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Playbook design for a visual workflow, and earned value
Sales Playbooks can easily be built into SmartFunnel for your B2C or B2B sales, based on the critical elements of your customer's buy cycles. With SmartFunnel you have more granularity than any other CRM solution to plan stages of progress, lead your buyers toward closing success factors, and monitor depth of customer engagement in the buy cycle. This 3-dimensional approach drives our weighting algorithm, giving a much more accurate "earned value" for each deal. Meanwhile, SmartFunnel provides high level funnel summary reports – in real time.
SmartFunnel has an intuitive click-to-advance interface to monitor opportunity progress, portray earned value, and suggest areas needing attention. This visual interface provides a heat map using colors to draw attention where needed. The opportunity summary is also available in multiple formats – as a Sales Pipeline (6 months) or as a Sales Planning grid (12-36 months).
Know Where You Stand
Once SmartFunnel starts logging sales activities, it analyzes and adjusts the earned value the deal represents. Every update you make that takes a deal further along through the stages, the deal's value grows.
Create your own Playbooks with stage definitions for each of your Deal types. Both stages and sub-stages can be customized – and updated in seconds.
Know Where You Are Going
SmartFunnel's dashboard includes trend lines on gross funnel value, alongside the weighted funnel value ("earned value"). These trends are leading indicators of a sales rise or fall.
SmartFunnel gives executives dashboard reports that help with forward planning. Have more confidence in revenue forecasting, while replacing spreadsheets and big headaches trying to roll up sales data.


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In one of my earlier posts 'I've got 99 problems but a city ain't one' I wrote about whether our family should leave London or not. I concluded that the pros far outweighed the cons and I talked like we'd never leave. How things quickly change.
Since my last post we put our East London place up for sale, sold it and have brought a house in Essex (subject to all the legal stuff going through nicely). So am I a hypocrite? Perhaps, but alas when you have children your decisions change as much as they do.
The decision to leave was a difficult one, different ideas bounced around like a wandering soul lost in a maze of confusion.
We initially viewed larger properties in our existing area but soon realised that to buy anywhere with enough room for the four of us would require either a win on the Euro lottery or me donning a balaclava and 'reclaiming' some of Sir Fred Goodwin's pension pot from RBS.
There was also the extremely important matter of schools. In Tower Hamlets like many other London boroughs getting your child into a good school is very hit or miss. There are more children than schools. You see new apartments being built all over the borough but no new schools to accompany the influx. We weren't prepared to chance Rose's choice of school being an unsatisfactory one.
We did consider a few areas in South London that were a bit more affordable, but after weighing things up we decided on Brentwood in Essex. The area of Brentwood that we've decided on has great schools which aren't over subscribed (a major selling point), is surrounded by miles of beautiful woodland and parks, is nearer to the children's grandparents and is an easy commute into London. Vicki will be commuting each day and I'll drive in for my DJ gigs (there goes the drinking) 2 or 3 times a week so it's not going to be that much of a change.
Going from an apartment to a house with garden is going to be amazing. I'll be able to hide away to read my Sunday newspaper and cook up a storm on my new Aga. The children are really excited about the move especially the promise of bunk beds. There's also talk of a cat, but let's take this suburban dream / nightmare 😉 ? one step at a time. Vicki's already talking about a summer garden party complete with soundsystem so i'm sure the neighbours will love us.
The downside is that it isn't London, it's been many years since I've lived in a town so will I go out of my mind with boredom? I suppose the last time I lived in a town there was no internet and I didn't have children. But let's be honest, if we were millionaires and could guarantee good schools we wouldn't be moving from London (it's the best city in the world!).
The kids might end up with funny accents and it's where TOWIE is based. The day that they come home with fake tans is the day we move!
It was an extremely difficult decision to make but we do think it's in the best interests of the children. We are near enough to London to be able to take the kids to shows, theatre, exhibitions etc and have the beautiful Essex countryside on our doorstep (as well as the coast not too far away). So hopefully it'll be the best of both worlds. If it all goes pear-shaped we can always move back with our tails between our legs!

subset: commoncrawl


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March 25, 2011 11:53 AM
Big Data, big data center changes?
Profile: Alex Barrett
Big Data will transform your data center. Then again, maybe it won't. I went to GigaOm's Structure Big Data show in New York City this week to see what's new in the world of data analysis, and there I found that forward-looking data...
March 24, 2011 3:24 PM
Test your backups before it's too late
Profile: NicoleH
Check out this advice from expert Brien M. Posey on the...


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The Junk Lifestyle and Hyper-Depreciation
- The Junk Lifestyle and Hyper-Depreciation
- Tech for the Scrap Heap
There was an interesting article recently by anthropologist Jeanne Arnold studying American lifestyles and telling how middle-class people in particular are accumulating so much junk that clutter is now thematic in their lives. I suffer from this simply because there are not enough hours in the day to sort through and discard all the crap that piles up.
I agree with the notion that there is a place for everything and everything has its place, and if you just put stuff away in its place, then all would be well. But who knows where half this stuff belongs? I mean, what is the right place for a USB thumb drive? There are only so many possibilities for the "right place," and after a while you run out of places.
I blame the technology boom for this problem. Let me take a quick look at the accumulation surrounding me now and figure out the right place for a microphone, USB cables, wireless mouse, external hard drive that needs fixing, a copy of InDesign, miscellaneous empty binders, a Pets.com sock puppet, reading glasses, pens, gaffer's tape, vague and generic power supplies, chopsticks, an extra mouse pad, slides that need scanning, flash memory cards, various old manuals, a dozen different types of paper for the printer, a box of SCSI cables, a spindle of blank DVD-R discs, plastic things that go who knows where, a stack of old 3.5-inch floppy disks, more cables whose use is unknown, and cardboard boxes that contain the remains of various drawers that were dumped into them.
You get the idea.
One of the problems with all this is the relatively worthless nature of the accumulation. If any of this stuff was valuable, you might be more inclined to document what to do with it. For example, I seldom lose a laptop among the junk. The laptop is valuable. I know where it is.next: Tech for the Scrap Heap >


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Bill Bond, one of the most talented tennis players ever produced by San Diego, died of pneumonia on Sunday. He was 71.
Bond, who grew up and lived most of his life in La Jolla, won 11 U.S. national titles, most of them as a junior. He was a three-time All-American at USC and later selected to college tennis' hall of fame.
In 1964, Bond teamed with Dennis Ralston to win the NCAA doubles title.
Bond later became the head teaching pro at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, a position he held for 34 years. Among his students were Terry Holladay, Raul Ramirez and Chico Hagey.
Holladay would reach the top 10.
"Bill had a classic, perfect game from a style standpoint," said William J. Kellogg, president of the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club.
"He was one my idols as a kid. I was a ball boy for him at the Beach and Tennis Club. He was one of those players I wanted to grow up and be like when I was a kid."


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EI toys and games manager Brent Geppert has something up his sleeve — a puppet! Raised on The Muppet Show®, this former college radio DJ and longtime puppet lover puts on nightly puppet shows for his two sons, complete with voices and sound effects. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at his award-winning invention: Puppet-on-a-stick!
All kids love puppets, yet most puppets are difficult for kids to operate. I set out to make a puppet that was suitable for little hands: a puppet that would inspire instantaneous puppet show fun.
I experimented with various form factors like dry erase, Mr. Potato style pieces, removable hair, fixed hair, bendy arms, no arms, etc. But, after I presented my idea to the team, we all felt that a standalone puppet with no removable parts would be best.
This is the original idea I presented to the team in December 2010.
[First working prototype, January 2011]
I eventually made a second working puppet out of a solid wood ball I purchased at a furniture parts store. After that, I applied a clay skin, added googly eyes, then "bada-boom-bada-bing": Puppet-on-a-Stick was born!
[2nd prototype, February 2011]
The new prototype was an instant hit with the team. My manager said, "Make two more faces—and we'll have a set of three." So, after some internal "clay-storming," I came up with two more faces.
These are the final clay and wood prototypes that I sent to our factory for production.
Here are the internal mechanics that we have under "patent pending" status.
["gray hand samples" from the factory]
These are the puppets that the metal injection molds would be made from.
[Final production images]
Psst! These puppets make great stocking stuffers!


