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Eleven organizations that offer legal and financial services are teaming up to offer free help to families facing foreclosure.
Eleven organizations that offer legal and financial services are teaming up to offer free help to families facing foreclosure.
The Foreclosure Prevention Partnership can be contacted through United Way's 211 call center by dialing 211 or 888-421-1266. The center will direct callers to the appropriate organization for their needs. The free services include legal advice, financial coaching, credit counseling and help negotiating with a mortgage lender.
The director of 211, Tamika Alexander, said the partnership formed a couple of months ago to bring together legal resources for families in need.
"They give us a call, we connect them with resources," she said. "If you've never faced foreclosure, you don't know who to call. We're just trying to help families facing foreclosure stay in their homes."
Most families facing foreclosure wait too late to take action, Alexander said, damaging their chances of keeping their homes.
"I think for most people it's hard to reach out and ask for help," she said.
The partnership is trying to reach out during the holiday season, when so many families have a hard time making ends meet.
"There are resources to help them stay in their homes," she said. "We want families to reach out to us."
Alexander urged families a month or more behind in payments to reach out.
She said a family less than three months behind in payments will probably be directed to a financial counselor, while someone more than three months behind will likely be directed to legal services.
United Way's 211 is part of a nationwide initiative to connect resources with people in need. The 211 call center seeks to connect callers with appropriate social services organizations in the community for their needs.


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Marching Band will be taking place this Spring as our Football season will be taking place then.
Band Camp is ONLY for NEW MARCHING BAND MEMBERS (if you have never marched before) and a few Returning Members that Ms. Skolar will e-mail.
Audition Results
Thank you to all who auditioned for Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble for the 2020-2021 school year! Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble Rosters have been posted and are available to view. If your name does not appear on either list, you will be in Concert Band!
Thank you to all who auditioned for Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band for the 2019-2020 school year! Please click the link below for the results! If your name does not appear on either list, you will be in Concert Band!
Jazz Band
Jazz Band is an extra-curricular ensemble that is open to students who have interest and ability, who are good standing members in the band program, and who demonstrate good self-discipline. The Jazz Band performs music in diverse styles of the jazz idiom including swing, rock, funk, Latin, fusion and pop at various venues throughout the school year.
Marching Band
The Marching Band is a co-curricular ensemble that performs at all home football games, several marching competitions, local parades, and Grant Pep Rallies. The Marching Band rehearses throughout the summer as well as in the evenings during the school year. Students choose whether or not they are involved in summer and outside of school rehearsals!
Pep Band
The Pep Band is an extra-curricular ensemble that performs at home basketball games.
Pit Orchestra
Pit Orchestra is an extra-curricular ensemble that prepares and performs the instrumental accompaniment for the annual GCHS musical produciton. The number of students involved varies dependent on the instrumentation necessary for each musical.
Sponsor Info
Sponsor: Ellen SkolarPhone: (847) 973-3777Email: email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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How much would you spend for a Headliner repair?
I got a quote of around $275 for the removal, sanding, and repair of my ZHP headliner (no sunroof, sedan).
I got another quote for $500 to have it done in suede, including the A and B pillars.
Are these reasonable prices? Is there anyone in the East Texas/Houston area that is especially good and deserving of recommendation?


