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Wisdom Applied To Writing
Wisdom comes from many sources. Sometimes you seek it out, and other times it just shows up. If you're open to learning from life, an experience may teach you an important lesson; a book can provide insight; even a song might awaken something inside you. As a writer who uses words to entertain and perhaps even inspire women, I'd like to share some of the wisdom I've learned that has helped make me a better writer. The three most valuable life lessons that I apply to writing daily are to be persistent, to focus on my work, and to enjoy the process.
Persistence - At one of the writer's conferences that I attended as a recently published author, I was chatting with another author who had been published longer than I had, and she offered me the secret of being successful as an author. She said something like, "Lara, the secret to making it in this business is to never give up." Very simple. And very true. This wasn't the first time I'd heard that concept. Stories about well known authors having been rejected a million times and finally hitting it big are familiar to most writers. But I thought about this comment and let it sink in.
We all attend writer's conferences looking for the secret. Will it be learning to develop the perfect plot? Maybe we can find out what publishers are looking for this year? Perhaps a workshop to improve characterization is the answer? Or is it writing flawless dialogue? All that is important, of course, but even with all that, you can fail to get that perfect book published. There may be a similar story recently published and publishers aren't interested in another. Or technically everything may be wonderful, but the timing may be off. We never know why a book will get rejected. We can't control that part. We can, however, stick with it.
In a book called the ARC OF AMBITION by James Champy, the author tells the story of Russian Czar, Peter the Great, who wanted to modernize Russia and open a water way to the West. He attacks Sweden and loses the first battle, but he doesn't give up. Nine years later after reorganizing and retraining his armies, and bringing in experts, he is victorious against Sweden and Russia overtakes them as the leading Baltic power. To quote the above mentioned book, A defeat calls for reorganization, not retirement.
Few of us become overnight successes. But, by sticking to our goals, we produce book after book, get better with each one, and touch people's lives with our stories. By being persistent, we will become more familiar with the industry, we will attend more workshops and learn to develop those writer skills we need. We will become stronger writers. Like Peter the Great, by taking the time to improve our weak areas and not giving up, we can be victorious
This applies to all areas of your life. A marriage. A friendship. A diet. And your career as an author. If it's something that you love, that's important to you, be persistent. Don't give up.
Focus - Years ago, I wrote a book about a race car driver. Sadly, it was never released. The line closed while my book as still on the printing press, and I still have the cover flat for the book that never was. But I learned something very important about focus while writing this book. I went to the Ontario Speedway and decided to actually drive a race car. It was fun, and I was excited. But I was also sort of scared. Nevertheless, I got in the car when the time came, and a trained driver sat next to me. He explained what I would do, and he told me to remain aware of what was going on around me, but to focus on where I was going. The track seemed flat, but it was not. At one point in a turn, the track slanted up and I was supposed to head straight to the wall, make the turn and then head down toward the inside of the track. I agreed to follow all the instructions, but as I drove, I found myself getting distracted by the other cars. My mind focused on the way I was strapped inside the car and how constricted I felt, and on the helmet on my head that made me feel like I couldn't see. I was anxious about the wall and slowed down when I was supposed to maintain my speed and drive toward it. But I was afraid I'd crash. A couple of times the driver beside me had to hold the steering wheel and remind me to focus on where I wanted to go. But, I have to say that it was extremely difficult to put all the distractions aside and focus on what I was supposed to do. I gained a new respect for those drivers who race professionally. I ran ten laps -- they have to focus for hundreds.
That experience taught me that in order to accomplish anything, you have to focus. In order to write a 300 or 400 page book, I have to put aside all thoughts of my children, and the dirty house, and the bills that I'm not sure how I'm going to pay. All my attention has to be on the story and the characters in my book. And when that focus isn't there, it shows in my writing.
The outside world can intrude on the magic of story telling. If you're focused on the market or writing what's hot, or meeting someone else's expectation, you won't do your work justice. All the outside disturbances have to be blocked, and it has to be just you and your writing. That's the only way you can connect with your story and your characters and write the book that's inside you.
Enjoy the process – I'm not a person who enjoys the process. When I travel, I want to get where I'm going. When I'm writing, I want to finish the book. A huge character fault, and one that I struggle to overcome. Because the process -- the journey of any trip is the point of the whole thing. In the actual writing of a book, in working out the plot, in taking the characters through their arcs is where we as writers grow.
I once sat in the audience of the Maui writer's conference listening to Terry McMillian talk about her writing life. Someone in the audience asked about the characters in Waiting to Exhale. She immediately cut the person off, stating that she didn't want to talk about those characters, because she was "so over" them. I was a little shocked by her response. But I understand now that Terri had gone through the process and grown as an author, and didn't want to step back into that world anymore. It really was over for her. As authors, we should understand that as we take the reader through the experiences in the book, we are also on a journey. If a story is calling for you to write it, there's a reason. Pay attention. We are learning and growing throughout the story. For this reason, we should enjoy every step in the writing process. The research, the initial draft, the re-writing, the editing, and finally, the end product – the book.
This last one might be the most important. Enjoy the book. I've found that I don't! Like Terri, I'm done with it, and on to the next story. I don't enjoy the promotion or the rehashing of the story. This wasn't the case with my first couple of books. I loved promoting "my baby", and sitting for book signings. What an honor! But in the last couple of years, it has become exhausting. I've asked myself why. Am I crazy? But I learned that it's a common feeling that upon reaching your desired goal you can find yourself feeling empty. Many people work so hard to achieve their goals that when they get them, they find they don't enjoy them. The dream house or the ideal job or the big bank account doesn't mean what they thought it would. Why? I think it comes from not enjoying the process. The reward at the end can't be fully enjoyed, because there was no pleasure along the way. Focusing on the final goal without enjoying each step leads to an exhausting and an almost anti-climatic feeling about the end product.
If, like me, you are saying, "easily said, but not easy to practice", here is a website that tells you how to enjoy the process.
I love to be inspired and I feel that this life is full of wise people, brilliant books, great stories. Share a story, a quote, a word, a book, a person who has brought wisdom into your life with me. You will be entered to win a $10 Starbucks gift card. The winner will be announced tomorrow on Mayra Calvani's blog (http://www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com)/
Check back here later tonight (Wednesday evening) to find out who was the winner of Barbara Caridad Ferrer's prize.
I look forward to hearing from you all!


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subset: commoncrawl


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We were delighted to welcome back three of our former students, who returned to the school for Field Day last week. They each gave enlightening talks to the Sixth Form and Year 11 about their chosen career paths and their personal journeys to achieve their goals.
The three included entrepreneur Jake Withecombe (06-11F), and barrister Charley Pattison (92-03C), who, despite starting off in public relations, turned to European Law and is currently the Justice Spokesperson for the Green Party and is about to undertake a post at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Charlie had some great advice for her audience. "Just do what you love doing...do something that will get you out of bed in the morning."
Jake currently runs his own business, AgriCamera, which provides CCTV to be installed in calving and chicken sheds. Jake's entrepreneurial streak started whilst he was still at school, when he set up his own hedge trimming business. His message to the audience was "If you've got an idea, that's enough to get you started. You don't have to come up with your master plan for the very first version… you can work on that!"
We are very grateful that our former students found the time to come and talk to the school and we will be following their careers closely as they go from strength to strength.


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Completed basements in most homes are more commonly used as a second living room. However, this living room can be further enhanced to become a home theatre where family and friends can enjoy a movie night together. Do you need a professional to help design an ideal basement home theatre? Dynamic Basement Renovations has got you covered. You don't have to be a movie freak to own a home theatre; it is the perfect place to enjoy festivities and special events. Here are some tips for a basement home theatre renovation.
Like real movie theatres, the screen should be the primary focus in your home theatre. It is important to eliminate anything that may deflect the attention of viewers from the screen. With this in mind, you should select dark colors for your basement walls because bright colors can be distracting. Since you would also want to avoid colors that reflect back on the screen, light neutral colors are not an option.
Painting your walls solid black is the obvious way to achieve these effects, however if you prefer something more subtle, you can settle for dark charcoal instead. Regardless of your color of choice, ensure that the paint is flat and devoid of a shiny finish. Also, using peel and stick carpet tiles for the walls can help improve sound absorption
The best choice for your basement home theatre floor is the floor to floor carpeting. It is normal to be hesitant about carpeting your basement considering the presence of moisture and the possibility of breeding moulds. However, there are certain precautions you can take in order to reduce the chances of moisture destroying your carpet.
First, you should clean the cement floor properly, spread a layer of dimpled polyethylene sheet to provide long-lasting impediment between the concrete floor and the sub-flooring. Next fix your plywood, carpet pad and finally your preferred carpet. It is not advisable to use hard floors such as tiles because they have the ability to interfere with the sounds from your sound system.
As earlier stated, the screen is the elemental focus in a theatre and so the most important component of the home theatre. You can opt for either a projector screen or a large TV for you home theatre. However, while The TV is cheaper and easier to operate compared to a projector, the projector screen will provide a better theatre experience. Your final choice should reflect your taste, style and pocket.
Another important consideration is the choice of seats for the theatre; the seats should be comfortable and relaxing. Large partitioned couches are best for a simple design as they offer plenty seats and come with adjustable parts to suit various sitting needs. Tiered seats with platforms are perfect for an advanced theatre style. The seats can either be individual reclining chairs or loveseats that accommodates up to two persons at the same time.
Wow Factor
Movie collections accumulated over time is best for decorating your home theatre. These may range from framed movie posters, stickers or movie props in shadow boxes. Lights that are hung directly above the heads or wall scones are best for home theatre as they have dimming features. All these help add an extra touch of style and glamour to your home theatre.


