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The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart is one of the largest tourist attractions in Stuttgart featuring 1500 car exhibits.
I'm not particularly interested in cars but was curious to see why the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany was such a popular tourist attraction. I know many people that haven't visited any other museum in Stuttgart, except for the Mercedes-Benz Museum. I was intrigued to find out why and because I'm a big believer in exploring closer to home so that you feel like you're always on vacation.
The first thing I learned was that contrary to what many North Americans believe, the automobile was not an American invention, but a German invention. No surprise to the Germans, but quite a shock to some Americans who may think that the automobile was invented by Ford. Karl Benz (a German) received the patent for the first car, 125 years ago in 1886, which is pictured above. 2011 is a special year for Mercedes-Benz as they celebrate the 125th birthday of the automobile. I really enjoyed learning about the early "cars" and seeing how the car has evolved over 125 years. The Mercedes-Benz Museum is much slicker than the Stuttgart Tram Museum, but I enjoyed learning about Stuttgart's 140 year tram history as well.
The second thing I learned about the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart is that it is busy, far busier than any other museum I have visited in Stuttgart. It is also huge – 9 stories and 1,500 sq m. That's a lot of cars, especially for someone who isn't all that interested in cars. Despite that, the Mercedes-Benz Museum does an excellent job of tying in history and what was happening at the time.
In addition to signs in both German and English, each visitor also got a handy headset, which you could customize to your interests. I really enjoyed this aspect of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and focused on the "Social Trends" section since that was more interesting to me than hearing about the cars. I really liked how the headset was customizable, but I didn't think the "For children" info was all that child-friendly and in some cases was downright boring.
What surprised me most about the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart was the acknowledgment that the company, Daimler-Benz (which produces Mercedes-Benz) cooperated with the Nazi Regime. Prior to the Nazi Regime, the company had government contracts and when the Nazi Regime came into power, the contracts continued, but increasingly the work shifted to arms production. By the start of World War II arms production was two-thirds of Daimler-Benz's revenues. Furthermore, the company also employed forced laborers, hired from the Nazi Regime and by 1944, half of the Daimler-Benz workforce was forced laborers.
Upon learning this, I felt sick to my stomach. How could such an esteemed brand have such a sordid history? Knowing that in retaliation the arms factories were prime targets for the Allied bombers was little consolation when you think of all the forced prisoners that would have been killed as well. My German friends were more pragmatic about it – if the management of Daimler-Benz hadn't have cooperated they would have been put out of business by the Nazi Regime and many (if not all of the top management and their families) would have instantly been seen as enemies of the Nazi Regime and would have become at best prisoners or at worst tortured and killed along with their families.
To Daimler-Benz's credit, they did admit to their involvement with the Nazi Regime, apologized to the forced labourers, offered financial aid to the forced labourers and became a champion of human rights. I've read a lot about World War II, but my visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum was the first time I had thought about how businesses and business decisions were related to the Nazi Regime. I still feel repulsed by the history, but appreciate any museum that makes me think and one month after our visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum, I am still thinking about it.
Despite making me think, that is not the overarching theme of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart and not what I think most people would walk away with. While I really enjoyed learning about the history of the first automobiles, liked the customizable headset, and the sleek, modern building and amenities, and admit the museum is well put together, frankly I don't see what all the fuss is about over the Mercedes-Benz Museum, although it's not a bad way to spend a rainy afternoon. I openly admit I'm not that interested in cars, but then I didn't think I was overly interested in pigs either, but thoroughly enjoyed the World's Largest Pig Museum, also in Stuttgart.
To me, a good museum is one that makes me interested in a subject that I didn't even know I was interested in. The Mercedes-Benz Museum definitely had my attention in places, but not consistently. If you happen to be in Stuttgart for a week or so, it's worth a trip, but if you're only here for a day or two, check out the World's Largest Pig Museum instead (unless you really happen to like cars) , or one of the other fine museums Stuttgart has to offer.


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Guide to Buying Property
View our essential guide and useful tips to buying your next home.
Contact Allsopp & Allsopp, we will put you in touch with the most suitable agent for the area you are looking in. It would be a benefit in meeting your agent so they can get to know you and understand what is most important for you in purchasing a property.
We Will Need to Know
The areas you would consider buying in?
Would you consider areas that you perhaps do not know very well?
What kind of property are you looking for?
Are there any "must-haves" or any "don't wants"?
Is there a specific timeframe when you want to be moved by?
Do you need to sell and if so, is your property on the market?
Determine Budget
If selling, get an accurate up to date valuation from Allsopp & Allsopp, where we will factor in location, condition, demand, your competition and recent comparable evidence.
Take into consideration your income, any savings you wish to use and if appropriate, any cash you plan to use from the sale of your existing property.
Speak with your bank, and an independent mortgage advisor to ensure you have explored every avenue in securing the best mortgage product that suits you.
It is important to factor in the essential services and taxes involved in buying a property into your budget calculations. The most common include - stamp duty, conveyancing, searches, land registry and surveys.
Viewing Properties
Our online search tools have made the process of finding property easier than ever, however you may not be aware that some of the best properties with desirable locations, price or size sell before they are listed on the larger property portals.
We recommend registering with your local Allsopp & Allsopp branch to ensure you do not miss out on what you are looking for.
Once your agent has a good idea of your needs, it's time to get out there and see a good range of properties so that you can get a grip on what your money will buy in your chosen area.
See as much as you can, however if you find the perfect property early on in your search, don't delay if you like it, the probability is that someone else will as well!
Give detailed feedback to your agent; it will help to guide them in assisting you.
Although we always look to be flexible to your schedule, viewing diaries tend to get booked very quickly especially at weekends, contact your estate agent a few days prior to your preferred viewing date and time to avoid disappointment.
Take a notepad and ask lots of questions. If your agent does not know them straight away, they can find out for you after the viewing.
If you want to take any photos on your mobile for future reference then always get the permission of the owner before doing so.
Arrange Conveyancing
Conveyancing is the process by which the legal transfer of property from one person to another is made. The buyer or their solicitor/conveyancer examines the legal documentation for the property and raises questions in order to approve the contract of the sale.
After a sale has been agreed your immediate priorities are instruct a solicitor/conveyancer with recent experience of your chosen area to help guide you through the process through to successful exchange of contracts and completion.
Making an Offer
When you find a suitable property, consult your agent about how to proceed. An offer is about more than just money; you will be asked to provide details of:
- Your buying position
- Proposed timeframes
- Any inclusions (curtains, carpets, etc.)
- How you propose to fund the purchase
The seller will expect us to obtain all of this information, as it will aid them in their decision-making.
Arrange Survey
There are three main types of survey, If you require a mortgage then your bank will normally insist on Mortgage Valuation to establish that the property is good security for the loan.
Although you probably pay for the Mortgage Valuation you would not normally get a copy of the report and therefore we would always recommend having your own survey done in addition. A Homebuyers report is ideal for more conventional residential property built within the past 100 years and includes a detailed visual inspection of all aspects of the property that are available for inspection.
Final Mortgage & Insurance Requirements
You will receive a Mortgage Offer from your lender in which the final details of the loan you are receiving are stated. You and your solicitor/conveyancer should check this carefully. You may also be required to arrange life assurance to cover the loan and building insurance as you exchange contracts.
Exchange of Contracts
The exchange of contracts is the legally binding part of the process. This is when you hand over a deposit; the normal sum or liability is 10% of the purchase price. Contracts are exchanged once both you and the seller and your respective solicitors/conveyancers are satisfied that everything is in order, a date for completion is agreed and from this point both parties are legally bound to go through with the transaction.
This is the day the balance of the monies are transferred via the banking system and the day on which you will get the keys to the property you have bought. For most people this is the day that they physically move into the property with all their furniture and possessions. Remember don't forget to re-direct your post.
Other Advice
Invest time in your agent; the better they understand your needs, the more they can help.
Make sure everybody who needs to see the property has seen it before you offer.
This is an exciting yet, sometimes-stressful time for all involved, be aware of the feelings of all those involved in the transaction and try and react logically and calmly to the ups and downs of the transaction.
Consult an independent mortgage advisor who can tailor the product to your needs.
Don't judge a book by its cover; no property will look like home until you have moved in!
The above is intended to serve as a guide and help you through the process. We do understand that buying a house, though exciting, can be daunting. If you would like to arrange a time to speak with one of the experienced estate agents at Allsopp & Allsopp then please contact your local office and they'll be happy to get you started.

