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AIBU to think sports direct must be making a fortune out of never having change in their tills?(38 Posts)
MNHQ have commented on this thread.
Dd needed a new swimming costume for school so we nipped into sports direct, found one for £5.99 and gave £6 in cash
Cashier said, sorry I've no pennies in my till, I think 'meh it's only a penny' so didn't bother
Walking away though, I realise this is not the first time it's happened
They must be raking it in from all those 1&2ps they keep
I think you are over thinking this a bit OP! I have bought the odd item from them and never had a problem, you were probably just unlucky.
Someone else mentioned this recently, I wonder how much they make?
Hmm. I suspect you may be right. I've bought stuff from them before and taken it back, and they would only refund via a gift card. So hence had to spend the money with them.
They are using to buy up all the failing high street stores.
JJB and now Republic.
Some petrol stations have small dishes with pennies in so that you can pick one up to pay for your fuel if the pump overshoots. Perhaps they're somehow linked (maybe by karma only)?
Shops are under no obligation to refund at all if goods are not faulty and most only do so for reasons of customer service. If the clothes just didn't fit (and you didn't try them on), or if you just don't like them they are actually being generous in allowing to return them at all so a gift card isn't too be sneezed at.
Hmm. I suspect you may be right. I've bought stuff from them before and taken it back, and they would only refund via a gift card. So hence had to spend the money with them."
The penny change incident as per the OP situation is slightly different to yours though as if you take stuff back as you say which is not faulty, I assume, there is no right to a refund if you have just changed your mind. Sports Direct are well known for only doing SOGA, most other shops allow returns but that is there own store policy.
What I am trying to say is most stores go above the statutory laws on allowing refunds when you change your mind, they go for customer satifaction.
Sports Direct are renown for not giving much customer satifaction, they sell stuff for cheap and thats all they care about - selling. Never buy from Sports Direct if you have never made a permanant decision on your purchase, try stuff on first so you know it fits
. The things they sell are fine but they will not take them back if you buy something, try it on at home and then try to take it back when it does not fit or you do not like it. They have no legal right to do so.
Lots of other shops have returns policies that go above the statutory rights that means you forget that they dont have to so when you go to one that doesnt take returns for changes of minds it annoys people.
Was replying to BIWI there, the quote did not quite go right
I always pay by card so obviously never noticed this change thing but they must make a fortune on those huge carrier bags. They always try to force you to take them even if you don't want them. The other day I was just buying a new tennis racket and some socks which I could easilybcarry in my own bag. I didn't need the huge bag and I already have a few of them at home so don't want more clogging the place up. The guy was arguing with me to take it, going it's only 69p as if I was being really tight! I was thinking wtf, I just don't want your sodding bag!
Yeah but they're cheap, and they sell amazing gel innersoles that make doc martens wearable from day 1 !
I got some tops in there for the kids at Christmas a few didnt fit they changed them with no problems and refunded one that they no longer had in stock.
Never had a problem with them unless you count the staff magically disappearing as soon as you need them
If I had that in a small local shop I'd let it go, but in a major retailer I'd smile sweetly and say I can wait for them/their supervisor to get my change. And yes, it is only 1 or 2 pence, but I'd be suspicious of a large company/evil corporation.
They've stopped minting the penny (one cent coin) over here in Canada as it costs more than a cent to make. Shops are now rounding up or down.
Most people pay by card don't they?
I don't know if it is just an urban myth, but usually things are priced at xx.99 so that the till has to be opened and sale registered. There is also the psychology of registering it at a lower price ie 6.99 feels closer to £6 than to £7?
It is an evil corporation that treats its workers really badly so the penny thing is probably intentional.
I like the penny in a dish at the Garage thing that sounds nice although I've never seen it around here.
Yes this is a thing they do in sports direct-I buy all my dcs trainers/sports wear there as it is cheap and the only one near us. They never have pennies and always try and force you to buy their bags.
I used to work at sports direct so this made me laugh!
We only got change drops once/twice a week and some times we would have lots of pennies, other times none.
We have to take the extra out of the till at the end of the day because H/O would get on the case for tills that were up or down and any 'keep the penny' would go into any till that as short by £1 or less. (which didn't happen very often)
As for the returns policy... I understand it annoys people but not almost as much as the staff who get it in the neck from customers (not saying anyone on this thread but other customers) seeing as the staff don't dictate policy.
The bags for life. I can tell you why the till staff push them....
If we didn't sell bags in over 10% of our transactions then the manager would cut our hours. S you could go from having 20 hours work one week, then having a bad day selling bags for life and then the following week have 10 hours. What is worse the person at the front desk normally pushes the till staff to sell more on the radio "bfl below 10 try harder!" ect. It is the same with those bloody heavy catalogues. We had to sell over a certain percentage.
Sportsdirect might be a pain to shop in but trust me they were overall a crap company to work for!
I can't imagine they are making any more than if they were to just round up all the prices so they don't have to give 1p change
Dinkysmummy, what a shitty company they are.
The reusable bag thing pisses me off no end so I only shop there if I can't find what I want elsewhere
I had this one time about a year ago. I asked them to give me 2p then, instead of me giving them 1p. They magically managed to find a 1p coin. . Strange that.
I have heard from the workers in there that it's not a nice company to work for. I'm not surprised. The owner (can't recall his name atm) doesn't seem to be very nice from anything I've read about him which isn't much as he keeps a very low profile. I think he's just about making money and nothing else.
I've never been asked if I want a bag for life from there, they just shove the stuff in a bag and tell me the total cost. Have I been unknowingly paying for a bag I usually throw away?
All 'keep the change' change in our garage can be used to make up the penny difference if the customer is short by 1-2p (this is kept under the till and can be used at the staffs discretion) any left over at the end of the shift goes in the charity box.
we have a 99p shop which never seems to have any change either
Oh, I realise, by the way, that refunding only by gift card is totally legal - just an example of poor customer service.
And I was really pressured into buying a bag the last time I was there, for a paltry amount of goods. When I refused, the shop assistant said to me, with desperation in her voice, "but I have a target to meet".
Ok that is bad! I would never ask a customer to buy one because I have targets to reach!
To be honest I was never really too pushy. If someone brought socks for example I wouldn't even ask if they wanted a bfl (as long as the manager/area manager was nowhere in earshot!).
I would hope no one was stupid enough to charge someone for a bfl without them realising... That is awful!
If I was below target sometimes I would ask a customer if they were paying cash if they wanted a free one as we were just about to close. So I would scan it, give them the change for the original purchases and then top the till up at the end. (in my defence I had a small child to consider and needed my 16 hours
Mike Ashley owns sports direct, he is only interested in money, and if anyone with common sense could knock some into him, having better customer service policies and happier more motivated staff could increase sales and therefore increase profits! It is the difference between carrot and stick! It took long enough for them to train their staff on Nike products. (they still don't know much about anything else! I taught myself everything so I could help customers)
Basically when shopping at sports direct please be aware the staff are being hit with sticks and not given carrots (and that includes the managers) so please be nice, don't buy anything unless you are sure or could palm a gift card off as a gift to someone you know, and if you ever want to be served... Go to the till point and ask for someone to be sent over (you get help so much quicker that way!)
Good luck shopping there... If you read this and work there... I feel for you!
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Gov. Pat Quinn today granted pardons to 17 people convicted of crimes ranging from armed robbery to not having a firearm owner's identification card, and ordered their records wiped clean.
The new governor has been whittling down a backlog of 2,500 leniency requests left by his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich. This was the third batch of pardons he has granted since taking office at the end of January, according to the administration.
The latest 17 cases were among a portion of the clemency requests on the July 2003 docket. A statement from Quinn's office said each person had recently undergone a criminal background check.

