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Small-Staff Resources
Welcome from the 2012-2013 Small Staff Association Committee Chair
Thank you for visiting the small-staff resources webpage, your primary source for tools and tips to help you manage your organization of 10 or fewer employees. With the support of the Small Staff Association Committee (SSAC), check out some things you can look forward to in this community:
- The ongoing (and soon-to-be-expanded) DC/NoVA SAFE meetings;
- A Business Continuity Plan designed for small-staff associations;
- Small-staff focused educational sessions at the ASAE Annual Meeting; and
- The Small-Staff Organizational Membership: for a flat rate, your organization of 10 or fewer full-time employees can reap the rewards of a central source of resources, learning programs, and research.
Below, you will find listings of events, articles, and quick tips to help you succeed in your job today! The SSAC is your professional advocate, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to contact Meredith Holt, senior manager, membership, and staff liaison to the SSAC, at 202-326-9543.
Lydia S. Middleton, CAE, President & CEO, Association of University Programs in Health Administration
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Upcoming Events
- Great Ideas Conference
March 9-11, 2014, Orlando
- NOVA SAFE -- Alexandria(Small Association Forum for Executives)
March 27, 2014 (in-person and virtual)
- NOVA SAFE -- Crystal City
May 15, 2014 (in-person and virtual)
- Marketing, Membership & Communications Conference, Washington, DC
June 17-18, 2014
- DC SAFE -- Washington, DC
July 24, 2014 (in-person and virtual)
- ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition -- Nashville,
August 9–12, 2014
- Two Tools That Help Workplace Giving Cultures Stick
August 4, 2014
- Is It Time for a Communications Audit?
June 9, 2014
- How to Lead After the Death of an Employee
May 26, 2014
- Working Remotely With a Small Staff
May 5, 2014
- 5 Secrets to Telework Success
March 17, 2014
- Torn Between Two Offices: Tips for Supervising From Afar
March 3, 2014
In This Section
Upcoming Programs
- 2014 Technology Conference & Expo
December 16–17, 2014
- 2015 Great Ideas Conference
March 8 –10, 2015
- Springtime Expo '15
April 9, 2015
- 2015 Marketing, Membership & Communications Conference
Dates TBD
- 2015 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition
August 8–11, 2015


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...Many people love to enjoy different mouth watering dishes that are available different restaurants. However, among all Chinese, Thai, Italian, continental fo...By: ummed | 2012-10-23 | Restaurant Reviews
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Additions and/or corrections to the database are encouraged! Simple Add/Edit Procedure.
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MONTICELLO, Minn. (KTTC) -- A Minnesota National Guard unit that's spent a year training and coaching the Afghan National Army has returned home.
As expected, it was an emotional reunion for 120 soldiers and their families Thursday afternoon in Monticello. Hundreds of family members and friends filled the Monticello Community Center holding signs and flags.
Dozens of others lined the streets of the community as police officers escorted three busloads of soldiers from the 257th Military Police Company through town. School children held flags and chanted "USA."
For Army Capt. Troy Hyland it was more than a reunion, it was the first time he met his new daughter, 9-month-old Isabella. The Hylands have two other children, 10-year-old Sophia and 7-year-old Ben.
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Sign up for Yardbarker's daily Top 10 newsletter, the Morning Bark! Customize to get news on your favorite sports and teams.
Found November 29, 2012 on Tireball.com:
PLAYERS: Mariano Rivera, Russell Martin
TEAMS: New York Yankees
TEAMS: New York Yankees
Enter Sandman. Mariano Rivera will continue to pitch and he will do so for the New York Yankees. Baseball's all time saves leader and perhaps the most dominating relief pitcher in baseball history has reached a one year deal worth $10 million. According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports the deal has incentives which could make the total payout to Rivera even higher. Rivera turned 43 on Thursday. The guaranteed $10 million is a paycut from the $15 million he made in 2012. Rivera tore his right ACL and missed most of 2012, he is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Russell Martin to the Pirates While the Yankees re-signed their closer they appear to be on the verge of losing catcher Russell Martin. Rumors earlier this week had Martin seeking three year deal worth $9 million. While the Yankees may have been hesitant to go that length of a contract with a 29-year-old catcher it does not appear that Pittsburgh was as Ken Rosenthal reports that a deal has been reached between ...
Original Story: http://tireball.com/mlb/2012/11/29/ya...
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PG,1hr 15min
October 30, 2009
Phase 4 Films
Synopsis: As co-helmed by Manuel Sicilia and Raul Garcia, this CG-animated, Spanish-language children's adventure (translated as The Missing Lynx: Paws on the Run for its release in English-speaking countries) originated via the production efforts of Antonio Banderas, though his is not one of the voices on display. The premise concerns a millionaire who becomes obsessed with the idea of constructing a new Noah's Ark - and hires a hunter to kidnap untoward numbers of animals to make this happen. The film follows ... Full Synopsis


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10 ways to flat abs
Flat abs tops the list of most of our New Year resolutions. And with the entire celebdom going the bikini and the underwear way, we bring you the top ten ways you can work your way into flat abs.
1. It's not just about the abs…
People have this misconception that the best way to strengthen their abs is to drop to the floor and do a thousand crunches. When it comes to abdominal strength, you shouldn't train the body in isolation. Core strengthening and Pilates is a good option because the focus is the core. It doesn't just work the abs in isolation; you're also using your arms and legs, back muscles, and glutes.
2. Go the cardiovascular way:
Start with a warm up of 5 to 10 minutes, then proceed to your fat burning zone for minimum 20 minutes, 5 minutes cool down. Weave this in 3 times a week.
3. Weight training burns calories:
Weight training aids in burning calories. If you want to do cardio and weight lifting together, 20 minutes of cardio work out is good enough. Three times a week for weight lifting is ideal to keep muscles working to maximum capacity without soreness and fatigue. As a rule of thumb, 48 hours should elapse between sessions.
4. Work your way into eating right:
A common mistake that most of make is that we do not balance our exercise regime with our diet. We indulge in over eating with the thought that it would get burnt when we exercise. Reports tell us that its 80% diet control and the rest is proper exercise, getting sufficient sleep and managing your stress. Eat every three hours and incorporate some lean protein and complex carbohydrates in your diet. Incorporate 'good fats' into your diet. Watch your portion sizes. Chew your food thoroughly to allow maximum absorption of the nutrients and to allow your body to feel satiety. Avoid distractions while you are eating. When you eat, pay attention to what you are putting into your mouth. Feel every sensation, be aware of the textures of the food, smell the aroma and be thankful and have gratitude when you eat. You will find you enjoy your meals more and eat a lot less!
5. Exercise Intensity:
According to new research studies, interval-type training has a prolonged fat burning effect and thus results in easy six pack abs.
6. Good Posture:
Poor posture is a big problem, So it is always recommended to stand up straight. With your shoulders back and chest up, the abs will put themselves in. So you should have a good posture. For better posture while standing, align your ears over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, hips over knees, and knees over ankles. Keep the front of the shoulders open like a shirt on a hanger, instead of a shirt on a peg. Draw your navel to your spine and keep your weight even on the balls of your feet and heels. And try to work on your posture when you are in the move.
7. Tank up on the water:
There is no fixed rule that you should drink "This Amount" of water. Always stay hydrated. Drink 8-10 glasses of water and more when you exercise. This will regulate fat burning and body metabolic process too.
8. Set Realistic Expectations:
You cannot expect to have an six pack or bikini abs over night. Set realisitc expectations. And your genes are play a role in your body shape, for better or for worse. Learn to push your body, but push it to realistic expectations.
9. Get enough sleep:
Get seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Sleep is a very important quotient of your weight loss programme. In addition to repairing your muscular system and rejuvenating the body, sufficient sleep decreases the stress hormone, cortisol.
10. Add Variety To Your Workout:
Do remember that you can meet your fitness goals even without going to a gym. Take a walk at nearby park. Stand straight in a cocktail party and exhale to draw the navel to the spine. Or in a mood to go kickboxing or swimming! Learn a new workout to keep your mind agile.
Living it up: The best of 2008, an MSN Special
Stay in shape this Christmas season
Celeb health tips 'more of quackery than scientific reality'
Eating at buffets can make you obese


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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Like a sprinter and shirtless, LeBron James pumped his arms and legs up and down the court of Portlands Rose Garden on Wednesday.
