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Spring Break has officially started in our household!! This year we won't be heading anywhere exciting...or warm {even though part of me wishes we were!!}. The boys are still a little bit too little for me want to travel anywhere too far...seems more like punishment than leisurely if you ask me!
Here are some tips I've found helpful to have an enjoyable, kid-friendly Staycation!
Choose age appropriate activities! The trick to planning a successful family friendly staycation is to build an itinerary that features activities that your kids would enjoy!
- For the younger kids think playgrounds, petting zoos, children's museums and anything else interactive but not too hard to understand.
- For the older kids think about getting more active – family Frisbee tournaments or another spots-filled day, checking out local attractions and getting involved in community events like parades or fairs. Teens are trickier, but if you have water slides or amusement parks close by, that usually keeps them happy.
Spread out the fun!Don't exhaust everyone by packing too much into a short amount of time. Space out your Staycation activities over a few days. I would suggest planning one activity per day instead of multiple activities in one day!
Do something you'll enjoy too!!Although it's important for the kids have a good time, you should choose activities that'll please the whole family – including Mom and Dad!
Most times we get used to doing the same things and going to the same places! Use your Spring Break staycation to explore your city! Plan a list of places you have yet to see and do where you live and plan a day of exploring the unknown! Plan out stops for lunch/dinner too! Try someplace new! You might be surprised what you might discover!
Get the kids involved!
Come up with a list of a few great activities you want to do during your staycation, then let the kids have the final vote! Getting them involved will get them excited knowing they got to help plan the staycation and will make it more enjoyable for everyone involved!


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Shane Watson is pleased to finally be injury-free.
Shane Watson is unique for an Australian cricketer: he doesn't drink or lift weights. Since injuring his hamstring for the umpteenth time during the World Twenty20 last year he has restructured his training and cut out alcohol in an effort to get the most out of his body.
So far it is working and he has contributed with bat and ball in the opening two Tests, which took his career tally to five games. "I'm off drinking while I'm playing and training to give myself every chance I possibly can to be right throughout this big workload," Watson said. "It's important to look after the body."
Only at the end of the Indian Premier League, when his Rajasthan Royals team won the competition, did Watson break his ban and have a couple of glasses of champagne. "I've saved money and a few headaches as well," he said, smiling. He still joins the celebrations but his new tipple is diet Pepsi or soda water.
Until the change in regime he was hurt a couple of times a season, but with the new approach he was able to string enough state and one-day international games together to prove to Australia's national selectors he was the man to replace Andrew Symonds. He picked up 3 for 45 and scored 41 in the first Test in Bangalore and added a fine 78 in the first innings in Mohali.
"To me it's not a sacrifice," he said. "The things I've been able to achieve over the past six months are not things I thought I could do 13 months ago."
He has been working with Brisbane health expert Victor Popov and now does pilates, running, cycling and swimming instead of lifting weights. His old programme had him training like a rugby league player.
"I haven't touched a weight for 13 months," he said. "The things I've been doing are pilates, hamstring strength, calf strength, which is just body weight stuff. I don't know the inside of a gym. Bowling is the thing I need to do, running and bowling. I feel my body shape is changing, it's a lot lighter, but I feel I haven't lost strength."
The old aches don't return so frequently, and if he notices any changes he can adjust quickly to limit the pain. "My inner core strength wasn't great and my pelvis was moving around quite a bit," he said. "When it's out of line, my hamstring gets tighter and so do my glutes.
"Also, because of the stress fractures early in my career, I've had nerve issues through my back into hamstrings and lower legs because of the healing I've had since I was a young kid. I have to make sure my nerves are not irritated, which is another piece of the puzzle.
"Other things are maintenance every day, making sure I'm warm, and swimming. It's quite a big puzzle to make sure everything is in alignment, but I love doing it. I've learned so much about my body. It's also exciting to know where I'm at. If something is slightly out I understand how to get it fixed or under control."

subset: commoncrawl


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Finland's Heavy Metal machines CHILDREN OF BODOM, have announced that they will not able to perform at Tuska Festival next year. The annual festival is set to take place June 28-30, 2013 in Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland. The reason? Well, the band is scheduled to appear on a "big tour" in the United States. We think the band might be part of next year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. As we all know, Mayhem Fest is the biggest Heavy Metal tour and it usually kicks off in late June.
Here is what the bands bassist Henkka Seppälä had to say: "We've been waiting to play Tuska for some years now. It is our home festival after all. Unfortunately, this year we have to sacrifice a couple of festivals in Europe in order to be able to be part of a big tour in USA. These are not easy nor nice decisions. We only can hope we can do Tuska in the near future again.
"Please stay tuned for our schedules for summer 2013. Fortunately, we are able to play shows in Europe as well. Looking forward!"
As previously reported, CHILDREN OF BODOM have inked a worldwide recording deal (excluding Japan) with Nuclear Blast Records. The celebrated Metal label -- who worked with the band over the early stages of its career -- is proud to announce the renewed partnership with the world famous band. Read the bands statement HERE!
Related links:


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Very nice wheelchair adapted Peugeot Expert, converted from new by Allied, lowered floor with easy access lightweight ramp, 6 seats plus a wheelchair ar mobility scooter, only one owner from new, full main dealer service history, air conditioning, electric windows, remote locking, 2 keys and all the handbooks here with us, direct from Motability, Parkside motors is a family run business who have been trading for over 15 years, we are one of the only specialists in wheelchair accessible cars and vans in the Wigan / Bolton area and usually stock around 20 WAVs to suit a wide variety of needs. We are open 7 days a week, all our WAVs come with a full 12 months MOT, a full service, 138 point PDI check and 3 months warranty, we offer full dealer facilities, great part exchange prices, specialist WAV finance, debit and credit cards taken, We also offer delivery on all our WAVs for £1 mile. All our stock is on display on our flat wheelchair friendly site for you to view and try out at your leisure, we will not pressure you in any way but will offer you the best advice we can, Please view our website for all our wheelchair accessible stock at www.parksidemotorco.co.uk
*Includes cars with a CO2 figure over 225g/km but were registered before 23 March 2006.


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I had just delivered a car to Brownsville, Texas and was wondering where I would spend Thanksgiving as twilight set in. It would not be with friends or family, I had none that lived anywhere near me down on the southern tip of Texas.
Donald Trump was recently voted our President, and being so close to the Mexican border I couldn't help thinking about that big wall he promised to put up. And all the other crazy promises he made, though I hope he is able to come through on some of them. A lot of people were extremely unhappy about Trump's election. As for me, I choose to think of the things I have to give thanks for. It is that time of the year.
I am thankful for all of my friends all across the USA. I am grateful to live in the USA, it is a privilege to live in a democratic nation where we have the right to vote for whoever we want. I'm thankful to all the folks I meet out on the road, nutty and otherwise, who keep things interesting and lively for me. And most of all I thank God for watching over me daily and keeping me safe as I travel.
As I walked down the streets searching for a restaurant that was open for Thanksgiving dinner. I saw some clowns running down the block and into an alley. It made me think about my experience with Bobo the bitter clown who I'd met nearly a year ago at a Waffle House. These clowns looked a lot more energetic than Bobo.
Nearing the alley, I heard shouting. I looked down the alley and saw the two clowns shoving an elderly couple and shouting threats. This did not sit well with me, and I marched down the alley to see what was going on. One of the clowns spun on me.
"Whassup, you son of a mother?" snarled one of the clowns at me. "We are the Killer Klowns, with a K."
"OK," I said mildly.
"You gots to respect the Killer Klowns."
"Why?" I asked, trying to fully ascertain the situation I was in.
"Cuz we out here doing the Lord's work. We are punishing everyone we find who voted for Donald Trump."
"Why is that?"
The other Klown turned to face me. "Cuz we are true Americans. Trump is gonna sell us out, it's all downhill from here."
Klown #1 pointed at the old couple, who were obviously terrified. "These two admitted to voting for Trump, and now they need to learn a lesson about America."
"Land of the free, home of the brave?" I asked.
"You got that right."
"Do you guys understand what it means to live in America, and all the rights and responsibilities that go with that?"
"We gonna do what we gotta do," stated Klown #2.
"God wanted Hillary in the White House. Trump landing there is an afront to God."
"Is that right?" I asked.
"Damn straight."
"I've been hearing about guys dressing up in clown costumes and terrorizing people on the streets for months. Never heard any relationship between you and politics."
"Never was one till now," growled Klown #1 as he shoved the old man against the wall.
"Don't do that again," I heard myself say, with a threatening sound coming from me but not familiar to me.
"What are you gonna do about it?" asked Klown #1.
"Too bad you don't have a gun to back it up, Trump is against guns," said Klown #2 as he shoved the old woman.
I pulled a gun out of my jacket. "Too bad you're too stupid to know that Trump is all for guns. And I'm going to empty this gun into you guys with pleasure if you don't get out of here right now." I aimed it at them as if I'd done this a hundred times before and they made tracks fast.
The elderly couple thanked me profusely and even invited me to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. And I said a prayer of Thanksgiving to God that the Killer Klowns couldn't recognize a starter pistol in the moonlight.