subset: commoncrawl


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Fall | Winter 2011 Edition
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff | University Relations and Development
the Lifeline endowment Fund and will be matched dollar-for-dollar through the title iii Program, u.S. Department of education, office of Post-Secondary education, institutional Services Program.
Inspires Callers to Give Back in April the university of Arkansas at Pine Bluff kicked off its 9th Annual Phonathon. While other students prepared for the end of the semester and going home, 12 devoted and energetic student callers spent their evenings in the Direct Marketing Center of the
as of June 30, 2011, the following individuals have made donations to the 2011 Phonathon: Betty S. Abbott tracy Corbin Abram Atty. tony S. Adderley Mike Akin Bennie S. Alexander Sharon D. Alexander Harold B. Allen nadine Allen Cornelia Anderson Wheirmelda Anderson ethel Armstrong ruby L. Arnold Kenneth n. Bailey Jr. Deborah Baker Willie J. Banks Matthew M. Barnes Maxine Barnes ollie M. Barron Clementine Bass Ms. Marilyn Batestolbert Berta Bell Donnice A. Benford Andrew M. Bergeron Annie J. Biley Patsy Blackshear Ltc. Walleon Bobo Hannibal Bolton Calvin e. Booker
office of Development. For nearly five weeks, student callers rang the phones of thousands of uAPB alumni, friends, and supporters to update their records, present the opportunity for giving, and to have conversations about yesteryears. this year's goal was to raise $100,000
Katherine W. Boone John Bradley Alford Branch Letha M. Branch Carolyn J. Branscomb gloria A. Brockman Bobby u. Brown eldridge A. Brown Joyce Brown o. D. Brown norma Burris Luvertha S. Butler Melvin Caldwell Sr. Joyce L. Campbell Calvin C. Canady Andrew J. Carr iV Barbara J. Chunn estella Clark Freddie Clark ramona D. Clark Delia M. Clemmons Faye Clemmons Mary V. Coleman Dr. Charles r. Colen Jr. Juanita K. Cook gustava Cooper-Baker Carutha e. Creggett Juanita Currie rheba n. Currie Janet Curry theron Dancy edward Darton Dr. Charles o Davidson Amudu B. Davis Audrey Davis Flossie Davis James r. Davis Jimmy n. Davis nancy L. Davis
ora L. Davis rebecca Dawkins Judge Lawrence e. Dawson richard V. Delphin Patricia A. Dendy octavia J. Denton Lenora Dixon Harry Durham rodesia evans Ms. earnestine everett Dr. Lillie M. Fears theodore A. Felton theartis Ferguson Fannie M. Fields Latoya A. Finley gladys Finney earnestine Fletcher oscar J. Ford Bettye J. Fowler Aretha r. Frazier grace M. Frazieredwards Faye Freeman ruby J. Freeman Mrs. Marie W. Fuller emmie J. gamble Faye e. gant Dr. L. t. gates Brenda W. george grover L. gibson Dr. Diane S gilleland irma gilmore Alma L. gladney Kelly goodwin Mary graves Maxine graves Alonzo A. gray irene V. green
towards the Lifeline endowment Fund to assist students in dire need of financial support. Collectively the student callers received over $107,000 in pledges, and as June 30, 2011, nearly 50 percent of the pledges had been paid. the majority of the donations were earmarked for
ronnie D. grice Queen e. guydon rubie J. Hairston Darren t. Hale John Hamiter Burrell L. Hampton Dr. Sybil Hampton Marshall L. Handcock Dr. Willie Hardin Sadie Harris Frances Harris-Waddell robert L. Hart Jr. Paula S. Henderson James C. Henry Columbus L. Higgins Alfreda J. Hill Calvin Hill Dr. Antony o. Hobbs Carolyn Hodges Allene Holcomb Barbara Hood Fredericka HoodWilliams elouise J. Hudson Carolyn Hugley Willie J. Hutson Aretha D. inge eldridge B. ingram Willie isby Juanita isom george ivory theo Jacks Barry t. Jackson eric Jackson Willie H. Jackson Lieutenant Colonel Solomon J. Jamerson Mylas C. Jeffers Jr. Bernice Jenkins
Carol K. Johnson Dr. Clinton M. Johnson george o. Johnson gralon A. Johnson Herman D. Johnson Paul Johnson William H. Johnson Jr. Berlin C. Jones ellawease Jones Jerril Jones Lorenzo Jones Dr. Faustine C. JonesWilson Dr. Manuel Kelley emma Kindle ollie M. King William H. King Jr. obie J. Knight roderick Kuykendall Pheifer W. Lacy Ltc. Author Laird Henry C. Lake Cleo Lee James B. Lee edward Lewis edward H. Lindsay irma Lindsey Phyllis e. Lloyd Clara A. Lofton ollie Lofton Columbus Love gloria D. Lowe Jacqueline Mannery Pinkie Mason Deloris J. Massey Alexander McCarty Johnnie B. McDonald eursalean McDonley Hazel C. Mcghee
this year, the student callers took a special interest in making a difference. each caller made a contribution of thirty dollars to the Lifeline endowment Fund. Brianna Buchanan, a first year student caller, shared her appreciation for the donors that responded, "YeS, i WiLL" when we asked for support. Buchanan went on to say, "Because of them [donors], the Phonathon was a success, not only because they gave, but because they took the time to talk to me and other students and inspired us to give back."
Brenda J. McMurry Patricia Meadows thunie n. Meekins McClary Merritt John W. Middleton gary W. Miller Walter J. Miller Daniel D. Minor Carolyn B. Mitchell Bettye J. Moore Dr. eryn e. Moore Cornelia P. Moorehead Miriam Morehead Candace n. Mosley Barbara A. Mumford Bob nash Jesse P. newborn eddie nicholson Jr. James e. nicholson gayle orr Janet overton Helen H. Page Queen e. Paige Dr. Andrew Patterson Linda J. Paxton Clara B. Perry William K. Perry rosalind Pettigrew Mrs. Pilgram Carnis L. Poindexter Dr. Jesse rancifer Marvise rancifer Charles L. reed Janice reed Charles rice Deloris riley ruthie B. robins Mitzi S. ruth Dr. roy t. Salley
Carol Sanders Clinton Sanders Cewilla W. Shannon Jesse Sharpe Bessie M. Shaw Joyce M. Shell earnest Simpson Jr. Diane L. Skipper B. Winford Smith earline Smith ineze Smith James W. Smith Patricia A. Smith Dr. Paul Smith richard C. Smith thelma L. Smith Virginia M. Smith Helen Y. Speed Dr. Avery W. Stephens Joyce M. Stovall Sammie Stovall Sherman Swopes Daisy tatum Kenny A. tatum Mayeotis J. taylor raymond taylor Charlene r. templeton Aaron thomas eula V. thomas Dr. godfrey J. thomas Arleive D. thompson rev. Chester thompson Linda thurston robert tolerson gwendolyn M. turrentine continued on page 3
Newsletter for Office of University Relations and Delvelopment.
Published on Dec 13, 2011
Newsletter for Office of University Relations and Delvelopment.


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HVDY.com was created in 2008 by Nehil Saxena. Nehil Saxena lives in India. He is a web developer from India and a communication engineer. He is currently working on various new projects, which will be introduced here at a later date.
In October 2008, HVDY.com was acquired by NameTactic, a new Swiss domaining service, which will be launched in Spring 2009 (the current NameTactic website is only a parked page and does not reflect its future content) .


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■ Future Business Leaders of America students represented Paul Laurence Dunbar High School at the national conference June 26-July 2 in Nashville. Daniel Ma picked up third-place honors in personal finance, while Lilly Xie and Matthew Wu finished sixth in the marketing contest. The club adviser is business education teacher Robin Johnson.
■ The Governor's School for Entrepreneurs saw 63 students from across Kentucky spend June 22-July 12 at Georgetown College enhancing their creative thinking and entrepreneurial skills. The Class of 2014 includes eight students from Fayette County Public Schools: Jacob Ferguson and Alaap Patil of Henry Clay High School, Olivia Rippetoe and Callaway Stivers of Lafayette High School, and Xiaowan Chu, Dasha Kolyaskina, Kyra Seevers and Walker Vickery of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
■ Eastern Kentucky University's Department of History has awarded its first Charles D. Whitlock Distinguished History Alumnus Awards to a Madison County teacher and a tactical officer and instructor at West Point. Major Patrick Snyder, a 2004 EKU graduate, received the award during a June 19 ceremony at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Sharon Farthing Graves, a social studies teacher at Clark-Moores Middle School, was also honored.
■ Andrew Stofleth, of Richmond, was recently selected to the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi's 2014-16 National Council of Students. The Council, comprised of 10 student vice presidents from the society's five regions, serves as a student advisory panel.
Stofleth is the second EKU student vice president selected for national duties, following Brittany Neaves, who concludes her term this summer. He will attend the 2014 Biennial Convention on behalf of the EKU chapter as its voting delegate.
■ Technology Student Association students from Lafayette High School participated in the Technology Student Association's 2014 national conference, which wrapped up July 1 in Maryland. Logan Carpenter and Joseph Laskey placed eighth in the structural engineering competition, and Irsyad Hanif was eighth in essays on technology.
■ Eastern Kentucky University and Berea College will co-host the Eastern Apiculture Society conference July 28-Aug. 1.
The Eastern Apiculture Society conference is an international event that features apiculture researchers, an apiary, a lab and a series of evening social events. This year's conference theme is Esprit de Bee, a tribute to Kentucky's National Guard agriculture development teams, specifically their apiculture leadership. For registration details and more information, go to Easternapiculture.org.
■ Ninety-one-year-old Glenmore Jones, who attended Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College from 1946-1949 on the G.I. Bill after serving in World War II but never completed a degree, was back on campus July 1 to receive an associate's degree in general studies with a minor in military science.
He was joined by his wife, Carolyn, and other family members, including several grandchildren. One grandchild has graduated from Eastern and two others are students at EKU.
Jones, who has lived in Richmond most of his life, continues to be active. He celebrated his 90th birthday by parachuting from an airplane and he writes a regular column in The Richmond Register that chronicles the local golf scene.


