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A former employee of a subsidiary of bankrupt homebuilder WL Homes LLC has filed a putative class action alleging that about 100 employees were fired without the 60-day notification required by federal and state law.
Lyne Decuir filed the adversary proceeding Thursday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, seeking to recover the 60 days of wages and benefits the company owes to its employees by levying a first priority administrative claim against the bankruptcy estate of WL Homes, which did business as John Laing Homes.
The case is the latest allegations to be filed against the embattled homebuilder, which has also been accused by various homeowners associations for defective construction. Several groups have asked the bankruptcy court for relief from the automatic stay to sue the company for the faulty building.
Decuir's complaint alleges that JLH Realty & Construction Inc., the WL Homes subsidiary, violated the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and similar California state statutes.
The workers were laid off from an office in Irvine, Calif., on or around June 5, the same day WL Homes' bankruptcy was converted from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7. It first filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February.
"It was obviously suffering from economic problems, but that is not a defense under this law," said Jack Raisner, an attorney for Decuir. "This law is meant to help employees who are going down in that kind of ship because the layoffs and plant closings generally don't happen in happy economic times."
The complaint did not specify a dollar amount because the plaintiff did not have all the payroll records, Raisner said. He said the employees never even got their final paychecks, though that should be paid by the bankruptcy trustee separately from the class action suit.
"The cut-and-run aspect of it is particularly troubling," Raisner said. "Somebody's taking the money and not even paying final paychecks."
An attorney for WL Homes was not immediately available for comment on Friday.
In May, WL Homes' creditors committee asked a federal judge to convert the real estate developer's bankruptcy case to Chapter 7, saying its Chapter 11 proceeding was just a way for the parent company to free itself of liabilities at the creditors' expense.
The case was converted despite WL Homes' efforts to hold back the creditors rallying for the conversion.
WL Homes' affiliated entities listed assets of $1.3 billion and liabilities of $977 million as of Nov. 30. In 2007, the company, one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., sold nearly 1,400 homes and had nearly $1 billion in revenue, its law firm said.
But from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 of last year, WL Homes sold only 560 homes and saw revenues plummet to $287 million, court documents said. Company officials attributed the poor performance to the downturn in the residential construction industry.
WL Homes is being represented by Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP.
The employees are being represented by Outten & Golden LLP and Loizides PA.
The bankruptcy case is In re: WL Homes LLC, case number 09-10571, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
–Additional reporting by Liz McKenzie, Pete Brush, Abigail Rubenstein and Brendan Pierson


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Nan Rich says Florida has 3rd most-regressive tax structure
When it comes to taxes, Democratic candidate for governor Nan Rich wants to make things more fair for the little guy in Florida.
Rich, a former state senator from Weston, faced a question about whether Florida's tax system should be changed during a Florida Press Association event July 11 at the swanky Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.
"I think it's a regressive tax base, and when you look at some of the studies saying it's the third most-regressive tax base -- I don't want you to quote me on that because PolitiFact may get me, I'm not sure if it's (No.) three -- but I think there are things we need to do to make a more equitable and fair tax structure."
At PolitiFact Florida, our ears perk up when we hear rankings that put Florida near the top or bottom. As for her request for us not to PolitiFact her, well, we couldn't help but take that as a friendly challenge.
Studies about regressive taxes
Rich told PolitiFact Florida in an interview, "don't hold me to 'third regressive.' .... I did not say 'third' definitively. ... We are one of the most regressive."
Rich cited a 2013 report by The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which partners with Citizens for Tax Justice, a group that advocates for fair taxation of middle- and low-income families.
The report concluded that all states have regressive tax systems. It means that state taxes come more from the poor and middle class than from the rich.
"Virtually every state's tax system is fundamentally unfair, taking a much greater share of income from middle- and low-income families than from wealthy families," the report says. "The absence of a graduated personal income tax and the over reliance on consumption taxes exacerbate this problem in many states."
The report measures property, sales and excise taxes on gasoline and cigarettes paid by different income groups in each state in 2013 and concludes Florida is "No. 2 of the terrible 10" -- the second most-regressive tax system in the country. (No. 1 was Washington state.)
"The No. 1 and No. 2 predictor of a very unfair tax system is not having a personal income tax of any kind and an above-average sales tax, and Florida has both of those things," said Matt Gardner, the institute's executive director.
The report found that for non-elderly taxpayers, the bottom 20 percent pay 13.2 percent of their income toward state and local taxes. Meanwhile, the top 1 percent of earners only pay about 2.3 percent of their income toward state and local taxes.
Featured Fact-check
The report gives a nod to one progressive feature of Florida's taxes: We don't have sales taxes on groceries.
We were unable to find any other entity that included Florida in a state-by-state comparison of regressivity and taxes.
The Tax Foundation, a business-backed group that analyzes tax policy, wrote a report criticizing the institute's study, but their points were not specifically about the states' rankings. Instead, they criticized the report for promoting income taxes.
The foundation does its own ranking of states in terms of business climate -- Florida placed fifth.
We interviewed a few experts on taxes, and they were not surprised by Florida's ranking when it comes to regressive taxes.
"Not that many states don't have an income tax, so that puts us in a small group that looks more regressive," said University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith. However, he said, " 'regressive' and 'burdensome' are separate issues. The tax burden in Florida is still very low, despite being regressive."
Aaron Twait, research director at the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence, said there are only two taxes that are progressive: the income tax and the estate tax.
"States that don't have the income tax -- they just don't have that lever to pull," he said. "Sales taxes, property taxes, and excise taxes run from moderately regressive to really regressive."
Our ruling
Rich said that there is evidence that Florida has "the third most-regressive tax base," though she acknowledged when she spoke she wasn't certain if she had the number right.
She was close: A study placed Florida No. 2 in terms of its regressive tax base.
Florida has a regressive tax base because we lack a state income tax. Though the Tax Foundation criticized the report, it didn't dispute the states' rankings, and other experts we interviewed also had no qualms about Florida's placement.
Rich's number of third place was just a smidgen low, so we rate this claim Mostly True.
Our Sources
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, "Who Pays?", January 2013
Citizens for Tax Justice, Website, Accessed July 22, 2014
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, "Improving fiscal condition allows the Legislature to address previous budget cuts and address tax fairness," November 2013
Tax Foundation, "Comments on Who Pays? A Distributional analysis of the tax systems in all 50 states," Feb. 20, 2013
Tax Foundation, "State business tax climate index 2014," October 2013
Government of the District of Columbia, "Tax rates and tax burdens in the District of Columbia- a nationwide comparison 2012," December 2013
Tampa Bay Times, "Nan Rich rips Charlie Crist for not debating," July 11, 2014
PolitiFact Wisconsin, "Kooyenga says Wisconsin's income tax system stands out nationally as progressive," June 2, 2013
Interview, Nan Rich, former state senator and current Democratic primary candidate for governor, July 11, 2014
Interview, Richard Borean, Tax Foundation spokesman, July 11, 2014
Interview, Stu Kantor, Tax Policy Center spokesman, July 11, 2014
Interview, Aaron Twait, Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence research director, July 21, 2014
Interview, Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness, July 21, 2014
Interview, Matt Gardner, Executive Director, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, July 21, 2014
Interview, Norton Francis, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center senior research associate, July 21, 2014
Read About Our Process
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Amy Sherman
Nan Rich says Florida has 3rd most-regressive tax structure
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subset: commoncrawl


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Typically, when homeowners first decide to sell their home, they choose to do so by listing with a real estate agent. Unfortunately, too many agents can't close the deal and don't create any buzz around your property. Bottom line is...it doesn't sell.Selling a house just isn't as easy as it used to be. The internet age has obsoleted the old sign inthe yard and MLS listing. Home buyers in the current marketplace have unprecedented access to listings thanks to Zillow and similar sites.Additionally the industry is oversaturated with agents, many of whom are new to the real estate industry and lack the experience necessary to sell homes quickly. Most agents will not understand your sense of urgency because, honestly, they have nothing to lose by taking their time. Ultimately, if the house doesn't sell, you're the one making the payments, right?For homeowners that need to sell a previously listed house quickly, OneStep Offer is the solution. Avoid the hassle and headache of working with traditional real estate agents and get a cash offer to sell your home as-is.
Onestep Offer is prepared to buy your home as is at a fair price as an alternative to the stress and expense of listing with a real estate agent. It has never been more difficult to sell your home quickly through the traditional channels. Here are some of the most common reasons why a home does not sell in the current market conditions but are not a problem for homeowners who partner with OneStep Offer:
OneStep Offer buys homes as-is without the the hassle of real estate agents.. Selling your home "as-is" allows homeowners to sell their homes quickly with no obligation to renovate or repair the home beforehand. Our process is the most simple, straightforward, and transparent way to fasttrack the sale of your home. Let us help you find the financial freedom you've been dreaming of without the stress and hassle.
Fill out the quick form to get a cash offer on your house TODAY!


