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Last night back to the SOH to hear the SSO.
The program had the catchy title on my ticket of "Romantic Pictures." "Pictures" came from the Ravel-Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition which made up the second half. "Romantic" was a fair characterisation of the first half, which was Ingrid Fliter playing the Schumann Piano Concerto, preceded by Liszt: Tasso, Lament and Triumph.
Silly me, when I looked that up quickly before going to the concert I got it into my head that we were going to hear three short works by Liszt. In fact Tasso is one of the earliest of Liszt's symphonic poems. It is something of a rarety: in my lifetime the SSO had previously played it only once, at a Prom concert conducted by John Hopkins, in 1973. On that statistic, I expect to be dead or confined to the palliative care facility when it next comes up.
Coming to the work cold, I was struck by how much of Liszt's pianistic style came through in the orchestra work: I fancied I recognized an orchestral version of one particular trick he has, which is to set up a pedallistic blur from which a new theme emerges after the change of pedal, In Tasso I heard something like this effected by a kind of baton-change between different sections of the orchestra. Some of the orchestral colours, especially in the opening section, seemed almost proto-Wagnerian. There is some suggestion that this aspect of the "new music" owed much to Liszt's associates, one of whom, Raff, asserted a claim to attribution for this aspect of Liszt's symphonic poems as a collaborator rather than a mere assistant. That's an old, old story, isn't it?
I enjoyed the Lament more than the Triumph. Maybe that's my disposition, but in addition, as things got jollier they felt more like the sort of music that Liszt could and did write by the yard. Still, I resolved to seek out and rehear the work before the end comes.
The Schumann concerto suffers from no such obscurity. It is one of my favourite piano concerti and I have even played it – I make no claims for that performance. Everyone else seemed to enjoy Ingrid Fliter's performance a lot more than I did, which probably means I allowed my own preconceptions to get in the way of appreciating her approach. (I also wondered about the state of the piano.) Of course I still enjoyed it, and not simply because it is a great work. My favourite bits remain the famous hemiola in the second theme of last movement (PS kept counting in 2) and the other bit where it seems to skip a beat but which in fact is also another, in this case cadential, hemiola.
The Liszt draws on Goethe and Byron for the myth of Tasso, and takes its musical inspiration from a song said by Liszt to have been sung to him to a text from the first two lines of Tasso's Gerusalem Liberata by a Venetian gondolier. This had first found a place in Liszt's oeuvre as part of Venezia et Napoli. Those are reasonable "Romantic" credentials.
Schumann's Romantic genealogy is different. It is a genealogy which seems to be underappreciated these days, in English speaking countries perhaps because its literary co-ordinates are less well-known to us. The concerto, written for Clara, has a certain small "r" romantic aspect of its own, which mingles with its big "R" poeticism. Ironically, the concerto is probably these days overshadowed by Grieg's later A minor essay in the same form which Schumann's obviously inspired.
The SSO has for some time been including details of Australian performance history in its program notes. Possibly with the assistance of NLA Trove, they have now cast their net back further. So not only did we learn that the Liszt was first performed in Sydney in 1883 in Liszt's own two-piano version by Paulo Giorza and one of his students, but also that the first movement of the Schumann was first performed in Australia in Sydney in 1885 by Alice Charbonnet-Kellerman and an orchestra conducted by Leon Caron. Possibly the source for that is this advertisement (scroll down to about page 3). I'm surprised it was so late or that there isn't an earlier performance in Melbourne that hasn't been tracked down. Surely at least H H Richardson might have managed a two-piano version to take Laura Tweedle Rambotham's constant playing of Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (in the film version at least of The Getting of Wisdom) to a higher and more consummated level?
The second half was Pictures. It was a cracking (or do I mean crackling?) performance. Paul Goodchild, the associate principal trumpet, had a very good night – there was only one bit (the poor Jew – a section in questionable taste in the tradition of Fagin, Shylock, Beckmesser and Mime) where I thought he could have been a little quieter, and that could have been conductor Pinchas Steinberg's decision rather than Mr Goodchild's. It's not simply because I believe PG to be a fellow-resident of Dulwich Hill that I wonder whether the time has come for an appointment of joint principal trumpets, especially considering the substantial share of the heavy-lifting duties that he takes on.
This was a very popular program. Both the Schumannn and the Mussorgsky are crowd-pleasers. I was surprised or, rather, disappointed to see that so little effort had apparently been made to sell tickets in the choir and organ galleries, which were only sparsely populated.


text: I recently coded a fairly succesful GPT site and got pushed out of it by my 'partner'. Totally my fault for not covering myself, but I plan on relaunching it with a new marketing partner. Since I've been on the wrong end of the stick on this before, I want to make sure everything goes right this time. My largest concern is how to do the agreement or contract with a partner in such a way that if one of the partners decides to slack off or something, they aren't just being carried by the other. Another concern is that I've put a LOT of time into the code of this site, and I would hate to be unprotected and have a partner sell the code or something afterward. I really have no idea how to implement this. I found one agreement for a more brick and mortar setting here: Code: http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/managing-your-business/sample-partnership-agreement.html Although the separation involves dissolving the company, which I would hate to do just because it turns out my partner decided to be an ass-hat. There's also nothing mentioned for the resell of or rights to the code after the dissolve. I'm just spit-balling here, looking for any sort of pre-written agreements or general advice on doing a JV like this that the fine folks here may have. Also, I don't want the thread to go on the wrong track here, everything above is my main focus but I would like any sort of tax advice for micro-transaction income and micro-payout sites like this, if anyone has experience in keeping records or anything for that.

subset: commoncrawl


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Nestle uses the Nesquick mascot "Bunny" on the packaging of all its Nesquick products. With so many similar products on the market shelves, consumers sometimes get confused. Many consumers may forget who manufactures Nesquick but will remember to ask a sales person "Do you have that chocolate drink with the bunny on it?" "Oh says the store clerk, do you mean Nestle Nesquick? That would be Aisle 3".
Friday, May 2, 2008
1 comment:
- L Wilder said...
Brand Recognition is important to Nestle - it also means more profit.
- May 2, 2008 at 12:06 PM
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Would you like a pink ping pong tomato plant? One of the things I love about heirloom tomatoes is their names. Another great one, "Banana Legs". I want these why?...because of their names alone!
Beef has alot to do with naming tomatoes even though tomatoes still are vegetables when I last checked:
Park's Beefy Boy
Park's Whopper
Then there is the plum connection:
Black Plum
Beaverlodge Plum
Lemon Plum
The empty sections-- already sold out heirloom tomatoes:
Great White
It's amusing shopping for tomatoes. Most people were very serious bent over looking at the plants and names and I was laughing outloud. Who could think it would be so fun buying tomatoes?


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Time is a major constraint, and these two albums should have been mentioned already. So here I go, making up for lost time.
The View: "Which Bitch?"
The View's "Which Bitch?" is no sophomore slump. The title refers to "Which bitch am I singing about in this song?" Released in the UK on 2 February 2009 (17 February 2009 in the USA), "Which Bitch?" is free of any standard formula; each song starts from a nebulous space in consciousness and takes its own form. This gives each song its own freshness and unpredictability. The album draws influence from various different genres, including indie pop and ska. One really unexpected song was "One Off Pretender," which includes rapping elements. Orchestrated strings are infused into "Unexpected" and "Distant Doubloon." (Lyrically this song cracks me up: "There will never be colour in the sea, if you don't have eyes to see. So please don't dwell upon your wooden leg, your limp is boring me.") Paolo Nutini has a guest appearance on the song "Covers," which was an amazing surprise. The album ends much as it begins: on a mellower, indie pop note. There is no attempt to sandwich the music between two grandiose songs; instead, each song is strong on its own merits, making this a great collection of songs.
Check out the band on their homepage and YouTube Channel. Here is an acoustic performance of their first single off of the album, "5 Rebeccas":
Track Listing - "Which Bitch?"
1. Typical Time 2
2. 5 Rebeccas
3. One Off Pretender
4. Unexpected
5. Temptation Dice
6. Glass Smash
7. Distant Doubloon
8. Jimmy's Crazy Conpsiracy
9. Cover - ft. Paolo Nutini
10. Double Yellow Lines
11. Shock Horror
12. Realisation
13. Give Back the Sun
14. Gem of a Bird
Thursday: "Common Existence"
I first saw Thursday live at the Curiosa Festival in 2004 at Randall's Island. I like my share of hardcore and post-hardcore bands, but have usually found it difficult to sit through hours of listening to these bands live. Not Thursday, I was immediately entranced as they were playing. Post-hardcore referes to a range of bands that were influenced by hardcore (punk and metal) musicians, but who are concerned with expanding their genre beyond the normal conventions, incorporating elements of music from other genres. Thursday has this down to a artform!
"Common Existence" was released on 17 February 2009 and is Thursday's fifth album. They are not as glossy as nu-metal bands, nor are they stripped down like traditional hardcore bands; instead they strike the perfect balance again and again. This ablum sounds urgent, from the opening track, "Resusitation of a Dead Man," the album hits you with its power. "Time's Arrow" stands out as the sole acoustic song, with beautiful keyboard arrangments. The album closes with "You Were the Cancer," which demonstrates the fact that Thursday has pop-sensibility. This song is an epic adventure through a thick soundscape that reminds me of the harder post-punk music of the early 80s.
I have always felt that Thursday represents what is sorely lacking in the hardest spectrums of rock: a band that defies to be pinned down and labelled by their genre. This is a band that has attracted a wide range of individuals as an audience, while continuing to experiment with their sound. "Common Existence" is no exception. Receiving greater critical and fan reception then their last effort, "A City by the Light Divided" (2006), this ablum will definitely revive your faith in hardcore music.
Check out Thursday at their homepage and MySpace. You can check out their video for "Resuscitation of a Dead Man" on MySpace video.
Track Listing - "Common Existence"
1. Resuscitation of a Dead Man
2. Last Call
3. As He Climbed the Dark Mountain
4. Friends in the Armed Forces
5. Beyond the Visible Spectrum
6. Time's Arrow
7. Unintended Long Term Effects
8. Circuits of Fever
9. Subway Funeral
10. Love Has Led Us Astray
11. You Were the Cancer


