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"Can I get to that heart? Can I get to that mind?"A tribute to the frank, contested humor of intense teachers—and to Henry Higgins
Nine years ago in my first class in graduate school, a course on approaches to teaching writing, we read George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion as a break from composition theory. I was thrilled, but I reigned in my enthusiasm when I noted that others in the class, including my professor who I respected immensely, felt apologetic about the book. Words like abusive and misogynistic were thrown casually around the seminar table, as they sometimes are in graduate seminars. Why was there this worry about the teacher in the story—about Henry Higgins? I was surprised that so many disliked his method because I had always thought of him as an effective teacher. My only real support for this inkling was that I found him . . . funny.
Did I have this wrong and, if so, what was the source of my misunderstanding? Or, if I was right that Henry Higgins was a funny and therefore benevolent man (I had collapsed the two conditions in my mind), what caused the confusion among others in my graduate school class? Why had everyone else failed to note his humor? And what did I see in his humor anyway? Could it be that I thought his humor lightened—or even completely neutralized—his seemingly harsh dealings with Eliza Doolittle? Or did we all have it wrong? Did a "correct" reading of the play really fall somewhere in the middle—was it really that Higgins was both funny and harsh? I began to doubt my first intuition about professor Higgins, as I seemed to be faced with a more complicated story.
The irony was that my own professor in this class, a good man with a fiery heart, who was, that very semester, dying of cancer (this would be his last seminar on teaching writing), was a gruff man himself. He and Henry Higgins shared a vocational intensity. In fact, like Henry Higgins, this professor had made it his life's work to teach writing (or "speech") to the underserved, hugely advancing the trend in what is now called "access" education at top universities. He was passionately focused on this until his last breaths—and he was passionately focused on us, his students; he read our final papers days before he died. Although we, his students, didn't have a personal rapport with him—we would never have imagined going out for a beer with this man—our engagement with theories of speech and writing, particularly where low-income populations were concerned, kept him alert, stubborn, and justifiably cranky until the end.
The Horror! The Hahahahorror! A Conversation on Two Sides of a Spectrum
by Bonnie Applebeet and Orquidea Morales
I am so excited to be back on HA! to share a conversation I had with a good friend of mine who studies horror, media, zombies, and Borderlands at the University of Michigan. I always found it fascinating that we, as people with such opposite inclinations, could get along so well, so I sat down one day with Orquidea Morales to ask her about what we thought the overlaps were between humor and horror. The results are wacky and provocative. We talk about Divine and Hitchcock, sex and stabbing, discomfort and vulnerability, all while theorizing the connections and territories between humor and horror. We hope you enjoy our sarcasm-laden conversation and treasure the insight into what two nerdy doctoral students might talk about over some burritos and Coke in a noisy restaurant.
Teaching with Humor
Around this time of year, I can always feel the tension whenever I walk into the building. Everyone I greet has puffy eyes, the bags under them extending all the way to their knees, from too many late nights, too many hours hunched over computer screens, books, and essays, frantically trying to get it all done before the deadline.
And those are just the instructors.
The students, though they have the resilience of youth on their side, tend to be in even worse shape, all of their tension exacerbated by too many dining hall meals, homesickness, lingering self-doubt, and being rousted out of bed or the shower in the wee small hours of the morning by fire alarms pulled in the dorms.
And yet, the serious business of learning must continue, and it must continue to be effective.
Humor can be a useful tool to deflect the tension and keep us focused on what matters. It can also be an extremely effective mnemonic device if it hammers home a concept. But I have discovered over the years, for myself anyway, that it isn't a good idea to wait until this time of the year to try to inject that sanity-saving humor. It works best if by this time of the semester, it is already a habit.
Numerous studies have explored the links between laughter and learning, demonstrating that when humor complements and reinforces the concepts — not distracting from them — students retain more, their anxiety levels drop, and their motivation increases (Garner 2006). Self-deprecating humor on the part of professors relaxes students and makes them seem more approachable or understandable (Shatz and LoSchiavo 2005). The focus must always remain on learning, and a teacher must be careful not to undercut his or her purpose or credibility by becoming more of an entertainer in students' eyes (Bryant and Zillman 2005).
A teacher must never forget the power dynamic in the room, either, and use humor to target a student or group of students (Gorham and Christophel 1990), or "put them in their place." Such humor is far too aggressive and has no place in the classroom. As I've written elsewhere on Humor in America (Is a Joke Really Like a Frog?), humor depends upon some level of shared ground, and because of this reveals the boundaries of a particular community. Making a student or group of students the butt of a joke sets them outside the community rather than bringing them in, and further, raises anxiety levels in all of the students, causing them to wonder what would make them become a target. This doesn't mean that you can't kid around with students or gently tease them, but the focus must always be on enhancing their learning or reassuring them that you don't doubt their abilities. You can never forget who holds the real power in the classroom, or the damage you can casually do.
Humor shouldn't be forced or feel obligatory either. It isn't for everyone, but it sure gets me through the day, and my students seem to enjoy it. More important, they learn, doing themselves and me proud.
I teach writing and literature, with a focus on research. Much of the humor I use in the classroom is geared toward revealing the absurdity behind bad habits of writing or sloppy thinking, or toward removing some of the mystery about what makes good scholars, writers, and researchers — and students' anxiety about whether they have what it takes.
Because many of them come to the classroom well-trained in timed exam writing, they tend to want to have a thesis before they start writing, to need to know what they want to say before they begin, before they really look into the evidence. I've kidded around with them about this for years — if a thesis is an interpretation of evidence, how can you interpret what you haven't got yet? But this video is the best thing I've found for helping students see that when you narrow your focus too soon, you cherry-pick the evidence, seeing only what you want to see or have decided that you will see — and often miss the best part in the process:
After watching this video, I have a ready-made shorthand for marginal comments or conferences. As the video says, "It's easy to miss something you're not looking for," so it is dangerous to have a thesis too early, and in the evidence-gathering part of the process, you must remain open to what is there. When a student is having problems with this, I can just point out briefly that there seem to be some moonwalking bears around. And instead of getting defensive, they laugh ruefully, and settle in to talk about what else might be there.
Another problem students often have is missing key facts in a text, reading hurriedly or sloppily, and ending up with arguments that cannot be supported because the facts are against them. While there is never one correct interpretation of a text, there are wrong ones, interpretations that violate or ignore facts. But when you point out that a student is doing this, s/he often feels defensive, stupid. Humor can help. So I tell students, "You can't make a stunningly brilliant argument about the symbolic significance of a yellow shirt if . . . Continue reading →
Happy Birthday, Thom Gunn!
Thom Gunn wasn't an overtly humorous poet, but his sharp wit, incisive irony and visceral imagery were brilliant. His poetry has been described as capturing "the experience, not the idea."
His is a voice of isolation and existentialism with overtones of nihilism––so vividly evoked that we're apt to see glimpses of ourselves at odd moments. Perhaps, therein lies the humor.
Gunn's subject matter isn't for sissies. It includes his mother's suicide, drug use, gay erotica and the AIDs deaths of his friends. (Lest you get the wrong impression, his personality has been described as upbeat –– not morose.)
Below are two of his tamer masterpieces: "Considering the Snail" as performed by Gary of SpongeBob fame, and a text version of "The Unsettled Motorcyclist's Vision of His Death."
The Unsettled Motorcyclist's Vision of His Death
Across the open countryside,
Into the walls of rain I ride.
It beats my cheek, drenches my knees,
But I am being what I please.
The firm heath stops, and marsh begins.
Now we're at war: whichever wins
My Human will cannot submit
To nature, though brought out of it.
The wheels sink deep; the clear sound blurs:
Still, bent on the handle-bars,
I urge my chosen instrument
Against the mere embodiment.
The front wheel wedges fast between
Two shrubs of glazed insensate green
– Gigantic order in the rim
Of each flat leaf. Black eddies brim
Around my heel which, pressing deep,
Accelerates the waiting sleep.
I used to live in sound, and lacked
Knowledge of still or creeping fact.
But now the stagnant strips my breath,
Leant on my cheek in weight of death.
Though so oppressed I find I may
Through substance move. I pick my way,
Where death and life in one combine,
Through the dark earth that is not mine,
Crowded with fragments, blunt, unformed;
While past my ear where noises swarmed
The marsh plant's white extremities,
Slow without patience, spread at ease
Invulnerable and soft, extend
With a quiet grasping toward their end.
And though the tubers, once I rot,
Reflesh my bones with pallid knot,
Till swelling out my clothes they feign
This dummy is a man again,
It is as servants they insist,
Without volition that they twist;
And habit does not leave them tired,
By men laboriously acquired.
Cell after cell the plants convert
My special richness in the dirt:
All that they get, they get by chance
And multiply in ignorance.
—- Thom Gunn
Culture Shock
I have just returned to the South, after two months in the West helping my mom in the wake of my dad's death. Getting home is bittersweet and exciting, but also something of shock. Though the South and the West have much in common, in terms of how much both regions are shaped by their land and climate, by how much that land gets under your skin — in the South, it's a bit more literal.
Like chiggers, for instance. Or the unforgettable burn of re-encountering a fire ant — two things I never knew existed until I moved here. Or 90% humidity, which means that if anything sits still for more than half an hour, something green grows on it. And something four-legged or six-legged walks across it, chased by something four-legged or eight-legged.
Dodging through the toads and frogs playing happily in the garage, my son dove for a bathroom that hadn't been used in over 8 weeks, his urgency spurred by the last 6 hours without a break in the car in our hurry to get home.
"Mom! Come here!" Desperation tinged the voice.
"There's a spider in here!"
"That's okay. Spiders are our friends. They eat the truly icky bugs. No worries!"
"Mom! Stop driveling — this is a spider!!"
And not just a spider.
Wendy Davis: Humorous responses in a time of passionate political debate
Tracy Wuster
Over the past few weeks here in Austin, Texas, the issue of women's health and abortion restrictions has been front and center, becoming a national story with the dramatic filibuster of SB5 by Wendy Davis (along with Kirk Watson, Judith Zaffrini, Leticia Van De Putte, Sylvester Turner, and others). Thousands of protesters filled the capital building, hundreds of thousands of people watched online (while CNN discussed blueberry muffins), and Wendy Davis became a national celebrity. Witnessing these events from both inside the capital and online, I was struck by the intense passion on both sides of the issue and by the ways in which humor might both express and relieve the tension that passionate political debate creates.
I understand that the issue of abortion is sensitive, so I will stick with the humorous responses to the issue. What struck me, as an observer, was the swift creation of humorous memes, the jokes on twitter, and the use of humor within the filibuster itself.


