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The time to adopt online qualitative methods is upon us all, and for those who have yet to do so, the time is fast approaching and accelerating in speed every day. Fear not! The practice already has a history and much is known on how these studies are done expertly, so learning proper technique can be quickly obtained. Especially today, where technology gave us so many ways to do such research and develop various forms of qualitative research techniques, methods, software, tools and applications. Qualitative research methods and platforms can enhance any are of business and similar activites in many ways.
About 15 years ago, asynchronous online qualitative research began to appear as a new research methodology. Early adopters of this technology embraced the use of bulletin boards, and it has grown steadily over this period of time. As the market research industry continued to grow in the area, platforms with advanced technology enhanced the practice of online qualitative studies and contributed to the obsolescence of bulletin boards by more deeply engaging participants through social media site designs and programming.
Nevertheless, many members of the market research industry, whether they are corporate-side managers and directors, or qualitative research professionals and moderators, have not made their foray into the use of online qualitative platforms. As such, it can be argued that we are still in the early stages on the adoption curve. Focus groups, the staple study design, has been the method of choice for several decades and is well entrenched in the practice of qualitative research. It may well be that habits are hard to break or simply that focus groups are what people have become accustomed to and are comfortable with and believe "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Yet examples abound and show that a shift to online from face-to-face (F2F) methods of qualitative research reduces cost and cycle time while increasing quantity and quality of data. So, perhaps fear of the unknown prevents people from getting started. Indeed, why would professionals, skilled at their craft, do something different if, what they do, they do well? If moderators with thousands of focus groups under their belt are managing books of business and lists of clientele, what is in it for them to change their set of offerings? The simple, single answer to these questions is that online qualitative methods and platform usage will someday displace the use of focus group facilities, and there is much evidence today that show these trends.
Whether studies citing this evidence are purported by GreenBook's own industry trending, or the increasing number of focus group facilities that continue to close across the country, the fact of the matter is, the demand for online qualitative methods represents one of the largest growth areas in the market research business. Moderators and corporate side researchers will, sooner than later, be required to understand and be able to execute this method in order to achieve study objectives that do not otherwise warrant F2F focus groups. While there may always be certain circumstances, special study objectives, or security or political issues surrounding the project that absolutely require F2F methodology, the choice of online vs. F2F will be brought to bear to a greater extent over time, and the need for F2F will become increasingly threadbare.
One need not shift from the traditional focus group project to a complete and exclusively online qualitative study design. Rather, one can introduce an online component into the qualitative study, such that the overall design contains a mixed methodology. With so many out there who have yet to dip a toe into the pool of online qualitative, perhaps for fear that the water is too cold, here are several ideas offered to qualitative research professionals to help them get started along these lines.
Use online for homework after or pre-work before F2F focus groups. Create useful assignment work for participants that are related to the study topic and serve to augment the data collected in F2F phases. This strategy will inject some added value into a traditional focus group study and provide opportunities for learning about the subject in advance of focus groups or as a follow-up afterwards. For example, have participants snap photos and take video to upload to the online platform. Have them add text that describe the images and explain why they have been submitted and what they represent and symbolize. This feature will augment the verbal data that are collected in focus group settings and actually become artifacts similar to those collected in full-blown ethnographies, thus elevating the overall quality of the study. Consider providing this added dimension free of charge and it will serve as a delightful bonus for the client sponsoring organization, and introduce the new method to them risk-free. Having created the occasion for doing so, you will be in a much better position to offer it in future proposals.
Use online for those study objectives better served by one-on-one interactions. While online platforms typically have the design capability to enable the researcher to set participant interactions to be in either group or IDI format, there are some study objectives that are actually better served by one-on-one conditions. Unfortunately, if focus groups are being conducted, all interactions are done openly among others, and it is left to the moderator to somehow control the group influence from having the effect of changing participants' responses to key questions. Because of this, online platforms may be used strategically to handle those topical areas that, perhaps, are more sensitive or more susceptible to the influence of a group's presence.
Use online for dial-testing ads and other video-based stimuli. Dial testing has been in existence for many years. While the data it yields are irreplaceable for conclusively testing ads before they are aired, for example, execution of such special focus groups are exorbitantly expensive, logistically challenging, and subject to equipment failure and disastrous results for the study. Instead, special online platforms are available to use for dial testing purposes. They are far less expensive and much easier to use and set up. Participants will also prefer to be able to do this from their home or office and will require less of an incentive for doing so.
Use online for any exercise that requires special stimuli and arts & crafts skills. Again, there are certain online platforms that facilitate various projective techniques much better than when done in person at focus groups. For example, perception mapping that involves participants' moving various images, words or phrases into perception map space delineated by the moderator, typically with two axes set at right angles or perpendicular to each other. Other techniques require choosing images from a set provided by the moderator and putting those images in a certain order that is then used to "tell a story." In other cases, just viewing images or text and marking areas that are liked, disliked, relevant, confusing, or some other key variable can become a feat of strength in arts & craft activities. Even worse, sometimes a moderator can lose or forget the material needed to perform these tests…they may be left at home, in the cab, or at the hotel. Not only can these exercises be better facilitated in an online platform, but aggregating those data is typically done automatically and, with a button push, can be redrawn based on various subgroups among the sample of participants. Lastly, these platforms can create resulting formations generated by participants that can be downloaded and pasted into the moderator's report.
The time to adopt online qualitative methods is upon us all, and for those who have yet to do so, the time is fast approaching and accelerating in speed every day. Fear not! The practice already has a history and much is known on how these studies are done expertly, so learning proper technique can be quickly obtained. But do not feel as though you must immerse yourself in a complete bona fide online study and thus bite off more than you feel you can chew. Instead, test the waters by beginning with an online augment of a F2F qualitative study. If you dip a toe into the water, you will find it is quite warm and safe. Before you know it, you will be swimming around wondering why you did not take the plunge earlier.
Statistics and data are always essential for anything that we do. They help us to describe certain characteristics in order to better understand how things work. When it comes to the healthcare system, healthcare data and statistics involve qualitative research in order to get a clear picture where the healthcare system stands at this moment. Such statistics will describe and summarize the costs, efficacy and utility of medical services and goods as well as the opinions of all healthcare users.
Such data can help us to improve the way system works by controlling the expenses and the entire flow of means in order to increase the overall efficiency. When the system works and the users are satisfied, one country can thrive in prosperity. So, qualitative research and healthcare data and statistics will help us to understand what it is that we need to improve and make better, which costs we need to reduce and which to increase, what we can do to make things work in a much better way in order to help the healthcare users get the services they need and deserve.
Countless people depend on the healthcare system and its services, so all that data and statistics along with qualitative research and its methods are all necessary and, combined together, they give us valuable results that help us to make things function much better than before. It is no wonder that numerous healthcare organizations are now using qualitative research in order to get such valuable healthcare data and statistics that will provide them with useful insights on their performance.
In fact, such research has become the best way to measure and assess the performance of such organizations and all other big systems such as the healthcare system. In order to conduct such a huge research with so many variables in question, such organizations need to use platforms, software, tools, methods and techniques that were specifically designed for such research purposes. In the past, people used to do this by hand, writing down all available data and then doing their research based on it in order to get results.
Today, we have technology as the basic tool that allows us to process immense amounts of data in order to get the most precise and accurate results that we can use to assess the condition of one system such as healthcare, education, business, industry and so on. It is because of the research that we are able to improve our way of life and answer all those various needs that so many people have on a daily basis.
Doing research puts us in control of things and it helps us to become better at everything that we do. That is why so many people today can enjoy the healthcare services that take care of their health needs. The point of healthcare data and statistics is to maximize efficiency in order to give the people what they need.
Teens can be one of the least reliable when it comes to conducting any kind of qualitative research and online qualitative is no exception. We need to understand how they communicate, where they communicate and what motivates them to communicate beyond the normal monetary incentives.
Teens can be one of the least reliable when it comes to conducting any kind of qualitative research and online qualitative is no exception. Hours can be wasted trying to track them down to complete a series of activities in a quality fashion. The key to all of this is bringing the activities to them. By managing to capture their interest, teens can actually turn out to be extremely useful. They have an exceptional eye for details, they love anything related to innovation and technology and it makes them look good on social networks. All of these are more than good reasons to include them.
One thing we do know is that teens are online – all of them, all the time. They've also never known a pre-internet (and smartphone) world, so communicating online is as natural for them as talking. But just knowing they're online isn't enough. We need to understand how they communicate, where they communicate and what motivates them to communicate beyond the normal monetary incentives. It's as equally important to recognize their limitations.
Without giving away too much about the research, teens and their parents should be given an overview of the activities and what's required at the recruiting stage. This prevents people from over promising when they've got too many additional commitments through school, sports or other activities. It also allows them to plan if you need to see them in action with their friends or family. Research projects fall down the list of priorities when real life competes.
Teens with similar interests are eager to connect with each other and comfortable in online forums. They are used to conversations that are presented as threaded. That said, satisfying a research goal isn't going to be their primary motivator. They will want to present themselves, see what others have to offer and how they stack up against their peers. Consider making all activities, that aren't sensitive in nature, social – but only let them see what others are saying after they post about themselves. This can easily be accomplished with online blogs and discussion boards. If you tell them they will be able to browse through other posts, videos and comments after they complete their activity they will be more motivated to complete.
One frustration I hear about constantly is the loss of interest from teen participants. Halfway through the project, response rates dwindle and no amount of money seems to be able to change that. While discussing how to approach this, one researcher suggested launching all activities (or most activities) at one time – allowing them to chose the ones they want to complete and in what order they'd like to do it. They're told upfront that they must finish three-quarters of the exercises in order to receive their incentives. This puts them in control. She indicated that more often than not, all respondents ultimately end up completing all the activities. This idea seems to make sense if you are flexible with how you can structure your research.
It's no secret a mobile phone is a teens best friend. From texting, tweeting, organizing friends and sharing media, phones provide a way for teens to reach out to their inner circle and to the masses. Current platform technologies allow us to reach into their worlds with similar ease. Not only does mobile allow you to capture 'in the moment' insights but it removes barriers to getting information form them in the form of text, video and pictures. Whether they are sitting in their room at night, on a break at school or out with their friends – we can reach them and they can reach us. Don't be afraid to ask them to get creative with these tools – use them in conjunction with other technologies and most importantly – make it fun!
People like immediate gratification – especially teens. You can build a reward system into your research through sequencing. Consider locking special games, polls or privileged information behind an activity you really need them to complete. Response rates shoot way up when a perceived reward is available immediately.
Teens are more independently minded and have greater purchasing power than ever before, but alas they are still kids. They live in a world where their attention is being competed for by any number of outside sources – so patience and perseverance is key. Hopefully some of the suggestions we list above can make this road a bit less bumpy for you.
Whenever some research is in question, it is of great importance how the results will be presented. No matter if we are talking about direct research results or the steps necessary to conduct that same research, the print form is always good to have. Most people, especially seniors, prefer to read anything that interests them in the newspaper or any other form including paper.
So, if someone wants to find out how to conduct a qualitative research, they can order such educational articles in print because most people find it much easier to understand that which they are reading in a particular form. On the other hand, younger generations will not bother with ordering such articles in print simply because they prefer the notion of having such a possibility to find the needed articles online.
Therefore, there is no need to print any of it when the Internet has everything they need in one place. Still, when doing qualitative research, before evaluating and presenting the important data of such endeavor, many experts and specialists will present the research in both digital and printed form. Such important data must be preserved at all costs so in case that the power is gone or something is wrong with the computers and machines, having such educational articles in printed form seems like a very smart move.
When qualitative research is conducted in the sphere of healthcare in order to collect data and statistics regarding the patients and entire healthcare system in general, it is always recommended to have a backup. The truth is, there is no better way to get a valuable insight on how to develop and utilize qualitative research methods than ordering educational articles in print on that matter. Numbers can always tell the purest truth about any matter. It is no wonder that ancient philosophers and scientists used to say that math holds the key to unlocking the universe.
Statistics gathered in such research can reveal all aspects revolving around one system such as the healthcare system. Qualitative research involves interpretation, analysis and collection of data regarding one matter that is not comprised of numbers. In fact, qualitative research turns that data into numbers that hold the necessary answers to certain questions. Those answers are the necessary research results that will provide us with valuable insight on the things that we need to know.


