, wanton, slutty - it's very sexual and feels like a whole fresh way to be penetrated; like my throat is being fucked by a thick wet cock. I feel my gullet working below the strap and my stomach is quivering inside me - it's an exciting feeling and I love it.
I feel my bowels waking up and start to roll inside me - it starts slow and grows fast in intensity. We learned about it in biology, it's called peristalsis and we all feel it every day, but this is intense. It feels like living snakes waking up inside me all squirming and writhing and trying to get out.
And I soon learn what the gurgling I heard Cassie making was ...
As my throat is crushed and stretched, it is making me gag - it's squeezing down on the spot in my throat where I rub with my finger when I want to make myself throw up. I feel my stomach bloating like it does just before I puke. My stomach quickly goes from quivering to tingling and now it feels like it's swelling inside me and my mouth starts to water like crazy and I know I'm going to puke. And when it happens it is wild and violent - I feel my stomach convulse then feel and hear all my ice cream and 7-Up gurgling up my gullet like a volcano erupting but it can't come out. I grimace as the liquid pressure builds in my gullet then I feel it gurgle back down and my stomach heaves up again hard, squishing liquids up and down. And it cycles, up-and-down, up-and-down, up-and-down, my stomach going wild trying to empty itself past my constricted throat.
And it feels good. I never thought throwing up feelings could be this sexual but they are.
Fuck, it feels so intense and so good to lose control like this. It feels ... sexy in a raw animal kind of way. And that feeling spreads ...
Shiver-bumps tingle across my belly and up across my breasts, and I feel my nipples puckering and rubbing against my t-shirt. And the shiver-bumps spread down and over my bum and my thighs and I feel building pleasure in my crotch.
My sex feels like it's swelling. Swelling inside. And I feel myself oozing and my clit starts to throb, so I hump my pelvis and my crotch rubs against Cassie's hip. I reach out and wrap my arms around her - the skin of her upper body is soft and still warm. My right hand closes over her right breast and I feel that her nipple is soft again. It's creepy, but it feels good touching her like this and so I cling to her body and squeeze her breast and hump my crotch against her firm hip.
This is so obscene but it feels so good.
Oh fuck ... I'm going to cum.
Cassie was right ... these feelings are amazing. I am losing control of my body; My stomach heaves in rolling convulsions; My bowels are rumbling and rolling inside me. My hands and arms are starting to shake bad and after a few more seconds I lose my grip on her breast and let her go.
I'm starting to feel dizzy - like I'm floating in the air. I can still feel Cassie's body against mine - her long hair is stuck to my sweaty face - even though I can't breathe, I can still smell her body and I can smell my own fear sweat coming from my armpits. But I'm feeling distant - like reality is slipping away.
Oh fuck ... I'm dying.
But the feelings are getting stronger, the actions inside my belly getting more violent and intense. Fuck ... my cunt is throbbing ... I'm going to cum ... I know I'm going to cum. I'm right on the edge ... I want a cock inside me right now so bad ... my nipples are tingling like they have electrodes clamped on them.
I realize I'm humping Cassie's hip hard now ... my actions jerky and spastic ... but it feels so good ... so good ... so fucking good ... thrusting my crotch forward, feeling the weight of her body against mine, tasting her hair in my open mouth - stuck to my tongue that is protruding past my parted lips.
I'm getting wilder now ... I can feel it ... thrusting my crotch so violently that Cassie's body is swinging away then back, thudding sweetly against my mound.
It feels like hours, but I know it's only seconds ... and deep in my mind I am happy that I know how Cassie died ... that she felt this as she was dying.
Oh fuck ...
Feelings are changing again ... I didn't believe it could become more intense but it is ... I feel all my muscles start to tighten ... my thighs squeeze tight together ... I feel my ankles cross and lock together, my toes pointing inward ... my forearms raise up on their own and my hands clench in fists and jerk and spasm.
I know now why Cassie did these things ... clenched ... arched her back ... raised her head to the side - to stretch it up beside the strap at the back of her head as her mouth opened wider and her eyes rolled back in her head, because I am doing the same ... my back arches tight, stretching my belly, making it long and tight ... my thighs are quivering ... my bum muscles tight and shaking.
I'm cumming.
Cumming like I've never come before.
This is more than an orgasm ... this is total ecstasy ... every cell in my body is flooded with orgasmic bliss ... every muscle in my body is quivering and is clenched so tight ... if this is dying it is the sweetest reward.
I fear it will never stop.
I fear that it will.
I feel my body convulsing ... I feel my bladder release in a fluttering gush, spraying inside my panties and flooding my jeans to soak down my inner thighs ... my cunt, my anus are clenched tight ... and my belly ... oh-dear-god ... my belly is so alive and so active and the feelings are so intensely sweet that it almost feels like pain.
The spasms slow ... the feelings lessen in intensity, but remain feeling so good ... I feel my body relaxing by degrees ... I feel so weak ... I feel my ankles uncross and my legs hang heavy under me ... my fists open and my arms flop down my sides, my loose hands laying against my thighs ... my head sags forward ... I feel warm and fulfilled and so sweetly sleepy.
I open my eyes and my vision is dim ... I hear a voice from in the hall ... foster mom ... I can't understand what she's saying.
Cassie takes up most of what little vision I have left, but I catch a shadow moving at the doorway out of the corner of my eye .. I should look that way to see if she's there, but I don't care ... I just don't care ... I'm content ... sated ... spent ... warm in the afterglow of ecstasy ... and so happy that my body is pressed against Cassie's ... I wish I had stripped off my clothes so I could feel her skin on mine.
"Oh, dear god!"
Even though they sound distant and muffled, I understand these words ... I know she has seen us ... please leave us alone ... please ... I can't live past this ... living would be a hollow experience after this ... living would be torture after this and I know that like Cassie I would only be biding my time until I could do this again and finish it.
... please don't cut me down ...
... please ...
... please don't ...


