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Category Archives: space
Airline Pilot Teaches Skepticism, While Flying!1
August 31, 2014 by kittynh
Comet Hale-Bopp was a sensation in 1997. A comet easily seen by most residents of Earth, even those without telescopes …
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Episode 4 review- Cosmos1
April 9, 2014 by kittynh
Thank you to Claus Larsen again for his reviews of Cosmos. The scope of Cosmos 2014 is the biggest imaginable, …
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Review – Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Episode 2Leave a comment
March 25, 2014 by kittynh
Thank you Claus Larsen for this review of episode 2. Claus will be reviewing each episode for Yankeeskeptic. The second …
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"Cosmos" Lawsuit? Sagan and Alien Abduction7
March 2, 2014 by kittynh
I enjoy researching topics for Yankeeskeptic, but I have to admit while I enjoy online research, there is nothing like …
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Conquest of the Moon, with von Braun2
December 29, 2013 by kittynh
The local used book store, Homestead books in Marlborough NH, has an incredible selection of vintage science books. I picked …
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Why sometimes we should celebrate the flawed victories, or Dr.Neil Degrasse Tyson, throw a party!4
October 8, 2013 by kittynh
Sometimes skeptics and scientists embrace the title "curmudgeon" too tightly. The new movie "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney …
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Mad Cow Disease of a different type….Leave a comment
September 23, 2013 by kittynh
Sharon Hill's wonderful site reminds me a lot of my favorite "Ripley's Believe it or Not". It's hard not to …
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Honours Environmental Science student takes to the seas for summer research
11/29/2017 10:40:37 AMMount Allison honours environmental science student Matt Fyfe went on a cruise this summer, but it was no ordinary cruise. With 20 other scientists from universities in the US and Israel, Fyfe sailed from Hawaii on the research vessel the Marcus G. Langseth to gather samples for Mount Allison's Marine Macroecology and Biogeochemistry Lab (MMAB).
The MMAB is an interdisciplinary research group whose main goal is to understand and predict the effects of climate change on marine organisms. Fellow lab member and post doc Dr. Chris Brown accompanied Fyfe on the trip.
This is one of three cruises members of the lab have been able to take part in that were funded by the Simons Foundation. For 18 days, the crew sampled microbes across ~20 degrees latitude, which is an area that has a dramatic productivity gradient. "We want to understand how the microbial community changes and why," explains Dr. Zoe Finkel, Geography and Environment Professor and Canada Research Chair in Marine Environmental Ecology who heads up the lab with Dr. Andrew Irwin in Mathematics and Computer Science.
Fyfe worked hard on the cruise.
"We would wake up at 3 a.m. to help some other scientists to collect samples before the sun came up," he says. "Then at 4 a.m. until noon we would filter our samples to collect as much phytoplankton as we could."
Sometimes the seas were rough but Fyfe proved to be a true scientist.
"Things were crazy, the boat was rocking all over the place, but it was that much more adventurous," he describes. "I was able to turn around right afterwards and go right back to filtering. It felt very hard-core."
The benefits however made up for everything else. "With 20 different scientists on the boat, it was really interesting to see what other people were doing," he says. "When I finished our sampling, I would help out other people on their projects. Oceanography is interdisciplinary and I didn't realize this until this trip. It changed my perspective on all the different and interesting things that can be accomplished."
He was also able to spend some time exploring Hawaii.
Fyfe has his own honours research project looking at how diatoms, which are a type of phytoplankton, accumulate storage molecules as they become starved for nitrogen. He spent the rest of the summer and has continued during the school year working on this in the lab on dry land. He is also training to qualify for the Boston Marathon and working for the Argosy, Mount Allison's independent student newspaper.
The cruise included research groups from the University of Washington, University of Oregon, University of Southern California, University of Hawaii, and a group from Haifa, Israel.
MMAB is part of a research consortium with a $7.25M grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative funded by British Petroleum for independent research in response to the Deep Water Horizon oil spill. It has ten postdocs working with the lab. They also have seven Mount Allison student researchers from five different departments: Math, Biochemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, and Economics.

subset: commoncrawl


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Published: 6 Dec 2018
BHP's announcement it will directly employ 350 workers in two of its Bowen Basin coal mines shows that it sees the writing on the wall for the dodgy casual labour hire model widespread in the industry, CFMEU Mining and Energy said today.
"It should not be newsworthy that a multinational mining company operating in Queensland directly employs local workers," said CFMEU Mining and Energy Queensland President Stephen Smyth.
"Unfortunately, it is. There are thousands of mineworkers in our state employed on dodgy labour hire arrangements with substandard pay and no job security in a model driven by big mining companies like BHP.
"Our Union's efforts to challenge this model in the courts and at the worksites is having an impact.
"We absolutely welcome more directly-employed, permanent, local coal mining jobs for Queensland. This is what our industry should be delivering, without being dragged kicking and screaming.
"We will be fighting hard to make sure those workers employed by Operations Services are receiving the same pay and conditions as other directly employed at Daunia and Caval Ridge.
"We won't accept the creation of a new form of second-class worker in the industry."
The CFMEU has written to BHP to seek more information about the proposed conditions of employment for the new positions.


text: Numerous approaches have been proposed to manage Quality of Service in the Internet. However, none of them was successfully deployed in a commercial IP backbone, mostly because of their complexity. In this paper, we take advantage of the excess network bandwidth to offer a degraded class of traffic. We identify and analyze the impact of link failures on such a service and show that under a variety of circumstances failures provide a natural mechanism for service differentiation. We simulate our QoS scheme on a real IP backbone topology and derive Service Level Agreements for the new degraded service. We find that by adding a degraded class of traffic in the network, we can at least double the link utilization with no impact on the current backbone traffic.


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Malcesine Parachutist
They launch from the top of the funicular and slowly skiff downwards.
Riva, Nestling
Riva del Garda View
A view of Riva del Garda, Italy, from close to the nearby Bastione.
Sirmione Sea
A Crowd at Lake Garda
Malcesine, from the Castle
Malcesine Prospect
Malcesine Hook
Swan in Salo
A frozen graveyard in Courmayeur, Italy.


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Have you ever wondered what a geriatrician is and exactly what they do? Not only that, but why would it be important to see a geriatrician? In a recent webcast, Dr. Robert Parker, Chief of Geriatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, describes the specialty in straightforward terms.
The Ask the Geriatrician series was developed to address the shortage of geriatricians available to meet with older adults and their caregivers in the United States. Geriatricians specialize in preventing and treating health issues in adults ages 65 plus, yet many people never have the opportunity to speak with one. Monthly webcasts are shown live and then on demand.


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If you are only going to read only one thing about customer experience, then this report is it. It's the blueprint for building a customer-centric organization… and it's free.
We just published a Temkin Group report, The Four CX Core Competencies. This blueprint to building a customer-centric organization is an update to our groundbreaking research that was originally published in 2010 and updated in 2013.
Temkin Group has conducted multiple large-scale studies demonstrating that customer experience (CX) is highly correlated with loyalty across many different industries, in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business environments. When customers have a good experience with a company, they are more likely to repurchase from the company, try its new offerings, and recommend it to others.
While many companies try to improve their CX by making superficial changes, Temkin Group has found that the only path to lasting differentiation and increased loyalty is to build a customer-centric culture. Temkin Group has studied hundreds of companies to uncover the difference between CX leaders and their less successful peers, and has identified four CX competencies that companies must master if they wish to build and sustain CX differentiation:
- Purposeful Leadership: Operate consistently with a clear set of values. (see video)
- Compelling Brand Values: Deliver on your brand promises to customers. (see video)
- Employee Engagement: Align employees with the goals of the organization. (see video)
- Customer Connectedness: Infuse customer insight across the organization. (see video)
This whiteboard video describes the Four CX Core Competencies:
Here's an infograhic with the best practices described in the report:
Report Outline:
- Customer Experience: The Case For A New Approach
- The Customer Experience Core Competencies
- Purposeful Leadership: Operate with Clear and Consistent Values
- Compelling Brand Values: Deliver on Your Brand Promises to Customers
- Employee Engagement: Align Employees with Goals of the Organization
- Customer Connectedness: Infuse Customer Insight Across the Organization
- The Journey to Customer Experience Maturity
- Assessing Your Customer Experience Competency
Figures in the Report:
- Customer Experience Correlates To Loyalty
- The Four Customer Experience Core Competencies
- Strategies For The Four CX Core Competencies
- Characteristics of Strong Brand Promises
- Employee Engagement Virtuous Cycle
- Six D's of a Successful Voice of the Customer Program
- Operationalize Critical Fixes: Four Closed Loops For Taking Action
- Design Personas
- Example of a Customer Journey Map
- The Customer Journey Mapping Pyramid
- Strategies For Designing Experiences Based on Human Behaviors and Biases
- Six Stages of Customer Experience Maturity
- Temkin Group's Customer Experience Competency and Maturity Assessment


