text:
Lost In Translation
Somewhere in Japan...
Baker #1: "So the couple getting married this weekend wants 'United Forever in Love' written on their wedding cake, but they want it in English. UG. Where's our English dictionary?"
Baker #2: "Oh, please. Just copy a few lines off this old box of Twinkies! No one will ever know."
Before you ask: Yes, this really is the cake from a Japanese wedding. Judy A.'s daughter is an exchange student there, and took the photo. No word on what the couple really wanted their cake to say, but hey, it could have been worse! They could have gotten matching tattoos that said "crazy diarrhea." :D
Thanks for the cultural exchange, Judy!


text:
Don't let the laid-back Pacific Northwest demeanor fool you. Luke Friang is a self-described "speed freak." Whether bombing down icy slopes on his snowboard or maneuvering through hairpin turns in a mini-racecar, Friang simply loves to move fast.
And that's why the 42-year-old college drop-out and self-taught technologist has found such a good home at Zulily.
No company (at least that we know of) is moving quite as fast as Zulily. Already on its fourth headquarters and fresh off of a massive $43 million venture round last summer, the daily deal site for baby and kids' products now employs more than 300 people in Seattle alone (not counting staff at its two distribution centers in Reno, Nevada and Columbus, Ohio). Its daily email blast goes out to more than five million subscribers each day, with thousands of products sold through the site and mobile apps each year.
As chief information officer, Friang oversees an expanding technology staff that's encouraged to push the envelope and solve complex technical problems, some of which are only associated with a fast-growing e-retailer expanding at hyperspeed. It's certainly not an easy chore. And Friang — the former CIO at drugstore.com and senior director of e-commerce technologies at Costco — admits that there have been some speed bumps along the way.
"Literally, we had a situation where we were building things and replacing them in a matter of months," said Friang in a recent interview at the company's headquarters in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood. "We have touched everything, multiple times, and I think that's the challenge from the technology perspective, and from the company perspective, is how do you keep up with 'Zulily Time' and the speed at which we are moving."
Since he joined the company 16 months ago, Friang said that they've implemented an entirely new Web store platform and order management and fulfillment system. Following an approach taken by Amazon.com, they've chosen to build versus buy in most cases.
That's often more challenging, but Friang said it is an important distinction that allows Zulily to be more in tune with its customers. Not everything has gone as planned. Shortly after his arrival, Friang said that they attempted to implement a dramatic upgrade in the open source platform that was being used to power the Zulily site.
They had clearly outgrown the system, and so Friang led efforts to do what he dubbed a "big upgrade."
"We put a lot of effort in to it, got it ready, released it, and it didn't go well," said Friang, adding that the site was frequently crashing or moving slow under the weight of users. Some of the problems arose from inadequate testing of the new software, but Friang learned more valuable lessons. Most importantly, they changed the way software was developed and deployed.
"In this world of move ultra quick, I think the big lesson is stay away from platform upgrades, meaning iterate, and break it apart," he said. "We basically started rolling it ourselves, still using the open source toolkit, but it allowed us to … break it apart, roll bits and pieces out, and kind of control the positive and/or negative that might come out of a release versus the first time when we said: 'Hey, let's just get it out there, and we think it is going to work.' When you are changing out the engine when you are going 150 miles per hour, maybe you should just change the carburetor or change the fan belt? But, with packaged software, that gets challenging."
First-time visitors to the Zulily headquarters will quickly realize that this is not your typical startup. After all, how many startup companies do you know that have a kid's playroom and waiting area stocked with toys and books. On my recent visit, baby and pre-teen models passed by with their moms, arriving for appointments to be photographed in the company's expansive photo studio.
"Nothing traditional works here," admits Friang, who dropped out of college to join a startup company before landing a gig at Eddie Bauer. At Zulily, Friang said that he's trying not to put a "gate" in front of developers, creating a culture of experimentation and, of course, one which thrives on moving fast.
"You are never going for perfection," he says. "It is really about doing what you think is right, getting it out there, and then you know it is going to change, so we are going to learn, we are going to evolve and so we really emphasize the continuous development life cycle."
Here's more from our interview with Friang in which he discusses the company's approach to mobile development; how they are analyzing customer data and what he's learned over the years watching Amazon.com.
On whether Zulily is a technology company or a retailer: "Definitely, we are a retailer. We are an online, e-commerce retailer. I think what is a little unique is the technology challenges that we face on a day-in, day-out basis because of the type of online business we are operating, and this notion of the daily deals. Whereas if you take an example of myself, drugstore.com, Costco.com, EddieBauer.com, and the real difference for Zulily, and I think what puts a different spin on the technology aspect of it is this notion of launching the newspaper every day. And, instead of going through a seasonal type flow, say that an Eddie Bauer would go through where you are going to have a fall line and a spring line and a summer line …. here we are working with thousands of vendors, we are launching 20, 30, upwards of 40 events a day, thousands of styles of product and we are doing that every single day, seven days a week…. Those things put a stress on your technology infrastructure and they put interesting problems in front of you. And one of the reasons I am here, and why really, really good engineers are attracted to Zulily is the problem space of this type of online business…. We are not here because of the technology, but what I would also say is that we wouldn't be here without the technology. You can't be an online retailer without amazing technology, and be ultra successful. You can be average and make due and plug along, but if you really want to be the best in your space, if you want to be out in front and innovating and bringing amazing new features to your customers every week, you better have a pretty talented technology staff, and you better focus on it."
On balancing the need to move fast with innovation: "It is always a balance, that balance of moving quickly and innovating quickly, but learning from your mistakes, and applying those the next time. But one thing we do balance is: 'Hey, it's OK to make mistakes.' Be honest about it, and that's right out to our customers, and then fix quickly, learn and continue to move on. It is something that we literally talk about every day."
On how Zulily is analyzing customer data: "We track a ton of data about our customers….The great thing about the private sale piece is that you have that user name, you have that account, but there are all sorts of techniques we are using to capture the experience of the customer, and we are also trying to do more and more of asking the customer (via) email outreach, surveys, onsite, social, whether that is Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter. We listen a lot. And I think that is what gets us back to this customer space. They talk a lot. They give us great information…. We are bringing that click data in continuously and this is where things like Mongo and Cassandra and some proprietary software that we are building out allows us to mine that data and look at data, and then how do we leverage that in the experience that we are providing that customer, whether that be through the email they receive or the mobile experience if they've downloaded one of our apps, the mobile site, or coming back to the site itself, everything from what events do they they see, and what products are showing up and where."
What's the one feature you'd like to add to Zulily today? "One that we are working on and is out in tests right now is we've done quite a bit of work around the shopping cart, and the checkout process. I am a huge believer in that you've got to take friction out of process. So, for our customers, how are we taking friction out of the shopping process. One of things we've been doing lately is spending a decent amount of time …. on a new experience around their shopping cart and how they are able to interact with that shopping cart, and how do they go from that shopping cart to a quick purchase — because with timed events and daily deals, there's that sense of urgency, and I need to be able to get through quick, make it easy for me, make it painless for me."
What percentage of your customer base interacts with Zulily on mobile? "I don't think I can give you specifics, but what I can tell you is that it is meaningful, and it would be more than a typical e-commerce, online apparel retailer…. What we see with our customers, especially the time of day our events go live, many of them are not going and cracking open their laptop or cracking open their PC. They are picking up their iPhone, picking up their iPad, picking up a tablet or device…. It is a big part of our strategy, and it will continue to be a big part."
What's your biggest challenge right now as CIO? "Speed. It really is. It is the speed at which the company is moving."
What are the questions you ask potential software developers that you are looking to hire? "We literally give people problems to have them solve. We stay away from the more traditional puzzle questions, but we do ask the real math questions, and we try to get people to solve them. Most of the interviews are spent at the whiteboard. And it is not just the candidate at the whiteboard. It is the candidate and the person doing the interview, and they are literally collaborating together. What we are trying to figure out is, can you work in a collaborative environment? We want people who can think on their feet, and think about the solution as much as the technology that might be applied to it."
On whether they've looked at deploying robots at fulfillment centers: "It really gets back to the speed thing. We opened these two facilities in less than six months, so they are still pretty manual in how we are doing it. They are effective. They are efficient. Drugstore.com was starting to roll out Kiva (robots) when I was leaving, and the challenge that we face is our SKUs and products are turning over every 72 hours whereas drugstore.com might have this bottle of water and they sell it in a certain pack, and they are going carry it for the next year-and-a-half. It doesn't change. I know the size of it, I know how much it weighs, and so I know how I can slot it on this robot…. It doesn't necessarily work for us, but does automation work for us? Absolutely. And it will be a thing that we will continue to look at, and it will evolve."
How closely do you watch what Amazon.com is doing? "You do watch them. Obviously, when they went and decided to buy Kiva, that was an interesting thing to see. On one hand it was a surprise, on the other hand it wasn't a surprise at all. It makes sense, considering who they are and what they are trying to do. You have to watch them, and you have to learn."
Any lessons from Amazon? "The thing I've really learned from Amazon and apply it everywhere — what they've done is that they are big believers in building. Build it. Build it. Build it. Own it. Own it. Own it…. And that's what we are doing here. We are making a major investment in technology, but that investment is really in software engineers. We are not going and trying to figure out what the right merchandising platform that we can buy to run Zulily's daily newspaper process, because there isn't one out there….What is cool about Amazon — and I think it is the way to look at it — is build strategic, buy commodity. So, don't become completely dependent on some software company to make sure that you can continue to innovate and grow and move fast. And that's one thing that Amazon has done well over the years, and continues to do."
How did you get into the software business? "Oh, geez. It was interesting. I've been in this area all of my life, and dropped out of college. I went to just about every junior college in the area. I actually wanted to be a ski and snowboard buyer, because I love to ski and I love to snowboard. I was living in a house with like four or five of us, and we all decided to go out and buy PCs. And this would have been the late 80s or early 90s, and we started hacking around, doing bulletin board stuff and so forth. And I just found myself really enjoying it. I went back to school and said I was going to bone up with a computer science degree. I got about half way through it, and then a buddy was starting a company, a collegiate marketing company …. and I said, 'Ok, I will come help.' Everybody has their path, and this one worked for me."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Your Road Map Starts at Savannah, GA, USA. It Ends at Hobbs, NM, USA.
Want to know the distances for your google road map? You can see the Distance from SAVANNAH to Hobbs!
We also have map directions for your street map to help you reach you location exactly and in less time. Refer the Directions from SAVANNAH to Hobbs!
Sometimes Long journeys really test you patience. How much would be the distance in a direct flight? Check the Flight distance between SAVANNAH and Hobbs.
Travel times is critical to spend your time at hand wisely. You can find the Travel Time from SAVANNAH to Hobbs.
Get a summary of all the most critical required points to better plan your travel? Here - Travel from SAVANNAH to Hobbs. Help yourself to better plan your travel from Savannah to Hobbs.
Having time constraints in your trip? Looking to better manage your flight time? You can find the Flight Time from SAVANNAH to Hobbs. Help yourself to better plan your travel from Savannah to Hobbs.
Do you want to have a look at a map that gives both road distance and flight distance? You will find it at How far is Hobbs from SAVANNAH.
Do you want map that gives you the probable stopping points and halfway point of your jouney? You might want to check the SAVANNAH to Hobbs Route.
Are you looking for a travel cost calculator for your journey? You can find the Trip Cost from SAVANNAH to Hobbs.
TIP: You can add multiple locations to create your custom road map using the 'add location' button above!
© 2011-2019 distancesfrom.com. A softUsvista Inc. venture!


