text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 6:56 AM
Town Square
Readers Choice 2011 Winners
Original post made on Aug 2, 2011
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 6:56 AM
Comments (16)
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 2, 2011 at 2:22 pm
I have lived in Pleasanton for 25 years, I am not in the food business, and I am definitely not a snob. But you have got to be kidding! OMG, who are the voters?
If you think Jim's Country Restaurant has the best breakfast, you seriously need to expand the number of places where you eat breakfast. I can think of a half-dozen better places and name them in 15 seconds.
Meadowlark Dairy may be a sentimental favorite, but there are not even close to having the best ice cream - not by a mile!
Red Smoke Grill comes in second for Best Business Lunch??? Who are you doing business with, Jeb Clampett? Get real!
OK, I like In-n-Out a lot for a fast-food burger, but no way in the world do they have the best burger! Have you ever had a burger at Red Robin, or Mimi's or Fuddruckers? Then how can Bob's Giant Burger makes the list, that is just too much!
Either some of these businesses were stuffing the ballot box or Pleasantonian's palates are in a real world of hurt. Someone from outside reads this list and they will think Pleasanton (or at least the voters for this poll) are a bunch of hicks!
a resident of another community
on Aug 2, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Pleasanton a bunch of hicks? Who would of thunk it?
a resident of Oak Hill
on Aug 2, 2011 at 4:03 pm
"Either some of these businesses were stuffing the ballot box or Pleasantonian's palates are in a real world of hurt."
The same thought entered my mind. Kind of surprised to see Strizzi's listed as the best Italian and Sweet Tomatoes as the best vegetarian. And for best home contractor, I'm a bit surprised to see Borg Fencing. I personally have never done business with them, but I know that Yelp gives them a so-so rating of 3 and 1/2 stars.
a resident of Ironwood
on Aug 2, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Sweet Debbie:
You have 15 seconds... name the six better places for breakfast and the better ice cream (NOT yogurt). Go!
a resident of Ironwood
on Aug 2, 2011 at 5:13 pm
The funny one is best Mexican, Casa Orozco; I did not know we had one here.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 2, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Mieko for Japanese; Bob's Burger for burgers; Fiesta Taco for burritos; Baci for ambiance & eloquent service; Raley's for fruit and meats; Mexico Lindo for beer and fun at happy hour; Sunshine for sleazy pool and low life game days (close second on low life game days = Buffalo Wings); Nations for pies; and the ultimate winner of all EL BALAZO for cheap beer at Happy Hour, great fries, good looking gal bartender who's been there and back, deeply entrenched customers with no nonsense fun and endless chatter ... also undiscovered by most normal people.
Remember I use to hang out at Smitty's in Sausalito, Silver Pesos in Larkspur and the Old Trident. Boy those were the days, but they may have warped my mind.
a resident of Valencia
on Aug 3, 2011 at 9:08 am
I agree with Sweet Debbie - I usually review the list and just shake my head on the winners. This year I agree with the best fries (In and Out) and definitely agree on Peets for best coffee! I most definitely disagree about best breakfast spot - (Jim's) as I went there once and never returned. I will admit, most categories I can't speak to but those I can I don't know who the heck was voting and not sure why any places outside of Pleasanton were even on the list.
a resident of Ruby Hill
on Aug 3, 2011 at 10:03 am
If you do not vote, then you have no right to complain. All you Monday morning quarterbacks need to zip it. Step and VOTE next time. Support your local favorites and maybe the results will be different. Now, move along.
a resident of Parkside
on Aug 3, 2011 at 10:21 am
Hey Peter, I voted and have every right to complain. Quit attempting to trample upon my liberties.
a resident of Downtown
on Aug 3, 2011 at 11:23 am
As residents of Pleasanton (and owners of our 1 year old "mom & pop" store), we want to say how thrilled we are that Heroes & Villains Comics was voted second-place as best toy store. Thank you to everyone who voted for us! ~ J & C
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Aug 3, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Sweet and Savory, near the clock tower in Hacienda, near Gibraltar and Stoneridge. Nomatter breakfast or lunch, entree salads, grilled sands, homebaked cookies, etc. etc. Definately quality food.
SS beats everybody else.
a resident of Highland Oaks
on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:02 am
Thank you for your nice information. I like your article.
[Portion removed due to promoting a website]
a resident of Las Positas
on May 22, 2012 at 9:53 am
I believe that the voting is 1 per email address. Could be wrong. But I don't believe you can stuff the ballot unless you have several email accounts.
a resident of another community
on Jun 6, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Two questions:
Is it possible to add my community to the list? Oak Manor Estates is a small community of 11 homes in between Golden Eagle and Castlewood right off Foothill Road.
Also, how do you become a nominee for voting? My photography business has never been included in the voting and several of my clients have asked how it is possible how to nominate my business. Thanks!
Dayna @ Artistic Captures Photography Web Link
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jul 21, 2015 at 12:09 pm
Valleygirl is a registered user.
Dean's Cafe needs a makeover STAT!!
This place is so tired and worn. The old overgrown brown pleather booths, the brown paneling on the walls and whatever is hanging on the walls as decorations have got to go.
The flooring is tired and worn, the overall atmosphere is boring and dull.
The food at Dean's Cafe is tired as well. I was recently asked as I was walking down Main street where Dean's cafe was, I gave the look like seriously? Then asked, "People still go to Dean's?" He asked why did I say that? I said Dean's is tired and worn, they haven't updated to the 21st century with their decor or their food.
He laughed and agreed.
a resident of Foothill Knolls
on Jul 21, 2015 at 12:22 pm
@Valleygirl: "Dean's Cafe needs a makeover STAT!! This place is so tired and worn."
I think that "tired" and "worn" is supposed to be part of its old town Pleasanton charm. Definitely not for everyone, though. I keep meaning to go in there and have breakfast someday because I know that when the day finally comes that it closes down I'll regret never having gone in despite all my years of living here. But every time I actually pass by Dean's and look in the window I lose my courage. Maybe some other day.
Love Craig Ferguson's Late-Show monologue on Dean's though: Why do they have that lighted neon sign when they're never open past 2:30pm?
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Common Ground
By Sherry Listgarten | 3 comments | 1,780 views
Labor unions win big in Sacramento
By Tim Hunt | 8 comments | 1,313 views


