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5 Self-Care Survival Skills
How do you function when your world is seemingly imploding? A better question is do you function when your world is imploding? Most of my adult life has taught me that the only constant in life is change and you have to be willing to dip with the lows and jump for the highs. Being able to knock all the curveballs out the park is admirable but sometimes it just doesn't happen like that. Sometimes our best bet is to just move out the way and pray the ball doesn't hit us smack down in the face.
I've always loved the phrase, "if you stay ready then you never have to get ready", and I do believe it holds so much truth. Being prepared when life throws you for a loop may not keep you from facing the crisis but it could prevent a possible meltdown. One of the biggest favors I've done for myself lately is find a self-care routine that can be initiated at any moment and any location. These are a few nuggets of wisdom which have helped me find a routine that works best for me.
Listen to your body
There are some things that no one else will be able to help you with and this is one of those things. Our bodies provide us with our own personal S.O.S when the world is getting crazy. IT can at times be sudden but it could also be delayed and gradual. For me, my shoulders tighten, my heartbeat quickens, and for a lack of better words it seems as if someone is placing a large amount of pressure on my body. These are indicators that I should pause for the cause and bring myself back to reality.
Be True to You
People will give you 101 things that they guarantee will center you in a moment of panic but everything isn't for everybody. Self-Care isn't meant to be trendy but if anything, it is unique and tailormade to ensure it is providing you with the comfort your seek. If your activity leaves your more drained than refreshed then it may be time to reevaluate what you are doing.
Be Proactive
There are a lot of things that happen in life which are unexpected and hit you like a ton of bricks. These are the things you weren't planning for and can barely imagine as being your current reality. Life changing events like this may take a different approach but some things can be planned for. Half of self-care is identifying things/people/places that can be triggers. Having a mental list of these different issues can help you avoid situations that you know may be do you more harm than good.
Be Unapologetic
Self-care is just that...how you care for yourself. This doesn't include how you care for your mom, partner, friend, cousin, or the neighbor who always needs assistance. While your self-care practice shouldn't be harmful to other people, your own well being should certainly be at the forefront. Sometimes you have to find peace in your solitude and remove all distractions which unfortunately can sometimes be our own support system. Those truly invested in you will understand that it is nothing personal against them but EVERYTHING personal for you.
Stick with It
Luckily, life is filled with good and bad which gives us a time to breathe a sigh of relief. It is so easy to kick back when everything is on track which means our routines can be neglected. I recommend introducing a self-care routine as a part of your daily life not just those moments when all hell breaks loose. For me, I write positive affirmations in the morning, read a daily devotional and prayer, read at least 20 pages of a book of my choice, and sometimes I even pull my coloring book off of the shelf. Even on days when life is perfect, these actions remind me that it is okay to pull back from the world and do something that feeds my soul.


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Our approach to Mathematics
Our approach to Maths
At Upton Heath Church of England Primary School follows the National Curriculum programs of study for the teaching of mathematics and aims to excel in its three core areas:
- Fluency
- Reasoning
- Problem solving
Each year group are taught to be fluent in the fundamental workings of the number system as this feeds into all number based work and wider problem solving activities.
Pupils are taught to reason and generalise about a mathematical statement. They are taught to design or pursue a line of enquiry by applying their knowledge of number relationships.
Ultimately, when pupils are fluent and able to reason, they then apply these skills to a wide range of everyday problems which they are then able to break down into smaller steps/stages to be solved.
Upton Heath Church of England Primary School follows a CPA (concrete, pictorial, abstract) approach to the teaching of mathematics. Once pupils are secure and confident in one stage of this process they then move on to the next.
In Foundation Stage, pupils are taught and assessed using the Early Learning Goals: Number and Shape, Space and Measure. Their progress is tracked, recorded and shared with parents and carers using their Learning Journey.
At Upton Heath, inspiring children to learn is at the heart of what we do so progress in maths is both easy and fun for children and teachers.
Presenting a problem and developing the skills needed to solve that problem is more motivational than teaching the skills without a context; therefore practical maths is central to our teaching approach. Teaching maths via problem solving increases the number of individuals who think for themselves in a constantly changing environment.
As teachers, we support our children to develop the skills they need to tackle problems. Questioning and deep thinking are valued, mistakes are seen as useful, all students contribute and their suggestions are valued, being stuck is seen as honourable and students learn from shared discussion with the teacher, other adults and peers.
Developing key skills in maths is the foundation to our curriculum so that our children can apply them to real life situations. The children are given a range of practical based activities and open-ended challenges that equip them with the necessary skills in mathematics.
Click below to see our Calculation policy, a guide for parents to help their child with maths at home.
Also take a look at our Phase Maths Examples to help support your child at home.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Alfonso was kidnapped in Venezuela and later taken to Colombia by the FARC. The FARC sustains their estilo de vida by kidnapping and ransom, illegal mining, extorsiones and the production and distribución of illegal drugs. Pero Alfonso's kidnapping was more a plane robbery than un secuestro. So, why did he came to the Midwest?


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Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
Presenting with imbalance and motor complaints for the last 3 years. The patient was apparently well until about 6 years of age. On enquiry, there is a history of measles at 3 years of age.
Patient Data
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There are confluent T2, FLAIR hyperintensities in bilateral periventricular and subcortical white matter, corpus callosum, which appear hypointense on T1, and do not show restricted diffusion or blooming on gradient. Mild volume loss with associated ex-vacuo dilatation of the left lateral ventricle is seen.
Case Discussion
There are confluent areas of altered signal intensity in bilateral periventricular and subcortical white matter as described with associated mild volume loss.
These are non-specific findings and may be seen in certain metabolic disorders and leucoencephalopathies, and require correlation with clinical and laboratory findings.
In the given clinical scenario, the possibility of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis seems likely.


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Literary Agents and the Hybrid Author: A Conversation with Bob Mecoy and Kirstin Nelson/
[Note: This interview originally appeared on Jane Friedman's website on August 8, 2016.]
How is it advantageous—financially or otherwise—for self-published authors to enlist the services of a literary agent, especially if they are making a sizable profit independently? Can authors successfully straddle the traditional and indie publishing worlds without creating any conflicts of interest?
At the Romance Writers of America (RWA) annual conference, I attended a panel called "Agents and the Self-Published/Hybrid Author: A Winning Combination" in which agent Bob Mecoy at Creative Book Services answered these and many related questions, and I followed up with him after the panel. I also sat down with agent Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency to ask her opinion about the indie author–literary agent partnership.
SANGEETA MEHTA: Do you believe the self-published/hybrid author–literary agent combination can be highly beneficial for the author?
BOB MECOY: Google "intellectual property" and "lawsuit" and you'll discover that you need an agent. As a writer, you are playing in one of the most complex fields there is. You have rights you have to control, enforce, and sell. An agent can help with all this whether in the independent or traditional realm. You need someone to say, "This is what booksellers are looking for. This is what I'm hearing from the field."
KRISTIN NELSON: Absolutely. There are two types of authors—those who come from traditional publishing and who are well aware of what an agent can offer, and those whose only success has been indie (Cristin Harber, Hugh Howey). When indie authors start navigating the waters themselves—the film inquiry, the foreign contract—they learn pretty quickly why an agent might be valuable. It's definitely a beneficial partnership. But to be clear, I rarely take on an indie author simply to exploit film or subsidiary rights. The profit margin is too low in that arena to make an effective agency model.
Indie authors are often encouraged to take cues from the traditional publishing model. Can you cite any instances in which traditional publishers have learned from the indie model?
BM: Traditional publishers are looking at what indie authors are doing with everything except packaging. This is especially true when it comes to romance, which has always been an evolutionary hot spot in publishing. Several years ago, my client Jennifer Ashley and I went to her publisher to discuss pricing. We'd discovered that, if you publish a short book at a low price before you publish a long book at a standard price, sales would increase. To their credit, the publisher agreed to try this approach under their banner. Indie authors are equal parts independent publishing company, equal parts lab; they can afford the sweat equity traditional publishers can't, and traditional publishers can learn from this.
KN: The most important factor traditional publishing could learn from indies is how to leverage sales by deploying venue-targeted ebook files for all the major vendors. In other words, for the Amazon Kindle edition, indie authors embed buy links that lead directly to their other titles available on Amazon. All indies see higher click-through to sales—which traditional publishers don't leverage, as they have not adopted this practice yet. And I get it. They aren't tech companies. That would mean ten different asset files for the same title. They simply don't have the manpower to handle the volume.
But I have definitely coordinated metadata tags across series where the publisher controls the first couple of books and the author controls and indie publishes the last couple books of the series. And we've seen sales of all the titles rise. We've also worked on down-pricing permanently the first book in a series controlled by the publisher and then coordinating the pricing of all the other titles—even those controlled by the author. Works remarkably well, even for a ten-year-old backlist title, as I recently coordinated this with a major publisher and we saw sales pop in a big way.
Considering your success working with writers who have bridged the traditional and indie publishing worlds, many authors probably query you with the goal of wanting to go hybrid as well. What are some of the mistakes you see these authors make in approaching you? Not explaining their sales? Asking you to sell foreign rights only?
BM: Don't say you're a bestselling author if your book cracked some category of the Amazon bestseller list for a second. Query with the truth. Tell me how many copies you've sold and if these sales were in the ebook format or print-on-demand or both. Tell me what kind of business you're running. Don't tell me about your pets or your garden unless you're writing about that. Make yourself commercially interesting.
KN: In terms of asking an agent to just sell foreign or film rights—it's not a mistake. It's smart on the author's part to look for an agent to sell these rights. However, it's not a strong enough of a financial incentive for me to enter into a partnership to sell these rights only; I'm not a foreign rights outlet. This could be a great business model for someone who wants to focus on these rights, though.
If some of your clients are hybrid authors, you've likely had to change the way you negotiate option clauses and non-compete clauses. Can you elucidate?
BM: It is possible to form a non-exclusive relationship with a publisher if you're very specific about the non-compete clause. One client is continuing her series with her publisher by giving them the opportunity to consider anything new that's not under contract—with a ticking clock. What we get from that is the opportunity to continue an independent series in the indie market, and what they're getting is transparency. What I'm negotiating is a degree of control for my client for her time and efforts.
KN: For some of my hybrid authors, non-disclosure was involved, so I can't reveal specifics. However, I can tell you that publishers will work with you on contract clauses and language, on a case-by-case basis, if an indie author is involved. Publishers are realizing that there are sales benefits to an indie author promoting their own titles at the same time as their traditional books. Do note that publishers will want to coordinate the release schedule of a hybrid author's titles with their own. That way it's maximized for mutual benefit.
Some agents are attracting prospective clients by promising them a hybrid publishing career—but mainly through digital platforms they own. What should writers watch for in these kinds of situations?
BM: Beware of thieves. You shouldn't have anything to do with any digital platform that's taking a piece of the profits from the work unless that company is contributing to the success of that work. What can they contribute? Editing, positioning, packaging, design, marketing. If the company is affiliated with an agent or agency, ask if they're a member of the AAR or subscribe to the code of ethics of the AAR. Agents affiliated with the AAR can't recommend a rewrite for your book and profit from it. What you're looking for is someone who is doing the real work of publishing your novel and not simply profiting from putting your book up online.
KN: We offer clients the opportunity to use our NLA Digital platform, but they control their rights (NLA is not a publisher). Also, this is 100 percent the authors' choice and not an expectation on our part. It's simply an added value of the services Nelson Literary offers as a literary agency for our authors. If an agent tries to take a commission for work she hasn't done or hasn't significantly helped to "publish" or distribute, just say no. I've definitely heard rumors of agencies wanting to take on an indie author, establish a hybrid career, and then requiring a commission percentage on the author's indie-published stuff that they weren't involved in. For me, that doesn't make much sense for the author.
Do you have any other advice for those looking to publish both independently and traditionally?
BM: You have to build your own infrastructure. You have to find independent ways to create yourself as a publisher, which means having readers who will give you advice that to a degree equals the advice from an editor. You have to know what's going on with independent writers. One of the best ways to learn this is to also traditionally publish, because publishers do have something to offer. They can give you access to the larger cultural conversation. They can give you positioning with independent bookstores and online. They can give you authority that is extremely difficult to achieve independently. You won't have the same degree of control, but you will have the luxury of seeing your book developed to its fullest potential in the market.
KN: Know thyself. Have reasonable expectations. If you want to be an indie author with full control, then be that. If you want to be a hybrid author who also publishes with a traditional publisher, know that you as an author will have to forgo control to make that work. Smart expectations are essential. A traditional publisher is not going to pay what you are "worth" as an indie. They simply don't have the profit-and-loss bottom-line numbers that will support those kinds of advance levels. Know ahead of time that publishers will not follow the same practices that successful indie authors often deploy. Also, indie authors need to trust that publishing houses can make a big international success happen—something we've not seen an indie-only author achieve as of yet. However, a publisher cannot guarantee that such success will happen. There are simply no sure things in this industry. If an indie author looking to be hybrid goes into the partnership with the idea that it will expand audiences and readership, then the potential is there for both parties to be happy working together.


