text:
However, there is still one industry where customers seem to be unaware of the dangers of impulse buying. That industry is the software industry. Admittedly, customers (the people who pay for the software) have a much better understanding of what software can and can't do than they did a few decades ago. However, they are generally oblivious to what goes on under the hood which is a great shame since with greater understanding they could make better decisions.
The Challenge
It is in everyone's best interests to educate and involve the customer in the software development process. (Conversely, developers generally need to understand more about the business side of things, but I will leave that for another blog.) The customer needs to:
- understand how software is developed and the importance of maintainability of the code
- concentrate on why features are needed and not insist on a specific implementation
- realize that short term thinking can incur a long term technical debt
- become involved in the day-to-day development process
- provide continuous feedback to ensure the project is moving in the right direction
YAA (Yet Another Analogy)
In this sort of discussion, inevitably, (as in the under the hood reference above) I come back to the analogy with buying a car. I hope to show that when people buy a car they make reasonably informed decisions; when people (or companies) buy software, or software enhancements, they often make poor decisions.
Almost everyone has a basic understanding of how a car works internally. When purchasing a car people will do some research or ask a knowledgeable friend for help. When I talk to my friends and colleagues, most of whom claim to have little knowledge of cars, they still have a very good understanding of the strengths of different brands, models and even the year of make. In fact everyone I have asked agrees on the most reliable brand.
Despite the common joke, nobody really buys a car for the cup-holders.
When buying software on the other hand there is far too much emphasis on the cup-holders, like GUI bells and whistles. Even most developers are oblivious to many things, such as trade-offs between different software quality attributes (see below). So it is no surprise that the "professionals" that customers consult (managers, analysts, salespeople, etc) have no idea about what is really in the customer's best interest.
The Homer
This also reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons. The episode had Homer as the designer of a new car model. (His long-lost half-brother owned a car company and wanted to give the average person, like Homer, the car that they really wanted.)
I can't remember much about the actual car except that it had two separate "bubbles" so that you could not hear the kids in the back making a racket.
As you can imagine, "The Homer" was a disaster, as giving a person what they want (or what they think they want) is entirely impractical.
This reminds of another old joke:
Q. What's the difference between a car salesman and a computer (software) salesman.
A. A car saleman knows when he is lying.
Quality Attributes
Way back last February I discussed the two different types of software quality attributes. (See The Importance of Developer Software Quality Attributes.) The main point of the post was that focusing on the customer quality attributes can be detrimental to the customer's interests, especially maintainability and especially in the long term.
Customers, and non-technical stakeholders, need to understand the importance of developer quality attributes. Sometimes the developers have more important activities than adding more cup-holders!
In the software industry the customer is not always right. In fact they are almost never 100% right and most of the time way off track.
Of course, I am not saying that developers should arrogantly assume they know better than their customers. I am simply saying that most customers often only have a vague idea of what they want. And what they say they want is not what they (or their organization) actually needs. Further, what they say they want often evolves or even changes drastically. Different representatives of the customer may have very different views also.
This is where regular feedback is so useful. It helps the customers and developers quickly hone in on exactly what is required. Unfortunately, generally developers get little and irregular feedback.
Avoiding Disasters
Just after I wrote the above I was watching one of my favorite TV shows - Air Crash Investigation. (This is the name in Australia. In other countries it may be called May Day or something else.) It is basically a documentary series about how planes crash. I like this show as it has a lot of information about how things go wrong which I find can often be applied to the design of software. Some of the accidents (actually surprisingly few) even have software problems as a contributing factor.
In the episode I just saw, the aircraft was fine (ie all flight controls were working perfectly) except that the instruments were feeding them incorrect altitude information. Since it was at night and they were flying over the ocean they also had no visual feedback on their vertical position. To cut a long story short the plane flew into the sea and everyone died. There have also been other crashes and incidents where the aircraft flight controls were functioning perfectly but a problem was caused by instrument(s) feeding incorrect information to the pilots or the computers.
This really drove home to me how important feedback is. The moral is if you don't want your software project to crash and burn you had better obtain accurate, frequent feedback from your customer.
Customer Focus
One of the principal tenets of software quality assurance (and QA generally) is a focus on the customer. It is correctly observed that many organizations become focused on what they are doing, not why (or for whom) they are doing it. Customer focus is a good thing!
For a developer, obtaining customer focus is a problem, as most developers are many layers removed from the actual users of their software. Moreover, many developers take customer focus to mean intently responding to every request of the organization paying for the software (or usually one or two individuals of that organization), no matter how impractical or pointless they are.
Instead you need to work with the customer to first identify what they need, and find the best way to give it to them. In the process you may need to persuade them to alter their perspective on what is important and consider the long term effects of what they are asking.
developers do their customer a disservice by pandering to every whim of its representative
Many developers do their customer (ie, the actual organization) a complete disservice by pandering to every whim of its representative (ie, the employee of the organization). This is not what is meant by customer focus!
Employee Focus
There is an old saying (from the quality assurance world) designed to emphasize the relative importance of the customer (the client(s) who pay the bills), the employees (ie staff) and the owners (ie shareholders). It is that CEO stands for:
My own rule of thumb is to use the 80:16:4 ratio. That is an organization should spend 80% of its effort in giving the customer what they want, 16% in employee assistance and development such as training, and 4% on investor relations.
However, an idea that has recently gained some favor is the idea of employee focus rather than customer focus. This relies on the assumption that if you treat your employees well then they will in turn treat the customers well. In my experience, this does not always hold, but I guess that depends on the employees.
A Sad Tale
Speaking of keeping employees happy reminds me of an experience that I had in my 3rd year of work as a programmer. Unfortunately, I have oft seen similar things many times since.
I was working for a big company (at the time the largest company in Australia). Soon after I started, our section began a new project that were we told was of strategic importance to the company and that was critical to be delivered on time to coincide with a new marketing campaign. The project was driven by one person from the "business" side of the company upon whom we depended for our direction and to whom we reported progress. However, we also interacted with his "big boss" and other representatives from the "business" side of the company from time to time.
Although the project was fairly well specified compared to earlier projects there were inevitable problems and delays. There were also extra undocumented requirements added that were deemed critical to the success of the project by the "big boss". Our own project manager also added his own ideas on how and what should be done.
Of course, a month before the deadline we were behind schedule but due to long hours and dedication we felt that there was a good chance of finishing by the immovable deadline. Then the project was simply canceled by the "bigger boss". No proper explanation was given. One concern was that perhaps that one of the "bosses" did not believe we would deliver on time. Eventually the explanation given was that there had been a "strategic change in direction".
Obviously, this upset a lot of people who had worked very hard on the project. The "business analyst", who had put her heart and soul into the project, quit on the spot and several team members left soon afterward. Most of these people actually worked for a software contracting firm hired by the big company, so it was this company (rather than the "big company") that lost out due to loss of experienced staff and the effect on morale. (Though to be fair the "big company" was a major shareholder in the contracting company.)
Customer Management
There are three important aspects to what I call customer management.
First, you need to educate the customer so they can make informed decisions. This can be a slow and painful process but the benefits are enormous. I provide a list of some of the things the customer needs to learn in the What Every Customer Should Know section below.
Also, sometimes you need to say "no" to a customer request if it is a bad idea. (I talk about how to spot these bad ideas below in the section on The Customer's Customer.) Finding out the reason for the request (or the reason for the reason for the reason ...) can lead to a deeper understanding of what the customer needs rather than what they think they want. If the customer understands something of the development process (see above) they will be more likely to understand your point of view.
Finally, you need to involve the customer in the development process for several reasons:
- so they learn more about how the software is developed (which assists their education);
- so they appreciate the effort involved;
- (possibly most importantly) so they can provide feedback that drives the project in the right direction;
- last (but probably not least importantly) for developer motivation.
What Every Customer Should Know
- between 50% and 90% of software work is maintenance = to save time and money there needs to be effort spent on making software maintainable
- unit tests can add to the initial cost of developing software but the long term benefit is enormous
- bugs can be a good sign! - they may indicate that the developers are refactoring the code to improve maintainability
- but having good unit tests mean that the code can be refactored with almost no risk of bugs
- sometimes things just take time
- immovable deadlines can result in bad (quick and dirty) changes being made to the code
- continual bad code changes (without a chance to refactor) can destroy the software
- having good unit tests means that changes can usually be made more quickly with minimal chance of bugs
- if a developer is reluctant to change what is working then it indicates that the code is in a poor state (or the developer does not know what they are doing)
- a team without customer feedback is like a ship without a rudder
- provide feedback about your goals, not preconceived ideas about how they should be achieved
Sometimes a customer will insist on something that you are not sure about. To get a different perspective it is often useful to consider the customer's customer.
In the excellent book 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know, tip number 82 is called Your Customer Is Not Your Customer. The example given is developing software for a web site and the client says not to worry about the security (such as not using SSL). In this case the correct thing is to say no to the customer.
When your customer asks for something that does not seem right, you need to consider the customer's customer(s). This allows you to clearly explain what you are doing or why you must say no to a request. Again this goes back to giving the customer what they need, not what they ask for.
Getting The Customer Involved
An important part of agile methodologies is to have the customer regularly use the software. For example, in Scrum there is a Sprint Review at the end of every Sprint. This is the best way to get the customer involved, by having working software which shows what has been recently accomplished.
However, it can be difficult to get a disinterested client to even come to sprint reviews. Sometimes an incentive, like free chocolates, or just making it a bit more fun can help. Of course, a few reminder emails will not go astray.
It is also worthwhile keeping all stakeholders in the loop, with regular emails or even a newsletter.
An important thing is not to isolate developers from the client and users of the software. Encouraging this interaction not only gets the customer more involved in the process, but they also learn to appreciate how the software is developed and the difficulties that the developers have to deal with. Moreover, most developers are highly motivated by interacting with the actual users of their work!
developers are
highly motivated
by interacting
with the users
of their work!
highly motivated
by interacting
with the users
of their work!
Note that one potential problem with a lot of interaction between the client/users and the developers is the possibility of unauthorized changes being requested. It should be made clear to all, that all change requests are to go through the proper channels (eg, the Product Owner in Scrum).
Just to emphasize the points I invite you to consider these scenarios that are all based on real-life experiences.
1. Your company is considering buying a smaller software company for a particular product that it has developed. Your boss insists that you make sure it is a good buy so their are extensive discussions with the two developers. You also have several people "road test" it to expose bugs and problems of usability, reliability, efficiency, etc.
At no time does anyone run metrics on the source code or inspect it with regard to maintainability, etc. This is like buying a car without opening the bonnet and checking the log books. Actually I consider it to be even worse than that since maintainability of software is usually its most crucial attribute.
2. The customer has an urgent requirement. There is not time to understand how to implement the change correctly. A quick and dirty fix is implemented. No time is allocated for repairing the band-aid solution later.
The result may be a happy customer in the short term. However, there will be bad to horrendous consequences in the long term. If software is continually modified like this, and not refactored, it eventually becomes prohibitively expensive to maintain. I have seen code that has degenerated to such an extent that seemingly simple changes can require ten (or more) times the effort than they should.
The customer needs to be made aware that this sort of development style is not in their own long term best interests. This is what is meant by technical debt - saving time and money in the short term means you will be paying interest which has far greater costs in the long term in the form of much higher maintenance costs.
3. The customer asks for a significant change and is very pleased when the changes are delivered ahead of schedule. They next ask for a more important but apparently much easier change and are very disappointed when it takes many times longer than expected or can not even be delivered.
The customer has no idea how the software works internally. They need to realize that sometimes apparently simple things need a major re-factorization to accomplish.
4. Your software stores a large database of customer details in a web site. You know there are potential security holes which could allow someone to access customer information or even modify it.
It is in the best interests of the user of the web site to have good security and to encrypt customer details. Of course, you would never even consider storing credit card details unencrypted, would you?
The idea of customer management sounds a little condescending, but the point of this post is about finding how to give the best value possible to the customer, in the long term, despite what the customer does, or says they want.
Customers need to be educated to understand that there is more to software than the GUI. Insisting on strict deadlines and intolerance of bugs can have dire consequences for the maintainability of the software.
Customers also need to realize that what they initially believe they want may be nothing like what they need. Often the only way to obtain a good result is to use a process of iterative refinement based on continuous feedback as described in various agile methodologies.
Continuous feedback means that the customer needs to become more involved in the development process. It is essential they know what is happening under the hood in order to make the best decisions.