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Brown nosingThursday, September 30, 2004
It's quite nauseating to see the reports in the newspapers of "crowds" of supporters affirming their loyalty to the Premier in response to the Al Khawaja affair. Apparently, tomorrow there will be a rally tomorrow in Budaiya to pledge support to the ruling regime. It's all well to praise the leadership when they do something right, but it seems ridiculous to be celebrating the leadership right after it has banned a human rights group. But I don't really believe that the people who are pledging their support are doing it out of their love for the ruling regime, but rather because certain individuals have been able to identify an opportunity to further their careers by kissing ass.
Word on the street is that those opposed to the closure of the BCHR will also be holding rallies or protests tomorrow after Friday prayers. I really have no idea where it might be held, but the Ras Rumman mosque is a typical venue for these types of events. I do hope that there is no violence tomorrow, and that the police are able to keep their fingers off the trigger unlike other times.
Finally, I want to echo the demands made by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International (and Mahmood) to immediately release Abdulhadi Al Khawaja, rescind the ban on the BCHR, and to scrap the society laws which are a remnant of the old State Security laws.


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This 24 prim sculptie delight, loaded with animations, was created by artoo Magneto. The script for it creates an infinite communication loop between the prims, to generate a ferromagnetic forfield to push against SL's gravity. :P
The couch is also fully modifiable, so you can alter the textures, etc. Teleport directly to his Akeyo main store from here.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Furniture that hovers, by artoo Magneto
Posted by Bettina Tizzy at 2:25 PM
Labels: artoo Magneto, furniture, Not Possible IRL, NPIRL, Second Life


text: >The Kraft shredded cheddar's non-cheese ingredients are only yeast, >artificial color, artificial flavor and cellulose gel. Tastewise, to me Kraft >is the better cheddar. But their shredded mozzarella takes the prize with its >long list of additives. >Thanks for causing me to take a closer look at what is in ff cheeses. Maybe I >will end up going back to Lifetime/Trader Joe's cheddar and mozzarella. Publix has its own brand of some fatfree cheeses that look and taste great and dont have alot of the bad things that some other brands do. Dawn ------------------------------


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal researchers next week will start testing humans with an experimental vaccine to prevent the deadly Ebola virus.
The National Institutes of Health announced Thursday that it is launching the safety trial on a vaccine developed by the agency's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and GlaxoSmithKline. It will test 20 healthy adult volunteers to see if the virus is safe and triggers an adequate response in their immune systems.
That testing will be at NIH's campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Later in September, NIH and a British team will test that vaccine on volunteers in the United Kingdom, Gambia and Mali.
American health officials are also talking about a future trial in Nigeria.
So far Ebola has killed 1,552 people in West Africa.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Seafood restaurants are looking for new sustainable solutions for their supply chain amid worries that overfishing could threaten the viability of the industry, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
According to a recent study by the United Nations, current commercial fishing practices could almost completely exhaust the global supply of fish within 40 years. Almost 30 percent of fisheries are already producing less than 10 percent of their former potential, according to the Journal.
According to a report on the BBC website, fishing employs 35 million people worldwide and receives $27 billion in annual subsidies. Global seafood demand is projected to rise to 150 million metric tons within 20 years.
Corporate supply decisions can have an enormous effect on the fish population, according to the Journal. McDonald's decision to rely solely on North Atlantic cod caused its entire fishery to shut down. The restaurant chain now uses five different fish species to produce its Fillet-o-Fish sandwich. The company now requires fisheries to meet minimum standards on reporting practices, the environmental impact of their harvesting practices, and the amount of fish the fishery leaves to replenish the population.
The concerns have given rise to programs such as Seafood Watch, an initiative run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which helps businesses and consumers make sustainable choices when choosing their seafood.
Delhaize America which operates more than 1,600 supermarkets in the U.S. under the Hannaford, Sweetbay, Bottom Dollar Food, and Food Lion banners, announced that it would operate under a new sustainable seafood sourcing program.
The supermarkets' new seafood policy requires suppliers to verify that seafood is coming from sources managed for sustainability and encourages sourcing locally. The requirement applies to all seafood in the stores, including fresh, frozen and packaged fish and shellfish. All suppliers are required to be compliant with the program by March 31, 2011.
The program, which was developed in cooperation with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, a non-profit marine science center, requires all suppliers demonstrate that their seafood products come from well-managed fisheries.
Fisheries must demonstrate a detailed management plan, including plans to rebuild stock sizes within a specific timeframe if stock size levels are below target levels, data to determine appropriate harvest levels or practices, monitoring and compliance measures to ensure harvest levels are maintained within acceptable limits, and enforcement policies to ensure harvesters follow regulations, and to prevent illegal practices and unreported harvest.
Meanwhile, the historic Pike Place Fish Market has announced plans to move entirely to sustainable fishing sources by the end of the year.
Governments are starting to take more of a leading role in ensuring the sustainability of fish populations as well. Canada's national government recently assumed control of its salmon fishing industry after charges the British Columbian government was doing an insufficient job protecting fish populations. And the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission is considering a five-year moratorium on lobster fishing after populations in that region have plummeted. The Obama Administration has also floated the idea of a cap-and-trade system for fisheries.
A recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers attempted to calculate the economic cost to businesses for the depletion of biodiversity levels, such as the extinction of fish species and decline in overall fish populations, finding the largest 3,000 listed global companies are inflicting $2.2 trillion worth of economic damage annually.


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There's been quite a lack of Korean movies this year, so I was quite excited when it was time for São Paulo's International Film Festival to start, since they always screen some flicks made in South Korea. Lee Sang-woo's fictional work Barbie (2011), Tae Jun-seek's documentary Mother (2011) and Lee Dae-hee's animation Padak (2012) were the chosen ones and I'm really looking forward to see them all.
The best thing about this selection is the variety; I've never seen a Korean documentary before and this is as good an opportunity as any other. And they'll be screened quite a few times each, which increases my chances of being able to catch all three. If you're in the area, be sure to go watch one (or all) of them! Movie times here.
Last year I got to watch the four Korean movies being shown and then talked a bit about it here. Click to see how things went down!


