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Bart's Blog
A poem that reminds me…
As a young man, I ran a ministry called Kingdomworks, which recruited Christian college students to spend their summers in inner-city churches, organizing day-camps for children. Since becoming a humanist, I've heard from many of my former volunteers. Some are confused or disappointed by my transition, but others are thrilled that I've not only joined them on the other side of faith, but also have begun to communicate a new – to us at least – way of joyfully living for love and justice.
Yesterday I received a beautiful note from one of them, who said she'd found a poem that reminded her of my Christianity. Given who reads this blog, I reckon it may speak for some of you too.
Failing and Flying
by Jack Gilbert
Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It's the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
Like being there by that summer ocean
on the other side of the island while
love was fading out of her, the stars
burning so extravagantly those nights that
anyone could tell you they would never last.
Every morning she was asleep in my bed
like a visitation, the gentleness in her
like antelope standing in the dawn mist.
Each afternoon I watched her coming back
through the hot stony field after swimming,
the sea light behind her and the huge sky
on the other side of that. Listened to her
while we ate lunch. How can they say
the marriage failed? Like the people who
came back from Provence (when it was Provence)
and said it was pretty but the food was greasy.
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph.
A conversation with a student called Ray
A few days ago I met one of my favorite USC seniors for breakfast. Ray is not usually awake before 10 am, so I considered it a compliment that he rolled out of bed for me. I'd have been more flattered if he'd combed his hair as well, but that's really just bald man jealousy on my part. In any case, soon enough we were up to our ears in the kind of conversation that makes this work both meaningful and a little bit scary.
We started out talking about Ray's classes, but as is often the case with seniors, the conversation quickly turned to his plans for after graduation, which include a tour of Europe, an internship in Southeast Asia, and a PhD program before long. Ray was already committed to loving relationships and social justice when I met him last year, and it's been a joy to watch him grow as a humanist ever since. I'm not sure what he'll do for a living, but there's no doubt in my mind that he'll spend his life making things better for other people. In the meantime, though, I've been kind of curious about his love life. After all, for better and worse, romantic relationships are often where the action is when it comes to defining values and pursuing goodness in an intentional way.
In this case, I knew Ray had broken up with his steady girlfriend last semester, and he'd made no secret of the fact that lately he'd been having a lot of fun with a smartphone app called Tinder, which is most often used by young adults looking for immediate, no-strings-attached sexual encounters. So then, I asked him to explain how all that stuff actually works real life. I quickly discovered that he'd met up with nearly a dozen strangers in the past month and had sex with roughly half of them. They were all nice people, he said, but none of them – including him – had expressed any interest in getting together again. It was all just for the moment, just for fun.
If you think I'm working up to some kind of aggrieved moral judgment here, well, think again. I won't deny that that kind of casual, technology-enabled sexual promiscuity freaks me out a little bit, or even that it makes me sad sometimes, but the older I get, the more aware I am that my sensibilities are anything but objective, and that what worked in my day doesn't necessarily work so well for my young friends. Slowly but surely, I'm learning that my job here is to lovingly ask more and better questions rather than trying to force my one-size-fits-all answers down everybody else's throats.
Fortunately, I'd just finished reading Sherry Turkle's now book, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age, which has a whole chapter on the ways new technologies are reshaping our romantic relationships, and I'd just listened to podcast of Barry Schwartz's TED talk about the paradox of choice, which explains how having too many options causes people to be less satisfied with whichever one they choose, so I had loads of good questions for Ray and me to wrestle with together. We wondered about the long term effects of an unlimited supply of easily available sexual partners. We speculated about the dangers of commoditizing – and being commoditized in return by – other human beings. Ray openly described his eagerness for a lifetime partnership like his parents', and I observed how many of the most important qualities of Marty's and my marriage wouldn't show up or be valued in today's dating economy. While I took care not to criticize Ray's desires, I pushed hard for him to think more carefully about how well his day-to-day behavior lined up with his overall values and goals in life.
"This was a great conversation," he said as after we finished. "Honestly, you're the first older person I've heard who doesn't just seem jealous about not having this kind of access to recreational sex back in the day." He paused for a moment, before adding, "Anyway, thanks for being here, and not just today. You've changed a lot of lives, you know. Someday me and the rest of us students are going to start making money, and when that happens you'll have all the support you need for this chaplaincy." Then, as we hugged goodbye, he added, "I just hope you can hold on until then."
That's what I hope too, of course, which is why I'm still raising money for the chaplaincy on the one hand, and looking for a paying job that keeps me close to campus on the other. There's no way I'm going to give up this kind of campus ministry. We're not just building a warm and wonderful humanist community here, after all; we're raising up a new generation of thoughtful, loving, proactive humanist leaders, who will spread out and do lots of good all over the world.
On being 'ministers'
Ever since I became a humanist, I've been trying to work the word 'ministry' into the secular lexicon. After all, almost every government but ours calls its various departments 'ministries' (and their heads 'ministers') because they tend to the various needs of its citizens. Plain and simple, ministry is a great descriptor of effective, intentional care or service, whether or not it has anything to do with believing in God.
There are lots of words like that. Fellowship, mission, monastic, and even spirituality could all be helpfully utilized by secular community builders if we weren't so afraid of being confused with our supernaturalist counterparts. Mind you, I don't want to take those words away from anybody; I want to share them with everybody who's doing what we're doing, which is bringing people together to intentionally pursue goodness, love and justice.
This thought came to mind again today when one of my humanist pals alerted me to this post by one of my Christian heroes, Hugh Hollowell, who cares for homeless people in Raleigh-Durham, NC in the most beautiful way:
The best ministry advice I ever got, way back at the very beginning. I was so scared, and sinking. So I sent an email…
Posted by Hugh L. Hollowell on Friday, January 15, 2016
Hugh knows I don't believe in God anymore, and he also knows I stand by every word I wrote to him back when I did. Make no mistake; we're all called to be ministers, if not by God, then by the better angels of our natures. Thanks Hugh.
On hosting the Sunday Assembly Los Angeles
Dear friends,
In 1893, the centerpiece of Chicago's World Fair was the White City, fourteen neoclassical masterpieces carefully arranged around a large reflecting pool by architect Daniel Burnham, who knew from the start that the whole thing would be torn down as soon as the fair was over. Certainly Burnham must have been grateful for the opportunity to see his vision work so beautifully in practice, but I'll bet he hated to see it end, too, and wondered if and when he'd get the chance to actualize it again in a better, more permanent way.
Then again, maybe I'm projecting, since that's how I've been feeling ever since last weekend's Sunday Assembly in Hollywood, where I finally got to orchestrate a big secular community gathering just the way I wanted…and it worked!
Here's the story: Two English comedians on their way to a gig started talking about the idea of a church without God, and two years later Sunday Assemblies have sprung up all over the world, mixing what they call 'the best bits of church' with pop songs and science to celebrate life in a secular way. Marty and I attended one of those gatherings here in Los Angeles, and afterwards a few Sunday Assembly leaders innocently asked for some feedback. As you can imagine, I proceeded to wear those folks out with my big ideas until they decided the best way to get rid of me was to just let me run a meeting myself.
For starters, Marty and I organized our family and friends – including a bunch of my USC students – to show up early to help set up and, more importantly, greet each and every participant in a warm, friendly way. We had a pianist play upbeat music as people came into the meeting hall, too, and every chair got filled, so the room seemed full. Even before the program started, the positive energy was terrific.
At 11 o'clock Ian Dodd, who helped found Sunday Assembly LA, got up to welcome everyone, introduce me and let people know they might notice a few changes that morning. Then I introduced Maggie Wheeler and the Golden Bridge Community Choir, and the first of those changes became apparent because, instead of pop songs, Maggie quickly got us all singing, "If we want hope to survive in this world today, then every day we have to work on…teach on, march on, and sing on!" in a loud, soulful way. By the time they sat down and Ian returned, it felt like we really were all in this thing together.
The whole program was planned that way. Instead of just announcing the Heal the Bay service project, Ian invited 8-year-old Victoria on stage to read her heartfelt personal invitation, which made everyone want to hug her. Then someone else welcomed all the newcomers to join her for lunch afterwards, before an obviously nervous young man took the microphone to share the touching story of his lonely migration from ultra-orthodox Judaism to secular humanism, and his gratitude for the understanding friendships he's finally found through Sunday Assembly. By the time we were asked to stand and greet each other, people all had lots to talk about. Then, after the collection was taken, it was my turn to speak.
My talk was mainly about learning to live out our values instead of arguing our beliefs, but honestly, for most of the people in that room, what I said mattered a whole lot less than the way I said it. You see, despite having no remaining supernatural inclinations, it turns out I'm still a strait-up evangelist.
It's not just because I talk with my hands, tell stories and make jokes. It's not because I know how to work a crowd, either. No, I'm still an evangelist because I still walk on stage fully convinced that what I'm offering will make your life better, and openly aiming to motivate you in that direction. In other words, I speak with passion, like I've got good news. Not surprisingly, that's a big problem for lots of secular people, even when they agree with everything I say.
I can't blame them for being suspicious, of course. After all, we've all heard way too many phony, absurd, shameful, and exploitative messages from people who sound just like me. The fact that I'm encouraging people to make the most of this life in a rational way – by building loving relationships, doing meaningful work and cultivating a genuine sense of wonder and gratitude – is beside the point. For those of us who have been harmed by it, any kind of emotional manipulation can be deeply troubling.
And yet we go to the movies. We ride roller coasters. We smile when our significant others dim the lights and cue up the slow jams. Strange as it sounds, when we know and trust what's going on, we actually enjoy being artfully frightened, thrilled, turned on, and even saddened sometimes. Likewise, at weddings, funerals and other ceremonies, we purposely set the stage for true emotions that we know will be good for us.
Frankly, that's what I was going for with the whole program at Sunday Assembly. My goal was to inspire everyone there to want to build the kind of loving, missional, secular community that can heal broken lives and transform all of us – and especially our children – into better, happier people. I didn't just want them to think it. I wanted them to feel it in their bones.
I said at the beginning that my event orchestration worked, but really, who knows? Everyone seemed to have a great time together, and more Assemblers than ever stuck around afterwards to chat, but I can't imagine there weren't plenty of mixed feelings. Honestly, I have no idea what the leaders of Sunday Assembly will make of our little experiment. All I know for sure is that I got a fleeting glimpse of the humanist community I've been dreaming about since I left the church, and the experience was so exciting that I hated to see it end.
Here's a hopeful thought: Ephemeral though it was, the White City inspired a revolutionary approach to urban planning that transformed great metropolises and smaller towns around the world. Mind you, I can't guarantee that someday there will be vibrant secular communities positively transforming lives in all those cities and towns, but I will say this much: If there are, I already know what they look like.
PS If you'd like to support this kind of community building, just click here to make a donation to the Humanist Chaplaincy of Los Angeles.
On my first year at USC
Dear Friends,
I've been the Humanist Chaplain at USC for nearly a year now, and in a few months I'll be the Humanist Chaplain at UCLA as well. I need to raise money for both those projects, but I'm new to Los Angeles and hardly anyone really gets my idea of building a relational campus ministry to inspire secular young people to make the most of their lives. Nevertheless, after slowly amassing a fairly large collection of potential supporters, I've sent you precisely zero letters about what I'm doing here. Seriously, what's my problem?
I mean, it would be easy enough to describe jump-starting USC's Secular Student Fellowship by speaking in classes, organizing community dinners, participating in academic forums and public ceremonies, networking with like-minded staff and faculty, and meeting with a steady stream of bright, energetic young people. Or to add that because both my 'deconversion' and my new role have been so widely publicized, I'm counseling all kinds of other people about pursuing goodness and building community on the other side of faith.
But none of that stuff captures the heart of what's happening here.
For that I'd need to tell you a story about this work making a difference in somebody's life, the way I did when I was an urban missionary. Unfortunately, these days most of my stories are about hyper-connected university students, who would surely discover me writing about them and lose their sense of safety, no matter how carefully I disguised their identifying details.
All I can share, really, are the things we talk about. You know, like their families, their roommates, and their significant others. What they believed growing up versus what they believe now. The meaning of life. Managing stress. What they're studying and what they hope to do with it once they graduate. Managing anxiety. The origins of the Universe. The meaning of life. How to work for social justice. Sexuality. The meaning of life.
Seriously, my college students talk a lot about the meaning of life, which, strange as it sounds, means I end up talking a lot about the reality of death. Because, after all, for those of us who don't believe in eternal life, it is only the scarcity of our days which makes them infinitely valuable, and which demands we decide how best to spend them.
Honestly, those conversations are usually great fun, partly because they always lead to the consideration of maximum happiness, and partly because my student friends are so very young. Occasionally, however, we must face together the actual death of a loved one, who suddenly has no more days to decide. In those moments, I often quote these lines of Robert Ingersoll:
The idea of immortality, that like a sea has ebbed and flowed in the human heart, with its countless waves of hope and fear, beating against the shores and rocks of time and fate, was not born of any creed, nor of any religion. It was born of human affection, and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death. It is the rainbow – hope, shining on the tears of grief.
And yet there is one thing of which I am certain, and that is that if we could live forever here, we would care nothing for each other. The fact that we must die, the fact that the feast must end, brings our souls together and treads out the weeds from the paths between our hearts. And so it may be after all that love is a little flower that grows on the crumbling edge of the grave. So it may be that were it not for death there would be no love, and without love all life would be a curse.
I share those obviously antique words because I want my students to feel the urgency to connect, not only with one another, but also with the world around them, and with themselves. And because I want them to start learning to set their grief beside their joy in a place of honor, instead of hiding it away. And because I want to show them that our kind of warm, compassionate, community-building secular humanism is nothing new.
No, the only new thing here is my wife Marty and me, reaching out to secular students at USC and UCLA in an organized, proactive way, and asking you to help. Honestly, as much as we love this work, Marty and I can't keep funding the Humanist Chaplaincy of Los Angeles out of our own savings. Don't worry, eventually the young people we serve will graduate and support this chaplaincy because it touched their lives. In the meantime, however, if you value this good work, please make a tax-deductible donation to keep it growing.
Bart Campolo
An inspiring message at USC
An unexpected benefit of being the only openly secular campus minister at USC was being asked to offer a reading amidst the pomp and circumstance of this year's Baccalaureate Service. As you can see here the ceremony itself was quite impressive. My reading of my friend Gretta Vosper's prayer shows up at 14:00, but by far the best part of the evening was Pico Iyre's inspiring (and equally secular) message, which begins at 31:00. In it Iyre tells a fabulous story about the musician Leonard Cohen on his way to encouraging the rest of us to pursue the fullest kind of life. If you didn't get to hear a truly inspiring graduation speech this season, here's your chance.


