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Happy New Year Quest Scouts!
January 1st is always a time for fresh starts and new beginnings, and at Quest Scouts Central the new year is especially significant. Last year, we introduced Quest Scouts to the world in a small way. We offered two special quests, 31 Micro Quests & Mission: Kickstart.
With the confidence of two successful quests under our belt (Mission: Kickstart has expired, and 31 Micro Quests expires February 1st,) we are moving into the new year with our official launch! What does this mean? First, it means MORE QUESTS! Quest Scouts will plans to bring you twelve 2015 monthly quests and four special quests.
Announcing our 2015 Quests!
2015 Monthly Quests
All That Came Before (Now Active!)
Epic Proportions
Cardboard Adventure
Prism & Light
Park Explorer
Kingdom Plantae
Such Great Heights
Brush Strokes
On The Menu
Paper & Ink
2015 Special Quests
Personal Quest
Postcards & Places
Micro Quest BINGO
We're excited to reveal these quests over the next year, and hope that you will join us! As always, participating in Quest Scouts is free. However, signing up for a membership (starting at $4.99) will help us to continue making Quest Scouts awesome. Members get a Scout Pack delivered to their door each month*, access to a monthly 50 point micro quest, and printer friendly quest cards.
*Scout Packs delivered to "Scout Pack" and "Scout Pack+" members only.
Badge Books
As many of you know, we ran a successful Kickstarter to raise funds to print our badge books! Our graphic designer is finishing up the details of the books now, and we're on track to deliver them in February. The badge books will have a spot for every 2015 badge, as well as our two 2014 quests. Use one side of the book to record your points and other notes, and the other side to place your badge. If you missed your chance, don't worry. You can currently pre-order a book while signing up for a membership.
That's all for now! If you haven't yet, don't forget to check out All That Came Before, our history themed quest.

subset: commoncrawl


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Harrogate Convention Centre
Multi-national, multi-stakeholder, multi-purpose - how we built a global events hub
Project team
Services provided
Project overview
Harrogate Convention Centre has been hosting events since 1835. Their series of venues and event spaces are world-renowned and attract shows, exhibitions, fairs and performances of all types. When the team at Harrogate Convention Centre asked us to create something that worked for all their visitors and various stakeholders, we jumped at the chance.Visit Website
"Once again you have exceeded my already high expectations."
More than a 'what's on' guide… upgrading the user experience
The existing site was dated; insights showed it was mainly used as a 'what's on' guide, rather than as a tool geared towards selling these world-class venues to the organisers of major events.
Nothing is ever accidental. Every facet of the site was carefully considered to meet the client aims
Leaders in global events - in the spotlight
We needed to revamp the experience to better sell the venue to events organisers, bring the heritage of the event spaces to the fore as well as improve the website's platform for efficient day-to-day management.
The site needed to move away from being a 'calendar' site, having also fallen out of step with its hometown. With Harrogate attracting many vibrant new restaurants and bars - both indies and chains - the centre needed to reflect its own vital role in boosting the local economy through a diverse schedule of events.
Bringing to life the fun, vibrant and welcoming personality of the Convention Centre
Nothing is ever accidental. Every facet of the site was carefully considered to meet the client aims which, to this end, meant marrying the old and the new and, of course, boosting sales.
The Royal Hall went on to offer many of the subtle design elements that feature throughout the site and on inspection, you'll see touches like the 'pointing finger' ahead of section headers, inspired by the old fashioned signage still visible inside the venue today.
The hottest ticket in town
We provided the team at Harrogate Convention Centre with the elements they needed to manage the wealth of information the site requires. The process for creating and editing content is much easier; this has freed up extra time to allow the team to concentrate on event bookings.
We redefined the user experience through a completely reorganised sitemap, making it easier for visitors to the site to access the most relevant information for them, simply and effectively.


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Holiday House Noordzeepark Zeewind 2
up to 6 guests
4 rooms
3 bedrooms
1 Bathroom(s)
Distance to centre 2 km
Proximity to public transport 35 m
Proximity to golf course 4 km
Distance to sea 1 km
Pets allowed
Swimming Pool
Non smoking
Accommodation alert
"Vissershuisje nr.178", 4-room house. Comfortable furnishings: small entrance hall with separate WC. 1 double bedroom with 1 double bed (2 x 80 cm, length 200 cm). Living/dining room with satellite TV (flat screen), electric heating and wood-burning stove. Exit to the garden. Open kitchen (oven, dishwasher, 4 ceramic glass hob hotplates, microwave, electric coffee machine) with dining table. Bath/shower/WC. Upper floor: with sloping ceilings, 1 room with 1 double bed (1 x 160 cm, length 200 cm). 1 room with 2 beds (90 cm, length 200 cm). Large garden 200 m2. Terrace furniture, box-room. Facilities: iron, children's high chair, baby cot for up to 2 year olds. Reserved parking space n 178 (1 car). Please note: non-smoking house. Maximum 1 pet/ dog allowed.House/Residence
Child friendly holiday development "Noordzeepark Zeewind 2". Outside the resort, 2 km from the centre of Bredene, 1 km from the sea, 1 km from the beach. For shared use: property, swimming pool (15.06.-15.09.). Tennis, basketball, boccia, volleyball, children's playground. Private: large garden (fenced). In the complex: reception. Supermarket 1.5 km, restaurant 400 m, bus stop 35 m, railway station "Brugge" 22 km, indoor swimming pool 3 km. Golf course 4 km, tennis 3 km, riding stable 3 km, sports centre 3 km. Nearby attractions: Markt(dinsdagmorgen) 3.1 km, Sea Life Blankenberge 15 km, Boudewijnpark 25 km, Knokke-Heist 27 km, Plopsaland De Panne 47 km, Gent 61 km. Hiking paths: Strand Bredene 300 m, Oostende 6.5 km, Maria Hendrikpark 6.8 km.
Prior to your departure, you will receive the key collection information for your stay, along with your travel documents.
Show all apartments in this house/residence
Location DescriptionGeneral info
Town, directly by the sea, 32 km from Brugge. In the resort: supermarket, grocery, bakery, post office, bank, restaurant, casino, museum, cinema. Indoor aquatic centre, fitness centre.Summer
Many sporting and leisure activities during the months of July and August. Volleyball, basketball, badminton, squash, golf, several mini-golf courses, boules, table tennis, bowling. Walking and jogging in the Marie-Henriette park or on the sandy beach, archery, horse riding: several stables, canoeing, sailing, water skiing. 2 swimming pools, one with filtered sea water and heated. Sandy beach, 4 km long. Surfing, sailing school. Minigolf. Riding.
You can see the location of your accommodation here.
Check availability and book
Click on your desired arrival date in the calendar and select the duration of your stay using the drop down menu. It takes less than two minutes to make your reservation online.
Select arrival date Select departure date
Cost overview
Customer reviews - Holiday House Noordzeepark Zeewind 2
- Excellent
- Overall rating 5.0/5
- Overall condition of the property
- Cleanliness overall
- On-site customer service / friendliness
overall result based on 1 reviews
additional costs (if required)


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Air Canada is having a sale on flights to Vancouver. Pre-purchase menu: For longer flights, fresh meals objects like sandwiches, wraps and deli alternatives can be pre-purchased for additional peace of thoughts. Service unavailable right now. Please ask your account proprietor in case of any clarifications. Avail great offers, exclusive deals for loyal clients and get instantaneous updates in your flight status and fare drops.
Plus, we'll even assist you to buy a direct flight, so you can get the place you're going with none prolonged layovers. Choose a 'Return Date' or choose A METHOD journey kind. Generally it is as simple as dropping the final digit off a fare (as when American posted a First Class roundtrip fare between Southern California (Orange County) and Cincinnati for $200 as an alternative of $2,000).
You book it, you get them instantly. Do you have to discover a lower cost provided by a competitor, we will beat it. Restrictions and conditions apply. Your e-mail deal with, if used to correspond with Web Air Fares, shouldn't be disclosed to some other industrial curiosity below any circumstances.
By buying in bulk we're able to offer specifically negotiated, deeply discounted airline tickets as much as 70{47be6d2c1d2fad244af4d517af91d0dc96bccbc160f1b6753d24a99ad6c11b95} off. Discover the golden land of South East Asia from SGD102 with Myanmar Airways Worldwide. Occasionally, a fare comes out that is decrease than the one provided to you.
This Promo Code might not be used or combined with another coupons, promotions or particular affords. KAYAK is a part of The Priceline Group, the world chief in online travel & associated providers. All you want are flights to Philadelphia and a fork. With four hundred airways to search by way of, Travelocity will discover you the very best airfare to get right to the center of the matter.


