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Amy has lived in Brevard County all her life. She grew up in North Merritt Island and has lived in Cocoa, Rockledge, Port St. John and has settled into Titusville with her family. She truly loves calling the Space Coast home! Her previous careers were in mortgage and insurance, which has greatly assisted in her Real Estate business.
Her goal is to provide her clients with outstanding service and communication in one of the largest transactions of their lives! Whether you are looking to purchase your first home, trading-up, downsizing, relocating, or planning real estate investments, you can count on Amy to work hard for you!
We were very pleased with our experience. Amy was very helpful, efficient, and kind! She was a great negotiater and was very knowledgeable. We would most definitely use her again.
Amy was knowledgeable and helpful with the sale of our home! She was patient with all of my questions with this hugely important transaction! Amy was honest with suggestions on how to make our home more appealing to buyers! I highly recommend Amy Akins for all your real estate needs!
My husband and I contacted Amy when we were thinking about selling our house in November of 2018. She came and met with us immediately and suggested a few minor improvements that we could make to expedite the sale of our home. After following her advice we enlisted her as our agent to sell our house.
At this time we were preparing to move out of state and were extremely busy with the move. Amy took care of everything that was required to sell our house in Florida and it was under contract within two days. The inspection showed a problem of which we were unaware and Amy was able to find a professional who was able to fix the problem to the satisfaction of the buyers with whom we were under contract. Because of Amy's extensive experience in the real estate business, she knew the perfect person to hire to fix the problem with our house.
My husband and I have often said that we were actually blessed to have Amy for our Realtor and we will always be grateful to her. She is not only a competent and knowledgeable Realtor, but she is one of the nicest, most honest, and hardest working people we have ever known. When we thought things would not work out, she was always there with a positive and encouraging attitude as well as the solution to the problem. Also, the price she advised to list it for was the price for which it sold. We were able to sell our house for much more than we thought we would get which was profitable for us.
We highly recommend Amy to anyone who is buying or selling in her area. You will be thankful to have her as your Realtor.
|Property Address
|4606 Palace Place
Titusville, FL 32796
|Beds: 3
Baths: 2fb
SqFt: 1,630
|7485 Turkey Point Drive
Titusville, FL 32780
|Beds: 4
Baths: 2fb/1hb
SqFt: 2,403
|3100 Sir Hamilton Circle 1
Titusville, FL 32780
|Beds: 1
Baths: 1fb
SqFt: 736
|Property Address
|4310 Sugar Maple Court
Titusville, FL 32780
|Beds: 2
Baths: 2fb/1hb
SqFt: 1,330
|3870 Spring Creek Lane
Titusville, FL 32780
|Beds: 3
Baths: 2fb
SqFt: 1,715
|1583 Pentax Avenue
Titusville, FL 32796
|Beds: 4
Baths: 2fb
SqFt: 1,379


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FEFU Int. Admission Office:
+7 (423) 265 24 24
(ext. 2206)
Technopark "Russky" launches its first accelerator at Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU). The grand opening will take place on Cosmonautics Day - April 12.
"I think it is symbolic that our accelerator opens on the same day when the first man conquered space. Its launch is an important step for us, the residents of the Technopark and the entire university because it directly affects the creation of a unique ecosystem for the development of high-tech entrepreneurship throughout the Far East", said Dmitry Borovikov, Director of Technopark "Russky".
The accelerator academic program will begin on April 13 with the open lecture "Startup at the start!". She will be read by invited experts: entrepreneur Konstantin Tarasov, product manager at Startup Magic, the expert in digital marketing and IT entrepreneur Alexander Nechaev. Speakers will talk about the formation of value propositions, the creation of MVP, share their opinions about why perfectionism is a death for a startup, and also reveal the secrets of saving time and money. The event will take place on the FEFU campus (Building B, Medium Hall) at 11:00. Admission is free for everyone.
The admission to the first accelerator of the Russian Technopark ended on March 31. Experts analyzed 305 applications, of which no more than 40 projects will go into full-time selection.
Accelerator is a new tool for the development of business projects, designed to help Technopark residents in just three months to prepare their product for implementation in the domestic market and in countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Reno PD Case File
A serial killer known as the Confessor is kidnapping and torturing gay men, and Reno Police Department Evidence Technician Leif Carson is determined to catch him.
His personal life isn't any less stressful. Despite being a virgin and having zero experience with men, he can't stop thinking about his best friend's ex, Rafe Castillo. Rafe is suffering from PTSD, but that doesn't stop Leif from wanting to be with him.
Complete opposites, they're an amazing fit once they do get together—until Rafe's PTSD gets in the way and he walks away from the relationship before it has a chance to truly blossom. Even though he has intense feelings for the man, Leif has no choice but to let him go.
When the Confessor kidnaps Rafe, Leif does everything possible to locate him before he's murdered. Rafe's near-death experience changes him profoundly, but the danger isn't over yet. Leif and Rafe will have to face pure evil together if they're going to last.


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All our food is prepared freshly in our on-site kitchens. Our ingredients are all locally sourced. This gives us a nutritious and delicious menu to choose from.
Our excellent head chefs regularly update our menus to make the most of seasonal produce. Our entire menu is designed keeping in mind our resident's taste and nutritional needs. Our kitchen and care staff are always at hand to help in case our residents want something not on the menu.
Our sous chef Tarnia has a particular penchant for baking. Her cakes are hot favourites of both our residents and visitors – why not pop in to have a look around and try some for yourselves!
Our meat, fruit, veg, eggs, bread and milk are all delivered fresh from local suppliers. As of April 2015 we along with our residents are planning to grow a selection of herbs and vegetables in our brand new green house.
Please find a sample of our typical weekly menu, or CLICK HERE to download a pdf version:
Both our kitchens are regularly inspected by the FSA. Please find our hygiene ratings below:
Field View
Chapel View
We all get on well together, we are like family – CQC Inspection
The home always smells appetising and Tarnia's cakes are amazing – Hazel Marsden, resident's daughter


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What's the worst thing about commuting? Is it getting up early? Late trains? Not getting a seat? Those are all equally terrible but the actual answer is 'other people'.
That's right, travelling into work wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all those people clogging up your train carriage. All those inconsiderate, smelly, loud, mouth-breathing people with all their annoying commuting habits.
The funny thing is that everyone feels that way. To the person next to you, the same level of contempt is felt toward you as you to them. It's a weird kind of unity that binds commuters together but can also tear them apart at any moment.
A survey conducted for Channel Five and reported by The Standard, revealed the top seven most annoying commuting habits.
1. Pushing onto trains without letting others off first
Bear in mind that if you stand by the side and let other people empty out of a carriage you can plan your manoeuvre toward a seat more tactically. But no, as with most commuting habits, selfishness trumps any reason or compassion.
2. Not moving down inside the carriage
Again, if you just follow the rules, you can increase you chances of actually getting a seat. Because the gangway of a tube carriage can only fit one person like peas in a pod, you'll actually have more room around you if you move down the carriage.
3. Eating on the tube
Fair enough, if it's a packet of crisps or a sandwich because you won't have time to eat later on, ignore those leers, eat away. However, if it's 9:30am and you're tucking into some smelly KFC, you need to reassess your life.
4. Manspreading
The act of males spreading their legs and taking up an inordinate amount of space. This has nothing (repeat nothing) to do with making nether-regions comfortable. For exceptionally tall people, they have an excuse.
Latest Stories
However, if you're sat next to a man under 6'1″ with his legs spread unreasonably, smash him in the jangles and tell him to be more considerate next time. Take no prisoners.
5. Playing loud music
You need a license to busk for a reason. Nobody is going to hear your terribly mixed Jungle-House playlist out of your phone speaker and think "man, this guy needs a slot at Propaganda".
6. Loud conversations
Use your inside voices, Children.


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Live from Long Island, New York
Match One
Yuri Williamson Sanic
Aaron Leon @CiV
Winner - Aaron Leon via pinfall
"Yuri Willamson fell short once again, as Aaron Leon hit two successful Frog Splashes to capture another victory over Williamson."
Match Two
Intercontinental Championship
15 Minute Iron Man Match
The Challenger
Tyson Blade @Electro
The Champion
Joseph Diamond @CiV
Winner - Joseph Diamond via 2 falls to 1.
"Joseph Diamond has proven himself as the true Intercontinental Champion, as he defeats Tyson Blade with no outside interference in this 15 minute Iron Man match. The final fall came in the final few seconds, where Joseph Diamond rolled Tyson Blade up to successfully retain his championship. What is next for both of these men?"
Match Three
Precision World Heavyweight Championship
The Challenger
Spencer Hyde @Reborn
The Champion
Will Neilson Sanic
Winner - Spencer Hyde via pinfall.
"He did it! Spencer Hyde has become the new Precision World Heavyweight Champion in a shocking turn of events, as he defeats Will Neilson here at Money in the Bank. Neilson did not go down easy though, and it took 4 finishing manueveres to put him down for the three count. After the match, Neilson shook the hand of the new champion, and congratulated him on his victory. This is truly a new era in Precision."
Main Event
Jack Rogue @Geek773
Antonio Stark @The Anarchist
Chris Young @impactking
Kyle Rayner Welsh-Wizard-97
Winner - Antonio Stark
"What?! Antonio Stark is Mr. Money in the Bank! After being low down in the card for what feels like his entire career in Precision, Antonio finally has the chance to turn his career around, as the briefcase will promise him a Precision World Heavyweight Championship whenever he wants. This is sure to change the landscape soon, and new champion Spencer Hyde might have to be on extra alert from now on."
Congratulations to all of the winners, the next Precision is sure to be a good one.


