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HARROGATE, Tenn. --- The Lees-McRae College softball team rallied for a 3-1 victory in game one of a doubleheader at Lincoln Memorial University to split the twin-bill with the Railsplitters on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference play.
Lees-McRae (4-1) won the first game by a 3-1 margin in come-from-behind fashion, as Lincoln Memorial (3-1) shut out the Bobcats by a score of 3-0 in the nightcap. Each team collected 10 hits on the day, while LMU tallied five stolen bases on six attempts.
Kierstie Moon (Oxford, Ga.), Lindsey Huntsinger (Asheville, N.C.), and Mercedes Northrop (McDonough, Ga.) paced the Bobcats with two hits each, as Moon and Amanda Leonard (Lincolnton, N.C.) both drove in a run.
Laurel Gregg (Mars Hill, N.C.) made the start in game one and three seven strong innings, earning the win by allowing one run and scattering six hits while striking out nine. Holli Crickenberger (Boydton, Va.) got the nod in game two, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out four in five innings of work. Kristen Oakes (Lenoir, N.C.) tossed a shutout sixth inning in game two with one strikeout.
Amanda Snow, Cierra Mudd, Bridget Eicher, and Kristin Dutton each tallied a pair of hits for the Railsplitters, as Snow clubbed a home run in game one and drove in a run in the nightcap. Sarah Walz also drove in a run for LMU on the afternoon.
Meghan LaFevor made the start in game one, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out eight in seven innings of work. Snow got the nod in the nightcap, tossing a three-hit shutout while recording 15 strikeouts.
Game One: Lees-McRae 3, Lincoln Memorial 1 - Box Score
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, when Lincoln Memorial took a 1-0 lead on Snow's solo shot to deep left center. Lees-McRae answered in the seventh, putting runners on first and second following a bunt single by Northrop. Alison Armstrong (Bellingham, Mass.) then laced a single to right, advancing to second on the throw as the Railsplitters gunned down Oakes at home to maintain the one-run lead.
Leonard followed with a clutch pinch-hit single on a bunt between the pitcher and catcher, beating out the throw to first and allowing Lori Fulmer (Prosperity, S.C.) to score from third to even the score at 1-1. Armstrong then scored on a passed ball to give the Bobcats a 2-1 lead before Moon laced a single through the left side to score Brooke Sheridan (Rosman, N.C.) and push the margin to 3-1.
Gregg sealed the win in the bottom of the frame, retiring the first two batters of the inning before Armstrong threw out Eicher at second attempting the swipe the bag.
Game Two: Lincoln Memorial 3, Lees-McRae 0 - Box Score
The nightcap remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, when Walz singled home LaFevor to give the Railsplitters a 1-0 advantage. Lincoln Memorial added two runs in the fifth, pushing the lead to 3-0 following a leadoff double by Brittani Bezanson, who scored on an ensuing Bobcat error. Snow then laced an RBI single to right field, plating Taylor McGinnis from third to equal the final margin of 3-0.
Lees-McRae returns to the diamond on Saturday when the Bobcats travel to Greeneville, Tenn. to take on Tusculum College in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.


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Various courses may require special permission for registration in CampusConnection. Examples are student initiated courses such as: SpSt 593 Individual Research; SpSt 996 Continuing Enrollment; SpSt 997 Independent Study; SpSt 998 Thesis, and courses requiring missing pre-requisites over-rides.
Please contact Bev Fetter for special permission numbers when registering for these courses. You will be given a student-specific number for successful course registration. Please follow these directions for entering a special permission number while registering in Campus Connection.
- Login to CampusConnection
- Click on "Student Center"
- Click on "Enroll"
- If you are eligible to register, a link will appear for that semester
- Select the term and click "Continue"
- Enter the class number in the box and select "Enter" next to it
- To the right, your chosen class with (class number) is listed as a hyperlink
- Click on "Hyperlink"
- The class has its own registry information page and the permission box number is located on the right side of the page; just below the waiting list checkbox
- Enter the permission number in the box
- Click on; "Next"
- Click on; "Proceed to step Two"
- Confirm class by Clicking on "finish enrolling"
- View Results page should have class listed as successfully enrolled, if not try to repeat process again.

subset: commoncrawl


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How Do I Learn Nail Art If No One Is Available to Teach Me?
Do I have to have a website in addition to my Facebook page?
As an independent contractor, do I have to stay in the salon for five to six hours when there are no walk-ins or appointments?
C'mon Get Happy: Do you have any tips or techniques you use to turn around a client's mood?
How do you track your sales and other records throughout the year?
Should I lower my prices to meet other people's standards or am I right to charge more because I give better service?
Is there a business-related New Year's resolution you find yourself making every year?
Reader to Reader: Are you still loyal to the product brands you learned with in nail school?
How do I turn down a nail client with chemical sensitivities?
Reader to Reader: What solutions do you have for handling extremely obese clients respectfully?
What do I do when a husband and wife want to switch appointments?
How do I get started servicing senior communities?
Reader to Reader: Have you ever turned a client away due to signs of a nail infection?
Reader to Reader: Was your family supportive of your decision to go into the beauty industry?
Should I include testimonial pages on my website?
Reader to Reader: Do you give preference to stocking your salon's retail boutique with items that are made in the U.S.A.?
I was thinking about converting from booth rental to commission. What do I need to know?
Reader to Reader: If you could go back in time five years and speak to your former self, what piece of business advice would you give her?
What recourse do I have when a customer promises to pay the next day but doesn't?
Is it appropriate to inform my clients that I am going to a new spa to work?
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Michael Schenker will be rockin' the Grove of Anaheim Mar. 25 performing a 2 ½ hour set of his most popular music with original singers, Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, and Robin McAuley (MSG) as well as Doogie White (Temple of Rock). The tour is billed as Michael Schenker Fest and will also feature music from the recently released Resurrection.
"We are going to be here performing with all of these album lineups and with Chris Glen and Ted McKenna who were the rhythm section for Assault Attack when Graham Bonnet was singing," Schenker explained. "Then we have Steve Mann (guitar) who is connected with the McAuley Schenker era part of the past. He actually wrote "Anytime" with Robin McAuley.
"It's going to be a well-balanced show with classics and new stuff and instrumentals. And also, it has been 40 years since I recorded Strangers In the Night with UFO so who knows, maybe, Phil Mogg shows up sometimes and sings a couple of UFO songs."
Getting everyone together and available at the same time could be potentially challenging but, fortunately, as Schenker mused, "It seems to be synchronized with the universe. It's something that needs to happen and it's happening."
He went on to explain his approach, "I wanted to combine all my energies that I have put into different lineups. Some bands have stayed together for 40 years and put all their energies into one lineup, I went all over the place. There were certain circumstances of not being able to put people on retainer so when it was time for me to make a record, sometimes I had to move to new singers, new musicians, etc. etc.
"I'm in celebration mode. The new album is called Resurrection which means we are all back and we are celebrating all together the past and the current. It's great for the fans to see everything on one stage.
"In 1978 when I was 23 years old, by doing Strangers In the Night, I had experienced fame and success to its fullest and I was able to make a decision after I helped the Scorpions with the Lovedrive album to open the doors for America. Did I want to stay up there, or did I want to start the second chapter of my life and start experimenting with music and focus on life, get things out of my system? And that's what I did and those were the most rewarding years in my life and they made me ready for the third stage of my life, which is now, showing up, eventually with all original singers, is fantastic."
Resurrection is poised to be another Michael Schenker classic album with songs such as "Night Moods," "Warrior," and "The Girl With the Stars In Her Eyes" to name a few.
"The song "The Girl with the Stars in Her Eyes" is a fantastic riff it's very suitable for Doogie to sing and it's one of my favorites, too," Schenker said. "And "Night Moods" – Michael Voss did an excellent job in writing the lyrics – and the melody for Glen. Graham's voice on that song, especially the ad libs at the end of that song, it's remarkable, it's fantastic."
Initially, the making of the record was thought to be a two-year project, with label Nuclear Blast advising them to "take their time". However, Schenker had other ideas with the upcoming tour on the schedule, preferring the album finished and released before they hit the road.
"We decided to start in May and finish in November" Schenker recalled. "Michael Voss (producer) and I immediately started working so I don't even think we had phoned Graham or anybody that they didn't have all the time in the world. But Doogie was so fast he started to select five songs, but it was three songs each singer!"
Preferring to create music without outside influences, Schenker doesn't listen to or copy other music or guitar, going for pure self-expression.
"I am the architect of the music, I have a vision, I know exactly what I want, and I want it as pure as possible," Schenker explained. "So, I kind of put all the music down in guides – keyboard guides, the bass – so the people know what I'm trying to achieve and where the journey goes.
"The main thing that comes from the other musicians is their personality. Their personal touch, the way Ted grooves, the way Ted does his drum fill, the solidness and the sound of Chris Glen and the bass and everybody puts their touches in and they make the final thing.
"Then of course the singers, as many as possible, do their own lyrics and their own melodies and of course Michael Voss was the perfect guy for the job as the co-producer because he's an 80s fan and he understands each member in the band so it's very, very enjoyable and easy to work with and make it successful."
Don't miss this exciting and unique performance of classic Michael Schenker songs, instrumentals, and songs from the new album Resurrection, with the original singers.


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by Erik Weasenforth, Marketing Associate VISTA
Today I got the opportunity to visit Stepping Stone 1 in north Austin to see Theatre Action Project's own, Freddy Carnes, put on a Shakespearean show as part of his World Tales and Tunes. He started off with warm-ups, telling the students to repeat dialogue from Shakespeare's play, Hamlet,while doing actions and striking poses. Then he played his guitar and sang songs. Everything he did, the kids repeated with excitement, laughter, and enthusiasm.
Following the warm-ups, Freddy chose some of the students for roles in performing Hamlet, complete with costumes. Freddy narrated for them so they knew what lines to say. It was very entertaining to watch them having so much fun while learning.
Following their performance of Hamlet, Freddy engaged the students in a conversation about a few of the themes from Hamlet, including marriage. He asked them "Why do people get married?" and explained to them the right reason: Love. This led them to the story of true love, Romeo and Juliet, which they got to perform.


