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Mark Peters, a language columnist for Good and Visual Thesaurus, as well as the blogger behind The Pancake Proverbs, The Rosa Parks of Blogs, and Wordlustitude is our guest blogger this week. In this post, he looks at nonce words in the Oxford English Dictionary.
The longest entry in the enormous online edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is for the verb put. If I wanted to burn out my toner, I could print all 198 pages, which contain definitions and quotations for hundreds of meanings and variations of that little word. As far as its place in the language, put is well-put-together, and this entry is a mega-put-fest.
Not all words in the mother of all dictionaries are so well-represented. There are thousands of nonce words—words like mega-put-fest, which I just made up—that were coined for one occasion and possibly never used again. Nonce words may not stay at the language party long, but they're damn entertaining while there. I should know, as editor of Wordlustitude, an online dictionary that collects nonces such as PBS-ploitation, alien-head-ectomy, snow-pocalypse-icane-mageddon, un-world-domination-istic, plagiarize-iddly-izer, dung-swaddled, plate-of-food-ometer, Beyonce-ologist, bonkers-gasm, Creepyguy-istan, French toast-y-ish, catepillar-tastrophe, Spinal-Tapezoidal, cross-Conan-ization, do-whatever-you-want-cation, and colleague-icide. To use one of the thousands of nonces I've collected, these words are chock full o' excellentness-itude.
In chronological order, here are a few rare, raw, and real words from the OED. Why not rescue them from their dusty—er, digital—home? You won't regret sprinkling these terms liberally in your tweets, rants, soliloquies, recipes, and prophesies.
cupstantial, 1583
If you thirst for a more substantial synonym for booze-soaked, here it is.
transfisticate, 1600
At one point, Mike Tyson was the best transfisticater in the world. Pugilists be warned: the threat "I'll transfisticate your face" will cause more confusion than fear.
kickie-wickie, 1601
A Shakespearean word for a wife that's a predecessor to honey-bunny and schmoopie-woopie.
cakate, 1622
This means "to serve with cake," so next time you placate an enemy, maybe you should cakate them too. If fact, I'm going to add self-cakating to my daily regimen of self-serving and self-medicating.
preterpluparenthetical, 1650
In this sentence, which has been a chore to write, what with the bustle of the coffee shop and the ear torture of a crying baby (but hey, I like babies, don't get me wrong), I am being somewhat (OK, severely) preterpluparenthetical, which means (approximately) really, really parenthetical.
Scotiety, 1655
The OED defines this as "The essential nature of John Duns Scotus." Considering Scotus' middle name was the inspiration for the word dunce, I hope you and yours are not brimming with Scotiety.
pulse-pad, 1706
This is a slang word for a doctor; the contemporary translation would be stethoscope-face or malpractice-butt.
obscenometer, 1828
If you don't know obscenity when you see it, this handy device is like a radar gun for filth (or it would be if it were real).
philofelon, 1831
Some people love cupcakes, the Boston Red Sox, Lost, or botany, but if it's criminals that make your palms sweat and your heart go pit-a-pat, you are a philofelon feller or female, making everyone proud.
swabification, 1833
Mopping never sounded so sophisticated.
piggicide, 1837
This refers to a pig-killer, not the self-pork-chopping of a sad, sad pig with shattered dreams and dry mud puddles.
omnifidel, 1848
If you'll believe anything, you're gullible. If you believe everything, you not only have a world-class memory, but you're an omnifidel: the infidel's bizarro twin.
comato-crapulose, 1850
Roughly translated, this means hungover to the point of death. Crapulose is a variation of crapulent, which relates to heavy drinking, not crap as garbage or excrement. However, comato-crapulose individuals are in no condition to dispute any etymological interpretation of this term.
wiglomeration, 1853
Used by Charles Dickens in Bleak House, this means more than a conglomeration of fake hair: it specifically skewered the ceremonial balderdash of judges, who were so well-wigged.
honey-moonshine, 1872
If your marriage (or any new situation, like a book club or prostitution ring) has lost its initial spark, perhaps you've just run out of honey-moonshine, a refreshing yet easily depleted imaginary beverage.
polydoggery, 1875
What do we have here? A perverse, poochly permutation of bestiality and polygamy, a practice endorsed by only the most criminal of churches and kennels? Nah. This just means having a bunch of dogs.
podication, 1884
Do children deserve a swift, severe podication? They do if you believe in spanking, because podication—despite the images of zombified pod people it brings to mind—is "The process of being struck on the buttocks; a blow on the buttocks."
I hope you enjoyed these old words—even if you are a comato-crapulose omnifidel with philofelon tendencies. Nonetheless, I wish you well: May your fistifications be few, and your pulse-pads non-cupstantial.


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Holy shamoley. I have been busy! It's crazy how a new month sneaks up on you so fast! I've heard your e-mails and requests for the new calendar songs, and here they are!
Monday and Tuesday of this week we are in professional development in our district. This morning we were "Google-ized" and learned about all of the fun Google apps we can use in our classroom.
This afternoon, we were in literacy breakout sessions. In one of the sessions that I went to, they talked about this book:
They showed a video clip from the DVD that accompanies the book of some guided writing. In the clip the teacher had a great little anchor chart to help kiddos that were struggling to find the right vowel sound. I knew instantly that I needed to re-create that chart!
So, here you go! There is a large chart to hold up and a smaller one for kiddos to put in their writing folder.
Hey, friends, leave a little comment when you download They make me so happy!

subset: commoncrawl


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- [A SINGLE BEAUTIFUL GAINT CHESS PIECE] (1) Rook 14 tall 9 wide base. The bases are proportionate the height, just like a traditional chess set.
- [BRIGHT GREEN LED LIGHT] - The 3-watt LED lights are very bright and have lasted for more than 72 hours of continuous uses on a single 9v battery.
- [PERFECT COMBINATION OF BEAUTY AND DURABILITY] These revolutionary giant chess pieces are made from a rotational molding process that allows each chess piece to be fully formed into a since piece of plastic with a stunning lever of detail, beauty and durability. Made from a strong Polyethylene Resin, these are the most durable giant chess pieces made. Extra strong UV-4 protected against fading. Stain resistant additive to protect your giant chess set and keep it beautiful.
- [FANTASTIC FOR INDOOR OR OUTDOOR USE] The LED set is ideal for use at night and low light establishments such asbars or restaurants. If you are searching for the most durable and attractive giant chess set on the market, this is the set for you. Perfect for commercial or residential use. Used at leading resorts, country clubs, schools or for your backyard.
- [NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED] Each giant chess piece is formed into a single, stable chess piece. There is no need to add weight to the set to keep them stable even on the windiest days.
For more than 10 years, MegaChess has manufactured and sold durable plastic giant chess sets and stunningly beautiful fiberglass chess set. With the new 24-inch tall Plastic Giant Chess Set, weve combined the beauty of our fiberglass set and the durability of our plastic sets. No longer is it necessary to choose between beauty and durability.
Our new 24 Giant Plastic Chess Set will become the top selling chess set in the US. Whether you are having fun in your back yard, resort, campground, shopping mall, school, university, corporate campus, cruise ship, local park, or museum, the MegaChess 24 Giant Plastic Chess Set is the perfect combination of price and durability.
The plastic MegaChess pieces are made of indestructible polyethylene (LLDPE) plastic. These chess pieces are rugged, waterproof, UV-resistant injection-molded, hollow plastic. The chess set withstands the outdoor elements very well and will retain its color. We have these sets in the heat of the Middle East, the humidity of the Far East, the cold of the Rocky Mountains and the salty air, sun and sand of the beaches of Southern California and Florida.
Standing 24 tall, the giant lawn chess pieces are light enough to move easily, yet massive enough to resist the wind. Take a close look at the fine detail of this new giant chess set and then watch the video of the set being dropped to show its incredible durability.


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You'll often hear the term planner statistics thrown around by database geeks. Did you update your statistics. This lingo isn't even limited to PostgreSQL, but is part and parcel to how most decent databases work. For example in PostgreSQL you do a vacuum analyze to update your planner statistics in addition to cleaning up dead space. In SQL Server you do an UPDATE STATISTICS. In MySQL you do an ANALYZE TABLE or a more invasive OPTIMIZE TABLE.
vacuum analyze
Normally all this "update your stats so your planner can be happy" is usually unnecessary unless you just did a bulk load or a bulk delete or you are noticing your queries are suddenly slowing down. These stat things are generally updated behind the scenes by most databases on an as needed basis.
What makes SQL really interesting and a bit different from procedural languages is that it is declarative (like functional and logical programming languages) and relies on the database planner to come up with strategies for navigating the data. Its strategy is not fixed as it is in procedural languages. A big part of this strategy is decided on by the query planner which looks at distributions of data. Given different WHERE conditions for similar queries, it could come up with vastly different strategies if one value has a significantly higher distribution in a table than another. This is also the mystery of why it sometimes refuses to use an index on a field because it has decided a table scan is more efficient and also why some people consider HINTS evil because they pollute the imperative nature of the language.


