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When the Truth Comes
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
There is for many Christians the problem of pride. It can also be a problem or hindrance for individuals who are seeking Christ. But for Christians in particular it is a hindrance to their receiving of His fullness, and grace upon grace.
The original sin was pride.
We all start out wanting to be independent, self-sufficient. We are even encouraged to do so by our family and friends. We want to be able to dress ourselves, tie our shoes, ride our bicycles without someone holding on and it goes on into adulthood with our desire to accomplish "great things." It's exhilarating, exciting, and we become prideful.
John the Baptist's friends encouraged him this way in John 3:26
26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."
But listen carefully to John's answer to his disciples in verses 27-30
27 John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the [hChrist,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.' 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
He puts them right in their place. He makes their question an opportunity to preach and lead them to the truth about our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. And, he goes on teaching them to the very end of the chapter.
We can fall into this problem ourselves. The more religious we become the more self-satisfied and proud. If we think we've got it all already and there's nothing more to learn, no more growth, then we are hindered from receiving of His fullness.
But, the Holy Spirit was sent to teach us "all things." "If all the things about Jesus had been written down the world could not contain them."
We can get into a rut spiritually; a set routine. We don't want to upset the apple cart with anything supernatural. We like it when we are in charge. Don't we?
We can resent it when our pastor preaches on a topic that causes us to examine ourselves and find we feel convicted and brings on more and more repentance. We see we need to grow and change and become more like Him. Maybe, we haven't quite "arrived" yet.
The "spiritual life" is a growing life, a fulfilling life. It is a complete regeneration that comes "line upon line, precept upon precept." We put on more of Christ, and more, and more until we are face to face with Him. "He came that we might have "life" and that more abundantly."
We should covet this "spiritual life" that is given by Jesus. John 3:34-35
34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
He has it all to give to us.
John 3:36
36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not [jobey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
This "spiritual life" is eternal, growing, expanding, increasing. You can't fill a container that is already full. That is why Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The poor in spirit always see their need for more of Him, more of His fullness.
What do you know about Him? We have nothing to be proud about. All "good things" come down from above. Only God is "good".
This "spiritual life" is always humbling.
"Oh, LORD God, this I pray, that when they look at me, they will see more and more of thee."


text: MRI scan of left frontal glioblastoma – an aggressive brain cancer. Richmanphoto/Shutterstock 24 octobre 2018 Brain cancer: why killing the fastest growing cells may not be the only treatment Florian Siebzehnrubl, Cardiff University When it comes to treating cancer, focus for decades has been on killing the fastest growing cells. New research finds that this approach may be too simple.

subset: commoncrawl


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AWS Security Blog
Tag: Roundup
The Most Popular AWS Security Blog Posts in 2015
The following 20 posts are the most popular posts that were published in 2015 on the AWS Security Blog. You can use this list as a guide to do some catchup reading or even read a post again that you found particularly valuable. Introducing s2n, a New Open Source TLS Implementation Customer Update—AWS and EU Safe […]Read More


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Personal Update.
This year, for me, has been wild and crazy already. I spent January in Ireland, almost two weeks in the Palm Springs area right after coming home from Ireland, dog-sitting for my then bosses, had a five day window towards the end of February, in which I moved out from their house, which I had been housesitting at since October, and then went directly almost two weeks housesitting for my brother, keeping track of my two nephews (12 and 16) and a few animals, while he and his girlfriend went to Hawaii.
Phew!! Now I'm finally done with all that shit. And getting settled in to my new home. Well, my new room in a home that is very dear and familiar to me. I'm back in my old hood, the Hollywood District in NE Portland. I'm renting a room from a very good family friend, while I figure out what I want to be when I grow up. And living in the area where we (my brothers and I) grew up. I'm doing my own version of "where's Waldo?". I could be anywhere at any time, you just never know. So I thought I would set the record straight.
I did this all on purpose, though on the surface it might seem very random. But, in order to pursue my dreams of travel and writing, I needed to get my expenses down as small as possible, and live in a place which inspires my creativity. So, while I don't intend to rent a room forever, this is an amazing environment to start my freelance copywriting career and finish my novel, as well as live with people. I was very tired of living alone. And the home and the people and things within the home are beautiful. We had an impromptu wine-tasting the other night, I can walk to a pub and the library, and have enough alone time to work on my creative stuff, but enough interaction with people so I don't get lonely. Pretty perfect for me right now.
After quitting a job last year in April, that was getting me nowhere, and taking a job that was only guaranteed through the end of the summer, I asked for enough money that I would have some in savings when it was over, so I didn't have to be in a huge hurry to find another job, and I can do something I enjoy, rather than focusing on a very specific dollar amount. The bonus is I have been able to do a lot of traveling. And that job lasted through the end of the year and beyond.
So I'm sitting at the desk in my room, hearing the ticking of clocks and the steady rush of traffic outside and it feels good. I've been working on a meditation program specifically for writers, and getting everything really settled here. I've put no time limit on myself to be here. It could be three months, it could be six months, who knows! I have an open-ended agreement with my "landlord", so there's no set time to stay or go. I don't regret one single decision I've made on my journey, and it feels good to be back in the city.
I'm not stressing about a job. Every single thing has been taken care of since I decided to cast off from the shore of certainty and embrace unknown territories. Now I am comfortable only knowing the next few weeks or the next few months. I am connecting with people, online and offline, and loving it. Building my website, figuring out how to hone my passions and feeling incredibly peaceful and rested. I look at life as an adventure and do my best to be in the present moment. Always learning, always growing. That is something that will never change for me.
The amazing thing is I can do anything, whatever I want. It's like standing on the top of a mountain and deciding which path to take. Let's see where my journey takes me next.


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Chicken with potatoes, prunes and pomegranate molassesPrint Recipe
8 whole chicken legs (ie, each with a drumstick and a thigh; 2kg in all)
16 medium charlotte potatoes, peeled (about 800g net)
3 large onions, peeled and quartered
120g pitted prunes
30g grated fresh ginger
100ml soy sauce
90ml pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp maple syrup
120g sweet mango chutney
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
20g oregano sprigs, plus a few picked leaves to garnish
8 whole chicken legs (ie, each with a drumstick and a thigh; 2kg in all)
Here's a one-pot dish to surprise a few regular readers: there's nothing more to it than throwing everything in and waiting. Yes, really. For the amount of work involved, the depth of flavour is remarkable; plus, there's the bonus of minimising the washing-up. It's a dish to keep up your sleeve for the cold weekends to come. Serves four generously.
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then tip into a large casserole dish. Cover with a lid (or thick foil), and bake for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 180C/350F/gas mark 4, and cook for two hours longer, stirring every now and then.
When the time is up, remove the dish from the oven, stir once more, cover and set aside for at least 15 minutes, to rest and allow the flavours to mingle. Garnish with a few oregano leaves, and serve with a sharp green salad and some good bread to mop up the lovely juices.
- Poultry Amazing Robert (02/06/2019) We make this all the time - it's gorgeous and a great winter meal that reheats beautifully. Careful not to burn it (molasses wants to burn!)
The day before ?
It sound so good !
Can we marinate the chicken legs with all the ingredients the day before and cook everything the next day ?
Thank you for sharing all these beautiful recipes :)


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Director, Originals Publicity - Japan
NetflixTokyo, TY
Full Time Job
The Opportunity
The Director of Originals Publicity, Japan will be based in Tokyo and work as part of the publicity team to formulate and implement strategy for Japan for a growing slate of Netflix Original content. The position will provide a critical link between agencies in Japan and Netflix in promoting Original content on the service. It's the chance to be part of changing the entertainment landscape across the globe and to seize the opportunity to take different approaches in managing and executing promotional and publicity campaigns.
This role reports to Director of Publicity - Japan.
The Role
The Originals Publicity Director - Japan will work across several different disciplines that bring Original series and films to fruition here at Netflix. They will drive innovative publicity campaigns, along with their team, drawing on the incredible slate of local and international originals to drive our business in Japan. They will independently formulate, and drive creative and executable campaigns, communicate priorities and present clear goals to stakeholders. The ideal candidate will use sound judgement to make wise decisions, think strategically and drive their team to do the same.
Work includes but is not limited to:
• Identify titles that will drive the business in Japan.
• Set strategy & execute publicity campaigns for Netflix original series and films (global and Japan).
• Run a small team of experienced publicists.
• Influence and adapt global publicity strategies for the needs of the Japan market.
• Work successfully with cross functional partners both in Japan and internationally.
• Run campaigns across earned media channels, including broadcast, print and online to maximize title promotion.
• Create cultural moments and high impact campaigns, with an emphasis on trying new and innovative ways to promote titles.
• Serve as the expert on the region with the ability to convey cultural needs and nuances.
• Formulate and manage a budget, and give visibility into the process successfully.
• Day to day responsibilities include but are not limited to: formulating and implementing title strategy, pitching press, writing press releases, managing set visit nominations, scheduling junkets, liaising with journalists, talent representatives and talent, implementing screening strategy and agency management.
• Have 12 years of experience in an entertainment PR setting - either agency or film/TV.
• International experience or knowledge of international media/strategy is a bonus.
• Strong press landscape knowledge and relationships with key media.
• Be able to understand and comfortably interpret business and technology issues.
• Be a clear and concise communicator.
• Experience building and executing a PR strategy and work well across disciplines.
• Have experience managing agencies, be effective in dealing with talent, talent reps, journalists and other media influencers.
• Fluency in both English (a must) and Japanese.
• Experience managing a team would be preferable.
• Domestic and international travel is a requirement.
• Be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously under deadline and thrive in a high energy, fast-paced environment.
To succeed at Netflix, the candidate must also possess the following characteristics:
• The ability to think innovatively - connecting the dots when others cannot. Able to make the leap from information to insight. Able to identify, nurture and help refine compelling creative ideas and concepts.
• Succinct Communicator. Great writer and clear talker. Can organize, summarize, clarify and communicate ideas simply, succinctly and accurately.
• Has a quick intelligence, is fast on the feet and quickly responds to issues and questions. Says it like it is; not wrapped in political niceties.
• Pragmatic, organized and detailed. Has a big capacity to both think and 'do'. Flourishes in a 'hands on' role, adding value at different levels. Is strong on detail and highly organized.
• A smart minimalist. Keeps things simple. Knows that global communications can be made complex---and will resist and prevent that.
• Has a Point of View. An independent thinker willing and able to express and support a point of view.
• Pace moves at a nice clip and enjoys having multiple projects going at once.
• Can change course, be scrappy and get things done within short timeframes.
• Integrity. Has sound judgment, and will question actions inconsistent with company values.
• An Adult. Is a mature, fully-formed adult with a happy, well balanced life. Is motivated by what is best for Netflix.
• A strong belief in our culture. We live by our values, so it's worth learning more about them on our website.
Additional Information
Fueled by the broad appeal of being able to instantly enjoy unlimited movies and TV shows, Netflix has grown to have over 125 million streaming members in over 190 countries. This is a great opportunity to join the team that is spearheading and handling publicity campaigns for the largest Internet entertainment network in the world, with a chance to work on content that features high production value from the brightest filmmakers and actors around the world, using the latest technology.