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PARENTS4PARENTS is a new initiative aimed at highlighting the vast expertise of our parents community while helping other parents better navigate the college admissions process. aggies1989 is a UC alumnus and parent of two UC college kids. ASK HIM ANYTHING!
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"How New York's Elite Public Schools Lost Their Black and Hispanic Students"
Replies to: "How New York's Elite Public Schools Lost Their Black and Hispanic Students"
Theoden 254 replies8 threads Junior Member@ucbalumnus I don't know what the % was for F/RP lunch. I think, though, I'm not certain, that F/RP students have been recruited by private schools. If you look at profile of a lot of the elite prep schools in NYC, they all seem to have (% wise) equal or higher number of Hispanic and African-American students as the SHSAT. That's just me spit balling, I don't have all the numbers.
As I posted before, the SHSAT schools vary.
Brooklyn Tech 59 percent free/reduced price lunch, 61 percent Asian, 5937 students.
Stuyvesant 42 percent free/reduced price lunch, 71 percent Asian, 3316 students.
Bronx Science 42 percent free/reduced price lunch, 65 percent Asian, 3010 students.
The remaining five schools that use the SHSAT test for admission are much smaller.
CTTC 2453 replies166 threads Senior Member@HannaChicago has a much smaller, but academically comparable, system of public magnet high schools. But the schools reflect the makeup of the city better because admission takes into account middle school grades and census tracts, not just the test score.
@maya54Almost every student taking the test has straight As. Being from an upper income area mean there are schools (Walter Payton for sure) where you must get an almost perfect score ( greater than 99 percent I believe from what my friends dealing with selective enrollment this year tell me that if a kid got more than one wrong this year it knocked you out of contention for Payton) where student In the lowest income track could score about an 80 percent and get in.
So there is a diversity score. Are the parameters transparent to the public? Such as this census tract needs this score, or this is the results of admissions for 2019 by census tract? Or is it carefully hidden (just as colleges carefully hide their admissions stats by race)?
maya54 2676 replies100 threads Senior Member@CTTC. Not hidden at all. Based on your address you are in Zone 1-4. Different number of " points" needed for different zone in order to get in. The points you have is based on a test score and grades. It also used to be based on attendance until that set up a public health crisis in the city during a flu epidemic. Kids would drag them selves to school and spread disease just to keep their perfect attendance up
There are a million small tweaks to the system that could make it work in NY; distribution via the top students in each middle school would probably be best, but you could also do pure geography rather than income zones. Take the top X% from each ZIP code.
The point is to have factors beyond the test score to locate the talent throughout the city. Lots of colleges and private schools do it, as well as public magnets in many cities. They don't have to reinvent the wheel here.
websensation 2132 replies40 threads Senior MemberI am for pure meritocracy, but I actually don't mind a systematic preference for racial diversity in proportion to race population in ALL aspects of jobs including NBA, colleges, acting, politics. Education is just one of few areas in which Asian-Americans are well represented over the percentage of their population, but there are many other important areas where they are under-represented.
melvin123 1888 replies34 threads Senior MemberI really don't like the concept of admitting kids based on zip codes or top x percent from all schools etc. I think it is a feel good band-aid, rather than addressing the real issue of disparities in educational opportunities within the city. IMO, by the time the kids get to the 8th grade, opportunities for some kids are permanently gone. And for other kids it's a struggle on an uneven playing field.
TooOld4School wrote:You either have a merit based system or you don't. Adjusting for zip codes, school, race, and other factors is straightforward discrimination.
Of course, if opportunity to gain merit and/or score highly on measures of merit is affected by undesired discrimination, then a system based on such merit could bake in whatever undesired discrimination is affecting the opportunity to gain merit and/or score highly on measures of merit.
I used to contrast my son with one of his classmates. They had adjacent high class ranks, less than 1/100th of a GPA point apart, at a very strong, competitive school. They had very similar test scores -- my son's were a little higher (and his GPA a little lower).
If you looked around our city and near suburbs, you probably could have found at least 40-50 kids demographically similar to my son with similar class ranks at strong schools and similar test scores. There was a girl in his class who ranked just above both boys (and happened to be the other boy's girlfriend) who qualified; she and my son were both Yale legacies, too. My son's ex-girlfriend at another school was more impressive than either of them. There were kids like them at every good school in the region. All of them were great kids, very smart, very hard working, very successful. And none of them had done anything more than live up to their families' expectations for them, and follow a clear track laid down by their parents, siblings, cousins, etc.
The friend, by contrast, was without doubt the top performing Hispanic kid in that year's cohort in the region. He was going to be the first person in his family to attend any college. Everything he had done since middle school had been forging a path no one in his family and no one in his neighborhood had ever taken, and he had faced down a fair amount of pressure not to be so academic. His efforts in a family contracting business were important to the family's economic welfare, and he spent a lot of time working there. His father was undocumented, which limited to a very significant extent how willing the father was to stand out. (Ultimately, the kid had to walk away from admission to MIT because his father would not fill out financial aid forms. Another college gave him aid without the father's signature.)
You could not tell anyone who knew them that their "merit" was the same because their grades and test scores were the same. The friend had been accomplishing extraordinary things in the context of his community and his background since he was 10 years old. My son was (and is) a great guy, but nothing he had done was extraordinary. He was one of a pack of kids who were great, smart kids, and essentially fungible. They were all entitled to great educations and great opportunities, and they got them. But the friend was head and shoulders above them in the merit department.
In NYC in particular, those poor Asian students go to school alongside black and Hispanic students. They have the same opportunities as everyone else. Would you want your child denied a place for some political objective? These kids become the leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs, and physicians who might make a difference for thousands or millions of people.
It's unconscionable that a public school system paid for with public money servicing a local community discriminates against its own residents. This directly violates both the NY and US constitutions and is illegal, but that never stopped NY politicos before.
privatebanker 6936 replies171 threads Senior MemberAsian parents should be legitimately angry with the entire national admissions process.
In NYC exams schools and colleges alike.
It's sad and a shame to have students on this very site, wondering if they should hide or disavow their heritage to help get into a school they are qualified to attend.
It's sad and shocking to any fair minded person, who doesn't think a school will be too Asian.
What's does the even mean in a culture like ours, based on what you bring to the table and not based on birthright. This should ring true most especially for those who rightfully fight for equality issues at every turn.
Others being concerned that adcoms will look at their very name and perhaps discriminate against them, even if they don't check off the box as Asian.
If there is a preference in admissions based social engineering, which makes sense in the big picture — it should include American citizens of Asian heritage too.
Why don't Asian American families receive the same preference as other ses disadvantaged and historically oppressed citizens?
The cheap labor used to build the railroads, interment camps, menial labor, fleeing war torn regions, communist refugees, Pol Pot, Vietnam, and historically living on substance level business ownership in cities across the country.
I don't recall any level of national complaints or sense of entitlement from the broader Asian community. My personal view is they just kind of fight to get ahead with quiet determination.
Culturally it seems that Asian American communities have decided to study and work their way into opportunities.
No group should be discriminated and penalized for this fact.
It should be a clarion call for other communities across the spectrum - including privileged white families - to pick up their game and compete.
I am not Asian. I believe in a color blind meritocracy with a boost available to those who have had the greatest obstacles to overcome to succeed.
brantly 4325 replies78 threads Senior MemberHanna wrote:Take the top X% from each ZIP code.
privatebanker wrote:Why don't Asian American families receive the same preference as other ses disadvantaged and historically oppressed citizens?
Probably because most people look at race/ethnicity rather than less visible characteristics that are the ones that actually matter (SES, parental education, etc.). Since the Asian population the US is heavy with recent immigrants with high educational attainment (through PhD student and skilled worker visas), that causes many people to see all Asian people as highly educated and not disadvantaged, even though that is not true for all. Note that this stereotyping effect does not occur with black people from highly educated recent immigrants from Africa, due to the highly educated immigrants being small in number compared to the overall black population.
@brantly, the problem is that there are not enough good high schools. You don't just apply to Beacon or Bard and it's a sure thing--they have admission rates rivaling the Ivies.
There are something like 500 different entities one can apply to. Some are free-standing high schools, usually small (400-700 students) and sharing a building with other small schools, and some are programs within larger schools. The quality of these schools varies A LOT.
It is a truly byzantine system. and many students wind up in a specialized school because they did well enough on the test to get into one of the big three, especially Brooklyn Tech with 6000 (!) students, because the "regular" school selected for them was not as good a choice. The remaining test-in schools are much smaller, with 500-1000 students.
zoosermom 25663 replies594 threads Senior MemberThere's ZERO reason a student must go to, say, Stuyvesant over Beacon or Eleanor Roosevelt. Just as we say about colleges here, there are MANY excellent high schools in the city.
As I said in the other thread, better outreach to the Asian community would help some of those students find options that are a better fit than the SHSAT schools - which are many. Among other things, I've always thought some of the drama surrounding this issue had to do with poor communication and marketing by the DOE.
The system is wretched, as oldmom4896 indicated, but there are a LOT of wonderful choices throughout the boroughs, and as I've said repeatedly, the SHSAT schools are amazing, but they are not the best options for many/most high-achieving students.
BKSquared 1676 replies8 threads Senior MemberPosts #52 @privatebanker and #54 @ucbalumnus call out the crux of the problem, and that is when politicians use race as the basis of preferences in anything. DeBlasio and Caranza's motivation to change the metrics of admissions has very little to do with improving the quality of education in NYC generally or the test schools specifically. It has everything to do with the power of identity politics and the embarrassing nature of how NYC public schools have failed for a large group of students who need better education the most to pull them out of poverty. They want to cover up the failure by setting up a system that guaranties their desired cosmetic political outcome.
Who loses, poor Asian families. We can have a serious debate on the merits of a test only placement system for these elite public schools, but the fact is the rules and the tests are the same for everyone. A poor Asian family has no better resources than a poor black, Hispanic or white family to do test prep. The difference is family and individual priorities. Community awareness may also be a factor, but that stems from collective family and cultural priorities.
Post #50 @JHS is right on point as well. The only thing I would add to that is I would feel the same if the friend were white, Asian or any other race if they had the same challenges.
I, too, would "feel the same if the friend were, white, Asian, or any other race if they had the same challenges." But race/ethnicity is far from completely irrelevant to those challenges. If the boy I was talking about in #50 had been Asian, say Han Chinese or Vietnamese, his family could well have been just as poor (although note I didn't say his family was poor -- they were working class, but entrepreneurial and reasonably successful, just not a lot of accumulated capital yet), his father might even have been undocumented, too, but it's very unlikely that he would have older siblings who had grown up here who had not gone to college, or that no other child in his block had gone to college, or participated in a science fair, whatever . . .
Anyway, the kid in their class who had the best admissions season was the Japanese immigrant from an affluent family ranked just below them. He had the same grades as they did, minus a basis point, and also similar test scores. He had almost no traditional ECs, in part because he spent many hours per week at a Japanese school. His "merit" resided principally in the fact that everyone -- peers and faculty -- thought he was the smartest and most original kid in the class. He got into Harvard and Stanford, the only two schools to which he applied.
JHS wrote:If the boy I was talking about in #50 had been Asian, say Han Chinese or Vietnamese, his family could well have been just as poor (although note I didn't say his family was poor -- they were working class, but entrepreneurial and reasonably successful, just not a lot of accumulated capital yet), his father might even have been undocumented, too, but it's very unlikely that he would have older siblings who had grown up here who had not gone to college, or that no other child in his block had gone to college, or participated in a science fair, whatever . . .
Actually, bachelor's degree attainment among Vietnamese Americans is below the average of all Americans.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/08/key-facts-about-asian-americans/ ("Selected Characteristics" tab)
This discussion has been closed.


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Legal systems focus on rules and laws and often disregard the reality that crime is essentially about causing harm. Restorative justice, also sometimes called reparative or corrective justice, views crime as an offence against people within communities unlike the abstract legal definition of crime as a violation against the State; the main concern of restorative justice is victims' needs, how to meet these needs and repairing the harm as much as possible (Bazemore & Schiff, 2001). It seeks to expand the issues beyond those that are legally relevant, especially into underlying relationships.
Restorative justice is a fast growing social movement that institutionalizes peaceful ways to solve the violations of both human and legal rights and harm caused (Strang, 2002). It also focuses on offenders' accountability and responsibility by encouraging them to understand the harm they cause, the consequences of their actions empathizing with victims. Various forms of restorative justice have emerged including:
Victim – offender conferencing is the most appealing and common application of restorative justice. It has increasingly received the attention of criminal justice officials and other members of community as long as they realize that the current approach to justice usually neglects important dimensions of healing and responsibility (Fattah & Parmentier, 2001). It aims at meeting a variety of victim's needs such as the need for answers and restitution, it aims to bring victims into the process of healing instead of leaving them in the passive position they find themselves in within the current legal system.
At the offenders part, it aims at holding them accountable for their behavior helping them understand the consequences of their crime through confrontation and encouraging their reintegration into society without overreliance on costly incarceration.
It involves few participants. Trained volunteers contact both the victim and offender separately upon judicial examination of a given case by a court or in some cases probation service to explore what happened and evaluate their willingness to proceed. In case when an agreement is reached, the offender and a victim are brought together with a neutral volunteer mediator serving as a third party. Here the parties are introduced to each other and specific ground rules set. All facts regarding the offence are fully explored, feelings expressed and a restitution contract developed by the mediator is signed by all parties (Bazemore & Schiff, 2001). A brief report and the contract are taken back to court or the referring agency where it is closely monitored. In case it becomes a part of a sentence, it must get the final approval of the court and then become a condition of probation. The restitution agreement, however, is not as important as the opportunity victim-offender conferencing provides to crime victims to express their feelings about the offence directly to the offenders.
Victim-offender conference provides a way to include and involve victims, offender, and the community in search for resolution to the problems caused by crime. It addresses both informational and emotional needs of victims that are vital for their empowerment and development of victim empathy which can in turn help to prevent future criminal behavior (Declan, 2003).