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Consider this, it's been almost 25 years since the first Disney/Pixar "Toy Story" movie crossed our radar. Twenty years since "Toy Story 2" premiered and nine years since the Oscar-winning "Toy Story 3" played in theaters.
If you're asking whether we need a "Toy Story 4" (Disney/Pixar) at this juncture, the answer is yes. Especially since Disney is insisting on throwing good money after bad on unnecessary live action adaptations of some of its most beloved classic cartoons ("Dumbo", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin"). Among other things, "Toy Story 4" is a reminder of the kind of quality animation that Disney and Pixar are capable of delivering to audiences.
Opening with a montage of scenes from the titular toys' experiences with their boy Andy and his younger sister Molly, it's a sweet refresher course. The removal from Molly's room of the lamp featuring Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts) and her sheep leads to some heartbreak for Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), but before you know it, he and the other toys are also in a new home.
Now in the possession of Bonnie (voiced by Madeline McGraw), a girl who is soon going to be starting kindergarten. On the day of orientation, Bonnie makes a new toy companion for herself during arts and crafts. Forky (hilariously voiced by Tony Hale) is constructed of a spork, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks and clay. Unbeknownst to Bonnie, these materials were retrieved from the trash and presented to her by Woody who snuck into her backpack so she wouldn't have to endure the first day of school alone. Bonnie adores Forky. Unfortunately, he makes things difficult when he comes to life and only wants to be in the trash bin. This is one of the funniest bits in the movie.
With a couple of days to go before the official start of school, Bonnie's parents pack her (and some toys) up in the RV and embark on one last road trip for the season. It's at this point that anything that can go wrong does. The rogue Forky, intent on making a break for it, causes Woody to chase him down after each escape. This includes a pursuit outside of the swiftly moving RV. Of course, Bonnie is distraught because Forky is missing.
Having survived that episode, on the way to reuniting with Bonnie, her parents and the other toys at the RV park, Woody and Forky pass an antique store on the grounds where Woody recognizes Bo's lamp in the window. Once inside the store, Woody meets up with vintage doll Gabby Gabby (voiced by Christina Hendricks) and her ventriloquist dummy henchmen (if you were afraid of ventriloquist dummies before, "Toy Story 4" will only make matters worse). Gabby Gabby covets Woody's pull-string voice box, which sets up another in a series of conflicts in the movie.
Temporarily leaving Forky in Gabby Gabby's clutches, Woody is reunited with Bo, her sheep and her new crew, including tiny but tough doll Giggle McDimples (voiced by Ally Maki) and the insecure Canadian motorcycle daredevil toy Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves). Woody enlists them in his mission to rescue Forky.
As was the case with the previous movies in the "Toy Story" series, the attention to detail is exceptional. The visuals are spectacular and not a single frame is wasted. Also, the movie is full of messages (including one involving Buzz Lightyear about listening to your inner voice) that are valuable to audience members of all ages. Not a tearjerker in the way that "Toy Story 3" was, "Toy Story 4" is fun to play with.
Rating: A-

subset: commoncrawl


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It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the dating app possibilities, or by the prospect of dating in general, but if the blizzard that the East Coast just got hit with is any indication, people are out en masse in search of connection, and that is only more true as the temperatures drop.
In fact, winter storms and cold weather in general are the best time for dating, so now may be the time to jump into the fray.
All you have to do is answer a couple of simple questions and you're ready to go.
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Leave a Reply
Then you break, and grab me passionately, kissing hard rubbing yourself against my hand Her: then.. kissing you all over, slowly..enjoying every millimeter of you..(sorry for my spelling 🙂 ) Me: So, what are you thinking now? To feel the pleasure, to feel the satisfaction of my temporary loss of control a loss of control that only you can create (in reality, I'd cum inside you, but this is imagination so I'm gonna be a bit wilder, ok?
By Lorie Huston, DVM Arthritis is one of the most common ailments seen in middle-aged to older pets.
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It's a great place to view some of the most wanted babes online.


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Tabor Opera House
The Tabor Opera House expects to offer tours by advance reservation the summer of 2020.
Experience the splendor of this majestic opera house, once billed as the finest theatre between St. Louis and San Francisco. Silver baron Horace Tabor, who made his fortune in Leadville, built this opulent building in 1879 in a mere 100 days. Join us for performances and tours.
You can tour the Tabor and stand on the stage where John Philip Sousa, Oscar Wilde, and Anna Held performed, and wander the dressing rooms beneath the stage. Tour the Tabor museum, a collection of memorabilia. See the historic ballroom where the socialites of Leadville's boom days twirled, and to look out the tall upper floor windows over town and toward the western peaks.
Local youth and experienced local history buffs give guided tours each summer. We expect tours to be available with advance reservation in the summer of 2020. Please check back for more information.
At the Tabor Opera House, you can enjoy concerts, plays, comedies, and more most summers. Performances will not be held in the summer of 2020, to promote health and safety during the pandemic.
History and Revitalization
The Tabor Opera House was built in 1879 by silver mining magnate Horace Austin Warner (HAW) Tabor and in its heyday hosted the likes of conductor John Philip Sousa, British wit Oscar Wilde, the great actress Sarah Bernhardt, and performer Anna Held. Even a circus with tigers has paraded across the stage.
Around the turn of the century, 150 opera houses graced the state. Today, only eight stand as a proud monument to Colorado history. The City of Leadville has recently purchased the Tabor Opera House and is working to revitalize this magnificent brick theater.
How the Tabor Opera House was Built
The Tabor Opera House was built in 1879 by Horace Austin Warner (HAW) Tabor, one of Colorado's most well known mining magnates. It was one of the most costly and most substantially built structures in Colorado history. The construction materials were not available in Leadville, so HAW Tabor ordered that they be brought up by wagons… a tedious task. Nevertheless, the Tabor was completed in only 100 days from the date of ground-breaking, which was a record time.
The massive three-story opera house was constructed of stone, brick, and iron, and trimmed with Portland cement. Its solid brick walls stand 16 inches thick. The color scheme used was red, gold, white, and sky blue, lit by 72 jets of brightly burning gas lights. This substantial construction has weathered the test of time.
Evelyn Livingston Furman
Evelyn Livingston Furman, who sold Maytag wringer washers, bought the Tabor Opera House from the Elks in 1954 and personally ran it until she was 84 years old. Along the way, Evelyn wrote three books that tell the story of the Opera House, Augusta Tabor, and Silver Dollar Tabor. Eventually, she turned the controls to her daughter Sharon Furman Bland and her husband Bill.
Leadville Purchases the Tabor to Create a Cultural Center
In November 2016, the City of Leadville purchased the Tabor Opera House and is revitalizing this grand old building as a center for diverse arts and culture in the heart of Leadville.
Construction on the Tabor Opera House will begin in spring 2020, thanks to an $830,000 grant from Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), a $500,000 National Park Service grant, $20,000 from the City of Leadville, and the $150,000 from the Leadville Main Street Program's Partners in Preservation campaign in late 2018. Tabor fans in Colorado and nationwide secured the $150,000 by voting online over six weeks and winning the Tabor first place in the national Partners in Preservation contest. Together, these funds provide the $1.5 million needed to start Phase I of the rehabilitation, which will fix the most fragile west and south walls.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an invaluable partner on the revitalization project. Want to contribute? Learn about season sponsorship opportunities.
Please check back for 2020 tour info!