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Manchester United and Sunderland mustered up a drab and uninspiring 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
Juan Mata put Louis van Gaal's men 1-0 up against the run of play mid-way through the first half, but former Man City midfielder Jack Rodwell pegged the visitors back with a bullet header 10 minutes later.
And that's pretty much how it stayed for the rest of the game. United were painfully average, while Sunderland's dogged display perhaps deserved all three points in the end.
But here's FIVE talking points from the game…
It was a goal that was so typically United. They were on the back foot and by far second best against Sunderland up to that point.
So it wasn't surprising to see them take the lead through Juan Mata's tap in from two yards. It was against the run of play and undeserved…
Well we didn't deserve that but I'll take it #MUFC
— Nick (@Nicarella13) August 24, 2014
Madness! All over them 😛 #safc
— Mikey Crisp (@MikeyCrisp) August 24, 2014
Wow that was against the run of play #MUFC
— Alex Dodd (@alex_dodd) August 24, 2014
Feel sorry for #SAFC Goal came totally against the run of play. #MUFC
— Karl Merriman (@KMacDiddyWizzy) August 24, 2014
Jack Rodwell was bound to score his first goal for 15 months and for Sunderland against Man United.
The former Man City player put his Etihad nightmare behind him by permanently switching to the Black Cats this summer and what better way to reward your new and former employers by scoring against United…
— FlamesYall (@FlamesYall) August 24, 2014
It was all but coming! Rodwell equalises. #SAFC 1-1 #MUFC #SUNMUN
— Yahya Zuhair (@YahyaZuhair) August 24, 2014
Jack Rodwell has been a work horse
— Michael Rocha (@mikerocha4) August 24, 2014
The youngster looked well above his years, particularly in the first half, and was one of few impressive performers for United on the day. It's no secret that United are desperate to strengthen at the back before the window shuts in 10 days time, but Blackett will have done his chances of regular football the world of good with his display today.
Tyler Blackett keeps giving a good account of himself.
— jackson uduak (@jacksonspecial) August 24, 2014
Blackett has been our only decent defender
— Niall Kelly (@nwk7991) August 24, 2014
Blackett looks the most confident and composed United player.
— King Schlsey (@Neeyee007) August 24, 2014
Nerves look to be getting the better of Tyler Blackett. He's completed just 71% of his passes so far. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/KgoMLlMwaB
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 24, 2014
Was it a dive? Or was it a penalty? We've seen them given, but Ashley Young's reputation is a diver obviously counted against him when he went down in Sunderland's area in the second half. And, as expected, he was abused for his actions on Twitter…
Ladies and gents I give you Ashely young https://t.co/z28uEBievm #MUFC #ManUtd #diving #cheat
— Poldi's left peg (@Johnny_G86) August 24, 2014
Ashley Young is a disgrace to our club when he dives like that. #MUFC
— Jack Boorman (@UnitedHeaven_) August 24, 2014
Great form on that dive from Ashley Young. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/BhZYgX6TWH
— KICKTV (@KICKTV) August 24, 2014
The only thing Ashley Young used to be good at was Diving & getting away with it. He can't even do that any more #Mufc
— Man United Updates. (@United__Updates) August 24, 2014
Any more of that and Ashley Young might get himself a reputation for diving.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) August 24, 2014
Man United weren't exactly at their best, but Sunderland's performance was worthy of a positive result. Had they managed to get a winner then United would've deserved to leave the Stadium of Light without a point.
Gus Poyet has got the Black Cats playing nice football and they're clearly a much more organised outfit than they were last season.
If they can keep that level of performances up then they could be looking at a top ten finish this season…
#SAFC is playing well. Keep it up #BPL
— I_am_Legend (@DiRealLauren) August 24, 2014
Before the match I would've been pleased with a draw. Now I'd be disappointed. #SAFC are playing well enough to win. #SAFCvMUFC #SUNMUN
— Avery Cockburn (@AveryCockburn) August 24, 2014
#SAFC are a decent side; have self belief and a good work ethic. Few decent signings and they can have a very good season.
— Karl Merriman (@KMacDiddyWizzy) August 24, 2014


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One of our workers, Samantha, created a tiny clay model of our Multi Colored Castle Jumper! Her talent with art and clay is amazing! Her sister, Meagan, photographed the artist with her sculpture. Check out the post to see pictures of the tiny clay jumpy castle.
My sister is such a talented artist! She recently started creating things out of clay. My parents own an inflatable company, so my dad asked her to make a tiny jumpy castle. It is amazing! It's the perfect clay bounce house for Affordable Moonwalk Rentals.


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A former Northampton College student has vowed to use her surprise X Factor elimination as motivation to have a successful career in the music industry.
Natalie Kassanga is a member of the girl group Alien Uncovered who were voted off the ITV show on Sunday night despite earning praise from the judges for their performance the previous evening.
The 18-year-old, who recently completed a musical theatre course at the college, said the X Factor disappointment would spur her on to keep working hard in her search for fame.
She said: "It was a bit of a shock. It may have been that people thought we were safe so didn't end up voting for us. The comments we got on Saturday were incredible so to then be told we're going home the next day was tough to take.
"We'll be carrying on though. This isn't the end, it's definitely just the beginning. This door may have closed but it's up to us to make another one open and we'll be back in the studio straight away working hard. We've had a taste of it and we want more."
Natalie said working with her mentor, Cheryl Fernandez Versini, had been "incredible" and praised the Girls Aloud star for playing a key role in the band's development.
She added: "Cheryl was fantastic, at times you forgot who she was, she was just one of the girls. She enjoyed talking to us and sharing advice with us and we had even started planning our song for the second week, which would have had a bit of a Beyonce vibe going on. We're gutted we won't get the chance to perform it live on the X Factor.
"Performing on the show was incredible. The moment we went on stage the adrenaline flowing through your body is amazing, it's an unbelievable feeling. All of us were absolutely buzzing and we were delighted with how we performed. We stayed true to ourselves and we couldn't have done any more.
"It wasn't meant to be for us this year but we have already had lots of work come in and we're looking forward to getting out and performing for our fans."
Natalie said she was now backing Reggie and Bollie to go far in the competition but also thought Che Chesterman and Louisa Johnson would be strong contenders.
Natalie urged fellow aspiring singers on music courses at Northampton College to keep working hard and added: "If you want something badly enough, it will happen. You've just got to keep going and keep believing in yourself."


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Ecommerce Website Usability Testing
To increase traffic to your website is of course a major part of an online marketing strategy but don't overlook the importance of what your visitors might be experiencing when they get there. Afterall, high volumes of traffic are useless to you if these visitors are not converting. There can be many factors to consider when looking at low or falling conversion rates.
Little glitches or errors will frustrate the user and more than likely turn them away; like a search function that doesn't work properly or a slow loading page. Worse still, a shopping cart that fails to add the products or forms that have errors.
There is one particular tool that you may find very helpful for looking at how your visitors are interacting with your site and in particular handling your forms. Have a look at www.clicktale.com
Broken Links between pages or image links that go to the wrong place will not inspire confidence in the potential customer.
Poor Quality images of products will not show them to their best advantage or entice people to buy.
These are just some of the reasons visitors may exit your site and seek out your competititor. It is important to have your usability testing done by someone who is not already familiar with the site as they will pick up navigation issues for example. A new user will really tell you how intuative or easy it is to buy from your site.
Remember too that webusers can be fickle and unforgiving as they scan for the results they want. They also have increasingly high expectations making them harder to satisfy with sub standard websites. Don't make them search too hard or make them fill endless forms or they will quickly lose interest.Website usability testing finds out how much time users might take to search for a particular product or item on your site; what are the difficulties faced by them while conducting the search; do they face any problems related to your website design and features, such as navigating from one web page to the other, opening up links, downloading images or content, and the like.
In a nutshell, website usability testing is an approach to calculate the ease-of-use quotient of your site. Here at SIM we have perfected a system of usability testing that has been invaluable to our clients. Give us your target audience demographic and we can arrange for comprehensive testing of your site with a full report.
Based on the website usability testing analysis, you can then apply the changes and correct glitches and errors in the knowledge that you will be improving your customer's experience.


