text:
Man shows up to DUI hearing drunk: A West Virginia man's second time around could land him in even more trouble with the law.
According to Charleston police, Stephen Lewis Skiles raised the ire of a judge after he showed up for a DUI hearing - drunk.
Skiles appeared at the administrative hearing at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 14. He had been charged with DUI after a May 19 incident in which he came through a seatbelt educational checkpoint with a blood-alcohol limit of .025, 'well over two times the legal limit,' according to Sgt. Terry Shawn Williams of the Charleston Police Department.
Although Skiles showed, his lawyer didn't. After a 15-minute grace period, 'Mr. Skiles told his version of the story,' Williams said. 'When he started speaking, we immediately detected the odor of alcohol on his breath.'
Skiles claimed he hadn't been drinking that day, but had consumed eight to 10 beers the previous night. He then promised he wouldn't drive home.
But when Williams - who, as the arresting officer in the May 19 incident, was present at the hearing - went out to his unmarked patrol vehicle in the parking lot, there was Skiles.
'[I] saw him pulling out,' Williams said. 'I didn't even have to get in my car.'
Williams stepped in front of Skiles' vehicle and instructed him to step out. He gave Skiles a field sobriety test, which he failed, Williams said.
Skiles now faces a second DUI charge, and a five-to-10 year suspension of his driver's license if he is convicted.
'He didn't learn his lesson,' Williams said.


text:
But while "the winter blues" may not be a medical term, the phenomenon is very real: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is the scourge of citizens from the freezing-cold Pacific Northwest to the foggy East coast during these dreary winter months. Extended periods of time without sunshine and warmth can make you feel depressed, fatigued, and irritable. The symptoms of SAD are both psychological and physiological; your mind and body are affected by dragging winter weather.
While the obvious solutions seem to include relocating to a warmer climate or spending a vacation in paradise, let's face it: Most of us don't have the financial flexibility to jet off to an island whenever we want. So instead, here are a few easy, budget-friendly ways to banish your winter blues and stay cheery, despite the chilly weather.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Alright /a/, first time poster here. We all know it's v-day and I'm depressed about it so I'm skipping class and looking for an anime to get immersed in. I'm not really into the whole cutesy slice-of-life style, the anime that I've been a fan of in the past has been horror or fantasy or sci fi. However feel free to rec whatever you want, I just want to forget about life for a while.
Thx bbs
Cool blog anon but I'm afraid recommendation threads are against the rules.
You'll have to use google to find something to watch.
Check out the Berserk movies if you haven't yet...or the series if you really want to.
Also check out Shiki for a good horror anime.
Sorry friend didn't realize, my apologies
>looking for an anime to get immersed in
>first time poster here
Lurk moar.
Since it's Valentines, I'll be nice.
Recommendation threads are highly looked down upon. It is suggested you use Google to find what you're looking for.
Appreciate the kindness man. Silly of me to post without lurking more, thanks
Boku no Piko. Perfect love story for Valentines Day.
Makes sense.
If you google 'anime recommendations' you should find the outdated wiki fairly easily
man look, its valentines day, so dont start trying to get into anime
just dive deep and load up a visual novel
since you're probably a casual and dont know how to set your computer to japan locale, try Katawa Shoujo


text:
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Building Blocks by Cynthia Voigt
This book begins with a boy named Brann. Brann right now is suffering from his parents constantly fighting. He is so tired of his parents fighting with his father is always backing down and being the loser. So he decides to go to inside a huge toy block fortress that his father made. Tired, he falls asleep in the fortress and wakes up in a different time and place. There Brann meets a boy named Kevin who will teach him a very important lesson in friendship.
This book is very well written but can be a little slow in parts. I don't recommened this book to people who procrastinate in finishing a book. To the rest of you, happy reading.
Devin R. 7th grader
at 9:03 AM
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
Joey Harker is taking one of the craziest tests in his life. Mr. Dimas, his social studies teacher, uses very unconventional methods of teaching and testing. Joey is dropped off with two partners somewhere in town, and has to find his way to a designated checkpoint. While venturing ahead, he passes through a strange mist, and finds himself in from o a McDonald's with an M that's colored like a Scottish kilt. Strange. Then upon returning to his group, he finds that suddenly one of his partner's hair has become a lot shorter. Stranger. Before he knows it, the entire world has changed, and just as suddenly, he leaves that world to find himself at a place with hundreds, maybe thousands of alternate versions of himself. Now he's fighting against two evil organizations using his special power of Walking to prevent them from taking over the Altiverse.
This is honestly one of the very best books I've ever read, with an extremely unique and exciting plot; in fact I wish it had sequels. But even still, it is an amazing book for anyone who likes fantasy at all. To tell the truth, this book was so good I was tempted to go to the library and pay them so I could keep it. Please, if you don't read this book, you're missing out on a great piece of literature. I beg you to read it.
Eric F. - 7th grader
at 8:21 AM
The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh
One day, Jack Perdu was walking home from school, translating a Latin book he was reading, when suddenly he was hit by a car. Very luckily for him, he lived, and was able to go home two days later. That was when things got weird. One night, he heard a door slamming, and assuming it was his father, went to go look. However, he found a complete stranger, just sitting with his feet up on his father's chair. The man at first seemed to know Jack was there, but acted as if he wasn't, talking to himself as if he was alone. When Jack asked him who he was, he fled out the window. Jack thought he was going crazy, and his father sent him to a doctor in New York City, where his mother had died eight years ago. While there he met a girl named Euri, who took him nine floors below New York's Grand Central Station. Jack has now entered the New York Underworld. Suddenly he is on a desperate hunt to find his mother, who may not even be there any more, while avoiding Cerberus and the Underworld guards trying to find him.
I hate to repeat myself, but this book was just as good as the last one I reviewed, Interworld, to the point where I wanted to buy it from the library. A fantastic tale, combining imagination with some Ancient Greek mythology and putting it in NYC, and Katherine Marsh has a brilliant story that will be hard to forget. Anyone who likes anything fantastical will love this novel about life after death in New York City.
Eric F. - 7th grader
at 8:19 AM
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
A Great and Terrible Beauty is beautifully written. All teenage girls will fall in love with some of the characters and be attached to the book.
It is about a girl named Gemma Doyle set in the 1800's. She deeply wants to leave India and attend school in England, but her mother disagrees. After running away from home, Gemma's mother dies and Gemma thinks it is partially her fault. Later she encounters many adventures as she goes to a religious girls boarding school in England. Gemma has strange visions and mean while begins to fit in at her new school with the most popular girls. From there, they start a tribe called The Order and go into the realms.
I recommend this book to anybody who likes suspense, thrills, literature, and fantasy.
By Dana H. -7th grader
at 8:12 AM
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Deep inside Venice lives a mysterious boy known as the Thief Lord who houses runaway children. When Prosper and Bo meet him after running away from their aunt, their world flips upside down. The boys encounter a cheating merchant, a strange inspector, and a mystery beyond their wildest dreams. What will happen?
I highly recommend this book to any one searching an adventure book with a healthy dose of suspense.
By Allex B.- 7th grader
at 7:58 AM
Monday, April 7, 2008
Heat by Mike Lupica
Heat is a very well written book. It is about a boy name Victor Arroyo and his love for the great game of baseball. Supposedly, Victor can throw a fastball up to 80 mph. Victor lives in the Bronx with his older brother Carlos. He is on a little league baseball team called the Clippers with his best friend Manny. Problems arise when Victor is challenged by other teams in the Bronx to get his birth certificate that can not be reached because it is in Cuba. Also, if anyone should find out about his secret, Victor will be split up from his brother forever.
I do recommend that you read this book for yourself about a boy and his love for baseball in this heart stopping thriller, Heat, by Mike Lupica.
Daniel D. -7th Grader
at 11:02 AM
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
This book is about a girl named Meg Finn. She dies while trying to rob a house owned by a man named Lowrie McCall. She was too bad of a person to go to Heaven, but too good of a person to to to Hell. In order to get into Heaven, she must help Lowrie McCall complete a wish list of things he had wanted to do. While she is trying to help complete the wish list, a friend of hers who had also died while robbing Lowrie's and went to Hell is sent by demons to get her.
This book is very suspenseful and well written. I suggest this fantasy book to everyone.
Justin M.- 7th grader
at 12:06 PM
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
You might have heard this before: "We are slow to hire, but quick to fire" (said one smug HR manager to me during a job interview) OR "He's too expensive for this company to keep; fire him and we can hire someone half his age and at a third of his salary" (said one penny-pinching boss). The same boss often boasts about hiring a foreigner with a Master's degree and paying the person just S$2000/month, and says local graduates need to adjust their expectations downwards and not be so demanding and self-entitled.
How can PMEs thrive in the workplace, demonstrate that they have skills and talents that their companies should appreciate and value (enough to keep them around, and pay them a decent wage), and become more than just a 'cost center' on the company's payroll? Essentially, how do you keep your head from 'rolling' when the retrenchment or dismissal 'axe' comes swinging?
How's how I'd suggest you avoid losing your job to 'cheap labour'…
#1: Remain Relevant
First, just as our economy has to remain relevant and competitive so as to thrive in this ever-changing world, PMEs also have to ensure that they keep upgrading their skills and knowledge base to stay relevant and useful (even attempting to reach that holy grail of being 'indispensable') to the company, and to constantly learn, unlearn and relearn.
I have friends who end up being the coffee 'runner' or the unofficial person to man the photocopier or do silly tasks like moving the boss's flashy car to the proper parking spots when the "Summons Auntie" comes around to hand out summons for illegal parking. While it undoubtedly gives the employee a sudden 'break' during the busy work day, by having him go 'shift' the car, does it aid in the employee's productivity at work, or ensure that his skills and knowledge are utilized for the benefit of the company (and not just the boss)?
Even if you are a young PME, it doesn't mean you are cheap labour and can be used for menial tasks, especially those that seem to indicate that the company does not value your contributions and 'worth'. Are you being 'underemployed' at work? How can you demonstrate to the bosses that you are a valuable employee? What sort of skills – communication, leadership, teamwork, etc – do you need to learn and master in order to progress in your career, and away from doing menial tasks? Will you be able to utilize SkillsFuture to your benefit?
#2: Know Your Rights
Are you being bullied or harassed at work? Has a colleague gone on leave (e.g. maternity leave) or been fired, and his/her work given to you to do, with no pay increment? Many of my friends complain about being given additional tasks because an employee has quit or was fired. Instead of hiring a new worker, the company simply divides the workload among those employees who remain. This is highly unfair and causes the employees to do more work while receiving the same pay, perhaps even having to put in extra hours at work, while the company reaps the benefits of not having to pay that one person's salary, CPF contributions and saves on the allowances that the employee should have been given.
I've already blogged about how I was denied my CPF monies, and how the CPF Board helped me get that 5-figure sum back. But I do know that many other people are not so fortunate.
Do you know of anyone who was fired because she got pregnant? Have you heard of employees who are given additional duties (e.g. working on weekends) when it's not part of the employment contract they signed? Do you know the lies that employers spin regarding CPF contributions so they can avoid paying you what they should? Do you know how to seek help from your union, NTUC and the authorities when such unfortunate situations happen to you?
#3: Report Companies Which Have Weak Singaporean Core
Yes, there are jobs which Singaporeans shun and which we need foreign talent or foreign workers for. Some examples include construction workers, cleaners, nursing home staff, security officers, grasscutters, etc.
I would argue that there are other job positions that Singaporeans are willing and able to accept, but which are given to foreigners who command a lower wage or are willing to work for longer hours or be given fewer monetary and non-monetary benefits. For instance, there are even complaints about HR managers being foreigners, who end up hiring more new staff of the same nationality, and giving Singaporeans a miss unfairly!
With regard to the foreign talent hired, especially in culprit sectors like finance and the IT industry, we must ensure that Singaporeans are considered fairly! Where the Fair Consideration Framework should fail or be shown to be inadequate, we should have an Employment Pass quota for these culprit sectors! This idea of quotas is neither mine, nor is it new…
Here's the MyPaper article in which Labour MP Patrick Tay mentioned this idea in 2011:
He calls this a PME Dependency Ratio (similar to that for work permits and S passes), and wants this to be implemented for problem sectors which have weak Singaporean core (like
Chennai Changi Business Park) and a weak commitment to hire and develop Singaporeans.
We also need to do our part to watch out for discriminatory hiring practices and report these companies to NTUC and MOM to investigate if they should be penalized for discriminating against good Singaporean workers.
Finally, I think that cheap foreign labour will be here to stay. Mitigate the risk that this poses to your 'ricebowl' by ensuring you remain top of your game. Make it a foolish decision for the company to dispense with you in favor of a new, cheaper hire from overseas.
Build on your strengths. For instance, the quality of the education we have received in schools and universities here stand us in good stead. Many Singaporeans are effectively bilingual, and many more have experience working and studying overseas. Yes, Indian nationals are favored in the IT and banking sector. Yes, Filipino nationals are often selected for customer-facing roles in F&B, retail, and even in call centers. But we have a solid foundation in the English Language, and many of us are conversant in Mandarin. If you need an 'upgrade', go and take a course in Mandarin for business purposes. If you need to learn a third language, do it.
Just as foreigners can come to our shores seeking employment and a better life, we can likewise spread our wings overseas and take up higher-paying regional and international positions. After all, the world is your oyster. You are by no means confined to our small red dot of an island. 🙂