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Bilawal Bhutto: US doesn't know why it is in Afghanistan'
Pasbanan- Kabul:
In an interview with Russian Television, Pakistan People's Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said it seemed that United States had lost sight of its objectives in Afghanistan. He added: "conflict in the country continues without any end in sight, It seems that they US do not know why they are there and what they are going to do or how they are going to get out. The fact of the matter is that 75 percent of Afghanistan witness's terrorist activity, 45 percent of its territory is not in control of the Afghan government,"
But now, this statement of Pakistan's Peoples party chairman has its own reactions, Sanjay Kumar a well known Indian Journalist with Afghanistan, told Pasbanan: "Pakistan knows that peace in Afghanistan would mean destabilization for Islamabad. Kabul will never accept Durand line Pakistan knows that A peaceful and sovereign Afghanistan is not in the interest of Islamabad. Pakistan understands that Kabul will claim its stake on the territory across Durand line. Therefore, it suits Islamabad to have a puppet government in Kabul or a destabilized government in the Hindu Kush. The fear of its own existential crisis compels Pakistan to behave the way it behaves- that is to speak in the forked tongue and play double game, that is , to act as an US ally and at the same time patronize the Taliban."
Meanwhile Aditi Bahaduri is another Indian Journalist and will know analyst with south Asia region issues told us: "I think US had once lost sight of its goals, but the current administration with its America First policy will be much more careful in its engagement with Afghanistan. So we have already seen in President Trump's South Asia policy where he has not fixed any deadlines unlike earlier administration for the US to achieve its goals in combating terrorism."
This statement has been made in time that Afghanistan is facing a challenging situation, and meanwhile US is looking to pressurize Islamabad for stopping their support to terror groups.


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With interest rates at all-time lows, a lot of first-time buyers are making the leap to buying a house in Toronto. But what neighbourhoods provide good value? What are the best neighbourhoods in Toronto for first time buyers?
Well let's start by pointing out that if you want to be anywhere near downtown AND you want a house (as opposed to a condo), AND you don't want to do a lot of renovations, you'll need at least $500,000 – and ideally $600,000. Yes, I did just say you need $600,000 to get a nice STARTER home in Toronto.
Here are our top neighbourhoods in Toronto for first time buyers:
Brockton Village (a.k.a. Little Portugal a.k.a. the triangle in between Parkdale, Beaconsfield and Roncesvalles) In the first quarter of 2012, the average home in Brockton Village sold for $477,511, a number that included a lot of "fixer-upper" houses. In the last few years, we've seen the exodus of families who've been in the 'hood for 30+ years and with it, a lot of houses sold that haven't been renovated since the 1970's. Brockton Village continues to be a HOT neighbourhood, with tons of restaurants and shops popping up along West Queen West and Dundas West. If you're looking for a home that doesn't need a lot of work (one that has new electrical, plumbing and renovated bathrooms and a modern kitchen), you can expect to pay $550,000 or more. Click here for our Brockton Village Neighbourhood Guide.
The neighbourhood formally known as Wallace Emmerson (more commonly known as Bloordale) is one of our favourite neighbourhoods for first-time buyers. With an average sold price of $484,086 in the first quarter of 2012 it's still affordable. Hipsters and families are moving in and houses are being renovated – heck even the Galleria Mall is getting a makeover. Click here for our Bloordale Neighbourhood Guide.
The Junction continues to gentrify with an average price of $528,195. We love the Junction's strong sense of community and energy and there are some great old Victorian houses. Click here for our Junction Neighbourhood Guide.
Leslieville continues to be (barely) within reach of first-time buyers with average price of $558,797. That number is artificially low, given a lot of new (tasteful) lofts have recently popped up, bringing down the average. You'll need at least $650,000 to buy a nice renovated Victorian. Leslieville is home to some of the city's top restaurants and shops and there is a real community feel to the neighbourhood. Click here for our Leslieville Neighbourhood Guide.
East York provides great options for first-time Toronto buyers and while it sounds like a suburb, it's actually really central. Two of our favourite East York neighbourhoods are Blake Jones (the area north of the tracks up to the Danforth, from Pape to Greenwood) and the area north and south of the Danforth from Donlands to Coxwell. Blake Jones had an average price of $592,611 while the the Danforth Mosaic came in at $534,922. Both areas provide good family environments, with parks, good schools and lots to do in nearby Riverdale, Leslieville and Greektown.
Yes, real estate is getting more expensive, but there are still great neighbourhoods in downtown Toronto that allow for short commutes and the best of urban Toronto living.