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At-A-Glance Features of Nuna Mixx Stroller
The Nuna Mixx Stroller is a lightweight and versatile favorite. Quick glance features:
Practical and stylish, the Nuna Mixx grows with your baby.
The Nuna Mixx Stroller is a single-rider that grows with your baby. It's a practical choice for moms on the go.
Lay the seat flat for newborns or naptime. Sit up straight and great the world. Whatever angle you choose for the Nuna Mixx, it's going to be a good one. Take the Mixx on your next adventure with your little one.
Nuna Mixx Stroller Features
- Three versatile ways to stroll
- True flat reclining and one-hand, five-position reclining
- One piece, no fuss fold
- Automatic quick-click fold lock
- One-hand opening
- Quick release wheels
- Oversized canopy with eyeshade
- Adjustable calf support
- One-hand, adjustable push bar
- Quick-Click release on the versatile harness
- One-touch rear wheel brakes
- Lockable front wheels
- Removable arm bar
- Front and rear wheel progressive suspension
- Extra-large storage basket
- Adapters for the Nuna Pipa Infant Car Seat
- Rain cover included
Three versatile ways to stroll
The Mixx configures three simple ways to fit your child's needs.
Use with your Nuna Pipa Infant Car Seat to move seamlessly from car to stroller. Turn the seat rear-facing for mommy time or forward facing so your toddler can explore the world. Whichever way you choose to configure your Mixx, you're sure to enjoy it.
True flat reclining and one-handed five-position recline
The Nuna Mixx seat lays completely flat, which is perfect for infants or afternoon naps. Change the seat angle with one-handed adjustment. It's like a recliner on wheels for your little one.
One piece, no-fuss fold
No complicated clip-on pieces to remove to stash your Mixx in the trunk. Fold with one hand, into a compact and easy to lift piece.
Automatic quick-click fold lock
Easily maneuver the folded stroller with quick-click fold lock and trolley function. Convenient for travel, whether you're headed across the country or just the garage.
One-hand opening
Opening your Nuna Mixx back up is just as easy as folding it. One-handed open, listen for the click, and you're ready to stroll.
Quick release wheels
Need to fold your stroller up into the most compact shape possible, for a plane ride or a small car? Just pull out the quick-release wheels and store them with the stroller. They click easily back into place when you're ready for the next use.
Oversized canopy with eye shade
The oversized canopy features a removable flip eye shade, for convenience. The canopy's integrated mesh ventilation ensures your child has plenty of shade and breeze.
Adjustable calf support
Adjust the calf support panel when your child is snoozing, or for baby. This feature makes for comfortable naps on the go.
One-hand, adjustable push bar
The push bar is height adjustable, easy to maneuver, and designed with your comfort in mind.
Quick-Click release on the versatile harness
The three or five point harness is anti-loop and features a no rethread system. The quick-click release makes it easy to maneuver your child in and out of the stroller with ease.
One-touch rear wheel brakes
Stop on a dime with one-touch rear wheel braking. Perfect for a stop on any type of surface.
Lockable front wheels
The front wheel locks are perfect for families who do their strolling on bumpy terrain. The rotating and lockable wheels help to smooth out the ride for your baby.
Removable arm bar
The arm bar on your Nuna Mixx grows with your child. Or, remove it entirely. Whatever you decide, it's easy to change your mind.
Front and rear wheel progressive suspension
We can't absorb all life's little bumps for our children, but we can absorb them on a stroll! The progressive suspension on the Mixx stroller provides the ultimate in smooth riding.
Extra-large storage basket
Shop or carry your gear with ease. The basket on the Nuna Mixx has plenty of space for everything you need to stow away while you're out and about.
Adapters for the Nuna Pipa Infant Car Seat
Unlike other strollers in this price range, the Nuna Mixx comes with the adapters you need. Use Nuna's premier car seat with your stroller, no extra purchases needed.
Rain cover included
Save your extra dollars for a rainy day. The Nuna Mixx comes with a rain cover included.
2015's favorite new stroller for versatility and ease, get the Nuna Mixx from PeppyParents.com. We ship within 24-hours of your order from our sunny Florida warehouse.NUNA MIXX DIMENSIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS
|Type Of Stroller:
|Premium single
|Maximum Carrying Load:
|50 lbs as a single
|Newborn Suitable:
|Infant Seat Adapter:
|Includes adapter for Nuna Pipa
|Frame Material:
|Stroller Weight:
|24.9 lbs with seat attached
|Open Length:
|Open Width:
|Open Height (to top of handle):
|43" with handle fully extended
|6.5" front, 11" rear no-flat rubber
|5-Position one-handed fully flat recline
|Folded Size:
|18.6" x 23.2 " x 35"
|One foot pedal controls both rear wheels
|2 Year

subset: commoncrawl


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At Shabbat lunch yesterday, I raised my glass of orange juice and said, "L'Chaim!" My wife raised her cup of water and responded in kind. My 6-yea old then thrust her cup into the air and yelled, "A chaim! To the life!"
I almost sprayed OJ all over the table.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Posted by Ralphie at Sunday, April 23, 2006
1 comment:
- Rebecca said...
that is really cute
- Monday, April 24, 2006 2:54:00 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Support Pines Montessori School Today!
Pines Montessori Fund – Giving
To see our current, past, and future campus development projects and to make a giving contribution, visit PinesMontessoriFund.com.
We thank you for your support!
Donor Bricks and Tiles
If you walk down the center of our campus you may have noticed our pergola covered Infant Playground and Peace Garden. Edged with beautiful shrubs and benches, the Peace Garden is open for all communities and parents alike to sit and enjoy. The courtyard is lined with bricks and tiles reflecting the names of families and friends that support Pines and our Montessori philosophy. Either as a wonderful way to celebrate your memories, to commemorate a loved one, to say thank you to teachers, or as a fun way for your child to make a statement, we ask that you consider purchasing a brick or tile to have placed in the Peace Garden courtyard. If interested complete the form below or contact the school.


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Sauteed Apples (on Apple Bread Pudding)
I am totally in love with apples and bread pudding. That's why I made a caramel apple bread pudding for my first Improv Challenge. This new version takes it to a new level because the bread itself had apples baked into it and then I topped it with cinnamon covered sauteed apples. I had to eat a bowl of the apples by themselves while the rest of the gang devoured the pudding. I didn't feel deprived at all. The apples were delicious! I am only giving you the sauteed apple recipe here, because I used the same basic recipe for this apple bread pudding as in the caramel apple bread pudding.
Author: Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
- 5 cooking apples, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
- ½ cup butter
- ⅓ cup agave nectar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Heat butter in a skillet until melted.
Add the apples and cook until soft and slightly translucent.
Add the agave, cinnamon and salt.
Continue cooking a few minutes more so that the butter and agave thicken a bit.
Stir frequently to keep the apples from sticking.
Serve over bread pudding, ice cream, shortcake, pound cake, or by themselves.
Whipped cream is good, too!


