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|Also Known As:
|Leslie Howard Stainer, Leslie Howard Steiner
|June 1, 1943
|April 3, 1893
|Cause of Death:
|airplane shot down by Nazis during WW II
|Birth Place:
|London, England, GB
|actor, director, producer, playwright, intelligence agent for the British government, bank clerk
Biography CLOSE THE FULL BIOGRAPHY
Debonair English actor Leslie Howard excelled at playing disillusioned intellectuals and gallant gentlemen on the stages and screens of Britain and America for nearly 30 years. Painfully shy as a child and traumatized on the battlefields of World War I, Howard turned to the theater as a form of therapy, and began appearing on the stages of London within a few short years. By the 1920s, Howard had left for Broadway, where he achieved acclaim in a series of well-received productions over the following decade. He made his Hollywood debut in an adaptation one of his more successful plays "Outward Bound" (1930), and repeated that strategy with "The Animal Kingdom" (1933). Lauded performances opposite Bette Davis in "Of Human Bondage" (1933) helped make Howard one of the most popular stars of the 1930s. For better or worse, he would be forever remembered for three roles in particular - swashbuckling hero Sir Percy Blakney in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934), egocentric Professor Henry Higgins in "Pygmalion" (1938) and milquetoast Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind" (1939). Despite his success, Howard held a rather poor opinion of Hollywood. By 1940, he had returned to England to support the war effort with...
Debonair English actor Leslie Howard excelled at playing disillusioned intellectuals and gallant gentlemen on the stages and screens of Britain and America for nearly 30 years. Painfully shy as a child and traumatized on the battlefields of World War I, Howard turned to the theater as a form of therapy, and began appearing on the stages of London within a few short years. By the 1920s, Howard had left for Broadway, where he achieved acclaim in a series of well-received productions over the following decade. He made his Hollywood debut in an adaptation one of his more successful plays "Outward Bound" (1930), and repeated that strategy with "The Animal Kingdom" (1933). Lauded performances opposite Bette Davis in "Of Human Bondage" (1933) helped make Howard one of the most popular stars of the 1930s. For better or worse, he would be forever remembered for three roles in particular - swashbuckling hero Sir Percy Blakney in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1934), egocentric Professor Henry Higgins in "Pygmalion" (1938) and milquetoast Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind" (1939). Despite his success, Howard held a rather poor opinion of Hollywood. By 1940, he had returned to England to support the war effort with a series of propaganda films, including "49th Parallel" (1941), prior to his death over the Bay of Biscay in 1943. Considered the ideal British leading man, both refined and sensitive, those close to him opined that while astonishingly talented, Howard was merely playing himself.
Born Leslie Howard Steiner on April 3, 1893 in Forest Hill, London, England he was the son of Lilian, a Britain of Jewish descent, and Ferdinand "Frank" Steiner, a Jewish-Hungarian immigrant. Although clearly bright, Howard's sheltered upbringing and severe near-sightedness made him extremely self-conscious. Never a good student, the young Howard loathed his time at Alleyn's School in Dulwich, London, preferring to lose himself in the comfort of books. Fiercely protective of her son, Lilian encouraged her boy's participation in the arts, particularly theatre, as a means of improving his social and academic skills. Her intuition was correct; by age 14, Leslie had written his first play. Soon he and his friends were producing their own musical comedies, prompting the ever-supportive Lilian to establish the Upper Norwood Dramatic Club to showcase their talents. Frank did not, however, share his wife's interest in the arts and insisted that the teenage Howard take a position as a London bank clerk, a job the aspiring actor-playwright despised. By now the WWI was looming and, like many immigrants of European decent, Leslie's family adopted the less-German sounding surname of Stainer.
When war finally did break out, Howard saw his chance to escape the monotony of his life and promptly enlisted with the British Cavalry - despite the fact that he had never in his life ridden a horse. Miraculously, the naïve 21-year-old was accepted and after intensive training, began serving overseas as a second lieutenant in the Northhampshire Yoemanry. Any romantic notions of battle the young man may have harbored were quickly shattered on the frontlines; by 1916, Howard was returned to England suffering from what was then termed severe shell shock. Recovering from his experiences in London, he met and soon married Ruth Martin in 1916. Somewhat limited as to his employment options, he once again heeded his mother's advice and looked to the theater. Having performed in a short film prior to his enlistment, Howard made his feature film debut with a small role in the silent sports drama "The Happy Warrior" (1917). Theatrical work initially consisted of small roles with the touring companies of "Peg O' My Heart," "Charley's Aunt" and the juvenile lead in the road version of Matheson Lang's "Under Cover." Within a year's time, Howard made his London stage debut in a small role in Arthur Pinero's "The Freaks."
Howard continued to work steadily in stage productions until he and friend Adrian Brunel founded a film production company of their own named Minerva Films in 1920. Early company efforts included titles like "Twice Two" (1920) and "Bookworms" (1920). Unfortunately, barely one year later, Minerva had gone bankrupt and Howard was once again in need of steady income. His saving grace came from across the Atlantic, where he made his Broadway debut in "Just Suppose" in 1921. Although the comedy-drama was hailed as a success by critics, Howard's performance was not. Undaunted, he pushed onward with increasingly adroit performances in a wide array of genres and material. His notices improved in productions like Booth Tarkington's comedy "The Wren" (1921), as well as the intense dramas of "The Serpent's Tooth" (1922) and "Outward Bound" (1924). Howard enjoyed his first bona fide Broadway smash with "The Green Hat" (1925) and by 1927, had secured his status as one of the stage's most popular stars in such productions as the farcical "Her Cardboard Lover." That same year, a dream came true for the actor-writer when Howard starred in an original play he had penned himself, "Murray Hill." Not surprisingly, as the decade neared its end, Hollywood and the recently sound-enhanced medium of motion pictures began to court Broadway's newest British star.
For his first U.S. feature film, Howard revisited familiar material with a filmed adaptation of the stage play "Outward Bound" (1930), an eerie drama co-starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., about a group of ship's passengers who gradually discover their destination is the afterlife. The 1930s saw Howard dart from London to NYC to Hollywood, from stage to screen, both in front of and behind the camera. Although he excelled in his screen work, Howard frequently aired his distaste for Hollywood and its commercial products. Exemplifying such shallow entertainments, in his opinion, were productions like the bizarre East meets West romance "Never the Twain Shall Meet" (1931), the melodramatic Clark Gable/Norma Shearer vehicle "A Free Soul" (1931), and the convoluted "Devotion" (1931). Disappointed by what the American film industry was producing, Howard packed up his wife and kids and briefly returned to England. After a few small films in his homeland, Howard returned to Broadway, where he directed, co-produced and performed in Philip Barry's adult stage drama "The Animal Kingdom" in 1932. The story of a man torn between two woman, it would be a frequent theme in much of Howard's work. As a well-known, unrepentant philanderer, such conflict would figure prominently in his private affairs as well.
Taking a break from the play's long run on Broadway, Howard appeared in two films that propelled him to stardom in America. First came the romantic drama "Smilin' Through" (1932), which reteamed him with Shearer (one of his many purported paramours), and the film version of "The Animal Kingdom" (1932), co-starring Myrna Loy. A series of high-profile projects then solidified his star status. Howard co-starred with Bette Davis in the provocative Somerset Maugham story "Of Human Bondage" (1933), an intense drama about a medical student's (Howard) sadomasochistic obsession with a slatternly Cockney waitress (Davis). Howard returned to his homeland to star in "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (1935), a swashbuckling adventure about a prissy British nobleman who dons a disguise and risks his life to rescue French aristocrats from the cutthroat embrace of "Madame Guillotine." The following year, he reteamed with Davis for the crime-drama "The Petrified Forest" (1936), an adaptation of the Broadway production he had starred in years earlier. Also brought over from the theatrical production was a young actor named Humphrey Bogart, whom Howard had insisted be cast in the film. The movie paved the way for Bogart's future film stardom and cemented a lifelong friendship between the two actors - so much so that Bogie would later name his daughter, Leslie, in his benevolent friend's honor.
Shortly thereafter, Howard was seen in another signature role - that of Dr. Henry Higgins, an aristocratic phonetics teacher who tries to teach a lowly flower girl how to act and sound like a lady in the delightful George Bernard Shaw romp "Pygmalion" (1938). Howard also served as director and producer of the film, in addition to taking on the role that earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Much to his chagrin, it was his role as Ashley Wilkes in the beloved Civil War epic "Gone With the Wind" (1939) that etched Howard's name and face in the collective memory of American filmgoers. The refined British actor vehemently opposed taking the part, stating he did not want to play another "dreadful milksop," and dreading the make-up and primping needed to give him the requisite youthful appearance. Studio chief David O. Selznick reportedly bribed the actor into accepting the role by promising he could co-produce "Intermezzo" (1939), a dream project of Howard's. Despite his intense dislike of the winsome Ashley, his portrayal of the character proved an ideal symbol of Old South gallantry and a suitable mirror image for the mercurial man's man, Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). As promised, Selznick and Howard went on to produce "Intermezzo," with Howard starring alongside ingénue Ingrid Bergman in what has been described as one of the more affecting love stories of its era.
