text:
GULFSTREAM SIMPLIFIES AIRCRAFT OWNERSHIPNew Turnkey Program Features Fully Customizable Suite Of Maintenance And Flight Operations Services
SAVANNAH, Georgia, October 2, 2017 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today launched Aircraft Ownership Service (AOS), a comprehensive and customizable suite of aircraft maintenance and flight operations services that aircraft owners, flight departments and management companies can tailor to meet their specific needs. AOS, which will initially be available to new aircraft owners and operators, was developed based on feedback from customers, who desire a seamless and simplified aircraft ownership experience.
"Aircraft Ownership Service is a customer-driven, comprehensive operational support solution that is the first of its kind in business aviation," said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Product Support. "Its signature feature is flexibility. Enrollees choose from a broad portfolio of services that best meet the needs of their aircraft throughout its lifecycle. They also set the length of the contract term and receive a consolidated monthly invoice."
Offerings in the Gulfstream AOS program include:
• Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance parts and labor
• Technical information (publications and subscriptions)
• Major vendor support programs integration (engines, auxiliary power units, avionics)
• On-site operational staffing and support
• Hangar accommodations
"There is no one better qualified to help maintain and operate an aircraft than the original equipment manufacturer," Zimmerman said. "This program gives operators another opportunity to leverage the strength of Gulfstream — our extensive knowledge of the business jets we build, our worldwide operational experience, our more than 4,000 Product Support employees and our vast network of customer resources."
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world's most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,600 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the Gulfstream G280TM, the Gulfstream G550TM, the Gulfstream G500TM, the Gulfstream G600TM, the Gulfstream G650TM and the Gulfstream G650ERTM. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft SalesTM. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos at www.gulfstreamnews.com.
More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com.


text:
Come back to Douglas Park for your first MOT and you won't have to pay for your repairs. Here's some good news - if your BMW is under three years old, it now comes with MOT Protect* as standard.
MOT Protect to your BMW's existing three year unlimited mileage warranty and breakdown cover. It means that when your car's first MOT is due you can be confident that it will pass without the need to pay for any repairs.
The new scheme, which applies to all BMW cars registered from March 2009, covers electrical and lighting equipment, steering and suspension components and many braking system components. Seat belt components and mountings, fuel systems and corrosion damage not resulting from impact damage, are included in the cover and replaced at no extra cost to the owner should they be faulty.
At Douglas Park, we welcome this new benefit to BMW ownership and the extra peace-of-mind that it brings.
All BMW drivers, regardless of the age or model of their car, can now benefit from complimentary BMW Accident Recovery.
Simply by calling a free-phone number 0800 777 111, BMW will come and take you to your nearest BMW Approved Bodyshop, whether the accident was your fault or not. Here, a highly trained technician will assess the level of damage and, with your consent, have your BMW repaired and back on the road in no time.
As most insurers allow you to specify where your BMW is repaired, even if they run an approved repairer scheme, the choice to have your car repaired in a BMW Approved Bodyshop is entirely yours.
*Terms and conditions – MOT Protect is valid on BMW cars registered in the UK from 1 March 2009. MOT Protect is valid for the vehicle's first MOT only. Items that fail an MOT due to wear are covered. Cost of MOT test or re-test is the responsibility of the customer. Wheels, tyres, windscreen, brake pads and disc, modified/non-BMW components, failure as a result of neglect and MOT advisories are not covered by MOT Protect. Repairs must be carried out by a BMW approved dealership within 30 days of the MOT inspection failure.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Statistics from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) show that 12 babies are born every day with a heart defect.
One in 180 newborns has a problem with their heart, making this the most common birth defect ahead of limb, face and lung problems.
However, survival rates are improving. Between 1979 and 2008, deaths in under-14s from congenital heart disease decreased by 83 per cent, mostly because of early diagnosis and better surgical techniques.
The BHF has now launched a campaign to raise awareness of the 70,000 children in Britain living with heart defects.
'Our research is beginning to unravel how some of these defects occur. But there's still a long way to go,' said the charity's medical director Professor Peter Weissberg.
The most common symptoms of congenital heart disease in babies and toddlers are extreme tiredness, poor feeding, excessive sweating, a rapid heartbeat and a blue tinge to the skin.
View the BHF's information on heart defects


text:
Applying Architectural Commercial Coatings in Universities and Commercial BuildingsPenncoat Inc
Architectural coatings can increase the visual atmosphere of commercial settings. But they can also have a specific function depending on their application.
Visual impact is the most common improvement that's expected by the general public. And although that's a reasonable assumption, commercial coatings can offer benefits other than improved aesthetics.
We were asked to coat steel in an institutional facility. This steel consisted of tube steel and stair components such as stringers and pickets in the stair railings. And although it's […]


text: hearts Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Try tweaking the amount you wear. I can wear a TON of Cougar... I always get hits- it's almost fail-proof. It could be that Cougar doesn't work for you... But it's worth a try! Edited February 18, 2015 by hearts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
We here at Embroidered Apparel are happy to announce that we have new leadership running our sales department! We would like to introduce Luke Wetherington. Luke has over 15 years experience in sales, management, and embroidery/screenprinting and will make a great addition to our embroidery team. If you are interested in working with us please contact Luke at (850) 284-7634 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. Welcome to the family Luke!
New Leadership!
by admin | Apr 20, 2017 | Uncategorized | 0 comments


text:
Working With Your Digital Pictures
Week One – Week Two – Week Three Printable version
Manage your photos in one place, and find photos you forgot you had.
Eliminate scratches & blemishes, fix red-eye, crop, adjust color and more.
Turn photos into movies, collages, slideshows…
Picasa uploads seamlessly to Picasa Web Albums to store and share with friends, family & the world. I use and recommend Picasa Web Albums. It is are free and has many advantages over e-mailing pictures to your friends and family.
Week One
- Download and install Google Picasa a free photo management and editng software program.
- I suggest Google Chrome a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
- Sign up to a free Google on line account (used to share pictures with family and friends).
- Remove Google+ Account Without Deleting Gmail Account
- Find and manage existing pictures on the computer.
- Getting Started with Picasa: Getting Started Guide.
- Import new photos- Of course, not all your photos reside on your computer. You can import photos into Picasa from many sources, including cameras, CDs, memory cards, scanners, webcams, and more. Photos you import are saved on your computer and displayed automatically in Picasa.
- In Picasa, click Import.
- Select the source of your new photos (e.g. your camera) from the 'Import photos from' drop-down menu at the top.
- Select the destination folder on your computer for your new photos, from the 'Import to' drop-down menu at the bottom.
- If you'd like to upload the photos you're importing to Picasa Web Albums at the same time, select the 'Upload' checkbox.
- Select the specific photos you'd like to import and click Import Selected, or click Import All to import all the photos displayed.
- Basic digital picture editing using Picasa
Week Two
- More advanced editing
- Adding captions
- To share pictures I use and recommend Picasa Web Albums.
- It is are free and has many advantages to simply e-mailing pictures to your friends and family.
- You only have to upload the pictures one time (to share in the future simply repeat step 2 in "Sharing – Granting album access" below).
- The e-mail notification is small it only contains the links to view your albums.
- The recipient can simply click a link to see a great slide show of your pictures.
- View Album
- You can allow your users to download full size pictures for printing (you will need to use the Original Size option)
- If you use the Recommended (1600 pixels wide) upload size the free account will store about 4000 pictures.
- Picasa Web Albums can be used to backup your original files under the following conditions:
- The original file is a JPG.
- The image can be no larger than 20MB and is restricted to 50 megapixels or less.
- The image doesn't have any unsaved edits.
- You upload the image at 'Original Size.'
- Your can add extra storage for a low monthly cost.
Upload to Picasa Web Albums:
Use the Upload button in Picasa to share your photos online in Picasa Web Albums. To upload your photos to a new or existing web album, follow these steps:
- Select the photos you'd like to upload
- Once you've selected all of your photos, click the Upload button in the Photo Tray.
- Sign in to your Google Account for Picasa Web Albums.
- Choose your upload settings:
- Select one of your existing online albums or click the New button to create a new one.
- Click the areas under 'Album Title' and 'Description' to edit those fields.
- Choose your preferred upload size.
- Choose the visibility level for your album.
- Click the Upload button. The Upload Manager will appear and show you the status of the upload.
- When the upload is complete, click the View Online button in the Upload Manager to go directly to the web album in your browser.
Album Privacy: Manage album access
As the album owner, you decide exactly who has access to your album. In addition to the different levels of album visibility, Picasa Web Albums lets you keep track of the users you've shared an album with. Adding people to the "Shared with" list has the following benefits:
- Easy access. The people on this list are the only ones that can see albums set to the "Sign-in required to view" access level. Plus, everyone on this list can see the album on your public gallery regardless of changes you make to album visibility.
- Email notification. Everyone you invite using the Share button is added to the list and will receive an email invitation to view your photos. They also get notified when new photos are uploaded to the album in the future.
- Collaboration. You can choose to let people on the list add photos to your album.
Week Three
- Uploading review
- Sharing pictures from Picasa Web.
Sharing – Granting album access
Use the Share button in Picasa or Picasa Web Albums to add people to the "Shared with" list and to send them an email invitation to view the album. Follow these steps:
1. Click the Share button in the Picasa software or Picasa Web Albums.
2. Add your friends and family. You can add both individual users and entire Google contact groups to the "Shared with" list.
- Share with individual people
- Add the email addresses of the people you'd like to share with in the 'To:' field of the sharing dialog. Sending email invitations to group aliases won't add each member of the group to the "Shared with" list. Read on for more information on sharing with Google contact groups.
- Share with Google contact groups
- You can also share directly with your Google Account contact groups — collections of Friends, Family, Coworkers, etc — rather than with every individual person. This gives access to all members of that group. Don't have any contact groups? Create them in Gmail with a few clicks.
- Click Send.
The Share button is the most direct way to share your photos, but there are several other convenient ways to invite your contact groups to view your photos. In Picasa Web Albums, you can share when editing an existing album. In the Picasa software, you can send links of photos and albums?.
Managing album access
You can remove an individual or a Google contact group from the "Shared with" list at any time. Just click the Edit next to the contact group to add and remove users from the group and therefore the 'Shared with' list. Keep in mind that changes made to Google contact groups will affect all products that use your Google contact groups.
Getting prints of your favorite pictures.
- Printing at home
- Select the pictures to print and click "Shop".> You can order prints and personalized products from a variety of service providers.
- Walgreens
- CVS pharmacy 4×6 Print $0.19
- Ritz Camera 4×6 Prints 1-99 $0.19
- Wal-Mart photo center 4×6 Print $0.13
- Turn your photos into real U.S. postage stamps
- Many more…
Sam's Club Digital Photo Center 4×6 prints 13¢
You can order prints and personalized products from a variety of service providers.
Picasa Help:
Picasa and Picasa Web Albums! – Getting Started Guide
Importing photos from a camera or memory card
Folders versus albums
Controlling how folders are monitored
Folder List Organization: Sorting photos
Editing Pictures
Making a Gift CD/DVD:
Collages: Creating a collage
Creating a movie
Creating a slideshow
Helpful links:
- Remove Google+ Account Without Deleting Gmail Account
- Link to none Google+ Picasa Web view
- Link to show more than 100 Picasa web Albums
- Windows File Management


