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Hello, I'd really like to thank The Womenz for the opportunity to tell my story and give maybe a little bit of mojo juice to those women around the world currently doing it tough and wondering if there's a way to get out from under whatever situation is keeping them down and to move forward with dignity.
My name is Fiona Boyd and I'm currently the CEO and Co-founder of an education technology startup based in Melbourne, Australia called ParentPaperwork. We replace paper forms in K-12 schools worldwide via our cloud SaaS solution and aim to make teachers and administrators lives better by handling their data capture, management and reporting tasks. Think permission forms, enrolment forms, student surveys and that's pretty much what we do, but we take it all online in a really secure and robust way.
This isn't my first technology startup. Indeed since 2000 I have been starting and running online ventures, some have worked out really well and gotten respectable exits and a couple have sunk without a trace. The one I'm most proud of is Arts Hub - an online home for arts workers that I started with my life partner and co-founder, David Eedle.
I am a firm believer that much of the beauty and sweetness in life comes to us through the arts, through a song, poetry, music, dance, a painting, a film. I also feel strongly that those who work in the arts should be acknowledged and respected. Arts Hub is a place where arts industry workers can get together, share knowledge, get a new job or commission, and find out the latest news. And whilst we started Arts Hub in 2000, I am happy to say the business is still going strong today and serving its constituency under the current owners in 2017.
The Womenz is a global platform for women, and about time too I say! When women take the time to listen to each other and form solutions together to problems they jointly face, we start to explore and understand the power we have to transform ourselves and each other. Women probably have always had this power, but it's not really been in the interests of patriarchal societies for us to get together and talk with clarity about our experiences in the world. Indeed in many parts of the world, women's behaviour is so effectively policed that the idea of having an independent point-of-view is considered an unachievable luxury. You may be reading this and that may describe your situation.
So I'd like to pose a question to you. Can you imagine a life where you are in charge of your own economic model? Where you make the major decisions about whether to marry or not? Whether to have children or not? To get an education or not? Start a business or not? Does such a world exist for you already or do you believe that such a place is a mirage?
Just so you don't think I was born in a Fort Palace and that all in life has come supremely easily to me, I'd like to share a bit of my backstory, so that you understand that I am where I am not because I've had it easy but because I haven't and that I've learned and grown through the challenges.
My upbringing is what you could call fraught. I've come to the conclusion at this point in my life that both my parents had a psychological disorder, one had a diagnosis of manic depression and spent many years in and out of psychiatric hospitals. I suspect the condition was actually severe PTSD due to experience in war zones with some bipolar as well, but since he passed away 27 years ago it's impossible to know for sure.
The other, well shall I say that the behaviour we are witnessing in the 45th President of the United States shows great similarity to that parent's behaviour from pretty much my babyhood, through to the current day. Being the eldest of four children and the only daughter, I had the ignominy of being expected to do much of the household work and certainly care for my younger brothers. Responsibilities that should have been those of my parents were hoisted on my shoulders. In addition when it was evident in school that I was a high performing student, the expectations of performance just kept getting higher and higher. And there was never any encouragement, in fact if I showed any sign of self-satisfaction at doing a good job or getting a good result on a school project or test, it meant a beating was soon to follow. Or a full blown rage assault from an out-of-control envious parent.
My parents ruled their
roost by making sure their daughter was the Cinderella, or slave of the family.
And it wasn't just practical domestic tasks that were shunted my way, I was
also expected to look out for and solve complex emotional problems for my
brothers, even though I had no-one looking out for my emotional needs or
development. That I developed any emotional competence at all is quite amazing.
If you find this confusing, then you can imagine the general state of anxiety
and overwhelm I experienced throughout my childhood. I could give you very
specific detail but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about and can tell your
own very specific story around the generalities of what I'm describing.
So how did I get through? How come I haven't died already, or given up and become addicted to some toxic substance or toxic relationship? Now this is probably going to surprise you a little. I went to over 10 schools in childhood and in each school I was the outsider and was bullied. In fact so much so that I just came to see being an outsider as normal. My experience is that of the immigrant who comes to a new land and is immediately judged as being 'not one of us'. The strangeness for me was that I was born in the country where I was being told I didn't belong. I just happened to have the earliest years of my childhood in London and my so-called Pommie accent called me out as being 'other'.
Being an outsider became a normalised state for me and probably saved my life, or at least gave me the capacity to think for myself and not as part of a group or part of the current social regime. And when I was told I wasn't good enough as a little girl, a voice inside me would say 'yeah, you are' and kudos for me, I took the advice of the voice and not the external world. I would say the difference for me that started at the youngest age is that I listened to my inner voice, the voice of my heart and it would tell me to duck here, weave there, avoid this person, that person is okay. This thing is good, this not so much. And it wasn't that haranguing inner nagging that we now experience as adults as the nagging, hassling inner critic. It was a voice of compassion and goodwill - urging me on, to keep going, to accept that other people were as they were and trudging their own boards, their unpleasantness wasn't about me, more a reflection of where they were at.
I also had a couple of angels. Real people who didn't have power or influence but made me feel loved and connected and worthwhile. One of them was my Nan. A lovely, probably part-indigenous woman who grew up in an orphanage and who worked with kitchen nuns in a new Catholic girls school in Perth, Western Australia during WW2. As a clear sighted woman who had no education and who had numerous exploitative and probably abusive experiences at the hands of various householders that she'd been sent to as a domestic, she decided that her children would not have the same experience of life as her. She negotiated with the nuns and secured 12 years of a good Catholic education for her two girls and boy. Nan was somewhat looked down upon by her children. She was uneducated, messy, her house was rundown and unkempt. They were not proud of her, even though she was proud of them. She had lived through two world wars and a depression and was an orphan, yet they cut her no slack and had no understanding of her or for her. I loved my Nan and would make any excuse to stay weekends with her. She didn't have much to say, but she always asked how I was and made me feel like I was good enough.
My other angel was one of the kitchen nuns, a beautiful woman who I named my youngest child after, Sister Colette. We would visit the nuns as children and my narcissistic mother would complain endlessly to them about her wayward children, dreadful daughter who wouldn't do enough for her, awful husband and challenging job, on and on, you get the picture. And always Sister Colette would tell her she must get close to God, whether that be to pray or meditate but she must find her way to her God. Sister Colette saved our family a number of times, with money, kind words and unobtrusive guidance. She was truly an angel.
I'm sure you know where we go next. Right in the lead up to my Year 12 matriculation exams my father has the violent meltdown of all meltdowns and suddenly my mother and brothers are living in a women's refuge and Sister Colette has secured me a room in the boarding section of my school. And that kind of spells the end of my family of origin.
This could of course have given me a perfect excuse not to get on with life. To decide that it was all too hard and to give up and sit under a rock or on a mountain, which if I have to live a quiet life is what I'd really like to be doing. Instead I got through exams, left my family and went out on my own and started to back myself with my own belief and also the belief of my Nan and Sister Colette. Three university degrees, an interesting career in broadcasting and many businesses later I am now pretty much almost the empowered person I hoped to become when I left home for good at 17.
There have been rabbit holes and potholes in the road I've trudged so far. But there will be for anybody and I can truly say now at the age of 51 that all the adapting and flexibility I had to learn growing up has been able to be put to good use running technology businesses. I stay calm when the guys (and it is guys) around me are losing their heads and dropping their cool, because i know I can get through. I've got through major crises before and I'll do it again and again.
No matter where you are or what you're doing right now, sister, you can start looking after you, listening to your inner voice and keeping a friendly eye out for other women. As we encourage and lift each other up, so we lift up our world and future generations.
Good luck to The Womenz - I hope you become the voice of this generation of amazing and inspired women.
We The Womenz team thank her for sharing her story with us. We are sure that her story will certainly inspire our readers.
Fiona can be reached on Linkedin, twitter, facebook
First Published: 08-Apr-2017- 17:25


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Project Description
DIGICEL FIJI Satellite Ground Station Flooding'
The incidents of flooding caused by the heavy downpour between the 8th and 16th January 2009 are considered the worst ever in Fiji's history, worse than the floods caused by natural disasters of 1956, 1972 and 1999.
The Interim Prime Minister on 11th January 2009 declared a 30 day State of Natural Disaster for the Western parts of the country's main island of Viti Levu. The declaration was made in view of the widespread adverse effect of continuous rain brought in by the tropical depression and the difficulties of accessing adequate resources to respond effectively.
On Thursday 8th January the DIGICEL equipment room in the DIGICEL Nadi Building was powered down, as a precautionary action, as flood waters surrounded the building taking 71 mobile site off the air. These were restored 4 hours later as the water appeared to have stopped rising.
On Saturday 9th January, the water levels rose rapidly as the Nadi water catchment area saturated and water started entering the building and again the equipment was turned off. Later that same evening other sites on Viti Levu began to be affected i.e. Monasuva, Koro O.
Worked commenced ion Sunday 11th January to repair the sites in Suva. 15 sites were restored by Monday 12th, 25 by Tuesday 13th and a further 231 on Wednesday 14th. However, many more were going off air and could not be restored given the inability to access these site either by road or by helicopter.
As a result of the flooding the following services were impacted:
- Network optimisation
- Generator maintenance
- Site refuelling
- Out dialler project
- Edge Data Card Rollout
- Caller Ring back tones
- Checkpoint Firewall optimisation
- Roaming products (welcome SMS, roaming short codes)
- New Island network planning
As a result of the flooding, many of the staff were re-located to Suva. This impacted communications and effectiveness of the technical department and increased the overall management and administration effort required.
Tim Cousins was appointed to assist with the testing and recovery of critical items forming the DIGICEL to Linksat (Earth-Satellite link) located in the DIGICEL International Communications Centre in Nadi.
The items involved were the:
- Media Gateway / Media Switching Equipment (main processing of communications from phone txt and data [Huawei])
- Base Station Controller (master controller for BTS units [Huawei])
- Interactive Voice Response / Private Branch Exchange (communicates between MGW and IVR/PBX + General office communications [CISCO / Fujitsu])
- GSM Project (optical fibre distribution / digital distribution frames [Huawei])
- Indoor and Outdoor Satellite equipment for international calls + data [Linksat]).
Project Details

