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About a month ago I posted My Short Film Adventure, So Far and this is a follow up post to that.
Lesson number one – just when you think the script is finished, it's not.
It's been really interesting to see the process unfold on this project, which I have to imagine is very similar to many film projects.
I was brought on board by the two producers of the film to write the script, but none of the rest of the crew had been hired yet. Including the director. Since I'm a newbie in this space, I figured once I delivered a script the producers liked, that's what would be used. Not quite.
What I came to understand very quickly, is the relationship between the Director and the writer is extremely important. In fact, for future projects I'd want to know who the Director would be and meet that person before undertaking the writing of a script because the Director has to be comfortable with me as a writer and what I'm bringing to the table, and I have to be comfortable with that person as the Director and incorporating elements that person wants to ensure there is a meshing of the vision for the film.
Thankfully, the Director on this film project has been easy to work with and made some good suggestions about script changes and changing the order of scenes I wrote to enhance the overall flow of the film.
Then, the Director of Photography (DP) also made some modifications to the script based on the fact that the way I wrote certain descriptions would have been very expensive to shoot. (Oops, I didn't realize that one description would have required a fancy crane shot!)
Then, the producers asked me would I mind terribly changing the ending because the location I'd written for the end scene was expensive and was proving difficult to secure. And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I change the nature of the pet of one of the characters because of other complications. Sure, I said. No problem. 🙂
And so it is that I've now delivered version 15 of the rewritten script, which might just be final. Maybe. Probably.
Except that…
I'm going to go out on a limb here (it's not much of a limb) and guess that no final script, no matter how perfectly written, is exactly what's delivered on screen. That's probably a good thing in many cases.
The director and actors will do their job during the shooting of the film which will enhance and modify whatever is in the script, and then there will be an editing process which I'm sure will shape whatever comes out in the end as the final product for the entire crew's efforts.
But while I've been pondering the script and laboring over whatever changes were needed, the producers have been really hard at work doing everything else. That included hiring a casting agent and casting the five roles in the film. I'm SO EXCITED by the amazing cast they've hired. These people are incredible actors with impressive credits to their names, I'm sure they will bring the characters I wrote fully to life!
The locations have mostly been nailed down, the director, DP and sound guy are onboard, and the producers keep going. I can't even imagine how they are getting all this done so quickly.
But for me, the writer, my big event which is scheduled for next week, is a table reading of the script by the actors. It will be the first time the cast has been fully assembled and hearing the actors reading my dialogue will be thrilling.
Just a few days after that, filming will begin! If I'm given permission, I will bring a camera to the shoot and take photos of "the making of" this film.
So, up next, the actors reading my script together as a group for the first time. How exciting is that?!
Filed under: Art, Blog post, Movie, Movies, New York City, Writing | Tagged: movie, screenwriter, Script writing, short film, short film script, writing | 6 Comments »


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subset: commoncrawl


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Hey guys! Look who's posting two weeks in a row! This girl :D
For today's nails, I drew my inspiration from Tartofraises. I absolutely love the neon yellow and green gradient she created! Plus, I've really been feeling the whole summer vibe around here (minus the past week where it's been rather chilly. I have hope that it will warm up soon though :) ).
I decided to give one stroke a go for this design. This is the second time I was happy enough with my attempt with one stroke nails to leave them on. this is a step up from my first attempt- it's more thank just petals from the side; there's almost a whole flower there!
To start out, I used two coats of a white base. Then I sponged e.l.f. – Neon Yellow and Neon Green onto my nails. Next, I applied one coat of e.l.f. – Fairy Dust. (what's up with the overload of e.l.f. products? haha). To create the one stroke flowers I used black and white Oumaxi acrylic paints, then outlined them using a Stripe Rite striper in black. I also used my black striper to create the leaves and tribal designs.
I'm really happy with the way these nails turned out! I love the contrast between the black and neon base. I think it really makes them pop and stand out.
Thanks for reading!!


text: Arran 11 Posted May 28, 2019 I have a problem with challenge Hunted, part 2. I had like 20 attempts and all fails. It looks like this: 1. Bear charges me on exit from house. I shoot him. No matter where I hit him - head, body he mauls me. 2. I go back to cabin to heal up. 3. I follow Bear to Max stand and shoot him. First shot dont do anything, but because of distance I can shoot him again. It doesnt matter, he continue charge and mauls me. 4. I'm left at 10% condition and without clothes I freeze to death before reaching safe spot. 5. Game over. I double checked and I do score hits - journal shows 3 shots and 3 hits. I have no idea how to complete this challenge. Is it bug or I do something wrong? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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hello all from the Proclaimers site. Davie told us all about you so I thought I'd look in.
Kintyre looks beautiful, palm trees an' all. Makes me fair jealous,
if the Procs show up or not I think a visit would be good this year.
Thanx to Davie for introducing me to this site. Fabulous!!


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Copeland to propose drop in councillor numbers
COPELAND Council is set to request its councillor numbers to be reduced by more than a third.
Subject to agreement by the full council at a meeting on August 31, Copeland will ask the Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) to reduce the number of members it is required to have from 51 to 33.
After considering Copeland's submission, the LGBC will confirm the councillor number in October, and the reduction it imposes will take effect from the next election in May 2019.
A joint statement has been made by Mike Starkie, Mayor of Copeland, and Lena Hogg and David Moore, the Leaders of the Labour and Conservative groups respectively.
They said: "In 2015, Copeland Council voted to invite the LGBC to review our governance.
"Since then, a thorough internal research process has been carried out by an experienced and independent person, uninfluenced by the Mayor or the political parties.
"It has considered the Council's statutory functions and committees, the role of councillors in a modern council, and comparisons with neighbouring councils and similar authorities in other parts of the country.
"This review has arrived at the figure of 33 councillors, and we are fully supportive of this number.
"This Council as an organisation has significantly reduced in size over recent years, yet the number of councillors has remained at 51, with the ratio of councillors to the electorate as the lowest in Cumbria.
"We have a large number of dedicated and experienced councillors, who are passionate about their wards and the people they represent, and their contribution is of enormous value to this Council and the residents of Copeland.
"However, given the fundamental changes that the Council has experienced latterly, we believe 33 is an appropriate and sustainable number of councillors for us to have in the future."
Further to the proposed reduction in numbers, the LGBC will re-draw the borough council's ward boundaries and rename the new wards – based on the new councillor numbers – also for the May 2019 election.
The public will be asked for its views on this stage of the process in two stages of consultation that will run from October to January, and March to May. All final governance arrangement will be confirmed by the LGBC in July 2018.


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SACRAMENTO (CBS) — A shortage of a particular drug that has halted lethal injections in California may be nearing an end, but opponents are raising safety questions about the chemical's origin.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that state officials are now in possession of 12 grams of sodium thiopental, enough to proceed with about 4 executions — and they say death penalty critics have nothing to worry about.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou Reports
After the state's previous supply expired at the end of September, a judge called off the scheduled Sept. 30 execution of convicted rapist and murderer Albert Greenwood Brown.
It's unclear how officials will proceed with the planned executions, as the state has yet to disclose the source of the drug.
(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)


text: 2 Uniforms are recommended Scrub Jacket & Navy Sweater are OPTIONAL Lab Coat is MANDATORY (mens or womens) 4700Scrub TopNavy *Navy Tops to be worn in Lab ONLY. Not during clinicals 4700Scrub TopWhite 4746White Bias Crossed V-Neck Top – 2 PocketsWhite 4801Mock Wrap Tunic Top Patch PocketsWhite 4001Navy Pant – Pull OnElastic Waist SW302San Mar Navy Cardigan SweaterWovenUnisex Sizing 4101Navy Pant – Drawstring FrontElastic Back, Slash Pockets, 1 Back Pocket 4350Poplin Warm-Up Snap FrontNavy 1462Twill Lab CoatWhiteMANDATORY 4876Uni-Sex TopNavy*Navy Tops to be worn in Lab ONLY. Not during clinicals 4876Uni-Sex TopWhite 4000Poplin Pant – Elastic Waist, Draw Cord, Zip Fly, 4 Side Cargo PocketsNavy 4450Navy Men's Warm Up 1389White Men's Twill Lab CoatMANDATORY Name Badge w/ Pin BackPSU Altoona


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Donald "Don" McCullin, CBE Hon FRPS (9 October 1935) is a British photojournalist, particularly recognized for his war photography and images of urban strife.
His career, which began in 1959, has specialized in examining the underside of society, and his photographs have depicted the unemployed, downtrodden and the impoverished.
"I have been manipulated, and I have in turn manipulated others, by recording their response to suffering and misery. So there is guilt in every direction: guilt because I don't practise religion, guilt because I was able to walk away, while this man was dying of starvation or being murdered by another man with a gun. And I am tired of guilt, tired of saying to myself: "I didn't kill that man on that photograph, I didn't starve that child." That's why I want to photograph landscapes and flowers. I am sentencing myself to peace."


text: Exclusive right granted by the government to a company or person to use, manufacture, and sell a product or process for a 17-year period without interference or infringement by other parties. As a practical matter, the useful life is usually less than 17 years because of changes in the market place and new technology. If a patent is assigned to others, royalties may be obtained.