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Just a short drive from New Plymouth, Tupare is one of New Zealand's most beautiful and distinctive gardens. It is one of three heritage properties owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.
- Adult
- Free Entry
Contact Us
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Experience a beautifully restored garden and an elegant homestead designed by the renowned Chapman-Taylor home.
Sculptured from a hillside overlooking the Waiwhakaiho River, this is one of Taranaki's premier landscaped gardens. Sense the prestige, lifestyle and stories of the property's original developer, the prominent businessman Sir Russell Matthews, and his family and the people who surrounded them.
Take in the stunning grounds, marvel at James Chapman-Taylor's architectural magic and enjoy a relaxed picnic with friends.
Tupare is owned and managed by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.
It is open all day, every day and entry is free.
Physical address
Tupare, 487 Mangorei Road, New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand.
Opening times
- Business hours:
- 9am-5pm daily
- Months of operation:
- All months of the year
Pricing and Conditions
- Further pricing information:
- Tupare is free to visit. Charges apply for private functions (weddings, etc).


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We all love leaders because that is the well from which, we draw our inspiration. To get great leaders in an organization, the panel in charge of recruitment settles for a leader with great work ethics because some factors that an organization has to deal with are beyond ordinary human comprehension. When discussing great leaders, Sheldon Lavin becomes an important subject. He is the chief executive officer of OSI Group and has been leading in providing the company with top leadership skills.
OSI Group
As a leading supplier of meat-based products, OSI Group has been thriving in Lavin's ability to make critical decisions instantly. The company is an umbrella organization encompassing several branches of industries including OSI Industries, OSI International Foods and other 70 facilities in 17 different countries but all under one roof.
Education Background
Like life would dictate for most of us, Sheldon Lavin had to pursue an education to join the career world. Therefore, he majored in accounting and finance. From that point, he garnered extensive managerial skills in finance and business management. He was thence able to establish his company based on the skills. Lavin opened a company that dealt with consultancy. Right after, he landed a managerial role at Otto & Sons.
Because he had vast skills in finance and business, Sheldon Lavin was trusted to give the right pointers on finance and how to allocate money in different departments. Consequently, he became a full-time worker at Otto & Sons. To remain relevant in the business, Sheldon Lavin consulted with companies that dealt in the food business to secure a stable financial platform.
Sheldon Lavin was good at handling finances. For that reason, he was approached to take over the company and provide full –time services. Consequently, in 1980's, he made it to the top management by earning 50 percent of the shares. Of course, he was now able to control most of the activities in OSI Group.
In his capacity as the chief executive officer, Sheldon Lavin has moved the company to greater heights of global enterprises. In addition to that, the company has employed over 20, 000 employees across the more than 70 facilities.
Because of his input in the industry, Mr. Lavin has bagged numerous awards including the Global Visionary Award in 2016, awarded in Gujarat India. This award is a token of appreciation to individuals and corporations that contribute to the betterment of humanity not only through resilience but also through persistence.
Contact Sheldon Lavin: inspirery.com/sheldon-lavin/


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Following the seminal work of Nesterov, accelerated optimization methods
(sometimes referred to as momentum methods) have been used to powerfully
boost the performance of first-order, gradient-based parameter
estimation in scenarios were second-order optimization strategies are
either inapplicable or impractical. Not only does accelerated gradient
descent converge considerably faster than traditional gradient descent,
but it performs a more robust local search of the parameter space by
initially overshooting and then oscillating back as it settles into a
final configuration, thereby selecting only local minimizers with a
attraction basin large enough to accommodate the initial overshoot. This
behavior has made accelerated search methods particularly popular within
the machine learning community where stochastic variants have been
proposed as well. So far, however, accelerated optimization methods
have been applied to searches over finite parameter spaces. We show how
a variational framework for these finite dimensional methods (recently
formulated by Wibisono, Wilson, and Jordan) can be extended to the
infinite dimensional setting and, in particular, to the manifold of
planar curves in order to yield a new class of accelerated geometric,
PDE-based active contours.
DCL Seminar Series: Dr. Anthony Yezzi
Following the seminal work of Nesterov, accelerated optimization methods


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Join us on the first Saturday of every month at 9 a.m. in the Parlor (room off of the Gathering Space where coffee and donuts are served after Mass) for a meeting, for fellowship and to hear from a notable speaker. You don't have to RSVP; simply show up.
Save these dates!
November 5 – Gene Scioli "The Real Presence: Scientific Proof"
December 3 –Deacon Clarke Cochran "Holidays with Heart: Stress or Joy?"
January 7 –Deacon Leroy Behnke "Beginning the New Year as a People of HOPE (Jeremiah 29:11)"
February 11 –Ann Krier "The Often Overlooked Song of Songs" (February session has been moved to the second Saturday so participants can attend Footsteps in Faith on February 4)
March 4 –Lenten Topic To Come
April 1 – Deacon Ron and Tricia Vowels "Our Conversion Story"
May 6 –David Powell "Fatima: 100 Years Later"
June 3 – Dr. Paul Brooke "The Holy Trinity"
For more information, please contact Don Slease, group facilitator.
For more information, please visit www.ctkcathedral.org or contact Don Slease at 787-6490.


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Well, I have made clear that our taxes have been pretty low since we have had kids. Of course, I ran across an old post on the forums when I was searching for some old forgotten topic where someone had assumed I was playing a game with the IRS. I had just never seen that reply before, and it was quite ancient to reply too...
I have to say, no games. Which I have said before. But I Wanted to clarify. I am a W-2 employee. I withhold plenty. On average I owe $0 and get a refund of $0 for tax day. I usually run pretty breakeven. (Owe a few hundred fed, get a few hundred back from state. How it usually goes).
So yes I wanted to illustrate again how living on one income we get to keep a big chunk of our paycheck. & why a second income doesn't always sound terribly lucrative.
Of course, this whole topic reminds me there should be much more tax education in schools. MUCH more. I think people could make much more informed financial decisions if they understood the tax ramifications.
Why am I the only one figuring out that it is not worth 2 incomes and $100k income because the people I know pulling this take homes less money than us at the end of the day? $20k/year daycare? An extra $10k in taxes? Plus all the working expenses. I know a lot of people who make a lot more money than us but have a much more pinched cash flow due to just the basics of working like taxes, daycare, and fuel for commuting. Doesn't even get into the convenience factor (for example, how much money we save with a spouse to cook every day and take care of much of the household, etc). & I AM talking about miserable people who endlessly complain about how they "have to" work. (Not the people who are happy to work; that's another story). I try to educate them and I have helped some. But the rest I think, well, they just think I am crazy.
On the flip side, I look forward to my spouse working some day and maybe maxing out a couple of 401ks. That would make sense. We could put $30k more every year into retirement and pay little more than payroll taxes. So I know taxes will factor heavily into our future working decisions.
But yeah, but why do few people take all this into consideration? BEcause they just don't understand it. & who could blame them for not understanding it? The tax code is insane. But a basic education would help...
Likewise, I saw a comment the other day about average taxable income and tax brackets, and I thought to myself, "what does that have to do with anything?" I really find LITTLE relation between actual income and taxable income. There are a lot of deductions and all that out there. Which I guess my tax return will show. We are in an awfully low tax bracket. I wouldn't consider our income low in the least.
Reminds me, I still have to formulate a post on the taxing of retirees. They don't have any deductions. They don't get much in the way of tax breaks. So their taxable income will often be much higher for much less income than their working counterparts. But I do have to get to that post one of these days. I think the tax code has shifted so much with time, that the idea of lower taxes in retirement was probably once true, but is now greatly a phallacy. I have had more insight into why this year than in past years (but I see it clearly with my highly taxed retiree clients. Another post for another day).
Anyway, I have to say this year is probably our highest tax year since having kids. I did have a ROTH conversion I pulled it out of my tax return for this illustration. Because it just really skewed things. So forgetting that, this is what we had:
$75,000 Gross Wages
-23,000 Itemized Deductions***
-14,000 Exemptions (4)
38,000 Taxable Income
x Tax Rate 10%/15%
5,000 Tax
(2,000) Child Tax Credit (2)
3,000 Net Tax
***Itemized Deductions:
$ 3,000 Medical (mostly insurance)
6,000 State Taxes (mostly property tax)
13,000 Mortgage Interest
1,000 Charity
$23,000 Total Itemized
3,000 Net Tax/ 75,000 Income = 4% effective tax rate.
Thus, I only have to withhold 4% of my income to break even.
For state I withhold 2%.
Payroll taxes? withhold 8.5% (includes California taxes).
So 14.5% of my income is withheld for various taxes. More payroll taxes than anything else.
I have been saying for a while I get to keep 90% of my paycheck. But it looks like our income is inching up a bit and we are paying more. So I guess I should revise that to 85%. But I still don't find 85% half bad.
So I take home almost $65k/year. How much do you have to gross to take home that much? (I often see people say they have to gross low six figures to take home $65k. I think, egads!).
Likewise, we don't have any taxed investing income or stuff like that (well not much anyway) because we primarily invest in IRAs and other tax-deferred investments.
Anyway, yeah, the kids are 5 & 3 this year and this is our worst tax year since having them. We had a couple of $0 income tax years (one year the government paid us - refundable child tax credit when we had our second child). Having a much lower income at the time, taking significant maternity leave, and having non-taxable income sources like unemployment and disability, have made a large difference. We took the retirement tax credit those 2 years as well.
Likewise, when it does come to a second income some day, some things we keep in mind to keep our taxes on the low side are contributing heavily to 401ks, as mentioned. A second income is also when things like HSAs and 529s will suddenly become VERY valuable to us. Whatever we can shelter from taxes... But yes, all VERY on the up and up. As you see there is no elaborate tax strategies here.
But yeah, hell if I am going to withhold more taxes than I need to. Some people seem scared by all that withholding stuff as well. But again, a little more education would go a long way in that regard.
I guess what I should do it pull out our 2001/2002 tax returns and see how much we were paying. Probably a hell of a lot more, before kids. I am sure...
Big Bad Taxes
Well, I have made clear that our taxes have been pretty low since we have had kids. Of course, I ran across an old post on the forums when I was searching for some old forgotten topic where someone had assumed I was playing a game with the IRS. I had just never seen that reply before, and it was quite ancient to reply too...
3 Responses to "Big Bad Taxes"
April 11th, 2008 at 11:08 amI think that the argument against double-incomes invariably leads people to think that someone is arguing for-or-against moms staying home with their kids. Actually, that subject - while important and worthy of debate - doesn't have to be part of the equation at all. It can all come down to dollars and cents, as you have pointed out. It's nice to have additional spousal income to pack into a retirement annuity or investments or whatever, but that has to be timed correctly if you are dealing with a family and child care.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:27 amAmen JErry. I get frustrated when this topic is always tied to the SAHM debate. Think outside the box a bit, people. Our daycare provider didn't want to put her kid in daycare when she got divorced, so she opened a daycare. IT's a common story, but a perfect example.
But yeah, I am a working mom, my hubby is a SAHD, and the kids go to daycare a decent chunk of the week. It REALLY works for us. So the debate always insults me from all sides. I live all sides. We want a spouse home with our kids. We don't think daycare will ruin them (quite contrary - it's a luxury for us), and likewise, me working is not a bad thing for my kids. (think outside the box, who said the mom had to stay home? I breastfed my kids 1 year each. Modern technology allows that (and lunch breaks home, etc).
Of course, in an ideal world we'd both like to work part-time. So that is what we work towards. We both want to be very involved in child rearing. We both want to have a life outside our kids. We find that balance regardless; we make it work.
So when this topic disintegrates into that, I always think, why? Who said anything about making women stay homs. It's a lot of "not thinking." There is a lot of thinking outside the box in these matters.
Reminds me when I got called a sexist pig for writing an article on the one-income subject. Hehe. Not knowing I was a woman.
April 15th, 2008 at 08:24 amJust started a Thread on Women In Red, explaining the breakdown of why you don't want to work for $12/hr (if you make $50k and ONLY pay $800/month in daycare for a newborn, where we both live it's more like $2k/month). http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/thread.asp?board=womeninred&threadid=632414&boardname=Hide&header=SearchOnly&footer=Show&linktarget=_parent&pagestyle=money1
But women keep arguing that it doesn't make sense to NOT work! They don't get it at all. SIGH! Right now the board is wonky so I would post if I could. But realize this, that when you earn more, you live on more, need to save more for retirement. PEOPLE just don't get when you live on less you need to save less. Sigh.