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Batavia in middle of another dream season
Moments after watching his team hold on for a 19-14 Class 6A quarterfinal victory over Lake Forest, Batavia head football coach Dennis Piron fielded questions from reporters.
How does it feel to reach the 6A state semifinals for the second time in 3 seasons?
"We've got a lot of talent in Batavia," said Piron. "Not much coaching though."
Piron was laughing when he said it but I would not believe him anyway even if he were serious.
Not when you have guided the Bulldogs to a record of 32-3 in 3 years as head coach and have the 2013 team a victory away from a trip to the 6A state championship game in DeKalb.
Not when you have a Hall of Fame coach in Mike Gaspari calling plays as your offensive coordinator or when you have a hard-nosed former Bulldog linebacker in Matt Holm on the coaching staff as your defensive coordinator.
There is little doubt that Piron may need to pinch himself occasionally though just to make sure this is all really happening.
"It's a dream season again," said Piron, whose teams have suffered just 1 regular-season defeat over the last 3 years (26-1 mark).
"It's a perfect storm," he added. "We've got veteran coaches throughout our program and we've got wonderful facilities. Plus, we've got as much community support as anybody."
That was evident during last Saturday's windblown, rain-soaked, mud-caked victory over a Lake Forest team that had not lost to a 6A school (previous losses were to 7A Lake Zurich and 8A Stevenson) until last weekend.
"On a day like this as nasty as it was and it was packed on our side (of the bleachers) as usual," said an appreciative Piron.
"The people are all in this together."
Even down to the ones who made sure the footballs were as dry as possible last weekend.
"Hats off to our sideline crew," said Piron. "Our guys care so much about dry footballs, they spent all night (Friday) planning it out. It is a system that two of our coaches have.
"It's all the little stuff that guys care so much about," added the coach. "It's almost embarrassing how much effort everybody puts into this but in the end it's so worth it."
Piron also realizes he has many talented players on his side.
"It's a special group of kids," Piron said of a team headed by seniors Micah Coffey, Forrest Gilbertson, Ryan Minniti, Michael Moffatt, Rourke Mullins, Anthony Scaccia and Anthony Thielk.
"This is a group of kids that were very successful when they were younger."
"We've been playing football together since we were in eighth grade," Coffey said of his senior group.
"We were 10-0 as eighth graders. We had several guys (including Coffey himself) up on the sophomore team as freshmen and the sophomores finished 8-0-1 and tied St. Charles North for the conference title while the freshmen were 8-1."
Coffey's sophomore team enjoyed an unblemished 9-0 mark while Moffatt and Thielk were contributing players as sophomores for the Bulldogs' varsity squad that won 12 consecutive games before a 33-22 state semifinal loss to Prairie Ridge.
"I learned a lot from watching that (2011) team," said Coffey, who joined the varsity roster as a reserve quarterback behind Noel Gaspari for the playoffs 2 years ago.
"After that Prairie Ridge game, I saw how much it (losing) hurt those guys. We've really tried to follow their example."
Coffey has helped continue the Bulldogs' winning ways the past 2 seasons.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder owns a 21-2 record as the varsity starting quarterback.
One of the losses -- last year's 38-26 Class 7A first-round playoff defeat at the hands of a then 5-4 Downers Grove North team stung a little more than the 31-25 Week 2 loss to a Richards team that is still alive in the 6A title hunt.
"It (the loss) showed us that our intensity always has to be up," said Coffey, who topped the 2,000-yard passing mark (2,043) last weekend and has now thrown 25 TD passes this season.
"It showed us that an 8 seed can beat a 1 seed and it showed us that we've got to keep getting better."
Surrounded by offensive weapons like ever-elusive tailback Scaccia (1,541 rushing yards, 22 TDs), receivers Moffatt (40 catches, 563 yards, 6 TDs), Mullins (17 catches, 318 yards, 4 TDs), Jordan Zwart (32 catches, 537 yards, 4 TDs) and Tucker Knox (11 catches, 99 yards), tight end Noah Frazier (6 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD), and fullback Kevin Green (4 rushing TDs, 2 receiving TDs), the Bulldogs have gotten better.
"Last year, we let some teams hang with us in some of our games," said Coffey. "This year, we're mowing people over."
The scores are proof of that -- 49-20 over Geneva, 44-7 over St. Charles North, 47-14 over St. Charles East, 48-6 over DeKalb, 48-13 over Rolling Meadows.
Last weekend, the Bulldogs earned a hard-fought, 5-point victory as Coffey finished 10-of-20 for 222 yards and a pair of TDs.
He overcame a fumble and 2 interceptions, including a pick-6 that enabled Lake Forest to take a 7-6 first-quarter lead.
He also enjoyed the benefit of turning and handing off to the 5-7, 150-pound Scaccia, who somehow kept his feet in the sloppy conditions to rush for 136 yards and a TD on 32 carries.
"There are laws of science that don't apply to him," Coffey said of Scaccia, who also caught 3 passes for 36 yards and another score. "He makes my job easier and adds to my passing totals."
Coffey is not the first member of his family to play postseason football for the Bulldogs.
His older brother, Jordan, threw a pair of TD passes as a sophomore during Batavia's 30-20 6A state championship loss to Normal Community High in 2006.
"Jordan has been super encouraging," said Micah. "We'll text each other during the week but it's less about football stuff. He may ask what I am seeing from defenses, things like that.
"He loves being a spectator and I love having him around."
Since Coffey has elected to play college baseball at the University of Minnesota next year, he realizes every football game could be his last.
"I recognize this is the last season I'm going to be playing football alongside some of my best friends I have grown up with," said Coffey.
"There's nothing like high school football."
Coffey will have plenty of memories to look back upon no matter the outcome of Saturday's state semifinal clash against Rockford Boylan (12-0).
"My mom takes tons of photos during and after our games," said Coffey. "She loves scrapbooking."
With two more victories, she may need another scrapbook.
You can reach Craig Brueske at email@example.com
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- Batavia
- Brueske, Craig
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- Football
- Football Focus
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Tuesday, 26 April 2016
great spots to visit: petersfield
The Blacksmith's Daughter
If you love your plants and flowers, any trip to Petersfield needs to include a visit to The Blacksmith's Daughter. Tucked away behind the main road, this flower-filled haven is the first place I go when I'm looking for something special; buckets of soft white ranunculus jostle for space with colourful hyacinths, and the old wooden table at the front is laden with potted plants and succulents. It's one of my favourite places to potter around in, and I've never left empty handed.
The Happy Cow Farm Shop
If you're a lover of good quality, local produce, then the Happy Cow is going to seem like a goldmine when you visit. Packed full of everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to artisan bread and locally produced jams and chutneys, it's one of those places that makes you want to potter about in the kitchen, making lovely things to eat (even for me, and I'm absolutely the worst cook EVER).
The Natural Apothecary
We only recently tried this little place for the first time - we usually drive past it on the way to the market, but when the kiddos were at their Grandparents a few weeks ago, we popped in for tea and cake. It was SO GOOD. Firstly, the decor inside is amazing; lots of old bottles, beautiful wallpaper and an incredible set of drawers at the back, and heaps of vintage apothecary tools dotted on the shelves at the front. Secondly, the menu is incredible - we just had coffee, tea and cake (the vegan chocolate - yes, yes, yes), but they also offer breakfast and lunch, with plenty of vegan, vegetarian and wholefood options. You can also stock up on teas and healthfood items to take away and enjoy at home.
The Market
Petersfield actually has two markets, one every Saturday and the farmers market on the first Sunday of every month. The farmers market is basically a foodies heaven; they sell everything from bread and cakes to meats, cheeses and deli items, all locally produced and many organic. The Saturday market is a bit more varied (and my favourite!); the artisan bread stall is incredible (I strongly recommend the cinnamon loaf and the pumpkin bread), and the tea stall next door has a great selection. A quick wander will take you past two wonderful flower stalls, the fruit and vegetables and a vintage stall with amazing flower pots and rugs - plenty to tempt everyone!
Petersfield Heath
Whenever the weather is nice in the summer, we head here on a Sunday morning - with 69 acres of land to explore, it's a great way to pass the time. There are two play areas, a cafe which serves hot and cold drinks, cake and sandwiches (and duck food!), toilets, fishing opportunities, plenty of benches and seats to relax on and of course the lake to walk around. It's always clean, safe and well looked after - definitely one of our favourite places to visit.
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 03:46 3 comments
Labels: Adventures
Monday, 25 April 2016
five essentials for a heavenly bedroom
We swapped rooms with the kiddos last year, and it's taken me ages to get round to actually doing anything with out new space; it's teeny tiny - there's only enough room for a bed and a wardrobe - which means it's really hard to make it look 'done' without being overcluttered. After all the umm-ing and ahh-ing, I've whittled the list of bedroom decor 'essentials' down to a manageable five - which is practically nothing to a former hoarder like me!
1. Good bedding
Considering we spend a whopping third of our lives asleep (although it might not feel like it if you've got children!), bedding is one of the most important things you'll buy for a bedroom. A lot of people swear by high thread-counts and luxury brands, but honestly, my favourite set is from Wilkinsons - it's the softest one we've had so far. Zara Home and H&M are great for good quality basics (although H&M seem to carry some pretty weird sizes), but if you're looking to spend a bit more, try Soak and Sleep or The Linen Works.
Image courtesy of Bruno
2. A decent mattress
I've slept on budget mattresses before, and I can tell you that it's much better to spend the extra money than it is to lose feeling in one side of your body every night. A good mattress is so important, and can make huge differences to everything from standard aches and pains to posture and body temperature. Based in Germany, Bruno is a company that manufactures mattresses with a difference - combining a removable, quilted cover, a hypoallergenic top layer and a unique 7-zone support base, they've managed to design a single mattress that suits everybody. (They're also hugely environmentally friendly - the latex is organically farmed and the fabric manufacturer is a family-run firm, AND they've designed their packaging to save energy. Top marks!)
3. A rug (or two, if it's a big space!)
The bedroom in the top picture is my idea of perfection; it's airy and uncluttered, but still manages to look 'finished'. What makes it really great, though, is the rug - our room is nowhere near big enough to have a rug (maybe a bathmat at the end of the bed?), but if it were, I'd definitely choose the one in the picture (it's the Belle by Modern Rugs). Rugs are great, not only for adding texture, but they can also work brilliantly to hide an ugly carpet or chipped laminate.
4. A row of hooks
I love hooks on the wall - I've got loads of nice straw bags and baskets, prints, scarves and so on that I like to rotate on display, but all the ready-made hooks we found were really small, and just made everything look all squashed together. In the end, Ali made a huge set from an old floorboard (you could easily just get a piece of furniture board from B&Q which would do the same job) and seven Svartsjon hooks from IKEA screwed into it - I love it, because it almost covers one entire wall, and there's enough room for everything. If you can't be bothered with faffing around, IKEA have also just brought out the Falsterbo wall rail with hooks - one isn't that large, but they can be screwed into the wall with the ends flush, so several would look like one long item.
Image Courtesy of IKEA
5. Plants, plants and more plants
A room without plants is not a finished room, fact. They add a bit of nature and colour to the room, they clean the air and they look great. What more do you need?!
Many thanks to Bruno for collaborating on this post.
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 02:33 No comments
Labels: Interiors
Friday, 22 April 2016
gardening with kids: five top tips
The weather here today is awful, but it's supposed to pick up over the weekend, so I'm planning to spend the whole time at home - we've got heaps of little DIY jobs to finish, and I've not started on the garden at all yet this year (so behind!) so there's not really any time for coffee shops and pottering (boo!).
Whenever I do anything in the garden, the kiddos immediately want to be involved; Ben will sow a couple of seeds and then wander off to look for insects, but Daisy wants to have a go at EVERYTHING. In the beginning, it was a bit of a power struggle between us; she'd want to do something her way, and knowing that it wouldn't work, I'd try and persuade her otherwise. It would usually end with compost everywhere, scattered seeds and tear stained faces - but over the last couple of years I've picked up some ways to make things a whole lot easier.
1. Get a set of mini garden tools
One of my biggest problems was Daisy charging around the garden, using the rake as a pretend horse - I couldn't relax in case she fell over and impaled herself on the damn thing. A set of mini tools will make them feel like a gardener in their own right, and will be easier for them to handle - you can buy anything from simple trowels and forks to rakes, hoes and wheelbarrows (which will, let's face it, be used more for wheeling siblings around than anything else).
2. Involve them in choosing seeds and plants
It might just be me, but I think there's something really exciting about poring over seed catalogues and staring at the racks in the local garden centre (plant geek!) - all that possibility in such tiny packets! You might already have a rough plan of what you want in your garden, but letting the kids choose some seeds of their own will mean they're invested in the whole growing process from the very beginning.
3. Teach them about garden safety
One of my biggest mistakes was trying to remove everything that was hazardous from the area, rather than educating the kids about it. Obviously with toddlers, this isn't possible, but once they have a basic grasp of danger, you can teach them about poisonous plants, thorns, stinging nettles and any chemicals that you might have in your gardening arsenal (we don't use anything chemical-based, but I know a lot of people do).
4. Buy some children's gardening and nature books
In the same way gardening is a learning curve for adults, it's the same for children - they're probably not going to want to sit and watch Gardeners World with you (although you can try and convince them, like I did!), but there are plenty of books aimed at youngsters which will get them fired up. We love Miffy in the Garden, The Little Gardener, Eddie's Garden and The Tiny Seed.
5. Give them their own area of the garden
Nothing makes children want to take care of something more than when they feel like it's their own - section off a sunny corner of a flowerbed, give them a long trough to fill with compost or supply them with a few flowerpots and let them do with it whatever they like. Even if that does just mostly involve digging holes!
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 03:13 1 comment
Thursday, 21 April 2016
weekend in pictures: sunshine and DIY
I haven't done one of these posts in absolutely ages, so last weekend I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. Here's what we got up to!
1. We pottered about in Southsea, spotting loads of hanging baskets and planters bursting into life. I found these outside a local coffee shop, and now I'm thinking about doing something similar on the wall in our garden!
2, 3 & 4. I popped into Home Coffee in Southsea to grab some goodies to take away, and then we wandered up to the park on the seafront. It was soooo sunny and lovely - the first time we've been in months and I've not felt absolutely freezing!
5, 6, 7 & 8. I spent a happy hour browsing through the plants at our local garden centre; I've been so slack this year with sowing seeds, so I bought a few 'backup' seedlings - sweet peppers, peas, tomatoes and kale. Oh, and two more succulents - because what I really need is more houseplants to kill!
9. I've been working on a crochet project for myself, and finished blocking it over the weekend - you'll be able to see it in the bedroom makeover post on the blog next week!
10 & 11. Our neighbourhood is absolutely full of blossom, and I can't walk past a tree or bush without snapping a few pictures!
12. We've almost finished our bathroom, and were lucky enough to be gifted this amazing mirror from One World Trading - it's got a shelf attached, which is a great place to put toothbrushes and little soaps. And more plants, obviously!
I've also joined Snapchat in the last week or so - I'm on there as owlandaccordion if you want to follow along. I'm probably more active on there than here - I love that you can have loads of fun with all the filters, but don't need to edit anything!
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 06:36 No comments
Labels: Adventures
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
top kidswear picks for spring
It's no secret that I'm a real spring and summer lover - I hate, hate, HATE the winter months, and spend the whole time hibernating with books and moaning about the rain. I mean, I love knitwear as much as the next person, but it's hard to have fun with clothes when everything is hidden under a coat!
Spring and summer are sooooo good for kidswear - dungarees, shorts, cool sandals and sneakers, printed t-shirts and LOADS of accessories. Today I've rounded up my latest favourite finds for the little people in your life.
1.Printed Plush Trousers, £10.99, Zara
We've had these from Zara before, and they're such good quality - and the style means that when they get a bit short, they work well as cropped trousers as well!
2. Rainbow Sneakers, £34.50, Boden
They're high tops with polka dots and rainbows - what's not to love?!
3. Chocolatine Striped Smock Dress, £34, Tootsa MacGinty
I love Tootsa MacGinty for their age appropriateness, their gender-free approach to design and the fact that the quality is so good that everything lasts for ages. They're pricier than the high street, but well worth it - we head there for birthday presents and special occasions.
4. Short Dungarees, £28.50, Boden
I love dungarees (I've just bought my first pair! Bit late to the party, as usual....), and if they made these in my size, I'd totally wear them in the summer.
5. Leather Sandals, £19.99, H&M
I've not seen these in store, but they caught my eye online last week - I love that they've got that whole Birkenstock style thing going on, but at a fraction of the price!
6. Up and Away Slub Jersey T-Shirt, £17, Little Green Radicals
Little Green Radicals are another one of my favourite online brands - again a bit more pricey, but they're completely organic and earth friendly, and the designs are always beautiful. Another one for birthdays!
7. Adventure Raglan T-Shirt, £14.50, Boden
This t-shirt comes in a few different prints, but I liked the campfire one best - I think it sums up our kids love of the outdoors pretty well! It was in the boys section, but I'd totally put it on Daisy (although she'd probably want to wear it with a tutu or princess dress, but whatever!)
8. Sequinned Bomber Jacket, £17.99, H&M
We actually bought this for Daisy, and so far it's worn pretty well - no missing sequins (although there are so many you might actually not notice!) and it's still as bright and sparkly as the day we got it.
9. Lightning T-Shirt, £6.99, Zara
I love Zara for clothes, and often buy from the boys section for Daisy - they're a high street shop and not too expensive, but they have an excellent environmental and social policy, so I'm quite happy to hand my money over!
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 04:10 No comments
Friday, 15 April 2016
glasses for kids: my top tips
Although my two love books and reading, what they really like to do is run, climb and jump - like most children, they're never happier than when they're leaping off of sand dunes or lying on the ground making homes for the insects. So when we discovered that Ben needed glasses, the first thing I thought was, 'bloody hell. Do they make indestructable ones?' As well as being a real outdoorsy boy, he's also pretty clumsy - he's forever tripping over or losing things, so I knew from the start that we were going to spend a lot of time at the opticians!
He's had glasses since the start of his time in reception, so it's coming up to three years now. In that time many, many pairs have come to a sticky end; they've been sat on, trodden on and knocked off, they've been stolen by his sister and some have disappeared entirely. We've had to deal with wonky arms, missing screws and scratched lenses. So when Vision Direct got in touch about their new baby sight tool (I'm coming to that in a bit!), I thought it was a great opportunity to write down my top tips for anyone starting on the glasses journey with their child.
1. Think about their personality
You know your child and their hobbies better than anyone - if they're keen on wrestling with their friends, racing around the park or climbing trees, then they're going to need something a lot more robust than a child who prefers to sit and read or craft quietly.
2. Know that there's no such thing as 'indestructable'....
... but there are glasses that come pretty close. Ben started out with some really nice, smart brown frames, which lasted about five minutes - and then his wonderful optician introduced us to the flexi-frames. While they might not be able to withstand everything he throws at them, they're definitely stronger than rigid frames; they can be bent, sat on and stood on, and they still survive.
3. Get them involved
The wonderful thing about childrens glasses is that they come in a whole range of colours and styles - and those ace designers have even thought to include some favourite characters as well. When he was in reception, Ben was obsessed (and I mean obsessed) with Lego, so one of his first pairs had Lego bricks along the side (miniature ones, not actual bricks!); I also remember seeing Disney, Frozen, Marvel, Moshi Monsters and Winnie the Pooh over the last couple of years, so there's something for everyone. If your child is really against the idea of wearing glasses, being able to choose their favourite character might help to win them round.
It wasn't until Ben started wearing glasses that I realised just how much children's eyesight changes, especially when they're young babies. Vision Direct have designed a really cool slider tool, which lets you see the way your baby sees between the ages of newborn and twelve months, and offers tips to help with their development. It's packed full of interesting facts as well; for instance, I didn't realise that newborns only see in shades of grey! To have a go with the tool and find out more, click the image below to head over to the website.
Many thanks to Vision Direct for collaborating on this post.
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 02:10 No comments
Thursday, 14 April 2016
What's in my bag?
I've been meaning to do one of these for aaaaages - my favourite type of post on other blogs is any type of home or wardrobe tour, or a look inside bags or makeup bags. What can I say? I love a good nosy!
The Bag
I change my bag around quite a lot; I've got a collection of totes that I chop and change my way through, and at the moment I'm loving a small black cross-body bag by Monki - I bought it purely because it looked a bit like the half-moon bag by A.P.C! I mainly use my jute tote bag from The Future Kept though; Ali bought it for me for Christmas and it's so handy - I like to carry a LOT of stuff (as you can see), and this has room for anything I find when I'm out and about as well.
1. A Hat
I always carry a beanie or bobble hat around with me, unless it's the summer and it's really, really hot. It's partly because I get cold really easily (I'm anaemic), and partly because I'm horribly lazy when it comes to hair in the morning - it's way easier to shove a hat on and not worry about it until after the school run!
2. A Magazine
I always pack my bag like I'm going to be stranded somewhere for a month and need constant entertainment, so there's usually a magazine or two in there. I love loads of different ones, but I've just discovered Woven which is utterly brilliant - it's about art and crafts and creative people, and is just a really good read.
3. My Camera
The one in the picture is actually a stand in, because I was using my normal one to shoot with (if you're into vintage cameras, this is a Halina Rolls, and you can find them on eBay quite easily). I mainly use my Canon EOS-M because it's light and easy to carry, but does almost everything a DSLR does - but if I want to get some really good portrait pictures I take my Canon 400D out with me.
4. Sunglasses
I've got a bit of a thing for sunglasses - my favourites are the Henning classic black by Lines and Current, but I packed them away at the end of last summer and can't find them. Waaah! These ones are from last years collection by Monki.
5. Small Bag
I carry lots of little things around that kept getting lost in the bottom of my bag; lip balm, Rescue Remedy, lavender oil, under-eye concealer (I use Benefit Erase Paste - it's the best!), keys and so on, so I decided to get a small bag to keep it all in. This one is the jute makeup bag from The Future Kept.
6. Notebook
Oh. My. God. I love a notebook. I do. I get through loads of them for work, so I try not to buy anything too nice or expensive - this one was £10 from Paperchase but it's got like a gazillion pages and I love the colour. So there you go.
7. iPad and Case
I was so late to the iPad party, but I eventually got one in a package with my iPhone upgrade and I love it. I do. I read books and magazines on it, post social media updates on it, blog on it, watch TV and listen to the radio on it... basically do pretty much everything I do on a laptop but without the hassle of carrying it around. The case is from Cath Kidston.
8. A Book
Yes, for some reason I carry an actual novel, as well as my magazine and iPad. I don't really know why - it's just a habit I've always had! At the moment I'm reading The Shadow Hour, which is really good - one of those books about old houses and family mysteries. Easy to get lost in!
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 01:26 3 comments
Labels: Style
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
The family sofa: five top tips
When the lovely folks at Argos got in touch and asked if I'd like to be involved in writing about my top tips for choosing a family sofa, I thought yeah, why not? Take a few nice photos of us all curled up together, some of the kiddos and then write about what makes a really good place to park your bum. How hard can that be?
Those three photos sum up quite well why I really don't bother trying to involve my lot in anything; as you can see, it all turned pretty quickly into sofa carnage, which is actually a fairly good representation of our life - noisy, boisterous and downright daft.
I was going to ditch the photos, and threaten the removal of television privileges until all three of them behaved, but then I realised that actually they showed exactly what a family sofa has to go through; wrestling, fighting, leaping, squashing up, settling down, crumbs, spillages and general chaos. I think any sofa that's going to deal with small children needs to do the following:
1. Have removable covers
Your sofa is going to be a dining table, a desk, a place to colour, a sickbed and a craft room - if it has nothing else, it's going to need removable covers that can be washed, and preferably ones that dry fairly quickly as well! (This is doubly important if you've got pets!)
2. Be robust
OK, so it doesn't need to be built like a tank, but it's going to have to withstand some pretty heavy usage. It's going to be a den, a rocket and a wrestling ring, it's going to be pummelled, jumped on and rolled over. Forget anything with flimsy wooden arms - they're not good for using as a horse anyway - because they'll probably end up in a splintery mess.
3. Be spacious
You're going to want to avoid those teeny decorative sofas, and instead go for the biggest thing that fits in the room - if you need to get rid of the rest of the furniture, so be it. If you've got small children, they're almost guaranteed to want to snuggle up on your lap or by your side, even if you've bought them their own mini-armchairs or beanbags. If you've got big children or teenagers, they're going to want to spread out with their friends, so they can grunt at each other in comfort. Basically, there's one size for a family sofa, and that's huge.
4. Have space for storage
It doesn't necessarily need to be built in (is that even a thing with sofas?), but if you've got small children, try looking for a sofa that has some space underneath for keeping toys or games out of sight. It doesn't have to be masses - ours is about 4" off of the floor on sturdy wooden legs, and it's brilliant for hiding away our gazillion jigsaw puzzles.
5. Be a sensible colour
You weren't thinking of choosing a white sofa were you? Or cream? That's lucky, because unless everyone is going to sit on the floor, and you're going to put Police tape around it, the whole thing would be ruined before you could even get the packaging into the recycling bin. Dark colours are the key when you've got children - they hide a multitude of sins, from ice lollies and spilled juice to dropped chocolate (ahem) and spilled paint (double ahem).
Many thanks to Argos for collaborating with me on this post. You can see tips from other lovely bloggers on the Argos website right here.
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 03:08 1 comment
Labels: Interiors
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Daisy turns four
Ben wears: Jumper - H&M, Jeans - Tesco, Shoes - H&M // Daisy wears: Jumper - Tootsa MacGinty, Jeans - H&M, Sneakers - H&M // Mama wears: Jacket - eBay, T-shirt - ASOS, Necklace - Peggy on Folksy, Jeans - H&M, Shoes - H&M.
Last Friday was Daisy's fourth birthday, and we had planned to go to Brighton, but the weather forecast was absolutely grim (I keep looking back at last years photos and it was a heatwave round about now!). We decided in the end to stay local and head off to all of our favourite places instead - which was lucky as we spent half the day dodging heavy rain and hail!
At her request, we ate burgers for lunch, had giant ice-creams on the beach, skimmed stones and waved at the hovercraft, fed two-pence-pieces into the slot machines in the arcades and finished off by riding the carousel in the fairground. Present wise, she had an Elsa dress (God help me), some Duplo, a stuffed cat (the toy variety, as opposed to a piece of taxidermy!), loads of books and some clothes. The lovely folks at Tootsa MacGinty sent her the horse and flamingo sweater in the photos above, which I knew she'd adore - she's been obsessed with flamingos (she used to call them 'Mingos' when she was small, ahhhhh) for ages, and spends a lot of her time either watching My Little Pony or whinnying around the house pretending to be a horse. It's such good quality, and kept her warm on the beach while I was shivering into my eBay coat - if only it came in adult sizes!
In the spirit of honesty, though, there were a few tears; it's tough being four, especially when you're not allowed to stroke every dog that walks past, or you can't go on the fairground ride that's too big for you, or you're full of sugar and tired out and everything is wrong.
'It's my birthday and I'll scream if I want to.'
We did end the day with lots of cuddles and three new stories though, so I think four turned out to be pretty good!
Tootsa MacGinty were kind enough to gift us Daisy's sweater, but I would have bought it for her birthday anyway. Who wouldn't?!
Posted by Victoria Haynes at 04:00 1 comment
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Family Photography
Family photography to most is the most important form of photography. Capturing the right images of your family as they grow is a service Dave Wimble proudly offers his clients.
As a family man Dave has experience working family units of all ages to capture natural family images.