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"Media Unity for Freedom of Press has chosen to publicly condemn the atrocities on media persons under the "Freedom Tree", before the State Information Center (arbitrarily changed into Jaydev Bhawan by a confused government). Around a hundred journalists representing all segments of media beyond union boundaries have been gathering under the Tree that now stands identified with the journalists' attempt to protect the Press Freedom in the state of Orissa".
0 comments » Write a comment
An excellent poem from dearest Saswot !!!
I am sure it will inspire all of us to fight for FREEDOM
OF PRESS AND MEDIA UNITY in the State despite all odds and manifold sponsored attacks on the media.
Jai Ho Press Freedom !!!!
Jai Ho Media Unity !!!
Jai Ho Freedom Tree !!!
Long live Freedom Tree !!!!
Long Live Media Unity !!!!
Long Live Freedom of Press !!!!
Long Live Saswat !!!!!!!!
A well written and inspiring piece, which came from core of the heart.


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Moderators: TalbotWoods, JaneClack
Have you considered any alternate solutions? You say you are in a lower paid job at the moment and going for a career change. Have you thought about offering your creditors more affordable reduced monthly payments? I know you say you dont have a job set up at the moment, but it sounds like you do hope to find a suitable job, if so, you could offer £1 per month for a few months until you get a job and make a better offer, (this is when you are not in work, currently, you could offer more until you move).
If this is something you would like to consider, there are free debt advisory companies who can offer you an assessment to see what other options are available.
FCL Debt Clinic - http://www.fcl.org.uk 0800 716239
National Debtline - http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk 0800 808 4000
Or you could go to your local CAB.
All these are free services, and there is no obligation to do anything they suggest.
Hope this helps.
The loan was taken in good faith on your behalf that you had every intention to pay the money back at the agreed monthly payment. Your situation is now changing which has made things difficult for you to keep to the arrangements. You dont sacrifice happiness for the sake of a monthly payment and I'm sure the OR wouldnt expect that of you either. I'm sure you will be fine.


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A few months later, he spoke publicly about the incident and said he had "probably let myself down, I let my family down, I let other people down." Vanessa Williams In 1984, nude photos of Vanessa Williams cost her the crown as the first black Miss America winner. A series of nude photographs of the beauty posing with another young woman were published in Penthouse and raked in $24 million for the magazine. Williams was effectively pressured by pageant officials to resign. She lost her title and at least $2 million worth of endorsement contracts. In her 2009 book, "You Have No Idea," Williams addressed the scandal and wrote that at the time she worried most about how her parents would react. Kristin Davis In 2008 alleged nude photos of "Sex and the City" star Kristin Davis leaked online.
Source http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/farrah-abraham-porn-video-dayday_n_4025601.html
Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans And Tyler Baltierra Criticize Farrah Abraham's Couples Therapy Appearance
She responded to Tylers comment by explaining, You & @CatelynnLowell are trend starters! You will understand why she entered #CouplesTherapy alone when you see the season. Like Farrah Abraham, Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell are not entirely finished with reality life. Tyler recentlyshared an Instagram snapshot that offered irrefutable proof of his participation in a brand new MTV special. He claims further details will arrive soon! The new season of Couples Therapy will premiere on January 2nd.
Source http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/2013/12/10/teen-moms-jenelle-evans-and-tyler-baltierra-criticize-farrah-abrahams-couples-therapy-appearance/
Flaming Youth! Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham rocks out at the beach in raunchy Kiss-inspired bikini
We know, right? Best news of your life. Though MTV has yet to confirm or deny the news, both Amber Portwood and Catelynn Lowry have been spotted with camera crews, Tyler Baltierra straight-up announced his return to the network that made him famous, and now Farrah Abraham is also spilling the beans! In a new interview with Mosh News , Farrah dished on her life as a world-famous reality starlet, saying "life since I have finished Teen Mom well, right now Im doing some Teen Mom stuff." Poetic as usual, and there you have it!
Source http://www.wetpaint.com/farrah-abraham/articles/2013-12-12-working-on-teen-mom-spin-off
Farrah Abraham Says She's Currently Working on "Teen Mom Stuff"
Uri Schanker/FilmMagic Abraham, who reportedly netted nearly $1 million for her sex tape, is making appearances at clubs across the country this summer. Abraham, sporting a black dress and pearls, promoted her sex tape, "Farrah Superstar: Backdoor Teen Mom," at the Vivid booth. Fans could pose for a photo with Abraham for $20 a pop. Abraham seemed to be enjoying herself at the X-rated expo, stopping to take a puff from a hookah on display and checking out an array of motorcycles. After the event, Abraham headed to Passion Nightclub to headline her official birthday celebration.
Source http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/farrah-abraham-visits-x-rated-expo-article-1.1360528


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Cotton crop may set 2 records
Wed, 2013-10-16 15:08
WINNSBORO (AP) — Louisiana cotton could set both a record high and a record low this year.
The 128,000 acres planted this year was the second straight record low. But LSU AgCenter cotton specialist David Kerns says farmers have a good chance at a record high yield.
"I've seen dry land cotton picking as much as three bales to the acre. I've seen some four-bale irrigated acres. Those are exceptional yields," he said.
Much of the land planted in cotton was in areas that typically see higher yields, Kerns said in a news release Tuesday.
A bale of cotton weighs about 500 pounds, according to the National Cotton Council. "A technical bale is 500 lbs. but most real bales weigh about 480 lbs. or so," Kerns said in an email.
The yield record of 1,017 pounds per acre was set in 2007.
Last year's 225,000 acres had been the lowest since Louisiana began tracking cotton production
Cotton, like other crops, benefited from a summer that never got too hot, too dry or too wet.
"Temperatures weren't exceptionally hot, and so we retained a lot more fruit in those conditions. We had good rainfall, and the insects weren't real bad. We were successful in managing those pests," Kerns said.
Harvest weather also was ideal, he said.
Prices remain low, so Kerns doesn't expect acreage to increase much next year.
"It boils down to simple economics," he said. "The farmers are making more money growing corn and soybeans than they are cotton right now, so that is what they are going to plant."
But with fewer farmers planting less cotton, gins could close and farmers could sell off their equipment.
Four gins closed last year, leaving 28 open, the AgCenter said earlier this year.
Some were dismantled and the equipment sold, while others were waiting for a rebound in cotton planting.
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6 Ideas for Search Engine Optimization(SEO), How to optimize website or blog freely for best traffice, How to compell search engine to push your website or blog in top search pages.
Companies are charging huge amount to optimize website or blogs, there are separate team in companies to optimize website or blogs and it is not possible for every one to hire them. They are definitely out of middle class people or bloggers.
In this case how to optimize our blogs, how to make our website popular, how to attract visitors, how to increase response in our blog, what to take care at the time of designing a blog.
Here in this article of "www.indianbazars.com" free ideas for easy SEO are given and there is no doubt that if you use these tips then 100% sure success will be in your pocket. You can check results just after a few days of applying the rules in your website or blog.
Here Are 6 Miraculous IDEAS For SEO:
1. Best and Temptative HEADINGS
2. Best META TAGS
3. DESCRIPTION in a good way
4. Clear IMAGE with caption, labels and alternative tags.
5. Use of KEYWORDS in copy-writing the contents.
6. Use of URLs' of your own website or blog in articles to engage readers.
Know details about the IDEAS below --
1. Best and Temptative HEADINGS:
HEADINGS are key to success, an eye catching headings can easily attract the visitors to read that articles in deep. So do good research before making headings in a creative way as per the visitors psychology.
2. Best META TAGS:
Meta tags are very important from the point of view of SEO, Search engine comes to know that what is the article about, what is the website or blog about and then show it in pages during searches world wide. So best use of meta tags will enhance your success rate on line.
3. DESCRIPTION in a good way:
If you are writing articles then it is necessary for you to know about the dynamic ways of writing articles, use good words, use simple words but in an interesting ways so that general readers may understand it clearly.
4. Clear IMAGE with caption, labels and alternative tags:
If you are using image only then don't expect search engine to give you good results because only image is nothing for search engine, so do write the caption clearly and also give alternative searching tags of image, it is necessary for search engine optimisation.
5. Use of KEYWORDS in copy-writing the contents:
If you are writing articles then wait you must know about the keywords density in content writing, more or less use of keywords are of no use and you will not get the expected results, so read about the Google content writing rules and then work for better results.
6. Use of URLs' of your own website or blog in articles to engage readers:
while writing articles do link the main keywords with the articles of your own blog or website so that visitors may know about that word or facilities from your own blog, it will help to increase the time of stay of a visitor in your own blog.
So above are some free 6 IDEAS to make your blog or website popular and to see the results act now and see the power of these 6 golden rule of designing a blog or website.
Read More Articles On :
6 Ideas for Search Engine Optimization(SEO), How to optimize website or blog freely for best traffice, How to compell search engine to push your website or blog in top search pages.


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We Specialize in:
Fire and Explosion Cause and Origin
Building Code Compliance
Industrial Losses
Water Intrusion Causation
Construction Liability and Builder's Risk
Manufactured Home inspections
Personal Injury
- Accident Reconstruction
- Slip/Trip and Fall
Civil Engineering Consulting
- Geotechnical Failure
- Flooding causation
Property evaluation and assessment
- Foundations
- Roofing
- Exterior Cladding
- Structural assessment
- Post-disaster assessment
- Product failure and liability
Natural Disaster
- Wind/Flood Assessment
- Hail Damage
- Hurricane Damage
- Tornado Damage
Determination of the cause of most fires, including the determination of appliance failure as a fire source. Veco Consulting's NAFI certified Fire and Explosion Investigators have investigated several thousand fires. Veco also offers safe evidence storage of fire evidence for subrogation claims.
Reliable assessment of the structural integrity of residential and commercial structures and determination of the cause of failure and possible remedies. Engineers have expertise in foundation and design, construction techniques and interior and exterior cladding.
Inspection of damaged residential and commercial structures and determination of the nature and extent of damages caused by foundation failure, hurricane, hailstorms, and tornados, and necessary repairs.
VECO offers state of the art technology and infrared scanning, giving engineers the capability to trace the source of moisture in structures and detect its cause.
Veco's Certified Indoor Environmentalists offer state of the art mold sampling and testing services and determination of source and extent of mold in residential, commercial and institutional structures.
Fast and accurate code research in current and historical building codes at our fingertips in Veco's extensive library.
With over twenty years of testifying experience in local and regional State and Federal courts throughout the Southeast, Veco consulting offers trustworthy case analysis and expert witness services, including professional photographs and reports.
Engineers have testified in liability, fire, trip and fall and accident reconstruction cases.