Originally, James thought the Heat was going to have an easy off day in Portland. That was not the case after a being blasted inside by the Pacers and losing by double figures. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra put his players through a mouthpiece and pads type of practice, but afterward James still had enough energy for some wind sprints.
Thats four, James yelled at teammates Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and James Jones as if he was a coach. Eleven more.
After the running, James got with Mario Chalmers and others to work on free throws. Finally, after burning through what seemed like a few thousand calories after practice, James strolled over to reporters dripping with sweat. In recent days, the Heat has positioned itself for a few transactions that might shore up the rebounding deficiency. James isnt counting on it, and he practiced that way on Wednesday.
This is who we have, James said. Aint nobody outside. Whos out there? If there was somebody out there, he would have been picked up. As a collective group, weve got to figure it out.
Indirectly, James matter-of-fact attitude isnt exactly an endorsement for NBA veteran Chris Andersen, 34, who worked out with the Heat on Tuesday.
The Heat did sign rookie Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day contract on Wednesday, but Varnado isnt expected to contribute immediately. Varnado, drafted by the Heat in 2010, was released by the Celtics on Monday. Agent Merle Scott said the Heat also agreed to re-sign center Josh Harrellson to a 10-day contract. The signings give the Heat the maximum 15 players, which would suggest the Heat is not yet ready to sign Andersen.
Im just looking to bring some energy and defense to the team, said Varnado, who holds the NCAA career record for blocks.
James called the Heats rebounding numbers the teams kryptonite. Without defensive rebounds, the Heat cannot start a fastbreak. Without a fastbreak, the Heat loses half of its identity. Miami has one fast-break point against the Pacers and was outrebounded 55-36. Indiana had 22 offensive rebounds.
Chris Bosh says hes willing to do whatever it takes to help improve the Heats rebounding numbers. Apparently, that includes coming off the bench.
Speaking figuratively, more than anything, Bosh said he wouldnt object to coming off the bench or just sitting to learn some more if that would help the team. The Heat has been outrebounded by 39 in its past two losses and much of the blame has fallen on Bosh. This month, Bosh is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.
Just saying how much invested into it I am, Bosh said, smiling sarcastically. We want the best rebounders out there on the court and to say that Im lacking on my job and its not me, if Im not a good rebounder out there, if Im not what this team needs, then maybe I need to sit and learn some more or maybe someone needs to play some more. Thats just a figure of speech.
Boshs odd comments come one day after he suggested the Heats system should be changed to create more rebounding opportunities.
We get placed in a system and we try to play to the system to the best of our abilities, Bosh said after the Heats loss to Indiana. Some days, its good. Some days, its bad. Most days it has been bad for us on the boards. I dont think its about effort. Were trying our best.
Bosh said in Indianapolis that perhaps playing a more traditional lineup would help.
We played more conventional basketball the first year and last year, Bosh said. This is different.
Bosh didnt back away from those comments on Wednesday in Portland.
I know I can rebound the basketball, Bosh said. I know we all can. We need to be put in the best position to do that.
Jokingly, Bosh was asked if he wanted to be traded.
Hell no. You crazy? Not getting rid of me that easy, he said.
Defend the title, baby. Thats what its about.


text: ProQ Wood Dust Oak Save0% Product code: MACPQWD0007OAK Availability: Out of stock Now £2.49 Out of Stock Sorry, we're currently out of stock of this item. Read reviews Ask-an-owner More about this product Features & Specification Finance Example Product Care Tips Customer Reviews Features & Specification Features & Specification ProQ Wood Dust Oak is for use with cold smokers. The Queen of smoking wood. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game. Below is a list of wood varieties that can be used for food smoking, not all woods are suitable for smoking (some will make you very ill), so do not use a wood unless you have sufficient evidence that it is safe to do so. All the woods listed below are commonly used for Food Smoking. The source of your wood is also vitaly important, do not use old fence posts, floor boards or any wood that you suspect may have been treated. Types of Wood Alder - Very delicate with a hint of sweetness. Good with fish, pork, poultry, and light-meat game birds. Almond - A sweet smoke flavour, light ash. Good with all meats. Apple - Very mild with a subtle fruity flavour, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork. Ash - Fast burner, light but distinctive flavour. Good with fish and red meats. Beech - imparts a subtly sweet and mild flavour, making it ideal for fish and sea food Birch - Medium-hard wood with a flavour similar to maple. Good with pork and poultry. Cherry - Good with poultry, pork and beef. Some say that cherry wood is the best wood for smoking. Grape - Tart. Provides a lot of smoke, rich and fruity. Good with poultry, red meats, game and lamb. Hickory - The King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavour. Good with pork, ham and beef. Lilac - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb. Maple - Smoky, mellow and slightly sweet. Good with pork, poultry, cheese, and small game birds. Mesquite - Strong earthy flavour. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game. One of the hottest burning woods. Mulberry - The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple. Oak - The Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game. Orange - Produces a nice mild smoky flavour. Excellent with beef, pork, fish and poultry. Pear - A nice subtle smoke flavour. Much like apple. Excellent with chicken and pork. Pecan - Sweet and mild with a flavour similar to hickory. Tasty with a subtle character. Good with poultry, beef, pork and cheese. Plum - Great on most white or pink meats, including chicken, turkey, pork and fish. Walnut - Very heavy smoke, usually mixed with lighter woods like almond, pear or apple. Can be bitter if used alone. Good with red meats and game. Colour N/A Manufacturer ProQ Type Wood Dust Flavour Oak Finance Example When you spend at least £500 online with us, you can take advantage of our Finance Offers on most items across our website. Rather than paying upfront for your order, you can pay a 10% deposit today (minimum) and then choose to split remaining amount into smaller monthly payments. 10 months interest free credit (0% APR representative) - No interest, no worries! 24 or 36 months (19.5% APR representative) Simply add £500 worth of items into your Shopping Basket, and follow the checkout process. Complete the application online in less than 5 minutes when you add an item to your basket with a finance offer available. Credit is provided by Pay4Later and subject to acceptance. 10 Months Interest Free Credit (0% APR representative) Example: 10 Months Interest Free Credit (0% APR representative) Consumer Spend £500.00 10% Deposit £50.00 Advance £450.00 Monthly Repayment £45.00 Number of Repayments 10 Total Charge for Credit £0.00 Total amount payable £500.00 24 Months Credit Payment Plan (19.5% APR representative) Example: 24 Months Credit (19.5% APR representative) Consumer Spend £500.00 10% Deposit £50.00 Advance £450.00 Monthly Repayment £22.45 Number of Repayments 24 Total Charge for Credit £88.85 Total amount payable £588.85 36 Months Credit Payment Plan (19.5% APR representative) Example: 36 Months Credit (19.5% APR representative) Consumer Spend £500.00 10% Deposit £50.00 Advance £450.00 Monthly Repayment £16.26 Number of Repayments 36 Total Charge for Credit £135.23 Total amount payable £635.23 Caring for items helps them to last even longer. Customer Reviews Sorry, there are no reviews yet. Product Tags Add Your Tags: Add Tags Use spaces to separate tags. Use single quotes (') for phrases. VIEW GXL_MCMJ12 MACPQWD0007OAK


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Academy Awards
"Amazing Spider-Man" star Andrew Garfield and Batkid aka 5-year-old Miles Scott weren't able to make an appearance at the 2014 Academy Awards, but they did go to Disneyland.
Ellen DeGeneres' mega Oscar selfie has been Simpson-ized!Check out the pic of Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong'o, Angelina Jolie, Peter Nyong'o, Bradley Cooper, Ellen… and Homer Simpson!
The ugly true story of that Oscar® selfie can finally be told! Let's break Twitter again. Look for Bart. pic.twitter.com/tdfr3Juhff
— Homer J. Simpson (@HomerJSimpson) March 5, 2014
Now that the 2014 Oscars have been handed out, what does the future look like for the winners?
Cate has quite a few projects coming up, including voicing Hiccup's mother in "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (June 13) and reprising her role as Galadriel in final "Hobbit" installment, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" (Dec. 17). She's also starring in the next Terrence Malick film, "Knight of Cups," with Natalie Portman and Christian Bale, due out sometime this year.