text:
Rebekah Brooks, the News International chief executive, has resigned after 11 days of mounting political pressure over the phone-hacking scandal.
Brooks announced her decision to News International staff in Wapping just before 10am on Friday, saying her resignation had been accepted by Rupert and James Murdoch. She said she no longer wanted to be a "focal point of the debate" surrounding the company's future and reputation.
She stopped short of issuing a personal apology. "As chief executive of the company, I feel a deep sense of responsibility for the people we have hurt and I want to reiterate how sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place," Brooks said in a statement.
"I have believed that the right and responsible action has been to lead us through the heat of the crisis. However my desire to remain on the bridge has made me a focal point of the debate.
"This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavours to fix the problems of the past."
Brooks praised Rupert and James Murdoch and said she leaves "with the happiest memories and an abundance of friends".
Brooks is to be replaced by the chief executive of Sky Italia, Tom Mockridge, who will take over at Wapping immediately.
It is not yet clear exactly why Brooks's resignation after 22 years at the company was accepted by the Murdochs, who had so far steadfastly stood by her during the crisis. This despite calls for her to go from the leaders of all the main political parties, including the prime minister, David Cameron, and the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose mobile phone was allegedly hacked by a private investigator working for the News of the World.
However, the last straw may have been Thursday night's Newsnight interview with News International parent company News Corporation's second largest shareholder, Saudi prince Al-Waleed bin Talal Alsaud, in which he said that if there was evidence of Brooks's "explicit" involvement in the alleged illegal activity, "for sure she has to go, you bet she has to go".
Brooks also faced an uncomfortable appearance before MPs on the Commons culture, media and sport select committee on Tuesday along with Rupert and James Murdoch to answer questions about the phone-hacking scandal. In her resignation statement she indicated that she would still appear before the committee.
In her statement Brooks said she wanted to clear her name as well as the company's. "The reputation of the company we love so much, as well as the press freedoms we value so highly, are all at risk," she added.
"As you can imagine recent times have been tough. I now need to concentrate on correcting the distortions and rebutting the allegations about my record as a journalist, an editor and executive.
"My resignation makes it possible for me to have the freedom and the time to give my full co-operation to all the current and future inquiries, the police investigations and the CMS appearance. I am so grateful for all the messages of support. I have nothing but overwhelming respect for you and our millions of readers."
James Murdoch, who has management responsibility for News International as News Corp's deputy chief operating officer, said in a memo to Wapping staff that Brooks had been "one of the outstanding editors of her generation" who could be "proud of many accomplishments as an executive". "We support her as she takes this step to clear her name," he added.
Murdoch welcomed the appointment of Mockridge as Brooks's successor, saying he was "in London today and will start right away".
"Tom is a highly respected and accomplished media executive who has served as CEO of Sky Italia since its launch in 2003," he added. "Tom, who has also been in charge of our European television business, started his career as a newspaper journalist in New Zealand and he has held a range of top roles in the newspaper industry."
Murdoch also confirmed that News International would run full-page ads in the national press at the weekend apologising for the phone-hacking scandal, as reported by the Guardian on Thursday.
"We will apologise to the nation for what has happened. We will follow this up in the future with communications about the actions we have taken to address the wrongdoing that occurred. We are also sending letters to our commercial partners with an update on the actions we are taking," he said.
"The company has made mistakes. It is not only receiving appropriate scrutiny, but is also responding to unfair attacks by setting the record straight."
Alsaud, known as the "Arab Warren Buffet" and the nephew of the Saudi king, also told Newsnight: "If the indications are that her involvement in this matter is explicit ... for sure she has to go, you bet she has to go. Ethics to me is very important. I will not tolerate to deal with a company that has a lady or a man that has any sliver of doubts on her or his integrity. From my dealings with Mr James Murdoch and Rupert Murdoch it's almost impossible for James and Rupert to know what's going on at News of the World level.
"The problems have been at the News of the World newspaper and not at News Corp level. I'd like to differentiate between News Corporation conglomerate and the News of the World that got shut down. These tactics used by tabloid newspapers in the UK were done not only by News of the World but by other tabloid newspapers also.
"I hope that this matter doesn't get over-politicised. Clearly some politicians in the UK and US right now would like to set the record clear and take revenge on Mr Murdoch's conglomerate that wasn't really on their side some time ago."
Pressure has intensified on 43-year-old Brooks to stand down since the hacking scandal re-erupted following the Guardian's disclosure on 4 July that private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, working for the News of the World, allegedly hacked into Dowler's mobile phone between her disappearance and the discovery of her body in 2002.
The public revulsion over the revelation and subsequent allegations that the families of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq and the victims of the 7/7 terrorist attacks may have been targeted led to the decision last week by News Corporation to close the News of the World.
However, as the scandal snowballed Brooks stood firm and showed no sign of buckling under the pressure. She told News International staff that it was "inconceivable" that she knew about the hacking of Dowler's phone.
Brooks also faced down the anger of News of the World staff in two separate meetings with them last week amid claims that their paper and their jobs were being sacrificed to save her.
She also appeared to have been protected by Rupert Murdoch, who is said to fondly regard her almost as a fifth daughter.
Until Friday morning's announcement, this support even appeared to withstand cross-party calls for her to step down. She had also been cast adrift by Cameron, formerly part of the same Oxfordshire social circle. He said last week: "It has been reported that she offered her resignation over this and in this situation I would have taken it."
This time it has. Cameron's official spokesman said today her resignation was "the right decision".
The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, had described Brooks's ongoing employment at News International as an "insult" to the Dowler family. He wrote today on Twitter: "It is right that Rebekah Brooks has finally taken responsibility and resigned" and called on Rupert Murdoch to apologise to the Dowlers.
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email email@example.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook


text:
Back before my dad spent two weeks in-and-out of the hospital, having an ultrasound, an MRI and four endoscopic procedures, I wrote about how I built a raised bed garden frame all by my very lonesome. Well, Owen offered moral support, but mostly it was all by my very lonesome.
Now comes the part about how I made the frame into an actual garden.
First, I went to Lowe's and used our military discount to buy starter plants. Since I went in early June, the pickin's were kinda slim, so I mostly ended up with peppers. Red, yellow, orange and hot banana peppers, to be exact. For variety I added two zucchini plants, even though I have heard stories about how they consume everything in their path. I suspect they'll make short work of my tiny 4×4 plot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!
I also had several container tomato plants and some herbs.
Owen helped me pick out the location by scouting the sunniest spot in the yard.
After I moved Owen, I placed the frame where I wanted it, marked it off, moved it back out of the way, and started digging. I wanted to be sure the soil beneath was loosened up so the roots could grow down as well as out.
The ground was hard-packed, full of rocks and tree roots, and it was slow work. After about twenty minutes of jumping up and down on the shovel and shaking out grass clumps, all I had was this:
Never terribly patient, I decided to enlist the help of a professional digger.
Not even kidding. I called the dog over, pointed him in the right direction and instructed, "Dig, Owie!" He tentatively scooped with one paw and looked up at me questioningly. When I said, "Yes! Good boy!" he went into high-speed Rototiller mode. Dirt flying, Paws of Lightning dug down about eight inches right quick.
I stopped him only to move him to the next corner.
Go Paws of Lightning, go!
I freaking love that dog.
Once we were dug down eight inches all around the square (can you be "around" in a square?), I filled it back in with loose soil. I used a completely random mixture of "native soil", bagged garden soil from Lowe's and composted manure that my neighbors had delivered by the truckful and were kind enough to share with me. I think my ratio was, ten shovelfuls of native soil-to-a dumped-in amount of garden soil-to-a few shovelfuls of manure.
I mixed it up as well as I could with my cool little rake from Lowes and brought it up to ground level.
Time to place the frame on! I discovered at this point that I needed to widen the square just a smidge on one side so that the frame would sit evenly. Then, because I am incredibly anal retentive, I made sure the frame was level on all four sides and packed it in securely from the outside.
Well, close enough for jazz.
I used the same(ish) soil ratio to fill the frame until it was about an inch from the top.
Next, I placed my plants approximately where I wanted them, ignoring the instructions to "place 18″ apart". If I "placed 18″ apart" I would have had about four plants in my 4×4 garden. Instead I spaced about 10″ apart.
Gardening is hard work. Snack break!
Sorry about the oogy bite marks but I was too hungry to wait to take the picture.
There's not much left to tell. I peeled the bottom of my peat pots and sunk the plants according to instruction.
Cute wheelbarrow, eh? I love my little barrow.
I planted the tomato plants in the container (and one in the left corner of the bed), put some some cat grass seed in the colored pots and watered everything.
The cool part is that the garden is already feeding our family. Owen likes to eat the composted manure chunks out of it. Which is pretty gross but, to his credit, he hasn't once tried to dig in the garden since he helped create it.
Gratuitous artsy-looking plant photo:
Oh yeah, and I can't forget the herbs! I planted those in a window planter right outside our door. Easy access when cooking!
Parsley, basil, dill, thyme and rosemary. Plus sage, chives and oregano that I didn't have room for and stuffed down along the sides of the raised bed garden. Along with the marjoram I got from my farm share.
So it's a little crowded in there. But, it's been a month and everything seems to be doing well so far.
Especially the zucchini.


