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Employee turnover is an unfortunate but inevitable part of running a business. Not only is it costly and time-consuming, it is disruptive to existing staff and can impact morale. Finding and hiring the right office employees is critical to the overall success of the organization.
Medical practices are particularly vulnerable to turnover fallout. This is because many practices manage their operations with a small, streamlined staff. Each position, no matter the title, is vital to the practice's overall health and performance. To prevent turnover, practices must be diligent in their hiring efforts by adopting a systematic strategy for hiring. This article outlines an effective hiring strategy you can use to acquire exceptional, retainable employees while maintaining the well-being of your practice.
The following steps will assist you and your hiring team in effectively and efficiently identifying and hiring the right talent for your practice:
Create a hiring team. The chance of hiring the best candidate increases when you have the input of several people. The hiring team should include key practice stakeholders and be small and manageable. It is beneficial to include team members with various backgrounds, personality types, and job responsibilities. This ensures recruitment of a well-rounded individual and sets up the new employee for team success.
Identify why the previous employee left. Examining why you need to replace an employee may supply the practice with information critical to its staff retention scorecard. An exit interview of the departing employee and interviews of remaining staff members are both beneficial in the identification of watch-outs and/or needs for the next practice hire. The more receptive you are to this feedback, the more you may learn.
Review position job description and adapt as necessary. Ensuring that the job description includes all relevant duties and skills helps manage the practice's expectations as well as those of the applicants. Prior to the hiring process is a perfect time to make changes to the job description. When updating the description, solicit input from other office personnel about current practice needs. You'll want to make sure all responsibilities are covered without overlap and that staff morale remains intact as the result of job ownership. The updated description should have a job title and summary and needs to include key responsibilities, supervisor, skills and qualifications, type of employment (full or part-time), salary range, and benefits.
Determine rate of pay. Pricing your practice appropriate to the local market—and the job description—can help you avoid future issues with payroll and staff. Being the highest payer in the area will set you up for overhead inefficiencies. Being the lowest payer in the area can result in poor morale and staff turnover. Conduct a local online job search for similar jobs in the area to help you identify an appropriate rate. The rate you decide on could change depending on an applicant's experience, etc.; so it is helpful to identify a range (e.g., $17 to $20 per hour, depending on experience).
Create and place the ad. A successful recruitment effort hinges on the creation and placement of an ad that accurately describes the position and outlines the desired skill set. The ad should be placed on job sites that provide good candidate return on investment. Some of the more commonly used job sites are: indeed.com, careerbuilders.com, craigslist.com, and healthcareers.com. Additionally, ads should be placed on local university, professional society, and applicable business group job-posting sites.
Select top resumes for interviews. Screening resumes is the first step in narrowing the candidate pool and allows you to focus your time on candidates best-suited for the position. The hiring team should review the resumes and select the top candidates based on job fit. Job fit includes both objective and subjective measurements. Objective measurements include job requirement fit (i.e., hard skills); subjective measurements include items such as attitude and motivational fit (i.e., soft skills). Candidate background can also be assessed by reaching out to referral sources as well as to online profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other online social media sites. Optimally, the resume review process yields 10 to 15 candidates; however these numbers could be less depending on the quality and caliber of candidates your search produces.
Create interview questions. Creating questions for both phone interviews and live interviews is key to ensuring that the hiring team is prepared and consistent throughout the interview process. Phone interview questions should be macro in nature and are intended to capture a big-picture view of candidates while identifying potential watch-outs or job non-negotiables. Live interview questions should do a deeper dive into the candidates' backgrounds and should be crafted with the goal of obtaining information that will help determine job- and practice-fit.
Screen candidates by telephone. Phone interviews are essential for eliminating time-consuming live interviews with those who, despite strong resumes, don't meet all of your needs. Utilizing the pre-selected interview questions, have one key player from the interview team schedule and conduct telephone interviews of the qualified pool of candidates. Each conversation should be 10–15 minutes in length during which the interviewer assesses each applicant's answers as well as his/her communication skills.
Conduct in-person interviews. The in-person interview process is most successful if conducted systematically. Following the phone-screening process, select the top four to six candidates for onsite interviews. More interview candidates may be necessary, but you can manage time by narrowing the live interview pool to top candidates first. To ensure consistency, utilize an agreed-upon list of interview questions for each candidate and interviewer. Live interviews should be scheduled for the full team on one day. Each interviewer should use the same questions for each candidate to ensure consistency, taking notes and capturing answers on a candidate evaluation form.
Hold a team meeting to review and select top two to three candidates. Again, embracing a systematic approach will ensure the best results as you identify your top applicants. Utilize a formalized evaluation process to compile key takeaways. Interviewers can refer to their candidate evaluation forms to recall their impressions of each candidate. This process allows the team to follow an objective comparison of all candidates. During this meeting, three key measurements should be evaluated: Can the candidate do the job (strengths), will the candidate enjoy the job (motivation), and can the rest of the practice staff and owner tolerate working with the candidate (fit).
Extend an offer and follow up with formal offer letter. Now it's time to reach out to the top candidate to extend an offer. If verbally accepted, a formal offer letter should follow. The offer letter should include basic job information, salary, and any corresponding bonuses or incentives. Additionally, the letter should detail any other benefits (i.e., vacation, sick time, paid time-off, health and/or dental insurance, retirement programs, and, in the case of aesthetic practices, service benefits provided to the employee at the practice). Benefits should be outlined clearly and provide post-hire eligibility date(s) and amount of coverage.
Although employee turnover is an inevitable part of doing business, it can be minimized by employing a strategic approach to hiring that involves careful planning and teamwork. When implemented, the suggestions in this article can result in dividends that far exceed the effort. The practice will save funds, you will save time, and staff morale will soar. It's worth it. n
Heather Peffley is a management consultant with the Allergan Practice Consulting Group, of Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA. Ms. Peffley consults in the areas of financial analysis and procedure values, human resource issues, internal and external marketing, leadership training and team building, sales training, compensation, and aesthetic practice development


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The NMU Foundation has established the Wildcat 2020 Student Relief Fund to provide immediate and impactful support to our students under financial distress related to the COVID- 19 crisis.
If you would like to direct a gift to this fund, please click here.
Thank you for giving online. It provides the most efficient way to assist our students quickly.
The NMU Foundation will continue to provide guidance on how donors, alumni and other friends of the University can help to meet the ongoing needs of our students.
Our office is currently closed to walk-in traffic. However, you can still communicate with us by phone or email:
Phone: 906-227-2627
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
We wish you and your family well and thank you for your continued support of Northern Michigan University. Though apart, we remain connected as members of the Wildcat Family.
More information about NMU's response to the COVID-19 outbreak can be found here: nmu.edu/covid.
Thank you again.
Your Donation Changes Education.
Megan O'Connor
Recipient of the Centennial Scholarship
Midland Michigan
This scholarship means so much to me. Nothing is scarier than wondering if you will have enough money to complete your degree this close to graduation. This scholarship has not only given me financial help, but a confidence boost in knowing that I am being supported by people who want to see me succeed. Thank you for helping me during my final semester and for helping me achieve my goal of receiving a college degree.
Thank you,
NMU Day of Giving was wild! With your help, we raised over $850,000 - nearly double last year's total.
- Over half the gifts will support scholarships.
- Nearly $100,000 will benefit departments and specific programs.
- The remainder will be directed to areas of greatest need.
- The NMU Food Pantry received over 2,600 non-perishable items and over $6,000.
Thank you for the impact you made on our students!

subset: commoncrawl


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Did you know that employers are not required by law to offer certain benefits? Paid vacation time, sick time, and even insurance coverage are considered to be optional. That's why evaluating the pros and cons of employee benefits if you're an employer may be a valuable exercise.
What Are the Pros of Employee Benefits?
1. Good benefit packages help to attract and retain good employees.
The most popular benefits are good health insurance coverage which includes vision and dental, along with a comprehensive vacation policy or flexible sick time options. When you can offer benefits that have value, you're more likely to attract and keep valuable employees.
2. There may be tax deductions available.
Employers which offer benefits may gain an advantage by being able to deduct plan contributions from their taxes. This includes all insurance options, pension contributions, a 401k match, and other costs associated with the benefits.
3. A good benefits package can save you money on salaries.
Many employees are willing to accept a lower salary in exchange for a better benefits package. Considering salaries are often the top expense for most businesses, this can really help with a tight budget year.
4. Good benefits can reduce employee absenteeism.
This is especially true when there is a comprehensive heal insurance plan in place. Wellness initiatives that help employers save money and can potentially let employees expand their insurance options or earn rewards also help to reduce the number of sick days that may be taken.
5. A comprehensive benefits package can reduce turnover.
One of the biggest hidden costs every business has is the cost of training a new employee. High turnover rates can generate tens of thousands of dollars in costs per new employee that can be avoided by investing into a good set of employee benefits.
6. They create word-of-mouth recruiting opportunities.
If an employee gets 6 weeks of vacation time every year, then they're going to tell their family and friends about that awesome benefit. This excitement creates a natural brand ambassador for the business to help them recruit more good employees without the costs of advertising an open position for a lengthy period of time.
What Are the Cons of Employee Benefits?
1. They cost money.
The average set of employee benefits today is nearly equal to the amount paid out in salary. This is a level of expense that must be effectively managed, especially since many employees don't see a benefit as part of their income package.
2. There may be few choices available to certain employers.
Small businesses are especially limited in the type of employee benefits they may be able to offer. This is because better benefits, especially retirement or pension plans, typically have higher administrative costs that the small business may not be able to afford.
3. The costs of benefits are not static.
This is especially true for employers who are providing comprehensive health insurance benefits. The rise in cost of health insurance has been steady and rapid, which means benefits are either cut or more costs are paid for to maintain the current benefit package. Even with the Affordable Care Act in place, this still makes it difficult to budget costs on an annual basis.
4. There can be issues with legal compliance.
Certain benefits must be provided to employees in a specific way. In order to make sure a business is compliance with these stipulations, legal fees must be paid out to verify that everything is being provided legally. It's another added cost that many employees don't realize exists as a way to provide them with the benefits they need.
5. Mistakes in employee benefits can lead to litigation.
If a business makes a mistake in providing an employee with a promised benefit, then there is a good chance that they might sue. There might also be regulatory fines involved with such a mistake, plus there will be additional legal fees to pay in addition to the cost of the benefit which will still need to be provided.
6. Even great benefit packages can be seen as "not enough."
There will always be some employees who feel like they are overworked and underpaid, no matter how good the benefit package happens to be.
In the pros and cons of employee benefits, the goal is often to attract and retain the best possible employees in the local job market. Good benefits are seen as a way to inspire higher levels of employee loyalty. If the costs of those benefits can be managed, then it can be a good thing to provide even if they are not legally mandated in every jurisdiction.
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.


