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Honeybee tourism, or Apitourism as it's officially known, is unique to Slovenia. As a country that's home to 9,600 beekeepers, 12,500 apiaries and nearly 170,000 hive colonies, it's no wonder they're the first – and only – country to certify Apitourism providers.
The experiences offered through Slovenia's niche travel trend are as varied as the types of honey they produce. Travellers who take an 'Api-tour' in Slovenia can book onto a whole host of honey trails, candle-making workshops and beekeeping classes.
They are even pioneering 'Apitherapy' – a form of homeopathy that uses aromas from the beehive to help cure asthma and all sorts of respiratory problems. Many health tourists are also travelling to Slovenia for their rich sources of bee pollen, Royal Jelly, propolis and other bee-products – all said to have healing properties. It's becoming one of the most niche travel trends out there.
But with a strong underlying culture that encourages us to respect nature and tackle environmental issues, is this innovative travel disruptor also paving the way for eco-conscious travel?
Global honeybee crisis
It's no secret that our dwindling honeybee colonies have hit crisis point. Since the 1940s, the USA has lost 50 per cent of its bees. Last year the UK also reported that its bee deficit was so serious, crop pollination had plummeted to the second lowest in Europe, which has serious implications for our future food sources.
Pesticides and fungicides, water contamination and dwindling plant diversity have all been linked to the problem. But until scientists find a solution, countries like Slovenia are helping us re-assess our relationship with nature.
In 2003, Slovenia hosted Apimondia - the biggest beekeeping congress in the world. And after continued talks with the UN and agricultural ministries, they are also pioneering World Bee Day. The goal? To raise awareness of biodiversity and the effects of intensive agricultural methods on our global honeybee crisis.
A green piece of europe
Gorazd Trušnovec is president of The Association of Urban Beekeepers in Slovenia's capital city of Ljubljana – which next year will be hailed the European Green Capital for 2016.
He helped form 'Beyond A Construction Site' – a community-based garden created from a former degraded plot of land. It's now one of 40 urban gardens in the city and is being used as a community space for education and promoting Ljubljana's green culture. This green space is also home to three beehives, which will form part of the Green Capital's beekeeping trails for next year.
"We had had to fight off prejudice because the image of the hives on the rooftops clashes with the idyllic idea of them being in the countryside," explains Gorazd. "But we've had [the honey] tested and it's just as healthy in the city as it is in the countryside, if not more. We produce 20 kilos of honey each year because of the diversity of the vegetation we have in and around Ljubljana. The [urban beekeeping culture] will continue to attract tourists to our city."
Changing attitudes and behaviour
While groups like the Urban Beekeeping Association help educate people about the importance of bee pollination, tour companies like ApiRoutes are helping spread a wider green message.
"Tourists are one of the biggest polluters, so tourism has to embrace sustainability," explains Tanja Arih Korosec, Director of ApiRoutes. "We have met with ABTA to discuss combining sustainable tourism and wellness with Api-tourism and they are welcoming [the movement]."
She adds: "Apitourism helps businesses but it also helps raise awareness of our green credentials. If we can do something to encourage tourists to act in a more sustainable way, other countries will follow."
Responsible tourism
Indeed, Apitours is a great example of a company who are embracing responsible tourism. As well as helping change our attitudes to the environment, they're just as passionate about preserving their local heritage and helping support small start-ups.
Danijela Ambrozi is one of the artisans who feature in their tours. She lives with her husband Blaz and found herself out of work when she had children. Now she's the manageress of the Beekeeping Centre in the town of Lesce and makes a small income running workshops for children, painting traditional Slovene beehive motifs.
"The problem is how much honey you make completely depends on nature," explains her husband Blaz who also splits his time between beekeeping tours and a job with The Forestry Commission. "One day though, I'd like to convert to full beekeeping and pass the skills onto my kids. My son is already learning and one day I hope it will become their full livelihood."
Danijela and Blaz are just two of the many fascinating people you can meet on Slovenia's many bee trails. Elsewhere, travellers get the chance to meet artisans, expert queen bee breeders and other 'Api-enthusiasts', as well as organic farmers who are helping promote slow-food production and green living.
With World Bee Day gaining momentum and Ljubljana set to take centre stage next year, the future is definitely green for Slovenia and its tourism. Let's hope this is a travel trend that proves to have wings.
This is a guest blog and may not represent the views of Virgin.com. Please see virgin.com/terms for more details. Thumbnail from gettyimages.


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L.A. LIVE Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
There are a total of sixteen (16) Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations in the two parking facilities on the L.A. LIVE campus. The West Garage has 8 charging stations and is located at 1005 W. Chick Hearn Ct., Los Angeles, CA 90015. The East Garage has 8 charging stations and is located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015.
EV charging spaces are conveniently located near the pedestrian access points of the garages. Please note that there is a fee for charging; the charging rate is $1 per hour for the 1st 4 hours, $3 per hour thereafter. Please see the kiosk prior to use.
L.A. LIVE is on the Chargepoint Network. For more information visit www.chargepoint.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Phantom Of The Opera, The: 1920s Edition
The original Fan Edit "Phantom Of The Opera Resynched" created by Amazming.
The 2CD set of the original London cast recording for uncompressed sound quality.
Original damaged 8mm home movies reels used to create the vintage filters.
The film has been reframed from its original 2.35 ratio to a more "old school" 1.33 full frame ratio.
The whole film has been altered to look like a damaged film copy from the 1920s.
Various edits have been added to Amazming's original fan edit all through the film (the few sped-up shots have been replaced or altered, the audio has been entirely replaced, and re-edited at times)
Added inserts : Vintage start and end credits, Intermezzo card between Act 1 and Act 2.
Audio tracks : Original London Cast Recording (1920s damaged print version + HQ Remastered version)
User reviews
4 reviews
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Score one for sheer chutzpah. Seize Lloyd Webber's bloated version of his wildly popular musical, trim the fat (almost all dialogue) and sideplots, decolour it so it resembles a 1920s Silent film. Unfortunately, he goes one step further and applies heavy damage effects to the entire print.
Video - 672 X 512p. Black n white. Frame is resized from 2.35:1 to 1.33:1. Damage effects applied across the board with this one. Scratches, artifacts, image fading. Luckily there are no sprocket holes or celluloid burn through, although that would not have surprised me. The image stutters now and then, another old-timey effect. None of these are done with a light hand. Everything seems pushed to 11.
Audio - AC3 640 kbps Mono AND Stereo. Yes, two separate audio tracks. Mono and Stereo. No subs. The syncing of the edited film with the London Cast recording is exceptional. I listened to the stereo on headphones; that was easier for me than the mono. Now and then I heard what sounded like clipping in the right channel.
Narrative - Surprisingly, with 49 minutes cut, the plot holds together well. Love him or hate him, Lloyd Webber was on creative fire at this juncture, and Phantom is blessed with memorable hooks. The music propels the story. Plus, the tale is folklore. Even with zero dialogue, the average viewer can follow this.
Enjoyment - I stayed with this, though the damaging effects grew distracting. At odd points the image washed out completely. For a 1920s print, this would be in atrocious condition. I have viewed a couple hundred films from the 20s: grand classics, star vehicles, obscuro cinema. Few looked as terrible as this. Had this been circa 1915 one might have been more forgiving. Dating earlier, say 1895, using Latham equipment, would have been better.
This is an inspired concept. Source material is top notch. The film itself, while fattened heavier than turkey dinner, is sumptuous looking with rich colours. Even rendered black n white. there are a luxurious amount of textures and contrasts. All, unfortunately, obliterated in this edit.
Do I recommend this? Absolutely! Even a grand miscalculation, as this edit strikes me, is a potential learning experience. Any editor looking to craft grindhouse, old fashioned, or vintage, should study this. Realize the difference between restraint and excess.
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November 28, 2011 @ 9:40 am
*This rating was given before reviews were required*
View all my reviews (1)
February 21, 2010 @ 12:54 pm
*This rating was given before reviews were required*
February 14, 2010 @ 10:27 am
*This rating was given before reviews were required*


