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With hotels, pubs and restaurants set to reopen from 4 July, two in three Brits are keen to book a staycation as soon as they can.
A survey of 2,001 UK adults by job board Caterer.com found over a third (36%) of Brits are planning to "holiday at home" this year, with most households set to spend about £960 on domestic trips.
Although Brits are keen to salvage their holidays, over half (53%) said they would not book a "staycation" unless restaurants, pubs and bars were open in the area.
In the current climate, two in five (38%) holidaymakers will be looking for more secluded locations, such as Cornwall (16%), the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District (14%), Wales (13%), Devon (12%).
READ MORE: Europe's Hot New Investing Theme — The Staycation
However, the capital remains popular, with 14% of Brits planning to visit London over the summer.
Other popular locations include old favourites Blackpool (6%) and Bournemouth (6%).
"The industry has been adapting rapidly to not only comply with government regulations, but also align with changing customer expectations and needs," said Neil Pattison, director at Caterer.
"Our research demonstrates just how valuable hospitality businesses are to consumers, with the majority of people saying that their decision on whether to book a staycation relies heavily on restaurants, pubs and bars being open.
READ MORE: The best Airbnbs in Cornwall and Devon for your first post-lockdown staycation
"The industry is looking forward to welcoming back loyal customers to help kickstart the economy."
As hospitality businesses around the UK strive to recover from forced closures, they are also working hard to respond to changing customer preferences by training up staff and adapting offerings.
Over a quarter of people (29%) are more likely to consider using room service to avoid contact with others, and a third of customers expect to be able to find readily-available hygiene protocol online before booking.
In order for people to feel safe while travelling, customers would like to see hotels, restaurants and pubs up-skill staff, increasing training in hygiene (54%) as well as limiting the number of guests (49%) and providing PPE for all workers (38%).
READ MORE: What to wear for a seaside staycation
In an effort to help the domestic tourism and hospitality industries that have missed out on the May bank holidays this year, reports suggest the government is considering introducing an extra day of holiday in October.
Over half (52%) of Brits said they are in favour of this, and two in five (39%) said if it is to go ahead, they will likely plan a staycation for the long weekend.


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Our latest articles and events
Seven steps to build and motivate a strong team
Building a successful team takes more than just finding a group of people with the right professional skills. Find out how you can build and motivate a strong team in your company.
Pension withdrawals top £30bn
Data suggests that lower, more regular pension withdrawals is becoming the norm. Do your staff understand their pension withdrawal options and the tax implications of doing so? Find out more.

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Mantin sign board
September 8th, 2017
The Kg Hakka Mantin history and culture goes back six generations. These early settlers worked in the tin mining industries, rubber plantations and fruit orchards that make up the backbone of the country's economy. The villagers didn't think they needed a sign at the main entrance to their village until recently when their homes were threatened with forced eviction. Rakan Mantin help put up the sign.
Villagers and friends help to put up the new sign
Victor Chin help to do the lettering on the sign board
Merdeka and Mantin
September 7th, 2017
Mantin village was there before Malaysia's Independance in 1957. It is an early Chinese settlement, over a 100 yers old, thriving at one time but not almost forgotten, in the state of Negeri Sembilan. There are still a few traditional families there fighting to continue to keep their homes from forced eviction. Their families hard work to help build the country is all but neglected and unjust. To read more
Rakan Mantin and villagers in front of grandma Kong's house one of the oldest families there.
Freedem Film Festival
September 7th, 2017
The Malaysian Freedom Film Festival 2017 2to9 September in Petaling Jaya. The film network put together many workshops to encourage film making to give voice to the voiceless. I was involved in a workshop to help senior citizens to make films related to the issues of growing old.
To read more
The film making workshop with the senior citizens.
Managing change
August 20th, 2017
The Urban Heritage and Community Development International Field School jointly organised by National University of Singapore, University of Malaya and Chulalongkorn University, was based in Ban Panthron, Bangkok, July 3-24, 2017. Rakan Mantin was invited to take part and not only present the Kg. Hakka Mantin story of heritage community fighting to safeguard their 100 years old village but also share the filming documentary skills with the students. It was important to share with the students what independent activists are doing in the region.


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Another year-end release that only the Hollywood Foreign Press and eventually the Academy could love. Remember, this was the year of Do the Right Thing, My Left Foot, and Drugstore Cowboy, the critics' choices. But it was Driving Miss Daisy, which won the hearts of the HFPA and eventually audiences worldwide.
The film cost less than $8 million and grossed over $150 million. It was a low budget Zanuck/Brown Company release, with no movie stars in the cast, based on a play that was produced off-Broadway, but which after winning the Pulitzer Prize for drama transferred to a Broadway theater and ran for 1,200 performances. Richard Zanuck and his wife Lili Fini bought the screen rights and guided it to the screen, promoting it themselves, knowing that it needed Golden Globe recognition if it was ever going to find an audience.
Soon after the Globe nominations were announced, word of mouth quickly spread and it became the film everyone wanted to see. But of course it wasn't the HFPA that made that possible; it was the casting of 80-year-old Jessica Tandy and 50-year-old Morgan Freeman as the matriarchal Jewish retiree and her African American chauffeur. In a word, they were a dream team, and to no one's surprise, both won Best Actor and Actress Golden Globes that year.
The film had a number of distinctions. It was the only Golden Globe Best Picture winner whose director Bruce Beresford wasn't nominated. Beresford also failed to win an Oscar nomination. Jessica Tandy is still the oldest actress ever to win a Golden Globe. And the musical score performed entirely by Hans Zimmer was done electronically using samplers and synthesizers without the use of a single live instrument.
Ironically, 1989 was a great year for comedies. Others nominated were When Harry Met Sally, The War of the Roses, Shirley Valentine, and the lone musical animated feature The Little Mermaid. Mermaid picked up two Golden Globes for Best Musical Score and for Best Song, "Under the Sea," which also won the Oscar. Other nominees in the Golden Globe Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy category were Billy Crystal for When Harry Met Sally, Michael Douglas for War of the Roses, Steve Martin for Parenthood and Jack Nicholson for Batman.
Jessica Tandy's competition were Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally), Meryl Streep (She-Devil) and Kathleen Turner (War of the Roses.) One irony worth noting: Morgan Freeman created the role of Hoke in the Off-Broadway production and was cast in the movie. Jessica Tandy created the role of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire, but Vivien Leigh got the part.


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The pre-order of Oculus Rift has just started but many people were complaining due to its US$599 price tag which is quite high. Personally, I am not that happy with the price either but I understand the reason behind it. Palmer Luckey, the original founder of Oculus gave us the explanation on Reddit as below.
I handled the messaging poorly. Earlier last year, we started officially messaging that the Rift+Recommended spec PC would cost roughly $1500. That was around the time we committed to the path of prioritizing quality over cost, trying to make the best VR headset possible with current technology. Many outlets picked the story up as "Rift will cost $1500!", which was honestly a good thing – the vast majority of consumers (and even gamers!) don't have a PC anywhere close to the rec. spec, and many people were confused enough to think the Rift was a standalone device. For that vast majority of people, $1500 is the all-in cost of owning Rift. The biggest portion of their cost is the PC, not the Rift itself.
For gamers that already have high end GPUs, the equation is obviously different. In a September interview, during the Oculus Connect developer conference, I made the infamous "roughly in that $350 ballpark, but it will cost more than that" quote. As an explanation, not an excuse: during that time, many outlets were repeating the "Rift is $1500!" line, and I was frustrated by how many people thought that was the price of the headset itself. My answer was ill-prepared, and mentally, I was contrasting $349 with $1500, not our internal estimate that hovered close to $599 – that is why I said it was in roughly the same ballpark. Later on, I tried to get across that the Rift would cost more than many expected, in the past two weeks particularly. There are a lot of reasons we did not do a better job of prepping people who already have high end GPUs, legal, financial, competitive, and otherwise, but to be perfectly honest, our biggest failing was assuming we had been clear enough about setting expectations. Another problem is that people looked at the much less advanced technology in DK2 for $350 and assumed the consumer Rift would cost a similar amount, an assumption that myself (and Oculus) did not do a good job of fixing. I apologize.
To be perfectly clear, we don't make money on the Rift. The Xbox controller costs us almost nothing to bundle, and people can easily resell it for profit. A lot of people wish we would sell a bundle without "useless extras" like high-end audio, a carrying case, the bundled games, etc, but those just don't significantly impact the cost. The core technology in the Rift is the main driver – two built-for-VR OLED displays with very high refresh rate and pixel density, a very precise tracking system, mechanical adjustment systems that must be lightweight, durable, and precise, and cutting-edge optics that are more complex to manufacture than many high end DSLR lenses. It is expensive, but for the $599 you spend, you get a lot more than spending $599 on pretty much any other consumer electronics devices – phones that cost $599 cost a fraction of that to make, same with mid-range TVs that cost $599. There are a lot of mainstream devices in that price-range, so as you have said, our failing was in communication, not just price.
Now, come to think of it. Oculus was targeting mainstream audience back then with its original concept. But now, the price is not quite acceptable for mainstream audience. Not to mention the recommended PC specs needed to handle VR just fine. Intel Core i5 4590, Nvidia GeForce GTX 970, and AMD Radeon R9 290 is not a mainstream tech at all. The PC with those hardwares usually ended up between $1000 to $1500 (exclude monitor, audio, mouse, and keyboard). For the majority of enthusiast or hardcore PC Gamer, I know some of you might spend more than $599 for the monitor. So, with all of the technology inside the Oculus Rift, I can understand why the price is so damn expensive. Instead of developing half-cooked technology that won't give you enough satisfactory for the long run, Oculus has decided to built something better than can satisfy their users in the longer run.
It is impossible to make everyone happy, but Oculus will always do what makes VR successful in the long run, at the high end and low end.
— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) January 7, 2016