text:
Today I checked out Stylehive, a new social bookmarking website all about shopping.
It goes live for public browsing tomorrow.
As a free member of Stylehive, you can:
– Discover new brands, products, designers, stores, and experts
– Use the Stylehive's special tags to build a personalized list. For example, use the wish list tag to build a customized birthday gift shopping list.
– Easily share your shopping finds with other like-minded shoppers, family, and friends
– Discover stylish experts in the Hive and follow favorite designers, brands and shopping topics
– Collaborate easily with groups of people on topics such as home design or designer handbags
– Promote yourself, your blog, your products or your retail store to the Stylehive community
Generally I think that this looks like quite a cool site. It's certainly well designed, and already there are some great items to spend your dollars on. A nifty web2.0 idea too – A service like this could really take off with the punters. Stylehive may just take social bookmarking to a wider audience than del.icio.us ever will.
I'm not entirely sure that as a "consumer" I have a social shopping problem that I need to solve. The ability to build wish lists could take off though. I wonder if they've thought about a wedding gift registry? That could work (just a thought from someone who recently became engaged).
As with all Web2.0 stuff, it's a little America centric right now … but hopefully there are enough non US bloggers to turn that table over. Thanks to Emily Chang for the invite.


text:
Shanghai, China
Ezra Klein at WonkBlog discusses the economic engines that are cities:
The three make similar arguments: First, cities make us smarter, richer and more productive. Avent sums up some of the (voluminous) evidence: "Economist Masayuki Morikawa finds that productivity rises between 10 and 20 percent when density doubles. Morris Davis, Jonas Fisher and Toni Whited estimate that a doubling of density may increase productivity by between 17 and 28 percent. Their work suggests that more than 30 percent of real wage growth over the past 35 years is attributable to changes in density."
Cities, Glaeser says, are "our greatest invention." People offer ideas and teach skills to, buy services from and engage in healthy competition with one another. Cities enable closer contact among the population. The results can be remarkable.


text:
Sunny DaysThursday, February 12th, 2009
The sun is officially back in Fairbanks… ok, not exactly sure WHO officiated that, but for the sake of quickness, I'll just say I did. After what seemed like endless months of depression-inducing darkness, that blazing orb has returned. It has brought with it mid-day temperature spikes, and some seriously gorgeous skiing.
For all of us student athletes living here in the Last Frontier, the winter can be pretty tough on the Vitamin D diet. The necessary habits of the competitive skier don't allow for much exposure to natural light; the training sessions early in the morning before school usually take place alone and always in the dark. The two or three hours of daylight we get here in Fairbanks come right around noon, when everyone is stuck inside stimulating their grey matter. And by the time the second workout rolls around, sometime near 3 pm, the sun is already long set.
"So, how do you ever ski?" you may be asking, and that's actually a pretty legit question. Fortunately, both major ski trail systems in Fairbanks have adapted to this pit of darkness, featuring amazing selections of lighted trails. Birch Hill has by far the best lit trails I have seen in the country, with over 15k of challenging terrain blasted with light until at least 10pm every day.
So needless to say, it feels weird to be skiing in the afternoon now with the sun blaring in your eyes. And it warms the snow up too, allowing skate skis to actually glide… imagine that!
Some of the local master blasters following the groomer in this morning's rays
David Norris and Reese Hanneman, post max-effort intervals….
Look familiar? The train of Subies leaves the hill, with the highest point in North America on the horizon


text:
Gateau Tour de Summer
Altered Art Painting
by Chris Plastic
This fantastical cake is painted in acrylics
on a piece of moderately distressed paper.
(If you think that's heavily distressed,
you haven't seen some of my other work.)
This prelude to summer is loaded with strawberries
and orange and lemon
The lowest tiers are layered with lady fingers,
the bottom row of which are dipped in chocolate.
To complete the effect, this magnificent culinary delight
sits proudly atop a vintage blue milk glass pedestal with a scalloped rim.
The overall size of this piece is 6 x 12",
so it will definitely command attention wherever you put it.
The colours have been meticulously blended
to create vibrant tones that jump off the paper.
Keep in mind this has several sharp creases,
as well as other rough spots, including a tear on the left side.
All this has been done to add to the character of the piece.
As you can also see from the above image,
the painting is initialed and dated at the lower left corner.
~ THANK YOU for stopping by! ~
Be sure to check out my other listings.
This design and many others are featured
on a wide range of merchandise in
My Cafe Press Shop!


text:
Husband Bud announced today, "I like playing bridge now that I've finally got the "hang" of it. He had been a reluctant beginner, but after the fun games we had with Barbara and Dale Thisted who came to enjoy a weekend in the country with us, he had this fantastic break through. Hurrah. He'll enjoy bridge even better the more he plays.
Jeannie, the master developer for Downstream Publishing, my new publisher, phoned this weekend. The launch date for Snow Birds, my new non-fiction, will be October l. June will see a new cover, the interior designed, fifty books printed for the major reviewers and bloggers.
Had a fun little trip in the l956b Jeep on a beautiful 75 degree spring day to the top of a nearby mountain looking for an abandoned mine. I wanted to see the site as a possible one for the last chapter of Casanova Cowboy.
Up at top of this mountain, folks were not all that friendly. More territorial signs were up than I've ever seen before: Posted, No Trespassing, Violators Beware. When a car guarded the dirt road by parking across it side ways, we turned back. There are many others to see.
A Jeep can go over a berm, but not a car. Another trip up a mountain isn't all that bad. On one of them there is a mountain side with the prettiest blue stones, just right for the little path through our Shady Garden. I asked Bud if he could find the place on the mountain where they are. He said, "Whenever you're ready. . ." and smiled.
That's a delightful promise coming during our 30th Wedding Anniversary weekend. He's my guy with a jeep who hunts and knows these mountains and where their treasures are hidden.
(Thanks for another beautiful pix go to Photopin.)