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Wellness Center «Ugorskaya Dolina» — is your reliable partner in the work on your own perfection. Four-storeyed Wellness Center complex, equipped with the latest technology, is located in an ecologically clean pine forest area. Original interiors and professional service will surprise even the most discerning and sophisticated clients.
The spacious gym is equipped with Italian power equipment TechnoGym. A large number of different machines creates a workspace for a large number of visitors, without queues. Multifunctional pool with size of 210 square meters, with depth of 1.5 to 3 meters, is equipped with waterfalls and whirlpool. There is a separate bath with thermal mineral water.
Territory near the mineral outdoor pool is equipped with sun loungers, tables, bar. BBQ area provides an opportunity to cook with friendly company. Device «Mosquito killer» will take care of comfortable rest without insect bites. Cedar forest, spread out on the territory of the bath complex, adds a special feeling. Here you will feel all the charm of staying in the lap of nature, in a comfortable environment.
«Russian bath». Bath is good both in winter and in summer. We invite fans of steam and bath whisk to relax in the bath, built according to the rules of Russian folk construction, with wood burning stove, cool balcony, bath, spacious steam room, BBQ area and outdoor pools.
Group programs studio.. For those who prefer individual group training, wellness center offers a large variety of programs.
Pearl of the Wellness Center – Spa senter — offers guests and residents a unique set of services based on natural ingredients and Siberian thermal water for rehabilitation and improvement of the body.
Sanitary days in 2014
|Wellness Center
|Bath patio
|September' 1
|September' 8-19. Renovation
|October' 6
|October' 7
|November' 10
|November' 11
|December' 8
|December' 9


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Kyles of Oregon and elsewhere
Fellow Kyle researchers, and in particular those researching Oregon Kyles (some were related to PA/OH/KY Kyles). Yesterday I found a fabulous vintage friendship quilt at an antique store. One square has "Alpine Oregon 1910" embroidered on it. I did a net search, and found that Alpine is in Benton County, Oregon, somewhere in the Corvallis/Alsea area. In case you do not know what a friendship quilt is, it is one which is comprised of quilt blocks constructed individually by separate people, and then put together for a quilt top for someone. In most cases they embroider their own names on their contributory piece,etc. This quilt has seen it's day, but then, what wouldn't after about a hundred years. It has some thread bare pieces, but only one of those is one with a name embroidered on it, and the embroidery is still quite evident - it outlived the fabric it was embroidered on. Although pretty worn, it is still beautiful, and each piece (it's a crazy quilt, not square blocks)has been feather stitched around it with pearl cotton or small gauge crochet cotton. It has a number of Kyle names, as well as many others. Kyles listed are: Angie Kyle; A.R. Kyle; R. Kyle; R.A. Kyle, and one simply "Mrs. Kyle". There are many Bailey names: Glady; Kenny; Edith; Helen; Alice; Margie; and Charley. Various other names: Eula Carey; Jessie Roper; Mrs. Wm Small; Carrie Starr; Clyde Starr; H.C. Weiss; W.C. Graves;I.L. Graves; Lucy Seay; Jessie Seay; Ian, Price and Rosa Hawley; Mary (or May) Hawley; Ralph Hawley; Rosa Hawley; Greta and Crystal Hawley; Helen Rowland; J.J. Howser; A.H. Mercer; Roy Mercer; Eva Mercer; Geneva McCallum;Linetta or Lunetta McCallum;P.V. Hammer;G.M. Belknap; H.C. Belknap; E.R. Hill; Willie Hill; Lillie Hill, and maybe a few I have missed. It cost so much I had to arrange payments on it, so I can't check for anymore names until I get it out. In the meantime, I wrote down as many names as I could on the back of a coupon, a couple of post-its, and my JoAnn's Fabric coupon. I can't cut it up and give each one a piece, but I would love to share a photo of it and any other information I find out in the meantime with any interested parties for your family history files. Please let me know if you have any information on these families. My Kyles immigrated from Iowa to Douglas County, Oregon in the early 1940's. My grandmother (Frances Fleming nee Kyle, dau David Chalmers Kyle and Joanna Kyle, nee Kyle (3rd cousins so her name didn't change) was a Kyle from Washington, Iowa, and Greene County, Ohio, and I know from my great grandmother's obituary that she had a surviving brother who lived in Union County, Oregon, and long ago we had cousins (Bill and Ila Kyle of Salem/Albany area in Oregon, had a son Larry). Whether there are any descendants left in those areas, I do not know, but when I get the quilt out, I will post a photo of it on this site if they will allow me to.


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Published: 2002/06/18
More Bands Added to moe.down
Additional Bands have been confirmed for the 3rd annual moe.down, which will take place August 30 – September 1 in Turin, NY. The festival will feature six sets of moe. as well as performances by Medeski, Martin and Wood, Galactic, The Derek Trucks Band, Robert Randolph,Gordon Stone Trio, RAQ, Seth Yaconone Band, Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets. More bands will be announced in the coming weeks. For complete details, visit the band's online home.
moe. plays a 3-hour late-night set Saturday at Bonnaroo.


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12 February 1590 – Death of Blanche Parry
Posted By claire on February 12, 2012
On this day in history, 12th February 1590, Elizabeth I's former childhood nurse and chief gentlewoman of the privy chamber, Blanche Parry, died. She was in her early 80s.
Blanche was buried in St Margaret's Church Westminster, with funeral rites which were usually reserved for a baroness. She has a monument in St Margaret's and also one in Bacton Church, her home village in Herefordshire, which bears an inscription of twenty-eight lines of verse recording Blanche's service to her beloved Queen. This can be read in full at http://www.blancheparry.com/epitaph.shtml.
You can read more about Blanche in Sarah Rochel's article "Mistress Blanche".
Also on this day in history
More from my site
One Response to "12 February 1590 – Death of Blanche Parry"
She lived to a good age for those times, probably because she never married 🙂
She really did serve her Queen well, and Elizabeth must have loved her dearly, and missed her greatly.
This lady was of an age of Elizabeths mother, give or take, and if she was at court at the time of her birth, she must have had some knowledge of what was happening at these times, and maybe knew Anne herself. I wonder if when they were alone together if Elizabeth asked about her mother.. I like to think she did.
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I was partying with the leaves at playtime….
That table is Richard.. Richard? Yeah. Like hard. Do you mean rigid? Yes
I won. I won. I'm so proud of myself!
It's an emergency. You need a phone. What could you do?
Buy one in a shop or you could make one.
There's a fire in your house. What could have started it?
A bomb or a grenade.
How could we use from in a sentence?
I can see a from.
Can you see a from? Is from a thing?
No you can't see it because it is very very small, like the dirt in the carpet!
Can I have a blue stick too?
(Glue stick)


text: WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The Labor Department definitively cancelled the jobs report, saying the scheduled September jobs report won't be issued as scheduled on Friday due to a lapse in funding. No alternative release data has been scheduled. The nonfarm payrolls report is the economic report that has by far the biggest impact on financial markets, many studies have shown.


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Deals on products Krystle Smith likes
My Lists
My Likes
Fuchsia V-back flared dress
Fuchsia sleeveless flared dress with V-back shaped detail. Length 88 cm 97% Cotton,3% Elastane. Machine washable. PLEASE NOTE THIS ITEM IS PART OF OUR CONCESSION BRAND COLLECTIONS AND IS ONLY RETURNABLE TO OUR WEBSITE. STORES WILL BE UNABLE TO REFUND THIS ITEM FOR YOU.
Dorothy Perkins
$31.19 $29.24
Bebe For Women 3.4 oz EDP Spray By Bebe
BEBE perfume for women was launched by the designer house of BEBE in 2009. This scent possesses a blend of rose musk golden cedar mango sweet pea tuberose sandalwood and black jasmine.
Blackheart Party Action Nail Polish
Invite your fingers and toes to the exclusive party that is this multi color glitter nail polish - they'll have a blast. Cruelty free/non-animal tested.
Hot Topic


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I researched and planned and worked on the trip for months, even checking back at Christmas to make sure her husband was on board. (I have four kids, she has three- so that is a bunch of kids to leave behind.) I found us an awesome hotel right in Times Square, and made my plans to pick her up.
So here is how it went down:
I left right after Bible Study last Thursday, ran by the grocery store and picked up a miniature birthday cake, and 39 candles (and some matches! Score 10 points for remembering that tid-bit!!!), and hit the road. It takes about 3 1/2 hours to get to her house in Maryland.
I parked down the street and put all the candles in the cake, grabbed the matches, and ran up along side her house (in heels!) crouched down under the side of the house and lit the candles (that took forever!), then ran up and rang the doorbell. She came around the corner and said, "What are you doin' here!!??" (She is from Mississippi, so picture this in a loud Southern drawl.) And I told her, "QUICK! Blow the candles out, before the fire department shows up!" :)
|She was at the computer paying bills, including paying off the credit card.
How appropriate was THAT?!
I gave her a card that said, "We are heading out early in the morning for your birthday surprise. Hint: Pack gloves." And I helped her pack up what she needed. The funniest thing about that night was Tammy saying (repeatedly), "Is it time to go to bed, yet?"
So we got up around 5, showered, loaded the car and hit the road. We made excellent time, and checked the car into the valet at exactly 12 noon (PERFECT!) And checked into the fabulous Crown Plaza Times Square, where our awesome Priority Club girl upgraded our room from a Hudson River View to a Times Square view! Here is our room:
After spending a few hours there, we headed back up to Times Square and walked over to Serendipity. I tried to get us a reservation a couple of weeks before we went, but they were all booked, and I was told the wait time would be about 1 hour, but we walked right in, and were seated within 10 minutes!
We got up Saturday morning and went down to the gym. Tammy is a fitness instructor, so it was like having my own personal trainer for a minute. :) Then ate breakfast and headed out. We walked over to the TKTS booth in Times Square and got in line to see what tickets were left for that day. We decided to see Phantom of the Opera, and it was wonderful! It is in The Majestic, which is a beautiful theater. After watching all that singing, we were starving, so we walked over to Carnegie Deli to eat dinner.
Magnolia Bakery to pick up a sweet, and some cream for our coffee, and crashed in our hotel room, talking and watching the Broadway Show Preview channel until we fell asleep. (I wish that channel was here in VB!)
Sunday morning, we got up and did a short work-out, then walked in the rain to the Lego store to pick up some presents for our little guys, then checked-out and got the car and drove over to the Flatiron District. I have been to NYC multiple times, and still not seen in person, so I was very excited!
We walked over to 15th Anthropologie, and browsed around, then got in the car and drove over to the Brooklyn Bridge, and hit the road. By the time we got on the interstate, it was pouring buckets. So the drive home was stressful, but the trip was so worth it. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with just me and Tammy, especially knowing that I have an impending move.
Here are some pretty pictures I took around the city:
Top left: Random girl hailing a cab, she was so cute, I had to do it.
Top right: Lighted Rose Sculpture, Park Ave, click here for info.
Bottom left: Times Square at dusk.
Bottom right: Rockefeller Center at night.
(Oh. MY. Goodness. This post took me so long to write, please leave me a comment and tell me I didn't write too much!!! LOL!)


