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Washington State Tries To Criminalize Service Providers For User Behavior; Internet Archive Sues
from the section-230,-have-you-read-it? dept
However, it appears that some politicians in Washington State decided to pass a state law (SB 6251) which targets service providers. It's one of those laws that it's easy for politicians to get behind without realizing what they're actually doing. They think they're "protecting the children" but they're actually making the problem significantly worse. That's because they're not setting up a better way to track down and stop those actually responsible, but rather are simply telling them to move further underground, where it will be even harder to stop them.
And, of course, in their zeal to "protect the children" the politicians who passed this bill wrote it so broadly that it can create massive problems for tons of legitimate online service providers. The Internet Archive, represented by the EFF, has filed to join a lawsuit (from Backpage) against the law, pointing out that it clearly violates Section 230 of the CDA, which providers the necessary safe harbors for service providers. The overreach of the Washington law is pretty astounding:
SB 6251 would effectively coerce, by threat of felony prosecution, online service providers to become censors of third-party users' content by threatening five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine per violation against anyone who knowingly publishes, disseminates or displays or anyone who "indirectly" "causes" the publication, dissemination, or display of content that contains an explicit or even "implicit" offer of any sexual contact for "something of value" in Washington if the content includes an image that turns out to be of a minor. Because of its expansive language (i.e., "indirectly" "causes"), the law could be applied not only to online classified ad services like Backpage.com but also to any web site that provides access to third-party content, including user comments, reviews, chats, and discussion forums, and to social networking sites, search engines, Internet service providers, and more. A law that takes such an overbroad approach is of serious concern to the Internet Archive, which aims to serve as a library for the Internet, and accordingly, houses more than 150 billion web pages archived since 1996.I'm sure the folks behind this law had the best of intentions. Sex trafficking of underage persons is a very real and horrific problem (even if the numbers bandied about are massively exaggerated). But the real solution is to go after the actual perpetrators, and that means working with service providers to help track them down -- not criminalizing the service providers in a way that kills off lots of legitimate activity as well.
The law expressly states that it is not a defense that the defendant did not know that the image was of a minor. Instead, to avoid prosecution, the defendant must obtain governmental or educational identification for the person(s) depicted in the post (notably, even if that ID does not contain a photograph). This means that service providers – no matter where headquartered or operated – may be asked to review each and every piece of third-party content accessible through their services to determine whether the content is an "implicit" ad for a commercial sex act in Washington, whether it includes a depiction of a person, and, if so, obtain and maintain a record of the person's ID. These obligations would severely impede the practice of hosting third-party content online.


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Celebrating Mexican history integrated and showcased through film, Cabo San Lucas was the home of the first Annual Baja International Film Festival (BIFF). Everyone loves a good movie, and what more can you ask for than to view great movies in the beautiful setting that back drops Cabo San Lucas. BIFF took place November 14-17th in Cabo San Lucas, and had promised to deliver the 'best of the best' of movies paired with a setting you can not compare. BIFF will proved to set the tone for the top 'must see' films for the upcoming year.
Day two of the BIFF took place at Los Cabos Convention Center, where guests were able to enjoy a variety of food from outstanding local vendors which delivered decadent tasty bites while mingling. The convention center was backed by the beautiful natural setting and indoor vegetation as the live walls came to life which proved to add to the afternoon. After a day of watching impeccable film screenings and international shorts while mixing in the hospitality lounge guests made their way to the filmmaker reception.
The filmmaker reception was held in the beautiful Wirikuta cactus garden. Amongst dinner, cocktails, and networking guests were able to enjoy 'Hecho En Mexico:Made in Mexico', a roller coaster through Mexican history and culture. The horizon was lit by candlelight which set the scene for what wast in store for the rest of the weekend.
Day three continued with screenings at The Los Cabos Convention Center which included multiple screenings whre the cast and filmmakers were present. 'Miradas Multiples' (La Maquina Loca) was followed by a Q & A session with the director, Emilio Maille. Later on in the day Matt Dillion and Barry Gifford were on site for the 'City of Ghosts' screening. The Hospitality Lounge was of course a huge hit as it was the central hub for people to network while grabbing a refreshing cocktail and munching on tasty finger foods and desserts.
As the evening came to a close, attendees relocated to The Island at the Marina in Puerto Los Cabos. The Artwalk and Cocktail Party took place in the hidden gem of Los Cabos. The artwalk at the marina at Puerto Los Cabos featured collections of bronze sculptures by the legendary artist Leonora Carrington. Local musicians were also delightfully playing soft music to welcome you to the evening that captured your heart as you entered the marina. Following the art walk was a very 'coachella-esque' concert. Held in the center of the marina this outside concert was decked out in upscale decor.
Cary Brothers, Madi Diaz, Holly Conlan, Harper Blynn, and Sara Bareillis were the bands that performed an ecletic upbeat set backed with the high intensity crowd. Harper Blynn had a aver 'passion pit' inspired performance while smooth and soft Sara Bareillis played original ballets like 'Love Song'. Cari Brothers, Madi Diaz, and Holly Conlan followed suit bu playing sof tlullabies as well. Towards the end all acts collaborated to showcase their immense musical talent by putting on a great close. Fan favorites such as 'Halo' by Beyonce, 'Kids' by MGMT, 'Hey Ya' by OutKast and many more got the crowd rowdy and ready to bring on the night.