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Buy Waterbed Pumps
Once you buy a waterbed, you also need to get all the maintenance kits and accessories to keep your bed in the proper shape. As you will need the patch kit to repair an accidental leakage, a draining pump is necessary to drain all the water from the mattress so you can patch it up, and then you will need a fill kit to fill your mattress up again.
One option is to rent a pump, if you have some place to rent it from. However, it is better to have your own waterbed pump. Here are a couple of pumps for waterbed bladders; one of them comes with an electric heater for hardside and softside beds.
Electric Waterbed Pump by FM Pumps
|Buy Now
Electric Waterbed Pump with Calesco Heater by Calesco, Aqua Fusion
|Buy Now
Waterbed Buying Guide
Recent Reviews
Waterbed Conditioners
Without a proper conditioner, algae, mold and other
Waterbed Patch and Repair Kit
When you have been a waterbed user for years
Waterbed Fill and Drain Kits
Fill and drain kits are no longer available in local
Waterbed Safety Liners
A safety liner protects your waterbed frame


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Integrating your website with social media allows your customers and clients to interact with your business by using accounts they already have. Instead of forcing your site users to sign up for a new username and password specifically for your site, Facebook integration gives them the freedom to post comments on your pages using their Facebook account. Additionally, Facebook integration through WordPress shows activity from your company's Facebook page; it allows people to "Like" or "Recommend" your content.
WordPress is run by themes. Your theme controls the appearance of your website, from where your logo displays to how many columns display on the front page. Almost every theme available for WordPress supports the plugins and widgets that allow for Facebook integration, so when choosing a theme focus more on how it looks and how it lets you display your content than on whether it will connect with Facebook -- it will. As all WordPress themes are editable and customizable, you can force widgets to match your theme's appearance later.
Beyond the basic content of your WordPress site, all aspects of the site are managed in widgets -- special content areas that appear in your sidebars or footer. Some plug-ins are for widgets, and many plug-ins exist for Facebook integration. As a rule, widgets adopt the CSS of your theme unless you assign another CSS to them, so any Facebook widget should integrate seamlessly with your blog's theme.
Facebook integration functionality comes to WordPress either by a plugin or by using Facebook badges. From your WordPress dashboard, click "Plugins" and then search for "Facebook Comments" or "Facebook Widgets." Some plugins, such as Facebook Comments Master and Advance Social Sharer, allow you to replace comments on your blog with a Facebook conversation. Others, such as Recent Facebook Posts or Facebook Members, provide a Facebook widget that shows your Facebook page's recent posts or all of the members of your group. Click on "Install" to add a plugin, then click "activate" from the main Plugin screen to turn it on. You can also find plugins to add "like" or "recommend" buttons to each post. Plugins work on every WordPress theme.
Facebook provides all of the code you need to integrate your Facebook page with your WordPress site. Start by logging in to your Facebook account and then viewing the Badges page (see link in Resources). Select either a "Like" badge or a "Page" badge. Copy the code from the text box that appears with the badge preview and paste it into your WordPress theme. Where you paste the code depends on where you want the badge to appear; you can add it to individual posts or drop it into a sidebar. Click "Appearance" and "Editor" from the WordPress dashboard and then select the PHP file that represents the area of your theme where the badge will be placed.
Writer Bio
Living in Canada, Andrew Aarons has been writing professionally since 2003. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Ottawa, where he served as a writer and editor for the university newspaper. Aarons is also a certified computer-support technician.


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$ 4.70
The Classical V-belt achieves power ratings considerably higher than most other belts available in the market. The compounds used to build up these belts are chosen to match the stipulated power ratings. Classical V-Belts offer distinct advantages towards increased safety on critical drives. Replaces K13662 OC Length 1/2" X 73" Top Width 1/2" Depth 5/16" mega-cross: (1 to 15 of 15) Replaces: A-K13662 MACDON A-4L730 IND. 4L SECTION BELT Crossed From: AP71 DAYCO A153062 ENCORE A71DC DEALERS CHOICE CTIW2010258 CENTRAL TEXAS IRRIGATION GATA71 A & I MEGA-CROSS 17950 BRAMEC CORP 420409 BOSTWICK-BRAUN 503307 ALLIS CHALMERS 62071 TSC CANADA 71602157 ALLIS CHALMERS 923-5631 ORGILL 9235631 ORGILL 95099529 INGERSOLL-RAND


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This would be filed under "stuff I eat when no one's looking," except I'm now sharing it. I eat a great deal of tofu as a pure comfort food — that and noodle soup. When it's cold out, I'll pick up a cheap pack of organic tofu and chop it up to sautee with a spicy, garlicky sauce. When it's hot, there's no greater coolant than a salad of just fresh tofu, and maybe a few cucumbers about.
As I was eating this, it struck me how different the salad was compared to those I've made before because I'd haphazardly bought a firm type of tofu instead of soft. It tasted like I was sinking my teeth into cubes of fresh mozzarella — only instead of being dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, it was coated with sesame oil and soy sauce. I rather liked the taste memories of the East and West bridging together to some degree with this dish, and thought you might, too. After all, fresh cheeses like mozzarella are so similar to tofu in how they're processed, and how they eventually taste and feel: clean, smooth, and satisfying.
Rather than studding a mozzarella Caprese salad with tomatoes and basil, I tossed in some chopped cucumbers and scallions for this tofu salad. And in addition to the savoriness and nutty richness of soy sauce and sesame oil for a dressing, I sprinkled it with a dash of rice vinegar (instead of lemon). As a finishing touch for garnish — because I had some around — I cut some roasted seaweed sheets, or nori, into chiffonades. On further thought, I could have sprinkled it with some toasted sesame seeds as well, but didn't think of that before I'd eaten the whole bowl.
hothouse cucumbers from the Greenmarket
It's funny, but whenever I see a really nice, healthy-looking, green cucumber such as these, I'm reminded of the time I once neglected to see a cucumber in my garden until it had grown into a neon-orange torpedo wedged between two planters. Then I admire that farmer's punctuality in bringing it to harvest. It's not that hard of a task, but it's certainly something to amaze at once you've tried and failed at the same one once (albeit, I still ate the aforementioned thing). Like eggplant, cucumbers become bitter if they're left on the vine before its real "mature" stage, which entails that yellowing. Just something to note, if you're gardening this season.
chopped scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil are tossed with the chopped tofu
roasted seaweed sheets, or nori, sliced for topping
So, if you can get down with this Asian variation of a cold, protein-rich yet summery salad as much as I can, here's the oh-so-simple "recipe." It's a great, filling side dish, or snack to tide you over in between meals; best of all, it keeps fine covered in the fridge a couple days so you can dip into it any time.
Tofu Salad with Cucumber, Scallions & Nori
(makes about 3-4 side servings)
1 14 oz. block medium-soft or silken tofu, chopped to 1″ cubes
1 medium-sized cucumber, chopped to 1/2″ quarter-wedges
1 small clove garlic, minced
2-3 teaspoons soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 sheet nori (roasted seaweed sheets), cut to thin slices (for garnish)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl except for the nori and fold together gently so as not to break too many tofu cubes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving (can keep up to 2 days). Garnish with thinly sliced nori for serving.
Cost Calculator
(for 3-4 side servings)
1 block tofu: $2.49
1 cucumber (from the Greenmarket): $1.50
1 clove garlic: $0.05
1 scallion (at $2/bunch): $0.30
1 sheet nori: $0.20
2-3 tsp each soy sauce, rice vinegar, and 1 Tb sesame oil: $0.50
Total: $5.04
Health Factor
Three brownie points: For a light side dish or snack, this is a truly enriching way to fill up. There's a lot of water in the ingredients, which makes it cooling and hydrating, but the proteins from the tofu are really staggering when compared to the same in weight in animal meats, and they're free of cholesterol, too. The cucumbers are not only cooling, but will provide some Vitamin C and Vitamin K if you leave the peel on (which you can do if it's been grown pesticide-free). Just don't increase the sodium too much in this dish with lots of extra soy sauce or salt.
Green Factor
Six brownie points: The cucumbers I'd gotten were grown in a hothouse locally, since it's quite early in the season to find those being harvested from in-ground crops. This is an efficient way to grow later-season crops such as tomatoes and cucumbers, although the extra price tag will remind you of the infrastructure that farm had to put in place to make it happen. The tofu, while organic, was not made terribly locally, although from the USA — I've yet to make my own tofu but have a new soy milk and tofu maker in the closet, ready for use now anyday…


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RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!)
Well, our experiment with the live/tape format seems to have worked. Greg Dworkin joined the show live, for his regular morning segment, during which we rounded up Rosanne Barr news, the latest "should we call him a liar" musings, Virginia's Medicaid expansion (alongside white racial resentment/"economic anxiety"), the rising tide under which we hope to see Trump submerged, more on California's crazy primaries, and this weird notion millennials have that they can actually influence the world around them.
The latest twist in "fake news": The category now includes things Trump tells interviewers on national television. Even when he also tells the same thing to Rod Rosenstein, who then does him the favor of pretending he didn't hear him.
We were also saddened to pass on the news of the loss of good friend and longtime Kossack Sean Wang, better known as Bruinkid.
Trump offhandedly pardoned Dinesh Derpsouza. So there was that. And of course, plenty of other offhanded TrumpDerpTM: leaning on the Postmaster General to raise Amazon's shipping rates, the 2013 genesis of his man-crush on Putin, the tantalizing (if perhaps unlikely) possibility that law enforcement hears his every word, and word from Harvard that Hurricane Maria "response" remains his greatest crime.


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The crash happened around 8:00 a.m. at Voorhees Hardware in the 500 block of Haddonfield-Berlin Road.
Police say the handicapped driver lost control and crashed into the back window of the store, causing significant damage.
The driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation and is expected to be okay.
Code enforcement officials came out to inspect the store, and it was open on Monday afternoon.