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Made it for The Magnificent Mum for her birthday after the disaster that was the pleating effort. But by golly, it made me realise that sometimes, it's good to cock things up because you'll no doubt end up doing something better!
I had been to the V&A exhibition about Quilts and just felt so totally inspired afterwards that I stayed up way past my bedtime to make it. I loved making it, I can't stop thinking about it, I must be losing my mind.
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Monday, 29 March 2010
Warped pleating wierdness
Turns out the material was too stretchy for turned pleats but I persevered and made the bag anyway. Totally wonky and chunky and generally a bit of a failure! But am loving the zesty green against the dark grey.
Friday, 26 March 2010
Material experiments
Recently, The Magnificent Mum came to stay with us for a while. She bought me a box of sewing delights that included some seriously mind bending books on material manipulation. I'm going to try and make sense of some of it and try out the techniques - in the meantime, here are some recent experiments with a bit of folding and what not. (They may or may not feature in a birthday present for The Magnificent Mum, she's been known to have a snoop on this blog from time to time...)
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Happy birthday little sis!
Now this one, I want to keep. Great pattern from Amy Butler, a few modifications (longer handles so it fits nicely over the arm) and I really really do love the whole denim stitching thing. Fast turning into my signature piece. Hope little sis likes it, if not, I'm having it back!
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Starting from scratch again
So I'm admitting (more to myself that anything) that I'm not going to be able to work everything out first time. Thus, for little sis's birthday bag, I'm going to 'make' my own fabric (yes, using the old jeans!) but use a bought pattern. That way I'm not totally wimping out on the old innovation front. This is what the material is going to look like:
And I found a pattern here at u-handbag by Amy Butler that is simple enough for me to do, but will hopefully help me to learn about the ins and outs of bag making as well. There seems to be a pretty active flickr pool of people showing off the stuff they've made with her patterns and they're looking good!
And I found a pattern here at u-handbag by Amy Butler that is simple enough for me to do, but will hopefully help me to learn about the ins and outs of bag making as well. There seems to be a pretty active flickr pool of people showing off the stuff they've made with her patterns and they're looking good!
Saturday, 6 March 2010
A handbag that's *okay* but not brilliant
This bag business is a lot harder than I thought. Didn't know what size to make it so went for 'night out fits your lippy, purse and mobile & not much else' size, but now it's made it has wierd proportions. The material types look a bit clunky next to each other (the cream one is more to my taste) and the blue is a bit mental. BUT, the buttons are awesome and I worked out how to make it reversible and hand finish it without it showing. So, all in all, it's ok, but it doesn't make me want to keep it for myself because I love it so, and therefore it won't be making its way to lil sis. Back to the drawing board...
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
My new favourite brand - Cloth House London
I mean, just look at the packaging - what's not to love? Great store, lovely helpful staff who didn't mind me asking stupid questions, cute little button envelope thingy, and screen printed logo on old Indian newspapers for bags and business cards. Oh and I can get there and back in a lunch hour. Brilliant. (I spied they sell neoprene. Cue hyperventilation) Cloth House London
Monday, 1 March 2010
Highly illegal material purchasing
So I've gone and broken my own rule of not buying any material until I've used all my old jeans and clothes and what not that's lying around. But, but, but it's little sister's birthday coming up and I fancy having a crack at a tote bag that I saw on The Beauty is in the Detail (such lovely stuff, go and have a look). And lets face it, much as sis loves me I'm sure she doesn't want my knackered old jeans as a present. So somehow I have to work out a pattern as obviously it'll need a lining and a pocket thing for keys, and maybe one for her purse and oooh should it fit all her school work in or be a fancy bag for Saturday shopping, and maybe it should be personalised with her initials or..or ...hmmm, simples.
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By Jamey Dunn
Democrat Bill Daley announced today that he has formed a committee to explore a run for governor.
Daley, who served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff, made the announcement via a video posted on YouTube. While in his video Daley says he is forming an exploratory committee, a strategist for his campaign told the Chicago Sun-Times that he plans to run. "He's in, period," Peter Giangreco told the Sun-Times today. "He's totally committed. He's 100 percent in."
Daley, who has worked in the banking industry, also served as commerce secretary for former President Bill Clinton. He is the brother of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and son of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "Our state needed a productive legislative session, but what happened? Pension reform failed again. Marriage equality dies at the last minute. Protecting our kids from illegal guns—another joke," Daley said in his video. Watch the video here.
Gov. Pat Quinn plans to seek a second full term. His campaign released this statement today."Gov. Quinn continues to lead the fight for comprehensive pension reform, marriage equality and gun-safety and he will not stop fighting until these are law. With the primary in March, the governor is focused on working hard for the people of Illinois. There will be plenty of time for politics in the future."
Another gubernatorial candidate announced his entrance into the 2014 race via YouTube video last week. Republican businessman Bruce Rauner released his open campaign launch video last week and already has two additional political ads. This strategy allows candidates to avoid potential gaffes in live press conferences. Both candidates granted interviews to select media outlets. Watch Rauner's announcement video here.
Republican state Treasurer Dan Rutherford has also announced his plans to run for the governor's office. Rutherford went with a more traditional strategy by traveling the state to announce along several campaign stops.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Candidates use web to jump into governor's race
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Frontier economics report: DCA release some costs data
The DCA have disclosed some of the information they previously refused to release to the Campaign for FOI and the BBC. They had requested the background data related to the costs review of the FOIA (and used in the Frontier economics report). What we can now see is each request covered by the survey listed by a unique no against data for time spent, outcome etc. The breakdown by Dept asked for by the CFOI has not been released. You can't also see what the requests were about in terms of a title or summary for the request. The data released is in PDFs and can't be placed into any other application for further analysis. I will post some further comment after some more detailed reading.
Details: see the DCA disclosure log entry. They have released the following:
-Data collection template [3 pages]
-Statistical data from government departments [53 pages]
-Analysis of statistical data [4 pages]
Martin at Open Secrets has made two posts on the issue & points out some interesting issues comparing this data with the final Frontier report:
-Why did the DCA change its mind?
-DCA backs down on release of FOI data
News and developments on Freedom of Information in the UK. This blog is run by the Campaign for Freedom of Information. It was established in May 2003 by Steve Wood, who ran it until the end of February 2007 when he took up the post of Assistant Commissioner at the Information Commissioner's Office.
Monday, November 27, 2006
1 comment:
Although the DCA have posted their dataset in pdf format on their disclosure log, the version supplied to the BBC was in spreadsheet format, and this is how we have posted it at http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/opensecrets/2006/11/dca_backs_down_on_release_of_f.html.
This will help anyone who wants to do any further analysis of the data.
Martin Rosenbaum
- 6:37 pm
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India is emerging as one of the growing unwitting participants in the global threat landscape. As a country, it consistently ends up in top 10 lists of bad actors whether as a source of spam or malicious URLs or as the country with most number of system infections.
TrendLabs' recent half-year report supports this, citing that "the country is second to the United States as top spam sender (and top source of botnet activity) and one of the top 20 victims of malicious URLs." Major malware threats have hit the country as well. Two years after it first became a problem, DOWNAD/Conficker infections are still commonplace in the region. STUXNET was also a major problem in India with a significant number of infections present.
Like other developing countries, India's growth means it is becoming part of the global cybercriminal economy. In 2008, it was reported that India hosted the majority of CAPTCHA-breaking contact centers, among others.
India's top-level domain (TLD) .IN is also being heavily abused by cybercriminals. While the domain registrars offering .IN domains are quick to act when malicious domains are reported, abuse of the TLD is still a significant problem.
There are several environmental reasons why India is becoming a significant segment in the world of cybercrime. These include:
- Language: English may not be the official language in India but it is considered important for most types of "official" national, political, and commercial communications. The current Internet users in India are also said to prefer consuming their online content in English. Since a large chunk of threats such as spam (now at 83 percent as of Q3) are in English, they are more likely to succumb to these threats than their non-English-speaking Asian neighbors.
- IT infrastructure: There are approximately 160 ISPs in India but the top 6 account for almost 90 percent of all the users. The varying levels of security that the said ISPs are willing to provide their customers may very well be the main factor that causes a certain set of users to be affected by a certain threat and be protected from another. Another reason why the Indian IT environment severely suffers from security issues is piracy. As of 2009, almost two-thirds of all the software in the country was pirated. Pirated software has a twofold effect on security. First of all, cybercriminals frequently use pirated software as bait in their attacks. Second, users of pirated software frequently do not update their applications, leaving themselves open to potential vulnerability exploits.It's not surprising then that India continues to be plagued by DOWNAD/Conficker. Many systems have not yet been patched to close the security hole that was exploited.
- User behavior: User studies of Indian Internet users indicate that the majority are young men. These users go online primarily to look for jobs and, more recently, to visit business and finance websites. These activities can easily be leveraged in social engineering attacks. How Indian users access the Internet is also relevant. Many users do so from Internet cafes and not by using their own systems. The burden of system maintenance is thus passed on to business owners who may not have the knowledge nor resources to perform this task. Other user behaviors that increase risks are:
- 80 percent of users have clicked banner ads at least once. This makes malvertisements a more enticing ploy for cybercriminals.
- Facebook has surpassed Orkut as the top social media network in India. This means that users are now more exposed to social media threats such as KOOBFACE.
- 72 percent are willing to exchange personal information in return for "something of value." This means that social engineering ploys may well be more successful since this is the very tactic that users rely on. Given that personal use of office Internet connection is also commonplace, confidential information from organizations are also put at risk.
Taken together, all this information indicates that India is emerging not just economically but in the world of cybercrime as well. Several unique aspects of the region also differentiate the threats in it from other regions.


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Copyright 2018 RapidFlags.com 12023 Arrow Route Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739.RapidFlags.com is an online branch of the Signworld America, Inc company.


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I've had a bad day, and I'm in the foulest mood, and I've been fighting the moron invasion for the last hour.
The target of my rage: automated voice answering systems.
These have become the pinnacle of frustration to millions of Americans. Let me tell you about why they are the one of the most un-sat devices that mankind has ever devised -- because when customers such as myself are trying to call customer service for whatever, and the stupid electronic woman's voice that's supposed to soothe you but doesn't asks one of the thousands of possible arbitrary questions that have no relation to what you need, and at the moment she says "say 'I need assistance for pain'"" - at that moment is precisely when your child shouts out from the back seat and queers the whole process - "Proctology department, you got it." Now you're going to cycle into a department that you don't want, with another arbitrary list of options that have no bearing on what you're doing, and the only real option at this point is to hang up and try again. That can take an hour or more, and you can bet that the customer will be screaming by the time they get ahold of a representative.
Also, the loathsome Gollum looking creatures that design these automated systems have figured out that pissed off customers like me will just hit "0" over and over again until we get a real person on the hook, and they've made it so you can't do that anymore.
I'll tell you right now, calling customer service and finding out that it's one of these unhelpful machines is a good way to get me to spend my money at your competitor. And to the geniuses who thought to write their customer service number with letters - you do know that these days, most phones have QWERTY keypads that don't have multiple letters assigned to numbers, right? I mean, you'd have to be pretty clueless to miss that. You have no idea how frustrating it is for a guy who is just trying to get some service, and can't because some goon thought they'd be clever by writing out the name of their company in their phone number. Try figuring that out while heading down the interstate.
I just went through this with GNC, and by the time I finally got ahold of a flesh and blood person I was beside myself with anger. Reggie was good to go though, and got my problem solved quickly. Who would've thought a human could fix something better than an electronic bimbo with a nice voice?
Fix it!!