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Ok well i have been busy this am baking and making some sweet treats for yall!!
Pistachio bread, a one pound loaf of my locally famous (lol) sweet and moist pistchio bread, it is glazed with an almond glaze and topped with chopped pistachios. $4.99 plus shipping by zip code. **THIS IS A RECIPE FROM TASTE OF HOME THAT I MADE MY OWN!!
Another great seller at shows and our market are our gourmet dipped pretzel rods, I start out making a homemade carmel dip then dip them in milk chocolate then roll in asst toppings.
Available right now i have them topped with chopped oreo cookies, asst chopped peanuts, crushed toffee bits or crushed butterfinger bar. THEY are so yummy!! I sell these for $1.50 each plus shipping expenses and individually pkged and tagged. USA shipping only sorry!!
Now we are still under this winter storm and it is very cold only 22 this am!!Winter wonderland MI~~ BRRRRRRRRRRR too bad all this snow is the light fluffy kind or we would be out making snowmen!! LOL well too cold for that stuff but sure would fun. I took my dig cam yesterday to my little show i was in and forgot to replace the batteries so NO pics!! dang i was mad but didnt really have anything other than the pics from my open house show. Hope yall have a blessed day and stay warm!!!!!!! *** LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW***


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A new car service website that provides used cars and new cars, also it provides the service of displaying your car for sale through their website. The best thing I like about the website is that they give car agencies to display their cars into the website.
Best of luck to you Q8 Auto 😀


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Did you see the car wreck of a ceremony last night in the East Bay? The Golden State Warriors, one of the worst professional franchises in our nation, were retiring the #17 worn by Chris Mullin. The catch? When team co-owner Joe Lacob took the floor to address the crowd, he was booed. Remember, this team has been to the playoffs once since 1994. They've had 2 winning seasons. This is the NBA. Seems like everyone gets their shot. Lacob and Peter Guber have only owned the team since 2010, but just traded lone star Monta Ellis to the Bucks. They can't take all the blame but it sure doesn't look like this ridiculous franchise is heading north any time soon.
Well it appears the Dolphins have certainly settled their quarterback issues. They signed David Garrard. Not quite Peyton Manning or Alex Smith and maybe not even Matt Flynn. Garrard is now 34 and likely battles former Beav Matt Moore for the starting gig. I don't sense a serious boot shaking in New England, New York or even Buffalo. I'm also unable to confirm a serious longing for the Jay Fiedler days in South Florida.
Ducks at Dawgs tonight for a trip to Madison Square Garden and the NIT Final 4. Let's not even mention this in the same breath as making the Big Dance, but the heart & fire displayed by these guys, coaches included, since the disappointment of losing in round one of the conference tourney has been admirable. Getting this national acclaim with a victory and the ESPN coverage would be a pretty sweet consolation prize. I checked my betting site and Washington is a 5 point favorite with a pretty high over/under at 155. We'll have the pre-game at 5:30 with a 6 o'clock tip right here on 95.3 The Score.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
NOT TOLERATING FAILURE by ST
Posted by Steve Tannen at 11:09 AM
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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Belphegor is a Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain. Taking part in the Siege of Vraks, he helped lead the hunt for the Alpha Legion Warlord Arkos the Faithless. Meeting the Alpha Legion Warlord's warband, The Faithless in battle, Belphegor saved the life of Supreme Grand Master Azrael by intervening before Arkos could strike the Chapter Master down. Later towards the end of the siege, Arkos was cornered and managed to strike down Master Yafrir. Belphegor then engaged the traitor astartes in combat, sending Arkos reeling with a single blow from his Crozius Arcanum and allowing him to be captured.[1]


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Celebrities including X Factor finalists Sam Callahan and Nicholas McDonald, TV presenter Laura Whitmore and Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch have shared their advice to children with Parentdish.
Speaking to us on the red carpet at Free The Children's We Day UK, a host of famous faces shared their one piece of advice for young people.
Evanna, who played Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, said that the most important thing for children was to 'surround yourself with people you love and positive people' which she says will help children deal with obstacles they face on the way to achieving their dreams.
X Factor finalists Sam Callahan and Nicholas McDonald stopped to reflect on their own recent journey to fame. Sam advised kids to 'never give up', but reminded them that 'when you get something back, you have to give something back'.
Take a look at the video above to hear more.


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Congratulations to all the winners and finalists from yesterday's PR News CSR awards. For readers of this blog, Frank Mantero, Director of Corporate Citizenship Programs at GE and a guest blogger for CSRPerspective last year, won Executive of the Year – Public Relations. Congratulations Frank!
I was honored to give the keynote at the event yesterday. The main theme of my address was that to gain trust, we have to establish authenticity. Authenticity will be established by the consistent application of our values. So we have to take the values declared in our corporate responsibility and in particular in our community investment activities and apply them in our core business. (I will be posting a video of the keynote shortly.)
A few people approached me with comments and in addition I facilitated a discussion immediately after the event to discuss the points I had raised. Chatham House rules applied.
I was interested in the focus of the comments;
No one challenged my main theme but neither did they jump forward to reinforce it. When asked specifically, there seemed to be support, but I had anticipated stronger reactions either for or against. I had thought some would tell me I was an idealist – no one has yet!
Commentators were more taken with my:
- use of movies to illustrate public perception of corporations;
- criticism of the terminology of 'giving back' as implying we are somehow taking away. A number of people approached me to express support for my raising that issue. I wrote about this last year too; and
- pitch for social media as a tool to bridge the gap between individuals in the company and external stakeholders.
Social media attracted more attention than anything else. I received a lot of support (from users of social media of course). But there was also significant and well founded skepticism about whether a corporate blog can be truly authentic (I think the obligation is on bloggers to demonstrate that this is possible). Also a comment that I do sometimes worry about myself, suggesting there is a self sustaining community of bloggers and tweeters all conversing voraciously with each other and then, there is everyone else.


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When we heard the news about the slain majestic lion our hearts sank along with everyone else's on Earth. Well, at least everyone who has a heart. Turns out there's a group of subhumans (my new favorite term coined I believe by Anonymous) who, like famed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, enjoy murdering living beings en masse and hoarding their body parts in order to relive their vile acts again and again. Dahmer kept his in the fridge and Palmer keeps his in an old schoolhouse on his property we are told. They are both mass murderers who enjoy stalking, wounding and finally snuffing the life out of their defenseless victims. The species they choose is different but the underlying psychopathology is identical. The sickness that drives them to do these horrendous acts is most likely based in a sociopathic need to dominate another, to feel superior, to play God or rather Satan.
Trophy hunters do not hunt to eat or ward off a dangerous predator threatening their village and children. They do it for 'sport' apparently. I'm a normal girl from Denmark and although I don't know the Bulls from the 49'ers my understanding of what constitutes a 'sport' certainly does not ever involve one party not knowing it's a 'game' and invariably ending up dead. They like to use words like 'I didn't know the lion I took was a famous one'. Really? How about we call 'a thing a thing' like Iyanla Vansant likes to say. MURDERED. Yep. Let's call it what it is shall we? Also, that statement implies that had Cecil not been a famous lion it would have been ok. I think not.
Walter Dahmer, I mean Palmer, is famous now. Famous for all the wrong reasons (and I don't mean the horrid white veneers, the severely botoxed forehead or grotesquely plump cheeks that telegraph a Juvaderm addiction…. hell…I live in LA and it's even overdone by our standards.. just sayin'). He's swiftly surpassed even the chubby North Korean man-child with the questionable haircut as the worlds most hated person. He's come to personify what constitutes as a heartless, selfish, greedy (need I go on?) asshole or as comedian Eddie Izzard would say 'a mass murdering fuckhead' (a personal favorite).
Most of the world agrees with the above statement but alas there are those who claim that we are 'just bemoaning ONE lion' and really 'we should just get over it'. The thing they don't seem to understand is that Ceclil was not 'just one lion'. He's one of thousands murdered every year by these fucktards who pay big money to do so. And what Dr. Evil did to him was the straw that broke the camels back. It was the action that jolted a whole world awake with the profound question: 'is this who we are as humans'? Is this the direction we want to continue to go on this Planet? Are we ready to face our kids and grandkids when they grow up and ask why there are no lions, tigers, rhinos or elephants left in the wild? What will we tell them? We were too busy watching sports, taking selfies and being transfixed by the size of Kim K's ass? Personally I would rather jump off a cliff at low tide than seeing another picture of her derriere, but I digress.
Thankfully a large number of us stood up and said: NO MORE'! We won't sit by and watch this. We want action! We want justice! We want to change the tide and move into a new era where humans are the caretakers of the environment and the animals instead of the destroyers and tyrants over them.
And that, my dear friends, is exactly what happened to us. We quickly named our foundation 'Cecil's Angles' to honor his memory and as a pledge to do our part to change the world for the better for all animals.
Please enjoy the pictures from our photoshoot for our website. The kittens are all up for adoption in the Los Angeles area.
Please follow us on Facebook (Cecil's Angels) and twitter (InesRomero@cecilsangels)
Stay tuned for our website cecilsangels.com
Written by: Ines Romero of Cecil's Angels.