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Much of the movement to draft Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) into the presidential race has reportedly given up.
According to a Tuesday story in The Hill, the group "Run Warren Run" will close its doors and suspend operations Monday. The pro-Warren group had relentlessly urged her to challenge Hillary Clinton in 2016, even as Warren herself insisted again and again that she had zero interest in the race.
Warren, a populist senator known for taking on Wall Street, inspired widespread support among liberal activists and presidential speculation during her successful 2012 campaign for the Senate. Many of those same activists are wary about Clinton's close ties to the big-money Democratic establishment and wanted Warren to offer a clear contrast to the front-runner.
But Run Warren Run, which was spearheaded by Democracy for America and MoveOn.org Political Action, has apparently come to terms with the idea that Warren won't launch a White House bid in 2016. The groups say they've instead decided to focus on supporting Warren's work in the Senate.
Ilya Sheyman, MoveOn's executive director, touted Warren's recent campaign against the Pacific trade deal pushed by President Barack Obama.
"Now it's time to suspend our active draft efforts and pivot to standing alongside Sen. Warren on the big fights ahead, starting with stopping Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership," Sherman told The Hill.
Despite the tacit acknowledgment that Warren won't run, the executive director of Democracy for America suggested the door is still open for her to jump into the race. He also claimed the draft movement was successful because it's given Warren support for her legislative fights.
"We still think there's plenty of time for Sen. Warren to change her mind," said the executive director, Charles Chamberlain, "but now that we've shown that she has the support she would need to mount a winning a campaign, we're excited to take the grassroots juggernaut we've built with our members and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Warren in the battles ahead."


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Waiting on tomatoes...
We have an abundance of tomatoes on the first tomato plant I've ever grown! Apparently, because of all the rain we've had this spring and summer, the tomatoes are slow to ripen, but I can't wait until they do! Meanwhile, I'm thinking of trying some fried green tomatoes.
The lilies are on their last gasp, but the hibiscus are taking their place, and the roses are producing new blooms daily. It's such a pretty time of year, even though it's too hot to be outside until evening.
Happy 4th! God Bless America!
It rained the weekend of the 4th, but Saturday was perfect weather and we sat on our front steps and watched a glorious display all around us, thanks to our neighbors to the north, south, east, and west!
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Well 2012 is here & I've started trying to get to grips with my recently acquired wee set of NPs.
Step 1 for me, will be to learn to control the Bag & Bellows, while learning to tune the Drones.
I already play a few other instruments, so I'm actually in no rush to play tunes on them, yet.
I have heard Pipers play without using their drones, which to me sounds like a Box player not using his Bass buttons .... or trying to eat a Cheese Sandwich without Pickle!
So I'm very keen to learn how to use of the drones, to good effect.
Anyway, while I wait for Butler's Basic Tutor & Handbook to drop through my letterbox, I'd like to ask these 2 questions:
When playing in F, do I tune the drones, short to long: F, C, F & C?
When playing in C, do I tune the drones, short to long: G, C, off & C?


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Tamarind gravy stored in refrigerator for long days.Tamarind gravy paste stored in a air tight containter.
- Tamarind water-1bowl
- Sesame oil-10tsp
- Mustard seeds-1tsp
- Red-chili-3
- Curry leaves
- Urad dal-1/2tsp
- Channa dal-1/2tsp
- peanut/verkadalai-2tsp
- Cashew-nuts-1tsp
- Asafoetida-1/4tsp
- Red-chili powder-1 1/2tsp
- Coriander powder-2 1/2tsp
- Pepper powder-1/2tsp
- Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
- Salt-to taste
- Coriander leaves
- Coriander seeds-1tsp
- Red-chili-1
- Pepper corns-1/2tsp
- Sesame seeds/Ellu-1/4tsp
- Fenugreek seeds/Vendhayam-1/4tsp
- Take a pan add coriander seeds,red-chili,pepper corns,sesame /ellu seeds,fenugreek seeds and roasted well.(do not add oil)
- Take a blender, drop roasted ingredients and blender well.
- Take a kadai add sesame oil,mustard seeds,red-chili,curry leaves,urad dal,channa dal,peanut,cashew-nuts and asafoetida.
- After popping the seeds add all powders,salt and mix well.(except grind powders)
- After mixing the powder add tamarind water,coriander leaves and curry leaves and mix well.
- Boil 10mins.After 10mins add grind powders and mix well.Wait for 5mins.
- After tamarind water comes in a gravy paste.Wait for 5mins.
- After 5mins hot and serve with "Boiled Rice".
- Hope and enjoy ur recipe :)
Tamarind gravy stored in refrigerator for long days.Tamarind gravy paste stored in a air tight containter.
- Marinate powder is optional.Two different types of taste is given to the tamarind rice.
- Add a marinate powdered tamarind rice is a spicy taste.(ex: kovil puliyodharai)
- Without marinate powdered tamarind rice is a good taste also.