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Top 5 Best Juicer for Carrots | All You Know Before Buying
Dieticians, nutritionist, medical practitioners all prefer beet and carrot juice among many other foods since they contain elements to improve immunity, stamina and help one fight cancer and inflammation. The right quantities of boot and carrot juice will provide you with all the essential aspects for a healthy body.
There are many good juicer options in the market, but we shall suggest here some of the most preferred ones enable you to find the best juicer for carrots and other vegetables, fruits and some essential fibrous elements.
What is the Best Juicer for Carrots?
Juicer for Carrots
Breville 800JEXL
This Breville 800JWXL is a professional class juicer for your home and belongs to the category of one of the best juicer for carrots. It comes with 1000 W motor and fine mesh to give smooth, tasty, healthy juice every time. Some special features are faster preparation time, Unique Pulp Extraction System and multi-speed electronic speed control. The fittings are dishwasher safe.
Editor's Choice
Breville JE98XL
This Breville JE98XL Juicer can handle whole fruits as apples; pears etc. and give you the juice in seconds. The model comes with a special brush to quickly clean the juicing filter. The parts are designed such that they are easy to clean and pulp does not stick to them. It is also a strong contender for the great juicer for carrots.
Breville BJE200XL
It may look small, but this BrevilleBJE200XL Juicer has the power to perform as one of the best juicer for carrots. It is fast to use and has an inbuilt froth separator. The design also has a unique facility to collect the pulp in the base of the machine without wasting the space.
MUELLER Juicer
If you are looking for a good juicer to get your daily glass of juice to detox and improve energy levels, then go for the Muller Ultra 1100W Juicer. With this machine, you can prepare juice of different fruits/ vegetables to improve the digestive system and give you shiny, healthy skin.
The Champion G5-PG710 Juicer is easy to operate, give juice of any vegetable or fruits in no time and comes with sturdy and durable parts. With the latest design that uses the stainless steel shaft ensures that the juicer gives you trouble free service under heavy use.
Top 5 Best Juicer for Carrots Reviews
1. Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor
Juicer type: Centrifugal juicer
Speed: Two speed control 13,000 RPM and 6,500 RPM
Wattage: 1,000 Watts
Weight: 13 lb/ 5.9 kg
Dimensions: 6.5 × 14.5 × 15.5 inches
Warranty: -- years
Our pick
Editor's Choice
Breville 800JEXL juicer is designed with a unique extraction system to retain maximum nutrition while extracting juices from fruits and vegetables especially the carrots. The final product is not heated up in during juicing operation to protect nutrients, enzymes and taste better than other models. It can be considered if you are looking for a best juicer for carrots.
The feeding chute is centrally placed over shredding disc and is designed extra wide to feed sprouts and leafy vegetables all at once. The juicer operates at two speeds (slower for softer feed and faster for harder feeds) thereby efficiently handling fruits and vegetables both.
Special feature and Benefits
- High power 1,000 watt motor with 2-speed operation. Lower 6,500 rpm for softer feed as fruits and higher 12,000 rpm speed for harder feed as vegetables.
- 3 inch diameter centrally place wide feeding chute to enable feeding the juicer without slicing the fruits and vegetables. This saves time.
- The unique patented direct central feed system designed for maximum juice yield.
- The titanium reinforced blades and Nutri Dish to ensure that they withstand erosion and stay sharp for long. The stainless steel mesh also remains free from rusting after prolonged and regular use.
- Die-cast 1-liter juice jug with froth separator.
- The pulp container has a good holding capacity and provided with an integrated handle for comfortable handling.
- The juicer is provided with bottom cord warp that ensures less kitchen top space requirement.
- Safety Locking Arm feature to prevent accidental operation when the lid is not correctly placed.
- Overload protection relay to protect juicer from damage during overload.
- All parts are easy to clean, and most of them can be washed in the dishwasher.
Things We Like and Don't Like
2. Breville JE98XL Juice Fountain Plus 850-Watt Juice Extractor
Juicer type: Centrifugal juicer
Speed: Two speed control 6,500 RPM, and 12,000 RPM
Wattage: 850 Watts
Weight: 13.35 lb
Dimensions: 13.2 × 16.5 × 18.2 inches
Warranty: 1 year
Breville JE98XL can handle both soft and hard vegetables, thanks to its 850-watt juicer and two-speed operations at 6,500 RPM and 12,000 RPM. With 3 inches wide chute, you can feed the fruits and vegetables without any need to slice them. The yield is good with easy extraction of pulp because of the Nutri Dish feature with stainless steel mesh juice filters and blades.
The polymer body is durable and can stand the vibrations for long. The juicer comes with features as froth separator, cord wrapping fixture, and provision of handles on the pulp collector vessel. The plastic components are easy to clean. This model comes close to being the best juicer for carrots.
Special feature and Benefits
- Heavy duty and a durable 850-watt main motor that can run at 6,500 rpm (for softer feed) and 12,000 rpm (for harder feed).
- The patented 3-inch-wide chute can handle large fruits and vegetable pieces without the need to cut them in small pieces.
- The unique direct feed system that helps in maximum juice yield.
- The Nutri Dish feature with blades and mesh of stainless steel that is designed for efficient spinning out of the pulp.
- The 1-liter juice jug equipped with froth separator for ease of pouring.
- Highly durable polymer body of top grade material.
- Large size pulp container with integrated handle.
- The cord wrap feature around juicer feet to reduce countertop footprint.
- Safety Locking Arm to make sure that the juicer cannot be operated without fixing the top lid in place.
- Overload protect relay to protect against overheating, by tripping the machine if it senses overload.
- The parts are made of BPA free material to ensure safe operation.
- The design helps in easy cleaning. The juicer comes with a cleaning brush. All parts other than filter basket and Nutri Dish can be cleaned under the dishwasher.
Things We Like and Don't Like
Read more: Best Citrus Juicer
3. Breville BJE200XL Compact Juice Fountain 700-Watt Juice Extractor
Juicer type: Centrifugal juicer
Speed: 14,000 RPM
Wattage: 700 Watts
Weight: 9.7 lb
Dimensions: 9.5 × 8.8 × 16 inches
Warranty: 1 years
Budget pick
The Breville BJE200XL is a small but powerful juicing machine and a good contender if you are looking for the best juicer for carrots. It can extract the juice of even purple cabbage, kale leaves, broccoli, celery, beets, and carrots. The machine is designed for easy cleaning with only four parts. They are food pusher, pulp container, micro mesh filter and feeding chute that also acts as pulp collection lid.
The machine can be assembled quickly with no fuss following the simple instructions. The design ensures that the juice spout fits properly in the pitcher lid so that the juice does not splash all round during operation.
Special feature and Benefits
- The Unique Extraction System: To be able to accomplish optimum juice extraction and nutrient extraction the juicer design comes with a micro mesh filter basket and titanium strengthened disc for best operational performance.
- The model has 3-inch-wide feeding chute so that you can juice whole fruits and veggies without the trouble of cutting them into small pieces. It considerably reduces the operation time.
- In the course of extracting juice, some fruits and vegetable product lot of foam that makes pouring difficult. The design has inbuilt froth separator lid so that the foam is stopped from being poured into the juice glass.
- The juicer has a compact design. So, it takes less space on your kitchen top.
- It has well placed central dual knife blade juicer assembly.
- The design comes with the stabilizing knife.
- The extraction is excellent, and the final pulp that comes out looks like sawdust.
- The machine has fine stainless-steel mesh to extract juice from pulp followed by micro level screen mesh to get smooth and pulp free juice.
Things We Like and Don't Like
Read more: Best Masticating Juicer
4. MUELLER Juicer Ultra 1100W Power
Juicer type: Centrifugal juicer
Speed: Two type speed from 12,000 to 15,000 RPM and from 15000 to 18000 RPM
Wattage: 1,100 Watts
Weight: 9.8 lb
Dimensions: 16.2 × 13.2 × 9 inches
Warranty: 2 years
Also great
If you are regularly using the Mueller Ultra-Juicer, you can be sure of regular detoxing, high energy levels, fewer chances of cholesterol and diseases, better digestion high metabolism rate and shiny and bright skin. The juicer gives high yield, more of vitamins, nutrients and minerals, and less separation.
The juicer, from the category of one of the best juicer for carrots, can handle whole size fruits and vegetables, thus minimizing the preparation time. The mastication operation preserves the natural tastes. It efficiently handles the leafy vegetables, herbs, and spouts. In short, Mueller Ultra-Juicer is an efficiently designed long lasting and durable machine that is excellent value for money.
Special feature and Benefits
- It has a sleek design with a low kitchen top footprint.
- It is equipped with a powerful 100 watts motor. The juicer operates as a lower speed of 12,000 rpm for softer feed as tomatoes, oranges, etc, and higher speed of 16,000 rpm for hard feed as carrots, beets, and others.
- It is fast in operation and can give 16 ounces of juice in just 8 seconds and all the time ensuring that there is no clogging or excessive foaming.
- The design has food grade stainless steel shredding disc with steel micro mesh filter designed to extract maximum juice and nutrients. They are also easy to clean, and most parts are dishwasher safe.
- Large 3-inch feeding chute to accommodate full piece fruits and vegetables thus eliminating slicing. It has a safety locking arm to prevent accidental operation. The chute is also well designed to avoid spillage.
- The design has an overload protection relay to protect the motor from damage in case of an unstable power supply.
- The machine comes with a 2-year warranty to give you the confidence of trouble-free operation and if need be, excellent after sales service.
Things We Like and Don't Like
Read more: Best Lemon Squeezer
5. Champion Juicer G5-PG710 - Commercial Heavy Duty Juicer
Juicer type: Masticating Juicer
Speed: 1,725 RPM
Wattage: 250 Watts
Weight: 23 lb
Dimensions: 17 × 7 × 10 inches
Warranty: 10 years
Upgrade pick
Champion G5-PG-710 is an efficient masticating juicer on the block and belongs to one of the best juicer for carrots. It has a good reputation among the slow juicer designs. It is powered by 1/3 HP motor and it is well designed to last for long. The Champion G5-PG-710 works by dicing and squeezing the feed to get the juice.
It ensures that during juicing there is no buildup of heat as is experienced in case of high-speed centrifugal juicers. This heat damages the nutrients and also affects the juice taste. But, with the Champion G5-PG-710 slow speed juicer you get the best of all.
Special feature and Benefits
- It has an attractive white color.
- The motor is equipped with heavy-duty front and back ball bearings for low noise and smooth running.
- The motor has an additional winding capacity to increase the starting torque and more cooling operation. It improves the machine durability even under heavy use conditions.
- Simple design with no nuts/ bolts etc.
- Large size feeding chamber to avoid slicing thus reducing operation time.
- The design can handle use of feed as fruit sauces, baby foods, ice creams, smoothies, and nut butter.
- No need for intermittent cleaning as the juicer is designed to operate without clogging.
- The well designed floating cutter separates the juice from the feed pulp to be able to get smooth and effortless operation.
- The blades and body parts are made of top quality food grade materials.
Things We Like and Don't Like
Read more: Best Juicer under $100
What to Look for a Best Juicer for Carrots
If you are looking for a best juicer for carrots, here are a few essential things that you need to keep in mind to get the best for your specific use:
1. Yields of the Carrot Juice
Carrots are hard to handle, and hence the juice yield will be an essential criterion to select the right model. For extracting carrot juice, normally high-speed centrifugal juicers with high capacity motors are ideal. There are many available in the market, and some are mentioned here also like Breville models.
2. Ease of operation and durability
A juicer may be used many times in a week and for many years. So select a model that you love to see. Look for a machine whose shape, size and weight will fit in your kitchen with least trouble. You may opt for the suction cup design for better grip, but sometimes it becomes a nuisance while moving the machine, especially if the cups are well designed for a firm grip. The models as Breville JE200Xl has the conventional rubber grip broad base for stable operation and easy handling.
3. Budget and cleaning
The price is another important criteria o look for. If you occasionally need the juicer, then there may not be a need to go for highly priced heavy duty commercial grade juicer. You may choose a marginally process good quality juicer that is fit for 2 or 3 times use in a week. As far as price is concerned, the user is the best judge, but we suggest that go for only a good brand some of which are mentioned in this article.
The design has to be such that it supports easy cleaning. The juicer part needs to be dishwasher safe and should be designed to prevent clogging in operation.
Read more: Best Wheatgrass Juicer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the benefits of Carrot Juice?
The main reasons to include the carrot juice as a regular ingredient of your diet are as follows:
- It improves metabolism
- It improves eyesight.
- Carrot juice gives shiny and healthy skin.
- It improves immunity.
- It detoxifies thereby reducing the chances of cancer.
- This juicing reduces cholesterol.
- It improves the brain function and helps in the development of the baby during pregnancy.
2. How much Carrot Juice you should drink a day?
To take the carrot juice once a day is enough for an adult. It is because one cup of carrot juice has 2,256 micrograms of vitamins that is 2 to 3 times of the daily requirements.
3. What is the best time to drink Carrot juice?
Carrot juice is known to relieve the mental fatigue of stress. It also supports the heart function and helps in strengthening of the heart muscles. It is always better to take the carrot juice early in the morning with an empty stomach before breakfast. If you hold the juice for some seconds in your mouth before swallowing, it will help reducing bacteria buildup in the mouth. It will also reduce the stock acidity.
Read more: Best Commercial Juicer
So here we are after detailing some of the strong contenders of the best juicer for carrots available in the market. But as per our assessment, the Breville 800JEXL juicer is the clear winner as the best juicer for carrots.
As we are looking for a good carrot juicing machine, Breville 800JEXL juicer has many pluses as high power 1,000 watt motor that can operate at high speed of 12,000 rpm to give excellent yield and almost dry pulp. The juicer can also handle softer feed as apples, oranges by operating it at the lower speed. The titanium reinforced shredding blades ensures that the juicer maintains its effectiveness even after prolonged use.
The design is equipped with safety features as locking arm to prevent accidental starting and overload relays to protect the motor and operator from overheating. The parts are made from food grade stainless steel and polymers that are best to handle food items as carrot juice. They are also easy to clean and can be washed in the dishwasher.
The Breville brand provides one of the best after-sales services. You can contact them on the phone, email or chat 24x7 and you can be sure of fast and efficient support every time.


