text:
Humility: The Lost Art in LeadershipShare on LinkedIn
Use humility to be more a more effective leader in these five ways.
1) Opinions: input is critical to success
Humble leaders seek input from others to ensure they have all the facts and are making decisions that are in the best interest of the team. No one person has all the answers. If you think you do, then it's probably time to reassess. People want to work for people who value their opinions rather than ignore or dismiss them. Effectively humble leaders are comfortable asking for input and can just as easily be decisive when the situation calls for it.
2) Mistakes: they will happen so let them
It's tough to be more transparent and open even those who consider themselves humble don't want to look like they've messed up. But, as human beings we all make mistakes. When you're willing to share your own missteps, and how you dealt with and recovered from them, you earn trust from your team.
3) Ambiguity: let go and see the results
Many leaders want to control everything. But some things can't be known up front or beforehand. You have to know when to take charge or when to let go and not try to force everything to go your way.
4) Self-Reflect: spend some time looking back
Like many leadership skills, humility may not come easy to everyone. It's important to engage in self-reflection. One of the most powerful tools is to write in a journal. By chronicling what went well during your interactions or what you could have handled better, you can enhance your perspective and learn from your actions. There's almost always room for improvement.
5) Trust: let people do their jobs
Micromanaging kills morale and it isn't very humble. Choose good people, train them, then get out of the way and let them do their jobs. It can take humility to admit that your way isn't the only way or even that some people are better at certain roles than you. The humble leader accepts these truths and allow other's strengths to work for the good of the team or organization without interference.


text:
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney is a very cosmopolitan city where Mardi Gras is much more than one weekend. Mardi Gras in Sydney is spread through three fun weekends, two of which are two amazing gay weeks like no any other on the planet, a tribute to the Gay and Lesbian community worldwide.
For those of you who live in Australia, or for those of you specially travelling to Sidney for the Mardi Gras, I have compiled the most important dates not to be missed if you want to enjoy the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney.
The Gay and Lesbian guide to Mardi Gras in Sydney
Sunday 21st February
Fair Day: Join 70,000 people in the park for Fair Day, a day in the sun which officially marks the start of the celebrations. It is a fun, relaxed family day.
Queer Thinking
Friday 26th February
For all of you interested in the work of major international gay authors, academics and thinkers, the 26th of February you can join the Queer Thinking. A unique day of debate and food for thought which brings together the Gay and Lesbian community's best creative and academic talent to discuss their work, explore ideas and reflect upon the 2010 Festival theme, "Mardi Gras' History of the World".
Queer Thinking takes place
on Seymour Centre from midday to 10:30pm.
Access to the event costs $15.
Some interesting facts about Sydney's gay Parade
- In 2006 Conde Nast named it as one of the world's top ten costume parades in the world.
- Planetout named it as the best gay event in the world.
- In 2008 Sydney's gay parade celebrated their 30th Anniversary.
- 2009 produced the largest ever Parade with almost 10,000 colourful participants.
Gay Parade
Saturday 27th February
Take part in the Parade and party on afterwards. The parade takes place on the Entertainment Quarter on Lang Road, Moore Park, New South Wales and starts at 10pm
Sydney Mardi Gras Parade and Party 2009
The Harbour 2010 party
Sunday 28th February
For all party lovers, this is the best located dance party in the world, at Harbour 2010, in the Botanic Gardens, next to the Opera House.
The perfect recovery after the Parade the night before.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Harbour Party 2009
The Mardi Gras Pool Party.
Monday 1st March
Another great party in the stunning surroundings of Sydney's Ivy Pool Bar. Where else in the world would you find a dance floor and DJ booth on the changing rooms?
The Ivy Pool Bar is located on 320 George Street, New South Wales. The party goes on from 2.00pm to 10.00pm. Tickets can be found for $45 + booking fee.
Tuesday 2nd March
Take the ferry to the Manly Beach Day where you can enjoy a day of sports and picnics and finish up the day watching the most amazing sunset.
Wednesday 3rd March
If you have a vivid interest on animal life you should not miss the Mardi Gras Dinner at Taronga Zoo.
Thursday 4th March
Join Burt Bacharach at the Sydney Opera House for a night of hits.
Friday 5th March
Do not miss the Bondi Drag Races, cheer on Drag Queens sprinting down the beach.
Carl Cox @ Summadayze, Melbourne 2010
Saturday 6th March
Spend the day at TamaramaBeach at the gay lifesaver BBQ.
End up your day dancing among 20,000 sexy partygoers at the world famous Mardi Gras party headlined this year by French superstar David Guetta among many other superstar DJs which include DJ Carl Cox and Italian Dusty Kid. The party spreads over 4 spectacular venues at the Entertainment quarter on Lang Road. Tickets can be purchased between $100 and $135.
Sunday 7th March
Squeeze the last drops of energy that you have at one of the Recovery Parties!
While you are waiting for the next party or parade, take a stroll along Oxford Street where you will find the best bars. Do not miss the Phoenix Bar, always packed, a great place for cruising, open until 6:30am on weekends.
Sydney travel guides
What are you waiting for? Are you too late for this year's Mardi Gras in Sydney? Do not despair; you can start booking for next year. Many Mardi Gras followers book a year in advance. Pick up that phone, start searching online deals for best hotels and travel packages, get your costumes ready… Sydney is waiting for you!
I have been to Manchester Mardi Gras few years ago and your hub reminded me how much fun it was... Time to book a ticket to Sydney I think ;)
Hy Anath: thought I'd pop by and have a gander at this hub. Very interesting. Well done on a great hub! Deserves to be read by many! I salute you for a great handling of an important subject to me personally. Thankyou.
All jokes momentarily set aside, I was just picking at you and/or provoking ya. I just happened to see that you did this hub to answer someone elses question, so I though I'd be a smarty and add my own question. Actually, you did a good job replying to their query.
Okay-okay, have you answered my question yet?
I've already got one reply thus far, and I'm awaiting yours. Ha-ha! ;)
This is exactly why people shouldn't write for others...
I bet it would be fun to exploit your "Ask Anath to publish a Hub answering your question" field. Hmm, I may give this some thought. Hey, I'll skip the 'fill-out request form'...I'll request your next hub to be about the 'quantum theory of physics'... I look forward to your next fulfillment, ha-ha! Just teasing...
Thanks in advance, OD.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
aussie pride! oi! oi! oi!
the tenure of the howard government has seen popular opinion marching steadily to the right, guided by an increasingly subservient mass media. tampa, detention centres, the war on terror. (and in recent weeks, praise for the death penalty, end of the unions and employee's rights, and the decimation of the tertiary education system.)
those of you who voted liberal should be pleased at the advent of our very own australian kristalnacht in sydney in the last few days, your chooks have finally come home to roost. the sort of people whose virtue the tv always extols – beer-drinking, pie-eating, rugby-playing traditional aussie blokes have been draping themselves in the flag and chanting "oi! oi! oi!" as they beat up anybody with an olive complexion, while screaming (one assumes jokingly) "watch out, he might blow himself up!"
it's not hard to see where the climate that allows this has come from, and it wasn't surprising to see our PM on tv not trying very hard to denounce the kind of feelings that drove the mob, (suspecting that the same attitudes lie dormant in the breasts of the voting mums and dads of the australian heartland). "I would never denounce people taking pride in the Australian flag" he said.
i have never been so ashamed to be australian.
4 Comments so far
davidon December 12th, 2005 @ 11:03 pm
totally agree with you. it seems that australia is becoming more and more like america every day.
Domon December 14th, 2005 @ 10:37 am
Thats poo. If any party extols the virtues of being the "beer drinking, pie eating…" etc, its the Labor party, and their sickening bed time buddies the trade unions.
Don't blame the Liberals (or any one else) for what is a fundamental social problem, that has roots in the ever widening socio-economic differences, between say, the beer drinking Australian, and the hard working migrant, then every one else.
The racial differences are a social problem. I'm not defending the Liberals, or rather our Executive, but they are implementing a policy, not inciting riots.
xeroon December 14th, 2005 @ 8:37 pm
the rabble are being manipulated
by lies that the government makes up
and that the media feeds them
children overboard
weapons of mass destruction
muslim terrorists
those widening divisions you refer to are a direct result
not only of the policies the government is implementing
but the spin they produce every week
the executive are not merely implementing policy
they are playing the tabloid media
and its suburban constituency like a fiddle
it's how they got into power in the first place
Sensi, parison December 18th, 2005 @ 3:26 pm
Please don't be ashamed to be australian, because this extreme minority of racist morons will never represent nor your country nor his fundamental values.
Just find a way to wipe out from the face of earth this fucking Ruppert Murdoch, his worldwide mass media, and his trendy 'clash of civilization' propaganda that have given us the crawling fascism and xenophobia/bigotry in the USA, and which tends to propagate itself.
Best regards,
p.s: sorry for my bad english
n.b.: i am a conservative