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I know, I know; it seems like I just got back from a break as I just published my first post in over a month, what do I mean I'm taking a break? Well, I had that Let Them Play review teed up and needed to get it done. But, what I am really excited about for … Continue reading I'm Taking a Break!
Tag: flag football
I LOVE the idea of Rookie Tackle Football
I find the description of a new version of youth tackle football - Rookie Tackle - outlined in a recent Washington Post article very encouraging. This version sponsored by USA Football provides a developmental path to full 11-on-11 tackle football on a 100-yard field that is similar to the path for youth baseball (i.e. T-ball … Continue reading I LOVE the idea of Rookie Tackle Football
Are Youth Football Groups Doing Enough to Protect Kids From Injury? – InsideSources
Interesting piece from Thayne Munce about youth football. http://www.insidesources.com/youth-football-groups-enough-protect-kids-injury/ He asserts that youth football is doing enough when it comes to safety. He cites the NFL's Heads Up program as evidence. I think he's 1/3 right. When it comes to making football safer; there arre three areas of focus: Training of players & coaches in … Continue reading Are Youth Football Groups Doing Enough to Protect Kids From Injury? – InsideSources
George Will on The Fading Pleasure of Football
I have written numerous times here that I believe tackle football is facing a crisis. Parents are asking themselves whether their son should play football given the risks that are highlighted by the reports about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in the news. I found George Will's column in this weekend's paper. In the Dayton Daily … Continue reading George Will on The Fading Pleasure of Football
90 Flag Football Coaches Trained!
Coaches - mostly 1st timers in the Flag Football Fanatics league - are saying that the latest round of Hustle & Attitude coaching clinics was Very Useful to them. Over the last two weeks, I've held two clinics in each of the Flag Football Fanatics locations: Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton. 90 coaches attended! According to … Continue reading 90 Flag Football Coaches Trained!
Another NFL Great Recommends Kids Don't Play Tackle Football Before Junior High School
In this piece from the Orlando Sentinel, George Diaz quotes former Miami Dolphin great Larry Csonka as saying "Kids shouldn't play tackle football until junior high..." and cites lack of qualified coaches and proper equipment as reasons. The link includes a video of Nick Buoniconti's son (Buoniconti is another Dolphin legend) talking about the struggles … Continue reading Another NFL Great Recommends Kids Don't Play Tackle Football Before Junior High School
1st Time Flag Football Coaches Found My Clinic Very Useful
Last month I held six clinics for Flag Football Fanatics coaches in the Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati areas. 46 coaches participated in the clinics covering all aspects of coaching in the Flag Football Fanatics league. I sent a survey to the coaches that participated. 78% of those responding to the survey indicated the material was … Continue reading 1st Time Flag Football Coaches Found My Clinic Very Useful


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Choose a country in the list to show prices and articles for that country
We saw the original of this item a few years ago on a child wearing our Penguin snowsuit and were struck by what a great combination it made. This is perhaps a more fashionable hat than those we are used to, but it looks great with our other clothing. It is hand-knitted and available in three elegant colours, with a pretty faux-fur pompom on top – the cherry on the cake! This hat is cute whether worn by the little apple of your eye or your cool teenage daughter.


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So You Have Eggs?
Once the pair of frogs have mated and laid eggs you're likely to see a lot of them scattered around the tank, if you want to try and raise them it's important to either remove the parents or remove the eggs that you want to raise - otherwise they will become dinner for the parents. The eggs should hatch within 24 hours and you'll know if they are fertile as they start to change shape into a 'jellybean'. When hatched the tadpoles will hang from the side of the tank for a while - you don't need to feed them until 2 days after they become free swimming as they are still digesting their egg yolk and feeding too early can cause water quality issues. Unlike the tadpoles of other species of frog African Clawed frog tadpoles filter feed. I.e. They do not use mouthparts to pick off small pieces of algae etc, they filter water through a special set of gills and eat the tiny particles that are suspended in it. They are constantly swimming and never rest at the bottom, their tail looks like a flickering flame.
Raising Tadpoles
You need to allow each tadpole around a pint of water to avoid overcrowding. once the tadpoles are free swimming add in an air stone on a very low flow (so not to disturb the water) and make sure the temperature stays around 24 degrees celsius. They are several types of food that can be fed to the tadpoles, powdered egg is an ideal food, Liquifry No.1fry food (if you can find it in your local LFS), Goldfish flakes ground extremely finely with mortar and pestle and Spirulina powder are all good food sources. All of the above should be mixed with water to make a cloudy 'soup' before feeding - the water in the tadpole tank should be slightly cloudy after you've added their soup so the tadpoles can filter out the food. They should clear the water in a few hours - if it takes longer then this you are feeding too much - feed them once a day, overfeeding is a big problem as it reduces the amount of oxygen the tadpoles can gain from the water and suffocates them. It's important to make sure the water quality is the best it can be, so change 60% of it daily and replace with fresh water of the same temperature. These tadpoles are very delicate and shouldn't ever be touched with your hand or with a net and never removed from the water, if you need to move them you must pour them with water into a new contain or transport tub. It will take 4-6 weeks for the tadpole to change into frogs. When you see the tadpoles have their front and back limbs and begin the settle on the bottom stop feeding as they will begin to absorb their tails (bear in mind that tadpoles with change at different rates, so you may need to separate out frogs if there are still small tadpoles in the batch). Once the froglets have absorbed their tails you can try and tempt them to eat solid foods like frozen bloodworms and small pellet foods.


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Podcast #22- Click here to listen to this week's podcast- Time for the Yard Sales!
Over the weekend Natalie and I hit up a whole mess of yard sales. Listen as we discuss the various types of yard sales, our quest for Christmas finds, and how we did finding some treasures to give as gifts. We have garages, historic homes, estates, churches, and career yard salers. Four hours of fun and less than $50 spent. Check out our plans for next week too- we need your help to make it happen.


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Top Myths on Marketing Automation
Marketing Automation (MA) has been receiving increasing attention lately, and apparently for good reason. There lie opportunities in this space, as also myths and caveats. But before going there, some definitional preliminaries first. The latin root of 'auto' means 'own' or 'on its own'. Thus, an automobile is something that moves or is mobile on its own. In this vein, automation refers to 'automatic control' and represents the use of various control systems for operating processes in a variety of application areas with minimal or reduced human intervention. Clearly, processes with a lot of repetitive tasks, and/or which can be written out in algorithmic form (saying if input A then do action B etc.) would be the easiest and hence the first to be automated.
The term MA nowadays simultaneously refers to software that automates repetitive sales and marketing tasks, (ii) a platform for collaboration both within and across organizational boundaries, and (iii) a dashboard of metrics aimed ultimately at assessing marketing ROI. Some parts of sales and marketing organizations deal with tasks that are repetitive in nature (especially if inbound marketing is involved). Some examples usually involve data collecting and cleaning, running standard analyses (provided metrics are pre-defined, imputation formulae for missing or incomplete data are known ex ante etc.), matching resources to opportunity (e.g., call center operator with domain expertise with inbound caller in that domain), campaign planning (drawing up lists of prospects or customers to target with particular messages etc.) and campaign execution (actually running an email or call campaign), performing documentation and compliance related tasks etc.
MA originally focused on automating email marketing but has since extended to a broad range of automation and analytic tools for marketing. These include (a) marketing intelligence functions such as tracking codes and multiple link analysis to track buyer behavior, (b) lead scoring functions such as tracking prospect status, executing targeted messages, updating status by matching with customer response and activities and mapping prospect movement through the sales funnel as part of structured sales process, and (c) advanced workflow automation such as managing internal collaborations, budgeting and planning functions etc. An example of MA in the B2C world is the complete domination of machines and automation in the media planning and buying department in the digital space. Algorithms bid and trade for digital media purchases where previously people would the same. Programmatic media planning is now starting to make a mark in non-digital domains. MA platforms nowadays offer functionalities such a content management system, hosted webforms, landing pages, analytics, an email platform, etc. However not all these pieces of functionality need be relevant or useful to all organizations.
In what follows, I detail 10 major myths surrounding MA. These are drawn from the keynote session talk by Sumit Virmani, VP Marketing at Infosys, at the NASSCOM SIG event in Bengaluru in August 2016.
10 Myths around MA
1. Set it. Forget it.
A persistent myth around MA is that it is a plug-and-play (or as the military calls it, a fire-and-forget) system. In practice, this is not so. Regardless of whether we are looking at A/B testing, email marketing or campaign management, real time systems need hands-on management by people. What MA does help do is automate large parts of the grunt work, act as a decision aid, provide options and summaries where needed, etc.
2. MA is just a fancy name for email marketing.
Not true. As has been mentioned above, MA nowadays covers much more than that. Even with the email marketing domain, doing post send response analysis is just one part of email marketing. Meanwhile, elsewhere the march of the machines is threatening to intrude into that most human of marketing actions – persuasion and manipulation. Persado, a cognitive computing system now leverages machine learning, natural language and emotional language capabilities to come out with creative email header and content copy. The firm claims greater click-through and conversion rates than offered by even the best human systems.
3. MA is a lead generation genie.
Not true. In fact, using MA initially leads to a *fall* in the number of qualified leads coming out of Marketing to sales. In any case, the research says the proportion of qualifiable leads is small (~27% on average). MA helps by strengthening the qualification process whereby the quality of leads goes up. This in turn drops costs (sometimes by as much as a third) because false leads are not pursued.
4. MA is a left-brain thing.
The left-hemisphere of the brain is the logical, quantitiative part of the brain (or so the common belief goes). So does this mean that MA precludes any role for creative thinking? Not true at all, it turns out. The classic economic argument would be that by automating non-creative, routine tasks, MA actually releases more time and resources to us for engaging in more creative and managerial pursuits.
5. MA mean robot like same-ness in reach?
Again, not necessarily. It is not as if sans MA firms are avoiding sameness in reach. Some research reports state that only about 44% of Marketers use segmentation, and less that a third configure emails across platforms. In such a milieu, MA contributing to better management of customer heterogeneity via broad level customization and configuration is a good thing.
6. MA is a big boys' toy.
Currently this indeed seems to be the case. However, this isn't a necessary condition. In terms of sheer impact on the bottomline (and on toplines), SMEs can gain as much if not more than big firms from MA. In some cases, MA helps better measure ROI itself and thereby underscores the need to have a measurement system, preferably automated, in place for doing so. A parallel trend that is helping bring MA into the reach of SMEs is the megatrend of 'democatization of technology and tools'. The rise of a vast open source movement with configurable, inter-changeable and customizable components has made many previously unaffordable functionalities within reach of even startups and resource constrained organizations.
7. But I have CRM!
And that would be a good thing. However, the point here is that CRM is *not* a substitute for MA. Rather, it is a complement to MA. MA is about active digital engagement of prospective customers whereas CRM is more about relationship management with an acquired set of accounts or customers. CRM thus manages the firms internal processes and starts off only after a lead has entered the sales funnel. MA operates prior to this stage.
8. MA needs tech whizzes.
Not true anymore. The simpler forms of MA are today widely available in a number of relatively easily configurable forms. As ever more firms gain access, experience or at least exposure to MA, the costs of using it (as well as the opportunity costs of not doing so) can only rise for the rest of the firms in the business ecosystem.
9. MA is only for Marketing.
Not true. Sales should be involved too, otherwise ROI objectives would be hard to meet.
10. MA is the bridge between the sales and marketing chasm.
Not necessarily. While th potential to be such a bridge exists, MA can't achieve a meeting of minds between these two functions all by itself. This needs prior collaboration between these functions that can then be taken to the next level by MA. The involvement and enthusiasm of organization leadership in driving this is also important.
About the Author
Sudhir Voleti is an Assistant professor with the Marketing Area at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Previously, he worked in the industry in different capacities as a management consultant and a software analyst. Professor Voleti's research focuses on combining data with econometric and statistical methods to explain phenomena of marketing interest such as evolution in the equity of brands across time, valuation of brands using secondary sales data, the sales impact of geographic and abstract distances between products and markets and the performance, productivity and benchmarking of salesforce organizations. His work has been published in leading academic research journals such as the Journal of Marketing, the International Journal of Research in Marketing, the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society (Series A), Management Science and Quantitative Marketing and Economics.