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L'entrepot is one of several new $5-a-dish restaurants that opened up in Montreal over the past year. The interior has a ramshackle ski chalet look with snowboards hanging from the walls. In fact, it is pretty much a perfect replica of the decor at Le Bureau de Poste in Quebec City, not to mention the same menu. I did some investigating and found out that it is the Montreal branch of a west-coast chain that started out in Whistler, and also has six restaurants in Vancouver. Whereas the west coast branches use mozzarella in their poutines, a similar strategy in Quebec would be suicidal. Proper cheese curds it is.
Other $5 restaurants in town make up losses by charging top dollar for drinks, but it's still possible to get a cocktail here for under $6. I'm not a big fan of the ski chalet vibe, nor do I like chains, but you can't go wrong with decent cheap food and drink. And the poutine is up there with Montreal's finest.
Fries: These look like deep-fried frozen fries but they are perfectly cooked, perfectly crunchy, with the right amount of salt, pepper and grease. They hold up relatively well under the onslaught of sauce. I can't complain. 27/30
Gravy: This is a rich and tasty gravy, and the maple bacon chunks add a slight smoky-sweet/crunchy touch. It has lots of personality but doesn't overwhelm the other ingredients. 46/50
Cheese: Like most Montreal poutines, the chunks are too small and they're not squeaky fresh. A little more cheese wouldn't hurt either. 11/20
Verdict: Great bet. They need to source some proper squeaky-fresh cheese chunks but this is otherwise a definite winner.
Price: Great price. $4.95. No complaints here.
Location: L'Entrepôt Mont-Royal, 1019 Avenue du Mont-Royal Est, Montréal, QC. Near Mont-Royal metro station.


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Engelbert Humperdinck
At The Family Arena – Friday, November 4
WHAT: Engelbert Humperdinck
In a career spanning almost 50 years, Engelbert has generated sales in excess of 140 million records, including 64 gold albums and 35 platinum, four Grammy nominations, a Golden Globe, and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Las Vegas Walk of Fame, and Leicester Walk of Fame. He has performed for the Queen four times, several presidents and many heads of state. He has recorded everything from the most romantic ballads to movie theme songs, disco, rock, and even gospel. His unique voice has charmed millions of fans around the globe. However, it's not just the voice, but the man himself, with his endearing sense of humor and self-deprecating jokes. Engelbert has managed to strike a new chord with a younger generation after appearing on MTV several times.
Engelbert's music has transcended time and his voice still continues to reach out to people now – serving to transport and inspire, to embrace and to provoke feelings and emotions…ingredients that are no doubt the essence of his long-lasting success.
WHEN: Friday, November 4, 2016
WHERE: The Family Arena - 2002 Arena Parkway * St. Charles, MO 63303
TICKETS: On Sale Thursday, June 2 @ Noon
Tickets can be purchased at the Family Arena Ticket Office or online at www.metrotix.com.
Prices: $93 (Gold Circle), $78 (Floor), $60 (Lower Level), $50 (Upper Level)
To charge by phone call MetroTix at 314-534-1111. For help purchasing accessible seating, please call The Family Arena ADA Hotline at 636-896-4234.
TICKET LINK: http://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/engelbert
FURTHER INFO: Please call The Family Arena event hotline at 636-896-4242 for more information, or visit our web site at www.familyarena.com.
Suites Available For Single Events – Treat the family, reward employees or celebrate a special occasion. For info and pricing, contact Scott McCarthy at 636-896-4291.


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Dear Sherry Turkle,
Upon reading your interviews and your perspective on the effects of technology on human lives, I cannot agree more. I actually feel like your writing is almost reflecting my own thoughts, my own experiences with technology and people who are addicted to them. Being surrounded by friends who would rather text than call, friends that would leave responses on messengers, friends who would be so fixated in their own world on the web that they neglect any sorts of human contacts, I can relate to your experience.
Technology is a very persuasive topic, it is also one of the world's fastest evolving enterprise. Not only has technology evolve into an addictive fix in front of a screen, it is now slowly taking a physical form in the real world. The part that most intrigued me in your reading was the section on robots, where as time passes, people can ultimately replace real human to human interaction with robotic companions. The book, Love and Sex with Robots has an interesting plot. It is really determined to announce the idea that robots will actually be a better intimate companion than a human will.
The biggest problem people nowadays faces is the feeling of loneliness, but they fear even more to display any emotions toward another human being. Technology has filled in the loneliness people feel when they are alone, it allows them to become attach to something without having to experience any real emotional feelings. In the end, I cannot agree with you more when you mentioned that we can "recreate ourselves as online personae and give ourselves new bodies, homes, jobs, and romances. Yet, suddenly, in the half-light of virtual community, we may feel utterly alone" (Turkle 12). Technology will always be associated with the feeling of loneliness. No matter how evolved they can become in the future, it will never surpass any real human contacts.


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Received an email today, setting the record straight regarding the Bronz stabbing rumours... which I hadn't actually heard?! Am I getting late? Apparently word has been out on some forums (which I admit I haven't checked this week) and sites that Bronz has in fact passed away. Said email reads "On Monday Bronz of Bronz n Blak was stabbed four times in the chest and is currently in hospital. Despite street and online press rumours he is still alive as is Blak and their single is still out this week.
www.bronznblak.com." So there you have it. I know nothing more and nothing less.
Thursday, 8 September 2005
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Royal Caribbean, wonderful as usual
Serenade of the Seas Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York
Sail Date: September 15, 2015
Ship: Serenade of the Seas
Cabin Type: Balcony
Cabin Number: 9096
Traveled As: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review Summary
My daughter and I had a great experience. Looking forward to another cruise in the future. The weather has been very warm so the colors were just beginning to turn. None the less it was a great trip.
1 Comment
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Remember: Be polite and respectful. Our diverse community is home to members with different opinions and a broad range of cruise experiences.