text:
Added: December 7, 2011
This episode starts off with many Soul Reapers, including Ayasegawa Yumichika and Madarame Ikkaku," greeting ""Captain"" Omaeda; however", it is soon revealed that it was just Omaeda's dream. Omaeda is about to go back to sleep when he realises that his little afternoon nap had turned into a 3 hour sleep. Omaeda realises that he is already late and begins to run back to Sereitei so he does not get punished by Soi Fon. However, he falls off a cliff as he does so and apparently saves the life of a Rukongai boy by falling on top of a hollow who was about to attack the boy, who takes him back to his village where Omaeda claims he is the captain of the 2nd Division. The villagers serve Omaeda platefuls of their best food to express their gratitude to the 'captain' for saving the boy, Ryuzaburo. That night Omaeda who is sleeping in the Rukongai village wakes up and rushes back to 2nd Division's barracks after realising that he will be severely punished by his captain. The next day, Omaeda is shown apologizing and trying desperately to get mercy from his captain, but SoiFon states that Omaeda's prescence was not missed and sends him to clean the Seretei grounds by himself. Meanwhile Ryuzaburo and 2 of his friends are trying to get into Seretei to see their 'captain'. Yoruichi and Ichigo happen to be passing by and Yoruichi tells Jidanbo to let the boys in and that she will take responsibility for it. The boys tell Yoruichi and Ichigo that the 'captain' never said his name but that he was the captain of 2nd Division. When they arrive at 2nd Squad's barracks Omaeda begs Yoruichi and Ichigo to go along with the story to which Yoruichi agrees to while Ichigo on the other hand was reluctant. Yoruichi gives many suggestions to the boys as to what they should have Omaeda show them. As Omaeda is walking down the street with the 3 boys, they run into Yumichika and Ikkaku, who also play along with the story in order to get cash from Omaeda. Yumichika then tells Matsumoto about this, who then notifies a big group of female shinigamis to follow. In the end even SoiFon plays along with the story by giving Omaeda a masage and also doing his chores for him after being persuaded by Yoruichi. However, at the end of the day, the three boys overhear Ikkaku and Yumichika discussing the fact that Omaeda would never become a captain. Ryuzaburo becomes angry at Omaeda and runs home only to be stopped by the hollow from the day before but Omaeda saves him and bids him farewell. The episode ends with the 3 boys returning to their village and SoiFon beating Omaeda up for insulting her.


text:
Subscribe to the SportsCapping.com Podcast on iTunes or SoundCloud.
Week 17 NFL & College Football Bowl Free Picks
The SportsCapping podcast is back! This week experts Jack Jones and Brandon Lee go over Week 17 NFL and college football bowl action.
Each gives out a free pick against the spread in the NFL and one of the early bowl games for Saturday, plus a bonus NFL teaser play.
Jack, Brandon and Teddy have combined to go an impressive 81-53-6 (60%) over the last 26 podcasts! Don't miss out on your chance to build your bankroll and listen now for you free winners.
Listen for Free Expert Betting Advice From Top Rated Handicappers
New SportsCapping.com Podcast episodes will be available throughout the year with more free picks, odds, predictions, and analysis from the best cappers in the business!


text:
While I would have been thrilled to renovate a bathroom that I actually use, before renovating one that I've never used, it seems our house had other plans for us. If you don't own an old house, you may be unaware that old houses are bossy and we were helpless to argue with a water leak that had her sharing our bathroom.
This was a total gut job. We took it to the studs and the floor joists. It was a complete loss. Here's a little before and after for you!
What you can't see in the before picture above is the wood box built around a pipe sticking out into the room near the ceiling. It never ceases to amaze us the jack-assery, as we like to call it, we find around here. I was so proud of the great framing job my guy did so that we could drywall it.
The beauty of a complete gut job is that you have a blank slate and from the ashes of that hot mess, a beautiful, fresh new bathroom was born.
We made a few changes shortly after moving in, taking down that wall cabinet, switching out the hardware, light fixture, vanity, faucet and mirror. By the way, that mirror has been in my family for as long as I can remember and hung in my great grandmother's bedroom when I was little and then hung in my bedroom when I was a teenager. Em was adamant that it not be replaced so it just got a fresh coat of paint.
This bathroom is a tiny 6x7 feet which somehow feels much larger now than it did before. It's actually a tough space to photograph and there are no windows so the only natural light comes from a window in the bedroom.
This project, like every other project in this house, took way longer and cost more than we thought it would. When will we learn? So far we have done every project in this house ourselves. I think chances are good that we aren't tackling the two remaining bathrooms or the kitchen. It's not as easy as they make it look on HGTV folks. Also, for the record, let me make it clear that almost every time I say we in this post I really mean he. Aside from the drywall, my sweet man did everything. He demo'd, framed, replaced the subfloor, did the plumbing and electrical, installed the shower, toilet and vanity, did all the trim work and probably a dozen other things I can't think of. I was only responsible for design choices, clean up and painting. Well, I was also responsible for tiling but after a major tile fail, we hired that out too. I really, really wanted to be able to do it. I watched a ton of videos, read how to articles, did two dry runs but it turns out that I'm a much better baker than tiler. That's okay. I can't be good at everything and I'm starting to learn to acknowledge my limits.