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Level 1 - Guide 1
What Makes A Story
Click on the right side of the image to move to the next side or click on the left to go back.
Before you being your brand story journey, you'll need to be able to answer this question. This guide deck will introduce you to the foundation of a story and explain what turns a concept, idea, video, etc into a story.


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Top Items:
James Hohmann / Politico:
Are big three senate races slipping from Dems? — It's been the most remarkably enduring story line of Election 2014: three Democratic senators defying their states' deep red complexion and their president's abysmal approval ratings to stay competitive in races that should have, on paper, been lost long ago.
Discussion: Power Line
Paul Mirengoff / Power Line: Focus shifts to heartland in battle for the Senate
Maggie Haberman / Politico:
Exclusive: Hillary Clinton plans midterm blitz — Hillary Clinton has mapped out much of her political schedule through Election Day, an itinerary that focuses on helping Senate candidates and includes trips to a half-dozen states, including Kentucky and presidential early states Iowa and New Hampshire …
Discussion: Political Insider blog and Taylor Marsh
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Charles Krauthammer: The real reason winning the Senate matters — You can win midterm elections without a positive agenda. You can't win presidential elections that way. It is therefore vitally important for Republicans to win the Senate in 2014. Here's why.
Discussion: National Review
Chris Cillizza / Washington Post:
28 words that Democrats really wish President Obama didn't say today — President Obama was at Northwestern University on Thursday to deliver an economic speech that, he and his team hoped, would lay out the case for why the public is better off today than they were six years ago — even if they didn't feel it in their everday lives.
David Rutz / Washington Free Beacon: Obama Fact-Checks Red State Democrats: The 2014 Election is About His Policies After All
Janet Shan / Hinterland Gazette: Democratic Candidates Cringe Over Obama's "These Policies Are On the Ballot" Comment
Al Weaver / The Daily Caller: Obama: 'Make No Mistake: These Policies Are On The Ballot. Every Single One Of Them' [VIDEO]
Katherine Connell / National Review: Is Obama His Own Party's Worst Enemy?
John Fund / National Review:
Obama's Éminence Grise — As the Obama administration crashes and burns, insiders begin to blame Valerie Jarrett. — Are significant chunks of the mainstream media in despair over Barack Obama? This past week, Obama used 60 Minutes to attempt to shift blame for the failure …
Discussion: Power Line, JustOneMinute and The PJ Tatler
Steven Hayward / Power Line: Obama Never Checked In
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: Piers Morgan DESTROYS Obama in Daily Mail Editorial
Jonathan Allen / Bloomberg:
Bogus Congressman Said to Get Backstage at Obama Event — An unidentified man posing as a member of Congress made it into a secure area backstage at President Barack Obama's appearance at a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation awards dinner in Washington Sept. 27, according to a White House official.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Hinterland Gazette, Business Insider and Washington Free Beacon
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Report: Secret Service Allowed Man Posing As Lawmaker Backstage With Obama
Janet Shan / Hinterland Gazette: Report: Bogus Congressman Got Backstage at Obama Black Caucus Event …
Pamela Engel / Business Insider: A Man Pretending To Be A Congressman Reportedly Got Backstage At An Obama Speech Last Week
Alex Roarty / National Journal:
Ebola Scare, Secret Service Enter Campaign Politics
Ebola Scare, Secret Service Enter Campaign Politics
Laura Clawson / Daily Kos: Thom Tillis, flailing, grabs onto Ebola and the Secret Service
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
The Return of the GOP Hawks — Not that they ever really left. — The Republican flirtation with dovish noninterventionism is over. It wasn't much of a fling. — For five years, we've been hearing that foreign policy and national security issues would split the Republican party.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, Politico, Hit & Run, Hot Air, OnPolitics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News and ABC News
Ahiza Garcia / Talking Points Memo: Graham: Rubio Is 'Not Quite Ready' To Run For President, But I May Be
Jonathan Topaz / Politico: Lindsey Graham: Marco Rubio 'not quite ready'
Scott Shackford / Hit & Run: Let's All Stop for a Moment to Consider a President Lindsey Graham
Allahpundit / Hot Air: Are you ready for Lindsey Graham 2016?
Catalina Camia / OnPolitics: Lindsey Graham for president? GOP hawk said to consider 2016 bid
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: SHELDON ADELSON MUST BE OFFERING TO WRITE MASSIVE CHECKS TO PRETTY MUCH ANY GOP HAWK WITH A PULSE
Michael Falcone / ABC News: In Search of the Midterms
Daniel Larison / The American Conservative:
Lindsey Graham: The Embodiment of Everything Wrong with the GOP
Lindsey Graham: The Embodiment of Everything Wrong with the GOP
Discussion: The Moderate Voice
Ballard Burgher / The Moderate Voice: Larison on Lindsay Graham
Sarah Ferris / The Hill:
Ebola becomes political fight — Ebola is becoming an issue for the midterm election campaign, with several Republicans using the spread of the virus to the United States to criticize President Obama's leadership. — Republican lawmakers are accusing Obama of underplaying the threat.
Discussion: Daily Kos
Georgia Logothetis / Daily Kos: Abbreviated pundit roundup: Ebola as political football, that sexist Republican ad and more
Gabrielle Canon / Mother Jones:
Budget Cuts "Eroded Our Ability to Respond" to Ebola, Says Top Health Official
Budget Cuts "Eroded Our Ability to Respond" to Ebola, Says Top Health Official
Bob Cull / Americans Against the Tea Party: Laura Ingraham Just Asked 'Why Did Obama Let the Ebola Virus Into the United States?'
Dave Johnson / Campaign for America's Future: Ebola Scare and Secret Service Scandal Share Effects Of Spending Cuts
New York Times:
Delay in Dallas Ebola Cleanup as Workers Balk at Task
Delay in Dallas Ebola Cleanup as Workers Balk at Task
Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, The Daily Caller, NPR and Washington's Blog
Brian Joondeph / The Daily Caller: How Many U.S. Cities Need An Ebola Case Before Preventative Measures Are Taken?
Michaeleen Doucleff / NPR: No, Seriously, How Contagious Is Ebola?
John Stanton / BuzzFeed:
Who's Actually Leading The U.S. Response To The Ebola Epidemic
Who's Actually Leading The U.S. Response To The Ebola Epidemic
Discussion: CNN and VodkaPundit
Stephen Green / VodkaPundit: Leading from Behind Again (Naturally)
Ebola patient's leaving Liberia was 'unpardonable,' its President says
Ebola patient's leaving Liberia was 'unpardonable,' its President says
Discussion: KFOR-TV, Mashable, The PJ Tatler, Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications and Washington Examiner
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: Ebola: Judge Belatedly Orders Family Quarantined in Dallas
Patterico's Pontifications: People Possibly in Contact with Ebola Patient Goes from 12 to 18 to 80 to . . . 100
Irin Carmon / msnbc.com:
5th Circuit decision to close most of Texas abortion clinics — The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Thursday allowed Texas to begin enforcing tough new abortion restrictions that will effectively close all but eight abortion facilities in the nation's second-largest state.
Discussion: ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Washington Post and Associated Press
Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress: If You Are Pro-Choice, This Is The Single Most Ominous Paragraph You Will Read Today
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Supreme Temptation on Abortion Policy
Paul Waldman / Washington Post: The Texas abortion decision: On the state level, conservatives are winning
Manny Fernandez / New York Times:
Decision Allows Abortion Law, Forcing 13 Texas Clinics to Close
Decision Allows Abortion Law, Forcing 13 Texas Clinics to Close
Discussion: American Prospect, Dallas Morning News and Liberaland
Adele M. Stan / American Prospect: How the Koch Brothers Helped Bring About the Law That Shut Texas Abortion Clinics
Wayne Slater / Dallas Morning News: Poll: Davis cuts Abbott's lead, still not winning big share of women
Rusty Marks / Charleston Gazette:
Sources: Charleston cop suspended over videos — Charleston Police Lt. Shawn Williams talks to the media on the West Side in April. Williams has been suspended from the force and is under investigation. — CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Charleston police lieutenant on paid administrative leave …
Discussion: Liberaland and Raw Story
NBC News:
NBC News Freelancer in Africa Diagnosed With Ebola — An American freelance cameraman working for NBC News in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola and will be flown back to the U.S. for treatment.
Discussion: ABC News, CNN, Scared Monkeys, The PJ Tatler, The Huffington Post, Reuters, The Right Scoop, KFOR-TV, Weekly Standard and Instapundit, more at Mediagazer »
Scared Monkeys: Dr. Gil Mobley Dresses Up in Ebola Protection Suit at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport …
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: NBC Freelance Photographer in Liberia Has Ebola
Jack Mirkinson / The Huffington Post: Mother Of NBC Freelancer With Ebola Says She Is Praying His Symptoms 'Don't Worsen'
Daniel Halper / Weekly Standard: NBC Crew to Be Quarantined for 21 Days
Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit: WELL, THIS IS COMFORTING: NBC News Freelancer in Africa Diagnosed with Ebola.
Thomas Burr / Salt Lake Tribune:
Despite voter-registration snafu Mitt Romney not shunning GOP — Mix-up » Errant form also lists old address next to warning that false information could be a misdemeanor. — | The Salt Lake Tribune — Washington • Mitt Romney, whose name keeps popping up as a possible three …
Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Liberaland and OnPolitics
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Romney Voter Fraud?
Philip Bump / Washington Post: Mitt Romney didn't declare a party on his Utah voter registration form. Intrigue!
Catalina Camia / OnPolitics: Oops! How Mitt Romney almost rejected Republican Party
Laura Vozzella / Washington Post:
McAuliffe aide suggested job for senator's daughter if he remained in his seat — RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's chief of staff left a voice-mail message for a Democrat who was on the verge of quitting the General Assembly in June, saying that the senator's daughter might …
Discussion: Hot Air and Talking Points Memo
Peter Hamby / CNN:
Could Rand Paul support gay marriage? — Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) — Campus politics aren't always a clear winner for Rand Paul, as he discovered here this week during an appearance at the College of Charleston. — The Kentucky Republican and potential 2016 contender opened …
Discussion: Washington Post and The Daily Caller
Dionne Searcey / New York Times:
Jobless Rate in U.S. Falls Below 6% as Hiring Picks Up — American companies are hiring again at a healthy pace, adding 248,000 jobs in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. — The unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent, the first time it had been below 6 percent since July 2008 …
Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Liberaland and Outside the Beltway
The White House:
Remarks by the President on the Economy — Northwestern University — THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Evanston! (Applause.) Hello, Northwestern! (Applause.) Thank you so much. Everybody, have a seat. Have a seat. It is so good to be here. Go 'Cats! (Applause.)
Jason Furman / White House.gov Blog: The Employment Situation in September
Scott Johnson / Power Line: Obama's useful reminder
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: Hungry. For Change, Sure, But Also Just Hungry.
Lolgop / Eclectablog: FUN FACT: More net jobs have been created under Obama than both Bushes combined
Robert Borosage / Campaign for America's Future: September Jobs Report: The Old Economy Strikes Back
Sahil Kapur / Talking Points Memo:
Obama: Obamacare A Threat To Freedom On Fox News But It's Working In Reality
Obama: Obamacare A Threat To Freedom On Fox News But It's Working In Reality
Discussion: Liberal Values
Fox News:
Panetta unloads on White House for pulling US forces out of Iraq — In this Feb. 22, 2013 photo, then U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta addresses a news conference during a NATO meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels. (Reuters) — Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta …
Discussion: Fox News Insider and Scared Monkeys
Leon Panetta / TIME:
How the White House Misplayed Iraqi Troop Talks
How the White House Misplayed Iraqi Troop Talks
Discussion: The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress, Fox News, mccain.senate.gov, Speaker.gov, Lawfare, Power Line, Fox News Insider and "The Lid"
Josh Rogin / The Daily Beast: Obama's Ex-CIA Chief Slams White House for 'Hesitation and Half Steps'
Chris Stirewalt / Fox News: Obama proves Panetta's point
Leon Panetta / mccain.senate.gov: STATEMENT BY SENATORS McCAIN AND GRAHAM ON SECRETARY PANETTA AND AMBASSADOR CROCKER REFUTING …
Matthew Waxman / Lawfare: Panetta Slams White House on Iraq Withdrawal
Paul Mirengoff / Power Line: Leon Panetta destroys what little was left of Obama's excuse for not leaving troops in Iraq
Jen Psaki / Fox News Insider: Megyn Kelly Presses State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki on Iraq Withdrawal