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No. 6 Oklahoma survives Oklahoma State with stop on late two-point conversion
NORMAN, Okla. – Maybe we should just chalk it up to Bedlam. Because, well, by definition.
But let's make sure to highlight the defense, or lack thereof. Because fair or not – but it seems pretty fair, doesn't it? – every game Oklahoma plays seems marked by sketchy performances on that side of the ball. Obviously, the most important thing is winning, but the Sooners are also playing, at least in part, against perception.
Which is why even as No. 6 Oklahoma's 48-47 win against Oklahoma State keeps the Sooners' College Football Playoff hopes alive, it did nothing to further their argument. Here are three takeaways:
- Next time someone wonders why the playoff selection committee chairman often seems to question Oklahoma's defense, just bring up Bedlam.
Yeah, the defense came up with a critical stop with a turnover – nose guard Neville Gallimore forced a fumble from running back Chuba Hubbard with 6:09 left in a tie game, ending an Oklahoma State drive and setting up the go-ahead touchdown.
Yeah, after giving up a touchdown on fourth-and-12 with 1:03 left, they escaped when cornerback Tre Brown broke up Oklahoma State's two-point conversion try.
Yeah, they won.
But it's clear now that Oklahoma's midseason change at defensive coordinator to Ruffin McNeill has not appreciably changed much. For most of the day, Oklahoma State quarterback Taylor Cornelius had his pick of open receivers. To win, the Sooners must outscore opponents and win shootouts. Fortunately, with Kyler Murray and his array of weapons, that's usually doable.
- Oklahoma State's meteoric season – nice highs, weird lows – almost reached its highest peak so far. Taylor Cornelius threw for 304 yards in the first half. Repeat: 304 yards in the first half, en route to a career high 501 yards. The fifth-year senior quarterback riddled Oklahoma's secondary. Despite his yards and grit – and several drops by receivers – there were also some bad misfires from Cornelius, which led to this: What if the Sooners had faced a better quarterback? Like, say, West Virginia's Will Grier (see Nov. 23 in Morgantown)?
- Kyler Murray will get the lion's share of credit for Oklahoma's victory, because it's what we do with quarterbacks these days. But junior receiver Marquise Brown made two huge plays to help the Sooners get the lead back late in the third quarter. Trailing 35-34, Oklahoma faced third-and-12 from its 26. Brown took a short pass and then, as he appeared set to be stopped well shy of the first down, shimmied past a defensive back for a 20-yard gain. Two plays later, Brown corralled Murray's deep pass between two defenders, setting up the Sooners at the 9. They scored two plays later.
And Oklahoma's offensive line created holes for a run game that caught and sparked in the fourth quarter. On the drive to take the lead, five of six plays were runs.


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Following an upgrade of a vCenter to version 6 or later you find that the performance charts, which were working prior to the upgrade, are no longer available in vCommander®. There are two known issues which may be impacting you.
External Platforms Services Controller
Changes to vSphere 6 allow for the Platform Services Controller to be installed separately from vCenter. This necessitated a code update for vCommander, which was introduced in vCommander 5.6.0. If you are running an older version of vCommander, please upgrade to current to resolve.
Expired Certificate
The other reason this occurs is that the SSL certificate installed on the vCommander application server is not valid. vCenter 6 is much more stringent with its handling of requests than its predecessor, and requires the vCommander certificate to be completely valid. The certificate may be invalid because the name used for the certificate does not match the server, or because the certificate has expired. In particular, the self-signed certificate installed by default with legacy versions of vCommander (version 5.5.3 or earlier) is generated so that it is valid for 90 days. vCenter 5 did not care that the certificate had expired, and would fulfill requests regardless. Newer versions of vCommander create 5 year certificates.
You can confirm this is the issue by looking for errors similar to the following in your vCommander log files:
You may additionally receive the error message Unable to obtain SSO token from vCenter in various pages and dialogues while using vCommander.
To resolve, please generate a new self-signed certificate, or install a certificate purchased from a vendor, following the instructions in the KB article Generating and Installing an SSL Certificate.


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Sometimes called 'Barn Siding' because it has been used for hundreds of years and was one of the first types of siding used on barns;
Homeowners can save a lot of money over the years by using insulated vinyl sidings.
To see more information on how insulated vinyl siding can save you money on lowering energy bills, click here..Insulated Vinyl Siding.
To see more pictures of Alside Vinyl Siding click here:...Alside Pictures
To get an Alside Siding, Trim and Accessory Catalog PDF...click here.
Alside Vinyl Siding


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|Top Online Data Backup Rankings
16 Jan 2014
VARs and MSPs Recognize Intronis for its Channel-Friendly Business Model and Superior Support Services in Business Solutions magazine's Recent Best Channel Vendor Survey
CHELMSFORD, MA – January 16, 2014 – /BackupReview.info/ — Intronis, Inc., provider of world-class cloud backup solutions for the IT channel, today announced it has been named a 2014 Best Channel Vendor in the Cloud Backup category by Business Solutions magazine (BSM). This particular award is a first for Intronis and demonstrates the success of its continued investments in channel enablement, technology innovation and market leadership.
"Being recognized as one of the Best Channel Vendors is a great way to start the New Year, and reiterate our commitment to offering channel partners a best-in-class cloud backup and recovery solution that is easily branded and well positioned to become one of the more profitable and most valued services within their portfolio," says Rick Faulk, CEO at Intronis.
The 2014 BSM Best Channel Vendor Survey was conducted online with the assistance of Penn State University and captured the feedback of more than 2,500 active BSM subscribers. With more than 4,680 validated votes cast, the annual BSM reader's survey shows how the IT channel's top vendors rate across seven categories including service/support, channel friendliness, product features, product reliability, channel program, product innovation and margins. Intronis earned top marks across all categories, scoring the highest in service/support and channel friendliness.
In 2013, Intronis made significant investments to better understand, support and enable its channel partners' success. These included the creation of its Partner Success Organization, the completion of its first State of Cloud Backup Study, and several technical and usability enhancements to its cloud backup solution such as support for virtualized environments and a new, partner-branded, customer-facing portal.
Intronis was also one of the first IT vendors to proactively encourage and sign Business Associate Agreements with its channel partners, as well as offer a dedicated HIPAA Resource Center. The channel-friendly BDR leader also made available detailed battle cards to help channel partners compete more effectively against consumer-crossover brands such as Mozy and Carbonite.
"Empowering our channel partners' success is a top priority across our entire company," says Jasmine Lombardi, Vice President of Partner Success at Intronis. "It's what drives us to innovate and invest in the technology and resources VARs and MSPs need to capitalize on the growing market opportunity around data storage, recovery and ultimately, business availability."
"BSM's Best Channel Vendor Awards are designed to give resellers and MSPs insight into the vendor partners that their peers view as the best-of-the-best," says Mike Monocello, Editor-in-Chief for Business Solutions magazine. "The companies that earn the title of 'Best Channel Vendor' are among the most respected in the industry. We congratulate Intronis on its win and for earning high marks in the categories of service and support and channel friendliness."
The entire list of 2014 Best Channel Vendors is included in a special report within BSM's January 2014 edition and online at www.bsminfo.com/go/BCV2014
To learn more about Intronis online, follow the channel-friendly cloud backup and recovery innovator on Facebook and Twitter, and read the Intronis Cloud Backup and Recovery Blog.
About Intronis
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Source: Intronis, Inc.
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We have two WordPress training webinars scheduled that are completely free for DMA clients. This post contains dates, information on what's available and the registration form.
Archives for January 2014
More than just WordPress Developers?
It's the new year and time to set down some goals to make the year a successful one. Like many we've spent some time over the break doing just this and committed the thoughts to a blog post.


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The advertorial statement in last week's edition of the Mail & Guardian by its owner, Trevor Ncube, about a Sunday Times story that upset and disappointed him did not surprise me. Rather than sympathetically viewing the current adversity the M&G is facing as that of a fellow weekly newspaper, this story opportunistically exploited it.
Stripped of facile niceties and possible feeble attempts to justify, excuse or explain away what seemed like wilful misrepresentations in the story, which I too read with concern, this was a manifestation of just how unfair fellow newspapers can be, and probably calculated to discredit the M&G in a viciously competitive and dwindling print media market.
But nothing stands out more as an instance of wanton misrepresentation of the facts than the Sunday Times reporters stating that the reasons for the resignation of the editor of the M&G, Angela Quintal, "are unclear, but sources say that she was unhappy". No wonder Ncube said in response that this was unfair journalism, when all that was required was to interview her. It is a pathetic reflection on the Sunday Times not only to take advantage opportunistically of the difficult situation at the M&G but also to fail to conduct basic research.
How the Sunday Times can benefit from both the challenges facing the M&G and a distortion of such challenges is not clear and too insidious even to contemplate.
Having written for this paper over the past 16 years I can say without a shred of doubt that this country, and the print media world in particular, would lose a truly great newspaper if its current problems lead to its demise. But Ncube has made is clear that such an outcome is unlikely.
Concerning the quality of its investigative journalism and its intellectual calibre the paper is a trail-blazer with a legendary legacy.
I recall that since I was a columnist for the M&G in 2000 I looked forward with great excitement to Friday mornings to get my hands on a lovely mix of breaking and cutting-edge news stories with often scintillating commentaries and analyses of developments in the country.
So informative, thoughtful and intellectually stimulating and weighty was the paper that I and many I know would read it bit by bit, from Friday until sometimes when the next edition was about to come out, starting with news items, then the comments and analysis section and finally a focus on some or other topical issues, on education, health and so on. It was never a paper you rushed through reading. No, because its news stories were often so rich, informative, revealing and intelligent and its comments and analyses intellectually deep and thought-provoking you took your time reading, digesting and assimilating.
I recall former editor Philip van Niekerk saying to me in 2000 that those who write for the M&G can rest assured that their work is seriously read by the country's political, civil society and business leaders, such was the weight of the newspaper in the national consciousness. In this regard it was easy to argue that, although its weight may have shrunk a bit with the number of pages, as a result of tough economic times, the paper has remained sturdy on the whole, if not more so, since then.
What I do know for a fact is that ANC leaders, from the time of former president Thabo Mbeki, would wonder on a Friday morning just what would be the leading stories in the paper, almost with a sense of uncomfortable anticipation: "Let us see what they have to say of us today."
No paper, I argue, has kept the ruling party on its toes as the M&G has done since 1994, producing the most vigorously probing and courageous investigative journalism in the country. Many or even most readers of newspapers would agree with this.
I am as certain that there are many leading figures of the ANC, of the more open, progressive, and truly democratic kind, such as former president and deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe, who would not like to see this paper's demise. Unfortunately, I cannot say this of many current ANC leaders, who have often viewed the paper as an enemy rather than important, robust and courageous, keeping them on their toes and accountable to the voters and citizenry.
The M&G has become, in the public consciousness, a media institution of such undeniable importance for a vigorously accountable democracy that it dare not die.
Ebrahim Harvey is a political writer, analyst and author