text:
SAO PAULO, March 27 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-owned lender Caixa Economica Federal expects to maintain its loan book stable in 2018, as the bank faces capital requirements restrictions to expand, Chief Executive Officer Gilberto Occhi said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Caixa announced recurring net income of 8.6 billion reais ($2.58 billion) last year and its capital ratio reached 17.7 percent in the fourth quarter.
$1 = 3.3292 reais Reporting by Carolina Mandl; Writing by Tatiana Bautzer, Editing by Franklin Paul


text:
Astronomy 310 - Stellar Astrophysics
Basic Information
- Instructor: Professor Rich Townsend
- Contact:
- Phone: (608) 262 1752
- Office: 4402 Sterling Hall
- Email: townsend AT astro DOT wisc DOT edu
- Mailbox: 3rd floor, Sterling Hall
- Times/Location: 09:55 am – 10:45am, Mon, Wed, Fri in 3425 Sterling Hall (Note: the location given on the UW course listing is incorrect!)
- Website: You're already here!
- Office hours: Tue 2pm-3pm, Thu 12pm-1pm, other times by appointment
Course Overview
Stars are the fundamental building blocks of the Universe. They are the principal source of electromagnetic radiation at many wavelengths, including visible light. By injecting vast amounts of energy and momentum into their surroundings, they act as drivers for the evolution of their host galaxies. Likewise, through their creation of chemical elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, they are ultimately responsible for the existence of life as we know it.
Stellar astrophysics — the study of the appearance, structure, composition, and evolution of stars — is one of the resounding successes of modern physics. It brings together elements from almost every sub-field of physics (from atomic and nuclear physics, through to classical mechanics and relativity), allowing us to understand in surprising detail what goes on deep inside an object that, to us, is a mere pinprick of light in the sky.
Classes take place from 9:55am to 10:45am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in 3425 Sterling Hall. The first class is on Wednesday September 2nd, and the last on Monday December 14th. However, the classes will not meet on the following days:
- Monday September 7th — Labor Day
- Friday November 27th — Thanksgiving Recess
Additional no-class days may have to be implemented if the H1N1 virus (Swine 'flu) becomes problematic during the fall; see here for a discussion of UW-Madison's preparations for this eventuality.
The required textbook for the class is An Introduction to Modern Stellar Astrophysics, by Dale Ostlie & Bradley Carroll. Please make sure you have the second edition; the first edition still uses 'legacy' units (centimeters-grams-seconds), and will be confusing to those raised on SI units.
The book is organized into two parts. Part I discusses the tools of astronomy, covering topics such as coordinate systems, celestial mechanics, telescopes, and the basic properties of light. The course will primarily use chapters 3 and 5 from this part.
Part II discusses the nature of stars. It begins with the measurement of stellar parameters from their observable properties (positions, spectra, luminosities), and then proceeds to examine the physical principles governing the atmospheres and interiors of stars. These principles are used to understand how stars form, how they evolve, and how they die. The course will use most of the chapters comprising this part.
Apart from various simple cases, calculating stellar interior models requires a computer code (program). For the purposes of the class, I've created an on-line structure and evolution code, EZ-Web, which you can find here. During the course I'll be giving full instructions on how to use EZ-Web.
Bi-weekly homework assignments contribute toward 60% of the final class grade. Assignments are issued every other Monday, and are due on the Friday of the following week. To save paper, I won't be handed out print copies of the questions; rather, they will be posted below as PDF files on the day when they are issued.
The assignment schedule is as follows:
- Monday September 7th (due Friday September 18th): questions solutions
- Monday September 21st (due Friday October 2nd): questions solutions
- Monday October 5th (due Friday October 16th) questions solutions
- Monday October 19th (due Friday October 30th) questions solutions
- Wednesday November 5th (due Monday November 16th) questions solutions
- Monday November 16th (due Wednesday December 2nd) questions solutions
- Wednesday December 2nd (due Monday December 14th) questions
Completed manuscripts should be placed in my mail box on the 3rd floor of Sterling Hall (outside the elevator) before the beginning of the 9:55am Friday class. Alternatively, they may be given to me in person during the class. Manuscripts that are handed in late will be graded with a 20% penalty if less than week late; if longer than a week, they will not be graded, and a zero mark will be entered into my books.
I encourage students to collaborate on their homework assignments; however, verbatim copying of manuscripts or data amounts to plagiarism, and is not acceptable. Please consult with me if you are unsure where to draw the line with collaborative work.
Final Exam
The 2-hour final exam contributes 40% toward the final class grade. This exam occurs at 10:05am-12:05pm on Saturday December 19th, in Van Vleck B129 (the Math Department). The exam will follow a traditional closed-book, written-answer format.


text:
Butternut Squash Soup
Time needed
Serving Size / Yield
- 1 2-3 Lb Butternut Squash
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- ½ Cup Chopped Carrots
- 1 Medium White Onion, chopped
- 3 Cloves Chopped Garlic
- 1 32 Oz Box Chicken Broth
- ½ Pkg Dried Onion Soup Mix
- 1 Pkg Campbell's Thai Green Curry Skillet Sauce
Our Readers Also Loved
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
Take the squash, cut it in half and spoon out seeds.
Take out a baking sheet and place the squash on it.
Then cover squash in olive oil.
Make sure squash in completely cover in oil.
Bake squash face down in the oven. Keep inside for about an hour, until the skin can easily be pierced with a fork.
Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, remove the skins.
Melt butter in a large skillet, then add the remaining vegetables and cook on medium heat until they begin to soften.
This will take about 5 minutes. Add squash to the mix and mash with fork.
Next, add the remaining ingredients.
Then mix thoroughly with a spoon and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree the soup in a food processor and serve.


text:
Build a comprehensive, high-value, offering one "brick" at a time
Service Blueprint Bricks
Build a robust process framework, one brick at a time
The dynamics for IT service delivery have changed.
In the new model, business processes and tools define a provider's ability to seamlessly scale its customer base while maintaining consistently high service levels.
The "craftsman" model historically associated with IT services is being displaced by the "factory" model.
Lack of a process framework is a hurdle to services growth and profitability
As an IT Solution Provider, you must be able to differentiate yourself through both value and delivery. If you are like most solution providers, you have begun to introduce at least some processes into your delivery model.
The challenge becomes establishing a process framework that encompasses the entire service offering and serves as the foundation for educating current and future team members on best practices for service delivery.
Passing on service practices as "tribal knowledge" will no longer enable you to remain competitive.
Service Blueprint Bricks
AntFarm's Service Blueprint Bricks are modular service delivery processes that fit together seamlessly to create the architecture for a comprehensive service offering.
Each self-contained process module (or "brick") displays the storyboard for how to deliver an element of the offering.
Benefits of the Service Blueprint Brick approach ...
Take a tour of a Service Blueprint Brick
We have Service Blueprint Bricks in these areas...
(Click on the links below to view the description and catalog)
Process modules
Process Modules
Process Modules
Process Modules


