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"Being a writer is like having homework for the rest of your life -- you can never switch off. If you're not writing, you're editing. If you're not researching, or reading, you're hustling. If you're not eavesdropping or brainstorming or working new ideas ... then you'd better get out of the business and find a real job!" ~ Irvine, Hollywood screenwriter.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
five from ian
1. Your provenance is the UK, and now you live and work in the US, what motivated you to make the shift across the Atlantic?
I've known since I was nine-years-old that I would live overseas … just one of those knowing things. I'm glad I was raised and grounded in the UK and that my family base is still there, but I always wanted to travel and experience different cultures.
When I started looking around at 16, I thought it would be Australia; New Zealand; and then, following a topless (and sometimes bottomless) summer in the South of France with my sister, where we dined on local wines, cheeses, and handpicked cherries every day, I thought I'd move to France. But shortly after returning to England, she and I both fell madly in love with Capricorn boys and that put paid to dunking croissants and baring all in St. Tropez!
A couple of years later, Mr. Capricorn and I filed emigration papers to South Africa. And then I went on vacation to California. Big deal, nothing special … they all lived in 'wooden' houses! But when I arrived home to brick-built London, in two feet of snow, San Diego started looking pretty darn good, wooden houses and all … says she 22 years later.
2. What aspect of your work gives you the greatest satisfaction?
I know this sounds hokey and I don't care, but I've always been a change-maker; always needed to learn and grow. Everyone wants to feel that what they do matters and what's really important to me today, is making a difference. And having fun along the way. It doesn't matter how small or seemingly insignificant the difference, if someone tells you that something you've done, broadcast, written, or shared has helped them in any way, it makes everything worthwhile.
I'm in a position where I now do work that really excites me. In fact, my work is not work, it's my passion … if I won the Lotto tomorrow, I would still do it but on a bigger, grander, more global scale. I also love that, thanks to global technology, I'm not restricted to one location and can, and do, work from anywhere in the world.
3. You've traveled considerably in your life. Rather than ask you what place you like best, I'm going to ask what place gives you the greatest peace in your soul?
Oh … great question. I love being in nature … the wilder,
the better. But my number one soul-spot has to be the ocean. Whether I'm on it, in it, or by it.
I'll take it under any conditions: wind and rain, fog, or sun and heat. Give me craggy headlands, crashing surf, huge rocks, golden sand that stretches unspoiled for several miles and I totally lose myself … or more accurately, find myself!
My absolute favorite 'soul' places are in Cornwall, the south-western peninsula of the UK—especially the beaches at Perranporth and Watergate Bay. (Shown here.)
A piece of my heart also remains in the Isles of Scilly, 30-miles off the coast of Cornwall. They fly food and newspapers in every other day, there are no cars (everyone uses golf carts), and it's a little slice of unspoiled, sub-tropical heaven.
Outside of England, Oregon's Ecola State Park, Cannon Beach, the Florence Dunes, and California's Big Sur are amongst my favorites.
4. What is your idea of an absolutely perfect evening?
I could give you a glib 'watching the sunset with Tom Selleck' (which sounds pretty good to me). But if I'm honest this is a hard one!
Close friends say I'm a true renaissance woman, which caused me great insult at first because I thought it meant old-fashioned. But it apparently means someone who's into many different things and has many different interests. And that's true.
Some might say I seem conflicted because I enjoy seemingly opposite activities. I love the energy and facilities and haute couture of the leading big cities—yet love the solitude and isolation of virgin wilderness.
I love everything from dressing up for the opera, gourmet dining, fine art, and theatre; to sky-diving, off-roading, horseriding, and camping in the wilderness … and just hanging out with my family or friends.
So I guess the perfect evening boils down to who I'm with, rather than what we're doing. And I'd like to be doing more of it!
5. If you could choose another era of history in which to live, when would it be and where would it be and what would your role be?
Well I know Marie Antoinette got a terrible rap, but when I was 11, I was lucky enough to stay in a French boarding school in the heart of Paris. And I instantly loved all-things French. Still do.
We traveled a lot and some of the history around Marie Antoinette's time totally engrossed me. I saw her dresses and personal things, and thought she was so fine and glamorous, and had such a fun time that I was enthralled with her and wanted to be just like her. (Hey, I was 11 … I thought Isadora Duncan was a great role model too!)
Now of course, I know that no one wore deodorant, and that my big mouth would have seen me beheaded tout-de suite!
So if the opportunity of time-travel ever arises in my lifetime, I think I'll go back just a little, and visit Old Hollywood, when big screen movies were just starting to be made … maybe I'd be Kate Hepburn for a day and raise holy hell.
Okay, enough I's and me's … thank you Ian, I did enjoy your questions! If you would like to play and have your own 5 questions, let me know and I'll send them on.
inquiring minds
I often talk to myself. Speak in funny voices. Chat to my sister in Irish
and Russian accents. Sing because I can. And dance because I can't.
I've accidentally driven north on a south-bound one-way street (in London, San Francisco, Madrid and Seattle). Thumbed my nose at the advice of people who know everything, yet have experienced nothing. And reciprocated in kind to those who treat me or mine with disrespect.
So does that make me insane? Would it make me a bad mom? An unfit parent?
I don't know if Britney Spears is a good, bad, or indifferent mother. She doesn't appear to be making very wise choices of late. But I'm tired of every expert and their brother who once-took-a-psych-class analyzing her behavior from an elevation of 30,000-feet based on hearsay and supposition 'reporting'.
Maybe inquiring minds should ask how many green dollars the brutish-bodyguard packed in his wallet for the story he sold of Britney allegedly using drugs in front of her kids.
And, more importantly, since Tony Barretto is so 'deeply concerned' about the welfare of Brit's children, maybe we should ask why he's only just stepped forward—weeks after these events supposedly happened … after he was fired … after he hooked up with TV-hog Gloria Allred. And the month before Kevin Federline's $20,000 per month alimony expires.
Maybe, just maybe, there's more that inquiring minds should know.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
perfect conditions
I'm guilty of saying similar things myself about a couple of my own pet projects yet to realize fruition. For me, it's not always the number of paying projects I'm working on that stalls me, but the intensity and timeline of each project. For example, I'm currently working on 11 paid projects, which is down considerably from last month's count, but the intensity is high and I'm working 7 days a week to maintain. Other months I have just one or two projects that require most of my time.
Last week, when I was interviewing bestselling true-crime author, Ann Rule, she inspired me to realize that—as much as I have to be organized—I often get in my own way.
For one, I like clean, clear and open space to work in, no clutter in sight. And most days I work in nothing less.
Yet, as I write this, at the end of a crazy week where I've juggled all day and everyday—as we all do—my desk is overflowing with books to review, publicity material to scan, a phone log with 13 calls to return, marketing collateral for my show, a network folder full of regional events I 'should' attend; guest material to research; and a folder full of resumes to sift through so that I have another pair of hands before I tear out what little hair I have left.
There's a desktop LCD, two live-laptops ready to receive urgent client messages from different sources; a banker's lamp on the far left corner and an artist's magnifying light on the right. A bottle of coral nail polish, a vase of past-their-best roses, my old classic-sized DayTimer and my new full-size Covey planner. Then there's a digital clock, salt rock to dispel negative electrons, three wireless mice, a wireless keyboard, and oops, another bottle of nail polish—this time pink. (Now you know what I do on global conference calls!)
There are two DVD roughs to sign-off on, as well as a list of production credits to proof and approve. Two staplers (don't you hate when they run out and you're in a hurry?) and a block of Post-it notes. A "No Whining" sign sits behind a framed plaque saying, "You can be pleased with nothing when you are not pleased with yourself". (Must remind self of both sayings!) A cell phone, business phone, and an assortment of colored pens so I can color-code my new planner. (…anal?) And no less than two cups of cold coffee and a glass full of Perrier water.
"This is 'My Life'" … oh no, wait, that's the Cover Girl commercial.
Back to Ann Rule.
She was a cop turned writer. A single mom who had to find a way to make money when she could no longer be a cop because of eyesight limitations. And she found that way by setting up a typewriter in her kitchen and writing fantasy stories for True Confessions magazine, in and amongst the chaos of raising five children.
"We were so poor, for so long" she said, "but it teaches you, you can write through anything if you're determined."
She tells people who talk of seeking perfect conditions, like that cabin in the woods where everything is quiet (or the super clean desk), "It doesn't work that way. If you want to write [act, paint, dance] you will find a way."
And despite the huge disappointment of losing her career as a police officer, and her recollections of peeling fighting children off the top of her typewriter, Ann has now made the New York Times bestsellers' list 26 times.
So, while I take a few minutes to clean and de-clutter my desk, tell me, what perfect conditions are you waiting for?
Sunday, September 09, 2007
feeding your muse
And, too many to mention here, claim mental illness lifts them from the dullest of personalities into the occasional creative genius.**
In fact Kurt Vonnegut once said he'd be willing to suffer like Van Gogh to paint like Van Gogh … but not to paint like Gaugin.
So who is this Muse everyone talks of? What is she and where does she come from? And sometimes, we ask pulling our hair, why is she so elusive?
The word Muse means the one who remembers. In Greek mythology, Zeus and Mnemosyne—the personification of remembrance—had nine daughters.
All virgins, they each had a specific science or art to protect.
- Calliope protected elegies
- Melpomene, the tragedies
- Euterpe, flute playing
- Erato, love poems
- Tepsicore, choir lyrics
- Thalia the comedies
- Polyhymnia, dance and music
- Cleo (image above) protects the stories of heroes and history
- Urania, astronomy
Today, we less often rally a specific muse. We typically refer to 'The' Muse as an omniscient embodiment of all artistic creation and inspiration. And over the years, many have called upon her, hoping she'd bathe them in a sharp white floodlight of brilliance and creativity.
But as I padded up and down my studio in the dark hours one night, bare feet on bare boards, deadline looming, I realized, 'nope' … nine or one, there's no Muse hiding here tonight!
I paused by a bookshelf, closed my eyes and softly trailed my fingers across the spines of the neatly arranged books on the second shelf. My pinkie snagged on a small paperback.
I tugged the book off the shelf and opened my eyes: Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing fell open to page 35: "What is The Subconscious to every other man, in its creative aspect becomes, for writers, The Muse."
That's it! The Muse is our own subconscious.
Bradbury goes on to say that we must feed our Muse, to keep our Muse, and asks: "How have you fed yourself over the years? Was it a banquet or a starvation diet?"
He's not talking about food, but of senses and experiences; of looks, and sounds, and smells, and tastes, and touches.
What and who are we drinking in? How are we exploring and growing? Where do we spend our hours? And with whom? Who are our friends? Do they believe in us? Or do they stunt our growth with ridicule and negativity?
"These are the stuffs, the foods, on which The Muse grows …" Bradbury writes.
To feed your Muse, you must have been hungry and thirsty about life since childhood. And if you weren't, haven't been, and still aren't—it's never too late to develop your appetite and start feeding the Muse!
* The Muse, 1999 co-written and directed by Alfred Brooks.
** While many claim mental illness boosts their creativity above that of 'normal' people, many valid studies show this claim to be untrue and without merit.
Picture: Dr. Vollmer's Wörterbuch der Mythologie aller Völker.Stuttgart: Hoffmann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1874. Book: Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You by Ray Bradbury.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
don't let this stop you
"Don't let this stop you," the letter ended "... we look forward to hearing more of your music in the future."
Like many of us when faced with rejection, he'd skipped over the formulaic middle paragraph, and zoned in on the bits that gave him the slightest hint of hope that this wasn't 'just a standard rejection letter'. After all, that was a real ink signature … wasn't it?
I've blogged on rejection before, but let's face it, whether you're a working creative, a singleton on the dating scene, or a new-job seeker, rejection is going to happen.
According to psychologists worldwide, it's the number one fear of mankind. That and public speaking. And when you're emotionally attached to a particular piece of work or specific outcome, a resounding 'thanks but no thanks' is that much harder to swallow.
So, after our initial whining session, how do we make rejection more palatable?
If I had the answer to that I'd no doubt make a quick million. But here are seven tools that work for myself and others who are, alas, well-experienced in handling rejection!
- Don't automatically assume you did something wrong, or could have done something differently to influence the outcome. That may be true in some cases; but for the most part, rejection occurs due to a lack of confluence between you or what you're presenting, and time-place-demand and/or desire. The stars were aligned—or they weren't. Your work landed on the right desk on the right day—or it didn't. You met the person who set your heart on fire when you were both willing and available—or you didn't.
- When a loved or desired one rejects you with "It's not you, it's me" believe them. It-is-ALL-About-Them. Always has been. Always will be.
- When a potential employer rejects you, see it as positive. As a manager, I interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of potential employees, and it simply boils down to a person being a good fit for the job/team—or not. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you or the employer. And you want a mutually beneficial match, right?
- When an editor, producer, or gallery rejects your work, resubmit the piece to another pre-selected market the same day. If you have a good relationship with the rejecter, you can ask them why it didn't fit their needs *if* and only if you did your homework and didn't present them with something they'd already featured a couple of months ago.
- Take inflammatory emotion out of the situation. The rejection is not meant to hurt or injure you as a person, or to crush your creative genius. It's not personal—if you think it is, read number one again!
- Make the Law of Averages work for you by checking-off the rejection as another step closer to getting a yes.
- Don't ever let the fear of rejection stop you from reaching out in any aspect of your life. Our wise elders always say, it's not the things they did that they regret. It's the things they did not do!
What do you have to add on rejection? How do you handle it? What type of rejection is hardest for you to deal with—emotional or work-related? And why?


