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Are You Ready To Grow Your Business? (Part II)
In our last post we examined the personal qualities you'll need to make a success of expanding your business. This month we move away from character traits to focus instead on the professional aspects you should have covered off before considering growth. Number one: put your people first. We've already established that you're ready to scale up, but is the team around you able to cope with the increased responsibilities and pressures this will bring? And what about the people outside your company? Do you work closely with a manufacturing partner, for example, who might be swamped by the additional orders? And how about that freelance marketing graduate who's handling your promotional campaigns? Will they be able to fit extra hours around his or her other clients? Make sure you're all onboard before making any firm decisions - or be prepared for a backlash further down the line.
Of course, there's another group of people who are just as important when thinking of taking the next step: your customers. The obvious clue that you're destined for bigger things is if customers start coming to you. The early days of a start-up company are usually spent actively seeking new clients. When you start fielding requests from them, however, you can be pretty confident you're onto a good thing.
Thirdly, set your expectations. Although growth is an exciting prospect, keeping your feet firmly on the ground is vital to your future success. Be discriminating in terms of how much growth you can handle. Weigh up new markets against your existing infrastructure, bigger premises against the cost of the build, etc.
A good way to do this is by evaluating how your business is currently performing. Doing a SWOT analysis should help. The acronym stands for:
What are you doing especially well? What resources do you have that other businesses don't? What are your firm's main competitive advantages?
Where do you struggle? What areas in the business let down the rest of the firm? Where is there room for improvement?
What new market trends can you capitalise on? What customer changes have you seen recently (spending habits, demographic etc)?
What are your closest competitors planning for the future? Are there any new rivals to gauge? Is there a threat from planned regulatory change?
When evaluating your company in this way, it's imperative you don't exaggerate. The data must be based on real facts and proven results. At the same time, don't be too modest when analysing your strengths or you could overlook a key area to capitalise on.
Finally, figure out your finances. A serious deficit in cash flow could irreparably damage your business so be confident that you'll see a relatively speedy return on investment, or you have enough funds to see you through a longer wait. Troy Hazard, author of Future-Proofing Your Business reckons it typically takes at least four months for the coffers to start being replenished. He told Entrepreneur magazine: "Growth costs money, and a lot of people forget that. You cannot be ready to grow unless you're in a position to carry the business until the sales catch up with the investment."
Further resources
Check out www.more-for-small-business.com/sample-swot-analysis.html for a sample SWOT analysis. This should show you exactly how to use the model in your strategic growth planning. Of course, this is an example only. The SWOT you create should be tailored to the unique organisation and markets you work in. Once you've done your first SWOT analysis, it's useful to refer back to it regularly and update it annually.
For a slightly different spin on business growth, the www.smallbusinessbonfire.com/business-growth article is well worth reading. Rather than concentrating on the telltale signs your business is ready to expand, this examines whether your organisation might already be growing - but well before you're ready for it.


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Dear Doe
I safely got to New York, and was super busy for a week and also tired from jet lag.
I took some Melatonin, but not sure it was really helped me. But now I'm fine! :)
The first day, Aram and I were so great to see each other and super excited we finally became roommates!
Her house was so cozy, and I needed some orientation about the neighborhood.
And the next day, I went to the Gowanus studio in Brooklyn.
I met my studio mates Sara Varon and Aaron Meshon! You already knew how amazing they are, right?
So glad they have dogs, and I met Sara's dog Sweetpea first and was looking forward to seeing Aaron's dog Chubu!
This is the first time having a studio in Brooklyn, and I already in love with it!
The life in New York this time is entirely different with the time I spent in Manhattan.
I felt that this summer is going to be unforgettable.
I'll keep you updated, and take good care of Coco!
Talk soon,

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to the Kentucky Native Plant and Wildlife Blog.
Welcome to the Kentucky Native Plant and Wildlife Blog.
The purpose of this blog is to provide information on using native plants in the landscape, issues related to invasive exotic plants, urban wildlife management, and wildlife damage management. It is my intention that this information will assist you in deciphering the multitude of information circulating around the web and condense in some meaningful method as it relates to Kentucky. In addition, I hope to highlight a native plant that can be used in the landscape.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill
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Moles and I have waged the occasional war. Generally they win. Cease fire negotions always include the arguement - moles are beneficial to soil and they have rights too. Then a couple of strawberry plants succumb to what looks like no better reason than the tunnel under their roots. Dogs in a vegetable garden are not useful. Traps are Ok in cut grass. Shotguns satisfy as an opening salvo. Then its all down hill until I wave the white flag.ReplyDelete


text: Healthy Aging We Lead By Example As strong advocates of healthy aging, we encourage others to adopt a healthy lifestyle and work on expanding the number of years we have free of diseases and infirmity. We have to practice what we preach, that means regular exercise, good nutrition, adequate rest, community engagement and stress management. We always ask adult children of aging parents, especially our clients who are caregivers, about their own health maintenance and stress management. It can be very difficult with the burden of caregiving to also take proper care of ourselves. We foster the goal of healthy aging by the way we lead our own lives. We are both in our 60's and are regular exercisers. Carolyn took up the sport of triathlon at age 63. Here's a short video of Taking Control of Our Aging, her first triathlon experience. Mikol is a cyclist and spends time on his bike every week. We are conscious every day about our health maintenance, and we encourage others, including our clients, to add regular physical activity to their routines at least 3 times a week. To foster our own goal of community engagement further, we started a nonprofit volunteer organization, Seniors Resource Forum (www.seniorsresourceforum.com) with a mission to empower seniors and those who care for them through education. We provide community education programs on subjects such as Maintaining Mental Wellness, Know Your Community Resources, and Preventing Elder Abuse.


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O S K L E N by Oskar Metsevaht
At its core Osklen is both thoughtful and encouraging as a brand, driven by founder and Creative Director Oskar Metsevaht, whose process is focused on culture and how it translates into elements of style. Pulling inspiration almost always from personal experiences lends Metsevaht a platform to create concepts with meaning and function beyond fashion.
Spring 2016 is a articulation of Metsevaht's experience last year living in the Amazon jungle amongst the Ashaninka tribe. Elements of his experiences in the jungle, with the tribe and even rituals he was invited to participate in, reflected in the overall concept and intimate details of the collection.
The Ashaninka's respect for beauty his greatest take-away...
'The meaning of aesthetics is very important for them. Beauty, for them means strength and sensuality- for man or for woman. And that's exactly what fashion is.' For Metsavaht, who juggles sustainability with a luxury sensibility, the Ashaninka reinforced an idea about which he is already passionate: That fashion, frivolous though it may sometimes be portrayed, is far from meaningless.
Follow this link to read more on Metsavaht's experience in the Amazon and in creating this collection.


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Experience Northern Hospitality
Family-owned and operated. Rooms include a home-made breakfast.
Situated across from the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers, the Dawson City Bed & Breakfast offers true northern hospitality in an ideal location. This family-owned business offers year-round accommodation for visitors to our gorgeous region. Our rooms have been recently updated and guests of the Dawson City Bed & Breakfast can enjoy comfort, privacy and modern amenities.


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Living No Lye – Episode 1
In our premiere episode, we reveal 2 new natural hair mobile phone apps, GoNappturale and NaturallyMe. Then, our host and co-host test out Long Aid Curl Activator Gel, a product you can buy for less than $5! And for all you mothers out there looking for creative ways to style your daughter's hair, we hang out with Tress Talk at Carol's Daughter for their Tiny Tresses event. Host: Yolonda Harrington. Co-Host: Brittany Dixon.
Natural Hair Related Sites Referenced In This Episode:
For Your Natural Hair Salon Finder: http://gonappturale.com/
For Your Natural Hair Blog App: http://thenaturallymeblog.com/
For Long Aid Curl Activator Gel: http://keystone-labs.com/longaidgels.html
For Tress Talk: http://tresstalk.weebly.com/
Carol's Daughter's Hair Milk: http://www.carolsdaughter.com/portal.aspx?CN=8CAE467ABA14


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* SSEC -0.1 pct, CSI300 -0.2 pct, HSI 1.4 pct
* HK->Shanghai Connect daily quota used 3.1 pct
* Shanghai->HK daily quota used 0.1 pct
* China stocks to have best week in almost 3 months
SHANGHAI, May 11 (Reuters) - China stocks fell slightly on Friday, but are poised to post their best weekly performance in almost three months as interest towards Chinese blue-chips has been building steadily ahead of MSCI's A-share inclusion next month. Hong Kong shares followed Asian markets higher.
** The bluechip CSI300 index fell 0.2 percent to 3,885.99 at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1 percent to 3,171.90. For the week, both indexes are on track to rise nearly 3 percent.
** U.S. index publisher MSCI will officially include yuan-denominated A-shares into its emerging market benchmark on June 1.
** In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index rose 1.4 percent to 31,227.84, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 1.1 percent to 12,372.12.
** China's CSI300 financial sector sub-index was higher by 0.03 percent, the consumer staples sector up 0.03 percent, the real estate index down 0.7 percent and healthcare sub-index down 1.57 percent. ** Chinese H-shares listed in Hong Kong rose 1.13 percent to 12,372.12 while the Hang Seng Index was up 1.36 percent at 31,227.84. ** The smaller Shenzhen index was down 0.65 percent and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was weaker by 1.11 percent. ** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.93 percent while Japan's Nikkei index was up 1.02 percent. ** The yuan was quoted at 6.3441 per dollar, 0.03 percent firmer than the previous close of 6.346. ** The percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite index were led by Jiangsu Sunrain Solar Energy Co Ltd up 10.09 percent, Chengtun Mining Group Co Ltd gaining 10.04 percent and Shanghai Wondertek Software Co Ltd up by 10.01 percent. ** The percentage losers in the Shanghai index were Aurora Optoelectronics Co Ltd down 10.03 percent, followed by Shandong Swan Cotton Industrial Machinery Stock Co Ltd losing 5.81 percent and Joinn Laboratories China Co Ltd down by 5.7 percent. ** The top gainers among H-shares were Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd up 3.9 percent, Dongfeng Motor Group Co Ltd gaining 3.51 percent and Byd Co Ltd up by 3.46 percent. ** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Anhui Conch Cement Co Ltd which has fallen 0.82 percent, China Communications Construction Co Ltd which has lost 0.6 percent and China Telecom Corp Ltd down by 0.5 percent. ** About 7.52 billion shares traded so far on the Shanghai exchange, roughly 50.2 percent of the market's 30-day moving average of 14.99 billion shares. The volume traded was 13.30 billion as of the last full trading day. ** As of 04:16 GMT, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 22.29 percent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares. ** The Shanghai stock index is below its 50-day moving average and below its 200-day moving average. ** The price-to-earnings ratio of the Shanghai index was 13.65 as of the last full trading day while the dividend yield was 2.2 percent.
Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwtich; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier


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Laxmi Vilas Palace, an extravagant building of the Indo-Saracenic school, was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in Year 1890 at a cost of GBP 180,000. Major Charles Mant was the architect.
It is reputed to have been the largest private dwelling built till date and four times the size of Buckingham Palace. At the time of construction it boasted the most modern amenities such as elevators and the interior is reminiscent of a large European country house. It remains the residence of the Royal Family, who continue to be held in high esteem by the residents of Baroda.
Darbar Hall: Its ornate Darbar Hall, which is sometimes the venue of music concerts and other cultural events, has a Venetian mosaic floor, Belgium stained glass windows and walls with intricate mosaic decorations. Outside of the Darbar Hall is an Italinate courtyard of water fountains. The palace houses a remarkable collection of old armoury and sculptures in bronze, marble & terracotta by Fellici. The grounds were landscaped by William Goldring, a specialist from Kew Gardens.
As per the records, the original name of Palace is 'Lukshmi Villas Palace'. Its also known as LVP as a shortname.


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Wishing you all lots of love and happiness on this beautiful Valentine's Day.
Bear and I had such a special afternoon celebrating his first V-Day and Zach came home early to share in the festivities (pictures coming tomorrow!). Just when I thought our day couldn't possibly get any sweeter, we recieved a new comment on our Chocolate Tootsie Roll Cookies. Aileen, a soon-to-be-army-wife, made and sent these cookies to her fiance who's currently on his second tour in Afghanistan. Knowing that our cookie recipe made it into a soldier's Valentine care package has completely warmed our hearts; we're reminded of not only the love we share for our little family of three, but also those so valiantly serving our country. My brothers, Shane & Ryan, we love you today and always. You are truly our heroes.
And to Jonathan:
We can't begin to thank you enough for your service and sacrifice. You, and those who stand beside you wearing that uniform, are what makes this nation great. Eat those cookies up...you more than deserve them.
Happy Love Day, friends.


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3 Interesting Tips on How to Cheat in Exams without Getting Caught
When people are lazy, unprepared or simply could not see the way to get through a particular exam, then they begin to find different sources which can show them how to cheat in exams. When it comes to the matter like how to cheat in exams, then it only helps until the cheater manages to go through it without getting caught. Following are several tips on avoiding getting caught.
Never look fishy
It is extremely imperative to keep a nice balance between getting all the required answers effectively and not creating it too obvious. To best and most reliable way to make this done is by eluding the over fidgetiness. If it is necessary to look around, then one should never fix his or her eyes at one spot for more than 5 to 10 seconds. Switching the gaze in random directions consistently will assist a lot in getting away from the supervisor's eye. This way no one could find the cheater's cheat sheet or accomplice.
Never aim way too high
Obviously, it is not feasible to achieve the perfect scores without getting noticed. This statement sounds even fairer when the rest of the classmates, including the brainiacs achieving unremarkable grades. As a matter of fact, if a cheater is a person who manages to get decent grades in the class every so often, then in this case s/he might get away with it. But if the cheater is known as the slower pupils, then experienced teachers are most likely to find out the truth.
Whenever this specific matter how to cheat in exams is discussed, then the first and foremost rule that comes into play is that do not grab the attention of people. Missing one or two questions in the exams deliberately would be a good way to stay in the good books of paper checker and teachers. One prudent tip's to get the B grade on the very first test and then consistently raising the overall score till it is an A. However, it is of great importance to perform this step in a slow and gradual way.
Dispose of all the material and evidence
This might be the most decisive point of this subject of how to cheat in exams. There are so many students who manage to copy the answers from the cheating material to their exam-sheet. But only a few of them actually find a way to dispose of all the evidence successfully. Here it should be kept in mind that coping material is only the fifty percent part of this whole adventure and the remaining fifty percent belongs to throwing away all the evidence without being suspicious.
Going to the washroom right after the completion of exam and getting rid of all the evidence is extremely critical. It is pretty much apparent that the longer a cheater keeps the evidence with him/her self, the better becomes the chances of getting exposed, since anybody should notice after a certain time period. So, these are some of the tips about how to cheat in exams without getting caught.


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The Expat Show is a shortform improv comedy show performed entirely by non-Canadians. The Expats will improvise with their unique perspective on the world, share what they know about their motherland and try to assimilate to their new home by improvising about what they think they know about it.
Tickets: $5 at the door!


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Michael Jackson's Doctor Rushes to Aid of Fellow Airline Passenger
Michael Jackson's doctor leaped to the rescue and possibly saved a life Saturday when a female airline passenger fainted at 30,000 feet and needed urgent medical attention, TMZ reported.
The entertainment website said Dr. Conrad Murray was aboard a US Airways flight from Houston to Phoenix when a flight attendant asked on the loudspeaker if there was a doctor on board.
Murray jumped out of his seat, according to TMZ sources, and evaluated the woman, who was in her 20s and had "a very weak pulse."
He inserted an IV and stabilized her until the flight could make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, N.M., TMZ said.
The website, which said it later spoke with the unidentified woman, said she reported feeling lightheaded and then fainted for about 30 minutes.
When she regained consciousness, Murray was standing over her and said, "You probably know me ... I was Michael Jackson's doctor."
When asked what she would say to Murray, she told TMZ, "Thank you so, so, so much. Thank you for all your help. Thank you for helping me even without knowing me. Thank you."
The woman has been released from the hospital, the website reported.
Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter last February in connection with Jackson's death.


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I am so happy that Keith set up shop here in Mount Shasta. He's helping me with a chronic back injury (snowboarding accident from 2001) that other chiropractors were unable to treat properly. At the same time, he's helping me understand my body mechanics, the healing process and coaching me on useful exercises to protect against future injuries. The laser therapy and Graston (sp?) tools he's using seem to speed up the process. He is a no nonsense type and his goal is to see me less and less and hopefully not see me again, which is atypical for a chiropractor. Other chiropractors I've been to seemed to like it that I stayed broken... signing me up for long term plans with little or no long lasting results.I woke up one morning and could barely move. I have a 3 yr old and couldn't pick her up or play with her. Was lucky to get in to see Keith right away. In less than 2 weeks, I have full movement, my typical aches and pains are quickly diminishing and I am much more knowledgable and aware of my movements.His office is located at the Wellness Center so you also get to use any exercise equipment that facility has to offer without being a member. His pricing is extremely fair too. My 3yr old and I are very happy he chose Mount Shasta to fix people. Alright, back to playtime :)
I was so sad when we had to move away because Dr. Warde is the only chiropractor who has been able to solve my persistent neck and lower back problems. While on a trip to Mt. Shasta over last winter due to my father's car accident, the stress of the event and constant driving back and forth to Redding really put a strain on my lower back again. I was so glad to be able to have Dr. Warde there. He is not a "snap crackle pop" doctor, as I like to call them... He really worked with me, stretching the areas, and teaching me what to do to keep this from happening again... My husband has also seen him over the years and was able to avoid expensive and unnecessary neck surgeries due to the excellent treatment provided by Dr. Warde. He is gentle, yet firm, and really cares. He takes whatever time is needed to fully understand all the issues before engaging on a treatment plan. I highly recommend him...I only wish we lived there now!
If you're in need of a good chiropractor in Siskiyou County, this is your guy! My 75 year old dad was in a major car accident in December (shattered his ankle, broke his hip, sternum, and ribs) and was told he would be wheelchair bound for at least a year. Three months later, he is walking unassisted and a lot of it is thanks to Dr. Warde and his laser therapy. I am eternally grateful!
I had lost hope. No Doctors could seem to find what the root of my constant lower back and hip pain. I had to cancel a work trip because the pain was so severe I couldn't drive. After the first treatment I was pain free!! Dr. Warde is brilliant. He has a quality that is rare. His wide knowledge base, experience, curiosity and the latest technology(laser therapy and these cool Graston tools) make him in my opinion...the best Chiro I have ever worked with. And with this issue I have worked with many. His objective is to get to the root of the problem, find the best way to fix it...and to work with you to make that change last. I have learned more about how my body is, and should be working and with the stretches and exercises we work as a team so he can see less and less of me. Feeling pretty blessed he chose Mt.Shasta for his practice. I'm super grateful!!!
Shasta Sports Chiro1180 S Mt Shasta Blvd, Suite AMount Shasta, CA 96067
T 530-568-5060F 530-568-5060E firstname.lastname@example.com