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Rhonda Solis: If you are interested in running for Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education you should do it
February 23, 2019
My name is Rhonda Solis, and I am proudly serving my second term as a member of the Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education. As a board member, I have been involved in some big decisions that have helped move our district in a positive direction.
We have seen our graduation rates rise, our school accountability accreditations improve, passed our first mill levy override and entered into a two-year contract with our teachers. The climate and culture change at District 6 can be felt throughout our schools and among our 2,200 employees and our 22,235 students.
Education of children is really tough work, and we couldn't have achieved these things without the leadership of Superintendent Deirdre Pilch and the amazing passion and dedication of the people who work for our district. And I have to say a big thank you to our community members, business partners, volunteers and parents. We are seeing these positive results because of the work we are doing together. We need to continue the hard work and support, and being a board member is an important role in that process.
We recently had to fill the vacancy that opened when Roger DeWitt retired from the board, and although the decision was really difficult, I was so impressed with all the candidates who applied, and I hope they will consider running for the upcoming open seats. At first, I thought I needed to know a lot more about curriculum and specific educational terms, but after taking the District 6 Citizens Academy, I realized my view could be very important and was needed.
More than 60 percent of our students identify as Latino, and there wasn't any representation on the board that could identify with one of the largest groups of students in our community. So I decided to run. Campaigning was actually fun because of all the conversations I was able to have with people in our community who really wanted our district to be better. I tell you my story because I want to encourage those who maybe never thought about running for school board to do so. I highly recommend joining one of the District 6 VIP Tours, which give you a lot of information on what it takes to run a school district. (Sign up at www.greeleyschools.org/VIPtour.) This is a great introduction if you are interested in running for the board or want to learn more about our district. The Colorado Association of School Boards also has information on its website on the steps to running for school board, which I found very helpful.
We are a much better board and community when our decisions come from a reflection of the people we serve. Being a Greeley-Evans School District 6 board member has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. I've learned so much in this role and have met some wonderful people and gained some lifelong relationships, which I will always cherish. It took someone to ask me to run and so I am asking you. If you have a true passion for public education and believe in the opportunities it provides for ALL children, will YOU consider running? I hope so!
Recommended Stories For You
— Rhonda Solis is a member of the Greeley-Evans School District 6 school board.


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I'm doing exceptionally well since coming back home from the hospital three days ago. Appetite is back and bowels are finally online (I mean, not online, ha ha, thank goodness…), functional.
See? I told you not to worry!
I've been writing the entire time, but nothing published until now. So, I will begin posting updates from the time in the hospital.
The good news from here is the hospital sent me home in excellent condition, healthy, well, and with a good prognosis on full recovery. Now the baton is in my hands, and Matt's. At this time, I feel best staying home and clear of that horrid H3N2 flu. Rather than having guests over, Matt and I had our first "visit", a chat on FaceTime, with his daughter Chloe, and that worked out great!


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David R., the chief business analyst for a medium-sized software company, walked into the office on Monday morning and greeted his staff with a smile and encouraging words. They had great numbers to round off Q3 and David was looking forward to sharing that exciting information at the shareholders' meeting that afternoon.
But as he collected the Q3 report that he had generated from the printer, a notable inconsistency glared up at him.
Not today! David, thought. This error required fixing, which meant that he and his team would have to trace the data's journey back to its source.
He quickly rounded up his team of analysts and they immediately began mapping the data lineage of the specific data point in order to determine where the inconsistency was made. David hoped that other data hadn't been botched as well.
The head of BI knew that this process would take hours if not days, so he postponed the shareholders meeting, much to his dismay.
Why does it take so darn long?
Before automated data tools were introduced, whenever an inaccuracy was identified in a data set, BI teams had to manually trace the data or manually map out the entire enterprise data lineage. The goal was to discover and understand all of the processes that the particular data went through before it landed in a specific report. With data scattered across multiple systems, this was an error-prone, very time consuming and therefore costly process.
Once the business data lineage was mapped out for them, the BI team would then analyze which database tables and ETL (extract, transform, and load) processes were involved in and affected by the specific inaccuracy.
A visual mapping tool, also called a data lineage tool, is needed to create full lineage of the data journey as it flows through multiple systems to assist in the data context to continually improve the management process.
Automated business data lineage tools speed things up!
Data lineage tools, such as Octopai, work automatically to easily and quickly map out the entire business data lineage with a detailed visual map to show the BI team where each calculation was made in each system leading up to the current report. On one screen this tool shows all objects – such as processes and tables – related to the calculation instances throughout the entire landscape. With this easily accessible information, changes can be implemented accurately, in a fraction of the time.
Now, when David encounters an error in his reports, he or another business analyst can quickly locate where and why the mistake was made, and easily correct it, by utilizing Octopai's automated data lineage system. Within moments, he sees the entire journey that the data took before it ended up in his report, so he can spot the mistake and ensure the accuracy of his entire report. David feels a renewed sense of confidence ahead of Q4 now that he is using Octopai.
Octopai's automated data mapping tool enables the BI group to not only locate data instantly, but to see everything about their data from where it originated to any changes it underwent to where it is headed. It truly couldn't be easier. And the best part of all: This data mapping software will help you become GDPR compliant.