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Dot Grid 101: Design A Life You Love | Course Only
Dot Grid 101: Design A Life You Love | Course Only
$ 79.00
Layouts taught in this course are perfectly designed to fit on our Archer and Olive dot grid journals. If you are using another brand, layouts will need to be modified.
Dot Grid 101: Design a Life You Love is the perfect course for those who've never picked up a dot grid journal before. Or maybe you have, but immediately put it down, because where do you even begin?! By the end of this course, you'll not only know how to use the dot grid journal, you'll have the skills to plan (and achieve) your goals. You'll learn simple, practical ideas, that will inspire you to make positive change in your life. Take charge of your time, and design a life you love!
What's included in this course?
- Over 100 pages of content in a downloadable PDF, so you can learn at your own pace
- Access to our private Facebook group where you can post questions, share layouts, and get inspired
- Step by step instruction on 18 unique layouts, and the skills to apply what you've learned into creating your own layouts
- Over 10 pages of doodling instruction, so you can decorate your dot grid like a pro!
- Tons of inspiration
- The skills required to take charge of your time, and start designing a life you love.
Who will benefit most from this course?
- Those who want to try dot grid journaling, but don't know where to being
- Those who worry their artistic skills will hold them back
- Those struggling to find five free minutes in their day

subset: commoncrawl


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Holiday lights glistened in the background and the moon sparkled above 13-year-old Isabella Paciletti as she zipped around an outdoor ice-skating rink at Saturday's opening of Hoffman's Chocolates' 27th Annual Winter Wonderland.
"It's fun to have the rink outside in Florida since it's not that cold," Isabella, of Greenacres, said catching her breath as she stepped off the ice. "It's a very fun experience."
Officials from Hoffman's and the Florida Panthers cut the ribbon in front of the Panthers in Palm Beach Ice Skating Rink, which is the latest addition to the Winter Wonderland. The 2,400-square-foot rink, which is kept at 32 degrees, drew about 40 people within the first hour of opening.
"It was definitely a risky decision to do this, but we worked hard and the product is good," said Grant Levins, the outdoor rink manager. "The people love it and come back happy."
This year there are more than 125,000 LED lights illuminating arctic scenes of polar bears and penguins, a nativity scene, several Christmas trees, a glowing Hanukkah display and more.
Recommended for you
Recommended for you
Recommended for you
"The lights are amazing," exclaimed 4-year-old Emma Busekrus, of Coconut Creek. "That was my first favorite thing about today." Emma's mom, Amy, added that she and her family have been coming for the past five years, and every year it "gets better."
Besides more lights and the rink, Hoffman's added food vendors so patrons can enjoy a variety of snacks in between skating and light-gazing.
"It's our first time here, but we saw the event on Facebook," said Heather Robinson, of West Palm Beach. "We love it. It's been great and [my daughter] loves the lights."
While the opening night drew a couple hundred people, regional vice president of Hoffman's Chocolates, Randall Vitale, says they are expecting a lot more people as the holiday season nears and with Santa and Mrs. Claus making their debut on Friday.
"I think tonight is a little early for some to be thinking about Christmas. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, though, it's a hundred miles per hour here," said Vitale. "This is a gift for us and to the community. We are so happy to do it every year."
Hoffman's Winter Wonderland is open through Dec. 30, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Admission is free.