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Is your bundle of joy also a bundle of energy? If so, Gymnastics at The Jones Center may be just the thing for your family.
For only $25, your child gets a month's worth of instruction from a certified gymnastics instructor. We offer two separate levels of instruction:
Preschool Gymnastics
This level is for children who are between the ages of three and five and are ready to participate without a parent. The program places an emphasis on coordination skills and basic progression skills on each of the four main events - beam, bars, vault and floor. It also helps participants develop listening skills, turn taking skills, instructional discipline and social discipline.
Level 1 - Beginner
Two beginner sessions will be offered, one for children between the ages and five and seven and one for children who are eight or older. This program will help participants to develop more advanced coordination skills as they focus on form, progression and instructional discipline.
Class Schedule
Wednesday - 6:30 p - 7:15 p - Beginner ages 5-7
7:30 p - 8:15 p - Beginner ages 8 and up
Saturday - 10:45 a - 11:30 a - Preschool ages 3-5
Ready to register?
Call to Michael Kirk, Director of Recreation email email@example.com or call 479.756.8090 | ext. 2243


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- Home
- About Us
- Facts & Info
- Councilor Accountability
- News
- What You Can Do
- Links
- Contact Us
Did Flaherty Purposefully Keep Other City Councilors in the Dark?
Here's the discussion we had with him on MassLive:
SWS to DF: "CC Crean says you never even considered the litigation problem with unions"
You think think that's responsible? You think it's good to spend more money defending a lawsuit than money you save?
Bush league, Mr. Flaherty. Bush league.
DF to SWS: "Yes, I'd rather spend money defending cuts"
Yes, I think it makes perfect sense to spend tens of thousands of dollars to protect hundreds of thousands or millions of taxpayer dollars.
Caving to union lawsuit threats are the wimpy way out.
The contracts typically contain "dependent upon appropriation" language, and several Appeal and Supreme Judicial court decisions have upheld the concept that the legislative branch of governments in Massachusetts controls the spending of money.
Here are a few cases for you to review:
ALLIANCE, AFSCME/SEIU, AFL-CIO v. SECRETARY OF ADMINISTRATION, 413 Mass. 377; 597 N.E.2d 1012; 1992 Mass. LEXIS 447
[More are cases listed here. Remove for clarity because they are not pertinent to our point]
SWF to DF: "You didn't even *consider* the possibility of lawsuits"
The potential for lawsuits wasn't even *discussed*, Dave, by you or other other finance committee members. Because you were *clueless.*
And if you *did* know that you opened the city opened up to lawsuits, then that means you *purposefully* withheld that information from the other city councilors.
Very, very bush league and dangerous, I might add.


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Toni Hartman
My Favorite Hat
With her Chef's hat in tow, Toni is able to handle the heat of the kitchen and fast paced environment of event management. She is able to position the right ingredients to create a finished project that clients will want to sink their teeth into.
Wordsmith with a quick-witted ability to spark a smile. Avid hiker. Dog-mom. Enthusiastically passionate to understand the needs of others.
Toni joins the Dunleavy team after numerous nonprofit internships and a stint in AmeriCorps. She brings our clients a passion for their cause and the work ethic to get the job done. With a background in research and writing, Toni has a strong ability to convey clients' needs to donors and beyond. Her eagerness to learn from all experiences makes her a fast study with the ability to pick up new skills swiftly.
Toni received her BA in Political Science from Temple University. She currently lives in the Philadelphia suburbs and enjoys spending time outdoors with friends and family.
Toni can be reached here.


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Join us at one of our many events in your area or on the road!
We are excited to offer many Control-M Seminars and BMC Exchanges in different countries around the world. Spend the day with us to learn how your IT Ops, Developers, and DevOps Engineers can deliver applications and new services with the agility your enterprise demands—to drive successful outcomes for your digital business.
Explore the latest Control-M features to:


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Going to Prague in the winter,
is never a good idea.
You certainly freeze your butt off,
but Olga loves it there!
Allow me to introduce Olga,
The furry friend on my head.
I bought her at market in Edinburgh,
But we think she's a Czech instead!
I'm so glad I wore Olga in Prague,
she helped keep my top knot happy
But Mulled wine helps a good deal,
both keep my brain going batty!
She saw a good deal of Prague,
We stood on the buzzing Charles Bridge.
One of many crossing the river,
known as Vltava - a wonderful image!
We travelled a lot on the trams,
rattling from point A to point B,
Get on, get off, get lost (we did!),
Many wonders and places to see.
The Castle is hundreds of steps high,
Olga managed, no problem at all.
Starbucks is at the top, you know -
A magnificent view to enthral.
We wandered around the streets up there,
Mostly cobbled, as many roads are,
And beautiful buildings everywhere,
Then back downhill to town - not far.
Charles Bridge is pedestrians only,
Artists and musicians do their thing,
Souvenirs are sold in their hundreds,
Including much jewellery and bling.
You can buy Chimney cake here,
sweet pastry spirals baked over fire.
Filled with yummy jam or cream and fruit.9
So fattening - too many could be dire!
We took Olga to the bridge after dark,
Still buzzing, it all happens at night,Eiffel
So beautiful with the lights all shining
It's worth the walk for such a sight!
Many buildings are Art Nouveau style,
One of my favourite kinds.
There's often artwork on the waĺls,
Almost dressed up to the nines.
Wenceslas Square (which is just a road),
Is famous for Art Nouveau styles,
Lots of curling iron beautiful art,
We stayed and passed a while.
On our last night we climbed a tower,
It's almost a copy of Eiffel,
Olga adored the amazing view,
climbing zillions of steps was a trifle!
Finally on a normal road,
No tourists or some such,
We found a cafe the locals use,
And ate a super lunch.
We'd reached the end of our trip,
Which really had been great.
Olga had enjoyed it so much,
For her next trip she just can't wait!


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Evolution of the Lone Wolf : A Conversation with Genesis Iver
This past Easter Break was filled with restless nights, strenuous networking, and time to enjoy family related activities. Aside from celebrating the day of resurrection, we had a chance to speak to Genesis Iver, one of Houston's unique and valuable asset to the future. The rapper/singer has crafted a sound that evokes honesty and vulnerability with good vibrations. Between the rhythm of his music and the subject he delivers, living in the middle lies a distinction of his personal artistry.
Hailing from the famous northside neighborhood, Homestead, Genesis opened up about his upbringing, being a huge fan of James Blake, his upcoming project "Wolves" and more. This hour interview allows listeners to dive into the "Book of Genesis" and explore what this talented artist has in store for years to come.
Listen here.


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Proceedings of a Special Conference on Education and the Exceptional Child, November, 1949, Child Research Clinic of the Woods School. Reprint sent free on request to Charlotte E. Grave, Ph.D., Director. Pp. 64. Child Research Clinic, The Woods Schools, Langhorne, Pa.
This article is only available in the PDF format. Download the PDF to view the article, as well as its associated figures and tables.
These proceedings deal with a variety of subjects concerning the exceptional child.
One paper is entitled "Financial Provision for Public or Private Care of the Exceptional Child." This reviewer is unaware of the existence of any other paper dealing with this important subject. The problem of financing the care and education of the exceptional child is, to put it mildly, a serious one and is today complicated by rulings of the Commission of Internal Revenue. This involves consideration of income tax, trusteeships, gift taxes, endowments, annuities, medical deductions and so on. The facts presented should be of inestimable value to the parent of the exceptional child and to the school providing care for the child.
Other papers deal with the sociologic, psychiatric, medical (organic), psychological and educational problems of the exceptional child. An excellent discussion entitled "A Realistic Approach to the Exceptional Child" deals with the dignity of the "limited"
Some Contemporary Thinking About the Exceptional Child. AMA Am J Dis Child. 1951;82(2):256–257. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1951.02040040269018
© 2019
Customize your JAMA Network experience by selecting one or more topics from the list below.
Create a personal account or sign in to:


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The elements of this Architecture specific to multiprocessors consist of six processor classes. The classes are called modes and are KERNEL, EXECUTING, IDLE, INTERRUPTING, STOPPED and DEAD.
KERNEL mode is comprised of the basic interrupt handling and dispatching code of the MCP. It is entered whenever a processor in the INTERRUPTING mode obtains a hardware maintained lock which assures that there is at most one processor in KERNEL mode at any time. The only other transition into KERNEL mode occurs when a completely stopped system is bootstrapped by the Maintenance Processor. It must set the KERNEL MODE ACCESS LOCK to owned and set a single processor into KERNEL mode from STOPPED mode.
EXECUTING mode is entered from KERNEL mode upon execution of the Branch Reinstate Virtual instruction. Within EXECUTING mode the processor may freely make transitions between Privileged and User contexts. The difference between these two contexts is the setting of the Privileged Enable toggle. Except as initiated by the Maintenance Processor, the only transitions out of EXECUTING mode are into IDLE mode when an Idle instruction is executed, or into INTERRUPTING mode whenever the processor responds to an interrupt.
The IDLE mode is characterized by the processor doing nothing except waiting for interrupts. When the processor responds to an interrupt, it enters INTERRUPTING mode.
The INTERRUPTING mode is entered from EXECUTING mode or from IDLE mode when a processor responds to an interrupt, or from STOPPED mode when the processor responds to the Start Selected Processors variant of the Interprocessor Communicate instruction. The INTERRUPTING mode is a transitional mode between other modes and KERNEL mode. It is characterized by an attempt to obtain the KERNEL MODE ACCESS LOCK, which results in obtaining exclusive access to KERNEL mode (if the lock was obtained), or waiting to again attempt to acquire the lock.
The STOPPED mode is entered from KERNEL mode through execution of the Stop This Processor variant of the Interprocessor Communicate instruction; it is the initial mode of all processors when the system is being bootstrapped by the Maintenance processor. The only transitions out of STOPPED mode occur into INTERRUPTING mode as a response to the execution of a Start Selected Processors variant of the Interprocessor Communicate instruction or into DEAD mode through Maintenance processor intervention, or into KERNEL mode (for one and only one processor) at the instigation of the Maintenance processor.
The DEAD mode is characterized by a processor having no affect on the system; it is under control of the Maintenance Processor. It can be returned to the system by the MP returning it to the STOPPED mode. MCP intervention is required to cause it to move from the STOPPED mode back into the normal complement of the system, through the Interprocessor Communicate instruction.


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by Hannah Hungerford
Facebook is outdated, useless, and just plain stupid nowadays. With Twitter,Instagram, and Snapchat, the use for the website in general has started to become obsolete. It's practically impossible to get rid of your Facebook account, as deactivating is essentially a 13 step process that forces you to rethink your life decisions.
Not only does Facebook advertise to you every other website and every product you have ever looked at, but it also leaves you more annoyed than you started.
Besides the endless annoying posts from your long lost relatives, bigoted high school friends, and minion memes, hoax posts are now clogging up everyone's timelines.
The revival of the "Facebook privacy statement" from 2011 started again last week with the posting of:
"I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to Facebook [that] it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308-1 1-308-103 and the Rome Statute). Note: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, it will be tactically [sic] allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates. DO NOT SHARE, you must copy and paste."
Does no one on Facebook understand that this is fake?
It's literally the same as those chain letters that everyone used to send when they were 11 and had a flip phone, and the messages would be so large that they would send in 7 parts. Even before chain texts became a popular form of communication, chain emails existed and ruined all of our lives. A person living in 2009 couldn't go a day without receiving an email along the lines of "if you don't send this to 10 people by midnight, a ghost will attack you in your sleep."
We all lived through this era, which is part of the reason it is so shocking that everyone, absolutely everyone, is falling for this ridiculous hoax.
There is no one who isn't on Facebook: your grandmother, your parents, your professors, and your 8 year old niece all have accounts. Who wants to live in a world where everything you post can be judged by your 5th grade teacher, and your school? Not me.
People are now writing parody posts of the "Facebook Privacy Statements" which, while meant to make light of the situation as a whole, are just as ridiculous and equally as annoying as the original post.
It's all of these things, especially the viral privacy statement reposts, that have lead me to my decision of deleting my Facebook once and for all, and freeing myself of this awful website. (I desperately want to, but I won't, as stalking my friend's profile pictures is one of my favorite past times.)
Hannah Hungerford is a Staff Writer for The Nine Ways of Knowing.
Images courtesy of Forbes.com and Hannah Hungerford.


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text: Ticking the fells off….literally Welcome A warm welcome to all of you who have subscribed to this new website, I hope that you are enjoying the almost daily updates. More importantly, thank you to those who have kindly donated to keep the website advertising and sponsor free. Hopefully you will have noticed that I… Continue reading


text:
Whilst in Mt. Hagen take time to see the local attractions, there is something for everyone, whether you're feeling adventurous or interested in absorbing some of the impressive culture and customs. Every year Mt. Hagen is host to the largest cultural event in Papua New Guinea, the Mount Hagen Cultural Show, one of the largest tourist attractions of the country.
Some popular sites include:
Sightseeing tours are all available and conducted by the most reputable tour operators, our reception staff will be pleased to advise you on the various day tours available with Trans Niugini Tours.
The Highlander Hotel is located at the top end of Mt Hagen town. Surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens, this hotel offers modern accommodation with each room.


text:
eQuick ePearl Lambswool Anatomical Dressage Girth
ePearl Dressage girth
With an anatomical shape our ePear let your horse move in the best possible way. Tpu shell with premium leather aspect, easy to handle, easy to use and extremely durable. Quality Lamb Wool inside for an extra soft experience.
**While we do our best to keep the website up to date, there will be times where some products and services listed are not available. If your order can not be filled we will inform you ASAP, we will offer you an option to back order the item, an alternative item or a refund. Products are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time, including after you have placed your order. Please note this Website is NOT Stock Controlled.**


text:
MTA's monthly meeting will be held on Friday, December 15th at 8:00 a.m. at the Tourism Office, 200 S. First Street. We would love to have you join us!
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: December 11Hot Chocolate Bar at The Villas of Holly Brook
Later Event: December 16Christmas Pop-Up Shop at Sucre'