As well received as both "Gone With the Wind" and "Intermezzo" had been, they turned out to be the last of Howard's big Hollywood studio pictures, when he returned to Britain soon after their release in order lend his home country support as tensions escalated in Europe. Amidst the outbreak of World War II, Howard appeared in, and frequently directed, several propaganda films, including an updating of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" entitled "'Pimpernel' Smith" (1941), the espionage-thriller "49th Parallel" (1941), co-starring Laurence Olivier, and aerial-themed "Spitfire" (1942) alongside good friend David Niven. He also took a job as a broadcaster at the BBC, becoming the voice of Britain to America and served as a goodwill entertainer to many Allied countries embroiled in the war. While on a commercial airline flight originating from Lisbon, Portugal and bound for Bristol, U.K., Howard's plane was suddenly attacked by a squadron of German Luftwaffe fighter aircraft. Along with 16 other passengers and crew, Howard was killed when the plane was shot down over the Bay of Biscay on June 1, 1943. Sparking controversy almost from the day it was announced, his death remained a mystery for decades. Some speculated that he was being used as a decoy for Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who the Nazis mistakenly believed to be on the plane. Others asserted that Howard's "goodwill" missions were a cover for his work with British Intelligence, and that he himself was the intended target. While less thrilling, serious research later indicated that Howard's death was, in fact, merely another tragic, unnecessary wartime accident. Actor Leslie Howard was 50 years old.
By Bryce Coleman
Filmographyclose complete filmography
CAST: (feature film)
Milestones close milestones
"I haven't the slightest intentions of playing another weak, watery character. I've played enough ineffectual characters already." --Leslie Howard to "Gone With the Wind" producer David O Sleznick before accepting the part of Ashley Wilkes, the role that immortalized him.
"Leslie Howard was a darling flirt. He'd be caressing your eyes and have his hand on someone else's leg at the same time. He was adorable." --actress Joan Blondell.
"The stage is the actor's medium. The actor controls there. But films, why they're the director's and the cutter's . . . the actor is merely incidental". --Leslie Howard, quoted in Films of the Golden Age, Winter 1999/2000.
"The movie studios are sweat shops killing the best in actors." --quote attributed to Leslie Howard.
Companions close complete companion listing
Family close complete family listing
Bibliography close complete biography
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JPGrammaRegistered UserPosts: 232(4/23/04 1:56 pm)Reply ezSupporter Re: Who's your daddy now-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember the Tina and Rupert 'spoiler' ?Sucks Spoilers - Rupert and Tina SpoilerQuote:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------hydropoop455Registered UserPosts: 16(1/12/04 6:22 pm)Rupert and Tina SpoilerHere is what I can add to the spoilers going around. I have 3 friends that go to the Pearl Islands and Panama area quite frequently (usually twice a year during the winter). Anyways, apparently they can confirm that they saw Rupert and Tina and two other people that are not on the show at a place called Three Monks on Dec 3. They are Survivor fans, but not huge Survivor fans. They first noticed a lot of cameras and security around the area, but they then noticed Rupert and then Tina who they at first thought was a 30 year old woman with long hair. Once the cast list and pictures were released today, they immediately said it was Tina. Oh yah, the two other people they were with were a guy and girl around the age of 40. They were surrounded by a lot of cameras but no one else around them. They were fishing and actually seemed to be catching a lot of fish and seemed really happy. Tourists were allowed some places but a lot of the area was taped off. Also security was confiscating cameras. Anyways, that is what they have said. Feel free to email me any questions as I can ask them for you, but besides what they told me I doubt they know much more. Oh yah one more thing, my friends stayed there until the 5th of December and on the 4th asked if the Survivor crew was still around but the guy working said they left last night. So if my friends are correct, it seems like Tina and Rupert at least make the jury.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Quote:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------hydropoop455Registered UserPosts: 18(1/12/04 11:37 pm)Thanks for the friendly responses. I phoned my friend and told him to check out Tina and Kathy's picture. He said it was definitely Tina, the lady was younger looking, longer hair and really skinny. He said he now has no doubts, due to the pictures being released. I know my spoiler goes against the grain of Tina not doing well, I guess we will see what happens. Does anyone know the timeframe for Dec 3, like what happened around that time? Does it make sense for Tina and Rupert and 2 others to win a reward? I havent seen a Survivor 8 calendar yet. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Quote:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------hydropoop455Registered UserPosts: 19(1/14/04 4:20 am)Just to let you know, I asked my friend how sure he is that Tina is there and he said that he is 95% sure because he saw her with his own eyes and has looked at all the pictures and said that the lady had long blonde hair and was not Jenna or Kathy (who was his favorite player so he should now what she looks like). He also thought the woman looked really attractive at first, then he realized it was Tina. Jenna and Kathy are not attractive, at least not in the pictures that we are seeing right now. But that is really all I have to add, he says he is sure it was Rupert and Tina and another guy and another girl. Apparently he saw them pretty close up, albeit behind the roped off area and behind security guards, but he says he is sure, so interpret it however you like --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QuequegMESS memberPosts: 7(4/23/04 2:07 pm)Reply ezSupporter Re: Who's your daddy now-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Could be that Jenna and her bro win and they get to pick another pair to go with them. Jenna picks Rupert and his wife. They are the only 4 some that would make up 2 guys (1Rupert) and 2 girls (1with long blond hair).I don't see Ruperts wife winning gross food.
Gross food challenge with the family members! All right!!!!!!Rob
I CAN'T eat during the gross food challenge!!!! How can you eat anything without thinking about what they are eating and gagging! WOWRob
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NASHVILLE -- The three veteran general managers began talking in their hotel suites, moved into a restaurant, shifted to the back of a bar, then wound up in a lonely hallway Thursday morning, with vacuum cleaners humming in the background.
Kevin Towers, Jon Daniels and Andrew Friedman didn't get to bed until 6:30 a.m Thursday, hoping to pull off a blockbuster trade between the Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays.
WINTER MEETINGS: Five things we learned
Yet when they departed the Opryland Hotel at the conclusion of baseball's winter meetings, the only acquisitions they took home were the heavy bags underneath those eyes.
They can spend the rest of the offseason fantasizing about all of the trades they want, but baseball's hot stove league will consist of nothing more than a pilot light until one man makes up his mind.
The name is Zack Greinke. He's the finest free agent pitcher in a woefully thin market.
And right now, the entire baseball world is revolving around him.
Nothing will happen until Greinke says it does.
The Los Angeles Dodgers let him know a week ago they are ready to make him the richest pitcher in baseball history. The Texas Rangers are ready to anoint him as their biggest pitching star since Nolan Ryan. The Los Angeles Angels are ready to give him all of the beach-front property he wants.
Yet after being with three teams the last three years, he now is confused about where he wants to go next.
Baseball executives are left wondering if he wants any part of Hollywood, Magic (Johnson) or Disneyland. Maybe he's not satisfied with the accountants' explanation about the difference in state taxes from California and Texas. Or maybe he just doesn't want to go to any of those three teams and is too polite to say no, waiting for another team to magically emerge.
HIJACKED: Nothing happens until Rangers say so
But until he makes his decision, nothing is going to happen.
The Rangers can't sign 2010 American League MVP Josh Hamilton until they know about Greinke. They're not going to pay $250 million for both players. Their preference is to sign Greinke, trade infielder Michael Young to the Philadelphia Phillies for prospects and fill Hamilton's void by trading for Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton.
But the bottleneck Greinke created would make the San Diego Freeway blush at rush hour.
Until the Rangers have an answer about Greinke:
The Seattle Mariners won't know if they can sign Hamilton.
The New York Mets can't explore trading Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to Texas.
The Rays can't trade starter James Shields to the Kansas City Royals.
The Cleveland Indians can't trade shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to Arizona.
And Michael Bourn, whose holidays were ruined by the Minnesota Twins after they dealt Ben Revere to the Phillies and Denard Span to the Washington Nationals, has no feel for the Mariners' desires until they're done with the Hamilton tango.
This uncertainty is enough to leave general managers aghast.
"Timing is everything,'' Dodgers GM Ned Collettti says. "Timing is what I think most people are struggling with. If you're trying to move one player in order to sign another player, in order to trade another player, and to line up a lot of people in the same place at the same time to say yes. …"
And it's a matter of Greinke simply saying "yes" to someone — anyone — before the real offseason game can begin, setting off a domino effect that will reverberate from coast to coast.
"We're trying to get something done," Daniels said. "We've made proposals. We've been engaged. It's not talk. We want to make deals. We don't want to sit here every day and talk about the idea of making deals."
It might have taken five days of meetings, yielding three trades involving major-leaguers and no free agent receiving more than $40 million, but finally, we understand why.
Mr. Greinke, if you don't mind, can you please hurry up?
The baseball world is waiting.