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Home Owner in Cutler Bay
Cleaning and kepping a house 4 d a week, doing laundry for 2 persons in a four/ fourr BB performing Housekeeping duties, with guarantee excellent service, Professional, Loyality, Trustworthiness. services includes but are not limited to being Highly skilled in sweeping, dusting, scrubbing, moping, washing, vacuuming and waxing. I possess In-depth knowledge of cleaning methods, Hands-on experience to operate Housekeeping equipment. , be able to understand and follow all safety precautions and work related directions. , Keep bathroom supplied with papertowels, and soap, Collect and disposing of waste and garbage. ,I understand and repect the privacy needs of different customers within a household!
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Notes made here will only be seen by you. If you want to message the owner of this listing
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The police state scored another victory last week. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hudson v. Michigan that, if cops ignore the legal requirement to knock before invading an American's castle, well, it doesn't matter. They can still snatch up whatever they want as evidence, and such evidence can be introduced in court. This decision removes much of the incentive for police officers to obey the knock-first rule. And it undermines all other Fourth Amendment protections. By affirming contempt for Constitutional rights, the Supreme Court has put out the welcome mat for their further violation.
1 thought on "Knocking Down the Fourth Amendment"
What I'm confused about: The cops knew about the exclusionary rule, and ignored it.
OK; but, rather than enforce the rule against the cop, the Supreme Court says, "Even though the cops know about this rule, we're not going to enforce that rule. The rule is not longer required." That, to me sounds like the court is rewarding people who ignore the rules. Sounds kind of like non-sense.
Which leads me to other thoughts:
1. If this case had never been brought (namely an effort to have the case dismissed), would we still have the exclusionary rule? IN other words, what's weird about this is that our rights were protected until we asserted the right to have the rule enforced.
It seems odd that we're in a worse position for having sought to assert a rule which the court said was real. Seems stupid that we've lost a right by attempting to hold the cops-court to the rule they said they'd follow.
2. How many other rules have the court created — that the law enforcement is ignoring — that the court doesn't have any intent to follow; and when violated, the court will say, "Oh that doesn't apply." Kind of makes the predictability of the rules questionable: We make rules, but we don't enforce them.
Comments are closed.


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Business Consultant – Boost sales with a business consultant
Using a business consultant to increase sales
Sales are important to a company, so this article tells how a business consultant comes in handy.
A business consultant that is hired to improve or assist with sales will look at many different things. Sales are what makes a company rise and the lack of sales will make a company fall. It is what brings in the money, it contributes to the salaries, and it is what keeps the motor running.
Consultants can provide sales training. Some people think they couldn't sell toilet paper standing outside of a bathroom. This is not the case! With proper training, anyone can sell anything. With sales training, a consultant can teach others the effective way of selling a product. You have to show the customer that this is a product you stand behind, and that you would use yourself.
Increasing sales volume is another way a consultant tackles sales. They will look at things such as the customer base to see how they could possibly sell more of the product to existing customers. On the other hand, if the company tends to have sales to repeat customers, the consultant may look at how to bring in new customers. They may suggest offering a discount or giving out more coupons.
When a company has a sale, it usually runs for a week. This can limit the number of sales that the company can have during a certain time frame. A consultant may suggest that the duration of the sales be shorter so that the company can have more of them. This could bring in more revenue for the company.
Most importantly, a business consultant will come up with a sales plan. This is very crucial to a business. They could create a sales plan that is flexible, meaning that it can change as your company grows. Having a plan is always a great idea, no matter what it is being used for. The key is to make the plan and sticking to it. If a company is suffering because of sales, a consultant will come armed and ready to provide a cure. The best thing to do is let them come in, fix the problem and let the selling begin!


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This tower residence is beautifully decorated and well taken care of. This condo is decorated to capture the beach atmosphere. Freshly painted with colors of the Gulf of Mexico. Some upgrades include, tile in the main living areas, freshly painted, granite countertops in the kitchen, crown molding, newer furniture as well as wall-mounted TVs and outdoor cooking center. Enjoy watching all the activity on the Intracoastal waterway and front row seats to the summer firework shows. Each tower has its own pool and hot tub and the lifestyle center has two lagoon infinity edge pools and hot tubs overlooking the Inter coastal plus an indoor Olympic size lap pool. A total of eight pools in all plus five rubico clay tennis courts and a State-of-the-Art Fitness Center. All of this is on-site for your convenience. Priced to SELL!
Listing courtesy of Levin Rinke Realty. Selling Office: .


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1 Premium Outlet Blvd
Tinton Falls, NJ 07753
Phone:(732) 918-1700
Jersey Shore Outlets
Monday to Saturday 10am – 9pm
Sunday 10am – 7pm
(Restaurants and store hours may differ from mall hours.)
Jersey Shore Outlets located in Tinton Falls, NJ features stores such as Adidas, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Coach Outlet, Cole Haan Outlet, DKNY, Elie Tahari, J.Crew Factory, Kate Spade New York, Kenneth Cole, LACOSTE, Michael Kors, Talbots Outlet, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Under Armour and more.
Jersey Shore Premium Outlets features over 100 stores including Coach, Kate Spade New York, Gap Factory Store, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger. Savings include up to $25-65% off. Conveniently located, the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets is off the Garden State Parkway near Belmar, Manasquan, Red Bank, and Wall Township.


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2017 Executive Leadership Exhibit Info
OR REGISTER ELECTRONICALLY >>>Vendor Registration
2017 Executive Leadership Conference
October 5-7 Houston Clear Lake
For Discounted Online Reservations www.hilton.com/group/iafcswgrp
Special group rate: $109/night
Command Symposium 2017
Save the Date!!
This exclusive 2-day training symposium led by
Chief Alan Brunacini known as the Godfather of the American Fire Service
February 9 & 10, 2017
Chemical Safety Board to Convene September 28, 2016 Public Meeting in Charleston, WV to Release Final Report and Safety Recommendations Resulting from Freedom Industries Investigation
Washington, DC, September, 15, 2016 – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) will convene a public meeting on, September 28, 2016, at 6:00 pm EDT at the Four Points by Sheraton located in Charleston, WV, to release its final report and safety recommendations into the January 9, 2014, chemical storage tank leak that contaminated the drinking water of up to 300,000 residents of nine West Virginia Counties.
At the meeting, the Board will hear a presentation from the investigative staff on their draft investigation report and related safety recommendations. The Board will also hear comments from the community. At the conclusion of the staff presentation, the Board may vote on the final report.
Chairperson Vanessa Allen Sutherland said, "Protecting people and the environment is the cornerstone of our mission. The CSB is focused on the completion of the investigation into this incident which affected hundreds of thousands of residents in West Virginia. By sharing the lessons learned from the Freedom Industries investigations, we will raise communities' awareness about the possible impact of a similar event. The Board looks forward to sharing its findings and hearing from the public."
The meeting is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required, but to assure adequate seating attendees are strongly encouraged to pre-register by emailing their names and affiliations to firstname.lastname@example.com.
The meeting will also be webcast live and free of charge. Details about the webcast will be available at www.csb.govcloser to the time of the meeting.
The CSB is an independent Federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency's Board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
The Board does not issue citations or fines but makes safety recommendations to companies, industry organizations, labor groups, regulatory agencies such as OSHA and EPA and others. Please visit our website, www.csb.gov.
For more information, please contact the CSB's Office of Public Affairs at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Important legislation at stake, validate your vote before September 19
Earlier this year, International Code Council (ICC) members voted down a proposal to place the requirement to sprinkler new, one- and two-family homes into the annex of the 2018 edition of ICC's International Residential Code (IRC). However, public comments on this proposal have been submitted and will be heard at ICC public comment hearings in October. ICC's governmental voting members will get the chance to vote on keeping this requirement intact.
What's at Stake?
The future of home fire safety in America hinges on winning this vote. Home fire sprinklers represent our best chance of striking at the heart of America's fire problem, since they reduce the risk of dying in home fires by an astounding 80 percent. Sprinkler requirements have made it into the 2009, 2012, and 2015 editions of the IRC. Placing this requirement into the code's annex—thereby making it an option for states and local municipalities—would be a huge setback for home fire safety.
Take Action Today
ICC primary representatives must validate their governmental member voting representatives by Sept. 19to vote at the 2016 Annual Business Meeting public comment hearings, or the online governmental consensus vote that follows the hearings. The electronic voter validation site will remain open through Sept. 19. Please make sure your state's governmental voting representatives are validated by this crucial date and vote in support of safer homes.
Please contact NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative team with any questions.