text:
Nathan Sheppard NSG25
Hofner S7L 1978
6:51 PM | Labels: German guitars, Hofner, vintage guitars
Aluminium-bodied Veleno guitar
I'm always happy to show photos of these beautiful guitars from Veleno. (Please excuse the fact that I've obviously rotated the picture by 90 degrees to the right, but the guitar looks better onm the page this way around).
These guitars are made entirely from aluminium and have a real ruby inset in the face of the headstock.
This particular guitar as pictured is for sale, so if anyone is seriously interested in buying it please contact me and I will pass on the current owners details to you. Also, bear in mind that these guitars don't come cheap!
3:17 PM | Labels: cool guitars, Metal body, Metal neck, Veleno
ESP Exotic Forest Custom
JBW stratocaster
7:00 PM | Labels: Stratocaster
Japanese vintage round guitar
3:25 AM | Labels: hollow body, vintage guitars, Weird guitars
Electric Pin
This is an electrified version of a traditional Thai 3-stringed folk instrument.
You can see from the positions of the frets that this is a diatonic instrument, and reminds me of the mountain dulcimer, Strumstick and similar instruments.
It's tuning can vary depending on what key you want to play in. For example, for Am the strings would be tuned E-A-E.
3:01 PM | Labels: dulcimer, folk instruments, Weird guitars
KTone Lucite headless bass
My name is Scott Gentzen and I'm another guest blogger here at the Guitar Blog. I was drawn to this blog by its pictures of fabulous vintage oddball European guitars with much knob and switch goodness. I also have a thing for horrible design, modern designs with interesting new ideas, and mangled beat up vintage guitars. I haven't been as productive as the other guys yet, but will do what I can.
8:50 AM | Labels: acrylic, bass, guest blogger, headless
Wilson Sapphire
Recently, just out of curiosity really, I've been looking to see what unusual guitars there are for the lefties, hence the Vox Clubman II that we looked at last week, and today's guitar: a vintage Wilson Sapphire.
Like the Vox, this is a 1960s-era British guitar. Unlike the Vox, this one should be well-made and playable. The fact that it has a truss-rod cover up on the the headstock implies it has an adjustable truss-rod, something that the cheapie Voxes never had.
The guitar somehow looks typcially British. The design is reminiscent of Burns guitars. (If someone out there knows of a connection, please let me know). Wilson Guitars were later on bought out by Watkins Electric Music (WEM), better known for their amps as famously used by The Who and for their now legendary Copicat tapeloop echo machines.
9:51 AM | Labels: British guitars, cool guitars, left-handed, vintage guitars, Watkins - WEM - Wilson
Roland G-77 Bass Synth Controller
Back in the day (the mid 1980s), my friend Paul had one of these - a Roland G-77 Bass Synth - complete (unlike the one for sale here) with the hefty synth unit that sat on the floor and which this thing plugged into. We nicknamed it, the Dalek's Handbag, and Paul found a hologram of a dalek which he stuck on the front between the two jazz bass pickups.
This of course was the bass companion model to the Roland G-707 guitar synth, although the bass was superior in a couple of ways. It had individual analogue to digital converters for each string unlike the guitar which had one for all the strings and so the tracking was much better, and it had a slightly more sensibly-designed shape so that you could actually balance it on your knee when playing it sitting down.
When Paul sold the bass, somehow I ended up with the hard case, which I used for many years for my bass that I had assembled myself from parts bought from Brandoni guitars.
3:37 AM | Labels: bass, cool guitars, Guitar Synth, Japanese guitar, Roland, Weird guitars
Vox Clubman II
Recently I've seen quite a few of these 1960s-era Vox student-model guitars on eBay, and very often they are priced totally unrealistically. This Vox Clubman II, albeit in the more unusual left-handed layout, has a starting price of £200.
This is sheer madness. Take it from me as the ex-owner of one of these very guitars, these guitars are barely playable. The bodies are made from a piece of plywood barely an inch thick, the neck is very narrow and doesn't have a proper truss rod, the pickups are weak, the tuners don't work too well...
It's cheaply put together-tat, a 1960s exercise in jumping on the guitar bandwaggon.
The Vox guitars to look out for are the Mark series, the Phantom series, and from the 1980s, the Japanese-built Standard and Custom 24s and 25s and possibly the White Shadow.
There are some nice-looking 60s-era semis too, which might be worth checking out, but beware of the plywood-bodied student models such as the one pictured. It might be "vintage", it might be "rare", but that doesn't mean it's going to be playable.
A more realistic price for a guitar such as the example featured here would be nearer the £50 mark - possibly a little more for a left-handed model.
(I converted my one to fretless, BTW).
1:24 PM | Labels: British guitars, left-handed, vintage guitars, Vox
Burns Bison 1965
6:34 AM | Labels: British guitars, Burns, cool guitars, vintage guitars
Godin Radiator
1:42 PM | Labels: cool guitars, godin, wacky finishes
Vintage Bartolini
2:37 AM | Labels: Bartolini, cool guitars, Italian guitars, vintage guitars
Roter Custom Extended Range Guitar
Today I will present this guitar made by Roter Custom Guitars, a custom shop somewhere in Poland (until I checked I didn't know it was in Poland, their website is in English, they could have been in New Jersey like Krappy Guitars, another local shop I found on the Internet).
Unknown "egg-shaped" acoustic guitar
The seller describes this as an egg-shaped guitar but seems to know little else about, and I confess, neither do I. I'd guess it was early 20th Century but other than that I have not a clue. The neck appears to be very thick depth-wise and features a rather ornate carved headstock. A very interesting-looking instrument.
3:16 PM | Labels: acoustic, vintage guitars, Weird guitars
semi-hollow Musima/Migma bass
9:47 PM | Labels: bass, cool guitars, hollow body, Musima/Migma, vintage guitars
The Ugly Washburn Duckling
12:15 AM | Labels: wacky finishes, Washburn
unidentified 60s Kawai
7:30 AM | Labels: cool guitars, Kawai, vintage guitars
Burns Flyte Guitar
Further to my recent post about a Burns Flyte Bass that had turned up on eBay, now I see that a Japanese seller has put up for sale its 6-string counterpart, the Burns Flyte Guitar. This one has the silver finish that I previously mentioned I preferred to the other option of a natural finish, and it looks to be in very nice nick generally. The scratchplate has been cut at the rear that suggests the bridge has been changed perhaps. Whatever, I'd love to own one of these babies but simply don't have that sort of money.
Additional (Saturday 16 May): Why are all these Burns Flytes suddenly coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden? Here's another one!
12:55 PM | Labels: British guitars, Burns, cool guitars, vintage guitars, Weird guitars
2009 is turning out to be a very difficult year...
Guys, I'm going through rather a difficult time right now and might not be able to post blog items as often as I'd like under ordinairy circumstances. Please bear with me. If I don't blog for a few days, it doesn't mean I've thrown in the towel.
Alternatively, if you ever fancied a spot of guest blogging, NOW is the time to volunteer.
12:54 PM | Labels: Personal Narrative
Andy demonstrates his home-made rotary speaker
This is genius! Regular Guitarz reader, Andy Stone - he who built the "Les Pew" guitar, the Pew Bass, and this rather tasty 12-string electric amongst other guitars - has built this home-made rotary speaker as demonstrated in the above YouTube clip. Andy's a very resourceful chap, often building his various projects from whatever bits and pieces he has to hand. The rotary speaker includes parts made from Roses chocolate tins and an old school chair! That's some very inspired recycling going on there.
2:19 PM | Labels: effects, handmade, speakers, video, YouTube
Holey lucite guitar from the 1970s
Just when I was beginning to think that there were no more truly weird guitars being put up for sale on eBay, along comes this one-off weird-shapped acrylic guitar from the 1970s.
Hey, it's see-thru, it's full of holes (regular readers will get the reference), what's not to like?
It's rather a weird shape though. Slightly reminiscent of the 1960s-era budget Vox Apache model.
To my mind, it resembles a jellyfish.
11:33 AM | Labels: acrylic, cool guitars, holey guitars, one-offs, vintage guitars, Weird guitars
Les Paul Six String Bass? Surely Not?
Remember the "rare four string electric guitar"? Well, I've just found the perfect partner for it, namely this New 6 String Bass black electric guitar excellent (allegedly).
Funny that. It looks like a cheap Chinese counterfeit Epiphone to me. (Why did they think it was a bass?)
2:26 PM | Labels: counterfeits, Les Paul
Burns Baldwin Vibraslim Bass
I haven't really got an "angle" for this post, only to say that I've always had a soft spot for short-scale basses, think that hollow-bodied basses are cool, and that this Burns Baldwin Vibraslim looks to be just the type of bass I'd like to own, although I don't like it that much that I'm going to shell out the asked for £900 Buy It Now price.
3:13 PM | Labels: bass, British guitars, Burns, hollow body, vintage guitars
Dallas Tuxedo
Here's an early British-made rarity, the Dallas Tuxedo. The seller explains:
From the late 1950s the Dallas Tuxedo was the first British made solidbody guitar to hit the market. Sophisticated design with through neck construction. Solid mahogany. This is the two pickup model with Rangemaster tremolo. Original case and leather strap. This guitar was found in an attic in Wallasey, just over the Mersey River from Liverpool, and not far from the Tower Ballroom. A guitar just like this was found in the attic of John Lennon's home in Woolton, Liverpool. He is purported to have owned and played it. Probably purchased from the same music store as this one!So, a tenuous Lennon connection. I wonder what it'll sell for?
12:31 PM | Labels: vintage guitars
Burns Flyte Bass
The Burns Flyte has long since been one of my favourite designs, but I know that as players they weren't to everyone's taste. There were a guitar and a bass model and were specially designed by Jim Burns to minimise feedback, something which some people perhaps wouldn't have wanted minimised!
This Burns Flyte Bass is on eBay right now - they don't turn up for sale very often - and has a Buy It Now price of £899. Oh, how things change! I remember not so many years ago you couldn't GIVE these guitars away, and recall a conversation with a London music shop owner about such guitars ending up being thrown into a skip.
I have to add that I prefer the silver finish to the natural finish on the bass featured here. Silver looks much more Sci-Fi and given the shape seems more appropriate. The old silver Flytes often end up fading to a dull gold colour over the years.
I know that Burns have re-issued these guitars in more recent times, but they just don't have the same vibe. They are no longer made in the UK (a sign of the times), and the shape has been modified with a lower cutaway on the body which completely spoils the lines of the design in my opinion.
See also: The Burns Mirage
2:46 AM | Labels: bass, British guitars, Burns, cool guitars, Weird guitars
Strange "Sawn-Off"-looking guitar
This rather odd guitar was on eBay recently. It has the appearance of an instrument that someone has taken a saw to, but the seller implies that it was built this way by a luthier.
The pickups are quite unusual in design, both being housed in a U-shaped piece of metalwork. I wonder if this assembly was taken off another guitar. Any ideas, anyone?
3:56 PM | Labels: Luthiers, one-offs, Weird guitars


