text:
Today, Sunday, February 11, 2018, I am grateful for facing the emotions I have regarding my frustration at how hard my life is because of the impact my upbringing still has over me. Daily, I battle my depression, my Complex PTSD, the anxieties from my repressed memories that I still have no idea what is in there, poverty, disability, it is too much for one person to manage on their own.
Yet, I am still here.
Many years ago, I had to face and accept the reality about the fact that my own flesh and blood mother and two older sisters tried their best to destroy me. That was crushing to face but it was such a huge part of my reality that I could not avoid it any longer. I had to make peace with it or I wouldn't have been able to get better.
So, today, I face my frustration about how I am living because I know from my own experiences that once I face it and put it to rest, I will emerge stronger and have a clear picture of what to do next to continue to improve my life and keep myself moving forward.
What are you grateful for today? I would LOVE to hear ALL about it!


text:
This is a dish than can never go wrong. It is super easy to make, delicious yet light and healthy. It is perfect as an appetizer for a party because it doesn't fill you up and that can mean only one thing, more room for food!
5 medium sized ripe red tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ( a good quality oil is important because you are consuming it raw)
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tbsp crushed pepper ( you can leave this out if spice is not your thing)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup goat cheese
Fresh baked French baguette, sliced 1″ thin
In a mixing bowl add extra virgin olive oil, garlic, dried and fresh basil, salt and crushed red pepper. Mix well, set aside and let sit for 20-30 minutes. We want all the flavors to meld and the oil to absorb the garlic and the basil. The longer this mixture sits the better. If you don't have 30 minutes, let sit for at least 10 minutes.
Dice all the tomatoes. If they are over ripe and extra juicy, remove the seeds along with the soft center and gently squeeze extra water from the tomatoes. Over ripe tomatoes will make the bruschetta watery and messy.
Add the tomatoes to the olive oil-garlic marinade and mix well. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Toast the sliced baguette, top with 1 tbsp of the tomato mixture and crumble goat cheese over it. Serve while bread is warm. You could also serve without cheese, tastes great either way.
Note: Do not refrigerate the tomato mixture if you are going to serve within 4 hours. Keeping it room temperature lets the tomatoes absorb all the flavors better and it keeps the dish juicy. If you plan to serve it the next day, then refrigerate overnight, remove and leave it outside at least 4- 5 hours before you plan to serve.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
26 Shakespeare Quotes
Words are mirror of our personality. Not everyone know Shakespeare personally, his words reveals the greatness of his personality. His liveliness, sympathy, and perceptions have fascinated generations. His quotes always motivate and encourage towards a happy life. We have collected 26 Shakespeare Quotes for you, share these quotes with your friends.


text:
This week's been a pretty significant one for Android, as users get their first taste of the public non-dev-preview Android 5.0 Lollipop release in the form of the Nexus 9. We've seen Google update its online codebases with new Lollipop sources, as well as deliver factory images for some of this new 5.0-running hardware. But despite how hard we've been looking, there's been nary a peep of Lollipop updates for existing Nexus devices – models like last year's Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. There's still no official news, but rumors now suggest that Google might have hit a small delay in getting those updates ready for release, as well as provide us a tentative ETA.
In a post on Google+, Android Police's Artem Russakovskii shares some intel he's received from one of his sources, claiming that Google was unable to finish hitting all the outstanding bugs in these updates in time for a release this week, and that instead we'd see the first of them start landing next Wednesday, November 12. Phandroid's Derek Ross followed-up with confirmation that he'd heard the same thing from one of his own contacts, so while this isn't officially confirmed, it seems to be a pretty popular rumor within Google's ranks.
We still don't know just what we might get next week – which Android 5.0 updates for which Nexus models would arrive in what order – but we'd sure suggest paying close attention on Wednesday if you're itching for the opportunity to get Google's latest system build on your Nexus device.
Source: Artem Russakovskii (Google+)
Via: BGR


text:
Day of the Dead
Today was the Day of the Dead celebration at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Kirkwood Hall was visited by those honoring the dead, at an altar built by local artists, and viewing the wonderful exhibition of the work of Jose Guadalupe Posada.
The Day of the Dead is a time for ancestors to return home, visit loved ones and feast on their favorite food and music. The celebrations are based in the belief that the souls of the dead can come back to our world on specific days. Altars are made to guide the souls home, where their families are waiting to show them that they have not been forgotten.
- The arch represents the passage between life and death.
- Water represents purity and quenches the thirst of the spirits.
- Candles represent light, faith and hope and illuminate the journey.
- Fresh flowers (often marigolds) remind us of the brevity of life.
- Favorite food is a feast for the dead to enjoy.
- Salt symbolizes purification.
The hand-crafted skeletons (calaveras) are funny and friendly rather than frightening. They represent the beloved dead, their occupations and their hobbies.
Yes, that is a watermelon that someone offered. :0) And… no matter where I was the lovely lady was looking at me smiling. In life, she must have enjoyed having her photograph taken.
I would guess that these were in honor of a couple of handsome musicians! Maybe next year I will make myself up like the one below for Halloween!
There was a wonderful group of young printmakers from The Print Factory doing an interactive demonstration… I was the lucky recipient of the two on the right in the photo below. I so admire young people who are doing what they were born to do and not ending up in the pharmaceutical industry… no pun intended there ;0)
The guy playing music was created by Katie Grimes and the row of skeletons by Will Burnip.
This post has gotten entirely too long, but before I finish I need to include some quick shots from the Posada exhibition. It's funny… you are allowed to take non-flash photographs in the museum, but I always feel like I'm being "watched" so as to say… you really shouldn't be taking those photographs… oh well… I do anyway.
A portion of "The Calavera of Don Quixote"
A portion of "The Calavera from Oaxaca"
"The Calaveras of the Newscarriers"… today we call them paparazzi!
Now… to end… on the other side of where I started.
Random note… at about 11 pm tonight I felt my first earthquake… scaaary! Couldn't quite figure out what was going on and the first thing that went through my head was… is this what happens when you honor the dead?
7 Responses to "Day of the Dead"
Love the photos…the day of the dead is truly a colorful celebration. I might know some one who could frame those prints;)
Wow, an earthwake! Take care.
Your photos are much nice than the ones in the New Mexico Magazine this year. Great work!
Wow … very interesting/colorful post.


text:
Michael de Vibe joins us to speak about a six year study of mindfulness. One of the many challenges to doing good research involving human behavior is what the effects of a given intervention are over time. Is what's being seen a long-term change, or just an indication of efficacy only while a given program is in progress? Longitudinal studies help to address this very question, and today's guest has been involved with this problem, appropriately, for years.
This highly accessible book by IMA Executive Director Linda Lehrhaupt and Petra Meibert has become a standard reference work for MBSR teachers and students around the world.
This series of 11 podcasts by Dr. Linda Lehrhaupt on themes central to teaching mindfulness has been warmly praised by teachers internationally.


text:
You're currently on:
The Absolute Reference Mastering EQ
This module is based on what is considered to be the "golden reference", the absolute standard in mastering equalizers. This piece of hardware was the brainchild of two of the most ingenious minds in music recording technology, true pioneers (whose ideas were key to many other designs) who joined forces to create what was the first parametric EQ ever invented. The design quickly became the basis for most of the following parametric EQs from manufacturers the world over.
On top of the fully parametric and totally independent bands with almost no interaction (something that was not available until this circuit topology invention), its success derived from its no compromise quality level, based on discrete high-performance custom op-amps and totally transformer-less signal path which made for a transparent and pristine audio quality: this level of sonic excellence, superior transient response, almost non measurable non-linearities and extremely low distortion together with some perceivable "magic" in the circuit design makes it practically ubiquitous in mastering engineers' set of tools, from its origin to present days. The latest and advanced techniques used in the DSP design of this module allowed the perfect rendition of this major league audio quality in the digital DAW format, a level of a sonic sameness that simply wasn't possible before. The instantaneously noticeable result is that the EQ has a pleasing sound of its own, its high transparency notwithstanding, which is far over the standard "digital" EQ called to perform the same tasks.
On top of this, the analog nature of the hardware is empowered by some digital-world handy features like total recall, full automation, and switchable gain ranges, originally available as three different hardware versions, and now included in a single model.
This last feature is particularly powerful as it allows the use of the best resolution of each band's gain range with extreme precision.
Mastering engineers favor some separate channels processing techniques, such as the possibility to switch from L/R over to M/S mode, which is key to equalize Mid (center) content in a different fashion than the Side content of a stereo program: they will feel right at home with this feature instantaneously recallable on the Master EQ 432.
This model really is "as good as it gets", the secret weapon to give mixes that finishing polish and turn them into master quality tracks, with peerless high end air, a solid low end and all the charming yet detail-revealing rendering in the critical midrange spectrum to perform any mastering EQ task at the best possible quality.
SpecsFully compatible with Mac OS X (Universal Binary), and Windows (XP / Vista / 7 / 8)
Supported plug-in formats: VST, RTAS, AAX, and Audio Units
Works within the T-RackS CS Standalone application
High-quality oversampling
High-precision and high-transparency digital processors
Accurately analog-modeled vintage classic devices
Full-latency compensation support
Supports sampling rates up to 192 kHz
DSM™ and SCC™ proprietary IK technologies for extremely accurate digital models of analog hardware devices
Native compatibility with 64-bit applications and operating systems
System Requirements
Mac® (64 bit CPU, 32 or 64 bit Mac OS)
Minimal: 1.5 GHz Intel processor, 1 GB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.6 or later.
Supported Plug-in formats: Audio Units, VST, RTAS, AAX (32 and 64-bit).
Note: on 64 bit systems, the plug-in also works in 32 bit compatibility mode.
Windows® (32 and 64 bit)
Minimal: Intel® Pentium 4® 2.4 GHz or Intel® Core™ Duo or AMD Athlon™ 64,
1 GB of RAM, Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, Windows® 7 or Windows® 8.
Supported Plug-in formats: VST, RTAS, AAX (32 and 64-bit).
You MUST be connected to the Internet as all of the Custom Shop operations are web based.
|Dec 24, 2019