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It's the first MMORPG game that caught my attention for many years.
I have been playing Wolrd of Warcraft since the very start.
About 5 years actually.Let's watch the cinematic :)
World of Warcraft is a mmorpg game created for people who don't really have anything better to do with their free time (like myself for example :) ) various of dungeons,gears,professions and spells are inside the game ready to be found through the world.The most exciting part for me is the pvp (player vs player) with some great bgs(battlegrounds).Blizzard entertainment tried to make the game better by making expansions (The Burning Crusade, Wrath Of The Lich King,Cataclysm) but I'm not sure if that worked out especially for cataclysm.World of Warcraft has 2 factions. The Alliance and the Horde.Alliance races are human, dwarf, gnome, night elf, draenei and worgen. As for The Horde there are the orc, troll, tauren, undead, blood elf and the goblin (NOTE classes are from all the expansions.).The classes of the game are the same for both horde and alliance(NOTE on the first WOW Horde had the shaman and the Alliance had the paladin that changed with burning crusade.). Mage, Priest and Warlock are the main casters of the game there is a hunter, a warrior and a rogue who are the melee and ranged dps (Damage Per Second) also note that warrior can also be a tank by using the talents of protection. Paladin, priest, druid and shaman are the healers of the game(NOTE Paladin can either tank dps or heal. Druid can tank dps and heal aswell.shaman can heal and dps with two methods ranged as elemental and melee as enchan,Priest can heal and dps NOTE priest can heal as holy and as discpline).Lastly death knight, druid, paladin and warrior are the tanks as mentioned.Enough with the characters! Lets talk about the pve (player vs environment) with many dungeons and raids waiting for players to be conquered or either be consumed.World of Warcraft(the first game without expansions) had a level cap 60 and it was really difficult to earn experience and get some gear which would allow players to raid.There were also some raids with 40 players(!) inside and it was really tough! but when the first expansion was announced everyone waited so patiently to see another difficult epic game style in wow.
This is the announcing video that blizzard made for The Burning Crusade.announced on October 28th, 2005 and released on January 16th, 2007.
The burning crusade was better than everybody expected with the announcing of the arena for the pvp and many new raids throughout the world.we will make a pause here to discuss about the arena.PvP was really good but with the arena the game went to a completely different level.World of Warcraft was the first game to try such a thing and it had a HUGE success! players Had to try their skills not only by playing their chars but also in teamwork in order to get some improved gears for pvp.Arena had 3 options to make.Arena 2v2,3v3 and 5v5.Arena was not the only thing that was added and changed in the World of Warcraft. level cap was raised to 70 and 2 new races were added as well.For the Alliance were the draenei and for the Horde were the Blood Elves.before the Burning crusade there was a big difference between the two factions.Alliance had the paladins and Horde had the shamans but with the new expansion draenei could be a shaman and blood elf could be a paladin and that was huge for the players that did not want to change server or faction.Also a New land was created for players.None other than outland the home of draeneis and fel creatures.the cinematic were great the game itself had become like no other.I did not mention before the mounts.on World of Warcraft both factions have their unique (depends on race) mounts.humans have horses dwarfs have rams gnomes have the mechanostrider night elves have sabers and the draeneis have elekks.Orcs have wolves trolls have raptors taurens have kodos undead have skeletal horses and blood elves have the hawkstriders.mounts were purchasable at level 40 and the epic mount at level 60. With the Burning crusade another new feature were the Flying mounts. Yeah you can actually fly.But only in Outland.Many new quests were created in order for the story to continue.The main object of this expansion was to kill illidan.a New stat to increase the difficulty of the pvp gaming was added as well the resilience which reduces the damage taken by players (and only!) Patch 2.1 introduced daily quest (and the relevant Netherwing/Ogri'la /Skyguard zones such as Skettis) and the black temple 25-man raid content. It can also be argued that this patch unlocked the Hyjal wing of the Caverns of Time, since prior to 2.1, Kael'Thas and Lady Vashj would only drop a limited number of attunement vials to Hyjal per kill, requiring several months of farming prior to fielding a 25-man raid into Hyjal.
Patch 2.2 introduces voice communications software built into the game client (as well as video recording for Mac clients).Patch 2.3 introduces the Zul'Aman 10-man raid instance and leveling improvements for levels 20-60.Patch 2.4introduces the Isle of quel danas, a new outdoor zone which includes the Magisters terrace, a 5-man instance, and the Sunwell plateau , a 25-man raid. Also included are Combat log improvements and the introduction of a global Arena tournament realm.
The next chapter of this epic game was the Wrath of the Lich king.
So many previews.so many videos about it.and then the trailer.
with this epic cinematic Blizzard entertainment announced the second expansion(August 3,2007) and released on November 13 2008.
So lets start with the changes that occurred in the map :)
Wrath of the lich king expansion took place in the icy Continent of Northrend home of the undeads and Arthas kingdom.Although Northrend is known for its snow and ice, parts of the continent are not frozen over, such as the springtime Howling fjord and the jungle-like sholazar basin.Flying mounts are also available in Northrend as it was in outland.in order to fly in the new region players must purchase the cold weather flying in the cost of some golds.New quests also made their appearance as it was expected.players can choose were to start their questline between howling fjord and borean tundra.In order to travel to Northrend players of the alliance must take the ship from the brand new port in Stormwind and the horde players must take the new zeppelin zone just outside Orgrimmar.new reputation system was also made to make this expansion even more better.Players can choose different tabards that will grant reputation when doing Heroic Dungeons.The expansion added group content in a similar fashion to The Burning Crusade, and the "heroic dungeon" format was preserved. Many new 5-man, 10-man, and 25-man dungeons are located in Northrend. The expansion has as many 5-man instances as the previous expansion and all 25-man raids can also be completed as a 10-man group due to the popularity of Kharazan.There were three raid dungeons and twelve 5-man dungeons (eight for leveling up and four max-level, each with heroic versions) at release. Heroic access also no longer requires any faction reputation and are available simply by reaching level 80.(in the Burning crusade in order to do heroic dungeons you needed to have a key by the vendors.in order to buy that key you needed to be exalted with the respective owner).New bgs were also announced in this expansion of Worlds of Warcraft such as Strand of the ancients and Isle of conquest.Wrath of the lick king also had some siege vehicles made in order to make the game even more epic.The world pvp is back. Wintergrasp is here.A keep which can be controlled by alliance and horde.the strongest will maintain wintergrasp and be awarded.a fight begins every 2 hours and 30 minutes.siege weapon and defending type of weapon are all over Wintergrasp.when a team captures WG a raid unlocks called Vault of Archavon with 4 boss in total and great pve and pvp loots.
And now.On to the main Article.
............................................................Death Knight..................................................................
Death knight is the new class of World of Warcraft and is available for every race both alliance and horde.World of Warcrafts first hero class, the death knight is accessible to players after having a character reach level 55. Once unlocked, the death knight, starting at level 55, will then complete a series of quests in Acherus which is a storyline available only for Death knights.Originally, death knights were only allowed to be created on a realm with a pre existing level 55 character for that account, but now, as long as there is a level 55 present on the account, a death knight can be constructed on any realm. A single death knight is allowed per realm.
The death knight is a plate-wearing DPS/tank class (shields can not be used) that uses a brand new resource system based primarily on cooldowns.Rather than the existing Mana(paladin mage warlock hunter<main game, the Burning crusade, Wrath of the lick king>priest druid and shaman).Energy(rogue and feral cat form druid) and Rage(warrior and feral bear form druid) mechanics, the death knight uses six runes, two runes each of three types, frost, blood, and unholy, which are refreshed on a ten second timer.. Death knights also have access to runic power, which is generated much in the same way as rage by casting spells.
(professions and talents will be analyzed in the end of all expansions just to make sure that i wont miss anything)
Achievement points in another thing that blizzard came up to improve their new expansion.These self-contained goals offer new challenges, satisfy goal-oriented players, and allow others to see your accomplishments in World of Warcraft — plus, they are just plain fun.Thats right. Most of the achievements WILL not grant you anything at all. of course there are exceptions.
On to the patches now! :)
Patch 3.0:Echoes of doom/Wrath of the lick king (introduction of the new futures of Wrath of the lich king such as new talents new spells sw harbor etc).
lets take a look.
- All players will have their talent points reimbursed and will have access to new talents throughout their trees; this includes the 51-point talents. Several new spells and abilities have been added for all classes. Players will need to visit their class trainer to learn new spells.
- The Kirin Tor have made their move and so has Dalaran. Please watch your step around the crater that has been left behind!
- The Barber Shop has been implemented and you can now visit one of the Barber Shops in the major cities to change your appearance. Be sure to get your Shave and a Haircut!
- The all new Achievement System has been implemented and the Achievement panel can be accessed via the interface. While many achievements are not retroactive, we have done our best to credit as many as possible. Gamemasters will not be able to grant achievements for past accomplishements.
- Stormwind Harbor is now open for business.
- New towers have been added outside of Orgrimmar and in Tirisfal
Glades. Crews are currently at work to establish a new Zeppelin route to
Northrend for your travel pleasure. Please no
/spitting off of the towers.
- A new entrance is now viewable in the Caverns of Time.
- Hit Rating, Critical Strike Rating, and Haste Rating now modify both melee attacks and spells.
- Spell casting and spell channeling pushback has been changed to the
- When casting a spell:
- The first and second hit will add .5 secs each to the cast time.
- All hits after the second will have no effect.
- When channeling a spell:
- The first and second hit reduces current duration by 25% of total duration each.
- All hits after the second will have no effect.
- When casting a spell:
- Spell Power:
- All items and effects which grant bonuses to spell damage and
spell healing are being consolidated into a single stat, Spell Power.
This stat will appear with the same values found on items which grant