text: Health Care Management Information SessionThursday, May 4, 2017 at 05:45 PM until 06:45 PMDirectionsSchreiber Center Room 22016 E Pearson StChicago, IL 60611United StatesJoin us to learn more about Quinlan's Executive degree programs. Associate Dean Pamela McCoy will review program curriculum, discuss the application process, and answer your questions. Registration is no longer available because the registration deadline has passed.


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Jenny and Miss Shaw form a friendship that dares both of them to confront secrets in their pasts--secrets that threaten to destroy them. Jenny helps Miss Shaw open up to the community around her, while Miss Shaw teaches Jenny to meet even life's most painful challenges with confidence and faith. This unexpected relationship transforms both characters in ways neither could have anticipated, and the ripple effect that begins in the summer of the penny goes on to bring new life to the people around them, showing how God works in the smallest details. Even in something as small as a penny.
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Giveaway ends on Tues. Sept. 22nd. Good Luck everyone :)


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TR Entertainment & Explosive Events & presents
Renèe Geyer
Say I Love You Tour 2013
February 2013 not only celebrates valentines, but heralds the beginning of the revitalisation of 80's R&B and whom better to entertain us with her melodic sultry blues voice but the Australasian diva herself, Renèe Geyer.
Renée has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms in the NZ-Australasian music scene for over 30 years. Renée's rootsy salsa/reggae 1981 hit 'Say I Love You' reached #1 in New Zealand and she still has a strong following.
Ms Geyer is currently recording her 23rd album and she's convinced with this record she's reached a turning point.
==AUCKLAND 22nd February 2013== Eventfinder==
Ms Geyer will be performing in Auckland at one of the CBD's soulful little Jazz/R&B clubs Galatos Live along with some our local talents that have been in the music industry for over two decades. Petra Rijinbeek & Band, Riqi Harawira, Nick Baratt & others will be supporting Renée in this up close and personal Jazz-feel setting, offering a VIP lounge area for those fans wanting to mix and mingle with the artists before and after the show.
==ROTORUA 23d February 2013== TicketMaster==
Te Matatini is also privileged this year as Ms Geyer will make a special appearance on Saturday 23rd February in support of this amazing celebration of Maori Performing Arts Excellence.
The concert later that evening will be supported by an amazing line up of bands and artists such as Maisey Rika, Three Houses Down, Adeaze, Sammy J, Chad Chambers and NZ's Got Talent Tawaroa Kawana whom Renee has been hugely influential in their careers, this is a one-off concert not to be missed with your valentine family and friends!
Join our facebook page "Say I Love You NZ 2013" for daily updates.
Tour contact:
Te Ringahuia Hata


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- Premier League
Di Canio promises attacking football at Sunderland
Paolo Di Canio has promised an attacking brand of football at Sunderland next season.
The Italian moved to Wearside in late March to replace Martin O'Neill as the club's manager. Guiding the club to safety, the 44-year-old was forced to work under intense pressure and scrutiny as he forged a makeshift squad due to injuries and suspensions.
Now afforded the benefit of a full pre-season schedule with his players, Di Canio has revealed the type of play he intends to cultivate at the Stadium of Light.
"Yes, I want to attack," he told the Sunderland Echo. "I don't want to see my team stay too deep. We know you have to defend because there are many top sides in the Premier League. But we also need the quality to put the opponents in their own half during the game and play football, not just counter-attack.
"The best teams can counter with three passes and you need that. But I want a mix of football - a team capable of keeping the opposition in their own half, damaging them with movement, quality and intelligent play, and also to counter. It means we need to have quality, athleticism and intelligence. It's not easy, but I'm sure we can be that team."


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HANG TIME NEW JERSEY — The first trade of deadline week went down Wednesday afternoon, with the Brooklyn Nets acquiring Marcus Thornton from the Sacramento Kings for Reggie Evans and Jason Terry.
The deal adds about $700,000 in salary and $2.7 million in luxury taxes to Brooklyn's books this season. Next season, when all three guys are still under contract, it adds about the *same amount.
* More salary, less tax, because, at this point, Brooklyn is only in the third of five tax-payment tiers for '14-15. Give 'em time, though.
So, it's a bit of an investment for Mikhail Prokhorov. But in theory, it should help the Nets continue to move up the Eastern Conference standings.
Brooklyn is 14-6 since Jan. 1, a stretch in which they've gone from 10th to seventh in the East. They're just 2 1/2 games out of a top-four seed and need to keep moving up to avoid playing the Pacers or Heat in the first round and have a decent shot at the conference semifinals.
After all the money they spent last summer, anything less than the second round would be a colossal failure. So hey, they might as well spend a few more million if it can make them better.
And as good as the Nets have played in 2014, they still have plenty of room for improvement. They rank 15th offensively and sixth defensively since Jan. 1. Given all their talent, they should be better at putting the ball in the basket.
That's where Thornton comes in. Since Jan. 1, the Nets have scored 108.3 points per 100 possessions with Deron Williams on the floor (a rate which would rank fifth in the league in that time) and just 100.6 with him on the bench (a rate which would rank 25th). Though Williams hasn't been at his best, he's still the most important offensive player on his team.
Shaun Livingston has been one of the Nets' bright spots and has worked well with Williams in the starting lineup, but the Nets' second-unit offense could use a boost. Terry has been a disappointment, Alan Anderson's production has dropped off and, as brilliant as Andrei Kirilenko has been, he's made two shots outside of the paint all season.
The problem is that Thornton has been having the worst shooting season of his career, with an effective field goal percentage of just 45.7 percent. That's worse than Terry was shooting.
So, the hope for Brooklyn is that Thornton can find his shot again. It was less than a month ago that he tied a career high with 42 points (shooting 7-for-15 from 3-point range) against the best defense of the last 37 years.
While he's been rather inefficient this season, Thornton gives the Nets a higher ceiling and more potency than they had with Terry. If he plays well, he certainly fills a need.
The same could be said about Jordan Hill, if the Nets can get him from the Lakers for their disabled-player exception. In the same way that their offense takes a hit when their Williams sits, their defense falls apart when Kevin Garnett goes to the bench.
But you wonder how Hill would fit in a second-unit frontline that already includes Kirilenko, Andray Blatche and Mirza Teletovic. Each of those guys brings something to the table, the Nets have outscored their opponents by 21.5 points per 100 possessions in 115 minutes with the three of them on the floor together, and at least one of them would see a decrease in minutes if Hill was brought on board.
And then there's the money. The Nets wouldn't be sending any salary to L.A. in exchange for Hill, so he would cost them about $1.3 million in salary ($3.5 million prorated for the remainder in the season) and a whopping $16.6 million in luxury tax, bringing their total tax bill to more than $98 million. Add that to their salaries and they'd be a $200-million team.
That's a lot of dough for a squad that doesn't stand much of a chance of reaching the conference finals. But you can't say that the Nets aren't afraid to make a move or spend some money to address their needs.


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Skin anomaly why oh why? Go away please leave me in peace.
I have a red, throbbing, pulsating skin problem on my face that will not go away, no matter what I put on it. Even the special grey white erase stick that I got in paris, which takes most blemishes down in its waxy kiss does nothing to it. It stays red and aching on my face, like it is marking a city on my visage, my skin a map of capillaries and veins and problems that need solving.
I never had acne as a teenager, which is fine I guess, as I had enough problems. Acne in general hasn't been a plague on me, as I have the opposite – dry skin, which gets so tight it threatens to shrink me right out of it. Dry skin doesn't pimple, rather it flakes, it pulls, it splits – but it rarely erupts in the volcanic fashion of oily or combination skin. We all have our skin to bear, which is a sickening truth.
I'd like to slap this blemish away, vain as I am, but there's nothing that can be done but leave it alone and allow it to heal, turn my attention within, try to drink more water and be a better person and do anything else but come for this pustule with a flame sterilized business end of a safety pin.
It's really too small and hard to pop. It isn't one of those great satisfying whiteheads that grows luminous and full like the moon, exploding into red raw craters that harden and bury themselves into scar. It's one that will go away if attention is not paid it and it isn't allowed to fester and irritate itself into permanence.
I have been known to do youtube searches for popped pimples and ingrown toenails, as the skin's constant war against itself is an avid interest, but I refrain from posting my own. This is as much as I am willing to do – share my feelings and thoughts on it, using words as a way to bind my arms from further self harm.


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Magic Castle Hotel
- Terms and facilities
- Useful information
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With a stay at Magic Castle Hotel in Hollywood, you'll be minutes from TCL Chinese Theatre and Dolby Theater. This hotel is close to Hollywood Bowl and Hollywood Walk of Fame. Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as an outdoor pool, or other amenities including concierge services and wedding services. Additional amenities include a picnic area and complimentary use of a nearby fitness facility. Featured amenities include complimentary newspapers in the lobby, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a 24-hour front desk. Self parking (subject to charges) is available onsite. Make yourself at home in one of the 43 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and DVD players. Your room comes with a pillowtop bed. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations, designer toiletries, and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as safes and desks.
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Average price per night for this hotel for the following weeks
|5/28/19 - 6/2/19
|6/3/19 - 6/9/19
|6/10/19 - 6/16/19
|6/17/19 - 6/23/19
Services and terms: Magic Castle Hotel
- WiFi
- Internet
- Car park
- Air conditioning
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- Non-smoker Rooms
- Smoking area
- Pets not allowed
- Outdoor Pool
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Leisure and families
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Useful information: Magic Castle Hotel
Other names for Magic Castle Hotel:
Trylon Hotel
Location: Magic Castle Hotel
The closest major airports to Magic Castle Hotel - Hollywood are:Burbank, CA (BUR-Bob Hope) - 10.3 km / 6.4 miLos Angeles, CA (LAX-Los Angeles Intl.) - 18.7 km / 11.6 miThe preferred airport for Magic Castle Hotel - Hollywood is Los Angeles, CA (LAX-Los Angeles Intl.). Distances are calculated in a straight line from the property's location to the point of interest or airport and may not reflect actual travel distance. Distances are displayed to the nearest 0.1 mile and kilometre.