text:
70th Anniversary- A History
For many years, Deepdene was a girls' school, with boys only in the nursery. Through the nineties, after an unsettled period, the School became co-educational, taking boys and girls between the ages of twelve months and seven years.
Deepdene pupils wore a striking blue blazer initially, but, in more recent years, this has been replaced by the Deepdene stripe which gives pupils a distinctive identity in the City. Following greater success and rising numbers, the School started to take children to year six and became established as a co-educational Prep School in 2007.
We pride ourselves in offering an affordable, quality, independent education, where pupils are challenged to reach their full potential in small classes and a nurturing environment. After 70 years, the ethos and values of the School remain true to those of its founder; knowing your child is at the heart of all we do.


text:
Since Kent and I are very good online friends, and talk every day (sometimes several times per day) via IM and email but have never met or spoken in "real life", this was a very big treat for me. After you watch this, you'll see why I'm proud to call Kent my friend, and why we became friends in the first place. He's just one helluva nice guy, very intelligent, and extremely personable.
Hat tip to one of my other online friends, Jake Porter.


text:
• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.
The European Union has thrown delivery of billions of aid dollars into question as it meets "urgently" to coordinate a response to Egypt in the aftermath of a crackdown there that has killed almost 900 people in five days. Violence has skyrocketed since the military-backed interim government cleared two camps of supporters of ousted leader Mohammed Morsi in Cairo on Aug. 14.
Ahead of the meeting today, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, released a statement saying the EU is "firmly engaged in efforts to promote an end to violence, resumption of political dialogue, and return to a democratic process."
"The EU has been at Egypt's side in the last two years while it has moved towards democracy. We have met frequently and engaged actively Egypt's leaders and the new political forces that have emerged. The calls for democracy and fundamental freedoms from the Egyptian population cannot be disregarded, much less washed away in blood," it read.
The meeting of ambassadors of 28 members of the EU will be followed by one of foreign ministers later this week.
Mr. Morsi was elected leader of Egypt a little more than a year ago, after the 2011 revolution that ended the authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak. Morsi's rule became increasingly contested, giving rise to mass protests and his ouster by the military in early July. His Muslim Brotherhood supporters have demanded his reinstatement.
On Sunday, the head of Egypt's armed forces attempted to downplay global claims of heavyhandedness, saying "there is room for everyone." But violence continues to rock the country as the two sides face off. At least three dozen Morsi supporters were killed Sunday as they attempted to escape a prison. The Muslim Brotherhood described the incident as "cold-blooded killing," reports the BBC. A day later, at least 24 policemen were killed in a militant ambush on the Sinai Peninsula.
The EU pledged $6.7 billion in grants and loans last November to help Egypt transition to democracy.
According to The Wall Street Journal, half of that money was to come from the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. But the funds were contingent upon the implementation of reforms, and very little has yet been disbursed.
Diplomats told the Journal that Europeans need to "balance their desire to send a signal to Egyptian authorities with the potential harm of cutting off support for vital social or infrastructure projects."
EU officials told the Financial Times that blocking funds was "very much on the table." "The current situation is not making it possible for Egyptian authorities to fulfill many of those conditions so they cannot get the money that was put at their potential disposal [in November]," an EU official told the British paper.
Decisions made today in Brussels will need to be approved by EU foreign ministers, who could meet Wednesday or Thursday.
An editorial in the United Arab Emirates' Khaleej Times said suspending aid would send an important message to the world.
"While the EU has little economic leverage in Egypt, its actions would act as precedent for other countries," the paper writes. "The EU's emergency talks with aid at risk, and diplomatic rupture on the cards, is likely to embolden the United States, which is also thinking on the same lines."
Individual European countries have already reacted to the violence in Egypt, with Denmark taking the lead in suspending two bilateral aid projects last week, reports the EU Observer. That move echoes condemnation across the globe, which Egypt has rejected. "The crisis in Egypt is an internal Egyptian
matter, and all foreign interference will be rejected," Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi said, according to Haaretz.
The EU has attempted to broker peace between the two sides. Foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton was the first political official to meet with Morsi since his ouster, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
But ultimately, the EU was unable to deter last week's violence. Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt noted the limits of the EU's influence, even though EU Middle East envoy Bernardino Leon also pleaded with army chiefs before last week's deadly violence: "We went flat out … I think we did everything we could have done," he is quoted by the EU Observer as having said.
The number of victims in last week's standoff could rise. "These are not small numbers; we need to see a truce and a political process," a Cairo-based European diplomat told Ahram Online.
But diplomats who spoke to the Egyptian paper said that were not hopeful that EU moves would make a big difference. "Still, in Brussels Monday, informed sources say, the EU would 'reflect' concern on the developments in Egypt but would not go too far," the paper reports.


text:
Dec. 3, 2015 | By: The Chakra House of Healing
Colleen Lowe, owner of Enfleurage Organics, is a graduate of Sheridan College's Aromatherapy Diploma Program. She has continued her aromatherapy studies and is now completing a gradual level in Aromatic Kinesiology. She has taken this knowledge of skin care and has developed the first Certified Organic body care business in Ontario certified by Ecocert Canada.Video Provided By The Chakra House of Healing


text:
Events for May 5, 2019
Events Search and Views Navigation
9:00 am
Sunday Morning Prayer Groups
Please join us for our prayer groups for the purpose of praying over Cornerstone Church and its ministries, the community and any personal prayer requests. Pastor Ryan will host the group for Men in his study and Ruth Goutal will be hosting the group for Women in a classroom in the Fellowship Hall. It […]Find out more »
10:00 am
Sunday Morning Worship
Join us for Worship as Pastor Ryan walks us through I Thessalonians.Find out more »
11:30 am
Cookout to say Farewell to our College Students
\ Join us as we celebrate and say good bye to our college students for the summer.Find out more »
6:00 pm
Youth Group for Grades 6-12
All youth in grades 6-12 are invited to join!Find out more »