Bringing the festival to a close was the evening gala. Stars lined the red carpet in anticipation of the outcome of the winners from the BIFF. The following 'Tribute Awards' were given to the following recipients who were in attendance to accept their awards:
Edward Norton for Outstanding Achievement in Acting, Melissa Leo for 'Excellence in Acting', Matt Dillon for 'Outstanding Contribution to Cinema', Diego Luna for 'Excellence in Acting', Virginia Madsen for 'Outstanding Contribution to Cinema, and Nicolas Echevarria for 'Excellence in Directing'.
The winners were as follows:
Best International Feature: 'No' is directed by Pablo Larrain and is a remarkable drama that tracks political campaign that surpassed and succeeded against the odds.
Best Mexican Feature: 'Los Mejores Temas', directed by Nicolas Pereda. Drifting from fiction to documentary, this movie tells the story of Emilio-a man who is now in his fifties and who shows up at his family home after fifteen years of absence.
Best International Documentary: 'First Position', directed by Bess Kargman. 'First Position' is a movie about six young dancers from Italy, Africa, Israel, Colombia, and other countries battle intense pressure as they prepare for the most prestigious ballet competition in the world.
Best Mexican Documentary: This was a tie between two films. 'El Alcalde' which was directed by Carlos Rossini and 'La Revolucion de Los Alcatraces' which was directed by Luciana Kaplan.
Best International Short Film: 'Luminaris', directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella. In a world where light reigns and sets the pace of life, an average man has a plan that can change the natural state of things.
Best Mexican Short Film: 'Yuban Yasib' which was directed by Vazquez Colmenares, 'Yuban Yasib' is a documentary about the transformation of a Zapotecan community.
Leading filmmakers, industry insiders, celebrities, and various forms of media gathered to reign in the success of the BIFF. It was a great getaway and not to mention great movies. The BIFF is one for the books, and on the radar for being a major film festival with its competitors such as: Sundance and Toronto Film Festival. Special guests of the festival included: Patrick J. Adams, Danny Arroya, Gael Garcia, AJ Buckley, Kat Coiro, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tate Taylor, Octavia Spencer, Daniel Gillies, and many more.
The Baja International Film Festival is co-founded by Festival President, Eduardo Sanchez Navarro, longtime supporter of the arts in Los Cabos, BIFF festival directors Scott Cross and Sean Cross, co-founders of the Colorado Film Institute and Vail Film Festival, Juan Gallardo, Alfonso Pasquel, Eduardo Sanchez Navarro. Besides being a 'dream within a dream', this festival will showcase a few films that are sure to end up on our radar. The festival has announced the lineup of films selected to be screened at the inaugural festival-which is set to showcase 80 films from around the world including 5 international feature films in competition, 5 Mexican feature films in competition, 5 international documentaries in competition, 5 Mexican documentaries in competition, 30 international shorts, 13 Mexican shorts, 4 environmental films, as well as Special Presentation screenings of 6 international feature films, and 6 Mexican feature films.
For additional information please visit: www.bajainternationalfilmfestival.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Friday 05 October
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UConn offensive line needs to be fixed
STORRS -- Not so long ago, when the running game and winning all went hand in hand, all you had to do was look at UConn's offensive line to see why the Huskies were pounding defensive fronts into the ground and pounding the ball down the field.
Blocks of granite comprised offensive lines that between 2008-10, averaged 187.3 yards a game and boasted of three 1,000-yard rushers -- Jordan Todman (1,188 yards in '09 and 1,695 yards in '10, Andre Dixon 1,093 yards in '09 -- and a 2,000-yard rusher, Donald Brown (2,083) in 2008.
Over the last few seasons those blocks of granite have gotten soft.
Last season, the Huskies averaged just 84.4 yards a game rushing and, even worse, surrendered 42 sacks Three different players saw action at both right guard and right tackle and while the left tackle, left guard and center all started all 12 games, the results were terribly disappointing.
While no one will say it publicly, conditioning had to be a reason why the line struggled so badly. Case in point, at the March pro day, left tackle Jimmy Bennett could only do 18 reps of 225 pounds while left guard Steve Greene did just 16. In contrast, linebacker Ryan Donahue did 29.
With junior right guard Gus Cruz limited to just five games with cardiac issues, both sophomore Tyler Samra and senior Tyler Bullock also saw action there while sophomore Xavier Hemmingway, senior Steve Friend and sophomore Dalton Gifford all saw time at right tackle.
Bullock and Friend have both graduated and Hemmingway has left the program, leaving offensive line coach Mike Foley -- the only coach retained from previous head coach Paul Pasqualoni's staff -- and new head coach Bob Diaco looking to fill holes at just about every position.
"Every position (needs improvement)," Diaco said.
"This isn't pile on the offensive line but every position needs improvement."
Along those lines, Diaco feels that progress has been made.
Just how much remains to be seen.
"The offensive line is physically more prepared to do their jobs," Diaco coach said. "Not only from a strength standpoint and a flexibility standpoint but from a conditioning standpoint, so they can play harder and longer. And the younger guys (nine true and redshirt freshmen linemen) don't look out of place. I'm not saying that they are going to participate, but they don't look out of place."
