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Read about the newest records from Kanye West, Teebs, Battles, Cigarettes After Sex, and Young Guv. ...On October 28, 2019 / By Jeremy Abcug
The last time I saw Basement was with a crowd of nearly 3,500 people, so I knew seeing them play a sold-out show at an intimate venue like ...On May 29, 2018 / By Jessica Tyler
Listening to Turnover's latest release, Good Nature, feels like stepping outside on the first sunny day after a cold, dark winter. The album radiates warmth, as well as ...On August 23, 2017 / By Jessica Tyler
The Scoop: Post-hardcore trailblazers mewithoutYou have finally announced details surrounding their upcoming record, which will be titled Pale Horses. The record will release on June 16th via Run For Cover Records. ...On April 14, 2015 / By Connor Feimster
The Scoop: Philadelphia's progressive post-hardcore kings mewithoutYou have announced a new partnership in signing to Boston powerhouse Run For Cover Records. The Spin: The label will release the band's forthcoming sixth ...On March 17, 2015 / By Connor Feimster
The Scoop: Following a sudden breakup in October, punk saviors Hostage Calm have decided to say a proper goodbye in the form of a short farewell tour. The Spin: Support for ...On December 18, 2014 / By Connor Feimster
The Scoop: Punk quintet Citizen have announced a slew of fall headlining tour dates. Supporting bands will be announced in the coming days. Tickets will go on sale on Friday. ...On June 18, 2014 / By Connor Feimster
© 2013 Solo Pine Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.


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watch 02:21
The Loop (Games)
Do you like this video?
"Walls slowing you down? Try making a shortcut!
Cast this spell near enemy walls to create a route straight over them. Your Troops will jump over affected wall pieces as if they weren't even there!"
- Summary
- The Jump Spell allows all ground Troops and Heroes to jump over Walls.
- It is one of two spells unlocked at level 4 Spell Factory; the other one being the Freeze Spell.
- Jump Spells have no effect whatsoever on air units, as they already bypass Walls. The Jump Spell also does not change the behavior of Hog Riders, Miners, Wall Breakers or the Grand Warden in any way.
- Upgrading the spell will increase its duration on the battlefield (the level 3 Jump Spell lasts roughly three times as long as the level 1 Jump Spell).
- Offensive Strategy
- This spell is more effective on doubled or tripled Walls; otherwise, the spell is not utilized to its maximum capability, making it much less valuable to use.
- Combined with Wall Breakers, Jump Spells are quite useful for getting Troops deep into the interior of a base. Once Wall Breakers have initially breached the exterior Walls, any new ones tend to be attracted to adjacent compartments rather than those behind the breach. A Jump Spell, however, can be placed behind the initial breach to quickly allow Ground Troops access to the second layer of the base where the storages and heavy defenses (Mortars, X-Bows, etc.) are typically positioned.
- At Town Hall 9 and above, using Jump Spells are often a better option than using four Earthquake Spells. Although they do not destroy walls, Jump Spells almost always last much longer than needed. Additionally, the Jump Spell requires half the housing space of four Earthquake Spells, and the Earthquake Spell radius is insignificantly larger than that of a Jump Spell.
- Trivia
- The rings that circulate around the illustration of the Jump Spell resembles the action when troops jump over Walls.
- There seems to be tiny bouncing yellow balls when the Jump Spell is dropped.
- The Jump Spell's mechanics were reworked twice to date:
- The June 17, 2013 update changed the behavior of Jump Spell. Prior to this update, the level 1 Jump Spell only affected Troops that required 4 or less housing spaces (Barbarians, Archers, Goblins, Wizards), with the remainder requiring level 2 to jump Walls. Following this change, all ground troops could utilize the effects of a level 1 Jump Spell; level 2 doubled its duration.
- The July 3, 2014 update reworked the Jump Spell to add a better "battle flow". If troops sense a better route, they will now walk over to the Jump Spell. So if they are close by, they can still walk over to the Jump Spell, even if they were not there when the Jump Spell was first placed. In other words, the old Jump Spell determined the area of troops that can jump over Walls, while the new Jump Spell determines the area of Walls that can be jumped over.
- Although the Jump Spell can be upgraded to level 2 in the level 5 Laboratory, only Troops and Spells that are already unlocked will appear in the Laboratory upgrade interface. The Jump Spell will not appear in the Laboratory until the Spell Factory has been upgraded to level 4 (which requires Town Hall level 9). Most players already have a level 7 Laboratory by that time; if so, the first upgrade will be available as soon as the Spell Factory level 4 upgrade finishes.
- Jump Spell's brewing time has been reduced multiple times, from 5 hours all the way to 6 minutes.
- The Jump Spell, along with the heal spell(after April 2020), are the only elixir spells not in Clash Royale.
|Boost Time
|Housing Space
|Brewing Time
|Spell Factory Level Required
|3.5 tiles
|6 minutes
|Spell Duration
|Research Cost
|Research Time
|Laboratory Level Required
|20 seconds
|40 seconds
|60 seconds
|80 seconds
For additional statistics and information, see the Unit Calculators page.
|Home Village Army
|Elixir Troops
|Barbarian (Super) • Archer • Giant (Super) • Goblin (Sneaky) • Wall Breaker (Super) • Balloon • Wizard • Healer • Dragon • P.E.K.K.A • Baby Dragon • Miner • Electro Dragon • Yeti (Yetimite)
|Dark Elixir Troops
|Minion • Hog Rider • Valkyrie • Golem (Golemite) • Witch (Skeleton) • Lava Hound (Lava Pup) • Bowler • Ice Golem
|Barbarian King • Archer Queen • Grand Warden • Royal Champion
|Lightning Spell • Healing Spell • Rage Spell • Jump Spell • Freeze Spell • Clone Spell
|Dark Spells
|Poison Spell • Earthquake Spell • Haste Spell • Skeleton Spell • Bat Spell
|Siege Machines
|Wall Wrecker • Battle Blimp • Stone Slammer • Siege Barracks
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
My dashboard: Author Bio Mrs. Curtis and her hub, Captain Safety, are a neuro-atypical couple livin on 500 acres and a dirt road and lovin it. She has a bit of a sensitive system so she invents snacks in self defense (although left to her druthers, she'd rather just eat condiments.) And to say Mrs. … Continue reading 20- Mrs. Curtis on NaNoWriMo
Month: October 2016