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How Much Boost is Too Much? This Guy Finds Out The Hard Way!
This is one of the most insane engine explosions you will ever see, I can guarantee that! Maybe not the actual explosion itself, which is big but certainly not extraordinarily large. But the carnage left behind after the explosion is easily some of the most complete engine destruction we have ever seen! It's a shame to see a car as cool as this Holden Commodore Wagon lose it's powerplant, but at least it did so in pretty spectacular fashion, giving us quite the show as it took it's last breath around the 40' mark of this Australian drag strip. As we dive into the details of the build, however, it becomes pretty clear why the bottom end gave up the ghost. The engine was pretty much stock, at least as far as the bottom end goes. Trying to cram enough boost into a 355" bottom end with little more than a stroker crank to give it a little more displacement. The pistons are still forged cast iron slugs that came from the factory, so the fact that this engine survived at anywhere near the 1,200 estimated wheel horsepower is somewhat of a miracle on it own. The block is a factory two-bolt piece and when the car's owner, Andrew Darby, tightens the screws on the wastegate just a little more to crank the boost even higher, the block itself decides to express it's unhappiness by cracking from the front nearly all the way to the back. And this isn't your everyday, run-of-the-mill cracked block, this is "look inside and see rods and the crankshaft itself peeking back at you through the gaping wound in the side of the engine. Of course, in true gearhead style, we fully expect to see Andrew with the wagon back up and running, perhaps this time with a little beefier bottom end that can handle a little more boost!


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By George Tzinas, Chief Experience Officer, Benefitalign
Some have compared the changes in health care to the changes that occurred in the retirement industry 30 years ago when companies switched from pension plans to 401(k) plans and put the responsibility on consumers to pick investments. But George Tzinas, chief experience officer at Benefitalign, says it is not the same. If consumers make a mistake in their retirement planning it may not impact them for years, but if they make a mistake in benefit planning, they will feel the impact as soon as they need to see a doctor or fill a prescription, he says.
Read the whole article here.


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Melbourne City Day Trip Attractions
We believe that spending some time exploring the city on your own would get you to know the city better. We have put together the following a list of destinations which we recommend you to enjoy at your own pace.
Address: Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Address: 513 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Address: Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne VIC 3001
Address: National Gallery of Victoria, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3006 / Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004
Address: 525 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Address: Elliott Avenue, Parkville VIC 3052 ( Open From 9 AM to 5 PM)
Address: Swanston St & Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000
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Ross Barkley says he is ready to step up and help fill the gap at Chelsea left by Eden Hazard's departure for Real Madrid.
Hazard was Chelsea's top scorer and supplier of assists in the Premier League last season, with 16 and 15 respectively. Barkley, who scored three times and set up five goals in 27 league matches, 14 of which were as a substitute, accepts he and others must ensure Hazard is not missed.
"You have to fill in," the midfielder said. "Everyone in the squad understands he was a great player but he is gone. He has new challenges now and we have to replace his goals and create the chances. We have that much quality in the squad we will all step up to the plate."
Barkley scored a stunning free-kick in Sunday's friendly at Reading, having also found the net in a win over Barcelona in Japan, and was forthright when asked whether he was ready to take responsibility. "Yes, of course," he said. "Last season when Eden wasn't playing we still won games, we still created chances. We know he is an exceptional player but we have exceptional players in the squad.
"We have young ones that will step up and produce the goods as well. We have Callum [Hudson-Odoi] coming back from injury and we have signed Christian Pulisic – he is an exceptional talent. We have wingers who can create from tight positions, players who can shoot from distance and strikers – young and experienced – who are hungry for goals."
Frank Lampard has changed Barkley's role, with greater emphasis on getting into the box and being "hungry for goals" too. "I have been playing a bit further forward, to think like a striker, especially as a No 10, but try to help out defensively and work hard off the ball."
Barkley is enjoying playing under Lampard, whom he said had the squad "doing double sessions all the time".
"He is one of my idols as a kid. I was always watching Match of the Day; you always saw him every week scoring goals. He's got all the respect from the players for the player he was and the person he is."


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Catch Reactor Cricket Ball
Catch Reactor Cricket Ball
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Available in red to mimic the look a cricket ball, the Catch Reactor should be an essential item in a coach's box of tricks ready to test his players to the limit.
- Improves reflexes, reactions and coordination with random bounce
- Ideal for catching practice
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It's easy to remove foods containing animal products from our home, because we buy groceries every week, but what about all the leather, wool and down amongst my belongings? Am I supposed to throw it all out straight away, or what? What do people do?
When I decided I wanted to be vegan, I really only thought about the changes I'd have to make to my diet. It wasn't THAT much different to being vegetarian…apart from cheese…but the images of those bobby calves take away that craving every time it hits.
Non-vegan stuff
Now I've come to realise that there's a lot more to giving up animal products than dealing with the cheese cravings. I have all this STUFF—a down doona (as I've mentioned before), a lovely woollen blanket, several pairs of leather shoes and boots, a pair of ugg-type sheepskin boots, a pair of possum bed socks, a leather watch band, and as a knitter, I have not only a lot of hand-knitted scarves and jumpers, but also a stash of yarn—mostly wool. I'm just soooo thankful we didn't buy a leather lounge suite in the 90s, like so many of our friends did!
If I had a ton of money, I'd (somehow…responsibly) get rid of all these possessions and buy replacements—but I don't. Or I could keep using all these things and wait until I can afford replacements…but they're all looking creepier and creepier the more I allow myself to think about where they came from.
Going vegetarian
I'm reminded of many years ago, when we made the decision to stop eating meat. We still had some fresh fish fillets in the freezer. We were really poor at the time, and the fish fillets had been a bit of an extravagance, so we reasoned that we'd eat them, but that would be it, we'd never buy any more.
Well, those fillets sat in the freezer for months, until I finally decided I'd better throw them in the bin before somebody cooked them and made themselves sick. You see, once I made the decision to stop eating meat, and let myself think about animals and abattoirs and suffering and pain, those fish didn't look very appetizing any more. They looked like old dead things in the back of my freezer, and I just couldn't bring myself to look at them, let alone eat them.
Going vegan
Now, almost 20 years later, I've stopped consuming all animal products and I've found that a similar thing is happening. We said we'd just finish the mozzarella and parmesan in the fridge and then we wouldn't buy any more. Well, the cheese just sat there and went mouldy, and finally ended up in the bin, just as those fish fillets did all those years ago.
I figured that with all this non-vegan STUFF I have, that I'd try a similar thing. I'd just keep using it but not buy any more. Then when they wore out, I'd buy non-animal replacements.
I've already mentioned my down doona dilemma, but I'm having similar problems with leather and wool. I'm just horrified that they're here. It's been easy to avoid leather handbags over the years, but shoes are a different matter because it's hard to find comfortable, non-sweaty, non-leather shoes…at least I think it is…I suppose I've never really looked until now.
When we recently visited Edgar's Mission, I was really hesitant to wear my leather Blundstone boots. It may have been my imagination (I'm pretty sure it was), but when I walked in, I felt like everyone stopped and gasped and went silent for a moment. OK, maybe I WAS imagining it. Anyway, I quickly mumbled something about having left something in the car and headed back to change into my new, horribly uncomfortable gumboots.
If only I had alternatives for all my footwear. My only non-leather shoes are runners, thongs, canvas espadrilles and a hideous, old pair of purple Crocs (god forbid that I should end up wearing those!). I only have leather shoes and boots for work—at this stage. And I can't afford to replace my boots, hiking boots or dressy shoes right now. (I've spent too much money on vegan books and donations to animal charities lately!).
THE PLAN…for now
So, what do I do? Here's the plan (for now). If I can get one pair of multi-purpose, good shoes that I can use for work and going out, and then avoid everything else as much as possible until I can replace them, that's probably the best I can do.
With winter coming on, I might have to live with the doona and/or woollen blanket (and resulting nightmares) for a little while, and I'm going to be on the lookout for some nice warm, vegan knitting yarn very soon. I just hope I don't end up keeping it all for a few months and then throwing it all into the bin with the fish fillets, mozzarella and parmesan…