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2018 was a crazy year for Craft Wallet. It stopped being a side project of a group of university students and became a full-time job.
At Craft Wallet we design and make premium minimal wallets capable of carrying everything you need. All our products are designed and made by us in our factory in Portugal.
Here are some of the good and bad things that happened to us in the past 12 months:
- sold our wallets to over 110 countries;
- went from Production Hell to Logistics Hell;
- were close to going bankrupt;
- raised over $50K in a crowdfunding campaign;
- sold thousands of wallets through our website and other sales channels;
- accumulated almost 2000 orders in backlog;
- built a factory and vertically integrated production and logistics;
- hired our first employees;
- etc.
If last year could be summed up in two words, those words would be failure and learning. Don't take me wrong, it was a very successful year for us, but along the way, we had so many problems that it's even hard for us to grasp the number of failures we had and lessons we learned in the last 12 months.
Nonetheless, there's one mistake that stands out. It cost us over $50.000 (when you're bootstrapping, losing this much money can be deadly) and led to the disrespect of the delivery deadline several times, disappointing thousands of customers eager to try the product.
Thinking that having a working prototype means that the product is ready for mass production and to be shipped to your customers.
It's not.
This can be a mistake for several reasons. In our case, we had the "luck" of building a prototype which happened to work. The problem was that when mass production started, some design flaws we weren't able to identify in the prototype started becoming apparent.
To make things more difficult, the design flaws could only be seen in some of the wallets. In the end, 50% of them were working perfectly and the other 50% didn't work at all and we had no idea why. It was a huge conundrum and we couldn't make any sense of it but we had to do something. Over 1000 customers had already pre-ordered and paid for the wallet.
We started working on the matter and doing everything we could to correct the flaws. We invested a lot of time and money looking for a solution and had to delay mass production for several months. We found ourselves stuck in Production Hell for 8 months.
Production Hell is industry jargon for a product that remains in development for an especially long time before it progresses to production, if it ever does. Projects in development/production hell are not officially cancelled, but work on them slows or stops.
When we thought we had solved all the problems and were ready for mass production we'd receive feedback from our customers that had already received their wallets saying that a new problem appeared. Every time this happened, we had to stop production, redesign the wallet and change the delivery deadline. It happened so many times that we literally lost count.
When in Production Hell, you solve a problem and another two appear. Our wallet has 11 different pieces and all of them had to be tweaked. All of them. This was a huge drain in terms of energy for the team and money for the startup.
As a consequence of the delay, we had thousands of angry customers whose wallets were taking too long to be shipped. This wasn't easy to manage because no one is used to wait several months for a product our society takes for granted: a wallet. We asked them to understand and luckily, the vast majority did understand and preferred to wait for a product they knew was different and better than what they were used to.
Financially speaking, this situation affected us in two different ways:
- we had to do several production runs until we found and eliminated the sources of all the problems, burning a lot of cash along the way;
- we lost several thousands of dollars in refunds we had to give to customers who couldn't wait any longer for their wallets.
This was harsh because, in a bootstrapped startup, cash is everything. We had to be very cautious about where our money was being invested. It was during this time we were the closest to going bankrupt. It was a really stressful and scary time.
Thanks to a lot of hard work and personal sacrifices, the design flaws no longer exist, the product is shipping and we're taking orders 💪
Lessons learned
Just because your prototype seems to be working, doesn't mean that your product is market-ready. Perhaps you were just "lucky" and got that one working. Never rush a product.
When mass producing different pieces, these don't always come with the same size, shape and quality. Those small differences can be key when you want to make something function well for a long time.
In the end, we couldn't fulfil the orders until the product problems were all solved. At the same time, we couldn't take more orders until we fulfilled the ones we already had or we'd be creating an even bigger problem.
This was the main roadblock to our growth.
2018 was a rollercoaster year with lots of mixed feelings. One day you're the king of the world. The other day you're feeling like garbage. Nothing new in the life of an entrepreneur. It might seem like a hard lifestyle for most people, but if we didn't love what we do, Craft Wallet would have ceased to exist a long time ago.
The lessons aren't only in the business field, but also on a personal level:
- Spending a lot of time doing customer service and managing the anger of thousands of people (some of them rude and making menaces) greatly improved our emotional intelligence and stress resistance.
- Always be humble. It's worth it in the long term.
- Don't isolate yourself. Being an entrepreneur is a solitary task. Socializing with friends and family will help you clear your head at the end of a rough day.
We're here for the long run. The mistakes we make today teach us the lessons that are the fuel for the rockets of tomorrow.
About the author:
Pedro Andrade is a 22-year-old Portuguese entrepreneur. He has lived and worked in three continents and is one of the co-founders of Craft Wallet. He's currently based in Lisbon, Portugal.


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There was an article published by an analyst from Arthur D. Little on BusinessWeek in 1975 which stated that paper use would start to decline from 1980 and that it would nearly disappear by 1990. Fast forward to the present day, over 40 years later, and the usage of paper has increased by nearly 400%.
Increase in Paper Usage TodayThe peak was in 2007, with a slight decline since then. Paper producers have a higher revenue today than they did in 2011. When you consider workplaces going paperless in today's age, it is clearly visible that there is not much progress made. Some of the increase in paper usage can be attributed to the rise in awareness about plastic pollution. When compared, paper is lesser of the two evils. There have been a lot of environmental campaigns surrounding the harmful effects of plastic, and paper was seen to be a convenient alternative. Regardless of the environmental benefits of switching to paper from plastic, the fact still remains that an average worker in the United States uses about ten thousand sheets of paper each year. If stacked, it would come up to over three feet tall. If one was to stack all the paper used in offices in the United States each year, the pile would reach halfway to the moon.
The Process of Going PaperlessGoing paperless is a slow process. Over time, people have weaned off of using postal services and switched to emails and text messages. Similarly, people have moved on from using newspapers as their daily source of world news to different media like television, their phones and tablets, etc. Overall, people are comfortable with using electronic gadgets instead of paper, but for some reason, the same shift has not managed to occur in office spaces.
The Benefits of Going Paperless
ProductivityOne of the biggest and most forgotten benefits of going paperless in an office is the increase in productivity. It is also one of the most compelling benefits. Documents stored electronically can be instantly available for access to anybody across the company. They are also available for use simultaneously, so two people can work on the same document without having to be in the same working space. It is also time-saving and improves the workflow among employees, resulting in better teamwork.
Cost SavingsThe ROI on going paperless in offices can be calculated within months. That is how financially beneficial it is to go paperless. Each office worker uses up about $500 worth of paper. This, plus the additional cost of storage, printers, toners, ink, and more, can end up a steep amount.
AccessibilityThe amount of time and effort that goes into arranging, rearranging, and searching for paper documents is tremendous. By saving all the files digitally, this can be avoided.
SecurityElectronic documents can be encrypted and stored in cloud, making it a safer and more secure option than leaving physical copies of files in the office. Access can be monitored, and there are multiple ways of protecting files from cyberattacks.
Customer SatisfactionProcessing of documents and responding to requests is a lot faster when files are stored digitally. Requests can be processed in a matter of hours instead of days. This leads to improved customer satisfaction, which is only beneficial to the company.
Key Takeaways:
- Paper usage has increased 400% since 1975
- This is because of the shift from plastic products to the safer option; paper
- Going paperless is a global phenomenon taking place, with news, books, communication, etc. becoming digital, but office spaces still have not managed to catch on to the paperless shift
- There are many benefits to going paperless in offices, such as increased productivity, monetary savings, better accessibility to documents, and improved security and customer satisfaction


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While waiting in the airport, I stopped at the terminal's Starbucks only to find this menu on the wall. I immediately went into usability mode, thinking how can they do that? To me, the poor contrast of white letters on a red background really made it hard for me to see the menu items from a distance. Of course, it's the Christmas season and we all want to be festive – we've all heard of function over form but what about function over festivity? One of the most fun parts of my Better Software Con session, in which I covered How to Improve the Mobile User Experience (UX), is the application of usability and UX in everyday life. The same principles that we use in designing good, high-quality software can be utilized in our lives and vice versa.
I can certainly see that Starbucks wanted to create a festive mood with their choice of colors on their menu. However, at the expense of poor contrast, not to mention making it difficult for those who might already have poor vision, I thought it was a bad idea. When I think about the menu, it reminded me of some key principles for usability and UX in software design.
- Form over function: In almost all cases, consider function before form. When you are laying out your screen, do it the same way that you would a sign in a store. Can the user see this clearly? Which direction would they be reading from? Is the sign in the right location relative to the products you're trying to sell? How many clicks (or steps) does it take to get from one place to another?
- Colors and visual appeal: Make sure there is enough contrast for important buttons and text you want the user to see. You can do this by choosing complementary colors and by considering color-blindness as well.
- Vision: How big is the space I have to use and how far will the user be reading from? 12 inches or 12 feet? If your audience contains mostly Baby Boomers, you might want to consider that they most likely wear reading glasses.
As you can see, there are many usability and UX lessons from everyday life that we can take and transpose into software design and vice versa. The golden rule is to consider the end user first, whoever it may be, whether it's a customer reading a sign or a user entering data and navigating your software.