subset: commoncrawl


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This Day event will take place in the James France Building, room CC021, from 10.30-4.30pm – 2 June 2015, and will focus on the Future of Social Critique.
The event was organised to celebrate the careers of two renowned colleagues in our department, Prof Michael Pickering and Prof. Graham Murdock, but also as an opportunity to broaden the discussion on the subject.
The continuing financial crisis of capitalism in Europe has been accompanied by a right-wing response that has sought to reduce the size of the state and the power of labour, changes that will inevitably increase income inequality and consequently other inequalities in the future placing the burden of the crisis on the shoulders of those least able to bear it. This neo-liberal response has not gone unchallenged at least in some European countries. We have witnessed the growth of extra-parliamentary and more recently parliamentary opposition on both the right and the left. In the UK, however, whilst we have experienced a 'revolt from the right' with the growth of UKIP, the response from the left has been more muted. While there has been some left opposition to austerity, it has remained largely on the margins. In contrast, the early years of the Thatcherite project in the UK saw a flowering of radical opposition that crossed over from politics to culture to the academy. The questions animating this seminar are: if then, then why not now? What has changed both inside and outside universities? How do we assess questions of value and make this a key aspect of critique? What resources are generally available for the renewal of critique? Whatever happened to the 'public intellectual'?
To download the poster of this event click here
To download detailed information and schedule click here
Categories: Rethinking The World
Tags: capitalism, critical theory, Politics, public sociology, social critique


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World Land Boundaries, 1:50 million (2012)
- Author(s):
- Patterson, Tom and Kelso, Nathaniel Vaughn
- Description:
- This line shapefile contains international, disputed, indeterminate, and control line boundaries on land and offshore worldwide, including 200-mile nautical limits. Limited attributes in terms of type of boundary: disputed, treaty, and media lines. Disputed area data was derived from the The United States Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook boundary database, but not every disputed or undefined boundary listed in the World Factbook boundary database is reflected in the main admin-0 boundaries attributes. Care should be taken with regard to undefined or disputed boundaries when attributing to reflect if the dispute is active or not. These data are represented at 1:50,000,000 scale. This layer is part of the Natural Earth Collection (v.2.0.0).Natural Earth is a public domain map dataset available at 1:10, 1:50 and 1:110 million scales. Featuring tightly integrated vector and raster data, with Natural Earth you can make a variety of visually pleasing, well-crafted maps with cartography or GIS software.
- Publisher:
- North American Cartographic Information Society
- Place(s):
- Earth (Planet)
- Subject(s):
- Countries, Boundary disputes, and Boundaries
- Year:
- 2012
- Held by:
- Stanford
- More details at
- http://purl.stanford.edu/yj163by1487
|Click on map to inspect values


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HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA-After kicking off the conference schedule with a 31-17 win over Catholic, Hampden-Sydney will try to make it 2-0 as it hosts the Eagles of Bridgewater College this weekend for Homecoming. Bridgewater, who has yet to open up ODAC play, is coming off of a 57-13 win over Apprentice.
Saturday will mark the 68th meeting between these two programs, with Hampden-Sydney winning the last four match ups. Despite the recent success, Hamdpen-Sydney fell to the Eagles, who were a national power in the last decade, eight straight times from 1999-2006.
Last week, the Tigers took a 31-17 decision over Catholic behind a big third quarter in which they outscored the Cardinals 24-0. Senior Kyle Vance (Onley, VA/Broadwater Academy) had another strong outing with 14 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Travis Lane (Richmond, VA/Mills Godwin) threw for 334 yards and a score while rushing for a touchdown as well. Defensively, Hampden-Sydney picked off four Cardinal passes. Charlie Shoemaker (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) recorded two interceptions, while Sean Stewart (Alexandria, VA/Mount Vernon) returned his for a 40-yard touchdown.
To get all of the up-to-date information on the team and this week's match up, please view the Tiger game notes. Also, tune your radios to 95.7 WFLO-FM to listen to all of the action with play-by-play from Cannon Watson. You can also watch or listen by clicking here.


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The Bahamas just issued a travel warning to the US
The Bahamas issued a travel advisory for its citizens who plan to travel to the US, citing the recent shootings of black men by police officers.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has taken a note of the recent tensions in some American cities over shootings of young black males by police officers," the statement says.
SEE ALSO: Latest poll offers bad news for both Trump and Clinton
"We wish to advise all Bahamians traveling to the US but especially to the affected cities to exercise appropriate caution generally," it continued.
"In particular young males are asked to exercise extreme caution in affected cities in their interactions with the police. Do not be confrontational and cooperate."
This advisory comes after two black men —Alton Sterling and Philando Castile — were shot and killed by police earlier this week, the latest in a series of similar incidents, as well as the killing of five police officersin a coordinated sniper attack in Dallas on Thursday.
You can read the full statement here.
Learn more about the Dallas shooting victims:
See Gallery
NOW WATCH: GREEN BERET: This is how we're different from US Navy SEALs
See Also:


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|* Light weight & exquisitely controlled HDF pad with reinforced cane rods
|* Cushioned knee pads & PU instep
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Meatballs and Crunchy Slaw with Tahini Dressing
April 8, 2017 | Cooking time: 25 minutes
I'm obsessed with bulk making meatballs so you can just pull them out of the freezer, roast 'em up in the oven for 10-15 minutes to get them warm and serve! Make these babies and store them in the freezer and just whip them out when you're ready! These go well with just about anything from pasta to salads!
Serves 6-8
800g turkey mince
1 brown onion, finely diced
3 clove garlic, crushed and minced
1/2 cup parsley
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 egg
- Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands. Shape into medium-sized meatballs and place onto the baking tray. Repeat for all balls.
- Cook for 20 minutes or until golden.
Red cabbage is SO DAMN GOOD FOR YOU it….
- It boosts the immune system as it contains tonnes of vitamin C
- Fights inflammation and arthritis as it contains inflammation-fighting phytonutrients aids healthy bones
- Reduces the risk of osteoporosis as it is a vitamin K-rich food, and we know that vitamin K increases the amount of a specific protein required to maintain bone calcium
- Fights chronic disease- Red cabbage, amongst other vitamin C rich veggies were found to reduce endogenous DNA damage in colon cancer cells, showcasing the disease-fighting ability of red cabbage


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As Lizzy has already posted, she will be gone for the next three weeks leaving me scrambling to find climbing partners. Since moving to California last June Lizzy has been my main climbing partner and we try to climb just about every weekend. Sometime school intervenes or the California winter throws a bit of rain our way but usually we get to climb together a lot.
This steady outdoor climbing partnership contrasts greatly to climbing at the gym. With each new place I have climbed it has taken a while to find my place in the community. In San Diego I have made my way through a few different partners and in recent months have finally started climbing and training regularly with one of the guys at the gym. Stein has proved to be a great partner and we have just started climbin outside togeather. With more years of expereince he is helping me move past my falling fears and is training me to become a quarrymaster.
This weekend, however, I am leaving my project behind at the quarry (hopefully it wont go anywhere) and heading up to Tuolumne and the Sierras for a bit of trad climbing. While I really want to send Control Freak, since I have done all the moves and can climb the route in two sections, it will be nice to do a bit of easier climbing. It will be good for my fingers and elbows to not have to pull so hard and hopefully I wont suffer too much with all the hiking.
We are driving up today, as soon as Konstantin can get off work, and camping in Tuolumne. Tomorrow morning we will try for a speedy ascent of the Third Pillar of Dana, via the regular route. Time dependant we will hike into the Incredible Hulk Saturday night and collapse in an exhausted heap at the base. Sunday, hopefully with the hiking complete, will be a long day on the Red Dihedral. Finally we will hike out and drive back on Monday, some how if we are not still tired we may attempt to do the first continuous ascent of a new route a few of the guys over at pullharder established on Lone Pine Peak. The money pitch sports 15 hand drilled bolts protecting a glorious 200 foot long dike.
In other news Patagonia has just gone live with a new video and photography site called Tin Shed to honor its predecessor, the Chouinard Equipment Company. A list of videos can be found here and thanks to Dougald MacDonald for the heads up.
Also in the works should be a review of the Black Diamond C3's. While Lizzy and I have a preference for Aliens, EMS had C3's on sale and with free shipping so I picked up the three smallest sizes 000, 00 and 0. These represent blue alien size and below. I had heard mixed reviews of the smaller ultralight TCU's including a story of some broken units from an old Sonnie Trotter blog so I am hesitant to buy them. As well the smaller sized master cams are only just becoming available which is sad since they place well, though they can be difficult to remove.
I will try to keep updating the blog although there will be less content and photos with Lizzy and her camera away from the internet in the hills outside of Bishop.