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According to a recent estimate by IDC, unstructured data occupies more than 80% of the data by volume in the entire digital space of an enterprise. This massive corpus includes call center transcripts, product reviews, feedback forms, support case descriptions,
GigaSpaces Releases XAP 12.1: In-Memory Computing for the Agile Digital Business
We're happy to announce the general availability of GigaSpaces XAP 12.1 for download and upgrade. For the past 15 years, GigaSpaces XAP has been the quintessential in-memory computing platform that powers some of the biggest transaction processing and real-time analytics
Successfully Handling Multi-Terabyte Data Fabrics
Over the past few months, we have seen XAP implementations running millions of transactions every second, across very large multi-terabyte, multi-billion items data grid clusters. XAP's ability to collocate incoming data with its processing logic together with the required reference
Real-Time Risk Management for Financial Services
It is understood that in today's fast-paced financial services environment, organizations that have access to the latest information have a significant advantage. But it's not enough to simply make deals—assessing risk and predicting outcomes has become a major staple of
Space Query Plan for XAP
XAP is being developed tirelessly and we are pleased to introduce one of our newest features, the Space Query plan for XAP. It brings with it a plethora of information that can be extracted from queries run from within the
GigaSpaces to Attend Spark Summit 2016
We're on our way to Spark Summit 2016 taking place in Brussels between October 25-27. Drop by our booth s12, meet the GigaSpaces team and hear all about our suite of mission-critical application transaction processing and real-time analytics products to
GigaSpaces Announces XAP 12.0.1 Release
Five weeks after our XAP 12.0 release, we're happy to announce the general availability of GigaSpaces XAP 12.0.1 for download and upgrade! XAP 12.0.1 builds on top of our XAP Open Source In-Memory Data Grid with great new features, tons
Building a Low Latency Highly Scalable Data Serialization Protocol
At the heart of every big data solution, such as XAP, is data synchronization. While there are a number of solutions and approaches available today, they are either overly complex or incredibly inefficient. Fortunately, we have been able to combine
Availability and Consistency in the Presence of Partitions
The CAP theorem provides system designers with a choice between three guarantees: consistency, availability, and partition tolerance. While partitions are rare, there is an incredible range of flexibility for handling partitions and recovering from them. Thus, our goal is to
REST Data Service Over In-Memory Data Grid
Applications are written in diverse and often remote environments. Storing and accessing data needs to be simple and portable, which is why REST (representational state transfer) is often the go-to protocol for web services. And yet, using REST for data


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The Red Lion
Trafalgar Studios, London
FOOTBALL — beautiful game, sometimes a very ugly business. And at the heart of this piece by the accomplished Patrick Marber is the commodification of young player Jordan (Dean Bone).
Talented but damaged in more ways than one, he seems to embody the tension between the old and the new — football's golden age versus a brash business world.
A troubled young man, he is promising, ambitious and honest, a combination which causes huge problems for the "lovable rogue" Kidd (Stephen Tompkinson), whose venality is born out of desperation combined with a whiff of narcissism. Tompkinson gave a near-perfect portrayal of moral-free reporter Damien Day in Drop the Dead Donkey and the heart-wrenching miner-clown in Brassed Off. Here, he is by turns slick and clumsy, deft and daft, and his comic timing's impeccable.
Marber's script, replete with gags and tag-lines, is woven into a kind of one-man banter. Within seconds of Tompkinson's appearance, we're guffawing as his routine speeds and jinks along like a striker sailing towards the goal.
We're brought down to earth with a bump, of course. The kitman, former star player but hopeless manager Yates (John Bowler) carries his painful past with a physicality that makes us wince.
His devotion to the game borders on religious obsession. His journey away from and back to his beloved club, whose Red Lion crest he bears as a tattoo, is grim indeed. He's had wilderness years, paid his penance and has a redemption, of sorts. A latter-day John the Baptist, he anoints his young charges and tries to keep their souls pure.
Kidd, though, is no Messiah. More a Judas, if anything, he suppresses his love for his fellow man in return for 30 pieces of silver. Yet truth sometimes spills out of him: "What good is a man's word, if it's just a sound he makes?"
With football's international reach, and its often tarnished reputation, this piece could resonate with global audiences. Who'd take on the task of translating these torrents of dialogue, though?
But it would be a truly wonderful experience, just like watching Brazil.
Runs until December 2, box office: ticket agencies.
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Nicky Adamson, after I had long admired hers. It was made by a very clever friend of Nicky's, Sandra. There are some great funky gift ideas for all kinds of gadgets, from iPads to iPods to Kindles on Sandra's Facebook page, "Six Threads". There are a selection ready-made to choose from, but Sandra can also custom make to your colour/size requirements.
The camera strap cover is a fantastic idea, which I'm sure you would agree if you've ever been to a gathering of cardmaking or scrapbooking women, a good half of whom have a camera that is either identical, or looks pretty much the same (Canon, 300-1000D anyone??) It is also very clever in that it is padded slightly, which makes it more comfy to leave around your neck. It also has a nifty elasticated pocket on one end, for your lens cap or SD card pouch! The strap winds neatly around the lens, offering some protection and padding. The zippered pouch is beautifully constructed, with a full lining and light padding. The camera fits inside it easily with the standard kit lens attached, and the whole shebang fits inside my handbag. It's just perfect for those occasions where I really don't want to take the separate camera bag with all the bells and whistles, but want something more snazzy to snap with than the ol' iPhone! Love it so much, thank you Nicky and Sandra!


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Incorrect Fractional Value Returned With systemLayoutSizeFittingSize In View with UIStackViews
|Date Originated:
|iOS + SDK
|Product Version:
|iOS 10.2
|Other Bug
Area: UIKit Summary: systemLayoutSizeFittingSize is returning an incorrect fractional value sometimes with a particular view hierarchy setup using UIStackViews. The issue appears timing related because calling systemLayoutSizeFittingSize on subviews in the view hierarchy will prevent the fractional value from being returned. Steps to Reproduce: 1. Download the sample project attached here or from this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ft66zg1qnyupxop/UIStackView-Fractional-Bug.zip?dl=0 2. Launch the app in a 2x resolution simulator such as iPhone 5s 3. Notice that the systemLayoutSizeFittingSize(UILayoutFittingCompressedSize) call on line 20 of ViewController.swift returns (1366.5, 96.0) Expected Results: The systemLayoutSizeFittingSize(UILayoutFittingCompressedSize) call on line 20 of ViewController.swift should return (1366, 96.0) which appropriately respects the constraints applied to the view. Actual Results: The systemLayoutSizeFittingSize(UILayoutFittingCompressedSize) call on line 20 of ViewController.swift returns (1366.5, 96.0) an incorrect fractional value. Version: iOS 10.2 Notes: I've simplified the sample project as much as possible to highlight the issue. The view setup is essentially a view with a UIStackView pinned to the edges that has a vertical axis, and center alignment with two subviews. The view then has a particular width constraint on it, 1366 width. This is the critical configuration that is producing the bug. If you change the alignment of the UIStackView to left alignment for instance, the bug will no longer present itself. Also, if you uncomment the line of code on line 46 of TestView.swift the bug will not be reproduced. Let me know if you have any questions. Configuration: iPhone & iPad simulators for @2x resolution devices iOS 10.2 Xcode 8.2 Attachments: 'UIStackView-Fractional-Bug.zip' was successfully uploaded.
Please note: Reports posted here will not necessarily be seen by Apple. All problems should be submitted at bugreport.apple.com before they are posted here. Please only post information for Radars that you have filed yourself, and please do not include Apple confidential information in your posts. Thank you!


