text:
Galileo/Final Daze/Modeling Project
- 1 Projects
Below is the list of projects in Galileo which have components. (GEF, GMF, and TMF-Xtext are also in Galileo but are single-component-projects.)
Please ensure that for projects w/ multiple component, only one component promotes their bits at a time. I suggest that each component lead should sign up below with the time they plan to do their promote below, so that no overlapping occurs. It's probably also wise to use #eclipse-modeling on IRC to support more immediate conversation/coordination.
Note that it's perfectly acceptable for multiple projects to publish concurrently, since they each have separate update sites. The only limitation is on components who share a common site.
EMF (Core) Query, Transaction, Validation, Teneo Net4j, CDO
EMF Compare Ecore Tools Mint MWE
OCL UML2 UML2 Tools XSD
JET Xpand Acceleo
What exactly to do for modelling projects and when?
Last year we met on IRC in #eclipse-modeling to make sure that projects were published in the correct order:
The only real limitation w/ the current system is that people should NOT PROMOTE their final, renamed or rebuilt builds AT THE SAME TIME within the same project, as this will corrupt the p2 metadata generation process, and you'll end up with an unusable update site.
Seems like we should make our release build on Monday but should not promote them, right?
You can promote them as soon as they're ready; there's a file in CVS which controls the visibility of R builds, for example:
If there's a build ID listed in that file, it will NOT be shown on the downloads page, but will be available for the mirrors to pick it up and replicate it. If you remove the entry in the file, it will mark the build visible on www.eclipse.org.
You can even control this file from the promo.php page you use to promote builds:
As to when to make your builds visible, see Wednesday 6/24 @ 08:30 - 09:00 EDT.
But update site are created only if one promote them, is there a workaround?
What about .build files?
Create them by hand, or create them as part of the publishing/promoting script. Your choice. You can also generate them using
/home/www-data/build/modeling/scripts/promoteToEclipse.sh and the
-coordsiteonly galileo flag. Run the script without options to get detailed usage instructions re: the other required flags.


text:
Last week I did not blog. I scheduled out my posts, a few great guest posts and reposted a previous recipe. I did tweet a bit a lot. Because I just needed to stay connected!
I stepped back and looked at what has transpired over the past 9 months. I don't write much about "blogging", but I thought I'd share some things with you. I feel compelled to first share a little about how this ministry has transformed into a ministry-business!
A little history first…a little about what has happened since I signed up for the URL 5buckdinners.blogspot.com back on August 22, 2008. I wanted 5dollardinners.blogspot.com and signed up for it, but messed up the email it was connected to, so I changed it to 5buckdinners.blogspot.com. I really didn't like that URL. I wanted the site to be 5dollardinners.com. I didn't know then that I could buy the .com. For just $10/year. We were so tight financially at the time that I was afraid to ask my husband if I could spend the $10 to buy the .com. I had no plan or vision for the site, just seemed like the smart thing to do. And boy am I glad I followed my instinct on that one. And that Hubs agreed to the $10 investment!
After the site had been up for about a month, I learned about ad networks and applied to BlogHer. I was accepted and started running ads. About 6 weeks after I started the ads, I saw a post on Steph's blog about how she subsidized her grocery budget with her advertising income. Now, I knew she had lots more traffic than I did, but I didn't get it.
Was she kidding? Was that really possible? Wouldn't it be AMAZING if I could subsidize MY grocery bill with advertising income? I emailed another blogger who write a very popular blog (Could I do that? Can I really write to a "big time blogger"? You mean I could even be friends with them!) to ask about advertising income and see what I was supposed to do. Naivete, are you seeing it???
I had yet to sign in to my BlogHer account to check the balance of how much I had earned to that point…yes, it had been 6 weeks! (Hello, naivete!) So I signed in and was SHOCKED. I could not believe that REAL money could be made blogging. It didn't make sense! I did not know that this was possible. I'm very thankful for several bloggers who mentored me through expanding and diversifying the monetization of the site. It has been a STEEP learning curve!
I NEVER dreamed that I could/would make any money from the site, but as it grew and grew and grew, I realized the need for it. The time that it takes to maintain the site and the correspondence related to the site became more and more and I saw that yes, it was/is important for me to be "paid" for what I am doing. Today, the site is an official LLC business and I consider blogging a part time job. (My other part time job…writing a cookbook. Somewhere in there I am wife, mom, chef, photographer, gardener, chaffeur, novice speech and occupational therapist, etc.) I don't feel guilty anymore telling my kids that mommy has to "work," when I need to answer emails or write posts.
The opportunities that have come my way, I could never had dreamed of. The friendships I have made through this fabulous online community, never thought it possible. I still have to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening. I was recently listed on Nielsen's Top 50 Power Mommy Bloggers earlier this month. WHAT??? Seriously? This is a HUGE honor and I'm so flattered to be on a list among such amazing bloggers…Ladies that I admire and look up to.
Pinch. Pinch. Really? When will I wake up from this dream?
Who knew the site would have done what is has, that I would write a cookbook, that people would want to hear and read what I have to say! Certainly not me! Huh?
I am so thankful that God has blessed us through the site and has given us so much more than we imagined possible!
(If you are interested in "blogging basics," Andrea of Mommysnacks.net is working on a new series "Begin to Blog" that will start in June with TONS of helpful and useful information for starting, maintaining and monetizing blogs. So go leave a question so she can include it in her series. She is a wealth of information!)
So what did I learn last week…
1. Bloggers NEED to take vacations. At least a week long. I thought this "wasn't aloud" or that everyone would run and not come back. Ha! I plan to take at least 3 week long vacations each year. I recommend you do the same…you won't be disapppointed!
2. Social media (Facebook and Twitter) plays not only a key role in blogging, but life as well! Facebook and Twitter have changed my perspective on life and had a huge impact on my mothering, as I find I am not alone in the struggles mothers face. It is SO difficult being a stay at home mom, but Twitter and Facebook allow me to connect with other moms about "stuff." And I need that. To stay sane. It's so wonderful having an opportunity or two eight each day to stop in and check what my "in real life" friends and my blogging friends, many of whom are my "in real life" friends as well, are up to. And to connect and share about life's experiences and drama!
Here's an example…The other day I tweeted, "Am I the only mother in America who actually lets encourages her children to jump on their/my bed?" Um, no, there are MANY others! Even one whose daughter did flips off the bunk bed! That takes the edge off the "Am I a bad mother? guilt" that I was feeling for jumping on the bed with my kids before I put the freshly laundered sheets back on. (Yes, I was jumping with them!)
Community, I need it! I might not live next door, but I'm right here anytime you need me! I'll sit with you laptop-to-laptop, have coffee and chat about monkeys jumping on beds,
3. A fresh perspective and time to focus on other things. I am thankful for the new perspectives that I took away from the week. Blogging is not my life. And I can't let it take over my life. I must keep it balanced with the other important things in my life…my faith, my marriage, my kids, exercise, the cookbook, hobbies, hanging out with girlfriends, etc. Yes, it is my job, and has become a business, but it has to fit neatly in with the other things I value in life.
4. There is only so much I can do. I better understand my limits. I simply can't do it all! Boy, do I wish I had a 3rd arm or 3 extra hours in the day!! Ask for help, accept help and just say "no!"
A little history. A lot of humility. Fresh new perspectives. And permission to jump on the bed, anytime!
Thoughts, comments, suggestions are welcome!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Fetal and pregnancy dates are not the same—when a woman is 24
weeks pregnant, her growing baby (fetus) is about 22 weeks old. This is because
the start of the pregnancy is counted from the first day of her last menstrual
period (LMP), but the embryo doesn't start growing until about 2 weeks
Last Revised:
July 23, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine & Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
The Kitten& The Hat Blue
Título: The Kitten& The Hat Blue
Descripción del blog: Blog dedicado a la belleza y moda opinando sobre productos ademas de otras posibilidades y generos.
Dirección del blog: http://yunafriendkitten.blogspot.com.es/
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During the next year, we'll be featuring some interesting articles online focusing on the industry during the past 25 years. These articles are in celebration of our 25th anniversary, which is officially October 2009. However, we began our celebration last month with an article about the magazine's history.
Throughout the next year, we will look at clubs from each of the almost three decades we've been around, as well as programming trends, marketing trends, design trends, technology advances and important people in the industry during the past 25 years.
Our hope is that this special online section will give everyone a great appreciation for the industry in which they work. And, obviously, it can help them see trends, triumphs and mistakes of the past so that we might be able to predict future trends, build upon past triumphs and prevent repeating mistakes of the past.
Because there are more clubs in the industry than we could ever cover, we are providing a place on our 25th anniversary page for owners of club companies to share their company's history with our online readers, too.
For more details, go to www.fitnessbusinesspro.com/25th-anniversary. You'll be able to read the stories and photos we've posted so far and add your own history as well.