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Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA)
401 5th Street North, Saint Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: 727-822-3307 • Email: email@example.com
Sunday Worship: 10 a.m. We welcome all who come to our worship services.
Communion is open to all believers!
Active filter: Book: Job (x)
Book: Job (1), Psalm (1), Mark (1), 2 Corinthians (1).
Sermons (1)
|Mark 4:35-41 (Part of the Gospel of Mark series).
|Preached by Paul Gibson on June 24, 2018 (Sunday Morning).
Powered by Sermon Browser


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Video games can be fascinating, a fantastic way to avoid reality with great potential for a hell of a lot of fun, but like many dopamine transmitters, games can get you into trouble if you have a hard time achieving moderation. Under the right circumstances, a video game habit can easily spiral out of control, as it did for Tom Bissell, whose 2010 essay in the Guardian is the best I've ever read on the pleasures and sorrows of video games and addiction. He went on to write more about gaming in his book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter and has managed since to segue into writing the games themselves, including the recent third-person shooter, Gears of War: Judgment.
Unlike Bissell, I skipped the cocaine phase and these days never seem to be able to handle much more than three or four hours (once a week, usually) of sitting in front of my Xbox 360 and virtually shooting, running, ducking, diving, fighting, blowing stuff up or generally saving the world before I'm ready to call it a night. Although I admire Bissell's writing, wish I knew how the hell to get started in his field as a game development writer and share his love for revisiting the perfect game repeatedly, my favorite game isn't Grand Theft Auto.
It's Epic Games' 2011 futuristic science fiction post-apocalyptic hit Gears of War 3, which pits a scrappy international army of overly muscled humans (who curiously never break for the weight room or to quaff a protein shake but nonetheless waddle under their immense, rippled muscle masses like heavily armed Lou Ferrigno clones) against a horrifying array of evil monsters from underground known as the Locust Horde, who will stop at nothing to murder every last one of us in the most terrifying ways possible.
There doesn't seem to be much left to fight for on planet Sera at this low point for humanity, but there's a big boat with a veggie garden and vending machines, and some big-wheeled battle trucks that are pretty cool, along with plenty of burned-out and broken-down buildings rendered beautifully in their magnificent desolation. Unlike many futuristic sci-fi scenarios in games, films, books, comics and elsewhere, these future-human bull necks don't shoot laser beams.
They rely on ballistic weapons that fire bullets, kick wildly, are prone to jamming and overheating, and often go empty. It is this grounding in the visceral, tactile weaponry and the sensation of slamming an oversize, armored soldier into cover amid a hail of enemy fire that makes Gears seem more real. Oh, and an assault rifle with a chainsaw mounted on it doesn't sound all that realistic, but trust me, it rules.
In Gears, nobody pilots a spaceship or floats around in outer space. Nobody jumps and shoots at you from the air, mid-jump, either. In the Gears world, character models and environments carry a definite physical weight. Defending a pathetic little outpost with a small squad against increasingly desperate odds, shoulder to shoulder with buddies, relying on each other to help recover when knocked down and bleeding out…battling back the Horde of scary monsters for the absolute survival of the human species (instead of yet another depressing, dehumanizing human versus human war) never gets old.
Horde mode, a game variant first introduced in 2008 with the release of Gears of War 2, when my friends and I originally embraced it, got even better with the release of Gears 3 in 2011, adding a monetized reward system with expandable defensive fortifications like caltrops, razor wire, laser gates, turrets, sentries, decoys, mechanized attack suits and upgradable air support.
Horde pits a small squad of up to five Gears soldiers (known as Cogs), fighting desperately and cooperatively to survive, to protect the last semblance of human life on Sera by defending dwindling territories (and each other) against a merciless Horde of marauding, vicious, computer-controlled monsters who moan, groan and growl on approach and can briefly paralyze a Cog by shrieking in his or her face.
Shooting at Cogs with pistols, rifles, shotguns, flamethrowers, explosive arrows, "boomshots" (an apt description), missiles and satellite-guided lasers raining fire; swinging explosive ball-and-chains and jumbo meat cleavers at close range; lobbing incendiary, poisonous ink and fragmentation grenades; hurling car-sized blobs of liquid fire and striving unrelentingly to get close enough to literally stomp our skulls into messy pieces of gore, the Horde can really bring a few friends together.
My small group of married 30-something buddies all work full-time in three separate states and convene once a week to wear bulky headphones that allow us to chat as we each sit alone in darkened rooms, connected by our Xbox 360s via the innerwebs, drinking beers and making each other laugh as we battle the Horde together, a band of brothers, our wives occasionally walking by to make fun and laugh at us as we yell into our headsets:
Who's got frags? Grinder! We need a frag here! Zerkers again? I HATE those guys! Somebody get to the Hammer of Dawn! Flamer coming up the stairs! Get that Kantus on the left! Must…reach…Hammer…of…Dawn. I'm down over here! Since when do Brumaks walk through walls? WTF? This underground "digger" gun is total bullshit! It's ruining the whole retro ballistics aesthetic! Who's got $200 for razor wire? Get the Silverback! Mauler on the stairs!
Yes, Gears 3 is a lot better than the more recent game in the series (Judgment)—though this is no fault of Bissell's—and yes, I wrote to Epic to let them know just how surprised and disappointed my friends and fellow Horde buddies and I were and thus how thoroughly we had rejected Judgment. Having entirely eliminated our favorite game mode (Horde) with its simple, elegant design and replacing it with the messy, chaotic Over Run and Survival modes, with Judgment, Epic (or perhaps its subsidiary development studio) failed us.
After playing through the new campaign and wrestling with the new multiplayer and co-op modes for a short while, my Horde team sold all our copies of Judgment and switched back in frustration to Gears 3, but we continue to thoroughly enjoy the older game, hording away together across state lines once a week. I suggested to Epic that they consider releasing an "Epic Horde Edition" of the Gears franchise, including every map from each of the four games and the fortification systems from Gears 3.
This would allow Horde maniacs like us to take in all the different scenery from the entire series while enjoying the best cooperative game mode around. Plus, Epic wouldn't have to build another campaign, so this would keep development costs down. The content is already there; it just needs to be combined into one edition, and the price would be lower for us as well.
Epic wrote me back recently, saying simply that they had "nothing to announce" regarding Horde and that they were "going to have to pass after reviewing my skills and qualifications" regarding my interest in working as a writer in game development. Well, I don't have any qualifications to write for video games. I work as a technical writer and was just asking for their advice on how to get a foot in the door for game development writing, but I guess I'm out of luck. You can't blame me for trying. Can you help, Mr. Bissell? How does any old writer become a video games writer?
Though I completely missed early 70s and 80s game machines by Magnavox, Coleco, Universal Research Labs, Mattel (Intellivision), Milton Bradley (Microvision, anyone?), Emerson (Arcadia 2001?) and other also-rans, I grew up alongside the introduction and evolution of popular mainstream console-based video games and can remember visiting my Grandparents' home as a youngster and seeing PONG on the screen for the first time—my introduction to video games. Yes, doinking around a little white ball with a little white rectangle on my Granddad's little black and white TV was a memorable experience.
As a boy, I visited a neighborhood friend who always had every cool toy that any kid ever wanted (all the coolest Transformers including Jet-Fire and Metroplex; He-Man's Castle Grayskull, Skeletor's Snake Mountain; and every G.I. Joe vehicle I could possibly imagine, even the enormous aircraft carrier, which was just unbelievable at the time. Of course this kid had the Atari 2600 as soon as it hit the shelves.
I'd go over on Saturdays and play Pitfall!, Frogger, Space Invaders, Missile Command, Joust, Spy Hunter and Combat when we weren't hanging out in the awesome custom treehouse in his backyard or enjoying Totino's frozen pizzas and Kool-Aid.
I guess his next-door neighbor felt a little jealous of my friend's mad loot because I remember him lobbing rocks over the fence at us for no apparent reason. I can barely remember my friend going through a couple more Atari consoles, including the 5200 and 7800, before we eventually lost touch. Meanwhile, I had discovered arcade machines and was into Gauntlet, Galaga, After-Burner, Operation Wolf and 1943 at my local arcade.
My first system was the 1985 classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). I tried the Sega Master system and wasn't very impressed. The NES had all the good games anyway. As long as I had my homework taken care of, I could reasonably expect to play the NES as I wished, though at first I wasn't allowed to have any "violent" games and recall begging Mom to let me buy Karate Champ at K-Mart with money I'd saved up from my paper route. "Mom! It's a SPORT!" I pleaded.
That day I went home with Double Dribble, but eventually I was battling with my buddies on Castlevania, Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden, Rygar, Karnov, Trojan, Contra, Kung-Fu, Life-Force and Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!, but I still loved Tetris, Super Mario Bros, RC Pro-Am, and even Double Dribble.
Next up, in 1988, the Sega Genesis blew my mind with 16-bit graphics. The colors! The animation! The bump mapping! This system was a quantum leap ahead. Plus, it was black and looked super cool. My Genesis favorites included Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, Ghouls 'N Ghosts, Altered Beast (of course), The Sword of Vermillion and the seemingly little-known masterpiece Thunder Force III. After a couple years of the Genesis and a brief dalliance in 1990 with the Super NES (F-Zero was pretty cool), I dropped out of video games for about a decade.
The NEC TurboGraphx-16, SNK Neo-Geo, Phillips CD-I, NEC TurboDuo, Atari Jaguar, Goldstar 3DO, Sega Saturn and Nintendo Virtual Boy came and went. By the time the Sony PlayStation had conquered the next generation of consoles in 1994 (the year I graduated from high school), I had lost interest. I was more into playing in rock bands, skateboarding and listening to music than playing video games. The Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast and even the mighty Playstation II were barely noted blips on my radar.