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If you're looking for a job, you might consider Oxford's IPG Photonics. The company makes fiber lasers that can cut, weld, mark and braze metals and other materials. For those who have bemoaned Worcester's loss of global preeminence in the last few decades, it's clear that IPG is an antidote � and one that appears to be justly rewarding its founder.
As I wrote last December, IPG was founded in 1990 by Valentin Gapontsev. He earned a doctorate at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and started what became IPG Photonics at the age of 52 in 1990. In March, Forbes estimated the value of Mr. Gapontsev, a Worcester resident, and his family's shares of IPG at $1.3 billion.
But IPG disputes Forbes' calculation, while declining to specify Mr. Gapontsev's net worth. The company also turned down a chance to make him available for an interview, saying he was traveling overseas. But am I to believe a billionaire doesn't have a cellphone, access to email?
To understand why IPG believes Forbes is wrong, it helps to realize that Mr. Gapontsev put many of his shares into various trusts in order to lower the taxes due from his heirs when the 75-year-old company leader dies.
Before getting into the details of why IPG disputes Forbes' calculation, it's worth pointing out that IPG claims to have a succession plan in place.
"Dr. Gapontsev continues to be actively involved in the day-to-day management and strategic planning at IPG," wrote IPG Chief Financial Officer Tim Mammen in response to my questions. "IPG has a pool of executive management that has been with the company for periods that range from three to 20 years. The depth of commercial and technical experience is substantial. Succession planning across multiple functions at IPG is being handled by the board of directors. Nothing about these plans has been publicly disclosed."
Many people and entities control shares of IPG, which has a $2.95 billion stock market value. For example, according to IPG's March 2013 proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, big IPG shareholders included Mr. Gapontsev (7,969,993 shares), The Valentin Gapontsev Trust I (15,284,002 shares), and IP Fibre Devices (U.K.) Ltd. (7,354,002 shares).
SEC reporting rules make it difficult to understand which shares Mr. Gapontsev controls. According to Mr. Mammen, "The Trusts have independent trustees, and are not controlled by Dr. Gapontsev. See note 7 to the proxy table which explains that Trust I is deemed to own 15,284,002 shares (which includes all of the IP Fibre Devices shares even though Trust I has only a 48 percent interest in IP Fibre Devices), Trust II is deemed to own 980,000 shares and Trust III is deemed to own 1,000,000 shares. IPG has listed the shares in the proxy according to SEC rules. The SEC rules may require double counting some shares or counting shares over which a person or entity has no economic interest in."
Mr. Mammen did not offer an estimate of Dr. Gapontsev's net worth. As he said, the $1.3 billion estimate "double counts shares owned through the trust, and is wrong because it counts shares that he votes as managing director of IP Fiber Devices, rather than the economic ownership. We are not at liberty to provide confidential information on the net worth of Dr. Gapontsev or his family, as they have assets other than IPG. We can say that the Forbes amount is overstated by about 40 percent, based upon the IPG shares alone, if you eliminate the double counting and include only the shares that he or the family Trusts have an economic interest in."
After reporting 21 percent revenue growth in the second quarter, IPG is hiring. It ran a classified advertisement in this newspaper: "Best. Jobs. Ever. Assemblers. Technicians. Engineers. Apply online, ipgphotonics.com or call (508) 506-2609." And on Sept. 18, IPG was among the companies that were recruiting at WPI � presumably for engineering graduates.
IPG would not forecast how many people it will hire. According to Mr. Mammen, "We don't provide information about the number of people we will hire in the next year. Through June 2013, the net increase in U.S headcount was approximately 80 people. We have hired and plan to hire assemblers, technicians, engineers, finance, sales and other professional and administrative employees. Tax credits we have received require 175 new jobs to be created in Mass."
IPG refused to estimate its growth rate in the next year. But it believes that the wind is at its back.
Mr. Mammen said, "Growth is being driven by continued penetration of materials processing applications such as cutting, welding, drilling, cladding and other additive manufacturing processes, fine processing and marking and engraving across many industries. Future growth will come from these sources, as well as new product introductions such as lasers operating in the Ultra-Violet spectrum, and higher power Green (532 nm) lasers for micro-processing as well as specialized laser systems. In addition, we would hope that the macroeconomic situation in Europe would continue to improve."
Mr. Gapontsev's net worth is at least $929 million, if Mr. Mammen's 40 percent Forbes overstatement comment is correct. And if you include his mysterious other holdings, Mr. Gapontsev's net worth could top $1 billion.
Do any other Worcester residents come close?


text: Hot flushes and night sweats are the most common symptom of a female reproductive milestone known as the menopause. from shutterstock.com April 16, 2017 Science or Snake Oil: do meds like Remifemin ease hot flushes and night sweats in menopausal women? Carolyn Ee, University of Melbourne The root of the black cohosh plant has a long history of use in Europe and became popular around the world after receiving German approval as a non-prescription drug for hot flushes in 2000.


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ONTARIO >> Multiple Latin Grammy and Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Joan Sebastian, who has been performing since 1977, takes the stage Sunday at the Citizens Business Bank Arena.
Sebastian's style is a mixture of grupera, Latin pop and ranchera.
Tickets for the show, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., range from $35 to $125 plus fees.
Opening for Sebastian will be mariachi and banda singer Ezequiel Pena, who was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy in the category of "Best Banda Album" for his album "A Mucha Honra."
The winner that year in that category was Sebastian's album "Más Allá del Sol." Sebastian won again in 2009 with the album "No es de Madera."
Sebastian's long string of hit songs includes "El Camino del Amor (The Way of Love)" and "Sembrador de Amor (Sower of Love)." He released a song with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas titled "Hey You."
In May, Sebastian was honored by the International Press Association.
"I am very moved by this honor," Sebastian said at the time. "This means a lot to me. I want to thank everyone out there because without my fans I would never have been able to fulfill my dreams."


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|Louisville, Ky.
|Speech Communications
In 2009 (Junior): Leah was one of three Golden Eagles to start in all 28 matches and to appear in all 112 sets…she led the team in kills with 406 (3.62 kps) which ranked second in the all-OVC…led the team in aces with 28…ranked second on the team in digs with 315…finished third on the team in total blocks with 57…named to the OVC first team…tied her career-high in block with five vs. Austin Peay (11/6)…tallied at least 10 kills in 25-of-28 matches…finished second in the OVC in points with 463.5 (4.14 pps)…record 20 double-doubles in kills and digs including a 22 dig, 15 kill performance against Tennessee State (10/3).
In 2008 (Sophomore): Following a breakout freshman year, Leah made her presence felt during her sophomore campaign as she received OVC Player of the Year and All-OVC First Team honors after ranking fifth in the conference in both points (264.5) and kills per set (3.48) during OVC matches...she twice earned OVC Offensive Player of the Week accolades and was named to the Lady Bearcat All-Tournament Team after totaling 33 kills, 30 digs, four blocks and two aces over three tournament matches...Tech Outstanding Female Athlete finalist...OVC All-Tournament Team selection after recording a pair of double-doubles against Austin Peay (12 kills, 12 digs) and Murray State (16 kills, 24 digs)...set a career high for hitting percentage of .423 (26-4-52) against Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 1...led the Golden Eagles in points (414), kills (359) and attempts (1,001) while ranking second in aces (22) and third in digs (287)...tallied 14 double-doubles throughout the season and finished with 10-or-more kills in 20 of 32 matches.
In 2007 (Freshman): Leah proved to be the most
dominant freshman in the OVC, being named the OVC Freshman of the
Year along with All-OVC second-team and all-newcomer honors...she
was in the top three in the league in kills (548), kills per game
(4.28) and total attacks (1,537)...in the match against Tennessee
State on Nov. 2 she tallied 100 attempts to break the Tech and OVC
record previously held by TTU Hall of Fame member Becky Murray Isom
(97)...it places her 25th all-time in NCAA history for attempts in
a match and only the second freshman ever to reach triple digit
attempts...She tallied five kills in the 3-0 sweep of Murray State
on Nov. 10 that clinched Tech a spot in the OVC Tournament...she
was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week three times and twice
named to an all-tournament team (Louisville and
Prep Highlights: A four-year starter at Assumption High School, Leah was named a 2003 Prep Volleyball Top Freshman during her rookie campaign and was named an honorable mention in the all-state team selection...as a senior, Meffert was part of a back-to-back-to-back state champion as her Assumption team finished 41-2 and was ranked second in the nation...led the team to 2004 and 2005 state titles and the 2005 national prep championship...also has strong club experience with the KIVA Volleyball Club for coach Dan Palmer, earning AAU All-America status in 2004 and 2005.
Personal: The daughter of Rick and the late Karen Meffert of Louisville... full name is Leah Marie Meffert...born August 20, 1989...majoring in speech communications.