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Archive for the 'Fashion' Category
Gel pen necklace
Some gel pens have a rubbery finger grip Slide the grip from the body of the pen (some take more effort than others but they do come off) Paint with glitter glue or nail varnish if liked Glue together in a pleasing design Thread a cord or ribbon through one section. Cut a pen body […]
January 14, 2016
· kathy · No Comments
Posted in: Fashion
Denim bracelet
Cut a strip of denim from a pair of old jeans and fray the long edges. Cut to fit wrist then add a hook and eye fastening. Decorate with glue on jewels.
May 11, 2014
· kathy · No Comments
Posted in: Fashion


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What is the elder care continuum?
The elder care continuum is a timeline that shows an individual moving along the aging process. You parent lives in their own home, independently and successfully with no help needed. Obviously, this is the ideal situation i.e. step one on the continuum. However, they may be diagnosed with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, or become frail. Unfortunately, they are then moving down the elder care continuum, as they require more and more help with activities of daily living, either at home with care, an assisted living facility, or then the nursing home.
Where are your parents on the elder care continuum? You need to figure out where they are on the continuum, and, thus, plan for their future. This is not as easy as it sounds, as we have a tendency to diminish or deny any aging issues or concerns. Your father may state "I'm fine, but your mother is not doing so well, but I can take care of her." You talk to your mother "I'm fine, but your father is not doing so well, but I can take care of him."
The issue is to avoid the crisis by helping your aging parents manage their care to avoid a chronic illness, which potentially could lead to the nursing home, paying $9,000 per month. You are the best judge to decide their care, and determine when and where they need it. You need to advocate and make them understand, that they have the money to pay for their care.
Sometimes, we can't be everything to everyone. You have a life, family and work obligations. Therefore, you need a team to help you manage your parents through the elder care continuum.
We have a team, to help you ensure the best quality of life for your parents, and relieve the stress of providing care for your parents. Our team consists of an Elder Law Attorney and Elder Care Coordinators. The Elder Care Coordinator is a skilled, caring and compassionate advocate for you and your parents.
The Elder Care Coordinator will:
- Identify care issues and assist in solving them.
- Assist families arranging in-home facilitate or other services.
- Coordinate with medical and health providers.
- Give support, steerage, and advocacy to prevent a crisis.
- Coordinate the transfer to an assisted care living facility, or nursing home.
- Provide counseling and support.
Your Elder Care Coordinator has intensive information regarding the prices, quality, and availability of resources within the community. As families begin their journey through the elder care continuum, it's essential to have a supportive and knowledgeable advocate to accompany them along the continuum. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!Tags: activities of daily living, aging issues, aging timeline, Alzheimer's disease, avoid the crisis, care coordinators, elder care continuum, home care, Parkinson disease, planning


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Herodotus: Literally Translated from the Text of Baehr : with a Geographical and General Index
G. Bell, 1885 - 613 pages
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accordingly AEginetae afterwards Amasis answered Argives Aristagoras army arrived Asia Astyages Athenians Athens barbarians battle brought called Cambyses Carians carried cavalry chap Cleomenes commanded consult the oracle Croesus cubits Cyrenaeans Cyrus Darius daughter death Delphi Demaratus Egypt Egyptians enemy engagement Ethiopians expedition father fled flows gave give gods gold Grecians Greece Greeks happened Harpagus heard Hellespont herald Hercules Histiaeus honour horses hundred inhabit Ionians island Ister Isthmus Jupiter king Lacedaemonians lake land Libya Lydians manner marched Mardonius Medes Megabazus mentioned Milesians Miletus Miltiades nations Nile opinion passed Pelasgians Peloponnesus perished Persians Phocians Phoenicians Pisistratus Plataeans Polycrates possession Pythian reigned rest revolt river round sacred sacrifice sailed Salamis Samians Samos Sardis Scythians sent ships Smerdis Sparta Spartans spoke stades subdued temple territory Thebans Themistocles thence thereupon things thousand took tyrant whole wife wished women Xerxes
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Page 124 - At their convivial banquets, among the wealthy classes, when they have finished supper, a man carries round in a coffin the image of a dead body carved in wood, made as like as possible in color and workmanship, and in size generally about one or two cubits in length ; and showing this to each of the company, he says, " Look upon this, then drink and enjoy yourself; for when dead you will be like this.
Page 483 - When, however, he found on the fifth that they were not gone, thinking that their firm stand was mere impudence and recklessness, he grew wroth and sent against them the Medes and Cissians, with orders to take them alive and bring them into his presence. Then the Medes rushed forward and charged the Greeks, but fell in vast numbers; others, however, took the places of the slain and would not be beaten off, though they suffered terrible losses. In this way it became clear to all, and especially to...
Page 120 - When a conflagration takes place, a supernatural impulse seizes on the cats. For the Egyptians, standing at a distance, take care of the cats, and neglect to put out the fire ; but the cats, making their escape, and leaping over the men, throw themselves into the fire ; and when this happens great lamentations are made among the Egyptians.
Page 250 - Hercules into the northern sea,7 and so to return to Egypt. The Phoenicians accordingly, setting out from the Red Sea, navigated the southern sea ; when autumn came, they went ashore, and sowed the land, by whatever part of Libya they happened to be sailing, and waited for harvest ; then having reaped the corn, they put to sea again. When two years had thus passed, in the third, having doubled the pillars of Hercules, they arrived in Egypt, and related what to me does not seem credible, but may to...
Page 148 - ... up of Ethiopian stone. Some of the Grecians erroneously say that this pyramid is the work of the courtesan Rhodopis ; but they evidently appear to me ignorant who Rhodopis was; for they would not else have attributed to her the building such a pyramid, on which, so to speak, numberless thousands of talents were expended ; besides, Rhodopis flourished in the reign of Amasis, and not at this time; for she was very many years later than those kings who left these pyramids.
Page 428 - When he was seated there, looking down towards the shore, he beheld both the land army and the fleet ; and when he beheld them, he desired to see a contest take place between the ships ; and when it had taken place, and the Sidonian Phoenicians were victorious, he showed himself exceedingly gratified both with the contest and the army. 45. And when he saw the whole Hellespont covered by the ships, and all the shores and the plains of Abydos full of men, Xerxes thereupon pronounced himself happy ;...
Page 176 - Son of Cyrus, the calamities of my family are too great to leave me the power of weeping : but the misfortunes of a companion, reduced in his old age to want of bread, is a fit subject for lamentation.
Page 18 - ... Croesus, they went away, well provided with chosen youths and dogs ; and, having arrived at Mount Olympus, they sought the wild beast, and having found him and encircled him around, they hurled their javelins at him. Among the rest, the stranger, the same that had been purified of murder, named Adrastus, throwing his javelin at the boar, missed him and struck the son of Croesus : thus he being wounded by the point of the lance, fulfilled the warning of the dream.
Page 154 - Now they determined to leave in common a memorial of themselves, and having so determined, they built a labyrinth a little above the lake of Moeris, situated near that called the city of Crocodiles ; this I have myself seen, and found it greater than can be described ; for if any one should reckon up the buildings and public works of the Grecians, they would be found to have cost less...
Page 16 - At this same time a boar of enormous size appeared in Mysian Olympus, and rushing down from that mountain, ravaged the fields of the Mysians. The Mysians, though they often went out against him, could not hurt him, but suffered much from him. At last deputies from the Mysians having come to Croesus, spoke as follows : " O king, a boar of enormous size has appeared in our country, and ravages our fields : though we have often endeavored to take him, we cannot. We therefore earnestly beg that you would...