text:
Beach-View Marine Vitality Pool
Source Spa and Wellness opened September 2018
In a prime position, looking out over the stunning stretch of golden sands and rolling waves of Saunton Sands and beyond, our Marine Vitality Pool will be filled with mineral-rich dead sea salt water. Thalassotherapy, meaning treatment from the sea, uses the healing and beneficial properties of the sea and the marine environment for your health and wellbeing.
Heated to approximately 38°C with jets to pummel and massage you (if you wish), it provides a mini-hydrotherapy experience, seating up to twelve people.
The combination of warm water, sea salts and jets means vitality pools are known to provide unique benefits*, including:
- Beautiful skin
- Skin disorder relief
- Anti-ageing
- Natural stress
- Muscular relief
- Boosting immunity
Drawing inspiration from our natural environment, the mineral-rich dead sea salt water offers a more holistic approach to the spa experience, complimenting our Salt Inhalation Steam Room and other facilities; all the benefits of a dip in the Atlantic!
Top Tips*:
- Incorporate a plunge into our vitality pool at the end of your thermal journey after a cold shower for pure relaxation.
- Be sure to shower with warm water after using the vitality pool before using the ice fountain or contrast showers. Cold exposure causes the skin's pores to close and could potentially trap pool chemicals in.
Read more about the health and beauty benefits of bathing in a marine vitality pool.
Use of our spa facilities is included for all guests of the hotel**, spa members, spa day package guests.
Fill in the enquiry form below to be added to our spa email newsletter.
Please specify whether you are interested in hearing about spa breaks or spa membership and local spa days.
*These statements are for informational purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for medical counselling. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Saunton Sands shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss, damage, or injury caused directly or indirectly by the information contained herein.
**As of 1st January 2018, use of the Source Spa Thermal Suite will not be included for guests staying in our apartments, however, use of all of our other facilities, including pools and tennis courts is included. Thermal Suite passes will be available to book, please contact our team to find out more on 01271 890212 or via the enquiry form above or by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
What one of us is not? Constrained by society, family, church. My mouth is taped shut – but my spirit here finds wings and a way. I once heard that "God makes a way out of no way." I am at a point where I feel there is no way – no bright promise of a free future, even though I have held on. Although I would love to use my gifts of speaking to help, to free, to connect it is doubtful that I will be able in this lifetime. Perhaps this is the only way – reaching you who read this. Although I so desire to speak freely, I am grateful for this "way" and pray it helps someone along their way.
Tag Archives: Christian
Want to Change? Be Grateful!
Luke 17: 11-19
What do you really want to change about yourself? Is it a bad habit? A negative attitude? Worry? Shyness? Overwork? Irritability? Diet? Physical activity? Time for reflection? Your social life? Taking care of your health? Your job? How you communicate with your partner? . . .
What do I really want to change about myself? Can I believe that those "leprous" parts of myself can find healing? Can I believe that those parts of myself or my life that are stuck, can get unstuck?
I'm sure the 10 lepers from Luke NEVER imagined that they would REALLY be healed, but they were! And only one came to give thanks. The others just went on. Perhaps that's a key to healing. GRATITUDE. How often do I walk around life unaware of all that HAS changed in my life? Perhaps if I call to mind the times when I have been healed, when I have been changed, when I have accomplished this or that. Perhaps then a door of Divine Energy would open to change right now what I think cannot change.
Is gratitude a way of opening doors to further healing in my life?
Building Temples
In Catholic circles the dedication of a church building is celebrated today – the dedication of the Cathedral church of Rome – St. John Lateran.
Such a feast strikes me as very bizarre! Why have a feast celebrating a building? After all, buildings will crumble, buildings come and go. Yet on the other hand, there is something to be said for "sacred space." That space could be within a building for some, and in the Cathedrals of forests and mountains for others. The fact is, in the noisy, frenzied society in which we live, the need for sacred space becomes paramount. We all need a place to go where we can be silent, renewed and refreshed, whether that be within the walls of a building, our homes or in nature.
What's curious to me in this feast is that the readings suggested don't so much point to the building of a temple. In the end, does God really care about all these temples and monuments built to Her/His name?? I don't think so. The Scripture readings speak of the temple that you and I are and the importance of caring for that temple and building up the body that we are as humans. It is about building bridges of forgiveness and love between peoples and nations. It is about caring for our own body temples and our minds. It is about building up one other in love, reaching beyond our comfort zones at times to care for the lonely, the lost, the hurting. This is what it means to building a temple pleasing to God.
So, how well am I caring for the temple that is my body? How am I contributing to the building up of those who are in need?
Dealing With Drama
2Timothy 1: 1-3, 5-12
"The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit but rather one that makes us strong, loving and wise."
Strong. Loving. Wise.
These are three personal qualities worth striving after. They stand in contrast to what our culture tells us is worth striving after: money, fame and instant gratification. If someone described me as being a person that is strong, loving and wise, that would be a compliment indeed. I've got a ways to go though!
Frances de Sales said: "Nothing is so strong as gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as real strength." Strength, it seems to me, is born of adversity. It is in the weathering life's storms that one proves one's strength. And the truly strong are those who are firmly rooted, but do not seek to dominate. The truly strong are those who are also loving and wise and who do not walk all over people to get what they want in life. They are the ones who are able to sacrifice for the good of another and who keep loving even when they don't want to. It strikes me that the wise are those who know when to speak and when not to speak. They are those who are able to accept life where it's at and not force something to happen. All unfolds in its time. They do not get swept up in emotional drama, but are able to step back, reflect and then act appropriately. Strength is proven in self control.
Yesterday I found myself reacting to some drama. I quickly found myself getting swept up into it and, had I done that, I would have reacted in the same dramatic fashion that I was reacting to in the first place! Gratefully, I was able to step back, pause and see what I was doing, and in so doing I was able to detach from the drama and then act appropriately and have a good evening. This was a small moment of strength, love and wisdom. 12 Step programs say this: when I am agitated, I pause. . . . I pause. . . . It's amazing what can happen when I don't react, but pause, step back and then act appropriately and wisely to the situation at hand.
Am I strong enough to pause when I am agitated today? Am I loving enough to think before I speak or react? Am I wise enough to know an appropriate course of action?


text:
Article and Slashdot discussion. Hopefully more people are now starting to wake up to the fallibility of DNA.
Real life isn't like CSI where they get a perfect sample and the computer flashes up a perfect match. In fact, CSI does that for fingerprints too… Shocking for a show supposedly based on science.


text:
Affiliate Membership<
Visitors can download the entire 2004-2005 GARVC RV & Camping Guide.
These downloads are very small and should go quickly even if you are using a 56.6K modem connection.
If you wish to have a copy of the guide sent to you via mail, please send an email to us by clicking here. Please include your name, address and the number of copies of the guide that you need.
Otherwise, please click on the file further down this page to download the guide.


text:
94 N. Main Street, Jasper, GA - (706) 253-2457
Larry Cavender / Photo
"We always put each other first," Mr. Quinton said of their successful - and long - marriage.
By Larry Cavender
Contributing writer
"There's a lot of folks with cameras taking pictures here." That was the observation made by Jim Quinton as he settled into a seat at a special event Monday at the Grandview Health Center nursing home in Jasper. There was a good reason for all the cameras, because friends and family were trying to record for posterity a very special occasion - the 70th wedding anniversary for Jim and his wife, Annette.
On August 12th, 1949, Jim and Annette Quinton were united as husband and wife, and now, seven decades later, it is obvious the couple is still very much in love. The anniversary celebration, which was planned by Sounya Stokes, the activities director for Grandview, was a complete surprise for the Quintons. Once they entered the room, which was festooned with balloons and a banner that said "She said 'Yes'!", they were greeted by several family members and friends including many fellow residents of the nursing home.
A native of Pickens County, Jim Quinton, at the age of 10, moved with his family to Maryville, Tenn. in the latter years of the Great Depression. His father was seeking employment there, but seven years later the family returned to Pickens County. Jim, as a young man of 17 years, then moved to the Atlanta area seeking employment himself in the years immediately following World War II. It was there he met his future bride on a blind date.
When the couple was asked if it was a whirlwind courtship, Annette spoke up and declared, "It was 14 months," vividly remembering those months as if it were yesterday. Jim was 20 and Annette was 17 when they were united in marriage. When responding to the question of whether Jim was a good husband, she replied, "He was about as nice as you could ever hope for."
Jim was then asked the inevitable question, "To what would you attribute the longevity of your marriage?" to which he immediately replied, "We always put each other first." He also said about he and his wife's relationship that any couple will have cross words, and then added, "If a man tells you he never has cross words with his wife, he's either a liar or the most hen-pecked husband in the world."
The Quintons continued to live in the Atlanta area where Jim eventually established his own successful steel construction business. In 1993, Jim and Annette returned to Jim's native Pickens County, and for two years, he commuted to and from the Atlanta area where he continued operating his business. Jim officially retired in 1995 and the Quintons have lived continuously in Pickens ever since. However, Jim wasn't completely ready for retirement, so he began a second career as a bailiff at the Pickens County Courthouse where he worked for 18 more years.
Jim and Annette have three children, the oldest is their son Mike, along with two daughters, Lynn and Debbie. Obviously very proud of his family, Jim said, "We also have seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, and none of them are in prison or rehab, so I think we did a pretty good job."
Their love for each other has never waned, as was evident when, at the event, Annette fed Jim a piece of cake. He looked adoringly at his wife and said, "It's almost as sweet as you are." The Quintons, obviously, are still very much in love even after all these years.