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The UK is now one of the fastest growing western economies. Unemployment in the 3 months to the end of May has fallen to a 5 year low. This is good news, especially if these new jobs are good, long term sustainable jobs in growing profitable industries. However, latest labour market reports suggest that plans for job creation are tentative and that there is a 'productivity hangover' affecting the UK economy. Tore Haggren, Senior Vice President at Confirmit, explains what's going on and gives advice on how to motivate and keep your staff in this situation.
What's the issue?
After so long in the doldrums, news that the UK economy is growing at its fastest rate since 2007 and that a record number of people are now in work is hugely welcome. A healthy economy normally signals greater movement of individuals confident of their ability to secure new positions and fewer redundancies to control costs.
However, the latest CIPD Labour Market Outlook (Feb 2014) suggests that plans for job creation are tentative and that there is a 'productivity hangover' affecting the UK economy. Clearly the challenge for employers who cannot offer above the line pay rises in 2014 is how to motivate staff to work harder without any increase in their pay and benefits and how to encourage staff not look elsewhere for a better deal.
Solution - employee engagement
Fortunately there was growing recognition last year amongst C-Level executives that improving employee participation could offer a tangible solution to this problem as a cross-enterprise strategy to drive business success. They have found that linking employee engagement to customer experience, customer engagement and business performance can have a real impact on the bottom line.
In spite of this, companies are often unaware of the issues that can impact employee engagement and cause employees to underperform or walk out of the door because they don't ask. Annual appraisals and employee engagement surveys are part of the solution, but a much more dynamic, ongoing approach is needed for modern business. The only way to find out what motivates and demotivates an individual before it's too late is to ask for feedback throughout the year, so that businesses can take action and measure results along the way.
Why are involved employees important?
The simple fact is that loyal and engaged employees forge deeper and longer lasting relationships with customers, which has a significant impact on customer satisfaction, loyalty and therefore spend. What other perks are there to having an engaged workforce?
The model below by Talent Keepers highlights the elements of developing and maintaining and the outcomes of an engaged workforce.
Clearly, if companies want to proactively address these issues they need take a much more holistic approach to managing the employee lifecycle. Pulse programmes that survey employees at key stages in the employee lifecycle are far more likely to identify training needs, set goals for cyclical appraisals and reward attainment, and flag any issues with team members and line managers that might hinder performance or encourage an individual to seek work elsewhere.
Tips for employee engagement
What this means in practical terms for companies that want to harness the Voice of the Employee is they need to find out what motivates their staff, what matters most to them and which changes will have the greatest impact on retention and productivity overall.
Keep the following tips top of mind:
- Survey employees at scheduled intervals or in real time as service interactions and lifecycle events take place.
- Use this ongoing stream of data to find out if new ways of working, changing job responsibilities, skill development and certain rewards and benefits are helping to motivate employees to be more productive or to seek internal promotion, for example.
- Link employee engagement with customer engagement, and use real-life example to show employees how their actions impact customers. Understanding the importance of their role in the wider business can be more incentivising than pay increases.
- Engage employees in the process of improving their working environment and developing corporate goals in order to foster a sense of participation and ownership which should lead to increased commitment and loyalty.
- Analyse feedback from employees to identify individual concerns but also to highlight wider trends. Use hard data to pinpoint the most important issues and target the changes that translate into lower dissatisfaction rates and higher retention rates so that you know how much to invest in making improvements.
- As you implement changes, quantify the impact of your efforts through follow-up surveys to ensure that improvements are motivating employees and helping you to achieve short and medium-term company goals.
It's this concerted effort to measure the relationship between engagement, participation, retention, investment and profitable growth that will help companies shake off the productivity hangover and keep valued team members within the fold.
Read the original article here »
At PARiM we wholeheartedly agree with the concept above that good employee engagement can drive good customer service. Indeed one of the founding concepts of our workforce management system, even before we started to build it, was the improvement of employee involvement, reducing communication barriers and efficient intercompany communication because we think they are vital to long term business success.
PARiM workforce software also aims to improve a company's staff engagement and participation by allowing them to see their work schedule online whenever and wherever they are, to receive automated communication informing them of their work or shifts and allowing them to apply for shifts and holidays (subject to approval). PARiM aims to minimise the time taken with mundane administrative tasks allowing more face to face employee management time.
Looking to engage your staff, motivate them and keep them happy? Book a demo with PARiM! »


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One year ago today, my 40-year-old husband had a heart attack. (He's doing fine—I don't do unhappy endings!) His only symptom at the time was neck pain. He's a healthy man who does adventure-racing (hillbilly triathlons he calls them–>) and lifts weights, so, he shrugged it off and asked me for more neck massages.
I thought it was a ploy.
The night before 12-12-12, my husband stood up from the couch to stretch, and collapsed to the floor in pain, unable to talk. I called 911. The ambulance arrived just in time for his pain to go away. My parents rushed through the door, white-faced and scared. Our three boys, (9, 7, and 5 y/o) got up from bed, terrified by the lights and sirens. They huddled together, with their blankies around our feet, crying.
After much coaxing, my husband agreed to let me drive him to the hospital. "It's just a pulled muscle," he said on the way. "We're going to be there all night for NOTHING." It was 30 degree outside. I asked him why he had put on shorts and a tee-shirt. "It's all I could find, because YOU haven't done the laundry." That stung, but I understood that he was embarrassed and angry. What I didn't know—and wouldn't understand for weeks—was that he was scared too. Scared, that the fallacy-of-invincibleness that lives in a man's mind, wasn't true about him anymore.
At 2 am, the ER doc admitted him to the hospital for observation. My husband was incredulous, but since his cardiac enzymes were mildly elevated, he agreed to stay. When we were alone, he was sulky and pissy. I left and went to my parents' house and crawled into bed with my children. I snuggled their sleeping bodies close and tried not to think about the future.
The boys woke me at dawn, their faces tight with fear and worry. "What happened to Dad?" my oldest asked. "Where's my Dad?" this from my littlest. My middle one, the quiet one, just looked at me, his lower lip quivering and his eyes tearing up. "What will happen if he dies?" he whispered.
The other two nodded their heads, and I realized we all needed this terrifying question answered. I am proud of what I came up with in that moment. "Well, that is not going to happen," I said, hugging them close and sounding certain, even to my own ears. "But if it did, we would go on. We would be sad, but we're strong. I am a strong woman. You are strong boys. We would be alright."
Thank you Jesus, I never had to find out if it was true.
I was getting ready for the day when my husband called from the hospital. "I'm not feeling so good. Can you come rub my neck?" By the time I got there, they were rushing him into the Cath Lab. He was gray and throwing up. He looked awful, and he couldn't lift his hand to mine.
"I love you," I said to the back of the retreating gurney.
Someone led me to the waiting room and I sat down where I could see the clock. I pulled my knees into my chest, feeling small and crushed. You always wonder what to say to people who are lost in their own misery. I can tell you, I heard nothing. My family arrived and surrounded me, but I heard nothing. I watched the clock and replayed over and over how pained he had looked. I berated myself for taking a shower that morning, grabbing extra clothes, having a cry on my Mom.
It was 1.5 hours before the doctor came out and told me he was going to be all right. They'd put in stents because he'd had a 90% block of his Left
Anterior Descending Artery—the big one—the widow-maker. Back in the patient room, I was elated. I felt like we had just won the lottery. I needed to talk to friends, family, the whole world. I wanted to celebrate. We had just escaped the widow-maker!
My husband was groggy and irritable. The beeping monitoring machines were making him crazy; he even swung an I.V'd arm at one of them. When I called our friends to explain what had happened, he took my phone away from me and hung it up. "Quit telling people I have a shitty-ass heart," he yelled at me with a hoarse voice.
A shitty-ass heart?
I was shocked. My husband never yells, and never hits things. I was baffled. The next few weeks were rough. While my husband's physical health was excellent, his mood was resentful and gripey. I had emotional whiplash: the man I would have crawled over molten lava to save, I now wanted to scorch with a fire gun.
I came to realize that I had a "cardiac" event too on 12-12-12: Terror—to elation—to bewildered aggravation, makes for a tough ride on the heart. After much research, I found out that his behavior was not uncommon. In fact, a person is three times more likely to have emotional distress/changes after a cardiac event. It's a damn shame that just as you've "gotten them back," you want to kick them to the curb.
After a few weeks of this, I had had enough.
"Quit acting like an asshole because you have a shitty-ass heart," I said.
My husband turned to look at me, a big grin on his face, and we both laughed for the first time since the "event." Things got better after that. Somehow, when we could laugh about it, it wasn't so scary or big, for either of us. Thankfully, life went on, with a heightened level of gratitude for our blessings, and for each other.
Then, today I said to him, "I'm going to write a blog about my feelings when you had your heart attack. Okay with you?"
"Sure, fine," he said. "Wait… It wasn't a heart attack. It was severe angina that was caught in a clinical setting before it became a heart attack… And don't use my name."
My husband, the nameless man of the shitty-ass heart. An invincible superman in his own mind.
Just the way he likes it.
Hug the ones you love–twice today for me. What are you grateful in 2013? What are you looking forward to in 2014?
All my best,
Susannah Scott
More info on "Cardiac Mood Changes" Article 1 , Article 2, Personal Blog from random dude
Something to take your mind off sad things, my bestselling paranormal book! –> Luck of the Dragon
$25.00 Amazon giveaway contest