text:
Lakeland College is moving its Milwaukee Center to Honey Creek Corporate Center IV, 9000 W. Chester St. in Milwaukee this fall.
The new location, which will house the college's Evening, Weekend and Online program classes offered in the Milwaukee area, will be at the intersection of 84th Street and Interstate 94, giving the college a prime, highly accessible spot for students living in the city and the surrounding counties.
Lakeland had previously explored leasing a new facility at West Layton and 43rd Street in Greenfield, Wis.
"After further analyses of the home addresses of our students and many of their employers, it became clear that this space at the Honey Creek Corporate Center was the best fit due to its accessibility and shorter drive times for our constituents," said Zach Voelz, Lakeland's vice president for enrollment management.
"There is a lot of excitement surrounding Lakeland's commitment to the greater Milwaukee area. The Milwaukee center is one of the college's largest, and this new facility will match the high quality programming we have offered hundreds of students in Southeast Wisconsin for 35 years."
Lakeland expects to move from its current location at 1135 S. 70th St. in West Allis to the new facility this September. It's unclear if the move will happen before fall classes start on Sept. 2.
The college will occupy the majority of the third floor of the Honey Creek Corporate Center IV. Lakeland's location, which is nearly 16,000 square feet, includes 11 classrooms, one laptop lab and one computer lab, a student lounge, eight offices, Wi-Fi throughout the facility and ample free parking. Classrooms will be available for daytime rentals to businesses, clubs and other organizations.
Lakeland has offered evening degree programs in Milwaukee since 1979. Today, the college serves more than 400 students in the Milwaukee area and 2,800 students statewide. Lakeland's total enrollment is approximately 3,600.
In 1978, Lakeland developed an evening degree-completion program for working adults, the first in the state at that time. Last year, Lakeland celebrated the 150th anniversary of the founding of its main campus, which is located in Sheboygan County.
Lakeland students in Milwaukee can earn a bachelor of arts degree in accounting, business administration, communication, computer science, criminal justice, education, marketing, psychology and specialized administration. Lakeland also offers a master of business administration, master of arts in counseling and master of education.


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Blanche: The mentally ill and gun control
Re: April 4 Denver Post headlines.
"Corrections audit ordered." Why? because Evan Ebel was mistakenly released from prison four years before he was supposed to be and went on to murder Colorado's corrections chief and a pizza delivery guy.
"Warning on Holmes sounded in June." What was done after Holmes' psychiatrist warned that Holmes was a danger? Apparently nothing, so he went on to slaughter 12 in an Aurora movie theater. So the reaction of the politicians we've entrusted to protect us is to limit the ability of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves from the likes of Ebel and Holmes. Makes sense to them, I guess. The main purpose of the Second Amendment was for our protection against government. Perhaps government is the bigger threat we are facing.
Brian Blanche, Silverthorne
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


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Google held two big events within 24 hours: one with its subsidiary Motorola in New York, and another with its partner Samsung in Hong Kong. While there was some loose speculation around the web that maybe we'd see a new Xoom tablet or a preview of the next Galaxy Tab running Android's new Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, the focus was rightly on what Google, Motorola and Samsung do best: making really great Android smartphones.
Ice Cream Sandwich is billed as Google's unified mobile OS, working the same way on both tablets and smartphones. So far, though, what that means (as Google's Hugo Berra wrote after Google I/O this summer) is that "Ice Cream Sandwich will bring everything you love about Honeycomb on your tablet to your phone."
It's about making the phone experience bigger, more interactive, more capable. It's about making the phone literally bigger — the Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65", 1280 by 720 pixel screen, which while not unprecedented, is still really big for a smartphone, and way bigger than the 3.7" Nexus One screen.
Motorola, too, continues to treat the smartphone as the center, not periphery, of a new computing economy. It builds out its Droid RAZR with the Motoactv media player, dedicated cloud syncing and backup, and a range of docks and peripherals that all communicate with and augment the computing power of the handset.
The PC used to be the command center of your digital life; now, it's the phone. Anything with a hardware keyboard is again relegated to the role of a specialized workstation.
But wait; what about tablets? Tablets are supposed to be the devices that bridge phones and PCs. They're all anyone can talk about. Everybody loves tablets now:
- Apple sold eleven million iPads last quarter;
- Manufacturers tripped over themselves to pump out tablets before a tablet-optimized version of Android was even ready (and continue to do so, even though Google hemmed and hawed about making Honeycomb's source code available);
- Amazon's coming out with one (you probably heard about it);
- HP incited tablet fever when it slashed prices to clear Touchpad stock;
- Even global e-reading company Kobo has a brand-new Android tablet, the Vox, that will probably ship before Amazon's Kindle Fire.
So what's going on here? Why isn't Google embracing this, racing to get out ahead of the tablet market, pushing the envelope on pricing and capabilities, and generally looking to disrupt the whole show?
Ultimately, tablets just aren't that big a part of Google's business, nor are they likely to be. Google-approved Honeycomb tablets have only sold an estimated 3.4 million devices total.
Nor have tablets been a top priority within Google for very long. Android's head of user experience Matias Duarte told This Is My Next's Joshua Topolsky that Honeycomb was an "emergency landing," a crash-the-plane-in-a-cornfield attempt to stop manufacturers from shipping Android tablets with artificially up-sized smartphone builds: "Any corner we could cut to get that thing out the door, we had to." He explains, "That's the sole reason we haven't open sourced it."
Ice Cream Sandwich finally opens up pieces of the new platform to everyone, but the focus is decidedly not on tablets, at least for Duarte: "Ice Cream Sandwich is where we say 'huh, okay, how are those changes [first introduced in Honeycomb] going to work on phones?'" It may not be until Android Jelly Bean that we see Google's full attention turn to tablets, if then.
It may seem like I'm being harshly critical of Google or Android. Actually, I'm not. So I'll spell it out: Google moving slowly into tablets while it focuses on smartphones makes perfect sense. It's smart. It's good strategy. It fits perfectly with where Google is today and how it needs to position itself tomorrow.
Tablets are overwhelmingly consumer media devices. They can do many other things, and there's some room for very specialized devices for the enterprise market. At their broadest base, though, tablets are best for sitting on the couch and reading books or magazines, browsing the web, playing games and watching video. This is why Apple, the quintessential consumer electronics and media company, has been very successful with them. It makes money from selling the shiny package, and it makes money again from filling it up with apps and media.
It's possible to outsource the electronics bit, but not the media bit or the consumer focus. This is why Barnes & Noble has been fairly successful with the Nook Color, and Amazon will probably be quite successful with the Kindle Fire. These companies can tailor Android for their own purposes and use them as remote digital retail outposts.
Until very recently, Google was neither a consumer electronics nor a media company. It's a search, communications, advertising, software and services company. If you look at their existing line of applications, only a few, like Gmail, Maps or YouTube, make a lot of sense for tablets. The vast majority of their apps, from search to document editing, make much more sense on either a traditional PC, a smartphone or something like a Chromebook.
Real media companies — that is, content companies — haven't been able to figure Google out. That, at least, is what Android chief Andy Rubin told Walt Mossberg Wednesday at the AsiaD conference.
"Google is in the very, very early phases of adding consumer products to our portfolio," Rubin said. "The media industry didn't see us as that. They saw us as a search company."
Over time, that could change. The landmark Google Books agreement, now at a lawsuit-imposed standstill, could be retooled and resurrected. YouTube and Google TV may become vehicles for original or licensed content to compete with Hulu or Netflix. Google's nascent efforts in music could really take off. And Google could continue to treat all its Android handset makers equally while continuing to use Motorola as its officially sanctioned tablet manufacturer, bringing something unique and distinctive to those devices.
Until then, Android tablets will be a solid value proposition for media retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo, and a much less attractive one for Google itself than smartphones or even Chromebooks.
So stick with phones, Google, at least for now. You're getting really good at this.
See Also:
- Google Unwraps Ice Cream Sandwich, the Next-Generation Android OS
- Amazon's Android Tablet May Be the Best and Kill the Rest
- Motorola's Android Tablet Sales Fizzle Out
- Dynamite the Levees: Amazon's Triple Threat to Undercut the Consumer Biz
- From Kindle to Fire: Why Amazon Needs to Go Global
- Amazon's Kindles Squeeze and Seduce Media Companies
- From HP to Amazon, the Tablet Dilemma: Go Big or Go Home
- Amazon's Future Is So Much Bigger Than a Tablet
- Google To Acquire Motorola Mobility
- Did Google Just Turn Motorola Into the New Super-TiVo?
- Google + Motorola = Android Patent-Troll Repellent


