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Overview of security and compliance in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is built on the Office 365 hyper-scale, enterprise-grade cloud, delivering the advanced security and compliance capabilities our customers expect.
Teams is Tier C-compliant at launch. This includes the following standards: ISO 27001, ISO 27018, SSAE16 SOC 1 and SOC 2, HIPAA, and EU Model Clauses (EUMC). Within the Microsoft compliance framework, Microsoft classifies Office 365 applications and services into four categories. Each category is defined by specific compliance commitments that must be met for an Office 365 service, or a related Microsoft service, to be listed in that category.
Services in compliance categories C and D that have industry-leading compliance commitments are enabled by default. Services in categories A and B come with controls to turn on or turn off these services for an entire organization. Details can be found in the Compliance Framework for Industry Standards and Regulations. Teams also supports Cloud Security Alliance compliance.
Teams also enforces team-wide and organization-wide two-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and at rest. Files are stored in SharePoint and are backed by SharePoint encryption. Notes are stored in OneNote and are backed by OneNote encryption. The OneNote data is stored in the team SharePoint site. The Wiki tab can also be used for note taking and it's content is also stored within the team SharePoint site.
We also added support for audit log search, eDiscovery and legal hold for channels, chats and files as well as mobile application management with Microsoft Intune. Go to the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center to manage these settings.
Auditing and Reporting
Audit log search plugs right into the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center and exposes abilities to set alerts and/or report on Audit event by making available, export of workload specific or generic event sets for admin use and investigation, across an unlimited auditing timeline. All Audit Log data is available for setting up of alerts within the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center, as well as for filtering and export for further analysis. Please refer to this link to learn more about how to conduct an Audit log search for Microsoft Teams events in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center.
Compliance Content Search
Content Search can be used to search for all Teams data through rich filtering capabilities and exported to a specific container for compliance and litigation support. This can be done with or without an eDiscovery case. This enables compliance admins to gather Teams data across all users, review and export it for further processing. Please refer to this link to learn more about how to conduct a compliance content search for Microsoft Teams content in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center.
Tip: The kind MicrosoftTeams can be used to filter through to Microsoft Teams only content i.e. Chat and Channel Messages, Meetings and Calls.
Electronic discovery is the electronic aspect of identifying, collecting and producing electronically stored information (ESI) in response to a request for production in a law suit or investigation. Capabilities include case management, preservation, search, analysis, and export of Teams data. This includes chat, messaging and files, meeting and call summaries. For Teams meetings and Calls, a summary of the events that happened in the meeting and call are created and made available in eDiscovery.
For more details about how to do eDiscovery in Security & Compliance Center and run compliance content search for Teams content, please go to the links below:
Customers can leverage in-place eDiscovery or [Advanced eDiscovery] per their requirements(https://support.office.com/article/Office-365-Advanced-eDiscovery-fd53438a-a760-45f6-9df4-861b50161ae4). The following table outlines the differences between the two:
|In-place eDiscovery
|Advanced eDiscovery
|Case Management
|Access Control
|Content Searches
|Duplication Detection
|Relevance Searches with Machine Learning
|Unstructured Data Analysis
Legal Hold
During a litigation, it is often required that all data associated with a user (custodian) or a Team is preserved immutably so it can be used as evidence for the case. This is acheived by placing either a user (user mailbox) or a Team on legal hold. When any team within Teams is put on In-Place Hold (subset of the mailbox or site collection thru targeted queries or filtered content) or Litigation Hold (entire mailbox or site collection), the hold is placed on the groups mailbox. This ensures that even if end users delete or edit channel messages that are ingested into the group mailbox, immutable copies of that content are maintained and available in eDisscovery search. Legal Holds are generally applied within the context of an eDiscovery case. Please see this help article to understand more about preservation and holds in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center.
Information Protection Architecture for Microsoft Teams.
The following figure indicates the ingestion flow of Teams data to both Exchange and SharePoint for Teams Files and Messages.
The following figure indicates the ingestion flow of Teams Meetings and calling data to Exchange.
There can be up to a 24-hour delay to discover Teams content.
Retention policies
Teams conversations are persistent and retained forever by default. With the introduction of Retention policies, admins can configure retention policies (both preservation and deletion) in the Security & Compliance Center for Teams chat and channel messages. This helps organizations either retain data for compliance (namely, preservation policy) for a specific period or get rid of data (namely, deletion policy) if it is considered a liability after a specific period. Teams retention policies ensure that when you delete data, it is removed from all permanent data storage locations on the Teams service.
To manage Teams Retention policies, use the settings and cmdlets in the Office 365 Security & Compliance Center under Data Governance > Retention.
Teams Retention Policies do support:
- Preservation: Keep Teams data for a specified duration and then do nothing
- Preservation and then delete: Keep Teams data for a specified duration and then delete
- Deletion: Delete Teams data after a specified duration
Teams Retention Policies do not yet support:
- Advanced Retention policies don't apply to Teams chat and Teams channel message locations
- Duration of fewer than 30 days
Admins can set up separate retention policies for Teams private chats (1:1 or 1:Many chats) and Teams channel messages. In many cases, organizations consider private chat data as more of a liability than channel messages, which are usually more project-related conversations. Set up these policies in the Security & Compliance Center, Data governance > Retention. Turn on Teams channel messages and Teams chats and then define retention policies for these locations (also shown in the diagram below).
When you turn on Teams channel messages, you can specify Teams to which this policy will apply. For example, for teams X, Y, and Z, the admin can set the deletion policies for 1 year (by selecting those teams individually), and apply a 3-year deletion policy to the rest of the teams.
You can do the same thing for Teams chats by selecting specific users and applying unique retention policies.
The Teams Channel message locations and Teams chats locations only address the Teams conversations stored in Exchange Online mailboxes (user and group mailboxes). The messages are deleted from all relevant storage locations, namely the mailboxes, substrate, and chat service.
To manage retention policies for Teams Files, which are stored in OneDrive for Business and SharePoint, use their retention policies.
By design, deletion policies for Teams files are configured through SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business locations. As a result, it's possible that a policy could delete a file referenced in a Teams chat or channel message before those messages get deleted. In this case, the file will still show up in the Teams message, but if you click the file, you'll get a "File not found" error (this could also happen in the absence of a policy, if someone manually deletes a file from SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business).
For detailed information about configuring retention policies for Office 365, read Overview of retention policies.
Retention policies FAQ
What types of policies can I setup in Retention policies and how do they work?
In the SSecurity & Compliance Center, when you set up a retention policy, for Teams or for any other workload, you can set up two main types of policies:
- Preservation: These policies ensure that your data is preserved for a given period of time, no matter what happens in the end user tools. They ensure that data is preserved for compliance reasons and available in eDiscovery until this time expires. After the time expires, your policy can indicate whether to do nothing or delete the data. In Teams, if you create a preservation policy for 7 years, even if end users delete their Teams messages, these messages are still preserved for eDiscovery for 7 years.
- Deletion: These policies ensure that data is not a liability for your organization. After the specified duration, data is deleted from all relevant storage in Teams.
Can we include Teams in org-wide policies?
No, not currently. You must create specific policies for Teams chat and channel messages using the Teams location row or these Teams cmdlets: New-TeamsRetentionCompliancePolicy & New-TeamsComplianceRetentionRule. These cmdlets have get and set versions as well.
Are these retention policies retroactive?
Yes, they are. If you create a retention policy to delete data older than 60 days, it will delete Teams data created more than 60 days ago.
What is the default retention policy?
By default, Teams chat, channel, and files data are retained forever. A user can delete something, but in the absence of retention policies, Teams data is always archived into Exchange online mailboxes (user and group) and stays there for eDiscovery.
Can I target sets of users or teams in a policy?
Yes, you do. In the policy creation wizard, in the Locations step, you can include or exclude teams (Teams channel messages) or users (Teams chat) and create targeted policies for your organization.
What is the main difference between using the Group mailbox location row and Teams channel messages location row in retention policies?
If you use the Group mailbox and User mailbox location rows for Exchange Online, Teams data will be deleted from the specified mailboxes. However, this only removes data from the mailbox. It doesn't delete other Teams data, such as chats service. We recommend that you use Teams retention policies to properly manage all Teams data. A Teams retention policy removes teams data from all storage locations – Mailboxes, Chat service, Teams clients.
Note: Launch of the Retention policies feature for Teams makes sure that only Teams policies delete Teams items stored inside Exchange mailbox locations (user or group). Other policies setup on mailboxes cannot affect Teams items. This was true in the past, but has been fixed with the launch of retention policies feature.
What happens to Skype for Business Online and Teams interop chats – are they affected by retention policies?
Yes, Skype for Business Online and Teams interop chats work the same way. Once the Skype for Business Online chat comes into Teams, it becomes a message in a Teams chat thread and gets ingested into the appropriate mailbox. So the same flow works – Teams deletion policies will delete these messages from the Teams thread. However, if conversation history is turned on for Skype for Business Online and from the Skype for Business Online client side those are being saved into a mailbox, this chat data is not handled by a Teams retention policy.
Can I do these through Security & Compliance Center cmdlets? What should I use?
Absolutely. You can create Teams retention policies using Security & Compliance Center Powershell cmdlets. Remember these are not Exchange Online cmdlets. Here are the cmdlets we created for Teams. They follow existing nomenclature and style from retention cmdlets available today in Security & Compliance Center.
If there are multiple retention policies for Teams with varying durations, which one wins?
We follow Principles of retention policies, and we recommend that you do too. The short answer is:
- Preservation always wins over deletion
- Longest preservation period always wins
- Explicit inclusion wins over implicit inclusion in terms of locations
- Shortest deletion period wins
Retention policies known issues
Under Choose Teams in the Teams Channel messages location row, you may see Office 365 Groups that are not also Teams. This will be addressed in the future.
Under Choose Users in the Teams Chat location row, you may see guests and non-mailbox users. Retention policies are not meant to be set for guests, and we are working to remove these from the list.
Exchange Life Cycle assistant (ELC) runs daily, but it has an SLA of 7 days. As a result, it's possible that, if you have a Teams retention policy to delete items older than 60 days, these items could persist for up to 67 days. This isn't a new situation - it follows the Exchange model. Of course, in most cases, there is no delay.
|Decision point
|What security and compliance features does your organization require? Does your organization have the required licenses to meet Security and Compliance business requirements?
|Next steps
|Document your required security and compliance features.
When it comes to the information protection capabilities, Office 365 subscriptions and the associated standalone licenses will determine the available feature set.
|Information Protection Capability
|Office 365 Business Essentials
|Office 365 Business Premium
|Office 365 Enterprise E1
|Office 365 Enterprise E3/E4
|Office 365 Enterprise E5
|In-Place eDiscovery
|Advanced eDiscovery
|Legal Hold
|Compliance Content Search
|Auditing and Reporting
|Conditional Access*
*Conditional Access requires additional licenses
|Decision point
|Does your organization have the required licenses to meet Compliance and Security business requirements?
|Next steps
|Review your organization's current licensing and confirm it meets all business requirements for compliance and security.
Before enabling any of these features, ensure you have access to the Security & Compliance Center in the Office 365 admin center. By default, tenant admins have access.
Content Search and eDiscovery do not require enablement in the Security & Compliance Center.
Location of data in Teams
Data in Teams resides in the geographic region associated with your Office 365 tenant. Currently, Teams supports the Australia, Canada, India, Japan, UK, Americas, APAC, and EMEA regions.
Teams currently offers data residency in the Australia, Canada, India, Japan, and UK for new tenants only. A new tenant is defined as any tenant that hasn't had a single user from the tenant sign in to Teams. Existing tenants from Australia, India, and Japan will continue to have their Teams data stored in the APAC region. Existing tenants in Canada and the UK will have their data stored in the Americas and EMEA region, respectively.
To learn more about the launch of India and UK data residency for Teams, read Ansuman Acharya's blog post, Microsoft Teams launches India Data Residency, other geos coming soon.
For more information on Canada data residency for Teams, read Varun Sagar's blog post, Microsoft Teams Launches Canada Data Residency, Australia and Japan coming soon.
To learn more about the launch of Australia and Japan data residency for Teams, read Varun Sagar's blog post, Microsoft Teams Launches Australia and Japan Data Residency .
To see which region houses data for your tenant, go to the Office 365 admin center > Settings > Organization profile. Scroll down to Data location.
How do Conditional Access policies work for Teams?
Microsoft Teams relies heavily on Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and Skype for Business Online for core productivity scenarios, like meetings, calendars, interop chats, and file sharing. Conditional access policies that are set for these cloud apps apply to Microsoft Teams when a user directly signs in to Microsoft Teams - on any client.
Microsoft Teams is supported separately as a cloud app in Azure Active Directory conditional access policies. Conditional access policies that are set for the Microsoft Teams cloud app apply to Microsoft Teams when a user signs in. However, without the correct policies on other apps like Exchange Online and SharePoint Online, users may still be able to access those resources directly. For more informaton about setting up a conditional access policy in the azure portal, go to: (https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/active-directory/active-directory-conditional-access-azure-portal-get-started)
Microsoft Teams desktop clients for Windows and Mac support modern authentication. Modern authentication brings sign-in based on the Azure Active Directory Authentication Library (ADAL) to Microsoft Office client applications across platforms.
Microsoft Teams desktop application supports AppLocker. For more information about AppLocker prerequisites, please see: Requirements to use AppLocker (https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/security/threat-protection/windows-defender-application-control/applocker/requirements-to-use-applocker).
Privacy in Teams
As a customer of Office 365, you own and control your data. Microsoft does not use your data for anything other than providing you with the service that you have subscribed to. As a service provider, we do not scan your email, documents, or teams for advertising or for purposes that are not service-related. Microsoft doesn't have access to uploaded content. Like OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online, customer data stays within the tenant.
Check out more about our trust and security related information at the Office 365 Trust Center. Teams follows the same guidance and principles as the Office 365 Trust Center.