In 2015, she'll star in director Kenneth Branagh's re-imagining of the fairytale "Cinderella," playing the evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine.
Actor John Travolta feels bad about mispronouncing Broadway star Idina Menzel's name at the 2014 Oscars, but he has "let it go."
Edgar Martirosyan, the owner of Big Mama's and Papa's pizza who delivered pizza to the 2014 Oscars, was well compensated for his efforts.
"Extra's" Jerry Penacoli was with all the stars at the Governor's Ball following the 2014 Oscars, including Best Actress winner Cate Blanchett.
"Extra" caught up with Halle Berry at the Fame and Philanthropy Post-Oscar Gala on Sunday, where she opened up about her baby boy, Maceo, for the first time.
Host Ellen DeGeneres figured most of the stars sitting in the 2014 Oscars were hungry, so she ordered pizza for them… and delivered.


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A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center (PHC) projects that over the next 20 years, second-generation Hispanic births in the United States will outpace the rate of Hispanic immigration. That demographic shift has profound implications for the future of the nation's largest ethnic group and forces academics and marketers to re-evaluate long-held conventions about the market.
"We're all used to the idea that the growth of the Latino population is one of the key demographic events of our day," said Robert Suro, director of PHC, in a PBS interview. "This report signals a change in the character of that growth: A shift from immigrant growth to that of native-born children."
The report adds to a growing body of research that shows a tendency for Hispanics to acculturate rather than assimilate. Historically, U.S. immigrants have been assimilated into society by replacing their native customs with the Anglo-dominant culture. Hispanics, by contrast, have largely preserved their cultural traits while adopting a complementary set of skills from the mainstream, a process known as acculturation (see table, "Hispanic Segments").
|•Household income
|•Household size
|3.9 people
|3.6 people
|3.1 people
|•Time in the U.S.
|Primarily first generation
|U.S.-born or long-term resident
|Fourth generation & beyond
|Inner city; heavy ethnic minority concentration
|Mostly suburban; multi-ethnic neighborhoods
|Suburbs; mostly Anglo
|Latin American
|Hispanic American or Latino
|American of Hispanic heritage
|Fully Hispanic
|Strong attachment to Hispanic tradition
|Fully Anglo
|•Language preference
|Spanish or English
|•Use Spanish in conversation with friends/families
|•Consume media in Spanish
|Hardly ever
|Source: McKinsey Quarterly analysis, 1998, based on Yankelovich Partners, SRC, and American Demographics.
A 1998 McKinsey analysis of Census and Simmons Market Research data projected the proportion of acculturated Hispanics to grow from 57 percent in 1995 to 67 percent by 2010. Over the same period, the number of isolated Hispanics, or those who cling exclusively to Hispanic culture, will drop from 32 percent to 25 percent. A similar study by VNU Spectra in 2003 nearly replicates the McKinsey findings (see table, "Cultural Segmentation of Hispanics"). Both studies included variables beyond language to segment the U.S. Hispanic market by level of acculturation.
"Despite assumptions that Hispanics would assimilate, factors such as continued immigration, geographic proximity to Latin America, inexpensive communications, and the pervasiveness of Hispanic products and Spanish-language media suggest that sustained and even retro-acculturation are occurring," says Juan Solana, an economist with HispanTelligence. "Unfortunately, this has led to a perception that Hispanics have not adapted to the U.S. lifestyle."
But data consistently show Hispanics progressing across generations in language skills, education, income, and entrepreneurship (see other articles in this section). For example, acculturated Hispanics and their assimilated counterparts rate similarly with regard to economic achievement; according to the McKinsey analysis, average household income among the acculturated group was $36,100, roughly equal that of assimilated Hispanics ($37,000) but significantly higher than that of isolated Hispanics ($20,500).
|McKinsey (1998)
|VNU Spectra (2003)
|Bicultural (acculturated)
|Monocultural (isolated)
|Source: McKinsey Quarterly (1998) and VNU Spectra (2003).
The misconception that Hispanic culture hinders progress comes in part from researchers' failure to distinguish between the first and subsequent generations. In a 2003 study by RAND Corp., economist James P. Smith found that successive generations of Hispanic men show significant improvements in wages and education relative to native-born Anglos. "These findings run counter to the prevailing view that there is something in the system that holds Hispanic immigrants back," Mr. Smith writes. "Based upon our experience with history, the children and grandchildren of Hispanic immigrants progress up the educational and income ladder in the same way as immigrants who came here from European countries."
"The market seems to be peaking with a high proportion of second-generation Hispanics where acculturation is dominant," says Mr. Solana. As the proportion of third-generation Hispanics grows, so will the trend toward assimilation, he adds.
For marketers, acculturated Hispanics represent the prime market sophisticated consumers with considerable income who differentiate themselves by maintaining their Hispanic heritage. Moreover, the acculturated segment is the largest and fastest-growing segment, increasing at an annual rate of 11.9 percent. Although these coveted consumers identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic and have a strong attachment to Hispanic traditions, they prefer English-language media (see table, "Hispanic Segments").
With one foot in each culture, the acculturated Hispanic population also drives the acceptance of Hispanic products and customs by the mainstream U.S. market the so-called Hispanization of the 21st century. "Hispanics are developing a unique identity in America," says Felipe Korzenny, co-founder of Cheskin, a California-based market research firm. "We are keeping to our roots while branching out retaining our unique flavor in the American salad bowl of diversity."


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Editor's Picks
Tips For Hiring Pool Service
When you are making some improvements in your place, you may consider ....
Your home is topic to wear as well as tear, so over years, you can notice that these requirements a few to revitalize and improve. It's where home improvement ideas come into pictures. Revitalizing the home does not need to be costly to there're really plenty of cost-effective methods. It just means that you do not require to stretch the budget, invest lots of money, and put whole in your pockets simply to make improvement to the home.
Several Reasonable Home Improvements Tips
Set up several halogen monitor lighting in your home; it's one of idealism and price efficient means to decorate houses. These lightlooks stylish, stylish, plus they really can include beauty to particular areas or corner of the home.
Brighten room in the house and be capable to save power costs from the power bills by installing or even changing the old light with a smart looking as well as energy effective LED light. It's becoming a lot more well-liked to numerous households belonging to various nations across our world.
Install really designed as well as built shelves, closet, and others storage solutions. But you must forget to go for those low-cost storage available on the markets. You do not have to invest a great deal of cash simply to provide the home with such superb storage.
When this comes to the kitchen or even bathrooms, you may revitalize or even reinvent this by installing latest faucet, counter tops, and fixture. This won't just add the value to the home, but will also improve your storage spaces inside the house.
These easy and reasonable home improvement tips will certainly offer max boost to the value, natural beauty, as well as the functionality of the home.
The blind Super store is company based in Black pool that concentrates on customized blinds like venetian blinds and also roller blind. What a blind or curtain you select for the window is just small part of decorating the house so we've made some posts on the blog to decorate and enhancing your home.


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2014 CPA Convention
April 10- April 13, 2014
Monterey Marriott
300 Calle Principal, Monterey, CA
Back in Monterey, again! As many of you know, we had a great convention when we were in Monterey in 2012. Lots of people, sunshine and networking as well as quality education. The Monterey Marriott is just steps from the water and the sunset view from our opening and president's receptions is truly incredible. We have a discounted room rate and the location is easily drivable from most of California.
The 2014 convention planning committee worked very hard this year to develop a program true to this year's theme of
Innovative and Inspiring Practices in Psychology
We have sessions that will inspire you, and opportunities to network with your friends and colleagues. Treat yourself to a great learning opportunity in a can't-miss location.
Book your room early. We sold out last time. And invite a friend or colleague to join you (and us) in Monterey!
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Click here for more information.
American Schools of Professional Psychology at Argosy University - Southern California and San Francisco Bay Area
1231 I Street, Suite 204
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 286-7979
Fax: (916) 286-7971
Email: email@example.com
Google Map
© 2014 California Psychological Association. All rights reserved.
Publication of an advertisement does not imply approval or endorsement of the advertiser, the product, the service being advertised, nor does it represent the position of the California Psychological Association.