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Addiction of any kind is bad and not only for the addict but for relatives and loved ones. Among the various types of substance abuse the most common one in the USA is heroin addiction. The drug causes extreme physical dependence and leads to symptoms such as withdrawal. Today there a variety of effective treatments for heroin addiction.
Here is a brief overview of a few things you should know about heroin addiction treatment:
Treatment for heroin addiction tends to be the most effective when the abuse is identified early as it is quite easy to curtail the dependence during the early stages. The treatments to be followed next vary for every individual depending upon the stage, level of addiction and several biological factors. One of the most commonly used substances for this treatment is suboxone which is a synthetic opiate that works well both on blocking the effects of heroin and eliminating withdrawal symptoms. Other pharmaceutical approaches, such as buprenorphine, and many behavioral therapies also are used for treating heroin addiction.
- Suboxone programs
Suboxone is used to safely treating opioid addiction. Suboxone relieves the cravings associated with heroin addiction which is a major reason for relapse in most of the addicts. Combined with behavioral therapies and counseling and other supportive services, suboxone enables patients to stop using heroin and return to a more stable and productive life.
Check out a list of suboxone suboxone side effects.
- Behavioral therapies
- Detoxification
Detoxification is the most basic and effective treatment used to achieve withdrawal from opiates. Detox programs minimize the severity of withdrawal symptoms and other medical complications as well. Detoxification is actually meant to relieve withdrawal symptoms while patients adjust to a drug-free state.
Thus, the development in medical sciences has led us to finding solutions for the most severe of addictions. If someone you love is caught in the grips of heroin do not lose hope, addiction treatment is available!


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CEO letter | The Digital Detox
Walpole's CEO is on holiday for the next two weeks, and, for the first time since 2005, is undergoing the full digital detox – no iPhone, no email, no laptop, no nothing. Below she outlines the reasons behind this rather radical experiment, where she will be 'Out of Office in mind, as well as body'.
Everyone has their bucket list. For some people it's visiting Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat; mine is reading the big novels. Books, particularly those one might refer to as 'the classics', are my luxury. Obviously, it's partly about being an incorrigible show-off and wanting to be able to nod sagely whenever anyone mentions Proust's Madeleines, or stick my hand up to a question about Odysseus and the Sirens at a pub quiz, but mostly, it's about an escape route from the demands of every day life. Fiction is not the opposite of fact. Fiction is a glorious, hypothetical, imagined reality. Open the pages and you're instantly immersed in the lives of others – I've never fallen madly in doomed love with a Russian cavalry officer, but Anna Karenina made it as vivid to me as if I had, and warned me against it lest I, too, wanted to end up underneath a train. Nor have I drunk champagne from glasses 'bigger than finger-bowls' at a party where 'lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun, and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music' but Fitzgerald turned me into that girl in 'trembling opal' at one of Gatsby's parties. It's not only about going on a holiday in someone else's world, books are good for you – a University of Sussex study showed reading fiction was a better stress-buster than yoga – just six minutes with a novel reduces stress levels by 68%. Novels also improve our ability to empathise – neuroscientists at Emory University in the US found that losing oneself in a story 'enhances connectivity in the brain and improves brain function'. It also noted that fiction improves our ability to put oneself in someone else's shoes and flex the imagination in a way that's similar to visualisation of a muscle memory in sports. With benefits like these, perhaps I should reposition my passion for reading as a necessity – like exercise or work or eating vegetables – not a luxury.
Anyway. This year's 'big book' was going to be Middlemarch. Virginia Woolf described it as "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people". It came top in a BBC poll of Britain's Greatest Novels. Martin Amis, Julian Barnes and Zadie Smith are amongst the authors who think of it as possibly the greatest novel in English. I feel rather ashamed to have never read it. The second-hand copy I bought in Norwich as an undergrad has been glowering reproachfully at me from the bookshelf ever since, its broken spine and dishevelled pages quietly corroborating the lies I have told about how much I love it. Since I'm old enough to be one of the 'grown-up people', ticking the great work off that bucket list was long overdue. I picked a copy up at New Year only for it to languish on my bedside table under a tower of other unread books. I tried again after listening to Melvyn Bragg discuss it on 'In Our Time' in April and got as far as page twenty five. After a while, I began to realise it wasn't only Middlemarch I was struggling with – the kind of sustained concentration a challenging book requires has been hard to come by this year.
The side effect of trying to do a really good job for Walpole is that I'm constantly glued to my iPhone. I read The Times and The Guardian and some of the FT and the Walpole Daily Digest and Business of Fashion as soon as I wake up, I try to stay on top of emails whilst also out at meetings (not always easy – on a good day there will be fewer than a hundred, but on a very busy day there might be three or four times that), and the ambitious digital content programme we've initiated over the last 12 months means I skim, graze and binge vast amounts of digital data. That's without Whatsapp, shopping apps or my Instagram habit – apparently even an average Instagram user will scroll through 1.3km of feed a day. I seem to have given myself iPhone Tourette's and can't even make a cup of tea without breaking off to check the phone to see if anything has happened. Trying to write a document or something that needs my full attention without interruption has become near impossible. Has it made me more efficient or effective? I don't think so, and according to neuroscientist, Dr Tara Swart, I'm not alone: "…people check their phones up to 160 times a day; we are constantly switched on and our brains are overloaded with information. In the brain, this means we are constantly multi-tasking which means we are doing everything less well than we could if we focused on one task at a time". What's more, Nicholas Carr, writing in 'The Shallows, How the internet is changing the way we think, read and remember' believes that, because our neural pathways are plastic and not hard-wired, this constant checking physically changes the brain; "What we're trading away in return for the riches of the Net – and only a curmudgeon would refuse to see the riches – is what Karp calls "our old linear thought process". Calm, focused, undistracted, the linear mind is being pushed aside by a new kind of mind that wants and needs to take in and dole out information in short, disjointed, often overlapping bursts – the faster, the better".
Is my inability to crack through Middlemarch a warning sign that I need to pay attention to what Julia Hobsbawm, in her book Fully Connected, calls 'social health'? Do I need to put better boundaries around my digital consumption in order to preserve my 'old linear thought process' and to be able to switch between superficial speed reading and sustained bursts of concentration on more challenging material. It seems to me important to retain the ability to do both – when leading any kind of organisation, a not for profit like Walpole or a multinational behemoth, you need the mental agility to be able to skim information in pursuit of a quick response as well as the ability to think deeply and strategically about challenges and opportunities in order to provide strong leadership and direction. Over the last year and a half I've learned I perform much better at Walpole if I'm physically fit – mens sana in corpore sano and all that – it's funny how dead lifting 70kg makes you feel equal to any amount of heavy lifting at work. I'd never miss a gym session, so why don't I apply the same principles to working out my brain. Instead I've allowed a creeping iPhone addition do to my grey matter what a supersized McDonald's diet did to Morgan Spurlock's body.
It's high time I retrained my brain. I'm off on holiday for a fortnight and for the first time in more than a decade, I'm leaving the phone behind. I will be Out of Office in mind as well as body. I'm rather terrified of going cold turkey with a full digital detox will be like (will I be bribing my children to let me use their iPhones?), but I know it will make me a better boss if I do. By the time you see me again at the beginning of August, I will be feeling refreshed, revived and rested with regenerated neural pathways. I may return with a permanently healthier relationship with my phone, or I may fall upon it like a long-lost lover and get addicted all over again. But I am taking Middlemarch on holiday, and by God, I'm going to read it.
Helen Brocklebank is away until 30th July. For all Walpole enquiries, please contact Charlotte Keesing.


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Hello Everyone,
I have a GREAT reason for being electronically absent. I am developing my skills for cataloging and my library manager has given me the green light to start cataloging. I want to take a break to at least share a funny snapshot that I created to show my work. Hey…I may be a cataloger/metadata librarian in the making.
Future updates coming soon.


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So I just wanted to update on what is going on with my Peace Corps Response assignment. As you know from my previous post, my passport was lost in the mail….Well, about a week ago, I got some surprising information: It was delivered to my recruiter successfully! How, you may ask? Magic! I don't know, I'm not questioning it. I've opted to leave at the end of October. Once I made peace with my departure date being pushed back, I signed up for an open house at a grad program I'm interested in. I'll be going to Baltimore and visiting DC for a few days on October 14. I had already booked my flight before my passport was found, so I just felt it was better this way.
I am super pumped for my visit! I've got an action-packed week planned out. I'll be meeting a ton of interesting people, finding out more information about this grad program (and hopefully making a positive impression), a tour of DC on a Segway, and a tour of the White House, plus general sight-seeing and catching up with Peace Corps friends in the area.
I don't want to jump the gun, but I think I have figured out my career. What? I'm telling you, if my passport hadn't been lost, I don't know if I would have realized where my life is going. We'll see how this visit goes, but it just feels right.
The program is a Masters in Public Policy, and I'm interested in concentrating in education policy. I feel like my life has always been on this path, I just wasn't aware of it until now. It makes perfect sense as I am a strong advocate for education, yet was never really seriously interested in teaching as a lifetime career. I understand that classroom experience is vital, and wouldn't you know that I've been working on applying to Teach for America ever since I got back. It was something that interested me, and now it seems to make sense why I was drawn to this. Granted, TFA is extremely competitive, so I know that realistically it is not a sure bet, but I'm going to work hard and see what happens. I'm also interested in the JET program, among other opportunities. My TFA recruiter is extremely friendly, energetic, and helpful in pointing me in the right direction. I'll be researching education issues in depth the next few months, and eager to do so. Education reform is a deeply complex issue, and I see my role for the next few years completely as student: here to observe and learn how the system works–or is meant to work, and NOT as a reformer. I have no expectations, even after completing my MPP, of going in and changing the American education system because I know that I won't be ready for that.