text:
Arbequina Olive Bucatini
By chef Jo Lusted
Serves 2
1/2 lb. bucatini pasta
1/4 cup Arbequina olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Arbequina olives
1/3 cup frozen sweet peas
2 tbsp preserved lemon, sliced
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro and mint, chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 oz. pecorino cheese, shaved
6 oz. grilled chicken breast (optional)
- Boil pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking liquid.
- Warm olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for 1 minute to soften. Add olives, peas and preserved lemon and warm through, about 1 minute.
- Transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add olive mixture, lemon juice, fresh herbs and pine nuts to bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta cooking water, 2 tbsp at a time, as needed to loosen mixture.
- Top with shaved pecorino cheese (and optional chicken breast) and serve.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
van Naersscn, PhD
University of Utrecht
Clinical experiences with 36 males, between the ages of 21 and 60 are described. All of them felt an enduring sexual attraction for boys. Sixteen males were treated for sexual identity conflicts. For eight of them this ended in a positive self-labeling as pedophile, the others had severe problems with accepting sexuality as positive and lustful. Twenty males were treated for identity management problems and counseled how to handle their relationships with boys. Several modalities of interpersonal interaction in man-boy relationships are proposed and the ways conflicts can arise within these frames of reference are explored in counseling and psychotherapy.
* Alex
van Naersscn is Research Coordinator of Social Sexology, Department of Clinical
Psychology and Health, University of Utrccht, Hcidclbcrglaan 1, Postbus 80140,
3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands. Correspondence may be sent to the author at
the above address.
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Utrecht, started sexual
counseling in 1974. Until 1980 most people came for the treatment of sexual
dysfunctions and only a few for gender dysphoria problems or problems around
paraphilia. I was contacted by the police department of Utrecht. According to
the penal law in The Netherlands, any form of sexual behavior between an adult
and a minor under the age of 16 is considered a criminal act for the adult
(Article 247 of the Dutch Penal Code that dates from 1886). In 1950 84% of all
punished sex crimes involved a minor under the age of 16, this figure was 51% in
1971, and 28% 1982.
The police
recognized that in many cases involving sexual contact with boys and girls between
the ages of 11 to 15, the youths were consenting participants. The police
department asked if referral to our clinic was possible. An agreement based on
three points was reached:
During 1980-1985
nine men were referred. As the opportunity for counseling and psychotherapy became
known, other men not involved in court cases came to the clinic. This article is
based on clinical experiences with 36 males between the age of 21 and 60. Of the
total, 31 felt exclusively attracted to boys, the others felt attracted to both
boys and girls but their attraction to boys was stronger. This article describcs
assessment, counseling and psychotherapy with these men. A theoretical outline
is given for each procedure.
Theories on sexual identity development
The definition of
man-boy relationships differs in penal law, moral and ethical discussion, and in
psychiatric classification. The penal code concentrates on the ages of those involved
and on the question of what precisely is sexual in their contact. The moral and
ethical discussion centers around dimensions of responsibility , power and abuse
and around the relationships of adults and children from a general perspective.
And when the term pedophilia is used in psychiatric classifications, the onset
of the biological puberty divides the child from the no longer child. To
understand the psychological meaning of any sexual contact however, we need
other criteria.
Sexual contact between
two adult men is homosexual, but if one of them, deliberately and skillfully
"plays the female," it's a situation that is psychologically different
from sexual contact in which both "play the male." And if two 11
year-old boys masturbate each other out of curiosity, the psychological meaning
of this behavior is quite different
from the situation in which they do the same thing, playing "mom and
The problem of
naming and classifying sexual relationships is described in Michael Ross's
article, "A theory of normal homosexuality" (1987) in which he names
16 different aspects and meanings of sexual relationships. We can argue about the
number of meanings we want to consider, but it is inevitable that we use some
psychological frame of reference if we want to evaluate a particular sexual
desire. Otherwise we come to circular definitions in that a sexual desire is a
desire for sex and that a pedophiliac desire is a desire for children,
definitions that arc interesting but not illuminating. Starting from a
subjective point of view, we can ask what meaning a person attaches to sexuality.
Some people see
their sexual behavior as the consequence of sexual desire. They have no specific
sexual orientation, in fact they like all kinds of people, male and female,
child and adult, and if they have the opportunity, they will have sexual contact
or a sexual relationship with a person they feel attracted to. On the other end
of the continuum are people who see their sexual behavior as the consequence of
a more specific sexual desire, either innate, acquired, or a mixture of both.
Scientific theories arc mostly on the side of people in the latter category,
following Freud's (19O5, 1953) idea of a polymorphous sexual instinct (desire)
that differentiates in the course of life and fixates on certain objects (male,
female, child) or certain behaviors (sadism, masochism).
Most psychosexual
development theories take heterosexual desires and commitments as the norm. What
happens in a boy's mind that leads him to become interested in girls and want to
have emotional, erotic and sexually meaningful relationships with al least one
of them? This process is poorly understood. Psychodynamic, behavioral
and cognitive explanations differ considerably. Nevertheless it seems that if
the outcome is successful, most boys become interested in girls at a certain age
and implicitly or explicitly this heterosexual interest is the
"natural" outcome of the process. But why do some persons become homosexual,
pedophile, sado-masochistic and so on?
The theories on
homosexual identity development (see Minton and McDonald, 1984 for an overview)
agree on one point: preho mosexual
boys realize at a certain age that they are different, that they are not the same
as their peers. It's not homosexual behavior that initiates these thoughts, it's
the interpretation, the cognitive structuring of events that leads to the
attribution "I'm different, maybe I'm homosexual." This is beautifully
described in Edmund White's A boy's own story in which two boys have sex
but both interpret the relationship in a completely different way. For one the
contact is just fun, the other realizes that the sexual relationship is meaningful
for him in an intense, emotional way. Psychosexual development is in most theories
a discovery of something that was "always there" and a person gradually
realizes what his sexual desires are by a process of sensitization, structuring
and self-labeling.
boys realize at a certain age that they are different, that they are not the same
as their peers. It's not homosexual behavior that initiates these thoughts, it's
the interpretation, the cognitive structuring of events that leads to the
attribution "I'm different, maybe I'm homosexual." This is beautifully
described in Edmund White's A boy's own story in which two boys have sex
but both interpret the relationship in a completely different way. For one the
contact is just fun, the other realizes that the sexual relationship is meaningful
for him in an intense, emotional way. Psychosexual development is in most theories
a discovery of something that was "always there" and a person gradually
realizes what his sexual desires are by a process of sensitization, structuring
and self-labeling.
For some men this
structuring process is without internal conflicts: they accept their feelings at
an early age, only slightly confused by the fact that others see them as sinful,
psychologically or socially deviant. But for a considerable number becoming
homosexual is not that easy and there are different ways to cope with the fact
that one feels attracted to men or boys and to integrate this feeling in one's
self concept. I agree with Minton and McDonald that unity, consistency and continuity
of a person's perception of himself are the criteria a counselor should make to
decide if there is an identity conflict.
Tec reasons for identity
conflicts can be diverse. It is the insecurity, the often chaotic memory of things,
the inconsistency in partner choice and the general disorder in speaking and
thinking of the meaning of sexuality that are clinical indications for an identity
conflict. Some men succeed in effectively using systems of denial (Tripp, 1975)
by practicing homosexuality without having to admit to themselves or to others
that they are homosexual and in doing so deny the existence of an identity
conflict. The man who always, in his sexual contacts with other men, acts as a
masculine male in a male-female relationship can have a consistent idea of himself
as heterosexual up to the moment he meets a partner he likes who does not want
to accept that role. The identity conflict can come up after years of an
undisturbed bisexual life.
Developing a sexual identity is in fact making sense of one's behavior , fantasies, intellectual, and emotional attachments. What counts s, the structuring of behavior and desire. The labels used in common and scientific language (hetero-homo-bisexual, pedophile, sado-masochist) are frames of reference a person uses in his lifetime to give unity, consistency and continuity to his sexuality. We have to realize that there are probably a lot of people who structure their behavior and desire without any label of sexual preference.
of the sexual identity
I used the criteria
of unity, consistency and continuity in the intake procedure with these 36 males.
I asked them to explain in their own words how they saw themselves sexually and
what, in their view, were their problems. Although all males reported sexual
attraction to adolescent boys, their self-labeling was different. Twenty males
saw themselves us pedophiles, 14 were hesitant and two saw themselves definitely
as not pedophile. Those who considered themselves pedophiles gave self-definitions
strongly linked to their sexual desire. In their psychosexual development most
of them had had sexual experiences with females or other males, but they found these
experiences sexually unsatisfying and were, at the beginning of therapy,
motivated to have intimate relationships only with adolescent boys. None of them
felt attracted to pre pubertal boys; in fact, most of them considered this kind
of desire highly abnormal.
The 14 males who were
hesitant were more heterosexual. Some of them were sexually experienced,
both homo-, heterosexual, with adults and boys. In the sexual biography of others
we found only incidental contacts with a boy and no sexual contacts with adults.
Some males were married and found the contacts with their female partners and
the adolescent boys equally satisfying although different. In this category were
al 10 males who felt attracted to both prepubertal
and adolescent boys, one male who felt attraction to prepubertal boys and three
who experienced only attraction to adolescent boys. The two males who did not
consider themselves pedophiles were the ones who wanted conversion therapy. They
strongly condemned their sexual desires and wanted to be rid of them.
There was an
almost perfect correlation between the problems
In line with the
ideas on homosexual identity development, I diagnosed those 16 males who didn't
see themselves as pedophiles and who didn't want conversion of their desires as
having an identity conflict. They all were confused, some mildly, some very
strongly, about their feelings towards boys. I tried to structure their thoughts
and feelings by asking them to describe as accurately as possible the
interactions they had had with boys and the feelings they had experienced in the
relationships. All males reported feelings of guilt, low self-esteem and
depressive moods. Another characteristic was an extreme concern about their
erotic and sexual feelings being found out. Often the therapist was the first
person with whom they spoke about pedophilia. They carefully avoided public
situations where there preference could be detected.
I presented some
affirmative models of man-boy love by giving them biographies in which both men
and boys spoke about their relationships in a positive way and asked them to
discuss these models with me. For eight men this strategy was successful
within 10 therapy sessions, leading to positive self-labeling as a
pedophile. For eight others this method didn't change their negative feelings
and confusion. It was remarkable that they all had had s strong sexnegative
upbringing that seemed to influence all thoughts about their sexual self. They
made a severe distinction between sex and love, seeing sex as essentially dirty
or degrading and defining love in a very romantic way. With these we set the
primary goal of therapy not as coming to terms with pedophilia but in overcoming
negative feelings concerning sexuality and sexual relationships. We were only
partially successful in this strategy as five males discontinued therapy. The
remaining three became more positive on sexuality but still found it difficult
to structure their feeling on man-boy interactions. In fact, all three thought
of themselves as homosexuals after the confrontation with the biographies. We
think these results were possible within the conceptual framework presented to
them, in which sexual identity was defined as the subjective perception of one's
self. In all cases we ended the identity formation phase as soon as the client
had coherence in his positive feelings on what sexuality meant for him.
kinds of identity conflicts
Although the men
with sexual identity conflicts were remarkably similar in their insecurity and
in the fact that of association of sexual feelings from other parts of their
personality, the counseling sessions affirmed that identity conflicts arc
diverse. A sex-negative upbringing is very destructive in building a sexual
identity, while sex, especially the sensual enjoyment of one's own body and that
of the partner, is seen as sinful and against nature. This idea is often
internalized at a very young age and expresses itself later in life in many
ways: fear of touching and being touched, all kinds of defense mechanisms, a
strong desire to control interpersonal relationships, especially as emotions
enter, and so on. Regardless of the fact that these men feel attracted to boys,
they are sexually dysfunctional. Disorders in desire, arousal and orgasm
have a high frequency in this group.
Some of these men
are afraid to enter the adult world. They exhibit Pctcr Pan complex, and
idealize youth. Sex with a boy one likes and admires is for them an unhealthy
affair for which one ought to be punished. I noticed a lot of sex fetishism in
these men (sec Hoffman, 1968, for an analysis of this phenomenon in the gay
world) - sexual excitement by either a part of his sexual partner's body (the
boy's buttocks) or by an object or situation that has an over importance of
fantasies and desires (boy's clothes or shoes). A certain degree of fetishism is
present in everybody, but clinically it's rather easy to differentiate between a
preference for something from an obsession with it.
Do these men use
their fetishes as a defense against sensual emotions in a much broader context,
or is it the taboo on these emotions that produces the fetishes? I'm inclined to
accept the latter interpretation purely on a speculative base. A sex-negative
upbringing can result in all kinds of psychological stress, the main problem
that one learns that sexuality
is always a problem, dirty and lustful at the same time.
that one learns that sexuality
is always a problem, dirty and lustful at the same time.
management or realization of relationships
If an adult male
wants sexual contact with a boy under the age of 16 (the age of consent in The
Netherlands), he is confronted with two problems. One is the legal situation
makes him conceal these contacts and relationships. The other is that there arc
almost no role models for adult men on how to interact with boys and vice versa.
A lot of pedophiles live in a constant tear of being arrested or blackmailed. Especially
after detection and arrest, they often suffer shock und severe depression. Counseling
in these cases means that one tries to restore their self-esteem He is treated
as a criminal for contacts and relationships that he doesn't see as criminal and
the confrontation with the legal reality is often painful: it hurts one's self
concept and more specifically one's self-esteem. As one of my clients said,
after he was arrested: "They want a criminal, not a boy-lover, but a
child-molester. Sometimes I consider a rape, so they can be really
satisfied." I sometimes played the devil's advocate by telling them. "Okay,
you say you had a good relationship with this boy and I think you arc a child-molester.
Tell me about that relationship, what was so good about it?" They were
forced to think over the meaning of the relationship and had to reflect on it's
non-sexual aspects. I also used this method with men not arrested or convicted because
I think that even if the legal situation is changed and man-boy relationships
are permitted, every pedophile is confronted with the fact that he desires
contact that is uncommon and condemned in our society. A man-boy relationship is
doubly stigmatized in that it is
a homosexual affair and ignores the generation gap, which is as great a taboo in
our society. In fact, unless they are your own children, an adult is expected
not to be emotional interested in children. The school system is based on the
idea that the relationship between a teacher and a pupil is instrumental, not
One of the men was
a teacher of mathematics and often had outside
contact with hoys from his classes. He had no intention of having sexual
contacts with these boys for fear of losing his job. His colleagues protested
against these contacts from from fear not of pedophilia, but because such
contacts undermined their authority. Outside the family system, emotional
ties between adults and children are not reinforced but frowned upon. I
confronted the men about this. How can one manage an emotional relationship with
a boy in a social context when its value is not seen? Three studies (Rossman,
1976; Sandfort, 1981; and Reeves, 1983) have shown that man-boy relationships
exist in our society and that they can be enjoyed by both partners.
From these studies
I extracted four modes of interpersonal interaction:
who had a certain coherence in their self-concept as a pedophile or a boy-lover
would unconsciously realize this in the context of the relationships described
above. We have no data on the boys, but we suppose, on basis of the research
described above, that these models were present in their minds too. Conflicts in
a manboy relationship can arise in several ways:
The men were first
encouraged to talk as freely as possible in detail about an actual relationship
they had with a boy. They were also asked to tell as much as possible about
meaningful relationships they had had in the past, both with boys and with
adults. I structured what was said in the modalities described. I then analyzed
with the men how conflicts between partners arise. First by misunderstanding the
others motives, second by wanting to get something in a relationship but not
being able to realize this. I explained the man-boy interaction as a form of
social skill based on a pattern of expectations of what one wants from an
interaction. In fact I tried to analyze the sexual scripts the men used in their
interactions and to contrast these with the ideas they had on interactions.
1. Eight males
defined the actual relationships they had had only within the fun and games
modality, describing in detail how important it was that the boys be playful,
sexually active, good-looking and extroverted. All these men had problems with
attachment and found it difficult to manage a long-term relationship with a boy.
They described the ideal relationship in terms of attachment, but they thought
it impossible to realize this with boys. It was explained to them how difficult
it is to realize emotional commitment in a relationship if one is only focused
on the sexual aspects of social interactions. They were asked to pay more
attention to the motives of the boys, and given examples of conflicts that can
arise between an adult
and an adolescent and asked what
they would do to solve this conflict. After 12 to 18 sessions three men said
they were capable of realizing emotional commitment. The others found it too
difficult and restricted themselves to casual sexual encounters with boys.
and an adolescent and asked what
they would do to solve this conflict. After 12 to 18 sessions three men said
they were capable of realizing emotional commitment. The others found it too
difficult and restricted themselves to casual sexual encounters with boys.
2. The other 12 men
gave a lot of meaning to the affective modality in their relationships but often
felt frustrated because boys could not handle such a situation. I explained to
them the psychosexual development of adolescent boys and the way most boys
discover their sexual feelings and code them as heterosexual. So, it was not
strange that most boys had difficulty in relating sexuality and affection in a man-boy
relationship. I then presented possible conflicts to them. This proved to be
more successful with these men, as 10 reported that they got more satisfaction
out of their relationships; the other two were very passionate in their feeling.
Conflicts between them and their partners continued because they expected the boys
to return the feelings in the same way.
og counseling and psychotherapy
I believed that
with the procedures described it is possible to help a person get a coherent
sense of personal identity and to realize interactions with adolescent boys that
are satisfactory to both. At the same time. we have to realize that the social
stigma in sexual contacts between man and hoys makes it very difficult for both
to integrate this kind of relationship in their self-concept simply because the
partners must hide their motives and acts (sexual and nonsexual) from the
outside world. For, although non-sexual contacts are not forbidden, men and boys
often dare not do things together for fear that others will code all affective
behavior as queer, sissy or pedophile. Counseling and psychotherapy with pedophiles
are severely restricted by society's legal and moral views that positive
relationships between men and boys are not possible. This, of course, is not a
very pleasant conclusion for one who tries to help a person understand and
manage problems experienced as the most intense expression of their personal
being. One can only hope that in the course of time emotional relationships between
adults and children become socially accepted.
meaning of man-boy relationships
Although highly
speculative, it is necessary to rethink the meanings of sexuality , especially
if words such as homosexual find pedophile become global. As Tripp states in an
analysis of the homosexual matrix: "In the final analysis, what does it all
mean? - or does homosexuality have any special meaning'? Probably not. It is a
fact of life; the rest is interpretation and consequence" ('I'ripp, 1975,
p. 268).
relationships exist. They exist in many societies, in some severely tabooed, in
others freely admitted. Why do they continue to exist in our society despite legal,
moral and ethical sanctions'? In looking over my files and notes made during the
course of counseling, I realize the difference between these relationships and heterosexual
and homosexual relationships: All the men were once boys and all these boys will
be men in a couple of years. Tripp's hypothesis states that there must be some tension
between partners in order to find each other interesting, fascinating and sexually
attractive (Tripp, p. 36). In the case of man-boy relationships, this tension is
provided by the completely different perspective of two different generations.
The boys are
fascinated by the idea of what it is to be a man and the man's fascination is over
what he lost in becoming an adult. This can function as a trigger for an
emotional relationship that eventually is expressed sexually. Regardless of the
moral, ethical or legal context, this tension is present in all man-boy
encounters, or, in a broader context, in all encounters between persons who
differ considerably in age. Although in our society emotional relationships
between generations are not reinforced, the tension and the fascination exists
and man-boy relationships arc just one way of resolving it.
If this line of reasoning is correct, sex researchers should not only concentrate on the possible damage of a "pedophile" relationship, but should also take into account the (non-sexual) o\profits for both partners involved.
E. (ed.) (1987)
H.L. & G.J. McDonald (1984)
Th. (1981)