text:
* The IAU World 100k has been canceled, again. It's sad, but it's the best decision that could be made at this point. I'll announce my fall racing schedule soon.
* After Hood to Coast, I spent a week in Seattle for work. I had one day off so I drove out to Mt Rainier to run around the Mowich Lake area. Check the bottom of this post for a few pics.
* This past Saturday (August 31) I closed out the 7th year of my daily running streak with a 30 mile run. It was a tough run after being out of town for over a week, but it allowed me to hit the 30,000 mile mark over the past 7 years. The 476 miles I logged in August is my 2nd highest month ever. I'm tired now, but taking a much-deserved down week.
Hood to Coast Mini Race Report
I originally didn't plan to run the Hood to Coast Relay this year. I've run the 198 mile, 12 person relay, 3 times before and didn't really want the training interruption during a really big mileage month. Plus, my work schedule had me heading out to Seattle in early August. But, as luck would have it, my trip to Seattle kept getting delayed until finally I didn't need to be there until the Monday following Hood to Coast. This meant I would only have to make one trip to the Pacific Northwest and I could kill two birds with one stone. So I found my way back on to GE Runner's corporate mixed team.
|Big mistake, giving a Hood to Coast team a brand new SUV.
Another bit of good fortune had the team picking up our two rental team SUVs in Seattle. So I flew straight there from Cincinnati with my buddy, training partner, and team captain – Max. We easily found our other driver there at the Seattle airport, picked up our vehicles, and were off to Portland with no problems. We had dinner and a quick team meeting Thursday night, but headed to bed relatively early knowing that we'd need a good night's sleep to get us through the next 48 hours.
There are 1050 teams that were entered to run the relay. This requires teams to start in small waves every 15 minutes throughout the day on Friday. Usually the best teams start later in the day so everyone reaches the finish in Seaside, OR about the same time on Saturday. For some reason, HTC had our team starting at 11:15AM – much earlier than competitive GE team usually starts. We were on our way to the start quite early to allow time for check-in and warm-ups.
|The start. I was beat for about 100 meters.
I volunteered to run Leg 1 this year. Leg 1 is notoriously difficult because it drops from 6000ft at Timberline Lodge down to 4000ft in just 5.65 miles. It's great fun running downhill fast, but it's brutal on the quads when you have to come back and run 2 more times in the next 15 hours. I quite enjoyed taking the lead of our wave start with a 4:33 first mile. I quickly realized that I had a lot farther to go and that was probably unsustainable. So I eased back and tried take a little pressure off the quads by shortening my stride and quickening my turnover. The quads get all of the attention, but I could feel it in my calves too – it's just a very different stress from the usual. I was well out in front of my wave and actually caught about 15 people in the wave that started 15 minutes before ours. I handed off to our second runner, Liz, having averaged 4:40 pace. My legs were tired, but not immediately blasted.
Liz is fast...like ran in the US 10k Olympic Trials last year...fast. So there was no time for me to cool down. I had to hop in our Yukon and get to the next exchange quickly. It only took us about 10 minutes to get to the 2nd exchange, but as soon as I stepped out of the van, I realized how destroyed my quads were. While waiting for Liz to arrive, I managed to run a 2 mile cool down very gingerly. I was seriously questioning my ability to run sub-6 minute pace for my next two legs based on the condition of my legs at this point.
We eventually cycled through all six runners in "Van 1" and handed the race over to Van 2 to continue pushing the charge. I can't say much about what happened during the Van 2 legs, because I wasn't there. My van headed back to a hotel room in Portland for an hour-long break. It was a quick stop though, as we had to allow plenty of time to make it through Portland rush hour traffic to make it to the next van exchange point where I was scheduled to run again. The van exchange point was a mess, but my crew dumped me out in plenty of time to receive the handoff our 12th runner.
When my second run of the day began, it was still quite sunny and warm. Even so, I was decked out in a reflective vest, flashlight, and two red flasher since the rules require these items after 6PM. I tried my best to warmup, but the quads were definitely protesting and did not want to stretch out. After splitting a 5:35 first mile, I was feeling quite tired. Knowing I had a long 7.3 mile leg to do, I decided to back off and try to settle in a little more. I slowed a few seconds per mile, but continued to pass tons of runners. I stopped counting around 30 "kills," but I must have finished with well over 50. Eventually, I guess I got completely warmed up again and the pace started coming back to me. I was running along the riverfront near downtown Portland and all of the people, whether involved with the race or not, were motivating to me. I made my way into an industrial area and started to recognize the upcoming exchange zone. Liz took the handoff from me again and I was pleased to see my Suunto report an average pace of 5:34.
Repeat the process. Get in the van. Drive to the next exchange. Get out and cool down. Now I'm extremely sore. My one mile cooldown was around 9 min pace. I had forgotten the pain by the next exchange zone because the world record holder in the decathlon, Ashton Eaton, was there with Team World Vision and I got to talk to him a bit. A little farther down the road, I decided to run into a McDonald's and get a sweet tea and some French fries. Don't judge, it's what the body was craving.
|Me, Ashton Eaton, and my buddy Max. One of the highlights from the trip.
My third and final leg was scheduled to start around 2AM. At midnight, we pulled our van into a big grass field and we all tried to get a quick nap. I got a little sleep, but I didn't want to get too comfortable because I was going to have to wake up and warm up again to run well. It started raining, but after two warmish runs, I was a little happy to have some cooling assistance. I took the handoff and started off down the pitch black country road. The 3.75 mile leg felt almost like a sprint, but I was happy to get it over with quickly. Another set of low 5:30 splits was all I could manage.
|Our girls ran awesome this year!
Maybe the hardest part of the event for me is dealing with the lack of sleep. After my final run, we still have 11 more legs to finish the race. I just felt miserable there for a couple of hours. I finally got a some sleep just as the sun was coming up and our team was heading toward the finish. After celebrating our finish, my body finally agreed to wake up and we all left the beach in Seaside to enjoy a big breakfast.
The GE Meatballs team ended up finishing 11th overall out of over 1000 teams with a time of 20:44:14. We were 2nd in our corporate mixed division only 13 minutes behind a team from Nike. I think we'll take that. I'm really proud of everyone who ran this year. It was a great team.
|I love the reflection in this shot.
And here are a few shots from my run in Mt Rainier National Park:


text:
|I love decorating for fall, but this year is the first year I decided to bring the fall decorating inside as well and give our living room mantle a fall twist. Now, I realize the only two fall items on the mantel are two white pumpkins!
|I did add a few other white pumpkins on the coffee table and side table.
|I also LOVE cotton and all the beautiful cotton fields here, so I added a little cotton to our side table as well.


text:
Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Blogosphere
B2B Startups and Open Source | @CloudExpo #Cloud #Security #Linux #AI
Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of open source is security
By: Harry Trott
Dec. 26, 2016 12:00 AM
For a long time, Bill Gates and in fact the entire leadership team at Microsoft were vehemently against the open source community. Steve Ballmer had once called Linux "a malignant cancer" in reference to Linux allegedly violating nearly 235 patents that Microsoft owned. Even post-retirement, Bill Gates had once picked on open source claiming that this model creates a license that prevents anybody from improving the software. "I think if you invent drugs, you should be able to charge for them," he had said.
But Microsoft, and the entire gamut of B2B service providers, have come a long way since then. Today, the company has embraced open source and while Microsoft products are themselves not open-source, the company has been actively contributing to open source projects like Node.js and Hadoop.
So why did Microsoft turn a corner with open source? And why is it important for new-age B2B startups to open source their applications? One of the main reasons for this is compatibility. According to Yoav Kutner, the former CTO of Magento who is now the CEO of Oro, an open source eCommerce platform for B2B businesses, the back office systems of many a B2B business is still archaic and does not permit customization. With an open source model, it is possible to still offer a full lifecycle of order management.
Another important reason to open source your application is interoperability. Businesses regularly collaborate with stakeholders like vendors, distributors and suppliers who are outside their premises. It can be difficult to build a closed application that is compatible with the technology system that your vendor or distributor is using. Open source applications are a lot more interoperable and are not restricted by proprietary data formats. This makes them valuable in a business setup.
But perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of open source is security. There has been a substantial rise in data breaches globally over the past few years. According to one study, the average total cost of a data breach is nearly $3.79 million. With traditional closed systems, business customers are at the mercy of the vendor and are in no position to tell whether the systems in place are as secure as the manufacturers claim. With open source systems, thousands of collaborators get to poke holes into your software product. This makes it easy to identify bugs and loopholes that could potentially be abused by hackers.
There are also other factors that make open source attractive to customers. Open source software tools are essentially free to download which make them the first choice for many businesses. But this can also be a challenge in monetizing your startup. Businesses can however adopt other strategies like selling add-ons and plugins through a marketplace, taking a cut on payment transactions through the platform, charging for live support and offering paid training to customers.
Bootstrapped startups routinely face resource crunch that prevents them from building products that can match the scale and size of established rivals. With open source, your business is likely to bring together thousands of contributors who can potentially grow your business much faster than your startup can do it as a closed team.
Latest Cloud Developer Stories
Subscribe to the World's Most Powerful Newsletters
Subscribe to Our Rss Feeds & Get Your SYS-CON News Live!
SYS-CON Featured Whitepapers
Most Read This Week