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I started by blogging the process of porting my homebrew game Anguna from the Gameboy Advance to the Nintendo DS. Now, my random thoughts on development and chronicling whatever hobby project catches my fancy.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Starting the next game
I've had two ideas in mind for awhile, either my Blaster Master-style metroidvania game that I've talked about before, or another Anguna sequel. After asking around to see if I could find any artists interested in working with me, I found someone that's interested in doing the Blaster Masteresque game. So that's where we're starting.
First steps involve picking some technology. On the Atari, unless you were going for some crazy advanced cartridge with a co-processor on board (which was really rare back in the day -- I think Pitfall 2 was the only commercial game that did this), all the cartridges boards are pretty similar, other than ROM size and the exact method of bankswitching to map all that ROM to the limited address space of the Atari. (Ok, some also had some RAM on board. But still, there wasn't all that much that was different).
NES cartridges are a different story. The NES was designed for the cartridges to have a bit more control, so there's a lot more variance depending on what cartridge hardware you're going to pick. And certain types of cartridge hardware are more expensive to produce on actual cartridges than others. So I need to pick a cartridge mapper type. I've been doing some experimentation -- there's a new one out called the Cheapocabra that's both cheap and powerful. The only downsides are the fact that not all the emulators support it yet, and it has no expansion RAM. So I'm still trying to decide for sure.
The other question is whether I stick with pure 6502 assembly, or do a mix of assembly and C. I've been doing some experiments with writing the core game logic in C, and dropping to assembly for the bits that need to have better performance, and it seems to be working reasonably well, so I think I'm going to start with that.
Next steps are to start thinking about a scrolling engine and internal level data representations.
2 comments:
- Bryan R said...
Excellent, it's new game time!
Have you written before about what motivates you to create retro games? I can imagine several reasons, including nostalgia, and the technical challenge of making use of every extra byte of memory and shred of computing power. And sometimes constraints can be beneficial for the creative process.
There's also something cool about working closely with your hardware and understanding the details of how each component works.
But are you ever tempted to use modern computing power and just go nuts with the megabytes?
- April 21, 2017 at 6:12 PM
- Nathan Tolbert said...
Great question, Bryan. I think I'll post the answer to that as a new blog post in the next few days.
- April 21, 2017 at 10:47 PM
Scrolling Camera Tweaks
One of the subtle things that can really impact how a scrolling platformer feels is how the camera works. Does the character stay centered, ...
RetrospexInternational recently sent me a couple units of their new handheld device, the Retrospex 32 , a new dedicated GameboyAdvance emul...
So I've recently purchased DosBox Turbo , the best (as far as I can find) implementation of DosBox for Android, and have been playing th...
When I'm too tired/frustrated to work on my NES game, I've been playing around with ideas for another hobby project that I've he...


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TERM: Semester
SALARY: $10.00 Per Hour (upgraded 8/2004)
DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES:
As a Lab Monitor, you have the following responsibilities:
Students who work as Lab Monitors should balance their work time with their studies and other activities. This is an official job with the responsibility of guidance and aid for the computer lab users. Expanding your technology software and hardware knowledge is recommended. Tardiness and dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in immediate dismissal from the lab monitor program.
Information Technology at Columbia State hopes that Lab Monitors will effectively assist peers with technical expertise, gain experience and knowledge useful in future careers, develop a working relationship with other Lab Monitors, and enjoy working for Columbia State! Columbia State Lab Monitors are under the direct supervision of Dr. Emily Siciensky, Associate Vice President of Information Technology (540.2740). Scheduling, timekeeping and work materials will be maintained by Sharon Conant, Helpdesk & Administrative Coordinator (540.2651).
Desktop Support Available: Monday - Friday 7:45 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
1665 Hampshire Pike, Columbia TN 38401 | 931-540-2722
Content © 1996-2013 Columbia State - All Rights Reserved. Columbia State Community
College, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution,
is an equal opportunity, affirmative action


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Hiring Resources
Checklist, Guidelines, Inclusive Resources, Forms, Inclusion Advocates, MI-HERC, Advertising Sources.
Checklists (Managers, Hourly), Hourly Staff process flowchart, Faculty & AP Staff process flowchart.
Criteria Samples, Guidelines (Search Committees, Applicants)
Good interview question examples, safe interview questions, interview questions to avoid, applicants with disabilities, interview structure, candidate interview evaluation sheet.
A guide for Reference Checking.
Faculty, AP, On-Line. You must be a GVSU Faculty or Staff member to view Non-Selection Reasons.
Appointment Letters, Employment Applications, Hiring Forms, Tax Forms.


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Abi Roberts - Anglichanka
Date: Saturday 8th April, 2017
Venue: Bath Brew House
Doors: 4.15pm for 4.30pm show
Duration: 1hr
Price: £5 or pay what you feel*
Anglichanka (Englishwoman in Russian) is an exhilarating new comedy show about living in the former Soviet Union in the 90s and returning after 18 years as the first UK comic to perform comedy in English and Russian.
Including diary extracts, the consequences of drinking hardcore vodka, studying opera and using outdoor loos in -20 temperatures, we see how Russia has changed and what we need to know about Putin and the country described as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma".
"True comedy genius...on our list of newer stand-up comedians not to miss" - GQ Magazine
"Unstoppable charisma, dominating the stage all through the hour...laugh-out-loud humour that never once fails" ***** Edinburgh Festivals Magazine
"Seamlessly put together and delivered...wonderful comedic writing...deeply personal comedy: absolutely not to be missed" ***** Edinburgh Fringe Review
* book in advance to guarantee a seat, or free entry and pay what you feel on exiting the venue.
Booking: Brown Paper Tickets
Tel: 0800 411 8881
Online booking: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2873123
You Tube footage:
Note: Brown Paper Tickets online transaction fee: £0.97


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How VPS Server Brazil is Beneficial to Make Your Website Rank Up
Brazil VPS Server Hosting provider help you to rank well Apart from website hosting, one of the most important things is Website Ranking. After website hosting, it becomes a necessity to bring your website at the top position. Onlive Server presents some hosting solutions to bring your website at the top and generate more traffic on that. A VPS Host


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Congratulations to Cameron for completing his PADI Enriched Air Diver certification with Roatan Divers!
Cameron came over to Roatan for a few days with his friend, Jeremy, after diving in Ambergris Cay, Belize. Jeremy completed his PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course with us while Cameron went fun diving, and Cameron decided the PADI Enriched Air Diver certification would be an interesting continuing education course to pursue.
This was an easy course, with Cameron understanding the theory well and acing his exam. He will be diving on Enriched Air Nitrox tomorrow on a trip up to Bear's Den, we're excited to see him experience the benefits of diving on Nitrox!
Great job, Cameron!


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Sold Out TUGG Makes Boston, Brought Out the Best in Boston Tech!
On March 23 we celebrated our sold-out 11th Annual Wine & Tequila Party under a new name, TUGG Makes Boston!
Thank you to everyone who came out to support social innovation and party for good with us at the Innovation and Design Building! At every Wine & Tequila Party we're reminded that this event is so much more than a party! It's about the remarkable impact our community can have in just one night when we come together to catalyze greater good.
No other event in Boston tech can bring together such a diverse group of industries, networks, and people, and we believe it's largely due to this incredible synergy that's made possible by all of our outstanding partners and supporters on both sides of the non-profit and for-profit table.
Read more about it on VentureFizz and get BostInno's take on the event here.
Who run the world? Media Girls!
Congrats to our new nonprofit winner: Media Girls! Media Girls is a program that shows girls and young women how to use social media to share their authentic selves, post positive content, develop their critical thinking, and take a stand on meaningful issues.
5-Time Winners: Resilient Coders
Congratulations to Resilient Coders on their 5th consecutive win!
Resilient Coders is a free, volunteer-based program focused on making web technology more available to kids who might not otherwise be exposed to it. Each student builds a website, coached along by a web professional.
A huge congratulations to all 6 of TUGG's nonprofits, new and returning, who pitched their hearts out. We know it's tough and you all stood your own! We're proud to have you all in our portfolio - First Teacher, Mbadika, Media Girls, Resilient Coders, Tech Goes Home and We Thrive!
We have some awesome photos of you all! Check them out below and get tagging. There are some gems in here!
Photo booth photos by Sharingbox
If you're new to our community follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page to stay up to date with upcoming tech events and ways to get involved with our innovative nonprofits.
Take a minute browse through these companies below that have stepped up and placed community as a priority for their culture. They and their employees represent the very best of tech. Without them, there would be no TUGG.


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Shorts: Hamburg, Germany
Classic white tee
Hat: Thrifted
Sunglasses: Bonlook
I adore these Bonlook sunnies, but I don't wear them as often as I'd like. Being a regular glasses wearer, I'd have to wear contacts to see properly, so these end up being more of a prop pair! Bonlook are currently having a huge new year sale (70% off), I'd love to buy more pairs but now that I'm back in Australia, it's often too costly or impossible to get them sent here!
Andrew and I spent the evening with a couple friends down at St Kilda pier in Melbourne to see the Fairy penguins come home for the night. One of the big attractions for tourists to Melbourne is to see the fairy penguins at Philip Island. However Philip Island is a good couple hour drive from Melbourne, and you end up paying a lot of money to sit on a sterilised grandstand of seats while the penguins come in at a distance! St Kilda is free, you don't see quite as many, but I'm all for free activities and the St Kilda pier penguins are one of best for visitors and locals alike. The St Kilda penguins even get their own website!
The penguins only appear at dark, so I don't have any cute pictures of their faces! If you do ever make it to Melbourne, I'd highly recommend it. The summer months are the best times to see them, so plan your trip on your northern hemisphere winters!
Em x