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What are the most important features/elements needed to protect yourself from online threats?
Posted on May 14, 2011
Unfortunately the pervasive threat of malware looms large over all computer users. Malware is a blanket term used to describe all sorts of potential online threats. It is short for malicious software and refers to threats including viruses, spyware, adware, worms and Trojan horses. With so many security threats online it is absolutely vital that people protect themselves.
There are a number of ways you can take precautions to protect yourself from online threats. Here are five basic tips:
Install antivirus software and keep it up to date.
Install a firewall and configure it correctly.
Scan your system as often as possible (a full system scan at least once a week.)
Don't open emails that look suspicious.
Don't download files from websites you don't trust.
Protecting yourself doesn't need to be an expensive undertaking. However, make sure your antivirus and firewall software is from a reputable vendor. Just remember to keep the software up to date. This is important because criminals are constantly developing new types of malware and in order to identify them your software needs to receive regular definition updates.
When you are online try to be thoughtful about where you click and what files you download. This extends to email as well because you can unwittingly unleash malware onto your system simply by opening an email. Don't click on links you don't trust and don't download files from websites you don't trust. If you do download files always make sure to scan them before opening.
Even taking these precautions your machine may still become infected so it is vital you perform frequent system scans. You should do a full system scan with your antivirus software at least once a week and you may want to scan local folders more often than that. You could also consider using some anti-spyware or anti-adware software. It is a good idea to make them part of your weekly routine, as well.
There are also other threats online which you should be aware of. One of the biggest threats at the moment has been dubbed phishing. It involves criminals trying to trick people into turning over their personal details and passwords. These phishing scams can be quite elaborate and involve fake websites and convincing emails. Typically, they will be presented as an email from your bank which asks you to click on a link and enter your details. The email and the website it links to will be false but may look very similar to the real thing.
There are several indications that an email is a phishing attempt. Your bank will never send you a link in an email and ask you to follow it and enter your details. Other indications that an email is false include:
The sender doesn't address you by name.
The email address of the sender is wrong or absent.
The email contains spelling mistakes.
The email threatens that your account will be closed if you don't respond immediately.
The email asks you to send personal information or documents.
The email is badly formatted.
If you are suspicious of any email you receive then check with the organization before responding (do not use any of the contact details in the email you received though!). Many banks and services now have dedicated phishing email addresses which can be used to verify phishing attempts by forwarding on suspicious emails.
Shopping and banking online are very convenient but they can also be major risk areas as criminals try to steal your personal details and gain access to your cash. Some banks have better online security than others but there are a few things you can do to reduce your risks:
Use strong passwords with several characters and try to mix letters, numbers and symbols.
Never divulge your password to anyone and do not store it on your computer.
If you discover any malware on your computer make sure you remove it and then change your passwords.
When you are connecting to the bank or entering credit card details for online shopping purposes, make sure the web page is secure – the address should start with
and there should be a padlock symbol in the bottom right corner of your browser frame.
As you can see there are a lot of things to consider if you want to fully protect yourself from online threats. Provided you have antivirus software and a firewall installed that is up to date, then the rest is mostly about common sense. Do not open or respond to emails or websites that you don't know or trust. Guard your details and information as you would your possessions in everyday life. Maintain a healthy level of suspicion and you'll find protecting yourself from online threats is not too taxing.
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What does it take to thrive as a board chair? In this post, CompassPoint governance consultant Marla Cornelius shares key takeaways from one of our newest programs, Thriving as a Board Chair. This cohort based learning experience for board chairs blends CompassPoint's governance content, expert facilitation, and peer learning. Do her reflections resonate with your board experience?
In the blog post "The Impact of Board Chairs" I talked about (among other things) how important it is for board chairs to adopt a learner's mindset and connect with other chairs to discuss the challenges that come with this important—but difficult—job. Inspired by this belief and our own experiences as board chairs, my colleague Adriana Rocha and I have been facilitating a five-month-long leadership development series just for board chairs called Thriving as a Board Chair.
We launched the series in August and quickly filled the seats with a terrific group of board chairs from diverse backgrounds. In addition to Adriana and me, there are participants representing all sectors (government, public, private) and stages of career—from emerging leaders to retirees. We are half-way through the series and as I reflect on what we've covered thus far, I wanted to share some of what I've learned.
Ground Rules and Goals to Steer Discussion
We started the first session by co-creating a set of ground rules that would guide and support our conversations in the months to come:
- Observe confidentiality
- Assume good intent
- Step back; take turns verbally and actively participating
- Fully engage in the sessions
- Share your experiences and opinions honestly
- Listen deeply
Since they're not that different from other agreements typically listed at the beginning of group processes, I suspect you won't find them particularly enlightening at first glance. But given the diverse composition of this group I think that they are in fact interesting. They reveal a hunger to talk—and I mean really talk—openly and candidly about what it means to be a board chair. It can be scary to ask questions about things we're "supposed to know" and scarier still to admit when we feel stuck or unsure. It feels vulnerable to step into any leadership position, but especially one that paradoxically comes with big demands and high stakes, yet, little to no orientation, training, and support.
Next, we generated a list of topics that we wanted to discuss in future sessions, then used a crowdsourcing process to see which rose to the top. Here are the four topics that were ultimately selected by the group:
- Board Meeting Agendas
- The Board Chair's Role between Board Meetings
- The Board's Role in Fundraising
- Executive Director Performance Evaluations
We've tackled the first two (and discuss them below). The latter two discussions are still to come.
Board Meeting Agendas Shape What Will Happen
In this session we talked about a seemingly mundane yet critical task—developing board meeting agendas. We used the Governance as Leadership framework by Chait, Ryan, and Taylor to design conversations that focus the work of the board on governance, not micromanagement. Using an inquiry-based agenda format, we redesigned dissatisfying meetings with an eye towards a better use of board time, space to grapple with real issues, and time for candid conversations that engage the collective intelligence, diverse perspectives, and passion around the table.
As I write this post, I'm reminded of Susan Scott, the author of Fierce Conversations, who says, "Remember that what gets talked about and how it gets talked about determines what will happen. Or won't happen. And that we succeed or fail, gradually then suddenly, one conversation at a time."
While Scott was not referring to board conversations per se, while I read this quote the voice in my head paraphrases her words, "What's on the board agenda gets talked about and how it gets talked about determines what gets decided. Or not decided. And that our boards succeed or fail, gradually then suddenly, one board meeting at a time." It's a good orientation to keep in mind. I've never met Susan Scott, but I suspect she would agree.
The Importance of the Board Chair's Role between Board Meetings
In a conversation a while back with CompassPoint's CEO Jeanne Bell, she said casually, "A good chair runs a good meeting. A great chair runs between meetings." I've been quoting her ever since. When I shared this with the group, it immediately resonated with them too and this notion became the basis for our second session.
In selecting this topic, we thought about the importance of staying connected between board meetings so that they don't feel like a string of disjointed conversations unmoored from the day-to-day issues facing the organization. We recognized that one aspect of being a board chair is to play the role of "bridger" by ensuring that there are practices and structures in place to support the work and board members between meetings. Committees, task forces, and board events planned with an eye towards cohesion make a board member's experience feel purposeful and curated not randomly thrown together like open-mic night. In addition to formal structures, little efforts go a long way towards this end. For example, chairs might consider:
- Sending personal emails to board members reminding them of upcoming events and action items.
- Occasional phone calls throughout the year asking board members for ideas and feedback. This will increase their engagement by showing that their opinions matter.
- Personalized email invitations to organizational events to increase the likelihood that members will attend. Better still, after the event, ask a board member to write a short note recapping the experience for those who couldn't make it or host a brown bag lunch on what they learned.
Join Us for the Next Thriving as a Board Chair Series
There are two more sessions planned before the end of the current series: The Board's Role in Fundraising and Executive Director Performance Evaluations. I look forward to sharing my reflections on these conversations in a future post. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from other board chairs, past and present: How do you navigate challenges? Stay inspired? And, what would have been on your list of topics to discuss with other chairs?
If you currently serve as a board chair, join my colleague Adriana Rocha and me for the next series of Thriving as a Board Chair: A Peer-Learning Program beginning in February 2015. In this five-month learning experience, you'll have an opportunity to select the topics that matter most to you and then engage with us and other board chairs in fun, candid, and courageous conversations about this rewarding and challenging position.
Marla is a senior project director at CompassPoint and board chair at DataCenter: A Research Justice Organization. Adriana Rocha is practice director at CompassPoint and board chair at Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT).
CompassPoint blogs on board leadership:
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It is not easy being a financial adviser. As fund managers it is our job to deliver the best returns we possibly can with the mandate we are given, but an adviser's job is arguably a lot tougher. Clients work for years, entrusting their hard-earned money to advisers. Understandably that... Show More
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USD Has Many Ways to Get in the Holiday Spirit in December
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
'Tis the season for holiday cheer, joy, gratitude and thankfulness. 'Tis the season for quality time with friends and family and to celebrate the reason for the season. At the University of San Diego, December is a time to be festive with multiple holiday celebrations and traditions enjoyed by our campus community. Decorations are on display across campus on buildings, inside and out and don't forget to check out the Christmas tree on the Paseo de Colachis overlook space next to two big blue Adirondack chairs.
Here are some of the many events and opportunities to get involved at USD in December:
Sign up now for USD University Ministry's Digital Daily Advent Calendar, running Dec. 3-25.
Order Christmas Dinner To Go: Order a complete catered holiday dinner for 10, created by USD's own award-winning chefs. (Choices include: Prime Rib package, Honey Ham package or just the sides.) The dinner will be all ready for you to just heat and serve! Or, you may order groceries to cook yourself at home. The last day to place your order is Thursday, Dec. 14. The pick-up date for all orders is Thursday, December 21.
USD Torero Store USD Holiday Shop: Get your Torero fan some USD gear for Christmas. There are all kinds of gifts to suit any USD alumni or family member's needs. Enjoy free shipping on orders over $70 when you use the promo code FREESHIP* (* — Offer valid through Dec.15, 2017 on online purchases only. Not valid on course materials, selected computers and tablets, gift cards, graduation regalia, class rings and diploma frames. No additional discounts apply.)
Christmas in Toyland Dinner, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 4:30 to 10 p.m., Student Life Pavilion, Pavilion Dining. USD Dining Services extends an open invitation to the entire campus community for an all-you-care-to-eat dinner featuring a holiday menu. Vegan options available. Cost is 1 meal plan meal or $14.25.
Victorian Christmas Dinner, Thursday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m., La Gran Terraza. Cost is $100-$125. A Victorian Christmas Dinner is the second installment of the Humanities Center's dinners that highlight authentic holiday foods and traditions of a specific time period. During this traditional Christmas night, we will hear a dramatic reading of a Charles Dickens ghost story and enjoy beloved carols. Savor an authentic Victorian feast and wine pairings at La Gran Terraza on the USD campus.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Friday, Dec. 8, Masses at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., The Immaculata Catholic Church. December 8 is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day which celebrates the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. It is called immaculate because Mary was conceived without original sin.
USD Improv's Holiday Hooplah Show, Friday, Dec. 8, 7:30 to 9 p.m., Camino Hall 131 (Black Box Theatre). Free comedy show put on by students.
Holiday Tea with Live Music, Saturday, Dec. 9, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., La Gran Terraza. Cost is $31.95. Make a reservation.
Lessons and Carols, Saturday, Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 10, 2 p.m., Founders Chapel. Each year, the Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture invites the campus community and the public at large to gather in Founders Chapel to enjoy Lessons and Carols, a Christmas celebration that dates back well over 100 years and is followed around the world in a multitude of places. Through poignant readings of the Old and New Testaments, interspersed with beautiful music and carols, the congregation is invited to reflect on the birth of Jesus in the context of its significance in salvation history. This event is free and open to the public.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Dinner and Mass, Sunday, Dec. 10, UC Forums (dinner), 4:30 p.m.; The Immaculata Catholic Church (Mass), 7 p.m.
Advent Penance Service, Monday, Dec. 11, 7 p.m., The Immaculata Catholic Church.
Hanukkah, Tuesday, Dec. 12 to Wednesday, Dec. 20.
President's Forum, followed by the USD Employees Christmas Party, Dec. 13. The President's Forum starts at 12:15 p.m. in the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre. All faculty and staff are invited to come learn about recent highlights at USD. The annual Christmas party follows in the UC Forums at 1:30 p.m.
Holiday Prime Rib Buffet with Carolers, Wednesdays (Dec. 13, 20), 5 to 9 p.m., La Gran Terraza Restaurant. Enjoy a prime rib dinner with live holiday carolers performing. Cost is $28.95 per person. Make a reservation.
Alumni Christmas Mass, Saturday, Dec. 16, 5 p.m., Founders Chapel. The Alumni Christmas Mass celebrates our Catholic faith during the advent season. The Alumni Christmas Mass is followed by a reception in the French Parlor. RSVP here for the Mass. We encourage everyone to support the Student Alumni Association toy drive at Mass by bringing an unwrapped toy to place beneath the tree in the foyer in front of the Chapel. To serve at Mass, contact Mary Kruer at (619) 260-5903 or email@example.com. To sing at Mass, contact Annette Welsh '79 at (619) 260-6717 or email@example.com.
Christmas Brunch with Santa, Sunday, Dec. 17, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., La Gran Terraza. Cost is $44.95, $17.95 for kids 6-12). Make a reservation.
Christmas Eve Masses, Sunday, Dec. 24, Regular Mass times are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., 4:30 p.m. (homily for 4:30 p.m. Mass is for children and their families), 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. (caroling will begin at 9:30 p.m.), The Immaculata Catholic Church.
Christmas Masses, Monday, Dec. 25, Masses at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., The Immaculata Catholic Church.
The Octave of the Nativity of the Lord, Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, 9 a.m., The Immaculata Catholic Church.
— Compiled by Ryan T. Blystone, USD News Center
Post Contact
USD News Center
(619) 260-4681
Contact Information
Campus Life
Hahn University Center 232
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: (619) 260-4588
Fax: (619) 260-4610


