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Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist
- Employer
- USAJobs
- Location
- Fort Belvoir, Virginia
- Posted
- Oct 18, 2018
- Closes
- Oct 18, 2018
- Function
- Management
- Industry
- Government and Public Services, Federal
- Career Level
- Experienced (Non-Manager)
- Hours
- Full Time
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed No
In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document
Basic Requirement for Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist:
A. A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree from a regionally accredited college/university including courses in biological science, chemistry and mathematics, AND successful completion of a Medical Laboratory Scientist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.
B. A full 4-year course of study that included 12 months in a college or hospital-based medical technology program or medical technology school approved by a recognized accrediting organization. The professional medical technology curriculum may have consisted of a 1-year post- bachelor's certificate program or the last 1 or 2 years of a 4-year program of study culminating in a bachelor's in medical technology.
C. A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one semester in microbiology), 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one semester in organic or biochemistry), one semester (one quarter) of mathematics, AND five years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, microbiology, Immunology and Urinalysis/Body Fluids. This combination of education and experience must have provided knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices of medical technology equivalent to that provided by the full 4-year course of study described in A or B above. All science and mathematics courses must have been acceptable for credit toward meeting the requirements for a science major at an accredited college or university. Acceptable experience is responsible professional or technician experience in a hospital laboratory, health agency, industrial medical laboratory, or pharmaceutical house; or teaching, test development, or medical research program experience that provided an understanding of the methods and techniques applied in performing professional clinical laboratory work. Certification/licensure as a medical technologist (generalist) obtained through written examination by a nationally recognized credentialing agency or State licensing body is a good indication that the quality of experience is acceptable.
In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements below:
Experience required: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience includes experience in clinical laboratory operations (specimen receiving and shipping, testing practices, monitoring); performing and/or overseeing high complexity patient testing in all areas of a Core Laboratory (to include chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, semen analysis); and managing accreditation requirements including College of American Pathologists (CAP) and The Joint Commission. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).
Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
Selective Placement Factor: Certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), American Medical Technologist (AMT) or other board or registry deemed comparable by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)) or their designee as a Medical Technologist (MT) or Medical/Clinical Laboratory Scientist (MLS/CLS) is required.
FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html
- Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
- You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
- Two year trial/probationary period may be required.
- One year supervisory probationary period may be required.
- Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
- Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
- If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
- Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority. To receive selection priority for this position, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria; (2) be rated well-qualified for the position with a score of 90 or above; and, (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website
- If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
- Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your résumé and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.


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Chairs of Pediatrics
Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE
Arline and Pete Harman Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Adalyn Jay Physician-in-Chief, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
Director, Maternal and Child Health Research Institute
Mary Leonard, MD, MSCE, is the Arline and Pete Harman Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Adalyn Jay Physician in Chief at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. She assumed these positions on July 1, 2016.
Energetic and collaborative, Dr. Leonard is a compassionate clinician and researcher who cares deeply about improving the health and well-being of children everywhere. A graduate of the Stanford University School of Medicine, Mary returned to Stanford Medicine in 2014 after spending 25 years at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. At Stanford, her multi-disciplinary research program is focused on the impact of chronic diseases on bone metabolism and nutrition across the life span. Mary directs the innovative and trans-disciplinary child and maternal health research and training initiatives of the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute.
Mary is a distinguished investigator, an expert clinician, and a respected mentor who embodies the academic and integrated mission of Stanford Medicine. A member of the Precision Health Committee, she is committed to Stanford Medicine's vision of proactive and personalized health care and has been at the forefront of efforts to integrate Precision Health approaches and skills into our training programs.
Past Chairs of Pediatrics
There have been seven Chairs of Pediatrics at Stanford University. These individuals simultaneously have held the positions of Chair of Pediatrics and physician leader at the related hospital. Currently, Dr. Mary Leonard serves as the Physician-in-Chief at the LPCHS. In 2009, the SoM and the LPCHS signed a Memorandum of Understanding which established the Stanford Children's Health Research Institute (CHRI). The Chair of Pediatrics/Physician-in-Chief serves as its Director.
Dr. Harvey Cohen was the Chair during the Children's Health Initiative, and he recruited many new leaders and faculty to greatly expand the Department's academic and clinical programs. Dr. O'Brodovich continued this momentum after his arrival in January 2008. Since that time, and with the critical support of the LPCHS and SSoM the faculty grew by 62%.
As a result of the hard work of the faculty, the external research funding more than doubled, the residency program has become ranked amongst the very best in the Western USA and the number of fellows nearly doubled. The successful negotiation of a "Funds Flow" agreement with the LPCHS combined with a new compensation plan has placed the Department on a strong financial position with annual revenues approaching $200 million. The current status of the department, combined with the School's vision for "Leading the BioMedical Revolution", LPCHS' Phase II, the expansion of Stanford Childrens' Health and the evolution of the CHRI provides a strong base upon which the new Chair can continue to build the Department's clinical and academic programs.

subset: commoncrawl


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The first 3 days of Austen August in review!
The Goodreads Group has 57 MEMBERS! Holy Moly!
You can find the following chapter summaries for the read-a-long at the links below, for anyone wishing to join in!
Volume 1:-
Chapter 1//Chapter 2//Chapter 3//Chapter 4//Chapter 5//Chapter 6//Chapter 7//Chapter 8
There are also discussion boards for other Austen books, general discussions, re-tellings, recommendations, and character appreciation boards. This read-a-long is happening from 1st August- 31st August so there is plenty of time to catch up and join in if you wish to!
My finished Midnight in Austenland, and I am halfway through Longbourn, bringing my Austen August Page count to a total of 558 pages so far!


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In pt. 2 of this episode, our guests answer questions about how to get your comic book or geek novel out to the world!
So you've finished your comic book or geek novel? Our guests discuss how to get it out the world! WAYNE WINSETT, owner of the Eisner-nominated comic shop, Time Warp Comics and DANI HEDLUND, CEO of Tethered By Letters, a non-profit publisher that focuses on helping young authors get their work published share their secrets with us.
Mutiny Information Cafe
2 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80209
General Info
Comic Books
Online Sales
Sunday - Thursday: 7am - 1am
Friday & Saturday: 7am - 3am
Buying Books, Comics & Records
We are currently not buying books and records for cash. We do offer store credit for books and records. We will CONSIDER cash for comicbook collections, but not graphic novels. We will not make offers over the phone. Buyers are available between 2pm and 7pm Monday and Tuesday, and 5pm to 9pm Wednesday through Saturday. We will always consider local artists, authors and musicians for purchase or consignment.


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Football odds at Bovada (Bodog)
Pro football betting at Bovada (Bodog) Sportsbook!
Get the best handicapping articles and gambling advice throughout the football, basketball and baseball seasons from the world's top sports handicappers, as well as from Bovada (Bodog) Sportsbook and Casino.
The 2014 edition of the College Insider Tournament Final Four will feature teams from the Ivy League (Yale), Big South Conference (VMI), West Coast Conference (Pacific) and Ohio Valley Conference (Murray St). On Tuesday, VMI will host Yale, while Murray St. will welcome Pacific.
All four teams are playing strong basketball, as all four have won and covered their previous two games.
Let's take a look at previous Final Fours in the College Insider Tournament.
The Tourney was founded just six seasons ago, in 2009. And the format has remained the same, whether the field has been comprised of 16 or 32 teams: the committee has designated one team to play at home to host the game, all the way through the Championship game.
Surprisingly, the home teams have been dominated in the Tournament's Final Four games. Since 2009, they've gone 5-10 ATS, including 2-9 ATS as favorites off an ATS win. That could spell trouble for VMI and Murray St. on Tuesday.
This season, the favorites have gone 13-15 ATS (2-2 for road favorites; 11-13 for home favorites).
Of the four remaining teams, VMI and Murray St. have been the darlings in Vegas, as VMI has covered 85% of its lined games this year, while Murray St. has won the money in 64% of its games. Yale and Pacific were at 57% and 56%, respectively.
However, the teams with the worse pointspread records, relative to their opponent, have won the money in 10 of the College Insider Tournament's 15 previous games in its Final Four. So that would bode well for Yale and Pacific on Tuesday.
Good luck, as always...Big Al McMordie.


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Excellent Repair Services
All-Tech Services is your go-to company for appliance, heating, cooling, and plumbing repairs. Gain peace of mind with a 90-day warranty on all repairs and a 1-year warranty on all new installations.
Our professional technicians will fix your problems right the first time, every time.
With All-Tech Services one call does it all! All-Tech Services can and will help save you time from your first phone call through service completion.
About Us
All-Tech Services was established in 1988. We are based in Selden, but also provide services throughout the surrounding areas, including
Contact Us
791 Middle Country Rd
Selden, NY 11784
Why we stand out from the rest
- We truly care about our customers and give personal attention to each one of them.
- Integrity and honesty from top to bottom.
- Not compromising on less than the best materials and labor on every project.
- Affordable and fair prices.
Our Reputation
- We earn our reputation on each and every job.
- Serving you is our desire; pleasing you is our commitment.
Please navigate to other pages on our website to learn more about us. We bring our services to Selden, NY and the surrounding areas.