text:
On Tuesday night, I had the privilege to participate in an interesting panel discussion on Data Driven Growth hosted by TechCXO and sponsored by Riverside Acceleration Capital. It was held at the AWS Loft,…Read More
This is a good article published recently by David Raths in Healthcare Informatics featuring an interview with Mutaz Shegewi, research director for healthcare provider IT transformation strategies at IDC Health… Read More
Patient Experience and Engagement the Most Critical Issue for Both the Bottom Line and Successful OutcomesTwo recent articles in HealthTech put a nice book end on all the coverage in… Read More
Giving Tuesday (November 27th) is a global day of giving – it reminds us to get in the holiday spirit by helping out family, friends, colleagues and communities. Connexient co-founders Mark…Read More
Today, Connexient marked a major milestone in our evolution by joining the Epic App Orchard to drive innovation and transformation in Patient Experience together with our forward leaning clients. Connexient…Read More
Last week saw the launch of MediNav at the National Institutes of Health as NIHCC Take Me There. This was, of course, an exciting milestone for Connexient in many ways, and there were many things that were unique and significant in our product evolution. But these are the ones that stand out.
Size really does matter! The NIH Clinical Center has some three and a half million square feet under one roof, in which we mapped over 6,000 rooms and deployed over 950 beacons. We learned a lot and developed many new tools and techniques to deliver reliable, robust facility wide navigation at this scale.
And that is a good thing since we now have multiple deployments in process that are even larger!
The NIH also represents our first launch of the new MediNav Web Version. This is an incredibly important part of the overall solution, enabling users to pre-plan a visit before they leave. It also helps to drive awareness and adoption of the mobile app with our Send to Phone and Print features.
We will have a lot more to say and show about the Web version in next week's blog.
The NIH spans 322 acres and has over 70 buildings. For visitors to the NIH Clinical Center, getting into and across this campus is a very big wayfinding challenge in itself. Connexient built custom map layers with our Google Maps for Work partnership to support intelligent routing for patients and visitors to the right gate and then on to the correct parking lot.
We also added a Shuttle Van Tracker that lets users see exactly where their shuttle van is and when it is arriving to the closest stop.
And next month we will add even more:
We were also able to develop and refine important new features that push us forward in delivering true turn-by-turn navigation.
And we are still learning and evolving. Stay tuned as we release new features later this summer!
For the 40,000 plus people that work at the NIH, navigating the campus and Clinical Center is not an abstract problem. It brings challenges on a daily basis that have a direct impact on productivity. That's why all 40,000 staff members are in the NIHCC Take Me There application, and all 6,000 rooms are navigation-enabled.
But we also added a new feature for Facility Management that we think will be a hit with all of our clients: a location-smart issue reporter. In a building the size of the NIH Clinical Center, there is a lot of maintenance required. But knowing where there are issues and then directing housekeeping or maintenance staff to get there can be daunting.
With MediNav, the NIHCC can now crowd-source issue reporting. Any staff member can quickly submit an issue ticket with a couple of taps , attach a photo and comments, and have that sent to the housekeeping and maintenance staff with an exact map of its location.
These first operational use cases are a great example of something we have always believed and now are seeing come to reality not just at the NIH but across all of our clients: Patient Experience is just the starting point. Once rich indoor maps, navigation and location-based services are deployed in a large, complex facility, they will, over time, be applied to address many other use cases that drive compelling value and ROI. Connexient is dedicated to delivering that value to its clients, and is moving down the path together with them to realize this vision.
We'll have more to say on that in blogs to come!
Connexient was proud and excited to announce yesterday Smart Source and Connexient Join Forces to Provide Elevated Patient Experience, an industry leader in helping hospitals to increase productivity and revenue. With this partnership, our MediNav™ Digital Wayfinding solution will be linked to Smart Source's proprietary HandHolder™ appointment reminder system.
The combined MediNav™ /HandHolder™ pre-arrival/arrival solution will provide an enhanced and informative patient experience, meaning patients will have the information that they need to not only arrive on-time but also be prepared for their appointment. But there is another benefit that is just as important: improved on-time starts, reduced appointment no-shows and increased patient satisfaction scores for hospitals and physicians.
This infographic encapsulates exactly how Smart Source accomplishes that by reducing missed and late appointme
nts - with proven success at major medical centers across the country.
With our new integrated offering, we are confident that we can boost the already strong ROI equation even further, while taking Patient Experience to a whole new level. In our blog earlier this week, Digital Wayfinding for Patient Experience is an ROI Story, we talked about some of those other drivers of ROI that we are focused on, including improved HCAHPS scores and improved staff productivity.
As much as we are true believers, innovators and visionaries when it comes to the power of Indoor Navigation and location-based services, we also have always had a bedrock conviction that a mobile app is only part of the solution. We always keep at top of mind what our value to our clients and users is. Nobody goes to the hospital to have an indoor navigation experience. They go to the hospital to get to their appointment. That's our mission.
That's why our All Screens approach to Digital Wayfinding is so critical. There are a huge range of demographics and 'user types' at Hospitals and Healthcare Networks. Some of them are "early adopters" that will love blue dot indoor navigation. Others will never touch it. And all will need maps, routes and other information available in multiple modalities:
The right modality is whatever each particular user needs at the moment - on any screen, any time, and anywhere.
One mantra we talk to our clients about is the critical step of integrating Digital Wayfinding with that crucial moment when a patient and visitor is thinking about coming to their appointment. That is when we can connect the moment of need and motivation for a user to the MediNav application that will actually solve the problem - whichever modality they choose.
Our partnership with Smart Source will now take that integration even further, adding call-to-action and customized links right into the HandHolder™ pre-arrival/arrival solution. Connexient + Smartsource clients will now be able to take this already amazing effective and personalized tool to a new level of convenience and satisfaction for patients and visitors. With MediNav integration for example, users will now add the following capabilities.
It is pretty easy to see how this will reduce no shows and late starts, as well as the stress and anxiety that so many patients and visitors experience when trying to get to their appointments. It is a great example of 2 + 2 adding up to a 10!
Want to Learn How Connexient + Smartsource Can Help Your Healthcare Network?
If you would like to learn more about Connexient + Smartsource partnership and our integrated solution, please contact us. We are both organizations keenly focused on client needs and above all patient needs, so we look forward to collaborating with current and future clients to push this new area of innovation in Patient Experience.
At Connexient, we know that Patient Experience is the first "killer application" of indoor navigation and navigation-based services in large, complex facilities. The reason is simple: when patients and visitors get lost - which happens very frequently - this has a direct and negative impact on their experience at the hospital! All of our clients intuitively understand just how big and important this pain point is.
But putting an specific ROI number on this can sometimes be a little difficult. This recent blog post, The Patient Experience Study, by David Aaker, an organizational theorist, consultant, and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business, provides some great insights and data on just how big an ROI story Patient Experience actually is:
There is a remarkable ROI story behind improved patient experience but it doesn't always carry the day because it is not well documented or communicated. Patient experience investment drives increased capacity, reduces operating costs, improves employee retention and builds an enhanced brand that creates loyalty and thereby increases revenues. One study showed an improvement in on-time appointments from 18% to 84% and led to measurable payoffs in terms of productivity and impatient referrals translating to $460,000 average additional patient revenue per physician per year.
We are starting to frame out some pilot studies with several of our clients to gather data and analytics on exactly this question! In the meantime, here are some of the focal points for how we think about it and will be framing our metrics for tracking and study.
1. Poor Wayfinding causes unnecessary stress and anxiety for Patients and Visitors.
2. On average, 30 - 40% of patients and visitors entering a large hospital or medical center get lost.
3. 2% of Medicare reimbursements, which on average represent 43% of Healthcare Network Revenues, are at risk based on HCAHPS Patient Satisfaction ratings and Value-based Purchasing
4. 40% of patients and visitors depend on hospital staff for Wayfinding assistance
5. $150 billion dollars annually are lost due to appointment no-shows, with additional impacts from late appointments.
Each of these areas, while a little "fuzzy", do have metrics that can be measured and analyzed to arrive at estimation on ROI for Digital Wayfinding for Patient Experience.
What Is Your ROI Story for Digital Wayfinding?
Each of our clients has their own understanding and experience that frame their thinking about the value of Digital Wayfinding for Patient Experience. Until our pilots and studies are completed, please Contact Us for an ROI Calculator that can help you to make your own estimates based on what you know about your organization, facilities and wayfinding challenges.
And of course, if you have thoughts and metrics to share, we want to hear them!


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NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower says he intends to stay busy today during the NBA draft whether the Hornets end up having a pick or not.
The Hornets have the 27th overall selection in the draft but may end up trading it to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for cash, according to a person who works in the NBA who is familiar with the deal. The person asked to remain anonymous because the deal was awaiting approval from the league.
Bower says he will continue to talk to other NBA teams throughout the day about deals that could help the Hornets bolster their roster heading into next season.
The NBA draft has two rounds, but the Hornets had already traded away their second-round pick.
The Trail Blazers already have the 13th overall selection and adding the 27th pick would give them five draft picks overall, including three in the second round. The Trail Blazers also have yet to see action from Greg Oden, last year�s top overall pick in the draft, because of knee surgery that sidelined him for all of his rookie season.
Bower talked about how the Hornets� could benefit in free agency by taking cash for their only pick in this year�s NBA draft.
The Hornets fell one victory short of the Western Conference finals this past season, losing in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. Bower said it is rare for a rookie selected in the bottom fifth of the draft�s opening round to be a difference-maker on a team looking to contend for a championship.
"That type of production normally comes two or three years down the road," Bower said.
The Hornets� rebuilding years are behind them, however, and head coach Byron Scott has only two seasons on his current contract.
With a starting lineup that includes All-Stars Chris Paul and David West, along with perimeter sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic and 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler, the goal is to contend for a title next season. Conventional wisdom points to free agency as the fastest way to make the Hornets, who won a franchise-record 56 games in the regular season, a better playoff team.
"We have to make the judgment as to where we can get the quickest help," Bower said. "So we�re looking at, really, from a draft pick at 27 or maybe we�re better served looking at other avenues."
With no incoming rookies, the Hornets would add money that would otherwise have been spent on draft choices into their pot for free agency � in addition to cash received from another team in a trade, which could be as high as $3 million under league rules, Bower said.
As of Wednesday, the Hornets did not have a second-round choice in the draft. It was traded to Houston last season as part of a deal that sent Bobby Jackson to the Rockets in exchange for Bonzi Wells and Mike James. Houston later dealt that pick, the 56th overall, to Seattle.
Wells will become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Hornets' intentions are to keep busy on draft day
NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower says he intends to stay busy today during the NBA draft whether the Hornets end up having a pick or not.


text: From the makers of Little Things, What The Folks! and Adulting, comes 'Home Sweet Office'. A story of cousins Adhira and Shagun, two highly creative individuals who decide to jump on to the bandwagon and start their own business of candid wedding films and quirky wedding merchandise. Amongst the interesting startup problems they face is the most important one – their buzzing office is right in the middle of their even more bustling upper middle class Baniya home in Delhi. Join us to see what happens when these two worlds collide, every day!


