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Around the country, a growing number of passionate salon owners and other industry professionals are cultivating success from the ground up, envisioning the kind of cosmetology school that generates confident, prepared, respectful graduates eager to step into the salon and prove what they can do.
"Traditionally, cosmetology schools prepared students to pass their board exams, not necessarily to launch successful salon careers," says Mario Tricoci, founder of Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas and more recently of six Tricoci Universities of Salon Culture around the greater Chicago area. "I was finding we weren't getting the quality of graduates we were searching for, so we decided to create a school that specifically prepared students to work in high-end salons."
While most new school owners will tell you that creating their academies has been one of the most rewarding aspects of their careers, they'll admit it's also been the most challenging. "Before launching my academy I had many school owners tell me how hard it was, and I thought, 'How hard could it really be?'" says Jill Kohler, former executive director of The Salon Association and president and founder of Kohler Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona. "I toured a number of schools, drafted and refined my business plan and got my financials together—I felt I was as prepared as I possibly could be. But it's been overwhelming, and now I find myself telling others how hard it really is."
Whether you're contemplating opening a school one day or simply want a glimpse at the new world producing your next hire, tap into the wisdom of school owners who've journeyed back to the beginning. With an educational nod to the ABCs, they reveal the hiccups, pitfalls, surprises and rewards of launching their own centers of learning.
A is for Admissions Director
Hands down, this is one of the most important roles within a school. Not only is the admissions director responsible for attracting the quantity and caliber of students the school targets, but the resulting tuitions fund the school's success.
"The people who sell your program are your rainmakers," says Charles Riser, co-owner of New York New York Salon Inc., as well as the dean and operations leader of The Temple: A Paul Mitchell Partner School in Frederick, Maryland. "You really need a salesperson, someone who is friendly, outgoing and able to sell your school from a variety of perspectives."
Riser is lucky. His admissions leader is someone who truly has a vested interest in his school's success—his wife and co-owner, Sharon. "But like in our salon, we're always training our replacements, so we have an entire admissions team, people who can step in and give a tour or talk about our program," he says.
Kohler hired her admissions director a full five months before opening her doors. "She was my first and most important hire. Her first goal was making sure our brand was solid and that we had a cohesive message online, offline and on-site," says Kohler. "We launched a website and created everything from cards to brochures that reflected the image and feel of our physical space."
According to some advice Kohler received from Pivot Point, a strong admissions person should be able to pull 150 people into a program each year. "After several months, we've talked to 500 prospective students and signed up 25," she reports. "We're getting there, but we've got a long way to go."
Intentionally setting a high tuition of $15,000 for her cosmetology program, Kohler views Arizona State University as her competition. "When students call and ask for a tour, we tell them we start with a career planning interview—you can hear them sit up straighter over the phone," she says. "If we don't think someone is ready for the program, we'll tell her to go home and rethink her decision."
B is for Benefits
Just as in a salon, today's school is only as strong as its instructors. Attracting the caliber you want means offering a magnetic compensation package.
"One of the things I'm most proud of is our staff benefits," says Riser. "Our teachers start at $31,000 a year, and we pay full medical and disability benefits and provide paid vacation and holidays. And we pay for all the expenses associated with sending them for advanced JPMS training. We expect a lot of our team, so we take very good care of them."
C is for Curriculum
Curriculum requirements vary by state, since each state's board mandates what must be taught and for how many hours. But there basically are two textbook companies—Milady and Pivot Point. "If you haven't looked at a textbook since you took your own exam, you'd be surprised to see how far they've come," says Christine Gordon, who co-founded the Graham Webb Academy in Washington, D.C. in 1999. "As a school owner, the textbook company is your biggest ally."
Since state board exams routinely draw from a combination of the texts, you should ask your state board what percentage of the exam is from Milady versus from Pivot Point. "Then take a close look at both companies and see which has the most to offer your school," adds Gordon.
Then, make sure your curriculum is outlined in detail. "We've put together such detailed lesson plans, someone could come in off the street and teach," explains Riser.
For the owner of multiple schools, consistency is key. "We teach four basic hair cuts, very simply and very accurately. Then we teach how a compilation of those basic cuts creates the artistry in high fashion," says Tricoci. "It's vitally important that we're consistently teaching the same thing on the same page in every classroom of every school."
D is for Dress Code
For many students, adhering to a dress code is their first taste of the professional world. While the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute in Seattle, Washington, doesn't mandate a formal dress code, students are asked to attend in professional attire, says Institute Leader Elizabeth Whiteford. "They are learning what it looks like and feels like to be successful in the industry," she says. "We ask that their hair and make-up be done, even if they're not working with clients that day, because they need to practice their roles as image consultants."
At the Tricoci University of Beauty Culture, the dress code consists of a white professional jacket with black shirt or pants, black shoes and black or white top. "It's black and white, with no gray in-between, literally," says Tricoci. "There's no compromising on professionalism."
The Graham Webb Academy also subscribes to the black and white dress code. "Sounds easy, but it's not," says Gordon. "We'll have students show up in off-white, gray or beige, or they'll throw on an orange belt. If they've got it wrong, they're sent home for the day. A school is not a democracy, and we're trying to cultivate a respect for the salon owner and the salon's policies."
E is for Educational Director
Kohler wanted a director who was willing to keep educators motivated and curriculum fresh. Her educators rotate their teaching through the school's different zones, so classes don't become stagnant, and like many modern schools, she supplements traditional educational offerings with business, customer service and retail skills as well as conflict resolution and time management.
"In today's world it's also important that your curriculum is inspired. We cut a head of hair the first day of class," says Kohler. "While some would say that's a waste of a mannequin, it gets the enthusiasm flowing."
When it comes to finding great instructors, it pays to grow your own, says Whiteford, who maintains a successful instructor training program. "You want to identify people who have a lot of passion for the industry and the ability to bring real-life experience to students on the floor," she says. "That's a tough shift for some people who are successful behind the chair—you have to have a lot of patience and be very humble."
F is for Furniture, Flooring and Flow
Even more than in a salon, a school's furniture and flooring is bound to take a beating.
The Gary Manuel Aveda Institute purchased furniture from companies they felt offered the most support. "And, we use stainless steel on all possible services—it's so forgiving," says Whiteford.
For flooring, the school went with a poured cardecking composite that is used in hospitals and at Boeing. "It's green with black and yellow specks so it's not totally dark, but it's so effective—you can spill anything on it and clean it up," she adds.
The most critical design aspect in a school is flow. "Most architects have no idea how to lay out a salon, let alone a school—they just want to squeeze stuff in," says Whiteford. "We made sure our floor plan was well laid out and then we kept going over and over it."
G is for Going for Accreditation
Once an owner has launched a school, she should begin considering whether she wants to go for accreditation through the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences, says Gordon. While you have to be established for two years to obtain accreditation, you can apply for candidate status after your first year and begin working through the year-long process.
"There are many great schools that decided not to get accredited because it's such a difficult and expensive process," says Gordon. "But accreditation shows your school has met a number of standards on quality of almost
everything—the teachers, the curriculum, the lesson plans, the school's library, the physical plan, the methodology of education, grading systems and recordkeeping. It forces you to do the things you should be doing anyway."
One of the most important reasons to get your school accredited, says Gordon, is that it's a requirement for schools to participate in Title IV funding by the U.S. Department of Education, which allows students to apply for governmental student loans to pay for tuition. "If we want to compete for the best and brightest students and bring up the standards in our schools, it's the right thing to do," she says.
H is for Humor
An absolute necessity, says Kohler, who spent the past year putting together her school concept. "It was especially important once we hired people and were responsible for making payroll," she adds. "I relied on dear friends who'd opened their own schools to provide some enlightening humor during those stress-filled days."
I is for Income Taxes
Take everything you learned about taxes, profitability and cash flow in your salon and set it aside—schools are a whole new ballgame.
"You figure you've got 100 new students paying you $10,000 tuition, that's $1 million, right?" says Riser. "But that's not the way it works. Very few students pay you everything up front, and if they secured a loan for school, you're more than likely to get disbursements in thirds."
When students enroll in the fall and do pay tuition in full, they are paying in part for education they will receive the following year. Your books must accurately reflect that. "That can be difficult, because you can have times when you have a large amount in the bank, but little to show for it on paper," says Riser. "This is not a cash-based system like your salon—you have to hire a skilled accountant who reviews your books and financial statements."
Through his accountant Riser also discovered the 1098T form, an information form that reports the amount spent on tuition, allowing parents and students to write off a portion of their tuition fees. "I never would have known about it, nor would most of my incoming students or their parents," he says.
J is for Janitorial Services
Because schools are so large and, let's face it, messy, excellent janitorial service is key.
"We've been through three companies. It's such a big job and over time things slack and the place begins to look dirty," says Whiteford. "We've learned to be very diligent about discussing what needs to be done every day."
K is for Kits
Student kits include everything a student needs for class—an apron, shears, mannequin heads, razors, product and textbooks. Many schools maintain multiple kits, such as cosmetology kits, esthetics kits and instructor-in-training kits.
The bulk and the volume of kits lead to another school issue: storage. Even for Riser, who established his school in an old Masonic Temple that offered 30,000 square feet, "We used the entire third floor for storage and we're still running low. In addition to the kits, you've got printed materials, letterhead and so much paperwork that you have to have multiple filing cabinets. Then you've got to think about lockers for the students and a place for them to hang their coats. And when we have product delivered, it comes on a tractor trailer—our distributor loves us."
L is for Lawyers
There are so many rules and regulations that have to be dealt with in the school business, retaining one or more skilled lawyers is critical, says Riser. "We've hired three to deal with everything from reviewing our policies and procedures, to helping students deal with personal safety issues."
For example, when a number of Riser's students attended a hair show, they signed up as models. "While the manufacturers know better, they didn't give the students model releases," he says. "This industry is full of
photographers and you have to be aware of how images may be used and how to take control of it."
M is for Mindset
Becoming a school owner requires a shift in your mindset. "You're no longer in the beauty business; you're in the education business," stresses Gordon. "You must understand about different learning styles, learn what curriculum is outlined by your state, know what you need to do to be compliant in your state, and develop instructor lesson plans, as well as a full infrastructure of instructor training and support."
You've also got to adapt to a diversity of students—from the 18-year-old with a GED to the college graduate to the mid-life career-changer. "We're no different than other schools in that we're also seeing a higher percentage of students who have attention deficit disorders, bipolar disorders or for whom English is a second language," says Gordon. "And keep in mind, cosmetology schools tend to attract the creative mind—you'll need a combination of learning strategies to reach them."
N is for Networking
There's strength in numbers. "Membership in the American Association of Cosmetology Schools is a great way to network," points out Gordon. "Every fall, they hold a conference where an assortment of vendors specific to schools gather. There are also courses for owners, covering topics such as understanding your liability, how to get accredited and financial aid, as well as courses for admissions directors on topics from internet marketing and how to get the most from your marketing dollar."
In addition, connecting with salon owners continues to be important, since they will be your students' future employers. Riser hosts networking breakfasts, inviting salon owners in to meet with students. "I tell other salon owners that today's new generation of schools is producing amazing graduates that will help salons change their culture, upgrade their systems and effect real change. They'd better be prepared to change along with them."
O is for Office Supplies
One of the biggest surprises for Kohler was the number of times a week she runs to her office supply store.
"I drastically underestimated the amount of office supplies required to run a school, from the reams of paper to the paper cutters, the white boards, the laptops and LCD projectors," she says. "We were easily $3,000 over budget in this area."
P is for Parents
While a higher and higher ratio of cosmetology students have some college or work experience, there is still a strong percentage who are recent high school graduates. They bring another aspect to the school—the parent.
"For us, this comes into play during the admissions process," says Whiteford. "Many parents will come tour the school with the student. We'll take them around and introduce them to different team members, but we try to maintain the conversation with the students—they're the ones who buy into the school."
School owners must be cautious about how they communicate with parents. "If the student is 18 years or older, and all of ours are, then he or she is considered an adult and you aren't allowed to communicate confidential information to the parent—even if the parent is paying the tuition," says Gordon. "That can get sticky when a parent is inquiring about grades or calling in to talk with a child who hasn't attended class in several weeks. Before discussing any information with parents, we require students to sign a form giving us permission."
Q is for Quality
"Today's schools are teaching more than just technical skills," says Tricoci. "They're teaching entrepreneurial skills, best business practices, and customer service skills that go hand-in-hand with retailing skills. They are not just preparing future professionals for a job; they're preparing them for successful careers."
A quality school requires quality instructors. "It used to be the operators who couldn't cut it as stylists would become instructors. Those days are over," says Whiteford. "I want instructors who've been really successful at what they do but who have an innate love for teaching, a quality of selflessness and the ability to facilitate someone else's creative process."
Today's owners also are considering the quality of the prospective students. "You'll see candidates up and down the spectrum of ability, but what you've really got to study is their intentions, goals and commitment," says Kohler. "We'll begin to look at that by scheduling three initial interviews and looking to see if they show up on time, with their forms completed, prepared for the interview. You wouldn't believe the number of people who don't show and call several days later wanting to come back in."
R is for Retail
One of the biggest thrusts at today's new breed of school is the integration of retail training. Since most schools are aligned with a manufacturer, students are expected to learn the ins and outs of the line's offerings and how to talk about the products to their clients.
"Even the textbooks today include up to 20 pages of information on retailing, a real shift from the way it used to be," says Gordon.
The Gary Manuel Aveda Institute employs industry consultant Susan Papageorgio, owner of Inspired Learning, to help with retailing. "Her program helps us reach students at different levels: how to have a conversation with guests, how to educate guests on maintaining their skin or hair based on the service you just provided, and how to take advantage of retailing to boost your paycheck," says Whiteford.
Whiteford measures students' retailing success by studying their retail per client ticket percentage. "We encourage students to talk about their retail percentages and experiences when they are interviewing with salon owners," she adds.
S is for State Boards
You need to make your state cosmetology board your new best friend. "Of course the key to school ownership is following all the state's rules and regulations, which affects every aspect, including how many classrooms you have, how you build your student kit, your educator to student ratio, the number of hours a student needs to work on the clinic floor to graduate and how often you can start up a new class," says Kohler. "I have four three-ring binders with Arizona's state board regulations and I've read and reread them several times. We've also called to clarify points we don't understand."
Kohler took it a step further by calling the state board and asking if she could sit in on an exam. "I thought all they could do was say no, but they actually said yes," she says. "We were able to get a feel for what students needed to be able to accomplish."
T is for Truancy
Tardiness and absenteeism are big issues within schools, and each owner has to decide how strict he or she will be about it.
"When you have a job and you don't show up, you aren't paid. But students are paying you—essentially, they are our guests," Riser says. "On the other hand, you have a limited number of students you can accept. If one routinely misses class and takes longer to complete the program, it costs the school money."
Many schools establish overage fees for students who overstay their welcome, something that Riser is considering the next time he revises policy.
Whiteford maintains a tougher stand. "We view it as our job to make future professionals salon-ready. If an employer is expecting you to be there 98 percent of the time, is it okay to attend only 65-70 percent of the time? We don't want them graduating and losing their first three jobs because they continually don't show up."
U is for Utilities
When building a school, it's critical to accurately calculate its future use of electricity and heating and air conditioning. It's almost a guarantee your contractor will way underestimate the usage, because they calculate usage based on square footage.
"But when you've got 100 students, you've potentially got 100 dryers blowing, irons plugged in and several backwash units operating simultaneously," says Kohler. "I made the mistake of not having a dedicated circuit for each station. The first day we blew the electricity and I ended up spending an additional $9,000 the first week upgrading my electrical system."
"When you've got that many dryers operating 20 hours a day, you also really have to have the air conditioning to compensate," says Riser.
V is for Vending Machines
Sound inconsequential? According to Kohler, they're not. Originally she shied away from putting vending machines into her school because they seemed contrary to the image she wished to project.
"Our hours are 9 to 4:30 and we have only a half hour for lunch—after all, stylists eat on the fly, so we thought the students should get accustomed to that kind of schedule," she says. "We had to have something available on the premises and while a café would be nice, I'm not biting off more than I can chew."
W is for Washing Machines
Encourage a contractor to rethink the laundry plans, because you never can have enough washers and dryers.
"It all comes down to volume," says Whiteford. "We have 80 chairs and 14 treatment rooms, as well as the laundry from in the classrooms."
Since the amount of laundry correlates to the amount of hot water used in a facility, school owners also need to consider the amount and capacity of hot water heaters.
X is for eXams
Part of establishing a school is setting up a system for evaluating student performance, as well as determining which aspects you will evaluate. At the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute, students are evaluated in three areas: written lessons, special projects and the services they perform on clients.
The service evaluation alone would throw any salon stylist a curveball. "We have a checklist that grades whether they greeted the guest appropriately, conducted a thorough consultation and discussed the products they used," says Whiteford. "In addition, the cut itself is evaluated three times during the process and the guest is asked if she feels the result is in line with what she wanted. At the end, the student is given a pass/fail grade for the service."
While the Kohler Academy doesn't grade students on client services, it provides a thorough self-evaluation checklist that guarantees students don't miss any steps. "For example, it'll ask them if they properly prepared their space when they opened or if they greeted the client cheerfully and made them feel safe and comfortable," says Kohler.
Of course preparing your students to pass the board exam is one of your biggest goals. "At The Temple, we actually pay our students' board exam fees and if they don't pass, we bring them back and train them until they do," says Riser. "It gives us great bragging rights—our students have a 100-percent pass rate."
Y is for whY?
Think of the high school student who asks why algebra will be important in his real life.
"If you want students to follow you, you have to be able to answer the 'Why?' It goes back to our culture and why we do what you do," says Whiteford. "For example, if a student asks why we have a strict attendance policy, we'll tell them that this is exactly what salon owners will expect of you."
Z is for ZZZZs
If you're considering opening a school, it's critical that you try and catch some Zs when you can. "It goes along with one of the things we try to teach here," concludes Whiteford. "The first step in taking care of others is taking care of yourself. We start every morning with a wellness ritual, such as a stretch or a deep-breathing exercise. We want students to get in the habit of rebalancing themselves before they move on to the next guest."
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OJJDP Justice Reinvestment Initiative Performance Measures Training
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subset: commoncrawl