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*** (out of four)
At some point your mom or dad probably said, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt." Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" knows what I'm talking about.
Many people participating in activities without play guns know what that's about, too. In the sobering documentary "Head Games," Chicago-based director Steve James' ("Hoop Dreams") converts former Harvard defensive tackle Chris Nowinski's book into a study of increasing evidence about the long-term effects of sports-related brain trauma.
Boxers and football players aren't the only athletes endangered by brain trauma. Those who play soccer, hockey, lacrosse and other sports also fall victim. And the threat to child competitors gets the least amount of attention, the movie shows. Kids don't want to be taken out of the game, and there's no expert on the sidelines to spot a possible concussion.
Through interviews with former athletes, doctors, family members of athletes who committed suicide and New York Times reporters who wrote stories on studies linking NFL players' brain trauma to dementia, "Head Games" collects disturbing confirmation of the issue. The movie also presents athletic directors who want to dismiss the problem, and testimony from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he attempts to deflect it.
In the past few years, the NFL has made an effort to protect its players and penalize those whose behavior puts others players at risk. Featuring original music by Billy Corgan, "Head Games" barely scratches the surface of these initiatives, nor does it accumulate data for how many former players (not mentioned: Dave Duerson or Junior Seau) serve as examples of victims whose altered brains tragically turn them into different people. Also worth further consideration: Parents who prevent their kids from participating because of what some call a public health issue.
James structures the movie around a kids' football game, positioned as David vs. Goliath to ponder the notion of an opponent that cannot be beaten. The movie acknowledges the fallibility of athletes we might not want to recognize, and the seemingly obvious danger of repeated bashings to the head that have become an accepted dimension of sports with risks we're still working to understand.
"Head Games" asserts this as a problem that isn't going away and, especially for those who suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is virtually guaranteed to get worse.
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
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Frequently Asked Questions:
What if the weather is bad? UFM courses held at Kansas State University follow university policies. Classes will be held unless all university classes are cancelled. Weather sensitive classes will use the scheduled rain date. If a rain date is not scheduled, the instructor will be responsible for rescheduling. UFM classes held off campus may be canceled based on facility and instructor availability.During major weather events, listen to KMAN radio (AM 1350) for UFM cancellations, or call 539-8763 to see if an announcement has been left on the answering machine. K-State's website will also carry news of closings at www.k-state.edu. In the event of lightning in the area, all swimmers will be evacuated from the pools until the lightning has passed the area.
Can I get a refund? When a class is cancelled due to severe weather, or other circumstances when a lesson cannot be provided by UFM, a make-up class will be scheduled OR a refund will be issued in the amount of the missed lesson. When class participants are absent from class, UFM will not issue a refund or make-up session due to staff availability, budgeting scheduling constraints.
Do I need to preregister? All participants must pay the registration fees before attending a UFM class. This allows for adequate handouts and materials. A class may be canceled due to insufficient registrations.
Who teaches UFM classes? UFM is a community learning program that contracts with nonprofessional community instructors. Consequently, we cannot guarantee that the courses are absolutely accurate or complete in content and quality of instruction. We rely on the credentials provided by instructors, class observation and participant feedback as tools for evaluating a class and an instructor's ability.
UFM classes are not a forum for selling a product or service from which the instructor may benefit. Materials specifically oriented to an instructor's financial interests may not be distributed in class. Participants who wish to pursue a relationship with an instructor outside class time may do so on their own responsibility. Please share any concerns with UFM by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com or calling 785.539.8763.
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Scholarships are available for UFM and other select community activities.
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Donate to UFM:
UFM accepts donations to assist with program needs and for special projects. Send your contribution to UFM Community Learning Center, 1221 Thurston St, Manhattan, KS 66502. Your donation is tax deductible.
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Everyone can teach, everyone can learn!
This slogan is the central theme at UFM. We are always looking for new class ideas and new instructors. The age range of instructors has been from 6 to 98 years old. If you think you would like to share something you know with the community, call us at (785) 539-8763, or e-mail email@example.com. Download and complete the Course Description Sheet for each class you wish to teach. Download the Guidesheet for additional information on how to complete the Course Description Sheet. Return the class description form to UFM, 1221 Thurston St, Manhattan, KS 66502. If the class you want to teach is already being offered and/or we have a regular teacher for that topic, call and speak to our Education Coordinator about a way you might be able to modify your idea so you can still teach without duplicating offerings.
If you have class ideas or would like to teach a class, call us at (785) 539-8763, or E-mail us at email@example.com
Give us your class ideas!
Got an idea for a UFM class? UFM is always looking for new class ideas and new projects. Let us hear from you! Call (785) 539.8763 or email email@example.com to share your ideas!
A Brief History of UFM
UFM is a non-profit campus and community education program serving Kansas State University, the Manhattan area and communities across Kansas. UFM was started in 1968 by a group of KSU students and faculty as a way to bridge communication between the campus community and the Manhattan community. That year seven classes were offered with 150 people participating. The goal at that time was to provide opportunities for students and faculty to interact more easily with the general community and to serve a variety of people in the community. UFM continues to address those goals 41 years later.
The original name of the organization was University for Man. In the early 1990's it was changed to University for Mankind. In 1999, the words were eliminated, but the well known initials UFM were kept and additional explanatory words, Community Learning Center were added. The official name is now, UFM Community Learning Center.
Based on the philosophy that everyone can learn and everyone can teach, UFM provides opportunities for lifelong learning and personal development. UFM serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as a catalyst for new programs and services that enhance the quality of life for all. For more information about UFM, call (785) 539-8763 or e-mail email@example.com to Top of Page


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Is it wrong to have Coors Light for breakfast?
This is the question I'm struggling with right now. It's so cuss-word hot in Hollywood today. It makes it hard to think. I need to write a blog!
I wish Amoeba Music sold Coors Light, then I could just blog about that. I could be drinking it and telling you how I "recommend it" and stuff like that. That would rock.
Oh hey – I saw a great concert the other night. It was the final performance of the True Colors Tour, which started a month ago in Las Vegas and ended at the Greek Theatre in LA, as opposed to the Greek Theatre in San Francisco, where they played the night before.
(The Greek thing is a tip off.)
I got to see Debbie Harry and Cyndi Lauper in the same line-up. Added to that was Erasure; between these three acts I felt as though I was 14 again and had escaped to the city for a concert. Except I was sober and the car wasn't stolen, so I guess it wasn't too much like being 14…
The Dresden Dolls also performed, but my sweetheart and I missed it; we were cuddled on a grassy knoll eating the most expensive and, ironically, most horrid cheeseburgers I've ever had in my life.
Erasure, top; Dresden Dolls, bottom (...you know what I mean.)
Erasure, top; Dresden Dolls, bottom (...you know what I mean.)
I had never seen so many homos in my life. I've never been to Pride or Bed, Bath & Beyond, so this event was the gayest I've attended. Of course, Margaret Cho was the host, and as a particularly surreal touch, Cyndi Lauper's encore was backed-up on drums played by… Rosie O'Donnell?


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We end our bear unit with a Teddy Bear Parade!!!
Parading by for all to see
Just my little friend and me!
1. This Initial Sound Fluency Packet from Donna Glynn- you can get it on TPT! I put each colored page under my document camera and we do a page each day! We say the names of the pictures, the first sound/letter for each picture, the last sound for each picture, and then we stretch the word (like stretchy word snake) and say the middle sound! It is working soooo great!
Deanna Jump! Each kiddo makes a tree! When they know the letters and sounds they get to add that letter to their tree! When their tree is full it goes up on our board and they earn a trip to the treasure chest!
|She earned her goofy glasses!
|This is where they go up when completed! Several more have completed their trees since this photo was snapped! YAY!


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Fan Guide: Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils (2/2)by Staff Writer / Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins will wear their traditional black home jerseys
Be sure to stop by PensGear Saturday to take advantage of terrific savings on all your favorite Penguins apparel! Every item at every PensGear store is half off - all game long! Just visit any CONSOL Energy Center PensGear and enjoy 50% off your entire purchase.
Ticketmaster | Ticket Exchange | Student Rush
Stop by "The Carvery" located by Section 107 to purchase one of Saturday's special chef-prepared creations: Tavern Ham with smoked cheddar cheese and dijonnaise on a Brioche Roll
Pick up your Penguins Foundation Charity ASSIST raffle tickets at Saturday afternoon's game for a chance to win $4,000. All proceeds from Saturday's raffle benefit Tickets for Kids Charities.


text: Use mouse scroll wheel over image or pinch-to-zoom on touch devices. You can also click and drag around on image. Park it 0 0 Follow Parked to Ford Transit Connect by FSWERKS Keywords Sign up to add your own keywords More from this Garage: More from this Profile: Project 2016 Ford Focus RS Project 2015 Ford Focus ST Project 2014 Fiesta ST


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So you thought you were getting a bargain and now it turns out you aren't. That's how life works sometimes.
I dropped cable and am now using Sling TV, over the-air antenna and Roku. I was paying $200/mo for cable and internet. Now I pay $66/mo for internet and $35/mo for Sling plus some extras. Then I will get NFL game pass this fall. The only things missing are Fox cable programming and regional sports channels. I'm using Kodi plus SportsDevil to make up for some of it.
You can also check out USTV as a steaming cable TV substitute. It is designed to serve U.S. military overseas but I felt the quality was lacking.


