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5 hits:
1.BARACK OBAMA. If you doubted that he still has the soaring power of oratory that instilled hope in the 2008 electorate, you got your answer. But he needed to answer much more than that. Inevitably the reaction to the policy aspects of his speech will fall along partisan lines. But he made a credible case to the American people. The plan he outlined carried more detail and more logic than the one we heard in Tampa. He is the President and even without his explicit reminder of that fact, he was Presidential.
2.JENNIFER GRANHOLM. Wow! Granholm was absolutely magnificent. She electrified a crowd that had absolutely no idea what was about to happen to them. Michiganders must be reconsidering term limits today after seeing the governor they lost display such sparkling political skills and convictions.
3.EVA LONGORIA. How many powerful, eloquent women does one campaign need? All it can get is the correct answer. Here was yet another woman whose values and personal story are accessible and admirable to all Americans. "The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers needed a tax break, but the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets doesn't" was so direct, logical and essentially fair that there's really no way to attack it.
4.JOHN KERRY. Okay, there was something delicious about Kerry calling someone a wimpy flip-flop artist. But Kerry had the experience and the gravitas to call Ryan and Romney out on what is probably their biggest vulnerability – foreign policy – and he did it with surgical precision.
5.JOHN LEWIS. He was brief , which, Mr. Biden, is a virtue. He spoke about an experience most of us, thankfully, have never lived through. His courage and resilience and power of forgiveness are utterly awe-inspiring, and transcend politics. His message about the resurgence of voter suppression, coming from that position of experience, is chilling.
And an extra "hit," also born of violence,
6.GABRIELLE GIFFORDS. The twin realities of triumph and tragedy implicit in her appearance Thursday night comprised an unintentionally powerful message about gun laws. Why, exactly, are 30-round clips for automatic pistols so necessary for personal protection that they should be freely available?
5 misses:
1. THE STADIUM PLAN. What a disaster. Lots of disappointed people in what could be a swing state. Why take that chance? Yes, filling a 70,000-seat stadium would be a great symbol – but instead of a symbol the campaign ended up with a stadium-sized chunk of disappointed voters. Maybe the organizers figured that since they did it four years ago, it would lead to "enthusiasm gap" chatter if they didn't try it again. Regardless, still a major mistake.
2 and 3. JILL BIDEN and the BIDEN VIDEO. She went on too long, and took a lot of air out of a room that had been totally energized. Ditto the video, which was interminable.
4. JOE BIDEN. For the first 30 minutes, I expected he would he take a logical place on the hits list. Biden is likeable and his heart-on-my-sleeve vulnerability is refreshing. But he went oh, just a few thousand words too long. His speech was an impossible-to-ride emotional roller coaster. The tribute to the troops – very admirable taken, ah, literally – was one emotional dip too long and had the feel of a deliberate swat at the Romney-Ryan ticket for not mentioning them.
5. DICK DURBIN. What was he doing there? Why insert yet another buzzkill at a critical moment? And he could have finished in half the time he took, for all he added. Of course, everybody was still dazed post-Biden, so perhaps they didn't notice.


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Get ready to rally, ride and party
Triumph Bonneville T120 Recall
Heated grips increases the risk of crash for Bonneville T120 models
Get ready to rally, ride and party
When the road ends, the adventure begins
Get out and practice
If you like to dial up the comforts for endless miles on the wide open road, you're in for one hell of a ride
Big wheels, big paint and classic drag-bike attitude meets modern refinement stuffed with raw power
As the weather cools down, make sure your bike heats up
Quick handling and a suspension tuned for rough pavement – meet the bike built to let you shred traffic
Built with the spirit of individualism and customization
Ride bright, ride safe with these turn signal inserts
A genuine factory custom with hot rod attitude, the all-new Bobber leads the way
Don't leave home without these dune riding must-haves
You've decided to buy a pre-owned motorcycle. Now what?
Heated grips increases the risk of crash for Bonneville T120 models
You've never seen so many big touring features packed into such a light, easy-handling machine.
Vespa manufacturer Piaggio just added a new two-wheel vehicle to its line-up; Gita- the autonomous personal cargo carrier. The Italian-owned company recently opened a Boston-based
Big wheels, big paint and classic drag-bike attitude meet modern refinement. Then we stuff it brimful with raw power
Faulty airbags inflators prompts recall
Get ready to rally, ride and party. Here's what's happening in February 2017.

subset: commoncrawl


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John Edwards Corruption Case Officially Dismissedby Free Britney at .
Former U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful John Edwards will not face another trial after the judge in charge of his case dismissed it Wednesday.
On Wednesday, government lawyers asked Judge Catherine Eagles to dismiss their case with prejudice and will not attempt to charge him again.
Two weeks ago, a federal jury found Edwards not guilty on one campaign finance charge, but they couldn't reach a decision on five other counts.
A mistrial was declared on the outstanding charges, meaning the U.S. could have re-tried Edwards, but having failed to win once, they will not.
If nothing else, John Edwards' trial gave him the opportunity to join our celebrity mug shots page. No one can ever take that achievement away from him.
It also dredged up a lot of rather embarrassing Rielle Hunter details.
Still, not guilty is not guilty, and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in a statement:
"The jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on five of the six counts of the indictment, however, and we must respect their judgment."
"In the interest of justice, we have decided not to retry Mr. Edwards."Edwards' attorneys responded to the news on Wednesday lauding the decision and reiterating that John's "sins," while sinful, weren't illegal.
"While John has repeatedly admitted to his sins, he has also consistently asserted, as we demonstrated at the trial, that he did not violate any campaign law nor even imagined that any campaign laws could apply," the statement read.
"We are confident that the outcome of any new trial would have been the same. We are very glad that, after living under this cloud for over three years, John and his family can have their lives back and enjoy the peace they deserve."
Edwards was accused of receiving over a million dollars in donations that he used to shield his mistress Rielle and their love child from the public.
While he definitely tried to cover up his affair, proving the illegality of it - and what money was being spent on it - was an uphill battle for the feds.


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June 12, 2017 This is a message inspired by the Holy Spirit through L. when doing the First Kowtow (1). L.: O God, it is 10:07 a.m., on Monday, June 12, 2017, at St. Theresa Church, in front of the sanctuary, before the Cross, the holy statueRead more →
Our Lady of Fatima's Visit
On Sunday June 11th, 2017 / All Messages, Inspired Messages
June 11, 2017 – Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity This is a message inspired by the Holy Spirit through L. L.: O God, it is 3:52 p.m., on Sunday, June 11, 2017, at home. First, I thank God; the past days, God allowed us to attendRead more →


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View sample pages:
$16.95 Hardcover
$9.99 Paperback
INTEREST LEVEL: Age 8+
READING LEVEL: Grade 3+
AUTHORS: Nadja Spiegelman, Sergio García Sánchez
DIMENSIONS: 7.75" x 10"
HARDCOVER RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2015
PAPERBACK RELEASE DATE: May, 5, 2020
About the Book
Pablo's first day in a New York City school quickly goes off the rails during a field trip to the Empire State Building. Pablo accidentally gets on the wrong train, but with help from a new friend and from the city itself, he soon is on the fast track to becoming a local. This story—which features maps, archival photos, and fascinating facts—will help readers explore the subway without leaving their seats. It brings all the bustle and beauty of NYC to young readers around the world.
Empire State Center for the Book Great Reads Pick 2017
Association for Library Service to Children's Graphic Novels Reading List 2016
2016 Association for Library Service to Children
Notable Children's Books
Connecticut Nutmeg Award Book Nominee 2019
School Library Journal Best Books of 2015
2018 Tejas Star Reading List
Texas Library Association's bilingual reading list for readers ages 5-12
★Little Maverick Star★
Texas Library Association's Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List 2016
Kirkus Prize 2015 Nominee for Young Reader's Literature
ABC Best Books for Young Readers 2015 List
★★★ "Required reading for anyone, tourist or resident, mystified by or anxious about using arguably the greatest public-transportation system on the planet."
--Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
★★★ "The storytelling is kinetic...this book is sure to be a hit"
--School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW
★★★ "Young readers enamored by the Big Apple will be both delighted by the wealth ofinformation and atmospheric artwork and encouraged by Pablo and Alicia's successful, if a bit nervewracking, solo journeys."
--Booklist STARRED REVIEW
★★★ "With humor and sensitivity, Spiegelman reveals how getting lost can be the first step toward finding your way—while also giving NYC residents and visitors alike a valuable primer on the subway system and its history."
--Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW
★★★ "In this vibrant graphic-novel picture book, Spiegelman's lively text is superbly matched by García Sánchez's art. His detailed images from every perspective, filled with trains, stations, people, streets, skyscrapers, and even maps, vividly convey the kids' travels below and above ground."
--The Horn Book Magazine STARRED REVIEW
★★★ "A graphic novel tale of friendship that combines fascinating facts about the New York subway system, the Empire State Building, history and geography."
-- Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW
"García's adroit art bursts with activity, while the story highlights the ingenuity city life brings out in the young. Packed with subway maps, lore and miscellany, it's sure to be treasured by tweens and adults, too."
--New York Times
"Aimed at 'visual learners,' this elegantly presented and emotionally satisfying graphic story is well worth the time even of children who have never set foot in Manhattan."
--The Wall Street Journal
"Visually stunning (to say nothing of its accuracy) with abundant factual information wriggled into every available crevice, you don't have to be a New Yorker to enjoy this book (though, boy, does it sure help)."
--Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse 8 Production and NYPL Youth Materials Specialist
"Segio García Sánchez's illustrations are beautiful, and the book is filled with gorgeous two-page spreads that don't waste a single inch of real estate."
--Jamie Greene for Geek Dad
Spiegelman spoke with Comic Book Resources about how she settled on the story, her collaboration with Sanchez, what kind of research it took to properly capture the New York subway system -- and the comic she wasn't allowed to read as a child.
--Read the interview HERE at Comic Book Resources
"García Sánchez's artwork perfectly complements Spiegelman's heartfelt and informative narrative, offering glimpses of the thousands of subway commuters from all walks of life crowding into busy stations and onto packed subway trains."
-- KidsReads
"I'm declaring it required reading for natives and tourists alike. Because get this: it is now MY FAVORITE NEW YORK BOOK OF ALL TIME."
-- What to Read to Your Kids
TOON Graphic Special Feature
The world of TOON Graphics and of comic book art is rich and varied. Making meaning out of reading with the aid of visuals may be the best way to become a lifelong reader, one who knows how to read for pleasure and for information—a reader who loves to read. Lost in NYC includes these special features to support both visual and verbal literacy:
Our Lost in NYC Teacher Guide outlines the ELA Common Core Standards to support standards-based instruction in the classroom using this TOON Graphic. The lesson plan offers detailed questions for students with page references. This free guide was designed by a team of passionate literacy experts led by Hsin Yu Chao.


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Lucies Farm Photo Gallery
Home of Scottish | Kobe Beef, Kurobuta Pork, and Pampered Dogs
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Image search results - "dinner"
Poi Lavosh, Poi Dinner Rolls & Lomi Salmon Cream Cheese
613 views
These were great products. The lavosh (Armenian flat bread) was covered with macadamia nuts. The dinner rolls were light and fluffy. And the lomi lomi salmon cream cheese ... onolicious.
Bali Having His Dinner
104 views
Bali and India Waiting For Their Dinner
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This is a screen capture from our 24/7 webcam.
Kurobuta Roast Rack of Pork Dinner
320 views
With crackling, roast potatoes, broccoli, and home-made apple sauce.
Kurobuta Roast Rack of Pork
750 views
With delicious, crispy scored crackling on the outside, and moist pork on the inside.
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Craig and Marjorie Before Dinner
823 views
I just held the camera out with one hand and pressed the shutter. My foot really hurt on this whole trip, but if we didn't take the trip ("bought" with British Airways miles) by December 1, we were told we'd lose it. So I took golf carts everywhere, or sat by the pool. Easy, peasy in Dubai.
Bab al Shams Buffet
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The dinner buffet was quite spectacular. On the evening we visited, the desert "fort" was not very crowded, and most of the guests ate early.
Fruit and Veg -- Dubai Style
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This huge display of fresh fruit and veg was at the entrance to the desert restaurant -- built to look like an old fort -- at the Bab al Shams Hotel.
Marjorie on Christmas Day 1985
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Posing in the lobby of Honolulu Tower, on our way out for Christmas dinner at Chez Michel.
Peepee and Brutus Having Dinner
149 views
Peepee More Interested in Brutus' Dinner
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Although Peepee has a bowl of his own, he first wanted to check to see if Brutus had something better in his bowl.
Peepee and Brutus Dining Together
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A must have! ★★★★★
by Kn23writer – Version 1.1 – Mar 8, 2014
The beauty of this little app is its simplicity. As one who didn't grow up with technology, I wondered if I could achieve the things that were described in the video – but I did, and without any problems. Adding captions and photos is easy. I can see this being used frequently to record those snippets of information and stories that often occur on an impromptu basis when you are unlikely to run and grab a video camera. I'm hoping to make use of this as my son approaches his 21st birthday to get friends of his to record 60 second memories and their old photos – some have known him since primary school. Then I'll patch it all together for a birthday presentation. So if a (ahem) middle aged citizen can mange this, then anyone can. I'm hoping that they'll launch it on iPad soon. Top marks for making it user friendly.
Reminiscing with old photos ★★★★★
by Kbell152 – Version 1.1 – Dec 2, 2013
We had such a great time showing my Mom old family photos and recording short videos for each one as she spoke. It's so cool that we can see her face as she tells her stories and also have the photo displayed on the screen at the same time! I love using the quotes to write in dates, names and places to go along with the story and picture. My sisters are loving these little keepsakes I've been making and sharing for our whole family to enjoy. We love this app!!
More than an app…it's a gift to anyone with a loved one. ★★★★★
by monk luver – Version 1.1 – Nov 28, 2013
What a simple and fun way to capture life's special moments. I only wish that I had this app when my mom was still here. Photos just can't capture the essence of a person like video does. Hopefully, everyone out there discovers and uses this app to record even the simplest moments with their loved ones…while they have the chance. What a difference this app will surely make for many!
Thanks for making this app ★★★★★
by Waterscape man – Version 1.1 – Nov 27, 2013
We each have a story to tell. Many of us have several. When we share our lives with those close or far it really allows us to get to know one another on a deeper level. I really like how I can use this app for sharing some simple thoughts or I can take my time and pass on what really touches me in life so that others can be touched. I love how this app allows me to express what is important to myself, to the world and for those I care about. 🙂
Impressive!! ★★★★★
by Graci B. – Version 1.1 – Nov 21, 2013
What an awesome app to have right at your fingertips– especially during the holidays! The best part is being able to pick from the questions made available. Love love!!
Great idea. Create mini docs. ★★★★★
by Splinterphobic Jon – Version 1.1 – Nov 21, 2013
Capture shareable stories about friends and family.
Fun and easy to use! ★★★★★
by FamilyHistory – Version 1.1 – Nov 17, 2013
This app was the perfect thing for me to have when my grandmother and her sisters (my great-aunties) came to visit. Using the questions provided in the app, I captured so many great stories from each of them about their lives and also some great advice on living a good life. They had great fun telling stories about each other, asking each other the questions from the "Interview Tips". They also enjoyed knowing I was going to save and share their stories with the rest of the family. We love this app!!!
What a great app! ★★★★★
by B flick – Version 1.1 – Nov 2, 2013
What a great app! I particularly like the suggested questions to use with the person being interviewed. Even with the plethora of social media apps, we miss so many opportunities to save our personal histories for our families. This app is a really fun and easy way to do just that…


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We have all noticed that active investors such as mutual funds and hedge funds are struggling. It doesn't even stop there. Famous investors like Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger are no longer generating remarkable excess returns. Nevertheless, there was a time in history when superstar managers created great wealth for their investors. So, how was this possible? Why are many of those managers currently struggling? Will they continue to struggle? Let's examine those questions.
Per prior posts, we established that outperforming the market is a zero-sum game. For someone to generate excess returns over the market, there has to be someone who underperforms the market (Passive vs Active). Alpha works the same way—i.e., for every manager that has produced positive alpha, there has to be someone that ends up with negative alpha (How much alpha exists). So, how does one actually achieve superior performance compare to peers?
How does an active investor outperform?
The chart below, which summarizes the change in US common stock ownership, is key to understanding how excess returns are generated and why they have diminished.
For an investor to outperform, he or she has to have an edge or some advantage. The edge could be educational, cognitive or informational, among others. For example, insiders have always had an advantage since they possess non-public information that can assist them in timing their purchases and sales. Of course, this is an unfair advantage, so the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 outlawed it. In addition, those who knew how to read financial statements had a distinct advantage in the early 20th century. Imagine a well-versed financial statement expert trading securities with those who have a poor understanding of how to measure the profitability of a company or the value of its assets (e.g., Benjamin Graham versus your average 1930s individual). Now imagine someone who not only knows how to analyze financials, but who is also able to evaluate managerial talent and is aware of his or her own cognitive biases (e.g., Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger versus an accountant). In reviewing the chart above, we can see that up until 1945, over 90% of stock ownership was direct— meaning regular investors owned and traded stocks. Many of those individuals were "average Joes" who were neither full-time investors nor good evaluators of financial statements. Further, most were not gifted judges of managerial talent and probably did not possess any other critical investment skills. Because of their lack of expertise, these individuals were easy prey for the skilled investors. This allowed the skilled/professional investors to outperform and produce alpha. Over time, rational individual investors began hiring professional money managers to improve their performance. With the rise of the mutual fund and other pooled investment vehicles, the percentage of direct stock ownership began to slowly decline, as more and more money began to be professionally managed. In the US stock market, a climax was reached in the 1990s as professional investors surpassed individual investors.
The rise of professional investment management had some significant market implications:
- Ever-increasing competition. The professional managers undertake investing full time and are much more skilled. As we know, in a market for every buyer, there has to be a seller. The rising talent level meant that it will become harder to find fools to buy a great stock cheap or fools to whom to sell a bad stock.
- Securities started trading closer to "intrinsic value." Most of these managers went to the same Ivy League schools, learned from the same professors or investors (Benjamin Graham, Fisher, Buffet, etc.), used similar models, and arrived with similar "intrinsic values." The decline in standard deviation of excess returns over time (Exhibit 3) and the link between an individual's stock ownership reduction and excess return standard deviation (Exhibit 4) display the trend's effects perfectly.
In a way, active management has been a victim of its own success. Initially, more sophisticated investors were lured to the market because they could exceed the returns earned by all the other individuals who own and traded stocks. Eventually, the "average Joes" realized that they were better off just hiring those sophisticated investors to manage their money for a handsome fee. The handsome fees resulted in huge profits and margins for the professional investors (mutual funds, hedge funds, etc.), in turn attracting many of the brightest talent in the country (PhDs, CFAs, etc.). The influx of additional talent, combined with the move towards professional money management and the ability to learn from the top investors, made markets more "efficient" (and by "efficient", I mean fewer discrepancies among participants' intrinsic values, and not necessarily that these values are correct). This increased level of competition and thought-bounded reasoning has slowly eroded the ability of investment managers to find alpha and produce excess returns. Warren Buffett himself has recently warned Berkshire Hathaway investors not to expect outperformance like the 1960s and 1970s. Yes, part of the reason is the sheer size of Berkshire. But the ignored reason is the much higher level of competition. Thanks to his generosity and that of other top investors who have shared their knowledge and skill, many current professional managers use those same techniques to select stocks. Unfortunately or fortunately, outperforming the market has become harder, and it will continue to become more difficult.
"The high margins of active management have attracted many of the most talented people"
To illustrate further, consider the game of chess. Take two people who have never played chess and who have the same intelligence. If provided with the same chess training, do you think their games will be competitive? Will one dominate the other? Logically, we would expect their games to be extremely competitive with a fairly even distribution of wins and losses. At the end of the day, they received the same training. Now, if you were playing chess for cash, would you seek to play weaker or stronger competition?
Passive management further escalates the skill level:
On top of institutionalization of investing over the last 100 years, we are currently going through another rotation of a similar kind—the switch from professional money management to passive investing. As I have expressed earlier, truly passive investing is just a copy of all the active managers' valuations. The passive management growth will have similar implications for the markets (How passive investing makes markets more efficient). As more actively managed assets move towards being passively managed, the level of competition and skill will rise even more. The switch will first push out the bad/unlucky active managers (the underperformers), leaving the most skilled. To get the point across, take a look at the below analogy:
"Imagine you and other people were offered the opportunity to participate in a multi-round basketball free throw shooting competition. During each round you will have two options:
- Shoot 10 free throws and earn a dollar for each throw made (taking the active approach).
- Sit it out and take the average score of the remaining competitors (taking the passive approach).
What will you do?
If you think you are better than other participants, you will compete. If you are not very good at free throw shooting, you will sit out and collect the average score.
Let's assume you are better than the others. In such case, you will compete while several participants who don't think they can score above the average will sit it out. The first round plays out with the remaining participants. What happens to the average skill level after the first set of below-average participants drops out? The average skill level increases. What will happen after the second round? What about the third round and so on?
Thanks to the law of competitive markets:
- Weaker players will be forced to drop out. In this case, these are the participants underperforming the average.
- The skill of the remaining competitors will continue to increase during each round; as the less skilled dropout, more skilled players remain.
Notice the law of competition holds up in most skilled games. Do you think we will see another person in baseball batting above the .400 mark? Do you think another player will score 100 points in one basketball game as did Wilt Chamberlain? Neither is likely to occur since the competition in both those sports has risen."
The trends of (a) a decline in direct stock ownership and (b) an increase in passively managed assets will continue to reduce opportunities for active managers to produce outperforming returns.
"Looking for Easy Games", Credit Suisse, Michael J. Mauboussin, Dan Callahan, Darius Majd. January 4, 2017
"Trends in Institutional Stock Ownership and Some Implications." Marshall E. Blume* and Donald B. Keim**. March 12, 2008.


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Fair play to the BNP*, normally when I get a bit of paper through my letterbox with racism on it, it's from the Labour Party.
Hopefully despite going for the same values as Manchester Labour, Griffin will nonetheless be out on his arse come Sunday.
* not a phrase that comes easily


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- Located in Wellington's delicious food court, Press Hall off Willis street, Fratelli Pasta Bar has bridged the gap between New Zealand and Italy, so you can enjoy mouth-watering Italian dishes without the hefty plane ticket.
- When you put the freshest ingredients, a serious passion for Italian food and modern ideas together you get the unmatched dining experience that can only be found at Fratelli.
- Fratelli's philosophy of high-quality pasta and authentic Italian sauces is evident in to its mouth-watering menu and passionate staff that are dedicated to their craft.
- Your love affair with Italian food is waiting for you at Fratelli, just pop by Monday to Saturday, and grab an authentic Italian pasta dish and an Italian soft drink you'll fall head over heels for.
Grab any one authentic Italian pasta dish and Italian soft drink for $11 from Fratelli Pasta Bar.


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A group of young Black and Latino men are letting the world know that they are far from the image of violent, uneducated and unkempt individuals that the media often makes them out to be.
Dressed in suits, button-down shirts and bow ties while serving plenty of bravado, 34 juniors and seniors from Illinois' Central High School recently created a short video called "Suit & Tie In The 217″ to combat the negative stereotypes they face regularly — and we love every second of it!
Set to the Justin Timberlake/Jay Z collaboration "Suit & Tie," the teens show off their superb style while the messages "we are not gangsters and thugs," "we are employees and volunteers," "we are scholars" and "we are athletes" appear across the screen. To be specific, they are Honor Roll students, poets, future collegiate athletes and National Honor Society members, just to name a few of their talents and accomplishments.
"The negative stories told daily in the media and in our culture about our young African-American men tend to ignore their successes and don't tell the full story about how young Black men are becoming leaders within our community schools," Tiffany Gholson, a Central High School counselor that helped with the project, told NewsOne.
Between Obama's new initiative, My Brother's Keeper, this awesome viral video and countless other groups and individuals attempting to reclaim the narrative of young black men — we're hopeful the mission will be accomplished.
Check out the amazing video above and let us know what you think about it in the comments section.
article by Julee Wilson via huffingtonpost.com


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You are here
Which Plan to Choose? The Determinants of Pension System Choice for Public School Teachers
This paper studies the pension preferences of Washington State public school teachers by examining two periods of time during which teachers were able to choose between enrolling in a traditional defined benefit plan and a hybrid plan with defined benefit and defined contribution components. Our findings suggest that a large share of teachers are willing to transfer from a traditional DB plan to a hybrid pension plan, and that the probability that a teacher will choose to transfer is related to financial incentives and factors related to risk preferences. There is evidence that more effective teachers are more likely to enroll in the hybrid pension plan, suggesting that states could reduce the financial risk associated with strict defined benefit pension systems without sacrificing the desirability of pension plans to employees.
Keywords: Pension, Retirement, Incentives
Citation: Dan Goldhaber, Cyrus Grout (2014). Which Plan to Choose? The Determinants of Pension System Choice for Public School Teachers. CALDER Working Paper No. 111
You May Also Be Interested In
Testing, Teacher Turnover and the Distribution of Teachers Across Grades and Schools
Dillon Fuchsman, Tim Sass, Gema Zamarro
The Effects of Differential Pay on Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Carycruz Bueno, Tim Sass
Collective Bargaining and State-Level Reforms: Assessing Changes to the Restrictiveness of Collective Bargaining Agreements across Three States
Katharine Strunk , Joshua Cowen, Dan Goldhaber , Bradley D. Marianno, Tara Kilbride, Roddy Theobald
See other working papers on:
Education Level: K-12
Research Area: Personnel policies
Topic Area: Teacher labor markets


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Don't *@#! Where You Eat! - How We Let The Oceans Get So Bad.
Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger.com, is currently aboard the 60 foot, 12,500 plastic bottle ThePlastiki.com vessel crossing the Pacific, fresh from the Galapagos where he covered TED Ocean's Mission-Blue conference. This post originally appeared on Huffington Post; Photos via The Plastiki
It's about a week into the Kiribati to Fiji or New Caledonia or wherever we end up being able to make it to on this side-slipping, 60 foot raft made from recyclable plastic and 12,500 reclaimed water bottles dubbed the Plastiki. And I'm suspicious. Day in, day out it feels like the exact same scene. A 360 degree view to the horizon consisting of big dark waves, the odd bird or flying fish and nary a boat, island or anything else of interest. Is this Groundhog Day? The Truman Show II? Because the Pacific is seemingly endless and I feel like I'm on a movie set. It just goes on and on and on. Fresh from TED Oceans' Mission Blue conference in the Galapagos and overhearing a multitude of interviews daily that David de Rothschild is giving to the likes of CNN, Oprah, TreeHugger and many more via our speedy Inmarsat connection, the question of why we've destroyed our oceans has been top of mind. How are these two thoughts related? Well...I now get it. I now understand viscerally how we got to this point. I can see how we'd not have been concerned about polluting our oceans. Why? Because they feel impossibly gigantic! It's almost inconceivable to think that something so large and so deep could be affected by us humans. You can literally sail for days on end and not even see another boat and all this time it extends not only to the horizons but also hundreds or thousands of feet below you. Our oceans are the definition of massive.
Sunset from the Plastiki
So I don't think we should beat ourselves up too much. It's a terrible situation, certainly, but you can see how we got here, you can empathize with how we've played this. In short, we've just witnessed the jump of "Don't *@## where you eat" from local to global.
Dave and Dave on the Plastiki
Everyone has understood this saying on a small, local level for a long time. It just makes sense...where your living situation is compact, you don't let the bad stuff contaminate the good. What changed in the last century is that we quadrupled our numbers while greatly increasing the power of our tools. Prior to this, we had the space, the resources, the leeway to pollute; nature would simply take it. Now, we don't. It's as if we were consuming and polluting in an expanding pattern around the globe and we just recently started bumping into ourselves. Suddenly, we are cluing in that the oceans are actually finite and that little ol' us can indeed affect them, and unfortunately in a very significant manner.
The Plastiki is made from recycled plastic bottles
Our task now? Truly internalize this lesson that has worked so well for so long on a small, local scale and then move quickly enough to create the legal and regulatory framework that will protect our oceans, an essential breadbasket of humanity. Because, we need the oceans...they are a non-negotiable item in the intricate formula that allows our species to survive on this planet. They are not a nice-to-have, they are a need-to-have. We simply can't survive without them.
With me? Start Here: a) Refuse single use plastics. b) Eat less, more sustainable seafood. c) Sign up for a newsletter at TreeHugger.com


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Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Land of Doom/Picture Book Marathon 2/28
10 comments:
I think tomorrow should be THE ADVENTURES OF MR. HEWABFYUVIIIDD! Okay(Warning, title not included(Another warning this is not really serious at all.))
- February 2, 2010 at 8:20 AM
Love the "brick" castle in the background!
- February 2, 2010 at 8:23 AM
- Gaby Seeley said...
LOVE the Lego idea! :D
- February 2, 2010 at 8:58 AM
- Myrna Foster said...
I am NOT a zombie! Though staying up late working on my manuscript. . . . ;)
- February 2, 2010 at 10:38 AM
- Heather Zundel said...
Oh my gosh, Nathan, I love you. I am bookmarking all of these, seriously.
(And I love the LEGO-non-LEGO "brick" idea). ;)
- February 2, 2010 at 11:03 AM
- edith said...
Wow, your publishing world is SO SCARY!
How brave you are.
- February 2, 2010 at 11:12 AM
- Debbie Barr said...
Fun idea!
Also, love the Zombie authors. That's what I feel like. :)
- February 2, 2010 at 12:04 PM
- DaNae said...
I don't know there Skippy, a brickocide seems a bit dark for the picture book set. Maybe this one should be a graphic novel, then you could draw all those brick separations in very, very tiny pictures.
- February 2, 2010 at 6:58 PM
- Nathan said...
Ah, but DaNae, you don't know what "Brickocide" is.
In my house, it's when a kid uses their teeth to separate bricks. I will not tolerate any form of Brickocide.
- February 3, 2010 at 1:36 AM
- Clint C. said...
Can I preorder? And Nate, little Miss Naive here, but you've already published two of your own manuscripts, doesn't that keep you out of the fearful valley? Can't you just call the publisher and say, here comes another one?
- February 3, 2010 at 2:37 PM


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Marriage has been regarded as a major social institution that creates, maintains ad upholds the culture, rituals and norms of a society and reflects the values related with the process of recreation and formation of a family that is basic unit of the society. Marriage allows institutionalizing the relationship among people that are supposed to be from opposite sexes according to the general perception about marriage (Gallagher and Baker, p4).
Marriage has been viewed as the central part of the cultural landscape of the societies due to which it is often considered that same sex marriage have negative effects upon the values, attitude and beliefs about birth held by the society. Over the time, the cultural values about marriage has been changed and in the secular world, recognizing the marriage between people same sex marriage has evolved as an important social change and development (Foster, p2).
Same sex marriage also called homosexual or gay marriage has been evolved as highly controversial issue and centre of heated debates for last few years. The advocates and opponents of same sex marriage used to support their stance with the help of some strong arguments. The essay also aims to advocate and support the same sex marriage and views it as a source of soughing basic freedom right and equality of mankind.
The essay stresses upon marriage equality and presents the thought that as free humans beings we should have the right to decide either to get marry with the person of same sex or another and the issue could not be viewed and judge on the basis of religions and traditional social norms but it should be viewed from a liberal and secular stand point while giving equal rights of freedom and happiness to all the people. Same sex marriage must be given legal recognition so that the people seeking homosexual marriage could get legal protection while making free choice for their future lives.
Since marriage is basically intended to socially and publicly recognize the intimate relationships amongst two people then there is no harm in declaring that these two people belong to same sex. Same sex marriage is correct because it fulfils the marriage's basic purpose to protect and safeguard an intimate pair bond.
Same sex marriage has been prohibited in some of the religions of the world but in the secular society of the modern day people of all the colour, religion and race and supposed to have freedom of choosing the dimensions of their lives and selecting their intimate partner regardless of sex. Moreover, marriage is a civil liberty so it must be perceived separately from religion and all people have the right to choose their life partner regardless of gender (Somerville, p3).
The people of opposite sex are bestowed with many wishes, rights and benefits when they stand before congregation of witness and make vows to give love and respect to each other throughout their lives however, if people of same sex expressed same feelings and for each other they are not allowed to get married neither they are granted several rights, benefits and wishes. It reflects practice of double standards in the society that must not be encouraged and same sex marriage should also be welcomed and wished like marriage between opposite sexes (Stevenson and Wolfers, p27).
The freedom of choice to get married with the person of opposite or same sex reflects the freedom of thought and decision that a person enjoys within a society. Freedom is the foundation stone of our nation and our society and as a nation we believe that all humans are equal and have equal rights of life, liberty and happiness. Based upon this proposition, it is right of an American to have freedom of religion, speech and pursuing happiness. Bible also teaches that homosexuals have the right to love and share happiness with each other (Somerville, p3).
The opponents of same sex marriage widely believe that it destroys the basic concept of marriage and it is not the right way of representing the natural procreative association that is formed from the bonding between opposite sex pair. The social norms governing the procreation process also change in case of same sex marriage because in this case it would not become possible to have usual relationships and commitment with each other like spouses. However, this argument does not seems strong enough and people favouring the same sex marriage could work to maintain their relations with same sex spouse in the usual manner like an opposite sex couple (Gallagher and Baker, p4).
Same sex marriage is often opposed on the grounds that homosexual relations are not biologically natural and their union could not result in production of children. From this standpoint, it seems that there is necessary link between marriage and procreation however, when sterile and impotent people could also get married knowing that they could not reproduce children then why the same sex marriage should be opposed from this standpoint. Since marriage is not conditioned with procreation the marriage between people of same sex should not be opposed from the point that such couple could not reproduce children
If marriage is only supposed to be the union of couples having the intention of maintaining the procreative relationship than the opposite sex couple having no desire to have children would also be excluded from the marriage and only men and women able and willing to reproduce would be allowed to get into the martial relationships that is not the case in real. It implies that the opposite sex couples could marry even if they don't want to get into the procreative relationship then there is no point of conflicting on the issue of same sex marriage on the grounds that it does not symbolizes the reproductive potential.
At present same sex marriage has not been legalized in United States due to which there are no significant rights bestowed to the gap couples. The American Civil Liberties Union declared in 1996 that law confronting same sex marriage promote discrimination on gender base because they make the ability to marry dependent upon one's gender that is not fair treatment of the people. Same sex marriage must be given legal protection to affirm the governance of principles of liberty in the country regardless of gender and social restrictions (Stevenson and Wolfers, p27).
Same sex marriage is also opposed on the basis of tradition and it is argued that homosexual marriage is contrary to the marriage traditions and historical conceptions about marriage. This argument also seems illogical because the history contains several examples where the marriage is not purely based upon sincere union of two people but it is used for seeking several benefits (Foster, p2).
E.J. Graff in this book What is Marriage for explains that historically marriage is not consistent with the traditions and there are several marriage held in past that were not meant for union of two people love each other but for the sake of money, property and other benefits. Hence, if two people of same sex want to marry for the sake of love and affection than they must be given priority over the other who marry just to seek different benefits and not for real love (Stossel, p1).
There are several benefits of allowing same sex marriage that possessed great importance in understanding its significance. If the same sex marriage is legally allowed and socially accepted then it will not only stable the homosexual relationships but at the same time it will also discourage promiscuity because the people of same sex willing to spend lives with each other will get social and legal protection for their choice and they would become able to carry on their relationships in socially acceptable manner (Foster, p2).
The entire discussion could be sum up with the conclusion that same sex marriage is a mean to pursue social liberty, freedom and happiness. Marriage equity is the right of the people that must be given to them socially and legally and there must be awareness among the people regarding wide array of benefits associated with same sex marriage. The free people of the free society and free nation much not be restricted and legally bound while making their decisions and choice for selecting the partner for their lives and they must be given the right to have partner from opposite or same sex.


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|This article is about 'the 2004 magazine story'. You may be looking for 'the episode or the other magazine story'.
2004 Book
- "Oliver is our favourite snow engine!"
- ―the children
Snow Engine is a magazine story illustrated using photographs from the television series.
During the winter, Oliver collects passengers when the roads are closed due to deep snow. Toad thinks the snow is fun, but Oliver disagrees. One day, Oliver is puffing through the village in the mountains when he sees some children playing and making a giant snowman. Oliver does not see the appeal of getting cold and wet and steams off as fast as he can. Each time Oliver goes through the village, the snowman gets bigger and bigger. Toad is amazed, but Oliver will not stop to look as he just wants to get back to his shed.
One afternoon, the Fat Controller asks Oliver to make a delivery to the mountain village. Oliver complains, but the Fat Controller reminds him that really useful engines work hard whatever the weather. Soon Oliver's trucks are loaded and he and Toad set off. The track is very slippery and Oliver skids off the tracks right into the giant snowman. Oliver feels awful about spoiling the children's snowman. Oliver's driver goes for help, but the breakdown train is not available until the following morning. The driver tells Oliver that he and Toad will have to spend the night where they are. Oliver groans as icicles form on his funnel and his fire goes out.
The next morning, the children gather around Oliver while he is still fast asleep. The children have an idea. When Oliver wakes up, he finds that the children have dressed him up like a snowman. Oliver is very pleased. When Duck arrives with the breakdown train, Oliver does not want to leave. Oliver finally agrees that snow is a lot of fun, but now it is Toad who is not so sure.
- Oliver
- Toad
- Duck (does not speak)
- Stephen Hatt (cameo)
- Bridget Hatt (cameo)
- Jeremiah Jobling (cameo)
- Nancy (cameo)
- This story is based on the seventh series episode, of the same name.


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While we have just opened up for tours a mere week and a half ago, we are excited that we have met so many great families in the Washington, DC area. Our first tour took place at 8:30 AM on Saturday December 5, 2015. We had such a great time with the parents and children of this family, we decided to share.
The staff and directors at Kiddie University Capitol Hill Child Care DC are excited to work with all of our families that have enrolled and will be enrolling soon. We are true believers in quality and what quality means to everyone involved in the development of each child. There is a partnership that must exist between parents, providers, the community, and last but not least, the child. We are committed to this philosophy.
We are currently doing tours several days out of the week and on Saturdays. If interested in taking a tour, please contact us at email@example.com or call (202) 544 – 4544. If we are not available and you leave a message, we will be sure to get back with you as soon as possible. We have space for ages 6 weeks to 3 yrs, although the availability of this space varies by day.
We love doing tours so please do not hesitate to come see us!
Kiddie University Capitol Hill CDC
728 F St. NE
20002 Washington
- (202) 544 -4544


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A true test of friendship.
I think this one works equally well for fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. If you're writing fiction, think of a character (either existing or new) and write about what would test her or his friendship. If creative nonfiction or poetry, write about an experience you had or a hypothetical situation that would be a true test of your friendship. At least five minutes of freewriting. Go.
ROW80 Update
"A Round of Words in 80 Days is the writing challenge that knows you have a life." You can find a more complete description of my goals for 2013 Round 4 here.
1. & 2. Drafting & revising. Still no progress. Latest excuse: I've been sick! Plus the house is still on the market. I think I'm just going to have to take it easy on myself regarding these goals for the next couple of months. I'm not particularly interested in self-flagellation, and I'm confident that I will come back to these stories and finish the collection soon enough.
3. Blog schedule. Took a break from the blog last week to sleep my cold off, but I'm back on track this week (even writing this post a day in advance so that everything's in order when I travel for the Thanksgiving holiday!) and excited to have an interview with Greg Gerding from University of Hell Press on the blog this Friday. Woot!
4. Submitting. My Duotrope submissions tracker says that I last submitted a bunch of poems to Gravel nine days ago, so that's good.
5. Rain or Shine reading series. I was so disappointed to be too sick to attend last week's reading. It sounded like it was going to be awesome! Sigh. No reading this week because of Thanksgiving, so nothing to report here.
6. ROW80 community. Again, no progress due to last week's illness. Goal is to check in with three participants before I leave for Thanksgiving stuff.
This is a blog hop! Click here to read other ROW80 participants' check-ins.


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Oceania at Mauna Kea Resort
Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawaii, United States
Welcome to the exquisite and exceptional Oceania Estate At Mauna Kea Resort! This palatial double-gated oceanfront estate with 10 bedroom suites and 14 baths will sleep up to 32 guests in 4 king beds and 12 queen beds. Rates start at $10,000 per night plus taxes for 20 guests during late spring and fall.
The great room is adorned with museum quality arts and crafts, vintage Hawaiiana art, glass sculptures, hula dance related antiquities, and modern art. This residence incorporates extraordinary quality decor and furnishings with the latest technologies, to produce a world-class tropical escape.
The great room has a Yamaha piano, marble fireplace and a home theater. Read more about this impressive theater in the details below.
Enjoy the multiple chef's kitchens, heated oceanfront pool, whirlpool spa hot tubs, expansive fitness center, steam room, multiple home theaters, Yamaha piano, billiard and game rooms, private office, ocean view bar, and more.
Vacation at Oceania in sublime comfort and convenience where you will be enveloped by lush green gardens full of fragrantly scented exotic plants, colorful blooming orchids, koi fish and lily pad ponds, cascading streams, and blazing tiki torches. An architectural masterpiece, Oceania is the largest residential retreat in Hawaii. This premier estate property is second to none in its size, seclusion and elegant style.
Spread over 2.57 oceanfront acres, this island-style compound was designed to provide privacy for public personalities, corporate meetings, or extended multi-generation families. The sleeping, living, dining, cooking, and relaxation rooms are thoughtfully placed in separate buildings that spread over more than 21,000 square feet.
Discretely tucked away in a secluded residential community in the heart of the world-renowned Mauna Kea Resort, guests are entitled to an array of resort services and resort rates for the championship golf courses.
Rent: $10,000/Night
House Size: 21,000 Sq. Ft.
Lot Size: 2.57 Acres
Bedrooms: 10
Bathrooms: 14
Specialty Items: Multiple Chef's Kitchens, Heated Swimming Pool, Expansive Fitness Center, Steam Room, Home Theatre, Yamaha Piano, Oceanview Bar, 10 En-suited Bedeooms, 18 Televisions with DirectTV, Golf Cart.
Address: Mauna Kea, Big Island, Hawaii, United States


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Volunteering with Just4Kids has some great perks to consider and is vital to the success of our sale. Volunteer shifts are 4 hours long, and you may choose your shifts to fit your availability. We will be opening shifts for sign up shortly after consignor registration opens. All consignors will be emailed with the exact date/time of the openings.
Why volunteer?
- Our volunteers are the very first group to shop the sale, giving them the very best selection on all of the great deals.
- It's a great way to meet other moms and dads in the area.
- 4 hour volunteers earn 65% of their sales (an extra 5%) as well as a 2:15pm Pre-sale pass for 2 people, and a Sunday morning volunteer ½ price pre-sale pass.
- 8 hour volunteers earn 70% of their sales (an extra 10%) as well as a 2:15pm Pre-sale pass for 2 people, and a Sunday morning pass.
- 12 hour volunteers earn 75% of their sales (an extra 15%) as well as a 1:45pm Pre-sale pass for 2 people, and a Sunday morning pass.
- 16 hour Super-Star Volunteers. These spots are limited. These high level earners MUST work the Sunday night post-sale "5:45 sort" shift until it's completion and there will not be other shifts offered as a substitution for this shift. These volunteers earn 80% of their sales (an extra 20%!!) as well as a 1pm Pre-sale pass for 2 people, and a Sunday morning pass. Please make sure to keep checking back if you would like to work this shift and it's full. People's schedules do change and shifts get dropped, so openings do pop up as sale time approaches.
If our volunteer schedule doesn't quite fit yours, we may be able to customize a schedule to help you earn more money. Please contact Sue with any special requests you may have.
You must be a registered consignor to sign up to volunteer. Husbands or parents may fulfill your volunteer shift, please just let us know who we should expect (husbands are great for set-up day or break-down!). If you are unable to make your volunteer shift, please try to find someone else to cover it, as we do depend on our great volunteers!
**Volunteers should be physically able to perform the duties described in the shift description that they register for. If you have physical limitations, but would still like to volunteer, please contact us so we can do our best to find a shift that suits your abilities.
You can register for volunteer shifts through your homepage. You'll be prompted to agree to our volunteer agreement, which all volunteers will receive via email.


text: Teach exam classes? ETpedia Exams offers both new and experienced teachers with the support you need to help prepare your students for a wide range of English exams, all the while ensuring their general levels of English do not suffer. It covers basic exam skills, has sections on grammar, reading, listening, speaking and more, plus looks at the main exams at a glance and offers advice on writing your own exams. It also includes a useful appendix with photocopiable materials. The whole resource is divided into 50 units, each of 10 tips. This makes it easy-to-use and accessible, whether you want to dip in as needed or are looking for more comprehensive plans.


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2002-03 DeWitt Henricks, ATMG, PDG
1981-82 Nancy Ellen Scott, DTM, PDG
Disclaimer Statement:
The information contained in this document on district 65 website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by district 65 and while we endeavor to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about its completeness, accuracy, and reliability. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. We however encourage members to provide missing information and/or provide correct and/or more accurate information [with documentary proof/evidence] in instances where they believe, the current information, as stated is inaccurate and/or inadequate.


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True ivies, such as English ivy, Boston ivy and Algerian ivy, do not produce seed pods, but small blue to black berries. Poison ivy produces whitish-gray berries. However, several vining plants resemble ivy and produce seed pods. Most of these plants are annuals that die with the first heavy frost.
Several annual vines produce seed pods. Try balloon flowers, scarlet runner beans or hyacinth bean vines for ivy-like vines that produce pods. Five-leaf akebia is a perennial vine that produces small purple flowers followed by occasional fleshy pods.
True Ivy
Although ivy plants do not produce pods, they have many other attributes that make them fine landscaping plants. English ivy is an evergreen plant ideal for partial shade, while Boston ivy is a hardy deciduous vine related to Virginia creeper. It produces large, lobed leaves that turn brilliant red or purple in the fall. Both plants scramble over walls and up structures via aerial rootlets.
Growing Conditions
When selecting ivy-like vines, choose those that are well-suited to your region. Most flowering vines prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Ivy may become invasive in mild, humid regions. Prune it back to control it and don't grow it near a natural area where it could escape. Ivy has been known to smoother native vegetation, reducing plant diversity and food sources for animals.
Many vines, including ivy, have fruit or seeds that are toxic. Bittersweet and morning glory both produce poisonous berries or seeds. Avoid planting toxic vines where children or pets have access to them.


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Chloe is having another princess party!! These were the personalised invites that we designed for her.
Easingwold, York, UK
You have come up with a realistic idea that you can turn into a product or service that you think people will want to buy. What do you do next?
To turn your dream into a reality...
A brand is not about getting a target market to choose one corporation over its competition, but about getting prospects to see the company as the only one that provides a solution to their problems.
Every good logo design, website and brand identity starts with a design brief...so lets build one!!
Tell us what your business requires and let Puro Design worry about the rest.
Keep up to date with Puro Design's Web Log, special offers and general industry gossip!
As a fellow small business owner, we are truly concerned for your future as well as our own. With t…
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For information on exhibition and sponsorship opportunities at RailsConf, contact Yvonne Romaine at email@example.com.
Download the RailsConf Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus
View a complete list of RailsConf contacts.
The founder of a Japanese Ruby community Asakusa.rb.
Probably the most active Rails core contributor in Japan. http://contributors.rubyonrails.org/contributors/akira-matsuda/commits
The author of several unique and useful gem/plugins for Rails 3.


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"Not long to the tour now..." I hear my fellow musicians declare! Well, it's been an interesting journey that began over 12 years ago when I first researched ideas for a movie with a new score. Sunniva O'Flynn helped me select the film Willy Reilly and His Colleen Bawn, and it proved to be an exciting project for me as a composer so I began to create a voice for each character reflecting the theatrical performances you will see on the screen...
The feature begins with a holdup… Squire Folliard is held up by the Highwayman Red Rapparee and his gang. Our hero Willy Reilly comes on the scene and rescues him, and the grateful Folliard brings Willy to his home where he meets and falls in love with the squire's daughter, Helen, the Colleen Bawn. Folliard opposes the liaison between Helen and Willy because of their different religious backgrounds, and seeks to encourage Helen to marry the bigoted, anti-Catholic Sir Robert Whitecraft… What will happen? Will the scheming Whitecraft get his way or will the Colleen Bawn find her true love?
Composer Bernard Reilly
After two performances in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, and our debut at the National Concert Hall last summer, we are sooo excited about our three city tour in June where we will perform the 'live to screen' film concerts in Paris (Cinema Le Balzac, 10th June 8.30pm), Berlin (Kino Babylon, 8th June 8pm) and Madrid (Ciné Dore, 12th June 7.30pm). Please come and join us for our final pre-tour Dress Rehearsal with the CinéTheatre Ensemble on June 5th at 6:30pm Irish Film Institute,Temple Bar.
See you there!
Bernard Reilly
Willy Reilly and His Colleen Bawn with a magnificent new score composed and conducted by Bernard Reilly and performed live by the Irish Cine Theatre Ensemble will screen on Wednesday, June 5th at 18.30. Tickets available at the Box Office (016793477) and online.
This event is presented by the Irish Film Institute as part of the International Culture Programme to celebrate Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and is supported by Culture Ireland and The Arts Council of Ireland.


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I earned a ★ star reward ★ from Starbucks. That's right, another free whatever-I-want.
And I had a great morning with John. Poor hubby, so distracted that he left his water bottle in my car when he darted off to work. Tee hee.
I'm taking a mental health day. There will be no Facebook. Hopefully no wedding stuff. I'm gonna sit and read and that is all. Maybe watch an episode of Fraser (Fraiser, Friaser... The psychiatrist spin off show from Cheers) while I eat my waffles.
That's right, it's my morning, and I'm making Raspberry Waffles! Yummy. I don't think I've had them in a year. But waffles and a cappuccino sound like a damn good idea.


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As you all know I love all things vintage. My cupboards are coming down with vintage tea sets and vintage cake stands all of which I try and use on a regular basis. There's nothing like sipping tea from a beautiful vintage china tea set.
My jewellery box is bursting at the seams with stunning vintage brooches and necklaces that I wear most days although I do clear out now and again. If you head to my Etsy store you will find some of my unique vintage finds there if you fancy a wee look!
In my wardrobe I have some true vintage and some vintage inspired pieces of clothing that are just stunningly beautiful A few of my key pieces have come from the stunningly beautiful and ever so glamourous vintage inspired Collectif range. Collectif were eastablished in 2000 and their clothing draws upon the wonderful fashion of the 1950s. Their clothes ooze glamour and make me feel wonderful wearing them.
Related posts:
Win a Vax Vacuum Cleaner worth £180
The Vintage Way of Cleaning Windows
Vintage Manners & Etiquette – Are they dead?
4 Vintage Hairstyles you gotta try
I am so very delighted that Collectif have offered one of my readers the chance to win a £50 voucher to spend on vintage clothing. You can enter the giveaway below.
There will be one winner.
The prize is the product mentioned above.
The prize winner will be announced within 24 hours of closing.
The prize must be claimed within 14 days.
There is no cash alternative.
All entries must be received by date/time specified above.
Open to UK residents only.
Please note those who enter will be signed up to our newsletter to receive emails about other giveaways and blog posts. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Additional terms to this prize:
You will need to have set up an account on Collectif website so the value can be added to your account.
Once added to your account the funds will automatically appear as a value in your e-wallet and the option given to redeem the funds against the cost of purchases in the basket.
If the items purchased total less than the gift voucher amount the remaining funds will stay in the e-wallet to use on the next purchase. If the items purchased exceed the gift voucher amount the remaining value must be paid by card in order to complete the order.
Please note that items bought using gift vouchers can be returned or exchanged but not refunded, only additional monies paid over and above the gift voucher will be refunded and a new gift voucher code will be issued.
Online use only


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O powerful goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me.
Cite this Page: Citation


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GCH CH Kamada's New York Minute
(photo by Lyn Moran Photography)
The Whippet, GCH CH Kamada's New York Minute, and breeder/owner/handler Debbie Davenport had a memorable weekend in Eau Claire WI May 9th and 10th, taking back2back BIS at the Indian Head Kennel Club's two shows.
GCH CH Summit's The Vanilla Sky
Joining Mona & Debbie in judge Carl Gene Liepmann's final on Saturday were the RBIS, the Golden Retriever, GCH CH Summit's The Vanilla Sky, the Giant Schnauzer, GCH CH Nightline Viking A Tanglewood, the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier , GCH CH O'Lorcan's Mystery Writer, the Pug, GCH CH OG's Perfect Puck, the Bulldog, GCH CH Evergreen's Hey! Look Me Over, and the Bearded Collie, GCH CH XTC's He. Could. Go. All. The. Way!.
GCH CH Nightline Viking A Tanglewood
Sunday judge Dana Cline would name Mona his BIS after considering the Irish Setter, GCH CH Tramore Notorious, the RBIS, the above named Giant, the Miniature Schnauzer, Tomar's Back To The Future, the Brussels Griffon, CH White Oak's True Grit, the American Eskimo Dog, GCH CH Anana's Look Into The Future, and the Bouvier des Flandres, GCH CH Margaux's Va Voom.
The wins were the first BIS of the year for Mona. Congratulations to Debbie, breeder/owner Kathleen Davenport, and owner Devon Kipp.


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It may be a bit redundant to write anything past the image above, but I'm going to anyway because I told Jaye Wells that she could openly mock me on her site if I didn't post today.*
I've felt like the gal from the above image lately. Writing has seemed a bit more painful than it ought to and I think it comes from being pulled in a number of ways by different projects. In short, I spread myself too thin and everything suffered as a result. A teacher once told me of his pursuit for both a career in writing and his calling to the priesthood. As he finished a course in theology his professor, a man who knew of both his interests, gave him a gift of a rare text and wished my teacher well on "both his pursuits." My teacher, touched by both the gift and the fact that this venerable man knew of his dual interests, thanked his professor who said, after a pause, "You know, you can only have one." My teacher smiled sadly after telling me this. He had, in fact, left the priesthood in order to focus on writing and to have a family. He obviously felt that his life proved his professor's warning of not seeking two dreams.
While I have not been pursuing two conflicting goals, I feel like I've been living a miniature version of my teacher's dilemma. I have spread myself rather thin, working on many projects at once, and accomplishing very little in any of them as a result. It's only in the past couple of days that I feel solid ground beneath my feet. The holidays threw me off, as well. I don't get much work done (ironically) when I have time off from work. The family tends to gather, food is eaten, and the work falls to the side. This, however, is just proof of what I've come to realize so strongly: the writing is my responsibility and I have to do it for me or I lose my freaking mind.
I have not been me lately. I've been some weird depressed/depressing guy who pretends everything is fine and who isn't convincing anyone that it's actually the case. I've got to get some words down every day to feel normal, and even bad words are better than none. Blogging doesn't count, by the way. I've decided that a once-a-week (or maybe twice-a-week) habit is good enough when it comes to the blogging. These are moments I need to be transcribing one work or creating something new. I have too many things inside bursting to get out and if they're going to come out I prefer it to be onto the pages instead of through moping and grumbling to my wife.
What I've got going on right now is my brand new, 2008, plan of action: write a new project in the morning on my way to the office; in the evening I will type up my older projects which are languishing in my journal, land of the handwritten text. Thank god for my new laptop. I have one-and-a-half novels to type out, and a couple of short stories, and then I can say bye-bye to my cursive scribbles. And my new mantra: baby-steps. It's actually an old mantra of mine, but I forgot it for a while and I just rediscovered it. It's not about the conclusion, it's about learning to walk, every day, by simply doing today's work. Baby-steps, one at a time, moving forward. I've put away a lot of side-projects and am focusing on two. Two I can handle.
And there are two books that are helpful in this regard. Both are excellent, and both work well together. Sort of a right-brain left-brain set for the blocked writer:
War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Writing from the Inside Out by Dennis Palumbo
Both are simple, direct and motivating. Both require you to do the work, they offer nothing in the way of formula or "secret tips to make your fiction POP!" Both are effective techniques because both say "Shut up and write." What makes them great companions is their differences. The former is the muscle through and do it tough papa, the latter is the find your feelings on your place in the world mama. I'll be rereading them both over the next few days.
*Note: Interesting fun fact: I have now logged twice as many posts this month as I did all of last month! That's right, January: 2, December: 1! Go January!
One thought on "Writing"
I don't get to mock you about this, but I'll find something.
On a serious note, I think the holidays throw everyone off. But beyond that recognizing what isn't working in general is huge. You're there. You have a plan. All is well.


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Isabella Rossallini directs, writes, and stars in Green Porno, a series of one to three minute biologically accurate short films about the reproductive lives of creatures. The writing is theatrical, the filming beautiful, and Rossallini hilarious. Season One follows bugs and Season Two focuses on sea creatures with creative scoring, dramatic lighting and simple but riveting set and costume designs. Green Porno takes itself and its art seriously with Rossallini's tantalizing control responsible for both the comedy and dramatic tension. Continue reading
Category Archives: Inspiration!
We Ω "Green Porno" – by Melissa
Filed under animals, Art, Inspiration!, Reviews
The Koto Concert – by Melissa
In the women's dressing room, a concerted kimono effort was taking place. As if my entrance had startled a flock of birds, layers of kimono flapped in the air and floated down around the necks of my fellow koto players. Two helpers per woman kept the wings up while the wearers' arms slipped in, the fabric was wrapped and tied, and a third helper stood on a stool behind, up-sweeping the hair in a fashion that screamed prom. Butterfly clips and sparkling feathers adorned the sides of these up-dos. Here, it wasn't kitschy, it wasn't tacky. These women, ages 17 to 60, looked elegant in kimono passed down from their grandmothers who wore them the exact same way. Continue reading
Filed under For the Love of Japan, Inspiration!, Music
Haruki Murakami Accepting the Jerusalem Prize – by Emmett
In February, Japanese fiction luminary Haruki Murakami traveled to Israel to accept the Jerusalem Prize. Murakami had doubts about accepting the award, which honors the freedom of the individual in society, for good reasons. Israel had recently launched its overpowered offensive on the Gaza strip; he rightly felt ambivalent about the implications of being the new literary son of Israel. Continue reading
Filed under Books, Fiction, Inspiration!, Japan, Literature, News, Reading
On The Black Hill – by Emmett
Sitting now in the empty staff room of my high school, I have just finished Bruce Chatwin's On The Black Hill. I picked it up in a used foreign-language book store in Kyoto several weeks ago and have since then been consuming it reguarly with the same kind of avid attention one might give to a good cup of tea. I was able to soar through the final seventy-or-so pages that remained and I can say that On the Black Hill is one of the best works of fiction I have read in some time.
Filed under Art, Books, Fiction, Inspiration!, Language, Literature, Reading, Reviews
Piano Recital – by Emmett
On Saturday, Melissa and I had the great fortune to attend a piano recital at the high school where she works. We don't see live music as often as we would like to, and this opportunity, which had come to her unexpectedly, was one of those experiences that is enjoyed somehow sweeter for it comes out of the blue.
Filed under Art, Inspiration!, Japan, Music
O-koto – by Melissa
I have been living in Japan and taking koto lessons for 6 months. I have a students' concert in one month and here I am, full of mistakes and cold reading the last part of "Sakura Saukra" in practice with my teacher, Mizutani-sensei. She gets the patience award. Big time. I take lessons weekly in her traditional home. She serves me tea and we bow with an "Onegaishimasu" before we begin the first song of the lesson. Continue reading
Filed under For the Love of Japan, Inspiration!, Japan, Music
Four – by Melissa
On Friday morning the weather was cold and wet. We readied to leave for work half an hour before departure, the two of us dealing out rain gear and debating the need for boots. I was going to meet Emmett at the train station after work and then off to Kyoto with us! We were celebrating our fourth anniversary. Four years of solid high fives, dancing in the kitchen, making instruments out of empty containers, packing and moving, making homes, making food, making friends, and participating in spontaneous a capella eruptions of Joanna Newsom's "Bridges and Balloons." Leaving the house, Emmett said, "Our adventure begins tonight!" I summoned Cary Grant, "Our adventure began four years ago." Continue reading
Filed under Food, For the Love of Japan, Inspiration!, Japan


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Fire Detection
In 2012, A.W. Kuettel & Sons added a fire protection division which includes design build services, drawings and hydraulic calculations, installation, repairs, maintenance, inspections, and 24 hour services for residential, commercial, and industrial services.
Our 3D based design insures accuracy and top quality. Our office can help with any code related and budgeting issues.


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The Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, in Marquette, will offer nature programming for youth of all ages this summer. People are welcome to stop any day, however, to explore the wetlands and native plantings and identify local wildlife. (NIT file photo)
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor
This summer, delve into nature at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, in Marquette.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Wetlands Centre will offer not only a variety of programs, but serve as a destination for families looking for some daily outdoor fun.
"We want families to come out this summer," said Wetlands Centre Director Alicia Mullarkey. "We want to be a community resource, to get kids and parents outside."
MFL MarMac Community School is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided, at a first-come, first-serve basis, at the sites and times as follows:
• McGregor Middle School Playground, 11-11:15 a.m.
• Farmersburg City Park, 11:30-11:45 a.m.
• Luana City Park, 11:30-11:45 a.m.
• Monona Gateway Park, 12-12:45 p.m.
Meals will be offered from Monday, June 5 through Friday, July 14.
This RV and building didn't fare well east of Monona. (Photo provided by Steve Hanson)
Cleanup was underway soon after the machine shed on the Leon and Kim Trappe farm, east of Monona, was destroyed on May 17. (Photo provided by Kim Trappe)
"There was tin hanging all over the place," said Kim Trappe of her property near Monona. "Most of the shed hit the house." Kim said, when the adjustor came to her home, "with the way the damage looked, he said there was probably some rotation to it." (Photo provided by Kim Trappe)
This shed near Farmersburg sits precariously after straight-line wind and rain whipped through the area late Wednesday afternoon, May 17. (Photo provided by Laci Meng)
This 60-foot hackberry tree came down in Richard and Dianne Pettit's yard, near the Great River Care Center in McGregor, on May 17. It fell onto a wood shed and into a fenced enclosure where Richard has Muscovy ducks and other birds. (Photo provided by Michelle Pettit)
Wicked weather swept across the area early last week, leaving uprooted trees, damaged buildings and soggy ground in its wake.
The first bout hit Monday evening, May 15, producing large hail, damaging wind and even a short-lived EF0 tornado near Calmar, according to the National Weather Service in La Crosse.
In Monona, 1.25-inch-sized hail was reported, along with winds of 65 mph. A farmer near Luana said the wind lifted his barn and deposited it several feet away, trapping some cattle inside.
Captain Robert Vavra is hoping his Maiden Voyage tour boat can find a home on the Marquette riverfront. (NIT file photo)
"I'm looking for a home."
Those were the words of Robert Vavra at Marquette's regular council meeting May 16, as he sought input from the city about operating his Mississippi River tour boat out of the community.
"I'm the last working eco-tourism boat from St. Louis to Winona," shared Vavra, who's been providing river boat tours in the area for 11 years. "I'm looking for a place to expand, a place to work. I'd like to come to Marquette to improve what I have now."
Two weeks after a free electronic drop-off event for McGregor and Marquette residents, piles of TVs and computer monitors were still piled outside the Marquette city shop. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
A May 6 electronic drop-off event that began as a service to McGregor and Marquette residents has turned into a headache.
Marquette City Manager Denise Schneider began working with Thede Computer Repair, from Manchester, several months ago about holding an event for the communities. The posters and other literature provided about the event—which were then publicized—all stated the electronic drop-off was free to residents. All items were to be recycled, at no cost, with the help of Quick Pickins Consumer Recycling Services, also of Manchester.
"They said no charges, no fees," Schneider said.
Kymar Acres will be one of the vendors featured at the Marquette farmers market at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre. (NIT file photo)
Flowers aren't the only things blooming in the area. Weekly farmers markets in both Marquette and Monona are set to burst forth with a variety of homegrown and homemade items.
Monona's farmers market will begin Wednesday, May 24, in the shelter at Gateway Park. It will continue each Wednesday, from 3 to 6 p.m., until Oct. 4. Everything from produce, plants and jams to baked goods, wood crafts and homemade jewelry will be available, said organizer Sonya Stagman.
"We will have more produce later on in the season," she added.
Elaine Eadie shares a family memento during her presentation on the orphan train at the McGregor Public Library on May 18. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
"I can't imagine sending a 10-year-old on a train, not knowing where they're going to end up."
But that was, in fact, the reality for thousands of orphaned, homeless and abandoned children who were transported to new lives via the orphan train, explained Elaine Eadie, in a presentation at the McGregor Public Library May 18.
Eadie, who's from Waukon, is an orphan train historian. Much of her knowledge was gleaned first-hand, through her father, Gilbert, who, along with his brother, arrived in Waukon on the orphan train over 100 years ago.
Mark Doyle, with Delta 3 Engineering, went before the Marquette Council at its May 16 regular meeting, providing several preliminary design options for an emergency evacuation route off the bench.
The route, which Doyle said will provide access to McGregor should bench residents need to evacuate due to a train derailment or other emergency, will be 3,800 feet in length, with bends and curves.
In February, Geri Prew (front, center) was finally able to meet her son, Eric Baumgarten (front, right), who was given up for adoption over 40 years ago. Also joining in the reunion were Geri's other children and Eric's siblings, Dayton Jones, Sophie Landt (back, left) and Tonya Meyer. (Submitted photo)
"It was better than I ever hoped for," said Marlon "Scrooge" Jones (left) of reuniting with his son, Eric Baumgarten. (Submitted photo)
Family reconnects with son, brother adopted over 40 years ago
Growing up in the McGregor-Marquette area, Sophie Jones (now Landt) and her siblings, Tonya (now Meyer) and Dayton, always recognized their brother, Eric's, birthday. There was just one thing: they'd never met him. They didn't even know his name was Eric or even where he lived.
When May 11 rolled around this year, however, that had all changed. Just months before, the siblings finally reconnected with the brother who was adopted before they were born.
— — —
Carl Davis has been named the valedictorian and Kelsi Davis the salutatorian of the MFL MarMac High School Class of 2017.
Carl, who is the son of Robert and Mary Davis, said receiving the honor was a nice surprise.
"I wasn't expecting it," he shared.
Kelsi is the daughter of Chad and Annette Davis and Steve and Jamie Schlee. Being named salutatorian means a lot after four years of hard work, she said.
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Many Christians reject the idea that the term "Allah" could ever possibly refer to the God we love and serve. Although there is linguistic commonality between Allah and the Hebrew word "EL," it is hard for us to imagine anything good associated with the word.
And the fact is, American Christians have good reasons for a strong emotional reaction. The news has burned this word into our consciousness on the lips of angry crowds shouting "Allah Akbar!"
But this week I was reminded that we are not the only ones whose feelings are evoked by this ancient Semitic word.
During a seminar about reaching Muslims in Russia, a dispute arose about using the word Allah. Some church leaders said they could not believe that any Christian would want to use the term Allah as they spoke to their heavenly father.
Then a brother stood up. He is from a small tribe in the Caucasus mountains who have been Christian for over 800 years. He said, "All my life I have read a Bible that tells me about Allah who created the world. All my life I have prayed to Allah, our father in heaven. When I hear this name I have a warm and safe feeling because this is the One who sent his Son to save us."
Perspective is everything. Of course, it would be bizarre for someone in an American church to refer to the father of Jesus as Allah. But can we also see that it would be a sad twist of Christian truth to deny the same word to brothers who have all their lives known Allah as the name for the true and living God? To what word would we have them turn?