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Beth Garrison CL- JavaPresse
To Whom It May Concern,
Hello! My name is Beth Garrison and I'd like to apply for your Project Manager position. I graduated from Bradley University in May 2010, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Sales-Marketing. I then continued my education at Olivet Nazarene University and earned a Masters in Teaching in May of 2013. I recently resigned teaching 2nd-Grade in order to best provide for my family at home. I would still love to use my expertise of marketing, management, and sales to help you with extra tasks. I have a lot of different experiences in marketing. I have done every aspect of sales there is (acquiring customers, retaining customers, cold calls, sales meetings, sales, follow-ups), manage current and potential clients, set-up events, updated websites, worked with CRM software, and many other things. If I am not familiar with a software or program that you use, I can quickly and efficiently learn how to use it. Another fun tidbit about myself, I interned at Make-A-Wish Foundation while I was in college! I love the organization and am extremely motivated to help in any way possible! Knowing that any and all work I do would be helping to fund wishes would be extremely gratifying and motivating.
I am an independent person who likes to figure things out on my own. With that being said though, I'm also not afraid to ask for help. If there is something I don't understand, I figure out who to talk to in order to work it out. I take criticism well and use it to better myself. I believe that I would be an asset to your company. I'd be willing to do and learn whatever task you need me to do.
I know that I can do anything I put my mind to and I would like to discuss in further detail how my qualifications and personality would be a benefit to you. I can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 815-545-7720. I would also be happy to supply you with a list of references if you would like. Thank you for your consideration and time looking at my resume. I look forward to hearing from you.
Beth Garrison


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Do what you do best. This is about making people laugh and you sorted me right out.
As long as no rules have been broken, I don't think there should be a problem with using anything within a player's ability as part of a shot.
I dunno. I do kind of think that madhair's comics are a bit like cheating, as they involve no photoshop work, at all. On the other hand, "Moderated by Skelator" gave me a huge laugh, so I dunno.Nah, I have to go Poisson for actually producing two solid photoshops.
So you're voting against madhair for producing completely original work (i.e. not made up from already existing images and text/fonts)?madhair
Did NoSleep just call us all frauds there??
Just pointing out the contradiction in Kelvin's judgement against madhair. I like and appreciate photomontage.
I don't think there's any contradiction, is there? It's a game of photoshop tennis, and Kelvin's given extra points for actual photoshopping.
madhair's non-photoshops seem to have slipped past the judges if this is meant to be a game of photoshop tennis, then
... a multitude of crudely put-together...
Now he's saying all our pictures are rubbish!
The contradiction is the assumption that madhair's effort are cheating because they are not photoshops. You could argue that photoshopping is easier (or "cheating") as it relies heavily on existing images. But that is not the point in either case; it's the content that is important, not the form (as a multitude of crudely put-together but spot on 'wrongs have shown us over the years).
Well, no, I just feel like Wimblewrong is a photoshop tournament, and although it's fine to bend and break conventions for impact, I think making every shot an MS Paint comic is slightly at odds with the photoshopping concept of Wimblewrong. I think my use use of the word "cheating" was probably too strong, but I do think MS Paint comics require a different set of skills than everyone else is being judged on. Madhair says he only has MS Paint, though, so it's slightly redundant. Plus, I love madhair, and was certainly not trying to be cunty towards him. I certainly don't picture him cackling away in a castle shaped like a skull about all this.
... picture him cackling away in a castle shaped like a skull...
I shouldn't have said cheating. That was the wrong phrase, and implies Madhair was trying to get one past us all. I don't believe that.I simply think that, imo, Wimblemong in a photoshop tournament, and that consistently producing Paint comics requires a different set of skills than photoshopping. Maybe the tournament has moved past photoshops, and people could now submit any type of image. I certainly don't object to specific shots which flout rules.
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At Simple Electrical, we're dedicated to providing a smooth, no-fuss experience for our customers. Our broad range of skills as a trustworthy electrical contractor means you won't need to organise more trades than necessary to get your home functioning just the way you want it.
Need something else? Fill out our contact form and we'll see what we can do.
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Having our highly trained and experienced team in your home, you can rest assured of a neat and standards compliant installation.
See what our customers have to say about our service.
In order to simplify our communications and keep our overheads low, Simple Electrical utilizes an online contact system for bookings, quotes, and questions. We promise quick and informative response. However, if you would prefer to speak by phone please don't hesitate to call Calvin on 0457 130 832.
Please note we are currently servicing Brisbane & Gold Coast only.


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Organic Baby Foods: A Healthier Start to Your Child's Nutrition0
- April 11, 2019
There's no greater joy than seeing your newborn grow up to be a healthy and happy child. As a parent, you'll always want to provide the best for your baby. Newborns have to be fed every two or three hours every day and night. At about four to six months, you'll start making a slowREAD MORE


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Copy of 2 oz Classic Scented Beard Balm & 1 oz Classic Beard Oil
Tennessee Beard Oils are handpoured, using the finest all-natural ingredients available.
Our oils are specially blended to provide smooth, soft skin and facial hair, while promoting beard growth. Massage a few drops (dime-sized amount) into your damp beard to tame wild hairs and provide a soft and smooth lustre. We have unscented beard oil available, and also various scented oils for the rugged, manly "Lumberjack" Man to the smooth "Dapper" Man.
Our beard oil comes in an amber colored bottle, which is great for keeping light out and making the oil stay fresh and last longer
Each bottle is hand poured. We keep a low inventory so you are always getting a fresh, just made product.
Base Ingredients include: Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil and Grapeseed Oil
Scent: Essential Oils
Jojoba Oil - A light, non greasy pure oil, great for moisturizing dry hair, scalp and skin. Excellent for repairing damanged hair, and strengthens and moisturizes hair from inside
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FOR BEST RESULTS: After showering, towel dry your beard. Pour a dime-sized amount into your hand, rub hands together and massage into damp beard and skin.
Beard Balm
Are you looking for a great Beard Balm? You have found it! Tennessee Beard Balm uses a blend of all natural oils and butter to tame your wild beard. Our balm conditions beard, skin and promotes hair growth. This is not a mustache wax, but a small amount of wax is used to hold the oils together.
Ingredients: Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter Jojoba Oil, Argan Oil, Grapeseed Oil Beeswax and Essential Oils
Forest is a blend of Cedar, Pine & Cypress
How to use: After shower, apply a pea size amount of Balm to damp towel dried beard. You larger beards may need a little more.


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John 3:16 Marketing Network Excerpt Tour of
"The Donkey and the King"
Excerpt Five
A donkey longs for an easier life with no heavy burdens and no one to tell him what to do. He runs away and becomes lost, but "good" finds him in the most unlikely of places.
Travel to the Bible lands and meet Baruch, a stubborn donkey, and other lovable animals: Lowly, the pig; Much-Afraid, a small, lame dog; Worldly Crow, who isn't as bright as he thinks he is; and a sheep, Little, sent on a special mission by the King. The ending of the story will delight young readers as they discover "good" exists in the world if they look and listen for it.
When I was young, I hated doing chores. I suppose I was this donkey, rebellious and self-determined, but desperate for a friend—the one friend who would never leave me (or you).
Here is a short excerpt from "The Donkey and the King." This is the third stop on the tour. I hope you will visit all the blogs and participate in the John 3:16 Marketing Network Book Launch and win the grand prize. See details below.
The moon cast dark shadows all around Baruch. Hungry lions
R-O-A-R-E-D in the distance.
The Donkey found a cold, dark cave to sleep in, but there was no soft hay for his bed.
"I miss my friends," he said, as he plopped down on the hard ground.
On every page is the hidden word "good." Can you find it in the drawings above? If not, you can look below and see where the word is hidden.
The unique quality about Kindle-enhanced books is that the drawings and font size can be enlarged for young readers. And for parents who can't find the word, a QR code (a free AP is available for smart phones) and link is provided to facilitate the search. Some pages are more challenging than others (for older readers).
If you enjoyed looking for the mouse in "Goodnight Moon" when you were young, your child will delight in looking for "good" in "The Donkey and the King." The moral: There is good in the world if you look and listen for the King's voice.
"The Donkey and the King"(A Story of Redemption)
99 cents December 1 through December 16
24 reviews, 4.8 stars
Ages 2-6
Book Trailer: http://bit.ly/Donkey_Video
From December 1 through December 16, the John 3:16 Marketing Network is hosting a Christmas Book Launch and "The Donkey and the King" is a featured book.
As part of the event, the Network is offering a $200 Amazon gift e-card to one lucky winner. For a chance to win, go to http://bit.ly/Christian_Books and enter the Rafflecopter (toward the bottom of the page). And be sure and pick up your Kindle version of "The Donkey and the King" for 99 cents at http://bit.ly/Donkey_Kindle


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You will earn 1 point per $1.00 spent AFTER the item(s) are purchased from the shops
that are participating in the Point System.
*The points you will earn is shown below the price on each item under the item description.
*Points will NOT be earned on shipping & handling charges.
*There is NO expiration date on points.
*The point system rules are subject to change at any time.
You can get $1.00 off your next order for every 100 points spent at the 2nd step
of the checkout.
The points can ONLY be used in increments of 100 at the Checkout Example:
100 points = $1.00 off (US Dollars)
200 points = $2.00 off (US Dollars)
*Participating Point System Shop:
AlohaOutlet Select Shop
You can check your points by logging into
My Account
Shopping Guide
Credit Cards Accepted
The charge is made as soon as the item is packed and ready to be shipped.