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Aughnanure Castle
Contact Details
Co. Galway,
Tel. No: +353 (91) 552 214
Fax No: +353 (91) 557 244
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Latitude 53.419712 Longitude -9.274392
Opening Hours
Climbing and walking along the walls of Aughnanure Castle is extremely dangerous and is strictly prohibited.
27th February - 21st October
Daily 09.30 - 18.00
Last admission 17:15
22nd October - 4th November
Daily 09.30-17.00
Last admission 16.15
5th November- 15 th November
Daily 09.30 - 16.00
Last Admission 15:15
Admission Fees
Adult: €5.00
Group/Senior: €4.00
Child/Student: €3.00
Family: €13.00
Card Payment Facility
Exhibition, toilets, car / coach park
Restaurant/Tearooms: None
Card payment facility
Following Government guidelines this site is closed until further notice.
Built by the O'Flahertys c. 1500, Aughnanure Castle lies in picturesque surroundings close to the shores of Lough Corrib. In 1546 the O'Flaherty's motto "Fortune favours the strong" and the powerful Mayo O'Malleys Motto "Powerful by land and by sea", were joined in the marriage of Donal an Chogaidh O'Flaherty and Grainuaile/Grace O'Malley. Standing on what is virtually a rocky island, the castle is a particularly well-preserved example of an Irish tower house. In addition, visitors will find the remains of a banqueting hall, a watch tower, an unusual double bawn and bastions and a dry harbour.
Location: 3.5km from Oughterard off N59 - Oughterard to Galway road.
Bus Route(s): Contact Bus Eireann, Travel Centre +353 (1) 836 6111
Guided Tours:
Maximum number: 20
Duration: 45 minutes
Leaflet/Guide book: English, Irish, French, German.
Seasonal Events: Please check in advance using contact details listed above.
Photography / Video allowed: Yes, but permit required for commercial purposes.
Additional Information: Restricted access to castle grounds for visitors with disabilities.


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Branagh talks Thor
There's been some talk about how the filming of Thor has been going, a bit of mud slinging and some rumour-mongering, but the superb director and a man whom I personally admire, Kenneth Branagh, has talked about the production to try and put things right.
He's not the only one either, Anthony Hopkins leapt to the defence of the film, rather more angry than defending to be honest, playing out his character to the press. Whatever the press speculation, Thor sounds great, and Branagh agrees.
Speaking about the film, which sees the legendary comic book Norse god, his winged helmet and magical hammer, arrive on Earth and appear for real on film, Kenneth Branagh reveals why he wanted to make the film:
"Growing up, my single comic book passion was Thor...From my time in Belfast as a kid, that's the first time I came across that comic, really, exclusively, I don't know why, but it struck a chord. I was drawn to it. I liked all the dynastic drama."
The Thor film stars Chris Hemsworth as the lead character with Natalie Portman as his mortal love, Jane Foster. Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor's father, Tom Hiddleston as Thor's brother, Loki, and other big names Rene Russo, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson and Stellan Skarsgård joining the production.
The story is split between the home of the Norse gods, Asgard, and the modern real world. The story sees Thor banished to Earth in human form, forgetting his true past until one point when he picks up his hammer and it all comes back to him, in a flash.
Branagh talks to the L.A. Times about the style of the film, and just read this and soak up the way he's talking about it, far from sounding like a comic book character film, this is sounding as though he's talking about one of his Shakespearean adaptations:
"Inspired by the comic book world both pictorially and compositionally at once, we've tried to find a way to make a virtue and a celebration of the distinction between the worlds that exist in the film but absolutely make them live in the same world...
...It's about finding the framing style, the color palette, finding the texture and the amount of camera movement that helps celebrate and express the differences and the distinctions in those worlds. If it succeeds, it will mark this film as different...
...The combination of the primitive and the sophisticated, the ancient and the modern, I think that potentially is the exciting fusion, the exciting tension in the film."
However there had been some rumours of problems on the set, either because some people just can't be happy with something going right or they wanted the production to look bad, either way it was Anthony Hopkins who spoke out first:
"I am having the time of my life making Thor with Ken and Chris. They have made every day immensely fun and collaborative, and we're all puzzled that someone would fabricate a story suggesting otherwise. I'm proud to say that Thor has been one of the great experiences of my career."
Branagh opened up about the production too.
"It's going very, very well...I guess we're two-thirds of the way through the story and at this stage of the game what's surprising and delighting me is the way the cast, the ensemble, has fused together. It's kind of an interesting combination of very young and very experienced people and the double-up of that, it seems to me, is there is a lot of fire in the movie. It doesn't take itself too seriously, it doesn't try to be too solemn."
Things are sounding great for the film, and what excites me so much about it is not that it's Thor, it's because of how Branagh is talking about and approaching the film, and he's hitting it, not as a comic book character film, but as any other film, or any other Branagh film.
Now considering what Branagh has filmed so far, that's a hugely interesting list of films he has, and he's bringing all that experience to Thor. I'm so hoping that there's something special to come from this film.


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December 20, 2017 | by Miller Hollingsworth
"The folks at Bloom Communications are awesome to work with! As a partner, they provide thoughtful insight into integrated communications strategies. They tackle any marketing or PR challenge head on and deliver quality work every time. It continues to be a pleasure to provide our SEO expertise, and collaborate to give each client a well-rounded presence and voice."
~Andrew Cao, Managing Partner, Motoza


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The New Pirate's Dilemma
The Pirate's Dilemma:
The Pirate's Dilemma tells the story of how youth culture drives innovation and is changing the way the world works. It offers understanding and insight for a time when piracy is just another business model, the remix is our most powerful marketing tool and anyone with a computer is capable of reaching more people than a multi-national corporation.
To its credit, it is following its own philosophy:
Why would an author give away a book for free? Obviously it makes a lot of sense given the arguments in this particular book, but it's true for all authors that piracy isn't a threat, it's an opportunity.
There are millions of books on amazon.com, and on average each will sell around 500 copies a year. The average American is reading just one book a year, and that number is falling. The problem (to quote Tim O'Reilly) isn't piracy, it's obscurity. Authors are lucky to be in a business where electronic copies aren't considered substitutes for physical copies by most people who like reading books (for now at least).
By treating the electronic version of a book as information rather than property, and circulating it as widely as possible, many authors such as Paulo Coelho and Cory Doctorow actually end up selling more copies of the physical version. Pirate copies of The Pirate's Dilemma are out there online anyway, and they don't seem to have harmed sales. My guess is they are helping. To be honest, I was flattered that the book got pirated in the first place.
Just one problem:
To download, simply click on the link above or the book cover pictured on the left. You'll be taken to a checkout page where you can set the price anywhere from $0.00 upwards.
How much to put in?


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Most of us would like toimprove our cookery skills so why not book a class with The Cookery School next time you're in London? There are day and evening classes with a wide choice of topics from knife skills or chocolate making, to Mexican, Indian or Thai cuisine.
For those based in London, there are courses lasting six weeks (one evening each week) or even three full day courses to really get you focused. And there's a class or course for everyone from beginner to intermediate and advanced levels.
About The Cookery School
The Cookery School was founded over ten years ago by Rosalind Rathouse who was a professional cook before setting up the school to teach both adults and children. All of the recipes are designed to be recreated at home and some have been family recipes from Rosalind's mother and even her grandmother.
The teachers here want the students to gain confidence with their cookery skills so there is lots of demystifying of cookery techniques and jargon, and asking questions is encouraged. From an easy to follow demonstration at the start, most of the learning is very 'hands-on' as you create the meals with the chef circulating to help all in the classroom.
While the teaching style is informal at The Cookery School, all teachers have both the expert cookery skills you would expert and the teaching skills to know how to impart knowledge. Students work in pairs or in small groups so no-one is left unsupported. At the end of the class everyone comes together to taste the dishes and maybe enjoy an accompanying glass of wine.
As well as offering courses on cooking sustainably, The Cookery School only uses organic meat, poultry, eggs, root vegetables, fruit and wines, and over 75% of the ingredients are sourced locally.
The school also recycles all food waste, uses renewable energy in the kitchens and has a 'no plastics' policy by choosing 99% of their supplies in glass jars or tins. There is also no cling film (Saran Wrap) in the kitchens.
Perfect Cupcakes
I'd only heard good things about The Cookery School but the best way to really know about a place is to visit for myself so I tried a Perfect Cupcakes class with my young daughter.
We were welcomed by a member of staff and offered drinks before the lesson started. This was a good time to get to know the others on the course and find out our interests and hopes for the session.
The basement cookery classroom has plenty of lockers and coat hooks well away from the workstations and there was an apron ready for everyone with our name on.
The chef's demonstration workstation has a camera above and there's a screen on the classroom side of the counter so even if you can't get close to the demo you can still see exactly what's going on. Sometimes even being right next to the counter meant we couldn't see in the bowl but the camera has that angle so is worthwhile.
The ingredients were all weighed out and prepared for us in advance which is an excellent time-saver. We also discussed the type of ingredients (I didn't know plain flour was better than self-raising flour for baking cakes - obviously with baking powder added) and the importance of room temperature butter for the creaming process.
I discovered how much less waste there is with a rubber spatula rather than a wooden spoon but my daughter also noticed that meant the opportunity to 'lick the bowl' was reduced too. I also found out an ice-cream scoop makes a great measure for adding the cake mixture to cake cases. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before.
Clearly, I'm not going to give away all of the secrets from the course but I have tried cake making since and yes, my cakes have really improved. And my daughter and I are going to carry on practicing and having fun cooking together.
As our class ended with some pretty cakes to take home we were given boxes to pack them and got to try the chef's cakes from the range of recipes we were also given to take home. Probably the only negative point would be that some of the recipes are in imperial measurements and some are in metric and some in US cups so some standardization would be appreciated. But all are easy to follow and we're working our way through them all.
We all got a goodie bag to take home too with magazines, some baking ingredients as well as the recipes and cookery tips cards. We really enjoyed our morning at The Cookery School as did the rest of the class, many of whom dashed off to John Lewis, as it's nearby, to buy ice-cream scoops for future cake baking sessions.
Address: Cookery School, 15b Little Portland Street, London W1W 8BW
Nearest Tube Station: Oxford Circus
Use Journey Planner to plan your route by public transport.
Tel: 020 7631 4590
Official Website: www.cookeryschool.co.uk
Disclosure: The company provided free access to this service for review purposes. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.