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Instantly generate your user ID and password. Your details will be mailed to your registered email ID
Please wait while we process your request...
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Generate new user ID
We at Max Bupa are very keen to hear about the aspects of your Policy that you believe can be improved. If something does not go well and as expected or promised, here are some simple ways to ensure that your concerns are dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible. Know more
The scanning/Printing dimensions should be as follows:
At Max Bupa, we provide the best services to make claiming as simple and straightforward as it possibly can be. Just follow the simple steps given on the link to claim: Know more
To make a claim against your policy.
Fill and send the claim form with all the original bills at our below mentioned address:
Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited,
B-1/I-2, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate
Mathura Road, New Delhi-110044
Ph: 011-30902000,30902120
Fax: 1800-3070-3333 Download
To view your claim status, please log on to the customer section. Know more
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1860-3010-3333 | 011-66326666
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Air Pollution and Heart Disease
Were you aware that another cause of heart disease and stroke is air pollution?
Walk for Health
Walking is the simplest and most inclusive form of physical activity. Just 15 minutes a day of brisk walk can have significant health benefits, even adding up to three years to our life expectancy. From doctors to fitness gurus to our grandmothers all have supported walking as a sure shot way to stay fit and healthy.
ill effects of High Heels
Signs of Nervous Breakdown
Sleep Better to lead a healthy life


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We know that every word of the Torah contains infinite wisdom. Indeed one could dedicate many lifetimes to even just one word of the Torah. While this is true of every word, probably the Torah's most studied word is the first word in the Torah, Bereishis, In the Beginning. It has never failed to amaze me how many secrets are lurking in this one word. Likewise, every year I am astounded to find new insights and lessons here in very first word of the Torah.
My wonderful friend and talmid, Mr. Mendy Schwartz, Shlit"a, shared with me some new ideas that I am delighted to pass along to you. It is now the universal custom that we start reading the Torah again in Shul the first Shabbos after Simchas Torah. How fascinating that word Bereishis, with its individual letters beis, reish, alef, shin, yud, and saf, is an acronym for Yikra'u b'Shabbos rishon achar Simchas Torah.
Rav Yonason Steif, Zt"l, Zy"a, (who was Mesader Kidushin at my parent's wedding) cites a Medrash stating that the letter shin denotes learning Torah, for shin stands for shinun which means to learn. He points out that if you take the shin that signifies learning from the word Bereishis, the remaining letters equal taryag. Taryag is the word that denotes the 613 mitzvos of the Torah because it has the exact gematria of 613. Thus, the very first word in the Torah indicates the Torah's mission which is for us to learn the 613 mitzvos.
The Alexander Rebbe's Grandson had a Bar Mitzva on Shabbos Braishis. The Rebbe told his Grandson that he is now responsible for 613 mitzvos and it is thus appropriate for Shabbos Braishis, since Braishis equals 613. The Grandson remarked in surprise, "But Zaidie Braishis has a shin and it's gematria is thus 913!" The Rebbe smiled and explained, "Correct, but shin equals yetzer (both are 300), thus if you knock out the yetzer – you will be able to fulfill the 613 !" I then noticed that Braishis equals "rak taryag"-only taryag for this world is all about doing the 613 mitzvos. As Rashi teaches us Braishis-bishvil Torah shenikra raishis.
Furthermore, the Vilna Gaon has taught us in the word Bereishis all of the 613 mitzvos are alluded to. As an example, he would say Bereishis refers to pidyon haben for it is an acronym of "Ben rishon achar shloshim yomim tifdeh – One's first son, after thirty days he should redeem."
One of the highlights of a Jewish man's day is the public sanctification of Hashem's Name. He does this with the answering of, "Amein, yehei shemei rabbah…" That's why Bereishis stands for, "Ameim, yehei shemei rabbah b'kol tefilah."
We all know that the three cardinal sins of Judaism are idolatry, immorality and bloodshed. Less known is the fourth cardinal sin: to embarrass someone publically. For this heinous crime, the Gemora in Masechtas Sanhedrin tells us that that the habitual perpetrator is stripped of his afterlife. Thus, in the first word of the Torah Hashem warns us about this terrible crime because we find that the words yorei boshes, which is a directive to be ever fearful from embarrassing someone, is an anagram of Bereishis.
We also know that the very survival of the Jewish people hinges upon Shabbos observance. When a family is so assimilated that they don't even observe Shabbos, sadly intermarriage is only a few step away. Thus, Bereishis is also an acronym of yorei Shabbos, be ever mindful of the Shabbos.
The last Mishna in Shas teaches us that every righteous person is destined in the Afterlife to inherit shai olomos, 310 (shin plus yud) worlds of pleasure. Thus, the word Bereishis is anagram of borosa shai, He created 310 worlds (and not just one world). It is for this reason that tribe of Torah is called Yisasschar, for it is an anagram of shai schar, the reward is 310.
It is well know the Vilna Gaon states that he word Bereishis is an acronym for the six most important pursuits of life: bitachon, ratzon, ahavah, shtika, yirah and Torah. These are 1) trust in Hashem, 2) the proper will to do the right things in life, 3) the correct kind of love such as love for Hashem, a spouse and a fellow man and the proper ways to love oneself, 4) knowing when to keep silent, 5) fear of Hashem, and 6) the study of Torah. I have seen different versions from the Gaon. In another, the saf stands for tefilah, prayer, and the shin stands for either simcha, happiness, or shkeidah, diligence.
One of my favorite anagrams for the word Bereishis is Rashi savo! The first word of the Torah informs us that the great teacher of Torah, Rashi, will come and unlock many meanings of the Torah for us.
Bereishis is also b'Alef Tishrei. The world was created on the 25th of Elul, and man, the purpose of creation, was created six days later on the first day of Tishrei, which is Rosh Hashannah, the beginning of the year.
There is a complex and exciting branch of gematria known as A"T Ba"Sh. This is where the letter alef equals suf, the beis equals shin, the gimel equals reish, and so on throughout the alef-beis. It is hard to spot this kind of gematria but there are many secrets to unearth using this methodology. For example, in A"T B"Sh, the word tzedakah is tzedakah, since it is meant to convey that charity is a two-way street for we give to the poor and then Hashem gives us back. Similarly, the words Lech Lcha, the Divine directive to Avraham Avinu to leave his homeland and go to the "promised" land is in A"T Ba"Sh also Lech Lecha. Perhaps this is meant to convey that although Avraham was told to leave, he was told that Eliezer would go back to his homeland to get a wife for Yitzchak.
Mendy Schwartz pointed out to me that within the word Bereishis there are the letters of a"t ba"sh, or alef, suf, beis, and shin. The letters that remain are the reish and the yud, which in A"T Ba"Sh are the letters gimel and mem. Thus, it means when A"T Ba"Sh is applied to the word Bereishis, it can be read, Gam A"T Ba"Sh – Also A"T Ba"Sh," teaching us that the Torah should be read using A"T Ba"Sh as well. If this sounds too complicated, the letters in A"T B"Sh of the next word of the Torah, bora, are shin, gimel, and suf, which has the numerical value of 703, which amazingly is the exact numerical value of A"T Ba"Sh. So this method of gematria is clearly alluded to in the very first two words of the Torah.
While Mendy was showing this to me, I realized to my surprise that, when rearranged, the letters A"T Ba"Sh spell av Sheis, the father of Sheis. Thus, if we take out the alef, beis, shin, and suf from the word Bereishis, we're left with the reish and the yud which can stand for yichus rishon, first pedigree, or reishis Yisroel, the beginning of the nation of Israel, for Adam and Chava's first two children were not the progenitors of Klal yisroel. (Hevel was murdered and Kaiyin and his descendents were wiped out by the flood. All of mankind thus descended from Sheis.) This is all forecast in the first word of Bereishis, which tells us that the yichus rishon of Sheis, meaning that the first genealogy is that Adam is the father of Sheis.
This is just a sampler to whet your appetite of the many, many, many, more secrets that are lurking in just one word. May it be the will of Hashem that we have long life and good health to enjoy the sweetness of the Torah until the coming of the Moshiach, speedily and in our day.
Sheldon Zeitlin takes dictation of, and edits, Rabbi Weiss's articles.
Rabbi Weiss is currently stepping up his speaking engagements. To bring him to your community, call now 718.916.3100 or email email@example.com.
To receive a weekly cassette tape or CD directly from Rabbi Weiss, please send a check to Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss, P.O. Box 140726, Staten Island, NY 10314 or contact him at email@example.com.
Now back in print is a large size paperback edition of Power Bentching. To order call him at 718-916-3100 or email at above.
Attend Rabbi Weiss's weekly shiur at the Landau Shul, Avenue L and East 9th in Flatbush, Tuesday nights at 9:30 p.m.
Rabbi Weiss's Daf Yomi and Mishnah Yomis shiurim can be heard LIVE on Kol Haloshon at (718) 906-6400. Write to firstname.lastname@example.com for details. They can now also be seen on TorahAnyTime.com.
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welcome to EdwinChong.com! This is an expansion of my curriculum vitae. It was quite an effort organising and building this website because I created, analysed, designed and implemented it on my own without formal training or assistance. So if you are here for the first time, please take your time to browse around. If you are here just to download my curriculum vitae, please go to the download page and choose a version in either Acrobat Adobe(.pdf) or Microsoft Word(.doc). A HTML file version of my CV should be coming soon.
The menu bar at the top are mainly links relative to my resume or curriculum vitae. The profile page has pictures of me and a brief biodata, personal mission statement and career aims. You can view my scanned educational certificates and reference letters in the education and professions page. Interests contain pictures and some elaboration on things I do in my spare time.
I intend to fill the left menu bar with interview questions or maybe even more information about my background. The left menu bar are still dead links but I am working on it whenever I can - I am currently in the process of documenting and designing the pages. If you would like to be notifed of when it is complete, please go to the contact page.
Thanks for dropping by!