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The double platinum-selling folk-rockers are coming to a hostel near you this February!
YHA talent
Following in the footsteps of acts like George Ezra and Prides, the double-platinum selling European band 77 Bombay Street are about to embark on a live tour of YHA hostels. The MTV Award-nominated four-piece, known for their folk-rock songs and multi-part harmonies, will be playing 20 free dates across February, taking in properties from Cornwall to the Lake District.
Travelling and music
Matt Ruchli, one of the four Swiss brothers who make up the band, explains why they arranged the tour. "To travel and make music at the same time is every musician's dream, and there's something special about youth hostels. All those people waiting for adventure – there's a mutual respect and a feeling of being in a community of likeminded people. We're excited to visit all these cool YHA hostels in so many different places."
Intrigued? Check out songs like Up In The Sky, I Love Lady Gaga and Seven Mountains online, then get planning.
Tour dates: yha.org.uk/livemoreyha/77-bombay-st


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KLCC gardens and Lake
The towers were designed by Cesar Pelli an Argentinian Architect who designed the structure with Islamic influences. The floor is based on an eight-sided star, and each tower has five tiers representing the five pillars of Islam.
The sky-bridge on the 41st floor connects the two towers, 1640 free tickets to the sky-bridge viewing area are issued daily with the towers opening at 8.30 am.
(Information: Lonely Planet Guide to Malaysia and Singapore).
The towers can be seen from all over KL and are lit in the evening.
We visited the towers, but have yet to climb up to the sky-bridge to view the sights of the city.
KLCC Gardens
KLCC Gardens and Architecture
The KLCC Aquaria provides an educational platform for the public regarding the conservation of marine life. Over the past 10 years it has successfully launched campaigns to engage and educate the community about the importance of conserving the environment.
Although we visited this marine world - I am not sure that I was comfortable seeing these creatures in tanks without their freedom to roam where they will.
Education and Conservation is extremely important and the public need to be exposed to these creatures so that they can identify with their plight and engage actively in conservation. For the majority of the public if these places did not exist they would never see marine life up close and would never experience the reality of their plight.
In 2011 a campaign was launched to raise awareness of the survival of sharks - the 'Say No to Shark Fin Soup' campaign raised pledges from over 60,000 members of the public which were handed over to the government Minister of Agriculture and Agro Tourism.
The graphic video of sharks being mutilated and then thrown back into the sea to drown, I found horrifying and really upsetting.
If you are a certified diver, you can take the plunge in the 2.5 million litre oceanarium where you can encounter 5 species of shark amongst other sea creatures. If you don't have a licence you can dive in the custom made underwater cage.
There were several stingray in the tank with the sharks, but trying to photograph them was impossible as they move so fast..
Schooling Fish
Schooling Fish


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As has been previously reported, Davos attendees this week are grappling with a lot of guilt over the possibility that their rah-rah, neoliberal capitalist vision may have had something to do with skyrocketing inequality, the rise of populism, Brexit, and most worryingly, the presidency of Donald J. Trump. When they're not attending panels for the World Economic Forum's annual get-together in the Swiss Alps, or enjoying its notorious after-hours party scene, the world's richest and most powerful people are doing a lot of soul-searching—including, it appears, trying to experience how the other half lives by pretending to be refugees in an elaborate game of role-play:
Most of the events center on talking. But beyond lectures and panel discussions, the agenda also features more esoteric attractions. One notable event is a simulation of a refugee's experience, where Davos attendees crawl on their hands and knees and pretend to flee from advancing armies.
It is one of the most popular events every year.
This is amazing, and terrible, and if you have footage of it, please send it our way.
Trump's new hire tells Davos that Trump is the new Steve Jobs
In his speech announcing his candidacy for president of the United States, Trump described Mexicans as rapists and criminals, charitably adding, "Some, I assume, are good people." Thus was born an enchanting dynamic wherein Trump's most vociferous supporters would regularly take to the cable-news circuit to explain why Trump's latest inflammatory or crazy or untrue statement should be taken "seriously" but not "literally," or that he should be judged by "what's in his heart" not "what comes out of his mouth," or that anyone taking the man "at face value" was some kind of rube. One of the most skilled practitioners of this art, second only to the great Kellyanne Conway, is SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci. Three days after Trump was elected, Scaramucci had these things to say about the 45th president and criticisms of him:
"What the media is getting wrong about Mr. Trump is he's not a classically trained politician where he grew up in the political system for 35 years and has refined his language with that precise verbal dexterity. What's refreshing about him is he's sort of exactly the way he's presenting himself, with a level of authenticity and rawness that is in some ways more refreshing to people than bland, staged teleprompter nonsense."
"You should take him at his word when he's talking about things like economic plans, building a wall, creating an infrastructure … But because of the entertainment style of his personality, accept he's going to be prone to some rhetorical flourishes. But if you're talking about policy, he has a common-sense, nonideological approach to creating relationships on behalf of the U.S."
"We're going to get Mother Teresa running for government and they're probably going to spend $10 million on oppo research against her. We're going to learn things about her that we absolutely dislike."
Not surprisingly, Scaramucci, a.k.a. "the Mooch," was officially hired last week as an "assistant to President-elect Donald Trump," wherein his main responsibilities will be convincing people that Trump is the second coming of Mother Teresa and acting as a conduit to Wall Street. And he's already gotten down to business, landing in Davos this week to ply his craft. To the business elite and heads of state who are skeptical that a guy who speaks in one-word sentences half the time has the disposition to run the country, Scaramucci explained that it was simply a matter of the rest of the U.S. downloading Rosetta Stone: Trump Edition. "These folks are used to a buttoned-up, politically correct presentation style," the Mooch told a group of reporters in Davos on Tuesday. "He has a very interesting communication style. The more you get to know him and spend time with him you understand his communication style." To those worried about his late-night Twitter rants, attacking everyone from Alec Baldwin to Meryl Streep to the cast of Hamilton, the Mooch suggests everyone (1) chill and (2) ask themselves, W.W.W.C.D. (What Would Winston Churchill Do)? Per BuzzFeed:
"You guys get a little upset about the tweeting or some of the things he's saying, but I want to say, directionally, he's a compassionate man, he loves his children, he loves people." Then he quoted Winston Churchill: "The best among us choose not to judge human frailty so strongly."
And don't worry about that trade war with China or a certain someone's comments on NATO. And next time you want to criticize the guy, just know that he's apparently, in some circles, considered the Steve Jobs of politics:
Speaking later to media, [Scaramucci] appealed for trust, comparing Trump's "disruption" of politics to technology. "Steve Jobs takes a phone and turns it into a computer."
Scaramucci also announced that he's officially sold Skybridge, his "fund of hedge funds" business, to RON Transatlantic Advisors and HNA Capital of New York. No word on whether or not he plans to retain his stake in the Hunt and Fish Club, a Midtown eatery "where beauties trawl for sugar daddies."
Lynn Tilton is in trouble again
Lynn Tilton is a private-equity chief who is best known for sending naughty Christmas cards to clients one year and for allegedly ripping off some investors. The Wall Street Journal has more news on the latter front:
The Zohar investment funds at the heart of Lynn Tilton's $2.5 billion distressed-debt empire sued their founder Monday, accusing Ms. Tilton of pillaging more than $1 billion from investors and the troubled companies she manages. Through a "toxic mix of fraud, theft and mismanagement," Ms. Tilton stole money from the Zohar funds and from the troubled companies, siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and assets from a souring loan portfolio and failing businesses, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in New York. In a statement released through a spokesman, Ms. Tilton called the lawsuit "frivolous, baseless and vexatious," an effort to harass her that "will be promptly dismissed."
Sure, why not
Trump may appoint Philip Bilden, a private-equity executive with no military or government experience, to run the Navy. Per WaPo:
The appointment would be the latest sign that Trump wants wealthy businessmen rather than military, policy or political leaders to run the military service agencies. Bilden has now "moved to the front of the pack and is expected to be named as early as next week," one transition official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about internal deliberations, told me.
You think bonuses grow on trees?
At Deutsche Bank, where at this point it's shocking they can still afford heat and hot water, they most certainly do not:
Deutsche Bank, the former Wall Street powerhouse, may hold back on giving out bonuses to as many as 90 percent of bankers and traders, The Post has learned. Only the top 10 percent of revenue generators may get a bonus for 2016—and even then it will be paid out over the next five years, according to a source briefed on internal discussions. The bonus plans are still in discussion, another source cautioned, and could still change in the coming weeks.
Xi Jinping doesn't have time for Trump's amateur-hour bull crap
Xi established himself [on Monday at Davos] as an unlikely defender of the trade-based global order that Trump and others have dismissed on the way to electoral victories. He addressed a crowd full of business leaders and politicians, but his message was squarely aimed at one person: Trump, who on the campaign trail excoriated China's trade policies and threatened to slap a tariff as high as 45% on Chinese imports. "No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war," he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
G.M. tries to get on Trump's good side
. . . without uttering Trump's name, because he's basically Voldemort.
General Motors said on Tuesday that it would invest $1 billion in its American factories tied to 1,500 jobs, becoming the latest automaker to respond to President-elect Donald J. Trump's call to bolster manufacturing in the United States.
On Tuesday, G.M.'s chief executive, Mary T. Barra, did not mention Mr. Trump in her comments on the moves, but she echoed the president-elect's repeated statements that American companies should focus on growing jobs at home rather than abroad.
People are betting on gold because of . . . you know who and you know what
Bullion has risen every day except one in 2017, evidence that investors are pricing in a rocky year ahead. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed Tuesday that she'll leave the European Union's single market while seeking a new arrangement on the customs union. Donald Trump is just three days away from being sworn in as the next U.S. president.
Morgan Stanley's revenue grew 17 percent to $9.02 billion in the fourth quarter (W.S.J.)
Theresa May wants to stay "best friends" with Europe (VF Hive)
"Martin Shkreli Pelted With Poop At UC Davis As Yiannopoulos Event Gets Canceled Amid Protest" (SFist via Matt Levine)
"EINHORN: Here's how to play the Trump presidency" (Business Insider)
Trump's H.H.S. nominee under fire for questionable stock purchase (VF Hive)
"Putin Doesn't Believe Trump Met with Prostitutes in Russia" (Bloomberg)
"Ross Discloses Assets Worth at Least $336 Million" (Bloomberg)
Pot prices plummet (Bloomberg)
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square, among other funds, has been fined by the S.E.C. for violating pay-to-play rules (Business Insider)
And Mariah Carey found work at a Russian billionaire's teen granddaughter's wedding (N.Y.P.)
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MIRI explains that you don't need a malevolent or even sentient AI for it to be dangerous and worth worrying about – ridiculing "a Hollywood-style robot apocalypse." The real danger, they claim, is in our machines may simply become too good at science and planning and solving problems; whether they also become self-conscious is unimportant.
I'm all for ridiculing a Hollywood-style apocalypse but I can't help wondering what "too good at solving problems" may actually mean. "Treating humans as resources or competition" – yeah, I get that one, but that would be simply bad (for us humans), not "so good as to be bad". You don't have to be smart to be mean; in fact, from what I've seen in life, the correlation is rather the opposite.
MIRI gives a glimpse at what they think is a likely failure mode of dangerous future AIs:
"A system that is optimizing a function of n variables, where the objective depends on a subset of size k<n, will often set the remaining unconstrained variables to extreme values; if one of those unconstrained variables is actually something we care about, the solution found may be highly undesirable."
That's true, but pardon me, where's the "too good" part in this? Are they implying that such an AI will be mindbogglingly, unimaginably, impossibly smart – and yet will readily commit such a dumb mechanical error of ignoring a part of the world simply because it was so (self-)programmed?
Isn't there, you know, a contradiction?
Admittedly we cannot know what it means to be orders of magnitude smarter than the smartest of humans. We don't even know if it's possible at all. But I think a straightforward undergrad-level function optimizer, even with infinite RAM and clock speed, can be safely ruled out.