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Design Services
Latest Projects
Stock Designs
Just Thinkin'
Fee Schedule
Osprey 18 Flats Skiff
Design #: SMD-047
Since designing the Osprey 18 Flats Skiff back in 2008, it has gone through a number of revisions. One of these revisions was to allow the boat to be built with plywood frames that could be cut out by a CNC router. I recently was contacted by a customer who wanted the plywood frame version, but didn't want to buy the kit. I had been asked about this before, but was always reluctant to do it. For some reason, this time I said yes and went about changing the drawings to make it work. Well, by the time I was done updating and revising I found myself with half a dozen versions of the same boat! Needless to say, it has gotten far to complex to manage this many versions. So, I have decided to make the plywood framed version the new standard and I am retiring the original, solid wood framed version. This will eliminate having to assemble the frames and should make it easier to find materials. Although the solid wood framing has many advantages, it is getting increasingly difficult to find good quality wood in the correct widths to build the frames.
The Osprey 18 was designed as a simple skiff that would run well with a Honda 40 hp outboard motor. In order to run well with such a modest engine, the boat had to be very light with an efficient hull shape. The hull is a simple V-bottom with a fine entry and about 6 degrees of deadrise at the transom. To keep hull slap to a minimum, neither the chine flats or the strakes transition through the waterline while the boat is at rest. In fact, if someone wanted to simplify things even more, the strakes and chine flats can be left off completely. To keep her from looking slab sided, I designed in quite a bit of flare up forward that transitions to outward curvature toward the stern. While this looks pretty, it makes the hull quite a bit harder to build. If kept light, I expect the top speed to be near 32 knots.
The deck arrangement is very simple with fore and aft casting platforms and a long narrow cockpit amidships. The cockpit measures 94" long x 39" wide. The side decks are about 14" wide to allow walking from bow to stern without having to step down. There is plenty of room on the casting platforms for both an aft poling platform and a bow platform for sighting tailing and feeding fish. Under the fore and aft platforms there is storage accessed from the cockpit area. Hatches have been added to the foredeck and the stern to ease access to the fuel tank and batteries. A small motorwell allows you to build the Osprey without a jack plate, my personal preference. There is a side console option for those who'd like to build her without the tiller steering. See the PDF files below for the drawing.
The fuel tank was originally a custom aluminum model mounted under the foredeck. Last year the government decided that marine fuel systems must now capture all the fumes that come out of the vents. Evidently they have cleaned up all the other major sources of pollution, like power plants and the like, leaving only us boaters! What this means is that your old simple fuel system is a thing of the past. Now your tank will have three vent fittings, check valves and a carbon filter like on your car. I figured the best way to meet the new regulations was to follow the design philosophy of the Crystal 16 and use a portable tank mounted back aft. This meant that the batteries had to all move forward to keep the boat balanced. Frankly, I like this layout better as it will be cheaper and easier to build while eliminating a long fuel hose. As this is a very small boat, any changes to the location of weights makes a large impact on not only the trim of the boat, but also on its performance. Anyone who builds an Osprey should be sure to check with me prior to moving any weights around!
Due to the curving shape of the Osprey 18, it can't be planked with sheets of plywood. Her planking will consist of two layers of Okoume marine plywood that will be cut into strips (as large as possible) and epoxied on the diagonal to the stringers and frames. Up forward these strips will likely be pretty narrow. Back aft and on much of the bottom, much larger sheets may be able to be used. The bottom stringers are 3/4" x 1 1/2" Douglas Fir or Honduras Mahogany on 6 3/4" centers. Her frames are 24" apart and are cut from 18mm Okoume marine plywood. The transom is 2 layers of 18mm Okoume marine plywood, epoxied together. If you'd like to save some money, you can also use 3/4" AB Douglas Fir marine plywood for the frames and transom. The deck and sole are 12mm Okoume marine plywood. The entire hull and deck will be covered in a layer of 7oz. fiberglass cloth set in epoxy and then painted.
While her construction is pretty straightforward, it is somewhat complex and will require some skill and patience to do properly. I think a first timer can build the Osprey as long as they take their time and read a lot of boat building books ahead of time. In fact, the first boat is being built by someone with no boat building or woodworking experience! The following is a partial list of the drawings included in the Plan Set:
Profile & Arrangement
Hull Lines
Construction Plan
Keel/Stem Details
Machinery Arrangement
Harpin Detail
Strake and Chine Details
Flotation Foam Drawing
Side Console Drawing
Hull Frame, Stem and Side Console Patterns (by email in PDF format)
The patterns will be sent to you by email in PDF format. You can then deliver or email them to a local blueprint shop for printing. I can also arrange to have the patterns printed for you for an additional cost. Please contact me for a quote.
A partial list of materials is as follows:
8-10 sheets of 4mm Okoume marine plywood
4-5 sheets of 12mm Okoume marine plywood
5 sheets of 18mm Okoume marine plywood
27' of 3/4" x 2 1/2" Douglas Fir or Mahogany
(4) 2 x 6 x 8' Douglas Fir or Mahogany
70' of 1/2" x 2" Douglas Fir or Mahogany (may need to be laminated in 1/4" layers)
146' of 3/4" x 1 1/2" Douglas Fir or Mahogany (may need to be laminated from 1/2" thick layers)
This is a very partial list of materials. I will try to add more to it as I get actual amounts used from builders.
Although more "features" could be added to make the Osprey 18 more like the production boats that are available, I'd keep it as simple as possible. It will perform better and be much less expensive to build and maintain. The Osprey 18 Flats Skiff should make a fine little boat for the serious flats fisherman.
Osprey Photo's
Luke's Osprey
Updated 7/08/14
(Click photo for gallery!)
CNC Cut Frame Kit: To simplify construction of the Osprey 18, I also offer the frames and transom parts cut with a CNC router. This saves a lot of detail cutting as each frame is notched for the longitudinal stringers, chines and keel. If you are interested in buying the Osprey 18 Frame Kit, please contact me and I'll get you a quote including any applicable taxes and the shipping costs.
As printing and mailing study plans is not very profitable for me, I have decided to make study plans available as downloadable PDF files. These can be opened with any PDF reader and most people already have the free Adobe Reader installed. Please remember that these plans are the property of Smith Marine Design and should not be used for any purpose without my written consent.
Profile Drawing
Profile Drawing W/Side Console
Machinery Arrangement
If you would like to pay by Check or Money Order, please contact me to make arrangements.
Before placing an order, please read the Terms of Sale page. By placing an order, you are agreeing to the terms set forth. This page will open in a new window, so just close the window when you are done. Unless requested otherwise, all international orders will be in metric.
Copyright 2009 Smith Marine Design. All Rights Reserved.
All materials on this site are the property of Smith Marine Design and any unauthorized use without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.


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Trimming The Base of A Shower
Finishing Touches of a Small Bathroom Remodel
(See Below for DIY PVC Trim Installation Instructions)
Bathroom remodeling is a wonderful thing. New tub, new shower, new sink, new tile, new bathroom fixtures - it's all new! Sometimes, however, after getting all those new important bathroom items installed, the small or inconsequential finishing touches get left undone. You are so overwhelmed and (hopefully) happy with the completion of the big renovation picture that little things like trim and molding fall by the wayside. They may be small, but those little bits of untrimmed areas can make a big difference to the overall finished appearance of your bathroom. Left with unfinished or incomplete trim and molding, your bathroom renovation or remodel just doesn't shine as brightly as it could. [Read more →]
June 18, 2008 1 Comment
My Mind Is In The Gutter
It's the job that's dirty - not my mind! That's one reason why I put off cleaning the rain gutters. The other reason, which sounds so much more acceptable, is…
I like to save this particular job for late spring - after all the dirty trees have shed their litter and the spring rains have washed that debris off the roof shingles.
