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Five minutes with Mark Davis
The co-founder and creative director of integrated branding agency me&dave, Mark Davis, discusses the use of brand language and its work with Anco&co
What brief did Anco&co approach you with?
Build-to-rent (BTR) is a relatively new and misunderstood concept. DTZ Investors asked us to come on board to create a brand that would clear up any ambiguity and resonate strongly with the target audience: savvy 25 to 35 year-old renters looking for accommodation that's a cut above the rest. There was no blueprint for this campaign; DTZ Investors was looking for a partner that would deliver something unexpected. And that's the kind of project we love.
We were tasked with getting across that this is a 'hotel-style' concept. In addition to the self-contained apartments, there are communal bars, cafés, co-work spaces, a common room, cinema, rooftop terrace and a concierge service. We were asked to articulate just how big a gap there is between Anco&co and the regular private rental sector. Anco&co is all about building a sense of community; it's a bit like belonging to a club.
Why did you decide to go with a language-led approach?
Typically, pictures are king. So, how do we differentiate ourselves? Language helped us do this, and we were able to be more tongue-in-cheek. As a rule, you wouldn't start talking about a development as early on in the process as we did with Anco&co, but we wanted to make a bit of noise and pique people's interest ahead of time. Without giving everything away at once, we created a fly poster campaign based on the language of protest. Some of it was explicit, some implicit, and it got people talking. It was designed to look like the gig posters you see pasted up all over the area, so it blended into the urban landscape.
We wanted to move away from the predictable photoshopped images of 'what's to come' that you usually see on hoardings, and to speak the same language as the target market. Our campaign celebrates Anco&co's disruptive approach to renting and the advantages it offers.
How did you ensure that, despite the brand being bold and colourful and addressing a younger audience, it is still considered serious and professional?
Professionalism isn't about being corporate and dull or black and gold or navy! We always steer clear of the peculiar jargon of the property world – it's so stuffed with hyperbole and euphemism that it has been rendered almost meaningless. Our to-the-point approach works on a professional level – it focuses sharply on the benefits of BTR and is honest and straight-talking. It uses humour too. Real estate can take itself way too seriously.
What core message does the new brand aim to convey to its audience?
Renting just got good. Everyone has a horror story – the uncontactable landlord, the damp box room, the broken shower. Anco&co is the antithesis of that. This product is designed for renting. A lot isn't, which causes all sorts of problems. Our campaign frames Anco&co as a revolutionary proposition. Protest-style fly posters work well because it's about taking a stand against what renting has meant for so many people until now. No more substandard amenities; no more dragging your life from one flat to the next.
How does the new brand you designed for Anco&co differentiate it from its competitors?
At me&dave we're always trying to disrupt accepted approaches to property branding. In this instance, we came up with the name Anco&co to reference the scheme's location – Ancoats in Manchester – and to inspire a sense of community. But, if DTZ Investors chooses to expand into new regions, the brand can easily move with them.
BTR is misunderstood, but this bold campaign sets it up as being more like belonging to a members' club. The language-led strategy marks Anco&co out as different and better than the rest.
For more from Transform magazine, follow us on Twitter @Transformsays


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Garden Club Spreads Cheer
Jan 29, 2017 10:42PM
● By Elena Hutslar
Carol Nelsen, left, and Gail Sutherland distribute donated plants to hospice organizations.
Members of the Pleasant Hill Garden Study Club continued their holiday tradition of donating houseplants to homebound hospice patients. Thirty plants were given to each Hospice of the East Bay and Sutter Care at Home for deliveries to patients.

subset: commoncrawl


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Auszeit Neuseeland, the adult program of Study Nelson, is based in New Zealand. That however is not the only reason why we care about the well-being of people and the protection of the environment. We want to help! Therefore we donate a part of each application to non-profit social and environmental projects in New Zealand. Projects include the protection of endangered animals, the support of socially disadvantaged people, the care for children and youth and the conservation of the Maori culture. All so that New Zealand stays as eventful and diverse at it is!
WE CARE - We support environmental and social projects in New Zealand
We Care-Projects
Beach-Clean-Up: In cooperation with New Zealand's Department of Conservation our Study Nelson-Team spent a day cleaning a beach on Best Island near Nelson.
Haiti Earthquake Sanson-Rejouis Family Fund: A network of family and friends for the Haitian family of Emily Sanson Rejouis and her youngest daughter who are living in Nelson. The two lost their husband/father Emmanuel Rejouis and their children/siblings Kofie-Jade and Zenzie by the destructive earthquake in Haiti. The Study Nelson We Care Fund donated NZD 1000 to support them.
KO AU Kapa Haka Group: The group consists of 6-8 girls aged 9 to 19 years who perform the Haka, the traditional dance of the Maori. The group from Wellington have already performed worldwide, but would like particularly to encourage the youth of New Zealand to learn more about their own culture and preserve it. Study Nelson We Care donated NZD 250.
Nelson Region Hospice – Sponsor for the Day: Study Nelson We Care paid for a full working day of a hospital nurse at the Nelson Region Hospice.
Tree-Planting: The tree planting is held twice a year in cooperation with the Nelson City Council. Each of our Study Nelson high school students plants 2-3 native trees and is given a certificate. Planting trees helps symbolise the students' experience in New Zealand and their particular relationship with Nelson.
KIVA: KIVA is non-profit organisation that lends money to those living in poverty around the world, so that they can build a better life. By combining micro-financing with the internet KIVA creates a global community of lenders and borrowers. Study Nelson We Care is a consistent KIVA lender.
Light Nelson: Light Nelson is a round-the-year project culminating in a big event in winter. With countless light-installations Nelson then celebrates its talent, ingenuity, generosity and art. Study Nelson is one of the sponsors of Light Nelson.


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Phone: 503-823-3700
Fax: 503-823-3710
55 SW Ash Street, Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-823-3700
Fax: 503-823-3710
55 SW Ash Street, Portland, OR 97204
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSA) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products. Click here to find information on product recalls and search recalled products on the CPSA's Recall and Product Safety News webpage.
In May 2010, CPSA announced close to 40 product recalls. Several items were recalled because they created fire hazards - this included portable generators, computer notebook batteries, coffee makers, and remote controlled helicopters. Portland Fire & Rescue wants to make sure you're aware of the recalled products in May 2010:
Stay informed of recalled products by bookmarking or adding CPSA's website http://www.cpsc.gov/ to your favorites and check it often. You can also sign up on CPSA's subscription list to receive emails about recalled products. Visit https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx to join.
Keep you and your family safe and educated!
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May 28, 2010
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Trail cameras for wildlife monitoring
by Alex Payne on Feb.04, 2014, under Birds, Fauna, Information, Mammals, New South Wales, Tools and Technology
Using a motion sensor camera is a great way to get an intimate look at wildlife in your local area. With a trail camera you can observe animals in their natural environment, including shy or nocturnal species that you might rarely catch sight of with your own eyes.
Most trail cameras have an infrared flash to take images at night without disturbing animals and can be set to take single or multiple images or record video whenever the motion sensor is triggered. I have been using a mid-range camera for the last year and have found the following points will help improve the quality and quantity of the images you take.
Choosing a location
This is the most important decision you will make when setting up your camera. Water sources are always a good place to start and it is easy to have a quick look along the muddy edges for tracks that will give you a clue as to what species are in the area and how often the water source is used. Try to avoid areas where livestock congregate as a mob of cattle milling about can fill up your memory card pretty quickly!
Saving claws with traffic laws
by sean on Feb.03, 2014, under Information, Mammals, Media, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Wildlife accident awareness campaign for drivers in Australia.
Click here for full infographic.
Tips on reducing animal collisions.
This infographic was developed by Budget Direct.
Wildlife Secrets Magazine : Vol 2 No 6
by sean on May.21, 2013, under Fauna, Invertebrates, Magazine, Mammals, New South Wales, Queensland, Reptiles, Subscriptions, Tasmania, Victoria
Welcome to the May/June edition of Australian Wildlife Secrets. This issue is our twelfth to date and it marks the end of our second year! And we are excited that this is also our first direct-to-digital edition — our early birthday present to you.
The digital edition is available for computers, tablet devices such as the iPad, and smart phones, so you can read our fabulous wildlife articles anywhere, anytime! The digital version is fantastic value and can be downloaded either from the Apple iTunes store, if you are an iPhone/iPad user, or from ilovemagazines.com.au if you would like to enjoy the magazine across all devices, including PC and iPad.
Check out our website for details.
Our print edition is still, of course, conveniently delivered direct to your door if you are a subscriber and available at all good newsagents. And speaking of subscriptions, we have a brand new competition only for our print/digital subscribers. For your chance to join a fantastic seven-day expedition in Northern Queensland, working alongside the scientists from EarthWatch, all you need to be is a subscriber (new or existing) by 30 June 2013. See page 22 for details on how to enter.
In this issue we look at some of the amazing animals that survive in the harsh, white world of Antarctica. John Cooper takes us inside his incredibly built tower to peek at a family of kestrels. And we bet you haven't had a chimpanzee climb unexpectedly into your arms — well Fiona Mikowski did and tells about all about her amazing experiences at Ape Action Africa. There's also some fun Secret Sightings, like romantic Green Tree frogs, plus the O'Mahoneys snap some busy creatures in their Secret Shutterbugs feature. (continue reading…)
Wildlife Secrets Magazine : Vol 2 No 5
by sean on Apr.14, 2013, under Birds, Fauna, Invertebrates, Magazine, Mammals, Media, New South Wales, Queensland, Reptiles, South Australia, Subscriptions, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
In this issue we dive into the ocean depths. Every year those most enigmatic of animals, whales, traverse our oceans, often coming close enough to shore for us to view. Described as the 'greatest wildlife show on earth', the inevitable network of boats that races out to meet them is no longer doing so with harpoons, thankfully, but with cameras and binoculars! In this special we look at the top spots to see whales around the country.
Further afield, Tony Holland takes us on a classic African safari – to an exotic location where you will find a dramatic world of animals only seen in Australia in the zoo. In the wilds of Africa, in particular at the Maasai Mara reserve, the savagery and wonders of life are played out in our Secret Places special.
And back home Maggie Harriman tells us about the plight of a female Wedge-tailed Eagle that needed to be separated from her nest and brood due to a serious injury.
Get ready to scroll, pinch and zoom in on your favourite animals! Wildlife Secrets now brings all the news and features across the wildlife globe right to your computers, tablets and smart phones. This issue will be released digitally and our readers will soon be able to subscribe to the digital edition as well as the print edition. Our digital apps will be ready sometime in May and will allow people to download the current edition and past editions, as well as select from multiple subscription offerings. Stay tuned by following us on Facebook or the Wildlife Secrets Blog.
Our cover this month: Humpback whale breaches near Merimbula, NSW. Image: Wayne Reynolds
Zoology Mix and Match puzzle
by simon on Mar.20, 2013, under Birds, Competitions, Dinsoaurs, Fauna, Information, Invertebrates, Mammals, Reptiles
Match the correct science with the biology group!
|Butterflies and moths
|Animal behaviour
|Reptiles and amphibians
|Fossil animals and plants
Wombat out walking
by Tanya Loos on Feb.20, 2013, under Fauna, Mammals, Victoria
In Central Victoria our creekbeds are dry – and then after a day's rain – perfect for tracks! Pictured here are the heavy, flat-footed tracks of the Common or Bare-nosed Wombat. They have a distinctive, pigeon-toed gait, and you can clearly see their digging claws. Sometimes the hind-foot track overlaps that of the front-foot track, creating a large composite footprint – is it bigfoot? A yowie!? No – a Wombat! (continue reading…)