text:
Barack Obama is increasingly distinguished by his status as the World's Biggest Liar, a man you can't trust at all.
In recent days he decided to stage some political theater by surprising our troops in Afghanistan, which is something George Bush did a few times (I recall fondly the Thanksgiving turkey visit by W).
But Obama's inept, or treasonous administration (take your pick) exposed the identity of a top CIA officer in the field of Afghanistan.
(CNN) — The White House accidentally revealed the name of the CIA's top intelligence official in Afghanistan to some 6,000 journalists.
The person was included on a list of people attending a military briefing for President Barack Obama during his surprise visit to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan on Sunday.
Analyst: Outed CIA agent will be pulled White House blows cover of CIA operative
It's common for such lists to be given to the media, but names of intelligence officials are rarely provided. In this case, the individual's name was listed next to the title, "Chief of Station." <source>
Liberal news outlets like to reference the so-called outing of Valerie Plame during the Bush years, but Ms. Plame worked at the CIA in Langley Virginia and I would imagine could be seen walking into and out of CIA headquarters in broad daylight Monday through Friday.
The CIA confirmed her status as a NOC or "deep cover officer" and remarked that she was talented and highly intelligent, but decried the fact that her career featured largely US-based Headquarters service, typical of most CIA officers. <source>
How covert can you be when you are walking in and out of CIA headquarters in broad daylight?
But Obama outed a CIA station chief in the field.
Is this man fit for office?
In the United States the answer is No.
In various foreign countries who are enemies of the United States the answer is yes.


text:
Rock Skeleton Glow-in-the-Dark T-shirt - L
- 100% cotton material - Size: L (fit for those with 170-180cm in height, about 75KG in weight) - Put the T-shirt under the light or sunshine for about 20 seconds, it will shine gorgeous light Dimensions: 30.71 in x 22.83 in x 0.00 in (78.0 cm x 58.0 cm x 0.0 cm) Weight: 8.47 oz (240 g)
Customers Also Bought
Sep 2010
Very cool shirt. - Very cool design - Glows in the dark! - The colors are darker than those shown in te picture - Only the skeleton's white parts glow, not the colored ones I don't know what to say about the print quality, sometimes it as... – translate


text:
One of the most difficult things about being a young writer is finding people who are both able and willing to critique. Some authors are perfect enough not to need other eyes looking at their work and asking why the hero never put down his coffee cup? Personally I NEED input on every manuscript.
New authors have asked me how to find this person or group of magical people who read for me. I never have a good answer. It's a personal journey to find the right chemistry that helps the writing. I point that out because a critique partner has the power to hurt a writer in every way. It's a very delicate balance.
I am so grateful I've found mine. But it wasn't something I could have predicted happening. Critique partner relationships are a lot like a marriage. They require honesty, support, ruthless honesty, encouragement, repetitive honesty that is not a peronal attack, tolerance and did I mention honesty?
The critique reader can't be afraid to point out problems. The author must be able to accept those comments in the way they were intended, as help. Also its soooo important for the critique partner to spend as much time letting the author know what works. The balance is critical.
I know of no formula or method for finding what works for a writer. All I can say is keep looking if you don't have this type of support yet. You will find what fits.
I have to add, there is no way to thank my critique partners enough.


text:
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Another kind of Harvest
Didn't do much of anything else today. Physical Therapy this morning and then a little shopping. Kroger's on an empty stomach. Oh Boy the amount of sweet stuff we bought is awful!! Dennis bought a dozen doughnuts I bought cookies.I bought some Hummus artichoke and garlic flavor. It is really good on flat bread. Hummus is kind of an aquired taste but I like it for a quick lunch.
5 comments:
- angelinabeadalina said...
Talk about perfect pictures for fall! Oh, and your Kroger (either side of town) on an empty stomach is a recipe for disaster :) I love Kroger! So much variety, so much yummy stuff!
- Wednesday, October 01, 2008
- Kyfarmlife said...
You have been nominated for an award! Go to my blog to pick it up!
- Thursday, October 02, 2008
- Corinne Sullivan said...
gorgeous pics, Mari! Reminds me of the Amish in central Illinois. I used to love going out that way this time of year to get pumpkins with the kiddies.
And ooh, hummus, yum!
- Thursday, October 02, 2008
- Auroras_Garden said...
I too am guilty of doing Kroger on an empty stomach...and i do the same thing you do...pick up cookies! LOL
Those amish people are so cool. My midwife catches babies for them and she says they are really very family oriented people. You know when a baby is born the grandmothers are present. And the grandmothers will take care of the baby and help the mother till she recovers.They are pretty cool people. I think the father just kinda paces the floor outside the bedroom while the mom has her baby. And they have LOTS of babies too, some of them have like 15 or more kids. I cant imagine...
- Thursday, October 02, 2008
- Kyfarmlife said...
So gin has sold 4 bags now! WOW! Mayleesgarden loves hers she posted a blog about it!
- Friday, October 03, 2008


text:
The stomach is the most tricky aspect of this entire body to shed weight. At times, even with the right diet regime and exercise routines, the stomach fats however continues to be. Extra fat stomach can also be the vast majority of most ugly linked with excess fat as it's exceptionally clear, specifically with males.
The strength training routines ought to concentrate to the total overall body movements. Try out keeping your body transferring through the complete coaching routine, persons need to have the sit down workouts would like to anyone human body going for forty five minutes a great hour.
Consume Roughage. Top guidelines for 2012 on smart nutrisystem discount solutions. Should you really so that you can see lbs reduction transpire right absent, achieve should have the ability to having the maximum. This tends to drive the human body to work with stored unwanted fat as its power, obviously decreasing excess body fat. Fiber is really an awesome software in this particular as it aids into a man or woman stay experience comprehensive, lengthier. Much better of all, fiber also cleanses the human body the natural way anyone to to drop stored squander products quickly.
Therefore if you might be seeking to keep the stomach fats off and/or toning the muscle tissues than you'll find fashions to fluctuate and modify your education routines. Normally folks assume this just suggests shifting inside of volume of sets and reps you're undertaking but changing your schedule may be an additional fantastic strategy for thinking.
The challenge may be the infomercials themselves, the they rather then go off as reputable tips on how to greatest food plan program to get rid of belly fats in 4 weeks. All those fat burning capsule results in being rid of almost nothing however cash. Individuals ab muscles gizmos may fit your abdominal muscles, but that does you no superior if you have a layer of excess fat surrounding these types of.
Drive is essential, inside of your exercise routine and emotionally it is enhance your unwanted fat burning in addition to you are going to lower your overall body fat immediate. Becoming a member of a fitness center, employing a exercise trainer might be out during the dilemma, we can easily self motivate and have your non-public coach manual and preserve you likely to gain lean tendon.
All affiliated with individuals newbies lose stomach fats workout routines have you ever sitting down to the ball. When you achieve self-confidence that is not a difficulty balance ball, you are going to commence to complete routines that an individual have beginning coming from a floor, over a knees, even from lying over the most noteworthy ball. The guide which includes originate from the stability ball ought to describe many different diverse workouts with illustrations that may help you get the gist of what you're actually meant to carry out.


text:
After our 'Farming Simulator 15' review this morning, our reviewer Ian has written a review of the new Life Is Strange episode, 'Chaos Theory'. More: Speaking of which, Episode three still struggles with pacing, with a relatively early fetch-quest to collect ingredients to make a bomb being even more tiresome than the equivalent part of the previous episode, as it forces yo...[Read More]
Today GamerKnights has done an in depth review of the new "Farming Simulator 15" which is now available on all platforms. Our reviewer Joe has taken a closer look at the PS4 version of the game. A snippet from the review: Aside from my overactive imagination, there's a whole lot of depth to Farming Sim 15. Anyone who's put time into the previous entries in Giants' entrepreneurial simul...[Read More]
One of the most celebrated games of recent years will arrive on Xbox One soon, thanks to Facepalm games and Curve Digital. The Swapper began life as project developed by two university students, Olli Harjola and Otto Hantula, and met with critical acclaim for its story, level design and visual style when it was launched on PC in 2013. The game is set on Theseus, a damaged space station and researc...[Read More]
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today released a new gameplay video for Batman: Arkham Knight. The Official Batman: Arkham Knight Gameplay Video – "Time To Go To War" is a continuation of the Official Batman: Arkham Knight Gameplay Video – "Officer Down." See more of the Dark Knight in action in this extended gameplay walkthrough, as he pays a visit to Scarecrow's safe...[Read More]
Developer CD Projekt Red has just released a new video called "Beautiful World" from their massive top game "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt". In case you were still wondering if this game is worthy buying, give our in depth review a good read. More info on 'Beautiful World' trailer: In the open world of Wild Hunt, you chart your own path to adventure. You play as a bo...[Read More]
We received some very new "Batman Arkham Knight" screens from Warner Bros and they look pretty amazing! Check them out on our "Batman Arkham Knight Images" page of the game main HUB page.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Avalanche Studios today unveiled the Mad Max Savage Road Trailer, showing Max who is left for dead as his cherished Interceptor is stolen by the merciless Wasteland tyrant, Scrotus and his warboys. Max must rebuild a powerful new war machine to escape the deadly Wasteland and can only do that with the aid of his quirky sidekick and expert mechanic, Chumbu...[Read More]
Slightly Mad Studios has announced details for a patch (version 1.3) to the Xbox One version of Project CARS. The full patch notes are below: Project CARS – Xbox One Patch 1.3 – Fixed Issues Gamepad Controllers: * Added ABS brake rumble to Xbox One triggers, so that the triggers will rumble on losing traction when braking. The amount of trigger rumble is controlled together with Force Feedba...[Read More]
Hi there. Sorry for the lack of updates but we're making it up with our in depth review of the new Witcher game, "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt". Here's a snippet: The Witcher 3 is a vast, expansive game set in a vast, expansive world. The mechanics underlying combat, levelling, crafting and adventuring truly match the giant scope of the game. It's for this reason that the Witch...[Read More]
Kalypso has announced the next major content expansion for Tropico 5, "Espionage". 'Espionage' will be available globally on 28th May for PC, Mac, and SteamOS, with the Xbox 360 and PS4 versions arriving later. "Espionage' features the all new campaign 'The Maltese Toucan', a thrilling new adventure wherein Tropico's precious treasures need to be protected against foreign agents at all...[Read More]
Good morning. Today our reviewer Ian has taken a closer look at Codemasters' new 'early access' racing game "DiRT Rally". More: Dirt Rally may be 'early access', but the game isn't particularly thin on the ground when it comes to content. There's 36 stages at the minute, and 17 cars from a host of different rallying eras, from the Mini Coopers of the 1960s to Group B ...[Read More]


text:
On Wednesday, November 28, from 6:30-8:30 pm, Honors Student Council will be hosting an "Honors Open Forum" in the new Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building. The forum will be an opportunity for Honors students to meet the Honors faculty who will be teaching Spring 2012 Honors courses and discuss course design, learning objectives, and class activities. Moreover, research faculty will be present to talk about gaining undergraduate research positions, whether it be in liberal arts or the sciences and engineering.
In addition, students can learn more about the upcoming changes to the University Honors Program, current undergraduate research programs such as University Research Scholars, and opportunities for prestigious fellowships and study abroad. This event will be an excellent opportunity to meet the executive director of Honors and Undergraduate Research, Dr. Sumana Datta, as well as the rest of the HUR staff.