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This weekend David Bauer and I will be joining our fellow junior classmates at Conception to embark on the annual adventure known as Hispanic Weekend. Every year the junior class travels to a hispanic parish to be immersed in the hispanic culture. The purpose of this is to help us as seminarians understand more about the hispanic culture. This is important because the hispanic community is growing so much in our Church.
Having grown up in an hispanic family I am not expecting to learn anything terribly earth-shattering about the culture. However, I hope that it will be a fruitful and enjoyable weekend. During part of the weekend we will be seeing some of the different programs within the parish. Having always lived in areas where the parish was not a hispanic parish this will be a great learning opportunity. I know there is still so much to learn about hispanic ministry.
Look for some more thoughts and pictures after the weekend.
Please pray for all the students participating as well as the parish and families that will be hosting us for the weekend.


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Order by Phone: 1-888-837-7891
True 802156 - 8300MRAG59 Overload
Important! - Please provide the serial number (i.e. 1-2345678) and model number (i.e. GDM-5, T-49, etc) for your unit in the comment section at time of checkout if you want us to confirm the part's compatibility with your unit. Both of these numbers are found on a tag generally located on the left interior wall of the cabinet. This video will help explain where to find this information.
The True 802156 is compatible with Tecumseh compressors AKA4476YXC and AKA9441AXC.
- True Part Number: 802156
- Manufacturer Model Number: 8300MRAG59
- Alternate: MRA8962-114
- Compatible Compressor Manufacturer: Tecumseh
- Compatible Compressor Manufacturer Model Number: AKA4476YXC and AKA9441AXC


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Shimla, the summer capital of the British Government in India is still positioned on the top list of the people´s attractions. Shimla hill station bloom at its best during the months of December, January and February. The whole area is covered with the white blanket of snow. Main attraction here is the ice skating carnival that is held every year during winters in the month of January. The carnival is fun and lively and the various colors against the white scenery of the snow make Shimla look like a wonderland.
Shimla hill station tour can be your perfect choice to enjoy the forthcoming Christmas and New Year. This is the time when the hill station receives snowfall, which adds to the fervor and enthusiasm of the visitors. During Christmas, you can see a heavy flood of tourist in this hill station. The famous church is decorated beautifully. To enjoy such a snowy holiday in Shimla, you need to come over here in the month of December and January. Coming in these months you can make your excitement double by celebrating Christmas and New Year.
Winter is known as the season of long moon nights. The climatic condition becomes very romantic in these days and it makes Shimla a paradise. In this season temperature goes down up to -4°C to -7°C which leads to heavy snowfall. In this time adventurous activities like skiing and ice-skating gets energize and invites the sports lovers to enjoy their vacation on the snow capped peaks in fullest. Simla has the only natural ice-skating rink in India. Ice skating was started here by the British in 1920 when Shimla was the summer capital of undivided India. In winter, Shimla hill station tour is in milky white and offers an exciting opportunity to catch snowflakes as they fall silently on earth.
The hill station of Shimla is full of fun and play throughout the year. But, the excitement doubles up in the winter season as the place turns out to be a winter sport destination in India. Adventure freak from all across the world often visit the place and satisfy their quest of ice-skating. Beat this frosty winter with a splendid Shimla hill station tour.


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Drip-dripped Dura Ace info guarantees generous exposure
According to Shimano Europe, Dura Ace 2004 has "gone through a complete redesign...shifters not excepted."
The Shimano statement says particular attention was paid to the shifters because "riders spent huge quantities of time in direct contact with them and bike operation is handled through them."
The angle between the hood and the handlebar has been reduced, offering more hand comfort, and it's claimed stress points have been "practically eliminated."
The hood has been reduced 5mm in circumference, which "makes the shifters suitable for all hand sizes and offers better gripping to all riders."
A modified pivot improves shift lever access and there's a redesigned internal mechanism.


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Rosie likes to smoke and to relax after a long hard day. But today, she felt like her feet were aching. The cigarette did not help either. She called a loser neighbor of hers and when he came, she made him lick and smell her socks before making him massage her feet. He did well and instead of rewarding him, she made him lick the sweat and smell off her feet.
Madame Marissa likes bullying and torturing guys. She used to be teased when she was a little girl and now that she has grown up, she likes to revenge for those bad times she had growing up. She likes to get bullies and making them her bitches. She likes to make them lick and smell her socks as well as her sweaty and stinky shoes. Then she laughs at them and sends them away.
After a long day at work, this mistress likes to take off her shoes and have her feet pampered by her slave. She likes to make her slave lick the socks and smell them before he does anything else. Sometimes she likes to use them to gag him by shoving them into his open mouth. Whatever it is she does with the socks, it is always great for her and humiliating for him.
Femdom Felicia is home from gym and she finds really relaxing to put her dirty socks on her slave's face. She will need to feel that sweaty thing on his face and this is not all! She will order him to lick them, smell them and to put it in his mouth in order to feel the taste of her dirty smelly white socks. She really enjoys to humiliate him.