text:
Susan Finelli-Genovese
Associate Dean, K-12 MAEd Programs
Associate Professor
Ed.D., Walden University
Dr. Susan Finelli-Genovese began at Baldwin Wallace in 2002. She is currently associate professor and associate dean for K-12 master's programs in the School of Education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in educational technology. Finelli-Genovese earned a bachelor's degree from Cleveland State University and a master's degree from Baldwin Wallace University. She earned a doctorate in teacher leadership at Walden University.
Finelli-Genovese's first teaching position was at Valley Vista Elementary School in North Royalton, Ohio. She worked as a third grade teacher for 11 years and then another year in fourth grade before she took the position as curriculum facilitator for the North Royalton City School District. In this role she was an active tech coach for Pre-K-12 teachers and administrators for three years.
In her current position, she also serves as the chair of the MAED Ed Tech Advisory Committee as well as the advisor for the new BW Tech Club. Finelli-Genovese is a published author and illustrator with Author House Publishing. Her first two books, "Life's Amusement Park" and "Life's Classroom," both won Mom's Book Choice Awards, and she continues to write and illustrate books for young adults. Finelli-Genovese is passionate about exploring and sharing dynamic tech-integrated lessons with her students. In this way, she hopes to empower future educators and make a difference in promoting an increased excitement in teaching, learning and student achievement.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Chrome 57 has launched, and with it in-browser support for the Physical Web. Now, when a user goes to conduct a search or enter a web URL, any nearby Physical Web addresses will appear just below the address bar as seen in the above graphic.
It adds another piece to the proximity puzzle – allowing your browser to show nearby URLs when you go to enter a Web URL or go to conduct a search.
Use Cases for Chrome URLs
Being able to see nearby Physical Web URLs in your browser suggests some interesting use cases/value propositions:
Closing the Gap on Physical Web Objects – in the world of the Physical Web you walk up to a "thing" and use it. In general, their use case is for that "thing" to include a Physical Web icon. You need to know that the object has a URL attached to it. This is usually accomplished through physical-world icons/signage. You then need to know to "pull down" on a notification tray to see it.
By adding Physical Web URLs to your browser search/address bar, there's another path to making sure users will more easily be able to "see" that URL.
Show-rooming – Retailers still struggle with 'show-rooming' – where users will be shopping, say, for a fridge and go online to compare prices when in the store. By attaching a physical web beacon to the fridge, the retailer has a last chance to catch the user's attention with a link of their own.
In the Home – This is, perhaps, where beacons can truly start to merge over with the connected home. Device makers (say, the Nest thermostat) can embed a Physical Web broadcast. Now, your thermostat, connected TV or other device can offer up a manual, support hotline or other information as an available link in your browser – and possibly bypass the need for a custom app.
Bluetooth in the Browser
Things start to get really interesting when you take into account the fact that Chrome also supports Bluetooth connections. By allowing Chrome to connect to nearby Bluetooth devices, you can create use cases where a Physical Web signal leads to a web URL. The web URL leads to a page with support for Bluetooth connectivity.
(We should note that Bluetooth proximity and Bluetooth connectivity are two entirely different things!)
Google does a deep dive on this capability and provides libraries for Angular, Node and Polymer.
We can envision use cases where you approach a fitness machine in a local gym, it has a Physical Web logo, a Physical Web URL shows up when you search in Chrome, and the web page it takes you to can connect to the machine and read out heart rate or other information.
Go Chrome, or Go Physical Web?
This addition to the "proximity pathway" is great. But it adds another layer to an already confusing set of instructions for consumers.
One interesting question: when you're creating an in-location sign/symbol or marker to let consumers know there is a nearby URL, should you flag it as Physical Web, or Chrome?
I've been wondering whether the Chrome logo wouldn't be a better way to go. It bridges Android and iOS, is a recognized symbol, and is WAY easier to explain.
Because when the current instructions look like THIS, wouldn't THIS be easier to understand?
Share Your Thoughts
Join our e-mail list for more on iBeacons, Eddystone, Physical Web and BLE. Join the conversation on Twitter, or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Have you engaged yet with a Physical Web URL via Chrome? What use cases do you think we'll see? And do you think the Physical Web icon will be a driver of adoption, or will we see other ways to promote these new features?
Drop a comment below, or pop me a note on Twitter.
Content Creator or "Business Builder"? Drop Me a Line
On a side note, we've been partnering with content creators, publishers and entrepreneurs of all stripes. We've been building out tools to bring proximity channels to new markets. If you'd be interested in learning more, don't hesitate to drop me a note – doug (at) fidgets.net . Our mission is to help content creators, publishers, entrepreneurs and companies to build new revenue streams on the Internet of Things.


text:
Scientists Turns Living Bacteria Into A Hard Drive
To talk about data storage devices and the first thing that many people think of are bolstering small rectangular structures i.e hard drives. Now there is a new alternative, more radical to hard drives is living bacteria. Yeah, yields that living bacteria can save data in their cells. Scientists have discovered a way to make […]Read More →


text:
Anne(redirected from Anning)
Also found in: Dictionary, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Queen Anne is dead
A sarcastic phrase said in response to outdated news. A: "Did you know that Kelly is getting a divorce?" B: "Oh please, that happened months ago. Did you know that Queen Anne is dead?"
Queen Anne's deadused humorously or ironically to suggest that a piece of supposed 'news' is in fact stale, or more broadly that a person who says something is simply stating the obvious or restating a well-worn or accepted truth. informal
The expression is first recorded in 1798 , by which time Queen Anne had indeed been dead for 84 years; but there is evidence of an earlier version, 'Queen Elizabeth is dead', from the 1730s.
2005 Liverpool Daily Echo 'McFadden's gone past the three French players there', said Lawrenson , who can also tell us that Queen Anne is dead, night follows day and bears defecate in the woods.


text:
Gonzo's Quest Slot Game Review
Featuring a historical theme wrapped in amazing graphics, this online casino slot can really capture your attention. Combined with a possibility of huge wins, Gonzo's Quest slot is one of NetEnt's greatest successes. Not many slot machines suppliers have a game as popular as this in their online casino stock.
A slightly different game from the NetEnt's slot machines library, Gonzo's Quest slot does away with spinning reels. Instead, it features symbols falling through and exploding, creating truly unique online gambling experience. While most casino online players may have been surprised by the Gonzo's Quest concept, it has quickly become one of the favorite online casino games.
Gonzo's Quest Slot Gameplay and Features
As mentioned, unlike most slot machines, Gonzo's Quest doesn't have spinning reels. Symbols on the board drop down from the sky and fall through, making for unique online gambling experience. Symbols on winning paylines explode, triggering the main feature of the Gonzo's Quest online casino slot.
The Avalanche, a feature not found in many online casino slot machines, is what helps you win big playing Gonzo's Quest slot. Every time you make a winning payline, winning symbols explode and are replaced with new symbols. With every new fall, your win multiplier increases. The second fall comes with 2x multiplier. The next one feature 3x, and the final one comes with a 5x multiplier. A few consecutive wins can make this casino online game pay you quite handsomely.
The free spins feature (called free falls, unlike with a majority of online casino slot machines), is triggered by lining up three free spins symbols. Three Golden Masks will award you 10 free spins for every payline they appear on. With some luck, you can trigger 20 or even 30 free spins, which can even be re-triggered.
What's great about Gonzo's Quest free spins is the increased multiplier. Although most slot machines feature multipliers during free spins, this casino online game is particularly generous. Even the first win features a 3x multiplier, and it can go as high as 15x thanks to the Avalanche feature.
Your online gambling experience with Gonzo's quest can turn amazing if you catch a nice five of a kind on the third or fourth fall. Free spins are definitely what you are after with this the Gonzo's Quest slot.
Story & Graphics
The main character featured in this casino online game by NetEnt is Gonzo, Spanish conquistador looking for the famed El Dorado, the "City of Gold." While some slot machines can be quite static, Gonzo's Quest is anything but.
Gonzo is always somewhere on the screen. He is reading his maps, celebrating wins, or running around. While it may be a bit distracting at first, his presence and articulate shouts add to the overall online gambling atmosphere.
If you are looking for an exciting and fun online casino game, you can't go wrong with Gonzo's Quest. You can find Gonzo's Quest in most NetEnt casino online slot machines library, and you are guaranteed to have a great online gambling experience.
Relevant news
Tycoons Slot Review
Tycoons Online Casino Slot While the name of this online casino slot from Betsoft suggests…
Weekend in Vegas Slot Review
Weekend in Vegas Online Casino Slot Are you one of those who'd like to enjoy…
The Tipsy Tourist Slot Review
The Tipsy Tourist Online Casino Slot This intricate slot is one of the few that…
True Illusions Slot Review
True Illusions Online Casino Slot Some say the bigger, the better, and others that less…
Medusa II Video Slot Review
Medusa II Slot Review Medusa II is an online casino slot developed by NextGen Gaming,…
Medusa Casino Slot Review
Medusa Online Casino Slot From Nextgen Gaming comes another well-crafted and Greek culture inspired online…