Cleaning rain gutters can be a pretty dirty job. Depending on the types of trees you have growing around your house, your gutters could be full of pine cones, pine needles, leaves, discarded blossoms or maple keys. Too much dirt and debris will plug the downspouts and prevent rain water from draining properly. Instead it will flow over the sides of the eaves troughs like a waterfall, which totally defeats their purpose. If you missed cleaning your gutters in the fall and your downspouts are blocked, you'll be scooping out handfuls of tree dirt that has turned into a disgusting sludge from sitting in rain-filled troughs. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?! [Read more →]
June 10, 2008 1 Comment
Home Maintenance - No More Procrastinating
There are certain efforts we must make to keep our homes looking good that aren't nearly as much fun as decorating and interior design. These not-so-glamorous tasks fall under the category of home maintenance. Sometimes they involve picking up a paint brush or donning a pair of work gloves. Often the mere thought of performing these jobs turns even the most enthusiastic among us into time-wasting procrastinators. Sometimes we put things off because we're not entirely sure where to start. Unfortunately, those little repairs or items requiring minor upkeep have the potential to become major problems if they are not addressed. I have a few home maintenance duties that have been put off long enough, so over the next few posts I'll be sharing with you my endeavors to conquer the beast that is procrastination and get some stuff done around here! Hopefully you'll be able to gather a few helpful tips and be inspired to get moving on the jobs around your house. If nothing else, I'll be crossing items off my list that have been niggling away at my conscience.
Stay tuned for cleaning rain gutters, fixing a leak at the kitchen sink, repairing a nail pop, and trimming around the base of a shower.
June 9, 2008 No Comments
Kitchen Cabinet & Lighting Fix
What's wrong with this picture?
If you said the gap between the cabinets over the kitchen sink, you'd be 100% correct! The other thing that's been driving me crazy is the lack of lighting above the sink and over the counter top work areas on either side of it.
I've decided to bridge that gap and add some lighting to the kitchen while I'm at it. The kitchen cabinets aren't necessarily to my liking, but one step at a time folks! This is a quick fix intended to improve the appearance and efficiency of my kitchen until such time as I can afford to do a more major renovation (or I move).
The Whole Process Including Pictures
Because the kitchen cabinets are melamine, I chose to use that same material for my mini renovation. Before buying any material, I carefully measured the gap and planned not only the design of the bridge, but also how I would support it between the two wall mount cabinets. With my plans formulated I headed to the closest Home Depot. [Read more →]
May 18, 2008 No Comments
Black for a Dramatic Kitchen Backsplash
This is in response to a reader's inquiry about using the color black on a beadboard backsplash in her kitchen. Specifically, she wanted to know if a black beadboard backsplash with oak kitchen cabinets and a sunset gold granite countertop would work with off-white trim and baseboard molding. My response is a definite yes! [Read more →]
May 5, 2008 No Comments
Ikea - It's All Good
Let's give credit where credit is due. There are few places in this world where you can find so much good in one place. At Ikea it's all good.
Good Vibes
For many of us, our first foray into the world of home furnishings and decor took place at an Ikea store. Ahhh, remember that heady sense of new-found independence as you went in search of the perfect Poem chair for your first home away from home?! Now, it's some twenty years later (has it really been that long?) and the prospect of a trip to the mecca of Swedish home furnishings excites us still. With the addition of many new locations, the trip may have been shortened somewhat, but the possibilities remain endless.
Opening the first page of the annual catalog is viewed as a sacred ritual, reserved for a special time and place completely removed from distraction or interruption. Opening the doors of an actual store and stepping inside, whether it's for the first time or the fifty-first time, is an exhilarating experience.
Yes, there are Ikea-haters in this world. They are the people who choose to dislike anything that the masses adore. If you say up, they'll say down - you say right, they'll say left. Hate all you want people. With your self-imposed ban, you are the ones missing out!
Good Prices
Sometimes you just have to 'make do' with what you have or what you can afford. This doesn't necessarily change with time. Luckily, the selection of what we can afford has been greatly expanded thanks to Ikea. From starter kits for the kitchen, to furniture and decorative accessories for every room in your home, Ikea gives us a broad range of home outfitting and decorating products at good prices. So while you're waiting until you can afford those Eames chairs to go with your dining table, it's good to know that Ikea's Gilbert chairs will provide you with an inexpensive and stylish alternative to eating on the floor.
Good Quality
While a large number of people use the word 'cheap' as a positive reference in place of 'low-cost' or 'inexpensive', for me, cheap is a word more aptly used to negatively describe quality. You'll hear or read numerous comments that bring the quality of Ikea goods into question. Speaking from personal experience, all the products I have purchased from Ikea over the years have not only met, but exceeded my expectations for stability, longevity, and quality. The negative connotations of 'cheap' simply do not apply.
Good Inspiration
Where do you go when you need some real life inspiration? Beyond the flat pages of magazines or computer screens the choices are few. Sure you could traipse through decorated model homes, but in many cases the furniture and accessories are way beyond your range and the design style doesn't match what you have in mind. Ikea stores provide inspiring display rooms and fully furnished apartments in a variety of decorating styles from modern to traditional. There's no better way to try before you buy.
In case you haven't already figured it out, I am an Ikea advocate. For the reasons outlined above, you have and will continue to see Ikea products featured on the pages of SuzyRenovator.
April 28, 2008 No Comments
Small White Vessel Sinks
I found so many funky bathroom sinks when I was looking for one to fit on a modern bathroom vanity cabinet that I thought I'd do a post dedicated entirely to small white vessel sinks.
To make the cut, the vessel sinks had to be small and white (hence the title - Small White Vessel Sinks), but they also had to be priced under $150 and be somewhat unusual or unique. I've broken my selections down into two categories - Round Vessel Sinks and Square Vessel Sinks.
You might think that a vessel sink would only be suitable for a bathroom with modern decor, however there are several choices in the round vessel sink category that would complement a more traditional decorating style. Check out the vitreous china vessel with the scalloped edges and the elegant design of Laurel. A definite plus for anyone wanting to convert an antique washstand, dresser or cabinet into a functional lavatory feature. [Read more →]
April 23, 2008 2 Comments
Ikea Hack - Bathroom Vanity Cabinet
Hey, I had an idea for a low cost modern bathroom vanity cabinet!
For some bizarre reason it's hard to find a modern bathroom vanity cabinet at a reasonable price. Modern vanity cabinets alone run into multiple hundreds of dollars. Add onto it the cost of the bathroom sink and faucet and it's no wonder that bathroom renovations come in near the top of the list for most expensive home improvement projects. With this proposed hack of Ikea's Bestå shelf unit, you can have a modern bathroom vanity sink cabinet for less than $150 dollars. Even with the addition of a small vessel sink and a vessel sink filler faucet, you can still put it all together for under $400. (Don't forget the pop-up drain and mounting ring.) [Read more →]
April 17, 2008 4 Comments
Bathroom Remodeling - Money Saving Tips
If this was my bathroom I would:
(a) Close the door and never set foot in it again.
(b) Burn it.
(c) Post toxic warning signs and string yellow caution tape across the doorway.
(d) Remodel.
You know I'm going to pick (d) ! This isn't my bathroom, but for the purpose of walking through the important factors and considerations to keep in mind when thinking about a bathroom renovation / remodel, it's a perfect example. The bathtub and shower don't match the toilet, the toilet itself is disgusting, the vanity cabinet and the mirrored medicine cabinet are dated, and the sink faucet and the tub/shower faucet are less than appealing. [Read more →]
April 15, 2008 3 Comments
Outdoor Kitchen & Lounge - Design Inspiration
Outfit your outdoor kitchen and lounge area with comfortable and casual outdoor furniture and fixtures.
April 13, 2008 7 Comments


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Archive for September 22nd, 2014
D-Link DCS-932L Wireless N Day/Night Home Network Camera Review
Home security has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years -- partly due to the speed of Internet connections being used in home networks. Once it cost big bucks to monitor what was going on in your place when you were...
Laptop Accessory Reviews
Logitech Cube Review
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It's not a topic most of us are anxious to discuss. To most of us, it's an unfortunate thing that happens to other people. Statistics show that it can strike at any time though, and the best weapon in our arsenal is information. I'm talking about colorectal cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 52,857 Americans died of colorectal cancer in 2008. It's one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer and is also the second-most lethal of those cancers, which affect both men and women. It's also one of the most treatable when it's detected early.
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Blogging and traditional media: Part 1
Not too long ago, our friends at Bleed Cubbie Blue posted an article about a blogger's inability to receive any kind of media credentialing from Major League Baseball.