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Wonderland is proud to be one of a select few builders in Providence Village, the first neighborhood in the brand-new Sterling Ranch master-planned community. Situated in northwest Douglas County, Sterling Ranch will be home to over 12,000 residences when complete. The community will be comprised of nine villages, including an innovative Town Center that will feature two million square feet of retail and office space and a sports village. Providence Village will include a recreation center, a 30,000 square foot civic center, a 30-acre lake and 55-acre park.
Our exciting home plans for Providence Village offer 2,898 to 3,332 finished square feet and are packed with the special details and forward-thinking design that we are known for. Features of these homes include open-concept floorplans, unique kids lairs, spacious bedrooms, and extensive outdoor living space including covered outdoor rooms.
Included Features
Site Plan
New Home Specialist Christina Tamerlano is here to help.
You can contact her via the information below or you can fill out the form to the right. We look forward to hearing from you!Call Christina at 303.536.3210
Join the Insider List

subset: commoncrawl


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True Freedom ~ Letting It All Go
By KaraSchallock, 07/30/2016
Life is as simple or as complicated as we want it to be. If we choose simple, we let go of all we are attached to; all we think we know and become an empty vessel. In this Emptiness, we get to the core of us and that is Love. There is so much that can distract us…whether it's the outer world or the inner. We can be distracted by our loved ones, by friends, by day-to-day living and yet, when we let it all go and focus only on our Hearts; only on our Selves; we access the simple Truth and we are guided. There is nothing of consequence except the merging with our Souls. The only way we can do this is to let go of all the thoughts and all the words and meditate. Meditation is how we strengthen our Souls. And as our Souls strengthen, we feel…yes, there are old beliefs that surface and the continual urge to be doing something. This "doing something" is probably the biggest attachment we have. We can hear our parents say, "You're lazy; go do something."
Can you be still or must you be constantly moving? What is beneath your doing? Is it guided; is it an outer expectation or is it an old belief or pattern? What is the belief underneath your doing? If you resent having to do a chore, what does that tell you? Are you forcing something or do you shut out your true nature "in order to get things done?" What happens when you stop? Can you stop? Do you meditate only when you have time? Is it the last thing on your list when it should be your first?
Where are you attached? You might explore religion, terrorists, politics, death and more. Certainly by exploring these big and old constructs, you will be led to deeper beliefs. Are you willing to let it all go? Are you willing to be vulnerable and realize you don't know anything? Do you believe everything you read or are told? Do you realize you give your Power away every time you do? Do you think life happens to you and not for you? Release victim energy. Do you believe attending the latest workshop or conference will actually upgrade or save you? Unless you put into action all you learn, nothing changes.
Long ago I offered workshops and classes. Years later I would run into someone who was in a class and noticed nothing had changed in their life; realizing that many (not all) chose not to integrate what I was guided to share. I let it all go, including the workshops and classes. I do realize that many choose not to let go and I realize everyone evolves in their own time and way. However, I choose not to be part of any illusion. I am only interested in Truth, Simplicity and Being Love. Period. I do not have answers and often don't have anything to share and share only when I'm guided to do so.
Because we are constantly receiving high dimensional Light downloads, I pay little attention to labels or portals, like the Lion's Gate. Any time we assign a time to energy, it is illusion, for in Truth, there isno time. Much of what we experience has nothing to do with a particular time. I let go of the label "ascension symptoms" as well, for that seems as though Ascension is an illness and we know it is definitely not. Here is what you may or may not be experiencing. (Realize that all is for your highest evolution/Ascension and is custom-made for you; whatever is needed)…
You may experience what feels like flu; this is a release of toxins including old beliefs, patterns and preconceived ideas that limit and these toxins end up in the physical body. Headaches: when your Crown, Pineal and/or 3rd Eye Chakras are releasing, upgrading and/or receiving high dimensional energetic downloads; you may experience also a runny nose, dizziness and/or feeling off-balance as well. You may experience a shift in your digestive system; sometimes nauseous, sometimes constipated or the opposite: this may be an adjustment of your lower chakras and often indicates a release of old emotions like anger, fear and control. It can also indicate a release of generational attitudes. When there is blockage, you may feel joint pain, especially in the knees and hips if you are not moving forward. You may feel depressed with nothing that seems to be causing it.
Depression is often anger turned inward, so release the anger and pay attention to your self-talk. It can also be created by a shift in vibration. You could be more sensitive than usual; even crying; this is most likely a clearing. Be sure you do not take things personally, for this is separate ego as well as victim energy…release victim energy (it's so important to do so). Heart butterflies or pounding: your Heart Chakra is upgrading. The Solar Plexus and Heart are also merging as well, which brings the mental body into the feeling body of the Heart. If you feel anxiety, this could explain why. Remember too that some are sponges for others' energies. If this is you, protect yourself and have boundaries (in Truth, Love needs no protection, yet all are in different stages of their Ascension). You may feel tired, even if you slept well (be aware also that sleep patterns keep shifting). You do a lot of work while you sleep. Feeling amped up (this could also feel like anxiety): meditate. This is a build-up of energy. If you gain weight, this is actually because you are carrying higher energy and you may also be protecting your energy from lower vibrations. Go within to make sure it isn't because you are taking on another's energy. Eventually, any extra pounds will be evenly distributed. You may feel spacey or "not here" or you can't seem to find the words you want…your brain is changing. Diet changes: you may not be drawn to what you used to enjoy. Let it be and let your body tell you what it wants. This is often the same with activities and friends. This, of course, is only a partial list. What you experience is for your highest evolution.
To help yourself, meditate, drink lots of purified water, eat light, use essential oils and use flower essences. Stand on the Earth barefoot, Sun Gaze, be in Nature, soak in water (the Ocean is perfect, for it is made up of what is inside you…the same salty manna). Do not attach to any of what you feel; be the observer and accept and move through with Grace. It is what it is. If you are guided to see a doctor, do so. Do know, however, that many go to their docs only to be told nothing is wrong…everything is right!
We continue to move through many phases…phases to let go of the old and phases to integrate the New. It is important to know and trust that you have everything within you to heal//whole yourself. Your guides are within, the Holy Spirit is within and your Christ Consciousness is within. It's a matter of trusting this and acting on it. Of course, if you don't follow your guidance with shifting things in life and let go of old beliefs and patterns, you may not recognize or believe this at all. It takes clearing oneself of the old and then opening up to the miracle of you. Complaining about life, your own, others' and globally, keeps you in the old, so keep your vibration high as you realize that everything is in Divine Order. In this way, you not only evolve, but so does Gaia. You are then a part of the solution; not part of the perceived problem.
If it is your current path to be alone, realize that alone=All One. There truly is no separation and you truly are not alone. Many are experiencing a new state of Freedom and Bliss. They have released the lower emotions and beliefs and are living their higher consciousness. Their separate egos are now their ascending egos…serving Soul and Source. In August, the potential for many more to experience this will be manifest. The New is completely different, so as you let go of the old, you experience life in a completely new way. Resistance or projecting the old into the New only serves to confuse and make you depressed, because you see that you simply cannot bring the old life into the New. So follow your guidance and feel where and with whom you resonate. Let everything else go. When you trust what you receive and follow it, you empower your Christ Consciousness and life is surprisingly fluid.
Potentially, we are open to new insights, both into ourselves, others and the world. "Business as usual" doesn't work now, so do something new and more creative. Your Intuition is strong, so be sure to follow it, for when you don't, it diminishes. Look for new solutions to old problems; do not attempt to resolve things using old logic and old ways of doing things. Pay greater attention to messages that come from within you and through others (they may not realize they are giving you a message). Make sure you are aligned and congruent between your thoughts, feelings and actions; this greatly helps you flow. Be sure not to react or take things personally. If you do, go within and see what deeper pattern wants release. Keep your vibration high by not taking one side or another. Observe yourself and others without judgment or deciding who's right and who's wrong. August brings an upgrade of Oneness/Unity. It will be easier to be in your Heart.