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Money Reels is a UK casino operator who strives to deliver the very best in gaming, regardless of what platform you're playing on and they really do reward you as a customer too.
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It's not just new players who will benefit from cashback at Money Reels though, with every player able to earn their own amount. By climbing through the five-tier ranking system, the more cashback you will be entitled to as a player, with the Legend tier producing a daily 10% cashback bonus. It's a great way to be rewarded as an online casino player.
The different tiers mentioned above are all a part of the fabulous VIP scheme which is open to players at Money Reels. It's not just cashback that's available though as players will also be able to earn themselves free spins and birthday bonuses.
Now, we've had the Mega Reel, but what about the Turbo Reel? The Turbo Reel is the biggest and best reel you can come across at Money Reels as all of the winning segments have been boosted to 50 or 500 free spins.
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Do you like pizza? Who doesn't like pizza, right? How about taking part in Pizza Club every Sunday at Money Reels and earning yourself some fresh pizza for free? All you have to do is log in and play and if you're one of the top 5 VIP's with the highest wagers, you'll get yourself some free pizza the following day!
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Don't forget to collect your trophies at Money Reels either as 200 of them will see you collect a free £10 Amazon voucher, while every 5 trophies collected puts you in with a chance of winning up to 500 free spins.
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Demi Moore Biography
Birthday: November 11, 1962
Nationality: American
Famous: Quotes By Demi Moore Left Handed
Age: 57 Years, 57 Year Old Females
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Also Known As: Demi Gene Guynes
Born in: Roswell, New Mexico
Famous as: American actress
Height: 5'5" (165 cm), 5'5" Females
Spouse/Ex-: Ashton Kutcher (m.2005), Bruce Willis (m.1987–2000), Freddy Moore (m.1980–1985)
father: Charles Harmon Sr.
mother: Virginia (née King)
children: Rumer Willis, Scout LaRue Willis, Tallulah Belle Willis
Personality: ISTP
U.S. State: New Mexico
education: Fairfax High School
Recommended For You
Hollywood actress, Demi Moore, had very humble beginnings and she once worked as a pin-up-girl after she dropped out of high school. She had a very disturbed childhood, her birth father left her mother even before she was born and her stepfather committed suicide when she was sixteen. After the incident, young Demi's life was full of hardships and her mother embarrassed her with a record of drunken driving crimes and arson. With an unstable family, she was left to fend for herself and appeared on the cover of an adult magazine. Still determined to pave her way in the world of entertainment, she did many odd jobs and finally made her debut with the film, 'Choices'. She later gained fame and recognition with her breakthrough role in the film, 'St. Elmo's Fire'. She has an estimated net worth of $150 million and is one of the most accomplished and well known actresses in the Hollywood, becoming one of the highest paid actress after her acclaimed film, 'Ghost'. To learn more interesting and intriguing facts about her childhood, personal life and professional achievements in the field of entertainment, scroll down and continue to read this biography.
Recommended Lists:
- Demi Moore was born in Roswell, New Mexico to Charles Harmon, an Air Force man; her mother's name is Virginia.When she was 15 years old, she relocated to West Hollywood, California, where her mother was employed with a magazine. There she attended the Fairfax High School.After leaving high school in junior high, she worked many jobs, including one as a pin-up girl and at a debt collection agency. She also attended drama classes.Quotes: TryingContinue Reading BelowYou May LikeRecommended Lists:
Recommended Lists:Career
- In 1981, she made her first appearance in the film, 'Choices', a low budget film in which she played a minor supporting role. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano, a Canadian director.In 1982, got her first major role in films with the horror/science fiction film, 'Parasite', which was directed by Charles Band. In the film she played the role of 'Patricia Welles'.In 1984, she played the role of 'Nicole (Nikki) Hollis' in the romantic comedy film, 'Blame it on Rio', which was directed by Stanley Donen. Her film career progressed after she appeared in this film.In 1985, she was seen in the coming-of-age film, 'St. Elmo's Fire', which was directed by Joel Schumacher. The film received negative reviews from film critics but was a success at the box office.In 1990, she starred in the supernatural romantic melodrama 'Ghost' The film was a major commercial success and her performance in the film was also highly applaudedIn 1992, she played the powerful role of a Joanne Galloway, a Naval investigator and lawyer in the film, 'A Few Good Men'.In 1994, she starred in the film, 'Disclosure', a thriller film which was directed by Barry Levinson. The film mostly received mixed reviews from film critics but was a financial success.In 1996, she starred in the film, 'Striptease', which was written and directed by Andrew Bergman. In the film she played the role of stripper Erin Grant.In 1996, she played the role of 'Claire Donnelly' in the TV film, 'If These Walls Could Talk', which ran on HBO network. The TV film was immensely successful.Continue Reading BelowIn 1997, she played the role of 'Lieutenant Jordan O'Neil', the first woman who undergoes training at the U.S. Navy Special Warfare Group in the film, 'G.I. Jane'. That year she also appeared in 'Deconstructing Harry'.In 2003, she was featured in the film 'Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle', which was directed by Joseph McGinty. The film was a major hit.In 2007, she appeared in the thriller film, 'Mr. Brooks', which was directed by Bruce A. Evans. The film was a commercial success and created a cult of followers.In 2009, she starred in the film, 'The Joneses', which was directed by Derrick Borte. The film also premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.In 2011, she was seen in the American black comedy-drama film, 'Another Happy Day'. Directed by Sam Levinson, the film received mixed reviews from film critics.In 2012, she appeared in the coming of age comedy-drama-romance film, 'LOL', which was directed by Lisa Azuelos. In the film she played the role of a divorcee, 'Anne Williams'.Recommended Lists:
Recommended Lists:Major Works
- She starred in the 1990 movie, 'Ghost', which was a commercial blockbuster that earned a whopping $505 million at the box office. The film was the highest grossing film of that year.She was seen in the 1996 TV film, 'If These Walls Could Talk', which became one of HBO's highest rated movies. The film earned four Primetime Emmy Award nomination and three Golden Globe Awards.Continue Reading BelowRecommended Lists:
Recommended Lists:Awards & Achievements
- In 1990, she was the recipient of the Saturn Award for the category of 'Best Actress' for the film, 'Ghost'.Personal Life & Legacy
- She was born as a cross eyed child and later underwent surgery in order to treat it. She also suffered from kidney dysfunction.In 1980, she married Freddy Moore but the couple got divorced in the year 1985.In 1987, she married actor Bruce Willis and the couple had three daughters together. They got divorced in the year 2000.In 2005, she married actor Ashton Kutcher but sadly in the year 2011 she announced to the media that she wished to end her marriage with him.Trivia
- This Golden Globe nominated American actress hired there cameramen in order to shoot the birth of her first daughter.This acclaimed American actress married a man who was 15 years her junior in the year 2005, when she was almost 43 years old.
1. A Few Good Men (1992)
(Drama, Thriller)
2. Ghost (1990)
(Romance, Drama, Thriller, Fantasy)
3. Mr. Brooks (2007)
(Drama, Crime, Thriller)
4. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
(Adventure, Comedy)
5. Now and Then (1995)
(Drama, Comedy, Romance)
6. Deconstructing Harry (1997)
7. Margin Call (2011)
(Drama, Thriller, Biography)
8. G.I. Jane (1997)
(Drama, War, Action)
AwardsMTV Movie & TV Awards
1994 Best Kiss Indecent Proposal (1993)People's Choice Awards 1996 Favorite Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture Winner 1993 Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture Actress WinnerTranslate Wiki to Spanish, French, Hindi, Portuguese
How To CiteArticle Title- Demi Moore BiographyAuthor- Editors, TheFamousPeople.comWebsite- TheFamousPeople.comURL- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/demi-guynes-kutcher-1211.phpLast Updated- January 08, 2018
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Also Listed In21st Century | 20th Century | Celebrity Names With Letter D | 20th Century Actresses | 21st Century Actresses | Actresses Names With Letter D | Female Celebrity Names With Letter D | 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities | 21st Century Film & Theater Personalities | 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities | 21st Century American Film & Theater Personalities


