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Hello, I am David Altoft, currently an MSc Bioarchaeology student at the University of York. My contribution to the Day of Archaeology last year was titled 'Anyone can be an archaeologist!' (www.dayofarchaeology.com/anyone-can-be-an-archaeologist). The opening paragraph summarised well my belief that archaeology needs to be more permeable to participation and sharing of ideas from an integrated audience of different demographics.
The 'demographic' I belong to is archaeology students. Last year I reported on the development of the student-run archaeology journal, The Post Hole (www.theposthole.org), and the Annual Student Archaeology (ASA) conference series (www.asaconference.org.uk), that I was Editor-in-Chief and founder of, respectively, in 2012-13. These two initiatives offer archaeology students an unprecedented opportunity to share their innovative research and original ideas in two accessible and increasingly respected platforms.
The Post Hole has been shortlisted for the biennial British Archaeological Award (www.archaeologicalawards.org.uk) for the Best Public Presentation of Archaeology and I will attend the awards ceremony at the British Museum with Emily Taylor and Rianca Vogels, the 2013-14 Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor, on Monday to find out whether or not The Post Hole has won. I will be delighted even if it doesn't win, because by being shortlisted, The Post Hole has been given recognition for the positive impact it has made for opening the discipline of archaeology and proving that students can be as responsible as any other demographic for the production of great archaeology.
Annual Student Archaeology conference
The Annual Student Archaeology conference has made huge strides since last year. Following the 1st ASA conference I co-organised with other students at the University of York, I established the ASA National Committee which comprises of student representatives, currently from the Universities of Bournemouth, Cambridge, Durham, Southampton, and me at York. Together we have promoted the conference series to fellow students at our respective universities and discussed the future overall direction of ASA. In January this year we received bids from groups of students at four universities in the UK to host the 2nd ASA conference and we selected the University of Reading as the Organising Committee responsible for this challenge.
The 2nd ASA conference was held at the Department of Archaeology in Reading on 19-20 June and attracted undergraduates and postgraduates from not only across the UK, but also from other countries: Brazil, Germany, India, Italy, Poland and Switzerland! This has reinforced my growing realisation that an 'integrated archaeology' is permeable across borders as well as demographics. ASA helps break down this geographic barrier to student participation in archaeology by issuing a call for posters to those who cannot attend the conferences in the UK, and this year's Organising Committee received poster abstracts from students in Nigeria, South Africa and the United States, amongst other countries.
The third main barrier ASA is trying to remove for student participation in archaeology conferences is thematic and practical specialisation. Archaeology is perhaps the most diverse discipline there is, as it is essentially the anything, everything and anytime study of the past. Understandably, conferences require having a scope, though many students may be unsure which one to approach to present their own work. ASA tries to be the opposite of most conferences and so the Organising Committee has the task each year of selecting the best papers from students across the discipline and then defining the sessions from those. It is difficult accommodating different fields of research and being engaging to all delegates of the ASA conferences, though I think the team at Reading achieved that balance by splitting the programme for the first ten sessions in two and having the eleventh and most universal session, 'Issues and Debates', attended by all delegates.
TAG session proposal
The truth of the matter is that we won't ever achieve a completely 'integrated archaeology' as we all have our own interests that cause us to be involved in this discipline in the first place; however, there certainly is a lot more we can all do to ensure archaeology is at least a more integrated discipline.
For my part, I am currently finalising a session proposal to submit to the organisers of this year's Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference. Whilst ASA is doing a great job of encouraging students to share their own work and ideas with the discipline, I would like to do almost the opposite and use another existing platform to ask the discipline as a whole how it currently interacts with students and what it could perhaps do to better integrate with this demographic.
It's fantastic that there is growing consensus across the discipline that we need to better understand and interact with the public 'outside' the discipline and with practitioners between the academic and non-academic sectors of the discipline, but what about students in between all these groups? Are students the too often overlooked demographic of archaeology?
I hope that my proposal for a session on understanding of and engagement with students will be accepted for TAG 2014, and a subsequent call for papers can obtain the perspectives of an integrated audience from the different sectors of the discipline. Keep an eye out for any news via my Twitter profile, @DavidAltoft.
The future of ASA
So what else have I been doing lately? On Wednesday, I and fellow representatives on the ASA National Committee ratified a constitution for the conference series. Like The Post Hole, ASA benefits from being entirely run by students as this leads to a rapid turn-over of participants, and with them, fresh ideas. However, that also creates problems. I have been working behind the scenes for ASA for almost two years, whether it's been by rallying support for ASA on its Facebook and Twitter pages, creating it's by-now emblematic stripy red banners, or sending hundreds of emails to universities and academic and student societies. I've had a mad love for ASA to thrive; however, I won't be a student forever (as soon as September, if I don't secure a funded PhD – hint, hint, universities and funding bodies!) and so this constitution serves as a framework of knowledge from previous trial-and-error to guide future Organising and National Committees.
Following lots of discussion with the rest of the National Committee, applications have been opened today for students at universities across the UK to bid to host the 1st ASA conference in June 2015 and apply to join the National Committee for 2014-15. For the former opportunity, we have designed an application form, available now at www.asaconference.org.uk/get-involved. For the latter opportunity, we have emailed the Heads of all UK university archaeology departments to encourage them to consider having elections in their departments for students to democratically elect representatives onto the National Committee at the start of the coming academic year.
Students wishing to join the National Committee at universities that haven't held elections by 7 October will be offered a second chance by sending brief statements of interest for the consideration of the retiring National Committee during 8-27 October. The new National Committee and Organising Committee (and thereby host of ASA3) will be announced on 28 October at www.facebook.com/ASAconference and www.twitter.com/ASAconference.
My Masters and future
Like last year, I'm not writing much about what I do for my degree. That's not because it isn't the most important thing I spend my time on and interesting at all; it's just something I'm sure any current or previous student reading this will already know about and identity with – lots of reading and writing!
I am currently working on my dissertation, the final element of my Masters in Bioarchaeology, before I hopefully graduate in September. I have written the chapters introducing my research and reviewing the existing literature, and am balancing that with the lab work that is generating the results I will also write on. My research is the biomolecular analysis of food residues absorbed and preserved within ceramic vessels from the Early Neolithic in western Russia, firstly, to find out whether I can find any traces of their original contents, and if so, secondly, to determine what they are to infer something of cuisine during the Neolithicisation of that region.
Hopefully, if I contribute to the Day of Archaeology again next year, I will be doing so as a PhD student. It is an uncertain time for me as I pursue funding and the best possible environment for me to be one, though far from being a distraction as some people understandably worry, my involvement with initiatives like ASA and The Post Hole hopefully prove that I am passionate about archaeology and have more to mutually give to and gain from it – especially with my now much improved time management skills!