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James 5:7-8
Therefore be PATIENT, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.


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Tim Tebow, born Timothy Richard Tebow, is one of the youngest quarterbacks in this year's NFL playoffs. Tebow has encountered positive and negative criticisms over his persistence and openness to pray and speak about his faith. Some facts you may not have known about Tim Tebow: Despite football's lack in a strong global following, Tim [...]
Posts Tagged '46ers'
Who is Tim Tebow?
Posted: 17th January 2012 by Dynamic Tickets Admin in Dynamic Tickets, Upcoming Hot SellersTags: 46ers, Division Championships, Giants Tickets, New York Giants, NFL Tickets, NY Giants, Patriots, Ravens, Super Bowl 46, Super Bowl Tickets, Super Bowl XLVI, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow Facts


text: Almost a year ago I had my first tattoo done. I thought that a cat would be the only motif I would like to get tattooed, but as you can see, tattoos can really be addictive. I am not a big fan of huge, eye-catching tattoos. I would not have anything that is trendy or cool at the moment tattooed on my body because a tattoo should be something special (at least I'm of such opinion). Why a palm tree, you ask? Well, just go through posts about my trips to "exotic countries", and it will be as clear as day! :)


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New LRC research can aid in the development of "circadian-friendly" electronic devices
August 27, 2012
A new study from the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that a two-hour exposure to electronic devices with self-luminous "backlit" displays causes melatonin suppression, which might lead to delayed bedtimes, especially in teens.
The research team, led by Mariana Figueiro, associate professor at Rensselaer and director of the LRC's Light and Health Program, tested the effects of self-luminous tablets on melatonin suppression. In order to simulate typical usage of these devices, 13 individuals used self-luminous tablets to read, play games, and watch movies. Results of the study, titled "Light level and duration of exposure determine the impact of self-luminous tablets on melatonin suppression," were recently published in the journal Applied Ergonomics.
"Our study shows that a two-hour exposure to light from self-luminous electronic displays can suppress melatonin by about 22 percent. Stimulating the human circadian system to this level may affect sleep in those using the devices prior to bedtime," said Figueiro.
The actual melatonin suppression values after 60 minutes were very similar to those estimated using a predictive model of human circadian phototransduction for one-hour light exposures. "Based on these results, display manufacturers can use our model to determine how their products could affect circadian system regulation," said Figueiro.
The results of this study, together with the LRC predictive model of human circadian phototransduction, could urge manufacturers to design more "circadian-friendly" electronic devices that could either increase or decrease circadian stimulation depending on the time of day—reducing circadian stimulation in the evening for a better night's sleep, and increasing in the morning to encourage alertness. In the future, manufacturers might be able to use data and predictive models to design tablets for tailored daytime light exposures that minimize symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, and sleep disorders in seniors. Individuals would be able to receive light treatments while playing games or watching movies, making light therapy much more enjoyable than just sitting in front of a light box.
Along with Figueiro, co-authors of the study are LRC Director and Professor Mark S. Rea, LRC Research Specialist Brittany Wood, and LRC Research Nurse Barbara Plitnick.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland at night and under conditions of darkness in both diurnal and nocturnal species. It is a "timing messenger," signaling nighttime information throughout the body. Exposure to light at night, especially short-wavelength light, can slow or even cease nocturnal melatonin production. Suppression of melatonin by light at night resulting in circadian disruption has been implicated in sleep disturbances, increased risk for diabetes and obesity, as well as increased risk for more serious diseases, such as breast cancer, if circadian disruption occurs for many consecutive years, such as in nightshift workers.
"Technology developments have led to bigger and brighter televisions, computer screens, and cell phones," said Wood, who used the study as the basis for her master's thesis. "To produce white light, these electronic devices must emit light at short wavelengths, which makes them potential sources for suppressing or delaying the onset of melatonin in the evening, reducing sleep duration and disrupting sleep. This is particularly worrisome in populations such as young adults and adolescents, who already tend to be night owls."
In the study, the participants were divided into three groups. The first group viewed their tablets through a pair of clear goggles fitted with 470-nm (blue) light from light emitting diodes (LEDs). This was a "true positive" condition because the blue light is known to be a strong stimulus for suppressing melatonin. The second group viewed their tablets through orange-tinted glasses, capable of filtering out the short-wavelength radiation that can suppress melatonin; this was the "dark control" condition. The third group did not wear glasses or goggles. Each tablet was set to full brightness.
In order to accurately record personal light exposures during the experiment, each subject wore a Dimesimeter close to the eye. The Dimesimeter is a small calibrated light meter device developed by the LRC that continuously records circadian light and activity levels. Last year, international magazine The Scientist named the LRC's Dimesimeter as one of the "Top 10 Innovations of 2011."
The research team established that duration of exposure and the distance between the eye and the display, which determines the amount of light reaching the back of the eye, affects melatonin levels. Melatonin suppression after a one-hour exposure to the tablet was not significantly affected. However, after a two-hour exposure there was significant suppression.
The type of task being performed on the tablets also determines how much light is delivered to the cornea and, therefore, the impact on evening melatonin levels. As shown by the team's Dimesimeter measurements, the range of photopic illuminance levels at the cornea from the tablets alone varied from 5 lux, which is not likely to affect melatonin, to over 50 lux, which would result in measurable melatonin suppression after a two-hour exposure. Therefore, before any generalizations can be made, it is important to measure how much light one is receiving from these self-luminous devices.
Until manufacturers develop more "circadian-friendly" electronic devices that increase or decrease light exposure based on time of day, Figueiro has several recommendations to reduce their effects on sleep. "We recommended dimming these devices at night as much as possible in order to minimize melatonin suppression, and limiting the amount of time spent using these devices prior to bedtime."
The study was funded by Sharp Laboratories of America.


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Wild youth of the Universe revealed by new SCUBA-2 camera
A team of astronomers from the UK, Canada and the Netherlands have commenced a revolutionary new study of cosmic star-formation history, looking back in time to when the Universe was still in its lively and somewhat unruly youth.
The consortium, co-led by University of Edinburgh astrophysicist Professor James Dunlop, is using a brand new camera called SCUBA-2, the most powerful camera ever developed for observing light at "sub-mm" wavelengths (ie light of wavelength 1000 times longer than we can see with our eyes).
SCUBA-2 is mounted on the world's largest sub-mm telescope, the 15-metre James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), located atop the 4,300-metre high peak of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Prof. Dunlop will present the first results from the survey on 27 March at the RAS/AG National Astronomy Meeting in Manchester.
The new project, named the SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey will run for 3 years and will provide the clearest view to date of dust-enshrouded star-forming galaxies. These objects are so remote that the light we detect left them billions of years ago, so we see them as they looked in the distant past. With SCUBA-2 astronomers are able to study objects that existed as far back as 13 billion years ago, within the first billion years after the Big Bang.
"We are delighted by these first deep SCUBA-2 images and look forward to more results over the next few years. Edinburgh scientists and engineers worked hard to construct this revolutionary new instrument and, together with our colleagues in Canada and the Netherlands, we're now seeing the fruits of our efforts. With SCUBA-2 we can study the most violently star-forming galaxies in the young Universe, and slowly but surely start to understand how the primitive cosmos evolved into the universe we live in today." Prof. James Dunlop, University of Edinburgh
Because stars form inside clouds of gas and dust, much of the ultraviolet light from young galaxies is absorbed by this cosmic dust which is then heated to a few tens of degrees above absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius). The "warmed" (but still rather "cool") dust then remits the absorbed energy at far-infrared wavelengths, which is then further redshifted to longer sub-mm wavelengths en-route to the Earth by the expansion of the Universe.
Detecting such emission is a challenge, both because Earth-based telescopes are warm and hence glow at sub-mm wavelengths and because water vapour in the atmosphere both absorbs and emits light in this waveband. To get around the problems of the atmosphere, the latest sub-mm surveys have recently been conducted from space, using the Herschel Space Observatory. However, the relatively small size (3.5-metre diameter) of Herschel means that the images it produces, while covering large areas, are rather fuzzy. Because its primary mirror is 20 times larger in area, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, now equipped with SCUBA-2, can provide a much sharper view of the sub-mm sky, especially on those occasions when the sky above the high mountain tops in Hawaii is really dry.
The SCUBA-2 Cosmology Legacy Survey is being targeted at areas on the sky which have already been studied in detail by other telescopes observing at different wavelengths. Of special importance is the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which is undertaking a major 3-year survey (called CANDELS) of the visible light emission from high-redshift galaxies with its own new camera, Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). By combining the JCMT and HST imaging astronomers can gain an unparalleled view of the most massive galaxies which roamed the Universe back in the "golden era" of star formation activity.
The first image presented here is made using the SCUBA-2 camera at a wavelength of 450 microns. Zooming in, it shows seven distinct sub-mm sources that appeared blended together in the poorer-quality Herschel image. The Hubble images then show that the SCUBA-2 sources are massive, clumpy, violently star-forming disc galaxies, seen at a time when the Universe was about a quarter of its present age.
SCUBA-2 was designed and constructed at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre, before being shipped to the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii.
James Dunlop speaks to the BBC.