text:
There has been a major upgrade of the data entry system, enabling users to designate other people to edit their projects, change an individual project into a parent project, associate any individual projects with any parent projects (multiple parent projects can be linked to) and change xy locations to areas and vice versa. More changes will occur over the next few months. Please let me know if you have any comments or problems [21/07/2015].
We have overhauled the NABO PMS login and registering system. This means that no passwords are held in the NABO database and instead this is dealt with by the University of Edinburgh's central EASE system. Fresh instructions are now available for new registrations. All exisiting users will only need to register with EASE once and your details and projects remain unaltered. An email will be sent to all exisiting users explaining the changes [15/02/2014].
From this page you can not only search and retrieve details on the 140 NABO projects, but if you register you can also enter details of any projects you are working on. These details can include the location, persons involved, a summary of the project and supporting files (e.g. Word, Excel, PDF, KML and images). In 2009, VISQUE, a Google Earth-based GIS was developed to show what was possible beyond simple web mapping.
By accessing the NABO Projects and VISQUE systems you are agreeing to our Copyright Policy and to use any data or information responsibly.
You can also choose specific countries and regions from the list on the left. By default, both the parent projects (rectangles) and individual projects (markers) are shown, but you can choose which would like to display using the links immediately below the map. You can also select which baselayer is displayed on the maps by clicking on the + symbol on the upper right-hand side of the map. NABO uses OpenLayers.
List all NABO projects (including those without specific coordinates).
There has been 1 new or edited project added to the database recently.
|Hegranes Zooarchaeology Project
|This project focuses on the zooarchaeology of Hegranes, in Skagafjörður. Partnered with the Skagafjörður Church and Settlement Survey (SCASS, http://blogs.umb.edu/scass/) and the Fornbýli Landscape an...[more]
The NABO Project Management System was originally created in 2008 by David Bruce at the School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh and is based on the Geographical Information Projects Registry (GIPR). As part of his MSc in GIS (2007-2008) he reviewed and enhanced the already existing GIPR system to create a self-sustaining user-driven service. The purpose of the GIPR is to provide a service via which members of the Scottish GI community and beyond can share knowledge about their projects and initiatives and create new partnerships. Many thanks to David for all his work in getting the NABO PMS started.
The NABO webpages are hosted by the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh.


text:
Write a News Story
Meet a Pioneer Pilot
Amelia Earhart Home
Back to
Story List
Is She Going To Make It?
By: J T.
New Jersey, Age 9
Amelia starts her adventure in Miami. ''For months everything went well,'' said her husband. But she never made it. People set out to find her. She was never found but she will never be forgotten.
Back to
Story List


text:
Feb. 18, 2006
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Senior Mike D'Auria made the most of a second opportunity against the Springfield College Pride (10-15, 5-7) on Saturday. After failing to connect on a game-winning attempt versus nationally-ranked WPI, D'Auria knocked down his game-winning opportunity at Springfield as MIT (18-7, 8-4) defeated the Pride in an exciting league tilt, 62-61.
The Engineers somehow spoiled Springfield's senior day, despite being dominated in nearly every statistical category. But the Pride were unable to capitalize against a gritty Tech squad that has defined its season by forcing teams to play at its pace.
Derek Yvon scored 13 points in the first half on 5-of-9 shooting, while Anthony Pizzo controlled the attack with eight points on two shots, three assists and no turnovers. Springfield also secured a 22-13 rebounding edge and nearly doubled MIT's shooting percentage (45%-24%). Although the disparity was apparent in the stats, the Pride had only a two-point lead when Yvon drained a three at the end of the half to move Springfield in front, 28-23.
Saturday's regular-season finale produced 17 lead changes, although most of the see-saw action took place inside the final 10 minutes of the game. Will Mroz sparked Tech's offensive assault by giving MIT its first lead of the frame on a deep three. The jumper put the Cardinal and Gray ahead, 42-41, with 10:43 left to play, although the Pride would answer right back.
After a sluggish first half, the Engineers' perimeter attack paved the way to the winning effort. The combination of D'Auria, Mroz, Danny Kanamori and Jimmy Bartolotta accounted for all 39 of Tech's second-half points on 13-of-18 shooting. Kanamori connected on a three-point field goal with 7:15 remaining to give MIT its largest lead of the afternoon (50-45).
Springfield senior center Brian Riley played a superb second half in keeping the Pride within striking distance. His lay-up with 2:30 left on the clock gave Springfield a four-point lead, but two free throws by Bartolotta sliced the deficit in half on the next possession. After a defensive stop, Kanamori connected on a three with four seconds on the shot clock to boost MIT ahead, 60-59.
Riley, who closed with 10 points and a game-best 12 rebounds en route to his sixth double-double in seven games, converted a tough bank shot from the post to grab the lead back for Springfield with 37 seconds to go.
With five seconds left, D'Auria, had the ball just beyond the top of the key and bobbled it for a slight moment. But he regained control, drove the lane and stopped for a one-handed eight-footer, the ball swishing through the hoop with 2.1 seconds left on the board.
Derek Yvon led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting, while Riley and Pizzo each added 10 markers for the Pride. Springfield outscored MIT, 36-10, in the paint and held a decisive advantage on the glass (35-23); although the Pride was forced into committing 16 turnovers.
D'Auria scored 18 points and Kanamori added 17 to lead the MIT charge. Mroz, who has been a key ingredient in MIT's three-game road winning streak, scored all 10 of his points in the second half on 4-of-6 shooting. As with most of the season, Tech received solid contributions from its reserves, outscoring Springfield 19-10 in bench points. Junior Alex Krull played a major part in keeping the reigns tight during the first half, scoring all nine of his points in the stanza to ignite the offense.
Earlier this afternoon, Clark defeated Coast Guard, 60-54, clinching the No. 2 seed for MIT in the NEWMAC Tournament. The Bears fall to the No. 3 seed, setting up a first-round rematch against the Cougars. The Engineers will face Babson in the opening round of the tournament, beginning at 7 p.m., Tuesday night.
MIT will host a postseason basketball game for the first time since 2002, while the Cardinal and Gray earned its highest conference finish in league history.


text:
Welcome. I am a university trained web craftsman currently located in Switzerland who loves open-source and the philosophies of the "open web". I work with local & international companies to compose elegant, functional and accessible websites and applications, which build on web standards enhanced with cutting edge web 2.0 technologies.
I'm available to combine forces with you and your team to find the most simple,
elegant and convenient web solutions
I await your call.
If you just like my work and want to say Thank You,
donate via PayPal or Amazon Wish List.
I am Harald Kirschner, a university trained internet consultant and contractor currently located in Switzerland.
I offer advanced solutions for websites and applications focusing on usability and accessibility.
My expertise is in user interface design and development.
digitarald.de is my web2.0 developer journal and open-source project repository.
Except where otherwise noted, content and material created by Harald Kirschner
on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.