text:
BlueStar HonorCare Medical Alert Review
BlueStar HonorCare is notable for offering a suite of senior care products, but its core medical alert system product couldn't compete with the best in our reviewed products.
BlueStar HonorCare
The Best Walk-In Bathtubs for Seniors 2018
BlueStar HonorCare is notable for offering a suite of senior care products, but its core medical alert system product couldn't compete with the best in our reviewed products.
BlueStar HonorCare offers something a little different from the other medical alert companies in our review. While the company has the standard, three-tier package of in-home and mobile medical-alert systems, it also offers other senior-related products and services, such as health monitoring and blood pressure monitoring systems. The service even offers health management software.
In other words, BlueStar HonorCare is more than a medical alert service, aiming at solutions that help seniors live with peace of mind and as much independence as possible.
For our review, we tested both the Sentry Plus in-home medical alert system and the Admiral Protect mobile GPS package. We were disappointed with the Sentry Plus' two-way pendant, which didn't work, but we liked the Admiral Protect mobile alert system's fall detection.
Cost Comparison: C+
Practically every company in our review claims to offer the lowest prices, and BlueStar HonorCare is no exception. However, in our cost comparison, it received only a C+ grade, because the packages didn't provide significant savings over the market average. For example, the Sentry in-home landline unit was $29.95 per month, a little cheaper than the market average. If you need a cellular adapter, this price increased by $10 per month, shifting the cost to $4 over the market average for an in-home cellular system. The Admiral Protect, which uses the Numera Libris mobile alert device, was $44.95 a month, about $2 over the market average.
You can lower the monthly cost with bigger up-front payments, but these lower the cost by an average of only $2.97 per month. On average, other services provide a savings of $3.90 with bulk payments.
The Results of Our Hands-On Testing
We ordered the Sentry Plus, which is exactly like the Sentry, because we liked the concept of a two-way pendant for an in-home system, especially because these devices are rare in the market. The two-way pendant allows you to talk to the operator from wherever you are, like a mobile alert device. At $31.95 per month, it's a much better value than the regular Sentry, at least on paper, because the two-way pendant provides better communication with operators. If you fall in your backyard, for example, you can easily talk to the operator through the pendant — again, similar to what you can do with a mobile device. Unfortunately, the two-way pendant that we received didn't work. We couldn't even get it to turn on.
BlueStar HonorCare describes the Sentry as the Home and Yard PERS (personal emergency response system), and for good reason: This system had one of the longest ranges of any of the pendants we tested. Using the regular wireless pendant (and not the two-way pendant), we roamed an average of 117 feet from the base unit. On average, other pendants reached only about 88 feet.
The speakerphone of the Sentry is not great. While it was loud, the clarity was a significant issue. Talking to emergency operators felt a little too close to communicating via a fast-food drive-through, with a garbled mess of words that required many instances of, "What? Can you repeat that?" You need to be able to clearly communicate with emergency operators and this speakerphone doesn't make it easy to do so. However, the Admiral Protect (which is the Numera Libris mobile device) has an excellent speaker for a mobile device.
The Sentry Plus didn't come with fall detection, but the Numera Libris mobile alert device does. In our tests, the Numera Libris was among the best systems at detecting actual falls without being overly sensitive. It's the most common mobile alert device on the market, but it's also the biggest one. We liked most aspects of this mobile alert device, except the belt clip, which has an awkward and ineffective clipping mechanism that's prone to falling off.
This service's call response time was good, coming in 8th fastest in our test of 20 services, at an average of 54.6 seconds. For comparison, the average overall call response time in our tests was 69.58 seconds. However, this service is still more than twice as slow as the fastest service in our tests (GreatCall). In addition, the call quality was nothing special, receiving a C+ grade in our evaluation.
Final Verdict
We like that BlueStar HonorCare offers more than just medical alert systems, providing a range of health monitoring products for seniors, which is worthy of mention. However, we weren't impressed with the Sentry in-home medical alert system. And while we liked the Admiral Protect, it's not a better mobile device than the GreatCall Lively Mobile, and it costs more than twice as much a month.


text:
Aachen Model Room AMoR (out of order)Copyright: EBC
In the Aachen Model Room basic experiments on room airflow structures and thermal comfort can be conducted. The room is equipped with high resolution temperature and velocity instrumentation. Different air distribution systems like mixing ventilation with slot or swirl diffusers and displacement ventilation can be tested with various internal heat loads and variable supply air flow rate and supply temperature. With its well defined boundary conditions the room offers a perfect basis for validation test cases for CFD simulations.
For validation data of ambient air flows condensed with AMoR click here.
Team Leader
- work
- +49 241 80 49629
- Send Email


text:
Ahead of the April 18 Lok Sabha polls, election officials Tuesday held raids at the residence of DMK leader Kanimozhi in Thoothukudi in south Tamil Nadu from where she is contesting. The raids were conducted with the assistance of income tax officials.
Official sources told PTI that the searches were held following "some inputs," but did not elaborate. However, a senior I-T official told the The Indian Express that the Thoothukudi district administration had said the upper section of the house was being used to store cash.
An I-T official in Chennai told the daily they did not find anything.
Kanimozhi said the searches were being used to 'terrorise' the Opposition. "The Election Commission and the Income Tax department have become part of the Modi alliance… They are trying to terrorise opposition parties," she said, NDTV quoted.
DMK president MK Stalin in a statement at Chennai said the raids were an outcome of "fear of a damning defeat," for BJP's candidate in Thoothukudi, Tamilisai Soundararajan. She is also the BJP's state unit president.
Stalin said, "Crores and crores of rupees are kept in the house of Tamilisai Soundararajan's (state BJP chief) residence, why no raids there? Modi is using IT, CBI, judiciary and now Election Commission to interfere in the elections. They are doing this as they fear losing."
Following information about the raids, a large number of DMK workers gathered in front of Kanimozhi's house expressing solidarity.
Stalin said his party would work towards ushering in reforms in the appointments of Chief Election Commissioner, Election Commissioners and State Chief Electoral Officer.
"If needed, we will not hesitate to approach the Supreme Court," he said.
The raid at Kanimozhi's residence came as the EC cancelled the Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency two days ahead of the polling following recovery of huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader recently.
A government notification rescinding the polls said the EC was "fully satisfied that the current electoral process in Vellore has been seriously vitiated on account of unlawful activities of certain candidates and some workers of the political party."
According to NDTV, Rs 204 crore unaccounted cash has been recovered in Tamil Nadu ahead of polls of which Rs 190 crore has not been attached to any political party or candidate yet.
(With PTI inputs)


text: Release a sigh of relief with this sure grip massager. This plastic massager features four precision pressure points to provide a relaxing and effective treatment for deep tissue massages. The easy-comfort handle provides a solid grip especially when trying to get hard to reach spots. Measures approximately 5 inches long x 4.5″ Wide


text:
2017 is here and I'm starting the year with a post all about gender fluid styles
When Toni & Guy Products asked me to be part of this campaign I thought it would be a cool way to challenge myself to bring you a few different outfits and hairstyles including my take on a gender neutral outfit.
I'm always pushing for people to be themselves and not to worry about what others think of you especially when it comes to what you wear and how your hair is styled. How I thought I would do this is by showing you how you can create three different looks using a black base with your outfit and three different hairstyles using Toni & Guy hair products.
So, I hope these three outfits and three hairstyles can inspire you to be a little more gender neutral with some of your future styles…


text:
In today's society many people are starting businesses. See if you fall into the category of a true entrepreneur.
Check article out after the jump….
Being an entrepreneur is sexy these days. Everywhere you turn, people are thinking about doing a start-up or launching a start-up.
The low barriers to entry make it easy for many people to think they're entrepreneurs but the reality is not everyone has it in them or they're going through the motions. This has created a growing legion of wanna-be entrepreneurs, who like the idea but don't really have what it takes.
Here are five signs you're not a "real" entrepreneur:
1. You start a business but have no vision about where to take it. There's no big picture objectives or goals other than starting a business as opposed to working for someone else. It's like entering a race but having no idea of how far you want to run.
2. Being overly cautious even when your product or service shows encouraging traction. The inability to push down on the accelerator when there is an opportunity for growth is a strong signal that maybe you're too pragmatic, conservative or careful to be an entrepreneur.
3. You're not willing to embrace risk. Being an entrepreneur is not for the feint of heart because there is an element or risk in every venture. Sometimes, there is a lot of risk; sometimes, it's minimal, but it's part of how the game is played.
4. Trying to do everything yourself even when it is abundantly apparent the business will be unable to grow without more resources. Being an entrepreneur means knowing how to effectively leverage your skills and, at the same time, knowing when to hire people who have different skills.
5. An unwillingness to be flexible, agile and change directions. Starting and growing a business is not a linear activity. There are bumps in the road, opportunities to move in different directions, and times when strategic and tactical changes have to made. The inability or unwillingness to be strategically and tactically flexible is a sign you're not a true entrepreneur.


text:
- Environment & Sciences - 11 months
Plan for healthy and happy cities in Middle East
"There are three pillars to urban design, which include nature, Neighbourhood and networks".
hide 10 related articles
show 10 related articles
Middle East seeks more hygienic, greener and cost-effective cleaning solutions -
11 months
"New systems to save on energy and utilities while seeking out recycling and intelligent waste initiatives will be high on potential inventories".
Recycling rubble to save mountains, rivers, and beaches -
11 months
"Recycling rubble is also an option for countries not devastated by war".
Climate-Resilient Small Farming Communities Vital to MENA Food Security -
11 months
"Improving farmers' resilience to climate-induced agriculture sector challenges is important to protect food security throughout the MENA region".
How the Middle East can tackle the problem of water scarcity -
11 months
"MENA region is home to 12 of the world's 17 most water-stressed countries".
Saudi Arabia plans new recycling facility to build up industry -
11 months
"Saudi Investment Recycling Company wants the new facility to recycle nearly half of the estimated 5 million tons of annual construction and demolition waste by 2035".
How Saudi youth are winning the war on waste! -
11 months
"Reusable items surge in popularity as eco groups turn plastic trash into treasure".
How an ancient Arabic technique saves Alicante from floods -
11 months
"To protect itself from destructive flooding, the city has built a park designed to store and recycle rainwater".
What the Middle East needs for a sustainable future? -
11 months
"Poverty is on the rise in the Arab region, with nearly 40 percent of the population living on less than $2.75 a day".
Saudi farmers swap grass for gas -
11 months
"Unibio plans to develop a facility in the Kingdom that will utilize its patented fermentation process, which converts natural gas into high-protein livestock feed".
New water-cooling system tested in Mina -
11 months
"Cold drinking water is one of the most sought-after commodities in many of Mina's camps".