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Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool, and using a few shortcuts and tips can make your work move faster. Today we'll look at a few Excel tools to improve your experience in working with data.
Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for analyzing data, and using a few shortcuts and tips can make your work move faster. Today we'll look at a few Excel tools to improve your experience in working with data.
ADJUSTING CELL SIZES is almost always necessary when working with data that has been imported from other sources. The very top left box above the first row and to the left of the first column is called the crux. Clicking in the crux selects the entire worksheet. Hover your mouse between rows or between columns until it changes to bi-directional arrows, then double-click. All the rows and all the columns will auto size to fit the contents of the rows and columns.
FREEZE PANES allow you to keep certain data visible when scrolling through large worksheets. In the View tab, click on the icon labeled "Freeze Panes." You can custom select which cells to freeze, but since labels are normally across the top row and in the first column, those will be the most useful items.
DATA ALIGNMENT allows you to "wrap" text, or to use multiple lines of text within one cell. If a column contains a long string of text, it can run the rest of your columns off of your print area, or it can make it more cumbersome to read your worksheet. Highlight a column or row, right-click and select "Format Cells…", select the Alignment tab, and in the middle section under Text control, select Wrap text, then click OK. You can then manually size the column to fit your needs. However, Excel won't automatically adjust the row height after expanding a column, so to avoid having white space at the top of the cell, double-click on the bottom of its row, and the row will right-size itself.
COPYING AND PASTING sound easy enough, using CTRL+C to copy a cell and CTRL+V to paste its contents, but immediately after the paste has completed, Excel presents a set of formatting options. Additionally, the lower right corner of the cell is a heavy square. Hover your cursor over that square and it turns into a "+". Clicking and dragging on that + will highlight the selected cells, and releasing the mouse button presents a small box at the lower right of the last cell selected. This box offers AutoFill options, and using one of the selections can help you quickly extend a data series. This is particularly useful for establishing a range of dates or other numbers that are sequentially ordered.
The F8 key extends the selection range using the keyboard instead of dragging with the mouse. Hit the F8 key and then use your arrow keys to extend your selection from the currently selected cell. If you need to select a large range, you can use the page down key. You are only able to select one vertical and one horizontal direction, though. In other words, you can't select a cell and then select cells both up and down from it using the F8 extension key, or both left and right, but you can go up and right, for example.
You can also select non-contiguous data as well. Select your first cell, then hold the CTRL key while selecting more cells. This works with whole rows and columns as well.
BEFORE YOU PRINT, you can see how many pages your data will require using Page Break Preview. Select the View tab from the ribbon, and select Page Break Preview from the leftmost section. You can see which data will appear on each printed page. The power in this view is that you can drag the page breaks. Excel will resize the worksheet to fit, and you can see the effect immediately. Hover your mouse over one of the break lines until the cursor turns into bi-directional arrows. Click and drag the break to where you want it. This is helpful when you need to keep data together, and to prevent a single row or column from printing onto a new page by itself.
In the Page Layout tab, the second section from the left, Page Setup, has a little arrow in the lower right corner. Clicking that arrow brings up a dialog box with all the options you see in that section of the ribbon, but also much more. You can play around with sizes, but it is more useful to understand and tell Excel how you want your worksheet to look when you print it. You can select one page wide, which means that your data won't break up over two sheets. However, Excel may not automatically adjust the vertical sizing. You will want to allow Excel to move down onto as many pages as it takes, so you can set the "tall" number to several pages more than you think you will need.
You can create a header to appear at the top of each page, a footer to appear at the bottom of each page, or both, in the Header/Footer tab of that same dialog box. Both the header and footer options offer prepopulated options in the pull-down box, or you can create a custom header or footer. Even selecting the custom option offers several automated choices, or you can type your own text into the left, center, or right sections. If you want something to appear only on the first page, checking the "Different First Page" box adds a First Page Header (or Footer) tab to the Custom Header (or Footer) dialog box, and you'll specify what should appear on the first page, and what, if anything should appear on all other pages.
The Sheet tab presents options to repeat rows and columns. Click the icon to the right of "Rows to repeat at top", select your label row. If your data is going to span more than one page horizontally, you'll want to click the icon to the right of "Columns to repeat at left" and select your label column.
Finally, Excel defaults to a nice clean presentation of your data, but large datasets can be difficult to follow, especially when the print is small. In the Sheet tab, in the Print section, you'll find a checkbox for Gridlines. This simply presents your data as it looks in the spreadsheet, with the lines for the rows and columns.
These are just a few tips to make your data easier to read, work with, and print. Using these ideas as a starting point, you can explore the other options in the ribbon to discover more of Excel's power.


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OPEN BOX NEW: Jamie Young Delphi Wall Sconce in Oil Rubbed Bronze Metal 4DELP-SCOB
Jamie YoungOpen Box products are items that are in new condition and were returned due to customer remorse. Each item has been thoroughly inspected and never installed. The items are in their original packaging. Due to the deep discounts we are offering, all open box sales are final. Products are new and covered by the manufacturer's warranty. Damaged or defective items are replaced or refunded. Parts are sent when applicable.
In May of 1997 Jamie Young Jeter and David Jeter, both artists with a passion for travel, took a day trip to Mexico, where they filled their car with interesting gardening pots they discovered in a roadside shop. They returned to Los Angeles and promptly sold the entire haul to a local florist. Recognizing an undeserved market, they began to design and produce their own line of flowerpots, only to discover that the rustic, handcrafted quality would make unusual bases for lamps, and with this conversion the Jamie Young Company was born. The combined experience and perspective of husband and wife team David Jeter and Jamie Young Jeter make this company stand out. Jamie Young Company has been able to discover a wide range of design looks in the home fashion world. All based on traveling the world and being influenced by art and history. With a love of unique materials and a pulse on today's trends and customers'needs, Jamie Young Company has created an incredible lifestyle approach to design. With a well-traveled, sophisticated collection like Jamie Young Co, one does not need to travel the world to feel their home reflects a larger vision then their hometown.
- Style:
- New for 2022


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Triple Canopy names Gregory 'Mo' Mulligan president
Triple Canopy Inc., a Reston-based provider of mission support, security, training and advisory services, has named Gregory 'Mo' Mulligan as president of the firm, effective July 1.
After more than 10 years with Triple Canopy, current Chairman and CEO Ignacio 'Iggy' Balderas will hand over management responsibilities to Mulligan who served various management positions at Triple Canopy from 2004 to 2008. His roles during that time included chief operating officer, senior vice president of operations and senior vice president of human resources.
For the last three years, Mulligan has been CEO at Wyoming -based Quick Services LLC. His past work experience includes serving as senior operational adviser for Wexford Group International, mayor pro-tem for the City of Manistique, Mich. and executive director of the Schoolcraft County Economic Development Corp.
According to Triple Canopy's website, the firm has several thousand personnel worldwide. The company was founded in Chicago in 2003 by U.S. Army Special Forces veterans. It works for a range of government agencies and multinational corporations.


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SILVIS, Ill. — Brian Harman admitted he felt the pressure.
The 27-year-old, in his third full season on the PGA Tour, hadn't been in the final twosome in a final round until Sunday. He held the lead entering with 18 holes to play at the John Deere Classic, and looked at the scoreboard after hitting a poor shot into the eighth green.
"I saw the guys were playing well, so that's when I felt it, but I was able to hit three really good shots on No. 9 to birdie, and that kind of got me going," Harman said.
He kept going all the way to his first victory on Tour, using three straight birdies down the stretch to hold off Zach Johnson by one stroke.
Harman had a 5-under 66 in the final round for a 22-under-262 total to earn $846,000 and the last exemption for next week's Open Championship. Johnson had the best round of the day at 7-under 64.
"It was very hard, probably one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do in my life," Harman said. "Just trying not to let your mind run wild is the hardest part out there."
Two years ago, Harman played with Johnson in a late pairing of the Deere that Johnson won, and learned a great deal about how to handle the heat.
"I talked to Zach about it, and he felt I was trying to get out of his way a little too much and that I needed to stake my ground a little bit," Harman said.
He did so Sunday beginning on the par-5 second hole, sinking a 4-foot putt after a 223-yard approach. That jumped him to 19 under and set the tone. His bogey on No. 5 became only a momentary speed bump once he birdied No. 9. He led Johnson and Scott Brown by a stroke at the turn and was ahead by as many as three strokes after his final birdie, a 6-footer on No. 16.
Jhonattan Vegas had a 65 to finish tied for third with Jerry Kelly (66) at 265. Scott Brown (68) and Tim Clark (67) tied for fifth another shot back.
Three-time winner Steve Stricker fell off the pace set by Harman on the front nine, then fell off the leaderboard with a double-bogey on the par-3 12th. His approach ended up in high brush behind and below the green.
"It was hard to play after that," Stricker said. "I was just trying to get it in without getting in Brian's way."
Stricker finished with a 72 and a tie for 11th at 269.
Brown was tied with Johnson and Clark briefly midway through the round, but played the back nine in par 36 and fell back.
Clark, the lone contender with a long putter, bogeyed No. 9 to fall out of the joint lead.
Harman, whose best previous finishes were ties for third place, also earned his first invitations to the Masters Tournament and the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. He tried to block that out along the way.
"When those thoughts enter, it's like what's the best way to get those things you want," Harman said.
He got his third eagle in 19 holes when he eagled the par-5 second for the second straight day. He sank a 4-foot putt after a brilliant approach from 223 yards. A bogey on No. 5 was offset by a birdie on the ninth, the most difficult hole on the front nine. Harman stood 19-under at the turn, and added a birdie at No. 10 to go to 20 under.
Johnson started three strokes behind Harman, but caught him by the 14th hole, when he tapped in from 10 inches for his third birdie in five holes and sixth of the day.
Harman came to the drivable par-4 14th minutes later, and after watching Stricker scramble for a par, got up and down from a greenside bunker with a 14-foot birdie putt. He added birdies on the next two holes to pull away from the field. With a two-shot cushion on the 18th tee, a bogey on the final hole didn't hurt him.
"He's always been known as a gritty player that plays pretty simple golf," Johnson said of Harman, a neighbor on St. Simons Island, Georgia. "To me it was just a matter of time."
Defending champion Jordan Spieth finished in a tie for seventh after a closing 66 for 268. He was joined by Bo Van Pelt, Ryan Moore and Johnson Wagner.
Jordan Niebrugge of Mequon, Wisconsin, the only amateur to make the cut, fired his third straight round in the 60s and finished at 10-under 274.