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Two Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty were honored by PSU President Wim Wiewel at a special ceremony in Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom on March 6, 2012, for their length of service to Portland State University. The two are Mike Gorji, honored for 30 years of service, and Franz Rad, honored for 40 years of service.
M. Mike Gorji
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, M. Mike Gorji, was honored on March 6th for 30 years of service to PSU. Originally from Iran, as a young man Professor Gorji lived in California for many years. After completing his PhD he returned to Iran, but the events of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 led him back to California.
Professor Gorji's expertise is structural mechanics. His research deals with the theoretical prediction of the behavior of fiber-reinforced composite materials subject to various loading and environmental conditions. After returning to California from Iran, he worked in academia and the aerospace industry before securing a position at what was then the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Portland State. When Professor Gorji joined the Department of Civil Engineering in 1981, there were only a few other faculty members. At the time, the program was transitioning from structural to civil engineering and received its first accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) for civil engineering in 1982.
Over his 30-year career, Professor Gorji has participated in and witnessed the growth of his department, the school of engineering, which became the College of Engineering and Computer Science in 2000, and PSU. He remarks, "There's no comparison between PSU now and what it was 30 years ago!" He is delighted the university and the college's reputations have grown and that students have more resources at their disposal. Though Professor Gorji doesn't believe in retiring at an arbitrary age, he recognizes that after 30 years of service he may have to slow down. He would like to continue to teach, but a lighter course-load because there are so many interesting places to see in the world; he intends to make time to see those places!
Franz Rad
When Franz Rad was looking for work more than 40 years ago while completing his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, he didn't have the luxury of online employment search tools. In an age before the advent of the Internet, he turned to the one source that could be relied on then and now for information: the library.
As a PhD student in structural engineering with a young family that included three little boys, Franz's employment search was motivated largely by family concerns. Franz and his wife Leecia's first son was born deaf due to a case of rubella during Leecia's pregnancy. The Rads wished to enroll their son at a school for deaf children that used lip reading and spoken language instruction, but at the time there were only three such schools in the United States: in St. Louis, Missouri, Northampton, Massachusetts, and Portland, Oregon. Franz used library research to identify universities in the vicinity of these three cities and contacted each one to enquire if they had any positions available.
Franz began hearing back from the universities, one-by-one, with the news there were no positions available. He had heard from nearly all of them except one: Portland State. It was then he decided to employ the trump card in his deck: a personal connection. When Franz began his PhD studies at the University of Texas at Austin he had met Chik Erzurumlu, now Dean Emeritus of the Maseeh College. At the time Chik was an Assistant Professor in the Applied Science Department at PSU who was at UT Austin completing his PhD. At UT, while writing his dissertation, Franz taught a course in Fortran programming and Chik had focused a recruiting eye on him. With Chik's help, Franz was able to get phone interviews with the head of the Applied Science Department and the Dean of the College of Science, which led to a job offer with a starting annual salary of $9600. In 1971, that was a fine salary for an Assistant Professor at the beginning of a career.
In his 40-year career at Portland State, Professor Rad has had a tremendous impact on both the university and the college of engineering. He served as Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1979 to 2002 and was a major player along with other PSU engineering pioneers, such as Dr. Erzurumlu, in shaping the Maseeh College into what it is today. In the community, he is widely consulted by professionals, politicians and policymakers for his expertise on mitigating against earthquakes. Accustomed to teaching six courses a year, Professor Rad admits, "All good things must eventually come to an end…" However, it's a safe bet to say there are likely several chapters left in the history of Professor Franz Rad and Portland State University.


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Let's talk turkey as youth seasons approach
The annual springtime wild turkey seasons are getting close. In fact, the Rio Grande youth's only seasons are March 26-27 and May 21-22 for the north zone. The south zone youth hunts are March 12-13 and May 7-8. The regular north zone season for 101 counties is April 2 through May 15. For the 54 south zone counties, the season goes from March 19 through May 1.
There is also an eastern turkey season in 43 East Texas counties that runs from April 1 through April 30. Keep in mind that the regulations for hunting the Rio Grande and the eastern varieties are not the same. Methods and bag limits are vastly different. I'd recommend checking Texas Parks and Wildlife's Outdoor Annual to learn the complete story. The booklets are free and available at the TPWD Office on U.S. 69 in Beaumont as well as where hunting licenses are sold. Most of the East Texas deer hunters with whom I've spoken did see a good number of the eastern turkeys during the deer season.
Wild turkeys are traditionally hunted with shotguns. It is legal, however, to go after the Rio Grandes with a rifle. It is not legal to hunt the eastern variety with a rifle. Shotguns only for them. With this in mind, it is important to learn to call the birds. For this, I'm convinced you do not need to be an expert. Wild turkeys of both species make a number of sounds. By learning a few basic sounds, it is likely that you will do fine.
The first thing when going after the big birds is to know that there are some of them around. A little preseason scouting and listening will be a benefit for this. When possible, serious turkey hunters will be in the woods the evening before the next day's hunt. By making sounds of predator birds such as owls, crows or hawks after the gobblers have gone to roost, it is possible to know the gobbler's location. He will sound off at the sounds you make. Then if you are in that area first before dawn the next morning, it is possible to set up an ambush point for taking him. Is that a foolproof scenario? Not in the least. The wild turkey is highly unpredictable, but being in a good position will be a help most of the time.
No matter how you plan to hunt, it is super important to camouflage from head to toe. It is also necessary to be in a comfortable spot so that you may remain motionless for long periods of time. These birds are, in my opinion, the most wary of all game animals. Even the blink of your eye will spook them at times.
I recommend locating a tree that's wide enough at the trunk to not allow the bird to see your silhouette. Use a comfortable seat pad, move the leaves from around you and be still. It's then time to begin the calling. Should there be some low brush between you and the expected turkey approach area, so much the better. Should a big tree not be available, then logs and brush are also good places for concealment.
The use of decoys has become very popular. There are many manufacturers making turkey decoys. If you are hunting in an area that no other hunters will be, then the decoy is great. If there is a possibility that another hunter who is not with you may be in the area, then I don't recommend the decoy for safety reasons.I had mentioned learning at least some turkey calling sounds before heading afield. The idea for a really exciting hunt is to call a long-bearded gobbler into scattergun range.
There are some shotgun choke tubes that are offered just for turkey hunting. These chokes hold a very tight pattern when using the turkey loads. No. 4 shot, in my opinion, is the smallest that should be used. I would recommend larger shot size using the new heavy alloy material. The target should be the turkey's head and neck. His body is very thick and covered with protective feathers that make for difficult penetration by the shot. Rio Grande turkey hunters who use rifles do better with body shots, as do archers. Guns smaller than 12 gauge are legal, but I highly recommend at least a 12 gauge or even a 10 gauge.
Hunting wild turkeys is very exciting and may be addictive. Besides, a big gobbler's breast meat is all white and very rich in flavor. The thighs are great also, but the legs are very tough and contain lots of bones. My favorite turkey feast is filleted breast that is chicken fried and smothered with sour cream gravy. A little bit of that goes a long way. The thighs make super gumbo. So get ready. It is only a short time before it is turkey time.
Tune in to KSET 1300 at 6 p.m. on Thursdays for Billy Halfin Outdoors and listen to the daily updates at 7:25 a.m., 12:25 p.m. and 6:25 p.m.