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Zero Punctuation: Nier
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Interesting that Ben likes to sometimes do a jRPG once in a while. I have no idea what Nier is still either.
FYI, that boss wasn't just ripped from Zelda. Go all the way back to Kirby Superstar for the SNES....one of the 8-in-1 games in it was called "The Great Cave Offensive" which also had a very similar boss.
They recently updated the graphics and released it for the DS.
If he hadn't mentioned it on Twitter, the review earlier this week had me thinking we'd be seeing Nier in ZP this week. It's standard ZP fare, i.e. very good and funny, especially the name Yahtzee assigns to Nier when he gets the opportunity.
What is this 'Illbleed' of which he speaks?
Yay puns. I have a feeling by the time i get and finish this game, all my near's will be spelled nier. Its like tf2 made me spell sandwich as sandvich for months. Made my English teacher mad.
What about Just Cause 2. They had as much to do with that than they did Nier (Nier was deved by Cavia).
EDIT: Maybe you could get MW2 since Square published that in Japan.
I enjoyed this, and hope very much FUN SPACE GAME: THE GAME incorporates a small Zork-eque quest. There's not enough wit and good writing in games, and desperately arguing with a computer to try and get it to work (perhaps as a parody of HAL9000?) is something I think would be well received.
Plus the idea of a bunch of txtspking kidz trying to communic8 wiv a computer thats OMG liek absolute Grammar Nazi sounds like sadistic fun (my favourite kind!).
Hehe John Major. Take that America! You have no idea what that joke was about and proabaly never will.
I hadn't heard of near either. Don't think that I'd like it but the review was fun, especially the last part.
The original is actually the one we got (Nier: Gestalt on the Japanese 360). The one you displayed is from Nier: Replicant (a Japan only PS3 release) which was created to suit Japanese tastes.
I mean, not saying it's bad or anything I don't have an opinion except I'm just not interested
oh well, I heard the new Dead to Rights game was miserably bad sooo bleh
Square only published Nier. It was developed by Cavia.
I see. My apologies for the mix-up. It's still a rather odd design decision, regardless.
Hm. I didn't expect him to review this.
Still, I was planning to buy it anyway and the fact that Yahtzee even remotely liked it is good enough to guarantee my purchase.
Win. :]
This was NIERLY the worst zero punctuation ever. Raspy voice, redundant comments...
I'm surprised Ben never heard of Nier.
On the other hand though, his review quality IMO is going up again, compared to some rather recent older times, if that makes any sense...
Its adblock dude
I hadn't heard of it either, but my thoughts of "wonder what it is and if it's any good" died the instant you said "Square Enix".
And from the sounds of things, I should just keep playing 3D Dot Game Heroes, a Zelda ripoff/homage/whatever you wish to call it that's actually good.
No one you knew had heard of this game? Dont you know any gamers then?
Seemed pretty decent to me. Well done Yahtzee. :)
Nier may have potential. But I fear that being dragged out of the action after every level just to water a melon crop will just get on my tits. Or get me hopelessly addicted to Farmville again D:
Having said that, I'm impressed that theres enough character spaces to rename "Nier" as "Twattycakes" :D
I was just about to point that out.
Note to Yahtzee: When you deliver your obligatory "All Zelda Games Are Alike" snark, Majora's Mask is the LAST game you want to cite as an example.
I didn't think yathzee would review this game. Perhaps this is his real attempt to beat down his track record of just hating jrpgs cause this review sounded pretty fair. Hmm maybe when the game breaks down to 20 bucks I'll probably buy it.
Haha... Boosh!
That was the highlight of the episode.
aaah yes marketing gone wrong again! now please marketeers who make up names: always google your stuff!
Is one also slipped under my radar.
But from sounds of it for good reason.
Might rent it, but otherwise great review!
Man, I sure hope he never starts to review a Harvest Moon game . =D
he cussed a lot in this vid.....laughed me head off abt it
Actually, funnily enough, in Nier Replicant (aka: The primary Japanese version), Nier is a Teenaged boy trying ot save his little sister.
That's the only change. They just swapped out Adult-Father Nier for teenaged-brother Nier.
Probably. Considering what I just posted, you can tell that I did, too.
Seriously, Yahtzee. I posted that just yesterday. Yesterday. About a game that almost no one has heard of, and before this video has only been mentioned twice in the entire Escapist. Are you trying to screw around with my head‽
At least you can tell the main hero IS a man...
Regardless I would only pick this one up if I played a demo first and it was cheap. Why? Well mostly because of the former statement. It has the weird art style but no cliche she-boys clogging up the story.
Hah, I heard about a game before Yahtzee!
Funny thing is, I mentioned the looping soundtrack yesterday in another thread about Nier. It was the only thing that really annoyed me in the game.
All Hails to our Pungeon-Master Y.C. for another great review of another not that great product of nogramming
"Zelda is only one game with about 50 different dresses."
Really, I would say it's 2 games with about 25 different dresses each, 1 game with two terrible CD-i dresses, and Zelda 2.
|Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 NEXT


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Property Location
With a stay at Bacon Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Seattle (Capitol Hill), you'll be convenient to Seattle Asian Art Museum and Space Needle. This bed & breakfast is within close proximity of Volunteer Park Water Tower and Volunteer Park Conservatory.
Treat yourself to a stay in one of the 11 guestrooms, featuring fireplaces. Cable television is provided for your entertainment. Conveniences include phones, as well as complimentary newspapers and microwaves.
Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities
Take in the views from a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless Internet access and a fireplace in the lobby.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include luggage storage and a library. Free self parking is available onsite.
Are you affiliated with Bacon Mansion? Apply to the Hotel WiFi Connect program to take control of your account, improve your hotel's confidence score and ranking.
© 2013-2016 Hotel WiFi Test Inc.


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MAHLE Clevite Inc. Expands Online Offering of Victor Reinz® Gasket Data Utilizing OptiCat
Ann Arbor, Michigan, June 28, 2012 – MAHLE Clevite Inc. recently expanded the Victor Reinz® online product offering in conjunction with the implementation of a new data distribution method. The distribution system utilizes technology provided by OptiCat.
While Victor Reinz gaskets have always been available for applications dating back to 1942, only applications from 1990 and newer were available electronically. The increase includes over 9,000 unique part numbers for applications from 1942 to 2013, over 75,000 vehicle engine combinations and coverage for over 211 million vehicles registered in the United States, and can be viewed in Launchpad™.
Launchpad, a portal of electronic catalogs, allows a convenient way to search, view and/or purchase parts within one user experience by entering the model or OE number, and features an "Add to Cart" ordering function tied directly to customer accounts. Users do not have to be logged in to search for an application, but if logged in they can easily add parts from any electronic catalog to the eCommerce ordering tool, MAHLECleviteOrder.com.
In conjunction with the expanded gasket product offering, MAHLE Clevite has implemented a new data distribution service. Utilizing the OptiCat industry data repository, this distribution system allows for the delivery of critical data to one centralized location and in one format. OptiCat is a free service that can be activated in less than 15 minutes. All data is first validated and is delivered directly to subscribers in the ACES format – the industry standard for the management and exchange of automotive catalog and vehicle data. Once registered, users can subscribe to ACES Victor Reinz.
"Thanks to the hard work of the gasket product team and data management team, not only have we implemented an additional method to deliver accurate information in a timely fashion, but our electronic gasket offering now covers vehicle model years from 1942 to present," said Duane Bethke, Team Coordinator II – Gaskets, MAHLE Clevite Inc. "The expansion shows our commitment to providing customers the tools they need to succeed both electronically and in our full line of products."
To access the expanded gasket coverage in Launchpad, visit http://catalog.mahle-aftermarket.com.
For additional information and to register for OptiCat, visit www.opticat.net.
About MAHLE
The MAHLE Group is one of the top 30 automotive suppliers and the globally leading manufacturer of components and systems for the internal combustion engine and its peripherals. Around 49,000 employees work at over 100 production plants and eight research and development centers. In 2011, MAHLE achieved sales of around EUR 6 billion (USD 8.3 billion).
For further information:
MAHLE Clevite Inc.
Duane Bethke
Team Coordinator II - Gaskets
1240 Eisenhower Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone: +734/975-7963
Fax: +734/975-7825
Michele Brown
Harris, Baio & McCullough
(215) 440-9800
Download PDF [PDF; 121 KB]


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Latest News
Arison relinquishing role as Carnival CEO
After 34 years at the helm of the cruise company founded by his father, Micky Arison is stepping down as CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.
Arnold W. Donald, a 12-year board member who has held leadership roles at Monsanto Company and Merisant, a producer of sweeteners, was named CEO at Arison's suggestion. He starts July 3. Second-in-command Howard Frank, the vice chair and chief operating officer, will remain in his job.
"The reality is this has been my whole life for virtually my entire adult life," said Arison, who will remain the company's chairman. "I viewed it as a 24-7 job with a global business where things are happening at all hours of the day or night."
And while plenty has happened during the last couple years under his watch — a deadly shipwreck, disabling fire, a series of technical glitches — the limelight-averse Arison has drawn criticism for making more public appearances at basketball games than cruise line crises.
The announcement came Tuesday morning as Carnival prepared to discuss second-quarter earnings — and the day after the Miami Heat, which Arison owns, celebrated back-to-back NBA championship wins with a parade in Miami. Making the week even more momentous, Arison will turn 64 on Saturday.
Despite a slight drop in revenues, from $3.54 billion to $3.48 billion, the company that owns 10 cruise brands around the world reported a $41 million profit, up from $14 million during the same time last year. Bookings for the rest of 2013 are slower than a year ago with lower prices, executives said, due largely to weakness in the Carnival Cruise Lines brand.
Headlines Tuesday suggested Arison, had been "thrown overboard," but he said the decision to split the chairman and CEO roles had been years in the making — and was, if anything, delayed by the recent spate of cruise incidents. In the U.K, where the company is also listed, the standard model for corporate governance is to split the two roles, and U.K. shareholders have been pushing for the change.
The model has also been gaining popularity in the U.S. and Canada, said Luis Navas, vice chair of Global Governance Advisors, a consulting firm based in Miami.
"The view of governance groups is how can the CEO be truly independent and balanced in terms of meeting shareholders' needs if he or she also is chairman of the board," he said, adding that joint roles are usually accepted in situations where a founder or family member fills both positions.
Donald, 58, a St. Louis resident who said he plans to keep his home there, said the board did not force Arison out.
"There has never ever been any crisis of confidence, lack of confidence, anything like that in Micky's leadership," he said in an interview Tuesday.
The move comes in the midst of major changes at the world's largest cruise ship company, which has been in damage control mode on and off since the January 2012 shipwreck of the Costa Concordia. This year, the disabling fire aboard the Carnival Triumph has taken a major toll on the company's earnings, and Carnival revealed during an earnings call Tuesday that advisors have said the brand's image might not recover for as many as three years.
"This could be a little bit of fallout from just the fact that he's caught a lot of heat and wants somebody to be the face of the business," said Jaime Katz, equity analyst for Morningstar in Chicago. "There was all this publicity about how he didn't show up for any of the incidentsmaybe he just realized that's not really what he wants to do."
Arison has preferred to stay behind the scenes and let the heads of individual brands handle issues publicly. Donald said he believes that fundamental approach is generally sound.
"There will be times when there needs to be the corporate face, and I'm well prepared to do that, but frankly, I think our brands are very strong unto themselves and I don't see much deviation," he said.
Arison's father, Ted, founded the company in 1972. Micky Arison started working at Carnival Cruise Lines in sales, and then became reservations manager in 1974. By 1979, he was president of the company. He oversaw the shift from family-owned shop to publicly traded company, and steered the ship through acquisitions of cruise lines including Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Seabourn and Costa Cruises. Carnival cemented its place as world's largest cruise ship company in 2003 by merging with P&O Princess Cruises.
"I've been doing this for 34 years," Arison said Tuesday. "Maybe 34 is enough."
All the while, the Arison name has been synonymous with Carnival — which made Tuesday's announcement all the more surprising to some.
"It's a shock to people within the industry because it's like Carnival Corp. and Micky Arison are one," said Mike Driscoll, editor of the weekly trade publication Cruise Week. "It's like Santa Claus and presents at Christmas."
But Driscoll and other observers questioned how distant Arison would be from the company in his new role. "He's chairman of the board," he said. "He will be very, very active and powerful."
Katz said that with Arison still a major shareholder in the company — members of the Arison family beneficially owned about 27 percent of the company's voting power as of January — she expects that he will still have a serious interest in making sure it stays profitable. Arison is the highest-ranking South Floridian on Forbes' 2013 list of the world's wealthiest, with a reported net worth of $5.7 billion.
"At first glance, to me it would seem like it would be very much business as usual, especially if Micky has his feet in the water over there," Katz said.
For his part, Arison said he plans to be less involved in day-to-day activities. During a conference call with analysts, he said he will continue to work in areas including new ship building, but will mostly do "whatever Arnold needs" him to do.
"I'm going to be looking to Arnold to run the day-to-day corporate operation, and I may even take a couple of golf lessons," he said during the call.
The choice of Donald, who has not been CEO of a for-profit company since he stepped down from that position at Merisant in 2003 but has served on several executive boards, came as a surprise to observers. Arison said the company did not conduct an external search.
Navas, the governance consultant, said the choice of a board member — especially one who did not plan to relocate — was unusual.
"What the message sends here is that there may not be anybody internally that they feel is qualified to be CEO and/or that they need time," he said. "There's just so many unknowns."
Donald said that although he lives in St. Louis, he will go wherever needed for as long as necessary.
"I'm going to spend every second I need to, wherever I need to be," he said. "We'll see over time."
He said he's confident he will have the autonomy and independence to run the company as he sees fit, but said he is "comforted" that Arison is willing to help at any time. Donald said he doesn't anticipate more major changes within the company, but said there are plans to add some positions.
"There is a high level of confidence in the current leadership team at the various levels of the organization," he said. "There's no pending, pressing need to make dramatic changes or anything like that."
For Arison, having more time to fill will be a major change in itself. He joked that his other passion, the Miami Heat, might take up more of his time — much to the dismay of the team's CEO, Arison's son Nick.
"My son is nervous as hell that I'll be bothering him at the Heat more," Arison laughed.