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2018 Gasser Keynote: Jenny FleissChief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Jetblack/Code Eight and Co-Founder of Rent the RunwaySaunders College of Business is proud to be hosting our sixth annual Gasser Lecture Series, featuring Jenny Fleiss, CEO and Co-Founder of Code Eight and Co-Founder of Rent the Runway, on October 19 at 2:30 p.m. in Ingle Auditorium. Reserve your free tickets today to attend her keynote speech and be invited to join a reception afterward at Saunders College. Tickets are free, but are required to attend.2:15 pm - Doors Open 2:30 - 3:30 pm - Speaker with Q&A in Ingle Auditorium (tickets are free and are required to enter) 3:30 - 4:15 pm - Meet and Greet at Saunders College of Business (no tickets required)In the case of a sold out event, doors will open to the general public 5 minutes before the start of the eventAbout Jenny FleissJenny recently started Code Eight, the first portfolio company within Walmart's startup incubator. As CEO and Co-Founder of Code Eight, she leads a team focused on developing highly-personalized, one-to-one shopping experiences. Jenny co-founded Rent the Runway, a business that has transformed the retail industry by making designer clothing rentals a convenient and accessible luxury experience for millions of women. During her time at Rent the Runway, Jenny wore many different hats, serving as President, Head of Logistics, Head of Business Development and Head of Special Projects. Jenny remains a Rent the Runway board member and advisor.Jenny has been honored with numerous recognitions including: Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30"; Fortune Magazine's "40 Under 40" and "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs"; and Fast Company's "Most Influential Women in Technology". Prior to Rent the Runway, Jenny worked at Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley as part of their Strategic Planning Groups.She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated Cum Laude from Yale University. She is Co-Founder of the RTR Foundation, a proud advisor to several female-founded startups, serves on the advisory board of the HBS Startup Studio and is a guest lecturer at Yale, Princeton, NYU, Columbia and Harvard Business School. She currently resides in New York City with her husband and three children.Meet Jenny!You don't want to miss out! Jenny brings her entrepreneurial spirit to Saunders College of Business immediately following her presentation for a reception for ticket holders where she will be available for photos and autographs. For directions and campus maps, visit the Visit Us page for more information. About the Gasser Lecture SeriesWilliam D. Gasser Lecture Series is an annual speaker series aimed at providing thought-provoking and engaging content for students. Hosted during RIT's Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend, the Gasser Lecture Series invites disruptive entrepreneurs and industry-leading business men and women to share their insights on business trends and opportunities. Check out our Gasser Lecture Series Archive page for a history of past speakers and links to video and photo galleries.
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Open to the Public


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I can't think of anything more satisfying than love. I rescued Salem (the ginger cat) about a month or two before accepting a littler of kittens to foster. The timing wasn't the greatest as Salem has had a hard time adjusting to the house. He is a timid cat and will not seek out … Continue reading Weekly Photo Challenge: Satisfaction
Month: July 2017
Asteroids: A Three Minute Read
Introducing a new category here on myknowledge! The Bite Size Version! A Nibble of kNowledge! It doesn't need a cute name because all you care about is that it is a three minute read! (Two if you are a fast reader. Ten seconds for you speed readers!) Today's topic is asteroids. The first asteroid was … Continue reading Asteroids: A Three Minute Read
To Do Lists: Item Number Three Will Shock You!!
If you are the type of person who suffers from forgetfulness you might find it handy to make yourself a to-do list. If you are a person like me, then you have multiple to-do lists. My to-do lists have categories. I have a to-do list for things that are needing done in short term. A … Continue reading To Do Lists: Item Number Three Will Shock You!!
I hate eating mushrooms. They are one of a handful of foods that I do not like the texture of and refuse to eat, despite not having a problem with the actual taste. I like the flavor of mushrooms. But I will NOT eat that slimy, rubbery thing. It tastes like flesh. It makes me … Continue reading Mushrooms
The Children's Blizzard [Book Review]
When I have a few quiet moments, I enjoy spending time at the library wandering around aimlessly. This is something that I have done since I was a child and it has allowed me to stumble upon some of the greatest books. It is refreshing to do it now as an adult because so many … Continue reading The Children's Blizzard [Book Review]
Of Moss and Memories
Every grandmother's house should have a secret spot for children to curl up into. At my grandmother's house it was behind the shed. There was a narrow space between the shed and the fence. It was not a small space. Just narrow. It felt secret because you could not see it from any other place … Continue reading Of Moss and Memories
A Walk on the Prairie
The fun thing about learning is that it takes many forms. A lot of people forget this. You think learning and what comes to mind is school, books, and being "forced" to do something that you do not want to do. The best learning is done when we do not realize it. When we stop … Continue reading A Walk on the Prairie
A Blog is Born
I have been recently researching a career change and have become interested in freelance writing. I used to write when I was younger. Mostly creative fiction. I never sat down and tried to write about myself or non fiction in general. Even when I was young, I knew that I had nothing interesting to say. … Continue reading A Blog is Born


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Strawberry Rhubarb Butter
Product Code: 00710
Availability: In Stock
Availability: In Stock
Price: $5.99
Qty: Add to Cart
Max, our son, at 4 years old said, "Dad, it's a winner!" Great on toast, pancakes, desserts, and don't forget ice cream! A true culinary delight. Fat Free!
Ingredients: Strawberries, Cane Sugar, Rhubarb, Lemon Juice, Pectin and Clear Gel (modified corn starch).
Strawberry Rhubarb Butter 8oz & 16oz Jars.