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Photo courtesy of Flavor Napa
Table spread at Flavor Napa
The best of what to do in and around San Francisco this week
Article continues below advertisement
Music, movies, food, film—this week, San Francisco proves it's a pro at them all. From a tribute to David Bowie and a free Day Wave concert to a tantalizing new pop-up menu from the MINA Group and an Asian-American film fest, there's an indulgence for everyone.
AFAR Local is our weekly insider guide to the best of what's happening in cities around the U.S.
March 12 | Film
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Candy Clark, David Bowie's co-star in the film The Man Who Fell to Earth, will appear at a screening and tribute to the late icon and this strange tale of Bowie as a humanoid alien that has continued to captivate viewers 40 years after its release. Pick your favorite Bowie look and dress up for the event. You'll then be properly dressed for the after-party at the Oasis Nightclub.
6:30 p.m. | Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., San Francisco | (415)621-6120 | From $20 | website
March 13 | Music
Day Wave
Amoeba Music is the city's pivotal record store and so much more (including a medical marijuana evaluation clinic upstairs). Get in the habit of checking out the event calendar, which is consistently full with a diverse slate of free in-store live performances. This weekend, Oakland-based artist Jackson Phillips will present songs from his Day Wave project, an eclectic assemblage of sounds drawing influence from indie rock and synth pop.
2 p.m. | 1855 Haight St., San Francisco | (415) 831-1200 | Free | website
Article continues below advertisement
March 10–20 | Film festival
The 34th annual edition of CAAMFest has mounted an ambitious schedule. Get ready for 11 days of diverse Asian-American films screening across town with significant programming in music, culture, and food, paired with events including a cocktail gathering and a culinary awards show that benefits the host organization CAAM (the Center for Asian-American Media). There will also be panel discussions and a closing party at Oakland's SomaR Bar.
Times and locations vary | San Francisco | From $14 | website
March 16–20 | Escape the city
Flavor! Napa Valley
Spring has practically sprung, and the 40 events that make up Flavor! Napa Valley should be more than enough to entice you to take a drive up to Napa County this week, whether your personal eating-and-drinking style screams brunch party or "Terroir to Table." The events, which include cooking demos, panels and even a chef and winemaker golf tourney, all go to a great cause, too: supporting the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and its programs.
Times and locations vary | Napa County | Free | website
Now open | Restaurant
The Company
Popular San Francisco restaurateur Michael Mina has been presenting a rotating selection of pop-up restaurant concepts for a few months at a time in his Cow Hollow test kitchen. His latest is The Company, a long-brewing exploration of Northern Indian cuisine with the potential to spin-off into a permanent project. Indulge in a multi-course feast served family-style, with large dishes such as a Punjabi fish fry with red chili and curry leaf or Sonoma lamb simmered in yogurt with cloves and stinging nettles.
2120 Greenwich St., San Francisco | From $49 | website
Tamara Palmer is a daily news writer, rapper confidante, DJ, and celebrity chef ghostwriter from San Francisco.
>>Next: Five Expert Tips from a Mileage Addict: The Extra Mile
more from afar


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Renting your RV through RVshare is the safest, easiest, and quickest way to start earning extra cash from your idle RV. You can start earning $100 a day, $200 a day, even $300 a day or more. Put your idle RV to work and let your RV pay you instead of you having to pay for it.
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If you have any questions about renting your RV you can call our customer success team at [email protected] We love helping RV owners turn their idle RV into cash.


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Today Nia & I spent the day in Oakland at Children's Fairyland with our friends Corinne & Cailyn (which is another post, soon to come). Afterward, as Cailyn and Corinne departed for an overdue nap, I turned to Nia. It was only 4p, so I asked if she wanted to head home, too, or stay in Oakland a bit longer. She opted to stay in Oakland. I thought a little while and then we had this conversation:
Me: Do you want to take a boat to San Francisco & get some dinner?
Nia, staring at me: What?! Really, a boat?! For real?
Priceless reaction! Yep, for real. So we drove around a bit till we found Jack London Square and the Ferry launch. And I double high-fived myself for making this bit seem pretty easy even though I had no idea where I was going (though driving toward the ocean was a give-away). And after a brief wait we were on our way.
My plan was pretty simple: Dine at the Ferry Building in SF then turn around and go back. Unfortunately, the Ferry Building is more of a daytime establishement. But a few things were open. We ended up sharing a really lovely meal at Il Cane Rosso. Got to say it felt pretty cool to hang out with my kiddo and enjoy the view of the Bay Bridge.
(Amazingly tender meatball, polenta, chard, & garlic bread.)
Afterward we hung out in The Book Passage a bit and shared a cookie. Then we were ready to go... but the ferry was not there. That was a chilly hour while we waited, and I regretted we didn't have more clothes, but we got back to the car in Oakland by 9:15p and Nia was asleep by 9:30p.
Done and done.
PS. Nia left this behind on the table at the restuarant.
She was so proud!


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We've said (probably more than once) that we would follow the entire Battery Point Sculpture Trail one day. Well that day finally arrived, and we did it. And because we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, we're sharing that experience with you. Because that's what we do!
Hobart Walk: Battery Point Sculpture Trail
The Battery Point Sculpture Trail was created about five years ago by Hobart-based design studio Futago, in conjunction with artist Judith Abell and writer Chris Viney. The award-winning public arts project is an interpretive walking trail delving into the history of the waterfront precinct.
Visitors follow a trail of nine individual sculptures, each installation a particular number depicting measures of time, date, weight or amount. A relevant story-board accompanies each number with details of the number's relevance to Hobart's historic suburb of Battery Point.
Each sculpture is unique; but they're all large numbers. They all have interpretive panels with explanatory information nearby. You'd be hard-pressed to miss one… but somehow we managed to! We had planned to follow the Battery Point Sculpture Trail in one direction, then divert back through the village via Kellys Steps and Arthur Circus on the home run.
When we reached the end-point, we realised we'd missed one of the sculptures. So we retraced our steps along the waterfront, determined to see all nine sculptures. Besides, we'd neglected to carry money with us and the whole point of the diversion was to enjoy coffee and cake!
From Errol Flynn Reserve, Sandy Bay
We probably spent about an hour walking one-way, but we certainly weren't setting a cracking pace.
To begin the walk, we parked the car near the Errol Flynn Reserve at the northern end of Marieville Esplanade in Sandy Bay. You can start walking from either end of the linear trail, but we chose Sandy Bay (in sight of Wrest Point Casino across the beach) for parking purposes. We weren't sure we'd find a suitable car park in Salamanca Place, but as it turned out we needn't have worried.
You can download a brochure for the Battery Point Sculpture Trail, but it's hardly necessary to carry a map once you start the journey. Clear directional markers provide a very good guide as you make your way along.
The trail is dog-friendly, although having a pooch with you will obviously limit your options should you wish to partake in said coffee and cake. Walking is via regular, council-supplied footpaths through residential areas; there are lovely homes and gardens to admire along the way. Some of the larger waterfront homes must have the most magnificent views over the Derwent River to the eastern shore of Hobart.
Great Things to Do in Hobart
There's some really fascinating information about historical sites in Hobart…
Twice a day, a metal float sinks into a saltwater-filled pit cut through a rock beneath the tiny building opposite. Twice a day, the float rises with the tide. Robert Huckson's gauge has been working since December 1889. Behind the tide-house there's a square socket cut into a stone step. It's the positioning point for a surveyor's staff. Measured at exactly 12.43 feet above sea level, the socket was the base datum point for all levels surveyed in Tasmania. ~ Hobart City Council
Having now completed the Battery Point Sculpture Trail (finally!) we'd give the walk a resounding thumbs-up along with the many other great things to do in Hobart. The sight of Napoleon Street, a very steep hill proceeding from the 1909 sculpture in Errol Flynn Reserve, was a little shock to the system, but that was the only minor hurdle we faced.
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52homeFiled under Biblical Womanhood | 52home
11:55 a.m.
The following interview with Nancy Guthrie from Desiring God Live is both comforting and compelling—in particular the first half where she shares her testimony of God's grace in the midst of the grief of losing two children. Here is a brief introduction to Nancy from the DG blog and the video is below. We'd encourage you to watch or listen:
In today's modern world, few parents have to face the bitter task of burying a child that they love. But David and Nancy Guthrie have faced the grave twice now, burying two children who lived only six months.
When Nancy gave birth to a daughter, Hope, in 1998, club feet, extreme lethargy, an inability to suck, and a number of other small problems hinted at something more significant. On her second day of life, Hope was diagnosed with Zellweger Syndrome, a rare metabolic disorder that is characterized by the reduction or absence of peroxisomes (cell structures that rid the body of toxic substances) in the cells of the liver, kidneys, and brain. There is no treatment and no cure for Zellweger Syndrome and most children with the syndrome live less than six months.
For Nancy, her husband David, and their son, Matt, the diagnosis was devastating and disappointing. Hope's brief life—a life of only 199 days— made a significant impact on them and those around them, causing them to dig deep into their faith to make sense of such suffering.
When it comes to books, there are really two categories: the Bible, and everything else. While the great works of men certainly reflect our Lord's creativity, the Bible contains the very Words of God. That's why the psalmist appropriately gushes, "More to be desired are they than gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10).
And that's why Horatius Bonar warns: "See that your relish for the Bible be above every other enjoyment, and the moment you begin to feel greater relish for any other book, lay it down till you have sought deliverance from such a snare, and obtained from the Holy Spirit an intenser relish, a keener appetite for the Word of God (Jer 15:16)."
Yesterday we received a sweet email about a woman with a keen appetite for the Word of God. Jayne writes that, "My Dad's favorite memory of his mother is of her kneading bread on the kitchen counter with her Bible open, dusted by the flour. She had 11 children and made all the family bread from scratch each day. Money was in very short supply but her love of the Word was plentiful. Working within her limitations of strength, time & duty, she found a way to fill her days with reading the Word."
Similarly, Donald Whitney points to the example of another woman whose "longings for the things of God reached as high as ever" even when "her time and energy had new and severe limits."
So if you find your relish for God's Word has diminished, then pray as the Psalmist did: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (Psalm 119:18). Then dust off your Bible and read.
—from the archives