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It's that time of year again; the cold, darkness of the winter is coming to an end and the spring is drawing ever closer, bringing with it light and new life. With the spring comes the yearly ritual of spring-cleaning. For me, this takes a few forms; I like to get rid of old clothes and clean my house from top to bottom. Digitally it's also a perfect time of year to empty your desktop and give your blog the once-over.
Blogging is eternally iterative, any seasoned blogger knows that hitting the publish button isn't the last step of the process. But keeping old content up to date is important; Old, outdated content can lose context and end up being less than helpful for visitors who stumble upon it.
With that in mind, here's a quick guide to spring cleaning your blog!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. I'll never recommend a tool or product I haven't tried and loved, and you won't be charged any more for using the links I provide. Thanks for your support!
Make the move to self-hosted
I can't preach enough about making the move to a self-hosted blog. If you're currently blogging with a free platform like WordPress.com, Tumblr or Blogger, then this is an option you should really consider.
If there's one thing you do this year to grow your blog, or if you are really serious about blogging, I'd recommend going self hosted.
It's slightly more tricky, but the payoff is entirely worth it. With a self-hosted blog you can:
- Own your own domain, no more yourblog.wordpress.com!
- Customise every aspect of your website, from themes to SEO to personalised, professional email accounts
- Micromanage your content, including SEO, advertising and appearance
- Install themes and plugins from all over the internet, so you can make blogging a much easier task for yourself
And, you can add ads to your site from the get-go – something usually not permitted by the free platforms. Ads mean you can start making money from your visitors. Trust me, the hosting will pay for itself!
You can use my
Freshen up your theme
Your blog's theme should represent you, push your brand and compliment your content. If you've been blogging for a while it may be that your blog's appearance has become a bit stale. Perhaps it's not inspiring you any longer (mine wasn't, so I'm mid-upgrade!).
If so, you might be due a theme-spring-clean!
There's a few places I recommend for new blog themes, each selling a wide variety of themes for every niche:
- Studiopress for professional-grade, modern themes
- Themeforest for a massive selection of themes to suit every style/brand
- Etsy for a wide range of handmade themes
Add some new imagery
If switching up your theme is too much of an update for now, a quicker option to spruce things up is to update some old imagery. Go through some of your older blog posts and update the images for them. Maybe you've got a new camera or you've started editing photos slightly differently than months previously – adding some new imagery around your blog can really help liven the place up a bit!
Check through some of your newer posts and compare with some older ones – are your images the same size and quality? Do they all have the same themes and general feel? If not, update your imagery to make your blog more cohesive and consistent from post to post.
Liven up old blog posts
Over time, your voice and views will change, adapt and grow. It's natural! Blogging is a journey, and as you come to develop new points of view or gain expertise, it's only good practice to go back through old posts and ensure your content as up to date as possible.
The easiest way to freshen up your content is to take a look at some of the older posts on your blog that are still popular. Sometimes, older content is the best performing! Re-read your old content, and ensure your advice or points are still relevant. Don't forget to click all of the links and ensure everything points to where it should!
If you come across posts with a lack of affiliate links or that don't feed into your sales funnel, now's the time to add them!
Re-promote your best content
Remember that post you wrote last year that got a tonne of page views when you first promoted it? It done really well, but you stopped promoting it in favour of your newer content, it was doing so well on its own. And now, no one seems to visit it anymore. It's time to re-promote posts like this.
Schedule some tweets, pins and facebook posts to get this content back out there for the world to see. Using a scheduling tool, like Tailwind or SocialPilot, is a great way to start promoting content on autopilot, so you don't have to do this manually every day.
Tailwind is the best tool available for keeping old content alive, hands down. If you haven't been using Tailwind Tribes to promote your Pinterest, where have you been? Just add your pins to a Tribe and other members will share their content across their boards. Your reach will grow tenfold, maybe more, I guarantee it. Don't forget to share your Tribemates' content, too!
Get your first month of Tailwind free, on me.
How are you going to spring clean your blog this year? How do you keep your old content up to date and relevant? Let me know in the comments below.


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(PENCIL) BREAKING NEWS – WXPFL V: ERASED will be at The Funhouse in Seattle – Thursday May 20th 9pm
The show so far….
Starting at 9pm is the WXPFL Tournament pitting WXPFL Superstars vs. randonly drawn audience members in a battle for cash, prizes, trophy, glory, and most importantly, and immediate shot at the WXPFL Championship!
The same championship currently held by the most dangerous and outspoken man in the sport, 4-time champ THE BIRD!
Going for the Bird's trophy are the members of the roster of WXPFL Pro Gra-Fighting Superstars…, Mick Finster The Lepre-Con, DeeeVious Silvertounge, Ronald McFondle, Thaddeus P. Skrilla – The Hundred Dollar Man and more!
Recently added to the tournament is a former WPFL champion, a true living legend, and one of the biggest stars of 80's Gra-Fighting: THE PENULTIMATE WARRIOR
Does he still have what it takes to swing cedar with the young blood?
Also, the winner of the Pencilmania Open Audience Tournament, Dan "Ten Things" Halligan, now rechristened DUE DATE DAN – THE LIBRARIAN!
Also, this just announced:
One of the legends of the Rat City Rollergirls, the former commander of The Throttle Rockets and a mistress of the Dark Side of Sports….DARTH SKATER!
PLUS: Special challenge match:
Both of THE ASSHOLE BROTHERS vs. HIGH CHIEF ANAKORTES ORKAS – THE SAN JUAN ISLAND SAVAGE in a first-time-ever TICONDEROGA TRIPLE THREAT MATCH!
Live Music by "The Sound of Pencil Fighting": LESBIAN
DJ BOBCAT spins non-stop Metal all night!
Hosted by Prof. Jake Stratton (BloodHag, Rat City Rollergirls, SST)
and Don "Beauty" Rumble.
Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, Rat City Rollergirls, Fantagraphics Books, Scarecrow Video, Pierced Hearts Tattoo Parlor, Puffin Glass Studio, Dixon/Ticonderoga, and Buff Nuxx Weight-Gain Powder!
THURSDAY MAY 20th at THE FUNHOUSE
$7 21+ 8pm doors/9pm…Pencil Fight!
As always, get to know more about Pencil Fighting at www.pencilfightingwriting.wordpress.com


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It's no secret that much of fashion's problems regarding its impact on the environment stems from its reliance on the old way of doing things. Whether its excessive waste-filling landmines, poor working conditions in factories or burning unsold luxury merchandise, it seems that there's always a new report out there shedding a negative light to the inner workings of fashion's glossy exterior.
H&M is no stranger to bad publicity, especially in recent years, but the Swedish fast fashion giant has been making significant strides to become more socially conscious and eco-friendly with multiple initiatives and projects. One example of such is the Global Change Award, now in its fourth year, which is an annual competition with a cash prize of €1 million and coaching program courtesy of the H&M Foundation.
The award, as listed on its website, is aimed "to speed up the process of finding, supporting and scaling up disruptive innovations that can make the entire fashion industry circular." Applications opened this week, and is meant for anyone with ideas and "innovations that have the potential to shift the fashion industry from its linear approach to a circular one [...] This means changing the way garments are currently designed and produced, shipped, bought, used and recycled by adding disruptive technology, processes, or new business models."
Dubbed "The Nobel Prize of Fashion", the competition is that for this year it's looking for entries with "an extra eye on ideas within digitalization." Since its launch in 2015, 8,000 applications from 151 countries have been received. Some notable past winners include U.S. based Agraloop, whose "Crop-a-Porter" plan makes sustainable bio-textiles by using left-overs from food crop harvests through a low-cost, closed-loop technology. Another winner, Algalife, based in Israel, was given the prize due to their idea of using algae that can be turned into bio-fiber and environmentally-friendly dye (growing natural fibers like cotton requires a large amount of water, as does textile dyeing). They claim that using fabric made of algae actually provides benefits to the wearer as it would release antioxidants and other nutrients to the skin.
The competition is just one of many initiatives that's been launched as part of H&M's efforts to make sustainability a part of its mission. They implemented a company-wide recycling program across all of its stores worldwide by installing garment-collecting boxes where customers can drop off their unwanted clothes and receive a voucher afterwards. They also continue to design a "conscious exclusive collection" that is made up of eco-friendly, recyclable materials and organic cotton, which has often been worn on red carpet by many Hollywood stars and celebrities. Although many still question how sustainable H&M truly is, their efforts to do so have not gone unnoticed.


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SFA Gardens to host spring plant sale
NACOGDOCHES – Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St., in historic Nacogdoches.
The sale will feature more than 300 varieties of hard-to-find, "Texas-tough" plants, including Texas natives, edibles, heirlooms, tropicals, perennials, shrubs and trees, with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly selections, as well as exclusive SFA introductions. The featured plants are extensively trialed before being offered to the public and are produced by SFA Gardens staff members and volunteers.
This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, PNPC, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden, along with educational programs that are hosted monthly at the gardens. Educational programs provided at the SFA Gardens reach more than 15,000 participants annually.
Parking will be available at SFA's Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, 2428 Raguet St., and visitors are encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon to haul their plants.
For more information and a list of available plants, call (936) 468-4404, or visit sfagardens.sfasu.edu two weeks before the sale.