text:
Based on the twists and turns the Manti Te'o saga has taken over the past week, of course someone did that.
Sunday, 2014 recruit and Georgia verbal commitment Stanley Williams spoke glowingly to 247Sports.com's Notre Dame website regarding a visit he had taken to the school over the weekend.
"The visit went great," Williams said. "It was great to experience something new and different, and we had a great time at the game. I had been looking forward to it for a while, and it was great to just get out there and see a new place. I plan on getting up there a couple more times in the future."
Williams added that while he was interested in the Irish prior to the visit, "[a]fter taking the visit there, they are definitely high up there on my list and a factor in my recruitment.
The only problem? Williams never actually visited the school.
In a note posted this afternoon atop the original story, the site wrote "BlueandGold.com has now learned [Williams] never made it to South Bend for the visit." Why Williams, who is one of the top players in the state of Georgia, would make up a story about visiting Notre Dame is not known.
It's not like the player needs the attention; he already holds offers from, among others, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Mississippi State, Oregon, South Carolina and Tennessee. 247Sports.com rates him as the No. 4 all-purpose back in the country in the Class of 2014, while Rivals.com has him listed as a four-star recruit.
What the recruiting trail repercussions will be for Williams is unclear. Jason Sapp, editor of Blue & Gold Illustrated, likely summed up the short-term damage as it pertains to the Irish with an open-ended tweet posted on his Twitter account.
"If a recruit is looking for a quick way to drop off of a program's big board…"
(Tip O' the Cap: SBNation.com)


text:
Eleanor Blayney is telling her clients not to freak out about the "fiscal cliff."
"We're not talking about the failure of the banking system …we're not talking about fraud or a housing crisis," said Blayney, president of Directions for Women and consumer advocate for the professional Certified Financial Planner Board.
"I'm actually telling people they should worry about the (Dec. 21) Mayan new year if they really want to worry about something scary," she said.
Blayney said she reminds clients that the dynamics of today's financial environment are nowhere near as dire as the 2008 financial crisis. "That did seem to be the end of civilization as we know it," she said.
The fiscal cliff crisis, she said, is more like the rollercoaster of August 2011, when the United States lost its AAA rating. "That was very short-term. And we've gone on and had a relatively strong equity performance this year," she said.
Blayney is a lot more sanguine – and light-hearted -- than many financial experts. But make no mistake, the fiscal cliff -- the package of tax hikes and deep spending cuts set to kick in automatically on Jan. 1 if Congress can't reach a deal -- will almost definitely impact you.The question is how much, and how can you minimize damage to your finances? We asked financial advisers for their advice. Here are the questions they're sifting through with their clients.
Will my taxes go up?
Probably. And they may go up a lot.
"We're looking at higher tax rates for a number of years," said Michael Amato, president of Independent Tax and Financial Planners in Holland, Pa. "People don't realize that rates were once much higher than they are today."
From the 1950s to the 1960s, he said, the rate on the highest earners was 90 percent. From the late 1960s the early 1980s, the highest rate was 70 percent.The rate didn't lower to 50 percent until the late 1980s. Starting in the early 1990s, the rate dropped to 39.6 percent.
Today, the top tax rate is 35 percent – but it's probably going up to 39.6 percent next year for the highest earners. And if you are married and filing jointly ($200,000 for single filers) and your income is over $250,000, you may be looking at additional taxes.
(Read more: How Financial Advisers Balance Client Needs and Investment Strategy)
First, 0.9 percent of your wages above $250,000 will go toward an extra Medicare tax. Second, to the extent your income is above $250,000, you may also pay an additional 3.8 percent for unearned income such as interest, dividends and capital gains.
Which means that if you earn more than $250,000, and you have interest and dividend income, you will be paying 43.4 percent. (The rate is derived this way: If you are in the 39.6 percent tax bracket and your income is above $250,000, you'll also pay the 3.8 percent tax on interest, dividends, and capital gains.)
You should pay attention to capital gains because those are going to be taxed quite a bit higher. This year, if you sell a stock, your capital gains tax rate is 15 percent. Next year you'll probably pay 20 percent – and if you are subject to the 3.8 percent tax, you could be paying as high as 23.8 percent.
"I think we're locked into the 20 percent," Amato said.
How can I shelter income to keep my tax bracket lower?
Amato suggested that if you expect a bonus, take it in 2012, not 2013. In the old days, advisers always told clients to defer income. But now, the tax rate on a bonus is probably discounted from what it will be next year. "The blue light special is on, and it may be a sale that's going away," he said.
You also may want to wait until Jan. 1 to make charitable contributions, since those deductions will reduce your taxable income in 2013. If you have deductible expenses such as your real estate taxes or the cost of buying a business computer, wait until 2013. But be careful: there is some discussion about capping certain deductions.
You should also increase your savings through your retirement plans.
"You'll immediately reduce your pretax income," said Joel Redmond, a financial planner and vice president at Key Private Bank in Syracuse."So if conditions are lousy to earn and spend, you can save and defer the income."
Redmond also suggested shifting investments to tax-free bonds if you have a portfolio of dividend-paying bonds. "Municipal bonds are becoming more attractive because of the tax threat," Redmond said.
Another somewhat trickier move, Redmond said, is to start a business. "Clever people might consider starting a business because of the increased benefit in reducing the amount of income subject to tax," he said.
He also suggested that higher earners, such as physicians, create defined benefit plans for themselves or for their business, which could potentially shelter $250,000 annually. Redmond said this is a complicated and expensive move that requires an actuary. "Even if it takes you four months to set it up, it would save on the second half of next year's income, and that's probably worth it for some people," Redmond said.
(Read more:Financial Jargon Your Adviser May Throw at You)


text:
octopus prediction for today match
Verified Fixed Matches Seller
Welcome to our website we provide fixed matches with high reliability.We have insider source who we have contract with and they are giving matches to us that are 100% sure.We have contract with a lot of football clubs which make us verified seller with very strong information about games.If you want to make more money without work only with our fixed matches you will make a lot of profits.
|Tips That Win Consistently
|Verified Tips
|Genuine Records
With our 99% win rate your losses will be few and far between. Sign up now for a plan to start making money!
While we don't use a third party verification service, here's what we do offer to verify our tips – hundreds of satisfied members!
Unlike other sites, our past record is so good we don't have to lie about our results. Our pick records are 100% genuine!
What is Fixed Match?
In organized sports match fixing occurs as is played to a completely or partially pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game. And often the law. …Match fixing, when motivated by gambling, requires contacts. (and normally money transfers) between gamblers. Players, team officials, and/or referees.
This is our special and most favorite category offer in our site. Here we offer Half Time Full Time Fixed Matches. These fixed matches we bought from verified sources from Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Turkey and Scandinavian Leagues. Most of all the soccer games are for high stake betting and the winning rate is over 99%.
Contact our official e-mail: email@example.com (24/7 Online)
Phone Number (What's App): +389 75 851 450 (24/7 Online)


text:
This is the American picnic "dream": It is a warm, yet not too warm, summer day. Beneath the sheltering limbs of an old oak tree, a gentle breeze cools a happy family of four. Dad and the kids – one boy, one girl, both gifted – spread a red-and-white-checked cloth on the greenest of green grass. Mom opens a wooden hamper to reveal a feast of crisply fried (not by the Colonel) chicken, a Yukon Gold potato salad alive with bites of crunchy yellow pepper, crisp bacon, and sweet red onion, plus a creamy coleslaw with two – make it three – kinds of cabbage. And, finally, gooey, but never messy, brownies for dessert.
That's the fantasy for some people. For others, the picnic dream is more of a nightmare; slightly less sweet and definitely less crunchy: The chicken is soggy, the potato salad was made days ago by a deli worker who overcooked the potatoes, and the coleslaw was forgotten and is still at home. No matter what the dessert, it will leave stains on your shirt. The setting, a sun-baked park, is filled with the cacophony of imploring mothers and ignoring children. Divebombing flies compete for every bit of your food; all of which, even though you're not at the beach, is somehow filled with sand.
There doesn't seem to be a middle lawn when it comes to what picnicking represents to people.
When I asked my food-obsessed friends to take a position for or against dining alfresco sans table, there were an almost equal number of lovers and loathers.
What was consistent, however, was how many of the responses were based on memories – either cherished or shudder-inducing – of childhood picnics. One old friend, for instance, still remembers those "magical weenie roasts" in a forest preserve when her mother would pack a thermos of chilled potato soup kept cool and undiluted by the addition of frozen cubes of the same soup.
Today, the same friend describes herself as the Picnic Queen whose idea of a great food experience is not a four-star restaurant but "to shop for a picnic in the old section of Vence, a town northwest of Nice."
I, on the other hand, who picnicked in the very same forest preserve, recall that my weenies were usually charred on the outside and cold inside. Thus my ideal meal is also in a French town such as Vence, but sitting indoors at a table.
My friend Raquel in New York represents both extremes of memory. As a child, she and the family ice chest were forced to share the back seat of the car on the way to a park. "It would always leak the most awful smells," she recalls. "Overripe bananas, deteriorating milk, too-hot oranges, salami, and this weird cheese my father loved."
Beach picnics, on the other hand, brought forth an entirely different – and much happier – memory for her. One filled with "the world's best potato salad" and "homemade cookie-crust apple pie." As she says, "I have enjoyed great meals all over the world, but I never had a meal better than those beach picnics."
Someone who has no ambivalence about picnics is a friend in Santa Monica, Calif., who writes horror novels and shudders at the thought of eating outdoors. Youthful family excursions invaded by swarms of wasps and wayward Frisbees explain why his idea of a perfect picnic is "a visit to the Musée d'Orsay to see Manet's 'Luncheon On the Grass.' "
But for every picnic-loather there's an adorer like Jody, a market researcher from New Jersey who picnics 12 months a year. "I love picnics!" she says. "One of my favorite memories of my daddy is having a picnic in the middle of winter and him setting up the badminton net in the middle of the snow. I remember having great fun until we lost the badminton birdie in all the snow, but the hamburgers were delish."
All these opposing feelings about picnics make it apparent (to me, anyway) that we tend to judge the concept of picnics the same way we judge so many foods – burned hot dogs, pitchers of Kool-Aid, processed cheese spread, Twinkies – by our memories more than our taste buds.
When I asked my British wife about picnics, her face lighted up, and she spoke lovingly of childhood summers on the beach at Shoreham by Sea.
The days were made perfect by a thermos of warm, sweet, milk tea and a brown bag of sandwiches, each carefully wrapped in wax paper. "They were the best sandwiches." she said with a sigh.
I waited for a description of what was in this seaside treat. Perhaps some sliced lamb with mango chutney on thick slices of wheat bread. Not quite. "They were these wonderful soggy tomato sandwiches," she said with real affection.
It was then I realized even a hand dripping with crushed tomatoes and soggy bread can be a picnic lover's delight. If you agree, here is the recipe for the ideal British beach picnic sandwich.