text:
Contact us with your news. Email email@example.com, or firstname.lastname@example.com or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700GTN's Greatest Christmas Awards 2107are sponsored by:and raise money for the Greenfingers Charity to build magical gardens at Childrens Hospices across the UK.See GTN's photo tours of 30+ garden centres this Christmas including Bents, Barton Grange, Brookside, Castle Gardens, Planters, Scotsdales, Silverbirch, Ruxley Manor and Whitehall using this link
Staff at North Walsham Garden Centre took inspiration from the recent Winter Olympics and tried their hand at a spot of curling during this week's wintry weather.
A video of the 'North Walsham garden centre curling championships' was posted on the centre's Facebook page and drew quite a lot of attention, including over 800 views.
And on YouTube the video attracted over 600 views.
Or you can view the video at https://youtu.be/QpouIWRewPw
Meanwhile at Lakeside Plant Centre in Telford they put out a call for volunteers to join their Bobsled team. "2022 here we come," said manager Kevin Turley.
And now we've received this footage of Reindeer giving proper sleigh rides to staff at Richardsons Garden Centre in County Durham:
Watch the Sleigh Ride video here
George Richardson tells GTN Xtra: "In your request for snow related story we had one of our Reindeer pulling staff members around in a proper sleigh. We hire Reindeer to other garden centres and business through our sister company Rent A Reindeer Ltd. www.rentareindeer.co.uk
"Usually our sleighs are on wheels for Santa arrival events but the snow allowed for a bit of fun. Not the best of video's because as soon as we took phones out of pockets they froze and stopped working it was that cold."
Send us pictures of your garden centre winter sports and we will add them to this story. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
GTN March 2018 Issue OUT SOON! To view a digital version click here


text:
[box]With a record high median home price in June, mortgage rates threatening to climb further, low inventory in popular neighborhoods, and Nashville's new "it city" status, WPLN's Mack Linebaugh is experiencing first-hand what it's like to be a buyer in a seller's real estate market:[/box]
Currently in Nashville, you cannot house hunt casually or on your own schedule, at least not in Inglewood where my wife Holly and I are looking. You must be watchful, ready to act, like a frog in the grass waiting for a tasty-looking bug to fly past.
It's 7:15 am on a Monday following a weekend spent mostly at home showings. Holly is at Shelby Park, running with a friend in a torrential downpour. I'm on Wren duty until she returns. Wren is our 21-month old daughter who's been hauled in and out of the car at least 50 times since our house hunt began.
She's a happy toddler who's generally fun to be around, but our efforts to make home showings seem fun to her have failed. She's fussier at each successive one, constricted in our arms in the homes of strangers who keep fragile things on low shelves. Inevitably, she squirms loose and grabs something, or she charges toward an open basement door, koi pond, or the edge of an un-railed deck. She's fallen in a puddle on someone's patio and tripped on a stranger's threshold, banging her head on the doorjamb. Each trauma leads to a meltdown that tends to herald the end of showing. Maybe we should start looking only at empty single-story homes with soft carpet and padded walls.
What's New?
We receive an automated email from RealTracs just after midnight each day. Our agent set it to send us everything listed in the past 24 hours within tailored parameters of price and zip code. Each morning is a mini-Christmas of expectation. We check the inboxes on our phones before we get out of bed. Once last week, I caught Holly on hers in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep.
This appears to be the only way we'll find something we want before it's gone. Each house we've found on real estate sites like Zillow or Trulia has been under contract before we've had a chance to see it. Apparently, the day or so it takes for a new listing to appear on those sites is longer than the good ones stay on the market. An article in the Nashville Ledger says that lining up buyers before houses go on the market has become common practice. Like landing a job or a record deal, buying a home is about who you know.
Ok, We'll Bite.
A new listing in the Rosebank area appeared in this morning's email. I'm at the point when this brings up mixed feelings. Yes, we want to find our future home. But we'd rather not squeeze yet another showing into our already busy schedules just to be beaten to the punch again or fooled by a tiny kitchen that was photographed with a room-enlarging fisheye lens. Is there an official diagnosis for house hunter's fatigue? We are starting to get more protective of our time.
This house is about the right square footage but there are no pictures posted online yet, so I feel obliged to give it the drive by test. This entails rolling past slowly to assess exterior looks and general vibe. I'm a total amateur but can generally tell if the roof and HVAC look new. If it's a Ranch house, I hope it won't be "too ranchy" for Holly, who pictures us in an old Bungalow like the one we're renting in Lockeland Springs (a neighborhood we love, but where we cannot afford to buy).
If it passes the drive by test, I'll have to call our agent and schedule the soonest possible showing. A new listing in 37216 is fresh meat to a feeding frenzy. If this house has a good layout and no major problems, the seller is likely to receive several offers before tomorrow.
I ask Wren if she wants to walk outside under the umbrella. She thinks umbrellas are amazing so I figure this is likely to entice her into the car again. Before she can think to complain, I've got her strapped in and we're headed for Rosebank.
When we arrive at the address at around 7:25, an SUV with Illinois plates is already idling outside. Holly later confesses to driving by a half an hour later and seeing a car from Oregon doing the same. It looks pretty good. A coat of paint and some landscaping could take it to the next level.
We call our agent to schedule a showing and get a 2 pm slot. How many eager buyers will come and go before 2? I try and put that out of my mind.
…to be continued


text:
Brown Butter Cookies: Sweet, salty and delicious
Nov 19, 2014 04:14PM
By Cen Cali Life Magazine
Brown Butter Cookies: Sweet, salty and delicious
Photos and story by Judy House Menezes
Take three, Honey.
That's the slogan of Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucos. Be forewarned, though: If you taste the cookies, you may not be able to stop at three. Round, cute as a big button, hand rolled and sweet and salty, the original brown butter sea salt cookie is a little slice of heaven on the Central Coast. In Cayucos, it's famous.
Two sisters, Christa and Traci Hozie, started Brown Butter Cookie Company in January 2009. Christa handles marketing and customer service while Traci is the baker, technical person and chief financial officer. In just under six years, their business has become a regular stop for Valley visitors and other Central Coast travelers. Their cookies have been featured on the Today and Rachel Ray shows, in the New York Times, and in magazines including Gourmet, Good Housekeeping, Parenting and Sunset.
"Our cookies – people crave the flavor," Traci said.
Christa said the company's trademark combination of sweet and salty was "kind of unexpected." The sisters had a deli down the street from their present location and offered the cookies as samples. The sandwiches were popular – past customers still rave about them – but the cookies were the hit. Customers would walk out the door and come right back in to buy them. In fact, they would sell out every day.
A year and a half later, the sisters started Brown Butter Cookie Company.
"It was just like a light bulb," Christa said. "The cookie was trying to get out there. The little cookie led the way."
In the beginning, both sisters rolled cookies. They hired staff in 2009 and in May of that year opened a small storefront dedicated just to the cookies. Almost from the beginning, the sisters knew they needed a bigger building for equipment and customers. They moved into their current, larger quarters in 2012.
The friendly atmosphere of the two-story red building with white trim on Ocean Avenue is no accident. The sisters wanted an open kitchen design so customers could walk into a place that is warm and happy and "a great family experience." Customers can see cookies being rolled and packaged behind the counter and smell the butter browning and the cookies baking in the back. Free samples are offered. Granola, T-shirts and tote bags with the Brown Butter logo are also sold.
Fifty to 70 batches of fresh dough are made every morning. The recipe changes slightly every day because of moisture levels.
"It would be hard to mass produce this cookie," Traci said. "It's a delicate cookie."
The recipe may vary slightly but workers take a consistently methodical approach to the creation of each batch. They start making the dough at 6 a.m. Usually five people at a time are browning butter, two pounds at a time, with about 100 pounds of butter browned each day.
Traci said browned butter – which gives the cookies their rich, nutty flavor – turns a deep reddish-brown color when made properly. Browning butter takes lots of stirring and no small amount of patience, she explained. The process is delicate – the butter can easily burn – and the optimum time is reached by sight and smell. Not everyone has the patience for it.
Sea salt is sprinkled on top the cookies after they are baked. Production is finished for the day around four in the afternoon.
The company makes seven flavors of cookies: original, cocoa, coconut lime, cocoa mint, citrus, espresso and almond. Additional flavors, such as spice and pumpkin pie, are available seasonally from October through December. A honey cookie is sold in the store and not available for shipping. The cookies have a four-week shelf life.
"Nothing sticks around our stores more than a day," Christa said, because all the cookies are either sold or shipped.
The company's two busiest times of the year are summer, when about 5,000 cookies a day are made, and the Christmas season, when the shop may make up to 10,000 cookies a day.
"It's a pretty intense time for us," Christa said of the holidays.
The cookies are shipped all over the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Corporate clients in New York order the cookies as gifts each year. ("That's such an honor for us," Christa said.) The company does not ship overseas, but the sisters know the cookies have been sent in care packages to soldiers and others abroad. One customer called from Germany to pay for a gift card so friends could stop by on their visit to the Central Coast.
Most of the business, 80 percent, is done in Cayucos, a town of 3,000 people with visitors from all over.
The sisters value all their customers but give special credit to those from Fresno, Visalia and Bakersfield.
"Those customers have seen us since the beginning," Christa said. "They have seen us as two sisters growing together, a very magical exchange."
Christa added that, because many of the families visit the store regularly, she and Traci get to watch their kids grow up, too.
Maureen Griswold is a Cayucos resident and Brown Butter Company regular.
"I think they are delicious," Griswold said of the cookies. "I have a lot of people come visit me and I bring people here and they give [the cookies] as gifts."
Griswold's sister, Irene George from Pasadena, thought the store was "fun" and the cookie "wonderful. It's better than you can make at home. It has the potential to be addictive," she said.
And, yes, the two sisters still eat their own cookies.
"Always a little bit," said Traci, whose favorite flavor is cocoa, which she has with a glass of red wine. "We put a lot of love and attention into each cookie. I feel really lucky. It's an honor to have someone care so much for your product."
Brown Butter Cookie Company's main store is located at 98 N. Ocean Ave. in Cayucos. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Paso Robles outlet, located at 801 12th St., is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Both stores are closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. To order by phone, call (805) 995-2076 or email email@example.com. More information about the company can be found at brownbuttercookies.com.
Judy House Menezes is a professor of journalism and adviser to the student newspaper at College of the Sequoias in Visalia.