text:
the Scientific Credibility of ESP," Perceptual and Motor Skills, 49 (1979):415‐ 429]; and "Comments on Rao's Article on the Scientific Credibility of ESP," Perceptual and Motor Skills, 50 [ 1980]:502). Skinner, B. F., "Card Guessing Experiments," American Scientist, 36 ( 1948):456-462. Stevens, S. S., "The Market for Miracles," Contemporary Psychology, 12 ( 1967):1-3. Szasz, Thomas S., "A Critical Analysis of the Fundamental Concepts of Psychical Research," Psychiatric Quarterly, 31 ( 1957):96-108. See also the synopses of papers presented by Antony Flew, John Taylor, C. E. M. Hansel, Trevor Hall, and E. J. Dingwall at the Rationalist Press Association's Annual Conference, 1975, with a critical report on the conference by Carl Sargent and a reply by Nicolas Walter, all in New Humanist, 91 ( 1975):175-185.
Finally, we would call readers' attention to a growing number of papers relevant to the psi debate by sociologists of science: Collins, H. M., and T. J. Pinch , Frames of Meaning: The Social Construction of Extraordinary Science ( London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1982). "The Construction of the Paranormal: Nothing Unscientific Is Happening," in Roy Wallis, editor, On the Margins of Science: The Social Construction of Rejected Knowledge (University of Keele: Sociological Review Monograph 27, March 1979). Pinch, T. J., and H. M. Collins, "Is Anti-Science Not Science? The Case of Parapsychology," in Helga Nowothy and Hilary Rose, eds., Counter-Movements in the Sciences ( Boston: R. Reidel, 1979), pp. 221-250. Koefed, Peter A., and Willem A. Verloren van Themaat , "The Rejection of Parapsychology Research Results," paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science, Atlanta, Georgia, Nov. 5-7, 1981.


text:
McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Courses
- Saturday, May 19, 2012, 6:00 p.m.
McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Commencement, Healy Lawn (Rainsite: McDonough Arena)
- Saturday, May 19, 2012, 7:30 p.m. Undergraduate Commencement Reception, Rafik B. Hariri Building
2015 McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Commencement
McDonough School of Business; 2015-2016 Undergraduate Bulletin
This year's fellows, all in the class of 2014, include: Amy Yang, Ashley Murdock, Bibiana Jakubianska, Carlos Salgado, Caroline Williams, Daniel Sullivan, Devin Nigro, Dhruv Sharma, Evan Floyd, Felipe Ernst, Jasmine Motton, Jason Thompson, Johannes Claessens, John Sullivan, Keegan Carter, Luis A. Montes Montoya, Merritt Moran, Michael Stroup, Mullin Weerakoon, Paris Williams, Sheena Garg, and Vincent Korth.
The McDonough Academic Council hosted its annual Senior Sendoff dinner on Friday, April 27 to wish the graduating seniors luck in their endeavors after Georgetown. The few hundred students and faculty in attendance enjoyed a meal and warm weather on the PwC Plaza outside the Hariri Building.
The McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Program Office joins the Academic Council in saying good luck to the class
of 2012!
See if Georgetown University (McDonough) ..
Hoya Gateway, The McDonough School of Business Undergraduate Program, The Georgetown University Wall Street Alliance, & The Georgetown Club of New York


text:
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Stand up to the bullies
Where the Sikh protesters blazed a trail, other religious bullies have followed. In my postings on the Sikh theatre protest (December 19 and December 22), I warned that we should not allow feelings of 'offence' to justify censorship. I also quoted the 1968 Paris graffiti, "The church complains of persecution when it is not allowed to persecute."
Salman Rushdie (who knows a thing or two about religious bullies) warns of the extent of the problem in a letter in today's Guardian.
Thanks to Ryan Cullen's blog, I now learn that some Christians are jumping on this oppressive bandwagon, with an orchestrated campaign to bully the BBC into dropping its screening next Saturday of the musical Jerry Springer - The Opera.
Here is a message all Liberals should state to such protesters loudly and clearly:
We live in a democracy. You have the right to hold and practice your beliefs.Here is a message all TV engineers should state to such protesters loudly and clearly:
You do not have the right to deny others the right to criticise or lampoon your
beliefs. I have the right to see this musical if I wish. You do not have the
right to stop me. You are under no obligation to watch it.
What's wrong with your telly? Does it not have an 'off' switch?
<< Home


text:
St Petersburg's Arthouse Hours are set to release their new record All For One in the UK on July 22nd. For their fans they are now revealing a track from the record, Like This.
Having risen to the forefront of the city's alternative music scene, and putting the stress of several line-up changes behind them, the band locked themselves away in their own custom built studio, charged with the task of writing and recording their sophomore record. All For One is the brutal result. Armed with a hefty cannon of Russian-born riffs, Arthouse Hours step take a giant step towards worldwide recognition with the UK release of the album on July 22nd.
Alex Loren from the band comments on Like This;
"Like This is a song of many meanings. On one side, it expresses what agony one may feel on the inside. With its confusing and uneven lyrics, Like This is designed to create substantial disorder and chaos."


text:
Last weekend, I went all the way up to Scotland with my brother Danny and Judith for a Championship Show in Edinburgh. I have not been to many shows and I am still trying to make up my mind if I enjoy them or not. Danny loves strutting round the ring and meeting people and he gained second place in Puppy Dog class ( which qualifies him to go to Crufts next year).
This is Danny looking just a bit smug BOL
I came away with Reserve which is 4th but we both have lovely rosettes to remind us of the day.