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Mount Ararat Testimonials & Faces of Adventure
Dear Sinan
It is two weeks since we returned home and we still telling to all our friends about the wonderful trek to the Mount Ararat. So thank you and Anatolian Great Mountain guides.
Hope to be in another trek with Anatolian as soon as possible.
Ronen Alkalay
From the first moment we met Sinan at the airport we knew that we were in capable hands. He made sure that all our needs were satisfied. His friendly and alert manner guided us through the labyrinths of old Istanbul. However we were here for climbing Mount Ararat and Sinan's enthusiasm and experience was instrumental in our summiting this beautiful mountain. I will recommend him to all my friends who are interested in doing the same.
Philip Ketchian & Elsa Ronningston (USA)
What an awesome trip! We booked with Anatolian Adventures in January and the arrangements since have been flawless. Prices are very competitive but we received much more. The transfers, accommodation, food, and cultural experiences were superb. The Mount Ararat climb itself was exceptional. The equipment, the mules' transfers and food was superb. Enough cannot be said for this overall experience; it was the trip of a lifetime. Turkey was safe; the people were friendly. I believe Anatolian Adventures has no equal. I will return again; with thanks.
Daniel Froese / USA
My son & I had a very good time climbing Mount Ararat. Anatolian Adventures is first rate. All arrangements were well made (logistics, guides, food, etc.)
We had 7 on team plus 3 guides and 1 cook. Good acclimatization plan. Good sightseeing in Dogubeyazit area. All around great fun & experience.
Thanks to the Sultan 🙂 (SINAN HALIC)
There remains no doubt that Anatolian Adventures provides the best tour service in Eastern Turkey, if not the entire region. Sinan's organizational skills and knowledge of the area proved crucial in providing a smooth on interesting journey to the top of the mountain and beyond, and every assistant added immensely to our experience.
Michael Nicholson
Sinan did a great job organizing and conducting the climb up Mount Ararat. The trip went amazingly well. His assistants performed their work very well. The extra day touring the country was very interesting and his knowledge of Turkey is incredible.
Robert Dormaier / USA
Anatolian Adventures provided the navigation needed through unfamiliar Turkish territory from the airport pick-up, through a challenging Mount Ararat climb, to a tour of the local sights. With an appropriate balance of wonderful humor to serious safety protocols, Sinan and his crew successfully oversaw the adventure of a lifetime.
Douglas Dedo / USA
Dear Sinan, It was a great pleasure for us to do the "triple dream of sacred mountains". You and your team were very professional. You even managed the good weather on our summit day. We will recommend Abdullah for the "guide michelin" as best cook of South eastern Anatolia.
Best wishes for you and your team in the future.
Hans Joachim Mund
Our Journey to TURKEY (Istanbul-Nemrut-Suphan- Mount Ararat ) was a great success.
We thank the people of Anatolian Adventures,whose friendly and professional commitments made this beautiful holiday possible.
Yves, Rita, Walla, Sophie Staelens Wille
It was a great experience to climb Mount Ararat.
Axel Kettler (Germany)
Perfect organization and good food (thanks to Abdullah!!)The mountain took some power but gave back so much- I would do it again immediately!!
Thanks Anatolian Adventure Team!!!
Susanne Irmgard Kettler (Germany)
Our tour of the three sacred mountains, with the highlight of reaching the summit of Mount Ararat, was a dream made possible by Anatolian Adventures. We appreciate their expert and friendliness and would recommend them without hesitation.
Timo and Ilme Schlichting (USA-Germany)
We enjoy very much the visit and trek of Mt Nemrut, the climbs of Mt Suphan and Mount Ararat. The team of Anatolian Adventures did a great job making our trip unforgettable. We appreciate the friendliness of the team, the experience and their knowledge. We recommend Anatolian Adventures absolutely.
Heidrun Katharina Mund (Germany)
Together with Anatolian Adventures, we were at the summit of Mount Ararat on a ski ascent. The logistics were provided perfectly and in a friendly and Professional style.
The company showed a high level of flexibility to adjust our needs. A great experience!
Christoph Hobenreich UIAGM Guide, (Austria)
Robert Mühlthaler
Michael Losch
Christoph Müller
Sinan showed enthusiasm and great commitment to giving his clients a good service throughout the trip. His knowledge of the mountain and organizational skills were key to our success in climbing Mount Ararat
Alan Williams (U.K)
Excellent communication in the planning process via e-mail.(prompt replies) Everything was well planned and organized. Sinan and Apo were excellent guides on the mountain and fun to work and hike with. Sinan has excellent contact with local people which prove to be very helpful. Sinan and Apo's insight knowledge about the local culture was extremely interesting. We loved our climb and the cultural program after it. We can highly recommend these reliable guides and Anatolian Adventures.
Uwe Lindenau (Germany)
Sinan's sense of humor, experience and knowledge made the trip a very special experience for all. He shared his love of the mountain and gave us his friendship. There is no-one better to introduce one to the Mount Ararat region.
Cliff Jackson (Revd.) (U.K)
I was thoroughly happy with the services provided by Sinan and Anatolian adventures, and would personally recommend his services to family, friends and any one who is interested in a trip to Mount Ararat. I also look forward to another trip with his company again in the near future.
Fei Lee (Singapore)
Sinan Pacha,
Now I understand your motto: "Ever up" I got a chance to push myself to the limit.
Erik Fearn (Malaysia)
I felt Sinan and my guide both are very nice person! The tour of Mount Ararat was very good.
Ryan Tam (Hong Kong)
"I was glad to notice that Sinan and his staff had one goal in mind all the time: To summit safely. Even in the bad weather they could guide us up and back without seeing almost anything. The decisions and changes to plan showed ability to innovate successfully when necessary."
Timo Rantala / Finland
"Thanks for the company and food! It's always windy at the top. " KIITOS!
Malla Juutilainen / Finland
"Sinan and the rest of the staff at Anatolian Adventures made everything to make sure that our ascent of Mount Ararat was possible."
Fredrik Johansson / Sweden
Hello! Expedition Mount Ararat with Anatolian Adventures was success!
All the arrangements were made with professional way and special thanks to our mountain cook "Apo" and his delicious food. Sinan "The Boss" Halic gave us also an excellent cultural experience with a good local knowledge. We don't hesitate to come back! Thank you!
Pekka Hekkila / FINLAND
Mika Korte / FINLAND
Pasi Tanskanen / FINLAND
Satu Eckhardt / FINLAND
Markus Kallijarvi / FINLAND
Firstly thank you very much for your extremely generous offer for a free trip to Agri Dagi next year (hope I spelt that correctly!!). I was very disappointed not to get to the summit but felt that to turn back was the right thing to do under the circumstances and to not hinder the progress of the others in the group. Another word of appreciation to everyone involved in this trip for me – from yourself and Asli, Ahmet, Kemal our driver and Yusuf our local guide. They were always extremely helpful, generous with their time and patient with an unfit middle-aged foreign climber!!
I wish Anatolian Adventures and HTC all the success that they truly deserve.
Christopher Harnett (Australia)
It take several days to climb Mount Ararat and a whole life to describe the living experience. With Anatolian Adventures time doesn't count. What it counts is experience. Thanks for all the team.
Chawki HITTI / CANADA
Excellent well organized trip, thank you. Cooks, guides and organizers did a wonderful job, especially when we changed the plans. Thank you for a wonderful holiday.
Marcus Geoghegan / IRELAND
Just a note to thank you for a very satisfying and enjoyable trip to Eastern Anatolia. The team worked incredibly hard to ensure we had a very satisfying time and provided us with good planned travel arrangements, good hotels, good transport and superb food. Thanks for a highly enjoyable and successful trip. We return home with very happy and positive memories of Turkey.
Philip Brennan / IRELAND
I enjoyed the trip and the challenge of climbing Mount Ararat. Seeing the local people and how they lived, and the scenery on our various journeys was very interesting.
Gerard Brady / IRELAND
An excellent trip. All Anatolian Adventures staff was very efficient, helpful and friendly. There was no problem when we changed our plans, went for the summit a day early, and then wanted to go to Tatvan. This type of flexibility was really appreciated by me.
It was great that the climbing guide was able to respond to the needs of the group and altered the program to suit. Excellent hospitality and great food.
David John Veston / IRELAND
All guides were kind, respectful and made their job splendid. They were helpful and
fulfilled at once all our needs and hopes. My wife and me arrange many sports events, but seldom we meet so skilled and optimistic guides & staff in camps. The Anatolian Adventures gets maximum points about organizing the climbing of Mount Ararat.
Mikael & Maria Miikkola / FINLAND
This trip and climbing was perfect! Guiding and food was also perfect!
I was very pleased what I have been informed by Sinan in advance.
Turkish people are very kind and took me so well.Hospitality was fantastic.
I will recommend Anatolian Adventures to all I hope I will come back later.
Jon Thormgrisson
The Organization and rhythm of the trip was excellent. The staff is personal and professional. As a tough to please New Yorker, I can endorse with great joy the work of you and your associates.
Robert Woodruff – New York USA
I want to thank Anatolian Adventures for a wonderful trip to climb Mount Ararat.
Everyone associated with Anatolian Adventures, our guides, our cook, our driver has been friendly, fun, professional and has taken care of everything we needed. In particular, Cagri and Oya have been wonderful guides and new friends, and Abdullah prepared the best food on the Mountain and cared for our every need.
If you are looking for adventure in Turkey, you need look no futher than Anatolian Adventures!
Christian Lilley
Our guides Cagri and Oya were very professional and on mountain cook abdullah top ustch. The touring: 3.5 days up and 1.5 days down was perfect. It was sufficient time to adjust to the altitude. I enjoyed the experience. It was my first time climbing a mountain over 4000 meters.
If a fit 54 years old man in only average shape can make it, then so can most. Thanks!
Lee HESS, Seattle- USA
Dear Sinan,
I safely returned to France … and to work, my mind full of the nice images of Mount Ararat and still thrilled by the fantastic experience I have had with yourself and a great team.
I wanted to thank you again warmly for the organisation and logistic of the trip (the excellent hotel in Istanbul !), all your good stories which enabled me – as a European westerner – to better understand the fate and challenges of Turkey, the good team you were able to gather (with Ohran – the guide, Abdullah – the cook (Ah the turkish delights !), Mahmut – the mule man and his son – can't remember his name – sarfan ???). It was a true good time which I will remember for long.
Marc Babin
Dear Sinan, I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU….
Without a doubt, the trek up Mount Ararat was a wonderful experience. The climbing guide, Ahmet, was outstanding. I couldn't praise him enough. He was very concerned about our comfort, our needs, and our happiness, he paid attention to both our needs as an individual and group as a whole. He was friendly and knowledgable, and in his self-assured way, confidently organized our group and took us safely to the top of Mount Ararat and back. With any other guide, I am sure the experience would not have been so good. Besides that I would like to thank you for your patience….Without hesitation, I would recommend Anatolian Adventures to anyone who is serious about climbing Ararat.
I felt safe and well provided for every step of the way.
Naama Moshkovitz
Recommend the cultural tour day at the beginning of the trip as it happened for this one. Recommend Anatolian Adventures or someone develop T-shirts, hats, etc., that annotate Mount Ararat. Thanks for the equipment bag. Great job; enjoyed the trip!
Miguel (8 yrs old) and his parents Esther and Josep:
Opinion of Miguel & All: We have appreciated a lot the work & courtesy of the both guides: Ahmet & Mustafa & also Abdullah, and the rest of the Anatolian Adventures team that created a great atmosphere!
Miguel reached 4242 m. altitude on Mount Ararat and his personal opinion is:
1) He will come back in two years to reach the summit
2) The only thing that don't like was that some porters weep the horses.
We will thank especially to Ahmet his personal dedication to us during this trip while we were sick. A 10 for him!
All those who assisted with this adventure were very helpful, courteous and kind. The accommodations were comfortable and nice. I was very impressed with the guides, with their concern for our safety and welfare. They demonstrated their capability to successfully lead us up to the summit and back down as professionals. The summit was spectacular. Thanks for the good food, duffel bag and an awesome adventure.
Anatolian Adventures went above beyond the call of duty to make our summit expedition a success, despite missed flights, lost luggage. For first time visitors, I recommend Anatolian Adventures to arrange all in-country flights, permits & accommodations. They have a good working relationship with the ministry of tourism, gendarme, and the local people. Under the guidance of Anatolian Adventures, I felt completely safe the entire trip & will probably bring my wife next year.
If you want to climb a special mountain, you need a special team. I'm sure that with Anatolian Adventures we will go any mountain in the world. Congratulations to all team: Cook, mules' man, driver and the guides…
Dear Sinan,
I would like to thank you for the fine organization of the climb on Mount Ararat, I was very pleased with the work of Anatolian Adventures.
To experience this great Mount Ararat adventure, please contact us for all details.
Shortcut to Mount Ararat trekking options:


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The "Karate at Windsor Park" karate club is a member of the Ohtsuka Amateur Karate Foundation. At the heart of our instruction is the "Introduction to Karate" Program, offered at all of our clubs, which has established itself as the standard for both classic and innovative martial art instruction. The program features outstanding workouts which are both exciting and beneficial in a sporting recreational environment, requiring no previous martial arts knowledge. The activity is unique in combining in one pursuit an absorbing art, an exciting recreational activity, and practical, down to earth self-defense.
Head Instructor
Sensei Gordon Atwood, 5th Degree Black Belt
Windsor Park Afterschool Care Program
Classes: Thursdays, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Fees: Currently only available to students enrolled in the Afterschool program
Fall 2019 Term: September 19 - December 12, 2019
Winter 2020 Term: January 9 - April 9, 2020
Contact: (587) 783-0232


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Oxazepam in Water Makes Fish Live Longer
There's Something in the Water and It's Making Fish Live Longer
Pharmaceutical waste in surface waters has negatively affected marine life in the past—drugs containing the hormone estrogen making male fish pregnant, for example. But in Sweden, there may something in the water making fish live longer. According to a new study in the Institute of Physics' Environmental Research Letters, the waste from anxiety medication Oxazepam is decreasing Eurasian perch mortality rates in the surface waters of a Swedish lake.
This is not necessarily a good thing. Researchers from Umea University in Sweden claim that the drug, while extending a fish's life span, can alter the balance of life in the aquatic environment and might result in serious ecological consequences down the line.
According to Jonatan Klaminder, an environmental scientist and the primary author of the study, health-improving pharmaceuticals have become yet another toxin to consider when testing waters. "Ecotoxicological tests were designed with traditional toxic contaminants in mind, such as heavy metals and dioxins, which have historically been the major apparent threat against aquatic organisms in surface waters. Pharmaceuticals are a new group of contaminants that do not necessarily fit into the traditional view."
The scientists went out and caught Eurasian perch from a lake in Sweden for the study, then exposed them to two doses, high and low, of Oxazepam. The medication, which is typically used to alleviate anxiety and insomnia in people, frequently contaminates surface waters via wastewater-treatment effluent, the product left behind from treated wastewater. The results found the fish more "bold" and active than the control group that wasn't treated with Oxazepam.
The study also collected fish eggs from a separate population of Eurasian perch, then exposed them to three different concentrations of the drug during the first nine days of their development. After hatching, a portion of the little fish were analyzed. Results found that the hatched fry's mortality rates were significantly lower than the control group of fry that weren't exposed to Oxazepam.
The fish's increased survival rates are prompting researchers to study the effects of other pharmaceuticals that get dumped into surface waters, including painkillers, antibiotics, hormones and anti-depressants, for possible ecological implications.
"A therapeutic effect leading to increased survival of one species may generate a proportional increase in mortality of that species' prey, which may have cascading ecological consequences that need consideration," said Tomas Brodin, co-author of the study. "A new, conceptual view of ecotoxicological testing should include the possibility that a substance can improve the health of an organism and make individuals affected by contamination more competitive than non-affected individuals."
Source: Newsweek.


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Open adoption records and some free online people search sites helped an adult adoptee find his birth mother 45 years after he was given up for adoption.
Brent Reichert, 45, from Tallmadge, Ohio, was able to find a phone number for his birth mother after obtaining his Ohio adoption records and searching for her name on White Pages, Google and Classmates.
Linda Wilson grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1970, she was just 16 years old when she found out that she was pregnant. She managed to hide her pregnancy from her family and friends for quite awhile. However, after 7 months Linda finally told her parents about it.
The family decided that Linda would go to live with her brother in Ohio until after the baby was born. On May 9th, 1971, Linda gave birth to a baby boy at Kettering Memorial Hospital in Kettering, Ohio.
After Brent's birth, Linda Wilson went back to Florida and finished high school. After graduating from high school, Linda got married, and her last name changed to Palm.
Within a few weeks of being born, Brent was adopted by Samuel and Gloria Reichert, and grew up in Brunswick, Ohio as Brent Reichert. While growing up, Brent's adopted parents let him know that he was adopted and that his birth mother loved him, but she had to give him up.
Eventually, Brent got married and had two children of his own. Throughout his life he wondered about his birth mother as well as his family medical history, but he never made an effort to search for his birth parents.
In March 2015, Ohio opened up their adoption records to adult adoptees. A year later, Brent decided it was time to find out more about his biological family and obtained a copy of his birth certificate.
Brent's birth certificate showed that his mother was Linda Lee Wilson from St. Petersburg, Florida, but his father's name was not recorded on the certificate. After several online searches using White Pages, Google and Classmates, Brent was able to find out that his birth mother's married name was Linda Palm, and that she was living in Gulfport, Florida. His search also revealed a possible phone number for her.
After some hesitation and delay, Brent finally decided to call Linda Palm to find out if she was person listed as his mother on his birth certificate.
Linda was at home on April 24th, 2016 when she received the phone call from Brent. In a phone call that lasted over 3 hours, Linda confirmed that she was his birth mother. Linda told Brent the circumstances and reasons regarding her decision to give him up for adoption, while Brent recounted his life growing up in Ohio with his loving adopted parents.
In July 2016, Brent traveled to Florida with his wife and children to meet Linda and her husband and daughter. Linda and Brent were happily reunited after four and a half decades thanks to Ohio's open adoption records law and some free people search sites.


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I think I od'd on candy crush. Don't get me wrong, it's a terrible game, it practically plays itself. It's like the endorphin rushing floating disk game Riker gets on Risa that takes over the Enterprise, leaving it vulnerable to take over. It takes an extraordinarily plebeian skill set to conquer level after level, for no apparent reward. The game board is endless, and takes an unreasonably circuitous route to get from beginning to end. Plus my guess is, at the end, you have the glorious chance to buy new levels. Or, as is the case between levels, you can play a series of quest boards, one every 24 hours, at the conclusion of which you will be gloriously transported to the next mindless level, complete with more bright colors and singing sounds, with even more euphoria.
That said, I play this game more than my intellectual snobbery would like to admit. A recent fb post from a gamer alerted me to the fact that, instead of playing the between-level-quests 24 hours apart, or earning points by hassling your friends to play, you can just reset the clock on your iPhone. Then, of course, you turn it back to normal time as not to miss all your crucial appointments (I don't really have any crucial appointments). "Who would do that?" I thought, "what kind of ass hat would be so hard up to play Candy Crush?"
As of right now there are 5,119 minutes and 58 seconds until, according to the normal laws I time and space, I will be permitted to play Candy Crush again.
In the very middle of the night last night, when I found myself playing Candy Crush while watching reruns of shows that were popular on Fox in the early oughts, I took a moment to consider why it is that I spend so much time trying to shut down my mental functions.
Because that's what it is, playing mindless games, watching comforting television, eating spaghetti. I'm trying to shut down, to shut it off, to push all the boiling back under the surface. It's boiling in there, and I don't want to get burned.
Last year when I sat down to write Radio Mara Mara, I was writing because I was afraid. The Archivist in the play has lost her son. He was only three years old, and he died in her arms. She spends most of the play trying to bury that agony, by engaging in the mindless activity of transferring all the station's archives from analog to digital. But what she hears on the transfers has hidden relevance, and like pin pricks that prick again at a black curtain, eventually all the pain rushes through like the harshness of day. The play is about what to do with all that mess.
I wrote the play to try to overcome my fear of C dying. This fear is a fear of the future fear, because we're all gonna die, eventually. And I know that, I know we're all gonna die. I know it for real. That's why I'm scared. Anything horrible could happen at any time. That harsh daylight could turn life to ashes in a second. Life is so fleeting and fragile and it's a wonder than anyone gets out of bed in the morning ever.
I wasn't just afraid of the unmitigated horribleness of mortality, I was afraid that this fear would serve as a barrier between me and my artistic self. I'd seen friends, truly talented friends, take up motherhood and put down art, or instead just start making art about being a mom. I thought it was inferior art, I thought motherhood was something they had to get past in order to start creating the real good shit again. I sound like a lady writer hater, but we've seen it happen. If it's not that the work becomes about motherhood, motherhood usurps the art.
There are good reasons for this. Motherhood is fucking hard, and it takes all your intellectual (yes, intellectual) and emotional powers to do it even remotely successfully. The exact same thing is true for art. And neither are very effective means of getting bills paid. Motherhood and Art are expensive undertakings.
I was freaked out. I was worried that my writing would just be bad. So I wrote Radio Mara Mara to tackle that. But here I am a year after beginning the play, two months after we finished our FringeNYC mini run. I thought I'd worked it out. I thought I was completely terrified anymore. I thought I was going about my life in a well-adjusted state. I thought I could handle both. And I find myself playing Candy Crush to extremes while watching Angel, because I ran out of Buffy, in the middle of the night.
I'm reminded of an anecdote I read in Sisterhood is Powerful, a feminist anthology I stole from my mom's well-stocked feminist shelves. There's this woman, and she's a sculptor, and she's with this guy, who's a poet or something. They get together and have a few kids, and because it's the 1960's, or some time other than now, the deal is she stays home with the kids. It's not a choice (although it's a choice I well fucking respect, today or ever), it's just the thing she has to do. She can't get a nanny and go to the studio all day, even if she could afford that, which, let's face it, she's married to a poet. She gets the kids their dinner, gets them to bed, sits down at the kitchen table with a hunk of clay, and the next thing she knows, the poet shows up with all his buddies, expecting her to get them some supper. She clears the table. She gets them their supper.
She's a mother, she's an artist, she's a wife. And she doesn't get to pick the order of priority each of those takes up on any given day.
I put C to bed. I eat a meal with my husband. But somehow, when I face the evening recently, and want to work, to keep writing Radio, which is not done, to work on this new script, which has barely begun, I find myself picking up my phone, and turning on this, or some other crushingly mindless game. I think, I'll just play for a second, I'll just take a breather, then I'll get down to it.
And an hour will pass. I'll look at the real time. I'll say "you don't have time now, not to really get into it, not to listen to your characters prattle on." So I'll turn it off, my creative self. I tell her we'll try again tomorrow. I'll play another game and try to pass out, not wanting to risk a second wind, where find myself writing all night, words that dig deep, that make me suffer in a way that makes me know I'm truly alive.