text:
Hi All,
Blog is active…again.
Since quite long now, I haven't published anything, but I'm back. I have plenty of good excuses for the delay :-)
The best, in my opinion, being the fact that I was busy organizing an Agile Conference in Belgium. The Agile Tour Brussels, an English speaking event. Program is available on http://atbru.be . Registration is open and the event will take place on 26th of October.
In the next few months, I will be speaker to some great Conferences, I hope you can join some, they are really nice events.
October 26th: I will be presenting Introduction to Scrum, the most used Agile Method, through Games at Agile Tour Brussels (BE)
November 8th I will have the pleasure to co-present 2 sessions at Agile Grenoble (FR):
- "Duo de retour d'expérience sauce aigre douce" with Alexis Monville.
- "Men In Black Agile" with Alexandre Boutin.
November 22th, I will be at Agile Tour Lille (FR) presenting "Apprendre Scrum, la méthode Agile la plus utilisée, par le jeu"
November 28th I will be at Agile Tour Namur (BE) aka La Journée Agile and I will present: "Apprendre Scrum, la méthode Agile la plus utilisée, par le jeu"
November 29th and 30th I will be present @ XPDays Benelux (NL) where I will be presenting:
- 29/11: "Learn different leadership styles with Star Wars Coaches"
- 30/11, together with Martin Mahaux: "Rapid Design: Improvise Your User Stories!"
After those, December will be reserved for another kind of excitement… :-)
Take Care,
This content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.


text:
Hey Guys and Gals.
Here is my latest print for the Phoenix Comic Con. Mumra from Thundercats. Will be posting some new work soon.
Hey Guys and Gals.
Here is my latest print for the Phoenix Comic Con. Mumra from Thundercats. Will be posting some new work soon.
I have been working on some prints for the up and coming Phoenix Comicon. Here's a sketch of my latest Harley Quinn. I'll try to keep the blog updated as soon as new work comes out.
I colored this sketch for my Digital Painting students to give them an example to study from on their next assignment.
I'm really Happy with how this turned out.
I also used Gomedia Vector tech shapes in the back.
Will post the sketch later.
Photoshop: Wacom Cintiq
Here's a quick illustration I was commissioned to do.
On another note I have been listening to Michael Ramsden all night.
I think I am the only person in the world who paints skulls while listening to christian apologetics.
What does that have to do with this? Nothing. Just thinking.
Yep. As of December 18th I will not be taking on any more freelance work until further notice.
Here is why.
As most of you know I work full time at a Video Gaming Company and teach at the Art Institute on top of my freelance work. Well the Art Institute has just given me a promotion from a Adjunct Instructor to Part Time. So now instead of teaching 1-2 classes a quarter I teach 3-4.
As an example here is my schedule next quarter.
Mon: Design Works 8:30am -5pm and Aipx: 6pm-10pm
Tue: Design Works 8:30am -5pm and Aipx: 6pm-10pm
Wed: Design Works 8:30am -5pm
Thur: Design Works 8:30am -5pm and Aipx: 6pm-10pm
Fri: Design Works 8:30am -5pm and Aipx: 6pm-10pm
That's close to 64 hours a week. I simply don't have time to freelance anymore.
It's time for me to focus on my career.
Now to not leave anybody hi and dry I will be glad to introduce my clients to other freelance Illustrators that I feel are capable of taking over my duties. Please jut contact me if you are interested.
ANY OUTSTANDING PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT FINISHED BY DEC 18th WILL NOT BE COMPLETED!!!
Thanks for your understanding .
Zombie Self, originally uploaded by LandauArtwerx.com.
Here's the colored version of the last sketch. Added some hands and subtracted some hair to make it more realistic. I'm pretty happy with this one.
9-18-09, originally uploaded by LandauArtwerx.com.
Rough Sketch." Blink" From Marvel Comics.


text:
Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science
1274 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 97403-1274
240 Wilamette Hall 1371 E 13th Street Eugene, OR 97403
Brandy Todd
(541) 346-4313
The Center for Applied Quantum Science, a unit within the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Sciences at the University of Oregon will be hosting the 3rd Annual Workshop on Quantum Simulators of Complex Molecular Networks at the
University of Oregon, July 1-3, 2018.
UNC Chapel Hill has posted an opening for an Optical Engineer in the laboratory of Spencer Smith. Dr.
The OMQ Fall retreat 2017 will take place at the Downtown Athletic Club in Eugene, Oregon, September 11 & 12, 2017.
Former UO Physics graduate students Shannon O'Leary (2008 PhD, Hailin Wang advisor) and Adam Clausen (2007 PhD, Jim Isenberg advisor) were killed in an automobile accident on Dec 26. Their 4 year old son Felix survived the crash.Click here for the report from the Oregonian.
El grupo estudiantil de la Asociación de Óptica presenta: Día Festivo de Ópticos
Están invitados a celebrar el centenario de la Asociación de Óptica (OSA).
¡Todos están invitados a este evento y es gratis!
The UO Student Chapter of the OSA presents: Optics Holiday Bash
You're invited to celebrate The Optical Society's 100th Anniversary at the Optics Holiday Bash!
Registration for the OMQ Fall Symposium is open to all UO students, OMQ members, OMQ associate members, and OMQ collaborators.
The OMQ Fall Symposium will feature presentations from OMQ students, faculty, and associates. The draft event schedule can be found below.
The Center for Applied Quantum Science, a unit with in the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science at the University of Oregon will be hosting the first Annual Workshop on Quantum Simulators of Complex Molecular Networks at the University of Ulm in Ulm, Germany June 12-14th
The workshop will feature talks, tutorials, tours and and discussions among the consortium of researchers from the Universities of Oregon, Oxford, and Ulm, and Harvard University supported by funds from the John Templeton Foundation.
OMQ Faculty Members Michael Raymer and Andrew Marcus have recived an award from the John Templeton Foundation to support research for the new Center for Applied Quanutm Science, an entity within the Oregon Center for Optical, Molecular, and Quantum Science.
More in information can be found at the UO news site Around the O.
The Oregen Center for Optical, Molecular and Quantum Science (formerly Oregon Center for Optics) has broadened it's focus and membership. The center seeks to expand beyond optical science into spectroscopy, quantum science and more interdisciplinary optics related research and teaching. The center has added new members in chemistry and physics.


text:
Like human being health, motor vehicles too, have or show signs or indicators that there is a mechanical problem. As a driver, you may deliberately ignore certain signs on your car until a point when it fails to move or start at all. To some extent, it could be due to a small financial muscle to have your car attended to.
Black smoke
Ben Mugisha, a mechanic at Crown Fuel Station in Kyanja says when your car releases black smoke from the exhaust pipe, which he says is a common characteristic that manifests in both ageing petrol and diesel cars, it means that the car could be burning too much fuel to keep the engine running.
"Black smoke from your exhaust pipe could mean that your air filter is clogged with a lot of dirt or that your fuel injectors are worn out. It could as well mean that some parts of your engine need to be cleaned up well," Mugisha explains.
When you start your car, you don't expect it to stop until you reach your destination. Even when there is fuel and it fails to restart, Mugisha says it would have stalled, an abrupt stopping by the engine.
"When your car engine doesn't receive the required clean air from the air cleaner, it may fail to run again.
And if the fuel in your car is dirty or has been mixed with other immiscible liquids like water, it can cause the engine to stall because the spark plug will not have the fire power to start the engine," he says. Beyond these, Mugisha advises that there are other factors that cause a car to stall.
Dashboard warning lights
Most drivers, Paul Guma, a mechanic at Shell Old Kampala observes, usually ignore warning lights on their car dashboards. Before they know it, he says, the mechanical problem becomes bigger than it should have, if it had been attended to earlier.
"One of the most sensitive signs that will appear on your dashboard is one that advises you to check the engine.
It could be indicating that your engine spark plug is old and failure to replace it could reduce your engine performance. You may also need to attend to any other faults beyond the spark plug to prevent other consequences," Guma advises.
Unexpected noises
Much as your car may not make noises during its first days on the road, as time goes on, developing unexpected sounds may not be optional.
Mugisha advises that if your car develops abrupt grinding sounds especially when starting the engine, it may call for inspection by your mechanic in the engine compartment or within the brake or wheel system to identify the cause.
Foul smells
Like a house, cars too, irrespective of the brand, sometimes exhibit bad odours both inside and outside.
While Mugisha reiterates that bad odour from a car usually emanates from tyres and brakes as a result of instant or sudden braking, Mugisha reasons that when there is a fuel leakage in the system fuel flow, it requires immediate attention to establish the cause.
This, he says does not only lead to fast fuel consumption but it may also cause discomfort of the car occupants. In worst scenarios, Mugisha says leakages especially in petrol engines cause the car to burn if the fuel leaks in an area that has overheated.