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A Writer's Soul, the madness within … continued
The writer, with a few blood soaked pages, sits with his head buried in his arms. The look of exhaustion hangs over him like a dark rain cloud over a mountain meadow. He has written very little. However, it's very apparent, he's toiled heavily over the few words that appear on the pages.
His shoulders are burdened with the weight of the world … his world. It appears darkened and dismal, cracked and broken. The muscles in his shoulder are tense, hard as rock, and defined, yet they look ready to collapse under the intense pressure he bears.
The writer has poured his soul out. giving drink to all who would listen. His vulnerability is not masked or hidden, nor is his heart, that he wears on his sleeve.
In the writer's mind, running wildly and free, are the lives and adventures of hundreds of characters. They visit faraway lands, travel through space and time, fall in love, lust for beauty, battle fiercely, kill with a bloodthirsty appetite and sail away on clouds of gold and silver. All the while, demons, past and present, haunt his memory and shroud his imagination. They torment and imprison his fantasies.
What is this madness?!
Instead of rejoicing in the magnificence of fairy-tales and fables, he mourns the death of ideas. The blood that fills the pages in front of him are memoirs of his personal, internal battles. They are pleas for help and relief from the shackles that hold his soul.
While his life may be a declared an open book, it really isn't. A battle rages deep within his soul, like a roaring bonfire. Turmoil fills the caverns like a dark heavy mist.
Yet, through it all, he seeks nothing more than to lift his fellow man. He carries a world on his shoulders, filled with the cares and worries of others. All the while, he reaches out to be noticed. He seeks for love, and affection, and longs for relevance in an irrelevant world.
With blood on his hands, and sweat pouring from his brow, he has no choice but to carry on. Victory escapes his grasp, yet the jaws of defeat still wait a little ways off. He cannot turn back, only forward.
With a sigh, and a heavy heart, he picks his pen back up …
And writes…
*Read the first post in this narrative, entitled: "A Writer's Soul"


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- Home
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The participation in specialized trade fairs and events is an integral part of our annual planning. We regularly attend national and internationally important events to showcase our products and services. Visit us there and get to know our company as well as our innovative products. We are confident that in a collaboration with you, we'll be able to understand and develop solutions for your tasks, and also identify potentials.


text: Once upon a time, games used to be worked on by lone programmers in their bedrooms. Then, as the industry grew, things got more competitive; in order to justify the costs of pressing thousands of disks and cartridges, you needed to have a team of several hundred (or even thousand) people behind you.The modern internet has helped things to come full circle. Just as anyone with access to a smartphone can upload videos to the internet and become a phenomenon, so too can amateur developers with a simple concept to get across.The Y8 platform is among the largest platforms dedicated to supporting small developers of Flash games. There are millions of players on its platform, and thousands of games to play and videos to watch. Of course, that's not to say that all of these games are worth playing – but that doesn't mean that Y8, like Newgrounds and other sites, hasn't had a significant effect on the way that online gaming has gone. It's a community-based catalog of games, with new additions constantly arriving.Y8 games is a catch-all description for games of this sort, released via a web browser. Just about every genre is covered, so gamers of every taste will be catered for!At Gamepix, we provide a host of games modelled after Y8's library. So, if you're looking for Y8 games to play, this is a great place to start. Unlike Y8, all of the games we provide are in HTML5, not Flash – this means you won't need to bother installing players. Our HTML5 games are curated carefully, and run on every device equipped with a web browser, so you'll be able to fire one up and get gaming, without spending any time scrolling through a tedious web store.


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Emirates Hills Villa
Stunning Contemporary Villa in Emirates Hills
|Emirates Hills
|P Sector
|Property ID
|8 bedrooms
|10 (8 ensuite)
|Built up area
|27,000 sq ft
|Plot size
|32,556 sq ft
About this property
Luxhabitat are both proud and privileged to offer exclusive to market this beautifully designed and crafted contemporary home located in Dubai's most prestigious development of Emirates Hills. The amazing villa is located in a stunning location affording gorgeous views over direct water and fairway of the golf course. The current owner has meticulously designed a home that meets the requirements for modern living of todays discerning families. Standing in a plot in excess of 32,500 square feet the property is comprised as follows. On the ground floor you will find a large office/guest bedroom with full ensuite facilities and walk in wardrobe, 2 large family areas, full guest wings, informal dinning and formal dining areas, stunning contemporary German design kitchen and large vaulted family room, offering simply stunning views. The basement area is comprised of bespoke parking for 5 cars, a gymnasium, relaxation area and massage room, plus a area for a private cinema. This level is serviced by one of the two elevators that connect all floors of the property in one of the wings. To the first floor you will find a further 5 bedroom suites with the master suite to the rear of the property affording amazing views. The master suite has an oversize walk in closet and huge master bathroom area. Completing the first floor is a third family room and entertainment space. To the rear of the property there are two large terrace areas with water frontage and views if the golf course. From the first terrace area there is a separate glass fronted area that travels from the garden space to a beautifully created entertainment space on the rooftop of the villa. This area allows you design a relaxation area, party space or external spa with jaccuzi etc. To summarise the property, it is a credit to its current owners and there design team, crafted from quality product and making the most of its aspects and views of the golf course, but not overwhelming the plot with built up areas that are not required. The aspect of the villa and its location gives it the upmost privacy and is located at the end of a small close of 5 homes. To view this amazing villa call luxhabitat at your earliest convenience.
|DLD Permit
|Golf-side Villas, Lakeside Homes, Family-friendly Communities
|Private pool
|North West
|Full Lake, partial Skyline, full Golf course
|Open kitchen equipped with stove, fridge and dish washer. countertops. 1 back kitchen.
|1 laundry room
|Study room, cinema room, 2 maid's rooms, driver's room, storage room, basement, 3 terraces, 4 balconies and 2 landing areas
|Marble, wood flooring. 6 wardrobes, 2 walk in closets and smart home technology
|Private elevator, 6 allocated parkings, private jacuzzi, private steam room, private sauna, private gymnasium and private bbq
Property Representative
Conny Mathei
Luxury Sales Specialist
Rera BRN 42124