Diaco mentioned true freshmen Ryan Crozier (6-foot-4, 282), Trey Rutherford (6-5, 289) and Daniel Oak (6-3, 272) as three players not "looking out of place." In addition, freshman Dan Carbonaro of Oxford (6-5, 290) and redshirt freshmen Jacob Basilica (6-3, 293), Thomas Hopkins (6-6, 298), Samuel Murphy (6-6, 263), Kyle Schafenacker (6-3, 285), Brendan Vechery (6-6, 308) will all be fighting for possible playing time.
"With the five guys we have, Richard Levy, myself, Mateas, Tyler Samra and Andres, we're kind of rotating in there with some other guys and doing whatever we can," Cruz said after practice Wednesday. "We're just trying to find the best five guys right now."
As fall practice ramped up with the first workout in full pads, Diaco's offensive line depth chart looked like this: LT Andres Knappe, LG Samra, C Mateas, LG Zach Rugg, LT Richard Levy.
"It's going really well," Mateas said Wednesday. "Everyone is working as hard as they can, everyone is taking in all the coaching that the coaches are giving us and everyone's doing their best job, so even if you switch the people up, the chemistry is still coming along really well."
Knappe, who is making the move from defensive tackle, is a player who Diaco is excited about, calling him the most improved player from the spring.
"Everything's different. There's a lot of new things that I have to get used to," Knappe said Wednesday. "Personally, I `m excited to get a chance and get to prove what I'm all about."
"You look at him and right away you see that there's a length and athleticism and flexibility," Diaco said. "And then you meet him and watch him work and you see what kind of toughness he has and you believe, `OK, this guy can develop.' He possesses the tangible and intangible traits that will allow him to develop into a good to great offensive tackle and we believe that he's right on track to do that."
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Views: 537
I see no one has posted in a while, but I'm new to this site as of today and thought I would go ahead and post. I'm from central Illinois, small town just outside of Springfield. I'm a union electrician.
I was reading through some of the other posts and seen that there is a lot more people out there than I thought. I've known, or believed, that there is no god or creator out there for quite some time now. I have a couple friends that are the same way. But for the most part, people around here in the smaller towns, seem to be more closet type than out spoken about it. I'm glad I found this site and hope to talk to some of you soon.
Welcome, Erica. I think I'm the southern most Illinoisan here. I actually live closer to Nashville, TN, or Blytheville, AR, than Chicago.
I'm in Springfield, Illinois. I'm a security officer in another town. Minimum wage, no raises, no benefits, no promotion of any kind.
I earned an Associate degree, a bachelor's degree, I'm a militarty veteran with a DD214, I have an Illinois PERC card (which means I have a totally clean background check) and decades of experience, but nobody here in Springfield is interested in hiring me. Gee I wonder why? So, I spend my free time here at my computer.
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Our Mission
Heirloom Living Market consists of a group of local farmers, gardeners and artisans located in and around Lilburn, Georgia and coordinated by the Market Managers to make their locally produced products available to the community.
Each Farmer and Gardener who sells products on this market is passionate about and dedicated to using a strict set of standards to ensure the end product is chemical/pesticide/medication/hormone/nitrate/soy and GMO Free. They are committed to supplying their customers with the freshest and highest quality vegetables, fruits, meats, herbs, mill products, dairy, eggs, fruits, flowers and transplants. The Artisans also provide products that are natural, chemical/pesticide/soy and GMO free and crafted with a passion! Our Bakers/Artisans use all Organic ingredients and flours and the eggs from pastured raised hens!
Whether the Farm or the local business is large or small, providing beef or goat milk soap, the people behind these endeavors share a common thread of dedication to our community, the environment, good health and education.
The Market Managers are passionate about providing local products, services and education to the community to increase good health, share knowledge about the importance of eating traditional foods that are nutrient-dense, found locally and in season. What better way to accomplish our aspirations than to create a Market with a gathering of local Farmers, Gardeners and Artisans to make those resources available to the community!
We believe that small, diverse, family-owned farms contribute to society's overall health.
Why Support Locally Grown?
Enhance local economy: By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.
Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.
Provide learning opportunities: Locally Grown supporters provide member growers the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture. We offer Tours to our Member Farmers' Farms and feature a Farmer every week at Market! You get to know and trust the folks who are growing/producing/creating the great food you are purchasing and feeding your family!
Supporting a way of life: The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living.
Membership Fees
To provide with farms tours, educational programs, and to help us with our overhead costs, we ask that you pay an annual fee of $25 per household for one calendar year. You are welcome to try us for two orders before you pay the membership. The website will automatically add the membership fee to your third order.
Ordering Options
Heirloom Living Market is an on-line Farmer's Market. No matter what the weather, you can shop for fresh, organic and/or natural products from local Farmers and Gardeners on Heirloom Living Market. You will receive an email on Friday announcing the opening of Market ordering. Your weekly Market Newsletter, "Bits and Bites" will arrive on Saturday which will let you know what the 'happenings' are with products, Farmer news, etc.. If you have signed up as a customer you will receive the email with a link to the Market website. From the comfort of your home, in your work clothes, play clothes or pajamas you can shop for the products you want, confident that your Grower will provide quality freshly harvested products just for you! Add what you want to your shopping cart, checkout and pickup your items on Thursdays from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
Other Important Items
Placing Orders and Payment
Each Friday morning, a Market email is sent to everyone who has registered and has an account. You will get the "News of the Week" and a listing of the current offerings. Customers must place their order for the week any time after that email goes out, but no later than Monday evening at 8:00pm.. Orders are placed here on our website. Growers receive their orders on Monday evening and harvest on Thursday. You may pay at pickup with cash, check, credit or debit card. Please note that the processing fee of 3% that we are charged for the use of cards will be added to your order. You may also make a deposit into your Heirloom Living Market account and in the future all orders will be debited to your account. Some budget-minded people like and appreciate this option. If you have an interest in this option, please talk to one of the Market Managers at pickup.