text:
Thursday March 22nd, was the last day of the business meeting in Denver. The meeting ended at noon and my flight was not scheduled to leave until 5:55pm. I went up to my room to pack my bag and get ready to leave, when I decided to check www.flavortownUSA.com to see if there was another nearby spot that I might be able to convince AJ to drive to before going to the airport. Sure enough, "Bang!" www.bangdenver.com was about 9 miles west of the Double Tree. It didn't take much convincing to get AJ and Lynn up for one last Triple D adventure. I think I've made Triple D converts of them!
We plugged the address into the GPS and drove past downtown on the highway and past Mile High Stadium, and exited off into the quaint little Victorian neighborhood where we found "Bang!" around 1:45pm. First impression was that it was a cool little building. Look in the front window and you see the kitchen. Not tables and patrons, but the staff cooking. Cool. A sign on the front window directs patrons to a narrow alleyway between buildings where the entrance is in the back patio. That's very cool. There were a few people sitting out back in the patio and we were asked by the host if we wanted sit inside or outside. Even though it was nice outside, the indoor seating looked really interesting with artwork and colorful décor. We seemed to arrive just after the lunch rush as there was a large party who left soon after we sat down. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and I was diggin' the vibe of the place "Indie rock" music was playing on the radio in the background. I heard Vampire Weekend and the Shins being played as well as a few other cool new bands.
Our young waitress was very friendly and attentive. Lynn ordered the Po Boy sandwich and said it was very good. She liked the soft bread and shrimp cooked just right. AJ got a gluten free menu and ordered salmon served on a bed of rice, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
From the Triple D episode, I knew right away that I wanted to order the gumbo with jalapeno corn bread, which is what Guy had. It was a little different than other gumbo dishes I've had, and probably not 100% traditional compared to Louisiana Cajun gumbo, but it was still amazing. The shrimp was tender and cooked perfectly, the sausage was flavorful, the pieces of chopped chicken added some nice texture and the sauce was deep, rich and spicy, but not much of a kick. The lack of a strong kick was a little disappointing, but more than made up for just in terms of the rich flavor. The jalapeño cornbread was also delicious and light. Served like a big slice of bread, it had a nice crispness to it on the outside, but moist on the inside and just a little hint of jalapeño flavor.
After a very enjoyable meal, the waitress asked if we wanted to see the desert menu. The other two passed, but I had read about the gingerbread reviews and had to try it for myself. It was served warm like a big piece of cake with a huge dollop of whip cream on the side. I could smell the warm gingerbread before it even got to the table… Without a doubt the best gingerbread I have ever had!
As the last stop on my four-day, 5 Triple D spot Denver adventure, I would definitely recommend going out of your way to get a bite at "Bang!" This is just a really cool little jem of a restaurant far from the touristy areas of town and a great way to finish off the Denver trip. By the way... Guy was actually at this place - see the stamp!
My only regret about hitting 5 triple D spots in four days is that the kids weren't with me and neither was Teresa. So, I stretched the intent of my quest for the family to hit as many spots as possible, but now I have included some of my close colleagues and new friends in my "Hunt's Triple D Food Adventures". I also know that I made at least a few more people excited about the idea of following Guy Fieri's lead in seeking out Diners, Drive-ins and Dives when they are on a road trip.
The adventure will continue. We've still got 9 more places to go in Maryland, so those are next on the agenda.


text:
Darling buds of May
March 10, 2007
How I absolutely swoon for the Lyell Spring collection. A concise collection of simple and sweet pieces, all of which are calling my name…
4 Responses to "Darling buds of May"
March 10, 2007 at 10:11 am
Lovely! It looks better on the model though. Wanted to shop it online but the pieces alone looked a bit boring. Love the high waist jeans short though!
March 11, 2007 at 4:37 pm
bought myself a brown high waisted short now – was so inspired by this post, I had to dare it! I'm pretty happy with it now and these pics also prove it can look pretty sweet!


text:
I made a new friend today. I mean, thats not really news since I make new friends all the time but there was this nice kid I met while walking and he really liked me. Turns out his dad doesn't want him to get a pet. Something against hairy creatures but this kid really liked me. Wants to walk me all the time and play with me. I was really tired and we played around but I needed a sleep. Anyway, turns out mummy was a bit jealous and doesn't want anyone else walking me. I don't blame her. I am super cute.
Had a great day. I have new food bowls. They are pink and spotty. I like pink...almost as much as chicken cake!
Monday, 2 July 2007
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
House Sold
- About this property
- Features
Dual Family, Great Location!Property ID RLL22900Enjoying a rural backdrop & fantastic street appeal, is this lovely 4 bedroom home built with family in mind. The modern hi-spec kitchen is the hub of the home featuring a 90cm gas hob, tri-stone bench tops, walk in pantry, dishwasher, great storage, double fridge space & overlooks the dining/living area. Open up the french doors to enjoy the seamless flow out to the large sunny patio area & manicured garden, perfect for entertaining! For that extra space there is a separate lounge ideal for teenagers or just relaxing during the evenings. The great finishing touch to the well laid out living spaces is a handy study area. The master bedroom has a walk in wardrobe & en-suite, while the further 3 bedrooms are serviced by a fantastic family bathroom complete with a bath fill feature, gas hot water, and a popular separate laundry. If the lovely specs aren't enough to tempt you, the property boasts a large separate sleepout, complete with en-suite which will cater well for the extended family or guests when they come to stay. Don't delay in viewing, call Angela now to set up your private inspection, or see you at the open home.
Property features
Parking2 car garaging
InteriorOther Rooms Study / Sleep Out Hot Water Electric / Gas Kitchen Modern Dining Openplan Bathroom Separate Bathrooms / Separate WCs / Ensuite Interior Ceilings: Batts / Insulation: Batts / Joinery: Double glazed Interior Condition Very Good Features Walk In Wardrobe Floors Single Storey Heating Heat Pump Lounge Separate Lounge
ExteriorBase Concrete Fencing Fully Fenced Roof Colour Steel Exterior Linea Exterior Condition Very Good Aspect Northerly / Westerly Views Rural Views Frontage Street Levels Level With Road Amenities Shops Water Extra Features Town Section Contour Level Sewage City
ChattelsBlinds, Burglar Alarm, Dishwasher, Drapes, Extractor Fan, F/Floor Cover, Light Fittings, Rangehood, Waste Master, Gas Hob 90cm, Electric oven, Garage door openers, Garage remotes x2, Heated towel rail x2, TV aerial x2, Heat pump x2, Childs fort, Attic ladder, Excluded Chattels: Garden shed, Spa pool
OtherOff street parking x6. Insurance: Westpac - Lumleys 1000024192.


text:
What a great Saturday we had, I want to welcome our five new backers to Small Hope, thank you for joining us in this journey. My family and I attended a wedding on Saturday for a good friend of ours. At the reception there were several bible quotes on each of the guest tables. The bride had them made up based on readings that helped her in life get to where she is now. Our table display was from Lamentations 3:24-26. The verse points out that when you put your Hope in the hands of God, then anything is possible. The pastor who was sitting at our table used it too and told our friends that they put their Hope in each other and that is why they are here now.
Small Hope's main theme is about putting your Hope in someone when you feel everything has fallen apart. S'more puts his Hope with Janice and vice versa. Just before the pastor left for the night he talked to me and not only told me good luck with the book but also told me that I have put my Hope with the book with my backers and that is why it will succeed. Small Hope would not be possible without everyone here. Your incredible generosity and kind words are what make this book incredible. Thank you again and God Bless.


text:
Friday, March 23, 2007
So, Where Ya From?
So, Where Ya From?
Did someone ever walk up to you and the 1st thing outta their mouth is.. "So where ya from?" Not Hello, How are you? Kiss my Butt..nuttin'.. they just wanna know where you're from. I just dont get it. My usual answer is Geometer.. cause thats the sim I live on. I'm online Aint I? I'm in SL Right? So, common sense tells me you wanna know where I am from IN HERE. But thats not what they mean. They wanna know where I'm from IRL.. which I dont keep a Big Secret, but its really not a conversation starter for me. It reminds me of my old chatroom days when all you saw was "a/s/l" splattered across the screen.
I mean IF you're lookin for someone that lives close to you then:
1. Turn off computer
2. Jump in the shower
3. Squirt on a lil smell good stuff
4. Go to your local Pick-Up joint
5. Possibly get lucky:P
I'm not saying that there aren't some in here that do desire to meet others with similiar interests for more that just an online relationship, but even so, I'd like to think MORE than a person's location would dictate how far 2 ppl would go.
The internet IS a wonderful place to broaden our horizons and reach out to touch people, but lets take time to do things a lil like the 'old fashioned' way.
Say Hello 1st:)
TY for listening to another rant..by
2 comments:
- Tweeze said...
I'm thinking the "So, where ya from?" opener comes from bars and dance clubs as a guy's tried and trusted icebreaker. Face it, if we comment on your appearance, we seem slightly superficial. If we comment on something you say, we come off as slightly judgmental, and risk being on the business end of a negative comment. The key to the approach is not giving a girl the chance to say "no".
So... that leaves questions about where you're from, your age, and your favorite color. Anything more cuts a little too personal for an opening line, and anything less makes us guys look like wallflowers.
My advice: answer that you're from a distant sim (or the next sim over), and wait to see what comes next.
- March 25, 2007 at 6:11 AM
- SLNatalia said...
Lol thats such a funny pix...
Its so true about guys wanting to know where you are from. I tried the sim thing. It doesnt work...you just know whats going to come next :P Now I tend to politely ignore/sidestep the question or excuse myself if Im working...
BTW, I think the question after where you live is "How old are you?" :P
- April 3, 2007 at 10:52 PM


text: Liam Payne has only been a dad to Bear (Grey?) Payne for a matter of weeks – but it seems fatherhood is already knackering. The former One Direction singer shared a filtered snap on Instagram (we're assuming it's a filter and that he hasn't actually aged 20 years), and he's looking pretty weathered. "This is what will happen if I don't quit this damn job soon," Liam joked. This is what will happen if I don't quit this damn job soon 😂 A post shared by Liam Payne (@liampayne) on May 16, 2017 at 4:25am PDT We're not sure what job he's referring to, but we'd hate to see the state of him if he had a tedious, exhausting, regular job like the rest of us. Anyway, Cheryl and Liam welcomed their baby boy on March 22 with Cheryl revealing that everyone was "madly in love and overwhelmingly happy with our little arrival". However, even Liam has admitted that he wasn't sure about calling his son Bear, explaining that he prefers less outlandish names. "I'm into more traditional names," Liam said. "The Mrs... she's more into more unique, original names that people will remember. "It was her choice. I wasn't going to fight her about it, she's the one who's done all the work, isn't she?" Liam is currently preparing to release his solo single 'Strip That Down' this week in a bid to catch up with his One Direction peers Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, all of whom have already released their first solo work. Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.