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Ilfracombe - Tunnels Beach
- Beach info
- Beach Map & Location
Firstaid, Shops, Cafe, Picnic, Bar, Toilets
Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Bathing, Snorkelling
Nature and Wildlife
Walk through the network of 4 tunnels now possible at night due to newly installed lighting.
Parking Available / Paid Parking Zones /
Water Quality
Lifeguard information
Cleaning and Litter
All beaches and coves are cleaned daily by the owners and there are litter bins provided. but are allowed through the tunnels.
Dog Information
Dogs are banned from the beach from 1st May to 31st October. Outside of these times dogs must be kept on the lead. and dog.
Beach Awards and Information
Blue Flag Beach
Quality Coast Award
Marine Conservation Society Recommended
Ilfracombe Tourist Information Centre The Landmark The Seafront Ilfracombe Tel: 0845 4583630
Where is Ilfracombe - Tunnels Beach?
Devon / Ilfracombe
M5 to the Southwest. A361 then follow sign posts to Ilfracombe. Access to beach by pavement through the tunnels.
Nearest bus station is Ilfracombe. nearest train station is Barnstable.
We use a simple colour coded key to display the amount of cottages nearby, the below shows the three different colours and the number range for each one from green through to red.
- 1-10
- 11-99
- 100 +
- Reviews

subset: commoncrawl


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How Does LASIK Work?
What is LASIK?LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis. It is a common type of refractive eye surgery that is used to correct some common vision problems, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatisms. LASIK involves reshaping the cornea with the use of a laser in order to correct or enhance common sight problems. What is the LASIK Process Like?The actual procedure does not take very long. The patient is usually completely finished with the entire visit in one or two hours, but the actual procedure only lasts around fifteen minutes.…Read More »