text:
Paul Holmes 12 Feb 2007 // 12:00AM GMT
"Trying to arouse concern about anything is pushing a rock uphill," says risk communications expert and consultant Peter Sandman. "But if you're lucky, the rock gets to the top of the hill and starts rolling down the other side. As it gains mass as well as momentum, it converts to a snowball."
As far as avian flu is concerned, the rock reached the summit, by Sandman's estimate, toward the end of 2005, when then-secretary general of the United National Kofi Annan appointed a new coordinator for pandemic preparedness and politicians of both parties in the United States began to focus on the country's lack of preparedness. Around that time, the first global public relations firms—Edelman, Hill & Knowlton and (a little later) Ketchum—announced special practices focused on the flu.
But even as interest in avian flu preparation began to gather momentum, some were questioning why some companies were devoting so many resources to a problem that might never occur. Some wondered whether avian flu would turn out to be a 21st century version of the Y2K bug, a potential crisis that generated rivers of ink and considerable fees for consultants but ultimately turned out to be much ado about nothing.
Hill & Knowlton's Tony Burgess-Web acknowledged that view in a blog posting last year. "All major health authorities have now come to the chilling conclusion that it is not a case of whether another flu pandemic will strike, but when, where and how badly," he wrote at the time. "Most of us are still hoping for the best. Having being frightened by the Y2K scare into hiding under the table, we're not going to be fooled again.
"Yet, while denial may be an acceptable option for individuals, it is not for brands, companies, governments or other public organizations."
There is evidence that companies around the world have been taking avian flu seriously. In March of 2006, a survey by human resources consultancy Watson Wyatt Worldwide found that multinational companies are taking steps to plan for the possibility of an avian flu outbreak. More than half (52 percent) of companies operating in Asia-Pacific are considering putting programs in place in that region to deal with the avian flu, while 48 percent of companies operating in the United States are considering such plans, as are 47 percent in Europe, 44 percent in Latin America and 42 percent in Canada.
Not surprisingly, companies are much more likely to already have plans in place (32 percent) in Asia-Pacific, compared to 15 percent in the United States, 11 percent in Europe, 10 percent in Canada and 9 percent in Latin America.
But an online survey of 450 companies in 38 countries and 26 industries conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found a striking gap between employers' concern about the impact of a human pandemic and actual pandemic planning. The survey found that while almost all respondents (90 percent) expect a moderate to high impact to their organization, only 47 percent of firms have started a business continuity plan and just 17 percent have a pandemic preparedness budget.
The survey found Asian respondents, particularly Singapore companies—which endured the SARS crisis in 2003 and with direct exposure to avian flu—are furthest advanced in preparedness. About 25 percent of Asian survey respondents have budgeted for preparedness, compared to 12 percent of respondents in Europe and just 7 percent in the United States.
"It is worth noting that Y2K was a theoretical threat, and one that never happened," says Mark Senak, a senior vice president with Fleishman-Hillard. "But H5N1 is a real virus that has managed to kill millions of birds world wide by either infection or culling. In addition, nearly 200 humans have contracted the virus and died around the world. The mortality rate is quite high. So the basis for a transfer of H5N1 from bird to human is not theoretical, it is possible."
But one reason for skepticism about the immediacy of the threat is confusion over the way in which the term "bird flu" has been used by politicians and public health officials to describe two quite different issues, and the resulting conflation of two separate but interrelated crises: one real and urgent and the other more theoretical but terrifying in its potential consequences.
"The 'right now' problem—avian influenza in birds—afflicts millions of birds, plus a few hundred stunningly unlucky humans," says Sandman. "It is the most deadly widespread poultry disease in recorded history, so it is an enormous problem for many governments, veterinarians, bird lovers and poultry farmers. But in terms of public health, it is a small problem.
"By contrast, the 'some day' problem—pandemic influenza in humans—may afflict millions of people, if and when it happens. It is a potentially huge public health catastrophe that is keeping experts awake at night around the world. Calling both of these problems 'bird flu' has been a monumental mistake. And instead of taking the blame for this communication error, officials blame the public—and the media—for getting it wrong."
When the H5N1 strain of avian influenza first showed up in Hong Kong in 1997, it killed a lot of chickens and six people. It was the first flu strain known to jump directly from birds to humans and understandably concerned health authorities took the extreme step of ordering the slaughter of every chicken in Hong Kong. The virus then virtually disappeared for a few years, only to reappear—again in many birds and very few people—in Southeast Asia in 2003. In 2005 a mutated strain of the H5N1 virus was identified in Europe, and it has since appeared in the Middle East, Africa, and Canada.
"The H5N1 strain is both incredibly contagious and incredibly deadly to domestic poultry," says Sandman. "It is also incredibly deadly to humans—but not very contagious. Catching the H5N1 virus from a bird that has it is really, really difficult; millions of sick and dead birds have given the disease to just over 200 people so far. Catching the H5N1 virus from a person who has it is even more difficult."
So the current problem is a disease that spreads rapidly among some species of birds and only with great difficulty to humans, posing a huge threat to the poultry industry and a tiny risk to public health.
But flu viruses are not very stable, so authorities worry that the H5N1 flu virus might mutate in a way that makes it possible for the strain to spread easily from birds to humans or that it might mutate into a new human influenza virus, which could spread easily from one human to another. If that happened, the result would almost certainly be a worldwide flu epidemic: a pandemic.
"It is only a matter of time before an avian flu virus, most likely H5N1, acquires the ability to be transmitted from human to human, sparking the outbreak of a human pandemic influenza," says Lee Jong-Wook, director general of the World Health Organization. "We don't know when this will happen. But we do know that it will happen."
Once human-to-human transmission becomes possible, the virus is expected to spread rapidly. The WHO has warned that there will be only a 20 to 30 day window between the first case of human-to-human transmission and a pandemic. According to the CDC, a "medium-level" pandemic in the United States, in the absence of vaccination or drugs, could cause more than 200,000 deaths, almost three-quarters of a million hospitalizations, more than 40 million outpatient visits, and have an economic impact of as much as $166.5 billion. And, unlike the seasonal flu, which tends to be of greatest risk to the elderly, the very young and people with pre-existing medical conditions, everyone would be at risk from avian flu.
Says Sandman, "One worst case, almost beyond imagination, would be a flu virus as contagious and deadly among humans as H5N1 already is among poultry. That would be an unprecedented public health catastrophe, far worse than the famous Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Also possible, and far less scary: a new and fully human influenza virus that launches a pandemic much less deadly than 1918s, more like the nearly forgotten pandemics of 1957 and 1968."
The name most officials and reporters use for this still-hypothetical problem is "bird flu," the same term they use for the current strain that affects birds almost exclusively.
The implications for business are significant. According to a report by Mercer Management Consulting, a pandemic could lead to employee absence rates ranging between 20 percent and 60 percent. "Employees will be unable to work for many reasons," the firm says. "Some absences will be caused by employees' ill health. Other absences will reflect employees' fear of becoming ill. Many workers will find they must take care of their families, while others will be unable to get to their jobs, as carpools and public transit systems become unreliable."
Certainly, the argument for a proactive approach to preparedness looks even stronger today, after events in the United Kingdom over the past couple of weeks, after an outbreak of the H5N1 virus led to the gassing of 160,000 turkeys in Suffolk. The response of the company at the epicenter of that crisis, poultry giant Bernard Matthews, and of the government agencies responsible for consumer safety, suggests that even those on the front lines have a great deal of work to do to be ready for a larger, more serious outbreak.
By the end of the week, authorities in the U.K. were hinting that the company could be prosecuted after it became clear that Bernard Matthews had imported turkey meat from a slaughterhouse 30 miles from the source of an outbreak of avian flu in Hungary. British consumers, meanwhile, were surprised to find that Bernard Matthews' turkey, which boasts of a 50-year heritage and proud Norfolk traditions on its labeling, had in fact been imported for Hungary. It was allowed to carry a British hallmark on its packaging because it had been processed in Britain.
As for the government, there are questions about why the Food Standards Agency, responsible for consumer protection, had not been informed about a possible contamination of meat for human consumption, even though the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has known about the risk for almost a week.
The impact is already being felt. YouGov's BrandIndex, which monitors consumer attitudes to 1,100 brands every day, revealed that Bernard Matthews is now the second most unpopular brand in Britain (behind only McDonald's). Supermarket chain Sainsbury's reported a 10 percent slump in poultry sales and rival Tesco reported a similar decline.
"Business, on the whole, cannot probably be characterized as prepared," says Senak. "The travel industries and food preparation industries are among those who have been most proactive. Hospitals are not as prepared as others: one problem has been the investment of time and resources into planning for a theoretical circumstance as opposed to real problems that are presenting themselves on a daily basis. Is it worth it to put money towards planning for something that may never happen?"
Given the potential consequences of a pandemic among humans, most health experts believe the answer is yes.
"A major pandemic could have serious economic ramifications and disruptions to civil society," says Jeffrey Levi, senior policy advisor at Trust for America's Health, which has worked with Fleishman-Hillard on a forum discussing the implications of a pandemic. "There would be consequences not just for hospitals and healthcare providers, but for every sector, from the food supply chain to energy providers. This forum and efforts to prepare businesses and the private sector for a possible pandemic are essential for national and international readiness."
And public relations experts agree.
"Avian flu has transcended media hyperbole," says Tom Barriit, global director of the issues and crisis management network at Ketchum. "Corporations can't afford to treat the threat as if Chicken Little again claimed the sky is falling…. A corporate response to avian flu requires full coordination between crisis response, risk management and business continuity, supported by strategic communications outreach to critical audiences."
Some companies are clearly including avian flu plans in their broader crisis preparedness efforts.
"I believe that businesses are taking business continuity planning more seriously today versus preparing to respond to the avian flu specifically," says John Morgan, regional managing director of Greater China operations for GolinHarris. "There's certainly nothing wrong with that approach. What we've seen is that many clients begin to prepare for the avian flu, from both a business continuity and crisis communications perspective, but as we go along the strategy development we quickly realize that it's more practical to prepare for the 'general unthinkable' than the 'specific unthinkable.'
"Post 9-11, and particularly post-SARS in Asia, major business is fairly well prepared with more enhanced business continuity plans. We see that readiness from both an operational and communications perspective."
The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, "must take a stance on a potential avian flu outbreak," says Jill Mortensen, managing director for Weber Shandwick in Hong Kong. Roche has been on the frontline of the discussion because of the consensus that Tamiflu, its antiviral brand commonly used to treat flu symptoms, is the top candidate among possible treatments to fight avian flu. The company then faced considerable pressure from health advocates and international governments before finally agreeing to sub-license production of the drug to other manufacturers to help facilitate widespread supply.
"as Roche taking advantage of—or, even worse, fueling the public scare—to profit from public hysteria?" Mortensen asks. The company has been working with governments in the developed world to boost stocks of Tamiflu, while some developing countries have suggested that that they will allow generic versions of the drug if Roche cannot meet demand.
"This is where the dilemma lies for the industry," says Mortensen. "The research and development driven multinational pharmaceutical companies invest millions in developing new, patented drugs and vaccines to help prevent and treat diseases. If they do not recover their costs, they will not be able to continue conducting medical research at the standard required by most governments to get new drugs approved. Governments cannot afford to do this research alone. At the same time, the media continues to attack the high prices of drugs without considering skyrocketing costs.
"From a PR perspective, this dilemma presents a great opportunity for the industry to tell the real story, but many companies shy away from this. The industry—and Roche is no exception—contributes a great deal to humanitarian causes…. It is now, more than ever, that the industry needs to pull its story together, to educate everyone in its path about what it takes to develop new medicines, and what it does to give back to communities…. To improve and preserve its reputation for the long term, now is the time for dialogue and cooperation."
But beyond the pharmaceutical industry, focus on bird flu had been diminishing until these most recent headlines.
"A number of pharmaceutical companies have taken steps to prepare, because as an industry they understand the implications of infectious disease and the potential risk that exists to their employees and their businesses," Barritt says. "There was greater focus among corporations a year ago, but as media attention subsided, some corporations moved on to other issues. But whether it's avian flu, or another infectious disease, experts agree that a pandemic is possible, and all businesses should consider the impact of such an event.
"Any business with employees that travel globally is at risk, as well as companies that interface with the public directly such as hospitality industries, the food industry, and the financial services and banking sectors."
Other companies may find that a pandemic presents an opportunity. Stephanie Yu and Darren Burns of GolinHarris in Asia wrote last year that during the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in 2002, "SARS was a boon for e-commerce and courier companies as people around the region were 'cooped up' indoors."
"International express companies also were quick to adapt. DHL increased delivery volumes during SARS as companies banned international business travel. Many samples and other documents were sent by express rather than presented at face-to-face meetings.
"If the Avian Flu breaks out, these same international express providers will fill a needed gap by providing special packages or avian flu protection products as a way to enhance their service to clients and protect people. An outbreak is also a great chance to remind the public of basic hygiene and nutrition. Sales of vitamin-packed kiwifruit and germ-killer Clorox grew during the SARS outbreak.
The consensus, then, is that every company should have a preparedness plan in place.
"It's important that internal communications be set firmly in advance," says Morgan. "Should the issue become a reality, what is the company doing, when and why? Many of those measures can be made now and don't need to wait. It's important that internal communications cascade down quickly through all levels of business with content and speed. It's critical to build an architecture today that can be put into quick motion tomorrow."
Hill & Knowlton's Tony Burgess-Webb says there has been considerable discussion of business continuity, financial and brand and reputation implications of a pandemic, but that "the Cinderella of the group is communications planning. Yet experience shows that proactive communications is not only essential to manage the social consequences of pandemics but can both mitigate the damage for vulnerable brands and help avoid pitfalls for those that stand to benefit….
"If the pandemic is as serious as is envisaged, the Asian region would probably lead the world into recession. Information will be a potentially powerful weapon against this. Good communications will obviously not affect the purely health-related aspects of an outbreak but they can help tackle the fear factor and mitigate the follow-on economic and social costs. Clearly governments and health authorities carry a heavy responsibility here but so too do employers as they will be an important and trusted conduit for information.
"At the purely commercial level, companies that fail to plan for effective marketing and communications which are not dependent on 'face to face' will be more badly affected and slower than competitors to recover."
He urges senior communicators to "make this someone's job, or take it on yourself…. Get advice from heath, government and industry groups so you can assess the real risks. Make sure that your organization is informed, realistic, ready. Understand the science, in order to be able to assess new information properly and react rationally. But accept that others may not and their actions may have serious business implications."
When it comes to developing a crisis plan, "there are two primary areas to consider," says Barritt. "Communicating alternative business continuity plans to key customers, and ongoing outreach to employees. If a pandemic were to shut down access to a particular region, or disable a large group of employees, a company would need to inform customers about their contingency plans. Most companies are not accustomed to communicating with their employees about health issues, but a pandemic would require regular communication about good hygiene to prevent the spread of disease."
Senak advises companies to think now about how they will communicate with stakeholders, and how communication can support business continuity plans.
According to Robert Wesselkamper, director of international consulting at Watson Wyatt, "Companies should also sure to communicate their formal plans to manage through any business interruption—including alternative work arrangements and reimbursement for preventive and onset treatment—to the entire workforce."
As for employee communications, consultant Robert Holland, who owns Virginia-based Holland Communication Solutions, suggests a series of questions:
• If a flu outbreak strikes your business, how will employees know if and when they should come to work?
• How will employees know what is acceptable in terms of caring for sick family members?
• How will employees know if they should report to their usual places of work or if they will be reassigned to cover employees who are sick or tending to ill family members?
• How will employees know what to do about picking up sick kids from school?
• What if a business facility is turned into a quarantine area or an overflow healthcare center? How will employees know what to do?
• Who should employees turn to for reliable information about public-health matters?
• How will your business ensure consistent messages are being communicated to employees, customers, partners, vendors, stockholders and the community?
• How will your organization work with public-health officials and other groups to manage the crisis?
• If hundreds or even thousands of local people die as a result of a flu outbreak, how will businesses respond to issues of grief? And without seeming cold and heartless, how will deceased employees be replaced?
"Before an outbreak, organizations should determine how they will communicate with employees and put a communication mechanism in place," says James Reynolds, a principal at Mercer. "A solid employee-centered communication strategy will be critical to maintaining confidence and productivity before, during and after an avian flu outbreak.
"Employers will need to disseminate consistent guidance, convey leadership, avoid confusion, reduce fear and discourage attempts to exploit the situation. An internal communication plan that shares meaningful information promptly and professionally can support transmission prevention efforts, help maintain productivity and foster employee loyalty and confidence."