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February 17, 2013
Fainting at the sight of blood
It was my freshman year of high school, the Friday before homecoming weekend. Football players and cheerleaders wore their respective uniforms to class, I had a blue pawprint painted on my face, and everyone in class was antsy in anticipation of the pep rally at the end of the day.
Our health teacher put on some Red Cross first aid video to appease our restlessness. Halfway through the video, an actor began "bleeding" profusely from the arm. Just as his friend ripped off a bit of his t-shirt to staunch the blood, I saw a flash of blue jersey out of the corner of my eye.
One of the star football players in my class—a pretty massive beast of a human being—slumped down his chair then lay flat on the floor. He was passed out cold.
Do you get woozy when you see blood? It seems like an oddly dramatic physiological response for just seeing a little red liquid, right? As it turns out, fainting at the sight of blood may be a primitive reflex buried deep in our brain.
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Simple Weeknight Enchiladas/
Alright y'all, yo girl has a new obsession… any guesses? RIGHT! Enchiladas.
Ever since I returned home from Mexico last week, I've been craving the flavors of the promised land… mainly endless guacamole and enchiladas.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to meal prep a big batch dinner each week on Sundays.
Dinner is undisputedly the hardest meal of the day in my opinion. After a long day of work the last thing I want to do is spend time and effort making myself a healthy dinner.
In fact, usually my dinners are made on the fly and consist of greens with whatever kind of protein or grain I have in my fridge… aka usually a repeat of what I eat for lunch.
While this is all fine and dandy, nothing about this dinner gets me super excited. Sure it's healthy, but often times it leaves me craving more; and I'm not talking about salad…
I'm talkin' chocolate, pretzels, cookies and all that is holy.
However, what I've come to realize about myself is that when I eat a dinner that is healthy, delicious and substantial, I don't crave late night sugar or carbs.
As a matter of fact, I don't crave anything until breakfast the next morning.
If you're a chronic late night muncher, I HIGHLY suggest you try cooking yourself something more filling for dinner… like these Simple Weeknight Enchiladas.
Make em' now, thank me later.
Simple Weeknight Enchiladas
Makes 4 large enchiladas
Time: 45 minutes
Note: You can make these enchiladas vegetarian by omitting the chicken. If desired, feel free to add chopped veggies (peppers, onions, etc.) to the black bean and salsa mix before stuffing the enchiladas.
16 oz. (2 cups) southwestern salsa
1/2 lb organic chicken breast
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 burrito-sized flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Place 1/2 cup salsa in a frying pan and heat on medium high heat until simmering.
2. Take 1/2 pound chicken and place over the salsa. Reduce the heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through.
3. While chicken cooks, place the drained beans, cilantro and 1/2 cup salsa in a bowl. Mix to combine.
4. Preheat the oven and lightly spray a 9 x 13 pan with oil. Set aside.
5. Once the chicken has cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and place the meat on a cutting board. Use two forks to pull the chicken and add the pulled chicken into the bowl with the beans, cilantro and salsa. Mix well.
6. Take each flour tortilla and fill with the chicken black bean mix in the center of the tortilla. Fold the edges in and place the enchilada seam-side down in the pan. Repeat until all four enchiladas are in the pan.
7. Drizzle the rest of the salsa over the enchiladas and cover with 1 cup of shredded cheese. Leave the pan uncovered and bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Nutritional Information (per 1 enchilada)
445 calories, 12g fat, 54g carbs, 15g fiber, 12g sugar, 28g protein


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Being rewarded for a hard day's work is awesome. Anyone would agree.
At Incept we help community blood centers all across America build stronger relationships with their donor bases. We don't merely set appointments for blood donations, we also have real, genuine conversations with people in the middle of their everyday lives. It is important to know that anyone can make an appointment, but not everyone can have a conversation which results in creating a positive (and lasting) impact when the receiver has been hung up.
Hard work and good conversations are rewarded at Incept, and why shouldn't they be? Aside from our core values, consistent quality conversations with real people are one of Incept's cornerstones. That is why we have the Incept Lifesaver Program to reward Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) who really have exceptional conversations with not only our current donor base but new blood donors as well. Here is more about how Incept's Lifesaver Program works and how it benefits our Conversational Marketing Experts.
There is a certain amount of Lifesaver points awarded for each type of donation Conversational Marketing Experts recruit for. When a new donor is recruited and donates blood when scheduled, that results in ten Lifesaver points for the CME who had the conversation and scheduled the appointment with that donor. Other examples include two Lifesaver points for scheduling a successful blood donation for a current donor (a donor that donates every 8 weeks), as well as six Lifesaver points for scheduling an apheresis donation that was successful.
There are levels in the Lifesaver program that reward Conversational Marketing Experts and directly correlate with how many points they have. Level One encompasses 0-100 points; and the program ranges all the way to Level Twenty at 13,001-14,000 points. The rewards include t-shirts, coffee mugs, leather shoulder bags and even an all-expenses-paid, three-day, two night vacation. With each level increase comes a greater reward. It should also be noted that when a successful CME gains points it is reflected in Incept's Lifesaver bonus on their paycheck.
Incept's Lifesaver program keeps our employees motivated to always do their best and consistently increase their job skills. As they gain more experience in assessing the needs of the donor, and listening to make donating convenient, points begin adding up quickly. The Lifesaver program can be viewed as an extra pat on the back in the spirit of one of our core values – Never Satisfied. And in this case, CMEs are never satisfied with anything short of continuous improvement.
Companies willing to take a step forward and reward employees performing at a top-level can attest to the benefit of boosted employee morale. At Incept the Lifesaver rewards program isn't just a points system meant to measure success, but rather an encouraging tool used to sharpen the skills and morale of our employees.
If you had a company, how would your reward success? How would you inspire and motivate?


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Built around 1730 on a site occupied by Aboriginals since prehistoric times, at the location of the first Jesuit mission, this house presents a permanent exhibition enabling visitors to discover, with the help of original artefacts, the site's history and the impact of the European's arrival on Aboriginal communities.
2320, ch. du Foulon, Québec, Québec, Canada, G1T 1X4
418 654-0259
Activities and services
- Native culture interpretation
- Self-guided tours
- Tours : in french
- Tours : in english
- Banquet, meeting, conference room
Vehicle and Parking Services
- Free outdoor parking
Signs and shuttles
- Tourist signs (blue)
Restaurant and food services
- Picnic area
Kéroul certification enables guests to know a given establishment's accessibility rating for people with restricted physical ability.Additional information on this establishment
- Partial access (Kéroul)
- Special activities
- Entertainment
- Open in the off-season
- Reservations required
- Group rates
- Tours : in french
- Tours : in english


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Sands® Cotai Central is the centre point for world-class meetings and events. Featuring nearly 20,000 square metres of meetings and convention space, and with the hotel offerings of Conrad, Sheraton and Holiday Inn, corporate customers are provided with a new level of accessibility and affordability on the Cotai Strip.
And being at the centre of it all on the Cotai Strip offers corporate customers the opportunity to experience a wide variety of entertainment, retail and dining options to enrich their meetings and convention experiences.
The expert and international team at Sands® Cotai Central works around the clock to deliver world-class meetings and convention experiences that demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and service-oriented culture.
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Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central
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15 February 2017
The February meeting convened at 2000 by Tim Tomlinson
Minutes: The minutes of January meeting were read. Motion to approve as amended by Joe M, second by Homer Shirrell. All ayes.
Treasurer's Report: The February Treasurer's Report was presented with $29,952.81 in the operating account and $13,108.91 in savings. Membership was 357 paid members. Motion to approve was by Harold N, second by Dave M. All Ayes. Treasurer's Reports are attached for details.
New Members: Richard Jensen, Scott Teel, Chris Wagner, Mark Greer, Derek Vanfleet, Robert McLaughlin, Neal Wright. Motion by Kam, Second Harold N. All ayes.
Officers' Reports: Dave Miller informed the Club that the pistols for the raffle include an FN P40, Ruger LCP, and Smith & Wesson 629. All were purchased for under the $1,500 authorized. Dave brought the pistols to the meeting. Tim suggested to members that they examine them after the meeting. Tickets for the raffle are available for $20 each. Only 100 tickets will be sold.
Jim Bloom reported that the nomination committee completed its work. Two changes from previous year include Steve Moore as Trap Range Officer, and Jerry Baker as Outdoor Range Officer. The complete list is attached.
Old Business:
Bernie reminded the Club that materials have been purchased to repair the roof on the outdoor range. Work will start when the weather improves. Item Open
Bernie explained to the Club that the decision whether or not to buy a new tractor will be on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting next month. It would be a large expense and commitment by the Club. Item Open
Another work day will need to be scheduled to complete repairs on the curtains in the pistol range. Item Open
New Business: Virgil H told the Club that on the first Wednesday of April the ISRA will have a gun rights rally at the State Capital. He will be willing to drive anyone who wants to attend. Call him at 309.333.3119.
The Youth Shoot currently reserves the pistol range on the second Saturday of each month, Last Saturday no shooters showed up. Shooters were turned away from the range and the instructor wasted an afternoon, Jim Bloom has asked Bob Hollandsworth and Bob Emmert to set up a portion of the website to allow participants of the Youth Shoot to RSVP. If no one RSVPs by 1700 on the Friday before the scheduled shoot, the shoot will be canceled.
Greg Hoener from the Illini West requested to bring the Conflicts and Mysteries class to the range on May 5th. Motion by Jim B and second by Harold N to allow the class exclusive use of the range on that day. All ayes.
Comments and Announcements: Upcoming events include: March 19th , bowling pin shoot.
Kam announced that he took 3rd place in a Tri- State black powder shoot.
Tim informed the membership that Joe Vandemark is seriously ill in the ICU in Peoria. Tim invited members to meet with him after the meeting to send a get well message to Joe.
Motion to adjourn by Sharon Sloat and second by Larry Twitchel. All ayes.