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Delete Topic
Woodsy:Down with the sound, and the people will all yell: "POWER IS MEASURED IN, DECIBEL".
Poje: not Joules?
Woodsy: No...Never
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


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Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Day 360: Dressed Up As Santa And Visited A Nursing Home
Merry Christmas to one and all (that is if you celebrate Christmas. Otherwise, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, and Happy Birthday former White Sox manager Gene Lamont)!!! As we all gather together with our families this holiday season, I think it is important to keep in mind many people who might be spending the days away from their loved ones (soldiers overseas, the homeless, etc.). My grandma used to live in a nursing home/assisted living center, and one thing I noticed when visiting her, was many times some of the residents didn't have anyone visit them. I wasn't going to let that be the case today, so I got to work. Yesterday, I called all around greater Santa Cruz county to see if there was any costume shop open. Unfortunately, as I had suspected, none were open. However, one woman who owned a costume shop left her cell phone on the voicemail for any "last minute Santas." I called her up and drove to a highway off ramp to meet her to get a Santa costume. She was super sweet and when I told her what I was doing, she gave me the Santa suit at half price. So today, for my random act of kindness, I dressed up as Santa and visited a nursing home to greet the residents. They were so happy to see me and played up the whole Santa Claus bit by telling me whether or not they were naughty or nice. My wife then drove me around Aptos, California while I waved to people throughout the town, on the beach, or in their cars. The happiness and wonder in people's faces (both young and old) when they saw Santa Claus was incredible. Now it is time to throw back a couple glasses of mulled wine, watch some Christmas Day hoops, and spend some time whippin' amateurs in Catch Phrase.
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January 11, 2013 at 2:12 AM
This one is my favourite :)
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I really want to have a cub, panda, and puppy… I love cats too! I will check some cute pics of cats soon.. Meanwhile, enjoy these… Happy Sunday!
Here are the xray images and readings that I got from last month's check up (super late upload). The physician said there were no signs of fractured bones (from my ice skating injury), but what about my joint pains? He did not mention anything about it… He just told me I have gout arthritis. Based from what I read, one particular symptom of gout is painful toes. My toes are fine… but not my knees, as well as the back of my feet. *sigh*
Well, at least my leg bones are normal….
My knees and hips' joints have decided to be in a good mood today, but not my toes and ankles'. I've already considered seeing a chiropractor and I tried calling 3 chiros today. I didn't know that chiropractic care here in the Philippines could cost up to US$70 and they don't accept any health cards. Sigh. I don't think I can afford to pay $70 copay per visit… so, here's a good, budget-wise option for me:
10 minutes of relaxing foot massage for just $1.25 (lol)… I know that this thing can't give me lasting relief, but somehow, it helped me ease my joints and nerves… ready for the next stop! *beep beep*
"Nothing Exceeds Like Superfluous Jejunity "
Innovative tech solutions with a difference
Turning feelings into words and sounds
a world travel photo blog by Jackie Hadel
Farm life in West Texas


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For Converse and Guitar Center's new Get Out of the Garage competition, bands are given the chance to win a prize package that includes an in-studio collaboration with Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange), $25,000, a chance to perform at SXSW's Fader Fort, and more. If you're in an independent band, check out details on the competition below:
Unsigned artists nationwide can submit a recorded live performance or music video to the official Get Out of the Garage website. Submissions will be ranked based on social media interaction and the top bands from each week will be reviewed by a judging committee comprised of Dev Hynes and editorial staff members from The Fader. Five finalists will be hand-picked to perform live at Converse Rubber Tracks in Brooklyn where one winner will be chosen.
"Working with new artists is something I'm always keen to do, free of jadedness and excitable with zero connotations in regards to experimentation," said Dev Hynes. "If I could just help aid where they want to go somehow then I'll be extremely happy."
The prize package includes:
- A 3-Song EP produced by Dev Hynes at Converse Rubber Tracks in Brooklyn, NY.
- $25,000 Cash
- Live performance at The FADER FORT Presented by Converse in Austin
- New gear from top music instrument brands – Fender, Shure, Martin, Ernie Ball, Evans, Pro-Mark, Dunlop, Gretsch, Zildjian, Vox
- Free worldwide digital distribution from TuneCore
- Feature on an AT: GC Podcast with Nic Harcourt.


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He might present this at the next meeting:
And have you heard about B.E. Smalls? I hear he's made a breakthrough:
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the eminent Dr. Dre's work (coauthor, Eminem):
If you aren't familiar with the Unified Theory of Everything (no, not *that* one), you might do well to learn now.
Check out more abuses of Excel, here. Hap tip to the evil kitten.


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Andrew Yep Photography | Aivy Yong Make-Up | The Saujana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
The day started in cloudy fashion and I was afraid that there would be no great sunlight for me to work with Joshua and Singlam. Thank god, towards the evening, we were blessed with some natural sunset lighting. And also thanks to Saujana hotel as they were very accomodating in every possible way to help us in our shooting.


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Tin Tin - Sailing the World
Tin Tin's Sailing Calendar
Friday, 5 May 2017
Atolls at last!
Relaxing on deck now that the sun is out again, anchored inside Manihi atoll. Nearby a shack on m a tiny reef island is home to a long haired hermit Robinson Crusoe we were told.
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Peter West
So have you jumped ship & taken up residence, Paul? 😂 Best, the Wests
6 May 2017 at 16:23
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I received one of the nicest honors I have ever received on Friday.
Marian University's chapter of the Sigma Beta Delta honor society for business, management and administration inducted me as its yearly honorary member.
Given the previous honorary members, whom people in business in the Fond du Lac area have heard of, I was, quite frankly, blown away when I was told I was receiving membership. I am more honored than I can say to be included in an organization that includes these ideals:
Sigma: Wisdom, "knowledge gained over time, analyzed and used with discernment."
Beta: Honor, for those "held in esteem, considered to be trustworthy, and admired by others because they live a life that is worthy of such recognition."
Delta: "The pursuit of meaningful aspirations," because "goals without action are no more fulfilling than action without goals."
This sounds to me (an Eagle Scout from 30 years ago) like the Boy Scouts. That may not be an accident.
The students who were inducted (along with one faculty member) neither sought nor asked for the advice of someone who, uh, has been in the workplace since before most of them were born. But during the ceremony (which included honors for other students in Marian's School of Business), I concluded that my work experience, and particularly my present situation, presents (at lest) four lessons for those about to head into the workforce, and hopefully into business.
#1A: At some point in your professional career, you will make mistakes. That includes, but goes beyond, the sorts of things for which correction items are placed in publications. It has occurred to me in the past couple of weeks (truthfully, before that) that I made a mistake by leaving Marian to go back to Marketplace. However ...
#1B: ... since you can't go back and undo decisions you've made, it is futile to dwell on what may seem like was a bad move on your part. Since none of us religious know why our lives go as they have, do and will, how do we know if we were supposed to make the decisions we've made?
#2: Whether you work for the greatest employer ever, or have the best idea or product in your particular field, or are in the greatest work situation you could conceive of, nothing lasts forever. Life Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post were tremendous magazines that didn't make it into the 21st century. Your employment situation could end by (A) the business' closing or (B) spinning off your corner of the company or (C) being purchased by a larger company that decides to replace you with one of its people, in which case you will be moving on, like it or not. (The professor who was inducted with me said he was told two great pieces of advice: to keep six months' expenses as savings, and to keep your bags psychologically packed.)
#3: Given the reality of #1 and #2, you will therefore be defined by what you decide to do after #2. My father worked for the same bank (though it had multiple owners) for 40½ years. I have worked for five different employers (one twice) in barely half that time. Statistically speaking, the aforementioned #2 is likely to happen to you more than once in your professional life.