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Have you checked out the home goods section at Urban Outfitters recently? It is seriously impressive. I am particularly in love with their vast selection of beautifully patterned rugs. Great prices, great colors . . . what more can you ask for? These are some of my favorites but, trust me, there are plenty more where that came from!
Check them all out here.
Labels: bright colors , decorating , home , home goods , pattern , rug , wish list
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A gathering of alumni of the Kokusaibu (short for Kokusai Gakubu or International Division) at Waseda University in Tokyo is planned for Saturday, Oct. 10, from 12 to 3 p.m. at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St. (fifth floor) in Little Tokyo.
Since its establishment in 1963, the Kokusaibu has enabled many college students from California and other states to spend a year in Japan, learning about the language and culture not only from campus life but also from their host families.
The luncheon is called the WaKA Mono Gathering, with WaKA standing for "Waseda Kokusaibu Alumni" and wakamono meaning "young people."
The event will have no formal program except to make time for sharing stories and insights, such as a humorous anecdote of an incident that illustrates a "culture clash."
"There are many alumni of the Waseda Kokusaibu in Southern California — we bump into them from time to time," organizers said. "For most of us, if not everyone, the time we spent at the Kokusaibu was one of a life-changing event that has affected us in many ways even many years after we left.
"Some of us have been talking about a gathering of WaKA-Monos – just to share stories and experiences and to enjoy together what this shared experience means for us."
Planning committee members and the years that they were at Waseda: Paul Abe (1974-75), John Iino (1982-83), Jon Kaji (1974-75), Amy Kato (1975-76), Linda Inouye (1975-76), Gwen Muranaka (1990-91), Mike Okamura (1984-85), Grace Shiba (1974-75), Bill Watanabe (1967-68), J.K. Yamamoto (1979-80).
Parking is available for $8 at Joe's Parking in the structure adjacent to the Aratani Theatre. The entrance is on Second Street midway between San Pedro and Central, and the staircase exits to the JACCC Plaza.
Cost for the event is $25. RSVP by Sept. 30 to Bill Watanabe at firstname.lastname@example.com.
On the Waseda campus stands the iconic statue of Shigenobu Okuma, the founder of the university. If you have a photo of yourself or a group photo of your Kokusaibu classmates in front of the statue, you are encouraged to share this photo to be included in a slideshow at the reunion. Additional candid photos from your Waseda Kokusaibu year can also be sent (limit three).
Email photos (8×10 format; 150 DPI resolution) by Oct. 5 to Amy Kato at firstname.lastname@example.com with your name and year at the Kokusaibu. If you have photo albums from your year, feel free to bring them to the gathering.


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8 Weeks! For (over) 8 weeks, I have made an effort and taken a walk. It didn't matter the weather, I found a window with less rain or snow or put on an extra layer, and I found time to fit in a walk of at least 30 minutes every day. On nice days, it typically stretches to 45 or 50 minutes, but my official 'target' was to make time for at least 30 minutes. As a result, I have also managed to hit my daily step goal every day (but one where there was a tornado that touched down in town and we had to spend the last hour of the night in the basement and I missed my goal by 100 steps) for those same 8 weeks. One auto goal management, it adds around 10 to 20 steps most days but does add more if I have really exceeded my goal. Now that I have made it 8 weeks, I would like to continue to fit in a walk everyday. I would like the streak to be much longer. Some days when I walk, I find myself wishing I was done before I have even 10 minutes in; some days, I walk very leisurely; some days, I walk as if on a mission to beat my pace. My VivoFit tried to prevent from success with the screen display failing (checked by replacing the batteries a couple of times in case one of the sets was old) and then Amazon's lead time for a new Garmin was 2 weeks because they were focused on essential shipments. I learned to 'count' the pressing of the button to start and stop my workout and to get the VivoFit to sync. Fortunately, my replacement shipped sooner than expected. I actually upgraded my device and really enjoy some of the added features, like getting my messages on my watch.
8 Weeks! For 8 weeks, I have been trying new recipes and dishes. I hit the jackpot earlier this week when we were enjoying chicken and rice bowls for dinner...my son said that he thought that the bowls that night were even better than Chipotle! Boom! Mission accomplished. My goal is that home made versions of our favorite dishes are just a touch better than we eat out. Don't get me wrong, I love to eat out but for years have been doing my best to recreate family eating out favorites at home. I started using the 'Copycat' cookbooks but for many of the dishes I have been able to find my own way. I have had to reinvent a few when favorite ingredients become unavailable. We have enjoyed very good bread - it's not the same as some of the bread loaves we pick up at the store but it is very good. We have enjoyed several iterations of donuts. I found a good 30 minute donut recipe but an even better glazed yeast donut recipe. We have enjoyed homemade pizza and burgers on the grill. We have also done our part by ordering in from the local places that are just trying to get through this crazy time. We have bought beer from a couple of different local craft brewers that we love. We found out that outdoor dining can open next Friday and indoor the week after. We have already talked about where to go when outdoor dining is open.
Young Vines. I will share more about the book when I am done reading. I previously read his other two books, you can find those reviews here (Alabama Irish) and here (The Mason Jar).
Over the last 8 weeks, I have become better at ordering my groceries for pick up and last week managed to pick up from three stores in the same day that I placed the order (long story - was trying to catch some deals and so I ordered from more than one store last week - haven't done that in a while). I have tried new brands and learned that there are some brands that I would skip in the future and others that might be worth trying again. Online ordering isn't as bad when you are getting it the same day but I will have to determine if the fees are worth the effort saved (and the extra effort to order). The out of stocks are fewer but have shifted categories.
Last weekend, as the StayAtHome order shifted to StaySafeOhio, we decided to have a socially distant bonfire with friends. It was a nice relaxing evening and a great chance to catch up in person. It was just one other family and we were outside the whole time. They brought their own chairs and own drinks. It was a dose of what we needed. My son finally got his braces off this week too. He was scheduled to get them off a month ago but when the StayAtHome order went into effect, his orthodontist was among the places that had to close.
Instant Pot Christmas Roast
5 years ago


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KokoWorld is a great store that offer a unique choice of high quality clothing. My favorite place in Krakow!
KokoWorld clothes are excellent, they are of great quality, Fairtrade and also very fashionable! The design of the clothes is beautiful, simple and comfortable. The store is wonderful and the staff are very helpful and nice. Highly recommend!
Best selection of vintage clothes I've seen in Krakow. They are in very good condition and made from hi quality materials but I was amazed the most by unique style of each item I saw there. Must see for those who likes vintage fashion
Wspaniałe miejsce! Piękne ubrania i inspirująca właścicielka Kasia. Serdecznie polecam.
Magical place with wonderful, high-quality, selected clothes. This store will change your life! Really! :)
Good selection. Unique clothes. Good prices.
IT is really cool vintage shop!