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St Francis Rangers boss Simon Boddie was delighted after an Oluwaseun Olabiyi brace saw his side pick up three points away at Hailsham on Tuesday night.
Olabiyi struck in the 47th and 64th minute to ensure a 2-1 win for Boddie's men.
This was Rangers' first league match since February 24. Boddie said: "After so much stopping and starting with all the bad weather recently with the ground being either soaking wet or covered in snow, it was nice to get a game on. Albeit if I was the Hailsham groundsman I wouldn't be happy on Wednesday morning."
Rangers had a number of players not available which presented an opportunity to one or two fringe players. The pitch was very heavy and Hailsham had produced some very good results in their last four or five games so Boddie saw this as a true test.
But Boddie said: "My lads stepped up to the mark and ground the opposition down.
"It wasn't pretty but was a gutsy performance as Hailsham didn't roll over. After being goalless at half-time, the instructions given were to forget intricate football and be direct.
"This proved to be the difference and eventually the pressure paid off. However tiredness eventually git the better of our back line and a mistake allowed Hailsham to score in the 89th minute but we hung on until the final whistle."
Boddie added: "It would be unfair to single individuals out but Chris Haskell certainly put himself in the frame for MOM as did Harvey James in goal who made some crucial saves.
"Eventually MOM went to Chris Capper at right back whose energy was endless and proved there were no ill effects from a broken leg at the beginning of the season."
Boddie now believes his side need to get four or five results in succession to show the improvement in last season they are striving to find.
Rangers do not have a game on Saturday but host Steyning Town on Tuesday night.
Keymer tick the Box with new overseas signing
Duffy: The pressure's off for Manchester United cup clash


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Welcome to our new website - www.sirane.com. We admit it was about time the old site and indeed the whole corporate image had an overhaul, but we're just so busy....
We hope you like it. As you'll see Sirane's business has been broken down into four core divisions - food packaging, industrial, horticultural and medical & healthcare. We'll keep the site regularly updated with news from all four divisions - including product news, product launches and other useful pieces of information.
You'll find product information on everything we manufacture - sub-divided by the relevant divisions. But don't forget if you can't see what you're after still get in touch, because our team of designers and scientists will do their level best to make exactly what it is you're after, however odd the requirements.
And don't forget to join us on Twitter - you'll find us @SiraneLtd - and on Facebook. They are both a great way to stay up to date with what's going on.


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the honeymoon from hell
Sail Date: May 01, 2007
Ship: Sea Princess
Cabin Type: Inside
Traveled As: Couple
Reviewed: 11 years ago
Review SummaryThe ship from the outside looked magnificent. The staff on board was not helpful or knowledgeable about majority of things. the rooms were small ( on the interior) if you make a queen size bed don't expect any moving room. there was little places to sit outside. The ship stunk of smoke ( by both the passengers and the crew) The ship was clearly outdated. The ship broke and they cancelled the cruise so we didn't get a honeymoon and our response from Princess was well you get $400 off another one and they just waned us off the ship. No consern for the passengers ruined holiday
Ship Experiences
Food and Dining
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Pros: not much
Cons: the entire thing


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Rebel Angel Leader
Samael is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil. It is said that he was the guardian angel of Esau and a patron of the Roman empire. He is considered in legend a member of the heavenly host (with often grim and destructive duties), and equatable with Satan and the chief of the evil spirits. One of Samael's greatest roles in Jewish lore is that of the angel of death. He remains one of the Lord's servants even though he appears to want men to do evil. As a good angel, Samael supposedly resides in the seventh heaven, although he is declared to be the chief angel of the fifth heaven.
Powers & AbilitiesEdit
Sama'el was among the chief angels who fell from Heaven and is among the highest-ranking demons.
- Demonic Possession - Samael, like all celestial beings, requires a human vessel in order to physically interact with humans on Earth, as it is a law that applies for all angelic beings.
- Resurrection - Samael has the power to bring or revive anyone and anything he wishes back to life. Death has admitted that on the contrary, he abides by a rule which seemingly strictly restricts him from bringing people back to life due to the ramifications of upsetting the natural order.
- Healing Touch - Samael can heal wounds and deformities, even fatal ones, using the last remnants of his angelic powers.
- Illumination - Samael is able to release pure energy which allows him to kill and exorcise demons by placing their hand upon their forehead. And he has the ability to purify the souls of those affected by demons.
- Weather Manipulation - He can manipulate and control the weather under Earth's atmosphere, create natural disasters that can kill millions of people instantly.
- Death Touch - In his occupation, he is capable of killing anyone or anything he wishes instantly.
- Nigh-Omniscience - Samael may be nigh omniscient, as he possesses a wide knowledge on things like galaxies, planets, humans, souls, angels and archangels. Also, he's been physically present before the start of time itself alongside God.
- Invulnerability - Samael, like all archangels, is highly resistant to all forms of harm whatsoever, and can't even be harmed by other beings or angels, unless something angelic is involved, or if he is fighting another archangel.
- Super Strength - Samael, like all angels, dramatically increases the strength threshold of his host.
- Immortality - Samael is not subjected to death and disease. He claims that he is as old or older than God, but neither can remember who is older. Compared to him, the galaxy is still "in its diapers".
- Teleportation - Samael can go anywhere he chooses in the universe; despite the fact that he can't be everywhere at once like God, he can move around the Earth and the Universe at incredible speeds using teleportation.


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a needle's sympathy / the kindness of a gun / the monster in your head / the truth from which you run
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Your Natural Habitat Does Not Involve Tile and Linoleum
3 comments:
The other day I shared a shower with what I always called "daddy longlegs" inadvertantly. My solution was to quickly squish the little buggar. I'm afraid if I ran outside covered only in soap little animals and childred would go blind.ReplyDelete
You know, that whole "climbing up ceramic tile" thing? That doesn't work so well.ReplyDelete
I suppose I should admit that I apparently moved my car by driving it around to the front of the house while dressed only in a shirt and underwear this morning. It's my wife's fault. She woke me up so she could get the lawn mower out... I was four hours in to sleeping after thirty-six hours awake.
Frank: Hang on, hang on - you squashed a daddy longlegs? Why? They can't bite you, they're terrified of anything that moves and they're so light you wouldn't even feel it if one of them ran up your leg.ReplyDelete
We catch and release most spiders, but we've got a healthy population of daddy-longlegs living in our house. They're completely harmless.
Comments are for you guys, not for me. Say what you will. Don't feel compelled to stay on topic, I enjoy it when comments enter Tangentville or veer off into Non Sequitur Town. Just keep it polite, okay?
I am attempting to use blogger's new comment spam feature. If you don't immediately see your comment, it is being held in spam, I will get it out next time I check the filter. Unless you are Dennis Markuze, in which case you're never seeing your comment.


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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
3 comments:
Nice job, Mrs. Levy. I especially like the comparisons you make to other books so we know what kind of story we might be enjoying with your suggestion.ReplyDelete
Plus, I'm a fan of suckers, so you had me with The Big Red Lollipop.
I am heading to the library today. Thanks for encouraging summer reading!
- AnonymousJuly 12, 2011 at 11:45 AM
Dear Mrs. Levy,ReplyDelete
I really like the Junie B Jones books. I like Frog and Toad to.
Dear Mrs. Levy,ReplyDelete
I liked your video and will look in the library for some of those books for my little brother and sister. My name is Miriam and I am nine years old. I was in Mrs. Yollis' class last year. I also have a blog and here is the URL: http://victoria-miriamsmoments.blogspot.com/.
My favorite books that I have read this summer are Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Julie of the Wolves is about a girl who lives with the wolves and tries to survive. Black Beauty is about a horse who gets sold to different owners and finally ends up with his first owner again.
Have you ever read them?


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It's my first year as an editor, I love to read and make art!
I am a part of the O.D.S.S. Student Council, WE team, was a part of anti-bullying and now a part of O.D.S.S. Paper and Ink.
Send me a message at firstname.lastname@example.com with any questions or comments 🙂


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Dave and Busters!
Our Assurance Team took some time to practice some team building techniques at Dave and Busters. Good food, good laughs.
Williams Adley Worldwide
Our teams travel the globe to meet our clients where their need is most. Here is a snapshot a team mate captured while in Morocco.
Traveling the Globe
With so many international opportunities and locations to see, you may find yourself enjoying the sights and sounds of a new country.
WA Cares with Home Supplies!
WA Cares works to support a number of charities and organizations that support places our employees care most about. This season we donated home supplies to a local organization that assists veterans with obtaining new housing.
Williams Adley at the Wizards Game
Each year, Williams Adley raffles off Wizards Home Game seats to 2 employees and their guest.
After winning "Firm of the Year" Kola and Jocelyn accepted the award on behalf of everyone's hard work.
Finding Our Next Teammate
Career Fairs are a great opportunity for our teammates to get out and find their next team mate. Check out Chelsea and Sam at George Mason!
WA Fitness Briefing
During the Quarterly Meeting, our fitness expert, Mr. Rickey Tripplet, taught us a few things about how to stay fit even when sitting at a desk!
Check out this picture of one of our Consulting Teams! Working with clients is critical to their success and they love to do it!
Management Retreat
The management team took a moment to reflect on the successes and improvements from the year prior at their Annual Management Retreat. This year, they explored the new MGM Hotel and Casino at the National Harbor.
WA Cares @ Anne Beers Elem. School
Williams Adley is committed to our local community. Each year we participate with Junior Achievement and donate school supplies to children and teachers.
Cupcake Wars
You may think the competition is tough on the TV show, but at Williams Adley the Annual Cupcake Wars competition is a battle to the frosting! Each year participants bring in their best contender for a chance a prize (and bragging rights for a year, of course).
Williams Adley at AGA
Senior Manager, Leah Southers, leads a panel of CFOs on Internal Control Risks.
WA Fit at Great Falls Park
It's not just about boot camp and jogs. The WA Fit team tries to engage our employees in a variety of healthy lifestyle options. This outing was at Great Falls Park in Maryland and included a easy/medium hike.
Meeting our clients where they are!
Our Consulting Teams meet clients at their sites and help facilitate solutions!
The Happiest of Hours!
Our team took to the sun and reveled over the accomplishments of the week at a Happy Hour.


