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Monument to Murder (Capital Crimes Series #25)
Audio CD(Unabridged)
Times are tough in Savannah for former cop and current PI Robert Brixton, so when he agrees to take on a 20 year-old murder case, he figures he's got nothing to lose. It's not long before the trail leads him deep into the corrupt underbelly of Savannah's power elite, and right into the lap of a secret government organization that's been offing "troublesome" politicians for decades. The cold case heats up when he joins forces with former attorneys Mackensie and Annabel Lee Smith to investigate the organization and the murders they committed in the name of patriotism.
With what he knows, Brixton can bring down Washington, D.C.'s leading social hostess, if not the administration itself. But can he outwit an organization that is hell-bent on keeping its secrets—secrets that go all the way back to the assassinations of Jack and Bobby Kennedy?
Margaret Truman brings us into the corridors of Washington power as only she can, where the end too often justifies the means, where good people are destroyed by those for whom the only goal is survival…whatever the cost.
Product Details
|Brilliance Audio
|Publication date:
|Capital Crimes Series , #25
|Edition description:
|Product dimensions:
|5.00(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.75(d)
About the Author
Margaret Truman won faithful readers with her works of biography and fiction, particularly her series of Capital Crimes mysteries. Her novels let readers into the corridors of power and privilege, and poverty and pageantry, in the nation's capital. She was the author of many nonfiction books, including The President's House, in which she shared some of the secrets and history of the White House, where she once resided. Truman lived in Manhattan.
Read an Excerpt
Monument to Murder
A Capital Crimes Novel
By Margaret Truman
Tom Doherty AssociatesCopyright © 2011 Estate of Margaret Truman
All rights reserved.
Mrs. Eunice Watkins was seated in the cramped reception area when Bob Brixton walked in on that steamy Savannah August morning. He was late for the appointment. He always seemed to run late during Savannah summers, reluctant to leave the AC of his apartment until the last possible moment.
After telling Mrs. Watkins that he'd be with her in a few minutes, he entered his office, followed by Cynthia, his secretary, assistant, and foil.
"Bad night?' she asked.
"Why do you always ask that?" he said. "I don't have bad nights or good nights. They're just nights. What's your read on her?"
"Seems like a nice lady," she replied in a drawl that seemed to thicken once summer arrived, like the humid air. "Very proper, didn't say much."
"No hint what she wants?"
Cynthia shook her head. "Where's your coffee?"
"I was running late and didn't stop. Send Mrs. Watkins in."
She escorted his potential client into the office, asked if she wanted coffee or tea — "No, thank you, ma'am" — and went downstairs to get Brixton an iced coffee from the deli that occupied the ground floor of the two-story building.
"Please, have a seat," Brixton said, indicating one of two green club chairs across the desk. He'd had only a fleeting glimpse of her as he passed through the anteroom. Now, he took a closer look. She was an attractive woman whose age he pegged at sixty, give or take a few years. She had probably been a beauty as a younger woman. Now, "handsome" was more apt. Her ebony face was relatively free of wrinkles, her gray hair carefully coiffed. She sat ramrod erect, hands folded on a purse that rested on her lap. Her carefully pressed dress had a tan-and-white floral pattern and she wore a lightweight white cardigan, hardly necessary considering Mother Nature's sauna outside. She locked eyes with him as though doing some sizing up of her own. No smile. Waiting for him to say something.
"So, Mrs. Watkins, you're obviously here because you feel I might be of help in some matter."
"Yes, sir, that's right."
"A personal matter?"
She looked down, then back up. "A very personal matter, sir. You were an officer with the Savannah Police Department as I'm told." She spoke slowly, deliberately. Brixton figured that she was a born-and-bred Georgian and her accent supported that.
"Uh-huh. A few years ago."
"I thought that might be helpful."
"How so?"
She gathered her thoughts before continuing. He had the feeling that she was girding against crying and gave her points for that. Weeping women always unsettled him.
"I was wondering if you might remember a case from a number of years ago. It involved my daughter, Louise Watkins."
Brixton leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in a display of trying hard to recall. He opened them and said, "Can't say that I do."
"My daughter was murdered."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Tell me more."
"It happened sixteen years ago, in 1994."
And she expects me to remember that far back?
"My daughter had recently been released from prison when she was killed. Murdered in cold blood."
"How was she killed?" he asked.
"She was shot on the street. Someone in a car drove by and fired at her."
"They ever find the shooter?"
Brixton drew a deep breath and came forward in his squeaky swivel chair. "If you're here to ask me to try and solve your daughter's murder, Mrs. Watkins, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. That's a police matter. I'm a private investigator."
She looked in the direction of the office's only window, in which the air conditioner did its blessed work, and returned to him. "There's more to Louise's death than the fact that she was murdered."
He squirmed against a back spasm. He wanted a cigarette. He didn't smoke in the office because Cynthia had put down her size-seven foot and threatened to quit if he did. It looked like he was in for a lengthy tale and he hoped that when it was over he'd at least have a paying client. Business had been slow, as slow as the way people walked in summery Savannah.
"Go on," he said to Mrs. Watkins as Cynthia carried in his iced coffee. "Stay around," he told Cynthia, "take some notes."
If having a third person in the room recording what she said unnerved Mrs. Watkins, she didn't show it. She said matter-of-factly, "My daughter was paid to go to prison."
Cynthia stopped writing and looked at Brixton.
"That's an unusual allegation, Mrs. Watkins," he said.
"But it's true."
"You're claiming that your daughter was paid to take the rap for someone else?"
"Yes, that is what I am saying."
"What was she in the can — in prison for?"
"Manslaughter. She was accused of having stabbed someone to death."
The case started to come back to him in fragments. Sure. Louise Watkins. Drug addict. Eighteen or nineteen years old. High as a kite on drugs and booze. He hadn't caught that case while with Savannah PD but was close to the detective who had. Brixton had been with the Savannah PD for eight years at the time it took place and had been promoted to detective just one year prior to that.
The stabbing had occurred in Augie's parking lot, one of those clubs that come and go and lure the gotta-be-hip crowd, the young crowd, with a bouncer at the door making sure the teenyboppers he let in showed enough skin, and the macho young guys weren't wearing flip-flops on dirty feet. Class act all the way, until it was closed by the department's narcs for selling drugs over and under the bar. As Brixton recalled, she'd claimed the guy had tried to rape her and had stabbed him in self-defense, which the judge evidently bought when he sentenced her, a lenient sentence that had nettled Brixton's fellow cops.
"The case is coming back to me now. How much time did she do?"
"She was in prison for four years."
Four years for stabbing a guy to death. She got off easy.
"So, you're claiming that your daughter didn't do it."
"That's right, Mr. Brixton."
"So, who did?"
"I don't know, but I believe my daughter when she said she wasn't the one, that she'd been paid to confess to it."
"Paid? Somebody at the club paid her to say that she'd killed the guy?"
A nod, and stiffening at the disbelief in his tone.
"Who?" he repeated.
"I don't know. That's why I've come to you, Mr. Brixton. I was hoping that you could find out for me."
He took a swig of coffee, swiveled in his chair, and grimaced against a shooting pain in his right knee. Brixton's chiropractor called him his retirement fund, a walking orthopedic nightmare, arthritis in every joint, spinal X-rays that read like a train wreck, and one knee that bowed out five degrees, causing him to walk as though carrying a loaded suitcase on the opposite side. Taking a bullet in the bad knee hadn't helped. Not that he didn't get around pretty good. It was just that there was always pain, sometimes worse than other times, nothing to cause him to ask for a wheelchair at airports or get offered a seat on a bus. Annoying, that's what it was. Annoying. Every sign of getting older was annoying.
"Let me ask you something, Mrs. Watkins," he said. "Your daughter's murder happened sixteen years ago. How come you've just now decided to open it up?"
She chose her words carefully. "My son, Lucas — he was three years older than Louise when she was killed — is a man of God, Mr. Brixton. Lucas is pastor of the Southside United Freedom Church. He has been tormented ever since the day Louise was killed — not by her murder; that was bad enough — but by her having spent four years in prison for a murder that she did not commit. I should tell you, Mr. Brixton, that Louise was a problem child. She became addicted to drugs when she was thirteen and left home at seventeen, living on the streets, begging for money to support her habit, and I'm ashamed to say selling her body. She was eighteen when she went to prison, twenty-two years old when she was killed. In a way she acted honorably in taking money to keep someone else out of prison. It's better than the other ways she'd sunk to on the streets."
"Your son's the one who wants the case reopened?"