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June 16, 2013
MEGAN MCARDLE: When Work Disappears: What do we do with people whose livelihoods are destroyed? This phenomenon is appearing all over. My colleague Ben Barton is working on a very interesting book about the future of the legal profession that catalogues all the ways technology and market forces are chewing up lawyers. When I finished his (surprisingly sunny) conclusion, I emailed him this quote from Arthur Allen Leff:
The radically unknown is always frightening (at least to those making out all right as is), especially considering how many lives can be lashed to pieces as a new distributional curve flails about, desperately seeking a new equilibrium.
There's a lot of flailing going on, and there has for years been insufficient concern about what all the folks on the left half of the bell curve are going to do with their lives — only now it's looking like the left 2/3 or maybe 3/4. I'm not sure what to do either. Here are my thoughts from a decade ago. I note that when the economy picked up, we heard less of that talk for a while. But I do think there's something structural going on, not just an economic cycle.
The interesting thing, too, is that Paul Krugman, in the column Megan is responding to, flat-out admits that sending people to college doesn't help much. In fact, it can hurt. For the book I'm working on now (basically a combination and substantial expansion of The Higher Education Bubble and The K-12 Implosion) I've been looking at research finding that students going in to college with identical "predictors" in terms of grades and test scores have very different trajectories coming out based on family income. The "strivers" with good scores but poor family backgrounds may actually do worse than if they hadn't gone to college at all, as they often get distracted into partying and graduate with low grades and an overhang of student debt, winding up in jobs that they could have gotten without "investing" in college at all. One student's father is quoted as comparing colleges' sales pitches to TV infomercials. . . .
Of course, it's not just technology that's killing jobs. Regulation is killing jobs, too:
About 40% of Mr. Puzder's employees are part-time and therefore exempt from ObamaCare's coverage mandates. "That percentage of employees will probably go up. Everybody is hiring more part-time employees," he says, though he is quick to add that "we're not firing anyone to hire" part-time workers. "Through attrition, three full-time employees go away and you hire four part-time employees who basically have the same hours."
Mr. Puzder also expects fast-food restaurants to deal with ObamaCare by replacing workers with kiosks. "You're going to go into a fast-food restaurant and order on an iPad or tablet instead of talking to a person because we don't have to pay benefits for any of those things."
Krugman doesn't seem focused on this problem.


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*For all services, see "Rates" page for pricing.
Bodywork and energy work descriptions
(in alphabetical order):
Acupressure- the application of pressure on specific points of the body along its 12 energy meridians, to release energy and stimulate therapeutic effects.
Aromatherapy- the art of utilizing highly concentrated diffused oils from plants and flowers called "essential oils", for physical and energetic healing.
Baby massage- extremely gentle opening and stretching techniques for babies, can easily be taught to parents.
Craniosacral therapy- technique that balances the central nervous system, utilizing therapeutic holds that regulate the cerebrospinal fluid in the brain and spinal column.
Crystology- form of gemstone therapy utilizing crystals and intention to restore balance to the body and its energy fields.
Deep tissue massage- a type of therapeutic massage that penetrates and manipulates the deepest layers of muscle and fascia.
Hot stone massage- a type of therapeutic massage utilizing smooth heated stones/crystals to rub on the body and/or strategically set in place.
Lomi lomi- a very fluid style of circulatory massage from Hawaii, often incorporating long circular strokes with elbows, forearms, etc.
Lymphatic drain- a type of therapeutic massage that encourages drainage of lymphatic fluid from tissues.
Moxa treatment- also called Moxibustion, a therapeutic technique originating in China that utilizes a burning pressed wand of herbs, traditionally mugwort, to warm and stimulate specific acupressure points (not burn).
Prenatal massage- also called pregnancy massage, a therapeutic (often circulatory) massage beneficial for pregnant mother and fetus.
Polarity therapy- a therapy incorporating skillful application of bodywork techniques that release blocked energy, and balance and harmonize the energies and polarities of the body, promoting health and flow.
Reflexology- a form of acupressure focusing on reflex points on the hands and feet to release blocked energy and balance energy meridians.
Reiki- a form of hands-on energy healing originating in Japan that channels universal life energy or "chi" (qi).
Shiatsu- a Japanese form of acupressure.
Smudging- an energetic clearing technique utilizing a wrapped wand of burning herbs, wood, etc. (often sage, palo santo, and more) to purify or bless people or spaces.
Swedish massage- also called circulatory massage, a type of relaxing full-body therapeutic massage that utilizes different techniques and pressures to break up adhesions and promote circulation (most common type of spa massage).
Herbal services:
Herbal consultations are available for $20/ half-hour. Have a cup of tea and discuss the healing possibilities. Please fill out client form in advance.
A variety of personalized remedies are available, including (but not limited to) flower essences, herbal extractives, and topical remedies (see "Herbalism" section).
Yoga classes:
Annie teaches private individual lessons and group kundalini yoga classes in and around Arcata, CA.
Modeling, dance, and music services:
Annie is available for modeling, solo/troupe bellydance and firedance, and acoustic music, in and around Arcata, CA (see "Dance and Music" and "Modeling" sections for more details). Rates vary depending on gig.
Glass art:
Annie's glass art is sold locally in stores in and around the Arcata, CA area. Special orders are welcome, please call Fiery Fingers directly to place order. Special order cost based on glass ordered (see "Glass art" section for glass details).
Other Services:
Mediation- Annie has mediated in personal and professional settings in Michigan, Oregon, and California. She has no set rate for this service and is open to negotiation.
Hypnotherapy- Annie attended hypnotherapy school in Oregon and is in practice with this skill. It is available for donation or trade on a limited basis.
Energetic space clearing- Annie will help to clear stagnant/negative energy from your workspace, home, etc. utilizing Reiki, smudging, and intention. $20.
Nutrition/fasting help- recommendations, tips, and information obtained over years of studying herbs, raw food, the body, fasting, etc. Please set up herbal consultation.


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Ridleys Domino Set
This product is currently sold out.
Part of Ridley's classic games collection, this chic domino set is a a great way to exercise the mind! Whether you're lining them up, knocking them down or getting competitive with your highest score, this fun game is always a good time. Housed in a striking patterned box, the set includes 28 pieces and an instruction manual.
- The set includes 28 plastic pieces and instructions
- Made in China
- Ages 6+


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Just a peek into life through Hubby's eyes. I raided his Facebook Photos to see what he's taken of the kiddies while I'm at work and I found some cool stuff.
We put Monster #2 in Preschool.
He is enjoying it very much.
It's amazing how much more well-behaved your children are
when you're NOT around!
I have not heard a peep from his teachers about any bad behavior.
Crossing my fingers.
|His best friend is my cousin. He he. I love that.
Hubby's sweet cousin gave us a gift card and we went to
Chandler's in Seattle.
Hubby's food. Yummo!
And some photos of my cousins playing Jenga.
They are so adorable!
That FACE!
I'm not sure why my cousin is wearing stripes with those plaid flannel pants!
He's usually pretty well put-together!
I've GOT to take more photos with my iPhone!
Sometimes I miss some great things because I'm too wrapped up on how
I don't know where my camera is...
DUH!....My iPhone is usually stuck to my hands!