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FACTA Lawyer
Credit Card Receipt Violations
FACTA is The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003. This federal law added sections to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The act is intended primarily to help protect consumers from identity theft. Identity theft is a huge and growing problem. One 2016 study found that 13.1 million American adults were the victim of identity fraud in 2015. Contact us today if you need a FACTA Lawyer.
FACTA strengthens consumer protection against identity theft. For example, FACTA provides that "no person that accepts credit cards or debit cards for the transaction of business shall print more than the last 5 digits of the card number or the expiration date upon any receipt provided to the cardholder at the point of the sale or transaction." In practice this means that vendors who take credit card payments must not print the expiration date of your card or any of the numbers of your credit card except the last five digits. If they do they are endangering your privacy and increasing the likelihood that some thief will use your credit card information. The law provides that vendors who print too much of your credit card information can be sued in civil court and may have to pay you statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 as well as punitive damages and attorney's fees. The law provides for these remedies for a reason: allowing civil suits is the most efficient way of policing companies so that they protect your information.
We help protect consumers by suing vendors and companies who violate FACTA. Check your receipts. If you paid for something with a credit card and the receipt shows more than five digits of your credit card number, or if the receipt shows the expiration date of your credit card, then Contact Us. We can help you recover a cash reward and protect consumers.
Facta Lawyer | California, Florida, Nationwide
We may be able to bring your FACTA lawsuit as an individual or as a class action. For more about consumer class actions, follow the links on our site. If you need a FACTA Lawyer, we're the choice for you.


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Frequently Asked Questions about DriveImage XML
What are my support options?
What files are created by DriveImage?
Where are these files stored?
What Operating Systems are supported?
Can I restore the image to a smaller partition?
Can I write the data directly to a CD/DVD?
Are there any command line parameters?
What about command line parameters for restoring a drive?
How do I restore an image back to a working state?
How much does the software cost?
Why am I getting a VSS error when I try to backup a drive?
I restored my boot drive, why does it not boot?
I want to browse an image. Why is the screen empty?
What kind of compression should I use?
What is the difference between the "Private Edition" and the "Commercial Edition"?
What is the difference between "DriveImage XML" and "ShadowCopy"?
Can I backup and restore a RAID?
Q. What are my support options?
A. We do not provide support for the free Private Edition of DriveImage XML You should browse our documentation for a solution or search the Internet for any problems you might have.
For the buyer of the Commercial Edition we provide support for one year for the number of support incidences specified at the time of purchase. We provide only support to the buyer and not to the users of the Commercial Edition, as the users should be supported by the buyer.
Q. What files are created by DriveImage?
A. It depends on whether you create a multi-file image or not. A multi-file image will have a .xml file and a .dat file and files beyond that are numbered .001, .002, .003,… until the end of the drive. If you do not create a multi-file image, there will be a .dat file and a .xml file.
Q. Where are these files stored?
A. You will be prompted for a location in the software and you can choose where ever you like (not on the source drive though), however the default location is My Documents.
Q. What Operating Systems are supported?
A. With the software installed on a PC, supported file systems are Windows XP, Server 2003, Server 2008, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, 32 and 64 bit.
However, you can boot from our Runtime Live CD or a WinPE Boot Medium and backup older Windows machines as well.
Q. Can I restore the image to a smaller partition?
A. No, currently you can only restore your data to a partition that is exactly the same size or larger, regardless of the data size.
Q. Can I write the data directly to a CD/DVD?
A. No, you have to write the data to a hard drive first, then if you have chosen multi-file images, you can then burn those files to CD or DVD.
Q. Are there any command line parameters?
A. For the backup there are the following commands:
|Backup drive x, e.g. /bc
|Write backup files to x, e.g. /td:\backups\drive_c
|Raw mode, e.g. /r or /r-
|Split image, e.g. /s or /s-
|Compression (fast), e.g. /c or /c-
|Compression (fast), e.g. /c1
|Compression (good, but slow), e.g. /c2
|Try VSS first, e.g. /v, do not use with /l
|Try locking first, e.g. /l, do not use with /v
Q. What about command line parameters for restoring a drive?
A. There currently are not any.
Q. How do I restore an image back to a working state?
A. Note that you must put the image into an existing partition. If necessary create a new partition with Windows Disk Management first. You do not need to format the drive. The size of the partition you create will determine the size of the drive - for example if you create a 20GB partition and then restore a 10GB size image to it, the size of the drive will still be 20GB.
To start Windows Disk Management click:
Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Computer Management>Disk Management
If Windows Disk Management does not start, you can use the following commands from the command prompt:
net start dmserver
net start dmadmin
To restore an image to an existing partition, click Restore in the main program window.
Note on boot drives: If you want your computer to boot from the new partition you must set it to "active" with Windows Disk Management.
It is a good idea to perform a Restore from our Runtime Live CD or a WinPE Boot Medium .
Q. How much does the software cost?
A. Currently the software is free for home use. If you are a business, organization or use the software commercially, you must purchase the Commercial Edition. See our price list.
Q. Why am I getting a VSS error when I try to backup a drive?
A. This error can occur if VSS (Volume Shadow Services) is not running properly on your system. This is not a DriveImage error. It is usually caused by poorly configured Windows systems.
Please verify in Settings->Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services that the following services are enabled:
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider
Volume Shadow Copy
Also make sure you are able to stop and start these services.
Possible reasons for VSS failures:
For VSS to work, at least one volume in your computer must be NTFS. If you use only FAT drives, VSS will not function. The required NTFS volume does not need to be identical with the volume you want to image.
You should make sure that VSSVC.EXE is running in your task manager. If the problems persist, registering "oleaut.dll" and "oleaut32.dll" using "regsvr32" might help.
Without VSS you still can make images with locking or without locking.
Q. I restored my boot drive, why does it not boot?
A. To boot from a drive:
- The boot partition should be located on the first drive (DISK0), which is usually the master drive.
- The boot partition should be the first partition on the drive.
- The boot partition must be a "primary" partition.
- The boot partition must be "active".
If your drive still does not boot you can try to set a new "Disk ID". Windows remembers old drive letter assignments which can cause problems when trying to boot from a cloned drive. You can force the removal of old drive letter assignments by setting a new Disk ID. Click Tools->Set new Disk ID and read the instructions.
Vista Boot Problem:
If your cloned Vista drive refuses to boot with a "winload.exe is missing or corrupt" message, you might need to change the BCD store.
Fix automatically
- In DriveImage click on Tools->Fix Vista boot problem.
- Select the BCD Store of the new (cloned) drive.
- Click "Update BCD Store".
Your drive should now boot.
Fix manually
- Boot from your Vista installation DVD and start the command prompt. If your Windows directory is on C: navigate to c:\windows\system32.
- Type "bcdedit" (without quotes) and press Enter. You should see the following screen:
Windows Boot Manager
identifier {bootmgr}
device partition=C:
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {globalsettings}
default {current}
displayorder {current}
toolsdisplayorder {memdiag}
timeout 30
Windows Boot Loader
identifier {current}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Microsoft Windows Vista
locale en-US
inherit {bootloadersettings}
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {d96b9513-83c6-11db-8615-bcd1a0f0502e}
nx OptIn
If under "Windows Boot Loader", "device" or "osdevice" do not contain your boot partition's name but display "unknown", you need to correct this. Type:
bcdedit /set {default} osdevice "partition=C:
bcdedit /set {default} device "partition=C:
Read a good article about Vista cloning problems here:
This link points to a techforum that discusses the Vista boot problem:
http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PageIndex=2 &SiteID=17&PostID=1343608
Windows 7 Boot Problem:
Windows 7 provides all the challenges mentioned above. In addition, a Window 7 standard installation provides a boot manager that is located in a small partition preceding the Winows 7 partition. However, we found the Windows 7 installation DVD very helpful with fixing boot problems. If you do not get the drive to boot, put in the installation DVD and initiate a startup repair. Here is a comprehensive article on how to do that: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofthetrade/ss/windows-7-startup-repair.htm
Q. I want to browse an image. Why is the screen empty?
A. The image was created in RAW format. In RAW format, DriveImage does not interpret the data. Thus it has no knowledge about individual files.
Q. What kind of compression should I use?
A. Look at this example: Backup of 33 GB using DriveImage:
|No compression
|13 min
|Fast compression
|15 min
|Good compression
|50 min
Q. What is the difference between the "Private Edition" and the "Commercial Edition"?
A. Only home users are allowed to use the free "Private Edition". It is not possible to get support for the "Private Edition".
Businesses, organizations and commercial users must buy the "Commercial Edition". The "Commercial Edition" comes with support. You can customize the Welcome screen.
Q. What is the difference between "DriveImage XML" and "ShadowCopy"?
A. DriveImage XML backups and restores entire volumes. ShadowCopy copies individual files.
Q. Can I backup and restore a RAID?
A. Yes, as long as it is a hardware RAID. If it is a Windows software RAID, you can back it up, but you can not restore it back to the software RAID. You can restore it to an individual drive or hardware RAID, though.


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Teresa shares her thoughts about her first trip to Europe, traveling by train in England, France & Spain. She offers some great travel tips for future 1st-time European travelers.
Tag: oxford
Tales on Rail: Day 2 – Exploring Warwick Castle & Oxford
Today we departed Birmingham for Warwick Castle & Oxford. After a few train cancellations & delays we were able to continue with our scheduled plans. Amazing sights & cities seen today, we finished the day off in Manchester.


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St. Michaels Inn
Comfortable Rooms, Free Breakfast, Convenient Location and an Affordable Price. Shuttle Service, Outdoor pool, & pet-friendly
Wylder Hotels - Tilghman Island
The Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island, located on a 3-mile island on the Chesapeake Bay, is a remake of an iconic property. It is an all-season escape that honors hardworking fisherman of yesteryear.
The Oaks Waterfront Inn & Events
Located on an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay, minutes from St. Michaels, The Oaks offers spacious guest rooms, extraordinary waterfront event facilities, renowned cuisine and detail oriented service.
Waterfront Weddings at Kirkland Manor
Tidewater Weddings is proud to present an exquisite destination for your wedding! Beneath sunny skies or moonlit nights, Kirkland Manor is Talbot County's most exclusive location for your wedding.
St. Michaels Harbour Inn & Marina
St. Michaels Harbour Inn, Marina & Spa is a full-service resort situated right off the Miles River in the Eastern Shore resort town of St. Michaels, Maryland.
Aida's Victoriana Inn
Adjacent to Honeymoon Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in the heart of Historic St. Michaels.
Walking distance to all the attractions. Come sit back and enjoy life for a while.
Inn at Perry Cabin
Tucked along a private corner of the Chesapeake Bay, Inn at Perry Cabin and its award-winning restaurant Stars remain the only Forbes-rated destinations on the Eastern Shore.
Old Brick Inn
An elegant 20-room boutique hotel in the heart of St. Michaels. We feature wine tastings, a beautiful courtyard to relax in and a delicious gourmet breakfast to start your day!