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The Rainy Day
This story's lesson is "It's o.k. to be cross, but not o.k. to be rude". It tells a story of baking on a rainy day, where the friends react to their anger in an unhealthy way. It resolves with mutual apologies and a fun compromise activity, teaching the value of remorse and forgiveness. The vocabulary theme is kitchen and baking words.
The Wet Shorts
The lesson here is "Be kind always, especially when someone is sad". The Story is about Zaza having a toileting accident, and Zippi's kindness after his friend feels embarassed. They resolve the toileting issue by playing dolls and role playing toileting with the dolls. The vocabulary theme in this story is toileting.
The Little Ears
The lesson in this story is "Always share with your friends". The story is about Zippi not waiting his turn, a snatching situation and the sad results of that behaviour. The resolution comes when the friends decide to say sorry and take turns. The vocabulary theme targets animal words.
The Twirly Ice Cream
This story's lesson is "When accidents happen, choose to think of something fun, to help you smile". This story encourages children to feel their valid feelings, but also empowers them with the knowledge that they can choose positive thoughts and feelings over negative ones. The story tells of dropping an ice cream on the pavement and the ensuing sadness, only to resolve with a fun activity that takes the mind off of a sad situation. The vocabulary theme here targets road safety and town words.
The Backyard Beach
The lesson in this story is "Play gently with your friends". The two friends create their own backyard beach and proceed to get wet and sandy with much fuss and bother. The resolution comes where they both decide to be kind rather than react angrily, and mix both sand and water together to make mud. The vocabulary theme here targets beach words.


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Updated at 6 p.m.
It looks like the Old State House won't be stripped of its artifacts after all, but the Hartford landmark remains closed to the public while legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reconsider a budget provision that slashed funding and gave the building to a reluctant new landlord, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey says the administration's opposition seems "petulant."
Temporary reprieve for Old State House amid squabbling
Updated at 6 p.m.