"Yes, and I now agree with him. When Louise died, I felt it was best to allow her to rest in the sort of peace she hadn't found when she was alive, to rest in God's kingdom, to forget all the pain she had suffered, and to let me cherish my memories of her before she got into trouble. But Lucas has always said that Louise deserves to have her name cleansed, not for the way she lived her life in those final years but from the sin of having taken another person's life. She didn't kill that man in the parking lot, Mr. Brixton. She was paid to say that she did."
"Your daughter told you that she'd been paid to assume responsibility but didn't name the person who'd paid her?"
"She said she'd promised never to reveal it. I admired her for that."
"What did she do with the money?" Brixton asked.
"She gave it to me."
Her resolve not to cry crumbled and she wept silently, ladylike, never changing her erect posture, simply pulling a tissue from her purse and dabbing at her eyes. "Sorry," she said softly.
"That's all right," he said. "Want some water?"
"No, thank you."
"How much?" he asked.
"How much money was involved?"
"Ten thousand dollars."
Four years behind bars, twenty-five hundred a year. She'd sold out cheap, although based upon the lifestyle her mother claimed she'd had, a bed and three squares a day might have seemed like winning an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii.
"She gave it to you just like that?" he asked.
"Actually, Mr. Brixton, Louise didn't personally give me the money. It arrived shortly after she'd been convicted of the murder."
"Who gave it to you then?"
"I don't know. I returned home one day and there was an envelope wedged between my screen door and the other door. I opened it and found ten thousand dollars in cash. I was shocked, as you can imagine."
"But you said you knew it came from your daughter."
"Not at that moment. I mentioned it to her the next time I visited her in jail. That's when she told me how she'd agreed to confess to the crime in return for the money. I pleaded with her to tell the authorities but she was adamant. She said that jail was the best place for her to get straightened out, get off drugs, and find God. She also said that she wanted me to have it for all the pain she'd caused me. That's all she said. I pleaded with her again not to do it but Louise was always headstrong. I hid the money away."
"Until now."
"Yes, until now."
Brixton surreptitiously glanced at his watch. Cigarette time.
"Okay," he said, "I'll see what I can find out from friends still with the PD. My fee is four hundred a day plus expenses."
He expected her to express shock. Instead, she issued her first smile of the morning and said, "That will be fine. I still have the ten thousand and I'm willing to spend all of it to clear her name."
Brixton experienced dual silent emotions — pleasure at seeing a nice payday, and a desire to reach out and hug her for what she was determined to do. Her dead daughter had been a junkie, a drunk, and a hooker, no hesitation in admitting that. Yet, her main concern was to prove that she'd gone to prison an innocent person. Go figure. It didn't seem to matter a hell of a lot at this point, but who was he to challenge what was important to a client?
"I'll need some up-front," he said.
"Will a thousand be sufficient?"
He caught a small smile on Cynthia's face. "Yeah, a thousand will be fine. You can trust me. I'll give an honest accounting of my time and expenses."
"Yes, I'm sure you will."
"By the way, Mrs. Watkins, what brought you to me? There are bigger investigative agencies in Savannah."
She stood and ran her hands over the front of her dress. "I don't think I'd be comfortable with a larger agency," she said. "I'm sure they have more-important cases to look into."
He didn't take it as a put-down.
"You aren't from Savannah, are you?"
"No, ma'am, I'm not. I came here from Washington, D.C. I was born in Brooklyn."
"I knew that from the way you talk."
"I never got around to picking up a drawl."
"When can you start on my case?"
"Well, I've got a couple of others I'm in the process of wrapping up but I'll get to it as soon as I can."
Cynthia's raised eyebrows chastised him for stretching the truth.
"Cynthia will take down all your contact information in case I have to reach you," he said. "And there's a short retainer agreement for you to sign. Simple. You can bail out anytime — and so can I. I'll be in touch."CHAPTER 2
Brixton did what he usually did after a new client left — he asked Cynthia for her take. Cynthia Higgins was savvy, with an antenna that picked up on subtleties Brixton sometimes missed. She'd been working for him since he started his private investigative agency four years ago, and not only had an uncanny talent for cutting through BS, she also put up with him. On top of that, he appreciated that she was a splendid-looking female, rounded where she was supposed to be, with an open face, a high-octane smile, and a mane of blond curls. She prettied up what was basically a drab office, which saved him the expense of buying decorative things. Her husband, Jim, worked for a company that conducted ghost tours of Savannah. Savannah is known as the most haunted city in America. Brixton wasn't sure whether he believed in ghosts but kept an open mind.
"A nice lady," Cynthia responded, "but I'm not sure what she wants you to do, find out who murdered her daughter or identify who the kid took the fall for."
"Seems to me she's more interested in finding who paid the daughter off than who killed her."
"Maybe one and the same. Sounds like an archaeological dig you're going on, sixteen years since she was murdered, twenty years since she went to prison. Lots a' luck."
Brixton endorsed the thousand-dollar check Mrs. Watkins had written and asked Cynthia to deposit it. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said.
He paused in the hallway to look at the new sign he'd had installed on the door to his office "suite" — ROBERT R. BRIXTON, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. Many people called him Bobby, which annoyed him. "Bobby" was okay in high school, but it was no name for a grown man, any more than calling the lady he occasionally slept with his "girlfriend." He was too old to have a girlfriend, and he hated "significant other." He referred to her as "Flo" because that was her name.
He puffed away on the street and pondered the meeting he'd just come from. Mrs. Louise Watkins had handed him a formidable challenge. The Savannah PD hadn't been able to solve her daughter's murder and probably hadn't tried very hard. Ex-cons with a history of drug addiction and turning tricks never ranked high on the priority list. Brixton didn't see how he could do any better. As for the daughter having been paid off to go to prison on someone else's behalf, any chance of coming up with that other person was zilch at best, since the answer had been buried with the kid. But he'd give it his best shot with no guarantees. If the stone wall was too high to scale, he'd cut bait and not milk the mother for any more of her ten grand than was fair.
"Enjoy your cigarette?" Cynthia asked when he returned.
"No. It's too hot out to enjoy anything."
"Better than snow."
"And if you didn't buy all the secondhand-smoke nonsense, I'd be enjoying a cigarette in my air-conditioned office."
He slid behind his desk, called Savannah PD, and asked for Detective St. Pierre. Wayne came on the line.
"Bob Brixton," he said.
"Well, well, well," St. Pierre said, "a voice from my not-too-distant past. How in hell are you, Bobby?"
St. Pierre knew that Brixton didn't like being called Bobby and did it to irritate him. Brixton didn't bother to correct him the way he used to. "I'm hot," he said, "patiently waiting for December."
"You never did get acclimated to our fine weather, did you, Bobby? If you were back up north you'd —"
"Yeah, I know, I'd be bitching about the snow. I need some time with you, Wayne. I've got a case that goes back a few years. You worked it. Louise Watkins. Did time for manslaughter, a stabbing at that dump Augie's, and then got herself killed shortly after she was released."
"Rings a bell, Bobby. What's it to you?"
Excerpted from Monument to Murder by Margaret Truman. Copyright © 2011 Estate of Margaret Truman. Excerpted by permission of Tom Doherty Associates.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Customer Reviews
Average Review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Margaret Truman's Capitol Crimes novels have characters you can care about and a story that keeps you interested. No "heavy lifting" for your mind, but an engaging story.
Ending was abrupt and a let down, following lots of pages of unnecessary detail. Characters were out of Casting 101, very stereotypical and flat. Not recomended.
This started out with a good story and went way off track with hundreds of pages uneccesary background before getting back to the main story. I couldn't finish it.
The background fillers make the books as stories are formatic even if the one pair live at Watergate and eat well she'll have receipes next? Everyone is a little snooty even the cons but not much about the otherside of washington all those people who really live there
Good plot - fast read.
Truman's Capitol Crime Series are always great. This one lived up to expectations.
I will miss Truman's books set in Washington DC. A mother hires a detective to find out why her daughter pled guilty to a murder she didn't commit, why she was gunned down on the street shortly after being released from prison, and who paid her the $10,000 to go to jail and keep silent. The tale starts in Savannah and leads the detective to Washington DC. Truman was a political insider and is able to take the reader to the behind the scenes with high level elected officials. Her father was the one who quipped, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."
Enjoyable if you are Margaret Truman fan.
I love all her books... The plot really pulls you in.
Kill a member of the kill. Due thursday. If your in the kill: TOUGH LUCK. If you dont know where they are: >:T your too brainless to complete this competion. Also, if you kill Burningcinder, your disqualified. Bonous: bring back the body of an ONLNE player. I will check the kill for disturbance.