Love and accept yourself and do what empowers that; release what diminishes it. Let go of your old stories and labels. When you stand in your Power, you expand as Love. Standing in your Power is never about powering through or empowering others or overpowering another. It is true Freedom and Love. This is simply who we are.
Commentary from The First Contact Ground Crew 5dSpiritual Healing Team:
We are realizing that the energies are really intense NOW. Most of the Wavers are struggling with 3d illusion conditioning (social, cultural, institutional and mind programming). When you're feeling blockage, ready to give up, understand your status as an Ascension Waver (1st, 2nd or 3rd) and be completely free of 3d illusion conditioning (social, cultural, institutional and mind programming). We can help you in your Awareness and will give you the tools and techniques to assist you Home Into The Light. We can assist in identifying and Dissolving of all conditioning and programming.
We The First Contact Ground Crew are preparing everyone for a Full Planetary Ascension which has been Underway since the End of September and will spiral this year in March and Another in August. Allow us to ReHeart you that this is The Great Awakening for ALL of Humanity. One must awaken first before they can Ascend. Trusting this process is KEY, which means fully trusting and surrendering to LOVE and the Divine Plan in every moment. This is why We Will Help you to Get Ready and can Assist You into Awakening into 5d Reality, where your experience is One of Constant Joy, Wholeness of Being, Whole Health, Balanced Harmonics, Happiness and Abundance. Lets DO THIS! Together We Got This! Schedule an Amazing Awakening Session with Mother & Father of All Creation. Below by following the Link! We are Here in The Highest Love, Honor, and Respect to Be Humanity's Representatives of The New Paradigm of True Freedom, Abundance, True Equality, A Completely Balanced Being and a Completely Benevolent Society! This is our Destiny as The Old illusion of power over and dysfunction dissolve. Allow us to be of service to You. "LOVE" has said "ALL POSSIBILITIES EXIST IN UNLIMITED THOUGHT, All possibilities of the HIGHEST Outcome for the GREATER GOOD Of ALL only exist IN THE PRESENT MOMENT OF NOW" ~For All the Details you can Follow this Link: https://www.lovehaswon.org/awaken-to-5d
Connect with MotherGod~Mother of All Creation on Skype @ mothergoddess8
LOVE US @ https://www.facebook.com/lovehaswon/
We are a Donation based service for the Planetary Ascension. Thank you for showing your support and keeping our website and Love Energies moving forward! Thanks for supporting your family of light in their time of need to fulfill mission
Here is our fund raising information: https://www.gofundme.com/lovehaswon
Visit Our Store: https://www.lovehaswon.org/love-has-won-store/
For a free copy of our book (The Tree of Life ~ Light of The Immortals) visit the link below


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Creating Connections - March 25, 2016
A weekly message from Interim Superintendent Dr. Marco C. Rodrigues
March 25, 2016 - Volume 1, Issue 13
Superintendent's Message
We often talk about the talent we have in our schools, both educators and students. Today, I want to highlight a group of individuals who embarked in an amazing project called Burncoat UNITES (Unifying New Instrumentalists Through El Sistema), designed to provide students, in grades 5 through 8, access to ensemble and instrumental instruction after school hours.
This project originated from Elisander Rivera-Sanchez's Senior Capstone Project and it includes semi-private lessons, collaborative practice time, homework time, sectionals time and ensemble time. Burncoat UNITES runs from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, twice per week. It provide students with opportunities for special sessions focusing on interpretation, jazz styles, vocal and ear training, piano tutorials, and world music styles and performance. Eighteen Student-Instructors have been trained to provide these lesson opportunities to 75 students.
Help me congratulate our student-instructors, whose talents and initiative have exceeded our expectations. Many thanks to Lisa Leach, Phil King, Michael Thibodeau, Deb Cole, Alex Badalov, Arie Yaacobi, Israel Saldana, Alex King and Herdi Xha for their remarkable work and mentorship.
But above all, this has been a program conceived by an outstanding young leader and implemented by committed, responsible and creative young people.
"We have to be the change that we want to see in the world"
~ Elisander Rivera-Sanchez, Grade 12 – Burncoat High School
Celebrations and Updates
South High Band Pennsylvania Trip
The Worcester Educational Development Foundation (WEDF) presented a donation from the Fuller Foundation of $5,000 to Ms. Johnetta Smith and the South High Marching Band for their upcoming trip to Philadelphia. The Worcester Educational Development Foundation also contributed $1,000 to the trip. The South High Marching Band was selected to represent the State of Massachusetts in the commemoration of the 240th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Pennsylvania.
Please help the band reach its goal by donating on their GoFundMe page.
Quinsigamond's Recreation Worcester Gets Expanded Days
City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. announced Wednesday that due to the popularity of the Recreation Worcester afterschool program at Quinsigamond Elementary School, it will be expanded to four days a week. The change is being made to accommodate the larger than expected numbers of students taking advantage of the program. Since Recreation Worcester began, Quinsigamond has seen an average of more than 100 students per day. The program will now run Monday-Thursday from 2:30-5:30pm starting Monday, March 28th.
Recreation Worcester's afterschool program began February 1st and is averaging 500 kids per week at six schools across the city. The program features visual arts, music, and physical recreation activities. The academic portion includes tutoring, homework help, learning about healthy behaviors, and nutrition. Programming is for all youth in grades 3-12.
Visit the Recreation Worcester site for more information and to register.
2016 VEX Worlds Competition
Tatnuck Magnet School and Burncoat Middle School have qualified for the 2016 VEX Worlds (VEX IQ Challenge) in Louisville, Kentucky. These are the only teams in Worcester to get an invite to the World Championships. Both schools qualified after competing at the Southern New England Regional Tournament Championships at Quinsigamond Community College and North High School in February.
Students work hard to design, build, program, and attend after school meetings and several competitions to prepare for this event. But they still need your help. In order for both schools to attend they need to raise $4,375 each to help pay for travel expenses, registration fee, and hotel costs. Both schools have set up fundraising pages and would appreciate any assistance in getting our kids there.
Forest Grove Students Developing Prototype
Students in grade 8 at Forest Grove Middle School began developing a prototype to assist students who struggle with fine motor skill disabilities. The prototype will aid them to better grasp objects like paint brushes, markers, etc. Under the direction of Technology and Engineering Teacher Thomas Oliva, students are designing and producing the prototype using a 3D printer. Students expect to complete the project by April 1st.
11th Annual Book Drive
Worcester: the City that Reads Committee is once again collecting books (Pre-K to grade 8) for their 11th annual book drive from March 21st to May 15th. The initiative was started by John and Ann-Marie Monfredo to promote literacy in the community, put books into the hands of children who lack books in their homes, and to promote the importance of being a life time reader.
Please donate a new or gently used books at these sites.
District Business
Lake View School Awarded Commendation Grant
Congratulations to Margaret Bondar and her staff at Lake View School who recently received notification from Governor Baker that it has been awarded a MA Commendation Schools/MA Blue Ribbon Schools Dissemination Grant in the amount of $15,000.
This award is given in recognition of the school's Commendation Status and will provide the opportunity for the staff from Lake View to partner with their colleagues at Rice Square. Their work will be centered on the dissemination of Lake View's best practices regarding balanced literacy, Writers Workshop, and Response to Intervention.
Did you know...
Did you know that we offer a new Arts discipline within the Worcester Public Schools called Media Arts?
Students who participate in our Media Arts courses:
- Explore topics such as aesthetic meaning, appreciation and analysis, composing, capturing, processing and programming of media arts products.
- Survey the creative and conceptual aspects of designing media arts experiences and products.
- Examine techniques, genres and styles from various and combined mediums and forms, including moving image, sound interactive, spatial and/or interactive design.
Upcoming Week's Events
First Annual Four Orchestras Festival
The Worcester Youth Orchestra (WYO) is proud to present the "1st Annual Four Orchestras Festival". The concert features the talents of over 250 students from central and western Massachusetts and features the Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Worcester Youth Philharmonic. Guest orchestras include the Burncoat High School Symphony Orchestra, the Shrewsbury High School Chamber Orchestra, and the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra. Join us for this wonderful concert on Sunday, April 3rd at 4pm at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door or on the Worcester Youth Orchestra website.