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Wow, it's been more than two months since my last kitchen update! Things are progressing very slowly. What I had thought would be just an overall three-month renovation has dragged on and will be closer to six or seven months. However, we've been living here a month now because we do have a working kitchen and one working full bathroom.
Anyway, all the cabinets, appliances, and countertops are all in place. It still needs to be finished off because the fur-downs created a challenge. None of them were particularly straight, so there were gaps, but we will put some edging on them and paint to match the cabinets to make them look like an extension of the cabinets. We couldn't get rid of them entirely because they hide some of the HVAC ductwork as well as some wiring and plumbing.
I am happy with the functionality of the IKEA cabinets (still using the AKURUM system, which is being discontinued by IKEA), but painting them was a real chore. I got some incorrect information that I could just use some alcohol-based primer and I wouldn't need to sand all these pieces, so I've had to do some painting, re-painting, sanding, and re-re-painting. Of course, I probably would have been okay if I'd used an oil-based paint instead of latex. But I'm not going to re-do it all again! And I'm hopeful that they'll last a while. They have a 25-year warranty, but they are not real wood, so I'm anxious about how they'll hold up. I plan to take care of them, though. Prevent spills, keep them clean, and so on.
For the countertops, I went with quartz. There is some quartz that is just gorgeous...and also very expensive. But I opted for Caesarstone in "Nougat" which is pretty with just a bit of sparkle to it. It's in the middle range as far as quartz pricing and about the same as some of the nicer granite. I really like it.
The Bosch appliances have been mostly great. The counter-depth fridge is low on space, particularly in the freezer, but it's very sleek (thanks to the water and ice dispensers being inside) and the alarm is nice since I don't always get the door closed. Also, the stainless steel front will take a magnet! This is great news for my little artist.
The Bosch dishwasher (a 500 series) does a great job and is very quiet. So much so that when it does make a noise, it's startling because I've forgotten it was on. However, I am accustomed to a "dry" cycle that could be disabled so that I could put any item anywhere in the dishwasher. This one does not have a dry cycle, but uses extra heated water to "made drying faster." Well, that water melted a silly straw already. I used the express cycle once, but it did not get the dishes as clean as the "light" cycle on my old Kenmore. However, I can get a lot more stuff into the Bosch, so I don't have to run it as often, so I suppose that works out.
The slide-in range is a bit disappointing. Though it is gorgeous, doesn't require any countertop behind it (it is "full depth") and has many, many nice features (most of which I'll never use), the one problem with it is a big one. That is, when the oven is on, the cooling fan is also on. And it is not quiet. This is only true for the slide-in models and I really don't get it. Even when I had it on a warming mode of 120F, the stupid fan was still running. In this age when everyone is blowing out the walls in their homes and many of us have living areas open to the kitchen, this seems like a real design flaw. And as quiet as the dishwasher is, I'd rather have it not be quiet and have a quiet oven because I can run the dishwasher at night and never hear it. And when I've finished cooking dinner, the fan will still run to cool down the oven for some 10 minutes after I've turned it off. So we hear this clutter noise while we're eating. This is something I think Bosch should really address or they're going to have a tough time selling these things. Though, in reading the reviews of the microwave, this feature may be preventing the microwave front from melting...
The microwave is the last of the suite of appliances I got. Its functionality is almost identical to the LG that I left behind (and loved), though it is smaller (by choice) and doesn't heat items quite as quickly. A weird thing it does is run the vent fan after items are heated, but the fan turns off once you open the door. I suppose this is so there's a lesser chance of your food continuing to be heated and cooked after it shuts off, so that's actually a rather nice feature if you use it to steam vegetables (as I do).
The floor remains on the to-do list. Of the many mistakes I have made, I definitely count purchasing Behr Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain near the top of the list. I should have let a professional do this job (and I will have to let a professional RE-DO this job). Here's the deal. This is acrylic water-based stain, which means it's really just very liquidy, thin paint. So, when it goes on, you can't really see where the stain is going because the water discolors the concrete. When it dried (lighter than when it went on), I could see roller marks that did not show up before. And by then, of course, it's too late to fix. You can put another coat or two on, but then it's not really semi-transparent any more. It's mostly opaque. Also, it's not a great sealer. Water-based sealer isn't great for sealing against water (dur) and it wears off within a couple of years anyway (I learned this from another DIYer after the fact). I also didn't prime the floors (I thought it was not necessary because of the sanding) and the stain did not adhere well. Lumps of drywall mud were left to dry on the floor when I had the ceilings finished and when I cleaned them off, the stain came with them. So I will pay someone else to stain and seal my floors…sometime.
Note that you see two faucets at the sink. Even though we have a filtered water dispenser inside the refrigerator, I wanted one at the sink (I don't like to drink really cold beverages). Mr. Eats wanted something a little sleeker than the standard water dispenser, so he chose this Delta prep sink faucet. It's not from the same line as the big pull-down faucet (Delta Allora, which I highly recommend), but similar enough and both come in Delta's newest finish, "Arctic Stainless" which is brighter and closer to the color of stainless steel appliances. It's really pretty.
The two barstools have been in my possession for 20 years now, purchased at a friend's yard sale, so they were already old then. But finding comfy 24-inch bar stools (counter height) is more of a challenge than I'd thought! And WTH, bar stools are expensive! I also still need the new windows install and trimmed out, a stainless steel backsplash for behind the range, install the shelving for my cookbooks over the 6-foot long counter between the pantries, choose a paint color for the breakfast room, and find an island that I like. So far, I haven't needed it.