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Sep 24, 2014 — Hugh Lofting Timber Framing built the timber framed portion of this beautiful Western Red Cedar screened in porch designed by Archer & Buchanan Architecture.
An Interview With Our Founder, Hugh J. Lofting
If you take a drive through Chester County horse country with Hugh J. Lofting, you'll likely hear more about the King Ranch, township road maintenance, and American McMansions than you will about timber framing. With self-deprecating humor and an easy laugh, Hugh is quick to point out some of the less-than-smart anecdotes of his youth (don't take a sailboat dinghy down a hurricane-swollen river). He weaves a story of family history in Montana and Pennsylvania and the evolution of his life and work, as intricate as the timber-frame structures for which his company is known – and as richly detailed.
[Read more…]
Celebrate Spring!
Even though today started out a little cloudy, it has turned out to be quite a beautiful day and I have found myself day dreaming about being outside in the tree house we built.
HLTF built this tree house several years ago in the beautiful country side of West Marlborough Township, PA. Nestled among the trees, this getaway is great for kids and adults alike!
Enjoy this beautiful day and find a way to make it outside!
Think Spring!
HLTF Awarded Best of Houzz 2014!
Hugh Lofting Timber Framing has been awarded Best of Houzz 2014 in the Design and Customer Satisfaction categories as our portfolio includes some of the most popular images on Houzz in 2013! We would like to congratulate our fellow winners!
[houzz=http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/22977403/thumbs/Houzz–Best-of-Remodeling-2014—Philadelphia–Outdoor- w=300]
HLTF Earns Forest Stewardship Council® Chain of Custody Certification
FSC® Chain of Custody Certification indicates compliance with high social and environmental standards.
Hugh Lofting Timber Framing, Inc. earned Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody certification, indicating products used in its FSC® timber framing projects come from responsibly managed forests.
FSC certification indicates compliance with some of the highest social and environmental standards worldwide. Certified participants promote world forest management in an environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable manner.
FSC Chain of Custody Certification applies to manufacturers, processors, and traders of FSC certified forest products. Hugh Lofting Timber Framing, as an FSC Certified Chain of Custody company, joins over 3,400 others in the U.S. who have made this commitment to sustainable wood and paper products.
"The certification shows to our clients and the community that we prioritize forest stewardship and environmental responsibility," said founder Hugh Lofting. "We remain focused on crafting long-lasting, energy-efficient homes and buildings."
Certification creates an incentive for forest owners and managers to follow best social and environmental practices. Growing demand for FSC certification indicates that consumers prefer products from well-managed forests. Global benefits of FSC's certifications and programs including protecting biodiversity, indigenous peoples' rights, workers' rights, and areas of environmental and cultural importance.
Hugh Lofting Timber Framing underwent a rigorous audit by BM TRADA Certification, Inc. and was found to meet the requirements of standards FSC-STD-50-001 (Version 1.2) EN and FSC-STD-40-004 (Version 2.1) EN for FSC Chain of Custody Certification.
Hugh Lofting Timber Framing is certified in the purchase of FSC certified heavy timber, glue-laminated lumber, and decking for the manufacture and sale of FSC Certified heavy timber, engineered lumber, trusses, decking, structural frames, and roof systems. The certification is valid through 2018.
About The Forest Stewardship Council
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent non-governmental organization that promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world's forests. FSC sets standards by which forests are certified, offering credible verification to people who are buying wood and wood products. For more information visit www.fsc.org.
ChesLen Preserve's Lenfest Center
Hugh Lofting Timber Framing presents the timber framing of the Lenfest Center at the ChesLen Preserve.
Our in-house designers worked closely with the architects at Archer & Buchanan incorporating and designing the timber frame portions of this beautiful building.
The main building and the pavilion are crafted from Douglas Fir timbers while the trellis is crafted from Oak.
The ChesLen Preserve is one of the Natural Lands Trust conservation preserves located in Coatesville, PA. According to http://www.rooftopservices.com/, this is one of the finest roofing jobs in the area.
How Much Does a Timber Frame Cost?
There is no easy answer to this question because there are so many factors that go into the price of a timber frame. For example, the timber species, complexity and even the type of joinery can greatly alter the price of a timber frame. These factors put the cost of a timber frame in the range of $50,000 to $500,000 and up. Typical residential customers usually spend around $75,000-$200,000 for an addition, $50,000-$250,000 for a barn, $9,000-$50,000 for a pergola and specialty projects can be anywhere on that spectrum.
Greenville Timber Frame Addition
Bonsai Studio
HLTF provided the structural trusses as well as the tongue-and-groove decking for this Bonsai Studio in Kennett Square, PA.
The Douglas Fir trusses were designed with solid king-post and curved glued-laminated (glulam) bottom chord to provide an elegant finish.
Glulam timbers are extremely versatile and strong and can make possible dramatic shapes, spans and curves, which would be almost impossible with normal timber stock.
The rain chain on the exterior of the Bonsai Studio is a beautiful architectural, not to mention functioning, element.


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|Biosequences .. Software .. Molbio soft .. Network News .. FTP
I have co-transfected some Arabidopsis cells with Gus and another gene that I am interested in. My one question to the net is whether I can treat my cells with an X-gluc soln and expect them to survive the staining treatment? In other words can Arabidopsis cells be stained non-lethally with X-gluc? I want to be able to isolate the transformed loci that show Gus activity and remove them to be grown on a new plate of selective medium. -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Campanella | "If one strives for mediocrity, then the Case Western | worst thing that may happen is that one will University | succeed." -Buckminster Fuller


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Posts Tagged 'scalability'
Hypermedia and dynamic contracts: let my bandwidth rest!
"Break it" to scale!
Many systems contain webpages that are very similar to user "custom pages", where they can configure what they want to see, and every piece is aggregated from different sources into one single page.
In some cases, those are widget based frameworks as wicket and gwt that can be added to my custom page; in other cases you have aggregating portals.
An example of this kind of application (even though its not configurable) is a retail website containing four sections in its home page: the top 10, my orders, random items, and weird items.
In this case, all information come from the same source, but every part has a different probable validity if it is going to be cached. If the page is served as one big chunck of information, it will always be stale due to the random items section. "My orders" is stale only when I place a new order and, in the same way, the top 10 is only stale if any item is bought and surpasses the number of times the 10th item was bought so far.
One of the main issues with this type of pages which aggregate information from one or many sources with different expire-expectations is that cached versions in proxies and clients become stale faster than it should for some elements: once one of this providing sources publishes new information or is updated, the entire representation becomes stale..
Martin Fowler described once a well spread approach to allow those pages to be partially cached within local proxies and clients, thus sharing requested representations between multiple users.
The approach
Given the coffee scenario, one would create different json representations:
- http://restbucks.com/top_sellers
- http://restbucks.com/my_orders
- http://restbucks.com/weird_items
- http://restbucks.com/random_item
And finally an aggregating page:
 Top sellers My orders Random items Weird items
And then, for each lazy_load link, we create a div with its content:

This allows our proxies to cache each component in our page apart from the page itself: whenever one page's content becomes stale in a proxy, only part of that page needs update.
In a web were most data can be cached and does not become stale so fast, this technique should usually lessen the amount of data being transfered between client and server.
All one needs to do is properly use the http headers for caching.
Remember that if your client supports either parallel requests to the server and/or keep-alive connection, the results might be even better.
Distributed systems? Linked resources?
Roy Fielding mentions that in the data view in REST systems, "small or medium-grain messages are used for control semantics, but the bulk of application work is accomplished via large-grain messages containing a complete resource representation."
Pretty much in the same way as with the human web, a distributed system using the web as its infrastructure will gain the same cache benefits as long as they implement correct caching policies through http headers (and correct http verbs).
When your server provides a resource representation linking to a series of other related resources the client and proxies staying on the way will be allowed to cache each and every other resource on its own.
This approach results, again, in changes applied to one resource not affecting cached representations of other resources. An stale representation will not affect those accessing other resources within the same context.
Sometimes the decision whether to change latency for scalability might depend on how you think your clients will use your resources: in the human web mentioned above, the developer knew exactly how its clients would access it.
In distributed systems using REST, guessing how resources will be used can be dangerous as it allows you to tight couple yourself to this behaviour while published resources can and would be used in unforeseen ways.
Roy's dissertation seems to apply here to balance things: "a protocol that requires multiple interactions per user action, in order to do things like negotiate feature capabilities prior to sending a content response, will be perceptively slower than a protocol that sends whatever is most likely to be optimal first and then provides a list of alternatives for the client to retrieve if the first response is unsatisfactory".
Giving information that will help most cases is fine and providing links to further resources details allow you to balance between latency and scalability (due to caching) as you wish.
Dynamic contracts
This is only possible because we have signed dynamic contracts with our clients. They expect us to follow some formal format definition (defined in xhtml) and processes. How our processes are presented within our representations is the dynamic part of the contract.
While the fixed part can be validated with the use of schema validators, the dynamic part – the process – which is guided by our server needs to be validated through testing the behaviour of our applications: asserting that hypermedia guided transitions should be reflected in our application state.
On the other hand, many contemporary systems use the POST verb receiving a response including many representations at once or the GET verb without any cache related headers: thus not profiting from the web infrastructure at all. This could changed with one (or both) of the following:
- use the GET verb with cache headers
- use hypermedia and micro formats to describe relations between resources
Using it might present similar results as hypermedia+GET+cache headers in the human web – and some styles might already be providing support for it, although not being a constraint.
Note that in this case hypermedia is not driving the application state, but helping with scalability issues.
Progressive enhancement
Martin notes that this is a kind of progressive enhancement: although its definition is related to accessibility, its control over bandwidth benefits are similar to the approach mentioned ones.
Any other systems that use hyperlinks to "break" representations and scale?


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If you need help before placing an order, our team are available to answer any queries you may have. It can be a difficult purchase to make when you are not sure exactly which part is the correct one for you. This is where you can use our expertise and make sure that your laptop is fixed first time, without the hassle. For your Toshiba Tecra A9-S19016X Laptop Screen and many more, Laptop Power UK will see you right.
This entry was posted on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 12:14 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed.