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Infinity : The Story of a Moment
Free delivery worldwide
Available. Dispatched from the UK in 2 business days
When will my order arrive?
"The piano is not an instrument for young ladies Massimo, he said, it is an instrument for gorillas. Only a gorilla has the strength to attack the piano as it should be attacked, only a gorilla has the uninhibited energy to challenge the piano as it should be challenged". Thus Tancredo Pavone, the wealthy and eccentric Sicilian nobleman and avant-garde composer, as reported by his former manservant Massimo. In the course of the single interview which is this book, Massimo recalls what his master told him about his colourful life and repeats Pavone's often outrageous opinions about everything from the current state of the world to the inner life of each note. It becomes comically clear that not only does Pavone not always distinguish between memory and imagination, but that Massimo does not always understand what it is he is repeating. Yet what emerges is a moving portrait of a close bond between two people from utterly different social spheres, and of a complex and vulnerable man who never gave up trying to give voice to the music that he heard within him.
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Product details
- Paperback | 144 pages
- 135 x 216 x 12.7mm | 136.08g
- 01 Jun 2012
- Carcanet Press Ltd
- Manchester, United Kingdom
- English
- 1847771661
- 9781847771667
- 471,591
Review quote
'A tour de force of straightfaced high-culture lunacy ... very funny, deeply serious, at once scathing about the sublime preposterousness of modernism and profoundly admiring of it. Infinity is that rare thing - a novel about a creative genius in whose artistry you are made to believe, and who, for all his monstrous egoism and crackpot theorising, you come to care about and finally applaud.' Howard Jacobson 'I am a constant admirer of his talent and intellect.' Muriel Spark 'Concealed in this wry interview is an exhilarating "world tour" of music, and how it comes to be created. Music aficionados will recognise Infinity's central figure with delight; newcomers will learn all they need, and more, about an extraordinary composer, and the anguished musical era in which he lived and worked.' Judith Weir 'A Doctor Faustus for our time. Like Thomas Mann's great novel, Infinity shows how a composer's times are reflected in the creative process of composing, and has the novel's structure itself parallel the composer's aesthetic. Books as insightful as these into the composer's world are rare indeed.' Jonathan Harvey
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About Gabriel Josipovici
GABRIEL JOSIPOVICI was born in Nice in 1940. He lived in Egypt from 1945 to 1956, when he came to England. After graduating from Oxford he joined the faculty of the University of Sussex, where he taught until 1998. He is the author of sixteen novels, three volumes of short stories, eight critical works, a memoir of his mother, the poet and translator Sacha Rabinovitch, and numerous stage and radio plays, as well as a regular contributor to the TLS. His acclaimed critical book, Whatever Happened to Modernism?, was published by Yale University Press in 2010.
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A lot of left over food is being consumed now that Thanksgiving Day, here in the United States, is over. We're among the many who are in this position. Left over food can be great the next day. But the left overs I'm going to write about in this blog concern left over time and energy we have to give our spouse at the end of our day. And that can often lead to problems.
Left Over Time
What my husband Steve and I see, and have experienced is that too often we give our marriage partners whatever's "left over" in our time and energy. If we have any energy, or extra time left to give them our focused attention we will.
But is that what they need from us? Yes, we have demands on our time. And yes, they see we have those demands. But how is our spouse and family feeling about getting the "left over's" we're able to give?
It's true that most of us need to work outside of the home. And some of us work inside of our home. But it's like what Pastor Andy Stanley says,
"There is nothing honoring to God about the workaholic who neglects his or her family. But the man or woman who refuses to provide for his family brings no honor to Him either.
"Clearly we don't have the luxury of choosing one or the other since both are a permanent part of our lives. Both demand more attention than we have to give. Both originated with our Creator. There's not enough time to get it all done." (From book, Choosing to Cheat: Who Wins When Family and Work Collide?)
Concerning Giving Left Over Time
And there isn't. But I've learned something along the way in our marriage, which has helped both Steve and me. I hope it will help you. When it's at ALL possible, we need to save a good part of ourselves and give it to our spouse and family. There are good "left over's" and there are ones that are all worn out. They aren't of much use to anyone.
Save a bit of the best of you for your family. Look for a way to do this, bring it home, and then give it to them.
It's so easy to fall into the false impression that when it comes to our time and efforts, our family "will understand." We think to ourselves, "they know I love them." We can rationalize, "If there's anyone who should understand how little time and energy I have left to give, it should be them."
And yes, that may make perfect sense to us. That is how we rationalize this issue in our minds. And in a perfect world that could be true. But we don't live in a perfect world. Our spouse's aren't perfect either. They have wants and needs that require us to put them first sometimes. They need us to put them on the radar screen of that, which requires our specialized attention.
Seasons of Busyness
It's true that sometimes, there are "seasons" of busyness. We all have them. I'm not talking about that type of situation. That is supposed to be a temporary thing. And yes, as long as you and your spouse come to an understanding in that season, it's ok.
What I'm talking about is allowing your life to interfere with having quality time with your spouse and family to the extent that they realistically feel cheated. And unless you're too out of touch with reality, deep inside, you know what's realistic.
Being a perpetual "Martha" —where you are too busy all the time, is problematic. (If that's a problem for you, please see "Confessions of a Woman on a Whirl" to help deal with that syndrome.)
That's me. I confess. I've been there and have done that too many times. But thank God, I'm learning different. I've been learning to say no when I should. I now know that when I say yes to one thing, I'm saying no to another. And often, it is my husband and my family that I'm having to say no to. So I am learning to find ways to cut corners in other ways so my husband doesn't get the short end of things. It takes intentionality and it also takes awareness of what TRULY needs to be done above what I THINK truly needs to be done. I've found those are two different realities.
Workaholic Tends to Give Family the Leftovers
Being a spouse who is a workaholic or spends more time and effort at work than you should, can be problematic. (If that's a problem for you, please see: When a Job Steals Time Away from the Marriage and Family. It's a great article, selected from a VERY helpful book. I encourage you to read it.)
If you're giving your spouse and family left over's, which are hard for them to put up with, you need to do some serious praying. Talk to God about it. Ask Him to give you wisdom on how to work through this situation. (A good article to read and prayerfully consider before it's too late is, "Why Some Spouses Give Up.")
And then talk to your spouse about this matter. Sincerely apologize for not giving him or her the priority that they have needed. Ask for his or her to help you to figure out how to give more of your time. This is too important of a situation to allow it to continue in an off-balanced way. Whatever time you have left over, after you put the truly necessary time you MUST spend into it, needs to be intentional.
Your Marriage is Your First Mission
Remember, your first mission field is to your family —particularly your spouse. You promised your spouse before God and other witnesses to "love, honor, and cherish until death do you part." Be pro-active. Be intentional in giving your spouse your best.
Don't give left over time, which is recognizably no good for whoever is on the receiving end! Ask God how to give your best, as He leads. I have done this numerous times and it is amazing how faithful God is in showing me how to cut back on unnecessary expenditures of time. After praying, God will nudge me here and there to step back from things I thought I HAD to do. When I really looked at it, I didn't really need to do them. It was my own inner nudging. If I was single, then maybe I could do them. But when I married, I needed to put my spouse before my workaholic nudging.
Pray and pay attention to what God shows you. Be open to His leading and He will direct you to give your spouse more than just left over time and energy. God will show you how to save some of your best. God is great that way! He wants your marriage to thrive, not just survive. So go with God.
Cindy Wright of Marriage Missions International wrote this blog.
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Watch a new video from Mila J & Ty Dolla $ign.
As promised, Mila J returns to HNHH today with the official video to her Ty Dolla $ign-featuring hit single "My Main." Intercut with some brief "turn up" dialogue bits between Mila and her back-up dancers, the track itself warrants a whole ton of choreography, some of which would leave even the most experienced dancers impressed.
Produced by DJ Mustard and written along with Rock City, "My Main" has yet to hit the charts. With any luck, this new video will be the push Mila needs to get herself some placement.
Let us know what you think about the video in the comment section.