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Isn't it always the way? During the week, when I impose a timetable upon myself, I always struggle to get out of bed in the morning. I regularly wake up and turn off my alarm, which I optimistically set for 7.30am, and then take at least an hour to convince myself to wake up. Sometimes I fail miserably to talk myself around, especially when I have my periods. As I grow older I find they're taking more of a toll on me. On Monday, I held them entirely responsible for my failure to start my day before 11.30am. I don't even remember turning off my alarm, but I do remember that when I did wake up, I had a stern word with myself. On Saturday, the day I'd given myself permission to loll around with nothing more stressful to do than rearrange my pillows, I was up at the crack of dawn, wide-eyed and restless. I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, to no avail.
My alertness had to do with a dream I was having. It was a dream that starred various members of my family and it ended when I punched one of them in the face. The force of the blow woke me up and the residual anger I was feeling left me agitated and unwilling to try and recapture the thread of the dream the way I do with more pleasant reveries.
The night before I had contemplated that I would walk up to the other university the next day, to do some of RA work I'd been asked to do. I'd thought if I felt like working on Saturday it would be useful, although not completely necessary, to get it done before a meeting in the coming week.
I made myself some coffee and ate some muffins, while watching some television I had taped the previous night. I was a bit confused that SBS had shown an earlier episode of Unit One; why were they showing Episode 10 when the series was up 28 or 32 or something like that? I know I haven't watched every episode but what time warp had I been through? Gaby and Johnny Olsen were still smitten with one another; Fischer still had long, slicked back hair; Ingrid was still shattered by the loss of her husband; Kirsten had left Ulf and decided to move back in with IP. I found out at the end of the episode that an adults only episode had been screened later on Friday night, and now it was Saturday morning. That's what you get for watching a mediocre episode of Dalziel and Pascoe and recording Unit One to savour later.
Since the day stretched out before me and I had no money to distract myself with a movie, I packed myself some lunch and walked up to the other university. There wasn't a cloud in the sky yesterday; it was finally hinting at the brilliance of a Brisbane winter. As I approached the campus I saw someone putting up signs to direct people to a youth festival that was being held in the central court. I guess it was Youth Week this week. I had a brief flashback to the times when I was going along to those kind of festivals, more than likely doing some kind of performance as part of the youth theatre I was involved in. Once I got covered in mud and, along with the rest of the group, danced in front of a set that was spinning with fireworks and later deliberately burnt down in a spectacular blaze, all accompanied by live music and choral singing.
Inside now, I noticed the stationery from the bank, that I'd first ordered over a month ago, had finally arrived. Unfortunately, not before I'd had to turn into a demanding harpy on the phone. The bank employee shouldn't have lectured me about my responsibility to order more stationery, or told me that it had only been five working days since I'd last phoned them and that the usual period between the request and delivery was five to seven working days. I asked if she had not been listening to me? Had she not heard me tell her I'd first ordered the stationery via a form provided in the last pages of the stationery? When I received no stationery from that application, I'd called up and ordered some on the phone. 10 working days later, I had called up again and explained the situation and my concern that I wasn't able to process what I had to. I asked to speak to a supervisor. She put me on hold for 5 minutes and came back to tell me that her supervisor had advised her to tell me—. I asked to speak to a supervisor, again.
I finally got rid of the backlog that was making me nervous—all those cheques and credit card details lying around (I hasten to add they were kept under lock and key). The pile was also becoming confusing, as I had tried to do as much of the work as possible. I'm convinced that some people have received multiple receipts.
I looked out the window and saw that the coffee shop had unexpectedly opened. It was closed when I'd checked earlier, so I had resigned myself to drinking water. I'm not sure if it normally opens on Saturday morning. It was too early for the theatre crowd, although perhaps not the cast and crew. Were they hoping that the 'yoof' would spend $6 on a chicken sandwich? There were three young men buying coffee and chocolate chip muffins, but they were discussing the event in cynical terms, noting that it was a drug and alcohol-free day, and that if you wanted to you could join the Army then and there. The man at the coffee shop registered surprise when he saw me and asked what I was doing there on a Saturday? I said I didn't know. He agreed he didn't know what he was doing there either, he just wished he wasn't.
I sipped my coffee back at my desk, taking pleasure in a well-made brew. Despite my current 'poverty' (let's not lend it too much weight), I did budget for one bought coffee per day. I suppose even I think this is somewhat frivolous—$3.50 x 8 = $28—shouldn't I be buying real food? A can of tuna? Go back and pay for those eggs? Well, usually the partaking of coffee is a social occasion and the perk I derive from it is exponential to the caffeine boost, but it's more than that. There's something that happens when you're down to your last few dollars, suddenly you only want the things that you shouldn't, the little luxuries that aren't necessities, those things that attract the GST. I have a friend who will work out how to afford cigarettes before he'll spend money on potatoes. We're educated, so that's not the issue. What about another friend who'll spend the last of her money on NW Magazine? It seems that the strength of the craving for chocolate is inverse to the level of one's bank account. We've discussed this at great length and come to the conclusion that when you're obsessing over how to spend the last of your money, the calculation that occurs is not about what is wise or of what the moral majority will approve, it's about the amount of pleasure you will receive from that last act of consumption, something that will act as a moment of reassurance, of well-being, a buffer between you and the harsh reality of having little or no money in a capitalist society.
I checked my Bloglines feeds and read Ms Tartan's account of reading a reflection on jeans by Umberto Eco. I was reminded of a paper I saw at a postgraduate conference. The presenter was confined to a wheelchair and she spoke of the difficulties she had encountered with jeans. She wanted to wear them because of the various cultural meanings attached to them, but for her they weren't the easiest garment to get in and out of if she needed to go to the bathroom. Her solution, to enable her to wear something other than skirts and dresses, was to adapt various pairs of jeans to meet her specifications for accessibility. I can't quite remember the details of the adjustments she made. I think the plan was to make her model more widely available, but I'm not sure how that went.
Ms Tartan's post wasn't about jeans so much as it was about surveys of fiction where readers were asked to identify which works had affected them in a way they deemed significant. I tried to think of some instances from my own reading. My examples weren't transforming in any regenerative sense, quite the opposite. I remember reading a book in school—my memory isn't reliable as to whether I was in primary or high school—Z for Zachariah. It was set in a post-nuclear holocaust era and the central character was a teenage girl who thought she was the only survivor. She was thrilled when she encountered another living person, a grown man. Soon the man sought a sexual relationship with her and, since she wasn't willing, she made the decision to leave and search for other possible survivors. The man began to shoot at her, to stop her departure, but he wasn't trying to kill her, simply maim her so she was at his mercy. Surely, I must have been in high school? I remember being horrified; I found the depravity of the man's actions inconceivable. I think Z for Zachariah shocked me, probably because it brought home the concept of rape; I couldn't fathom that anyone could be so cruel to anyone else. If I remember properly, the girl had to go out into the unknown, away from any human contact, out of the protective valley that had enabled her survival, towards the almost certain death from the effects of radiation if the suit and oxygen she had didn't last her to another haven.
After I'd finished dealing with the bank stationery debacle, I took to completing the other small things I'd been charged to do. I'm helping with various tasks related to compiling a grant proposal. Pursuant to an earlier discussion about academic role models, I'm finding it quite illuminating to see how people, who've written successful grant proposals, go about the work of thinking and writing to convince the government to fund them for three years. Beginning with the mind map on the whiteboard, I've read through various drafts of the proposal and seen the critical feedback the members of the research team have given one another. It's amazing in a 'boy, how else would I learn this?' kind of way to be privy to the process.
While I was arranging meetings and filling in forms, one of the research team came in with his one year old baby. Yet another perspective: an Associate Professor re-enacting the morning's swimming lesson in which the child is in a pretend motorboat. Heh.
I arrived back home and decided to have an afternoon nap.
When I started writing this post, I had just been woken up by the roar of the crowd from the stadium across the road.


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March 6/
Women peacemakers born today
1873 Elizabeth Fox Howard born Walthamstow, London, England (d. 1957). Quaker relief worker, author, poet, and impressionist artist. Led postwar reconciliation efforts with Germany. Served as hostess to Gandhi, London, 1931.
1882 Sarah Wambaugh born Cincinnati, OH (d. 1958). Internationalist; political scientist; professor at Wellesley College and Radcliffe College. Expert on plebiscites.
1942 Svetlana Gannushkina born Moscow. Russian mathematician; human rights activist. Peacekeeper in Karabakh War, aiding refugees' return, 1988.
1946 Ruth Russell born Australia. Co-chair of WILPF Australia; formed human shield during bombing of Baghdad, 2003.
1972 Marianne Thieme born Ede, Netherlands. Politician. Co-founded the Party for the Animals, seeking a society of sustainability and compassion, 2002; elected to Dutch House of Representatives, 2006.
Women's peacemaking on this day
1282 Princess and peacemaker Agnes of Bohemia, known as "the half-sister of St. Clare of Assisi" died.
1884 Susan B. Anthony and 100 suffragists called on President Arthur, demanding the vote for women.
1983 The Australian Women's Peace Picnic protested the arms race.
1983 Petra Kelly entered German parliament as leader of the Green Party.
1983 In Cosimo, Italy, following the condemnation of a female rape victim, the first women's march against violence took place.
2006 Cindy Sheehan and three other women arrested at UN headquarters in Iraq War protest.
2014 150 Nigerian women protested Boko Haram killings. "NO MORE! ENOUGH OF THE KILLINGS!"
2014 In Simferpol, Crimea, two members of FEMEN arrested for topless protest. "STOP PUTINS WAR"
2015 In Beijing, five women arrested for plan to protest domestic violence by appearing in blood-spattered white dresses.


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Built to Fight Thumbless IFT MMA Safety Gloves
$ 26.16
Featuring injected foam technology, a thumbless design, a wraparound velcro strap, and all leather construction, the BTF thumbless IFT safety gloves allow athletes of any caliber to begin sparring safely. The thumbless design permits maximum control when grappling and the velcro strap wraps around the wrist twice, providing great protection and stability. Hook and loop closure technology has been expanded upon greatly in this model, guaranteeing a long life for these gloves.


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The Cambridge Analytica scandal has served to remind everyone of the importance of transparency and compliance when handling consumer data.
The issue has made a clear statement to businesses that they should try to mirror best practice and use an ethical approach when it comes to collecting consumers' personal information. Just like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, every business needs to reflect on the importance of responsibility and transparency in handling consumer data, all the way from acquisition to storage, use and sharing.
Consumers will share data – under the right conditions
It can be argued that consumers already understand the benefits of data sharing. As Zuckerberg said to the Congressional committee questioning him, "we would all rather see relevant adverts than irrelevant, random ones."
People are willing to share data, but it is important for businesses collecting it to make clear when and why it is being collected, and how it is likely to be used. In the age of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is now in force, the requirement for such transparency is going to become a part of commercial life. The new rules will make businesses far more accountable for the data they use, but it is also their responsibility to highlight to consumers what they will gain from sharing their data.
Trust and transparency have to be explicit
Trust is the foundation on which all data handling must now be built and marketers will have to work hard to establish it. Recent DMA research found that 78 per cent of people in the UK believe businesses are profiting far more from data sharing than consumers, and 88 per cent are looking for more transparency about data collection.
The ICO has been emphasising the importance of transparency ever since the countdown to GDPR started. Whether they are handling data they have obtained themselves or which they have acquired from other trustworthy sources. Companies must always be open with people about how information identifying them will be processed. This is a fundamental requirement not just of the new regulatory regime, but of an emerging consensus about what is ethical best practice for organisations handling personal data.
Businesses must learn best practice for using personal data
It is clear that some businesses have prioritised monetising their data over being transparent with users about how they are doing this. It is imperative that these businesses adjust their approach, as the regulation gives consumers the power to take their personal data away from an organisation at any time. Consumers have the right to request to see what data a company has on them, and, of course, if they are unhappy, they can ask for it to be deleted.
Opportunities not obstacles
For anyone managing a marketing function, this may sound like a lot of obstacles. Admittedly, GDPR places a great deal of importance on justifying marketing activity via the six legal grounds for processing personally identifiable data. One of these is legitimate interests, which offers greater flexibility, but it will nonetheless require careful assessment. Marketers will have to weigh up the freedom to market against the subject's right to privacy under GDPR, offering clear opt-outs.
For every organisation, being transparent about the use of personal data and giving back control to consumers is inevitable. Ultimately, data is at the heart of modern society, potentially allowing businesses and consumers to benefit invariably from sharing information. That will not change.
Facebook's reputation may have suffered in light of the scandal, but more than two billion users continue to rely on it for social interaction. Data will continue to be marketers' greatest asset provided they use it honestly, proportionately and in compliance with regulations.
About John Mitchison
John Mitchison is the Director of Policy and Compliance at the DMA. John has extensive in-depth knowledge of the data and marketing industries, with more than 20 years of experience in both.
In recent years, he has worked closely with industry groups like the Data Protection Network and the DMA's Responsible Marketing Committee as well as regulators like the Information Commissioners Office, Fundraising Regulator and Ofcom to develop guidance in a changing legislative landscape. His current focus is on issues around data protection, ensuring businesses can successfully prepare themselves for the upcoming EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and ePrivacy Regulations.
John is also the DMA's media spokespeople and can often be seen offering comment in print, online, on radio and on TV. Prior to joining the DMA, John was a Client Services Manager for Acxiom, managing large data solutions for a number of key accounts. Before that, he worked at the Daily Telegraph, where he was responsible for generating data for their subscription acquisition program and production of direct marketing campaigns.