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What is a Homestead Exemption?
A homestead exemption is designed to remove part of the value of your primary residence from taxation, effectively lowering your taxes. For example, if your home is appraised at $100,000, and you qualify for a $25,000 exemption (this is the amount mandated for school districts), you will pay school taxes on the home as if it was worth only $75,000. Taxing units have the option to offer a separate exemption, too. Click here to read about how to know if you qualify for Homestead Exemptions and what kind of exemptions are available to all homeowners.
Deadline to File:
You can apply for a Homestead Exemption as early as January 1 and no later than April 30. You can now file your Travis County Exemption online!
Homestead Exemption Requirements:
In order to apply for a Homestead Exemption, you must own your home as well as occupy your home as your principal residence on January 1 of the year for which you are requesting an exemption.
- You must own your home as of January 1
- You must occupy your home as your principal residence as of January 1
- Your driver's license needs to be from the Texas Department of Public Safety (TX DPS) and the address must match the homestead address.
Types of Homestead Exemptions:
There are several types of exemptions you may receive.
- School taxes: All residence homestead owners may receive a Homestead Exemption from their home's value for school taxes.
- County taxes: If a county collects a special tax for farm-to-market roads or flood control, a residence homestead owner may receive an exemption for this tax. If the county grants an optional exemption for homeowners age 65 or older or disabled, the owners will receive only the local-option exemption.
- Age 65 or older and disabled exemptions: Individuals 65 and older and/or disabled residence homestead owners may qualify for a Homestead Exemption for school taxes, in addition to the exemption for all homeowners. If the owner qualifies for both the exemption for 65 and older homeowners and the exemption for disabled homeowners, the owner must choose one or the other for school taxes. The owner cannot receive both exemptions. Click here to to read about exemptions, limitations and special instructions for homeowners age 65 and over and homeowners with disabilities.
- Optional percentage exemptions: Any taxing unit including a city, county, school, or special district may offer an exemption of a percentage of a home's value. Each taxing unit decides if it will offer the exemption and at what percentage. This percentage exemption is added to any other home exemption for which an owner qualifies. The taxing unit must decide before July 1 of the tax year to offer this exemption.
- Optional 65 or older or disabled exemptions: Any taxing unit may offer an additional exemption amount for taxpayers age 65 or older and/or disabled.
- Disabled veteran homeowners: Click here for more information about exemptions, limitations and special instructions for disabled veteran homeowners.


text: The AUD/USD pair initially fell during the open on Thursday, but then rallied to test the 0.70 level. We still think there is more than enough resistance above to keep this market down though, so we don't have any real interest in buying. We think that an exhaustive candle could be an opportunity to start selling, especially if we can remain below the previous uptrend line that is marked on this chart. We have still quite a few concerns coming out of China, and as the Australian dollar is used as a proxy for that economy, we expect more weakness.


text: no. (roses_rejoice) wrote, 2008-09-11 23:39:00 no. roses_rejoice 2008-09-11 23:39:00 Previous Share Flag Next Anus Boy!! IOS, perhaps wondering (if they haven't already figured out) why they have gotten a zillion hits but very few orders this month, has now put up a new version of The Doll Named ANUS, this time done up as a boy. It's not like somebody (including me) hadn't already thought of that, since we're always happily skewing genders in dorrie land, but a boy doll named ANUS perfectly embodies the 75% yaoi culture surrounding this whole milieu. I know I'm getting way too much juvenile kix out of this sitch, but damn did I ever need a good belly laugh this week.Edited to add, ANUS is now also up for auction on Yahoo!Japan... AH CAIN'T KWIT CHOO, ANUS! Subscribe Post a new comment Error Comments allowed for friends only Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post We will log you in after post Anonymously switch LiveJournal Facebook Twitter OpenId Google MailRu VKontakte Anonymously default userpic Your reply will be screened Your IP address will be recorded Post a new comment Preview comment Help 0 comments Post a new comment 0 comments


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Edmonton plumbing supplies
Edmonton plumbing supplies:
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Tel: 587 410 4277
Fax:780 463 6143
Monday-Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday closed
We Stock a Large Inventory of Plumbing Repair Parts
The Mr. Faucet Plumbing Store is our retail outlet providing parts and products to homeowners and the handyman.
Come and visit us weekdays from 9 to 5.
We specialize in Delta, Moen and American Standard faucets and parts. We also stock complete toilet assemblies from Toto and American Standard.
Check us out for all of your plumbing parts needs.
About Us
Our Edmonton plumbing staff is here to help you. Pro Plumbing & Heating has served the Greater Edmonton area, Sherwood Park and St Albert with our Mr. Faucet location since 1988. Our professional plumbers truly enjoy working with people.
When you contact us, you'll get nothing less than the full attention of one of our expertly trained staff.
At Pro Plumbing & Heating, we're not satisfied until you are. You'll especially be satisfied with our prices — $99 an hour and $55 for a service call.
Pro Plumbing & Heating Ltd.
6906 Whyte Ave NW
Edmonton, Alberta T6B 0E7
Phone: 587 410 4277
Text Us: 780-445-0986
Google+ Reviews
Copyright © 2020 Pro Plumbing & Heating Edmonton. All Rights Reserved. Online Marketing & Designed & Marketing by Rapid Boost Marketing


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NFL Wild Card games lackluster. None of the teams seemed well coached or strong enough to make it to the Super Bowl. Silly rules changes and officiating. More wounded warriors.
The Golden Globes were duller than ever. Sandra and Andy no chemistry and the snow flakes wouldn't let them tell any funny jokes. Women's skin all out there. Don't look, though! They'll sue you. Hypocrisy of Hollywood knows no bounds. However. It was a good night for Levine's.
Gary Levine, head of Showtime programming and Chuck Lorre (aka Levine). Why did Chuck change his name from Levine to Lorre?
"The reason I changed my name was simple. My mother, never a fan of my father's family, had an unfortunate habit of using Levine as a stinging insult. When displeased with me, she would often say/shriek, "You know what you are? You're a Levine! A no good, rotten Levine!"
But. Then he realized that in England he'd become Chuck Truck.


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ATW Companies Consolidates Firearms Operations
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Monday, April 1, 2013
ATW Companies has relocated the gun-magazine manufacturing operations of its Metalform division from New Britain, CT, to its headquarters facility in Warwick, RI. Metalform's process capabilities include deep drawing, stamping and pistol-magazine (38- and 45-caliber and 9-mm) fabrication. ATW, which acquired Metalform in 2011, performs CNC machining, metal-injection molding, laser cutting and stamping.
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Together with two friends I have a monthly Tolkien podcast in Swedish, called "Tolkienpodden".
This summer we went to Oxford to visit the Tolkien exhibition at the Bodleian Library. During our visit to the city, we had the opportunity to meet and interview some really interesting people: Catherine McIlwaine, Tolkien archivist at the Bodleian Libraries, curator of the Tolkien Exhibition at the library and author of the accompanying book; Dr Stuart Lee, professor at the English faculty at Merton College and co-author and editor of several books about Tolkien; and Dr Courtenay Phillips, emeritus fellow in chemistry at Merton College and a former colleague of Tolkien. Since these interviews might be of interesting to a non-Swedish speaking audience we created a special episode, our first in English, where we edited together the three interviews. You may find the episode here: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ben44-98f105
The podcast is also availabe through all regular podcast channels.