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They Should Be Occupying K-Street
Jeff Carter @ the Business Insider
OWS protestors are highly critical of big corporations lobbying Congress and Washington DC regulatory agencies to tilt the playing field in big business favor. It sounds like they don't appreciate the virtues of crony capitalism, otherwise known as "The Chicago Way".
Well guess what?
Companies that are successful lobbying the Washington DC apparatus are simply playing off big government. To kill the effect of lobbying, skewer the beast and make government smaller.
Allowing companies to stay alive with government support also empowers big government. Allowing the capitalistic force of creative destruction is something the Tea Party is behind. What about Occupy Wall Street?
The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters are directing their anger at the wrong target, something that I will discuss in further detail this weekend.
ETA: There's also a good post over at Legal Insurrection regarding the OWS protesters.

subset: commoncrawl


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Trips will operate rain or shine. Remember to bring lunch, drinks, proper clothing, footwear, sunscreen and insect repellent. OFO encourages car pooling on all field trips. Participants are reminded that it is the responsibility of every participant on an OFO field trip to comply with the OFO Birding Code of Ethics, and to minimize the risk of injury or damages that may result from unsafe or inappropriate behaviour (especially when driving, or while roadside birding where passing traffic presents a hazard).
Upcoming Field Trips
OFO Field Trips in IBAs
Of all the amazing OFO field trips, almost 40 of them will visit IBAs! IBAs are Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, and are designated for congregations of birds (more than 1% of their population) or species at risk (on the IUCN or COSEWIC lists). OFO will travel to around 20 IBAs including Point Pelee, Long Point, Rondeau, Skunk's Misery, Cabot Head and others in SW Ontario, a few Kingston area IBAs like Wolfe Island, Amherst Island and Napanee, the Leslie Street Spit IBA in Toronto, and as far north as the Moose River Estuary IBA near Moosonee. These trips will let you explore marshes, lakes, rivers, forests, islands, and grasslands (Ontario IBAs are very diverse).
Like many Bird Studies Canada programs, the IBA Program is volunteer-driven, and contributions from on-the-ground observers are essential to help strengthen our database. You can help keep our records as current as possible by simply submitting a checklist to eBird when you are birding in an IBA. If stopping at multiple locations consider using the IBA Protocol (but speak to the Ontario IBA Coordinator for more details first). By doing this, you are not only having an excellent time birding, but are playing a part in the conservation of birds and their habitat. If you are interested in further helping IBAs, there are numerous opportunities. Just contact the Ontario IBA Coordinator at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information. Happy birding!
Young Birders
OFO Young Birders field trips and workshops are for birders age 9 -19. The only prerequisites are enthusiasm and curiosity about birds. Parents or guardians are encouraged to attend except where otherwise indicated.
Trips will operate rain or shine. Remember to bring lunch, drinks, proper clothing, footwear, sunscreen & insect repellent as appropriate. Carpooling is encouraged for driving trips.
If you have questions, contact Lynne Freeman at firstname.lastname@example.com or 416-671-0325 (email is better).
Trips may be added or changed so please check the field trips on the OFO web site prior to the trip.
Next Scheduled Trips and Workshops
August 15 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED Alan Wormington Memorial Camp for Young Birders
Leader: Jeff Skevington, Angela Skevington, Ian Shanahan, Lynne Freeman
Young birders. This week-long overnight camp provides teen campers with an immersive nature experience. Campers will go birding every day, will do mothing, wolf howls, canoeing and herping. For teens aged 13 - 18. Registration required at ofo.ca. Cost $950. Maximum 14 participants. Camp ends Saturday, August 22nd. Click here to register
August 16 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED - Durham Region and Lake Ontario Marshes
Leader: Rayfield Pye, John Stirrat
Meet 7:30 am at the Lynde Shores Conservation Area parking lot on Victoria Street, Whitby. Exit Highway 401 at Brock Street (Exit 410). Turn left (south) onto Brock Street. Turn right (west) onto Victoria Street West. Go 2.5 km to Lynde Shores on the south side. We will visit to Cranberry Marsh, Oshawa Second Marsh, Corner Marsh & Frenchman's Bay. Early fall migrant warblers, vireos, flycatchers, shorebirds, butterflies.Map
August 22 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Palgrave and Tottenham Sod Farms, Schomberg Lagoons
Leader: John Schmelefske
Meet 8:00 am at Patterson Sideroad and Highway 50 in the village of Palgrave. Fall migrants: warblers, flycatchers, shorebirds, possible plovers, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, Baird's Sandpipers.Map
August 22 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Southbound Shorebird ID Workshop
Leader: Jean Iron
Meet 8:00 am at the Owen Point Trail parking lot at Presqu'ile Provincial Park. Workshop will focus on the identification, plumages and aging of southbound shorebirds. Expect to walk between viewing points along beaches to Owen Point. Scope recommended. Park entry fee required. Morning only. Water levels on Lake Ontario may change itinerary. Registration required at ofo.ca. Click here to registerMap
August 29 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - York Region Fall Migrants
Leader: Frank Pinilla
Meet 7:30 am at the north end of 7th Concession, north of 16th Sideroad, in the Happy Valley Forest, King Township. Visits to Happy Valley area include Nature Conservancy and Love Mountain tracts; plus Schomberg Sewage Lagoons and other areas nearby.Map
August 30 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED - Vernon Nature Area in Kenora
Leader: Carter Dorscht
Meet at 7:30am at the the parking lot for the Vernon Nature Area. We will spend the morning hiking the trails, looking for migrating songbirds. Please dress for the conditions and wear sturdy footwear. Binoculars are recommended.Map
August 30 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED - Trees for Birders
Leader: Reuven Martin
Meet 7:30 on the north side of main parking lot at the Riverwood Conservancy, 4300 Riverwood Park Lane, Mississauga, on north side of main parking lot. Riverwood contains a wonderful selection of Ontario's native trees, and we will learn how to recognize many of them in the field. We also look at the close connections between trees and the birds that use them, and how you can use those connections to find birds and understand their behaviour. Registration required at ofo.ca. Maximum 30 participants. Click here to registerMap
September 6 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED - Presqu'ile Provincial Park
Leader: Ian Shanahan
Meet 8:00 am in Presqu'ile Provincial Park at the Lighthouse parking lot. Park entry fee required. Fall migrants, shorebirds, hawks.Map
September 12 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Kettle Point and Inland Lagoons
Leader: Sean Jenniskens
Meet 8.00 am at parking lot at junction of Highway 21 and Lakeshore Road (County Road 7) on the way into Kettle Point on Lake Huron. Gulls, terns, shorebirds, jaegers at Kettle Point. Waterfowl, shorebirds at inland lagoons. Bring packed lunch. Rubber boots recommended.Map
September 12 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Hamilton, Burlington & Vicinity
Leader: Rob Porter
Meet 8:00 am in parking lot of Hutch's on the Beach Restaurant, 280 Van Wagners Beach Road on Western Lake Ontario in Hamilton. Jaegers, gulls, shorebirds, fall migrants.Map
September 12 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Toronto Islands
Leader: Gavin Platt
Meet before 7:15 am at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on Queens Quay to catch 7:15 ferry to Ward's Island. Ferry fee required ($7.50 in coins; $5.00 for seniors, students). Early Fall migrants. The trip involves walking all day. Bring packed lunch.Map
September 13 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED -Point Pelee National Park
Leader: Jeremy Hatt
Meet 8:00 am at Visitor Centre. inside Point Pelee National Park. Park entry fee required. Bird around the Visitor Centre, and the tip before moving to surrounding area, including the onion fields. Fall migrants, raptors, seabirds, shorebirds, Monarch butterflies.Map
September 19 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Introduction to Cochrane Birding
Leader: Rhonda Donley, Roxanne Filion
Meet 9:00 am at the Station Inn Restaurant, 200 Railway Street, in Cochrane. This trip is being organized primarily as the Cochrane extension for participants on the Moosonee trip. Hundreds of staging Sandhill Cranes; Sharp-tailed Grouse, Le Conte's Sparrows.Map
September 19 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED - Colonel Samuel Smith Park and Western Lake Ontario
Leader: Garth Riley
Meet 8:00 am at southernmost parking lot at foot of Kipling Avenue, just below Lakeshore Boulevard. After birding Samuel Smith, we may also visit the Lakefront Promenade, Jack Darling Park, Rattray Marsh and Shell Park. Fall migrants: warblers, sparrows, shorebirds, waterfowl.Map
September 20 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED - Ottawa Field Trip
Leader: Jeff Skevington
Meet 7:30 am along Cassels Street, outside the gate to the Britannia Water Purification Plant. Experience the diversity of Ottawa's avifauna during the peak of fall migration. Warblers, sparrows, waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls and others. Study subtle differences between similar species as we explore the Ottawa River from different vantage points. We start at Britannia and move slowly west, visiting some of eastern Ontario's best migratory staging areas. Bring packed lunch. Trip ends at 5:00 pm.Map