text:
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two more asylum seekers who were aboard a boat that sank off Indonesia,bringing the death toll to 11,police said today.
The bodies of a 5-year-old Sri Lankan girl and a 30-year-old Iranian man were found near Karangpotong beach early today,about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of where their overcrowded tugboat sank Tuesday night off the coast of West Java,said Cianjur police spokesman Capt. Ahmad Suprijatna.
Nearly 190 survivors were brought to safety,and hundreds of rescuers and fishermen were continuing to search for others,he added. Officials have said the group was believed to consist of around 204 migrants from Sri Lanka,Iran and Iraq who were bound for Australia. They left on a smaller boat that started leaking before meeting a larger ship at sea that was supposed to complete their journey.
The incident occurred less than a week after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd changed Australia's refugee policy so that migrants who arrive by boat will no longer be allowed to settle in the country.
Instead,they will be taken to the island nation of Papua New Guinea to be considered for resettlement there. The sharp policy change,which has angered human rights groups,comes amid domestic political pressure following a string of deadly accidents involving rickety boats packed with asylum seekers who take the risky journey from Indonesia to Australia.


text:
Recently I have been exposed to a big debate on an ERP LinkedIn forum around the use of descriptions in the industry such as customizing, personalizing, tailoring, and configuring. Is this just marketing semantics, or are there very real differences in the meaning of these phrases and the implications of using these phrases when describing, or more to the point, promoting an ERP system?
Working in SYSPRO, I know we pride ourselves on the fact that our ERP system is, and I quote: "highly flexible and customizable", that we are known as the "go-to" solution because of this, but I think it is important to unpack what we mean by these phrases and what the consumer understands by these phrases. If we are to be responsible in ensuring that what our customers see and understand they are getting, is in actual fact exactly what they are getting, then I don't think we can use the excuse "I can only be responsible for what I say. I cannot be responsible for what you understand".


text:
U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission
The Tipton Company Refused to Hire Applicant Who Insisted on Wearing Skirt for Religious Reasons, Federal Agency Charges
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Lexington staffing agency, The Patty Tipton Company, violated federal law by refusing to hire a job applicant because she insisted on wearing a long skirt instead of pants due to her religious beliefs, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.
According to the EEOC's suit, Megan Woodard, a University of Kentucky student, is a member of a fundamentalist Baptist church whose members believe that women should not dress like men. Woodard applied for a temporary job at the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) held in Lexington, but was denied a position due to her request for the religious accommodation. Woodard was eventually hired by another company that had no problem with accomodating her request to wear a long skirt while working at the WEG.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to attempt to make reasonable accommodations to sincerely held religious beliefs of employees as long as this poses no undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit (Case No. 5:11-cv-00278-KSF in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages from The Patty Tipton Company for Woodard as well as other relief, including a permanent injunction to prevent the company from engaging in any future discrimination.
"As the statute makes clear, employers are obligated to work toward reasonable accommodations to prevent religious discrimination," said Laurie Young, regional attorney for the EEOC's Indianapolis District Office. "We are committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination from the workplace."
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.


text:
As mentioned before that breeding a ferret is just not a simple undertaking. Request initial your self provided you can be liable enough to have a ferret. It will not simply entail to offer your pet an excellent residing condition and also to deliver them the satisfactory and right food items. Ferret breeders should know that feline or dog food is just not good for ferrets. dehydrated cat food
It is far from difficult to choose a healthy diet for any ferret. It requires time to discover the right nourishment suitable for the family pet. Ferrets possess a speedy fat burning capacity for this reason ferrets can absorb the foodstuff quickly and easily. Even so, ferrets must be given every single three or four time, because they get very easily feeling hungry. Providing them free of moisture food items will probably be much better for ferrets and ferret breeders. The great thing about ferrets is they understand how a lot to consume and will not overindulge in spite of the constant access to their foods. Montmorillonite clay
Ferret breeders The great thing
- As previously mentioned that breeding a ferret will not be.
- Dehydrated dog food.
- It is really not hard to select a proper diet for the.
- Vitamin supplements and coat conditioners can also be vital.
Ferret dog breeders need to ensure that the diet program has good quality proteins, great quantity of extra fat, and small amount of fiber and carbs. Ferrets normally do not eat any kind of plant matter because they are carnivores. The diet is determined by proteins because the primary element. To make certain proper diet for the dog, you can purchase especially created ferret diet program coming from a pet shop. Canine and kitty meals are nutritionally imperfect, specially the less costly companies can make your ferret sick. Ferrets know this instinctively in such a way that they can eat a lot more to compensate what they need. Similarly, mink meals are unrealistic for ferret users because it is sold in big totes.
Natural vitamins and coat conditioners will also be necessary for the proper nourishment of the ferrets. Newbie ferret breeders can request a vet or while breeder on picking out a great product or service. You may also give ferrets snack foods just like human being foods. Nevertheless, sugars and dairy products are certainly not suitable as it might result in diarrhoea. Great choices for your ferret diet regime are prepared meats and poultry, made chicken eggs and pet cat treats that are various meats centered. Canned ferret food items that are compatible with treats are available in animal shops. Pet Nutrition Specialist
Treats that are various meats
Ferrets are wonderful interesting household pets so that as a ferret breeder, you have to guarantee to give them the appropriate diet program they should have. Providing them with the correct attention would not get them to evade from your cage. By no means do stupid what you should the ferrets specially towards the systems to ensure that your time and efforts is definitely not misused. dehydrated cat food
With the correct
- Dehydrated Pet Foods.
- Ferrets are amazing fascinating domestic pets so.
- dehydrated cat food.
- As mentioned before that breeding a ferret is not an easy undertaking..
- Ferret dog breeders must ensure that the diet has premium.


text:
I started with no real knowledge of the 34, a box of torched steel reciever sections, a cut in half and rusted barrel jacket, and some parts that my late brother Tommy Walker left behind. the stuff looked a little hopeless at best. I did a lot of welding and machining, then before I knew it, from all that I built a Semi and a Dummy. the one with a sling is the closed bolt Semi that i posted here in another thread.
there is more I would like to do to the dummy like a sling and drum, but it's not as important to me as making something out of nothing.


text:
Evacuating a plane quickly comes from training
San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White says the evacuation of an Asiana Airlines 777 that crash-landed Saturday was orderly. (July 7) AP
All 307 people aboard were accounted for.
The speed of the evacuation of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco on Saturday suggested to observers a textbook example of how to get more than 300 people off a plane after a crash and before it burns.resu
Flight attendants train once a year for evacuations, such as deploying slides like on Saturday on the Boeing 777. Only the four slides on the left side of the plane deployed, suggesting the right-side doors either jammed or crewmembers decided not to use them.
But all 307 people aboard were accounted for. Two 16-year-old girls who died were found outside the wreckage and at least 168 people were taken to area hospitals.
STORY: Asiana CEO rules out mechanical failure in deadly crash
STORY: Investigators sift for reasons for Asiana crash
STORY: Asiana crash deaths ID'd as 2 Chinese teens
"It's incredible to see what these flight attendants were able to accomplish – with half the doors," said Leslie Mayo, a flight attendant for American Airlines on 777s and national communications coordinator for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee said hospital workers praised emergency responders at the scene for excellent triage of victims at the scene, which he said probably saved lives.
"As chaotic, as dangerous as the incident site was yesterday, they are using the words 'miraculous' and 'remarkable' that the persons that were brought to them with serious injuries that are surviving very serious injuries were the result of very, very good triage work that was done at the crash site," Lee said.
Flight attendants train for two sorts of evacuations: when they are warned about a looming crash and also when it comes as a surprise. It's not clear yet how much warning the crew had for the Asiana crash.
An example of a preparation came in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1989, when United Airlines Flight 232 had the center tail engine of a DC-10 fail while flying from Denver to Chicago. With 285 people aboard, 111 died.
Given a warning, flight attendants ensure passengers are in their seats, bracing for impact, and that those in exit rows are prepared to act. Warnings are issued for passengers to remain seated, and then leave without gathering belongings once the plane comes to a rest.
"People are standing there not knowing what to do. They are standing with their luggage – you literally take their luggage away," Mayo said. "This is not about your iPad. This is about your lives."
For an unexpected crash, flight attendants have trained repeatedly to open the emergency doors, which automatically inflate the slides. First, they check to see whether there is smoke or fire outside to avoid.
"I can open a door in my sleep," said Candace Kolander, a former 23-year flight attendant who now oversees air safety, health and security for the Association of Flight Attendants.
A key to getting passengers off quickly is to have them using all exits. Passengers are packed more densely in coach, while perhaps 16 are seated in first class in a 777.
Flight attendants call out to passengers to shift from one door to another if one isn't being used.
"If your exit dries up, you're going to walk in a little bit away from your door to see if there's anyone standing in the aisle, and use verbal commands to come toward you," Kolander said.
The Associated Press reported that police officers on the ground outside the Asiana crash threw utility knives up to crewmembers, so they could cut the seat belts of passengers trapped in the plane.
Flight attendants not involved with the crash said passengers will often help injured passengers off a plane.
"People don't usually run screaming or freaking out. It's an amazing thing to see," Mayo said. "They aren't necessarily worried about themselves. It is incredible to see how people are willing to assist."
Flight attendants will check the cabin for remaining passengers before leaving themselves, so long as dense smoke and fire aren't a threat.
"if the situation allows it, a flight attendant would go back in and do a sweep of the cabin," Kolander said. "If the situation does not allow it, then you need to get out and help assist on the ground with the emergency response."
The bottom of the slide is another spot where passengers can pile up. Flight attendants ask some passengers to remain at the bottom of the slide, to help other passengers get up, and then keep pace at the top of the slide in letting more passengers go.
"You touch another two – to say you, you – go to the bottom and catch people and help people out," Kolander said. "When they hit the bottom of the slide, that's where you could have passengers slowing down. You want people down there to pull them away and moving away from the aircraft."
Flight attendants train repeatedly, partly to reduce stress during an actual emergency. They urge passengers to listen to safety lectures because of differences between planes.
"Even if you are a frequent flier, the door locations are somewhat different, so that's what you need to look for," Kolander said.