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Development of vocational education institution's capacity and the vocational guidance network for labor productivity.
Vocational and technical education is the most important factor underlying economic and social development for shaping the future of nations in this century. In many countries, vocational training can be given by a large number of program options offered by the educational institution, the family vocational skills and through a variety of business sectors. Today, vocational and technical education institutions provide training from beginning to professional levels to allow people who work in their chosen jobs. These programs have successfully offering versatile trainings to the people that aim to have a profession. Although these institutions with international studies give legible education according to their organization, vocational skills in different countries and awareness of training, and their interactions with each other is almost negligible.
Also existed in the past and have not reached the present day are available at many vocational skills. The process continues in this manner, stage of extinction of many of the profession's future will be destroyed in the future. To eliminate this negative situation in many countries, it is important to investigate the traditional vocational skills, to discover the sources of documents and destroyed vocational skills for adaptation of our age and achieving. Also by sharing the all the data of discovered vocational skills on a common network is aimed for cultural interactions. With this created network, individuals-oriented vocational training will be ensured with all the information about the vocational skills that they want to get. Besides, they will learn popular professions in the past to by listening to experts and shall be provided contacts with persons with vocational skills. However, it is considered that records of vocational skills will provide to appear different professional skills in the future. In addition, especially with created team-work using a futuristic approach, possible vocational groups of future that countries faced on will be recorded and will be given to institutions of vocational education using the method of brainstorming.
- Determination traditional and existing vocations of Europe (In participant countries)
- Determination of Possible vocations in the future through meeting.
- Preparing handbook in different languages about vocations to help young people who is getting formal education in schools, for choosing true vocation.
- Preparing special web site and using it as a part of vocational network in participant countires. It'll be updated periodically.
- Project meeting to discuss results and Project management.
- Visiting vocational education institutions in each country to find out how is the educational differences.
- Preparing vocational dictionary and use it in vocational education istitutions in Europe.
- Preparing movies for existing labor needs in participant countries and publish them in web site.
- Preparing introductory films of the countries. (Cultural and Touristic features)
- Vocational Handbook
- Vocational Network between participants
- Common Dictionary about vocational subjects
- Web site to share all process with all of Europe
- Films about labor needs in participant countries.
- Introductory films about Cultural and Touristic features of the participant countries.


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Trump is a disaster with issues on climate change, true. But the change of our economical structure is inevitable as solar, wind, and renewable energy sources grow less and less expensive they are passing that curve where coal is too expensive thus forcing more and more coal plants to shut down and large corporations switching over to renewables because not only are they cleaner and more efficient, but they are becoming more economically beneficial for them as well. Therefore, our environment will not be saved by political reasons, but because of economical reasons. Silver lining yah yah, keep hope ey 😉😇
September 2017
Defend DACA
I was talking to a DACA recipient last night and his story of how his family came over here is incredible. His mom came here when he was five and his little brother was born here. They are super loving people and hard workers, all of them have no criminal record and multiple jobs. If Trump's DACA plans are to go through after these six months here, his little brother would be left here without a family and him and his mother would have to leave their family and work to go to Mexico where there is no family or livelihood waiting for them. Please write your local representatives to stand up for DACA. Text "RESIST" to 50409
Noone Needs You
Hops on soapbox:
No one needs you. They prefer your presence in their life. Self-preservation of life is the first law of nature. Despite how much we may think we need someone, we learn to live without them if we have to.
Thus, what this need we feel is, is a selfless love to share part of our life with one another. Therefore overwhelming gratitude to my family and friends who prefer sharing part of their life with me. Thank you for not needing me, yet still choosing my presence. Infinite Love
*hops off soapbox*


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Thursday, July 15, 2010
The strangest moment of all
Posted by ralph at 2:00 PM No comments:
The sun was reddening
"I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was - I was far away from home, haunted and tired with travel, in a cheap hotel room I'd never seen, hearing the hiss of steam outside, and the creak of the old wood of the hotel, and footsteps upstairs, and all the sad sounds, and I looked at the cracked high ceiling and really didn't know who I was for about fifteen strange seconds. I wasn't scared; I was just somebody else, some stranger, and my whole life was a haunted life, the life of a ghost."
— Jack Kerouac (On the Road)
Posted by ralph at 1:59 PM No comments:
Beneath the Skies
Posted by ralph at 1:58 PM No comments:
What is that feeling?
"What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies."
— Jack Kerouac (On the Road)
Posted by ralph at 1:57 PM No comments:
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Grow Your Retirement Nest egg with Proven Strategies!
CORI LLC's Proven Strategies will help grow Grow Your Retirement Nest egg! Download Free Report Click Here Investing in real estate using self-directed IRAs Growing your retirement nest egg using real estate IRAs (self-directed IRAs) have become very popular in recent years. Primarily due to the volatility of the stock market (boom and bust cycles) … Continued


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Vincent must be feeling much better after the IV-rehydration. He ate up all the food that the vet gave him – chicken breast meat, wetfood and kibble!
He looks more cheerful as well.
We visited this morning.
He was his usual "super manja" self. Even both the vets said so. He'd rub himself all over anyone (who loves animals).
So glad he is eating everything that he laid out before him at the clinic. At home, he is super choosy with food. He is an expert at "manipulating" me to get whatever food he wants!
The vet says it's best to keep Vincent on the IV-drip for 3 days.
There's some swelling (water retention) on his drip-paw but nothing to worry about. It was hard getting a vein, so since the vets managed to get one, might as well reap maximum benefit from the IV-drip. Vincent is still dehydrated though it's slightly better than yesterday.
The vet also cautioned that Vincent might only be feeling better because of the IV-drip. Feeling better may not mean he is getting better. We still have to wait for the blood test results.
The vet also suspects Vincent may already have kidney failure. If so, that would be a condition that we would have to learn to manage – probably with subcut fluids. Whatever it is, we have to wait for the blood test results.
Hey, Vincent!
You have to stay here for a few more days, alright? You have two nice vets looking after you – you're in the best hands.
It was a long wait for the blood test results and we only managed to get it a few minutes ago, after 5pm.
The vet texted:
Some elevation of the kidney parameters seen, i think its mostly due to dehydration. Large increase in white blood cells. Other then that, results were largely unremarkable. No change in treatment plans.
What a relief! So, it's not total kidney failure.
We shall continue with the same treatment plans – IV-drips and antibiotic injections. The large increase in white blood cells is due to the massive gum issues, so let's hope the antibiotics will do its work.
Meanwhile, thank you very much, dear friends, for rooting for Vincent!
Tomorrow the clinic is closed, so we shall see how he is on Saturday.
Note: Vincent's antibiotics: Enrofloxacin sq 5mg/kg sid and metronidazole iv 10mg/kg bid.


text: Show all Case studies Content Events Marketing Padua Communications PR Training Managing Director Nicky Rudd finalist in the Successful Women In Business Awards Our blog content boosts site visits by 500% Our Managing Director Nicky Rudd awarded Fellow status Finding the right tone for your content GDPR means that quality content has never been more important How Padua Communications streamlined GSMA's training delivery Our content wins £200,000 of new business for retail client How to deal with customer opt-in under GDPR Automated marketing platforms need fine-tuned content to get results How to show GDPR compliance What is GDPR and does it apply to me? Get tips on planning a content and PR strategy at our new event Our content marketing gets NT CADCAM more leads Get great media coverage using different PR approaches Successful campaign planning Reasons you should love blogging How Padua Communications transformed Laser Lines' marketing CIM's 'Getting Ahead of the Marketing Curve' speakers announced Should you show prices on your website? Join us at Southampton's Meet the Chamber and Business event 123…8