Then something happened late in 2001. I was living with a few dudes in a house in between punk rock tours. We had homemade skate ramps in the backyard, a pool table under the carport, a mini-bike and a motorized grocery cart someone had drunkenly stolen and parked back there. One day I walked by my roommate's bedroom door and happened to glance over his shoulder to his TV. He was playing Halo: Combat Evolved, on a new console called the Xbox, and I was helplessly drawn into the room like the Millenium Falcon caught in a tractor beam.
There was a gigantic controller, an intimidating array of buttons, and it was made by Microsoft. Microsoft? I just sat and watched my roommate play, transfixed. About six months later, my band had returned from a final east-coast tour and broken up. I wasn't sure what I'd do next to make a living, but my first significant purchases were a decent bed and a new Xbox console with Halo.
My decade away from gaming had come to an end. I played through the first two Halo games, along with a few others, and received a new Xbox 360 at launch from my girlfriend in 2005, less than a year before we married, and I have enjoyed it casually (more on this later) ever since. During this time, I never really noticed Nintendo's Gamecube, Wii or Wii U and doubt I'll ever have a Nintendo console again.
It's still fun to revisit those old NES games once and a while, though. I briefly owned a PS3, solely for the blu-ray player and the excellent PS3 exclusives, God of War III and Uncharted 2. The thing is, I never liked the PS3 as well as the Xbox 360—not the software, not the controller, not the user interface, not any of it—so I soon sold the PS3 and bought a stand-alone blu-ray player for my movies.
After eight years of the Xbox 360 and PS3, we are finally on the cusp of a new video game console generation, but things aren't looking so great for casual gamers like me who seem to have been overlooked by Microsoft in its relentless drive to dominate every aspect of the majority of American living rooms. "Casual gamer" might not be really the right term. In fact, I don't know what to call someone like me in corporate video game marketingspeak.
These days, "casual gamer" refers to people who play Angry Birds on their iPads, or Farmville on Fakebook with their smartphones. I may purchase two or three Xbox 360 games a year. It's a safe bet that I'll purchase the new Halo and Gears games as they are released, and sometimes I'll bite for the odd Call of Duty, Battlefield or Medal of Honor update, but I usually sell those as soon as I play through their campaign modes once, barely even try multiplayer modes and am mostly content to find a small number of games I really enjoy and stick with them for a long time.
I guess I could say tend to play what are commonly referred to as the more "hardcore gamer" titles, but I don't fit into that category because I'm not very competitive and tend to either play cooperatively with real-world friends (Horde mode) or by myself through cinematic solo campaigns. As a 36-year-old man, I have little desire to be relentlessly assassinated and insulted by vulgar, racist, sexist, homophobic little boys, should I attempt to dip my toe into random multiplayer match-up rooms.
But maybe, as a tiny minority of co-op/campaign gamers, I don't matter. It seems the vast majority of Xboxers prefer to play online against each other. I prefer to either play cooperatively with friends that I otherwise don't get to see very often or to play solo, working on the campaign story-modes of games, rarely even venturing online. My Horde team doesn't even play the online competitive multiplayer modes.
Horde is co-op. We're friends in real life. It's not a competition against each other; we're a team fighting against the computer and helping each other out. We're not jumping into a randomized online competition with a bunch asshole pre-teens who will most certainly pound our geezer squad into Sera dirt because, well, what fun is that?
And I have other things to do! I have a wife I like to spend time with. I want to read books, cook (more) delicious meals, write stuff, play music and go canoe-camping on the river. Time spent in front of the game console, while fun and often sociable, does not feel productive or creatively satisfying, so it's been relegated into a low-priority zone for me and gets less of my time than the average gamer who plays these kinds of games. So it's not really "casual" in the sense of playing lighthearted, mobile or dance/puzzler games, but it's still casual.
Is there even a demographic for me in the Xbox marketing department—a guy who likes shooters and actioners (and occasionally arcade classics and 2D, side-scrolling stuff) but doesn't make a lot of time for them? A guy that barely buys two or three games a year and almost never even enters multiplayer matchmaking? A gamer who plays "hardcore" titles with "casual" intensity?
With the recent announcement of the new console generation, I feel overlooked and ignored, but it's not surprising. I'm used to not fitting into categories comfortably, but I never would have predicted how disappointing the new Xbox One system would look. The NSA and Microsoft are proving George Orwell right.
Kotaku wrote that the Xbox One's reception was "a disaster" that "ranged from indifference right on down to hostility," in response to which Microsoft tried to "massage the message and justify the extreme measures" and "failed spectacularly."
Slate wrote about Microsoft's recently filed patent that "suggests it is interested in using Kinect to count the number of people in a room in order to charge each person for providing pay-per-user content" and quoted Germany's federal data protection commissioner saying (in Der Spiegel) that "the fact that Microsoft is now spying on my living room is just a twisted nightmare."
Eurogamer wrote that the Xbox One "kills game ownership and expects us to smile" and "signals the most significant divergence to date of Microsofts's goals for the Xbox business from our own. It also puts and unspecified expiration date on every Xbox One game ever made and gives you no control over it. Yes, at a point in time where consoles are becoming less relevant, Microsoft's solution is to make them less permanent…under Microsoft's new rules, we are no longer building a collection of games—we are building a collection of loans that may be recalled from us at any time."
The Guardian agreed and wrote that "with Xbox One, what's yours is theirs," citing its "most drastic, restrictive copyright protection measures yet seen in the tech industry…this is the first time consumers will really have to grapple with the concept that an object, something you can hold in your hands, is not yours. Your game console and your game discs are merely entry tickets to a playground controlled by a vast, multinational company."
TIME wrote that "the notion that we ought to embrace a set-top box that sits in our most intimate spaces, watching and listening to us, always connected to the Internet or minimally connected once every 24 hours, collating and transmitting usage-related information about us to Microsoft…well, Redmond has a message problem. And it's done nothing at E3 to remedy that."
Rolling Stone notes how the Kinect 2 is "always on," and how it is "able to identify individuals based on face and body recognition, works in the dark, records audio and is constantly connected to the Internet and 300,000 Microsoft servers. Even when your Xbox One is off, the Kinect is still listening, watching and waiting." I could go on, but you get the idea. Gamers are angry, but launch is still a few months away.
My top-10 list of what currently sucks about the Xbox One:
1. Forced internet "check in" every 24 hours or you can't play the games that YOU BOUGHT.
2. Required Kinect spycam (with internet connection) that never sleeps. Apparently you can sort of turn it off, but it still listens and gathers data. It knows how many people are in the room, what they're looking at and what their heart rate is. Microsoft says they won't upload this data without your permission if you "turn off" the Kinect, which you can't really even do. How kind of them.
3. No loaning or renting or buying or selling used games, though this is apparently left up to game publishers, who've been pushing for this change for years. TIME calls this policy "clear as mud."
4. They're not really your games anymore, are they? It's a license. It can expire at Microsoft's discretion.
5. If you play a game you bought and uploaded to your console (and automatically the cloud) and you want to play it with a friend on his or her console, you have one hour. One hour?
6. No backward compatibility for your disc-based games, plus eight years worth of purchased and downloaded Xbox Live games become worthless, as they will not transfer to the new system.
7. $500 for a system that Microsoft can tell you what to do with, when and how, with a fixed hard-drive that cannot be expanded.
8. Games playing themselves for you when you're not? No thanks.
9. Broadcasting gaming sessions online? No thanks.
10. Policies may change at any moment. It's not up to you how to use your stuff, even though you bought the stuff.
Top-4 list of what does not appear to suck about the Xbox One:
1. The new controller
2. Blu-ray integration (finally)
3. 500GB hard drive (much bigger but not removable or replaceable)
4. Halo 5 (Why not call it whatever it actually is: Halo 9 or 10?)
The PS4 truly seems to have the edge over the new Xbox. It has no limit on used game swaps or sales. No internet connection is required to play games. Developers can self-publish. The PS4 is $100 cheaper and has 20 exclusive games releasing in the first year. The Big Brother camera is optional. Games appear to be the system's first priority, with music and video streaming included but secondary.
As the New Yorker wrote, the PS4 "won't connect to a larger universe of devices, services, and software" like the Xbox One. As Sony's CEO put it, "the most important thing we need to do is agree and understand that the PS4 is a great video game console that appeals to video gamers." This appears to be the opposite message from the one Microsoft has been advancing.
To be entirely fair, the consoles don't release until November. Features could still be added or removed. It remains to be seen how Microsoft will react to the deluge of vitriol from gamers and tech bloggers. Here's hoping they wake up and snap out of it. They already appear to be on the defensive, issuing confusing sound bites and cancelling executive press interviews at the E3, at a time when they surely expected to be awash in our collective praise and awe.
Is it too late to change these Orwellian policies and give us what we want—ownership of the games, consoles and content we purchase and the freedom to use them as we choose without overt corporate surveillance and command? I guess we'll find out in time for Thanksgiving.
So far, the Guardian has the best summary of the situation in the new console wars and for the first time got me thinking that another Sony system might be in my future, but for now, I'll continue to enjoy my trusty 360 and Gears 3, Horde Mode, hoping for the release of an Epic Horde Edition of Gears, until my old console one day succumbs to the red rings of death or has its software and support yanked by the Microsoft monolith.
It was fun while it lasted, Mr. Gates.
Post-script: A year later, after plenty of online outcry, Microsoft cleaned up most of its Xmess, and I finally bought an Xbone.