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Whether you're decorating Christmas cookies, opening gifts, or just spending some quality time with the family, we've got the soundtrack for YOU this holiday season. We're combining the iconic Twisted Sister with a festive Radio City Music Hall holiday concert to bring you "A Twisted Christmas." Along with the band, we're adding in elves, (maybe ones that Santa should have kept in the back room), some lovely helpers from Santa's workshop and, of course, the hair metal music you know and love. You'll experience a perfect blend of traditional holiday tunes, and Twisted classics like "We're Not Gonna Take It," "I Wanna Rock" & "Burn In Hell," in this truly Twisted Xmas show. Get a sneak peek of "White Christmas" above, then watch the entire concert Saturday as part of AXS TV's Christmas Concert Saturday Stack!
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Things I'm learning about myself from this 'thing' with BB:
- But I'm congenitally incapable of doing casual sex very well.
- Because I'm too emotional a person. I need to feel I belong with a man. I need to be acknowledged on an emotional level. I also care too much. I wake up in the morning and wonder if he had a good night. I sit at home having lunch and wonder if he's having lunch with his friends, alone? What is he having? Is he enjoying it? I listen to travel updates and ask myself whether he's stuck in traffic somewhere bored out of his brain. When he gets home, is he happy to see his baby? Does he spend his weekends making funny faces and making him laugh?
- Also because my PCOS drives me mad. Immediately after my period, unless I really trust someone it can be quite an effort for me to have sex. Too many true and false PMS-esque symptoms during that time. And I just can't sit someone down – someone who is essentially still not close to me and start explaining all my reproductive woes. I'd rather pass the sex itself at that time. So I worry a lot instead, mostly about him, not me. Mostly about how I seem not to be in the mood.
- And what does that say about me? I'm pathetic. End of story. But of course I want a very healthy relationship. That I'm sure of. I may suffer from a terrible and great deal of low self-esteem and other great crazy but that's one thing I'm sure of. That's why I said no to Fish. I'm not at my best emotionally and if I said yes I would lose him – something I don't want to do because I want him in my life. If he still wants me when I'm 'healed' then I think I will say yes. At the moment it's ok for any other woman to have him, although there isn't any yet.
- I like and prefer intelligent men. I mean, BB isn't dim, but God knows we don't have any mentally stimulating conversations. Of course I'm aware life is about compromise so I can compromise if a man brought something else to the table, like kindness, unconditional love, streetwiseness and money, yes money – don't get me wrong but I'm a woman, I don't just lay with anyone, there are consequences to think of, it's nature. And I won't be PC about it, in fact all women shouldn't be PC about it. All women who pretend to be PC about money in regards to relationships want to have the good life to themselves and leave you out to dry. True story. So where was I? Yes, intelligence. An intelligent man is powerful to me. A powerful man turns me on. I have respect for a powerful man and in order for me to love a man I have to respect him. Money = Power too, that's why I can compromise. A powerful man also makes me feel protected and taken care of. I feel safe in the company of a powerful man. I feel my future children will be safe with a powerful father. A powerful man doesn't worry about his position in society so he doesn't have time to have 'issues', instead he has the time to love me.
- I need to be more kind to myself.
- Unmasking myself and allowing myself to be vulnerable is actually good for me. Allowing people to see the real me and being honest about my situation is good for my personal growth. BB is the only person in a long time who has actually seen how bad my financial situation is. Most of the times I feel ashamed by what is essentially a situation that is not my fault, but what can I do? He still insists on seeing me, so that's what he'll see.
- I am beautiful – I know this but I needed a reminder after a very long time. From the first day that he met me, BB told me that I was beautiful every single time we met. Every single time. He's never stopped. No faffing around with words, he just says these exact words every single time: You are beautiful.
- I like kissing men's noses.
From this post: Yes, I think my dad is depressed. I've been depressed too so it's clear for me to see. My mum thinks this too but she has this absurd way of walking around issues without really dealing with them. My mother has also gone through periods of extreme stress but being busy and being responsible for keeping the family together coupled with a very resilient character has made her stay on top of things.
When I was 18 and everything was starting to fall apart, my mother took out her stress and frustrations on me. Being the eldest child, she would tell me off about anything that happened at home that she did not like. She would even refer to my brother's mistakes as mine. If my brother did something she would start with 'you children always do this…e.t.c". Being a teenager and going through that roller coaster phase that every teenager goes through I always made sure to let her know that I was not happy with that. I would argue with her, we would talk about things as a result of these arguments and I would get it out of my chest and then we would make up, but of course she never stopped. She minimised it, but she didn't stop. I understood somehow that her treating me differently from my brother was because she was looking to me as the eldest of the two to set an example which is fair enough. However, it was very tiring to have this kind of responsibility weighed upon me when it was that it could be shared, and sometimes none of it was my fault.
So she called me selfish. All the time. I was selfish because I told her her to be specific about the mistakes I made and the mistakes my brother made. I was selfish for pointing out that responsibility was not mine alone. I became very frustrated that I didn't communicate exactly what I felt because I have a introvert-extrovert kind of personality. Sometimes I got really angry and complained and shouted and then cried. Sometimes I just stared at her blankly as she ranted away because I couldn't take it anymore. I could feel my spirit dying away very slowly. She called this selfish.
So, I went around doubting myself. I'm I being selfish now? Is this right. What should I do here? Would my mother think this is selfish? I went around not thinking about myself and my needs because I was scared of being selfish.
Then I grew up. No longer a teenager and starting to understand the serious issues in life I decided to back away from unnecessary arguments with my mum. Our relationship changed to the point that I didn't say anything. I didn't want any arguments, so I usually told her calmly if I didn't agree with her and just generally avoided unpleasant situations. If she was having a random rant I would just let her let it all out and then just nod or offer my very brief opinion and that would be the end of that. Part of me wanted a good relationship with her while the other part of me just wanted some peace and calm. I was tired and weary of arguments and resentment. I changed. I grew up. This has been good for me because we can now communicate as adults without any one of us going away huffing and puffing with resentment, disappointment or even anger. This change in attitude also helped me learn that I can think about my needs and not be selfish. In fact these days I don't listen to my mum when she starts with that selfish tirade, which thankfully she hasn't done in about two years. I know better now and I think she finally realised that I saw through her manipulation because let's be honest she was manipulating me by calling me selfish.
My dad is different. My dad is difficult. He's an extreme introvert. I mean really introverted. He's not flexible too. He has this type of personality where it's very easy for him to develop a low self-esteem. With him, when things are going well, money flowing in, kids getting good grades, affluence…influence..you know the lot, he's happy. When things are difficult he gets stuck in this negative and self deprecating rut that is almost impossible to get him out of. Sadly, life isn't that one-dimensional. I remember once last year he refused to talk to my brother because he was not getting good grades. My relationship with him hasn't been bad at all, although being the way he is and with all the problems around us, most of the times he hasn't made the effort to communicate with me. And when someone doesn't communicate with you and you have so many issues to deal with it gets really difficult to get talking properly about things. It's also extremely hard when this person is very negative.
I don't want to be around negative people. I don't want to deal with negativity. Is that so bad?
When I was away at uni my dad never really called me or sent me emails a lot, just the odd one. I used to send him e-cards on occasions like his birthday or father's day when I couldn't afford the postal ones but he didn't respond most of the times. Our communication was mostly along the lines of:
'Hi dad, are you alright, how's everything bla bla bla. My uni work is this and that bla bla bla…' and he would reply with the same kind of thing , 'I'm fine…bla bla bla. This is what is happening at home bla bla bla…'
It was just like that. It worked most of the times because I understood that my dad isn't that big on words and opening up, so I left it like that because I knew my dad loved me and I love him very much. I was aware it was due to my dad's depression and the stressful situation were in so I just worked at making myself feel better first and making sure my family was OK. Things got bad and they are now worse after he quit his job. When I talk to my dad I feel as if I'm being judged for something. He used to call me the last few days when I was at uni and it always felt like I was under watch. We didn't communicate. He was just frustrated.
'What are you doing? Where are young going? I called and you were not at home, where were you? How are your studies?'
That is not a phone conversation. I hated that, so all I did was just answer his questions, offer brief explanations and that was that. My parents in general haven't been the let's-be-open-and-talk-about-everything kind of people. I don't know, I guess it could it could be because of my parents need to protect us and in a way treat us as precious little children or it could just be tradition, but that's the way it is and I can't change that now.
Still, my mum is very hands on. She calls us, emails, talks to us. She is generally the one who'll tell me to get out there and live life. She makes an effort to make everyone happy. Now my dad has started saying that we are excluding him in stuff and my mum is blaming me. He says that we are talking to each other and doing things together and leaving him out. I don't understand this. It's his doing. He doesn't want to do things, he is always worried about how much money we spend. He's constantly stressing over things and when my mother tries to make him do things to make him feel positive, he refuses to do them. He sometimes even refuses to go for walks or treat himself to something that will make him feel better. He just wants to stay at home and be depressed. I don't want to live like that. I want to be happy. I want to meet people. So I make an effort not to be in the company of my dad because he is so negative and I don't want his kind of mindset. It's not that I don't like him. I love my father but I don't want to live like him. Is it so wrong that I don't want this kind of life? Does loving your parents mean putting up with a negative attitude? I'm also a grown up now and I'm a woman, surely my relationship with my father is going to be different from my mother. At this point in my life, I'm going to be close to my mother than my father but that doesn't mean I don't love him or care for him. So why is my mum blaming me?
She went to work yesterday and called me for about half an hour to tell me off. She says I should make an effort even if my dad does not make any effort at least I'll have done my part. But why is this? It's not fair. He's the one who isn't making any effort, so why shouldn't he be told to make an effort? I've been extremely patient with the situation at home. I've respected him. I've never shouted at him and or been rude to him when things were getting extremely hard and when he was not being very nice to my mum. I've never demanded anything of him, so why I'm I being told that it's my fault? It's not my fault that he's depressed. It's not my fault that he's not working towards feeling good and being happy. I'm angry at my mum for making me feel guilty. Deep down I know it's my dad making my mum feel guilty. It's his low self-esteem and depression that is making him think he's being neglected. I just feel as if every time I try to stay on top of things, my dad puts me down again.
Tell me what's wrong with wanting to run away from all this negativity?
Whenever my mum starts going on about this, I always think of that moment when I found a note from my dad to my mum in the kitchen table with my mum's bank statement.
'We don't have money. She'll never finish university'
Or that day when my mum sent me a message asking me to come up with a surprise present to give to my dad after graduation. For his efforts. I'm sorry but as much as I'm supposed to thank my parents for financing my education but I'm the one who is graduating. And my mum is the one who has struggled a lot more than my dad. A lot more. If I was goin to buy a present it would be for her. But, I didn't say anything. Didn't complain, just focused on completing my degree, and now I'm the one who isn't making an effort.
I was thinking about the weekend chat I had with Fish. It was around 6 pm and I was in the kitchen cooking when he came online and asked to have a video conversation with me. I said yes and turned the webcam on. We started chatting, but I couldn't stop thinking…
'Do I look alright? Is my hair messy? I'm wearing my hair in a different style from the one he told me he loved, is that OK? Do I look less beautiful because of that? What about my face? Does he think I look good?
Just look at that. Am I that insecure?
As we kept talking I thought, 'what the hell, I should stop worrying about how I look. He should like me in whatever hairstyle I'm in or whatever time of day it is.' So I forgot about it until today. You know, I'm trying. I am really trying to be a confident person. It's not easy but I've got better in the past few months, it's just that sometimes these things creep up on me and take over me and sometimes it feels like I can't do anything about it. Sometimes it's really bad all I want to do is curl up at a corner in my room and stay there. Sometimes it feels like everyone in the world has it all except me. I feel as if nothing beautiful will ever happen to me and it scares me.
I know I have a problem with 'feeling left out'. The feeling that I'm not good enough or that a man someone will find other women people better than me. I think it's a result of my tragic relationship with King. It's not a trust issue because I do trust people nor is it a jealous issue. It's just something. It could be a self-esteem issue. I just don't know. All I know is that whenever I have 'episodes' I just want to cry and run away somewhere. I guess admitting I have a problem is a good start. I hope can find a way of changing this complex,because I really would not like it to affect any relationship I have.