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FEATURING SNEURO, a Canadian cartoonist with gusto!
In order to conserve their Quebec market, Franco-Ontarian chicken farmers had to win in court the right to have their birds slaughtered also on the Quebec side, rallying against the protest from the Ontario Chicken Farmers Association. A money, market and territory squabble I'm certain, but they won using the language card. I guess it pays to raise francophone chikens.
Here's a fellow having his cake and eating it to, as they say. I hope he isn't thinking the diet cola will cancel out his meal. He, like many of us trying to lose weight, is negociating with himself. The diet soda is a very weak effort in counting calories. Not unlike this poor guy we have a love-hate relationship with food, don't we. We want to eat all the goodies and still look great in our bikini. The weight loss industry is making a killing in the process. Nevertheless, be good to yourself and pick the healthiest goodies. Look for reasonable trade-offs. Eat to live, don't live to eat. We can't burp our way to happiness, that's certain.
Buy local if at all possible. Freshness is important and encourging local farmers just makes sense. Watch out for fishy labelling. Fresh produce labelled as local could be misleading and false. This guy is pushing his bananas as local produce. That itself is bananas. Find out which is the correct local label for your part of the World and buy with confidence.
No auto insurance claim please
If you survive a car crash, just be thankful you're alive. Don't worry about dodging the insurance claim and the cost of the deductible. Don't leave the sceen. Stay calm. Exchange personal info in a chilled manner and call the cops for a report. Sh*t happens. It matters most how you handle the situation.
Somedays I feel like Kitty. Trapped in a bale of straw. The choices we make, even with the most honorable intentions, can keep us captive and unhappy in the future. Even your own wife and kidneys will make you spin around in a dead end. Work, friends and family are what we live for, but what you love the most can be a heavy burden, financially and/or otherwise. The solution my friends? Take heart. Remember the good along the way and chase away the bad. Do at least one thing for yourself that brings you a sence of freedom. Art, leisure time, talking, walking, singing, exercising or even sculpting something odd with mash potatoes. Whatever floats your boat will help you set sail again and be happy with everyone you care about. Once again take heart and let Kitty out. Peace my friends.
Enjoy this one. The animal rights folks are complaining that pigs and their pigglets are stuck in horrible pens. Too small and uncomfortable for Mama Pig and her cute as buttons pigglets. The farmer in this case, fix up her pen to make it as comfy as on the beach. Have a good one yall!
Americans think we're friendly and our streets are clean. Here's Obama officially meeting Harper. Maybe he only came for the beaver tails…


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Get ready for summer with a suite of hair care products designed to cleanse & condition, nourish & nurture, pamper & protect your curls, coils and locs!
One of the things that has set Almocado apart from other natural brands, is the fact that we make all our products by hand in our very own kitchen/lab; and this weekend we're opening the doors to the public as part of a wider "Open Studios" event with our neighbours here at Thames-side.
We're located in Unit TB11, in Telegraph Building via The Atrium. There'll be plenty of signs up and there are video clips of how to find us on our Facebook page, but you can always ring us on 0203 633 3449 if you think you're lost.
In addition to the opportunity to see where your products are being made, you'll be able to receive guidance on which product/product combinations are best for your hair and make purchases at discounted rates.
If you'd like to take advantage of one of our private hair consultations please email email@example.com with your preferred time slot and we'll do our best to accommodate you. Each £25 consultation comes with a gift voucher redeemable in store or online, so you can share the love by gifting it to a friend if you prefer.
We'll also be debuting our "Loc Love" kits in collaboration with Kawaii Adornments and Kai Personal Designs. Each kit contains a full sized bottle of our Stage 1 Seaweed Shampoo (Limited Edition – Pear fragrance), handmade stirling silver loc jewellery and a beautiful authentic headwrap. You can preorder yours here (wrap colours vary).