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If you haven't already done so, download a copy of 2016 Mega NFV Report Part I: MANO and NFVI Report!
If you haven't already done so, download a copy of 2016 Mega NFV Report Part I: MANO and NFVI Report!
SDN and NFV as technology concepts have brought immense change to the world of internetworking. The promise of creating new competitive services with increased efficiency, cost reduction, openness, and flexibility immediately come to mind. The industry has presented many approaches to managing your virtual services in an automated and malleable way. Vendors strive to help address the complexities of deployments, however these approaches do not always address future viability and interoperability. Open source is viewed as one means to ensure interoperability between system elements of today and tomorrow, while also ensuring an environment that fosters collaboration between vendors and customers.
Brocade has taken their open source involvement with the Brocade SDN Controller and OpenDaylight further, and has expanded into orchestration and management of virtual network services (VNFs). In this webinar, Brocade experts will discuss Brocade's engagements with Tacker and other communities, and how the productization and strategy of a pure play open source approach is important to your network design choices today and tomorrow.
Brocade experts will detail the architecture of the Brocade SDN Controller, Brocade VNF Manager application and identify use-cases achievable today as well as what is on the horizon for the community.
Take control of your network and learn how Brocade's unique, simple, open, and intuitive approach to NFV and SDN empowers you to support your business and technical needs of today and tomorrow.
Join SDxCentral & Brocade for the NFVi & MANO Report Webinar on April 27th at 10:00am PT.
If you can't make it to the live event, register anyway. We'll let you know when the on-demand assets are available on SDxCentral.


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You finally made the decision to remodel your old bathroom.
Congratulations! So, now what do you do?
How do you start the renovation process without all of the stress and anxiety of making the right choices for your home? Here are a couple of tips and tricks to help you ease the stress of your bathroom makeover, and make the installation process easy and safe.
- First, decide on a budget for you and your family that you can afford.
Give yourself a little extra just in case you go over, but try your best to stick to it. Working with a budget can help you understand what you can and cannot afford, and is more realistic to what products you can buy within your budget. Find contractors in your area who are certified, and get pricing for renovations. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, get ideas from magazines and the internet for inspirational content.
- Spackling holes and taping up trim will help smooth over your bathroom before you decide to paint.
Choose a paint that is easy to clean such as a satin finish. For bathrooms with lots of steam, a semi-gloss is recommended due to the heat. A primer plus two to three coats of paint are recommended, depending on how much paint soaks up into the walls.
- Decide on what type of showering/tub system works best for you and your family.
Different types of showers include but are not limited to curbless showers, barrier free modular surrounds, tub enclosures, glass corner units, and walk in tubs. Once you decide on your shower/tub, pick out your ceramic tile for the floor/walls. Choose between ceramic, stone, or porcelain tile to make your unique bathroom look yours.
- Choosing what type of toilet works best for your family can be a little tricky.
Toilets range in heights from 15 to 19 inches and anything between 17-19 inches is considered a "comfort height." Options for a round or elongated toilet seat are also available, and for special orders customers can get colored options as well. Different types of flush options are also available on upgraded toilets for those who want to save on their water usage.
- When choosing a vanity top, keep in mind that vanities come in all different sizes, colors, and even shapes.
Choosing the appropriate vanity for your bathroom can be challenging, especially for a smaller bathroom. Always measure your existing area, and make sure to leave room for door jams or other obstructions that could be in the way. Some vanities have combo kits with everything included. You can also buy both pieces separately, as, long as the sizing match up to each other giving you the option of ultimate customization.
- There are different lighting fixtures to choose from when renovating your bathroom.
Recessed lighting on dimmer switches can make for an elegant look as well as chandelier lighting. Over the mirror lighting is very popular and can brighten your bathroom instantly. Don't forget to change out switch plate covers and light bulbs that work accordingly with your fixtures to put those final touches on your bathroom.
Bathroom renovation doesn't have to be a hard process. With the right tools, and a little know-how your bathroom can be upgraded in no time.


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So I've been putting together these Monthly Fitness Challenges for 18 months now. Wow, times flies! What I've learned from my own experience with the challenges is that unless you COMMIT 100% to the daily exercises, it's super easy to fall behind or even fall off the challenge altogether. Truthfully, May and June were not the greatest of months for my commitment level to the challenges. Between vacations, summer fun, work and life... it has been hard to find time to fit the daily exercises in every day!
But July is going to be different... so I'm calling this month's challenge #CommitToBeFitJuly. If you COMMIT to the daily exercises, do your cardio, and eat healthy, you will see RESULTS! This month is going to be hard... squat jumps, planks and burpees are all part of the daily exercise line-up. But "no pain, no gain", "there is no change without challenge", "what doesn't challenge you, doesn't change you" and... well, you get the idea. Join us, commit to the challenge, and reap the benefits of the all-over body toning for the July Fitness Challenge!
The great part about the monthly fitness challenges is that they are made up of strength training and core conditioning exercises... without any equipment! You can use you own body weight, in the comfort of your home!
For a printable #CommitToBeFitJuly calendar, click here.
To get updates and information on the challenge, make sure to go to our Facebook page and "Like" us: https://www.facebook.com/SistersDoFoodAndFitness
Use the hashtag feature on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram if you would like to tag us in any of your personal adventures with the challenge! #CommitToBeFitJuly
Let's Do This!
- Janel


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Why can't I upload my document?
All documents must be saved and uploaded as PDF files. The maximum accepted file size for PDF documents is 10 MB each, unless otherwise stated on the Portfolio step. Other file formats (like
.doc and
.txt) will only work if an organization has specifically allowed them; most do not.
Many text editors give you the ability to Save As PDF. You can also do this through the Print window on a Mac computer. If you are on a PC without PDF software, you can download many free programs to convert documents to a PDF format. There are also quite a few online software tools that don't require a download. A web search should provide you with many options.
If your document is in one of the accepted formats and under the maximum file size but you are having upload issues, please contact us at email@example.com.


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Glee star Lea Michele has been named the new spokeswoman for trendy footwear firm Candie's.
The day after the actress/singer won a Best Actress trophy at the People's Choice Awards, Lea Michele has been named Vanessa Hudgens' successor for the company.
A source tells E! News that she will appear in a series of print ads for the company later this year (12) as part of her endorsement deal.
And she has some big shoes to fill - past spokeswomen have included Britney Spears and Fergie.