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Then, head over to the straps page and find one that matches your style. Guitar straps give you the mobility, freedom, and support to shred while playing a gig. All of our straps are adjustable so that you can find the best fit for you. Check out the new 2017 Jacquard straps that come in thirteen different designs, from Red Rose to Traditional Camo.
Customize and manipulate your sound with our volume pedal selection and slides page.There are seven pedal models to choose from to achieve your desired distortion. Also check out the replacement potentiometers as well as cord and spring kits to restore your pedals to their former glory after a particularly hardcore gig. If you are in search for a different playing technique to alter your sound, select from slides made from steel, glass, and chrome plated brass in multiple different sizes.
For everyday care and maintenance of your instruments, go to the instrument care products and pegwinders pages. Find cleaners, polishes, microfiber cloths, wipes, and the Ernie Ball musician`s toolkit to keep your guitar clean, shiny, and in tip top shape. The more you clean your instruments and strings, the longer they will last. Also find pegwinders to wind your own bass or guitar strings significantly faster than by hand.
If you are a beginner musician, you can learn how to play the guitar with our instructional books. If you are a more seasoned musician and want to create your own music, you can also find paper for music writing and for guitar and bass tabs.
If you are looking to accessorize yourself and showcase your love for Ernie Ball products, look at our apparel line that features our string packs, Ernie Ball eagle, and more. In the collection are shirts, hats, jackets, and even a clock to hang on your wall.
Once you find the strings that are right for you, we have all of the guitar accessories to keep them in top condition and more products to help you in your pursuit of the perfect sound. Find Ernie Ball accessories at your local music store, locations can be found on our Store Locator.