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The Shoulder
The shoulder is often thought of as a single body part, but in reality it is a combination of joints, tendons, and muscles. Together, these three factors combine to allow your arms to move freely, resulting in your ability to perform both simple and complex tasks.
In all, your shoulder is comprised of three bones:
Humerus—upper arm bone
Scapula—shoulder blade
Clavicle—the collarbone
The shoulder blade is equipped with a rounded socket that perfectly fits the head of the upper arm bone, the humerus. This socket is referred to in the medical field as the glenoid. Thanks to a series of tendons and muscles, the arm bone is kept centered in the socket. These tissues form what we commonly refer to as the rotator cuff. These same tissues cover the head of your upper arm and simultaneously anchor it to the shoulder blade.
Simply put, arthritis is inflammation/wear in one or more of your joints. In most cases, persons suffering from arthritis will experience pain, swelling, and stiffness of the affected area. No joint is immune from arthritis, including the shoulder.
Arthritis in the shoulder can make even the simplest, everyday activities difficult and painful. Things as simple reaching overhead or lifting small amounts of weight can become difficult tasks to accomplish. Annually, it is responsible for a lot of lost work time and can seriously inhibit the lives of those it affects.
There are many different kinds of arthritis, but the most common is osteoarthritis. Primarily, arthritis impacts adults, but it has been known to affect children as well.
There is no cure for arthritis, but with treatment those who are suffering can manage the pain and remain active.
Healthy shoulder joint
Shoulder with osteoarthritis
There are different types of arthritis, however one of the most common types comes as a result of wear and tear and is known as osteoarthritis. When osteoarthritis occurs, the smooth covering of your bones—the articular cartilage—is worn away over time. Thanks to this, you are literally wearing away the protection that keeps your bones from rubbing against each other.
Osteoarthritis can occur in anyone, but is most commonly associated with people of 50 years of age or more. In the shoulder, osteoarthritis affects the acromioclavicular joint (AC joint) more frequently than the glenohumeral shoulder joint.
When it comes to osteoarthritis, the most common symptom is pain. Though the severity of the pain can vary from person to person, the pain is almost always aggravated by physical activity and tends to get worse over time.
If the arthritis pain exists in the glenohumeral join, the pain tends to be centered towards the back of the shoulder and worsens with changes in weather. This type of pain is sometimes referred to as being deep in the join, as if embedded within your shoulder.
If your arthritis is impacting the AC Joint, the pain tends to be centered around the top of your shoulder. This type of pain can move slightly and may feel as though it is in the neck.
Another common symptom associated with osteoarthritis is limited range of motion. Conducting even the most common tasks, such as brushing your teeth or hair, can be made extremely difficult thanks to osteoarthritis. In addition to the pain associated with moving, you may also hear or feel a clicking sound that occurs when you move your arm/shoulder.
As time passes, osteoarthritis typically gets worse before it gets better. The pain and limited mobility will intensify, and pain while you sleep will become common.
There are many treatments for shoulder arthritis that include injections, physical therapy, activity modification and oral NSAIDs, but often times a shoulder becomes so damaged that surgical intervention is required to restore a patient's function. The two most common procedures are total shoulder arthroplasty (more commonly known as total shoulder replacement), and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (more commonly known as a reverse shoulder replacement). Reverse total shoulder arthoplasty is performed on patients that have developed a large rotator cuff tear or who have developed a type of shoulder arthritis known as "rotator cuff tear arthropathy." Click on the links below to learn more about each of these procedures.


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GC Cincy specializes in innovative graphic design, commercial photography, maps, custom built web sites, and all forms of print media design and marketing for the Hospitality and Travel Industry and Now Drone Photography.
For over 39 years Scott Dickman has been creating Brochures, Catalogs, Flyers, Packaging and Publications for a variety of industries including; Hotel, Food Service, Tourism, Marine, Manufacturing and Real Estate. Our print media expertise also includes rack cards, signage, billboards, menus, posters, packaging, mailers, trade show displays and maps. We also offer location and product photography for print or the web. We now also offer professional drone photography.
If you are looking to introduce a web presence, or spruce up your existing site, we can provide new design ideas, graphics, photos and copy to best market your product and /or service. We are also your source for digital graphics, web banners, airport kiosks, and motion graphics.
Take a few minutes to browse our website, then Contact Scott for a quote on your next project.


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Dedicated Orthopedic Center Urgent Care is an orthopedic care clinic in Lufkin and Livingston. We provide urgent care services for orthopedic emergencies 7 days a week.
Our physicians and physician assistants evaluate and treat all disorders of the musculoskeletal system, including fractures, ligament injuries, tendonitis, arthritis and more using the latest operative and non-operative techniques.
At DOC, our goal is to continuously provide up-to-date, expert, gold-standard orthopedic care within a comfortable, expedient, and professional environment.


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Denver scores 38 unanswered in 45-21 win - Mile High Report
The 2013 Denver Broncos played their worst five minutes of football in the middle of the Redskins game Sunday. Then the fireworks started.
Broncos News & Blogs
Broncos and Washington turn blowout into circus of turnovers - Denver Post
No, in fact, the quarterbacks were not color blind. It might have seemed that way Sunday afternoon in Denver, when the distinction between an electric orange jersey and a white one apparently ceased to exist.
Von Miller out of NFL doghouse and into the sack column for Broncos - Denver Post
With the game in the balance Sunday, fourth quarter, Washington had just moved for a first down when Miller, the Broncos' pass-rushing strongside linebacker, flew past left tackle Trent Williams.
Broncos rally past Washington as Peyton Manning buries 3 INTs with 4 TDs - Denver Post
Bring on the dropping temperatures and drop down the snow. The Broncos are ready for tough outdoor conditions, where the manliest of football men run the ball, the defense gets mean and Peyton Manning can save his arm.
Peyton's Take: Broncos vs. Redskins | DenverBroncos.com
Read Peyton Manning's take on Denver's Week 8 win vs. Washington.
Running Backs Combine for 100 Yards | DenverBroncos.com
The running back corps went over 100 yards on the ground with a touchdown in addition to being a threat in the passing game.
Peyton Manning's late surge lifts Denver to 45-21 win - SBNation.com
The Denver Broncos fell behind Washington, 21-7, in the second half of Sunday's Week 8 game, but Peyton Manning and company stormed back, scoring 38 unanswered points and coming away with a 45-21 victory.
Broncos kickoff splits the uprights - SBNation.com
And no, you don't get three points for that. Just a touchback. Pretty sweet kick, though. We knew Matt Prater had it in him.
Broncos beat down Redskins in fourth quarter for win | Cover 32
The Denver Broncos came out and looked to win decisively Sunday and did just that. While it was a slow start to the game, as the men in orange and blue scored only seven points in the first half and then put up 38 points in the second half.
Three Fourth-Down Conversions Help Denver Broncos Beat Washington Redskins 45-21 - Predominantly Orange
John Fox may have more grey hair now than any ex-U.S. President, but the Denver Broncos pulled off a thrilling 45-21 win over the Washington Redskins to put them at 7-1 heading into the bye.
Gut Reaction: Week 8 - Denver vs. Washington - It's All Over, Fat Man!
The Broncos bumped, pushed, and otherwise beat the hell out of Robert Griffin on their way to a 45-21 victory. Sacks don't tell the story, although they did get to Griffin three times.
Broncos Media
Manning on Week 8 Win | DenverBroncos.com
Peyton Manning talks to the press after Sunday's win over Washington.
Fox: 'Our Best Defensive Outing' | DenverBroncos.com
Head Coach John Fox talks to the media following the Broncos 45-21 victory over the Redskins.
Locker Room Celebration | DenverBroncos.com
Exclusive access inside the Broncos locker room following Sunday's win over Washington.
Week 8: Peyton Manning highlights - NFL Videos
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 354 yards and 4 TD's in the team's 45-21 victory over the Washington Redskins.
Broncos postgame press conference - NFL Videos
Broncos react following game with Redskins
Week 8: Washington Redskins vs. Denver Broncos highlights - NFL Videos
Mike Shanahan's return to Sports Authority Field at Mile High was spoiled as the Denver Broncos took down the Washington Redskins 45-21 in Week 8.
AFC West Rival Roundup
Browns vs. Chiefs: Andy Reid proud of 'grind it out' win for KC - Arrowhead Pride
The Chiefs had a close call at home, but moved to 8-0 with a 23-17 win over the Browns.
Kansas City Chiefs 23, Cleveland Browns 17: Ugly but good enough - Arrowhead Pride
Kansas City looked awful at times, and great at times. More importantly, it found a way to stay undefeated
Terrelle Pryor, teammates react to his 93-yard touchdown run - Silver And Black Pride
The big subject of the Raiders big win over the Steelers today is Terrelle Pryor's electric, record-setting 93-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. You can read all about the play and see the GIF by going here.
Raiders defense wins day despite offensive record low second half vs Steelers - Silver And Black Pride
The term "tail of two halves" likes to be thrown around from time to time when a team's first and second halves completely differ from one another. That statement could probably be used to describe the Raiders offense a few times this season.
NFL News & Blogs
Dez Bryant unhappy with Tony Romo in sideline spat - NFL.com
Dez Bryant was livid that Tony Romo wasn't targeting him in the Dallas Cowboys' 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. After all, Bryant had just two catches (including a ridiculous touchdown) for 22 yards through three quarters Sunday. (Dez = #douche)
Cardinals demolish Falcons, Atlanta's disappointing season continues - SBNation.com
The Arizona Cardinals dealt yet another blow to the Atlanta Falcons, blowing them out, 27-13, at home. Arizona improves to 4-4 on the season, while the Falcons fall to 2-5.
Trent Richardson and 400 carries
In 75 carries with the Colts, Richardson is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry. Even though I find yards per carry overrated, there is a certain baseline level of production needed for every running back, and 3.0 falls well short of that number. For his career, Richardson now has 1,283 yards on 373 yards, a 3.44 YPC average.
Calvin Johnson Nearly Breaks NFL Receiving Record in Thrilling Win vs. Cowboys | Bleacher Report
Calvin Johnson's machine-like production from the wide receiver spot has fittingly earned him the moniker "Megatron," and he added to his legend in Week 8 by nearly breaking the NFL's all-time single-game receiving record against the Dallas Cowboys in a winning cause. (Megatron = #stud)
Yesterday on Mile High Report:
- Denver Broncos 45, Washington Redskins 21: Instant Reactions
- Redskins at Broncos final score: Denver scores 38 unanswered in 45-21 win
- Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos: 2nd Half Open Thread Part 2
- Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos: 2nd Half Open Thread
- Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos: 1st Half Open Thread
- Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos Inactives: Orlando Franklin to Start
- Week 8 Open Thread: The Early Games
For Daily Denver Broncos News Updates: Follow me on Twitter