text: Digital Another Reason You Can't Get A Reference On LinkedIn By Rachel Kaufman|February 23, 2010 Share By Rachel Kaufman|February 23, 2010 Share A positive reference from your ex-boss could be tougher to get now that lawyers are realizing that LinkedIn comments could consist grounds for a wrongful termination lawsuit.Let's try that again: Let's say someone is asked to leave her company and she asks one of her former managers for a reference. Let's say the manager doesn't know the full details of why Jane Doe left the company, but knows that she was a pretty good employee, so he writes a nice note for Jane's LinkedIn profile.Jane can now use that good reference as evidence that she was fired wrongly. It's a legal nightmare for some, including Shay Zeemer Hable, a labor and employment attorney, writing about the issue in Workforce. But for laid-off employees who just want to get on with their lives, they may not understand why they can't get any help from their former bosses. Any HR professional unfortunate enough to have lived through a discrimination lawsuit knows that the crux of a discrimination claim focuses on whether the employee can prove that the company's reason for termination was a pretext, which, put bluntly, means that every discrimination plaintiff seeks to prove his employer is lying about the reason for the firing. As a result, savvy attorneys will search the Internet for any comment that is inconsistent with the company's official message about the reason for the termination. For example: A plaintiff's attorney representing Joe White, who was terminated for poor performance, will consider it pay dirt if she finds a LinkedIn recommendation by his manager stating that Joe White was the best employee he ever had. Hable suggests one workaround, which is to make it clear that managers can make personal references, rather than work-related ones. A reference that said "Joe has worked for me for 10 years. Most recently, we worked on the strategic pricing project and Joe came up with the BuyLo initiative that increased revenue by 10 percent" could be problematic, but "I have known Joe for 10 years. I have observed that he is energetic, enthusiastic and innovative" would probably be OK. But is this really what we're coming to? It used to be, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Now it's "Don't say anything at all." Share http://adweek.it/2kOX77d copy Adweek Adweek


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Published Oct 24, 2012
Published Jan 11, 2014
Hi everyone !
I'm a not-so-typical girl from Poland. I am trying to be a hard-working student, but most of the time - I am enjoying playing and creating for The Sims. I love making clothes (mostly without meshes, to save your precious hard disc space) and building lots in The Sims 2&3 (especially small and cozy homes in original Maxis' style. I try to make them not only look nice, but to create a home in which I would actually live). Feel free to browse my creations, I hope that you will find something for you .
I would like to say a huge 'thank you' to every single person who ever left any kind of feedback about my stuff. It's the best reward for me after hours of creating and pulling out my hair .
It will be a great honour for me if you would like to visit me at my website: http://olivinea.bravehost.com/
Follow my Aldus Legacy @ http://olivinea.tumblr.com/
Base game starters - Sims 2&3Written Jul 16, 2012
Hi dear fellow simmers :)! Lately I just can't get enough of starter houses! But I don't want to ignore those of you which have got Sims 3, so at the moment I am converting all of Strawberry Street starters from Sims 2 to Sims 3. It is so much fun, because I have much more options while choosing styles. So it means, that it takes a lot more time to build, even if I have house plans! But I... ...More
Aldus LegacyWritten Apr 15, 2012
Hi folks :)! I've recently started my very own legacy, which you can find @ tumblr . Hope you will visit me there and enjoy this little story of mine :) Huggles! Ola ...More
ChangesWritten Feb 19, 2012
Hi everyone :) Few thing have changed in my life - firstly, I finally finished my University :)! I am really happy about it. Secondly, now I have more free time for creating! I'd like to present you my newly built house - 1 Rosewood Valley. It has got 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, kitchen and diningroom with cozy fireplace, livingroom and a garden... everything what your Sims will need :). Here... ...More
ibox159Feb 09, 2018
Mam takie nietypowe pytanie.. Jak eksportować simów do pliku w The Sims 2?
Z góry dziękuję za odpowiedź, pozdrawiam
TSMWorksMay 02, 2016
Serio jesteś z Polski? To pozdro bo ja też.
Fajnie było by zobaczyć jakieś mody do TS4, i mogłabyś zrobić trochę?
PralinesimsDec 19, 2015
♥♥ *~~♥ ♥ ♥ Happy Holidays!!! ♥ ♥ ♥*~~ ♥♥
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If you're like many of us at HOSTING, you may be using travel aggregators such as Priceline, Orbitz and Expedia to plan your long-awaited summer vacation. Through these sites, access to a number of airlines, hotels and car rental agencies are just a few mouse clicks away. And the best part is that you don't have to open dozens of browser windows to a myriad of fares, schedules, cancellation fees, etc. – it can all be viewed on one dashboard. For HOSTING Chief Strategy Officer (and frequent flier) Andy Schroepfer, these online travel agencies (OTAs) aggregated these airlines, introducing the next phase of cloud computing – the unified cloud. The Defining Paper for the Unified Cloud Marketplace illustrates how Priceline, Expedia and Orbitz aggregated a trillion dollar industry for the benefit of traveler, unifying a market that showed the same characteristics as the cloud industry does today.
3 things that the airlines and the cloud industry have in common
According to Andy, the airline industry is the perfect example to study as the unified cloud develops. There are many similarities between the two industries, including the following:
1) There is a core group of suppliers
There was a time when several new air carriers entered the market each year. Competition led to customer choice and greater affordability (not to mention free cocktails and better airline food). By 2000, the airline had already undergone significant consolidation (bye bye, PanAm and Northwest Airlines). New entrants, such as Jet Blue, have been relegated to "niche player" status. This consolidation is similar to the state of cloud services where there are no new entrants – Amazon Web Services (AWS) is akin to Delta Airlines and Jet Blue is similar to Microsoft Azure.
2) There is dwindling differentiation
Looking to get away? Back in 2000, if you wanted to book a last-minute trip, you either called or visited the websites of a few different airlines to see what flights were available within your desired schedule and price range. While each airline offered slightly different pricing, departure times, seat availability, connections, etc., they all got you to your desired destination.
The same can be said of the compute, storage, or networking resource of the cloud stack. While each cloud service provider (CSP) claims to be different, most of them accomplish the same technology goals, albeit with varying success and commitment to customer service.
3) Buyer frustration is a common denominator
The lack of a single resource in which to research and purchase airline tickets was a huge waste of time. Fortunately, the airline industry paid attentions and the "unified airline industry" was born. Once this was accomplished, airlines could direct their time and attention to customer loyalty programs. The same could happen in the cloud.
Similar to the airlines, there is rising frustration from IT teams tending to multiple control panels in order to manage their organization's cloud environments.
"It is vital to note that the airlines (suppliers) embraced the economic change early enough such that all were still able to compete and thrive in this new landscape. There is already evidence of the same story repeating in the unified cloud market, given the welcoming nature of this trend by Microsoft and Amazon"
– Andy Schroepfer, HOSTING Chief Strategy Officer
The unified cloud is coming
According to Andy, "the unified cloud is the next mega trend in cloud computing." However it is much more than another name for hybrid cloud or multi-cloud. Simply using a different cloud platform for different applications isn't new. However, in the future, a single control panel whose features go beyond a purchasing transaction will minimize vendor lock-in and enable a unified cloud experience.
Download our complimentary white paper for expert information and insights on the unified cloud marketplace.


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Motivational Quote of the Day – 22 Nov 2011 – No Love=More Pain – Deepak Chopra
"The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers."
— Deepak Chopra: is an authority in the field of mind-body healing
*******I know first-hand how true this is. I've closed my heart off so much over the years and now I finally realize how much I've hurt myself in the process. It's alright though, everything happens for a reason and I've learned so much about love and relationships that I feel ready now…I think ;)*******
Related articles
- Motivational Quote of the Day – 18 Nov 2011 – Is It Possible? – Deepak Chopra (shyra.wordpress.com)
- Motivational Quote of the Day – 14 Nov 2011 – Creating Yourself (shyra.wordpress.com)
- Quote for the Day: Deepak Chopra (konkerer.com)
- Best-selling Author of "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" – Dr. John Gray – to join Deepak Chopra at the "Journey into Healing" Workshop this September in San Diego (prweb.com)


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More good news for fans of HD content. It was only a day ago we talked about BD25, a Blu Ray torrent tracker that just opened up. Today's post is again about another relatively new torrent site focusing on high definition video. Blu Bits is a private tracker that indexes movies, TV shows and documentaries including full, untouched Blu Ray uploads, Remux, BD25 encodes and other video with 1080p, 1080i and 720p quality. Just like most other private trackers of its genre, BB indexes a limited amount of FLAC lossless music in addition to video content. Indexed torrents include scene releases, P2P uploads as well as Blu Bits internal encodes. The site is not exactly brand new and has been online for a couple of months. It has had a decent start so far, both when it comes to recruiting users as well as building a content rich torrent index. If you are interested in joining this community, registrations are currently open.
Some of you might be hearing about Blu Bits for the first time but judging by the site statistics, it appears to have received a fair bit of publicity so far. Currently there is a registered users bas of around 3500 members and 700+ active torrents can be found in the main index. True, these stats are easily dwarfed when compared with leading HD trackers such as HDbits.org or BIT-HDTV but for a site as young as Blu Bits, they are not bad at all.
As for the content indexed on Blu Bits, it's all about HD. Movies, TV shows, documentaries and adult material in high definition video formats can be found here. Video formats include untouched Blu Ray encodes, 3D Blu Ray releases (3DBD), BD25 encodes and 1080p, 1080i and 720p video encodes in x264 container. The site tracks both scene and P2P releases as well as some internal encodes exclusive to Blu Bits. Nowadays internal releases have become a unit of measuring value of a HD tracker so it's good to see BB trying to build this section right from the start.
Blu Bits is built on the xbtit tracker script – the site has all standard features of a private tracker, supports multiple languages and allows skin choosing. However, pages appear to be optimized for a higher resolution so you might have to use the horizontal scroll bars in browser if your display resolution is something less than 1152x864 (non widescreen).
Registrations for Blu Bits are currently open. It's not known if they would close anytime soon but as of right now, this is a pretty easy tracker to get into.
Site Name: Blu Bits (http://www.blu-bits.com)
Signup URL: http://www.blu-bits.com/index.php?page=signup
Other trackers similar to Blu Bits:Read the rest of this article...