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viruses, worms, and other dangers to the internet
An article entitled How to Own the Internet in your Spare Time discusses some of the viruses that have been appearing recently on the internet, and how they could have been worse. The information being shared on that page is potentially hazardous to the health of the net, and comes as a warning that something along the lines of a "cyber center for disease control" is needed to protect the net. If you've ever received an email from a friend warning you about a hoax virus, you'll understand the need for some type of reliable centralized clearing house of information that most people are aware of and can check for information about viruses. (via the daypop top 40)


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Issue Identification and Appraisal
Back on the course trail again this week, a few weeks back, the task of tracking and reporting Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI) was given. Research has shown there are several ways to graphically represent these two metrics but which one is more informative. This week's blog problem statement is, "Which CPI/SPI graphic provides the best visual representation to management?"
Feasible Alternatives
Review of the Guild of Project Controls Compendium and Reference (GPC) Module 9.4 'Assessing & Interpreting Progress Data' shows two method/graphics; i) 18.104.22.168.11 Cost/Schedule Trend Report, and ii) 18.104.22.168.12 SPI & CPI Tracked Over Time.
The alternatives are:
- Target chart Graphic
- Line Chart Graphic
Develop the Outcomes for each
The graphics for both alternatives have been taken from the GPCCAR and are shown in figures 1 and 2 below.
Figure 1: Cost/Schedule Trend Report
Figure 1 is in the form of a "Target Chart" and the CPI/SPI point is plotted as an X-Y chart. Each Quartile has a message to tell, whether it is "Ahead of Schedule/Under Budget" or "Behind Schedule/Over Budget", along with the grouping of the data points to determine accuracy, precision and reliability.
Figure 2: SPI & CPI Tracked Over Time
Figure 2 is a modified line chart which provides the same information as figure one but the graphic shows separate lines for CPI and SPI.
For this blog, a format was developed for each model to show the comparison of the graphics. However, should either of these be utilized on a live project, it would be expected that the format be developed by the Project Controls Team for use.
Selection Criteria
The criteria selection for both models will be taken from W05 through W14 weekly reports. Table 1 below shows the information to be used.
Table 1: CPI & SPI Data points for use in Analysis
Analysis and Comparison of the Alternatives
Using the data points from table 1, the input for Feasible Alternative 1 "Cost/Schedule Trend Report" was performed providing the following graphical output.
Figure 3: Cost/Schedule Trend Report
Inputting the same information into the Feasible Alternative 2 "SPI & CPI Tracked Over Time" provided the graphic in Figure 4.
Figure 4: SPI & CPI Tracked Over Time
Both figures were developed from the same information but look different. See how the information in figure 3, the target chart not only provides the data points, it also lets the viewer (in this case, but on a project, it would be the project manager) see the accuracy of the information provided, and the precision of the data points which in this case are widely distributed which would suggest that the initial cost and schedule budgets were over generous.
Figure 4 does not impart the same message and if the reader was not aware what he was looking at, would glance at the information and move on. It does not have the same powerful message embedded in the graphic.
Selection of Preferred Alternative
The use of the Multi-attribute decision making process will allow us to build a small model to evaluate the best visual graphic that gets the message across to the reader (i.e. Project Management).
Table 2: MADM Evaluation of Feasible Alternatives
From table 2, the selection of feasible alternative 1 is evident, as the graphic is very powerful and at a glance the reader can determine the status and what needs to be addressed.
The author liked the information provided by the selected graphic that it was recommended as a "Dashboard Page one" graphic in Paper 3.
Monitoring Post Evaluation Performance
Closely monitor the graphic to ensure that it's use is being effective; the project controller needs to be able to review the graphic in conjunction with remaining float to ensure that the correct assessments are being made, and that management are aware of what actions need to be taken. Ensure that the correct model (feasible alternative) is being used to provide the information and status. Periodically review the graphic and the corresponding write-up to verify accuracy of the information provided.
- Guild of Project Controls. (2015, October 3). 9.4 Assessing and interpreting progress data | Project Controls – planning, scheduling, cost management and forensic analysis (Planning Planet). Retrieved September 2, 2017, from http://www.planningplanet.com/guild/gpccar/assessing-interpreting-progress-data
- 3.3.7 Multi-Attribute Decision Making – Guild of project controls compendium and reference (CaR) | Project Controls – planning, scheduling, cost management and forensic analysis (Planning Planet). (2015, October 3). Retrieved August 17, 2017 from http://www.planningplanet.com/guild/gpccar/managing-change-the-owners-perspective
- Inter-American Development Bank. (2013). Figure 10: Cost vs schedule performance, 2013. Retrieved from deo.iadb.org/2013/en/tools/measuring-effectiveness/
- (2012, July 23). W#07_Ros_Project Performance Report | mahakam2012 [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://mahakam2012.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/w07_ros_project-performance-report/


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Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Day 1 @ Magic Kingdom
What a wonderful, magical, dream-come-true vacation trip-of-a-lifetime!!
Disney World was that and SOOO much more! I hoped to capture some of the magic, the fantasy, the wonderment. But as you well know... you just had to be there!
First of all, Day 1 was THE coldest day, THE deepest freeze that Orlando has seen in many, many years! How cold you ask? Well, 3 shirts, a sweatshirt, jacket, scarf, gloves and hat COLD! But we literally moved non-stop from the moment the Magic Kingdom Park opened at 9 AM till midnight! Thank God the next three days were much warmer.
The biggest surprise at Magic Kingdom was... CINDERELLA'S CASTLE! Oh my gosh, it was simply breathtaking! We could not seem to take enough pictures, as we endeavored to somehow capture its beauty and grandeur.
Our other favorite... the Haunted Mansion. (waaay better than the one at Disneyland) Very dark and haunting. We went on it three times! Sooo much fun!
And of course, who doesn't love the Peter Pan ride! Love, LOVE that ride! And love that I got this pic of Miranda and Tyler taking off to Neverland!
Miranda has had her picture taken with most of the Disney characters over the years but was especially thrilled to get this one of her and Peter! (Wendy wasn't too keen on being excluded from the pic, but Miranda was just glad Tink was no where to be found)
Did you know how much I'm like Tink? Yup, everytime I take that Disney character test, I am most like TINK!
Just so you know, Cinderella's Castle changes colors all night long! THE MOST GORGEOUS COLORS EVER!!
Miranda was able to witness the lighting of the Castle that evening. What a thrill to see the changes as the sky darkened. And the Fireworks Closing Ceremony is so emotional! I had tears pouring down my face by the end of the show!
Miranda shot this image of the Castle just as it went from this gorgeous aqua to the prettiest of pink.
We had a total stranger take this family shot of us (love how it turned out!) and yes, we were freezing but we were so warm and fuzzy inside cuz, hey, we're in the Happiest Place on Earth!
But let me tell you what, we were sure happy to get back to our warm hotel room that night and fall fast asleep under piles of warm, fluffy covers.
Check back for Day 2 in Epcot!
7 comments:
- Judy said...
How fun! I've only been there with little kids...but it looks like it might be fun going with big kids too!
- Lori said...
Oh how I love Disney!! Were heading there the first weekend of April! Two years ago we were there for a week! And it was so hot!!!! Epcot!!! Our absolute favorite of all of Disney! Hope you get to ride the fast track ride it's so much fun! Lori
- Jan said...
I have three daughters who live in Orlando and I haven't been to Disney World since 1980!!! *lol* Thanks for the magical tour! Can't wait to see more!
- karlascottage.typepad.com said...
The Haunted Mansion was my favorite there too, I loved the halograms!
- Skerrib said...
I still like Disneyland the best. ;)
- NanAZ said...
Looks like you had a blast. Can't wait to hear more. I'm glad you're home though. Missed you all. See you tonight!
- PAMTASTIC! said...
thanks so very much for sharing the WDW highlights! if I'm not on flicker or my blog, i'm over on mousebuzz.com reading/viewing everyone's trip reports so your blog has been the best of both worlds!