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Friends, Ramones, Country people,
It's 3.50 a.m. and I feel as though I've been sitting on the edge of death for these past few days. I'm lying in bed at the Hotel Forum, Pompeii, with the extinct volcano Mt. Vesuvius just 3 miles down the road. You look out the hotel door and there it is rising up over ancient Pompeii, whose citizens it slaughtered in their beds in 69 AD. Seeing their calcinated forms lying in prone positions of abject terror was not something I could lightly approach, and I needed a coupla beers first to still my poor poetic nerves! Children died right next to their mothers, and one woman is clearly crouching over her baby. Good to know that one old dude slept through it all in the thermal baths. Overcome by the fumes of death, his whole corporeal demeanour is one of deep dreamless sleep – though what he was doing there in the middle of the night when it happened is anybody's guess. So soon after doing the ROME WASN'T BURNED IN A DAY shows, it was really weird flying into Rome airport for a meeting with Fazi publishing about an Italian translation of HEAD ON – especially as the following days saw so much snow that the police saw fit to close many roads. But the volcano theme has been a recurring one these past ten days, and I couldn't help but wonder just how much such a living deity in one's midst would have informed the Palaeolithic and Neolithic peoples around the nearby islands of Capri and Ischia. My friend Angela Guarino has been doing all hard work, translating and locating hotels at the end of each long day. But the volcano thing has me mesmerised and a couple of days around the Eolian islands of Lipari, Stromboli and Vulcano certainly explained how pre-Christian is the phrase 'the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away'. Here were places that yielded up precious obsidian for Neolithic tools one minute and burnt your sorry butt the next. Caught in the volcano thrall, we circled around Mt. Etna for days trying to get a glimpse of that sucker, but the whole of Sicily's weather formations seem to change around 5 miles from its summit. Beautiful days disappear around Etna, reappearing only several miles later as the gravitational pull of this angry divinity is left far behind.
Meanwhile, Glenn Max at the Festival Hall enjoyed the ROME… shows so much that he's asked me to play there again some time in late spring. Dunno if that's gonna be possible with THE MEGALITHIC EUROPEAN schedule bearing down on me, but I cain't turn it down lightly what with the yawp created by Messrs. Dogman, McGrail and those confounded Skinner Brothers. Talking of Dogman, he's soon coming to the end of the current Spiritualized tour and we'll be recording his new band Dogntank as soon as our Snottingham paths can cross again. I told him I don't want any art just sheer unadulterated guitar gimmcrackry and stereo FX to die for… nay, to live for!
Holy McGrail and I have been holed up getting the maps together for the new book. Needless to say, his obsessional nature is such that we've already torn up THE MODERN ANTIQUARIAN blueprint and achieved something both archaeological and damned intriguing to look at. Me, I been gazing at those suckers for hours on end in my (ahem) copious free time and yooz gonna adore the hail out of them. The two that Aubrey Burl wanted to help me with have been held up because the dear man has been rushed to hospital! Being 78 years old is not all that it's cracked up to be, so let's all send out warmth and love to the Midlands, to the guy who has turned so many of us on to our truly ancient pasts.
Finally, check out the Album of the Month kiddies for a proper appraisal of Randy Holden's mega guitar burn-out POPULATION 2. I been threatening this sucker almost as long as the Temple of Bon Matin piece, so it's good finally to nail it all down, warts and warts and warts'n'all! I know I always try to write about new stuff but when it's as fine and lost as Randy's LP, U-Know we gots to shine several thousand watts of praise upon its multiply-achieving ass.
Okay, I'm out of here and I'm gonna get me some sleep. To paraphrase the new Ronald McDonald:
U-Know I'm livin' it!
JULIAN (M'Lud Yatesbury)