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NSPRA Counselor June 2011
Setting the Stage for Why You Need to Act Now
by Richarad Bagin
by Richarad Bagin
Education bashing seems to be more "in" than ever. According to our critics, not only are our schools failing, but our teachers are also over-paid, have luxurious benefits, enjoy an envious pension program, and don't really work that hard in the first place. (Makes you wonder why all these bashers never entered the teaching profession, doesn't it? Gee, do you think they would have jumped at my starting teacher salary of $7,200 a year in the 1970's?)
Education is at a vulnerable time. Hit hard by local and state economies, cuts are going deeper than ever before. We now have a direct connection with the 20% of our taxpayers who have children in our schools. And the "test and punish approach" of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) generates a negative feeling about our schools.
Education blogger Stan Karp, a Rethinking Schools editor, describes our current education times much better than I: (I urge you to read his entire article at www.rethinkingschools.org/index.shtml.
But the longer answer is that the bashing is coming from different places for different reasons. And to respond effectively to the very real attacks that our schools, our profession, and our communities face, it's important to pay attention to these differences.
The parent who's angry at the public school system because it's not successfully educating his/her children is not the same as the billionaire with no education experience who couldn't survive in a classroom for two days, but who has made privatizing education policy a hobby, and who has the resources to do so because the country's financial and tax systems are broken.
The educators who start a community-based charter school so they can create a collaborative school culture are not the same as the hedge fund managers who invest in charter schools because they see an opportunity to turn a profit or because they want to privatize one of the last public institutions we have left.
The well-meaning college grad who joins a Teach for America program out of an altruistic impulse is not the same as the corporate managers who want to use market reforms to create a less expensive, less secure, and less experienced teaching force.
And the hard-pressed taxpayer who directs frustration at teachers struggling to hang on to their health insurance or pensions—which far too few people have at all—is not coming from the same place as those responsible for the obscene economic inequality that is squeezing both.
And the final introductory remark is that our current apathetic form of democracy seems to be failing as too few are driving the agenda without much opposition or discussion from the communities where action and discussion are needed. Again, Stan Karp points out that the corporate reformers' larger goal is to "burst the dam" that has historically protected public education and its $600 billion annual expenditures from unchecked commercial exploitation and privatization.
He notes that this is not some secret conspiracy. It's a multi-sided political campaign funded by wealthy financial interests. And it's important to keep this big picture in mind – even as we talk about specifics like merit pay and charters – because these issues, in Karp's words, are the dynamite charges being put in place to burst the dam.
Whether you believe that there is an organized, seemingly national assault on public education, or an aggressive measure for business opportunities, the results have been tarnishing the image of public education and educators.
So what can school leaders do about this surge of bashing public education?
It will take a proactive and sustained communication effort to move forward. The days of sitting back and taking it are over. Now is the time to provide communication leadership in your school communities to make them aware of your district's accomplishments and needs and to engage them in deciding what the future of your schools and your children should be.
What follows are some observations and advice on combating just a few elements of the education bashing program:
Remember: When You Create a Communication Void, Your Critics Will Surely Fill It!
There's a new gap in education. And the good news is that it should be easier to fill than the achievement gap we all have been working on. Our critics and others have taken the lead in telling their stories on school reform, teacher and school accountability, school funding, and even the very foundation of the role of public education in our democracy.
For years, many have sat back and assumed that the rhetoric of these critics would not stick as our everyday great work would ring true with decisionmakers at every level. But it's time to ask the old Dr. Phil question, "How's that working for you?"
Most will agree that our passive approach is not working. Critics, political leaders, major business leaders, recently formed foundations or "shell" organizations, business entrepreneurs, corporations, and our federal government are now communicating their particular solutions for public education. Most educators are not strategically fighting back against these accusations.
All of these solutions are coming at a time when public education is more vulnerable as traditional funding sources have been greatly diminished. Our political climate is also fractured and wedges are being driven into our education programs through privatization and other attempts that seem to forget that our country is built on an equitable and accessible education system for all.
We may soon be at a crossroads where we need to decide what public education really stands for. Is it for serving all children with the best we can offer and afford? Or is it for serving a more selected group with the best we can offer and leaving the others far behind with little hope of reaching their potential?
Dealing with Attacks on Tenure and Personnel Accountability
The popular buzz is that once you become a teacher and earn tenure, you have a job for life. We do little to communicate differently and, unfortunately, all of us have had a teacher who may not have measured up to our expectations for a great teacher – whether it be in our own student days or those who have taught our children.
Diane Ravitch in Ed Speak, a glossary of education terms, even adds fuel to this notion by defining the term, dance of lemons, in this way:
The administrative practice of repeatedly reassigning unsatisfactory teachers from one class or school to another, instead of going through a time-consuming effort to remove them through regular channels. Also known as the turkey trot.
Start communicating that in your district in the past 5 years, xx teachers and other employees were not renewed, and they no longer work in your district. Prove that your standards are set and those who are not reaching them after a natural period of coaching are told not to return. Think about making it a part of your annual report to the community.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is attacking tenure. The New Jersey Education Association recently released that 4 out of 10 teachers in New Jersey never receive tenure. That's 40% and most people are not aware that these actions have been taken. And that's because no one has been sending this message.
And, while you are at it, also talk about how tenured teachers are being held accountable. Work with your current staff to develop an evaluation system that is much more than test scores, but a collaborative approach led by principals, lead teachers, and students. All this can be done without releasing the collective test scores of individual teachers. Tell your public about the standards you have in place and demonstrate that your system is working. Perhaps they will start noticing that in your school community, things are better than they have heard.
Take a Hard Look at Ourselves:
Are We Driving Our Publics Away?
This approach may be hard to swallow, but sometimes we can be our own worst enemies.
Jamie Vollmer, a former business person and education critic has transformed himself into one of our nation's best education advocates by making the time to learn about education from the inside out. His new book, Schools Cannot Do It Alone, (available through NSPRA at http://www.nspra.org/schools-cannot-do-it-alone), offers scenario after scenario on how we may be losing the "public" in our public schools. He is urging us to have a "Great Conversation" about our schools, reaching both our key internal and external audiences, and getting to the core of what we all believe about public education and how to build more support for it.
While running one of his numerous workshops, this time with staff in an Ohio district, he asked them to brainstorm about how the people who work inside our schools may be doing things to push the public away. The room erupted with responses that fall into a global category of "How Some Educators Shoot Themselves in the Foot." A sampling of responses included:
"We're defensive."
"We're arrogant."
"We blame everyone else for our problems."
"We don't listen very well."
"We are not transparent."
"We give lip service to parental involvement."
"We don't care what the community thinks."
"We resist change."
"We distrust each other."
"The professional staff talks down to the support staff."
"We are reactive not proactive."
"We wrap ourselves in tenure."
"We are too bureaucratic."
"We all don't vote."
"We act like martyrs."
"We have a siege mentality."
"We are isolated, inbred, and out of touch."
"We think in terms of us versus them."
"We're arrogant."
"We blame everyone else for our problems."
"We don't listen very well."
"We are not transparent."
"We give lip service to parental involvement."
"We don't care what the community thinks."
"We resist change."
"We distrust each other."
"The professional staff talks down to the support staff."
"We are reactive not proactive."
"We wrap ourselves in tenure."
"We are too bureaucratic."
"We all don't vote."
"We act like martyrs."
"We have a siege mentality."
"We are isolated, inbred, and out of touch."
"We think in terms of us versus them."
Had enough? Jamie's list actually goes on with more quotes from staff members. (Jamie's website for additional resources is http://www.jamievollmer.com.)
Now, many of us probably don't see ourselves this way. But the work that my colleague Karen Kleinz, APR, and I do when conducting communication audits throughout the U.S. and Canada confirms these descriptions. We hear these exact phrases from parents, other community leaders, and some levels of staff when we talk about improving communication in their local schools.
To get us through this barrier to effective communication at a time when we need it most, we must take stock of our own culture of communication in our districts.
Do we authentically engage and listen to our various publics? Or do we give the impression that we are just patting the public on the head, and saying, something that comes across as, "Now, now, that idea is nice, but we know better"? The take-away is that these concerned parents and citizens have just wasted their time, become disgruntled, and started working against your system in ways that lead to the bandwagon approach of bashing public education.
We all need to listen, react to suggestions, and close the communication loop when possible. Most importantly, we need to respond to and respect those who have shown enough interest to begin the communication process with us. Public education is in a fragile spot these days. Make friends, not enemies.
Earning Communication Trust Is the Deal Maker or Breaker
The days of counting on professional gate-keepers is over. Media outlets are understaffed and too often want to be "first" rather than correct. Any member of your community with a computer and online access can become a publisher and start spreading misinformation that is often accepted as the truth.
Times have indeed changed. In the past, one of NSPRA's most powerful sessions at our Seminar was a session, Bypassing the Gate Keepers, led by the late Pat Jackson, APR, a nationally respected PR guru. He promoted, as we still do, that you should not depend on others outside of your system to communicate for you. You need to take charge of your own communication effort.
The trust issue still rests with principles taught by our profession for years. Face-to-face communication is still the foundation of building trust in our community. Nothing does it better. Of course, superintendents and Board presidents must behave in a trustworthy fashion. Stephen M.R. Covey, in the Speed of Trust reminds us that behavior is the key ingredient in developing trust with employees and, in our case, taxpayers as well.
Even seemingly small items make a difference. One community leader at a meeting last week was talking about her superintendent who always reads his Blackberry when she is trying to make a point at an advisory meeting. I can assume he was multi-tasking, but that type of behavior symbolically communicates that his e-messages are far more important than the person in front of him. Every day, leaders have these trust-maker or breaker moments with staff, board members, parents, and others. Authentic listening at all levels will make the difference.
NSPRA has well documented that key communicator/opinion leader networks can make a big difference as they start out in face-to-face mode and then develop into frequent e-communication opportunities to keep the trust pipeline alive. To learn more about starting an effective opinion- leader program, NSPRA offers a quick handbook entitled A Guidebook for Opinion Leader/Key Communicator Programs that can be purchased at www.nspra.org/store.
Once you have established trust and credibility in your leadership and your communication efforts, people will begin believing "your side" of the story even after the e-misinformation factories begin spewing their "facts" throughout your community. We all need to make more time to have more opportunities for face-to-face communication.
Authentic Engagement Adds Sustainability to Your Trust-Building Efforts
Authentic engagement means that you work with parents, staff, community leaders, and other residents to focus on key issues or tasks. You must be open to diverse views, transparent in all decisionmaking, and refrain from "selling" pre-conceived solutions for the issues being studied. Too often school leaders give lip service to engagement. Our best advice is not to proceed in the engagement process unless you are committed to practicing authentic engagement as described above.
We have seen authentic engagement efforts build trust and enhance relationships among key groups with school officials for many years. We have also seen them blow up, harm relationships, and take years and a new leader to regain trust in these communities. Through our work with the Kettering Foundation, NSPRA offers some guiding questions for school leaders before embarking on the engagement process.
It's Time to Make Democracy Work, One School District at a Time
By now the U.S. has spent billions on "spreading democracy" throughout the world, and we have seen billions of dollars and lives lost to our cause of democracy and a free world. Although we have seen some positive results worldwide, we must also pay more attention to our local communities and our local schools.
As noted earlier, some powerful and well-funded forces have come together to possibly drive a wedge into the foundation of public education. They can only succeed if we remain apathetic and ignore their rhetoric and the legislative actions they are pursuing.
Taking the lead from Jamie Vollmer and his call for a Great Conversation, we must begin to establish a series of locally led summits or forums about looking at the future of education in every school community we serve. These forums require courage and lots of planning to be successful, and they must be representative of every local government body and agency, the business community, the elected political leaders, staff, parents, private school and charter advocates, and every other community advocate group organized in your community. In other words, make these gatherings as representative of your local democracy as they can be.
One of the goals of this type of project is to help define your community's priority for education and just how important education is to the viability and well-being of all your community's residents. This project also serves as a key face-to-face component of communication, as many residents will learn for the first time the facts about your schools, and how different they are from the rhetoric of misinformation and half-truths that others spread.
These forums take a great deal of work to organize and even more work to sustain for a period of time. But where they work, they have begun making differences for education programs and their communities. Trust is built as the school community works together, rather than working on separate projects that benefit just a few.
I have said for years, that communities should be known by the schools they keep. A strong sense of community in our democracy will lead to more support for school and better education for all.
Nine Additional Tips to Combat Education Bashing
1. Stop Playing Catch-up; Become Proactive.
Most educators are always reacting to what others say about us. You need to get out front on your key issues so we can keep our "collective volume" high on these critical issues. You must develop a comprehensive communication plan for these issues and the plan must be ongoing and strategic to reach key influential targets with your main messages on each issue. If we do not become more proactive, we lose the influential positioning of being first and naming and owning the issue. Once again, we will fall behind in the court of public opinion.
2. RealizeThat Defending the Status QuoIs Not Very Sexy to the Media.
Most educators are always reacting to what others say about us. You need to get out front on your key issues so we can keep our "collective volume" high on these critical issues. You must develop a comprehensive communication plan for these issues and the plan must be ongoing and strategic to reach key influential targets with your main messages on each issue. If we do not become more proactive, we lose the influential positioning of being first and naming and owning the issue. Once again, we will fall behind in the court of public opinion.
2. RealizeThat Defending the Status QuoIs Not Very Sexy to the Media.
Many school people say that if we have more "good press" we would not have the image problems we have today. They continue to note that the press just covers the bad and not the great job educators are doing every day. First, we must realize that public schools are supposed to perform well. That is our job. Good performance is the status quo and the media rarely reports on the status quo in education. So, when we don't perform as expected, or hopefully when we perform extremely well above the expected, the media is at our door.
If you depend on the media to tell your story, you will fail. You must be proactive.
As I ask school leaders in workshops, "If we don't communicate, who will tell our story to our community? Remember, when you create a communication void, your critics will happily fill it with their story."
3. See for Yourself Campaigns Bring Substance to Your Messages.
3. See for Yourself Campaigns Bring Substance to Your Messages.
To add credibility to your messages and to poke holes in what your critics may be saying, consider initiating a See for Yourself campaign in your local district. When people see first-hand the good work that staff and students are accomplishing, they begin to realize that the negative rhetoric is wrong.
Over the years, many systems have used this technique to bring in groups from all corners of their communities to see stellar programs in action. They also used this technique when explaining facility needs, crowded classrooms, and other items related to an upcoming finance referendum. Using video technology can also capture some of the elements of a See for Yourself Campaign and you can "push" it out to your community through your website, YouTube, and Twitter.
It's one thing to listen to numbers that critics give and it's another to see for yourself what is really happening.
4. Become a Steady Stream of Positive News About Your School.
Once again, a steady stream of positive news cannot happen unless you do it. Some consultants in our profession call this the "fire hose" approach to drowning critics with positive news and stories about your schools. It can work as long as you also balance what you say with some of the needs you are experiencing and what your plan is to meet those needs.
Every district is full of success stories. Some lend themselves to features, others can be blasted in brief format like Twitter. Most parents always look for something to brag about concerning their children and their schools. Once you establish a positive opinion of your schools, people will most likely give you the benefit of the doubt when they hear something negative in your district.
Dan Domenech, the executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) notes that we should start a 95-5 campaign, where 95% of our schools are performing well and that we need to continue focusing on the 5% who need the extra work for improvement. It seems to many of us that the 5% get the majority of the press, when 95% are doing well. The 95% may fall into the "status quo" category for some, but school districts really do need to tell the positive stories they see blossoming every day.
5. Reframe the Big-Picture Issues.
5. Reframe the Big-Picture Issues.
Earlier this year we saw the entire Wisconsin confrontational battle between union groups and the governor's office. All of a sudden, the issue of the state's financial need was repositioned to say that it was the union's fault in the first place. The governor's leaders and the people working with him refocused the financial blame on education and other government workers rather than looking at the cause of the financial failure — the banking industry and the related housing foreclosures and more. Some people are always looking for someone to blame rather than looking at the source of the problem and fixing it.
6. To Compete with the Best in the World, We Must Become More World-like.
6. To Compete with the Best in the World, We Must Become More World-like.
The lesson is to combat this outlandish framing of issues by exposing them for what they are.
Many critics are quick to point out that our international standings are not that impressive. In some instances, we do have to get much better, but in some findings when doing more of an apple-versus- apple comparison, we do better. However, we still must improve.
Recently, through the leadership of the Learning First Alliance, we learned from a review of the international comparisons that most of the leading countries do not use a "test and punish" approach to their evaluation system, but use it to pinpoint weaknesses in instructional programs and then offer professional development solutions to correct deficiencies. We also learned that the teaching profession is held in very high regard. The best professionals possible are sought to enter teaching, a great amount of peer and teacher-leader coaching is provided, and they pay these professionals as other professionals are paid in their country. Right now, it seems that the U.S. blames teachers for our budget woes, and teachers are catching the wrath of some for their salaries, benefits, and working hours. We have a lot of catching up to do if we want to compete with the best worldwide.
7. Are You Still Waiting for Superman?
Charter schools have done some wonderful things for thousands of children. And just like regular public schools, many are terrific, while many others are not. Some do not perform as well as their public schools. Recent research by Stanford and others can bring you the facts on their performance.
A wise superintendent I worked with a few years ago told me, "Rich, you have to remember that they are all our children." His advice rings true for me when I look at the rhetoric of opposing views on the issue of charter schools. Diane Ravitch in The Myth of Charter Schools calls the film, Waiting for Superman, the most important public-relations coup that the critics of public education have made so far. She notes that the message of the movie is clear: public schools are bad; privately managed charter schools are good.
One note is the wonderful passion and commitment demonstrated by the parents in the number of movies about charter schools this past year. We must find ways to fire up all parents to demonstrate that passion for their child's education. Hundreds of parents, maybe more, in many school districts never show the commitment that these parents make to their child's school. Ignite and continue that parental passion and you will begin seeing improvement in all your schools.
We must stop bashing one another. Right now, because of the financial problems in public schools, with teacher layoffs and increasing class size as realities, it is difficult to take even more taxpayer money to pay for private schools. Saying bad things about one another reminds me of the quote from the late Al Shanker of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) who noted that in negotiations when the school board says bad things about the teachers, and the teachers say bad things about the school board, "the public believes both of us." We must find some common ground and learn from one another. After all, "They are all our children."
8. Create a Rumor Checkpoint.
8. Create a Rumor Checkpoint.
Some school districts create a section on their websites to check the latest rumor floating around their school community. Some have named this section Grapevine, where residents post their questions or rumors and then receive a posted response with 48 hours. Others have had their communication professional address items of misinformation from various sources and then post the "facts" directly next to the misinformation. It gives you the opportunity to set the record straight, and also clearly points out that some critics may continue their rhetoric after "the truth" has been told.
It takes more than just one effort to respond to bashing. Your response must be continuous to begin building a culture of communication in your school district. You also need a professional who can craft a communication plan and a pro who, through research, recognizes your perceived "enemies" as one of your key target audiences. Communication at this level is a management function that needs the ear and authority of the Superintendent of Schools.
Critics have spent millions of dollars on communication and influential tactics to begin selling their messages. But they do not have what you have. That's the critical component of local credibility so your community can better understand just what is needed to keep your schools on track.
9. Credible, OngoingCommunication Is Essential to Quell the Bashing.
If you are truly committed to building a foundation of continued support for your schools, you must become proactive and you need to do it with the professional guidance of a seasoned school communicator.
Rich Bagin, APR
NSPRA Executive Director
NSPRA Counselor © 2011 by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), 15948 Derwood Road, Rockville, MD 20855. (301) 519-0496. http://nspra.org/ All rights reserved.
NSPRA Counselor is published periodically and sent to NSPRA members. You may not reproduce or transmit in any form any part of this publication by any means without the written permission of NSPRA. NSPRA members may route or distribute this newsletter to their immediate district or organization's leadership team and communication staff. Further distribution is prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted.
Regional Service Agencies or like organizations are prohibited from reproducing the NSPRA Counselor without NSPRA permission.
Questions? E-mail NSPRA at firstname.lastname@example.com or call (301) 519-0496.
NSPRA Counselor | 10