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I knew the union was doomed when he picked up a $12 triangle of aged Parmesan cheese and tossed it in our shopping cart at Trader Joe's as if it were just another affordable family-sized tray of frozen enchiladas. Lactose I could tolerate, but $12 cheese made me queasy.
I was in my 20s, and I couldn't begin to articulate my discomfort with the casual way in which he added the princely Parmesan to our joint grocery bill. I couldn't explain why his sturdy sense of financial entitlement flew in the face of my belief that to buy ridiculously posh cheese was to practically invite financial disaster. For his part, I'm sure he thought it was strange that a parking ticket would inspire the type of overwrought reaction in me generally reserved for a community college production of "Medea." When I saw that little pink paper under my windshield wiper, it was more than just a $30 street cleaning violation; it was a Greek tragedy.
Suffice it to say, he and I grew up in two different worlds. His father was an Ivy League professor, mine was an auto mechanic. None of this was discussed, not the parents, the Parmesan, the parking tickets or the paranoia.
Here's the thing. When it comes to dating, money is the last conversational taboo.
In my entire dating history - as long and storied as the Ming Dynasty, with almost as many uprisings - I've never asked a guy what he earns, what he has or what he owes.
In today's relationship climate, we are far more likely to discuss STDs than TRWs.
Think about that. We'll review our entire sexual histories - unexplained itches and inflammation - but discuss the interest rate on our overdue Banana Republic card? No way. That's personal. Sex is one thing, but can you think of anything more intimate than saying, "I'll show you mine, and you show me yours" and sitting down at the coffee table to swap bank statements and credit card bills?
The whole topic makes me squeamish, and I'm not the only one. Money is the biggest cause of fights during the first year of marriage, according to the Assn. of Bridal Consultants. This suggests that money issues probably don't come up much during the courtship phase, which is where I live. (I know you're thinking, wow, a statistic from that eminent think tank, the Assn. of Bridal Consultants.)
"I can't believe how many couples I see who never discussed money before they got married," says Karen McCall, financial counselor and founder of the Financial Recovery Institute. "If you're crawling into bed with someone, taking off your clothes, having sex, wouldn't you want to know about their credit and debt? I would. Full disclosure about financial issues is key when you start getting serious with someone."
SEEMS reasonable, but how do you bring up money without sounding like a calculating, unromantic gold digger? McCall says you have to choose the right moment.
"If you're going on your first weekend getaway, just say something like, 'Can we talk about the financial aspects of the trip? I don't want to assume you're paying. Should we share some of it?' This is a perfect opportunity," she points out. "Ask open-ended questions, be nonthreatening and don't bombard."
Does this mean bombarding and total avoidance aren't two of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People"?
Obviously, there's a middle ground, some sort of mature, gentle and early inquiry. I guess an actual conversation, as painfully well adjusted and foreign as that sounds, beats trying to read the tea leaves - or the cheese slices.
Money: The Root Of All Issues
I knew the union was doomed when he picked up a $12 triangle of aged Parmesan cheese and tossed it in our shopping cart at Trader Joe's as if it were just another affordable family-sized tray of frozen enchiladas. Lactose I could tolerate, but $12 cheese made me queasy.


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Illinois Safe Schools Symposium
On October 8th & 9th, the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and our wonderful community partners cultivated a day-long gathering of students, parents, PreK-12 teachers and administrators, lawyers, healthcare professionals, and advocates to share skills and clarify shared goals for the work of the safe schools movement in the months and years ahead. Our inaugural Safe Schools Symposium amplified youth voices and bridged the gaps that exist between various sectors that often intersect but do not always interact.
Check back soon for details on the 2019 Safe Schools Symposium!


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My favourite Summer dress, from Tesco. I know! I couldn't believe it either. This is what happens when you send Amy to buy bread and milk.
What every bikini needs… a giant hat!
Outfit of the Day, ditzy floral crazy! Went a little over-board on the girly-ness. I often do.
I had many, many picnics in Howth. Howth is one of those places that needs no filter. It's just so pretty.
A selfie that showed some summer obsessions, eyelash extensions, summer t-shirts and Fuschia's Mineral Makeup. My hair is very long at the moment but I clipped in one layer of hair extensions for a bit more fullness.
Outfit of the night, black dress from Asos & 5 inch heels! Laughing at the Head scratch moment.
Sunning myself poolside in Lanzarote!
Another of my favourites, this one is from New Look.
There's something about the beach at night.
Happy Birthday to me! Fairy cakes and hello kitty scooters, yes I just turned 5 :D
One hell of a birthday pressie! I was a very good girl all year ya see, adjusts halo
My favourite view, lying under a tree peeking up at the sky.
I filmed a few videos… more to come, I promise!
We ladies love our hats!
A beautiful rose for a beloved baba's birthday
This is what happens when H&M sell dresses for €13, I then need one in every colour! I went back and bought a pink and white one too.
I pretty much moved into St Anne's park for the Summer. Artisan Food markets, the scent of the rose garden in the breeze. Hate to be morbid, but when I die I'd like to be scattered here, take note :D
And finally, this Summer I was really obsessed with wavy hair!


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Written By: NAMP® Op-Ed Ghost Writer
The busy season in the mortgage industry is fast approaching! Soon, the weather will break and homebuyers will come out of hibernation to begin searching for their next home. As a result, this is a good time to think about some best practices for maximizing productivity and efficiency. Time management is one of the most critical of these practices.
When managing your time, it is important to remember to prioritize your day. The hours in your day need to be scheduled to ensure your day is structured properly to increase your efficiency. A great tool that will help you prioritize your day is a to a to-do list. I usually create a to-do list of the loans I will need to touch the following day before I log off each night. This list gives me a clear directive for all of the things that I need to accomplish in the next day. If you have paper versions of the files, set them out in a file manager on your desk in the order you will review them.
** Need Mortgage Training? CLICK HERE to Download Brochure **
When prioritizing your day, plan for unexpected interruptions. Build in extra time for these disruptions. For underwriters and processors, this will most likely come in the form of emails and phone calls. I prioritize emails and phone calls regarding loans in closing status above all others. From there, I address inquiries regarding questions on conditions. Status request emails are my last priority and will only be answered if time permits. Most companies have posted turn times, so file status inquiries can become an unnecessary distraction that detract from more work productivity.
Identify your optimal time of day. This is the time of day when you know you work best. For me, this is early morning before other staff members log on. Save the most difficult tasks for your optimal time of day. It is important to minimize your distractions during this time. As a result, you may need to silence your cell and work phonesduring this part of the day.
Finally, keep a digital calendar where you list meetings and appointments. Outlook and Google offer excellent options for digital calendars. When adding appointments, you can build in reminders that will pop-up in email or on your cell phone. I also put dates in to follow up on suspended loans. Since these have a 30-day expiration period, I set an appointment on my calendar to follow up with my sales partners before issuing a decline.
Utilizing time management to structure your day will reduce stress, increase productivity, and help reduce the number of hours required to meet your objectives. These principles can assist underwriters and processors with meeting production minimums to hit bonus tiers. With lower stress levels and higher earnings, time management can greatly improve the quality of your work life!
About The Author
All of NAMP® staff writers are veteran mortgage processing & underwriting instructors for Mortgage Underwriter University (www.MortgageUnderwriter.org). They have each conducted numerous mortgage processing & underwriting training classes and have worked in the mortgage banking industry for 25+ years. If you're interested in becoming a writer for NAMP®, please email us at: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Description: A vintage rare and complete / full thirteen piece set of solid brass weighing scales weights, in their original wooden display stand, one is of 1 kg (1000 gr) one of 500 gr. One of 20 gr, two of 10 gr. And one of 1 gr. Please note, photos may have been enlarged to show more details. Please refer to item description/measurements for actual size.Colors may differ slightly with items on pictures, due to lighting conditions, and color settings of different computers. Items paid for on Friday or Saturday will be sent on Sunday.
The item "RARE HEAVY OLD SET OF WEIGHING SCALES SOLID BRASS WEIGHTS FROM I000 gr. To 1 gr" is in sale since Monday, March 4, 2019. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Tools, Hardware & Locks\Scales". The seller is "antiqot" and is located in Rishon le zion. This item can be shipped worldwide.


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Phase 1:
Begin lobby renovations and children's check in area.
Progress on phase one will begin soon. Thank you for your generous support!
Phase 2: Complete lobby renovations and interior decor murals in our education wing.
Accumulative Provision Needed
$45,000.00 RAISED and GROWING
$52,000.00 has been generously given towards our facilities vision refresher to date! as of May 4, 2017
Let's keep moving on into Phases 3 through 5! With God, all things are possible!


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Our in-house canning line has arrived!
In an effort to have more control over the quality and consistency of our canned beer, we have purchased our very own canning line and we are installing it this week! For all past releases, we have used a mobile canning company who comes to the brewery and packages our beer in cans for us. They have done a great job, but there are some challenges that we hope this installation will help us to overcome.
We believe the canning line will give us even better control over quality assurance, along with being able to schedule canning days and release days more frequently. It also relieves us of having to schedule months in advance the packaging days with the mobile canning company. Now we are able to package beers in cans immediately when they are ready. This also brings us to a point of releasing beers during the week and not just on Saturdays.
Here are some possible questions you may ask and the best answers we have right now:
Does this mean you can make more beer?
Short answer: Sort of. We are still a small brewery. For the most part, we like being a small brewery and the connection we have with every batch of beer, and our customers. We still have a small number of fermentation and packaging tanks as before (having added a new fermenter recently), hence the small amount of cans for releases. We are striving to be able to make more beer, and we should be able to run a better schedule with the line here!
When will be the next can release?
Since we are installing and commissioning the canning line this week, we will also be releasing two beers! This will be the first weekday release for us, so there are a few things to work out:
1. Parking – Please be mindful as we have neighboring businesses that will be open during weekday afternoons and evenings. The parking lot will have limited spots available to our patrons, please pay attention to the cones and/or park on the streets surrounding the brewery.
2. Lines – We would like to minimize long lines during can release days so we will be experimenting with different ways of keeping them controlled.
3. Tasting Room Hours – We will still be opening at 4pm, but plan to stay open until 10pm if the cans are not sold out by 9pm. If cans are still available, we will sell to everyone in line by 10pm, no later. We want to allow as many people to buy on the day of release as possible.
4. Live Updates – We'll have updates for these releases live on Twitter, including at start selling time, mid release check in, and sold out time.
5. Limits – These are set per person, per day.
Thank you all, again, for the support and excitement surrounding our cans releases! We are so grateful for all of you and love you!
Beer. Hope. Love.
Adriana, Henry, and the Monkish Crew