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2019 Cedar Rapids Kernels Preliminary Roster Preview
After several years as hitting coach of the Kernels, former Twins infielder Brian Dinkelman embarks upon his first season as the team's manager. He will be replaced as hitting coach by two guys. Another former Twins infielder, Luis Rodriguez, moves up from the GCL this year. And Ryan Smith comes to the organization this year from the College of Central Florida (Ocala). Former big-leaguer Virgil Vasquez will be the pitching coach for the Kernels for the first time. He has been in the organization since retiring after the 2014 season.
Here is a look at the Kernels Opening Day roster. Note that this is a tentative roster and can be updated before their season starts on Thursday.
Catchers: David Banuelos, Ben Rodriguez
Infielders: Chris Williams, Yunior Severino, Joe Cronin, Michael Davis, Andrew Bechtold, Trey Cabbage
Outfielders: Jacob Pearson, Gilberto Celestino, DaShawn Keirsey, Jean Carlos Arias, Gabriel Maciel (IL)
Starting Pitchers: Jordan Balazovic, Blayne Enlow, Luis Rijo, Josh Winder, Cole Sands, Austin Schulfer
Relief Pitchers: Zach Neff, Carlos Suniaga, Joe Record, Brian Rapp, Jose Martinez, Andrew Cabezas, Tyler Palm, Alex Schick (IL)
LF - Jacob Pearson
CF - Gilberto Celestino
2B - Yunior Severino
1B - Chris Williams
SS - Michael Davis
RF - DaShawn Keirsey, Jr.
DH - Trey Cabbage
3B - Andrew Bechtold
C - David Banuelos
- Blayne Enlow (Twins Daily #9 Prospect) - Enlow was the team's third-round pick in 2017. He spent 2018 in Cedar Rapids where he pitched well (3.26 ERA) and was limited to 94 innings. His fastball was in the 91-93 range last year and he flashed the curveball that intrigued teams out of high school.
- Yunior Severino (Twins Daily #15 Prospect) - Acquired after MLB ruled him a free agent after Atlanta got in trouble for their international practices. He joined the Twins and played well in Elizabethton last year. He's got good pop from both sides of the plate.
- Gilberto Celestino (Twins Daily #16 Prospect) - Came to the Twins from Houston in the Ryan Pressly trade, Celestino is a plus defensive centerfielder. He's also got a strong right-handed swing that should develop some power.
- Jordan Balazovic - Long and lanky right-hander got stronger in 2018 as things really came together for him. Drafted out of Canada as a raw talent with pitchability, Balazovic has added strength and now throws into the mid-90s.
- DeShawn Keirsey, Jr. - Twins fourth-round pick in 2018 out of Utah. Good speed and defense, Keirsey should also be a top-of-the-order type of hitter. Very athletic and a good approach at the plate.
- Luis Rijo - Rijo came to the Twins from the Yankees (with Tyler Austin) in the Lance Lynn trade in July. He joined the E-Twins after the trade and went 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA over five starts.
- Josh Winder - The Twins seventh-round pick a year ago out of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), he went 3-1 with a 3.96 ERA over nine starts and struck out more than a batter per inning.
- Cole Sands - The Twins fifth-round pick a year ago out of Florida State will make his professional debut when he makes his season debut.
- Wander Javier, the Twins Daily #5 Prospect, is being kept back in Ft. Myers for a little while. I assume that they are deciding not to put him at risk in the cold early in the season. He should be up in Iowa very soon. No one questions the immense talent possessed by Javier. The only problem has been his ability to stay on the field. Power, speed and the ability to play shortstop well.
- There are a lot of good players, including some pitchers who did very well in Elizabethton a year ago, who are starting this season in extended spring training. Many of them will make their way to the Kernels due to injury or poor play or a few other possible reasons.
- mikelink45, nclahammer and caninatl04 like this


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If you would like to become a paid member of the Tucson Tri Girls, membership is valid for one year.
- New memberships and renewals are $55.
To join you can either download and complete the membership form and then mail it, along with a check made out to Tucson Tri Girls to the following address:
Tucson Tri Girls
P.O. Box 57235
Tucson, AZ 85732-7235
Or, you can bring it to one of our meetings held on the second Monday of each month. Forms will also be available at the meetings. We are able to accept credit card payments for your dues. If you choose to pay by credit card, the cost will include a 2.75% fee to cover processing.
Please contact the Membership Coordinator for any questions.
Thanks and welcome to Tucson Tri Girls!
Join Our Listserv
Joining our listserv will connect you to other Tri Girls. You can ask your questions, give advice, and hear about upcoming events in the community. You do not need to be a paid member to join the listserv, however we do monitor communication and ask that no advertisements are made. To join click on the link below and follow the directions.


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With a presence in over 70 countries, significant regional diversification and substantial revenues in every region, we can offer careers that could take you anywhere in the world. Across the globe, we employ more than 98,000 people of 136 nationalities in countless different roles. So wherever you see yourself with Deutsche Bank, we can help you realize your ambitions.
Our Location Finder provides address and contact details for all our global offices.


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Gap App Challenge Demo Night
Innovate NYC Schools
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Event Details
On January 6th the NYC DOE—the nation's largest school district—issued a challenge to the edtech community: help us close the middle-school math achievement gap by building great applications for students and teachers.
Developers responded with nearly 200 submissions. Panels made up of educators, venture capitalists, and technology experts have spent weeks evaluating the apps and now it's time to show off what they loved.
Please join us to see the nine winning solutions, talk with the developers, and socialize with our community of educators, makers, and innovators.
Note: Space will be limited and late arrivals may not be admitted.
When & Where
General Assembly East Campus
902 Broadway
New York,
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EDT)
Add to my calendar
Innovate NYC Schools
The iZone's Innovate NYC Schools team brings educators and edtech companies together to co-design innovative solutions in the nation's largest school district.


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In Love With Threads on Pinterest
Check out In Love With Threads on Pinterest. I've got a few boards on there and am adding more as they come to me. My Inspiration Board is full of wonderful work by other inspiring embroiderers. Such as Annemieke Mein, … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Embroidery, Pinterest Tagged color, Colour, Embroiderers, Pattern, Pinterest, Texture 6 Comments