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An interview with our "Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark" Amazon Kindle anthology co-author Gaye Mack.
CyberLife Tutors: You are a co-author of "Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark. "What is it that you are passionate about?
Gaye Mack: Throughout my younger and later adult years, my life has been influenced by a variety of passions. Some have been transitory; others have firmly remained as I've grown older. If I were to identify the one 'umbrella' passion it would be exploration of those things that exist beyond our five senses and how we're affected by them as spirit in body. The pathways of my explorations have been varied; interest in cultures around the world, their spiritual and ancient healing traditions, experiencing them first hand and, always writing, writing, writing.
CyberLife Tutors: Why did you contribute this specific story to "Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark?"
Gaye Mack: If I've learned nothing else (but that's not to say I always 'listen to my own lectures' as a friend of mine is fond of quoting), it's the importance of trusting our gut, intuition, whatever term is comfortable for you. Listening to our soul's wisdom is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves this lifetime on our evolutional path and it's not easy because our ego always wants to be in charge. I felt it was important to share my own experience with this lesson and the rocky road I traveled to 'get it' (and still am!) in my own life.
CyberLife Tutors: Is this your first published book? If not, what other books have you published?
Gaye Mack: No. As I mention in my story, Polair Publishing- London, has published my books, "Igniting Soul Fire, Spiritual Dimensions of the Bach Flower Remedies" and "Making Complementary Therapies Work for You" (which has been translated into German). I'm also a contributing author along with Donald Neale Walsh, Irvin Laszlo and other spiritual pioneers, to "The View~Mind Over Matter, Heart Over Mind from Conan Doyle to Conversations with God."
CyberLife Tutors: What else would you to share with our readers
Gaye Mack: Currently I have two 12th century historical mysteries represented by my literary agent, Peter Miller of Global Lion Intellectual Property Management with the goal of obtaining a contract with one of the traditional houses, as I work on the third book in this series. I'm also working on a sequel to "Igniting Soul Fire, Spiritual Dimensions of the Bach Flower Remedies", which looks at the connection between Dr. Edward Bach's Twelve Healers and the evolutional karmic story in our astrological birth chart.
CyberLife Tutors: You have a special offer for our readers?
Gaye Mack: As an active practitioner and teacher in the Bach flower remedies, I do see people privately for evaluation sessions regarding the flower remedies. For those who are also interested in astrology as well, sessions may include some integration with this tradition; it's always up to the client. For more complete information on my Bach work, its best to look at my website or blog.
CyberLife Tutors: How can our readers contact you?
Gaye Mack: Find me on my website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Email me at gayemack at gayemack.com


text: Stick to the wall soldier! Your mission is to hold up papers, notes or reminders to anything magnetic! Be all that you can be with these Army Man Magnets. These army men are the same height as the toy army men so you can even set up battlefields on the wall! Back to your positions solider!


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Great Valentine ideas! My gf is going to appreciate them :)
That sweet, gentle ticking isn't the beating of your loved one's heart.
It's the clock, cruelly counting down the minutes remaining until another paycheck-draining Valentine's Day (ah, romance).
OK, so it isn't quite that bleak, but the average consumer is projected to spend $116 this year on V-Day gifts, up 11% from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. All told, Americans will shell out more than $15 billion on Valentine's Day items. But the reality is that couples don't have to empty their pockets in order to have a memorable, romantic day. (See also: Weird Things You Didn't Know About Valentine's Day)
There are myriad inexpensive alternatives that are likely to generate the same kind of spark and memories as that heart-shaped bling or a multi-course meal at a heralded restaurant. Here are just a few ways you can have an unforgettable Valentine's Day without breaking your budget:
Since Valentine's Day is on a Monday this year, it may be inconvenient to celebrate at the beginning of the work week. Likewise, most couples will probably make plans for the preceding weekend. Ask your significant other if it's OK to make plans for the following weekend. Also, after February 14 the corny gifts — chocolate, roses, teddy bears — hit the sales shelves.
Just because Hallmark and Zales advertise extravagant gifts doesn't mean you need to go big or go home. Pepper the romance throughout the day by writing notes and strategically locating them in your lover's pocket, car, purse, or lunch. Gifts can be cheap, especially when they reference inside jokes or show what you know. Mix CDs, scrapbooks, and photo collages are easy, thoughtful alternatives. For the less crafty and more traditional types, send a love letter via snail mail.
Seriously. No one needs to know. Use an online portal like Rate It All to hunt down great deals on, um, personal apparel.
Breakfast in bed is always a great choice. Try prepping a nice lunch that you can deliver to your partner's workplace on your lunch hour. Then, wow him or her with a stellar dinner. Gourmet food at home is guaranteed to be cheaper than going to a restaurant and comes without the hustle and bustle. Turn on some romantic tunes, dim the lights, and encourage nice attire to make it special.
It doesn't take tons of creativity to start a blog, and it's free. From now until February 14, post one or two sentences each day. Nothing needs to be poetry, but keep it genuine. Try by simply listing a little thing you adore each day. Come Valentine's Day, you'll have a list of sweet things to present to your lover. If you're willing to spend some cash, look for a digital picture frame. You can use a memory disk to load memorable photos.
No matter how appealing and convenient those commercials portray expensive gifts, put forth a little energy to save some scratch and deliver a romantic, meaningful gift.
Cliché it may be, but it's true nonetheless: So often, it is the thought that counts. Mimicking an advertisement doesn't require much thought, just more money.
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Our favorite frugal Valentine's tradition: heart-shaped homemade pizza and movie night at home for the family. Even the kids love it! Our other favorite frugal celebration is a candlelight at-home dinner with filet mignon, twice baked potatoes, some great dessert, and the kids eating up in the library upstairs. Works for all of us!