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About Stephanie Bailey
Stephanie Bailey has always been an athletically driven individual, and finally discovered aerial arts in a grass roots way in San Luis Obispo, California. She fell in love at first flight in a fire/circus artist photo-shoot then hit the ground running with exciting new training. She and three other women put their wings together to open the doors of Suspended Motion Aerial Arts in 2009 in cozy little "SLO." She began training in aerial silk, then discovered the pleasures of working with hammock, rope, cube, and finally lyra. She finally made a leap of faith and moved up to San Francisco, as she was recruited by Vau de Vire Society in September of 2014, and has been working hard to keep up with the big city vibes. Currently, she focuses mostly on training contortion in her hoop and on the ground, but still keeps herself agile in the fabric as well. For the last year, Steph has also been working with world-renowned Mongolian contortionist Serchmaa Byamba, gaining experiential knowledge of proper postures, technique, and flow with flexibility on the ground.
In addition to all of her training, she has been teaching on and off since 2009, with a focus on foundation and play. She invites her students to adopt a concept of exploration once they have a good idea of how to move efficiently with their apparatus. She and students work together to build sequences that students can individualize for their unique strengths. Conditioning and flexibility training is very important in her class in order to maximize the possibilities in play mode. Safety and longevity are key words in her classes. She wants all of her students to fully realize the long term benefits of keeping their bodies intact while training hard. She is currently teaching aerial arts to youth and adult students around the San Francisco area, but at Aerial Artique you can find her lyra and flexibility classes on Wednesday nights.
For private instruction, please feel free to contact her at email@example.com.


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Personal Banking
Small Business Banking
Commercial Banking
Private Client Group
Personal Financial Services
For the quickest answer, search previously asked questions below. Chances are, others have asked a similar question and there's already an answer waiting for you. If you can't find a match, ask a new question and our team members will answer.
john, manalapan
May 10, 2015 04:47:22 PM
1 Response
In reply to john, manalapan
Hey, John! Thanks for visiting us on TD Helps for your Store hours.
As you'd like the hours for our Marlboro, NJ Store, the lobby hours of the TD Bank location at 46 Route 520 are as follows:
Monday through Wednesday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday through Friday 8:30 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Since our hours vary by location, please check out our website for any additional locations which may suit your schedule and their hours. You are welcome to use our TD Store Locator here: http://bit.ly/TDStores which can assist you in finding your preferred TD Bank Store.
If you have any questions regarding your account, John, or to make an appointment at your TD Bank Store, feel free to call a Customer Service Representative 24/7 at 888-751-9000.
We hope this helps and we'll see you there!
Kristen P, Mount Laurel
May 10, 2015 04:49:08 PM
1 person recommended this


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Join Cotswold RAW for just £10
Cotswold RAW is offering the crowd a 10% stake in its bustling rural business as it seeks to raise £250k that will deployed to expand its product range whilst evolving both its distribution and production infrastructure.
With some 8.5million dog owners in the UK it makes real sense to invest in a food arena which has enjoyed enviable growth, both in times of economic boom and austerity. With 1-3 dogs currently suffering from 'obesity-related' issues it's vital that the same 'healthier living' momentum that is slowly but surely changing the face of human consumption is allowed to migrate into pet food.
With a state-of-the-art, Defra approved kitchen facility (7000sq ft) Cotswold RAW stands tall as a proud family-owned, rural voice championing human-grade ingredients (meat, bones, seasonal veg and beneficial herbs), local sourcing (wherever feasible), ingredient traceability and long-term countryside sustainability.
'Pet humanisation' is the popular movement which recognises that dogs are less pets and more integral members of the family, a thought-provoking realization that encourages health conscious pet owners to apply the same sensible choices to their pet's food as they would their own: all-natural, nutrient-rich, flavoursome, the welcome presence of superfoods…
Find out more at: www.crowdcube.com/cotswoldraw
Capital at Risk #INVESTAWARE


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Follow INSIDER on Facebook.
- Christmas is one of the best times of year.
- The holiday season is full of traditions, which is part of what makes Christmas so special.
- For example, Christmas Day isn't complete without sipping hot chocolate in festive pajamas.
- Watching holiday movies is another must-do Christmas activity.
Whether you're staying home or traveling for Christmas, there's no doubt that the holiday season is one of the best times of year.
Christmastime is full of festive traditions, like decorating gingerbread houses and opening advent calendars. Whether or not you celebrate the religious aspect of the holiday, there are certain things you should always do to make sure you have the best season yet.
Sure, one of the main events of Christmas is opening gifts, but part of the fun beforehand is wrapping them.
There's no better way to warm up from the cold than a delicious cup of hot chocolate.
Going on a tour of your neighborhood's Christmas lights is a must-do activity if you want to get the most out of this holiday season.
Whether you're at Walt Disney World or your hometown for the holidays, chances are, there is some sort of festive celebration that will provide plenty of Christmas cheer for the whole family.
Fruitcake is an odd Christmas tradition that has somehow stood the test of time.
Advent calendars are a fun way to count down to Christmas, so checking the last day off the list is the best way to start Christmas Day.
Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.


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Judging the Royals
Pitching to Billy Butler: how you get him out
When Billy Butler was here in Kansas City, I was told how opposition pitchers would tend to pitch him: two-seam fastballs down and in or off-speed pitches just plain down. The sinking fastball down and in would have him hitting the outside top half of the baseball and the off-speed stuff down would accomplish the same thing.
Pitchers wanted Butler to hit a ground ball to the pull side of the field, especially in a double-play situation.
In 2014 Butler hit .037 on balls to the infield and .603 on balls to the outfield; so yeah, getting Butler to hit a ground ball seems like a pretty good idea. On the other hand, last season Butler hit .242 on grounders and .153 on fly balls; so why not get him to hit the ball in the air?
Because last season Billy Butler hit .708 on line drives with a slugging percentage of 1.000. Let Billy get the ball in the air and you're playing with fire; if he gets enough of it he can do damage. Get Billy to hit a grounder and the odds are on your side.
Friday night Royals pitchers threw Billy Butler 17 pitches, and 11 of them were off-speed. Of the six fastballs, two were sinkers and of the other four straight fastballs, only one was thrown for a strike.
When Butler's in the lineup watch for that down-and-in/off-speed pitch pattern: if the Royals pitchers get Billy to pull a ground ball, they won the battle, even if the ball sneaks through the infield.
If Billy gets a well-hit ball in the air up the middle or to the right side, then Billy wins, even if the ball gets caught.
Today's pitching matchup: Chris Young vs. Scott Kazmir
That's the Saturday afternoon pitching matchup and here are some things to look for:
First, Chris Young needs to hit the mitt with his fastball. Young throws his fastball in the mid-eighties and when you throw a fastball in the mid-eighties you better put it where you want it. In his last start Young didn't do that and gave up seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.
Chris Young has to command his fastball; watch Salvador Perez' mitt, where he sets the target and how much Sal's mitt moves to receive the ball.
Young throws a changeup about twice a game, so that pitch probably won't be a huge factor, but his slider will. When Young throws his slider, it needs to finish down; if you see Perez call for it, set a target and his mitt moves up, the slider may never reach the mitt—it's got a very good chance of getting whacked.
The other starter, the A's Scott Kazmir, is left-handed (and it's just that kind of inside information that keeps people coming back to this website) so as you might suspect the Royals lefties tend not to hit him well—with the exception of Eric Hosmer. On the other hand, Hosmer has not been hitting well overall lately; only .227 over the last seven days.
If those trends continue, the Royals right-handed hitters will have to be the ones to do damage against Kazmir. Ned Yost does not check with me before he makes out a lineup, but in limited at bats Christian Colon has hit .444 off Kazmir, Omar Infante has hit .429 and Mike Moustakas has hit .143.
When the Royals faced Kazmir back in April, Infante sat, Colon was in the lineup and went 2 for 3 while Moustakas was 0 for 4, so it might seem like an easy decision—play Colon at third base Saturday—but there can be other factors involved. Like Moose hitting .375 over the last 14 days, or the fact that he's hitting much better against lefties this season.
Which numbers matter?
As the above exercise shows, if you start rummaging around on a website like Baseball Reference—and I do it all the time—you're quite likely to find a number that will make whatever case you want to make. I can use some numbers to prove Mike Moustakas ought to sit to day and other numbers to prove he ought to play.
Keep that in mind when someone throws out one stat that "proves" something—you can probably find another stat that proves the opposite.
And sometimes it's not about the numbers at all.
Sitting a guy to gain an advantage in one game might prove to be a disadvantage over the long haul—depending on the guy and the situation. If you think Mike Moustakas will be better served over the long haul by sitting him, sit him. If you don't want to disturb what Mike has going—and he's hitting very well—play him.
What Mike Moustakas does over 162 games is more important than what he does in one.