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|THE PROOF is a weekly roundup showcasing local creatives. A column for creatives to share their story and work, in a unique, concise format: each creative shows 8 pictures and answers 8 questions. Past participants include Bob Kronbauer, Omer Arbel, Hannah Georgas, Carson Ting, Lizzy Karp, Andy Dixon, Graeme Berglund, Karen Duncan of VOKRA - all living in Vancouver.
Lucy Poskitt is an artist. Most would say a textile artist, but I feel her success in weaving comes from a mastery of many art forms. When I first saw Lucy's weavings I was instantly hooked. The textures, the refined colour pallet and a familiarity that I couldn't explain, not to mention the mystery of a woman who would only show her feet on Instagram. You know that feeling of curiosity you feel about someone whose work has touched or inspired you? Well I felt that for Lucy, I was curious about who she was, what she did, what she did for fun?
When I met Lucy I realized the connection; she studied printmaking. There is something unique about people who make prints. There is a patience and dedication to process (very similar to weaving) but there is also a specific aesthetic that comes from printing almost every matrix in black. There is an appreciation for subtlety, for the differences in texture or slight variations of white. After knowing Lucy for over a year I have an immense appreciation for her art, her work ethic, her drive, her creativity and her wicked sense of humor. Everything Lucy does she does with intention and that is a rare quality.
1. My travelling studio: most of my looms are very portable so I have the luxury of setting up wherever I want to (here I'm at our kitchen table).
2. A lovely workshop night at Studio 126! Anna from Studio 126 also makes all my looms for classes, she's a wood-working magician.
3. A sunrise shot from the alley around my home. I'm a crazy early-riser, often getting up at 5am to get in a few hours of weaving work before I head off to work-work.
4. I cook to relax. Here we have a Dutch baby pancake, but my husband and I also make our own sausages, have a weekly from-scratch pizza night and I bake for my workshops.
5. More travelling studio, this time on the ferry to Victoria where my mom lives. I've made this journey so many times but I never tire of the views (and of dreaming of someday living on one of the islands.)
6. The Dressew basement is one of my favourite places to wander around, so much texture and colour inspiration.
7. I don't keep much of a sketchbook, but I do have a bulletin board of different clippings that speak to me. When I'm ready to put together a piece I shuffle around these little pieces of paper and texture until I'm ready to make a to-scale sketch of the piece.
8: Lynn Canyon, my favourite local hike. I've also gathered fallen lichen from here to dye yarn!
1. What neighborhood do you live in and why?
I live in Fairview, on the 10th Ave bike route. Being car-less, the convenience of this neighbourhood is hard to beat- I can bike most places in the same time it would take to bus or even drive! It's also surprisingly quiet, has beautiful old buildings and trees, and a lot of cute dogs that I get to creep on.
2. What do you do and where?
I'm a textile artist and teacher. I work out of my home where I'm lucky enough to have a spare room to call my studio, although my work often spreads to all surfaces of the apartment (my ever-patient husband can attest to this), and my "studio" is usually just the place my work gets shoveled into at the end of the day. I teach weaving to groups and individuals 2-3 times per month at wonderful Studio126 in downtown Vancouver and occasionally at other places around town, or privately.
3. What kind of weaving do you do? What kind of material/fabric do you use?
I guess I would call myself a contemporary tapestry weaver. I use traditional weaving methods and techniques but with a looser and more experimental hand and imagery. Most of my weaving education was working on floor looms, creating items such as blankets, rugs, scarves and table runners. As I started making my own work I wanted to create more figurative and textural artwork that could tell a story so I started to incorporate tapestry techniques into my works. All that to say: now I work on a few different frame and floor looms making lightly figurative work with lots of negative space – a sort of a tapestry / textile weaving hybrid.
In my own work I use a lot of natural fibre yarn: wool, mohair, cotton, silk, hemp, linen, etc… but I do practice and teach "conscious consumption" weaving as well, where I work with repurposed materials and textile manufacturing offcuts.
4. What drew you into weaving?
I studied a lot of printmaking at University, which slowly drove me insane. The printmaking studio, as much as I loved it, was a very intense and competitive atmosphere- cold, hard and grey. I'd always wanted to take weaving as an elective but I didn't really expect to love it as much as I did. The weaving studio was like the antidote to the printmaking studio: While still very process-based and rhythmic (something I loved about printmaking), the studio was warm and colourful, tactile and comforting. I loved it from the very first moment!
5. When do your best ideas come to you?
It sounds so cliché but nature is my biggest inspiration, specifically our PNW coastline and moody weather. When I can get out of the city and go for a hike (Lynn Canyon is my favourite), I can feel the stress roll off my shoulders and then the ideas really start to flow.
6. What are you working on right now? Where can we find your work?
I'm always working on prepping materials for classes and I'm about to start on a series of mid to large-scale pieces for Nineteen Ten Home on Main Street. I have a series of eleven small tapestry works up at Cartems downtown until the end of the month, and a few pieces at Merge in Tofino but most of my work is seen on Instagram: @luposkitt
7. If you weren't a weaver, what would you want to be?
I think I would be a baker! I've always loved to cook and considered going to culinary school several times, at the moment homey, butter-laden desserts and pizzas are my specialty. When I was a kid I wanted to live on Salt Spring Island and have a farm and bake bread all day… sometimes I think that's actually what I should be doing but add a weaving studio to that dream, please.
8. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I also work part-time at Urban Source, an art store that carries unusual materials from hundreds of different sources, (some of which are collected from local businesses and industries that would normally throw their offcuts into the landfill). It's an affordable way to get open-ended art supplies that spark creativity for anyone of any age and ability. Urban Source is a staple of Main Street – it's been around for 23 years in the same location, a rare thing in Vancouver! I used to come as a kid and I totally credit it as one of the defining experiences that has turned me into the person and artist I am today… Over and out.


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Tag: NSSF
BikeBiz and Denver Streetsblog report, "When You Buy These Bike Brands, You're Supporting Gun Manufacturers"Submitted by 303cycling on February 22nd, 2018
If you bought a cute little Copilot trailer to ferry your kid around town with your bike, we've got some news: Your purchase supported a company whose portfolio includes a gun manufacturer. Did you know this? What are your thoughts? Read more


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Thursday May 23, 2019
5 minutes
Overheard on the bus
I don't have room for more feelings.
They say it you don't let them out you won't be able to make space for new ones and sometimes the old ones are what keep us sick. I thought I was releasing them but I'm feeling sick so maybe I was wrong. Feeling. I'm always the one feeling. Always considering how I might translate those feelings into words. There's no room for new words. I have put so many in me that some of them knock around each other looking for a place to reflect quietly. They tend to fill up all the little holes and leave no air in the gaps. It's very full inside. I don't want to say too full because that seems ungrateful. I am grateful for it, whatever this is. I know it's something good or necessary. I know there is no fighting it.
It is a practice, after all, this releasing. It needs attention in the morning, at night, on the bus.


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Regardless of where your product is in its commercialization process, RbM can assist you in completing the journey. Throughout our relationship, we will continue to understand your needs, meet your requirements, and deliver products and services that result in your delight.


text: Notary Bulletin RSS Field Inspection Offers Additional Income Opportunities For Notaries By Kelle Clarke on April 18, 2013 - Richard Law, founder of Society of Field Inspectors, offers the following practical advice to Notaries and NSAs interested in pursuing field inspection to increase their service offerings.Read full articleHotline Tip: Can Documents Be Notarized After The Signing? By NNA Staff on April 18, 2013 - A Notary Signing Agent colleague recently admitted to me that in order to save time, she does not notarize documents while at the actual signing, but does so later, before she ships the documents. Is this an acceptable practice?Read full articleStates Still Falling Short On REAL ID Requirements By NNA Staff on April 18, 2013 - The deadline for states to adopt REAL ID standards passed on January 15, 2013, and three quarters of U.S. states still fall short of the new requirements. Only 13 states currently issue driver's licenses and other IDs that comply with the enhanced security standards, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.Read full articleQuiz: E and O By David Thun on April 13, 2013 - Knowing what your Errors and Omissions policy covers is an important part of keeping yourself safe from liability. Take our quiz and see if you can separate the E&O facts from fiction.Read full articleCommon Signing Professional Errors By Kelle Clarke on April 11, 2013 - The Notary Bulletin recently reached out to NSAs via social media to ask about their experiences and get their advice on how to avoid, prevent or resolve some of the more common errors.Read full articleNew Laws Clarify Notary's Role In Real Estate Transactions By David Thun on April 11, 2013 - States continue to define the role of Notaries in the real estate process with three recently enacted statutes — a Utah law that clarifies the function of Notary Signing Agents, and new laws in New Mexico and the District of Columbia that allow a homeowner to transfer property upon death to a beneficiary using a notarized document.Read full articleNNA Offers Condolences To Friend Of The Association By Michael Lewis on April 11, 2013 - The staff of the National Notary Association offers its heartfelt condolences to our good friend Thomas Smedinghoff and his family after the loss of his daughter Anne, a young diplomat who was one of five Americans killed in Afghanistan on April 6.Read full articleHotline Tip: Are Notary Fees Tax-Exempt? By NNA Staff on April 11, 2013 - According to the instructor of my Notary training course, the Notary fees I collect for notarizing jurats and acknowledgments are tax-exempt, but my tax preparer says he could find no such exemption. Who is correct?Read full articleAvoid Bringing 'Branded' Office Supplies To A Loan Signing By David Thun on April 04, 2013 - Well-prepared Notary Signing Agents often bring pens, sticky notes and other tools with them on assignment. But be careful if there's a brand name on your items — some lenders don't want loan signing professionals using supplies with a competitor's logo printed on them.Read full articleHotline Tip: How Much Can I Charge As A Mobile Notary? By NNA Staff on April 04, 2013 - I've been working as a Notary at my job for several years, and I've recently decided to get more out of my commission by becoming a mobile Notary. How much am I allowed to charge for a signing, if the notarization includes travel, photocopies, or other services?Read full article123 123


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Last week, Microsoft announced the Tech Preview of the Microsoft Office Web Applications. These long-awaited web applications are "lite" versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. The technical preview is for an invitation-only audience and its functionality is limited, so I'd like to focus on some of what you can expect over the coming months as the products enter broader beta and are officially released. I also want to share an invitation to join me, live online, this week!
The Microsoft Office Web Applications are shortened to OWA, which might be confused with Outlook Web Access. Why didn't Microsoft just shorten it to MOWA? Because that's what they offer: more! I'm so excited to see these things hit the street because they offer functionality that is sorely missing in the enterprise, and they will knock a serious blow to other wanna-be online productivity suites. I was lucky enough to use the early versions of OWA and the experience was stunning. The UI is beautiful, performance was peppy, and because the web apps share the same, ribbon-based UI as the client applications, users require almost no training to get up and running. OWA is part of Microsoft's "three screens" strategy aimed at providing functionality across PC, browser, and mobile devices. While these applications are "lite" versions of the full-blown Office applications and many reviewers will focus on what they don't do, let's highlight the fact that they do most everything that most users do on a regular basis. And that's a lot more than competing online web apps can do! And OWA highlights Microsoft's continued emphasis on interoperability: The applications will run on Internet Explorer (of course) as well as Firefox and Safari, meaning you'll be able to use OWA from Macs, Linux systems, and even the iPhone!
The strategic fit for web apps is easy to understand: Users often need the ability to view, edit, and collaborate around documents but don't always have access to a system with a full installation of Office. That can be done with OWA. Wait, did I say "collaborate around"? One of the coolest features of OWA is that users can work on a document at the same time and see each other's changes in real time! That even includes Excel worksheets. And OWA integrates beautifully with Office 2010, allowing you to take a document offline for editing with the full-fidelity client application and return it online.
I can tell you that my experience with OWA has been impressive. Microsoft is making a very wise move to enable consumer, small business, and enterprise use of web applications in a way that leverages the existing knowledge and experience of the user base. That alone will significantly reduce barriers to entry. Consumers will be able to access OWA through Windows Live, and OWA will be made available as part of Microsoft Online. Beyond that, let me just say that we've not yet heard the full story, as evidenced by the "Sneak Peek" sessions at the SharePoint Conference . There's more to tell in about four weeks!
My colleague Paul Thurrott has more details at his SuperSite for Windows.
Speaking of conferences, I'd like to invite you to join me, live and online, this Thursday for what will be my last webinar on only Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS 3.0) and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007). Soon we'll be adding SharePoint 2010 to the mix. I'll be sharing three of my most popular sessions. The first addresses designing the logical structure of SharePoint to support governance and information management. The second shares under-documented and misunderstood administrative best practices and tips. The third looks at what you can do to get big wins out of what I call "Business Intelligence Lite." All three of these sessions are highly applicable to both WSS and MOSS environments. I hope you can join me! It's not too late to register!