Picking Up Orders
From 3:30 until 6:30 p.m. on Thursday (* see note above about Market pickup), families can pick-up their ordered items at All Saints Lutheran Church, located at 722 Rockbridge Road SW in Lilburn. Pickup is also available at Cedar Seeder Wellness Farm, "The Farm" on Thursday from 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. The Market Managers pay the Growers for you when they deliver your items to Market pickup. Any order that is not picked up will be charged to your account and you will be responsible for payment. If you miss two (2) pickups, you will need to have a credit card on file for future orders.
Click Here for Map to "The Farm" pickup location
Gift Certificates are available! Give a gift of health and flavor! Give an Heirloom Living Market gift certificate. You can decide the amount and the lucky recipient can purchase their choice of organic, locally grown, nutrient-dense items without having to pay membership fees! We will even send them a customized Gift Certificate! Easy, convenient and your gift-giving-dilemma is solved!
Sponsor a membership! Our yearly Membership Fee of $25.00 is very reasonable; however, sometimes "Life Happens" and a little help would be appreciated. If you would like to sponsor a membership for an individual or family, please contact us. We will automatically add three additional months to help out.
Still have questions? Please email Maryanne Vaeth at firstname.lastname@example.com. You may also call 404-432-4337!


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Farming operations will either help or hinder management of soilborne pathogens, and, to head off losses, vegetable growers must learn which pathogens they face and tailor practices accordingly, says a University of California, Davis plant pathologist.
Krishna Subbarao, who is based at the USDA Station in Salinas, outlined management principles and pointers at a recent plant disease seminar in Salinas.
He said pathogens that cause disease in vegetable crops either survive in soil or have some cycle in the soil that enables them to infect the crop to cause significant losses in yield and/or quality. They are often difficult to predict, detect, and diagnose. Problems magnify when one or more pathogens occur in a field simultaneously.
Two categories
They fall into two categories: those that survive in the soil anywhere from a few months to several years and those that are transient in the soil. The first includes, he said, "the common culprits: fungi, nematodes, and viruses."
The second group is made up of various bacteria.
Production methods, including cropping history, influence where pathogens occur in the soil. Vertically, most are found in the top 10 inches of soil, where host roots and tissues and other organic matter are found. Horizontally, pathogens survive on residue of diseased tissue where host plants have grown.
Subbarao said tillage operations break up, move, and bury crop residue with the pathogens that attach to it in the soil. While deeper tillage can spread some of them farther into the soil profile, exposure to heat, cold, and drying closer to the surface may kill others.
Soil type, texture, pH, moisture, temperature, and nutrient levels are among factors that govern how pathogens behave. Well-aerated, well-drained soils create conditions that discourage root diseases, while poorly drained soils tend to favor the survival of several, including pythium, phytophthora, fusarium, and verticillium. Only a few root diseases, such as common scab of potato, are favored by drier soils.
Soil pH factor
Soil pH has significant bearing on some soilborne pathogens. For example, clubroot on crucifers is severe in acidic soils with a pH of 5.7 or less. It has been managed in commercial broccoli fields in the Salinas Valley for years by liming the soil to raise the pH to levels of 5.7 to 6.2. The disease is virtually eliminated with pH levels greater than 7.3 to 7.4.
Some crop residues have been found to be antagonistic to certain soil pathogens.
Plant nutrition and its links to soil pathogens have been the subject of much research, and Subbarao said, in general, high nitrogen levels tend to keep a host's fleshy tissue longer in a vegetative state, making it more vulnerable to attack from pathogens. However, he added, some pathogens are predisposed to invade plants that are weakened by shortages of soil nitrogen.
Nitrogen type
Not to be overlooked is the type of nitrogen available to the crop and the resulting soil chemistry that favors pathogens. Subbarao and others have reported that the positive charge of an ammonium ion attracts it to plant roots, causing the release of hydrogen ions into the surrounding soil. As the hydrogen ions lower the soil pH, diseases that thrive in acid soil are encouraged.
On the other hand, nitrates favor diseases such as vascular wilts by altering the pathogens' virulence and increasing the susceptibility of hosts.
He said diagnosing soilborne diseases is essentially the same as for those on the plant above ground. He recommended preparing a list of known suspected soilborne pathogens, which over time can help narrow the group of pathogens to watch.
Complete examination of the entire plant will reveal all symptoms to monitor for a profile of the plant's condition.
Relating symptoms of plants having symptoms to site in the field and irrigation or other cultural practices will help determine disease distribution.
Plant samples should be analyzed by a qualified laboratory to confirm the true cause of a disorder.
Keeping a record of soilborne diseases found at each site in a field will create a historic record of pathogens. This is important for future reference in selecting crop rotations because many of the pathogens may linger for years on a site.
Moving to the management of soilborne diseases, Subbarao said the severity of a disease is determined by the pathogen's primary inoculum acting with the particular host plant and environmental conditions.
The object is to reduce the amount of inoculum needed to set off an infection in the crop. The amount needed for verticillium wilt in strawberries is quite small, just two microsclerotia per gram of soil.