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Wake up, enjoy the morning with the family then decide what to do... Sunday was the day I could have a solid bunch of hours to get out but over the years I have become extremely selective, almost snobbish, what to do since I can't just disappear for a few days like I used to. It has to be fun and new and challenging.
I look at the current weather, forecast, various weather stations in the area and of course the wind. On the ocean or away? Bike or kayak or row? Too windy and I won't make many miles on the ocean but the wave action is exciting. Which direction, start against or with the wind. Objective goal, exploration or just a work out. Too little wind and interior trips will be buggy.
As much as I enjoy the ocean I opted for some kayak exploration / workout. I've been wanting to check the route out of Safety Sound from the Flambeau river when we pack raft it later this summer with the Buster Creek trail connector. As you go up the sound there are various creeks and three rivers that empty into the sound. This makes it rather marshy, swampy, with lots of dead end ponds, sloughs..
and this stuff under the water....
I am not particularly fond of sounds or lagoons as they tend to be (kind of boring) extremely shallow with quicksand type mud unless you know the "road". Luckily the kayak draft is pretty tolerant so I had no issues this trip. It was a beautiful day in the 70's and just enough wind to thwart the mosquitoes, which are incredible back here in the swamp.
All in all it was a fabulous 7 hr paddle and my GPS logger showed about 27 miles even with all the dead end ponds I ran into. I finally found the route to the river though I didn't know it until I returned and checked my google earth with my GPS coordinates.
When I returned in the evening around 9:30 the weather actually got warmer and I wished for a longer trip. Instead I took a dip in the ocean and cut a little wood before returning home. All in all a great day.


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Tons manager Jonny Fowell has announced via Twitter that Clapton will be working with newly reformed Epping FC.
Epping FC are back for the upcoming season after they folded a year ago. They will be begin life again in the Essex Olympian League, and will be partly serving as development squad for Clapton.
They will be playing once again at Stonards Hill Recreation Ground, a short walk from Epping station on the Central Line, with games taking place on Saturdays at 2pm.
The link appears to involve players being dual registered for Clapton and Epping and therefore they will be able to play for both teams.
The move comes a year after it was announced there will be no reserves or youth teams for Clapton for the 2016/17 season.
This meant that the manager hosted a number of trial games during his first season to assess potential new players.
The hope is that this partnership with Epping will return to a more traditional form of developing and assessing players.
Newham-based New Revolution Sport previously announced plans to form a Clapton under-18s team.
The academy, which will be run separately from the main club, also offers a chance to study for a BTEC sports diploma in a two-year football and education program.
Jonny describes Epping manager and ex-Ton Asa Pamplin – who also turned out for Aveley, Enfield Town, Hornchurch and Ilford in his playing career – as a "life long friend".
Asa told us: "The club folded last year so along with the council and some good sponsors we reformed the club.
"Using yourselves as a good example we aim to be a community club.
"I've played football with Jon since we were nine years old so after speaking to him and Clapton not having a reserves and relying on trial games it seemed a good opportunity for us to give some game time to squad players who are not getting 90 minutes."
It is believed the deal will work in favour of both teams, with Epping able to utilise some of the Tons players who will be hoping to make the step up to the Essex Senior side.
The Epping side will have ambitious of their own as they return to St Stonards Hill with new sponsors.
In partnership with the local council, they hope to embed the club back into the community.
We at Clapton FC News wish them the best of luck.
Follow Epping's progress here @EppingFC_


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Reserve your next class from there
We're not your average yoga studio
Contact us and we'll help you get started.
Yoga study begins with the root of our human experience - the physical body. This summer, Nick will use yoga and meditation to explore the unique intelligence and power of our many bodily selves: bones, muscles, organs, glands, fluids. We will contemplate the different histories that dwell in our flesh - personal, cultural, biological, cosmological. Topics may include experiential anatomy education, freeing our posture from "do's and don'ts", evolutionary and developmental biology, the dialogue between effort and surrender, the lost art of relaxation, and what "cleansing" really means. Learn more about our year-long syllabus here.
Supportive reading
Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin
Natural Intelligence: Body-Mind Integration and Human Development by Susan Aposhyan
Touching Enlightenment: Finding Realization in the Body by Reginald Ray
What is my pathway to health?
How do I access tranquility during tumultuous times?
How do I make the most of this precious life?
You may have heard that yoga will help you feel better
in your body. This is true! But it's also just the beginning.
Simple, enjoyable movement brings your body into balance.
Pain and tension begin to dissipate.
You feel more alive and awake, prepared to
act with confidence and clarity.
It's common to feel too busy or out of shape to join a class -
yet this is precisely why it's beneficial to come!
Yoga is a priceless investment in your long-term happiness.
You leave each class feeling more at ease in your body,
less bothered by stress, and more present to joy.
Here you will be welcomed into a community that
accepts you and supports your desire to grow.
Our highly-trained teachers will safely challenge and inspire you.
This humble studio can be your urban sanctuary -
the place you come to remember who you are
and who you want to become.
Welcome to Grateful Yoga


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We're hosting a party Saturday eve 9/23 in Mill Valley to help raise funds for a major remodel to the Mill Valley Skatepark. BBQ (thanks Good Earth & Stateroom Brewery), Youth Skate Contest, Live music by Magic West Music School students and some KILLER auction items. Come show your support!
About the Project:The upgrade to the existing skatepark will hopefully take place in spring 2018. The size cannot be expanded at this point, but if we raise enough money the existing uneven and rough blacktop could be replaced with cement. New skate features will be built out of wood/skatelite. The design is not finalized and more adjustments will be made depending on feedback and budget. The project is being led by a group of local parents, kids, city representatives, and Proof Lab.


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Division B State Tournament Qualifying Teams
April 7, 8 2017
UPDATE 4-10: Medals for 5th and 6th place for several events which were not distributed at the Awards Ceremony will be mailed later this week.
NOTE on Self-Scheduling: The time blocks for self-scheduling will be one-hour in length and will match the time time block of the other events. However, Bottle Rocket will be run mostly in the morning, with the last time-block running from 1-1:30 pm.
Self-schedule will close at 5:00 pm on Friday, March 31st for all teams.
Event Details
Division B Schedule of Events (pdf) updated: 3-26-17
Pictures of Rooms updated: 3-26-17
Event Building Maps
Team Homerooms Updated 4-1-2017
Campus Map
Engelmann Hall Dimensions: 80' x 80' with a 20' ceiling
Hovercraft track pictures can be seen here.
Bottle Rocket: Soda manufacturers have recently changed the size of the neck of their bottles. Please make sure the inner diameter of your bottle neck is still 2.2 cm, not the new reduced size of 2.1 cm. 2.1 cm necks will not fit on the launcher. The easiest way to test this is by sliding a piece of 1/2 inch PVC into the bottle. If it fits loosely, the bottle will go on the launcher. If the PVC sticks and you have to apply any force to slide the PVC in, the bottle will may not go on the launcher.
Team Qualification: Teams qualify for the 2016-2017 Wisconsin Science Olympiad State Tournament by meeting the following criteria:
Criterion 1: The Team must participate at a WSO Regional Tournament in their assigned geographic Region.
Criterion 2: Each Team must provide at least one (1) Regional Event Supervisor OR (1) Regional Event Volunteer.
Criterion 3: Multiple teams from schools that meet the other State Qualifying Criteria will be offered to compete as an Exhibition Team in which students will be eligible for individual medals at State. The number of teams to receive invites as Exhibition Teams is dependent on availability of space in the State Tournament schedule. Exhibition teams may also be limited in their event choices at the State Tournament.
Tournament Awards: Individual medals will be provided for the top 6 places in each event. Exhibition teams will be provided duplicate place medals. The top six teams (excluding Exhibition teams) will be awarded team trophies and coaches plaques.
Exhibition Teams: These teams can be thought of as an "Open" team. The individuals on these teams are eligible for awards, but the team score is not relevant. These teams can have any combination and numbers of 6th - 9th grade students. These teams can have any number of team members. However, there is a limited number of spaces in many events, so Exhibition Teams may be limited in their choices.
Multiple Teams from Schools Scheduling Note: All teams from a school must compete in the same time-slot for events, with the exception of the following events:
Bottle Rocket, Mission Possible, Scrambler, Towers, and Wright Stuff.
Note for Hovercraft, Exhibition Teams must participate after Competing Teams.
Students may participate on only one team.