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Carl and I flew to Dubai on our way to Jordan. We flew Emirates from Seattle nonstop to Dubai. It is hard to believe you can fly half way around the world in 14 hours. Emirates will pick you up at your home if you are flying business class and then after you collect your luggage in Dubai they drive you to our hotel, in our case, The Taj Dubai.
We met several friends in the lobby and just ate a lovely Chinese dinner in the hotel, great food but very noisy. We arrive at 7:30pm so no time to go out. After a good night sleep our driver picked us up, we booked with Viator, owned by Trip Advisor. Our guide took us for a full tour of the city, including a trip to the old city and spice market. I always buy black pepper and saffron from one of the vendors, of course there are many hawkers trying to persuade you into their shop so take your time and trust your guide. After a simple walk through the gold market and people watching we headed to the grand mall. Each mall has a special attraction, this one had the largest aquarium and is located at the base of The Burj.
We had made arrangements in advance for tickets to the top of BURJ KHALIFA, It is a quick one minute up 126 stories to the observation deck. Since we had a time slot on our ticket the line was only about 20 minutes. It is hard to believe that just since 1967 a full city has emerged from the sand desert. The view of the entire city is available from the top, looking out at the hundreds of new high rises and cranes, you wonder who is going to occupy all that space.
We then did a quick tour of the Palm where the Atlantis hotel is located and wandered along the water front. Realizing that this too had been created from dredging the sea. There is no history here only new buildings and memories from the people that were living here before 1967. Our tour operator was from Holiday Adventures and gave us a wonderful full day tour explaining how the city was laid out and what was being built now. They work 24 hours a day building since the trucks and supplies can not be brought in during the day, to much traffic and congestion will happen at every turn.
After 6 hours in a car we decided to eat in the hotels Indian restaurant and were not disappointed. Up early the next morning for a tour of Abu Dhabi, about an hour plus drive. Our first stop was THE GRAND MOSQUE, the largest mosque in the country. We toured the whole mosque with many others, but it is self guided so you go at your own pace. It is hard to believe what has been built, all the white stone and marble, in lays of colored stone forming flowers up the amazing columns. This is a must if you go to Dubai.
Leaving the mosque after over an hour long tour we headed out to drive past the Emirates Palace stop for a few photos and then on to THE HERITAGE VILLAGE AND the small museum inside. This is just a recreation of what life was like before the discovery of oil. We did stop at a local restaurant serving traditional food, nothing fancy. There was not time to visit the famous museum that have opened their doors in Abu Dhabi. It was another hour and half ride home and we were in need to rest after 7 hours in a car.
After a quick change of clothes we got an UBER back to the base of The Burj for a great dinner at "BICE MARE". This restaurant serves lovey fresh fish with a view of the BURJ where they do an over the top light show up the sides of The Burj with a music and water show right in front of you. We sat outside on the patio overlooking the man made lake where the water show happens every 30 minutes.
We packed as much as possible in the 2 days, but had a great overview of what Dubai is today, who knows what tomorrow will be like.


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Double Consciousness: Duality of Identity Addressed
The concept of double consciousness originally arose for W.E.B. Du Bois as he sought to understand and express the African American experience of identification around the turn of the 20th century. He argued that the African American identity is something simultaneously internal and presented by oneself, and external and perceived by others. Double consciousness is therefore characterized as an awareness of the discrepancy that can exist between the internality and externality of such an identity. Because it relies fundamentally on this self-awareness and awareness of others' awareness- regardless of specific identities being connected to and expressed- double consciousness can be applied to forms and classifications of identity other than just the African American identity. Du Bois' notion of double consciousness is therefore not only valuable, but necessary in thinking about the performances of J Finley in terms of gender, racial and sexual identity, Omar Ricks in terms of gender and racial identity, and Couple in the Cage in terms of gender, racial, and class identity.
Double consciousness is useful when thinking about the performance of Omar Ricks because it sheds light on the conflicts between his internal identity and the external perception of his identity. In his piece, Omar presented his internal identity: an African American man who is a scholar at UC Berkeley getting his PhD. The way he was treated around the UC Berkeley campus, however, suggests that he was perceived as an outsider and as a threat – a reality that was revealed in the Crossroads dining hall experience highlighted during his performance. Omar's experiences apply Du Bois' double consciousness to awareness of gender identity in how he was targeted by UC Berkeley Dining Hall staff because he was a male; males are perceived by society as more threatening than females. He also has an awareness of racial identity in how much he stood out to authorities by being an African American surrounded by Caucasians and Asians. Because Omar identifies as, presented as, and was perceived as an African American man, no discrepancy exists between the internal and external for those two elements of his identity. The assumption that he was a threat because of those characteristics and the pre-existing prejudices people have about what they entail is therefore completely because of the external world, and thus completely outside Omar's control.
Omar's awareness of how the Crossroads manager was perceiving him and the fact that the outside world assumes he is a threat gave him the insight to show his Cal I.D. card.- a manifestation of double consciousness in and of itself. His presence in a university setting surrounded by fellow students and scholars was not enough to override the stereotypes the Crossroads manager believed based on his appearance, so Omar used his Cal I.D. card to present the other elements of his identity. These elements are less apparent physically but more relevant to his presence in the dining hall- the fact that in addition to being African American and male, he too is a UC Berkeley student. Although the presentation of Omar Ricks' internal identity as an African American male student at Cal was intact, the perception of this identity was plagued by the bias, stereotypes, and preconceived judgments of the outside world that, like with the case of Du Bois, led to the development of and influence on his commentary and work.
Du Bois' double consciousness can also be applied to the identities presented in J Finley's auto-ethnography. J's piece about her struggle with weight loss expressed an awareness of her gender identity with having to defy the stereotype and expectation of being a voluptuous, curvaceous woman. She also articulated an awareness of her racial and sexual identities: J felt conspicuous as an African American in an environment of predominantly Caucasians, and as a queer woman, her presence in a female-only shower elicited reactions from other bathers that contributed to the discomfort she experienced going to the gym. In going to the gym and trying to lose weight, J hoped to change an element of how her identity is perceived: the fact that she is an overweight queer African American woman. Being overweight was what brought her to the gym and made her uncomfortable there initially, but the other components of her identity continued her discomfort because they, too, made her stand out. J articulated her double consciousness by commenting on how she noticed people noticing her in the gym. She was not only aware of her own understanding of her identity, but also of how her identity was being perceived by others- how severely it was being perceived because her identity differed so much from the others present in the environment she was in.
Both Omar and J were very in tune with their internal identities. Because of how their identities were being perceived by the outside world, however, they both felt the need to represent their identities in ways that made them less threatening to others. Omar used is Cal I.D. card to present himself as belonging to the student population at large, emphasizing his academic identity over his racial and gender identity. Likewise, J used the opportunity of losing weight to present herself as active and in shape, altering her identity in order to fit in better with the skinny Caucasian body types at the gym. Despite an intact internal identity, J also felt pressured to censor her sexuality in the shower by de-emphasizing the fact that she is queer. Both Omar Ricks and J Finley have very well developed and accurately represented internal identities, yet outsiders perceived both as belonging to the group of "other". Both stood out in the environments they were in, and both experienced discomfort because of the external stereotypes influencing the outside world's perception of them. The discomfort Omar felt in being thought of as threatening pressured him to alter the presentation of his identity by using his I.D. card. The discomfort J felt in being thought of as out of place in the gym pressured her to alter the presentation of her identity as well: she physically worked to change her appearance and censor herself in the presence of others. These acts of altering the presentation of one's identity are directly informed by double consciousness as discussed by Du Bois: if it were not for the duality of identity experienced by Finley and Ricks, and their awareness of this very duality, they would have never felt pain as a result of others' perceptions of them and would have had no reason to alleviate this discrepancy in the hope of easing the discomfort it caused.
Fusco and Gomez- Pena's work Couple in the Cage can also be looked at through the lens of Du Bois' double consciousness. These artists played on typical westernized gender stereotypes during their depiction of Amerindian domestic interactions (Fusco, Course Reader, p. 260), expressing an awareness of gender identity. They also articulated an awareness of racial and class identities by enforcing stereotypes surrounding non-Western cultures and the role of the "Noble Savage" by surprising audiences with their civility. (Fusco, Course Reader, p. 247). This performance is an example of how internal identity can differ greatly from external identity: the internal identities of the performance artists consist of educated, Westernized, and artistic intentions. However, the external identity was defined by the audience's perception that Fusco and Gomez-Pena were really non-Western uncivilized savages with a culture differing from their own. In this case, the artists had an innate awareness of the double consciousness that exists not only within themselves but within the members of their audiences. Instead of trying to eradicate the discrepancy between the internality and externality of their identities, Fusco and Gomez-Pena decided to use their performance as an opportunity to enhance and exploit that discrepancy. They did so by making the external extremely external and exaggerating the differences between their inward identities and outward presentation of these identities.
This amplification of the differences between internal and external identity empowered these artists in the face of struggling with double consciousness. Like Omar Ricks did with presenting his Cal I.D. card and J did with losing weight, Fusco and Gomez Pena used the awareness of the duality of identity that results from double consciousness as an opportunity to manipulate how they were being perceived. Ricks and Finley sought to bring the inside and outside closer together, making the internal and external part of a larger whole. They felt discomfort in how they were being perceived and worked to change that perception of identity by the outside through altering the presentation of identity from the inside. Fusco and Gomez-Pena took their experiences in a completely opposite direction by manipulating the outside's perception to prove a point and insure they would come out on top.
Exaggerating the discrepancy between one's identity and how one's identity is perceived in this way gave audiences the chance to indulge the stereotypes they had about the "others" they saw in the cage. The "otherness" that Fusco and Gomez-Pena established for themselves by utilizing metal bars, exaggerated stereotypes, and the audience's ignorance allowed them to manipulate perception of their identity without having to change their internal identity. While Du Bois would argue that such a discrepancy would cause discomfort for the beholder of the internal, the artists of Couple in the Cage embraced that discomfort and projected it onto those audience members insightful enough to behold the truth about the artists' internal identities despite the external presentation. This message- that one's internal identity should remain intact despite its warped presentation and biased perceptions of it by the outside world- not only enhances Du Bois' work on double consciousness, but is apparent in the works of the artists studied in class- many of whom were inspired by Du Bois himself.
As these performances reveal, the discrepancy between internality and externality of identity is best understood upon its presentation- or misrepresentation; in addition to one's identity and the perception of one's identity argued by double consciousness, there is a third element of presentation of identity that lies between the internal and external. This presentation can express identity in a way that is both truthful to one's self image and easily received by others, thus uniting the internal and external. Misrepresentation, however, can separate the internal and external by inaccurately depicting identity or doing so in a way that enforces stereotypes, causing the power struggles that plagued Du Bois and other artists whose work we studied. The performances of Ricks, Finley, Fusco, and Gomez-Pena are precisely these such presentations- or presentations about presentation- that comment on internal identity, the perception of identity by the outside world, and the discrepancy that exists between the two: commentary that would not exist if it weren't for the artists' awareness of these contrasting elements in and around themselves during their lived experiences.