September 20 2020 (Sunday) CANCELLED - Hamilton Area Hotspots
Leader: Sarah Lamond
Meet 8 am at Lakeland Centre. Scan lake for rare gulls, jaegers, ducks and phalaropes. Then bird around Van Wagners Ponds for migrants. Also visit Windermere Basin and Tollgate Ponds for shore and water birds. Other spots may be birded depending on local hotline information. Bring lunch. Trip ends 4 pm.Map
October 4 2020 (Sunday) Amherst Island and Kingston Area Hotspots
Leader: Mike Burrell
Meet 7:50 am at the carpool lot south of 401 at exit 593 (Camden East Road). Ferry fee required. We'll check Amherst Island and, time-permitting some other Kingston area hotspots for late migrants including sparrows, waterfowl, gulls and other waterbirds. Bring a packed lunch. Trip ends mid-afternoon. Registration required at ofo.ca. Click here to registerMap
October 4 2020 (Sunday) Westmeath Provincial Park and Lac Dore
Leader: Mark Gawn
Meet 8:00 am in Cobden at the Cobden Boat Launch. Park entrance fee required, Visit noted stopover locations for Nelson's and Le Conte's Sparrows. At Lac Dore look for small gulls, grebes, loons.Map
October 4 2020 (Sunday) Niagara Hotspots and Eastern Lake Erie Shoreline
Leader: Marcie Jacklin
Meet 8:00 am at entrance to Rock Point Provincial Park near entry kiosk. Park entry fee required. Shorebirds, waterbirds, other fall migrants.Map
October 10 2020 (Saturday) Barrie
Leader: Jim Coey
Meet 9:00 am at the City of Barrie Dock Road Municipal Parking lot at 204 Dock Road, south-east corner of Dock Road and Plunkett Ct. We will look for lingering migrants in the parks and waterfowl on the lake. Lake Simcoe has had some surprising birds over the years. Who knows what will turn up? Car pool and easy walking and usually cool. Gulls, waterfowl and winter finches. Possible Pacific Loon, Little Gulls.Map
October 10 2020 (Saturday) St. Joseph Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Leader: Carter Dorscht
Meet at 8:00 am at the site gate at the corner of A Line Road and Fort Road. Coordinates for the pin on the map: 46.079028, -83.911605. The sanctuary is 87 km southeast of Sault Ste. Marie. This outing includes about eight km of walking on smooth surfaces. Scope recommended. Waterbirds, raptors, late migrating songbirds.Map
October 17 2020 (Saturday) Durham Waterfront
Leader: Geoff Carpentier
Meet 8:00 am at Lynde Shores Conservation Area parking lot on Victoria Street West, Whitby. Parking fee required. Late fall migrants, raptors, shorebirds and ducks.Map
October 17 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED Hilliardton Marsh: Saw-whets and Sandhills
Leader: Bruce Murphy
Two day trip. Meet 8:00 am both days at the Hilliardton Marsh Banding Station on Highway 569 north of Hilliardton. As the moon will be full, you will have the chance to see Northern Saw-whet Owls, Boreal Owls and, perhaps, Long-eared Owls being banded. During the day, bird local hotspots to see thousands of Sandhill Cranes and boreal specialties including Canada Jays and Boreal Chickadees. Accommodations available at one of several moderately priced motels in New Liskeard, Englehart and Earlton. Registration required at ofo.ca. Click here to registerMap
October 17 2020 (Saturday) Ottawa River
Leader: Tony Beck
Meet 1:00 pm at the east parking lot (Ottawa Beach) of Andrew Haydon Park on Carling Avenue. Ducks, geese, shorebirds, gulls. Near sunset, thousands of birds fly into Lac Deschenes to roost. Trip ends at dusk.Map
October 24 2020 (Saturday) Fall Birding on the Bruce Peninsula
Leader: Martin Parker, Kathy Parker
Two day trip. Meet 8:30 am Saturday and Sunday at the parking lot for the Spirit Rock Outpost and Lodge on Highway 6 at the north end of Wiarton. The Bruce Peninsula between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron is a corridor for migrating birds. Saturday's birding will concentrate on the Cabot Head area with concentrations of Red-necked Grebes scoters and other waterbirds on Georgian Bay and other birds migrating through the upper Bruce Peninsula. Flocks of Sandhill Cranes will be a highlight. Sunday?s birding will focus on the Lake Huron shoreline with special emphasis on Black Creek Provincial Park Reserve, Stokes Bay, Issac & Sky Lakes and the Oliphant shoreline. Bring a packed lunch. Accommodation available at Spirit Rock Outpost and Lodge. Phone: 519-534-5168.Map
October 24 2020 (Saturday) Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
Leader: TBA
Meet 8:00 am at southernmost parking lot at foot of Kipling Avenue, just below Lakeshore Boulevard. Fall migrants, ducks, grebes, gulls.Map
October 25 2020 (Sunday) Sandbanks Provincial Park, Point Petre
Leader: Jon Ruddy
Meet 8:00 am at park entrance. Enjoy fall birding along southeastern coastline of Prince Edward County. Expect range of fall migrants, plus possible late warblers, uncommon sparrows, wayward flycatchers, jaegers and more. This trip will involve a mixture of short hikes and roadside birding. Bring packed lunch. For inquiries, email firstname.lastname@example.com. Park entry fee required.Map
October 25 2020 (Sunday) Grand Bend, Pinery Provincial Park, Kettle Point
Leader: Donald Pye
Meet 8:30 am at Grand Bend Sobeys parking lot on north side of Huron County Road 81, east of traffic lights at Highway 21. For anyone running late, first stop will be at the beach west of Sobeys. Late fall / early winter migrants, waterfowl, gulls, jaegers, eagles, resident Tufted Titmouse. Park entry fee required.Map
October 25 2020 (Sunday) Hawk Cliff and Area, South-west of London
Leader: Dave Brown
Meet 9:30 am at Hawk Cliff. From Hwy. 401 Exit 177, take Highway 4 south through western St. Thomas until it becomes Sunset Drive. Continue about eight km to Union. Go east on County Road 27, Sparta Line Road. Go east one road (about three km) to County Road 22 (Fairview Road). Head south. The 2nd road south is County Road 24 (Dexter Line) and you will meet a stop sign. Looking south, you will see the sign for Hawk Cliff. Go south on the dirt road to the lake. Park along road allowance. Raptors, waterfowl, gulls, late migrants, especially Golden Eagle.Map
November 1 2020 (Sunday) Cobourg Harbour and Presqu'ile Provincial Park
Leader: Ian Shanahan
Meet 8:30 am at Cobourg Harbour parking area. Rare gulls, loons, grebes, shorebirds possible. Then drive to Presqu?ile Provincial Park for late migrants, including Purple Sandpipers. Park entry fee required.Map
November 1 2020 (Sunday) Snow Geese in Eastern Ontario
Leader: Brian Morin
Meet at 9:00 a.m on Lafleche Road east of Casselman (south of Hwy 417 off Hwy 138). The sod farm has historically attracted large flocks of Snow Geese (mainly greater) in the fall. The numbers vary year to year but usually are in the tens of thousands. The flocks may also have a Ross's and occasionally a Greater White-fronted Goose. Ontario's first Pink-footed Goose was sighted here a few years ago. We will check area cornfields as well and may come up with hawks, eagles, Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs as well as early Snow Buntings. There may be a good number of gulls on the sod field, which is adjacent to a landfill. There should be a number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The outing will last from 9:00 -1:00 PM.Map
November 7 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED – Young Birders Choice
Leader: TBA
Young birders. Location will be chosen by the young birder's via a poll. Click here to register
November 15 2020 (Sunday) Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto
Leader: TBA
Meet 8:00 am at the southernmost parking lot at foot of Kipling Avenue, just below Lakeshore Boulevard. Late Fall migrants, winter arrivals, ducks, grebes, gulls.Map
November 28 2020 (Saturday) CANCELLED William Loane Memorial Waterfowl Workshop
Leader: Glenn Coady
Meet 8:00 at Sunnyside, on western Toronto lakeshore at the Sir Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski monument. Join Glenn to learn to identify ducks and other waterfowl at a distance and in flight at various stops along Lake Ontario. The workshop will cover count protocols, moult stages and call recognition. Bring packed lunch, dress warmly. Scope recommended but not required. Registration required at ofo.ca. Maximum 30 participants. Click here to registerMap
December 5 2020 (Saturday) Port Weller East
Leader: Peninsula Field Naturalists
Meet 9:30 am at the yellow gate at the end of Seaway Haulage Road, St. Catharines, Ontario. Call Bob Highcock at 905-688-1260 or 905-327-5457. Open to all. To determine number of attendees, registration required at ofo.ca. Click here to registerMap
December 5 2020 (Saturday) Barrie Lakeshore
Leader: Jim Coey
Meet 9:00 am at the City of Barrie Dock Road Municipal Parking lot at 204 Dock Road, south-east corner of Dock Road and Plunkett Ct. We will look for lingering migrants in the parks and waterfowl on the lake. Lake Simcoe has had some surprising birds over the years. Who knows what will turn up? Car pool and easy walking and usually cold. Gulls, waterfowl and winter finches.Map
December 6 2020 (Sunday) Niagara River Gull Watch
Leader: Jeremy Bensette, Marcie Jacklin
Meet 9:00 am at the Sir Adam Beck Generating Station overlook on Niagara River Parkway south of the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge to USA. From QEW take Highway 405 towards USA and exit at Stanley Avenue. YOU MUST EXIT HIGHWAY 405 AT STANLEY AVENUE. Turn left, crossing over Highway 405, then immediately right onto Portage Road which parallels Highway 405 for three km. At Brock Monument traffic circle take first right exit, Niagara Parkway, signed "The Falls". Follow for 1.8 km to Sir Adam Beck overlook on left. Ten or more species of gulls possible.Map
December 13 2020 (Sunday) Toronto Lakeshore
Leader: John Schmelefske
Meet 9:00 am at Humber Bay Park East parking lot. Off the QEW, coming from the west, take the exit to Park Lawn Road. Go south. Cross Lakeshore Boulevard, then turn right to the parking area. Off the QEW, coming from the east, exit at Lakeshore Road. Turn right onto Lakeshore Boulevard, then left at the lights into Humber Bay Park East. Winter ducks, gulls, waterbirds, finches, raptors.Map