Among management options are fumigation, solarization, host plant resistance, and green manure crops. Success with biological controls has been spotty. Cultural controls in combination with other options may be needed.
Subsurface drip
Subbarao said in the case of Sclerotinia minor, the cause of lettuce drop, subsurface drip irrigation can be an answer. "The more uniform moisture of furrow irrigation encourages Sclerotinia, and the drier soil with drip means less of the pathogen."
He went on to say that his research has shown that if the soil under drip irrigation is kept dry enough about 3 centimeters around and below the plant the disease can be managed.
The most familiar soilborne diseases, including seed decay, damping off of seedlings and root and crown rots, are rots that go to subsurface tissues or vascular wilts starting with root infections. But according to Subbarao, a few soilborne pathogens cause foliar disease symptoms and damage that appear on the above ground parts.
One example is lettuce anthracnose, whose microsclerotia survive in the soil. When raindrops splash soil laden with these structures onto lettuce leaves, the fungus causes a leaf-spot disease.
In like fashion, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum bodies rest in the soil until certain environmental conditions trigger development of mushroom-like apothecia that release aerial spores. The spores then find their way to crop foliage and cause a foliar disease symptom.


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You can save a ton by purchasing this audio logo as part of my Ambient Logo Pack. This pack contains six different carefully crafted ambient logos at a steeply discounted price!
If you like this audio logo then make sure to check out my entire collection of audio logos on audiojungle by clicking Here.


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Three factors dramatically impact a florist shop's success. First, it is a relationship-driven business, and not just customer relationships. There are supplier relationships, reciprocal relationships with other florists, relationships with other businesses and relationships with national services. Second, almost the entire inventory is perishable. Third, although there is steady business throughout the year, Valentine's Day and Mothers Day are by far the busiest days for most florists.
The stress points for a florist shop are inventory, customer relationship management (CRM), order entry, point of sale (POS) and accounts receivable. Florist shops are one of the specialty retail industries that are adopting Software as a Service (SaaS); several cloud-based general retail software supplies ofter specially configured versions for florists and there is at least one cloud-based florist shop specialty software product.
Florist shop owners need core accounting, but should evaluate the following functions to meet their unique requirements:
|Florist shops live and die by continuing sales with existing customers, but reminders were problematic because it was difficult to send a targeted, private message to someone who lived in a household with others. Social media and electronic communications provide an answer. Customers can now receive reminders of important dates by email, text, Twitter or Facebook to surprise their partners on birthdays and anniversaries.
|Fundraising support
|A number of fundraising organizations have tied specific flowers to specific causes. Examples include poppies for Veterans on Memorial Day, yellow roses for first responders on Patriot Day and pink roses for Breast Cancer Awareness. The system should send reminders to the organizations in advance, and prepare orders for inventory.
|Florist service management
|Florist services, such as FTD and Interflora, are important sources of business for florist shops. The software needs to maintain inventory to fulfil advertised arrangements, place orders with service partners as necessary and accept orders from the services.
|Co-op advertising
|In addition to the orders relationship with the florist services, there is a co-operative advertising relationship. The system should track the money spent on qualified advertising in the accounts payable and bill the service against available funds.
|Floral strategies support
|If the florist uses or intends to use Floral Strategies methodologies, the florist shop software package should also support those methodologies.
|Arrangement inventory
|Arrangement inventory is more than tracking the stock of flowers. The system should check the inventory of all components for a particular arrangement, including vases and any other special additions. If a particular item is not in stock, the system should suggest a suitable replacement.
|Spoilage management
|Spoilage management has two parts. First, the system should track the items that are about to expire and notify the florist. Second, the system should make it easy to track items that spoiled prematurely. Tracking spoiled inventory can help the florist to better evaluate the quality of each supplier's stock.
|Reciprocity tracking
|Florists share business with other florists in their trade area if orders are too big to handle or if an order is outside of a given delivery area. Florists also work with other businesses, such as candy stores, wedding planners, funeral homes and caterers, to collaborate on special packages. The system should track how opportunities are shared back and forth between different partners to discover which are the most profitable.
|Standing orders
|Hotels, offices and other businesses often have standing orders for fresh flowers. The florist system should automate this process by checking stock for the proper inventory, placing orders when necessary and scheduling the arrangement and delivery.
|Enclosure card printing
|One of the hallmarks of florists is the enclosure card. It is also a heavily manual process. A florist system should print enclosure cards in a clear but stylized font. Best practice is to have the customer email or text the message, then cut and paste it into the printing system to be certain all names and words are spelled correctly.
|Route planning
|One of the more challenging aspects of florist work is deliveries. The florist system should plan out deliveries taking into account the number, capacity and range of each vehicle. If a vehicle must make multiple runs, the system should optimize the routes to account for returning to the shop for reloading. Advanced systems can dynamically change the route to account for new orders during the day.
|Trip sheet management
|Historically, the route is provided to the driver on a printed trip sheet that lists all the stops and projected delivery times. A desired featured is the use of electronic trip sheets using smart phones, which can track the van in real-time and adjust the route for new orders.
Florist shop software will help you to better organize your business and meet customer expectations. You should expect the following benefits when implementing and using a system properly:
Our service is simple and 100% free to customers like you because software vendors pay us when we connect them with quality leads. You save time and get great advice. Vendors get great referrals. It's a win for everyone!