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Recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as a Missouri & Kansas Rising Star (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) – an award presented to the top 2.5% of attorneys in Missouri and Kansas under the age of 40, internationally distinguished as a Leading Lawyer on Lawyer Monthly Magazine's Global 250 list (2014), and honored by the legal community with the highest attorney Avvo-rating of "Superb", Casey Connealy is very well-respected in the Kansas City legal community.
Known for his ability to reduce estate taxes, to minimize or avoid the nightmare of probate and, most significantly, to deliver well-crafted Estate Plans to clients based upon their lifestyles, professions, and specific situations, Mr. Connealy takes definitive measures to analyze updates in the Estate Planning industry and compare them to the various challenges his clients face daily.
Regularly called upon by local and national financial experts for niche Estate Planning matters, Mr. Connealy has most recently presented to an audience of 100+ financial professionals with Ameriprise Financial Advisors, to the H&R Block World Headquarters in Kansas City, the National Business Institute, and numerous continuing education classes for financial professionals, as well as to the general public.
A lifelong resident of Kansas City, he earned his Juris Doctor, Masters in Business Administration and undergraduate degrees from the University of Kansas. He is a member of the prestigious American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, as well as the individual Kansas and Missouri Bar Associations.
Married with three beautiful daughters, and most recently a son to join the Connealy clan, he strives to balance his time between having tea parties and building elaborate castles with his three young girls, volunteering at his local parish, and teaching his oldest daughter to play the piano.
He is a published co-author of the book Midwest Estate Planning a guide for your family


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Water ingress is the leading cause of building structure damage. From causing structural timbers to rot or cement mortar to degrade and crumble all causing detrimental effects to your building.
Plumbing & Drainage in Lancaster
Top Access Solutions
Protect Your Home, Protect Your Guttering
At Top Access Solutions, we have highly skilled tradesmen that can repair/ replace any hard to reach pipework, this includes downpipes, greywater/ soil pipes.
By using ropes and harnesses, technicians can access areas quickly, unobtrusively and often for a fraction of the cost of traditional methods such as scaffolding and cherry pickers.
Plumbing & Drainage in Lancaster
Are you in need of plumbing and drainage services in Lancaster or the rest of the North West? Then call us at Top Access Solutions Ltd today for help.Call Us Today: 07949 836 862


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Tag Archives: domestic violence
On SAGE Insight: Prevalence and Predictors of Violence Against Women in Pakistan
From Journal of Interpersonal Violence Pakistani women live in a culture of silence. Across investigations, only one third of women will report intimate partner violence to a family member. When combining high prevalence rates with a low likelihood of reporting, … Continue reading
On SAGE Insight: Culture, Empathy, Gender, and Domestic Violence Predict Animal Abuse in Adolescents
Article title: "It's a Dog's Life": Culture, Empathy, Gender, and Domestic Violence Predict Animal Abuse in Adolescents— Implications for Societal Health From Journal of Interpersonal Violence This study investigated the ramifications of animal abuse in an environment wherein the national … Continue reading
Can football (soccer) tournaments trigger domestic abuse?
Can the FIFA World Cup football (soccer) tournament be associated with an increase in domestic abuse? From Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Soccer continues to evolve as a global business; the English Premier League, for example, involves 337 … Continue reading
Effect of type and severity of partner abuse on women's health, quality of life and help seeking
Effect of type and severity of intimate partner violence on women's health and service use: Findings from a primary care trial of women afraid of their partners From Journal of Interpersonal Violence Intimate partner violence (IPV) has a major impact … Continue reading
Women in prison: An issue of blaming the individual for social problems
Experiences of interpersonal violence and criminal legal control: a mixed method analysis From SAGE Open Researchers have long claimed that physical abuse and marginalization lead to criminal activity; however, women in prison are taught to overlook socioeconomic issues and blame … Continue reading


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How it all started
Software engineers and ex Oracle NetSuite & Amazon employees, Joaquin Varela and Tomas Piaggio founded CreateThrive to deliver tailored software solutions and consulting services. Based in Uruguay, our team is English-fluent, culturally aligned, and operate within the same time zones as our clients. Before the beginning of our journey as a company, our work in multinational companies gave the team an invaluable experience and set of skills.
NetSuite SuiteCommerce + Oracle
While at Oracle NetSuite, the team was working with SuiteCommerce Advanced technologies, building ecommerce sites for big multinational companies such as Snapchat, American Express Global Business Travel, Billabong, Girl Scouts and Maclaren. This years of experience in the NetSuite business were extremely important, the team got to learn SCA from the people who wrote it, while developing complex customizations for demanding clients. We also became NetSuite SuiteCommerce Advanced certified developers.
Amazon: Big Data Architecture
We were really happy working in Oracle with NetSuite technologies and while we love SCA, you can't say no when Amazon knocks the door. We left our home country and went abroad to work for Amazon in the ICQA department. This was the real beginning for us in terms of Software Engineering because in a company like Amazon you encounter problems and situations you wouldn't find anywhere else, and what's a more valuable experience than that? Big Data and architecture challenges were a daily part of our work and responsibilities there and we're still in touch with our co-workers and managers.
Growth and Development
CreateThrive was founded with one simple goal: Gather all the expertise generated in the past years and create the Software Agency we dreamed of working on. We decided to continue working with NetSuite SuiteCommerce Advanced projects - we know how to do it and we do it well - but at the same time diversify the business areas. We partnered with Analytics Fire (Silicon Valley Startup) and TavanoTeam (SCA consultants) and started building a team of talented engineers capable of delivering high quality software.
And this is just the beginning of our journey.


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Throughout the course of my wedding photography journey, I have came across couples from all walks of life. It is no exaggeration to say that many unforgettable memories have been formed after having met them and sharing their most intimate moments on their biggest days of their lives, and for that I am grateful. You might remember Colin and Charlene from an earlier engagement post, where we have a little escapade in a rustic forest. Having spent a day with them made it really comfortable to capture the numerous moments on the wedding day, as they were super easy-going and allowed Tommy and I fully to let our creative juices flow.
Their morning was not the typical kind of hectic Chinese customary though – while we had the usual gatecrash games and tea ceremony, they decided to dispense with the traveling in between the bride's and groom's houses. Instead, they decided to give their bridal party a breakfast treat at Dutch Colony cafe, which was just a stone's throw away from their place. Needless to say, our stomachs were well taken care of!
Their dinner was an unforgettable experience as well, held at Mandarin Oriental hotel, where Charlene had a huge part in brainstorming the dinner reception area. They were an extremely hands-on couple, even designing their own macaron wedding cake, which I totally love it for the meaningful phrase perched on top of it – 'You're my greatest adventure'.
Sometimes I cannot believe how lucky we can get when such couples hire us, and for us it is such a huge honour to be able to document such an eventful day. Thank you so so much, Colin and Charlene, for believing in us, and for giving us this opportunity to witness something special. All the best for the next chapter in your lives!
-HL and Tommy, Visual storytellers @ Framewerks