subset: commoncrawl


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Tenez-vous au courant de nos dernières actualités !
Looking for a zetia? Not a problem! Guaranteed Worldwide Shipping Discreet Package Low Prices 24/7/365 Customer Support 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Visit This Website...
Online pharmacy drugs do not fall on this category. A couple of sites that have been picked from top listings are POI Factory and POI Directory. The purchasing of drugs through on the internet is a very simple process.
This includes receiving prescription requests, counting and weighting prescriptions to be sure that they are accurate, preparing prescription labels, filing and organizing prescription orders, caring for customer transactions and insurance related issues, and more. Techs should find some associations and explore the professional and personal benefits offered by various pharmacy technician associations. Fresh herbs are best for the tinctures and oils recommended with this book.
Given this work load, pharmacists will make lucrative and steadfast annual salary range between $77, 310 as much as $131,440 or more. Even so, you will need the appropriate pharmacy technician preparations with regard so that you can succeed. The kinds of medicine you will get in Canadian medications will be the same you'd probably receive should you purchased in your country.
Location and the sort of employer would be the final factors in determining how much pharmacists make. When I asked the tech relating to this new action she stated that yes, it is a whole new policy understanding that it can be a "law" that pharmacies must adhere to. You should find these records somewhere inside the "Contact Us" section from the website.
The narcotics are always kept in the safe that just the pharmacist has usage of. Patients will likely exhibit unknown symptoms tough to diagnose and treat. Some pharmacies will spend much greater than others.