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Posts by Ellen Cardillo
It Takes a Village for Habitat Homes
Most of us have heard the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child." The older I get, the more I realize how true this statement is and how it relates to much more than raising children. I have…Read More
Americorps Volunteer Opportunity
Beginning in August, we will have three AmeriCorps Construction Crew Leader positions available to handle construction site supervisor responsibilities. This is a great opportunity to gain new skills and expertise, develop new relationships and give back to our community. APPLY…Read More


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Frances Lerner: from calming to alarming
Picture space, no matter the medium, is otherworldly by nature. It purports to dissolve the membrane between this world and some adjacent dimension. In our image-drowned age, only art as strange and apparently subdued as that of Bay Area painter Frances Lerner may remind us of this.
Lerner's small works at Jack Fischer's, many measuring a square foot or less, steal a march on the imagination by their intimacy, their ambiguities and low-key palette.
Lerner paints images of simple dioramas that she stages in her studio using dolls and makeshift props. This basis in observation seems to give her images a traction they might not have otherwise. But she leaves so much scantily defined that we cannot guess whether the scenes she depicts formed narratives in her mind or mere armatures for imagery.
Despite its uncharacteristically bright palette, "Saddled Head" (2010/12) typifies Lerner's work in the uncertain scale and identity of what it describes, and its accordingly odd title.
Small Lerner pictures lacking figures, such as the two titled "Benches," bring to mind the smoky light and soft congestion of some of Giorgio Morandi's landscapes and still lifes.
Lerner seems to do deliberately, anyway pretty consistently, what many representational painters do inadvertently: lull a viewer into a state of bemused unconcern.
I would count this hypnotic effect pernicious in a culture already hooked on stupor, but Lerner's best work has estranging effects deep enough to make us, upon reawakening, see mundane reality with fresh disquiet.
Dintino changes stripes: Since abstract painting's early days about a century ago, artists have sought ways to infuse or encode meaning into imageless patterns.
We can see Bay Area painter Patrick Dintino extending his own efforts in this direction in recent work at Andrea Schwartz's new Fourth Street space.
A canvas such as "Festival" (2012) may look like a throwback to the color field painting of the 1960s, but Dintino has different sources in mind. As part of its exhibition information, the gallery provides spiral-bound printouts of some of the Internet-sourced images on which Dintino claims to have based his color choices. He used "euphoria" as a notional guide.
Viewers may find it so hard to track his thinking as to accept his account of his process as a mere explanatory fiction. Anyway, it detracts from rather than supports the pleasure of looking at the paintings.
Like other paintings here, "Festival" (2012) holds its own as a chromatic chord, enriched by the discovery that Dintino paints by hand what might appear at first to be airbrushed. Unlike much so-called stripe painting, Dintino's has an inviting, pillowy quality that encourages the eye to repose in it, and perhaps to discover how difficult accepting that invitation can be.
As if to remind us of our greater familiarity with agitation, Dintino also shows some dizzying collages composed of scissored junk mail and wrapping paper. These he ought to keep to himself. Their inclusion will undermine an unfamiliar visitor's confidence in him as an artist.
We might see in Dintino's art an argument for formalism - even a kind of instruction to be had from it - as guidance in extracting the pleasures of hue, intensity and tone from the depictive content of pictorial illusion. Startlingly, in this connection I think of Mel Ramos, whose paintings also stage improbable confrontations between formal values and seduction by illusionism.
Fraser's "Eidolons": Bay Area artist Chris Fraser, who works with light, has a small, taut show at Highlight inspired partly by Walt Whitman's 1876 poem "Eidolons."
Plato and his contemporaries used the Greek eidolon to denote things existent but not fully real. Whitman seems to use it to celebrate the phenomenal, if not ultimate, primacy of appearances over reality.
At the center of Fraser's show stands "Eidolon, Sylvania 120PAR/CAP/SPL/FL30, 2012." The title designates the blazing floodlight that we can see mounted on the outside of the dark enclosure Fraser has built. Inside it, the floodlight, evidently dimmed by filters, creates on a dark screen an image of its mosaic lens.
Like Whitman's poem, it evokes the galactic and things as minuscule as a fly's eye. The installation is dark enough to make the image, for a few minutes anyway, hover between objective and mental phenomenon.
A viewer who spends a little time with the piece emerges with eyes refreshed and better prepared to contemplate Fraser's gelatin silver prints of floodlight bulbs and their halations.
Frances Lerner: Minor Characters and Sympathetic Criminals: Paintings. Through Oct. 20. Jack Fischer Gallery, 49 Geary St., S.F. (415) 956-1178. www.jackfischergallery.com.
Patrick Dintino: Euphoria: Paintings and collages. Through Oct. 5. Andrea Schwartz Gallery, 545 Fourth St., S.F. (415) 495-2090. www.asgallery.com.
Chris Fraser: Eidolons: Photographs and light installation. Through Oct. 27. Highlight Gallery, 17 Kearny St., S.F. (415) 986-4308. www.highlightgallery.com.
Kenneth Baker is The San Francisco Chronicle's art critic. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Blog and News
The next City Council meeting is Tuesday February 12th. Item 16 on the agenda is a rental housing task force that appears to be starting with Measure M. Homeowners should be aware that the City is likely to regulate single-family homes, which is possible even with the state law known as Costa Hawkins.
A stated task force goal is determining how to implement "just cause" evictions, JCE, (item 4 on page 1 of the Agenda Report). A draft application for task force applicants asks what should be changed about Measure M (page 3 of the application). This implies the task force is using Measure M as a starting point! Likewise the recommended firm to run the task force proposes the background research be oriented around Measure M (page 3 Process Development from CCP).
These documents supporting the task force agenda item can be found here. http://scsire.cityofsantacruz.com/sirepub/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=1162&doctype=AGENDA Click on item 16 of the agenda to find the documents.
We need a complete reset, Measure M should not be the starting point of the task force. Please take a few minutes to write email@example.com and let them know that the rental housing task force must be a reset, cover a range of rental housing issues, and not begin with Measure M, which was already overwhelmingly rejected by our community. The Council talks about using a data-driven process while ignoring these data points; nearly 19,000 voters opposed Measure M and over 1,000 people wrote to oppose the JCE ordinance, compared to less than 35 in favor. Please take the time to help us continue to build a public record of massive objections to JCE and Measure M.
A sample letter that can be sent, modified, or used for inspiration is available through the mailchimp version of our newsletter that can be found here:
As you know, the City Council continues to address rent control related issues even after Measure M's massive defeat in November. We are really proud of all we have accomplished on this issue so far. Because of your support we defeated Measure M with 62% of the vote, and last week, the council backed away from adopting many of the worst aspects of Measure M and just cause evictions. SCT sent hundreds of letters to Council and packed the chambers. Our voices made a huge impact.
Santa Cruz Together continues to remain heavily engaged on this important issue. As you saw from last week's Sentinel story, it's unclear how the Council plans to proceed. The SCT board is meeting regularly to strategize and we have open lines of communication with several councilmembers. There's a lot of uncertainty and we must continue to make our voices heard.
A complete reset is required to ensure an open and honest dialogue about the housing crisis. The City Council took an important step by tabling the just cause eviction ordinance last week. Moving forward, we will remain engaged to ensure our voices are heard and respected. Keep reading the newsletter to stay informed and aware of Council's actions. SCT has been extremely successful thus far and your continued support and engagement will help move the council towards good housing policy decisions.
January 23 - City Council Tables Just Cause For Evictions (JCE) Ordinance
Last night our voices were heard. The City Council tabled the JCE ordinance, instead of voting on it. Your engagement contributed to this outcome. Thank you!
Santa Cruz Together greatly appreciates the Council members that voted to table the JCE ordinance. Mayor Martine Watkins, Vice Mayor Justin Cummings, Cynthia Mathews, Donna Meyers, and Sandy Brown should all be commended for their leadership. They all brought common sense to rental housing policy. We particularly appreciate the strong leadership of Justin Cummings who based on feedback from the community made the motion.
We are encouraged by the Council's action. There is discussion about a task force or committee, and we will continue to watch this closely. The ordinance or a variation is still likely to be voted on later.
In the last two weeks, Council received over 1,000 letters opposing Measure M equivalent JCE, compared to around 30 in favor. Thanks to everyone that participated in this wave of letters.
Feel free to contact email@example.com with any questions or comments.
Heads up..! Next city council meeting is next Tuesday January 8. Both the final reading of the Relocation Assistance for Displaced Tenants Ordinance and the first reading of a new Just Cause Eviction: Community Process and Interim Ordinance are on the schedule for the evening 7:00 session. Here is the meeting agenda and where the materials for the Just Cause Eviction: Community Process and Interim Ordinance and the new final draft of the Relocation Assistance for Displaced Tenants are posted.
If you have opinions send them in to the city council ahead of time, preferably before Monday but Monday noon at latest… Send mail to firstname.lastname@example.com
Good news, looks like Measure M has lost by close to a two to one margin. Final count not in yet, but Measure M results are clear. Latest updated results are kept by the county and can be found here.
Next Steps..! Mark your calendars for City Council meeting Tuesday 11/27 at 7PM.
The City Council will be considering alternatives to Measure M that evening. Plan to attend, bring friends, give a public comment and submit letters in advance. The City Council race is very close and critical to housing policy. Please make time to attend this critical City Council meeting!
Letters to the city council count a lot. Send email to firstname.lastname@example.com Make your views clear. Possible points to mention might start with that continuing the emergency measures is a bad idea. The two emergency ordinances are very close to what was in Measure M which was just rejected 2-1 by city voters and cause more harm than good for almost all the same reasons. Similarly with any other rushed plan such as the exorbitant rent increase proposal. Studies from other cities have made it clear that rent control will take existing rentals off the market, discourage construction of new rentals, and make housing more scarce and expensive for the majority of renters.
What is needed is a considered proposal agreed to by all parties after a public review and input period. The election results give clear indication as to where two out of three Santa Cruz City residents stand on rent control and tenancy protection, request that the council keep this in mind.
On the Resources>References page there are links to both the emergency temporary rent control and tenancy protection ordinances now in effect and also the new proposed tenancy protection measure developed by the city and shelved prior to the election due to opposition by pro-Measure M advocates.