text:
SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking a look at out-of-the-ordinary home and lifestyle choices in our great nation, DESTINATION AMERICA has greenlit two new series hitting the network's programming line-up this fall/winter. Witness the challenge of purchasing a home that has no running water, electricity, indoor bathrooms or, in some cases, access roads when BUYING ALASKA heads to the last great American Frontier to learn what it takes to own a treasured piece of the untamed north. From the opposite walk of life, Destination America presents people looking to add a touch of bling to their dream of creating the most extravagant home innovations in EPIC. This new series explores the most excessive and outrageous items for which people are willing to fork over their life's savings. From tricked out RVs and floating homes to one-of-a-kind pools and BBQ pits, EPIC shows how these splurges were made, how they work, and why in the world people go to such great lengths to acquire their dream.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120404/PH82268LOGO)
"As we expand our original programming slate, we're looking to offer viewers shows that have a different twist on the home and lifestyle genre," said Marc Etkind, senior vice president, content strategy for Destination America. "Most people, at one time or another, can relate to the dream of trading in the rat race and roughing it in an untamed territory or owning a plush, customized RV -- both BUYING ALASKA and EPIC will give viewers a peek behind the curtain and allow them to live vicariously through these folks as they turn their fantasies into reality."
BUYING ALASKA proves that forgoing basic amenities is a reasonable tradeoff when it comes to breathtaking views and stunning wild surroundings that you can't find anywhere in the lower 48 states. Offering much more than living quarters, these properties are so in tune with the extraordinary landscape that it's often what's beyond the house that proves to be the main attraction – from the ability to hunt and fish from your back deck, to extreme seclusion on your own private island, to self-sustaining features such as smokehouses and greenhouses. However, there are also dangers that come with all the beauty, and living in this rugged and remote terrain can lead to animal attacks and brutal winters that cut you off from society. BUYING ALASKA may only be for the most adventurous of spirits as the new series premieres on Sunday, October 21 at 10pm E/P on DESTINATION AMERICA.
Premiering Sunday, December 16 at 10pm E/P, EPIC features extravagant amenities and the people that make them. Find out how these daydreamers took their passion to another level with impressive prized possessions that involve expert craftsmanship, technology, and innovation. From a forward-thinking motorhome that's outfitted with a vast array of luxury items including iPad controllers and an in-motion satellite, to floating homes that boast theaters, helicopter landing pads, fireplaces and wine cellars, to pools loaded with lazy rivers, flume slides and underwater speakers, EPIC spotlights the most imaginative creations found right next door.
The first four episodes of BUYING ALASKA are:
Sunday, October 21 at 10 PM and 10:30PM (E/P)
BUYING ALASKA – Salmon Capital
Scott and Kelly are Alaskan born-and-bred and true lovers of the outdoors with a passion for fishing. All Scott wants is a place on the Kenai River, home to the some of the greatest King Salmon fishing in Alaska. His goal is to fish right from his backyard. This couple comes across some tough choices when one cozy 480 square foot cabin can sleep up to seven people, but another has a secure bear door and bathhouse with running water.
BUYING ALASKA – Deep Sea Fishing Cabins
Robert and Kristen Lamb travel from Utah every year with their four children to go fish for some of the best halibut and salmon in Alaska. They are looking for a cabin right on Kachemak Bay near their favorite fishing spots that will also work for their big family. Will the house on stilts with a 112-step stairway prove to be too difficult to maneuver or is it the home with the outhouse on a 50 ft. walk in bear country more appealing?
Sunday, October 28 at 10 PM and 10:30PM (E/P)
BUYING ALASKA – Sled Dogs
Andy and Carolyn are avid dogsledders from New Jersey. They are moving to Alaska in hopes of becoming champion dog mushers. But to do that, they first need to find a home where they can raise and train their team. Will they choose the home with a two-seater outhouse or the cabin just out of reach from the dog trails?
BUYING ALASKA – The Wilderness Man
Bud Jacque is a former Merchant Marine looking for his Alaskan wilderness home with his wife, Susan. He's a man of simple tastes; all he wants is a great view, and somewhere he can spend his days hunting and fishing. There's a gem with a fish cleaning station, greenhouse, smoker and stunning vistas, but Susan may need more amenities before she's ready to call it home.
BUYING ALASKA is produced by Paper Route Productions. For Paper Route, Alan LaGarde is executive producer. For Destination America, Fay Yu is executive producer, Sara Kozak is SVP of production, Marc Etkind is SVP of content strategy, and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.
EPIC is produced by Tremendous! Entertainment. For Tremendous!, Colleen Needles Steward and Shannon Keenan Demer are executive producers. For Destination America, Fay Yu is executive producer, Sara Kozak is SVP of production, Marc Etkind is SVP of content strategy, and Henry Schleiff is president and general manager.
Destination America is the first network to celebrate the people, places, and stories of the United States. The inclusive network targeting Adults 25-54 will be available in 59.5 million homes, emblazoning television screens with the grit and tenacity, honesty and work ethic, humor and adventurousness that characterize our nation. Destination America will feature travel, food, adventure, home, and natural history, with original series covering such diverse subjects as American food favorites, mysteries like Jesse James' lost fortune and Area 51, American heroes and innovators, as well as iconic landmarks and wonders like Yellowstone National Park and the Everglades. Destination America is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 200 countries and territories.
Please visit the Press Website at press.discovery.com/us/da for additional press materials
Follow us on Twitter at @DestAmerica
Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/DestinationAmerica
Visit us online at DestinationAmerica.com
SOURCE Destination America


text:
Ike Davis was named the On Deck Circle MVP.
May 27, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State University Baseball program handed out their team awards at the 24th Annual Baseball Banquet at the Fiesta Inn Resort on Tuesday night. Ike Davis was named he On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player.
The Sun Devils, who are the #3 National Seed entering this weekend's NCAA Tournament, finished the regular season 45-11 and won the Pac-10 Conference for the second straight season.
The 2008 winners were:
Mr. Fireman....................................... Tommy Rafferty
Jim Henderson Courage Award............ Josh Satow
Casey Myers Academic Award..............Ryan Sontag
Phill Lowery Comeback Player............. Tommy Rafferty
Alvin Davis Leadership Award.............. Petey Paramore
Developmental MVP............................ Andy Workman
Newcomer of the Year......................... Jason Kipnis
Outstanding Offensive Player.............. Brett Wallace
Outstanding Defensive Player............. Petey Paramore
Pitcher of the Year.............................. Mike Leake
The Tillman........................................ Brett Wallace
Jim Brock - Mr. Sun Devil Award........... Raoul Torrez
Bobby Winkles Award......................... Greg Bordes
Davis joins a star-studded list of On Deck Circle MVPs, inlcuding last season's winner Brett Wallace. Former winners include Major Leaguers Dustin Pedroia, Willie Bloomquist, Paul Lo Duca and Barry Bonds.
The Sun Devils open the 2008 NCAA Tournament in the Tempe Regional on Friday, when they face Stony Brook at 7 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.


text:
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, a lot of us have turkey, and sweet potatoes, and broccoli, and (you name it!) on the mind. And while we're getting ready to enjoy a delicious meal with our loved ones, we should make sure to include our pets in the festivities as well!
One of the best things about Thanksgiving is the state of your plate towards the end of your first serving: the mashed potatoes have tucked in the turkey, the broccoli has snuggled up with the stuffing, and the yams have cuddled up with cranberries. Every bite, in a word, is kaleidoscopic! Only Natural Pet Easy Raw brings the same hearty, nutritious mix to your pets. Both the dog formula and cat formula feature quality and down right delicious freeze-dried meats and nutrient dense, "superfood" produce like low glycemic sweet potatoes, antioxidant rich cranberries, broccoli, apples and pumpkin.
Plus, EasyRaw is one of the best options for your pet's diet, offering them improved digestion, healthy weight control, and essential nutrients that can help their body stay strong and thrive.
Just check out our video and see for yourself!