text:
P90X3 Workout – Exercise Will Help Save Your Life 6352
Fitness means proper health and mental health. Good exercise and fitness has emotional and mental benefits, in addition to physical ones. When you are somebody that is struggling to have directly into shape, browse the following article to discover approaches to enhance your level of fitness.
To motivate yourself for proper fitness, create some personal goals. It empowers you to emphasize on conquering road blocks rather than dwelling regarding how hard they can be. Once you set a target you will not want to quite because you will need to meet that goal.
Depending on what goals you put before you determines simply how much you must placed into strength training. If you need more muscle tissue, do less weight training. If you want your muscles to check sharp and defined, you ought to schedule more strength exercises.
Running outdoors is a better exercise than utilizing a treadmill. While treadmills are convenient and great for use during the winter, running on pavement is way better.
Take on the exercises that you normally avoid. People usually avoid doing their weaker exercises. When you continuously do your least liked exercise, you will overcome your distaste because of it.
Keep a journal or record of your respective day to day activities. Write down every exercise one does and each and every morsel of food you put in your body. You must also record the day's climate conditions. It will help you think about the lows and highs of that particular day. If you choose not to exercise for the day, explain your reasons with your journal.
Using treadmills both at home and in the club is useful however, running outdoors is a lot more effective. Treadmills are wonderful to make use of once the weather doesn't allow outdoor exercise, however, there is nothing quite like running on pavement.
You ought to continue exercising, even about the weekends. The weekends usually are not a period to have lazy and eat unhealthy. Fat loss is definitely an every single day thing. It's possible to undo a week's worth of good deeds within just two days, so enjoy your weekends sparingly.
The best way to increase your tennis game or racquetball game would be to strengthen your forearms. Put a giant piece of newspaper over a table or any other surface that is flat. Use the hand you write with to crumple the paper with the maximum amount of force as you can muster for thirty seconds. Repeat the exercise twice with one hand, then switch to your other ahnd and do the exercise once, Switch to your dominant hand and repeat two more times.
Ahead of hitting the gym on the bench, get to know the padding thickness by pushing involved with it firmly together with your fingers. In case you are feeling the wood from the padding if you sit, choose another machine. Exercising over a machine without sufficient padding may result in bruising, therefore a machine will fail to provide you with adequate support throughout your regular workout.
By reading the tips in this post you will certainly be more able to start achieving your fitness goals. Now, there is absolutely no reason you must not just just go and get it done the right way. You will see benefits pretty fast, and they last your whole life.