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CALGARY — Alberta's vaunted international standing in education suffered a blow Tuesday with the release of a multi-nation study that shows Grade 4 students in the province reading at a lower level than just five years earlier.
Not only did Alberta test scores slip to the Canadian average in the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, the province dipped to 12th in the world from its highly touted 3rd place ranking half a decade ago.
One teaching expert argues the cause is likely increasingly complex Alberta classrooms, with greater numbers of special needs students and pupils learning to speak English.
But the results will fuel the concerns of others in the education field who worry Alberta is stumbling compared to its past achievements and is being outpaced by other jurisdictions.
"I'm embarrassed by (the results), as a province," said Jim Dueck, a former assistant deputy minister in charge of assessment who retired two years ago. "Alberta has always been the top in Canada and very close to the top in the rest of the world."
Ramped up spending on education over the past decade has failed to deliver better results, he said. The problem, he said, is small class size has been overemphasized, while attention to accountability and assessment has declined.
The international test regime compares 45 countries and nine Canadian provinces. In Alberta, 4,000 Grade 4 students wrote the test.
In 2006, Alberta was the best performing in Canada, with an average score of 560. Last year's test average fell to 548, leaving Alberta behind British Columbia and Ontario, and slightly back of Nova Scotia. Alberta was ahead of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and New Brunswick.
Hong Kong topped the international list. Alberta ranks slightly behind England, and just ahead of the Netherlands.
This comes as 2011 test scores in two other international studies, on science and mathematics in Grades 4 and 8, reveal a mixed bag for the province.
Alberta math scores were flat from four years ago, and trailed Ontario and Quebec (the two other provinces examined), which for the most part posted improved results.
Science scores were much stronger, and Alberta remained near the top in the world, ahead of Quebec and Ontario. Grade 4 results, however, did not improve from 2007.
Why math and science results have hardly budged, and reading scores have dropped, is hard to tell from the results.
But one expert said he suspects it has a lot to with changes in the classroom in the past five years: more special needs, English language learners, and larger class sizes in some areas.
Philip McRae, an executive staff officer with the Alberta Teachers' Association, argues in light of that, the test scores are actually good news.
"If you look over the period of 2006 to 2012, we've had massive change in the demographics in our classrooms," he said.
He also disputes that accountability has decreased, saying the use of data and assessment has never been more pronounced.
For years, Alberta governments have boasted about the strong performance of provincial students in international tests.
So declining reader scores have officials scratching their heads and will prompt some drilling down into the data to figure out what's going on.
"The big message for us is we can't rest on our laurels and we can't just assume that (because) we are one of the best systems today that we'll stay that way," said Kim Capstick, press-secretary for Education Minister Jeff Johnson.
She also defends the amount spent on education. Alberta is paying its teachers well and money has been poured into building new schools, she said.
Tuesday's findings come at a particularly crucial time. The new Education Act passed this fall. And the provincial government and school boards are in the midst of reshaping how students are taught.
There's a curriculum redesign by the province, as schools boards increasingly emphasize a "personalized learning" approach.
Of particular note in the study is that Canadian students, including those in Alberta, scored much better in "literary reading," such as a story, than they did in "informational reading," such as a science text.
John Rymer, a former director of assessment at Alberta Education, said informational reading is meant to draw out information and is a useful skill when dealing with technical reading and manuals.
"It's quite a significant difference in terms of the skills that kids have for reading at that level," Rymer said. "That's something to pay attention to."


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The Revolutionary War? We didn't have photography back then, did we?
Well, no. Aside from a few experiments in earlier years, photography as we know it started about 1839 and quickly spread around the western world. Itinerant photographers appeared in the major transportation centers of North Carolina, such as Fayetteville and Raleigh, in the 1840s. A father-and-daughter team opened up a gallery in Greensboro in 1851. And in those years, people who were born in the mid- to late 1700s were still alive.
People who lived through and remembered the American Revolution.
People who had their pictures taken.
Who better than Taylor, nationally known as "The Photo Detective," (@PhotoDetective) to seek out those early pictures of older Americans? For her book, she verified the subjects and painstakingly documented their lives.
The photographs include several Quakers, which give us a connection to the religious group who settled Bush Hill (now Archdale). Unfortunately the book does not include an index of place names, but connections to North Carolina include Waxhaw, an unnamed Moravian community and Dolley Madison, who was born in Greensboro.
Most of Taylor's subjects, however, lived in New England. So I set off on a quest to find one of these early photographs of someone from our region. I figured that the Friends Historical Collection at Guilford College, one of my favorite repositories of local history, would be a great starting place.
I found several photographs of early settlers around the Randolph-Guilford county line, such as William B. Hockett (1799-1880, Centre Friends area) and Allen U. Tomlinson (1802-1879, Archdale), but they were too "young." Finally, I came across a file about Nathan Hunt. I'd seen a large portrait of Hunt many times in the library, but I didn't know much about him.
Hunt, who was a young man during the Revolutionary War, was a Quaker minister who lived next to Springfield Meeting. Even though some of his journals were accidentally burned, there's a wealth of documentation and stories about his life. Not only was he an interesting man who traveled extensively and witnessed a lot of history in his 95 years, he was also my kinsman: my first cousin, seven times removed.
Guilford had another painting of Hunt in storage and several sketches. I also found what looked like a very old, deteriorated photograph in the file folder.
It was heavy, like glass, but it didn't look like glass. Like an ambrotype, the faded image could be seen better when placed on black paper, but the image was positive and ambrotypes are negative. And it wasn't thin enough or the image sharp enough to be a daguerrotype.
I felt pretty silly when, weeks later, I found out the picture was actually an early 20th-century printing plate, probably used for a newspaper article. Here I was, trying to figure out which type of old photograph it was — no wonder it didn't meet up with the historical descriptions!
|Images obtained courtesy of the Friends Historical Collection, Guilford College, Greensboro, N.C.
No use or distribution without permission.
That doesn't mean I came home empty-handed. As modest as Quakers were — they didn't even write names on their tombstones until the 19th-century — I am amazed that we have so many likenesses of Nathan Hunt, who saw the American Revolution first hand. His life is wonderfully documented, including letters and part of a journal that still exist. A summary of Hunt's life is found here.
But the hunt for that one daguerrotype, without success, shows me just how hard Maureen Taylor must have worked to pursue 70 of these photos and the stories behind them for her book. She found additional images of people who lived through our "unillustrated war," but finding documentation about each person was an even greater challenge than finding the photos.
"The vast majority of these individuals were not wealthy, could not write, and left no written record of their life," Taylor wrote in her introduction.
I like the variety of the people she did find — different nationalities, races and economic groups. A few of her subjects lived to be more than 100 years old. The colorful stories of their involvement in the Revolutionary War even include a few women.
And it's the stories that give life to the faces.
www.kentstateuniversitypress.com and amazon.com. Taylor's previous book, "Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs," is on display at the Heritage Research Center at High Point Library.
Update: I received a copy of the Last Muster to review for the Archdale-Trinity News. I was under no obligation about the content of the review, nor to include it on my blog.


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Benefits & Features
If you're into skiing, snowboarding or some other alpine snow sport, you'll know that a day on the slopes can be tough on your body. Lucky for you, SKINS S400 range has been designed with insights into the sport from the Austrian Ski Federation to help you make the most of your time out on the slopes.
The scientifically proven engineered gradient compression provided by SKINS can increase your performance through enhanced circulation, greater muscle support and improved body temperature control. You'll also benefit from less burn and muscle fatigue caused by a build-up of blood lactate.
At SKINS, we like little details that deliver real benefits. The S400 Women's Thermal Compression Long Tights have a low profile waistband for less bulk under your ski gear, articulated knees to help prevent bunching, and zigzag stitching at the hem for stretch and strength.
SKINS thermal fabric is a blend of Polyamind and Elastane, which combines high pulling and abrasion resistance with excellent breath-ability and a soft feel against your skin. The brushed interior helps to release heat back to your body to give you a thermal advantage in cooler temperatures.
On top of all that, wicking technology transports moisture away from the skin and helps regulate body temperature, while 50+ UV protection keeps you safe in the winter sun.
The S400 Women's Thermal Compression Long Tights are sure to become an essential part of your winter sports wardrobe!


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Think Carrara, think colour, for this suburb is home to the Gold Coast's most popular markets which have been operating for 30 years and have become a tourist destination in their own right. Boasting more than 500 stalls, the Carrara Markets offer everything imaginable from farm fresh produce and meat to fashion, toys, jewellery and homewares. The popular Family Fun Lane has face painting, pony rides, a merry-go-ground and balloon-wielding clowns, Luke's Reptile Kingdom features three interactive shows every hour, and there's even two King Tutt's Putt Putt 18-hole mini golf courses.
For those who take their golf a little more seriously, Carrara is home to three large golf courses with challenging greens, great views and stylish clubhouses. Sporting and event enthusiasts will also appreciate Metricon Stadium, homeground of the Gold Coast Football Club or Suns as they are more affectionately known. Perhaps this vast expanse is why local Aborigines named this area "long flat".
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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Sporting Lisbon have welcomed reports suggesting that they may be able to return Nani to the club from Manchester United.
With the Portugal international out of favour at Old Trafford and struggling for game time, a loan switch has been mooted.
Nani has long been linked with a switch to Serie A, with top Italian clubs having been trailing him for some time.
It could, however, be that he is soon heading back to his roots.
A product of Sporting's academy system, Nani is still held in high regard in the Portuguese capital.
A spell back at the club that helped to launch his career before selling to United in 2007 could offer Nani the regular opportunities he needs ahead of the World Cup, and president Bruno de Carvalho has opened the door for homecoming.
He told the Portuguese press: "I am surprised because officially we have made no approach.
"Nani is one of ours and he will always be well received here. If there is any chance of doing something then we would be happy."


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
View All Calendars is the default. Choose Select a Calendar to view a specific calendar. Subscribe to calendar notifications by clicking on the Notify Me button, and you will automatically be alerted about the latest events in our community.
June 11, 2018, 6:00 PM @ Parker Elementary School Cafetorium
Billerica School Committee meetings are public events that we encourage citizens to attend. In the interest of better communication with residents, we wanted to post this event in order to make you aware of this meeting well in advance.
The School Committee has its own detailed webpage on the School System's website and we strongly recommend paying it a frequent visit to stay up-to-date with the latest agendas, minutes, presentations, and news.
Don't forget to bookmark it in your browser for easy access!


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Cryofdragon wrote:Zankou 2.0 wrote:Capellini wrote:pieces o'nine wrote:Capellini wrote:I visit this forum at least 4 times a day and scan every new post in most sections.
Pot, meet kettle.
Ahh, the good old days. That was pre-thesis, now it's more like 2 times, but still, I have an obligation to be here. What's everyone else's excuse.
We simply adore your delightful personality.
And her pretty eyes, too
You evil, sadistic, perverted, belittling, sexist goatfucker.