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Singletrack Mountain Bike Magazine October 2009
In this Issue:
The Joy of Filth
Montane Kielder 100
International Basque Force
One Ton Weekend: Natural Trail Centre
Brecon Beacons Routes
Cover Picture: Brian Earl and Todd Hellinga ride the outbacks of Whistler. Photo by Dan Barham.
Contents Picture: Portage! The other kind of riding. Photo by Sim Mainey.
Spineline: A bacon bap a lap
Chipps is back at the helm and inspired to ride.
The Joy of Filth
It's winter soon. Better to embrace it than to fear it. Dave Anderson and the Singletrackworld forum members give advice on how to love the grime! With contributions from: Phil Hodgkiss, Grant Doig, Phil Chaplow, Barney Marsh, Alec McHenry, Nathan Clark and Jason Worswick.
Tod to Dent
100 miles of grit, heading north through Yorkshire.
Bling on the Winter
Ed Oxley saves his best bike for the winter. It's what it was designed for.
Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick –
Inside the nomadic life of a professional bike racer.
Bike Test
Carbon Sussers
– Full suspension carbon bikes from Lapierre, Pronghorn and Santa Cruz.
- Lapierre X-Control 710
- Pronghorn Carbon XC SW
- Santa Cruz Blur XC Carbon
Blame the Dog
Mike Ferrentino takes refuge in his mountain biking memories.
Bike Porn
What better way of bringing back Bike Porn than with Peaty's World Championship bike?
- Santa Cruz V10
Through the Grinder
Eight pages of products put through some real-life wear and tear by the team.
- Chris King External Bottom Bracket
- Knog Beetle & Skink LED Lights
- Giro Saros Helmet
- Continental Rain King 2.5 Tyres
- Mavic Switchback Shoes
- KaaBoom Bike Cleaner and Super Concentrated Bike Cleaner
- Skean Tube Protector
- Schwalbe Dirty Dan 2.35 Tyres
- Maxxis Super Tacky Swamp Thing 2.5 Tyres
- Ice Toolz Crown Race Removal Tool
- Pedros Tyre Levers
- Tifosi Dolomite Eyewear
- Lezyne Floor Drive Pump
- Orange R8 Pro
Montane Kielder 100
The UK's first 100 mile mountain bike race crushed the unprepared and rewarded the fit.
Grouptest: Jackets
Ten riding jackets to help you face the worst of the winter wet.
- Altura Attack Extreme
- Gore Fusion Jacket
- Endura Venturi II Jacket
- Madison Evo
- Mavic Spray
- Mavic Neptune
- Montane Stormrider
- Pace 3×3 eVent
- Altura Sirius Ladies
- Montane Velocity DT Ladies
Everyone needs a shed.
– Andrew Haynes writes in praise of the humble mountain bikers' shed.
One Ton Weekend
Ed Oxley takes his £100 and has a weekend away in the north at a 'natural' trail centre.
Singletrack Propaganda
Buy Singletrack stuff! Lots to treat yourselves with or to hint for the holiday season.
Long Term Test Bikes
The team's sheds show up some radically different machines this issue.
- Salsa Fargo
- Kinesis Decade Virsa
- Cotic BFe
Win a Lupine Tesla light. Small, bright and free to win!
Palmer Violets –
Our Matt writes about his admiration for the iconic Shaun Palmer.
We Rock!
Singletrack was voted 'Consumer Magazine of the Year' by the UK bike industry and we're rightly proud.
In the Balance –
Alex Leigh spends more time than he cares to admit just getting away with things.
Subscribe to Singletrack
There are many ways to subscribe – and we'll give you a free tee if you do.
My life as a bike messenger. –
Roly Lambert gives us a warts and all look at the life of a London messenger.
International Basque Force
Mark takes off to this little-known corner of Spain for some unforgettable riding.
Fitness: Hydration
A 1% drop in hydration gives a 5% drop in performance. Learn more from fitness guru Matt Hart.
Grouptest: 15mm wheels
A half dozen wheels for the eagerly-adopted new 15mm fork standard.
- Crank Bros Cobalt
- DT Swiss E2220
- Hope Pro 2 SP
- Mavic Crossmax ST
- Shimano XT
- Superstar Tech 2 XC Switch
Route Guide: Brecon Beacons
Benji gets towed around the sunny Beacons by top rider Matt Page.
Brecon Beacons route one GPX.
Brecon Beacons route two GPX.
Brecon Beacons route three GPX.
Members' Club
Subscribe to Singletrack. Get discounts here!
And then it all went a bit wrong.