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Video of the Day
Barring unusual circumstances, bathing your teddy bear hamster is a strict mistake. Your teddy bear hamster tends to her own hygiene just fine; bathing strips these long-haired Syrian hamsters of natural oils they need on their skin and coat, and it puts them at high risk for becoming too chilled -- which can easily turn fatal. If she gets something sticky in her hair, carefully snip it out if possible. If not, or if your hamster becomes soiled by a toxic substance she can't lick off or can inhale, a quick bath may be necessary. Consult your vet before you do.
Fill a container or bowl with a few inches of lukewarm water. Never use cold or hot water, and don't make assumptions; test the water yourself right before you use it on your teddy bear hamster. Get the water when you're ready to use it so it doesn't cool down.
Hold your hamster gently but securely in one hand.
Dip part of a soft washcloth into the water. Gently rub the wet portion over the spot on your hamster you need to clean. Because teddy bear hamsters have longer hair than other types, you may need to use your fingers to move the hairs around to thoroughly wash off the dangerous substance. Avoid getting your hamster's ears or face wet.
Add a small drop of baby shampoo into the water if water alone doesn't clean your teddy bear hamster adequately. It's even more important to keep shampoo away from her ears and face.
Use a clean, wet washcloth to gently remove the shampoo from your hamster's fur.
Blot the wet area of your teddy bear hamster with a clean towel to begin drying her long hairs. If your hamster is significantly wet, turn a blow-dryer to its lowest force and heat settings. Use it from a distance briefly to dry the wet area. Don't blow air into the hamster's face or ears.
Let your hamster air-dry fully in her playpen or another hamster-safe enclosed area before returning her to her cage. If she goes back in the enclosure still damp, her bedding, feces, food and other material will stick to her.
Items you will need
- Container or bowl
- Washcloth
- Baby shampoo
- Towel
- Blow-dryer
- 💡 If it's cold, turn up the heat before you bathe your teddy bear hamster.
- 💡 Dust baths made from different types of fine-grain sand are commercially available for hamsters. Opt for an all-natural product and follow the package directions carefully. Pour the specified amount of the product into a shallow bowl and let your hamster play in it. This should take place in your pet's playpen or other safe enclosed exercise area. Most of these products are safe for use every few days, but check the label to be sure.
References (4)
Photo Credits
- hamster in hands image by aprilira from Fotolia.com


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Our custom fabrication department is made up of master skilled fabricators with decades of experience in bringing brand experiences to life. These artists and craftsmen work in virtually any material – steel, aluminum, fiberglass, wood, plastic, foam, PVC, acrylic and more.
Our pride shows in the quality of our work. We can build your creation from the ground up, or redesign an existing display or structure to give your assets increased longevity. The bottom line is this – if you can imagine it, we can execute it.
How Can We Energize Your Brand?


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Jo Huiqing Zhou assistant professor
My research program aims at elucidating genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, with an emphasis on gene regulation in ectodermal and neuronal developmental disorders. Several patient-derived cellular models (e.g. iPSC, epithelial keratinocytes) are used in the lab as model systems.read more
Jo Huiqing Zhou assistant professorMy research program aims at elucidating genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, with an emphasis on gene regulation in ectodermal and neuronal developmental disorders. Several patient-derived cellular models (e.g. iPSC, epithelial keratinocytes) are used in the lab as model systems. One of my research lines is the identification and functional studies of the gene network regulated by the transcription factor p63 in embryonic development. To this end, the primary keratinocytes from the skin of patients are used, as epidermis is one of the often affected structures in disorders caused p63 mutations. Other model systems include mouse embryonic tissues and recently developed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can be differentiated to different lineage. Taking the state-of-the-art functional genomics approach, my group has identified a catalogue of potential p63-responsive non-coding cis-regulatory elements and genes regulated by these elements. We are continuing our effort in understanding the role of these regulatory elements in epidermal differentiation and development. In parallel, the catalogue of potential cis-regulatory elements and genes are applied to study the genetic basis of disorder that share common phenotypes with those caused by p63 mutations, such as Cleft Lip/Palate, Split Hand/Foot Malformation and Ectodermal Dysplasia. Another line of my research is genetics and epigenetics in neuronal-related diseases. Within this research line, several epigenetic and chromatin regulators, such as EHMT1 that is the cause of Kleefstra Syndrome, are investigated by functional genomics profiling approaches such as RNA-seq and histone modification ChIP-seq in the mouse model as well as iPS-derived neurons.
Field of studyHuman genetics
Radboud Institute for Molecular Life SciencesOur main aim is to achieve a greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms of disease. By integrating fundamental and clinical research, we obtain multifaceted knowledge of (patho)physiological processes. read more
Research group Developmental epigenomics
Jo Zhou's group aims to establish disease models using patient material and model organisms to identify regulatory networks and disease mechanisms in developmental disorders. Using genomics technology, we map the genome-wide atlas of disease-associated regulatory elements beyond the coding regions.read more


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Cherry Mash Candy
My mother used to make these every Christmas. I've not had them in years. Maybe Thomas will make me some.
Prep Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 5 mins
- 1 (14 ounce) package strawberry frosting mix (powder)
- 1 lb confectioners' sugar
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 ounces maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup butter (soften)
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 sqaure paraffin wax
- 8 ounces salted chopped peanuts
- Combine dry frosting mix, confectioners sugar, condensed milk, vanilla, cherries and butter in bowl; mix well.
- Shape into patties or balls.
- Melt chocolate chips with paraffin in saucepan, mixing well.
- Dip balls into chocolate; then roll into peanuts, coating well.
- Chill in refrigerator.
Until next time,