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In 1993 I was conducting fieldwork on the Fort Belknap Native American reservation when I met an oncologist from New York City during a
What role does compassionate care play in the well being of medical professionals?
An expanding branch of the Well Being at Work Team research centers on the well being of healthcare workers, in particular direct care workers who work on the front lines of primary and preventive medicine. We are interested in parsing out the conditions that empower a healthcare worker to flourish, even in contexts where resources are limited. We want to know the mechanisms that create such flourishing and whether and how they can be replicated and adapted to various settings. But first we need to understand the culture of healthcare organizations; their taken for granted system of beliefs, norms, and practices; style of leadership, mission philosophy as ideal type (something to strive for) and reality (daily practice).
We need to understand various healthcare cultures that are in states of crisis, measured by poor patient satisfaction ratings and low worker engagement that result in high turnover. According to one survey of 482 U.S. healthcare H.R. employees at the managerial level or higher almost half (49%) of healthcare workers were viewed as not being fully engaged (Cornerstone 2014). Lower patient mortality and infection rates were associated with higher degrees of nurse satisfaction and engagement according to a Gallup study (Paller and Perkin 2004).
Increasingly there is mounting research to support the correlation between healthcare worker engagement and patient satisfaction pointing to the reciprocity between doctor and patient (Harmon and Behson 2007, Heskett et al. 2008). The U.S. Joint commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare organizations linked healthy workplaces to high-quality care over a decade ago: "A healthy workplace is one where workers will be able to deliver high quality care and one in which worker health and patients' care quality are mutually supportive. That is, the physical and emotional health of workers fosters quality care, and vice versa, being able to deliver high-quality care fosters worker health" (Eisenberg et al. 2001:447).
Kleinman became the primary caregiver for his wife, his "soul mate", after she was afflicted with a form of Alzheimer's.
Kleinman became the primary caregiver for his wife, his "soul mate", after she was afflicted with a form of Alzheimer's.
Harvard psychiatrist Arthur Kleinman has long recognized the significance of the symbiotic relationship of the healthcare encounter. In the prologue to Patients and Doctors by Jeffrey M. Borkan, Kleinman writes, "…We want to document that we are doing something whose importance lies in its intersubjective meaning, that presence of shared meaning lends a sacred quality to the medical calling…" "Presence", he recently told a group of medical students from Rush and Western Michigan Universities, "is inherent in those who are 'called' into their work from a private to a public space of caretaking. Those who enact 'presence' are energized. It's what makes care non-mechanical, gives care a vividness, a fullness…"
And whether intersubjective compassion and caring works through "mirror neurons" or as placebo or even through the mitigating factors of the "halo effect", the benefits of empathy in medicine has translated into a host of measurable outcomes including higher rates of compliance, physiological evidence such as bolstered immunity and a decreased need for pain medication, and higher patient satisfaction ratings.
Scholars tend to agree that the ability to recognize and communicate an understanding of a patient's concerns and experiences (cognitive empathy), benefits patients. But there is less consensus about whether the emotional response a physician may feel in response to encounter with a patient (affective empathy) benefits their mutual well being. Many healthcare providers feel that too much affective empathy can lead to "compassion fatigue" (a.k.a. burnout), and that a certain professional distancing is necessary in order to avoid it.
However, a recent survey of 7500 practicing physicians showed that doctors who reported feeling concern for their patients also reported more job satisfaction (Decety and Gleichgerrcht 2013). This suggests that developing a flexible emotional intelligence that can navigate through intense encounters combined with performative acts that affirm a patient's humanity (active listening, non clinical touch, eye contact) could improve the well being of both medical professional and patient, and that disengagement from intense emotions is not the answer.
What is often framed as care-worker "compassion fatigue" may actually be an organizational ecosystem that hinders the ability for care-workers to actually perform "intrinsically motivated" emotional care acts. What blocks an empathetic understanding of patient concerns could be a system of daily tasks and schedules, "pressures, tensions, anxiety, demoralization, dissatisfaction, frustration, feelings of guilt, reduced support and supervision (Aronson 1996), and, for those workers whose daily encounters involve witnessing grave injury and death, "complicated feelings surrounding the grief process" (Jones 2008).
Dr. Loren Hamel, C.E.O. and President of Lakeland Health Care, wants to find a way to "hardwire compassion across his organization." In 2013 hospital patient satisfaction rates hovered around the 35th percentile, so he decided to try something different and designed the "bring your heart to work" campaign.[1]
Essentially workers at all levels are encouraged to share personal anecdotes and stories with patients, to connect with them on a personal level, and actively listen to their needs and concerns. Using the framework of "Who, What, and Why" staff are asked to introduce themselves to every patient (who), communicate what they are there to do (what), and explain the reason for it (why). HR managers are paired with each patient care department to attend staff meetings and rounds throughout the week to increase employee engagement on these techniques, and thereby increase patient satisfaction.
Hearts are placed on nametags each time a patient reports that they've emotionally connected with a worker. At the end of each day workers share stories about how they touched their patients' lives and in turn were "touched" themselves. Hamel recounts one story he heard on rounds of an African-American nurse who confronted a man who was out of control after learning his wife was dying. The security officers let her pass and she put her hand on his shoulder and asked if he needed a hug. He wept in her arms for twenty minutes.
Hamel explains the context that precipitated his interest in bringing "heart" back to the healthcare workplace. "I was concerned with three main challenges in our field," Hamel says. "Healthcare is one of the most memorable dramas. Every day we deal with life and death but inevitably it becomes routine. How do we avoid this? Second, patients and their families struggle to understand what we are doing to provide care but more importantly, why we are doing it. We need to do a better job in understanding their needs and explaining why certain interventions and treatments are needed. Finally, the crisis of healthcare has beat creativity and innovation out of the industry. We have to create a space for passion in our work."
After launching his campaign, within 90 days, patient satisfaction reached the 95th percentile across three hospitals. While Hamel expects these results to peak and valley, the implications are encouraging. Still, he wonders about their replicability. "How do you standardize a smile? How can you build a culture that supports it [empathic and passionate caregiving]? But," he says with twinkling eyes, "if you can build a culture of compassion in medicine, well that beats strategy, rules, policy, procedure… We could measure its success through lower rates of turnover, higher rates of productivity…"
Interestingly, Hamel says that the group that struggled the most with his campaign to practice empathy was doctors. They resisted using the scripts Hamel created to guide medical professionals in their interactions with patients that used "I" statements: "I am here today because I care about your health…" Hamel says, "Some admitted, 'I'm not up to this…letting people know how much I care." He watched them awkwardly perform embodied acts of caring in simulation labs and realized that while transmitting empathy may be simple (involving acts such as sitting down, sustained eye contact, non clinical touch, waiting 2-3 seconds after each comment or statement, and smiling), it is not always intuitive. "We are going to keep trying," Hamel says.
Recently a (first year) surgeon shared with me that he could not recall compassion or empathy being a meaningful part of his medical training. He wondered, given the all-consuming intensity of the technical training alone, how developing emotional intelligence could be incorporated into the curriculum. Ellen Lerner Rothman's book White Coat: Becoming a doctor at Harvard Medical School(1999) documents the rigors and exhaustion that is part of this professional training. Rothman focuses on the doctor-patient relationship and recounts her self-doubt and unease with which she approached cadavers, conducted her first psychiatric interview and initiated her first pelvic exam. She ultimately found her calling as a pediatrician. But what of doctors who feel stuck in environments that remain high-stress and among colleagues who are chronically disengaged? I mentioned a recent news story that seemed to flag a culture in crisis: a defamation lawsuit that made headlines where a patient was awarded $500,000 after he recorded his anesthesiologist and other medical staff insulting him (she said she wanted to hit him and joked he had a STD) during his colonoscopy. The surgeon shrugged and said such scenes were commonplace.
The case for training doctors who are both technically and emotionally skilled and intelligent has produced some reforms in medical education. New scales in the MCATs, the admission test for medical school, seek to filter out those who lack the psychosocial skills essential for compassionate caregiving, and assess cultural competency and aptitude for holistic diagnosis (gauging how a patient's background, psychology and experience impacts their health). In addition to altering the MCATs, Darrell Kirch, president and C.E.O. of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and his team is trying to more accurately measure applicants' reactions to patient-doctor scenarios including how practicioners interact with patients from different cultural backgrounds, as well as assess how medical professionals personally respond to stress. For according to many neuroscientists, it's not the capacity to discern and process emotions in the workplace that is the problem, but poor stress management.
To some degree, there is a consensus among researchers that empathy can be taught so the medical training itself may be the larger issue. An often-cited study shows that empathy declines when students start seeing patients, in the third year of residency (Hojat, et al, 2009). And another has shown that doctors in practice longer are more disengaged and make less accurate diagnoses because of it. (Affective empathy has been linked to more accurate diagnoses and better patient health outcomes because patients disclose more of themselves to doctors they feel are genuinely concerned about them.) What is happening to cause this progressive disengagement?
Stressors CNAs commonly cite when they leave their positions are: unfavorable staff: patient ratio, physical exhaustion, low pay, feeling unappreciated, dissatisfied with supervisor, unable to advance, unable to provide quality of care, uninspired, and compassion fatigue (Mickus, et. al. 2004). What matters most to medical employees in a 2008 study was that management cares, listens to and appreciates them, helps with stress and "compassion fatigue", the workplace is safe, and they have "consistent assignment" when it comes to patients. The importance of relationships as both a potential barrier and facilitator to well being is striking in this data.
Perhaps it makes good sense then to, following Hamel's example, create an organizational culture around compassion that equips medical professionals with the tools and supports needed to offset the stressors of the workplace and a space to navigate through the emotional landscape of caring work. This may include training in reflexivity (offering classes with readings that prompt a discussion of the nature of suffering in illness and how it impacts both doctor and patient), mindfulness meditation, which helps workers to discern affective from cognitive empathy and manage their emotions and relationships effectively without disengaging, and organizing peer support groups.
According to one anonymous medical resident and writer of a popular blog, narrative medicine and the practice of therapeutic writing, even 15 minutes a day, offers another outlet, a way to embark upon the practice of medicine in a coherent, calm, and dispassionate way without slowly getting lost in cynicism or indifference. Inspired by the work of poet-physician William Carlos Williams born in 1883, the resident writes of how to live within the paradox of being a scientist-artist:
As a physician, we are constantly required to maintain our calm…We must distance ourselves enough from the human condition in order to diagnose and treat objectively, and this often requires a certain degree of reticence or repression. On the other hand, the primary goal of an artist is to express – passion, imagination, memory…The world of medicine is one of tragedy and miracles. Physicians witness death, but we also witness survival, birth, and moments of deep joy and gratitude…we return to our patients – our energy source – who inspire out poetry. This is one of the aims of the artist: to capture sparks in the ocean of humanity, to create from them a flame, and to give this flame back to the vast waters from whence they came in a new and preserved form, so that we can better understand and appreciate our collective existence.
Aronson J, Neysmith SM. "You're Not Just in There to Do the Work": Depersonalizing Policies and the Exploitation of Home Care Workers' Labor. Gender and Society. 1996;10(1):59–77.
Eisenberg, J.M., C.C. Bowman and N.E. Foster. 2001. "Does a Healthy Health Care Workplace Produce Higher-Quality Care?" Journal of Quality Improvement 27: 444–57.
Harmon, J. and S.J. Behson. 2007. "Links among High-Performance Work Environment, Service Quality, and Customer Satisfaction: An Extension to the Healthcare Sector." Journal of Healthcare Management 52: 109–24.
Heskett, J.L., W.E. Sasser and J. Wheeler. 2008. The Ownership Quotient: Putting the Service Profit Chain to Work for Unbeatable Competitive Advantage. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
Jones, S. H. (2008). A Delicate Balance: Self-Care for the Hospice Professional. self-care plan for hospice workers. Aging Well, 1(2), 38.
Mickus, M. C. Luz and A. Hogan. The Recruitment and Retention of Direct Care Workers in Long Term Care (2004) Michigan State University[1]Lakeland uses the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) initiative guidelines to uniformly measure and publicly report patients' perceptions about aspects of their inpatient care including communication with docs and nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, pain management, hospital environment and discharge information. The survey is central to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's Value-Based Purchasing Program (VBP), which encourages hospitals to provide high quality care and increased patient satisfaction through financial incentives.