text:
Your recommendation
5 recommended
Chinese BBQ
Several slices of beef, vermicelli, soybean cakes, with green onions, chilies, garlics and finally a special seasoning ingredient. People usually have it with Shaobing.
traditional Chinese street food similar to crepes. It is a type of bing generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as "one of China's most popular street breakfasts." The main ingredients of jianbing are a batter of wheat and grain flour, eggs and sauces.[3] It can be topped with different fillings and sauces such as buocui (crispy fried cracker), chopped or diced mustard pickles, scallions and coriander, chili sauce or hoisin sauce depending on personal preference. It is often folded several times before serving.
A type of Chinese steamed bun (baozi) from the Jiangnan region, especially associated with Shanghai and Wuxi. It is traditionally prepared in Xiaolong, which is a kind of small bamboo steaming basket,[1] which give them their name.
It is an important part of Beijng culture and a traditional and unique snake of old Beijing with the color of red, yellow and white. The yellow soya flour sprinkled on the surface looks like loess resulted from a donkey's rolling, hence the Chinese name "Lu Da Gun" (donkey rolls)


text:
NO MONEY ? START BUSINESS WITH 0 RUPEES | SeeKen बिज़नेस बिना पैसो केOn February 28, 2020 by Raul Dinwiddie
Hello Friends, If you ask me to name a reality show which everyone should/must watch So I will say BIGG BOSS, Obviously Not i am just kidding Actually the Show which i will for sure ask everyone to watch and which i love THE MOST IS SHARK TANK Shark Tank is a show where people come with their startup ideas and plans, they present those ideas to The Judges of the show, those judges are the people who themselves started from stretch and became self-made Millionaire billionaire, also known as Sharks The people who come to the show present their ideas and plans or business to them( to judges/sharks) If sharks(judges) Like their ideas and plans, then sharks give them lakhs and crores of rupees invest in them by buying some percent of their companies as per me watching this serial is one of the best way to learn about business In this show many contestant comes who doesn't have a single penny, who are in need of money to start their startup or to grow their business hence if you watch this serial then the myth which you have will get clear that many a times for creating a big business doesn't required money if your idea, plan is nice and if you take actions and has created results then you can start your business without investing your own money by using a powerful thing known as O P M, Here OPM Isn't about some drug Here O P M Means OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY Meaning Doing Business from others Money now those other people who will invest in you and in your business are Shark Tank judges means Sharks, Angel Investors, Venture Capitalist Means VC Today you can raise funding or money for your business from many Crowd Funding sites Now i am not talking so much about Shark Tank because you can learn lot many things from it but the main Reason is The book summary which is am going to share today is a book of DAYMOND JOHN THE POWER OF BROKE Daymond is the popular judge or shark of Shark Tank who started with 40 dollars and became a self-made Multi- Millionaire in this book he is teaching that having no money and even having no OPM, isn't a bad thing actually it is a Disguise opportunity i have shared about OPM By myself, But Daymond says that at start having no money can be the best thing for business How and what kind of businesses you can do without money all these things i will clear by sharing some very useful and important point of this book so let's begin… No.1) Money Problems suppose there's a man who wants to do a fancy hat business and he has lot of money, so what he does he hires a designer and make him prepare fancy great hats and buys a expensive shop in the market where many rich people stays, because his target audience is high class people he ask designer to make many hats hence he gets discount because he gave huge hat order to designer after all that he runs many marketing campaign also invest a lot in it even after doing so much he doesn't get good results, means don't get profits hence his business gets shut down now suppose another man wants to do a same business but he doesn't have money to invest now because he don't money hence instead of searching for designers he search for good designs after searching many designs he himself create that fancy hat design by using free online tool and by doing lot of practice, and later he uploads that in social media in different sites just because he don't have money for a shop hence he try selling his hats through social platforms with that he comes to know that his hat is more popular between student compare to fancy people hence he starts targeting students online and prepare hats as per the online demand with this what happens very soon he began to see profit in his business slowly and gradually his business starts growing organically without doing much investment and marketing now you must be thinking that all these things would have been done by the first person as well well yes, he would have done, but he did not do it because people who usually have money, they use their money as their weapon but people who doesn't have money, they use their brain as their Weapon usually best ways are mostly removed by poor people not by rich because most of the time money makes people lazy at actions and in using brain all these things authored notice by his many years of experience and by working with thousands of startup entrepreneurs author Daymond says that many a times money make people dependent on it and make them lazy and also increases chances of taking Wrong decisions and less money increase creative thinking and solution making skills which are the best thing for business hence consider money problem your power not weakness use your brain and do something in which you have passion because with the help of internet you can do almost anything freely No.2) Product But Leader Now after watching this video many people will say, that what business we can do without money say us about the business which we can do with no money So for this very simple and straight answer is, that today you can start many service based business in many websites without investing any money In fact can do Product based business too, For example There's a Mobile App Shop101, in this app there are many products which are available already such as jeans kurtis shirts watch etc.. here you don't have to do much, whichever product you like in that app, share that in your social media pages or to your online store or with your friends relatives setting your own profit margin just like any business, you will be earn profit by selling every per unit that too without any investment you are not required to start your shop, not needed to buy clothes, direct sell and earn it is very easy and simple i have shared its link in the below description, you yourself download it and see how easy it is to start a business in todays time i haven't said this before because it is not always important what business you can do but the important thing is how you will do the business and how you should do the business. You can Earn in LAKHS Through using shop101 but will everyone able to earn so much by using it, no because not everyone has what it takes to do business see maximum people think that their product and service is the main thing because of which their business grows and gets successful, but Daymond says no, its not true because any business main and the most important thing is A Leader Means YOU There were many sites before Face book, but face book got that success because it has a great leader behind it Apple, Amazon, Tesla all these companies has great product and service but the major thing which made their business so successful were their leaders these points which i am sharing with you'll today will make you a great leader and whichever business you will choose, you will become successful in it even if you don't have money Example, In Shark Tank Many Startup people come who has great ideas and products but if sharks feel that the leader of the product doesn't have that skill or potential then they don't invest in them, because leader is very important, hence you become a great leader hence you become a great leader, who uses his creative brain to solve any problem not always depend on money No.3) Authenticity speaks Even if a man doesn't look good, still if he has money then he may have a beautiful life partner and you must have noticed it, similarly a girl who wears attractive dresses and wear make up can get a good husband but what you think a relationship which is based on money or based on attractiveness will it be strong will it be authentic, what will happen if that man become poor and what will happen if that women don't look as attractive compare to make up will that relationship remain same ? well same thing happened with many businesses said by Daymond daymond says business which is based on money is somewhat like a body which is based on steroids such businesses have very less chance of getting successful in long run because people who has less money, they are the ones who run their business with passion and by being authentic because of which people trust them and because of it their customer base gets strong now a days customers are getting very smart, they easily recognised that when company it trying to fake them therefore big marketing campaigns fail to bring as many customers compare to many social media influencers, a social media influencers bring more customers with his one video because social media influencers are usually authentic and their viewers trust them hence it is very important for you to stay authentic and work on thing and business in which you have a strong believe with this people will automatically start loving and linking you, no matter whether you do video business or t-shirt business. No.4) Stay Hungry Gigi Butler was a Housekeeper, she used to do cleaning of others house but however she was success hungry, hence she thought of baking and selling cup cakes because her cupcakes were much better than the cupcakes in the market but she was not having money for business so what she did with this simple idea she went to take loan from bank listening to her many bankers started laughing at her and said who ask loan for cupcakes she faced many rejections but still didn't gave up but finally one bank gave him an offer in that offer she is allowed to remove 100 thousand dollars through credit card, it was a huge risk, her house was at risk but still she said yes and took that risk because she was a success hungry after that she used to wake at 4 am every day at 4 she used to go to shop, used to work there and at lunch break she used to go to others house for housekeeping work and after finishing housekeeping work she again used to go to shop and used to bake cup cakes she did such hard work for several years and a day came in her life where she opened more than 100 shops in America and become a Multi-Millionaire Many people prepare good cup cakes but not everyone gets success because they don't that success hunger in them, they don't have that passion in them for doing anything for success, therefore have that hunger within you to that not only give courage and strength to you to solve your money problem but also other big problems which comes as an obstacle while doing a great business No.5) Do Research Daymond says Today maximum time if you notice nothing new is happening in business Example earlier there used to be pigeon for sharing messages now with the use of technology you can share your message through twitter and mails earlier libraries were used to gain knowledge, today you have google chrome earlier for socialising you used to go out today you have many social media sites to socialise see almost everything were there earlier, but people convert them in new way in business same you do, do research and see which old thing you can present in a new way and can do business Example. There were many coffee shops before Starbucks but Starbucks researched and understood and created a store where people can come and can do their work and meeting without getting embarrassed by keeping this thing in mind they created stores which gave them lot of success similarly, to be popular in china Starbucks made more tea based drinks because China people love tea more than a coffee, they don't do such research by asking from their relatives or closed ones but they ask for feed backs and research from the actual customers who are paying them because people who pay are the ones who give genuine feedback hence even you do research, gain knowledge about your product market and customers this thing will save you from unnecessary investments do search mentors your field masters from them you'll learn lot of things and plus your network will grow which again help you to solve many money related problems that's all for today, if you want shop101 app then can download from the given link mention in description as i said earlier these knowledge i have shared from the book The power of broke if you are not strong financially and want to do business the do read this book i have shared its link in the below description and if you want free audio book of this book then can take it from seeken.org/audible audible is an amazon company which gives one month free trial only then they will charge even i listened the power of broke book from audible like this video if you find these knowledge useful do comment and share what obstacles you are facing in your business share this video with your friends and family do subscribe i will share more such useful videos every week on Sundays, and don't forget to click on the bell icon because only then you will receive notification of all my new uploads and finally thanks for watching..