text:
Sad-sack 49ers' pass rush looking to rebound
If there's one thing that Ray McDonald has noticed about NFL fans in his brief pro career, it's this: "People want to see sacks and touchdowns."
Touchdowns are somebody else's department, but McDonald and his colleagues in the 49ers' defensive line are confident they'll mount a much improved pass rush over the one that delivered only 31 sacks last season. The 49ers were tied for 21st in the league in that department.
When they play the Bears at Soldier Field today in an exhibition game, the 49ers hope to repeat the pass rush they showed Saturday night against Green Bay with six sacks.
Exhibition statistics often are meaningless, and this one might be no exception - but the 49ers' defensive linemen thought it was a harbinger for the regular season.
"We have balance," defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin said. "Our inside guys are good, and our outside guys are good. We've got a good mixture of youth and experience."
Last year's low sack total contributed to the team's 22nd ranking in pass defense (227.7 yards per game). The relative lack of pressure no doubt helps explain why the 49ers intercepted only 12 passes despite having a well-regarded secondary.
Although sacks might tell only part of the story of a defensive line's pass rush, they're an important barometer. The two teams that met in the Super Bowl ranked one-two in the league in that department, the Giants with 53 and the Patriots with 47.
More than a third of the 49ers' sacks - 12 - came in two games against St. Louis. In the other 14 games, they had 19 sacks. And the man who led the team in sacks, Bryant Young (with six), has retired. None of this year's 49ers - including newcomers Justin Smith, Takeo Spikes and Dontarrious Thomas - had more than three sacks last year.
Furthermore, first-round draft pick Kentwan Balmer isn't expected to be a force right away because he's still undergoing a crash course in pro technique.
So why will it be better this year?
"We've got a lot of new faces," linebacker Tully Banta-Cain said. "The coaches and players are starting to understand what we have, personnel-wise. We've got a great secondary, great coverage. Justin will be a good addition on the D-line, and Ray McDonald is showing he's a solid player. It's going to culminate in a lot of sacks."
Banta-Cain was expected to be a pass-rushing force when he arrived from New England last year. He had only three sacks. Neither he nor the team was happy with that, and coach Mike Nolan has made a point of saying he wants more out of him this year, and not only as a pass-rush specialist.
Banta-Cain traces part of his problem to a torn ligament in his ankle. He played in all 16 games but said the injury hampered him in four or five.
"If I could go back and do it over, I'd wait till it was 100 percent," he said. "I wasn't able to make the plays I wanted to make. I don't want to write it off that I was injured, but my expectations were a lot higher for last year."
In the Green Bay exhibition, Banta-Cain had two sacks while playing on the second team. "I'm never OK with playing with the second unit," he said. "I've got to take what I can get."
Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula likes his players but cautions, "Let's not make too much about the Green Bay game. It's preseason. It was a great evaluation, and that's it. Nobody's arrived, and we all know that.
"I was happy with the effort, but there were a lot of mistakes made. We need to get a lot further."
Much will depend on Smith, who had 43 1/2 sacks during his seven years in Cincinnati. He'll play on the line and - for the first time in his career - at outside linebacker as the 49ers try to set up some mismatches.
A healthy Manny Lawson should provide another boost. He played two games in 2007 before sustaining a season-ending knee injury.
McDonald could be a key piece of the puzzle. He came on strong toward the end of last season. He says he learned a lot from Young. "It was a blessing to play on the same defensive front as him," he said.
According to Nolan, McDonald (a 6-foot-3, 290-pounder) has matured considerably since he joined the team last year. "He's playing with good leverage, and he's got very good quickness," Nolan said.
49ers today
Who: 49ers vs. Bears
Where: Chicago
When: 5 p.m.
TV/Radio: Channel: 2 Channel: 40 /1050, 107.7


text:
Whoo-hoo! I'm on WordPress! Doesn't everything look so much nicer? I think it does.
Right. I am no longer blogging on The Graduate. It was fun, but I don't identify with good ol' Benjamin Braddock as much these days; I have a job.
Everything that was posted on The Graduate can be found here on Dorky Days. All my posts were imported directly. So that's good.
Why "Dorky Days"?
There is a book — a novel — called The Fan Man by William Kotzwinkle. It is about a hippie named Horse Badorties who lives in New York City. To the reader, he has no job, no life, no direction, no this, no that, etc. To HIM, he is a very busy, important man. Think of The Dude, and then take away the White Russians and the car and replace them with bottled Piña Coladas and a stolen school bus. You end up with Horse Badorties.
I first read this book during the summer between ninth and tenth grade. I was fifteen-years-old. The person who handed it to me? The same person who turned me on to The Velvet Underground, and played me the second side of Lou Reed's Berlin one Saturday afternoon; the same person who handed me a copy of Trainspotting and said, "Don't tell mom."
It was my dad.
I wonder if he instinctively knew that I'd go wild for The Fan Man. Maybe he figured that my recent fascination with nostalgia was a good indication that I'd love Horse Badorties. Whatever the reason, he handed me the book, I devoured it, and it has been a very important part of my life ever since.
I am all alone in my pad, man, my piled-up-to-the-ceiling-with-junk-pad. Piled with sheet music, with piles of garbage bags bursting with rubbish and encrusted frying pans piled on the floor, embedded with unnameable flecks of putrified wretchedness in grease. My pad, man, my own little Lower East Side Horse Badorties pad.
Horse Badorties spends a lot of time recruiting fifteen-year-old chicks to join The Love Chorus, a choir he instructs at St. Nancy's Church. Horse Badorties is also very much sexually preoccupied with fifteen-year-old chicks. He isn't a pervert — he just likes 'em that way. In fact, I think that Horse Badorties just prefers to assume that every attractive woman he sees is fifteen-years-old.
Not a pervert.
The Super Hot Dog Mission of Horse Badorties, man, is slowly taking shape. For an entire year, man, I have held the Love Chorus together, dragging the valuable precious contents of my body here every night for rehearsal, and now, man, we are almost ready for our first performance.
Horse Badorties is dead set on making sure that The Love Chorus gets to perform a concert live on television. This book has no real plot (fuck plot), but if any Hollywood asshole ever gets his hands on a copy of this book and decides to make a movie, I'd say that the bit about The Love Chorus going on TV would probably be distorted and exploited in all sorts of bullshit ways. Anyway, our hero manages to tell the head of NBC about the concert. How? He's Horse Badorties.
Horse Badorties may also be a drug dealer. Well, I guess he pretty much is. Throughout the book he makes phone calls to various people regarding recent shipments of "carrots," or how he'll be by later with the "Swiss Chard." He and a beautiful girl smoke "alphabets"…
All right. I say I don't identify with Benjamin Braddock anymore, and then I go on this long tangeant about a transient named Horse Badorties. First of all, he isn't a transient — by the end of the book he has four "Horse Badorties pads." Second of all, I don't identify with Horse Badorties, but I dig his dogma: every day is an adventure, nothing is that big of a deal, and every woman in the world is a beautiful fifteen-year-old chick with a voice like a lark.
There is nothing wrong with the book. The book is perfect. It's hilarious and irreverent and unpredictable and unpretentious. It's about packing up your Horse Badorties satchel, getting on the subway, and seeing where the Hell the day takes you. It's about playing bizarre musical instruments with people on the street and making thousands of copies of rare sheet music. It's about freedom and love and hope and nirvana.
Sometimes, it's also about loneliness.
So what the Hell is Dorky Day? Once a month, Horse Badorties spends an entire day repeating the word "dorky" over and over. Out loud. This day is called "Dorky Day."
Constant repetition of the word 'dorky' cleans out my consciousness, man, gets rid of all the rubble and cobwebs piled up there.
Take that for what you will.