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Week 13: Realization
Have you ever realized you don't want to be something you thought you did?
Twenty-one years later, I understood I wasn't born to be a line-chef.
The realization hit me on an unusually busy Monday night. Tickets printed, I began to sweat. The salad I just sent out looked sad, the arugula far from perky. I prayed for the night to just be over.
It was then, in the midst of fryer grease and shredded carrots, I discovered I hated something, I thought my whole life, I was bound to become.
It wasn't the heat, the speed, the long hours on my feet that revealed this knowledge. It was the hate I held for my Monday night shifts on the line. I don't have time to waste my life on endeavors I dread.
I never knew the answer to the query "What do you want to be when you grow up?" This is one of the more detrimental questions you can unload onto the mind of a youngster. It starts to shape the idea that you are only allowed to be one thing. Even as I denied it, an image of me, in chef whites, would start to form the minute someone asked me this question.
I played with the idea of culinary school until I realized, I could get a job in a kitchen and make money while educating myself. In the world of cooking, ability overrides credentials anyway. This holds true for more industries than you might imagine.
I talk to many of my peers who have decided "what they want to be". When I ask if they have ever worked in the industry, they respond, "No". The journalist who hasn't written since his last high school paper, an accountant who had never balanced her own checkbook, and a musician who never played in front of a crowd. Learn the ability first. Give yourself six months and spend it just writing, find an internship, or seek out every open mic night. Offer to work for free. Get your hands into as many aspects of the industry as you can.
At the end of six months, stop. Now is the time to ask yourself, "Is this something I want to do? Does this push me to be a better person? Am I putting my all into it?" Then, decide how you want to proceed. If the answer is no, you have only given it six months of your life and gained invaluable experience. Don't underestimate the value of this.
**Yes I am currently a sushi chef. I can't explain why it is better than being a line chef to me. All that matters is, I am excited to go to work and feel pushed by the skills I am learning.
One of my fellow Praxian started a weekly email to make random acts of kindness a habitual thing. I have been doing the weekly challenges for the past couple months and am really enjoying it. Check it out here!
I created a lot this week. I made time for interviews, long shift, family in town, and the daily bulletproof coffee. But today, as I sat down to write this, I couldn't think of anything palpable I had "created". So, I will share one of the more insignificant things I made this week. Life can feel very large at times, so it is nice to remind yourself of the smaller things.


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New Recipe in Bloom!
Hello my friends!
I am writing to you after another beautiful day in Toronto, Ontario. We have been so lucky with perfect weather over the past few weekends.
I just got back from the Evergreen Brickworks farmers market where I found lots of fresh veggies! I would like to highlight one in particular, Squash Blossoms from Cookstown Greens. I have prepared it two ways, which you will find out at the end of my post. But for now, lets take a look at what was available in the farmers market this week!
Those curly greens above are garlic scapes. They are the stalks of the garlic plant and have a mild garlicky flavour, and are delicious cooked with meats to infuse flavour, chopped up in a stir fry or grilled on the BBQ!
Delicious fresh lettuce from Sosnicki Organics.
Colourful swiss chard and leafy greens from Everdale farm and the Black Creek Community Farm.
Breathtaking local flowers from Roseview Meadow.
And the piece de resistance? Fresh Sheeps milk ricotta from Best Baa Farms.
And no visit to the farmers market complete without a sampling of some delicious food. This week we went to Pimenton, Spanish and Mediterranean Fine Foods. We tried the paella, complete with fresh lamb chunks from Birkbeck Farms, an organic local lamb farm. Complete with two empanadas to share stuffed with mushrooms and spinach as well as bacon, cheese and prunes. Delicious!
Some of my purchases from the farmers market included lots of fresh lettuce and kale, fresh strawberries from Bizjak farms, fresh squash blossums and fresh french mint tips from Cookstown Greens, some challah bread from St Johns Bakery (this is an amazing bakery whose profits go towards giving to their workers who have come from difficult situations, such as addiction, mental illness and disability and newcomers to Canada giving them the chance to learn a new trade) and some fresh ricotta from Best Baa Farms.
My most exciting purchase this week from the farmers market was Squash Blossums from Cookstown Greens. They are a beautiful delicate flower and one cup only contains five calories, calcium, iron and vitamin A and C. They are large enough that they can be stuffed, which I tried in the recipe today (since they are very perishable and should be eaten within a day of purchasing).
I wanted to make a savoury and a sweet stuffed squash flower so here's what I tried:
RICOTTA, HONEY and VANILLA -and- RICOTTA, PARMESAN and MINT
-10 fresh squash flowers
-One farm fresh egg, yolk and white separated
-2/3 cup fresh ricotta
-3 tbsp honey
-1/3 cup fresh mint leave
-1/4 cup grated parmesan
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the stigma of the flower with a knife or some tweezers. Wash flowers well and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. In two separate bowls add 1/3 cup ricotta.
RICOTTA, HONEY and VANILLA Stuffed
To the ricotta, add, 2 tbsp honey and 1/2 of the egg white as well as the seeds from one vanilla bean.
RICOTTA, PARMESAN AND MINT Stuffed
To the ricotta, add the egg yolk, parmesan cheese and fresh mint.
Stuff the flowers with the mixture an twist the petals to seal. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. In the last few minutes drizzle honey stuffed flowers with honey and parmesan stuffed flowers with parmesan. Serve hot and enjoy!
You can see the stamen of the flower, which must be removed due to its bitter taste.
Fresh ricotta, ready for both savoury and sweet additions!
Ricotta and honey stuffing with vanilla bean.
Ricotta, parmesan and mint stuffing.
Stuffing the flowers.
Flowers ready to be baked!
Flowers after baking in the oven.
And serve! Enjoy!
Categories: Baked, Recipes with Local Veggies


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A moment of transparency. I sat down today to write this post and I honestly had a difficult time with it, at first. This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I strive daily to create an environment where my team and myself can strike that balance of working hard and living well. So why is it so hard to get started writing about it?
Well, and here is the transparency part, I don't always succeed in my mission. I intend too, but not always. And that, dear readers, is when I had my "a-ha" moment.
Intentionality. I went back and looked at our company values and there it was, listed first. "Intentionality: We put thought into everything we say or do. We seek to add value to everyone and every relationship."
Notice it says "add value to everyone and every relationship". It doesn't say add value to just work relationships but to every relationship. It's the "every" relationships I want to focus on. How can I keep growing small business, being involved in my community, and find the necessary balance in nurturing my other relationships?
Now, I by no means, have this concept mastered. But I would like to share with you some of the things I do to help keep this balance in check.
No Phone Zone
I have a dedicated time each day where my phone is completely out of sight. Use that time to check in with your family in person or take some time out to do something that you enjoy. I know, for me personally, that even if my phone is on vibrate and I can see it, I am still going to check it. So now I take an hour or two in the evening and just put it away completely. I know that whatever I have going on will still be there when that hour is up. Not only is it good for me to take a break, but it is good for the ones I love to see that I value them enough to focus on them without distraction.
Set Boundaries & Stick to Them
For small business owners and leaders, sometimes work doesn't end at closing each day. I am very familiar with this concept! Checking and sending emails at late night hours is sometimes a necessity for me. Do I expect my team to respond outside of business hours? No I don't and they know that. It is important to me that they know they can disconnect each day. This makes for a much happier and productive team.
Setting these same expectations for clients is also very important. We all want to go above and beyond for our clients. That is wonderful, as long as some boundaries are put in place to manage expectations.
Sometimes emergencies happen and a problem does have to be resolved outside of normal operating hours. That should be an exception, not a rule.
If you consistently answer calls or emails at any time of the day or night, that sets up unrealistic expectations. This creates unnecessary frustration that could lead to less than acceptable service.
Now I know in reality, sometimes the only time we have to respond to communications is at odd hours. That is why I appreciate my email interface that allows "delayed delivery". This way, I can answer an email, but have it delivered to my recipient at a set time. Expectations managed!
Schedule Free Time
I live by my calendar; I know most of us do. I schedule everything else, so why not pencil in some free time.
Maybe it's going to the gym, or on date with your spouse. Maybe it's taking the dog for a walk or reading with your kids. If it is on my calendar, then I am going to do it. If it's not, well it doesn't always get done.
Encourage your employees to do the same thing. Consider giving your team an hour off during the month. Rotate people leaving early or coming in late. Encourage them to do something for themselves in that time.
Serve Others
It is amazing to me that when I am helping others in our community, how quickly I forget about the stress of my day- to-day. Serving people in need quickly helps me put things into perspective.
If you are not currently volunteering somewhere, look into it. There are lots of groups that are in need of dedicated people to share their time with them.
Encourage your employees to volunteer for groups that are important to them. Support them in their efforts when you can. Consider volunteering as a company and have employees submit and vote on an organization your company could adopt.
The Take Away
This all sounds great on paper, but real life gets a lot messier. I get that. Each morning, I have the opportunity to choose to be intentional and add value to all of my relationships. Some days that is easier than others.
No matter what ways work the best for you, my hope is that you will become more intentional in your own work/life balance.
Finally, I will leave you with this quote "never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life."