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'Empire' Season 1, Episode 7 Recap: Anika Tries to Take Cookie Down, Lucious Comes Clean About His Health, A Relationship Is Rekindled
There are just four episodes left until Empire wraps up its first season. From federal stings to baby mama drama, fans have seen quite a bit over the past seven weeks. But one question that needs to be resolved is the proper name of Lucious Lyon's soon-to-be-public company.
During the pilot episode, Lucious and the rest of his family refer to their brand as Empire Entertainment, but throughout the show, Cookie refers to it as Empire Enterprises. Which one is it? We're sure this question is bubbling at the top of viewers' heads, so we just had to ask. Lee Daniels, can you clear this up? What's up with the script continuity?
As the "legal" title of Empire is in question, the fate of the company sits right alongside of it. While Lucious is trying to use a breakthrough Russian cure to rid is body of ALS, he quickly learns that his health is deteriorating much faster with the help of an unapproved, international drug. Stuck in the hospital for several days, Cookie knows something isn't right, but Lucious doesn't jump to share the news with her or his sons. It's not until he's unable to make a simple speech to a room filled with a handful of wealthy, potential investors during the company's private IPO fundraiser that he lets his big secret loose.
After coming clean about his condition just hours after the fundraiser, Lucious takes the time to sit and comfort his ex-wife because she can't handle the news. In this case, comfort means sleeping with her. Of course that didn't sit well with Anika, who comes home early from a business trip to Chicago to find them together. But like a true debutante who doesn't want to ruin her pearls, Anika walks away before Empire's founders even know she was there.
As Empire Entertainment gears up for its IPO fundraiser, Lucious decides he wants Elle Dallas, played by Courtney Love, to hit the stage to perform at the event. But Anika, in true hater form, doesn't think he should depend on her to stay clean enough to get behind the mic. Cookie assures them Elle has her act together, and Lucious says he trusts her. That trust is what gets Anika going. To put some Midas brakes in Lucious' admiration for Cookie, Anika drugs Elle the night of the event so she can't go on. Apparently Anika didn't think her actions would ruin the night and thankfully they did not. Her ploy to ruin Lucious' trusting relationship with Cookie didn't work either.
And while on the topic of the IPO fundraiser event, viewers should have a few questions about the "celebrities" who show up to support the event. In this case, there aren't any. The red carpet appearances were made by nameless faces who seemed to make the crowd go wild. But with all the celebrity cameos made on the show thus far, there could have been one -- aside from Courtney Love -- that could have made that scene more realistic. Just a thought.
The Lyon family is never far for drama and that didn't change by the end of the episode. Jamal tries to face the fact that he truly might be a father now. Olivia, played by Raven Symone, is his ex-wife from an arranged marriage orchestrated by his father. She delivers her daughter via elevator surprise to the 17th floor of Empire's headquarters.
While a maybe baby seems like one more thing to help tear the family a part, Jamal's potential daughter actually seems to bring everyone closer together. The power of kids these days. And for once, fans finally see the men in the come together. Lee Daniels and Danny Strong give viewers a powerful scene as they watch Jamal, Lucious and Hakeem put their heads together as a symbol of family support.
Get ready for episode eight next week.


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INDUSTRY — It's time to grab your boots, a cowboy hat, leather belt, a T-shirt and blue jeans, because the 33rd annual Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is coming to the Industry Hills Expo Center July 15 and 16.
Serving as the nation's only touring black rodeo competition, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo celebrates the country's top black cowboys and cowgirls displaying their skills in bareback riding, bull dogging, bull riding and other competitions
Among this year's competitors are 2016 winners all returning to fight for their titles. They include Tory Johnson (all around cowboy), Kanesha Jackson (all around cowgirl), Lamontre Hosley (bareback champion), Tory Johnson (steer wrestling champion), C.J. Demetry (calf-roping champion), Dayna Carter (ladies steer undecorating champion), Kanesha Jackson (ladies barrel racing champion), Tyree Kossie (bull-riding champion), Tyree Kossie (bull riding champion), and Dayna Carter (rookie cowgirl).
The junior barrel racing returning champions include Kortnee Solomon, Lindon Demery and Harrel Williams Jr.
According to Margo Wade LaDrew, national program director of the Bill Pickett Rodeo, first-time rodeo spectators can enjoy "the excitement of being at the event and seeing so many African American families enjoying a day of fun."
"To see real black cowboys and cowgirls and especially the little barrel racers, it is not just a rodeo, it is an event that fans look forward to seeing every year," LaDrew added. "The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo has stopped in Los Angeles on the third weekend of July for the past 33 years and we hope to keep coming for another 30."
The rodeo is named after Bill Pickett, a black cowboy and rodeo performer at the turn of the 20th century who invented bull-dogging, the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling them to the ground. By 1905 he had joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show and toured with Buffalo Bill Cody, Will Rogers and Tom Mix. He even appeared in a couple of movies during the silent movie era.
He died in 1932 after being kicked in the head by a bronco.
The Bill Pickett Rodeo was started in 1984 by Lu Vason, whose goal was to preserve positive images of African Americans in the west while teaching the importance of sportsmanship, integrity, perseverance and diligence. Though Vason passed away in 2015 at the age of 76, his mission to celebrate the legacy of Pickett and provide a safe, educational and fun event for families lives on.
The Bill Pickett Rodeo begins at 6:30 p.m. July 15 and at 3:30 p.m. July 16.
The Industry Hills Expo Center is located at 16200 Temple Ave. in the city of Industry, just north of the Pomona (60) Freeway at Azusa Avenue.
Advanced tickets are $20 for children and $25 for adults. They may be purchased online at http://www.billpickettrodeo.com/index.php/tickets/los-angeles-ca-tickets. Tickets at the gate are $25 and $30.
Information: (310) 674-6700.


text:
The XMLP WG decided to close issue 34 [1] you raised in relation to the Abstract Model WD with no action taken. SOAP 1.2 meets the R300 requirement and does not address application semantics. The semantics mentioned in the AM document are in the context of data flow processing and header blocks, or operational semantics, not application semantics. Further, the AM is now a Working Draft no longer in development. Refinement of the AM is therefore not in the WG's current scope of work. Please let the WG know if this is not satisfactory. Regards, Colleen (on behalf of the XML Protocol WG) [1] http://www.w3.org/2000/xp/Group/xmlp-issues#x34Received on Wednesday, 4 December 2002 17:21:05 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:16:59 UTC


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Lindsey wasn't quite sure what she wanted her film to look like.
After a few brainstorming sessions/emails together, and a lot of trust of me on her part, we made plans to keep it pretty simple.
These were our goals:
- Help clients get to know Lindsey's personality a little better to know she's a good fit as their therapist before they even show up for a session
- explain a little bit about what she does and why she does it
- showcase the space she creates, so clients can feel comfortable there
"Pulling together the most powerful, honest, and key parts of an interview while ALSO making them flow together naturally is a special science, ya'll... I could die happy knowing I can help people like Lindsey get their messages and services into the world."
You can check out Lindsey's website here


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UK Tech Reviews
Audio - Computers - Tablets - Headphones
Acer Chromebook 14 Review
Laptops have been around for ages. They started life as heavy devices with serious limitations in both battery life and overall capability. Most of these laptops ran various versions of Microsoft Windows. For many people, myself included, feel that Windows is not an ideal operating system for portable devices. It takes ages to load up, ages to load applications and is the most vulnerable of all the operating systems when it comes to virus and malware attacks.In these days of powerful mobile phones and tablets, everything now needs to be 'instant on' and 'instant access' to everything. The Chromebook offers just that.
I've been an enthusiastic personal digital assistant user for many years now and have had a number of machines to play with during that time including:
Psion Series 3 and 3a
Palmpilot Pro
Sony Clie 90
Hewlett Packard 720
Hewlett Packard 680
Hewlett Packard LX200
Wow - this is perhaps the first time I've listed them like that - I didn't realise I had so many (and I strongly suspect I have missed a few off because I've forgotten about them).