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Further legal study
Broaden your academic, research and employment horizons while adding value with specialist skills and knowledge.
Postgraduate study in law is increasingly important in a globalised world as careers demand more focused, sophisticated and advanced legal expertise.
Whether you plan to join the next generation of leading lawyers in New Zealand or strive to become a leader internationally, a postgraduate law qualification from the Auckland Law School will help you stand out among your peers.
About our programmes
Our postgraduate programmes allow you to specialise in areas that are important to employers and suit your academic interests.
The programmes attract a diverse mix of new graduates, all of whom bring their differing perspectives and talents to the postgraduate seminars. This includes:
- Experienced practitioners
- Partners and industry professionals
- International students from various jurisdictions.
Postgraduate programmes offered by the Law School
Postgraduate Certificate in Law
The PGCertLaw is effectively half of a Master of Laws (LLM) degree or Master of Legal Studies (MLS) degree. If you have limited time or wish to study only a few select courses, this programme is ideal.
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is for those pursuing a legal career in New Zealand or internationally.
Master of Legal Studies
The Master of Legal Studies allows other professionals in areas such as planning, education, engineering and commerce to take law courses of relevance to their profession.
Master of Taxation Studies
The Master of Taxation Studies is for law or commerce graduates who intend to make tax consulting or tax advocacy their career.
Doctor of Philosophy
The PhD in Law is an advanced degree awarded for an original contribution to research and academic debate in a student's chosen legal specialisation, with the findings presented in a substantial thesis.
The PhD provides an ideal qualification for individuals wishing to pursue an academic or research career, or legal specialisation.
Specialisations and subject groups
Specialisations enable you to focus your programme on a particular area of study while allowing you the opportunity to pursue other areas of interest.
You can elect to have your LLM or MLS degree awarded in:
- Corporate and Commercial Law
- Environmental Law
- Human Rights Law
- International Law
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Public Law
To learn more about our optional specialisations, visit Postgraduate specialisations in Study options.
Flexible learning
Our postgraduate programmes are structured to allow you maximum flexibility. We understand that personal, family and work commitments are important factors when deciding whether to study, so we offer options that fit with your lifestyle.
Study programmes are designed with the flexibility to cater to a diverse range of people, from legal practitioners to full-time students. There are four to choose from:
- Full semester courses taught in the early evening
- Half-semester courses
- Intensively-taught courses over three to five days
- Independent research programmes
Research centres
Our school is home to a number of renowned research centres, including:
Academic staff specialisations
Our school boasts a wide roster of academic staff members, many of whom are international leaders in their field. They are available to supervise LLM or PhD dissertations or theses in their area of expertise. They also teach on the LLM, MLS and MTaxS programmes throughout the year.
To access our academic research clusters and find out what areas of research academic staff are currently working on, visit our research clusters page.
To browse our list of academic staff members and their preferred areas of research supervision, view our Academic staff specialisations page.


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We have all been to an event where we have nodded off. It's inevitable. Whether it's been a teacher, a lecture, or a corporate event, it's hard to listen. We just have so many other things to think about so when we get a chance to rest, we really take advantage of it.
That's why founders Sara and Veronica knew that there was room for innovation. The best event speakers always got booked and it was hard to find replacements. There were many barriers to entry to finding great event speakers. The process included going through costly bureaus, doings hours of online research, or bugging your personal network for suggestions. It was all tedious.
They founded Orate to solve this problem. It's an online marketplace for event speakers. They shared with us how to evaluate a speaker and why it's important you do your due diligence:
1. Research. Great event speakers take the time to talk with the hosting organization they are speaking to in order to learn how to best connect with attendees. You'll know if you have connected with a good one if they ask the organization questions about audience demographics, what attendees' motives are for attending, and roles and responsibilities within the group.
2. Takeaways. You want to find a speaker that understands your overall objectives. As an organization, you know there is a certain message you want your audience to takeaway from the speaker. The presentation needs to reflect this message.
3. Passion. No matter the industry or topic, a great speaker must convey their passion. If there is no conviction in their message, it can lead to perceived lack of knowledge, credibility, and inauthenticity. Also, some attendee snooze sessions!
4. Storytelling. The best speakers can take their bullet points, and data, and turn it into a compelling, captivating story. By doing their research (#1) in advance, a speaker can ensure he or she focuses on personal or industry related stories that are most relatable to the audience. Stories stir emotion and help people remember their message. Good story = good speaker.
Hiring a speaker can be a tricky and risky process, but that is why Orate is here to help. For some quick tips on how to evaluate speakers, check out their blog post, Hiring a Speaker 101.
For those of you reading this to become a better speaker, find more tips here.
Check out Orate for all of your speaking needs!


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Valsalva maneuver or Valsalva manoeuvre is performed to elicit radicular pain, to determine if this is the cause of patient's lower back pain is due to herniation or if there are signs of inter-ventricular foramen encroachment.
Patient should be awake and cooperative to perform the Valsalva Maneuver.
- Patient may be seated or standing.
- Patient is instructed to take a deep breath and hold while bearing down as if "straining at stool."
Positive Cascade Sign Test
Radicular pain possible space-occupying lesion: disc herniation, tumor, osteophyte interventricular foramen encroachment.
Clinical Notes
Some patients may experience vertigo or syncope while performing this test, therefore caution should be used.
This test increases intra-abdominal and intrathecal pressure.


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This column was contributed by a association member.
I generally advice parents set up approaching guardianships for their accessory accouchement through their wills and trusts.
These families go through all-encompassing planning and anticipation to accomplish the appropriate best in who will accession their accouchement should they become clumsy to do so.
However, best parents rarely accede that they may charge to set up acting guardianships to assure their accouchement over abbreviate periods of time.
For example, some parents may charge to leave their accouchement with a trusted acquaintance or ancestors affiliate if they biking for business, go on vacation or ahead a continued hospital stay.
Or, sometimes, for assorted reasons, there are cases area a adolescent leaves home to alive with a ancestors affiliate or friend.
In these circumstances, it makes faculty to accord their acting caregiver the acknowledged ascendancy to seek medical care, assurance accord forms and added important responsibilities.
As you can imagine, it makes things abundant smoother if there are issues while you're gone.
Another appropriately important acumen to name acting guardians is to ensure addition can accurately break with your kids in an abrupt emergency. Let's say you are in a car blow on the way home from work. Your kids may be in the affliction of a aide who has no abstraction that you've been afflicted or why you never fabricated it home.
After time passes, the sitter—or alike a anxious ancestors member–will artlessly alarm the police. If you haven't larboard anyone acknowledged affidavit to be able to affliction for your kids in emergency, they may be taken into careful casework until a able guardian can be called by a judge.
To abstain this, you can actualize a acting administration certificate acceptance your accouchement to be with addition you assurance until you return, or until abiding guardians can booty over.
You can accept to accord the acting guardian alone assertive specific rights, or to agent all of the rights of a parent, with a few exceptions. You will charge to accept the certificate notarized and accept the signatures of all complex parties.
It's an important footfall in attention your children, so I animate you allocution to your bounded advocate and accomplish abiding you accept abbreviate and abiding guardians in place.
Steven Greenwood, Esq.
Thanks for your feedback.
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Reuben Garrett
My wife Cheryl and I were married at the St. Lawrence Anglican Church in Catford, London in 1969. We have been blessed with two wonderful children. Nigel and Natasha, who, thanks to God's blessings live locally. I am now retired after 50 years in a profession that I loved and enjoyed. I worked in the Engineering/construction industry. With the last 32 years being in the nuclear industry, where, before retirement, I was tasked with various tasks, including construction manager, project field engineer, Project Manager and finally with Nuclear (new plant) project development, mostly overseas projects. I have been attending Good Samaritan church since arrival in the area in 1983/84 and in the early 90s was a member of the Building committee. I am now involved in the Food Closet ministry and work in the collection and packaging of items every week.