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Case Study 3: i360 Brighton – Funding Civic Scale and Quality Experiences
British Airways i360 in Brighton opened in August 2016. It is the world's tallest moving observation tower, world's first vertical cable car and holds the Guinness World Record as the world's most slender tower. As well as a visitor attraction, the venue includes conference and hospitality rooms, and a publicably accessible brasserie, café and shop. The BA i360 has been funded through a unique Public-Private Partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council and the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership. The Council has loaned the i360 £36 million, which it has borrowed from the government's Public Works Loan Board. The Council will earn over £1 million per annum in profits on the loan. This funding mechanism can now be used by Councils for projects with a 'commercial return' that can afford to repay the loan.


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Speakers in the Education Fair organised by the The Hindu Edcuation Plus, termed MBA in Canada as affordable and flexible. The fair was held to brief student about courses offered by universities in Canada. The Fair was held in association with CUAC in Chennai on Saturday. Around 300 people attended the fair.
One participant said that it was important to pursue MBA in a country that is economically stable, while another responded that Canada was less expensive than UK and USA and students could save a few hundred dollars if they opt for Canada.
Canada also offers opportunity to students to work part time during term time. There are lesser legal hassles to get a part time job than finding it in other countries.
Several students opined that it was easier to get MBA in Canada as compared to other European countries or USA.


text: So it seems like my truck has a massive vacuum leak. I found a bunch of hoses burnt or broken and replaced them, to no avail it still idles rough and shakes the truck at a stop. So I got the trusty carb and throttle body cleaner out and sprayed around and got a spike near the rear of the upper intake. Are they known to crack? Is there a line back there I can't see? Also, I think the motor has been swapped with a different year. It has thick intake runners with a spot for the throttle and cruise cable on the upper intake manifold itself. The local junkyard swore they pulled off a 97 explorer. The runners are thinner and no place for the throttle cable to mount. Any help would be greatly appreciated. EDIT:: Also sometimes when coming to a stop it idles very high, 25-3000 and gradually comes down back to the shaking and rattling around 700. It is a 5 speed manual.


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Buon Natale and a very Merry Christmas
|My first time eating oysters. It's definately and acquired taste lol
Italian dinners are always an extravagant event and Christmas Eve dinner did not fall short of that. Every course played a pivotal part of the overall meal experience, we enjoyed fabulous food, wine, and conversation. La Bella Figura! The term dubbed by Italians describes their undeniable attention to the beauty of life and the celebration of it. The meal begins with an array of seafood for an appetizer (l'antipasto) , followed by a pasta dish (il primo), next we enjoyed a fish entree (il secondo), we finish it off with a traditional Neapolitan desert (i dolci). From the first sip of wine to the last bite of dessert this meal was unforgettable.
|Antipasta: Oysters, Shrimp, and Sardine delicacies
|Secondo: Russian Salad and Cod Fish
|Dolci: Struffoli


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Hello, everyone!
Grace Church and St. Matthew's and very likely other Jersey City houses of worship will have the privilege and joy of being able to spend Christmas Day with each other and our brothers and sisters who are food insecure. There are so many ways you can share your blessings:
(1) We need cooks who can bring food prepared with love (turkeys, hams, Mac n cheese, lasagna, veggies, cookies for decorating, desserts, etc, etc). We also need items that people who can't cook can bring (like soda and disposable plates).
(2) We need folks from 9-1 who can help us set up, cook, and prepare. There will be a break for a quick worship service at Grace. Children are very much welcome—they will be decorating cookies.
(3) We need folks who visit with our guests and be good hosts—playing board games and chatting.
(4) We need folks from around 1-3, who can help us clean up the kitchen and gym afterwards.
Please look into your heart and talk to your families about what you can do very soon so the planning can get underway. Thanks much!
If you have questions, you can contact Myrna Perez using the information below:
Phone: 267 879 1543
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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There's no doubt about it: The Oscars are flawed.
Sometimes deserving movies simply don't generate enough hype, and get nothing more than a nomination. Or no nomination at all. We'll see all of that at this year's Oscars, airing on March 4.
Then there are the terrible movies and performances that somehow manage to snag the enviable trophy.
There's a long list of actors, directors, and more who you probably think have an Oscar, but don't. Some of them have been nominated dozens of times. Some a few times. And some, tragically, not at all.
Here we take a look at some of Hollywood's finest who somehow haven't won an Oscar already:
Ripley herself got a best actress nomination for "Alien" but didn't win. She also got a best actress nomination for "Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey" and a best supporting actress nod for "Working Girl." Weaver has said that awards shows give sci-fi films "no respect."
Three nominations, yet she always gets beaten by another powerful performance. Her latest nomination was in 2011 for "The Kids Are Alright." She lost to Natalie Portman for her performance in "Black Swan." In 2017, she was snubbed with no nomination for her acclaimed work in "20th Century Women."
In 2006, Joaquin Phoenix didn't win best actor for his role as Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line." He lost to the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman for his role as Truman Captoe in "Capote. " (2005 was a big year for biographical films.) The two actors would later work together in 2012's "The Master." Phoenix's role in that movie lost to the impossible-to-beat Daniel Day-Lewis for "Lincoln."
The master cinematographer has 13 nominations, but sadly, no wins yet. Some of his nominated work includes "Skyfall," "No Country for Old Men," "Fargo," and "The Shawshank Redemption." Deakins is getting some Oscar buzz on his stunning work on "Blade Runner 2049," so we're hoping 2018 is his year. Hello, Academy! Are you there? Give this man an Oscar already.
With two nominations, Smith still hasn't gotten a win. He was a frontrunner for best actor in 2002 for his role in "Ali," but lost to Denzel Washington for his role in "Training Day." Had Smith won, he would have become the second black actor to win in the best actor category, but Washington took that title. (The first was Sidney Portier in 1964.) Smith's other nomination was for "The Pursuit of Happyness" in 2007.
"Always a bridesmaid, never the bride" kind of applies to Paul Thomas Anderson. With six nominations and even with "There Will be Blood" being a classic, he somehow still hasn't managed to win a little gold guy. He will probably get a nomination for directing "Phantom Thread" this year, but he probably won't be a favorite to win.
Amy Adams is the new Leonardo DiCaprio when it comes to deserving an Oscar. His win for "The Revenant" gives us high hopes for her future with the Academy. Adams has six nominations and a snub for her incredible performance in 2016's "Arrival," but she'll be back for the win one day soon.
With four nominations since 2013, Cooper is already an Oscar nomination machine. He was a frontrunner for his role in "American Sniper" in 2015, but lost to Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything." Three of Cooper's nominations are for acting. His fourth would have been a best picture statue, since he was a producer on "American Sniper." "Birdman" won that honor instead.
Since the ending of "Dawson's Creek," Michelle Williams has proved she's much more than just another teen-soap star. Since 2006, she's gotten four nominations, including one in 2017 for her supporting role in "Manchester by the Sea." She's also a major contender for best actress in 2018 for her role in "All the Money in the World," for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.
The stylish director has been making feature films since the late '70s, but has only been nominated four times with zero wins. His last nomination was in 2016, when "The Martian" was nominated for best picture. His nominations for best director were for "Thelma & Louise," "Gladiator," and "Black Hawk Down." He could be up for a best director nomination for "All the Money in the World," which managed to replace Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer within a month of its release.
With four nominations, there's still no win for the visionary director. He's been nominated in the best director category for "The Elephant Man," "Blue Velvet," and "Mulholland Drive." He also got a best adapted screenplay nomination for "The Elephant Man," but lost to "Ordinary People."
The "Fight Club" director has a distinct style and gets recognized at awards shows more and more these days, but has only two Oscar nominations: best director for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Social Network." Fincher's distinct style — and impressive line of work including "Zodiac," "Se7en," and "Gone Girl" — is bound to get a win one day.
The actress was a frontrunner to win for her role in "Zero Dark Thirty" in 2013, but lost to Jennifer Lawrence for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook." Her other nomination was in 2012 for her supporting role in "The Help." She lost that one to her costar Octavia Spencer. In 2018, she'll likely get a nomination for her role in "Molly's Game." She probably won't win since it's a tough category this year, but she'll will get her Oscar some day, hopefully soon.
Bassett is well-known for biographical roles, but has only been nominated once for her role as Tina Turner in "What's Love Got to Do With It." She was also in "Malcolm X," "Panther" and "Akeelah and the Bee." She's been blessing us with her presence on TV a lot lately with roles on "American Horror Story," "Master of None," and "9-1-1," but hopefully she goes back to the big screen soon to finally get the recognition she deserves.