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Charity faces questions after horse sanctuary closure
Current and former board members of charity concerned about oversight, finances
A Newfoundland charity is facing questions about its corporate governance and financial oversight as it continues to take donations from the public 18 months after closing its flagship horse sanctuary.
Former board members of the Horse and Pony Protection Association (HAPPA) are raising concerns about the operation of the group.
But HAPPA's current president insists those concerns are unfounded.
"We're doing the right things for the animals," Dennis Bishop said.
We haven't done anything wrong with the animals. We haven't done anything wrong. There's no money spent on anything that is not 100 per cent directly related to the animals.— HAPPA president Dennis Bishop
"We haven't done anything wrong with the animals. We haven't done anything wrong. There's no money spent on anything that is not 100 per cent directly related to the animals."
But CBC News has uncovered a number of issues with the charity's operations and books.
While HAPPA's revenues — and expenses — tripled in the years after Bishop took over as president, the charity's treasurer says she has never seen any financial statements. Five current or former board members insist the HAPPA board has not met for years.
Bishop disputes both of those claims.
Even today, about 18 months after the sanctuary's closure, the HAPPA website continues to solicit donations for hay, and stresses its role in caring for abused horses and ponies in the province.
"Our organization is a registered charitable organization which operates the Hopeall sanctuary," the website's main page says.
"Our budget is lean and all funds raised through donations go directly to providing care for our horses and ponies."
'Outreach and education'
HAPPA president acknowledges that the group's focus has shifted.
"We're an animal welfare organization," Bishop said. "We still deal with cases. Our cases now, when we deal with them, are more from an outreach and an education perspective."
The number of those cases, he said, has dropped to about 50 in 2013, compared with 300 in prior years.
Bishop said donations have also dropped, although it's not clear by how much.
Although Bishop said HAPPA has made its 2012 submission to federal charity regulators, the 2011 report is the most recent one online.
Bishop agreed to provide HAPPA's audited financial statements to CBC News, but didn't do so before deadline.
Because HAPPA takes in less than $250,000 a year, the Canada Revenue Agency does not require audited financial statements — just a form filled out with the broad strokes of revenues and expenditures.
In 2011, HAPPA reported $25,000 in travel expenses and $35,000 in the "other" category in the group's submission to federal regulators.
In 2008, the group funded its entire operation for $19,000.
Bishop attributed the increase to mileage claims for in-province travel and salaries for employees at the sanctuary because of a lack of volunteers.
Money from a fundraising campaign to build a new barn instead went to employee salaries, he noted.
Bishop said the group stopped actively fundraising in the latter half of 2012.
Dispute over euthanizing horses
CBC News spoke with former insiders and those who had dealings with HAPPA whose experiences raise questions about the operation of the sanctuary before its closure.
Bob Martin was the driving force behind HAPPA and the Hopeall sanctuary until cancer forced him to step aside in 2009.
He left the board in late 2010 after a dispute with Bishop over the euthanization of four horses at the sanctuary.
Martin visited the sanctuary before the animals were put down and thought they weren't getting proper care.
"When you put four horses down in December, the first thing comes to your mind is.... Gosh, they don't want those four horses over the winter to have to keep and feed and someone to look after," Martin said.
"That's what really put the suspicion in me at all."
Bishop disagrees, saying the decision was made by a veterinarian.
"Within any animal shelter, within any animal organization, the saddest days are the days when you have to say goodbye to animals," he said.
"And I have to say there were a number of sad days that I've been involved."
Queenie's story
In 2010, Judith Pratt sponsored Queenie, an old Newfoundland pony, for $3,600 — a full year's fee, paid in advance.
"Rather than a monthly payment, I thought, no, go to the full shot and give them the money up front," Pratt said.
That spring, she made a trip to the sanctuary to visit Queenie. But she didn't see the horse in the field.
"And when I turned around ... I saw a grave, with Queenie written on it," Pratt said.
"And I was blown away, because nobody had called me and I wasn't aware that the horse had died."
Pratt didn't ask for the money back, but was shocked that she was paying to feed a dead horse.
Bishop said he has discussed the matter with Pratt, but declined to get into details.
"I'm not going to speak to that, because it's not something that I should speak to," he said. "It's private information."
Bishop did acknowledge that Pratt should have been contacted.
"The person that was responsible for getting in touch with Mrs. Pratt tried, I believe, a number of times to reach her and unfortunately we didn't connect with her," he said.
Last horses moved in mid-2012
In June 2012, the last five horses at the Hopeall sanctuary were moved to the Swansea community pasture in Victoria.
One of them, Lily, a foal born on the HAPPA sanctuary, ended up being taken from Swansea and passed from owner to owner before ending up on the meat truck bound for Nova Scotia.
A group of concerned horse-lovers scratched together a few thousand dollars and bought Lily back from the livestock dealer.
"We thought it was wrong that a horse born on a sanctuary ended up ... more than likely ... going to be looking at life from the inside of a tin can," said Tammy Webber, who helped co-ordinate Lily's rescue.
Today, Lily has a new owner and a home in a private stable.
For his part, Bishop said that Lily changed homes a couple of times after leaving the HAPPA sanctuary and was no longer the charity's responsibility.
"When we give and adopt an animal to a new owner, we give that person full ownership," he noted.
Questions from board members
Meanwhile, former HAPPA board members are questioning the charity's finances and oversight mechanisms.
While donations were pouring in, members of the HAPPA board of directors said they were being shut out.
Five current and former board members told CBC News there have been no board meetings in years.
They said they have never seen audited financial statements.
The Canada Revenue Agency does not require audited financial statements, just a form filled out to give the broad outlines of where the money went.
But those records were prepared in the past — in 2008, the board of directors did receive an audited financial statement of the year's revenue and donations.
HAPPA's treasurer, Sherrylee Williams, said she has never counted donations or saw the books.
"As of late, I've been suspicious myself," Williams said.
"I have never signed a cheque nor saw a book. I have never filed the corporate returns. Dennis has always done it."
Bishop said that's not accurate.
"She has had some of the books for some periods of time. From time to time she does have the records and financial information," he said.
"She has seen the financial information. She actually passes along the mail and the financial information to me. I'm an accountant, and I've been helping in doing some of the extra stuff."
Until CBC News contacted Bishop last week, HAPPA had not filed an updated list of directors with the provincial registry of companies for four years.
He called that an oversight, stressing that HAPPA has provided the necessary information to the federal charities watchdog.
Williams is now listed as being off the HAPPA board, effective September. HAPPA's new address is Bishop's house, instead of Williams's post office box in New Harbour.
Bishop also disputes claims by former board members about a lack of meetings since he took charge.
"We've had board meetings," he said. "A number of board members have met over the past couple of years.… "We have had a board meeting within the last couple of years, yes sir."
Bishop could not provide the exact date of any meetings, however.
He insists there is oversight for the money donated to HAPPA.
"In terms of oversight, basically we sign off on expenditures that are applicable and obviously directly involved and related," he said.
Bishop said that oversight is provided by the board members.
And he dismisses concerns expressed to CBC News by five current or former members of the board.
One of them — Martin, who was the driving force behind HAPPA until he stepped away because of illness — said he can't believe what's happened to the charity to which he once dedicated his life's work.
"It's been breaking my heart that I never had the health to go up and just say ... enough of this," Martin said.


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Choosing man fabrics {Sewing for Men}07:00
Hi lovelies,
It's only a week til F-Day! Time to start thinking about fabrics! We've talked Cork, we've talked Kraft-tex, we'll talk faux leather later on this week, but today, it's fabric!
I guess really, the best way to choose fabrics for a man in your life, is to take inspiration from his clothes, what he wears, what he chooses himself. You can of course upcycle men's suit jackets into bags, you can cut up his old fraying jeans (you MAY wish to ask permission, but sometimes it's easier to ask forgiveness, right?), or you can buy new.
To help with this month's Sewing for Men series, I contacted Sew Hot, who are based in the UK. It can be really daunting scrolling through pages and pages of fabric trying to find the 'man' fabrics, and they agreed with me.
So, without further ado, I present to you, the Sew Hot "Sewing for Men" category!
They went through their site and pulled together everything that would be suitable for sewing for the man in your life, including a few quilt and accessory patterns... thanks Sew Hot!!
Happy sewing friends!


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Security Deposit $1000
Notarized Waiver Required for Children Under 7yrs.
Seacove was very livable for our extended family of 9 - 7 adults & 2 kids. Nice separate living areas & pool. Good location, great view - Private beach at Peter Bay a little more of a "hike" than advertised & not much beach once you get there but our overall experience was very good
Great house. Three separate common areas, one adjacent to the pool. Bedrooms all private and separate from each other. Easy kitchen to work in. Five minute walk down to small beautiful private beach with great snorkeling. There were ten of us in the house and we were all happy. We ate half our meals at home, half out. Fifteen drive to town and the restaurants of St John are way underrated. Very good food and service. Cruz Bay is a cool little town with every thing you need and excellent shopping. Thanks to Neil and Chuck the care-taking duo, we always had what we needed. We want to go back soon.
The house has all the comforts of home, but had a wonderful feeling of being outdoors, even when you were inside. The views of Peter and Cinnamon Bays were breathtaking. Everything you could possibly want was right at the house. The trek to the beach at Peter Bay was a bit arduous, but the views from the house made up for that!
The house was amazing, with an equally amazing view. No complaints about the house, property or the proximity to the beach. It was such an easy walk to peter bay and the fish were great. We saw more variety in Peter Bay than we saw around the whole island. It was so memorable for the grandchildren to snorkel for the first time and see fish!
We have rented many luxury villas through Villas Caribe. This stunning villa was not exception. Peter Bay is one of our favorite locations in the entire Caribbean. I would highly recommend this exceptional villa.