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A wonderful model for what biblical giving looks like is found in the person of Boaz. In the book of Ruth, Boaz is a man of valor and respected as a prominent citizen of Bethlehem. When Ruth, a foreigner and a widow in need, goes to glean in the fields of Bethlehem, she happens upon the piece of land belonging to Boaz, who, it turns out, is a near relative to Ruth's widowed mother-in-law, Naomi. The foreman of Boaz's fields allows Ruth to glean and gather grain, in accord with the Law which required farmers to leave the edges of their fields unharvested so the poor, the needy and sojourners could scoop up the scraps and feed themselves.
When Boaz appears in the fields, he distinguishes himself as a man of God in his words and in his deeds. The most prominent feature of his godly character is revealed in his giving. Boaz's spirit of generosity exceeds the formal requirements of the Law. Boaz gives Ruth more than immediate material relief. Boaz's generosity, revealing a willing heart and spirit, is manifested in three ways: through his provision, his protection, and his promise.
- Boaz not only gives Ruth permission to glean in his field, he counsels her not to glean in any other fields. The implication is that Boaz will provide Ruth with all her material needs.
- Boaz gives Ruth a preferred portion of the provision. Boaz instructs his foreman to deliberately drop full bundles of the harvested grain in Ruth's path as she gleans.
- Boaz gives Ruth, who as a woman and a foreigner carries unfavored status, a place of privilege at his lunch table and shares his drink and food with her.
- Boaz gives Ruth a promise of protection. Boaz gives Ruth protection while she works during the harvest. He instructs his foreman and the reapers to keep Ruth from any harassment that might be directed to a single woman out on her own in a strange land.
- When Ruth slips into his resting place on the threshing floor and covers herself with the wings of his cloak, she is ultimately asking for protection under the Law. In the immediate situation, Boaz protects her reputation by ensuring her privacy.
- Boaz gives Ruth a promise. Boaz affirms that he will act as kinsman to redeem Naomi's property and in the process take custody of Ruth.
Boaz holds true to his promise and redeems the property for Naomi and marries Ruth. The Lord gives her a son and thus provides Naomi with an heir.
Boaz models for us the true spirit of giving. He is obedient to the Law, the Word of God, in providing Ruth material comfort. He demonstrates the spirit of the Law by giving out of a willing heart and a generous spirit. Through Boaz's giving spirit, the Lord provides Ruth with all she could have asked for:
Redemption of Naomi's lands (the lands of her husband Elimelech and his heirs)
- Acceptance as a Moabitess and as a new follower of Yahweh
- A restored spirit for her mother-in-law
- A Godly husband who would love her and protect her
- The continuation of the Elimelech family line
Boaz honored God by modeling his own giving on the giving of the Lord; it was grace-fueled, generous, forgiving, without prejudice, and rooted in love.


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American Machining Inc. is your IBC Resource. Specialty Products for IBC's include; testing units, discharge and tilting stations, site and level gauges, heating and cooling products, custom manways and manway carts. AMI can custom design and fabricate quality products to enhance your IBC or special process. Call AMI today at 866-629-0091 for a consolation about your ideas and project.
D.O.T. Automated LeakProofness Test Unit with HD Cabinet.
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Discharge stations used in conjunction with hopper bottom bins provide dust-free transfer of materials. Stations can be equipped with screw conveyors, vibratory feeders, pneumatic conveyors or vacuum transfer equipment.
Heating Coil
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Heating Coil w/mixer
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We have many styles to offer you to fit your design needs. Just call our technicians and they will assist you in choosing the style that fits you the best. More...
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Custom Manway Covers, heavy duty with safety features to fit any application. Optional features: automated opening when internal tank pressure is breached, gasket compounds, a variety of fittings and foot operated opening pedals for normal product maintenance.
Standard or custom heating jackets to help maintain specified temperatures. An auxiliary heat source can be added with controls for extra temperature control.
Elevate your IBC, tank tote or poly container with an AMI standard or customized stand. Carbon steel or Stainless steel construction, carbon steel painted standard color or to match any requirement. Various sizes and heights available.
Custom designed 304 stainless steel 55 gallon open head drum and heavy duty 12 gauge open head drum cover. Open head drum cover is modified to customer specifications with additional openings and fittings.
Loading chute is manufactured to provide safe and efficient integration of product to an in-ground storage tank.
Used to transfer or store a Loading Chute. Heavy duty stainless steel construction for extended use,
the cart allows a Loading Chute to be used for multiple tanks or a convenient storage place when not in use.
AMI's unique Mixer Stand contains the drive motor securely allowing the mixer to rotate in a locked position.... More...
Custom designed to fit on the tank exterior providing visual observation of the tanks level. Design contains standard sanitary connections for easy installation and cleaning of the assembly.
Quick and easy viewing of product with sanitary connections to tank fitting. Can be added and used with a variety of applications and containers.
Designed for quick and easy notification of liquid levels. Installs into a variety of container openings and can be used for both small and large containers.
This Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Strainer with a 2" S-Line with Drain was designed for various paint companies and provides a simple method of collecting paint particles and foreign particulates in their paint transfer systems for collection, removal, disposal and easy cleaning. This particular example is designed with a 2" S-Line and Drain. American Machining Inc. can design and build this product to any specification and configuration or size and then tie into any piping system in your custom process.
Part #116094
Custom designed to fit on the tank exterior providing visual observation of the tanks level. With the added ability to check the injective rate by closing the valve included between the gauge and the tank.


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A Child Of The King1) My Father is rich in houses and lands, He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands! Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold. Ref.: I'm a child of the King, A child of the King; With Jesus my Savior, I'm a child of the King. 2) My Father's own Son the Savior of men, Once...
Harriet E. Buell (1877)Text:
Melodie: John B. Sumner


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This story is sponsored by Rabobank
IN THEORY Australians are eating significantly fewer potatoes than a decade ago, but anybody following the progress of the Daly family in southern Tasmania would find that fact hard to believe.
The one-time fine wool Merino producers have turned a half-acre "pocket money" exercise into a major potato cropping, packing and value-adding venture.
Gerard and Susie Daly's farm at Marion Bay, just north of Port Arthur on the south-east coast, now supplies about 5000 tonnes of washed potatoes to supermarkets and wholesalers across Tasmania.
The Daly Potato Company name will also break new marketing ground on the mainland next month with its flavoursome range of gourmet potato salads, developed by Mrs Daly.
Already a big hit in Tasmania, the range includes servings flavoured with yoghurt and dill, bacon and dijon mustard, mild curry and smoked chicken with seed mustard.
The Daly brand, which has also just launched a microwave-ready roast potato range in Woolworths' stores, will be in 180 Victorian and NSW supermarkets by November.
And, for consumers who prefer not to eat spuds, the family's value-adding ingenuity has also won acclaim for a farm-distilled potato vodka, sold under the explosive-sounding brand, Hellfire Bluff.
Ironically, much of the family's recent success has eventuated because an alarming 20 per cent of their potatoes were not pretty enough to make the grade required for fresh produce sold through supermarkets and wholesalers.
Strict supply contract specifications meant up to 500 tonnes of lumpy, scratched or skin-stained spuds were being fed to the Daly's 400 Angus cattle every year until Mrs Daly set about finding a much better use of the "ugly" rejects.
The 400 gram potato salad packs retail for $6 each, while Hellfire Bluff potato vodka (40pc alcohol), sells in distinct French-made 700 millilitre glass bottles at almost $90 each.
Since the vodka's launch mid last year, Hobart's Salamanca Market has been a mainstay sales point for the Hellfire Bluff brand - now also featuring a vodka-based limoncello liqueur, and a dry gin.
However, a promotion drive by the couple's daughter, Ruby, has pushed the fledgling range to mainland liquor outlets, too.
The rise and rise of their potato enterprise has been a bold and extraordinary journey for Gerard and Susie Daly, who did not even own a tractor - or a farm - when they dug and washed their first 10-bag crop by hand in 1989.
Mr Daly was working on an uncle's Dunalley grazing property "Boomah View" when he planted their first backyard crop to earn some extra cash.
The couple expanded the following year to about two hectares, still using gardening forks and buckets to dig and collect their harvest.
Blessed with the sort of coastal temperatures, rainfall reliability and relatively sandy soils which could combine to deliver a good yielding early season crop, they kept increasing their potato planting area - and bought a $3000 second hand Massey Ferguson tractor and digging unit to help out.
By 1995 they had also taken ownership of the 160-hectare property and about 1000 Merinos.
However, with the wool market in the doldrums after the 1991 reserve price scheme crash, the family's potatoes were starting to look like a more rewarding earner.
Like sheep, however, potatoes demanded plenty of physical work and time.
"During shearing, just before Christmas, about three years after taking over the farm, I said to Gerard, `something has to go'," recalled Mrs Daly.
She had also worked a banking job in nearby Sorrell until 1994.
"We realised our future was in potatoes, not wool."
The sheep were sold in January.
Two years later potato growing and harvesting became a year-round operation on the Dunalley farm, initially yielding about 1000 tonnes.
The crop was prepared for market in a second hand washing unit bought from a farm at Oatlands.
Mrs Daly's banking experience provided some useful loan market insight and budgeting knowhow for the farm's increasing capital equipment needs.
By 2010 - a decade after collecting their crop in buckets - the Daly farm was running two harvesters, six tractors and employing 15 workers.
It was also home to a new $1.5 million automated washing and grading unit.
This introduced optical scanning and weighing to grade the crop, rather than relying on family members and staff to make their own visual and manual assessments.
"Sorting by hand just couldn't continue - it was cold work and different people look at potatoes differently when they're grading them," Mrs Daly said.
The Daly Potato Company now has three farms running three potato harvesters (worth about $300,000 each) and a fleet of 12 tractors, plus associated planters, trailers and tillage gear.
Son, Nathan, has joined his parents and about 20 workers on the 530ha aggregation.
A further 100ha of land is leased on a rotational basis from several neighbours to grow their (largely) Nicola crop, plus Pink Eye, and Red Rascal varieties.
However, modernised potato grading facilities actually served to highlight how much product was being rejected as unsuitable for the fresh market, despite the family's best production efforts in the paddock.
"In some seasons you get very little waste, but hot weather or a wet harvest or other issues can leave the skin finish not looking good enough," she said.
"On average we reject up to 20pc.
"The cattle were fatter, but it wasn't a very efficient way to use the crop, and I hated wasting good food.
"It's difficult to watch today's shoppers in the supermarket picking through fruit or vegetables and being so choosy with food which is perfect to eat, but not measuring up to their size, colour or shape expectations."
As farmers, we put a lot of effort in. Waste makes you want to cry.
That frustration, and a determination to find a better use for the rejected spuds, set Mrs Daly on a four-year project to find a value-added alternative for the "waste" crop.
She also wanted an excuse to champion the family's yellow skin potatoes as a gourmet product full of real nutritional value, including vitamin C, niacin, potassium, folate, and rated with a low glycemic index (GI).
"For some reason potatoes have had a lot of bad press which has cost our industry considerable market share to rice and pasta - and there's no nutritional value in pasta," she said.
Back in the 1970s Australians ate potatoes six times a week. Now it is more like 2.4 times.
"I want to fight back and give people plenty of good reasons to talk about potatoes."
Multiple value-adding ideas were considered and rejected by the Dalys, but a gourmet potato salad and a traditional-style potato vodka stayed on the list, so eventually production facilities were established for both.
After a year's product development work, assisted by some state government funding to pay for help from Hobart food scientist, Hazel MacTavish-West, a purpose-built commercial kitchen opened in Sorrell late last year producing the potato salad.
Within months of the range hitting Woolworths' shelves, their kitchen was proving too small.
"The response from shoppers was extraordinary - sales blew our expectations right out of the water," Mrs Daly said.
Walls were subsequently knocked out and the kitchen site expanded into a full scale food processing plant - an investment worth about $1m.
The spiced baked potato range was released last month to an equally encouraging reception from shoppers.
Back on the farm another $300,000 has been spent on a purpose-built shed housing the distillery run by son-in-law Tom Blethman, partner to the Dalys' daughter, Emma.
Capable of producing 500 litres of spirit from a tonne of crop, Mr Blethman kick-started the artisan vodka operation with a lot of trial and error experiences and information gleaned from contacts in Europe, and a visit to the US.
Mainstream vodka brands tend to be made from grain, unless imported from some of the more exclusive potato-based distillers in Europe.
Hellfire's vodka is rare, however, being one of just two potato spirits made in Australia.
In the past year the infant distillery has minced and fermented more than 600t of potatoes.
The liquid is distilled for a month before the vodka is rested and eventually bottled.
Meanwhile, adding gin to the Hellfire Bluff distillery's output sent total sales almost doubling overnight.
In Tasmania, where a distilling culture has flourished lately, small-scale whisky, gin and liqueur makers are everywhere.
There are more than 130 different gin varieties alone.
"Gin is such a huge thing in at the moment, so we get a lot of people visiting Tasmania specifically interested in checking out locally distilled products like ours," said Ruby Daly.
"I think there's good potential to look at export markets, too."
The distillery takes its name from the nearby rocky Hellfire Bluff outcrop above Marion Bay.
Interestingly, while the family's life is now so keenly entwined in serious potato production and expanding market opportunities, the Daly children (Nathan, Jacinta, Emma and Ruby) were relatively indifferent about growing vegetables when growing up.
"We probably had more to do with the cattle, as I recall, and none of us actually planned to be on the farm after leaving school," said Ruby Daly, whose first career choice was beauty therapy.
Like her brother, a builder, she decided her parents were making such extraordinary progress it was hard not to be drawn back home.
"Mum's always thinking about what she can do next - they're both incredible, really."
This article is sponsored by Rabobank