text:
Loading Map....
Date(s) - 07/24/2017 - 07/28/2017
7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Trail Blazer Survival School Office
Search + Rescue is a wilderness safety and first aid camp that introduces students to the importance of planning ahead when embarking on a new adventure. This is a hands on camp where students will practice first aid techniques, and learn about search and rescue, navigation, outdoor safety, fire safety, and water safety. This fun course will also include geocaching, ranger beads, and water fun.
Only 10 Spaces Available. Reserve Your Spot Today.
Drop Off Child 7-8am at Trail Blazer Office on South side of the Parkplace Building.


text:
To celebrate the festive season, we have some sparkling treats for you. And remember, if you've left your shopping a little bit late, we can do gift vouchers and email them straight to you!
Cowes Week individual places @ £245 per person
Fastnet individual places @ £2400 (+ £1500 donation to UKSA)
We can also do vouchers for our sailing school in Portsmouth, for a chosen amount or a specific course. Click here to find out more about our course offerings.
Call the Sunsail team on 02392 222 221 to book, or email email@example.com
Have a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you in 2017!
Sunsail Worldwide Sailing Ltd
Port Solent Marina, South Lockside
Port Solent
United Kingdom


text:
I Am Oak - On Claws -2010-
(Acoustic, Folk)
From: Utrecht, Netherlands
Website: http://www.myspace.com/iamoak
I am Oak is the creative output of Dutch singer-songwriter Thijs Kuijken. Warm and soothing songs with an acoustic guitar and vocal backbone, complimented with strategically placed layers of colorful vocal harmonies, banjo, bass, organ and minimalistic beats and samples, all carefully constructed in his room. Debut album On Claws is dark but melancholy resembling the sound that Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens have made huge over the past couple years. Favorite tracks so far are 'On Trees and Birds and Fire' and 'Don't I Know Enough'. You can check out all these beautiful tunes once again courtesy of the awesome BandCamp site. Click album art to purchase.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
I Am Oak - On Claws -2010-
Posted by Jbtman at 12:04 AM


text:
Every year I threaten to stop going to the Bull Sale because it's turned too commercial. But I always go. What can I say, I can't stay away.
I have been going to the Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale for over 25 years. I have slept in the horse stalls when I was too 'unstable' to make it back to the truck, I have challenged everyone in Palomino Room to a fight and my three friends and I personally closed down the Red Bluff Taxi service because of the destruction to their cabs. This is not something I am proud of mind you, it's just an example of the Mardi Gras in cowboy boots that is Bull Sale weekend. At least it used to be.
Last year my wife and I drove up on Friday night, met up our friends, walked through the vendor displays and then had dinner. We woke up early, watched the bulls sell and drove home. It was quite a civilized experience.
These days I go to talk to industry people, other local cattlemen and watch some of the horse clinics. About ten years ago I took one friend up there, we tore up the town that weekend. Now about half of western Yolo County is sitting at the bar at the Palomino Room on Friday night.
It is a great time, if you're young and looking to 'let er buck', or if you just enjoy cowboy culture and western art.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Red Bluff Bull and Gelding Sale 2009
2 comments:
- Alaska said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- Alaska said...
Use the Internet to find breeders that are near you. Go to an equine classified site there are too many to list: search under "english horses for sale" and then do a search on that site by state and breed.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Happy Occupational Therapy Month!!
Jennifer Miller over at a glimpse of our life asked me to write a guest post on Occupational Therapy. If you didn't know, that is the profession I gave up to became a homeschooling Mom. Head over and take a peek at Jennifer's blog. She is another homeschooling OT mom and check out her blog and get some OT tips for gardening:).
7 comments:
I just went over to Jennifer's blog and scrolled down to read your guest post! It was great! I loved what you said with all the OT tips and gardening and the photos you submitted were perfect! Congrats on being a guest blogger! You have such wonderful things to share and I'm glad a different blogging audience will be able to "meet" you through your guest post :) Clicked a vote for you!ReplyDelete
What sweet comments, thank you Tracy. I think I fixed the link so now it will take you straight there:) It was fun to do:)ReplyDelete
Great guest post Anna-Marie. You gave some very useful tips. I wonder if my mothers twisting to reach for things is hurting her lower back? I had never thought of that. Now to get her to stop it. lolReplyDelete
Have a great day. I voted and am now off to get some sleep. =)
I loved your post on OT for the garden. I have back problems; so I appreciate that list of things to do when gardening.ReplyDelete
Thanks, for the post! LeAnn
Thanks so much for sharing. I've had a lot of visitors linking there today from your blog. Be sure to check back at the comments-- they are telling you thanks for the tips!ReplyDelete
Hi Anna-Marie!ReplyDelete
Happy Thursday and stopping by to say "good morning" and voted for you! :)
PS: Yeah, no CAPTCHA code when I comment :)ReplyDelete


text:
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Welcome to the Sisters boutique blog
Located in the beautiful resort town of Mount Maunganui, Sisters is a luxurious and relaxed boutique where we encourage our guests to discover divine fashion. Home to some of the world's most premium labels, Sisters creates a shopping atmosphere that excites and inspires.
Posted by www.velaimages.com at 3:56 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
As much as I find it hard to admit it, I find this time of year a bit exhilarating. As the chill sets in, I begin to turn my attention to galvanising* a routine that will make things happen and happen with some semblance of order.
As the beach days blur into memory,
it begins: The sanding down of all the plans and schemes into a workable arrangement that allows for some head space in between fulfilling work and family responsibilities.
It starts hard and heavy.
It lurches and spits out possibilities.
It throws new expectations our way.
Certain habits start, others fall away.
I get flustered and overwhelmed and slowly(too slowly) acknowledge (once again) that I can't do it all.
A workable arrangement stops.
It starts.
It stops.
It starts a different way.
And so that is how the new school year, our joint enterprise, begins.
The workable arrangement will most definitely be sanded down along many different contours by the end of June.
*galvinise: startle into sudden activity


text:
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme [ABC Impulse! AS-77]
Label: ABC Impulse!
Catalog Number: AS-77
Country: US
Format: Vinyl (LP)
70's Reissue Green To Purple Labels Matrix Runout Etched Side A: AS-77-A Matrix Runout Etched Side B: AS-77-B
This is one of
101 Releases of A Love Supreme
Click small images above to see larger versions.
- A1) Part I - Acknowledgement
- A2) Part II - Resolution
- B) Part III - Pursuance / Part IV - Psalm
You might like the list: Best Jazz Albums of All Time


text:
The 'knights' had been recently performing some unholy experiments with the Master's bl00d. Not bl00d, but there are no mortal terms with which to compare it. They injected it into four of their followers, creating a devilish looking creature. One of them chewed off half of my hand before I was able to decapitate it. So tired. Lost an eye to another and then stabbed my cane through its heart. Nancy fared slightly better, fought the other two off and only lost a finger.
Getting too old for this. Only a little bit longer.
Faced down Scarlet and her elite guard then. If we could have finished them off it would have been over then. Then again, I suppose it would not have mattered either way. The 'Guardians' arrived then. Breakaway sect, or at least that is why the 'knights' claim they hate them. In reality, the 'Guardians' were around first; they infiltrated the 'knights' to steal information, and may also have been responsible for misleading them to get them massacred against Ridley's team. The 'Oracle' was swift and deadly, beheading Scarlet before she even knew what had hit her. Cannot continue. The rest of the guard were down quickly enough, leaving only Nancy and myself standing.
"I apologize, Iscariot. But I did have my eye on her first."
I was only barely able to block his first attack, but I was less fortunate with his second. Broke my leg. Then they left. Don't know what the point of it was. Could hear police sirens outside. Nancy had to drag me onto the Path. Was not...
It burned my lungs as I passed through it. Never before have I had that happen to me. I no longer feel within me the powers the I once possessed. I...
The 'knights' are no more. There are just a few more tasks left for me to do.
Nearly the end.