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How many more times do we have to say this: It's the fucking TAXPAYERS' money, NOT YOURS, you TROUGHING BASTARD MPs!
Sunday, 15 August 2010
MP Snouts Back In The Trough
How many more times do we have to say this: It's the fucking TAXPAYERS' money, NOT YOURS, you TROUGHING BASTARD MPs!
|Twat Rating:
17 comments:
Why should the Taxpayer be expected to keep her four-legged-shit-machine in victuals ?
It, along with Gillan deserve a leather enema (to the fourth lace-hole)
- 15 August 2010 at 11:58
And if that's not enough I see Tom Harris is trying for some sympathy in the Mail today:
You would think he'd keep his trap shut about this, after Obo ripped him a new arsehole recently. He gets no sympathy from the papers readers, either...
When will these tossers get it???
- 15 August 2010 at 12:25
Am I missing something here? What the FUCK is going on?
- 15 August 2010 at 12:54
7 and 6, I think it used to be.
Put the bitch down!
- 15 August 2010 at 13:03
It appears that the greedy fuckers never will. I have also discovered something else even more disturbing about the so called 'tightening up' of the MP expenses claim system.
More on that soon ;)
- 15 August 2010 at 13:04
What I can tell you is that these repayments are not handed out willy fucking nilly by the recently formed IPSA. These refunds are only considered AFTER a claim by the MP themselves. I mean what does that fucking tell you about the mentality of these thieving cunts? To actually take the time and effort to sit down and write a letter to claim back £4.47 says it all really.
And another thing ...... how the fuck much is that all costing us in admin fees? Jesus fucking H Christ on a bike, am I angry or what!
- 15 August 2010 at 13:13
"What the FUCK is going on?" - To put it politely we're all being taken for a ride....
- 15 August 2010 at 14:24
Do politicians steal, cheat and lie?
Does the Pope shit in the woods?
Why the surprise?
Still, does give us all a chance to agree once more: MPs are a cunch of bunts.
- 15 August 2010 at 17:29
And apart from a few of us, no one seems to really give a fuck and are quite happy to work their arses off (or not as the case me be) just to give their local MP a luxurious lifestyle.
I sometimes wonder why we even fucking bother.
- 15 August 2010 at 17:43
"Why the surprise?"
Good point ..... why the fuck do we even bother anymore ....
- 15 August 2010 at 17:44
"And who must do the difficult things? Those who can, my friend."
Because if we don't Gotty, no other fucker will.
(Sorry if I sounded a bit downbeat earlier G, a temporary aberration - nothing more).
- 15 August 2010 at 18:10
The point is Gotty ..
That it is her dog, she chose to buy it .. she chooses to keep it .. therefore she has the responsibility for feeding it & paying for that food ..
NOT the Taxpayer ..
At the very least this claim has to be of a criminal nature .. because it cannot possibly be connected in any way, shape or form as being part of her duties as an MP ..
- 15 August 2010 at 19:04
The guy who was appointed to look into these thieving bastards gave up as it was too stressful. I would do it for free if it meant that I could be left in a locked room with these bastards for a one-to-one. Honestly unless we as a nation say no more then this shit will only continue and get worse.
- 15 August 2010 at 19:13
I'll help Craig. That's only 350 each now. Oh - Mrs.C says she'll 'interview' the female MPs. Christ, I nearly felt sorry for them for a second...
- 15 August 2010 at 19:26
£4.4fucking7. How can people who cost us so much be so fucking cheap?
- 15 August 2010 at 20:31
May I make an early application for an "interview" (negative coffee) with Bob "the knob" Ainsworth please ?
I'd willingly give up a month's pension for 10 mins in a locked room with that cunt ...
- 15 August 2010 at 21:08
While you 2/3 have got the troughing bastards in a locked room I'll nip around to their gaffs and nick back anything I fucking fancy and then burn the rest of their fucking chattels.
Yep, sounds like a good plan in the making to me ;)
- 16 August 2010 at 07:32


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Blog Talk Radio interview now available
Submitted by Douglas Smith on Mon, 2011/05/16 - 6:23pm
Fellow writers Susan Wingate and Joshua Miller recently interviewed me on their "Between the Lines" show on Blog Talk Radio about Chimerascope, short fiction, ebooks, foreign markets, and more. You can listen to the archived podcast of the interview here. My interview starts about 9.5 minutes into the show.


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Among the variety of snowblades available for riding the slopes, there are those that are built for higher performance. We carry snowblades for all mountain performance. These high performance snowblades are constructed with wood cores (adding greater stability at speed and long lasting durability). In addition, these snowblades usually have a wider body construction (more width under foot) that allows for faster speeds due to greater surface area, as well as for landing jumps and riding deeper powder. Usually, high performance snowblades also feature higher quality bases meaning sintered bases that will absorb wax better and thus provide better glide.
Keep in mind that all snowblades are fun. It always depends on what you want to ride them for. There are snowblade models that have wood cores, sintered bases but may be narrower in construction. These are great for fast carving, edge-to-edge turns and can be ridden closer together. These are not necessarily as good in powder or for jumps due to less surface area. An example is the Elan 99cm snowblades or Atomic 123cm snowblades.
Now there are still snowblades that are narrower in design, may come with extruded bases (still highly durable but does not hold wax as well) and may have foam cores (rather than wood cores). These will still carve fast, stop fast but could be a bit less stable if you like going really fast. Due to construction however, these tend to be less expensive which is a plus and gets you on the slopes having fun.
One other thing is that the higher performance snowblades with wood cores (or white birch core of the Summit Marauder 125cm skiboards snowblades) allow for greater retention of release bindings. These are the snowblades for all mountain performance – wider, While less expensive snowblades usually come with non-release plastic bindings, the more expensive ones come with full on ski bindings that will release in case of a fall. If you want to have release bindings on your snowblades, then you can go with more high performance snowblades (wide or narrow) and ride the safest thing on the mountain.
Examples of high performance snowblades are:
Narrow – Elan 99cm, Elan 125cm, Atomic 125cm, Snowjam 99cm, Salomon 125cm snowblades and more.
Wide – Summit Ecstatic 99cm, Summit Custom 110cm, Summit Marauder 125cm, Snowjam 90cm (with nonrelease bindings) and more.


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Just how optimistic are you? Are you a 'the glass half full' person and do you see the silver lining on every cloud?
Do you retire your shoes and socks for flip-flops at the first sign of warm weather? Even if it means sporting your summer footwear with a heavy sweater or even a coat?
This is the fate of Torontonians every spring. They will tell you that this past winter wasn't a real Toronto winter. In fact, Torontonians celebrated the New Year with 12°C temperature. The warm weather at the start of the year didn't last long but it did set a little trend. The usual blast of arctic air, so common and so unwelcome, in February didn't really arrive.
What did arrive was the first day of spring. With it came warm weather, sunshine, and the inevitable mani-pedi + sandals combination.
As we move slowly towards summer the weather in Toronto has been hit or miss. One day we were greeted by sunshine, blue skies, and 24°C; the following day would be grey, grey, and cold.
This hot-cold mix has many Torontonians crazed and confused when it comes to what to wear. As to what they put on their feet, however, it's sandals or flip-flops all the way. There doesn't appear to be a compromise. Either it's boots/shoes and opaque black tights or it's bare legs and feet with sandals. The other day, as I took the subway downtown to meet friends for lunch, I couldn't help noticing the number of young girls, teens, and women (and a handful of men) sporting this odd, spring-in-Toronto-can't-wait-for-summer dual personality fashion statement.
All this makes me chuckle because I wondered what these people did when the temperature dropped. I like to think they forged on with brave faces and cold feet.
Yes, forge on they must for once the decision to commit to summer footwear has been made there's no turning back.
And I love this optimism, this belief that things can only get better from here!
(PS: even though I feel a little exiled here in Toronto — boy, do I ever miss being in France — I have to tell you something: Toronto in the summer is pretty darn awesome!)


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hit the piste in saalbach hinterglemm
Snowsure slopes and great activities in the heart of the Alps
Boasting 270 kilometres of perfectly prepared pistes, the ski resort of Saalbach Hinterglemm has plenty of slopes for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities. All in all there are 140 km of easy pistes, 110 kilometres of intermediate pistes and 20 km of difficult pistes. In the spring months the resort is famous for its soft spring snow known in German as "Firn". A network of state-of-the-art lifts and cable cars gives access to the Alps throughout the season. Here at the Rosentalerhof, we are your basecamp for an unforgttable skiing holiday. Our hotel lies just 80 metres from the Bergfriedlift and 300 metres from the Reiterkogelbahn cable car.
You want more? No problem! The new Ski Alpine Card includes 408 km pistes. Additonally to the 207 km mega ski resort of Saalbach Hinterglemm directly in front of our door, you can now also ski in the ski resort of Schmittenhöhen und the glacier ski area Kitzsteinhorn. Notice: from Saalbach there is only a one-sided ski connection to Schmittenhöhe, back you go in 10 minutes with the ski bus.
Guests who just can't wait to hit the slopes can buy their lift passes in the hotel and save valuable time in the morning.
- Direct access to the resort – 80 metres to the Bergfriedlift, 300 metres to the Reiterkogelbahn
- Car-free access to lifts
- Storage room with cloth- & boot-dryers
- Heated outdoor pool & sauna for tired muscles
- Après-ski at the "Goaßstall" bar – 5 minutes' walk from the hotel
- Buy your lift pass at the hotel
- Comfy and cosy rooms and apartments sleeping up to 8 people
- Breakfast only, half-board or self-catering
- Fresh bread delivery service for apartment guests
- Free use of the hotel carpark
perfect location for winter sports
The Rosentalerhof is just 80 metres from the Bergfriedlift and 300 metres from the Reiterkogelbahn cable car giving skiers and snowboarders direct access to the Saalbach Hinterglemm ski resort.
The Reiterkogelbahn is located on the sunny side of the valley and marks the start of the "Hinterglemmer Runde", a ski safari ending at the Bergfriedlift. The Bergfriedlift, on the other hand, is the starting point for an extended ski safari to Leogang / Saalbach and back to the Reiterkogelbahn cable car. Leaving from the Bergfriedlift, the "Hinterglemmer Runde" ski safari can also be skied in the opposite direction and concludes at the Reiterkogelbahn, where the Goaßstall après-ski bar is the ideal place to soothe tired muscles.
In the evening it is also just a few minutes' walk to the restaurants, sports shops and hire shops in the pedestrianised area in the centre of Hinterglemm. After a few more drinks at the Goaßstall, you will be back home at the Rosentalerhof in just five minutes.
time to hit the slopes?
The Rosentalerhof is the perfect base for an unforgettable winter holiday. Book online today and start planning your next holiday in the Alps.