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Daydream Ready Smartphones 2017
You know what Google Daydream is, right? It can run apps and games downloaded from the Play Store making it easy to find experiences to use on your headset. There are over 50 apps and games available on the platform. Netflix, HBO and Hulu will all have Daydream ready apps in the coming months, plus.The New York Times will launch an app too for its VR videos.
Google's big push into smartphone-based virtual reality has only begun to take form. Daydream doesn't work like cardboard at all. Daydream requires a combination of software and hardware specs that Google themselves mentioned and posted. Also, there aren't many phones that currently work with Google's Daydream VR because it is new. It first launched in November only on the Pixel and Pixel XL, but in recent weeks it has expanded to others, including the Moto Z and Moto Z Force.
We can tell that in 2017, most flagships phones will likely have all of the necessary components to work with Daydream. Here's a very short list of devices that Currently support daydream.
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel XL
- Motorola Moto Z
- Moto Z Force
- Huawei Mate 9 Pro (coming soon)
- ASUS ZenFone AR (coming soon)
- ZTE Axon 7 (coming soon)
Google Pixel Devices
Google Pixel and Pixel XL, both Pixel phones are Daydream ready, and come with Daydream pre-installed. These phones are each packing an impressive Snapdragon 821 processor with 4GB of RAM and an AMOLED display, but the smaller Pixel is 1080p while the larger Pixel offers a QHD display. This means the larger pixel will offer a better VR experience in general.
Moto Z and Moto Z force
The Moto Z is the first handset, outside Google's Pixel line-up, to receive support for Daydream View. The original Moto Z and the shatterproof Moto Z Force both are Daydream ready. They have now been updated to Android 7 Nougat, so, Daydream app can be installed from the Google Play Store. These phones have a Snapdragon 820 processor with a 5.5-inch QHD AMOLED display and 4GB of RAM.
ASUS ZenFone AR
"The ASUS ZenFone AR will offer immersive Daydream experiences with its WQHD Super AMOLED 5.7 inch display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor."
"In addition to being Daydream-ready, the ZenFone AR will also be Tango enabled."
ASUS Zenfone AR is the first smartphone to have 8GB of RAM packed inside. It also has a Snapdragon 821 processor and a 5.7-inch AMOLED display with a 1440×2560 resolution. Graphics are handled by a Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU, which, when combined with the high-res screen, offer an amazing mobile VR experience.
Huawei Mate 9 Pro + Porsche Design Mate 9
Huawei announced during CES that the more premium of its two Mate 9 flagships, the Pro and Porsche Design would support Daydream in a future update. The news comes via a post on Google's official blog. These flagships come with Kirin 960 processor and 6GB of RAM, there is plenty inside to power the 2560×1440 pixel display.
ZTE Axon 7
"Google has yet to officially recognise the ZTE Axon 7 as a Daydream ready phone."
The ZTE Axon 7 was technically the first phone to claim Daydream support, but it took until early February 2017 for the phone to actually get updated to Nougat. With its 5.5-inch WQHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 820 processor, and 6GB of RAM onboard this phone is a powerhouse.
There are many reasons why current Android flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and OnePlus 3 do not support Daydream.
"Daydream-ready headsets are designed for the high-quality mobile VR experiences that Daydream enables. Unlike the Google Cardboard viewer, they are designed for extended use. Instead of a trigger button, users interact with VR applications using the Daydream controller."


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In partnership with the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) and the State Justice Institute (SJI), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) released the bench card Access to Juvenile Justice Irrespective of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE), provides guidance on working with youth or other juvenile court participants that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and gender non-conforming youth (LGBTQ-GNC). The card discusses factors that should be considered throughout a young person's court involvement as well as unique considerations during specific stages of a case. The card highlights a need for ongoing training in this area and provides additional resources where judges can learn more about best practices.
2017 Inglés
Literatura Gris Guía
Observatorio Internacional de Justicia Juvenil (OIJJ). Fundación Belga de Utilidad Pública
Todos los derechos reservados
Sede Social: Rue Armand Campenhout, nº 72 bte 10. 1050. Bruselas. Bélgica.
Tlf: 00 32 262 988 90. Fax: 00 32 262 988 99. email@example.com


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We all know that data is the fuel that powers business growth today. Making the most of that data depends on getting it into the hands of business stakeholders so they can model, manipulate, and understand it better. The business analytics solution you choose will have a big impact on your organization's success.
If you're exploring data analytics solutions, you've got plenty of choices, including Oracle Analytics Cloud, Microsoft Power BI, and the desktop-based Tableau. But how can you tell which is best for enterprise-class insights? Over the last few months, I've had a chance to speak with industry experts about how these leading solutions compare to one another in terms of capabilities, scope, and usability. When you compare capabilities, experts agree that Oracle Analytics Cloud delivers the most complete, intuitive solution for scaling analytics to the enterprise.
Are You Really Seeing the Big Picture with Tableau?
Data visualization is a big part of unleashing the potential of data, but it's only part of what's required. To deliver a real payoff, you need business analytics that can go beyond just presenting data—you need business analytics that can go deeper into business processes themselves. According to Matt Yorke, Group Director at Qubix International, one of the main advantages of Oracle Analytics Cloud is its ability to not only deliver data visualization but provide a comprehensive view that spans the enterprise. Yorke says other solutions like Tableau have a much narrower scope, which can limit your ability to build meaningful analytics.
"Tableau made its mark by running department-level reports, and this is its Achilles' heel," Yorke says. "The problem is that each department then has its own—and different—view of the business. There is no single source of truth, and this compartmentalized view doesn't scale to the enterprise.
"Oracle Analytics Cloud makes the flow of insights from end to end easy, without additional products. It can grab the data, orchestrate it, analyze it, report it—visually and in published reports," Yorke says. "It can also do 'what-if' modeling. There's no comparison with Tableau, which is very compartmentalized and limited."
How Much Time Are You Spending Customizing Microsoft Power BI?
To be truly effective, your solution should unifiy around a single product, not force you to cobble together a patchwork of multiple tools. Competing solutions like Microsoft Power BI have plenty of potential, but they often require you to craft together your customized solution to start gaining the insights you need. According to Stewart Bryson, CEO and founder of Red Pill Analytics, Oracle Analytics Cloud delivers all these capabilities in a single solution that integrates seamlessly with Oracle Cloud services, so you can start using your solution—and seeing real benefits—faster.
"Most other providers can't solve all the use cases," Bryson says. "You have to buy from other providers, layer on solutions, and architect them to work together. Oracle Analytics Cloud gives you direct access to cloud dataset and cloud services. In comparison, Microsoft Power BI requires a lot of configuration and plumbing."
Bryson also notes, "Oracle Analytics Cloud doesn't have those requirements; you can just spin up a service. With Oracle Data Visualization, you can connect to all of your Oracle Cloud offerings, as well as to other tools, with minimal configuration."
Getting More Value Faster
In a world where speed is everything, agility is key to an organization's success. For enterprise organizations, Oracle's rapid deployment and ease of use have delivered a substantial ROI. One global car rental company deployed Oracle Analytics Cloud in less than ten weeks, and implementation was smooth and successful. The company uses Oracle Analytics Cloud to display Oracle Business Intelligence dashboards and real-time financial data. These dashboards are used by operations and the corporation to monitor revenue and spending. Ninety-five percent of all these reports run in less than 60 seconds. Ultra-fast reporting means improved decision-making and rapid response to change.
Oracle Analytics Cloud Data Visualization is the new interface used by the company's analysts and data scientists for data preparation, data model creation, machine learning, and more. Analysts can now connect to multiple data sources, including Oracle Essbase cubes, and they can also import their own data in one click.
Don't Waste Any More Time with Incomplete Analytics Tools
With so many analytics solutions available, you can easily spend a lot of cycles building and fine-tuning a customized, multitool analytics solution. But is that what you want to be doing with your time? If so, be prepared for hidden integration and configuration costs, along with inconsistent insight into your business. Or you can eliminate a lot of headaches and all of that lost time, and simply choose Oracle Analytics Cloud.
If you want to see how our industry experts came to their conclusions, we've set up a website that outlines the difference between Oracle Analytics Cloud and the competition. We also encourage you to read our Technical Buyers Guide to Analytics, which includes more detailed analysis.


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In July I wrote about faith in secular societies.:
I mentioned climate change because this seems to be the aspect of modern politics in supposedly secular countries which most closely resembles a religion. Once again, we have the sacred texts, the high priests, the apostates, punishment of unbelievers, calls for sacrifices, and indoctrination all wrapped up in a great moral crusade stretching beyond our lifetimes that secures the blind faith of the followers. It makes me laugh when I hear atheists refer to "Science!" when talking about climate change: these people are no more able to challenge the pronouncements of the scientists, whose words have been filtered through the media and politicians, than a medieval peasant was able to challenge the high priests' interpretations of sacred texts. They are as much wedded to faith as their devout ancestors, but they don't realise it.
Below is a tweet from fake Indian Elizabeth Warren:
I'm going to say something really crazy: I believe in science. Climate change is real and we have a moral obligation to protect this Earth for our children and grandchildren.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) December 29, 2017
Elizabeth Warren is no more able to verify a climate scientist is accurately interpreting data than an illiterate farmer could tell if a bishop was faithfully reading the words of the bible. As for the message, a climate scientist is equally likely to spout self-serving guff as any high priest that's walked this Earth, safe in the knowledge the average worshiper has no way of challenging them and in any case wouldn't dare.
At least yer average medieval peasant had some useful survival skills at his disposal. What's Warren got that's useful, other than high cheekbones and more neck than a giraffe?