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Do you have enough minutes in your day? It seems everyone is busy these days, especially homeschooling Moms. We are the taxi driver, master chief, nurse, educator, arbitrator, and domestic engineer for our household. How on earth are we supposed to find time to check our Yahoo groups, put our status on Facebook, update our Linkedin profile, read our tweets, text our friends, update the kid's portfolios, or chat in our favorite forum groups???
I am sure you have met Organized Olivia at a homeschool group or local co-op? She has it going on, and is sure to offer tons of charts, calendars, and graphs showing how she schedules and organizes her day. Some people are just born with a natural talent for fitting 101 things into their day. I don't know about you, but charts, graphs, and organizers just never seem to work out quite that great for me. I need practical hands-on tools. Some days I simply want to shout, "Calgon, take me away." Rats! What am I thinking, I don't have time for that.
I know you have heard the saying, "time is money", so I am going to try to help you save a little time and money. While I am not Organized Olivia , I will share a few things that save time for me so that my days are more valuable.
- Portfolio–If you use Time4Learning, I hope you take advantage of their record keeping system. You can print whatever you need and add it to your binder, or you can save whatever you want on your hard drive, or to a flash drive. This sure beats handwriting everything.
- Google Calendar–Set up a Google calendar complete with pop-ups and email reminders for anything you want or need to remember.
- Smart Phones–If you use an Android smart phone (not sure all smart phones do this) sync with your Google calendar. Check your email while waiting at the doctor's office. I love that I can check it while I'm waiting somewhere or riding in the car (I don't do this when I am driving). I delete junk mail and it also deletes it off my desk top computer. That's one less thing for me to do when I get home.
- Facebook & Twitter–Use your smart phone to post to Facebook or Twitter with a simple click while you are waiting in line someplace.
- Voice Texting–My favorite thing on my smart phone is speaking my text rather than typing it. It works great and really does save me loads of time, not that I am a big texter.
- Yahoo Groups–Set your Yahoo groups to daily digest. Scan the titles in the digest and click or scroll down only to the ones you really want to read. Unsub from groups you no longer enjoy.
- Nutshell Mail–I saved the best for last. I LOVE this service. Here is what they say: Save Time Monitoring & Managing Your Brand on Facebook, Twitter & More…NutshellMail from Constant Contact tracks your brand's social media activity and delivers a summary to your email inbox on your schedule.
I love Nutshell Mail because I don't always want to go to Facebook or Twitter, or any of the accounts I have set up. Nutshell Mail sends a summary digest to me based on the time schedule I set up, and it includes whatever I want or don't want to read. I can also decide how I want the groups ordered in the digest. I have mine set to include Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and The Homeschool Lounge.
It is really nice to get multiple social network info all bundled into one concise digest. It sure beats going to 8 different sites. And best of all, it's FREE! You can add Yelp, You Tube, Foursquare, and Citysearch, if you use them. I have not ever seen another service like this.
My old Blackberry didn't always work right. Sometimes it wouldn't ring or tell me if I had messages. I got used to not carrying my phone with me everywhere I went since it didn't work half the time. I recently traded my old broken phone for a new Android phone that is awesome. It has great time saving features, but I still don't take my phone with me everywhere I go. And when I do, I sometimes turn it off. I don't like being tied to it.
I know you have seen those folks who have a phone growing out of their ear. They are constantly on their phone texting, talking, checking Facebook, or browsing the Internet. I don't really call that multi-tasking, I think of it as time wasting when it is addictive.
Have you ever been trying to buy groceries while Chatty Charity is telling you all about her day? That one phone call drags out the shopping trip a good bit because it is hard to compare prices, remember to pick up everything, keep the kids under control, find a specific item all the while someone is gabbing in your ear.
Just do it–turn off the phone that is. You will thank yourself when you realize how much time you save when your phone is not attached to your ear.
Hmmm, with all my timesaving tips maybe I do have time for Calgon to take me away after all.
P.S. Please take time to post a comment on simple ways you save time. I know we would all love to discover your secret!


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Pity the poor nineteenth century artist returning from Europe with the high-minded intentions of becoming the all-American history painter of all times. Artists like Morse, Mount, Cole, and dozens of others fell into this trap and paid dearly for their folly in terms of years of frustration. The fact was, there simply were not a significant number of grand palaces, massive cathedrals, or monstrous temples to government in which they could hang their idealistic masterpieces. Yet strangely, one artist did have a modicum of success in this endeavour. He was a German immigrant named Emanuel Leutze.
Leutze was born in Germany in 1816 and brought to this country by his parents as a child. In 1840, he returned to Germany to study art. It became a rather extended educational experience. It lasted some twenty years. It was there, in Dusseldorf, in 1851 that he painted his greatest, perhaps the greatest American history painting of all time. When he returned to this country with his 21-foot-long masterpiece it was immediately hailed a success, which led to additional commissions, among them a mural for the United States Capitol--Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way, painted in 1860. The name Leutze still not ring a bell? Then maybe you might recall his most famous painting--Washington Crossing the Delaware?
Contributed by Lane, Jim30 June 1998


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Reviewed By Rob D (DOUSMAN, WI) Reviewed for a 2008 Chevy Suburban —2/29/2016 9:05 AM
Besides having to open up two of the four mounting holes, didn't quite line up to the factory, love it. Can tell the difference in throttle response and adds a throaty sound when you stand on it. Too early to tell on gas mileage.