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Full Member
How to Apply for Full Membership
How to Apply for Full Membership
You can either fill in the Full Membership Form online.
Or download the Form below.
Becoming a Full Member
Becoming a Full Member
The following paragraphs are intended to give you a brief overview of the Full IMRF Membership.
Open to any organisation which provides maritime search and/or rescue services by prior agreement with the authority responsible for search and rescue within the relevant region, if any.
Privileges and Duties
Privileges and Duties
|Full Members shall have the right to attend all general meetings, to propose, second and vote upon motions, nominate for and vote in the election of Trustees;
|Full Members will receive the LIFELINE newsletter (new window);
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|Full Members will receive 20% discount in the IMRF Bookshop (new window) for the duration of their Membership;
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The Full Membership is Dependent On
The Full Membership is Dependent on
|Payment of the dues in force.
|Continued compliance with the eligibility criteria.
All applications for membership must be approved by the Trustees, on the recommendation of the Nominations Committee. The decision of the Trustees with respect to all matters of eligibility is final.
Membership dues will be set annually by the Trustees. Such dues may be waived or altered at the discretion of the Trustees.
The Trustees may, at their absolute discretion, allow the value of any donation-in-kind, made to the Charity by a member organisation, to be allowed in lieu of a direct payment in respect of membership dues.
The Trustees have the right to refuse new Memberships and existing Memberships, which are harmful to the IMRF Member's Community.
Full Member Subscriptions
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For convenience and consistency, IMRF Membership Subscriptions are expressed in Euros. The full value of Membership Subscriptions shown above should be remitted to IMRF, or transferred directly into IMRF accounts at the rate of exchange applicable to the Euro on the day of payment, and having covered any bank conversion charges or exchange commission.
Notes on Completion of Application Form
Notes on Completion of Application Form
|IMRF welcomes applications for membership from all organisations, or from subsidiaries of organisations, or from departments of larger organisations, or operational search and rescue units, or individuals.
|Subsidiary organisations, divisions of larger organisations or operational search and rescue units may apply for FULL IMRF membership, provided that their parent organisation is not already a FULL IMRF Member and is not entitled to apply for Full membership in its own right.
|Organisations, which are eligible to become Full members, but not wishing to do so for whatever reason, may alternately opt to enrol as Affiliate Members.
|Subsidiary organisations, operational departments of larger organisations, or individual operational units involved in maritime SAR or Maritime Safety may apply for Affiliate Membership, even if their parent organisation is a Full Member of IMRF.
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|Please ensure that if you are providing contact information on behalf of any person within your organisation that you have first obtained their permission to do so. The user name and primary e-mail address of the person which you nominate as the Authorised Representative for your organisation will be published by IMRF. Their other personal data will only be published with their consent. Please make sure that they have been made aware of this fact and of the IMRF Policy and Regulations (please see right hand side of this page).
How to Apply for Full Membership
How to Apply for Full Membership
You can either fill in the Full Membership Form online.
Or download the Form below.


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Ernst Katz, who nurtured thousands of young musicians during 72 years as the founding conductor of the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra of California, died of natural causes Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, according to his nephew, Gary S. Greene. He was 95.
Katz formed what he originally called the Little Symphony in 1937 with four youths and built it into a 120-member orchestra that has played with such renowned guest artists as Isaac Stern, Jerome Kern, Meredith Willson, Richard Sherman, Jose Iturbi and Dimitri Tiomkin.
The 10,000 youths who have performed in the orchestra since its founding were charged no fees to participate. If they needed instruments, Katz lent them. If they couldn't afford the tuxedos required for performances, Katz paid for them. He financed the organization almost entirely out of his own pocket, conducting free public concerts at such venues as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Shrine Auditorium
"He was like a musical Mother Teresa," said entertainer Pat Boone, who performed at several concerts. "He had that kind of passion and personality to completely sacrifice his other interests to enrich and nurture the lives of young people through music."
Katz was born in Detroit on April 14, 1914, and moved to Los Angeles with his Russian immigrant parents in 1922. His father founded the Golden Gate Hat and Cap Co., a Fairfax district business that caters to Hollywood, supplying such items as official Roy Rogers cowboy hats and the black fedoras worn by Michael Jackson.
As the only son, Katz was president of the company for many years, but his main occupation was music, starting at 12 when his parents bought him a piano. He spent the next dozen years on the concert circuit nationally.
The graduate of Garfield High School and Chapman College wanted to be a classical composer, but when the Depression hit, the only work he could find was ghostwriting movie tunes for Hollywood studios.
To supplement his income, he taught piano, which gave him the idea of forming a youth symphony to give young people hope during economically tough times. In early 1937, he started the orchestra with four boys and held rehearsals in his East Los Angeles home. As membership grew, he "moved out every stick of furniture from the living room, dining room and kitchen" and filled the space with folding chairs to seat his budding musicians.
After more than a year of rehearsals, the Little Symphony had its debut performance at Poppy Trail Villa, a community hall in East L.A. where Katz's father stacked up wooden banquet tables to make a stage. Local music critics heaped such praise on the concert that the orchestra was invited to perform on a local radio program.
"Everyone said I was crazy" to launch a symphony during the Depression, Katz recalled in a 1996 Times interview. But he was determined to give youths "a chance to be heard." That idea became the orchestra's motto.
Although Katz had not set out to become a conductor, he embraced the role with contagious passion.
"When he came out on stage, he jumped up on the podium. He was very animated as a conductor," recalled Dr. Walter B. Gaisford, a Utah surgeon who was concertmaster in the mid-1940s. "No one who played in that orchestra could forget Ernst Katz, how much fun it was to play in his orchestra and how much influence he had in their lives."
Katz taught not only musicianship and the history of the compositions they learned to play but also lessons about individual responsibility, especially the importance of being on time to rehearsals.
If a player missed a cue or a note, "he slammed his baton," said Luz Briseno, a professional musician who joined the orchestra in 1938 when he was a student at East L.A.'s Belvedere Junior High School, "and everyone would stop. Then he'd look you straight in the eye for a few seconds and make a complete 180-degree stare" that captured every performer's attention. Then he directed his players to start over.
"He'd treat you like a grown-up," Briseno said, adding, "I thank God that baton wasn't a baseball bat!"
When the time came for the annual public concert, Katz polished a pair of black Florsheim shoes -- the same pair he wore to the first concert in 1938 -- and squeezed into them before stepping to the podium. A staunch patriot, he never started a performance without "The Star-Spangled Banner."
He insisted on formal attire for the orchestra. At one concert in the 1970s a drummer who showed up without the requisite black socks hastily wrapped his ankles in black tape, thanks to his father, an electrician who kept a roll in his truck.
Greene said his uncle broke barriers for women, admitting girls to his orchestra from its inception. He also combined classical and popular music in the concerts, a practice that was taboo then but common today. "That's where I learned 'South Pacific' and 'Annie Get Your Gun,' " said Jorge Mester, conductor of the Pasadena Symphony, who joined Katz's orchestra in 1949.
A highlight of the annual concerts was a segment Katz called "The Battle of the Batons," in which celebrities with no conducting experience competed for the audience's favor.
The first winner was actress Marjorie Main, best known for her movie portrayals of Ma Kettle. Others who vied for the distinction included Jimmy Durante, Jack Benny, Danny Thomas, June Lockhart, George Segal, Ed Asner, Richard Pryor, Chevy Chase and Weird Al Yankovic, the pop parodist, who conducted with one leg on the podium and one on his shoulder.
Katz's authority was undiminished even in the last years, when his health began to decline. He turned over the podium to Greene but did not hesitate to speak up at rehearsals. "You were always conscious of his presence in the auditorium," said Lockhart, a regular attendee at rehearsals. "He was absolutely inspirational."
Running the orchestra was a family affair for the never-married Katz. He was assisted for many years by his late sister, Silvia Greene, whose children are keeping their uncle's grand dream alive. In addition to Greene, Katz is survived by another nephew, Terry; a niece, Lori Green Gordon; and three grandnieces.
Katz might have set a record for time on the podium. Arturo Toscanini retired at 87, but Katz led the orchestra for 69 years, conducting his last concert in 2006 when he was 92.
"This is glory beyond expression," he said as he prepared for his 60th anniversary as maestro. "You have no idea what it is to stand up there and feel the shimmer through my body going into my hands when I'm conducting this orchestra. I want them to know that life is worthwhile and if you give, you receive. We have to leave more than footprints in the sand when we leave this Earth, and that's my ambition."
A tribute concert is being planned. Memorial donations may be sent to Friends of the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra Fund, care of California Community Foundation, 445 S. Figueroa St., Suite 3400, Los Angeles, CA 90071-1638.