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June 6, 2012 - 12:33pm
This mod started out as a 'Buildings Mod', with the objective to add more nice and useful buildings to the game, but many more improvements where needed and many ideas where coming so the 'Improvement Mod' was born. For now, this mod tries to upgrade the game with small, big and necessary tweaks, changes and adds to make the gameplay more interesting, fun and challenging. All known bugs from the original game have been fixed. It's being updated very often and everything is of the highest quality and bug-less. This mod is only for TAD but requires AOE3+TWC+TAD 1.03


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Winter Road Services
Winter Maintenance Status
During snow storms, Markham's Winter Maintenance App* will show the progress of road and sidewalk plows in Markham. Residents can watch as snow clearing efforts start with primary roads and then move to secondary roads, local roads, and sidewalks to help keep Markham moving.
*This link should be used for information purposes only.
Stay Updated During a Storm or Emergency
- Listen to Markham's local radio station 105.9 The Region.
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
- Call our Contact Centre for live updates during an emergency or severe weather conditions at 905.477.5530.
- Winter Operations Frequently Asked Questions (PDF).


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Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability of a male to attain or sustain an erection that's capable of intercourse and ejaculation. Whilst it can be devastating to experience and difficult to talk about, it's not all bad news. A number of natural options are available to help.
What causes erectile dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction is estimated to affect more than one million men in Australia, with the prevalence increasing with age. While everyone experiences performance problems now and then, it's important to consult your doctor if you're repeatedly affected. Erectile dysfunction may be symptomatic of underlying health problems, including cardiovascular disease. Physical causes are believed to be responsible for around 80% of cases of erectile dysfunction, with the remaining 20% due to psychological causes.
Risk factors and causes of erectile dysfunction include:
- Vascular disease: Hardening of the arteries, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure may all affect blood flow into and out of the penis.
- Diabetes: Uncontrolled high blood sugar levels in diabetics can damage the nerves and blood vessels that supply the penis.
- Hormonal imbalances: Alterations in several hormones can interfere with sexual performance, including DHEA, testosterone, prolactin, thyroid hormones and growth hormone.
- Lifestyle factors: Smoking, alcohol, caffeine, recreational drugs, working long hours, fatigue, insufficient sleep and lack of exercise may all interfere with erectile performance.
- Psychological and emotional issues: Relationship issues, performance anxiety, depression, stress and low self-esteem may also dampen desire and performance.
Herbal medicines to support men's sexual performance:
Herbal medicines have been used to support men's libido and sexual performance for centuries. Amongst the most important are:
- Korean Ginseng: In several clinical studies involving men with erectile dysfunction, taking Korean Ginseng (sometimes at high doses) has been shown to improve the quality and duration of men's erections. Korean Ginseng also aids vitality, stamina and helps the body and mind adapt to stress. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has been regarded for centuries as a valuable tonic for older people.
- Ginkgo biloba: Best known for its ability to improve blood flow to the brain, ginkgo also improves blood flow to other peripheral areas of the body, including the penis. It also helps regulate the tone and elasticity of the blood vessels, making circulation more efficient.
- Tribulus: a popular herb used to boost libido and enhance sexual function. Animal studies suggest that it may achieve these effects by increasing levels of key sex hormones (including testosterone and DHEA) and by promoting nitric oxide release (which in turns promotes dilation of the blood vessels and improved blood flow), however these actions have not yet been confirmed in humans.
- Horny goat weed: In traditional Chinese medicine, horny goat weed has a long history of use as a treatment for sexual dysfunction. Its effects are attributed to its content of a compound called icariin, which has demonstrated an ability to improve erectile function in animals, but has not yet been widely tested in humans.
Zinc for support:
Zinc is needed for testosterone production. Erectile dysfunction, decreased sperm production and male infertility may all be indicative of zinc deficiency, among other symptoms.


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Intermediate Yoga in FijiElise Browning Miller
Year Released: 2006
Categories: Yoga
Video Fitness reviews may not be copied, quoted, or posted elsewhere without the permission of the reviewer
Show oldest reviews first
Intermediate Yoga in Fiji is the latest offering from instructor Elise Browning Miller, whose previous yoga release was Yoga for Scoliosis. As the title suggests, this is an intermediate yoga practice which was filmed on the island of Fiji; the practice sequences feature Elise alone in a beachfront setting. This well-chaptered DVD offers a variety of options as broken down in detail below.
Main Menu:
*Getting Started
*Yoga Practice (Full Vinyasa Sequence, Sun Salutations, Standing Poses)
*Bonus (More Challenging Poses, Children in Fiji, Interview/Bio, Credits/Contacts)
In the Introduction and Getting Started, Elise provides an overview of the practice and offers an opening meditation. The Full Vinyasa Sequence is 50 minutes long, and although there is not a chapter menu, the practice is broken into 8 separate chapters, so you can easily skip around as needed. I have provided approximate time breakdowns as well as an overview of poses included below.
Chapter 1 (4 minutes)--lunge salutations
Chapter 2 (4 minutes)--sun salutations with jumpbacks to down dog; includes lunge, seated split, and standing split
Chapter 3 (5 minutes)--sun salutation B with Iyengar jumping to chatturanga; also includes warrior 1, side plank, and 1-legged dog pose
Chapter 4 (<4 minutes)--standing sequence: vinyasa, triangle, warrior 2, right angle, wide-legged standing forward bend, intense side stretch, revolved triangle, revolved prayer twist, down dog series (includes full pigeon, cow face pose, half twist, hand-to-foot balance, boat, and cobbler's pose), vinyasa
Chapter 5 (<7 minutes)--standing pose flow: vinyasa, warrior 1, warrior 3, half moon, one-legged standing split, intense side stretch, revolved triangle, revolved prayer twist, vinyasa and repeat on other side
Chapter 6 (8 minutes)--backbends and inversions: standing forward bend, down dog, staff pose, upward bow, two-legged inverted staff, upward bow, plow, shoulderstand, bridge, plow, shoulderstand, plow, deaf man's pose, crow, plow, sage 1&3, plow, seated forward bend
Chapter 7 (<6 minutes)--savasana
Chapter 8 (1 minute)--namaste
The footage for the two shorter practices, Sun Salutations (17.5 minutes) and Standing Poses (25 minutes), is taken from the above, with the exceptions that the opening lunge salutation is a bit shorter (3 minutes) in the first, and both offer a short savasana (4 minutes). Otherwise, the Sun Salutation practice includes Chapters 1-3 plus savasana, and the Standing Poses includes Chapters 4-5 plus savasana. I especially enjoyed the standing pose sequence, and I can imagine using this stand-alone portion more often than the full practice. As a solid intermediate, I found the full practice, which I would rate as high intermediate/low advanced, to be quite taxing, especially given the many chatturangas in the sun salutation chapters. Furthermore, my body did not feel quite prepared for the backbends segment, as Elise immediately goes into a full backbend (upward bow). However, advanced yoga practitioners may be disappointed by the lack of more challenging inversions (headstand, handstand). A final note is that Elise does use the Sanskrit names for the postures throughout the practice; she sometimes uses English as well, but not always.
If you wish to follow your practice with Meditation, you must go back to the main menu and select this option. During this 10-minute sequence, Elise provides occasional focus and breath cues with sounds of waves crashing in the background. On the Bonus submenu, you will find More Challenging Poses, a 10-minute instructional sequence in which Elise provides more detailed instruction for some of the more difficult postures, including warrior 3, revolved triangle, revolved prayer twist, and upward bow. Children in Fiji is a short, sweet little segment offering glimpses of the island's native children practice yoga poses on the beach. And finally, the last two submenus of the Bonus menu provide more information about Elise.
Overall, this is a very nice yoga DVD for intermediate (at least) to advanced students who enjoy challenging but doable vinyasa practices.
Instructor Comments:
Despite her scoliosis (which she does not mention in this video), Elise has a beautiful yoga practice, made even more so by the fact that she has a very "normal" looking body. She instructs well, providing detailed form pointers without being overly chatty. The only problem I had is that she does not mirror cue, which was at times a bit confusing given her sideways orientation to the camera.