text:
This is a newly renovated mid 1800s New England farmhouse.
It is a mere 5 min. drive/20 min. bike ride to the local beach, which offers a great kayak launch, beautiful walk, or sunbathing/ swimming; and Lamoine State Park, which offers picnic areas, boat access, and pier fishing.
The property is a scenic 15 min. drive from Mount Desert Island and a 25 min. drive from Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
The farm house is located in a quiet neighborhood that gives you the old New England charm of quiet days and easy growing up.
It's also just a 10 min. drive from Ellsworth which offers boutique shopping amid its old New England brick buildings, grocery shopping, and rainy day entertainment.
The Downeast area is still a great antiquing destination.
With tons of antique shops, yard sales, and country estate sales, the bargain hunter is sure to make a find.
Keywords: farmhouse


text:
How to Change Your Macbook Teacher Account Password
This year Teacher Accounts have been given Administrator Rights, which means be very careful with updates and never update your firmware. If you run updates, it may lock up your machine and you could lose everything especially if you have an MLTI macbook. If you have questions about updates, please email the Help Desk.
1. Double click on the Teacher icon.
2. Enter the starter password.
3. Go to System Preferences by clicking on the
4. Your screen should then look like this.
5 Click on the
6. Click on
7. In the accounts section click on Change Password.
8. It will look like this.
9. Enter your starter password as the old password. Then enter your new password under New Password: and again under Verify: In Password Hint you may enter anything that will help you remember your computer's password.
10. If you are having difficulty changing your Teacher Password, please email the Help Desk and we will assist.


text:
32-bit Ubuntu users: You can read this for some general info, but for installation of Flash use this guide instead.
While Flash support on Linux distros used to be a nightmare, most people these days rarely need to bother fiddling with it. In fact, installing Flash support on 32-bit i386 systems it can be even easier than doing the same in Windows. But 64-bit users often find it is one big mess, and this has nothing to do with Ubuntu, as Adobe has only ever released a 32-bit version, as incredible as that may seem.
At the time of writing, there is the first alpha 64-bit version available, so things are looking up. While you could be forgiven for not trusting a product that isn't even at its first beta level yet, from what I have seen it is stable, and should be the answer you are looking for. While this might not be the solution to help everyone, hopefully it is the answer to your Flash woes.
What you first need to do is go into Synaptic and completely remove the package flashplugin-installer, or do so with the following command in a terminal (if you never installed it, obviously you can skip this step):
sudo apt-get purge flashplugin-installer
If you suspect you may have installed some open source Flash plugins, open Synaptic and enter "flash" in the Quick search bar. I personally removed the popular gnash just to be safe (since it and the Adobe one always fought for supremacy, though that was never the problem, considering I installed Gnash after the Adobe product failed me). You can leave swfdec-gnome if that is installed, as that handles things like giving thumbnail previews for .swf files in Nautilus, etc, and doesn't appear to cause any conflicts.
You can always try just skipping all that and seeing if the 32- and 64-bit versions happily co-exist, but since the 32-bit one is failing you anyway, you may as well uninstall it and save any potential headaches.
Next, we need to add the Adobe Flash repository to the APT sources, update the sources list, then download and install the 64-bit plugin. This is easily done by pasting the following into a terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sevenmachines/flash && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install flashplugin64-installer
Note that if you get an error, most likely because during the sources update it failed to fetch some info, this install will fail (since it won't actually get to the last command and download and install anything). However, if you open Synaptic and search for "flash", you will see there is now flashplugin64-installer included in the list of found packages, and is then easily installed (though you could always just run sudo apt-get install flashplugin64-installer in a terminal).
If you prefer, you can run each of the three commands separately:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sevenmachines/flash
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install flashplugin64-installer
That way if the update fails, you can run it again and then run the last command when ready.
After that, you should have Flash support in Firefox and other web browsers, and you shouldn't even need to reboot (though if you didn't already exit Firefox before installing Flash, restart the program now, and you should be able to watch Flash vids).
If you want to make sure the plugin is installed properly (without viewing a Flash clip, which is obviously the best way to get this info), just enter about:plugins in the Firefox address bar and hit Enter. You should see the Flash section right near the top.
Did this information make your day? Did it rescue you from hours of headache? Then please consider making a donation via PayPal, to buy me a donut, beer, or some fish'n'chips for my time and effort! Many thanks!