November 9 Newsletter
Click to see the Santa Cruz Together November 9 Newsletter
Local UCSC Economists line up against Measure 10 in this letter. Two recently published this op-ed on the subject in the Los Angeles Times and one, Jesse Cunha, also recently published this paper on Affordable Housing and Rent Control in Santa Cruz.
September 18 Newsletter
Click to see the Santa Cruz Together September 18 Newsletter
August 30 Newsletter
Click to see the Santa Cruz Together August 30 Newsletter
July 21 Newsletter
Click to see the Santa Cruz Together July 21 Newsletter.
July 8 Newsletter:
The rent control ballot measure qualified and is on the November ballot. The Measure will be voted on by city residents on Nov 6th.
Chin up! We're going to beat this thing, with your help. Santa Cruz Together is a local, grassroots campaign exceeding 1,200 people. We have our campaign plan laid out through November and need help reaching our fundraising goal. We believe once voters truly understand the real implications of this reckless measure, it will be soundly rejected. This requires a substantial public education campaign.
Upcoming Events:
Public Input on "Exorbitant Rent Increase Ordinance"
When: Tuesday, July 17, 6PM
Where: Santa Cruz Police Community Room
155 Center St., Santa Cruz
Planning department seeking input from the community in this one hour meeting. Attend the meeting and the breakout on the "Exorbitant Rent Increase Ordinance" that will go into effect WHEN we defeat this measure.
Santa Cruz Together Meeting:
When: Wednesday, July 11, 6:30 PM
Where: Santa Cruz Police Community Room
155 Center St, Santa Cruz
Come meet the team and other fired-up citizens like yourself. Just know we will be educating Santa Cruz voters about the unintended consequences of this Measure - and we need your help.
Please continue spreading the word and steering folks to www.SantaCruzTogether.com to join our email newsletter. If you each tell 10 folks and they do the same, we can defeat this awful and damaging Ballot Measure. Thank you for all of your support and advocacy.
Your Campaign Team
Santa Cruz Together
Saving Rental Housing For Everyone
Santa Cruz Together June 8 2018 Newsletter
Our campaign team has been working - and so have you apparently! Because of you, our membership has grown and we've had the most outstanding talent, advisors and volunteers step up to work on the campaign's behalf. Thank you for spreading the word. The proposed rent control ballot measure is extremely ill-informed housing policy and will, as all experts agree, do precisely the opposite of what is intended. Evidence clearly shows that rental quantity and quality will decrease and further stress the already-stressed rental stock in our town.
Our campaign is to defeat the measure.
Growing SCT's ranks is vital to building public awareness and ultimately getting out the vote in November. Ads, mailers, district walks and yard signs are important, but you talking with your friends and neighbors about the negative consequences of the ballot measure is far more effective. Keep it up.
Contribute to the Campaign:
We are fundraising for the costs associated with direct mailings, yard signs and other campaign materials. You've been extremely generous and our expenses to-date have been well below budget. We are building a war chest for the battle ahead and anything you contribute is appreciated. Donating on the website is quick and easy.
Last, please continue to be a polite and patient voice of reason in our community regarding this ballot measure. As frustrating as it is, it's important we debate with both heart and reason. Take a deep breath as we press all the way to November. Share www.SantaCruzTogether.com and suggest others join our email newsletter.
Santa Cruz Together April 27th 2018 Newsletter
First, welcome to our newest members! We are growing fast and very much appreciate all of your personal notes/stories that you've been submitting via the "Join" button on the website. Please continue helping us understand how this Rent Control Ballot Initiative would affect you, your family and your renters. To the many of you that have also donated, we are extremely grateful for your trust and support. Everyone working on the campaign is a volunteer so donations are used for expenses like print and social media ads and direct mailings. You are helping to preserve the integrity of our small town.
Stopping The Signatures
Most of you are aware the Housing Justice Warriors are out in force seeking signatures. They have until May 9th to submit the petitions to the City and indications are they are struggling. You and your SCT cohorts are creating awareness and we believe it is having an impact. Keep it up!
If you see a petitioner, let us know:
If you are inclined, engage with him/her to perhaps test their knowledge of the proposed law. We love to hear your experiences with petitioners so shoot us an email afterward!
Spooked? Planning to Sell Your Property?
A major argument against this ballot initiative is that housing supply will shrink drastically - and actually hurt renters. There have been 86 rental properties placed on the market since Feb and in discussions with you we understand many more are headed that way. It's tragic and needs to be communicated to city leaders.
Please mail and let us know if you plan to sell and how many rental units it represents. Your information is strictly confidential.
You may have seen SCT recently:
Santa Cruz Sentinel Article
KSCO interview (April 25th episode)
Leaflet Training Session
March For Science Leafletting
Attending UCSC Student Union Assembly Meetings
..and we're just getting started. But the real difference is you talking with your neighbors, coworkers and friends. People just need to know it's a horrible law and that it impacts everyone in Santa Cruz. It definitely hurts more renters than it helps. Once folks hear the facts, they won't sign the petition.
Downloadable Flyers On Our Website
If it helps when communicating your concerns to your neighbors, coworkers and friends, you can download our latest flyers in color or B/W. Also, the FAQ section is helpful and can be printed as well.
Upcoming events
Campaign Kick-Off Redux
When: 6:30 pm, Wednesday, May 2nd
Where: Santa Cruz Police Community Room
155 Center St, Santa Cruz
This is a repeat of our successful kick-off in April. If you are a new member, you are invited and encouraged to attend. We will introduce the campaign leads, review the ballot initiative, and walk through the many unintended consequences and our campaign to defeat it. If anything, come out to meet your neighbors. We have amazing members in Santa Cruz Together and it has been our honor to be working on behalf of concerned folks like you.
Like Us On Facebook!
Visit your fellow SCT members online and join the new Santa Cruz Together Facebook group. Find discussions inside!
We are Incredibly Proud
Of our members for your balanced, thoughtful and cordial debates on NextDoor, Facebook, around town and in your neighborhoods. Others faced with similar initiatives in other cities were not so polite and it very much hurt their ability to communicate the pitfalls of these measures. Please avoid personal attacks and focus on the problems with the initiative. Keep up the great work and continue sending concerned folks our way.
Santa Cruz Together April 2018 Newsletter
Welcome to our first Newsletter! We need and appreciate your support to defeat the terrible rent control ballot initiative. Most important is continuing to spread the word about how the initiative's unintended consequences will hurt renters more than it helps them.
Campaign Up And Running
Santa Cruz Together is up and running. We had well over 100 concerned people at our kickoff meeting, and we have a growing list of email subscribers. Our campaign is run by concerned volunteers donating hundreds of hours of work to the campaign. If you haven't already, please post and share the www.santacruztogether.com URL with friends. We're are particularly interested in building our email list through the website.
Send Us Stories, Help Us Find Stories
To put a face on our campaign, we are seeking those willing to tell their stories. The types of stories we want are the following:
· Renters living in rent controlled cities finding housing scarce and pricey. Consider if you have any family or friends willing to share their experience. Rent controlled cities include Mountain View, Berkeley, San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Monica.
· ADU owners who are withdrawing from renting or deciding not to add an ADU because of the 'Just Cause' loss of ability to evict or move family in restrictions in the measure.
· Renters who have thought through the initiative's unintended negative consequences that actually harm them.
· Renters losing their housing when Property owners who have rented decide to sell to owner occupants because the property owners selling due to rent control or are afraid about the initiative taking away their control of their rental property.
· Your story.
We seek people willing to do a video clip since we have professional video production donated to the campaign. We also request quotes or 150-word stories for our website and Facebook.
Volunteer to Help
We are seeking people willing to distribute leaflets at community events. Please RSVP and attend the volunteer training listed below, if you want to leaflet. Please submit questions about the initiative that you would like to see answered. Also, email us if you are willing to submit a letter to the editor. We have a list of themes, if you are interested. Contact email@example.com.
Next Events
Volunteer Training – RSVP Required
April 18th 6:30
Santa Cruz Police Department Community Room, 155 Center St, Santa Cruz
Ballot Initiative Overview and Our Campaign to Defeat It
May 2nd, 6:30 PM
Santa Cruz Police Department Community Room, 155 Center St, Santa Cruz
This will be the same presentation given on April 4, with some updates, and is intended for new members or those who didn't make that last meeting.
Rental Housing Supply Greatly Reduced
Property managers are starting to understand the impact of these new draconian rental housing laws. In particular, the inability to control who is living in your home, is a serious problem. Housing providers lose the ability to decide who is living in their property, and for how long. This makes many uncomfortable and less interested in owning rentals. Already rentals are on the market. More will be listed after a 120 day notice to tenants.
Extreme rent control makes providing rentals extremely difficult and less attractive. In San Francisco rent control lead to a 30% decrease in available rentals. Santa Monica lost 25% of rental housing.
Here in Santa Cruz an estimated 14,500 people live in rental houses. Many that own these rentals will simply sell them to owner occupied buyers. Over several years thousands of renters will be displaced. Where will they go? Onto our freeways in long commutes. Housing insecurity is already a serious issue. If this initiative passes, those in rental houses will find themselves with increased housing insecurity. Even long term rental situations will change.
Rent control effectively become Rental Supply Control, where fewer and fewer rentals are available.
Lease terms become meaningless
For six weeks we have been organizing and talking to people about how the ballot initiative works . One of the most common areas of confusion is the impact on rental leases. The initiative changes the law so that tenants cannot be required to move, because of the end of a lease. Tenants can only be required to leave for specific reasons like failure to pay rent or committing a crime. The end of a lease is no longer a reason that a renter can be asked to move. You can no longer control the length of time a renter is in your property.
You also can no longer prevent subleases through a rental lease agreement. Renters gain broad rights to sublease and an ability to add family members or partners to a property without housing provider consent.
It's confusing to see such a fundamental part of real estate law change so dramatically. We have heard quite a bit of disbelief. In the 2/13 city council meeting, the Santa Cruz City Attorney is on the record stating that the end of a lease is no longer an adequate reason to require renters to move.