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•Sex Coach
•Sex Educator
•Clinical Sexologist
•BDSM & Kink Friendly
Biography, Degrees and Certifications:
Sarah Martin helps software developers become sexually confident, great lovers, regardless of whether they've had many partners or none.
She is the Executive Director of the World Association of Sex Coaches and the General Manager at Sex Coach U.
Sarah Martin is also a dynamic workshop leader, and offers workshops on dating skills, safer sex, and outcome independence. Consent is the cornerstone of her work.
Sarah has completed the following education & training:
• Master of Sociology, Economy & Society, Lancaster University, 2018
• Advanced Personal Sexological eXploration Experience (ASPEX), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• Sexual Attitude Reassessment & Restructuring (SAR) training, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• Certified Sex Coach, Sex Coach University, 2016
• BA in Global Studies, Long Island University, 2007
Sarah regularly publishes articles on Medium, you can see them here: https://medium.com/@sexcoachsarah
Sarah Martin is based in Vilnius, Lithuania and serves clients all over the world.
Join Sarah's mailing list to receive free tips and information related to dating, sex, and relationships.
Professional Philosophy:
Male sexuality is not dangerous, despite what some may say. It is beautiful, powerful, human, and a source of great pleasure.
It is possible to have an abundant, fulfilling sex life. Sex is a craft – it is part art, part science, part discipline and practice. It is creative, hands-on, and part of lifelong learning. Let me guide you!
Range of Services/Programs Offered:
• Get First Messages – Dating Profile Tear Down
• Sexual Craftsmanship – 6 month customized 1:1 coaching experience, available by application only
Areas of Specialization:
• Sexual Confidence
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• Online Dating Mastery & Success
• Masculinity
• Consent
• BDSM, Kink
Primary Audiences Served:
Sarah works with software developers, and with men in STEM more broadly – engineers, programmers, hacker space activists, mathematicians, medical doctors, physicists, data scientists, and others.


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Buy Minnesota Vikings Football Tickets | Call To Order 1-800-396-7328
Vikings Tickets For Sale for Vikings 49ers Game
By www.vikingstickets.com | Posted Wednesday, September 16
Buy Vikings Tickets for the home opener on Sunday September 27th against the San Francisco 49ers!
Vikings ticket prices start at $45 each.
Don't miss the 2009 Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome opener: Vikings 49ers Game


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Business, General non-fiction, Personal growth, Education & teaching
Paperback, eBook
Customer Needs
What is Sell?
What it means to be a Seller?
The Seller of the Future
Fifteen Weaknesses of Sellers
The Seven Virtues of the Seller
About the Product
Is my Product a good, a service or an idea?
I am a different Product, I have Brand
The Product and the Price
A Quality egg
¿What about we kill the Product?
About the Customer
Types of Clients
The Motivations of Customers
Know and Follow up your Customer
But where are the Customers?
I am an Important Client, by rule and without rule
The Satisfied Customer
Customer Loyalty
Author's Note
If you sell, or want to sell, this book is for you. Do not leave your destiny to chance; discover with this book what is really to sell. You will not regret. The eternal knowledge of how to sell more and better has always been there, and will be there beyond the latest technological changes, fashions, beyond the internet and beyond when it be overtaken by other media, call it virtual reality or artificial intelligence, or whatever the future holds for us, but always, always, the concepts explained here will be valid, since we are human beings, and that is what makes the difference.
You don't know why you're not able to sell more? You don't know how to build customer loyalty in your business? How to sell better? Do you want to get more and better customers, more profits, and succeed selling? This book answers your questions. Discover what is really Sell, with capital letters:
Eternal and universal concepts, applicable to any field, any industry and at any level, to get what we want most. This book can help anyone —involved or not in selling products or services— to improve their commercial and human nature understanding, to learn or relearn the basics of selling, and to move on from here. But anyway, do not think that this is only the beginning, or the end, but a way, in this case the best of the ways, because it is lighted by the spirit, and by the heart, which we all have.
Whether novices or experts who have taken vices over many years, this book is especially dedicated to:
Sellers, salespersons, businessmen, technicians, entrepreneurs, exporters, dealers, traders, storekeepers, sales managers, suppliers, distributors, travelers, exhibitors, merchants, general managers, account executives, business owners, negotiators, advisers, agents, representatives, executives, intermediaries, middlemen, consultants, developers, opinion leaders, trainers, marketing experts, coaching experts, motivators, networking experts, e-commerce experts, bloggers, experts in tourism, in human resources, personal shoppers, insurance agents, sponsors, entrepreneurs, start-ups, students of economics and business, marketing, sales or many other careers, and thus a long etcetera.
In fact, the concepts explained here should be studied in any career, since everyone, somehow, have a client-facing facet: engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, architects, veterinarians, economists, entrepreneurs, computer experts, pharmacists, telco experts, communicators, designers, politicians, hoteliers, journalists, advertisers, musicians, artists, photographers, translators, public relations, social works, business management, and many others.
In short, this book is aimed at all those who, in one way or another, have a business relationship. The long list, almost comic, is just another way of saying that ultimately affects everyone in the industry and in life, at all levels. It is also dedicated to all those who are looking for an entertaining book, with no magic solutions, which helps to think and is full of concepts and principles to negotiate and sell more and better.
Selling and trading in an intelligent way is an ancient knowledge, just that today we have complicated it a bit more, with the new technologies, the marketing, the new era, with new ways of working and interacting with customers, with internet, the big data and with a thousand more complications. At the end, to a greater or lesser extent, it will always be essential to know what we already knew, and that we are forgetting with the routine. This book teaches to sell, beyond all these complications, but it is not a bible on sales, because there is no such thing as to answer everything, neither about this nor about any other matter, but you will already discover that by yourself...
Accompanied by our guides, we will make an amazing trip that will catch us, full of principles, ideas, metaphors, double meanings, a lot of humor, and surprising relationships between concepts which will discover us the authentic way to sell more and better.
Among many other things:
• We will analyze the human needs and what means to sell and be a salesman.
• We will enter inside the seller/salesperson to check what the seller of the future will be like.
• We will discover our main weaknesses and strengths, and how to use them in our favor, a trip to ourselves.
• We will immerse ourselves in the secrets of the product, how to get the best out of it, and how to sell ideas.
• From an old grain of rice to the internet, we will find out how to benefit from added values such as the brand.
• We will 'bull-fight' the price; we will expose the formula of product value and how to define our value proposition.
• The soul of the sword will catch us, as we reveal the mystery of the egg and how to use the quality to achieve the customer satisfaction.
• We will try to kill the product while going through its life cycle and we will learn how to direct our efforts at each stage.
• We will know better our customer and will discover the best classification.
• We will get drunk, literally, to discover the desires and motivations of customers, how to understand them and influence them.
• We will explore how to manage customer relationship and their follow-up.
• We will visit the old market to understand where customers are, how to identify potential customers and our ideal customer.
• We will be surprised at how to better manage our time and effort, and our results, with Pareto's rule or without it.
• We will learn to optimize customer satisfaction, so that we do not have to play cards, and we will learn to sell ideas and manage expectations.
• We will arrive at the endless knot to convert each sale in the beginning of the next, with the final formula to get customer loyalty and amply meet their needs.
• We will know the heart of the tiger, and the wheel of life; and we will have fun on the trip.
Go ahead; discover the eternal and exclusive knowledge that is waiting for you ... Success and many sales!


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I can't believe it was only three months ago that I photographed this adorable baby girl when she was only three weeks old! It was great to see the entire family again at my recent holiday mini sessions. As you can see the Christmas balls were big hit 🙂
Sara McConnell Photography ~
Ottawa Area Photographer / Ottawa Photography Studio
Related articles
- Holiday Mini Session Fun! ~ Ottawa Family Photographer (saramcconnell.ca)
- Three times the fun ~ Ottawa Family Photographer (saramcconnell.ca)