text:
Navigation Manager
Press Article
May 2012 - New York, NY – Section101, a leading destination for artists wishing to take control of their digital world, is pleased to announce their partnership at this year's New Music Seminar. Additionally, CEO Liz Leahy will once be speaking, giving an 18-minute Intensive on Monday June 18th. New Music Seminar's cornerstone event will take place from June 17-19th in New York City at Webster Hall in the East Village (125 East 11th Street, New York, NY). Liz will be doing an 18-minute intensive talk on Monday, June 18 at 4:00pm. Liz's intensive focuses on all the power an artists has, and how best to harness it. An area of expertise for her, she will be discussing all the ways a music artist can utilize the online creativity at their fingertips. Says Liz, "The good news about being a creative artist is that it is really all about you - and this IS good news. It's not about taking on a huge amount of work, or having to become an expert, it's about wanting to participate in all the areas that comprise your artistry." Section 101 will be exhibiting in the Main Room Upper Balcony of Webster Hall, where the company will have a booth set up, and will be providing demonstrations, answering questions and giving tutorials throughout the conference. S101 will also be spending time across the street from Webster at the Village Pourhouse at 64 Third Avenue at 11th Street. The company will be there on Monday and Tuesday, with a special table set up to take meetings and do further tutorials for interested parties. Section 101 is thrilled to be a partner of this year's event, alongside companies such as Pandora, Gibson Guitars, iHeartRadio, Spotify and more. Section101 will also be exhibiting, giving demonstrations, answering questions and providing tutorials throughout the conference. Additionally, we are able to extend a special discount to friends of Section 101! Please use the promotional code NMSNYS1012371 at
for 20% off of registration. About Section 101 Section 101 delivers a dynamic web-based platform that provides simple and effective solutions for music and entertainment brands to manage and maximize their online presence. Section 101 enables clients to create beautiful, personalized websites that are easy to use, while providing a powerful suite of integrated tools designed to organize and leverage their fan base across a growing number of online and social channels. Section 101 offers a premier service for clients who prefer Section 101 to provide creative input – from design and development through to the successful launch of their websites - as well as a Do-It-Yourself model, providing all the tools and functionality required for clients to create their own unique website on a budget. Leading music artists and brands like Duran Duran, Kina Grannis, BUSH, Diane Birch, Rachael Yamagata, Marc Cohn, Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Junip, Early Winters, Hesta Prynn, Radio Woodstock, the Rube Goldberg Estate and many others rely on Section 101 technology to power their digital presence. To learn more about Section 101, and the artists that use our technology, please visit:
. Follow Section101 on Twitter at
© 2019 - Section 101. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Site Powered by


text:
Firethorne Leads the way as KEYS Platinum Sponsor
Firethorne has committed to Katy ISD's Partners in Education (PIE) as the first KEYS Scholarship Platinum Sponsor for 2011. As a KEYS sponsor, Firethorne is helping to create scholarships for students who have participated in KEYS through their senior year. This is the first year that PIE has opened sponsorship levels for KEYS, with 100 percent of the sponsorship dollars going directly to KEYS Scholarships. Former KEYS student Eduardo Reyes and his KEYS mentor Jim Burns visited Firethorne representatives last week to thank them for their generous support.
"The KEYS mentoring program has helped me stay on the right path towards school and life," said Reyes, who is a student leader at the University of Houston, studying economics. "Supporting KEYS is important because it gives students the necessary tools to not only stay on the right track, but to also change their lives."
The KEYS (Keep Encouraging Youth toward Success) mentor program is offered to Katy ISD students who are on the brink of success. Often, these students have been challenged by life circumstances outside of their control. Mentors meet with their students on campus each week during the school year, in between the school day.
"We promise these students that if they stay in the program through their senior year, they will be eligible to apply for a KEYS Scholarship," said Janet Theis, Katy ISD PIE specialist.
When Reyes' mentor first met him, it wasn't with the intent of becoming his mentor, it was with the intent of helping him organize his backpack, locker and life. After several weeks of helping Reyes get organized, Burns naturally fell into the role of becoming his mentor. For the next six years, Burns helped Reyes recognize his gifts, talents, intelligence and encouraged him to pursue his dreams.
"A few of our staff members have first-hand experience as mentors with KEYS," said Firethorne General Manager Wayne Meyer. "It is through them that we know that this program really makes a difference directly in the Katy community."
Firethorne, a 1,400-acre residential community in Katy/Fulshear, is actively involved with Katy ISD through programs such as Junior Achievement and the Partners in Education annual Promise to Read and Food for Families programs. Firethorne is located near the crossroads of I-10 west and FM 1463.
KEYS' annual event Ties & Tiaras, hosted at Agave Road on March 1, 2012, will celebrate mentors while supporting the KEYS Scholarship Fund. Featuring student performances throughout the come-and-go event, the 2012 Mentors of the Year will also be announced.
KEYS is brought to you by Partners in Education, the department that brings the community into the classroom. For more information about KEYS and to find out how you can get involved, visit the KEYS web page at katyisd.org, or contact Martha Brown at 281-396-2468.
Please mention you found this on www.KatyMagazine.com.


text:
Math and Science: Girls and More...
NCLB Update
Moment of Remembrance
Commencement Addresses
Personnel Changes
Food and Exercise
Quote to Note
Upcoming Events
Math and Science: Girls and More...
On May 15, Secretary Spellings and Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Kathie Olsen welcomed more than 100 female entrepreneurs, explorers, and scientists to the first-ever National Summit on the Advancement of Girls in Math and Science. "Girls continue to be under-represented in critical fields related to math and science," the Secretary explained. "They make up only a third of AP physics students and only 15 percent of AP computer science classes. At the college level, less than 20 percent of engineering majors are women, while the number of women with computer science degrees has dropped 25 percent since 1985.... Our country cannot afford to lose half of our potential innovators, especially in this ever-flattening, I-Pod-loving, TiVo-watching world." Consequently, the Secretary announced a comprehensive review of research on how and why girls are turning away from these fields of the future. She also announced a partnership with the Girls Scouts and the Ad Council. "The trailblazing women who are here remind us that America has always been the most innovative society in the world. Together, we'll make sure we always are." For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/05/
Later that same day, the Secretary announced the 17 expert panelists and six ex-officio members chosen to comprise the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMP). The NMP will examine and summarize the scientific evidence related to the teaching and learning of math, with a focus on algebra. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/.
Earlier, President Bush recognized 100 middle and high school teachers with the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation's highest honor for teaching in these fields. Winners will receive a $10,000 prize from the National Science Foundation, the agency that administers the program. For more information, please go to http://www.paemst.org/.
NCLB Update (http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov/)
In a May 15 letter to Chief State School Officers (http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/secletter/
060515.html), the Secretary requested assistance in implementing No Child Left Behind's public school choice and supplemental educational services (SES) provisions. Based on positive results from Virginia, she also extended into the 2006-07 school year the pilot program that allows school districts to reverse the order in which choice and SES are offered to students. Additional information about state and district eligibility for the program, the process by which states can apply, and the conditions that states and districts have to meet are in the letter.
Then, on May 17, the Secretary announced approval of two high-quality growth-based accountability models. Tennessee has received full approval to implement their model this year. North Carolina is also approved, provided its assessment system is fully approved by July 1. Six other states that were peer reviewed have been asked to submit revised proposals for consideration for the 2006-07 school year, and the deadline for other states to submit new growth model proposals is November 1. The total limit for approved plans remains at 10. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/growthmodel/
Recently, the Department notified states on where they stand in achieving the No Child Left Behind goal of having all students taught by a "highly qualified teacher" (HQT) who holds at least a bachelor's degree, has obtained full state certification, and has demonstrated knowledge in the core academic subject he or she teaches. No state is likely to meet the goal of 100 percent HQTs by the end of this school year. Instead, states fall into three categories: 29 states are making good progress in implementing the HQT provisions; nine states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have significant work to do in their HQT plans and are at risk of being sanctioned; and, for 12 states, the process is not yet complete, so a rating is pending. All states must complete a revised HQT plan by July 7 that specifies the actions they will take to reach the goal in the next school year. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/hqtltr/.
Also: A new study funded by the Department examines the implementation of accountability and school improvement under Title I of the No Child Left Behind Act from 2001-02, the year before NCLB went into effect, through 2003-04, the second year of implementation. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/disadv/tassie3/.
Moment of Remembrance
In a letter to educators, Carmella LaSpada, executive director of the White House Commission on Remembrance, asked schools to hold a Remembrance Ceremony as close to Memorial Day (Monday, May 29) as possible and actively encourage students to pause on Memorial Day at 3:00 p.m. local time, to think about the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. The idea of a moment of remembrance was born in 1996 when children touring Washington, D.C., were asked what Memorial Day meant to them. They responded, "That's the day the pools open!" Four years later, Congress established the White House Commission on Remembrance. The mid-afternoon time was chosen because that is when a majority of Americans are enjoying their freedoms. For more information, please go to http://www.remember.gov/.
Commencement Addresses
It's that time of year! For some words of inspiration, see the following addresses:
2006/05/20060506-2.html (May 6, Oklahoma State University; President Bush: "Treat the degree you receive today as the first step in a lifetime of learning, and your lives will be rich in purpose and reward.")
2006/05/20060511-5.html (May 11, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College; President Bush: "Today, I ask you to rise to the challenge of a generation, to apply your skill and your knowledge, your compassion and your character, and help write a hopeful new chapter in the history of the Gulf Coast."
05152006.html (May 15, Texas Tech University; Secretary Spellings: "The greatest obstacle in life isn't failure, it's fear. Fear keeps you on the sidelines playing it safe, convincing yourself risks are for daredevils and greatness reserved for others. Yet, the reality is when you play it safe, the only guarantee you get is that you'll live with regret.")
05172006.html (May 17, Montgomery College (Maryland); Secretary Spellings: "No matter what you do in life, I want to encourage all of you to find some way to give back. The impact of that choice will not only improve the lives of others, it
Not there yet? The Department's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a new version of the College Opportunities Online Locator (COOL) web site. COOL allows users to compare profiles of nearly 7,000 colleges and universities across the U.S. For more information, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/.
Personnel Changes
President Bush has chosen highly capable individuals for a number of key positions. First, Lawrence Warder is nominated to be Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Until recently, he was Global Director of Operations for Deloitte Consulting, where he had worked since 1969 in various senior management positions (including a stint in London). As CFO, Warder would advise the Secretary on all matters related to financial management and grants (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/04/
04252006a.html). Second, Jim Manning is designated to be Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. He moves from the Chief of Staff role within the Office of Federal Student Aid to this new role, where he will formulate higher education policy and administer critical programs (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/05/
05042006b.html). Third, Troy Justesen is nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education. He also shifts from another roleDeputy Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Servicesto provide crucial leadership on career, technical, and adult education (http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2006/05/
Food and Exercise
Prompted by a concern over the rate of obesity among school-age children, "Calories In, Calories Out," a new NCES study, presents information for public elementary schools on the availability of foods outside of full school meals, the opportunities for students to engage in physical activity, and the physical assessment of students. Three-quarters of U.S. public elementary schools offer physical education more than one day a week, and eight out of 10 have daily recess. On the other hand, seven percent report no daily recess, 15 percent sell candy (to raise funds), and 29 percent do not weigh students. For more information, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2006/nutrition/.
Also: The Department's June 20 "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast will explore child health and nutrition. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/.
Quote to Note
"This changing world presents you [graduates] with a lot of exciting opportunities. Yet, such a world also needs the anchor of old-fashioned values and virtues, like courage and compassion. These are the virtues that sustain our democracy and make self-government possible. These virtues are what we'll need to build a more hopeful future."
President George W. Bush (5/6/06),
addressing the Oklahoma State Class of 2006
Upcoming Events
On June 1, at 10:00 a.m. EST, NCES will release "The Condition of Education 2006." For more information, please go to http://nces.ed.gov/.
Credits, Subscribe & Unsubscribe
Please feel free to contact the Office of Communications and Outreach with any questions:
Director, Intergovernmental AffairsRogers Johnson, (202) 401-0026, firstname.lastname@example.com
Program AnalystAdam Honeysett, (202) 401-3003, email@example.com
To be added or removed from distribution, or submit comments (we welcome your feedback!), please contact Adam Honeysett. Or, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edreview/index.html.
This newsletter contains hypertext links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user's convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Furthermore, the inclusion of links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.