"increased spell damage and healing" such as on typical Mage and Warlock
- For classes which do not heal, they should see no change in the character sheet other than new tooltip wording.
- Healing characters will see their bonus healing numbers on the character sheet decrease, however, all healing spells have been modified to receive more benefit from Spell Power than they received from bonus healing, with a net effect of no change to the amount healed by their spells. Some talents have had to be rebalanced to accommodate this change, but the amount healed will remain roughly the same. In addition, some talents will provide only healing spell power
- All items and effects which grant bonuses to spell damage and spell healing are being consolidated into a single stat, Spell Power. This stat will appear with the same values found on items which grant "increased spell damage and healing" such as on typical Mage and Warlock itemization.
Chamber of the aspects: Two raids here. the Obsidian sanctum and Ruby sanctum (patch 3.3.5) the first one is a single encounter raid instance where players face off against Sartharion. Ruby sanctum has heroic mode for both 10 and 25 player mode.The main object is to defend the red dragonflights home against the twilight dragon Halion.
Vault of Archavon:A raid dungeon found in Wintergrasp Keep. Players may only enter the dungeon while their faction controls Wintergrasp. Four giants reside here - Archavon, Emalon, Koralon and Toravon.
Ulduar: a 10/25-raid, introduced in Patch 3.1.0, one step above Tier 7 content.
Crusaders' Coliseum:Trial of the Crusader, a 10/25 raid, one step above Tier 8 content. Heroic incarnation of the instance is known as Trial of the Grand Crusader which was really tough.(yeah there was actually a difficult raid after all!)
Icecrown Citadel:a 10/25 raid, Tier 10 content. It does have Normal and Heroic modes for both 10 and 25 player versions, and it is the very last raid instance of the expansion pack.
Returning from original World of warcraft series but in another form.
- Naxxramas (level 80, 10 and 25-player raid)
- The instance has been returned to level 80 and included as a 10/25-player dungeon at an entry-level difficulty.
- Onyxia's Lair (level 80, 10 and 25-player raid)
- The instance has been returned in honor of World of Warcraft's 5th anniversary in Patch 3.2.2.
Isle of Conquest, a battleground introduced in patch 3.2.0, Call of the Crusade, pitches teams of up to 40 players against each other in a massive battle over this small island off Northrend's northern coast. To win, your team will need to make use of the island's unique strategic locations including an oil derrick, a siege workshop, and a fully equipped airship hangar. You will deploy devastating siege weaponry on the field; Light have mercy on anyone caught between you and your ultimate target, the general holed up in the enemy keep.
Two new Arenas are also introduced in the expansion. One in the Orgrimmar Arena and the other in a new Dalaran Arena in Dalaran's sewers. These arenas introduce moving objects such as pillars and waterfalls, and damaging objects such as spikes in arenas and other such mechanics to create dynamics with line of sight and gameplay.
And as the battle against the Lich king continues our heroes in azeroth enjoy peace.But there can be no peace when the world its self is devoured by rage.in the last patch of Wotlk members of twilight were in the capital citys of both alliance and horde to pronounce the coming of the Destroyer.
Cataclysm draws nigh.
Introducing the third expansion set of World of warcraft Cataclysm
Announced on August 21, 2009 at BlizzCon 2009 and released in December 7, 2010.
Cataclysm: set primarily in a dramatically reforged Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms on the world of Azeroth, the expansion set follows the return of the evil Dragon Aspect Deathwing the Destroyer -- formerly known as the ancient guardian Neltharion the Earth Warder -- whose fiery arrival from Deepholm, the elemental plane of earth, causes a massive worldwide catastrophe known as The Shattering.
Cataclysm will return players to the two continents of Azeroth for most of their campaigning, after years away in Outland and Northrend, opening new zones such as Mount Hyjal, the sunken world of Vashj'ir, Deepholm, Uldum and the Twilight Highlands. It will include two new playable races: the worgen from the legendary kingdom of Gilneas for the Alliance, and the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel from the isle of Kezan for the Horde. Flying mounts will finally be usable in Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms, while the new secondary profession Archaeology will be introduced. Reforging will make its debut in game, while player classes will be fully updated, including new race-class combinations.
Major changes in game:
- Player level cap increased to 85.
- Seven new high-level zones: Mount Hyjal and Uldum in Kalimdor; Vashj'ir and the Twilight Highlands in the Eastern Kingdoms; Deepholm in the elemental plane of earth; the PvP zone and daily quest hub Tol Barad; and, added in patch 4.2, the daily quest hub zone Molten Front.
- Two new player races, the Worgen of Gilneas for the Alliance and the Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel for the Horde. New leveling zones added for these two races include Gilneas, the Isle of Kezan, and the Lost Isles.
- A dramatic alteration of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms due to the Cataclysm, resulting in massive environmental changes, as well as questing and progression changes, for nearly every zone, resulting in new leveling experiences. This includes new starter areas for the gnomes and Darkspear trolls, faction changes for some zones (such as Hillsbrad Foothills) and, with the environmental redesign, the ability for players to fly on both continents. (The blood elf and draenei content will still be instanced and limited to ground mounts only.)
- Seven new high-level dungeons and four new raid instances, all available in regular and heroic modes (with raids in both 10- and 25-player varieties), as well as four heroic 5-man revamps of classic dungeons and former raids (Deadmines, Shadowfang Keep, Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman). This will also include Blizzard's new Flexible Raid Lock system, a change to raid functionality which includes the ability to move between 10- and 25-player raid groups, combine or split groups, and vary regular & heroic attempts.
- New PvP opportunities including the Tol Barad zone and a PvP-instanced dungeon, Baradin Hold, as well as two new battlegrounds Battle for Gilneas and Twin Peaks.
- Class redesign (coming immediately prior to expansion launch in Patch 4.0.1 but optimized for the expansion) including new talents and spells, simplification of talent trees, and reorganization of class buffs.
- Revamp of character and gear stats, including elimination of some stats and major changes to base stat operability (such as intellect creating spell power, strength and agility affecting attack power, etc.) This includes the addition of Reforging to the game, giving players the ability to add certain stats on gear in return for removal of others.
- New race/class combinations which will be available to all players in Patch 4.0.3
- New Archaeology profession.
- Level cap raised on all main and secondary professions to 525, with many new items, patterns and rewards.
- A new Guild advancement system, which includes guild leveling, achievements and rewards.
- Consolidation of previous expansion set currency systems; rewards will include two PvE currencies, Justice and Valor points, as well as two PvP currencies, Honor and Conquest points.
- New technology enhancements including support for DirectX 11 features and hardware cursor in OpenGL mode, additional video options and a new water rendering engine.
SO lets sum up and see whats new in this expansion.
2 new playable races: worgen and goblin
New features: Archaelogy, Master system, guild advancement, rated battlegrounds, flying mounts in Azeroth,upgraded wat yer effects,New race/class combinations,more flight paths, new quests, new dungeons. yeah thats a lot!
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Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Death and Toki in Potiki
I really appreciate the way in which the story is told. I can tell how this culture operates and the degree of importance they place on storytelling, their land, bonds between people, and death. What I liked best about my reading this novel was that I was able to gleam these things without the author telling me outright. That being said, I would like to explore the idea of death in Potiki. When the mother of Hemi and Mary dies, the language used observes "Absent from among the mourners was Hemi's and Mary's mother, but she was present in the photographs against the wall, and what I knew by then was that she was present amongst us in death" (27). It seemed to me an interesting way to communicate that their mother had died. Clearly, it seems the case that their cultural understanding of what it means to die differs from Western culture. the mother is dead, but she is not gone, she is just there in a different form. This makes for a home with an interesting atmosphere, one where spirits past and present are still in relation with one another. Even with the character of Toko, we learn that his coming into being has not been easy, and that he is named after the dead. The grandmother names him after her dead brother and it wold seem that he goes on to take special gifts, presumably because he has this connection with the dead. I think it is also interesting that Toko describes his mother potentially killing both him and herself when he was young by saying "she could have kept walking with me out into the water until the sea closed over us, and we would both have belonged to the fishes. But my sister Tangimoana, in her red shirt, came and snatched me away from my first drowning and hurried home with me" (42). He doesn't say that he would have died, but stresses that he would have lived in a different way, belonging to the fishes. When Toko does finally die, he doesn't just liner amongst the people in death, but becomes eternalized as well in Potiki. I think the novel is challenging our perception of death in a way that challenges Western definitions and reveals many things about the people's way of life.
Posted by Marian Okpali at 9:30 AM
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Well today was the day guys! I had my transfer today and as far as I know everything seemed to go well. Now we just need to say prayers that these baby/babies stick.
Here is a rundown of how the morning went:
I woke up and took my morning meds/shots and they haven't really seemed to get any better. Hopefully soon my booty will start to get used to them since I have another 2 weeks of them at the minimum. Dave & I headed to the Dr. and on the way I had to drink 24 oz of water so I would have a nice full bladder. It is easier for them to see the uterus. When we got to the Dr's office, I put on a nice hair net and socks, but could stay in my dress since I could just hike it up.
I am on a restricted bed rest for the next 2-3 days and then can resume life as normal after that. Still no working out or anything strenuous though until my blood test to see if I'm pregnant in 2 weeks. (really 12 days, but who's counting! me!) Let the 2 week wait begin. Last time was such an emotional roller coaster. I am hoping to be preoccupied enough with the girls time flies by and I don't think about it too much. Here is an ultrasound of our potential babies!! Thanks for all your prayers and support during this It really has been nice people knowing about it this time. I have received so many texts and kind word over the past day or 2 and who doesn't want lots of people praying for them. I do!
(You can't see much in the pic, but its the little circle where the arrow is pointing, they are next to each other.)