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Filter Ratings and Reviews
Filter 89 vetted Kissmetrics reviews and ratings
Reviews (1-25 of 45)
Amazing software with deep analytic features
conversion process and discover areas where we're losing potential customers.
- Site Search Tracking.
- Multiple Site Management.
- Keyword & Campaign Tracking.
- Huge learning curve.
- It's hard to summarize data.
- The CRM integration is tough.
Need to know what your site visitors are doing today, tomorrow and next week.... Look no further than Kissmetrics!
It would be hard to list all the ways we currently use Kissmetrics and how it has revolutionized our marketing efforts--but a small taste of what we the platform for is:
- Tracking leads and demos from content and social media (this works perfect and has allowed us to nimbly change content strategies and social posts to hit on topics that provide the best return.
- Tracking how event leads interact with our website after an event (this is something that I came up with and surprised even our Kissmetrics account rep).
- Track account-based marketing leads and sees if our offline efforts get them to our website.
- Track website popup performance.
- Track desktop and mobile sessions for a single user.
- Provide high-level detail on how different user-defined funnels are performing.
- Ease of install--seriously, most people can easily install the tracking code themselves and have this running in minutes.
- Installing.... yes this is also a negative. While you can install and have the program running in minutes, if you use Unbounce, the form tracking process is quite complicated!
- Updates... I feel like the product updates have slowed a lot lately. Thankfully, the product functionality is so amazing that it hasn't impeded the use of it. However, it is still disappointing to see less frequent software updates.
- Occasionally clunky UI... there are a few reports that are really easy to mess up and leave you scratching your head on why it isn't showing you any data.
On the other hand--if you have no technical expertise or knowledge of viewing data, then Kissmetrics may prove a bit difficult for you to set up and manage.
Creative Marketing Strategist's Kissmetrics Review
- Setup is easy
- They show you examples of what your "pop-up" will look like as you type the content in
- You can personalize the pop-ups to fit your brand
- You are able to measure how effective the paths you set up are
- I would like to be able to schedule an update to the wording so that it doesn't get stale
- I'd like more freedom with the design/look/shape of the pop up
- It can be difficult to manage several accounts under one username
Extremely helpful for web analytics but hard to maintain
- Great features to track user journey/path
- Extensive data and insights are provided by the tool
- Sales funnel reports are easy to understand
- Great visualization and configuration options
- The implementation isn't as easy as other analytics tools and the documentation is a bit confusing
- Limited integration capabilities
- Expensive, hence difficult to implement and maintain for early stage startups
- High learning curve
For detailed user activity, Kissmetrics is your tool.
- The extensive data is great for really understanding your website users.
- Easy to see the exact flow that your users follow and can give insight on where you can improve.
- Extensive report data, and you can really dig down to find just about any information.
- The cost is really not affordable for a small business or startup, but if you can budget it, the data is invaluable.
- No graphical outputs-- it would be nice to have graphs for those clients that are more visual.
- Bit of a learning curve if you're not already familiar with data it provides and how to use it.
Powerful, yet simple sales funnel analytics
- Planning and implementing campaigns, A/B testing, conversion rates measurement
- Very useful by mid sized company (client), easy to deploy, setup and get quick reports
- Sales funnel reports with zoom-in ability by analyzing the root causes for customer behavior
- Integration with other tools - when an "online" or "near-online" integration is required the tool does not cope. You can always export data to JSON etc. and load them into a second system, but this is not a viable solution for many business applications.
- UI - the user interface is not very user-friendly, it is not always very intuitive.
- Engagement scenario planning
- A/B testing
- Simple and easy to use conversion rates analysis
- Finding possible root cause or touch points where the web or mobile front-end can do better
- After getting used to "what means what" in the interface, it is quick to accomplish tasks within Kissmetrics
- When the customers clear the cookies between visits, it is impossible to recognize they are returning visitors, not new ones. There are ways how to keep the digital signature, but this is implicitly not allowed without a consent of the client (neither here, nor by Google etc.). An analyst needs to recognize returning clients, from really new clients to the site. There should be some legal way how to overcome this "deleted cookies" issue, but it is not available here
Your Data Complement to GA
- KM provides granularity of all information, performance can be checked in near real time.
- The interface is clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate.
- KM pulls data and refreshes itself which removes the manual work alternative platforms require.
- The various reports types and how to use them can be unintuitive and confusing to new users; in addition, the reports can take awhile to load and they can also be difficult to customize.
- It should easier than it is to modify the underlying data so that users could easily remove test traffic and robot clicks to gain more accurate information.
- KM lacks automatic event tracking, if you've forgotten to add an event, it doesn't pull data retroactively.
When it comes to needing to generate low-level, customized reports, we find it easier to rely on other solutions the provide better functionality and more features.
Kissmetrics helps keep data simple.
- Very simple UX for non tech professionals
- Keeps the important metrics front and center with daily summaries
- Easy to integrate with minimal burden on systems
- Would love to be able to drill down on the data more (once it's available).
Engineer + Data Analyst Perspective on Kissmetrics
- Tracking Event Data.
- Debugging Implementation Issues/Verifying the implementation is doing well.
- Always adding new features.
- The interface is really cumbersome especially for basic tracking of just specific events over time by property.
- Because it's an event driven system there is no way to modify events in the past. For example if you are selling products and returning products there is no easy way to just look at the orders that were not returned.
- I wish the data export was more real time then the batch transfer to S3.
3) Are you doing anything special on your app (impersonating other users/admin functionalities) that might affect the ability to track users, since Kissmetrics uses cookies?
4) What is the pay-back period for a tool like this? It's hard to calculate but see how many events you are sending and the types of analytics Kissmetrics can do over a data warehouse.
Kissmetrics is much easier to implement than other providers and gives your control of your aggregation unlike Google Analytics
- Easy to implement tracking within the API so that you don't use too much dev time on tracking users instead of developing the product itself.
- You can add properties to the events so that you can enrich the data you are collecting later.
- Lots of help within the community and tools that are available, such as statistical significance calculator.
- The reports on the website are quite basic, you can only subset by one property and filter by on property at a time
- The numbers take a while to settle. Because of the sheer amount of events hitting the platform it can take a day or so for the number to be static between days.
- Live feature is very hard to use for testing, if you could filter out the feed by IP address that would be excellent!
An easy to use tool for tracking and data analysis
Kissmetrics is an important piece of our overall data gathering and analysis tools. :)
- Simple API.
- Good and concise documentation for development.
- Stable and reliable service.
- Interface for different environments can be confusing sometimes.
- Some analytics can be hard to configure the first time.
- First time on the site experience can be better for newcomers.
KissMetrics review
- Generating custom reports
- Daily email snapshots of key metrics
- Separation of prod vs pre-prod environments
- Company seems to be broadening scope to more than just metrics, it's unclear if these capabilities will be useful
Analytics taken to a whole new level
- A/B Multivariate testing, conversion rates of campaigns
- Simple and easy to use UX
- Setting up goals and events
- First time setup is time-consuming, should be improved upon.
- Lacking support and documentation.
- Some experiment reporting requires the user to be very tech savvy.
A big kiss for KISSmetrics!
- The more events you track and properties you send along, the more you can see how specific users use your product/service. The user based timeline gives you a perfect start point to get in touch with users, because you can see where they get stuck.
- Tracking your traffic sources and how they influence conversions is awesome. You can get a perfect view of how much a traffic source contributes to revenue.
- Funnel reports give you more insights into micro and macro conversion steps and give you actionable data to work with.
- Customer support!
- Integrations with CRM
- Google Mobile Ads tracking (we're driving signups through mobile display ads to our app on Google play, and cannot identify traffic source in KM). Mobile search and desktop ads are tracked perfectly
- Mail integration to send e-mails from KM to users
KISSMetrics is the Bomb Diggity.
- Figuring out which campaigns brought which visitors to the site.
- Which buttons and areas of the site were clicked on
- Where are we losing potential customers
- Better documentation and tutorials, perhaps.
KissMetrics is one of the most advanced analytics tools in the market today and for years to come!
- You will get better data from your users than any other tracking platform out there.
- The data visualization tools are amazing!
- You will make better data decisions with KissMetrics!
- The price can be a little high for a bootstrapping startup but worth it.
- You're going to have to be more tech savvy to setup more advance experiments.
- You might have more data than you need.
Kiss Metrics - user level analysis
- User level analysis
- Flexible event attribute model
- Easy interface
- Report export options
- Report scheduling
Great product! Very worth it!
- Tracking of behavior of users
- Tracking sources of different marketing campaigns and what those users do once they get to your sight
- Daily, easy to read reports to keep metrics top of mind
- On boarding, the videos and resources were good but in my opinion not adequate for the depth that KissMetrics offers
- Funnels could use some explanation, in that it's not immediately clear how you can build them to your exact needs, it can be very one dimension and not elastic to fit other things
- Within funnel reports, the use and display of properties from events is very weird. It took us a while to figure out what the property stats were actually saying.
New to KISSmetrics and loving it.
We are able to use KISSmetrics to do a better job at tracking the profitability on our marketing channels. I am still getting to know the capabilities of what KISS can really do but we've already found ways to improve our spend, and the tool easily pays for itself.
My experience so far as made me a huge fan of KISS and I am working on incorporating the tool into the site of a music label, and a B2B lead generation site. I can't wait to see the results there as well.
- Link KISSmetrics to your email marketing to measure ROI
- Use KISSmetrics to judge the effectiveness of your content strategy (blog, social)
- I'm still new to the product, so my primary challenge so far has been the learning curve. Kiss metrics is powerful and as a result, there is a lot to learn. To be honest it can feel a little overwhelming when you first get started. My only suggestion is to make the on-boarding and learning process easier for newbies like me. :)
Kissmetrics Love
- Excellent Customer Service
- Supportive blogs and resources
- Realistic data assessments
- The price per month is expensive for smaller businesses, but is worth it in order to grow and understand your customers.
KISSmetrics helps you get actionable metrics for your business.
- KISSmetrics was one of the first analytics platforms to really focus their attention on individual visitors rather than page views.
- I use it on a daily basis, and it informs nearly everything I do in terms of outreach to users. Have they used my company's product? How much? When? Where have they traveled on my website?
- Not much, though the price can be a bit too high for some businesses.
- Setting up configuration and on boarding may be challenging at first.
KISSmetrics review
- Fairly simple and easy to use
- Customer support has been helpful
- Would be great if KISSmetrics tied in directly with our adwords account.
KISSmetrics review
- Great continuing education (webinars, blog posts, etc)
- Super easy to use interface
- Better, in-app direction
Review of KISSmetrics
- Helps identify cohorts and the lifetime value of particular cohorts.
- Helps us understand what individual customers are having trouble with our system so we can give proactive customer support.
- Helps us identify issues with the onboarding experience.
- Lower priced plans.
KISSmetrics or No Metrics
- Identify holes in the funnel
- Visualize users flow
- Create solutions based off data
- Suggestions on fixes
Kissmetrics Scorecard Summary
About Kissmetrics
Kissmetrics aims to help companies get, keep and grow more customers with its customer engagement automation. This solution includes behavioral analytics, segmentation and email campaign automation all in one place.
The vendor says Kissmetrics helps companies deeply understand and uniquely engage each customer from prospect to advocate. Additionally, the vendor says their solution is built to help marketers and product teams increase conversions, engagement, and retention over the entire lifespan of a customer.
Kissmetrics Screenshots
Kissmetrics Integrations
Kissmetrics Competitors
- Has featureFree Trial Available?Yes
- Does not have featureFree or Freemium Version Available?No
- Does not have featurePremium Consulting/Integration Services Available?No
- Entry-level set up fee?Optional
|Pricing Details
|Monthly Tracked People
|Monthly Tracked People
|Monthly Tracked People
What are Monthly Tracked People? Monthly Tracked People are unique visitors that engage in an Event on your website or with your product, that gets tracked by you in Kissmetrics. Monthly Tracked People can be anonymous or identified.
Kissmetrics Customer Size Distribution
|Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
|Mid-Size Companies (51-500 employees)
|Enterprises (> 500 employees)
Kissmetrics Support Options
|Free Version
|Paid Version
|Live Chat
|Video Tutorials / Webinar
Kissmetrics Technical Details
|Deployment Types:
|Operating Systems:
|Mobile Application:
|Supported Countries:
|Supported Languages:


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Deer Creek Hideaway - Limited Edition Art Print
Mother Nature creates some of the most remarkable wonderlands. I caught sight of this gentle visitor tip toeing through this blanket of freshly fallen snow. As she glanced over at me, it was as if she knew how much I was enjoying this glorious setting.
Additional Information -
Edition Size: 400
Dimensions: 22" x 31"
Orientation: Landscape (Horizontal)
Year of Release: 2013


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Sarah Palin is all aghast that the White House holiday card isn't festooned with the Roman instrument of torture, the cross.
Well Sarah, not everyone in the United States is Christian. That's right peaches, some of us are big, bad nasty atheists! I can see the horror creeping across your face right now Sarah.
I don't believe in God. And what's more, the symbols of the season, the colors, they're all lifted directly from Pagan practice. Red, Green, Gold, Silver, yep all Pagan. The tree, that goes back to the old Yuletide.
And the light – that too is a Pagan symbol. It beckoned for the light to return because December 21st was the solstice. That means that overall we're going to get more light by a minute or two per day until we're once again in daylight time in the U.S.
It just proves that Sarah Palin doesn't know jack shit.


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The Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida will be hosting the International Association of Chief of Police (#IACP2018) conference from October 6-9, 2018. This is the largest police conference in the world, attracting 15,000 police executives from over 150 nations. I am happy to announce that I will be offering my latest workshop "The Top 10 Reasons to Start a Police Homeless Outreach Team (and How)" on Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (click here for details). I developed this idea after several conversations with Antoinette Hayes-Triplett, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI). She remarked that after aView More
I am honored to have been selected as one of seven Public Service Exemplars by the Suncoast Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators (ASPA). A Public Service Exemplar is a person dedicated to serving the public with the highest level of performance, integrity and pride. An exemplar's conduct serves as a model for public and non-profit employees (Source: Suncoast Chapter, ASPA). When I started police homeless outreach in 2012, I never expected this program to become so successful. My colleagues and I have housed hundreds of homeless clients. I have even arranged a wedding for one couple that has beenView More
Thank you to Sonny's BBQ, Bags of Brotherly Love and Brandon Elks for honoring all of us today that work in Tampa and Hillsborough County (Florida) to end homelessness. When I started in police homeless outreach in 2012, I never thought in a million years that my program would have gathered so much support. It takes a community to solve complex social problems such as homelessness and I honored for the opportunity and support to do my part.View More
At this time tomorrow, I will be on a Boeing 777, traveling about 5,015 miles to Buenos Aires, Argentina. My brother and I will be celebrating his 50th birthday. As is customary, in our family, turning 50 earns us an AARP membership card and the right to pick the bucket-list-venue-of-choice for their birthday. As my brother is a Navy reservist and Afghanistan veteran, he chose to sail around Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America), then visit Antarctica. This is major "cred" if your're a sailor, and a pretty good holiday if you're not (such as myself). I choseView More
Note: This blog is based upon real events. In this case, John Chadwick ended his life after being separated from his pets. The system failed John. Please read my post. If you agree (or even if you don't), please consider signing Dee Bonett's (John's best friend) petition to prevent future tragedies: Please click here to sign this petition: Introduce pets as support systems for the more vulnerable members of society On October 27, 2017, the Manchester Evening News reported that John Chadwick, 52, from Salford, died after being separated from his pets. John was homeless, and had been staying in a bedView More
Please read this story for the full context of my comments: Leading homelessness expert calls Operation Rio Grande a 'disaster' Utah, once a shining star for housing first, is now suffering the consequences of the Marbut-ization of it's homeless policy. You cannot arrest away homelessness. To make my point, I'll discuss "Billy", the most prolific offender in my county: He has been arrested over 170 times since 1995. Has has spent an aggregate of over 10 years behind bars – 30, 60 or 90 days at a time, running up an incarceration bill of over $500,000. Perhaps you have heard ofView More
Note: I am specifically referring to plans to open a navigation center shelter in New Port Richey, FL, however the concepts I discuss also apply to other communities. Opening a homeless shelter will usually involve compromise. It may with the physical plant, funding levels, expected outcomes, or in this situation, the location. Building a shelter from scratch is challenging due to costs. So alternatives (usually re-tasking an existing building) have to be evaluated. In this case, a vacant boys and girls club was chosen, creating the classic NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) response. This is common, almost expected, when there is a less-than-desirable-but-necessaryView More
I recently spoke to the Municipal Association of Pasco (FL) with my thoughts on homelessness, and why now is the time to affect positive changes: Municipal Association of Pasco Remarks St. Leo, Florida – August 3, 2017 Good evening…my name is Daniel McDonald. I'm here tonight to talk about homelessness, and why it's important, and why it's important right now. About me: I'm originally from England I was awarded a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the University of South Florida (USF) in 2010 I'm a 25-year law enforcement veteran I can juggle I know Morse code I solveView More
I've been privy to some crazy ideas over the years about solving homelessness. The one that always get a chuckle was when I was asked if I owned a farm. And if I did, was I enslaving the homeless and forcing them to work against their will. And if it is true, did I have any room? Here is the text of the actual e-mail that I received: To: Daniel McDonald Subject: farm? Hi Dan, I hope this finds you well. I have the strangest question to ask you. One of my homeless friends was telling me that you personally ownView More
Getting an ID or driver's license from your local department of motor vehicles may tax your patience but the process is not usually difficult: you bring your birth certificate and social security card, then walk out several hours or days later with a new license or ID. Now imagine you're homeless, trying to do this. You are hungry as you don't know where your next meal is coming from. You have not showered in several days or a week. Your clothes are dirty as you can't wash them. And you're hearing voices telling you to kill yourself. When you getView More


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VGMA@20: An anti-climax
The hopes of many patrons who trooped to the New Dome at the Accra International Conference Centre last Saturday to have a feel of the 20th edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) were dashed as a result of misconduct of two popular Ghanaian musicians- Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy.
These two celebrities threw caution to the wind by allowing their egos to take better part of them as their followers engaged in fisticuffs at the auditorium thus bringing the well attended programme to a temporary halt.
This disgraceful conduct dismayed many dignitaries including Ministers of State, Diplomats, legendary Ghanaian musicians and other well meaning citizens who left the chaotic scene to seek shelter elsewhere.
"This is an issue of safety first" one man said, while dashing out of the Conference Centre.
Interestingly, Shatta Wale won two awards on the night, thus, Highlife Song of the Year, with his smash hit song, "My Level" and Raggae/Dancehall Song of the Year, with his soothing song, "Gringo".
At this point, the signs were clear, that patrons and millions of audience watching from the comfort of their homes, were up for a night to celebrate authentic Ghanaian music.
Unfortunately, this dream became a mirage, when Shatta Wale and his militants stormed the stage, during a presentation to Stonebwoy, for winning Raggae/Dancehall artiste of the Year.
This act, which was the darkest spot on the 20th edition, caused a lot of pandemonium, which made Stonebwoy brandish a gun, when he realised his life was under threat.
The event was then suspended for almost one hour, and later continued, however, it was evident from the mood of the organisers, the energy and enthusiasm with which the show commenced with, had waned.
Sarkodie emerged as the Artiste of the Decade but organisers held on to the announcement of the Most Popular Song of the Year, and Artiste of the Year, which according to them, would be announced at a press conference.
Sadly, the flamboyant event which was promising and aimed at celebrating 20 years of awarding excellence in Ghana music had come to an abrupt end.
Following that the organisers lodged a complaint with the Police the next day, resulting in the invitation of the two artistes, who were subsequently detained and granted bail on Monday.
There was awe-inspiring opening, by Adina, Teephlow and Dave de Music Box, as they raised the curtains with the new theme song for the VGMA, "Our Music Lives".
The likes of Obuaba J.A Adofo, Mary Ghansah, and Prof. Mc Abraham were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Additionally Kwanpa won the Traditional band of the Year, with Mister Okyere, walking home with the Instrumentalists of the Year.
Intermittently, there we re splendid performances, by music diva, Efya, Sydney, Kuami Eugene, Kidi amongst others.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme