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Tibidabo Bike Basket by DeMano
Tibidabo Bike Basket by DeMano
from 70.00
- MATERIAL: Recycled (PVC) advertising banners from canvas
- DESCRIPTION: Designed to hang on the handlebar, or to carry in the hand when it is not attached to the bike. It has great interior capacity and is reinforced on the bottom. It has a handy small interior pocket to carry the keys or the wallet, and an external one with reflective strip. This bag is adjustable to klickfix bike accessories using an iron ring.
- Includes a Bike adapter (klickfix): Adjustable to any kind of handlebar, can be used for saddlebag, handlebar or chassis.
- CLOSURE: Zipper.
Add To Cart


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New entry to the OOD YT (YouTube) Playlist
I'm working on a new album right now!
Yup it's another one-man band production, but I'm positive to find a best fit production team for more high-end OOD Music in the nearer future:-)
The first four songs are already released and available at: http://oodmusic.info/releases/
I've also finished a video to the forth song called: Track the Wrack Part 1 and added this one to the OOD Music Playlist to YT. Don't forget that if you like my style of video creation to subscribe to the channel for updates.
Enjoy watching/listenening


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Knowledge Hub
Global Graphite Market With Focus On Lithium-Ion Batteries & Recarburisers: Industry Analysis & Outlook (2017-2021)
Press release • Feb 14, 2017 06:06 EST
MarketResearchReports.Biz has announced addition of new report "Global Graphite Market With Focus On Lithium-Ion Batteries & Recarburisers: Industry Analysis & Outlook (2017-2021)" to its database.
Graphite is a soft, crystalline form of elemental carbon. Graphite is a grey to black, opaque mineral with a metallic lustre. It occurs naturally in metamorphic rocks such as marble, schist, gneiss and phyllite. It is usually found as veins, lenses, and pockets and as thin laminae disseminated in metamorphic rocks. Depending on the mode of occurrence and origin, graphite is graded into three forms: flake, crystalline (lumpy) and cryptocrystalline (amorphous). Graphite is used in steel manufacturing, auto part fabrication, lubricants and batteries. Future demand drivers are likely to be green technologies such as lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, construction materials and graphene based industrial products. The key graphite end uses are battery anodes, expandable graphite, composites, refractory and foundry, steel markets, gaskets, seals, brake linings and lubricants.
Click here to know more details of this report: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/964495
The key factors driving the growth of graphite market are rapid growth in mining industry, advancements in automotive and electronic, growth in demand for batteries and decrease in lithium-ion battery costs. Some of the noteworthy trends and developments of this industry are improvement in the lithium-ion battery, lithium-ion batteries demand to accelerate with high investments, tesla's entry into the lithium-ion market, synthetic graphite production rising, flake and vein exploration and rising demand for electric vehicles and other electronic devices. However, the expansion of the market is hindered by safety issues.
The report "Global Graphite Market" provides an in-depth analysis of the graphite market on a global scale discussing its major segments along with the lithium-ion batteries and recarburisers market. The major trends, growth drivers as well as issues being faced by the industry are being presented in this report. The industry comprises few large players such as Northern Graphite Corporation, Alabama Graphite Corporation, Mason Graphite Inc. and Focus Graphite Inc. All these companies have been profiled in the present report highlighting their key financials and business strategies for growth.
Request a sample copy of this report: http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/964495
Table of contents:
1. Graphite Market - An Overview
1.1 An Introduction
1.2 Types of Graphite
1.3 Key Product Markets – Synthetic vs. Natural Graphite
1.4 Key Properties of Graphite
1.5 How is Graphite Mined and Processed?
1.6 Graphite End Uses
2. Global Market Analysis
2.1 Global Graphite Market Forecast by Value
2.2 Graphite Price
2.3 Global Graphite Resources by Country
2.4 Global Graphite Market by End Use
2.5 Global Graphite Market by Types
2.6 Synthetic Graphite Market Share by Application
2.7 Synthetic Graphite Market Share by End Use
2.8 Natural Graphite Demand Forecast by Volume
2.9 Natural Graphite by Types
2.10 Natural Graphite Demand Share by End Use
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Delighting the modern customer requires product experiences that are extremely personal and on-demand. Whether it is a car interior or a made-to-fit prothesis, individualization creates high value.
The Twikbot solutions are agnostic from legacy systems, manufacturing suppliers and capable to handle multi manufacturing techniques. The platform is the most advanced system to deliver mass customization at large scale meeting the highest manufacturing standards and trusted by enterprises worldwide.
Automotive Automotive
Interior & Construction Homeware
Made-to-fit Made-to-fit
Luxury & Lifestyle Lifestyle


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The 2017 Knott's Boysenberry Festival is just around the corner. Prepare your taste buds for everything Boysenberry. I was lucky enough to attend the media night last week and get a preview of all of the deliciousness you can look forward to. In fact, this year they have a brand new item that is seriously my new favorite thing ever. Get ready for Boysenberry Pizza!
This right here is a pizza lovers dream. I admit, I was skeptical at first. Boysenberry and Pizza together? I had my doubts. But man oh man did they hit the nail on the head with this one. Let me break it down for you a little bit. First of all, the dough and the crust are perfect. Not too thick, not too thin and has just the right amount of seasoning. The Boysenberry mixed with goat cheese is surprisingly more savory than sweet and paired with the other toppings, chopped ham, arugula and sliced almonds, it all comes together to create this delicious slice of pizza that you didn't even see coming.
These marinated Boysenberry Meatball on a stick with Boysenberry BBQ Sauce have so much flavor, but not in an overwhelming way. I love anything served on a stick, especially when you're out at a park. I also, really enjoyed the fact that they are kept warm on a grill.
Have you tried the Fun Bun yet? It is warm and gooey and delicious. If you're wondering what a Fun Bun is exactly, it is a cinnamon roll, boysenberry, and funnel cake all rolled into one huge and extremely shareable dessert. I mean it's extremely shareable if you want to share.
The Fried Alligator with Boysenberry Aioli is one of my favorites at the Boysenberry Festival. It's a definite must try. How many people can say they've eaten alligator, well here's your chance. My daughter brags all the time that she ate alligator at the Boysenberry Festival. I mean, the fried alligator and the Boysenberry Aioli are a really delicious combo.
The Boysenberry Raviolli is new this year and although you're eating a pasta with a purple boysenberry hue, the flavors that are here are worth the try. You will be pleasantly surprised, like I was.
Boysenberry & Apricot Pulled Pork Sandwich in a Boysenberry Bun. I'm pretty much always sold when it comes to a pulled pork sandwich, sign me up. Then again, look at that Boysenberry Bun, it certainly adds just that special bit of extra flavor and fun.
The Boysenberry BBQ sauce on these wings have a kick to them. Sweet and Spicy and who doesn't love wings? Get messy and enjoy!
The Boysenberry desserts will not be hard to find, trust me. This right here is a Boysenberry filled crepe with all the dressings of course. Are you ready?
You can purchase the Boysenberry Bites Tasting Card for only $25, the tasting card includes generous portions of these six delectable treats:
- Boysenberry Pizza at Wagon Wheel Pizza
- Boysenberry Ravioli at Spurs Chophouse
- Boysenberry Buffalo Wings at the Gold Trails Hotel
- Boysenberry BBQ Meatballs at the Bank of Calico Boysenberry
- Fry Bread at the Gourmet Churro Factory
- Boysenberry Pana Cotta at the Ghost Town Bakery
You can purchase the tasting card at various locations throughout Ghost Town.


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Sorry, 510 Delrin Drip Tip Connector has been discontinued.
- Description
This short 510 drip tip "connector" made of Delrin thermoplastic, one of the best heat insulation materials for drip tips, can either be used by itself as a very short drip tip, stacked together, or you can plug another 510 drip tip on top of it.
Make sure that your atomizer or clearomizer can fit standard 510 drip tips before ordering, no refund is applicable in the event of the drip tip not fitting a specific atomizer.
- Reviews


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Published Dec 16, 2010
When you need the perfect gift, who always has the answer for waiting for you?
"You will find something special for your IRISH loved ones in this adorable IRISH GIFT SHOP whether your searching for..."
via Karla C.
"…You will find something special for your IRISH loved ones in this adorable IRISH GIFT SHOP whether your searching for Waterford, Celtic Jewelry, Cape…"
"…I love this place, if you have a question about a particular herb they will have an answer. Their variety of herbs and herbal teas is amazing and ver…"
"…From Fisher's Jewelers competing in the designer jewelry category. Our staff supports you too and wishes you the best of luck. Your mutual votes will …"
"…I love the this shop:) this shop gives artists the opportunity to share and sell their art, jewelry, hand crafted items. I love that our jewelry is so…"
"…This place is the tops. Wonderful staff on hand to help you in every way possible. Wide variety of items on sale at very great prices. You will NOT be…"
"…This is the best gift shop in town!!! Love the funny and different cards you can buy here. Have EVERYTHING too! The Stephanie Dawn purses are a must t…"
"…I have visited the Village Herb Shop in its 3 locations in Chagrin Falls. Kathleen Gips is WONDERFUL!! She is so knowledgeable and friendly - the en…"
"…three.home offers amazing gifts, jewelry, furniture and wonderful home accessories. When you shop three.home your are getting one of a kind goods all…"
"…The bottom line is that i am young and i adore every thing i pick up at City Buddha. My mom is not so young and she enjoys the items from City Buddha.…"
"…This is the best place I've seen to purchase not only plants, but also any special gifts for your mama, wife, or whoever. Highly recommended...very cl…"
"…Stopping by the Village Peddler is like a relaxing hobby for me. When I have a few minutes to spare, I drop by and always find something for myself o…"
"…Just voted-from your friends at The Cute Little Cake Shop in Strongsville! Best of luck!!! We would love your votes back in our 3 nominated categories…"
"…Greatest shop ever, have unique wonderful gift items,
Vera Bradley, Troll Beads, etc. food items, teas just a
wonderful selectione. And the best he…"
"…never to early for st. pattys shoppin'…"
"…You know we have that perfect gift for everyone on your list. :) Vote The Mermaid's Tale for Best Gift Shop!…"
"…Ten Thousand Villages in Cleveland Heights is a great place to find a hand-crafted gift that's not only as unique as it's recipient but also making an…"
"…Absolutely the best place to go for Halloween merchandise!!! It seriously beats any other store, including all of those "here today, gone tomorrow" st…"
"…Danielle inspires. This past summer she single-handedly created her third annual MADE IN THE 216 event. This event highlights the many talented design…"
"…The Enchanted Grove is my favorite shop, hands down. I've never gotten something from Enchanted Grove that I don't get compliments on. For 20 years th…"
"…brummers is a great place and and a big part of vermilion. when visiting vermilion going to brummers is must, they have THE greatest homemade chocolat…"
"…The owner of this shop welcomes one and all upon entering her store. She will not let you leave dissatisfied and will take special orders. Being fro…"
"…Irish Crossroads is a treasure chest of everything Irish. The shop is a wealth of gift items, china, hand knit sweaters, and the highest quality jewel…"
"…Great little gift shop!! I was just in there today. Everything is so unique and fun! I love that there is a place to go for some local history and mem…"
"…Wooo whooo I love Depot Train and Hobby, the best Hobby shop in town. No one compares to the selection and service of Depot.
If they do not have it w…"
"…I love that Salty has the best and newest products. I love the unique gifts I can find for my friends, coworkers, and family. You know a good store,…"
The 2010 FOX 8 HOT LIST awards are based on more than 142,000 votes from local Cleveland-area experts.
See the full results →
Connect with Cleveland Hot List
© CityVoter, Inc.