text:
Showing all 7 results
Berry bright
Berry bright€35.00 – €55.00
Cymbidium Orchid ArrangementAdd to cartThe product is already in the wishlist! Browse Wishlist
Cymbidium Orchid Arrangement€60.00
Golden anniversary bouquet
Golden anniversary bouquet€25.00 – €50.00
Mix Roses bouquet
Mix Roses bouquet€40.00 – €60.00
Pink and white scented lilies handtied
Pink and white scented lilies handtied€35.00 – €55.00
White and green handtied
White and green handtied€25.00 – €50.00
Yellow basket of flowers
Yellow basket of flowers€30.00 – €50.00
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.


text:
Oishi – delicious (word of the day for Sunday).
Gyoza was next on our list of Japanese foods to try to make at home. We found some gyoza wrappers in the fridge of the supermarket and Benno bought some TVP (soy mince) in Tokyo this week.
The filling was made from a mixture of:
1/2 cup soy mince (rehydrated in 1/2 cup hot water)
1/2 cup cabbage, shredded and boiled in the pan
150g mushrooms, diced
1 tablespoon each diced garlic and ginger
5 spring onions, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegan dashi sauce
2 tablespoons plain flour
To make the gyoza,
1. Place about a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of a wrapper.
2. Wet the edge of the wrapper with water.
3. Fold the wrapper in half and pleat the edges so that the bottom of the gyoza is flat and the top is rounded.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a saucepan. Cook the gyoza (flat-bottom down) for one minute. Then add 1/2 cup water. Put the lid on, turn the heat down and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove lid, turn up heat and cook for 1-2 minutes to evaporate the water and crisp up the bottoms.
Serve with dipping sauce (2 T soy sauce, 1 T rice vinegar, 1/4 t chili oil).
Benno made a dessert of peach crumble. It was so yummy – I feel like we haven't eaten peaches in ages!
Earlier in the afternoon Lara made some more fluffy white cupcakes and turned some into red bean butterfly cakes with a peppermint chocolate pastille stuck between the wings. We gave these to our neighbours when we introduced ourselves (finally). They seem very nice – perhaps not too much older than us, with a small baby. Hopefully we will get to see more of them and maybe even practice our Japanese language skills with them!
Leftover gyoza were saved for Monday's lunch. Here is Lara's bento. It features an onigiri smiley face with steamed broccoli, apple triangles and a choc-chip vanilla cupcake. In the bottom layer is a heart onigiri (rice ball/triangle) with lettuce, cucumber flowers, soy-mince gyoza and an elephant bottle of dipping sauce.


text:
CHI'14 results are out, for those who feel melancholic and would like to look at the evolution of CHI over time, here is the data from 1982 to 2013*. It's not super clean but hopefully you can start to play with it. If you find errors send me an email.
There is a csv file per year, with a row per paper. Each paper has the following properties: "conference", "year", "doi", "title", "citationCount", "download6weeks", "download12months", "downloadAll", "keywords", "pageNumber", "authors (name, affilitiation)"
An example: "CHI", "83", "http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/800045.801571", "Design principles for human-computer interfaces", "23 ", "28", "149", "2,842", "command and control languages; languages; software psychology", "10", "81100063003, Donald A. Norman, Department of Psychology and Institute for Cognitive Science C-015, University of California, San Diego; "
Citation and downloads counts come from the ACM DL (fetched over the past 3 days).
If you find the data useful, I'd would be nice to let me know what you used it for, and if you're interested in the data from another conference, drop me a line.
* I'm an ACM member believing that I'm doing a public service by gathering and publishing articles' meta-data. If you believe otherwise, send me an email.**
** "But anyone who says that there is money to be made in a stash of ACADEMIC ARTICLES is either an idiot or a liar" Laurence Lessig


text:
We at McKinley Elementary School, will provide a quality, well-rounded education for our McKinley students. We will achieve this by cultivating the existing leadership of our students, community partners, staff and families to produce growth in our entire community with the aim of improving the lives of our school family for future generations.
"Growing Leaders at McKinley Elementary School"
Regular attendance and punctuality are necessary for success in school and are expected of all students each day school is in session. Our school hours are 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Students arriving after 8:55 a.m. will be marked tardy. Upon arrival, students must report to the office. If your child is attending school regularly, thank you!
If your child is absent from school:
You must notify the school, by telephone, on each day your child is absent.
You must submit a written excuse with the reason for the absence within (3) days of your child's return to school.
If you do not:
Your child will be marked illegally absent.
And, after three (3) illegal absences, you may be:
Arrested, fined and/or incarcerated.
Referred to the Office of Children and Youth Services.
Sanctioned by the Lehigh County Assistance Office.
If a child is out of school for more than one day, arrangements should be made to get his or her homework. Homework can be prepared by 2:40 p.m. for parent pick-up, only if arrangements are made when reporting the child absent.
Permission from the principal is required prior to any absence of three (3) or more days not due to illness.


text:
Zotac GeForce GTX 480 full review
The Zotac GeForce GTX 480 is nVidia's fastest single-chip graphics card. Read our review to find out how it performed in the lab.
While nVidia's new lower-end cards started coming out many months ago, products based around its next-generation GF100 architecture have been far longer in the making. Indeed, even now nVidia has held back the fully fledged GF100 – the Zotac GeForce GTX 480 is actually a slightly watered down version of the GF100. But it's the fastest single-chip nVidia card we've seen yet – and, for that matter, the fastest single-chip card full stop.
Like ATI, nVidia has moved to a 40nm manufacturing process for these chips, but the chips themselves are considerably larger than their ATI counterparts. However, the actual cards aren't gigantic, and the Zotac GeForce GTX 480 should fit into any decent-sized case – it certainly won't cause the same problems as the ridiculously long 5970, for instance.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 480 runs very hot though and the power ratings are heady indeed. The GTX 480 theoretically puts out 250 Watts at maximum load – we've found the real figure can exceed 350 Watts – the 5870 generates just 188. Even when idle, 47 Watts (almost twice that of the 5870) is a pretty substantial figure. One six-pin and one eight-pin connector will be needed. A few PCs can only support a pair of six-pin connectors, so you'll need to watch for this. The 480 is a loud card in use, so you'll really want to be using the computer in which it's installed room to keep it in.
Both the Zotac GeForce GTX 480 and nVidia Zotac Geforce GTX 470 have some rather new approaches to graphics, with better handling of raster operations, enhanced floating point calculations and improved texture units. Not all of this is obvious from the specifications though. A simple measure of Fill Rate, for instance, suggests that the 480 is vastly inferior to the 5870 – 42.0GTps (GTexels per second) rather than the 5870's 68.0GTps. And even with attention to floating point calculations, on paper the 5870's figure of 2.72TFlops is twice the GTX 480's 1.35.
The Zotac GeForce GTX 480 has fewer texture units too, although it does fight back on ROPs. Perhaps more significantly, its memory bandwidth (177.4GBps to 153.6GBps) is much stronger, partly down to the 480's 384bit memory interface being considerably wider than the 5870's 256bit alternative. It also helps that this card has a mighty 1536B of GDDR5 memory.
However, in graphics card testing the only figures that really matter are game frame rates. And here the Zotac GeForce GTX 480 feeds the 5870 its ears, pulling off a string of victories that puts the 5870 in its place. Although the Heaven and Crysis tests show leads of just 5-9fps, the 480 wins comfortably everywhere else, beating the 5870 by between 6 and 16fps in Aliens vs Predator, and 25 to 27fps in the high framerate environment of Hawx. The card has more than enough to make short work of DirectX 11, although we didn't find the 480 to be better at holding its pace in DX11 than the 5870.
NEXT: our expert verdict >>
See also: Group test: what's the best graphics card?
See also: Group test: what's the best budget graphics card?
Zotac GeForce GTX 480: Specs
- nVidia GeForce GTX 480 graphics processor
- memory interface: 384bit
- memory clock (DDR effective) 924MHz (3696MHz)
- Core clock: 700MHz
- stream processors: 480
- Texture units: 60, ROP units: 48
- memory bandwidth: 177.4 GBytes/sec
- Fill Rate (Texture Units Core Clock): 42.0 GTexels/sec
- Floating Point Performance: 1.35 TFlops
- Maximum Board Power (TDP): 250W
- Idle Board Power: 47W
- power connectors: 6pin, 8pin
- interface: PCI Express
- DirectX 11
- DVI, Mini-HDMI
Best prices today
Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide


text: Mexican authorities are atruggling to contain a rise of smuggling and drug-related violence in the country's north [AFP] At least 17 migrants have been kidnapped by suspected human traffickers near the US border in northern Mexico, police said. Two migrants who were later freed reported the abduction to Mexican authorities on Wednesday, saying that "another 17 kidnapped people were inside a safe house", Gustavo Huerta, the chief of police in the city of Tijuana, told the AFP news agency on Wednesday. Leandro Martinez, 38, told police that he was abducted 10 days ago by a gang that smuggles illegal migrants across the border into the United States.He said he and another kidnapped migrant were dropped off by their captors on Wednesday near a mountain east of Tijuana, a city across the border from the US city of San Diego, California. Martinez said he was tied hand and foot and beaten during his captivity to get him to give out the telephone numbers of his relatives, who were then told to pay a $4,500 ransom for his release. Police said they are trying to locate the safe house where the other migrants are being held. 'Mass execution' The kidnappings come one week after the bodies of another 72 Central and South American abducted migrants were found on a ranch in northern Tamaulipas state.Police said the 58 men and 14 women were victims of a mass execution by the Zetas drug gang because they refused to work with the gang. Both drug and human trafficking gangs often kidnap people for ransom in Mexico, where violence shows no sign of abating as gangs battle for control of smuggling routes. Mexican government officials have said drug gangs are increasingly extorting and kidnapping migrants to raise money because the government clampdown on organised crime has eaten into their other sources of revenues. Turf wars between Mexico's seven major drug cartels and government forces have killed at least 28,000 people since Felipe Calderon, the Mexican president, deployed tens of thousands of soldiers to crack down on the illegal trade in December 2006. SOURCE: Agencies Politics US & Canada Latin America Mexico United States