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This is the fourth post in my microservices series and follows on from the previous articles:
- Microservices series #1: microservices are software components that work
- Microservices series #2: the state of enterprise software – analytical evidence
- Microservices series #3: enterprise software development is broken – the qualitative and quantitative evidence
In the above posts (particularly post two), I identified and discussed what I believe are the key problems with custom enterprise software development. Today, I take a closer look at one of those problems: the monolithic architecture.
Monoliths 101
Custom enterprise software is traditionally developed in monolithic form. In this architecture, the system consists of a single large process. This process may be deployed in multiple instances behind a load balancer. The code base is usually in one repository, and is built and tested as a single complete body of functionality. The system is deployed infrequently, usually via a staged approach. A build server is often used to ensure that all recent changes integrate without breaking anything.
Variants of this architecture include systems composed of multiple monoliths, deployed separately. These are known as service-oriented architectures (SOAs). The monolith(s) may also be surrounded by small support services that are deployed and run separately. These are typically more infrastructural in nature.
The defining characteristic of the monolith is that the majority of the business logic code that delivers the behavior of the system is executed within a single process and code base, so that the full features of the language and platform chosen for development can be used to write the code for the system. This has some unfortunate consequences, chief of which is technical debt.
Technical debt
"The monolith invites technical debt"
The monolith invites technical debt because it enables unbounded complexity. There are no limits to the depth of the data structures, the entanglements of the class hierarchy, or the web of object references. Classic object-oriented (OO) design patterns are an attempt to control this inherent complexity. They are only partially successful, as they can always be circumvented, misapplied or over-used. The number of interactions between parts tends to grow.
There are no architectures that can prevent the accumulation of technical debt. It is simply the action of entropy over time; that is, disorder cannot but increase. At best, you can slow it down by finding mitigation techniques. Good software design is the use of well chosen abstract structures that absorb disorder to a greater extent than other, less suitable structures. Of course, you need to have a good understanding of your problem domain, and of your language platform, to make good choices. Even then, you have to pray for the good fortune that your requirements won't change and your team will be strong.
Other problems of the monolith
One problem with a single body of code is that ultimately, any part of the code base can talk to any other part, no matter how much you try to prevent it. Another problem is that data structures can be extended with little cost, as everything is in memory anyway. Yet another problem is that modifications can have wide-ranging impacts, and it becomes easy to inadvertently break distant areas of code during bug fixing or other small changes.
Minimizing complexity
"Our job as software developers is to achieve the lowest implementation complexity possible"
It cannot be denied that software systems have inherent complexity. They must solve a given business problem within certain constraints. The algorithms and data structures can be simplified only so far. A set of business requirements, however implemented, and in whatever language, contains a minimum level of complexity, below which the requirements are not completely implemented.
The theoretical minimum is a code base that contains no more information than is contained in the requirements specification, because to contain any less would mean it could not possibly implement the requirements. In one sense, our job as software developers is to achieve the lowest implementation complexity possible under given environmental constraints (such as schedule, team size and ability, and so on).
You aren't going to need it
The popular maxim YAGNI (you aren't going to need it), promoted by the agile methodologies, is a well-established tactic to reduce monolithic complexity. In practice, YAGNI loses the battle quickly in a monolithic context, because monoliths have no natural limits on complexity. Slowing complexity growth is entirely on the shoulders of an all-too-frail technical leadership.
Even when executed well, YAGNI is not cheap. It brings continuous refactoring. The bet (and it is a bet) is that the effort expended on refactoring will be less than the cost of maintaining an overly general structure containing a large volume of code for exceptional cases.
Is a trial-and-error approach really the optimal way to reduce complexity? YAGNI gets a mention here only because it seems to be the most effective way to slow the growth of complexity in monoliths. Older approaches such as explicit modeling using visual diagrams have shown poor results in practice.
"The monolith also introduces considerable risk into a project."
The monolith also introduces considerable risk into a project. Deployments are all-or-nothing affairs. There is no easy way to update just one part of the system. Even the smallest change requires a full update.
Any change, however small, brings with it the possibility that the entire system may be knocked out due to unintended consequences. Thus, deployments are regarded as big, risky activities that require large amounts of risk mitigation. Deployments become expensive, and it makes sense to do them only infrequently.
Adverse effects of low-frequency deployment
Low-frequency deployments have a nasty effect: they make deployment even more risky. Lots of changes, often including changes to persistent data, and the schemas describing that data, are rolled into a single update. This makes reversing out of the update almost impossible, as the previous version of the system is unlikely to work correctly with the updated database schema. It becomes essential to ensure that the new version is validated and fully tested before deployment. It must work.
This dynamic is inherently fragile. By requiring the world to be completely deterministic, the monolith is necessarily brittle and will break with unexpected change.
Constant state of minor failure
"It is far better to be in a constant state of minor failure."
It is far better to be in a constant state of minor failure. This is closer to the true nature of the world. If you can stay operational despite continuous failure, then you are by definition fault tolerant. (This idea is the inspiration for techniques such as the Netflix chaos monkey, a software agent on the network that randomly shuts down servers (a 2012 entry on the Netflix technical blog explains this technique)).
To deal with fragility, software teams introduce byzantine coping strategies. The root cause of the almost religious fervor that developers have for their favorite techniques is the trite observation that any port will do in a storm. The swirling complexity around them is impossible to control, but you can get the feeling of control by insisting that the rituals be followed.
Rituals and diminishing marginal returns
These rituals often take the form of extreme versions of common-sense techniques: units tests are good, so we need 100% coverage; four eyes are better than two, so everybody has to pair-program; bugs are bad, so we need zero bug count, or else; clean code helps communication, so a strict coding style must be enforced. And so on.
These rituals become ends in themselves. Well-meaning technical leads, architects and project managers impose them on their teams in an almost self-deceptive attempt to ensure success. The mechanism by which these rituals are to achieve success is long forgotten, and they are often justified in the basis of prior experience, or by pointing at some celebrity in the programming world as worthy of emulation.
Anything taken to extremes suffers from diminishing marginal returns. Moving unit test coverage from 90% to 100% is far more expensive in terms of developer time than moving from 0% to 10%.
Such decisions need to be correlated with the business value generated, so that a realistic assessment of the gain versus the expense can be made. This is very rarely done.
Returning to the question of ethics in the practice of software development, it is clearly unethical to waste business resources for tiny gains.
In my next post, I will look at best practices and ask to what extent they really are 'best'.
For more detail on any of the issues raised here, and a lot more as well, the first five chapters of Richard's new book, The Tao of Microservices, are available now (the first one is free!).
Read more from Richard on Twitter at @rjrodger and on the nearForm blog.
Listen to this nearForm webinar in which Richard speaks about the path to understanding microservices, and gives an introduction to microservices core concepts.


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The Artist
Custom portrait photographer, Jaimie Tull, captures emotive and timeless images of children and families. She serves Galveston County, Texas where she resides with her husband and four children.
'As a mother myself, I know how important it is to capture the precious moments in life as they happen. My goal is to preserve what you see everyday, and I believe it's the smallest of details that transform an ordinary photo into a work of art. It's the tiny toes, silly giggles, popsicle stained faces, and sweet nose nuzzles. These are the precious seconds in time that will tug at your heart strings years from now – the moments that become a part of your story.'
Her Style
Dream. Relaxed. Fresh. Fun. Styled.
Jaimie's style is simple yet full of emotion. It has been described as "pure, dream like, sweet, and honest". She loves fashion, concept, stylized photography shoots. She also loves working with families, capturing the genuine smiles and laughter that come about when natural interactions are happening, and kids are just being kids as that time is so fleeting and precious. Once you've decided that Jaimie is the right photographer for you, she will work with your on determining the perfect location, clothing style, and feel that you would like to capture during your session.


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When we first moved to our current home we were SO excited. So much more space, inside and out! So many possibilities! We set to work making our house a home, and outside—tilling a veggie garden and making new flowerbeds. It wasn't until the following summer that I noticed some plants in the vegetable garden just weren't as robust as they should be and some were downright awful. I decided it was just because of the weather that year and moved on. This year, same story—different weather. Hmmm.
I realized it must be something else. I knew from the get-go that we had very sandy soil with some very tough soil underneath. I didn't think it would be a big deal, but it appears it is. It doesn't seem to have a lot of organic matter in it, at least where the veggie garden is. I decided to put as much compost as I could on the garden, but my compost heap, although big, can't churn out enough compost fast enough to make much of a quick impact. I really want our soil better for next year, not just 10 years from now!
Enter my friend the oat:
(Oats, not just for fiber anymore!)
This is just a bag of oats I got from our local feed co-op. I think it cost $7.00 for 40lbs. It may not look like much, but after planting it in the garden over areas that were already "done" (like our sweet corn patch), in a few weeks it looks like this:
And then this (the grassy looking stuff in the lower half of the picture):
Now, that is just oats. They are not hardy here so they will die when we get a hard frost, but the crop residue they leave behind will be great organic matter when I till the garden next spring.
I later bought winter rye from the same co-op and I have planted some of that as well. That IS hardy so it will freeze but then re-grow in the spring and will provide some quick nutrients for growing vegetables after I till it under in the spring. Not to mention the roots will improve the soil structure (or so I have read).
I will update in the spring on whether it made a noticeable difference to the soil or not—but already it is providing the benefit of keeping weeds out of the areas where I have planted it as it does grow quite thickly. And it is nice to see lush green blades rather than dried out vegetable plants at this time of the year.
If you want to do the same now is a great time for doing this! If you are in a much warmer zone you may still be able to plant oats (I'm in zone 4 and I planted them a few weeks ago in early September) but winter rye will be perfect to plant right now if you are in a cooler area like I am. All I did was rake the soil with a garden rake, seed by throwing handfuls of seed back and forth on the raked ground, and rake again. If you water or get a rain right away you'll see growth within 3-5 days or so, depending on how warm it is.
There are lots of other cover crops out there (I really want to try oilseed radishes next year!) but I wanted to start with some that are easily accessible and cheap. My dad, who is an organic farmer, uses a winter wheat/rye called Triticale every year.
Let me know if you've had success with cover crops improving your soil!