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Upcycled Jewelry
Upcycle old paint chip samples from hardware stores or paint shops to create beautiful, funky pieces of custom-made jewelry! It requires basic elements of jewelry, scissors and imagination to create memorable necklaces and earrings. The paint chips add color, while imagination will lead to a variety of shapes and patterns.
Click to find similar content by grade or subject.
What You Need:
- Paint sample chips from a paint or hardware store
- Scissors, or craft knife
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Hole punch
- Earring hooks
- Jumper rings
- Necklace chain
- Chain clasp
- Pliers
What You Do:
- Have your child start with either the earrings (earring hooks and 2 jumper rings) or necklace (chain, clasp and jumper rings) first. Set the other materials to the side.
- Find two circular objects (like vitamin bottle caps) that can be traced to create shapes for the earrings.
- Have your child trace the caps over the colors of paint chips they choose, tracing two small circles and two medium circles. Then, cut along the lines so they have a total of four circles for both earrings.
- Have her line up a small circle with a medium circle so they both touch at the top. Make a hole punch through both circles. Repeat this for the second set of circles.
- Help your child use pliers to open the jump rings. Have her slide a set of hole-punched paint chips through each jump ring, then attach one jump ring to each earring hook.
- Close the jump ring to finish the earrings.
- Time to create the necklace! Have her attach the chain clasp to the necklace chain.
- Encourage her to experiment with cutting out a variety of shapes on the paint chips.
- Just like she did with the earrings, she will draw her shapes and cut them out with scissors or a craft knife.
- She can use the hole punch to make holes in the shapes depending on how she wants them to hang on the necklace.
- Have her attach the jump rings to her hole-punched paint chips before attaching the jump rings to the necklace. She can continue experimenting with this process until her necklace is complete.