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Winnipeg Sports & Recreationwalik/iStockphoto.com
Devotees of organized sports will find many opportunities to cheer on the local teams in Winnipeg. Canadians love hockey, and those who fancy flying sticks and flashing skates will find the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets facing off against their opponents downtown at Canada Life Centre (formerly Bell MTS Place, 300 Portage Ave.), September through April. Also at this venue is the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, who play October through April; phone (204) 987-7825.
Football fans can watch the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers play at IG Field at the University of Manitoba from June to November; phone (204) 784-2583 for office. The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball's Winnipeg Goldeyes play at Shaw Park (near The Forks at 1 Portage Ave. E.) from May to late August; phone (204) 982-2273 for tickets.
Sports car racing enthusiasts converge at the Red River Co-op Speedway, (204) 582-0527, on Cartier Road, Ste. Adolphe, off Hwy. 75, 8 kilometres (5 mi.) south of St. Norbert, from May through October (weather permitting).
Assiniboia Downs, 3975 Portage Ave. at the Perimeter Highway, offers Thoroughbred racing early May to late September. Simulcast races are offered year-round; phone (204) 885-3330.
Note: Policies concerning admittance of children to pari-mutuel betting facilities vary. Phone for information.
Other spectator sports and things to see in Winnipeg include minor league hockey, curling and ringette games, held at municipal skating rinks, and cricket played in Assiniboine Park. Ringette, similar to hockey, is a popular women's sport developed in Canada.
There are 27 golf courses in the Winnipeg area. Nine-hole public courses include Crescent Drive, 781 Crescent Dr., (204) 986-5911; Harbour View, 1867 Springfield Rd., (204) 222-2751; The Players Course, 2695 Inkster Blvd., (204) 697-4976; and Winnipeg Canoe Club, 50 Dunkirk Dr., (204) 233-1105. Among the 18-hole public courses are Kildonan Park, 2021 Main St., (204) 986-5679; Tuxedo, 400 Shaftesbury Blvd., (204) 888-2867; Meadows at East St. Paul, 2511 McGregor Farm Rd. N. (adjacent to Hwy. 59), (204) 667-4653; Shooters Family Golf Centre, 2731 Main St., (204) 339-2326; and Windsor Park, 10 Des Meurons St., (204) 986-3006. John Blumberg, 4540 Portage Ave., (204) 986-3490, offers both nine- and 18-hole layouts.
Winnipeg has 115 tennis courts, some lighted for night matches. Many courts are at community centers. Championship matches are held during the summer at various locations throughout the city. Squash, handball and racquetball players can find courts at a number of athletic clubs and local universities. For information contact Sport Manitoba; phone (204) 925-5600.
Fans of bicycling and in-line skating take to the marked paths in Winnipeg's city parks. Bicycle trails along less-traveled side streets in and around Winnipeg also have been established. A multi-use path along the Red River connects the Exchange District with Osborne Village and offers great views of the waterfront; the stretch through Stephen Juba Park is particularly scenic.
In winter, The Forks offers ice-skating on the Red River Mutual Trail, said to be the world's longest naturally frozen skating trail. Warming huts are stationed along the trail, and rental skates are available in season (typically January through March).
Cross-country skiing, tobogganing and ice-skating facilities are available at Assiniboine, Kildonan and St. Vital parks; facilities for ice-skating also are found at numerous schools and community clubs. Downhill skiing is available at Springhill Winter Park Ski Area, (204) 224-3051, near Birds Hill Provincial Park at the junction of Hwy. 59N at the Floodway; and Stony Mountain Ski Area, (204) 344-5977, 11 kilometres (6 mi.) north of the Perimeter Highway on Hwy. 7. Birds Hill Provincial Park, (204) 654-6730, also is a site for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.
Swimming can be pursued all year in Winnipeg, where numerous indoor pools include those at four YM-YWCAs; phone (204) 947-3044. The Pan Am Pool, 25 Poseidon Bay, is one of the largest indoor bodies of water in Canada and is open all year; phone (877) 311-4974.
Many recreational activities and fun things to do are available at the Harbour View Recreation Complex in the northeastern section of Winnipeg in Kilcona Park, 1867 Springfield Rd. At this 162-hectare (400-acre) park are facilities for miniature golf, lawn bowling, shuffleboard and horseshoes as well as tennis courts, a 27-hole golf course and a driving range during the summer. Golf and tennis lessons are available April to October. Ice-skating, tobogganing and cross-country skiing are available during the winter. Phone (204) 222-2751.
Winnipeg, MB
AAA's in-person hotel evaluations are unscheduled to ensure the inspector has an experience similar to that of members. To pass inspection, all hotels must meet the same rigorous standards for cleanliness, comfort and hospitality. These hotels receive a AAA Diamond designation that tells members what type of experience to expect.
Members save 5% or more and earn Marriott Bonvoy™ points when booking AAA/CAA rates!Delta Hotels by Marriott Winnipeg
350 St. Mary Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3C 3J2
Members save up to 10% and earn Honors points when booking AAA/CAA rates!Hampton Inn by Hilton Winnipeg Airport/Polo Park
730 Berry St. Winnipeg, MB R3H 0S6
Save 5% or more when booking AAA/CAA rates plus earn bonus points with the AAA Preferred™ BWR ProgramBest Western Plus Pembina Inn & Suites
1714 Pembina Hwy. Winnipeg, MB R3T 2G2
Members save up to 10% and earn World of Hyatt points when booking AAA/CAA rates! Members also receive free breakfast at Hyatt Place/Hyatt House with their World of Hyatt membership!Hyatt House Winnipeg-South/Outlet Collection
700 Sterling Lyon Pkwy. Winnipeg, MB R3P 1J9
City Population
229 m/763 ft.
Sales Tax
Manitoba's provincial sales tax is 8 percent. A 5 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied in Canada on most sales and services. There is a 5 percent accommodations tax on hotel/motel rooms where there are four or more letting rooms.
Police (non-emergency)
(204) 986-6222
(204) 983-2050
Concordia Hospital, (204) 667-1560; Grace Hospital, (204) 837-0111; Health Sciences Centre, (204) 787-3661; St. Boniface Hospital, (204) 233-8563; Seven Oaks General Hospital, (204) 632-7133; Victoria General Hospital, (204) 269-3570.
Visitor Information
Suite 810, One Lombard Pl. Winnipeg, MB R3B 0X3. Phone:(204)943-1970 or (855)734-2489
Air Travel
Cheap airline flights can be found from cities all over the country as well as internationally.
Rental Cars
Hertz, (800) 654-3080, offers discounts to AAA members. Winnipeg locations are at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, phone (204) 925-6625, and 1577 Erin St., phone (204) 925-6629. Contact your AAA travel agent to add rental car reservations to your vacation packages.
Rail Service
The VIA Rail Canada depot is downtown at Union Station, 123 Main St.; phone (888) 842-7245.
Cab companies include Duffy's, (204) 925-0101; and Unicity, (204) 925-3131. Winnipeg rates start at $3.50 plus an average rate of $1.71 per kilometre or $2.02 per mile.
Public Transportation
Winnipeg Transit, the public bus system, serves downtown Winnipeg and its suburbs. Route maps and route information are available by phoning 311 (within Winnipeg) or visiting the Winnipeg Transit website. Bus fare is $2.95, $2.45 (ages 6-16, ages 65+ and students with ID); riders must have exact change. More than 500 of the buses have accessibility features including low floors, electric ramps and priority accessible seating.
As a AAA member, you'll save even more. Your AAA Travel Agent will check to see if AAA Vacations is combinable with other AAA member benefits, plus cruise and tour past passenger discounts and benefits.