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Despite New Patriotic Party (NPP) campaign pledges, many were surprised to see a Minister of Regional Re-Organisation & Development in President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's ministerial appointees. The creation of such a ministry has been necessitated by the plan to create four new regions in the country from 2018.
This announcement is a very bold move by Akufo-Addo, it will be the first change in the makeup of the regions of Ghana since the Upper West region was officially created in 1987. The mobilisation of personnel and infrastructure to educate the people on the need for the creation of these new regions will be massive and the price of failure could also be huge.
If accepted, the creation of new regions could change the historical political allegiance of large sections of the typically National Democratic Congress (NDC)-leaning Northern and Volta regions. If residents of the new Eastern Corridor and Oti regions feel that the NPP were the ones to give them their autonomy, it could be a long-term blow for the main opposition party.
Furthermore, (1) a significant proportion of Ghana's cocoa production takes place in the Western region, (2) it plays host to a number of the independent power producers (IPPs) and (3) as well as offshore oil and gas exploitation in the jubilee field. Although Ghana is a unitary rather than federal state, sharing revenues on that basis, a re-drawing of regional boundaries will still impact the composition of stakeholders for cocoa production, and oil and gas activities as well as the IPPs.
Not only will the creation of the new regions be a huge test for the political leadership of the country but also for the nation's institutions, especially the Electoral Commission and the National Commission for Civic Education. The NCCE is the body that is responsible for educating citizens about the importance of voting and, with such stringent requirements on participation and success of any eventual referendum, they will have their work cut out for them – turnout at the district level elections rarely exceeds 40%.
Written by Accra-based Analyst, Kobi Annan, with input from Managing Partners Nana Adu Ampofo and Kissy Agyeman-Togobo
[2] https://www.modernghana.com/news/748614/4-more-regions-coming.html
Songhai Advisory's raison d'etre is to provide local knowledge in support of investment in Sub-Saharan Africa. For further information, please get in touch via email: firstname.lastname@example.com
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I am going to be 33 on the 18th. My dear friend Erika informed me that the double number years are the luckiest (ex., 11,22,33,44,55, etc.).
I am not sure I believe her but I am holding onto that!
Every year when I am about to up my count it always causes me to reflect on where I have gone and what I have accomplished.This year hasn't been that great. The last six have been pretty bad but the last three have been really rough. Having a disease isn't fun but especially not fun when no one can figure out what is wrong with you. It has been a long hard road but I finally have my hair back and the medication seems to be keeping me pretty well off.
On that note, I am ready to live again.
Yes I have some extra baggage since I got sick. Not only the physical but mental kind. I weigh more than I used to and I plan to try to rectify that. But more deeply I admit I am wounded a bit. And angry. From employers, to friends, to family, these last few years of illness have taken their toll. I have lost friends and jobs and for a while there I lost myself.
But I feel like that is over. Not that I will never feel bad again but I feel that just KNOWING what it is and how to fight it makes a big difference. That it will pass. Before I felt like I was swinging in the dark fighting an unknown enemy that no one else believed existed.
I hope this upcoming year brings happiness. New experiences. Health and strength. A wonderful job. I hope I read a lot of wonderful books. See and meet a lot of fabulous people. Sing good songs. Hear great music. Maybe get a tattoo. Visit my family. Take a trip. Ride on a train. Sail on a boat.
I am excited. For the first time in countless days I am excited to be alive.
I feel like I am about to embark on a very important stage of my life.


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4 Bridesmaid Gift Ideas to Help You Shine Yet Save
December 30, 2014
By Grace at Bella Bridal
Want to really shine on your wedding day? Get to know the latest in bridal jewelry trends that can help you express your individuality and complement your gown. However, don't forget that you are not the only one that needs to sparkle and shine on the big day; your bridesmaids are also in need of a little glitz and glam themselves. Since it's important to show your bridesmaids a little lovin' at your wedding, we've narrowed down 4 of the best bridesmaid's gift ideas. We all know how expensive weddings can be, so for those brides with spending limits, we've provided the ability to save, not splurge, with these wonderful gift ideas.
Your bridesmaids have been loyal companions, on your side through thick and thin during all of the wedding festivities. From bridal showers to bachelorette parties and even a few anxiety attacks, these ladies have had your back and deserve a little gift representing your gratitude. There is no better way to say thank you than with a lovely, personalized gift to give your loyal ladies at your rehearsal dinner or on the big day itself. Show them how appreciative you are for all their hard work and patience with one of these four monogrammed treats (safe for any budget, as well!)
Tote Bags: What better way to keep your girls organized and comfortable than with a wonderful monogrammed tote bag? After a long day your bridesmaids will be thanking you with these great, convenient tote bags to store all of their essentials, especially with their initials stitched right on the front. With our variety of styles, you'll have a tote to match every bridesmaid on your special day!
Make-up Bags: Since many weddings require the guests and wedding party to travel, you're bridesmaids will love storing their make-up and special toiletries in a sleek, chic monogrammed make-up bag. Nice looking, useful make-up bags can be found for under $30, with no extra charge for the monogrammed initials!
Jewelry: Since it is, after all, tradition to provide jewelry for bridesmaids at your wedding, why not make each piece extra special with a simple, dainty necklace or bracelet with their first name or initial engraved? It's a great way to personalize each gift and also incorporate the gift into the actual wedding.
Jewelry Box: If you have already presented your bridesmaids with bridal jewelry, than perhaps a lovely jewelry box will make the best gift. You can customize each case with their initials so they will always remember you and your special day when they stow away their precious gems.
Create the ultimate picture of beauty with carefully selected bridal jewelry. Whether it's for the bride or her party, the right touch will set the tone for the ceremony. Our complimentary embroidering services provide an even more stress free experience. Even prom is a reason to check out Bella jewelry and other gift ideas. No matter what your budget, the right gifts will make your big day even more perfect.


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In this texture study I went out and learned something about photo textures and the pipeline that is connected to it. When I concluded my study I decided to write down a tutorial about creating textures out of photos to document my finding. You can find the tutorial here. I realy like the approach [...]
Creating textures out of photo'sPosted on
The way I see this you have two options for creating your textures. The first is painting your textures by hand, either in Photoshop or in a 3d package that supports 3d painting like Mudbox or Zbrush. The second option is creating your textures from photos. The first option will give you all the control [...]
Render a HDR Background in Maya using MentalRayPosted on
Render a HDR Background in Maya using V-RayPosted on
51 Things every game student should knowPosted on
So A while back I came across this master piece. If you are a game student have a look and learn. If you have found your spot in the industry, go and have a laugh :)
51 slides but worth your time. Here.
Spring Shoot With Alex and his momPosted on
I updated the photo section with some new shots form a shoot back in spring from Alex and his mom. You can find more pictures from the shoot on my Flickr account.
The Basilica of St-HubertPosted on
Graduation Work 2013Posted on
In January 2013 I graduated from the International Game Architecture and Design course from the NHTV in Breda, Netherlands. This page contains my graduation product. My project was to design a room and redecorate it for 3 different individuals over time. The individuals I chose for this project were Thomas Edison with the year 1900, [...]
ToiletPosted on
This project was inspired by this render of Juan Siquier.
Everything in this project was done by me. Modeled, shaded in Maya, rendered in Vray, retouched in photoshop.
Mens erger je niet "kermis"Posted on
This is a project I did during my internship at Lukkien. My part in this Project was setting up the frames for the story board with stock models, doing the shading for the background and the game (high en low res), rendering the stills, Modeling the "board" game low and high res. [...]
Internship at LukkienPosted on
This is the project page for the work I did at Lukkien during my internship. Lukkien is a crossmedial production house were I did a 20 week internship at the 3D department. During my 20 weeks I did several projects, scroll all the way down to see them all.
Metro Building BlocksPosted on
This was a school project for the course "Game Architecture", the topic for this course was building blocks. All the models where build for the use in the UDK and that was how the environment was graded. How ever I decided to shade and render it in vray for better looks. I took one shot [...]