text:
Wednesday was rough, but Thursday and Friday have paid off. Things are coming up roses. Big dank!
Wednesday was rough, but Thursday and Friday have paid off. Things are coming up roses. Big dank!
Posted in Uncategorized
Jeff's computer apparently crashed, and he was unable to teach our lesson this afternoon. I don't think anyone complained. While sitting outside during what is usually our beloved VCT 204 class, Erica were accosted by several BG24 students asking about our summer plans. We hammed it up, and I've been told we made the broadcast. Can't wait to see it.
This week has been meetings and class and stressing and working, but I'm busy, so that's good.
Posted in Uncategorized
Today I realized I have a month until graduation. I am neither excited nor upset. It's something that's been creeping up on me, but I've known all along. I'm getting to the point that I can accept change a lot better than I used to be able to. I'm also stressing out less about planning things. Both good.
The other night over $1 drafts at 149, Marie and Meg told me about a great plan they have for this May: we are going on a trip up north to Michigan. We will spend a few days in Charlevoix, visit Mackinaw Island, and see the dunes at Sleeping Bear. I'm so excited.
This past weekend, Meredith catered an event in Toledo for the Toledo Arts Commission, and a few of us who had waitressing experience (this does not include me, but I did go) went to help out at the event. It was at a cool space downtown Toledo, and it was very crowded. We worked very hard all night, but the hard work payed off for a successful event, and it was a lot of fun. Not that I want to make a career out of it, but I could handle being a caterer. I also met a member of the Toledo Filmmakers group, who also is a tatoo artist. Networking? Yes, plz.
Steve built a pretty crafty 35mm adapter for his HD camera, and we've been shooting with it. I shot my Film 3 final project using it; I think it looks really nice. And, well, it looks almost like film, so, I like it. When I play with it, I've been knocking it slightly out of focus, and it looks like Super8. Here is test footage from that:
I saw Funny Games last weekend. While I was totally disgusted with myself, I really enjoyed it. Also, Michael Pitt? Yes, plz.
Posted in Life, Pop Culture


text:
Watch What YOU Want With a Clickbait Movie Plot
#ClickBaitAMovie began trending on Twitter. What happened next will shock you.
Or more realistically, amuse you. Twitter gets a lot of stick, but it's populated by very intelligent and witty people 20 Essential Twitter Accounts You Need To Follow Twitter is only as good as the people you follow. Literally. Thankfully, there are at least 20 essential Twitter accounts everybody should follow. Read on to find out what they are. Read More – as well as the vapid egotists talking about their dinner Are We Getting Dumber? Or Is Stupidity Just More Visible Online? If studies are correct, you may actually be too dumb to read this within another couple of decades. Or, you might actually be too smart to want to. Read More .
What Is Clickbait? Why Should You Care?
You won't believe how our panel played #ClickBaitAMovie last night! Click here to watch: http://t.co/nGmnNHtjoT pic.twitter.com/3Ux6Zu1k05
— @midnight (@midnight) May 28, 2015
Well, it's bait for… clicks. It's a catchy title, used to grab your attention and draw you into a dark realm Why Buzzfeed's Business Model is Doomed to Fail BuzzFeed's really popular now, but their business model ensures no one will trust or like them in the long term. Read More . Clickbait titles often throw innuendo at you faster than a Carry On movie (largely aimed at men because we're more gullible), and frequently indulge in phrases like:
- "A Man Discovered Electricity. What Happened Next Will Shock You"
- "Lindsay Lohan Discovered How To Avoid Taxes. Obama Personally Hates Her"
- "This Simple Life Hack Will Make Girls Flock To You Like You're A Particularly Handsome Shepherd."
As to why you should care… Maybe because it's gradually taking over the Internet? And it's doing so because writers have
got lazy spotted an effective way of catching your attention. To be perfectly frank, it works, and it's not going away anytime soon; this is the Internet's lexicon.
But Wait a Minute!
Most MakeUseOf readers hate clickbait Buzzworthy: 5 Clickbait Headlines Guaranteed to Annoy [We Ask You Results] You may consider the headline of this article to be clickbait. But it isn't, honestly. Read More , but if you're reading this, you have already fallen for it 10 Sure Signs You've Fallen For Click Bait With The Onion's new satirical publication, Clickhole, the social webs have finally taken a good look in the mirror. If you were unconscious to click bait, it's time you woke up. Read More . Sorry. Nonetheless, it can be a force for good Upworthy Isn't As Awful As You May Think [Opinion] Upworthy has got a lot of hate as a "clickbaity", sensationalist website that is out to steal content and promote itself. Is it pure evil in Internet form or does it deserve some credit? Read More ! No, put down those pitchforks.
It's all about intrigue. Often this attracts you to pointless topics like spheres, blunt pencils, and Kanye West, but what if it's used to actually educate you? Previously, Twitter showed us the light by clickbaiting novels The 10 Best #ClickbaitBooks On Twitter. Number 7 Is Amazing. Twitter users recently turned the plots of their favorite books into clickbait, and you won't believe what happened next... Read More , luring people into reading The Old Man And The Sea, Life of Pi, and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Also: Fifty Shades of Grey.
@Midnight, a Comedy Central show, threw #ClickBaitAMovie at the world: it exists to entertain and inform. But mainly to entertain.
Here are 10 of the best. And if you think there were some bad jokes here, you should be thankful I didn't include Groundhog Day!
Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
They all bullied him. See how weather preparedness skills gave him the last laugh. #ClickBaitAMovie @weatherchannel pic.twitter.com/AvVc6eGAh6
— Mike Janes (@JanesMike) May 28, 2015
With less than six months to go until Christmas (sorry to break that to some of you), it's about time we're reminded of Rudolf's heroics. This 1964 tale is an unlikely classic, seemingly turning Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen et al into Nelson Muntz figures. Why? Rudolf has a red nose. Hey, it's cold at the North Pole!
His forward-thinking gives hope to all those avid galosh-wearers, hopelessly picked on until that one day there's a substantial puddle standing in the way of the school gates.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
This beauty lives with seven tiny men! Number five will make you cringe.#ClickBaitAMovie
— JulieSegoviaRowland (@julie_segovia) May 28, 2015
I don't remember Cringey in the 1937 Disney line-up.
Mind you, the original Brothers Grimm dwarves didn't have names, so following productions heaped loads of oddities on them. In amongst the mix, we find Chubby, Quee, Critterina, Butcher, Spanky, Sunburn, and Axlerod. No joke. Cringey might just be part of a new Urban Dictionary roster.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
She's a gorgeous, single millionaire! What she does inside Tombs will blow your mind!
#ClickbaitAMovie pic.twitter.com/aKnqaO7nU2
— Jay Brody (@theJaybrody) May 29, 2015
Just in case some blokes were nodding off.
As a spin-off from the lucrative video game franchise, Tomb Raider starred Angelina Jolie as a reckless know-it-all who can swing from curtains and suchlike. Archaeological experts gave the film a firm thumbs-down after Ms. Croft ditched regulation equipment in favour of guns and tight clothing. Regular moviegoers gave it a thumbs-down because it was abysmal.
Fantastic Four
He got rock hard abs, you can too! #ClickBaitAMovie pic.twitter.com/FmCfiFXoG9
— Lou Chapman (@LckyLou) June 1, 2015
It's not even out yet, but this controversial film is already urging people to pump iron in order to obtain a hard exterior. Just watching Bambi a few times should toughen you up.
Hardly a bikini body: this Thing got into trouble for appearing nude at a recent comic convention. (Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is clickbait!)
Snakes on a Plane
You Won't Believe What Samuel L Jackson Found On This Plane #ClickBaitAMovie pic.twitter.com/EOop9cnJXI
— The Sliced Pan (@theslicedpan) May 28, 2015
Frankly, it could be anything. A bad meal? SHIELD secrets? Kate Moss calling him a basic b**ch? You never know these days…
Mrs. Doubtfire
A parent's nightmare:she had no idea who her nanny REALLY was.Find out why her kids didn't tell her #ClickbaitAMovie pic.twitter.com/OQ8eOSkT9J
— macy (@MacyAloi) May 28, 2015
(Don't make a Caitlyn Jenner joke, don't make a Caitlyn Jenner joke, don't make a Caitlyn Jenner joke.)
The much-missed Robin Williams will live on in the minds of millions as the voice of the Genie, as Mork, and of course as Mrs Doubtfire, a man so desperate to see his kids, he pretends to be an elderly babysitter. There's probably an au pair gag available somewhere if you can handle it.
A Clockwork Orange
This famous 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick quickly gained cult status with its promotion of TRESemmé haircare. Probably. I don't know: I've never seen it. I just googled "A Clockwork Orange" and it came up with something about conditioning.
His daughter was kidnapped, what he did next will warm your heart #ClickBaitAMovie pic.twitter.com/Izo2stBm0a
— The Tweetslinger (@DALLASNITES) May 28, 2015
There's nothing quite like infiltrating a sex trafficking operation, maiming mobsters, and witnessing several cases involving heroin overdoses to warm your heart. Liam Neeson's role in this 2008 French thriller was ever so slightly different to his part in Love, Actually; this time, he didn't end up with Claudia Schiffer.
Forrest Gump
#ClickBaitAMovie Life is like a box of chocolates with free shipping if you order in the next 13 minutes.
— Le Sneaque (@leSneaque) May 29, 2015
There's nothing like Twitter for making you realize life really is like a box of chocolates: mostly nice, but hampered by a few nuts.
This 90s classic stars Tom "Nicest Man In Hollywood" Hanks as a greatly-loved cowboy, bewildered and jealous of the new toy in town, Buzz Lig — hang on, that's not right, is it?
Captain America: The First Avenger
All MakeUseOf writers would click on this one, guaranteed – apart from Dave Parrack who already is in peak physical form and is, coincidentally, editor of this article.
Clickbait Gets Results
Look, if you thought there were some bad jokes there, you should be thankful I didn't include Groundhog Day! The truth is, #ClickBaitAMovie is essentially doing synopsis writers' jobs for them. It's pretty easy to make films sound amazing. Behold!
"A team of scientists brought dinosaurs back to life! What happens next is surprisingly predictable."
That could stand for any Jurassic Park film, or even The Expendables. Cinema may be dying Are You Responsible for the Death of Cinema? Cinema is in its death throes. But why? Do we blame the directors of crappy films? The alternative viewing options now available? Or are you personally responsible? Let's figure this out. Read More , but as the Radio Times demonstrates admirably, we know our films. This knowledge can be put to good use to persuade your family and friends to watch your choice of film.
Imagine the scene: You and your other half have the evening to yourselves and decide to spend it watching a movie. You have one film in mind, while he or she has another in mind. You cannot decide between the two films, and neither of you is willing to back down. Stalemate.
However, you have a secret ploy up your sleeve. You clickbait the movie up, selling it to your partner, parents, children, or friends in a new and exciting way. They're compelled to change their minds and let you watch the movie of your choice. So it turns out clickbait can be a force for good after all.
#ThinkYouCanDoBetter, Punk?
Having read the best clickbait movies Twitter could come up with, it's now your turn to offer up your own alternative synopsis. Please let us know your clickbait movie plot in the comments section below, and the best one wins
a fantastic prize casual derision.
Related topics: Hashtag, Movie Review, Twitter.
Affiliate Disclosure: By buying the products we recommend, you help keep the site alive. Read more.