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This electric mower -- lighter, easier to care for and causing much less air pollution than a gasoline one -- can handle even a lawn larger than the standard half-acre. The Remington Cordless PowerMower (Model MPS6017A) has a rechargeable battery but also can be used with an extension cord. Charge up the battery for about 60 minutes of mowing in the outer reaches and have the cord for backup closer to the house. Or buy an extra battery (about $100) and charge up both for about two hours of cordless mowing time.
Cost: $449
At Menards stores (menards.com); many Ace and True Value hardware stores or at remingtonpowertools.com.
Carrot kit
Here's a kit to make the magic of growing food easy. It comes with carrot seeds; a planter box with tray; labels; instructions; a pencil made of recycled wood; stickers and two 2-quart bags of potting mix made from recycled landscape waste such as lawn clippings, leaves and tree limbs.
Cost: $19.95
800-247-6646 or agromin.com
No gardener has too many gloves. The all-synthetic, washable West County Gardener Classic glove has a mesh back, padded palm, high shaft and adjustable tab to keep out garden debris. The new Foxglove pruning gauntlet has a black goatskin palm and unusually flexible tan synthetic suede elbow-length shaft for protection.
Cost: West County classic, $27; Foxglove gauntlet, $34
West County, 800-475-0567, westcountygardener.com to order or for stores; Foxgloves, foxglovesinc.com.
Garden shark
Every Christmas tree needs an oddly shaped package beneath it to spur speculation. Here's a truly useful one from Radius Garden Tools, a bowed rake with powder-coated carbon-steel tines to grab leaves, sticks and other debris. It has a 61-inch-long lightweight fiberglass shaft (comfortable even for tall people).
Cost: $27.99
Ace Hardware, acehardware.com or 866-290-5334 for stores; or radiusgarden.com for other stores.
Give pets that eat garbage: Red wiggler earthworms, which can compost kitchen scraps even indoors (learn how at chicagotribune.com/worms). At Pacific Garden Mission, 1458 S. Canal St., you can pick up a gift of worms while contributing to the Mission's good works.
Cost: $25 suggested donation for 1 pound (approximately 1,000); $75 suggested donation for 1.5-cubic-foot "wormerie" made from reclaimed wood that comes with bedding, worms and instructions.
E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com. One week's advance notice required for pickup, Friday mornings through Dec. 19; no shipping and no walk-up business.
We feed the birds so we can see them up close, but then we're too busy, or we never have the camera handy when the cardinal comes by. That's why there's the Wingscapes BirdCam, a motion-activated digital camera that can be mounted to the feeder post or a nearby tree. It automatically takes either still photos or 10-second video clips of visiting birds that can be viewed on a TV or downloaded to a computer for online posting or e-mailing. Needs 4 D batteries about every 30 days, so consider seeking out rechargeable batteries and a charger too.
Cost: $249; shown with pole mounting arm, $29 additional
At wingscapes.com.