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Saturday, July 12, 2014
Summer Fest Recap: Day Two (Part One)
We're heading into the second stretch of Summer Fest movies for Saturday, but before that happens, let me catch you up on what we've been enjoying (or, enduring) so far...
Attack of the Crab Monsters
What's the Haps, Cap?: Scientists land on a remote island in the Pacific, where they predecessors mysteriously vanished. In fact, there's nothing on the island other than seagulls and crabs. Almost immediately after setting ashore, the Navy plane that transported them explodes during takeoff and they find the radio isn't functional. Oh, and something in the water decapitated a seaman with almost no effort. They'd better find out what happened before the constant earthquakes reduce the island to nothing... and that's the least of their concerns.
Who's the Hero?: Well, everybody takes turns being incompetent or simply not interested in the bizarre circumstances surrounding them, but the last three alive are Hank Chapman (Russell Johnson), Dale Drewer (Richard Garland), and Martha Hunter (Pamela Duncan). They represent the "radio engineer" and "biologist" divisions, respectively. There's also the botanist, Jules Devereaux (Mel Welles), the nuclear expert, Dr. Karl Weigand (Leslie Bradley), and Dr. James Carson, who, uh... I don't remember. I think he's the one with the severely cleft chin. It doesn't much matter, because director Roger Corman is moving at such a breakneck pace that only the audience seems to know what's supposed to be happening on-screen. The characters sure don't seem to care: Weigand tells the others that he has a theory but doesn't want to tell them "right now."
Oh, there are also a couple of other seamen who are in charge of the dynamite and grenades: Ron Fellows (Beach Dickerson) and Jack Sommers (Tony Miller). One of them embodies the stereotypes about men "in the Navy," although nothing is ever mentioned about it. I guess that would fall under the "surprisingly progressive" category, if Attack of the Crab Monsters had anything to be surprisingly progressive about otherwise.
Bad Science: Where to start? Well, it is suggested the titular monsters have inherited the ability to become mercurial in composition, and thusly can't be harmed by conventional weapons (unless it's convenient for Corman). They also consume their victims and absorb their memories, which allows them to communicate via radio signal into anything metal. This is how they draw the otherwise sensible scientists to their doom (when they aren't doing that themselves). They hate electricity for some reason - the explanation is a doozy - and there's lots of mumbo jumbo explanations for how any of this could happen. Most of it is tied to the fact that the island is south of Bikini Atoll, and that the nuclear fallout caused the crabs to "evolve."
Other Bad Ideas: Generally speaking, if you tell your fellow scientists not to climb the rope DOWN into a hole created by earthquakes, you shouldn't ask them to climb UP the same rope ten minutes later. Maybe that's just me. Also listening to the disembodied voices of your colleagues who only contact you in the middle of the night and want you to go to the caves is not smart. And this is after they know that the crabs are in the cave. Corman is known for shooting fast and loose, so it's almost pointless to continue listing decisions that are in direct contradiction to characters just saw / experienced. Instead I'll point out that Attack of the Crab Monsters has some very good gore for 1957 - the first death is by decapitation, and later the botanist (with his outrageous French accent) loses a hand - all on camera.
Recurring Summer Fest Themes: Geiger Counter, Monsters That Hate Radios, Questionable Science, Using the Dead for Nefarious Purposes, German Doctors, Crab-related Chicanery, Surprisingly Violent.
Final Prognosis: Sure, it would be very easy to pick apart the many things about Attack of the Crab Monsters that don't make sense. The lazy screenwriting, the lapses in judgment by just about everybody, or the crab monsters, but the movie is so much fun you don't really mind. Even as a young filmmaker, Roger Corman knew how to deliver the thrills with a good gimmick, even if it didn't make a lick of sense. The kills are pretty violent and the ending is pretty dour. What's not to enjoy?
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II
What's the Haps, Cap?: Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) is a wild child, even for 1957: on Prom night, she drops by the church for "confession," and prepares for her inevitable crowning of "Prom Queen." When her boyfriend, Billy (Steve Atkinson) finds Mary Lou making out with Buddy Cooper (Robert Lewis), he takes his revenge by ruining her crowning. Unfortunately, his stink bomb sets her on fire, and Mary Lou is never crowned. But that's not going to stop Mary Lou from finding a way to come back and take revenge...
Who's the Hero?: Unfortunately, it's not Mary Lou. Nope, it's Vicki Carpenter (Wendy Lyon), who may go down in film history as the most boring protagonist in horror films. During the film, one Summer Fest attendee asked "why did they put a blank sheet of paper on the screen" during a close up of Vicki. She's so boring that even when (SPOILER) Vicki opens the "trunk of exposition" and is possessed by Mary Lou that you can barely tell the difference in the character. There's only one reason I can think of that the producers and director went with Lyon, and I can boil it down to three words: full frontal nudity. I suppose that Michael Ironside as the adult Bill might also qualify - it does, at least, explain why a high school senior has such pronounced balding patterns.
Bad Science: Not really that much. Maybe when Josh (Brock Simpson, who is somehow in all four Prom Night movies) is killed by electricity coming out of the monitor of his computer. It's hard to say, because Mary Lou is using her evil powers to punish him for changing the votes. Mostly, Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night II doesn't bother with "science."
Other Bad Ideas: Trying to make a sequel to Prom Night that has nothing to do with the movie Prom Night is probably the one I should mention first. Hello, Mary Lou is more of a rip-off of Carrie, but with strong, persistent references to the Nightmare on Elm Street films (of which Part 3 would be coming out roughly around the same time), but other than including Brock Simpson, there's nothing beyond the title to suggest it's related to Prom Night. I hate to continually pick on Wendy Lyon, but she has such a lack of presence that it's actually a relief when Mary Lou bursts through her body (shades of Nightmare on Elm Street 2) and takes over for the end of the movie. The shower scene where Vicki prances around naked makes Gratudity seem tame by comparison, but it doesn't make Vicki any more interesting. Also, technically speaking, it rips off the end of Scanners by way of the ending of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Unusually Progressive Moment: An integrated prom in 1957. I'll chalk this up to the film being made in Canada, but I'm guessing it's supposed to be somewhere in middle America, so that was notable. Also, Mary Lou apparently swings both ways, if the school shower sequence is any indication.
Something Cranpire Asked Me to Tell You: He wants you to know that, following the surprising inclusion of an integrated prom in the 1950s, he decided to count all of the "black people" in Hello, Mary Lou. There were 26.
Recurring Summer Fest Themes: Religious Imagery, Gratudity, Vehicular Chicanery, Flashbacks, Killing the Most Interesting Character Off Too Early, Boring Main Character, Psychic Powers, Fake Out Dream Sequences, Attempted Exorcism.
Final Prognosis: There are a lot of great kills in Hello, Mary Lou: Prom Night II, including a fake-out, Final Destination-esque murder of Vicki's friend Jess (Beth Gondek), moments after we find out she's pregnant. The aforementioned naked Mary Lou crushes a girl with her locker, which is a nice way to close out that scene. There are some good visual effects, but wow is Vicki a walking piece of toast. It's hard to recommend this movie, even as silly and campy as it can be, because you have to spend most of it with a protagonist that sucks the life out of every scene she's in. Approach with caution - the 80s cheese is frequently off-set by Vicki.
Suburban Sasquatch
What's the Haps, Cap?: A sasquatch is roaming around the woods outside of a suburb, killing people because that's what they do. A reporter teams up with a Native American warrior to stop him. Arms are torn asunder. Bad acting prevails.
Who's the Hero?: I guess the reporter and the warrior. We gave up on the plot after about 13 minutes.
Bad Science: Probably? Again, after 10 minutes of excruciating amateur acting, we skipped around to the sasquatch kills and then moved to the next movie.
Other Bad Ideas: Making this movie.
Recurring Summer Fest Themes: Surprisingly Violent, Choosing a Movie Nobody Wanted to Finish.
Final Prognosis: Look, I wanted to give Suburban Sasquatch the benefit of the doubt and watch the whole thing. Summer Fest has long been home to the no-budget, backyard splatter films. Sometimes you get an instant classic like Blood Car. Sometimes you get a more ambitious, but less successful, good try like Rise of the Animals. And sometimes you get Suburban Sasquatch, that tries to cram long dialogue scenes in with people who can't act. That conversation in the "newspaper office" that goes on forever was the straw that broke the camel's back. The "sasquatch" (guy in the ape costume) and the extremely violent kills very funny. The awful "day for night" at the beginning was pretty funny. But it wasn't enough to keep us from getting bored very quickly, so Suburban Sasquatch joins ThanksKilling 3 in the "Fest Killer" pile.
Creepshow 2
What's the Haps, Cap?: The sequel to George Romero and Stephen King's Creepshow tells three tales - "Old Chief Wood'nhead," about a Native American statue that avenges the death of his owners, "The Raft," which follows four college students who go swimming in the wrong lake, and "The Hitchhiker," about a woman who can't seem to shake a pesky hitchhiker, even after she accidentally kills him.
Who's the Hero?: I guess Billy (Domenick John) from the live action / animated prologue, who reads Creepshow, and maybe The Creep (Tom Savini, and voice of Joe Silver), who provides us with Tales from the Crypt-esque transitions between stories.
Bad Science: There's no way a car would run after the abuse Annie (Lois Chiles) puts it through in "The Hitchhiker." Also, if you drove 50 miles to the abandoned lake and left your car running with the doors open and music blaring, there's no way it would still be on the next morning.
Other Bad Ideas: Making a sequel to Creepshow where Stephen King is minimally involved and George Romero isn't directing. Oh, and story-wise, spending the first twenty minutes of the film setting up the characters of Ray and Martha Spruce (George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour) in "Old Chief Wood'nhead" and then killing off the villains in a five minute montage to close out the segment. It really stops Creepshow 2 dead in its tracks before it has time to get going. The other two segments aren't that bad, but the first one takes forever to go anywhere and then skips right through the best part. Story-wise, almost everything everybody does is a bad decision - why try to swim back to the shore farthest away from you when there's a much closer option that also has a path leading away from it? Why drive your car into the woods twice to shake an undead hitchhiker? How did you get to the raft without getting that joint wet?
Recurring Summer Fest Themes: Gratudity, Movies Made in the Same Year, Vehicular Chicanery, Southwestern Locations, Surprisingly Violent, Using the Dead for Nefarious Purposes.
Final Prognosis: There's a reason that most people don't talk about Creepshow 2: it just isn't very good. Cranpire realized halfway through the first segment that he'd never seen it, and by the end I'm not sure he was better off having experienced the film. Everything about Creepshow 2 feels low rent, from the animated segments to the story structure to the "well, I guess we're done" ending. There's almost no point to having Tom Savini play the live action Creep, because you can't hear him, and the animated version looks nothing like the makeup. If I hadn't shown Creepshow at an earlier Fest, that would have easily taken the place of Creepshow 2, the definition of "the law of diminishing returns."
And now it's time to launch into a double feature of action schlock, followed by some kaiju action, a surprise Trappening, and then we'll close it out with a slasher flick that looks like another Shocker. Well, a Cap'n can hope, right?
Posted by Cap'n Howdy at 6:08 PM
Labels: 80s Cheese, Anthologies, Bad Ideas, Bad Science, DIY, Ghosts, Gratudity, Roger Corman, Summer Fest, Summer Fest 6, Unnecessary Sequels
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Visit Acadia National Park (Cadillac Mountain, Eagle Lake, Thunder Hole), Bar Harbor (Acadia Nature Cruise), Mystic (Mystic Aquarium), Portland (Portland Head Light), York Beach (Yorks Wild Kingdom).
|Double (/Person):
|Third Person
|Child (Age 0-12):
|Fourth Person
|Child (Age 0-12):
Note: *Price in USD is based on the lowest price per person per room over the next 30 days. Exact prices are displayed when you select a date.
*Return time is an estimate and varies based on traffic and weather conditions.
|Acadia National Park
|Acadia National Park in depth tour (Optional)
|$20 (3-12 yrs)
|$30 (Over 65 yrs)
|Bar Harbor, ME
|Acadia Nature Cruise (Optional)
|$18 (3-12 yrs)
|$32 (Over 65 yrs)
|Mystic, CT
|Mystic Aquarium (Optional)
|$33 (Over 65 yrs)
|Portland, ME
|Portland Head Light (Optional)
|$5 (3-12 yrs)
|$5 (Over 65 yrs)
|York Beach, ME
|Yorks Wild Kingdom (Optional)
|$9 (3-12 yrs)
|$15 (Over 65 yrs)
The purchase of any travel services represents your acceptance Terms & Conditions set out herein. Please ensure that you read carefully and understand these Terms & Conditions prior to booking.
Booking changes
A fee may be charged for any revision or alteration made to a reservation after the booking is confirmed. Name changes or corrections may be treated as a cancellation and cancellation fees will apply. A change of tour date or tour itinerary may be treated as a cancellation, and normal cancellation fees will apply. Please be noted that we do not allow departure change 48 hours before departure.
Cancellations and Cancellation Fees
Regardless of reason, cancellations result in costly charges from our travel and hotel providers covering penalties and fees incurred by canceling confirmed and pending bookings. Therefore, cancellation penalties and or fees will apply. Time of cancellation will be determined when notice is received and confirmed by our office. Notice of cancellation must be made directly to TakeTours by email or through web mail at Contact Us .
Tour Departure: This tour has 100% guaranteed departure; if the tour is cancelled there will be refund of 120%. Restrictions apply; due to weather conditions, State Emergencies, Airport Closures or anything beyond the control of the tour operator the 120% refund will NOT apply.
Cancellation penalties per person for 1-4 days tours(Notification day and departure day are not counted)
NOTE: We cannot grant any refunds more than 30 days after completion of tour.
Itinerary Variations
We constantly strives to improve tour itineraries and features. If such improvements can be made, or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control make changes necessary - we reserve the right to vary itineraries and to substitute hotels. At certain peak periods duplicate departures may operate, and sometimes in reverse order in which case hotels may vary from those stated on the itinerary pages.
Tour Cancellation:
We reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule any tour departure in accordance with operating requirements or circumstances beyond its control. If cancellation is made any time prior to departure* of the tour, TakeTours' only liability will be to refund to the passenger the amount it has received for the tour booking. We will try to re-book the same or similar tour.. Please note that we are not liable for any cancellation penalties incurred on any other travel arrangements including air tickets purchased separately from customers.
We are not responsible for any other travel arrangements affected due to our cancellations.
Posted by: Emilia on 2019-01-05
Beautiful love it
Posted by: Gaurav on 2018-10-25
The tour was very good and I would highly recommend it. Go for it guys and girls.
Posted by: Sooan on 2018-09-09
This is my second trip to Acadia National Park. My friend and I had a blast. The itinerary was full and enjoyable. Eddie our tour leader did a wonderful job of keeping us on schedule and made sure we had enough time to enjoy each site. Our motorcoach operator did a tremendous job keeping us safe and comfortable. I worked at Cadillac Mountain and Thunder Hole many years ago but the scenery still takes my breath away even after 30 years. If you end up shopping at Bar Harbor I highly recommend a store called "Acadia Shop". You can pick up the best Strawberry Preserve you'll ever taste. This trip will definitely give you a taste of New England.
Posted by: nicole on 2018-09-06
Went on this tour with 11 of my girl friends, we had a blast. It was an experience we never had, the drive to up the mountain was very scenery, the top of the mountain itself was beautiful. The diver of our tour bus was Steve best driver ever and our tour guide was very funny and patient with us. We did all you can eat buffet the food was also good. Everything about this tour was perfect money and time well spent.
Posted by: Soumen on 2018-09-04
I recommend this tour!
Posted by: Soumen on 2018-09-04
I recommend this tour!
Posted by: Rahul on 2018-09-02
Thanks for took us on tour. A tour guide JAYANT did well job and he was very cooperative. And of course bus driver STEVEN took us at every place on time. we enjoyed trip :)
Posted by: MOHAMMED on 2018-08-31
I recommend this excellent tour to enjoy the vacation.
Posted by: Valerie on 2018-08-16
Another nice nature trip with cooler weather. I liked Mystic Aquarium seal show, York Zoo feed the deer, Acadia Cruise seals & porpoises, and Coast Botanical Central Gardens. Relaxing ride and thanx for history Champlain.
Posted by: Basavaraj on 2018-07-23
I recommend this tour. Our was was Eddie and he tried all his efforts to cover as many as places.