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I was commissioned by Sovereign Creative Agency in Nashville Tennessee, to transform one of their clients 2D logos into a 3D logo.
I spent some time listening to their clients music, a band called Jack Michael and created a logo that had textures and lighting that resonated with the music.
Original 2D logo given to me by the client.


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Spring is in the air! And with this gorgeous time of year comes closet cleaning, fresh clothes, and flowers blooming everywhere! Why not give your guests something to admire long after the nuptials by sending them off with a floral favor. You can collect different types of seeds from your local flower shop and bundle them up with a sweet card and planting instructions or spend the day with your bridesmaids planting little seedlings in miniature flower pots that will bloom all summer long on your guests' window sills - brilliant!
All Images courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings


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While most companies acknowledge that this theirs is a long term game, in Europe however former oil companies are embracing change and are harvesting key technological experience and expertise in this maturing market.
In a significant development that could potentially be a harbinger of change, several European oil majors are making big inroads into the emerging U.S. offshore wind energy market, and are aiming to leverage their experience at deepwater development and offshore wind energy.
Norway-based Statoil has recently won a license to develop a wind farm off the coast of New York and is marketing its latest floating turbine to California and Hawaii.
Sensing change, Royal Dutch Shell placed a bid for leasing an offshore wind farm in North Carolina earlier this year.
Denmark's DONG Energy, a pioneer in wind energy has agreed to sell its oil and gas business in May.
As strange as it may sound, the development of offshore wind energy actually took off in the United States after President Donald Trump took the oath of office.
In fact, a series of federal seabed leases were awarded to companies even before Trump took the oath of office. More such leases are planned in the near future, however what is keeping them at bay is the required investment.
"Undeniably, offshore wind is a big boys' game because it requires large amounts of capital because scale is such an important cost driver," said Samuel Leupold chief executive of DONG Energy's offshore wind business.
While DONG has clearly and decisively toward renewables, Shell and Statoil are moving slowly towards it and are still somewhat rooted in fossil fuels.
According to an estimate, the potential for offshore wind energy in the United States is 2,000 gigawatts (GW), many times the anticipated capacity in Europe of 25 GW by 2020. However, with U.S. federal subsidies set to expire by 2019, they will have to be renewed by Congress before this industry becomes a viable force.
However costs in Europe have fallen to a level that allowed DONG to place a zero subsidy bid earlier this year. Still, offshore wind farms are still multi-billion dollar projects.
Costs are higher in the States since the country does not have any carbon price mechanism, unlike Europe.
While U.S. companies have made some investments in onshore wind farms and in solar, they are however waiting for, what many say, a time when they will receive government support.
"Chevron (CVX.N) supports renewables that are scalable and can compete without subsidies," said Morgan Krinklaw, a spokesman for Chevron, which owns an onshore wind farm.
As per a report penned by Lazard's analysts in December, the cost of setting up an offshore wind in the U.S. is $118 MWh, nearly twice as much as onshore wind or combined-cycle gas turbines.
When asked to comment on this figure, Statoil, which is building its first floating wind turbine park off the Scottish coast, said costs are retreating and it is working to drive them down even lower by partly redeploying existing staff.
"There's scope for us to plug into our existing oil and gas supply chain," said Stephen Bull, senior vice president of Statoil's wind business.
"We expect to see – and will help – the supply chain evolve rapidly in step with the broader industry as offshore wind takes hold in the U.S. in the coming years," said Statoil's spokeswoman Elin Isaksen and went on to add that she does not expect any of the company's offshore wind projects in the U.S. to begin construction by 2019.
"As excited as we are for offshore wind in the U.S., we are still in the early days of the industry," said DONG's North America wind power president Thomas Bostrom.
Categories: Creativity, Economy & Finance, Entrepreneurship, Geopolitics, HR & Organization, Regulations & Legal, Strategy, Sustainability


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Dinesh Nirmal is Vice President of Development for IBM Data and AI, with global responsibility for building the analytics, data and AI technology in use by enterprises from governments and international finance to startups. Dinesh leads more than a dozen IBM Development Labs around the world; major releases during his 2-year tenure include IBM Cloud Private for Data— an open, cloud-native information architecture for AI; IBM Integrated Analytics System; Machine Learning for z/OS; and IBM Watson Studio. Products in his portfolio have won major design awards including two Red Dot Awards and the iF Design Award.
As his core mission, Dinesh puts each client in a position to disrupt and innovate in a cloud and AI-powered world. To this end, he speaks and writes internationally about data estate modernization and best practices for operationalizing ML in enterprise, publishing a guest column in VentureBeat and garnering recognition from Forbes. Within his product portfolio, Dinesh recently assumed responsibility for IBM Watson Studio and AI OpenScale with NeuNetS, which makes it possible for non-expert users to create complex, deep-neural networks from scratch.
Early in his tenure, Dinesh pushed to infuse machine learning into every aspect of the IBM Data and AI portfolio, an initiative that now boasts SQL query optimization within Db2, active learning within StoredIQ, embedded ML for data integration and governance within Information Server, and a dozen additional advances.
Recognizing a market need for machine learning mastery, he launched 6 international Machine Learning Hubs to work with clients face-to-face. He also launched Inside Machine Learning to share new thinking and best practices on topics from emotional AI to augmented reality.
Dinesh continues his longstanding commitment to open source, leveraging IBM's position, with its acquisition of Red Hat, as the largest provider of open source software and containers for the enterprise in hybrid cloud, data and analytics market, to ensuring products in his portfolio are integrated with critical open source software. In particular, Dinesh insists on open source as the foundation of the data architecture: Apache Spark™, Apache Atlas™, Kubernetes, and Docker. Dinesh serves on the Board of the R Consortium and led the IBM Spark Technology Center in 2015 when IBM made a historic investment in Apache Spark.
Dinesh led an internal transformation resulting in a product team that innovates and releases at speed. He streamlined product areas, achieved organization-wide adoption of tools like Salesforce, GitHub and Slack, pivoted to continuous build and integration, and standardized multi-cloud deployment and a 100% agile development process. He implemented ML in IT operations, developed an internal dashboard to use ML to track critical customer issues and product NPS in real time, kicked off an "ML Everywhere" initiative to make sure every developer in his organization has machine learning education and training, and launched a Technical Leadership Team to develop long term vision and strategy.
Dinesh is also the Site Executive for IBM Silicon Valley Lab. Since assuming the role, he's opened a new, multi-million-dollar cafeteria; held Fireside Chats with visiting dignitaries like the Consul General of India for San Francisco and Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San Jose; led IBM's sponsorship of Save the San Francisco Bay as a Bay Hero; and broken ground on the first cricket pitch at a major Silicon Valley tech site.
Dinesh's leadership principle has always been "people first" — knowing that when you put people first, great products and customers follow. To that end, he kicked off his tenure with an international "listening tour," hosting round tables with employees at each of his labs. He also routinely meets one-on-one with new team members and publishes conversations with them in his widely-read series, You in IBM Analytics. And recognizing the need to reward and acknowledge the hard work of his team, he founded a series of wildly popular weekly awards that encourage innovation, collaboration, effort, and excellence.
Prior to his role as Vice President of Data and AI Development, Dinesh was Vice President of Smarter Process, IBM Software Group, responsible for workflow and decision software. In that capacity, he led the partnership with Apple to develop IBM's mobile initiative for workflow development and led the shift to an agile development process for the IBM Software Group.
Dinesh holds a master's degree in Computer Science and an MBA, both from SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica, NY. He lives in San Jose with his wife, formerly an engineer at Apple, and their two young sons.
Board & Advisor Roles:
R Consortium, Member of the Board of Directors
Accel.AI, Advisor
Early in 2019, we put out a call to our worldwide developer organization, asking developers to send us ideas that w… https://t.co/3Ar31OHJx0
As Program Director for @IBM Data and #AI, Priya leads with a transformation mindset, committed to reinventing the… https://t.co/8WCYacPgBP


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Dwelling Enchancment Catalyst (HELLO
Hulu has struck a brand new licensing settlement with Disney-ABC Television Group for exclusive subscription VOD rights that makes the full libraries of Boy Meets World and Residence Enchancment accessible on a streaming service for the primary time. Obfuscating Stupidity : Most viewers of Software Time believe this to be the case with Tim. They typically assume that his accidents are staged, both as a "This is what to not do," in addition to simply a part of the (intentional) comedy of the show. The final episode appears to counsel that a minimum of a few of the incidents on the show had been indeed staged for humor. Whether you wish to make residence repairs, rework, buy new appliances, set up a pool or just furnish your home, a private mortgage makes it simple to finance any house improvement.
Unwanted Present Plot : In a single episode the boys gave Jill a really giant bottle of very low cost and very pungent perfume. Utilizing Blogger is like leasing and customizing an apartment in a nice development instead of buying and owning your individual house. You're still in charge of decor, cleaning, and every part residing-wise – but you leave the development, plumbing, safety, and infrastructure to the property owner. That point is essential as a result of there's normally a direct tradeoff between comfort and control.
I'd simply had per week off climbing for my birthday quick (weblog on this can comply with) so on my first day up there with Iain I opted to high-rope it in its entirety to see if I may actually get by that prime crux. That is one thing I don't often do as of late on headpointed trad routes. I normally are inclined to mess about on the moves on a shunt and … Read More


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I think it was the editor of my book that said "Hap, you could not make your life any more random/interesting if you tried".
Sometimes I have wished it was a little less interesting, ie not breaking up in the middle of Africa while making a documentary and helping set up a bike shop. But as I said in my wedding speech, if it wasn't for living the saddest day of my life, I wouldn't have been able to live the happiest day of my life.Read more..