text:
See also
1. The Venerable Robert James FRENCH, son of Robert FRENCH (1814- ) and Margaret MANN (1807- ), was born on 18 March 1836 in Marylebone, London. He was christened in In both Watford and St. Marylebone. He was a Clergyman. He died on 9 March 1904 in Mottingham, Eltham, nr. London. He was buried in St. John the Baptist Church, Eltham, London. He married Celesia DEANE.
In the 1881 census, the family were living at 10 Linden Gardens, Chiswick. In the house at the time were Robert, his wife, his mother-in-law, his three daughters, a servant (Rosina Dent) and a couple of visitors from Scotland, probably a man and his wife. Robert's profession is listed as "Clergyman, Church of England, Incumbent of St. Mary, Port Louis, Mau.ritius.
Robert French first appeared in Crockford (C of E Reference Book) in 1895. The 1901 and 1903 editions of Crockford read:
French, Ven. Robert James
Beau Bassin, Mauritius. d 1871 Dover, by authority of Cant. for Maur. for Col. p 1872 Bp Ryan for Maur. Dioc. Sec. S.P.G. Dio. Maur. 1884. Chap. to Bp of Maur. 1892. Hon. Can. of St. Jas. Cathl. Maur. 1893. f Miss. (S.P.G.) at St. M. Maur. 1871-84; I. of St. Thos. Beau Bassin, Maur. 1884-94. Hon. Can. of Maur. 1894; Archd. of Maur. 1895; Exam. Chap. 1899.
He does not appear in the 1905 Crockford.
The entry in "Clergy Directory" 1903 reads simply:
French Robt. Jas.Pr. 1872, archdn. '95, of Mauritius.
From "Society for the Propagation of the Gospel", pages 372-3.
"The fact that two thirds of its present population are Indians flowing form and returning to India makes Mauritius a Mission field of extraordinary value and interest. The Creole race (of Malagashe and African extraction) are dying out, and the Hindu coolies are likely eventually to be the permanent inhabitants of the Island.
"The difficulties of the Anglican Mission in dealing with the polyglot population are increased by the fact "that the proprietorship, or at least the management, of almost all the estates "is subject to Roman Catholic influence.
"The superintending Missionary of the Society, the Rev. RJ French, has had much to do with the training of Tamil agents both in India and in Mauritius; and in 1879 a Telugu Deacon, Mr. Alphonse, was ordained. He had come to the island "steeped in the idolatry of India"[!!PW]. On his conversion he volunteered to work as a catechist among his own race, which he did for eight years.
"As yet, however, it has not been found possible for Mauritius to supply all its needs in regard to native agency and the Church in India is now giving promise of assistance in furnishing well-trained evangelists and pastors. The first ordained native Missionary from India to Mauritius - the Rev. G David Devapiriam (an old pupil of Mr. French in Tinnevelly) - arrived in 1890, and already under his care the Tamil and Telegu congreagations in Port Louis have "greatly increased". Since 1889 the local affairs of the two congregations of St. Mary's Church have been well managed by an "Indian Church Council" under the direction of the Missionary.".
Robert, the son of a shoemaker and the grandson of a publican, became a missionary with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and spent the early part of his career in Southern India. Later, he moved to Mauritius, a natural move on account of the emigration of many of his Indian converts to Mauritius, where there was a large Indian community. There he took holy orders, eventually rising to the rank of Archdeacon, in a part of the world where many Europeans suffered badly or died from tropical diseases and where hurricanes and other natural disasters were rife. Robert was known for his compassion, the respect with which he treated non-Europeans, and for his work in education.
Celesia DEANE and Robert James FRENCH had the following children:
Margaret FRENCH (frm1861- ). Margaret was born from 1861 to 1862 in India. She was a Painter.
Frances Kate FRENCH (1867-1961). Frances was born in 1867 in India. She died in 1961 in Sutton, Surrey.
Cecilia Maud FRENCH (aft1873- ). Cecilia was born between 1873 and 1874 in Mauritius.
2. Robert FRENCH, son of Richard FRENCH and Maria THOMAS, was born in 1814 in Watford. He was a Shoemaker. He married Margaret MANN.
By the 1851 census they were living in 1 Harcourt St., Marylebone. Robert Junior (the future archdeacon) is listed as being a teacher.
3. Margaret MANN was born in 1807 in London. She and Robert FRENCH had the following children:
Robert James FRENCH (1836-1904)
Margaret Jane FRENCH (1838- ). Margaret was born in 1838 in Marylebone, London. She married Daniel George CRISP on 18 July 1863 in St. Pauls, Lisson Grove, St. John's Wood, London.
Richard FRENCH (1840- ). Richard was born in 1840 in Marylebone.
Thomas FRENCH (1841- ). Thomas was born in 1841 in Marylebone.
William FRENCH (1844- ). William was born in 1844 in Marylebone.
Maria FRENCH (1846- ). Maria was born in 1846 in Marylebone.
4. Richard FRENCH was born in 1781. He was a Publican, General Dealer. He married Maria THOMAS in 1806 in St. Dunstans and All Saints, Stepney. He died on 5 March 1837 in Watford, Herts.. He was buried in St. Mary's Churchyard, Watford.
Richard French was the publican of the Pointer and Bird in (or near) Watford). At the time of his death it was noted that he was a "general dealer".
5. Maria THOMAS was born in 1774. She died on 15 August 1844 in Watford. She was buried in St. Mary's Churchyard. She and Richard FRENCH had the following children:
Owen FRENCH (1809-1840). Owen was born on 10 March 1809 in Watford. He died on 27 September 1840 in Watford.
Richard FRENCH (1811-1841). Richard was born on 20 April 1811 in Watford. He was an Agricultural Labourer. He died on 19 December 1841 in Watford.
Thomas FRENCH (1816- ). Thomas was born in 1816 in Watford.
Susannah Maria FRENCH (1820-1891). Susannah was born in 1820 in Watford. She died on 5 March 1891 in Paddington, London.