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Today we are posting our audited financial statements and tax form for 2007. We have also posted an FAQ. As in past years, I'll use this event as an opportunity to review both our financial status and our overall effectiveness in moving the mission forward.
The financial highlights are:
- 2007 was another healthy year for Mozilla both financially and organizationally.
- Mozilla is well positioned to remain vital and effective during the current difficult economic times.
Our revenue remains strong; our expenses focused. Mozilla's revenues (including both Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation) for 2007 were $75 million, up approximately 12% from 2006 revenue of $67 million. As in 2006 the vast majority of this revenue is associated with the search functionality in Mozilla Firefox, and the majority of that is from Google. The Firefox userbase and search revenue have both increased from 2006. Search revenue increased at a lesser rate than Firefox usage growth as the rate of payment declines with volume. Other revenue and support sources were product revenues from online affiliate programs and the Mozilla Store, public support, and interest and other income on our invested assets.
The agreement between Google and the Mozilla Corporation that accounts for the bulk of the revenue has been renewed for an additional three years, and now expires at the end of November of 2011.
Mozilla expenses (including both the Mozilla Foundation and Corporation) for 2007 were $33 million, up approximately 68% from 2006 expenses of $20 million. Expenditures remain highly focused in two key areas: people and infrastructure. By the end of 2007, Mozilla was funding approximately 150 people working full or part-time on Mozilla around the world. Expenditures on people accounted for roughly 80% of our total expenses in 2007. The largest concentrations of people funded by Mozilla are in the U.S, Canada, and Europe with smaller groups in China, Japan, New Zealand, and South America.
Our assets as of December 31, 2007 were $99 million, up from $74 million at the end of 2006, an annual increase of 34% to our asset base. Unrestricted net assets (net of liabilities) at the end of 2007 were $82 million compared with $58 million in 2006, a 42% increase over the prior year. In 2005 the Mozilla Foundation established a "tax reserve fund" for a portion of the revenue the Foundation received that year from Google. We did this in case the IRS (the "Internal Revenue Service," the US national tax agency) decided to review the tax status of these funds. This turns out to have been beneficial, as the IRS has decided to review this issue and the Mozilla Foundation. We are early in the process and do not yet have a good feel for how long this will take or the overall scope of what will be involved.
In 2007, the Mozilla Foundation expanded its grant giving and funding program, providing approximately $700,000 in funds. Mozilla supported projects such as Mozdev Support, the NVDA open source screen reader for Windows, GNOME, and Mozilla-related educational activities at Seneca College. In addition, the Mozilla Corporation contributed $321,326.40 to various individuals and efforts, which supported the open source projects of individual developers, the Bugzilla community, Creative Commons, Oregon State University, and others. This brings total grants, donations, and contributions to over $1 million (roughly tripling 2006 donations).
We believe that Mozilla's structure and financial management will allow us to continue with relative stability despite the disturbing economic conditions that developed over the summer and fall of 2008. There are no guarantees of course and Mozilla is not immune. We will certainly feel the effects of the economic situation. However, there are a number of reasons why Mozilla is likely to experience less disruption than other organizations.
- Our financial objective is sustainability, not financial return on investment, and certainly not the increasing financial return on investment that the markets seek. Success in our fundamental goals is not measured by the stock or investment markets.
- Our basic structure — public benefit, non-profit organization — means that we do not have a share price or valuation set by the market. So the downturn in the stock market does not affect us directly.
- Mozilla's participants do want a return on their investment. That return is our effectiveness in creating a part of the Internet that is open, participatory, innovative and promotes decentralized decision-making. Financial resources are one tool in generating this return. But they are not the only tool. The open source software development model is adept at providing multiple tools to achieve our goals. Financial resources are a catalyst, but neither the goal nor the only tool.
- We've been building in the ability to live with greatly reduced revenue for years. We have a significant amount of retained earnings. We don't currently anticipate dipping into that fund in the immediate future. We believe our revenues for the near term future will be adequate to fund ongoing work. If the economic setting further worsens, we do have retained earnings to carry us through some difficult times.
- Our financial management style has always been that each person who is paid to work on Mozilla needs to be a resource for many other people. We haven't tried to hire everyone we need to fulfill our mission — that's not possible.
Moving the Mission Forward
1. Scope
In 2007 we launched a number of initiatives focused on strengthening the Mozilla mission. In February we published the first version of the Mozilla Manifesto and began the ongoing public discussion of the most over-arching goals of the Mozilla project: openness, participation, decentralization, innovation. A few months later we turned to describing the open web and promoting an open Internet as the most fundamental "platform" for ongoing development. There is much work to be done here, both in defining what we mean clearly and in working with others who share the goal. This is possible only because of our success to date — we are able to shift the focus from Firefox as an end in itself to Firefox as a step in achieving something much greater.
In May the Mozilla Foundation started an Executive Director search process to add additional capabilities. This task required designing a search process appropriate for an open organization like Mozilla. We figured out how to create a search committee with board members and individual contributors, created that committee, did a lot of public outreach and discussion, and combined this with classic search techniques. We were able to include a live, streamed, public discussion and the chance for hundreds of Mozilla participants to meet our final candidate as part of the process. It would have been ideal if we could have done this more quickly, as it took us until August 2008 to officially hire our new Executive Director. But we found a rare and great fit in Mark Surman, and this occurred only because of the determinedly open nature of the search process.
In June we launched a focused, increased effort in China. This includes a range of outreach and community activities, particularly in universities, plus a focus on making Firefox a better experience for Chinese users. To do this effectively we created a subsidiary of the Mozilla Corporation known as Mozilla Online Ltd.
In July we launched a call to action to revitalize Mozilla efforts in email and Internet communications. That led to vigorous discussions for several months, and the decision to create a new organization with a specific focus on mail and communications. In the fall of 2007 we laid much of the groundwork for the creation of Mozilla Messaging, which launched officially in February 2008.
The idea of openness is taking root across the industry and in other areas of life. More organizations and people are realizing that choosing openness, collaboration and enabling participation is good for people, and good for a set of business opportunities as well. In addition, we are seeing the vast amount of civic and social benefit that can be created through open, collaborative, shared work product.
2. Geographic Reach
2007 was also a year of geographic expansion, reflecting the increasingly global nature of the Mozilla project.
One aspect of our global expansion is in our user base. By the end of 2007, nearly fifty percent of Firefox users chose a language other than English. In a fast forward, the first country in which Firefox usage appears to have crossed the 50% mark is Indonesia, surpassing 50% in July 2008. A set of European countries (Sovenia, Poland, and Finland) see Firefox usage above 40%.
Another aspect of geographic expansion is in the contributor and community base. In 2007 Mozilla contributors from the United States made a series of trips to India, resulting in many contacts and one of our 2008 interns. Mozilla contributors from the United States also made the first trips to Brazil to see our contributors there. This also resulted in ongoing activities in Brazil that are continuing, as well as expanding activities in other South American communities. The number of participants in Eastern Europe is growing dramatically. We started work in China and hired Li Gong to lead this effort. This resulted in the creation of Mozilla Online Ltd. in August. Mozilla has new groups of contributors and employees in Auckland, Beijing, Copenhagen, Vancouver and across Europe.
This global reach is driven by our focus on local contributors, local product and local empowerment. Firefox 2 shipped in thirty-six languages. Firefox 3 shipped in forty-six languages in June 2008 and 4 months later, our Firefox 3.1 beta is now localized in over 50 languages. We continue to invest very heavily in what we call "localization" for short but which in its broadest sense means everything that allows global participation in building and accessing the Internet.
At the end of 2007 our Calendar Project had twenty-six active localizations for Sunbird 0.7 and Lightning 0.7, and Thunderbird 126.96.36.199 offered thirty-six active localizations. SeaMonkey 1.1.7, the last stable release of the year, featured twenty languages. The number of releases is made possible by the enormous dedication of the localization communities, plus a focus on building infrastructure to enable those communities.
These efforts to make the web more accessible did not go unnoticed. In May of 2007 Mozilla was awarded the World Information Society Award by the ITU, the United Nations agency for information and communication technologies. Mozilla was singled out for its "outstanding contribution to the development of world-class Internet technologies and applications."
3. Community
Our community remains healthy and vibrant. The percentage of code contributed to Firefox by people not employed by Mozilla remained steady at about 40% of the product we ship. This is true despite a significant amount of new employees in 2007. Our geographic expansion is powered by active and committed volunteers, from the localizers to Spread Firefox participants to others who introduce Firefox to new people.
In June of 2007 we launched a new quality assurance effort, building ways for people to get involved without needing to plunge exclusively into our bug-management tool. In October we launched a new support effort, building on the work community members have provided via forums. Today our end user support offering includes an online knowledge base, forums for discussion and troubleshooting, and one-to-one live support. We also made event planning and speaking planning a public activity, and have developed programs to assist more Mozilla contributors to become active public speakers about Mozilla.
4. Product
The number of people using Firefox on a daily basis nearly doubled from 27.9 million in 2006 to 48.9 million in 2007. As of October 2008 that number has grown to 67.7 million. In 2007 and 2008 three titans of the Internet and software industry — Microsoft, Apple and Google — all released competitive Web browsers. Our market share continues to rise, our community continues to grow and Firefox continues to provide leadership in innovation, technology, and user experience. Living among giants is not easy, but the Mozilla community continues to demonstrate that our efforts stand the test of competition and continue to lead the way.
Other Mozilla projects remain vital, with committed contributors and users. Worldwide, SeaMonkey has approximately five million users and Thunderbird has five to ten million users. Bugzilla installations are hard to count since many of them are internal to an organization. But we see Bugzilla installations everywhere, and over sixty thousand copies of Bugzilla were downloaded in 2007, with hundreds of companies identifying themselves as Bugzilla users.
The impact of our userbase allows us to help move the Internet industry to a more open and participatory environment — accessible content, standards-based implementations, and bringing participation and distributed decision-making to new aspects of Internet life.
In 2007 we began a new, focused effort to bring the Firefox experience to mobile devices; early steps included forming a team and identifying mobile platforms as a central part of our work going forward. We've begun shipping development milestones and early releases in 2008.
We've also started new initiatives to promote innovation across the Mozilla world by providing a home and infrastructure for experimental work via Mozilla Labs. Innovation is a notoriously difficult thing to build into an organization; we've adopted a flexible approach that we expect to grow and change over time. The Mozilla community is diverse and creative, our challenge here is to build environments that both encourage individual creativity and that allow us to work at scale.
Mozilla is strong. We're growing. We're trying new things. 2007 and 2008 to date have been important, successful years for Mozilla.
I hope Mozilla participants feel proud of what we've accomplished and excited about what is still to come. The Internet is still young, and still in its formative stage. Mozilla has, and can continue to empower each one of us to build the Internet into a better place.