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A recent interview
When did you realize you wanted to write?
People probably think a writer pops out of the womb with a big "W" imprinted on her forehead, and the smell of ink on her baby-breath. Not always true. The first sixty years of my life were spent avoiding reading and writing, probably because I hated school so much, which was probably because I was an introverted dyslectic child. The only exception to the "no-read-no-write" rule was the Nancy Drew series and letters to Mom.
Decades later, thanks to modern technology and spell-check, I am able to appreciate the joys and frustrations of writing. I happened onto writing when my long-time mural painting career suddenly and unexpectedly ended. I had painted my whole life. I thought, dreamed and lived to paint. I felt lost without a brush in my hand and needed a way to express myself. It just happened that my dusty computer was feeling alone and under-used. I settled into my roll-around chair and never looked back. I had discovered a universal truth. Writing is just like painting but without the mess.
Did you originally want to write cozy mysteries or did you try other types of writing as well?
My first timid crack at writing was a series of children's stories written for my grandchildren. Twenty-seven stories later, I longed to write a real book. Nancy Drew came to mind. She had made a permanent mark on my impressionable little twelve-year-old brain. I took a few college courses in creative writing, and somewhere along the way I had an epiphany. If I wrote a page a day I would have a 350-page book in a year's time. Secure the Ranch was born nine months later with 410 pages. I didn't know it at the time, but I had written my first "cozy" mystery because I hate ugly language and blood. I create a clean murder and emphasize the shenanigans, adventure and character interaction that go with every mystery.
What inspires you to write? Are there places or jobs have made an impact on your writing?
My previous life of painting murals inspires my new life of writing about a gal who paints murals and solves mysteries on the side. I gave Josephine my red truck and my best brushes. She can handle the work because she's younger, stronger and smarter than I. I didn't want my protagonist to be exactly like me, so I left out husband, children, grandchildren, gardening and gophers. I write in first person which allows me to control Josephine's brain and her craving for donuts.
What is your writing process like?
My writing style is "by the seat of my pajama pants" style. I'm retired so I write when I can find the time—between 10 grandchildren, husband, dog, friends, garden and gophers. I try to write for an hour or two everyday. I average six days a week. That's why it takes the better part of a year to write a book, but that's OK because the ideas come slowly.
How do you get over writer's block?
Sometimes new ideas refuse to come at all. I tell myself to relax, clear my brain, kind of like meditation. Unfortunately, the best ideas come to mind while I'm in the shower or driving in heavy traffic. Sometimes they come from just sitting at the computer, waiting and waiting. One good idea can lead to many pages of adventure. Writing is the greatest adventure of all because through all the excitement the writer is safe at her desk.
How have your characters developed and grown throughout your series?
Josephine is still making mistakes, pre-judging people and chasing bad guys in the wrong direction, but she has a few things in her favor; her boy friend, her best girlfriend, her very smart dog and luck. I wish I could say that she has evolved, grown, matured. Actually she is a really good person with a few flaws. Without flaws and bad judgment there could be no story. Josephine would figure out the murder mystery on the first page.
Fortunately, her best friend has all her ores in the water. Alicia is bright and uses common sense. Jo's boyfriend, David is a solid, steady influence. Even the dog is grounded. It's Josephine and the new people she meets who keep us entertained.
What does it feel like to finish a novel?
When I finally finish a book, which I have done seven times at this point, I feel like I just kicked the ball over the goal post in front of 50,000 people. But the feeling only lasts a week or two and then I'm driven to start writing all over again. It's like a box of chocolate—can't stop at just one.
Do you have any words of advice for aspiring writers?
Once you decide to be a writer, but your heart and time into it. Write between classes, on your lunch hour, soaking in the tub. Think about your story and characters in the shower and driving in traffic. You won't even remember the drive. It's one thing to talk about being a writer, it's another thing to jump into the muddy trenches and work your computer into a frenzy.
Do you have any plans/ideas for your next novel?
I am between books this week. #7 is finished and #8 has not revealed itself.
How do you try to connect with your readers?
I am taking a break from writing because it's the book selling season. I have several book signings lined up—lots of people to meet, lots to talk about.
What would you say is the most difficult and the most enjoyable thing about writing is?
Writing has a tendency to put the writer into the spotlight. I had avoided such things my whole life, now I embrace the opportunity to meet people. There is no sweeter sound than a fan saying, "I loved your last book."
Is there anything else you'd like to add about your novel(s) or anything else you'd like readers to know?
I want to give a big thank you to my publisher, Cozy Cat Press.
All seven books in my Josephine Stuart Mystery Series are available at Amazon and Kindle.