text:
1. When does the Commission notify the posts?
The Commission notifies the posts after vacancies for the post is reported to the commission by the respective Appointing Authority/ Unit Officer after obtaining finance clearance and other necessary permissions from the Government.2. How can a person know about the vacancy?
Once the Commission receives the indent/requisition from the unit officers with due permission from Government, Commission will publish the Notification on the Commission's website and a brief notification in the daily newspapers.3. What are the precautions a person for applying to a post?
Candidates are advised to go through all the details given in the Notification before applying for a post.4. What is the minimum basic qualification for the posts notified by TSPSC?
The qualification and other eligibility criteria will be mentioned in the Notification.5. Can a Candidate studied in other State also apply for the Notifications issued by TSPSC?
The Candidates belonging to other state are also eligible to apply, but they will be considered as OC under Open Competition.6. Is community reservation applicable for other state candidates?
There is no Reservation for other State candidates they can apply under OC category.7. Whether any Documents are needed to be attached with the online application?
No need to attach any documents online. However, at the time of verification it will be necessary to produce all the documents before the Commission.8. What is the difference between general and limited Recruitment?
General Recruitment:
Candidates belonging to all communities can apply for the vacancies and reservations as prescribed by the Government shall be applicable for candidates belonging to OC,BC, SC,ST, PH & Women.Limited Recruitments:
These are special recruitments for filling up of unfilled vacancies from previous recruitments belonging to reserved categories of SC and ST only.9. What is Creamy Layer?
Creamy Layer means those section/persons of Backward Community who are considered socially and educationally advanced. The Government of India has fixed an Annual Income of Rs.6.00 lakhs per year as the criteria for exclusion of the socially advanced persons from the benefits of reservations in civil posts and services under the Government of India. ( G.O.Ms.No:8, Backward Classes Welfare (c) Dept, dated: 13/11/2014)10. Who are authorized to issue creamy layer Certificates?
Mandal Revenue Officer/ Tahsildhar is competent authority to issue creamy layer Certificates in the prescribed proforma.11. I am staying in Karnataka, can I pay the application fee from here?
Yes, you can pay the fee online from anywhere in India.12. I have studied in Telangana , but now I am working in USA, am I eligible to apply for the Notification issued for Group-I Services?
Yes, you are eligible to apply.13. Where can I find notifications, press releases, timetables etc issued by TSPSC?
All the Press releases and Notifications issued by TSPSC will be available on the TSPSC website.14. Which is the date based on which the age of an applicant is calculated?
The day of reckoning age of an applicant to be eligible for applying for a particular post is the 1st day of July of the year in which the Commission published the Notification for that particular post. If the applicant is found underaged/overaged as on the date aforesaid he will be ineligible for he selection.15. What are the conditions to be satisfied by a person for applying to a post notified?
A person applying for a particular post shall satisfy all the eligibility criteria given under the Notification concerned and other General Conditions.16. What is the percentage of Reservation given to SC, ST & BC in a recruitment notified by TSPSC ?
BC(A)- 07% ; BC(B)-10% ; BC(C)- 01% ; BC(D)-07% ;BC(E)-04%, ST- 06%; SC-15%.17. What is the community wise qualifying marks in a recruitment ?
OC: 40%, BC: 35%, SC&ST: 30% qualifying percentage of marks minimum. However, the number of candidates called for Interview will be decided basing on the ratio of the number of persons called for Interview ratio to the number of posts from time-to-time as fixed by the Commission, in other words attaining minimum qualifying marks does not assure call for Interview. (As per G.O.Ms.No: 103 GAD (Ser.A) dt. 03/02/1967)18. What is the maximum age for applying for posts notified by TSPSC?
The candidates in age group 18 to 44 Years are eligible to apply for various posts notified by TSPSC. (Amended in G.O.Ms.No: 329, G.A (Ser.A) Dept., dated: 27/07/2015)19. What are the age relaxation prescribed for various reserved categories? 20. Whether any reservation applicable to women candidates in notifications to be issued by TSPSC ?
The reservation for women candidates to the extent of 33 1/3 % for direct recruitment was made effective from 28/05/1996. (G.O.Ms.No: 237 GA (Ser-D) Dept., dated: 28/05/1996).
Telangana State Public Service Commission
For any Notification related issues
Please Call Ph:040-22445566
(Call Time :10.30 A.M to 5:00 P.M on working days)
For any doubts in Online submission and download of hall-tickets
Call Ph: +91 40 23542187 / 23542185
(Call Time :10:30 A.M to 5:00 P.M)
email to : firstname.lastname@example.com
email to : email@example.com
Telangana State Public Service Commission, Prathibha Bhavan, M.J.Road,
Nampally, Hyderabad - 500103.
Telephone No: 040-24686026
Fax. No: 040-24747578