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Date: April 08, 2018 to April 08, 2018
Where: Seaport Boston Hotel, 1 Seaport Lane, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02210
Phone: N/A
Event Type:
Ticket Price: N/A
#39;s Liquors will again be pouring several varieties of wine, and Harpoon will be offering samples of their latest brews! The Taste of South Boston is a charity event supporting South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, a South Boston community 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Proceeds from the event support our mission to provide affordable housing for working people, families, the elderly, and veterans in our community, as well as economic development for local small businesses, access to healthy food, and environmental issues. Please visit: tasteofsouthboston.com for details. Please note that a limited number of tickets will be available for purchase at the door for $65.


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Great infographic about the big data / analytics / data science / deep learning / BI ecosystem. Created by @Mattturk, @Jimrhao and @firstmarkcap. Click on the image to zoom in.
This infographics features the following components:
DSC Resources
Additional Reading
Follow us on Twitter: @DataScienceCtrl | @AnalyticBridge
Views: 10760
Yay for the CrowdFlower mention in the crowdsourcing section. :) (www.crowdflower.com)
Associated Information System may be the future........https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introduction-associative-information...
Thank you for sharing this with us. They did an outstanding job by creating this map.
Here is a version with a higher resolution:
And here is the blog link to the original article:
I Am just a beginner in this big data course and now, am taking my training from ExcelR Solutions. This Landscape Structure of Big Data seems helpful for me. Thanks for share this with us.
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Romantic Retreats
Pubs don't just offer luxurious bedrooms but also delicious award winning food. Many provide menus sourced from fresh local produce, game and seafood caught that day, tastefully prepared by a dedicated team of chefs.
With a range of pubs to choose from - some near picturesque countryside, others near tranquil beaches or stunning heritage sties - they are the perfect base for an all-important romantic break.


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Cadman leads effort to build community at Numerica PAC
[Editor's Note: This is the first of three columns exploring community building at the Numerica Performing Arts Center)
(Coming next: A conversation with Latino Council member Gustavo Montoya)
Matt Cadman and his board of directors have a provocative vision for the Numerica Performing Arts Center far beyond putting on great entertainment. They see the PAC's deeper purpose as uniting the community by bridging divides and equalizing opportunities.
Cadman sat down recently for a video interview and talked about this new vision for the theater.
When Cadman took over the reins, the PAC was struggling financially. The business model, which was largely built on subsidizing performances, led to very pricey tickets that kept attendance low. Furthermore, the PAC was catering to a narrower audience — often older, wealthier, and white.
The long-time educator, actor and third-generation Wenatchee resident, brought a new vision, passion and determination to the role of executive director. He moved quickly to have every show in the season sponsored by way of a "Spring Fling" that allowed supporters to bid on shows that they wanted to sponsor. He coined the motto, "Every show sponsored, every seat sold".
The approach was a hit. It created a greater sense of community with donors who were helping shape the next season of shows and at the same time allowed the PAC to dramatically reduce ticket prices. That led to a tripling of the attendance compared to previous years and fueled the financial success of the organization.
Furthermore, they have ambitiously sought to diversify the shows to appeal to a wider variety of individuals. As Cadman puts it, you may not resonate with every show in our season, but they strive to present a diverse showcase of world-class talent and that, hopefully, you can afford and love — whether it's Chinese acrobats, comedy, musical theatre, burlesque, concerts, dance, or any other type of performance.
Significantly, Cadman created a Latino Council made up of 10 leaders in our valley to help him think of creative ways to diversify the shows. Latino Council member Gustavo Montoya, who's the publisher of El Mundo, said the council's focus goes beyond the Latino population. They strive to tap into the diversity of talent and interests in the valley.
Most recently, Cadman was able to strike a deal with Music Theater of Wenatchee to put on Mary Poppins, which wowed the sold-out crowds during Apple Blossom. He's built strong relationships with other arts and cultural organizations, as well. He's a collaborator rather than a competitor, which is the model for building a strong and resilient community.
The Numerica PAC has initiated collaborations with other local non-profit organizations, such as the Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, Wenatchee Valley Humane Society and the NW Regional Library to host performances that don't fit the PAC's business model. It's a way of working together for the greater good.
All of these actions have created energy and excitement as well as financial success. Cadman, who had no background in managing an arts organization, was clearly the right person for the job. His passion for what he calls "this precious little theater" is almost irresistible. When he steps onto to the stage to announce each show and thank its sponsors, he brings a powerful sense of showmanship and theater. Cadman has found a perfect role for his talents.
With the finances stabilized and momentum built, Cadman and the PAC board have set their sights on helping transform this region. "My background is in education with a real love for kids, especially the disenfranchised," Cadman told me. "And especially coming back to Eastmont, where we have staggering poverty that may not be above the surface in a lot of people's lives," he added.
The theater, Cadman tells me, is a community asset and the future is about shared ownership and a shared vision with all parts of the community.
When he took over at the PAC the programs had a narrower focus,almost exclusively for a White, rich and older audience, which left out a significant number of people who live and work here. "There was an entire 35 to 40 percent of the population that we weren't embracing," Cadman said, alluding to our large contingent of Latino neighbors.
The communities in this region have a sizeable percentage of families below the poverty line. Twenty of the 24 elementary schools in our region, Cadman said, have more than 50 percent of their students on free and reduced lunch programs and there is a direct correlation to Latino demographics.
Families with few resources are unlikely to take advantage of seeing a show at the PAC, so they launched "Every Kid at the PAC," a new initiative that is focused on making sure that all kids have exposure to the arts, regardless of income level.
The community doesn't belong to one or two groups, said Cadman. It belongs to everyone, and so do the arts.


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Saint's Blood by Sebastien de Castell
(Note: Saint's Blood is the third book in The Greatcoat's series. This was the first time I'd heard of this series, and I'd highly recommend you start from the beginning at Traitor's Blade because these books are worth it. The Greatcoat's series has gotten a fair share of comparisons to The Three Musketeers. Tristia has a Spanish (Castilian if you want to be technical) feel to it, which sets it apart from the clear Dumas influences that inspired the series initially.)
There's so much about this book to love. It's a quality swashbuckler tale, and every time I thought I had this story figured out, it kept going and changing the rules. With less competent narration, this wouldn't work, but Falcio's blend of humor, stubbornness, and world-weariness ground this fast-paced story in a depth of human emotions. Falcio, the First Cantor of the Greatcoats, starts the story in a duel. The entire novel revolves around duels, which works well because the fight scenes are all well-paced and authentically fun. That's another thing about this series that I loved: the humor between the characters (especially the three friends Brasti, Kest, and Falcio) fits with their personalities and helped me get into the story. I love humorous fantasy, but it's so rare to find quality humor mixed in with gory action scenes and have it work.
The duel transitions to a palace attack, and the fearful attacker is the Saint, Birgid, who's controlled by powerful magical mask. The main plot launches here, and the Greatcoats have to figure out who is killing the Saints of Tristia before said murderer can kill Ethalia, the newest Saint of Mercy and Falcio's on-again-off-again-it's-complicated lover. If you're new to the series, there's a lot of back story with the dead King, Falcio's daughter Valiana, and Falcio's dead wife Aline that consume the beginning chapters of the story. You can get into the series here, but it's going to be a bit of a tough go for several chapters until they get to the church and try to save Saint Birgid.
The tension between the various factions drives this story. If you like the political elements of A Song of Ice and Fire, these political intrigue plots are for you. It can be a bit hard to keep track of them, but the general gist of who they support is well-defined. The church and what their end game is won't be apparent until later in the novel, but the tension between Aline, the future girl queen, and the nobles is clear the entire time. Valiana, in particular, is an interesting character, and her duty to uphold the laws of the crumbling kingdom of Tristia and her personal struggle throughout the story is poignant.
This is one of those reviews where I feel that I can't say a lot because there are so many plot twists in the story, and the layers of plot build organically upon each other. The God's Needle cult is terrifying, and every time they appear, their importance is intensified. Their introduction is brilliant, too, and the way the cult and religion are used to try and control the kingdom felt realistic.
The world building blew me away. I kept wondering when the author would run out of plot twists or when something would fall flat, but none of the build up into the finale did. There kept being more, but the narrative is so solid that this doesn't feel fast or clunky. Maybe, if I'm pressed, I'll say I didn't care about the resolution after all of the amazing layering of the plot leading into the final battle. The world building is powerful, and after we meet the real villain (WAY further into the novel than you'll be expecting), it becomes difficult for the resolution and climax to live up to the phenomenal story that leads up to it. That's not to say the ending is bad–it's not–but this isn't a book you read for the ending but for the thrilling, poignant, and occasionally humorous journey that takes you to it.
- I know a little about fencing, and the fight mechanics during this story always work. There's no cheap moments during the fight scenes, and if you like a nice mix of realistic fighting with a little sprinkling of fantasy thrown in, this is the book for you. I can't stress enough how great the actions sequences are.
- Inconceivable—got to get that sweet, sweet Princess Bride shout out.
- Bless fantasy that makes me laugh. I'm serious. There's not enough of that out there, and it's one of the main reasons I love heroic fantasy. Bring me joy, damn it, and then SMASH IT. Thanks. 🙂
- "They're never expecting the Spanish Inquisition."
- The diversity of weapons used by the Greatcoats is fantastic. It helps define their characters, but in heroic fantasy, that works well.
- I've laughed more times in this novel than I do with most. That made the relationships between the character feel real.
- Blood moths. Glad someone tapped into the natural horror that is moths.
Rating: 5 stars
This is a strong entry in an already strong series. If you like swashbuckling fantasy, this is the story for you. There's a nice blend of humor, action, and world-building that's underpinned by a unique narrative voice.
[amazon asin=1681444895&template=add to cart]