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City of North Vancouver, BC
Builder: Smallworks Studio Inc.
This 1000sf coach house was designed as part of a multi-generational program from the current homeowners and their children. The existing house will be lived in by the children, who are actually adults with two little children, and the coach house will be lived in by the grandparents.
This type of development is an excellant example of creating affordable housing for emerging families not to mention the benefits of multi-generational housing developments. This coach house contains a full master suite with a guest suite and spacious entertainment/ grand children playing areas. Ample storage is also provided in the coach house along with a large enclosed garbage and recycling area accessed from the parking pad. Two open parking spaces are provided with direct access into the coach house through the kitchen.
The classic cottage massing is intended to introduce a small, welcoming and timeless home to the quiet neighbourhood without creating visual impact. We hope this coach house functions and ages well for Alfredo, Pia, their children and grand children.


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Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Between Honky-tonk and Steinway
For the first-however-many-years on the field, I grieved my loss of music, but counted it a worthy sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel. Then my parents bought me an electronic piano, which got hauled all over Guatemala and then up to Mexico. Later I graduated to a real piano. I enjoy playing piano sporadically, but I've had to endure imperfectly tuned pianos, which is the norm down here. (Sigh.)
Last week in Colorado was an interesting contrast in music standards.
My daughter and I entertained ourselves by playing old pianos along Denver's 16th Street Mall. All were painted in fun designs, but they were badly out of tune. Not knowing any ragtime pieces by memory, I banged out "Malaguena" (my signature piece back in high school Spanish Club days). A random tourist even videotaped my "performance." So you never know, someday maybe I'll become a YouTube sensation.
On Sunday I had an opportunity to play the offertory for a church in Buena Vista, overlooking the Rockies. The view was amazing with aspen trees in full color, but the piano was even more beautiful (if that's possible). After years of honky-tonk sounding instruments, it was a rare privilege to play a well-tuned Kawai baby grand. Anything I played would have sounded lovely. I wasn't self-conscious in the least, even though I had every reason to be.
Instead I just played from the heart.
Just as the off-key pianos on the mission field or on 16th Street can't compare to a Steinway grand, I figure the most awesome symphony on earth cannot compare to the glorious music awaiting us in heaven. Whether I'm a has-been or a coulda-been, one thing is for certain: I "will be" spending eternity making heavenly music for my Savior.
IRL* Somewhere between honky-tonk and Steinway Grand, I am finding the notes of contentment again.
9 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 22, 2010 at 7:51 AM
When we were moving to South America, we had to obviously make a lot of sacrifices. The hardest one for me was selling my piano. It went to a little boy with autism whose only interest was music, so at least it went to someone who will cherish it. My husband promised he'd find me another piano eventually, but our budget was really small last year and I didn't expect anything. Then we found out that "pianos" (full-length, with a pedal) don't really exist in Peru; just keyboards. And those that are around are for "experts" and super expensive. Yet somehow, my husband looked online and found literally the only full-size piano (electric) in Lima and surprised me with it for Christmas. I cried. It was like getting my baby back. There's just something homey about having my instrument back in my life! I was SO grateful to my husband for all the work he put into finding it... and God even provided an upgrade from the one I had before we left. Sorry this turned into a book...I could just relate to your post so well today! =)ReplyDelete
Lisa, your comment literally made me cry. How well I remember getting my own "baby" back with my first full-size electronic piano, a Casio. How precious to lay something down and be given it back as a blessing, not an idol. (((Lisa))) - a cyber hug for you this morning.ReplyDelete
Ah, see, I am forcing my poor children to take piano over their moans and groans right now out of a quiet sense of loss that I was never given the chance to learn music having grown up without it. I only hope they grow to love it enough to play spontaneously on the streets!ReplyDelete
:BIG SIGH:ReplyDelete
Can't wait for your You Tube premiere.
Ellie, do I dare admit that I allowed my daughter to quit piano back when she was about ten? To me music is a privilege, and I couldn't bear to force her to do what should be a joy. After years of quiet tears and prayer, I saw her return to piano by her own choice. Hearing her play Clair de Lune on a street piano, or any piano, brings a lump to my throat every time. I pray that your children learn to love music!ReplyDelete
When I first came to Africa, I couldn't come with a piano. I was forced to learn guitar so I could worship. It's in my nature to worship when I play. Now I can lead worship for my fellow missionaries. I have finally been able to get a full-size keyboard and the guitar sits often as I return to my passion, piano.ReplyDelete
Just wanted to check on you all, with the land slides and all. Praying! May He be glorified and draw many to Him!ReplyDelete
Thanks! We are safe here, but there is one place where the highway is impassable between our house and the school where our kids attend M-W-F in the city. The worst hit area is a place we have been praying for these past 16 plus years. Just this year we have started recording the Mixe language New Testament for the very people whose village was devastated. Maybe through this crisis God will provide an open door for ministry to this unreached people group. Please do pray!ReplyDelete
I'm glad you all are ok. Will pray! Hey, you don't happen to have a need for a guy with 20+ years of special ed experience, camp directing, with a servant's heart? Just wondering.ReplyDelete
Thanks for posting that you are ok.


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Mp4 Video : Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid ( agg. 3-2 ) ( Copa del Rey ) Highlights
Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid ( agg. 3-2 ) ( Copa del Rey ) Highlights Fast Mp4 Download
Luis Suarez helped Barcelona into another Copa del Rey final but he will be forced to miss it as he was sent off in a dramatic 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou that secured a nervy 3-2 aggregate triumph.
The Uruguay international opened the scoring against the run of play, tapping in after Miguel Angel Moya had only managed to parry Lionel Messi's effort in the 43rd minute.
But, after Sergi Roberto and Yannick Carrasco had been dismissed, substitute Kevin Gameiro atoned for his penalty miss by levelling the scores on the night from close range seven minutes from time.
Barca just needed to keep their cool and hold on for a shot at a third consecutive Copa title, but Suarez was the third man to pick up a second booking as he caught Saul Niguez while competing for a header.
Diego Simeone's side had been well on top when they fell behind to Suarez's simple finish, with Roberto dismissed early in the second half and Antoine Griezmann having an effort incorrectly disallowed for offside almost immediately after.
Atletico surrendered their numerical advantage 21 minutes from time, Carrasco clattering into Arda Turan to get his second yellow, and yet their best chance to score was still to come.
Gerard Pique was adjudged to have brought down Gameiro in the box, but after he picked himself up to take the spot-kick, the Frenchman fired it against the top of the crossbar.
Fast Download Mode Download
Love in the...
Arsenal 2-0...


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Can Tata Steel cut Corus costs?2 min read . Updated: 15 Dec 2008, 10:39 PM IST
Can Tata Steel cut Corus costs?
Can Tata Steel cut Corus costs?
An analyst at an institutional broker dismisses the report, saying nothing of the sort is on the anvil. After all, Tata Steel carefully put in place the subsidiary structure to ring-fence the parent company from any adverse impact of the acquisition. A merger would undo that completely. Having said that, the need to cut staff costs at Corus is imperative. The company has been negotiating with Corus's labour unions and has been pushing for a 10% cut in pay due to the recession and drop in steel demand. But the unions gave out a statement earlier this month that they haven't agreed to pay cut.
Corus has already cut production by 30% and is likely to run into losses in the second half of the current fiscal. If the company is not able to cut a large portion of its costs commensurately, losses would mount further.
Also See Shares Jump (Graphic)
One of the concerns the markets have had about overseas acquisitions by the Tata group is its agreements with labour unions.
According to an analyst with a foreign broker, the company has an agreement with Corus's unions that it won't engage in massive lay-offs for a few years after the acquisition.
In fact, this agreement is what is said to have caused the unions of Ford Motor Co.'s Jaguar-Land Rover to be comfortable with the Tata group. While such employee-friendly measures may not hurt Tata Steel in its Indian operations, which has a competitive edge thanks to its captive resources, they would backfire in case of a commodity business like that of Corus.
With both capacity utilization and steel prices dropping, stagnant staff costs would hurt badly.
While Corus has gotten rid of a few people, the layoffs are far from sufficient.
According to an analyst, its decision to divest one of its units recently was motivated by getting a few employees off its rolls.
The company got some succour from the Netherlands government, which finances wages of firms that have seen a drop in profit, but has so far been unable to get any such incentive from the UK government, which houses a large chunk of Corus's workforce.
As a result, few expect any meaningful reduction in the company's wage bill in the near future, despite the plunge the steel industry has taken. Given the negatives the future holds, it's interesting that Tata Steel's shares have jumped by at leat 50% this month.
Write to us at email@example.com
Graphics by Ahmad Raza Khan / Mint