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Shakespeare's words don't apply just to Julius Caesar; they also apply to calendar-year partnerships, S corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) treated as partnerships or S corporations for tax purposes. Why? The Ides of March, more commonly known as March 15, is the federal income tax filing deadline for these "pass-through" entities.
Not-so-ancient history
Until the 2016 tax year, the filing deadline for partnerships was the same as that for individual taxpayers: April 15 (or shortly thereafter if April 15 fell on a weekend or holiday). One of the primary reasons for moving up the partnership filing deadline was to make it easier for owners to file their personal returns by the April filing deadline. After all, partnership (and S corporation) income passes through to the owners. The earlier date allows owners to use the information contained in the pass-through entity forms to file their personal returns.
For partnerships with fiscal year ends, tax returns are now due the 15th day of the third month after the close of the tax year. The same deadline applies to fiscal-year S corporations. Under prior law, returns for fiscal-year partnerships were due the 15th day of the fourth month after the close of the fiscal tax year.
Avoiding a tragedy
If you haven't filed your calendar-year partnership or S corporation return yet and are worried about having sufficient time to complete it, you can avoid the tragedy of a late return by filing for an extension. Under the current law, the maximum extension for calendar-year partnerships is six months (until September 16, 2019, for 2018 returns). This is up from five months under the old law. So the extension deadline is the same — only the length of the extension has changed. The extension deadline for calendar-year S corporations also is September 16, 2019, for 2018 returns.
Whether you'll be filing a partnership or an S corporation return, you must file for the extension by March 15 if it's a calendar-year entity.
Extending the drama
Filing for an extension can be tax-smart if you're missing critical documents or you face unexpected life events that prevent you from devoting sufficient time to your return right now.
But to avoid potential interest and penalties, you still must (with a few exceptions) pay any tax due by the unextended deadline. There probably won't be any tax liability from the partnership or S corporation return. But, if filing for an extension for the entity return causes you to also have to file an extension for your personal return, it could cause you to owe interest and penalties in relation to your personal return.
We can help you file your tax returns on a timely basis or determine whether filing for an extension is appropriate. Contact us today.
© 2019


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Limited public preview: Azure SQL Data Warehouse
Published date: June 25, 2015
Azure SQL Data Warehouse is a fully managed, elastic, and petabyte-scale columnar data-warehouse service that's fully compatible and integrated with the Microsoft SQL Server ecosystem. Unique to the industry, this is the first cloud data-warehouse service to enable customers to scale compute capacity up or down in seconds. SQL Data Warehouse can independently scale storage and compute power, so customers can pay only for the query performance they need.Built on SQL Server, SQL Data Warehouse offers access to a large ecosystem of tools that support data loading, transformation, visualization, and analytical scenarios, including Microsoft Power BI, Azure HDInsight, Machine Learning, and Data Factory.With a billing model that's easy to understand, this market-leading approach delivers on-demand pricing per terabyte at cloud scale. SQL Data Warehouse, together with on-premises massively parallel processing (MPP) modern data warehouse from Microsoft, the Analytics Platform System (APS) offers customers a choice: in the cloud, on-premises, or both.For more information, please visit the SQL Data Warehouse page.


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What kind of bread machine do you have? Do you find it's better for the machine to do it all, or just make the dough? -Stephanie
If there's one tool in my kitchen I would never want to be without, it's my bread machine. My aunt and uncle got me one as a wedding gift and I used it so much it finally was giving out.
Just around the time it was starting to breathe its last breath, my dad surprised me with a Zojirushi Bread Machine for Christmas. Let me tell you, this bread machine is the king of bread machines!
It's high-tech and offers quite a few different options — including the dough cycle that I mostly. It's also roomy, so you can make larger loaves and bigger batches of dough.
My favorite thing about the Zojirushi Bread Machine is that it has two kneading paddles. This creates a much better and softer texture in the dough which translates to softer, better-shaped bread and rolls.
I rarely ever bake bread in my machine, because I've found that the crust is much softer when I bake the bread in the oven. It does mean that you have to be home and remember to take the dough out of the machine and bake it when it's done, but it's still so much easier than making bread completely from scratch.
I can stick all the ingredients in the bread machine for Bread Machine Buttery Rolls and and hour and a half later, the dough is ready to be shaped into rolls. No mixing, no kneading and no worrying about setting a timer. Truly, in about ten minutes of total prep time, I can have a hot and fresh batch of rolls made.
My Favorite Simple & Easy Homemade Bread Recipes


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When Sony's Jack Tretton claimed it was impossible to find a Playstation 3 at retail, we cautioned them about the use of out-and-out falsehoods - suggesting that they instead massage verifiable facts. But later in the same month, vile morlock Phil Harrison told GameDaily that rumble was merely some vestigial bullshit about to be shorn off by their futuristic love machine.
That's not why they didn't include it, of course: it had nothing to do with the "future." At other times, the story was variably one of cost concerns or technical hurdles. Despite the fact that both of their current systems include web browsers, I'm not sure if they've heard of the Internet. It took me about five minutes to reconstruct their concussed media narrative - a bewildered, tragic thing stumbling through the woods very late at night.
The Wii remote - the very icon of a system whose technical sophistication is played for yuks in developer circles - crams in a pointing device, an auxiliary input, motion sensing, rumble, a speaker, and writable memory. And it came out around the same time as the Sixaxis, so I feel confident saying that (by this point) mankind had mastered those strange forces. The reality is that Sony's ongoing legal "rumble" with Immersion over their force feedback patents necessitated this entire Sixaxis abortion. Of course, they did eventually pay - years later - just as we will all pay next spring, when the new controller is released in the States. This would have been a great opportunity to decouple the battery from the pad, or jettison those sloppy triggers altogether. Why didn't they? I'm sure they have a very good reason.
The Halo reviews started dropping yesterday, if you actually need information of that kind to make your decision. But similar to the recent Team Fortress 2 review, I have to wonder how you can "grade" a title that includes rich community interaction and polymorphic content a week before the Goddamned launch.
I've come to interpret 10 ratings as a kind of failure state. Not a failure on the part of a reviewer, mind you, simply a failure of the mechanism to deliver a credible result. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas got tens. It isn't especially great as a function of its mission to mission gameplay, but it's vast beyond reckoning. If you take everything you can do in that game and assign it an arbitrary number, even if that number is a Goddamned fraction the value in aggregate must be ten. It would be more than ten! Except ten is the top.
Consider The Orange Box, as delivered on next-gen systems: for Sixty U.S. Dollars, you receive Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episodes One and Two, a completely new game called Portal, and one of the most hotly anticipated multiplayer shooters ever in sequel to Team Fortress. Measuring a single game is an affront to thinking people; measuring five at once is the murder of reason.
(CW)TB out.