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this was seeded recently enough on dime by 'davidraphael', in video format, which i've demuxed. the sound quality is very good. it was seeded as "requiem for john coltrane" (a.k.a. "nighttime daytime requiem") but on www.komeda.art.pl it's just "nighttime daytime requiem". either way, allaboutjazz.com says that it "was written as a response to the news of the death of saxophonist john coltrane". it's a great tribute to coltrane, and i would be interested to know what was said about him in the short interview in the middle of the performance.
krzysztof komeda quartet with tomasz stanko
polish television "jazz w filharmonii"
krzysztof komeda – piano
rune carlsson – drums
roman dylag – double bass
tomasz stanko – trumpet
1. polish television announcer 2:22
2. nighttime daytime requiem (a.k.a. "requiem for john coltrane") 28:13
3. closing credits music (details unknown) 1:15
tt 31:50
from a black and white telerecording (kinescope) from 1967, rebroadcast 2006/02/07 and captured from analog tv (pal)
video (vob) > ffmpeg (demux to wav) > cd wave (track) > tlh (encode) > flac
we don't know the characteristics of the original audio, but the video had a pcm audio track.
quality is excellent, considering the age and method of this recording.
demux information
ffmpeg command:
ffmpeg -i "concat:vts_01_1.vob|vts_01_2.vob|vts_01_3.vob" output.wav
audio in original video: pcm (big/signed) ; cbr 1,536 kbs; 2 channels; sampling 48.0 khz; bit depth 16 bits
audio (demuxed) : pcm (little/signed); cbr 1,536 kbs; 2 channels; sampling 48.0 khz; bit depth 16 bits
sample: nighttime daytime requiem sample.mp3 (only a 5-minute sample)
download: KrzysztofKomeda4tet_TomaszStanko_1967_NighttimeDaytimeRequiem_demux.zip
no covers


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Monday, January 20, 2014
Blogfest: What Works?
As a writer, I think one of the best ways to create buzz for your book is on Goodreads. However, don't be a spammy writer. One of the ways to create buzz without being spammy is to offer a Goodreads giveaway--e.g. an autographed copy (or multiple copies) of your book. With giveaways, people will find you. When someone enters your giveaway, it shows up in their Goodreads timeline. Someone else might see it and enter. And tell two friends. And so on. And so on. Like that old shampoo commercial.
Although postage from, say, Phoenix, Arizona, to Sydney, Australia, can run pricey into the $25-30 range, I would recommend that you offer an international giveaway if you can. You don't have to offer up 25 copies, international. But you could offer 1-2 autographed copies in an international giveaway without breaking the bank.
My publisher was kind enough to do this for me right after my debut release. I wish I'd done it more, however. So, for my next release, I'm planning to offer 1-2 autographed copies in giveaways at multiple times throughout the year after, for example, the cover is released. I had author-friends in my Class of 2K13 who did multiple giveaways throughout their debut year with lots of success in terms of book sales and book/name recognition. With much of marketing and promotion, hindsight is always 20-20, right?
In short, the Goodreads giveaway tool is a free tool to authors and publishers. If used wisely at opportune times, it could generate the buzz and additional book sales that you're looking for. But, like any promotional tool, too much of a good thing can be costly and feel spammy. Use strategically.
What works for you?
26 comments:
- Alex J. Cavanaugh said...
My publisher did two Goodreads giveaways for my last book, and yes, it was open to International.
Thanks for participating in the symposium! First blogfest in two years? Glad I could entice you.
- January 20, 2014 at 6:04 AM
- Unknown said...
Thanks for the tips! I think that the GR giveaway activity is a great idea, too. But I'm very unhappy that they only offer it to authors with print books. Kinda unfair. :(
- January 20, 2014 at 7:32 AM
- J.L. Campbell said...
Hey, Liz,
I haven't used Goodreads that way, but it is definitely something to try with my print books.
- January 20, 2014 at 7:59 AM
- Jeremy [Retro] said...
So much great advice... I am picking up so much, thank you for your thoughts and success stories.
Jeremy H.
There's no earthly way of knowing.
Which direction we are going!
- January 20, 2014 at 8:59 AM
- Unknown said...
I've used this and you're right- it gets your work out there in front of a lot of eyes.
- January 20, 2014 at 9:00 AM
- Crystal Collier said...
What a great idea! I feel like my brain just exploded with possibilities. Thanks so much, Liz!
- January 20, 2014 at 10:43 AM
- Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...
I personally haven't had much luck with GR giveaways myself, but maybe trying an international one will help.
- January 20, 2014 at 10:47 AM
- Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...
Must. Do. Goodreads Giveaway.
Thanks Liz!
- January 20, 2014 at 11:14 AM
- Susan Gourley/Kelley said...
This is on my list and advice I've seen half a dozen times already today. Wish my publisher would too it for me.
- January 20, 2014 at 12:09 PM
- Chrys Fey said...
Goodreads is one of the best places to promote work and offer giveaways. I used Goodreads, but you're right, you can't be a spammy author. I posted on the few groups I'm a part of and then did an event for my free days, and that seemed to work well.
- January 20, 2014 at 1:53 PM
- SittieCates said...
Goodreads giveaway. Hope to have that when I have printed copies of my eBooks. :-) Thanks for the tip!
The Musings of a Hopeful and Pecunious Wordsmith
- January 20, 2014 at 2:57 PM
- mshatch said...
What a great blogfest this is! So many helpful tips and such perfect timing!
- January 20, 2014 at 3:04 PM
- Nicki Elson said...
I'm a big fan of the Goodreads giveaway. I've only done US because of the postage, but you're right - 1 or 2 books won't break the bank and would be worth the extra exposure. Next time!
- January 20, 2014 at 3:32 PM
- Rebecca M. Douglass said...
Good advice to keep the # of books low in an international giveaway. I didn't realize how much postage would be, and got suckered by the blurb that suggests at least 5 books. Thing is, I did a simultaneous giveaway for both books in the series--ouch!
Lexa--look into CreateSpace or similar to make paperbacks at almost no cost to you.
- January 20, 2014 at 3:37 PM
- Susan Flett Swiderski said...
Interesting that you mentioned a Goodreads giveaway, because that's pretty much the only tool I've used so far. More than 1400 entered to win, and about half of them added my book to their "want to read" shelf, but I don't know that the effort translated to a single sale. And four of the five books went overseas. Although, each of them has sent me a nice note, there's no guarantee of getting a review out of any of them. Even so... I'd do it again.
- January 20, 2014 at 8:50 PM
- Yolanda Renée said...
How awesome, that you chose this blogfest. Thank you for participating! We hope to make it an annual event. It's been a wealth of information so far!
I've got a Goodreads giveaway going now - hoping for success!
- January 20, 2014 at 9:26 PM
- Tracy Jo said...
This was a great idea for a blogfest. It is so awesome for someone like me who is still learning to read what has worked. Have a nice week!
- January 21, 2014 at 6:41 AM
I really like the idea of creating positive buzz, without being spammy and in your face.
- January 21, 2014 at 8:24 AM
- Sherry Ellis said...
I've never used a Goodreads giveaway, but I'm definitely going to keep it in mind! Thanks for the tip.
- January 21, 2014 at 9:42 AM
- Tara said...
Thank you for this. Very timely for me--I so need to learn to use Goodreads better!
- January 21, 2014 at 10:04 AM
- Tammy Theriault said...
when ever I see a goodreads giveaway...I jump on that!! great to have found your blog. newest follower, hi!!
- January 21, 2014 at 11:55 PM
- Karen Jones Gowen said...
Like you, I haven't done much in the way of blogfests but this one was too interesting to resist. The Goodreads giveaway is a wonderful tool, especially to get those nice "want to read" lists on your book!
- January 22, 2014 at 7:55 AM
- LD Masterson said...
I don't have anything to offer on this blogfest but I'm gathering a lot of great information. Thank you.
- January 23, 2014 at 10:41 AM
- Arlee Bird said...
Good advice. It's wise to take advantage of as many free online opportunities as you can in order to promote.
Thanks for participating in What Works....
Tossing It Out
- January 24, 2014 at 3:53 PM
- Chris said...
Hi Liz, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
- January 24, 2014 at 7:00 PM
- Michelle Wallace said...
I'm working my way slowly through the symposium posts, collecting information for future reference.
Goodreads giveaway. Sounds like a great marketing tool.
Thanks for sharing.
- January 31, 2014 at 12:50 AM


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Bottom Loading/Opening Furnace - High Temperature
Link to Top Loading Furnaces Instead
H18-40 Bottom Loading Furnace
Motorized Bottom Loading Furnace
Space Saver - Remote Control Panel
Motorized Bottom Loading Furnace Features
MHI's extensive line of bottom-loading furnaces have the highest uniformity and energy efficiency ratings in their class. They are best for batch production as well as firing ceramics, ferroelectric, net materials, and for glass melting. Our bottom-loading furnaces also feature a smooth electronic hearth lift, purge gas inlet options, and various customization possibilities.
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The chimney exhaust port is a standard MHI furnace option.
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kind of uniformity do MHI furnaces offer?
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Link to Top Loading Furnaces
(Some models available direct;y from the MHI store)
Bottom Loading Furnace Models
All MHI bottom loading furnaces feature rugged stainless steel construction, electronic controls capabilities and MHI's highly acclaimed heating elements. Bottom loading furnaces feature excellent uniformity with heating elements on 4 sides. Our furnaces feature maximum operating temperatures of 1800°C and continuous operating temperatures of up to 1760°C. See the tables below to determine which model is best suited for your application.
|Model Number
|Interior Dimensions
(2552°F Max)
|8"H x 9"W x 9"D
|Up to 1760°C
(1800°C/3272°F Max)
|8"H x 9"W x 9"D
|H14BLE 12 x 12
(2552°F Max)
|12"H x 12"W x 12"D
|H18-40BLE 12 x 12
|Up to 1760°C
(1800°C/3272°F Max)
|12"H x 12"W x 12"D
|H14BLE 15 x 15
(2552°F Max)
|15"H x 15"W x 15"D
|H18-40BLE 15 x 15
|Up to 1760°C
(1800°C/3272°F Max)
|15"H x 15"W x 15"D
|H14BLE 18 x 18
(2552°F Max)
|18" H x 18"W x 15"D
|H18-40BLE 18 x 18
|Up to 1760°C
(1800°C/3272°F Max)
|18" H x 18"W x 15"D
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Bottom Loading Furnace Applications
MHI's bottom loading furnaces feature a small footprint, allowing for a diverse number of applications. Because of their size, we have had comments from users about our BLE's being great for batch production. Contact Us to see which furnace is best for your application.
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|Industrial Furnace
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MHI offers electronic controllers with features such as overtemperature controls and programmable steps. In addition to standard electronic controls, MHI DACS allows for remote furnace location, data logging and intricate step programming.
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MHI DACS Software
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Furnace Accessories
MHI now offers a variety of accessories to be used with our furnaces. Common accessories are clips, braided wire, hangers and other useful tools. To view these accessories, visit MHI Element Accessories or see our storeI.
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