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Caskata X Cuisinart
High Design Meets High Performance in this Limited Edition Collection that's Live NOW!
Hawthorne Onyx weaves finely detailed chains of burnished platinum, semi-matte gold and glossy black together, in a pattern reminiscent of the finest filigree jewelry on creamy bone white china. This generous dinner plate boasts rims covered in intricate geometrics in a dazzling mix of precious metals.
Women Owned
30 Day Returns
Fast shipping
Secure Checkout


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I am very pleased to present my new ocean steed, Gulliver – a custom built 21 ft rowing boat. Built by the same brilliant team who designed and built Dippers, my Indian Ocean boat, Gulliver is a slightly larger and improved brother to Dippers.
It was really satisfying to be involved in augmenting the design based on experience, rather than guesswork. Modifications include raising the internal flooring to accommodate more supplies; adding solar panels to increase my power output; incorporating a floodable ballast tank to aid stability in rough seas; building a 'trench' in the aft cabin for me to sleep in and help protect me in rough water as well as harness points in that same cabin.
He has taken 6 months to build and is now safely stowed in Rutland, having journeyed up from Global Boatworks in Devon, where he was built. My team at home will be packing him up with kit and food later this year ready for shipment to Japan, where I will meet him and start getting him ready for our jaunt across the North Pacific. This phase is scheduled to begin with the late spring 2012 when I shall push out from Choshi, Japan, bound for Vancouver, Canada.
I chose the name before he was finished after watching the hilarious Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels with two very special friends – Kris and Maren Hallenga. As a reminder of good times and as a kindred seafarer, Gulliverseemed a perfect choice. I hope you will join me in cooing admiringly and smiling proudly at him too – I know he is going to be a fabulous partner for this gruelling leg of the journey.
PS: He is in fact a bullet proof boat, complete with a Kevlar skin.


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Winiwarter, W. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7131-1496 & Muik, B. (2011). Statistical dependence in input data of national greenhouse gas inventories: Effects on the overall inventory uncertainty. In: Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Dealing With Uncertainty. Eds. White, T, Jonas, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1269-4145, Nahorski, Z, & Nilsson, S, Dordrecht: Springer. 10.1007/978-94-007-1670-4_3.Full text not available from this repository.
An uncertainty assessment of the Austrian greenhouse gas inventory provided the basis for this analysis. We isolated the factors that were responsible for the uncertainty observed, and compared our results with those of other countries. Uncertainties of input parameters were used to derive the uncertainty of the emission estimate. Resulting uncertainty using a Monte Carlo approach was 5.2% for the emission levels of 2005 and 2.4 percentage points for the 1990-2005 emission trend. Systematic uncertainty was not assessed. This result is in the range expected from previous experience in Austria and other countries. The determining factor for the emission level uncertainty (not the trend uncertainty) is the uncertainty associated with soil nitrous oxide N2O emissions. Uncertainty of the soil N2O release rate is huge, and there is no agreement even on the magnitude of the uncertainty when country comparisons are made. In other words, reporting and use of N2O release uncertainty are also different between countries; this is important, as this single factor fully determines a country's national greenhouse gas inventory uncertainty. Inter-country comparisons of emission uncertainty are thus unable to reveal much about a country's inventory quality. For Austria, we also compared the results of the Monte Carlo approach to those obtained from a simpler error propagation approach, and find the latter to systematically provide lower uncertainty. The difference can be explained by the ability of the Monte Carlo approach to account for statistical dependency of input parameters, again regarding soil N2O emissions. This is in contrast to the results of other countries, which focus less on statistical dependency when performing Monte Carlo analysis. In addition, the error propagation results depend on treatment of skewed probability distributions, which need to be translated into normal distributions. The result indicates that more attention needs to be given to identifying statistically dependent input data in uncertainty assessment.
|Item Type:
|Book Section
|Research Programs:
|Air Quality & Greenhouse Gases (AIR)
Mitigation of Air Pollution (MAG)
|Bibliographic Reference:
|In: T White, M Jonas, Z Nahorski, S Nilsson (eds); Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Dealing With Uncertainty; Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands pp.19-36
|Depositing User:
|IIASA Import
|Date Deposited:
|15 Jan 2016 08:45
|Last Modified:
|27 Aug 2021 17:21
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"I have found VetiOx to be a superior odor control solution for the offensive odors that we face daily in small animal veterinary practice. I especially appreciate eliminating the odors rather than the overpowering perfume smells that most products use. I intend to continue to use VetiOx both in the clinic and at home, and would recommend that other veterinarians try it for themselves."
The Smell
"We love you but you stink"
If you love your animal you need to pay attention. Smelly pets are not healthy pets. Yes, if they get sprayed by some other animal or they roll in something less than pleasant they will not necessarily be sick, but they could get sick if not cleaned up.
The smells that are the worst are normally those generated by something wrong with the pet or a natural condition the pet experiences in the course of seeking a mate or establishing boundaries.
Where does odor most commonly come from?
- Anus
- Reproductive organs
- Mouth
- Ears
- Skin
All of these areas are susceptible to accumulation of odor causing compounds. All of these compounds are natural but eliminating the bad ones is important.
Normal washing and grooming of your pet is the preferred method of controlling the bad odors, and proper hygiene is the most effective way to accomplish this. You can't always take the time for bathing your pet at home or at the pet care center.
Fortunately, with VetiOx, odors will be under control – even between baths. VetiOx Odor Eliminator selectively oxidizes noxious odor producing compounds common to pet skin.


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Starting Point is for people who are curious about God, have a new relationship with Jesus Christ, or are returning to church after being away for a while.
Here is a brief description of a Starting Point group:
Got questions? Why not begin now…after all, every journey has a Starting Point.
Contact the church if you need more information, or just show up.


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Discord bot made for graphic designers and artists, with various utilities/tools and help.
The bot is usable, but still in early development, so there may be bugs.
There's more features under way. Website not yet done.
Getting started
I recommend the first thing you do is
This command takes the Admin through all the bot settings, and provide all the necessary information for each step when you get there. Everything you set while using this can be changed later with
+help to get an overview of commands.
Prefix can be changed with
+settings prefix <prefix here> (or when you go through
- Color info / conversion (+ preview)
- PPI / Real life size / Pixels calculation
- General units conversion
- Colour contrast checker (+ preview)
- Image watermarker (with option of custom image pattern)
- Icon finder
- Stock image finder (Pending API approval to be enabled)
- lmgtfy (Let Me Google That For You)
- Stock texture finder
- Form/Questionare builder [premium]
- Lipsum dummy text generator
- Encoder/decoder of HTML entities, binary, and hexadecimal
- Designer profiles
- Memes command, design/art related ones only
- Social media / platforms template library (Community driven)
- Comnpany / service / item logo library (Community driven)
- Pin bottom message
- Draw on image or blank canvas in browser, and send to channel
- Reverse image search
Bot features
- Submit — Submit content to 'memes', 'logo', or 'template' library
- Init — starts bot setup wizard
- Alias — get aliases of a command.
- Help — list of commands and how to access help on specific ones.
- Settings: (
- Disable channel(s)
- Disable command(s)
- Customizable prefix
- Permission: Allow user with X role, or X role + all roles above it to use bot.
- Invite — gives a link to invite the bot to a guild
- Info — brief information about the bot itself and who the author is
Features roadmap
List in expected priority:
Icon finder(Finished 15 June 2019) Stock image finder(Finished 23 June 2019) Stock texture finder(Finished 11 July 2019) Init (first time setup)(Finished 31 August 2019) Form builder / editor(Finished 07 September 2019) Lipsum dummy text generator(Finished 22 September 2019) Encoder/decoder(Finished 29 October 2019) Profiles / market profiles(Finished first version 09 November 2019) Designer/artist's memes(Finished 17 November 2019) Template library(Finished first version 18 November 2019) Logo library(Finished first version 18 November 2019) Submit to library(Finished 03 December 2019) Bottom pin(Finished 01 January 2020) Drawing(Finished 01 Februar 2020) Reverse image search(Finished 12 Februar 2020)
- Market middleman / reviews/ history / file handler (In the works 12 November 2019)
- "Image / Portfolio only" channel manger (In the works 01 January 2020)
- AI powered FAQ on using the bot/guild settings/perform actions
- Web-panel integration & mini-panels for GUI interaction of single commands
- Ban/report sync/notification mode
- … and more stuff.
Want to share Grafik along with other bots? Click here to add it to a list!