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Melon Kinenbi to disband
Up-Front Agency announced a few days ago that long running group Melon Kinenbi will disband after ten years together with an unchanged line-up. I'm not sure how I feel about their disbanding, although I overall liked what they released last year I can't say that they are a group I was ever overly interested in. While it's sad that the girls will no longer be together, surely at least one of them will pursue a solo career?
This makes the title of their recent album, MELONS NOT DEAD, a little ironic, doesn't it?


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SUNY Canton Baccalaureate-Level Outstanding Graduate Follows Mother's Lead
Following in her mother's footsteps was no small task for future doctor Erica L. Zaluski of Fine. Her mother, Heidi L. Zuhlsdorf of Oswegatchie, won SUNY Canton's Outstanding Graduate award in 1995. Now, 13 years later, both mother and daughter have reached the same level of excellence.
"Erica's commitment to academics and the community have been exemplary, and we have no doubt that she will be returning to visit SUNY Canton in the near future as Dr. Zaluski," said President Joseph L. Kennedy.
When she wasn't working on her Health Care Management degree, she was taking care of her grandfather full-time and working weekends and holidays at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center or Samaritan Medical Center.
"Erica is a dynamic student," said Dr. Anthony Signorelli, Health Care Management Program Director. "She has a strong sense of responsibility and receives glowing recommendations from faculty members and internship supervisors alike."
She is planning to obtain her doctorate in Physical Therapy with the eventual goal of opening a practice in St. Lawrence County.
During her college career she has worked with several area schools in children's fitness programs. She also is a certified clinical educator who collaborated with the Canton ARC on a six-week patient fitness program.
Zaluski won the Canino Award for Academic Excellence in 2007 and has received a partial tuition assistantship from Clarkson University, where she plans to continue her education.
SUNY Canton offers a wide variety of career-driven bachelor's, associate, and certificate programs, as well as three master's degrees in conjunction with SUNYIT, Utica. Most of SUNY Canton's new four-year programs are designed so students can take them on-campus, online, or both. SUNY Canton OnLine features more than 65 courses online each semester. The college's athletic teams have joined the NAIA's Sunrise Conference, enabling students to compete in their respective sports for four years.
Media inquiries should be directed to Gregory Kie, Media Relations Coordinator, or call 315/386-7528.
Tags: Erica Zaluski, Health Care Management, Joseph Kennedy, Outstanding Graduate


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The takes of 'It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'
on The American Way Volume 3 and Take
2 on American Crown Jewels have the
left and right channels swapped.
Just before take 2 of 'It Keeps Right On A
Hurtin' on Suspicious Minds - The Memphis
1969 Anthology Elvis can be heard singing a line
of 'Only The Lonely'.
An edited (2:01) version of 'It Keeps Right
On A-Hurtin', with omitted part of last verse ("It keeps right on a hurtin' every minute
of the day..." to "It keeps right on
a hurtin' since you're gone..."), was released
in 1987 on the BMG Ariola release The Definitive
Country Album.
The date is unknown when the backup vocal overdubs
were added to 'Any Day Now' - A possible
explanation of this could be as follows:-
There is a page missing from the session logs
between March 25 and May 5 1969, and as there
appears to have been no backup vocals overdubbed
to any songs in May (apart from May
6 & 7 where brass was also overdubbed) it is safe to
assume that it is from March. The date of the
job number at the bottom of the March
25 overdub session log is March 28, so it
would be safe to assume that this missing overdub
session would be before March 28. The March 25
overdub session was for "Strings" and
"Backup Vocals" and was held from 2.00pm
until 5.00pm but it may well be that another session
was held in the evening of March 25 but just for
the backup vocalists (Sonja Montgomery, Millie
Kirkham, Dolores Edgin, Hurshell Wigington and
Joe Babcock) to add their vocals to the missing
six tracks.
Remixed versions of 'Any Day Now' and 'It
Keeps Right On A-Hurtin' can be found on The Memphis Record.
Take 2 of 'Any Day Now' in mono, can be
found on the bootleg Keep Rollin' On where it is incorrectly listed as being the unedited
master with unrepaired vocals.
By taking out two of the four channels from the
rare Japanese Quadraphonic LP of From Elvis In
Memphis is how the "previously unreleased
versions" were created on the bootleg The
Other Side Of Memphis (Bilko).
Thanks to Adrian V Stokes regarding the edited
versions of songs on the BMG Ariola set of Definitive albums.
In March of 2007, Sony decided to go through all of Elvis' masters. They retransferred everything and remastered all tracks including repairing as many clicks, pops, bad edits and dropouts as they could. They have used these newly mastered recordings on their new releases since 2007 including budget soundtracks, Legacy releases, the 30 disc Complete Elvis Presley Masters collection and the Franklin Mint package.


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Currency Displayed in
36" BDS Rig with 4oz. Weight - 1 Dozen
Posted by Unknown on 14th Nov 2017
been duck hunting 40 years-best i have used ever!
Posted by Unknown on 28th Aug 2015
Iv got 12 dozen of these rigs and I have yet to have a single issue!! Messy to use and they get the job done!
Posted by easton scott on 4th Aug 2014
These rigs are literally the best constructed easy to use quality rigs on the market I will not hunt with any other rig.
All prices are in USD.