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Memory foam Dog Beds — Great Merchandise for Your Dog's HealthJanuary 22nd, 2020
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Beginning a Small Dog Sweater BlogJanuary 22nd, 2020
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While attending the recent Florida League of Cities annual conference, 10-year St. Augustine City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline accepted an appointment to the 2019 Fiscal Year Transportation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, signaling her apparent expectation to remain in office for four more years.
There are no term limits in the city charter, so Kline is seeking another four-year term which would give her 14-years in office, if she is re-elected.
When you think of her interest in local government, she will be remembered for transportation issues and preservation. Although, she recently ignored preservationists by voting to allow the authentic confederate memorial to be tampered with. She voted to allow signs to be directly attached to the 139-year-old artifact that invoke inflammatory images of racism and racial supremacy.
Kline's interests are more about political power and influence these days. Her new committee appointment is one of five standing legislative policy committees which review proposed bills to be considered by the Florida Legislature. Then, through the Legislative Policy Committee, the annual "Legislative Action Agenda" supported by the Florida League of Cities is developed.
So, her participation, assuming she survives her own political challenge November 6th, will be less about engaging her interest in transportation issues affecting St. Augustine and more about engaging political lobbying and legislative efforts on the part of the city's paid advocacy organization in Tallahassee.
Sikes-Kline's work on legislative issues related to St. Augustine and St. Johns County earned her recognition by the Florida League of Cities during the most recent legislative session as a "Home Rule Hero" — that had nothing to do with solving the nagging problems of city residents with substandard-grade streets and ignored mobility deficiencies.


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How do I free up space on startup disk on iMac 10.6.8 ?
How do I free up space on startup disk on iMac 10.6.8 ?
please send me the solution to free startup disc on a mac
I need desperately to free my space up on my i mac start up.please...........can anyone help?
Thank you so much for help. I did clear cache, but forgot about Chrome, Opera, Firefox,etc. In fact, when in panic mode (receiving message that I could not update software because of space), I deleted Firefox..might have to add this back for Youtube use. I didn't know about cleaning the users' library, but I wanted to tap it too, but was scared..user folder(home folder) was using hundreds of GB! Turning "fire vault" Off seemed to do the trick: freed up 100s of GB!
If you want a real challenge, try to delete pics from your iPhoto or images from Image folder..you delete, delete, delete, empty trash, but photos reappear in iTunes library, etc. I had hundreds of images in image folder: clothes, shoes,furniture, gardening.. just anything that I had ever looked at online..I wasn't aware that these were staying with me for life! on my computer!! WTH ! Thanks again!
To give you some pointers:
clear your browsing data/history within Safari, Chrome, Opera, Firefox ...
contents of the following folders are safe to be deleted
/Users/yourname/Library/Mail Downloads
Empty your Trash! Because that's where all the deleted files end up in.
And all our favorite tool ~now also for the Mac
Thanks again
visualize what is taking up all your space on the hard drive
Thank you for your quick reply. Per your suggestion, I did use monolingual, and it did free up some space. After deleting for hours and with help from Apple Support, it appears that the real culprit was my Fire vault was On and needed to be Off and then a 'restart." And "poof" 500 available GB appeared ! Amazing!
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your solution!
Thanks so much for this info... shineOn


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Core Table Knitted Sweater
$ 140.00 $ 56.00
This Core Table sweater is designed with a crew neck. A solid piece with lots of texture. The high and lows created by the knitted lines, make a check pattern. Grown on ribbed cuffs and waist finish this structured piece.
Straight Fit
- Crew neck
- Structure knit
- Long sleeves, straight inset- grown on ribbed cuffs
- Straight hem- grown on rib edge
- G-Star RAW embroidery at chest


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Marvel Adventures The Avengers #9
"A Not-So-Beautiful Mind"
Writer: Jeff Parker
Pencils: Juan Santacruz
Inks: Raul Fernandez
Colors: Impacto Studios
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Cover artist: Cameron Stewart
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics/Marvel Adventures imprint
Price: $2.99 US/$3.75 CAN
I haven't paid much attention to Marvel's younger-readers line since the first couple of issues of Marvel Adventures Spider-Man and Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four. I dismissed the line as rehashing old stories I'd already read and striving for a simpler tone to appeal to the little tykes. A couple of months back, though, Cameron Stewart's cover art for this particular comic book started making the rounds, and I, like many others, was immediately tickled and intrigued. I asked the manager at my local comic shop to add this issue to my pull list, and I'm pleased I did. Writer Jeff (Agents of Atlas) Parker brings the goofy storytelling of DC's Silver Age to this unusual lineup of heroes and oddball villain to achieve a delightfully entertaining story that will appeal not only to young, new comics reads but longtime fans of the medium and super-hero genre as well. Despite the oversized craniums of the characters, this isn't the most cerebral of super-hero stories, but it's funny, energetic and clever in its own campy way.


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Henry Paulson, Chairman of Wall Street Financial firm Goldman Sachs, has been named as Treasury secretary by President Bush. This is a good move on the part of the Bush Administration. Paulson will be both an excellent spokesman for an economy that grew at its fastest rate in 2 1/2 years this past quarter, and a good policy influencer in bringing more conservative economic policies to the White House to prolong the robust expansion we are already in the midst of.
Archive for May 30th, 2006
Selling the Economy
Posted by Sal on May 30, 2006
Posted in Politics | 3 Comments »