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Minnesota Morning
November 07, 2006
Ahh, finally Election Day. All of my political friends in the coming days will start to release the growing tension of recent weeks. It usually takes 10-14 days for the decompression phase to be completed. Looks like one set of friends will be more joyful than the other. Regardless of the winners or losers I am going to give them all a hug.
Yep, a hug. I saw this article Hug It Out, Bitch and I found my calling. OK, maybe not so much my calling but I do a feel a little inspired.
I am a big fan of live music and I have a confession to make. I watched the Country Music Awards last night and I enjoyed them. There, I feel better having disclosed that bit of information. Oh, and there was a moment when Carrie Underwood won an award and it looks like Faith Hill was not pleased. I will look for a video clip, very funny.
Minnesota Business Scene:
-On November 18th a group of companies from North Dakota will be in St. Paul to market themselves to skilled workers and focusing on those originally from North Dakota, North Dakota working hard to win back skilled workers.
Recruiting Blogosphere:
-Two days in a row for Shannon and Julian at EXCELER8ion. Top Ten Tips for Launching a Recruiting Blog is great timing for me. In the next week I am meeting with three local people who have interest in starting a blog and this post will be added to the information I am passing on. While one of them is not a recruiting blog the principles carry over into what this individual will be doing. I already had EXCELER8ion on the list of sources to read.
-I have been asked to make a presentation to a staffing organization here in Minneapolis on using social networks and blogs for business purposes. Recruiting is just a piece of it but also marketing, pr, creating a buzz, etc.
Regardless of the topic requested I have a unique response, "How "stiff" are the people who will be attending?" The response usually gets some laughter but it is meant to be serious. I have a very casual delivery and I am very informal.
I do not like standing behind a podium with my coat on. I want to walk around, ask questions, take the coat off and relax a little. And then smack, I read 5 Tips for Better Public Speaking Skills. I know I need to polish myself and be more professional. When I am with the college kids I let the language fly a little. Fortunately with the professional crowd a filter usually turns on and I do just fine.
Who knew a left arm could be so special. Liriano's surgery goes well
I would guess playing 4 road games in 5 nights is not an ideal situation. In losing to Sacramento last night the Timberwolves looked completely out of sync. But after watching parts of the games so far I am fairly optimistic about their season. They certainly get up the court faster and look more athletic.


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Currency Misalignments and Optimal Monetary Policy: A Reexamination
NBER Working Paper No. 14829
This paper examines optimal monetary policy in an open-economy two-country model with sticky prices. We show that currency misalignments are inefficient and lower world welfare. We find that optimal policy must target not only inflation and the output gap, but also the currency misalignment. However the interest rate reaction function that supports this targeting rule may involve only the CPI inflation rate. This result illustrates how examination of "instrument rules" may hide important trade-offs facing policymakers that are incorporated in "targeting rules". The model is a modified version of Clarida, Gali, and Gertler's (JME, 2002). The key change is that we allow pricing to market or local-currency pricing and consider the policy implications of currency misalignments. Besides highlighting the importance of the currency misalignment, our model also gives a rationale for targeting CPI, rather than PPI, inflation.
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w14829
Published: Charles Engel, 2011. "Currency Misalignments and Optimal Monetary Policy: A Reexamination," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(6), pages 2796-2822, October. citation courtesy of
Users who downloaded this paper also downloaded* these:
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Real Madrid has won the 2016/2017 UEFA Champions League by defeating Italian side, Juventus 4-1 in a final played at the Principality stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Cristiano Ronaldo got a brace, scoring in the 20th and 65th minutes while Carlos Casemiro scored in the 61st before Marco Asensio finished things off in the 90th. Mario Mandzukic scored Juventus' sole goal in the 27th minute.
Real Madrid now becomes the only club to have won the cup two seasons in a row since it became known as the UEFA Champions League. They also become the most successful side in the history of the competition with a total of 12 wins.


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Thanks for continuing to put your pocket change and paper currency into the basket for Operation Starfish and Catholic Relief Services.
Tossing in a few dollar bills and your extra change goes a long way when everyone is doing it. Last year we raised $426,377.37 for Operation Starfish. That a huge amount of love going into that simple wicker basket.
What's even more amazing is what Operation Starfish was able to do with that money in three impoverished Caribbean and Central American nations:
- Complete Phase II of Good Shepherd Village (40 homes, sanitation projects, clean drinking water, add marketplace structures with toilets and animal pens).
- Provide support for the St. Anthony Health Center in Nativity Village, provide 100 goats and 50 cows for the animal husbandry program and more.
- Fund the school scholarship at primary schools in all of our Nativity Villages.
- Provide books and computers for the DaCruz Library and initial book stocks for a new library in Nativity Village at Chastenoye and provide book stocks for new library in Madras.
- Provide initial book stocks for a new library in Nativity Village at Madras.
- Provide surgical supplies for Bernard Mevs Hospital.
- Provides family support for patients at Cardinal Leger Leper Hospital.
- Build a new dormitory at Montessino Orphanage and two playgrounds at primary schools.
Dominican Republic
- Build a greenhouse for the Diocese Mission at Banica
- Provide a new boat, motor and equipment for a fishing co-op, along with education assistance for the family assigned to the boat.
Your contributions have made a huge difference in the lives of many! May God bless you!


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Like other cr more...
Like other cross and circle games, it is similar to the Indian Pachisi, but simpler. The game and its variants are popular in many countries under various names.
iLudo Game is created in 3D.
You can play with your friends or versus CPU, up to 4 players
Final surprise!!!


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- Increase the skin's moisture by providing it with essential nutrients
- Even out the skin tone by reducing the appearance of freckles and age spots
- Make the skin firmer by increasing the production of elastin and collagen
- Help create new skin layers faster
Obagi Medical Products
Evansville, Henderson, Indiana
Your skin cells regenerate a lot slower when your skin begins to age. Your skin cells may also regenerate slower if your skin becomes damaged. Obagi Medical Products were designed to accelerate the growth of new cells, which will help treat a variety of skin problems. Obagi Medical Products can treat and prevent acne, rosacea and hyperpigmentation. This company's products can do the following:


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Thanks to technology, everything seems to be a lighter workload, especially when it comes to putting up and keeping a business in top shape. From the traditional techniques, businesses of today focus their marketing strategies to the use of social media, especially Facebook. In fact, many brands would resort to different methods and actually buy Facebook likes. But, is it really that worth it? You should know that there are so many good reasons for you to engage in Facebook marketing.
The Perks of Facebook Marketing
Social connection is not the only thing that makes Facebook so attractive to the public. The fact that it is has become the common grounds for a wide population of target markets, makes it a great site for marketing as well. Here are some of the most useful benefits that Facebook can help you with marketing.
- This is one of the most cost-effective techniques you can use for marketing. The good thing with Facebook is that you can create your own page for free. There are free business accounts that you can make for your brand and you do not have to pay for anything at all. You may also choose to promote your brand through Facebook ads and it still will not cost you too much as the traditional advertisements would.
- It is a good site to provide information to the market. More people can be reached out through Facebook. The platform has millions of registered users around the world and with this number, you can be sure that you will be able to get good views from specific locations worldwide. If you want to offer relevant information, then Facebook is the place to do it.
- Communication to customers is practically convenient with Facebook. With Facebook, it would be a lot easier for you to keep in touch with customers. You can easily reach out to them through this social media. At times when the customers need to reach you, it would be more convenient for them to do it with Facebook as well.
- Facebook can be the vessel to increased visibility for the brand or the company. With Facebook having billions of users spread around the globe, you will have bigger chances of being viewed by potential clients.
Tips and Tricks for Marketing with Facebook
The general rule of using Facebook for marketing is to keep everything going natural. By this, you should avoid being too focused on your marketing stuff. Most experts suggest that you do 80% of marketing methods with Facebook and the other 20% would have to be activities that are not related to your product. In this way, you will be able to inject information that is also useful for your customers. You can show a bit of your life to your customers or share contents that would be interesting to them.
In general, businesses choose to buy Facebook likes because it is one of the most practical ways they can do to make sure that their marketing strategies work. It is time that you do so with yours.


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President Obama took a tour of more than 30 science, technology and engineering projects on Monday, April 22nd in his third White House Science Fair. Exhibits included a bicycle-pedal powered water filtration system created by Payton Karr and Kiona Elliot, classmates at Northeast High School of Oakland Park, Florida, that was tested by the commander-in-chief himself.
Please visit SCIFAIR.COM for a complete list of our current donors
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Carolyn and I met Phipps Festus Bourne in 1995 in his shop in Mabry Hill, Virginia. Bourne, who died in 2002, was a master wood carver whose carvings are almost exact replicas of real objects. "Carving a duck is simple," he said. "You just look at a piece of wood, get in your head what a duck looks like, and then cut off everything that doesn't look like it."
So it is with God. He looks at you and me—blocks of rough wood—envisions the Christlike woman or man hidden beneath the bark, knots, and twigs and then begins to carve away everything that does not fit that image. We would be amazed if we could see how beautiful we are as finished "ducks."
But first we must accept that we are a block of wood and allow the Artist to cut, shape, and sand us where He will. This means viewing our circumstances—pleasant or unpleasant—as God's tools that shape us. He forms us, one part at a time, into the beautiful creature He envisioned in our ungainly lump of wood.
Sometimes the process is wonderful; sometimes it is painful. But in the end, all of God's tools conform us "to the image of his Son" (Rom. 8:29).
Do you long for that likeness? Put yourself in the Master Carver's hands.
Source: Our Daily Bread