text:
Scrivs blog of the figures he paints and the games he plays. Don't post my stuff on TMP without asking.
Sunday, 7 February 2016
Eric Blair and a Republican Pilot
This week I've only done a couple of figures for myself. First was the rather splendid Eric Blair model from Artizan Designs, A lovely figure but I've got the hair far too light, although all that time in the Spanish sun, you never know.
Mrs Scrivs kindly bought me the Painting War: Spanish Civil War for my birthday and as I was one of the initial customers I received the Republican Pilot model. This is a very well sculpted figure, but is in true proportions so after painting regular wargames figures seems very thin. Also, it does not come with a base so I had to drill his foot and pin him directly to his 25mm Renedra. Quite different to what I am used to but a joy to paint all the same.
Posted by Paul Scrivens-Smith at 12:16
Labels: Chain of Command, North Star, Painting, Spanish Civil War
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
We must love boisterous blowhards. As Americans, we are fixated on people who make loud, definitive declarations so we can stand behind them waving our oversized number-one foam-fingers chanting: Go team! Win! If you take away all the nebbishy number-crunching and bureaucracy which is most of government politics is all posturing and platitude landing.
Theres an entire industry (cable news) solely devoted to bold assertions as entertainment. This means were subjected to a colossal amount of failed predictions and prognostications. Yes, if both sides say theyre absolutely correct at least one has to be wrong.
But as Americans we like the courage it takes to stand up and be inaccurate. We hate handwringing and pandering - its just not fun to watch. We still like that swagger of a sure-of-himself cowboy. We love to love them, and we love to hate them which is why Republicans tout Congressman Paul Ryans budget plan as brave despite being unable to bring themselves to call it pragmatic.
Ryan, a widely admitted Ayn Rand fanboy who seems unaware that she wrote libertarian-fantasy fiction while collecting social security and Medicare, is the new GOP it guy. After the State of the Union, Ryan gave the rebuttal (dubbed a Debbie Downer), and his name is what the GOP wants you to think of since theyve been re-branded as the fiscally fretful Tea Party.
And, in homage to Republican titles meaning the opposite of what theyll actually do (e.g., The Clean Skies Act), Ryans plan is titled, The Path to Prosperity.
In early April, Ryan wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed: A study just released by the Heritage Center for Data Analysis projects that The Path to Prosperity will help create nearly one million new private-sector jobs next year, bring the unemployment rate down to 4 percent by 2015, and result in 2.5 million additional private-sector jobs in the last year of the decade. It spurs economic growth, with $1.5 trillion in additional real GDP over the decade. According to Heritages analysis, it would result in $1.1 trillion in higher wages and an average of $1,000 in additional family income each year.
Ooh, a study! How authoritative! The Heritage Foundation also loved the Bush tax cuts. LOVED them. In April 2001, they released a study stating: The Heritage Foundation Center for Data Analysis (CDA) conducted a dynamic simulation of the proposals in the Presidents tax relief plan. The final results show that the Bush plan would significantly increase economic growth and family income while substantially reducing federal debt.
The federal debt grew nearly $5 trillion under the Bush Administration.
And increased economic growth? New York Times economic journalist David Leonhardt wrote of the Bush Years, In the four decades that the Census Bureau has been tracking household income, there has never before been a full decade in which median income failed to rise.
In the 14-page 2001 report complete with color graphs and footnotes, Heritage Foundation authors D. Wilson and William Beach decided the Bush tax cuts would:
1) Effectively pay off the federal debt;
2) Reduce the federal surplus by $1.4 trillion;
3) Substantially increase family income;
4) Save the entire Social Security surplus and increase personal savings;
5) Create more job opportunities.
They continued, As Chart 1 shows, over 1.6 million more Americans would be working at the end of FY 2011...
You dont need to be an economist or have ever uttered the phrase think tank to know each point, to put it gently, did not come to fruition.
To their credit the Heritage Foundation still has the report on their website, which is what I call actually brave. Especially since their analysis was erroneous completely and unequivocally wrong. The limp excuse that the Heritage Foundation couldnt have accounted for 9/11 still doesnt explain why they continue touting the same failed policies over and over again. This time Ryans. Trickle-down, supply-side, make-the-rich-richer policies have not done what they were supposed to do. In fact and in reality, theyve done just the opposite.
How will this time be different? It wont.
But being louder and doubling down can effectively obscure the track record.
And has.
© Copyright 2011 TinaDupuy.com; distributed by Cagle Cartoons, Inc., newspaper syndicate. Tina Dupuy is an award-winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks.


text:
Five-star Euro NCAP scores for new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Peugeot 3008
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Peugeot 3008 have both scored a full five stars in the latest Euro NCAP crash test safety ratings – but you'll only get the very safest version of the E-Class if you're among the 1 in 10 expected to fork out for the optional gadgetry.
Car safety specialist Thatcham has praised the safety equipment offered on the E-Class – but hit out at the decision not to offer a lot of it as standard.
- Indian cars achieve ZERO stars in latest Global NCAP crash tests
- More car news on Motoring Research
"The E-Class is head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to advanced safety features," explained Thatcham's director of research Matthew Avery.
"However, we know that the take up of optional safety features is typically less than 10%, so more needs to be done in terms of standard fitment to make these superb technologies more widely accessible."
The firm added that the Mercedes-Benz E-Class "provides a glimpse of the future", with safety systems such as Mercedes Benz's assisted driving system, Drive Pilot. This allows short periods of hands-free driving as long as the driver occasionally touches the wheel to prove they're still paying attention.
Active lane keep assist was also praised – the system continually provides feedback to the driver when lane markings are crossed, and even actively intervenes to steer out of the way when oncoming traffic is detected. This could potentially avoid a life-threatening head-on collision, says Thatcham.
Thatcham also says that the latest five-star safety ratings highlight the gulf in safety standards around the world.
Cars on sale in India, including the Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Maruti Suzuki Eeco, Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Eon all achieved zero star ratings when tested by NCAP earlier in the year.
By contrast, cars tested in Europe routinely achieve a maximum five stars.
Global NCAP's secretary-general, David Ward, said: "Renault and Honda make safe cars in other markets; they have the know-how to make all their Indian cars much safer. We expect them to start doing so now."


text:
Join us September 6th as we host a webinar with ALM Works about their Structure plugin for Jira.
Structure introduces Issue Hierarchy in Jira, making it a better tool for Project Management, Requirements Management and other activities of the software development cycle where hierarchy is essential.
In this webinar we'll show how you can organize your Jira issues into multi-level, cross-project hierarchies (structures), going far beyond the limitations of Jira subtasks functionality. We'll cover some of the typical Structure applications like personal to-do lists, work breakdown structure, multi-project backlogs with GreenHopper integration, as well as demonstrating how all project participants can benefit from the use of the Structure plugin.
REGISTER NOW: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM PDT (CA time)


text:
7 of the Best Free Responsive Photography WordPress Themes
So you're a photographer and you want a free responsive WordPress theme that's as beautiful as your photos? I hear you. Below you'll find your best options.
1. Lensa
I love ColorLabs themes and Lensa is one of the reasons why. The most visually stunning theme on this list, it should be your first choice if you want to impress with your high-res photos. Just look at that home page.
The slider images take up practically the whole page, so your photos better be up to scratch. Visitors can either click through the slideshow at their own pace, or wait for the timer (check out the progress bar at the bottom) to kick in.
Lensa isn't just about visuals, though. It also has a nice blog page:
It comes with a decent bunch of shortcodes too, allowing you to easily (without coding knowledge) insert buttons and lay out your content using columns (like newspapers do) and more.
Lensa cleverly integrates with popular image sharing networks like Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest, and others, so you don't have to re-upload the photos you've already put up elsewhere.
Some free themes are let down by a lack of support; not Lensa. Just check out the theme documentation.
Key features:
- responsive
- about page
- blog page
- 6 gallery templates
- 3 page templates
- custom contact form
- theme documentation
2. Simple Photo
Let me start off by saying that Marios, the guy behind Dessign (the company behind Simple Photo) is the real deal – not only is he a talented designer but he's super-helpful too. For each of his themes, even the free ones like Simple Photo, he records a video showing you how to use it. We all know how frustrating it can be to download a new theme only to get stuck making the most basic customisations (adding a logo etc). Well, that's not going to happen with Simple Photo. The instructional video for Simple Photo is nearly 15 minutes long, so it goes into some depth, unlike some other theme videos I've seen…
Simple Photo is an apt name: the theme is indeed simple. As, arguably, it should be: you're a photographer, so the focus should be on your work, nothing else. You've got a big front page slider, and underneath which a (clickable) grid.
One nice touch, which shows the thought Marios put into this theme, is the position of the secondary nav bar. At the top right-hand side of the page, it can be used to link to different post post categories, so visitors can quickly narrow down their search to the type of photo (e.g. people) they are looking for.
Should you want to share your thoughts with the world, there is a blog page.
Key features:
- front page slider + grid
- blog
- social icons
This is about as simple as it gets. No one (unless they are easily impressed) is going to be wowed by your site design – your work is going to have to do the talking. So long as you're happy with this, go ahead and try out Simple Photo – it's free (like all the other themes on thist list), so if you don't like it, you won't have lost anything except a small bit of your (admittedly valuable) time.
3. Photo
Photo, by WPExplorer, has quite a lot in common with Simple Photo (above). Look at the home page – see what I mean? It's the exact same setup: a big ol' slider followed by a grid. How to differentiate between the two? Well, Photo comes with stacks of shortcodes, whereas Simple Photo comes with none. So if you're not comfortable with HTML/CSS but you wan't to make use of features like buttons, testimonials, columns and pricing tables, you may want to opt for Photo.
Personally, I prefer the look and feel (which is what all this comes to, in the end) of Photo.
There is something else to consider, though. Although Photo is a free theme, as in free to download and use, one of the key features, the slider, isn't. It's $19 (you can see the different buying options here). Considering that you can purchase a fully featured theme for $45 from somewhere like ThemeForest, $19 may seem a little steep – not because the slider is overpriced, but because ThemeForest themes are so cheap.
Key features:
- responsive
- social icons
- Gooogle fonts
- front page slider (available as a paid addon)
4. Photogram
Photogram, by ColorLabs, is, as the name suggests, all about the photos. The theme integrates with both Pinterest and Picasa, enabling you to showcase all your online photos in one place: your website.
The best thing about Photogram is its use of jQuery Masonry and Infinite Scroll. Witness the Masonry effect:
Note the way the differently sized elements fit together, as in a jigsaw. The Infinite Scroll script loads posts as you scroll down the page, giving the illusion of a never ending amount of content.
Other features include:
- an about page and blog page template
- shortcodes.
5. Retouch
6. Mansion
Mansion is for photobloggers, that's folks who like to let their photos speak for themselves, and only seldom take pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).
7. Fullscreen
Fullscreen is a striking single column theme that puts your content well and truly centre stage.


text:
Your home is probably the biggest asset you own. This is why you should hire a professional REALTOR® to guide you. I help 24 to 28 families each year buy or sell a home. I have been a financial & real estate consultant for the past 30 years and specialized in loan loss mitigation, short sale negotiation and REO marketing. I know how to negotiate contracts & navigate through the most difficult transactions. Chris B Johnson CalBRE 01501699-Allison James Estates & Homes CalBRE 01885684
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Ventura County Mortgage Interest Rates Have Begun to Le
Ventura County Mortgage Interest Rates Have Begun to Lvel Off #TimeToBuy #ChrisBJohnsonRealtor: #TimeToBuy#ChrisBJohnsonRealtor #SellersPayZEROCommission #ListYourHomeandPayNoCommission,Top Three Realtor's in Ventura County*, *AR Best Real Estate Agen
Posted by Chris B Johnson REALTOR® at 9:35 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author, columnist, essayist, orator, religious and literary critic, social critic, and journalist. Hitchens was the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of over 30 books, including five collections of essays on culture, politics and literature. A staple of public discourse, his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded intellectual and a controversial public figure. He contributed to New Statesman, The Nation, The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, Slate, Free Inquiry and Vanity Fair.
Having long described himself as a democratic socialist, Marxist and an anti-totalitarian, he broke from the political left after what he called the "tepid reaction" of the Western left to the Satanic Verses controversy, followed by the left's embrace of Bill Clinton and the antiwar movement's opposition to NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. His support of the Iraq War separated him further. His writings include critiques of public figures Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Mother Teresa and Diana, Princess of Wales. He was the elder brother of the conservative journalist and author Peter Hitchens. He also advocated for the separation of church and state.
As an antitheist, he regarded concepts of a god or supreme being as a totalitarian belief that impedes individual freedom. He argued in favour of free expression and scientific discovery, and that it was superior to religion as an ethical code of conduct for human civilization. The dictum "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence" has become known as Hitchens's razor.