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Weekend Report – May 2nd
The weekend itself was a rather quiet one. However, there was the usual fare of Hill and Dale on the preceding Thursday evening and the May Bank Holiday Monday itself brought the Deep River Rock Belfast Marathon in which OAC had a number of relay teams and a few intrepid individuals taking on the full challenge.
In between, Michael O'Donoghue, not to be outdone by the marathoners, took on the extraordinary challenge of the Hoka Highland Fling ultra marathon in Scotland, 53 miles in length no less, and there was also a round of the Firmus Energy Super 6 track and field at the Mary Peters Track and an East Antrim Marathon Series marathon and half marathon in and around Carrickfergus!
Hill and Dale Race 3 – Slieve Martin
Thursday evenings at this time of the year are synonymous with Newcastle Athletic Club's super Hill and Dale Series. Following the two 'taster' events at Castlewellan and Tollymore, the third round at Slieve Martin is definitely more challenging, indeed probably not for the faint hearted. The action starts near the car park in Kilbroney Forest Park at Rostrevor and the runner is treated to a sharp uphill tour through the trees to the bare mountain with its spectacular views to the south over Carlingford Lough and Dundalk Bay.
The very fast, quite treacherous descent to the finish, requires both dexterity and not a little courage. It is all over very quickly, but you will certainly know you have been in a race and your aching limbs will remind you of it over the next few days. Total length is only 4.25 miles but in that distance you will climb over 1740 feet. The weather forecast for Thursday evening is very cold and full body cover may be required by the organisers. Just one more thing to worry about!
We congratulate the following members of Orangegrove who took part in the Slieve Martin round. I have included their published times although, in many respects, times are irrelevant. Getting yourself to the start line and, eventually, to the finish line are the main indicators of endeavour, determination and, not least of all, courage.
In recent weeks Orangegrove has been well represented at Hill and Dale by Michael O'Donoghue, Darren Marshall, Sharon Dickenson, Eoghan Rainey, Judith Dalzell, Verity Cornford, and Stephen Craig. However, this week, with MOD not wishing to risk anything prior to his Hoka West Highland Fling, and, perhaps, the unfavourable weather conditions, only Darren Marshall and Sharon Dickenson made it to the start line at Kilbroney. Very well done indeed to both Darren and Sharon on representing the Club so well. Their times were as follows:
|Summit time
|Descent time
|Total time
|Darren Marshall
|Sharon Dickenson
The Hill and Dale Slieve Martin Race (Race 3) was won by William McKee (Mourne Runners) in 32.55/22.45/10.10. Diane Wilson (Dromore AC) was first lady in 40.46/28.47/11.59.
The next race is next Thursday at Slieve Binnian….this is the one in which the finish is in the clouds on the top of the mountain, the only race I know where the finish tunnel is angled upwards at 45 degrees!
Firmus Energy Super Six
Also on Thursday evening, the Firmus Energy Super Six track and field athletics series resumed at the Mary Peters Track, the second meeting of the programme. This is a super little series for which we should be truly thankful, containing both track and field events for a wide plethora of athletes of all ages and abilities from disabled to minis, and from U13s to senior men and women, even including old stagers like myself. The action begins at 18.45 and the final events will be at 20.45.
We at Orangegrove had a number of athletes competing and I have included below some information about how they performed. The orange of Orangegrove was notably visible on the evening. Well done to the following:
|Sam Rainey
|Shot putt
|Sam Rainey
|Iseult Fahy
|Reegan McKenzie
|Chloe Browne
Very well done indeed to all in the Junior Club, athletes and coaches!
The third round of the series will be on Thursday 2nd June.
Hoka Highland Fling Ultra Marathon
One is never quite sure what Michael O'Donoghue will be up to next. He appears to be both proficient and definitely competitive in every aspect of running from 3k to infinity. This weekend, on Saturday, he was in Scotland taking part in the 53 mile Hoka Highland Fling ultra marathon on the West Highland Way from Milngavie, north of Glasgow, to Tyndrum, near Crianlarich, following roughly the line of Lough Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
It is mainly off road and, of course, the terrain is hilly. Michael is certainly hoping to beat the 15 hour cut-off time but is determined, if possible, to get below 12 hours which will allow him to catch the last bus back to Glasgow and civilisation. This is no backwoods ultra marathon. Michael will be in the company of athletes from all over Europe, South Africa, Australia and the United States of America. Nor will he have to face the wilderness alone. Over 750 are already entered and there will be an additional 200 relay runners.
This ultra marathon requires the individual participant to organise for the placing of a number of drop bags at 10 mile intervals containing food and other sustenance. He has told me that this aspect can be quite tricky because the placing of appropriate food that can be eaten on the move can be crucial to the outcome. We wish Michael all the best of luck, although luck will probably play very little or no role whatsoever in this affair.
And the news from the front is good news! Michael managed to catch that last bus back to Glasgow with the super time of 13 hours, 24 minutes and 55 seconds. Apparently the bus company heard he was coming and ordered its driver to wait for him. Michael averaged 15.12 minute miles over the distance and finished in 561st place out of 673. OAC offers its warmest congratulations to one of its favourite sons. If he turns up for the Bank Holiday Monday Marathon please, somebody, call an ambulance!
EAMS Half Marathon
There exists a no frills marathon and half marathon series called the East Antrim Marathon Series. Michael O'Donoghue knows all about it. They run very well organised marathons and half marathons, as the name might suggest, in and around south and east Antrim. Publicity is not sought or given. Information about routes and results can be tricky enough to source. On Sunday 1st May they ran a full marathon and half marathon in the Carrickfergus area, or so the rumours would suggest, in which there was some OAC interest.
I am reliably informed that recently joined new member Gillian Logan was first lady home, and third overall, in the half marathon in a time which remains a closely guarded secret. Very well done indeed to a young lady who has enjoyed an impressive number of podium finishes lately. Verity Cornford, the girl with a name straight out of a Thomas Hardy novel, was also spotted battling the elements on an unidentifiable section of road somewhere in Co. Antrim.
I have a photograph of an elegant lady in purple to prove it. If any more information about this race turns up in due course, you shall hear it. But don't hold your breath!!
Belfast City Marathon
Bank Holiday Monday in Belfast means only one thing if you are a runner, the Deep River Rock Belfast City Marathon. It is not the greatest route, or the easiest, but it is 26.2 miles long and it is a hell of a challenge for those, in particular, who take on the full distance. By the way, it all started in 1982, so this is the 35th running of the Belfast event.
Read the full race report here
I think it was Brendan Behan who once said that there was no such a thing as bad publicity except one's own obituary, and this may well be the case regarding the recent controversy over the local council at Little Stoke wishing to charge parkrunners for location wear and tear. The controversy, and the media coverage it attracted, have raised the profile of the concept of parkrun to heights hardly imaginable only a short time ago.
This is possibly reflected in the greater than ever numbers attending Ulster parkruns, including our own at Victoria Park. Of course, the improving weather may have something to do with it as well!
A quick survey of what OAC members have been achieving this week has revealed the following:
At Victoria Park Des Fahy was running very well to finish in 6th place in 18.51. Sile Brennan (pushing her pram and getting ready for a full marathon) was first OAC lady home in 25.09. Rory Hall-Thompson continued his fine recent form to finish in 13th place in 19.37. The only personal best of the day at Victoria was by Ben Acheson (JM10) in 22.38. Very well done indeed! And well done too Anne Devlin who was a first timer at the Waterworks parkrun in 32.04.
Now, don't forget that volunteering bit! We are always in need of new recruits, particularly at this time of the year as the holiday season approaches. Give a little back to your local parkrun by contacting Gerry on firstname.lastname@example.com. You know it is the right thing to do. You know it makes sense!