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On Thursday I attended a community forum about our local animal shelter, the Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA. For years many local folks have been pushing to get this shelter to adopt modern practices which would save more lives. The R-H SPCA has a much higher "euthanasia" rate than many surrounding animal shelters of similar size, type and resources.
At the forum the room was packed, and stories about the shelter's insularity, apathy, and apparent incompetence poured out. Several former volunteers spoke out, as did well-respected rescue groups the shelter refuses to work with.
The room was electrified when a former employee (who left to go to school) spoke about the dog manager. She stated that the dog manager is abusive toward many of the dogs in her "care", cursing them and deliberately trying to incite aggression from them so she can label them "dangerous" and put them down.
Why is this being allowed to happen? Why has this employee not been fired?
I think it's because doing an inhumane job as a routine brutalizes the person doing it. This shelter has had such a high kill rate for so many years, that the workers have become hardened to suffering and death. With so many other shelters now saving over 90% of their animals, people whose compassion hasn't been stunted can't work at a high-kill shelter like this one for long.
PETA, an organization I used to respect, turns out to have this weird, cultish "kill-them-to-save-them" mentality about companion animals. I didn't believe this when I first heard it, but I have since done my homework and it is true – they pick up or take in healthy cats and dogs, make no attempt to adopt them out, and kill 90% of them. The reasoning seems to be that death is preferable to the "slavery" of living as a pet. To date, PETA has been doing this with impunity.
If an individual kills a cat or a dog for no reason, that person can get jail time. But if a Virginia shelter does it, it's no problem. Shelters don't have to have adoptions as their goal. Strays can be killed after a legal holding period. Animals surrendered by their owners can be killed immediately; no waiting period or reason required.
Or rather, this was the case until 2015.
Up until last year, this is how "Private Animal Shelter" was defined in Virginia law:
2014 "a building… that is used to contain a primary enclosure or enclosures in which animals are housed or kept. (perfectly fine to "euthanize" every animal, no homes need be found).
Animal advocates got this law changed in 2015, so it now reads:
2015: "a facility operated for the purpose of finding permanent adoptive homes for animals that is used to house or contain animals… (what most of us think of as a shelter).
This change got PETA all upset. Now amendments have been proposed to take the teeth back out of this new protective law.
House Bills 156 (HB156) and HB 340 propose this change (in italics) to the Virginia Animal Laws:
2016: "a facility operated for the purpose of finding permanent adoptive homes for animals – or for any other purpose authorized under this chapter (creating wriggle room for not bothering with adoptions.)
To further bolster a shelter's ability to do whatever they want, also proposed is:
House Bill 157 (HB157) further amending the Virginia Animal Code:
Any new guideline that the State sets for protection of shelter animals:
shall not have the force of law
A guidance document shall not be the basis for issuance or denial of an approval letter for the operation of a private animal shelter. (In other words, any new protection regulations enacted don't have to be followed by a shelter.)
It is beyond belief to me that PETA would consider it "ethical treatment of animals" to kill healthy, adoptable dogs and cats.
But PETA is not alone. My local shelter, the Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA, is run by Anne Anderson, who is on the steering committee for a group called the Virginia Alliance of Animal Shelters (VAAS), (not to be confused with the Virginia Federation of Humane Societies). The group subscribes to the inaccurate and outdated notion that any group saving 90% or more of its animals does so because it "picks and chooses" the animals it takes in.
VAAS is supporting these changes in the new law, which would effectively make shelters not accountable to the public for what goes on in their back rooms.
If you love cats and/or dogs, and you live in Virginia, I ask you to contact your state representative right now and ask him to work AGAINST HB-156, HB-157, and HB340. (Find your representatives here: http://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/ ). Send an email or leave a phone message.
Changing laws is only one little piece of animal welfare, and it moves exceedingly slowly. But it makes a vast difference.
Thanks for caring.


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Backbone Steel Adds the ENDUROFRAME® to its Repertoire
Backbone Steel is the steel framing and modular building arm of Summit Homes, one of Western Australia's most highly regarded home builders.
Backbone Steel's focus is on providing quality steel roof trusses and wall frame solutions to the market place at a competitive price for clients. Made only from the highest quality Australian Bluescope TRUECORE® Steel, frames are designed, engineered & manufactured in house by A highly skilled team using the latest CAD software.
Drawing on extensive experience in the steel framing industry, Backbone Steel can provide a range roof trusses, wall frames, 2nd floor extensions and even full modular buildings.
For more information, go to www.backbonesteel.com.au.