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Last Updated on by Nectes Team
We bring you something from one of Nigeria's fastest rising gospel act. The blind but not limited "E-Daniels". He is the winner of the Abuja Gospel Voice 2014 and has since then had the opportunity to minister on many platforms in Nigeria. His debut single, CONGRATULATIONS featuring Nosa still rocks radio stations round the country.
Here we have a piece of one of his live ministration at the Toyin and Friends Concert which held in Lagos few months back.
Been blind has never been a limitation for me – E-Daniels
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I would like to share my experiences in Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks on this Travel tips – USA and Canada series. I will also be sharing some of my favourite photos taken in these two National Parks.
I visited Grand Canyon and Death Valley National Parks in February 2017 while I was in Las Vegas. I went by tours with Canyon Tours, which is actually Casino Travel and Tours. I joined three of them, which are:
- Grand Canyon South Rim Adventure.
- Grand Canyon West Rim with Helicopter Floor Landing.
- Death Valley Bus Tour.
I really enjoyed all three tours! I had the same tour guide, Jack, for both the Grand Canyon South Rim Adventure and Death Valley Bus Tour. Jack is very well-traveled and well-read – he is like an encyclopedia. He is very knowledgeable and entertaining. The drive to the South Rim of Grand Canyon took us more than 4 hours. This is not a popular tour because of the long drive. There were only 4 of us, including Jack, for the Grand Canyon South Rim Adventure, which I absolutely love. The Grand Canyon West Rim tour, on the other hand, was a big group, probably around 40 people. However, it did not affect my experience because once we arrived in the West Rim, we were free to roam by ourselves.
Grand Canyon South Rim
Once we arrived at the South Rim, we were free to explore on our own by the walking trails. I was blown away by the beauty and vastness of Grand Canyon the moment I stepped out of our van. I was dumbfounded – it was wondrous for me and no words could describe how majestic Grand Canyon is.
Grand Canyon West Rim
The Grand Canyon West Rim is owned and operated by the Hualapai Indian Tribe. There is an admission fee, which is included in the tour. Once inside, there are shuttle buses that bring visitors to their various points of interests. You are no allowed to roam outside of these stops. I opted in for the helicopter tour! It is more expensive but definitely worth it! It was incredible to experience Grand Canyon from the top and then land at the bottom of it! It was my first time in a helicopter too – I was a little bit scared when the helicopter took off but the rest of it was just amazing! I absolutely love this! I highly recommend doing the helicopter tour in the West Rim, if you are brave enough 🙂
Death Valley
We visited a few sights in Death Valley National Park, including the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Badwater Basin Salt Flats and Zabriskie Point. My favourite is the Zabriskie Point. The hard drought-plagued sun-baked slopes around Zabriskie Point support almost no vegetation. The rare rain that comes to Death Valley arrives in the form of downpours, which form the rills and gullies that reshape the landscape (you can read more about Zabriskie Point Here). The whole landscape is so colourful and unique!
Have you been to Grand Canyon and/or Death Valley National Parks? I'd love to hear your experiences! Leave your comments below. If you haven't, I hope these photos would inspire you to explore these magnificent National Parks.
Thank you for reading and visiting my website! Hope you enjoy the post! 🙂 Please like, share and subscribe (link at footer).
Next on the travel tips series is Chicago. Stay tuned!
Photography Information:
Camera: Nikon D800.
Lens for Nikon: Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8.
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.
The video was taken using iPhone7plus.


text: Introduction to Italian StoneDurango Stone Initially began as a seller and installer of stone. Soon materials are needed which are not stocked in the USA, so off to Italy. Carrera White becomes the first import. Met a fine group of stone professionals who embrace our efforts to be a wholesale supplier in the USA, which was an undiscovered market at the time.


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The learning, growing, and implementing continues! Every month this year, I have been journaling the greatest insights and reminders I learn each day. I've even now heard from a few others that I've inspired them to log their lessons learned each month!
Here are my Top 10 for September 2017. As I discussed in my last post about what I learned in August, you'll find a heavy infusion of Og Mandino's wisdom from his book, The Greatest Salesman in the World – Part 2. And once again, I hope one or more of these lessons can help you in some way moving forward.
- Nothing in life is as important as you think it is WHILE you are thinking about it. – Daniel Kahneman's The Focusing Illusion)
- The only valid price tag is the price we attach to ourselves. – Og Mandino
- If you don't tell yourself how long you'll live, other people will. (Let this one sink in a bit!)
- To multiply my growth, I can no longer think in the realm of "time and effort". I live in a world of "results", and if I can accomplish far more, in less time, with less effort, that's my goal.
- "Your eyes only see and your ears only hear what your brain is looking for." – Dan Sullivan. (Think about how often you read things or watch stuff that confirms the beliefs you ALREADY have, rather than that which challenges your current beliefs.)
- Increasingly spend more and more time doing the right things with the right people and less time doing the wrong things with the wrong people. ('Nuff said.)
- The person who is perpetually hesitating between which of two things he or she will do will do neither. – Og Mandino.
- It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world. – Og Mandino
- The master of a single trade can support a family. The master of seven trades cannot support himself. – Og Mandino
- The widely dispersed explosion of thunder produces no results compared to a single, concentrated bolt of lightning. – Og Mandino
Thank you for reading and following! Keep learning. Keep growing. It is what we are designed to do as humans. And PLEASE SHARE this with others to give value and help THEM grow.


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Home Inspection Areas Served
I offer professional home inspections in the following areas:
West Tennessee including the following counties: Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, Lauderdale, Haywood, Madison, Hardeman, Crockett, Dyer, McNairy and Chester.
North Mississippi including the following counties: Desoto, Tunica, Tate, Marshall, Benton, Tippah, Alcorn, Tishomingo, Prentiss, Union, Lafayette, Panola and Coahoma.
Please contact me to order your home inspection today at 901-752-0044
Tennessee License # 0096 Mississippi License #0191
Previous page: Contact Form
Next page: What I Inspect


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A 99.9% Server Uptime
Our shared web hosting system is based on a secure, top–notch hardware architecture and a significantly customized Linux distribution. Thus, no matter what your site is, or how many site visitors you have, or even in case there is a denial–of–service attack, our machines will stay up and running and your websites will remain online.
All shared web hosting packages include a 99.9% server uptime guarantee. And no matter which datacenter you select, our guarantee stays unchanged.
A 99.9% Network Uptime
In order to deliver an outstanding web hosting service, you can barely count on the default network configuration in a datacenter. We have set up our own custom internal network to ensure a hyper–fast connection speed with the rest of the world.
And because of this, irrespective of which datacenters you select: our datacenter in US, our datacenter in UK, in our datacenter in FI, in our datacenter in Eastern Europe or our datacenter in AU, you will take advantage of an assured 99.9% network uptime. And this uptime guarantee is valid for all hosting plans offered in each datacenter.
A 30–Day Money–Back Guarantee
Although we have done just about everything to minimize all potential risks with our cloud hosting packages and regardless of the fact that we provide top–notch client support, there are instances when the client is just not pleased with what we are offering. Or he wants to switch to a more powerful hosting solution, such as a VPS server or even a dedicated server.
Because of this, we offer a 30–day money–back guarantee with all our cloud hosting plans, no questions asked. If you are not fully happy, we will give you your money back.
24/7 Technical Support
If you happen to operate a hosting firm, your customer service technicians are of prime importance. That is the reason why we have punctiliously chosen a highly knowledgeable group of techs, each with many years of training behind his back. Thanks to them, we offer 24x7 support with each of our web hosting plans.
And not only that, we offer a 1–hour response time guarantee. All customer service requests are responded to in less than sixty minutes and our average ticket response time is less than twenty minutes!