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What is order fulfilment?
Order fulfilment, or ecommerce fulfilment, refers to the process of receiving goods at a warehouse, picking and packing, and delivering orders to customers. The process sounds extremely simple, however, there is more to efficient order fulfilment than just posting out packages. At the core of a good order fulfilment center is one crucial goal – to give customers the very best experience each and every time they order from you.
That's where Pointbid's expertise can really help your business. We provide order fulfilment services to businesses both small and large. This means that you can outsource your order fulfilment process to a team of experts so that you have the time to focus on other aspects of your business.
Want to know more about our order fulfilment process, services and fulfilment prices?
Why Choose Pointbid's Order Fulfilment Centre?
We offer much more than just order fulfilment. With us, you get access to a wealth of experience and knowledge in making the fulfilment process work for you and your business. We don't operate on a templated approach at our order fulfilment centre; we know that different businesses move their stock in different ways and at different times. That's why we offer a dedicated account manager who takes on your advice, story and way of operating so that we can translate it to the best possible fulfilment experience for you and, most importantly, your valued customers.
Grow Your eCommerce Business
By outsourcing your fulfilment to us, you gain back valuable time to focus on growing other aspects of your online business. With fast, worldwide shipping, your reach will expand further than ever and give you access to whole new markets.
Improve Your Customer Experience
We want your customers' experience and customer service to be flawless. With cost-effective shipping, same-day despatch, appropriate packaging and tracking system, your customers will be returning time and time again.
Stock Management
By utilising Pointbid for your order fulfilment, you gain access to our Portal. With the use of technology, you'll have complete insight into your orders, inventory management and any other reports you need.
How does order fulfilment work?
The process of fulfilling orders can be broken down into five basic steps, each of which have specific benefits when using outsourced order fulfilment:
- Goods in – your products are sent to a fulfilment centre or warehouse
- Warehousing – your goods are stored securely in the warehouse where they are easily accessible when orders come in
- Pick and Pack – when a customer places an order, the expert team in the warehouse collect all the necessary items and assemble them into a parcel
- Shipping – a courier is used to send the parcel to the customer
- Returns – when necessary, a product is returned to the warehouse or centre to be processed
Pointbid uses technology and software wherever possible in the fulfilment process. This ensures that the transition is seamless for both you and your customers, at all times.
Our order fulfilment process operates as follows:
1. Goods in
Goods in – or receiving – is the first stage in the order fulfilment process.
This is where we set up your account on our order fulfilment software so that we can integrate with your ecommerce store. We also set up your inventory and products before sending them to our fulfilment centre.
Once the stock is received, our team check each and every delivery to make sure everything is undamaged and ready to be stored. We then add all of the necessary barcodes, measurements and images to our software to ensure the most accurate fulfilment moving forward.
2. Warehousing
Once all of your inventory is loaded into the system, it's time to store it all in our fulfilment warehouse. Depending on the size of the item, they will be stored into pick storage for fast and easy accessibility or loaded onto pallets.
All of the information we've taken during the Goods In stage ensure that your products are stored in the most efficient way, and that you are only charged for the space they take up.
Thanks to our software portal, you will be able to track how much stock you have and where it is stored.
3. Pick and Pack
The pick and pack stage of the order fulfilment process arguably has the biggest impact on customer experience. Efficient picking and packing will make sure that the correct products are delivered to your customer, and that the products aren't damaged.
Our expert team, backed by the use of our in-house technology, ensure that our pick and pack accuracy remains extremely high. You and your customers will have complete transparency for every order.
So that your customers receive the best possible experience, all orders are packaged safely and securely, minimising on-route damage.
4. Shipping
Once an order has been picked and packed, the next step is for the product to be sent to the customer. We despatch products via our network of established couriers, with same-day processing if the order is placed before the agreed cut-off time.
Each order is allocated to the most efficient courier for both time and cost, with tracking provided to you and your customers.
Our goal is to always provide you with shipping solutions that are fast, cost-effective and offer your customers a fantastic experience each and every time they place an order with you.
5. Returns
The returns process has a huge impact on customer experience and whether they will come back to you for repeat business. A huge 92% of shoppers say that they would purchase from a business again if the returns process is simple and effective.
Returns are an unfortunate necessity, however at Pointbid we mitigate returns as much as possible due to our careful and accurate fulfilment process. However, when returns do happen, we strive to make the process as easy as possible for your customers, with accurate tracking included.
Once we receive the returned goods, we process them as quickly and efficiently as possible, allowing you to refund your customers and arrange for re-stocking.
Benefits of Outsourcing the Order Fulfilment process
Outsourcing your order fulfilment process to someone else comes with whole range of benefits to your business, including:
- Lowering your shipping costs
- Reducing your operating costs
- Extending your reach
- Improving your customer service
- Streamlining your order fulfilment process with technology
- Giving you more time and energy for growing other aspects of your business
Moving Forward with Outsourcing Order Fulfilment
If you want to know more about our order fulfilment centre and how the process would work for your business, please get in touch with us. Once we know a little bit more about your needs, our fulfilment consultants can give you the most accurate information as quickly as possible.


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Liberating Structures for Scrum (3): The Product Backlog
TL;DR: The Liberating Structures Product Backlog Meetup
The fourth Liberating Structures for Scrum meetup addressed the Product Backlog, more precisely the issues with Product Backlogs that subsequently cause Sprint Plannings to fail and Scrum Teams to deliver below their capabilities; as the saying goes: garbage in, garbage out.
Liberating Structures for Scrum
Created by Keith McCandless and Henri Lipmanowicz, Liberating Structures cover a set of easy to learn, yet powerful ways to collaborate as a team—even as a (very) large team by Scrum standards—, overcoming traditional communications approaches like presentations, managed discussions, or another disorganized brainstorming at which the loudest participants tend to prevail.
Liberating Structures are well suited to improve the level of engagement among participants of Scrum events, thus stimulating the kind of outcomes that are necessary to create learning organizations. Liberating Structures also provide an excellent toolbox to handle Product Backlog refinements or improving the Definition of Done of an engineering organization.
Lastly, Liberating Structures are a great tool when large groups come together for retrospectives, self-selection of teams, or figuring out where to go next; which is what the Product Backlog is all about.
The Product Backlog
The Product Backlog is one of the three Scrum artifacts and reflects at any moment the best possible use of the Development Team's time. According to the Scrum Guide:
- The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product
- It is the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product
- The Product Backlog lists all features, functions, requirements, enhancements, and fixes that constitute the changes to be made to the product in future releases
- A Product Backlog is never complete
- The Product Backlog is dynamic; it constantly changes to identify what the product needs to be appropriate, competitive, and useful
- Product Backlog refinement is the act of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog
- This is an ongoing process in which the Product Owner and the Development Team collaborate on the details of Product Backlog items
- The Product Owner is responsible for the Product Backlog, including its content, availability, and ordering.
Source: Scrum Guide.
The conclusion of the previous meetup on Liberating Structures for the Sprint Planning was obvious: successful Sprint Plannings depend on a well-prepared, actionable Product Backlog where the Scrum Team managed the heavy lifting already during the Product Backlog refinement. Hence the goal of this meetup was to figure out a way to create a well-prepared, actionable Product Backlog utilizing Liberating Structures.
In that regard, we were particularly interested in the three issues that form the messy middle of any Product Backlog:
- The process of identifying potentially valuable new functionality and necessary work items. Are features "requests" still handed down from the "business" to "IT" along with the my-budget-my-feature thinking that tends to result in local optimizations?
- What items belong to an existing Product Backlog? For example, how is the Product Backlog reflecting non-functional items to improve the quality of the tech stack?
- Finally, how does the Scrum Team handle the Product Backlog refinement? Is it a Jira-driven exercise to tick boxes on a check-list? Alternatively, is the Team having an open discussion in which the Product Owner pitching the 'why,' the Development Team deciding on the 'how,' and both meeting in the middle to haggle on the 'what?'
Read more: 28 Product Backlog and Refinement Anti-Patterns.
Liberating Structures Product Backlog: Ecocyle Planning
The Ecocyle Planning
The subtitle of the Ecocycle Planning page summarizes the potential of this microstructure well:
Analyze the Full Portfolio of Activities and Relationships to Identify Obstacles and Opportunities for Progress.
In my experience, Ecocycle Planning has proven to be a powerful tool for Product Owners and Scrum Masters alike when a Scrum Team needs to deal with a suboptimal Product Backlog. It can be used as an instrument to understand whether the content of the Product Backlog still reflects the best use of a Scrum Teams time. Moreover, Ecocycle Planning can be applied to identify processes and practices within the organization that prevent Product Backlogs from achieving their full potential.
The Exercises with Ecocyle Planning
As a first exercise, given the diversity of participants at the meetup, four groups practiced the Ecocycle Planning by creating a (meta-level) list of activities, practices, and relationships that helped shape the participants' professional status today.
While this exercise was working reasonably well, I consider addressing this career question later in 2019 in a separate meetup, the final exercise of the day had room for improvement in hindsight. The four groups were tasked with identifying emergency procedures to turn a weak Product Backlog into an actionable one by designing a string of Liberating Structures that they could act on in the short-term.
In the end, one group suggested a Liberating Structures string, comprised of the following microstructures:
The group suggested to use 1-2-4-All to aggregate individual findings in the process.
Ecocyle Planning is a powerful forensic tool to identify waste, bottlenecks, anti-pattern, and impediments within your organization and your Product Backlog. Practice it in a smaller group setting before rolling it out as your facilitation tool of choice to the rest of the organization. Allocate sufficient time to exercises based on Ecocyle Planning; proper execution with starters to Liberating Structures likely takes much longer than the estimated duration of 95 minutes.
What problems did you solve with Ecocycle Planning? Please share with us in the comments.
Liberating Structures Product Backlog — Related Content
📅 🎓 Berlin, February 18-20, 2020: Professional Scrum Training plus Liberating Structures — three immersive Days for Scrum Masters .
Liberating Structures for Scrum (1): The Sprint Retrospective.
Liberating Structures for Scrum (2): The Sprint Planning.
📅 Scrum Training Classes, Workshops, and Events
You can secure your seat for Scrum training classes, workshops, and meetups directly by following the corresponding link in the table below:
See all upcoming classes here.
You can book your seat for the training directly by following the corresponding links to the ticket shop. If the procurement process of your organization requires a different purchasing process, please contact Berlin Product People GmbH directly.Tags: Backlog Refinement, Ecocyle Planning, Liberating Structures, Liberating Structures String, Product Backlog, Scrum