text:
By: E-Society News Team
The Kasese District Resident District Commissioner Lt. Col. James Mwesigye has called for fresh investigations into cases of theft by the flying squad attached to Police in Kasese district.
He was this afternoon addressing members of the press shortly after speaking to the coffee traders in Kasese town at the mayor's garden in Kasese town.
Lt. Col. James Mwesigye says some coffee traders had reported to his office about the alleged theft cases of coffee by the Police attached to the flying squad unit.
Coffee traders' chairperson in Kasese district Mr. Katsirombyo Bwambale Fred says they were forced to storm the office of the RDC due to the increased cases of coffee thefts in their business.
The commander for the flying squad Rwenzori East and West Regions assistant superintendent of police ASP Marahi Habson reports that that the flying squad Police officers who allegedly stole coffee had started paying back the money.
The commander for the Field Force Unit (FFU) police Mr. Asiimwe Medad also reports that some officers who misbehave in his department were being delt with accordingly.
The man whose funds was stolen Mr. Baduru Kule, was by press time nursing wounds at pride medical centre commonly known as Manasi health unit.
Mr. Baduru disclosed that seven million shillings out of the stolen money was a bank loan and eight million shillings was from his friend, he quickly called for Government intervention.
So far two suspects are in custody, Mumbere Moses and Masuluba Elisha as Police waits to arrest suspects from the flying squad unit.


text:
Beware - Q1 Earnings DistortionGeorge Brooks Follow |
Wednesday, I was looking for the kind of selling climax Monday that would clear the air. It didn't happen Monday, but it did Tuesday. It was not a huge flush volume-wise, but impressive as a reversal.
Wednesday's sharp rise suggested last week's selling was overdone, that investors believe a spring rebound in the economy and stock market is a strong probability and don't want to miss a big up move if it happens.
While the Street is still concerned about the over-valuation of Tech stocks, slower growth in China's economy, the Ukraine/Russia crisis, angst about Q1 earnings, and the U.S. economy, adversity has not prevented this bull market from advancing in the past.
While a worsening of any one of these negatives could turn the market lower, the current bull market has defied more serious negatives in its five-year existence. The main difference today is that the market is much higher than in the past.
Talks are underway in Geneva between Russia, Ukraine and European officials to head off further violence in Ukraine. That's the good news, the bad news will likely be when they break up with nothing accomplished leading to uncertainty.
The market will simply have to take the bad with the good as Q1 earnings are reported in coming weeks. A disappointing report has IBM trading down $8.40 forty-five minutes ahead of the open. That will lop 54 off the DJIA at the open. On the other hand, Goldman Sachs (GS) is up $3.43 in pre-market trading which will add 22 to the DJIA.
Understandably, the DJIA and S&P 500 have posted a more impressive rebound this week than the Nasdaq Comp. and Russell 2000 as investor interest has shifted to higher quality. That divergence will continue for a while, but I do expect the latter two to catch up in time.
The market will be hard pressed to post a big gain today as 25 S&P 500 companies report earnings today.
Resistance: The DJIA should have trouble crossing 16,516 (S&P 500: 1,872, Nasdaq Comp.: 4,112) today.
Support is "iffy" at DJIA: 16,366, S&P 500: 1,856, Nasdaq: 4,060.
The market has taken the first steps toward a spring rebound by stabilizing and posting a gain. It will need a boost from the economy, namely a surge in consumer spending and a rebirth of interest in the housing industry. Mortgage rates are historically low and with the inventory of houses on the market low, house prices rising. Decision time.
Investor's first read– Daily before the open
Nasdaq Comp.:4,086
Russell 2000: 1,131
Thursday, Apri1 17, 2014 9:14 a.m.
At key junctures, I technically analyze each of the 30 Dow stocks seeking a reasonable near-term downside risk, a more severe risk and an upside potential for each, then use the Dow "divisor" to convert that data back into the DJIA.
Currently, a reasonable risk based on present circumstances is DJIA 16,157, a more severe risk is 15,888 and the upside is 16,722. The latter would have to come after the current slide has turned the corner.
One of the Stock Trader's Almanac's great discoveries is the fact the stock market's performance during thesix months between November 1 and May1 is far superior to the six months between May 1 and November 1.* The Almanac refers to it as the "Best Six Months."
Over of the last 25 years, the "Best Six Months" has produced 19 up-years, 3 flats and 3 downers. The best years averaged gains of 11.8% with the best year up 25.6% (1998 – 1999).
Over the last 25 years, there have been 14 corrections ranging between 6% and 16%, but more than one correction of this size during the Best Six Months was rare.
In 2002 there was a 6.2% correction in January and a 6.5% correction in March/April. In 2003, there was a 7.0% correction in Nov. 2002/December 2002 and a 12.9% correction in January/March of 2003.
So far, the DJIA is ahead 5.4% since October 31, 2013 even with a 7% correction in the interim. While the rout of the Techs has driven the Nadaq Comp. down 6.8% in seven days, the DJIA and S&P 500 have dropped 3.6% and 4.3% respectively. Another correction exceeding 6% in either of these two is of course possible, but unlikely.
Russia's annexation of Crimea was only the first step in President Putin's power grab. Undoubtedly, he plans to stir additional unrest in sections of Ukraine where Russian speaking people are in great numbers. A military response by Ukraine would give him reason to invade Ukraine to protect pro-Russians and that would have an impact on global markets, which are vulnerable to begin with.
One of the factors that turns a normal market correction of 3% to 5% into a much bigger correction (5% to 12%) is new negatives that hit the market when it is about to rebound from the 5% correction. A sharp escalation in the Russia/Ukraine situation could be one of those factors.
SELL in MAY and Go Away ?
You will soon read about that seasonal phenom in the press and newsletters. Essentially, it is the backend of the "Best Six Months"* to own stocks (November 1 to May 1). Obviously, the message here is of the two six month periods, it is the worst for stocks. More in coming days.
I don't think it can be taken as a "given." On far too many occasions over the last 26 years a May top was followed by a decline, but within months (well before Nov. 1) the market rallied sharply. I see it more as a trading opportunity – i.e. "Sell in May," but be ready to buy back after a plunge.
Manufacturing output, new orders and exports are up for the eighth consecutive month, suggesting its recovery is real, though not yet robust. Our economy has
scratched and clawed its way out of a horrendous recession without help from Europe. Obviously, a recovery there stands to accelerate the pace of our recovery here.
The IMF released its latest global economic forecast as it meets in Washington this week. It sets global economic growth at 3.6% in 2014 and 3.9% for 2015, up from 3% in 2013.
HOUSING STOCKS – A spring rebound in the economy can hardly occur without a renewal of interest in housing stocks. A big jump in mortgage apps and refi's for the April 11 week suggests a rebound, as does a 2.8% jump in March Housing Starts..
Beazer Homes (BZH) Friday: $18.99
PulteCorp ($PHM) Friday: $18.90
Toll Brothers (TOL) Friday: $34.86
KB Homes (KBH) Friday: $16.65
DR Horton (DHI) Friday $21.86
CONCLUSION: This group is still a good read on the potential for the economy to rebound. Good relative strength vs. the overall market would be bullish for both the industry and economy. The latter needs strength in housing to rebound significantly, since so many products key on decisions to buy a house. All five posted modest gains yesterday. Worth noting, the yield on the 10-year note has been dropping.
THIS WEEK's ECONOMIC REPORTS:
Four days of trading precede Good Friday, though the Leading Economic Indicators will be released Friday. While it may be too early to get a read of the housing industry's recovery from the winter doldrums, the Housing Market Index is reported at 10 a.m. Tuesday and MBS Purchase Apps at 7 a.m. and Housing Starts at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
For detailed analysis of both the U.S. and Foreign economies along with charts, go to www.mam.econoday.com. Also included is an explanation of each indicator. If you want to know when the next Employment report or any other key report will be released that info is also there under "event release date."
Retail Sales (8:30): Up 1.1 pct. Mar. after gain of 0.7 pct. Feb (rev. up from 0.3)
Business inventories (10:00): Moderate build in Feb. in spite of weather. Good vs. 0.8 pct increase in sales. Inventory/Sales ratio is 1.31 Feb..
ICSC Goldman Store Sales (7:45): Down 0.3 pct. in Apr. week, but y/y is +2.3 pct.
Consumer Price Ix. (8:30): Up 0.2 pct. in Mar. vs. 0.1 pct. Feb and a forecast for a 0.1 pct. gain. Year/year is up 1.5 pct.
Empire State Mfg. Ix. (8:30): Index is 1.29 so far in Apr. vs. 5.61 in Mar.
Housing Mkt.Ix. (10:00): New home market still flat with index at 47, below breakeven 50 for third straight month.
MBA Purchases Apps (7:00): Jumped 1.0 pct. for Apr. 11 week, Refi's up big 7.0 pct.
Housing Starts (8:30): Mar. up 2.8 pct. vs. gain of 1.9 pct. Feb..
Industrial Production (9:15): Feb up 0.6 pct. vs decline of 0.2 pct. Jan..
Beige Book (2:00):
Jobless Claims (8:30): Rose 3,000 tp 304,000 in the week end3ed 4/12.
Philly Fed Svy (10:00):
Market Closed, banks open
Leading economic Indicators (10:00):
Mar 31 DJIA 16,323 CONFIDENCE Calls the Shot – April Opportunity ?
Apr 1 DJIA 16, 457 Rounding Top or Base for Big Upmove ?
Apr 2 DJIA 16,532 Market Wants to Run
Apr 3 DJIA 16,573 What the Market Really Needs Now is……
Apr 4 DJIA 16,572 New Highs Need to Hold Today
Apr 7 DJIA 16,412 Sell Off to Create Trader's Buy
Apr 8 DJIA 16, 245 Buying Opportunity Possible Early Monday
Apr 9 DJIA 16,256 April Opportunity Looms
Apr 10 DJIA 16,437 Swing Factor: Q1 Earnings, Spring Rebound
Apr 11 DJIA 16,170 Computer Selling = Scary Plunge = Opportunity
Apr 14 DJIA 16,026 Spring Surge Still in the Cards
Apr 15 DJIA 16,173 Selling Climax Still to Come ?
Apr 16 DJIA 16,262 Reversal – the Start of the Spring Surge ?
*Stock Trader's Almanac
A Game-On Analysis, LLC publication
George Brooks
"Investor's first read – an edge before the open"
Investor's first read is a Game-On Analysis, LLC publication for which George Brooks is sole owner, manager, and writer. Neither Game-On Analysis, LLC, nor George Brooks is registered as an investment advisor. Ideas expressed herein are the opinions of the writer, are for informational purposes, and are not to serve as the sole basis for any investment decision. References to specific securities should not be construed as particularized investment advice or as recommendations that you or any investors purchase or sell these securities on their own account. Readers are expected to assume full responsibility for conducting their own research pursuant to investment decisions in keeping with their tolerance for risk. Brooks may buy or sell stocks referred to herein.
DISCLOSURE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer.
You May Also Like
|Last Price
|% Change