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The State of Colorado in the west of the United States has for several days been experiencing one of the largest torrential downpours and flash floods ever recorded by the authorities.
Officials have reported six deaths, more than 300 people missing and thousands of homes destroyed. Entire towns and villages were evacuated to emergency shelters.
The city of Boulder and other towns located along the so-called Front Range of the Rockies, north of Denver were especially hard hit as floodwaters streamed down mountainsides and spilled through canyons.
Kitty Kintzing, 65, had to leave her flat and declared "The street was like a river, and I knew it was time to go, I've never seen anything like this".
A dozen main roads in northeastern Colorado remain shut with significant damage from flooding, mudslides, rockfalls and other debris.
Even though clear skies allowed more evacuations last week, the forecast through Sunday predicted more heavy rain, making it hard to reach residents isolated on devastated roads.
Video : Massive floods in Boulder, Colorado cause road to collapse, ITN


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Shotguns ~Now Available!!
Introducing our Competition Ready
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Stoeger Single Action Shotgun!
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Competition Ready Double Trigger Stoeger Shotgun, 12 gauge
Only 1 currently available
Our custom action job will include the following:
The chambers will be honed.
The chamber opening will be radiused for easier round loading and unloading.
The shotgun will be tuned to allow for easier loading and unloading.
The thumb lever will be tuned.
The automatic safety will be dis-engaged.
Stainless steel firing pins will also be installed.
Cost: $675 either model (and $30 shipping plus any insurance if requested)
If there's something specific you're looking for, call us.
maybe we have it on hand or know where to get it.


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Thank you for contacting us! Our customer service is open during weekdays and will get back to you as soon as possible.
thank you for contacting us!
Color Obstacle Rush is the biggest run in the world that combines the fun of colour and obstacles. With 8 colour stations, 20 different obstacles and 20 music zones we are going to bring you the most memorable, fun and colourful run of your life!
Funrun Events UK Ltd - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.


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It's been nearly a month since I last updated this blog--I knew June and July would get busy, but whoa...it's been BUSY. And there's so much to tell! First, the gardens have been amazing, yielding buckets of strawberries, then raspberries, pounds of luscious sweet peas, and greens of every variety, including giant bok choi, crisp cabbages, and buttery lettuces. June was lovely: cooler, with misty mornings and green hues everywhere. We've had delicious salads every day, "put up" or stored at least 10 head of cabbage in the form of sauerkraut, frozen 12 gallon-size bags of peas, and enjoyed many pieces of strawberry rhubarb pie. What colors, and crunch, what a contrast to those last rutabagas in our winter rootcellar...
We'd planted about 20 beds of brassicas, including kale, collard greens, bok choi, tat soi, mizuna, and arugula, and cabbage. Kohlrabi, cauliflower, chard, broccoli, and broccoli raab rounded out the list. And because of the warm temperatures in May and June, all these plants flourished, growing faster than we could keep up. We began bringing baskets of produce to the food pantry, as the crops came in quicker than we could use them, and before the farmers market had begun.
In mid-June, the local farmers market began, to our relief! We had planned our crops to be ready for early June, and even the delay of two weeks meant that we were fighting to keep our bok choi and other crops from "going to seed," that is, from trying to reproduce. Almost every day, we had to go around the garden and chop off any sign of emerging seed pods. Bok choi, for example, sends out a little floret from the very center of the plant, which needs to be snipped right away, otherwise the plant grows quickly into a tower of seeds and shoots. We've spent quite a bit of time these last 6 weeks searching for any signs of flowering, scissors in hand...
And it got pretty hot as soon as the end of June rolled around. In 90+ degree heat, we grabbled new potatoes on the 4th of July, carefully feeling around underneath the plant to find the treasures buried there. Then, in the midst of a real heat wave over the last two weeks, we harvested quart after quart of dry peas, socking them away for the winter. And just Saturday, we harvested hundreds of bulbs of garlic, now sitting in the barn to finish drying out. We had, earlier in June, cut off the garlic "scapes" (curly shoots of the plant), which contain a seed pod. Doing so ensures that the plant sends its energy into growing the bulb, rather than into reproducing! The scapes are delicious, and we froze and pickled the lot of them, to enjoy their garlicky flavor for months to come.
This business of fighting fertility is a little unsettling. Just as I am focusing my good thoughts and so much energy on helping this garden grow, I am also running around making sure it doesn't grow too fast, that the plants stay productive without reproducing. I've pulled out little mountains of plants gone to seed...
And I think it touches me particularly because I'm turning 40 in just a few short months, and I'm aware that my own reproductive "season" is coming to an end. I haven't felt a biological pull toward having a child in a long time, not since I was about 20, I think. But I've been feeling it lately. The drive of life to continue, to arise again in a new form, is ubiquitous, and powerful. I sense that I am part of a much larger framework of fertility, of life striving to live. Being in the garden, seeing lifecycles up close, having my hand in the work of extending life, or not--all this has impact, and resonance. I am pulling up plants now full of seed pods, and I feel a little for them, for their thwarted fertility. I choose a few to keep, to collect their seed, to preserve them for the future. I marvel at the fact that baby girls are born with all the ovum they will ever have, that the eggs I have remaining have been with me since I was formed. I feel the life force of my ovaries, filled with eggs like little mustard seeds, with seeming infinite potential. Life, waiting to be realized. I'm so thankful that in the midst of all this--fighting the fertility of the garden, and feeling my own biological pull--my sister has just given birth to a baby girl, Isabel, who I'll be able to shower with love in the years to come. Fertility and life wins, in the end...
How fitting then, that last night, I came across a wonderful poem--thanks to a great blog called "Our Local Life: What We Need Is Here." The first few lines especially caught my attention, given that I was musing about fertility, seeds, and buds. The poem is entitled "St Francis and the Sow," and it is written by Galway Kinnell, an American poet from Providence, RI. I will definitely be looking for more of his work...
The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as Saint Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the sheer blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow.
In this season, I feel called to appreciate the potency of the bud, to recognize the flowering within, and to appreciate the "thingness of things," the intrinsic essence of life in whatever form it takes.


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Harajukubox is having a clothing fair. I went and found this very adorable neko dress. Then, probably because I'm cramping like mad, my inner rebellious beast emerged and decided that it's actually an inu dress. (If it's nekos you're wanting today, might I suggest reading this awesome post?)
Yesterday I played Garage Band for the first time. I was the singer, as befits my diva personality, and my first choice of song had to be Bon Jovi. That's right, I belted out Wanted Dead or Alive and got a 90% ! I think that this is because I clocked five formative years in Jersey, ya know? It's part of the Jersey Girl test: Can you sing Bon Jovi word-for-word? and Did you own a pair of chartreuse acid wash jeans? Yes to both. Not only that, but my hair could be sprayed about six inches off my forehead. I can't wait until fashion turns and this is back in style -- instead of straight ironing, everyone's going to start ratting it up again.
Ah, this patch of nostalgia brought to you by X Box. Back in Second Life, my avatar spent much of yesterday either fishing or being at a fashion show (the show was for Slink, and it was lovely). You know, it would be fun if one could do both at once ! A fishin' fashi'n show -- "Come in your best 7seas hat." (*grin* -- I'm joking, honest.)
***Shoes: :69: AntiqueBoots - Black - with additional Neko parts
***Tattoos: MiaSnow *mia* star design multi on leg and torso
***Skin: MiaSnow *mia* Dalmation dame skin 1 with additional ears
***Hair: -Hiccup long mess in black
***Random mouth choco strawberry thing from Harajukubox clothing fair
***Outfit: *No Mercy* Perkly, comes with cute teddy to hold. Harajukubox clothing fair
***Collar: Lazy Places Love Ach Collar


text: It's a Horatio Alger kind of story, if you haven't come across it. In fact it could even be compared to Cinderella. A fallen radio announcer gets discovered panhandling and his voice goes viral on the internet. Within 24 hours he has a slew of dream-job offers. But he also seems like a really beautiful human being - humble, spiritual, and profoundly grateful for this blessing. Check it out.