text:
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text:
In theory, you'd want your ecommerce stock levels to always be at full capacity so you never risk missing out on a sale. But then that rascal Adam Smith came along and ruined everything with the theory of supply and demand. On the heels of that came the Scarcity Principle, which then bled into sales marketing, which then adapted itself into ecommerce. The result: an array ecommerce trends that keep stock levels low on purpose!
It's not just an economics principle, but one that applies to psychology, social sciences, and even dating. But perhaps the best way to explain how it works is… cookies.
In 1975, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published a ground-breaking study that proved the powerful effects of scarcity on supply and demand. In the study, the scientists offered subjects identical cookies from two different jars: one jar full of ten cookies, the other nearly empty with only two. As you can guess, the subjects chose the jar with less and rated those cookies as more desirable.
It makes sense when you break it down: scarcity implies that other people have already given preference to the object (or product, or person), thereby insinuating value through social proof.
When online marketers caught wind of this, it led to a whole wave of ecommerce trends, such as ticking-clock time limits, special deals on buying immediately, and — getting to our point — showing low ecommerce stock levels. Past A/B tests evidenced its success, with revenue increases of 9% on page layouts that raised urgency over those that didn't.
But there's more to it than just customer perception — less inventory is more economical, especially for SMBs. As Professor of Marketing Neil Kokemuller points out, keeping stock levels low means less holdings costs and more usable cash for other business ventures. It also makes products easier to organize and keep track of, especially with the variety of inventory management ecommerce tools available.
In this article, we'll talk about how to best use ecommerce stock levels to boost sales. There's a subtle art to generating urgency without drawing a backlash, so below we explain some modern tactics that would make old Adam Smith blush.
Showing Ecommerce Stock Levels to Increase Sales
Before we get into the more advanced tactics, let's just review the basics: be honest about your stock levels on the product page.
Displaying ecommerce stock levels can be a strategic advantage; that's how it became one of those ecommerce trends you see almost everywhere. Naturally, different approaches have emerged. C&I takes a straightforward approach, telling exactly how many items are left...
… while J. Crew acts a little more coy, using ambiguous wording to play on the shopper's imagination:
Whether or not you give an exact number is up to you, but either way your shoppers are going to want some indicator of the stock level… and you can use that to your advantage to encourage a sale.
5 Advanced Tactics for Displaying Ecommerce Stock Levels
1. Not Just Product Pages
Urgency is about raising alarms (but not in an obnoxious way). That means repetition, drawing attention, and above all repetition! While you certainly want to mention a low stock level on the product page where it's most important, it's also useful to mention it on the catalogue page, in the shopping cart, during checkout — even in the features on the home page.
Checkout is especially important. As we mentioned in our piece on the best ways to prevent cart abandonment, just under 70% of all shoppers abandon their carts on average, especially during the checkout. Reminding shoppers about the low stock quantity once more at checkout reiterates all the benefits of scarcity at a time when they're needed most.
Franklin Planner brings up their ecommerce stock levels again and again, on the product page with an exact number, and then a more vague reminder first in the cart, and then once more during checkout. Aside from the product page, they're low-key about it, which is probably the best route to avoid being overbearing if you're mentioning it over and over.
2. Wording
How you talk about your ecommerce stock levels can make them even more influential. Phrasing alters the level of urgency; you see this on the news every day, but it's equally applicable to marketing.
Try using these nuanced key words to give your stock quantities a little more power:
- only (Only X items left!)
- just (Just X remaining!)
- a few (Only a few left!)
Even adding an exclamation point at the end raises urgency — after all, that's one of this punctuation mark's main duties. Compare the difference between:
Only 3 left in stock.
… and...
Only 3 left in stock!
Typography, too, can make a world of difference. If you list your stock levels for every product, try changing those with low stock to red to give them extra attention. Additional flourishes like italics or bold work well, too. Just don't make it too flamboyant, or you'll face backlash (see #4).
3. Products That Will Be Discontinued Soon
Related to wording, framing can also make a big difference in online marketing. For example, take a product that's performing so poorly you've decided to discontinue it. To unload the remaining stock, try framing the product in a way that utilizes the scarcity principle.
For starters, you want to avoid admitting that the product is underwhelming while still announcing that it will be discontinued and unavailable. In other words, you don't need to say why the product will no longer be available to create urgency, it's enough just to know that it will be.
Stampin' Up!, an online store dedicated to cards, stationery, and general paper crafts, incorporates this strategy into their everyday business. They cleverly use the euphemism "retiring products" and tack on a discount for extra incentive.
4. Beware Backlash
Let's go Inception for a second: marketers know that scarcity appeals to shoppers, but shoppers know that marketers know that scarcity appeals to them. As you might expect, this rubs them the wrong way, and a 2014 study in the Social Behavior and Personality showed that, if consumers suspect that a company is using scarcity as a sales tactic, it negates its effects and gives the brand a negative connotation.
We want to warn against being too aggressive or over-the-top with how your present your ecommerce stock levels. Tact is something you can take to the bank in every business.
It should go without saying, but don't lie to your customers about low stock levels or discontinuing products. It's not as foolproof as you might think, and if you're caught in your lie, you not only lose a customer forever, but face repercussions on social media. (Also, you know, don't lie for the sake of being a good person.)
Even if you're being honest about your stock levels, don't go overboard about it. You can mention it repeatedly, but try to keep it unobtrusive, as the Franklin Planner example in #1.
5. To Out of Stock or Not to Out of Stock
Take the scarcity principle to its logical extreme and you have an item that's straight up Out of Stock. The question is, do you keep the item on your site with an Out of Stock notice, or remove it completely until the inventory is replenished?
Jonathan from Long Live the Internet wrote an excellent and well-thought-out article weighing the pros and cons of each. Essentially, the advantage of keeping an Out of Stock item on your site are:
- the same benefits of the scarcity principles (i.e., it shows the item was popular, thus raising its perceived value)
- a future potential sale if you have a notification system for when the inventory is replenished
- retaining all the external links back to the product page; if you take the product page down, any links to it on social media or other sites will die
However, there are downsides as well:
- it makes the vendor seem unprofessional, or incompetent at properly managing inventory
- multiple out of stock products make shopping frustrating and create a detrimental UX
All told, there is no single right or wrong solution. You'll want to consider factors like:
- whether the shopper can backorder a product
- how many total products are out of stock on the entire site
- how popular the product is
- how many external links back to the product page there are
- how long before you can replenish your stock
So, in short, you'll want to make the decision for displaying Out of Stock products on a case-by-case basis.
As if worrying about inventory levels in general weren't bad enough, now you have to worry about how you present inventory levels. On the bright side, when used effectively, stock level displays can improve your sales by adding a sense of urgency. So in the end, this extra attention to detail pays off.