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Jean Bellette is recognised as one of Australia's most significant classical modernists, best known for her mythically-inspired compositions of figure and landscape. Born in Hobart, she studied there and at the Julian Ashton school in Sydney, before travels and further study in Paris and London, rising to prominence as a painter during the 1940s and '50s in a Sydney circle of artists that included her husband, critic and fellow artist Paul Haefliger, David Strachan, Donald Friend, Russell Drysdale and Margaret Olley among others. She returned to Europe in the late 1950s, settling in Majorca and continued her career as an expatriate artist.
This red conté drawing of a young girl is a fine example of Bellette's skill in drawing; whilst conveying a strong grasp of underlying form, it is also a characteristically sensitive evocation of personality and mood - as Ursula Hoff stated of Bellette in her 1952 'Meanjin' article on the artist, she 'instils her classic form with a decidedly poetic and romantic feeling'.
Media category
Materials used
red conté on paper
23.5 x 17.8 cm sight; 43.0 x 36.0 x 4.3 cm frame
Signature & date
signed l.r. corner, red conté "Jean Bellette".
Gift of Meg Stewart 2015 in memory of Sheila Carroll
Not on display
Accession number
© Bathurst Regional Council
Shown in 1 exhibition
Exhibition history
Jean Bellette retrospective (2004-2005):
- Bathurst Regional Art Gallery, Bathurst Regional Council, Bathurst 10 Dec 2004–16 Jan 2005
- S.H. Ervin Gallery, The Rocks 12 Mar 2005–15 Apr 2005
- University of Queensland Art Museum, Brisbane 06 May 2005–12 Jun 2005
- Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Mornington 12 Jul 2005–28 Aug 2005
- Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University, Canberra 10 Nov 2005–18 Dec 2005
Referenced in 1 publication
Christine France, Amanda Beresford and Barbara Hall, Jean Bellette retrospective, Sydney, 2004, 72. Included in exhibition 'list of works' as 'Untitled' (1952), private collection.


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Nestled at the top of New Zealand's South Island, for over 50 years Bethany Park, Kaiteriteri has been a base for individuals, families and groups who come to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and many activities on offer here.
Neighbouring the Abel Tasman National Park, Bethany Park offers both a Camp and a Holiday Park facility on over 80 acres, just off the golden sands of Kaiteriteri Beach, an easy 15 minute stroll away.
Escape to Bethany Park…join us today!
Our Open Door Policy
We take great pride in our status as a Christian Camp – but we are by no means exclusive.
What does matter to us, is providing a welcoming, wholesome environment in which
THIS is the Bethany Park blessing!
03 527 8014
The Holiday Park
Bethany Holiday Park offers over 200 camp sites, cabin and motel options complemented by a full range of camp facilities.
The Camp
Set on 7 acres of tree clad land, our Camp provides a venue for churches, families, schools and community groups to reconnect and grow together.
Local Attractions
From Skydiving to leisurely cruising – there is something for everyone in the Tasman region.
We aim to make your stay with us just the invigorating rest you've been looking for.
Bring your togs, and get ready to get wet!
A huge favourite with all our younger guests, our 100 metre long water slide is a Kaiteriteri legend. Available to Bethany Park guests only throughout January.
All you need is one adult, and a group of kids ready to have some fun..and get SERIOUSLY wet!!
Built exclusively for children! To test their balance, speed and courage, getting them ready for the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park next door!
Make sure the kids bring their bikes!
One of the most exciting local developments recently is the Kaiterteri Mountain Bike Park – and its right on our doorstep! With over 15 trails, there is something for all abilities. Read more about it here.
We have two playgrounds here at Bethany. A smaller play area is located in the Holiday Park, next to the camp kitchen. Over at the Camp, there is a larger adventure playground. Our young (and old!) guests are welcome to use either!
What camping holiday would be complete without the magic of glow worms? Just a short walk through the Bethany property brings you to an amazing glow worm grotto. Don't forget your flashlight! Check at office for directions.
We are open for Labour weekend and welcome you to come and stay on either a powered or non-powered site…
Queens Birthday this weekend
Do come and stay for Queen's birthday weekend and enjoy some relaxation in beautiful Bethany Park, Kaiteriteri. Please note the…


text: Event date: 2/24/2019 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Export event Scavenger Hunts at County Parks It's a month of scavenger hunts at Stearns County parks. During the month of February, Hike Hoppers holds Park Blast, a winter outdoor scavenger hunt that takes advantage of our county parks to promote healthy communities. Participants engage in discovering prize codes while hiking through the parks. Prizes appeal to a variety of ages and have a value of at least $10. Prize codes are located within 50 feet of the winter walking trails in eight county parks:Kraemer Lake – WildwoodMiller LandingMississippi RiverQuarry ParkRockvilleSpring HillTwo Rivers LakeWarner Lake Hundreds of hidden prize codes can be found along the designated trails in these parks. Take the prize code home and redeem at HIKEhoppers.org. Registration for the Park Blast event and trail maps as well are found on the Hike Hoppers website. Participants can play the entire month. Posted on Wednesday, January 30, 2019 Print


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Watch Movie Iron Man 3 Full Movie HDFull Movie Iron Man 3 High Quality with duration 130 Min and broadcast on 2013-05-03 with MPAA rating is 4476.
- Original Title : Iron Man 3
- Movie title in your country : Iron Man 3
- Year of movie : 2013
- Genres of movie :
- Status of movie : Released
- Release date of movie : 2013-05-03
- Companies of movie : Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures, DMG Entertainment,
- Countries of movie : China, United States of America,
- Language of movie : English,
- Durationof movie : 130 Min
- Average vote of movie : 6.8
- Youtube ID of movie : YLorLVa95Xo
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- Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia 'Pepper' Potts
- Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian
- Don Cheadle as Lt. Col. James Rhodes
- Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery
- Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen
- Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
- Paul Bettany as Jarvis (voice)
- William Sadler as President Ellis
- James Badge Dale as Savin
- Yvonne Zima as Miss Elkridge
- Ashley Hamilton as Jack Taggert
- Spencer Garrett as Rose Hills Sherrif
- Bridger Zadina as Richie
- Chris Gethard as Juan
- Roy McCrerey as Military Advisor
- Jonathan Jackson as Hollywood Type
- Stephanie Szostak as Ellen Brandt
- Noah Visconti as Neptune's Net Boy
- Ty Simpkins as Harley Keener
- Jenna Ortega as Vice President's Daughter
- Bronte D'Esposito as Neptune's Net Girl
- Miguel Ferrer as Vice President Rodriguez
- Stan Lee as Pageant Judge
Iron Man 3 Synopsis:
Play Streaming Iron Man 3 The brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark faces an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemys hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? Download Iron Man 3 For Free
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Director : Shane Black, Producer : Kevin Feige, Executive Producer : Jon Favreau, Executive Producer : Stan Lee, Screenplay : Shane Black, Characters : Jack Kirby, Characters : Stan Lee, Director of Photography : John Toll, Original Music Composer : Brian Tyler, Thanks : John Byrne, Casting : Sarah Finn, Costume Design : Louise Frogley, Executive Producer : Victoria Alonso, Executive Producer : Stephen Broussard, Executive Producer : Louis D'Esposito, Executive Producer : Alan Fine, Executive Producer : Dan Mintz, Executive Producer : Charles Newirth, Executive Producer : Bing Wu, Executive Producer : Wen-ge Xiao, Production Design : Bill Brzeski, Set Decoration : Danielle Berman, Screenplay : Drew Pearce,
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The 153rd academic year at Hope College will begin formally with the college's traditional Opening Convocation on Sunday, Aug. 24, at 2 p.m. in the DeVos Fieldhouse.
The featured speaker will be Dr. Patrice Rankine, who is dean for the arts and humanities and a professor of Classics and will present "The Urgency of Now." The public is invited to the convocation, and admission is free.
Residence halls for new students will open on Friday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m., with New Student Orientation beginning later that day and continuing through Monday, Aug. 25. Residence halls for returning students will open on Sunday, Aug. 24, at noon. Fall semester classes will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 8 a.m.
Hope is anticipating record enrollment for the fourth consecutive year as the fall semester approaches, assuring that campus facilities will be put to full use when the new and returning students arrive later this month.
Hope doesn't log enrollment officially until mid-September, following the formal close date for the process, but the 840-strong incoming class will be joining the three largest classes in the history of the college, leaving Hope poised to top last year's record high of 3,388 students. It will be the third year in a row that enrollment has exceeded 3,300.
The college has been preparing the campus for the new school year since even before 2013-14 concluded. The most major initiative across the summer has been the renovation and expansion of Phelps dining hall, completing the second phase of a two-year project. Other work has ranged from relocating the Center for Faithful Leadership from the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center to Van Zoeren Hall, to consolidating the offices of Public and Community Relations and Integrated Marketing in new quarters in Anderson-Werkman, to replacing the windows of Durfee Hall, to adding three cottages as student housing. The nearly 150 projects have been in addition to the ongoing construction of the Jack H. Center for Musical Arts and the Kruizenga Art Museum, both scheduled for completion during the 2015-16 school year.
Rankine joined the Hope faculty in 2013. He was previously on the Classics faculty at Purdue University for 15 years, with affiliations in the African American Studies and Research Center, comparative literature, and philosophy and literature. He was assistant head of Purdue's School of Languages and Cultures from 2007 to 2012, and was director of the university's Interdisciplinary Program in Classics from 2004 to 2007.
Rankine completed his doctorate in Classical literature at Yale University in 1998 with his dissertation on Seneca's tragedies. He has since developed interdisciplinary interests in African American literature and the reception of the Classics among black American authors.
He is the author of the books "Aristotle and Black Drama: A Theater of Civil Disobedience" (2013, Baylor University Press) and "Ulysses in Black: Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature" (2006, University of Wisconsin Press), the latter of which was named one of "Choice" magazine's outstanding academic books in 2007. His publications also include numerous articles, book chapters and book reviews. In addition, he has made more than four dozen scholarly talks at professional conferences and in other settings.
Rankine has received external awards and honors including an Andrew Mellon Graduate Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson Foundation Career Enhancement Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Seminar Fellowship and an invitation to serve as an NEH Summer Institute faculty member. Recognition from Purdue University included the Excellence in Teaching Award and the Frederick L. Hovde Award for Outstanding Faculty Fellow, as well as grants and fellowships in support of his teaching and research.
Rankine graduated from Brooklyn College in 1992, and he also holds Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy degrees from Yale in addition to his doctorate. Prior to joining the Purdue University faculty, he served as an instructor at New School for Social Research of New York University, at Bronx Community College and at Brooklyn College.
Live Streaming of the Opening Convocation