text:
HumanitiesWeb.org - Rags to Riches - Charles Dickens [Biography]
Selected Works
According To...
Suggested Reading
Other Resources
Related Materials
Custom Search
Get Your Degree!
Find schools and get information on the program that's right for you.
Powered by
Campus Explorer
& etc
All Rights Reserved.
Site last updated
28 October, 2012
Outlines of English and American Literature
Charles Dickens
Long, William J.
Among the Victorian novelists were two men who were frequent rivals in the race for fame and fortune. Thackeray, well born and well bred, with artistic tastes and literary culture, looked doubtfully at the bustling life around him, found his inspiration in a past age, and tried to uphold the best traditions of English literature. Dickens, with little education and less interest in literary culture, looked with joy upon the struggle for democracy, and with an observation that was almost microscopic saw all its picturesque details of speech and character and incident. He was the eye of the mighty Victorian age, as Tennyson was its ear, and Browning its psychologist, and Carlyle its chronic grumbler.
In the childhood of Dickens one may see a forecast of his entire career. His father, a good-natured but shiftless man (caricatured as Mr. Micawber in
David Copperfield
), was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office, at Portsmouth. There Dickens was born in 1812. The father's salary was Ł80 per year, enough at that time to warrant living in middle-class comfort rather than in the poverty of the lower classes, with whom Dickens is commonly associated. The mother was a sentimental woman, whom Dickens, with questionable taste, has caricatured as Mrs. Micawber and again as Mrs. Nickleby. Both parents were somewhat neglectful of their children, and uncommonly fond of creature comforts, especially of good dinners and a bowl of punch. Though there is nothing in such a family to explain Dickens's character, there is much to throw light on the characters that appear in his novels.
The Stage
The boy himself was far from robust. Having no taste for sports, he amused himself by reading romances or by listening to his nurse's tales,--beautiful tales, he thought, which "almost scared him into fits." His elfish fancy in childhood is probably reflected in Pip, of
Great Expectations
. He had a strong dramatic instinct to act a story, or sing a song, or imitate a neighbor's speech, and the father used to amuse his friends by putting little Charles on a chair and encouraging him to mimicry,--a dangerous proceeding, though it happened to turn out well in the case of Dickens.
This stagey tendency increased as the boy grew older. He had a passion for private theatricals, and when he wrote a good story was not satisfied till he had read it in public. When
appeared (1837) the young man, till then an unknown reporter, was brought before an immense audience which included a large part of England and America. Thereafter he was never satisfied unless he was in the public eye; his career was a succession of theatrical incidents, of big successes, big lecture tours, big audiences,--always the footlights, till he lay at last between the pale wax tapers. But we are far ahead of our story.
The London Streets
When Dickens was nine years old his family moved to London. There the father fell into debt, and by the brutal laws of the period was thrown into prison. The boy went to work in the cellar of a blacking factory, and there began that intimate acquaintance with lowly characters which he used later to such advantage. He has described his bitter experience so often (in
David Copperfield
for instance) that the biographer may well pass over it. We note only this significant fact: that wherever Dickens went he had an instinct for exploration like that of a farm dog, which will not rest in a place till he has first examined all the neighborhood, putting his nose into every likely or unlikely spot that may shelter friend or enemy. So Dickens used his spare hours in roaming the byways of London by night, so he gained his marvelous knowledge of that foreign land called The Street, with its flitting life of gamins and nondescripts, through which we pass daily as through an unknown country.
The Scramble for Place
A small inheritance brought the father from prison, the family was again united, and for two years the boy attended the academy which he has held up to the laughter and scorn of two continents. There the genius of Dickens seemed suddenly to awaken. He studied little, being given to pranks and theatricals, but he discovered within him an immense ambition, an imperious will to win a place and a name in the great world, and a hopeful temper that must carry him over or under all obstacles.
No sooner was his discovery made than he left school and entered a law office, where he picked up enough knowledge to make court practices forever ridiculous, in
Bleak House
and other stories. He studied shorthand and quickly mastered it; then undertook to report parliamentary speeches (a good training in oratory) and presently began a prosperous career as a reporter. This had two advantages; it developed his natural taste for odd people and picturesque incidents, and it brought him close to the great reading public. To please that public, to humor its whims and prejudices, its love for fun and tears and sentimentality, was thereafter the ruling motive in Dickens's life.
Literary Ventures
His first literary success came with some short stories contributed to the magazines, which appeared in book form as
Sketches by Boz
(1835). A publisher marked these sketches, engaged Dickens to write the text or letterpress for some comic pictures, and the result was
, which took England and America by storm. Then followed
Oliver Twist
Nicholas Nickleby
Old Curiosity Shop
,--a flood of works that made readers rub their eyes, wondering if such a fountain of laughter and tears were inexhaustible.
There is little else to record except this: that from the time of his first triumph Dickens held his place as the most popular writer in English. With his novels he was not satisfied, but wrote a history of England, and edited various popular magazines, such as
Household Words
. Also he gave public readings, reveling in the applause, the lionizing, which greeted him wherever he went. He earned much money; he bought the place "Gadshill," near Rochester, which he had coveted since childhood; but he was a free spender, and his great income was less than his fancied need. To increase his revenue he "toured" the States in a series of readings from his own works, and capitalized his experience in
American Notes
and parts of
Martin Chuzzlewit
A question of taste must arise even now in connection with these works. Dickens had gone to a foreign country for just two things, money and applause; he received both in full measure; then he bit the friendly hand which had given him what he wanted. [Footnote: The chief source of Dickens's irritation was the money loss resulting from the "pirating" of his stories. There was no international copyright in those days; the works of any popular writer were freely appropriated by foreign publishers. This custom was wrong, undoubtedly, but it had been in use for centuries. Scott's novels had been pirated the same way; and until Cooper got to windward of the pirates (by arranging for foreign copyrights) his work was stolen freely in England and on the Continent. But Dickens saw only his own grievance, and even at public dinners was apt to make his hosts uncomfortable by proclaiming his rights or denouncing their moral standards. Moreover, he had a vast conceit of himself, and, like most visitors of a week, thought he knew America like a book. It was as if he looked once at the welter cast ashore by mighty Lake Superior in a storm, and said, "What a dirty sea!"] Thackeray, who followed him to America, had a finer sense of the laws of hospitality and good breeding.
The Price of Popularity
In 1844 Dickens resolved to make both ends meet, and carried out his resolve with promptness and precision. To decrease expenses he went to the Continent, and lived there, hungry for the footlights, till a series of stories ending with
Dombey and Son
put his finances on a secure basis. Then he returned to London, wrote more novels, and saved a fortune for his descendants, who promptly spent it. Evidently it was a family trait. More and more he lived on his nerves, grew imperious, exacting, till he separated from his wife and made wreck of domestic happiness. The self-esteem of which he made comedy in his novels was for him a tragedy. Also he resumed the public readings, with their false glory and nervous wear and tear, which finally brought him to the grave.
He died, worn out by his own exertions, in 1870. He had steadily refused titles and decorations, but a grateful nation laid his body to rest in the Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey. It is doubtful whether he would have accepted this honor, which was forced upon him, for he had declared proudly that by his works alone he would live in the memory of his countrymen.
Works of Dickens
In the early stories of Dickens is a promise of all the rest. His first work was called
Sketches by Boz
, and "Boz" was invented by some little girl (was it in
The Vicar of Wakefield?
) who could not say "Moses"; also it was a pet name for a small brother of Dickens. There was, therefore, something childlike in this first title, and childhood was to enter very largely into the novelist's work. He could hardly finish a story without bringing a child into it; not an ordinary child, to make us smile, but a wistful or pathetic child whose sorrows, since we cannot help them, are apt to make our hearts ache.
The Pathetic Element
Dickens is charged with exaggerating the woes of his children, and the charge is true; but he had a very human reason for his method. In the first place, the pathetic quality of his children is due to this simple fact, that they bear the burden and the care of age. And burdens which men or women accept for themselves without complaint seem all wrong, and are wrong, when laid upon a child's innocent shoulders. Again, Dickens sought to show us our error in thinking, as most grown-ups do, that childish troubles are of small account. So they are, to us; but to the child they are desperately real. Later in life we learn that troubles are not permanent, and so give them their proper place; but in childhood a trouble is the whole world; and a very hopeless world it is while it lasts. Dickens knew and loved children, as he knew the public whom he made to cry with his Little Nell and Tiny Tim; and he had discovered that tears are the key to many a heart at which reason knocks in vain.
Pickwickian Humor
The second work,
written in a harum-scarum way, is even more typical of Dickens in its spirit of fun and laughter. He had been engaged, as we have noted, to furnish a text for some comic drawings, thus reversing the usual order of illustration. The pictures were intended to poke fun at a club of sportsmen; and Dickens, who knew nothing of sport, bravely set out with Mr. Winkle on his rook-shooting. Then, while the story was appearing in monthly numbers, the illustrator committed suicide; Dickens was left with Mr. Pickwick on his hands, and that innocent old gentleman promptly ran away with the author. Not being in the least adventurous, Mr. Pickwick was precisely the person for whom adventures were lying in wait; but with his chivalrous heart within him, and Sam Weller on guard outside, he was not to be trifled with by cabman or constable. So these two took to the open road, and to the inns where punch, good cheer and the unexpected were awaiting them. Never was such another book! It is not a novel; it is a medley of fun and drollery resulting from high animal spirits.
The Motive of Horror
In his next novel,
Oliver Twist
, the author makes a new departure by using the motive of horror. One of his heroes is an unfortunate child, but when our sympathies for the little fellow are stretched to the point of tears, Dickens turns over a page and relieves us by Pickwickian laughter. Also he has his usual medley of picturesque characters and incidents, but the shadow of Fagin is over them all. One cannot go into any house in the book, and lock the door and draw the shades, without feeling that somewhere in the outer darkness this horrible creature is prowling. The horror which Fagin inspires is never morbid; for Dickens with his healthy spirit could not err in this direction. It is a boyish, melodramatic horror, such as immature minds seek in "movies," dime novels, secret societies, detective stories and "thrillers" at the circus.
In the fourth work,
Nicholas Nickleby
, Dickens shows that he is nearing the limit of his invention so far as plot is concerned. In this novel he seems to rest a bit by writing an old-fashioned romance, with its hero and villain and moral ending. But if you study this or any subsequent work of Dickens, you are apt to find the four elements already noted; namely, an unfortunate child, humorous interludes, a grotesque or horrible creature who serves as a foil to virtue or innocence, and a medley of characters good or bad that might be transferred without change to any other story. The most interesting thing about Dickens's men and women is that they are human enough to make themselves at home anywhere.
What to Read
Whether one wants to study the method of Dickens or to enjoy his works, there is hardly a better plan for the beginner than to read in succession
Oliver Twist
Nicholas Nickleby
, which are as the seed plot out of which grow all his stories. For the rest, the reader must follow his own fancy. If one must choose a single work, perhaps
is the most typical. "Of all my books," said Dickens, "I like this the best; like many parents I have my favorite child, and his name is David Copperfield." Some of the heroines of this book are rather stagey, but the Peggotys, Betsy Trotwood, Mrs. Gummidge, the Micawbers,--all these are unrivaled. "There is no writing against such power," said Thackeray, who was himself writing
while Dickens was at work on his masterpiece.
Tale of Two Cities
Opinion is divided on the matter of
A Tale of Two Cities
. Some critics regard it as the finest of Dickens's work, revealing as it does his powers of description and of character-drawing without his usual exaggeration. Other critics, who regard the exaggeration of Dickens as his most characteristic quality, see in
Two Cities
only an evidence of his weakening power. It has perhaps this advantage over other works of the author, that of them we remember only the extraordinary scenes or characters, while the entire story of
Two Cities
remains with us as a finished and impressive thing. But there is also this disadvantage, that the story ends and is done with, while
goes on forever. We may lose sight of the heroes, but we have the conviction, as Chesterton says, that they are still on the road of adventure, that Mr. Pickwick is somewhere drinking punch or making a speech, and that Sam Weller may step out from behind the next stable and ask with a droll wink what we are up to now.
It is hardly necessary to add that our reading of Dickens must not end until we are familiar with some of his Yuletide stories, in which he gladly followed the lead of Washington Irving. The best of all his short stories is
A Christmas Carol
, which one must read but not criticize. At best it is a farce, but a glorious, care-lifting, heart-warming farce. Would there were more of the same kind!
A Criticism of Dickens
The first quality of Dickens is his extravagant humor. This was due to the fact that he was alive, so thoroughly, consciously alive that his vitality overflowed like a spring. Here, in a word, is the secret of that bubbling spirit of prodigality which occasions the criticism that Dickens produced not characters but caricatures.
His Exaggeration
The criticism is true; but it proclaims the strength of the novelist rather than his weakness. Indeed, it is in the very exaggeration of Dickens that his astonishing creative power is most clearly manifest. There is something primal, stupendous, in his grotesque characters which reminds us of the uncouth monsters that nature created in her sportive moods. Some readers, meeting with Bunsby, are reminded of a walrus; and who ever saw a walrus without thinking of the creature as nature's Bunsby? So with Quilp, Toots, Squeers, Pumblechook; so with giraffes, baboons, dodoes, dromedaries,--all are freaks from the ćsthetic viewpoint, but think of the overflowing energy implied in creating them!
The same sense of prodigality characterized Dickens even in his sober moods, when he portrayed hundreds of human characters, and not a dead or dull person among them. To be sure they are all exaggerated; they weep too copiously, eat or drink too intemperately, laugh too uproariously for normal men; but to criticize their superabundant vitality is to criticize Beowulf or Ulysses or Hiawatha; nay, it is to criticize life itself, which at high tide is wont to overflow in heroics or absurdity. The exuberance of Pickwick, Micawber, Pecksniff, Sairey Gamp, Sam Weller and a host of others is perhaps the most normal thing about them; it is as the rattling of a safety valve, which speaks not of stagnant water but of a full head of steam. For Dickens deals with life, and you can exaggerate life as much as you please, since there is no end to either its wisdom or foolishness. Nothing but a question can be added to the silent simplicity of death.
His Motive And Method
Aside from his purpose of portraying life as he saw it, in all its strange complexity, Dickens had a twofold object in writing. He was a radical democrat, and he aimed to show the immense hopefulness and compassion of Democracy on its upward way to liberty. He was also a reformer, with a profound respect for the poor, but no respect whatever for ancient laws or institutions that stood in the way of justice. The influence of his novels in establishing better schools, prisons, workhouses, is beyond measure; but we are not so much interested in his reforms as in his method, which was unique. He aimed to make men understand the oppressed, and to make a laughing stock of the oppressors; and he succeeded as no other had ever done in making literature a power in the land. Thus, the man or the law that stands defiantly against public opinion is beaten the moment you make that man or that law look like a joke; and Dickens made a huge joke of the parish beadle (as Mr. Bumble) and of many another meddlesome British institution. Moreover, he was master of this paradox: that to cure misery you must meet it with a merry heart,--this is on the principle that what the poor need is not charity but comradeship. By showing that humble folk might be as poor as the Cratchits and yet have the medicine of mirth, the divine gift of laughter, he made men rejoice with the poor even while they relieved the poverty.
His Faults
As for the shortcomings of Dickens, they are so apparent that he who runs may read. We may say of him, as of Shakespeare, that his taste is questionable, that he is too fond of a mere show, that his style is often melodramatic, that there is hardly a fault in the whole critical category of which he is not habitually guilty. But we may say of him also that he is never petty or mean or morbid or unclean; and he could not be dull if he tried. His faults, if you analyze them, spring from precisely the same source as his virtues; that is, from his abundant vitality, from his excess of life and animal spirits. So we pardon, nay, we rejoice over him as over a boy who must throw a handspring or raise a
when he breaks loose from school. For Dickens, when he started his triumphal progress with
, had a glorious sense of taking his cue from life and of breaking loose from literary traditions. In comparison with Ruskin or Thackeray he is not a good writer, but something more--a splendidly great writer. If you would limit or define his greatness, try first to marshal his array of characters, characters so vital and human that we can hardly think of them as fictitious or imaginary creatures; then remember the millions of men and women to whom he has given pure and lasting pleasure.
Terms Defined
Referenced Works