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Story highlights
- Kadiatu Kamara known as KK, is the only female surfer in Sierra Leone
- KK was born into civil war and lived through the Ebola epidemic that ravaged her country
- She is the subject of "A Million Waves," an upcoming documentary
- "Surfing is good for us ladies," says the 19-year-old.
(CNN)Kadiatu Kamara stares out at the horizon in silent contemplation. Surfboard under her arm she draws the sign of the cross, then pauses. The Atlantic, impatient, swells around her ankles, ushering the Sierra Leonean towards a break a short paddle away.
Kamara, known as KK, is the only female surfer at Bureh Beach, south of Freetown. In fact, she's the only female surfer in Sierra Leone.
Nineteen years old, KK was born into civil war and lived through the Ebola epidemic that ravaged her nation. But her story is not one of tragedy. Instead it's a love affair with the waves, kept afloat by a polyurethane board and no small measure of determination.
A young woman in a man's world, she's found herself part of Bureh Beach Surf Club, a group countering sloppy misconceptions about this corner of West Africa. And on a surfboard, she's become a star in her own right.
Escaping to the ocean
KK is the subject of "A Million Waves", an upcoming documentary short directed and shot by British filmmakers Daniel Ali and Louis Leeson. They spent time at Bureh Beach Surf Club in May after learning about KK from a couple of traveling surfers. Embedding themselves into the community, they settled on telling her story.
"She started surfing about two years ago," says Ali. "Her father had died about two years ago, Ebola broke out [around the same time]."
"When Ebola broke out schools closed down, there was a high uptake in teen pregnancies, because people were staying home and there wasn't anything to do," he explains. Escaping into the Atlantic for a few hours at a time provided welcome respite.
"Surfing always makes me happy," KK told Ali and Leeson, "[it] always makes me forget about my problems at home."
At home KK is a student, but also supports her family. Without her father's income, she makes hats and tote bags to sell to the few tourists that make it to Bureh. Surfing is a past time reserved for the early mornings and evenings, when domestic duties and studies are completed.
"I see it as escapism," says Ali, who spent close to two weeks with KK. He and Leeson shot her with drones and underwater cameras, often maximising the sense of isolation, but also freedom, surfing afforded.
Shooting two to six hours a day whenever the tide was in, among the challenges were magpies swooping for their drone camera. Another was the sheer enthusiasm of their subject, surfing away from Leeson, bobbing in the Atlantic holding an underwater camera kit.
"You can't blame her," says Ali, laughing, "it's what she loves doing."
Putting Sierra Leone on the surf map
The Bureh Beach Surf Club was started in 2012 by Irishman Shane O'Connor, an NGO employee who has since gone on to work at UNICEF. With donations and sponsorship he brought surfboards and materials to the village of 300 and began teaching locals to master the waves.
"His idea was to build a place where you could learn to surf," Ali explains, "but also make money from tourists coming to surf in Sierra Leone."
O'Connor handed the club over to a newly-blooded generation of surfers, and today the 19 local members are teaching kids as young as five to negotiate the break, a rarity in this part of West Africa.
The club has its international heroes, and surfers will watch videos of their idols on their mobile phones and attempt to emulate their skills. Before 2014 there were plans to bring international surfers to Bureh Beach for a competition, only for it to be scuppered by the Ebola outbreak.
"They see themselves as massively lucky," says Ali. Miraculously the virus never entered Bureh Beach, but struck in the nearby towns of Tumbu and Waterloo, where the people of Bureh would go to school and shop.
The impact has been profound however, and Bureh Beach is only now reclaiming its status as a burgeoning tourism location.
"[Locals] see the direct relation between what the surfers are doing and investment and footfall," Ali explains. "There definitely is a sense of pride in that this is their village and it's pretty unique what's going on there."
Going it alone. But for how long?
Four years since its inception, KK remains Bureh Beach Surf Club's only female member.
"We did ask [KK] and she gave different reasons," says Ali, "like some of the girls can't swim, or some of them are scared of swimming or the sea."
"Guys are the ones allowed to go out and have a bit of fun," the filmmaker argues. "There's probably a lot of other girls that would like to do it, but they're a bit shy."
KK won't be dissuaded however, and is using her platform to encourage others to jump on a board.
"Surfing is good for us ladies," says the 19-year-old. "The message I have from them is I want them to join me."


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From FLORENCE MUGARULA in Durban
10 May 2018
SOUTH Africa Minister for Tourism, Mr. Derek Hanekom, has invited tourists across the world to visit Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. He has emphasized that out there, tourists can witness largest concentrations of wild animals and the most spectacular migration of animals on the planet. The minister was addressing hundreds of thousands of tourism stakeholders who are attending the ongoing 2018 Africa's Travel Indaba trade show in Durban, South Africa. He said: "In Tanzania, the Ngorongoro Crater Nature Reserve has the largest concentration of wild animals in the world.
In the Serengeti, tourists can witness the most spectacular migration of animals on the planet." Mr Hanekom also cited several tourist attractions in various African countries. He told the audience that in Africa, people were most welcoming to visitors, applying their own unique flair and way of hosting guests professionally. "
We know how to host them professionally in our own way. We can guarantee a life-changing experience. Story telling is part of who we are," he said. He said Africa had unique attractions to share and stories to tell, stories of common origins and of early African civilisation.
Stories of courage and resilience abound, includingthe story of Nelson Mandela, who would have turned 100 years old this year. He added that the continent had experiences to offer of sacred sites, of natural wonders, beautiful landscapes, spectacular mountains, wide open deserts, and exquisite coastlines; of heritage and culture; of music and dance and astonishing artistic creativity.
Visitors to Africa experience one of the most profound stories the world has witnessed: how the birthplace of civilisation is catapulting itself into the future. Stories of ancient African civilisation such as Great Zimbabwe and Mapungubwe predate the story of Goree Island in Senegal which is, perhaps, one of our continent's most important symbolic sites.
He added that tourists could also experience the migratory route of African elephants in Kenya. He added that the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda was one of the last remaining homes of the mountain gorilla. "And we are of course also proud of our own Kruger National Park here in South Africa, and the many other national parks we have in our country," he said.
According to Mr Hanekom, tourism already contributed about 8per cent to Africa's Gross Domestic Product and employed 6.5 per cent of the workforce. He said the best way to increase the value that tourism brought was through working together to ensure tourism worked for everyone. "
We must continuously enhance and expand our attractions; we need constant training to professionalise our services; and we need to market our attractions in the most effective way. We need to work together to ensure ease of travel.
"All this in turn creates the right climate and opportunities for investment which will lead to greater growth," said the minister. The 2018 Africa's Travel Indaba is attended by 1,747 delegates from different countries all over the world.
Plus, 22 exhibiting African countries, including Tanzania, are participating. Meanwhile, Ms Sabrina Chambulo, one of the exhibitors from Tanzania with Tanganyika Wilderness Camps, told the 'Daily News' here that the trade show was crucial for the growth of tourism industry since it helps exhibitors to meet their potential clients and establish new business links worldwide. "It is very important to show up in such kind of trade shows, we represent Tanzania and we manage to meet our clients," she said


text: Home Sales Send Dow Over 9,000 By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Jul 23, 2009 10:22 AM CDT 9 comments Comments Traders gather at the post that handles the common stock of CIT on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, July 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) View 2 more images (Newser) – The Dow Jones industrials are back above 9,000 today for the first time since the beginning of January. A report of a jump in home sales eased investors' worries about one of the economy's biggest trouble spots. They responded by buying stocks across the market, lifting the major indexes more than 1.5% and sending the Dow up 150 points, past 9,000. A real estate group said sales of previously occupied homes rose 3.6% from May to June. It was the third straight monthly increase, feeding investors' hopes that the overall economy is strengthening. Several better-than-expected earnings reports also helped boost investor sentiment. Ford surprised with a second-quarter profit of $2.3 billion, while drug maker Wyeth, cigarette maker Philip Morris, and candy maker Hershey all raised their profit forecasts. (Read more stock market stories.) View 2 more images


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It's 11:26pm CST and President-elect Obama just finished his acceptance speech. It was good. Probably not his best ever, but it was what it needed to be.
I especially liked that finish-with-a-fluorish story about 106-year-old Anne Nixon Cooper, and all the changes she's seen (from not being allowed to vote –due to race and gender– to voting on an electronic touchscreen today). As the highly respected journalist/politician David Gergen said on CNN immediately afterward, this speech was not about Barack himself, but about us, about America, about our history and potential. It was a rallying cry, yet not so proud or haughty as to seem cocky or off-putting.
Speech or no speech, though, the important stuff is yet to come. Obama's got to prove he can make those executive decisions that his opponents say he doesn't have much experience with. He's got to choose some pretty key Cabinet members. (For example, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, also of Illinois, is an early fave among insiders to get the Chief of Staff nod.) He's got to make good on his promise to be a president who listens to the Republican citizenry, also.
But election nights are not about policies… they're about politics and parties (political parties, and victory parties). Our family was invited to two separate friends' homes to watch the returns. We went to only one, trading stories and only half-listening to the tv, in an odd atmosphere that shared more than a few features with your average Super Bowl bash. Except the commercials weren't as good.
Most importantly and historically, in my opinion, American voters proved today that we're getting more savvy about the spin-machines and half-truths that circulate during a tough campaign. On CNN right now, the pundits are talking about how nasty the campaigns were, but I gotta wonder: were they watching the same things I was watching?
In the debates, in the commercials, in the news clips I saw of both candidates, I saw so much more dignity and deferential respect than we've seen in the past eight years, and probably longer. Despite their differences, both the senators kept their attack dogs on leashes for the most part, and McCain a few times went out of his way to instruct his supporters that there are some lines one does not cross.
And according to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, no campaign we've seen in the past century can match the negative campaigns and slanderous jingles of the 18th and 19th centuries. So maybe we are making the kind of long-term progress that Obama's acceptance speech seemed to imply.
Speaking of history, while most people will be talking in the next few weeks about Martin Luther King, or Jesse Jackson (who was in tears at the Chicago speech), or the Clintons, or even JFK, I'll be looking back a little further: to FDR, Abe Lincoln and James K. Polk (1844-48).
(Polk, for the majority of us who don't know, was known for his oratorical skill and hard-nosed efficiency… if I'm to believe the lyrics of this goofy little song by They Might Be Giants.)
In times of crisis –and I don't think it's very controversial to say we're in one now– the FDRs and Lincolns that come upon the scene seem to know instinctively, or have some God-given gift, to see the big picture and understand what needs to be done, hard though it may be. They look beyond class, or race, or all the distinctions that separate us. They put the past in the past. I came into this election season believing that Obama can be that kind of leader, and though I was bothered by his occasional vagueness, pandering and typical (aka "crafty") campaign strategies, I still believe he can be.
Obama said in his speech tonight that "this is our moment". Our. That's a far cry from the "me/I/my" attitude that The Decider has given us for eight years. It's also a far cry from Barack goin' all Sam Jackson Angry Ebonics Gangsta on the Republicans (or whites in general), like "Take dat, beyotches! Gimme my paper, and my slave reparations!" (Which might make an interesting SNL skit, now that I think of it… so contrary to his character. He's mostly been the "straight man" in the campaign bits they've done thus far. I'd like to see what Bizarro Barack would look and sound like.)
Yes, this is my moment. And yours. So take the man at his word. Hold him to the high standard he's set for himself. Now that you've voted… STAY INVOLVED in the decisions that affect your life, both locally and nationally.
But don't expect perfection. Don't forget what baseball legend Jackie Robinson, his boss Branch Rickey, and others used to say about how MUCH better such a man has to be, given how closely he's being watched, and how many people he's carrying on his shoulders. Don't be so quick to make the man into a new messiah, nor to lay blame when he's up against so much, with so little control over what goes on in the rest of this interconnected world.
If he seems too good to be true, it's probably because we like putting our heroes on pedestals and glossing over their humanity and their vulnerabilities. If he seems paper thin, it's probably because a political campaign, and the rush to the center, and the message discipline necessary to win an election, are not as revealing of a person's true political and personal character as his day-to-day decisionmaking, the calls he makes when the chips are down.
So let's allow the man to lead, and save most of the discussions of "historic importance" for future generations. It's okay to be grateful. Or even to be ticked off. But either way, now that you're here, at this moment, pick up a tool, a pen, a megaphone, and get to work yourself. One man can't do it all.