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Jason Holowach embraces the uphill battle of sport climbing
Jason Holowach never could have known all those years ago that climbing things for a living would become such an integral part of his life.
Besides, he grew up in the flatlands of Saskatoon, where adventurous souls like to make mountains out of molehills to satiate their adrenaline cravings.
While finding undulated terrain was difficult in the prairie city, Holowach was fortunate enough to find challenging cliffs at his family cabin in northern Saskatchewan. He'll never forget the first time his father created a wall climbing scenario for him and his sister up near La Ronge, Sask.
"There was a cliff close enough to the cabin. We'd throw a rope around a tree and he'd lower us into the bottom of the cliff and then he'd tell us to climb back up," Holowach recalls.
There was a rush, a freedom and a sense of adventure Holowach felt when he started climbing — something he still feels to this day.
This weekend Holowach is competing at the Canadian Lead and Speed National Championships in Saanich, B.C. Upwards of 270 climbers of various skill levels and ages are also competing in the annual event.
Organizers say this year's competition has set a new record for participants, bolstered by the fact that sport climbing is now an Olympic sport that will make its debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
Holowach has aspirations of competing at those Olympics, but is realistic about how difficult that actually is with the clock ticking down to the Games.
"Right now I'm doing the World Cup circuit to test the waters to see if I could have a chance," he said. "It's not looking too great but I'm learning a lot."
Olympic pursuit a game-changer
Holowach wishes competing at the Olympics in sport climbing would have been an option earlier in his career. The 33-year-old says even though it's only been a short time since it was added to the Olympic program, there is already a massive change happening within the sport.
"Even what I was doing two years ago has changed dramatically. I had an eight-year hiatus because of a shoulder injury primarily caused by improper training," he said.
"Now the amount of research that has been put into our training plan and generally into climbing is improving all aspects of the sport."
Holowach does have some issues with how the first-ever Olympic climbing competition is taking place.
Competitive rock climbing is split into three distinct disciplines — bouldering, lead climbing and speed climbing. Many elite climbers choose to specialize in one of these disciplines.
Bouldering provides short and technically challenging "problems." Climbers are unroped and there are padded mats below. Lead climbing involves a rope and longer routes that test endurance. The competitor who makes it the highest in the shortest time is declared the winner. Speed climbing is exactly what it sounds like — a pure race to the top.
Holowach says there are massive differences between the disciplines which will make it extremely difficult for any one athlete to excel in all three.
"Ideally I'd love to see there be four different Olympic competitions," he said. "Lead, bouldering, speed and then one that includes all three."
Inspiring the next generation
Holowach is somewhat reflective now when he looks back over his climbing career. He's won national youth titles to go along with an open national bouldering title.
In addition to those early cabin cliff experiences, he credits the local Saskatoon climbing gym where he spent countless hours learning the ropes with helping him reach this point in his career.
It was those experiences that propelled him to open his own climbing facility in Saskatoon about six years ago. Holowach says there has been "astronomical growth" in the sport's popularity — now more than ever.
"Our market is pretty small and the drive to climb in Saskatoon is much different from a place like Calgary where you're surrounded by mountains," he said.
"We're working to change that and expose people to climbing. We're focused on developing youth programs."
Not only is Holowach competing this weekend, he's brought three climbers from his facility to compete — coaching them every step of the way.
"It's such a part of my life," he said. "I feel so comfortable climbing and I love sharing it with others. I don't even know what I would do if I wasn't climbing."


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More Olympic Irony
So we are going into Canoeing… the announcer informs us that the earliest canoe was discovered in the tomb of a king dead for thousands of years. Then he unleashed this gem… once again as straight as possible.
"There is now way that king could have predicted what would happen today at these Bejing games."
Thank you NBC for establishing that kings from thousands of yeas ago could not predict the future of canoeing… or the future of anything.


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Police are urging residents to be vigilant after thieves ripped valuable lead off the roofs of Ribble Valley churches.
St Andrew's Church in Slaidburn was the target of metal thieves costing thousands of pounds, while callous thieves also targeted St Helen's Church, Waddington, leaving a repair bill of £200.
The rector of Slaidburn, Jonathan Oldfield, spoke of his dismay. He said: "Stolen were two small pieces of lead flashing from the south aisle roof, but it will probably cost several thousand pounds to repair the rest of the damaged flashing and stonework.
"This will be covered, hopefully, by insurance but the church will have the excess to pay which a small church like St Andrew's can ill afford and time will be spent on making claims and getting estimates and dealing with diocesan officials etc, which could be better spent spreading the good news of the Kingdom of God.
"If you saw a white car-derived van with ladders on the roof and a rag hanging off the ladder at the rear driving about Slaidburn on Saturday, July 15th, then let Clitheroe
police know especially if you can remember any of the registration number."
Sgt Dave Simpson, of Clitheroe Police, is investigating the thefts. He said: "I would urge residents to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the police by calling 101 or the free and confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111."


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incentaHEALTH to address outcome based wellness programs, employer wellness and civic wellness, lowering healthcare costs and increasing ROI
Denver digital wellness company, incentaHEALTH, will be presenting at next week's "12th Annual Executive Forum on Rewarding Healthy Behaviors" in Las Vegas, a hotspot for the country's leading incentive-based health and wellness programs. The two day conference will feature experts from employer, health plan and provider organizations sharing their experiences on creating innovative workplace wellness strategies, preventive health management initiatives and the evidence-based impact on workforce productivity, improvement of overall employee wellness and an increase in ROI.
Forum veteran, incentaHEALTH, will be hosting a session on Tuesday, February 2 at 2 p.m. and will speak to "Examining the Impact of a Measurable, Community Based Weight Loss Program" via Prezi, an interactive presentation platform.
incentaHEALTH's technology-based and incentivized wellness program has reached over 71,000 people and rewarded over $400,000 to participants since 2011. Lia Schoepke, MBA, Program Manager of incentaHEALTH's civic health platform Weigh and Win, will discuss how proven program strategies such as social accountability, push-based coaching, gamification and measureable results have caused 49 percent* of incentaHEALTH participants to lose at least 5 percent of their body weight, lowering client's healthcare costs and increasing their ROI.
Co-presenting with Schoepke is Tracy Shea, workplace wellness strategist for Denver Health Medical Center, one of incentaHEALTH's 150+ partners.
Attending the conference? Stop by incentaHEALTH's exhibitor booth to see a live demo of the newest HEALTHspot® wellness kiosk! Also, be the first to preview the new incentaHEALTH Smart Scale, the initial product to be released of the HEALTHspot® @ HOME offerings. The @ HOME series will soon make measureable, incentivized weight loss available to participants in the comfort of their own home.
*Participants with a BMI of 25 or greater, with two or more weigh-ins.


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Sunrise overlooking The Needles in
Southwest National Park
By AngeB · · From Pic of the Week
I started off early in hopes of capturing the sunrise over The Needles in the Southwest National Park. I wasn't disappointed. I had read it was a relatively easy climb to the summit point. I eagerly headed off as it had been on my long list for quite some time.
I hadn't quite reached the summit when I was rewarded with the most beautiful rays of sunlight. Upon reaching the summit the mist rolled in making visibility low but breathtakingly beautiful. Definitely a rewarding short walk in the Southwest National Park. Published 20 Apr 2017. Southwest TAS 7139
Intrepid waterfall chasers
By remarkablelife · · From Pic of the Week
Published 21 Apr 2017. Somersby NSW 2250
Beautiful Australian bushland
By Annette Hobbs · · From Pic of the Week
Published 21 Apr 2017. Omeo VIC 3898
Weekends with Madeleine are the best
By brodieemery · · From Pic of the Week
Weekends with @madeleinetbecker are the best. Especially when they're spent exploring the Tasmanian wilderness. Published 21 Apr 2017. Hobart TAS 7000
Weekend exploring at El Questro
By melsyrb · · From Pic of the Week
Published 21 Apr 2017. Durack WA 6743
White Light Lorikeets
By Bruce Thompson Photography · · From Pic of the Week
Taken looking into the Sun with a fast shutter speed and the FLASH on ..... the result is a White-ish Washed -out look! Taken at Currumbin Bird Sanctuary at late afternoon feeding time! Something different! Published 24 Apr 2017. Currumbin QLD 4223


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SFR / LE BAL award
The SFR / LE BAL award 2013 for young photography is open to any photographer up to the age of 30, living in Europe. Its purpose is to assist the winner in completing a documentary photography project.
LE BAL is an exhibition space showing the documentary image in its different forms (photography, video, film). It opened in September 2010 in the north of Paris. Its activity revolves around exhibitions, debates and educational programmes, all focused on documentary creation and the implications of an overwhelmingly visual representation of the world, from aesthetic to political.
What to win
The SFR – LE BAL Award for young European photography has an endowment of €10,000.
The project which the winner completes thanks to the award will be shown at LE BAL in the year following its creation (2014).
The winner will be advised in his or her practice by the team at LE BAL (introductions to publishers and curators, internships, lectures, etc.)
How to enter
You have to currently be working on a personal photography project on a theme that connects with the outside world, as opposed to a more personal or purely fictional subject.
You have to register as an artist in the Photo section at http://www.sfrjeunestalents.fr/. Please refer to the PDF in the attached files for all the details.
You also have to send by post a photocopy of your official ID with their SFR Jeunes Talents artist's name to Le BAL, 6 Impasse de la Défense, 75018 Paris. This must be postmarked no later than Tuesday November 13th 2013 2pm Paris time.
Closing date for entries
Closing date is pretty soon! You should upload your work before Monday October 28th 2pm Paris time.