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InGaN/sapphire-based photovoltaic (PV) cells with blue-band GaN/InGaN multiple-quantum-well absorption layers grown on patterned sapphire substrates were characterized under high concentrations up to 150-sun AM1.5G testing conditions. When the concentration ratio increased from 1 to 150 suns, the open-circuit voltage of the PV cells increased from 2.28 to 2.50 V. The peak power conversion efficiency (PCE) occurred at the 100-sun conditions, where the PV cells maintained the fill factor as high as 0.70 and exhibited a PCE of 2.23%. The results showed great potential of InGaN alloys for future high concentration photovoltaic applications.
©2011 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
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Do as much as you can in your room settings at home so that friends or relatives that came to yours will feel at home and do not want to leave immediately from your home. In this article, Carla Suben will provide concept in arranging the furniture or bed room, specifically for modern homes. We write it as far as we can tell.
What needs are you to register to build a house? The right time for you to visit this website, Carla Suben has a complete list here.
Fine diamonds and triangles soft purple blue white rug by nursery.
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Source: pinterest.com
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Source: itsok.me
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Source: samniu.org
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Since 2007, Richard Renaldi has been working on a series of photographs that involve approaching and asking complete strangers to physically interact while posing together for a portrait. Working on the street with a large format 8-by-10-inch view camera, Renaldi encounters the subjects for his photographs in towns and cities all over the United States. He pairs them up and invites them to pose together, intimately, in ways that people are usually taught to reserve for their close friends and loved ones.
Renaldi creates spontaneous and fleeting relationships between strangers for the camera, often pushing his subjects beyond their comfort levels. These relationships may only last for the moment the shutter is released, but the resulting photographs are moving and provocative, and raise profound questions about the possibilities for positive human connection in a diverse society.
This exhibition coincides with the launch of Renaldi's book Touching Strangers and includes thirty-five photographs from the series, curated by Ann Pallesen, director of Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle (where the exhibition will tour following its presentation at Aperture Gallery).
For more details on Touching Strangers, visit touchingstrangers.org.
This exhibition was made possible, in part, with the support of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Aperture's exhibitions receive support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and additional public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that made the accompanying publication possible.


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The history of the Blue Door Coffee Co. is as deep as the elder oak trees in the Kettle Moraine. Although we were founded in 2017, our mission, the who we are, the what we are, and our values that have guided us go much deeper. In fact, maybe the story starts with how we got our name. We thought of calling it Stewart's coffee company, after the founding father of Campbellsport Stuart Hallman. It spoke to our history. We thought of calling it The Grind, in honor of what we pride ourselves at Drexel Building Supply every day. However the Blue Door Coffee Co. welcomes you into our world. Our coffee co. is the story of every small town. The story of Main Street USA. It's the story that never gets old. The story that through kind hearted service, a hot coffee, and a warm meal; we are the story of Jesus's disciples. The story of the golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. It is a story of love over hate. It is the story of Drexel's mission… to supply happiness.
It's the absolute center focal point of our mission and values. It's a testimony that we aren't "just a lumberyard." We are much more.
We are obsessed with what we bring to you. A smile, a well prepared and tasteful drink, and food that shows the love we have for this mission in every bite.
The "100% of Profits to Charity" commitment aligns with our DNA, it's why we exist, it motivates all of us to do better, be better, and follow Drexel's core values. We are guided by faith on this path. For us, it simply means what's left over (i.e. surplus, balance, etc.) after normal business and operating expenses are deducted from all the income we derive from sales from our little coffee co. goes back to the people that serve us and need us.
We hope you like it. We hope you tell others. We hope you have the biggest cup of happiness you've ever sipped on.
Ethics. Do the right thing & always encourage others to do the right, honest & ethical things. This is #1, & it's #1 for a reason. Ethics, It's the most important.
Respect. Treat others like you would like to be treated no matter whom & no matter the situation.
Balance. Manage your time for both business & personal success.
Winning Attitude. Have a can-do attitude. Be positive, upbeat & stay focused. We are winners.
Communication. Share information, ask questions, listen effectively, speak thoughtfully, & let ideas live.
Development. Learn from each other. Teach, Coach & Listen. Create an environment where everyone can be a star.
Team Work. Value different viewpoints. Carry out the agreed upon plans. Together we achieve more. Go Blue!
Change. Accept it. Embrace It. Initiate It. Do everything every day better, faster, & cheaper
Have Fun. Enjoy your job. Enjoy your life. Smile more & make others around you smile too.
Accountability. Know your responsibilities. Live up to your commitments.


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Piggott, AR
Sponsored Topics
Piggott, Arkansas is a city in Clay County, Arkansas, one of that county's two seats (Corning is the other). It is also the northern terminus of the Arkansas segment of Crowley's Ridge Parkway. As of the 2000 census, Piggott's population was 3,894. The town was founded by William N. Barron, after his sister's married name (sister Sarah Ann Barron, wife of John Piggott).
Piggott is perhaps best known for its association with American writer and Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway, whose second wife Pauline Pfeiffer was the daughter of prominent local landowner and businessman Paul Pfeiffer. After meeting and marrying in Paris in the late 1920s, Ernest and Pauline made frequent and lengthy visits to her parent's home in Piggott, where Ernest wrote portions of A Farewell to Arms, and other works. The Pfeiffer House and Carriage House are now preserved as the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, run by Arkansas State University.
The town was mentioned in the 1990s television sitcom Evening Shade, set in Arkansas. The high school football team coached by "Wood Newton" (played by Burt Reynolds) celebrated when it tied Piggott High in a game, which almost always lost.


text: Paul was in Rome, the epicenter of empire, the magnet for people on the lam such as fugitive slaves. He was a "prisoner of Christ Jesus" not only because the Messiah had captured his heart but also because he had boldly proclaimed the grace and peace he had found. Somehow, through the Christian grapevine, Onesimus found Paul and sought shelter with him. Now Onesimus is going back to his owner.