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ISC offers security products targeted at the protection of sensitive data at-rest or in-transit,
as well as tools that facilitate certificate life-cycle management and PKI deployment in an
enterprise setting. ISC also offers libraries that aid in the development of security-enabled
applications. For more information, click one of the tabs below.
- Data-at-Rest
- Data-in-Transit
- Dev. Tools
- Export
Strong Protection for Sensitive Data-at-Rest
ISC's premiere file encryption utility. Provides file and e-mail confidentiality as
well as sender and message authentication. For Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac OS X, and
all popular UNIX platforms.
SecretAgent product information (GUI and API tools)
SA/TE transparent encryption (plug-in extension)
SecretAgent command line interface (SA6CLI)
DAS (cryptographic services for communities of interest)
Certificate Explorer (client-side certificate management and PKI services)
Bagala Editor (centralized management of security policies; formerly named PolicyAgent)
The perfect tool to secure data on your local PC or notebook. Creates sharable,
AES-encrypted, virtual drives on your local hard disk or on a remote server. Also allows
you to secure and distribute sensitive data stored on all types of removable media,
including CDs, DVDs, zip disks, SD and compact flash cards, and memory sticks. Currently
available for Windows only.
SpyProof! Product Information
Administering Security Policies (Bagala Editor, formerly name PolicyAgent)
Strong Protection for Sensitive Data-in-Transit (and Data-at-Rest)
ISC's premiere file encryption utility. Provides file and e-mail confidentiality as
well as sender and message authentication. For Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac OS X, and
all popular UNIX platforms.
SecretAgent product information (GUI and API tools)
SecretAgent command line interface (SA6CLI)
Certificate Explorer (client-side certificate management and PKI services)
PolicyAgent (centralized management of security policies)
A Java servlet that performs cryptographic operations on behalf of authorized users. DAS may be used for secure collaboration within a community of interest with a dynamic membership roster. It also enables role-based signing and other private key operations. When used with the CSPid virtual smartcard, it can be accessed from within any security-enabled application on any platform.DAS product information
Credential Management and PKI Support
Acala is a software HSM emulator that acts as a universal key store as well as a
cryptographic service provider. It
maintains a central repository for private keys and X.509 certificates, and
provides a secure environment for cryptographic operations.
Authorized applications run on the Acala host access its services via an
industry-standard PKCS#11 API.
Acala support page
ISC's NIAP-validated X.509 certificate authority issues RSA and ECC version 3
certificates and CRLs. CertAgentsupports multiple external LDAP repositories
and clustering for load balancing and high-availability. It allows remote administration
and manual or automatic processing of certificate requests submitted via browser, or
e-mail, or via secure RMI from a remote registration authority. Its HTML/Java RMI-based
technology is easy to customize and maintain. For Windows, Linux, and Solaris.
CertAgent product information
Centralized Credential Management Servlet™ / CCMS™
CCMS is an X.509 registration authority with integrated CMP-based enrollment,
key escrow, and recovery services. It provides separate administrative and end-user web
CCMS architecture diagram
Central Key Generation Library (CKG)®
CKG is a linkable library of routines that can be used to instrument CertAgent
or a third-party X.509 certificate authority. It supports the automation of PKI
enrollment (keypair generation/PKCS#10 submission/certificate retrieval) via CMP, as well as credential
archival activities (with or without private key escrow). Included are methods for
generating RSA keypairs and creating/parsing PKCS#10 certificate requests, PKCS#7/#8/#12
PDUs, certificates, and certificate chains. It can generate and submit enrollment, certificate revocation, and credential recovery requests to a CMP server (e.g., CCMS) via TCP, HTTP, or HTTPS. Critical cryptographic operations may be
performed in software (using ISC's FIPS 140-2 validated CDK) or on an auxiliary HSM (via PKCS#11).
For more details, see the complete API description on the:
CKG support page
Bagala is a web service (based on REST over HTTPS) that allows applications
to freely download (authenticated) data objects, but only grants upload rights to
authorized administrators. Although the initial release is limited to the client-driven
provisioning of proprietary configuration settings for ISC products, the product is
capable of storing arbitrary data indexed by a DN (and attribute name) and therefore
behaves like a generic data store with strong access controls on writes but not on
Bagala product information
Dhuma is an OCSP server designed to deliver optimal performance, high availability, load balancing, and management simplicity. Fully compliant with IETF Standards, Dhuma can be provisioned with CRLs manually, or via HTTP/HTTPS and LDAP/LDAPS. Dhuma periodically polls specified repositories to obtain CRL updates on a customizable schedule; CRLs are stored in a central database that can be accessed by all Dhuma servers in a cluster.
- Dhuma is an easily-managed web application that runs on commodity hardware
- It is highly configurable, providing administrative control over nonce handling, unknown response generation, cache settings, response validity periods, and CRL polling frequency
- Dhuma supports software-based signing credentials as well as HSMs (for improved performance and security)
- It supports clustering for high availability and scalability (i.e., load balancing)
- Dhuma is designed, developed, and supported by ISC staff located in the U.S.
Tara facilitates the automated provisioning of servers (and the applications they host) with PKI credentials and trust chains. Leveraging existing ISC web services (Bagala and CCMS), Tara administrators can centrally manage and deploy server and application credentials as well as common trust anchors throughout an enterprise. Once installed on a host, Tara periodically downloads and installs updated trust stores from a central server. Tara also manages the host's PKI credentials, automatically handling scheduled key rollover events and reconfiguring relying server processes to use updated keying material.
Tara is particularly useful in the automated provisioning of virtual servers as they come online in the cloud. When a new VM host instance is launched, Tara automatically interfaces with Bagala and CCMS to obtain that VM's credentials and trust chains. When the VM is terminated, Tara informs CCMS that the host's credentials are no longer in use.
Tara's flexible plug-in architecture allows admins to deploy management scripts specifically targeted to their particular network and PKI ecosystem. Template scripts for the most popular web service platforms are provided. Tara supports pooled certificates, short-term certificates, and normal certificates with revocation.
Credential Management Utility™ / CMU™
CMU is a scriptable X.509 credential management utility that allows system
administrators to automate many common PKI maintenance tasks that end users often find
very difficult to perform manually. Currently available only for Windows.
CMU product information
An operating system-agnostic virtual smartcard with an integrated, portable
credential store and PKCS#11, Java, and CAPI interfaces that make its keys and
cryptographic operations available to all applications (including CAPI- and
non-CAPI-aware browsers). Its graphical user interface simplifies the PKI experience for
end-users, allowing credentials to be moved effortlessly between workstations and
obviating the need to replicate keys across independent applications. Its command line
interface allows security officers to automate PKI enrollment, key rollover, and
credential backup operations, among other tasks. Providing superior protection for
private keys, it overcomes the password change/reset issues that plague IE and Mozilla.
Optional DAS support provides access to role-based
signing and 'community of interest' decryption services. For Windows, Linux, and
CSPid product information
Application Development Tools
Cryptographic Development Kits (CDKs)
For developers wanting to add security to their mission-critical applications, ISC's
CDK offers FIPS 140-2 validated implementations of today's standard cryptographic
algorithms in the form of linkable libraries. For Windows and all popular UNIX
CDK product information
SecretAgent APIs
Embed fully SecretAgent-compatible, file- or buffer-based cryptographic operations
into your own applications. Provided as a DLL or shared library, SA5API packages are
available for Windows and all popular UNIX platforms.
SecretAgent application programming interface (SA5API)
SecretAgent CLI
This command line executable version of SecretAgent offers nearly all of the features
of the standard GUI-based product plus additional capabilities that are more suitable
for scripting and use by unattended server processes. Supports pipes to perform all
cryptographic operations in memory. Spawning the SA6CLI from within your own application
is typically simpler than linking against a SA6API library. For Windows and all popular
UNIX platforms.
SecretAgent command line interface(SA5CLI)
Export Regulations
ISC products are subject to the export control laws administered by the United States Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS ). Their Export Administration Regulations provide information on a wide variety of export restrictions and must be consulted if you are planning to export our software.
Generally speaking, ISC may freely export its products under License Exception ENC to all but a handful of embargoed countries and denied parties. Specifically,
our products have been assigned the following Licensing Mechanisms:
ENC unrestricted
ENC unrestricted
ENC unrestricted
ENC unrestricted
ENC unrestricted
ENC unrestricted
ENC unrestricted
Entities wishing to export our COTS products, or products incorporating our CDK, are advised to seek their own legal counsel and to consult the BIS Regulations referenced above.
ECCN: Export Control Classification Number assigned by BIS in the Commerce Control List (CCL). This is the fundamental designation indicating the level of control for an item. ISC products fall under one of the following two ECCNs:
- 5D002 - Information Security - Software (encryption using keys larger than 64 bits)
- 5D992 - Information Security - Software (encryption using keys less than or equal to 64 bits in length, or data authentication)
LIC: The license type for all ISC products is "ENC Unrestricted" which indicates that the software is eligible for "ENC" under Sections 740.17(a) and 740.17(b)(3) of the EAR.
CCATS:Commodity Classification Automated Tracking System, the code number assigned by BIS to products that it has classified against the CCL. The CCATS number for each ISC product classified 5D002 is provided because some encryption exports require post-shipment reporting to BIS and this number is a mandatory element of these reports.


text:
Not a lot of updated information to report.
Today the 10 Year Treasury closed up at 0.0930% to 1.8080. Yesterday it closed at 1.72. The 30 year mortgage rate tracks closely to this index.
The Twist has not been implemented yet, just announced. However, there is speculation that the market has already priced this in so we may not see much of a drop at all. Word about this possibility had been floating around for sometime before the announcement.
Today's Rates from Edina Realty Mortgage show no change today.
Today's Mortgage Rates
The current interest rates shown below are based on a purchase of a single-family, primary residence. For current refinance rates, contact us
as of 09/23/2011 12:00 PM Central
Product Interest Rate APR Conforming1 and FHA1 Loans 30-Year Fixed 4.000% 4.181% 30-Year Fixed FHA 3.750% 4.550% 15-Year Fixed 3.000% 3.314% 7-Year ARM 2.750% 3.122% 5-Year ARM FHA 2.750% 2.908% Jumbo1 Loans – Amounts that exceed conforming loan limits1 30-Year Fixed 4.250% 4.392%
1Important Disclosures, Assumptions and APR ›View/Print
Rates Provided by
Yesterday's Twist Update 9/22/2011: http://wp.me/p1JMp1-hB
Related articles
- Mortgage Rates Rise Slightly Heading Into The Weekend (michael-mcdevitt.com)
- Alex Stenback on the Federal Reserve's New Stimulus – "Operation Twist" (johnmurphyreports.com)
- Twisting the Rates Away (markaalto.wordpress.com)


text:
Palapye / Martinsdrift to Johannesburg
We leave at 06h00 today and make our way into South Africa. We travel the next 500 kms on sealed roads to reach Johannesburg as early as we can. Take time out here to visit one of the plenty divine local restaurants in this region.
Accommodation: Garden Court O.R Tambo
Facilities: Hot showers, en-suite, bar, swimming pool
Route: Palapye / Martinsdrift to Johannesburg +/- 550 km
Travel Time: +/- 8-9 hours plus a border crossing


text:
As the master of setting goals that are far too lofty for my, and sometimes any sane human's, abilities, I am used to eating crow. Whenever I hear someone use the words "failure is not an option," my response is, "Oh, yeah? Hold my beer."
Conventional wisdom is that a writer needs to write every day. Since I stopped working for other people and decided to write full-time, I took that advice seriously — and because my eating now depends on my writing, I took it to the nth degree.
Then I suddenly looked up (with exhaustion) and realized that I hadn't taken a day off in over a month. That wasn't such a big deal back in the days when I worked two or three jobs at once. I'm pretty sure that between 1992 and 1998, I didn't take even one day off. But that was way back in the 1900s. Even though I'm still in perfect health and as strikingly handsome as ever (there are some people giggling right now who really need to stop), I also went from walking between 14 and 20 miles a day to sitting on my butt typing five or six hours a day for a month. I hit burn-out mode a lot easier.
So, all that to say that I bit off more than I could chew with the push for 10,000 words a day for a week straight. Now the question is, what to do with a setback?
The answer is, not a damned thing. It is what it is. I beat myself up for a day or two, and thought about applying to be someone's secretary. But, my dream is still my dream and if it's ever going to happen, it needs to be now.
I'm going to take one day off every week. No social media, no blogs, no writing, nothing. Well, except for notes about my WIP that pop into my head constantly. But, that will be a few quick scratches in my notebook and then putting it out of my mind.
I still believe in the story I was working on. The world needs more slightly goofy, barely sexy superheroes. Right? And, now I have way over half of it written! I've never pushed out that many words in that amount of time – so in the end, it was a pretty amazing experiment. Despite its abject failure.
Failure's always an option – sometimes it's just inevitable. What happens afterward (after a little pouting) is what's important. I hope. The smart thing to do would be to take down all my challenge posts, but I'm going to leave them up as a reminder to myself.