text:
By the end of this course, students will:
D1. Health and Safety
D1.1 identify the personal protective clothing and equipment needed to perform various green industry tasks safely, and use as required to ensure their own and others' safety in the work environment
D1.2 demonstrate an understanding of appropriate uses, safe operating practices, and correct maintenance procedures for materials, tools, and equipment that are commonly used in the green industries (e.g., lawn maintenance equipment, garden tools, chainsaws, skidding equipment, mechanical harvesting equipment, milking machines, feeding systems)
D1.3 identify potential hazards (e.g., trip hazards, environmental conditions, danger zones) related to the materials, site conditions, and equipment used in the work environment
D1.4 demonstrate an understanding of and apply safe shop and site practices (e.g., using correct lockout procedures, using equipment guards, holding shop orientation sessions, having sanitary wash stations available, cleaning up spills and leaks when they happen, keeping areas clean and clear of obstruction, storing materials and equipment neatly and safely)
D1.5 identify and comply with legislation, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to the health and safety of workers in the green industries (e.g., Occupational Health and Safety Act [OHSA], Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System [WHMIS]).
D2.1 describe career opportunities in a variety of sectors in the green industries (e.g., landscape architect, arborist, forester, florist, horticulturalist, farmer, herder) and the education, training, and certification required for employment in green industry occupations (e.g., training in first aid, CPR, and WHMIS; driver's licence; cut skid certification)
D2.2 identify ways of acquiring knowledge and experience in green industry occupations (e.g., through part-time work experience, cooperative education, guest speakers, field trips, job shadowing)
D2.3 identify groups and programs that are available to support students who are interested in pursuing non-traditional career choices in the green industries (e.g., mentoring programs, virtual networking/support groups, specialized postsecondary programs, relevant trade/industry associations)
D2.4 demonstrate an understanding of the Essential Skills that are important for success in the green industries, as identified in the Ontario Skills Passport (e.g., reading text, writing, document use, computer use, oral communication, numeracy, thinking skills)
D2.5 demonstrate an understanding of the work habits that are important for success in the green industries, as identified in the Ontario Skills Passport (e.g., working safely, teamwork, reliability, organization, working independently, initiative, self-advocacy, customer service)
D2.6 develop and/or select pieces of work and other materials that provide evidence of their skills and achievements in areas related to the green industries, for inclusion in a portfolio (e.g., work logs, skills checklist, résumé, references, safety certificates).


text:
If you've been reading manga for any length of time, chances are you've read something created by the all-female manga studio known as CLAMP. If you haven't checked out Tokyo Babylon, Angelic Layer, Chobits, Cardcaptor Sakura or Magic Knight Rayearth, then you absolutely must run, not walk, to the nearest bookstore and start reading. They've created some of manga's most beloved books, despite lineup changes since their late-eighties inception, and that trend doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Secret Chaser is not a CLAMP work, but comes from one of their former members, Tamayo Akiyama. Originally published in 1999, it's a compelling story about a priest who uses hypnotism to solve crimes of the supernatural. Almost immediately I began to see artistic and storytelling similarities to Tokyo Babylon, and I wondered what, if any, hand Akiyama had in helping to create that series. Fans of the CLAMP style will note a definite signature look in her characters, and the idea of powerful figures wielding some kind of otherworldly power to help those in need is certainly similar to many of that group's titles.
The real question, though, is does the work stand on its own? If you were one of the unfortunate few who've never experienced a work by CLAMP, would you still want to read this book, or should you check out one of the other titles I've mentioned above? The obvious answer would be to buy both, which I'm sure Tokyopop would love to hear, but in all honesty, you'd be better off picking up something by the actual group than one of its former members in this case. Secret Chaser has the look, and it's definitely got the story, but it falls short in the delivery.
Because so many of the victims in Secret Chaser are victims of hypnosis, or some other form of mind-transfer or thought-control, it becomes difficult to know who is speaking when. This is particularly true in one of the later stories where more than one person is occupying the mind of the victim. It won't take very long for readers, particularly readers new to this type of storyline, to get lost in the shuffle. It's not necessarily a failing of Akiyama&#Array;it's possible that the translation assisted in muddying things up, but no matter what the reason, the problem exists, and it will be a massive hurdle for readers to overcome.
One thing CLAMP never fails to do is deliver really breathtaking visuals, and Akiyama's solo effort certainly shows that either her time there left its mark on the group or vice-versa. In any event, there are plenty of doe-eyed women and strong, but beautiful men to go around. Though there are often facial similarities between characters, particularly the two central men in this book, Yoshida and Shinozaki, there's just enough of a difference there to keep readers from getting overly confused.
|Secret Chaser Vol. 1
Written by: Tamayo Akiyama
It's difficult to say don't pick up Secret Chaser until you've read some CLAMP books, but that's pretty much what I'm going to suggest. If you read it on its own, with no outside influence, you'll be treated to a good story, albeit with some confusing moments during the final confrontations. However, if you check out some of the CLAMP series first, then go back and read Akiyama's book, you'll be able to see some of the influences that may give you an even deeper insight into both works.


text: #Onthisday in history Giovanni Paolo was born 17th June 1691 A.D. and died 21st October 1765A.D. He was a famous painter and architect of his time. He worked in Rome but known for the "Vedutisti" the View of painters. As a painter, he was most prominently known for his vistas of Rome, which took particular interest in the Roman antiquities. Some of his most famous works were his view on the interior of the Pantheon. His works are on famous ruins and buildings in Rome, so for this, he has an interesting past of painting and even painted the Pope Benedict XIV.