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Edward debated just mucking his cards right off the bat, but he was already in for the small blind. Darius limped in with six hundred dollars and Edward put in the extra three. Kenny laid the flop out onto the table. Four of clubs, ten of hearts, six of diamonds. Edward had flopped an up and down straight draw. He tried to catch George's eye, but he was looking at the table, zoning out. Edward played it safe and checked. George bet six hundred, telling Edward that he had caught at least part of the flop. Darius called without commenting and the action came back around to Edward. He called the bet as well and waited for the turn card. The nine of diamonds, no help to Edward, hopefully not to Darius either. Edward checked again, as did George. Either he missed something on the turn, or he was slow playing a winner. If he had a seven-eight, then the nine made his straight. No way to tell, George would not look at Edward. He was really trying to beat Darius and did not want to give away any kind of tell. Darius checked the hand and Kenny prepared to deal the river.
Edward went over everything in his mind, this hand, the previous hands, every bet Darius had made. He seemed to copy what the other players did much of the time. Bet when they bet, check when they check. It was a good strategy, it made it hard to decide if he had the hand or he was bluffing. Edward was doing his best to read Darius this time, but sitting next to him was making it difficult. Edward did not believe that their seating arrangement was an accident, either. Darius had been able to see most of the other players throughout the game, but Edward had not been able to see him very well. Well played, Darius, well-played, Edward thought to himself.
Kenny flipped over the final card; two of hearts. That gave Edward a six high straight. Now was the time, it had to be.
"All in", Edward said, his voice catching just a bit as he did so. All George had to do now was fold and Edward would either make Darius back down or end this once and for all.
"I'm all in", George said. Edward racked his brain, what the hell did George have that he was so willing to bet Martinique's life? Maybe the seven-eight? Then why the check on the turn if he had made his hand? The just left the door open for a better hand to suck him out on the river. Edward's mind was going full tilt, but he just wasn't coming up with any answers.
The players flipped their cards and Edward saw the seven-eight; ten high straight.