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[CHAPTER 14]: Lyle's Way, Again
Steam curled upward into air that was already dense with fog, rhythmically sputtering away over the chug and hum of an engine. Aidan found himself standing in the midst of dozens of down-staring shades who moved like cattle across a platform. Most didn't seem to know where they were going, but he was forcibly reminded of the souls he had walked with along the road to Out-shift. Something was tugging at their cores; a spiny hook had sunk deep beneath memory and longing and beckoned them to stir.
The train was already packed. All of Out-shift, it seemed, was on the move. No one looked twice at the group of three who emerged from a pocket of air. No one bothered to raise an eyebrow at Peter, who was carrying Lori, or at Aidan wrapped in his many layers of disguise. They might as well have been dust—as common and unobtrusive as that.
"This is a terrible idea," the fool muttered. Nobody argued with him. For his own part, Aidan was not looking forward to being crammed into a confined space with a multitude of dead, half of whom would probably belong to Sir Hugo, but the blood-stained image of Despernot picking himself up from what should have been an afterlife-ending wound would not go away. There were people who might try to harm you, and then there were people who would try to unravel you.
They loaded into the first available car, along with half the platform's occupants. There was soon nowhere to sit. It took a great deal of effort to remain upright within the crush of bodies. Aidan pressed himself against the edge of a seat while Peter lowered Lori so she could stand. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist for support and used the other to grip the back of the seat in front of him. A little watery-eyed old lady standing next to Aidan gave him a single, disapproving glance and clutched her handbag a bit tighter.
Barely twenty minutes after the doors had closed and the train had pulled away from the station Lori nudged Peter and whispered something in his ear. The fool looked a bit surprised, turned on the spot a few times, and then pointed towards the back of their car. They exchanged a few more hushed words and she left, hobbling away from him through the crowd. She squeezed her way past a dazed couple in mud-stained wedding clothes and was gone.
Aidan stepped out into the middle of the aisle and beckoned to Peter. "What was that about?"
"She had to use the restroom."
The fool smirked. "At least she won't find much of a line."
"Have you seen anyone you know?" Aidan whispered.
Peter shook his head and resumed his wary watch. All around them, muffled conversations began to pick up as the train car's occupants eased into their journey. The smell of strong herbal tea wafted to them from somewhere. Aidan was just beginning to wonder how anyone could possibly be making tea on a moving train with no hot water when he saw someone he knew. It was the doctor—the one from his first train ride, who apparently had not been permitted to fix the poet. Peter saw him, too, and tightened his jaw as the doctor stepped over a little girl who was sitting in the middle of the aisle with a deck of cards. He was still dressed in his stained lab coat, and as he approached the edges of the bloody trench in his back gleamed with the sick shine of raw flesh.
He reached them at last and smiled in surprise, as if it were nothing more than random chance that he had found them here. "Oh!" he said, "You're back! Was your friend interested in tendons after all, Mr. Grey?"
"Don't bother being pleasant," Peter snapped. "Have you told Sir Hugo about us yet?"
"About you? What about you, Mr. Grey?"
A whistle blast shook the corridor, bludgeoning their eardrums. Its echo was a deafening screech as the train began to slow at an alarming rate. The massive lurch of straining metal threw Aidan into the laps of several people, while Peter landed on top of the doctor, who squeaked beneath him, "I didn't plan this!"
The train ground to a stop and conversations ended. One moment the old lady had been smacking Aidan in the chest with her handbag, swearing at him in Russian as he apologized and tried to extricate himself from her lap, and the next she was quiet, as if someone had switched her off. There was nothing, no hushed whispers of fear, no confused brainstorming over what might have happened. Aidan took his sunglasses off and let his vision adjust; the lights had gone out and all there was to work with were sparse moon rays that filtered in through the train car windows. When he could see again, prickles of fear raced through his bones. The dead were staring straight ahead, each of them fixing their eyes on something that hadn't yet arrived.
Peter gave the unresponsive doctor a violent shake before giving up and getting to his feet. He shook the man in front of him, too, and said "Excuse me!" loudly, but the preacher in Puritan-style clothes did not seem to hear.
"What's wrong with them?" hissed Aidan.
"I'd like to say it's Sir Hugo pulling in reinforcements, but I've never known him to be able to control people like this. Which means it's probably something much worse."
"Great. Maybe we should get off. Might as well, while we're stop-"
In the glare of the spasming moonlight, they saw three extra people. They were not frozen into silent oblivion like the others; they had come from the forward car and stood now in the middle of the aisle. Their moss-colored clothes did little to disguise lean, ink-dripping bodies. Aidan thought he recognized Grimwal—the man who had tried to keep him in the numbing land of In-between—but they all looked rather the same.
"Boo," said a soft voice at the back of Aidan's neck. He turned in a frightened whirl and found himself face to skull with a familiar heartless grin formed by blue-tinged lips.
The dancer's smile widened. "This is a happy coincidence, Mr. Lawrence. We were on our way home to stop you, but here you are. And with Mr. Grey, too!"
"Hi, Alex," Peter sighed. "Would you mind explaining to me how you hypnotized an entire train full of ghosts?"
"Pardon?" Alexandre glanced around the car, as if just noticing the frozen dead. "Oh, that wasn't us. Another happy coincidence. Or perhaps," he purred, "you simply haven't given our director enough credit."
"Our murderer, you mean." Peter gave Aidan a meaningful glance that the skeleton completely failed to understand. All he could do was return a helpless shrug, which caused the fool to narrow his eyes in frustration. "Alex," he went on, "you woke up to it once. He's the reason we're in this situation."
The broken smile flashed. "No. No, no, no, my sweet fool. You started this. You and your friends. We could have carried on in paradise. It would have been better. But you ruined it."
Again, Peter tried to give Aidan a pointed look, but this time Aidan wasn't even paying attention. "How did you convince them to come out of In-between?" he asked. It was genuinely baffling, given how enthusiastic Grimwal and the others had been about their nasty realm.
"It was not so difficult," Alexandre replied. "Many of them are unsatisfied, if you take the time to point it out. I'm sure Sir Hugo will offer them a place in our home. Oh, by the way," he said with a grin that curled into something awful. "There is someone you should both see."
He stepped as far to the left as he could in the narrow aisle, and behind him Aidan and Peter saw the door that led to the second-to-last car. It was open, and in its frame stood Lori, held by another ink-stained thug. This one was a woman. Ink oozed between pearly white teeth. Long hair coiled over her shoulders in ropes of dripping licorice, framing her face in black like a mask cut out of dark paper. But for all this she seemed…fresh. A new resident of In-between who had not yet had time to rot beneath the sludge. She was young, with dark eyes and a nose only slightly too long for her face.
"Eve," said Aidan in disbelief.
"Satan's hooves," he heard Peter swear. "Bare Bones. Don't get any of that stuff on your coat."
It was a very odd comment to make. Wasn't it just ink in which the intruders were incased? And wasn't it better to get their drippings on clothes than on exposed skin or—in his case—bone? But then at last Aidan remembered the fool's earlier looks of desperate significance and put two and two together. He was an idiot. He still had Peter's gun in his coat pocket.
"I'll try not to," he said, feeling more of a fool than the fool. To be fair, there were many layers of padding between him and the weapon and it was on the side where he didn't have a hand to reach for it, but the fact remained that it had been there all along, just waiting for him to remember.
"See?" Alexandre chuckled. "Look who I found. Look what your useless rebellion has done."
Hands that had once moved across the strings of a violin with perfect grace tightened around Lori's throat as Eve guided her down the aisle. Ink dropped from her arms onto her captive's chest and shoulders.
"Eve," Aidan said, "let her go." His words produced no effect whatsoever; she didn't even slow down to look at him. She kept her gaze firmly fixed on Alexandre and continued forward, stopping only once they were a few feet apart. He gave her a charming smile and took Lori.
"Thank you, Evelyn," he said. "You've been most helpful." He drew forth a long, rusty dagger and poised the tip at Lori's throat. "We'll keep them alive just until we get home, and then we'll spill their blood on the stage. Sir Hugo will find some use for it, I'm sure."
"That sounds like an unnecessary amount of mess," said Peter. "You'll have the scene-shifters cleaning us up for days."
"A small price to pay for the satisfaction," the dance replied. He was drawing blood already, and Lori didn't dare to move. Aidan itched to draw the gun, but he wasn't sure that this was the time. Nor was he sure he could properly fire it. There were four inkers in total, if one counted Eve. Add to that Alexandre and a train full of zombified corpses and suddenly a half-loaded gun in the lone hand of an inexperience skeleton didn't seem very helpful.
Eve had taken an interest in Peter. As soon as he had spoken she had begun to walk towards him. Now they were almost touching, and for one brief moment Aidan felt hope. For one brief moment, he thought that perhaps she had fought through whatever had happened to her and was going to help them out of this—an inky deus ex machina come to their rescue. She put a hand on the back of Peter's head and drew him to her in a kiss full of passion. This, too, was promising, until Peter began to spasm and struggle. She was filling his mouth with ink.
"Don't!" Aidan shouted, but he might as well have cried out against a storm. Her eyes were void of anything save vengeance. The fool's face was draining of what little color it had left, his body writhing under her deadly pressure.
Alexandre was saying something, laughing at them, but Aidan couldn't hear his mockery. He couldn't hear anything at all. He could only watch as Peter was suffocated.
"Eve!" he shouted, knowing it wouldn't work. "Stop!" In a rush of fear and adrenaline, he aimed the gun at her heart with a trembling hand. She paused and lifted her head, glancing at him with grim recognition.
"You're going to shoot me, Aidan?" she said. Her voice was slow and thick with ooze, but it was hers.
"Yes," he choked. "I'm sorry. But if you don't let him go, I'll have to." Something inside him was crumbling. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her. It made no sense; he had barely known her at all, but there it was. To see her now, warped like this, was the most painful thing he could remember. He wished she hadn't spoken—that she had remained just a mindless ink-zombie.
"He's ruined you," she said fiercely. "You're defending your own murderer. My murderer."
"I'm not Aidan," he said. It wasn't exactly the best counter-argument, but it was all that would come. "I'm Tristan. I'm…Peter brought me back. He tricked Sir Hugo so that I could continue what I started. What we started."
She hesitated and glanced down at Peter, who had collapsed to his knees and was vomiting ink all over her shoes. "Now I'm supposed to forgive him for everything? Would that be nice of me?"
With a small frown, she knelt beside Peter. "You know what else would have been nice? Not being murdered." She hauled him to his feet again. He coughed, still gagging on ink, unable to fight back. There was a shadow growing in his eyes that was alarmingly reminiscent of the defeat Aidan had seen in Ostevadel.
"Eve!" he shouted desperately. She wrapped her hands around Peter's neck and squeezed.
The gunshot erupted the world. Eve was propelled sideways by its force and hit the opposite wall, landing across three of the corpses. She grasped at her chest and her eyes found Aidan again. Slowly, they filled with black tears. Then she slumped over and was still. Her head lolled at an awkward angle, trailing hair and ink into a black pool.
"I'm sorry!" Aidan gasped. The apology was for her, for everyone, but nobody acknowledged him. He cried it again, but the passengers were just as silent and staring as before. The only sound was Peter coughing from the floor.
"That was a shame," the deep voice of Grimwal muttered. He took the gun from Aidan and tossed it away under a seat. Only after it was gone did Aidan realize what had happened. One solid punch connected with his skull and he fell face-first into the aisle. Ink from Grimwal's fist gummed up his eye socket and cut his field of vision in half. But at that moment, the windows exploded.
Glass rained down on them from all sides. Without skin, Aidan was not concerned by the deadly shards, but from where he lay in the slough of dust and ink he could see something far more threatening: a wild-eyed phantom lurking just outside. Jagged edges of glass caught the gleam of his icy gaze, a lighter blue than Peter's coat, but just as bold. Wind swept his dark hair angrily, and as Aidan watched he began to climb inside.
"What have you done?" Alexandre hissed, no longer amused. "This cannot be Sir Hugo!"
"Obviously," Peter gasped. There was glass in his hair, making it even more spiky than usual. "Let's save our differences for later, eh? We need to get off this damn train."
The damn train began to move again. It picked up speed, belching steam like a hungry dragon. The motion unsettled the standing corpses and they swayed against each other, hollow reeds in the wind.
"He's right there!" Aidan shouted. "Can't you see him?!"
Apparently, they couldn't. He was the only one to notice Despernot winding his way through the window like a snake. Even Lori looked directly where he was pointing and did not react. The inkers shifted nervously, and the first few sparks of fear began to burn in Alexandre's eyes. "Oui," he muttered. "Off the train."
Suddenly, row by row, the hitherto silent passengers began to scream. Their cacophony split ears and minds alike, rising above sense in a wail of hideous madness. Alexandre let Lori go in favor of covering his ears and she stumbled her way to Peter, who caught her by the shoulders and held on.
"What is it?" Grimwal cried. He turned where he stood for a moment, looking to see what had caused the distorted faces of the dead to stretch in their screaming, but then something strange came over him. He went calm and pushed past Alexandre to go to one of the broken windows where he remained for a moment, standing before the light of the moon. Then he began to pick the glass from the window with his bare hands.
"What are you doing?!" Alexandre panicked.
Grimwal thrust the pieces into his eyes, and when they stuck fast he pushed harder, until with a sound thankfully lost under the screaming corpse choir and the straining engine they burst through the back of his skull.
"It's him!" Lori shouted, "Despernot!"
One by one, the other inkers followed Grimwal's lead. They each took a window and began to harvest the glass, depositing it in their eyes, their mouths, their fingertips. Alexandre watched in mute horror as his friends destroyed themselves, and then he rushed to Aidan's side. "Please," he begged, pulling him roughly to his feet. "Please, help!"
Abruptly, the screaming stopped. Out of the numbing fog that shooting Eve had placed upon his heart, Aidan was assaulted by the uncomfortable thought that the dead were silent now because they were no longer needed. He let Alexandre help him up, and together they turned to find a train full of corpses staring directly at them.
"…out the front," Peter whispered. "Now."
The fool led the way, although he was obviously still too weak to do much other than help Lori stagger along. She was equally useless—a deer in the headlights that had every intention of letting the vehicle turn it into pulp. Aidan forced himself to stop looking around for Despernot and follow them. Alexandre was keeping his hands clamped on his shoulders, clinging to him like a child. In a pathetic train of terror, they made their way into the next car and locked the door behind them.
"He's going to kill us," Lori sobbed. "It's no use."
"You're not dead yet," Peter reminded her. "Keep moving."
The corpses here were just as silent as the ones they had left behind. Aidan felt like he had seen this movie; any minute now they would surely come to life and tear them apart or hold them down until Despernot could come and have his way.
"Excuse me," said a small voice. All four of them jumped and even Peter might have gasped a bit. He was there, birthed from nothing, his bare feet somehow untouched by the ink that was staining most of the train. There were no cuts from the glass, nothing to validate anything Aidan had seen. "I need to know where she is," Despernot said. "Where is my muse?"
No one answered. The demon swept his lunatic gaze over each of them in turn. His hands wrung together in front of him, and when he settled on Peter he clenched them into fists. "What have you done with her?"
"Me? I don't know what you're talking about," the fool managed.
"The Foxe knows," Despernot said with a cold glance at Lori. "She knows you work for Sir Hugo, who hired the ship, which took us to sea and killed us. Sir Hugo wanted the cargo, and now my poor muse is cargo, so he must have her. You must have her."
"Uh, no," Peter began, but Lori interrupted him.
"He doesn't work for Sir Hugo any more. But he does," she said, pointing at Alexandre. The dancer stared at her in alarm and shook his head, but she kept her resolve. "He's the only one here who knows Sir Hugo's business."
Despernot stepped over an ink spot on the floor. "Madness is divinest sense. You cannot lie to me, Foxe."
"I'm not," Lori insisted. "I don't know if he knows where your ship is. But I know he's the only one here who would."
Despernot considered, biting the ends of his nails, and then suddenly Alexandre was floating in mid-air. He hung there, held aloft by some invisible hook, his mouth slightly open, his eyes lost somewhere in the back of his head. A thin stream of water trickled from his mouth. "I am asking nicely," Despernot said.
Lori ran. Peter followed, grabbing Aidan's hand to prevent him from remaining behind to find out Alexandre's fate. They dodged standing bodies and made their way to the door, only to realize that it opened onto a narrow walkway that would take them to the engine.
"Is it safe?" Lori asked. "Is the conductor going to help us, or will he throw us off?"
Behind them Alexandre began to scream and Peter threw his shoulder into the door until it opened. "You're worried about that? Now? Come on!"
Coal littered the floor inside the engine, overflowing from a hellish furnace that lurked in a corner and stank of ash. Everything was covered in smoke stains, including the somber figure that stood at the controls. He looked out at the fragmented landscapes with red, watery eyes as they rushed by.
"Please return to your seats," the cadaverous conductor said in a voice so distant and monotone that at first Aidan wasn't sure he had spoken. "There is nothing to worry about. The situation is under control."
"Like hell it is," Peter said. He seemed mostly recovered by now and stood on tip-toe to peer out one of the windows. "Lyle, we need you to disconnect your cars."
A small cloud of dust lifted into the air as Lyle turned. It was a laborious process, full of clicking and cracking as his bones shifted. His features were a mess of smudges and sunken flesh. His eyes would have seemed dead as well, if not for the red, stinging appearance. He opened a mouth full of yellowed teeth and said very clearly, "It has never been done."
"I know," said Peter. "But now is a wonderful time to try."
"You've got a train full of Sir Hugo's minions," Lori added.
A calloused, rotting hand reached for a level, and they were briefly hopeful. But several gears shifted and the furnace belched a disappointing, solitary plume of smoke. "As long as they have paid, it makes no difference who they are."
"Nobody pays to ride this thing," Peter muttered. Lyle's eyes widened in shock.
"How do we disconnect the cars?" Lori pressed, before the conversation could derail. "Please, we don't have time!"
"If you don't have time, why do you want to do it?"
"Oh, shut up," Peter snapped. He began to search the cabin, wiping centuries of dust and soot from panels of gears and levers that seemed never to have seen the light of day. "I'll do it myself; it's got to be one of these."
Lori and Aidan scrambled to help. Lyle was saying something, mumbling on about how unfair it was that no one had paid. Finally he coughed wetly and pointed to a lever near his right leg. "Let them all die," he wheezed. "Cheapskates and liars don't deserve to live."
"You're most kind," said Peter. He seized hold of the lever and pulled with all his might, wrestling it to a downward position until at last it clicked and the sharp sound of metal on metal rang through the air. They felt the engine gaining momentum as it pulled away from its cars and many passengers. The fool stumbled and was thrown into the side of the furnace, which spat sizzling sparks onto the edges of his coat. Aidan and Lori kept their footing and leaned together against the wall. They watched through the window as the rest of the train squealed madly on the rails. Even as Lyle brought them to a regular pace and their lungs could fill again, the first of the cars wobbled and fell. It collapsed on its side, and the next one mounted it like a ramp and sailed into the air a few feet before crashing down in a torrent of metal and flame.