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Elo 2494L 24 Inch Touch Screen Monitor with DVI/VGA/HDMI
Brand: Elo Touch Screens
The Elo 2494L is a 23.8-inch wide Touch Screen Monitor is great for us as at the Point of Sale or even as a Kitchen Video bump screen. There are many application that this can be used with.
It comes with DVI, VGA & HDMI plus USB & RS232 for the touch controller interface. It doesn't have a bulky power supply (Power Brick).
The Elo 2494L 24-inch open-frame LCD touchscreen features a slim design and narrow outside dimensions due to the state-of-the-art, energy-saving LED backlight, using less electricity to operate and generating less heat.
This compact display is designed for touch, with proven Elo expertise and reliability built in. The 2494L provides stable, drift-free operation with outstanding image clarity and light transmission—for accurate touch responses and vivid images.
Featuring a brilliant wide viewing angle panel, the open-frame touchscreen instantly grabs and holds the users' attention for kiosks, casino and amusement, retail self-service, and industrial automation environments.
3 Year Return to Base Warranty.
2494L 23.8-inch wide FHD LCD WVA (LED Backlight), Open Frame, HDMI, VGA & Display Port video interface, IntelliTouch, USB & RS232 touch controller interface, Worldwide-version, Clear, No power brick


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Crofting is a form of agriculture practised in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Until the mid 19th Century the 'runrig' system of cultivation was used, whereby strips of land were allocated to each crofter and rotated annually so that each had a share of good and poorer ground in turn. The houses then were built in small groups, or 'townships'. Evidence of this way of farming can still be seen in the landscape. In the mid 1840s the
land was re-organised and divided into small units of two to five acres each – the croft – on which the tenant could build a small house. Some of the houses had a small garden in which a few vegetables were grown. The crofter usually kept a cow for milk, a few sheep for their wool and meat, and some hens. He grew oats, to be ground into oatmeal, potatoes and hay for the animals.
Stooks of Hay:
(Photo: Gairloch Heritage Museum)
Because there were no fences between the crofts the cows had to be tethered, or put out onto the hill in the summer to forage for food. Groups of crofts (anything from 6 – 210) were encircled by a fence to keep the wandering animals from raiding the growing crops. These crofting townships, such as Lonemore and Melvaig beyond Gairloch, and Bualnaluib, Ormiscaig and Mellon Charles near Aultbea, are still recognised as separate communities today.
Until 1886 the crofters could be evicted by the landlord at any time and without good reason. Nor were they compensated for any improvements made to their land. It was only after extensive investigation by the Napier Commission that the law was changed to
give the crofter security of tenure. Now it was worthwhile to improve the property. So, the more substantial stone built houses now seen scattered (though sometimes derelict) through the local landscape came to be built. Even so, crofts were not large enough to sustain a family and the crofter had to find other employment for part of the year. Fishing, road making and masonry were some of the jobs available. With the men away the wives
and family worked the croft until the return of the head of the family.
The Croft House itself:
The crofter would have built it of unmortared stone, with the roof trusses made of any available timber, (frequently driftwood), and thatched with heather or straw. The floor of the house might well have been just beaten-down earth. The fire might have been central, although by the 1850s a fireplace with a wooden hood, as shown here, or a built-in flue, would more likely have been situated in the gable wall. The fuel was peat, and cooking was done in pots, frying pans or on girdles suspended over the fire by an adjustable
hook and chain.
The inside of a typical Croft House
( Photo: Gairloch Heritage Museum)
The furnishings of the house were very simple, perhaps a box bed, a dresser, table and chairs, with a long bench or lannsaid. Most of these would have been hand-made from any wood that happened to be available. However, the people liked to buy some manufactured articles from passing peddlers, (and eventually from catalogues). The 'American clock' was a fashionable and much treasured article, though many were produced and exported. The cruisgean, or crusie lamp, burned fish oil. Other typical articles which helped to make the home more comfortable included the spinning wheel, a cradle with a woollen cord to help prevent the baby from falling out, baking boards, porridge bowls and horn spoons. Horn was one of the first 'plastics', meaning that it could be moulded. These spoons were created by cutting the horn to form a block, then wetting it and pressing it into shape in a wooden mould. Almost all the textiles in the croft house were made locally, being either woven or knitted. The sheets on the bed are the exception. They were made from cotton sugar bags, bleached and sewn together.
There are still many of the original croft houses used today - but not many are still "crofthouses" as such. You can see examples of them all over Wester Ross. One or two may still have their thatched roofs still in place, but most are now slated roofs. The example here had an earthen floor until the mid 1930's, and a thatched roof about 50 years ago. Until very recently, the sole form of heating in the living area was one coal fire!


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We already installed minikube for you. Check that it is properly installed, by running the minikube version command:
minikube version
OK, we can see that minikube is in place.
Start the cluster, by running the minikube start command:
minikube start
Great! You now have a running Kubernetes cluster in your online terminal. Minikube started a virtual machine for you, and a Kubernetes cluster is now running in that VM.