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"It all started with mowing."
That's the story for so many people in the green industry. As soon as they were tall enough and strong enough to push a mower, many budding landscape contractors began by cutting lawns for neighbors, to earn extra money after school and in the summer.
By the time these "wanna-be" small business owners were in high school, some of them had already built viable enterprises ready for them to step into as adults, while their peers were still wondering what to do with their lives. Some of these businesses later became multimillion-dollar operations. Some companies, especially the larger ones, still derive much of their income from those whirling mower blades.
Mowing opens the door
"Mowing starts a relationship with a customer," says Terry James, owner of Terry's Lawn Maintenance in North Hills, California. In the 23 years he's been in business, he's started many relationships, and kept them. Like many, he first pushed a mower while in high school, back in his home state of New Jersey. When he moved to California and started his business, his basic service package was mostly mowing, with some planting.
James says that mowing people's lawns is the icebreaker, if you will. "If they like your work, over time, they begin to have confidence in you. This creates a doorway to other kinds of services, other revenue streams. But you have to have the mowing first to create the other, more profitable work—tree trimming, sprinkler installation and repair, seeding and sodding, planting shrubs and flowers, and hauling."
He and his two-man crew service approximately 120 clients, both residential and commercial. He estimates that 65 to 70 percent of his company's revenue comes from mowing.
Andrew Ziehler began his business, Ziehler Lawn and Tree Care, Centerville, Ohio, in 1999, while still in high school. He started not with mowing, but with mulch. "We'd have it delivered at someone's house, then a couple of friends and I would go clean up the beds and put it down. Eventually, we started mowing for those customers."
He adds, "Our clients love our customer service and the quality of our lawn care. They like the programs we provide, and they like dealing with our company, so they want more services from us. There's money to be made in mowing." His company today has 16 employees and yearly turns over $1,000,000- plus. Mowing makes up 60 percent of the maintenance division's revenue.
These two companies are relatively small. But, as we said, some very large companies began with mowing, and mowing still provides a major part of their revenue streams.
The Pattie Group, Inc., headquartered in Novelty, Ohio, began in 1963, when founder and CEO Steve Pattie was eleven. He and a sevenyear-old partner started mowing lawns during the hot Cleveland Heights summers. Within five years, the pair had driven away all of their professional competition, and officially incorporated as Pattie's Landscaping, Inc. (later renamed The Pattie Group, Inc.). Last year, the company grossed more than eight million dollars.
"Mowing is extremely important, because a lot of clients in our market make a decision about a provider based upon cutting," says Pattie Group garden and property manager Hillary Henry. "Quality, price, and consistency of performance; all of these things weigh into that decision." She agrees that mowing is the inroad to gaining a relationship with the client. "It provides us with an opportunity to upsell higher margin services, such as lawn care, shrub care and irrigation management."
And even beyond. "We'll send somebody in our design/build division a lead, saying 'These clients really need to renovate the front of their house; what do you think?'" says Henry. "Then someone from that division will go out and meet with the clients."
Mowing has been, and continues to be, central to the success of Gachina Landscape Management Services in Menlo Park, California. "Maintenance is our primary business," says John Gachina, president and CEO. "Seventy percent of it is contract maintenance; that includes mowing, grooming, weeding, fertilizing and pruning. The other 30 percent is enhancements or irrigation; in other words, extra work. But that extra work comes from those maintenance customers."
The company's location, in the heart of the Silicon Valley, gives it plenty of opportunity. It maintains multifamily housing developments, city parks, large corporate campuses, shopping centers, cemeteries and more. "There's a lot of turf to mow out here," says Gachina, "because every place has lawns. Mowing is a huge part of what we are." The company also maintains some of the high-end estates owned by the Valley's computer hardware and software moguls.
The challenges
There are three big challenges to making mowing pay: equipment, labor, and competition, according to Ziehler. "Mowing is a labor- and equipment-intensive service. You have a big investment in those commercial mowers. It takes a lot of time to maintain them well. But if you don't, then you're always dealing with repairs. It's a difficult thing."
"Profitability-wise, mowing is one of the lowest-margin services that we offer. It's also the most consumer price-sensitive." Ziehler says that in the market where he works, there are a number of competitors. Some of them are very big companies, which deliberately under-price their mowing services. "Especially with the economy and everything, there are a lot of companies that are going for the lowest price. It's hard for the consumer to gauge the value they might get from a higher-priced company like mine. So, it's a difficult game to play."
Cathy Blaeser owns a small company, Green Thumb-Brown Boots Lawnscape in Batavia, Illinois. She faces the same problem in her market, where some very large companies are able to charge as little as $17 per mow. Ziehler says that he "couldn't even afford to show up for $17." Neither can Blaeser.
But volume can make up for a lot.
Ziehler adds that when he really does the math on a homeowner's association (HOA) contract, the priceper-lawn can average as low as $15.
"But since we're mowing anywhere from 40 to 2,000 square feet of turf, or 50 lawns, as essentially one big piece of land, it works out."
Says Henry, "You have to look at mowing as a vehicle to building other areas of your business. You need enough business acuity to understand that cutting may be a lower-margin service in comparison to hand-pruning, bed-edging or planting flowers, but it's a vehicle to selling those higher-margin services."
"We kind of go in a different direction," Ziehler continues. "We pretty much mandate that our customers take our lawn care program, and then they're able to receive mowing. It's kind of backwards. We don't want to deal with an extreme amount of mowing, and not get anything else out of it. So, we make sure we sell the service we're building our business around, which is fertilization, plant and tree health care."
Growing pains
Ziehler says his business began with "the typical progression, doing everything and anything, with no rhyme, reason, or plan. Then I learned that that wasn't going to work real well. At that point, we got busy at building a business, getting organized, and doing the right things at the right time. That's when we made a big transition to the lawn and tree care side of things, and got really focused in that direction."
To take your business to the next level, "the first thing is to establish open communications and accessibility with a client; 'touching' them, so to speak," says Henry. "If we get a lead where someone has said, 'I want a price for cutting,' we make it a priority to meet with the person onsite."
Henry says this 'face time' with a new client is absolutely vital. Why? "A face-to-face meeting is entirely different from an email barrage, a text message, or even a conversation on the phone. You need to find out what somebody's 'hot buttons' are." She cites this example. "Say a customer doesn't want anyone on their property on Wednesdays. You may not realize that, and schedule your crew in there on that day. There's little nuances like that you can only pick up in a face-to-face meeting."
As every business owner knows, finding and keeping good people is never easy. Ziehler says this has been an ongoing struggle for him. "It's finding a person who will show up to work every day, work hard and take pride in their work, and do it day after day after day. We feel we pay a very fair wage, on the upper end, but it's still extremely difficult. It affects your ability to grow, because you can't find the people."
Of course, employee retention is tougher in a seasonal business. You may have a great crew that summer, but lose them over the winter. "Which is the opposite of what the consumer wants," says Ziehler. "They want to see the same person on the property every week, year after year. Finding ways to do that adds value. It will help you be successful." Quality control It's great to get a lot of mowing jobs, but not so many that you lose control of the process. Keeping clients satisfied has a direct effect on profitability. They take this very seriously at The Pattie Group. Quality control starts on an employee's very first day.
"We have a very comprehensive training program in place," says Henry. "We start people who are new to the industry at a pretty rudimentary level of performance, as assistants." To move up in level, employees have to pass both in-house tests and tests for state and national certification. "Every employee in the company has to have 45 hours of training per year. That affects yearend bonuses and incentives."
The Pattie Group's philosophy is to exceed customer expectations. Every time a crew finishes a property, the crew leader writes a "leavebehind" note, letting the owner know exactly what was done that day. If there are garbage cans at the curb, they get hauled back to the house. Newspapers get put on the front porch. "We do little things; for example, if we see the mailman, we flag him down and take the mail up to the door."
Find a gap and fill it
When John Gachina started his company 25 years ago, it was during the Silicon Valley's big building boom. "A lot of landscape companies were turning up their noses at HOAs," he says. People were saying, 'HOAs aren't professional; I don't want to deal with a bunch of angry homeowners or housewives.'" "Some of the companies that I compete against now had been around quite awhile when I started," says Gachina. "They were saying, 'We don't need that stuff.' But I was the new kid on the block, trying to build a business, so I was saying, 'Well, I need anything I can get.'" In fact, Gachina's first big contract was with an HOA. "I was happy to get it," he says. "Of course, working with HOAs requires good communication with boards and committees.
Now, HOAs make up about 30 to 40 percent of our business."
Picking up business others cast aside was a winning strategy that's still paying off. Gachina Landscape Management Services grossed more than $22 million last year.
The company's four San Francisco Bay Area branches employ more than 350 people in the peak season, and its fleet includes approximately 150 trucks and some 400 commercial mowers.
Maybe there's maintenance work in your area that's waiting for someone to do it. Is that someone you?
Recession-proofing through mowing
Making mowing and maintenance a part of your business can help recession-proof it. When the economy took a nosedive in 2008, many companies with a strong emphasis on maintenance survived, where some more design/build-oriented companies didn't. When money gets tight, new construction contracts get canceled, but maintenance contracts tend to stay put.
As Gachina points out, even in lean times, "Properties still have to be taken care of, and lawns still have to be mowed." And although his company did lose a little market share during the past five years, "We came through the recession really strong. We had to tighten our belt, but everybody did."
"One of the things mowing has always done for us is provide a good cash flow," says Ziehler. "It's a service that happens week after week, so when you sell a job, you know what you're going to need as far as crew levels, tools and equipment for the remainder of the year.
And it also tends to renew pretty well. Those are the two best things that we get out of mowing. It's continual cash coming in, and it's a renewable service, so it goes on and on."
Image problem?
Mowing and maintenance may not be the sexiest-sounding business; it can, at times, suffer from a bit of an image problem. But is there anything more alluring than a six, seven, or eight-figure income? This side of the green business can be very green, indeed.
"A lot of people in college want to be in design," says Gachina. "It just sounds like the place to be. Then they find out that landscape architecture, like construction, is not recession-proof. Some landscape architecture firms during this last recession went from 30 people down to five."
"We do a lot of recruiting, like at PLANET's Student Career Days," he adds. "We'll get some folks there who'll say, 'Oh, I don't want to do maintenance, only dummies do that.' Well, I'll tell them, this little dummy is doing quite well."


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|Rye, N.Y.
|High School:
2013-14: Won both the 1-meter (252.00) and 3-meter (261.70) diving events at the America East Championships… Named the America East Most Outstanding Diver at the conference meet in Worcester, Mass. … Set a career-best on the 1-meter (271.95) board during the team's training trip in South Florida to earn a spot at the NCAA Zones meet for the second straight year… Recorded her career-best on the 3-meter board (272.47) while capturing the event during the Retrievers' home meet with Howard on Jan. 11… Became the first UMBC diver to advance to final round of the Zones meet when she advanced on the 3-meter board… Finished 17th on 3-meter after scoring 248.30 in the prelim round… Placed 34th at the Zones meet on the 1-meter board…Named the America East Most Outstanding Diver of the Week three times… Selected to the America East All-Academic Team… Named to the America East Honor Roll.
2012-13: Won a silver medal in the 1-meter diving competition at the America East Championships after placing fourth in the preliminary round… Also finished in fourth place in the 3-meter event… Scored a season-best 265.885 in the 1-meter versus West Virginia to qualify for the NCAA Zones Meet… Posted her top 3-meter score of 270.22 while claiming top honors against Old Dominion on Jan. 12… Named the America East Female Diver of the Week twice, first on Oct. 23 and then on Jan. 15… Swept the diving events against both Navy and ODU… Named to the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Background: Top point scorerer all four years at Rye High Schoool... Qualified for the state meet in the 1-meter competition with a score of 450.8 at the 2011 Rockland CountyDive Invitational... Won the silver medal at the 2010 Empire State Games with a score of 382.95 in the 3-meter competition... An honor roll student throughout her four years.
Personal: Daughter of Joel and Anne Darelius... Has one brother, Sam... Plans to major in engineering... Born July 18, 1994.