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CAA Insurance Company Deploys Guidewire for Rating, Underwriting, Policy Administration, Billing, an
CAA Insurance Company Deploys Guidewire for Rating, Underwriting, Policy Administration, Billing, and Claims Management
Canadian auto and property insurer now in production with Guidewire InsuranceSuite™ - following an on-time and in-budget project
ONTARIO, Canada & FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CAA Insurance (Ontario), a provider of auto and property insurance to clients in Ontario and the Maritimes, and Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYS: GWRE) , a provider of flexible core system software to Property/Casualty insurers, today announced that CAA Insurance has successfully implemented Guidewire InsuranceSuite™ as its new platform for rating, underwriting and policy administration, claims management, and billing.
CAA Insurance selected InsuranceSuite to modernize its systems and increase its business agility to ultimately enhance the experience of its members and agents. Following the conclusion of a 14-month implementation project in which all InsuranceSuite systems were completed in parallel, including many external integrations, CAA Insurance is now in production with InsuranceSuite for both their personal lines of business, which include auto and property. As of December 1st, CAA Insurance's main call center in Thornhill, Ontario and its 40 retail locations, located in four provinces, are all live on InsuranceSuite.
"The success of the project depended on the full and seamless collaboration and teamwork between CAA and Guidewire," said Matthew Turack, Vice President of Insurance for CAA South Central Ontario. "An implementation of this size, done in this amount of time, needed to adopt a full Agile methodology to be successful. Our people stepped up and found a great partner and mentor in Guidewire every step of the way."
InsuranceSuite is enabling CAA to:
Perform advanced underwriting;
Increase analytical capabilities;
Improve service levels for members, agents and associates due to enhanced system functionality and operational efficiencies;
Improve the agility needed to expand and adjust its product portfolio;
More easily integrate with third party applications and processes due to increased flexibility; and
Enjoy a modern technology platform designed to grow and evolve with its business.
"The feedback from our end-users has been that Guidewire InsuranceSuite is easy to use and that they really enjoy the experience of interacting with the system," said James Vezina, Manager, Business Solutions for CAA Insurance. "More importantly, users also felt that InsuranceSuite is already enhancing member value, as it allows them to do their work easier, freeing them up to focus more on the member experience."
Turack added, "We believe that having all three systems from the same vendor in an integrated suite is just an overall phenomenal benefit for us. The Guidewire products fit in well with our SOA architecture, allowing us to leverage all the work we have put into our Enterprise Service Bus over the last few years. Since all of the systems speak the same language, provide the same user experience, and have a unified look and feel, it allows for seamless integration and enhancement."
"We congratulate CAA Insurance on their successful deployment of InsuranceSuite," said Steve Sherry, Vice President, The Americas, Guidewire Software. "CAA sets a very high standard of service excellence for their members, and we are proud to partner with them to help them achieve their customer service goals."
Guidewire InsuranceSuite powers the mission-critical operations of property/casualty insurers competing in today's market. The suite was designed using a modular approach, enabling insurers to select individual applications -- Guidewire PolicyCenter®, Guidewire BillingCenter®, and Guidewire ClaimCenter® -- or a pre-integrated set, driven by their requirements and priorities. InsuranceSuite provides the flexibility insurers need to deliver insurance the way they want to, by rapidly delivering better products and service to their policyholders and agents, while improving underwriting discipline and lowering operational costs.
About The Canadian Automobile Association Insurance Company
CAA Insurance Company (Ontario) was founded in 1974 and is part of CAA South Central Ontario. With over 1.9 million Members, CAA South Central Ontario is the largest CAA Club in Canada. CAA Insurance Company (Ontario) provides auto and property insurance to clients in Ontario and the Maritimes. For more information, please visit www.caasco.com.
About Guidewire Software
Guidewire Software is a provider of core system software to the global general (Property/Casualty) insurance industry. Designed to be flexible and scalable, Guidewire solutions give insurers the capability to deliver excellent service, increase market share and lower operating costs. Guidewire InsuranceSuite™, consisting of Guidewire PolicyCenter®, Guidewire ClaimCenter® and Guidewire BillingCenter® spans the key functional areas in insurance - underwriting and policy administration, claims management, and billing. Guidewire is headquartered in Foster City, California, with offices in Beijing, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Munich, Paris, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, and Warsaw. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com.
NOTE: © 2012 Guidewire Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Guidewire, Guidewire Software, Guidewire ClaimCenter, Guidewire PolicyCenter, Guidewire BillingCenter, Guidewire InsuranceSuite, Guidewire Live, Before & After, Guidewire PartnerConnect, Deliver Insurance Your Way, and the Guidewire logo are trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of Guidewire Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Guidewire Software, Inc.
Diana Stott, +1-650-356-4941
Public Relations Manager
Silvana Aceto, 905-771-3194 (Office)
Media and PR Specialist
Cell: 416-209-4930
Jeff LeMoine, 905-771-4709 (Office)
Communications Specialist
Cell: 416-254-0641
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Thought I would share this super cool poster I worked on for Binbrook Little Theatre.....they have a play about Alice.....
by Archie Wilson
Directed by Rita Taylor and Craig Marshall
Alice takes a trip down the rabbit hole in this panto version of the classic tale, meeting all the usual suspects, playing croquet, looking after babies and having a tea party.
February 1-2-3, 8-9-10, 15-16-17
Wishing you a wonderful day filled with inspiration....
Happy Sunday and Happy Creating Everyone!!!


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Neot Shiran, being Israel's leading luxury home marketing agency, offers a wide variety of luxurious properties in the country's most desirable locations.
Whether the transaction at hand pertains to houses and villas for rent or for sale in Herzliya Pituah; penthouses, houses for conservation, villas and apartments for sale in Tel-Aviv; villas and houses for sale in Kfar Shmaryahu; or lots, villas and luxury homes for sale in Western Ramat HaSharon; our team of experts specializes in marketing luxury properties worth over NIS 10M.
The company offers a wide variety of luxury properties, some of which exclusively. Neot Shiran's wealth of experience in marketing luxury homes has propelled it to the forefront of Israel's luxury homes market, including mansions, beautiful villas, luxury houses and penthouses for sale in the country's most desirable locations. Adhering to international standards and offering a customer experience that's all about confidence, peace of mind and effective solutions that meet both expectations and needs, are the things that have positioned the company at the heart of many private real estate transactions in Israel exceeding NIS 10M.
As mentioned above, the company predominantly focuses on marketing the most luxurious homes in Israel, usually located in the most desireable, high-end and leading neighborhoods in selected luxury communities. If you're an owner of a property in one of these areas, such as Caesarea, Kfar Shmaryahu, Arsuf, Herzliya Pituah, Tel-Aviv and its shoreline, Tel-Baruch, Afeka, Tzahala, Savion, or any one of the Sharon Plain's high end villages or moshavim, our team of experts will gladly offer a non-binding, complimentary introduction and consultation session.
The professional services offered by Neot Shiran include comprehensive, personal, and ongoing discrete consultation regarding the transaction's economic feasibility, worthwhileness and timing. Additional services, solutions and information are also offered, covering all relevant aspects: finance, architecture, appraisal, taxes and legal issues.
For every property, we specialize in finding the most suitable clients relying on a sophisticated system with an international database and advanced algorithms.
Contact us and Neot Shiran's experts will get the job done efficiently and discretely.