text:
Friends of the Mariana Islands will be at the Lau-Lau Road to do the cleanup for the Mobil project tomorrow morning,dated July 18, 2010. start at 8:00AM up to 12:PM. Anyone that interested to give their support for this environmental project are always welcome to our group.
Contact person: Ms. Marites A. Castillo/FMI President
Contact Number: 234-9769 or 285-8980
Friday, July 16, 2010
FMI 9th Sunday cleanup for the Mobil project
Labels: FMI-Mobil Project 9th Sunday
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text:
- Cream of Broccoli Soup Base or 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (Note: if you use cream of mushroom soup you will have to add your cooked broccoli to the casserole before cooking in the oven.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 small onion
- 1/2 cup frozen broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 Cup Minute Rice (brown or white)
- 6 Frozen Chicken Breast Tenderloins
- 4 ounces of Velveeta
- 1/4 cup milk
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Put frozen chicken tenderloins on a sheet pan and cook for 20-25 minutes or until they reach 165 degrees.
- While chicken tenderloins are cooking, prepare soup base. In a frying pan, saute your onion, garlic, and broccoli florets until onions are translucent. The broccoli does not need to be cooked through. Set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. When butter is fully melted, whisk in flour until it makes a paste. Cook 2 minutes or until paste is golden brown. Slowly stir in milk and broth. When milk, broth, and paste are thoroughly mixed add cooked broccoli, garlic, and onions. Cook for approximately 10 minutes or until soup base is thickened.
- Prepare 1 cup of minute rice according to package directions.
- Cube 4 ounces of Velveeta. Place in microwavable bowl with 1/4 cup milk. Cook about 2 minutes or until Velveeta is mostly melted. Stirring frequently will aid in melting.
- Remove cooked chicken from oven and shred with 2 forks.
- In a 9x13 glass baking pan mix soup base, rice, chicken, and Velveeta. Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we do! YUM!


text:
Dartington at dusk
I walk under rolling grey clouds, with ending rain and wild winds. Leaves traced across the air to ground, the water in the fountain wobbled uncertainly and dusk gathered in the silence of the garden.
I am at Schumacher College at a four day course on non-violence and spiritual activism and was taking a late afternoon break to visit the gardens at Dartington Hall.
These gardens carry great meaning for me and, as I walked, I remembered they had carried a beautiful lesson in peace.
I came here first to a conference at which Hideo Kanze and his troupe had given a studio performance of Noh. It had been completely absorbing, neither before or since have I had such an experience in the theatre of being transported out of oneself into a complete attention. Later, in the garden, I saw Kanze and his fellow actors being shown around. The members of the troupe, so mesmerizing on stage, had dissolved into a group of Japanese, politely touring an English garden, with requisite curiosity for its forming and delight in its beauty.
Kanze, however, was completely different. He was as he was on stage, completely present to what was presence, dwelling in wonder. I sat and watched him walk down the path wholly now, in the moment, seeing. It was a moving icon of the original face before our birth. I have never forgotten and each time I walk the same path I do so with a haunted sense of a vicariously shared attentiveness.
This was being in the way of peace, vulnerable to what comes, yet poised into a responding action.
Noh, itself, is a theatre of liberation. Many of its stories tell of an encounter that transforms - a ghost haunts the place of a forlorn love and is sent on his or her way through the intervention of a travelling priest or monk - but, more importantly, it is a drama of intensified emotion, a complete showing forth, without mediation or hesitation. This is the whole of human life, presented, with nothing held back, remarkable in a culture where everything is done with studied propriety.
Both strands are essential for finding a peaceful world - the spiritual discipline that allows one a complete wondering vulnerability to what is present and a story telling that allows everything to emerge - light and shadow - into a coherent narration of our selves. For violence lives within the protected spaces of our partial selves, our egos and in the failure to acknowledge all that we are, the failure to live into our shadows as well as our lights.


text:
A low mineral content gives Chamonix water its signature clean, pure and premium taste.
The secret behind the unmatched quality of Chamonix spring water is our location, high in the Franschhoek mountains.
It is here, far from pollution sources and contaminants, that we harness the purity of the underground springs that run through these hills. Our three bottling and processing facilities ensure that we are able to meet the growing demand for Chamonix spring water from restaurants, retailers and anyone with an appreciation for purity and quality.


text:
Experts offer theories on how this South Carolina alligator became orange.
Passerbys have recently spotted "Trumpagator," the orange alligator, in South Carolina, and it certainly has a Cheeto-flavored hue to it.
Social media users gave the gator its nickname after repeatedly spotting it at the retention ponds around the Tanner Plantation in Hanahan, South Carolina.
Alligators are of course not born this color, according to Seeker. Animal experts have a couple of theories on why this four-to-five-foot-long alligator is bright orange. Hint: It's not a misapplication of bronzer.
"For three to four months out of every year, alligators go into a hibernation-like state called brumation. During this time they tend to do a lot of digging into mud, covering themselves and being more dormant," Peter Critchlow, the park manager at the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary in Michigan, told Seeker.
"The orange color," he added, "could be due to iron oxide from clay or mud. Another way to put it is that the alligator might have gotten into rusty mud."
Critchlow said that the alligator probably crawled into a rusty drainage pipe and settled in. Seeker reports that alligators are attracted to these culverts (just as cats enjoy sleeping in boxes) and if made from metal, the inside of the pipe easily rusts.
"In undeveloped areas, alligators will naturally go into caves, so culverts must seem like a nice, safe cave to them," Critchlow said.
Meanwhile, Herpetologist Josh Zalabak told WBTW in South Carolina that it could be "Algae — maybe some pollutant in the water, but it's hard to say unless the water is tested."
Lastly, another theory suggests that a prankster is behind Trumpagator's coloring. As one NBC reporter so succinctly stated (below), "It's awfully suspicious, as the Anahan school colors are orange and blue."
No matter the cause of the coloring, there's good news for anyone concerned about the alligator's health: Trumpagator will shed its skin within a couple of weeks to months. This molting means that Trumpagator will go back to being gray and green soon enough.
Next, see the recent giant alligator footage from Florida that was not actually a hoax, before checking out this massive alligator taking a leisurely stroll through a golf course.