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As many of you know, we have begun the process of building our new home from the bottom up (again!). During this time, our family needed a place we could call home. Renting a house in the area can be a little pricey, so we decided to pare down somewhat and make ourselves a temporary abode in a downtown highrise. No yard to keep up, no garbage to place on the curb, no maintenance of any leaks or creaks. Apartment living has it's benefits!
Upon moving in, my biggest obstacle was getting past all of the beige on top of beige… not ideal. That said, I wanted to find a way to make this space feel more like our home without spending time or money on painting, replacing fixtures, etc. And I am happy to report that these days my family is feeling at home, and who better to showcase the transformation than the apartment experts over at Apartment Therapy! For the article in full, click HERE.
Photography by Dorothée Brand of Belathée Photography.
Katie says, "When we moved in, the space had a beige palette with brown accents (not my typical go-to colors!). That said, I wanted to find a way to make this temporary space feel more like our home without spending time or money on painting or replacing fixtures."
For the Apartment Therapy article in full, click HERE.


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This petition made change with 4,364 supporters!
On 2/12/2017 my boyfriend and I adopted a puppy from Friends of Freddie Pet Rescue located at 206 Middle Country Road, Middle Island, NY 11953 who we named Layla. After 4 long weeks of constant vet visits and numerous amounts of medication Layla passed away from Canine Distemper Virus and Pneumonia at just 11 weeks old.
Shortly after leaving Friends of Freddie and returning home with puppy supplies we noticed Layla coughing and breathing abnormally. At the time Friends of Freddie's was closed for the day so we waited till Monday morning to call them and let them know. They told us to call the vet they were working with at Patchogue animal hospital. After calling the vet, our soonest appointment was at 5:30pm that Tuesday. The Veterinarian diagnosed Layla with kennel cough, something that we were told is common in puppies and it was nothing to be concerned about. A few short days later I returned to the animal hospital w a fecal sample containing worms when they told me to bring her in again the next day. On Friday 2/17/17 we again returned with Layla to Patchogue Animal Hospital, this time to treat for worms. At this point they noticed Layla was getting skinnier and was very dehydrated. They did not mention if her cough was getting any worse so we left there with high hopes that on our return checkup on the following Monday we would be OK. After a long weekend with a lot of coughing from the puppy we finally saw the vet again on Monday for the checkup. We were told that the cough would get worse before it got better and that she was looking better.
On Tuesday the 21st my boyfriend returned home to check on Layla's condition when noticed she was shaking when she was breathing and she wasn't very responsive. We immediately called another veterinarian to get a second opinion and they took us in only hours later, showing concern for our puppy. When we arrived to our family vet she was surprised to hear Patchogue animal hospital hadn't taken any x-rays and took her in the back right away to get it done. She came back to us with the unfortunate news that Layla has pneumonia. Layla was not getting any better so we had to re schedule a checkup date for the 1st of March, this is when we got the even more unfortunate news, not only did Layla have pneumonia but after reviewing the results of a blood test she was also diagnosed with Canine Distemper Virus. Layla needed to be hospitalized that night and we were given a 50-50 chance of survival. After multiple days of testing and medications and treatments Layla's condition worsened and we ended up losing her to the virus on Sunday March 5th.
On several occasions we tried contacting Friends of Freddie to speak with the owner about our situation, we never received a phone call back from her. Finally after calling several times, she answered the phone. We told her of our situation and we were told that she was vaccinated for canine distemper but our records show that's not true. She also told us that it was unlikely to be canine distemper because it's not very common on long island but more so in the southern states. Little did she know her employee told us her mother came from a shelter in Georgia on the day we adopted her. Our family veterinarian filled out paperwork for a pet lemon law stating that Layla was unfit for adoption. Under these circumstances we approached Friends of Freddie hoping they would do the right thing for us and reimburse us with what they owe us under the New York State pet lemon law. When they found out our vet bills were approaching $6,000.00 they said they wouldn't pay us and told us to take them to court. When we went home we went online to see if there was anyone else who had a similar problem and to our surprise we found multiple people, one whose story is almost identical to ours. Friends of Freddie should no longer be allowed to conduct business in this manner. Innocent people like my boyfriend and I who were looking to start our little family had our hearts broken due to the negligence of the owner of this "Rescue". Layla was one of 5 puppies in the same pen, distemper virus is very contagious to other dogs and we are concerned that those other puppies to are very sick.
We are writing to you, not because we are concerned about the reimbursement, we are concerned that this establishment will continue to adopt out sick puppies and continue to break hearts. We are hoping after hearing our story maybe there is something you can do to help us stop these monsters. People need to know that not only does the owner know the puppies are sick but their in house veterinarian does also and doesn't provide you with accurate health records. Had they actually given the proper vaccinations we wouldn't be in the awful situation that we are.
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In brief
The Victorian Court of Appeal has confirmed that a dispute resolution clause providing for mediation is insufficient to exclude variations claims from the statutory adjudication process under the Victorian Security of Payment regime. The decision also confirms that, when determining the value of a progress payment, an adjudicator is not required to adopt a valuation certified by the superintendent under the contract. Partner Nick Rudge and Senior Associate Luisa Uriarte look at the decision and the practical ramifications for drafting construction contracts in Victoria.
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How does it affect you?
- The Victorian Court of Appeal has now confirmed that mediation is not 'a method for resolving disputes' for the purposes of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 (Vic) (the BCIPA).
- To take advantage of the ability to exclude certain variation claims from the statutory adjudication process under the BCIPA, contracts will need to contain a dispute resolution clause that secures certainty and finality of a binding amount (eg expert determination or arbitration).
- When drafting construction contracts, parties will need to consider whether all disputes should be resolved using the same dispute resolution method.
The BCIPA provides a statutory adjudication regime for the interim determination of progress payments under construction contracts.
Parties to construction contracts are not permitted to contract out of the operation of the BCIPA1. However, the BCIPA excludes certain variation claims from the statutory adjudication process, including where the contract consideration exceeds a threshold value and the contract provides 'a method of resolving disputes under the contract'2.
Until recently, it was uncertain as to whether an alternative dispute resolution clause providing for referral of disputes to mediation would be sufficient to constitute 'a method of resolving disputes' for the purposes of the BCIPA. In SSC Plenty Road Pty Ltd v Construction Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd,3 the Victorian Court of Appeal has now determined that such a clause is insufficient.
In relation to the valuation of progress payments by an adjudicator, under similar Security of Payment schemes in NSW and Queensland, the courts have accepted that an adjudicator is not bound to accept the valuation by the superintendent (or other certifier under the contract); rather the adjudicator is required to undertake its own independent assessment. The SSC Plenty case confirms that this approach is also to be adopted in Victoria.
The facts
SSC Plenty Road Pty Ltd (SSC), as the principal, entered into a contract with Construction Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd for the design and construction of a shopping centre for a sum of $35,554,985 (plus GST).
The contract contained a commonly used dispute resolution provision which provided that, in the event of a notice of dispute being delivered by either party, the parties were to meet and use reasonable endeavours (acting in good faith) to resolve the dispute and if the dispute was not resolved within 28 days of the notice, then the dispute was to be referred to mediation in accordance with the terms of the contract.
During the course of the project, Construction Engineering served on SSC a payment claim under the BCIPA for an amount of $4,460,815, which included claims for variations. SSC proposed paying $967,865. Construction Engineering referred the matter to adjudication under the BCIPA. The adjudicator determined the amount to be paid by SSC was $2,172,837 (in addition to the $967,865 already paid by SSC to Construction Engineering).
SSC applied for judicial review of the adjudication determination under the BCIPA. SSC argued, among other matters, that the adjudicator had erred in:
- concluding that the contract did not provide a 'method for resolving disputes under the contract' within the meaning of the BCIPA; and
- adopting values for the variation claims which were different from the valuation determined by the superintendent under the contract.
SSC was unsuccessful on the above points at first instance4 and appealed the decision to the Victorian Court of Appeal.
What is a 'method for resolving disputes'?
In a joint judgment, the Victorian Court of Appeal held that a 'method for resolving disputes' for the purposes of the BCIPA requires a method that will result in an actual resolution of the dispute, rather than just offering a forum for discussion of the dispute, which may or may not lead to its resolution. The court considered that the dispute resolution method should provide the same degree of certainty that is achieved under the BCIPA and that this requires a method that secures the certainty and finality of a binding amount. A contractual clause which does no more than require the parties to mediate was found not to have that effect.
For completeness, the Court of Appeal also held that a provision in the contract providing that the parties acknowledged and agreed that the dispute resolution clause provided a method for resolving disputes under the contract for the purposes of the BCIPA could be ignored. Such a provision was considered void as it amounted to an agreement to contract out of the BCIPA.
Is an adjudicator required to accept the contract price determined by the superintendent under the contract?
SSC argued that the parties had agreed under the contract that the superintendent would 'price' work in respect of variations. As the BCIPA requires an adjudicator to value construction work having regard to (among other matters) the 'contract price' for the work5, SSC contended that the adjudicator had no role in reviewing decisions made by the superintendent as to the contract price, which were binding on the parties.
The Court of Appeal held that the adjudicator is not bound by the contract price. The Court of Appeal considered that, if the adjudicator was required to adopt a price stipulated by the superintendent, this would be inconsistent with the requirements under the BCIPA that the adjudicator make an independent assessment of the value of the work.
Implications for drafting construction contracts in Victoria
Mediation is a common (and often successful) dispute resolution method used in the construction industry. However, if the parties to a construction contract (in particular, the principal) wish to carve out disputed variation claims from the BCIPA adjudication process, the contract will need to provide a dispute resolution method for such claims which achieves the certainty of a 'resolution' of the dispute. Such methods include expert determination or arbitration but should exclude mediation.
Importantly, parties to the contract may not wish for all disputes to be resolved using such 'final resolution' methods. Accordingly, the contract may need to be carefully drafted so as to only refer disputed claims for 'final resolution' which are claims capable of being excluded from the BCIPA adjudication process to the extent the contract provides a method of resolving such disputes.
Based on the decision in SSC Plenty, it would appear that it would be open for the parties to have a dispute resolution clause which provided for mediation, but in the event that the mediation failed to resolve the dispute, the clause should provide for relevant claims to be referred to either expert determination or arbitration.
- Section 48 of the BCIPA.
- Section 10A of the BCIPA. The threshold contract value is $5 million or $150,000 (where the total amount of the relevant variation claims exceeds 10 per cent of the contract consideration as at the time the contract was entered into).
- SSC Plenty Road Pty Ltd v Construction Engineering (Aust) Pty Ltd [2015] VSC 631.
- Section 11(1) and 23 of the BCIPA.