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Northern Flicker / David Zieg / Audubon Photography Awards
Of the 11 species of woodpeckers (including sapsuckers) that live in Washington, the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) is probably the most commonly seen and heard. Previously known as the red-shafted flicker, the Northern flicker has a conspicuous white rump patch and salmon-colored wing undersides that are distinctly visible during its slow, bouncy flight. Flickers can also be identified by their loud call that sounds like wake-up, wake-up, wake-up; also a piercing, sharply descending peeahr.
Any annoyance these woodpeckers may cause for homeowners is greatly outweighed by the large number of insect pests they eat, and the number of homes they create for other wildlife.
Facts About Northern Flickers
Food and Feeding Habits
- Northern flickers commonly feed on the ground, searching for ants and beetle larvae
- While flickers eat tree-dwelling and wood-boring insects, they also will eat berries, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
- When searching for insects, flickers tap on wooden surfaces and look and listen for insect movements. If they see or hear an insect, they will continue chiseling until the insects are caught. Hollow sounds also may indicate that insects are present, thus encouraging flickers to continue chiseling away.
- Flickers are attracted to suet feeders, especially in winter.
Nest Sites and Shelter
- Northern flickers excavate nest sites in dead or dying trees, aging utility poles, fence posts, and house siding. They will also use specially designed nest boxes.
- The birds use their stout beaks to chisel down 6-18 inches, making a wide bottom for the egg chamber (Fig. 3).
- Nest holes may be started but never completed, possibly due to poor location or quality of the wood. Occasionally flickers will re-use a nest hole after doing some minor work to it.
- Both male and female flickers excavate the nest, the male doing substantially more than the female. Complete excavation may take only a few days in soft wood, but averages 14 days.
- Eggs are laid on wood chips created during excavation of the nest.
- The breeding season for Northern flickers is from March to June, with young leaving the nest as late as mid-July.
- Both male and female flickers incubate the 5 to 8 eggs for about 11 days, then brood the newly hatched young for about 4 days.
- Both sexes feed the young, which leave the nest after 24 to 27 days.
- The parents continue to feed the young once they fledge, and soon the young begin to follow the adults to foraging sites and gather their own food.
- Individual flickers return to the same area to breed year after year.
Viewing Northern Flickers
Where and When to see: Flickers are usually found in areas dominated by trees; they also occur in treeless areas where utility poles, wood-sided homes, and other structures substitute for trees. They are often seen hopping on lawns where they catch ants and other insects with their sticky tongues. Winter is a good time to watch flickers; with the leaves off many trees, the birds are more easily seen.
What to look for: Flickers can be recognized by their undulating flight—wings flapping as the bird flies up and wings folded on the way down. Signs of roosting, nesting, and feeding sites are likely to be seen in wooded areas where there are old, large trees that have some dead or rotting wood on them. Look for fresh wood chips on the ground below an excavation site. A popular feeding tree is obvious because of the number of holes in it. Flickers use various visual displays, including head-weaving and body-bobbing, during courtship and as signs of aggression toward intruders (Fig. 4).
The most active displaying occurs early in the breeding season, before nest-building, when the birds are pairing and there is competition for mates.
If you offer suet at your feeder, flickers may become regular visitors.
Attracting Flickers to Your Property
When managing space for flickers around your property, the most important thing to do is to protect undisturbed wooded areas, particularly those that contain dead or dying trees. While larger trees may be more suitable housing, small trees rot faster and quickly attract insects that flickers eat.
Provided they don't pose a hazard of falling on people, pets, or houses, leave any such trees for "woodpecker watching" whenever you can.
Other things you can do include:
- Install a suet feeder in winter (Fig. 5). Suet can be obtained neatly packaged from stores that cater to the bird-feeding public, and at farm supply centers and hardware stores.
- Install a nest box that is specially designed for flickers (see WDFW's Nest Boxes for Birds for information).
- Avoid using pesticides, especially insecticides.
- Leave ant colonies for flickers to find and harvest. (An Oregon biologist found over 2,000 ants in the stomachs of flickers.)
- Leave some fruit on orchard trees for flickers to eat in late summer, fall, and winter.
Preventing Conflicts
Flickers that have been crowded out of their wooded territories will readily use alternative structures for drumming, seeking food, or excavating a cavity. So the flicker that awakens you in the spring, drumming loudly on a gutter or metal flashing, is making good use of the habitat you are providing. For this reason, don't remove dead or decaying trees in the hope of driving flickers away. That makes it more likely they may investigate your house for food or a nest site.
The following are descriptions of flicker activities and suggestions for ways to remedy problems. Success will depend on timing, the availability of food and shelter, and the woodpecker's previous exposure to the tactics suggested below. The homeowner will have to weigh the trouble and expense of control against the scope of the damage caused by the bird or birds.
1) Drumming: A flicker drums to communicate with a mate or to proclaim its territory and attract a mate. This typically happens during the breeding season (mid March to June), but may continue into July. For reasons that are not fully understood, drumming may also occur for a short time in the fall.
Drumming is the most common reason for flickers to use buildings, and while it may be annoying, the bird's activity usually does not penetrate completely through wood siding.
Flickers will return year after year to the same house because it works for them; they attract a mate this way. Thus, a flicker that has been using the same location for several years will be hard to move.
To discourage drumming, try a combination of the following strategies:
Scare the flicker by hanging strips of Mylar scare tape or floating Mylar party balloons in front of the area of activity (Fig. 6). When using scare tape, strengthen each strip by attaching a piece of duct tape or nylon packing tape to each end. Tack or nail one end to the outer end of the roof soffit, just under the gutter, and attach the other end to the side of the house. Before attaching the bottom, twist the tape 6 to 7 times and keep the tape loose enough to provide some slack. The slack and twisting are necessary to produce the shimmering effect. Apply these tape strands at parallel intervals of 2 to 3 feet.
You can also try hanging aluminum pie pans horizontally along a rope or section of twine (Fig. 6). Run one end of the rope to a convenient window and fasten it to an object inside the house. Whenever you hear drumming, jerk on the string to make the pans move.
Some people have had success with stapling large rubber spiders in the vicinity of the drumming birds. Large, black rubber spiders are available from most party stores. The Birds Away Attack Spider® is vibration/sound activated and will respond to the drumming of woodpeckers, by dropping down on a "web" cord. Batteries then retract the spider back up the cord, where it waits for the next unsuspecting woodpecker to arrive.
Scaring the flicker by shouting and banging pans outside a nearby window may provide temporary relief. A squirt of water with a garden hose can have a similar effect. Again, flickers living in urban areas likely will have grown accustomed to such noises and activity, and the results will be short lived. (Note: Scaring flickers away from a nest containing eggs or young is illegal.)
Create a barrier by covering or wrapping the gutter, down-spout, or other drumming site with a sheet, tarp, burlap, or other material. A large area of siding can be protected by hanging a sheet, tarp, or bird netting from the roof gutter or eave (Fig. 7). Be sure to cover any ledges or cracks the bird uses as a foothold while drumming. If you cannot fasten the material to the gutter or eave, attach it to a board that has been temporarily fastened along the top of the wall.
If a single board on the house serves as a toehold, heavy monofilament fishing line or stainless steel wire can be tightly stretched approximately 2 inches above the landing site to prevent the flicker from perching.
Repel flickers by applying a commercially available, nontoxic woodpecker-protective coating spray where activity is taking place. The spray exudes an aromatic and taste deterrent when pecked.
A note on where to get materials: Mylar scare tape, Mylar scare balloons, bird netting, and woodpecker repellents are available from farm supply centers, nurseries, and on the Web (search for "bird control supplies.") Some pest-control companies sell heavier netting with a larger mesh than common bird netting used to protect fruit. Such netting is not as likely to create problems for small songbirds, which sometimes get caught in the smaller mesh.
2) Seeking Food: Flickers inspect tree trunks and branches for wood-boring beetles and other insects throughout the year. If a flicker pecking is not restricted to one location on your house, and if it occurs any time of year, the bird is probably gathering insects, or their eggs or larva. Physical evidence of this behavior includes soft pecking in straight lines that result in dime-sized holes.
Once they have established a feeding pattern on a house, flickers can be very persistent, and the holes they create may serve as visual attractants to other flickers. So, it is important the get them to stop as soon as possible.
Note that the flickers may be doing you a favor by drawing attention to an insect infestation. As a temporary measure, you can create a barrier between the bird and food source by using one of the techniques described earlier.
For the long term, you'll need to control the insects if you have an infestation, and then make any necessary repairs or modifications with wood filler, caulk, or other materials. You may want to consult a licensed pest-control operator on how to remove the insects and eliminate future infestations.
3) Excavating a Nest or Roost Site: If you find a round opening about the same width as the flicker in the siding or other boards, the woodpecker is probably excavating a cavity to nest or roost in. Often the birds pull out insulation from between the walls and there may be evidence of this below the new hole.
In the spring or early summer, assume there is an active nest with eggs or chicks inside. Scaring flickers away from an active nest is illegal. So, after the young birds have left the nest (generally by mid-June), immediately seal the opening to prevent starlings, house sparrows, squirrels, or other animals from using the cavity.
If a flicker has nested or attempted to nest in a wall, you might consider providing a nest box specially designed for a flicker as an alternative nest site. Flickers commonly use nest boxes. A nesting flicker may defend its territory and keep other flickers away.
Figure 2. A woodpecker's tongue retracted (left) and extended (right). The exceptionally long tongue wraps around the skull and is anchored at the base of the bill. The tip of the tongue is barbed to help extract insects from holes, and the tongue is coated with sticky saliva. A pileated woodpecker is shown here. (Drawing by Jenifer Rees.)
Figure 3. Northern flickers will tunnel down 6 to 18 inches in a nest tree, making a wide bottom for the egg chamber.
(Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.)
Figure 4. Head-bobbing is the most common visual display of flickers, and is accompanied by a call. (From Stokes, A Guide to Bird Behavior.)
Figure 5. Suet or peanut butter can be placed in feeder holes that are one inch in diameter and one inch deep. Attach a tree limb to a lightweight skillet using outdoor wood screws and a threaded bolt. (From Link, Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. Feeder design by Ken Short.)
Public Health Concerns
Northern flickers are not considered to be a significant source of any infectious disease transmittable to humans or domestic animals.
Legal Status
The Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects Northern flickers. A state permit and federal permit can be obtained to use lethal means to control flickers when extreme damage is occurring on private property. Such permits are only granted after all other nonlethal control techniques have proven unsuccessful. Contact your local Fish and Wildlife office for permit information.
Additional Information
Ehrlich, Paul R., et al. The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988.
Nehls, Harry B. Familiar Birds of the Northwest: Covering Birds Commonly found in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Northern California, and Western Canada. Portland, OR: Audubon Society of Portland, 1989.
Morse, Robert W., et al. Birds of the Puget Sound Region. R.W. Morse Company, 2003.
Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Western Birds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
Stokes, Donald W., and Lillian. A Guide to Bird Behavior. Volumes 1-3, Boston MA: Little, Brown, Stokes Nature Guides, 1979, 1983, and 1989.
Urvardy, Miklos D. F. Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds—Western Region. New York; Alfred A. Knopf, 1977.
Internet Resources
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage
Online Guide to the Birds of Washington State
Managing Small Woodlands for Cavity Nesting Birds
Adapted from "Living with Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest" (see http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/living.htm)
Written by: Russell Link, Urban Wildlife Biologist
Content provided by and with permission from Russell Link WDFW.
Figure 6. Scare the flicker away from a drumming site by hanging strips of Mylar scare tape or aluminum pie pans or floating Mylar party balloons in front of the area of activity. (Drawing by Jenifer Rees.)
Figure 7. Prevent flickers from accessing the side of a house by creating a barrier with a sheet, tarp, burlap, birdnetting, or other material. (Drawing by Jenifer Rees.)