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Ask a Font Creator: Do You Ever Stop Thinking About Fonts?
Posted on 18th November 2016
I field questions from all over, and this particular one came from my husband, after once again having to stop while I was all, "Oh, hold on, I have to double-back and take a picture of that!" I'm always on the lookout for a new font to use in a design, or something to inspire me . . . or a font failure that I need to share with all of you.
I didn't post last week because we were on the road in Las Vegas. I took a bunch of pictures so I could share some of the good, the bad, and the ugly with all of you.
First off, let's take a look at the Thrifty Rental Car company logo (which I had plenty of time to look at, as there was a long line to pick up our rental car). This thing drive me nuts for a couple of reasons.
Thing number one: let's talk about the spacing between the letters, versus the width of that line cutting horizontally through the word. If we had to measure, I'd say that the horizontal line is about two times as wide as the spacing between letters, and for me, that's just too close. I'd much rather see either a 1:1 ratio, or a 1:3 ratio, so that the spacing is either exactly the same or distinctly and purposefully different. It's like when you're pairing up two weights of a font — you want to go for really light and really thick, so the difference stands out as an intentional choice, instead of a maybe-mistake.
Thing number two: the way the final "ty" is merged into a ligature. I'm not against a good ligature, but I don't think this one is a good one. It makes the Y feel really cramped up next to the T, like the Y is slowly being eaten. It just feels so odd and weird and unnecessary. If you're going to merge letters together into ligatures, either do it more than once, or don't do it at all. If they'd also combined the opening T with the H, and then the crossbars of the F and T, I'd be much more OK with it.
Minor thing three: That capital T that starts the word? I'd even out the length of the bar across the top, so it extends the same distance to the right as it does to the left. It's just uneven enough to be jarring.
This was our hotel, the Aria. I'm pretty sure the name of the hotel is hand-lettered — it has the look of something made with an angled calligraphy brush in Adobe Illustrator. But it's simple, and I appreciate that. I also like the way they extended the crossbar of the A so that the tip of it could serve as the tittle (AKA the dot) for the lowercase I. Let's also talk about the pairing: it's a classic pair between handwriting/script style type and a sans-serif. You pretty much can't go wrong with this combination, because it's so safe. I think they also did a really good job balancing the tracking (which is the uniform spacing between all of the letters in a word, while kerning is the spacing adjustment between two specific letters). The letters aren't so far apart that they lose touch with each other, but they have plenty of breathing space between, and it's a similar amount of tracking in both the large script and the small sans-serif.
An awesome part of Las Vegas is that you don't just have typography in the hotel names. Each hotel has restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and shops, and all of those places have their own typographic logos. Here's the nightclub in the Aria, and it's another great example of pairing. The "JEWEL" is in a stylized sans-serif, while "NIGHTCLUB" is in a serif font (another of the classic pairings). Just like with the hotel's logo, check out the tracking — a good amount of space between the letters, but not too much. I also love the mirroring of the word "JEWEL," with the reversed J and L. And look at that W – the rounded bit in the middle gives some unity to the rounded edges of the J and L, while the harder edges at the tops and bottoms go well with the straight lines of the Es.
There are also some designer tricks in here. I bet if you got a ruler out and held it to the wall, you'd find that the distance between the two bottom points of the W is pretty darned close to the distance between the bottom points of the W and the neighboring Es. And that's probably also very close to the distance between the bottom of JEWEL and the top of NIGHTCLUB. Meanwhile, the spacing between the lines of the Es in JEWEL is very, very close to the spacing between the letters in NIGHTCLUB. If you have some elements in your design with similar spacing, let those same spacing measurements dictate the rest of your design, and things will look a lot more unified.
All right, now we're going to get a little bit of Angry Missy. We passed this sign every time we entered or left the hotel, and it filled me with rage every single time. Heck, it's getting me steamed just looking at this picture.
Why, you ask? It's clear, sharp sans-serif print, easy to read, easy to understand! What could be wrong with it? Well, let's zoom in and take a closer look at some terrible design:
First, let's talk about the concept of small caps. Small caps are an OpenType feature where you can replace lowercase letters with shorter versions of capital letters. They're created especially so that text can be written in all-caps, but still have that differentiation between "uppercase" and "lowercase." And they're ALSO created especially so that you can use them together, and all of the letters will have the same line weight.
The creators of this sign, instead of finding a font with a small caps set, merely used the regular capital letters and just changed the font size. So if the "uppercase" caps are in 50-point text, the "lowercase" might be in 35 or 40. The problem is, the higher a point size, the larger the line width, since everything scales up. So for all of these words like Tram and Vdara and Bellagio and Arena, that first letter is visibly thicker than the others.
But an even bigger problem with all of those words is the kerning. In most fonts, the designer will kern common pairs of letters so that they snuggle in well together. Taking the top word TRAM as an example, any designer worth their salt would have kerned the T and a lowercase R so that the R nestled under the umbrella of the T, to avoid leaving that huge gap of white space between the two. But because the designers of this sign used all caps, and just mixed sizes, they really needed to kern these pairs by hand. And it's a problem in ALL of these words – The V and D of Vdara need to be closer, as do the B and E of Bellagio, as do the A and R of Arena.
And the real killer is, if you go back up one picture to look at the whole sign, some things were kerned! Look at the third row down, with "Taxi * Limo" in it. The A of Taxi has definitely been moved underneath the T! If I had to guess, I'd say that at least two different people made parts of this sign. Aria, Main Valet, and Taxi * Limo were done by someone with at least a passing interest in doing some kerning, while for Bell Desk on downward, the idea of kerning went out the window.
And lest you think that the problem was just at the Aria, here's a sign at the Bellagio (which gave us a real Ocean's Eleven vibe when we walked through, not gonna lie) with the exact same problem. That gap between the T and R of Tram is just as bad as the one at the Aria. And in the word "Bellagio" itself, look at how far that B is standing away from the rest of the letters. ARGH! UGH! (And this was probably about the point where my husband asked his follow-up question, "Are you going to be all, 'argh, ugh' for this whole trip?")
But bad kerning wasn't just limited to the hotels:
Here's a jewelry store located in the super-fancy mall next to our hotel. As you can see, watches are a big thing in Vegas, presumably so you can see how much time you've spent losing money gambling. What makes me jittery about this sign is that last letter O. So far from its neighboring L, so close to the N! And there are really a lot of tiny adjustments I'd love to make here: the OU is a little widely-spaced, as is BI.
Here's a super-helpful trick when kerning: don't just look at two letters, look at three letters at a time. Block everything else from your vision, and just look at letters three at a time. Adjust the letter in the center so that it looks evenly-spaced between the other two, then move one letter down the way and do the same thing. So you'd do TOU, then OUR, then URB, and so on and so forth. Knowing that, block out the rest of this word, and just look at that last LON. Makes you say ARGH and UGH, right?
And so you know it's not just that one window, here's the store's lighted logo out front. Harder to see because of the back-lighting and shadows, but that LON is still pretty darned terrible. (It also appears that the fewer actual things that are on shelves/racks in a store, the more expensive those things are. We saw clothing stores with six inches between every item hung on a rack, so I'm sure it was all well above my budget.)
So there's some kerning food for thought for you. Look at three letters at a time, and know that if you're doing something non-standard with a font, you'll need to kern things by hand.
Moving on to another topic: wildly overused fonts.
This is one of several different slot machines that used the font Papyrus. Because it's a font that comes stock with most computers, you'll see it out in the world a LOT. I've seen it on many logos here around my town (Phoenix, AZ) from landscapers to apartment buildings to one home mortgage company. It was even used as the title font (and used for the in-movie subtitles) for the movie Avatar.
Now, some people like the look of Papyrus, and I'm not going to say they're wrong — we all have our own tastes, and if we all liked the same thing, this would be a very boring world. My primary issues are twofold: one is that since it's a font that's been around since the '80s, and included for free on computers for decades, it's just way too common. Especially if you're making something that will make money (like slot machine designers, or billion-dollar moviemakers), you should spend the money for something more unique, that you aren't going to see on every corner. The other thing is, it's the font equivalent of "jack of all trades, master of none." To some, it looks old-west. To some, it's biblical or ancient. To James Cameron, it looked alien. And while writing this post, we just went to Costco, and I saw it on a box of meatballs, so clearly to that designer it looked Italian. For all of those looks, there's another font to choose that looks more like the meaning you're trying to convey.
Comic Sans: same thing.
A lot of people have a full-on hate on for Comic Sans. Because, like Papyrus, it's been a freebie on computers for decades, so it's everywhere. This is a package of tortilla strips that was in our hotel mini-bar, and if we'd chosen to take it and eat them, it would have cost us $6. For a one-ounce package of chips/crisps. If you're getting your food products into the lucrative hotel mini bar market, please spend a couple of extra dollars to get a font that's more unique, and matches your product.
Comic Sans is great for the grandparents' yearly Christmas letter, or posters in a kindergarten classroom. It has a young and childlike feel. Which, I don't know about you, isn't a feeling I want associated with my high-end snack food.
Here's another example of pairing, but this time it doesn't work. This restaurant is attached to the outside of the Paris hotel. First off, they're using two handwriting/script fonts together, which can be a tough match. The text on the top is likely hand-made (I tried running it through the font identifiers, but came up with nothing). It's kind of like if ITC Matisse and AdPro had a baby. I actually really like it for its purpose — it definitely evokes a feel of France, and has a similarity to some of the stylings of French posters from the 1900s-1920s.
But remember from the post on font pairing, you want to keep your pairs to similar moods and time periods. And the bottom font here evokes a 1950s retro grocery store sign feel. You can almost picture that font in a sign advertising eggs for 50 cents a dozen. It's a time period mismatch as well as a mood mismatch. They would have done much better to pair the top font with a simple sans-serif. (I'd choose sans-serif over a serif font, because sans-serif is usually a little more light and casual, while a serif font is usually a little more formal.)
So let's end with something I found fascinating. There's a sign on Las Vegas Boulevard that welcomes you to Las Vegas. (Sadly, it was hard to get to, so I got a picture instead of this very similar sign at the entrance to the historic section of Fremont Street in downtown LV.) But we saw versions of this sign everywhere — pawn shops, car dealerships, bail bondsmen, and a bunch of others, all with the same circles-and-rounded-diamond shapes, and the same style of lettering. I knew the sign was created after 1923, so I wondered how so many businesses could use a design that should be under copyright.
Turns out, even though the sign was originally designed in 1959 (which means it should still be a text/shape design covered under copyright), the original designer, Betty Willis, refused to copyright it, and gifted it to the public domain! And back in 1959, they knew about pairing fonts — a fabulous script with two different widths/weights of a nice, simple sans-serif. Just goes to show, good design never goes out of style!
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UNICEF Jobs in Abuja,Nigeria for a Training Officer,October 2012
UNICEF Nigeria seeks the services of experienced Training Officer, who will under the supervision of the Chief, Human Resources, be responsible for the implementation of UNICEF Nigeria training and staff
development activities.
Job Title: – Training Officer, NOB. Abuja.
Vacancy number: VN-NGR-27-2012
Contract Type: Two years Fixed Term
Some of the major functions that the incumbent is expected to carry out are as follows:
Create a Training work plan through consultation with staff. Management. in partnership with our Region and headquarters colleagues (as appropriate) for the appropriate delivery of a wide range of quality services.
Based on identified training needs, assists in designing and implementing innovative, focused training and development programmes that are capable of delivering capacity building of staff and real performance gains to UNICEF – Nigeria within available budgets and shapes an integrated process for the benefit of staff of UNICEF Nigeria.
In consultation with Management, develop best practice in all aspects of staff development, capacity building in conjunction with performance management and constantly evaluate the effectiveness of training programs to determine areas of improvement, challenges and opportunities for growth in training functions. Assists in guiding line management on training and development needs to ensure that training becomes an integral part of staff development.
Periodically track, maintain and review records of the organization's achievement with regard to the annual training plan and activities, highlighting success, weaknesses and challenges for consideration in mandatory reports.
Minimum qualification & competencies:
University Degree in Human Resources Management required. Masters in Human Resources Management or/and organizational development preferred.
Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Knowledge of another UN working language an/or local working language of the duty station is an asset.
Two (2) years progressively responsible work experience in developing and managing Training and/or Human Resources programmes.
Working within a Human Resource Section in HR programme delivery; and experience working in an international organization will be considered a distinct advantage.
Good communication, analytical and negotiating skills. Ability to work in a diverse environment.
Knowledge of computer management and applications.
How to Apply
All eligible candidates must please send via email
(1) cover letter (one-page summary statement that describes how your experience and qualification relate to the job description) and
2) a scanned/PDF copy of the completed and signed UN Personal History Form; to firstname.lastname@example.com by close of business on Tuesday, 30 October 2012.
IMPORTANT: Please put the position title you are applying for on the subject line of your email
UNICEF, a smoke-free environment, is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly women are strongly encouraged to apply.


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Lindsay Lohan reportedly wanted by police to talk about car accident
HollywoodNews.com: Lindsay Lohan isn't yet being investigated over a rumored car accident in Hollywood, but police reportedly do want to get her side of the story where a bar manager claims she bumped him with her car.
Police allegedly want to talk to Lindsay about what happened in order to determine whether or not this whole situation needs to become a criminal investigation, states TMZ. The police reportedly need to talk to her because there are allegedly conflicting eyewitness stories.
Plus, the manager reportedly appeared uninjured immediately after the accident but later complained of pain.
Do you think the case will move forward?
Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.
Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News
Image by PR Photos


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Category Archives: epic
Epic ~ The previews for this flick made it look amazing, with a stunning sense of wonder and discovery. They showed a young girl suddenly discovering a whole new world right under her nose, a battle between good and evil fought by tiny leaf men two inches tall.
You see the leaf men immediately in the movie. I couldn't help but think this movie might have fared better under a veil if secrecy, sort of like what Disney did with Brave. Let the audience experience the sense of wonder and discovery along with our protagonist, like The Wizard of Oz, allow the magic to be seen simultaneously through the heroine's and audience's eyes.
That aside, the film has a stunning voice cast, including Colin Farrell, Christoph Waltz, Steven Tyler, Amanda Seyfried, Chris O'Dowd, Beyonce, and Pitbull, all putting in great performances. I was really blown away by the voice work, in some portions of the movie, keeping it afloat where the story was failing.
Speak of the devil, the story was horribly predictable and telegraphed early on. Again, this is something else that might have been helped by holding back some in the previews. I was also saddened by a less than memorable score by Danny Elfman, that made me wonder if the man has list his touch.
The Bride and I saw this opening night in 2D as opposed to 3D, hoping to save a few bucks. It appeared flat and fuzzy, and I was assured there were no projection problems. I thought it looked drab, compared to previews (in 3D) I had seen. Perhaps this is one of those films, like Life of Pi, that just needs to be seen in 3D.
All in all, this is a good flick for the little kids, although I wish there hadn't been so many in the ten o'clock showing we were at. You're better off waiting for the home release however.