text:
Asher and her husband Eric wanted to build a home for their family in Uganda but were worried that a shipping container house might be too big of a project to tackle. When the stars aligned and an empty container presented itself, they jumped in with both feet. Midway through the project, their plans shifted and they ended up with a container home that they use for short term rentals much of the time.
Like many of our interviews, Asher's story is anything but ordinary. For instance, it's not often you know the exact cargo that your shipping container was used to carry before you made it into a home. Continue reading to find out how they found themselves in Africa, what was originally in their shipping container, and why their container home ended up being a blessing to their family and community.
We started thinking about building a home for our family in Uganda several years ago. We were tired of paying rent and wanted to own something we could pass down to our children. At first, we thought about building a regular home using traditional brick and mortar construction. We had heard about shipping container homes on Instagram, but it seemed a little too lofty a goal for a modest family in Uganda.
About the same time that we were starting to seriously evaluate our housing options, a 40-foot shipping container became available through the organization I started. Sole Hope is based in Jinja, Uganda and we offer hope, healthier lives, and freedom from foot-related diseases through education, jobs, and medical relief. We have 60 local staff members that include shoemakers, tailors, doctors, nurses, educators, and social workers to name a few. Our organization specifically works in the area of "jiggers", a crippling foot parasite (not to be confused with "chiggers").
Thanks to donations, Sole Hope received a shipping container full of medical supplies and materials from overseas shoe cutting parties. After arriving in Uganda, the container served as a storage building, housing the items temporarily until we could utilize them. Once we had put everything to use and emptied the container, it was just sitting empty on the organization's land and we realized that we could use it for our home project.
My husband and I are always up for a challenge, and we thought we could add our own twist to a container home. We especially loved the durability of a container as well as how secure we could make it. We built our container home ourselves with the help of some local friends. It wasn't a hard decision since we had built homes before and were very comfortable with DIY projects. I wouldn't say we knew we were going to be successful, but we were both okay with the risk since we were so passionate about the possibility of what could come of our dream.
Our container home is somewhat of a hybrid because we added on a back area made out of brick and cement that is the same square footage as the container. The home has two bedrooms, one bathroom, and is approximately 640 square feet (However, 100 square feet of that is used for storage and is off limits to renters.)
We also added a very large front porch that adds some outside living space. The container sits about four feet off the ground on raised and reinforced concrete slabs at each end, which gives us a better view (but came at an increased cost).
Both the traditionally-constructed back half and the container-based front half of our home are uninsulated. We are located in a tropical area where the temperatures are around 75-85°F (24-30°C) year-round. However, our hilltop location gives access to a gentle breeze most days, so the key to staying cool is keeping the doors and windows open (and occasionally using fans). Thanks to the front porch, you can have all the doors open in even the most torrential downpour and still not get rain inside the home. It is a beautiful mix of outdoor/indoor living.
The entire design was made by me, without the assistance of any professionals like architects or engineers. Due to our location, there isn't a lot of regulatory scrutiny for things like permits and plans. My husband just had to follow the plans I created.
During the early part of the project, our intention was that the container would be used as our family home, not a rental house. However, as we were building, we realized that we were going to be away from our home more than we originally thought and would have the opportunity to generate some rental income. We now live part of the year in Uganda while the remaining time is spent in the United States. When we're in Uganda, we live in the container home, but if we're not in the country we rent it out.
We did make a few changes to the design in order to help the container better serve as a short term rental. For instance, we bought a Schlage smart lock so we could give each new renter a code and then erase it after they left. Not having to exchange keys is just one step to ensure renters have an enjoyable and safe stay in our home. We also picked higher-end features that matter to people interested in short term rentals, such as an awesome, high pressured, hot shower!
It took me about a month to solidify the design for the home. We already owned the land, but we had to wait for a little over a month to get water and electricity in place. We actually used a generator at the start of construction until the utilities were ready. We also had to hire a crane to move the container in place. Once we finally got started, the actual construction only took a month and a half. My husband worked on the home for eight hours a day, seven days a week.
We paid cash for our home so thankfully we did not have to wait for any funding approvals or other money delays. We did have a strict budget to work with though.
The total cost to complete our home was around $30,000 which includes the price of the land and an expense of several thousand dollars to run power and water out to the land.
One misconception we originally had was that building with a container would be cheaper than building a traditional home. It turns out that this was untrue for us, but I've come to realize this is a very common belief for a lot of people.
However, some of the increased cost was due to the decisions we made. For instance, before we had electricity working onsite, we chose to pay for a generator to power the tools that allowed us to weld and make cuts. Additionally, raising the house off the ground on the concrete risers was an additional expense that wasn't technically necessary. Those are things that might not pertain to every design and to every person building a container home of their own. And its certainly true that a traditional house does not have the same durability as a container home, which might be an important consideration for some people.
We have had guests from all over the world. For one thing, Jinja is very much a tourist area that draws in people. It is where the source of the Nile River starts and flows upward to Egypt (providing class 5 rafting along the way) and is home to a beautiful garden where Gandhi's ashes are spread. It's also a central starting point for safaris.
However, many of the people who come to our area have been serving for organizations and ministries and are on a limited budget. We wanted to cater to them too since we have been in that position…wanting a wonderful place to stay without having a huge pocket to pull from.
Understanding both groups of guests, we wanted to provide something that was clean, modern and relaxing with attention to detail while still being affordable. Providing a restful place for everyone is at the top of our list. I do think our location and price are two huge driving factors that bring people to the Container Haus. If we were in a different location, I think we could charge a premium because we do have an amazing home.
As far as the other motivations of our guests, I am not sure how many of them stay with us because it is a container home versus just because it is an awesome home in general. I do know that we've been occupied 90% of our open dates since we made it a short term rental seven months ago, and we're only hosting on Airbnb at the moment.
We are in love with our home and hope others will be too when they stay there. For us, the home is a worthwhile investment because it is a place we love and also a place we know has brought rest and rejuvenation to several people.
The best way for people to get in touch with us is through our Instagram or Facebook pages, which both have direct links for booking on Airbnb.
If you like Asher's container home rental, let us know in the comments below.


text:
Conferences serve as essential hubs for scholars and practitioners to share new work and ideas, and form creative and professional connections in the field. DSA presents large Annual Conferences oriented around a general theme, as well as smaller Special Topics Conferences that delve into a more limited area of focus.
The Annual Conference is the principal international meeting point for all members of the Dance Studies Association. The conference program usually comprises some seventy sessions, presented over
The Special Topics conferences are smaller, shorter gatherings around a specific issue, theme, or area of interest within dance scholarship. They do not follow an annual schedule, but
Recipients of DSA awards receive complimentary conference attendance.
Annual Conference
Vancouver, located on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, has long been a site of occupation, exchange, defiance and resilience. From time immemorial, it has been a location of trade and traversal across coastal Indigenous communities of the Pacific and, in more recent centuries, a place where diverse cultures from across the world have encountered each other and interacted through colonial pathways and settlement. Vancouver is a site of Indigenous and international relationships. It is a site of resistance to uneven development, neoliberal markets, colonial laws, and to exclusion.
future conferences
Dance Studies Association welcomes proposals for future conferences. For further information on how to suggest a conference or to volunteer in the organization of DSA conferences, please see our guidelines and contact the Vice President for Conferences.
past conferences
Dance Studies Association continues the tradition of Congress on Research in Dance and Society of Dance History Scholars. Peruse our past conferences below. For our published Conference Proceedings, see our Conference Proceedings.


text:
Efficiency and Productivity
The objective of this provision is to relate adjustments in wages
and benefits in future negotiations to a corresponding increase
in work productivity resulting from the collective efforts of all
employees and the Company.
The future of each employee and the Company as a whole
is dependent upon continually improving acceptance by the
public. Competitive cost is the key factor in acceptance, so it is
essential that operations be conducted as efficiently as possible.
Productivity is a major feature in efficient operations.
The Company and the Union mutually agree to work
cooperatively toward the objectives of this Article.