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With American troops mostly focused on training Afghan soldiers, the hospital on the sprawling Bagram Airfield doesn't have many combat trauma cases anymore. In fact, it just has one.
A 6-year-old girl, caught in a firefight between American and Afghan soldiers and Taliban insurgents, has been in intensive care since she was shot earlier this year. The gun battle killed her father, a Taliban fighter, along with her mother and some siblings. It's not clear who fired the bullet that struck her.
U.S. officials said the girl's family ties to the Taliban mean it's too dangerous to identify her or her uncle, who accompanied her to the Bagram base hospital. NPR is calling her Ameera.
In one way, she represents the way the Afghan war continues to play out since many U.S. troops have reduced their role to "advising and assisting" indigenous troops. Violence endures. More children were killed in Afghanistan last year than any since record keeping began, the United Nations says — roughly 1 in 4 of the more than 11,000 people killed or wounded in 2015.
If Ameera had gone to an Afghan clinic, "she'd definitely have had an amputation — and rightly so," said Dr. Chance Henderson, a Texas-born orthopedic surgeon who has been treating her. "That is the best way to save her life if you don't have the means available to do what we have done in 12 or 20 surgeries."
Yet because Ameera was shot in a firefight that involved American troops, she wound up in an American hospital and has been receiving American care.
Preserving Ameera's leg not only could save her from the danger posed by her immediate wound, Henderson said. It would also save her from the dangers of having to return to life in Afghanistan without it.
"Her outlook on a life as a single amputee that does not have a family is much different than it would be for us in the States," he said. "Her future would be grim, and probably her life span would be short."
Air Force 1st Lt. Serena Matson remembered Ameera's "nonstop crying" when she came in.
"She is little," Matson said. "She does not know us. We are not familiar-looking, and there are just a lot of people in and out of the room. She was just scared. 'Who are these strange people? They don't look like me. Where is my family?' "
After days and weeks in treatment, the staff members did what they could to make Ameera feel more comfortable. She received toys and crayons and movies such as Frozen and cartoons starring Mickey Mouse.
Now Matson is braiding Ameera's hair, learning a few Pashto words and teaching the girl a little English. She receives care packages from around the U.S., including one from a kindergarten class in Texas.
But even though Ameera survived her ordeal and has found her spirits revived, the outlook for keeping her leg is not clear. Henderson called the chances for saving it little better than a coin toss, until he consulted with specialists back home and tried a procedure that directed blood flow from Ameera's healthy right leg to the wound on her left leg.
Now, he and the rest of the American medical team say they can only wait to see how it heals — to see whether Ameera might have to face the much tougher prospects that Henderson described. It could take another month before doctors know whether for sure Ameera if can keep her leg.
"My daughter — that's the first thing she asks me," Henderson said. "'How's the leg doing, Dad?' I do not want to give her bad news."
The U.S. military hospital at Bagram Airfield isn't very busy these days. Most American troops are safely working as trainers inside large bases. So the focus of the hospital staff is on sports injuries, except for one patient, a 6-year-old girl caught in the crossfire with U.S. and Afghan soldiers and Taliban fighters.
NPR's Tom Bowman reports that doctors are fighting to save her leg.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: She's curled up in a hospital bed, her tiny frame with a mop of reddish-brown hair is almost lost in a mound of blankets. There's a stuffed Nemo doll on the shelf, crayon drawings on the wall. And her uncle is next to her sitting on an EasyChair, where he sleeps every night.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Through interpreter) She got hurt, innocent. And I look at her, and it makes me really devastated to see her in that situation.
BOWMAN: His eyes are red, and his face is lined and worn. He wears a long, black shirt and pants and speaks through an interpreter. For security reasons, we can't use his name or hers. So we'll call her Ameera.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: (Through interpreter) I feel that she was about to start crying, but I pat her on the head and then gave her moral that I'm here.
BOWMAN: He's one of her closest remaining relatives. Ameera's father, a Taliban fighter, along with her mother and some siblings, officials say, were killed in the skirmish involving American forces. And that's why she's here at this U.S. hospital because her injuries came as a result of a fight involving Americans. And while Ameera survived, it's not certain whether her left leg will.
A bullet sliced into it, shattering her bone and tearing off her calf muscle.
CHANCE HENDERSON: I saw a terrible leg wound with exposed bone, with a 10-centimeter by 10-centimeter, probably, wound with missing skin and a lot of missing muscle from a gunshot wound.
BOWMAN: That's Dr. Chance Henderson. The slow drawl reflects his roots in Paris, Texas. He was a rodeo rider, turned fighter pilot, turned orthopedic surgeon. He's also the father of three kids, one of them close to Ameera's age.
HENDERSON: You can imagine. I mean, you fear that could be your own kid. And, you know, immediately, you have to rely on your training to kind of fallback on, OK, what are the steps? Don't let your emotions overrun your brain. But, you know, throughout the time I've been taking care of her, it's like taking care of your own kid.
BOWMAN: Dr. Henderson says Ameera's so far had a dozen operations to save her leg. Her outlook would've been different if she arrived at an Afghan hospital.
HENDERSON: She'd definitely have an imputation. I mean, that is - and rightly so - a best way to save her life if you don't have the means available to you - do what we've done and 12 or 20 surgeries later save her leg is to save her life. And then her outlook on a life as a single amputee that doesn't have a family is much different than it would be for us in the states.
Her future would be grim and probably her lifespan would be short.
BOWMAN: Her wound is not unusual. The U.N. reported in February that civilian casualties are on the rise, and most of them are caused by the Taliban. The U.N. found that 1 in 4 casualties was a child. Ameera was bewildered when she first arrived at a strange place surrounded by foreigners.
SERENA MATSON: So when she first came in, every single day, you would just hear her crying, not nonstop but you kind of got used to the crying.
BOWMAN: Air Force 1st Lt. Serena Matson is one of the nurses who helped care for Ameera.
MATSON: And every time someone would go into the room, you know, she's little. She doesn't know us. We're not familiar-looking, and there's just a lot of people in and out of her room. So I feel like a lot of her crying, she was just scared. You know, who are these strange people? They don't look like me. Like, where is my family?
BOWMAN: As the days and weeks passed, the staff did what they could to make her feel comfortable. There were toys and crayons, movies like "Frozen," Mickey Mouse cartoons. They saw a drastic change.
MATSON: She'll let us go in, braid hair, like, paint her fingernails. And she smiles now, whereas before, she wouldn't.
BOWMAN: They all started understanding each other. The translator would teach the nurses simple phrases in Pashto.
MATSON: We have tried to learn to tell her, you know, like, that she's pretty, little things like that. But she actually understands. You know, like when we say change, she knows, she'll lift up her hips and so we can help change her.
BOWMAN: Word spread around the base about Ameera. And she started receiving care packages from the U.S., including one from a kindergarten class from Texas. Even with all her surgeries, the chances for saving her leg were seen as little better than a coin toss. Then Dr. Henderson tried something different after he consulted with some of the best specialists he knew back home.
HENDERSON: If we take one leg and attach it to the other leg via a piece of skin over that wound and essentially made a little mermaid out of her.
BOWMAN: Her chances of keeping her leg, he said, rose to 80 percent.
HENDERSON: You hope the blood will flow in from the bad leg, the left, to that flap of skin so you can cut it off the right leg and leave it permanently attached to the bad leg.
BOWMAN: Now the waiting begins. And Dr. Henderson says everyone is asking him the same question, including his family.
HENDERSON: My daughter's name is Katie Bow (ph). And that's the first thing she asks me is how's the leg doing, Dad? I do not want to give her bad news.
BOWMAN: Ameera will still have to undergo at least two more surgeries. Dr. Henderson says it could take another month before he knows for sure whether she can keep her leg. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
The Keep
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Path Of The Dead
Another piece which had been laying around unfinished for a while. All those precious minutes between my new chores as a father of twins were put into this and my previous painting "Alm-Atias Refuge"...let's see how long it will take me to do a new painting from scratch. Too long, that's almost certain...
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Alm-Atias Refuge
Time to paint has been so scarce for the last month that getting this painting completed was a real victory for me. *Sigh of relief*
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
The Roaring Pillars
Monday, September 03, 2012
Forest Kingdom II
Here is a cover I did for Eduardo Tarilonte's upcoming sampling library Forest Kingdom II. I had a lot of fun doing it and, once more, I took inspiration from another great 80s flick "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Last Ark".
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Hidden Temple
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Evil Returns
Evil Returns - Being a child of the 80s I grew up watching the Evil Dead movies, John Carpenter's great horror masterpieces, Poltergeist, etc...I had to come up with something with living dead...I hope the 30somethings out there relate to this as I do!
Monday, August 13, 2012
The Crossing
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
4 Thumbnails
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
The Beheader
Trying to make pink and swans look cool and evil. This one started out from the same sketch as "Everyone Wants To Be A Hero" posted some months ago.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Bloodsucker's Humble Abode
Set myself a time limit of 1 hour to do this speedpainting trying to focus on the essential elements and using as much time-saving techniques as possible. I also did this in one pass to see if I could get away without relying on those invaluable pauses that make you see all the dumb mistakes you did.
The Hidden Path
Monday, July 23, 2012
Swamp Traveller
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Inspired by a visit to the beautiful church of "São Domingos" in Lisbon.
The church suffered a big fire in 1959 which completely destroyed the inner decoration. It was decided not to hide the marks of the fire and to my eyes it only makes the church more beautiful. I was told the orange painted ceiling is a reminiscence to the fire. Here is a photo:
Dedicated to Paula Bottas for showing me this beautiful church.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Hidden Library 05
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Hidden Library 01
The Hidden Library 01 - I'm doing an experiment over at Deviantart where I'm doing a painting from start to finish with the aid of the online community's suggestions/critiques. I thought I would post the process over here, too.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
The Hunt
Nothing much to say, other than this started as a thumbnail a sketch I did last year for James Paick's online masterclass.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Everyone Wants To Be A Hero
I leave a suggestive title so you can decide if this guy makes it or if he is just a bit too ambitious...
Friday, March 30, 2012
Peaceful Kingdom
Some months ago I created a new folder with unfinished paintings/sketches and also intermediate steps of finished paintings. Basically it's a collection of a lot of crappy images I did over the last years that I think had some potential if taken further or reworked. This is one of my attempts to try and make something interesting out of something not worth looking at. Let me know your thoughts.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Winter Village
Friday, February 17, 2012
Dark Days To Come
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Rougher work, which sometimes has the appeal of not showing everything to the viewer making it more engaging. My focus was on composition, color and pose.
Overworking a painting can lead to uninteresting results so instead I decided to share this image where the "paint" is still fresh...
Overworking a painting can lead to uninteresting results so instead I decided to share this image where the "paint" is still fresh...
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Zombie Overrun
Monday, January 30, 2012
Here's an image I did for my musician friend Pedro Macedo Camacho.
You can check out his brilliant work at http://www.musicbypedro.com/
You can check out his brilliant work at http://www.musicbypedro.com/
Friday, January 27, 2012
Hidden Tomb
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Twin Falls
Third in the "tower with rocks" series...I hope you can hear the roaring of the waterfalls and feel the chill in the air...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Empire of the Saviours
Monday, January 23, 2012
Testing techniques and ways to approach a painting. This is one of a series of 4 paintings I did with a similar theme.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Forest Temple II
This is the other Forest Temple painting I did simultaneously as the previous post...same ingredients: big tree, forest, 2 characters and a temple.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Forest Temple I
One of 2 recent illustrations I did for practice using techniques outlined by the amazing Feng Zhu. My subject matter was a moody forest, 2 characters and a temple of some sort.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Enchanted Forest
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
The Wise Man's Fear
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Address: Main North Rd cnr Ifould Rd, Elizabeth Park SA 5113
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Monday, November 24, 2008
Birthday Cake Belly
On Friday we celebrated James' 47th birthday. It was a quiet affair... just the four of us, a pizza and red velvet cupcakes. Every year I try to make James a red velvet cake, and every year I mess it up. This year, I decided to play it safe. I ordered half a dozen cupcakes from our favorite cake shoppe. Everyone was happy, but Josie was thrilled. Cupcakes are her favorite thing in the world! (at least this week they are...) Here, she shows off her "Cupcake Belly":
We have all been incredibly sick for the majority of this month. It started with Maddie, she let herself get run down by not getting enough sleep, and the rest of us followed in short order. I thought I had dodged the 'crud' but this was not the case. Even James, who normally stays healthy, was down for a few days. It's been just terrible.
Worse of all is watching Josie suffer with a horrible stuffy nose and wicked cough. Her sleeping pattern has been disrupted- so I'm up most nights around 2:30 AM comforting her. When I get up, the dogs get up. So, in the middle of the night our house is lit up like a Christmas tree, the dogs are running around in the yard and I'm stumbling around, looking for the most promising option for temporary relief of coughing spells.
During this time, we also had painters in the house. We decided to lighten up the kitchen and family room areas - as I've stated many times, these areas are in the rear of the house. The yard is heavily forested so the house gets only filtered light for most of the year. Now that all the leaves are gone, we get a bit more natural light, but it's still not enough to brighten my rooms or my mood.
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving at my brother's home in the Richmond area. It's not a long drive from here and it's the first time in while that I don't have to worry about cooking. Josie had her Thanksgiving celebration at school last Thursday and the kids were just adorable. All dressed like pilgrims.
Thats about all from here right now. I would like to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'm thankful that you all take the time to visit us here.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Okay, don't watch the video if you don't have a sense of humor. It's hysterical and it was sent to me by my friend, Sue, in Alaska.
Posted by Michele at 10:13 AM 2 comments
More Halloween
Here are the few Pics I promised of Maddie and Josie. For the past 3 years, Josie and Joey have hit the streets together on Halloween. Maddie also stayed with tradition and went out with our neighbor Jason and assorted friends. Maddie made a late night of it - trick or treating and then hanging next door. She moseyed in about 10PM. We turned off the lights at 9PM as the street was deserted. All that left over candy !!!
Here's another of Maddie and Josie and Josie and Joey respectively:
Posted by Michele at 9:58 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 3, 2008
Halloween 08
We had a wonderful Halloween! We started out on Thursday,with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with Josie's preschool class. We learned about bees and how honey is made; we learned about how pumpkins grow and we learned about all different kind of farm animals. Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Roosters and Cows.
I also learned to double check my camera before packing it - as I neglected to put the battery back in my camera after I charged it . Thus, no photos of the pumpkin patch. I don't think the kids would have stood still long enough for a photo, though. It was VERY COLD for our morning outing - when we arrived at 9:20 it was 48 degrees with a 15-20 MPH wind!! We dressed properly, but that wind cut through us.
Here's Josie just after carving her pumpkin:
And here is Josie's 'scary face':
On Friday Morning we celebrated the Fall Festival at Josie's Preschool. And it was a hoot! The kids were just adorable and there was so much to do! They had game booths, a parade and then a party. James and I had a ball with Josie. It was great to see how much the other parents used their creativity in the kids costumes and how much they really got into the whole Halloween spirit:
Here's Josie with part of her Preschool posse: Megan, Roma, Josie and Riley:
Here's Josie in her costume:
And here are a few of the other costumes we just loved:
Here are Josie and her friends enjoying the festivities:
We thought that the best costume by far was worn by Josie's teacher, Mrs. J. She looked just awesome as Madeline! And in a nod to the wonderful books, Sr. Mary Vincent posed as Mrs. Clavell for my photos. Just loved the spirit of these two wonderful ladies!!:
I will post a few more photos of our actual Halloween night. Very subdued this year, which was a surprise because it was a Friday night and it wasn't really too cold. Anyway, next post will have some of Maddie and Josie in costume...
Posted by Michele at 7:13 AM 3 comments
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Contributing to the community is of high importance to us and every year we take part in a different related social activity.
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We are constantly updated with the latest innovations in the areas of architecture, design and branding, in Israel and abroad. Our ability to create the next revolutionary concept, while keeping its functionality, enables us to obtain unique, innovative and groundbreaking products.
We offer our clients full transparency, enabling them to take part in the creative process and its implementation, while presenting them with the various challenges at hand along with their possible solutions.
We constantly strive to upscale our teams' professional and personal abilities, in order to maintain our excellence.