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Disclaimer: No PAX Wests were harmed in the recording of these events. In fact, no actual PAX Wests were attended. I instead went to Mox Boarding House Ballard for the Commander celebrations there an ancillary part of the convention. Then I went to the Wizards of the Coast offices to visit some old friends and sit in with folks from R&D on Commander discussions. While PAX West was the reason I went out to Seattle, the only piece of it I saw was driving through the convention center on Monday on my way to lunch. This report will tell you about my experience at Mox Boarding House, what it told me about the format, and as much as I can about the Commander discussions at WotC. It won't be a great deal, but it'll be important.
The main purpose for heading out west was the Commander celebration at MBH. Let me say something about Mox Boarding House: I nerdgasmed when I stepped into the place. It's the culmination of all the gamer hopes I've ever dreamed. Board games, trading card games, tabletop games, RPGs, you name it. Add to that a friendly (super friendly) and knowledgeable staff, and you're already in the stratosphere of game stores. Tack on the cafe with decent food and a great beer list, and we've cracked the vault of heaven.
Wizards of the Coast wanted me to be there from 7-11 Sunday night, but that just didn't seem like enough time to play as many games of Commander as I'd like. Fellow Commander Rules Committee member Scott Larabee and I headed to the shop just after noon. It was quiet save for the Modern tournament going on, so we sat in the trading card game area and played a few 1v1 games with our non-1v1 decks. As we sat down, I realized that I had left the super cool Karador playmat that Scott had given me back at the hotel. Aric, who was running a Modern tournament at the moment, didn't hesitate to lend me one of his. And when Simon, who was stocking shelves, overheard that I had also left my Sharpies back at the hotel, he jumped right up and brought me a few. It was top shelf service which I will never forget. It speaks to a MBH culture that you just have to love.
It didn't take long until some folks came in and we got a four-player pod going. Scott played a new Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle deck, which is new by just adding it as the commander to his existing deck that's full of sea monsters: Krakens, Leviathans, and Octopuses. I played Purple Hippos and Maro Sorcerers. Here's the latest list:
Creatures (29)
- 1 Psychosis Crawler
- 1 Solemn Simulacrum
- 1 Acidic Slime
- 1 Chasm Skulker
- 1 Coiling Oracle
- 1 Hermit of the Natterknolls
- 1 Mulldrifter
- 1 Nimble Obstructionist
- 1 Noble Hierarch
- 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
- 1 Overbeing of Myth
- 1 Qasali Pridemage
- 1 Sage of Ancient Lore
- 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
- 1 Skyward Eye Prophets
- 1 Stormsurge Kraken
- 1 Sturmgeist
- 1 Sunscape Battlemage
- 1 Trygon Predator
- 1 Ulvenwald Observer
- 1 Windreader Sphinx
- 1 Kefnet the Mindful
- 1 Kiyomaro, First to Stand
- 1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
- 1 Multani, Maro-Sorcerer
- 1 Myojin of Seeing Winds
- 1 Nezahal, Primal Tide
- 1 Phelddagrif
- 1 Soramaro, First to Dream
Lands (38)
- 5 Forest
- 5 Island
- 6 Plains
- 1 Adarkar Wastes
- 1 Azorius Chancery
- 1 Breeding Pool
- 1 Brushland
- 1 Celestial Colonnade
- 1 Command Tower
- 1 Fortified Village
- 1 Ghost Quarter
- 1 Glacial Fortress
- 1 Hallowed Fountain
- 1 Homeward Path
- 1 Krosan Verge
- 1 Nimbus Maze
- 1 Prairie Stream
- 1 Reliquary Tower
- 1 Savannah
- 1 Seaside Citadel
- 1 Sejiri Steppe
- 1 Sunpetal Grove
- 1 Temple Garden
- 1 Temple of the False God
- 1 Tundra
Spells (33)
- 1 Sensei's Divining Top
- 1 Sol Ring
- 1 Aura of Silence
- 1 Estrid's Invocation
- 1 Ever-Watching Threshold
- 1 Ground Seal
- 1 Kumena's Awakening
- 1 Martyr's Bond
- 1 Mirari's Wake
- 1 Myth Unbound
- 1 Privileged Position
- 1 Blue Sun's Zenith
- 1 Cyclonic Rift
- 1 Cytoshape
- 1 Equal Treatment
- 1 Keep Watch
- 1 Krosan Grip
- 1 Momentous Fall
- 1 Paradoxical Outcome
- 1 Akroma's Memorial
- 1 The Immortal Sun
- 1 Austere Command
- 1 Cultivate
- 1 Explore
- 1 Far Wanderings
- 1 Final Judgment
- 1 Profound Journey
- 1 Rampant Growth
- 1 Recurring Insight
- 1 Rishkar's Expertise
- 1 Seasons Past
- 1 Skyshroud Claim
- 1 Unexpected Results
It had been so long since I'd played the deck that I ended up playing with it all day, since I simply enjoy running it. It's hardly broken, can stay in games, and occasionally do epic stuff. In other words, it's the perfect Commander deck.
We were playing with David (Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer) and Brendan (Thrasios, Triton Hero paired with Vial Smasher the Fierce). David is an experienced player and long-time Commander fan. Brendan says he's been playing about three months and is just getting into Commander after having played quite a bit of Modern. He's a little further along in his play skill than I would have expected at three months; he still has the occasional question about how the rules work, but otherwise, he's spot on. David's deck is pretty much what you'd expect, having some fun creating Myr tokens. What we get out of Brendan's deck early is pretty much good stuff in the colors, drawing cards, a little ramp, and the like.
We have a decent game, but nothing too wild. My biggest contribution is getting to have Martyr's Bond and Estrid's Invocation on the battlefield at the same time. Scott actually designed both of those cards, so it was fun to use them against him. He was the early- and mid-game threat, as Arixmethes helped him get into the big monsters. Whelming Wave helped him get ahead on us quite a bit. David's cool contribution to the game was putting Scott's Reef Wurm into the Mimic Vat. Mimic Vat exiles the creature token (which means he wouldn't get the upgrade path of Fish/Whale/Kraken), but David was ready with numerous ways to sacrifice creatures. Scott killed Brendan just before he went infinite with some mana rock/Paradox Engine combo, which he was assembling while we dealt with his Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. We stopped him once when I used Nimble Obstructionist to counter his critical Paradox Engine trigger.
Scott swung an alpha strike at David the turn after he killed Brendan, which enabled me to play Keep Watch, filling up my hand with potential answers. Even a modest attack, like the six creatures Scott swung in with, are enough to make Keep Watch great value. Drawing six for 2U is pretty saucy. I got an answer, kind of, in Equal Treatment, one of my favorite hidden gems. In this situation, it wasn't an answer so much as a delaying tactic, but it would enable me to survive the turn to plop down Akroma's Memorial, which I had drawn off of Keep Watch, supporting the Overbeing of Myth and Suramaro, First to Dream I had on the battlefield, plus the Multani, Maro Sorcerer which I had also drawn off of Keep Watch. Unfortunately, Scott had Counterspell-the original, which I had insisted half an hour earlier wasn't that great a card in the format. Guess I ate my words. The discussion afterward, as we were shuffling up for another, became the most important element of the game.
Brendan said "yeah, I need to find a way to combo off faster with Paradox Engine." Nicely, it wasn't just Scott and I who contributed to the ensuing conversation, but also David. We explained the more social nature of Commander to Brendan. He listened intently. We described how one player taking all the time in the game (although let's face it, dredge is worse for bogarting the time than Paradox Engine combos are) is contrary to the format's ideals. We talked about how something happening on Turn 13 is different than the same thing happening on Turn 3. We were careful to point out that if everyone at the table is in agreement that the kind of game they want is to see who can combo out fastest, then that's great; we're not against folks enjoying their games in any specific fashion. The critical point here is that players who want to combo out Turn 3 are not the baseline of Commander players. If you're wandering into pick-up games at the card shop, you're far more likely to encounter players who want the longer, more social experience. From the Rules Committee perspective, it's incumbent upon the fast combo player, or the Stax player, or anyone who thinks they might be playing decks outside the expectations of the format's primary demographic to warn people before getting into a pickup game (this obviously doesn't apply to competition; there, all bets are off). Being a social format means at least some nod to the idea that everyone at the table has some fun or at least the opportunity to. It's what's kept Commander alive all these years. Brendan heard what we had to say and replied "Okay, show me. Lend me a deck." Scott loaned him the sea monster deck, and we had a fun game that he enjoyed quite a bit.
The main event started at 7pm. In addition to me and Scott, Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong were the "celebrity" spell-slingers. Alli Medwin from Wizards of the Coast also showed up to play with some of the folks as well. The idea was to just keep bringing folks in to play with us; the expectation was that each of us would play two games. I ended up playing only one, but it was loads of fun.
I was at a table that could comfortably seat five, so I played with four folks, who it turned out were two different sets of friends. Sarah and Matt were relatively new players who brought the pre-constructed decks with them. Sarah played Nature's Vengeance, led by Lord Wingrace; Matt played Exquisite Invention, led by Saheeli, the Gifted. Jeff and Jared were experienced players. Jeff decided he wanted to play the Adaptive Enchantment deck that he had just picked up, commanded by Estrid, the Masked. Jared brought one of his recently-built decks, led by Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow. Seeing that the others were playing the pre-cons, he took a few of what he called the more brutal cards out of his deck. I had expected to play with all experienced players and more highly-tuned decks, so I was going to play You Did This to Yourself; seeing that the power level was low, I ran Phelddagrif out there again. I might have grabbed a pre-con myself, but didn't want to slow down the process any further.
Jared became the early threat with Yuriko hitting twice for eight and six damage, respectively. Once he was quelled, everyone began developing nicely. There were no super-spicy plays, just a normal Commander game that swung back and forth, with one player getting an upper hand, then getting brought back to equilibrium, then the pendulum swinging another direction. There was a moment deep in the game (Turn 15 or so) when I thought I was going to kill the table, as I had Myojin of Seeing Winds in hand with Psychosis Crawler on the battlefield. I had just played Mirari's Wake, so if the Myojin didn't finish them off, I could also play Blue Sun's Zenith for another ten or so. Sarah was wise enough to destroy the Psychosis Crawler before I untapped. In the end, we weren't enough for the Jeff's Estrid assault with Angels spawned by Sigil of the Empty Throne. I think I also remember Cold-eyed Selkie being 8/8 at one point (and that wasn't with Octopus Umbra). There were plenty of politics and plenty of laughs, with Jeff finally killing me right before our scheduled end time. It was a fitting end to a fun evening with great people. I was happy to have the chance to get to know them a little personally as well (like the fact that Matt and Sarah are friends despite the fact that she's a defending attorney, and he's a prosecutor).
The other part of the weekend I suppose you're interested in hearing about is my trip to the WotC offices on Tuesday. It started with a great lunch beforehand at Din Tai Fung with Scott, Gavin Verhey, Bill Stark, and Mike Turian-the latter two whom I hadn't seen in quite a few turns of the calendar. Food was good, company was better. I visited some of the old guard, like Ron Foster, Witney Williams, and Laura Kilgore (folks in OP who have done quite a bit of work in their times making sure you have great tournaments to do to) before a scheduled meeting down in R&D. I talked about the format for just over an hour with Gavin, Scott, Glenn Jones, Ethan Fleischer, Jules Robins, and Ken Nagle, all of whom are in one fashion or another involved in Commander design and/or development.
We chatted about the existing state of the format (which we all agreed is pretty healthy) and the future. Obviously, I can't tell you any specifics about future stuff, but I'll tell you that they're committed to producing high quality content that resonates with the Commander target demographic. They asked questions like "what would you like to see more or less of in Commander products?" One of the things I shared with them, which isn't a secret, is that we'd rather see them not try to do too many different things on one commander, like the case of Leovold, Emissary of Trest or Derevi, Empyrial Tactician. We talked about trying to get an Elephant lord in an upcoming set. I asked their opinion on what cards we might unban; "none" was the general consensus, and I got quite a bit of resistance when I suggested that graveyard hate might be good enough these days to think about Recurring Nightmare (no, we're not actively talking about unbanning it; the question was just a balloon I wanted to float past them). All in all, it was a very productive meeting, and what I CAN tell you is that I'm thoroughly excited about what they'll be offering us from the next few Commander releases.
Then I got to live the dream of playing games with cards from the future as well as drafting while sitting in the middle of R&D. The floor on which Scott works is relatively quiet, a cube farm with some offices and conference rooms and things you'd expect from a corporate office. R&D is a beehive, and you can feel the creative honey getting made just from the activity. I was sad that I couldn't stay longer, but I had a plane to catch. Thanks to the folks in the office for being so welcoming and happy to see me.
Question of the Week
Are you ever going to let hybrid mana be what it is in other Magic formats? (from multiple sources)
First, let me say that letting spells with hybrid mana costs into "off-color" decks would probably not wreck Commander. Second, I absolutely understand the original intention of hybrid mana, and think that it's cool for other formats. What we've come to on the Rules Committee is the fact that a hybrid mana symbol is both symbols, and if you don't have both in your color identity, you can't play the card. To us, not playing Debtor's Knell in a white-blue deck is the same as not playing Grave Betrayal in a white-blue deck. Simply put, Debtor's Knell is a white card and a black card, and you can't have black cards in your non-black deck. We don't see moving off of this stance any time soon.
When I was down in R&D, I chatted for a minute with Mark Rosewater, who was kind enough to come say hi, and who, despite not seeing eye-to-eye with each other regarding hybrid mana in Commander (and Mike Long), I'm friends with. I know it doesn't happen much in 21st-century America, but we can have fundamental disagreements with people and still, you know, respect them.
Check out our comprehensive Deck List Database for lists of all my decks:
Purple Hippos and Maro Sorcerers ; Kresh Into the Red Zone ; Halloween with Karador ; Dreaming of Intet ; You Did This to Yourself .
Heliod, God of Enchantments ; Thassa, God of Merfolk ; Erebos and the Halls Of The Dead ; Forge of Purphoros ; Nylea of the Woodland Realm ; Karn Evil No. 9.
Lavinia Blinks ; Obzedat, Ghost Killer ; Aurelia Goes to War ; Trostani and Her Angels ; Lazav, Shapeshifting Mastermind ; Zegana and a Dice Bag ; Rakdos Reimagined ; Glissa, Glissa ; Ruric Thar and His Beastly Fight Club ; Gisa and Geralf Together Forever .
Shards and Wedges
Adun's Toolbox ; Angry, Angry Dinos ; Animar's Swarm ; Borrowing Stuff at Cutlass Point ; Ikra and Kydele ; Karrthus, Who Rains Fire From The Sky ; Demons of Kaalia ; Merieke's Esper Dragons ; Nath of the Value Leaf ; Queen Marchesa, Long May She Reign ; Rith's Tokens ; The Mill-Meoplasm ; The Altar of Thraximundar ; The Threat of Yasova ; Zombies of Tresserhorn .
Four Color
Yidris: Money for Nothing, Cards for Free ; Saskia Unyielding ; Breya Reshaped ; Yidris Rotisserie Draft Deck .
Tana and Kydele ; Kynaios and Tiro ; Ikra and Kydele .
Adun Oakenshield Do-Over ; Animar Do-Over ; Glissa Do-Over ; Karador Do-Over ; Karador Version 3 ; Karrthus Do-Over ; Kresh Do-Over ; Steam-Powered Merieke Do-Over; Lord of Tresserhorn Do-Over ; Mimeoplasm Do-Over ; Phelddagrif Do-Over ; Rith Do-Over ; Ruhan Do-Over .
If you'd like to follow the adventures of my Monday Night RPG group (in a campaign that's been alive since 1987) which is just beginning the saga The Lost Cities of Nevinor, ask for an invitation to the Facebook group "Sheldon Menery's Monday Night Gamers."