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Change my album's domain name
You can change the domain name visitors use to access your Photo Album at any time.
- Log in to your GoDaddy account.
- Click Photo Album.
- Next to the account you want to use, click Manage.
- Click Settings.
- Go to the Domain Settings tab.
- From the Domain Settings area, select one of the following:
- Select an available domain from your account
- Select from a list of domains associated with your account.
- Enter a domain not registered here
- Enter a domain name that you registered in a different account.
- Enter a subdomain for a domain in this account
- Add a subdomain to one of the domains associated with your account.
Note: If you enter a domain that you registered with another registrar, please update the "A Record" for your domain so it points to the IP address 22.214.171.124. For more information, contact your domain registrar.
- Click Save.


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Doctors use the KOH preparation to find out whether a fungal
infection is present on the nails, skin, scalp, or beard.
A doctor or nurse takes a sample of skin by lightly scraping the
infected area that is scaling or flaking.
The doctor or nurse places the nail, skin, or hair sample on a slide with
potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution and gently heats it. This solution slowly
dissolves the skin cells but not the fungus cells. The fungus cells are then
visible with a microscope. Color stains may be used so that the fungus is
easier to see.
A doctor may do a KOH test to find out whether a person
has a fungal infection. Fungal infections may cause:
Findings of a KOH test may include the following:
No fungi are present in the nail, skin, or hair samples.
Other tests may be done to find out the cause of the skin
Fungi are present in the nail, skin, or hair samples.
Your doctor may be able to find out whether you have a fungal
infection by the appearance of the rash and may not need to do a KOH
Complete the medical test information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you prepare for this test.
Last Revised:
December 21, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & John Pope, MD - Pediatrics
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


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For Seniors: Add Regular E-Mail to iPad 2
You can send and receive e-mail on iPad 2 through regular e-mail providers such as Windows Live/Hotmail, Earthlink, Microsoft Exchange, MobileMe/iCloud, and your cable-Internet provider. You can also send and receive webmail on the iPad 2.
Webmail providers typically use a web page to help you create and send e-mail. On iPad, webmail providers include Gmail, Yahoo!, or AOL accounts, and you set them up differently than the way you set up regular e-mail on iPad 2. To set up a regular e-mail account, you'll need some hosting information from your provider such as incoming and outgoing mail server addresses.
1Tap the Settings icon on the Home screen.
The Settings options appear on the right.
2In Settings, tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and then tap the Add Account button at the top right.
A list of e-mail providers appears.
3Tap Other or Microsoft Exchange.
Although you can use the Other option to setup Windows Live/Hotmail, it's best to choose Microsoft Exchange. If you tap Microsoft Exchange, a dialog box in which you can enter the Exchange account information appears, and you can skip the next step.
4If you tap Other, tap Add Mail Account; otherwise, skip this step.
A dialog box in which you can enter your account information appears.
5Enter your account information.
For a non-Exchange account, enter your name, e-mail address, password, and account description, and tap Next. For MobileMe/iCloud, choose the services to sync — Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Bookmarks and tap Save. iPad verifies your account and adds it to the Mail, Contacts, and Calendars page. If iPad has a problem, you'll be prompted to enter incoming and outgoing server information (such as pop.ix.netcom.net and smtpauth.earthlink.net).
For Exchange, enter the server address (such as m.hotmail.com), e-mail address, and username (they are your e-mail address), and password. Click Next, enter the server address again. Click Next and choose the services you want to sync — Mail, Contacts, and Calendars.
6To make sure that the Account is active, tap the account name, tap On and tap Done.
You can now access the account through Mail.
You can turn any e-mail account on or off by opening it in Settings and tapping its On/Off button.


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Delivery:o Watch box
o You have a withdrawal within 14 days if the watch box should not suit youo 24 month warranty
5.00 / 5.00
Good service and fine watches. I am very satisfi...
User rating module
Copyright ©2005-2018 powered by AVIATOR Watches -- Designs and illustrations may differ from the original. -- Thunderbirds mark and brand logos belong to Riedenschild GmbH. --


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Low Carb Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms
Labels: chicken, low carb, low carb recipe, recipe
Low carb recipes for use in a Somersize diet. Although many of these recipes would be good for traditional low carb diets, Somersizing does not require you to count carbs, so I do list carb counts in my recipe.
Labels: chicken, low carb, low carb recipe, recipe
Lo Carb Recipes - Atkins Diet No and Low Carb Recipes
Atkins Low Carb Diet Products - Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels. LowCarb4Life is a low carb weight loss support site which includes product reviews, low carb recipes, books, diet plans, and large resource directory.
Dr. Atkins' Diet Plan - Atkins diet in a nutshell
Low Carb Ketogenic Diets - Introduction to low carb ketogenic diets - The perfect diet and conquering obesity.
Candida|Yeast Infections? - You can get your health back and eliminate systemic yeast infections, candida and oral thrush!
Carbohydrates in Food and Diet - Carbs in foods and low carb dieting
AC Weight Loss Diet - Best Value Weight Loss Diet Program and Support Forum


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Dear Everyone: Stop Calling 911 If Your Cable Is Out When Breaking Bad Is On
from the breaking-emergency-services dept
Unless you've been living under a rock lately, you have surely heard about AMC's hit show Breaking Bad, featuring Bryan Cranston cosplaying Gordon Freeman while making a ton of drugs and generally being an all-around badass. Fortunately for this story, journalistic integrity doesn't really include my opinion of the show, because I watch it enough that my dog and my fiancé can now recite the proper cooking method for a batch of blue crack-speed, which is a strange thing to hear from a dog, I have to tell you. Add to that AMC's being rather awesome when disputes with Dish Network prevented subscribers from seeing it on their TVs and I have something of a fanboi relationship with the show.
And yet, if I had a cable subscription and it went on the fritz during the latest episode, I probably wouldn't be on the horn with emergency services to get help like apparently everyone in Norwich, Connecticut was.
That's what happened last night in southern Connecticut when affected Optimum Cable subscribers decided that missing an episode of Breaking Bad or Eat Drink Love was akin to suffering a major heart attack. Service was down for about two hours during primetime because of a power outage in Norwich.The result of this pissing-off of dispatchers was for emergency services to engage their snark-emitters on social media, informing everyone that abusing 911 services could result in arrest and that they wouldn't get cable in prison, either. Not bad, but I wonder how many of them had to resist the urge to dispatch SWAT to each and every caller to administer a bit of the old scared-straight tactic, because if my Gram-Gram needed an ambulance and couldn't get one because someone's cable was out, I'd be inclined to go full-psycho on them.
Confused as to what to do and too impatient to wait until the next day, people started calling 911. That unsurprisingly pissed off emergency dispatchers.
Filed Under: 911, breaking bad, cable service, police