text: SEMPRA ENERGY LAUNCHES ANNUAL GRANT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS DAY Sempra EnergySDG&EveteransNews Source: SDG&E Photo: Sempra Energy headquarters in downtown San Diego. Courtesy of Sempra Energy November 12, 2018 (San Diego) - Sempra Energy is launching an annual charitable-contribution program for Veterans Day to benefit support organizations for veterans and their families, with the inaugural grant of $20,000 going to the Gary Sinise Foundation. Read more about SEMPRA ENERGY LAUNCHES ANNUAL GRANT PROGRAM FOR VETERANS DAYLog in or register to post comments


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I'm DARN proud
I delayed solid foods until she was six months old. I've made every food my daughter has eaten from scratch. Everything from her purees to her meatloaf. I make sure everything is fresh , soy free, dairy free, nut free, fish free and gluten free. She STILL wont take a bottle but that's ok with me. She wants her mommy milk directly from the mommy and her mommy would have it no other way.
As I sit in my glider holding the most amazing person I know how lucky I am and I thank the Lord for blessing me with this child.
Christmas 2014
All in all Kennady had a great first Christmas. I'm trying to cherish every moment with Kennady. Lord knows where we will be or what will happen next year. I must admit that I love being Kennady's only parent. I get to experience all of her firsts. Just she and I :)
So we went to court
On the 15th of December we had our child support hearing. I appeared via the phone due to being a breastfeeding mom. It's funny during the hearing my daughter was in fact nursing. I knew I couldn't leave her for hours to go to court. That and her donor dad scares the shit out of me. So yeah I was awarded child support. The exact number isn't really important but it was well over what he wanted to pay. They asked if I agreed with a lower payment, I didn't. He claims he pays his daughter's mother X amount a month. This MIGHT be true but he also provides , clothes , shoes , schooling, co-pays for her medical visits and a whole lot more for her. He provides NOTHING to Kennady. I told the judge I had received nothing. Donor dad asked for leniency in terms of what he has to pay. I said no as did the judge. Then he stood there and LIED to the court. He LIED and said he had no idea how to see Kennady. I have had the same number since I was 19 years old. This is the same person who called said number a week ago. I was trying to FaceTime with my friend Danielle and it called Donor Dad by accident. So he called back and literally said "did you call me on accident?" Not ONCE did he ask how Kennady was. Not once did he ask to see her. THEN to get up in court and LIE like that?! Tho I'm not sure why that shocked me. I wish I could say the amount makes me happy but it doesn't. Now I have to worry about this lunatic trying to take my child because he wants to pay less child support.
I don't think he fully understands how much he fucked himself. I NEVER once asked for cash in hand. I know how he talks/talked about his daughter's mother behind her back when it came to child support. I wanted to avoid that. I said "Buy some diapers and wipes." He asked what kind and size. I told him and he never did anything. I said pay off your half of her furniture. He never did that either. Not ONCE did I say give me money. He made the choice to do nothing.
He's going to try to make me out to be the bad one but the fact remains he walked away from his sick child. He left her in the NICU and never came back. He didn't even bother to call the entire time she was there. Hell the day I gave birth he didn't even bother to have his phone with him just in case. He has never cared about her. WHO can look at pictures of their child in the NICU with tubes, IVs and O2 and just never come back? What kind of human being does that?
Oh and he lied about saying he'd quit his job if the payments were over a certain amount. HE SAID IT!!! HE SAID IT TO ME!!! HE'S A LIAR!!!! Again not sure why I'm shocked. Now to wait and see what happens. At this point I don't even want the child support. I'd agree to hand it right back to him if he just went away and never came back. *sigh*
How do you see these pictures of YOUR child, leave and never come back? I remember the feel of the plastic of her isolette, the sound it made when they opened it to get her out. The wires and how I couldn't move too much without pulling them. The roughness of the tape on her arm then on her foot. The tape that held her IVs in place. The feeling of my heart dropping when the alarm on the machine would go off and the red light on top would flash. That was a bad sign. She could have died.
* Sorry if this post is all over the place. I'm pretty upset over the whole thing*
Ho Ho Ho
I finally got a chance to take Kennady to see Santa. We made a whole day of it. We went to Town Square for the Mrs. Claus event. At 2:30pm we got to make a stocking with Mrs. Claus. There were cookies and hot chocolate for everyone. Of course Kennady didn't have any of that but maybe next year. After we were done with that we dropped the stocking off at the drying station and headed for the mall's train. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes it was our turn. Kennady wasn't too fond of the train when we first got on. She was a bit hungry and tried nursing ON THE TRAIN!!! I figured I wouldn't "offend" the others in the train car by whipping out my boob in the middle of a kiddie train ride so I waited. The train started to move and Kennady's face lit up. It was awesome to see. Half way through the ride she started waving at people as the train passed them. Like she was the queen of England or something. She's such a ham. I love it! After the train ride we went to The Sugar Factory for lunch. I had a Garbage Salad and a s'mores hot chocolate. Kennady sat in a big girl high chair all by herself. It was bitter sweet. She's getting so big so fast. She's 9 months old already. During lunch I got a text message saying it was our turn to come to Santa's house for pictures. Santa is quite high tech now. You sign in via mobile device and they text you when it's your turn to go. Off to Santa's house we went. She did really good with Santa. She didn't cry or anything. I even got to be in a picture with her. It was a fun mommy and daughter day. The Mrs. Claus event only cost $10. For $10 we got to make the stocking, ride the train ,take pictures with Santa and got a free 5x7 photo.
Mrs. Claus experience $10
Lunch : $22
Seeing your baby with Santa for the first time: PRICELESS!
So far it seems to work pretty well. One thing that freaked me out was I turned on the monitor then went to change the baby. DON'T DO THAT!!! It lets off this screeching alarm which is a good thing if your baby stops breathing but a bad one if you're just changing her diaper. Now when I take her out of her bed I make sure to turn the monitor OFF of sound and motion and just leave it on sound. Leaving it on sound is easier than powering the whole thing off. To power it off you have to hold the power button for a second and at 3am with a crying baby it's just easier to flick the switch to sound only to avoid the alarm going off. The nursery unit also has a really cool night light on it that has come in very handy. The parent handset is nice. It has lights on it that indicate power and sound. You also have 3 separate channels to pick from for your signal. The motion part of the monitor beeps to show that the baby is still breathing. If the baby stops breathing the alarm sounds through the parent handset and the nursery base. Having the alarm sound in two different locations is great. The parent handset runs on 3 AAA batteries. It came with rechargeable batteries so that's always good. I already have a battery charging unit so it all worked out. I'm a huge believer in rechargeable batteries when you have kids.
For less than $100 it was well worth it for a bit of piece of mind.
I also went ahead and bought a video monitor. It was on sale at Babies R Us for $49.99. I figured for $50 I'd try it out and see how it worked. It works good. The picture quality isn't that great but it does what it needs to do. You have to put it pretty far away from the baby to get a nice shot. The cord is also quite short so if where you want to place the monitor isn't right on top of the outlet you'll have to get an extension cord which I'm not sure would even be safe. I would suggest against that. The battery in the parent unit is quite weak. The longest I've gotten it to last before it died was an hour and a half at the most. The cord for the parent unit is also very short. Seeing that it has to be plugged in for extended use a short cord isn't always a good thing. Overall this is a good monitor. The sound is clear and doesn't tend to cut out even with my AngelCare monitor plugged in next to it. For the price it's not a bad deal.
It seems I have traded staring at a machine in the NICU for listening to the beeping sounds coming from Kennady's monitor telling me she's still breathing. It's hard to not be worried about her all the time.
Inza <3
Happy Thanksgiving
I have so much to be thankful for. I have a loving family and the most amazing daughter ever. The road may not be easy but I am overly thankful for being able to take this journey with Kennady and my family.
I hope everyone has an amazing day filled with love and good food.
<3 Inza and Kennady
I <3 her pictures
Baby's first Christmas Ornament
Check out Bits Of Joy!
Christmas pictures
WAHM ~ Online Juror
Have you ever wanted to be a juror , get paid for it AND do it from the comfort of your own home? Here is your chance. www.onlineverdict.com is always looking for online jurors to try their cases in front of before they go before a "real" jury in a court of law. Think of it as a mock trial of sorts.
Here's how it works:
- Attorneys submit their case information and questions for the jury on the OnlineVerdict.com website.
- As an eligible online juror you may be asked to review cases that are filed in your county or federal district. You will receive an email invitation from OnlineVerdict.com to review the case at your convenience, but once enough responses are received, the case will close and no additional participants are needed.
- Your email invitation will provide a link to the OnlineVerdict.com website. After you log in you will be directed to the case and asked to agree to the confidentiality policy, review the case materials and answer all questions about that case.
There are no right or wrong answers. We are only looking for your honest reaction to the information that was presented to you. Your time commitment for each case will vary from 20 minutes to 1 hour depending on the details of the case, but you always have the option to choose which cases you want to review. The estimated time commitment for each case will be included in your email invitation.
- After you complete a case you will be paid for your time. Payment amounts vary depending on the complexity and length of the case you review, but payments start at $20 per case and can go up to $60 per case. Checks are mailed once a month to the address you have on file in your OnlineVerdict.com account. The number of cases you may be asked to review will also vary depending on the number of attorneys in your area who are using this service.
To answer the age old question YES this is legit. If you follow the rules and do everything you're supposed to do YES you will get paid.
Happy Juroring (is that even a word? lol)
This has been a big week in our lives. On 11/13/14 Kennady said her very first word. It was mom! She was standing in my lap looking directly at me and out of the blue she yelled MOM! As clear as day. My mom and I started screaming with excitement. Kennady looked at her grandma then looked at me stuck out her bottom lip and began to cry. We scared her. Ooops!! I wont lie I was afraid her first word would be something else. I know it seems silly but every mom wants their child's first word to be mom. When you're the one who takes care of this beautiful little person you want them to call your name first. I'm super blessed that she looked at me and called my name before anyone else's. Granted I don't think Kennady will be saying it again anytime soon since we scared the daylights out of her but hey once was enough for me…. for now.
My mom said the nicest thing
We were at Gymboree today talking to Kennady's teacher Miss Lindsiee about the hand print turkey Kennady had just made. Let me back track, on Saturday I took Kennady to the Babies R Us "Baby's First Christmas" event for babies born between November and March. We made adorable hand print reindeer ornaments. I also got myself a Christmas gift. I got mine and Kennady's hand prints done by a company called Tiny Impressions. I'm very excited. So anyway back to my mom, she was telling Miss Lindsiee about how I try my hardest to expose Kennady to everything for babies. It may not seem like much but from MY mother that's a high five. At least she notices the effort I'm putting in to make sure Kennady can do and see everything. Just because I'm a single mom doesn't mean my child has to miss out on anything. I try really hard and it was just nice that someone noticed that I'm trying. It feels good. Kennady is my world.
How many brands do you see?
1. My Bugaboo Stroller ~ Now this stroller was on my wish list since before I got pregnant with Kennady. I love the versatility of this stroller. It comes with the bassinet and a toddler seat. It took me a few weeks to get used to opening and closing it. You have to take it apart in order to fold it BUT after you get used to it it's pretty easy. Kennady is a tiny baby so the seat belt in the Bugaboo isn't the best. It's way too big and of course I didn't notice this until we got to the farm the other day. She didn't try to get out so it wasn't too big of a problem.
2. Skip Hop Stroller Toy – I got this about an hour before going to the farm the other day. Kennady is used to having toys to play with while she rides in her infant car seat. I figured I'd heard so many good thing that I might as well run and pick one up before we went on our Gymboree mom outing. It attaches via velcro onto any stroller bar. Kennady loves loves LOVES it. It has a mirror, rattle , soft toy and crinkle toy. It's very well constructed. Kennady tugged, chewed and beat on it all day. Well worth the $20
3. JuJuBe BeHip Bag – I went all the way to Costa Mesa California to get this bag and let me tell you it was well worth the trip. The inside is a shiny silky pink that wipes down very easily with a baby wipe. I like this bag because it's a longer bag and very roomy. For me a longer bag works better a lot of the time. My much larger and much wider Coach diaper bag is great for travel but a day trip doesn't require such a large bag and it tends to get in the way. The BeHip has an adjustable strap with a padded shoulder. The best perk is it's machine washable. This is my new go to bag.
4. SkipHop Stroller organizer – Now this is my favorite. There is no basket or anything on the Bugaboo to put your cell phone or cup in. I went looking for something cute and found the SkipHop Stroller organizer. It has a spot for two cups or bottles plus a spot in the middle for just about anything. I put my cell phone in the middle compartment. THEN there is this cute zipper pouch on the front. I call it the mommy pouch. You can put your cash, ID and anything else you need in there. Now here's the fun part the pouch ZIPS OFF!! That's right it's like a mini mommy purse that you can take away from the stroller with you. The quality of the fabric is amazing. It easily wipes off with a baby wipe
So far I haven't gotten anything from SkipHop or JuJuBe that I don't just love. With as much research and hands on testing I did with the Bugaboo I knew I'd love it.
My JuJuBe Haul
I totally forgot to tell everyone about the awesome sale I went to…sorta. The company JuJuBe had a really cool warehouse sale. The company was moving so they had to get rid of a lot of inventory quickly. I'm still new to the JuJuBe world but I'm a sucker for a deal on good products. My friend Laura is a total JuJuBe girl so I figured since she's been so nice to Kennady and I that I'd go and pick her up a nice BRB bag. So here's where my plan went haywire. The JuJuBe sale was on a Friday I read it wrong and showed up at the warehouse on SATURDAY!!! Yes, I showed up on the wrong day!!! Thankfully when I got there there was a man there still dealing with the left over inventory and he let me in to shop!! Oh did I mention that we drove 60 miles to get there?!?! Yeah mommy brain in full effect. Sadly they didn't have anymore BRB bags for Laura but I did get her and her mom two sets so at least I was able to get her something nice. Lets run down my haul shall we?!
3 JuJuBe Sets
1 Memory Foam changing pad
1 JuJuBe Be Hip Bag (the brown and pink)
1 JuJuBe Be Thrifty Wallet (for my mom)
1 JuJuBe Mighty Be (black with pink)
The even cooler thing was the man who was still at the warehouse gave me an even better deal than what was listen on the price list. I got 7 items for $70 !!!
I didn't get the bag that I was after but I got (to me) even cooler stuff. The quality of these bags and pad are amazing AND total mommy perk everything can be tossed in the washing machine!! YES!!!! As a mom to an almost 8 month old I think everything should be machine washable. I think I am now a JuJuBe addict. I want all the cool prints now. The quality is worth the extra money.
A day at the farm
Yesterday started off pretty craptastic but I'll explain more about that another day. Kennady , my mom and I ended the day by going to a farm with the Gymboree moms. Now I'm a California girl born and raised. I don't don't do farms. The kind of farms I do are setup in parking lots during Halloween with a horse , some hay and a few hundred pumpkins. So I was thinking this would be much the same. NO, NO it wasn't. This was a real life ranch. Chickens, horses and flies OH MY!!! First we took some professional pictures with the ranch's photographer then we walked around looking at and feeding all the animals.
When we first got there I was thinking OMG what was I thinking bringing the Bugaboo stroller to a ranch with poop all over the ground?! I met up with the rest of our group and saw that I wasn't the only one with a pricey stroller in the horse muck. I felt not so stupid after that. Kennady had fun. She saw a bunch of animals she'd never seen before and even touched the horse. She giggled and smiled. It felt great to see her smile seeing that hours earlier she was screaming and upset.
My mom and I were standing around waiting because the moms had said they wanted to take a group picture with all the babies. So we waited and waited and waited. Finally my mom said well lets head home. I said ok. As we are walking out we saw all the moms standing near the front. They had already taken the group picture without Kennady. I was kinda sad. I know she'll never remember any of this stuff but for right NOW she's happy and enjoys it. So her not being in the group picture kinda bummed me out. Thankfully I took a ton of pictures on my own.
The ranch is open year round for free. When she's a bit older I am for sure going to take her back.
Thank you McKee Ranch!! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pumpkin-Patch-at-the-McKee-Ranch/155899237836214
Pissed as hell
It's almost 3am and here I sit. I have been ordered by the court to take my beautiful baby girl to the lab today and have her tiny little mouth swabbed for a DNA test. I didn't think it would piss me off. After all I have nothing to hide and I agreed to it. The only reason I agreed to it was because I saw and heard the horrible things the donor would say about his daughter's mother. Things about how he didn't even know if the kid is his and that she was some sort of "slut". Mind you these things were said in FRONT of his daughter. His claim now is that he had the daughter DNA tested without the consent or knowledge of the mother. THAT IS NOT OK WITH ME!!! What kind of piece of shit does that??!?! Oh wait the kind I reproduced with.
I'm pissed because I'm NOT the kind of person who doesn't know who her child's father is. I'm pissed because I was never a cheater. I'm pissed because I feel like some sort of common street trash who sleeps with everyone so they have to test her kid. This is so not me. I'm one of those dorky women who when she loves you that's it. It's you and only you. I WISH someone else was Kennady's father, sadly my wish will never come true. Unless of course I meet a nice man who loves Kennady and I and wants to marry me and adopt her. I'm too paranoid to even date anyone. My fear is someone will hurt my tiny princess. But I can dream, right?
Breastfeeding heaven!
I've been hearing all my friends talk about how great the mother's room inside Nordstrom. I finally ventured out to the mall to check it out. First off the women's lounge is very roomy and comfy/ You walk in and see these big cushy couches. There's a door leading into the actual restroom through the lounge. On the other side of the lounge is a sign that says "Mother's room". I walked and there was a single comfy chair, changing table , sink and vending machine. For $1 you get a diaper , changing pad and wipes. I sat and nursed my tiny person in peace , quiet and luxury. I like that it is not only separate from the actual restroom but separate from the women's lounge. It's a mommy room all its own. I LOVE IT!! Thank you Nordstrom for thinking about mommies.