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Residential Construction Loan Disbursement Procedures
Construction Loan Fund Disbursements
Construction loans are designed to assure adequate funds to complete the construction of the building(s) and to produce a value that supports the amount of the loan. Funds are drawn down on residential loans based on a percentage of work completed.
Lenders have designed their construction loan program to assure a smooth payment process during construction and to provide the borrower and the lender with a secure position.
Typical Construction Draw Procedures:
The following procedures are typical for draw disbursements.
A. A draw schedule will be provided to the builder/contractor at closing along with the construction loan agreement.
B. Draws may be taken on a "percentage of work completed" basis. Lenders will typically charge a fee for each draw to cover the construction inspector's fee. These fees may be taken as lump sum at closing based on six draws or taken from the construction fund at each draw. The practice depends on the lender.
Construction Loan Fund
1. A construction loan fund is established with the loan proceeds.
2. When a builder has completed at least 15% of the work, the builder will request a draw from the lender.
Construction Inspector
Typically the lender will have a construction inspector visit the construction site within 24 hours to verify the percentage of work completed
Many times the lenders will use the construction loan appraiser to perform the inspections. Typically the inspector will provide verbal confirmation of completed work and follow up with written confirmation and photographs.If an inspection must be rescheduled because of incomplete work, there will be an additional inspection fee charged. The borrower should not pay this fee as it is the builder's responsibility not to order an inspection unless the work is done.
3. Disbursements are generally made by check or direct deposit to the builders account.
4. All disbursements but the last one are typically made payable to the builder unless otherwise specified. Most lenders make the final disbursement check payable to both the builder and the borrower. This allows the borrower some leverage over the builder to make sure the home is completed satisfactorily before releasing the funds by signing the check.
When the builder requests a draw, the lender typically has paperwork requirements in addition to the draw request.
First Draw
On the first draw the following will typically be required:
A. Building Permit
B. Verification that Mortgage and Notice of Commencement has been recorded.
C. Original Slab Survey (2 copies) with certification to the lender.
(Survey may be faxed for first draw but originals must be provided by the second draw.)
D. Copy of Builders Risk Policy with endorsements showing coverage for the unit under construction and naming the lender.
E. Proof of soil treatment.
Each draw requires:
A. Affidavit of General Contractor
B. With each draw request, the builder is required to provide Partial Release of Lien from the sub-contractors for work paid at the prior draw. The lender will require a Partial Release of Lien at each draw for each sub contractor that submits a Notice to Owner". The lender usually reserves the right to requests release of liens from any subcontractor during any time during the course of construction.
The final draw requires:
A. Original Final Survey (3 certified copies)
B. Certificate of Occupancy
C. Contractor's and Mortgagor's Final Affidavit
D. Sub Contractor's Release of Liens
Construction Draw Schedule
Loan Assumption Agreement
Send mail to Webmaster with questions or comments about this web site. Community Credit 2007-2020 All rights reserved Site Index


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1612 C Street SW
Suite B
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Call Us
Phone: (319) 364-2764
Mon: 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Tue: 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Wed: 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Thu: 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Fri: 10:00AM - 6:00PM
Sat: 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Sun: 12:00PM - 4:00PM
If you need hemp soap, CBD oil or other holistic products, stop by our shop. Call 319-364-2764 with any questions. You may also fill out the following form to send us a message or request more information about our products.
We look forward to seeing you!


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The ideas are endless...a {plain} cupcake is like the bare canvas before an artist begins to paint~
I saw these on a food website...Easter basket cupcakes~They are all full of goodies from licorice to jelly beans!
The ideas are endless...a {plain} cupcake is like the bare canvas before an artist begins to paint~
I saw these on a food website...Easter basket cupcakes~They are all full of goodies from licorice to jelly beans!
how amazingly cute are those....I love the peeps on top....Happy SITS day
Seeing those makes me happy this morning...so cute!
those are the cutest cupcakes! My kids are past the age of Easter parties...I miss all this fun stuff!
Our Easter Party is next Wednesday. Such an amazing and special holiday. So much meaning and so much fun.
The cupcakes are so cute. A couple of years ago I made "nests" on the top of my cupcakes, using green coconut and eggs. It never occured to me to make it a basket!
Those are so cute. I love simple and cute. Just like those. I am going to love this little series of yours. Can't wait. I have to go and catch up on some posts I have missed from you :) bye and have a great week.
Cute and delicious. What is not to love???
Those are adorable!
oh i love these! gotta have the peeps!! they are my son's favorite :) looks like i'll be making another one of your fantastic treats!! thanks!
(and everytime i see your tray, i wish i had bought one... i love my plate though!)
Super cute idea Sandy Toes! So glad you shared it with all of us. :)
Oh my gosh -- those are adorable! Almost too cute to eat!
How FABULOUS and I love the peeps on top!! Too cute!
Wow (gasp) those are the cutest cupcakes I have ever seen!!!!!!! They look so yummy!!! I want to come and party with you!
These are soooo cute and creative! Love it!
those are so cute - I think my kids are going to definitely "need" these.
Oh my goodness! Those are SO cute.. wish I had an Easter party to bring them to! I'll have to tuck that idea away for another day...
Thanks for the great idea!
You have a zillion comments, so I dont know if you'll see mine, BUT those are such cute cupcakes! I love the peeps! I"m still trying to figure out what desserts I"m going to make for easter! I'm making some bird's nests (BHG), but I might have to make some cupcakes too!!!
You my friend...are ONE amazing Mamma! Seriously...how precious those sweet cupcakes look!!
I wish I could be at your party!!
What cute cupcakes. I have got to get shopping soon for the Easter baskets and dresses. I am running out of time.
Takes me waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. My beloved aunt used to make something like these 40 years ago!
I want to go to one of YOUR parties! Those cupcakes are the cutest!
Oh those are SO precious!!! I can't wait to have parties and bring stuff like this. You did such an awesome job!!! Happy Easter Party!
What cute cupcakes!! I {heart} cupcakes:) I recently got the book "Hello, Cupcake". You should really check it out~it has the most amazing cupcake ideas!! I made the cupcake tower cake for my daughter's b-day a couple of weeks ago. So cute!
Such cute cupcakes. I know my kids wouldn't eat the coconut though. It's ashamed because it is great to decorate with.
Oh Ok-Now I know where the perfect mom is! Those are amazing! I will by some, but not make them.
At Home in Georgia was right-seeing those cupcakes makes me happy today!
Ohhhhh my those look good!
Now this post makes my sweet tooth sing..love this idea! I just learned what peeps are and now they are "peeping" up everywhere!
those the cutest!
How CUTE!! You have to be the best classroom Mom....EVER!!
You are good!
TGI almost F:)
Cupcakes make me so happy! Easter fun!!!! with all those darling cupcakes!!
How cute ~ I love all the fun cupcake ideas they out these days!
Enjoy your parties,
Too creative - a girl after my own heart!
Super cute!!!!
I love them!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic cupcakes!!! This lazy mom needs to step it up with the fun kid stuff!
So cute!
Love those! Makes me wish I still had a little one who needed cupcakes like that at school! (only for a minute, though.) :-)


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You are here
*Please note: you may not see animations, interactions or images that are potentially on this page because you have not allowed Flash to run on S-cool. To do this, click here.*
You already know that angles are measured by degrees (3600 is a complete revolution). An alternative method is based on the circumference of a circle.
If an arc of a circle is drawn such that it is the same length as the radius, then the angle created is called one radian (1C), as shown below.
From the diagram you can see that dividing the circumference by the radius will give the number of radians in one complete revolution. Therefore, the number of radians in one revolution is,
These basic conversions are useful to know:
Fractions of 1800 can be written in radians by using 1800 = π rad
For example:
You also need to be able to convert an angle given in radians to degrees:
For example:
This means that one radian is just a little less than 600.
Arc length
In the diagram below we can see that for a given angle θ, the length of the arc is rθ. (See if you can calculate this using the fact that the arc is θ/2π of the whole circumference.)
Area of a sector
Using the same idea, we find that the area of a sector of a circle is ½ r2θ.
(Again, see if you can derive this formula using the same argument as above.)
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A church in lower Manhattan plans to ring its bell in honor of the victims of the Colorado theater shooting.
The Bell of Hope at St. Paul's Chapel will be tolled at 12:30 p.m. Thursday. The bell is a gift from London to New York after the Sept. 11 terror attacks and has been rung following the bombings in London, Madrid, Mumbai and Moscow and the Virginia Tech and the Norway shootings.
St. Paul's Chapel sheltered and fed recovery workers for months during the cleanup of ground zero.
Suspect James Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student, is accused of killing 12 people in the attack during a showing of a new Batman movie.