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A recent Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank survey of first homebuyers revealed that half of them said it took up to three years more than they'd planned before they moved into their home.
(PRWEB) May 21, 2014
Real estate investment educator, Rick Otton, has for over a decade shared his out-of-the-box strategies and techniques with everyday people. Whether first homebuyers, investing novices or those experienced in the property investment sphere, he has showed them how investing his way opens up a raft of opportunities.
Following the success of his recent three-day UK property investing conference, Mr Otton has made available his weekly podcast show.
"Buying and selling real estate the old-school way is so last-century," said Mr Otton. "However the traditional financial institutions want to keep us blinkered - unable to see the other innovative opportunities that are at our fingertips."
"I've just read that it takes around 62 hours a month for four months for home hunters to find a home to buy. Then, if they have already saved for years and have the required deposit, they need to go through a bank's loan application process, and the months keep ticking by. It just doesn't have to be this complex or take so long," he said.
A recent Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank survey of first homebuyers revealed that half of them said it took up to three years more than they'd planned before they moved into their home.
Innovative Strategies For Now
Mr Otton's strategies, which are discussed each week in his podcast, focus around matching seller needs with buyer needs, rather than getting caught up in economic climates, interest rates, loans and prices.
Our shows discuss 'How to buy a house without a bank' which includes case studies, 'Student tips to getting started in the property game', a handy cheat sheet 'Four ways to buy property at a discount', and a three-report set on Bargains, Cash Flow Versus Capital, and Student Renovation Secrets.
It is this shift in mindset that Mr Otton believes is key to building a property portfolio that will generate a passive income as well as backend profit.
"I've been teaching my UK students how to do this for over 10 years now, and their stories are up for all to see on my RickOtton.co.uk website. They are exciting to work with because they are creative thinkers who refuse to accept that just the way something was always done in one way, cannot be accomplished in another."
Mr Otton continues to test and implement new strategies that continue to push the boundaries set by tradition, and in the process shares his knowledge at seminars, conferences, podcasts, and through books and digital downloads.
His weekly podcast show can be accessed by visiting creativerealestate.com.au, and UK phone enquiries can be made on 0207 000 1027.
About Rick Otton
Rick Otton is a property investment professional who over the last 20 years, has introduced innovative real estate strategies to the UK, Australia and the United States. His creative 'low-risk, high-reward' approach to buying and selling houses is exemplified in his own business, We Buy Houses.
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Mr Otton introducing his strategies to the UK, and the 5-year anniversary of his innovative 'Buy A House For A Pound' process – one that attempted to be emulated by others. His constant process of strategy refinement, and adapting to the ever-changing real estate market, continues to place him at the forefront of property investment education.
In 2012 Rick Otton published his Australian book 'How To Buy A House For A Dollar' which was named in the list of Top 10 Most Popular Finance Titles for 2013. A UK version is on the drawing board for publication in 2014.
Mr Otton freely shares insights into his non-bank-loan strategies that have allowed everyday UK men and women to beat the rental cycle and have their own homes. He coaches others on how to build profitable businesses by facilitating transactions that focus on the needs of potential buyers and motivated sellers.
Details of Mr. Otton's next UK event are available at RickOtton.co.uk, as are details of Rick Otton's techniques. Phone enquiries in the UK are welcome on 0207 000 1027.


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Pentagon spokesman...said that US forces bombed the jihadists after artillery fire against Kurdish regional government forces defending their capital Arbil
Two US jets hit a mobile artillery piece near Arbil, he said.
Obama ordered US warplanes back into Iraqi skies to stop jihadists from moving into autonomous Kurdistan of northern Iraq
and carrying out a potential genocide against displaced minorities.
originally posted by: MarlinGrace
a reply to: parad0x122
What kind of ignorant fool announces dropping bombs on terrorist before it happens? Nothing like giving them some warning to prepare. Maybe we should drop leaflets first to save some ISIS lives. Just when I think I have seen the breath of one mans idiocy, something like this happens. The leader of the free world is nothing more than the thinker of smallville.
originally posted by: St Udio
a reply to: St Udio
so the first intervention in Iraq is to protect the USA assets in Arbil which is in an ally (Kurdish) territory
so there was no proof that the artillery was from ISIS...it was only that the Kurd City with USA assets was being attacked by aggressors...so there is a built-in pausable-denialibility that the USA sought to fight the Caliphate/ISIS which is frowned upon by the Saudi & the POTUS himself
More recently, Irbil has become a destination in its own right for "the internationals" - the expat employees of multinational firms and aid agencies whose presence in Iraq remains a visible legacy of the US-led invasion.
Global oil giants have been setting up shop in the city, lured by the promise of Iraqi Kurdistan's untapped energy reserves. They have driven up real-estate prices and transformed a dusty backwater into an even dustier boomtown. The sand now is from countless building sites, as well as the nearby desert.


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To most employees job satisfaction is not just about the paycheck.
Fairfield, CT (PRWEB) July 24, 2014
One of the biggest misconceptions about Employee Recognition programs is that they are difficult to structure or maintain. The result of such thinking is that nothing is done and employees feel undervalued and under appreciated. "To most employees satisfaction is not just about the paycheck," says Denise Graziano, President and CEO of Graziano Associates. Psychologist and Philosopher William James once stated that "the deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated." In business, this truth is critical to keeping valuable players performing to their highest potential for the company.
Finding and training new employees is costly, time consuming and disruptive to business. According to Inc. Magazine, the estimates for replacing high level employees can be as high as 150 percent of annual salary. An employee retention article by Deloitte offers that the costs for replacing employees include the hiring process, on-boarding and training, reduced productivity, new employee errors and potential additional exiting staff. A small portion of the HR budget for replacing employees would be far better spent on a formal recognition program.
Once considered optional, this is now a necessary budgetary expense for smooth business operations. Budget sizes can vary greatly, but it must be a formal part of your budget and planning process.
Like many activities, the thought of planning is more daunting than the actual process.
Here are 7 tips to streamline the process:
1. Identify the number of employees and number of anniversary levels to reward. A good example is 1, 3, 5, 10,15, 20 years, et al.
2. Set a budget for each anniversary level. Use any budget that works for you, but understand that gestures that are cheap or given reluctantly can have a negative effect. A good example to model: 1 Yr = $25; 3 Yrs = $50, 5 Yrs = $100, 10 Yrs = $300, 15 Yrs = $500, 20 Years = $750
Remember that recognizing employees with a quality gift to acknowledge their value and contributions to the company is a small price to pay compared with finding a replacement for them.
3. Work with a creative, reputable company that can seamlessly execute this program for you. They should recommend, select and fulfill the gifts. One option is to offer a universal gift that each person receives at that level. A better option is to create a catalog of choices that the employee can select themselves. Gifts should broadly reflect the caliber and culture of the company.
4. Annually, create a list of employees due to celebrate these milestone anniversaries. Provide the list to the firm who is handling it and they will handle the rest. Once the program is established you should have very little to do.
5. The company will then fulfill orders (Ideally in under 2 weeks from order submission.). Recommendations: Have all gifts ship directly to the office to minimize issues with home delivery. It also causes some buzz around the program, when other employees see the gift the recipient received.
6. Annually, gift options should (and will) be refreshed as styles and inventory change.
7. Gifts should be just that, a quality gift. It is possible to create these programs using brand name products at each price point. Quality items will properly reflect your level of appreciation. If using a recognition program, commit to doing it well.
During the year, supplement these formal gifts with hand written notes from a manager, a mention in a company newsletter, or bagels for the department, etc., for a job well done. These ongoing free or low cost gestures maintain the tone of appreciation for your valued employees.
Formal recognition programs motivate, engage and build stronger relationships with your employees. Building relationships on the inside is as important as those on the outside with your clients and partners. These build foundations that strengthen your business.
A strategic thinker and leader with over 27 years of business experience, Denise Graziano is President of Graziano Associates and author of the forthcoming book Once a Client, Always a Client™, and creator of Client Relationship Mastery™, the formula designed to help sales professionals retain clients in today's competitive business landscape. To have Denise Graziano speak to your corporation or sales team, contact her at 203-254-0195. Please visit http://www.grazianoassoc.com for more information.
Graziano Associates is a marketing and promotions firm which helps clients to get the best results from their sales messaging, client retention, employee motivation, event presence, and trade show performance. Founded in 1992, Graziano Associates is based in Fairfield, CT.


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- slide 1 of 7
What are the Advantages of Owning a Mac Over a PC?
It is true that PCs have some advantages over Macs. But for this article, the focus will be on advantages of a Mac vs PC. On to the list of advantages that Apple computers have over Windows-based computers.
- slide 2 of 7
The main difference between Macs and PCs, the operating system, can be seen as an advantage of Macs vs PCs. OS X is a great operating system. It's easy to use, efficient, and features a very friendly user interface. OS X is a completely different animal than Windows or Linux. Windows and Linux are both very good operating systems, but neither of them have the simplicity of OS X. I'm not going to tell you that Macs don't get viruses, because they can. But, there are far less OS X exploit viruses out there than Windows viruses. If you run a lot of programs that are Mac specific, and very few Windows apps, obviously having a Mac is your best bet.
- slide 3 of 7
Operating System Flexibility
If you should ever need Windows/Linux for anything, you can install Windows or Linux on a Mac computer, legally. You cannot however, install OS X on a PC, legally. This is a big advantage of Mac vs PC. Many computer users like to use different operating systems for different things. With Macs, you have the flexibility of OS X+Windows operating systems on one machine. You also have the option of running Windows via Bootcamp, or via a virtual machine, such as VMware Fusion.
- slide 4 of 7
Cosmetically, Macs are extremely well designed computers. They are visually appealing with a "high-end" feel. They have the backlit Apple logo, backlit keyboard, Chiclets-style keys, etc...
Many PCs are well designed as well. Some are visually appealing and have a "high-end" feel... and some have backlit keyboards. But, did the new Sony Vaios and HP Envys get some design inspiration from Apple? Just saying.
- slide 5 of 7
Apple's Innovation
Okay, I know that not everything Apple claims to be innovating actually is... But, they did bring Multi-touch, iTunes, MagSafe, etc... Do you get Dell Tunes and a Dell App Store with a Dell computer?
Apple also gives you the Apple Store - a place where you can take your Mac if anything goes wrong, and there's a good chance it will get fixed.
The Geek Squad is not the best support out there, considering they charge a hefty fee to "optimize" your computer.
- slide 6 of 7
Awesome Compatibility with Other Mac Products
Apple products just work well with each other. Often times, PCs will have compatibility issues with iPhones, iPods, etc... Mac computers don't have that. If you are a big iPhone fan, or the type of person that owns multiple iPods, chances are, you will enjoy owning a Mac computer just as much.
- slide 7 of 7
Good Default Software
Macs come with iLife, which is iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band, iWeb, and iDVD. All of these are pretty decent programs. Windows does have Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, etc... but, many Windows computers also come with a lot of "junk" software as well. Most of the time, you are lucky if you get more than a 30-day trial with most software.
The Benefits of Mac vs. PC
This four part series details the simple differences between Macs and PCs, the advantages of Mac vs PC, and concludes with which is better, Mac or PC.