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On the left, Here Be Drolleries: Hundreds More Patterns Graphed from Medieval Sources, by Nancy Spies (Arelate Studio). This is her second book of charts based on medieval illustrations, from illuminated books and other sources. On the right, Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Embroidery: The Art & Embroidery of Jan Messent.
These two books are very, very different. I'd say the only thing they have in common is the author's mutual love of ancient sources.
Here be Drolleries is a collection of graphs designed for cross stitch. Like all Arelate Studios patterns, the charts are black and white, well-done and clear, but the book format really makes them shine. Colors may be suggested for each chart, but these really lend themselves well to personalizing with your own ideas for colors. The charts are interspersed with quotes from old manuscripts, and each design's source is given. Most are from medieval Europe and the countries surrounding the Mediterranean.
One of my favorites is a fantastic Byzantine winged horse:
That little needlebook on the right, that wasn't from either of these books, but I threw it in because it was nearby and matched the theme. The labyrinth pattern on the cover is from a Dover book of charts, Celtic Charted Designs.
In addition to fantastic animals, the Arelate book also includes charming charts of people, geometric designs, and flowers, like this one.
Jan Messent's new book Celtic, Viking & Anglo-Saxon Embroidery: The Art & Embroidery of Jan Messent is completely different, and, to put it mildly, gorgeous. A full-color, glossy-page coffee-table book filled with history and tiny-tiny details. It is oversized and filled with fabulous color pictures of her amazingly detailed embroideries inspired by the Celts and Vikings.
In the early pages of the book, Ms. Messent describes how even though textiles do not last when buried for hundreds of years in the ground, the surviving artefacts and fragments "have built up a picture of how those textiles were produced, and from what fibers, how they were dyed, the kind of garments being made and worn and, occaisionally, the embroidery on them....With this knowledge, today's embroiderers can go even further, imagining the decoration that could conceiveably have been used as well as some that might not."
This is the point where Ms. Messent jumps off into creating works, that might be somewhat familiar to a woman of Celtic Britain; perhaps, "she might turn the needlecase over and over in her hands and say, 'ah yes, I had one very like this."
My own pictures of this book's pages can't do them justice (again, it is the awful dim light of the winter in the northwest), so if you want another taste of these pictures, I recommend using Amazon's "look inside this book" feature.
Ms. Messent's explanations of the inspiration and construction of her works are wonderful, and include an idea of the historical context and a general idea of what materials and stitches were used in each piece. Not a "how-to" project book at all, but just the thing to inspire when I get a hankering for another freestyle embroidery experiment.
Tomorrow: a couple titles on Scandinavian embroidery!


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That was, until I read it:
Although I will admit to liking a lot of the Rodney/Bug!John fic that came out after "Conversion," and then I read that one where Rodney was clipping John's toenails and somehow that led to sex and then John left his penis's exoskeleton on Rodney's nightstand and that sort of ruined the whole genre for me. I'm forever afraid of a sneak attack penis exoskeleton now, which is just not right.
If the women who sit around me didn't already think I was crazy, they do now. I nearly *broke* something trying to keep the laughter down. I did in fact, fall off my chair, and probably broke something important in my brain.
The sad thing is, I really want to post this anonymously now to sgastoryfinders not because I want to read the fic, but just so I could make some of the members of that comm cry with despair for fandom. Maybe the Mascara Balls are enough for them.
PS. paradise_city, the google ad showing for my gmail account right now is for harem pants, cheap. I wish I could blame that one on you. *sigh* Also, I called you, to squeal over this. I'm not sure if you have a roommate or not, or if they'd listen to your messages, so I thoughtfully left the word penis out of my message, but *god*


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With the last training run and strengthening session of the year 2010 done it is time to reflect on the year gone by and look ahead at the goals for 2011. By and large it has been another good year of running which includes making some fantastic new friends and strengthening bonds with other runner friends. I ran four full marathons, one 75K ultra and 81K at the Strides of Hope. I also invested in a Schwinn Searcher Sport and did a long cycling trip thereby more or less achieving the goals I had set myself for 2010.
2010 Highs
- My best marathon timing of 4:00:51 in India at SCMM 2010
- 75K at the Bangalore Ultra 2010 in course record time of 8:56:04
- PB 5K time of 22:55 at the Duathlon 2010
- My longest ever distance of 81Km run/walk at Strides Of Hope 2010
- Longest ever cycle ride to Nandi Hills covering 133Kms in 8hrs 15 mts
- The transition times at the Duathlon 2010 that messed up my overall timing for the event
- Not being able to go for Athens marathon due to a personal reason
- Quads injury in August possibly due to the long cycle ride
- Missing my target times at ING Hartford marathon (FM) and Midnight marathon (HM) by a whisker
- Sub 3:59 at SCMM 2011 - it will be challenge to shave nearly 2 minutes of my last year's timing
- Other marathons
- Auroville in February
- Hyderabad in August (target sub 3:55) - hopefully this will happen in 2011
- Kaveri Trail Marathon in September
- Bangalore Ultra Marathon in November (50Km or 75Km)
- Ambitious goal of sub 48 minutes in Sunfeast World 10K in May
- Stay on feet for 24 hrs and cover 120Km+ at Strides of Hope 2011 in January
Of course, with a likely new job in 2011(31st December is my last day of work at my current job and I am starting 2011 with a few weeks off) I am a bit apprehensive as to whether I would be able to keep up my running schedule of the last few years. As usual I hope to start the New Year with a run - I have managed to do this since 2003. This year I am targeting 35K with a bunch of BHUKMP runners - my longest since Ultra 2010 and the last long run before SCMM 2011 two weeks away.


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Here's a really good post by Aaron (and Tolkien) on fairy-stories.
Through all the crannies of the world we filled
with Elves and Goblins, though we dared to build
Gods and their houses out of dark and light,
and sowed the seed of dragons - 'twas our right
(used or misused). That right has not decayed:
we make still by the law in which we're made."


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Photos by VVN/Matt Hinshaw
Community members, musicians, and vendors amassed in downtown Cottonwood for the September 18, 2008 Farmers Market and Jamboree.
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text: August 26 Time: 11 AM- 6 PM Location: Portland Category: MTP Tour The 2018 Hawthorne Street Fair is August 26! Bring the family! Meadows will be there teaching balancing skills similar to those used in skiing and snowboarding using balance boards, balance balls and more! Bring the family to this fun and interactive event. Children 6 and under will receive a free season pass! Kids 7-14 will receive a free Junior Lift Ticket. Find out more!


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Stay at an atmospheric log cabin!
Terms and conditions for reservations
LeviDay Oy abides by the following terms and conditions for the ordering, reservation and cancellation of accommodation services. These terms become binding for both parties after the customer has made a reservation. The person making the reservation must be of legal age.
Making a reservation and payment
After making a reservation, the customer gets an invoice for an advance payment (50 % of the price of accommodation). The reservation has been confirmed after the customer has made the payment by the due date. LeviDay Oy has a right to cancel the reservation if the payment has not been made by the due date. If the reservation is made less than 5 weeks before the beginning of the stay, no separate advance payment is required. The remainder of the fee must be paid one month before the beginning of the rental period.
Cancellations must always be made in writing to LeviDay Oy. If the customer cancels their reservation less than one month before the beginning of the rental period, the full rental price will be charged. Otherwise, the price of the advance payment will be charged. The cancellation is considered to have taken place the moment LeviDay Oy has received notice of the cancellation. If the customer can prove that a cancellation has been made and sent to the correct address at the correct time, the cancellation will be accepted even if it is late or never arrives.
LeviDay Oy has a right to cancel the reservation in case of a force majeure. In such a case, the customer is entitled to a full refund of the rental price. LeviDay Oy also has a right to cancel a reservation if payments related to the reservation have not been made by the due date.
Reception of keys
Keys will only be handed on presentation of receipts of payment. The customer must contact the cabin custodian the day before the beginning of the rental period at the latest. Arrangements will then be made for handing the keys. The customer is responsible for reimbursing LeviDay Oy any expenses caused by losing the key.
Stay at the cabin
The cabin is available to the customer from 4 PM on the day of arrival to midday on the day of departure. The customer will bring their own linen and towels, unless otherwise agreed. During the A2, B and C seasons, housecleaning on departure must be purchased along with the reservation, unless otherwise agreed. Otherwise, housecleaning on departure will be charged afterwards. Smoking and bringing pets to the cabins is strictly prohibited.
The customer is responsible for reimbursing to LeviDay Oy any damages caused to the cabin or its movables.
Termination of rental contract due to disturbances or danger
If the tenant does not stop causing a disturbance or danger to those staying in the same or adjacent buildings in spite of a notification from the landlord or their representative, the landlord or their representative has a right to terminate the rental contract immediately. Any expenses caused by the actions mentioned above will be charged from the tenant.
Number of persons
The cabin may not be used by more persons than the number specified in the reservation. Using a tent, camper or trailer on the cabin site without the owner's permission is prohibited.
All notifications and complaints about the cabin's equipment and condition must be made immediately upon discovery and during the stay directly to the owner or custodian of the site. LeviDay Oy's terms and conditions also apply to the accommodation services of Arainvest Oy and JTA-Invest Oy. All rights to changes in pricing are reserved. Value-added tax follows current legislation.