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Neither my husband nor I are big Star Wars fans and our son hasn't even seen the movie. Yet, he is in love with Star Wars. It must be a boy thing.
{{All DD}}
Cathy: Layered Template No44
Anna: Curvy Corner Stitched Blocks
Katie: Collageables (staple), Classic Cardstock Kick It, Classic Cardstock Christmas, Classic Cardstock All My Chicks, Word Love Labels
Thanks for Looking!


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The season finale of THE AMAZING RACE will be broadcast Sunday, Dec. 8 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). The final four Teams start in Tokyo where theyll find themselves rolling through a human bowling competition and stripping down for a phone call at the bottom of a giant fish bowl. Ultimately, the final three Teams will sprint to the finish line in Alaska for the one million dollar prize. This season's edition is averaging 9.67 million viewers, 2.4/06 in adults 18-49 and 3.2/07 in adults 25-54.
Given Japan's fascination with robots, they kinda look like one, particularly the one on the left which is standing up. Not finding anything resembling them online yet.
yet another kind of Human Bowling in Japan on YouTube
Why does Tim still wear Yukata (from the sliding game) when Marie does the Robot Roadblock while the others (Jasan, Jamar) do not wear that?
Seems like Amy will help Nicole *again* *sigh*
Quote from: nosyrabbit on December 02, 2013, 01:35:25 AMSeems like Amy will help Nicole *again* *sigh*Ugh , I'm so tired of them getting help , and imo , Leo and Jamal deserve the win just because they lasted through 2 uturns with almost every team against them the whole race . I hope they pull it out.
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From Copenhagen to Sydney, Switzerland to South Korea, local officials have been globetrotting in the name of rowing this year, with tourist taxes paying the way.
And those officials say the $84,000 spent on hotels, meals and transportation paid off in September, when the International Federation of Rowing Associations, or FISA, chose the area to host the 2017 world championship.
While $400 hotel rooms in Windsor and $200 dinners at a renovated medieval castle on the shores of Lake Geneva are not going to sit well with some taxpayers, they can be a necessary cost of doing international business, said Dominic Calabro, president of the watchdog organization Florida TaxWatch.
"It's absolutely an essential part of the give-and-take, part of the game," he said. "But could they use private contributions to offset some of these wining and dining expenditures? Yeah, it would probably behoove people to do that."
Government officials said the trips were critical, as is the $165,000 that Manatee and Sarasota counties plan to spend traveling to other rowing events in the next four years. These costs pale in comparison to the price of developing the rowing park and the immediate $24.6 million economic impact the championship is estimated to have on the region, they add.
"Part of it is for them to understand -- not only FISA, but the countries -- to understand your level of commitment," said Visit Sarasota County President Virginia Haley, who went on two of the ventures.
Officials said they need to study what makes a good event. Haley said that when she and Parks and Recreation Director Carolyn Brown attended the Samsung World Rowing Cup I near Sydney last March, people probably thought they were crazy.
Brown took photos of trash cans. Haley inspected signs.
"We want to make sure when we are doing those events that we are pulling them off really well," she said.
But another Australia visitor, Manatee County Public Works Director Ron Schulhofer, followed his tours of team workout areas and equipment storage with some outback exploration.
Bank account statements and a travel itinerary Schulhofer submitted to Manatee reveal he was sightseeing in Australia's Blue Mountains on the day of a rowing competition. After the tournament, he headed into the desert to watch the sunrise over sand dunes before flying to Cairns to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef.
Schulhofer said he visited the Blue Mountains after World Cup affairs wrapped up for the day. He did not charge the county for his personal travel plans.
"I can assure you that at no time was the public trust ever violated," he said.
Tourist tax dollars covered his round-trip ticket to Australia.
Return on investment
Sarasota County has spent more than $44,000 in the past year on hotels, meals and transportation related to the rowing bid. Manatee spent about $40,000. That money is almost entirely covered by tourist taxes paid by visitors staying in hotels and short-term rental accommodations.
Though residents' taxes aren't funding the trips, locals should pay attention, said Cathy Antunes, president of the group Sarasota Citizens for Responsible Government.
"It's still our money," Antunes said. "We all have an interest in all of our dollars, collected in our name. They're collected for our benefit."
She questioned how much Sarasota will benefit from these rowing expenses.
"If you're constantly having to travel and promote and have these lush budgets to have events, are those expenditures truly bringing in a return on investment?" Antunes asked.
People should be sensitive and sensible with tax dollars, Calabro agreed, and there were likely unnecessary expenses on the trips that would have been better covered with private dollars.
But, he said, the real waste would be investing so much in the rowing facilities, then failing to market them properly.
Assorted costs
Travel is a small part of the sum needed to attract and host the world rowing championships.
More than $40 million has been committed to develop Nathan Benderson Park, the site of the 2017 rowing championships, with about half coming from Sarasota County tourist taxes and $10 million from the state.
Local government also will cover most of the estimated $7.6 million needed to run the championships and pay for things such as course signs and first aid, according to budget documents.
Rowing supporters said the races will draw international attention and bring other events, such as triathlons and wakeboarding competitions, to Nathan Benderson Park.
It will have an immediate $24.6 million economic impact on the region, according to an estimate by Walter Klages, CEO of Tampa-based Research Data Services. Hotels, restaurants and a variety of businesses anticipate a boost.
About 3,000 hotel rooms will be available in the two counties for athletes, FISA delegates, media and officials, said Nicole Rissler, Visit Sarasota County's sports director, and the rooms will range from $74 to $279 per night.