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Vestax VCI-400
The Vestax VCI-400 is a 4 deck controller. It has an integrated audio interface with balanced outputs (XLR and 1/4» TRS), two pairs of RCA inputs, and two XLR / 1/4» combination microphone inputs. The microphone inputs can be sent to the computer for recording and broadcasting. The RCA inputs do not have phono preamps and do not work for vinyl control. The VCI-400 requires its own power supply; it does not run on USB bus power.
This controller has been discontinued as Vestax went out of business in 2014.
Novo na versão 1.10.1.
The original VCI-400 firmware has a bug that prevents the sound card from working with Linux. Now that Vestax is out of business, drivers and firmware for Vestax devices are hosted on Serato's website. If your VCI-400's sound card does not appear as an available device using Linux, use the firmware updater on a computer running Windows or Mac OS X. This will only need to be done once and then the controller will continue to work with Linux.
Note that the VCI-400 and VCI-400 Ean Golden Edition are incompatible. Their firmwares use different MIDI messages to communicate with the computer. Unfortunately, it is not possible to switch between the VCI-400 and VCI-400 Ean Golden Edition firmware.
The VCI-400 mapping for Mixxx is based on the Serato Limited Edition overlay.
For regular use, make sure the "mixer select" switches are all the way to the left. If you move them to the right, the Play / Cue buttons will be used to select vinyl control modes instead.
Most of the functions are exactly as they appear on the overlay, and the overlay is very nicely labeled so that's the best place to start.
The four small buttons below the grouping of 8 buttons selects which mode the 8 buttons are in, either Hot Cues, Loops, Rolls, or Samples. Mixxx remembers which mode is selected on a per-deck basis, so when you toggle the deck-selection switches the mode may change. The button corresponding to the current mode will be lit so you know what mode you're in.
Button Modes:
In Hot Cue mode, the 8 buttons will move Mixxx to the designated hotcue. If you hold the shift button, the hotcue will be cleared.
In Loop mode, the 8 buttons will create a new loop at the current position from size 32nd note to 16 beats.
In Roll mode, holding any of the buttons will temporarily create a loop anywhere from 32nd note to 16 beats.
In Sampler mode, both sides of the controller launch the same set of 8 samplers. Holding shift will eject a sample.
Some of the buttons have special functions in Mixxx:
The Vinyl / Slip button. While pushed, the jog wheel is in scratching mode (similar to if you push down on the platter). If you hold this button while spinning the jog wheel, you can let go of the wheel and Mixxx will still be in scratch mode. Great for backspins.
The Param knob can be used to adjust the musical key of the current track. Twist to make the tone higher or lower. If you hold the shift button (3), use this knob to scroll quickly through the track. Pushing this knob will reset the key.
Shift button
Auto Loop knob. Twisting this will change the size of the current loop, either doubling or halving the size. If you hold shift (3), twisting this knob will move the loop left or right by 1 beat per click. Pushing this knob will enable or disable looping.
The Master FX button enables the 1st FX bank to be applied to the main output.
The FX Mode button toggles which effect is in the first FX bank.
Controls FX1 Parameter 1
Controls FX1 Parameter 2
Controls FX1 Parameter 3
Controls FX1 Dry / Wet
Enable/Disable Quantize Mode.
Enable/Disable Keylock
The four small buttons in the center, Area, Panel, Back, and Prepare, don't do anything. Neither does the sampler volume slider.
Some additional functions are accessible with the shift button:
Shift + Load to eject a track.
Shift + Play while the deck is playing does a breaking stop.
Shift + Censor does a spinback stop.
Vinyl Control Mode
If you want to use vinyl control instead of the jog wheels, you can move the mixer selection switches all the way to the right. In this mode, the Play button becomes a Vinyl Control Enable/Disable button, and the Cue button selects which Vinyl Control mode is active – Absolute, Relative, or Constant. The cue button lights up when Absolute is selected.
Note about VU Meters
There's a bug in the way that the VCI400 firmware works – although Mixxx can control the VU meters, the VCI's internal soundcard always also controls the VU Meters. This can result in an odd flickering effect that looks strange. For this reason, the main VU meters are disabled by default. If you've installed the firmware that allows decks C and D to act as pass-through mixer channels, you may see flickering there too.


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My first day in Australia I was starving for dinner, but it was only 4:30 and the restaurant in my hotel wasn't open yet. So I went to the "bar" (couches outside) and ordered some homemade bread with olives and this thing called dukkah—I had no idea what it was. The delicious, yummy, squishy whole grain bread came, and next to it was a little pile of some sort of seed and spice mixture. I quickly figured out that you dip the bread in the oil and then in the seed mixture and eat it. YUM!!!! I'm always shocked when I discover things in my travels that are so delicious and that haven't made it to the States. It makes me feel like a great explorer like James Cook—or better yet, Gertrude Bell or Isabella Bird (look them up for some awesome stories!).
This dukkah had a Middle Eastern flavor to it, but as I traveled around Australia, I realized there are as many versions of dukkah as there are regions of the country. At one health food store (the Happy Frog) in Coffs Harbour, I bought a dukkah that had sesame seeds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, almonds, cumin, coriander, and salt. But when I tasted it, I found it too salty and the sunflower seeds too…health food store–like. The best dukkah I bought by far was at the Royal Easter Agricultural Show in Sydney: It was called "bush dukkah" and included macadamia nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coconut, linseed, sunflower seed, spices, lemon myrtle, and dorrigo pepper. This dukkah is so good and my kids love it so much, I am going to order lots more and have it shipped to Pennsylvania. You can order it from barbushco.com.au. And it's organic!!!!
Of course, I had to try to make it myself. When I got home and googled it, I found that dukkah does have Egyptian origins. Since the key flavor in the Australian bush dukkah is lemon myrtle, which I don't think we have a substitute for here in the U.S. (but OH, what a flavor!), I stuck to the traditional Egyptian version.
The essential thing to know about dukkah is that it's about 2/3 nuts and seeds and 1/3 spices (or half and half), and each of those should be toasted separately and then merged. The ingredients can be ground coarsely (with a mortar and pestle) or more finely. It's a creative food-lover's dream dish! Explore it and experiment! It's also a good way to get some healthy seeds and spices into your diet—although I will warn you, turmeric will stain your cutting board and maybe even your dish.
Here is my recipe, but please try your own.
- ¼ cup macadamia nuts
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons coriander
- 2 Tablespoons fennel
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon turmeric
- 2 Tablespoons coconut
- Grind up and dry-roast the nuts.
- Dry-roast the seeds and spices.
- Mix together in a bowl
- Store the mixture in the refrigerator.
Serve your dukkah with great bread and awesome olive oil, and you have a perfect snack or appetizer!
By the way, the dukkah on the left in the picture is the bush dukkah; the one on the right is my homemade.


text: Big hair. Big heart. Big mouth. Barbara's goofy stage presence and vulnerably dark material have made her a staple in the Los Angeles alternative comedy scene. Oh and her podcast Britney's Gram also kicked off #FreeBritney, no big deal. She co-starred in seasons one and two of "Corporate" on Comedy Central, and has written for "Billy on the Street", as well as "Magic for Humans with Justin Willman" on Netflix. Her standup has been featured on HBO Max, Hulu, and Comedy Central. Her podcast "Lady to Lady" on the Exactly Right Network is celebrating a decade of podcasting this year and boasts over 10 million downloads. Described as "best adult sleepover you'll ever have" by Entertainment Weekly, the ladies host an unfiltered hour of pop culture discussions, embarrassing personal revelations, and questionable advice. Her other podcast, "Britney's Gram" went from a fun look into Britney Spears' instagram feed, to a true-crime-in-real-time viral hit with their episode #FreeBritney, setting off an international movement to free Britney from the conservatorship she's been placed under for over a decade. This led to a 10-part investigative podcast named Toxic: The Britney Spears Story, which was nominated for an iHeartPodcast award and won two 2022 Webby Awards.


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Connexion utilisateur
Saraiva Reader v4.1.2
Saraiva Reader is one of the most downloaded ereading app in Brazil.
Currently, there are more than 250,000 international titles and 12,000 titles in Portuguese, 200 of which, completely free. All titles are available at Saraiva's website, where you can download free samples before purchasing. Download the app for free, and enjoy the best experience reading your favorite ebooks, with all the comfort and wherever you are.
- Bookmarks, notes and text highlighting.
- Customize your reading experience by choosing the background color, font size, and either portrait or landscape format.
- Search inside the book to easily find your favorite sections.
- Tap on either side of the screen to turn pages. You also have the option to scroll both horizontally and vertically.
Discussions on Saraiva Reader
Reviews of Saraiva Reader
Great app, would highly recommend it!