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Lasantha Murder Case Drags On Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied
Police, on Wednesday, informed the Mount Lavinia courts that investigations were being carried out based on information regarding the involvement of a former member of Army Intelligence and a garage owner in the assassination of the Editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickrematunge.
Police informed this to court when the case was taken up before Mount Lavinia Chief Magistrate Nirosha Fernando last Wednesday. Yesterday (8) marked the second anniversary of Lasantha Wickrematunge's assassination
Wickrematunge was killed by men on motorcycles as he was driving to work. They blocked his car's path near Malagalage Primary School, smashed its window and beat him with a steel weapon. He was taken unconscious to the Kalubowila hospital where he died from his head injuries. Several witnesses said no shots were heard and no bullet impacts were found. Strangely, the autopsy findings have never been released.
The attack took place just several hundred meters from an air force checkpoint but the assailants were able to get away. One of the motorcycles was found by the police but it is still not known if it was of any help in tracking down the assailants.
Meanwhile, counsel appearing on behalf of the accused informed court that the Criminal Investigations Department, which conducted investigations into the suspects arrested 11 months ago, had handed over the reports of those investigations to the Terrorist Investigations Department (TID).
The counsel pointed out that no progress reports had been produced before court.
Accordingly the Chief Magistrate ordered officers of the TID to produce a progress report on investigations carried out to date on the 14th of this month.
The investigation into Wickrematunge's murder was initially assigned to Mount Lavinia Police Station but a police source said it was not given any special priority. The authorities said four teams were assigned to this case and to an attack on MTV, but no significant results have been reported even two years later.
The case will be taken up again on the 14th of this month.
A Chronology Of Events Since Lasantha Was Killed On January 8, 2009…
Government officials, including Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, said at the end of January in 2009 that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would announce "very important details" about the murder in February that year. But since then, there has been nothing to confirm the existence of a political will to solve the case. Wickrematunge's family and colleagues have been forced to conclude that the authorities have no interest in arresting either the perpetrators or instigators.
Wickrematunge's widow, Sonali Samarasinghe, said in an open letter to Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickremaratne in mid-March that: "There has still been no credible breakthrough in the investigation. No murder weapons, no suspect, no post mortem report has yet been made public."
Wickrematunge, was never given the police protection he requested.
The police in 2009 announced the arrest of a suspect but it was just a passer-by who stole Wickrematunge's mobile phone from the scene of the murder. This suspect after being held since 2009 was released in December 2010.
The authorities have made contradictory and in some cases defamatory comments about Wickrematunge. The President's brother, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said in an interview with a foreign TV station: "Who is Lasantha? A tabloid publisher. Why is the world worried about one man? He criticized everybody. So everybody had a reason to kill him." He went on to make similar comments to the Australian TV station SBS: "He has antagonised so many people. He had criticised and reported wrong things about all persons."


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This cute barn conversion was still at "hard hat" stage when we first viewed it, but it's potential was clear. The client had no furniture for the downstairs space as she wanted to start afresh, so we planned in the sofa arrangement and coffee table, the dining table and sideboard.
The white storage unit was a bespoke piece made to fit the clients Sky box, stereo etc. as well as books and display items.
We also provided soft furnishings and accessories to add to the scheme, with space for the owner to add her own personal touches as time went on.


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$500,000 Gift Honors Institutional Professor Emeritus Paget
Shelby Davis and Roger Paget grew up together in the suburbs of New York City during and after World War II. A favorite pastime often found them standing above nearby railroad tracks while coal-fired engines passed beneath, covering them with a shower of soot. Both went on to forge distinguished careers, Davis in finance and Paget in higher education.
Institutional Professor Emeritus Roger Paget died on April 1, 2018. The following month, President Wim Wiewel announced a gift of $500,000 from philanthropist Shelby Davis to honor his longtime friend. "Both Shelby and Roger, each in his own way, worked tirelessly to deepen knowledge and build understanding across different languages, cultures, traditions, and borders," said Wiewel. "Shelby's moving gift in tribute to Roger affirms that the worldwide exchange of people and ideas is our best hope for meeting the greatest challenges facing humanity."
The gift from the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund establishes the Paget-Davis United World College Scholars program in recognition of Roger's extraordinary leadership over many decades strengthening international education.
The new Paget-Davis program will allow the institution to annually honor the achievements and contributions of 10 United World College (UWC) scholars who are nearing graduation at Lewis & Clark. This year, the college is home to 75 Davis UWC Scholars representing 44 countries.
The Davis UWC Scholars program was established in 2000 by Shelby M.C. Davis—founder of Davis Selected Advisors, a Boston-based investment firm managing more than $40 billion—and international educator Philip Geier. The program brings exceptional graduates from 17 UWCs across the globe to study at selected colleges and universities in the United States. Since launching the Davis UWC Scholars program, Shelby's leadership and philanthropy have supported more than 8,500 scholars on 95 campuses in the United States.
Roger Paget, institutional professor emeritus of political economy and Asian studies, arrived at Lewis & Clark in 1985 as dean of the Graduate School of Professional Studies (now Graduate School of Education and Counseling). Emphasizing "critical perspective and balance" in the classroom, he taught in departments across the college, graduate school, and law school. From the 1950s, he made Indonesia the focus of his scholarly career. He led the college's overseas study program there in 1995, and was so immersed in its culture, history, and politics that former student Felix Ramli BA '03 said, "I learned more about my home country of Indonesia from Professor Paget's class than I did living there all of my life. A lot of information in Indonesia was censored, and his class awakened me to that fact."
Roger retired in 2002 and remained active as a scholar and ambassador for the college as well as in supporting—and recruiting others to support—Lewis & Clark's many international initiatives. A gathering of remembrance was held on June 22 in Agnes Flanagan Chapel.
Major Gifts and Grants
- A charitable remainder trust of $8.4 million for scholarships from an anonymous donor.
- A gift of $1 million from Trustee Heidi Hu BS '85 and her husband, Daniel Hsieh.
- A planned gift of $900,000 from R. Michael Kasperzak Jr. BA '76.
- A gift of $500,000 from Trustee Jim Spencer BA '85 and his wife, Polly.


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Start spreading the news: PressAtlas launch to transform the way information is accessed across the world.
Download the PDF version of this release
In an era where attention spans are shorter, an audience dictates how it receives news, and 'on-demand' is used in everyday vocabulary, PressAtlas introduces instant geospatial exploration – revolutionising the way news will be accessed and received.
The launch of Spatial Apps' geospatial news targeting platform PressAtlas has already exceeded initial benchmarks and predictions, offering an innovative and simple way to access information.
PressAtlas is a feature-rich mobile application that is built upon a sophisticated spatial search engine that geo-tags a wealth of news feeds to provide its users with unparalleled capabilities.
Available on iOS and Android, Spatial Apps launched PressAtlas for industry professionals to access the biggest range of articles from across the world with a simple swipe of the thumb.
PressAtlas caters for every industry, allowing users to define their area of interest and enter a search term using a simple map interface.
The application can be completely tailored to each user's unique search requirements, allowing them to easily search through thousands of news feeds with results presented via heat mapping. The map interface displays exactly where news articles are concentrated, providing a geographic context to search results.
The platform automatically generates suggestions based on user preferences, enabling users to quickly gain insight into coverage of preferred topics in specified locations.
Spatial Apps, the provider of intelligent spatial solutions and unique location based applications, is revolutionising the on-demand news listing industry.
"PressAtlas is committed to bringing the functionality of geospatial information systems and the power of geo-tagging to active news readers," says Rob Coorey, Chief Executive Officer of Spatial Apps. "By providing this sophisticated technology on a mobile device, we've made geospatial news exploration accessible to everyone."
PressAtlas aims to utilise spatial technology to provide a clear, accessible and simple way to personalise information and break through the clutter of global news.
PressAtlas has launched just in time for companies to boost their resources and intelligence in the lead up to the end of the calendar year. They can now instantly be directed to relevant news articles from across the world in a matter of seconds.
To find out how PressAtlas can help you keep informed of global news that matters to your industry, contact Spatial Apps or visit www.pressatlas.com.
Download PressAtlas on the Apple App Store here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/pressatlas/id883916735?mt=8
Download PressAtlas on Google Play here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pressatlas.pressatlas
About Spatial Apps
Spatial Apps Pty Ltd is a Canberra-based company dedicated to providing intelligent spatial solutions through unique location-based applications.
Its vision is to share functionality provided by spatial technologies with everyday users and allow them to visualise, question, analyse and interpret spatial information to reveal relationships, patterns and trends.
Its goal is to create location-based applications that empower the user and provide them with a new way of accessing and viewing information worldwide.
For further information please contact:
James Brown
Spatial Apps Pty Ltd
E | email@example.com