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Monday, September 8, 2008
Professional Networking Sites
What's your favorite professional networking site/app and why?
Here's a smattering of responses:
"Personally, it's LinkedIn. Easy to use and very robust. Next would be Facebook, due to it's extensive reach."Jay Waddell, via LinkedIn
"LinkedIn seems to be the most useful site from a professional standpoint. I like it because (so far) it doesn't have many distractions from establishing a real-life network. Then again, I think I've met more people in my field via Twitter lately than I ever met via other social media apps. Twitter does a great job of helping you expand your network and it facilitates face-to-face meetings better than any other medium." Celeste Lindell, via Facebook
"I see Twitter as my social/conversational platform, and keep Facebook exclusively for business." Rick Murray, via Twitter
"I prefer Twitter because through micro conversation I find that it is a terrific relationship building tool. And, after all, what is networking if it is not relationship building." Kim Dushinski, via LinkedIn
"My favorite professional app is LinkedIn. I have connected with those who are in the industry I want to be someday: social media" Mark V via Twitter
"Although it's intended purpose is not professional networking, Twitter has been, by far, my favorite and most effective site. Twitter is one of the only social networking site that I use professionally, or in any capacity for that matter, that consistently drives online relationships to offline ones and elevates those professional relationships I already have..."
Ben Grossman, via LinkedIn
"...However, I think I might give another perspective here, my blog is my favorite professional networking site. Although the blog is my personal business blog, and is not connected through a social networking system. Though I do have mybloglog. I think my blog has built and maintained more professional relationships than any other networking site. The biggest reason is that I put more effort into my blog than most of the other networking sites I'm a member of. So I'd suggest that the best networking sites for people are often those where you spend the most time and effort." John Cass, via LinkedIn
"i use only linkedin; more of a least disliked than a favorite..." Pete Thomas via Twitter
"I use Plaxo and LinkedIn and I've also signed up for Naymz. LinkedIn is still my favorite because more people seem to use it. I like thinking about this in terms of Metcalf's law - a value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users on the system. Professional networking sites have utility because they enable you to connect with others and thus far, more people get in touch with me via linkedin than any other professional network I use..." Simon Kuo, via LinkedIn
"I'd say linkedin is my fav @zenaweist. I've both made contacts and reconnected with a lot of long lost ones." Jon Hand, via Twitter
"My favourite professional networking site is the Ask Liz Ryan Group, an online networking group with 25,000+ members, run by HR guru Liz Ryan. The group, is an amazing resource that provides a forum for both personal and professional support. No matter what the question -- health issues, career development, travel advice, negotiation skills -- the Ask Liz Ryan community is there to respond." Amrita Chandra, via LinkedIn
"LinkedIn for professional relationships; facebook for combination of fun, friends and some business; twitter real time interactn" Bill Miller, via Twitter
"Personally, I use all three (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook). Twitter is great for establishing and growing relationships, is fast, and extremely easy to use yet is somewhat limited by its 140 characters. LinkedIn provides depth and background information, and Facebook acts as a great rolodex since it contains contact info and other "CRM" type data. Roll them all together and you have a great system." Warren Sukernek, LinkedIn
See all answers that came in through LinkedIn, here.
Here's a few articles/posts that provide basic tips on social and professional networks:
Write Your LinkedIn Profile For Your Future, Chris Brogan
The Social Network as a Career Safety Net, New York Times
Top Professional Network Comparison, Be Networked
Why You Should Join, CIO
Tips on Using Networking Sites, Washington Post
Top Ten Ways To Use LinkedIn, Guy Kawasaki
Thanks to everyone for responding so quickly! Please keep the discussion going via comments through twitter, linkedin or facebook.
1 comment:
- Leif Hansen said...
Hi Zena,
(BTW, my daughter's name is Zinnia!)
Let me give a disclaimer right up front: as of two weeks ago I became Biznik's 'Community Catalyst'.
(http://biznik.com/members/leif-hansen) However, I was a member and fan for years before that, so I am truly excited about Biznik.
Biznik ("Business networking that doesn't suck") is unique in a number of ways. First of the bat is that they emphasize the importance of face-to-face meetings ("Events") as much as connecting online. We're human and need more than pixels to really connect and move forward, no?
They are also unique in that the community seems to connect in a delightfully genuine way --there's rarely the usual schmooze of business networking image-management "Howdy, here's my card". The majority of members do seem to be in the earlier phases of starting their business, so its also a great place to connect and get support (through forums, excellent articles rated and commented on by other members, at live events, and through a robust profile/networking system.)
Biznik is currently strongest in the Pacific Northwest, but has over 16,000 members spread around the globe and is growing rapidly. With the upcoming release (around Thanksgiving) of groups and other features, we're anticipating even more accelerated growth.
Google 4 "Business Networking" and you'll see that Biznik comes in ahead of LinkedIn.
I hope to see you and other entrepreneur types over at Biznik, give me a ping and I'll be happy to help you get going in the community.
Biznik: http://tinyurl.com/59xeps
(PS, feel free to add this to your original post list ;)
- September 16, 2008 at 1:40 PM


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If you are looking to have a Cupcake Tower, book your wedding Cupcakes by February 10th and the stand rental is FREE ($60-$80 value).
Conditions are: Wedding has to be in Edmonton; One stand per wedding as we have limited stands per weekend; Must be returned the Monday following the event; Minimum of 8 dozen with a 6" cake on the top (as that is what the stands will hold).
If you are looking to have a Wedding cake designed, we will give you a credit for a FREE 6" round or square cake to celebrate your 1st Wedding Anniversary ($60-$80 value). This way, you don't have to eat a cake that has been frozen for a year! You get a nice fresh cake for your anniversary.Condition: credit given to 3 tier wedding cake orders; client must order Anniversary cake 2 weeks in advance.
Sweet tables or dessert bars are always a sweet addition to your wedding cake or cupcake tower. We are offering 15% off our Dessert Bar orders. Sweets that are available: custom sugar cookies, assorted cookies, macarons, coconut macaroons, filled meringue kisses, cake truffles, chocolate/caramel dipped pretzels, mini cupcakes, marshmallows, chocolates, chocolate dipped oreos, cake shots, mini or heart shaped brownies, and more.Conditions: Wedding has to be in Edmonton; Stands must be returned the Monday following the event; Minimum product order of $250.
For samples of our dessert bars, please visit our Styling page.
I would love to discuss your wedding with you in more detail. Please don't hesitate to call or visit us in the studio. I look forward to adding a little sweetness to your special day!
Happy Planning!


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Fiasco: a book review
Over the holidays, I was given a wonderful book by Stanislaw Lem, Fiasco, a work of science fiction by an author I quite admire. Fiasco is a fascinating book, and I highly recommend it. You needn't be a sci-fi fan (but who isn't?) to enjoy it and you may have heard of Lem's more famous work, Solaris.
In Fiasco, a pilot is resurrected under the careful ministrations of an unimaginably powerful computer. In the years since his death, the universe had remained silent, no alien life forms noticed. The leading minds conclude that the window of time in which two developing intelligences can actually converse is very small, relying as it does on some shared experience to base discourse on. As the computer explains to the nameless pilot; ""A paradox arose: the greater the number of theories astrophysics had at its disposal, the more difficult it became to prove the authenticity of an intentional signal." Confident in their calculations, Earth predicts when an equal life form will appear and sets out across space and time to intercept it and make contact. So this is the basic premise of the book, a theme in much of Lem's writing; real communication is impossible with something truly different.
As the envoy draws near to the new planet, they discover a world different than their hopes and predictions, a planet that attacks them without provocation. In the absence of direct peer to peer communication, they are left to interpret the attacks and figure out their meaning, and between the lines, there's a fair bit of commentary on the Cold War. Faced with this impossibility, the characters pick at the fabric of what meaning is. Except, of course, for the resurrected pilot, a kind of Tiresias figure who can accept there are things foreign to him, things he cannot know.
There are a lot of interesting themes in Fiasco, and Lem has provided me with a new favorite description of natural theology:
…Intelligent Beings proceeded to activities that made it increasingly clear to them that whatever had called them into existence gave them only one sure thing: their mortality. Indeed, they owed their very existence to mortality, for without it the billion-year alterations of emerging and dying species never would have taken place. They were spawned by the pit, by the deaths of the Archezoic, the Paleozoic , the successive geological periods, and along with their Intelligence received the guarantee of their own demise. Soon, some twenty centuries after this diagnosis, they came to know the parental ways of Nature: the treacherous and wasteful technology of self-realizing processes used by Her to permit future forms of life to appear. (p. 90)
It's fantastic. The book presents a compelling picture of the limits of our own understanding through powerful questions about meaning in the closed system of Nature.
For me, reading Fiasco was like reading Barth's commentary on Romans the first time: It is an overwhelming work of "No!" There is no redemption in Fiasco, no light at the end of the tunnel – far from it -but he has described the one side of life, the judged side of life, God's "No" so excellently; the closed system of nature, the irrationality of it all, and the way language fails us both in communicating and in hemming us in. I do not know Lem's religious beliefs, not that it matters, but I find it fascinating that it is the resurrected one who is able to accept that there are things beyond him, even though he cannot recount his own death. The pilot is not a messianic figure, but a character with a sense of his own limits. There is an obligatory priest who is also a symbol of religious acceptance of the unknown in the face of certain scientism. A physicist explains the priests position:
"It is possible to construct, out of mathematics, worlds outside the Universe regardless of whether or not they exist. And then of course, one can always abandon mathematics and its world to venture with one's faith into the world-to-come. People of the ilk o Father Arago occupy themselves with this. The difference between us and them is the difference between the possibility that certain things will come to pass and the hope that certain things will come to pass. My field deals with what is possible, accessible; his, with what is only hoped for , which becomes accessible, face to face, only after death. What Did you learn when you died? What did you see?"
"Therein lies the differentia specifica between science and faith."
And that's the genius of the book: Lem has a deeper understanding of what "possible" really means than many of the popular futurists that make the magazine stands. To that end, I found a deep sympathy with his point. Of course the writing is good, too and I heartily recommend the book. If you've never read science fiction from Eastern Europe, you should know that it tends to be philosophical with less emphasis on hand lasers and tentacle aliens, but that's a good thing. Fiasco is a book that teaches us about ourselves.