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It's a little known fact that Shakespeare is difficult to read and understand—not because he was using an older form of the English language, but because he was actually just horribly ignorant about grammar. Case in point: "Oh, Romeo. Where art thou?" He meant: "Oh, Romeo. Where ARE YOU?" The T in art was obviously a typo, and because he had massively stubby fingers, he had accidentally hit both the T and H keys instead of a Y for the word "you." How much better would his work have been if he had just hired a copy editor? Sadly, the world will never know.
When I first started writing, typing away on a Smith-Corona (probably the same one Shakespeare used), it never occurred to me that writing involved so much editing and grammar and stuff. This was before word processors were household items. My work was riddled with typos--the final product had more white-out than a blizzard. I was lucky to have a literate family to edit some of my work. I studied English in college, and after I had aced every English course they offered, I figured mistakes would be a rarity. Not so. The more I learned, the more I realized that writers have a hard time being objective about their work. I once submitted a 1200 word short story to Weird Tales after checking the story for errors a couple of times. They sent it back requesting that I edit it. I spent hours going over it. I took a few days off from it, and then went back to it, spending hours more. It was only 1200 words and I had spent a solid week on editing. I resubmitted it and a few weeks later it came back in the mail with a handwritten note. The editor said he loved the story, even though it still had a few errors. He was grateful for the professionalism and he would gladly look at anything else I'd like to submit in the future. I was thrilled he liked the story and that I had made a connection with an editor of a well-known magazine, but I couldn't believe the story still had errors!
With the ebook revolution in full swing, hiring a copy editor is a must. If you take your career seriously, even if you're just a hobbyist, don't let your work suffer because of simple grammatical mistakes. The strange part is that even many of the top publishing houses are putting out inferior ebooks, much to the distaste of readers. Either they don't take ebooks seriously or they don't want readers to. Ebooks are an extinction-level event for traditional publishing and they'll do anything to make them look less than professional. I know of a well-known author who is getting an onslaught of complaints about the quality of editing and formatting in one of his ebooks put out by his publisher. In this case, the author looks bad and the reader's experience is interrupted. Luckily, ebooks can be altered after they're published.
Now that authors can publish their own work on the web and reach a worldwide audience, traditional publishers will probably begin to take on more of a fee-based editorial role rather than a royalty-based publishing role. Either way, it's now up to authors to pay for these types of services. If you're not adept at Photoshop, hire a cover artist. Unless you're the Rainman of editing, hire a copy editor. Find beta readers. Find reviewers. Though I never would have imagined spending $500 or more on an editor when I was starting out, I now can't imagine trying to publish a book without one.
My best advice is to complete the novel, put it away for a week or two, then go back to it with fresh eyes and give it your best shot at making it grammatically perfect. Try reading it aloud into a tape recorder or letting a text-to-speech program read it aloud to you. Try changing the font, bigger or smaller. Have someone read it to you. Next, share it with friends and family and ask them to look for errors. The reason for this is that editors sometimes charge by the hour, so the better the work is, the less time they'll have to spend on it. Last but not least, after getting it back from the editor, do a final proof, making sure not to introduce any mistakes. There are copy editors out there that also do formatting. My editor formatted my book for Kindle and for Smashwords according to their guidelines. This allowed it to make it into their Premium Catalogue on the first try. I'm told that most writers don't make it on the first try. It took a few weeks for it to pass, so if it would have failed I would've had to proofread the work again, and then try to republish it. It might have still failed. My editor got it into the Premium Catalogue on the first try.
So unless you want to make the same mistakes Shakespeare did, treat your book like a brutally drug-addicted relative and get it the professional help it needs.
I went undercover to get an inside look at the world of copy editing: the drugs, the parties, the anal retentiveness. I spoke with a woman who will be known as Jessica from Strangelandediting.com.
CJC: First of all, is there any truth to the rumor that editors do copious amounts of LSD before editing?
Jessica: No. If I did, I might see purple dinosaurs instead of semi colons.
CJC: When you say no, do you really mean yes?
Jessica: No.
CJC: We'll just agree to disagree on this one.
Jessica: We should talk about the importance of hiring a copy editor.
CJC: What is the importance of a copy editor?
Jessica: The importance of a copy editor is to clearly communicate the author's ideas.
CJC: What's your biggest pet peeve when a writer submits their work to you?
Jessica: When I suggest a revision and they ask why, so I explain the reason and they still don't understand.
CJC: Isn't it kind of like trying to explain HTML to someone who has no idea what you're talking about?
Jessica: Um…
CJC: Or is it more like trying to explain to a parent that their kid is ugly when they think they're perfect?
Jessica: Yes, it's more like that.
CJC: Writers tend to think their work is perfect, no matter what.
Jessica: I wouldn't say no matter what. Sometimes if they're using commas in a list and I suggest they use a semi colon, they may not be familiar with the rule and don't understand, and other times they just don't believe you, so I have to get out the book and show them.
CJC: Yeah, you lost me with the whole semi-colon, technical jargon thing. I think you're just showing off. I'm not yet convinced there is such a thing as this magical "rule book" for grammar.
Jessica: There are actually many.
CJC: What if a writer writes in the first person and wants to make the prose conversational? He uses grammar improperly, but it's the way people talk. Where do your precious rules come in in this case?
Jessica: As long as the reader understands what the writer is trying to do and he is consistent…as long as one paragraph isn't casual speech and the next paragraph is Standard Written English.
CJC: Do you have to take extra LSD when you get a work like that?
Jessica: No.
CJC: I'll take that as a yes. In closing, do you think it's a good idea for writers wanting to publish their work on the Internet to hire a copy editor, even if it costs them five hundred dollars or more, especially if editors are just going to use the money for drugs?
Jessica: Yes.
CJC: All the hobbyists out there who spend twice that on kayaks and crossbows and high class hookers should spend at least as much on their books to make them look good.
Jessica: Definitely. I think most writers look at their work as more important than a hobby. They should consider spending at least as much on their writing.
CJC: I agree. You can learn more about editing from Jessica at Strangelandediting.com


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HU announces Christone "Kingfish" Ingram concert
- Posted by Eric Veronikis
- Posted in HU - Philadelphia
The blues savior is one of the most exciting young guitarists in years, with a sound that encompasses B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix & Prince. – Rolling Stone
Harrisburg University Presents is pleased to welcome blues prodigy Christone "Kingfish" Ingram to Harrisburg's XL Live February 28.
Christone is a once-a-generation blues artist who not only reminds mainstream audiences how deeply satisfying and emotionally moving the best blues music can be; but shakes the genre to its core. With both eyes on the future and the blues in his blood, 20-year-old guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Christone "Kingfish" Ingram is taking the music world by storm with his debut album, KINGFISH, released in May of 2019.
Sprung from the same earth as so many of the Delta blues masters, Kingfish comes bursting out of Clarksdale, Mississippi, just 10 miles from the legendary crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. A student of the Delta's musical history, he is acutely aware of the musicians and the music that emerged from his corner of the world.
"I do think I have an old soul, that I've been here before," he says. "I'm moving forward with one foot in the past."
Tickets are $25 and are on sale now. Doors open at 7 p.m. The show will start at 8 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit www.concertseries.harrisburgu.edu.
About Harrisburg University
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Harrisburg University is a private non-profit university offering bachelor and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields to a diverse student body. For more information on the University's affordable demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, call 717.901.5146 or email, email@example.com


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Went to mass. Mrs. McCafferey passed out. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary stayed awhile. We took pictures this afternoon, such a beautiful day. Mr. Judge Schneider is being buried this afternoon from Wagner's funeral parlor to church & was buried at Catholic Cemetery by his wife. Mr. Klube of Waterloo died to, will be buried Tues; Mrs. Geodelle's Uncle. Bill [Klein] & Bert [Bertille] went to Paulters tonite to a dance given by Ozark Ridge runners, swell music but no crowd, mostly all Columbia people there; musci [sic] sure good.
Tuesday, Sept. 27, 1938
Bert [Bertille] cleaned front room took of [off] screens. Mr. Watson timber man living on Emil's place, here on business. Uncle Fred & A. [Aunt] Mary & Bert [Bertille] went to Belleville this afternoon. We went out to Leona's birthday 28 yrs. old; those present were Mr. Gus Geodelle & family & Dan Geodelle & family, Kate Friedrich, Mr Cleveland & Mrs. Walter & Hilda Reheis & Armie. Adolph Klube & family, New Athens, house full; people all night, had 1/8 beer, cake, drinks, musci [sic] etc.
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1935
Leona brought Billy [Willis] up to stay till tomorrow. Walter Reheis 30 & Hilda Klube 29 are being married in priest house by F. Eshmann Waterloo Ill. Henry & Leona as attendants, at 2:30 this afternoon. Hilda has a green dress & Black hat, & assesories [sic] & Leona dark rust dress & hat, black shoes; the men dark suits; going to have yellow & rust colored bouquets, it is also Annies 38 birthday; the supper is to be served 4:30 at Reheis for close relatives, brothers & sisters. Jake's wife is to bake the cake, good supper. Mr. Wm. Gregson's who lives in Gambach's place, here are moving to W.C. Heyls farm today. Christ Buehler's truck, Levis & Mrs. Renneker are helping to move them. The Young ladies are sodality of Hecker parish are giving a euchre party at school hall tonite; second for this month already. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came here first then went; we didn't go. Rose got the boys from school & did Henry's work, feeding & milking; then came home, boys stayed all night. Alois Havey & Stockel of Waterloo, fixed our chimney, cleaned furnace, took pipe out & etc.
Thursday, Oct. 24, 1935
Papa went in the woods this morning. Henry brought a load corn; nice day, warm; Wheat sign up meeting at Kammlers Hall this morning; to fill application blanks. Armin Geodelle has a new ford card. V-8. Mr. Wolf real estate agent of Freeburg was here to see papa. We all went up in woods this afternoon, made wood. Hilda Klube is at Reheis's since last Thurs; they are putting a new floor in part of house; Geo. Reheis is helping; Walter, Hilda & Annie, were up through town this afternoon; they are to be married on Oct. 30, Annie Birthday.
Thursday, Nov. 29, 1934
Thanksgiving Day. Rose & Berti went to mass. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stopped awhile, then went up to help at the Turkey Dinner at the School; all day affair, lotto this afternoon. Eugene Bruns stopped on business. We made ribs & dressing, pumpkin pie, cranberry relish. Leona & Billy came up to meet Miss Klube on the bus this morning, she is visiting out here today. Mr. Roy Pautler & Miss Lavina Goedelle were married at the Red Bud Catholic parsonage this afternoon, Friedrich of Colombia & Winehof of Waterloo married this morning, we went to Wedding dance at Pautlers musci [sic] from Dupo. Jaegher & Minneman wedding couple also attended the dance, were married at priest house. Uncle Fred came down a little while, said there was a nice crowd at the turkey & Lotto this afternoon. It rained again this evening.
Thursday, Sept. 27, 1934
Leona's 24 yr. birthday. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary & Rosalia left at 8:30 Sparta Fair; horse races today. Mr. George Braun, of Red Bud, died, that is Adam's brother. The Rock Creek School is now closed, diptheria in the district, Roeider kids have it are quarantined also. Leona came up, met Miss Klube & Klaezner from the bus, stopped in awhile here. The Sparta Fair was wonderful, came home 6:30; brought fruit jar lid – a sample, & Aunt bought hair curlers; they had supper here; then we all went out to the birthday; cake was served, those present were, Mr. Gus Geodell & family, Mr. Albert Cleveland & family & Walter Reheis, Emil Bestmann, Miss Klube, Miss Klazener, the young folks, enjoyed themselves with dancing & music, singing.
Tuesday, Aug. 14, 1934
Peter Haupt rich miller of New Athens killed himself Sat. evening; financial worries was the cause the paper read. Henry & Floyd were up, he cut hay, made a load; had dinner & lunch. Hilda Klube is visiting out there since Sun.
Sunday, May 1, 1932
There where 4 girls & 7 boys made their Solemn Coummioun [sic – Communion] at Red Bud this morning. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary where here for dinner. They went out to Buehler's this afternoon, Linus Birthday. Robert Launts had a farewell party this evening. We weren't invited to come. Henry & Leona & Geodell's family came up this evening, the boys stayed here & rest went over to New Athens to Val. Klube's, his wife died this morn. but they didn't get to see her anyway, she was at the unterdating [sic- undertaking] parlor yet. The funeral is Tuesday, Henry is pallbearer. Harry Kammler's has a dance tonite. Peter Bros. outfit playing
Sunday, Nov. 23, 1930
Henry & family were here for dinner today. After dinner they went home & then they was to get company from New Athens, the Klube family. So Henry came up after some dishes and things from the store this afternoon. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this afternoon. This evening Frieda Keim of Waterloo is celebrating her birthday at Oak Grove. We were there.
Friday, July 4, 1930
Today we can eat meat. We are thrashing this morning again. We had spring chicken for dinner. We thrashed 139 bu. of wheat. Kuhns thrashed altogether 2300 bu. This evening we all went out to Henry's. Gus Geodelle and family, Conrad Geodelle and family, Miss Hilda Klube & boyfriend, Mr. Fred Lindes & mother were all there. They played music, accordion, violin, guitar. Today you can see all kinds of fireworks. Papa & Rosalia fixed fences this afternoon. There is picnic in Columbia, picnic & fish fry in Oak Grove Park, one in Belleville, and a good many other places.