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This Slip Lead is smart enough for the show ring, but also very practical. Great for lasso-ing your dog quickly when out walking! The lead is approx. 36" long, though other sizes are available to special order, just let us know what your requirements are.
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text:
I'm always looking for ways to crank out super high-quality blog content…
… as quickly as possible.
If you have that same goal—this little case study video is for you.
This blog post type has…
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text:
"DAR ES SALAAM is by the end of next month expected to join the club of cities that 'never sleep', with business operating around the clock," was a speech that was recently made by the city Regional Commissioner, Paul Makonda in the city.
Kudos Mr Makonda for the bright idea after realizing and advising that the government's plan is to ensure that the region, being a commercial city, has all the blessings to run business round the clock without any hindrance.
The city is the image of the country where tourists jet in from abroad, gigantic ships dock in and for many years has been the capital city of Tanzania, implying that limiting business to certain hours, in a way is limiting its growth and the citizen's hours of working and pay taxes, besides raising their livelihoods.
After the Fifth Phase government under President John Magufuli issuing hawkers with Identity Cards (IDs), this is another opportunity for them to work hard around the clock, because the public (read customers) would not be limited on shopping hours.
Banking on the offer, it is time those who thrived on shortcuts in the name of unlaw-abiding-citizens, thought of stopping their leeward ways of life, because this pinpoints a sign that business will not be usual for them.
The President in his slogan has been saying that hapa ni kazi tu and repeatedly pointed out that people must work, where work here is defined as doing a lawful business to earn a living and those not ready to work should not eat.
If one is not ready to eat, it means that one is ready to die because there is no free meal.
The business community should support this school of thought especially the Shop owners, bars and Shopping Malls amongst others, since their businesses entirely depend on plenty of customers.
It is hats off to the government for this bright idea that would also entice traders from upcountry and neighbouring countries to troop into the city for business without fearing that when it is dusk, Dar es Salaam is asleep.
Along the same vein, the commuter buses carrying traders and their goods from regions and neighbouring countries pouring into the city, should also be invited in the board to give their views on how business can be improved in the city in a nutshell.
Once the traders' community and the public at large are assured of full business, regardless of business hour in the city, Security organs should be equally empowered to be mobile every minute their assistance would be sought, because culture of doing business 24/7 would be facing teething problems before becoming part and parcel of the city.


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I provide therapeutic massage to help people manage their pain and stress, to lead happier and healthier lives. I hold very high standards of integrity and professionalism for myself, for my profession, and for my clients. I look forward to working with you or a loved one in the near future!
-Angie Roherty, LMT


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The City of Rosenberg proudly recognized two members of the Police Department – Patrol Sergeant, Billy Hammack and Traffic Investigator, Tim Kraus – at the November 03, 2015 City Council Meeting for their hard work and dedication as advisers of the Police Explorers.
Left to Right: Police Chief Dallis Warren; Sgt. Billy Hammack; Inv. Tim Kraus; Councilor Lisa Wallingford; Mayor Cynthia A. McConathy; Lt. Wayne Jory
Advising the local Police Explorers group since 2008, Sgt. Hammack and Inv. Kraus have sacrificed family and personal time in order to mentor and develop the young people of Rosenberg. Their dedication, teamwork, motivation, leadership, and partnerships with the community embody the values of the City's culture and have made the group an incredible success.
Hammack and Kraus work with Police Explorers #2120 each week to teach them discipline, leadership and quick-thinking. Under their guidance, the Explorers learn to handle domestic disputes, traffic stops, and clear buildings. The group has won numerous competitions in Texas and in July, 2015 hosted an Explorers' competition in Rosenberg, for the first time. Hammack and Kraus spear-headed the initiative, planning and networking with the community from February, 2015 until the competition in July. They secured sponsors and donations and built a program on a foundation of creativity and excellence entitled "Battle on the Brazos." The program was a huge success and a great win for all of Rosenberg.
The Explorers program is designed to assist members in developing specific skills such as team building, character development, and leadership. It offers the opportunity to get involved with community volunteer efforts and to learn unique career experiences. Anyone age 14-21 who has completed the eighth grade may apply. For more information, on becoming a Police Explorer, call (832) 595-3789


text:
Let us try to apply the principles of churn for a use-case involving sensors and devices. In this post we will apply some machine learning principles to predict which devices are likely to fail in future. The scenario is as follows:
A company is in the business of allocating car parking space to visitors. For that, it needs to have sensors installed at each parking space. These sensors are installed on the ground right under where the car is supposed to park. When a car comes over it, it senses the presence of the car through a set of five proximity sensors that then give a reading in analog voltages. These set of five readings would indicate if there is a car present above it. This data is then transmitted periodically over the network to the server where it is recorded. On the other hand, one can also send control messages over the cellular network to the sensors from the servers to take some action, like calibrate itself or reboot the device. Sensor under the car senses an object above it by sending ultra-sonic waves[/caption] These sensors need to be really hardy. They can be driven upon by cars. They have to weather the sun's direct sunlight when there is no vehicle over it. They also have to weather the rain and the battery must last for a long time. Over time, though, the battery becomes weak, or the sensors themselves lose their ability to sense correctly, and then finally die. The engineers who are operating these sensors have noticed that every time they send a signal to reboot the device, some of the devices do not show up any more. This happens because during a power-cycle reboot, the sensor goes through some stress and, depending on network connection in that area, it takes up to 24 hours for the device to reconnect to the network and send its data. Thus it is known that sensors generally die after a power-cycle reboot. If data has not been received from the sensor for 24 hours, that device is most likely dead. We have a record of all sensors that were operational before and after the last reboot operation. A few of the devices stopped transmitting after that reboot event. The problem is to predict which devices are likely to die during the next reboot event.
Before we attempt to solve this problem, let us take a look at some sample data. Note that in real-life situations the data is going to be noisy, messy and sometimes inaccurate. As a data scientist, one has to make a judicious choice as to whether it should be used or not. This elimination process must be applied to columns as well as rows.
We will analyze the columns one-by-one and make a decision to keep it or discard it.
The engineering team has also notified us that the last reboot operation happened on September 29th, 2016.
Before we start our analysis you need to get the data-set. Get the GZIP file here. Download the file given in the link above and save it to some local folder on your computer. Open up a terminal and change directory to the folder where you downloaded the file. Then unzip the file using:
gunzip sensor_data_001.csv.gz
You will see the data in the file sensor_data_001.csv. You can readily observe that this is not a standard supervised learning problem. For any supervised learning problem we need an X-vector and a y-vector for the training set. We do not know yet how to get the output y-variable since it is not given in the problem directly. Thus for training purposes, the output variable must be derived in some way.
Look at the data-set carefully. There are 69,765 rows in this data-set. To determine which devices have died during the last reboot operation, one has to first sort this list by date. Fortunately, I have already sorted this data for you by date, so you should be able to see the records from the beginning in order. You will notice that this data-set contains records only for a few days. We need to partition this data-set into two parts.
Having done that, we may be able to determine which devices have died due to the reboot, and thus be able to re-create an additional column for the y-vector.
Let us get started with the programming exercise. To solve this problem, we will use Python with Pandas, Scikit-Learn. Our goal is to write the entire solution in one file without multiple passes. Thus it will involve use of Pandas filtering - the results of which will be in memory.
Before you attempt it on your own machine, you need to ensure that you have the necessary libraries to run this program. Open up a terminal shell and run the following:
After installing these necessary packages, we are ready to begin. I will describe the different stages of the task as different steps.
Let us first import a few necessary libraries:
- from __future__ import division
- import pandas as pd
- import numpy as np
- import datetime
- from sklearn.ensemble import RandomForestClassifier
- from sklearn.metrics import confusion_matrix
- from sklearn.metrics import f1_score
- from sklearn.metrics import precision_recall_fscore_support as prf
- import warnings
- warnings.filterwarnings("ignore")
We now need to open the data file and read the column names. Pandas has handy functions to do that.
The next step is to build the data frames in Pandas. While doing that we need to do certain transformations since some fields that contain numbers or dates are appearing in the data file as strings.
Notice that we are creating four new columns in the data frame with names esr0, esr1, esr2 and esr3. Then we are concatenating the newly generated data-frame with the original data-frame making it wider.
Recall that I said, we need to look at the rows prior to the last reboot operation on Sep 29 to determine which devices were alive then and compare them with those found later. This helps us figure out which devices have died during the reboot.
I created a Pandas filter to separate out the the rows prior to the cut-off date. Then I used the Pandas unique() function to figure out all the device Ids that existed during that time. When I use the same unique() function on the rows after the cut-off date, I get all sensors that are alive later.
My goal is to create another Y-column (isalive) which has values 0 or 1 - where 0 represents dead and 1 represents alive. I do so by using the Pandas np.where() function and augmenting that information in the data-frame containing rows prior to Sep 29. This will be my training set.
For your reference here is the full set of columns in the original dataset:
Now it is time to set up the training task. I first create a list of columns to be used for the output vector, and also another set for all the input variables - or features.
A lot of what follows next is boiler-plate code that you can use for any generic data-science problem. I have been using this boiler-plate as my starting point for any coding problem that I want to use with Pandas and Sckit-Learn.
Note that we have all our training data in the data-frame named running_before_reboot_df. Typically, we would take a small sample out of this data-frame to verify the accuracy of the prediction. In this situation we can use the entire data-frame as our training set since we have already separated out the validation set (those records after Sep 29). But for demonstration purposes, I am going to still create a test set from the data-frame to create the confusion matrix and an F-score.
I am creating above two data-frames, one for training and another for testing. 80% of the data is being used for training.
To avoid any problems with missing values, I am also filling with zeros all fields that do not have a value.
Similarly, one can set up the prediction set by taking records that were after the cut-off date.
Now it is time to train the model with the data-frames created so far. We choose to use the Random Forest classifier for this purpose. Through experience I have discovered that ensemble learning provides the best results since it uses multiple approaches to solve the problem and then chooses the few best among those.
For data scientists most of the time is spent in validating and tuning the model. I am giving below the necessary code to print out the Confusion Matrix along with the Precision, Recall and F-score.
If you run this, you will see that the model score come out as 82% accurate. This is not perfect, but it is perhaps the best what our data-set allows. Remember that we are dealing with noisy data, and trying to come up with a prediction based on that data-set without doing any further filtering.
One of the interesting results coming from this analysis is finding out which parameters have the most impact on a sensor's death. For that, one has to look at the feature importance numbers. Looking at the numbers, one can see that esr3 has the most impact, followed by battery voltage and then esr2 and esr1.
Now that we have created a data-model, let us try to predict how many devices are likely to die during the next reboot.
All I am doing here is using the predict() method provided by Scikit-learn to apply the model on the prediction data-frame. Out of the values that I get as my predicted value of isalive, I am only choosing those that have a value of zero i.e. likely to die.
Finally it is time to print out the device Ids that were identified to be weak and likely to switch off permanently during the next reboot.
Given below is the full output of the program. You can see that it provides the list of device ids that are likely to die during the next reboot.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog post. You can get the entire code as a single file. A lot of the work depends on knowing the quirks of Pandas and handling data using the Pandas functions. Most people, including myself, think in SQL first and then attempt to find out the Pandas way of doing the same job. I need to keep Google handy for doing searches as I progress through the code. Since I have shown you a lot of the common use-cases, you can take hints from this code and proceed with your own work, using some of the boiler-plate code. If you like this article or find an error in the code, or have an alternate opinion about the approach, you are most welcome to leave a comment below.