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Business News
Tampa man guilty of exporting to Iran, violating embargo
TAMPA - A 57-year-old former city of Tampa engineer who resold computers from his home faces the forfeiture of $10 million to the U.S. government and additional penalties for illegally exporting merchandise to Iran. Mohammad Reza "Ray" Hajian, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 18 in U.S. District Court in Tampa. Hajian shipped computer equipment from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates to make it appear he was not violating the U.S. embargo with Iran, court documents said. Hajian faces up to five years in prison on one count of conspiracy to illegally export to Iran, according to his plea agreement.In addition, three companies Hajian operated must forfeit $10 million, which includes proceeds from the sales along with computer equipment and software intended for export that U.S. Customs officials seized. The count against RH International LLC, Nexiant LLC, and P&P Computers for conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transaction Regulations carries a maximum fine of $1 million and special assessments, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney's Office would not speculate on prospects for the recovery of the money from Hajian. Hajian's attorney, James E. Felman of the Tampa firm of Kynes, Markman & Felman, declined comment. Sales of U.S. goods and services to Iran are banned by law without special authorization, and the U.S. government has been aggressively pursuing violations. The Department of Justice issued a report earlier this month outlining more than 280 export enforcement cases to countries, including Iran, China, Mexico and Canada. More than 60 of the cases involved sales to Iran of merchandise ranging from fighter jet parts and military electronics and improvised explosive device components to computer equipment and valves for gas and oil pipelines. Court documents indicate computer equipment Hajian resold through the three companies included Hitachi Data Systems products. The documents did not show any sales to either the Iranian government or military. Hajian's case was sealed on May 2 and unsealed on July 12. He entered a guilty plea Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney's office said Hajian conspired to export equipment without the required U.S. license from as early as 2003 through the autumn of 2011. According to court documents, on one of the shipments in 2009, Hajian emailed a co-conspirator a proposal to sell Hitachi Data Systems equipment for delivery to Iran through the United Arab Emirates. In May 2009, an employee in a business in the United Arab Emirates emailed Hajian with wire transfers receipts totaling $1 million, payment — at least in part — for the computer equipment. Hajian then sent an email to an unnamed co-conspirator in Iran that the sale was for $128,315. In June 2009, Hajian made a shipment to the United Arab Emirates, "knowing that this shipment was destined for Iran and also caused the value of the shipment … to be significantly understated on export documentation," court documents said. In August 2009, Hajian traveled to Iran to meet with the co-conspirator. Afterward, he provided a document to Hitachi and an unnamed Florida company from which he bought equipment that contained paperwork, which Hajian knew indicated a false user of the equipment, according to court documents.
[email protected] (813) 259-7817
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This is a digital file
Black Sheep 4x4 for Machine EmbroideryThis is an instant download. You will receive a download link with your emailed receipt or you may lopg in to your account and go to your purchases to download files once payment has been verified.This design is for 4x4 hoop or larger. Please check shop for design in 5x7 hoop size.3.01 x 3.93 - 7,251 stitchesFormats Included in Zip File:DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, VIP, XXXEmbird Color Palette File IncludedIf you need any other file than what is listed, please contact me.
We accept PayPal and money orders/cashier checks. No personal checks will be accepted...sorry!.
Because of the nature of electronic designs, refunds are not offered. However, should you encounter any problem with a corrupt download file, we will replace it via email. This being said, our ultimate goal is for you to be happy with your purchase and should you have any problems with them, please contact me.
Copyright Policy and Terms of Use:By purchasing and/or downloading designs from Willow's Embroidery Nook, You Are Agreeing To Abide By The Copyright Laws That Protect Them. All of the designs listed under Willow's Embroidery Nook, are copyrighted and protected by law. By purchasing these designs you are agreeing to the terms of this copyright. The original purchaser has permission to use the "STITCHED OUT" designs for personal items, gifts, and items for sale. The artwork, photos, and digitized designs remain the property of the designer and/or the artist. Please DO NOT copy, share, give away, trade, upload, email, repackage, bundle, sell or otherwise transfer or distribute any part of the designs, photos or artwork by any means or in any format without express written permission from Willow's Embroidery Nook. This applies to both FREE and PURCHASED designs. Minor alterations, such as changing colors and resizing, are permitted. You are free to sell or give as gifts, items with the "FINISHED" stitched out designs. Willow's Embroidery Nook will not be held liable for any damages or losses incurred as a result of using any of these designs. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me . As with all digital media, ALL SALES ARE FINAL.


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Nicholas D. Kristof writes in the New York Times:
Here's a window into a tragedy within the American military: For every soldier killed on the battlefield this year, about 25 veterans are dying by their own hands.
An American soldier dies every day and a half, on average, in Iraq or Afghanistan. Veterans kill themselves at a rate of one every 80 minutes. More than 6,500 veteran suicides are logged every year — more than the total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined since those wars began.
These unnoticed killing fields are places like New Middletown, Ohio, where Cheryl DeBow raised two sons, Michael and Ryan Yurchison, and saw them depart for Iraq. Michael, then 22, signed up soon after the 9/11 attacks.
"I can't just sit back and do nothing," he told his mom. Two years later, Ryan followed his beloved older brother to the Army.
Read More: New York Times


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Two long-time employees of Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Our Lady of Peace Nursing Care Residence were honored Tuesday with St. Louise de Marillac Service Awards. Named in honor of the Roman Catholic saint who worked side-by-side with St. Vincent de Paul in the 17th century, the award focuses on recognizing those who serve others.
The 2013 honorees were Pamela Stogner (right), social work case manager in patient resource management at Mount St. Mary's, and Dale Dibble, director of environmental services and maintenance at Our Lady of Peace.


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Missing Woman Died from Hypothermia
SCRANTON– The Lackawanna County coroner said an autopsy done today revealed a missing Scranton woman died from hypothermia.
Sharon Price, 62, was legally blind and had other medical issues. She had been missing since October 27 after leaving a hair salon on Luzerne Street.
Investigators said workers found her body Friday afternoon down a ravine about eight blocks from where she was last seen.
Police continue to investigate.


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Quantitatively Augmented QFD-HOQ
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a process to translate the Voice of the Customer (VOC) into the technical will of the enterprise. QFD is an integral step in the flowdown of customer requirements into the product system, subsystem(s), components and manufacturing processes. The House of Quality (HOQ) is a fundamental element of the QFD process, which provides a framework to relate customer attributes to engineering characteristics at the product architecture level. This paper presents the advantages and limitations of the symbols and weighting schemes used in constructing the relationship matrix in the classical House of Quality of the Quality Function Deployment process. The selection of the weighting scheme for function flowdown during the early design phase impacts the prioritization of engineering characteristics. A simple example using an nxn matrix is provided to illustrate the impact. A methodology is proposed to augment QFD-HOQ with principles used in vector matrix algebra and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to enable the selection of the right engineering characteristics.
Recommended Citation
V. K. Jikar et al., "Quantitatively Augmented QFD-HOQ," SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers ), Jan 2007.
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
HOQ; House of Quality; QFD; Quality Function Deployment; Voice of the Customer
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
File Type
© 2007 SAE International (Society of Automotive Engineers ), All rights reserved.


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Action Now Institute—Happy 6th Birthday
"Celebrating 6 Years of Building Collective Power"
Date: Tuesday, October 18th / Time: 6:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: Lagunitas Brewing Company—2607 W. 17th Street, Chicago, IL 60608
Dear Friend,
I'm writing to invite you to the Action Now Institute's Happy 6th Birthday Party on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. "Celebrating 6 Years of Building Collective Power"— The mission of ANI is to educate, inspire and empower residents of Illinois' low-and-moderate income communities to take a public stance on the issues that affect their neighborhoods, city and state. We have been involved in local and regional issues, including foreclosure prevention, anti-predatory lending, minimum wage campaigns, as well as educational justice training.
We have accomplished a great deal during the past year, and have much to celebrate. Please visit our website at www.actionnowinstitute.org to check out our most recent accomplishments. While at our website, you can also register for the event; make a cash or a silent auction donation. This will be a festive evening, filled with games, food, beer, a silent auction, raffles, and other fun activities to celebrate recent ANI milestones.
We look forward to your attendance, and you can also help us celebrate 6 years of unwavering success in supporting communities by helping to sponsor the event.
The levels of event sponsorship are as follows:
- $3,000—Gold Candles (includes program book acknowledgement, full-page color and 10 tickets);
- $2,000—Silver Candles (includes program acknowledgement, half page color ad and 5 tickets);
- $1,000—Blue Candles (includes program acknowledgement, quarter-page color ad and 2 tickets
You can also take out an ad in our program book. Ad specifications are:
A Full Page Ad—$500 (Color Ad); $350 (Black/White)
Quarter Page Ad—$250 (Black/White);
Program Back Cover (Color Ad—$1,000).
Please contact Randall Baker, ANI Resource Development Specialist at (312) 286-9156, or at firstname.lastname@example.com with any question you may have. Checks should be made payable to Action Now Institute. Our mailing address is: 820 West Jackson Boulevard, Ste. 330, Chicago, IL 60607. The deadline for proper recognition of sponsorship is October 3, 2016.
Please come out on Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 to help us "Celebrate 6 Years of Building Collective Power"
Thanks in advance for your support.
Katelyn Johnson, Executive Director
Annie Harris, ANI Board President