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Founded in 1996, Monte Carlo Fan Company is a Generation Brands company, a leader and innovator in the lighting, electrical wholesale, home improvement, home decor, and building industries. Monte Carlo specializes in trend inspired, fashion forward ceiling fans and accessories in a wide variety of styles, sizes and finishes. Ceiling fans have changed throughout the years, but our commitment to quality and unprecedented customer service has not.
Read more
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Featuring different mounts for the widest range of lenses possible and Super 35mm CMOS sensors for amazing image quality.
Compact and highly adaptable. Ultra low light performance and infrared capabilities. Unrivalled sensitivity of up to ISO 4 million.
Setting new benchmarks in image quality and versatility, our amazingly compact professional camcorders are as good as they come.
Intuitive features and exceptional image quality, our LEGRIA range makes it easy to capture memories in vivid HD.


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Special Bulk Deal on Second Printing of Hymns to the Living God
After only three months, we have almost sold out of the first 1,000 copies of the Church Pew Edition of Hymns to the Living God. We have been delighted by the interest in the hymnal, beyond what we ever expected.
As we've stated several times, we produced this hymnal without any "market research"—we simply wanted to collect what we believed to be the best hymns in the English language. So we're very happy that so many others have found value in the hymnal.
We are considering a second printing of the Church Pew Edition, but in order to that, we would like to gauge interest. We need to have at least a basic minimum number of commitments before we do a second run.
Toward that end, we are offering a pre-order discounted price of $12 per hymnal for orders of 50 or more. The hymnal retails for $17.99 (although you can purchase it from our website for $15.99).
If you are considering a bulk order of the Church Pew Edition and would like to take advantage of this pre-order rate, please fill out the form below. Please only fill this out if you are ready to order and pay. The deadline for pre-orders at this rate is May 1, 2018.
About Scott Aniol
Scott Aniol is the founder and Executive Director of Religious Affections Ministries. He is Chair of the Worship Ministry Department at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses in ministry, worship, hymnology, aesthetics, culture, and philosophy. He is the author of Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship, Sound Worship: A Guide to Making Musical Choices in a Noisy World, and By the Waters of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture, and speaks around the country in churches and conferences. He is an elder in his church in Fort Worth, TX where he resides with his wife and four children. Views posted here are his own and not necessarily those of his employer.


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The Bafta award-winning film Operator, now available to watch online, highlights the difficulties and challenges the emergency services face when answering distressing calls
The film was part-funded by the Fire Brigades Union who advised the film makers throughout the production process.
Operator was written and directed by Caroline Bartleet and features Kate Dickie of Game of Thrones fame as the operator, and Vicky McClure (This is England 1986) as Gemma, the trapped mother. The film reaches a point of nail-biting tension as Gemma is talked to safety as she waits for the fire brigade.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: "Operator is a fantastic illustration of the skills and professionalism of control room firefighters and of the absolutely critical role they play in getting victims of fire to safety until fire crews arrive on the scene.
"The fire and rescue service is effectively being dismantled by this government, and we hope that this film will help to show that more cuts to firefighter jobs including control room staff will without a doubt put public safety at risk. We are honoured to have been involved with the making of this film."
Between 2011 and 2015 control room firefighter jobs were cut by almost 20 per cent, which means that 372 of these critical jobs were lost. More cuts are expected up until 2020.
Film credits
Written and Directed by Caroline Bartleet
Produced by Rebecca Morgan
DOP: Vanessa Whyte
Editor: Yann Heckmann
More information about the film is available on the Operator short film website.


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I am not a morning person, sure I wake up in time to get ready and catch my early train but anything else, NO! I have made my morning regime as pain free as possible by implementing seven rules which I will share below.
1. Plan your journey ahead of time by checking your door to door route online. Do not take the train/bus that will allow you to arrive with five minutes to spare. Always, always allow for delays. Looking and feeling flustered for a meeting or appointment will not put you in a good light.
2. Select your outfit the night before – from underwear to shoes (yes, I am being that specific!) Lay it out in a spare room or hang outside your wardrobe.
3. Select your handbag and ensure your purse, diary, travel ticket, mirror, umbrella and other items are packed in it.
4. Have a last minute look at your appointments. Are you required to bring any documentation?
5. If you wish to make calls or send emails on your commute, bring the necessary contact details. I use my commute and lunchtime to read the bible, other books, to send emails and make calls. I rarely make or take calls during weekday evenings as this time is dedicated to my family.
6. If you have young children, hang out their clothes, shoes, school bag (ensure homework and reading books are inside) the night before. Lay out their breakfast utensils.
7. Take out your evening meal unless you have a cook (aren't you fortunate!) or plan on eating out.
What takes ten minutes at night will take you far longer in the morning. Whether it is because stress levels are higher or you are more likely to feel pressured, I believe this to be true.
Do you agree?
How do you plan from the night before?
Do your family support you on this?


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Has your life been completely predictable? Have you ever been overwhelmed, yet at the same time, felt alone? Not one of us is immune to the unexpected challenges and storms life often presents. How we channel our emotions, where we put our focus, how we educate ourselves, and the strategies we build upon are key to accepting our circumstances moving forward.
My books reflect the universal theme of empowering people with ideas, and interventions that worked well for me during two difficult and life-changing events—my dad's Alzheimer's disease and my journey through the uncertainty generated by the diagnosis of sacral chordoma cancer. Both stories are written in a conversational style that is easy to read and understand, and both offer candid, self-reflective accounts that present the paradox between pain and contentment, heartbreak and elation, despair and hope for those with serious illness. I speak to anyone facing a huge challenge, and those close to them.
Being diagnosed with chordoma inevitably launches patients and their families into a series of life-changing experiences that few among the uninitiated can imagine. Confronting Chordoma Cancer: An Uncommon Journey provides one patient's vivid, firsthand account of navigating the unfamiliar territory of this new diagnosis….
Chordoma Foundation
…It offers hope for continued connections and engagement with the person with dementia by using what remains, by going to where the person is, and by sharing time, attention, and love. Susie and Me Days is truly a great read, but it's also an impressive guide to others dealing with the illness.
Teepa Snow MS, ORT/L,FAOTA Dementia Care Training Specialist
Each person's journey is different. I hope you enjoy and benefit from reading about mine. I would like to hear from you. Please share your thoughts by visiting my Contact Page.


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Construction is underway at the future site of the Woodward Corners Shopping Center located at 13 Mile road and Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak. Beaumont Health, the owners of the new development, just announced the first two official tenants of the new shopping center. The first is the Detroit based coffee chain New Order Coffee, and the second is none other than Mark Wahlberg with his family owned burger restaurant, Wahlburgers. Wahlberg is continuing his interest in Metro Detroit after the success of the first Wahlburgers location in Greektown, Detroit.
The redevelopment plan includes six new buildings on the site, including a luxury hotel, upscale grocery store, and multiple restaurants and retail shops in a beautiful open-air setting. The grounds will include open space that will be used as a venue for festivals and fairs. Woodward Corners by Beaumont is expected to open to the public late in 2018.
With all the commercial development and investment in the area look out for a positive impact on local home values!
See what's listed in the area right now!