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D3 Banking
A company dedicated to providing next-generation, omni-channel digital banking services for regional banks and credit unions in the U.S. to meet ever-evolving consumer demand. Also offering a comprehensive set of financial services to individuals and small businesses.
Based on the belief that FinServ technology is not delivering the appropriate amount of convenience or control, Data Driven Digital™ Banking (D3 Technology) offers the solution for financial institutions and their customers. D3 Banking replaces disparate, bolt on, legacy systems with a modern technology stack and proven data engine. This technology enables FIs to deliver personalized products and services – anytime, anywhere, on any device.
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Additional services and means of access via the Internet can create multiple, often confusing digital channels for FIs. In the past, various suppliers and an over-abundance of technical approaches complicated operations, limiting flexibility. D3 Banking simplifies the IT environment. It integrates the digital delivery channels as well as contrasting internal and external systems.
Unique to D3 Banking, institutions can build customizable profiles regularly updated with patent-pending algorithms and cutting-edge systems. Using data analytics, FIs use the information, along with transactional data from other areas (i.e., money movement) to better understand customer needs and deepen relationships. D3 can also assist in creating personalized marketing campaigns that utilize specific data about each customer for exclusive upsell opportunities based on need.
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- Simplified, improved money movement and money management for end-user


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Spoke with a client the other day who explained a company he's working with is developing a "paint on display system."
Rather than pigment in the paint, there are bazillions of quantum dots. The paint is whitish-grey in the can, and goes on the same... until you beam or plug an I/O lead into it and command a color or a high-resolution pattern. Paint a wall and make it anything you want - wood, sponge paint, metal, or a TV or computer screen of any size any resolution you desire. Your TV show could be displayed in better definition than you have now, and it could follow you through your house so you don't miss anything. Plug a computer into wirelessly or otherwise, and size your data and have as many windows open as you want. Best of all, the Q-dots are cheaper than pigment.
My dad wants to hear about such things for investment purposes. Such a cool product will make people billionaires. The only drawback is that there are dozens of companies racing to the finish line. The first one there wins the bananas; everyone else is hosed. Invest in the wrong one and you're in trouble. Maybe it's a good thing I have nothing to invest...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I suppose it's better odds than the lottery...
Spoke with a client the other day who explained a company he's working with is developing a "paint on display system."
Posted by Rob at 3:47 PM


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Wed 8/5/15:
Still feeling the affects of Monday plus the power cleans & split jerks from yesterday. Haven't been this sore in awhile, but it's a good sore, nothing that bad or that would slow me down.
6min Row @ EN2
6min EMOM 5-6 Rebounding BJ @ 24″" (perfect mechanics)
6min AD @ EN2
6min EMOM 10 KB Swings @ 62-70# (perfect mechanics)
6min Row @ EN2
6min EMOM 5-6 BF Burpees
6min AD @ EN2
6min EMOM 5-6 Muscle-Snatches @ 95#
6min ROw @ EN2
6min EMOM 20-25 UB DU
6min AD @ EN2
6min EMOM 5-6 TTB
6min Row @ EN2
6min EMOM 5-6 STOH @ 95#
6min AD @ EN2
(90min total)
*use film review app that I sent in deliberate practice email to review all movements
This was LONG, but good. The muscle snatches were the hardest at 95 lbs, but it made me really think about sweeping the bar to my hip to get a good pop on it. No trouble anywhere else, just plugged along. HR photo below.
A. HS Hold Practice – 5min
Nothing new or wild and crazy happened here, about the same as last week.
B. HS Walking Practice – 5min
Same thing, no PR, shoulders still a little fatigued from Monday, but I did well, just getting more and more consistent.
EMOM for 20min
Odd – 5 Strict Deficit HSPU (4.5″")
Even – 5 Muscle-ups
Rest 5min
EMOM for 20min
Odd – 8 K.HSPU
Even – 8 CTB
This was pretty tough, especially on my hands, but I didn't rip and I was able to go UB I think on everything the whole way. I definitely had difficulty toward the end and this kind of wore on my mentally, but I made it out alive. Videos below.
Mobility – 20min