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I am the champion!
Random musings on pop culture, technology, politics and music plus photos served (almost) daily
I think a little gloating is in order
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
After an arduous season of fighting injurys and a crummy receiving corps, your humble blog proprietor is the 2011 Southwest Wyoming Fantasy Football League champ!
Labels: madpoet , Random Music , Random Random , Random Video
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The tall Bowen boot features a waterproof ballistic nylon to get your through winter in comfort. The Bowen is fully lined with faux shearling to keep you warm and cozy. The footbed is removable - a great feature for people who prefer to use orthotics.
1-888-218-7275 email@example.com


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Assateague Island Blog
Subscribing to the Assateague Island Blog will ensure that you are notified of all updates to My Assateague Experience. New quality content is being added frequently that you won't want to miss!
To subscribe to my Assateague Island Blog, simply right-click on the orange RSS button to the left and copy and paste the URL into your favorite RSS reader.
If you prefer to use your Google, My Yahoo, My MSN or Bloglines reader, click on the appropriate button and follow their instructions.
Need help? Click on the question mark above the words "subscribe to this site" on the left.
A sprinkle of baby powder makes sand come off your skin easily!
Night walks on the beach. Our kids love ghost crab hunting! Everything about Assateague is awesome! Such a magical place!
Continue reading "Night Walks on the Beach & Ghost Crab Hunting"
Printable beach camping checklist - what's necessary, what's nice to have, and what you can leave at home.
Yay! Assateague State Park is adding more pet friendly campsites! More opportunity for those of you who want to take your pets to Assateague State Park but find it hard to get a campsite with the limited availability. I'll be updating my site soon with these new changes.
New Pet Policy, as quoted from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources State Park Website:
"Changes to Assateague State Park Pet–Friendly Areas:
Effective Friday May 24, 2013 Assateague State Park will allow pet-friendly camping in the H-Electric Loop Sites 1 through 39 and adjacent beach.Pets are currently allowed in Assateague State Park in the following areas:
Pets are allowed in the marina area to board vesselsPets are allowed with registered campers in the following campsites: Loop J, Loop I sites 37-51 and Loop H sites 1-13, as well as on the beach from the H Loop crossover to the south
Pets are allowed in day-use areas from October 1 to April 30"
Visit Assateague Island National Seashore just for the day or enjoy a truly unique camping experience with wild ponies!
Continue reading "Assateague Island National Seashore - Wild Ponies, Beach Camping and More! "
Camping at Assateague National Park - amenities, activities, reservation information and helpful resources.
Continue reading "Assateague National Park - Camp with Wild Ponies"
Hi Folks,
I haven't had much time lately as my newborn is keeping me busy and I rarely have two hands to type these days.
I'm planning to get some new quality content up soon. I've had a lot of requests for my packing lists, details on things to do, food, and related topics so I'm hoping to get to those pages first.
In the meantime, don't hesitate to visit our Contact Us page and send in your questions. Just give me a little grace period to get back to you due to the new baby.
I hope this finds you enjoying your summer! (hopefully at Assateague!)
Kind Regards,Kelly
Things you must know before making your Assateague camping reservation.
Continue reading "Your Assateague Camping Reservation - Take the Time to Make it Perfect"
Hi Folks, Kelly here.
I hope many of you are preparing for or have already enjoyed your trip to Assateague Island this season!
As we are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first child, I have not been able to add the new camping content to the site that I had wanted to before the season started, particularly regarding camping checklists, food ideas, and general tips about setting up your campsite and keeping your coolers safe from the ponies.
However, I am still available to answer any questions you may have regarding camping or things to do on the island. I may be a little slow getting back to you with a newborn to care for, but I WILL get back to you! It is helpful if you put your anticipated camping date in the message so that I know how quickly I need to respond.
Please bear with us during this time of transition. Once life settles down a bit I plan on adding all the "good stuff" to the site that you have been looking for. I hope I have enough information on the site to at least get you started.
I am also in the process of updating all my pages with my new Look & Feel so please bear with me if the pages look a little "funny" until they get fixed. Let me know what you think about the new look!
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments about the site or Assateague Island in general. Please visit our Contact Us page and send me a message! I love hearing feedback on the site as well.
I hope this finds you enjoying your summer and I look forward to hearing from you!
Continue reading "Have Questions About Camping on Assateague Island?"
Your personal Assateague camping guide - where to camp, what to bring, and what to expect. Our favorite way to enjoy Assateague Island!
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Development Teacher for Mathematics, Codsall
Closing date:
Start date: September 2018
Contract type: Full Time
Contract term: Permanent
Suitable for NQTs: No
Codsall Community High School
Elliotts Lane
Executive Headteacher: Mr A Harding
Tel: : 01902 907 560
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Development Teacher for Mathematics (£4,000 TLR): Full Time Permanent
Codsall High is a school for students in Years 9 to 13 with almost one thousand students on roll and over three hundred students in the sixth form.
We are looking for an inspirational teacher and leader to join our school in September 2018.
The Mathematics department is one of the strongest in the school with consistently high achievement at both GCSE and A level, including last year where Progress 8 in Maths placed the department in the top 10% of the country.
The post will focus on developing the curriculum and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in Mathematics in either Key Stage 4 or 5.
The ability to teach GCSE Mathematics is essential. The ability to teach A Level Mathematics would be an advantage although not essential.
The post would suit an experienced teacher who would like to move into a leadership role or an existing middle leader who would like to work at an excellent school.
Application forms and further details for the above post are available to download from www.cc-hs.com/jobs.
To arrange a tour please contact Mrs H Zatte, the Executive Headteacher's PA, at the email address shown above. Completed application forms with a letter of application should also be sent to Mrs H Zatte.
Closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 19th March at 9am.
Interviews scheduled for Friday 23rd March.
"This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment". This position is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Further details regarding this check are available from schools or by visiting www.crb.gov.uk
Contact Codsall Community High School
Thanks for your interest in this role.
Simply fill in the form below to ask any questions, request a call, or schedule a school visit.
This field is required


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« older | Main Largehearted Boy Page | newer »
March 11, 2014
Shorties (A Guide to SXSW Music, A Reading List for House of Cards Fans, and more)
Resident Advisor has posted a guide to SXSW Music 2014.
BuzzFeed recommended books for fans of the television series House of Cards.
Authors Rachel Cantor and Jeremy P. Bushnell interviewed each other at The Quietus.
Singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo visited World Cafe for an interview and live performance.
Alexander Chee interviewed author Helen Oyeyemi at BuzzFeed.
Vanity Fair interviewed Rufus Wainwright about his music career and the state of the industry.
Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt and cartoonist Roz Chast have collaborated on 101 Two-Letter Words, a book coming in October.
The A.V. Club reassesses Madvillain's Madvillainy album 10 years after its release.
Waterstones interviewed author George Saunders.
R.I.P., author Joe McGinniss.
Humanities examined the "quiet greatness" of Eudora Welty.
The A.V. Club examined bow punk labels caused change in the '90s.
The Millions recommended five crime novels where women are the detectives.
Drowned in Sound profiled the band Slint.
Alison Bechdel discussed her zeal for accuracy in her memoirs at New Zealand Writers Week.
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, and Stumbleupon for links (updated throughout the day) that don't make the daily "Shorties" columns.
also at Largehearted Boy:
previous Shorties posts (daily news and links from the worlds of music, books, and pop culture)
Online "Best of 2013" Book Lists
2013 Year-End Online Music Lists
100 Online Sources for Free and Legal Music Downloads
Atomic Books Comics Preview (the week's best new comics and graphic novels)
Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)
daily mp3 downloads
Largehearted Word (the week's best new books)
Librairie Drawn & Quarterly Books of the Week (recommended new books, magazines, and comics)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
Short Cuts (writers pair a song with their short story or essay)
weekly music release lists
WORD Bookstores Books of the Week (recommended new books)


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Nodes allow decker to perform actions based on the type of node. Data nodes contain files that can be downloaded, edited or deleted. IO nodes can be disabled or enabled. Security nodes allow decker to cancel system alert. CPU nodes allow decker to gain map of nodes, create backdoor access or shutdown the whole system.
Any use of these actions require use of Stealth software. If no Monitor ICE is present, decker only has to overcome node rating. If Monitor ICE is present in the node, the skill check is harder by the rating of the ICE. Monitor ICE will also raise alert when unauthorized node action is detected. Because of this risk, deckers will usually try to Deceive or destroy Monitor ICE first to make node actions safer and avoid system alerts.
When the Monitor ICE is alerted to decker's presence, it will block all node actions and try to raise system alert. It will also alert any other ICE in the same node. If the node is CPU node, the ICE may attempt to shutdown the system to disconnect all users.
When system is alerted, all ICE in the system are notified. Those dedicated to reaction security will move to node where the alert originated from to deal with the intruder. System alert can last even after the decker has disconnected or was kicked from the system. Red alert is usually decreased to yellow as soon as any active threat to system is removed. Yellow alert can remain in place in the system for several days depending on the system security. If mission contract specified that no alert can be raised, the mission fails as soon as the Red alert is set in the system, regardless of whether decker is later able to cancel it using Security node.