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This Week's New Albums: February 2nd 2015
Bob Dylan, Indiana, Joey Bada$$, T'Pau and Diana Krall have new albums out in a quiet week for new releases.
(you can check out each of the new releases in our digital store here).
Bob Dylan - Shadows In The Night
The iconic folkster covers a selection of classics, all once performed by Frank Sinatra. Read our full preview here.
Indiana - No Romeo
The hotly tipped electro diva releases her debut album today. Read our interview with her here.
Joey Basa$$ - B4. Da. $$
The rapper releases his third album today.
T'Pau - Pleasure And Pain
The 'China In Your Hand' power balladeers return with a brand new album today.
Diana Krall - Wallflower
The multi-million selling pianist returns with the 12th album of her career.
Kid Ink - Full Speed
The rapper follows up 2014's My Own Lane with a brand new record.
Gavin DeGraw - Finest Hour: The Best Of Gavin DeGraw
The country rockers rounds up his biggest hits in this new collection.
All We Are - All We Are
The indie rockers drop their debut album today.


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Ah, half-term. How I love thee so. I intend to enjoy this week off immensely, particularly as it brings the joy of knowing that once I return to work Monday week [by which time it'll be June (already?)] there's only about seven weeks till the school year comes to a close and I can laze around for six weeks.
There's a static caravan down in Kent [it belongs to The Future In-Laws] and it impatiently awaits our arrival. It heralds a few days of Monopoly, castles, lots of alcohol, card games, reading, and a day trip to France [on the ferry no less – what's the point of being able to see nothing in the Channel Tunnel?].
But oh-my God! What about the Internet?
I have a confession to make. I am horridly obsessed with Ancestry.co.uk … I dream of Upper Marsh Cottages, Edmonton. I despair over lost ancestors who forget to appear in census'. I fail to find it amusing when the [possible] reason my grandad's auntie went to Canada as a Barnado Girl is [possibly] revealed to me. I fear that I have inherited none of the ag. lab. [agricultural labour] / blacksmith / fishmonger / milliner skills that my ancestors should have passed down to me.
To be away from the Internet will be bliss. I should learn to leave people where they belong.
In the past.
My Mumsy phoned me today and told me that she wants to be buried. We're so morbid in my family. Of course, that wasn't the reason she phoned me – the conversation just cropped up. She slagged off Jehovah's Witnesses so I scolded her. Oh, we laughed.
I think I need this break away from the daily grind of everything. Some quality time with The Blokey. If the sun shines maybe I can wear my brand new bright yellow sparkly bits flip-flops. They'll go well with nothing else I own in the clothing department.
I'm very much aware that I'm jabbering. It's partly because my throat feels as though there are sharp knives trying to cut their way out, and partly because I know that Tabatha-Cat has done smelly things in her litter tray and I'm wasting time before I have to clean it up.
Mayhaps tonight I'll win the lottery [and maybe that was a pig that just flew past my window]. I have a funny story about pigs, but I'll save it for a rainy day …
please God make the sun shine this week xxx Elsabeth