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Finally, Part 2! I've got my popcorn and I'm ready to learn more about ERISA.
And we're back! I know you've been waiting with bated breath to hear about Part 2, and I really appreciate your patience. When we left off, Joe's Jetta had smashed you into a guardrail, you opened a personal injury claim, and then discovered that your employee health plan, which is presumably governed by ERISA, might be able to recover the entire amount of any settlement or judgment that you might receive.
That's scary, I know. But keep reading. There are measures you can take to ensure that the Plan doesn't get more than it's entitled to. The idea is that the Plan is properly entitled to the money that the Plan spent for your medical treatment, but it isn't entitled to the money that you spent on co-pays, gas, foregone wages, and the like. You should approach your claim with this objective in mind. So what can you do to make sure that the right parties get the right amounts?
Let's do it. What are the steps?
1. Check for self-funding. It's crucial to start by checking to see whether the Plan is self-funded or insured. Self-funded plans are those in which the Plan is funded entirely by the employer, and then pays employees' medical expenses out of the Plan itself. Insured plans pay money to an insurance company, which in turn pays its own money for the Plan participants' medical expenses. If the Plan is self-funded, then federal law (ERISA) preempts North Carolina law and the Plan is allowed to recoup all of its expenses, to the exclusion of other carriers, medical providers, attorneys, and even the Plan participant/beneficiary. On the other hand, if the Plan is insured, then North Carolina law controls. North Carolina happens to have a strict "anti-subrogation" law that prohibits insurance carriers from asserting a right of recovery against an insured's settlement or judgment. That means that if the Plan is insured, it has no right (in North Carolina) to claim any part of your recovery.
There are a couple places you can look to figure out whether the Plan is self-funded or insured. First, go to www.freeerisa.com and use the search bar to pull up your employer's Form 5500. Go down to line items 9a and 9b, showing the plan funding arrangement and plan benefit arrangement, respectively. Both line items will list four options; (1) Insurance, (2) Section 412(e)(3), (3) Trust, and (4) General assets of the sponsor. If both line items have options 3 and/or 4 checked, then the Plan is self-funded and it can assert a right of recovery against your claim. If not, then take a look at Schedules A or C, which should be attached to the Form 5500. Find the Schedule A form for the health plan itself (sometimes there will be dental or vision plans that also have a Schedule A). Part 1(a) should name an insurance company. Part III(8) has a box 8(a), in which only the "Health" option should be marked. If there are any other boxes marked under box 8(a), then the Plan is insured and they can't touch your recovery. Note that the "Stop Loss" box may have separate ramifications. Stop-loss insurance is likely the topic that the judiciary will tackle next, and I'll cover that issue on this blog in the near future. If there isn't a Schedule A, then check Schedule C and look for language that would pertain to the involvement of an insurance company.
The Form 5500 and its attendant schedules will typically answer the question of whether the Plan is self-funded or insured. But if they don't, you can find out by looking at a bevy of other documents. These include the Summary Plan Description (SPD), the Plan itself, the most recent Summary Annual Report, the most recent Terminal Report, the Bargaining Agreement, and the Trust Agreement. You can normally get these documents from the Plan Administrator. If you don't know who that is, talk to your Human Resources Department; they should be able to point you in the right direction.
2. Equitable defenses. If you haven't noticed already, we're getting into more lawyerly territory than I normally do on this blog. If you feel like you're out of your depth, you absolutely need to go talk to an experienced personal injury attorney. Seriously. You don't get a second chance if you screw this up. With that being said, even if the Plan is unequivocally self-funded, there are still arguments that you can make for reducing the Plan's right of recovery.
For instance, you can look at the Plan language and make an argument that it doesn't expressly authorize the Plan to seek recovery against a third-party settlement or judgment. Though this is rare, you should review the language to make sure. In addition, you could make an argument that the Plan is only permitted to recover from funds that are designated as recompense for medical expenses. In theory, this would preclude the Plan from recovering the other funds that reflect your pain and suffering, out-of-pocket expenses, and so on.
3. Reductions. Look through the medical records and expenses that the Plan is claiming were related to the accident. If the Plan is claiming unrelated expenses, let them know which expenses aren't related. If you can convince the Plan that this is the case, it will reduce the amount of recovery that the Plan can pursue.
4. Good old-fashioned arguing. Employee health plans, by and large, are interested in getting their money back. But if they're trying to claim your entire recovery amount, then what's the point of your pursuing the claim in the first place? If you decide to drop the whole thing, the Plan will take nothing. Let them know that they can agree to only take part of the recovery, or you'll walk. This argument can be availing where the facts aren't on your side.
This sounds like a whole thing.
I want to reiterate strongly that both ERISA and the employee health plans that it governs are extremely complicated. Moreover, there are a steady stream of court decisions that constantly change the ERISA landscape. If you don't feel a thousand percent confident in your abilities, stop reading now and go talk to a personal injury lawyer. That said, you do have options for trying to minimize or even eliminate your Plan's right to recovery under ERISA. Just because your medical expenses were covered by the Plan doesn't mean that you're completely out of luck.


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Silicon Valley's VC Casting Couches
"Everyone has heard of Hollywood's infamous casting couches. Recently, it seems like they are springing up in the Silicon Valley."
The Floodgates Are Opening
Over the last couple of months, there has been a slew of revelations about alleged sexual harassment claims from Silicon Valley companies, like Uber, forcing the unexpected resignation of its CEO, Travis Kalanick. Interestingly, multiple sources have cited that top venture capital firms who were invested in Uber demanded Kalanick resign.
This is slightly ironic, because, in the same time frame, there were Silicon Valley VC firms getting blasted by female entrepreneurs for alleged sexual harassment and misconduct while seeking to fund their businesses. Just last week, over two dozen women in the tech industry working with Silicon Valley VCs have gone public with their allegations in a New York Times article (June 30, 2017), "Women in Tech Speak Frankly on Culture of Harassment."
One female entrepreneur spoke of being propositioned by a Silicon Valley venture capitalist while seeking a job with him. Another showed the increasingly suggestive messages she had received from a startup investor. One CEO described the multitude of sexist comments she received from an investor while raising money for her online community.
High-Level Fallout
Ten of these women identified specific investors and VC firms and were able to corroborate their collective stories with emails and text messages. Chris Sacca of Lowercase Capital and Dave McClure of 500 Startups are two of the alleged perpetrators. Chris Sacca published an apology letter and Dave McClure stepped down from his leadership role.
Learn more about Syntrio's Preventing Harassment Training.
These women came forward not long after The Information broke the story on Justin Caldbeck's co-founder of Binary VC firm and multiple allegations (six in total) of sexual harassment from women seeking investments in their entrepreneurial startups. Major investors behind Binary Capital were leaning towards not funding a $175M second investment. Justin Caldbeck has resigned from the company. Interestingly, he had been accused of sexual harassment in two other VC firms where he worked.
Unanswered Questions
What drives this behavior? Why does this predatory behavior continue to happen and flourish? What allegations will come to light next? While we may never be able to answer all of these questions, one would have to believe there is some level of cultural acceptance of the behavior. On the bright side, this spinning flywheel of stories of being shared might be the catalyst necessary to drive some true change in the VC community.
For a couple of years now a group of 30 venture capitalists have been drafting a code of conduct for members of the industry that will set clear standards for unacceptable behavior, such as sexual harassment of founders, and will outline penalties for violators. Part of the code includes a retaliation-free reporting channel for women who experience sexual harassment. This group plans to present the proposed code of conduct to the National Venture Capital Association (www.nvca.org) by September 30, 2017. The code also recommends creating a list of "bad actors" and "good actors," based on their treatment of women and minorities.
Separately, the Caldbeck revelations have prompted at least two VC firms, including Upfront Ventures, to extend their internal sexual harassment policies to include relationships between VCs and founders. Two other firms, IVP and Foundation Capital, say they're considering doing so. Sexual harassment laws apply to the traditional employer-employee relationships but not to startup founders raising money from VCs. According to The Information, of roughly a dozen VCs contacted last week, just two said their company guidelines prohibit sexual harassment between VCs and founders as well as between employees.
It seems shocking that this can be the case, but it does help explain how some of these alleged transgressions could have occurred.
These revelations of alleged sexual harassment and the work to establish a code of conduct for VCs could be the impetus for true change in that industry, especially if the NVCA can support, market, and reinforce this code through its association.
Do you have questions about your current anti-harassment or code of conduct training program? Contact us and we can work with you to make recommendations to augment and/or improve your current offering.
Syntrio is a leader in both the ethics and compliance field, as well as human resources and employment law, and is prepared to help your company implement a compliance program aimed at reducing the potential impact of compliance violations within the organization. Syntrio takes an innovative philosophy towards compliance program design and strives to engineer engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking content. Contact www.syntrio.com for more information about our ethics and code of conduct online courses and remember to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn for daily updates on employment law and compliance that impact your company!
Written by Darin Hartley, M.Ed., CPLP Fellow, Director of Marketing, Syntrio
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text:
Learn how to dominate your market with a website that drives more traffic and converts more sales.Download
11th of January 2007
Tags: Uncategorised
We are a unique web design company based in Hereford, England. We custom build and develop websites for a broad range of industries. To visit our portfolio go to www.voodoochilli.com
I really enjoy reading you blog and when I saw this blog post the other day I thought you might like it.
I thought you might think it was funny, given you have a web design blog. Keep up the great posts.
We are Voodoochilli Design Ltd - the place to go for Hereford web design
We have been designing and building websites for over 10 years and have worked with a wide range of businesses from start-ups to multi-billion pound internationals and everything in between.
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text:
Help Michael Jennings, a journalist for the crime page of the City Time, investigate a convoluted case and catch a crook in Journalistic Stories. The beautiful Gloria Witkinson, a rising star in the cabaret world, had been killed, but the police are claiming it was a suicide. Now it's up to Michael to explore a love triangle, a mysterious double life, and discover the identity of the killer in this dark Hidden Object game.
- Immersive atmosphere
- Detailed backgrounds
- Help Michael crack the case!s
Game Information & System RequirementOS: Windows XP/Vista
Size: 104.5MB
DirectX: 8.0
CPU: 800 Mhz
Release Date: Tue, 2010-07-20
This game is also available for Mac