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Sunday, October 26, 2008
blue hat
I made Little M a new hat. A blue hat. It's his favorite color.
I finished it almost a week ago staying up past bedtime, until 12:15 AM, in order to make it happen.
I don't often do that but, sometimes you got to.
I started this hat several times and the second to last time I was convinced I wouldn't have to start over and then I did.
I was really annoyed but, this is what happens sometimes when making stuff. You have to remember to walk away and then come back to it. It's not that it's hard to knit. I had just been hiding my wraps wrong. Silly me.
Anyway, this hat is called Ear Cozies by Fiber Trends and the yarn is Lorna's Laces. This is almost the same shape as a hat that my boy has been wearing for 2 years however, that one was a quilted nylon one my friend Anna K. bought and now he has outgrown it so he needed a new one.
He likes it and I like it. So, there you have it. A new hat with some leaves on it.
4 comments:
- kristi said...
i LOVE that color blue. and i like how it has flaps down over the ears. i'm amazed by your plethora of knitting projects/successes. this darn lace scarf i have going is just sitting in a red bag and will probably never get made... :)
- October 27, 2008 at 8:13 PM
- *karen said...
cute *and* cozy. perfect.
- October 27, 2008 at 9:05 PM
- A Day That Is Dessert said...
Love that second picture! And that blue hat.
- October 28, 2008 at 12:17 PM
here's a little linky I thought you might think was fun....
- October 28, 2008 at 3:17 PM
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text: By filling out the form, you are under no obligations. We will gladly answer any questions you may have. There are many that this website can't answer due to space limitations. But be assured of one thing - FUN is a big part of what we do. It's a standing rule in the company - if you're not enjoying yourself, we'll fix it! PLEASE BE ADVISED!! CHECK YOUR SPAM/JUNK MAIL BOX FOR A RESPONSE FROM US! MANY FOLKS SAY THEY NEVER RECIEVED A REPLY - THAT'S BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T CHECK THEIR JUNK BOX. I ALWAYS REPLY - YOU CAN COUNT ON IT!


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Andreia Cezimbra
Uruguaiana, Brazil
Horticulture Technician
My #NCInternational experience:
When I first arrived at Niagara College I felt afraid because I was in a new country and away from my family and friends in Brazil. My fear quickly went away, however, because I started making friends from all over the world and learning about Canadian culture. I also had excellent teachers at NC who were accessible and supportive throughout my studies; I am grateful to them for always being very friendly and helpful. It's difficult to choose the best part of my experience at the college because everything was amazing. I will miss this when I go back to Brazil.
My advice to future NC international students:
Never give up on your dreams and trust that you will achieve your goals if you persevere.


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From Joyce Peterson:
Re: New "longevity gene" spurs hopes of long life (May 2, 2007): In Canada, some provinces have a number of centenarians. Nova Scotia is one of these provinces. (Some of my relatives lived to be 100 or more, i.e.age 107. I am of Irish, Scottish and English heritage Some of those who were originally born and lived in Nova Scotia, moved to Alberta and Saskatchewan and Ontario for example.
Also in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia are a number of those from German decent.
Nova Scotia is not a large province and has a lot of history.
The Parrsborough Shore Historial Society, Box 98, Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, B0M 1S0 has a lot of heritage information, and might be able to help you, should you be interested in investigating this more.
Joyce Peterson
Scarborough, Ontario


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Then the neighbor knocked on my door. He said something incomprehensible about the World Trade Center and invited me to come watch the news coverage on his television set. We ran up to the roof, and I could see smoke billowing from the 1st Tower... We still didn't realize the magnitude of what had happened, and I went back downstairs to quickly finish breakfast.
That's when the second plane hit.
I didn't know this... The neighbor got so swept away by the coverage that he didn't come get me again... But then the first of many strangers rang our door bell. Keep in mind, we lived in an apartment building—in order to ring OUR bell, you had to either know our apartment number, or you had to ring EVERYONE'S bell.
On September 11th, exactly nine strangers took it upon themselves to ring our building's bells until they reached me. They remembered seeing a large moving truck a few days prior, with a young family... They were afraid that my husband (or I) might have been in the towers and wanted to make sure that we were OK, especially since we were new and wouldn't have any "safety network" in place.
That was just the beginning of kindness that poured out of my neighbors' hearts.
Once I realized what had happened, I tried to reach Chris—but couldn't. It turns out he was directly underneath the first tower when it got hit, but the metro then continued on to his office. He made it to work, but everyone soon realized what was going on and like most Manhattan workers, he then literally walked home (across the Brooklyn Bridge).
We were beyond thankful that he had turned down a job offer on the 85th floor of the first tower...
By this point I had grabbed Katya and we RUSHED to the local hospital to give blood. The line was literally around the block... Everyone was in shock... I gave blood, but sadly no survivors ever needed any...
I can't even remember the rest of the day; it's all a blur. I remember the days afterward, however, with stunning clarity...
Eight children on our street lost a parent. Twenty-three of the twenty-four firemen at our neighborhood's fire house died. The grief rocked you to your core. Strangers cried together. Everyone walked around as if an extra in some post-apoctalyptic film. Office papers were littered all over our street. The air tasted of smoke.
And then people snapped out of it.
Those who survived threw themselves fully into honoring those who had died, and a palpable sense of community overtook the entire city. I remember seeing a mother with a newborn baby in a carriage on 9/14... I asked her how old her daughter was, and she told me "three days." It turns out she was born at 9:02 a.m. Her name is Hope Grace.
Around this time Katya fell in love with wearing a feather boa, crown, purse—and carrying a matching magic wand. Everywhere we went, she waved her wand at people, granting their wishes... I let her. She blew kisses at businessmen, kids, housewives and homeless people... In her own small way, she made people feel better when they were reeling inside.


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The aim of the study was to find practically applicable tools that
support and simplify the client's programme work and also to develop a
better understanding of the programming process and the tools for
programme work. Basic hypothesis was that a combination of practically
useful tools would certify successful outcomes of the briefing-process.
Biträdande professor vid Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Building Design
Göteborg, Sweden
Funding Chalmers participation during 2004–2005
Areas of Advance
Driving Forces


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District Teacher Leader Community
As a member of the NJ Teacher Advisory Panel, I wondered what it would be like to try to develop a group of teacher leaders to influence change in my district. Step 1 was the ability to start the conversation with my superintendent, who really came up with the idea simultaneously with me.
Step 2 was designing it: It would have to come from the teacher (aka me). And what would we seek to accomplish?!
The number one goal of a teacher advisory panel (and I like the name teacher leaders community better; it sounds more collaborative and equitable) may be to develop leadership capacity for the sake of teachers solving their own, and each others', problems, for the sake of the students.
Teachers may show up to a meeting of a group like this thinking they are going to take over. I am glad I have turned this idea around. Teachers are now confident in development their voices...We have been practicing problems solving approaches such as those I have learned at ECET2.
If you have any experience in these kinds of panels, I would love to talk about them, or try your ideas in my group. No district would be complete without relying on the expertise and experiences of its faculty!!!


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A true triple threat, Julianne Hough is known to audiences around the world for her success in film, television and music. She became a household name virtually overnight as a two-time professional champion on ABC's top-rated "Dancing With the Stars," before making a seamless transition to award-winning recording artist and leaving her mark on the motion picture industry, starring in feature films like Rock of Ages, Footloose and Safe Haven.
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- First navigate to the folder to which you want to limit the search.
- Hit Command-F, or in the menu, go to File -> Find. The "tab bar" at the top of the search criteria window now shows the folder you are currently in as one of the options.
- Select the folder, and then you can (as always) specify the other search criteria to your liking.
- The results of the filters should show below.
- Hit the Save button, and you now have a Smart Folder restricted to a specific folder (and its sub-folders).