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I spoke to Catherine Dunphy, Executive Director of the Clergy Project, at the Washington DC Women in Secularism conference end May about incorporating ex-Muslim imams and mullahs into the Clergy Project which is a confidential online community for faithless clergy.
If you are an imam and mullah who has finally seen the light, please get in touch with her. There have to be many – particularly since it must be hard keeping a straight face whilst speaking about peace and love (at least in English) when Islamism is slaughtering and terrorising left, right and centre.
Here are more details:


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Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
King Tut's Gold Throne
I came across this stunning image of from the back of King Tut's gold throne (left, c. 1332-1322 BC) tonight. Isn't it gorgeous? (Click on the image to enlarge it, if you don't believe me.) I love the striking, bold colors. And I especially love that Tutankhamun is depicted with the lil' Amarna-style belly that his dad popularized in Egyptian art (see the relief Ahkenaten and His Family, c. 1353-1336 BC, for one another example of the
This throne shows Tutakhamun being anointed with perfume by his wife, Ankhesenamun. I love the fine details in Ankhesanumun's robe, and I especially love that you can see the outline of her legs beneath the flowing material. It gives the impression that the material is very lightweight. (There is a little more information about this throne here.)
Speaking of King Tut, have you seen the reconstruction of his face? In 2005, National Geographic reported that scientists used 3-D CT scans to reconstruct the first mummy of the ancient pharaoh. Kinda cool, but also kinda creepy. Check out this image of the bust on display at the Field Museum in Chicago – it totally reminds me of the heads that the witch Mombi stored in the "Return to Oz" movie. Yikes!


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The bee's knees for detecting disease
Fire blight is a serious threat to fruit trees. Now a quick test has been developed at the Vienna University of Technology, which can indicate the danger early - with the help of bees.
When blossoms and leaves wilt and turn black, it is usually too late: the plant disease fire blight damages especially apple trees and pear trees, clearing the affected trees is often the only chance left. Within a single season, fire blight can destroy an entire orchard. However, researchers at the Vienna University of Technology together with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) have now developed a method to detect the disease very quickly. Bees visit many trees at the same time and so they bring the dangerous bacteria back to the hive, where a test station is located. A genetic test, tailor-made to detect fire blight DNA, then reveals if an imminent fire blight danger actually exists.
Bees as organic-sample collectors
Up till now, constantly monitoring a large orchard for fire blight has been practically impossible. This always involved manually collecting blossoms from all the trees and then examining them for the fire blight bacteria; and even then it could not be excluded that an affected branch had been overlooked. However, this arduous work can now be outsourced - to bee colonies that are already active around the blossoms anyway.
"Nowadays, bees are specifically located in many orchards to ensure adequate pollination," explains Heidi Halbwirth from the Institute of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Technology and Technical Biosciences of the Technical University of Vienna. The fire blight bacteria stick to the bees, they take the bacteria back to the hive, contributing to the spread of the disease. "Back at the hive, we attach small tubes lined with foil at the hive entrance, through which every bee must crawl", says Halbwirth. "If the bees have come into contact with the bacteria, then some bacteria are left behind on the foil linings." This bee monitoring method was developed in cooperation with the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES).
Quick test specifically for fire blight DNA
Already after just a few hours, the films may be removed and any bacteria present can be washed off. The washing solution is then subjected to a specially developed colour test, called the Blue EaLAMP, which examines for possible fire blight bacteria. "The liquid of the Blue LAMP reacts very specifically to the presence of the fire blight bacteria DNA," says Christian Gosch, who developed this test together with Heidi Halbwirth, Karl Stich and Thilo Fischer: At a temperature of 63°C, the DNA is replicated on a massive scale by a biochemical chain reaction, and if any fire blight DNA is present the liquid will change its colour from purple to blue. The method is extremely sensitive and a presence of just 20 bacteria is sufficient to be detected.
Up till now, one had to collect blossoms and send them off to a laboratory for testing. However, with this new test fruit growers and beekeepers alike can determine for themselves within just a few hours whether there is actually fire blight in the locality. Previously, as a preventive measure, antibiotics such as streptomycin were often sprayed in the orchards whenever a high fire blight risk was just suspected on the basis of the season and weather conditions. This quick test should now provide reliable information as to whether such measures are necessary at all, or whether the area is currently free of fire blight. The flight range of bees is up to three kilometres and that is large enough to enable the monitoring of ones own orchard and the surrounding areas which provide a direct threat.
This quick test of the TU Vienna has already been patented and it is to be noted that it is not the first patent that has emerged from the research performed by Heidi Halbwirth, Christian Gosch, Thilo C. Fischer and Karl Stich. In recent years, they already developed environmentally friendly fire blight control agents that can be used instead of antibiotics.
Provided by Vienna University of Technology


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Creepy Crawly
Looks around and Idles about.
Pit-pattering footsteps; vocalizations (on-click)
Found my rare right outside of Orgrimmar in Durotar. I was really lucky and found it as a rare on my second pet battle. I used a Winter Rageling (lvl 2) to fight it.
This pet doesn't have secondary pets during the battle, just the Creepy Crawly.
These share spawns with Dung Beetles.
They can be found all over Durotar, but that doesn't mean a rare version is easy to get. I battled almost 200 in a row now and still have to encounter a rare one. Only got a handful of uncommon so far.
Creepy Crawlies came in two portrait sizes, the standard one which is very small, mostly the same size any other beetle pet, and the giant one, whose picture in the pet's book is so big, that barely fits. Except for the descomunal size, both are the same model and have the same habilities. The small one has 6 more speed points though.
got the dug beatle 2 try to get the rare but took me 12 differnt battles to get a rare creepy crawly got a the creepy crawly beside the little camp with the goblion with the tinkers union
Found both rares for the Dung Beatle and the Creepy Crawly way in the back (westren) part of Northwatch Foothold. They were right next to eachother. (Hellscreem at 12:30ish AM)
I got mine in Drygulch Ravine and was lucky enough to get a Rare on the 2nd try...
I guess I got lucky, found a rare on my third try :) Was in the Drygulch Ravine, around 4:00 server time.
Has anyone gotten anything better than white or common quality yet?
I obtained mine just south of the cave outside Org.


text: Pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level.[1] It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472). Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.


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Real-Time Evaluation of Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative Contributions to National REDD+ Processes 2007-2010 Country Report: Guyana
This evaluation is part of the first phase of a real-time evaluation of Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI). As such, it is a major undertaking and the first of its kind for the Evaluation Department. The evaluation is conducted by a team of independent evaluators from the British company LTS International in collaboration with Indufor Oy, Ecometrica and Christian Michelsen Institute. The evaluation was initiated in accordance with the Evaluation Department's mandated responsibility to evaluate Norwegian development cooperation and motivated by the strong interest from NICFI to draw early lessons and allow corrections to be made in 'real time'. The primary purpose of this evaluation has been to develop a baseline for subsequent ex-post evaluations and to provide early feedback to the stakeholders and the public about preliminary achievements. As with any evaluation, the purpose is to provide feedback of lessons learned and to provide basis for accountability, including the provision of information to the public. The evaluators have been provided with a rather daunting task, but we believe that the complexity of the evaluation subject has been well captured by the evaluators. Yet it should be recognized that not all aspects of NICFI have been evaluated at this stage and that the evaluation is not intended to give the answer about NICFI. It should also be kept in mind that REDD (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) is a complex and moving target. We would like to acknowledge the efforts made and the cooperation rendered by the initiative's staff and their development partners. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of our external advisers who have commented on the draft reports. Our hope is that the reports from the first phase of the real-time evaluation will not only add to the experience and lessons learnt through this initiative, but as well contribute to an informed public debate about an important topic. Oslo, March 2011Asbjørn EidhammerDirector of Evaluation