text:
There was a moment in my life when I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the woman staring back at me. I remember feeling inadequate, wondering what I wanted out of life. I questioned what I had accomplished up to that point in my life and what my next steps would be. What legacy was I leaving my children?
I was actively in the moment of deciding who I wanted to be. At thirty-something-years-old, I was having that moment – staring at my reflection and being forced to decide. I thought it had already happened in my twenties. I thought I had already made the decision and that it should've been final. But it wasn't.
I had left my teaching career (temporarily so I thought) and I was needing to decide next steps. Do I want to explore something new? Do I want to be a stay-at-home mom or explore something even riskier than that such as becoming a writer? I desperately feared becoming a stay-at-home mom and getting so wrapped up in everyone else's needs that I would lose myself and forget who I was as an individual. But I also feared pursuing my writing. I didn't want to openly subject myself to the criticism of others.
In that moment, I decided. I would do both. I would be the stay-at-home mom, and I would write. I would be the writer that I've often dreaded out of fear and doubt. To me, it was all a risk, but I would rather look back on my life and not regret having tried.
Writing is a talent, like any other. Story telling is a gift. Whether or not I'm good at it can only be determined by my readers. If I only have one reader or 10 million, I have to give thanks for the opportunity to exercise and grow that talent. I have to give thanks for the opportunity to pursue a passion.
The pursuit of dreams can seem intangible. But actually doing it – actually pursuing that dream – pursuing a passion – is very real. We make it real. And it is most definitely tangible.
This holiday season, whether you celebrate thanksgiving or not, take time to reflect. Reflect on your life and decide who you want to be. Are you doing and living the life that brings you happiness? If not, what do you have to do or change to make it happen? What risk do you have to take? Be grateful for the moment of reflection and the opportunity to make a conscience decision about your life. Work toward the you you want to be. Choose to pursue a healthy passion. You don't necessarily have to give up everything within your comfort zone, but you will have to step out of that comfort zone just a bit, to make your dream a reality. You may fall in the process, but the best thing about falling is getting up. Give yourself the opportunity to look back on your life with the satisfaction of knowing you tried.
Be thankful for who and what you are. But if you're not happy, be grateful for the moment to decide to take back your life and reclaim your happiness and your passion.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.


text:
Geelong local David Smith has only been volunteering at Mercy Place Rice Village over the past year, but has already had a positive impact at the aged care home according to Acting Service Manager Pamela Matheson.
"The residents love spending time with David, he brings smiles to their faces," she said.
Mr Smith began volunteering at the Village after experiencing a new lease on life while recovering from an acquired brain injury. He now visits the home every Monday to meet with residents and lead sing-a-long activities.
"I'd be lost without it. I hear inspiring stories from residents … and singing along with them is a truly joyous experience," he said.
Volunteers make up a key part of our aged care workforce, with over 23,000 people giving up an average of five hours' of their free time a fortnight last year so it's great to see providers acknowledging the valuable role they play.
International Volunteers Day was Tuesday 5 December.


text:
I am a stay-at-home-mum that of course have lots to do every day. But this does not prevent me from having thoughts and opinions about everything under the sun. Some days I really want to get those thoughts on to a piece of paper but to keep a paper diary has never worked for me. Nor do I have a lot of time nowadays to keep my correspondence up with my dear friends all over the world. My blog has become my diary and also my way of informing my friends what goes on in my life.
My children have not agreed to share their lives with the world so I try to protect them with their petnames. My friends know who each child is in reality. And to protect some of my own identity, I use the name JR Tolkien would have given me or ought I say, the name that I would have been given in Galadriel's kingdom?


text:
Skegness Carnival Royalty met in Skegness yesterday to spread the word about Sunday's big parade and start of a week of fun.
Rosebud Alycia Dickinson, 9, and runner-up Princess Destinee Armstrong, 11, joined other members of the Carnival committee outside the RNLI Lifeboat Station and couldn't hide their excitement.
Alycia, who attends The Richmond School, said: "I'm really looking forward to riding in the carriage in the parade."
Destinee, of Wainfleet, said: "I'm looking forward to wearing the dress and attending all of the events in the week."
Pat Brown, Carnival liaison officer, said: "They will have a really busy week but it doesn't stop there. They get invited to things all year such as opening shops and attending birthday parties."
As runner up, Destinee will be in the parade but the Carnival committee is still looking for an open top vehicle for here. Anyone who can help is asked to get in touch via the Carnival website here
Read more:
Roll up to save Skegness Carnival