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I was tagged by María at Bookgraphy to do the Shame Book Tag! Thanks so much! Check out her post here: tag. This tag is all about bookish things we love that everyone else hates. I honestly don't know how well I'll do answering these since you really need to read "popular" books to … Continue reading Shame Book Tag
Category: Book Tags
Easter Time ~Book Tag~
Happy Easter to you all! This tag was created by The Calico Books and I found it over at Kristen Kraves Books! Be sure to check out their posts, too, and join in on the fun! Rules: Answer the prompts. Tag some friends. Link back to this post, and be sure to mention the creator … Continue reading Easter Time ~Book Tag~
TBR Alphabet Tag
This tag was created by Lily Ann Writes! Thanks for the tag! Check out her original post here: Tag. Rules: Name a book title from your TBR for every letter of the alphabet (can exclude words like 'the' if need be) these must be books that you have physical/e-book copies of and not ones you … Continue reading TBR Alphabet Tag
F Is For Friday – Jan. 25, 2019
F Is For Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Nomadic Worlds! This is my first one one these in 2019!! (I almost wrote 2018. Haha) I absolutely love doing these, and I think the 4th question is especially good for me to ponder. Make sure to join in on the fun! 😀 Rules: Credit the creator of … Continue reading F Is For Friday – Jan. 25, 2019
Merry Christmas ~Book Tag~
"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" It's Christmas!!!!!! I absolutely can't believe how fast time is going for me. I swear, Christmas 2017 happened only a couple months ago! Haha! I hope you all have a very happy holiday. Thanks to Nervous Bookworm for the tag! Rules Link to the person who tagged … Continue reading Merry Christmas ~Book Tag~
Disney Princess ~Book Tag~
It's tag time again!! I'm so excited for this one because I absolutely love Disney! Thanks so much to Sanjula and Reet from The Blue Moon Archives for tagging me in this! Sorry it took me so long. I actually completely forget about it until now... 😬 Rules: Mention where you saw the tag/thank whoever … Continue reading Disney Princess ~Book Tag~
F Is For Friday – Nov. 16, 2018
F Is For Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Nomadic Worlds! This is my second time to do one, and it is so much fun! Make sure to join in! 😀 Rules: Credit the creator of this tag (here!) and link back. Answer the four questions to the best of your ability. Most important of all, enjoy … Continue reading F Is For Friday – Nov. 16, 2018