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Cozy Fall Philadelphia Engagement in Fitler Square • Mariya Stecklair Photography/
It may be Halloween, but today we're only sharing something sweet! This cozy Philadelphia engagement session from Mariya Stecklair Photography is everything we love about fall: bold, warm colors, city streets and a couple totally in love. Konrad + Megan explored some of their favorite places - Fitler Square Park and City Hall - hand-in-hand, capturing this special time in their lives. We love how effortlessly these two connect in front of the camera, and with engagement photos this beautiful, we can't wait to see their wedding!
From Mariya: Konrad proposed on Valentine's Day - the one day, Megan didn't expect to be proposed to on! He cooked a romantic dinner and asked Megan to marry him. It is truly, the sweetest story ever. You can witness the love between these two, the second you meet them! They are such genuine and beautiful people, and I had a wonderful time photographing their engagement session at Fitler Square Park. It is their special place and it was a joy to capture some lovely moments between Megan and Konrad! We took a stroll down Delancey Street - which was full of character and beautiful imagery. Lastly, we walked to City Hall and photographed a few moments before the sun set. It was a memorable session and these two are surely a memorable pair!!
Photographer: Mariya Stecklair Photography LLC | Other Location: Fitler Square

subset: commoncrawl


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Twin blasts kill at least 70 in Baghdad
Over 100 others are injured in two car bomb explosions in Haraj market area.india Updated: Jan 22, 2007 17:04 IST
At least 70 people were killed and 110 wounded when two car bombs ripped through central Baghdad in coordinated attacks on Monday, a security official said.
The bombs exploded in central Baghdad's Haraj second-hand market shortly after midday (0900 GMT), sending twin columns of thick smoke billowing skywards, a security official said.
The nearly simultaneous blasts were followed by sporadic gunfire in the ethnically mixed district.
The Haraj market is often filled with traders selling used electronic goods, clothing and medicines.
Insurgents are concentrating their attacks in the capital where the US and Iraqi security forces are putting the final touches on a new plan to stabilise the city.
First Published: Jan 22, 2007 17:04 IST


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Making traditional Chaldean foods healthier - one dish at a time.
By Monique Mansour
Chaldean food, there is nothing quite like it. It's flavorful, delicious, and labor-intensive but worth all of the effort. On the whole, Chaldean food can be quite healthy –plenty of dishes call for fresh vegetables, beans, and wholesome nuts, seeds, and grains, but there can be room for improvement with some of our most cherished dishes. With the holidays around the corner, Chaldean cooks Clair Garmo Konja and Samira Cholagh offer us timely and sound advice when it comes to reimagining our favorite Chaldean foods in a new, more nutritious way.
Clair Garmo Konja of Commerce Township is the Director of Office Management at the Chaldean American Ladies of Charity. She takes great pride in cooking Chaldean food and putting a healthy spin on particular dishes. "I got married at the young age of 18, so I had no choice but to learn how to cook."
For Konja, healthy Chaldean cooking has been a philosophy passed down to her by her mother. "My father had a heart attack when I was young. After that, my mom completely changed her usual ingredients –she swapped them out for healthier alternatives." Konja's mother began to use chicken and wheat dough in the traditional Chaldean dish Takhratha 'd Pusra.
She also swapped gurgur for rice and chicken for beef in dolma. "Because my mom cut out quite a bit of starches and red meat from our diet, all of her children eventually learned to be creative with Chaldean cooking."
As for Konja's all-time favorite Chaldean dish made healthier? Hands-down, it's her dolma. "I've added a twist to my mom's healthy version of dolma. I use quinoa instead of rice, and chicken instead of beef. I line the base of the pot with coconut oil and I stay true to all of the traditional spices," said Konja. "Nowadays, we're so fortunate to have many healthier options to choose from and many health-food stores to visit… substituting ingredients is not as hard as it used to be."
Chaldean food goes beyond nutrition for Konja. "Growing up in the United States, I was fortunate to have parents that kept the Chaldean traditions alive at home through language, food, attending Chaldean Mass, and many other traditions," said Konja. "These practices really gave me the true feeling of our culture. It's a shame about what is happening in our homeland. We really need to preserve our traditions of food and language."
For anyone interested in cooking healthier Chaldean dishes, the Chaldean American Ladies of Charity/United Community Family Services offer classes on healthy cooking to new arrivals to the center. "The classes are for six consecutive weeks. We just wrapped up our fall class, which began on September 18. Our goal is to educate families on healthier choices so that all may live a healthy lifestyle," said Konja.
Samira Cholagh, of West Bloomfield, has been cooking Chaldean food for as long as she can remember. Having been born and raised in Baghdad, some of her fondest memories revolve around the family kitchen. "I remember being 10 or 11 years old and begging my mom to allow me to help her in the kitchen. Eventually, I took matters into my own hands and began baking cakes and cookies without her permission," said Cholagh.
Cholagh hosts Samira's Kitchen on MEA TV, which airs daily at 7 p.m. All episodes are uploaded onto her YouTube channel of the same name. She has also authored three cookbooks. The first, written entirely in Arabic, is titled Mukhtarat Min Finon El Tabekh, which translates to "Selections from the Art of Cooking." Her second, Treasured Middle Eastern Cookbook, features some of her favorite Chaldean foods. Her third cookbook, which Cholagh jokes should have been her first, since she loves desserts so much, is titled A Baking Journey.
Her journey of writing three cookbooks has taught her a thing or two about dishing up healthier versions of Chaldean staples. "The best way to make a dish healthier is by baking the food instead of frying it," said Cholagh. "The challenge that comes with this is maintaining the originality of the dish without losing the texture and flavor. For example, when I make Tepsi El Bathinjan (Eggplant Casserole) or Mussakaa, I bake the eggplant and other vegetables. The recipe for this can be found in Treasured Middle Eastern Cookbook and on my YouTube channel, Samira's Kitchen, episode #172. There are also simple ways to substitute ingredients in an effort to make a healthier dish. Some examples include replacing regular flour with whole wheat flour, replacing sugar with honey, and using olive oil instead of butter."
Both Konja and Cholagh acknowledge that their families inspire their healthy Chaldean cooking. "I really appreciated watching my kids grow up eating and enjoying homemade meals. Food brings the family together. Healthy eating should matter to everyone, because your health depends on what you put in your body," said Cholagh.
"I'm happy to say that more than 80 percent of the meals that I prepare for my family are traditional Chaldean recipes," said Konja. "It makes me feel good that my American-born children ask for traditional home-cooked meals. I'm hoping to pass the tradition on for generations to come, just as my mother did. I am Chaldean and proud!"


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Koprivnica Koprivnica was named after a stream Koprivnica mentioned in the charters of Croato-Hungarian King Andrew II. Arpad from the 1207., 1209. and 1217. The settlement was first mentioned in 1272. in the grant of 10-years old prince Ladislav IV Kumanec to Bakaler, the commander and the knight of the Koprivnica fortress. …Read More »
Final Tournament draw held in Arena Zagreb
In August 2016, it was France that celebrated after an incredible final of the Men's 18 EHF EURO, as they beat hosts Croatia 40:38. From August 9 to 19, 2018, Europe's top 16 U18 teams will meet again, this time in Croatia – once more, in the cities of Koprivnica …Read More »
Men's 18 EHF EURO 2018 draw on Thursday
Croatia will host the Men's 18 EHF EURO from 9 to 19 August 2018 in Varaždin and Koprivnica. The draw for the event will take place in the press conference room in Arena Zagreb on Thursday, 25 January at 15:30 hrs. All media and federation representatives are welcome to attend. …Read More »
Welcome to the official website of the Men's 18 EHF EURO 2018
Croatia will, once again, host best European Men's Youth teams from 9 until 19 of August in Koprivnica and Varazdin exactly two years after the Men's 18 EHF EURO 2016 was held in in sport halls in Zagreb and Koprivnica. Handball fans in Croatia will have a chance to enjoy great …Read More »