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One of the most significant enablers of IT and software automation has been the shift away from fixed infrastructure to flexible infrastructure. Virtualization, process isolation, resource sharing and other forms of flexible infrastructure have been in use for many decades in IT systems. It can be seen in early Unix systems, Java application servers and… Continue reading
Posts tagged ansible
HEAT or Ansible in OpenStack? Both!
Someone asked me today whether he should use HEAT or Ansible to automate his OpenStack deployment. My answer is that he should use both! It's helpful to understand the original design decisions for each tool in order to use each effectively. OpenStack HEAT and Ansible were designed to do different things, although in the opensource… Continue reading →
Deploy MongoDB using Ansible
I've recently had some people ask how I deploy MongoDB. For a while I used their excellent online tool to deploy and monitor my clusters. Unfortunately they changed direction and I couldn't afford their new tools, so I turned to Ansible. In order more easily share the process, I posted a simple example that you… Continue reading →
What is Cloud Native?
I hear a lot of people talking about cloud native applications these days. This includes technologists and business managers. I have found that there really is a spectrum of meaning for the term cloud native and that two people rarely mean the same thing when they say cloud native. At one end of the spectrum… Continue reading →
Bulid a multi-server Hadoop cluster in OpenStack in minutes
In a previous post I demonstrated a method to deploy a multi-node Hadoop cluster using Vagrant and Ansible. This post builds on that and shows how to deploy a Hadoop cluster with an arbitrary number of slave nodes in minutes on OpenStack. This process makes use of the OpenStack orchestration layer HEAT to provision the… Continue reading →
Install and configure a Multi-node Hadoop cluster using Ansible
I've recently been involved with several groups interested in using Hadoop to process large sets of data, including use of higher level abstractions on top of Hadoop like Pig and Hive. What has surprised me most is that no one is automating their installation of Hadoop. In each case that I've observed they start by… Continue reading →
Encryption of secrets in source code (AESCrypt + Ansible)
The more I automate, the more I have to answer the question of how to manage my secrets. Secrets that frequently come up include: SSH key pairs SSL private keys Credentials for external resources, such as databases and SaaS integrations Before cloud, when server resources were not ephemeral, these could be managed manually when the… Continue reading →
The Road to PaaS
I have observed that discussions about CloudFoundry often lack accurate context. Some questions I get that indicate context is missing include: What Java version does CloudFoundry support? What database products/versions are available How can I access the server directly? There are a few reasons that the questions above are not relevant for CloudFoundry (or any… Continue reading →
Build a Multi-server LEMP stack using Ansible
My objective in this post is to explore the use of Ansible to configure a multi-server LEMP stack. This builds on the preliminary work I did demonstrating how to use Vagrant to create an environment to run Ansible. You can follow this entire example on any Windows (or Linux) host. Ansible only runs on Linux… Continue reading →
Using Vagrant to Explore Ansible
Last week I wrote about Vagrant, a fantastic tool to spin up virtual development environments. Today I'm exploring Ansible. Ansible is an open source tool which streamlines certain system administration activities. Unlike Vagrant, which provisions new machines, Ansible takes an already provisioned machine and configures it. This can include installing and configuring software, managing services,… Continue reading →


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The goal of law enforcement is to maintain public order during events that may or may not be violent, such as protests, riots and rallies.
As a global leader in this field, France conducts training to teach other countries its crowd control tactics. As the job changes, the gear must evolve along with it.
Our protective equipment has been designed to meet the stringent standards in effect in France: ability to withstand a violent impact measuring 95J and a violent impact of 45J. Our equipment has been tested by an independent laboratory, the Banc National d'Epreuve in Saint-Etienne, France.


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On Amazon right now you can get this cute Mickey Mouse Disney Peeking Looking Car Window Decal Sticker -SM0008- 4″L x 6″W for just $1.88! Plus, it ships free!
Find more great Amazon Deals here.
Note: Amazon prices and promotions can change at any time. The price(s) listed in this post is/are subject to change.
If you find this information useful, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed or email newsletter. Also, be sure to check out Stretching a Buck on Facebook. Thanks for visiting! Note: This post may contain affiliate links. View my disclosure policy here.