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New Wrestling Web Site
Just wanted to let everyone know that I've started a new web site focused on wrestling, judo, and grappling/mma called Matside Hawaii. The site is intended to be an information resource for the sport(s) we hold so dear, yet get so little coverage from the local media. It's also a bit of an experiment in community journalism, as the site will only be successful if the community it serves is willing to make contributions in the way of event updates/reporting, pictures, video, etc..
The format of the site is pretty basic, but will evolve as content (hopefully) starts to come in from the community. Please help spread the word, especially with the wrestling community beyond Punahou. We have our little home on the web here, and I'd really like to get balanced wrestling coverage from the other leagues and highlight the great effort & talent that's out there.
Check it out at http://www.matsidehawaii.com


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ThredUp Warehouse Sale
Hey Neighbor!
Come to our Warehouse Sale on January 26th!
Shop thousands of women's, men's, plus, maternity, and kids' clothes, as well as shoes, jewelry and bags.
Prices as low as $1! Seriously ...
New items added throughout the day.
Psst... don't forget to check out our designer item
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2019-01-26T00:00:002019-01-26T00:00:00Pacific/MidwayThredUp Warehouse Sale - GA - January 2019ThredUp Warehouse Sale - GA - January 20192670 Breckinridge Blvd NW, Duluth GA
2670 Breckinridge Blvd NW
Duluth, Georgia
(view in google maps)


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I was looking around on YouTube today and came across a really interesting video about modern mining in the Rocky Mountains by National Geographic. The primary focus of the video is about an 1872 mining law that allows mining companies to purchase federal land from the government at 1872 prices. They also talk about the effects modern mining practices have on the environment. Here is the video:
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Next PostRemaining Romanov Bones Found
I know this has nothing to do with American history, but I thought I would add an entry about it anyway since I found it interesting. The History Blog is reporting that the remains of the two missing children of Tsar Nicholas II have been found. The bones belong to Tsarevich Alexei and Grand Duchess […]


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UM Bannatyne: Basic Medical Sciences Building: Room-Frederic Gaspard Theatre
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Osteoporosis – treatments, screenings, drug holiday | Para-thyroid | Diabetes-therapeutic update | Evidence in DM therapeutic | DKA in the ER | Thyroid storm – endocrine emergencies | Immunotherapy outcomes in endocrinology | Obesity therapy | Gestational diabetes – metformin use | Hypogonadism
Physicians: $195
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This event is available via MBTelehealth sites throughout Winnipeg and Manitoba. Please check your site for availability and reserve prior to registering. This event is also available via livestream. You will be emailed connection information prior to the event.
Only paid registrants can receive credits and access speakers' presentations post-event.
Study Credits
Fridays at the University Bannatyne Campus Program 2019 to 2020
This one-credit-per-hour Group Learning program meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been approved by the CPD Medicine Program, University of Manitoba for up to 4.5 Mainpro+ credits.
This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by the CPD Medicine Program, University of Manitoba for a maximum of 4.5 hours.
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What's God Up To On Planet Earth? Condensed tract edition - Mark J Keown
The gospel tract, condensed version, of Dr Mark J Keown's excellent explanation of the Christian message.
Mark gives a compelling vision of a loving God whose vision is the restoration of the whole world. This tract focuses on the individual person and how they fit into this inspiring vision. It is a must-read for those seeking to better understand the Christian faith.
Beautifully designed and easy to read, 16 pages, A6, stapled booklet on glossy paper with colour throughout. A great tool for evangelism in today's world.
Click here to preview the tract (low resolution pdf).
Also available: the full book version here.
About the Author:
Other Books of Interest:
Gospel Tract Sampler Pack What's God Up To On Planet Earth? - Mark Keown The Real Goal - Mark Keown & Jeff Hagan The Reason Why (new edition) - Robert Laidlaw
Help: Click 'Add to Cart' to purchase. You can continuing browsing other Castle titles after adding this book to your cart. To view your cart click 'View Cart' in the top menu. Powered by PayPal (PayPal account not required for purchases).


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- Tel: +1 (706)791-2369
- Military DSN Tel: (312)780-2369
Gordon Fitness Strength Board
Gordon Fitness Center - Bldg. 29607, Barnes Ave. Fort Gordon 30905 Google Map
Gordon Fitness Center has a new strength record board. Patrons can come and display their strength in the squat, bench press, deadlift, push ups and sit ups. Perform the heaviest lift or complete the most reps to get your name displayed on the record board. EARN YOUR BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!
For more details, contact Gordon Fitness.


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Cougar Romance: The Traitor: Secret Shades of the Alpha Blood Series (Paranormal BBW Menage Romance)
Beschrijving uitgever
Charlie insists that Catahassa Yazzie is a traitor bent on killing Diana and destroying the Zuni prophecy. However, Diana soon learns that it is not Cat but Charlie and his mysterious female companion who seek her demise.
Trapped in an isolated cave with Charlie, Diana must now do whatever she can to ensure her survival. Meanwhile, Catahassa is convinced that Diana is in danger even though no one else, including his own grandfather seem to take him seriously.
Now, he must journey to the Salt Lake with only his sister, Amanda and a Navajo companion in order to save both Diana and his people from unspeakable destruction...
"POWERFUL! Paula Knight creates an intensely romantic world for young and old alike. A place where there is darkness and light, love and hope, and if you dare to go there you will never want to leave."