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Natural Hardwood Flooring in Yeagertown
Is it time to update the flooring in your home? From the deep hues of birch wood and walnut to the many classic shades of rustic oak, hardwood flooring brings your home a finished, natural look that you won't find in any other flooring. With rich textures and luxurious hues, you'll find variety, style and timelessness when you choose hardwood.
Yeagertown Carpet One knows how hardwood floors can change the look of your home for the better. That's why we offer so many options for your Yeagertown, PA home. With so many finishes, grains, species, glosses and more to choose from, there is a style for every taste at Carpet One in Yeagertown. Hardwood flooring can make a home contemporary or elegant, transforming any room with luxurious, timeless beauty.
Why should you choose Carpet One? With the quality and dependability of Carpet One's Yeagertown hardwood flooring, you get only the very best. Whether you are putting in hardwood flooring for the first time, are totally re-imagining your whole home, or are starting from scratch in a new home, Carpet One can help. We are ready to help you find the perfect flooring for your home in Yeagertown, PA. You can rely on the expertise of our sales professionals at Carpet One when it comes to flooring. Yeagertown Carpet One is careful to tailor our service to your needs. By assessing your requirements and evaluating our selection, we work with you to choose the best type of Carpet One Yeagertown flooring for your home. Plus, we have multiple levels of SelectAFloor™ warranties to choose from, so you can protect the life of your hardwood floors over time. Not only are we experts when it comes to selecting the right flooring for your home; we're also experts in installation! Our experts complete your nstallation professionally, so you'll have the same great service our customers have come to expect from Carpet One.
Need more flooring options for your Yeagertown home? At Yeagertown Carpet One, we're flooring experts. Our wide selection of carpeting, laminate flooring, vinyl flooring and tile flooring is the best that PA has to offer. Call your Carpet One in Yeagertown, PA to get started today and see how we can make a difference in your home with our Yeagertown hardwood flooring and more.


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Steve Sperling
Smithtown High Class of 1968
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Need help managing IBD?
Contact us now
Now through January whenyou post to THE WALL, you'll be entered for a chance to win an iPod touch®!
See Terms of Use for contest rules and more details.
Some intestinal complications of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) occur in both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease, although they may occur more commonly in one than in the other.
Many of these complications are rare, but if you notice a change in symptoms, be sure to see your doctor.
The following may help you reduce the risk of intestinal complications:


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Community calendar
Tuesday, Oct. 3
Pickleball, 10 a.m. to noon, Ironwood Memorial Building.
Gogebic County Veterans Service Officer, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Ironwood Memorial Building. 906-667-1110.
Alcoholics Anonymous, noon, Salem Lutheran Church, Ironwood. area74.org.
Ironwood Kiwanis Club, noon, Golden Dragon.
Cribbage, 1 p.m., Mercer, Wis., Public Library. 715-476-2366.
Disabled American Veterans, 6 p.m., American Legion Club Room, Ironwood Memorial Building, Ironwood.
Life Support Group, 6:30 p.m., Woodland Church, Ironwood.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Ironwood. area74.org.
Wakefield Township Board, 5:30 p.m., township hall.
Wednesday, Oct. 4
Christian Men of the Northland, 6:30 a.m., Uptown Cafe, Ironwood.
Iron County Health Department Flu Clinic, Hurley Senior Center, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Alcoholics Anonymous, open meeting, noon, Salem Lutheran Church, Ironwood. area74.org.
Gogebic Range Genealogical Society annual meeting, 1 p.m., Historic Ironwood Depot, 150 N. Lowell, Ironwood. 932-3934.
DOVE Support Group, noon-2 p.m. 906-932-4990.
Ironwood/Hurley Rotary Club, 12:15 p.m., Elk and Hound Restaurant, Ironwood.
Iron County Veterans Service Officer, 1-3 p.m., Mercer, Wis., Town Hall. 715-561-2190.
Mercer Health and Wellness Pickleball, 3-6 p.m., Mercer Community Center.
Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers Support Group, 6-7 p.m., Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mercer, Wis.
Bessemer Booster Club, 6:30 p.m., A.D. Johnston High School.
Gogebic Range Carvers, 6:30 p.m., shop room, A.D. Johnston High School, Bessemer.
People for Peace, 7 p.m. EDT, Episcopal Church of Ascension, 501 Houghton St., Ontonagon.
Narcotics Anonymous, 7 p.m., Salem Lutheran Church, Ironwood. area74.org.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 7:30 p.m., Sharon Lutheran Church, Bessemer. area74.org.
Ironwood Economic Development Corporation, 10 a.m., meeting, Conference Room 1, second floor, Memorial Building, Ironwood.
Bessemer public hearing, 5:30 p.m., city hall.


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Amos L. Soignier is originally from Southern Louisiana. Mr. Soignier received a BA from Fort Lewis College in 1999 and his law degree from the University of Idaho School of Law in December of 2003, and has practiced law in Durango since 2004.
In addition to his law practice, Mr. Soignier is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying Colorado activities like hiking, camping, boating, ski, snowboarding and the like. Mr. Soignier has lived in the Durango area for over 20 years and is intimately familiar with the Durango community and caters to the needs of families in the southwestern Colorado.
Shannon Soignier is a partner at The Soignier Law Firm, LLC. She is an experienced attorney who has represented workers' compensation claimants before the Office of Administrative Courts and social security claimants at their social security hearings.
As a former Registered Nurse in varying clinical settings, Ms. Soignier has reviewed and evaluated thousands of pages of medical documents in both her nursing practice and in her legal practice. She understands the challenges associated with complex cases that involve voluminous medical records.
Ms. Soignier graduated from Fort Lewis College with a BA in International Relations in 1999 and received her law degree from The University of Idaho College of Law in 2003. As Durango residents, Ms. Soignier and her husband enjoy the outdoor lifestyle afforded by the unique Colorado climate and beautiful setting of the Rocky Mountains, including skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, hiking, camping and river rafting.


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A computer industry analyst said he expected the International Business Machines Corporation to introduce the next generation of its most powerful mainframe computer earlier than had generally been expected. The analyst, Rick Martin of Prudential-Bache Securities Inc., told Reuters yesterday that he expected I.B.M. to upgrade its existing 3090 mainframe computers to permit an incremental switch to the new technology, known by the code name Summit within the industry, in 1991.
Another analyst, who asked not to be identified, said he believed that the Summit introduction was ahead of schedule and could come as early as June. Introduction of the new mainframe line is crucial for I.B.M. if it is to have significant revenue and earnings growth this year, he said.Continue reading the main story


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When I had Colt, my nose evolved into a super pooper sniffer.
A finely tuned machine capable of distinguishing between BMs of all kinds. Healthy. Solid. Runny. Viral.
Like a German Shepard to a bag of coke.
My mom has the same skill, as did her mother before her, and her mother before her.
We come from a long line of Poop Snoops.
Today we took Colt to JumpZone – Bounce House Emporium.
Let's talk about the GENIUS who thought of this place.
It's literally a warehouse in the back of an office park. Chock full of inflatables…and lawn chairs for the parents.
Todd and I were considering booking Colt's birthday party there, but I wanted to check it out in-person to make sure it wasn't run by pedophiles.
To my relief, we were greeted by a bunch of college-aged girls in camp shirts and khaki shorts (a little eye candy for the daddys.)
Colt's eyes widened, and he was off and running!
Climbing, sliding, bouncing….expending more kilojoules of energy than Gene Simmons at a KISS Concert.
There was a nap in our future, guaranteed.
As I was daydreaming about all the things I would do in those three hours…
I smelled it.
I tried to slough it off, but the odor got stronger. Todd walked over and twisted his nose up at me.
Even he agreed. Somebody had pooped his pants.
But who?
We scanned the room…
Somewhere a little train was chugging into funky town, and I was going to spot it.
The other parents sat in their lawn chairs, unaware.
I could literally taste it in the air. HOW DID NO ONE ELSE SMELL THIS?
Maybe these were the same parents at Maggiano's who apparently couldn't hear their children screaming bloody murder right next to them.
Maybe their senses had shut down altogether?
Then I saw him.
His barely-mobile-little-butt waddled around in an odiferous fog.
Cute little booger.
Oblivious to his affliction, he looked up at me and giggled. Where were his parents?
Maybe his mother dropped him off to go get a facial.
We shuffled Colt to the other side of the Zone for some fresh air.
A few minutes later I saw Poopy's mom come out of one of the birthday party rooms and scoop him up.
Oh good, surely she'll notice….
But she didn't notice. SHE. DIDN'T. NOTICE.
I was actually going to suggest to Todd that we become franchise owners.
At $9 a head, this cash cow is making somebody a lot of moo-la.
But I spend enough of my personal life dealing with poop. I don't want to have to worry about it at work too.
So I guess JumpZone is out of the question for us.
But we may still have Colt's birthday party there in a couple of months.
If you get an invite, please bring extra diapers. Poop snoop will be in the house.