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OLMC Students prepare for Lent by Celebrating with Pancakes!
This past Tuesday, on the eve of Ash Wednesday, OLMC School students and teachers prepared themselves for Lent by recovering delightful and inspiring traditions of our faith.
When it was customary to observe quite strict fasts for the season, folks would clean our the larder of eggs, butter, meat, and other items they would give up sacrificially until Easter. For many, this practice of purging resulted in pancakes for supper on the eve of Ash Wednesday. We remembered this tradition at OLMC with Mardi Gras beads, New Orleans jazz, whipped cream, maple syrup, and chocolate chips, as the whole school gathered to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, also known as "Fat Tuesday."
The communal pancake luncheon was prepared by the headmaster, and was followed by a spirited Lenten trivia competition among the student Houses. It was great fun, and a great way to get ready for the season of sacrifice!


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Air Mata Kucing
No other drink can be better then the Air Mata Kuc
hing sold at Petaling Street during a sunny hot day.
The famous Air Mata Kuc
Back during my childhood days, I remember my parents would bring my whole family for a few bowls of Air Mata Kuc
While the exterior changed, the drink itself have maintained it's superb taste. You can always expect the "Loh Hon Kor" fragrance and taste to be there without fail; unlike those diluted Air Mata Kuc
One bowl was never enough, one cup is never enough.
The huge white green powdery melon you see the picture is "Tung Kua". The dark circular fruit you see in the display compartment is dried "Loh Hon". This two ingredients with the "Loong Ngan" are the main ingredients of the Air Mata Kuc
My mom makes delicious Air Mata Kuc
- Loh Hon Kor (dried)
That's the black rounded fruit you see in the picture. They can be bought at any Chinese medicinal hall. You will have to make sure the Loh Hon Kor you buy are sweet, not sour. If you don't know how to pick them, ask assistance from the shop keeper. My mom says ("Actually I still don't know how to pick them; you will just have to find an honest shopkeeper who will keep selling you good Loh Hon Kor. Go to the one in Sungai Way, the boss always sells me sweet Loh Hon Kor.
- Tung Kua
Make sure your Tung Kua is really old. Young Tung Kua's are green. As it age, a layer of white powder will form on the skin. The white the Tung Kua, the better! Pick ones that are short and wide. Not the long ones.
- Loong Ngan
Buying "original" sweet Loong Ngan are is really difficult these days as most of them come pre-soaked in sugar water before the are dried. Try to get hold of "original" dried Loong Ngan. You can sometimes tell if they are "original" or not. The ones that are sweetened usually have white stuff around them, and looks like they have melted icing sugar on them. The "original" should look dry and clean.
- sugar
Do not use normal white sugar. Brown sugar won't work too. Picking the right sugar is important because believe is or not, the type of sugar used can spoil or complement a dish. Use fruit sugar when making Air Mata Kuc
1. Rinse the Loh Hon Kor and Loong Ngan. Break the Loh Hon Kor into halves by smashing them with each other, or using the back of a knife.
2. Remove the skin and the seeds of the Tong Kua and chop it up into strips. Make sure the strips are not too thick or thin. (Aprox 0.5cm thick, 4cm long)
3. Slow boil the Loh Hon Kor and Loong Ngan in a pot and then melt the sugar in it.
4. Transfer the boiling water to a slow cooker and add the Tung Kua.
5. Boil in low setting over night.
6. Ready to be eaten in the morning. You can have it warm, or let it cool and refrigerate to have it cold.
Typing this out reminds me of my mom's double boiled Tung Kua too. ....Slurp slurp. My mom has not made it for ages.
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