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The Hartford Institute is recognized around the globe for its online resources which assist students, faculty, and practicing professionals to provide evidence based care. HIGN works closely with the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing faculty and other partners to influence and shape geriatric practice, education, research and policy. The work of the Institute is driven by these values:
Chronological age is only a number. Age is best characterized by function and attitude.Tara Cortes, PhD, RN, FAAN, Executive Director, Hartford Institute


text:
Monday, July 16, 2007
Stream of Conciousness
Well, life is never dull, is it? After going to fight with a fly-by-night car dealer who defrauded my daughter (I told the kid not to buy the car...) my fangs are totally itching. I just want to beat somebody.
Good thing I'm tending bar tonight.
We just got wifi here at the Fariview so now I can entertain myself during slow periods. My trusty laptop comes to work with me every day anyway, and I have lately discovered the joys of showing people my video trailers while I'm at work. Hopefully , some of them will BUY MY BOOK...you know, just to be different.
Promo would be very easy if all I had to do was spam the world with the words BUY MY BOOK. Shame it doesn't work that way. I'm getting my press kits (gasp! press kits? Are you KIDDING me?) ready for Asphodel. Apparently, I need a picture. *grin* Guess you guys finally get to find out what I look like. Oh dear.
Four more days until Harry Potter! yay!
So I'm sitting in the bar (I work in an hour) and all of the guy regulars are looking at me as if I'm bizarre. *sigh* Why do laptops scare the elderly? I'm not hacking into the FBI computer, guys, honest I'm not.
Went to my back doctor last week. I'm back on meds again. *sigh* It does make the bartending easier, but isn't doing a heck of a lot for my ability to see straight. I have to remind myself, however, that the first drafts of the Asphodel books were written on Percocet. maybe my muse is a secret pill popper. Maybe that's the secret! Maybe, just maybe, I NEED to keep her medicated in order for her to produce!
Wait a second...has she been undergoing DTs since I've been off medication? Is THAT why she's been so snippy? Hmm.....point to consider.
Oh well.
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By Fred Wallace
Hi, this is Fred Wallace with " Off the Wire ".
I rest my case..........or, I rest my cases.
Case # 1; was it coincidence that a rested and highly prepared Owen Sound Attack club defeated the London Knights 5-1 on Saturday night ?
The Attack had a week between games, and with that amount of time to get ready, they were able to upset the Knights and halt a 15 game London win streak.
Many times, the Attack are on the road Friday nights and thus many times there is no such thing as " home ice advantage " when the Saturday night opponent either hasn't played on the Friday night, or if they did play, the opponents location allowed them to be closer to Owen Sound for Saturday than the Attack.
Case #2; I used the word " upset " for Owen Sound's victory over London and I believe that.
I believe that the Knights will be the 2019 Western Conference Champions.
I believe that the Knights will be in the 2019 Robertson Cup for the OHL Championship.
Many will say, rightly so based on Saturday's result, the Attack can play with London on any given night.
BUT.........what London has in spades that Owen Sound does not is currency, currency in prospects, currency in draft picks to make deals to upgrade.
The Knights sat out 3 of their 9 defenders Saturday along with their first round draft pick + they also have a stockpile of drafts picks from every team that's rolled over or been coerced into making a transaction with them.
Owen Sound has none of that, so unfortunately the next Attack move is not for the short term.
& Finally Case # 3; the Attack are at home TONIGHT, on a TUESDAY against divisional rival Guelph with 3rd place in the Conference on the line.
Somehow, Guelph manages to play twice in Owen Sound this year on non-traditional home nights, that is, any night other than Saturday.
Yet in Guelph, Owen Sound parades in 4 Friday nights this year, like every year, knowing a home game awaits 24 hours later back in Owen Sound as outlined in Case # 1.
How is this fair ?
Enjoy Sean Durzi Bobblehead Night tonight at 7 when the Attack host the Storm.
I'm Fred Wallace