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Justin King
October 4, 2014
(TheAntiMedia) Beavercreek, Ohio – Activists from several organizations came together to show their support for John Crawford, a man killed by the Beavercreek Police Department while holding a pellet rifle inside of Wal-Mart. He apparently planned to purchase the BB gun.
A telephone call to 911 by a man who has repeatedly changed his story about the events led to officers being dispatched to Wal-mart. The department claims they were worried about an active shooter. Of course, even the least observant officer should have noticed as they barreled through the store that shoppers were not fleeing a gunman in panic. They were going about their shopping routines.
After finding Crawford, the officers told him to drop the BB gun, then immediately opened fire and killed him. Even if the rifle had been real, under Ohio state law, Crawford was not committing a crime. He certainly did not deserve a summary execution. He was reportedly on the phone with loved ones who listened in horror to Crawford's last minutes. Elsewhere in the store, a woman suffered a heart attack because of police gunfire. She did not recover.
Despite video demonstrating the careless and reckless behavior of the officers, the Grand Jury has failed to indict, which has sparked outrage across the sleepy community. Even though the feds have decided to probe the event, locals who have seen officers get away with murder all across the country are not hopeful.
This is the second time Crawford's killer has shot and killed someone. Officer Sean Williams shot and killed a retired Air Force Master Sergeant in 2010. Scott A. Brogli was gunned down despite being "too intoxicated to do anything." Williams claimed that the man that was drunk on the floor jumped up and charged him with a knife. There were no witnesses other than members of the thin blue line. Unsurprisingly, the Grand Jury didn't charge him then either. In the small community police department's entire history, there have been two killings by officers. The same officer was the shooter in both instances.
Locals are aware of the officer's reputation and posted a mock wanted poster of the cop.
Activists from Anonymous, Cop Block, Ohio Open Cary, and unaffiliated citizens from all races and walks of life joined together to express their sympathies and solidarity with the Crawford family. Those driving past the demonstration honked their horns in support. The driver of one vehicle with a "thin blue line" sticker extended his middle finger to the crowd. Many took the opportunity to demonstrate with firearms in support of Ohio's open carry law. The law makes it legal to openly carry a firearm in the state. It should have saved young John Crawford, but officers were out for blood rather than justice. They made no attempt to assess the situation and were not acting in good faith to preserve law and order; they were attempting to be action heroes. In the end, their quest to be tacticool cost the lives of two innocent people.
It doesn't matter what the Grand Jury says, the very fact that an officer made a mistake that cost two people their lives should be grounds to fire him. Unfortunately, Beavercreek PD is behaving just like the Grand Jury. The department is covering up for its employees at the expense of justice and the community's faith in the police department. In the end, the only "punishment" William is likely to face is a taxpayer-funded paid leave. Citizens can cling to the fact that the "thin blue line" protected itself because they have such a dangerous job.
From 1791 to 2014 the Officer Down Memorial Page reports that not a single Beavercreek cop has been killed in the line of duty. In Beavercreek it is more dangerous to go to Wal-Mart than it is to be a cop. More accurately, it is more dangerous to have contact with Officer Sean Williams.
This article is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TheAntiMedia.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive our latest articles.
Since you're here…
…We have a small favor to ask. Fewer and fewer people are seeing Anti-Media articles as social media sites crack down on us, and advertising revenues across the board are quickly declining. However, unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall because we value open and accessible journalism over profit — but at this point, we're barely even breaking even. Hopefully, you can see why we need to ask for your help. Anti-Media's independent journalism and analysis takes substantial time, resources, and effort to produce, but we do it because we believe in our message and hope you do, too.
If everyone who reads our reporting and finds value in it helps fund it, our future can be much more secure. For as little as $1 and a minute of your time, you can support Anti-Media. Thank you. Click here to support us


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- Yeezy Season 3 Black Vel Cro Cargo Pant. Black washed cotton, adjustable vel cro waistband, vel cro fly closure, adjustable knee straps, and elasticated ankle cuffs. Further features two front and back pockets. Marked size M. Waist 36'', Rise 11.5'', Inseam 28'', Cuff 5''. Excellent pre-owned condition.100% Cotton.
Fit is one of the most crucial points for customer satisfaction when purchasing online. As marked sizes differ from brand to brand, actual measurements can be the most accurate. Please scroll down to view an international size conversion chart. We try our best to assess fit and provide accurate measurements but if you have any additional questions about a specific item please contact us.
Here is a graphic on how we measure the most important areas to ensure a more accurate fit. All measurements are taken with the garment laid flat and buttons done up. Please select a similar garment from your own wardrobe with similar fit and compare measurements. Please note our measurements are of the actual garment and not body measurements.
Tops and Jackets:
Chest: Measure armpit to armpit seam across front and double the measurement. For example if the measurement is 19", double the measurement to arrive at 38".
Shoulders: Measure straight across from shoulder seam to shoulder seam.
Sleeve : Measure top of shoulder seam to cuff.
Length: Measure back neck seam to hem.
Pants and bottoms:
Waist: Measure waist of garment and double the measurement. For example if the measurement is 16", double the measurement to arrive at 32".
Rise: Measure from centre crotch seam to top front waist.
Inseam: Measure from centre crotch seam to hem along interior leg seam.
Cuff: Measure at bottom cuff.


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Ygrene Energy Fund Announces Webinar on PACE Financing for Seismic Upgrades
September 19, 2017
Structural and Civil Engineer Dr. Dilip Khatri and David Kelly, Ygrene National Sales Director, present webinar entitled "The Big One Is Coming. Protect Your Tenants…and Yourself"
PETALUMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ygrene Energy Fund, the nation's leading provider of residential, multifamily and commercial property assessed clean energy financing, today announced that it will present a webinar entitled "The Big One Is Coming. Protect Your Tenants…and Yourself," on Thursday, September 28 at 11:00am PST.
Scientists agree that a magnitude 7.8 or higher quake will hit California, which means that property owners need to be prepared. The webinar will explore how Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing can help property owners make seismic improvements to keep themselves, their properties and their tenants safe. It will also go over the broader benefits of PACE financing, which enables energy efficiency, on-site generation projects and storm preparedness improvements.
Hailed as "one of the Top 20 World-Changing ideas" by Scientific American Magazine, PACE financing is an innovative program that enables property owners to obtain 100 percent financing for seismic retrofits, energy- and water-saving upgrades, on-site renewable energy generation projects and, in some areas, hurricane protection and EV charging stations. Payments are made through property taxes and repaid over long terms, up to 20-plus years. Ygrene PACE financing is currently available in California, Florida and Missouri.
Speakers include Dr. Dilip Khatri, Ph.D., a consulting engineer and professor at CalPoly Pomona with 35 years of experience in civil and structural engineering. Dr. Khatri brings deep knowledge of the design, construction and infrastructure management of seismic retrofit improvements for commercial, residential, multifamily and various other properties. Throughout his career, his research has been focused on how to build earthquake resistant multi-story reinforced concrete buildings. Dr. Khatri will be joined by David Kelly, nationally recognized as one of the top mortgage bankers in the U.S. As Ygrene's National Sales Director, David brings more than 20 years of financial real estate expertise to the booming PACE industry.
Webinar: The Big One Is Coming. Protect Your Tenants…and Yourself
Date: Thursday, September 28
Time: 11:00am PST
To Register: https://goo.gl/f4F2Ec
About Ygrene Energy Fund
Ygrene Energy Fund is the nation's leading provider of residential, multifamily and commercial property assessed clean energy financing. The award-winning, privately funded Ygrene program provides immediately accessible financing with no upfront payments for energy efficiency, renewables, water conservation, and, in certain areas, hurricane protection, electric vehicle charging stations, and seismic upgrades. Ygrene is committed to making it easy for property owners to invest in their future and a healthier environment. Over the next five years, Ygrene is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs and invest billions of dollars into local economies. Learn more at ygrene.com.
Ygrene Media:
Sloane & Company
Amanda Coyle, 212-446-1867
Zachary Elvove, 212-446-1880


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Lake Country Families Shop at the Corners of Brookfield
November 5, 2017
Opened last April, The Corners of Brookfield is one of the newest addition to the greater Milwaukee area and a hot spot for Arrowhead families. Located on Bluemound road in Brookfield, The Corners of Brookfield host a variety of stores and restaurants for every price range. The shopping center also offers luxury apartment living in the heart of Brookfield.
According to the corners of Brookfield website, they are open seven days a week from 10:00 am until 9:00 pm; this excludes Sunday when they are open from 11:00 am until 6:00.
There are a variety of stores that specialize in different goods. Some women's clothing stores include Evereve, Francesca's, JJill, Scout and Molly's, Twigs, and Anthropologie.
Stores selling clothes for both men and women include Lululemon, L.L Bean, and Department store Von Maur.
Other stores located at The Corners are Paper source, Kendra Scott, and Bauhaus, and Bonnes, all of which supply various goods.
"The stores at the corners of brookfield are so nice. It's great because we've never had anything like this in our area," says Arrowhead sophomore Hunter Phillips.
Restaurants and dining at the corners also serves a variety of palettes. BelAir Cantina is a Mexican fusion restaurant and is known for their over 100 brands of tequila. BelAir is open from 11:00 am on weekdays and 10:00 on weekends until bar close. For more information on BelAir or to see their menu please visit www.belaircantina.com
Cafe Hollander is known for having various sister restaurants throughout Wisconsin, like Cafe Benelux located in the third ward of Milwaukee. Cafe Hollander a European style restaurant infuses recipes from the Benelux region in the Netherlands into their menu. Cafe Hollander is open from daily from 8:00 am through 12:00 pm. For more information or to see their menu please visit www.cafehollander.com
"BelAir is my favorite place to get mexican, and Cafe Hollander is super good too" says Arrowhead senior Claire Lawrence.
Other dining options include Orange leaf frozen yogurt and Grimaldi's pizza.
The Corners of Brookfield also hosts weekly or monthly events. This includes the Halloween trick or treat on October 28th beginning at 2:00 or the Paper Source Creative Journaling Workshop on November fifth at 1:00. For more information on activities check their website www.thecornersofbrookfield.com/events.
New stores and restaurants are coming to The Corners such as DavidsTea, Altar'd State, Cyclebar, and more. For more information on The Corners of Brookfield and their upcoming events and stores visit their website.
The Corners Of Brookfield are also home to luxury studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom apartments. Studio apartments begin at $1,285 and increase from that, according to the Corners website.
The apartments have both luxury community amenities, and personal apartment amenities.
The comunity amenities include private outdoor terrace, theater room, fitness center with yoga room,and game room. The property has controlled gate access, covered parking and on site management and maintenance.
The apartment amenities include bathrooms with full size showers and bathtubs, gourmet quality kitchens, quartz countertops with Kohler faucets and stainless steel sinks, energy efficient LED lighting, and full size energy star washers and dryers.


text: I'm not too familiar with 403b or 457b accounts. My understanding is that 403b's are essentially identical to 401k's. If that is the case, the fees for your 403b seem on the higher side, but not completely out of the norm. I can't think of an advantage of contributing to that until you max out your TSP.