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DJ Gallo's Varsity Tailgate, Week 4
It's Week 4 of the college football season already. And it seems like only three weeks ago the season was just starting. Let's jog our memories with another Varsity Tailgate.
Game of the Week
No. 9 Miami at No. 11 Virginia Tech -- 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
The ACC has taken plenty of flak the past few years. And deservedly so. But this is a guaranteed game in which an ACC team will beat a top-15 opponent. (Probably. Maybe they can both figure out a way to lose. Tune in to ABC tomorrow to find out!)
One More Game of the Week
Iowa at No. 5 Penn State -- 8 p.m. ET on ABC
Tailgating before a night game at Penn State is one thing all sports fans should do before they die. Just know it will also be the last thing you do before you die, as you'll likely succumb to alcohol poisoning before kickoff.
Cupcake of the Week
Texas-El Paso: Texas -- which has a home game Saturday against UTEP (3-46 all time against ranked opponents) -- is one of those big-state powers that has the luxury of loading up on in-state cupcakes and calling them in-state "rivalries." Heck, some of the Longhorns' in-state cupcakes are actually named after easily digested foods. They played Rice each of the past six years.
Cupcake Recipe of the Week
Delicious. Just burn them a little bit to give them that burnt orange Texas feel. Looking for something to pair with your Texas Longhorns cupcakes? Might I suggest a juice box. It's recommended by Colt McCoy himself!
Heisman Candidate in the Crosshairs
Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: After three games, McCoy is only pace to throw for 3,436 yards and 24 touchdowns. He's also on pace to throw 16 interceptions. Not exactly the video game numbers you need to be a serious Heisman candidate. He needs to start putting up gaudy numbers and fast or he may find himself only playing for a national championship come the end of the season. Ick.
Tim Tebow Fact of the Week
The longest pass of Tebow's career is a 70-yarder last year against LSU. But did you know he actually threw it the entire circumference of the earth plus 70 more yards? It's true.
Mascot Fact of the Week
Boise State's Buster Bronco is a pervert. Asked by Playboy.com whether ladies love horses, he replied: "You know what ladies say about horses." I know what I say about mascots: I'd want my daughter to steer clear of sweaty guys who wear masks.
Tailgate Tip of the Week
Bring the red cups
What? What do you mean you don't have them? You said you were going to bring the red cups. I even texted you this morning to remind you. Great. Idiot. Now we're going to get arrested.
Quote of the Week
"I'm glad [the No. 4 ranking is] gone so we can get back to working and win some ballgames. You can't really pay attention to that anyway. I'm glad it's over with so everybody can just stop talking about it and play ball."
Bradley Sowell, Ole Miss OT, on losing to South Carolina
Great logic here. The only problem is that if the 15 or 20 teams that will now be in front of Mississippi employ it, the Rebels will be back up to No. 4 again in no time. Or possibly even higher. D'oh! Foiled.
Stat of the Week
6-4: Iowa is one of only three teams with an all-time winning record against Joe Paterno at Penn State. Thankfully for the Nittany Lions, JoePa probably has a short memory.
Charlie Weis' Hot-Seat Temperature
Warm: Had Notre Dame not pulled out the win last week against Michigan State, Weis' dismissal would have been all but guaranteed. Now he has new life. But even if he does get canned at the end of the season, he has some options. For example, it seems as though the New England Patriots could use an offensive coordinator.
Lane Kiffin NCAA Violation of the Week
None: This is getting boring now. He even clammed up about Urban Meyer after getting in a classic line earlier in the week about blaming the flu next time Tennessee has a poor performance. He had a chance there to become our nation's first pandemic comic.
Worst Game of the Week
Central Florida at East Carolina
I don't want to watch this football game. However, I would very much like to see a Knight and a Pirate fight. Sure, you might give the advantage to the Knight, what with the armor. But Pirates are much more nimble because they're not so weighted down. Unless it's a peg-legged pirate with a fat parrot on his shoulder. Touché. In that case, I'm going with the Knight again.
Name of the Week
Erik Folk, K, Washington: Every game-winning kick he ever makes in his career will instantly = "Folk Hero" headlines. The headline writers of America thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Folk, for encouraging your son to be a place-kicker. They consider you to be great Folks.
Player of the Week
Jahvid Best, RB, Cal: Sam Bradford is hurt. Tebow and McCoy are putting up pedestrian numbers. What is this? A running back has a chance to win the Heisman this year? Running backs barely even win the Doak Walker Award anymore.
Stone-Cold Lock
A top-5 team has lost in each of the first three weeks of the season. I say it will happen again this week!
DJ Gallo is the founder of and sole writer for the sports satire site SportsPickle.com. He also is a regular contributor to ESPN The Magazine and has written for The Onion and Cracked. His first book, "SportsPickle Presents: The View from the Upper Deck," is on sale now.
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text:
Myron Eulogies (written years ago)
Wacko Brother -via email-
Myron, you have really done it now. Your obituary huh!! We you had better
buy a big tombstone because people are going to have a lot to say. Or are
you going to be cremated with your ashes spread across the bike ride across
Kansas route? I have been thinking of things to put on your Obit page.
How about, He Came He Saw, He Slept!! Or maybe "Work is contagious but I
never get sick". I am going to make up all original ones here. Who knows
maybe when you get them all in your book you will have best seller!!
Dale Holter (older brother) |Brother Dale's email|
(no home page yet)
MB reply: -from heaven-:
Thanks for writing in my Eulogy section
brother Dale. I will cherish these words now on the internet forever !!!!
I had never really thought of having my ashes spread out throughout
Kansas, but that's a good idea. There is a problem though, the plot has
been paid (WestLawn Cemetery) and I want to get my monies worth. Now what do I do ???
Guess maybe I will write what to do in my future book.
The Master(dead)Biker ...
replying from the pearly gates through the internet...Myron D. Holter....
The Day Myron Died: by Bryce Holter,
The day that Myron Holter Died, Rodney Dangerfield lost a relative. Rodney
got all of Myron old suits back except the one that he was wearing, you
know the blue plaid one that he should future in the internet home page. I
think you still own that Plaid suit, don't you.
Myron home page is still being view for all the world to view. On his
obituary it reads, Myron Holter: Born a great Norski, and want to be Master
Biker,Just kidding. His family was in sorrow following that 1973 pickup to
the place of rest. They felt sorry for the old pickup, so they barried the
pickup. HA HA. I am writing just for fun.
The guest speakers at that funeral, were Rodney Dangerfield, Fred Stanford
Myron's role model,and Al Bundy. Rodney said, "Myron got no respect."
Fred said,"Where is the free meal!" and Al Bundy said, "Why couldn't it
have been Peg!"
In the ground,Myron, Is still alive, in very ones heart and on the
internet. His ghost is still through e-Mail, so all of his relatives can read his e-mail.
Bryce (Albert) Holter is my nephew, Ronny & Anitra's son
MB reply -from heaven-:
Thanks for remembering me in my great momentius moment in meeting
up with Jesus. So let me explain something, I really miss my plaid suit, worn
to many nephews and nieces weddings before my sister sister-in-law wrote from England not
to wear that suit anymore. Sally had to finally throw it away.
Tears flowed freely on that emotional day.
Rodney and I are good buddies
Actually I've been told I'm like Robin Williams, but what can I say...
I'm in heaven writing to you through the internet. Maybe there's a combination of all those
comedians you mentioned above.
After the 1973 Ford Truck delivers my body to WestLawn, I want it delivered to Breakthrough
House here in Topeka, burying it with me is too extravagent...........MB (reporting from heaven).....
Lets face it, we got a wierd brother here. But lets be honest, I bet we have
all wondered what might be said about us at our departure from this world.
But only brother Myron would ask for it to be told now!
I believe this all started back when he stuck his finger in that electrical
socket of the lamp, while he and I were playing in the dirt crawl space
beside the basement steps. I remember the howling and screaming as he could not get
his finger out. I had to run away from fear of what was happening, as I knew
even at my young age this was not a good thing to be doing. I do beleive now
,looking back, that at this time his brain was short circuited and he wasn't
normal ever since.
His wife of many years, Sally, must have been a saint to put up with all his
wackiness. I can remember growing up with him that I couldn't imagine any
girl being interested in him. I think that is a normal feeling sisters have
for brothers. I always thought he was a dork. I guess Sally didn't think
so, as they were happily married for so many years. Quite an accomplishment for
the 90's, don't you think?
Sally thought he was a hunk! His sister thought he was a dork. Guess that
made my brother Myron a hunky dorky!
We came of age in the 60's and I don't remember the word nerd being used back
then. This is written in 1997 and nerd would be the relevant word for now.
Myron even referred to himself as a nerd. I didn't know what a PNN was and
had to ask him once. He told me he was called a postal puter nerd at work.
This is because it was his job to sit at a computer all day. Then he would
come home to his personal computer and think of wacky stuff to put on his
home page. I do beleive he was suffering from cyber pseudo psychosis. A cure has
>not been found to this day. He died being a nerd and proud of it.
Everyone liked him as he didn't have a mean bone in his body. And I forgave
him for being a ditto head, politics was just never my thing.
He always signed off his WEB page by saying he was happy to meet up with
Jesus someday. And I beleive he did just that. We are told heaven is a happy
place and I can see him sitting at the big computer in the sky being a heavenly
hunky dorky nerd!! See ya there cyberbromy.
Cybersis#2 (Julie)
(Julie is my baby sister)
MB's Reply (from the Pearly gates)
Thanks sis for your kind remarks .. by the way, our DAD (Adoph) sends you his love.
I had forgotten about almost being electrocuted when I was about 6 or 7.
Why did you run off, didn't you know that your model brother, the future
nerd was in getting short circuited !!!!???? I vaguely remember that incident.
Did you cry for help or where you cowering in the corner somewhere. Maybe
it was a blessing in disguise.... I've become a short circuited hunky dorky
Stay tuned for some more analagy of our childhood, but first St. Peter wants
me to collect ALL the jokes coming from ALL over on the internet.
This is to Brother Dale.... do you suppose you could set me up with a wireless
email connection address??? like maybe email@example.com, then
then I'll be all set up for the internet forever....
Who says you can't take it with you!!
(My future daughter-in-law ??)
Myron Holter...A man loved by all. Definately Misunderstood. A nerd at times
but an all around nice guy. Myron died at age of 65 at wife Sally's Xmas party
dancing on a table after one to many cups of coffee. He was just getting ready
to retire from the USPS after many years of slacking off with them. Sally is
ready to collect the insurance and go on a teddy bear shopping spree. Funeral
Services will be held at Memorial Park Cemetry..Just look for the Green truck.
Myron took pride in that truck, Last words were prepare my truck Sally.
Myron is survived by a large family. Sally his wife of many years, Two sons,
John and his wife Suzanne and their two childrens Wetsy and Betsy. Mark the
younger brother, wife Anita, and their 8 children. Peter, Paul, Mary, Mariah,
Micheal, David, Bart, and Jordan. He also is survived by his large internet
family. His web page was famous. Brothers and sisters are as follows, Wes,
Dale, Julie, and Depha, (sure hope I got all those right with no help).
Nephews Lance and Kylin Holter will be the designated driver. Dont know if
Kylin can handle that one. Heard he is a crazy driver. Max will sit on the end
of the truck and holds the sign....."Here lays the Master Biker".
MB'S reply:
(reporting back from heaven)
Thanks my lovely daughter for carrying on the Myron Holter's name !!!!
(Wetsy and Betsy)... My question is "Is Wetsy a boy or girl???"
Perhaps Wetsy could be a future pallbearer (If it's a boy)
I plan on putting up for bids on the internet the driver of my hearse,
the 1973 Ford Truck. I like Max riding shotgun though....
BYE BYE gotta go, St. Peter's got a golf game up, and I'm trying to show
DAD how to grip the club correctly.... Oh by the way... you guys can have
the SPA....
|Back Home|
Labels: myron's obituaries