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When you have a construction project that you would like to get started on, you will need to have the right people there for you. This isn't something that you should even be attempting on your own, and it is not something that you should trust into the care of just anyone. Make sure that you take the job of hiring a builder very seriously. When you hire the right one to do this work, everything will turn out well. But the opposite will happen if you hire someone who doesn't know what they are doing.
Do The Research That Needs To Be Done
So don't put off doing the research that you know needs to be done. Consider the construction work that you need to get taken care of, and then think of all of the different people who do that kind of thing around you. Find the right ones to take care of things for you, and you will feel great when they get to work. Especially when you see how good they are at the things that they do. They will be much better at everything than you would have been yourself, and you will be glad you hired them.
Ask Your Friends If You Need The Advice
If you feel that you cannot figure out who to hire on your own, then you should ask all of your friends what they think. They should be able to help you out in a good way if they have had any kind of project completed before. They will be able to share with you all that they know about this kind of thing, and you will be glad to have them there for you. You will be glad that your friends have helped you out when they are able to direct you to the right construction company.
Don't Give Up Easily
It might seem hard to find the right company to go with for this need of yours, and you might have a hard time deciding which one is truly the best. You might wonder if you will ever reach a decision, but eventually it will come to you. So don't give up easily, but instead keep looking for a company to hire for this need until you find the best one you could have ever found. You will feel great asking that company to do the work that you need done.
Finding the right company is only the beginning. The real work will start after that, as the company gets going on the project that you have for them. But do not feel discouraged. You will be glad that you have had this project completed once it is done – especially if you have hired the right company to do the work for you. So think about everything and all of the needs that you have, and then set out to find the right ones to help you with all that you need to get done. The right company is out there. Contact us here


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Good morning everyone. I hope everyone survived their Thanksgiving (if they celebrated) and their Black Friday shopping (if they did any). We normally do some sort of Thanksgiving dinner here with friends but this year it was just a pizza with hopes of a turkey dinner with all the fixings soon.
As for Black Friday, you cannot beat the 30% off that Simon Says Stamp gave on Thursday and was able to finally get 1 die and 3 stamp sets that I have had on my wish list. On Friday (at 6am my time) Ellen Hutson had a great sale and I was able to add some Inchie Arts products and 2 WPlus9 sets I have been wanting. There was plenty more that I wanted but I kept my wallet in check. What bargains or deals did you find? I'd love to know!
Now for today's card. It seems my parents scheduled the arrival of their children around major holidays. LOL. My birthday is Christmas Eve and my brother's is Thanksgiving. Of course he always got birthday gifts and Hanukkah gifts and I always got 1 gift for both celebrations. I know. Unfair. But therapy helped. Kidding!!! Last year I made a card for my bro (HERE) but he never received it (thanks to the Brasilian post office). So this year I decided to make a StenDoodled birthday card for him that he will have to enjoy online until I see him in person!! Whatcha think bro??
I started by stamping this Happy Birthday image on a piece of white cardstock with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink. I am 99.999% sure that this stamp, although retired, was made by DRS Designs.
You can also use letter stencils and spell out whatever word you wish to use this way.
The next thing you need to do is fill in each letter with a different stencil design (otherwise it would not be a StenDoodle. Right?) Because these letters are about 1" tall, the perfect stencil to use is the Doodle It Inchie Stencil by Maria McGuire from StencilGirl Products.
This stencil has a bunch of different designs and I tried to use a different one in each of the letters. Place the design you want to use over the letter and trace the design with a Copic Multiliner or Micron pen, making sure you do NOT go out of the lines of the letter. You can also trace with a pencil and then go back with your marker.
Here is the card front after all the designs were in each letter.
Next I used the Cake! set by Jane's Doodles. Using a stamp positioner I stamped the cake and the candles so they were sitting on top of the image.
Next I colored in the whole image using a variety of Copic markers. I also trimmed the white cardstock to 3 1/2" x 6 1/4" and adhered it to a piece of black cardstock.
The last things I did was to adhere this to a Kraft card 3 3/4" x 6 3/4", applied some yellow Stickles to the candles and Espresso Dimensional Pearls to the cake as frosting and set aside to fully dry.
Done!! I love love love using stencils inside of open letters like this image or within open stencil letters. Each card becomes unique to the person you are making it for or for the occasion. I hope you enjoyed this idea of a StenDoodled birthday card. Let me know by leaving a comment below! Until next time -
Hugs from Brasil -


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This is one bubble bath that you'll never want to take a dip in.
Locals in Bangalore, India are calling for immediate action after foam which had accumulated on Bellandur Lake, the biggest lake in the city, was blown onto streets and even caught fire for the second time in only a few months. While experiencing a gigantic bubble bath outside of your bathtub may seem like a fun idea at first, the foam that is spewing out from Bellandur Lake is actually toxic in nature and supposedly has a terrible stench.


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CUPE came back. The inside CUPE 15 workers returned to work today at Carnegie Center in Vancouver. But they are not allowing the poor to return to work. CUPE members are blocking the poor from the public access computers inside Carnegie.
There are public access computers in Carnegie in the following locations: three in the basement Seniors Lounge, eight in the third floor computer room, 6 in the third floor Learning Center, and two in the Vancouver Public Libary branch on the first floor (although those inside the library branch are primarily for looking up titles of books and other library materials.) Of course the doors of the small Carnegie branch of the Vancouver Public Library remain locked since the VPL workers voted not to accept this week's contract offer by mediator, Brian Foley -- so nobody expected to get into the library to use those computers. But what about the computers elsewhere in the building? The poor who want to use them have been told to take a hike.
The poor have been told that the reason the computers in the building are off limits to them is that they are run by the Vancouver Public Library. Indeed, the VPL logo is on the desk tops on the screens of these computers.
Only three computers are accessible to the public in the Carnegie building. They are three of the six in the 3rd floor Learning Center. That's because those three are operated by the Vancouver Community Net, not the VPL.
So what are well-paid CUPE members who have returned to work going to be doing with their time. A primary job of Colleen Gorrie is to work to keep volunteers in the areas in the building where there are computers. The volunteers keep an eye on the computers and get people to sign-in before using them. So what is she doing now? Twiddling her thumbs?
Maybe she could use her free time to answer questions about the WCB/WorkSafe claim she made. She claimed that a blog about Carnegie was making her feel "unsafe". A man who doesn't even blog, Bill Simpson, got scapegoated and barred from the Carnegie Center as a result of this claim. (Carnegie Director Ethel Whitty revealed this reason after the barring, although the official written reason given to Simpson in a letter on City letterhead was that he "links" to the blog in question.) Now that Gorrie and some other CUPE members, like Assistant Director Dan Tetrault who delivered the barring letter to Simpson along with Whitty, will have time on their hands, it would be a perfect time to launch an investigation into the legitimacy of this WCB claim. As Carnegie Board member Grant Chancey, a pro-union guy, pointed out, there was nothing threatening whatsoever on the blog in question. "And I've looked and I've looked and I've looked." When it comes to this claim, the opinion of several bloggers is that WCB, CUPE, and a few individuals in the City legal department have some splainin' to do.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
CUPE's Back: Blocks Poor From Computers at Carnegie
Posted by reliable sources at 2:34 PM 2 comments: Links to this post
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Mon, 27 January 2014
GRAMMY EDITION - Remembering These Grammys All Too Well - Lorde "Royals" Daft Punk "Get Lucky" Kacey Musgraves "Merry Go Round" - Episode 118 - Taylor Talk: The Taylor Swift Podcast
Episode 118 - I'm a crumbled up piece of paper lying here because Taylor performed "All Too Well" at the Grammys! On Episode 118 of Taylor Talk: The Taylor Swift Podcast, the hosts give you full coverage of the 56th Grammy Awards. We discuss the red carpet, the nature of the Grammy awards and how they pick the winners, and Taylor's breath-taking performance of "All Too Well." We also go back in the Taylor Swift time machine and discuss Taylor's past Grammy performances from 2009-2013. And even though Taylor didn't win a Grammy this year, she is still our seven-time Grammy winning girl, our favorite. Enjoy the episode!
Highlights from Episode 118 of Taylor Talk: The Taylor Swift Podcast:
- The RED Tour is coming to London! Taylor will perform at London's O2 on Feb. 1st & 2nd.
- We bring you full coverage of the 56th Grammy Awards!
- What did you think of Taylor Swift's red carpet dress? The hosts give mixed reviews.
- Maya loved Colbie Caillat's red dress.
- Grammy winners are determined "without regard to album sales or chart promotion." That explains it.
- Adam defines an "artist" as someone who writes or at least co-writes their own music.
- Diane is baffled by Daft Punk's helmets. What?
- That moment when you accidentally think RED won Album of the Year and then your heart is broken...
- Why did Fearless win Album of the Year in 2008 and RED didn't?
- Can we talk about how incredible it is that Taylor chose to perform "All Too Well" because the Swifties asked her to?
- Taylor sure looked pissed about that scarf!
- What's your all-time favorite Taylor Swift Grammy performance? We discuss her performances from 2008-2013.
- Fun fact: Queen Latifah can marry you now!
- You know you're a Swifty when you describe yourself as a hardcore Taylor Swift fan.
- View all the nominees and winners of the 56th Grammy Awards at grammy.com/nominees.
Direct download: 118_Episode_118_-_GRAMMYS_2014_-_Taylor_Talk__The_Taylor_Swift_Podcast.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:45am PDT