text:
LoCloud ConferenceFeb 05 2016
Sharing local cultural heritage online with LoCloud services
Amersfoort, Netherlands
Sharing local cultural heritage online with LoCloud services is a conference organised by the LoCloud project. It provides an opportunity to share, discuss and demonstrate tools, services and content in the context of Europeana.
The conference provides an opportunity to reflect on the results achieved by LoCloud and look to the future. During the conference we will show-case the LoCloud "My local heritage" competition and present awards to the winners.
Book your ticket on EventBrite (Event now over)


text:
- Clearance Delivery
Right off the bat we continued with FDIO, working on a batch of exercises that showed us how to create, amend, and remove flight plans, along with printing their strips and sending departure messages to other facilities. This was actually pretty cool. I'm kind of techie, so it was neat to learn how FP's are managed in the field. It was pretty easy once you learned the codes (which were easy on their own) and the fields.
The fields were in typical flight plan order.
- 01 is the command code (i.e. what you want to do to the flight plan). For instance, AM = Amend Flight Plan, SR = Strip Request (print strip), RS = Remove Flight Plan....
- 02 is the Aircraft ID (N12365, AAL745)
- 03 is the aircraft type (C172/A, B744/R)
- ...04 beacon code, 05 speed, 06 departure fix, 07 proposed departure time, etc...
... and BAM. Done. Easy.
This is an old-school FDIO machine:
After we finished the FDIO exercise, it was on to the wonderful world of ATIS (Automated Terminal Information Service). I've heard a million and one ATIS broadcasts during my time as a pilot, so it was (somewhat) interesting to hear how they're made. Overall, the lesson was pretty boring and involved a lot of discussion of antiquated equipment. I did find out some fun facts - for instance, while I had always thought that the ATIS is recorded every hour, it turns out it's recorded whenever there's a weather update or a NOTAM released.
Afterwards, we went down to the tabletop lab and messed around with the equipment there. In that system, there's no actual piece of ATIS gear - it's all a software simulation of the real thing. I tried my hand at it, but for some reason got a little tongue-tied, giving me the kick in the ass I need to work on my annunciation and vocal presence.
Then came Clearance Delivery. We're going to be spending 7 days in the tabletop labs, which is the only lab where we will have an actual C/D position open. The TSS and Tower3D labs have only Ground and Local control positions, so this is really the only place where we will be doing Clearance Delivery before heading to our facilities. You're not specifically graded on Clearance Delivery, but your performance directly impacts the Ground and Local Control positions since your stripmarking and clearance operation needs to be on the money. In short, you do not want to be the one slowing down the show.
As with the two other positions, you have to manage your strips well and have Academy-specific procedures to fulfill. For instance, when you deliver an aircraft's clearance, you have to put a checkmark in block 13 of the strip. And once the aircraft has taken off, you need to send a departure message to Academy Approach letting them know and put a checkmark in block 18 saying you've done so. Aside from that, there's a bunch of duties you need to be taking care of, such as entering/modifying flight plans and managing the ATIS.
After work, I hit the Walnut Gardens Happy Hour with a classmate (after studying for tomorrow's block test of course... :) ). Every Wednesday they throw down a free beer keg-fueled "Happy Hour" for the folks staying at FAA housing places. This time they had nachos instead of the usual pizza up in the back lounge area. The "cheesy meat dip" looked rather mysterious, but ended up being pretty good. Whatever - the price was right.
Today's Note: None... Sleep deprivation sucks. I'm turning in early tonight to catch up on the sleep I've been missing over the past few days. This 5:15am alarm is killing me...


text:
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton might find it hard to appeal to voters on energy policy in a general election after sliding to the Left to contend with Sen. Bernie Sanders, pollsters said Tuesday.
At the "Energy and the Election: Voters Opinion on Energy" forum Tuesday morning, the American Petroleum Institute released the results of a poll of 2,800 voters showing vast bipartisan agreement on energy policy. Among the findings were that 64 percent of Democrats and 85 percent of Republicans say they are more likely to support a candidate who supports producing more oil and natural gas.Read more on WashingtonExaminer.com


text:
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Remembering the Postives
So I could talk about loads of negative things that have happened over the last few days, mainly comments and school stuff but I'd rather share the positives....perhaps it will cheer us all up, or at least add a smile to someone's face today. Liam had gymnastics again this morning, he did fairly well, my "how sweet" moment came when the children where sitting in a line taking turns onto the trampoline and after their turn they where to select the next child to go. Well after the first little girl went, I figured it might be a while for Liam to be chosen. He does not yet sit still and wait patiently although I was singing "Monkey's Jumping on the Bed" and that soothed him enough to not have screaming occur or what looks like me wrestling a cat into a bath. But, much to my surprise the little angel picked him to be second! Then on the way out the gym door, a young man who had Down Syndrome was cleaning, he had saw us on the floor earlier and when we went by him, he stopped Liam and asked for a "high 5". Usually Liam takes a while to give one, its like he has to gear up to get his hands to coordinate the movement, but this time he did it quite quickly and "low 5's" where given as well. I said to say "bye bye friend" and we left to the door, I heard the young man exclaim as we got to them "Man I love my job". I thought that was super nice to hear, that's truly what everyone wants (especially mama's for their children!) and then for him to be happy because he gets to give little ones high 5's just warmed my heart. Oh a lighter note, Liam had only been taking showers for the last couple months. I don't know what ever happened where he did not really like baths anymore but as soon as the water would shut off he would immediately want out. As of last week, we are back to being okay playing and splashing in the tub, woo hoo, mom gets to shower by herself a little more often! Well tonight Liam and Ayiana where in the bath and I was checking on them in-and-out while doing dishes... Ayiana yelled to say Liam had pulled his ear plugs out so I went back in and she said "and they have some sort of yucky green on them" .... sigh, yep those green balls aren't play toys! I had needed to clean the bath anyhow so guess what, that got done today too haha! Liam pooped again when I got him out but it was a solid turd on the floor and he DID NOT play with it... there's a second WOO HOO, given past poop history, I consider that another positive for what otherwise would be considered a shitty day!


text:
Just Home Kyle Plaid Reversible Comforter Sets
Refresh your space with a timeless plaid comforter set from Just Home to enhance your bed in a snap. Perfect for dozing off into dreamland, this comfy set has a lot to offer and comes in multiple sizes. Clean, plaid lines in attractive neutral colors make this set a must-have for any bedroom.
- Sets include comforter, flat sheet, fitted sheet, pillowcases(s), sham(s) and décor pillow
- Machine wash cold separately
- Do not bleach
- Tumble dry low
- Material: 100% Polyester
Return Policy
If you wish to return your online order, please visit your order history to start the return process. If you have any issues, contact our Customer Care Support Center at 1-866-BIG-LOTS (244-5687) for assistance with making your return. Please be prepared to provide your order number and email address, or your rewards number, so that we may better assist you.
For return terms, see our full Returns Policy.
For return terms, see our full Returns Policy.
Already own this item? Share your thoughts, we value your opinion.
Be The First To Write A Review


text:
Peers were last night facing demands for an inquiry into their expenses after it emerged that members of the House of Lords with second homes in London were claiming tens of thousands of pounds a year in overnight allowances .
No proof is required to claim the subsistence allowance, worth up to £165.50 a night, which is designed to help peers who live in the country to attend late-night votes and debates in Parliament.
Peers who live full-time in London are not entitled to the perk, but those who have two homes and declare their country residence as their main home can claim, even if it is only used at weekends. They do not have to provide any evidence that their main residence is where they spend most of their time.
The furore over MPs' expenses triggered by Derek Conway, the Tory MP who employed his sons as researchers, has prompted an inquiry into Commons allowances. So far peers have escaped such scrutiny.
Among those who claimed last year was the Labour peer Baroness Billingham, who has a flat in Hampstead and a country house in Suffolk to which she normally returns on Thursday nights. Billingham claimed £26,983 in 2006-07, the last year for which figures are available, and said she had not been asked to provide any proof to support her claim. 'I think a lot of things are based on trust, to be absolutely honest with you,' she said.
Others with property in London who claim the expenses include the Labour peer and former senior trade unionist Lord Brett, who lists his address in Who's Who as a flat in the Dolphin Square complex near Westminster, but declares his main residence as his home in Cumbria. He claimed £27,887 last year.
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Pigs at the trough...again
Posted by barry monk at 09:11
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Points and $:
1 Hugo
-$400 rent (w/ Gail)
6 timeslots
2 Branden
-$600 rent
6 timeslots
2 Jessica
-$400 rent (w/ Neci)
criminology for Cody
sales pitch for Indy
movie script
3 timeslots
2 Everett
-$600 rent
6 timeslots
3 Trey
-$600 rent
6 timeslots
1 Mark
-$1000 rent
-$2000 two Scroungers
Inventor! rolls at -6, -10, -14, -22 for simple, average, complex, amazing workshop space designs
GURPS p 473
Needs 4×20+ skill assistants for +4
30x time gets a +5 to skill
Every attempt costs a full prototype set-up value. Failure lets Mark recoup $1000 x umodified success margin (i.e. what the margin would have been w/o any penalties). Success means he has his base shop, permitting 10% prototype facility costs on all future projects of that complexity.
6+2 timeslots2 Molly
-$600 rent
6+1 timeslots
2 Michael
-$600 rent
6 timeslots
+$5600 lab research roll?
6 timeslots
2 Cody
-$600 rent
-$9750 FoJ training expenses
2 assault
4 shooters
1 sniper
1 spotter
client list bonus +4 next time
5 targets (solid leads, good pay)
Rick fills in the group on his research findings. Sylos Consolidated owns a controlling interest in all the companies that process moss off-planet, including a buyout 7 years ago of the last major competitor, Baker Pharmaceutical.
The PCs escort Belinda Hoyt on an inspection of the blockade. They take over negotiations with one of the farmers (Unson) evading the blockade, and see that he's desperate to feed his people. They then convince Hoyt that the blockade is doing more harm than good. And they stop a mercenary hired by Baker Pharmaceutical from killing Unson and possibly triggering a factional civil war.
Hoyt says that Baker's been very supportive of the moss hunters' cause b/c they are resisting Sylos' control of the moss trade.
The PCs detect another drone, but Yancy loses it in the ground clutter.
The PCs go with Hoyt to confront Jan Tomiczec over his blockade running, but instead scare off a number of trucks at Tomiczec's river docks. The PCs intercept a barge convoy coming upriver. They partially bluff their way into the meeting with the barge captain and get the manifest. But he insists on seeing Tomiczec himself or one of his known aides, Winters or Owens.
The deal goes bust (with Jon and Gail taking cover), and the captain signals an ambush from the barge cargo holds (he was expecting a double-cross on the final shipment of smuggled weapons).
The Touchdown smugglers lay on a hail of fire, taking out one of Hoyt's two escort trucks with rocket fire.
From the forest, a second ambush opens up on the PCs' convoy as Tomiczec's men circle back around and attack.
Yancy cuts short most of the ambush, literally, as he puts Lazarus in position to hose down the lead barge with a curtain of fire, sawing the pilot house and the captain clean in half. They repeat the process with the surrounding forest and break up the second ambush.


text:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
To the sea
We woke up to cold temps yesterday and packed up our tents. We grabbed breakfast at a gas station and waited for the sun to warm things up a bit. Once the ride started I was quickly climbing a short hill, which got the blood pumping and warmed me up a bit. A big downhill made my body shiver as the winds chilled me to my core. Next was the last climb of the trip. It was not too steep or too long and Delaware and I rode together, side by side. The roads were great and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Spirits were high and we both randomly broke into laughter often throughout the day. If smiling could fuel spaceships, we would have made it to the moon. We stopped for really good tacos at lunch and we hit up two friends for a favor. Our buddies Matt and John, who live in hotels for work, were very generous and put us up in a really nice hotel in San Diego on marriot rewards points. With our bellies full and our sleeping situation covered we got back in the saddles. Most of the ride was downhill, but a headwind did slow us down. We got out of the mountains and rode through the hills for a bit. Eventually the streets flattened and the smell of salt water was in the air. A rough bike path led us to ocean beach park. We both stopped just short of the sand, to take it all in for a moment. I took off my cycling shoes and we walked our bikes into the pacific for a ceremonial dunking of the wheels and then ran into the sea. The water was cold, but the whole experience uber rewarding. The entire day was a bit surreal. Soon we were met by Sarah, a girl that we worked with in Yosemite many years ago. We threw our bikes in her car and she drove me to a pharmacy where I bought some footwear. The options were limited, the choices included aquasocks, faux leather slippers and huge or tiny flip flops. I went with the big flip flops and doritos. We met my buddy Xavier and his wife Michelle at the hotel. The hotel was super nice and we looked like homeless people, but once they realized we were the guests of such important customers, the velvet ropes parted, champagne fell from the heavens and we were quickly checked in. I put on my cleanest dirty shirt and we headed to dinner. A few margaritas and five years of catching up proved a great recipe for a good time.
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
|3"x2" itty bitty acrylic on canvas
Saturday was painting a "Bug" for Cookies and Canvas. I always have a great time with the kids and I have to believe that the parents and grandparents have a great time too!
Here is happy painter Faith with her painting and mom Merilee!
|Merilee and Faith at Cookies and Canvas


text:
To our knowledge, SelectAlts is the only firm in existence that focuses exclusively on managing absolute return ETF portfolios.
- We are different than most traditional investment firms that focus on long-only stock and bond investments. We avoid generic stock and bond investments and focus on ETFs that have strategies that are quite different than most stock and bond portfolios. Our goals are to 1) provide an attractive absolute return and 2) diversify stock and bond investments.
- We are different than most alternative investment firms (hedge funds and funds-of-funds) that charge high fees, have lock-up provisions and limited liquidity, are only open to qualified investors, and give out very little information about their investment positions. We have comparatively low fees, welcome all investors, and manage separate accounts giving clients complete liquidity, transparency, and control.
- We are different than most investment firms that manage ETF portfolios in that we focus exclusively on absolute return portfolios and hedge much of the inherent systematic risk in our portfolios, particularly stock market risk.
Like mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer investors a convenient way of owning a portfolio of securities, except that ETF shares are traded on stock exchanges. An exchange-traded fund ("ETF") combines the valuation feature of a mutual fund, which can be bought or sold at the end of each trading day for its net asset value (the market value of the securities portfolio), with the tradability feature of a closed-end fund, which trades throughout the trading day at prices that may be more or less than its net asset value. (Closed-end funds are not considered to be "ETFs", even though they are funds and are traded on an exchange.) Nearly all ETFs are index funds (only a few are actively managed), and their fees are typically quite low.
ETNs are like ETFs in many respects. Both typically provide returns based upon an index. Both trade on stock exchanges. Both tend to have low fees. However, unlike ETFs, exchange-traded notes (ETNs) are debt securities issued by an underwriting bank, and are backed by the credit of the issuing bank. And unlike ETFs, ETNs do not own the actual portfolio of securities in the index. Typically, ETNs are based upon indexes of securities that are illiquid and expensive to trade, are based upon strategies that have high turnover and/or high taxes (e.g., futures), or are tied to indexes in countries that restrict foreign ownership. If held longer than one year, any gains on sale may be considered long-term gains for tax purposes, giving ETNs an important potential tax advantage over ETFs.
Although in common parlance the term ETF is used to connote all exchange-traded products (ETPs), technically ETPs include four different legal structures:
- Exchange Traded Fund (ETF): Open-ended Registered Investment Company (RIC) or Unit Investment trust (UIT) that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and traded by investors on national securities exchanges.
- Exchange Traded Vehicle (ETV): Open-ended trust or partnership unit that is registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and traded by investors on a national securities exchange. Commodity and currency trusts are common.
- Exchange Traded Note (ETN): A senior unsecured debt obligation, of a public company issuer, designed to track the total return of an underlying index or other benchmark, minus investor fees. They are redeemable to the issuer.
- Certificate: A security with the characteristics of a complex debt instrument. They are issued by a public company issuer (usually banks) and have settlement terms on a given date that are known at the time of issue. They cannot be redeemed to the issuer.
(Source: NYSE Euronext website: https://exchanges.nyx.com/charles-baker/welcome-etp-landscape)
Although we invest mostly in ETFs, we also use the other types of ETPs. We do not invest directly in stocks. In our Multi-Strategy Portfolio, we only invest in long positions, but in our Global Macro Portfolio we invest in both long and short positions. Similarly, in our Multi-Strategy Portfolio we do not use any leverage, but in our Global Macro Portfolio we use leverage of up to 2.5 to 1.
After an extensive search, we chose to use Interactive Brokers* as the preferred custodian for our client accounts. Not only are they arguably the lowest cost custodian (they charge only $.005 per share for trades with no ticket charge, $7.50 per quarter for IRA accounts, and nothing at all for non-IRA accounts), they also offer excellent trading technology. They are extremely automated and this no doubt helps them to keep costs down. They have many sophisticated trading algorithms that help to ensure the best execution possible. We are willing and able to work with other custodians for larger institutional accounts. Over time we expect to establish accounts at many different custodians but at present we are focusing on Interactive Brokers.
[*Interactive Brokers LLC is not affiliated with and does not endorse or recommend Select Alternative Investments. Interactive Brokers provides execution and clearing services to customers of Select Alternative Investments. For more information regarding Interactive Brokers LLC and current fee schedules, please visit www.interactivebrokers.com.]
Interactive Brokers* (IB) may be the largest broker you've never heard of. They are publicly traded firm (ticker: IBKR) with substantial consolidated equity capital. The public owns only 11.5% of the brokerage firm and the employees own the remaining 88.5%, which means that they participate in the downside as well as the upside. Consequently, they run the business very conservatively. Unlike most investment banks, they own no material positions in derivatives, CDOs, MBS, or CDS. They have reported solidly positive earnings for the past 20 years, including 2008.
Customer money is segregated in special bank or custody accounts. Their real-time (that's right, not overnight—real time) margining system marks all positions to market continuously, and all customer orders are credit vetted before being executed to ensure adequate margin. Currently, customer securities accounts at Interactive Brokers are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation ("SIPC") for a maximum coverage of $500,000 (with a cash sublimit of $250,000) and under Interactive Brokers' excess SIPC policy with certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London for up to an additional $30 million (with a cash sublimit of $900,000) subject to an aggregate limit of $150 million. Futures, and options on futures are not covered. As with all securities firms, this coverage provides protection against failure of a broker-dealer, not against loss of market value of securities.
[*Interactive Brokers LLC is not affiliated with and does not endorse or recommend Select Alternative Investments. Interactive Brokers provides execution and clearing services to customers of Select Alternative Investments. For more information regarding Interactive Brokers LLC and current fee schedules, please visit www.interactivebrokers.com.]
Our investors own and have complete control over their accounts. SelectAlts is merely given trading authority, which can be revoked by the client at any time. To get started, we e-mail our clients a link to Interactive Brokers' website which will guide them through the process of opening an account. The application process is entirely automated and takes about 30 minutes to complete. We encourage clients to fund their accounts by wire transfer if possible since mailing a check may involve a substantial delay before IB receives the collected funds.
As is the case for most fund of funds-type structures, our clients pay two layers of fees—one for the underlying funds and another to us for our active management of the portfolio of funds. We recognize that costs matter and we seek to provide a high degree of performance value-added at a reasonable cost compared to the usual methods of investing in alternatives. ETFs are a low-cost means of obtaining exposure to a wide variety of investment strategies. The average expense ratio of funds in our universe is about 0.60%, with most funds falling in the range of 0.40% to 0.90%.
In our Global Macro Portfolio, short positions roughly equal long positions, so the expenses paid out on long positions are roughly offset by the depreciation in value on short positions due to expenses. On the other hand, borrowing a stock to sell it short incurs a stock loan fee. Also, to the extent that margin is used, margin balances are subject to an interest charge. Our research indicates that Interactive Brokers' margin rates and borrow costs are very competitive.
Trading and custody expenses at Interactive Brokers* are extremely low. Commissions on trades are only $.005 per share. (That's right—half a penny.) They charge only $7.50 per quarter for IRA accounts and no fee at all for non-IRA accounts.
SelectAlts' absolute return strategies are designed to compete with absolute return-style hedge funds, which typically charge an asset-based fee of 2% and a performance-based fee of 20% of profits. Our intention in fixing our fees is to be less expensive than the typical hedge fund or fund-of-funds. Please see our Fee Schedule for complete details.
[*For more information regarding Interactive Brokers LLC and current fee schedules, please visit www.interactivebrokers.com.]