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Yesterday the $WSJ had this article on the economics and cash flows of the shale industry. The overall point is logical that if cost increases continue the cost of capital may go up for shale producers and point to it reaching the economic limits of its expansion. I agree with the general thrust of the article in that if the industry isn't as profitable as forecast the cost of capital will increase, but this comment is being taken out of context by some:
Of course they didn't… they are investing for even higher production next year… the comment "within their means" is pejorative and not a reflection of economic reality. That is a sign of confidence from the firms and their financial backers that their output can be sold at a profitable price. The price signal from both the oil and the capital markets is strong.
I also received a comment yesterday with a link to this comment. I don't think this is a big deal to anyone with a basic understanding of finance because they get this… but then again I have lost count of the number of people who repeat back to me that no one makes money from shale.
I wonder if this isn't becoming part of the great "Gotcha" narrative that aims to prove that shale isn't a viable production methodology? Like the CEO of Shell is going to wake up next Tuesday and say "after reading the article in the WSJ we are going to stop investing in shale. Thank goodness I read that or I would never have realised we will never make money from it!" As if those investing literally tens of billions had no idea of the cash flow profile of their assets?
The overall article is interesting only in that it points to what appears to be the current "productive efficiency" of shale, not its demise. The point of the article isn't that you can't make money from shale it is that at the margin now it is becoming less profitable and that may affect the pricing of capital. Bear in mind before you read the rest of this post the scale of the increase in absolute oil production shown in the graph above and the amount of capital required to finance this.
For those not versed in accounting cash flow negative might seem like a big deal but it's not. A casflow statement is made up of Cash From Operations [CFO] (+/-) Cash flows from investing [CFI](+/-) Cash flows from financing [CFF]. It balances with the cash at bank at the start of the period and at the end. Free Cash Flow to the firm is simply the sum of the first two… You would expect the number to be negative in a capital-intensive industry, like shale oil extraction, when you are seeking to grow output volumes significantly, particularly when a number of firms are new entrants into the industry and not financing from retained earnings. You are spending capital to get future revenue and you need to borrow or raise equity to do this. Collectively as all the firms in the industry deepen the capital base for ever higher production they are using more cash than they are generating currently. (I am aware that there are a number of definitions of Free Cash Flow but this appears to be the Factset one and the generally accepted one of FCFF).
If you buy an offshore drilling rig for $1bn and get 100m in operating cash flow for year 1 then your (highly simplified and representative) cash flow statement reads: CFO +100m: CFI -$1bn. That is your "Free Cash Flow" [FCF] is -$900m. It is balanced (all going well) by CFF +900. You own an oil rig that lasts for 20 years but in year 1 you were down $900m in FCF. You can buy as many rigs as you want and be FCF negative (like Seadrill) for as long as you can keep CFF >= CFO+ CFI i.e. you have access to debt or equity markets. That is all that is happening in shale collectively.
If these were operating cash flow negative then there would be a massive issue. But as this research from the Dallas Federal Reserve (March 2018) makes clear there is no problem with operating cash:
Or indeed with profitably drilling wells at the current oil price (i.e. including financing):
For as long as investors believe that in the future the oil price attainable by these E&P companies is sufficient to return capital, and funding markets remain open, then spending more on Operating Income + CapEx combined is no problem. There is rollover risk in the debt but that is a seperate risk and appears to be pretty minimal at the moment.
Pioneer is an embodiment of this: in the first six months of 2018 it generated ~$1.5bn from operations (i.e. selling oil and gas) [CFO], spent ~$1bn on investments (actually nearly $2bn but it sold some stuff as well) [CFI], and then paid back debt of $450m and purchased ~$50m of shares. But some smaller companies who have come in recently will have spent far more on CapEx than they will earn in CFO.
When I have talked about the 'virtuous cycle' of capital deepening in prior posts this is part of that network effect of decreasing risks and increasing returns for all involved in the ecosystem. E.g. if Trafigura build an export facility for 2m b/per day it lowers the risk for every E&P company (and their financiers) that they can sell more oil profitably. So more investment comes into the sector in an ever-expanding circle, lower costs, replacing labour with capital. That is what appears to be happening here. The limits of this process are there and are hinted at in the WSJ:
Permian production will be up 19-24% according to Pioneer so it's not all bad. Costs are increasing as the Permian reaches the constraints of labour and capital as has been well documented. Some of these will disappear with new pipelines and other capital deepening, e.g. a replacement of capital over labour as excess surplus is currently trucked or railed out, but some will continue given the huge increase in absolute production volumes. It is no surprise that with such a huge percentage increase in production that at the margin each incremental barrel becomes more expensive in the short-run, but then the capital deepening effect will kick in and the long-run cost curve will decline, as always in mass-production, and then the unit costs drop again… ad infinitum…
Pioneer are saying with that statement is that their marginal output on capital is declining slightly this year as cost increases have not kept pace with productivity improvements. That isn't surprising because the sheer volume of output increased has consistently surprised on the upside. If the project costs increase 10% and this isn't covered with higher prices and/or productivity improvements then investors will change their price of capital to reflect diminished expectations.
But this production capacity isn't going away. The rigs have been built. The pipelines have been, or are being, built; the same goes for export terminals etc. The capital base of the industry has increased massively and is facing some teething problems. But in a little 4 over years the US tight oil industry has driven US production up to over 11m b/ per day in 2018, over 6m b/ per day of that from shale up from ~4m b/ per day in 2017.
What should really worry those in the offshore community is that this is an industry that increased production 50% in a calendar year before hitting the limits of economic growth, and it did this while increasing productivity and lowering unit costs. Someone isn't waking up next Tuesday and realising it has all been a massive mistake and turning the tap of funding or production off. The US shale industry is a deep and entrenched part of the energy mix now. Current forecasts might be out by a few hundred thousand barrels a day but they are not going to be out by millions. This production is real and permanent with profound implications.
The core logic of the WSJ article is surely right: A rise in the costs of shale relative to output signals the limit of the economic efficiency and therefore the diminishing returns to capital may make it more expensive for shale E&P firms to fund new projects. Shale and offshore compete for E&P company CapEx and if the cost of funding shale projects rises (on a productivity measured basis) that should increase relative demand for offshore as a substitute. But the Free Cash Flow from an offshore project is massively negative in the short-run and over time has higher yields, whereas the reduced CapEx commitment, despite its lower margin, is one of the chief attractions of shale. Cash for investment is not the issue.
I think it sits uncomfortably with forecasters who claim that day rates for jack-ups will double within two years, or other such notions, and it does not seem to be incorporated in the strategic planning assumptions of a large number of offshore companies or investors where the logical outcomes of such data sit uncomfortably. The offshore industry built a fleet to handle 2013 demand when shale was producing ~2.5m barrels a day, it is now producing 6m and is growing faster than the overall oil market growth and forecast to do so until 2021 at least.
Hard strategic questions arise for the offshore industry: how do we compete in an industry which faces potentially declining market share for our underlying product at the margin? How do we compete in an industry when a competitor with a different business model has taken 10% of global market share in the space of 5 years and we buy 25 year assets funded on short-term contracts? What level of asset base shrinkage does the offshore industry require to be competitive? How many firms will have to liquidate given this necessary shrinkage? What will the surviving firms look like? How much can they realistically expect to make? What are our assets worth?
There are a lot more questions based around this logic. But if you are simply expecting a day-rate increase and a demand side boom based on shale magically running out of cash at some future point I think you are going to be very disappointed.


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These taste just like the canned Pork n Beans that you would get from the grocery store.
These dried white beans were slow cooked in water for about 9 hours, and then for another 30 minutes to an hour with the flavorful sauce.
They were delicious on toast for breakfast this morning, and the rest have been portioned out into 1 cup containers and frozen for later uses in chilis, taco meat, or just eating plain.
Overnight Baked Beans
2 cups Dried white beans
4 cups Water
1/4 C Ketchup
1/3 C Brown Sugar (unpacked)
2 TB Cooking Molasses
1/2 tsp Onion Salt
1 tsp Ground Mustard Powder
Dash of fresh ground Pepper
Night Before: Combine beans and water in a 3QT Slow Cooker. Cover and let cook on Low for 8-10 hours or until beans have soaked up a lot of the water. Keep in mind, once the beans are completely soft and cooked there will be some water in the crock pot.
Next morning: Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cook on High for about 30 minutes to blend flavors.
Makes approx. 4 cups.


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Many of my clients complain about a lack of sleep and come to me for answers. While everyone is different, I tend to pick apart their diet a little bit before anything else. And I've noticed a few trends with those who are insomniacs. These are the top foods that disrupt sleep, be sure to avoid them before your next workout or run.
Foods that disrupt sleep
- Coconut oil: Hexadecanoic acid may interfere with your ability to clock a solid eight hours of sleep.
- Tea: Green and black teas contain caffeine and theobromine, which can act like a diuretic and increase your heart rate. Stick to herbal and non-caffeinated tea.
- Chocolate: Same ingredients as Green and black tea.
- Alcohol: While it may seem like alcohol helps you feel drowsy, it actually makes it difficult to go into a deep sleep. Also, a hangover is definitely not a good way to start a run or workout.
- Steak: Eating foods high in saturated fat like steak interferes with deep sleep. They also take longer to digest, which could lead to indigestion keeping you up at night.
- Soda :Regularly consuming caffeine and sugar has been linked to short sleep duration.
- Chips and Salsa: Heartburn and extra trips to the bathroom are side effects of spicy foods and extra sodium. Go for guac with a side of crudités instead.
- Water: Don't chug all your water before bed, instead spread it out throughout the day in order to avoid multiple bathroom breaks in the middle of the night.
- Ice Cream: Foods high in saturated fat and sugar and low in fiber tend to result in less restorative sleep with more midnight waking. If the craving calls make "nice" cream by blending one frozen banana with 1/2 cup of fruit or a tablespoon of nut butter.
- Tomato Sauce: The acidity of tomatoes can cause heartburn and tomato sauce also contains the amino acid tyramine. This triggers the brain to release norepinehrine, a stimulant that boosts brain activity and inhibits sleep.
Do you have trouble sleeping at night?