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"We are all entitled to our opinion, but we share the same facts" This was one of my key take aways from an inspiring session led by industry analyst Alan Pelz-Sharpe at a recent J. Boye peer group meeting in Boston. A poignant message, which points towards something I have observed many times: that improved … Continue reading Towards better experiences
Tag: customer experience
Out of office messages – a missed opportunity?
You have probably just switched off your "out of office" message. Most out of office auto replies contain no more than a sentence a two saying when the individual is back in the office. But why miss the opportunity to add some brief relevant communication, such as a link to a marketing campaign or information … Continue reading Out of office messages – a missed opportunity?
Digital is where brand and identity disconnects
Your brand is hopefully well incorporated into your physical buildings, printed materials and hopefully even how your colleagues act and the tone of voice, giving your customers the experience of a consistent message. Where most organisations are struggling is when it comes to the digital channels, such as the corporate website, which may have the … Continue reading Digital is where brand and identity disconnects
Insights from a day focusing on customer experience
Insights from the #jboye16 conference track on customer experience


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My contribution to ABC Wednesday this week for the letter C is a pair of Cyclists in front of this traditional English Country Cottage in the Stratford upon Avon area in England.
|ABC Wednesday
Where I share the world I have learnt to appreciate through my camera lens.
|ABC Wednesday
photo's like these remind me of one of my favorite tv-programs ;-)
Have a nice ABC-Wednesday / _ Week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc=w=team)
(want to take a preview at the new url starting round 21 ? http://abcwednesday.wordpress.com)
I would fall off my bike trying to stare at the magnificent old homeReplyDelete
My daughter lives in a house similar to the cottage in your snapshot
but she lives in S.E.England.
Good picture,
Best Wishes,
ABCW team.
English cottages are so charmful.ReplyDelete
Would love to live in a cottage!!! Such beauty.
I would love to explore that beautiful cottage and gardens.ReplyDelete
Hi LindyLou, thanks for leaving a comment on my blog, that is how I found yours! I live in San Diego, Southern California, but I love, love, love England. My husband and I try to spent our yearly vacation there and seeing your photo makes me longing so much to visit it again.
Living in a cottage like you featured with a big garden would be my ultimate dream!
Looking forward to more photos from England! I will sign up as your follower!
Warm regards,
a pretty substantial cottage!
Wonderful photo! We visited some areas around London quite a few years ago, and loved seeing the homes and scenery.ReplyDelete
Welcome to my photography blog, where I share the world as seen through my lens. All commenter's will receive a visit back from me but no longer individual replies unless you have a question, which I will respond to here. Your praise and kind words are always appreciated but to keep saying thankyou to you all individually, in an original way is not easy. So I am saying it here instead, a massive thankyou from my heart for all the wonderful support, your comments are a great encouragement to me.


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VITAS Sewing Volunteers
Cause Areas
WhenIt's flexible! We'll work with your schedule.
WhereThis is a Virtual Opportunity, with no fixed address.
Sewing volunteers make Memory Bears out of the deceased patients clothing. These bears are given to the patient's family. These bears bring great comfort to the families who receive them. Bears can be made in the volunteer's home.
- Sewing
Good Match For
Teens People 55+ Group
Requirements & Commitment
- Must be at least 16


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Yomiuri Giants: July 18, 2010
by Gen on Jul.18, 2010 @ 1:27 pm, under NPB
...The Giants are hoping Seth Greisinger will be ready to join the active roster some time in the middle of August.
...Until his loss last night, Yuya Kubo had gone 56 straight games without one.
Tags: Yomiuri Giants


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Paradise is Love Shared
Thought I'd share a lil video I made that captures some of the life and colour here at OneSong over the last week or so. We had a dry spell for a couple months, and now we have a wet spell, some minor flooding, roads cut, car submerged, rivers swollen and neighbors isolated.. I must admit that although the rain can be a hassle it is a beautiful gift that generates so much life. My dream is to create a Food Forest Ecosystem, a sanctuary for a Raw Food Paradise Community, so I love nothing more than a good spell of rain to activate the life that lies dormant during dry periods. I'll let the video do the talking, sharing the love 😉
I guess also what the Video captures is the need for us all to make some hard decisions, to choose life and love over routine and pain, to create harmony in and around us so that we are safe and our Mother Earth is once again a sanctuary for beauty and abundance. We need to stand tall for our truth, to be leading examples and shining lights to our families, friends and strangers, to illuminate the dark corridors and make whole what is not.. Inlakesh 😉


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- Baby carrots with sunflower sprouts (I get the sprouts bi-weekly from here)
- Fresh strawberries, cut and sprinkled with a wee bit of icing sugar
- Cookie jam sandwiches, with extra to share with friends (cookie recipe from here)
- Peanut butter mini-sandwich in sunflower seed bread (bread recipe from here)
- Sundal made with small chickpeas (from this recipe)
- Boiled egg wedges arranged around a cherry tomato to look like a flower
- Mixed nuts and dried fruit
Friday, November 29, 2013
The Snack Buffet Lunchbox
Last week, Ayaan's school announced an outing-cum-picnic to a nearby deer park. This is pretty much the event of the year in the school calendar as far as he is concerned and to say that he was excited would be an understatement. He was also bursting with ideas for a 'special' lunchbox for the special day. He requested that he get a variety of snacks rather than his regular lunch, or as he put it 'a kind of snack buffet'.
I could see that some fantasies of junk food like chips and store-bought cookies were flitting around in his head. Now, I have cracked down on processed foods in a big way over the last couple of years and I wasn't about to go back on this. So while I agreed that his idea was good, we negotiated on the actual elements of this 'snack buffet'. After a quick brainstorming session, we arrived at a plan that we were both happy with.
He also wanted to carry a big bottle of home-made lemonade to share with his friends. He was keen to make this himself and was up at 6.30 a.m. and down in the kitchen to do the needful. This is the same boy that I have to drag out of bed kicking and screaming (or grumbling and groaning, depending on the mood of the moment) at 7 a.m!
The only real cooking that I had to do that morning was the boiled egg and the sundal. The bread and the cookies had been made earlier that week and all the other fruits and vegetables were foraged out of my refrigerator. Overall, I think I managed to meet his brief while still giving him a healthy, fresh and mostly homemade array of food. It was actually easier to assemble than his regular lunch and I am actively thinking about making this a fortnightly affair.
22 comments:
Supermom, domestic goddess - such a pro you've become at this!ReplyDelete
- R's Mom9:03 am
Wow, thats absolutely yummmmmmm looking *bad idea to open this post on a hungry Monday morning*ReplyDelete
You are baking bread! Now u are definitely in domestic goddess league!ReplyDelete
On a different note this reminded me of the annual school excursions where I got a 'snack buffet' too but with snacks like Britannia cake and chips thrown in. I can only imagine how much ayaan must have been looking forward to this..
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Wooden Wall Signs
Not only is our pet product range increasing but so is our human product range. We stock fantastic gifts ideas such as our wooden wall signs. These are handmade locally and come in whatever design we can think of.
Dog signs
Cat signs
Bird signs
Other animal signs
Human signs
Wine Bottle holders
All of our hand made products are designed and created by some very talented people. One such product is that of our wine bottle range. These are perfect for the wine / plant lover who is difficult to buy for. They are suitable for male and females and every age.
Horse wine bottle / plant holder
Dog wine bottle holder
Rat wine bottle holder
Rooster wine bottle holder
Kangaroo wine bottle holder
Fishing wine bottle holder
We are very lucky to have met a very talented lady who makes the gonk toys and animal keyrings.
Each one is made with love and care.
Paw print keyrings
Butterfly keyrings
Head keyrings
Tail keyrings
Gonks – Monsters
Gonks are unique and cute toys for people (not designed for pets to play with). These make great companions for that special someone from kids to the elderly and everyone in between. We have cats, rabbits and owls available in store.
Cat Gonks
Rabbit Gonks
Owl Gonks
Our shop and amazing product range would not be complete without animal themed cushions. These are again the perfect gift for that special someone. The range is never static and is often inclusive of cats, dogs, horses, ferrets, rabbits and even the odd "Pugtato" cushion.
Dog cushions
Cat cushions
Horse cushions
Ferret Cushions
Other animal themed cushions
Animal Print Carry Bags
Ever needed an animal printed bag to carry around your fur babies items on that trip out or for your own bits and pieces, well we have just the bags in stock. These are also hand made with love by local talented people and suit any need.
Dog carry bags
Cat carry bags
Horse carry bags
Other animal carry bags
Draft Stoppers
Have you ever wondered how to stop the wind and dirt from getting in under your doors? Well wonder no more…….. our hand made draft stoppers are just the solution. These are thicker than your average draft stopper. They are also filled with wood chips which make them light and easy to use. They come in a variety of great quality animal prints and suitable for any household.
Animal Printed Draft Stoppers
Door Stoppers
In addition to the Draft Stoppers which help when your doors are closed, we also sell Draft Stoppers that help to keep your door open. These are also hand made and come in a variety of animal prints and panels. Most are filled with sand and / or shell grit (vermin free) as well as stuffing to keep them light enough to carry.
Dog Print Door Stoppers
Cat Print Door Stoppers
Horse Print Door Stoppers
Other animal Door Stoppers
Bath Towels
Our human product range includes bath towels. Although some people have purchased these for drying off their fur babies after a bath, they were made with human use in mind.
Dog carry bags
Cat carry bags
Horse carry bags
Other animal carry bags
Shopping Bag Holders
Kitchen Towels
Many of our human products are designed to make the everyday tasks easier.
We stock hand made plastic bag holders and kitchen towels.
These are made from cute animal themed prints such as dogs, cats, horses, birds, butterflies and many others.
You can purchase these items separately or as a matching set.
Plastic Bag Holders
Kitchen Towels
In addition to our wall signs and displays we also stock a variety of one off ornaments. These include various metal wall signs, key holders and other ornamental animal themed products. These make great gift ideas and a beautiful addition to any home.
Wall Signs
Key Holders


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|» Products
|» Engine Controllers for Pumps & Compressors
|» Engine Controllers for Pumps & Compressors
Catering to clients all across the globe, we are supplying a wide array of high grade Engine Controllers. Our offered range is procured from reliable manufactures who produce these controllers using advanced technologies and finest quality basic material. Moreover, these are widely appreciated by our clients for its excellent quality, noiseless operation, durability, flawless performance and functionality. Quality assured, Engine Controllers are availed by us at affordable pocket friendly price.