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Tue, 27 February 2007
This show was not planned and definetly not prepared for. We had a house full of people and just turned the mics on. This show does mark our biggest studio audience and you'll hear that Steele loves to play to a crowd. Relax and and enjoy this one. We'll be back for the regular show on Thursday.
Direct download: FTV_83.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:54pm EDT
Mon, 26 February 2007
The last episode for February features Vernon the Black Guy as Martin and Steele share some of their memories from Black History Months gone by. Items covered include Aretha Franklin's eating binge, swimming lessons, and Martin's problem with some of our female listeners. Plus you'll never guess what the mexicans found on a pizza pan. Chico and Steele's Friends Wife kick "pop-ins" as the studio begins to fill up with people attending Steele's Friend's Wife's party.
As a bonus for our FTV listeners, We'll be releasing a bonus show this week featuring guests from Steele's Friend's Wife's party. It will only be available on fromtheville.com and will not be released on Heat Party Radio. Look for it on the feed by Wednesday and we'll be back for the regular show on Thursday.
Direct download: FTV_82.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Thu, 22 February 2007
Dougie and Kyle are back and you can hear the frustration from Steele and Martin. Both of the hosts are fired during this episode. Dougie is told to leave several times but he is to retarded to understand. He announces that he is a "silent partner" and then gets his mid-'90's pop-culture references confused.
Direct download: FTV_81.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Mon, 19 February 2007
Dougie is back and as tarded as ever! We'll hear about Dougie's encounter with a steamer on the Grand Am Dance Floor, his views on religion and even test his knowledge of math, history and geography. Plus, Martin has cancer.
Direct download: FTV_80.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Thu, 15 February 2007
Jen is back as we talk about her experiences with the uncut pickles and play "Riddle Me a Former Star." We check the voicemail line and Steele does his best Jerry Lewis impression.
Direct download: FTV_79.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Mon, 12 February 2007
We finally get another female guest as Jen stops by the studio. Steele tells us of his many trips to the dentist lately while Martin gets revenge for all of the Washington jokes from previous shows. Anna Nicole died and nobody had the forsight to pick her in the death pool and FTV is auctioning off a peice of the show.
Direct download: FTV_78.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Thu, 8 February 2007
It's our first show for heatpartyradio.com and we get the ball rolling with several topics relating to the gays. We'll hear from Gay Steve, Gay Rick and Gay Kyle. (Kyle might not be gay but it sounded better) Steele shares why he wasn't around for the show last week and Martin contemplates working out in the nude.
Direct download: FTV_77.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Mon, 5 February 2007
Chico hosts this look back at some classic FTV moments. We'll return Thursday with an all new episode.
Direct download: FTV2-4-07.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT
Thu, 1 February 2007
As always with From The 'Ville, this episode is full of strange happenings. An old lady dies when her powers gets turned off, a fire breaks out and nobody seems to care, and a cripple uses a nun to get him a hooker so he can get laid before he dies. (yes, we said he used a nun to get a hooker). Later, Steele offers some health advice on the proper use of public toilets which leads to Martin and Steele sharing stories of bathroom mishaps at younger ages. Plus, Steele has found a crime that he refuses to stand for.
Direct download: FTV_76.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:01am EDT