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The Aptara studies on ebooks in the past couple years have been interesting. On Sept 20th the company will offer a free webinar that covers results, trends, and best practices of ebook publishers as uncovered over the past two years in a multi-survey series. Survey findings will be presented.
While oriented toward publishers, this session should be of interest to stores as well. It should reveal some of the challenges facing our supply chain partners (i.e., publishers) relative to digital, and give some insight into where they are and where they are headed. This session will also include experts from both the US and Europe, which I think will add an interesting dimension to the discussion.


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Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Antonioni: Eight Disciples
Just as the career of Brian Eno is often overlooked as completely altering the modern music landscape, the films of Antonioni are undervalued in how influential they have been. It would be impossible to even began to list the number of filmmakers who have name checked, copied and paid tribute to Antonioni in the past forty years but here are eight whose films would not have been the same without the master's work. I chose eight who are all very different from one another, who span five different countries, several different generations and many different genres.
With the exception of Mario Bava, no director has had more of an impact on the films of Dario Argento than Antonioni. His first feature THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1969) immediately springs to mind as a work that owes much to Antonioni's astonishing composition and color schemes but it is Argento's DEEP RED (1975) that plays as an almost valentine to Antonioni's works, specifically BLOW-UP (1966). Argento's obsessive and penetrating study of misplaced memories and fractured personalities seem to spring directly from Antonioni's towering works on alienation such as L'AVVENTURA (1960) and RED DESERT (1964).
The handful of films that Jack Nicholson has directed since his striking and hard to see debut DRIVE HE SAID (1971) have all be indebted to Antonioni's work. Nicholson, who would give one of his great performances in Antonioni's THE PASSENGER (1975), has been one of the master's biggest vocal supporters and presented him with his honorary Oscar over a decade ago. All of Nicholson's films, perhaps none more so than the carefully designed THE TWO JAKES (1990), share Antonioni's very specific ability of presenting a past that is deliberately and regretfully being disintegrated. The final moment in the THE TWO JAKES where Meg Tilly screams at Nicholson's defeated Jake Gittes, "Does The past ever really go away?" to which he responds with a broken, "It Never Does" could have been lifted from any number of Antonioni's greatest works.
Polish director Walerian Borowczyk might be one of the only filmmakers in history who managed to match the painterly and always awe inspiring compositional skill of Antonioni. They also both knew how to use music to often devastating effect. Pink Floyd has been used in a lot of films but watch the endings of Antonioni's ZABRISKIE POINT (1970) and Borowczyk's LA MARGE (1975) to see two of the bands most famous songs transformed into purely cinematic works for two of the great masters to manipulate and add unquestionable dimension to.
Would Travis Bickle have been possible without the films of Antonioni? I'm not sure but I am willing to bet that the despairing alienation that Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader were able to bring TAXI DRIVER (1976) would have been a lot less without Antonioni's early black and white work. Everything from the film's striking one sheet to the many shots of De Niro's fragmenting psyche recall many moments in Antonioni's canon, specifically Monica Vitti's astonishing turn in RED DESERT.
Like Argento's DEEP RED, Brian De Palma's masterful BLOW-OUT (1982) plays like a love letter to BLOW-UP. Perhaps more noteworthy is De Palma's acceptance of cinema as an art form where extremes are not only at times welcome, but necessary. Match up the final explosion in ZABRISKIE POINT or the final ten minute tracking shot in THE PASSENGER to some of De Palma's more elaborate and breathtaking set pieces, the ending of THE FURY (1978) and the Cannes sequence of FEMME FATALE (2002) come to mind, and suddenly it isn't the ghost of Hitchcock who most often occupies De Palma's films.
When he was preparing one of his final films, BEYOND THE CLOUDS (1995), Antonioni called in German born Wim Wender's to assistant him as a stroke had taken most of his ability to speak away. All of Wender's films are clearly directly descended from Antonioni. From the loneliness of ALICE IN THE CITIES (1974) to the simultaneously searching and running away Travis in PARIS TEXAS (1984), Wender's lonely variations on the road film are unthinkable without Antonioni.
Egyptian born Atom Egoyan's characters often seem trapped in a world they feel they can't inhabit while at the same time being indebted to the convenience of it. Outside of the obvious compositional comparisons to Antonioni's films, Egoyan's fascinating look at the strife and deceptions between family members seems more than just cinematically connected to the failing marriage in RED DESERT or the doomed affair in L'ECLISSE (1962). Egoyan's best films, such as EXOTICA (1994) and THE SWEET HEREAFTER (1997) possess Antonioni's ability to connect a seemingly simple gesture with a world threatening to fall apart.
When Sofia Coppola won her much deserved Oscar for her screenplay to LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) she went out of her way to thank Antonioni. Watching her three features, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999), LOST IN TRANSLATION and MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006) it seems clear that the thoughtful and powerful works of Antonioni are not going to disappear any time soon. LOST IN TRANSLATION'S final moments play like a promise that Antonioni's often ambiguous art house dreams aren't as dead as so many film goers and critics like to believe.
There are many others I could have singled out but these eight all seem particularly indebted and worth mentioning as I begin my tribute to Michelangelo. I can imagine if asked what they would say to him, they would all offer the one word he had for The Academy the night he won his honorary Oscar..."Grazie."
4 comments:
- cinebeats said...
This was beautiful to read Jeremy and really touched me. I couldn't agree with anything you wrote more.
Antonioni's influence is incredible and very far reaching, but I'm still often astonished when I come across a review of Argento's Deep Red or even De Palma's Blow-Out that doesn't mention Antonioni's Blow-up and sadly, there are many.
- July 31, 2007 at 4:29 PM
- Jeremy Richey said...
Thanks Kimberly,
That is really lovely of you to say and I appreciate it greatly.
I am always amazed by how much his work isn't mentioned especially when talking about films like "Deep Red" and "Blow-Out"...two great films that I think really stand as total testamants to his towering achievments...
Thanks again for the nice words and I hope you keep finding my tribute interesting.
- July 31, 2007 at 5:09 PM
- Rogue Spy 007 said...
Jeremy, this is a beautiful tribute. It really touched me as well. I could definitely tell how much he meant to you. He was a brilliant filmmaker. I knew he was influential, but I never know how much so. He inspired everyone from Argento to Nicholson. There's not many people you can say that. He did so some magnificent work. I definitely want to see more of his films.
- August 1, 2007 at 12:10 AM
- Jeremy Richey said...
Thanks Keith,
I really like hearing your continuing comments and I greatly appreciate it...
- August 1, 2007 at 6:05 AM


text: As always it has been a hectic holiday season. We were so lucky last weekend to have all of the grands at our house. No parents...so a good time was had by all. I finally came up with an idea for the Christmas cards. I had put vinyl on my steps and loved the look and the kids thought that would be a good spot for the card photo shoot...many takes later and lots of laughs...we got it! Thank you to my beautiful models...love you all to the moon and back!