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- 27Shares
The other day, I killed three homeschooling birds with one stone. Math, Science, and Character Building lessons were all taught in one unfortunate equation:
125 lbs of organic wheat + 4 months of procrastination = one billion weevils
It all started one day last week, when my three year old came to me with a tightly closed fist, obviously concealing some great prize. Grinning proudly, she looked up at me and exclaimed, "Look Mommy!" And she opened her grasp to reveal a palm-full of little black bugs, scattering in a mad-dash for freedom.
I looked closely, not recognizing what they were, then shrugged it off and told her to throw them outside. Honestly, it's no big thing to find bugs in our house. We've had plenty of critters visit us this year; ladybugs, stinkbugs, ants, spiders, wheelbugs… yep, we get 'em all. So to find another creepy crawly in the house was nothing out of the ordinary. I figured, as long as they didn't hurt anybody they warranted no concern.
The next day, Xia found a few more of those bugs. I found her playing with them in her bed when she was supposed to be napping. Later that evening she had a jar with even more to show me.
Still, I didn't really give it any more thought other than, "Hmph, that's strange. I wonder what those are…"
But on the third day, when Xia brought yet another jar crawling with little black unidentified bugs to me, I realized I might need to investigate into this a little further. Obviously, this was more than just a couple of bugs getting in.
"Xia," I asked her after she proudly displayed her "friends", "where are you finding these bugs?" Her bright eyes lit up with excitement as she ran to show me what seemed to be like hidden treasure to her.
"In there," she grinned and pointed, "in the closet!"
Uh-oh. Her closet.
The closet where I had bags and bags of wheat stored.
Oh gosh. I hesitated, afraid of what I'd find.
After pausing for a moment, I opened the door. And there, easily spotted against the contrasting color of white bucket lids, were hundreds of tiny black bugs. As my eyes scanned the small space, I focused on more of them making their way up the walls, and the door frame, and the door…
They were EVERYWHERE!
I quickly closed the door, knowing full well it wouldn't keep them in. But still. Yikes.
Although I'd never seen one before, I had a pretty good guess what these critters might be. A quick google search confirmed what I already knew in my heart.
Weevils. Those little funny-nosed bugs that hatch out in bags of rice, beans, and grains, and destroy your food if you haven't properly stored it.
Oh, wait, you mean you didn't know there were bug eggs in your food? Oh yes my friends, if you have dry grains or beans, you can guarantee you're eating bug eggs. Don't worry, they won't hurt you. It's just kinda creepy to think about. But if you leave those grains long enough, and haven't taken some precautions to treat the food (more on that in a moment), you will have weevils hatching out in your pantry.
And that is exactly what happened.
I was right about the closet door not containing them. Upon closer examination, I found tons of weevils all around the perimeter of Xia's room. In the corners of the baseboard, behind her bed and dresser, in the wooden chest full of blankets, and even escaping her bedroom and fleeing down the hallway. Toward the kitchen!
Great. I really should have investigated on Day One. Now they've got a lead.
Enlisting the children in the hunt, our first task was to collect as many escaping weevils as we could find and flush them down the toilet. The kids, of course, thought this was great fun, and made a game of who could find the most. I was grateful for their enthusiasm, and their keen eyesight!
We focused on the positives while we worked. At least they don't sting, or bite, or fly.
One female weevil can lay up to about 250 eggs; we had to get every single weevil out of the house to avoid further infestation. Each and every item in Xia's room had to be thoroughly examined and then removed if I was to find all of the bugs.
As you can imagine, this process took the good part of the day. Every single blanket in the chest, every piece of clothing, every toy, every everything had to be looked over, then taken to another room in the house.
When the room was clear of everything except the dresser and the bed frame, I hauled the vacuum in. With hose in hand, I readied myself to tackle the closet with a vengeance. The kids watched from behind as I forcefully sucked up every little black speck I could find. When all but the weevils-in-hiding were enjoying their new home in my vacuum canister, every single item in the closet had to be examined and removed.
I know. Fun times.
About nine hours into the project, I was finally ready to really tackle the issue. The bags of wheat, which I had totally put off storing, had been not-so-patiently waiting for me in two large cardboard barrels. They have a lovely, locking plastic lid which seals and gives the illusion of safe-keeping. And so, tucked nicely in my daughter's closet, they had pretty much been forgotten about.
Well, Jada made the observation that one of these barrels' lid was askew. "That's how they're getting out!" she determined. And indeed, she was right. I shuttered at the thought of what was going on in the other, still closed barrel. One disaster at a time.
I cautiously removed the lid from the opened barrel and Jada and I gasped in horror at… not what we saw (we were prepared for that)… at what we heard!
The sound, it was coming from the uppermost bag of wheat in the stack.
Crunching. Crackling. The sound of a million moving and munching insects inside the bag, destroying my grains. It was horrifyingly loud. Like Rice Krispies popping in milk. And the sound continued, even after I quickly covered it back over. How did we not hear this before?!
Jada and I looked at each other. Now what?! I wasn't about to take that creepy crawly bag out of the barrel to remove it! I had to get the entire barrel outside before I attempted to remove the infested bag. Problem was, with five 25-pound bags of wheat inside of it, that barrel weighed more than I did! How was I to get it outside?
I remembered Jerry had a hand-truck out in his pickup. Just what I needed! I went and got it, and with a little heaving and hoeing, it was on the dolly and out the door in just a few minutes.
I wheeled the barrel to the waterstove. As much as I hated to do it, I was going to have to destroy that bag of wheat. And fire seemed like the best way to do it.
But first. Jada was DYING to see inside of the noisy sack. As freaky as it was, there was some driving curiosity which led both of us to have to know if it was as bad in there as our imaginations led us to believe.
As my scissors got closer to the crunching and crackling bag, I almost couldn't do it. Did we really have to see what was in there?
Yes. For the sake of appeasing my daughter's raging curiosity, I did.
And yes. It was as bad as I'd imagined. Lovely. Aren't we glad we looked.
I donned leather work gloves, and quickly hoisted the bag up and tossed it into the open waterstove's firebox. Wheat and weevils spilled out of the open bag, and I grabbed some tinder to start a fire with.
One bag down.
I looked into the barrel to find the other four bags of wheat covered in the crawling black bugs. I determined I had to open each one to know whether or not it was worth salvaging before just chucking them all. And that's what I did.
I prayed that I wouldn't have to learn this lesson too expensively.
And to my complete shock and delight, three of those bags had zero weevils in them, and one had minimal infestation. Saved!! Immediately, I washed four buckets and lids, dried them, lined them with mylar bags, filled them with the clean wheat, dropped a 2000cc oxygen absorber into each bag, sealed them with a hair straightening iron, and covered the buckets with lids.
I did this even with the one with a few weevils in it. The O2 absorbers will kill any living bugs, and will prevent eggs from hatching. I just marked the buckets to remind me to sift the wheat before using it.
Thank goodness 100 lbs of wheat was spared!
With that out of the way, I turned my attention toward the other barrel in the closet. ANOTHER 125 lbs of organic wheat. I cringed at the thought of what I would find in there. Would they be infested, too? It took me a minute of struggling with the lid before I finally got it off.
Relief flooded my soul as I found no weevils inside. And again, I quickly got the wheat properly stored.
Nothing like a good ol' bug infestation to kick you in the hind end with a dose of motivation!
Once the second barrel was removed from the closet, I worked well into the night vacuuming the weevils that kept coming out of the woodwork. I even had to pull the carpet up in the closet to hurry the process. Those little guys love to hide in the nooks and crannies of the molding, and only come out when they feel it is safe to do so.
We were blessed that not all of our 250 lbs of wheat was ruined!
After setting the living bag of wheat ablaze in the waterstove, it dawned on me that I should have fed it to the chickens instead. A smack-your-forehead kinda moment. Fortunately, the wheat didn't easily ignite, and only the bag burned a bit. I've been scooping the grains out of the firebox and tossing them to the chickens, so it wasn't a total loss.
What's frustrating is that I KNEW BETTER! I knew weevils could hatch out in my wheat. I guess I just figured I had more time than just a few months. Maybe it depends upon the bag itself. I dunno. But take a tip from me- get it stored properly right away! If you don't have oxygen absorbers, you can freeze your grains for several days and that will kill bug eggs as well.
It has been five days since the cleanup, and we're still finding random weevils throughout the house.
Oh look! Xia just brought me two more. How lovely.
Whenever one is spotted on the floor, or wall, or countertop, we dutifully pick it up and drop it into the potty. Fortunately, their numbers are dwindling to one or two a day. We're over the hump, it seems.
(I promise I don't do stupid things just to have something to blog about.)
And that's how to get rid of weevils. One stinking bug at a time.
- 27Shares


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Wenming Zou, Martin Schechter
Since the birth of the calculus of variations, researchers have discovered that variational methods, when they apply, can obtain better results than most other methods. Moreover, they apply in a very large number of situations. It was realized many years ago that the solutions of a great number of problems are in effect critical points of functionals. Critical Point Theory and Its Applications presents some of the latest research in the area of critical point theory. Researchers have obtained many new results recently using this approach, and in most cases comparable results have not been obtained with other methods. This book describes the methods and presents the newest applications.
The topics covered in the book include extrema, even valued functionals, weak and double linking, sign changing solutions, Morse inequalities, and cohomology groups. The applications described include Hamiltonian systems, Schrödinger equations and systems, jumping nonlinearities, elliptic equations and systems, superlinear problems and beam equations. Many minimax theorems are established without the use of the (PS) compactness condition.


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In order to the orthodontic experience as stress-free as possible for our new patients, Wright Orthodontics is happy to provide our patient forms online, so you can complete them prior to your visit with our orthodontists in Vernal, Heber City, and Roosevelt, Utah. By filling out our forms ahead of time, you can see Dr. William Wright and Dr. Todd Wright even sooner! If you have any questions, we welcome you to contact us at 435-789-5070.
Online Forms are only available through the Google Chrome web-browser. (mobile version not supported)
Click here to download Google Chrome.