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18 takeaways from this lecture:
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The research and findings from studies outlined in this lecture were conducted in the 1980s by psychologist Glenn D. Wilson and others. "Evolutionary psychology (EP) has generated controversy and criticism," and are discussed on the Criticism of evolutionary psychology wikipedia page.]
00:00:30 "More sex takes place in our head than in our bed." The late sex therapist Helen Kaplan argued that sex is a combination of friction and fantasy, requiring both physical and mental stimulation in order to create arousal and achieve sexual satisfaction.
Sex = Friction + Fantasy
The physical component (friction) is the obvious act of sex, and the easiest to manage. The mental stimulation, however, is highly subjective from person to person, and is a sort of move script each person writes for themselves which is built upon hopes, memories, and expectations and experiences developed during their lifetime.
Fantasy exceeds reality because it takes place in the mind where there are no limits to creativity, no resistance and rejection, and where one isn't required to abide by societal norms, attitudes and limitations.
Fantasies, thus, often surpass reality.
00:03:00 Currently, one of the best ways to measure sexual fantasy is through questionnaires, usually anonymously.
Glenn Wilson's own Sex Fantasy Questionnaire (SFQ) provided a list of sexual fantasies gleaned through research and asked respondents to rate each fantasy from 0 – never to 5 – regularly.
Using factor analysis, he then turned those questionnaires into a top four of sexual fantasies:
- Exploratory – Orgies, promiscuity, and mate sharing…
- Intimate – Passionate kissing, intercourse with a lover, sex in public…
- Impersonal – Sex alone using objects, voyeurism…
- Sadomasochistic – Bondage, control, spanking…
Highlights from the results of this questionnaire:
- Men were twice as likely to have fantasies than women, yet women were twice as likely to return the questionnaire.
- Men showed the greatest interest in both exploratory (partner swapping) and impersonal (sex toys andvoyeurism).
00:08:21 One of the main reasons men have more sexual fantasies than men is because of testosterone – which increases sexual appetite. Testosterone supplements given to menopausal woman can increase sexual appetite, and anti-androgens have been found to actually lower libido and fantasies in men, and have been used on sexual criminals.
00:10:01 Sexual fantasies among men and women manifest in different ways:
- Men tend to prefer multiple partners who are young and anonymous, and focus on pornographic, physicial details of the women's bodies.
- Women prefer identified (often famous) individuals, and focus more on emotional and romantic details.
These sexual fantasies seem to correspond with the theory of parental investment theory, which holds that in any species, the gender which invests more in reproduction (usually female as she is responsible for child birth and rearing) will be much more selective than her male counterpart.
00:11:13 With sexual fantasies, studies found (Wilson & Lang, 1981) that men are twice as likely to fantasize about active roles, but both men and women are similar in their preference for passive roles.
00:13:36 Studies have also found (Wilson & Lang, 1981) that men fantasize when they are sexually deprived, disappointed or frustrated, while women actually fantasize when they are sexually active and more or less satisfied.
00:16:19 With sexual fantasies, only 26% of men and 32% of women are willing to share their fantasies with their partner, depending in part on whether or not the partner plays a role in the fantasy. Although the majority of people claimed they wouldn't be jealous of their partner's fantasizing about someone else, is telling your lover you fantasize about someone else or about a scenario they may reject you for really a risk you want to take?
00:17:55 In a free narrative sexual fantasy conducted by Glenn Wilson in 1987, it was found that men preferred voyeuristic and fetishistic group sex here their partner was involved, while women were also open to the idea of group sex where their partner was involved, however with a preference for a romantic setting.
00:19:04 In the above free narrative study, it was found that 13% of women fantasize about rape or force in some form or another. To clarify, these results didn't suggest women wanted to be raped, but rather they wanted to feel irresistably attractive in the eyes of the lover they were fantasizing about.
00:20:06 Some researchers have found a positive correlation between force fantasies and women who had ben sexually abused during childhood, with the outcome depending on whether the emotional outcome of the experience had been arousing or distressing. Globally, force fantasies appear to be unnecessarily unhealthy, as the force fantasies in women being associated with women who are satisfied with their sex lives.
00:21:57 A surprising majority of men aren't against submissive, sadomasochistic experiences such as being whipped and bound, especially those who occupy high-level positions. The theories are that:
- Motherly discipline in early life became associated with the man's first experience of sexual arousal.
- High-status individuals must make so many decisions and have their professional lives and agenda so controlled for them that they desire submissively having decisions forced upon them. But this could be that more men than just high-status individuals prefer this fantasy, but that these news stories make for great ratings when it involves high-status individuals.
- Fear, sexual desire, and aggression all involve adrenaline, which can lead to a cocktail of fetishes.
00:26:21 One study (Wilson, 1988) compared 'normal' men with men who frequented kinky, fetishist clubs, and found that sasomasochists score the highest across the board. The majority of all men-types questionned were content fantasizing about intimate fantasies of passionate kissing, intercourse with a lover, sex in public… (mentioned above)
00:27:51 A 'variance quotient' of:
VQ=(Impersonal + Sadomasochistic)/(Intimate + Explatory)
has been derived from this research, and has since been used in ongoing research. For instance, it has been found that paraphilic men tend to have:
- several older brothers
- feminine finger ratios (2nd to 4th finger ratio)
- tend to be left-handed
00:30:57 The above findings concern non-dangerous men with unusual sexual fantasies, and recall that kinky fantasies are common among healthy men. However, with regard to the small percentage of male paraphilic fantasies that become dangerous and criminal, those men tend to:
- 'Show escalating patterns of fantasy followed by behavioral rehearsals'
- Hone in on one unwilling target, and becoming fixed on them.
- Hold low-level entry jobs such as a bouncers, barmen, and amusement park workers.
- Meticulously plan their crimes from start to finish
- Aren't interested in finding a consenting partner to play out their fantasies
- Lack the ability to feel empathy and emotional connection
[EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on this, watch Glenn Wilson's lectures Introduction & Methodology of Profiling Serial Killers and Love Sickness: The Problematic & Pathological Side of Love at Gresham College.]
00:33:14 The Sex Fantasy Questionnaire (SFQ) has also been applied to assessing the risk of child sex offenders. Child sex offenders tend to be very exploratory and intimate (see chart above)
00:36:35 While many healthy men have kinky fantasies, only a small percentage rapists become excited at the thought of a resisting victim, with most men preferring sex with a consenting partner who enjoyed the experience with them.
One problem rapists have is their inability to recognize and acknowledge a person's refusal or rejection to thier sexual advances, believing the rejection to be insincere or 'just a part of the dating game.'
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Recall in Glenn Wilson's lecture Love Sickness: The Problematic & Pathological Side of Love that women have been known to qualify men and test their devotion by putting them through 'tests.' The man's persistence can pay off, provided he correctly reads her cues.
For more information on how to read male/femaie body language, watch the short documentary Sex & Love: Interpreting Body Language & Non-Verbal Flirting Cues.]
00:39:16 Other factors that can contribute to criminal sexual behavior include:
- Sexual fantasies which are obsessional and grow more and more violent with the passing of time, and trial behaviors to test, or rehearse, the fantasy.
- Coming from a dysfunctional family where multiple family members have been involved in criminal activity.
- Having specific personality traits such as psychopathy
- General attitudes such as anger and hostility towards women or a particular demographic of people.
- Feeling inadequate, impotent or out of control of one's life and decisions, socially isolated from the world.
00:43:01 Common "fantasy tends to dwell on the positive erotic aspects of the scenario," whereas criminal intent would focus more on the logistics, practicality and overcoming difficulties in implementing their plan.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: For more on what makes people become serial killers and psychopaths, watch the TED Talk Exploring The Mind of Killers & Psychopaths.]


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LA YouTuber Trisha Paytas has become something of an Internet sensation after she gave her official endorsement to presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a video this past week.
In this exclusive What's Trending interview, Trisha sits down with Shira Lazar (on the eve of her appearance on Sean Hannity's show) to discuss her decision to make outspoken political opinion videos, how she found faith after working as a stripper and how Catholicism has informed her political beliefs.
Though she admits to using satire and humor to spread her message, Trisha insists that she is not playing a character, and these videos represent her authentic beliefs and attitudes.
Trisha has been consistently uploading YouTube content for six years now, and the popular vlogger now has over 200,000 subscribers. While she's been releasing political videos all year, this recent one about Mitt Romney is the first to have gained widespread attention.
"My my main reason is my faith — for voting for Romney," she says. "I'm very anti birth control — anti free birth control — so I, of course, am not going to support Obama." She continues, "I just endorse [Romney] because I think so many people, especially the liberal media, just brainwashes people."
Trisha has fielded massive amounts of criticism for the ideas she voices in her videos, but she believes that most of those haters are ignorant and just going with the general consensus. "They don't really know that Obama has a mandate against the Catholic church, that Obama is threatening your freedom of religion."
So, why use YouTube to share these ideas?
"YouTube is a great way to reach a lot of people, especially young females, and that's what my channel's all about," says Trish. "I've gone down one direction and that didn't work for me, so now I've found Jesus; I'm a conservative Catholic. So, now I kind of just preach that to people and help them to better their lives."
SUBSCRIBE to Trisha's YouTube channel and follow her on Twitter. videos.
For daily YouTube exclusives and interviews with your favorite celebrities, subscribe to What's Trending and join us LIVE every weekday at noon PT / 3 pm EST on YouTube


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Control Freaks Tour de Freaks is coming tomorrow, April 20th!!! Don't forget to stop by and take the tour!
Sorry I've been missing a few days! I'm in the midst of preparing for the next session of Create with Connie and Mary! So, I have been creating…just not anything I can show on my blog! We do have some FUN projects for you, so be watching for our Early Bird Special…starts soon!
I remember when I first started doing Punch Art…hardly anyone was doing it! Now it has exploded and everyone seems to be creating lots of characters with punches! Makes me happy to use my Stampin' Up! punches in a way that wasn't originally intended! I know I've seen a BUNCH of different ways to do bunnies…this one I thought was cute, especially paired with one of my FAVORITE Stampin' Up! designer papers…Nursery Suite! This pattern is one of my favorites IN that designer paper package, too!
The card base is Baja Breeze and I layered on a strip of the Nursery Suite Designer Paper along the left. I cut a Top Note from Pink Pirouette and put it back in the Big Shot to emboss it with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder. I used the 2 1/2 Circle Punch with Early Espresso cardstock in the background, then a 1 1/4" Circle of Pear Pizzazz. I placed the Pear PIzzazz under the 2 1/2 circle slightly, and added a Pink Flower Brad with a Rhinestone Jewel in the center. I stamped Happy Easter from Stampin' Up!'s Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set with Early Espresso Classic Ink on Whisper White then punched with the Small Oval Punch and layered on a Baja Breeze Large Oval Punch.
To make the bunny, I punched the Wide Oval from Whisper White for the Body. The feet and inside ears are two Small Ovals punched from the Designer Paper. The outside ears are the Large Oval punched from Whisper White. The eyes are 1/8" Circles from Basic Black and I used the White Gel Pen to add a highlight. The nose is the smallest heart from the Heart to Heart punch in Pink Pirouette with a White Gel Pen highlight and popped up with a partial dimensional on the Wide Oval. The whiskers are strips of Whisper White. Since my bunny is a girl, I added a 1/8" Taffeta Pretty in Pink Bow between her ears!
I think my bunny is FUN and CUTE! What do yo think?
Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!