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Inflation is the way the rich tax the poor, Rickards tells King World News
6:14p PT Saturday, January 21, 2011
Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:
Inflation is the mechanism by which the rich tax the poor, market intelligence analyst Jim Rickards tells King World News. Rickards expects gold to be revalued well beyond $2,000 per ounce. The interview is 19 minutes long and you can listen to it here:
CHRIS POWELL, Secretary/Treasurer
Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee Inc.
Sona Drills 85.4g Gold/Ton Over 4 Metres at Elizabeth Gold Deposit, Extending the Mineralization of the Southwest Vein on the Property
Company Press Release, October 27, 2010
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Sona Resources Corp. reports on five drillling holes in the third round of assay results from the recently completed drill program at its 100 percent-owned Elizabeth Gold Deposit Property in the Lillooet Mining District of southern British Columbia. Highlights from the diamond drilling include:
-- Hole E10-66 intersected 17.4g gold/ton over 1.54 metres.
-- Hole E10-67 intersected 96.4g gold/ton over 2.5 metres, including one assay interval of 383g of gold/ton over 0.5 metres.
-- Hole E10-69 intersected 85.4g gold/ton over 4.03 metres, including one assay interval of 230g gold/ton over 1 metre.
Four drill holes, E10-66 to E10-69, targeted the southwestern end of the Southwest Vein, and three of the holes have expanded the mineralized zone in that direction. The Southwest Vein gold mineralization has now been intersected over a strike length of 325 metres, with the deepest hole drilled less than 200 metres from surface.
"The assay results from the Southwest Zone quartz vein continue to be extremely positive," says John P. Thompson, Sona's president and CEO. "We are expanding the Southwest Vein, and this high-grade gold mineralization remains wide open down dip and along strike to the southwest."
For the company's full press release, please visit:
Join GATA here:
Vancouver Resource Investment Conference
Vancouver Convention Centre West
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sunday-Monday, January 23-24, 2011
Cheviot Asset Management Sound Money Conference
Guildhall, London
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Phoenix Investment Conference and Silver Summit
Renaissance Glendale Hotel and Spa
Friday-Saturday, February 18-19, 2011
Glendale, Arizona
Support GATA by purchasing a colorful GATA T-shirt:
Or a colorful poster of GATA's full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on January 31, 2009:
Or a video disc of GATA's 2005 Gold Rush 21 conference in the Yukon:
Help keep GATA going
GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at:
To contribute to GATA, please visit:
Prophecy Resource Spins Off Platinum/Palladium Venture:
World-Class PGM Deposit in Yukon
Company Press Release, January 18, 2011
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Prophecy Resource Corp. (TSX-V:PCY)and Pacific Coast Nickel Corp. announce that they have agreed that PCNC will acquire Prophecy's Nickel PGM projects by issuing common shares to Prophecy.
PCNC will acquire the Wellgreen PGM Ni-Cu and Lynn Lake nickel projects in the Yukon Territory and Manitoba respectively by issuing up to 550 million common shares of PCNC to Prophecy. PCNC has 55.7 million shares outstanding.
Following the transaction:
-- Prophecy will own approximately 90 percent of PCNC.
-- PCNC will consolidate its share capital on a 10 old for one new basis.
-- Prophecy will change its name to Prophecy Coal Corp. and PCNC will be renamed Prophecy Platinum Corp.
-- Prophecy intends to distribute half of its PCNC shares to shareholders pro-rata in accordance with their holdings.
Based on the closing price of the common shares of PCNC on January 17, $0.195 per share, the gross value of the transaction is $107,250,000.
For the complete announcement, please visit:
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text:
Want to study worry free? Drink some Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper is looking to fully fund a college student who has a plan on how he or she would change the world
Accredited online universities often offer the best solution for students who want to go back to school. As a student who is past the college-going age, you might not find it easy to have to attend classes on a daily basis.
The home-to-college and back home route alone will eat up a lot of your time and if you're hoping to earn a degree while also keeping a job or caring for a family member, then you need to consider college education online.
Fortunately accredited online universities are more common than they used to be a few years ago. Just fire up your browser and perform a quick search and you'll see there are many college education online institutions offering their services today.
And just because you're working and have an income doesn't mean it will all go into your education. You can search for grants, apply and get your degree (fully) funded – if you're lucky.
Let us ask you an important question – do you like Dr. Pepper? You know the fizzy drink in a can that makes you forget all about Coca Cola or Pepsi? If you do, then you might want to listen to this.
Dr. Pepper is giving away a huge $100,000 scholarship that will allow you to pay for your college tuition in full. Wouldn't this be a dream come true? It sure would.
What do you need to do in order to be awarded this grant? Tell Dr. Pepper in 350 characters or less how you'd change the world and then go ahead and ask your friends to vote. Once you've reached 50 votes, you'll need to submit a video that will bring in even more cause willing to support your cause.
Dr. Pepper will select the finalists that will compete for the $100,000 grant during throw-offs at the NCAA conference championship games.
You'll need to be between 18 and 24 and an US citizen in order to be eligible to win. Students may not be active athletes who have played professional or semi-professional football at the time of the application. It's a strange requirement, but here you go.
At least the application doesn't require you to sending in vast amounts of documents like school transcripts, letter of recommendations or lengthy essays. All you need to do is give a brief description of how you'd change the world if you could. That's all. No fancy requirements attached.
This is one of the most generous scholarship we have ever seen and believe us, we've seen a lot. The best part of winning this scholarship is that you'll be able to fully concentrate on your studies, without financial worries rearing their ugly heads. You will have all expenses covered, so once you graduate you won't find yourself engulfed in debt, but will be busy searching for a new, exciting job.
Keep in mind that you can submit applications for the Dr. Pepper scholarship until October 17, 2017. Mark the date in your calendar, so you don't miss it!