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Looking for a parking spot? Ask your phone. That's reality for San Francisco drivers who can use their smartphones to find available parking spots and prices. There are a lot of handy smartphone apps for cars on the market, and you don't have to live in San Francisco to get them.
San Francisco residents can download the Parker app from Streetline, a company that develops innovative parking solutions, to their Android phone, iPhone or compatible tablet for free to snag a parking space. Unfortunately, it's only available in select parts of California, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New York, Texas and Utah. Kelly Schwager, vice president of global marketing and communications for Steetline, doesn't indentify the cities that will get Parker next, but says, "The reason Streetline started with the initial set of locations is that someone has championed bringing Parker to the area." For example, the mayor of Los Angeles helped bring Parker to his city.
Other apps let you pay for parking through your phone so you don't have to worry about parking tickets. Apple advertises $1.99 apps called San Francisco Parking, San Diego Parking, Seattle Parking, Chicago Parking and NYC Parking that let you pay your meter electronically.
Other apps remember where you parked your car when you can't. Parkdroid and MyCar Locator are free Android apps that let you save your car's location and use GPS to remember that spot. Apple offers Take Me to My Car, which is also free.
Finding the Lowest Gas Prices
Marianne Ho, an Arlington, Va. resident, uses Cheap Gas on her iPod Touch to find the best deals. "It's an app that I use every day," she says. "I paid $4.05 for midgrade, while other places in my area were charging $4.30. It's an awesome way to save money."
Before Memorial Day, a gallon of mid-grade gas in Virginia hovered around $3.09, but in Washington, D.C., which borders Arlington, mid-grade cost about $4.28, which means the Cheap Gas app helped Marianne get a good deal. GasBuddy, which provides pricing information for Cheap Gas, offers a similar app. Download it to your iPhone or Android phone for free, enter your location and you'll get a list of prices for regular, mid-grade, premium and diesel fuel.
Car Maintenance
The aCar app for Android is a free program that gives you service reminders for getting your oil and air filters changed. If you upgrade to aCar Pro, you can create charts that organize services, trips, expenses and fill-ups and export vehicle statistics to an Excel spreadsheet.
Car Care is an iPhone app that costs $4.99. You can use it to record mileage for your vehicles, receive scheduled maintenance reminders, gauge fuel economy and graph your fuel data. There are also free applications like Vehicle Logbook Lite and Car Maintenance Tracker HD. If you don't want to pay for an app, the free ones may meet your needs.
If you get in an accident, it's easy to forget to collect important information from the other driver. That's what makes Nationwide Mobile, free on both the iPhone and Android, a helpful tool. It offers an Accident Toolkit that helps you get in touch with the police and other emergency services, helps you collect information from the other driver, allows you to store your insurance information and lets you take photos and record details. If you're a Nationwide customer, you'll also get towing assistance.
Geico and Allstate have similar applications, both of which are available on the iPhone and Android phones, but they're geared toward customers and allow you to access your insurance information.
Factory-installed navigation systems can cost as much as $2,000, and downloading a smartphone app that gives audio directions is a great way to save money. Several Android phones offer Google Maps with Navigation for free. Google Maps uses GPS to give voice-guided directions and find and recommend places like restaurants. It even has a 3D map option.
The iPhone comes with Google Maps, which also uses GPS to give step-by-step directions, but they aren't voice-guided, and Google Maps with Navigation isn't an available application. But, you can get a 30-day trial of MotionX GPS Drive for $0.99. After your 30-day trial ends, you can subscribe to the service for a year for about $20, which is a good deal considering factory-installed navigation systems can reach $2,000 and a portable system can cost about $300.
Applications from Automakers
One way to start sifting through apps is to check automakers. Generally, these applications are restricted to cars from the 2010 model year or later. Here are some well-established automaker apps you can download.
Ford SYNC AppLink
Ford SYNC is an optional infotainment system available on models like the 2011 Ford Fiesta and Ford Edge. It offers hands-free calling, turn-by-turn directions, 911 Assist, music search and vehicle health reports. With SYNC AppLink, which is Blackberry, iPhone and Android-friendly, you have voice control of applications on your smartphone. To get SYNC AppLink, go to www.syncmyride.com and create an account.
GM Models: myBuick, my Cadillac, myChevrolet, myGMC and OnStar MyLink
GM offers myBuick, myCadillac, myChevrolet and myGMC apps, but they're restricted to the iPhone and Android phones and apply to 2010 models and later. These applications have similar functions and allow you to locate dealers, schedule vehicle maintenance, search the owner manual and receive roadside assistance. Keep in mind that you need an OnStar subscription to access these services.
OnStar MyLink is handy, but you must have a subscription. It allows you to lock and unlock doors or start your car remotely, regulates when you charge your Volt, allows you to view fuel information and check vehicle maintenance information like oil life, mileage and tire pressure.