text:
Triplicity Dream Engagement Ring
Call for Price
This majestic setting holds a large Dream (Square shaped) center diamond and has smaller diamonds set on either side, creating the illusion of horizontal triangles. This setting is an absolute beauty for the bold, modern woman.... *Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
A perfect ring of eight hearts when viewed from the bottom. A perfectly formed symmetrical fireburst of light when seen from the top. Diamonds cut and polished at 100X magnification - 10 times the industry standard. That's the perfection of a Hearts On Fire diamond. It's a perfection you can see. Hearts On Fire, The World's Most Perfectly Cut Diamond


text:
A minor kerfuffle has broken out over whether, in a closed-door meeting with an American congressional delegation attending the Munich Security Conference during the first weekend of February, US secretary of state John Kerry acknowledged that the administration's Syria policy was failing. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham claim that he did; Mr Kerry's spokeswoman, who was also present, denies it. Whatever the case, the underlying reality is undeniable – President Barack Obama's Syria policy has failed.
At least 130,000 Syrian civilians have been killed and 9m more have been forced from their homes, making this arguably the worst human rights disaster since Rwanda. The regime of Bashar al-Assad is dropping barrel bombs on civilians in Aleppo and committing other war crimes to remain in power. International investigators recently released photos indicating that at least 11,000 people have been tortured and killed by the regime – more than died at Srebrenica in 1995.
Both Shia and Sunni extremists are exploiting the chaos to make significant inroads while more moderate opposition groups are sidelined. Two leading jihadist groups – the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Nusra Front – are operating freely in northern and eastern Syria. Isis is so extreme that it has been disowned by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, but it is unlikely to be slowed by this censure from faraway Pakistan.
Jim Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, believes there are an estimated 26,000 jihadist fighters in Syria. Some of them are eager to attack America. On the other side, Hizbollah and the Iranian Quds Force, two of the world's most effective terrorist organisations, have committed hundreds and possibly thousands of fighters to keep Mr Assad in power. Neighbouring states, in particular Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, have been flooded with refugees. Isis fighters now control significant parts of Iraq's Anbar Province. In Lebanon, Sunni militants are attacking Hizbollah, which is hitting back in a battle of car bombs that threatens to unravel that country's tenuous peace.
The UN recently convened a conference in Geneva to try to stop the fighting. Mr Kerry just barely succeeded in getting both the Syrian government and the opposition to attend, but the conference broke up with no progress. The regime will not even end its blockade of rebel-held areas, where an estimated 250,000 people are trapped without regular access to food or medicine.
The other centrepiece of the administration's Syria policy – an agreement, brokered by Russia, to get Assad's chemical weapons out of the country – is also falling apart. The administration reports that Syria has removed only 4 per cent of its most dangerous chemicals even though all of them were supposed to be gone by December 31.
The Assad regime justifies its delays by citing "security concerns" and claiming it needs more equipment, including armoured cars that could be used to fight the rebellion. But Robert Mikulak, US ambassador to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, says: "These demands are without merit, and display a 'bargaining mentality'."
Mr Obama has only himself to blame. By claiming he needed congressional approval for air strikes on Syria, he lifted serious pressure on Damascus to comply with its international obligations. The US failure to do more to arm and train the Free Syrian Army, moreover, has allowed the regime to go on the offensive while the opposition has been riven by infighting.
It is time for Mr Obama to admit that his Syria policy is not working.
No one is suggesting sending ground troops. But options range from doing more to arm the moderate opposition, to declaring a no-fly zone. Drones could strike al-Qaeda operatives in Syria; air power could create humanitarian zones near the Turkish and Jordanian borders. The US could also take the lead in referring Mr Assad and his aides for war crimes prosecution.
The UN Security Council is unlikely to support such steps, but the US would not have to act alone. Allies from France to Saudi Arabia have been urging action and would be eager to co-operate. But they will do little as long as Mr Obama refuses to act. And for the president to act he will first have to acknowledge, if only to himself, how hideously wrong he has been on Syria over the past three years.
The writer is a senior fellow in national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations
Get alerts on Syria when a new story is published


text:
I am working on an application that makes use of the c# Mapscript bindings. When I manually set and/or append to the GDAL_DATA, GDAL_DRIVER_PATH, PROJ_LIB, and PATH environment variables - the application code works beautifully.
For a number of reasons, I am trying to avoid permanently setting/changing these environment variables. I am under the impression that by using the .NET frameworks Environment.SetEnvironmentVariable method, that I should be able to set these environment variables at runtime for the current process.
This approach seems to work in some capacity - as the mapscript objects initialize properly (i.e., I dont get PInvoke errors...etc). In my code snippet below, I get an error at map.draw() complaining about GDAL_DATA and gcs.csv.
// add some new environment vars
// TODO check if they may already exist - in which case append to
// append to existing PATH variable
string pathVariable = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH")
pathVariable += MY_PATH_VARS
mapObj map = new mapObj(transmitterMapFile);
map.setSize(request.Width, request.Height);
map.setExtent(extent[0], extent[1], extent[2], extent[3]);
imageObj img = map.draw();
Does anyone see something wrong with this approach? Or is there a better way to set these variables at runtime?