text:
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Someone's Gotta Take The Heat...Literally
I had to work five feet from an ink-drying heater toady that heats up to over 100 degrees and there's no A/C in my shop. And we had a one million piece job dropped in our laps that needs to be done by Monday. And we're using antiquated machines to do it. I'm talking a DOS computer people. And we are not being give the required manpower to run said dinosaur......Crap.
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
This book is dedicated to all who lived in Australia during the decades of 1960s and 70s and whose impact on our future is still to be fully and critically analysed.
Author's Bio
Graham Brammer was born in Brisbane in 1944 and through necessity left school at age 13 to join the workforce. He enlisted in the Army in 1966 to support the Australian Government's commitment to the war in South Vietnam under the South East Asian Treaty alliance. After two operational tours of South Vietnam in 1968 and 1971 with the 2nd SAS Squadron as a patrol member and Patrol Commander Graham continued to serve with Special Forces as an instructor and Staff Officer until his discharge in1995. Since retiring, Graham has written Uncertain Fate, a novel based on the operational experience of the Australian SAS in Vietnam, and been involved in the corporate sector as a facilitator on Leadership Development programmes. He is now completely retired from participating in strenuous undertakings but continues to produce entertaining stories.
Corrie Baker was startled by the sudden, violent act that tore Joe Harvey from her arms. She lurched sideways and turned to find the crazed face of Joe's father glaring at her. The band stopped playing and the dancers around Joe and Corrie stepped back in shock.
'Get your hands off her.' Bob Harvey's screamed words boomed in the silence and his eyes, wild with fury, were now directed towards Joe. Nearby dancers were speechless and uncertain how to respond. Joe's surprise was evident from the mix of confusion and concern in his face.
Bob grasped Joe by the shirt, drew him in until their faces were close. 'You're not to speak to her again. Ever! Do you understand?'
Joe's eyes widened and he shook his head in bewilderment. His raised open palms showed the confusion he felt.
Corrie burst into tears and Colin Baker appeared at her side. He took her gently by an arm and led her to one side of the hall. She sensed a change in her father's normally calm demeanour and stopped crying. His expression was solemn, and he was quite sober. This wasn't unusual for a card night, but she could tell that he was definitely concerned and excited about something. 'C'mon lass, I'll explain when we get home.'
Colin eased her along the wall towards the door where she glanced back over her shoulder to see Joe's father drag him roughly by an arm towards another exit.
Tears flooded her eyes as Bob Harvey looked across at them and she saw pure hatred in his face. 'You haven't heard the last of this, Baker.'
His florid face and hate-filled expression made Corrie shudder but her father didn't look around. He kept gentle pressure on her arm and guided her to, and through the door.
Corrie stopped outside and faced her father. 'Why is Mr Harvey so angry?'
Colin never answered. He kept her on the move, ever so steadily persuading her away from the hall towards a modest house they occupied on the edge of town. In a while she gave up resisting and allowed herself to be directed away from the hall. She loved her father's calm, gentle but stubborn nature and knew that any attempt to sway him from his decision not to discuss the matter until they got home would achieve nothing.
Their walk from the hall was an unusual experience for Corrie. Her curiosity was suppressed by Colin's behaviour. There was lightness in his step and an aura of joy about him she hadn't seen for many years. They passed the Hillsborough Police Station and he took her hand and swung it gently as they walked. It was something he hadn't done since she was a very little girl.
Outside the front gate he released her hand and she ran upstairs to open the door and turn on the lights. As the door opened her father called from the gate. 'Put the kettle on, luv.'
Without question, she rushed into the kitchen to comply. There was no hurrying her father. Soon her curiosity would be satisfied in the same way he did most things, over a nice hot cup of tea.
Their new electric stove was on and a filled kettle sat on reddening coils when Colin appeared at the kitchen door. She watched in amazement as he began to pull five and ten pound notes from his pockets. He advanced on the kitchen table and dropped the notes in the centre. Her eyes continued to widen as notes kept coming from every pocket and even from inside his shirt.
'Whaaat…? Where…? How much is there?' The stammered words escaped before she realised she uttered them.
He threw the last of the notes on the table and sat down with an envelope still in his hand. 'I don't know. There must be over two thousand quid there, could be close to three thousand.'
The news shocked her and she was forced to sit before dizziness overcame her. She reached out tentatively and picked up several notes before she abandoned all caution and thrust her hands into the pile, rustling them, squeezing and tossing the crunched notes lightly in the air. She hadn't been so happy or shown such uninhibited behaviour since before her mother died. She continued her antics until a whistling kettle broke the spell.
Corrie suddenly became serious. She briefly fixed her eyes on his as she rose to attend the stove. A question formed there, but her attention shifted to the task of making tea. With graceful yet automatic actions she turned off the stove, poured boiling water into a prepared teapot and returned the kettle to its off-stove resting place.
She turned with the teapot in one hand, a teapot stand in the other and sat them on the table. 'Why was Mr Harvey so angry with you? Did you win all his money?'
His eyes misted as he handed the envelope to her. 'No! It's much more.'
Her hands shook as she took the envelope and slowly opened it. Despite her youth, Corrie knew a lot about life and her eyes widened when she realised what she held in her hands and what it meant.
'This is the deed to Harvey's Run.'
It was a statement and a question. He nodded sadly and, for the first time, she could see that he was suddenly very unhappy about having it.
She chastised him with her eyes. 'How could you let him lose his property in a card game?'
All Colin could manage in response was a shake of his head. It was obvious that he didn't want to discuss the game but she was determined. 'I want to know what happened.'
He shifted uncomfortably under her intense scrutiny. 'Bob Harvey is lucky he only lost the run.'
'You could have given the deed back.'
Colin gave a deep sigh. 'I intended to, but he carried on like a whining rich brat who'd lost his marbles in a street game.'
Corrie studied her father's expression closely. Colin had raised her for the past five years since her mother died and she understood him perfectly. He was a prisoner under Imperial Japan for a good part of the war and his tolerance towards people who grumbled about any misfortune they brought on themselves was extremely low.
She raised her cup slowly and took a small sip. 'I've probably lost Joe Harvey as a friend because of this.'
'Well, lass… you're just fifteen years old and if Joe Harvey is any judge he'll make sure that your friendship isn't lost. Besides, what's done is done and no amount of regret will change anything. We now own 640 acres of river land and 80 head of prime beef so I expect we'll have to live with it.'
She searched her father's features for a sign that there was more to tell, but his poker face shut her out. 'But Dad, we don't know anything about cattle.'
The look on her face reflected the panic she felt but Colin just smiled. 'We don't know much about a lot of things but we've got a free shot at learning about cattle; with a square mile of lush pasture and 80 head of prime stock to practice on.'
Corrie gave him a small smile and raised the cup to her lips. She had three wishes for that evening when she entered the Country Women's Hall for the monthly dance. Her principal wish was that Brett Andrews would ask her to dance. Her second wish was that the band would play some of that new rock and roll music and the third was that her father wouldn't lose too heavily at his monthly poker game at the police station.
She conceded that there was never any chance the oldies would allow rock and roll music to be played at their dance. A brief sadness touched her at the memory of her short dance with Brett Andrews before he left her standing on the dance floor. She was in love with Brett since she was thirteen years old and decided long ago that one day she would marry him. At least her father didn't lose at his poker game but she couldn't dismiss the strong premonition that no good would come from tonight's events.
All Prices in Australian Dollars CURRENCY CONVERTER
(c)2015 Zeus Publications All rights reserved.


text:
Eric's Chair Adventure
6 comments:
- Lewieville said...
WOW!! That is awesome, have him find me a twin bed in NEvada I can't ever find good deals.
- May 30, 2008 at 12:03 PM
- Garrison Propaganda said...
*sigh* i heart craigslist. great to hear you found a deal. you certainly did go the distance to get it though. im shocked eric could cram 12 chairs in your car.
- May 30, 2008 at 12:22 PM
- Jenni said...
They're awesome chairs! Way to bargain shop.
- May 30, 2008 at 8:22 PM
- Mandy, Kelly, Jackson and Grace said...
Although I am totally surprised that Eric would drive all the way to California ... there is the other part of me that just thinks "only Eric!" Hey, at least you are now dining in fashion.
- May 31, 2008 at 9:37 PM
- sheena said...
looooooove the chairs!!!
- June 3, 2008 at 7:19 AM
- mE said...
ok - i dont really comment on blogs - but this one merits one! A 6 hour journey for chairs is crazy. I love it. It reminds me of when Bec bought a stroller in Baltimore and we drove down to get it. I think she bought like 3 strollers within a short time. She bought one, found a better one, and sold the first for more money than we bought it. And so on. It is way better thn ebay! Oh - you should totally compile all your really cool nature photos and make a southwest calendar to sell. Your photos are really cool/nice/prof looking. I am sure you could get a following (Just don't let Bec but any - we are poor and only buy calendars in Feb when they are 90% off. Since nothing happens in Jan, it all works out.
- June 3, 2008 at 8:58 PM