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Revenue Management & Digital Marketing
Integrating two independent business processes produces marketing magic.
By Kevin Geraghty
Revenue management and digital marketing are independent business processes that leverage advanced analytic techniques to drive significant revenues for a variety of industries. Revenue management has been around since the early 1980s and has increasingly spread its influence from its original application in the airlines. Digital marketing is a relatively recent development and has arisen in response to advertising opportunities created on the World Wide Web. Digital marketing is a high-paced endeavor as advertisers try to cope with the almost daily changes to the advertising landscape. The one constant is the growing advertising budgets in a still under-subscribed opportunity to connect with customers and prospects.
At many large businesses, marketing and revenue management can work at cross-purposes. Both are focused on generating greater profits at a strategic level, but at a tactical level the definitions of success can be very different. I have seen marketers celebrate successfully selling out a loss leader while revenue managers watched their revenue per inventory unit goals slip out of reach. Alternatively, revenue managers can react to the demand surge due to a marketing campaign by making it impossible for anyone targeted by that campaign to buy at a competitive price. I got into trouble at a revenue management department party once for remarking that the fully loaded cost of the cake should include all the marketing dollars we had wasted.
The conflict, and potential synergy, between digital marketing and revenue management arises because they control two different components of the marketing funnel. Digital marketing generates demand by creating awareness in a prospect population, arguing for consideration and delivering the customer with an effective call-to-action. The customer experience of revenue management comes after all that. Revenue management stimulates or restricts demand at the point of conversion by moving price and availability. It creates optimal pricing strategies that target conversion rates to available inventory.
This article investigates the synergy between revenue management, which maximizes profit generation by moving prices to moderate conversion rates, and digital marketing, which can drive demand to available capacity with a precision and responsiveness that is not achievable in the offline marketing world. It presents a couple of case studies from clients that have begun to capitalize on these synergies.
What is Revenue Management?
Revenue management is an established business process that has significantly altered the travel and hospitality industry since its inception in the early 1980s. It requires analysts with detailed market knowledge and advanced computing systems that implement sophisticated mathematical techniques to thoroughly analyze market behavior and capture revenue opportunities.
Originally developed by the airlines as a response to deregulation, it has quickly spread to hotels, car rental firms, cruise lines, media and energy. Its effectiveness in generating incremental revenues from an existing operation and customer base has made it particularly attractive to business leaders who prefer to generate return from revenue growth and enhanced capability rather than downsizing and cost cutting.
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a broad term encompassing any technique applied on the Internet to deliver a marketing message. Probably the most appropriate source for a definition is Wikipedia, which states: "Digital marketing is the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner."
This definition incorporates a number potential contact mechanisms including natural and sponsored links on search engine results, display advertisements, e-mail, and social media such as widgets and blogs. With the advent of Universal Search, the response to a search query can include video, images, news and local maps, as well as text listings. Search remains a remarkable channel for capturing customers that have raised their hand and demonstrated interest in your product.
When you type a search query into a search engine and hit enter you will be presented with a search engine results page (SERP). In general, you will see a combination of sponsored links, from which the Search Engine makes its money and natural results based on the engines assessment of the best match to your query. Management of sponsored links in search engines is referred to as paid search. Taking steps to make your Web site attractive to search engines is called search engine optimization or SEO.
Display advertising tends to be regarded as a higher funnel activity than search, although behavioral marketing techniques often target consumers with demonstrated interest as well. Online display can facilitate immediate gratification because, unlike television or billboard displays, consumers can often click on the display ad and purchase during the same browser session. In general display does not justify its value solely on these click-throughs. It also creates view-throughs – consumers that see a display ad and later navigate to a site to purchase.
E-mail is a highly controllable marketing tool and can be used to great effect to spike demand for promotions either in store or online. Because of prevailing attitudes and laws regarding spam, e-mail requires a more circumspect approach than other marketing tactics, and many firms limit its use to communication with existing customers.
A widget in a social media forum such as Facebook can tap into naturally occurring social contact to deliver a marketing message. Widgets have been very successful marketing entertainment-oriented products such as movies because clips can be shared in the widget.
The most effective digital marketing technique for integration with revenue management is one that allows demand creation in a precise and focused way. Since paid search campaigns can be switched on and off with a click and no ramp-up time, it is a natural first choice for revenue managers.
What is Paid Search?
Paid search or PPC (pay per click) marketing is an online demand creation and capture process that has a lot of features that are complementary to a revenue management program. Both are highly analytic endeavors requiring detailed forecasts of consumer behavior and, when sophisticated practitioners are involved, advanced mathematical optimization techniques. In both cases automated systems have been developed to manage the large number of tactical business decisions required to maximize profits. The accuracy and velocity of automated decision support is key to the success of both processes.
Paid search and revenue management are complementary because they occur at two different points of the marketing funnel. While paid search is generally used to capture already highly qualified leads, i.e. customers who are searching on relevant keywords, it can be used throughout the advertising process from awareness and consideration through to conversion. Different keywords are important for different stages of demand capture. By contrast, revenue management stimulates or restricts demand at the point of conversion by moving price and availability. It matches inventory levels to demand forecasts to develop optimal pricing strategies that target conversion rates to available inventory. In cases where inventory is flexible, the cost of substitution can also be incorporated.
Revenue management is very effective in extracting revenues from strong markets. This often makes up for a key weakness: over-reaction and lack of precision when demand is soft. The response to soft market conditions can be to make price cuts across the board to stimulate demand. In some cases this is appropriate, but in many cases it is extremely expensive. Unlike marketing spend, the impact of price cuts do not show up as explicit expenses. However, price cuts can have a devastating impact on profitability.
When marketing and pricing are integrated, the cost of a price cut is weighed against the cost of driving extra business. In many areas of marketing practice, the level of granularity available to marketers is insufficient to create a clear understanding of the impact a specific investment on tactical pricing and conversion. Direct marketing strategies such as paid search do have the granularity to target specific timeframes and geographical locations to offset the need for price cuts. When this is combined with competitive monitoring, a clear picture emerges of where and when to deploy paid search spend and which products to discount. By using paid search in tandem with yield management, substantial revenue gains and marketing efficiencies can be realized.
Implementing an integrated program is a multi-stage process. Initial data integration for scheduled reporting can be used to bootstrap the business process changes needed. Once a business process is in place, it needs to be informed by analytic models that can calculate displacement costs, expected paid search return on investment and the intersection of the diminishing return curves of both practices. Finally, a decision-support system is required to fully incorporate the business expertise of revenue controllers and paid search marketers into the automated system recommendations.
Financial Services Example
Dynamic ratemaking presents a huge opportunity and challenge for insurance companies. One unique feature of the insurance industry is the cost of goods sold, i.e. claims, is not incurred until long after the sale takes place. This has led to tight margins that can be doubled or halved by small percentage changes in the price of a policy. Another feature is how slowly rates are adjusted in the marketplace. Ratemaking involves evaluation of risk by the actuarial team, assessment of the competitive environment by a product manager and presentation of a compelling argument to the insurance commissioner. The result is a rate for any one customer that may be adjusted only once or twice a year. If you have five competitors in the market doing the same thing, then for five out of six months your price will be either too high to convert anyone or too low to capture the opportunity in the marketplace. Without adequate rate velocity, you spend 10 months out of 12 either losing money or losing opportunity.
In the early 2000s, I worked with GMAC Insurance to launch their e-commerce Web site. Since Google was not a dominant force at that time, most online advertising was focused on banner purchases. An early PPC (pay per click) model was available from Overture, which later became Yahoo Search Marketing. Performance of the marketing program was measured in cost per application (CPA), which incented the marketers to drive traffic from the highest converting sources. This had the effect of finding holes in our pricing, i.e. segments that had been underpriced. Fortunately we had the ability to cope with adverse selection because the site had been developed with built in revenue management capability.
Insurance is priced in a two-tiered way: underwriting and ratemaking. Underwriting splits prospects into risk tiers that are associated with a base rate. Ratemaking applies additional factors that are specific to the individual applying for insurance. We introduced sub-tiers into the underwriting process that adjusted the base rates in response to changes in the conversion rates in that tier. It functioned much the same as airline revenue management does, closing lower class availability when the booking pace gets too high. Marketing spend on ads was adjusted based on the new expected conversion rates from the revenue management system.
The result was a successful Web implementation that went from zero to $2 million per month in written premium in the first six months. As well as being the first implementation of online revenue management in the insurance industry it was the first implementation of online real-time underwriting. In the early 2000s, when you applied for a policy your quote was contingent on the company verifying your information and you could get a letter two weeks later with a modified premium. Because our application process verified much of the data in real time and because revenue management provided a backstop against adverse selection, we could be confident that we were making money on the business we were driving.
Retail Example
Retail price optimization has been given a boost by rich data capture available on e-commerce sites. A much clearer picture of shopping behavior and price sensitivity emerges from a retail Weblog than from monitoring in-store traffic. It is also much clearer to customers that prices are moving as Amazon found out with their DVD pricing test [3]. Shoppers tend to be more tolerant of markdown management, promotions and other pricing actions that are familiar to them from the offline world.
However, our initial foray into online retail revenue management focused on capacity management. Our client is a multi-channel BTC (business to consumer) and BTB (business to business) retailer who runs a top-five worldwide revenue-generating site. With more than 30,000 SKUs (stock keeping units) to manage, they were having trouble matching their search marketing campaign to stock availability. Instead of developing an internal system to monitor inventory, we set up a "spider" to check the status of each item. A spider is a computer program that reads Web pages automatically. Our spider was called the URL validator because it was originally intended to check that clicking on a paid search ad did actually bring you to a functioning page. It was a natural next step to ad functionality to check if the item was in stock. Regular reports were generated, and the retailer began to make adjustments to availability levels.
But it didn't stop there. The normal revenue management reaction to items that stock out due to high conversion rates is to raise the price. Instead of changing the price on already profitable goods, the retailer chose a different strategy. One way to drive increased traffic in paid search is to increase your bid on the search engines. This will lead to your ad being displayed more prominently in the search results. Another way is to alter your creative, i.e. the words used in the ad to entice the customer. We decided to change the creative for items that were converting well to include the price. The result was a 100-percent increase in conversion rate with no noticeable loss in traffic volume. Instead of trying to extract the most revenue out of limited capacity, we increased stock levels and generated far more value from effectively communicating a great value proposition for the consumer.
Hospitality Example
Revenue management has been central to profitability in the hospitality industry for years. Travel and hospitality providers tend to be less effective at search marketing and have ceded much of their customer base to online travel agencies. We initially were asked to address an online marketing problem for a large hospitality provider that depended almost exclusively on its call center to process reservations. The job of online marketing was to drive people to the phone or else collect leads for outbound calls. The challenge to managing a campaign like this is attribution of value to the online activity. Simply setting up a unique tracking code that connected a phone call back to the online activity allowed for significant gains in search marketing performance. It was complemented with a reorganization of the search campaign along geographic lines. Areas that prove sensitive to online demand stimulation get extra funding. As we refine our understanding of click-through and conversion rates by geography, we are able to adjust our bid amount, and hence our traffic levels, to target vacancies that would have otherwise required price cuts to stimulate demand.
I have been very lucky to land in an industry that is booming. Although this article ostensibly touts the opportunity for integration of business processes, I hope it also is clear that operations research professionals are the right people to make it happen. Digital marketing has a bright future, and I have found it a very welcoming place for bearers of analytic gifts.
Kevin Geraghty (email@example.com) is vice president of research and analytics for 360i, an independent digital marketing agency based in Atlanta. A graduate of the O.R. program at University College, Dublin, Ireland, in 1985, he was a co-author of the Edelman Award finalist paper, "Revenue Management Saves National Car Rental," in 1996 and subsequently founded Revenue Research, Inc., a revenue management consulting firm.
1. Eye Tracking Report, Enquiro, November 2006.
2. Kevin Ertell, Borders vice president of e-business, Publishers Weekly, May 27, 2008.
3. "Varies Prices of Identical Items for Test," Wall Street Journal, Sept. 7, 2000.