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Another one of my goals this year is to take care of my health more. I mean I do already but I want to take it up a level you know.
Taking care of my health is a massive thing for me. I just always want to be the healthiest I can be and I will always do what I can to achieve that. Also living with a little bit of health anxiety, I always worry so much about my health so doing what I can to reduce that is very important to me.
Here are 10 health goals I want to work better at:
1. Drink more water
This seems easy enough and I mean it is for a short while before I reach for another fizzy drink. I don't drink lots of frizzy but every now and again, I crave the fizz in carbonated drinks. I have recently switched to flavoured sparkling water instead of just the usual Fanta. I know drinking water has so many health benefits so I just need to remind myself to drink it. I can go from drink enough water to not drinking much at all so I really need to just keep ahead and make sure I'm drinking enough.
2. Stick to consistent skincare
I am usually quite good at keeping up woth my skincare routine but recently it has slipped. I want to get back into chilled evenings, relaxing with a book or a TV series with a face mask on. Those are the kind of evenings I live for.
3. Eat more fruit and veggies
Being vegan I do eat a lot of vegetables but I feel Just not as much as before. Back when I was eating more veggies, I was definitely reaping the benefits so you know, I've just got to get back to that.
4. Hit the gym consistently every week
The gym has been apart of my life for over 2 years now and I genuinely don't know where I would be without it. The benefits of the gym has been incredible. stress- relief, improving confidence and self- esteem, getting that positive body image has just been great. The gym user to be a bit of a chore but I have began to find a routine that works for me and I couldn't be happier. My goal is to stick to a combination of regular gym classes, cardio, strength training and yoga as well as a few outside sports every fee months. I am usually good at hitting the gym but going away and then coming back to it is the hardest. Got to keep to that positive mindset and remember why I started.
5. Go for more early morning/ evening walks
I love doing this! It literally sets my day up to be so positive or end my evening feeling so refreshed and ready for the day ahead. I don't do this as often as I like due to the weather not being it's finest and wanting to be a hermit. But as the weather picks up and lighter evening arise, I shall be definitely engaging this into my routine.
6. Stick to my meal plan more
I found having a meal plan made me feel less anxious thinking, 'what am I going to have for tea'. I realised I would spend half the day debating what I would have instead of actually getting on with my day. Also by keeping a meal plan, it helped me budget and shop a lot better for each week. My meal plan changes from time to time depending on my needs and I have found it to have benefits in my energy levels, mood and physical state. I know what it's done for me in the past so it's just about sticking to it properly.
7. Take more care of my mental state and wellbeing
For me this is something dips in and out. Sometimes I'm great at looking after my mental well-being and sometimes not as much. Being more aware now, I feel I can figure out when I need to have more 'me time' or when I need to look after my mind more. I want to get back in to daily mediation and yoga again, coming out of my comfort zone more, meeting new people and expand on g_m social skills, visit more new places on my own, work on self development and just in general engage more awareness in what is good for my wellbeing and what is not. What isn't, I am gping to ditch. I've spent too much time with the things that is unhealthy for me.
8. Try make a new dish every week
Although I do not cook as much as I used to, cooking is one of my biggest hobbies. Being a former chef, I used to enjoy cooking so much. It was my passion and my life. I would cook every day;trying new foods, cooking new recipes and just cooking for people. It was great! However, due to falling ill with an eating disorder, I realised this career path at the time wasn't health for me and decided to give it up for the time being. I'm not in the catering industry at the moment however I would like to be again in the future. Through my recovery,I have learnt to fall in love with cooking again despite what my irrational mind says about it. With this, I want to use the skills I have previously learnt and cook a new recipe or wish every week.
9. Develop a better night time routine and actually go bed earlier
Again I used to have a top notch kind of bedtime routine. I would be settled down by 9ish, in bed by 10 and falling asleep by 10:30. Somehow that all changed when my poor sleeping traits and habits kicked in again. I began to not feel tired, staying up until gone midnight watching tv series, not taking care of my skin, waking up late and just feeling fatiguedand slouchy the next day. With that past me, I am so ready to get back into a better sleep routine like I used to and be a hermit by 10:30 🙂
10. Look after my gut health more
This something I never really used to know much about but until watching a few youtubers recently, general research and having a few digestive problems I want to take better care of my gut health more. I have looked into in further and I am going to start some prebiotocs and probiotocs to see if this has an impact in not only my gut health but also my mental state and digestive problems.
All photos by Alan Lockhart


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NU'EST confirms their contract renewal with Pledis Entertainment
Jun Ko, Feb. 1, 2019, 10:57 a.m.
On January 31st, NU'EST leader JR confirmed that NU'EST renewed their contract with their label Pledis Entertainment. He had shared a handwritten letter of the news onto their official fancafe: "Hello, this is NU'EST's JR. It's already been a month into the new year. Are you completing the goals you all have set at the beginning of the year? My members and I are working hard to keep each of the promises we made with you guys. The first promise is that we've decided to continue working under Pledis Entertainment in order to show more of our growth and improvement. We hope LOVEs will continue to congratulate and support us with positive thoughts. We're also concerned about the things that many of you are worried about. We will work our best to show a better side of us by respecting, considering, and trusting one another. To the LOVEs who've always been out strong foundation, NU'EST will become an encouragement to your daily life from now on. Please look forward to it. Thank you."


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text: Our ShopsWe're beginning to reopen some of our shops. We look forward to seeing you in one soon. Click here to find out which shops have reopened. Home Our Shops Donate goods Shop online Volunteer Shops news and blogs New South Thames College partnership This blog comes from Marion Homer, Retail Volunteer Manager at Trinity. "As Retail Volunteer Manager, I often get asked to accommodate work experience for students of different ages and nationalities, but in the new academic year I was approached by South Thames College looking to participate in an exciting new venture. The government has recognised that a lot of our young people leave school or college poorly equipped to handle the realities of a work environment and has announced that from 2020 there will be a new qualification available called a 'T Level' that aims to have teenagers 'work fit' in a number of key industries. South Thames College has been selected to pilot this new qualification, which sees the students spending one day a week in work as part of their studying. I can remember the first job I had – I didn't know where to put my coat, what to say and do and how to develop a 'work persona'! We're really excited to be able to offer placements to students in 15 of our shops, and two placements in our retail head office. The shop managers can't wait to share their expertise as retailers with the students, and to work with them, helping them understand about the world of work and all that it entails, which will also include making a decent cup of tea for them and their colleagues! The students in our head office will get to know all about photocopiers and how to fix a paper jam, electronic filing, answering phones and so much more; as well as getting involved with our online shops on Ebay and Amazon. Hopefully this will be the first of many cohorts and you will get to meet them in our shops soon!" Find out more about volunteering in a Trinity shop See our current volunteering vacancies


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|Upgrade and modification Global 1200
|Damen Ship Repair - Technip
|January 2015 - May 2015
The Global 1200 is a rigid pipe S-lay and heavy lift DP2 construction vessel designed for work in both deep and shallow water. Her state-of-the-art pipelay system is capable of operating in up to 3,000 m water depth and handling up to 60" concrete coated pipe. With a transit speed of up to 13 knots, the vessel has a 1,200 Te capacity crane suitable for platform topside installation/removal works; and a 400 Te deepwater lowering system capable of operating in water depths to 3,000 m.
Commisioned by Damen Ship Repair Croonwolter&dros upgraded the Global 1200 in a very short period of time: 3 months. The normal amount of time consists about 6 to 9 months. The upgrade works were divided into 3 packages: (i) dry-docking for Special Periodical Survey and various maintenance repair works, (ii) modifications to upgrade the vessel DP capability, and (iii) various pipelay equipment upgrades for future projects. 'Global 1200', owned by Technip, is now heading towards Angola for deployment.
The vessel was designed by Ulstein Sea of Solutions (SoS) of the Netherlands and built by Singapore-based Keppel Singmarine in 2010.
Work done:


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Lowell Women's Week
Lowell Women's Week Breakfast 2019:POSTPONED TO MARCH 11th Due to Snow
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810 Merrimack Avenue (Route 110)
Dracut, MA 01826
Venue Information
SNOW DATE: Monday March 11, 2019 Doors open at 7:00 am
POSTPONED TO MARCH 11 DUE to SNOW
We're getting ready to celebrate Lowell Women's Week's 24th year at our Annual Breakfast. Please join us for a morning of inspiring words, community, and recognizing the achievements of extraordinary women in greater Lowell.
Please join us at Lowell Women's Week's March 4, 2019 annual kick-off breakfast to hear the inspiring story of our
keynote speaker, Debra Fowler,
Executive Director, History UnErased, Inc.
Emcee is Vanna Howard,
Communications Director for the Lowell Community Health Center's Advancement Department and member of the planning committee for Lowell Women's Week.
Highlighted during the breakfast will be the "Because of Her Award" winners, honored for their creative and positive ways of meeting real needs in the community.
Please contact JoAnn Marcos for questions
Please also consider becoming a Lowell Women's Week sponsor. Your generosity will help support the continuation of inspiring and educational programming. Sponsors will be acknowledged in publicity materials and on the Lowell Women's Week website,
*Gold and Silver sponsorship levels include one admission ticket.
Ticket Information:
All seats are General Admission. Doors open at 7:00 AM. In case of inclement weather please tune in to WCAP 980 AM. Snow Date: March 11, 2019.
Give back to the community through a donation to Megan's House
Every year, Lowell Women's Week gives back to our community through donations for a local organization that benefits women. This year, we are collecting materials for Megan's House, which is a long-term residential treatment facility for young women seeking relief from substance abuse. The Megan's House Foundation was established in memory of Megan Grover, who lost her battle with addiction at age 26. Their mission is to "improve the quality of life of its residents through an evidence-based substance abuse treatment program that emphasizes individual dignity, self-respect, and empowerment. Lowell Women's Week wants to help empower these women to reach success and sobriety by collecting personal hygiene products such as pads, tampons, and shower supplies (soaps, shampoos, shower gels, etc.). Residents in the treatment facility are required to keep a journal, so we are including journals and notebooks to our collection list for the residents. Your donation will help a resident on her journey to feel empowered and rewrite her personal narrative - not as a victim of the disease of addiction, but as a survivor of one of the deadliest epidemics of our generation. If you would like to help in our efforts to give back to our community, please bring these items with you to the breakfast on March 4th or collect these items at your workplace and contact emailto:email@example.com for more information for drop off locations and, or how your organization can contribute. Thank you for your generosity.
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