A lot has been said on the subject, and there seems to be a general paranoia amongst bloggers regarding the level of disrespect from baseball and a condescending attitude among journalists. But how much of that is actually true? Any journalist would tell us not to make assumptions, and yet we've done just that to our detriment. However, tired of making assumptions and curious for fact - or at least verified opinion - I took it upon myself to contact several writers and journalists, many of whom straddle the line between blogging and traditional media. These writers are Will Carroll - best known for his work at Baseball Prospectus, Paul Lukas of ESPN and his Uni Watch blog, Daily Herald journalist Bruce Miles, and Tribune writer Paul Sullivan. Yes, Paul Sullivan - who we have railed on so often in the past (beyond the bounds of fair play and good humor) - agreed to this interview, and let me commend him for doing so. We've been very tough on Paul in the past, to the point where he could have and should have denied us this interview. Because of his willingness to contribute, I'd like to thank him in particular and apologize for any unecessarily snide comment written in the past.
Thanks to Bruce, Will, and Paul Lukas, as well. We appreciate the time you've taken, fellas.
One final note: This was clearly done via EMail over the course of a few days, so the contributors had no chance to read each other's thoughts or react to them unless I mentioned something I learned in a response to somebody else. However, I'm sure they will all be reading this, so, Misters Sullivan, Lukas, Carroll, and Miles, feel free to add more thoughts in the comments or through another EMail if anything strikes your fancy. Without further delay, the questions and answers:Goat Riders: First, a question for the two bloggers: what inspired you to start your blog and how long have you been blogging?
Paul Lukas: My blog is a spin-off of a sports column I had already been writing for "traditional media" for seven years. The column runs every two weeks, and the blog gave -- and continues to give -- me an opportunity to react to news more quickly, explore smaller ideas that might not be column-worthy, etc. In short, it felt like a natural extension of something I was already doing.
Will Carroll: I just was reading them and thought "hey I can do this." It's an interesting, unedited medium where you can have conversations. I think its that latter part thats the most interesting.
Goat Riders: Based on our experiences, a lot of journalists seem to dislike blogs, or at least they seem uneasy about them. What are your thoughts on the way that traditional media looks at blogging, and why do you think people feel that way?
Paul Sullivan: I don't know that journalists as a group dislike blogs. Many of them have their own blogs, including many my colleagues. I think it's some of the bloggers they may dislike, for various reasons. I made fun of bloggers at a Cubs Convention once and never heard the end of it. Maybe your blog was one of them. I'm not sure. Some Cubs bloggers can dish it out, but they can't take a good-natured jab.
Goat Riders: We were there in 2006, and were one of the ones who promoted our website during the Saturday morning Q&A, but we didn't mind you making fun of bloggers for being self-promotional. We did mind your criticism that Cub fans gave Hendry and Baker an easy time with their questions, as I suspect that they wouldn't see it that way.
Bruce Miles: I enjoy the blogs and don't feel threatened by them at all. There's probably some feeling in the journalism community that bloggers remain at a safe distance from those they make fun of and never have to worry about facing those people. One thing journalists get tired of hearing from bloggers is that we don't ask tough questions because we're afraid we'll lose our access. That's just silly and wrong. Managers and GMs don't launch into monologues during their sessions with the media. We ask them questions that elicit responses. For example, Dusty Baker didn't call us in one day and say, "Fellas, you know, I've been thinking about walks and on-base percentage. It's my opinion that walks are overrated unless you can run because they clog the bases for guys who can run." No, it didn't happen that way. I asked him a question based on his record and tendencies, and boom, we have the quote that lives in infamy. That's how it works every day. We ask questions. They provide answers. Sometimes they don't like the questions. Sometimes we don't like the answers. Sometimes you don't like the answers.
Goat Riders: I agree with you on that, although I suspect that some Cub bloggers will always believe that the Tribune writers are going to be less critical of the Cubs since they work for the team's owners (also probably an incorrect assumption).
Will Carroll: Any traditional media is going to dislike the thing that's whacking them. Low cost and immediacy are driving print magazines down. Newspapers are getting crushed. I think the future is in some cross between a newspaper and a blog -- online, immediate, but edited and trusted.
Paul Lukas: "Professionals" always get antsy when "amateurs" tread on their turf. In my case, I've come full circle: I began writing in the early '90s by publishing my own zine (zines, of course, were the precursors to blogs). The zine got me a lot of attention and led to my writing career with "real" magazines. Now one of my "real" media projects has given birth to my blog.
Goat Riders: Was there the same level of antsiness with fanzines as there is with blogs?
Paul Lukas: To a certain degree, but it wasn't as strong. That's because zines were much more of an underground thing, and not many people know about them. But everyone knows about, and has access to, blogs. If I'm sitting at a computer, I can go to uniwatchblog.com just as easily as I can go to nytimes.com. But if I'm at a newsstand, I can't find a zine as easily as I can find a newspaper or magazine. So zines were much more of a fringe thing.
Goat Riders: Should bloggers be considered a part of the media? Why or why not?
Paul Lukas: I think that question misses the point, since the term "the media" is always fungible and doesn't really mean anything -- it's just a convenient shorthand. A better question is whether bloggers (or zine writers) can create work that's just as good and just as valuable as mainstream journalists. And I think the answer to that is clearly yes. I'm not saying all bloggers are good, or that the ratio of good bloggers to bad is higher (or lower) than the corresponding ratio of mainstream journalists. I'm just saying that it's entirely possible to create valuable, even important, work while working outside the boundaries of conventional journalism.
Bruce Miles: I guess if you look at the word "media," you'd have to count blogs as part of it. Now, that and a couple of bucks might get you a ride on the CTA. Blogs certainly are part of the information media. Whether they're part of the "news media," I'm not sure. Much of what bloggers do isn't traditional news gathering, per se _ it's commentary. But I do know there are bloggers who do interviews and write stories based on those interviews.
Will Carroll: Bloggers should earn the right to recognition. For instance, BP cannot get credentialed by MLB. When I did Jamey's function last year, I was denied a press pass -- had been hoping to get down to the clubhouse and try to get some radio interviews. Now, BP has a best-selling book, a radio show, and 10 years of history, so if we can't get it ... I don't think everybody's blog should get the same rights, but I think there should be a standard -- someone like Jamey or Adam Morris have probably done quality work for long enough to get credentialed. Remember, for the team, blogs can be promotional. If Jon wanted to get a message out, he could call Jamey and the quote would get out. Newspapers aren't always quite so cooperative.
Paul Sullivan: I don't know why bloggers would want to feel they're part of the media. It's not like there are any great rewards for being able to say, "I'm in the media." It's just our jobs. Maybe they should invent a separate category, like the "bloggia." Obviously anyone with an ISP can start a blog, while most newspaper reporters have to actually go to college and get a degree before they can get a job in the media. We've paid our dues. I'm sure many Cubs bloggers feel they could cover the Cubs for the Chicago Tribune without any reporting experience, and maybe some of them could, but I doubt it.
Goat Riders: I can't speak for everyone, but I think that some bloggers take themselves more seriously than others, and would like to have the ability to call the team up for confirmation or denial of stories, and perhaps for the chance to interview players from time to time (at least, that seems to be the biggest general complaint). Quite frankly, I suspect that a lot of bloggers will make claims that they want to be accepted as "traditional" media, but in reality I think they want the ego-trip of knowing that they have access that their "bloggia" contemporaries don't have.
One thing we like to consider is that we are basically promoting the teams we write about for free, and would like some sort of recognition for it. There are some genuinely informative websites out there like Baseball Prospectus, which has been denied credentials by MLB - something many bloggers would be astounded to know about.
After all, if MLB won't give BP credentials, what hope do other sports bloggers have?
Paul Lukas: Wow, that surprises me. I'd say that's really unenlightened on MLB's part.
Goat Riders: To be a little more specific, since that question missed the point: will the pop media phenomenon like blogging ever be considered mainstream enough to be recognized by large organizations like MLB?
Paul Lukas: Sure. They'll try to co-opt it -- that's what mainstream culture always does when outsider culture starts lapping at the shore.
Goat Riders: How many blogs do you read, and do other journalists you know read blogs?
Paul Sullivan: I don't generally read blogs, but I do check out deadspin a few times a week. I do enjoy their warped sense of humor. I'm not sure about the other writers' interests, so I can't really speak for them. I do know of a Cubs blog by Al Yellon, Bleed Cubbie Blue. I read that once in a while because I've met him and he doesn't take things too seriously.