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My husband is in Marketing for Long term Care facilities and I am a Registered Nurse and Director of Nursing in a Long Term Care facility. We have been married for 20 years and raised a blended family of five children. God has seen fit to bless us with sixteen grandchildren. As strong Christians we feel really blessed to have the opportunity to own a villa in Nicaragua and pray that we are able to honor GOD with it. We feel that Casa Anita is a true retreat from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives and a great place to call home when in Nicaragua. We hope and pray that if you should desire to stay at Casa Anita, you too will feel at home.
Why the Owner Chose Granada
My husband first traveled to Nicaragua in 1971 and was intrigued by the culture, however he was not able to return again until 2008 when we met up with his college roommate and friends who are origianlly from Nicaragua. We both fell in love instanlty with the warm people and the beautiful country and are in awe of the astonishing architechture and unique culture. We have intentions in the next few years of retiring to Nicaragua, however in the mean time thought we could enjoy our own piece of heaven. We decided to purchase this villa for a vacation home and rental until we retire.
Casa Anita (named after me, at the insistance of our Nicaraguan friends) is just 1 & 1/2 block from Mercedes Cathedral and 3 blocks form Central Park. In Central Park you will find anything you like from Horse Carriage rides to local art and crafts. Restaurants and Night LIfe surround Central Park. Just about 6 blocks further and you are at the 7th largest lake in the world. You can take a boat ride to the Isletas (Islands) and feed the monkeys on Monkey Island, swim, fish or just admire the serenity of it. Granada is a beautiful town with great architechture and amazing history. As a vacation rental in Granada it is centrally located enough to be able to travel to other areas in Nicaragua without having to stay over night. With just a hour and half trip to San Juan Del Sur, you can enjoy the beach, surf and fresh seafood and still make it back to Granada in time for dinner. You are only 45 minutes away from Managua, where you can find all the more modern shopping and entertaining venues.
Mike and I at Iglesia de La Merced (Merced Church), just 1 1/2 blocks North
Mike and I at Catarina, overlooking Laguna Apoyo


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How To Increase Your Ecommerce Sales In 7 Steps
Greg Miles | November 13th, 2018 | Read Time: 5 mins
Growing an ecommerce brand can be one of the most challenging yet rewarding ventures in business. There will be times of struggle and frustration as sales go through plateaus and declines.
Sometimes it's not always obvious why sales are sluggish, and equally the reason behind a sudden uplift in checkouts might not be clear. Understanding this cause and effect relationship will go a long way to helping you drive better results, and while there are many tricks and tactics that can grab an extra few sales here and there, making sure solid foundations are in place is a crucial starting point.
Here we dive into seven of the most effective practices needed to help your ecommerce business thrive in 2019 and beyond.
Know your customer
Leverage your social media and website analytics to identify who your most valuable audiences are. This data will help you paint a picture of your best customers, what they have in common, and how you can best reach them. Creating buyer personas – fictional representations of your different customer segments – will also help you understand and relate to your audience as real people with unique interests, challenges and goals, rather than simply a sales transaction.
Consider their demographic profile, such as their age, gender, location, language and income, but go further to think about the questions they might have, the devices they will use, the content formats they will prefer and their primary pain points.
Once you understand your audience you can develop marketing messages that are more likely to resonate with them, and deliver them in a way that is most likely to reach them. This process of analysing website and social behaviour, as well as wider third party research from reliable sources, will also help you understand seasonal trends in your niche. This information can be used to inform you campaign planning throughout the year.
Build brand awareness
Brand awareness builds trust, impacts repeat purchases and even contributes to SEO. The ultimate goal is to get more people thinking about, talking about, and searching for your brand, through unified, consistent marketing across all channels.
Think about all the touchpoints where your brand can meet your customers. Make sure you have a quality presence in all of these touchpoints, from search engines, social media, and online reviews, to print, TV and OOH advertising.
Drive traffic with paid media
Facebook and Google ads can be used to drive new visitors to your online store, convert interested users into paying customers, and to re-engage existing customers to buy even more. There are numerous formats to meet the needs and expectations of your customers, and they can be used for several objectives, in line with your goals.
These channels allow you to closely monitor your budget and ROAS (return on ad spend) for specific ads so that you can move your budget to the campaigns that are going to deliver the best returns. The platforms also allow you to be extremely flexible with your budgets, investing as little or as much as necessary to get the desired result.
If you have an extensive catologue of products you can also take advantage of Dynamic Facebook ads to automatically promote products to people who have expressed an interest in them on your website.
Improve conversion rates with vigorous testing
Improving conversion rates by as little as 0.5% can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line. Make a habit of regularly testing different aspects of your website that you know could be improved. Dig into yor analytics to see where users are dropping off and make an assessment of what might be the cause. A/B test different versions of the identified cause so that you can isolate the problem and establish what is affecting conversions.
At Bumbl we're big believers in Kaizen, the Japanese concept of continuous improvement, which translates literally as "change good." This drive for continuous improvement should never stop, as it will help you make marginal gains that compound into significant improvements over time.
Create a memorable unboxing experience
Product delivery is effectively the last point of contact that your customer will have with your brand, so it pays to make it a memorable one! Great packaging allows you to tell your brand narrative in an interesting way, and if you take the time to make it different or special, it can leave a lasting impact.
It's those little added extras that can take the buying experience from good to great.
The science backs this up too, with one study finding that attractive packaging stimulates the reward-seeking areas of the brain, while unattractive or neautral packages failed to stir up the same response, and in some cases activated regions of the brain associated with negative emotions.
Build loyalty with email
GDPR didn't kill email, it just improved the quality of your audience. Many businesses in Europe had huge segments of their email databases wiped out in mid-2018, but those users were never going to open their emails anyway.
Qualified email leads that are actually interested in hearing from you will open your abandoned cart emails. Not only does this recover revenue that would be lost due to a purchase not being completed, but it also enables you to take advantage of further upselling opportunities.
Building relationships with your customers by sharing your brand story and revealing what goes on behind the scenes will also pay dividends in the long term. Sending offers and flash sales directly to your customers is also a surefire way to boost short-term conversions.
There are no shortcuts to building a sustainable and successful ecommerce business, but by following the practices above you will be heading in the right direction. If you need help formulating a marketing strategy or getting more out of your campaigns, we'd love to get to know you better.
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Monday, August 23, 2010
New Brian Eno Album Out in November on Warp Records
While word of this leaked out a little while back, today came official word that a new album from ambient pioneer/super producer Brian Eno would be releasing his new album, entitled "Small Craft on a Milk Sea" on November 2nd on Warp Records. The album will be available in a standard CD/download format, as well as 2 deluxe box set versions. More info is available at Eno's website.
Labels: Electronic Music Pioneers
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Due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the Alliance's Atelier artists-in-residency studio has moved to the Winter Garden at the World Financial Center (220 Vesey Street). Step inside the new studio on Wednesday, December 19 from 12pm – 5pm, and see what's been created in this year's residency by our three Atelier artists: Andrea Burgay, Kyle James Dunn, and Joseph Parra. Each participant is a past Scholastic Art & Writing Awards winner, and follows in the footsteps of other alumni like Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, John Baldessari, Cy Twombly, Mel Bochner, Tom Otterness, and Erik Madigan Heck (just to name a few!). These three artists represent some of the most promising emerging young artists around, and we feel very lucky to have them in our program.
Learn more about them here. And, to see some examples of their work, visit our Flickr page. Have a question for the artists? Tweet @artandwriting using the hashtag #AWatelier. Read More


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The Amazing Benefits of Having a Personal Trainer
How are you going with your New Year fitness plan? Are you into a great routine and feeling motivated and energized? Or do you need to reassess your plan and look at strategies to accelerate your progress? If you're going well then that is...READ MORE