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In developing economies, the "middle class" is usually take to run from $2/day to $20/day in consumption per person. By that standard, here's what Africa's distribution of income looked like in 2010:
The African Development Bank reports: "Recent estimates put the size of the middle class in the region in the neighborhood of 300 to 500 million people, representing the population that is between Africa's vast poor and the continent's few elite. Africa's emerging middle class comprises roughly the size of the middle class in India or China."
The increase in the middle class has been substantial in the last few decades. The middle class was 26.2% of the population in 1980, 27% in 1990, 27.2% in 2000--and then 34.3% in 2010. To be sure, a lot of this growth was in the lowest level of the middle class, those consuming $2-$4/day on a per person basis. If one looks only at the middle class from $4-$20/day, their share of the population actually declines a bit from 1980 to 2010. The progress here is obviously slow, but nonetheless seems real.
The middle class is important for a number of reasons. It creates a local market that didn't exist before for many goods and services, and can have a positive effect on governance. The ADB reports:
"Strong economic growth in the past two decades has helped reduce poverty in Africa and increased the size of the middle class. Although the growth in Africa's middle class has not been very robust, it has nonetheless been noticeable and contributed to increased domestic consumption in many African countries, a development that could help to foster private sector growth in African countries. Sales of refrigerators, television sets, mobile phones, motors and automobiles have surged in virtually every country in recent years. Possession of cars and motor cycles in Ghana, for example, has increased by 81% since 2006. As such, the middle class is helping to foster private sector growth in Africa as they offer a key source of effective demand for goods and services supplied by private sector entities.
The middle class is also helping to improve accountability in public services through more vocal demands for better services. The middle class is better educated, better informed and has greater awareness of human rights. It is the main source of the leadership and activism that create and operate many of the nongovernmental organizations that push for greater accountability and better governance in public affairs, a position that augurs well for creating a suitable environment for growth and development."
And here's one other statistic that jumped out at me: "The number of internet users [in Africa], which can be used as a proxy for middle class lifestyles, has increased from about 4.5 million people in 2000 to 80.6 million people in 2008."


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With the unique micro porous fabric that has been specially developed for the PLANT!T Dirt Pot, when the roots hit the side they will try to grow through the material and not circle around it.
As the root grows through and reaches the air, it is pruned and stops growing. It will now focus on sending out many secondary roots from the pruned root. These secondary roots will then also grow through the pot and be pruned and the same things happens again. Due to its breathable nature, it is important to keep the media moist. If the media dries out then the fabric can come away from the media. This then leads to a space opening up between the media and the fabric where water can drop down the sides and can cause a dehydrated plant.
It is recommended that you irrigate the top with a PLANT!T Watering Ring or drippers. The planters have reinforced seams and strength-tested fabric so they will not tear when supporting even the heaviest crop.


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With 2014 behind us, let's get this New Year off to a great start. We've spent the last few months shopping and giving to others, how about a gift for us? This one is easy to enter and would be a great way to get the New Year off with a bang…other than the fireworks!! 🙂 Hoping you have a great New Year and that you will be the winner! Thanks for stopping by, and I pray that your 2015 is a blessed one!
For THREE Days ONLY we are offering this Flash Giveaway!
One lucky reader will receive $50.00 USD Paypal Cash or an Amazon Gift Card!!
This giveaway is for THREE Days Only! Enter Now!
We are making it easy-peasy to enter! Just use the form below.
Remember, this giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on Jan. 4, 2015!
Tell your friends so they can enter, too! Good Luck!
If you have any questions about this giveaway please email Tina at email@example.com.
Disclosure: This giveaway is organized by Giveaway Booster.com. The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. We are not associated with any of the companies named above. No purchase is necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received. Must be 18+ to enter. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. My blog is not responsible for product shipment/delivery. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not.


text:
[…] It
brought to mind some lines I had found meaningful when I was in school from my
dad's cut-up cowboy novel Clear the Range:
Suppose then, he had been a quarter
of an inch
greater, the little tiger! In that
case, he'd shrink;
he'd be pestered by a howling cloud
of boy-wasps.
He would have been drinking free of
in the bar. He'd lie in a corner,
with a sack over
his face, and a pool of red flies
all around. For
nothing was easier than to drive air
through the
heart of the enemy.
Why were these the kinds of words I latched
onto? At various stages of growing up I was also adapting to what it meant to
do so without my dad. His writing was a lens I could use to gauge the
situation. It was tangible. It represented his voice but also his absence. The intuitiveness
of poetry (both in his and my own writing) was a vehicle I could use for
continuing our relationship. Our interest was behind the words. This was not
about education or aesthetic principles; this was about adaptation and
So I've been looking to make a book that
can carry this kind of information, that works as both a whole and as parts,
that might be visited from any point like a memory, that doesn't rely on
classification for definition, that feels infinite but remains brief, that
tells a whole story by showing a fragmented record. A place where I could store
intangible information while letting myself off the hook. For nothing is easier
than to drive air through the heart of the enemy. ("Foreword")
It would be
hard to not be affected by the forward to New York poet Edmund Berrigan's collection
of short poems and prose, Can It! (Letter
Machine Editions, 2013). I'm fascinated by the suggestion he brings forward that
writing is a connection he has with his father (the late New York School poet Ted Berrigan), as it would most likely also be a language throughout his family
(including brother Anselm Berrigan, their mother Alice Notley, and step-father
Douglas Oliver, from whom Berrigan borrows a quote as epigram for the
collection). What advantages or disadvantages might that allow for Berrigan as
a writer, over any other writer? It's a curious question.
Today is the
fifteenth anniversary of Ted's death, the same day Dave Righetti threw a
no-hitter for the Yankees. "Yanks Bop Sox" was the Post headline. You see the flashbacks a lot if you follow the
Yankees. The soccer World Cup games are in all the bars and conversation. Too bad
I don't care. I have to work at Spinelli's this afternoon, another day of
schlepping coffee for San Francisco's hippie yuppies. I hope the creepy guy who
hit on me then came in with his family the next day doesn't show up. The Fourth
of July. I drank a six-pack last night to celebrate and cut up an article about
The Movements
of Stars & Galaxies
The sun tries each day, but
the moment is
an illusion used by the
rotation. Yet the sun does long
with her
stars in our galaxy. We do
not see the
real motion, for it speeds
space, the whole family
along with
it. That includes us: where our
go, we follow
We, the real motion of stars.
The ancients believed that the stars
fastened the "dome"
of the sky. This
"dome" thought
the inside of a hollow
sphere revolved
around the earth.
Thus the
explained: it
was the "dome" of hat
not stars.
The stars were fixed in
positions, as men
observed. But
after men learned to serve
better, the
stars gave way.
Of my
of stars
change. Astronomers call these
changes the
rope motion of stars, even
for Barnard's
star, the test star. ("San Francisco Diary")
The title of
the collection comes from the entirety of a poem by Ted Berrigan, reproduced
and explained towards the end of the collection:
It was an
Alternative Press card from the 500 that Dad worked on in 1982, leading up to
his last book A Certain Slant of Sunlight.
The front had dad's scrawl on it from a felt tip pen, signed Ted Berrigan and
dated "24 Aug '82." There were blotches of white-out here and there. The title,
in quotes with a thick blue-inked line outlined in black underneath, is "Song
For The Unborn Second Baby." The message is centered, in all caps and with an
exclamation point[.]"
The collection
of pieces that make up Can It! is a
conversation with his father through their shared experience with and of writing—from
journal/diary entries to interviews to a short play—and Berrigan the younger constructs
a collage of twenty-five pieces around ideas of loss and being, memory,
influence and family, and what remains. Berrigan's book becomes homage to both
his father and step-father through short passages. As Berrigan suggests in the
opening passage, the best way to communicate directly to either and both of
them is directly through the writing. Further in the collection, the pieces
that explore the death of his step-father Douglas Oliver are especially poignant,
as he writes in the last line of the piece "Paris Diary": "Doug had come into
our lives and filled in some of the empty space. Now he was leaving." The strengths
of the collection are multiple, from the emotional content to the narrative
threads that ride deep throughout, and the breaks that exist between them
through the collage-aspect of the final text. Can It! is a book of memory, comfort and being, and works through
some difficult territory, from the loss of his father to the loss of his
step-father. In the end, this is a conversation Berrigan is able to have through
writing, and one that we should consider ourselves fortunate enough to have access
Forms drop above
a frieze drawer
On the Water Board
Matter is
Butterfly form drops leaves
in front and
rake them with fire
Once had in a
mask permanence
One of
questioning as being evolved from a sense
Butterfly forms
drop leaves above a frieze drawer
When I was
glorified questioning
Crossed the
enemy on the Water Board
Chose Matter
is eternal and still life Unproductive
Crossed the
enemy front and raked it with fire
Once had
glorified Once when I was Mask Permanent
Once of those
as being evolved from a sense
A frieze
drawer When I was on the Water Board
Matter is
eternal and unproductive
Crossed the
enemy front and raked it with fire
Once had
glorified in eternal and rake
Unproductive and
mask permanent
One of those
As being
evolved from a sense
a frieze
forms drop ("Frieze
What is impressive is just what Berrigan is capable of in the form of short passages of prose and poetry, the accumulation of short, sharp pieces becoming far stronger
than the sum of their parts, some of which can be read directly as short
fiction, memoir and literary history. Through wrestling, also, with some of his
own histories, it helps clarify some of his own distinctions, beyond any
association with Ted Berrigan, Douglas Oliver or anyone else. It makes me very
interested to see what Edmund Berrigan might come up with next.