Bruce Miles: I don't know the number, but I read several blogs every day. I enjoy the bloggers' take on things and the irreverant humor. Other journalists read the blogs, as well. Sometimes we enjoy a good laugh on ourselves if our names are brought up.
Will Carroll: I think everyone reads blogs. I actually just get stuff spidered in -- keyword searches. I probably read ten baseball blogs a day and more on a catchup basis. Ballbug is a great source.
Paul Lukas: Not too many -- five or six, maybe. This has less to do with my feelings about blogs than with my feelings about information overload -- there's only so much data I can process. (And) yes.
Goat Riders: Would they all admit to it?
Paul Lukas: Sure. That doesn't mean they all consider bloggers on a par with themselves, however.
Goat Riders: What do bloggers need to do to gain the respect of the mainstream?
Paul Sullivan: I don't think they should care about getting the respect of the mainstream. I always assumed it was fun for them to write something, stick it on the internet and let people read it. If it's an interesting blog, it's probably going to be well read. If respect from the mainstream is that important, send your clips to a newspaper and try to get a mainstream media job. Otherwise, why can't you just enjoy what you're doing and leave it at that?
Bruce Miles: Part of the charm of blogging is the irreverance. On the other hand, part of what turns some media people off is the silly name-calling. When I see the word "douchebag," for example, I pretty much stop reading. Those of us in the MSM, as you guys call it, have little things like libel laws with which to contend. I don't have any "disrespect" for bloggers. In fact, there's been some pretty good sabermetrics-related pieces on the blogs. If you balance the irreverance and the humor with a little less mean-spiritedness, I think you'd gain more respect.
Goat Riders: I'm not sure if that criticism (and a fair one at that) is directed at Goat Riders. We certainly do get overly critical of some journalists sometimes, and I can't say for certain that we've never called a journalist a douchebag on the site (although I hope we haven't.) I do know that we refer to some by pet names, however. Morrissey is "the Nameless One" because he was unecessarily critical of the Chicago Bears recently, and so we have concluded that he's seeking attention rather than reporting. We call Phil Rogers the "Caveman Journalist" because of the monosylablic nature of his headlines, which I'm sure he doesn't actually write, and we have been particularly harsh on Paul Sullivan from time to time, although he's turned out to have a good sense of humor about it and we are going to be fairer in the future.
Anyway, I can say that this was a learning experience. It's fair to conclude that we are perhaps going through the 1950's paranoia period of blogging - the press is out to get us, and MLB is out to bury us - when in fact the press is a part of blogging, even if blogging isn't a part of the press, and MLB isn't out to bury us, they just want to pretend we don't exist.
For the bloggers out there who are reading this, it seems simple: if you want credibility (and I honestly don't know how important "credibility" should be - readability seems more important to me), and if you want to be accepted as a part of the mainstream media rather than the fringe pop-media, then you need to work hard and write like a journalist, not like a fan. It's fun to take players and writers to task - but at the end of the day, they are people like us with families. Would you want somebody to write a post about what a douchebag idiot you are because of comments you've made? Would you want your wife, or your little brother, or your mother to stumble across those comments on a google search?
The point is, our attitudes seem to hold us back. Regardless of that, if you write for a blog that wants more access, MLB should be able to determine the difference between a "good" blog and a "bad" one. They should be able to look over your writing and determine if you should get limited access. Perhaps someday in the future, they'll start doing that. But I don't think that's the route for Goat Riders. I don't want to personally attack players or writers, but I do enjoy our twisted sense of humor here and I look forward to years of continued teasing. For that reason, I don't see us ever getting mainstream enough to be considered a part of the "traditional media," and I'm fine with that.
Tune in later this month for the reaction from the bloggers.
I appreciate the offers for joining a fantasy league team, but I am the world's worst owner in that regard. I never check or modify, so I will pass. Thanks, though.
I think Paul Sullivan's comment on how the pros have "paid their dues" is pretty interesting, especially when taken with Bruce Miles observation that blogs are more about commentary than news, mainly because I think most blggers look at things the other way round. As I see it the traditional route is junior reporter, full reporter, whoohoo - I got a column! But for bloggers we all start as columnists offering commentary without those earlier steps, and ironically I think a lot of bloggers want to progress from columnist to reporter.
That said, I'm hoping Bruce overexagerated his example of the lack of professionalism with the douchebag comment. Surely a free press wouldn't call an insult so obviously removed from reality libel? But I'll actually agree with the sentiment, in fact I can use a much, much scarier real example. Last week there was an injunction preventing the press from naming someone involved in a political scandal, a blogger I'm aware of who is using his blog as an audition for a journalist job guessed at the person involved and put the name on his blog. When the injunction was lifted and the press started naming the person he went around bragging that he "broke the story" and "nearly broke the injunction". Firstly, guessing isn't breaking the story, and secondly, if it wasn't a guess then he did break the injunction.
This is the problem blogs have being accepted. GROTA can be trying to avoid conforming as much as it likes, while there are hacks out there like the guy I just mentioned blogging will always be a second class citizen. Traditional media has the same divide really, I suspect the pros interviewed would have a quiet laugh if you suggested they were the same as journalists at the National Enquirer or similar, but in blogging that divide isn't recognised as much. Blogs are blogs are blogs and if you average out the credibility then you get a pretty low standard.
Scott G. F.
What a nice piece. Glad you got some good feedback from you panel.
Sully, good to see you have a sense of humor but then again you cover the Cubs, you must have one, Bruce too.
It'll be only a matter of time before MLB or a team backs a blog. The on-line communities here at GROTA, BCB, NSBB and the Disipio Boards can't be ignored much longer.
I don't generally read blogs ... I do know of a Cubs blog by Al Yellon, Bleed Cubbie Blue. I read that once in a while because I've met him and he doesn't take things too seriously.
Clearly, he doesn't read blogs that often.
Oh, yes they can be ignored. At least, officially. We already know they read and troll the blogs and message boards. That's why various sites received invites to press conference calls last year and early sneak-peaks at the Trib's season preview issues.
Rob G.
Nice. I was glad to see some of the mainstream guys take part in the interview. I am still in shock that Paul Sullivan participated, he must have an iron chin. Way to go Sully, you impressed me today.
Dan J.
I wonder if one of the reasons why MLB holds back access to blogs and bloggers is because of they think they can and they want to make money off of it through their affiliate MLBlogs. Since they require payment for the "service" it can be argued that they are trying to make money off of blogging in general (although I doubt they are making much). I think the mistake they make is that unofficial blogs actually give a lot of free promotion to their respective teams and baseball as a whole. I think if and when they do open up access to bloggers it is going to be through their Official Affiliate MLBlogs whose users pay a fee. MLB has a history of doing this. After all, these are the same people that wanted to restrict access to statistics in order to control the money they could make off of fantasy baseball and restrict access to games with the Extra Innings/DirectTV deal.
Mike D.
Good god. The fleeting "zine" era revisited.
Bruce Miles is the top baseball writer in town, IMO, and while he's mostly even-handed here, it's a shame he gets hung up on the crudities that get tossed around at the kind of sites I squat at. He's making me feel like some unwashed delinquent. I mean, "doucehbag", when used in a timely manner, can be a perfectly beautiful description. Err, well it shouldn't make you STOP READING, at least.
Carrol whines about BP not getting credentialled, but he also makes a couple solid points. One is that the free publicity that blogs can provide rewards teams residually. Today's owners would find it crazy that PK Wrigley let the Cubs be broadcast on several channels at once without bidding out for some highly-paid exclusivity, but the long-term, residual benefit that provided Wrigley in future fans is immeasurable.
Relatedly, Will's suggestion of blogs officially becoming promotional material for MLB clubs is precisely what I would NOT want to be a part of here.
Great job putting that together, Kurt. And kudos to the jockey for lightening up.
In reference to the fantasy baseball comment you made Byron. If you are scared, just say so.
That goes for any of you goat riders. I would love to handily dismiss any of you in a free h2h league on cbs. I need a few more teams.
Very interesting article and good to know that journalists will give some of us bloggers a little face once in awhile.
The whole point of credibility and recognition for bloggers is mute with most of us however I believe.