text:
Content Marketing
B2B Business Blogging: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff with Matthew Schwartz
For the next post in our series of B2B marketing thought leader interviews, we interviewed Matthew Schwartz, an independent journalist with more than 20 years' experience working in the media, who is currently a contributing a writer at Crain's BtoB and BtoB's Media Business magazines. Schwartz helped to create ZoomInfo's new blog, Follow the Lead, which provides the latest news and analysis for sales and marketing execs. Schwartz shared with us his secrets to the blog's success, some forecasts of where social selling is going and why it is important for Follow the Lead to serve as a news-and-information hub for the sales industry.
ZoomInfo has created an industry-recognized sales and marketing blog that has become quite popular very quickly. Can you share some of the secrets to its success?
While it's a little too early in the game to describe the blog as a success, we are very pleased with the response we have gotten so far. We think we're drawing an audience due to the approach we've taken in order to grow the blog, which is the notion that we are a news agency covering the b-to-b sales and marketing industries. When you're providing b-to-b information, it ought to be in the context of helping someone do his or her job better, so we're taking an unbiased approach; we don't have an axe to grind. For example, we're not saying 'sales training is better online compared to traditional training.' Although it's a digital age and the velocity (at which we have to perform) is getting faster, we're not going to tell you, 'in-person training is no good, you're wasting your money.' We hope to present the facts and analysis and let the reader decide for himself.
What motivated you to create the blog and what obstacles did you face when trying to create it?
The blog is the brainchild of Chip Terry, VP of Enterprise Solutions at ZoomInfo. WordPress being what it is, the obstacles were pretty negligible. The buy-in and the support from ZoomInfo were there right from beginning. It really has been a collaborative effort among the marketing department at ZoomInfo and myself.
We read about topics important to both executives and sales and marketing managers on the blog. What is the strategy behind this?
We want to cover a good part of the market while at the same time have the ability to home in on three subjects in which ZoomInfo's audience and readers are living and breathing every day: lead generation (prospecting), data management and sales relationships. The last subject, sales relationships, is something that we incubated from early on. In an 'iPhone world', you still can't forget that sales is pressing the flesh and creating some kind of harmony with prospects and customers. The internet is certainly a major channel, there is no doubt that it is a facilitator and it's going to find you buyers whom you didn't have access to 10 years ago. However, at the same time you can't forget the human component and the 'belly-to-belly' selling that I don't think is going to go away.
We noticed that there is a lot about Sales 2.0. What are some predictions you can make regarding social selling in 2010?
It's very tricky being in the prediction business. However, I think that social media is going to have to play a larger part in selling due to the proliferation of social networks. You will be having more buying alliances and buying by committee. So having a social media strategy that is commensurate with the business and the market you're targeting is very important. The question is not, how do I make money from Twitter? but how can these various channels (which more and more people are using) facilitate prospecting? How they can cultivate relationships and create integrated ways of communicating and selling to buyers? Again, certain traditional ways of selling aren't going away, but they'll be mitigated by the growth of social media.
We have seen many survey and polls on your blog. What are some interesting things you've learned from the results of these questions?
There is a massive hunger out there for sales prospecting, finding the right leads and separating the wheat from the chaff. Another popular topic is time management. Our readers only have so many hours in a day; every minute of the work day is precious. Spending time on a lead that ends up being a bust means time wasted, so that's an area we want to further investigate.
What other ways is your team using social media to promote ZoomInfo?
After each post we'll try to do a different spin on the headline for our Twitter and Facebook accounts and provide hyperlinks to the blog post. We're not just putting our nose in social media for the sake of doing so. I'm on the feeds for various LinkedIn groups that are related to the sales-and-marketing sphere, so when I see a topic that we've covered I'll insert the relevant link. Latching on to an online group and inserting irrelevant content is not going to work. It will come off as encroaching.
What other topic besides social media and blogs are on your mind right now?
In addition to data management and time management, other topics would be sales training, sales coaching and sales networking. We need to cover all of the relevant areas that are going to help sales executives break through this overwhelming clutter in the marketplace, and reach prospects who are going to turn into legitimate customers.


text:
Best Sleeping Position to Prevent Back Pain
If you've ever woken up with a stiff, achy back, it's probably because of your sleeping posture. Sleeping in certain positions can also take a serious toll on your nerves and muscles, especially when you don't move that position for hours. Luckily, these unpleasant outcomes are preventable with a little modification. Start with a quick look at your current sleeping habits.
Are You Sleeping On Your Stomach?
If you can manage it, simply resting flat on your back is generally the best sleeping position to prevent back pain. This maximizes surface area, preventing weight from getting focused on any one muscle, nerve, or vertebra. This is also the ideal posture for your internal organs, allowing them to lay out naturally instead of getting pressed into each other. For best results, use only a single, medium-sized pillow under your head to keep your neck level. Place an additional pillow under your knees to elevate them slightly.
Sleeping On Your Side
Some people have a hard time lying on their backs all night, for various reasons. If that's the case, resting on your side is the next best sleeping position. The best posture is on your side with your knees drawn slightly up in fetal position. Position your arms to allow a straight line from your hip to your shoulder, minimizing spinal arch. Put a pillow between your knees so that it's easier to keep your back flat and perpendicular to the mattress.
Other Positions
Other sleeping positions, such as resting on your stomach, are generally not recommended except in certain circumstances. For instance, you may be forced to change your posture if you have a back injury or are recovering from a surgery. In this case, ask your doctor to prescribe a position based on your situation.
Your Bed
No amount of positioning can help you if your bed's no good. Soft mattresses that swallow you up, might seem to be the most comfortable, but they're actually bad for your back. They create pressure points on your spine and shoulders as your body bends into them. Instead, a firm mattress with a little give is better for distributing your weight evenly. If you've tried changing your sleeping position and your bed, and you're still suffering from back pain, you should probably make an appointment with your doctor.
Find Back Pain
Close To Home
Simply fill out the form
below to get started on
your road to recovery: