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Often Dilbert says it best. I do have to wonder what will be the next fad du jour for software development.
Agile Instructions and Training
Often Dilbert says it best. I do have to wonder what will be the next fad du jour for software development.
British Gas sues Accenture!
British Gas is suing Accenture. Accenture put in place a SAP based system which led to massive complaints against the gas supplier. It turns out that Centrica, British Gas parent, wrote off about 300 million dollars following errors with the system.
British Gas is seeking a multi-million pound damage for the installation of the billing system, which, "caused huge disruption" for the company and its customers. British Gas claims the billing system was riddled with "millions of errors." Accenture is claiming this is "inaccurate" because it was probably on one million errors not millions, but who is counting.
A preliminary appeal brought by Accenture against British Gas was tossed out by an English judge. "British Gas is now one step closer to holding Accenture to account for the disruption caused to our customers."
This lawsuit is paving the way for other "users" to sue its outsourced IT development.
Agile Coach — WTF mate?
Like a lot of people I put my resume on job sites. Yesterday I was sent an automated human resources message. It read, "A job opening matching your profile for a position of Sr Principal Agile Coach has just been posted in our Career Section." There is nothing in my resume that shows an interest in becoming an Agile. I thought well, perhaps, the human resource bot searched the internet and got a lot hits on David Longstreet and Agile (there are over 500). Perhaps it was my article, "Agile Methods and Other Fairy Tales" that got the bots attention.
Perhaps it was the fact that those professionals in Agile wrote that I was a troll or "a so called international consultant." As an FYI, when anyone starts a sentence with "a so called…" what follows is not going to be a complement.
I decided to apply for the position to see what happens and I will keep you all informed.
For those who want to read my ideas on Agile (and for those HR bots) you can see them at http://www.softwaremetrics.com/Agile/
Stone Cold Coder meets Diva Developer!
Cheech and Chong, a 1970's comic act, portrayed themselves in one of their skits as Siamese twins that were not identical. They were paternal twins physically connected at the hip. Of course this was impossible, absurd and a very laughable idea. Whenever I hear about pair programming I can't help but think about Cheech and Chong and the absurdity of the idea. It is like asking two teenagers to share a mobile phone. It ain't going to work folks. It is absurd and laughable.
The idea is that one programmer writes code and the other programmer stands over his or her shoulder and watches for mistakes. When the first programmer gets tired they switch positions. I think they are suppose to touch hands like professional wrestlers do in a a tag team wrestling match. How cool would it be to called something like Stone Cold Coder or Diva Developer. You could go to work dressed in costume. Instead of programming sessions you could have smack down coding sessions.
You don't have to implement Agile to try out the idea of pair programming. I would suggest trying pair writing. Have one person start to type and have another person stand over them and correct them as they go. This is an awesome idea! I am curious to see how long this process would last. How about pair cooking? You have one person cook and another person correct them as they go – nice. How about pair driving? You could have one person sit in the backseat and correct the driver. I think that is called back seat driving. Sorry pair programming is a joke of an idea and absurd.
Want to read more about "pair programming"
Reboot! Rethinking and Restarting Software Development.
Agile Methods and Other Fair Tales
If you are having a hard time coming up with a pseudo name for your pair programming team check out the auto Professional Name generator at wrestles – http://www.wrestlingname.com/
Professional Wrestling –http://www.wwe.com/
Want to read more about "pair programming"
The great exalted software guru measures time in bytes
The great exalted software guru measures time by the size of the USB drive I give to him. I brought with me a 16 GB USB drive able to fit on a key chain to give to the guru. I laid the new 16GB drive at his feet and the guru picked it up and examined it closely.
He said, "It has been a long time since you last visited."
I asked, "How long has it been?"
The guru replied, "It has been 15 gigabytes ago."
Yes, the guru was right it had been a long time. The guru said, "You first visited me 16 gigabytes ago."
I said, "How can it be that I gave you a 16 gigabyte USB drive today and I have visited you many times before."
The guru smiled and said, "Time begins now not yesterday."
I thought I am going to need a bit more explanation than that and I started to speak and say, "Exalted software guru…".
The guru held up his hand and I stopped. The guru continued and said, "In software the first day of learning starts today not yesterday." I started to speak again and the guru held up his hand to stop me. The guru said, "skills that were useful yesterday are not useful today. Those skills you develop today will not be useful tomorrow. This is why software professionals need to learn something new every day."
He reached under his rob and scratched himself. I felt a bit uncomfortable not knowing how to respond and then he pulled out a 5 ¼ floppy disk.
I thought, "640KB."
He said, "no 720KB."
I said, "16GB minus 720KB is really just about 16GB, so the 720KB is insignificant."
The guru smiled and said, "YES!, what you learned in the past may not be useful today or tomorrow."
I asked, "if skills that I learn today are not useful tomorrow then why learn them today?"
The great exalted one held up his hand and said, "Why do you keep trying to interrupt me?" I apologized and he continued and said, "you need skills today and you need to learn tomorrow's skills today too." I nodded because I started to understand.
Just like he always does the guru picked up his new 16GB USB drive and walked back into his cave. He waved and said, "I will see you in a few terabytes." It was his way of saying I will see you soon.
I walked down the hill and thought what I had learned today. I need to learn something new every day about tomorrow. I can't live off of the technical skills I learned in the past. Then I thought, "I wonder where I can buy a 1 terabyte USB drive."
More from the guru…
Pay no attention to the little man behind the curtain!
The little dog Toto pulls back the curtain and exposes the Wizard. In this most embarrassing moment the Wizard thunders out, "pay no attention to the little man behind the curtain." Well, there are many IT organizations and IT "professionals" saying the same thing these days. Too many IT professionals are Wizards pretending to be something they are not. They manipulate knobs and dials creating a lot of smoke and noise. They give the appearance what they are doing is really complex and sometimes even frightening. When challenged they will speak in techno talk in hopes they will not be challenged.
Over the years, I have pulled back a lot of IT curtains and heard over and over again "pay not attention to the little man behind the curtain."
Watch out for fling monkeys too!
Read more at Reboot! Rethink and Restarting Software Development
"I will tell you… I don't know…its Tradition!"
Some friends or mine David and Jo Cowdery operate a vineyard and winery in the south of France called Chateau La Bouscade. They have received several awards for their wines, so I was excited when I received a couple of bottles wine from them. What I found interesting is the bottles were sealed with screw caps not corks. Since I do not know a lot about wine, I asked my friend Jo, "What's up with the screw caps?" She laughed and told me that screw caps were far superior than corks. She told me that all the wines at Chateau La Bouscade have screw caps. "Say it ain't so, Jo!"
The scientific evidence is overwhelming that screw caps are better than corks in a bottle of wine. It turns out a bottle of wine with a cork has at least a 1 in 10 chance of having cork taint. Cork taint ain't a good thing either. It makes wine smell like shoes or a wet dog.
So what does this have to do with software? A lot. I have spent years gathering scientific evidence on the best methods to develop software and the scientific evidence is overwhelming. I am not alone because organization like SEI and QAI share my findings. Just like it is hard for get consumers of wine and wine makers to change it is hard to get software developers to abandon traditions.
So why do wine makers still use corks and how did this tradition get started? Tevye a character in the Fiddler on the Roof sums it up nicely, "I will tell you… I don't know…its Tradition!" The same can be said about software development. I don't know why so many software organizations refuse to adopt best practices.
There is an old proverb saying, "Seldom does Saul become Paul." It means that seldom do people actually change. What happens is a new generation has to grow up with the idea from the beginning. There are pioneers like David Cowderoy who lead the way for a whole new generation of wine makers. The new generation starts with the idea from the beginning. A new generation of human factors engineers are going to be the future of software development. These human factors engineers understand the importance of studying actual users and customers. One best practice is to study the business and not to be passive in the requirements process.
I was speaking at a conference and I was asked the question, "if things like metrics are such a good idea, then why don't more software organization adopt metrics?" I don't know why? I don't know why people are overweight or why they smoke or why some wine makers still use corks. I guess it is like Tevye says, "Tradition!" Because It can't be explained with logic.
Read more at Reboot! Rethinking and Restarting Software Development.
For my non American friends
"Say it ain't so Joe" is a reference to Shoeless Joe Jackson who was accused of fixing the outcome of the 1919 World Series. Legend has it that as Jackson was leaving the courthouse during the trial, a young boy begged of him, "Say it ain't so, Joe!" and that Joe did not respond.
To learn more about the argument of screw tops v. cork see http://www.hoguecellars.com/feature/homework.html
Computers are like Women…
To be fair I need to post how computers are like women.
Computers are like Women…
…No one but the creator understands her internal logic.
… The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else (men can't understand women).
… Even the smallest mistakes are stored forever in long term memory.
… As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
…You do the same thing for years, and suddenly it's wrong.
The Agile Wedding!
My son is getting married this weekend and I suggested the entire wedding should be Agile. That means there is limited planning up front because the bride does not really know what she wants and she keeps changing her mind. The wedding and reception does not have to be delivered all at once because it could be delivered in iterations. If it works for software development then it should work for other things, too.
On the other hand they could take some simple advice from wedding planners.
1. Before going completely into debt for your wedding, create a budget.
2. Allow plenty of time to plan; the more rushed you are the more money you'll spend.
Perhaps it is a better idea that software developers take some advice from wedding planners instead.
The perfect lawnmower
It is summertime and I need a new lawnmower. Lucky for me a friend of mine named Bob is selling lawnmowers. Bob use to be a software developer who specialized in gathering requirements and became an advocate for Agile Software Development. I felt bad for Bob because he was recently laid off from Megatelecommunications Company With Way Way Too Many Employees, INC.
I went to the the lawnmower shop where my friend was working and met up "Bob." After the obligatory greeting of "hey, how's it going," "how is so and so," and "who is working here and there," we got right down to business. Bob said, "How much horsepower do you want?" I thought, "What is horsepower and how does that relate to cutting grass.?" so I responded, "What are my choices?" Bob said, "2, 5, 6, and 7." I stood and kind of stared at Bob and he said, "David, if you can't tell me how much horsepower you need, then I can't really help you." I figured that more was better so I responded, "7." Bob said, "Good choice!" I started feeling better.
"The next thing you need to tell me is how big you want the cut diameter." I said, "cut diameter?" Bob rolled his eyes and said in a condescending manner, " Yeah. the cut diameter." Bob said, "Your choices are 20, 21, or 22 inches." This time I choose a number in the middle and said, "21 inches." He chuckled and said, "You can't get a 7 horsepower with a 21 inch cut diameter."
Bob asked, "How many speeds three, six or variable speed?" I asked, "What do you recommend, Bob." Bob quipped back, "You have not done your homework have you?" He continued on and started lecturing me and said, "David this not hard. You need to go home and start doing your research. There are plenty of online resources. When you have figured out what you need come back and talk to me." I felt a bit stupid and left the lawnmower shop.
I was driving home and noticed another lawnmower shop and thought I would pull in and do a bit of research. As I walked in a nice man greeted me with a big friendly, "Howdy! I'm John what brings you in today." I said, "I am looking for a lawnmower and I need to do some research."
John said, "Can I ask you some questions?"
He asked, "How big is your yard?" and I responded, "Oh about 3/4 of an acre."
"Do you like to cut your grass?"
"I hate it."
"Are you trying to get some exercise when you cut your grass?"
I looked at John in a sort of curious manner and he said, "The reason I am asking these questions is to figure out your needs. If you want to get some exercise while you cut your grass then you may need a push mower. If on the other hand you just want to get it over with as fast as possible you may need a riding mower."
I nodded and said, "Oh, okay."
John kept asking questions like, "Will your wife and kids use the mower or will it be just you." After sometime and a bunch of questions John smiled and said, "Let me make some recommendations for you based upon your specific needs." He walked me over to a mower and explained to me how it would benefit me. I thought this guy knows his stuff.
I was really excited and purchased the mower from John. Then I thought about Bob. I thought, "I never really liked that guy."


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But, as with so many things in the world - one has to weigh the pros and cons and make a decision. So, onward. Each year I endeavor to make the tree specific to a particular theme. This year, I really wanted to play with the idea of a proper Edwardian holiday. Most decorations were chosen because they either 'were,' or certainly 'felt,' antique or homemade.
Cheers - and Happy Holidays,

subset: commoncrawl


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About Nick
My goal as a trainer is to provide clients with guidance on reaching a high level of physical fitness and improving their movement efficiency. I believe that hard work combined with individualized programming can help anyone achieve a greater quality of life. As an aspiring physical therapist, a major focus throughout training will be attaining pain free full range of motion throughout the body. While eliminating mobility restrictions through increasing strength and flexibility, I enjoy challenging clients to progress towards advanced training methods.
I come from an athletic background, playing basketball, soccer, and football. To stay active my hobbies include skiing, mountain biking, backpacking, swimming and climbing. I encourage all my clients to consider fitness as a lifestyle; a fully functional body is earned in great part by the work done outside the gym.
Nick McAvoyOwner & Trainer
Background: B.S. Sports & Exercise Science from Seattle University - Class of 2014, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Physical Therapy Aide 2014-15 Services Offered: Strength Training, Athletic Conditioning, Mobility/Flexibility Improvement, Program Design, Postural assessment, Injury Rehabilitation
Core Tenets
Train for Health
We customize programming to help you train for overall, optimal health. Get your body healthy and happiness will follow.
Train for Happiness
Did you know that training can strengthen your brain? With training, you can improve your mental toughness, resilience, and overall happiness.
Train for Consistency
We create programming that facilitates consistency and regular participation. Showing up is 80% of success-- we can help you with that!
Our Gym
We are located in Oakland, blocks away from Kaiser Permanente Hospital, on Piedmont Ave. The gym is called Fit Evolution and it is a fully equipped private training studio. We have everything you need to get a great workout.


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Collagen Injections for Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is when one loses the ability to control his or her bladder. It affects millions of American men and women.
While this can be viewed as an embarrassing condition, it's incredibly common and there are a variety of treatments for it. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, and treatments for urinary incontinence.
How Do Collagen Injections Work?
Collagen injections are one such treatment for urinary incontinence. With this procedure, collagen is injected around the bladder to expand the bladder neck. The urethra is tighter and it is easier to prevent urine leakage. Injections are performed multiple times initially until leakage stops. The injections are typically needed afterwards if leakage returns.
Not only is this an effective treatment for urinary incontinence, but it's also an outpatient procedure. Instead of dealing with a major surgery, this treatment helps your bladder perform as it would naturally. If you are interested in this procedure but are allergic to collagen, don't worry. Other bulking agents can be used in place of collagen. Speak to your doctor to learn more about other options.
Will My Insurance Company Cover the Cost?
The cost of collagen injections for urinary incontinence depends on your insurance coverage and other factors. Speak to your doctor and your insurance provider to learn more.
Questions About Urinary Incontinence or Treatments?
Advanced Urology Associates specializes in incontinence and treatment for men and women.If you suffer from urinary incontinence, it's important to know there are treatment options out there. Interested in learning more about collagen injections and if it could be right for you? Request an appointment or contact us today at 815.409.4930.


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- Upon completion of your unit, a Letter of Handing Over of Vacant Possession will be issue to you notifying you to take vacant possession.
- You are given 14 days from the date of receipt of the letter to settle all outstanding bills before collecting the house keys from us.
- You will take possession of your unit after having paid all monies payable under the Third Schedule of the Sale & Purchase Agreement and all other monies due.
Joint Inspection
This is used to jointly inspect and indicate the defects (if any) with our representative and all defects will be addressed on the first come first serve basis.


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|One of the things I often encourage clients to do is to get feedback about proposed ideas, text or tools. So, in the spirit of practicing what I preach, I asked my clients and colleagues to share their thoughts about my work: about the experience of working with me, and the results that we achieved together. Here, in unedited form, are some of the things they had to say.
"I always look forward to working with Mind Over Marketing. It makes work fun, interesting, creative and very satisfying.
"Promotional materials that are impressive; game plans that are achievable; cohesion in our messaging."
|back to top
|All contents ©2011 Mind Over Marketing | Website Design by MIJAART+DESIGN


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Submitted by Kirsty on
Hi everyone,
I know it's still officially summer but it feels like a long one. I only wish the weather had been as amazing as the massive work load I've had this summer period. Since deciding to fly solo again (and for now, I'm happily sticking with just me) I've refreshed my acrylic qualification and done lots of live online tutorials. I've revamped my website, increased my online exposure and worked super hard and it's all paying off. I'm now busier than ever and I'm delighted with the way it's all going. Sadly this does mean I can't always accommodate your calls but I do have a couple of good nail tech friends who I'll pass you onto. If they can do my nails perfectly (and I'm a fussy bugger!) then you'll be in very good hands. They offer a variety of treatments including Gelish, Calgel, Shellac, Acrylics and OPI.
September Shellac colours are awesome and my regular Pink Ladies are chomping the bit to try them. The new colours are a glitter selection and really are lovely. They are released on September 1st so I'll be ordering them while I'm sat in the airport ready for my holiday :-)
Dare I say it but my Christmas week is already getting booked up? December 23rd is now officially FULLY BOOKED and this year, for the first time ever, I'm taking the whole of Christmas Eve off. So, get calling, emailing or texting for your appointment. Once they're gone, that's it until 2017!
So in a nutshell, it's all pretty great on the Pinkies ship, my clients are all happy and healthy, we've had healthy new additions born, a couple of weddings and a surprise engagement that I was part of and this makes me happy. Isn't that what lfes about?


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This is a new home in 'The Landing at Lewis Creek.' The 'Davis' floor plan is a two-story home with a formal dining room, two car garage, 4 bedroom and 2 1/2 bath. This home is equipped with 9 ft ceilings, granite counter tops, and laminate hardwood floors downstairs.
Listing courtesy of Lewis Realty & Construction, Inc..
Copyright 2020 NCRMLS. All rights reserved. North Carolina Regional Multiple Listing Service, (NCRMLS), provides content displayed here ("provided content") on an "as is" basis and makes no representations or warranties regarding the provided content, including, but not limited to those of non-infringement, timeliness, accuracy, or completeness. Individuals and companies using information presented are responsible for verification and validation of information they utilize and present to their customers and clients. NCRMLS will not be liable for any damage or loss resulting from use of the provided content or the products available through Portals, IDX, VOW, and/or Syndication. Recipients of this information shall not resell, redistribute, reproduce, modify, or otherwise copy any portion thereof without the expressed written consent of NCRMLS.


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In my last article, I wrote about the 10 questions you should ask a potential guitar teacher before taking lessons with them.
So, after you have found your teacher and started lessons, then next thing you need to focus on is how to start to improve on the guitar.
As a guitar teacher and performer, I often get asked about how to effectively practice to improve more quickly. And there seems to be a lot of information up there on the web on how to do this for a variety of styles and types of guitar.
However, here are my own personally road tested methods for really practicing effectively so you can save time and improve more quickly.
Please feel free to leave your comments below as I'd love to hear your feedback, ideas and questions.
So, without further ado…
1) Leave your guitar out of its case
Here's a simple trick for reducing guitar practice procrastination: leave your guitar out of its case and place it on a guitar stand. This way, it's much easier to pick up anytime and will actually encourage you to play more. This really works for me and it just feels much easier to grab the guitar and play whether I'm doing a serious session or just have a few minutes to play. Try it out.
2) Have a weekly plan
I've found it very effective to have a weekly plan to practice to. It could be learning a certain portion of a song or perhaps repeatedly practicing one technique you want to master everyday from Monday to friday. Having weekly goals is more manageable than planning, say, in months and it gives your daily routine a little more focus. Of course there will be times when you can't play, but if you can, weekly goals are nice unit of time to plan a guitar practicing goal.
3) It's not how long you play but how regularly
It's much, much better to play only 10 minutes a day rather than 10 hours only on one day. Constant regular practice is the most effective way to make progress. When beginning, you should be looking at an average of at least 20 to 30 minutes of practice a day. Even if you can only play five minutes on a busy day, try to at least play a few chords or riffs to maintain your level. Remember, Jimmy Hendrix used to even sleep with his after passing out after another long session. He wasn't good just by accident.
4) Practice effectively
Again, if you practice effectively, you don't necessarily have to practice for hours on end. A short effective 30 minute session is better than 3 hours of just messing about on the guitar. Practicing effectively involves systematically identifying and working on your weak points or repeated mistakes. You want to be able to make reasonable measured progress. If you aren't, you might need to play more slowly and break down difficult pieces into more manageable sections.
5) Use a metronome
If there is one common mistake beginner guitar students tend to make, it is not practicing with a metronome. Using a metronome is absolutely essential to internalizing a solid sense of rhythm and practicing effectively. It allows you to learn to play in time and greatly improve your sense of music and rhythmical accuracy. At first it can be a little challenging to synchronise what you are playing with a beat. However, if you start slow and play something easy you will quickly learn to coordinate what you play to a beat. This is also great for anyone who wants to practice to play in a band where timing is essential. If you aren't regularly practicing with a metronome…why the heck not?! Go get one now! Or else!
6) Play slow and play loud
My students have the understandable urge to want to play their favorite pieces as fast and soon as possible. And ironically, to do that, you have to play slowly. If you rush, you will end up making more mistakes which will take more time to fix. Trust me, I've been there. Play slowly and confidently and the speed will come naturally. Also, practicing loudly, especially with classical guitar is good way to increase your confidence, accuracy and strength. It's better to play something well slowly, than a string of mistakes at 1000 mph.
7) Play scales like songs, and songs like scales
Musicians sometimes have the tendency to put a lot of musical feeling and expression into their pieces, occasionally a little too much. However they sometimes play scales quite robotically and without dynamics, expression or feeling. When playing scales try to add some music expression to them. You can try changing the dynamics from soft to loud as you play the scale. You could speed up or slow down. There are many different techniques you can try but they should sound more musical so they are more relevant to playing pieces. Mix it up and experiment and have fun!
8) Record yourself playing
Recording and then listening to yourself playing is a great way to hear more clearly what mistakes you are making and how you sound . I warn you, you may not like what you hear the first time! However the insight into how you really sound will help you to work on your weak points and improve dramatically.
9) Practice as soon as you can after your lesson
The quicker you can practice what you have learned after your guitar lesson, the more you will remember. You should try to practice the second you get home from your guitar lesson, or at least as soon as you can. This will help you to really consolidate and remember what you have learned. If you leave it to late you will start to forget what you covered in the lesson. So get the most you can out of your guitar lessons and practice right after them.
10) Play what you really love
I guess this is pretty obvious advice but it's worth saying. The more passion you have for the music you play, the more quickly you will progress. Again, it's good to have goals with a liberal sprinkling of patience and hard work. However, love and passion for the music you are playing will trump everything and keep you moving forward when your practice sessions get tough. It's all about the love man!
What to do next?
Get in touch with me and leave a comment or question below. If you are interested in taking guitar lessons in Tokyo you can get more information here.
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Callosa Deportiva 1 – 5 CD Montesinos
Another goal fest for the followers of CD Montesinos this week. After last week´s ten goal thriller, this week it was just the six goals on offer between the free scoring Monte side and their opponents, Callosa Deportiva.
CD Montesinos have now scored eight goals more than any other side in their group and this latest win moves them up into third place. A magnificent achievement for a side playing for the first time at this level after last season´s promotion. Certainly it is early days but at almost the half-way stage of the season, CD Montesinos look more than capable of achieving their pre-season objective of finishing in a comfortable mid-table position.
Back to the action. After what has to be said was a terrible first 45 minutes when the home side deservedly took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break. Monte manager Carlos Perez blasted his side and rang the changes in the second half with Maccan, Alex, German and Guirao all coming on. The change of personnel paid off as they injected the urgency and fight that was missing in the first half.
Midfield "Maestro" Luis struck a 25 yard free-kick into the top corner to draw level 10 minutes into the second half, a goal which opened the flood-gates as the division´s top scorer, Vazquinho, lobbed the Callosa keeper on 23 minutes to put Monte 1-2 ahead before German added a third on 35 minutes.
The goals kept coming as Carlos Ventura added two further goals in the 38th and 41st minutes as the home side, which by this time were totally demoralised, were put to the sword in a magnificent display of attacking football. To make matters worse for the home side, they lost their discipline towards the end of the game, picked up eight yellow cards and a red card which left them with ten players. But by that time, the damage had been well and truly done by the Magnificent Monte goal machine.
This weekend, CD Montesinos are at home to local rivals Racing San Miguel. A large crowd is expected at the Municipal in Los Montesinos for the final match of 2017. At this game, the International Supporters Club of CD Montesinos (The Full Monte) will be presenting representatives of the local Town Hall with a large food donation for the local Food Bank. Anybody wishing to make further donations (non-perishable good only) please bring them to the ground next SUNDAY.
The match will be on Sunday, 17th December with a 5pm (1700hrs) kick-off. For additional information about CD Montesinos and regular updates, please keep an eye on our Facebook page.
CDM TEAM:- Dani, Fernando, Bachir, Manuel, Manuel Sanchez, Luis, Carlos Ventura, Koko, Vazquinho, Daniel Saiz and Dimitri.
CDM Subs:- Aitor (GK), Alex, Guirao, German and Maccan
CDM Goals:- Vazquinho, Ventura (2), German, Luis


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The doll worked up fairly easy but the clothing pattern was not easily comprehensible to me so I ended up "winging" her clothing. I'd crochet a little bit, hold it up to the doll and either frog or add more stitches as I tried to get the indecent dolly clothed! She started out as a Goldilocks doll but she quickly ended up a Christmas elf-ette or whatever you call girl elves. I believe she'll end up sitting on a branch on our Christmas tree. Anyway, here she is:
The dishcloth is reminiscent of hippies because it appears to be tie-dyed at first glance. I used a small hook, either an E or an F and crocheted a tight granny square that I used a shell-edging on. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Now, some of my friends are probably wondering who will receive it as part of their Christmas gift. I don't know, but one of you probably will because I still have enough dishcloths for my own use and this one is going in the "gift drawer." I'll end up deciding at the last minute who gets it and who gets a different one. Almost forgot to put the picture in--lol--and here it is:
Dentist did a partial root canal the other day and I have to go back next week to have it finished up. Some discomfort but no major pain and I forget to take the pain meds sometimes but I don't miss them so guess I can do without.
Hope y'all are having a great week so far. Hugs to all...


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I spoke to Stephen Hyduke for a story today [2] about the outlook for the summer tourism season and jotted down a note on an issue I wanted to get back to.
Hyduke lives in Delaware Township, Hunterdon County, and he and his wife had always wanted a house at the Shore. After the recession, they jumped at the chance, purchasing a home in Point Pleasant Beach.
Here's the kicker: He chose that course instead of investing in the stock market. Why? At least if housing prices decline, he'll still have a place to live.
It made me wonder how many folks are following a similar path, not necessarily buying a second home, but swearing off the stock market as too nerve-wracking and choosing something else – alpacas, government bonds, gold, money markets.
The investment experts I routinely talk to for stories are big on dividend-paying stocks, which offer investors a return no matter their stocks' performances…unless companies are struggling and cut their dividends to save cash. Most recently, J.C. Penney. [3]
Maybe some numbers will help:
Dow's peak: 14,164 Oct. 9, 2007
Dow's low (post housing bubble): 6,547 March 9, 2007
Now: 12,525 May 24, 10:41 a.m.
So….If you bought a Dow index at the peak, you are down about 12 percent in 4-1/2 years.
If you bought when things were bleakest, you are up 91 percent.
But really, I wanted to throw this question out there. Have you sworn off the stock market? And if so, what are you doing instead?


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quote:Originally posted by Wingless: There are plenty of countries that eat dog. And I hear tell there are barbarians who even eat cow! O.O Hrm. I've got a craving for barbeque suddenly.
quote:Originally posted by Ashitaka: I wrote this blog once to piss off some holier than thou Peta people. I don't have dog or cat on the list... Yet. Animals that i have eaten.


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Then we talked about heretics. A heretic is someone who claims to follow a religion but teaches something different. I explained how some people tried to explain the dual nature of Christ by saying that he was really a man with just a lot of God's spirit in him. Others said that he was really God but looked like a man. Those are both heresies because it's very clear in the Bible that Christ was both God and man.
Justin asked why anyone would teach something that is not in the Bible. I told him that usually this happens when human beings try to explain some biblical teachings that God didn't mean for us to understand fully. We know that Christ was fully man and fully God but we don't know how and we don't need to know. We saw how God's plan of salvation not a mystery because that's something that we need to know.
We also saw how all heresies about Christ's nature are harmful to our understanding of salvation. If Christ was only a man (with a lot of God's spirit him him), he was born with the original sin and could not save us. If Christ was only God (but looked like a man), then he could not save us because only a man who had lived a perfect life could die for the sins of other men.
We saw that a clear understanding of the two natures of Christ is important when we read about Jesus' early years on this earth. As a man, there were things that he didn't know. He was not born with the knowledge of how to walk, feed himself, or go potty. That's why he grew in stature and wisdom. We talked about how he was not like Superman in the original movie, picking up trucks (or, in Jesus' time, camels) and being surprised at his own strength. Jesus never used his powers unless it was to accompany a special revelation.
At the same time, as God, Jesus knew and understood many things that men didn't understand. That's why he amazed the doctors of the Law in the temple. And, as he explained to his parents in that occasion, he was fully aware of His mission on earth.
In Luke 2, we read that his parents didn't understand what he said, although Mary treasured those things in her heart (as she did after Simeon's prophecy in the temple). We talked about how living with his sinful parents was for Jesus another part of his humiliation and even suffering. We read that after he amazed the doctors of the Law in the temple, he returned submissively with his parents to Nazareth.
If there was ever a teenager who knew more than his parents, it was Jesus! Without a doubt, he must have suffered unjustly when they lost their temper (as I am sure they did at times, being sinful). Even worse, he knew the full weight of their sins in the eyes of a perfect God. But he submitted. His sufferings started at his birth.


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Well, "Breaking Dawn: Part 2″ releases at the end of the week, so I thought it would be a fantastical idea to set up a Preparation Kit to get ready for the film. I want to make it known that I have seen all four of the previous movies before, and that while I remember them being meh, I strictly remember saying "I've seen worse". I have, however, only seen each film once and never reviewed a single one (this was before I reviewed everything I watched). Anyways, for those of you at home that are unaware of the order of films, it goes something like this:
The Twilight Saga:
The last time we left off Bella (Kristin Stewart), she was escaping the clutches of the evil Victoria whats-her-face, who had been tracking her for, well, the entire series. So what else does the series have? Well, Bella's movements are still being closely tracked by the Volturi, who plan to kill her if she isn't changed soon. We'll get to that in a minute, but first, it's marriage time.
Yes indeed, it is finally time for these two to get married. Even though Bella swore she wouldn't fall prey to a piece of paper in the previous film. So don't be surprised to see a bunch of lovey-dovey stuff. After the obvious happens, Bella realizes she is pregnant, only, the baby is growing at an incredible rate, killing Bella inside out. So then the film becomes a question of whether to abort the baby before it kills Bella, or to change her into a vampire and hope for the best with the baby. I think we all know where this is going, the entire series has been warming up to the idea of her turning.
As I mentioned above, the Volturi are still in the overall story arc, but they aren't mentioned once in this film, nor even shown other than a few flashbacks. I am guessing that they are saving that for the second, and final part of the series. This time around, it was all about imminent demise.
As an overall, this is one of the most boring films in the series. I'll say that it is more exciting then "Twilight", but only the final hour of the film. They could have seriously made the same movie if they decided to make it an hour and a half instead of two hours, but nooo, all of the movies have to be around two hours don't they?
Here's the thing people, with these movies, each one has a different conflict. It took me a minute to figure it out. It's not Man versus Man, and it's not Man vs. Self, no this movie is the Man vs. Nature conflict. Bella is battling against a force of nature that is sure to kill her, no doubt about it, and she must find a way to escape that fate. When you stop thinking about the fact that there was no main antagonist in this film like there was in the last film, you will realize that they actually got the conflict right in this, it was just about getting to the point. The pacing is a lot slower than the others in the beginning, as it focuses a lot on the relationship, which is normally fine, but this specific occasion, it focuses way too deeply and not only the audience gets bored, but apparently the filmmakers do as well, as Bella and Edward end up having their own chess and checkers montages. The real story, and the importance of the story doesn't come until at least fifty minutes into the movie, with only half of the film remaining after that.
This time, we ventured back to how it was in "New Moon" when it came to the visuals department. There was plenty of creativity at work here, with appropriate cinematics of a dream-like state. For me, that is a plus, but I must say that yes, I had my issues with it. I really think in the end it is either a love or hate film. The acting was the same as the last, maybe even a little worse, as the characters didn't bring much new to the table. Anyone watching this may get the "dawning* feeling that maybe we're getting tired of seeing these characters unless they do something new instead of the same-old.
I can now make a more accurate comparison in regards to every "Twilight" film that has been released thus far. I have to say that this film, while having the interesting baby concept, is the worst and underwritten film in the series. They had that golden idea, but they took way too long to get to the point. A movie should never take more than half the time to get to the point, and they never have done that in this series before. That being said, that's only the writing. I did, however like the idea with the baby. Yeah we know this is a part one, so they aren't going to kill off Bella. If they will turn her into a vampire or not is anyone's best guess (unless they read the book).
So it's time people. Saturday afternoon, I am going to 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2' in theaters. I have no idea where it will go. RottenTomatoes has it surprisingly high…so far. I guess we'll see how it goes. Keep an eye out for the next review.


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Download Chapter One of Exponential Groups
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Welcome to MasterWorks
Corporate Vision
Our vision is to be the recognized filament winding industry brand leader of automated machinery, product design, and process design. We strive for excellence through the use of collaborative design, world class manufacturing facilities, robust systems and procedures, and relentless quality to delight our customers. We focus on innovation to grow our product portfolio and continuous improvement to mature it.


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Surruralism is a phrase I've heard coined by Westport artist, Jimmy Lawlor, who's paintings combine surrealism with an acutely realised sense of Irish country humour. Skies the Limit is not a classic example but it is a copy of the limited edition print I bought as a wedding present for my good friend, Jimmy Molloy and his, charming and beautiful, young wife, Denise, when I was in Westport, Co Mayo, last week.
Jimmy Lawlor was born in Wexford in December 1967. He now lives in Westport, in the magnificent West of Ireland. Lawlor has been exhibiting for over 20 years.
His work is based not only on the Irish sense of humour, but on the vivid realisation that the old way of life will have vanished by our next generation.
His work takes elements from his surroundings and mixes them with the people of the place, in their environment and doing what they love best. In their own way, they have helped create the atmosphere around them, whether they be farmers, business people, students or otherwise.
Each town has its own characters and characteristics but they are basically the same in every town. He applauds these people and their character, which makes them unique. Lawlor appreciates the humour of the Irish people, he finds the gentle mannerisms that he encounters while painting them honourable.
Lawlor's work has been likened to the works of the surrealist's – "imagine a Salvador Dali who has regained at least half of his sanity and moved to the west of Ireland, and you begin to enjoy art that is not only accessible, but as warm and fantastic as a good dream". Lawlor's work is included in many important private and corporate collections in Ireland and all around the world. Among them, Hugh Leonard, Treasury Holdings, Diageo Ireland, Dermot Desmond, Brenda Fricker, Great Southern Hotel Group, Government Buildings and Anglo Irish Bank, London. Hugh Leonard, Art Critic with the Irish Independent, wrote of his work.
(This is a biographical excerpt from Jimmy Lawlor's website, linked above.)


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Best Travel Products
Whether by car or by plane, here are some of the best travel products.
Get Some Zzzzs
Feeling sleepy? Don't pay $8 for a pillow and threadbare blanket on your flight. Check out the TravelRest Pillow. It's $25.95 but it's worth every penny. You sling it over your shoulder and attach it to your seatbelt. It's inflatable so it's not going to take up space in your briefcase, handbag or carry on. Even if you're crammed in a coach seat, you'll still be able to get some quality sleep. My favorite travel companions besides a good pillow? Ear plugs and noise cancelling headphones. Thank you and good night.
Zip It
Spring weather can be so unpredictable. You don't want to pack a big anorak jacket because it takes up too much space. And you don't want to wear it because you'll have to take it off at security and then put it back on when you get through security and while you're trying to tie your shoes. Bleah. And what if you get too warm on the plane? The Helium II is the lightest jacket around. It weighs in at 5.8 ounces and folds into a small square. It takes up less room than an iPhone and fits an average adult. The zippers and elastic cuffs are designed to keep rain out. It's not super warm, but it's easy enough to throw over a hoodie or heavier jacket.
Lather Up!
Pouring shampoo, conditioner and body wash into one of those TSA approved three ounce bottles is a real pain because they have a tiny little opening, your shampoo comes gushing out and spills all over the place. And many times, the travel sizes you find at the drug store aren't the kind you use and then you're stuck because who wants to spend their travel budget on toiletries and some hotels don't offer soap, shampoo and conditioner. Try the Brincatti Easy Fill Travel Bottles. They're wide mouthed bottles that close securely, are TSA approved and are about $10 for a pack of four.
Will you be traveling to a place where you're going to be doing a lot of walking? Don't want to pack your everyday bulky sneakers? Nothing says "tourist" more than walking around a city in sneakers. Ugh. I was determined to not let that happen to me when I was in Chicago and New York. I wore mostly flip flops or cute sandals in Chicago and my most comfy boots and flats in New York, but those take up a lot of room. Now I can't wait to go back after discovering that Propet makes a line of shoes that are built for walking, are sturdy and wad up into a ball small enough to throw into your bag.
Keep It Secret Keep It Safe
Many times when I travel, I try not to walk around with a big handbag. Sometimes I don't use a handbag at all. It's too easy to get distracted looking for something and lose your way; or worse – someone steals it. I just give it all to Glen or stuff it in my bra. Enter the Vault Pro Convertible Backpack. Yes, backpacks coupled with athletic shoes just screams "tourist!" but, the backpack is convertible and looks like a handbag. The Vault Pro has a steel cable reinforced strap to prevent cutting. It has a locking zipper and slash proof fabric.


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Eton Park is not only ideally situated in the downtown core, it is one of only a few residential towers with entire brick facade. The appearance is elegant, adds to the curb appeal and a superior method of construction. The building is fully air conditioned & there are only 4 units per floor. This suite faces west looking out towards the river valley & takes full advantage of westerly breezes. The 1,320 sq ft interior has been completely renovated using quality materials that are both tasteful & timeless. There are 2 large bedrooms & 2 full baths. Walls have been removed in main living area to create a more open concept. The abundance of large windows provide great natural light. Overall floor plan is exceptional with lots of storage & in-suite laundry. Extra storage in parkade. Adding to the already great value are 2 titled parking stalls. There is also lots of visitor parking with 15 stalls behind building. Main floor has a large social room for residents & guests to enjoy.
Detectors Smoke, Intercom, No Animal Home, No Smoking Home, Parking-Visitor, Party Room, Secured Parking, Security Door
Front Drive Access, Heated, Parkade, Rear Drive Access, Stall
Carpet, Ceramic Tile, Engineered Wood
Air Conditioning-Central, Dishwasher-Built-In, Dryer, Microwave Hood Cover, Refrigerator, Stove-Electric, Washer, Window Coverings
Back Lane, Flat Site, Golf Nearby, Landscaped, Public Transportation, Schools, Shopping Nearby, Paved Lane
Listing information last updated on June 6th, 2020 at 1:31pm MDT.