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MIAMI _ — Neither the University of Miami, nor the Orange Bowl, has had a loss this stunning and heart-breaking since the infamous Hail Flutie play in 1984.
UM (2-1), which was close to horrendous in the first half, mounted a heroic second-half comeback to take a three-point fourth-quarter lead.
But in the short time it took for one questionable decision by UM coach Butch Davis, and one Penn State big play, the Nittany Lions (3-0) kept themselves in the national title hunt with a dramatic 27-23 victory.
"They didn't earn that win," UM defensive tackle Matt Sweeney said. "We gave it to them."
To set the stage: UM, the No. 8 team in the nation, was leading No. 3 Penn State 23-20 with 1:59 remaining.
While the sellout crowd of 74,427 was celebrating the imminent victory, the Hurricanes faced fourth-and-two from Penn State's 22-yard line. Penn State had no timeouts.
But instead of attempting a field goal, Davis opted to go for the first down.
"A field goal would not have won it," Davis said.
UM tailback James Jackson got the call, and after the officials measured, he was two chain links short of a first down.
On Penn State's first play from scrimmage, with 1:52 remaining on the clock, quarterback Kevin Thompson hit receiver Chafie Fields on a 12-yard pass that Fields turned into a 79-yard touchdown.
Game over. Penn State wins.
"This loss hurts," tight end Bubba Franks said. "If you love football as much as we say we do, this one's got to hurt."


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(HCN) Health Care REIT Closes Sunrise Senior Purchase
Health Care REIT Inc. (HCN) has finally closed the acquisition of the Sunrise Senior Living Inc. property portfolio and vended Sunrise's management company. Alongside, it sped up the planned joint venture partner buy-outs.
The acquisition is a strategic fit and would enable Health Care REIT to own high-quality private pay senior housing communities in high-barrier-to-entry affluent markets.
To date, Health Care REIT has shelled out $3.4 billion on the acquisition and expects the amount to rise to $4.3 billion by July 2013. This increase would result from the exercise of its rights to buy additional joint venture partner interests at predetermined purchase prices. The total investment worth $4.3 billion will likely comprise 120 wholly owned properties and five joint venture properties.
Concentrated in affluent areas of London, Southern California, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., and Montreal, these properties generate average monthly rental rates which are approximately 100% higher than the national average.
Hence, we believe this acquisition to provide significant upside potential for Health Care REIT. Also, the company itself expects the $4.3 billion acquisition to generate a 6.5% initial yield, or 6.1% after capital expenditures, which is quite decent.
Moreover, prior to the purchase of the Sunrise property portfolio, an entity managed by affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) and associates of Beecken Petty O'Keefe & Company, purchased Sunrise's management company for around $130 million. The deal included Health Care REIT investing about $26 million for a 20% ownership interest.
Health Care REIT financed the deal, which required around $3.1 billion in cash so far to close the loans, the purchase as well as for secured debt repayment, with its capital raises in 2012 and available funds under its new unsecured credit facility.
In Conclusion
We expect the deal to be accretive to Health Care REIT, improving its economies of scale and further enabling it to gain access to higher yielding embedded investment opportunities, as more and more ownership stakes in joint venture properties come up for grabs.
Further, we note that the senior housing sector is a highly-fragmented market with limited new supply and positive growth indicators. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the elderly population (aged 65 and older) is expected to jump 36% from 2010 to 2020 to 54.8 million.
Therefore, the latest acquisition by Health Care REIT, which currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reinforces the buzz in the healthcare REIT industry, spurred by an aging Baby Boomer generation's increased demand for assisted and independent living facilities.
HEALTH CR REIT (HCN): Free Stock Analysis Report
KKR & CO LP (KKR): Free Stock Analysis Report
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Four Ways to Reclaim Your Life as a Caregiver
Caregiving sometimes leaves you feeling as if you don't have your own life any longer. If that's the case for you, it's time to do what you can to reclaim your life as much as possible.
Remember Your Dreams and Goals
When you're crazy busy and have a lot of responsibilities that you're managing for other people it's difficult to hold onto what you really want to do. Taking the time to remind yourself about your dreams and your goals can help you to jump start those plans again. Your goals and your dreams are what keep you going and give you a purpose behind everything that you do.
Practice Being Present
Running from one task and one activity to the next is not a solid recipe for being present. In order to do this, try to avoid multitasking and stick with the moment you're in. This can take a bit of practice, considering most of life now involves doing as much as you can all in one fell swoop. Sometimes you have to slow down in order to speed up.
Beef up Your Support Network
What does your support network look like? You might have friends and family members who are willing to help and are able to lend you an ear when you need one. Support groups can also be a vital component of helping you to learn what you need to know as a family caregiver. Having home care providers that you trust allows you to spend time with other people when you need to do so. If you don't have this type of support network, you might need to look into ways to include more of these types of people and solutions in your caregiving journey.
Take Time Away
Besides being present while you're caring for your aging adult the next most useful step for you to take is having time away from caregiving altogether. Just like a math problem that stumps you, working on something else for a little while can free up your brain. Ideally, you're going to spend the time you have away doing whatever helps you to recharge and to feel your best again.
There's no one set formula that works for every caregiver, but you need to look at what you're doing and what needs to change. Making those changes gives you a stronger foothold in formulating a self-care plan that works for you.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care services in Katy, TX, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.
Donna Wrabel, LMSW
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Latest posts by Donna Wrabel, LMSW (see all)
- Five Tips for Helping Your Senior Stay Hydrated - September 21, 2018
- How Can You Care for a Senior in the Middle Stage of Alzheimer's Disease? - September 14, 2018
- How to Create a Meditation Space - September 6, 2018


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Counselor appointments, tours available daily
Accepted students must confirm their attendance to reserve their spot in the upcoming class
Searchable list of programs offered
Info on teams, schedules and department
Official ticket site of Cardinals Athletics
Home > Information Resources Division > IRD Feature Stories > 2017 IRD News > Enable your phone's PIN to use the UIW e-mail system
Starting Saturday, Sept. 30, all employees who connect their smartphones to the UIW
email system will need to have a four-digit (or stronger) Personal Identification
Number (PIN) lock enabled on their device.
This only applies to those who connect to UIW systems and is necessary to ensure basic security of confidential or sensitive UIW information. Those who have at least a four-digit phone PIN already enabled will not notice a change.
Those who do not have a PIN will be prompted to create one. For more info and instructions, visit this link or contact Neil Schroeder at (210) 805-2300 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you want to read more about UIW's recommendations for online security, click this link.
ADA/Section 504 | Consumer Info | Contact | Directory | Faculty/Staff | Financial Aid | H.R. | Map | Report an Incident | Support UIW |Campus Status: Normal
© . University of the Incarnate Word. All rights reserved. Send feedback to the Web Team.


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Schulman & Associates
Schulman & Associates is located at the address 10 Grand st Fl 2 in Hartford, Connecticut 06106. They can be contacted via phone at (860) 522-2960 for pricing, hours and directions. Schulman & Associates specializes in Estate Planning, Child Support, Paternity.
Schulman & Associates has an annual sales volume of 501K - 999,999. .For more information go to www.schulmanlaw.net
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I already shared YOUR favorite posts on CCF this year (as well as mine) so today I thought I'd take that one step further…
365 days. 365 outfits (for me, maybe 292 outfits…I do spend most days at my computer in my pajamas…who ever said blogging was glamorous?!) On CCF, however, there were exactly 39 WWW posts (40 if you include what's coming later this week). Of course I have my favorites (even a few repeat offenders) so who needs an OOTD when you have OOTY (outfits of the YEAR)? And five to be exact…
In no specific order because I'm a super indecisive Gemini (and the fact that I could even narrow it down to five is remarkable), here's a look at some of my personal favorites in the personal style category (you'll just have to follow on Instagram to find more outfits that will NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY…at least on chicityfashion.com).
The fact that I'm infatuated with the Nike x Sacai collaboration definitely helps this one's case…but it was fun to do a sporty look without necessarily going the sneaker route (fancy athleisure?)
Speaking of fancy, this might be the fanciest thing I've ever worn on CCF. Thankfully it made for the perfect summer party outfit — this wasn't the only time Dries + Kirkwood were paired…and once the weather warms up again, I doubt it will be the last.
This was different for me, as I don't typically wear an all white (or in this case off white) look. I got this Proenza Schouler outfit on super sale from The Outnet and I'm sure glad I did…
Because those pants showed up once again! This time with a "mystery garment" (that might be one of the coolest pieces I own). Bonus? Its' from local designer Christina Karin!
Although you just saw this (literally)…it made me want to try other versions of suiting. Not only did I get a great response from this outfit (thanks, friends!) it's fun dressing up in a way where you don't need a dress at all (the Nina Ricci harness top definitely helps).
As much as it may be hard to believe it's possible to be a blogger and not LOVE photos of yourself (it never gets less weird by the way), I prefer two things over an outfit pic — one being cool details and the other I'll get to shortly. I am all about accessories and a good angle detail shot, so here's my top five picks from this year.
Bananas + Mark Cross…just a few of my favorite things.
This Tome top is the definition of business in the front, party in the back…but much more appealing than a mullet.
Perhaps the only time I mastered the perfect tuck.
Just not over these shoes (unfortunately according to the weather and the amount of snow / slush on the ground…I won't be wearing these any time soon).
Like the suit…yes, you just saw this. But it was nice to bring this baby out (as I mentioned, it had been sitting on a shelf for quite a few years)…and who knows? Maybe you'll see it again soon!
So the second thing I prefer over a good outfit (besides the fine details) would be a great background. I know bloggers LOVE a colorful wall (and I hate to admit that I'm guilty of this) but I've always been a fan of street art (if you're bored, hit up the CCF archives and you'll see). I like using it in my photos so they're more than just LOOK AT MY OUTFIT. Besides street art, I just like incorporating interesting backdrops in general. And here were some of the most memorable ones from this year…
How often do you get teepees (as well as yurts and Airstreams) as your background? At El Cosmico, it's ALL THE TIME.
Also in Marfa…I know it's not technically street art but it's art…on a street (actually a highway)…so yeah, maybe it is street art. Who cares what it is though because when will I ever be able to top THIS?
Threadless HQ has a very strong wall game. There's so many different options and they're always changing. I appreciate Sentrock's message here…so much so that I thought I'd take his words literally 🙂
Here's some Logan Square wall realness (on Medill / Milwaukee…in case you'd like to see for yourself). All you need to do is walk a few steps and you'll have entirely different backgrounds. Goes perfectly with a sweatdress…don't you think?!
I'd have to say my favorite background this year was at the Center for Lost Arts. There was just so much to look at, all done by local artists (and not just painted walls). I couldn't believe I stumbled on this one day…and while wearing a white outfit. It couldn't have been more perfect! Plus it's all still there (at least as of a week or so ago), so get yourself to Morgan and Hubbard.
So there you have it. Five [outfits] five [details] and five [backdrops] for 2015. All the components it takes to make a blogger, right? 😉 Be sure to let me know your favorites in these categories…and maybe they'll make another appearance!
Special thanks to Heather Talbert for taking almost all of these photos (couldn't get those cool detail shots without her) and Mary from So Then They Say for the Marfa pics. 2015 wouldn't have been 2015 without these two!