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The best way to become a better writer is to write and then to publish your writing, whether you publish it on a blog, in a book, or with a close friend. It's only by practicing writing, and getting feedback on it, that you can improve.
That being said, it never hurts to learn from those who have gone before you, and over the years, we've compiled a lot of excellent advice from the best writers on how to become a better writer.
1. Why You Became a Writer, According to Gloria Steinem
2. Why You Became a Writer, According to George Orwell
"[You write out of the] desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, etc., etc., etc. It is humbug to pretend this is not a motive and a strong one." —George Orwell
3. Why You Became a Writer, According to Anaïs Nin
4. That Doesn't Mean Writing Is Easy
"Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of job: It's always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins." —Neil Gaiman
5. Start Writing Now
6. And Write Quickly
7. What To Write About
"Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open." —Natalie Goldberg
8. Be Willing to Write Badly
9. Don't Doubt Yourself
10. All Great Writers Are a Little Crazy
"The good writing of any age has always been the product of someone's neurosis." —William Styron
11. The Only Way to Fail As a Writer…
12. Just Write One True Sentence
13. Just Write Something Simple
14. Your Big Ideas are Worthless
15. Really Worthless
(I don't consider myself the equal of George R.R. Martin, Ernest Hemingway, or Sylvia Plath… yet… but this quote seemed important to include.)
16. Don't Let Anything Interfere With Your Writing
"Find your best time of the day for writing and write. Don't let anything else interfere. Afterwards it won't matter to you that the kitchen is a mess." —Esther Freud
17. Keep At It
"I believe myself that a good writer doesn't really need to be told anything except to keep at it." —Chinua Achebe
18. Write Even When the World is Chaotic
19. The Mark of a Master Writer
"The mark of a master is to select only a few moments but to give us a lifetime." —Robert McKee
20. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
21. Stay Drunk on Writing
22. Writing is like kissing
23. Don't Make a Chore for Your Readers
"So the writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads." —Dr. Seuss
24. Show, Don't Tell
25. How to Develop Your Own Style
26. Writing is More Difficult for Us
27. No One Knows the Rules
28. The best way to become a writer
29. Finally, Always Listen to Ben Franklin
Which quote is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.
Write something worth reading! Spend fifteen minutes free writing or working on a work in progress. As you write channel the advice from the great writers above.
When your time is up, post your practice in the comments section.
Happy writing!


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Two weeks ago I got banned permanently from Facebook
This is not my first rodeo
I have now been banned three times by Facebook
Art of War 101 - it's all about the counter attack
Do you know that if you follow Mark Zuckerberg's profile on Facebook, you can't block him?. True story. Try it.
It says system is overloaded, and just times out - every single time.
I'm all about research.
If you go to his page, it also gives you an edit option.
It gave me two options:
- is he a businessperson? I changed that to no
- and is he a pet?. I have no idea why. I don't program Facebook. But I did change that to yes - he is a pet
I'm surprised that Facebook let's me fuck with his page that much. I wonder if I have mistakenly entered a parallel universe through Facebook
I did report his profile for being annoying. So there's that
It was fun. I killed 20 minutes
My new Facebook address is here
I can zig & zag quicker than you can ban me Marky Mark.
But I like that you care so much


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Amanda Blanc, Axa's UK boss, lays too much of the responsibility for providing electric car charging infrastructure at National Grid's door (Report, 1 January). Electricity privatisation removed National Grid's obligation to plan provision of adequate generation capacity as the market was seen as a more efficient provider. National Grid is responsible for carrying energy from the generation companies to regional bulk supply points, where most of it is passed on to regional distribution companies' infrastructure which feeds our homes and businesses.
While the Grid will require reinforcement, additional supply points and consequent investment, the impact on the distribution networks is likely to be disproportionate; banks of superchargers will require cabling to industrial amounts of energy while slower and home chargers will add cumulative demands that may require reinforcement work at street level. Grid and distribution charges are moderated by Ofgem but on the basis that necessary capital investment costs are passed on to the customer, so there will be an impact on energy costs.
The solution to Ms Blanc's charging delays might be found in larger, shared tracked electric vehicles, using a continuous overhead power supply, which are available in much of Europe and sometimes at reasonable cost.
Mike Brown
Ponteland, Northumberland
• Another Trojan horse is revealed by Amanda Blanc's belief that "children born today will not need to learn to drive". As with the consequences of Facebook, Google, Amazon et al, yet another human skill is set to vanish. Driving a car is one of those complex learned activities we need for our mental and physical wellbeing. AI and the digital world has the capacity to neuter us. We do not need to have all aspects our lives made easier. Human skills are hard won and easily lost. Beware.
Nigel Trow
Portskewett, Monmouthshire
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