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4 thoughts on "The Story of Human Apathy"
Wow– thank you so much for sharing this!!
Your most welcome….i was amazed by the wonderful experiment, and worried at the results.Thought others should have a look too!Thanx for reading!
What a powerful message. I'm stunned. Amazing though isn't it that the ones who actually did pick up on the beauty and genius of the music were all children. With hearts drawn to the actual mastery displayed and not the context it was supposed to be played in. Thank you so much my dear for this excellent, excellent post. It somehow wiped off a bit of dust from my own eyes and heart as I go out each day. I will remember this post for a very, very long time. I will share this with my family and I'm sure it will touch them deeply too. May we never fail to recognise beauty and the light of a master no matter what form it takes. God bless you and many hugs!!! Shaz
Hey Shaz, you also noticed the same aspect of the post which i did!Kids have their inner eye still intact, not blinded by the world and it's artificiality.They are much more pure than us, therefore they can sense and feel purity and beauty much quickly than us!
I have also learnt alot from this post, we need glasses for our inner eyes!Take care dear ☼ ☼ ☼


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I went to church looking for Jesus
But Judas greeted me at the door
And smiled with soft spoken words
Kisses on the cheek and handshakes of greeting.
I entered the sanctuary looking for Jesus,
But Judas sat next to me and welcomed me
With song and spoken words
While asking about my membership.
They said listen to the sermon to hear Jesus,
But Judas was veneered at the pulpit
Speaking words of condemnation and ignorance
Rattle the collection plate, drum up the tithe.
They said to speak aloud and talk to Jesus
But Judas was listening and weaving deception
Whispering words of guilt and self-deprecation
Thirty-nine lashes, thirty missing pieces.
Funny, that Jesus never appeared
But Judas showed up to hand out ropes
When they nominated my lynching
And cast stones at my soul.
Like all realities, the books are best
Mercy and love waxing eloquent on less than half the pages
Sorely lacking in stark application
A disproportionate outcome in action.
They said you have a savior in Jesus
But it was Judas knocking on my door
To point out my follies and hem me with hell
The terrified are the easiest to con.
Judas hugged and embraced me
Wondered when I'd return
But the game was exposed
When he hungrily eyed my purse.
How difficult it is to find salvation
And appease one's immortal soul
When every church, mosque, synagogue, and holy place
Hordes a Judas within its walls.
I don't trust anyone with matters of eternal life
If they insist on holding my coin hostage
For with finances, guilt, and atonement
Money tends to be the superior currency.
They sent me to church to find Jesus,
But met Judas at the front door
Where he was shaking hands and kissing cheeks
And greeting with fervor.
I went to meetings, looking for Jesus
But found Judas at the head
Guiding the ministry in one hand
And pocketing funds with the other.
I went to the pastor's office looking for Jesus
And found Judas on his hands and knees
Prying open the safe, frothing with rage
When faced with the Bibles within.
I went to the congregation to look for Jesus
But Judas was waiting with empty hands
An oily smile and a sharp eye
To mark my remaining coins.
And when the doors shut and the services ended
When the fellowship had long expired
I sat on the steps and pondered this curiosity-
For "Jesus" had never appeared.


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First Time Freshman – Parent Orientation
Parent Orientation is a concurrent program to Freshman Orientation that is hosted by the Titan Parent and Family Relations department at Cal State Fullerton.
Please note that the great majority of the New Parent and Family Orientation program is run separately from Freshman Orientation.
We welcome our Titan parents and families to attend orientation with our new students. Each new student can bring up to 2 guests (parent, family member, or guardian) and the student is required to register and pay for their guests when registering for orientation. New Parent and Family Orientation is a full day program (8:00 am – 5:00pm) that will help family members understand academic expectations, student life opportunities, and campus resources. At New Parent and Family Orientation, family members will have an opportunity to meet campus administrators and hear about the student experience from current Titans. This is a great opportunity to connect with other Titan Parents, while discussing the transition you and your family may face as your student enters college.


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Golden opportunity in Second Life
Here is a great chance for all you out there that might be curious/bemused about the role of Second Life and virtual worlds in general and their impact - if any - on travel.
Reperes, a cutting edge French market research company, are speaking at the Travolution Summit on April 24 on the subject of how travel might find mileage in using virtual worlds to target and utilise consumers.
They have offered, rather kindly we think, to conduct a survey of actual people in Second Life about how they might interact with travel brands and products in the virtual world.
- Would you be more inclined to take notice of travel advertising messages in Second Life?
- If travel companies road-tested products in Second Life, such as the Aloft Hotel project, would you see that as a useful method of canvassing the opnions of consumers?
Better still, Reperes is allowing Travolution to gather the questions of readers/users ahead of the survey being carried out in late-February.
Please email any questions/ideas you may to us or post them in the comments box below.
[Read about our first visit to the Aloft Hotel in October last year]
Kevin May, editor, Travolution


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Groovi Baby Plate - Wee Houses & Fence
Code: GRO-HO-40167-01
- In stock
Three small houses and two sections of fence on a 104mm x 104mm Groovi Plate, to coordinate with the other wee houses and shops.
These intricate and clever designs have been laser etched with precision into top quality acrylic plates, therefore allowing you to get into the groove with a specifically made-to-measure embossing tool, and easily follow the design path using parchment. This technique makes the end result quick, crisp and clean.
For the best results from the Groovi Plates and Groovi Plate Mate, use the 0.8mm - 1.3mm embossing tool.