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Moving to Sweden, I've learned a few particular Swedish words & concepts so incredibly useful that I'm shocked more English speakers haven't adopted yet. Lagom's star is on the rise and mysig's Danish social cousin hygge is getting it's day in the sun, but the Swedish culture has produced a wealth of words the value of which goes much deeper than a mere definition.
Soon we'll be marking the anniversary of five full months living here, and I'm slowly getting better at the language. I can (usually) be trusted to get the right thing at the store, and can even read entire books so long as they've been written for very small children. Luckily I have a few of those around, so I feel a little less conspicuous checking out a big bag of board books at the library.
Along the way a few words have struck me as something we need to
steal adopt in the English language, asap.
It's Like Hygge, But For Introverts
For those of you who have somehow managed to avoid the marketing barrage, hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) is a concept defined by the Danish as that warm & fuzzy feeling of togetherness you get when your group just clicks- topped with a dash of mindfulness, wellness, and a good thick layer of indulgence to complete your buzzword bingo card.
And the internet has eaten it up like a big tin full of butter cookies.
In fact (and likely in a bid to protect it from marketers and internet lifestyle gurus running it into the ground), Danes are applying for "hygge" to be given World Heritage status by UNESCO. That'll put it in the same status as other intangible cultural heritages and traditions such as Belgium's beer culture and the ancient Indian practice of yoga.
But despite the huge hygge hype, the Danish social ritual is just that – social. However, it's easy breezy to mysa like a Swede whether in a group or just on your own.
Making Magically Mysig Moments
Mysa (mee-sah; the verb form) is described as that pleasant and warm atmosphere that makes your heart glow with a quiet contented joy, as if you are unwrapping a small chocolate made of your happiest childhood memory.
In the winter mys might take the form of wool socks warmed by the fire, snuggled up in a blanket quietly sipping from a steaming mug, and being surrounded by the ever-present glow of soft candlelight while the snow softly falls outside.
Springtime mysa looks like flowers and bonfires, picnics and barbecues – plus lots of time off work to enjoy the holidays and warmer weather with family.
A mysig summer might be going with family to a summer cottage, hiking or cycling or berry-picking in Sweden's countryside, or sailing it's archipelago. It's lots of outdoor living under brilliant blue skies and days that never truly end.
We haven't been here yet for autumn, but I'm told it's arguably Sweden's best season (which believe me, after this spring is really saying a lot because it's been absolutely lovely). I'm looking forward to mushroom season, scarves and mittens, and the excitement that slowly builds into the twinkly Christmas season.
There's even Fredagsmys (Friday coziness) – the tradition of a cozy family night watching TV together, cuddled up on the couch after a taco dinner. (Double Swedish points if you put diced bananas on those tacos – it's super yummy!)
Mysig is about simply enjoying the moment and perhaps even making a memory or two – even if it's in your own unique way.
The world's best coffee break
Sweden is heaven for a gal with an unabashedly deep coffee addiction and a sweet tooth particularly primed for pastries. It seems like everywhere you go in Stockholm, there's a chance to have a cozy little fika close by.
More than a 'quick cup of coffee' at work, at its heart a fika appears to be an excuse to carve some time out of a busy day to enjoy simple pleasures (topped with a little indulgence).
Get yourself some sweet adventuring gear from the Shop and support GEEKBOLD. Win-win!
While the internet abounds with time management gurus and career coaches extolling the benefits of 'self care' and interspersing 'deep work' with regular breaks as if it's a new phenomenon, in Sweden it feels like it's practically a cultural mandate.
It's hard to argue that life can't be improved by including a strong hot cup of espresso and breaking bread with friends in the form of fikabröd (literally 'bread for fika', usually a pastry or muffin) or a full on smörgås (sandwich, often open faced and still a mystery to me of how to eat it. Knife and fork? Attempt the impossible and try to fold it? Live with the shame and mayo-mouth of just diving straight in? Baffling!).
The Swedes have even combined the two as the much-celebrated smörgåstorta (literally sandwhich cake), an efficient feature of mid-afternoon celebrations feeding hungry, happy guests all over the country.
Of course fruit is always an option for anyone a bit more health conscience and kids can join in with some juice or milk in place of anything caffeinated.
And although the fika invitations I've gotten have usually been for mid morning or mid afternoon, I have yet found a time when Swedes won't drink coffee if it's available- morning, noon or evening. Full strength too! The disbelieving stock boy who helps me hunt down decaf talks pityingly to me like I'm his senile auntie.
My favorite fika treat to pair with my cuppa have been a vanilla-almond pastry called a princesswiener, a decadent triple chocolate muffin, and of course the ever present kanelbulle (cinnamon roll). Where in the US they're most often found topped with a royal icing glaze, here in Sweden you'll find them liberally sprinkled with pearled sugar for a more satisfying (and less messy!) crunch to each delicious bite. Calories- what are those?
Not Too Much, Not too Little – Just Right
A Goldie Lox balance between what you want and what you actually need. It's not a call for austerity, but a holistic approach to moderation. Take enough for yourself, but leave a fair share for everyone else to enjoy too.
Simple living, sustainability, work/life balance – these concepts feel like they'd fall under the umbrella of lagom to me, an American struggling to find sanity after decades of being taught bigger is better and to super-size everything because it's such a great deal. It doesn't help that I come from a family with major hoarding problems.
But more just breeds more. A bigger house and yard means higher bills, more stuff breaking down, more to mow. Extra cheese on my burger means extra hours exercising it off. Keeping up is wearing me down.
And judging by the rising trend of intentional downsizing and growing industry focusing on decluttering, I'm not the only one interested in a less stressful and more sustainable lifestyle.
What makes lagom such an interesting notion is not that it's a quick-fix, but a long term mindset that everyone deserves to live their life well. You, your neighbor, the guy at the grocery checkout More breaks during the workday (like, say – a fika?), decluttering, simplifying, and finding other little ways to de-stress your life and boost productivity.
And so I'm personally trying to practice more lagom in my life. Keeping the things that spark joy Kondo-style and tossing anything that just leads to more stress. Doing my best to save my time, money, energy, and physical space for that which supports a lifestyle in which I am able to build relationships and care for my family better.
It's not easy and I've got a long (long) way to go, but already I've made some huge strides and that's enough to make me feel finally free and happy.
The Right to Roam
In Sweden you can walk, hike, bike, swim, ski, forage and camp on any land that's not a private garden, farm, reserve, or obnoxiously close to someone's house or animals.
This Freedom to Roam is considered a fundamental right as well as a responsibility to take care and preserve nature and wildlife for the future enjoyment of everyone.
Yes, you are welcome to hunt for kantarella (chanterelle mushrooms) and pick wild berries even on land owned by someone else, just so long as you don't damage anything that would keep someone else (or even future you!) from sharing in the fun. And don't forget to tidy up behind you!
As the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says: "Don't disturb – Don't destroy."
And enjoy!
Telephone Daycare
Oh, Swedish wordjamming – I love you so much that I've coined the English "wordjamming" for you.
Mobildagis (mobil = mobile phone & dagis = daycare) is a wonderful example of this common Swedish habit smushing words (or parts of words) together when they need a new one. In fact some Swedes will get downright indignant if you use the uncompounded versions, telling you you're wasting time using the long version.
Just make sure no one grabs the wrong phone at the end of the night, or they won't be able to text you the next day about the great time they had.
Orkar Inte
(or-kahr en-teh)
To Not Have the Energy
Back when we were first considering moving here to Sweden I got all sorts of well-meaning advice about how gruff and unfriendly Swedes were, but that has not been my experience at all.
As a card-carrying introvert myself, I feel like in Sweden I'm among like-minded people in a way that feels increasingly socially unacceptable in America. It seems like there's been more respect for my personal space than I sometimes got back home.
Or at least no strangers have tried to have a 20 minute conversation with me about their grand kids while we're waiting in a checkout line.
While I'm often willing to help out or chat, I'm also constantly exhausted by days filled-to-bursting with the constant clamor and chaos small children create by just existing. Add to that the noise of the modern American life: the great backlog of media you have to stay current on or risk a spoiler at the watercooler, gadgets and games to stay on-trend, keeping up with the constant treadmill of multiple social media channels, and all with the steady grind of advertising behind it?
Ya'll, I don't have the energy.
And thanks to the Swedish, I now have a response for when I'm being told to bring an elaborate dish to yet another children's class party and up springs that bone deep feeling of "nooooooo".
"Orkar inte. I just don't have the energy," I can say as I drop off a tray of store-bought cupcakes instead, and you are welcome to try it as well. It's not a no because we don't want to or because we don't care. It's an acknowledgement that everyone is dealing with the ups and downs of our own lives as best we can, and that no one can rightly complain if you need to shift some things to the backburner for a bit.
If they do, just eat their cupcake.
Literally: Sun Cat
Simple enough: a spot of sunlight reflecting off a surface such as a watch or phone screen, often right into someone's eyes.
According to Hunter I have fantastic aim with these- especially if he's driving.
Honorable mentions:
Nomofob, n.
A person who gets anxious even thinking about putting down their phone to spend some time real facetime with the world. (From "no mobile fobi" or 'no mobile phone phobia')
Fulparkerare, n.
Literally an "ugly parker," like those jerks who take 2-3 spaces to park their cars or trucks.
Ogooglbar, adj.
Something that's ungooglable – a rarity in this day and age.
Bonus Level:
Sköldpadda, n.
Swedish for a turtle or tortoise, it literally translates in English to "shield toad". 🐢
You will never convenience me this word didn't come about because of a drunken midnight story told by vikings around a fire.
Väder, n.
Although this is simply the Swedish word for weather, I like to think Anakin might've been hedging his bets so if the whole Sith Lord thing hadn't panned out he could still get a job as a Swedish TV meteorologist.
"Don't underestimate the power of this cold front."
Did you find any new favorites? Have one that should've made the list?
Tell me in the comments below!
Please note this article is for general edutainment purposes and not meant to be taken as a sweeping characterization of all people living in Sweden. This country has proved to be wonderfully diverse and I wouldn't want anyone reading this post to get any other impression than that people are just people, the whole world over. That's what makes travel so fascinating!


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Somatoform Disorders
Wydanie: 2004 r.
Język: angielski
Dostępność: aktualnie niedostępny
People with somatoform disorder (which used to be known as hysteria) present with a range of symptoms that typically last for years and can't be traced to a specific physical cause. Such symptoms may include frequent headaches; back pain; abdominal cramping and pelvic pain; pain in the joints, legs and arms; chest or abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal problems. This 2004 book is an in-depth, clinically orientated review of the somatoform disorders and related clinical presentations (such as chronic fatigue syndrome) and how they present in a medico-legal setting. It is aimed at both clinicians and lawyers who deal with injury claims where these disorders impact much more frequently than is generally recognised.


text: Firstly, heres my latest photo of southend seafront Southend Sunset on Flickr - Photo Sharing! also, ive started to test out HDR photos. Ive been using 4 different exposures. Im using photoshop CS4, but they are not turning out as well as i hoped, help will be most appreciated Stone wall HDR attempt on Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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Decide Evicts Son From Family Home After Dad and mom Sue Him
Facebook is coming into the home services market. I maybe foresee a time when home pages specifically are used not to goal natural key phrases however primarily as locations for direct traffic, branded searches, and PR-based referral traffic. Say an individual sees my brand mentioned in a newspaper or on Fb and then he searches Google for my brand identify's URL. He's now considering what I provide. My meta title and meta description ought to, first and foremost, be written in a "gross sales" method to get him to click to my web site. In this context, it's not about keywords. For more and more websites, I am penning this meta information on the home web page with out bothering to incorporate any key phrases if the gross sales message is healthier without them.
President Lyndon Johnson (D), deeply involved in regards to the variety of People making due with out indoor plumbing, fundamental well being care, or ample meals, had already launched his Great Society social programs, aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice. He pioneered Head Start for preschool youngsters, the beginnings of both Medicare and Medicaid, and an Economic Opportunity Act. Over the next decade, those programs helped slice the share of Americans living in poverty from about 22 {c3e94a0222a279ff4be250e1d51a261b020a4926902a4db2e4a13e8f98c3d96e} to only below 14 p.c.
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Let the individuals reading this learn your posts and resolve in case you're anti-semitic or not. 5 days per week, The Each day Stat brings you info and figures offering a quick, generally quirky perspective on our world and the business that happens in it. Go to this web page to view the 'You are More More likely to Win if You Trail on the Half' Stat. Individuals can't appear to accept that President Obama marches to a beat of a different drummer. Some individuals of the fitting have referred to as this an apology tour. I disagree with that. The people who should do the apologizing are now not in office and I don't think President Obama should apologize for them.


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Personal Development
Developing Confident Communication Skills
Course Summary
Communicating effectively and presenting a positive image are essential in building good working relationships with clients, customers, colleagues and staff. We are constantly faced with situations at work where it is important to get our message across with confidence, whether one-to-one or with a wider audience, something that is not so easy when faced with conversations or situations we perceive as difficult, and where our confidence may wane.
This is a highly interactive course using a blend of theory, discussion, exercises and practice sessions in small groups where you will be expected to work on situations that are meaningful to you.
- Identifying participants' expectations
- Defining confidence and self-esteem: the two essential building blocks
- Understanding how assertive and non-assertive behaviours impact on your working relationships
- Confident body language, appearance and voice
- Key assertive skills and how to use them
- Making requests of others, and saying 'no' to unreasonable requests
- Managing criticism and praise - giving and receiving it
- Getting your ideas and views across to others and being more influential
- Personal planning.
Course Benefits
Working with core assertive skills and personal impact techniques, this two day course will help you to develop your communication skills and present yourself with greater ease.
Feedback from previous delegates:
"Extremely beneficial and well presented - Elaine was clear and never hesitant. There was a clear link between each section of the course and the layout of the two days worked really well. The advice given was really relatable despite it being really adaptable to different circumstances or job roles. Elaine's course builds self-esteem and confidence within a group environment while feeling engaged like a 1-to-1 session. The GTA building is relaxing and eases any pre-course nerves." - Michael L
"The Tutor was fantastic and the course was extremely helpful of improving oneself." - Hannah-Marie H
"Brilliant course really enjoyed it. [Would recommend it to a friend] without hesitation, this helps not only in your work life but personal life too." - Nichola
"[Would recommend this to a friend] 10000000%" - Byron
Tutor Profile
Elaine Smith runs her own successful UK based company and has worked as a learning and development consultant and executive coach for more than twenty years. She specialises in leadership, management and personal development programmes, team development and executive coaching. Elaine has developed a suite of courses aimed at helping managers and staff at all levels to get the very best from their performance at work and enhance their confidence.
Latest Articles
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Want to learn more? Sign up to our mailing list!
We will email you from time to time to update you on upcoming courses, events and conferences.