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People take out loans to fulfill various financial goals, like buying a vehicle or a house, higher education, or even a personal loan to repay previous debts.
Low to middle-income families are most likely to take out a loan compared to high-income families. Northwestern Mutual's 2018 Planning & Progress Study recently found that 68% of the total American population falls in the middle-income category.
But what decides how much loan you are eligible for, or whether at all your loan application will be accepted by the lender? Here's where the importance of a credit score comes in. Simply put, the borrower's credit score measures the lender's risk, and their ability to repay.
Ticket to Borrowing
Companies like Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO - Free Report) , a leading personal credit score provider,
and VantageScore — a joint venture of three leading credit reporting bureaus, Equifax (EFX - Free Report) , Experian (EXPGY - Free Report) and TransUnion (TRU - Free Report) — provide information to organizations to help them manage the risks associated with extending credit to their customers and preventing fraud.
Among them, the most widely used credit score model used by banks and other financial institutions is the FICO score. The generic FICO credit score is between 300 and 850, wherein 300-620 counts as bad, 620-649 as poor, 650-699 as fair, 700-749 as good, and 750 and above as excellent.
Factors That Influence Your Credit Score
There are various aspects based on which the total credit score is given. And if any one of those aspects threatens to bring down your score, one can focus on improving performance in the other factors to bring it back up. Now, let us delve deeper into the factors that form a credit score:
Payment History gets the maximum weightage of 35% in a credit score. Whether you have previously paid your bills on time, how much have you stretched on a late payment, how much time has elapsed from the last time you missed a payment, and whether any of your accounts has been escalated to collection agencies decide most of your credit score. The lesser all the above instances are, the better your score is.
Credit Utilization, or the ratio of debt to available credit, decides 30% of your ultimate score. The other loans or mortgages that you have and the percentage of total available credit that you have used collectively constitute this factor. Again, the lesser, the better.
Credit Age contains 15% of the total weight of a credit score. Preference is given to those who have ably managed previous credit accounts over longer periods of time. Leaving old accounts open can lead to an improved score.
Of the score, 10% is allotted to Credit Diversity, which takes into account the number of credit accounts held by the potential borrower. Carrying different types of credit — auto loans, mortgage, student loans, and credit card —reflects your ability to manage your accounts efficiently.
The final 10% weight is carried by the number of recent hard inquiries that you had. Many in a short time period set off alarm bells for lenders. However, the more loans approved, the better your credit score.
SOS for Low Scorers
Emergencies can crop up anytime. In case you want to apply for a loan but are concerned about a low credit score, focus on significantly improving the two most crucial factors — payment history and credit utilization. However, give at least six months for your corrections to reflect on your score.
Make consistent, on-time payments and you will be on track for a better credit score. A single instance of a late payment can snatch 60 to 110 points. It is also advisable to avoid opening any credit account in the 12 months before applying for an important loan.
Also, as we already know now, the lower your utilization rate, the better your score. Thus, avoiding using too much of your credit card balance will reflect positively on the score card. It is recommended to aim to pull down the utilization rate below 30%.
Your credit score is very important to get loans at the best interest rates, but stressing over each and every factor affecting your score is not the best course of action. Paying your bills on time, using credit cards responsibly, and avoiding unnecessary loan applications will do a great job of keeping your score high.
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text: Create a tribute to your special pet with this photo and frame. This weather-proof polymer marker can be used in the garden, yard, or to mark a burial spot. Weatherproof, outdoor quality plastic makes this marker a low-cost alternative to granite. Includes one garden stake for mounting outdoors. Can also be used indoors on your mantle over your fireplace or another special place. Pet Memory Stones are a lasting way to celebrate your pet.


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Mary McCarthy
Mary has over 25 years' experience in PR in Dublin specialising in corporate, consumer, and public affairs and has been responsible for the planning and implementation of communications programmes for a wide range of national and international clients spanning fashion, retail, hospitality, finance and healthcare sectors.
Her professional skills on client accounts include strategic counsel, reputation management, high-level media relations, integrated marketing and crisis management. She advises on complex and challenging briefs requiring sensitive management of stakeholder communications.


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Check out the new video for RS2 Solid Sound's,"Uflyptodonme", which is the featured B-side of "The Best Is Yet To Come" deluxe edition release on Nor Cal Green vinyl, which comes with a zine and a Jimbo Phillips designed sticker. The video was filmed by Pete Koff and Ray Stevens II, around the Bay area, Davenport, Cachagua and Oakland's Uptown nightclub. Thanks to Zarosh and all dirt skaters!
"The Best Is Yet To Come" is available in the SF Bay area at the only record stores that matter: Needle to the Groove in San Jose, Metavinyl in Santa Cruz, 1234 Go Records in its San Francisco and Oakland locations! Also you can message RS2 for direct mail!! Support local music!! Keep up with RS2 Solid Sound at https://www.facebook.com/RS2-Solid-Sound-200225783368516/
RS2 Solid Sound 'UFLIPTODON ME' from PK on Vimeo.
This San Jose-based band started as a solo project for skateboarder/lifer, Ray Stevens II, whose music has been influenced by Roots, Rock, Reggae, Jazz, heavy blues, metal and punk. In the RS2 Solid Sound current line up, Ray is the songwriter and plays guitar and sings, with Josh Hanoka on bass and Daniel Williams on drums. Along the way, band members have come and gone, yet all have been excellent friends and musicians. Thanks to past members: Mike Crabtree, Brian Vega, John Old, Ray Yeh, Randy Fard, Waychill Saffire, KLI and special guests, Tommy Guerrero, Dirtbag Dan, DJ Ishy, Ras Pablo Atzlan, C4 and Pete The Ox. RS2 Solid Sound have played Goofy versus Regular skateboard award show, Tim Brauch Memorial contest after party, and done lots of the music for the movie "SUPERCHARGED: The Life and Times of Tim Brauch".
While you're here, check out this clip from 2009 of Ben Krahn filmed by Buddy and Charno, featuring the song "Time and Space" by RS2.
A SIX STAIR PRODUCTION Shot and Directed by Coan Buddy Nichols and Rick Charnoski Black and White Super 8 Film. Northwest is a documentary about friends in Oregon and Washington who build and skate their own dreamlands. This piece is about Ben Krahn who best demonstrates how to ride one of the parks. We shot this piece just after sunrise to avoid the crowds. For more info visit sixstairstudio.com MUSIC: "Time and Space" by RS2 (aka Ray Stevens)


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Restoring Possessions and Personal Belongings Content Cleaner
When smoke or fire tragedy occurs on your property, it is essential to find a company that will care for your personal belongings. Our extensive experience in structural and contents clean-up has made us a name you can trust. We are the Temecula Valley leaders in content restoration in the restoration industry. We recognize the personal stress involved after your structure and belongings are damaged. Our contents team will handle your belongings with extreme care. We photograph all items, digitally inventory them, packed them, and securely store them in our warehouse. Our warehouse is under 24-hour video surveillance, until the completion of the repairs.
Contents can be damaged by water, smoke, or soot. Our experienced contents team uses safe and reliable procedures. We handle your personal belongings with the utmost care. We have evolved with new technology which has made us more efficient at minimizing losses.
Contents cleaning and restoration services include:
Content Procedures and Content Cleaner
We offer pack-outs when extensive repairs are necessary.
- Within 48 hours of your call, our Department Manager will inspect your property.
- Digital photographs are taken. Prior damage is fully documented for placement and estimating purposes.
- All contents are safely and securely wrapped and boxed. We include an inventory slip stating the condition and location of the item.
- Packed contents are placed in on-site portable storage or in our restoration warehouse. Our warehouse has 24-hour video surveillance.
- Contents are kept in storage until the completion of the repairs.
- Once repairs are complete, contents are delivered to the property, unpacked, and placed back in their original location.
- When completed, Pack-outs are billed.
Salvageable contents
Contents may sustain damage from a fire or flood but are still salvageable.
- Our supervisor will inspect the damaged contents within 48 hours.
- Photographs are taken, and damage is fully documented.
- Damaged contents are safely and securely wrapped and boxed. We include an inventory slip stating the condition and location of the item.
- Salvageable items are brought back to our contents facility to be cleaned and repaired.
- Cleaned and repaired contents are re-packed in new materials and boxes.
- Boxed contents are stored in assigned 7×5 foot crates at our facility. They are under 24-hour video surveillance.
- Once repairs are complete, contents are returned to your property. We unpack, and place them back in their original location.
- The estimate for contents is billed once all of the work is completed.
Structure Cleanings
Four basic types of smoke damage could occur. Pulido Cleaning & Restoration can help you in identifying which kind of smoke damage has happened.
- Protein Smoke results from the extreme burning of protein enriched fibers, meat or tissue. The soot will be oily and yellowish with a pungent odor. It is virtually invisible but will discolor paint and varnish interior structure.
- Wet Smoke results from an oxygen-starved fire burning at low heat. The residue remaining has a pungent odor and a sticky, smeary texture. Smoke webs are extremely common and difficult to clean.
- Dry Smoke results from an abundant amount of oxygen in the air. This oxygen causing a fast burning, high-temperature fire. The residue if often a less pungent odor with dry, powdery soot that does not readily smear.
- Fuel Oil Soot is also known as a puff back from a fireplace or furnace. The residue can vary in color from grey to black and accumulates over time. The residue can damage nearby upholstery and household items if not adequately restored.
The outcome of these types of smoke damage can leave a residue that permeates walls, carpet, and furniture. Structure clean process is extensive and precise from top to bottom. Contact Pulido Cleaning & Restoration, your trusted professionals.