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pcsgu250: Can't get microphone on Ch2 recognized. My entries …
Oscilloscope>options>Hardware Setup>pcsgu250>OK>'no hardware response'
Mic is a simple crystal mike with no internal power source. What kind of signal is needed on Ch2 for device recognition?
Do you have the drivers loaded?
Check device manager.
If not you can download them from here
If this is on some versions of Windows 8 or 10 you will need to disable the driver signatures.
Do this before loading the drivers.
Sorry I can't help with the mic.
Thanks for quick reply.
I get into Demo mode OK, with no errors and test various settings. Does that not mean I've loaded drivers OK?
I'm using win 10 on a Dell pc. So I load win 2000 stuff. Is that suspicious?
When you say win 2000 stuff do you mean PCLAB2000LT?
If so this is the software.
Demo mode is just that it runs on your computer with out the hardware.
The drivers need to be loaded to use the PCSGU250 with the software.
What do you see in device manager?
1st. Grateful for concise, clear and insightful responses. Best Forum I've engaged.
2nd. Your deduction is correct. PCSGU250 driver was never installed. After a umber of tries it is now installed as pcsgkul250_winusbdvr2.zip[folder]am64, []i386, and file MCHPWinUSBD
So it looks like the zip file was properly opened and installed. However, the osilloscpe still doesn't recogize any attached hardware on Ch2. Any more excellent suggestions?
There is a calibration port on the back of the unit.
Try touching the tip of the probe to it.
You should get a square wave.
Next try testing a battery.
Is you get a square wave from the calibration but can't read the voltage from the battery this may indicate that the ground on the probe might be defective.
If you can not get a reading from either then you might have a defective probe (test on channel 1) or channel 2 on the scope is defective.
Deleted a few files and started over installing pcsgu250. This was successful. However, on running it I got a serious error.
"Access violation at address 004E8C8F in module 'PcLab2000Lt.exe'. Read of address 00000047."
I read that this involves protected memory. It's a new one on me and I'm not clear on how to fix it.
For installing the driver in a correct way on Windows 10,
You can download a step by step guide at this link.
link: downloads.velleman.be/6beb175e2d … _10_GB.pdf
Attention: this link is temporarily one week available for download.
Normally after this, the software runs in normal mode and recognizes the attached hardware.
Regards Velleman Support
Frustrated! Several tries and can't get these 5 steps to work:
That is the location of the driver.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Just wondering.
Did you download the latest version of PCLAB200LT from the website or did you load it from the CD.
The files on the CD are very old and do not work with Windows 7 8 or 10
Also did you unzip the drivers and software before trying to load them?
Thanks for the attention.
Yes, I downloaded PCLAB200LT at least 3 times from the web.
Yes, drivers were unzipped before use.
Perhaps there's a clue in these observations:
Start the software as administrator.
Right click onto shortcut icon "PcLab2000LT" and choose run as administrator.
check now, if the hardware will be found in software.
Regards ,
Velleman Support
Did steps then …
clicked PCSGU250 Oilloscope/Function Generator in Device Manager.
This produced "Access violation at address 004E8C8F in module 'PcLab2000LT' Read of address 00000047"
Clicked on that message and got a 2nd drop down window; Unable to assign "Alt + B" as hotkey.
Clicked and got into the program and again stopped at 'No hardware response'.
Beginning to think it's not my day!
No success downloading PCSGU250 for lack of a program – UPDSPSPI.dll.
After a major system crash, then a complete cleaning of computer, I'm now restarting attempts to load PCSGU250. PC-Lab 2000LT downloaded OK. But I have no luck with PCSGU250. First I disengage the windows 10 dll-signature filter and download Pc-Lab 2000LT OK. Then I'm unable to download PCSGU250. I have searched for sources of UPSPASPI.dll and find fixes for malfunctioning programs but no sources for the original program. Apparently, it is not an original dll delivered with windows 10. Any recomendations of where to get it?
Thanks for ideas. edchraig
Dilemma! Running PCSGU250 on Windows 10 is hopeless. It cannot
be run on my hp-15 laptop for lack of a Microsoft signed driver that is suposed to be issued
with WIndows 10, UPDSPaPI.DLL. (Its function is to prevent memory conflicts.)
All my web searches, plus phone call with Microsoft support, for a download source failed.
They, and MS, say to uninstall the driver and reinstall it one or more times until it works. Of
course, this assumes you have the driver already in place, which is not my case. A Microsoft
Support agent redirected my call to a 'network-protection expert' (unidentified company).
He immediately pressed for purchase of his service to clean my computer of viruses, trojans,
and other issues, plus installing any missings drivers ($499.99 of protection for 5 years!).
However, he would not guarantee he could include a particular driver. My local computer dealer/fixer searched a new, on-the-shelf PC with windows 10 installed and did not find this 'supposed-to-be-preinstalled' driver. That's my dilemma! After purchasing computer cleanup, virus and trojan removal, and installation of missing drivers (which ones cannot be predetermined), and failure to find the
driver on a new PC, prospects of ever running the oscilloscope seem to be nil.
Does the Velleman oscilloscope actually run on windows 10? If so, is there a known source for the
Thanks for any ideas.
"If this is on some versions of Windows 8 or 10 you will need to disable the driver signatures.
Do this before loading the drivers."
Hello. I've just spent several hours to try in vain to make my PCSGU2000 to be recognised by my the PClab2000.
I have tried: the disabling of the signature enforcement is just not allowed on my PC (HP-Compaq) with Windows 10, and this is coherent with the security politics which was annouced by MS.
The fact is that it is supposed to be you the seller, to have the certificate updated at disposable, and not the consumer to spend hours to try procedures which would disable security modes it if was even today allowed.
So, now, what do I do now with a product I just can use since 2 years I have change my computer and been able to use only 1 time?
Your device and software looks great but until now, it was just like if I took a note of 100 € and burn it I can tell You it doesn't encourage me to do any other purchase from your mark and I won't unless I can use the device I have paid for.
Nevertheless, I know the problem the problem comes that MS oblige you to pay for any security certificate but if we had to ask you to pay for the time all your users, including me, we spend in vain to try to make your device working on our computers, I guess You could pay it and having it at disposal for your users, or send a device which works with Windows 10.
PS: I did this procedure too without success "Start the software as administrator. Right click onto shortcut icon "PcLab2000LT" and choose run as administrator."


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Tackle discoloration with the Biopelle Dark Circle Relief Cream; an advanced, dermatologist grade treatment specially formulated to alleviate the appearance of dark circles and hyperpigmentation.
The lightweight- non-greasy formula is fortified with 1% Vitamin K Oxide and Phospholipids, which target the underlying cause of uneven tone by stimulating cellular circulation within the microcapillaries of the eye area. Infused with light-diffusing mineral pigments, the eye cream leaves the eye contour looking instantly brightened and refreshed with long-term improvements.


text: Great American Fundraiser Reported by email@example.com on 9/1/17 Scullen students are participating in a school fundraiser to help raise money for Scullen Middle School. Proceeds will go directly towards helping Scullen students! Students are eligible to earn prizes such as cash, Chicago Bulls tickets and a trip to the MAIN EVENT which includes laser tag and bowling. We will have several collection dates throughout the fundraiser in which students may turn in their orders and become eligible for prizes. The collection dates are Wednesday, September 6th, Friday, September 15th and Tuesday, September 19th! A fundraising packet and flyer was sent home on Wednesday, August 30th with additional details about the fundraiser. Thank you for your support and help with our fundraising efforts. Log in to Edit