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Food Dictionary
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T-bone and Porterhouse Steaks
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T-bone and Porterhouse Steaks
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T-bone and Porterhouse Steaks
T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin. Both steaks include a "T-shaped" bone with meat on each side. Porterhouse steaks are cut from the rear end of the short loin and thus include more tenderloin steak, along with (on the other side of the bone) a large strip steak. T-bone steaks are cut closer to the front, and contain a smaller section of tenderloin.
There is little agreement among experts on how large the tenderloin must be to differentiate a T-bone steak from porterhouse. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications state that the tenderloin of a porterhouse must be at least 1.25 inches thick at its widest, while that of a T-bone must be at least 0.5 inches. However steaks with a large tenderloin are often called a "T-bone" in restaurants and steakhouses despite technically being porterhouse.
Owing to their large size and the fact that they contain meat from two of the most prized cuts of beef (the short loin and the tenderloin), T-bone steaks are generally considered one of the highest quality steaks, and prices at steakhouses are accordingly high. Porterhouse steaks are even more highly valued owing to their larger tenderloin.
In the United States, the T-bone has the meat-cutting classification IMPS 1174; the porterhouse is IMPS 1173.
In British usage, followed in Commonwealth countries, porterhouse refers to the strip steak side of a T-bone steak, while the tenderloin side is called the fillet.
T-bone and porterhouse steaks are suited to fast, dry heat cooking methods, such as grilling or broiling. Since they contain a small amount of collagen relative to other cuts, longer cooking times are not necessary to tenderize the meat. The bone also conducts heat within the meat so that it cooks more evenly and prevents meat drying out and shrinking during cooking. The meat near the bone will cook more slowly than the rest of the steak, and the tenderloin will tend to reach the desired temperature before the strip.
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Monday, April 15, 2013
For the Love of Books
I was initially intrigued by this book because it was mistakenly nominated as a finalist for the National Book Awards and pressured to withdraw. I am so glad I let this mixup intrigue me because this book was amazing (it helps that I have a soft spot for any book where the main character is a quiet loaner). The book deals with bigotry and how teens in the rural south deal with it, and it is balanced out with a thrilling mystery. If you like a good whodunnit mystery with a good side story, you should definitely give this a read.
"I loved everyone who said yes to the world and tried to make it better instead of worse, because so much in the world was ugly- and just about all the ugly parts were due to humans."
I love this quote from the book. There were a million more I marked, but I thought maybe you would rather read the actual book!
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
We all have heard those stories in our families that just seem too unbelievable to be true. Well, this book is all about those stories and believing them just enough to see if they're really true. This book was so creepy and cute and I really did enjoy every minute of it. I had to know what was going to happen! It kept reminding me of Big Fish... anyone else get this feeling when reading it? Anyways, I just heard there is going to be a #2 and I can't wait to see where it picks up.
Squirrel Seeks Chipmuck
I laughed so hard, I cried. This book is hilariously genius. Just read it... Seriously!
I'd love to hear what you think about these books... or if you plan on reading them? You can always follow me here to see what I am currently reading!
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Just under 6 months ago, I decided I was sick of being a fat kid…again. I was barely fitting into my "fat jeans" and I refused to buy any bigger sizes of clothing. So, I was forced to recycle the same 3 pairs of jeans, and layer up on my shirts to hide the fact that they weren't fitting anymore. (Side note: Layering clothes is not particularly awesome when it's 100 degrees outside by 8am)
I had read a few blogs about clean eating and stumbled upon the blog, Blogilates. Cassey provides a 90 day meal plan along with daily workout videos. I decided to give this "clean eating" thing a try & used her plan along with some recipes from Instagram & The Gracious Pantry blog.
I started drinking at least a gallon of water a day and doing an hour of cardio 5 days a week. I followed the Blogilates plan closely for the first week or so. Then I used it as a guide to create my own meals. I love to cook and try new things so I new I wasn't really going to stick with eating the same things over and over like on her plan. For some people, that works. I need a little variety.
I'm not going to bullshit you, the first week was hard. Really hard. I went from eating 2 eggs, 2 slices of bacon, a hashbrown patty and a flour tortilla for breakfast, to egg whites and a half of a banana. It was rough. But I stuck with it. The second week was mildly easier. But I stuck with it. The third week was a little easier than the first 2. By the fourth week, my clothes were actually fitting. Not tightly. But, comfortably!
It's now 6 months later. I have dropped from a size 18 to a size 6. My shirts have gone from a XXL to a Small. I am the healthiest I have ever been in my adult life. And it's fucking awesome!! I look forward to waking up and sweating out the calories. I look forward to cooking up healthy and delicious morsels in the kitchen. I used to call myself the "fatty girl" Now people call me skinny! (I still have to work on accepting compliments as I am quick to correct people that tell me I'm skinny. Because I'm not. I'm healthy!)
I've still got pounds to lose but this isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle. So, I'll continue living my life this way no matter my weight!
Now, I'm on a mission to help my Mom get healthy too. So, I've decided to share with you the clean eating journey. From the beginning. This journey is modified as my mom is over 65 and I want to ease her into it. Here are the ways I'm getting her started.
1.-Set Small, Achievable Monthly Goals.
Here are her first month goals: 1. Journal everything you eat. (I use the Myfitnesspal app on my iphone. But Mom's does it old school. So, I gave her a composition notebook.) 2.Cardio 3x/week for 15 minutes. 3. (This is a weekly goal for this week) No eating out. Prepare every meal at home.
2.-Drink at least a gallon of water.
This goal is hard at first. I found that keeping a 24 oz. refillable Brita water bottle with me at all times made it easier. I knew i had to drink at least 3 of those a day. I would drink one after my morning cardio, one after breakfast, and one with lunch. I try to get my water consumption in early so I'm not up all night peeing. TMI? 😛
3. Eat every 2-3 hours. Follow a meal plan.
Meal planning is crucial in order for me to stick to a routine. I like to create my plan on Sunday and get shopping for the week knocked out by Monday morning. Trader Joe's is a favorite stop of mine. As well as Food For Less and other discount grocery stores. I'm trying to get the most healthy bang for my buck!!! 🙂
I'll be posting as many pics with recipes as I can on Instagram. If you're not already, follow me! What are you waiting for?!
4. Get moving. NO EXCUSES!!!
I'm starting my mom on a smaller plan than I did for myself.
I started with cardio 5x/week for an hour. Plus, strength training. I'm still looking to incorporate a regular strength training workout in to my routine. But I know that's different for everyone.
To get started with strength training, I'd suggest the videos on Blogilates, as mentioned earlier. The Tone It Up girls also have some awesome workout videos AND they just started a really cool 6 week weight loss program yesterday! Complete with meal plans, shopping lists, & a workout schedule! Plus, it's FREE!!!
So, that's how we start this clean eating journey! If you have any questions or tips or shoutouts, just leave a comment below!
I hope y'all will join me (and my momma) on making 2013 the year we show our health who's boss. And no, it's not Tony Danza! It's you!!! 🙂
Happy, Healthy New Year!!!
Peace and Love,


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LASIK Eye Surgery
Now Amazingly Affordable!
LASIK improves vision safely and precisely by reshaping the cornea to correct nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. Vision improves within minutes, and most patients eventually enjoy 20/20 vision or better after treatment.
The most commonly performed elective surgery in America, LASIK combines the advantages of two sophisticated technologies: the accuracy of the excimer laser and the benefits of lamellar keratoplasty. It is safe, precise and highly successful. Thanks to LASIK, millions of people worldwide have experienced the wonder of clear vision without glasses or contact lenses.
LASIK offers many improvements over other refractive surgery procedures. These include little or no post-operative discomfort, immediate vision improvement, and the ability to drive or return to work quickly—sometimes as soon as the next day. Most patients require no corrective eyewear after surgery (although patients over 45 often need reading glasses).
Call today to schedule your consultation and find out you are a candidate for LASIK. Soon you could be tossing away your glasses or contact lenses and enjoying the freedom of clear vision.
Am I a candidate?
Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK. When you come in for an evaluation, your eyes will be examined to determine whether LASIK or another refractive procedure is appropriate for you and whether you are at risk for any complications.
The ideal LASIK candidate:
- Is over 18 years old
- Has had stable vision for at least six months
- Has a healthy cornea thick enough for a flap
- Has refractive error(s) that fall within the treatable range
- Does not have a disease or condition that could impair the procedure or healing process
- Has been educated about the procedure including its risks and benefits
- Understands that the goal of surgery is to improve vision and reduce dependence on prescription eye glasses and contact lenses
During your consultation, Dr. Roberts your surgeon will review your eyesight and discuss whether LASIK is right for you.
Learn the benefits of LASIK, and how it compares to glasses as a treatment for nearsightedness or farsightedness. To help you better understand LASIK and the Eye Surgery procedure we have provided the following video.
Imagine waking up and instantly seeing the details of the world around you, without having to depend on glasses or contacts. With LASIK refractive surgery, this dream can become a reality for those who are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism. LASIK isn't what it used to be – diagnostic techniques have advanced dramatically over the years and the surgical technology is now more precise than ever before. During the procedure, a laser is used to reshape the cornea, where light enters the eye. This corrects vision by changing the cornea's shape so that light is properly focused. The procedure takes only minutes and most people can go to work the next day. As with any surgery, there are risks and limitations, and our team of LASIK specialists can review these with you. Waking up with clear, sharp vision is priceless. It's no secret that the cost of glasses, contact lenses and solution can add up over the years, making LASIK a smart investment. Laser vision correction can change the way you see the world. Find out if it's an option for you by asking Dr. Roberts. Schedule an appointment today!
Choosing a Surgeon
Choosing to undergo eye surgery is a difficult decision with long-lasting consequences. You will live with the results of your surgery for years to come. That's why it's so important to find an experienced surgeon equipped with the latest technology to ensure that you enjoy the best surgical result possible, with improved vision and no complications. You probably don't want to put your eyesight in the hands of an inexperienced surgeon or budget LASIK practice.
Dr. Anthony O. Roberts has extensive experience in laser vision correction.
We don't pressure our patients into undergoing a procedure that isn't right for them. Every patient interested in LASIK is given an extensive evaluation to determine whether LASIK is right for him or her. During the consultation, the patient and surgeon have a frank discussion about the advantages and risks of having laser vision correction. Only then is the patient accepted as a pre-operative LASIK candidate.
Unlike high-volume LASIK "factories," we take the time to ensure that every patient receives the best care and attention. The procedure is quick—about 15 minutes per eye—but we don't rush our patients in and out of the office to make room for the next one in line.
Our Practice
At Shady Grove Ophthalmology, we understand the importance of your vision. Dr. Anthony O. Roberts is committed to using some of the most advanced technology available for vision correction, cataract removal, and treatment of eye disease. With innovative laser systems, multi-focal intraocular lens implants, and state-of-the-art techniques for cataract surgery, Dr. Roberts aims to give all of our patients the safest, most effective eye treatments. Our entire office staff prides itself on delivering personalized premium quality eye care to all our patients.
Schedule an Appointment
Contact our office to schedule an appointment or consultation with Dr. Anthony O. Roberts
(301) 279-0600
We speak English, and Español (Spanish)
Office Information
Shady Grove Ophthalmology
9715 Medical Center Drive
Suite 502
Rockville, MD 20850
Office Hours
Monday: 8:30 am – 4:30pm
Tuesday: 10:00 am – 5:30pm
Wed & Thurs: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Friday: 8:30am – 3:00pm
Serving patients with quality eye care, corrective vision surgery, diabetic evaluations and glaucoma treatment in the following communities: Rockville MD, Gaithersburg MD, Potomac MD, Germantown MD, Bethesda MD, Chevy Chase MD, Montgomery Village MD, Olney MD
Copyright © 2014 - 2019 Shady Grove Ophthalmology, Maryland Ophthalmologist, Eye Doctor - Rockville MD - Dr. Anthony O. Roberts | Web Design by Trumpet Marketing


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If you have read my earlier post about my new Erin Condren Life Planner, you may know that I am very into planning and getting organized, now. After a couple of weeks of planning, I decided to get some supplies to help make planning more interesting, and help me organize things easier. I really like the idea of using stamps to decorate and organize. I love how stamps are reusable, and it doesn't add additional weight or thickness to the planner book.
I got some planner supplies from two companies. The first one I want to talk about is the Tiny Stamps Big Plans from Etsy. I think Etsy is the go-to place for planner supplies. They have a lot of organizing stamps made for planner that are very helpful and functional.
They are polymer stamps that use with an acrylic block, which makes it easier too see where you are stamping. All I have to do is to pick up the stamp I need to use and stick onto the acrylic block. The two materials can stick together easily without adhesive. I got a block in the size 4*4 to work with the stamps I bought from them.
The first thing I got is the check list set. I have always wanted a check list stamp for my planner since I make to-do list everyday. This is the best check list set I can find on Etsy, and this is also the item that introduced me to this shop. And, I got some highlight stamps. If I want to highlight or emphasize anything, I can use this to create a colorful background.
I also got a health stamp set to track anything health related things, like water in take, meal tracking, workout, etc. The best thing about this set is that is has a poo poo symbol! I love it! I thought nobody would make something like this. But, I think it is extremely important to track how often you go to the toilet. I just need to get this!
Another stamp set I got is the fun symbols. This set includes small symbols that indicated different activities. I pick this because it contains most things I would do. Symbols like painting brush, shopping cart, washing machine, and air plane will definitely come in handy.
Another shop I went to is Micia, it's a Taiwanese brand that sells a lot of different stamps and inks. I purchased online on Pinkoi, also a handmade/ creative store like Etsy. I got an ombre ink pad that comes with 5 different colors. I already own one with green and earthy ombre, I thought I would add this in the collection. I believe these colors are enough to match with the colorful theme of the EC Life Planner.
I also got a ink pad in shimmery metallic colors, in silver, bronze, and rose gold. This combination looks so beautiful I have to get it! The metallic colors are perfect for decoration, and it will stand out more on darker colored background. I also got is a small memo stamp, I can write notes I want to emphasize inside this little box. It is not made for the EC Life Planner, but the size appear to be perfect for the side bar. I am very happy with it.
Hope you find this haul interesting. I can't wait to start planning with my new toys. Would you like to see how I use my planner? Please leave a comment!