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Crap, it's been a while since the last update...anyways, since time is sharply rolling on, and PoC Wave 4 is now winging its way to me, I'm gonna try and finish up Wave 3 before then, and now that the chaff of the wave (that'll be Arctic Storm Shadow) is out of the way, we're gonna talk about the stars of the show, the first being...a nameless, faceless Cobra grunt. How did that happen?
I blend into the night like I'm silhouetted by a massive black pillow. Wait...
The Shock Trooper - whose name and function seem almost wilfully vague, something I'll come back to later - looks to be entirely black plastic here, but he's actually more colourful than you'd think, thanks to judicious applications of midnight blue and a couple shades of grey across his body, which really help to make him look...well, not like a ninja, which is good. The last thing G.I. Joe needs is more damn ninjas.
"Has anyone seen the other half of my badge?"
The detail work on the sculpt is just astounding; obviously, the influence primarily comes from real-life SWAT officers, and the Shock Trooper has a similarly overburdened vest and thick gloves, not to mention padding on his arms and that curious balaclava/cowl combination head. The edge of the cowl has a tendency to get stuck on the vest when you turn the head, which restricts his articulation a bit, but it's hardly a deal-breaker. And I really love how the Cobra emblem on the shirt is only half-visible, as if one side of it is obscured by the items fitted to the vest (not actually the case - the vest is all one piece, Hasbro just carefully cut off one side of the logo).
Show us dat ass.
Things are much the same around the back, with the ribbed 'counter-weights' used in real-life to balance against the weight of all the junk stuck to the vest's front, and some more Cobra paintwork down one side. He also has a handle jutting out from just under his collar, though I'm buggered if I know what it's there for. Maybe so it's easier for one of his mates to drag him along the floor mid-firefight, Army of Two style?
"I know kung fu...except for the bits about taking your jacket off quickly.
Skipped that part of the movie."
Articulation is, as you might expect, fantastic for such a small figure. It's not quite perfect, thanks largely to the detail work on the arms, which clutters the elbow joints a bit and prevents them from reaching a perfect 90-degree angle. But wait!
"Yeah, I'm pointing at you!"
"Whassup wit dat?"
The new wrist articulation! GLORY BE!!!! Previously seen on the PoC Jungle-Viper and the SDCC Sgt. Slaughter figures (neither of which have shown up on this blog yet), this gives him an extra hinge on each wrist which, for some reason, don't actually match; so the left hand goes forwards palm-first, whilst the right goes up-and-down in a 'chopping' sort of way. Still, new joints is new joints, and again, I'll come back to it later, because they really do help here.
I hope you're not expecting a funny caption about a hat.
The helmet is, again, very SWAT, and features detachable goggles which don't have a long enough strap to fit down over the Shock Trooper's eyes. I'd complain about that, except I'm starting to expect it with my Joes, and you could always treat it as a nod to the classic series Vipers, who had similarly nonfunctional goggles on their helmets (which they didn't need, since they wore fully-enclosed masks). Speaking of which, the Shock Trooper does still have the option of concealing his face in a different way...
Weirdest gas mask to not be worn by a guy called 'Vader' EVER.
No, that doesn't look like it would work very well, does it? It's just a bunch of filters stuck to a curved bit of perspex. Combined with the helmet, though, it all comes together very nicely.
Now that's better, isn't it? What's especially cool is that, under the right lighting, the mask retains its translucency and lets you see the trooper's eyes through it. Try clicking on the pic to enlarge it for an example.
So, we've established that the Shock Trooper is a good-looking and (mostly) well-articulated figure, but what about his guns? Like most PoC figures, this guy comes almost drowning in accessories, and by and large, they're all winners.
For all your home-protection needs.
The main rifle is a model I'm not familiar with. I'm not even entirely sure it's based on a real gun at all. That said, it does look believable, and the curved 'banana' clip is very AK-47ish - apt, since that was the preferred weapon for all basic Cobra Troopers back in the day.
"SARGE! Package tango inbound!"
"Oh, have my fizzy drinks arrived? Thank christ, I'm bloody parched."
Here's where the NEW SOOPAH WRISTS come into play; they really do help him get rifles with stocks into decent firing positions, something a good many Joes have issues with.
We meet again, old faithful...
This shotgun - a SPAS-12 if I'm not mistaken - is probably one of the most well-used moulds amongst all the 'generation 3' accessories Hasbro's been churning out since the 25th Anniversary range started. I'm pretty certain it was Flint's to begin with, but his was made from green plastic, which looked...ergh. It had some pretty good innings in the Rise of Cobra line, particularly with Night Adder and the Elite-Viper from the troop builder pack, and now it's back again...
Gawd dang it, bubbah, that ain't how ya kill us a deer!
...except it doesn't seem quite so well-suited this time around. Even the SOOPAH WRISTS can't quite allow the Shock Trooper to lift the thing into a good firing position, which is a shame, as it's otherwise still a well-sculpted weapon and quite fitting for a SWAT operation, where most fighting will be done up close and personal.
The red paint makes the bullets go faster. It's SCIENCE.
This, on the other hand, seems to be new. It's an MP5k, which is what happens if you take the usual MP5 submachine-gun favoured by American counter-terrorism units and shrink it down to a size where it fits in an attache case comfortably. The weapon has been seen before with some other figures - Resolute Destro has one inside his M.A.R.S. case - but this is a newly-tooled version, and very nicely tooled it is too. And to make the detailing stand out a little more, Hasbro added some red markings on each side, which is a rare thing to see.
"Sorry about before - I'm allergic to buckshot."
Despite his shotgun failings, Shock Trooper can manage a dual grip on the MP5k, using both the handle and the small foregrip just beneath the barrel. But of course, a gun this small is the sort of thing that's bound to wind up being fired single-handedly...
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE! HAHAHA - er, please
don't fly low over any trees, pilot."
...such as when hanging from the underside of a Cobra Gunship mid-flight. Honestly, sometimes these things just happen.
Next on the armaments list is what I'm guessing to be a taser pistol. I know next to nothing about this sort of weapon, but the blunt, blocky front end of the pistol and the lack of, say, a slide or bullet chamber make me pretty certain that's what it is. Unfortunately, I seem to have utterly failed to take a good picture of it, so instead, here's the Shock Trooper using it to 'contain' Duke.
Shock Trooper: "Squeal, piggy! Squeal!"
Duke: *zapping noise*
So that's another fairly nice addition, even though Cobra - or my Cobra, anyway - aren't terribly bothered about taking people alive. But what's that in his hand...?
"Ah, the dulcet tones of Chris Moyles - they always put me in a murdering sort of mood."
He's got a radio! I love that. Y'know how few Joes (and Cobras) come with some sensible means of keeping in touch with one another? Very few indeed. And given the retro bent so many Joes are keen on, it's hard to imagine most of them packing high-tech Codec-style communication setups. So it's very cool to see a basic grunt remembering that, at some point or another, someone may wish to talk to him without shouting through several rooms.
Well, that's certainly the least interesting picture I've ever taken.
Yeah, it's not a terribly exciting piece of plastic by itself, but I still like its inclusion. Plus, it's got its own little storage space too...
"I'm sure I had that radio on me when I sat down..."
There it is, on the back of his belt, exactly where it should be. Sweetness!
Would sir like some ninja with his soldier today?
And then there's these things...okay, I can see how they look like cattle-prods, so they're some sort of electrified stun baton or suchlike. Fair enough, it goes with the SWAT theme and the taser pistol. But why are they joined by a string?
Enter the dragon. The battle-armoured, begoggled dragon.
So they're stun-nunchuks, I suppose. Blargh. And to be honest, they're a little too thin for Shock Trooper to grip effectively. Double Blargh. Probably the weakest feature of the figure in hindsight, so it's just as well they're not really vital for anything.
This, on the other hand, is something I can get behind. It's a hammer - a great big ol' sledge-hammer. Okay, so maybe a 'door knocker' battering ram would've been a more sensible choice if we're going for the SWAT theme, but this is more workable, and somewhat multi-functional.
Okay, I give up...you can't touch this.
*Gunshot, dies*
In case you were wondering - yes, Shock Trooper can grip the hammer with both hands very easily, and looks bloody mean when he does. Maybe it's my inner WWE fan talking, but there's something more vicious about a sledge-hammer than there is a knife or sword; if Jim Ross was a war correspondent, he'd be better at it than Michael Cole was - and I can imagine him yelling about "business" and how it has "just picked up" whenever Shock Trooper goes to town on some Joes with this nasty lump of menace.
Raging battle-cries? Yup, the hammer helps with that, too. Though I suspect that its primary use shall inevitably be smacking Joes upside the head.
Tee hee.
Now we're talking.
Oh hell yes. I love riot shields. Not sure why - maybe something to do with Urban Chaos: Riot Response on PS2, or Crisis Squad in the arcade. Whatever, point is, there's nothing cooler than carrying your own cover, essentially, and G.I. Joe as a whole has been lacking a good example up 'til now. Even Shockwave, the Joes' own SWAT specialist, never had one. But this, oh, this will do nicely. It's predominantly translucent, as these things should be; maybe a bit too 'clean' - I'd mark out if it had a few bullet marks and scrapes across the surface - but it's still nice. And of course, it has COBRA scribbled on it, in case you forget who carries the thing.
Can't think of anything relevant to put here, so...
The grip works like on a real riot shield, with a 'loop' to thread the wearer's arm through as well as a bar to hold in their hand.
Modelling this year's must-have item...
And here's how it fits on the Shock Trooper. It can be quite difficult to force his arm far enough in to make his fingers wrap around the handgrip, but the shield stays on and stays in position firmly.
Finally, a Cobra Trooper with a chance of surviving longer than 5 seconds?
So then, we have safely established that, pointless stun-chuks aside, this is one seriously badass figure with seriously badass gear. I can give it a 10/10 mark and leave it at that.
Ever since I first saw this guy, there's been two issues with him in my mind, and sadly, they're still here. Firstly, there's the fact that, if it weren't for a few logos painted onto the gear, this guy wouldn't look like a Cobra operative. Cobra, in most cases, likes to show off and either make its guys dress incredibly formal or attach all manner of odd, impractical stylistic flourishes to their battle armour because...well, because they're the bad guys, dammit, and bad guys are weird like that. The Shock Trooper, in that sense, is disappointingly normal. If Hasbro had painted him blue, he'd be a Joe. Shockwave, specifically. (note to Hasbro: if you want to actually paint this guy blue and re-release him otherwise unaltered, as Shockwave...no objections here)
Also, there's the question of what his actual job is within the Cobra hierarchy. One of the head designers on the G.I. Joe team has been quoted as saying that the Shock Trooper is a 21st-century update to the old-school Cobra 'blueshirts', their basic infantrymen, but this is such a radical departure from those previous figures it's hard to see the evolution. Observe below as I compare Shocky with the closest figure I could find to a vintage trooper, the 25th-anniversary Crimson Guard:
"What the hell're you gonna do dressed like that?
Bust up an anti-Prop8 rally?"
Not the best picture, but you can clearly see that there's absolutely no common ground between these two guys. The 'Siegie' is tarted up with his jackboots and double-buttoned shirt whilst the Shock Trooper could be someone's online COD avatar.
And on top of that, there's the slight issue that we've already got one Cobra urban assault trooper class in the Pursuit of Cobra line, the fantastic Alley-Viper:
"Red again? Did I miss a memo or some shit?"
I can't very well replace the A-V with the Shock Trooper, because the A-V is far too cool a figure to drop, and with his stylised shield, inexplicably red vest and funky helmet, fits the Cobra style a lot better too. So who goes on missions and who stays behind at the Terror Drome to do the washing-up? Tough call.
Or maybe I'm overthinking this. I mean, Rise of Cobra, good as it was, gave us two terrible standard army-builders (Neo-Viper and Viper Commando) before slightly upping its game with the Ice-Viper, then finally striking gold with the Elite-Viper. PoC didn't really need to bother treating us to another classy Cobra trooper after the Alley-Viper (and I haven't even mentioned Jungle-Viper...), and yet Hasbro gave us one anyway. Why complain?
Overall rating for 'City Strike' Cobra Shock Trooper: 10/10
"Surrender to me, Wild Bill, or I'll smash your tiny helicopter to smithereens!"
"Git yer damn dirty paws off ma slick, varmint!"