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Wine Barrel Theme Place Card Holder
$ 1.90
This stunning frame is made of poly resin in the shape of a wine barrel. It is hand painted to look like real wood and has hand painted antique rings going around the barrel.
Get the great mood, wine and spirits flowing and a good time will be had by all!
Blank place card is included to mark seating arrangements and guests can take the frames home to display a special photo of your wine-themed event.
- Size 4 1/4" x 3 5/8"
- Picture size 2 7/8" x 2"
- Packaged in a white box
Share this Product


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Overgrown hedge
Reported in the Grass and Hedges category anonymously at 10:20, Monday 19 August 2019
Sent to Oxfordshire County Council 6 minutes later
The hedge is overhanging the road making it difficult for vehicles to pass when there is a row of vehicles parked on the other side of the road
Council ref: ENQ19840810
Thank you for your enquiry. This issue has been passed onto the relevant team for investigation.
State changed to: Investigating
Posted by Oxfordshire County Council at 10:25, Monday 19 August 2019
Thank you for this report. A request has been sent to have this vegetation cut back by our Contractor and a letter sent to the householder opposite to cut back their hedge. This report is now closed.
State changed to: Investigation complete
Posted by Oxfordshire County Council at 11:57, Thursday 22 August 2019
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Let's continue to talk about the Cisco Firepower Management Center, in this post we are going to look at sending connection events over to syslog. In this example I'm using Graylog which is an open source logging platform and although any syslog server would work, one of the problems with syslogs is there is little uniformity when you have different systems sending these logs. One of the things that Graylog can to do is extract the raw message and put each part of message into a separate searchable field. We'll configure the FMC to send syslogs and then configure an extractor on Graylog. Continue reading "FMC Syslog with Graylog Extractor"
FMC Syslog with Graylog Extractor


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Denmark has passed a law banning the wearing of garments like the burqa or the niqab that cover the face in public, according to the Associated Press and Gulf News.
(See WikiTribune's previous explainer on veiling bans across the world, which you can edit or suggest edits on in its talk page.)
The law, which was passed in a 75-30 vote, is commonly seen to be aimed at the type of clothing worn by a small number of conservative Muslim women. The new law allows for exceptions such as cold weather and the wearing of motorcycle helmets, in accordance with local traffic rules.
Effective from August 1 this year, breaking the law will incur a fine of 1,000 Danish kroner ($156). Austria, France and Belgium have similar legislation.


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Nostalgic Nights
I think that it was in college that I decided to get back into music. My friends all went to university which left me with no life and a lot of time. I remember being forced to play piano when I was younger but I don't think I ever made it past the first grade. I think I found practicing tedious and I never understood the emphasis on sitting properly. I did, however, like playing around on the piano, and would learn some simple one-handed songs here or there.
When I hit college, I needed a creative outlet and turned to music. I picked up a guitar and eventually got a keyboard. I learned the basics with the guitar, but to this day I still don't know how to read sheet music. Instead I played around with tunes and wrote this song which I named "Nostalgic Nights". Kind of a stupid name, but accurate as I was writing and playing it at night while remembering the songs from old JRPG's like Chrono Trigger. It's not the greatest, but not bad considering it was done by an angsty teenager.
Eventually I did manage to push out this crappy recording of the song which you can listen to below. Sorry about the quality, I had to grab some audio adapters to plug the keyboard into my computer and used a terrible free audio recording program. The program recorded both of the layers off time so I had to go in and cut some of the recording here and there to match the strings and piano. One day maybe I'll get someone who knows how to play the piano to play it.


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Gramma visiting always makes for a fun time! This time the destination was the park around the corner.
Sweet Pea usually runs around following Cutie Pie and doing what he can…climbing the stairs and sometimes being daring and trying the wavy slide, running to the smaller structure climbing the stairs and sometimes trying the bumpy slide, running to the swings and laying on his belly over one while lifting his legs and saying 'Weeeee!'
This time Sweet Pea did all of those things, and then, much to our surprise, ran to the giant slide, climbed up it like he'd done it all his life (with Gramma close behind, of course, but not having to help at all) then, after getting to the top, making his way back down the ladder, again with little help. A few minutes later he wanted to climb it again. This time I climbed with him and when we got to the top he asked to be picked up, so we went down the slide together. Boy did that child smile!
I find it a little funny that my children will be a little more adventurous with my parents around, but many times go back to their 'normal' curiosity after they leave. We'll see if this was one of those instances the next time we go to the park!


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I had to get a quote from a Building Society today BUT my profession was not listed. There was no Youth Minister (or Youth Worker) so how does half vicar, half social worker sound?
Can blogging serve Youth Ministry?
I'm gearing up for my seminar-thingy at the MATRIX conference (of the above title) and although I've not heard anything from MATRIX I assume I've not been scratched from the line up! I want to cover Bebo, MySpace et al in the process as well, exploring the opportunity AND the Child Protection issues that arise!
SO (can't you just feel that request for help coming), If you have set up a site for your group I'd LOVE to hear from you.
Thanks 🙂
Captains Log Supplemental: Now have all the details of MATRIX (they were sent on Feb 12th but didn't arrive). So the low down is thus: There are now 117 peeps booked in. (Three people have booked in this morning …….. It must be a nightmare organising things for us Yoof Wurkas).
I'm doing my Workshop twice, so I'd recommend coming to the one on Wednesday morning when I'll have got the hang of it and beside which, How popular is the one at 19:30 on Monday going to be?
Saddened to read this
I was saddened to read this report that Church Schools are taking fewer pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. I would have thought that it should be the opposite.
Filed under: Discouraging
Church Survey UK
Anyone know anything about this Church Survey UK? I got a flyer for it this morning in an envelope claiming to be "personal mail" and looking hand written. On checking, several other people in the office have one too. Checking the web, the report seems to be genuine although the citations on the web site from a "Church of england Bishop" and a "Clergy wife" don't ring of authenticity.
Also, looking at the questions asked, one of them seems very loaded, (What purpose does the 'Maxim' in the question serve other than influencing the answer)
"The traditional custom of 'clergy visiting' has steadily declined in spite of the maxim 'a house going minister makes a chuch going people'. Do you think the demise of the customary visiting role is significant?"
I may be a bit biased because I'm reacting to the dishonest way it got onto my desk BUT I'm happy to hear that it does contain some useful information and data if anyone can tell me more?
Woody's (Youth Ministry) Round Up
Rootin Tootin type greetings Blogdonia. Here's a whole load of stuff that I've lassoed and penned here in case it's a) Useful, b) Funny or c) Stops people getting cross with me for not mentioning it 🙂
Last night I preached at a sung Evensong! Some Churches up in Buckinghamshire have Deanery services and hence the country church was filled and actually, I enjoyed the service (even if I didn't understand some of the words AND my attempts to sing the Magnificat were surreal at best, criminally horrible at worst.)
The congregation (age wise) was, for the main, at least 50 plus BUT I wanted to record my thanks to the small posse of young people who came along …. It was great to see you 🙂
Anyway, here's the round up:
Looking for games? John e-mailed me to flag up a new Games Site they are working on, well worth bookmarking I think as I reckon it'll grow!
Want a web page? The Captain of My Small Boat has been testing Google's facility to rapidly create a simple but elegant web-site and rates it highly! Lay out, hosting et al All sorted! Fab!
Campaigns: Couple of things that you/your group should check out. This Oxfam campaign against Predatory debt collection from Zambia. The 'Flush out' Campaign from Christian Aid is a fab campaign that should spark the imagination of youth groups, check it out here.
Video Stuff: Some people who read the, How to rip YouTube videos piece pointed out that they weren't actually allowed to download any software (I.T control) so here's a neat online solution! It's called Vixy and although it has a limited number of Outputs, it works well and is online so free of I.T restriction, Job Done!
Thinky Bit: Brian on remembering what it was like to be young!
Today's feel good tune
For a fun breakfast vibe, check out Herman Dune and play 'I wish I could see you'. A funky feel good ditty that seems to fuse a gazillion different styles of music* but gets away with it. A smiley sing along!
Relevence to Youth Ministry: er ………….. none!
*Ok a Gazillion is a slight exageration but I love the mixture which includes a Jonathan Richman type talk dialogue in the singing.
Transport to Matrix
The transport co-operation post for MATRIX is still going strong, including one person who has managed to offer themself a lift! Do have a look and see if you can be useful.
I'm now bringing Simo(n) from Farringdon.
(Please let me know who else has blagged or succesfully offered transport)
Mistakes for Church based Youth Workers #1
A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece on mistakes Churches make that undermine an employed youth worker project. This has been quite useful to send to Churches who are exploring the employment of a Youth worker.
I reckon I should perhaps give some thought to things that youth workers do (or fail to do) that undermine a project too.
Drawing from experience (ouch) and observation I reckon one of the key ones is:
Failing to communicate with the Church!
Parish based Youth Work becomes a very busy world and a world that happens, for the main, away from the majority of the congregation. The congregation are paying for the project and hold all sorts of realistic and unrealistic , conscious and subconscious expectations of what the youth work will look like and what it will achieve! It doesn't take much for muttering concerns (valid or invalid) to really damage the support for the youth work.
Now this doesn't normally happen until the end of the first year BUT if you've not worked hard at communication in the first year then you are left 'fire fighting!' and there is a huge danger of resentment in the congregation and in the youth worker.
My theory is that communication with/to the church and key members (parents, funders, people in different congregations) is a priority. Communicating what you are doing (what you are not doing) and why, the challenges and the successes, the frustrations and the difficulties and the way that you spend your time is vital.
One of the real dangers is that quite a few members of the congregation will be expecting the results to be BUMS ON SEATS in the Sunday morning service*, which isn't likely to happen without the church changing significantly. We need to be communicating what is realistic to expect and what is not, helping Church to understand the young people, and young people the Church.
So, getting practical I reckon:
1. Spend time with key people in the Church, tell stories, share vision, listen and where appropriate respond. Make communicating what you are doing and how you spend your time a priority.
2. Work at getting young people more involved in the life of the Church, and the Church in the life of the young people
3. Avoid the numbers game BUT DO collect (and keep collecting) data. That is, make sure the work is not assessed on BUMS on SEATS (either in Church or youth group) but do present hard data. e.g "Last year we didn't have anyone involved in Camp ministry but this year we have 4 young people putting their faith into action on Camps and mission trips" or "The youth group has moved from being just social to seeing lots of the young people praying, exploring and putting their faith into action" or "For the last few years we've had no one under 30 coming forward to use their gifts in Church but now we have 5 young people actively involved in the life of the Church!"
4. Invest time in being present at Prayer group, House group BBQ etc and where appropriate take a couple of the young people with you. Conversely take a member of the congregation along to some of the 'youth things'
5. Share Vision with the congregation and the leadership team.
6. Don't assume that because you've written stuff, people know or understand. The written stuff has a use but is no substitute for the upfront spiel and more importantly the conversations. (Thanks for inspiring number 6, Simo)
I'm not sure this list is definitive BUT I am convinced the principal is vital, YOU are part of the Church and the Church want to know, understand and share in that ministry (even if it doesn't always appear that way!).
(*BTW I am not a huge fan of the Youth work being divorced from the body of the church but it takes this communication and understanding to begin a process of greater integration).
Instant German
I've been working through my well thumbed copy of "German in Three Months" for about 15 years now (nearly half way through!) but this relies on a goodly chunk of time to sit down and actually study the book (hence the limited progress). However when I was helping a friend move some furniture yesterday I stumbled across a Free CD that had dropped out of a copy of the Independent (Newspaper) many moons ago, it's called "Instant German" and I have salvaged it.
Now this is even more optimistically titled than my book but I figured as it was CD based I could at least 'instantly' learn while washing up or the like.
So …. tonight while tackling Mt Washing Up I fired up the CD player for some 'Instant' Learning. It turns out there should be a booklet (presumably this is in the long since lost copy of the newspaper) but I gave it a go anyway. I particularly liked the very practical advice in the introduction to chapter one.
"Please open the book at 'week one' so you can follow along; but if you are currently behind the wheel of a car or jogging I wouldn't advise you to do this!"
I also enjoyed their suggestion of pronouncing a certain vowel combination (and I quote) "like the letter 'i' in the english word 'fly' " ?????
Anyway I've learned a bit more vocab (as well as a new way to spell 'fly!')
It was also today that I spotted an advert for a Youth work job in Germany! Very tempting BUT I may need another three months of Instant learning yet.
Giving up, embracing and exploring
We did the Shrove Tuesday Pancake fest last night which was fab, I went for the very orthodox Lemon and Sugar approach. A tad' unadventurous perhaps but hey, it tasted GOOD!
Anyway, to LENT! I find myself wanting to keep in the rhythm of Lent more than ever before. And this year for me Lent will also contain a fantastic ministry opportunity because I speak on a Ski trip in the week leading up to Easter.
Anyway I want Lent to consist of a giving up, an embracing and an exploring! So, Chocolate and biscuits are out of the window for the next 40 days (no Mars Bars!!!!!) , I want to spend more time in Silence and reflection, I also want to be more open to listening to the people I encounter and opportunities to make a difference that then open up. This is my hope and prayer for the next few weeks! I'm recording this here as otherwise it is in danger of remaining more in the realms of diet than discipleship.
LENT LINKS: (please add more via comments)
I see that Andy Goodliff will also be going Cold Turkey on the Mars Bar front and has included some useful Lentan links (including the story of a woman who is giving up supermarkets which I thought was fab). There's the Love Life, Live Lent campaign that the Church of England have put together (This is a great thing that you can get your young people involved with). Some good links on the Dave de la Cartoon site and on Tim Abbotts site.
Along the lines of the text messages, Andy Goodliff has a fab one-a-day challenge resource!