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I think I just completed a personal first. The first two weeks of my career where I went fishing on Lake Erie, watched and tasted candy being made, rode in a combine and sampled wine — all in about two week's time and while on the clock.
My assignments the past couple weeks have taken me to diverse places that each represent a different and important part of Ohio agriculture. First, it was a trip to the Maumee River Watershed where I learned about how farmers are handling the nutrient runoff issue and taking steps to improve the quality of water that enters Lake Erie.
As part of that trip, I spent three hours fishing on Lake Erie while a charter captain talked about the types of fish in the lake and how activities in the watershed affect the quality of fishing. I blogged in greater depth about that experience here.
Candy making
Then, on Thursday, June 21, I drove to the northwestern Ohio city of Bryan, where I toured Spangler Candy Co. and learned about the company's history of buying U.S. corn and sugar. Currently, they buy about 24 million pounds of corn syrup annually or about 600,000 bushels of corn.
I enjoy an occasional candy snack — including the famous Dum Dum pops for which the company is famous. But I had never really thought about candy's connection to agriculture. It was fascinating to see the whole process — from the time the corn syrup arrives in tank trucks until it's mixed and heated, and kneaded and formed into the different candies.
The machines inside the factory were impressive — large mechanical kneaders that take out of a lot of the physical strain of manual kneading. But there's still a ton of work to do, and workers each had their own job, working in crews and teams until the candy was cooked, packaged and sealed into boxes.
I quickly noticed the sweet, candy-like smell inside the production floor. Company officials said it's a lot better smell than many other industries emit, and I have to agree!
Winery and vineyards
That same week, on Friday, I made the trip to French Ridge Vineyards near Killbuck, Ohio. Scott Buente and his wife, Kathy, have opened the first winery in Holmes County and they also grow their own grapes.
I sampled some of the wine as Scott showed me around. It's a neat place and they make the most of the rolling hills of Holmes County. We'll have that story in this week's print edition and online later this week.
Then, this past Wednesday, I traveled to Clyde for the annual Ohio produce association's annual summer field day. We visited Eshleman Fruit Farm in the morning, where we got a wagon-ride tour of Rich Eshleman's orchards.
And in the afternoon, we were off to Willard, for Buurma Farms produce.
As I drove down state Route 103 and approached the farm, I knew from several hundred yards away that it was no ordinary farm. The ground was flat as a pancake and black as coal. It was almost all muck ground and far more than I had ever seen on one farm.
The Buurmas grow about 30 different crops — mostly vegetable produce. And they process their own food and sell to popular grocery chains like Kroger Co. and Meijer.
Looking ahead
All of these places are a part of Ohio agriculture, and sometimes in ways we don't often think.
If dairy farming or conventional livestock and crops is your thing, you won't be disappointed. We have many news articles coming up that will feature those places.
But sometimes it's nice to look at the other types of farming, too, because they're more similar than not, and in many ways they're all connected.
For me, it's a real learning experience walking through a vineyard or a muck farm because I did not grow up around that type of farming. These other industries are really doing the same thing in the end — producing a quality, safe and nutritious product the consumer can enjoy.


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The summer holiday season can be a time to kick back and catch up on some reading. But which books are top of the list? Five ING economists have shared their must read books for 2015 – with the list ranging from the economics of cycling to a book about "hyper-capitalism".
Global chief economist Mark Cliffe
Antifragile: How to live in a world we don't understand, Nassim Nicholas Taleb
After recent disruptive events in Greece and China I found myself rereading Nassim Taleb's 'Antifragile'. This book champions the idea of seeking positive benefits from negative shocks. Along the way, Taleb hurls abuse at those - including economists and regulators - who fail to recognise that the pursuit of stability can be self-defeating. While some critics find his colourful style offensive, I find it amusing. But his core thesis is compelling in a world that is in an era of radical political, social and technological change.
The psychopath test: A journey through the madness industry, Jon Ronson
Billed as a journalistic journey through the "psychopath industry", this books reads like a satirical novel. At turns funny and disturbing, it charts the struggles of medical professionals in treating psychopathic people who use charm and manipulation to conceal their condition and gain advantage. Through a series of entertaining interviews, Ronson learns that the eponymous test is not easy to apply. One unnerving observation, which he does not explore enough, is that people in leadership positions have a greater than average tendency to be psychopaths.
Head of macroeconomics, the Netherlands, Marieke Blom
Bikenomics: How bicycling can save the economy, Elly Blue
I love cycling, and I love economics. And this book is able to see the economic side of cycling – it actually explains how bicycling can save the economy. What are our real transportation costs? What are the external effects? My personal hope is that once everyone loves their bicycle as much as the Dutch, it will make them healthier and happier, with life being more sustainable.
How to avoid the other tourists: Amsterdam, Nina van der Weiden
Over the years, tourism has become more important to Amsterdam, which I like to see as an economist as it creates jobs and opportunities. But it does make the city busier and sometime locals try to escape the tourists. Even some tourists may now try to avoid "the other tourists" – hence the name of this independent tour guide book. From what I have seen, this book is thorough enough that it can inspire me to get to know my city even better. I am moving to another part of town this summer and am happy I can use it to get to know the new area. Reading it may be worthwhile for you, if you like visiting our city and really getting to know it.
Senior economist Ian Bright
Savage continent, Keith Lowe
This book gives a harrowing account of European development immediately after the Second World War. It has helped me put developments in Greece, the Ukraine and Russia into perspective – and sometimes a wish to scurry back to the relative safety of my native Australia.
New facts in finance, John Cochrane
It's not a book, but the summer holidays might give enough relaxing headspace to contemplate this working paper explaining the role of index funds and understanding individual risk when setting up portfolios. I was re-introduced to this 1999 piece as I attempted part one of the author's Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on asset pricing. Similarly, I have spent considerable time thinking and reading about lifecycle investment and target date funds. The 2013 article The Glidepath Illusion … and Potential Solutions is one of several that continues to challenge my preconceptions of investment.
Misbehaving, Richard Thaler
Lighter reading by the renowned behavioural economist and co-author of Nudge, this book is a readable and personalised history of how behavioural economics developed.
Dutch consumer economist Marten van Garderen
Abundance: The future is better than you think, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler
This book by Singularity University chair Diamandis and journalist Kotler is about the idea that believe it (or not), new technology will solve most problems in the next few decades. I have yet to decide whether I believe it all, but it does make an interesting read.
The age of access, Jeremy Rifkin This title on "hyper-capitalism" is food for thought on how (internet)technology has changed and will change our economy. It was written in 2000, long before the sharing economy became a "trending topic".
Makers: The new industrial revolution, Chris Anderson
As a firm believer in the wisdom of crowds, former Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson takes readers on a journey through a more-open playing field in which inventor-entrepreneurs (makers) will fuel economic development while creating fulfilling, less-hierarchical communities. It is another title that offers inspiration on how technology could change our world even more in years to come.
Chief international economist Rob Carnell
1000 years of annoying the French, Stephen Clarke
An irreverent "historical" narrative of the love-hate relationship between the English (and latterly the British) and the French. Not to be taken too literally, and definitely with a strong Anglo bias, that will doubtless infuriate my French colleagues. But otherwise, quite fun and at times eye-opening. I recommend reading it together with my second recommendation, which bolsters the historical perspective.
Napoleon the great, Andrew Roberts
A rather more balanced biography detailing the complexities of the "French" leader. Always helps to understand present day social and cultural tensions by knowing your history. A good balance after my first choice. Though not nearly so fun.
Your "must reads"
Do you have a book to recommend? Tell us here or tweet @eZonomics with the hashtag #summerofbooks.
The 2015 list has been updated from nine books in the original to twelve, to include additional recommendations.


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Agriculture street fair warms up the crowd before the game
It's the family-friendly event to beat all others in Las Cruces: on Oct. 22 you'll find farm animals, games and prizes and samples of local food all in one completely free event.
The fourth annual Agriculture Day street takes place from 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in the parking lot between Aggie Memorial Stadium and the Pan Am Center prior to the Aggies' home game against Georgia Southern. Dozens of groups representing almost every facet of New Mexico's diverse agricultural community will participate.
"The purpose of Ag Day is to invite people to learn about New Mexico agriculture through food and fun activities, and highlight the connection between agriculture and NMSU," New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte said. "This is so much more than a tailgate event – we'll have something for everyone."
"This year, Ag Day partners with the Aggies are Tough Enough To Wear Pink promotion to help raise awareness for cancer research," Witte said.
In addition to the many booths, kids can get a pony ride and interact with other farm animals or try out the jumping balloons at Pistol Pete's Kids Zone.
"We'll also be offering free samples of quesadillas using New Mexico cheese – plus beef sliders, root beer floats, green chile in tortillas, and milk chugs, to name a few," Witte said.
Tickets to the Aggie football game start at $10 and can be purchased in advance online and in person at the Pan American Center ticket office at 575-646-1420, as well as on game day.
Farm animals will be at the agriculture street fair on Oct. 22.