text:
KU News Release
April 14, 2011
Contact: Erin Curtis-Dierks, School of Music, 785-864-9742
Music students win top prizes at Naftzger Young Artists competition
LAWRENCE — University of Kansas music students took home several prizes, including the grand prize, at this year's Naftzger Young Artists Auditions and Music Awards competition.
Eric Umble, a clarinet student studying with professor Stephanie Zelnick, took home the grand prize of $5,000 from the 71st annual Naftzger Young Artists competition, held April 2-3 at Friends University in Wichita. Umble was selected from nine finalists in a public recital that concluded two days of competition. Umble won with performances of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Chausson's Andante et Allegro and Stravinsky's Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet with Holly Paige as collaborative pianist.
Ga Eun Kim, a violin performance student studying with professor Tami Lee Hughes, won the instrumental division and a cash prize of $2,000. Daniel Bruggeman, a piano performance student studying with Steven Spooner, won the piano division and a cash prize of $2,000. Kim won for her performances of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Bach's Solo Violin Sonata No. 2 in a minor fugue; Bruggeman won with his performance of Piano Concerto No. 2 by Béla Bartók.
Overall, KU music students have been very successful at the Naftzger competition. Joshua Charles won the piano division in 2009; Angela Solomon won top prize in the 2007 voice division; Kent Queener won the top piano prize in 2008; and the piano division and overall Naftzger winner in 2008 was KU student James Cockman III.
The Naftzger competition is open to residents of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma or nonresidents who are enrolled in a college, university or conservatory in one of those three states. Administered by the Wichita Symphony, there are competitions for cash prizes in piano, voice and instrumental categories, as well as one grand prize, totaling $11,000 in cash awards. The Naftzger Young Artists Auditions and Awards are made possible by the Nafzger Fund for Fine Arts Inc., created by Mr. and Mrs. M.C. Naftzger in memory of L.S. Naftzger, Ida L. Naftzger and Lee Southwell Nafzger II.
A total of 48 students entered this year's Naftzger competition.
Winning KU students are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents' names and high school.
From Lancaster 17602
Eric Umble, sophomore in clarinet performance; Ron and Diane Umble; Lancaster Mennonite School.
From Sioux Falls 57103
Daniel Bruggeman, doctoral student in piano performance; Steve and Debra Bruggeman; Washington High School.
From Seoul
Ga-Eun Kim, junior in violin performance; Kang-Sook Lee; Seoul Arts High School.
The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence firstname.lastname@example.com | (785) 864-3256 | 1314 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045


text:
I was facing most Bible college students' two worst nightmares coming into my last semester:
I had no idea where I was going after graduation, and I was single.
Thankfully, God soon opened a door for me to go to Foundation Baptist Church in Sammamish, WA; getting married took a little longer, but that's happening next month.
If you're in Bible college, you might be like I was; I don't have any advice right now when it comes to singleness, but I'd like to point your mind towards one post-graduation possibility: find a church planter, and go help him.
I know the feelings of fear and disappointment that come with not knowing what you will be doing after your senior year. It's scary! It's hard not knowing if you'll have a chance to serve God in the way that you hoped for, after preparing for it for four years.
I think most students in this situation either go home, or simply stay at the church they're at while going to college. Most Bible colleges, at least in the circles I run in, are heavily supported, if not run by, a local church.
I get it; I thought about going home myself, before my current pastor called me. Home is comforting (for many, at least); and if you don't know what to do, why not go there? Same with your local church. At Heartland Baptist Bible College, where I graduated, almost every student goes to Southwest Baptist Church. It's a great church, and most students come to love it! Why not stay there, if it's comfortable, and you are already serving?
Going home, or staying where you are, may be the right choice for some, and it's certainly not my intent to denigrate anyone who does so; but it may be that you could be a greater blessing, and have a more meaningful ministry, by finding a church planter who needs help.
Let me use myself as an example. I went to Southwest Baptist Church, and was active in serving there. I enjoyed getting to work on their bus routes, and help in Sunday School classes. Certainly those are important things! But SBC has thousands of people attending; they had lots of people to draw from; they had so many people, that most did not have a chance to serve the Lord to the full extent of their abilities. It's easy to get lost in that shuffle, and more young people came in every year through Heartland.
My church back home was similar; I would have had chances to serve there, but there certainly wasn't a need for me to go back. I come from a wonderful church that's full of people who are faithfully serving God.
On the other hand, I look at the church I've been at for the last three years. Foundation Baptist Church is a fantastic church, and I am blessed with a wonderful, faithful, church family. Our membership is not 500 or 1,000, however; it's closer to 50. We don't have a choir; we have 4 or 5 people in our music ministry. We struggle to have enough teachers. There is a lot to do, and not enough people to do it!
Our church isn't alone; there's church plants across the country that need faithful people who love the Lord. In fact, we started a new church almost two years ago; that church still doesn't have a pianist, music director, youth director, or any staff besides the pastor. They need some faithful Christians to go and serve! In one year, we are starting another church in Seattle. That church will need faithful people, too!
I get that most people want to go to a church that has a lot to offer them, like full-time salary, an office, maybe even housing; but every church can't offer those things. There are small churches that are still deserving of someone to go and invest in them. There are teenagers who need a youth pastor, even though their church can't pay. There are congregations that need a faithful music director.
When my pastor interviewed me, he read me this wanted ad that Ernest Shackleton posted when he was looking for sailors on his voyage to the Antarctic:
Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.
That's what a lot of church plants have to offer. You may get little (or no) pay; you may get no housing; you may not be full-time within two years. You may, in fact, never be full-time at all. You may not get recognition or attention. But you will have an opportunity to serve the Lord in a place where you are needed! You'll have an opportunity to be used by God to make a difference in people's lives. You'll have an opportunity to see God grow and develop His church.
If you are graduating and need somewhere to go, think and pray about going to help a church plant. Don't wait to be asked; call a pastor! If you don't know any, ask your school to give you a list. Tell him you want to come out and visit; tell him you are interested in coming to help him, if he's interested. You may not get any awards at graduation; you may not be a group member, or an RA, or have the best homiletics grade. But faithful pastors need faithful men and women. If you have four years of ministry training, you could be an incredible asset to a small church. You have no idea what a blessing you could be to a church planter just by serving faithfully.


text:
9th & Wander's Top Travel Picks.
Lug Snuz Sac – Travel Pillow & Blacket Set – Need a little shut eye on your red eye? Or perhaps, to rest your neck on your train trip to Goa? Anywhere you might be heading around the globe, you can never go wrong taking your trusty Lug Snuz Sac with you. This U-shaped fleece pillow will give your neck and head great support, preventing any stiff necks from long haul flights and other such journeys sitting in the one spot for hours. It's a simple three easy peasy steps… Simply remove the blanket, inflate the pillow provided, and slip it back into the cover. The blanket comes in a matching zip pouch and is made of a soft coral fleece material. Both cover and blanket are machine washable. Get yours now! Don't lose precious z's on your next big adventure!
Hudson + Bleecker Garment Bag – Want to travel in class? Whether you are flying first class or economy, you can still travel like a diva with this Hudson + Bleeker Garment Bag. Don't let another trip turn your sunday best into a bunch of $2 rags. With this coated canvas garment bag, all your ironing nightmares will be over. The bag comes in turquoise or gold, is contoured with metallic trim, and has a wrap around zip for quick easy access. The great part about this bag is it's endurance; the 8'' double rolled handles offer that extra strength (especially when your bag is used regularly) while the inside of the bag is lined with a brightly colored waterproof bifold interior. This bag is the perfect travel accessory for those in love with glitter and gold. Additional features include: a 5'' drop handle for carrying the bag on your shoulder, a gold faux leather name tag, a golden tassel for easy access and added style. The best part yet… the garment bag can be part of a collection if you really want to style it up!
Two Tone Natural Scarf – You can't go wrong traveling with this lightweight pure cotton scarf. Made of high quality cotton, it allows the skin to breathe while feeling ultra soft to the touch. If you are a seasoned traveler, you will know that scarves are an amazing item to have on hand, for the mere fact that they can serve many purposes… and the 100% cotton dries easily as well! Whether used as a scarf to keep you warm, as a light blanket while waiting for your next connecting flight, as a towel on the beach or a sarong to walk around the pool in, this is a must have on any travellers list. This scarf comes in a number of two-tone colors, and is made of natural cotton fibre. When on the road, a quick hand wash will suffice, and the scarf will dry in no time!
Lug Cargo Packing Cubes – When you are traveling and living out of your suitcase, there is nothing worse than having to make a last minute dig into your never-ending piece of luggage to find that one small item you saw (but didn't need) two minutes earlier. Looking for something in a suitcase, can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Enter… packing cubes! With the Lug Cargo Packing Cubes you can't go wrong! Save yourself hours of packing and unpacking, by separating your clothes and other items into these cubes before placing them into your luggage. This way, next time you need something in a hurry, you won't have to undo all your packing for that one pair of orange socks hidden in the bottom corner under your swimsuit. Packing cubes are made out of a study nylon material for travel endurance, and have a mesh top to allow your clothes to breathe. The handy five sizes allow for packing small and large items, while the different colors allow you to quickly and easily identify the cube you need when in a hurry.
Stephanie Johnson Dubai iPad Case – Just because you are traveling, does not mean that fashion goes out the window. With this Stephanie Johnson iPad case you can be sure to maintain your bling while stepping off the tarmac. This gorgeous iPad case is made of gold and brassy colored sequins, with a subtle animal print pattern on either side. The opening and closing of the case is made easy with a zip and a stylish tassel for easy access and added style. The inside of the case is made with soft cushiony nylon, to ensure that your iPad (i.e.: your entire life!) is kept safe and sound, even through all the commotion of security checks and the chaos of overhead compartments. The case also fits all generations of iPads.
Stephanie Johnson Madison Avenue ML Traveler – This Stephanie Johnson travel case has to be one of the classiest and most elegant cases to date. A real homage to the little black dress, now we have the little black bag. This is a great toiletries (or other) case for travel, it can be shoved inside your suitcase for sure, but who wouldn't want to swing this over their arm and show it off? The outside is made up of black onyx sequins with a subtle velvet honeycomb design. It has a gold metallic zipper surrounding it, for easy access, and a beautiful amethyst lining on the inside. The case comes with two snap-out mesh cases, that are also in that vibrant amethyst color, and a removable pocket mirror to check your lipstick before meeting up with your sweetheart at the arrivals gate. The focal points of the case are the two transparent pockets on either side, allowing you to see clearly and better organize what is inside the bag.
Po Campo Midway Weekender – This is the classic getaway bag! A hybrid bag with oh so many functionalities that you would never guess just looking at it. This bag can do no wrong. Take it on a romantic getaway to Tuscany or lug it around the cafes of Buenos Aires, this bag will always be the perfect accessory to any elegant outfit, and will fit just about anything in it whether you are going away for overnight or for a week. The best part of this bag is its bottom compartment, which unzips and is like a bag underneath the satchel. This area makes it easier for shoes to be packed or any other heavy or hard to pack items. The other cool aspect to this bag are the two black elastic bands on the front of the bag which are perfect for carrying a yoga mat, making this not only a weekender bag, but also a great bag for all the urban yogis out there. The bag is also covered in pockets with zips for easy access to your phone, keys, makeup and boarding pass. The bag can work as a handheld or shoulder tote, with the choice to use the faux leather shoulder strap (31'' to 60'') supplied, or the faux leather handles. The outside of the bag is made out of a water resistant waxed canvas, which is easy to clean, and the overall construction of the bag is multilayered in order to make it tougher and long lasting. The outside of the bag has a blue striped beach bum theme, while the interior of the bag has a fuchsia pink lining that will brighten up any girl's day regardless of jet lag. The bag is a 100% vegan creation, so you are not only being kind to yourself, but also kind to the environment.
Written for 9th & Wander
Cover Image: http://landoftravel.com/packing-list-for-a-backpacking-trip-through-europe/