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Learn more about the Cadillac CT6: Cadillac CT6 Reviews, Pricing, Specs and more »
Find used cars in Ann Arbor with CarsDirect. Located in the southeastern corner of the state of Michigan, Ann Arbor is part of a Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint metropolitan area, but on its own, the city has long passed the 100,000 mark in terms of residents. Current population estimates place the Ann Arbor community at around 114,000 citizens. Founded in 1824 by land speculators, Ann Arbor is said to be named after one of the founder's wives, as well as stands of trees that were originally part of the local landscape. Ann Arbor is an important population center for the state of Michigan, and continues to maintain its own schools and other amenities.
With its proximity to the traditional motor city of Detroit, Ann Arbor is an interesting place to look for used vehicle deals. Many Ann Arbor residents rely on their personal vehicles for travel within the Detroit-Ann Arbor area and beyond. Although the local large automaker General Motors has experienced troubles within recent decades, some parts of the car industry are very much alive within the Ann Arbor area, and used car shoppers can profit from a thorough understanding of what is still going on within the metropolitan region. For more on the kinds of deals available in Ann Arbor, Michigan, web users can try out the tools at CarsDirect.com to see what is on offer from local sellers.Show More »
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Letter about Latino children overgeneralizes issues of community, education
I am writing in response to Billy Cliffe's letter in the Oct. 1 edition. I can understand any citizen's concern at discovering children are not attending school, although this occurs in American, caucasian families as well.
I cannot understand Mr. Cliffe's ignorant leap to the conclusion that having Latinos in our community leads to the "education base in this community going down the tubes."
I think if Mr. Cliffe attempted to have a genuine conversation with some of his other Latino neighbors, he would find, in general, that Latino parents care just as deeply about their children's educations as other members of our community. There are always exceptions, and these hold true for American parents as well.
It is impressive Mr. Cliffe took the time to write to the paper, but I wonder if he made any attempt to report this educational neglect to Child Protective Services?
His description of our child protection workers as having "too much work, not enough time" is contrary to my experience with this agency. I, unfortunately, have been in the position of having to make numerous child abuse reports and have encountered caring and hard-working professionals.
I am afraid to ask what Mr. Cliffe meant by a "tighter sense of community." If he means a completely homogeneous society, lacking diversity and the richness other cultures bring to Summit County, I hope his wish is not realized. I would like to remind Mr. Cliffe that, unless he is Native American, his family emigrated from somewhere else, too. It is the nature of the "melting pot."
I am always surprised at the number of people who, now that they are citizens, would like to keep everyone else out. I, for one, am grateful my ancestors were able to come to this wonderful country.
Finally, there are numerous ways to be "proactive" to the benefit of our educational system. If Mr. Cliffe truly is concerned about education in our community, I suggest he call one of the local schools to find out about volunteer opportunities.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.


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Your journey to an enhanced lifestyle starts here. Whether you've got clear goals or need somewhere to start, we've got the experience and the tools to help you get to where you want to be.
The gym team prides itself on their commitment to every member to identify goals, motivate, support and progress. Your Wellness Journey begins with a tailor-made programme designed for gradual and sustained health improvements.
With a designated Wellness Advisor for every member, the team focus on three key aims; to motivate, educate and encourage.
The standard and variety of equipment in the gym is second to none. Whether your goals are fitness related, sport specific, for rehabilitation purposes, weight loss or functional strength, an activity programme will be designed for you using the best facilities for your needs.
Group exercise classes are unlimited and available seven days a week. With over 140 classes per week and easy-to-use online booking, the flexibility is there to choose your best workout regime with advice from your Wellness Advisor.
Go aerobic and high energy to burn calories, or try something holistic to reduce life's stresses. With three studios providing a mixture of aerobic, holistic and Group Cycle classes, you will find something that fits into your schedule and gets you closer to your goal.
In addition, circuit-based functional training classes take place in the gym. Outdoor sessions including Bootcamp, Run Club and Nordic Walking are also available seasonally.
To view our group exercise class timetable and find out more about each class we offer, click the links below.
Our wet facilities include a swimming pool, relaxation spa, sauna, steam room and ice cave.
As water provides a natural resistance, swimming is an effective way of toning your muscles, increasing flexibility or aiding rehabilitation. Swimming offers a cardio workout while also working on an even body tone.
The swimming pool at The Tytherington Club is one constant depth, allowing for swimming lessons, Aqua classes and Family Splash sessions.
If finding time to relax is one of your goals, the spa, sauna and steam room will help you to practise relaxation techniques which can reduce stress symptoms.
The spa area has a rain shower and an ice cave for a refreshing contrast from the steam room and sauna. Relaxing is an important part of your all-round wellness and health.
Personal Training
One-on-one personal training is designed for everyone. Whether you need to increase motivation, rehabilitate from an injury, or have a special date booked in your diary, our Personal Trainers can provide safe, effective and fun sessions tailored to your needs.
Your Personal Trainer will establish your goals, give you exercise and nutritional advice and, most crucially, provide you with a varied and fun workout using a range of equipment and facilities. Every session is planned to motivate you and achieve the results you want.
Keeping the whole family active is vital. With a strong family culture at the club, activities include swimming lessons, Family Splash sessions, Teen Gym sessions and much more. When the whole family visits, the aim is to encourage participation in any activity within family friendly surroundings.
Kids' Activities
Keeping the kids entertained is always a challenge and at The Tytherington Club we think we've got it cracked.
From babies of 6 weeks old up to teenagers of 16 years old, we've put together age-appropriate activities for everyone.
What better way to encourage your child to lead a healthy lifestyle than getting them involved in The Tytherington's dedicated children activities, combining fun, education and fitness.
Much more than just a gym.
The Tytherington Club offers much more than just a gym. To find out about our range of membership options, click the link below or call us on 01625 506 000.


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AMS cares about your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and how it's used online. PII, as used in U.S. privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information.
What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our blog, website or app?
When ordering or registering on our site, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, credit card information, social security number, or other details to help you with your experience.
When do we collect information?
We collect information from you when you register on our site, place an order, subscribe to a newsletter, respond to a survey, fill out a form or enter information on our site.
How do we use your information?
We may use the information we collect from you when you register, make a purchase, sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey or marketing communication, browse the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways:
How do we protect visitor information?
Do we use 'cookies'?
Yes. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow). Cookies enable the site's or service provider's systems to recognize your browser and capture and remember certain information.
We use cookies to:
You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser (like Internet Explorer) settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser's Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.
If you disable cookies, some site features will be disabled. However, you can still place orders.
Third Party Disclosure
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personally identifiable information to outside parties unless we provide you advance notice. This does not include website hosting partners and other parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate, for example, to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others' rights, property, or safety.
However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.
Third party links
Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.
We use Google AdSense Advertising on our website. As a third party vendor, Google uses cookies to serve ads on our site. Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to our users based on their visit to our site and other sites on the Internet. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google Ad and Content Network Privacy policy.
Google's Advertising Principles (see https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/1316548?hl=en) were put in place to provide a positive experience for users.
We have implemented the following:
We, along with third-party vendors such as Google, use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookies) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie) or other third-party identifiers together to compile data regarding user interactions with ad impressions and other ad service functions as they relate to our website.
Opting out of Google Advertising:
Users can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Settings page. Alternatively, you can opt out by visiting the Network Advertising initiative opt out page or permanently using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser add-on.
Other Privacy Protection Requirements
Some states also require commercial websites and online services to conspicuously post a privacy policy. Pursuant to those regulations, we also agree with the following statements:
How does our site handle "Do Not Track" signals?
We honor do not track signals and do not track, plant cookies, or use advertising when a Do Not Track (DNT) browser mechanism is in place.
Does our site allow third party behavioral tracking?
We allow third party behavioral tracking.
COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control of the collection of personal information from children under 13. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online.
We do not specifically market to children under 13.
CAN SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to stop incoming emails and spells out tough penalties for violations.
We collect your email address in order to:
To be in compliance with CAN-SPAM we agree to the following:
If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at email@example.com.
Follow the instructions at the bottom of each email and we will promptly remove you from ALL correspondence.
Contacting Us
If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.
American Musical Supply Inc.
8 Thornton Road
Oakland, New Jersey 07436
United States
What started as a simple string and pedal sales catalog has grown exponentially over the past thirty years. The early days were a time where catalogs didn't have much of a presence in the industry, but what began as a college dorm room operation grew rapidly. In 1986 we moved to a full product offering and 64-page catalog, which over the years has grown to 162 pages. Join the AMS family and get your free catalog now!
Copyright © 1996-2019 American Musical Supply, Inc. All rights reserved. American Musical Supply reserves the right to correct pricing and/or product specifications in the event of typographical errors found in our print catalog or on our website. If a product is listed at an incorrect price due to such errors or because of inaccurate information received from a supplier, American Musical Supply shall have the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed, whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is canceled, American Musical Supply will issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the charge.