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The wacky scientist
Saturday, December 22, 2012
So it's that time of year again in which we reflect on the main events of 2012 and look ahead to next year...
2013 Smart Guide: Revolutionary human stem cell trial - health - 19 December 2012 - New Scientist
If all goes to plan, 2013 should see the first human trial of "rewound" cells (iPSC)! -
I'd love to hear your views and predictions for the incoming year...please post below!
and....MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR :D
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Self-Guided Walking Tours
On this tour, you will meet community leader Queene Amirian, muralist Victor Arnautoff, education advocate Anna Zschokke, former Palo Alto mayor Sid Espinosa, artist Irene Ruth Mock Wong, and tech visionaries Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard.
You will also learn about Chinese immigrant Wong Foon Yen (pictured here) and her time on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay.
THis tour is 2 miles long and includes 7 stops.
Meet Captain John Lucas Greer and his wife Maria, suffragist and pioneer Sarah Wallis, Mayfield postmaster Lambert Dornberger, and nonprofit founder Audrey Li (pictured here).
You will also meet Jesus Ramos and Secundino Robles, who farmed the 8,418-acre Rancho Rincon de San Francisquito (today, south Palo Alto and Barron Park).
THis tour is 3.7 miles long and includes 5 stops.
HIlls / University
On this tour, you will meet trailblazer Juana Briones, Mayfield's first treasurer E. Frederick Weisshaar, and politician and industrialist Leland Stanford (pictured here).
You will learn the Frenchman's real name and why he changed it en route to America. You will meet James Otterson, who built the first tavern in Mayfield, and Jane Stanford, who co-founded Stanford University and kept it going after her husband's death.


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Marmara University carries out education on 9 campuses in Istanbul on both the Asian and European shores. The Acıbadem, Anadoluhisarı, Bağlarbaşı, Başıbüyük, Göztepe, Haydarpaşa, Kartal campuses are on the Asian shore, while the Bahçelievler, Sultanahmet, campuses are on the European shore.
The total area of the campuses is 617,782.9 m²; the largest is the Başıbüyük Campus with 181,754 m². The Göztepe Campus measures 153,394 m², while the Anadoluhisarı Campus measures 121,992 m² and Haydarpaşa Campus consists of 62,029 m². The smallest campuses consist of one individual building anda re the Şişli (170 m²), Beyazıt (525 m²) and Kartal (1,000 m²) campuses.
Acıbadem Campus
The Fine Arts Faculty and Fine Arts Institute are located here.
|Address: Küçük Çamlıca
34718 Kadıköy
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel: 0 216 339 18 83
Anadoluhisarı Campus
Includes 4 departments of the Business Faculty
- Business (German)
- Business (English)
- Business Informatics (German)
- Business
4 political sciences departments
- Public Administration
- Public Administration (French)
- Political Sciences and International Relations
- Political Sciences and International Relations (English)
The Physical Education and Sports School in located here.
|Address: Cuma Yolu Caddesi
34820 Anadoluhisarı - Beykoz
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel: 0 216 308 56 60
Bağlarbaşı Campus
Theology Faculty, Istanbul Zeynep Kamil Health School and Theology Vocational School are located here.
|Address: Mahir İz Caddesi
34662 Bağlarbaşı
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel:0 216 414 05 45
Bahçelievler Campus
Includes 4 Departments of the Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculty
- Econometry (Day and Evening Education)
- Economics (Day and Evening Education)
- Business (Turkish)
- Finances (Day and Evening Education)
The Social Sciences Institute is located here
|Address: Ressam Namık İsmail Sok.
No:1 34180 Bahçelievler
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel:0 216 507 99 25
Başıbüyük Campus
The Gastroenterology Institute and Neurology Sciences Institute are located here.
Address: Nörolojik Bilimler Enstitüsü,
Google Maps Link
Göztepe Campus
The Atatürk Education Faculty, Science-Literature Faculty, Engineering Faculty, Technical Education Faculty, Technological Faculty, Banking and Insurance School, Jewelry Technology and Design School, Foreign Languages School, Technical Vocational School, European Union Institute, Banging and Insurance Institute, Educational Sciences Institute, Science Institute, Turkiyat Research Institute, Atatürk Principles and Reforms History Department and Turkish Language Department are located here.
|Address: Göztepe Kampüsü
34722 Kadıköy
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel:0 216 414 05 45
Haydarpaşa Campus
The Pharmacy Faculty, one department of the Fine Arts Faculty, Law Faculty, Medical Faculty, Nursing School (which is being closed down at the present time), Justice Vocational School, Health Services Vocational School and the Health Sciences Institute are located here.
|Address: Tıbbiye Cad. No: 49
34688 Üsküdar
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel: 0 216 414 05 45
Kartal Campus
The Health Sciences Faculty is located here.
|Address: E-5 YanyolTıbbiye Cad.
34865 Cevizli - Kartal
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel: 0 216 414 44 23
Sultanahmet Campus
The Middle Eastern Research Institute is located here.
|Address: Marmara Üniversitesi Rektörlük
34413 Sultanahmet
İstanbul / TÜRKİYE
Tel: 0 212 518 16 00


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Currently; for all things magic, soft, timeless & ancient.
Got my hands on the Sony A7RIII. impressed so far, even while using the metabones adapter 👌🏼✨🤟🏼
Hoping it saves my hands and wrists on 10/12/14 hour back to back days! The sharpness and speed of the face detection focus is remarkable. Can't wait to try it out for real on the job this weekend 📷
noun, plural hy·dras, hy·drae
- (often initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. a water or marsh serpent with nine heads, each of which, if cut off, grew back as two; Hercules killed this serpent by cauterizing the necks as he cut off the heads.
- any freshwater polyp of the genus Hydra and related genera, having a cylindrical body with a ring of tentacles surrounding the mouth, and usually living attached to rocks, plants, etc., but also capable of detaching and floating in the water.
- a persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as one aspect is solved.
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Sea Serpent, a large southern constellation extending through 90° of the sky, being the longest of all constellations.
Origin: 1325–75; < Latin < Greek hýdrā water serpent
New Ideas 💡 New Paths New Goals New Ventures No turning back 🙌🏼
More on this project soon
C x
New Year, New Goals, New Beginnings
2016 was phenomenal.
Adem put a diamond ring on it, we visited Greece & Turkey, met inspirational people and learnt things about ourselves and one another. I left my casual job, and I have been focusing purely on my photography since June. 2017 has a lot to offer and I am pretty excited to get started on it. It feels different to this time last year, I feel more focused, confident and happy about where I am and what I plan to achieve. Let the magic begin.
Here are some snippets of our Summer Holiday Adventures in Aus!
Love C x