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If you know me, you know my ex-husband is an absolute jerk. The things I went through with that man, I'll never forget. I'll certainly never forgive him for. The night in the hotel when he didn't come in until five in the morning stinking of all the places he'd been? Yeah, I'll remember that one pal.
I guess he thought he could take advantage of me because I had been poor and he was well off, and he thought I owed him something for the gift of all his wealth.
Well, if that's the case, I earned that money of his, and he better keep it coming. That's just what he's decided he doesn't want to do, of course. That's what I want to write and complain about. The jerk's gone and been a jerk again so that he can hassle me.
He's decided he wants to cut the alimony payments. Or, if he can't pull that off, he wants to trim them down to almost nothing. I'll remind you, he makes enough that he doesn't even notice the money coming out of his account every month, but he wants it back just because. He needs to buy a fifth expensive foreign sports car so some woman will actually look at him.
Mostly, he just wants to be a pain, which he's achieving admirably. I'll now have to hire another lawyer to negotiate my alimony again. This is the third time in a couple of years. Perhaps he just wants to get me in a lawyer's office and get a look at me. I tell you what though, if he wanted that, he could just offer to keep the money coming for the next few years for a visit behind glass once a year to check in on what he's screwed up and lost.
In other news, I'm glad to hear he's still miserable and lonely. That's what I'm hearing from some of our mutual friends. "Oh Teri, he misses you so much." "Oh Teri, he's nothing without you." "All he talks about is you." "Won't you give him another chance?"
He's setting these people up, I know, but it makes me feel good to know he's that desperate he'd actually come back to me. It seems money can't buy you everything. It certainly can't buy him looks or charm, which most women want. Not all of them go in for charity as I do.
So, that's where my life's at for the moment. I'm sure I'll have to negotiate a cut in the alimony again, which is a pain, but I'll get by. Perhaps it's worth it just to see him squirm and lower his eyes when I glare at him from across the table.
That's right, buddy, you screwed up. And it's just too bad for you. Yeah, worth every penny.
Employees should feel safe in the workplace. This ensures that they are in top condition to be productive. It can be said that both employers and employees should make the effort in making the workplace as safe as possible.
But workplace safety is not just always about accidents and injuries. Sometimes, it is about hostile work environments and negative emotional and psychological effects.
But what is a hostile work environment? A workplace can be considered to have a hostile environment if an employee is exposed to discrimination or harassment. It doesn't matter whether he is the direct recipient, a participant, or just a random person in the workplace. As long as there is discrimination or harassment, the workplace can be considered hostile.
An employee is discriminated against if his natal features and preferences have put him in an unnecessary disadvantage. The natal features that are commonly discriminated are age, color, ethnic background, race, and sex. The preferences that are commonly discriminated are gender and religion.
Usually, the discrimination manifests in hiring processes, disciplinary actions, promotion opportunities, and terminations. For example, if an applicant has been rejected just because of his age, if an employee has received biased disciplinary measures just because of his color, if an employee has not been promoted just because of his religion, and if an employee has been terminated just because of his gender preference, it can be argued that he has experienced discrimination.
Harassment occurs when an employee is experiencing aggressive pressure or intimidation in the workplace. The causal factors of harassment are almost the same as the factors in discrimination. The difference is that harassment is usually an act or a continuous act that can physically, emotionally, or psychologically harm the employee.
For example, if an employee has been mocked because of his features such as his age or disability, has received unwanted sexual advances, or has experienced harm or threat of harm from others in the workplace, he may be said to experience harassment.
What to Do
According to the website www.leichteremploymentlaw.com, employees who have experienced discrimination or harassment in the workplace may take their cases to court.
But to avoid getting too legal about it and experiencing the hassles of attorneys and courts, it is better to avoid these practices. Employers and employees should be responsible for workplace safety, by implementing strict rules against discrimination and harassment and just being generally nice to each other to create an environment that is both friendly and productive.
Even before the 1900s, there were already accidents that involved automobiles. Some of these accidents caused damage to vehicles, some resulted to driver and passenger injuries, while a few others resulted to the horrible death of some individuals (drivers or bystanders).
In 1925, state authorities saw that cars are bound to crash, cause damage to properties and injuries on people. It was for this reason why car liability insurance became a mandate – so that at-fault drivers will not default on paying victims the compensation they legally deserved.
Majority of car accidents are mere results of human negligence or recklessness (a very small percentage of the more than five million accidents every year is blamed on acts of nature, such as an earthquake, a tornado, or an emergency medical condition).
Though car crashes are totally preventable, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is alarmed that more than 30,000 still die every year because of these. And while traffic authorities have increased their vigilance against drivers who overspeed, who drive recklessly or who drive while impaired by alcohol, another kind of threat is on the road and most of those who commit it are teens and young adults – driving distractions.
Distracted driving happens when a driver engages in an activity that takes his/her focus from the task of driving. This distracting activity may be an act committed by the driver himself/herself or by someone else inside the car with the driver; sometimes, though, it is caused by someone or something outside the car. Due to distractions, it is, therefore, easy for drivers to fail to anticipate and react to possible road hazards.
Currently, the use of cell phone while driving is the worst and most dangerous kind of distraction for drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year thousands of car crashes, which injure 1,153 individuals and kill at least 9 others, occur due to the use of cell phone, whether texting or talking with someone. The use of cell phone, however, is not the only form of distraction drivers can be engaged in. There are so many others which have become so normal that drivers no longer realize these as distractions; their effects, however, are often tragic.
Some of the most common forms of driving distractions, which so many drivers are guilty of, include: eating and drinking; adjusting a GPS device, compact disc player or car radio; using a laptop; reading a map for directions: talking or arguing with a car passenger (the more passengers there are in a car, the greater the distraction); reaching for an object (especially from the back seat); playing with or being distracted by a child; getting distracted by a pet or an insect; grooming; lighting a cigarette; smoking; and getting lost in thought.
As pointed out by Providence car crash attorneys, if "you've been seriously injured or have lost a family member in a motor vehicle accident that was caused by someone else, you are entitled to make a claim for compensation for your injuries against the person who caused the accident.
Some of the damages that may potentially be recovered include, but are not limited to:
After complaining to her gynecologist of excruciating pains and excessive vaginal bleeding, Michelle's doctor found growths in her uterus. To have these removed, her gynecologist told her that the best way was through robotic surgery (using the da Vinci surgical robot): the latest and the greatest technique available. Besides maximum precision, robotic surgery would be less painful and there would also be less bleeding.
The da Vinci surgical robot is made by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., an American company which is the top manufacturer of robotic surgical equipment; it is also the only company whose system has been approved in the U.S. for soft tissue procedures that include gynecological surgery, prostate operations and general surgery.
The many claimed benefits when using the da Vinci robot, Intuitive's claim that it is extremely safe, and the way hospitals market the device in order to gain more customers, have successfully contributed to the increase of surgical procedures with the robots, from 228,000 in 2010 to 367,000 in 2012.
With the growth of the popularity of robotic surgery, however, is an increase in the number of adverse incident reports received by the Food and Drug Administration. From 24 injury reports in 2009, this number jumped to 115 in 2012; the number of deaths likewise increased, from 11 in 2009 to 30 in 2012 (these numbers, though, may not be the real figures, according to one surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, since some hospitals make sure that complaints do not reach the public).
In surgeries wherein a da Vinci robot is used, the physician in charge of the procedure sits at a video-game style console that is several feet away from his/her patient. While peering into a high-definition display, foot pedals and hand controls allow him/her to maneuver the robot's mechanical arms equipped with tools. A 3-D camera, which shows the work as it is done inside a patient, guides him/her in performing the procedure.
Continuing the story above, Michelle did undergo a non-invasive hysterectomy in February of 2009. The surgery went smoothly and seemed perfect until five weeks later, while she sat on the toilet, she felt something pop inside her and was shocked to see her intestines drooping out of her vagina. She was rushed to the hospital and underwent a painful, invasive surgery.
Today, other than her hip-to-hip scar from the corrective surgery, a diminished sex life, and constipation from damaged rectal muscles, Michelle is holding on to whatever she can to continue living. It appears that what happened to Michelle has also happened to others, as shown in a number of lawsuits (besides the one she filed).
Two of the many other cases filed against Intuitive Surgical involve a man who suffered 15 long hours of internal bleeding after his liver and spleen were punctured during a heart valve repair and a man whose rectum was damaged during a prostate surgery.
In the midst of lawsuits, the hot seat has always been occupied by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., never by the surgeon who performed the surgery. This leads to the premise that the robotic surgical system is defective, never in the possibility that the surgeon, who performed the procedure, lacks proper training, skill and experience in operating the equipment.
The law firm Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, LLC, believes that though patients must willingly assume a certain amount of risk before undergoing a surgical procedure, this does not exempt a surgeon or a manufacturing company, whose device has been used in the procedure performed, from liability if ever something not right happens. While some forms of malpractice or negligence may be easy to identify, others require deeper investigation and expert opinion to prove liability. Pursuing legal action and entrusting this only to a seasoned medical malpractice attorney would be a decision a wise person would make.
Motorcycles provide drivers with a quick way to maneuver around traffic and reach their destination in the soonest possible time. But given their small size, motorcycles are susceptible to accidents and injuries. According to the website of Karlin, Fleisher & Falkenberg, motorcycle accidents can be fatal which could have life changing consequences that may require prolonged recovery and costly treatment. Here are 5 safety tips you need to bear in mind when riding a motorcycle.
1. Defensive Driving
Defensive driving does not mean you have to drive slowly but have to take the necessary precaution all the time. It means staying focused on the road, being aware of your surroundings and reacting fast to road situations. Defensive driving also means avoiding distractions such as mobile phones and other devices.
2. Practice Road Courtesy
Courtesy on the road means being mindful of the other drivers. As much as possible, avoid following the other driver too closely. The general rule when it comes to the distance is at least one car-length. It is a wise move to put a buffer between yourself and the other driver. Road courtesy also means allowing other drivers to merge into traffic by giving the proper distance to do so.
3. Avoid buying a bike that you cannot handle
If you have not been riding a motorcycle for a while and shopping for one, look for a bike that fits you. You should be able to rest both of your feet flat on the ground without the need to tiptoes. The handlebars and controls should be within your reach.
4. Ensure that your bike is well-maintained and regularly checked
Before heading off to your destination, make sure that your bike is well-maintained and checked and that all accessories and systems are working properly. While you cannot predict when your vehicle will fail or breakdown, maintenance of your motorcycle is key to avoid such.
5. Wear helmets and safety gears
This is perhaps the best advice for motorcycle safety. Riders without helmets are 40 percent at risk of suffering fatal injuries and three times more likely to experience brain injuries than those with helmets.
The average yearly rate of fatal car crashes in the US from 1981 to 2007 was 44,000, while from 2008 to 2015, records from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed a lower figure – 33,000.
In implementing road safety rules, the NHTSA and other governmental organizations, as well as some car manufacturers, work doubly hard, both in ensuring the smooth and safe flow of traffic and in making vehicles more crashworthy. The government does this through the passing of road safety laws, and consistent and strict enforcement of these laws; car manufacturers, on the other hand, equip their new car models with the most modern safety devices.
Sadly, however, car accidents continue to occur regardless of the laws passed, the strict enforcement of these laws and the safety devices many cars are now equipped with. This comes as no surprise, though, because ever since the dawn of automobiles, people saw that these machineries would crash and that crashes will damage properties and injure people.
The main problem that automobile crashes created back then was not the at-fault or negligent driver's damaged car or sustained injuries, but the damaged property and/or injuries suffered by the victim in the accident, for which the at fault driver did not have the financial capability to compensate. Thus, in order to ensure that victims in accidents are paid the compensation that they may be legally deemed to receive, the compulsory car insurance law was passed: the year this law was passed was 1925 and the first two states that were able to write their own compulsory car insurance law and mandate it on all their drivers were Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Today, showing proof of financial capacity to pay for damages in the event of an at-fault accident is mandated in all 50 states. This requirement to demonstrate financial capability is called the Financial Responsibility law and compliance to this law may be shown by:
An insurance policy itself is already expensive and it is made even more expensive by the many other add-ons that drivers need to purchase. Drivers can make use of free insurance quotes to be able to find the kind of deal that will work best for them.
When faced in an accident, a lot of people tend to just throw the towel in early. Raise their hands up in surrender and just say that there's nothing to be done, move on and live with it. This is one of the most defeatist ages known – which can be a little ironic, given that information has never been more widely spread and available regarding personal rights.
So, really, think about it: what can a personal injury lawyer do for you?
It isn't like the situation can be changed at all, right? If you were injured, isn't a sorry and a slap at the back of the hand enough? Well, believe it or not, some personal injury cases are incredibly traumatic in more than one sense of the word. According to the website of Clawson & Staubes, people who slip and fall on poorly constructed privately owned surfaces can suffer from spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury if the fall was bad enough. People who get into car accidents can sometimes die and their families are left in a uniquely desperate situation that both grieves and stresses out over the loss.
There are many ways that a personal injury can affect more than just the person who was injured – and some injuries cannot be truly recovered from.
A personal injury lawyer comes in through the legal process that is necessary when pursuing legal action against the party that caused the injury in the first place. Suffering from a personal injury that requires this kind of action is usually so traumatic and stressful in nature due to the factors that come with it. There are the long-term consequences such as the recovery period necessary as well as the loss wages, medical costs, and other expenses necessary.
An experienced personal lawyer can not only assist you with the legal process but also connect you to a pool of professionals who can be of further help to you with other factors that are not necessarily in the legal field.
Nursing homes play a vital role in any given community in the United States. Without these facilities, plenty of individuals will not be able to receive the care and attention they need. After all, it's not often when families are able to provide proper attention to their elderly loved ones due to financial constraints and other burdens. For majority of Americans, these nursing homes are integral to ensuring that their loved ones will remain comfortable as they receive the medical attention they need.
As a result, it is simply devastating to imagine that abuse can happen in these institutions. However, as data from the Department of Health and Human Services point out, instances of abuse happen more often than most people like to acknowledge. Apparently, over 2 million elders have been victims of abuse, mostly in the form of physical mistreatment, violence, and emotional and psychological exploitation. It is unfortunate that plenty of these cases occurred in institutions and facilities that have built their reputation through fostering a false sense of care and trust.
The biggest tragedy to nursing home abuse is the fact that it can be extremely difficult to notice. Without paying close attention, signs of nursing home abuse can be easy to overlook or write off. This is especially true considering that most families are unable to visit their elderly loved ones on a regular basis. As such, it's important to pay close attention to subtle changes that might be a cause for concern. According to the website of the Abel Law Firm, family members can take note of the following red flags that might indicate nursing home abuse.
The most telltale sign is a loved one with unexplained injuries like the sudden appearance of bruises and cuts. Other notable signs include unnecessary restraints and overmedication. Families should also pay close attention to any deterioration in their loved one's health, especially if these health issues can't be explained by their pre-existing conditions. It's also important to be sensitive to changes in personality. Usually, victims of abuse suffer from sudden aggression, regressive behavior, and social withdrawal due to their trauma.
If you your loved one is suffering due to nursing home abuse, it's important to take immediate action against the parties responsible for their trauma.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC notes that cerebral palsy is the most widespread motor disability among children in America. According to their data, around 1 in every 323 children has been diagnosed with some form of cerebral palsy. These children are known to experience a host of symptoms that significantly affect their movement, coordination, and balance.
Cerebral palsy, also referred to as 'CP' for short, is caused by some abnormality in the development of the brain due to damage or trauma. CP is usually acquired by patients early on in life, mostly caused by some incident that prevented oxygen from properly circulating in the brain. There are also cases when cerebral palsy is congenital. These cases refer to patients that have been born with cerebral palsy. In these scenarios, the damage to the brain is often caused by complications in the mother's pregnancy.
The medical community categorizes cerebral palsy into three different types. These categories are organized based on symptoms manifested by a patient. However, in some patients, CP can manifest itself through a combination of the different types. The first type is called spastic cerebral palsy, which is characterized by increased muscle tone resulting in muscle stiffness. The second type of cerebral palsy is known as dyskinetic or anthethoid. A patient diagnosed with this type of CP experience uncontrollable writhing movements in their upper and lower extremities, as well as the inability to properly control their tongues and faces. The third and last type is called axiatic, and it is known to cause problems with a patient's ability to maintain their posture and balance.
There are times when brain damage causing cerebral palsy results from physician negligence or medical malpractice. Although such cases are considered pretty rare, it's still important to note that cerebral palsy can also be caused by accidents that are completely avoidable and preventable.
People don't think of white collar crimes like identity theft and tax fraud as serious offenses. As pointed out by the website of Ian Inglis Attorney at Law, people are more likely to associate serious crimes with violent and dangerous actions. However, these crimes are also met with harsh punishment and penalties that could cause some permanent impact on an individual's life. As such, it's important to remember that getting charged with white collar crimes should not be taken lightly. Identity theft, in particular, can be subject to significant consequences.
Identity theft refers to the crime of acquiring another person's information and passing it off as one's own to make illegal transactions for economic gain. In Texas, offenses of this nature is regulated and penalized through a variety of anti-fraud laws delineated in the Texas Penal Code and the Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act. These laws cover offenses involving the many different ways that an individual can illegally obtain and use someone else's personal data. The penalties for identity theft will depend based on the particular details of a given case and the charges that apply for the situation. For example, Texas law indicates that the unauthorized acquisition or transferring of financial information is punishable with up to a year in jail. On top of that, an individual who committed identity theft can also face paying a maximum of $10,000 in fines due to a criminal charge for fraudulent use or possession of another person's identifying information. All in all, identity theft in Texas could result in having to pay a significant amount in fines, and facing a period of incarceration or probation.
While it might not seem as serious compared to violent crimes, identity theft and other white collar crimes should never be taken lightly. Getting charged with these criminal offenses can result in personal and professional obstacles that may be difficult to overcome. For more information contact a criminal defense lawyer.