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This Blog Has Moved
After many years of using WordPress.com I have taken the decision to move this blog to my main site. It just seems more sensible and user-friendly to have everything in one place.
From now on all new posts (and all previous ones) can be found here.
I hope you enjoy the new home, my intention is to increase the frequency of posts which have somewhat suffered since launching the LinkedInformed podcast
See you over on the new site.
New LinkedIn Podcast – LinkedInformed
I was driving my car to a training session, as usual I had my radio on to keep me entertained for the 3 hours I would be in the car. The presenter announced the next song and I thought "Oh no not that awful song again, why do they always play the same rubbish again and again?" so I switched channels…this time the presenter was interviewing an artist who had nothing interesting to say so I switched channels again, this time to a talk station…..they were debating whether we get our bins (garbage) emptied often enough!!
"There must be a better way!" I screamed out loud to myself. "Why am I having to listen to something that someone else chooses for me? My Tony Robbins CD has been played to death and there are only so many CD's I can carry in my car. I needed a better solution – enter the wonderful world of Podcasts! (more…)Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 10 so far )
LinkedIn's New iPad App is a Game Changer for All.
Don't be put off reading this if you don't own an iPad – there is some important information here for anyone using LinkedIn to engage with those that might be using this app (and many people are).
LinkedIn recently relaunched its iPad app, it's not an update from the previously hopeless version that was unstable and frankly useless. This is a completely new, built from scratch app….and its really excellent!
In the UK, mobile is now responsible for 44% of visits to LinkedIn and this figure is expected to reach 50% early next year.
That 44% is based on a phone app that is nothing special and a truly terrible iPad app – imagine how much more traffic will come via mobile now that they have a really good iPad app?
This isn't just an interesting stat, it has a fundamental impact on how we should be using LinkedIn. When users access LinkedIn via either mobile apps they are visiting at significantly different times of the day. The graph below shows the amount of visitors at different times of the day (weekdays).
The blue line represents the traditional desktop users, signing in first thing in the morning and peaking at that point but showing consistent levels of activity throughout the working hours.
The orange line represents visitors using the mobile app on their phone, the activity stays constant throughout the working day but also continues into the evening.
The most interesting line is the purple one which represents users visiting via the iPad app, lower numbers throughout the day but it then peaks late in the evening at which point it beats the other two and records the highest number of visitors at any time of the day. Presumably this happens because people relax on the couch after their evening meal and flip open their iPad!
This is a truly remarkable statistic and in my opinion, a game changer for LinkedIn users!
I have been advising delegates in my workshops for years that the most effective time of day to post a status update is first thing in the morning, this is not only when a high number of people are online but it is also the one time you know they are going to have eyes on their homepage and the stream of updates from their connections.
Now we see a massive shift towards 8-9 pm in the evening as the most active time and most of these visitors are viewing on their iPad which is designed in such a way that the update feed is most prominent (see below)
As a test I am going to publish and promote this blog at 8-9 pm initially followed by 8-9 am the next day and continue this schedule for the next few weeks to see how it makes a difference to the number of views, likes and comments.
Another important thing for everyone to know about the iPad app is that website and email links in your profile become active.
When you view a profile on the desktop version or the phone app, the links or email addresses that someone has put in their summary or work experience sections only appear as font (ie you have to copy and paste them into a browser or email)
However on the new iPad app the links now become active.
Again this changes my advice on the information you put in your profile, previously I was ambivalent about putting links in your summary – now its essential to have links high up in your profile.
The new app is far from perfect, LinkedIn have yet again made the decision to severely restrict its functionality, for instance you can't send Inmails from the app (although you can from the iPhone app) and many other essential features are missing but this is clearly a policy decision rather than a faulty design. Overall I am very impressed, I will soon publish a full and detailed review but for now lets give LinkedIn a big 'thumbs up' for a much improved app.Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 8 so far )
Introducing LinkedIn Intro!
LinkedIn have announced a brand new line up of mobile apps and for the first time ever, they are worth getting excited about!
I will be reviewing the excellent new iPad app soon, this piece however is focussed on their brand new LinkedIn Intro app for the iPhone.
Firstly let me apologise to all of you who are Android or Windows mobile users (or anything else). This product is currently focussed on iOS only and because it is built into the Mail app, I am not sure when or if it will be available on other platforms – LinkedIn didn't mention anything about this in their presentation.
Apparently the average professional spends 28% of their day dealing with email, this seems an astonishing fact at first but when you think about it you might find you can relate to it….to be honest I'm probably spending more than that in my email! Another fascinating fact revealed by LinkedIn was that more than 50% of emails are read on a mobile device these days and that number is increasing.
LinkedIn are increasingly focussed on mobile so it made sense to introduce an app that links your LinkedIn account to your email account.
In 2012 They acquired a business called Rapportive which is a Gmail plugin that shows you the latest social network updates from whoever you're corresponding with. I have been using Rapportive for 18 months or so and found it very useful when dealing with emails at my desk but like most people I am increasing managing email on my phone so I have found I am using Rapportive less and less…..Enter LinkedIn Intro.
Intro is integrated into your Mail so that instead of an email looking like this;
It now looks like this;
The key difference as you can see is that the LinkedIn profile of the sender is now embedded into the email itself.
If you are not connected to this person there is a link (see arrow below) which gives you the option to connect. DON'T CLICK here! As with all mobile apps, LinkedIn just send the recipient the basic and unfriendly "I'd like to add you to my professional network message" which is poor practice.
However when you click on the profile link you get to see more information from that individual's profile (see below). How cool is that?
It's not just clever and cool, it's really useful. How often do we receive emails from people who we don't really know? This way we can check out more information about them which allows us to respond more effectively.
Of course this also has an effect on the sender in that it yet again proves just how important your LinkedIn profile is. If you need help with that click here.
I had forgotten how much I missed using Rapportive until I started using Intro today, its fantastic!
Unfortunately it's not perfect, I have noticed some emails have an intro link that is so small you can't really read it! See example below;
This above screenshot is larger than it appears on the phone and even then its difficult to read! I can only assume this is something to do with the format of the email and may be fixed in future updates, lets hope so.
So if you have an iPhone, open your browser of choice (Safari perhaps) and go to intro.linkedin.com, follow the installation instructions and once you have had a play, let me know what you think.Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 16 so far )
You Probably Already Know This…….
….but just in case you have missed it.
Google Reader is no more as from July 1st
If you are subscribing to this blog via Google Reader then you will no longer receive posts as from Monday…..so you need to act NOW
I have swapped over from Google Reader to Feedly which is free, looks great and has iPad and iPhone apps. Making the change to Feedly was really simple, I just created my account and entered my Google username and password…that was it! No more effort required, swap done…move on!
There are plenty of other alternatives to Feedly which you can easily find with a quick Google search.Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
The Great LinkedIn SWAM!
LinkedIn groups and other online forums are full of it, LinkedIn users are outraged and LinkedIn Group Managers are tearing their hair out….so what is all the fuss about this new thing called SWAM?
For those of you who haven't come across it yet, SWAM stands for 'Site Wide Auto Moderation' a relatively new LinkedIn feature designed to block spammers from LinkedIn groups.
Here is how it works;
A member of a group behaves in such a way that the manager of that group decides to 'block & delete' them from their group. This decision is purely made by the manager/owner of that group and LinkedIn are not involved in any way.
The result of this action is that the blocked individual is automatically moderated in every other group of which they are a member (up to 49). Moderated simply means that every post (creation of discussion, comment, promotion or job post) has to be approved by the manager of the group before it is published.
LinkedIn brought in this function to help group managers deal with the ever-increasing amount of spammers infiltrating their groups. The idea was that a group manager would only delete and block someone they believed to be a genuine spammer and this would therefore be doing a favour to every other group manager who had been unfortunate enough to have attracted the said individual as a member.
I think LinkedIn genuinely thought this would be widely welcomed by everyone (except those nasty spammers) but it has caused a massive outcry from just about everyone.
The problem is that this decision is based on the following assumptions;
- All group managers are responsible, credible members of the LinkedIn community.
- The definition of spam is uniform.
Clearly these assumptions are completely wrong and this has been the route of the problem. I have heard countless examples of professional, credible individuals who have never even considered spamming anyone getting hit by SWAM. This could be for a variety of reasons;
- They have had a disagreement with the manager of a group
- They have had a public 'falling out' with another member of a group (groups are after all debating forums)
- The manager of a group blocked & deleted them by accident
- The manager of a group is a competitor
- The manager had a bad day and decided to 'cull' some members to make themselves feel better!!
Quite often the reason someone gets banned from a group is because they continually post links to articles, this is very annoying for most group managers who have set up their group to be a discussion forum and links without commentary to stimulate debate just clog up the discussion timeline and are considered spam by many managers. This problem however has largely been created by LinkedIn themselves with their 'Share on LinkedIn' buttons that appear in most internet articles, these buttons allow the reader to 'share' the article to multiple groups and this is often the cause of the problem.
Innocent group members are suddenly finding they are effectively subject to some gagging order in all of their groups, if they are a member of many groups it can even take them some time to figure out which group they have been deleted from!
To make the situation worse, it is not easy to get yourself 'de-SWAMed' LinkedIn customer services want nothing to do with it and advise contacting every group manager individually and 'pleading your case' to get the moderation lifted. The problem is that the group manager may well believe that there is 'no smoke without fire' and decide to ignore your appeal (this seems to be the most common response).
Interestingly some of the most vocal opponents of SWAM are the group managers themselves! The result of SWAM to decent, credible group managers is an increased workload (significant increases in moderation) and more hassle from disgruntled members asking them to lift their moderation status.
It seems that no-one is happy.
So what do LinkedIn have to say about it?
So far there has been a wall of silence from LinkedIn on this matter, despite the deafening volume of protest.
So come on LinkedIn, its time to eat some humble pie and accept this was a well-meaning but ill-judged action.
Nobody is suggesting we should just accept spam and everyone wants to find a solution but SWAM is clearly a very blunt edged sword that is doing far more harm than good.
In the meantime I would suggest everyone is extra careful with their behaviour in groups….oh and steer well clear of groups managed by your competitors!
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Listen to free music played by Paul
Blip.fm is internet radio made social. It's easy to search for, play, and discover free music recommended by real people. Join today to create your own free station and start listening to @Paul.
Paul Losing my Mind. Sondheim.
Pet Shop Boys – Losing my Mind| play
Paul Brahms - Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2
Paul I love Dar Williams' voice.
Dar Williams – When I Was A Boy| play
Paul All the Metropolitan opera Telecasts in 7:40!!!
Paul I love Cecilia Bartoli! Amazing techique!
Paul Dontcha just love old radio programs? AND Deanna Durbin!
JACK BENNY - 1943-05-30 - Deanna Durbin| play
Paul And something to stay awake by...
Paul Something to dream by. Nighty-night! *smooch*
Etta James – At Last| play
Paul Didn't Billy Joel use this theme in a song in the '70's??? Am I remembering this right, or am I just off the mark here?
Ludwig van Beethoven – Pathetique Movement| play
Paul Home from a LONG theatre board meeting. in for the night
Edward Higginbottom; Choir Of New College Oxford – Rachmaninov: Vespers Op. 37/6 - Ave Maria| play
Paul Baking curry tofu. *happy*
Lionheart – O regem coeli, motet for 4 voices| play
Paul @BlondeByDesign: of course I KNOW why you love that some. It's perfect!
Rosemary Clooney - As Time Goes By| play
Paul Another favorite... :-)
02 Annie Lennox – Why| play
Paul Trying NOT to have a nap in this recliner. It may not be working....
Leo Delibes – Flower Duet - Lakme| play
Paul Not big on tenors - but Placido Domingo is incredible!
Domingo – Puccini, Turandot, Nessun Dorma| play
Paul What would an afternoon be without a little Deanna Durbin. I mean, really...
Deanna Durbin – When April Sings| play
Paul I lied. I had to hear this one, too. THEN it's off to bed. Srsly...
Paul My favorite Brahms. MUST go to bed after this one...
Johannes Brahms – Intermezzo In A| play
Paul Should be going to bed, but this is fun...