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Six Essential Elements to a Great Community
Good community living looks easy. People are smiling. Residents are enjoying amenities. And the neighborhood or building looks amazing.
But behind all this, there's a lot of hard work. So who, exactly, is responsible for creating the kind of place people love to call home? And how does it all come together? Well, those answers are what we're here for.
"A lot of things need to converge to create a vibrant, stable community," said Edwin Lugo, Vice President of South Florida High-Rise for FirstService Residential. "It takes a real synergy of all parties involved."
With that, let's take a look at the essential elements that need to come together to create a great community.
1. An Association Board Understands Its Role.Board members have a big job to do. Many jobs, in fact such as acting as the fiscal steward of the homeowners' association; making sure the common properties are properly maintained and ensuring governing documents are enforced at all times. As part of this role, the board may enact policies designed to help them fulfill these two primary duties. A board will also organize committees of volunteers to accomplish specific objectives on the association's behalf. Board members and officers are duly elected according to the processes set forth in their bylaws and applicable law. The officers generally are the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.
2. The Right Personalities.You can formalize the processes. You can write all of the policies. And you can define every role. But if the wrong personalities are part of the equation, it will hamper efficiency (or even worse, cause conflict). That's why board members need to learn to put business first and set aside the politics.
3. Partner With The Right Property Manager.While some communities are self-managed, many look to the expertise of an excellent property management company (learn more below) with the tools to implement and enforce the vision of the community as established by the board. That's the big picture – property management companies typically offer a host of day-to-day services, too. The property management company will assign a property manager with the kind of character that's in sync with the culture of the community and the personalities of the board. Oftentimes, they're the people who address residents' immediate needs like questions or repairs. These management companies are also responsible for the collection of dues and assessments. They act as a liaison between service and repair companies, and they coordinate improvement or maintenance projects on the property with the day-to-day affairs of the association. In short, they provide full management services so board members can stay focused on their specific duties.
4. Expertise Where It Counts.There are a lot of great property managers out there. Dedicated. Committed. And available to clients around the clock. They know how to be cheerful with residents, yet firm with vendors. But different communities require different expertise. Fortunately, it's easy to tell what kinds of special certifications a property manager has – just look at the acronym after his or her name.
5. A Property Management Company That's A Great Fit.Not only is it important to have an excellent property manager, but it's essential that this individual is backed by a supportive and experienced property management team. Also referred to as a community management company, this organization is responsible for managing the accounting needs of the associations and providing support for the property manager who serves your community. This includes keeping a database of trusted and certified repair professionals and other vendors, pioneering new technology to ease the community's day-to-day tasks and responsibilities, and providing a deep bench of knowledge and expertise so that great solutions and insight are always available to associations.
6. A Shared Vision of Value.It's essential that boards and their property management companies are congruent in their definition of "value." This philosophy affects the board's activities – from choosing vendors to deciding which property management company to partner with. When all parties involved realize that added value supersedes bargain-basement pricing, then effective decisions can be made and solutions realized. In fact, when compared with the headaches that come with budget vendors, a company that delivers value-added service actually saves you money.
There you have it – the six essential elements for great communities. Each has an important role to play, and when each is working in concert with the other, great things can happen for your community.
For more on what an excellent property management company (and an expert property manager) can do for you, contact FirstService Residential, North America's property management leader.


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Sony has announced QX series lens-style camera at IFA Berlin today along with the Sony Xperia Z1 smartphone. These QX series of camera have everything a camera need in them except the viewfinder. You can attach these lens-style camera as Sony calls it to your smartphone and instantly turn into a ... Read More →
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The Nurse Who Went Above and Beyond
Can you imagine inviting someone who you met just three days ago to move into your house with you? That's exactly what nurse Lori Wood of Atlanta, GA. did for Jonathan, a homeless patient of hers in need of help. Jonathan needed a heart transplant, but but did not qualify for it because he had […]Read more


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When phones were dumb and people were smarter
I remember the days when cell phones started to sell; as a matter of fact I was part of the team at Motorola that was responsible for introducing cell phones to companies or individuals back in 1986. Whoever thought at that time how cell phones would become smartphones and would be what they are today? I didn't really see it coming. I witnessed cell phones get smaller but never really knew that this is what's going to come of it, or I would have warned you sooner: Smartphones make you dumber.
By "this" I mean our utter dependence on information from our phones, so we don't have to think or ask someone personally for the information. In many ways, they're like what ATM cards are to tellers. I talk about my experience in banking in my book "Are You For Real?!" When I started my first job in a bank, people came in with a bank book to deposit or withdraw their money or add interest to the account. I remember wondering, "What would happen one day - are we going to have a computer or ATM so people can do it automatically?"
I thought about it, but, didn't pursue the idea, I guess I missed the boat on that one, but then again I've been more interested in people than technology.
Smartphones: all the answers, but all the power
Smartphones or cell phones have really gotten smaller, but they have also gotten smarter. They replace computers, and don't get me wrong - there a lot of good things that you can use a smartphone for. There are tremendous amounts of software that are available to use, and in many cases can help you conduct and manage your business.
But of course, there's also social media, whether it's Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. People are constantly using these tools, for one reason or another, and it's distracting them from looking UP at one another.
So, what I want to talk about is how salespeople use their smartphones to their benefit or not? Is your smartphone making you dumber?
Let's face it Google, Bing! and other similar search engines create information at the touch of a button. Or with your voice. Question asked, and answered with no effort. Yet that means our own brains don't have to exercise very much. Think about it. At one point, you probably could remember hundreds of phone numbers. You had to, and your brain responded. Now, you ask Siri to "call John" and it's done. But do you know John's number off the top of your head? Probably not.
In addition, you likely have dozens of these apps created to take over your mind and your attention. They end up controlling you all the time, and you can see it just walking down the street. You can see it when you're in a meeting, or in a car and seeing other drivers... everybody's on their phone. Are they wasting time or not - or more importantly are YOU wasting your time?
I'm not just merely making observations. Science is realizing that smartphones make you dumber, too. A study at the University of Texas called it a "Brain Drain." Their study revealed that someone's cognitive ability to hold information and understand it was much better when their smartphone was in another room! As a salesperson, a smartphone therefore won't just make you dumber, it's going to make you broke. Attention to your client requires all of your senses, and if they sense you don't really care, you're not closing.
Taking matters (and your smartphone) into your own hands
So, ask yourself a question: Are you being held hostage by your smartphone? There's no doubt in my mind there are apps or tools that will help the salesperson make their life easier on a daily basis, but, how you use them and when you use them is extremely important. I believe that if you are using a smartphone and using it smartly you can really benefit if you're in the business of selling. If you don't the alternative is that your smartphone is making you dumber.
Let's face it - it's very easy to get distracted. Sometimes we go through tough times where people are not buying, we're not prospecting, we're tired - whatever it might be. That's the down side of the sales rollercoaster. But instead of doing the right thing and take the steps that were supposed to in order to achieve our goals, we are lured away and spend time on the smartphone, playing games, looking at Twitter, looking at Facebook, etc.
Ask yourself before you pick up the smartphone: What is it that I need to know that I could do later at lunch time? Could my distract help me fail in what I'm supposed to be doing?
Adopt these habits so both you and your smartphone can stay smart:
• Monitor your use: one study found that the average person picks up his smartphone 85 times a day. 85. Track your own usage and see how much time is being spent on your smartphone, and what you're using it for. The result may scare you into smartphone "dieting."
• Schedule use - When you're working, you are working; the phone needs to be completely off, or at the very least in airplane mode. Then pick 2-3 times a day where you can catch up on whatever you may have missed (no more than 15 minutes each).
• Clients come first, smartphone last. Adopt the habit of putting your phone out of sight when you are talking to a client (even on Skype). Not in your hand, but in your pocket or briefcase. If your client wants to make a future appointment and you want to put that on your calendar in your phone, fine. Otherwise its absence tells your client they are the most important thing in the room.
No doubt, business and sales is a discipline. It isn't easy. What has become easy is reaching for the smartphone...but don't let it make you dumber in the process.


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ONCE again the results of the school examinations are out and once again
they seem to show that teenagers are turning away from science. At A level, the
percentage of students studying physics was down 5.7 per cent on its 1995
figure. Chemistry was down 4.3 per cent. Only mathematics is doing well but its
8.4 per cent rise looks modest compared with the sudden vogue for media, film
and TV studies (up 25 per cent).
Don't panic. This does not mean that tomorrow's leaders will be able to
analyse the iconic significance of Bet Lynch in Coronation Street but
not know that the Earth goes around the Sun. In the overall popularity stakes,
the sciences remain extraordinarily buoyant. English is top of the league of
A-level choices (12 per cent of the total examinations taken) but mathematics is
not far behind (9.1 per cent), followed by biology (7.1 per cent), history (5.9
per cent), geography (5.8 per cent), chemistry (5.5 per cent) and physics (4.4
per cent). Even with its huge 25 per cent increase, media, film and TV studies
accounts for just 1.2 per cent of all the A levels taken.
But interest in science is still sinking slowly and the question is why? Last
year, a government study claimed that teenagers saw sciences as hard, boring,
and not leading to much in the way of salaries.New Scientist's
own survey of teenagers partly supported that view. Future salaries, good or
bad, were not seen as much of a factor because the world of paid work seemed
impossibly far off. But yes, the sciences are seen as hard, boring and not at
all fashionable.
Part of the blame went to the tedious GCSE syllabus, which dictates how
science is taught earlier in school life. That syllabus has exposed more young
people to science than ever before but it is lacking in "depth and connections",
as one teenager put it, and its impact on brighter students needs to be
Nerdy science teachers also helped make science seem unattractive. Perhaps
what we really need to do is examine the dress styles of trendy teachers of
film, media and TV studies. With the right clothes, hairstyles and a few buzz
words, science teaching could really take off.