text:
When I heard my friend Paul Holmes had died, I needed to write. This is what came out
Timing. It was part of the Paul Holmes genius. There were tougher questioners, better researchers, more authoritative interviews. But no-one understood the ebb and flow, the rhythm and pace, the pure performance part of an interview like Paul. And so it seems the most natural and obvious thing in the world that his death this morning, whilst a heart wrench for those of us who loved him, is well timed.
Paul would not have wanted to hang around as the infirm and diminished star of an increasingly macabre circus. Paul was, at heart, a performer and a star. Any true stars know when to leave the stage, to leave 'em wanting more. The true and rare blessing was that he enjoyed the sort of applause few get in their lifetime before he left. He received the knighthood that meant so much to him (a very good deed done by Helen Clark and John Key), and just as importantly he heard what he meant to his friends, colleagues and audience. Stars, as we know in this celebrity-crazed world, need to be loved and Paul was no exception. To have heard that love said out loud, to feel it in the touch of a sword on his shoulder and to have read it in the many messages collected by NewstalkZB would have given him some peace in what has been, at times, a scary few months.
The image of him in my head today is him slipping quietly out the stage door and heading for the van while the crowd are still on their feet.
I had the privilege of working with Paul for four years on Q+A. I'm the last in a long line of producers to have worked with him, some who stuck by him for decades and remain good friends. And that should tell you a lot. He was wonderful at being a friend. He sparkled at it, like he sparkled as a raconteur.
He would confess - indeed he did - that sometimes that was at the expense of being a father and husband. But he was so generous with his friends and colleagues - with his time, his wine, his warmth, and his wisdom. He had such a heart. And that shone through.
He befriended people easily because he was so open, wore his heart on his sleeve. And because he gave a damn. It cost him, but it gave him so much as well. It was who he was. In many ways it was the secret of his professional success as well.
I only knew him in the twilight of his career (he once said to me how sorry he was we hadn't worked together when he was in his prime, but to be honest I think we would have driven each other mad back then). But I spent many a Saturday afternoon, after the questions had been written, the strategy argued into place and a glass of wine poured, talking about life, family, faith, books, Erebus, money, love, fame and current affairs.
So what of the man? He could be a bit of a prick. He made me cry, made me furious, almost made me quit. And this was long after the Holmes days when he could use the withering, argument-ending line "it's my name above the fucking shop". That didn't stop him yelling at me more than once, "I've been doing this for 20 years" and "You don't know a fucking thing about TV" and the like. I'm a fan of a well-researched, detailed interview without fear or favour and the hardest thing was to get him to read in-depth and try to structure an interview. He had a different style and we'd clash.
I tried reminding him of some of those arguments late last year and he all-but denied us ever disagreeing. I laughed at him, but I realised it was a mark of the man. It took me a while to learn, but he forgave and literally forgot readily. He was willing to lose an argument and be persuaded. And he seldom held a grudge. As he always said, "it's only telly. No-one dies on the table". He was wise enough, bless him, to keep it all in perspective. He didn't take himself too seriously - well, not often. I remember the Holmes days when he played tennis with Kelly Evernden or hammed up his spat with Gordon Ramsey. He was able to laugh at himself, unlike many.
Happily, he also knew how lucky he was. Guyon Espiner told me the story this morning that when they met, and he was giving Guyon the tour of his-then Remuera home, he said 'all this just from talking'. But what a talker he was.
When he was cruel - and he could be - it was out of thoughtlessness or those in-built prejudices we all have; I can't remember him being scheming or purposefully malicious. And he had an array of skills that just kept on giving.
For a start, he liked people and people liked him. He was real, the same on and off screen. You cannot begin to understand how important that is on television, when night-after-night the true person can't help but shine through. Not only did he liked people, he was genuinely interested in them. Both the Prime Minister and the AIDS victim. That is rare. And it is TV-gold.
Paul used to say he was a broadcaster, not a journalist. And that was true. While his nose for news was brilliant - if there was a better reader of what Kiwis cared about and the mood of the nation, I haven't met one - he didn't want to play by the typical journo rules. He was our first opinion broadcaster; he was proud of that and saw no fault. He let his personal opinions and biases intrude, which was difficult on a programme such as Q+A and another reason for our clashes.
But the thing is he was the best opinion broadcaster around. He was good at it because, what many don't appreciate, was that he was incredibly well read and had a magpie mind, gathering up facts and yarns like they were shining baubles. He would read Russian history and Phillipa Gregory, loved Downton Abbey and the Kardashians. So his views had broad foundations.
And on nearly every occasion (I can think of only three exceptions), he manned up for the big interviews and put himself aside to ask the questions that mattered.
I think back to the John Banks 'cabbage boat' interview on Kim Dotcom's donation. He and Banks were friends. But he put that aside to do the job and hold Banks to account.
The story of that interview is a great example of another part of his genius - he was not just a broadcaster, he was a performer. He knew the power of silence ( we had several long conversations about that), the importance of facial expressions, of tone, of pace, of delivery.
Banks and Labour's David Parker had agreed to come on Q+A to talk about the economy before the story of the Dotcom donation and meeting at the mansion broke. We sweated, fearing Banks would cancel, but to his credit he didn't. And we organised a strategy. We had about nine minutes for the interview. The first four minutes we'd let the men debate the economy as promised. But the news and the audience interest demanded questions about Dotcom. So at four minutes I gave him the signal in his ear and he switched gear. And here's an example of the little things that stood Paul apart.
He turned to Parker and said he'd have to excuse him, as he needed to ask questions of Mr Banks alone now. It was perfect - the audience saw him being polite, knew something was about to happen and it told Parker to butt out. He gave Banks several chances to answer the core questions, but it was quickly clear he wouldn't. So Paul just went for it, question after question, punch after punch landed on a politician who couldn't offer a straight story. It was all pitch-perfect.
More of those little things was on display in his final television interview, which was with Kim Dotcom. We'd had been working on it for months. He had been ill, I don't think he'd mind me telling people that he was on morphine, but he did the interview regardless - 48 minutes raw that was cut down to 23 for air. It was a gruelling gig.
In the first part of the interview (transcript) Paul wanted to get inside the man - to talk about his family, childhood and motivations. At one point Paul asks about the things of the mind and he taps his pen against his forehead. I don't know any other interviewer aware enough of visual drama to have thought to do that.
Dotcom had been a bit reticent talking about the raid on his house, but when Paul asked about the internet, Dotcom lit up. Paul liked to "lift the curtain", as he called it. So he stopped and pointed out how Dotcom's mood had changed; he was in the moment and reading it in an instant. Again, a little thing, but a rare talent.
My other memory of that last interview was as we were leaving, driving out the gate. He was drained, but we suddenly remembered we hadn't shot the break teasers I wanted on location. We stopped by the front gate and he hopped out. As it started to drizzle, I desperately went through the interview in my head. 'What do you want?" he asked. 'Coming up on Q+A, we're at the Dotcom mansion... something about his family... and what he really thinks about John Key. That sort of thing," I replied.
We needed three teasers. We shot four. Every one he did in a single take, word perfect and lively. We jumped back in the car and drove home. Paul was a pro. An utter pro.
I think of programmes around the Christchurch earthquake and the ANZAC Day chopper crash when he just had to talk. Yep, what a talker he was. He would always say the TV folk needed to hire more radio folk, because that was where you learnt to just be able to keep talking, coherently and entertainingly, while all around you was chaos.
That rare mixture of talent, combined with grit and a ferocious work ethic, made him, along perhaps with Aunt Daisy, the New Zealand broadcaster. For all that Paul could polarise public opinion - some of you will still think he was a lightweight - there's no question within the business that he changed things like no other.
Gordon Harcourt once said we all work in 'a post-Holmesian media world'. I told Paul about that and he was chuffed. But there's no hyperbole in that. He was the man. Newstalk ZB was built on his shoulders, the 7PM TV slot is now generating so many column inches because he made it matter.
As he became a great broadcaster, he also became a star. It's hard for those of us with ordinary-sized lives to understand. But I got it one Friday afternoon in our first year on screen. He'd swan in greeting all and sundry, still enjoying what had been, if you'll permit me, a pretty triumphant return to TVNZ. He wanted a coffee and I was to come with him; I had a million things to do, but you couldn't say no. The coffee cart in the TVNZ atrium, however, was closed. I suggested a walk to Starbucks on the other side of SkyCity, little more than a block away. He ummed and prevaricated, but I nagged him into it. He used to say he didn't really do walking, which I teased him about. But I got to see why.
There and back, in little over a block, he must have been greeted a couple of dozen times. Everyone knew him, wanted to say hi. He had to switch on and engage with his fans - and remember, this was years after he'd been on primetime. It's the sort of fame only a few Prime Ministers and the odd All Black can understand.
Don't get me wrong, he loved it. Throughout his career he courted it, even when it was to his detriment. The attention was oxygen for Paul. But there's always a price.
The work, the drink, the love affairs... they took a toll. But you know what? He loved life. He had few regrets and even those he didn't dwell on. As Maryanne Ahern, who produced Paul for over 20 years on radio and TV, said to me today, he just enjoyed it all.
These days 62 years of life is not long enough. He would have loved growing old in his beloved Hawkes Bay looking out over the olives and lavender, glass in hand, recalling the glory days and bragging about his kids. (And writing more. He really loved to write). But what a life. So many lives touched, such a difference made.
At his recent thank you do from all the charities he worked so hard at last year, a representative of Paralympics New Zealand made it quite clear he utterly changed how their sports and endevaours are viewed in this country. That would be legacy enough for most of us, but for Paul it is just one of many.
As he went about his work, he lived life as he wanted to and had fun.
He loved meeting the stars, the politicians and the people in the street. He loved being rich ("There were times Tim when I couldn't walk through an airport without dropping 10k on a watch!"). He loved the influence ("The power of the green room Tim, that matters and I'm good at that"). He loved pushing himself and proving his detractors wrong. Most of all he loved generously and loved to be loved.
And for all the stress and angst, I loved him. You couldn't help yourself, even if you were mad enough to want to. He was larger than life one-on-one, as he was in public.
The world was a stage for Paul the born performer, and the tributes from many in that world will rightly flow today. But he would, I think, say he was just a good talk and no-one died on the table... Oh alright, he'd lap up the praise! But I'll most remember those Saturday afternoons, when I got time with New Zealand's best talker and a good bloke, when we would wrestle over questions and I would try to force facts and figures into his head and he'd try to teach me to relax and enjoy it all, when we'd talk about holding the buggers to account and putting on a show. I'll remember a drink with a friend like no other. And I will remember it all with immense and profound affection.


text:
Tunisia and Algeria advance to the zonal phase of qualification for 2014 World Champs
Tunis, Tunisia, July 21, 2013 - Tunisia have taken the gold medal at the women's Pool A African qualification tournament for the 2014 World Championship, have beaten Algeria twice at matches held in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia.
However, both Tunisia and Algeria will proceed to the zonal phase of the qualifier after Morocco withdrew from the competition and non-participation of Libya who belonged to the same pool.
Two times All Africa gold medallists, Algeria played without their experienced players like setter Fatime Okazi and spiker Zohra Ben Salim, with new coach Imed Eddine Saidan drawing on players from the youth team.


text:
"Moseley-Dickinson never fails to deliver instructors that are excellent communicators as well as knowledgeable. I look foward to each class that I take there. The staff is always helpful in answering questions & helping to schedule future classes." Hannah
"My time since graduation has flown by amazingly fast. I've been meaning to send you a 'thanks' for some time now. I fondly recall some of your tips. I look foward to the next class!" Ian
Other real estate schools may have similar-sounding names to try to confuse you! But ONLY Moseley-Dickinson Academy of Real Estate:
Broker Exam Prep: Special Discount for Return Students!!!!
Attention: New DPOR Regulations Regarding Licensing and Fingerprinting
New Agent Post Licensing Requirements as of July 1, 2008
Attention All Brokers: New Continuing Education Law as of July 1, 2008


text:
Taylor Guitars is coming to Empire!!! See the new 2018 models including the amazing new V Braced models. The new Presentation V Brace, Builder's Edition V Brace and K24ce V Braced guitars will be here for you to get your first look! Also, you can check out the amazing newly designed 400 series Rosewood models! … Continue reading →
The Fender Custom Shop Roadshow comes to Empire Music!! Help us with the Grand Opening of our one-of-a-kind Fender Custom Shop Guitar Showroom! Fender Sales Representative Matt Schultz and Custom Shop Representatives will be on hand to show eveyone our amazing selection of Custom Shop guitars–including our Exclusive Run of '67 Stratocasters!!! As part of … Continue reading →
Website Proudly Designed & Developed by Arsenal Studios. Copyright 2012 Empire Music. All RIght's Reserved.