text:
Showing all 2 results
Sort by:
Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/chelse68/public_html/wp-content/plugins/woosalescountdown/woosalescountdown.php on line 2079
- Delicious and complete omega-3 + vitamin D fish oil supplement for kids
- Kids need omega-3. Lucky for you (and them), our NutraSea Kids tastes so great, you won't have trouble getting them to take it every day!
- NutraSea Kids is specially formulated for children with an optimal blend of EPA, DHA, and GLA, plus vitamin D
- NutraSea Kids is available in a tasty bubble gum flavour. Each serving contains 320mg EPA, 200mg DHA, and 50mg GLA, as well as 500IU of vitamin D
- Benefits child's
- General well-being
- Immune system support
- Strong bones and teeth
- Childhood learning
- Brain development
- Eye development
- Supplies omega-3 fatty acids which are often deficient in the diet of children in Canada
- Improves cognitive health and brain function and supports healthy development of the brain, eyes, and nervous system in children up to 12 years of age
- Contains Vitamin D to help development and maintenance of bones and teeth
- Delivered in a chewable gel cap and has a pleasant fruit punch flavour
- Delicious way for your child to get important essential fatty acids (EFA). Ensures that your children have the necessary pieces to build new, healthy cells
- Taking omega-3 is helpful for children with asthma – helps boost the immune system
- Helps lubricate, soften, and increase health of the skin, as well as deal with inflammation
- Increase number of bowel movements
- EPA & DHA have important biological functions in the central nervous system
- Good for mental health, including childhood depression


text:
Video of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro eating in an upscale steak restaurant in Turkey has caused outrage in crisis-hit Venezuela.
The images show Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gokce, also known as "Salt Bae" carving meat in front of the president and his wife, Cilia Flores, at Gokce's Nusr-Et restaurant in Istanbul.
Almost two-thirds of Venezuelans have reported losing weight as shortages of food worsened in recent years.
Red meat is especially scarce.
Chef Nusret Gokce posted three videos of Mr Maduro's visit on Instagram, but has since deleted them. But many social media users reposted the video.
Mientras tanto el gobernante de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, visita al reconocido chef, Salt Bae, en Turquía y disfruta de un delicioso manjar junto a la "primera combatiente" Cilia Flores. #DimeAlgo pic.twitter.com/tGieG9GV8J
— Yusnaby Pérez (@Yusnaby) September 17, 2018
The chef, who has been dubbed Salt Bae for his stylised way of sprinkling salt on his meat, is seen carving meat in front of the couple with dramatic flair.
President Maduro can be heard saying: "This is a once in a lifetime moment."
Other videos show President Maduro smoking a cigar taken from a box with his name engraved on a plaque, and Cilia Flores holding up a T-shirt with the chef's image.
source: bbc.com


text:
STEVE 'ZETRO' SOUZA Isn't Bothered By EXODUS's Exclusion From 'Big Four'
May 20, 2018
EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza was recently interviewed by the "Mosh Mag" podcast. You can now listen to the chat below.
Asked if he can eventually see himself retiring from being the singer for EXODUS, Souza said: "No. What else would I do? It's no fun. People think their whole life, 'What do you do when you retire? You go fishing? You just chill around go golfing all day?' I pretty much live a retired lifestyle now. When I'm not on tour, I get to do what I want. It's, like, I get bored real quick too, man. You ride your Harley, you take your dogs to the dog park, you go to the movies. I go to the gym every day. I try to keep myself busy and active and stuff. But I think music is something that… it's always been in you, so as long as I can perform at the same level, why not do it?"
Souza was also asked if he is bothered by the fact that his band wasn't included in the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. "I don't consider the 'Big Four' the 'Big Four," he responded. "I consider it the 'Big One'" — apparently referring to METALLICA — "and 'The Other Three.' I mean, honesty, on [the 'Big Four'] t-shirt, one of the 'Big Four' is skipping a spot. If they were so 'Big Four,' shouldn't they lie right under there? But that band is bigger than that other band? So how big is the 'Big Four'?
"I know personally from playing with METALLICA, they can sell 90,000 tickets," he continued. "Those [other] three bands together — God bless 'em; I love them to death; they're my boys; SLAYER, ANTHRAX and MEGADETH, I love them — but they're not the size of METALLICA. They never will be. So where does the tier stop? Does it go METALLICA, tier [one]; those three bands, tier [two]; EXODUS, TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, tier [three]; DEATH ANGEL, tier [four]… How many tiers do you have then? You know what I mean? I don't look at it like that.
"I'm very fortunate to keep playing this 33 years after the initial record came out," Souza added. "How many bands from that genre…? And I'm not talking about metal bands. I'm talking about when you watched MTV in 1985, when 'Bonded By Blood' came out, how many bands in other musical genres are still putting out records — kickass albums — that people still wanna listen to? None but the metal bands… [MEGADETH's] 'Dystopia' won the Grammy a couple of years ago; great record. [ANTHRAX's] 'For All Kings'; great record. SLAYER hasn't put out a shitty record. The last three TESTAMENT records are all gold. DEATH ANGEL… OVERKILL… Nobody's putting out, 'Ah, well, there's, like, three songs on there that I like and then a couple of fillers.' Nobody is throwing fillers up there there for you, gentlemen. They're giving you right smack dab in the face what you deserve, what you get, and I think that's a [testament] to us all being huge fans of what we do and what we still do."
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine said in a 2013 interview that EXODUS "probably" should have been included if the "Big Four" were expanded and considered the "Big Five" "because there was nobody else at the time that had that kind of pull or that kind of importance in the metal community. Granted, it was with [late EXODUS singer Paul] Baloff, and Baloff had a voice that you had to have an acquired taste for, but you know, I liked him."
METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett concurred, telling U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine in a 2014 interview that "EXODUS in the '80s had some bona fide problems, but I think their first album [1985's 'Bonded By Blood'] is just as good as [METALLICA's debut] 'Kill 'Em All'. We were just playing the music we wanted to hear because no one else was playing it and it wasn't being played on the radio. It was only a small group of people who knew about it and it was almost elitist in that 'No posers allowed!' thing."
Souza recently said that fans will have to wait until at least the end of 2019 before EXODUS's follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" album.
Although it was originally reported that the veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers would go into the studio last October to begin recording the new effort, it now appears that the band will not begin work on the next disc until guitarist Gary Holt is done playing with SLAYER as part of that band's "final" world tour.
Source: News


text:
ShopSM is the online shopping platform of The SM Store, the largest department store chain in the Philippines.
At ShopSM, we want to make your everyday shopping feel super. We've put together just the right essentials from The SM Store so they're available for you anytime, anywhere.
We carry a variety of your favorite items in every department: from menswear to womenswear, shoes to bags, and baby essentials to kids' wear. We also carry popular toys, select cosmetics and beauty products, kitchen appliances and things for the home—you'll also find hardware. We also like to throw in the latest fashion, fun stuff, and really fantastic deals as well. And don't worry - at ShopSM, you'll find authentic products from brands you already love seeing at our stores.
We know everyone loves rewards. We do too. If you're already an SM Advantage Card, SM Prestige, or BDO Rewards cardholder, you can earn points at ShopSM, just as you do in store. Bonus: keep an eye out for our exciting member's only discounts and benefits when you shop at ShopSM.
We want to get your items to you quicker, faster, and easier. Adding to a smooth online experience and secure payments, you can have your package delivered straight to your home. But if you prefer to pick up during your lunch break or as part of your day off, we also offer a "Click and Collect" option at The SM Store. All you have to do is select your preferred branch at checkout, and we'll have it ready for you in-store. Either way you choose, you can pay through credit card, or cash-on-delivery.
(And if you're at The SM Store, don't forget we also offer reliable services such as bill payments, ticketing, remittance, currency exchange, free gift wrapping, clothing alterations, and home delivery. And yes, we also offer a very large selection of items and great customer service.)
We've got it at ShopSM. Shop now!
Subscribe to updates. Access our Privacy Policyhere.