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BAGMA -Burton & Garran Hall Members Association is B&G's resident committee which organises all the social, cultural and sporting events and represents the students of the hall. There are 18 elected residents that sit on BAGMA, each in charge of a specific portfolio.
Arts & Cultural
To organise the executive for the B&G theatre production. To organise competitors for the Inter-hall arts shield events including: Trivia, Chess, Big Night Out, Debating, Public Speaking, Arts Show, Poetry Slam, Choir, Dance Night, Talent Show, and Theatre Sports. Also to organise cultural events at B&G such as live music nights.
This team includes 2 returning residents and a first year representative.
Communications & Media
To produce the term and fortnightly calendars of events to go up around the college. To run the Communications sub-committee to assist them in taking photos at BAGMA events.
This team is made up of two returning residents.
To organise numerous community events such as the Murder and RAOK weeks, the fortnightly breakfast club, as well as charity based events such as shave for a cure and a charity auction. Also organises applications for the setting up and funding of B&G clubs and societies.
- President
- The President's role is to organise the rest of the team and to represent the view of the students to college administration. They chair weekly BAGMA meetings and the General meeting each semester.
- Vice President – Administration
- The role of the VP Admin is to organise the sponsorship for the hall, to take minutes at the meetings and the General Meetings and to organise the yearbook committee to assist them in compiling the yearbook. They are also in charge of BAGMA's Facebook pages and BAGMA's section of the Redbacks website.
- Vice President – Social
- The VP Social's role is to organise the Social life at B&G. Their role includes organising the B&G Mid-year Ball and Mr B&G. As well as organising bar nights throughout the year. Also to run the Social Sub-committee to assist them in organising these events and planning Bush Week.
- Treasurer
- To decide on the budget through consultation with the rest of the committee. To keep track of the budget. To go on shopping trips with committee members.
Organises environmental initiatives at the college.
This portfolio includes end of contract recycling programs, veggie garden management and the clean tea towel initiative.
Organises Holi and the Multicultural Ball as well as advocate for and represent the views of International students at the college.
This team is made up of both a returning resident and a new resident.
To organise events for and to represent the views of Post-Graduate and Honours students at the college.
To organise sports teams to compete in the Inter-hall Sports shield, including hockey, ultimate Frisbee, volleyball, rugby league, softball, basketball, soccer, netball, AFL, touch football, cricket, and road relay and athletics carnival. Also to run social sports once a term.
This team includes 3 returning residents and a first year representative.


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1412 Baffin Cove, Round Rock Texas, 78664
Another Great Home Sold by Premiere Team Real Estate - Remodeled, move-in ready 5 bedroom home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Chandler Creek and Round Rock ISD. Recent hand scraped style laminate wood flooring, 18" hard tile in kitchen and baths, interior and exterior paint, granite counters, stainless appliances, lighting and plumbing fixtures, 2" blinds in all windows, ceiling fans throughout. Kitchen with center island opens to family room. Walk-in closets in all bedrooms. HVAC compressor replaced and system serviced and tuned up. Double-pane windows. Low maintenance landscaping in front yard. Neighborhood amenities include community pool, playscape, picnic area, and jogging/bike trails. Another great home for sale in Chandler Creek, Round Rock, Texas.
Property Features and Details
- Listing Type: Sold Listings
- Property Type: House
- City: Round Rock
- Neighborhood: Chandler Creek
- List vs. Sale Price: 104%
Interior Features
- Fresh paint
- Granite counter tops
- New Flooring
- Open Island Kitchen
Exterior Features
- 1 Side Masonry
- Cul-De-Sac
- Fresh Paint
- Low Maintenance Landscaping
Other Features
- Ceiling fans
- Double Pane Windows
- Stainless Steel Appliances
- Walk In Closets
Neighborhood Amenities
- Community Pool
- Hike/bike trails
- Round Rock ISD
- Williamson County


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TE 846 - Literacy Case Study - Update 1
For my case study, I will be instructing my students in the use of root words (lesson 1) and context clues (lesson 2) in order to improve reading comprehension. I have noticed an increasing problem with poor vocabulary skills in my students, causing difficulties in understanding unfamiliar words. I plan to teach the lessons to two of my fourth graders, one who is labeled a struggling reader and the other an advanced reader, and compare the results afterward. I will preassess the students using the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test in reading as well as through DIBELS with the retelling element. Progress throughout the period of the study will be measured with the DIBELS retelling, vocabulary activities, and discussion. The final determination of success will be measured with another MAP test and DIBELS assessment.
Comments are closed.
About Me
I'm Edie - wife, mom, teacher, instructional designer, home renovator,
and lover of nature, travel, technology, and vintage campers!
June 2014


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One day you turn on your computer, start boot into Windows and discover a brand new problem, right from the time the Windows loading bar showed up.
- Booting Windows seems to take longer than last time.
- Start-up (after the boot, before the desktop is shown) is very slow.
- Windows start-up sound is being very choppy.
- Mouse pointer skips a lot when you move it around.
- Any video or music that you play becomes choppy.
- Basically, the whole computer just freezes, doing the two points above and more, for fraction of a second, every 5-10 seconds.
If this is your case, there's only one definite solution to this problem. For your reference, I found it in this page: Odd XP Problem: Audio and Mouse Skipping and Jittering / Overall system slowness - Hardware Discussions - FiringSquad Forums
The Prescription (what you need to do):
- In Start Menu (or on Desktop), right click on My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device Manager. (Or you can also right click on My Computer > Manage > Device Manager (under System Tools on left).
- Extend the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" group by clicking on the [+] sign.
- Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and click Uninstall.
- You will be asked to confirm the uninstall. Answer Yes.
- You will then be asked to restart. Answer Yes. (If computer doesn't do anything, restart manually using Start Menu).
- Upon restart (you'll notice faster boot time), Primary IDE Channel and your hard disk drivers will be installed, and you will be asked to restart again. Answer Yes.
- Upon second restart, you'll notice the problem is fully gone for good, plus boot time is much faster.
I really don't know for sure how Primary IDE Channel is linked with this Shivering Computer™ problem, but from my understanding, I think it is because of IDE channel drivers becoming corrupt due to installation of proprietary Bluetooth drivers or some other software (not sure what). This causes any instance of accessing the hard disk to freeze the computer, because of the corrupt drivers making Windows unable to properly access the hard disk without issues. Reinstalling the hard disk drivers (as you did by steps above) helps restore the drivers to their original version, thus putting an end to this annoying problem.


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Rob Taylor sings 'A Song For You' on The Voice 2015 Top 10 (VIDEO)
Rob Taylor sang "A Song For You" by Leon Russell (Donny Hathaway version) on The Voice 2015 Season 8 Top 10 on Monday, April 20 for Team Christina Aguilera.
I thought the performance was a bit too slow and measured, starting out. But what I love about this is that Rob wears his heart on his sleeve. Some might see it as a bit overdramatic, but it feels sincere in a way it doesn't always feel with other contestants. I could have done without the band kicking in the unnecessary percussion, but Rob silences my doubts with one of the craziest falsettos in Voice history. Seriously, dude is straight FIRE. He seems to struggle with his emotions towards the end, edging near theatricality, but it's still one of the best of the night overall. He's like if Little Richard were contemporary, cool, and just slightly more subdued.
But what did you think of Rob Taylor tonight? Sound off in the comments!
Live Blog: Live Top 10 Performances
Download: Rob Taylor, "A Song For You" by Leon Russell
Twitter: @ItsRobTaylorReality TV A Song for YouHideRob TaylorThe VoiceTV PromoVideo


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RTEIF: See you in Cebu!
Guam's one and only music festival series, Electric Island Festival (EIF), makes its debut in Cebu as part of the annual Road to EIF Tour featuring top DJs from The Philippines and Guam as the two unite for an unforgettable party experience on Saturday, February 24th in partnership with 6AM Group!
Tickets and DJ Lineup for Road to EIF Cebu will be announced soon!
Facebook Event Page RTEIF Cebu 2018