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Easy Assignment Help
Assignment Help in the United States
We are team of online professionals and subject experts present globally, countries don't constrain our boundaries of help. Our special and innovative services include homework assistance, special assignment help, online academic assistance, project assistance, writing essay, report and term paper assistance, research paper analysis and writing. Through homework assistance and online help our team allows students to be free from all academic doubts and queries with hassle free immediate solutions.


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Piper Willow is a mess.
Just like everyone else at the Station, she was lost in despair and pain when she arrived. But not just like everyone else at the Station, there's something different about her, something…special. She finds out what that is as her story progresses, but one thing she knows for sure: appreciate every moment as the beginning of the rest of your life.
Today's QOTD is a quote I pinned onto my Say It Well board on Pinterest. So, disclaimer, it's not my pin. I do find it perfectly fitting while writing the fourth installment of The Station Series. Have a good week, everyone!


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I get stuff sent in to me here on a regular basis and rather than keep it all for my future assistant I thought I'd come up with a killer little competition to put a huge smile on a couple of faces. To be brutally honest I'm pretty fucking pissed off that I have to give all this cool stuff away but I'm sticking to my rules of not taking freebies myself to bias reviews. Its a competition with a twist and all three prizes will be going to one lucky person...
Prize 1
When somebody asked for a suggestion for a Christmas party on Twitter I pointed them to Brasserie Sixty6. As a thank you they offered me a meal which now makes up part of the prize. You'll get a 3 course set menu for 2 people and a bottle of wine on the house in this prime Dublin venue!
Prize 2
I've started making a lot of juices on the blog to help you unhealthy bastards get through the winter without catching a flu and to get over your hangovers a little quicker. Philips have sent me this state of the art blender which is the only tool you'll ever need in your kitchen for smoothies and blitzing stuff up. I'll be very sad to hand this bad boy over.
Prize 3
I've been using Glenisk Yoghurts in all my smoothies here and when they offered me this trip to the gorgeous Cloughjordan House which comprises of a stay over the Friday night before, breakfast the following day followed by cookery classes. I was pretty tempted to bite their hand off but instead it is all yours!
How To Enter
I know things are still tough out there at the moment and I really wanted to put a smile on the face of somebody who is having a tough time at the moment. Somebody who is sick. Somebody struggling financially. Maybe somebody who is out of work. Most competitions online are about grabbing something material for ourselves when we all have plenty in the world but I wanted to flip this on it's head. This is your chance to make somebody else feel amazing and with two of the prizes for 2 people they might just bring you along so there is something in it for you too! So...
- Leave a comment below with person who deserves to win this prize and why
- Subscribe to the blog via email on the right hand side of the blog so as I can contact you with the prize
Terms and conditions...
- The competition closes Thursday at 6pm and I'll post the winner Friday
- Best story wins and I'll get a friend to pick it so as I am impartial
- Use X in the story if you don't want to share the person's name
Thats it. Simple. Go ahead and give it a lash and fingers crossed you win this ultimate foodie prize. I'll see how it goes and if it works well I might do something like this every week! Everybody wins!


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Remember the days when XXX stars went au natural, and hairy mature men and women were the norm in the jizz biz? Thankfully, here at PornMD.com we've been upholding the time honored tradition of bushy babes doing their dirty deeds in a selection of skin slicks that'll have you playing with yourself until you're raw; we guarantee. See a furry stud with a thick dong satisfy an older woman while her husband records their filthiness. You can hear the hubby's voice as he instructs his horny wife to take her lover's enormous cock balls deep. She gasps as each inch eases inside of her wetness, letting out a loud squeal as all of him enters her bushy box. You can hear her partner panting as she gyrates on her stud, moaning: "Oh my god, I can feel it in my stomach." You can bet her cuckold can't stretch her out that much, but he's happy to watch, cumming long before his wife's quim creams all over that juicy trouser serpent. After her fuzzy peach has been taken to pleasure town, she dismounts, eagerly licking her juices off of her stud's womb wrecker. She even tosses his salad, showing how grateful she is for the countless orgasms he gave her. When she slurps down his seed, you can hear her spouse mutter: "She never does that for me." The disappointment in his voice in unmistakable. For grannies with fleecy fannies, be sure to get your vinegar strokes out at PornMD.com.
©PornMD.com, 2020


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Mel Gibson is in talks to make a supporting appearance in Robert Rodriguez's upcoming sequel Machete Kills, starring Danny Trejo as the titular character. Fox will release the film to the precious few people in the world still interested in a franchise that started as a fun trailer and became an impossibly redundant bore-fest [Deadline].
In this exciting new film, Machete must help the United States track down an arms dealer before he can launch a rocket. Original stuff.
Gibson has been rumored as a possible addition to the franchise for a while now, along with parallel whispers that Michelle Williams (yes, that Michelle Williams) was considering to bow in the sequel. While there's been little word on Williams (let's pray that stays true), Gibson appears to be everything but locked in. And, seriously, if you're Gibson right now, what else do you have going on anyway?
As for directing duties, while Rodriguez shared responsibility with Ethan Maniquis for the first series of non-events in Machete, he's hoping to take this one on alone, if his Sin City sequel doesn't get in the way.
Casting Gibson doesn't feel as exciting as it did when Todd Phillips considered it for The Hangover Part II before his cast voted against having the tarnished actor in the film. Like most of what Rodriguez does these days, it just feels tired and borderline lazy.
Will Mel Gibson elevate Machete Kills?


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Medical products and device companies have focused considerable attention in recent years on emerging markets. It's easy to see why: The tremendous opportunities inherent in these markets—with large patient populations and unmet medical needs—make them enormously attractive to medical device manufacturers.
However, the particular sales and marketing challenges in places like BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations may diminish companies' chances of success. The potential of emerging markets makes them too large for medical products and device manufacturers to ignore, but the size of the markets alone does not guarantee success.
ZS Associates recently held a wide-ranging roundtable discussion with several of its medical device sales and marketing experts to analyze the opportunities in emerging markets, and the ways companies have capitalized on those opportunities.
> Download
Tobi Laczkowski is an Associate Principal based in ZS's Zurich office. Tobi's medical device clients include those with an emerging markets focus in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. He helps companies improve sales strategy, organizational design and operational efficiencies.
Brian Chapman is a Principal based in ZS's Zurich office. Brian has worked with medical technology companies on numerous sales and marketing issues, including opportunity assessment, organizational design, channel optimization and new-product launch strategy. He has spent much of his career working with global clients.
Rohan is ZS's Regional Managing Principal for Asia and is based in the firm's New Delhi office. He has supported the commercialization strategies of more than 50 medical device, pharmaceutical and biotech companies across numerous markets.
Andrea Traverso, Associate Principal, leads ZS engagements in Latin America. She has extensive experience helping medical device and pharmaceutical companies on their go-to-market strategy, commercial organization optimization and a variety of other sales and marketing issues.
Kelly Wang is a Manager at ZS Associates and based in the firm's Shanghai office. Kelly leads ZS's medical device practice area in China. She has worked with many medical device and pharma companies on more than 40 engagements in several sales and marketing issues, including channel strategy, sales force effectiveness and opportunity assessment.
By Kelly Wang
Learn how upcoming changes will create an imperative for distributors to improve performance as well as bring new opportunities for device makers in Chinese medical products and device markets.
India is emerging as one of the most enticing markets—and one of the most complex. ZS helped a client design a sales force in India that ensured the right level of customer support.
Evanston, IL
In a bid to expand client service, improve business operations and strengthen its presence in Brazil, global sales and marketing firm ZS Associates opened a new office in São Paulo. While the firm has served clients in Latin America for most of its history, this is ZS's first office in the region.


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Hello again. :)
Hello, friend. :)
It has been WAY too long. I can't tell you how many times I have started to write, all failing to find the words I want to say. I wanted to write something with meaning. Something that would help change YOUR life. Instead, God has been writing my story in ways I would never have dreamed. In the past months, I have seen a large change in my life.
Fresh air. Blue sky. Green grass. What more could you ask for, right?
My family and I traveled North on Vacation to Salt Fork Lake Park and it was just simply beautiful. We stayed in a cabin on the hillside for four days. After a restless night for me, we hiked the Shadbush trail.. Two miles long. Hilly terrain. And utterly exhausting.
...my quiet place.
It wasn't until this year, or really this past month, that I really found my "quiet place."
I wanted somewhere that I could go and be alone with God. I grab my Bible, a small notebook, and my favorite writing utensil, then hop on my bike and ride to the quiet and peaceful scenery of the woods. I spend as much time there as I can with the Lord. I do not always have time to stay for an hour; I always seem to be wishing for more time with God.. Isn't that the way it should be?
I remember lying awake one night, hearing the thunder rumble outside, and thinking about all the problems I was facing in my life. Friends, family, school. The list goes on and on!
...the clouds.
The white, fluffy, "storybook" clouds are my favorite.
You know- laying in the grass, the breeze carrying bizarre shaped clouds across the sky while you try to imagine what each one could be. Maybe it's a monkey, or a hot-air balloon! Maybe it's a slice of pizza (like the one I'm craving now)! Each one is different. Unique.
God has given me a love for people and a passion to write. I love that the sky shows the creativity of our loving Maker, don't you? I hope you will join me on this journey through life exploring the beautiful creation God has made and the lessons that He is teaching me through it all.
June 2018