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Our Top Tips for Midcoast Maine Pet Owners
Are you new to the area or a first time pet owner? Our goal at PenBay Vet's is to help you be the best pet owner possible. READ PBVA'S TOP TIPS FOR MIDCOAST MAINE PET OWNERS:
1. Protect your dog from Lyme Disease. Lyme disease is debilitating in pets and people alike. Nearly 1/3 of dogs that we test are positive for Lyme at one time or another. We recommend treating your pets with a monthly flea and tick preventative all-year round. We also offer an effective Lyme disease vaccine. Ask one of our veterinary team members which medication is right for your pet. Click here for more informaiton on Lyme Disease.
2. It's the Law: Register your dog every year at your town office. Dogs must be registered by January 31st each year. A current rabies certificate from a veterinarian is needed for the registration process. Dogs in Maine are required to have an up-to-date rabies vaccine at all times. Visit the State's website for more information.
3. Prevent deadly Heartworm Disease in your cats and dogs. Heartworm is a life threatening disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. It is easily prevented by giving a monthly medicine all-year round. We check your pets for Heartworm disease annually, and can recommend the appropriate heartworm preventative for your pet. Click here to learn more about Heartworm Disease.
4. Fleas are no fun. When an adult flea is found, this represents a mere 5% of the entire problem: the other 95% includes the eggs and larvae that are developing in your carpets and bedding, making fleas hard to get rid of. Fleas also transmit disease and parasites. A monthly preventative purchased from a veterinarian (see Lyme disease) helps to keep your pets, house, and family, flea free. Click for more information on flea control for dogs or cats.
5. Vaccinate against Rabies and Leptospirosis. It's Maine State Law to keep your dogs and cats up-to-date on rabies vaccines. Leptospirosis is a disease transmitted through the urine of infected animals. We can discuss whether your dog is at risk and begin Leptospirosis vaccination if warranted.
6. A well trained dog equals happy dog and happy owner. Proper training is one of the best gifts you can give your pet, yourself and everyone around you. Plus, it just plain fun! There are many talented trainers in our area we can recommend. Dogs of all ages and breeds benefit from training.
7. Use a PenBay Vet's rabies tag on your pet's collar and get a micro-chip. If you pet ever decides to go "walk about" he/she will be returned to you faster if you use our rabies pet tags. They have our contact information and a code that let's us know who the pet's owner is. We also offer micro-chipping which is even more effective, as collars can be forgotten or come off.
8. Get active with your dog, but know the rules. Different towns in Maine and even different areas within a town have different leash laws. Visit your town's website, and look for pet rules where ever you go – especially at parks and beaches. Some spots offer "off-leash" play in designated areas – such as the dog park in Camden.
9. Porcupines, raccoons, skunks, and coyotes.These are all common wild animals in our area that frequently cause problems for dogs and cats. Porcupine quills are painful and even life threatening. Raccoons can carry rabies, and you know about skunks. We have even had a dogs attacked by coyotes in Rockport Village. It is always a good idea to have a fenced yard, or at least supervise your pets outside, especially in the early morning and early evening when these wild creatures are most active.
10. Call us with all your pet ownership questions! Please consider us your one-stop source for all information pet related; it doesn't have to be medical. We are happy to recommend breeders, boarding facilities, groomers, pet sitters, and more!


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Get DVD Talk Feeds
I was neither expecting nor pining for a sequel to Eli Roth-produced found-footage horror film The Last Exorcism, which I enjoyed and promptly forgot after watching back in 2010. That film's plot involved a sham exorcist preying on the fears of a rural community, and Ashley Bell's performance as the possessed Nell Sweetzer is what I remember most about the film. Awkwardly titled sequel The Last Exorcism Part II bombed with critics and at the box office earlier this year for good reason. Gone is the smart social commentary and deep-seated fear of the unknown, and Part II replaces Nell's struggle for redemption with an unconvincing return to darkness. The Last Exorcism Part II is an unnecessary, boring sequel that will frustrate fans of the original.
Picking up directly after the chaotic ending of The Last Exorcism, this film forgoes the found-footage shaky camera and instead is shot more traditionally by Director Ed Gass-Donnelly. An unnamed couple finds a catatonic Nell in their kitchen, and she is transported to a hospital, where she awakens from her stupor days later with a fragmented memory. All of Nell's family and the cult members who kept her under their heavy wings are dead, so Nell goes to live in a group home for troubled young women. She seems to make a remarkable recovery, landing a job as a hotel maid and enjoying the attentions of co-worker Chris (Spencer Treat Clark), but Nell's life begins to unravel after her roommates find footage of her previous exorcism. I found this plot point particularly annoying. The film has Nell spend 45 minutes befriending these girls only to jerk the rug out from under her and allow these "friends" to completely turn on Nell.
I think Bell is a talented actress, and she again brings an innocence and stark vulnerability to Nell. She deserves better than this undercooked sequel. You don't call a film "The Last Something" if you intend to make a sequel, and the plot of The Last Exorcism Part II feels as perfunctory as its title. The demon Abalam that haunted Nell in the original returns, shifting from the body of a young man in a New Orleans Carnival mask to those of Nell's late father (Louis Herthum), her friends, and Nell herself. Nell's personality sours and she begins losing all desire to be compassionate and decent to those around her.
Exploring the protagonist's slide toward the dark side might have been interesting had it been done more skillfully. The established story and characters weaken Part II from the get-go - there just isn't enough here to support a sequel - and the film dives into a messy exploration of faith, New Orleans culture and Nell's surrender to evil. The movie isn't about an exorcism, though a chicken almost gets possessed, and is about as dull as they come. There are no scares, no disquieting mysteries and no characters outside Nell that make any impression. Since The Last Exorcism Part II insists on doing nothing for nearly 90 minutes, it may as well have been a short film. The ending is kind of hateful, but by that time I just wanted the credits to roll.
The 2.40:1/1080p/AVC-encoded transfer looks expectedly excellent. The New Orleans setting provides ample opportunity for bright colors and detail-filled wide shots, and the digital source is sharp and clear throughout. The opening sequence is shot with the sterile blues and greys of a morgue and is somewhat softer than the remaining picture. Close-ups and wide shots are both solid, with the former highlighting many facial details and textured props and costumes. Black levels are very good, which benefits the film's nighttime scenes, and digital manipulation is never an issue.
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack supports the aural trappings of this horror movie, and the overused stinger effects at least sound impressive. Dialogue is clean and the score is deep. The subwoofer makes an impressive appearance early on and comes back on occasion during the film. Ambient and action effects make use of the surrounds, particularly during the film's chaotic climax. English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available.
This single-disc release is packed in an Elite Blu-ray case that is wrapped in an embossed, textured slipcover that matches the feel of the first film's outer packaging. Sony includes an UltraViolet digital copy, and the Blu-ray offers only an Unrated Version of the film that runs roughly a minute longer than the 88-minute theatrical version. Extras include a rapid-fire Commentary with Director Ed Gass-Donnelly and Producer Eli Roth alongside a pair useless featurettes: Nell's Story (2:37/HD) and Shooting in New Orleans (2:16/HD). The final extra, Hair Salon Scare - The Last Exorcism Part II Goes Viral (2:21/HD), is a humorous look at how the filmmakers placed a demonic-looking actress inside a beauty salon to scare patrons.
This is a sequel that few people wanted and almost no one deserves. The Last Exorcism Part II cashes in on the moderate success of found-footage thriller The Last Exorcism, but even returning producer Eli Roth failed to make this sequel compelling. Actress Ashley Bell again plays possessed Nell Sweetzer with grace and poise, but she deserves better than this pointless sequel. Skip It.
William lives in Burlington, North Carolina, and looks forward to a Friday-afternoon matinee.


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August 18, 2012
Employee Satisfaction
Oh no, we could all see the coming. We could all feel the tensions in the office. Everyone, every worker has been on edge. With poor global economic conditions how could anyone feel great about their workplace and about their future employment.
The past few years, businesses have experienced troubling times, and that is an understatement. At the very core of every operation is the workers. A business cannot function without its' valued workforce, and keeping them happy in these times is challenging.
However, there are significant signs that employees who are engaged and happy lead to greater success, productivity and profitability. When efforts are made by management, productivity improvements can occur even in these tough economic times.
This infographic from Social Cast highlights this linkage of employee satisfaction with success.
Employee Satisfaction – Top 5 Factors
- Job security (63%)
- Benefits (60%)
- Compensation and pay (57%)
- Opportunity to use skills (55%)
- Feeling safe in the workplace (54%)
- 86% of engaged employees express happiness in the workplace
- Highly engaged organizations experienced 87% less turnover and 20% productivity improvement
Check out more interesting facts and statistics in this infographic.
Source: Social Cast
More on Management, Employees, and HR:
Employee Recognition – Key to Improving Performance and Morale
- Government Employees – Valuable, Skilled, Educated Workforce
- Business Tips – Maximize Performance and Business Development Results
- Hiring – Strategies and Tips for Strong Staffing Processes
- High Performance – Star Qualities to Get You Noticed
- Productivity – 6 Small Steps For a More Productive Day
- Employee Morale Improvements – Small Things You Can Do as a Leader
More business blogs of interest:
- Social Media – Getting Organized With a Task List
- Social Media Impacts on Small Business [infographic]
- Marketing Tips for Better Customer Engagement and Results [infographic]
- Digital Marketing – Conversion Opportunities for Business
- Business Plan – The Next Steps
- Business Intelligence – Keeping you Wired In
Business Issues Faced in the Summer Months
Business information, resources and tips for the entrepreneur
© 2012 Strategy Plan One


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Paperback, Published in Dec 2004 by Penguin Classics
Page count: 240
While exploring the environs of their summer home, five brothers and sisters find a Psammead, or Sand-fairy, in a nearby gravel pit: "Its eyes were on long horns like a snail's eyes, and it could move them in and out like telescopes; it had ears like a bat's ears, and its tubby body was shaped like a spider's and covered with thick soft fur; its legs and arms were furry too, and it had hands and feet like a monkey's.†The Psammead is magical and, every day, the ancient and irritable creature grants each of them a wish that lasts until sunset. Soon, though, they find their wishes never seem to turn out right and often have unexpected—and humorous—consequences. But when an accidental wish goes terribly wrong, the children learn that magic, like life, can be as complicated as it is exciting.
First time in Penguin Classics
Soon to be a feature film starring Kenneth Branagh with Eddie Izzard as the voice of the Psammead
Contains an enchanting introduction by children's literature scholar Gillian Avery about the complex and unconventional Nesbit
Includes all of the original illustrations, suggestions for further reading, and explanatory notes