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Cookbook and planning
It is the weekend and I wanted to remind everyone that it is so important to meal plan for the week ahead! I included a pic of my favorite "go to" cookbooks and meal planner. There are also FREE meal planning print-offs online too.
Meal plan, grocery shop and prep! It makes my week easier and more organized which allows me more time in the mornings and less thinking after work!
want more?? visit me at www.loveyourhealthandwellness.com
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Hi, I'm Dr. Heidi!
A mom of 3, pediatric chiropractor, natural remedy guru and wellness educator.
September 2021
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In the original Games, the agony of defeat was real
Two histories of the ancient games - one compact, one lavish
The complaints of a visitor to the ancient Olympics nearly 2,000 years ago sound eerily contemporary: "And what do you do at the Olympia? Don't you melt in the heat? Don't you get jostled in the crowds? Don't you encounter a thousand problems when you want to wash? Don't you get soaked when it rains? Don't you suffer from the noise, the shouting, and other hassle?" Yet the Games - perhaps the first example in history of cultural tourism - drew thousands of spectators from across the known world, eager to be part of a spectacle that would be both foreign and familiar to us today. "It seems to me you put up with all this because what you're going to see is worth it," adds the early tourist.
What these original spectators saw was quite different from the well-meaning myth of an international celebration of peace, goodwill, and athletic amateurism cooked up by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin and inaugurated as the modern Olympics in 1896, says Nigel Spivey in "The Ancient Olympics."
To begin with, "games" is far too "frivolous" a word to describe what went on, says Spivey, a professor of classical art and archaeology at Cambridge University. These were winner-take-all "contests" (no prizes given for second or third place), marked by blood and broken bones. The Greek word for contest is agon, from which our word "agony" is derived. The verb athleuo (as in "athlete") means not only "I take part in a contest" but also "I suffer." In a sense, every athlete was trying to emulate the national hero, Hercules, who in ancient Greek mythology had faced and overcome a dozen nightmarish trials.
Philosophers like Socrates and Plato, known to hit the gym themselves to keep in shape, saw athletics as a duty, a way for citizen-soldiers to stay physically sharp and ready to defend their homeland. But the running, spear throwing, wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing represented more than just boot-camp rivalries. The competitors also sought kudos, or glory - and treasure. Along with their olive wreaths, winners might receive a prize such as jars of olive oil, worth perhaps $75,000 today. Other goodies awaited the victors at home - perhaps a lifetime of free dining, prime seats at the theater, or tax exemptions. The benefits might extend to the winner's family or even his descendants.
Only men attended the Games, and the athletes competed in the nude, as has been documented on many a vase and jar. This conformed to the Greek view that the body was a kind of artwork itself, anticipating today's bodybuilders, who take up flesh as sculpture. "The athletic body was the beautiful body," Spivey writes. "And the beautiful body was the outward form of the good, the virtuous individual." Greek art depicts athletes as having "the imprint of cosmic mathematical harmony," he says, "a sort of transcendental grace: a symmetry of form."
While in some ways grueling, the ancient Games also reflected their home in the Arcadian region of Greece, a place associated with "pastoral ease and escapism" and "shameless simplicity," Spivey says. It was the home of Pan, the goat-god of woods and fields. Thus, the Games shared the modern idea of sports as a "wished-for haven where we live for the sake of amusing ourselves." If we so strive at all in this peaceful place, he says, it is only "to show ourselves at our best."
Spivey's slender, somewhat scholarly volume, aided by a few black-and-white illustrations, could be easily toted along to a sporting event. Not so for Games and Sanctuaries in Ancient Greece, a heavyweight contender that should adorn only the sturdiest of coffee tables. Those who manage to pry it open are rewarded with dazzling color plates, including illustrations; schematics; drawings; and photos of buildings, artworks, and artifacts that bring the Games alive.
Olympia was the Super Bowl of an exclusive circuit of other Games that sprang up at Delphi, Isthmia, Nemea, and Athens, says author Panos Valavanis, a professor of archaeology at the University of Athens, in his brief but illuminating text. They gave rise to extraordinary works of art. The Greeks built temples, treasuries (the ornate frat houses of visiting teams), and gymnasiums. Olympia sported the first stadium in history, named after the stadion, a foot race of about 200 yards that was held there. It also produced history's first hippodrome (for chariot racing).
Its athletes, who triumphed not only through their own merits but also with the divine favor of the gods, were immortalized in the poems of Pindar and Bacchylides. The sculpture of Zeus, the patron god of the Olympic Games, overlooked the action. Some 40 feet tall, covered with resplendent gold and ivory, it stood as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
In the late 4th century AD, after nearly 1,200 years, the Christianized Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Greek Games as a pagan ritual. In the 6th century, the site was rattled into ruins by a massive earthquake. Today's visitors find little trace of what once was there, but these books help fill in the blanks and let us imagine both the strangeness and the glory that surrounded sports in its infancy.
• Gregory M. Lamb writes about technology and health-care policy for the Monitor.


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Kingspawn faults my letter for conflating opposition to Roe and opposition to the right to choose. But that distinction is exactly why I wrote
As reported nine years ago in The New Republic, whose editors oppose the Roe v. Wade decision, Casey Sr. was not offered a chance to speak at the convention nominating Bill Clinton because he had refused to endorse Bill Clintonand not "As reported nine years ago in the anti-choice New Republic." The point of that clause, though I'll grant it could have been stated more clearly or simply dropped, was that TNR is on the right of most Democratic voters on the issue of choice, and revels in decrying the Democratic party's supposed deafness and meanness to voters (read: TNR writers) to its right on issues where TNR is to the right of the party (read: everything but equal marriage). So a repudiation of a story about the Democratic party keeping down Democrats in the right wing of the party means more when it's written by a magazine that lives for righteous denunciations of the Democrats for keeping down the right wing of the party. As for Roe v. Wade, it's certainly not the best argued or compellingly written of our legal decisions, but the majority is right to recognize that autonomy in certain intimate situations and spaces is central to liberty. The equal protection argument (as my brother points out, we don't mandate that men donate, say, their kidneys, a procedure far less cumbersome than nine months of pregnancy, to save what we can all agree to be living human beings in need of organs) absolutely should have been made in Roe as well, and the Casey majority's time would have been much better spent expounding that than floating a stare decisis argument that privileges the legitimacy of the court over the rightness of its jurisprudence.


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I don't see old events from Google Calendar, how can I see them?
Google Sync only syncs recent Events, and Events that occur in the future.
If you need to check an Event that has occurred a while ago you can check it on Google Calendar's website: https://calendar.google.com
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Non-autonomous interacting particle systems in continuum
Martin Friesen
Department of Mathematics, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
A conservative Feller evolution on continuous bounded functions is constructed from a weakly continuous, time-inhomogeneous transition function describing a pure jump process on a locally compact Polish space. The transition function is assumed to satisfy a Foster-Lyapunov type condition. The results are applied to interacting particle systems in continuum, in particular to general birth-and-death processes (including jumps). Particular examples such as the BDLP and Dieckmann-Law model are considered in the end.
Key words: Interacting particle systems, Feller evolution, pure jump process, configuration space, Foster-Lyapunov criterion, Kolmogorov equation.
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|Non-autonomous interacting particle systems in continuum
|Methods Funct. Anal. Topology, Vol. 22 (2016), no. 3, 220-244
|Received 24/03/2016; Revised 15/06/2016
|The Author(s) 2016 (CC BY-SA)
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Martin Friesen
Department of Mathematics, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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Martin Friesen, Non-autonomous interacting particle systems in continuum, Methods Funct. Anal. Topology 22 (2016), no. 3, 220-244.
@article {MFAT891, AUTHOR = {Friesen, Martin}, TITLE = {Non-autonomous interacting particle systems in continuum}, JOURNAL = {Methods Funct. Anal. Topology}, FJOURNAL = {Methods of Functional Analysis and Topology}, VOLUME = {22}, YEAR = {2016}, NUMBER = {3}, PAGES = {220-244}, ISSN = {1029-3531}, MRNUMBER = {MR3554650}, ZBLNUMBER = {06742108}, URL = {http://mfat.imath.kiev.ua/article/?id=891}, }
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