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Top performance – at whichever level – requires optimal conditions. In the case of indoor sports, the choice of the floor surface is one of the most important factors. Bolidt knows the wishes and demands of (leisure) sports players, visitors and proprietors of sports halls and offers a wide range of innovative synthetic floors for this sector.
In more than 50 years, Bolidt has gained a wealth of know-how of and experience in developing, producing, and applying synthetic floors for indoor sports. As such, Bolidt is a frequently sought-after partner for innovative sports floors all around the world. Thanks to the expertise and experience of Bolidt, clients can rest assured that the floors meet all the requirements.
An indoor sports floor has to meet different requirements than a floor for an outdoor facility. Indoor sports are often ball games and the behaviour of the ball must, of course, be the same everywhere. However, indoor floors are often used for gymnastics too. Furthermore, sport halls are regularly used for other purposes, such as trade fairs, demonstrations, receptions, meetings and concerts, which calls for a versatile floor solution.
For the multifunctional use of sport halls, Bolidt developed various innovative flooring systems which meet both the international classifications and those of the Dutch Sports Federation. Tough elastic systems with predictable results when it comes to ball behaviour, wear-resistance and walking comfort. Also for the gangways – the spaces and pathways where the supporters pass through to the grandstands – Bolidt offers the right flooring solutions.
In sports facilities, hundreds or even thousands of feet tread on the floors.
Besides high wear-resistance, these floors must also be easy to clean. However, the choice of flooring also influences the atmosphere and spectators' feeling of safety. Bolidt knows this subject matter through-and-through and advises clients on the functionality and unlimited colour and decorative options.
Bolidt's synthetic floors have a very long service life. They are also very low-maintenance and easy to clean. If you want certainty upfront and problem-free maintenance, go for a maintenance contract.
Flooring adviceFor the right flooring advice, select the relevant space.
Select a project and read more about this indoor sports project.
For years and years, Bolidt has made synthetic floors for sport halls, events halls and other utility buildings. Innovative floors which look modern and fresh thanks to their seamless and smooth surface. Which are low-maintenance and easy to clean. The preferred choice for this sector is Bolidtop® 525.
Bolidtop® 525 is a seamless floor finishing system based on low-viscosity two-component synthetic resins which are almost odourless. Bolidtop® 525 has a flat and smooth appearance, and is scratch-resistant. Tough elastic properties give the floor great walking comfort. The mat surface and the uniform colouring provide clarity. Contact noise is largely absorbed by Bolidtop® 525.
Bolidtop® 525 is processed in liquid form by the company's own specialists or by certified partners.
Request a brochureP.O. Box 131
3340 AC Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht
The Netherlands
Bolidt Innovation Center
Noordeinde 2
3341 LW The Netherlands
EMAIL email@example.com


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After making my Mackenzie-Childs inspired pumpkins the other day, I found myself searching through their website and finding more and more things to swoon over. They have a pattern called Parchment which is absolutely beautiful and coordinates with my decor.
I literally used the same paints and technique as I used for my pumpkins.
Not bad for a free project.
Can't wait to hear what you think.
I painted each square of the grid pattern using one easy step. I squeeze a drop of each of the colors I am using next to each other and load up my brush as shown. That way when I paint the shading is already done. After everything is dry I coated the piece with polyurethane to give it the same shiny look.
Not bad for a free project.
Can't wait to hear what you think.


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Egyptians turn to black market for hard currency
A run on Egypt's pound has left foreign currency in short supply and driven some dealers into the streets in search of people with U.S. dollars to sell, spawning a new black market.
The currency's decline was triggered by a political uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011 and it has officially lost 8 percent of its value since Dec. 30.
Black market rates are even weaker, a sign that although the central bank managed to stem the slide in official trade last week, Egyptians are nervous about holding on to pounds.
Some dealers tout discreetly outside regulated foreign exchange bureaux and banks in Cairo, illegally offering a better rate to those looking to sell hard currency.
"There are no dollars. Everyone that walks in asks for dollars but supply is scarce," said one of the dealers.
The central bank took steps last week to manage the rate including narrowing the pound's trading band. It was last bid at 6.71 to the dollar on Sunday in interbank trade.
That is 13.4 percent weaker than its level on the eve of the uprising that led to Mubarak's downfall, pitching Egypt into two years of turmoil that has scared off tourists and investors.
On Cairo's streets, one dealer offered to sell dollars at a rate of 6.95 on Thursday - 3.5 percent weaker than the official price. Another asked for 6.89 pounds to the dollar.
The pound's decline has been reflected in a drop in Egypt's foreign reserves, which fell to $13.6 billion at the end of January - below the $15 billion level needed to cover three months' imports. The reserves stood at $36 billion on the eve of the uprising against Mubarak.
Complicating a business climate already weighed down by political unrest, some importers say they are having to source their foreign exchange needs from what they call the parallel or open market.
One senior executive at an Egyptian company that imports goods from abroad said companies were able to source their dollar needs from the black market, but forecast that supply would tighten further in the coming weeks.
"Corporates are not having problems arranging for U.S. dollars from the open market. However, there is a spread that ranges between 16 to 20 piasters between the bank rates and the open market," he said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing an illegal market, he forecast that dollar supply would dry up further because of factors such as political uncertainty.
"What will happen? Most probably you will start seeing products disappearing from supermarket shelves," he said. "The challenges that we are facing now are nothing compared to what we could be heading to."
Central bank governor Hisham Ramez has said he is not worried about the emergence of a black market.
Bonook El Youm, a weekly supplement published by the financial daily Al-Alam Al-Youm, quoted him as saying he is confident the authorities have the tools to eliminate it completely.
There is no sign of dealers being targeted by the police.
Officials at the central bank did not respond to calls or emails from Reuters requesting comment on the subject.
Bankers seeking to meet their clients' foreign currency needs through official channels face a wait of weeks or months, said one who deals with major corporate clients.
"I used to order it and get it on the next day or the following one at most," said the banker, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to talk to the media.
The decline in foreign reserves drove the central bank to introduce the system of regular U.S. dollar auctions in late December to avoid a full blown currency crisis.
The weighted average bid at those auctions has been setting the official exchange rate in banks and foreign currency bureaux. Banks had been allowed to buy or sell dollars or their equivalent to other banks in a band of 0.5 percent above or below the average bid at the auction.
Last Monday, the central bank narrowed the band, setting a limit of 0.01 pounds above or below the weighted average bid.
Dealers say the currency has recovered somewhat since hitting a black market low of around 7.5 pounds to the dollar in late January, when deadly street violence flared during protests marking the second anniversary of the anti-Mubarak revolt.
But some forecast that the pound could come under further pressure with political instability pushing back the prospects of Egypt concluding a deal with the International Monetary Fund seen as vital to securing a $4.8 billion loan.
"The current FX management framework could continue to play for time, though (the Egyptian pound) will remain vulnerable in the meantime," Bank of America Merril Lynch said in a report last week.
"Domestic U.S. dollar demand is likely to strengthen and the gap between the official and parallel rates is likely to widen."
Simon Kitchen, strategist for investment bank EFG-Hermes, added: "It's difficult to see a long term equilibrium in the FX market until the political situation improves and we at least see a deal with the IMF."


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Previous Lesson
Complete and Continue
Learn random weave baskets with soft fibres for every level
Introduction to random weave techniques
Introduction and outline (1:34)
Random weaving soft material. Non organic fibre
Introduction - Random weaving non organic material
The Start (6:59)
Adding material (7:51)
Building out the material (7:02)
Making your weaving even (2:10)
Weaving before we weave up the sides (1:43)
Weaving the sides (9:37)
The Rim (8:58)
Changing the shape (6:54)
Last steps for your basket (6:36)
Adding a handle (9:41)
Random weaving soft material. Organic fibre
Preparing your material (6:31)
Starting your basket (4:48)
Adding material (4:12)
Building out your basket (5:50)
Tips for building out your basket (3:02)
Weaving the sides and rim (9:13)
Finishing your basket (3:35)
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(AMES)–The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and Iowa State Patrol are reporting persistent traffic snarls in the Ames area due to the closure of Interstate 35, U.S. 30, U.S. 69 and Ames city streets due to flooding.
The Iowa DOT and Iowa State Patrol are asking for the public's assistance and cooperation by avoiding this area if at all possible. The goal is to reduce local traffic on these roads and accommodate interstate travelers that are without options and must use them.
All main highways or streets into/out of Ames are affected by the flooding; many within the city are flooded as well.
Listen here for a report from Radio Iowa
To express the gravity of the flooding situation, the Iowa DOT is providing photos of the flooding over I-35 and U.S. 30. Those images are available at: https://www.iowadot.gov/floods/2010floodgallery01.html


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Mary Elizabeth Burgoon letters
- 1951
- Burgoon, Mary Elizabeth, 1898-.
- English
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Mary Elizabeth Burgoon letters | collection guide | more from this collection
- 1.75 Cubic Feet 5 boxes
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at email@example.com.
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Family.
- Great Depression
- Letters.
- Nurses -- Employment -- United States
- Nurse practitioners.
- Pennsylvania
- University of Kentucky
- 2009ms132.0118