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Below follows the last sent reply to the recent Synod in Resistance letter in reply to our original letter. It is hoped that this will serve as clarification and qualification. To date, no response has been received.
Holy Synod in Resistance
Holy Monastery of St. Cyprian
P.O. Box 46006
133 10 Ano Liosia
November 8/21 St Philaret of New York
To Your Eminences, Bishop Cyprian of Oreoi, Acting President of the Synod in Resistance, and Bishop Clement of Gardikon, Secretary of the Synod,
We have received your last letter of communication in reply to our first letter and appreciate the time taken in your response. Remembering the words of St. Basil the Great that he addressed to Gregory, from his retirement in Pontus, "One should reflect first what one is going to say, and then give it utterance; be courteous when addressed, amiable in social intercourse, not aiming to be pleasant by facetiousness, but cultivating gentleness in kind admonitions. Harshness is ever to be put aside, even in censuring." (PG, Vol. 32, Epistolae, II) Therefore, let us come to the matter at hand. As we express gratitude for the reply and kindness taken to write a reply, we will equally bestow such consideration.
It is unclear for us as to whether you wish to pursue a dialogue and are explaining your reasons to consider future discussion at an impasse, or whether that impasse has already been breached and you have no interest in further discussion.
We did not consider the asking of questions itself as a hindrance to the convocation of delegates, because our impression given from your Appeal of April 27, 2012 (Old Style) was that each Synod of Bishops that stands in opposition to the pan-heresy of ecumenism would assign three delegates for that purpose (the letter states they are to be "elected", but it would be assumed on our part that any such election be ratified by the Metropolitan or Archbishop of the local Church). Putting aside the question of collective misunderstanding, our perspective– if we may be so bold as to suggest– is that few Synods among the True Orthodox have specific departments for external relations, and the single most valuable insight of your letter, long term, is that communications departments created specifically for Orthodox traditionalist Synods not in communion with each other is already a revolutionary step forward.
In point of fact our Sister Churches in Greece and Russia have such departments; our very young Metropolia did not, nor was it a consideration until your Appeal. That said, the establishment of such a commission is quite useful and will probably remain a permanent fixture. So in this, we offer our gratitude for a very practical suggestion which, considering the divisions which have plagued True Orthodox, create a unique service to the Orthodox community in making our respective positions clear to each other and to the Orthodox throughout the world.
That said, it is safe to presume that before we get answers to any of the questions we have proposed– questions, we might add, that are of interest not only to us, but to other True Orthodox all over the world, and therefore useful to clarify in future Inter-Synodal discussions– we must address the objection that we are somehow to be "excluded" from deliberations between the True Orthodox because we are in some way not "valid ecclesiastical bodies". We only wish to remind Your Eminences that the criteria that you establish will be scrutinized in the context of your appeal not simply by us, but by other True Orthodox who consider approaching you in discussion.
Your first criterion for determining a valid ecclesiastical body is "they have broken communion with their former ecclesiastical Authorities (Synod, local Churches) for reasons of Faith and righteousness, and consequently they are in God-pleasing, lawful and canonical resistance and separation" (c.1). From our perspective, our Metropolia– although we certainly don't believe it to constitute the basis of our existence– does practically fulfill that requirement. Certainly there is no doubt that the original intent of the former and "self-deposed" (if such a ridiculous thing is even possible) Metropolitan Evloghios of Milan– an intent he had stated the previous year– was to have three Metropolias, in Western Europe, the Americas, and Greece, and thus elevated our American Archdioceses to the status of a Metropolia headed in New York with practically equal rank but beneath Milan in precedence, due to the Apostolic authority of the city. When our Metropolitan Anghelos of Avlonos (who was a Bishop of your Synod) subsequently entered into communion with the True Orthodox of Russia under our Metropolitan Raphael of Moscow, originally there was support from Metropolitan Evloghios at the outset, and there was cause for rejoicing.
Without getting into the specifics of the wrangling that led up to Metropolitan Evloghios' sudden change in position within days and the Diocesan office's official demand that everyone in our communion recognize the Moscow Patriarchate, the timing of the grant of our autonomy was providential, since our Metropolitan John simply remained in communion with Metropolitan Anghelos and Metropolitan Raphael, and our own Mother Church literally abandoned all of us for the sake of recognition of– in the hope of union with– the Moscow Patriarchate. Eight months later, Metropolitan Evloghios asked to rejoin our communion, and he went to Greece, signed union documents to that effect, and concelebrated with Metropolitan Anghelos. Not long after, we had discovered through the Internet, that he was being insincere in his intent and after confirming this, we ended our communion with him as did our sister Churches. For a short period, Metropolitan John was the de facto head of what was left of what is commonly referred to as the Milan Synod and regarded as such.
During this period, thanks to the machinations of the ROCOR-Moscow Patriarchate, eight priests left us for them under ridiculous claims of "extremism"(i.e., that is, the position of our Synod that the fallen heretical Patriarchates can no longer be treated as Orthodox, which is not an 'extreme' position, but, the only logical one), since we dared to state formally what was assumed to be Synodal policy since our formation by Archbishop Auxentios in 1984! (We realize, of course that in some cases, we have failed to live up to his standards– eternal memory!)
The void left in Western Europe was obviously not something one could envision as permanent, and after some time for deliberation, we issued a statement offering canonical protection to our people in Western Europe who had no intention of uniting with the Moscow Patriarchate. Because of this opening of the doors to those in resistance to union, over a dozen priests and parishes in Italy left Milan and either joined Archbishop Onufrius of Bergamo (now Metropolitan Onufrius) or Metropolitan Anghelos of Avlonos. With the election of two more Bishops in Italy, our Synod restored self-government to Italy with the blessing of our Sister Churches in Greece and Russia.
For this we have been blessed with greater numbers and our Sacred Communion continues to grow. For our people, God-pleasing resistance is inextricably tied with our formation.
As regards the second premise: "the source of their episcopal ordinations is certain beyond any doubt from the standpoint of canonicity, and is also God-pleasing and "beyond reproach" and "unquestionable", that is free from any other form of impediment and self-interest" (c.2), we'd like to submit a short objection to things you have written, which have bothered us a great deal for a long time.
We would like to politely object to your Synod's somewhat insulting references to the former Metropolitan Evloghios (which remain in printed documents easily accessible online from 2006 and 2008) as "soi-disant", "self-called", "self-proclaimed" and the like. We beg your indulgence in explaining why.
As we understand from your history, the Synod in Resistance was formed first as the restructuring of what was the Kallistos Synod, which according to your book, "was given [Archbishop Auxentios'] tacit approval." Now we do know in fact that his Synod did not agree, and the elevations caused counter-elevations a year after its formation. It is not our task to go through the entire history of the True Orthodox Church of Greece. It is solely our point to make that unlike the Kallistos Synod– and then the Synod in Resistance– we were actually given formal documentation by the Archbishop for existence as a Western European Synod in 1984– something that was never revoked and at this point would appear disingenuous to revoke 30 years later. Certainly that Tomos has been attacked and assailed, usually due to the actions of its holder— but never the authenticity of the document or the status of the one who issued it, in any serious manner, because this is impossible. But our point is not to point this out from the perspective of arrogance, but simply the fact that if your Bishops are valid based on a generally unverifiable verbal agreement from the Primate of the local Church, then there is no sin in saying ours are valid and canonical based on a formal declaration on actual paper from that same Primate. In fact, saying otherwise would be sin.
And this leads us to simple facts. Bishops of the Milan Synod have concelebrated with your own Bishops, while Metropolitan Cyprian of Fili was still active. It is important to add the reminder that then-Archbishop Evloghios was one of the ordaining Bishops of your own Archbishop Chrysostomos. Finally, our Sister Church in Greece cannot be questioned: After all, her first hierarch was made by your own Synod, with the assistance of none other than Bishop (now Metropolitan) Agafangel of the continuing Russian Church Abroad.
Again, we don't bring this up with any malicious intent, but to state facts. Then-Archbishop Evloghios was under Metropolitan Gabriel of Lisbon– who was given the original Tomos! In 1990, as you well know, Metropolitan Gabriel departed for the Polish Church, having left the communion of Archbishop Auxentios and the Bishops of Western Europe– but Archbishop Evloghios maintained that communion. Archbishop Evloghios was made head of the Western European Synod in 1990 by the remaining Bishops. These are all well-known and well documented facts! Further, Metropolitan Evloghios remained in communion with Archbishop Auxentios until his passing, and with his successor, Archbishop Maximos of Athens, until the entrance of the notorious Pangratios (Vrionis) into their Synod, at which point relations became considerably strained.
Now, we could say that perhaps that Tomos is worthless, but then what is the value of the word of its author? If our consecrations were considered canonical by Archbishop Auxentios, and further even Metropolitan Cyprian, both authorities we assumed you recognize, on what basis do you claim that our own ordinations are not "God-pleasing and 'beyond reproach' and 'unquestionable', that is free from any other form of impediment and self-interest"? We regularly see New Calendarists and Sergianists engaged in uncanonical atrocities even during their ordinations, which, may we ask, why do they receive a "free pass"?
And this leads us to finally ask the question: practically, who do you mean by "valid ecclesiastical bodies"? On the one hand you have had an ongoing dialogue with the Bishops of the Synod of Archbishop Kallinikos of Athens, whose official position is that they are the sole and True Church of Greece. Further, officially and repeatedly, they have stated that you are a group of deposed monks. On the other hand, the resistance movement of Bp Artemije in Serbia has been of great interest to your Synod, devoting three sessions to discussing him, even though Bishop Artemije clearly states as early as an interview just this June that he considers himself a Bishop of the Serbian Synod, equivocates New Calendarists and Old Calendarists and ecumenists on the Old Calendar (when in fact the issue is ecumenists and non-ecumenists), does not consider himself in resistance, and, rather notably– stating he has no interest in discussion or joint prayer with yourselves or Metropolitan Agafangel, whom we presume has also reached out to him.
The reason we ask this is because between these two sides, there is no middle from a practical perspective. Realistically, "repentance or judgment", to use the words of Metropolitan Cyprian in his position paper, are the only realistic option for one side or the other. The problem is, in speaking to both, the question of "where is the Church?" must come up. You could claim that it is in both; but it is unlikely that either side will share that claim with you, so neither dialogue will progress very far. Ultimately, our question is– and this relates precisely to your Appeal and subsequent response to us– exactly who are you in resistance to? If we look to your endeavor to dialogue with Archbishop Kallinikos, are we now to understand that you remain in resistance to a jurisdiction of the Genuine Orthodox which formally rejects the state Churches, and by consequence those with whom they are in communion? By contrast, if we look to your endeavor to dialogue with Bishop Artemije, this would imply you are in resistance to the State Church. Certainly it cannot be both.
For our part, our Holy Synod has decreed that the fallen Patriarchs who teach these heresies are even now receiving their just compensation; and, if, indeed, they for some reason retain the Grace of the Mysteries (let us shudder at the judgment upon the heterodox who take the Mysteries and weep for their souls, if indeed they do retain these Mysteries) their sad reward is "eternal damnation to the fires of hell, as the Blessed and Holy Apostle explains" (Clergy Confession, 4,d). Thus, being under such a deadly condemnation as heretics and fighters against the tradition of the Orthodox Faith of the Catholic Church, we must pray for them, that they will accept the Orthodox Faith before death, for there is no repentance after death. For which reason, those coming to the Church from the fallen Patriarchates are received either through Holy Chrismation (Canon 95, Council in Trullo), or, if the matter calls for it, Holy Baptism (with the issue of greater economy than Chrismation being left to the Hierarchs, all operating within the bounds of the acceptable limits of economy, according to the documented tradition of the Church). For, the fallen Patriarchs, having not the Grace of the Holy Mysteries, but, yet, an outward shell, partake not in the fullness of salvation.
The time has long past for men to protest ignorance; the heresies of ecumenism, Sergianism, and modernism are well-known and deeply embedded in the fallen Patriarchates for many decades. Let it be left to any future speculators to determine at what 'time' Grace was cut off from some particular Local Church; as for today, no one can claim in all considered honesty that the so-called Patriarchates can be treated as true Local Churches of Orthodoxy. This is the position of our Metropolia after long consideration and many earnest investigations into this most serious matter (investigations that were carried out with much earnestness and sorrow, leading ultimately to this solemn conclusion as the only possible and logical one). Let all who call themselves True Orthodox affirm this.
Having recalled with much fondness the work produced by many learned members of your Synod in Resistance, we hope we have stated these things without maliciousness. Yet, we are forced, after your response, to remember, the further admonition of St. Basil that "there are however many occasions when we shall do well to employ the kind of rebuke used by the Prophet who did not in his own person utter the sentence of condemnation on David after his sin, but by suggesting an imaginary character made the sinner judge of his own sin, so that, after passing his own sentence, he could not find fault with the seer who had convicted him."
The True Orthodox world cannot be benefited by the unprofitable wrangling over matters that consist of easily solvable problems and problems that should no longer be contested issues. The propagation to all the world of a general appeal to all anti-ecumenist traditionalist Orthodox (which you say includes those who partake in the mysteries of the fallen Patriarchates), cannot be made in earnest if it intentionally excludes those who make up a noticeable portion of those professing anti-ecumenism, anti-modernism, anti-sergianism, and affirm the traditional Orthodox understanding in theology and praxis; and not only ourselves, but, the many who consist of smaller portions. Let us all avoid falling prey to that old enemy, which puts into the minds of men to wrangle for power and control, for such contentiousness constitutes the sure shame of Orthodox Christians.
We hope this has clarified your concerns and we look forward to your reply.
Committee for Inter-Orthodox and External Church Relations
Hieromonk Enoch
Deacon Finbarr Brandt-Sorheim
Deacon Joseph Suaiden


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United's newest recruit Nathan Thomas says he is 'honoured' to have the opportunity to play for the Blades.
The 22-year-old signed a three-year contract at Bramall Lane on Monday after United paid Hartlepool an undisclosed fee for his services and the winger is excited about what the future holds for him at S2.
Speaking after putting pen-to-paper, Thomas remarked: "I'm here to work hard, improve my game and progress at a great football club.
"When you speak to the manager and other people here, they are really ambitious and want to keep pushing forward. They aren't ahead of themselves but they're ambitious and that's good.
"I didn't have to be persuaded to join, the things they said to me, I bought into it straight away."
United fought off competition from elsewhere for the signature of Thomas, who added: "The people here seem really friendly and I have just got a really good feeling about the club as a whole.
"Obviously on the pitch, what happened last season speaks for itself. The same goes for the stadium and the fans.
"This is a brilliant opportunity for me. One that I'm honoured to have and aim to make the most of.
"I am attack minded, I like to get on the ball, run at defenders and cause carnage."