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Protecting Federal Agencies from Advanced Threats
Federal government agencies, departments and critical infrastructure are frequent targets in today's advanced attacks. Whether the goal is to compromise sensitive government data, steal personally identifiable information (PII) or disrupt normal operations, the increasing sophistication of attacks is making it more difficult to safeguard the Federal government's cyber critical infrastructure.
To ensure the nation's safety and protection of vital information, the leadership in the White House, Congress and Department of Homeland Security have worked together to develop security mandates and regulations designed to secure agencies from both internal and external threats. Privileged account protection and threat detection are at the center of many of these requirements due to their powerful role in providing access to critical cyber infrastructure and sensitive information.
The CyberArk Privileged Account Security single-platform solution is uniquely positioned to help Federal agencies meet today's challenging security and compliance requirements. The CyberArk Privileged Account Security solution has been added to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Unified Capabilities Approved Products List (UC APL). This designation identifies products that have undergone a rigorous testing process conducted by the DoD, which assures acceptable levels of information assurance (IA) and interoperability (IO) capabilities. CyberArk's Privileged Account Security Solution has been independently validated and awarded an Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 2+ under the Common Criteria Recognition Agreement (CCRA). Additionally CyberArk has received the U.S. Army Certificate of Networthiness (CoN) enabling the streamlined implementation of the CyberArk solution on the Army Enterprise Architecture/LandWarNet (LWN). Visit the Army CoN website for more details on the CyberArk certification #201621511 (requires CAC for access). CyberArk's efforts to obtain and maintain these certifications demonstrates the company's commitment to helping Federal organizations and global enterprises secure privileged accounts.
Here are a few ways in which CyberArk can help meet security and compliance requirements in Federal organizations:
- FISMA/NIST SP800-53 – CyberArk's solution helps federal agencies comply with requirements related to the "Access Control", "Audit and Accountability" and "Identification and Authentication" control families.
- Department of Homeland Security CDM Program – Phase 2 of the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program is focused on least privilege, a core component of CyberArk's Privileged Account Security Solution.
- NERC – CIP – Requirements related to privileged access control, remote access management and access revocation in the regulation can be addressed using CyberArk's Solution.
- HSPD-12 – The requirement to authenticate using a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card can be easily implemented across all current and legacy systems with the seamless integration of CyberArk Solutions and PIV cards.


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|LivaNova Announces One-Millionth Patient Treated with Advanced XTRA Autotransfusion System
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171002005027/en/
Used during and after surgical operations, XTRA is the innovative, intuitive and powerful ATS system, a cost-effective solution that aims to improve patient outcome by reducing the exposure to allogeneic transfusions and the associated risks.
"With the decreasing worldwide availability of allogeneic blood and the
risks associated with its transfusion, there has been a shift in the
healthcare community to optimize the use of autotransfusion," said
The XTRA system provides the safe and effective collection, processing and reinfusion of patient blood during surgery. Designed as an intuitive and information-rich system, XTRA features advanced patient data management capabilities and an accessible graphic touchscreen interface. The system can be used during and after a range of surgical procedures, including cardiac, high-bleeding or emergency operations, orthopedic and pre-operative sequestration.
"For more than three decades,
To learn more about XTRA and LivaNova's portfolio of autotransfusion solutions, please visit www.livanova.com.
For more information, please visit www.LivaNova.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
such as those described in LivaNova's periodic reports on file with the
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171002005027/en/
LivaNova PLC Investor Relations and Media


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DVD Contractor 5.0
DVD Contractor is DVD Shrink software utilized to backup your DVDs. Its multi purposes mechanism allows you to use it in fusion with other favorite DVD software in order to make backup of that movie. The movie in form of file is saved in the hard drive with help of DVD Shrink. You can store wonderful backups of the movies you like to view time and again in your PC. There are no intricate measures involved and you can backup disks hassle-free...