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NBA star Dwight Howard was addicted to candy
LOS ANGELES - Candyman. Candyman. Candyman!
NBA star Dwight Howard has conquered his demons … Reese's Pieces! Just like E.T.!
The Atlanta Hawks player has revealed he used to eat the equivalent of 24 candy bars a day, every day for two decades! Trick or treat?!
According to his former nationalist, Howard would eat "Skittles, Starbursts, Rolos, Snickers, Mars bars, Twizzlers, Almond Joys, Kit Kats and his favorite: Reese's Pieces. 'You name it, he ate it,' she said."
The athlete would eat over 5500 calories a day in sugary snacks, which eventually caused tingling in his hands and legs. Ouch!
After changing up his diet, Howard stays healthy by avoiding candy and sticking to organic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Robot sailboats to race across Atlantic
Seagull poo on solar cells is primary tech snag
In the Irish Sea off Wales this week, a new kind of robot is taking to the waves. For once, this is not a military kill-droid, nor a securo-pork powered surveillance machine. Instead, we are seeing the debut of the fully-autonomous sailboat, which uses its own software to navigate out at sea. For now the uninhabited windjammers will stay relatively close to home, but next year their successors will race across the Atlantic.
"Roboat" of Austria: victor in '06 and frontrunner in '07.
The salty tech challenge event is called Microtransat, and it was conceived by boffins Yves Briere of the Ensica engineering institute in Toulouse and Mark Neal of Aberystwyth Uni. There was an inaugural 2006 meet in France, and this year teams from Wales, Toulouse, Canada and Austria are competing. A Portuguese vessel couldn't get ready in time.
The 2007 rules are still relatively relaxed, allowing entrants to use vessels remotely controlled by a computer over a comms link or even just a remote-controlled boat; though these options lose a lot of points. The idea is to produce a vessel no longer than 4m (ordinary sailing dinghy size*). The boat should be able to sail itself around waypoints without human input using no primary power other than sun and wind, though batteries may be carried.
Ultimately, the goal is to produce oceanographic survey platforms that could operate at sea for up to six months, probably sailing themselves out to areas of interest. They would send data back using satellite communications, and return periodically for repairs if possible; but their cost would be low enough that losses wouldn't be catastrophic. Existing, disposable oceanography buoys can cost $10,000 and last only a year or so before going out of service, apparently.
Races were carried out yesterday around triangular virtual courses off Aberystwyth, but most competitors were bedevilled by rough weather and technical snags. Dr Neal told the Reg that the Austrian entry "performed flawlessly," but the other windjammer-bots all succumbed to problems and had to be retrieved by chase boats. The French "iBoat" contenders were particularly handicapped by arriving very late, after which it was found that their boat's GPS would only work correctly when east of the Greenwich zero meridian. It should be noted, though, that even superfighter jets costing hundreds of millions are occasionally subject to this sort of snag.
Here's some Flash video of the iBoat in trials:
Tomorrow is the day of the "impress the judges" event, but details thus far are scanty. Neal says that "just surviving" in tough offshore conditions in the Irish Sea will represent a good effort, but adds that the Austrian front-runners may have a few surprises in store.
"They're playing it close to their chests so far," he said.
A high failure rate in relatively short duration race like this might not bode well for next year's transatlantic voyage, but Neal at least is undaunted.
"We'll definitely enter something from Aberystwyth," he says. Apparently the Welsh ocean-going sail-bot in 2008 will be based on a Topper dinghy, equipped with GPS, wind sensors and actuators for rudder and sails. There will be an Iridium satcomms modem allowing a two-way datalink, but its power requirements mean it will only be activated every few days.
Neal is confident overall regarding electrical power, saying that he plans to use flexible solar panels bonded to the decks for peak output of 60W and an average of 6W. The total power requirements should be only 3-4W, so there should be adequate juice: though it seems there are sometimes problems with seagull droppings covering the cells.
The main snags are mechanical failures in moving parts, and the risk of the tiny craft being mown down by inattentive big ships out at sea. Regarding the latter problem, says Neal, "there isn't much you can do that isn't incredibly power hungry," though the boats will carry radar reflectors.
How confident is Neal that the Aberystwyth robo-boat will actually make it to the Caribbean next year?
"Not terribly," he says frankly. "Fifty-fifty?"®
*Or in approved Reg units, as long as a pair of young adult moose standing arse to antler.


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Jetpack Joyride 2: Bullet Rush 0.1.50 Apk + Mod (Money) for Android
Jetpack Joyride 2: Bullet Rush 0.1.50 Apk + Mod (Money) for Android
Jetpack Joyride, the most famous endless runner is back! Now with GUNS Join Barry Steakfries and discover the new shooting skill! Jump into the race, dodge multiple hazards, fly through the lab, dash and rush through new laboratories with the help of infinite bullets!
Jetpack Joyride 2, the awaited sequel of the iconic jump game, comes from Halfbrick, the creators of other mobile game hits like Fruit Ninja and Dan the Man.
Download FREE use guns and bullets to defeat the boss of the lab!
⚡ Polished Gameplay: The evolution of the exciting side-scrolling jump runner game that you love!
⚡ New Shooting Mechanics: Explore a whole new dimension, new guns, with a fresh shooting mechanic and rush past a variety of modern hazards and dodge the incoming missiles. Defeat new enemies and bosses!
⚡ Enhanced Visuals: Reimagined HD graphics with smooth shooting animations.
⚡Improved UI/UX: Intuitive and easy-to-navigate menus in a fresh modern style.
⚡ Story: So… there's more than just one laboratory? Professor Brains is back! And with him, a crew of new evil villains!
⚡ Powerups: Pick your favourite gun, a flamethrower, a laser beam and… even an umbrella! Discover all the powerups and enhance the bullets to progress to the next level!
⚡ New Vehicles: Jump on the new crazy prototypes developed by the Legitimate Research department! Feel the rush of the speed!
⚡ Jetpack Upgrades: Yes, now you can upgrade your jetpack and fly like a pro where no human has flown before!
* ARCADE MODE: Challenge yourself with a series of crazy minigames!
* BADGES: Enhance your powers with unique skills!
* NEW POWER-UPS: Discover 3 new cool power-ups in the Research Machine!


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Hi, and welcome to my site. I hope that you enjoy your stay.
The thought of a romantic wedding is something that appeals to almost everyone I know. Okay, most of the women I know. The men? Well, some surely, but most "don't really care."
Which, to be honest, is fine with most of the women I know as well. Go figure.
There is something special about rustic wedding invtations that you don't find with a lot of the other options I've seen. One of the things that I noticed right away was that they are more open and inviting. This is after all the key recipe for a successful wedding. [1]
Here are a couple of galleries that I put together to show what I mean when I say that are more relaxed and welcoming.[2]
Here are a few of the lovely designs from Rusticweddinginvitations.net that feature the magical charm that I have come to love about this style of wedding.
Wedding Paper Divas has made a name for themeselves for years in the wedding stationary market. It has long been the first stop for many of my friends. And there is good reason. Wedding Paper Divas have a wide assortment of wedding invitation themes. They don't just focus on a single type of wedding like the previous site does. This can be a good thing if you don't exactly know what type of wedding your interested in.[3]
Here is another lovely option for people that are looking for something different that the aformentioned sites. Invitations by Dawn offers a wide range of options, though they aren't as varied as Wedding Paper Divas or as specific as Rustic wedding Invitations. Still they have a very nice look and feel that definately conveys the desired rustic look.
Isn't there more? I know this sounds over simplified, and for some of you it really will mean more for the perfect rustic wedding. But the truth is that there are people that would love to celebrate a rustic style wedding in the country but would never be caught dead with a true rustic look. Maybe because it is too shabby for a wedding and they would worry that friends and family would think bably of them. And for those people the relaxed nature of a rustic wedding is completely lost.
And while there may be hope for them it will be dificult to ever "get things just right."[4] And that is where the fun lies. You can never get it right. Your wedding will be your wedding but it will never be perfect. You need to look at it critically and place the highest importants on the things that mean the most to you. And many people often focus on the superficial aspects that the most people might notice but don't make the wedding what it is.
If you are going to get married in the country isn't it important to actually embrace the things that make it the country in the first place? Use the rustic aspects that you thought detracted and enjoy them for what they are. I have sat on a bail of hay, I have eaten apple pie and I will tell you that is the true relaxed rustic spirit.
Today the wedding that I attend are more city chic than rustic chic but they are also fun, albeit a little less than relaxed.
Thanks for reading!
I tend to ramble when I am typing and because of that, the text can get dificult to read. One of my readers suggested that I put a small aside together at the end of the post to help clean things up. Thus the notes section was born.
All invitations shown are copyright their respective owners.
Sometimes I don't feel like posting long dry entries to my blog. At times like that I will usually post an image gallery. Here are the latest galleries you'll find on the site.
I recently started watching a series of documentaries on trains. Since I am not a technical person the idea of trains never appealed to me. Outside of the transportation they provide around town I never put a lot of thought into them. Other than I was pleased I didn't need a car. But they are a massive part of our country's history. And I probably wouldn't be where I am right now if they hadn't been. Here are some lovely shots of vintage trains.
So I thought that I would make you hungry today. As many of you know I am a huge foodie. And here in San Fransisco there are more than enough options to endulge. Though, my indulgence on these is the same as yours.