text:
Do you guys know our pals John and Frances? They are the fine folks behind Click! Design That Fits. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, Click! is an amazing shop where you can expect to find thoughtfully designed adornments for yourself and your home. Our very own Chef Hajime Sato has an especially hard time leaving there empty-handed. Not that we blame him.
As this Thursday, November 10th, is the second Thursday of the month, it is West Seattle Art Walk time! Art Walk is an excellent time to check out Click! as they will be open until 9:00pm. And hey, how often do you have something really fun to do on a random Thursday night? The Junction is cool like that.
Let us tempt you further: Join us at Mashiko for some delectable sustainable sushi this Thursday. Show us your receipt for a purchase made at Click! during this Art Walk, and we will bring you a complimentary order of edamame. That's right, you will be rewarded with a yummy appetizer just for purchasing cool stuff. There will be $1 off select beer and saké as well. See you tomorrow!


text:
The Benefits of Switching to an Online Casino
Have you ever considered switching to an online casino? Even the most famous gamblers have started taking their favorite games on their mobile devices. With the industry of online gambling growing more and more each day, there aren't many reasons left for not trying it out as well. If you haven't already, here are some of the benefits of signing up to an online casino:
You can never get enough of it.
Online casinos now provide an incredible variety of games that will impress even the pickiest players. There is no doubt that the online world is offering some of the biggest portfolios of games ever seen before. When choosing online gambling, you will be able to benefit from a huge number of games that you wouldn't necessarily find in a land-based casino. In addition, you will never have to worry about someone else occupying the seat in front of the game you wish to play. It's all available for you at any time.
You can always change the game you are playing.
It doesn't matter if you get bored of one game and wish to move on to the next one. The same goes for table games. There is no need to stress out about people watching you leave the table. At the same time, you can be as indecisive as you wish. You have all the time you need to choose the right game for you.
You have complete control over how you manage your money.
With online casinos, you can spend and manage your money in any way you wish. In a land-based casino, taking your money out of a slot machine will take time and will imply an interaction between the player and the casino staff. With online casinos, you can just exit the game and move on to the next. At the same time, the money you deposit is there for you to spend and manage at any time.


text:
Bobcats are New Jersey's last remaining wild cats. Once nearly extinct in our state—and still endangered here—they are trying to make a comeback. What these elusive cats need most right now is room to roam. The Nature Conservancy is working to protect critical habitat for these beautiful cats in New Jersey by connecting preserved land between two great mountain ranges: the Appalachians and the Highlands. We call it "Bobcat Alley," and it's a place where they can thrive. As our thanks to you, when you donate $25 or more, you will receive a bobcat tote bag. It makes a great holiday gift for a cat-loving friend, too!
Have a soft spot for bobcats? Donate $25 or more and receive this bobcat tote bag as our thanks to you. (Offer valid only for donations made via this web page.)
Please verify your information above and click "Submit." Once you click "Submit," your donation will be processed.


text:
From sizzling sausages to running a marathon or hosting a blue dance, we're amazed at the variety, creativity and dedication of the many individuals and groups that organise events and fundraisers to support the Prostate Cancer Foundation. We greatly appreciate the support they provide, and the effort that goes into organising them.
If you'd like to register an event please complete the Event Registration Form. This will ensure we are able to authorise your event and, support you with collateral and publicity. If you are planning a BLUE DO for Blue September registrations are now open. Click here to register.
Being part of a fundraising event is great fun, especially when it involves a group working together in the community for a common goal. Get together with friends, family or work colleagues and form a fundraising group and come up with your own unique event that will inspire your community to support the fight against prostate cancer. Blue September is our main appeal month with thousands of Blue Dos but many individuals and groups host events and other fundraisers run throughout the year.
Looking for inspiration?
Check out some of the creative and inspiring events that have been held recently to support the Foundation.
Some tips for organising your event
Organising an event can be daunting when you first start, we've put together 7 simple steps that will help you get started and make your fundraising event a success.
1. Decide on the event
There are so many events to choose from, think about the best one that suits you. Whether you're organising a golf day, arranging a fun run or bike ride, the list is endless. Ask around the community about previous events. Click here for the A-Z on fundraising ideas.
2. Budgeting
Now you've decided on your event you'll need to think about getting a team of volunteers to assist you, start by allocating each volunteer a task, some topics below to help get you started. Give yourself plenty of time to organise your event
- Printing costs
- Catering
- Entertainments
- Hire of venue
- Advertising
3. Publicity and promote
A sure way to a successful event is to get some publicity on board, start by contacting your local paper or radio station, distribute flyers and posters around the community. Celebrities can help, ask around your friends and community to find someone who can host the event. A few tips below on ways to promote your event.
- Create your own webpage – Click the link, it's easy! Your Own Fundraising Page
- Social Media: Create a Facebook page/event, or post to your Instagram. Get your friends and family to share this, post regular updates. Don't forget to tag or share with us so we can share it. Our social links are on the top banner of the website.
- Posters and flyers – get your team to distribute these around the local community
- Radio and Newspapers – Issue a press release and get free advertising, remember to tell a story!
4. Money
Once you've created your fundraising page start promoting this and ask people to donate and remember, get them to tell their friends and family. Make sure you let people know ways they can donate, ask local businesses to be part of your event and offer contributions. Let people know how they can donate.
- Bank transfer
- Paying-in-slip
By post
- Collection buckets
5. Thank-you and share
After the event remember to say thank-you to all the people that helped and share photos and stories of the journey.
6. Fun
This one is really simple step, HAVE FUN!
7. Event proceeds
Once you have finished your event, please bank the proceeds into the Foundation's account:
ASB Bank account 12 3031 0184117 00, once you've completed the project release form you will be given a unique code, please use this code when depositing funds.
Please remember to let us know about any events you are organising. We can help you promote it through our website and offer support with promotional items and brochures.


text:
As I write this post, my husband is standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast for us this morning. I am thankful for that. He's been the cook for more than 30 years now in our marriage. I am thankful for that. He started last week preparing Thanksgiving dinner, I am thankful for that.
My grandson is out of school the rest of the week. I am sure he's thankful for that! He's asleep in his bed and warm. I am thankful for that. My children are alive and doing well. I am truly thankful for that.
My mom is still here with us. I am thankful for that. My sisters and their families and my brother are doing well, I am thankful for that.
Many of you know of the hard and trying and sometimes frightening experience my one daughter had with ovarian cancer last year and part of this year. She is at work today and doing well. The doctor checked her out a couple of months ago and she is still cancer free. I AM VERY THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR THAT! She got on my nerves, too. I am thankful for that!
I have a reasonable portion of health and strength and can move around and help myself. I'm real thankful for that. I think you get the point and I am sure that you, too, are thankful for a lot of wonderful blessings.
Finally, remember that thanksgiving is more than just one day a year. EVERYDAY IS A DAY OF THANKSGIVING! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!


text:
We are the National Leader in a Stable, Growing Industry!
Altium Packaging is a leading developer and manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging solutions in North America. We serve a diverse customer base in the dairy, household chemicals, food/nutraceuticals, industrial/specialty chemicals, water, pharmaceuticals, and beverage/juice segments.
With 64 rigid plastic packaging manufacturing facilities, two recycled resins facilities, and 3,000 employees, Altium Packaging has an integrated network that consistently delivers reliable and cost-effective packaging and recycled resin solutions to meet the needs of a wide range of customers. From its state-of-the art Studio PKG™, to the recycling technologies of Envision Plastics, to its experienced manufacturing teams across its network, Altium Packaging delivers high performance, cost-effective solutions.
Altium Packaging, Our Culture Differentiates Us! We incorporate our Guiding Principles into all aspects and at all levels of the organization and use them as a framework for decision-making. We believe our Guiding Principles foster a culture of excellence that benefits both employees and customers.
Our Guiding Principles
Recommended Jobs
at Altium Packaging
On Call Utility
British Columbia - Surrey -
27 days ago
On-Call Utility
Utility Worker
Ontario - Vaughan -
15 days ago
Blow Molding Technician
Ontario - Vaughan -
14 days ago
Ontario - Vaughan -
5 days ago
Master Electrician
Ontario - Vaughan -
11 days ago