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Hello to everyone,
this is my first post.
Someone gave me a "broken" md-253. It turns itself on but only blinks the leds: no webinterface, no ip ecc ecc
I cracked it open and connected the serial port to my bus pirate: the bootloader starts but the operating system won't load.
I set up a tftp server and tried to boot from there with no luck.
Someone can please give me a list of commands to boot an image, or reflash the nas from uboot? I searched the section with no luck...
Thank you in advance!
Recover from flash error
MD-253 & MD-500 Discussion
Post Reply
1 post • Page 1 of 1
Post Reply
1 post • Page 1 of 1


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I am always at a loss as to what to feed my kids for snacks. I have teenagers, and they can wolf down just about anything I throw at them. The problem is what can I fix them that will satisfy their cravings and still be somewhat healthy?
My answer? Triscuit Snack Crackers.
I love how easy these snacks are to prepare! Serve them with a delicious hummus dip, cheese, or simply by themselves. They hold up well in lunch boxes and are a great source of whole grain to make sure you are getting your food groups in.
About Triscuit Snacks
Triscuit, which has always started with three simple, quality ingredients – 100% Whole Grain Wheat, Oil and Salt, and has no artificial flavors. Triscuit boasts its Triscuit Thin Crisps variety which are ideal for nutritious after school snacking – on the go or straight out of the box! Less dense and crispier than regular Triscuit crackers, Triscuit Thin Crisps provide 23 grams of whole grain per serving – nearly half the 48 grams of whole grain recommended per day by nutrition experts.
Triscuit Minis start with the same real ingredients of Original Triscuit, but their smaller shape makes them perfect for back-to-school lunches. Pack the kids' brown paper bags with Triscuit Minis as a bite-size snack and toss the rest on your cool summer salad for an extra crunch. Triscuit Minis offers a remarkable 28 crackers per serving.
Enter to win a Triscuit Snack Pack
One (1) lucky reader will win a Triscuit Snack Pack with all the varieties listed above. Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter this giveaway. New to Rafflecopter? Watch this 45-second video on how to enter!
This is just one of our giveaways running every day in August for our Back To School Giveaway 2012. Please see the main Back To School Giveaway 2012 page for a full list of daily giveaways.


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Labor Sale: Microlite74 Ultimate Edition (and others) 25% Off
Posted by Randall Labels: DnD, Microlite74, old school
It's Labor Day and that sounds like a great time for a sale. The Microlite74 Ultimate Edition is now 25% off on DrivethruRPG/RPGNow. All our other products (that are not already "pay what you want") are also on sale at 25% off.
- Microlite74 Basic Digest/Epub
Now $1.49 (Regularly $1.99)
- Microlite74 Standard Digest/Epub
Now $2.24 (Regularly $2.99)
- Microlite74 Extended Digest/Epub
Now $2.99 (Regularly $3.99)
- Microlite74 Swords & Sorcery 2e Digest/Epub
Now $5.24 (Regularly $6.99)
- Microlite74 Ultimate Edition Digest/Epub
Now $7.46 (Regularly $9.99)
This sale runs through Tuesday September 5th at 9am CDT.
Please Support BX Advanced with a Donation: If you would like to have access to the BX Advanced playtest rules (as well as other donor files -- like free copies of all the "for sale" Retroroleplaying publications), you can make a donation towards my wife's medical fund (old oral cancer bills and more current MS-related bills). Donations to the RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund for $10 or more will also earn a listing as a sponsor in the BX Advanced rulebook. A donation of $10 gets a Bronze Donor listing. ($25+ earns a Copper Donor listing, $50+ Silver, $100+ Gold, 200+ Platinum, 300+ Electrum, $500+ Adamantine) -- see the sidebar for a list of donors so far. If you would like to sponsor BX Advanced with a donation, you can send a donation in any amount -- small or large -- to the RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund via Paypal.
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K-POP WEDNESDAY: The 25th Seoul Music Awards, with EXO, iKON, SISTAR, Ailee, VIXX, and more!
One of the hottest K-pop events of the year, the 25th Seoul Music Awards, just aired in Korea on the evening on January 14, and you can now watch the full show subbed in English on DramaFever! Take a look!
As one of the world's biggest entertainment events, the Seoul Music Awards showcases the year's most popular acts, putting the power of the vote in fans' hands. Featuring memorable performances, 2015's biggest idols compete within eight categories and are awarded by a combination of popular vote, digital sales, and official judging. Who will win the top title this year?
List of Performances (in alphabetical order):
Ailee - Worth It, Failed Standing Leg Raise, and Mind Your Business
Apink - Remember
BoA - The Shadow and Kiss My Lips
BtoB - It's Okay
BTS - Run and Dope
EXID - Hot Pink
EXO - Call Me Baby and Love Me Right
GFriend - Intro and Me Gustas Tu
Hong Jin Young - Cheer Up
Hyukoh - Wing Wing
iKON - Apology and Dumb and Dumber
Jang Jae In & Wonwoo - Auditory Hallucination
MFBTY with Rap Monster, Chanyeol, Wendy - Angel, Buckubucku, and Bang Diggy Bang Bang
Monsta X - Trespass
Red Velvet - Dance Break and Dumb Dumb
San E & Kang Min Hee - Me You and Sour Grapes
Seventeen - Rock and Adore U
SHINee - Love Sick and View
SISTAR - Shake It
Taeyeon - I
VIXX - Chained Up
Zion.T - Yanghwa Bridge
Watch Now


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"Un parto muy sensitivo." That was the call from the play-by-play announcer on the SAP channel of the World Series broadcast when Pudge Rodriguez took a ball to the crotchal region. Do you know how I know that? Because that's the call I was listening to last night.
It's a win all the way around. I circumvent Joe Buck and McCarver, who apparently think that the majority of the world is watching their first game of the season–or their first ever, and I utilize my education and get culture. That inning So Taguchi scored the solamente carrera for the Cardinales. And I get to hear Manny Mota do color commentary. And when I think of Manny Mota, I think of Airplane. And I laugh.
7 years of Spanish in school and almost 14 years working in restaurants. Yo puedo hablar and escribir espanol muy bien. And never was it so practical as it was anoche when I had an epiphany and pushed el boton pequeno on my remote control.
Preston Wilson—peligroso! Un mas y los Cardinales se arriba dos juegos a uno en el Serio Mundial! It was great. El jugador del partido Chevrolet…Jim Edmonds. Oh! Chris Carpenter…Chris Carpenter. Well, everyone makes mistakes.
A lot of people think SAP stands for spanish on their remote. It actually means Secondary Audio Program. It can be used for foreign language or even teletext, which is descriptive commentary for the blind on regular programs. But I do wonder–why is it when you turn on a Spanish TV channel and hit SAP you don't get an English translation? Doesn't seem fair.
But for now I rejoice. Mi problemas se fue. Adios Joe Buck.
Technorati tags: Joe Buck / Tim McCarver / World Series / Tigers / Cardinals


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ZSR Ambassadors
ZSR Ambassadors is a one-year student leadership opportunity that allows a group of students to make a lasting impact on campus.
What Do ZSR Ambassadors Do?
ZSR Ambassadors:
- Suggest ways to improve the student experience within ZSR Library by participating in monthly meetings and focus groups
- Publicize and work at library events, such as the Wake the Library, Dean's List Gala, Find Your Nerd Herd, and guest lectures & exhibits
- Promote library services and resources to students in residence halls, classes, and beyond
The ZSR Ambassador program provides undergraduate and graduate students with leadership skills, professional connections, project management, marketing skills and the opportunity to make a positive impact to the ZSR Library.


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It is hard to believe this type of Menu is actually available at a Wine Tasting
Buffalo, New York (PRWEB) February 13, 2013
Gates Circle Wine & Liquor Announces The Most Unique Food & Wine Dinner on Sunday, February 17th at Butterwood Sweet & Savory in The Hotel Lafayette. What is unique about this event is that is combines the ever popular Wine Tasting of one of the Top Liquor Stores in Buffalo with a Fine Dining Menu and one of the most popular Chef's in Buffalo.
Gates Circle Wine & Liquor are having a Food & Wine Dinner at Butterwood Sweet & Savory in The Hotel Lafayette on Sunday, February 17th at 5pm. There will be resident expert, Dave Zmitrewicz and Chef Scott Donhausser who will sit down and try all the wines personally to ensure the most appropriately delicious combinations. There will also be a chance for attendees to pre order any of the wines tasted that evening at largely discounted prices.
It is hard to believe this type of Menu is actually available at a Wine Tasting but here is a sampling:
The Menu
Aperitif: Mitolo Vermentino paired with assorted hors d'oeuvres.
First Course: Di Lenardo unoked Chardonnay paired with Scallop Nicose, French beans, hard boiled quail egg, spiced olives & fried anchovy.
Second Course: Tscharke Tempranillo paired with Aussie paella with crawfish, Tasmainian salmon roe, loin of rabbit, duck sausage and goat cheese saffron rice.
Third Course: Heartland Dolcetto/Lagrein paired with smoked lamb loin, sour cherry and green peppercorn sauce, potatoes Anna, buttered brussell sprouts.
Dessert: Cline Late Harvest Mourvedre paired with sticky bread pudding with rhubarb ice cream
About Gates Circle Wine & Liquor Store
Founded by Jack Carscallen shortly after Prohibition, Gates Circle Wine & Liquor Store is a family owned business operating under third generation management.
The history of the store is to bolster the community and stay loyal to customers by providing a large selection of rare and fine wines with the staff to back them up. The Temperature Controlled Wine Room is dedicated to high end vintages and the consumer can browse the employee picks and find a palate of any choosing. The staff works hard at tasting and comparing, doing the best job to stock shelves with the best bang for the buck, no matter what that buck may be. It is hard work, but Gates is willing to do it so the consumer doesn't have to. The Staff is incredibly knowledgeable, intelligent, honest, and friendly. Visit Gates Circle Wine and Liquor at http://www.gatescircleliquor.com .