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NGCA exhibitions are initiated and organised in response to a number of factors:
NGCA exhibitions aim to maximise the gallery's physical resources, including the new NGCA gallery and other exhibition spaces around the National Glass Centre building. Exhibitions are also generated with regard to the gallery's ability to deliver ambitious, adventurous and varied projects with finite levels of resources and its' small core team.
Projects are organised in relation to the gallery's location within National Glass Centre, and with both existing and potential audiences in mind.
NGCA aims to provide significant opportunities which further artists' careers at crucial points in their creative development. The gallery works with both emerging artists and more established practitioners. Ordinarily projects are initiated 12-24 months in advance. The gallery will, wherever possible and desirable, show primarily new or recent work by artists. Our aim is to have as high a proportion as possible of works premiered at or commissioned by the gallery wherever appropriate.
NGCA's projects often draw upon emerging ideas and developments in recent art production, to reflect the diversity of contemporary artistic practice, at the levels of media, approach and subject matter.
Ordinarily there will be five - six exhibitions each year. We currently work with between 10-30 artists across a year depending on the scale and complexity of projects.
NGCA welcomes submissions from artists, which should be submitted by post to:
In the first instance, artists wishing to submit materials for consideration should send a typed CV and statement along with full contact details, press coverage if applicable, and 6 images on CD, slide or as prints, or a showreel if appropriate.
Exhibitions are programmed roughly 12-24 months in advance, to comply with funding agreements and to allow developmental time for artists to create new work.
We receive a very high number of applications each year and will endeavour to look thoroughly at all and respond within 8 weeks. In certain instances it may be useful for the gallery to retain material for future reference.


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WYYX, "Panama City's Rock Station"
97x is Panama City and Dothan Alabama's only true ACTIVE rock station, delivering todays hottest artists. Each weekday starts off with "Morning X" radio show, hosted by Jordan and Melissa! Listen in to G-Man, an active duty Airman for the United States Airforce, weekdays from 10AM-2PM and on Saturdays. The rest of the day dominates Panama City and Dothan with live, local DJs and the best rock! Rock into the evening listening to "Hard Drive" with Lou Brutus, named the Best Nationally Syndicated DJ in America by his peers at the 2013-2014 Radio Contraband Rock Radio Awards in Las Vegas and nominated again in 2015. 97x delivers to a generation of strong economic spending power.
- Station: WYYX, "Panama City's Rock Station"
- Frequency: 97.7 FM
- Format: Active Rock
- Target Audience: Persons 18-49
- On The Web: www.wyyx.com


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Chinese charity undertakes anti-poaching drive
Alvine Kapitako WINDHOEK – China House, an organisation with its headquarters in Kenya, recently held a wildlife conservation awareness campaign with 123 Chinese nationals from five different companies in Namibia. The aim of the campaign, according to Zoe Huang and Yitong Amy Tang, was because Namibia has over the years been affected by an upsurge in elephant poaching that has implicated some Chinese nationals working in cahoots with some Namibian nationals. "Chinese nationals were arrested with rhino horns and so on," said Zoe. As a result, the Chinese community in Namibia rallied and organised a wildlife conservation campaign to send out a signal that most of the Chinese business community are "conscious about wildlife conservation," and they are law-abiding and don't condone poaching. The Chinese business community is also eager to create a positive impact, as could be attested by the huge amounts of money that Chinese business people and their government have funneled to assist Namibia to buy equipment for its anti-poaching drive. "This was the first Chinese wildlife conservation campaign across all major companies in the country," said Zoe. In addition, Zoe and Yitong said that they discovered two problems concerning wildlife conservation among the Chinese business community. Most of the Chinese nationals are not very aware on wildlife conservation in Namibia, said the duo. "They don't know what is illegal," the two wildlife campaigners said in unison. They also specified to them what is legal and what is not and told them to stay away from people who will be selling them wildlife products, and especially products made of ivory, pangolin, rhino horn and turtle. These are the products that Chinese nationals here are involved in, they added. Also, they re-emphasised to Chinese nationals here that this year China effected a ban on all ivory products from entering that country. BBC news reported in January this year that China has been one of the world's biggest markets for ivory. However, as of 2018, all trade in ivory and ivory products in the country is illegal. The move is being hailed as a major development in efforts to protect the world's elephant population, BBC reported. Wildlife campaigners believe 30,000 African elephants are killed by poachers every year, according to the BBC report. It was also reported that there has been a 65 percent decline in the price of raw ivory over the past year. Likewise, there has also been an 80 percent decline in seizures of ivory entering China. "So Chinese nationals can't buy any ivory products," Zoe and Yitong explained. China House is the first Chinese organisation in Africa that focuses on the integration of Chinese in Africa and has been working with the Chinese Embassy in Namibia.
New Era Reporter
2018-05-22 09:01:33 10 months ago


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Back to main gigs page
SAVE THE KIDS! CPT #2 - Metal
From | 2009-08-22 @ 20:00 | To | 2009-08-22 @ 02:00
Venue | Durbanville Kunskafee, 1 Scher Street, Durbanville (Cape Town)
What's Happening?
Psycho Synth Production in association with ROWACA bring you an amazing event
Performing Bands:
Symphonic Schizophrenia
Dark Heritage
Entry: R30
Please raid your cupboards for any old clothing, toys, toiletries, etc that we will be donating for this cause
Let us stand against the atrocities
Thanks to our great sponsors:
3@1 Kuilsrivier
Graphic Solutions
Paul Bothner
Source: Facebook Event
Submitted By | Ant
Visit the EVENT


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Philosophical reflections on perfume and perfumery: An exploration of aesthetic, epistemological, metaphysical, moral, ontological, and phenomenological issues. Relevant comments are most welcome—whether you agree or disagree!
Sunday, October 1, 2017
We need to talk. About Lily. Il faut que nous parlions. Du Lis.
1 comment:
All relevant comments are welcome at the salon de parfum—whether in agreement or disagreement with the opinions here expressed.
Effective March 14, 2013, comment moderation has been implemented in order to prevent the receipt by subscribers of unwanted, irrelevant remarks.
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RIVIERA BEACH — Suncoast High School Senior Emana Sheikh won first place and $500 in the first annual Make a Difference poster contest sponsored by the Florida Public Service Union (FPSU).
The contest awarded $1,000 to three students for artwork centered on how non-instructional employees such as bus drivers, custodians and food service workers make a difference.
Park Vista High School Senior Erik Guzman won second place ($300) and Dreyfoos School of the Arts Sophomore Jordan Lane Palmer won third place ($200). To view the winning artwork and honors visit seiufpsu.org
FPSU represents the bus drivers, custodial and maintenance staff in the PBC schools.
"Students understand that our schools are dynamic communities that rely on great teachers, leaders, drivers, custodians, and food service workers," said Alphonso Mayfield, president of the Union. "I was so impressed with all of the artwork — a testament to the maturity and creativity of these young adults."
Finalists' artwork will be on display at the Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center at a later date.
First Place:
Emana Sheikh, Suncoast, Grade 12
Second Place:
Erik Guzman, Park Vista, Grade 12
Third Place:
Jordan Lane Palmer, Dreyfoos, Grade 10
Honorable Mentions: Bradley Cash, South Tech Academy; Stephen McDow, Jupiter High School, Grade 9; Jessica Blazas, Jupiter, Grade 12; Barbara Tong, Jupiter; Dariell Bethel, South Tech Academy, Grade 10; Krystal Khemkaran, Palm Beach Lakes High School, Grade 10; Chyanee Turey, South Tech, Grade 9; Isabella Pezzulo, Dreyfoos, Grade 10; Jordan Kallam, South Tech, Grade 10; Molly Ramsay, Spanish River High School; Grade 11; Megan Lasnick, Jupiter, Grade 10; Jocky Jimenez and Alexandra Reyes, South Tech, Grade 11.


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Escalating Support Tickets
Almost everything we touch today is done on a computer. If one is out of commission for very long, it can create a real workflow crisis. My clients are busy with their day-to-day business activities, and they can't afford to have much downtime, especially when they are having issues with their computers.
Therefore, it's critical that I build rapport with them, so that when they do have a support issue, they trust me and know that I am going to take great care of them.
My tips to build rapport:
- Respond promptly to support tickets. My goal is to respond within 10-15 minutes after I've received the ticket.
- Show your clients that you care and understand their concerns.
- Follow up on a regular basis and let the client know the status of their ticket. If the problem takes longer to resolve, make them aware of this.
- Good communication is critical. Check-in with your client on an on-going basis to make sure they're satisfied with the level of support they are receiving.
Computer issues
A variety of computer issues cross my desk every day. Some are easy fixes where I can have a call with my client and walk them through the steps to correct the problem.
For more complicated issues, I find it's more efficient to take control of their computer for about 30 minutes. This saves my clients a lot of frustration because they don't need to be on the phone with me giving instructions that include: "Click here," "Now go here," or "Hit save."
It takes trust to allow someone access to your computer. So, I want to be sure my clients are comfortable with me taking control of theirs. I take time to answer their questions and address any concerns they have about the process. I have found that most people don't care what is wrong with their computer; they just want it fixed as quickly as possible.
Escalating the Support Ticket
Sometimes, I get a support ticket for a problem that I don't know how to fix. I will use Google and YouTube to research the issue. If I can't find anything there, I will talk with my team members to see if they have experience with that issue. When I have exhausted all of my resources, I immediately escalate the support ticket to Tier 2 support.
It's important to stay in close contact with your client and let them know the ongoing status of their support ticket. It's also important to let them know when you're not able to resolve the issue and you're escalating the issue to Tier 2 support.
I follow up closely with Tier 2 support. If I haven't heard anything from them within 20 minutes of escalating the support ticket, I call them and get a status update.
By focusing on solutions for my clients and responding to their support tickets in a prompt and efficient manner, I am able to build great relationships with them. They know when I'm working on a tech support issue for them, that I will handle it.