text:
Stars Leggings, Neon Yellow
$45.50 $65
Nununu Stars Leggings Neon Yellow
Nununu Stars Leggings Neon Yellow
every kid is a rock star in our signature Neon Yellow star leggings. whether they‰۪re worn for school or play, add a bit of cosmic cool to their look in our unisex leggings. suitable for baby girls and baby boys 0-24 months, boys and girls ages 2-7, and tweens/teens ages 8-14 years old.
- hell fabric cuff hem | elastic waistband
- 50% polyester 25% cotton 25% viscose
- unisex leggings for newborns, toddlers, babies up to 2 years, as well as for boys and girls up to 14 years old
- machine wash cold


text:
September 21, 2011
The Language Teaching Research Journal announced a Texas Tech University professor had the most downloaded article in 2009-2010.
The article by Greta Gorsuch, an associate professor in classical and modern languages, concerns second-language learners and repeated reading as a learning tool.
"Getting enough second language input is a huge issue in most foreign language programs," Gorsuch said. "Audio assisted repeated reading can help that. I suppose that is why it's been downloaded so much."
In 2005, Gorsuch traveled to Vinh City in North Vietnam for five months on a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer Grant to do her research. She and her co-author found that reading short text repeatedly, hearing it, and reading it again helps second-language learners master the language better.
She said repeated reading is an important tool in learning settings where the second language is not often heard or used, such as English in Japan or German in the United States.
Etsuo Taguchi, a professor at Daito Bunka University in Tokyo co-authored the article with Gorsuch.
"Etsuo got me interested in repeated reading as a theory-driven and yet practical means of increasing reading fluency and reading comprehension for second language learners," she said.
Gorsuch and Taguchi still do repeated reading research together and separately.
CONTACT: Greta Gorsuch, associate professor of applied linguistics and second language studies, Texas Tech University, (806) 742-3145 or email@example.com.


text:
Bring happiness to those who desperately need it by making wigs for kids with cancer.
Childhood is a time of fun, play and happiness. But when you're a child with cancer, you miss out on that. Your time is spent in hospital, having treatment. And when children have chemotherapy, their scalps are left too sensitive to even wear wigs.
Help these kids with a fun crafts activity
Unlike traditional wigs, yarn-wigs are comfy, soft, and warm. In this amazing activity, you'll make wigs out of yarn for children with cancer. You'll start the day with an introduction and briefing, before working together to create hand-made wigs. Then you'll finish up with a team photo to commemorate your great work.
Your wigs will bring fun and laughter to kids with cancer in the UAE, Egypt and Pakistan, helping them play and enjoy a normal childhood through an incredibly difficult time in their lives. It's an inspiring activity everyone in your team can feel great about.
"Sometimes superheroes reside in the hearts of small children fighting big battles"
– Readathon Storyteller
|Company's office or any other venue specified
|All year round [weekdays and weekends]
|Participants and prices
1 - 50 People (starting from 8,200Dhs)
|* Prices include event planning and coordination, support staff and a contribution to the charity partner when applicable, as well as pictures from the activity for use in your own communications (e.g. internal, social, website), an activity impact report. Prices exclude Companies for Good management fee. Prices exclude VAT.


text:
Top Ten Best Things about being a writer:
1. Royalty checks.
2. Self-Satisfaction
3. You've created something.
4. You can work in your pajamas and no one cares.
5. You are your own boss.
6. You can watch TV while you work.
7. You can work anywhere and anytime.
8. If you're lucky, people will like your work.
9. You're following your dream.
10. I love it.
Top Ten Worst Things about being a writer:
1. You can work anywhere anytime. It NEVER stops.
2. You see a character in everyone you meet.
3. People expect you to write for free.
4. People expect to pay $0.99 for your NEW book.
5. You are your own boss, which means…
6. You must be disciplined to do any work, but particularly art.
7. I've given 8 eulogies and written obituaries … wonder if there is a job in that?
8. You are your own time-keeper.
9. You're always in your head and people think you don't listen to them.
10. I only really like to write in the middle of the night, like now, but no one else gets that.
So, there's my top ten of the good and bad. Just thought I'd put that out there. So many of us writers have the same problems. Would any writers like to add to this list? Best~ Veronica


text:
|Purchased equipment:
|school fuel water tube boiler for sale
|WUXI China
|+86 13861509127
|[email protected]
|Contact us for more details about our boilers, solutions and services.
High quality aluminum silicate fiber is used with fire clay insulation, to control the boiler body temperature below 45℃ and reduce heat lost.Sufficient steam storage room and heating area to generate high quality steam and high thermal power.Condenser is added to recycle the waste heat of the exhausted smoke to increase feeding water's temperature and reduce flue gas emission temperature and increase the thermal efficiency over 98% and save operating cost.
Big combustion chamber equipped with Low emission combustion burner effectively reduce the NOx to 30mg/m3. Smoke duct and smoke outlet use internal insulation to reduce operating noise.
Combustion chamber uses full membrane water cooling wall structure and pressurized combustion without smoke mixture.
Good quality alumina silicate fiber and fire clay insulation material are used and the boiler body temperature is controlled below 45℃ and greatly heat loss is reduced. Combustion chamber is designed with narrow distance tube membrane water cooling wall which has good air proof to reduce heat lost and increase boiler thermal efficiency. Internal inspection holes uses high-alumina refractory and manhole cover seal devices, solving superheat problem in this part caused by using refractory bricks.
The key processing technologies such as steel plate blanking, circling, drum and tube plate drilling adopt advanced CNC machining to reduce the assembly stress and prolong the service life of the boiler.
Steel tube cutting, thread tube pressing and convection tube processing all adopt advanced CNC technology.
Automatic production line.
Boiler tube repair replacement; Replacement of level controls, steam pressure hot water temperature controls This rebuilt hot water boiler is being used to clean fruit in South America. See our used boilers. Learn why Power Mechanical's used boilers for sale are the best. Tubes Pressure Vessel.
Hospital Gas Hot Water Atmospheric Pressure Boiler For Sale. cwns series 7mw oil gas fired hot water boiler for school CWNS 7mw gas fired fire tube boiler oil fuel hot water Atmospheric Pressure Boiler For Sale.
I need the quotation of, the fuel is, the pressure is, this Except hot oil boiler, oil gas fired steam boiler and biomass water tube Read More Rollingstock Name Plate for Steam Locomotive (Red) (for 10-
fire water tube boiler for sale. December 29, 2017 Treatment, Cycle Chemistry, Boiler …TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH Westendstrasse 199 80686 München Germany Page 2 Water-tube boiler are larger steam generators – with BW within the tubes – with …Boiler Room Equipment – Boilers – Smith HughesSmith Hughes has over 70 years of
School Fuel Water Tube Boiler For Sale; Hot Water Boiler For Greenhouse Wholesale, Boiler . Alibaba.com offers 990 hot water boiler for greenhouse products. About 46% of these are boilers. A wide variety of hot water boiler for greenhouse options are available to you, such as natural circulation, once through.
School Fuel Steam Atmospheric Pressure Water Tube . Community Fuel Vacuum Boiler Supplier School Natural Gas Hot Water Atmospheric Pressure Fire Tube Boiler For Sale solid fuel fire and water tube solid boiler . Free Chat
A boiler is a closed vessel in which a liquid, typically water, has heat energy applied …Boiler Tube: About Corrosion, Stress Cracking …Boiler tube failure analysis is about corrosion, stress cracking corrosion, metal failure or corrosion stress all causes corrosion using boiler tube analysis.GM Boiler – The Ultimate Steam SolutionCoal
school fire tube boiler for sale in australia; Product List. school natural gas steam water tube boiler price; high pressure boiler applied in school widely used in syria; school fuel steam atmospheric pressure boiler for sale; About Us.
Used boilers can be utilized to provide steam or hot water for any industrial plant. Whether electric, or gas fired, fire tube, water tube or commercial a boiler the process where water or oil burns inside the combustion chamber and heats up the heat exchanger, which in turn heats water or oil to provide steam.
School Fuel Steam Atmospheric Pressure Boiler For Sale. 4 things to look out for in steam boiler pressure controls . If the boiler steam pressure reaches 3 psi, the burner will drop to low fire and stay there until the boiler pressure drops.
Boiler Quick Quote . Contact IBM today at (855) 753-BOILER to discuss any of the used boilers for sale featured in this section. We recommend bookmarking this page as our used boiler selection frequently changes.


text: Two day before Tong-Len 10th anniversary, the Making Connection Team did Press Conference. The MC Media Director Nisha Kumari, MC Program development Karan and Jamyang the director of Tong-Len Charitable Trust in india sat on the Panal with help of Anne and Brigid. The Press Conference was so successful and around 32 different media came there including international news channel. All the article that we have got so fare will be available on The MC website soon.