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Simplifying Your Schedule in 5 Steps {Sanity Savers, Part 1}
Welcome to summer, the season of construction, graduation parties, vacations, and too many barbecues to possibly fit into just three months!
Okay, so I might be joking just a little, but isn't that pretty close to reality? Just think for a second about all the things you have going on between now and September.
graduation open houses
bridal and baby showers
bachelorette parties for said weddings
road trips
picnics and barbecues
family reunions
family vacations
summer sports
work deadlines
work functions
new projects
summer hobbies (gardening, boating, etc.)
normal demands like paying bills, grocery shopping, making dinner, and the like
Are you feeling overwhelmed yet? I am, and I don't even have all of those things on my personal list! Just the act of brainstorming so many things and writing them down was enough to make me need a nap.
As much as I LOVE summer, it can be stressful when we try to cram too many things into such a short time of the year. If our expectations for our summers are too high, we're going to drive ourselves (and our people) crazy by scheduling everything out the wazoo and planning more things than we can possibly do.
So what's a girl to do instead? How do we make the most of our summers (or any season, really) without going insane?
As you enter into this season, what are you expecting from it?
Are you expecting to get all your projects done, to reach new heights with your work, to grow your business, or to accomplish a laundry list of work-related tasks?
Do you expect to engage in all the activities you want to do, like gardening, reading, going for walks, swimming, water skiing, boating, tubing, grilling, biking, and running?
Are you expecting to have all your weekends serve as restful bookends for your crazy weeks? To have lazy Saturdays and slow Sundays at home?
Do you expect to get away often for cabin weekends, road trips, or family vacations?
Are you expecting to have people over and participate in all the social engagements this season brings-- barbecues, bonfires, grill outs, birthday parties, graduation parties, bridal and baby showers, and everything along those lines?
Do you really think you can do all of that without going crazy? Do you think you can do it all and still manage to take care of yourself, your family, and the things that just never seem to be done and will never go away, like cooking dinner and doing the laundry?
There's a way to have a meaningful summer you can enjoy without losing your sanity in the process.
As with any goal setting, you're going to have to consider what your priorities are. Hopefully I'm not the first to tell you this, but you can't do everything. You're going to have to choose what you want to prioritize and what you're willing to put on the back burner for now or let go of completely.
Do you want to prioritize traditions or family trips? Then you need to minimize your work commitments or see if you can reschedule them to allow time for your trips. And it means you're going to have to miss some of those graduation open houses and bonfires with friends, too.
Do you want to reserve space on your calendar for a new project you're working on? Then you're likely going to have to say "no" to keeping your garden alive or spend time working on the project instead of learning to water ski.
What are your priorities in this season? What means the most to you? What are you not willing to compromise on? Identify those things and write them down.
For me, this means choosing community and relationships over more time spent on marketing and strategizing. That looks like scheduling my work time around my social calendar so I can make room for that day at the lake or that bonfire. It also means not mindlessly scrolling through social media, but using it intentionally to grow community or taking a little break until I can approach it through that lens.
Before you get too far with the color-coded chart you need to write down every single thing you have planned for the summer, put your priorities on your calendar first. By writing them down, you make sure you have time carved out for them.
If we're not careful, things will keep popping up and taking away time from what's really important. It's the difference between urgent and important, or even seemingly urgent and important. If we have already declared what's really valuable and worthwhile, what we truly want to be investing our time, energy, and money into, then it's much easier to focus on the important and put the distractions in their place.
Once you have your priorities in place, you can fill in the extra things around them like garnish on a dinner plate-- they add color, variety, and fun without being entirely necessary.
I like to plan in 90-day increments, so I'm creating my plans for the whole summer at once. I began by putting my non-negotiables on my calendar: Sundays and Thursdays with my people, Mondays with my family, and some of my favorite aspects of my work (twice weekly blog posts, twice weekly Facebook Lives). These are things I don't want to miss, so I made sure to put them on my calendar.
After I had the really important things on my calendar, I added in more of the fun extra stuff: the weddings, the birthdays, the day trips and coffee dates. I love these things, but they have to support my bigger-picture priorities by fitting in where I can make room. They aren't the main dish; they're the wonderful extras.
I know you just carefully planned your priorities and activities, and now I'm asking you to take one away. You might think that sounds crazy or that there's nothing you could take away. But I want you to think about it for a moment.
Is there something you're doing just because you think you should? Quit it. Is there something on your calendar just because you've always done it? You can stop. Is there something you're planning to do because you were invited, but you don't really want to? Don't.
Give yourself a break by taking just one thing off your calendar.
I was trying to figure out if I could make it to the dance portion of a wedding reception in a couple weeks while still juggling various plans for Father's Day (which is the same weekend). Our plans haven't been set in stone, but as it's important for me to spend time with my family, especially on holidays that honor family, I'm prioritizing that time and declining the invite to the dance at the wedding because trying to do both was stressing me out a little.
And do you know what happened? People understood. Nobody got upset. The world moved on. And the best part? I could finally relax about the whole thing!
Okay, so this may not seem like it will simplify your schedule, but I promise it will help you stick to your guns!
How likely are you to follow your more simplified schedule if your mom, sister, neighbor, coworker, or best friend starts poking holes in your plan?
It's challenging to pursue living intentionally and carefully guarding your calendar when the people around you don't understand.
Our people have enormous sway over us and how we spend our time. Their opinions matter to us and even shape our own.
So how do we handle it when they don't understand why we aren't going to be attending our second cousin's neighbor's graduation open house?
We find polite ways to decline ("I'm sorry, but I won't be able to make it," "I have to decline, unfortunately," "I won't be able to make it this time.") Sometimes declining is all that's required; we can rest knowing we don't always have to give a lengthy reason why.
We kindly explain (when necessary) that we are focusing on creating space for time with our close family and friends, or improving our health, or building our business, or whatever our key priorities are, and say we hope they understand it's not personal, that it's just a matter of not being able to make both work at the same time.
We seek out community with those who do understand. There's no true replacement for in-person community with your tribe, but you can absolutely supplement it with like-minded people who can support you and even give you tips for how to navigate tough situations! If you're looking for a good group to start with, might I suggest mine, The Joy + Full Living Community? We encourage one another and discuss topics of joy, simplicity, intention, time management, and peace.
This is your summer, your life, not anyone else's. I encourage you to not let anyone else dictate how you spend your time by demanding what you do and don't engage in. You have the freedom to create the kind of life you want, and the easiest way I've found is to simplify my schedule so the most important things get the most of my time, and in return I get the most joy out of how I'm spending my time!
If you want to talk more about simplifying your clutter, finances, time, home, or business, I would absolutely LOVE that! It's my passion to help women create lives, homes, and businesses they love by designing them with joy, simplicity, and intention, and I'd be so, so happy to talk to you! Let's schedule a chat, shall we?