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Budget Battery Co
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Special Equipment:
Burning Helm:
Hand-forged over a long period of weeks, the famous Burning Helms of the Blaze Knights are now extraordinarily rare. Resembling a normal visored helmet made of particularly bright steel, these helmets are unremarkable save for their inherent beauty and a series of swirling rune-forms and sigils. Each of these lines glistens slightly in light.
The lines themselves are actually filled with a psycho-reactive chemical called prometheum. When a Blaze Knight chooses, he or she can cause the helmet to burst into flame with a mere thought. This creates a terrifying inferno around the Knight, and is what gives them their unique title.
Sublime Razor:
The Sublime Razor is not inherently magical, but is rather a unique sword wielded skillfully by DeJaod. Crafted in a curious pistol grip, this sword is thicker and shorter than most. Its small size allows it to be easily concealed, and its thick blade ensures that any wound may cause the victim to bleed out quickly and efficiently. The unique curvature of the blade also make it more difficult to block quickly, allowing DeJaod to cause fatal wounds quickly.
Like much of DeJaod's weaponry, this springbolt is beautiful and deadly. Though heavily ornamented with baroque, gold-chased symbols of fire, the springbolt is surprisingly light and easy to maintain. DeJaod's skill with it is not a great with that of her sword, but she is still a deadly adversary and is fully capable of dropping a quick flurry of shots into her foes before closing to fight.
Piercing blue eyes watchful from behind an armored helm, it is clear that Selyn DeJaod is not an ordinary errant cavalier. Standing with a posture of regal authority seen only in nobility and aristocracy, her helmeted head reaches a hand's-breadth short of six feet tall. Imposing, intelligent, and always seen with an expression of haughty contempt- she is a knight who stares demonic aberrations in the face with nothing more than a single arched eyebrow.
Due to her oath to the Blaze Knights, DeJaod is always dressed in the traditional robes of blue and white. Surprisingly, each layer of cloth is sewn around a thin layer of chain- even without armor, DeJaod is capable of fighting. Despite this precautionary measure, it is a rare thing indeed to see her without her armor, an ornately-decorated suit of white steel and sapphire.
Though considered a Knight of sorts, DeJaod does not follow a strict code of chivalry. Like the handful of Blaze Knights that still survive, hers is a code of life and power. DeJaod is fully capable of helping a peasant in need if it will help her quest- and just as likely to run his through with her Razor for the same reason. However, she is more inclined towards law than towards chaos, and despises shows of weakness. She is unlikely to stoop to cowardly ambush or disguise, but sometimes does out of a matter of necessity.
Born in an age of turmoil, DeJaod never knew her parents. She was found swathed in blankets at the front door of a cathedral, and the monks took her for their own. As the child grew older, she began to develop a fiery and belligerent nature. Shrugging off the orders of the monks, she became boisterous at best and vulgar at worst. From this she garnered the nickname "Selyn", which means "Frozen Arrogance" in the long last tongue of some lost civilization.
As she grew older, Selyn began to control and master her inner fire. She used this as a focus for other things- learning, praying, and most importantly, fighting. At a young age, she often snuck out to the village in order to play Sticks with the other minors of the village. After eight years of constant practice, she had become more than adept with a weapon, especially for an eighteen year-old woman raised in a cathedral.
Thus did the Patriarch find her, a pious woman with a fiery spirit and a thirst for knowledge.
He brought her to a secret wing of the church, one known not for prayer but for war. The elite fighting core of Knights that pursued the Church's will. The Blaze Knights. DeJaod trained for another ten years, mastering hundreds of skills from tracking to archery. When she finally emerged from her novicehood at the age of twenty eight, she fully expected to join a holy crusade with her fellow Knights.
The cathedral was annihilated in a towering inferno the night of Selyn's birthday. Witnesses describe an unholy god moving through the flaming ashes, bringing insanity and pain with a mere touch. When the blaze had cleared, four Knights and none of the clergy remained. The bitter irony that their life had been destroyed by the very force they relied on to smite their enemies drove the Knights into exile, fighting a war of vengeance against the demon that had destroyed their lives.
Now thirty four, Selyn will stop at nothing to end her quest for divine retribution. One day, the underworld will quake at her fiery passing, and the demon will know the full fury of the Blaze Knights.
- The adventurers find a regal knight tormenting a peasent with a golden rapier. Little do they know the serf is a creature of vile darkness in disguise.
- A cloaked figure is staring at the figures in a local tavern, unnerving them slightly.
- A Knight confronts the players, asking them for help with her holy quest.


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Acorn Bank
This walk takes you through the National Trust owned Acorn Bank Gardens and into the surrounding countryside to the village of Culgaith in the Eden District of Cumbria.
Acorn Bank has stunning gardens with orchards carpeted with wildflowers and surrounded by herbaceous borders. You can also visit the restored 19th century watermill and enjoy a stroll along Crowdundle Beck.
The site is located close to Penrith in Cumbria. You can extend your walk by picking up the waterside footpath along the River Eden and heading south towards Temple Sowerby. Also nearby is Whinfell Forest and Cliburn Moss Nature Reserve. The forest and reserve are located just a couple of miles away and provide a good opportunity to extend your walking in the Eden District.
Acorn Bank PostcodeCA10 1SP - Please note: Postcode may be approximate for some rural locations
Please click here for more information