text:
At Palmisano & Goodman, P.A., we represent clients who have a criminal conviction or charge on their criminal record and are exploring how they may have it sealed or removed. Even if you have been acquitted of a crime or the charges were dropped, the record of your arrest will still exist on your criminal record. This means that anyone doing a background check can see that you were arrested at one point in time.
Employers, landlords, and others are more frequently asking for background checks and denying jobs and housing to people with any type of criminal record. Expungement is the most effective way to clear your record, so you can move forward with your life. If you would like to discuss the subject of expungement, our Woodbridge criminal defense attorneys can help.
Arrests and certain criminal convictions may be removed from your criminal record through a process called expungement. Once an expungement is completed, you are able to legally say you have never been arrested, charged with or convicted of a crime. Our firm has more than 40 years of experience handling all types of criminal matters, including expungements, and we strive to achieve a positive solution for each and every client. The best defense should focus on protecting your future, and we can determine if you are eligible for an expungement.
Criminal cases are a public record and accessible to interested persons. Any criminal conviction may have serious potential consequences. By seeking to seal or expunge your criminal record, you may be able to move forward with your life without having to constantly worry about your criminal record.
Our firm can meet with you, review your situation and determine if the type of crime you were charged with or convicted of can be expunged from your record. Let us help you obtain the clean slate you are looking for and start fresh with the help of a Woodbridge expungement lawyer at our firm today.
Contact us at (732) 709-4400 to request a free evaluation.


text:
This is my great-great-great-grandfather, Martin Gillan:
(I want to say he's the family patriarch, from whom are descended all of the Gillans I've encountered since I started doing research, but that's not entirely accurate. I was once contacted by a descendant of his brother, so really, I have to find Martin's parents - my 4x great-grandparents - to find the ancestors from whom we all descend.)
A few months ago, I was contacted by a second cousin thrice removed who sent me this photograph of his great-grandfather, my 3x great-grandfather Martin Gillan. He was born c. 1825, but lived, according to his obituary, an astounding 104 years, and died in 1929, which is why I'm lucky enough to have a photograph of him.
My cousin told me that it was a photograph of "Daddy Moore," which left me a little nervous that we had a case of misidentification. I forwarded the picture to our mutual cousin Mary, who never knew Martin Gillan but grew up in the same town he had lived in and knew a little more about him. Probably sounding like an American boob who wouldn't recognize a word of Irish if it bit me on the nose, I asked her about the name "Daddy Moore." Why would they be calling this guy Moore if his name is Gillan? Patiently, Mary explained to me that Martin Gillan was known by his many grandchildren as Dada Mór, Irish for Granddad. A great family picture and an Irish language lesson all at once - now that's a success!


text:
A couple of our most popular posts this year have contributed absolutely nothing to the Royals discussion.
You're likely saying, "JR, isn't that every post on Royales with Cheese?"
Well, yes.
But I'm talking about two posts that literally are nothing but dumb images.
Again, you're probably saying, "That's every post on Royales with Cheese."
Also true.
Obviously, I should be clearer.
I'm talking about the posts that featured Royals without their teeth and without their eyebrows.
I'm not really sure why, but people love that shit.
So we're continuing our pointless manipulation of Royals players' faces with today's post.
That's right, ROYALS WITH TINY FACES.
Look at those foreheads!
It's like a bunch of Ryan Lefebvres!
Go Tiny Faces! You're the Creepiest!