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The yahrzeit of Daphne Merkin's father
I hope that Ms. Merkin's father rests in peace, and that her rich, detailed memories of him, versified in this week's Forward, are for a blessing.
Poetically speaking, however, sodden sentimentality does not make up for a lack of novelty. "The dead are so gone"! At the risk of violating de mortuis nihil nisi bonum, or (in Jewish) akharey mos kedoshim emor, perhaps we can Merkinize other poems:
April is so the cruellest month.
I am so the emperor of ice cream.
And I, so their sexton slave!
Or perhaps:
So holy, so holy, so holy is the Lord of Hosts,
The whole earth is so filled with His glory.
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After the original budget is approved, the county legislative body may not make transfers between the major funds, such as school, highway, general, and debt service, but it may make budget amendments within funds during the course of the fiscal year. T.C.A. § 5-9-407. Timely revisions must be made because of the ever-changing factors that make up a budget. Factors that influence decisions are (1) state and federal government programs that are added or terminated; (2) emergencies; and (3) higher cost items than originally estimated. When changes take place, the budget should be amended. These amendments should be made prior to any expenditure of funds, unless there is an emergency that could affect the health or safety of the public or employees.
It is also recommended that budget amendments be presented to the legislative body at least five working days before the prescribed meeting.
Under T.C.A. § 5-9-407(b)(3), the county legislative body has 40 days from the time it receives a proposed budget amendment from the local board of education to either approve or reject the amendment. This requirement does not apply to Davidson, Hamilton, Knox or Shelby counties.
Recommended Practice: County commission should allow authority in the appropriation resolution to move funds within a department (except salaries) with department head or county mayor approval. A standard form is required to be used and filed with the budget committee/county commission.
Recommended Practice: Check your financial management/budgeting law


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There's a giveaway on! Who doesn't love the chance to win something? Especially an easy to read book full of New York-centric short stories written by me? Hell, I might even enter… I love winning stuff!
I'm still off enjoying holidays, but I'll be back this week. Hope a happy turkey day was enjoyed by those who celebrate it! Now my favorite time of year – time to get out the holiday decorations!!


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Business Developers Indo-China (Ho Chi Minh City)
I'm looking for a team of now just 2 serious people to get involved with what will be the biggest launch ever recorded in history in October. Estimating at USD Protected content , beating the launch of the iPhone 5 at USD Protected content , by a publicly traded company 60 times smaller than Apple operating in the field of wellness & anti-aging.
If you knew what I know, you'd do anything to have a piece of that cake. PM me if you want to know more.


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Ned Yost was none to happy about a blog post that claimed he was moments from getting canned by the Brewers. Parts of the post was later reprinted in the Sentinel Journal's Brewers Blog.
While Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin chose to brush off the notions surrounding his manager's employment status as "erroneous Internet rumors," Yost chose to launch into what was described by the Sentinal Journal as a "mild tirade/venting session" that included "un-publishable words."
Yost: "It's not right. Blogs and the talk radio show guys, it's fun, but they don't have all the information. To sit back and criticize and talk about certain situations and they don't have all the information, now that's where it gets hard to listen or give it much credability. It's a joke. There's no legitimacy there at all, and we put it on the Internet for everybody to see and raise havoc. It's a joke. It's not fair and it's not right."


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This is too much!
The United States is spiraling down into a fascist, totalitarian state, and dragging much of the rest of the world down with it.
Yes, one can live quietly within one's electronically equipped home, avoiding potential confrontations with the constabulary, or the neighbors. That's what "they" want, of course, an unconcerned and compliant citizenry that accepts "internal security check-points," universal IDs (cum "drivers license"), "security" alerts from the central authority, chains, rubber hoses and sharp-toothed dogs. It's all of a piece; one thing leads inevitably to the next; the long slide down into darkness.
The state always replaces freedom with security. This particular state excels at making its people love their velvet chains, substituting consumer excess for the freedoms it takes away, gradually, day by day. The simple, thoughtful, introspective life is smothered under a barrage of noise and infotainment, thus assuring quiet compliance with the demands of the ruling elite.
"I will not go quietly into the night. Rage, rage with the dying of the light."
Hayduke Speaks


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Well I just packed it up and moved. What a joke this turned out to be. How hard could it be to move a dsl service to another area? Well first it involved a serious downgrade. From there we must now start building a new network on the existing non existant infra structure. I suggest changing the multiplexer back now that I am up and running with the new 3.4 mhz spectrum or at least enough pairs of 124-136 mhz to get this baby running on anything hirer than 999.3 or never mind obviously I don't know enough someone torture me.
So here I sit again waiting and waiting and waiting for what I don't know perhaps some much needed reinforcements or praise. Packet a stan? sim bob away? Central stealhers? UNKNOWN more to come. I'll keep you POSING.


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Last Monday I went to a purpose visit in Antipolo City in preparation for our Org's Back to School outreach project. But I never knew that the trip will brought-in some new discoveries and not only discovery but a great discovery.
I went there with one of my friends and co-officer of the org. After we finished our purpose on the school we went to, the principal of the school led us to a small eatery to have our lunch. We arrived at a small place situated along the highway. Not as grand or cozy as other restaurants but the feel of its surroundings is good and nice, since it was situated in the upper part of Antipolo. Nice fresh air and nice ambiance, with the view of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range in front of us.
We picked our sits and then ordered our food. Of course we ordered their specialty, the Bulalo. Even before we got to the place the principal kept on promoting how good their bulalo is, so we ordered one to prove her claim. And indeed she was right, the bulalo was great and I can say it is one of the best bulalos I have ever tasted.
I have been to Tagaytay several times and tasted their bulalo, but I can say that bulalo of D Third's Bulaluhan in Antipolo definitely competes with the best of Tagaytay has to offer or even much more because of the price which is so affordable. At 60 pesos per serving (which is good for 3 person) you can definitely enjoy a bulalo that tastes great.
If you also want to enjoy and experience what I have tasted, you can drop by at D Third's Bulaluhan and prove for yourself. Going there will only take about an hour from Manila via Marcos Highway. If you're using a private vehicle, you can take Marcos Highway going Cogeo then drive a little more kilometers to Brgy. San Jose Antipolo City. If you passed by Boso-Boso Highlands Hotel and Covention Center, its roughly 1.5 kilometers away and you'll arrive at D Third's Bulaluhan. Using public transport, you can ride an FX taxi from Cubao to Cogeo, then from Cogeo you can ride a jeep plying Marikina to Paenaan. Then just drop off by the bulaluhan. It's just 5 meters away from Paenaan Jeepney Terminal so you'll not be lost.
So if ever you're craving for a bulalo but you think Tagaytay is so far to go, choose D Third's of Antipolo and surely you'll get the taste of Tagaytay in a much affordable way.
"If you can indulge the same food in a practical way why go to a farther place"


text: In all my travels thru the net, on a daily basis, one question keeps coming to mind. Why now? Why now is the republican party and their keepers so intent on their woman attacking mode? What I find even more of a question, is why now is that kind of insanity also attacking Britain and Canada, though not quite to the same fervor of the use. Not long ago, in an election year, each party, tried to look the good guy. Not now, the republican party don't care who they piss off, even the catholic church has no sway on this new brand of politician. What was it Boehner said, something to the effect that they just didn't see then whole picture, that they were trying to save these programs, Now their battle cry is there is no war on women, its all made up by the democrats and evil Obama, and there is no class war, there is no war on poverty and social net program. Then in the same breath they will talk of what they are going to cut or gut completely, Is there some kind of disconnect, that they honestly think that they can do or say anything they want. as if they have no fear of being voted out of office, Do they know something we the people don't get? Or, are they so disconnected from reality that they think they can say or do anything and all the fox zombies will do as they say. It seems like each day, I learn even more questions, with not very easy to find answers. Then today, I read an open letter from a blogger begging people to become aware of what is going on in Japan. I signed the petition to our president and beg others to do the same. Why did I wait till now to mention this, is because I so don't want to believe that the danger is this extreme and this real. Its scary and I am going to do more research and I am going to pray that everything I have read is not the way it will happen, As should we all pray for mother earth and those she calls her children.


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Even though I'm sad to see summer in the rearview mirror, I've gotta admit that I'm looking forward to welcoming Fall with open arms.
I have a ton of things to look forward to in the coming weeks.
....there's that baby nephew that's on his way. My sister is expecting her second baby and Bentley Drew is expected to make his debut sometime in early October....
...and we can't forget about the food! Oh, the food. Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie, roasted squash......oh my goodness how I love me some comfort food!
....I'm lucky because I get two Thanksgivings this year. The Canadian holiday is in mid-October and then I'm heading down to Kentucky to visit my new nephew and celebrate Thanksgiving again....I might also be planning a little Black Friday retail therapy as well :-)
In between, we're going on a little vacay down to LAS VEGAS (I can't believe I almost forgot to include that!) Our friends' Hallowe'en wedding is going to be so unique ~ I can't wait to see how it all turns out! Keep an eye out over the next few weeks because I can't make up my mind on what costume I want --- there are so many to choose from and I have been really indecisive.
Whew! With all this awesomeness coming up in my life, Fall is going to fly by as fast as summer did!
What do you look forward too as Fall approaches?
Happy Saturday!