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Osocalis XO Alambic Brandy
This is the closest we have found to Cognac in a US-born and bred brandy! Complex waves of orange blossom, toffee, and leather leap from the glass leading to a full-bodied palate with notes of vanilla, caramel, cocoa powder, and orange rind. Dan Farber puts his training to great use blending older stocks of Pinot Noir, Colombard, and Semillon to perfection. Crafting a masterpiece brandy with this elegance and finesse is akin to DaVinci putting the final brushstrokes on the Mona Lisa. Your snifter just found a new best friend!
Now the oldest independent brandy distillery in the USA, Osocalis is a small, artisanal producer in Soquel, California. The name Osocalis is the original Native American name for Soquel, today part of the greater Santa Cruz area. They use a small (100 gallon) antique alambic Charentais still, imported from Cognac, to produce brandies using grapes and apples from the cooler coastal regions of California. Distiller Daniel Farber honed his skills in France, training with some of the great brandy distilleries in Cognac, Armagnac, and Calvados. He brings that wealth of knowledge to the new world and strives to produce brandies that have the length, elegance and finesse of those from the Old World, but with the fruit intensity and structure that California-grown fruit provide.


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Accu-Chek Softclix Plus Lancing Device
The Accu-Chek Softclix pus Comfort Dial offers 11 customizable depth settings for different skin types.
$32.99 or 3,299 points
Product Information
The Accu-Chek Compact Plus blood glucose monitor comes with a detachable lancing device. You can choose to use it attached or detached from the meter. Plus, it uses the same technology as the Accu-Chek FastClix device, which has been proven less painful. Personalized comfort. Precise lancet movement. Unique technology minimizes painful side-to-side motion. Precisely manufactured lancets. Lancing device uses bevelled 28-gauge lancets for smoother entry
- Product Type
- Lancing Device
- Treatment
- Diabetes
- Warnings
- Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your healthcare professional.
Ratings & Reviews
Delivery Information
Home Delivery Or Click & Collect
If your online order is over $89 (including GST) we will ship your order free of charge.
All Click & Collect orders are free of charge. For all other orders a $7.50 shipping fee will apply.
Home delivery orders are shipped in plain packaging to protect your privacy.


text:
Hey there
Im completly new to orbeon and this Community. Im also not a IT Expert but I
have to handle Orbeon in my enterprise more from a business aspect.
My Question is how can we design (fonts, Fields, Backgroundcolor, Size, etc)
the automatic generated PDF. We tried a PDF Template but its not what we
looking for because we need to use dynamic Field (visible field under
circumstances). Is there some guides or something on the Webside or
somewhere else?
Sorry for my noobish question and thanks for responses.
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Frontline Combat Complete Roofers Kits are a ready to go solution straight out of the bag! Self sufficient providing the essential equipment to start a roof job. The roofer's kit includes our Combat harness, roof anchor, vertical lifeline with an integrated rope grab with a shock absorber and they come all conveniently packaged in a Frontline bag with carry handles. The harness and lifeline are made out of safety orange colored material, helping make the equipment potentially more visible and its universal sizing harness helps fit most users.
Lightweight components make the harness lighter
- 1 Back d-ring for fall arrest
- 5 point adjustability
- Chest strap with pass thru buckles
- Leg straps are provided with tongue buckle straps for easy adjustment
- Additional back support strap provided for a comfortable fit
- Ideally positioned sub-pelvic strap for extended comfort
- Elastic loops on all the straps for better adjustment
- Comes with dual color scheme for easy differentiation of the shoulder and leg straps
- Equipped with fall indicator on shoulder strap
- Breaking strength - greater than 5,000 lbs
- Meets or exceeds ANSI and OSHA applicable standards
- Universal sizing, fitting most users
Vertical Lifeline with Rope Grab:
- 50' polysteel rope
- Diameter of the rope is 5/8"
- Snaphook end and other side has a stop-knot for added safety
- Available in lengths of 25 ft and 50 ft
- Rope grab is of steel material
- Rope grab comes with a shock pack
- Rope grab is self locking when not being adjusted
- Vertical lifeline and rope grab meets or exceeds ANSI & OSHA applicable standards
- Hinged to accommodate most roof peaks
- Material: Galvanized steel with forged d-ring
- Minimum Breaking Strength: 5,000 lbs/ 23 kN
- Finish: Steel black powder coated
- Meets or exceeds ANSI and OSHA applicable standards


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SAN DIEGO, October 11, 2015 – The first time "Dancing With The Stars" introduced the concept of switching partners between the competitors and pros, the DWTS fan universe experienced a meltdown over the whole idea of their favorite couples being torn apart, even for a week.
The experiment turned out to be fun and it's now returning for its third season in a row in week 5 on Monday's show. But the fans are still having a meltdown. This time it's over the way the pairings ended up. Long time observers suspect the Twitter voting was a sham and producers paired the couples without any regard for the votes.
It doesn't much matter whether the one time swaps were voted upon or picked out of a hat. They are temporary, and the better dancers tend to do just fine, while those who have been at the bottom of the leaderboard with one partner don't magically transform after one brief week with a new partner. It's early enough in the season that it doesn't send a strong star home even if he or she has a bad week.
The show producers make it even less likely by adding a guest judge, which stretches the margin between the highest and the lowest scores, which helps the skilled competitors and hurts the ones already struggling.
Former Mirrorball Trophy winner Maks Chmerkovskiy will guest judge alongside Julianne Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Each couple will dance to a different style of dance, including the Jive, Cha Cha and Tango. Celebrities will perform one routine with their "switch up" partner and return to their original dance partners the following week.
Who do we predict might struggle? Paula Deen drew Mark Ballas as a parnter, and they drew the Jive for their dance. Paula has been at or near the bottom every week, and with Gary Busey gone, the ballroom bullseye is squarely on her back. Paula should go out, enjoy her last week on the show, and call it a day.
Alek Skarlatos may struggle having to dance the sensual Rumba with a new partner, Emma Slater, but there have been rumors in the gossip press that Alek and Emma are dating. We may find out whether it's true on the dance floor.
The couples who were assigned the Tango or Argentine Tango may struggle, but none are likely to be in serious trouble. Hayes Riley must dance the Viennese Waltz with Allison Holker; if she can find a way to make it breezy and young, they will get through it.
Nick Carter and new partner Witney Carson dance the Paso Doble. Witney has proven herself to be an excellent coach and this may be one of the most successful switches. Carlos PenaVega should also benefit from working with Lindsay Arnold and dancing a Quickstep to Elvis.
Tamar Braxton will dance the Samba with Louie Van Amstel. The Samba is a tough dance to pick up, but Louie is a patient teacher and this pair might be the surprise of the show.
The partner pairing drawing the most concern among fans is Bindi Irwin and Val Chmerkovskiy, who will dance a Cha Cha Cha. This is among the easier dances and it doesn't require an emotional connection beyond "Let's party!" Here's our prediction they will be near the top.
Join Communities for our weekly Live Online Chat on Monday at 8 p.m. ET to assess the switches and the matches, and let's see if Alek and Emma are really an item.
Week 5 Assignments (Original Partner in Parentheses)
Alek Skarlatos and Emma Slater (Lindsay Arnold): Rumba, "Let It Go" by James Bay
Alexa PenaVega and Derek Hough (Mark Ballas): Tango, "Pompeii" by Bastille
Andy Grammer and Sharna Burgess (Allison Holker): Argentine Tango, "I Can't Feel My Face" by The Weekend
Bindi Irwin and Val Chmerkovskiy (Derek Hough): Cha Cha Cha, "Hold My Hand" by Jess Glynne
Carlos PenaVega and Lindsay Arnold (Witney Carson): Quickstep, "Bossa Nova Baby" by Elvis
Hayes Riley and Allison Holker (Emma Slater): Viennese Waltz, "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" by Meghan Trainor
Nick Carter and Witney Carson (Sharna Burgess): Paso Doble, "Don't Look Down" by Martin Garrix
Paula Deen and Mark Ballas (Louis Van Amstel): Jive, "Shake" by Otis Redding
Tamar Braxton and Louie Van Amstel (Val Chmerkovskiy): Samba
Voting information: Viewers may cast their votes for their favorite couples via phone on Monday night during the show and up to one hour after the end of the DWTS broadcast in each time zone. Online voting at www.ABC.com and on Facebook at https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ is open for 24 hours, beginning from the start of each episode on the East Coast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and closing at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, is President/Owner of the Falcon Valley Group in San Diego, California. She is also a serious boxing fan covering the Sweet Science for Communities. Read more Media Migraine in Communities Digital News. Follow Gayle on Facebook and on Twitter @PRProSanDiego. Gayle can be reached via Google +
Please credit "Gayle Falkenthal for Communities Digital News" when quoting from or linking to this story.
Copyright © 2015 by Falcon Valley Group


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With the General Assembly of the United Nations taking place this week, Thought for the Day was on the topic of light and darkness this morning. As ever, you can catch up here (scroll forward to 01:21:12) or you can read the text below. These are dark times for our world, so for those of us who believe that Jesus offers hope in the midst of darkness, any opportunity to help people perceive the light, is one to be seized!
In the United Nations building in New York there hangs a stained glass installation by the artist Marc Chagall. Entitled 'Peace' this enormous blue window draws its inspiration from verses in the Old Testament:
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Speaking about his work, Chagall said:
For me a stained glass window is a transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world. Stained glass has to be serious and passionate. It is something elevating and exhilarating. It has to live through the perception of light.
We live in dark times. The people of Korea, north and south; of Myanmar; of Bangladesh; of the Caribbean; of Yemen all understand what it feels like to walk in the land of the shadow of death.
This week the annual UN general assembly takes place. 193 member states meet in a large hall near to Chagall's window to discuss global concerns. And as with any gathering of world leaders, each nation will come with its own interests to defend. The founding aim of the UN is "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" yet, 72 years later, the world is rife with conflict and upheaval, and the responsibility for saving succeeding generations weighs heavy on those who will attend the assembly.
Human assemblies and political debate exist to encourage us to take action to prevent war, displacement and environmental disaster. For those who are working with patience and determination to find peaceful routes forward our hope would be that they find the inspiration they need.
And perhaps as delegates pass the Peace window they may pause and sense the 'elevation and exhilaration' Chagall wanted to invoke with his work. Perhaps they may allow 'the perception of light' to give them purpose, passion and courage in their decision-making.