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Google Ads (Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform created by Google to help you advertise directly on their search engine. With Google Ads (Google AdWords), you can create customized expanded text ads and Shopping ads for the Google search and display network, which can help you reach millions of customers and increase website traffic to progressively grow your business.
Advertise on Google
A distinctive feature of Google Ads (Google AdWords) is that you can manage and specify who views your ads yourself. For instance, an audience in a specific city, with a particular hobby or interest or even a certain age group. Google Ads (Google Adwords) only charges a fee when someone clicks on your ad. This is known as PPC (Pay Per Click). Additionally, it lets you choose your own budget as well as a maximum bid per ad. When you are setting up your ads you will choose 'keywords' that potential customers might search for in order to find your site. Once you've completed all the steps and your ads are live, you can measure the performance of your Google Ads (Google AdWords) campaigns.
Generate your Google Ads in Channable
To drastically simplify this process for online merchants and marketing agencies handling thousands of products, Channable offers an SEA tool. With Channable's SEA / Google Ads tool you can create thousands of dynamic Google text ads and Shopping ads using your product feed. There are pre-set ad templates for creating expanded text ads with dynamic fields which can be used to create tailored ads for all your products. In addition, you can add sitelinks, set keywords and negative keywords – using information from your import – and select target countries and languages, all configurable in the Google Ads tool, before exporting the campaigns to your Google Ads account.
Advantages of using Google Ads (Google AdWords)
- Reach people at the precise moment they're searching for your offering
- Your ads are displayed to people who are already looking for the products or services you have to offer
- You can choose who to display the ads to based on language, age and geographical areas
- Control your budget from Google Ads (Google AdWords)
- With the PPC (Pay Per Click) system of advertising you are only charged when a customer actually clicks on your ad and not when your ad is just displayed
- Google Ads (Google AdWords) allows you to set a budget which means that you will never be charged more than what you are willing to pay. This is a great way of advertising which also saves you money. You can directly create your Google Ads (Google AdWords) campaigns with the Channable SEA tool!
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Where are my ads displayed with Google Ads (Google AdWords)?
Google Ads (Google AdWords) are the text ads that are displayed along the very top, and the very bottom of the Google search results page. Your ads have a chance of appearing when internet users search for your predetermined keywords as well as other factors, such as bid, relevance and landing page. These keywords can be manually set in Google or use Channable to generate them from your imported information.
Advertise with Google Ads with Channable's SEA Tool
- Create a Channable account
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The Channable tool supports CSV, XML, Google Spreadsheets and Text files. In addition, 3rd party connections to eCommerce platforms are also available. Just select the method you would like to import your product feed with. If you have a different type of file, don't worry, just contact us and we'll arrange something.
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The first step of this process involves making sure that your subscription with Channable includes the SEA tool, which will enable the Google Ads (Google AdWords) tab. If it does not, just contact us with your Google account number and will enable it for you. When you have enabled this option, head over to the Channable app and the text ads or Shopping ads tab will now appear on your dashboard.
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After you've added a new ad generator for Google Ads (Google AdWords), the next step involves creating rules to optimize your content for the best results possible. This involves using our IF THEN statements, which are designed to simplify modifying your data. Use these rules to create the perfect ads. You can do almost anything, for instance, excluding the products that you don't want to advertise, combine fields to make the perfect heading line and much more.
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The next step is to build your campaigns, ad groups and ads. Use information from your feed, with dynamic variables, or input static values. Our user-friendly template for expanded text ads provides you with a preview of the ads as well as the option to create backup templates just in case your ads exceed word limits. Saving you valuable time!
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This step of the process allows to preview your ads and if there are any errors they will be shown so you can fix them before they're sent.
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Your ads will be pushed straight into Google Ads so you can relax!


text:
Debate Digest: Teacher-student friendships on Facebook, Law school, Balanced budget amendment, US debt ceiling deal.
Argument: The death penalty is merely a vehicle for vengeance
From Debatepedia
Parent debate
Supporting quotations
Janet Reno, former U.S. Attorney General, 2005. - The only reason I can argue for the death penalty is vengeance. I do not think vengeance is a luxury the government can engage in.[1]


text:
A couple days ago, a pure white blanket of fresh fallen snow covered the earth, or at least my little corner of it. Today, rain has washed it all away, leaving behind a muddy mess. What a picture of facing Christmas after losing someone you love, or when your world for whatever reason, doesn't match up with the picture perfect Christmas we envision. Facing Christmas after your world has been torn apart, and the beautiful innocence disappears like the pure fallen snow, washed away with a painful goodbye. You are left with the muddy mess.
The heaviness weighs down on your heart, stealing joy. You watch others rush around swept into the inertia of the swirling tornado of celebration and preparation. You may even join in as well. But, your heart weighs heavy with the burden of how. How to celebrate the holiday when all ideals are held in front of us…picture perfect families and gifts, decorated homes, a season of joy and laughter while deep in your soul the lonely ache howls deep, and a pained smile is hard to muster.
You may wonder about this Jesus. This Jesus we celebrate, the One who was born in a manger to the virgin and the carpenter. Where was He when the rains of death came and washed your innocence away? And, where is He now?
My own heart weighed with the daily heaviness of the pain others endure mixed with my own missing, wondered how. How do I speak of the beloved Christmas story…the coming of our Savior, in the midst of a mother's broken?
How does the celebration of His coming mesh with the pain that keeps a weary heart from lifting her head?
Who is the Jesus? And, does He see? Does He know of her broken? Did He see her stand beside the tiny, cold grave? Does He see her now, navigating life without her own mother, and a trail of broken from the generations before?
People want to speak for Him everyday, to paint a picture of this Jesus. If we are known as Christians by our love, then we are often failing to allow our Jesus to be shown the way He is. He is the One that loves us so much, He will hunt us down in the deepest, darkest pit of despair.
Christmas isn't found in the hustle and bustle, in the gifts, in the busy, in the lights, in the merry-making, or in the perfect picture of all the ideals we hold up as a standard. It isn't in the perfect family or the perfect memory or the perfect red dress.
The broken aren't meant to hide pain behind a strained smile, wondering what they are supposed to do with the pieces of life shattered and scattered about.
Christmas is for the broken.
If you want to know my Jesus. This is my Jesus. This is why He came. He came for you.:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
From Isaiah 61
He sees your broken. He saw it before you were knit together in your mother's womb. He saw it before He left Heaven's glory to make a journey to the cross He bore to rescue you. He saw your ruins, your former desolations, the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. He saw. And, He came. To comfort all who mourn, to make beauty from your ashes, to offer you one day the oil of joy in place of your mourning…and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that cloaks you in this season of grief. He saw. He sees. And, He came. To heal your broken heart. To set you free.
He saw. He sees. He came.