text:
Dust, Dry Days and Disease in Africa 3
Posted by Simon Adebola on August 14, 2009
Images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board the NASA Terra and Aqua satellites have been very useful in tracking the spread of dust on and away from the African continent. This has also helped in guiding researchers and scientists in observing the links between this spreading dust and various climatic and biological phenomena.
The image above depicts the flow of dust off the west coast of Africa. The following description from the NASA Earth Observatory states that,
"The Sahara experiences extreme variations in land surface temperature—from freezing temperatures at night to more than 54.4°C (130°F) during the day. The extreme daytime heating in the Sahara Desert, especially during the summer, causes instability in the lowest level of the atmosphere. Dust-laden air rises and begins moving westward. As the air travels—a trip that often takes several days—it continues heating. When this Saharan Air Layer moves off the African coast and over the Atlantic Ocean, it is undercut by a cooler, wetter layer of air. Air normally cools with altitude, but the Saharan Air Layer passing over cooler air currents causes a temperature inversion, which suppresses mixing. As a result, Saharan dust often travels across the Atlantic, sometimes remaining visible throughout the trip."
Dust moves freely across the continent and blows off the coast driven by the various winds and thus goes to contribute to the soil profile of other parts of the world. It also settles in the ocean along its way adding nutrients and thus embellishing oceanic ecological patterns.
But what effect does this have on human health and livelihood? In looking at that we would like to consider the amount of the earth's surface that is potentially exposed to airborne dust. Airborne dust has been described, by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States, as the primary source of allergic stress worldwide. Deserts (in this case referring to non-polar arid zones) are major sources of dust particles.
D. W. Griffin has worked on using satellites to monitor the global spread of dust and linking this with its effects on ecology and human health. His work (in this paper with C. A. Kellogg) identified these effects on life forms, both human and in the oceans, and on various continents. The identified effects include coral bleaching, algal blooms and allergenic effects on humans, including aggravating asthma. This may not be solely due to desert dust but the increased concentration of these dust particles, some as fine as 2.5 microns, in combination with other industrial and environmental pollutants may play a role in immunogenic responses that cause ill health. The human respiratory mucosa usually traps dust particles and tries to clear the respiratory passageways of these irritants. However, these very fine particles may exacerbate that response. This is of more serious concern in individuals with compromised respiratory and immunologic responses.
A lot of the research in this area has focused on the Trans-Atlantic effects of dust spread. This has had effects in the USA and the Carribeans. Griffin reported studies stating a 17 fold increase in paediatric asthma between 1976 and 1999. Other studies identified a relationship between dust events and hospital asthma visits. This however was not solely due to dust of African origin, which was said to have contributed (~50%) alongside other sources of dust activity. Also, the link between dust events and the epidemic prone disease, meninigitis, is already being investigated.
In strengthening the capacity to detect which dust events and sources are responsible for some disease events in Africa, the use of satellite technologies play a very important role. This occupies a relevant area of research alongside other initiatives to boost the monitoring and reporting capacity for Air Quality Indices. There are various aspects of using available resources for strengthening our awareness of the effects of inspired air on human health. The training of scientists and continued collaboration with the environmental sector, meteorologists, climatologists, public health researchers, and healthcare policy makers is a definite step towards developing a functional warning system with strong interventional capability. Academic research institutions can mobilize resources to develop training programmes in support of this crucial area of need. Ultimately such efforts may not go far without governmental support. The role of environmental and healthcare organizations in developing awareness and response capacity and acting to engage political leadership is also of importance. Hand in hand, individuals and associations can work to bring about a safer and securer environment to live and work in.
You can follow the progression of the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) on this site with frequently uploaded satellite images.
One Response to "Dust, Dry Days and Disease in Africa 3"
April 22, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Thank u best dt u have been doing 4 us. Pls i need ur help 2 b sending me information on remote sensing. A student fr Fut minna. Thanks


text:
With 7 Hallowe'en programs in the works, I'm jamming to rehearse and prepare for a wonderful week of hauntingly fun storytelling gigs. I'll be traveling close to home, but managing to reach out to 3 different counties with programs: Amador, San Joaquin and right here in Tuolumne County where I live. With audiences ranging in age from tiny ones to adults, I'm trying to make sure to have a good cross-section of spooky to not-so spooky. So far I'm planning to share "Chunk O'Meat" from Grandfather Tales by Richard Chase, the story of the Jack O'Lantern: Jack & The Devil, "How Bruh Sparrow and Sistah Wren Lost Out" from When Birds Could Talk & Bats Could Sing by Virginia Hamilton (permission given by her hub). Plus, I've got the ukulele and the concertina out dusting up some old favorite songs, like "Have You Seen the Ghost of John?"
I just got home from a 4-day jaunt up to Bainbridge Island, WA, where I hung out with family. But storytelling wasn't too far away! I had a chance to share stories at my great nephew's 2nd birthday party–a little mini-House Concert. I felt like I was at our weekly Baby Storytime. A sweet gathering to celebrate a wonderful little guy. And then in the spirit of the Season, I helped pull together two Hallowe'en costumes for my niece's two little kids. One will be an elegant princess and the other, that birthday boy, will be one handsome FROG.
So, Happy Hallowe'en to all of you from this California storyteller! And may the spookiest thing that happens be your chance to hear some well told GHOST STORIES! And by the by, let me recommend a new favorite Hallowe'en book that I recently discovered: Bone Soup by Cambria Evans, Houghton-Mifflin, copyright 2008. A delightful twist on the classic folk tale "Stone Soup."
And if you're looking for some Hallowe'en fun of your own making, hop over to this page here on The Hive!


text: Under Florida Law, schools are required to submit a School Improvement Plans for approval by the School Board. These plans detail a school's goals related to increasing student achievement. They also include information about the strategies and resources that will be utilized to attain these goals. You will find the School Improvement Plans that have been approved by the Okeechobee County School Board listed to the right.


text:
Thinking Foundation
Thinking IS the Foundation for Learning
The mission of the non-profit Thinking Foundation is to support high quality research on cognitive skills development, creativity, and critical reflection—at pre-school, K-12 and college levels in order to transform learning, literacy, teaching and leadership around the world for those with the greatest need.
Thinking Schools International
Thinking Schools International collaborates with projects in various countries. All these schools take a whole-school approach to the teaching of thinking and share good practice, resources and expertise. Within the TSI website there is a library of resources available to all schools in the network. There are currently over 400 schools in the United Kingdom that are part of the Thinking Schools network. A major project is with the Malaysian Government where together the collaboration is aiming to have all Malaysian schools become thinking schools as part of a national innovation strategy.
Thinking Maps®, Inc.
Thinking Maps, developed by Dr. David Hyerle, are visual teaching tools that foster and encourage lifelong learning. They are based on a simple yet profound insight: The one common instructional thread that binds together all teachers, from pre-kindergarten through postgraduate, is that they all teach the same thought processes.
Thinking Maps, Inc. is committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning through the effective implementation of Thinking Maps in schools and school districts around the world. Through quality training, materials and support services, we will equip learning communities with the tools necessary to become successful thinkers, problem solvers, decision makers, and ultimately, lifelong learners.
School Improvement Network
The creators of the industry's leading on-demand professional products, School Improvement Network provides a suite of products that are proven to help teachers and improve student learning.
Educational Impact Online
Educational Impact is the premier online provider of professional development for teachers, administrators and university students. The company was founded in 1999 by educators who realized that traditional professional development could be improved and enhanced through the use and integration of online learning and streaming video. Since 1999, Educational Impact has developed 40 online programs containing over 375 hours of streaming video. EI has also recently developed the first online 360° assessment that provides users with the ability to target specific EI programs and content based on personal profile results.
Corwin Press
Corwin is the premier publisher for educators' professional development needs, providing books, kits, professional learning events, and specialized libraries to help educators do their work better.


text:
No Payments for 90 Days
Those of you who shop at our our store have probably noticed some new messaging lately about Bill Me Later. What the heck is Bill Me Later, you ask? Bill Me Later is a fast, secure and easy way to pay at Marine Depot (and hundreds of other online stores) without ever opening your wallet […]Read More


text:
Adrianne Palicki is trading in her Wonder Woman costume for military fatigues.
The actress, who starred in NBC's failed Wonder Woman pilot earlier this year, has joined the upcoming G.I. Joe sequel, Deadline reports.
Photo: Check out the updated Wonder Woman costume
Palicki, 29, will play Lady Jaye, the female lead in the film. Lady Jaye is the team's covert operations specialist and a love interest for warrant officer Flint, who will be played by Detroit 1-8-7's D.J. Cotrona in the sequel.
G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes, starring Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson, is expected to hit theaters sometime next summer.
Palicki, who is best known for her role on Friday Night Lights, will next appear in Red Dawn.