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Pete's call woke me a minute before my alarm went off. "I don't think I can hike today" came his words and the little bit of information to indicate he was dealing with another bout of Fletcheritis. Backpacker and author, Colin Fletcher, invented the term to describe the constant pre-trip sickness that always cropped up for him before a long journey. In Pete's case his Fletcheritis has been activated by trail marathons and 50k's this year. In a sense, I was honored that my planned 30 mile walk on the Clear Creek Trail could cause the same emotional distress as running 26 or 31 miles. Unfortunately, it also meant that Pete was doubtful about finishing the big 42 mile hike we have planned in a couple weeks.
Still groggy I tried to absolve Pete's guilt for standing me up two days in a row and then put down the phone to finish my own prep for the day. At least doing the hike on my own would be good mental practice. Coffee drunk and food packed I left my door step at 6:02 for the several block walk to the Clear Creek Trail.
About one mile from home I stopped to take a picture of the lights of Denver and the Coors factory as the sun was working on breaking the horizon.
I spent the first several miles thinking about the hike I was training for and working through the logistics of water resupplies, elevation gain and food required. Redwing blackbirds called my attention to the morning light on South Table Mountain.
I only saw 4 people by the time I hit Prospect Park after 5 miles. The park looked like the scene of a safari as tens of photographers brandishing huge telephoto lens crowded the pond shores. I hope they were after photos of something more exotic than the canadian geese.
A previous training hike had taken me 7 miles from home to the far end of the park (and then I did a couple repeat laps of the earlier portion of the trail). Today I continued on the Clear Creek trail through a few neighborhoods and over a bridge near my mile 8.
The next seven miles grew silent as I moved away from Prospect Park. Only a few joggers and bikers were using those trail miles that danced with I-76 and ended when I hit a small bridge past Pecos St. I stopped to stretch and loosen a too-tight left shoe then turned back, right on my time estimate of 10am.
A few more bikers were out now and the day was really warming up. Stripping another layer my packed seemed to be full and functioned as a reminder to leave every thing extraneous behind in a few weeks. However, my left foot reminded me that ibuprofen and a minimal first aid kit for blisters should have been in my pack today.
Eventually I beat my complaining extremities into submission for at least a brief period and the miles rolled on as I re-entered Prospect Park. North and South Table mountain still looked too far away but I knew home was only another 6 miles.
I'd started jogging brief segments as that form of movement broke up the repetitive pounding on my heels and actually felt better than walking. A female runner I'd seen before caught up with me and asked what I was training for – I guess the stuffed day pack and and sighting 6 miles ago was a clue. I tried to explain my adventure to come and she was preparing for a run of the Boston Marathon. Then she speed ahead.
The last few blocks home were the worst – uphill on my cramping legs but I managed to jog a few blocks and reach my door after 7 hours and 59 minutes.


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Today's choice was a tough decision. It's the last day to name a Christmas-y movie in time for Christmas and I was down to 2 choices: Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and It's A Wonderful Life (1946). In the end, I picked the former. I love It's A Wonderful Life but I just revisited Miracle on 34th Street this past week and it was such a lovely movie that I decided to go with it instead. I'm pretty sure I'll still have this list going by next Christmas (100 is a lot of movies) so I'm sure I'll get to It's A Wonderful Life by then. In the meantime...
#8 Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
I added this movie to my Netflix queue after Motion Picture Gems did a great write-up on it. Then I watched the trailer (I do love trailers) and there was no more decision left to make: I pushed it to the top of the queue. Speaking of Netflix queues, I have a film coming tomorrow that I'm very excited about (about which I'm excited - for all you grammatical experts out there). Christmas in Connecticut. I've never seen it (can you believe that?) and I can't wait! I've seen so many reviews for it lately and I feel as if I'm missing out on a classic.
The results are in on the White Christmas poll: out of 7 votes, 4 (57%) voted for the Crooner and 3 (42%) voted for the Comic. Thank you so much for voting!
The poll this week is about kids in Christmas movies. Which kid in a Christmas movie is your favorite? Susan from Miracle on 34th Street, Susan from White Christmas, Zuzu from It's A Wonderful Life, Daphne & Vanderbilt in Holiday Inn, or Debby in The Bishop's Wife? Have fun voting!
Oh, and speaking of holiday films, here's a holiday-centric vid to get you in the mood. The performer is Emma Wallace who has a lovely blog of her own and the video was edited by, well, me. Enjoy!
Happy Holidays! Thank you for reading and thank you to my 13th follower for following me!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas isn't just a day; it's a frame of mind.
Labels: 100 movies, Edmund Gwenn, John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Natalie Wood
3 comments:
Oh, I just love that film! So happy and magical.ReplyDelete
P.S. I voted for the Crooner! Yay for sensitive boys!
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
Natalie Wood is adorable in this movie...and this is one of those mind-bending movies where one feels foolish and un-enligtened if one doesn't believe in Santa Claus. Love it!ReplyDelete
To reduce comment spammers, I've had to start moderating the comments. Thank you for understanding! I can't wait to approve your comment and engage in classic movie discussion!
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The last of this season's strawberries bake into a silky, rich custard-filled pie.
If you've read my ramblings for any period of time, you know I like pie. I love the way a simple combination of flour and butter turns into the flakiest crust, enrobing everything from berries to stone fruit to savory delicacies. In fact, I've made pie more than any other recipe on my site — Persimmon Pie, Orange Meringue Pie and Mushroom and Speck Tart, just to name a few — and I still pause a moment at the site of a perfectly golden browned crust.
While in Michigan a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but buy the last giant pail of strawberries from a local farm stand. That meant not just one, but two of these delicious treats. My newest favorite, I have a feeling this pie will be around for quite some time: it's just so easy and so good. A quick custard base is poured on top of the berries, baking into the most beautiful and deliciously creamy pie. I can't wait to make the recipe with the cherries from last week's market, or the stone fruit I'm still wishing for. It's such a simple recipe, try playing around: Swap brown sugar for a caramely undertone with peaches or whisk in a few teaspoons of your favorite liquor for a boozy kick. Even if you don't make pie as much as I do, you're sure to love this one!
Strawberry-Custard Pie, makes one 9-inch pie, adapted from Martha Stewart
For the pastry dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups small strawberries, trimmed and cleaned, halved if larger
2 large eggs
3/4 cups sugar
2 ounces butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
1. Pastry dough: Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Using two forks or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until walnut size chunks appear. Make a well in the center and pour in half the water. Mix together and add more water until the dough just holds together. Form a ball with the dough, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for one hour.
2. On a lightly floured work space, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Fit the dough into a lightly greased 9-inch pie pan and trim, leaving a 1-inch over hang. Fold the trim over and underneath itself. For a fluted edge, pinch the outside of the crust with the thumb and index finger of one hand while pushing in with the index finger of the other hand. Repeat at 1/2 intervals around the entire edge. For another edge, press to seal with tines of a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes while oven is preheating at 375 degrees.
3. Line crust with parchment and fill with baking beans or dried rice. Bake for 20 minutes, remove parchment and weights, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let cool.
4. For filling: Whisk together the eggs, sugar, melted butter, flour, salt and vanilla in a small bowl. Place the strawberries in the pie shell, completely covering the bottom, then pour the filling on top, using a spatula to smooth evenly. Cut a piece of foil twice the size of the pie, fold in half and cut out a circle large enough to expose the center but cover the edges. Wrap edges to protect from burning.
5. Bake the pie for an additional 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for one hour. Refrigerate, covered, for up to four days.