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Aspen Heights Goes Greek and Wins Student Housing Award
When Aspen Heights has its eye on developing a new student housing community, you can bet everybody on campus is going to know about it.
The eight-year-old student housing provider based in Austin, Texas, does a full-out marketing blitz to announce its arrival. The campus and nearby businesses and organizations are natural targets, but a trip down Greek Row is not at all out of the question.
Social Media Success Makes Aspen Heights the Real Winner
The company leveraged its marketing to capture the attention of sororities and fraternities through a social media contest – the Aspen Heights Greek Giveaway – that contributed to a swift lease-up of its new Clemson, S.C., property in 2013.
Using the Offerpop.com platform, Aspen Heights drove engagement on its Facebook page by pitting sororities against each other in a "Battle of the Greeks" for three days in September 2012. The organization that received the most votes won the grand prize of $750 to go to their philanthropy. Others that posted 500 votes or more got $250 toward their philanthropy.
The battle generated 1,524 fans, nearly doubling previous counts through previous Aspen Heights Facebook marketing efforts. The contest – won by Zeta Tau Alpha by just a laurel over Delta Zeta – also resulted in 6,356 clicks to the contest link (including 5,734 unique users) and 2,554 total votes.
When the dust settled, Aspen Heights was the clear winner. Their website had 1.9 million page impressions across 248,000 users in three days. That contributed to a 25 percent lease-up on the first day of leasing for the new property. By the end of the year, Aspen Heights was 97 percent leased.
Battle of the Greeks Awarded Best Social Media Campaign for Student Housing
The contest earned Aspen Heights the award for "Best Social Media Campaign" at April's 6th Annual InterFace Student Housing Conference.
The Greek Giveaway reigned in Facebook users through a contest that otherwise would not have been permitted on the social media giant. Two years ago, Facebook frowned on on-page voting, so Offerpop.com, a contest platform, was enlisted to open the polls and get Aspen Heights to the Greek. Participants were encouraged to like Aspen Heights' Facebook page during the voting process.
Aspen Heights Digital Marketing Manager Steve Miller said the three-day window on the contest is just right and enabled maximum participation that took the contest viral. People, Miller said, realized that they have to share the experience then and there.
"By doing that three-day voting period, it really gets you super concentrated three days of voting," he said.
Contest Builds Aspen Heights' Brand Awareness
Since the first contest, the company, which leased its first student housing community in 2007, has hosted others in the last year to launch properties in Charlotte, N.C., Fort Collins, Colo., Starkville, Miss., and Corpus Christi and San Marcos, Texas. Participation is still tracked but more emphasis is now being put on the return on investment.
Miller said the ROI was better than using traditional Facebook advertising, which the company had enlisted in the past. "For us, it was a good investment," he said.
While the contests contribute to lead generation, the ultimate benefit is building Aspen Heights' brand awareness, Miller said. Since entering the student housing market in 2007, the company is working to become a recognizable name on campus by thinking beyond traditional marketing efforts.
Creating an Off-Campus Greek Row Increases Lease-Up
Marketing to sororities and fraternities that already provide beds may seem a bit of a stretch, but Miller points out that the majority of brothers and sisters are short-timers when it comes to living in the house. Plus, there is only so much room under one roof.
Typically, members who have to seek quarters elsewhere want to be close by to the frat house, so that presents an opportunity for Aspen Heights to create sections of the neighborhood similar to an off-campus Greek Row. The result typically is that sorority and fraternity members migrate to the areas so they can live closer together.
"For them, it feels like a second Greek Row," Miller said. "We're able to have a lot of success with leasing in groups."
But Aspen Heights creates a sense of community by engaging students even beyond Greek Row. Miller said the goal is to build on the excitement and contribute to the enjoyment of the college experience.
In addition to using social media to build awareness, part of the rush onto a new campus revolves around distributing "a ton of swag" that includes t-shirts, glasses, hats and anything else to get the message out. "T-shirt Tuesdays" rewards students who are found on campus wearing an Aspen Heights t-shirt.
"Our goal is that there's no way you could not have heard about us over the course of the first three or four months we're on campus," Miller said. "Because we are coming in brand new, we have to make a big splash quickly, especially when we don't have a neighborhood to show you yet. We want to be able to provide the type of experience that you will have on our property."
(All images courtesy of Aspen Heights)


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|Christoph Wilhelms <Christoph.Wilhe...@impress.com>
|RE: [VOTE] Ant2 codebase adoption process
|Thu, 24 Jan 2002 19:23:02 GMT
> As someone who wears a "build-master" hat (among others), I > can say this: > If there's some compelling reason to switch, it'll get done. IOW, if > there's something I really want/need with Ant2 that I can't > get from Ant1, > then I'll grab Ant2 and have at the build. Afterall, it > wouldn't be any > different than finding some wholly new tool that does > something better or > not available with the currently used tool and switching to that (eg., > scrapping an old Make process to switch to a slick new tool). > As long as > the pay-off is there, and the impact on the process end-users > is minimal > (eg., developers can still use the new process as easily, or > more so, as > the old one), it's not only not that big of a deal to re-work > things, it's > pretty much my job :) Of course you are right (as always :-)). I'd do the same, beeing the "build-master" of a subproject ATM... Afterall the I still believe acceptance for Ant 2, IMHO, would be bigger, if the buildfiles and the task-API would be similar to the current one. Ok: I do very much trust in this community, because it's very careing for our Ant, so: Whatever the community will decide on, I'll definately support as good as I can! Good night everybody! Chris -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: <mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com> For additional commands, e-mail: <mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com>
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Date Saturday 10th December
Doors 6:30pm
Tickets $21.50
Mick Medew, award winning rock guitarist and singer/songwriter has travelled throughout Australia, America and Europe performing original rock to fans of the Independent Music Scene. Many know Medew's talent from his band, The Screaming Tribesmen and his songs from that era. Favourites: 'Igloo', 'Ice', 'Date With A Vampyre', 'Gonna Mess With You' and 'I Got A Feeling' are still dynamic songs today and are often included in his current set.
Supporting Mick for this show will be Sabrina Lawrie (https://www.facebook.com/SabrinaLawrieMusic).
Sabrina has been kicking around with that SG of hers in the Brisbane underground scene since the late nineties. Her honest approach has seen her deeply entrenched in this scene both in Brisbane and Los Angeles and has cast a spotlight on her reputation for flying under the radar and going against the grain.
Catch Mick and Sabrina Saturday December 10th for what promises to be a special evenings entertainment.
Doors - 6.30pm
Show - 8.00pm
Tickets - $21.50
(Tickets available from www.stickytickets.com.au)


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Something new!
Things have been a bit busy around the This Board Game Life studio. Time to get things rolling again with a little teaser video!
Things have been a bit busy around the This Board Game Life studio. Time to get things rolling again with a little teaser video!
If you haven't heard of Solforge, it's a new digital deck building game that's being developed by the makers of the popular Ascension series.
Solforge features some very innovative concepts including the ability for cards to actually get more powerful over the course of the game. If this were a physical card game, I would imagine that this would be very hard to do. Nonetheless, the game looks quite amazing.
An iPad version was released back in December and now people can enjoy the game on their PCs as well. Granted, it's a beta version, but it should be fun enough as it is. If you Kickstarted the game, you should be receiving a Steam code via email soon to get the game loaded and running.
Sage Board Games just released Tigris & Euphrates for Android devices. This game has been quite popular with the IOS crowd for some time now and now we Android owners can join in on the fun.
The game is now up on the Play store for $3.99 and is available to Android devices that are Android v2.3+.
Currently, only AI and pass&play modes are supported with online multiplayer coming in a future update.
The Walking Dead TV show is one of the finest shows on television at the moment… and this is coming from someone that doesn't normally care for zombie movies/shows. On the gaming front, we have had a mixed bag when it comes to the Walking Dead.
Last year we had the fantastic episodic video game from Telltale Games (do yourself a favor and play this NOW!) and the recent not so good Walking Dead Survival Instincts. On the board game front there's one board game based on the comic book and another based on the TV show. Now, enter a THIRD contender!
Cryptozoic is releasing a Walking Dead card game based on Wolfgang Kramer's popular 6 Nimmt! game. The game will have two play modes, a Survival game that's for 3-10 players, and a Hero game that's for 2-6. The game comes with 114 cards and retails for a mere $15.00. This is one I will definitely pick up!
Look for it on the shelves soon after it's April 12th release date!
Balloon Cup is a game that I have enjoyed quite a bit but I've been stuck playing it solely on Yucata as the game is long out of print. Used copies are available every so often, but at a high cost.
Then, late last year, I was quite pleased to learn that Rio Grande Games planned to release a new printing of it titled Pinata. Surprisingly, this is how designer Stephen Glenn originally themed the game and Balloon Cup is technically the re-theme!
The game is set to be released in the US on April 10th and have a MSRP of $29.99.
Look for it soon!


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Download and Read the Jasusi Dunia Jild 04 in Pdf file format.
Scroll Down To Download the PDF file of Jasusi Dunia Jild 04.
Contents of Jasusi Dunia Jild 04
Mout Ki Aandhee / موت کی آندھی
Heeray Ki Kaan / ہیرے کی کان
Tijoree Ka Geet / تجوری کا گیت
About the Author (ابن صفی)
Introduction / تعارف
Ibn-e-Safi (also spelled as Ibne Safee) (Urdu: ابنِ صفی) was the pen name of Asrar Ahmad (Urdu: اسرار احمد), a best-selling and prolific fiction writer, novelist and poet of Urdu from Pakistan. The word Ibn-e-Safi is an Arabian expression which literally means Son of Safi, where the word Safi means chaste or righteous. He wrote from the 1940s in India, and later Pakistan after the independence of British India in 1947.
His Work
His main works were the 125-book series Jasoosi Dunya (The Spy World) and the 120-book Imran Series, with a small canon of satirical works and poetry. Novels of him were characterised by a blend of mystery, adventure, suspense, violence, romance and comedy, achieving massive popularity across a broad readership in South Asia.
Download and Read the Jasusi Dunia Jild 04 in Pdf file format.
Click below on the Download Button…


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Our entrepreneurial activities include developments in real estate projects and business development. We are active as investors and partners as well as advisors to our clients.
Real Estate Investments As entrepreneurs, we are looking for interesting real estate properties with development potential (land for building, residential properties, hotel properties and commercial properties). As advisors, we support our clients in all matters in connection with buying, developing, financing, restoring, renovating, furnishing and marketing of real estate.


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Snooki And Jwow
Do you love Jersey Shore? If you do then you definitly should watch the spin off which is called Snooki and Jwow.
Snooki and Jwow is a spinoff of the hit television series Jersey Shore. It follows the life of Snooki and Jwow living together in Jersey City. It is a drama but there is also humor in it too. It is a reality show and if you love Snooki and know about her pregnancy then this is the show for you.
Snooki is pregnant and engaged and Jwow is her roomate and has to live with all the drama. Jwow is also in a relationship with her boyfriend Roger. On the show she has is going through relationship drama.
Snooki and Jwow airs every Thursday night at 10pm on MTV. Once again if you love hearing all about Snooki this is the show for you. You will experience laughs and the drama will make you want to watch it more and more.
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