text:
Red light therapy, or light box therapy, has been around for over 40 years. It emits specific wavelengths of light to restore, repair, and protect body tissue that is either injured, degenerating, or at risk of dying. While varying wavelengths affect the body differently, the most effective wavelengths for red light therapy and healing range from 625nm-900nm. The patent-pending TrueLight™ Energy Square concentrates specifically on 630nm, 660nm, and 850nm wavelengths.
How does red light therapy work?
Red light wavelengths affect bodily cells on a biochemical level by increasing mitochondrial function – the ability to produce cellular energy. The more cellular energy production, the better the body functions as a whole. When red light wavelengths are used on the skin's surface, they can penetrate 8-10 millimeters into the skin.
What are the benefits of red-light therapy?
Red light therapy works from the inside-out to enhance mitochondrial function in cells. This, in turn, leads to several skin benefits. Red light can help the body decrease skin inflammation, smooth skin tone, repair sun damage, fade scars and stretch marks; it can even build collagen in the skin, which can reduce wrinkles and help heal wounds. Red light also positively impacts the lymphatic system by increasing blood flow and subsequently improving your body's ability to detoxify.
Why specifically use 630nm, 660nm, and 850nm wavelengths?
Various research projects promote the benefits of different wavelengths for the treatment of certain conditions. It is generally agreed that wavelengths between 625nm and 900nm are the most effective for healing wounds and other skin conditions. At the lower end, 630nm and 660nm appear to be favored. At longer wavelengths, 850nm and 880nm are the most beneficial.
A University of Chicago study discovered that the average wavelength of cell tissue in the human body ranges between 600nm and 720nm, with 660nm being the mid-point. 660nm works better than any other frequency because it is closer to the resonant frequency of cell tissue, allowing it to absorb better in hemoglobin. This is a red protein responsible for transporting oxygen in our blood. Your mitochondria can absorb red light easily at the 630nm and 660nm wavelengths, which roughly coincide with the absorption peaks of cytochrome c oxidase (the target of light therapy).
The mitochondria's metabolic function is usually restricted by a biologically active molecule called nitric oxide, which binds to cytochrome c oxidase and prevents it from using oxygen. Red light detaches this molecule, allowing cytochrome c oxidase to resume its energy-producing metabolic function.
Use pulsating or steady light for deeper healing and pain relief
It has been discovered that when LED lights are pulsed, body tissue can heal more rapidly. When it is given a continuous burst, it sedates the cell and relieves the pain. When a single-frequency pulsed light hits the cell, it stimulates the cell to start producing more protein than it normally does, as a result, the cell heals faster. Even when the LED light source is taken away, the cell continues its healing. As opposed to the pulsing light that is best for healing, a continuous, steady light beam can remove/dull pain, reduce inflammation and allows muscle tissue to relax.
Interested in getting a light therapy device for home use? The NEW TrueLight™ Energy Square delivers patent-pending optimal Near Infrared, Deep Red, Red, and Yellow/Amber wavelengths with steady or pulsing modes. TrueLight's unique combination of wavelengths can react with cellular mitochondria to increase adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. In turn, increased ATP production can lead to faster production of collagen, vascular structures, DNA, RNA and other materials that are essential to your body's healing process. These wavelengths may enhance blood circulation, reduce wrinkles and fine lines, increase muscle recovery, decrease pain and reduce joint inflammation as well as skin redness/irritation.
For further reading here are some scientific studies about Red Light Therapy and Pulsing light:
Junk light exposure when traveling can disrupt your circadian rhythm. Long-term exposure to light at night which accompanies shift work is listed as a probable carcinogen by the World Health Organization. Light at night has shown to be highly associated with significantly the risk of hormone specific such as cancers of the breast and prostate.
The flickering wavelength of light associated with LEDs and compact fluorescent lights emit blue light that inhibits melatonin production but also create a unique glare that impacts your retina causing eye strain, headaches, and physical and mental fatigue.
Red light and darkness move leptin and ghrelin into patterns that are (context dependent) associated with less hunger, while blue light does the opposite and can move both into patterns associated with more hunger.
Increase in cortisol, the stress hormone, due to circadian disruption. Memory recall is impaired with consistent sleep deprivation and may leave you distracted and not performing your absolute best.
The Importance of Melanopsin Cells
Your body requires some blue light at the right time of day and from the right sources. That's why we created TrueDark® Sleep Technology that gives you 24-protection from junk light day and night.
Stop Junk Light with TrueDark® Twilights technology that frees your hormones and neurotransmitters to do their best work.
When the sun goes down, blue light isn't the only junk light that can disrupt our sleep cycle and more than blue blockers are needed. TrueDark® Twilights is the first and only solution that is designed to work with melanopsin, a protein in your eyes responsible for absorbing light and sending sleep/wake signals to your brain. Without melanopsin, melatonin can't be accessed.
When you wear your Twilights for as little as 30 min before bed you prevent your melanopsin from detecting the wrong wavelengths of light at the wrong time of day. This supports your circadian rhythm and helps you fall asleep faster and get more restorative and restful sleep.
The highly advanced lenses in TrueDark® Daylights operate on a more advanced level than traditional blue blockers.
Blue light emitted from the sun helps regulate our sleep/wake cycle. However, in today's world, we're exposed to an overabundance of blue light, or junk light from artificial light. This includes hours spent in front of TVs, phones, and computers. It also includes time spent in artificial man made light with LEDs and fluorescent lights. Even if we're simply reading a book, we're doing that in artificial light which emit dramatically more blue light than the sun. That overexposure to junk light during the day has a dramatic impact on our neurotransmitters and hormones that are responsible for quality sleep.
Increase Your Mental and Physical Performance
Newsletter Signup | FAQs | Contact Us | Blog | Careers
Join Our Affiliate Program | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | About Us
© 2020 TrueDark®, All rights reserved.


text:
In somewhat of a surprising development, one of the most versatile running backs in all of college football will remain at this level.
At a press conference Tuesday, D.J. Foster announced that he has decided to eschew early entry into the NFL draft and will instead return to Arizona State for his senior season. Some observers had thought Foster would make the leap, so the move to return was somewhat unexpected.
"I'm glad to be here one more year," Foster said. "To run out on Senior Day is something I'm excited about. I'm ready to finish what I started."
Foster led the Sun Devils in rushing this season with 1,081 yards, but was also second in receptions (62) and receiving yards (649). Both of those receiving totals are tops among FBS running backs.
For his career, he has totaled 2,075 yards rushing and 1,874 receiving. Of his 28 career touchdowns, 11 have come on receptions.
He could add significantly to that total in 2015 as Foster stated at the press conference that he expects to be used more as a slot receiver next season.