text:
You enjoy life and embrace risk – when it comes to Pranzo (lunch) or the perfect evening, do you like to play it safe? Here you have the chance to reserve your favourite table. Just tell us when and where you need it and we'll make sure a place in one of our L'Osterias – and in our hearts – is waiting for you
book a table


text:
Heeding the advice of Gen. David Petraeus, Barack Obama has committed 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan and will keep 50,000 in Iraq after U.S. combat operations end in August 2010.
But are U.S. vital interests more threatened by what happens in Anbar or Helmand than in the war raging along our southern border?
Prediction: After all U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea have come home, there will be a U.S. army on the Mexican border. For this is where the fate of our republic will be decided, as the fate of Europe will be decided by the millions streaming north from the Maghreb and Middle East, sub-Sahara and South Asia.
Last year, 6,000 Mexicans died in drug-related killings in a war where the tactics are massacre, murder, kidnapping and beheading.
President Felipe Calderon has ordered another 5,000 troops and 1,000 police to the border. Primary target: Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso.
Some 2,500 federal troops are already in Juarez, where in 2008 there were 1,600 drug-related murders. Gun battles occur every day. Nationally, 45,000 army troops and police are committed to this war that Mexico is not winning. For, according to the March 3 Washington Times, the Pentagon now estimates the cartels field more than 100,000 foot soldiers.
The chief of police of Juarez just resigned after a cartel threatened to kill an officer even 48 hours if he did not. To prove its seriousness, the cartel murdered four cops, including the chief's deputy. Last year, 50 police officers in Juarez were murdered.
"The decision I am taking is one of life over death," said Chief Roberto Oduna. The chief would seem to have a point. In January, his predecessor's head was found in an ice cooler outside a police station. The mayor keeps his family in El Paso, as they have been threatened with decapitation.
Friday, the State Department declared, "Corruption throughout Mexico's public institutions remains a key impediment to curtailing the power of the drug cartels." Calderon retorts that, while the murders may be committed in Mexico, the cash and guns come from the United States.
With oil revenue down since the price dropped $100 a barrel, and remittances down from Mexican workers in the United States as the U.S. economy tanks, tourism, too, has begun to die. Beheadings in and around Acapulco have not helped. Warnings have been issued to U.S. college kids to avoid Mexico on spring break, as kidnappings for ransom are rampant. Restaurants and bars in Juarez that catered to folks from El Paso and soldiers from Fort Bliss are shutting down.
In February, in the resort town of Cancun, a retired army general sent to create an elite anti-crime unit was kidnapped, tortured and shot. Mexican troops raided Cancun's police headquarters and arrested the chief and dozens of his officers in connection with the murder.
Add a collapsing global economy to a losing war with drug cartels, and Mexico is at grave risk of becoming a failed state, a narco-state, with a 2,000-mile border with the United States.
How does one win a drug war when millions of Americans who use recreational drugs are financing the cartels bribing, murdering and beheading to win the war and keep self-indulgent Americans supplied with drugs?
There are two sure ways to end this war swiftly: Milton's way and Mao's way. Mao Zedong's communists killed users and suppliers alike, as social parasites. Milton Friedman's way is to decriminalize drugs and call off the war.
When Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs in 1972, Milton, writing in Newsweek, objected on ethical grounds:
On ethical grounds, do we have the right to use the machinery of government to prevent an individual from becoming an alcoholic or a drug addict? For children, almost everyone would answer at least a qualified yes. But for responsible adults, I, for one, would answer no. Reason with the potential addict, yes. Tell him the consequences, yes. Pray for and with him, yes. But I believe that we have no right to use force, directly or indirectly, to prevent a fellow man from committing suicide, let alone from drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
"Am I my brother's keeper?'" asked Milton, answering, "No."
Americans are never going to adopt the Maoist solution. For the users of drugs are all too often classmates, colleagues, friends, even family. Indeed, our last three presidents did not deny using drugs.
Once, a Christian America outlawed and punished homosexuality, abortion, alcohol, loan-sharking and gambling, all as criminal vice. Now, homosexuality and abortion are constitutional rights. Gambling and booze are a rich source of government revenue. And loan-sharking is done by credit-card companies, and not just the Corleones.
Will we raise the white flag in the drug war, as well?
Which is the greater evil? Legalized narcotics for America's young or a failed state of 110,000 million on our southern border?
Some choice. Some country we've become.


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Why Become an Instructor – Transform your and others' lives?
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined," said 19th century author Henry David Thoreau. When it comes to your career, it's easy to dream of the perfect job and workplace, but it feels more difficult to achieve it. Is it time to let your dream take flight?
If you dream of a career that is unique, challenging, fun and allows you to work in exotic locations, why not look to your favorite hobby – scuba diving! Not only does opportunity abound for those who become professional dive instructors, but they have the satisfaction of transforming lives by teaching diving to others, too.
A great place to start transforming your dream into reality is the PADI Instructor Development Course. This in-depth course is specifically designed to build your abilities as a professional dive educator.
The course is tough but extremely rewarding and all your hard work will pay off once you're able to teach PADI programs around the world. Plus, you'll build lasting bonds with your fellow classmates while boosting your confidence and refining your skills.
Just imagine the ocean being your office and exchanging your desktop computer for your scuba equipment. Your instructor education doesn't have to stop there, either.
You can acquire specialty instructor ratings in areas of interest, such as Digital Underwater Photographer or Enriched Air Diver.


text: With the Multimedia Metadata Ontology (M3O), we have developed a sophisticated model for representing among others the annotation, decomposition, and provenance of multimedia metadata. The goal of the M3O is to integrate the existing metadata standards and metadata formats rather than replacing them. To this end, the M3O provides a scaffold needed to represent multimedia metadata. Being an abstract model for multimedia metadata, it is not straightforward how to use and specialize the M3O for concrete application requirements and existing metadata formats and metadata standards. In this paper, we present a step-by-step alignment method describing how to integrate and leverage existing multimedia metadata standards and metadata formats in the M3O in order to use them in a concrete application. We demonstrate our approach by integrating three existing metadata models: the Core Ontology on Multimedia (COMM), which is a formalization of the multimedia metadata standard MPEG-7, the Ontology for Media Resource of the W3C, and the widely known industry standard EXIF for image metadata