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Stage being set up at the Sacred Pushkar 2017. Photo: Shireen Quadri
Notes from The Sacred Pushkar 2017: An experiential festival highlights the celestial nature of music
For three years, the sacred town of Pushkar, tucked away in Rajasthan's Ajmer district and nestled in the midst of Aravalli range, has seen its holy ghats reverberate with the strains of music in modes which evoke the ardour of piety, stirring souls, bringing people from variegated hues of cultures closer. For three years, The Sacred Pushkar, organised by Teamwork Arts and presented by Shree Cement, an annual two-day confluence, has celebrated a variety of traditions, a whole host of aspects that define and redefine the word "sacred".
If music breaks barriers, spiritual music perhaps can do much more. It certainly helps shed linguistic boundaries, nourishes souls and forges bonds between people of different faiths and cultures. Like the previous two years, the 2017 edition of the festival, which was organised on December 16 and 17, saw rhythms of Sufi, gospel, acapella, folk and North Indian and Carnatic classical music echo across its lakes and ghats.
Jaipur Ghat (top) before a performance. A roadside cafe with offers more than just food and drinks (below). Photos: Shireen Quadri
If Sufi music added to the enchantment and allure of the experiential festival, highlighting the celestial nature of music, its eritage walks and "satvik" food on offer aligned with the idea of wellness. The festival, which orients itself in three directions — social, spiritual and cultural — has been showcasing how music and yoga can heal body and soul and make people of different continents feel connected with the sacred town, considered to be holy by practioners of multiple faiths, including Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, proving how art is essentially a part of divinity.
Day 1 started with Hansa Sharma demonstrating the mantras of wellness with a yoga session between 8-9 am. It was followed by teachings on non-violence and compassion by Geshema Tenzin Lhadron who was last year awarded Geshema, the highest degree in Buddhist doctrine or philosophy, along with several other nuns, who became the first nuns in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition to reach the highest pinnacle of academic excellence. Then, Delhi-based theologian, poet, meditation practitioner, art curator and critic Robinson Robert took enthusiasts on a heritage walk around Pushkar. Thereafter, Gangor Ghat came alive with a nagada workshop by Nathulal Solanki, who has been playing the nagadas for several years now, performing all over India and showcasing his talent at numerous festivals all over the world. Nagada, also called kettledrum, is a conical drum played with the Surnai and Nafeeri (two sticks) and holds a significant place amongst Rajasthan's folk instruments. Solanki hails from Pushkar Sangeet Gharana and has mastered in Kuchamani Khayal. Having performed with Prem Joshua, Indian Ocean and Susheela Raman, among others, he now runs his own school in Pushkar where he teaches nagada to people from all walks of life.
Barely had the sounds of nagada died down when Song Laboratory (Laboratorium Pieśni), a group of female singers from Tri-City (Poland), took over. Known for traditional and polyphonic singing, they are also proficient in acapella singing as well as with shaman drums, Shruti box, Kalimba, flute, gong, Zaphir and Koshi chimes, singing bowls, rattles etc. They create new space in a traditional song, adding voice improvisations, inspired by sounds of nature, often intuitive, wild and feminine.
It was time for another heritage walk by Robinson, who now took people around the amazing ghats of Pushkar. The evening began to bristle with sacred bhajans by Arushi Asgaonkar. Soon, World Ethnic Music Ensemble, a unique combination of musicians from Iran, India, USA, Afghanistan and France, took over. The ensemble was formed by Iranian master percussionist and musicologist Fakhroddin Ghaffari in 2010. Ghaffari plays percussions from different parts of the world. Part of Coke Studio at MTV-India (Season Two), he has earlier shared stage with many the likes of Abida Parveen and Hans Raj Hans. The ensemble was a colourful celebration of a variety of musical traditions: acoustic, electronic Mandolin, sitar, cello, guitar, tabla and percussion. The ensemble's music is steeped in Arabic and Persian flavours, with a dash of Indian folk and classical as well as Flamenco.
Then, Bhanwari Devi and Nathulal Solanki jammed together to bring about the confluence of folk and nagada. It was followed by "Three Generations of Percussion" by Vikku Vinayakram, the Grammy Award-winning Indian percussionist, who plays Carnatic music with ghatam, an earthen pot. Credited with popularising ghatam, Vinayakram has been awarded the Padma Shri (2002), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2012) and Padma Bhushan (2014). The day ended with the soulful renditions of Kavita Seth whose Sufi and Classical numbers ricocheted off ghats, the stone steps used to descend to the lake edge.
Members of Laboratorium Pieśni (Song Laboratory), a group of female singers from Poland. Photo: Shireen Quadri
Day 2 began with a session on yantra yoga and Vajra dance by Zoltan Cser of Bulgaria. The Vajra dance is part of the Dzogchen Teachings transmitted by the world renowned Dzogchen master Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. It can be practised by up to 12 dancers, six men and six women. Following precise sequences of steps, the men move in a clockwise direction while the women move counter-clockwise on a big, five-coloured mandala of concentric circles and triangles. The movements are coordinated by the sound of sacred syllables (mantras), which can be found in the original texts of the Dzogchen Teaching.
It was followed by the rendition of Indian Classical ragas on flute by Atul Shankar, who received his training under his grandfathers, late Pandit Bhola Nath Prasanna and Pandit Khelvan ji, renowned exponents of Benaras Gharana. After another round of heritage walk by Robinson (to Savitri temple) and nagada workshop by Solanki at Gangor Ghat, Rashmi Agarwal belted out some Sufi and devotional songs. Agarwal is best known for her many collaborative projects, including "The Z Factor" project with Jazz musicians, combining ghazals with Jazz and "Roohdari Rang", which combined Sufi songs with Kathak dance. Her albums include Rang De Maula, Sentiments, Songs of Kabir, Enchanting Chant, Deep Electric and Soul Box.
Then, it was time for the wonders of guitar and the mysticism of baul music to unfold. Scottish guitar virtuoso Simon Thacker-led band, Svara-Kanti, set the stage on fire with their enchanting performance. The bauls and guitar strings gave way to a session of polyphonic singing and Shaman drums by Laboratorium Piesni. Later, Mukhtiyar Ali rocked the night with his Sufi qawaalis.
At the Sacred Pushkar, music is used as a tool for social, cultural and religious integration. The festival highlights how boundaries — linguistic, geographical and cultural — blur when it comes to bonding over music or meditation. It provides an avenue for the locals to mix with people of multiple race and ethnicities, bringing foreigners and locals together, with the intermingling facilitating, and even enhancing, the understanding of the "other", forging social cohesion.
The sacred town provides a perfect setting and intimate space for conversations to begin at its restaurants and cafes where people could be seen around bonfires, milling about, striking all kinds of conversations.
In today's times, a festival that promotes such an intermingling, acquires a special significance. And Teamwork Arts, which is doing its bit by organising such festivals, including the Mahindra Kabira Festival on the banks of Varanasi in November, must be lauded for such thoughtful initiatives where people from different places find a platform to come together.
Members of the audience (top) enjoy the performance. Kavita Seth during a performance. Photos: Shireen Quadri
Pushkar has long been known for its annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête. It was perhaps time to redefine the town and associate with something more substantial and cosmopolitan. The Sacred Pushkar, a festival that's getting bigger in scale and vision with each successive edition, promises to give tourists a reason to descend on its ghats in December and soak in the breathtaking sights, especially sunrise and sunsets along the ghats. For instance, Jaipur Ghat at one end of Pushkar Lake, is a beautiful venue for the evening musical performances. The periphery of the lake gets defined by night bulbs. There are candles lighted along the seating area in votives. The venue is decked up. Wall artists make colourful murals on the wall near the venue. There is sand art, decorated camel cart and makeshift tents for shops. The cafes are bustling with young and old, munching, smoking or sipping tea or coffee to keep themselves warm. The Westin Pushkar Resort & Spa, the luxury hospitality partner for the event, has luxurious 80 villas with private pools and fitness centre.
According to Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, his personal takeaway from the event was the exceptional diversity of music and representation of the sacred from the Nordic countries. "Waking up each morning to the sounds of flute drifting across the Brahma Kund was magical and captured the very essence of this quaint old-world hamlet set amidst the hills and sand dunes of Rajasthan," says Roy.
Roy says that music and the arts are a perfect way to showcase the spiritual essence of creative artists. "In today's somewhat divisive world, we find that art knows no language, caste, colour or religion. It's a pure celebration of the sacred within us and is reflective of the outer environment. Keeping all of these many thoughts in mind, we have been keen to create platforms for different arts across sacred sites in India and abroad," says Roy.
However, putting all this together has hardly been a cakewalk. The challenge has been to bring so different artists and discover the wealth of their "passion and diversity".
Roy says, "In 2017, we travelled through the desert sands of Rajasthan to the icy winter landscape of the Nordic countries, taking in the many different traditions and forms. The challenge always remains to make the experience magical and get people to absorb the surrounding atmosphere so that they stop a while and search within." The next edition of The Sacred Pushkar, says Roy, will be held on 12- 14 October, 2018. "We are planning to add more meditation and yoga elements to the festival. Our main focus will be on mind, body and soul. So, each and every element of the festival will reflect that, including full organic food trail and more meditation and spiritual morning and evening music," says Roy.
For those visiting Pushkar at the time of the festival, the town acquires a new hue. Minal, a student of the Indian Institute of Crafts and Design in Jaipur, who is doing a research on the cultural exchange in Pushkar, says he rediscovered Pushkar on his second visit to the city which coincided with the Sacred Pushkar festival. "The heritage walk aroundthe city and the beautiful cable ride to Savitri temple, dedicated to Brahma's wife, Goddess Savitri in the Ratnagiri hills, by Robinson were fascinating," he says.
For Pushkar, the festival is akin to an annual rite of passage that helps the town take a peek into its soul, aided with hymns and chants.
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Really nice information on Pushkar. This event is looking really nice as far as you have described and i would like to thank you as thi article helped me in one of my assignments on this event for Chalta Purza. Thank you for posting this beautiful blog.
Rohit Mittal
Feb 16, 2019 at 09:02