text:
One of the dumbest things a prospective indie game-developer has ever uttered to me was "I want to make an MMO." Even if the kind of people who tell me things like this ever manage to make an indie MMO, which is an incredibly expensive endeavor, there's no guarantee that they'll be successful; if anything, it's pretty much guaranteed that the game is going to fail miserably.
For the longest time, I tried to figure out why this happens. I mean, sure, MMOs cost a lot of time and money, but even then, surely someone can distill 'what MMO means' down to its core concept and make it successful. Plenty of other indie games do well, even if they don't look like AAA extravaganzas, so why is it that it seems like failure's really only guaranteed where MMOs are concerned?
The MMO, after all, is a genre of game with a great deal of fans. Many people I know play MMOs exclusively, with the exception, perhaps, of Blizzard and Valve games, so why…
And, just like that, I figured it out.
If you enjoy these games, you should probably sit back, think about how I'm about to say something that might make you feel bad about yourself, that might upset you, that might make you want to write something nasty as a response, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and continue. Because we're going to talk about mind control and how it affects you.
All good? Let's begin.
What is game design?
It's the art of getting people to play in a structured way. That is, you're creating—designing—a framework for the audience, the players, to do things in.
What is play?
It's the activity you perform because you want to perform it, generally often for your own personal enjoyment. If I decide to pick up a dinosaur action figure and make it eat another dinosaur action figure, for no reason other than I want to, then I'm playing. It's not a perfect definition, mind you—I watch movies because I want to, after all, and I used to collect coins—but it'll do for now.
So… what happens if someone tricks you into doing something?
Let's say that you're sitting in a room, and whenever a bell rings, you know that a small cup full of your favorite drink will appear on the table in front of you. You walk around the room, kinda bored, but then, when the bell rings, bam, you're there, at the table, drinking whatever it is. After a while, the bell's ringing is enough to get you to the table, even if there's no drink present. This is called classical conditioning—that is, whoever is responsible for ringing the bell and making the drink appear has conditioned you to visit the table whenever the bell rings.
Then you've got operant conditioning, which, like classical conditioning, is designed to make you do things, even if you have no reason to do them, but with the added twist that things will change based on your behavior. That is, the quicker you make your way to the theoretical table, the more of a drink you may have, while the slower you arrive, the less you receive.
When it comes to games, conditioning is used to make players engage in activities not because they're fun, but because the developer wants the player to engage in these activities. This ultimately means that a developer can make you play parts of a game, not because you want to, but because the game has trained you to respond to the game the way it wants you to respond.
Let's get this out of the way: nobody buys a game without choosing to do so. We look at the marketing materials, impressions from friends, and a host of other sources, and ultimately, we make a decision whether or not to buy a game. For the purpose of this discussion, we're talking about what happens to us after we've acquired these things.
We generally choose to play games because we think we're going to have fun playing them, and often, we do, but… well, sometimes, we're not actually having fun. Our brain tells us "yes, I am having fun," but what's really happening is that the games are just massaging our mental pleasure centers. There's nothing fun about doing lots of drugs or playing slots at the casino, but these things operate in ways that make us think we're having the time of our lives.
So when I look at conditioning in games, I think yeah, some bean counters somewhere are probably trying to get people addicted, but I also think it's a case of engineers thinking very literally and trying to engineer fun. It's easy to condition players' brains to release dopamine. It's a very mechanical, scientific process.
Most of the people I know who get into game design and stuff are programmers—many of them are people who tend to think very literally, very logically. If you were to talk about emotions and feelings and stuff with them, they'd go 'oh, that's just chemical blah blah blah.' Not all of them, but a great deal. And there's nothing inherently wrong with this. We've got people who are really strongly left-brained, and we've got people who are strongly right-brained. But game design tends to trend more towards left-brained stuff than right, and as a result, I think there's a bunch of people out there using conditioning to create a weak parody of 'fun' because they don't quite understand the importance of an emotional component.
You should be much more familiar with audiovisual feedback. That is, if you do the things the game wants you to, you receive an audiovisual reward. Level up, for instance, and the game will play a special audio cue and maybe throw in a pretty light show to boot. It's an utterly meaningless reward, but something about that is just crazy-satisfying to the human brain. For the same reason, games give us things that tell us we're not really done (XP bars are great at making us feel like we need to level just one more time), that there's more to do.
Of course, there are other ways to condition players.
A simple example. There's this game, part of one of the biggest, most critically-acclaimed series in the entire universe, and the entire first half of the game is a series of puzzles. The player has to put a ball in a hole, essentially. So they do that, moving from area to area, with each puzzle increasing in difficulty... and then the mechanic is done. Gone. Kaput. Everything the player's been taught to do is no longer necessary. Going back through the game with the commentary turned on, it was interesting to read about how proud the developers were of what they'd accomplished, getting players to move from one puzzle to one slightly more complex and on and on and... it was weird. It was just really weird, and kind of uncomfortable. They weren't making a fun game, they were making people have some twisted parody of fun.
Another way to influence players is to reward them at random. Essentially, what you're doing is convincing their brain that they should perform the action you want them to constantly because of the possibility of reward. This is what games like Team Fortress 2, Borderlands 2, and Diablo III are built around: manipulating the players into playing in the hopes that they'll receive something good.
Play is, and should be, intrinsically motivated.
"Intrinsic motivation" basically means that we are motivated to do things because we want to do them. I wish I could sit here and explain to you precisely why it is that intrinsic motivation is superior to extrinsic motivation, but I'm not a psychologist. I can only tell you that, in my own personal experience, intrinsic motivation is like love, as I mentioned above. The difference between internal and external motivation is like the difference between love and lust. The latter's just... hollow. It's tasty. It's awesome. But it doesn't really last, doesn't really matter.
And so it is with games.
I can't enjoy games that are trying to manipulate me into having fun, not just because I know what they're trying to do, but because of this mysterious 'other' that I'm having a hard time explaining. When I'm playing through a game that's feeding me its gameplay like little breadcrumbs, dragging me along, and then abandons all the skills I've learned, only to introduce me to a new series of mechanics... well, I lose interest.
One aspect of video games that I really value is the fact that I can replay them. The games I enjoy the most are the ones I can come back to, time and time and time again. I love being in the thrall of the richness of the experience, the texture of the moment. It's the heartbeat, the pulse, the flow of playing a game that I'm so deeply in love with, and when I play a game that's too busy trying to massage my lizard brain into doing its bidding, I find the experience jarring.
To me, the best games are the ones that say "okay, here is how you play this game," and let me handle the rest myself. No, I don't particularly mind getting newer, more powerful weapons, items, and attacks, but I do have trouble playing a game with a learning curve so shallow that I feel like it's treating me as if I'm a baby learning to eat solid foods for the first time. And a lot of these games do that. For these developers, the gameplay experience is not about learning mechanics to use them at a later date, about being given tools to implement in a game in unique and interesting ways, it's simply about moving from point A to B to C and so on, or about filling up an XP bar, or any one of a number of similar tasks.
In other words, many developers are spoonfeeding an experience to the players. Rather than having them play the game, they're simply encouraging players to press a button or two, receive a 'fun' response, and carry on until the game has completed, the end.
Beep boop beep I am a robot
This kind of design is particularly prevalent in F2P and other online games. In order to keep people playing, these games almost have to rely on addiction mechanic. Most human beings just do not play video games long enough or frequently enough to support a game single-handedly. Most publishers make a game, release the game, and rely on sales made within the first month or two to help fund the next game. With an online game, particularly a free one, they have to figure out ways to keep people playing—and paying—for months. The easiest way to do this, of course, is simply to get players addicted to the game, so they'll keep spending money, so the developer can keep earning.
A while back, I heard a rumor that a very large, successful, very well-liked company would only hire people who had a background (such as a college minor) in psychology. The reason for this was supposedly because they placed a great deal of emphasis on player manipulation. Based on my observations of this company, the kind of games they make, and the systems they tend to implement in their games... well, suffice it to say, I'm willing to believe the rumor. Other companies, like Valve, list psychologists on their staff pages.
And the thing is, I can accept this. It bothers me, I don't find it fun... but I know plenty of people who do, who are aware, and who don't mind playing this way. They're fine with randomized drops and all that stuff, and they know it's manipulation. So they're cool with it.
But what happens if this stuff isn't in-game?
Well, Chris Hecker, creator of that super-cool-looking, asymmetrical multiplayer game SpyParty, talks about achievements over on his blog, and what I want to say about achievements is so long that it's going to get its own post later. I think I've linked this before in another essay, but Jamie Cheng from Klei (known for games like Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja) has talked about similar concepts over on the Penny Arcade Report.
Even then, achievements can be good things. Valve used achievements in Left 4 Dead to encourage players to try mechanics they might not have tried otherwise. And, sure, we can argue that they should have been able to encourage using these mechanics in the game itself, rather than through achievements, but in the end, those achievements did help improve the gameplay experience.
As such, it might come as a surprise that Valve is the most egregious offender when it comes to manipulating their players outside of the game.
After all, we think of Valve as the good guys. They patch our games. They improve their services. They made Mac gaming not suck! They helped resurrect PC games! Their sales are amazing*!
Back in 2011, Valve did their annual christmas sale, but it was different this time. For performing various deeds, usually unlocking achievements or buying games, players would receive a virtual piece of coal which could be combined with other pieces of coal, resulting in the player receiving a reward, like games or coupons. Valve has yet to do another sale where players received games, however.
In the summer of 2012, Valve introduced badges, which players could earn by performing various tasks, such as buying games or voting which game should go on sale next (thus encouraging players to come to the store page every few hours to see the new flash sales and community picks). By the summer of 2013, Valve had implemented its trading card system, again rewarding players for voting and buying.
With the advent of trading cards came Steam levels, which meant that yeah, XP progression had finally become a part of Steam. Play a game, get cards, craft the cards to get a badge, upgrade your Steam level, and on and on you go.
Thing is, to get all five levels of a regular badge that has, say, 8 cards, you need to receive forty card drops, but for 8-card games, you will only receive four drops, at least one of which is guaranteed to be a duplicate. You can, of course, trade cards with your friends, but still, you'd need to trade thirty-six cards. Valve, of course, has a solution: random booster pack drops.
Unfortunately, booster packs drop once every two or three weeks. If, like me, you own forty games that can receive random card drops, you could take forever to get the cards you want. Seriously. At a rate of one booster every two weeks, assuming Valve never adds any new games and you don't buy any more games with cards, if you're lucky enough to get no repeats, and lucky enough to get the three cards you need exactly, but unlucky enough to get it last, you're looking at eighty weeks for the cards you want... which is close to two years of waiting.
Now imagine how long you'd have to wait a game with ten or fifteen cards.
You'd need two drops for a game with ten cards—that's one hundred and sixty-weeks, or just over three years. You'd need three drops for a game with fifteen cards, or, in other words, two hundred and forty-weeks, which happens to be over four and a half years.
...and that's just the first level of the badge. Each badge has five levels and a foil badge.
So, are you curious how long it would take to receive every card for badge for every card that is out, as of the morning of September 24th, 2013, assuming optimal drops at one booster every two weeks?
It would take two hundred and twenty-two years.
For two hundred and seventy-seven games, each with five levels of badges and one foil badge, you will have to log in once a week, every week, for two hundred and twenty-two years. When I first calculated this, it was around one hundred and fifty years. I think it's safe to say that most of you aren't going to live that long, that they'll add more games and it will take even more time, and, hey, maybe they go out of business in two hundred years or so.
Does that not seem a little problematic to you?
Valve has created a metagame** that you cannot win.
Of course, they have a solution: spend money. In case you were wondering, at an estimated fifteen cents per card (and cards range from eight cents to a few dollars or more, so we're on the low side of things), you'd have to spend $1702.65 to get all the cards. This isn't a game you play—the only way to obtain cards and 'beat' the game is to run video games, trade cards, spend money, or hope for random drops. All you get in return are some chat icons or profile customizations (which are random).
Is that really worthwhile?
They've created a psychologically compulsive experience that... serves no purpose. Until I did the math, I thought it wasn't really that big of a deal.
So yeah, why do a lot of MMOs fail? Their developers don't know how to manipulate players into spending time with the experience. Why do certain games sell like crazy? Because their developers do?
Why should you care?
Well, that's up to you. Do you like being manipulated? Do you like playing games for their own sake? Do you really want to wait more than two centuries to get a bunch of cards that don't mean anything? For my part, I've decided that nope, these metagames aren't exactly worthwhile. Achievements can be fun, and I must admit, I like leveling or being surprised by some awesome loot, but hey, here I am, sitting in front of my computer, letting A.R.E.S. run so I can sell the cards and use it to buy something cool, like Shadowrun Returns or Divinity: Dragon Commander.
I'd rather be blasting through the skies, a dragon wearing a jetpack, than I would pretending to be one of Pavlov's dogs.
If you were wondering what the theme of these pictures was, they're games that I played because of my internal motivations. Didn't really like Hitman: Absolution all that much, but I don't have any good screens of Sniper Challenge, and I tend to use my own screenshots.
I did those Steam calculations on my own, by the way. You can find them here. They were sourced from Steam Card Exchange, which shows some games as not having foil badges, but I think this is just a database error? Not positive.
You can follow me on Tumblr or Twitter. If you have some topic or video game you'd like me to cover, let me know. If you know where I can find better work, especially a writing job (or, heck, a mentor), please point me in the right direction!
*Valve sales have been outclassed by sales from guys like Amazon and GreenManGaming, who sell codes that unlock games on Steam.
**a game outside of the game, a game centered around playing your games