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How to Get the Most Out of Startup Weekend: Beverage Edition
This is the third installment of our series on Startup Weekend: Beverage Edition, so here goes!
You've bought your ticket and the weekend is quickly approaching. You suddenly realize that you have no idea what to expect and you start to panic. What do I need? Who is going to help me build my business? What if nobody likes my idea? Will there be food? Did I leave the oven on? What is the meaning of life?
Stop. Take a deep breath. We've got your back.
Here is a list of the things you should bring:
- Laptop + charger
- Phone charger
- Business Cards
- Something to take notes on
- A paper ticket is not required. Your name is on a list.
- Students bring your student ID
When you arrive on Friday night you'll have some time to mingle with your peers before we get started with initial pitches. You'll be in a room with a ton of talented and motivated individuals so use this time to get to know them, to scope out who you'd like to work with, and maybe even get people thinking about how brilliant your business idea is. After everyone grabs some pizza and the organizing team does brief intros we'll jump right into initial pitches. If you came to Startup Weekend with an idea this is your chance to win over the crowd.
What types of ideas can I pitch?
You can pitch pretty much anything you want, but you will need to get other people to support your idea. The theme for the event is the Beverage Industry so it should probably be somehow related to it. You can only pitch one idea, so if you have multiple, pick your best one & roll with it! Additionally, the purpose of Startup Weekend is to launch new startups and pitching an existing business isn't permitted. You want the others on your team to be your cofounders, not just employees, so they're willing to put in the sweat equity even after Startup Weekend is over and you're on your way to creating an awesome startup! Enough talk about your idea, let's pitch!
You, a microphone, and 60 seconds to convince everyone that your idea deserves to be built.
- Who are you and what is your background? (5-10 Seconds)
- What is the problem that your product is solving? Or begin with a story (10-20 Seconds)
- Explain the product and how it solves the problem (10-20 seconds)
- Who do you need on your team (a developer, marketing, designer?) (5-10 seconds)
- Finally, make up a name for your startup so the facilitator can give it a title
After everyone who came with an idea does an initial pitch we'll narrow the ideas down through a voting system. There could be 50 ideas pitched and somewhere around 10 will be chosen to be worked on over the course of the weekend.
What if my idea doesn't get chosen?
Chin up. You've got two options:
- Join someone else's startup. You've got skills and they've got needs. Figure out which idea you can get behind and become a cofounder.
- Convince at least 3 other people that your idea deserves to be built and recruit them to join your team. I hope your sales skills are better than your initial pitch because you have to have at least 4 team members to move forward with the idea. We've seen teams who didn't make it through initial pitch voting go on to win the weekend!
Keep in mind when choosing your team, it is good to find people with complementary skills. You'll want business people, marketers, designers, developers, and hustlers to help you bring your startup to life.
Now you've got an idea and you've got a team. What's next?
Friday night you'll flesh out your idea and figure out what role everyone is going to play. Consider using this time to research competitors as well as nail down your value proposition and how you plan to validate it. Accomplish as much as you want before you go home and get some rest or stay up all night working.
Breakfast will be served at 9:00am on Saturday & Sunday. And you'll be working till 5:00pm on Sunday. Go home to get some rest when you need it or stay up all night to finalize your pitch.
Everything that happens in between then is totally up to you.
You'll need tenacity, passion, determination, and a great attitude to stay productive and positive throughout the course of the weekend. Get to know your team and how they operate to ensure that you're getting the most out of everyone. Our organizing team and experienced mentors will be there to guide you throughout the course of the weekend. We'll also have some lean startup concepts and scrum/agile development principles to get you thinking, not to mention tons of food, coffee, and Red Bull. We'll lay out the judging criteria for you early so you can keep that in mind as you are building your minimum viable products and honing in on your business model. Come Sunday you should be getting ready to pitch. This could be a working demonstration of your product, a video, or anything you can come up with to win the judges over.
This weekend is going to be intense, but more than anything it should be fun.
Startup Weekend is a one of a kind event where you can get some real hands on experience. It is one big learning process so don't stress too much when everything doesn't go smoothly. You're going to meet a ton of incredible people that are driving towards their passions and the energy that you all create is going to leave you feeling like you could take on the world.
So congratulations, you're about to build something remarkable!
Startup Weekend tackles the Beverage Industry (pt. 2)
This is part 2 of our exploration of Startup Weekend & the Beverage Industry! In short, Startup Weekend is a 54 hour, action-oriented competition of innovation in enterprise, powered by Google for Entrepreneurs. People of all ages and walks of life come together to build and launch businesses and then pitch them to a panel of highly esteemed entrepreneurs and professionals from around Tampa Bay. Startup Weekend has held 2000+ events in 135+ countries around the world, and we are looking forward to hosting yet another successful event this May. Startup Weekend: Beverage Edition will be one of the few places in the southeastern U.S. where both innovators and entrepreneurs from across various states will come together to develop new products for consumers. Our goals for this event are to facilitate innovation, start new trends, and solve problems prevalent in the beverage industry, while still having some fun!
Some of the keys for success in the brewing industry are:
- the establishment of brand-names
- product marketing
- effective quality control
- management of seasonal products
- access to niche markets
- ability to control stock in hand, effective cost controls
- and establishing links with potential suppliers
- check out our write-up of the Beverage Panel we hosted last week for more
Startup Weekend will offer everyone the chance to learn and develop all of these characteristics mentioned. Since the event will be attended by entrepreneurs and professionals from around the U.S. who specialize in the beverage industry, the event will be one of the few places around to develop any beverage related idea, product, or business to share with the world!
This is how Startup Weekend works: First, Pitch an idea, vote for your favorites, and form your team or join someone else's. Second, Put your talents to work and build a real product, team, and brand for execution in the real world. You'll have 54 hours which means you can stay up all night at our host partners institution if you so choose to. Third, put final touches on your presentation to blow the Judges away & win Startup Weekend! Look out for our third installment in this trilogy for more info & details about this Startup Weekend.
In short, Startup Weekend: Beverage Edition will be an event that anyone with a passion for brewing (including but not limited to: alcoholic and soft drinks) will not want to miss! Because of the fact that aspiring beverage entrepreneurs will be able to develop a competitive advantage that will help fend off competition from it's main rivals, not to mention, develop valuable skills and connections within Tampa Bay and beyond that will be extremely beneficial in the short and long-run. So what are you waiting for? Click here to obtain tickets and gather more info on the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Startup Weekend, Beverages, and Santa Claus (pt. 1)
What if I told you that one of the oldest American industries still has room for improvement? What if I told you that you could be the one to help move this multi-billion dollar enterprise forward? The beverage industry wields great influence and their branding has fundamentally changed American culture. The industry's long history, however, has caused the key players to establish their niches and stick to them. Startups can help move the industry further and faster than we can imagine. Every year, these small firms enter the market with their innovation and cutting-edge ideas. Just ask the entrepreneurs who contributed more than half a billion dollars to the industry in just the last year! Though the beverage industry is big and old, there is plenty of room for entrepreneurs.
It only took one good idea to move Coca-Cola from a drink company to the pinnacle of cultural symbolism. One hundred years ago, Santa Claus was nothing like the jolly old man we have all come to know and love. In the early 1900s, "Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf," but in the 60s Coca-Cola began running advertisements with the image of the now iconic Christmas hero. This single idea transformed Christmas from the pious holy day to the consumerist holiday it has since become.
Startups help create a platform for established corporations like Coca-Cola to consider new ideas. Tampa has been an ideal environment for startups, but many still struggle to obtain simple elements like consulting or networking. There is still room for improvement in the ways small businesses obtain access to the tools corporations have had for decades. We offer Startup Weekend: Beverage Edition to bring the entrepreneurship community together to support their efforts. Find out more about Startup Weekend: Beverage Edition in Part 2!
("The True History of the Modern Day Santa Claus,")
Startup Panel – Tampa
Entrepreneurial Opportunities in the Beverage Industry
This past Thursday, the Attic Cafe graciously hosted a panel chaired by community leaders in the hospitality and beverage industry who were more than adamant about sharing their ideas as well as discussing current trends affecting their industry. It's always a great opportunity to hear the challenges facing any business leader in their respective industry for the simple fact that they often provide the best insights and, being entrepreneurs themselves, are often the best people to spot opportunities. With all that in mind, the panel did not disappoint!
Some topics covered during the panel that may surprise many up-and-coming entrepreneurs were:
- The apparent disconnect between great technology many tech people know of, but not many business leaders do (how can entrepreneurs bridge that gap?)
- How can we take away the hassle of doing inventory after a long day at the bar/brewery?
- Streamlining cost-benefit analysis for certain businesses? (i.e is it possible to develop a method/app that informs small breweries what amount to charge per pint/liter/pitcher given a certain batch volume?)
Other ideas floated by the panel were:
- How to improve employee productivity (especially new hires)
- How to connect new coffee shops to possible customers more efficiently
- Can wearable technology be used to draw traffic to retailers and improve productivity (i.e maybe use an apple watch or smart-watch of some kind to remind employees that are busy during peak hours, that a sandwich has been cooking for 10 minutes now and needs to be taken out or risk damage/burning)
- Last but not least how can wearable technology be used to track caloric intake since some beverage & food entrepreneurs focus and/or receive a good bit of business from the fitness community
While some of the problems may not look like a big deal, Daniel Speed from the Attic put a great perspective on it "the littlest rocks in the road can destroy your tires" and it's true! As entrepreneurs, we should constantly be challenging the status-quo in the industry while at the same time create efficiency and technological gains that will benefit firms both in the short and long-run.
We can't wait to see what participants at Startup Weekend will come up with this year! Be sure to become not only a part of the solution but also learn about this up and coming billion-dollar industry by participating at Startup Weekend, we hope to see you there!
Startup Weekend Judging Criteria
So you got out of the building & did your market & product validation. That's awesome! You're working on refining your MVP for Sunday's final presentation, maybe you even had to pivot your idea based on the feedback you were getting. So now what? If you're not aware the Startup Weekend judging criteria is broken up into three sections, teams are judged according to the following 3 criteria (weighted equally):
Business Model
- How does the team plan on making this a successful business? Have they thought about (either solved or identified problems) competition, how to scale, acquiring customers, their revenue model etc?
Customer Validation
- Are teams building something that people actually want? How well does the team understand their customer and their customer's needs. Did the team get out and talk to customers? What is the value proposition to customers?
Execution & Design
- Have they established a "Minimal Viable Product" for the weekend (software, hardware, etc.)? *Note: an MVP is the minimum set of features to be able to start collecting data. Does it deliver a compelling and captivating user experience? Were they able to demo something functional?
What is Global Startup Battle?
Startup Weekend & Global Startup Battle explained:
We're all super excited for this year's Startup Weekend and not only that, but also for the Global Startup Battle that is happening as well. That means that not only will you be able to try your skills against your local entrepreneurs, but also be able to compete for some awesome prizes in a number of different tracks against participants in over 100 countries! So what does this all mean? Let's break it down.
But first you should take a look at this awesome infographic about the 2014 Global Startup Battle just to get an idea of what's in store for this year!
OK. So what are the details you ask? Very simple:
- In order to compete in the GSB 2015 you will need to attend a Startup Weekend event on either the weekend of Nov 13 or Nov 20 (Since you already signed up for the event this shouldn't be a problem!)
- After the end of the event you will need to submit a 90 second video of your pitch within 48 hours of the event ending
- You can submit to as many Tracks as you wish, as long as your team meets their requirements
- Please see the GSB 2015 Attendee Pack for additional information
- Hashtag Battle: have a little fun during the event & tweet with #GSB2015 and #SWTampa to create buzz about Tampa Bay & Startup Weekend!
Tracks? What are these tracks you speak of?
- The Champions Track: the top 3 winning teams from each Startup Weekend event are able to compete against other teams from across the globe.
- Didn't win, but still have an awesome idea? No worries, there's plenty of Themed Tracks for everyone!
- Great in the Making Track – Made great by Mr. Coffee: If you seek to make a difference (a great difference) in the lives of others, this is your track.
- The Innovators Track – Powered by .CO: Calling all Startup Weekend teams that are launching their brilliant ideas on a .CO domain!
- Disruptors & Big Ideas Track – Powered By Transpose: For the entrepreneurs setting out to change industries with visionary ideas.
- Education through Video and Beyond Track – Powered by YouTube: How will you harness video to make great educational experiences possible around the world?
- Mobile Growth Track – Sponsored By Branch: Calling all app developers and enthusiasts! Let Branch help you launch your next big idea!
- Startup Women Track – Supported by Techstars Foundation: Join us and help create diversity in technology entrepreneurship around the world.
- Open Track – Sponsored By Incorporate.com: A brand new way to compete! This Track is for teams who do not attend a GSB event and are in the early stages of launching their ideas.
This all sounds awesome, how do I start? If you have yet to sign up (really, why haven't you signed up yet?) then just follow this handy link and register today!