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Benefits Of Exercise Bike
Obesity is the most common problem of people all over the world. Another sad fact is that most people don't have sufficient time to go for ling walks or go to the gym for work out to reduce their body fat. Among the numerous equipment available for home gym, exercise bike is one of the most preferred and bought product by most people. This is due to the infinite benefits that working on exercise bike brings with it. The principal types of bikes include stationery exercise bike and recumbent exercise bike. A recumbent exercise bike has a back support that provides support to the doer. This feature of recumbent bike makes it more comfortable than the stationery bike. However both these bikes bring numerous fitness benefits for people who do regular workout on these bikes. Some of these benefits include:
1. Low cost
The most important thing about exercise bikes is that they are extremely cheap and can be afforded by most people. Nowadays good quality bikes come for just over $100, whereas elliptical machines and treadmills cost two or three times more than exercise bike. So, most people prefer buying an exercise bike over treadmills and other equipment.
2. Support low impact exercise.
Exercise bikes are not meant for jumping or running on to them, they are relatively effortless on the joints. Thus exercise bikes are popularly used by people suffering from joint pain and problems like arthritis or osteoporosis.
3. Keeps the heart healthy.
Regular riding on an exercise bike helps to improve the cardiovascular health and makes the heart healthy. These bikes keep people away from strokes and other heart diseases.
4. Pain management.
Rising these exercise bikes helps relive chronic back pain.
5. Extremely safe.
Treadmills and elliptical machines are not safe and many a time's people fall off, hurting themselves. On the other hand exercise bikes are extremely safe and there are no chances of people falling and hurting themselves during exercise.
6. Helps in weight loss.
All types of exercise bikes help people lose excessive body fat and keep away from problems like obesity.
7. Keeps the lungs healthy.
Regular workout on exercise bikes helps in keeping the lungs healthy, thus preventing the occurrence of respiratory diseases.
8. Supports multitasking.
Exercise bikes supports multitasking as the exerciser can watch television or read a book while exercising. This saves time and makes people enjoy the entire activity.
Exercise bikes are convenient and easy to use and can be installed in any corner of your house. This will not only help you exercise and lose weight sitting at home. But will also save hundreds of dollars which you would otherwise spend going to the gym.


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Posting ads for 51 years
Posting ads for 51 years
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I am still processing the unexpected and exceptional honors given from high places,
which I see as a confirmation of the mission and vision that is developing for several years
particularly since the trans-formative accident in Egypt 4 years ago in which I lost my wife and
was given only a 20% survival chance myself, being several weeks in coma.
At my hospital bed I was given works by Ignatius de Loyola that made a strong impression..
The CoRe system is only the
first step in realizing my mission that, I know, was already developed before the accident.
The next and more important step is to bring healing and science back into the service of the spirit and a connection with god, for those ready and hungry for it.
Receiving the title of "Baron" in the tradition of the Holy Roman Empire was very unexpected for my little SELF but was apparently part of the plan for a long time as I made this movie before I got any knowledge of this honor (just posted it now on YOUTUBE) :
More strikingly – this mission and the help I would get from the Catholic church was apparently built into my fate as I personally designed and created our company logo of AIM and in it used the picture of the Key from the papal regalia – years ago
When I created this logo I had not even received my first honors as a Knight of the order of Saint Sylvester – nor did I have any idea of the existence of these institutions.
At that time the key stood for me for the necessary requirement of healing and just like a key it had to fit the particular patient perfectly. This is the function and ability of the CoRe system that it can find what a client is connected to (which call it resonance).
Today the use of this symbol – is a shocking reminder for the high responsibility that is laid on my shoulders. In the 4 years since my accident there was a succession of intimations that made it clear to me that all healing – in fact all change – is only possible when we have this key to the spiritual source that we call God.
AND different then most new-age believe I know that we cannot make a connection directly – but that an intermediate instance that I call the -informational level- is necessary. This level or matrix is what the CoRe system accesses to find patient specific issues like needs, aversions, missing factors, toxic influences.
This connection can be made through prayer or with the help of the saints, a liturgy and ritual developed in the church by evolved servants of God over centuries.
To me the attempt to make a personal and lonely attempt for a god-connection is more futile then trying to reach the Mount Everest alone or the moon. The reason why so many today think this would be possible or even be the result of excessive individualism is again another effect the US American virus that is put into the slogan "Do it yourself" – which is practiced by countless and that has so many pitiful expressions in todays culture.
Isn't it a pittiful situation that so many lack the basic knowledge today how a cellphone works or a TV, or how to take a carborator apart (most are concerned only how it is spelled) or how to re-install their programs once they bought a new computer – & they do not know a thousand other simple things but they know :
– what life is for
– that they are doing the best they can do to get there
– that they know all themselves because they do not need any spiritual teachers
– that they know all about abusive organizations like the church
– and so much more – all without having it ever learned it from someone – it comes form their deepest most personal unique understanding
You cannot imagine how many e-mail I already got regarding my connection to the catholic church – aggressive negative or with at least with good minding fatherly advice – here just a few examples
– you do not know what you are getting into with the bloody church
– they were behind your accident in Egypt to get you ready to be their servant
– you have such a good understanding in so many respects but your wish for getting acknowledgement from authority has completely taken over your common sense
– do you really want to cooperate with an institution that has killed thousands in the inquisition and is run now by a bunch or phaedophils
– the pope will soon be removed by our government as he is not necessary anymore, so better watch out
– I want to tell you that I have clear knowledge that the pope is part of the Bavarian Illuminati http://www.benbest.com/history/bavarian.html and he wants to make Bavarian culture the rule for the new world order and as he knows you are also from Munich – you will be good material to help this process
most of you certainly will not have succumbed to the US american virus to the degree that the writers of the above have completely lost their senses – but honestly all you know about the church is from the media and they do paint a devastating picture in cultures like USA and Germany
Not because they want to bring down the church or because they have bad intention – simply because they are moved by the number of viewers their messages get and for most people out there, who have an empty and boring life, it is just worth at least another few seconds of attention to listen to the latest church phaedophil news – what else can give a little kick to a life that is running on so low.
These people are simply not ready for making a new step just as 500 years ago people like Gallileo where put under house-arrest – by the establishment that is always about keeping the status-quo going (Matter-information 100% momentum)
But in our time it is not the church that is the establishment – it is the majority that are programed to believe that they are free individuals and that their country is only there to provide and protect their freedom and the power of all the technology that has given them the freedom not having to work so hard anymore.
Look how strangely things have turned into its opposite, even an institution like the ISSSEEM that considers itself to be at the forefront of human knowledge, medicine and subtle energy are so locked into the contemporary way of thinking and feeling that they do not even answer Kiran's offer to give them a 30 000 $ dollar donation because he as taken the freedom to point out some of their week spots.
On the other side – the vatican – that they certainly believe to be the most backward, authoritarian and conservative institution on the planet honors Kiran with the title of a Baron although Kiran does not mind to be seen with all kind of animals on YOUTUBE or to talk in front of budha-status with a very free spirit.
I have not even talked about what the connection with the Church means for me and what it could mean very practically for you
About this next time with an even greater surprise – keep tuned.


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Contact Information for Blount's Speedy Rooter—Your Plumbing Service Company in Temple, TX and More!
For fast, professional service for all your plumbing, sewer and septic needs, contact Blount's Speedy Rooter. We proudly service the Bell County, Coryell County, McLennan County, and the Killeen/Ft. Hood, Texas area. For all septic tank installation, drain cleaning, sump pump service, and more, call us!
Phone: (254) 774-7211 Email: [email protected]
Hours of Operation:
We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