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Steve Kaufer is the founder and chief executive of TripAdvisor — a site that made headlines recently when it warned that some of its hotel reviews might have been manipulated. I asked Kaufer about the site, the credibility of user-generated reviews, and the future of social media.
Q: When it comes to user-generated hotel and restaurant reviews, I think it's safe to say TripAdvisor is by far the most dominant site. Can you give me a sense of the size, traffic and overall influence of TripAdvisor?
Kaufer: TripAdvisor has nearly 25 million reviews and opinions on more than 490,000 hotels and attractions, more than 11 million registered members, and operates in 14 countries and 10 different languages. We have more than 25 million monthly visitors to our site, and have acquired 13 other travel brands. In terms of influence, a May 2008 Jupiter consumer travel survey reported that 76 percent of people find reviews from like-minded people most useful.
Q: Let me ask you about last week's Beat of Hawaii-Arthur Frommer dust-up. TripAdvisor is now warning users about hotels gaming in the review process. Can you tell me why you decided to do this, how long you've had these warnings, and how many reviews are affected?
Kaufer: We've been posting the warnings since 2006. We view our red badge and rating drop as the best punishment for properties trying to manipulate the system. A couple of people have asked why we don't drop these properties from the site entirely. We think the red badge is a better punishment, and provides more information to travelers so they can make the most educated and informed decisions before they book. We also wouldn't want hotels with very poor traveler reviews to use such a banning on the site as a loophole to get out. That's exactly what poorly run properties want — to be taken off TripAdvisor.
Q: One of the things TripAdvisor uses to catch bogus reviews is a computer program. Why can't the algorithm tag these fake write-ups?
Kaufer: We have three primary methods to insure review integrity. Prior to posting, every review is screened and a team of quality assurance specialists investigates suspicious ones. This group brings a wide range of professional experience, including expertise in credit card fraud, loss prevention and identity theft. We also use proprietary automated tools to help identify attempts to subvert the system, and our community helps screen our content and report suspicious activity. These systems do catch the vast majority of suspicious reviews.
Q: What would you say to readers of your site who are concerned about the integrity of your hotel and restaurant reviews?
Kaufer: We believe our 23 million reviews and opinions are authentic, unbiased, and from real travelers, which is why we enjoy tremendous user loyalty. The sheer volume of reviews we have for an individual property allows travelers to base their decisions on the opinions of many and provides an additional safeguard. After all, any individual review is just that… a review by one person who may or may not have the same tastes as you, or be in a good or bad mood when they wrote the review. But when looking at the average of hundreds of reviews for a single property, the collective wisdom shines through and presents a complete picture of the property.
Q: Some TripAdvisor critics were quick to add their "I-told-you-sos" last week. Can you understand where these folks are coming from? Could you help us make some sense of why they've been critical of your site?
Kaufer: Some of those critics have a horse in the race. Professional guide books and travel agents are losing audience to TripAdvisor and other UGC sites. Forrester research shows that 68 percent of travelers read reviews from other travelers before they book. The same research shows only 38 percent turn to professionally written content. The average guidebook takes 15 months from manuscript submission to hitting the store shelf. TripAdvisor gets 13 new posts every minute of every day, so it's the freshest travel information available.
We don't have anything against professionally written reviews. In fact, we have links to many professional reviews on TripAdvisor today, as we have had since we launched the site. We're happy to have our visitors find all the available information on the Web to help them make the right travel decision for them.
Q: How do you use TripAdvisor when you're on the road? And how do you think people should use the site?
Kaufer: TripAdvisor has a lot of features that are valuable at different stages of the trip. When in the initial planning stages, I'll use the inspiration section on the home page to help me select a destination. I'll use our flights product to find the best airfare, and then use our hotel mapping functionality to pick the best hotel near where I want to be. If I'm traveling on business, I head to the business center, as that section highlights the hotels that are good for business, as well as offer restaurant suggestions for a business dinner. When I'm traveling with my kids, I'll look for top-value hotels which save me some money, and I'll read the reviews written by folks who traveled with their kids. And like all of our visitors, when I read the reviews, I take the best and worst reviews with a grain of salt, and focus on what the majority of reviewers have to say. My favorite 'hidden' feature of TripAdvisor is our forums. No matter what I ask in the forums, I always seem to get a good answer within 24 hours.
Q: Is there a way in which people are using TripAdvisor that you think they should not?
Kaufer: From a consumer perspective, there's not necessarily a wrong way to use TripAdvisor. I think some of the posts on your blog represent unique and useful ways to use our site.
Q: Oh, thanks. I want to ask you about services such as Returnity, that funnel positive reviews about a property back into TripAdvisor. Doesn't a hotel using a service like this have an advantage over another hotel that relies on the organic review process for its rating? Is that fair?
Kaufer: My understanding of Returnity-type services is that they facilitate communication between hotels and their guests and, by requesting feedback on a stay, give the hotel an idea of who might write a positive versus negative review. Nothing from Returnity is pre-programmed and uploaded into TripAdvisor.
Q: Do you have any statistical evidence that a positive review on TripAdvisor leads to more bookings or that a negative review takes away bookings? If so, could you please tell me what it says?
Kaufer: We have partners who feature TripAdvisor reviews on their sites, and claim that their bookings have increased — in one case, doubled — with the inclusion of these reviews. And these include both positive and negative reviews. We work with a lot of properties who have found TripAdvisor widgets and badges to be valuable marketing tools.
Anecdotally, we hear from travelers that negative reviews aren't nearly as impactful as how a property handles them. We do a lot of outreach to business owners and encourage them to use the management response tool that's available on our site. We know there are always two sides to every story, and we encourage property managers to share their side of the story, or simply apologize if a mistake was made. Anecdotally, we also hear from property owners that TripAdvisor has helped them grow their business.
With millions of travelers using TripAdvisor daily, it is hard to imagine that we don't influence where travelers are choosing to stay. However, it isn't something we've tried to measure.
Q: With the introduction of video on the new iPhone, we may be poised for a shift from "tell me" to "show me" user-generated reviews. How is TripAdvisor going to position itself in world where information is exchanged in real time, and in a more multimedia way?
Kaufer: We've been encouraging travelers to upload photos and video to TripAdvisor for a long time. We'd love to see the use of these tools increase — anything to help travelers make more informed decisions about their trip.
Q: Let me ask about your slogan, which is, "Get the truth. Then go." It seems to me that the content you'll find on TripAdvisor is highly subjective, and that your recent warnings are a concession that the reviews are nothing more than one person's — or company's — opinion. Do you have any plans to change your slogan, now that you've conceded that some of your ratings may have been manipulated?
Kaufer: It's never been a secret that reviews are subjective, and that they are individuals' opinions. That's the power of user-generated content. It's up to the traveler, with the help of our popularity index and filters, to review the data that's meaningful for them, and to listen to the wisdom of the crowds. Everyone's true travel experience is their own. I'm certainly biased, but I'll always prefer a hundred reviews from real travelers, each recounting a different experience, than one review from a professional writer who is basing his or her opinion on a single experience with a property. TripAdvisor is still the best place to get the truth, then go.