text:
Sorry. No data so far.
By admin Published on 25 May 2016 in Fashion 0 Comments
First dates are scary, because your outfit can make it or break it, but don't sweat it we got you covered. On a first date you want to look both sexy & sophisticated, and we got the perfect dress for that, with the Plus Size Body- Con Sleeveless Dress. This dress will compliment your feminine shape and hug your curves, it is the perfect blend of playful and chic. The asymmetrical hem gives it the right amount of seductiveness and the slight v neck gives it shape. So get it in your fav color and get that second date!
You must log in to post a comment.


text:
Battlebond (BBD) Booster Case (6 Boxes)
Out Of Stock
Bummer this product is out of stock! But if you Login you can add it to your waitlist and we will notify you when it comes back in stock! This also let's us know to stock it!
Bummer this product is out of stock! But if you Login you can add it to your waitlist and we will notify you when it comes back in stock! This also let's us know to stock it!
Product Contents: 6 Battlebond Booster Boxes (36 Packs each)
Welcome to Battlebond, where competitors battle in pairs. Recruit a trusted partner and fight shoulder-to-shoulder, hand-in-hand, or back-to-back for glory and the roar of the crowd! Forge an unbreakable bond with your combat companion and claim your place in the pantheon of champions!
Here's an article by Gavin Verhey about Battlebond:
What in the world is Battlebond?
This is Gavin Verhey, senior game designer, product architect, and, most importantly for today, lead set designer of Battlebond! Battlebond is a set I'm incredibly proud of and excited by. I've had to keep this one a secret for years, and I'm thrilled to finally reveal it!
Battlebond is this year's "Draft innovation" set. You've seen Draft innovation sets in years past with Conspiracy, Conspiracy: Take the Crown, and Unstable. For 2018, we're doing something brand new: Battlebond!
So, what exactly is the new twist behind the drafting format this time?
Battlebond is the first set in Magic's history designed specifically for Two-Headed Giant play! Some sets, like Oath of the Gatewatch, have dabbled with this in the past, but Battlebond takes that to the next level. The new mechanics in Battlebond are unlike anything we've ever done in Magic, and they really elevate the promise of Two-Headed Giant to its full potential!
Little in Magic is better than playing with a friend. And whether you and your best friend have been playing for ages and want to team up together (paging Paul Cheon and Luis Scott-Vargas to the Draft queue!) or you're looking for the perfect chance to bring someone who is hoping to get their foot in the Magic door (perhaps a child, significant other, family member, or even just lapsed Magic player), Battlebond is the ideal set.
The set highlights so well what our 25th anniversary is about. It gives players who have stuck with Magic for a long time and made it a huge part of their lives a chance to play together, while simultaneously being a great chance to invite newer players in.
For Limited, you can play Battlebond in either Sealed Deck or Booster Draft. Like Conspiracy, it's a mix of reprint cards and new cards. There are 254 unique cards in total, and 85 of those cards are brand new, all of which will immediately be legal in Commander, Legacy, and Vintage! The rest are all reprints, some of which even have spiffy new artwork. (And many of them I think you'll be quite excited for.)
What kind of cool new cards are in the set? While I can't say much yet, I can say this: although the Limited gameplay experience is Two-Headed Giant, we knew that the cards needed to have a life outside of that format. As a result, many of the cards in the set are designed specifically with formats like Commander, Cube, and Legacy in mind!
Okay, so that's some of the gameplay details. But how about the flavor?
Conspiracy took place on Fiora. Unstable took place on Bablovia. Battlebond, too, has a new world to explore!
In Battlebond, we're going to Kylem, a never-before-seen plane in the Multiverse! On this world, beings flock from all over the plane to the arena of Valor's Reach, where two-on-two combat is the pinnacle of sport. The goal of the combatants isn't to kill their opponents outright, but to defeat them with style and flair. It's not really a win unless your spells and spectacles cause the crowd to go wild in the process!
What kind of flavor can you expect? After all, our worlds are normally built with flavorful creative underpinnings and tropes. Theros, for example, was Greek mythology. Innistrad was Victorian horror. Battlebond goes to a rich well of flavor Magic has never touched before: sports and games! Battlebond is our love letter to sports and e-sports alike.
I really wish I could tell you more—and now that the lid has been popped on this set, it's going to take all my restraint to keep quiet for a few more months. So for now, circle June 8 on your calendars to mark when Battlebond releases, and I'll be back in the weeks leading up to the release to tell you more about how we made the set.
Here's to a great 25th anniversary year of Magic!
For more information on our shipping policies, tracking, and rates, please view our Shipping Information page.
For more information on our shipping policies, tracking, and rates, please view our International Shipping Information page.
For information about International Payment Options, please view our International Payment Options.
Welcome, guest


text:
Bundle Up Baby Voting Update – At Midway Point No Clear Winner Emerging
We are half way through the voting portion of the 2013 edition of Bundle Up Baby, 12 babies are competing to win a car starter for their family from Mobile Image and a prize pack from Two & Co. and after three full days of voting the race is incredibly close.
With nearly 4,000 votes we have no clear leader, the top 5 vote-getters are all within 100 votes of each other! Here is the ranking as of 3:30 this afternoon:
- Dominic
- Davis
- Weston
- Brooklyn
- Rylie June
- Kellyn Dee\
- Paisley
- Josie
- Oliver
- Charlie
- Morgan
- Bailee Grace


text:
Once a CCTV campaign has been carried out and the serviceability and structural grading of the pipes has been undertaken. The pipes that require maintenance have been identified and each of these is then reviewed individually, analysing the CCTV Survey, identifying the defects that require a repair.
This post will outline the process from looking at a CCTV Survey defect to generating a repair via the schedule functionality, as well as a post-CCTV Survey scheduling, after the repair work has been carried out.
1. For this example I have a CCTV Survey, named for convenience, 'PRE CCTV' for a pipe US manhole ID MH1001, DS Manhole MH1002.
2. A closer look at the defects reveals at a distance of 9.6m a code 'H' (Hole).
3. On the CCTV dialog box use the 'Schedule Pipe Repair' button on the CCTV Survey dialog box, circled in red below, to generate a pipe repair.
4. The 'Create Scheduled Tasks' is presented with the task type to create set to 'Pipe Repair'.
Choose the appropriate the 'creation options' as required. Note that the repair automatically inherits the 'CCTV Survey ID (before)' filed value from the CCTV Survey it is generated from.
A date and time planned and resource (team leader) should be set. This can be achieved through custom scheduling, but this will not be discussed in the context of this document.
5. Once all repairs have been created, the network is committed. InfoNet Mobile will then pick up the committed pipe repairs. The following image shows the pipe repair object created for this example on the timeline against the resource.
6. Note that the 'CCTV Survey ID (before) values is populated on the InfoNet Mobile report.
7. The form is completed and the 'CCTV required' check box is ticked to specify that a post repair survey is required. Hitting the 'Complete' button will save and close the report ready for uploading into InfoNet.
8. Back in InfoNet, we note that the Pipe Repair has been updated.
9. To generate the post CCTV Survey, the 'Update Scheduled Tasks' menu option or button (see image below) has to be used. This updates the repair and creates a new CCTV Survey.
10. Note the 'Review CCTV Survey (after)' field now has a value with the CCTV Survey ID.
Note also that the Pre-survey CCTV, Post Survey CCTV are now associated with the Pipe Repair.
11. Now that the post CCTV Survey has been generated, when the network is committed this survey will be picked up by InfoNet Mobile.