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DESPITE retaining just three players from last year's squad, Tyrone Junior manager Martin 'Hen' Gallagher believes his young team can make their mark at this year's SuperCupNI.
That quiet confidence is based on the fact that within the county under-15 squad there are at least half a dozen players who have already represented Northern Ireland.
In a series of warm-up games Tyrone have blown hot and cold but the Sion Swifts coach insists if his players can add consistency to their game they can go a long way.
"Things have gone very well for us in the build-up. We have a good squad, strong. There have been good days and bad days," he said.
"I call them the Jekyll and Hyde squad. When they are good they are a joy to watch, other days they fail to hit the mark.
"When we get it right we have destroyed teams, then on other occasions the players have lacked the belief they are better than their opponents
"But hopefully we get it right on the week.
"If we do then this team can go a fair distance. I believe the draw was fairly kind to us although I don't know an awful lot about our first opponents Plymouth Argyle.
"We have a chance, we have avoided the big guns."
The bulk of Gallagher's squad is made up of Sion Swifts and Dungannon United National League players with one or two others from the likes of Dergview, Ardstraw, Enniskillen Rangers and so on.
Team captain Peter Bell, Linfield has just returned from a trip to Austria with the Northern Ireland squad and Gallagher insists the international experience of a number of his players could be beneficial to his side's chances.
The fact that quite a few also boast National League experience is, according to Gallagher, another major plus point.
"The likes of Peter Bell, Ben Gallagher, Ethan McGee and Matthew Thomas Smith and others have played with Northern Ireland," he added.
"There's plenty of experience there, I'm happy enough.
"I'm very hopeful and I think we have a real chance. It's all about producing the goods on the day.
"A lot of these players have been used to playing a decent standard and that can make all the difference.
"If we can maintain a level of consistency during the week then who knows."


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(508) 520-4056
Since 1977, DME Elevators & Lifts have been offering, installing and servicing stair lifts in Wisconsin. Locally owned, we offer an array of Stannah Stair Lifts that fits all kinds of stairs, straight or curved, narrow or wide. We also offer the option to buy or rent your stair lift for short or long term use.
DME Elevators & Lifts prides itself with experienced staff and technicians to provide you fast, professional and friendly service. For stairlifts Wisconsin's best choice is conveniently located in Kenosha. Visit our showroom to test-ride our Stannah stairlifts.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you and the people at DME for all your help and professionalism in the installation of our new Stannah Stairlift. At all times your focus was on meeting OUR needs rather than just making a sale.


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WATCH IT ONLINE | Part 1 of 2. The Latino dropout crisis is examined through the eyes of six students from across the U.S., beginning with three young women.
Featured: Stephanie, a daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, who despite attending a tough public school on the South Side of Chicago, fights through the distractions and worries about violence to become a good student, outspoken activist, and volunteer; Chastity, a Bronx teen whose family has become homeless but uses writing as a means of escape while keeping her eyes on the prize — college; and Darlene, a Tulsa student who dropped out of school after becoming pregnant and has to play catch-up when she dives back into her studies, all while trying to make a good future for her son.
This program is part of WKAR Community Cinema -- join the discussion Tuesday, Oct. 29, at WKAR.


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Peace Processes and Peacebuilding
Endorsement for Athena from Keith Krause, Director, Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding; Programme Director, Small Arms Survey; and Professor of International Relations, Graduate Institute of Geneva:
"Athena fills a gap in the worlds of peacemaking and peacebuilding with skillful advice and support to peace processes based on a fine-grained understanding of gender, security and inclusion perspectives to support programmes and policy-making initiatives."
Conflict resolution, peace processes and peacebuilding are complex, multifaceted processes. Working toward sustainable peace requires in-depth substance, attention to detail and process knowledge. Athena offers such capacity by providing support to relevant actors through specialists with significant experience working in ongoing and post-war environments from Afghanistan to Libya, Myanmar, Central America, the Philippines and beyond.
Type of work we do:
• Direct support to mediators and peace process actors on technical issues.
• Country and issue briefs for specific audiences.
• Training.
• Evaluating programmes and policies.
• Advising and working with national counterparts on the drafting of National Action Plans related to the seven 'women, peace and security' UN Security Council resolutions.
• Programme and policy development, design and implementation.
• Mentoring as well as side-by-side support to officials and others to strengthen good practice.
• Policy-relevant research.
• Substance editing, drafting and remedial work on types of text (agreements, policies, reports).
• Peer and document reviews.
Examples of current and past work:
• Senior Advisor for Mediation Support, Gender and Inclusion to the Crisis Management Initiative (September 2013 to date). This includes direct support to the Yemeni Women's Forum, and design and key technical support to a project contributing to inclusive conflict resolution models through women's agency in South Sudan as well as work in the South Caucasus, Central African Republic, and Guinea Bissau.
• Devising and managing the Women at the Peace Table, Asia Pacific project for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), its flagship gender and mediation programme (2009-2013).
• Providing direct inputs to women and principal actors engaged or seeking to be engaged in peace processes in Libya, the Philippines, Myanmar, Nepal, South Caucasus and southern Thailand, through trainings, seminars and networking meetings.
• Leading a team, for the HD Centre, to develop a ground-breaking study on how to include gender in peace agreements. Entitled [From clause to effect: Including women's rights and gender in peace agreements](/files/4)(2012), itt examines six peace agreements from Asia and the Pacific, identifying how references to women's rights and gender perspectives could have been better included. It is used as reference material in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs High-Level Seminar on Gender and Mediation.
• Providing design support and technical inputs to HD-organised workshops of tribal elders and women from south and east Libya to discuss strategies and tactics for their working together towards national reconciliation and transitional justice (2013).
• Designing, writing, editing and compiling for the HD Centre the report entitled [Peacemaking in Asia Pacific: Women's participation, perspectives, and priorities](/files/9) (2011), which includes an annex titled "Practical pointers for mediators" on how to incorporate gender into their work.
• Designing and implementing regional roundtables for senior women including mediators, advisers to peace processes, members of negotiating teams and government representatives from across Asia and the Pacific.
• Contributing analysis on inclusive mediation in [Chapter 3 of the African Union Handbook on Mediation] (2013) ](/files/1) for the work of regional organisations and others undertaking mediation.
See our Publications for Athena Consortium publications in this area.


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Exactly as pictured!
Exactly as pictured!
Exactly as pictured!
Exactly as pictured!
Exactly as pictured!
Use the same modern design to show your guests your appreciation with Swish Thank You Cards. "Thanks" is carefully outlined over a background of brushed yellow, while the word "many" amends it from above in a gentle calligraphy. To leave no question about its source, you can fill in the bottom, modern-looking font with your own name.
|Product Size
|Folded (5.5" x 4.25"), Open (5.5" x 8.5")
|Number of Folds
|1 fold
|Paper Options
|Signature Matte (matte finish, 110 lb., white), Smooth Coated (semi-gloss finish, 110 lb., white), Premium Shimmer (shimmer finish, 110lb., pearl white), Double Thick (matte finish, 200lb., white), Luxe Velvet (velvet matte finish, 110lb., white)
|Included Envelope
|Peel & Seal (No licking required), A2 (5 3/4" x 4 3/8"), Square Flap, White, 80lb.
|Return Addressing Available


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Recap: Lyft Looking For Hotel Partnerships, New Contactless Card & More
Published on January 9th, 2018 | by William Charles
Riding high on 2017, now Lyft seeks hotel partnerships by Tnooz via VFTW. Don't really see a lot of value for consumers in these sorts of partnerships. Think Lyft would be better served focused on credit ... Read More →


text: For the adventurous traveler, Nigeria offers the opportunity to see the country in its raw and naked state. The chaos of Lagos often overshadows the rich offerings found elsewhere in Nigeria. Explore further and travelers can bathe in the Wikki Warm Springs at Yankari National Park; trek through Oshogbo Sacred Forest or visit one of the Emir's elaborately decorated palaces. The only dedicated English-language travel guide to Nigeria on the market, this edition is thoroughly updated with an expanded section on Lagos.