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Defence Against Bioterrorism pp 43-74 | Cite as
A Perspective on the Strategy of Intelligence
In writings on and discussions of bioterrorism prevention and control over the past two-plus decades, the subject of intelligence has received limited attention. This chapter is intended to provide a foundation for either scholars or others newly interested, and government and military program managers and decision makers interested in establishing a new program or developing a fledgling one. It could also be used to catalyze tailored studies, as well. A broader approach to this topic has been used to provide as much information as possible to not only inform and educate, but enable further analysis, discussion and action which the reader can tailor to their own respective interests, further research, goals, objectives and outcomes. It is not written to direct the reader on a specific path or to a specific end point. The objectives of this chapter are: provide a broad foundation of intelligence and its value to countering bioterrorism and bioproliferation; identify some critical challenges; describe how national security and law enforcement leverage each other and other organizations which have necessary expertise, resources, authorities and information; frame and illustrate intelligence gathering, analysis and use to counter bioterrorism or bioproliferation through examples and plausible scenarios; to stimulate thought, questions, discussion and engagement as one looks at one's own national or collaborative multilateral programs; and, introduce possible "next steps", which could include NATO assuming leadership to craft and guide follow-up engagements specifically on this topic.
- 1.Sun Tzu (trans: Lionel Giles). The art of war. ISBN-13:978-1545211953Google Scholar
- 2.Bimfort MT (1995) A definition of intelligence. Stud Arch Ind 2(4). Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol2no4/html/v02i4a08p_0001.htm
- 3.Van Cleve M XXXX Strategic counterintelligence. Stud Intell 51(2). Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol51no2/strategic-counterintelligence.html
- 4.National Security Act of 1947 Public Law 253, 80th Congress (Last Amended 1966)Google Scholar
- 5.Johnson LK (ed) (2007) Handbook of intelligence studies. Routledge, Abingdon/Oxon/New York, 381 ppGoogle Scholar
- 6.Johnson LK (2010) Oxford handbook of national security intelligence. Oxford University Press, New York, 886 ppGoogle Scholar
- 7.Wikipedia (2017) List of intelligence gathering disciplines. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_intelligence_gathering_disciplines
- 8.National Intelligence Council (2017) Global trends: paradox of progress. National Intelligence Council, Washington, DC. https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/nic/GT-Full-Report.pdf
- 9.National Intelligence Council (2016) Implications for US National Security of anticipated climate change. NIC WP, Washington, DC.2016-01Google Scholar
- 10.Clark RM (2016) The protection of intelligence sources and methods. In: Oleson PC (ed) AFIO's guide to the study of intelligence. The Association of Former Intelligence Officers, Falls Church, pp 587–596Google Scholar
- 11.Federal Bureau of Investigation. https://www.fbi.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/intelligence-branch
- 12.New Zealand Security Intelligence Service. http://www.nzsis.govt.nz/our-work/our-methods/
- 13.Collier's International (2012) Spotlisght: U.S. Intelligence Community. http://www.capitolmarkets.com/spotlight/spotlight-the-us-intelligence-community/
- 14.Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joint Terrorism Task Forces. https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism/joint-terrorism-task-forces
- 15.International Genetic Engineering Machine (IGEM). http://igem.org/Main_Page
- 16.Laboratory Response Network, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014) https://emergency.cdc.gov/lrn/
- 17.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017) Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases. https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/agentlist.asp
- 18.Federal Select Agent Program (2017) www.selectagents.gov/Select%20 Agents%20and%20Toxins%20List.html


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Saybe rearranged her numbers b/c she thought they made more sense in a different order (and she's probably right), but seeing those numbers in the wrong order just made my skin crawl, so I'm back to the original order (what can I say, I've got problems.)
1- What is the working title of your book?
2- Where did the idea come from for the book?
So, as cliched as this now is, I'd say it started with a dream. This dream was of a girl using some sort of super-technology to jump out of a tall building to get away from her attackers. Then I started thinking about that, and somehow I wound up with a whole book's worth of plot.
3- What genre does your book fall under?
YA Sci-fi
4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
No one in particular came to mind, so I did a quick search through the creative commons, and this image works pretty well for Milla:
Photo by Patrick Doheny
And, just b/c she's really cute, I thought I'd share a photo that could work for Milla's little sister, Abbie:
Photo by Shrini Photography
I had a lot more trouble with Connel. He's supposed to be a red head, but as I was hunting, I got Cory Monteith stuck in my head. (And, hey, at least he's appropriately pasty. As a fellow pasty person, I like a guy who's not afraid of sunscreen.)
Photo by watchwithkristin
5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
In a technology-based future ruled by the Ten Families, Milla Aydin was not supposed to take over her Family for years and years, but when her mother is assassinated, Milla has to prove herself and protect her people.
6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Well, here's to hoping it'll be an agency. I haven't started querying with this manuscript yet, and I don't already have an agent, so we'll see.
7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Well, I took a break in the middle, so this is a complete guestimate. I'd say around 6 to 8 months. (And now the revisions begin.)
8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
YA science fiction doesn't seem to be all that popular these days (unless you count the Dystopian trend as sci-fi), especially not in comparison to Urban Fantasy or Paranormal. I am always so bad at this question. It's a bit like The Hunger Games, only less dark.
9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I've always loved sci-fi and fantasy, and I don't think there's enough real sci-fi for girls. I love a kick-ass heroine, and I wish people weren't quite so afraid of science (as a school subject especially). So maybe that's why I wrote it.
But the real answer: b/c I just thought it'd be fun.
10- What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Well, as the photos gave away, there is a future love interest, although since I intend for this book to be part of a series, he really just annoys the crap out of Milla in this book.
Another interesting factoid: this isn't a Dystopian book b/c the world got back on its feet, but this book definitely takes place in the future after a huge war tore the world apart, and it got put back together in a way that might seem odd to us now. After the war, there were ten leaders who marked out their territory (the origins of the Ten Families). The leaders decided that one of the main causes of the war was over-population, so they decided to separate males and females, so each Family is either entirely male or female (reproduction is done with technology). That's the backdrop for Milla's fight to save her Family.
Not sure whether they're going to be interested in participating, but here are my choices:
Amanda Boyle
Kristie Britt
Answer these ten questions about your current WIP on your blog.
Tag (up to) five other writers/bloggers with their links so we can hop over and meet them.


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Meet Dexter a three year old cocker spaniel who we rehomed from Battersea Dogs Home when he was 7 months old, and Millie a five year old black Labrador. I hope reading Dexter's adventures helps others who have rehomed or are considering adopting a rescue dog.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Wordless Wednesday- Snow!
6 comments:
Ah the joy of snow.ReplyDelete
Dexter, you are adorable! Why would you need a coat like mine when you have all that pawesome fur? :)ReplyDelete
Woohoo! Dexter you sure look fast!ReplyDelete
I think Yuki would like to see some snow again, rocket not so much! You look like you enjoy the snow. :)ReplyDelete
Wow Dexter that looks like so much fun. It is flurrying here now but it is not going to stick, sighReplyDelete
I love playing in the snow. I wish we had some here.ReplyDelete
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Hi All,
We can collect stats on Volatile tables(VT) but if the DBC does not contain any information for VT the where does this stats information store. Is there any table in dbc. ?
VT stats are "in memory". What are you really trying to do with this information? Maybe there is a different solution.


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Christie Dragoslavic
Email: email@example.com
Hello Pink Parents! My name is Christie Dragoslavic, and I am thrilled to introduce myself as the school counselor at Pink Elementary! My husband and I have lived in Frisco with our two beautiful daughters for over thirteen years. In fact, we choose to move to Frisco when starting our family because of the amazing schools. Thus, I am honored to serve the community in which I live, and I am thankful for the opportunity to work alongside so many talented educators that through their commitment and effort have earned Frisco ISD such a distinguished reputation.
I'm starting my eighteenth year in education and each school year is just as exciting as the first, if not more! In 1997 I earned my Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and taught for ten wonderful years. In 2007, I earned my Master of Arts Degree in School Counseling and decide to take some time off to stay home with my two precious girls. During my brief sabbatical, I had to find a way to feed my passion for education, so I took a part time teaching job as a college professor. In 2010, I began my rewarding career as a school counselor. Over the past eight years I have enjoyed working with students, in conjunction with families and teachers, to develop the skills required for students to be academically successful and emotionally equipped to be responsible and productive citizens. In addition to my degrees and experience, I hold a certificate in School Counseling, Elementary Education, and Special Education.
I am committed to helping ALL students at Pink Elementary realize their potential by delivering a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes personal growth and academic development. The comprehensive counseling program is comprised of guidance, responsive services, individual planning, and system supports. The comprehensive school counseling programs enhances a student's education by developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness and social and emotional development.
My job as a school counselor is multifaceted, but my commitment to making all students at Pink Elementary feel cared for, safe, capable, and connected is unwavering. Please contact me if your child is experiencing challenges that are impacting their success at school or if a particular concern arises. I am happy to be of assistance!
Warm Regards,
Christie Dragoslavic
School Counselor, MA
3650 Overhill Drive
Frisco, TX 75033 Map/Directions
Copyright © 2018 Frisco Independent School District | www.friscoisd.org