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Farm Animals
With the help of some barn yard friends children will recognize that mammals are born alive, get milk from their mothers and grow to adulthood. Students will visit a working farm and learn about cows, sheep, pigs, horses, chickens, ducks, goats, and even cats and dogs. A perfect introduction to farm animals, this video explains what the male, female, and baby of each species are called, and recognize that baby animals always grow up to be the same kind of animal as their parents.
Find out how animals that live on farms help the farmer and the community.
- Students will know about some of the animals that are found on farms, and describe the contributions they make.
- Horses: An adult female horse is called a mare; a young female horse is called a filly; an adult male horse is called a stallion; a young male horse is called a colt; and a baby horse is called a foal. Most mares have one foal in the spring. Horses eat a lot of grass; in fact, they spend 11-13 hours a day grazing. During the spring and summer there is plenty of grass for the horses to eat; however, in the winter no grass is available, so horses eat hay instead. The strength and speed of horses make them an important addition to a farm. Before the advent of tractors, horses were used to pull wagons and plough fields. Today, many farmers use horses to drive cattle. Horses are kept in stables when the weather is poor.
- Chickens: A female chicken is called a hen; a male chicken is called a rooster; and a baby chicken is called a chick. When chicks hatch from eggs, they have a soft feather covering called down; soon, they will grow their adult feathers. Chickens eat grains and insects. Farmers raise chickens for meat and eggs. A single hen can produce about five eggs each week, that's about 260 eggs a year!
- Cattle: A full-grown female is called a cow; a cow that has not given birth is called a heifer; a full-grown male is called a bull; and a baby is called a calf. Calves are born in the late winter or early spring. They get their nutrition from their mother's milk. Calves stay with their mothers until they are 7-8 months old. From that point on, cattle get their nutrition from grass or hay. Cattle graze on grass in areas called pastures. Since they have no cutting teeth, cattle must tear the grass from the ground. Grass is not easily digested, so cattle belong to a class of animals called ruminants, which means they chew their cud; that is, they eat grass, digest it, bring it back up, and chew on it again. This process breaks the grass down into a usable form. There are two main types of cattle, dairy and beef. Dairy cows are raised for their milk, which is used for drinking and in the production of yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and butter. Cows produce the most milk of any farm animal (about 8 gallons a day, or 2300 gallons a year); however, they need to eat a lot grass and drink about 16-20 gallons of water every day to do so. Beef cattle are raised for their meat. People get steaks, roasts, ribs, and hamburgers from beef cattle. Their hides are used to make leather for shoes, wallets, belts, and furniture. In addition, film, glue, soap, and paint are products made from cattle parts.
- Sheep: A female sheep is called a ewe; a male sheep is called a ram; and a baby sheep is called a lamb (they are fully grown at 6 months, but they are still called lambs if they are less than 1 year old). Older sheep spend much of their day in large groups, called flocks, eating grasses in the pasture. Unfortunately, too much grass can make sheep sick, so farmers let them eat grass in the pasture for part of the day and then keep them in a dry lot, which has food and water, but no grass, for the rest of the day. Sheep have a fleece coat that keeps them warm in the winter. During the summer, however, the coat can be hot and it attracts insects, so farmers shear the coats of their sheep in the spring. The fleece coat is then cleaned and made into woolen clothing and rugs. Sheep are also raised for their meat and milk. In addition, sheep are used to produce soap, lanolin, and glue.
- Goats: A female goat is called a doe or nanny goat; a male goat is called a buck or Billy goat; and a baby goat is called a kid. Goats are herd animals, which means that they need to have the company of other goats. They have a special 4-chambered stomach that allows them to eat many plants that other animals cannot eat; goats can even eat twigs and branches. The ability to eat many forms of vegetation makes goats very useful for land clearing. More people drink the milk of goats than any other single animal; it is easier to digest goat's milk than cow's milk.
- Pigs (Hogs or Swine): An adult female hog is called a sow, and male hogs of any age are called boars. Sows have two litters of piglets each year; each litter has 8-16 babies. After about 4 weeks of drinking their mother's milk, piglets are weaned; from this point on, pigs eat only solid food. It will take 4-5 years for piglets to mature into adults. Pigs are fed a well-balanced diet that includes corn and other grains. They also eat meals made from soybeans, peanuts, fish, and meat scraps. Pigs only have sweat glands in their snouts, so they have to wallow in the mud on hot days to keep cool. Still, pigs are very clean and smart animals. They have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. Pigs are usually raised for pork; it is used to make sausages, bacon, and ham. In addition, many other products come from pigs including lard, which is used for cooking, and pigskin, which is used for gloves and footballs.
- Dogs: Dogs have good hearing and a great sense of smell, and they respond well to commands. These characteristics are put to good use on the farm. Herding dogs are efficient at moving livestock into pens, and guard dogs protect the farm animals from predators.
- Class research report: Have the class research a farm animal that was not mentioned in the video. The students should get information similar to the information provided in the video (i.e., female/male/baby names, where it lives, what it eats, special features, and the contribution(s) it makes to the farm and to the world). Then, the class should write a paragraph together reporting the information. The teacher can write the paragraph on a large piece of butcher paper, and the students can copy it. This activity is good practice for developing, researching, reading, writing, and comprehension skills.
- Field trip: Having all the information learned in the video would provide an excellent background for a field trip to a real farm. Contact local farms and ranches to make arrangements.
- Subject: Science: Life
- Grade Level: 0-2


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Author: Alex Rhodes, Senior Associate, Planning, London
While this may feel like yet another winter with warmer than usual temperatures, the harsh reality is that not everyone will be celebrating the season of goodwill with a roof over their heads. It's an issue bothering local and central government alike. We're still waiting for the government's Housing White Paper, now due to be published in January. However, the Mayor of London published his draft SPG on affordable housing and viability on 29 November, and this has been followed by a government consultation on a new housing costs model for supported housing, "Ensuring new supply of supported housing", concerning housing for the most vulnerable people such as those with learning difficulties, older people with support needs, young people leaving care, and crisis and emergency accommodation.
The government is expressly seeking the views of developers on its supported housing costs model, the consultation for which runs until 13 February 2017, and the Mayor's draft SPG consultation closes on 28 February. Wouldn't it be good if progress can be made on closing the housing gap; perhaps these consultations may result in some comfort and joy for affordable and supported housing occupiers.
For more information please contact:


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CVS Caremark is a prescription benefit management subsidiary of CVS Health. It is one of the leading pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) located at Woonsocket, Rhode Island. To deliver better outcomes to the customers, they use integrated models to reduce pharmacy spends for payers. They also design various prescription coverage plans. That's in consultation with government, health insurance companies, employers and other health benefit program sponsors. They design clinical programs and pharmacy services with the help of digital tools and online prescription management tools. Clients can also understand the medications along with the benefits,
They introduce CVS Health Payor Solutions to help the payors on various health plans. It is helpful for the employers to find various ideas and strategies. This is to provide lower cost drugs and to improve health outcomes.
CVS Caremark Login Page
You can register to CVS Caremark services by simply entering to their website. You can register your name, address, date of birth, zip code and optional benefit ID number which is on Benefit Card. Most of the plans require members to be 18 years of age or older. You can login by your username and password. You can also refill your order by providing your date of birth and mail service Rx number on home page itself.
Transform Care
Transform care is a program by CVS Health to help the clients of PBM in deciding the lower pharmacy costs. This provides knowledge about chronic diseases through trend management. Through lifestyle management, it will also improve medication adherence. The program is more than enough to new clients.
Pharmacy Advisor
This is a program by CVS Health to help all of its CVS Caremark plan members in achieving better health outcomes. A direct contact with the pharmacist is provided in this program. It helps the members to fill the prescriptions at CVS Pharmacy. It also provides to choose mail deliver services through phone.
Maintenance Choice
This program enables the eligible CVS Caremark members the option to fill their 90 day maintenance prescriptions. This will be facilitating by mail order or in store for the same lower copayment. The plan sponsor will also receive a typical lower mail rate. Such type of feasibility is their for sponsors.
Formulary Strategy
The management of CVS Health follows formulary strategy in implementing all the CVS Caremark programs. This helps the clients and members in selecting a better health care system which is delivering in lower costs.
Pharmacy Networks
CVS Health operates more than 68000 retail pharmacies in the United States. This enables the clients and members of CVS Caremark in easily accessing of the national network of pharmacies. These managed networks helps in reducing clinical costs and also improve health outcomes.
Today CVS Caremark is one of the leading pharmacy benefit management companies. It provides comprehensive prescription benefit management services. There are more than 2000 health plans. This is in collaboration with the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations etc.
CVS Caremark Customer Care
For any questions regarding the prescription benefits, you may call their toll free number at 18005528159.
For technical support, the toll free number is 18774607766
The official address of CVS Caremark is
CVS Caremark, Customer Care Correspondence, PO Box 6590, Lee's Summit, MO 64064-6590
Website www.caremark.com


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Kansas City plays a prominent role in one of Hollywood's greatest movies, Preston Sturges' 1941 comic masterpiece, Sullivan's Travels.
Produced at the height of the Great Depression, Sullivan's Travels follows John L. Sullivan, himself a Hollywood movie director of comedies, as he tries to find meaning through making a socially relevant dramatic film, called O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Sullivan convinces his studio to allow him to research O Brother by traveling cross-country disguised as a hobo. Things don't go well for Sullivan—he has difficulties living the tramp life, even with a crew of helpers following him in a "land yacht." He finally eschews the crew, and strikes out on his own, but hits rock bottom in the Kansas City freight yards, then known as a hobo jungle.
In Kansas City, Sullivan declares his mission complete, but his traveling companion, played by the sultry (and still sexy by today's standards) Veronica Lake, is saddened at the thought of losing him to Hollywood. That night, Sullivan wanders the streets of Kansas City handing out $5,000 in five-dollar bills to the needy.
A hobo wearing Sullivan's stolen shoes, which contained his only identification, follows Sullivan and robs him, and after knocking him unconscious, drags his body onto a freight car. The hobo dies shortly thereafter when he is hit by a train.
Sullivan awakens the next day at an unknown train station of another city. Still groggy from the blow to his head, Sullivan lies face down on the floor of a moving freight car that is entering a rail yard. Bewildered, he staggers to his feet but falls down. When the train stops, he lowers himself down to the ground. A mean-looking yard bull with a thick club confronts Sullivan, insults him, pushes him along, and then slaps him on the back of the head.
Furious, Sullivan clenches his right fist around a rock and punches the yard man in the face. Realizing what he has done, Sullivan looks down at his fist which is now dripping with blood. Still in a confused state of mind, Sullivan is tried for the death of the railway bull, for which he is sentenced to six years in a chain-gang labor camp.
Meanwhile, back in Kansas City, Sullivan's "people," particularly the Veronica Lake character, are worried about Sullivan's whereabouts: "I should have gone with him. I knew he'd get into trouble without me…"
Sullivan's chauffeur from the "land-yacht" calls from the morgue, presuming that the unidentifiable old bum mangled and killed by the oncoming train is the missing Sullivan. In between the soles of the bum's shoes (stolen from Sullivan), the director's identification card is found. The next day's Kansas City Tribune headlines erroneously report Sullivan's death:
"STRANGE DEATH OF HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR—John L. Sullivan Found Dead in Freight Yards—Under circumstances cloaked in mystery, the remains of John L. Sullivan, ace director, were found today on the right-of-way of the local freight yard."
Sullivan eventually regains his memory, but not before learning the importance of laughter in the otherwise dreary lives of his fellow prisoners when they are allowed to attend a showing of Walt Disney's Playful Pluto cartoon. Sullivan comes to realize that comedy can do more good for the poor than O Brother, Where Art Thou?