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No. 4 ranked flip the script on Golden Hawks 91-67
WATERLOO, ON - The No. 4 ranked Brock University men's basketball team recorded their 20th win of the season as they defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks by the score of 91-67 on the road Wednesday night.
The Badgers led 23-17 after one quarter. Midway through the second quarter, Brock held a two-point lead before going on a 14-5 run to end the opening half leading 43-32 after 20 minutes.
Early in the third, Brock extended their lead to 50-34, and held onto an 18-point lead at the end of three quarters.
In the final stanza, the Badgers offense continued to roll as they went up by as many as 28 points, 86-58, with just under four minutes left in regulation.
Brock had three players in double digits led by Dani Elgadi (Waterloo, ON) who recorded 27 points and 16 rebounds for the double-double. Elgadi also surpassed Kevin Moore (1396) for 19th all-time in Brock career scoring with 1398 pts. He now closes in on Mike Kemp (1400), Terry Rigg (1403) and Brian Bleich (1413).
Johneil Simpson (Toronto, ON) collected 14 points and eight rebounds while Matt Marshall (Burlington, ON) added 12 points and 10 boards for the double-double.
The leading scorers for Laurier were Matt Chesson and Will Coulthard who added 21 and 11 points respectively.
The Badgers shot 47.9% from the field going 35-for-73. They were also 5-for-16 (31.3%) from beyond the arc and 16-for-23 (69.6%) from the charity stripe. Laurier went 23-for-64 (35.9%) from the field, 6-for-18 (33.3%) from long range and 15-for-32 (46.9%) from the free throw line.
Brock returns to action on Saturday when they take on the Waterloo Warriors on the road.
Source: Brock Badgers
Marauders start new year off with big win over Waterloo
The New Year started off on the right note for the McMaster men's basketball team as it went to Waterloo on Wednesday night and defeated the Warriors 93-66.
The presence of former Marauder coach Justin Gunter on the Warrior bench made for an interesting side-note as it was his first time playing the school where he spent 12 years as a player and coach.
The Marauders used several long scoring runs to build up a first-half lead and made it tough for Waterloo to come from behind. Tied 8-8 in the opening quarter, McMaster finished the quarter strong to lead 23-14 after 10 minutes.
The second quarter saw McMaster start out on a 15-2 run to open a 38-16 advantage, and forcing Gunter to call a timeout. The Marauders used the long ball to gap the Warriors during the second stanza, hitting five from beyond the arc, including a rare 4-point play by Lazar Kojovic. But credit Waterloo for refusing to quit and the Warriors ended the quarter strongly to get back within 14 at 48-34 by halftime.
McMaster opened the third quarter by outscoring the Warriors 9-2 to get the lead back over 20. Waterloo got some solid play from Ben Davis to stop the run but could not cut into the maroon margin and trailed 72-50 after the third quarter.
Having a comfortable lead allowed Mac Coach Amos Connolly to substitute liberally and keep his players fresh as he got solid production from the bench.
The fourth quarter saw McMaster open the lead up to almost 30 and the Warriors showed the fatigue of playing from behind for almost the entire contest, resulting in the final 27-point victory.
Connolly was pleased with the team's effort, especially coming off a seven-week layoff. "Waterloo is a tough environment and to hold them in the 60's indicates we played good defense," said Connolly post-game. "I was happy with our pace of play and we'll take this one as Coach Gunter is doing a fantastic job and it won't be long before this place is a very difficult OUA stop."
The Marauders used their usual balanced attack as six players scored in double figures. Top shooter was Leon Alexander with 17, while his fellow starters Trevon McNeil (14), Troy Joseph (12) and Connor Gilmore (10) also hit double-digits. Off the bench David McCulloch with 11 and Lazar Kojovic with 10 had solid games. For Waterloo Ben Davis and Jon Ravenhorst each scored 14.
Improving to 6 and 2 in the OUA Central, the Marauders will travel back to Waterloo on Saturday for game at Wilfrid Laurier with a 3-pm start.
Source: McMaster Marauders
Rams beat Lions on night of milestones at Mattamy
TORONTO – Aaron Best moved into 7th place on the Rams all-time scoring list scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds while leading the Rams to a 104-69 win against the York Lions on Wednesday night.
"Honestly, I'm not even thinking about it. I just wanted to win the game. If it happened it happened. And it did, so I can be happy about it," said Best on the scoring record.
It was also Best's first game back in the starting lineup this season, as he returned from injury just before the winter break contributing in a bench role. Best was in fine form from the opening tip, and showed no signs of weakness in his performance.
The Rams came into this game under 24 hours removed from a 73-57-exhibition loss against Harvard in Boston last night. The team had a 5:00 a.m. flight back to Toronto this morning, but showed no signs of fatigue playing their most complete game of the year.
"Last night was a good test for us because we haven't played in so long, it's been about seven weeks. We needed to get back to it and get some reps against someone else in an official game so it definitely prepared us for tonight," said Best on playing the back-to-back coming into tonight's affair.
After a slow start offensively, Adika Peter-McNeilly righted the ship with a layup followed by two threes and a free throw to give him nine points in the quarter and give the Rams a 22-17 lead heading into the second frame. Peter-McNeilly finished with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Rams then hit their stride, dominating the 2nd and 3rd quarters on a 59-32 run, thanks in large part to a full court press instituted by coach Patrick Tatham.
In the fourth quarter with the game well in hand, following a poster of a dunk from Adam Voll on reserve York centre Jon Dulmage, Tatham emptied the bench and 12th man Jupvir Atwal had his chance to shine.
Atwal is the hardest working man on the roster, as each and everyday he is the first one in the gym and the last one out working on his shooting stroke and tonight he was finally rewarded for all of his efforts, scoring his first OUA points.
"It felt good man, it felt good. All the hard work I've been putting in (in) the gym and with my teammates, it felt good," said Atwal on how he felt watching the ball go through the rim. "I'm definitely just going to keep working, and do whatever the coaches need me to do down the stretch this year."
The win moved the Rams to 5-1 on the OUA season and sets up a showdown on Saturday for the east division lead with the Queen's Gaels (6-1) on Saturday night. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. and will be available on OUA.tv
Source: Ryerson Rams


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Saturday morning I noticed some birds in the juneberry tree outside my son's room. When I investigated, I saw a couple of Cedar Waxwings harvesting berries and immediately grabbed my camera. Here are a couple of shots.
~Mike Grimm, Fowlerville
Beautiful! Usually the first indication of Cedar Waxwings in the area is their distinct high pitched "bzeee" call. Then you'll see flocks of about 40 birds flying in a tight group around fruit bearing plants stripping the berries in minutes. The high pitched screeech is hard to forget. Thank you for sharing. I enjoy all your photos.
The Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) is mostly frugivorous. That means it is a fruit eater. Berries play a large role in the cedar waxwing's breeding, social and migratory behavior. Cedar waxwings will perch on a branch and pluck berries or they will hover in the air and grab berries.
The name "waxwing" comes from the waxy red secretions found on the birds wingtips. The red waxy drops are actually flattened extensions of the feather shafts colored by astaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment. Both males and females have the red waxy tips on their wings but only after their second fall. The older the bird, the more showy the red tips.
Studies show that the birds only mate with birds within their own age range and the amount of wax on the wing may be how the birds determine who is in their mate group.


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abura.. oil.
abura-age.. fried tofu slices.
aemono.. foods in vinegar dressing or sauces.
age.. fried.
amiyaki..cooked over a wire grill.
an.. sweet adzuki bean jam.
anmitsu.. dessert made from (agar-agar), an, and sugar.
asa gohan.. breakfast.
awabi.. abalone.
azuki.. a small red bean, adzuki.
bata.. butter.
battera-zushi.. Osaka-style pressed and molded mackerel sushi.
bento.. traditional boxed lunch.
biru.. beer.
ebi.. shrimp.
enoki.. long, thin, white mushrooms.
fugu.. blowfish, a highly prized sashimi delicacy.
furutsu.. fruit.
hashi.. the commonly used word for chopsticks.
hijiki.. a variety of seaweed.
hiru-gohan.. lunch.
hiyashi.. cold.
hiyashi-bachi.. served chilled in a bowl with ice and cold water.
hiya yakko.. blocks of cold tofu.
horenso.. spinach
iidako.. small octopus
ika.. squid
ikura.. salmon roe.
inari-zushi.. sushi rice in fried tofu pockets.


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SF took cash that could have repaired Hetch Hetchy system
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco city officials diverted hundreds of millions of dollars from the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power System and left the aging water system vulnerable to natural disasters and decay, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The money that could have been used to repair the aging system was siphoned off to finance city programs and salaries, according to a report by the Chronicle in its Sunday edition.
The lack of repairs to the water system come at a time when engineers warn that a large earthquake could cause enough damage to the Calaveras Dam in Alameda County to cut off most water to 2.4 million Bay Area residents for two months.
Some now charge that the diversion of Hetch Hetchy funds constitutes mismanagement.
"The politicians used the Hetchy system as a money machine in the basement of City Hall," said Jim Chappell, president of San Francisco Planning and Urban Research. "For decades, there has been gross irresponsibility in the siphoning of funds clearly needed for Hetchy maintenance."
City records show that $670 million went to the San Francisco's general fund and not to make repairs on any portion of Hetch Hetchy's deteriorating system. The diversion of money to that city fund is legal, however, and the former head of the city's Public Utilities Commission defended past expenditures that were made using Hetch Hetchy money.
"There is nothing wrong in my view with using Hetchy power resource to generate money for the general fund, which pays for cops, parks and recreation and everything that people hold dear," former San Francisco PUC chief Rudy Nothenberg told the Chronicle.
There is a proposed fix that would mend some of the water system's ailments. This fall, San Francisco voters will be asked to approve a $1.6 million bond measure that would cover the city's costs of rebuilding the system.
Overall, the Hetch Hetchy rebuilding and restructuring would cost $3.6 billion, with San Francisco's suburban neighbors raising the balance through increased water bills over the next 13 years.
During that period, San Franciscan's water bills would triple.
The Hetch Hetchy system consists of 167 miles of aqueduct and is more than 75 years old. It includes 21 reservoirs, 25 tanks, two pump stations and 40 miles of tunnels.
Several warnings to repair portions of the decaying system have been ignored, the Chronicle reported.
In 1987, a consultant to the city PUC faulted the agency for its lack of familiarity with the condition of the system and poor planning. Seven years later, city supervisors budget analyst Harvey Rose said the city PUC lacked the basic information to prioritize what had to be done to keep water flowing through the system.
And three years ago experts examined the system and concluded a strong earthquake would cause massive failures throughout the Hetch Hetchy.