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I redid my video for Embezzled Love...the one that accidentally got erased seconds after I finished it. Arghhh! My husband fixed the dents I kicked in the wall, and my stress headache went away. So...I proudly present the new, finished product. :)
Oh, I guess it might be nice to mention that the book is releasing in December from Books We Love.


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IF CVNC.org CALENDAR and REVIEWS are important to you:
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When I was 18 or so, Deathtrap occupied a special place in my heart. As a budding playwright, I thought Ira Levin's comic thriller was the bee's knees. As an actor, which I then was, I relished the plummy richness of its central roles. As icing on the youthful cake, Deathtrap was the first Broadway play I attended on my first trip to New York.
There were other shows I wanted to see, plays whose scripts I hadn't read. So what drew me to the cozy Music Box theater that night was the production's then current star, a favorite since the release of the 1776 movie several years earlier. John Cullum was, and is, one of our national treasures. And he did something in Deathtrap that absolutely enchanted me.
It fell at the moment when the tapped-out mystery playwright Sidney Bruhl finally got his hands on the manuscript that his protégé Clifford Anderson has been madly typing throughout the previous scene. Cullum placed the papers on his desk, retrieved a bottle of beer and a Pilsner glass, set them up and, with deliberate casualness (not the easiest thing to pull off in the theater), poured out the libation, carefully monitoring the head. Pleased with the effect, he sat, picked up the manuscript, took a leisurely mouthful of nectar, began reading... and reacted with the most perfectly executed spit-take I'd ever seen.
Nothing, really, just a bit of business. But with what panache! It may not have qualified as genius, but there was something about that moment — some strange alchemy of actor, situation, palpable truth, and sheer, dime on the barrel comic timing — that has stayed with me for a quarter century.
There is, I'm sorry to report, nothing remotely as memorable in University Theatre at N.C. State's current TheatreFest production of this little mystery at Thompson Theatre. Worse, Ira Levin's script is not the thing it was, or at least that I took it to be.
Levin has written some powerful work over the years — his terrifyingly bleak melodrama Veronica's Room springs to mind, and there's surely nothing to be ashamed of about Rosemary's Baby (though Roman Polanski improved upon it in his film.) But Deathtrap now reveals itself as little more than a determinedly clever exercise whose well-made style is replete with flaws of execution.
The play's first scene, for example, brims over with the kinds of mistake a good playwright makes only at the start of his career. Husband and wife tell each other things they already know purely for the audience's appreciation, exposition is teased out interminably, and there is a one-sided telephone conversation that goes on at such length it becomes the theatrical equivalent of watching water boil, only less exciting. Cottoning to the fact that her husband of a dozen years is contemplating murder and plagiarism (for a writer the ranker offense), Myra Bruhl asks, "Would you? Could you?" What is she — his wife, or a weekend fling?
Aside from Levin's innate cleverness at plotting (and an occasional witty epigram, such as "Nothing recedes like success") the only really compelling aspect of Deathtrap — or, as it now seems to me, Claptrap — lies in its rather cunning self-reflexiveness. One of the "impromptu" dramatic ideas spun out by Sidney to Myra is, in fact, the plot of this play. His obsessive quest for the all-important "one set, five character money-maker" complete with T-shirt sales, is the same one Levin so successfully achieved with this title. And later, notions are aired for a new play that turn out to be the very action of Deathtrap itself. Levin speckles his script with clues for an attentive audience of where he's going, and the device is at once marvelously Pirandellian and, ultimately, facile. There was, I think, a dazzling play to be written around this intellectual conceit but Levin, like Bruhl, went for the money.
There was only so much director Fred Gorelick could do with this material and his cast — the weakest of this year's TheatreFest ensembles — doesn't help matters much. Although each actor has at least one good moment, the overall effect is funereal when what's needed is flash and filigree.
Farrell Reynolds is an unconvincing Sidney on any number of levels. He exhibits neither the sagging weariness of the professional failure nor the crackle of energy that courses through the character when his fortunes are reversed, and he eschews any sense of bereavement, however false it may be, in a crucial scene with his attorney. He does rise to the occasion during an especially funny rhetorical explosion in the second act, but there is no convincing thought, or tension, preceding his late acceptance (again, feigned) of an outrageous plot.
The Myra of Diane Gilboa is similarly surficial, but not without merit. She provides an amusingly self-conscious cough when required, and her hysterical grief during a climactic moment of Act One is genuine. But must she climb over an armchair, backside to the audience, like Jackie Kennedy scrambling over the hood of the car in Dallas?
I'll never forget the manner in which William Le Massena played the attorney Porter Milgram on Broadway. It's a nothing role, but Le Massena did not so much act as inhabit it. I remember flipping through my Playbill to see whether he was in fact a performer at all rather than one of those gifted amateurs Woody Allen casts so well in small parts — the type who seem to have wandered in from a documentary next door.
David Byron Hudson, alas, performs the role here as a nervous Midwestern hack, Barney Fife playing at Perry Mason, with a vocal component courtesy of Bullwinkle J. Moose. Sandi Sullivan, as the buttinsky psychic Helga Ten Dorp, fares rather better. The role is little more than an extended send-up, the stereotyped comic Swede recast as a troublingly accurate Dutch meddler, but Sullivan plays it to the hilt, non sequitur piling atop non sequitur.
Best of all is the Clifford of Gregor McElvogue, despite his having to sport one of the ugliest and least convincing wigs imaginable. He plays the faux naïf with utter guilelessness, allowing the character's innate duplicity and veiled danger to surface only gradually, like water percolating up through rock. Faced with what may be his final appeal, he turns seductive and moon-eyed, with the studied petulance of a little boy worming his way out of a spanking. McElvogue has a way of unselfconsciously batting his eyes that would charm a snake-oil salesman out of his ill-gotten gains, and he alone seems to be playing up the (rather ugly, in retrospect) gay angle of the play, albeit with indications so subtle you may miss them — which in this context is exactly correct.
Corky Pratt's ingenious unit set design for this year's TheatreFest repertory is amusingly tricked-out with sly accoutrements, like the array of medieval weaponry on the wall, the Franklin stove in one corner, and a skeleton with a rubber lobster for a heart and, later, a hat draped over one of the skull's eye sockets with Fosse-esque nonchalance. Jeff Besselman's lighting plan is effective, especially in a climactic thunderstorm of delicious hokiness. And Ida Bostian's costumes are a riot of late 1970s effluvia, complete with (for Clifford) studded leather belt and a nightmare polyester shirt of gray and white zigzag pattern.
Fred Gorelick has directed with less ingenuity than he can summon at his considerable best, and it's often in the small details that this Deathtrap flounders. Clifford does not, for example, enter wearing boots, despite Levin's scripted directions and Helga's unnerving vision. Only later in the play do the boots appear. And while Gorelick has wisely situated the action in 1978, he has also substituted new references for old ones, resulting in such anachronisms as the citing of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sarah Brightman. There is one nifty touch, when the house lights are raised near the end as compliment to a nascent playwright's vision. But the action at the climax is drawn out unconvincingly, partly necessitated by the curiously ill-considered placement of the crucial partner's desks on the playing area.
To my sorrow, encountering Deathtrap again was rather like meeting up with an old crush after 25 years and, faced with reality, wondering what it was you saw that so entranced you in the first place.
University Theatre at N.C. State presents TheatreFest 2003-Deathtrap (8 p.m. June 26-28 and 3 p.m. June 29)-at NCSU's Thompson Theatre, Raleigh, North Carolina. $13 single ticket ($11 students and seniors and NCSU faculty/staff/alumni association member, and $6 NCSU students). 919/515-1100. http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/University_Players/theatrefest2003.htm [inactive 9/03]. To download TheatreFest 2003 brochure in PDF format: http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/University_Players/files/TFest%20Brochure2003.pdf [inactive 9/03].