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A lot of girls who are curious about squirting orgasms and female ejaculation are discovering their G-spots in order to make this happen. Where is your G-spot and how do you find it? This article will answer all those questions and then I will continue on to tell you about kegal exercises in order to strengthen your squirt muscles and finally I will give you 3 techniques to practice while masturbating so that you can be a squirter too.
Let's start with the G-spot or Gräfenberg spot — named after the 17th century Dutch physician Regnier de Graaf. And omfg!! I just visited the g-spot page on Wikipedia to find the doctor's name and I can't believe my eyes. It says, "Neither the G-spot nor the existence of female ejaculation has been proven." Well fuck that nonsense. I've seen squirting far too many time from far too many girl to have even the slightest bit of doubt. It's like telling me that rain doesn't exist. Really? Have you looked outside? I'm talking to the blind and moronic authors of the 2013 article that produced that quote (Vincenso Puppo's Anatomy and physiology of the clitoris, vestibular bulbs, and labia minora with a review of the female orgasm) in a magnificent work of shoddy scientific research. Good fucking lord. It's like asking the completely socially inept kid about the vagina. Vincenso's only seen plastic models apparently and didn't bother to ask any women that were good in bed. Jesus…I'm stunned, to be honest. If he asked me I could produce several squirters who would happily dispel this myth.
Now this has lead me to do a bit more research — as I wish to be the most educated
on my favorite topic of female ejaculation. Specifically, what tweaked my interest was the study of identical twins showing that some could and some couldn't shejaculate. You see, I've long held the belief that pretty much every woman can squirt because…well, every time I've tried it works. (Sometimes it takes some sustained effort over several weeks but it has always ended in success…and to be honest, more than 3-4 attempts is uncommon to not have any success.) But this directly addresses a problem I've had with multiple studies claiming that only between 40-70% (depending on the study) of women can squirt. Well, if one identical twin can and the other can't it seems obvious to me that it's not the physiology and hardware to blame.
Just so you know, I did another post on the anatomy of the g-spot (also known as the female prostate) so
click that link if you want to learn more about it and the skene gland.
So where is your G-Spot? The g-spot is the area of spongy tissue found about 2-3 inches inside the vagina on the top (roof? The part closest to your head.) The area has a different texture than the rest of the vaginal walls where it is rougher than the normally smooth sides. And like I said, it feels slightly spongy compared to the rest of that area. Note: Wash your hands first 🙂
So here are 3 steps to Find Your G-Spot:
1) Masturbate and get aroused. It is WAY easier to find the g-spot on an aroused female than a non-aroused female (hence Vincenso's complete lack of success and firm belief it doesn't exist — as apparently he skill with women leaves something to be desired.)
2) Place a finger inside the vagina and curl it upward. It will naturally land pretty much right on the g-spot.
3) Wiggle your fingers on that spot and notice:
- the rough texture (wrinkled kinda like a raisin)
- spongy feeling
- the difference in sensation when wiggling/tapping on this spot
That's pretty much all I have to say on finding it…it's pretty easy…like finding the clit: once you know where it is…well, there it is.
Coming up:
Kegal Exercises to Help You Squirt


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I started working in coffee shops when I was 19. Within my first few months in the industry a question arose: How do these people do it? I couldn't understand the appeal of customers showing up at the same coffee shop each morning, ordering the same drink, and heading off to the same day job every-single-day. It seemed expensive and, to be honest, routinely boring. Yet, there were so many people that held strong to this pattern.
During my time at the Lucky Llama in Carpinteria I got to know many of these individuals really well, awesome people with a "terrible habit" (in my opinion). They were punctual beings, coming in at the same time every day, down to the minute! And worse than their punctuality was their traditional system of ordering the same exact drink and never, I repeat NEVER, switching it up. Our extensive menu with all its wonderful options didn't appeal to them, they wanted that medium soy latte, EVERY day. Some of them even came multiple times in the day with a specific pattern of drink orders – 7 am cappuccino, 12 pm iced latte, 5 pm black coffee. It baffled me.
What I wanted to know was: What was it about this routine that was so dang desirable…
Here are a few things I came to understand about regulars in my 19 months at the Llama.
A coffee shop (if its's good one) can give a feel of "coming home". The group of guys and gals serving these regulars become like family, actually more like awkward distant cousins, but all the same, some of the best people you'll ever meet. Not only is it the employees that they get to know and love but also one another. A community forms amongst regular customers. They sit and chat, update each other on life, share newspaper pages, and debate over the latest controversies in the government.
Okay, so they like the community aspect, but how do they afford it?
Simple, they don't (for the majority of them). They make a decision to spend a ridiculous amount of money each month for the sake of caffeine and community. I think of it as a personal petty cash system. They can't make any truly reasonable excuse for their expenditures, so rather than taking the time to find a category to write into their budget, they just spend the extra cash floating around in their pockets. (Side Note: Most true regulars pay with cash, as they have their total memorized and find it much quicker and more convenient to hand a five dollar bill to the cashier. The lengthier alternative being to hand over a card, wait for it to be swiped and processed (with the risk of the transaction system crashing), getting the card returned, and putting it in back in the wallet. Wowza, it even takes a long time to type out! I get it now.)
Alright, so why the same drink?
Another easy answer lies in this question – they know what they like and they don't care to change it. Some of us would challenge them to change it up and order something new. Most of the time this resulted in their dissatisfaction and sometimes a second order of their regular drink. Repetition might be terribly boring, but as in most circumstances, it usually works the best.
As the months went on I found myself wishing I didn't work at the Llama so I could join them in the routine. I wanted to wake up, take a shower, get ready, hit the Llama for my daily Hammerhead (also known as a "Red Eye"), and be on my happy way to work. Even still, as an employee, I found myself spending my days off there, buying coffees and communing with the regulars – not just because I had a discount or because they had the best coffee in town (even though those were definite draws), but primarily because, at the Llama, one could always find a sense of celebration.
What do I mean by "sense of celebration"? Think about birthdays, Christmas, the birth of a child. Now think about the feelings that encompass a celebration – excitement, laughter, conversation, warmth. Imagine experiencing that every-single-day, for a small price of a $3 coffee. There! We've found the most important answer to the question. What is it about this routine that is so desirable? The celebration!
At the Llama the celebration is found in the people that gather, the music that's played, the wonderful smells of coffee grounds and cinnamon rolls. Even the surroundings play a role in this. I mean, what's a celebration without the decoration! The great Torrey Pine that shadows the patio, the morning light that shines in through the window doors, the large blue herrings that fly above head (occasionally dropping a surprise – party favor?) all bring to vision this celebration.
All of its unique qualities make for another great reason to keep coming back. Some people prefer to come in the early hours when it's quiet and the sun hasn't yet found its peak. Others wait till late in the day when the sky changes colors and the air is still warm enough to relax without the company of a sweater. Each person finds their own sense of celebration.
In the end, the money spent is just a great investment. As I am now one of those routined regulars, I had to learn this by experience. Scout has become my place of residence in the coffee world of San Luis Obispo. Since I'm not an employee there I can't use the excuse of having a great discount to settle the pains of regular spendings. I've slowly found that my money not only goes towards investing in new relationships with the employees and locals, but also into a great local business. It's nice to invest in and help flourish the dreams of a local business owner.
My husband and I don't eat out much so coffee expenditures are our big splurge for the most part. If you can "afford" it, I encourage you to find a shop of your own and discover the celebration for yourself.
Happy Investing!
[The above pictures show off the Lucky Llama, taken by the manager herself; one showing the owners and their girls (they just had a baby boy too).]