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And nitwits dream of electric sheep.
So I had recently been approached with the opportunity to write video game reviews for a website targeting teenage girls. Two thoughts popped into my head; one is that I can continue to procrastinate on editing that Spiderman Edge of Crap review I typed up weeks ago. Secondly, this would be a good chance to go reflect on my experience with this summer's romance conspiracy puzzler, Catherine. After all, if there's one thing teenage girls despise, its unfaithful men. Likewise, they may also like block puzzles, sake and baritone narrators. So should your very specific and unlikely combination of tastes match up, Catherine may also be for you.
Catherine was procreated by Atlus' Persona team, the guys that made such hits as Persona 4 and I guess Persona 3. Many of the same sensibilities (or lack thereof) carry over into this demon child of a game. There is the best attempts of Japanese artists imitating American music since Bayonetta's J-Pop version of Fly Me To The Moon. There is the litany of innuendos and hidden (often not well hidden) perverse imagery. There is an even bigger pile of exposition. There's a divine supernatural force ca
using bad things to happen. There are many, many endings (including a very demented one that will go down amongst the annals of great game endings.) There is plenty of alcohol and sushi. I feel that for better of for worse, the legion of Persona 4 fans (and we are indeed legion, a loving legion at that) have already been sold on Catherine on virtue of really wanting more Persona 4.
This is not, in fact, more Persona 4. Though it would not surprise me to find out the protagonist of Catherine is also the silent hero of Persona 4, paying the price for all the simultaneous girlfriends he had within the Investigation Team. If that's not the case, than your character is Vincent Brooks. He's scared of the long-term commitment his girlfriend Katherine desires, whom also happens to be preggers with his kid. He also might be having an affair with a free-spirited ditz of a woman named Catherine. Also, people in his town are dying in their sleep of unknown causes. Also, he has dreams of being forced to climb a giant tower alongside many other sheep-like figures in the name of not croaking himself. Also, he has the unhealthy compulsion of going to the local bar Every. Single. Day. Nah, maybe teenage girls don't want to relate to this game, nevermind.
Atlus' intent for Catherine has an unlikely kind of ambition that I can't recall ever seeing before on any game. Players are asked to choose between responsible commitment and unhinged freedom. I know this because I figured it out while playing. I unequivocally know this because the game felt obligated to explain its own themes to me point-blank. Subtlety has never been the strength of most Japanese game developers.
At the same time, the narrative doesn't begin to get interesting until near the end of the game. That is largely on account of the game's morality meter, and how it keeps Vincent from acting the way players want him to. Based on your choices, players fill a meter that swings between responsibility and freedom, and the side of the meter determines Vincent's responses to certain scenarios. Well, in theory it does. In practice, he seems to respond to every conflict with tattered panic, indifference, stuttering, sweating and an inability to do anything but let the situation escalate.
At the least, I kept myself intrigued in the game's murder mystery, and found the satisfying payoff within what the game deems the "True" endings. Now, the only way to get the true endings is to max out one side of the meter, which completely kills off the whole moral choice aspect. It means I'm no longer answering the game's assorted dilemmas and moral issues based on my beliefs but rather for gameplay conceits. Call it the inFamous Syndrome.
Also, block puzzles. The actual game part of the game asks for players to manipulate cubes on a giant tower in a manner that allows Vincent to reach the top and mature as a person I guess. The blocks have their own unique ruleset that allows for many possible approaches to the top. (Multiple roads to walk before one becomes a man?) There are other variables, like power-ups strewn across the fields, or different block types like the block with a giant tongue as to make Catherine envious. There's a surprisingly decent variety to what is otherwise the same form of tile manipulation to each of the game's levels.
But I can't claim to have enjoyed those block puzzles. I feel like it takes a certain kind of person to be able to navigate these geometric solutions. Someone with strong spatial skills, the kind that allows them to assemble the International Space Station with their mind. Even on the Easy difficulty setting, I found myself having to resort to move-for-move imitation of Youtube videos in order to climb these beasts and make Vincent's parents proud.
Between puzzles, the game asks players to answer assorted random relationship questions. These should probably be approached with a more lighthearted flair than the game wants players to, with such issues as "would you change your wardrobe for your lover" or "your girl wants to see a Twilight movie, what do you do"? (Not really a question in the game.) After, the game gives you a pie chart explaining how other gamers answered, with most of the responses leaning towards the responsibility side. This tells me that either there is hope for mankind's future, that most players went for the perceived "good" ending on their first playthrough, or that most gamers were playing while their girlfriends were in the room.
When Vincent is not dreaming of electric sheep, he's probably at the local bar, talking to whomever is willing to share their woes with him. While at the bar, he can respond to texts from the various K/Catherines in his life, which affect that ever finicky morality meter. He can talk to the locals. He can drink beverages and get random trivia notes from the mysterious narrator. He can play an arcade game based some hybrid of Rapunzel and his nightmares. And he can change the songs on the jukebox to assorted unlockable tracks from past Shin Megami Tensei games, because Atlus knows its strongest suit. Naturally, the Persona 4 songs are the hardest to unlock, because Atlus hates me.
That really is the game portion of the game. You are either interacting with NPCs in a bar or climbing assorted block puzzles. Catherine becomes a weird game to recommend in that respect. What the game does well is so unique and specific that it takes a specific person to actually appreciate it. And yet, because its intentions are so different from every game on the market, I feel as though many young men and women kind of need to play it, if just to know. Men should look at Catherine to learn of the quandaries that come with coming of age. Women should look at it just to know what realities face the opposite sex. And I should play it as my holdover until that Persona 4 fighting game finally comes out here. Please hurry up.
3 ½ stars