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Price: £20.00
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First issue of this work in card covers, a comprehensive and thotough reference work on adult and continuing education. 202 pages, book is very bright and clean, a very nice copy SEE IMAGE. DETAILED IMAGES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.
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Let's face it, money is a touchy subject. Parents handle this topic with their children in wide variety of ways. Some parents believe the more you discuss money with children, the better prepared for adulthood they will be. Other parents make a point to not talk about money around their kids.
Parents Who Don't Discuss Money Enough
A surprising number of parents worry about exposing their child to financial stressors so they never discuss the topic with their child. This can send the message that there is something problematic or taboo about the subject of money. These children who are less educated about money may not be able to appreciate what they have or not develop a sense of work ethic as they get older. As these kids become teens and young adults they may not have the education needed to become financially responsible adults. I recommend parents looking to teach kids about money read Money Doesn't Grow On Trees.
Parents Who Discuss Money Too Much
On the opposite end of the spectrum, parents can be too open about money with their children.These parents can unknowingly cause their child to be anxious about money. The child can feel like a burden to their parent when he needs or wants anything. No parent would want this even if the family is struggling financially.
There is not a perfect way to talk to children about money. But here is a quick guide of DO's and DON'Ts when trying to find a balance for your family.
What To Do
1. Do talk about money in a casual, general manner. It is a large component of adult life, there is no need to shield all financial discussions from your child.
2. Do teach kids how much certain items cost.
3. Do encourage a teenager (when appropriate) to get a part-time job to learn adult responsibility and contribute a portion to the family (when needed).
4. Do take your child/teen to the bank to open a checking account and learn about saving and withdrawing money.
5. Do give your child money when needed and discuss expectations for how the money should be spent and budgeted. Then follow up about how the money was spent.
What Not To Do
1. Do not go into detail about financial struggles that will let your child (especially younger children) learn about uncertainty and instability in their life. There is nothing your child can do to improve the financial situation, so there is no reason to put this burden on her.
2. Do not knowingly make your child feel bad about his fortunes and what you have been able to provide.
3. DO NOT put a "guilt trip" on your child when you choose to buy her something.
4. Do not give your child everything she wants and when she wants it. Suggest putting the item on a "wish list" for birthday or holiday gift. She will more likely value the item when waiting is necessary. Or if the child is older, show him how much something costs and put money aside until enough funds are saved for the purchase.
5. Do not give your child/teen your credit card which they can spend unlimited amounts of money on with no responsibility for paying the balance. This only encourages thoughtless spending, not responsibility.
- The Price of Privilege: Anxious Teens & Parental Pressure - February 23, 2020
- Save Some Money: Say No To Your Kids – A Child Psychotherapist's Perspective - February 4, 2020
- Understanding How Behavioral Biases Can Impact Your Investing - December 15, 2019


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All good things must come to an end and today we're talking about the most triumphant of endings; victory conditions. As part of our ongoing series titled Game Structures, this article is going to build on some of the principles from our last segment where Matt wrote about endgame conditions and methods game designers can use to conclude games. In the first half of this article we're going to break down the most common objective types, while in the second half we're going to look at games that allow players to win the game by achieving one of several different objectives.
As we look at objectives in games, we're usually talking about the victory conditions. The winning objective in games is often framed as a superlative; goals where the player wins by having the "Highest Score" or by being the "First to construct all their buildings". There are a countless number of victory conditions that may appear new and unique, but the vast majority of games have a superlative goal that can be broken down into one of three popular flavors:
Run the Fastest: The goal is to be the first to cross the finish line.
Go the Furthest: The goal is to accomplish the most before time runs out.
Survive the Longest: The goal is to be the last player standing.
There is a lot we're about to unwrap here and there are certainly games that don't fall neatly into one of these three categories. For instance, 2-player abstracts can often blur the lines between categories, since being the first player to checkmate your opponent (a race to "Kill the King") in Chess also leaves you as the last player standing.


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Baking a delicious and impressive dessert does not have to be hard. When you want something beautiful and oh-so tempting to serve to your family and guests, try this elegant braided Nutella bread. While the end result looks like you slaved away for hours, the process to make this bread is not that difficult.
Ingredients Needed:
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• Cornmeal
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp yeast
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Nutella spread
Dissolve the packet of yeast in 1 cup of water and set it aside for about 10 minutes. In an electric stand mixer, stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Pour in the yeast mixture and combine everything at a low speed till a dough forms. Turn the speed up to medium and mix the dough for about 7 minutes more.
Oil a large bowl lightly and dump the dough into it. Stretch plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and set it in a warm location for approximately 1 hour. The dough should get about twice as big as the original.
Cut off half of the dough after it has risen and roll it out on a flat surface to form a circle. Sprinkle cornmeal on a piece of baking parchment laid in a baking sheet. Transfer the dough circle on top of this.
Spread a liberal amount of Nutella over this dough layer. Be sure to not put the chocolate spread all the way to the edge of the dough, but instead leave a small margin around the circumference. Roll out another circle of dough and position it on top of the Nutella spread.
As the pictures indicate, leave a circle of intact dough in the center of the bread, but cut lines through all layers in a starburst pattern around all edges. You need an even number of pieces to make the beautiful pattern.
Twist each pair of dough wedges away from each other, making an attractive layered twist shape in the middle of each. Do this for all pairs around the entire bread circle. Let the dough sit, covered, in a cool place for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Uncover the dough and coat it lightly with an egg wash made by scrambling an egg well. Put the pan in the oven for about 20 minutes until the dough browns nicely. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees to finish baking for an additional 5 minutes or so. Allow it to cool completely out of the oven before serving it.


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not to offend anyone who owns, has owned or will own a chihuahua... but these are the most annoying dogs ever. i am sure there are exceptions. but really.
we have never had issues with neighbor dogs before. of course dogs bark. that is understandable, we have a dog who barks, that is just what dogs do.
but our neighbor's chihuahua is what i hear 90% of the day. it's little yipyip keeps me from reading, keeps finn from enjoying his nap, and keeps us from wanting to go outside. i could do without this breed all together.
Posted by corrie at 1:58 PM 2 comments
last night, justin mentioned that we should be more creative with finn, more imaginative. he suggested that we start telling him made-up stories or stories about us when we were little. and i thought this was a great idea.
i can remember my mom telling me stories when i was a little girl, about all sorts of things. but i specifically remember one, which is on cassette tape somewhere, about the wicked witch of the west. i don't remember what the story was, exactly... just that the witch was in it. i can also remember my cousin brandon asking for auntie dee (my mom) to tell him a bedtime story, a made-up one... she made up such good, ridiculous stories, no one could resist.
and one of my favorite stories about annabelle, my neice, is when she started her own made-up story with, "one time, when i was a carebear..." and i hope that finn will develop a similar imagination.
all to say, that being a parent is fun, because in certain moments, it's just like being a little kid again, imagination and all.
Posted by corrie at 1:51 PM 2 comments
we are putting a photo book of family members together for finn, so that he can become more familiar with their faces and names... here are some cousin photos that we took over the weekend for the book... such lovelies.
katherine grace
violet mae
madeline rose
caroline olivia
henry ezra
we love you cousins!!
Posted by corrie at 1:23 PM 1 comments
hail the conquering graduate!!
Posted by corrie at 10:31 AM 1 comments
morning cup
finn loves milk. in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening. here he is early this morning enjoying his first cup of the day. also in the last picture, there is a photo of our friends' little boy, ayden, on the floor. finn loves to carry pictures of little kids around.
also he learned how to walk this last week. he gets in a lot more trouble now. and loves to sneak away from supervision to do naughty things.
we are off to illinois this weekend for cait's graduation... yea!! it will be a short visit, but fun, nonetheless.
Posted by corrie at 1:07 PM 4 comments
wee bunnies
here are two wee bunnies i made for some girlie twins i know... for their birthday, which was in MARCH (yeah, late, i know...) complete with the appropriate initial on the bottom, so they don't get mixed up, of course.
i ended up having to do them by hand... as my sewing machine is not precise and difficult to control its' speed, making most detailed projects looking silly.
Posted by corrie at 1:01 PM 3 comments
finn moneybags
well, finn's piggy bank was getting too full. to the point where you start thinking, "it would be really sad if someone stole finn's piggy."
so we sped down five blocks to wells fargo; one of my FAVORITE things about nebraska is this bank. i couldn't imagine a service that they don't provide. i love them. anyway, we opened up finn's bank account! it was pretty exciting. he gets a wells fargo buck for every three dollars deposited, and after you save so many, you can buy little gifts or if you save a lot, a savings bond! and there is NO minimum balance necessary! so that was exciting. it will be even more exciting when finn turns eighteen and he is loaded. and hopefully we'll be able to instill in him that it's okay to spend money, but it's also important to save a little.
and that is what we accomplished this morning. that, and i took a shower. oh, and i put the dishes away. what a morning - HA!
Posted by corrie at 11:24 AM 1 comments
i c u n u r o k
Posted by corrie at 4:21 PM 3 comments
monday morning
well, there aren't very many pictures of me in existence, as i am ususally behind the lens... so i thought i'd share a few that were snapped this week!
we got guitar hero II this weekend... it is so much fun! i wish there were more well known songs on there... but i am getting pretty good at "heart-shaped box" by nirvana... i can even do it on the hard level! anyway, i am excited to see how family members fair on this game... (caron, cait...) anyway, this video game is loads of fun.
Posted by corrie at 10:05 AM 5 comments
splashy splashy
finn splashes in his new swimming pool, and justin splashes rudy... it was too cold to actually go in the pool..
Posted by corrie at 12:59 PM 3 comments
a giant happy SIXTIETH birthday to my favorite stepdad, ken... i can't believe you are sixty, ken, you look so youthful! not a day over 28... just like tom cruise. expecially after that cataract surgery!
i have lots of memories with ken... i remember the first time he came over to our house, he helped with some handy work and mom made chocolate chip cookies! a rarity!
i remember before mom and ken were married, and we would go to galena to visit him for an afternoon, ken and i would play "myst" and "x-files" on the computer! this was great, since we didn't have a computer at home...
when mom and ken got married, i transferred to a different high school. mom had to stay in freeport for a few months for her job, so it was just me and ken, roughing it at the log cabin. i'll never forget the kindness he showed to me during this transition... making me feel like i was really his daughter. it wasn't all cell phones and movies, there were rules and work involved too! you have to give in order to get!
and i'll never forget the ford ranger that i crashed just weeks after ken bought it... i thought for sure ken would be mad as a hatter, but ken just gave me a hug and said it was okay, it could be fixed, and it was most important that everyone was safe.
ken's taught me many things - how to drive stick shift, how to bleach a log cabin, how to make the best yellow cake in the world, to watch fox news, always...
but really, ken has taught me to be a responsible person, a person who plans... he has also taught me that doing little things for people can mean the world to them. ken has a habit of doing little, spontaneous things when he's around, that makes us feel really special to him... and i have tried to adopt that.
so here's to you, grandpa ken, we love you so much, and wish we could be in tennessee to spend the day with you. instead finn wore his tennessee jersey today, in honor of you! hope you get a round of golf in! happy birthday!
Posted by corrie at 2:12 PM 2 comments