I write a blog for my own reasons as I sure most of you do and yes I appreciate all who read and comment on it as well. But I'm a baseball and Cub nut. I write articles about a passion of mine and mainstream recognition or compensation just isn't a concern, not that if some organization would care to heap loads of money on me I would turn them down.
I've lived most of my life in the great city of big shoulders but no longer do and hence my blog serves as a substitute for me, as I no longer have the opportunity to have spirited repartee with many of my close friends and old co-workers.
Trust me, I can barely find a Cub baseball cap out here in SoCal, let alone have a raucous banter with co-workers about our beloved men in blue.
I love baseball and the Cubs and most of us that write blogs about the Clark and Addison gang do it primarily for that reason, IMHO.
I can never foresee our blog being overly mainstream or being accepted by the general media, but that was never our intent. We wanted to share with the world our love/hate/experience/trials/tribulations on the Cubs, baseball, and basically anything else our twisted minds could think of. If we were out to create a blog that gave in-depth reporting and commentary, then we certainly picked the worst possible franchise to write about. I don't think there's another team out there that has more outstanding blogs that offer timely, well-written pieces about them. We're not going to keep up with GROTA or BCB or TCR or any of the other larger Cubs blogs that I could write an acronym for, but then again we really don't want to. Those sites already do such a wonderful job, that there's really no need or purpose to be like them. So we've tried to carve out our own niche. We present our commentary on the Cubs and such, but we can also go off on a tangent about which James Bond was the best, or provide fantasy baseball analysis from a drunken surly Ronald McDonald. Being able to mix the Cubs, sports, pop culture, and a whole bucket of crazy is what makes writing for the Saloon so enjoyable.
We aim to be funny and irreverant, and yes we've called people douchebags. Is it mean-spirited? Maybe a little, but our main goal is to make people laugh, not piss them off. I don't think you can be irreverant and please everyone, it just doesn't work. We received a handful of hate emails after our piece bashing Peyton Manning and his commercials. We just rolled with it. If you're going to get that bent out of shape over something we wrote about your favorite player, then we're probably not the blog for you. On the other hand we had people comment/email us that like Peyton and the Colts and still found it funny, or at least we're able to take it a little better.
Blah, I'm rambling and don't have time to really write up a fully coherent response right now. Nice post though guys. I enjoyed reading it.
PS- Antigoat, if you ran the league on Yahoo I'd maybe do it.


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Address: P.O. Box 411, Bristol, IL 60512
Campaign contact information: Email: firstname.lastname@example.com, Phone: 630-302-1162
Age: 25
Family: Single
Education: High School- Marmion Academy, Aurora, IL; College- Loras College, Dubuque, IA, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religious Studies
Previous elected or appointed positions:
- Elected Precinct Committeemen for Bristol 04
- Elected Secretary of the Kendall County Republican Central Committee
- Kendall County Housing Authority Commissioner
- Member of Citizens Advisory Committee for Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Candidate Questions
1) What can you do to foster economic development in Kendall County? What level of cooperation do you think is necessary with municipalities to accomplish this?
The Kendall County Board has a couple of tools in its arsenal that can assist in getting economic development in Kendall County, such as assisting businesses through small business loans and attempting to keep an attractive tax rate in the county. I would work closely with the municipalities and try to be proactive in getting businesses to our county practically those that pay a living wage, as most of our workforce, around 67%, leaves Kendall to work. With more people working in county more money would be spent in county.
2) Would you support a 0.75 percent RTA sales tax to locate a Metra stop in Kendall County?
No, I do not think that Kendall County should join the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). That does not mean that I do not support the Metra stop in Kendall County there are other ways we can get a Metra stop in Kendall County without joining the RTA such as the proposed Oswego Metra stop being an overflow station, or even being considered a "Kane County" Satellite Station. The main reason that I am against the RTA is that I feel that an additional sales tax on Kendall County businesses and its residents would have a negative impact on our local economy.
3) What lessons did you draw from the dog bite incident and its aftermath? Do you think the changes the county has made at Animal Control are adequate?
The aftermath of the dog bit incident had positive effects on Animal Control. We had a new warden hired and changes made to the volunteer policy as well as setting an age minimum of volunteers. If anything happened again at the County Animal Control, in my opinion all options must be on the table.
4) Do you think the redistricting process was fair for people who live in the county's larger municipalities?
The question really is moot, as the redistricting process is now complete and the maps are set until the next Census. But I will say that the county followed the law and had a much more open redistricting process than we had at the State for redistricting. As for it being fair to the larger municipalities I would say yes, as the municipalities still have an overwhelming share of the vote in both districts.
5) Aside from the issues discussed above, what issue or problem do you think the county board should address, and what action would you take if elected/re-elected?
I would look at reducing the amount the operating expenses of the County Board. One way would be to look at abolishing and merging some of the county board committees. Also to help reduce costs I would look at the possibility of moving committee meetings and the full county board to the evening and stacking them to reduce the likelihood of members getting per diems for attending one meeting that lasts 20mins. In addition I would like to increase transparency of the County Board by attempting to get all of the County Board meetings put online with audio and streaming video.


text: Invention #239 - Psychic Dampener Negation Device (Fantastic Four vol.1 Annual 20) Every year Doctor Doom battles Mephisto for possession of his mother's soul. Every year Doctor Doom loses. So, this year Doom has captured Franklin Richards. Doom knows that Franklin has defeated Mephisto in the past and that Mephisto is afraid of the child. When the time for the battle comes, instead of battling Mephisto, Doom offers a deal. Doctor Doom offers Franklin in exchange for Doom's mother. Mephisto accepts and takes Franklin with him back into his realm. Before the portal can close all the way, Reed follows them! Reed knows that in Franklin's current state, he cannot defeat Mephisto. Franklin has active psychic dampeners that are inhibiting his powers. Reed's got to bring those dampeners down so his son has a fighting chance. So, Reed confronts Mephisto and with his stretching powers slips a device into Franklin's back pocket. A device that will bring down the psychic dampeners and give Franklin access to his powers again! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyche_(psychology) steve englehart paul neary mephisto franklin richards doctor doom science of reed richards reed richards mr. fantastic fantastic four marvel comics comic books tsujitoons likes thisvictorvondood reblogged this from scienceofreedrichardsscienceofreedrichards posted this


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In 2010 Roblox made a sizable cosmetic update to its game GUI, as well as to its site, introducing a smoother in-game experience, and a menu to hold built in build tools (In edit mode). The website also received a sizable facelift - introducing a new theme selection for the users (Roblox 3.0). At the end of 2010, Roblox decided to retract the privilege of mesh and sound uploading from its users.
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Optionally, users can utilize a sandboxed version of Lua to add extra interactivity to their games. This allows them to create multiplayer games, board games, obstacle courses, warfare games, adventure games, and thousands more. There are also several tools provided, such as Graphical User Interface items, and a Hierarchical Object system to represent the blocks and other items in-game, which help users create content.
Roblox Studio is a program similar to Microsoft Visual Studio and is used to construct places.[13] Users use this program for building and scripting.
Roblox has its own virtual economy, based on Tickets and Robux. Tickets are earned when other users visit a person's virtual places, the first time a player logs in each day, and when other users buy the player's virtual items. These items include shirts, pants, and t-shirts. They can be sold for either a set price in Tickets, or in Robux, allowing the buyer to choose which currency they pay with. Robux are earned daily by paid members, in varying amounts, depending on the user's level of membership. Robux can be earned through sale of virtual goods, and can also be purchased with real money.
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|BC Hat
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|Signing Bonus
|Create Groups
|Yes (10)
|Yes (20)
|Yes (100)
|Join Groups
|Yes (5)
|Yes (10)
|Yes (20)
|Yes (100)
|Create Badges
|BC Beta Features
|Live video cast with Roblox
|BC Only Games
Roblox gives people the option to pay via PayPal, Rixty, Wallie, Paymo, and also sells Roblox cards at Toys R Us,[16] 7-Eleven, GameStop, and Best Buy which can be purchased for $10 or $25 and be used for upgrades such as Builders Club or Robux. [17]
A recent addition to Roblox has been to give the functionality of going to games specifically made and/or specialized for those who have purchased BC. This has been looked down upon by a majority of the community.[18] (In a survey of 5,119 members, 3,581 or 69.9% voted that they disliked BC Only games)