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SmartBase Solutions CEO Kris Lynch on the Group 3 Acquisition
Welcome our new M&A writer Arnav Joshi, who prepared these questions for SmartBase Solutions CEO Kris Lynch after SmartBase Solutions bought Group 3 Marketing earlier this month.
Thanks to Franklin Partners for underwriting our M&A section!
Do you expect to use this acquisition to primarily develop and introduce new offerings or to bolster existing capabilities?
The combination of the two companies will accomplish both strategies. We expanded our capabilities by obtaining some top-notch technical and marketing talent to complement our incumbent staff. Group 3 has deep expertise in developing customer
loyalty and brand loyalty programs that are data-driven, creating additional opportunities within our marketing services.


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ken + kate | brooklyn, nyc
[NYC] Exploring Brooklyn with Ken + Kate.
[part one] donuts & graffiti
[part two] under the brooklyn bridge
Phone. 0435 197 561
Paul Bamford Photographer
Since 2006
Finch & Oak is a boutique wedding photography studio based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Specialising in wedding photography on the Gold Coast, Brisbane, & Byron Bay. Available Australia wide & internationally.
© 2019 Finch & Oak Wedding Co.
[NYC] Exploring Brooklyn with Ken + Kate.
[part one] donuts & graffiti
[part two] under the brooklyn bridge
These guys are getting married really soon, but first we spent the afternoon running around a field.
{engaged} ellen + stu
These two are getting married later this year, but first we spent the afternoon at the beach. I can already tell their wedding is going to be awesome!
{engaged} zara + jason
These two are getting married later this year ... but first, engagement photos!
{engaged} paris + cody
Velleron House, Tumbulgum
Paris + Cody put on an amazing engagement party at a fantastic old estate. The day before the party we visited the property for an portrait session. Admire the prettiness below ...
first up, the engagement session ...
the next day we headed back for the party! ...
{engaged} tamar + scott
Tamar, Scott, and I spent the afternoon walking around a field making pretty pictures. I can't wait to photograph their wedding at Albert River Wines later this year!
{engaged} paul + teresa
gold coast botanical gardens
{engaged} gemma + mike
burleigh heads


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- Richardson 112 Trucker Snapback
- Crown is not to bulky and gives a sharp look
- Snapback is adjustable and Fits Most
The Dog Em collection is for all the houndsman out there! To all of the mornings waking up at 4 AM to find a track, to running up and down roads trying to cut the buck off and you are give out but you know if you can just make it to the next curve it will be your lucky day, to standing on the dog box in the cold with numb hands; if you can relate to this, then this hat is for you! Join the #BWM family with this SnapBack!
Customer Reviews
Very nice hat and it fits my big ol head
Have gotten tons of compliments and "where did you get that?" Glad to support some dog hunting supporters!
Realtree Xtra/Neon Orange Dog Em Snapback


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Fächer » Chinesisch » Fragen und Probleme »
How to Maximize Your Capital Gains - Investing in Real Estate
How to Maximize Your Capital Gains - Investing in Real Estatein Fragen und Probleme 23.12.2012 08:19
von WeliLeaceda • | 175 Beiträge
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Sunday, 13 October, 2019
Category: Music
Popularity: Page View: 1727 Site Visit: 81
DS Music, 'Retail Business of the Year' 1, is the most successful music retailer in South Wales and surrounding areas and is one of the fastest growing music retailers in the UK. DS Music highly values its team of employees and provides them with regular training to further develop their professional expertise and careers. This ensures that customers receive the highest level of service and state of the art advice.


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Edwardsville High School Class of 2005
The EHS class of 2005 will be celebrating their 10 year reunion on Saturday, November 28th 2015. Alumni will gather for dinner, drinks, and music from 6-11pm at the Wildey Theater in Edwardsville, IL. Dinner is at 6:30PM.
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR $50/person
Join us in the fun! We can't wait to hear what you have been up to over the past 10 years!


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The Centurion Program is our premium business results onsite package, at a $10,000 per month rate, which
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Conjuring up images of dark magic, forbidden romance, and political intrigue, Witchstruck is a wonderful Witchy read. With Victoria Lamb's spellbinding writing, she captures the historical feel and setting of Tudor era, as well as the dangerous atmosphere of early 15th century Witch Hunting.
Get ready to be plunged into Victoria Lamb's fascinating tale of Tudor court intrigue and deadly witch-hunts. The year is 1554, Princess Elizabeth has just been imprisoned by her half-sister, Queen Mary, and sent to Woodstock as punishment. Sent to Woodstock to serve Princess Elizabeth, Meg Lytton's dark and powerful magical abilities are revealed to the outcast princess, who wants to use Meg's gifts to gain the Tudor throne. Meg's world becomes even more dangerous when two very different gentlemen arrive at Woodstock and threaten her very existence.Read More


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What is a Quality Score? by:Michael Oxley
A quality score means different things to different people, of course. The use of the phrase as it applies to online searches has a specific definition, and a good grasp of its meaning can be the difference between a successful online ad campaign and a total waste of advertising dollars.
The attention of the online shopper can be difficult to catch, considering the abundance of search engines and methods of link networking that are employed in the virtual marketplace. Resting at the core of online commerce is the accepted unit of exchange known as the keyword.
Search engine providers develop their pricing structures based on the integrity of the keywords that the advertiser uses in their online ad campaigns. This scale of judgment considers the success of the keyword in attracting attention, how relevant it is to the content of the text, and how it appears on the home page or other landing pages.
These criteria are the factors which make up a quality score, which determines how much an advertiser pays for the service as well as how often their websites or web pages appear on the search engine providers network.
Exposure is everything in online advertising, and to maximize their exposure the advertiser must try to obtain the highest quality score possible with each and every ad campaign. This will not only increase their presence on the web, but will also allow them to get the most exposure for their money.
A quality score is based on the history of the click-through-rate, or CTR, that the keyword has shown. CTR is the essential element in determining the worthiness of a keyword in attracting hits on a site or a page. In other words, how well a keyword performs in convincing the online searcher to click on a link when they land on a search results page determines the value of the keyword to the search engine provider as well as to the advertiser themselves.
The goal of any advertiser who employs the services of a search engine should be to gain the highest possible ranking on the search registry, thereby attaining the best possible position to attract attention. This ad ranking is in fact obtained by having the highest quality score for a keyword, which also affects how much the advertiser will pay for their ad placement.
Considering the fact that online advertising is rated on a pay-per-click basis, it would only make sense to increase the ways that an online shopper will have access to the advertisers website or web pages. Having a high quality score not only increases the possibility of this, but also allows the advertiser the best chance of expanding their reach on the search engine network at a proportionate rate of advertising spending. The better the score, the higher the ranking, the more exposure, the less money spent.
The online advertiser should obviously analyze their own ad campaigns using these criteria, not only to save on advertising costs but to earn that position at the top of the search results page.
About the author
Contextured can help your business with Search Engine Marketing and search engine optimization via their Online Web Marketing Service.


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These are a few of our favorite things...
This adorable MacKenzie Childs tool set was featured in Oprah's magazine, and we agree it is just too adorable to not have!
We love Stressless! We especially love the Peace Classic Recliner because of it's classic shape, design and elegant simplicity!
I mean who doesn't need an umbrella... not to mention how adorable these are!
...because no one ever has enough storage in their kitchen or house. These canisters are practical, stylish and classic.
American Leather offers the very best quality sleeper! It looks great, is easy to maneuver and the comfort level far surpasses any "traditional" pull-out mattress!
Are these not the MOST adorable pet mats and leash?! Perfect for pets both big and small!