Public employees stayed in more expensive hotels when they were on the hunt for the rowing event.
In Lucerne, Switzerland, Sarasota County Commissioner Joe Barbetta and then County Administrator Randall Reid stayed at the four-star Hotel Des Balances along the Reuss River. Barbetta's room cost about $315 per night for three nights. Reid's cost $327.
The most expensive lodging was in Windsor, near London, where Sarasota and Manatee officials attended the 2013 Samsung World Rowing Cup II.
At that tournament, they surveyed medical and volunteer operations and spectator areas, talked with officials about Sarasota's rowing park and slept in style.
It was the only occasion when Sarasota travelers did not meet the budget for a trip, Haley said -- even though the budgets overestimated likely spending. Manatee officials never exceeded their total budget for a trip.
Rissler spent more than $400 per night for three nights at the four-star Mercure Windsor Castle Hotel, and Donn Patchen, Sarasota County's communications director, spent $414.50 per night for two nights there. John Osborne, a Manatee County planning and zoning official who attended, spent $385 a night.
The London travel summary says the estimated costs for the hotel were "drastically underbudgeted" due to a lack of rooms and increased costs. Two other races were held there at the same time, upping the prices, Haley said.
That trip included meal per diems of $26 for breakfast, $43 for lunch and $68 for dinner. Those rates were similar to several other trips, though officials did include many lower-cost meals and in some cases did not ask for a reimbursement at all.
A couple of dinners Elliott Falcione charged stick out. The executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau spent $1,301.39 on a dinner for six in Copenhagen.
He hosted the $216.90-per-person meal at San Giorgio Ristorante for the United States director of Rowing and his wife, a U.S. Rowing Federation representative, a consultant for the 2017 championship and Paul Blackketter, the CEO of the Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Association, the nonprofit that manages Benderson Park.
The diners enjoyed five-course meals, the most expensive of the restaurant's three possible meal options, along with wine, grappa and coffee.
A few months earlier Falcione spent $822.63 on dinner for seven at Chateau d'Ouchy overlooking Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland, to prepare for FISA meetings, Falcione wrote in a memo to Manatee County's finance department.
The meal breaks down to $117.52 per attendee. Among them were numerous Sarasota and Manatee officials, Blackketter and the president of U.S. Rowing.
The bill included $127 worth of alcoholic drinks.
"Anyone who's traveled to Europe knows it's an expensive place to visit and dining venues can be crowded and loud. We quickly discovered that it was going to be difficult, if not impossible, to conduct critical business discussions surrounding rowing events in packed, noisy restaurants," Falcione wrote in an emailed response to questions about travel spending.
"We spent more on some dinners so that we'd have an appropriate setting to let hosting committees know that we were serious about the commitment it would take to welcome these events to our area," Falcione said.
Using tourist taxes, local leaders have spent thousands on travel, hotels, meals and more, all to land a world regatta. They say the benefits will far outweigh the costs.
From Copenhagen to Sydney, Switzerland to South Korea, local officials have been globetrotting in the name of rowing this year, with tourist taxes paying the way.


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Newly Expanded, 4-Star Wine Resort in the Heart of Napa
Beyond The Meritage Resort and Spa's iron gates, rows of grapevines stretch across rolling hills. The 4-star Tuscan-inspired property lies in the heart of Napa and embraces the valley's wine culture. Unsurprisingly, it's not hard to find a good glass of wine at The Meritage. The resort produces its own varietals and serves them in a tasting room and farm-to-table restaurant. Guest rooms even come with a welcome bottle of wine. But this resort isn't just about wine—with the resort's just-completed $40 million expansion, visitors can now sip on a cocktail from an expert mixologist while bowling on one of six luxury lanes in the new Crush Ultra Lounge.
The resort's 22,000-square-foot Estate Wine Cave stands out for its sheer size and Old-World Florentine architecture. Housed within the cave is the Spa Terra, named one of the world's top 100 spas by Spas of America. The spa's body treatments range from romantic couples experiences to the Vino Bello, a grape-seed scrub followed by a wine and rose-hip mud wrap. Also tucked away in the cave is the Trinitas Tasting Room, made from natural-stone walls and dark woodwork. Tastings may feature house label wines such as moscato, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon.
Chefs at the in-house restaurant, Siena, prepare locally sourced, Tuscan-influenced fare such as the rotisserie Fulton Valley chicken and herb-marinated grilled lamb chops. The recent expansion also includes the Blend Café, an Italian-inspired eatery with tempting gelato, strong espresso, and fresh pastries. Back in their rooms, guests may opt to stomp their own grapes in a roomy marble bathtub, or cap off the night with a complimentary bottle of wine. Many rooms have private balconies overlooking the picturesque vineyards.
Napa, California: Wine and Dine in the Valley
Located an hour's drive north of San Francisco, Napa Valley is California's epicenter of wine, and there's a definite local pride in all things grape. Signs posted along roads urge drivers to stop, taste, and experience private-label wines. The culinary scene has also risen to prominence, with chefs like Thomas Keller spearheading a haute-cuisine movement.
Though hundreds of thousands of people visit each year, Napa still cultivates a small-town feel. A handful of big-name restaurants in downtown Napa might have limos parked out front, but there are still plenty of eclectic, hole-in-the wall eateries serving vegan fare or barbecue.