text:
by Brandi Bruggman
Original Landscape Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas. Number 23 in the Landscape Collection. Painted in high quality Winsor & Newton oil paints. Custom Framed in Mahogany by FrameAndFineArt.Com. Fully equipped with corrosion resistant hardware and ready to hang!
Total Size: 12" x 12"
Comes wrapped in professional Glassine Paper for protection.
Currently on exhibit at Base Camp Outfitter's Art Gallery in Killington, Vermont.


text:
The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 Algorithm for the Internet Key Exchange Protocol (IKE)
RFC - Proposed Standard
(January 2004; No errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 4434
|Paul Hoffman
|Last updated
|plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex
|WG state
|Document shepherd
|No shepherd assigned
|IESG state
|RFC 3664 (Proposed Standard)
|Consensus Boilerplate
|Telechat date
|Responsible AD
|Russ Housley
|Send notices to
Network Working Group P. Hoffman Request for Comments: 3664 VPN Consortium Category: Standards Track January 2004 The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 Algorithm for the Internet Key Exchange Protocol (IKE) Status of this Memo This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2004). All Rights Reserved. Abstract Some implementations of IP Security (IPsec) may want to use a pseudo-random function derived from the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). This document describes such an algorithm, called AES-XCBC- PRF-128. 1. Introduction [AES-XCBC-MAC] describes a method to use the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) as a message authentication code (MAC) whose output is 96 bits long. While 96 bits is considered appropriate for a MAC, it is too short to be useful as a long-lived pseudo-random (PRF) in either IKE version 1 or version 2. Both versions of IKE use the PRF to create keys in a fashion that is dependent on the length of the output of the PRF. Using a PRF that has 96 bits of output creates keys that are easier to attack with brute force than a PRF that uses 128 bits of output. Fortunately, there is a very simple method to use much of [AES-XCBC- MAC] as a PRF whose output is 128 bits: omit the step that truncates the 128-bit value to 96 bits. Hoffman Standards Track [Page 1] RFC 3664 The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 Algorithm for IKE January 2004 2. The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 Algorithm The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 algorithm is identical to [AES-XCBC-MAC] except that the truncation step in section 4.3 of [AES-XCBC-MAC] is *not* performed. That is, there is no processing after section 4.2 of [AES-XCBC-MAC]. The test vectors in section 4.6 can be used for AES-XCBC-PRF-128, but only those listed as "AES-XCBC-MAC", not "AES-XCBC-MAC-96". 3. Security Considerations The security provided by AES-XCBC-MAC-PRF is based upon the strength of AES. At the time of this writing, there are no known practical cryptographic attacks against AES or AES-XCBC-MAC-PRF. As is true with any cryptographic algorithm, part of its strength lies in the security of the key management mechanism, the strength of the associated secret key, and upon the correctness of the implementations in all of the participating systems. [AES-XCBC-MAC] contains test vectors to assist in verifying the correctness of the AES-XCBC-MAC-PRF code. The test vectors all show the full MAC value before it is truncated to 96 bits. The PRF makes use of the full MAC value, not the truncated one. 4. Intellectual Property Statement The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any intellectual property or other rights that might be claimed to pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in this document or the extent to which any license under such rights might or might not be available; neither does it represent that it has made any effort to identify any such rights. Information on the IETF's procedures with respect to rights in standards-track and standards-related documentation can be found in BCP-11. Copies of claims of rights made available for publication and any assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of such proprietary rights by implementors or users of this specification can be obtained from the IETF Secretariat. The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary rights which may cover technology that may be required to practice this standard. Please address the information to the IETF Executive Director. Hoffman Standards Track [Page 2] RFC 3664 The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 Algorithm for IKE January 2004 5. References 5.1. Normative References [AES-XCBC-MAC] Frankel, S. and H. Herbert, "The AES-XCBC-MAC-96 Algorithm and Its Use With IPsec", RFC 3566, September 2003. 6. Author's Address Paul Hoffman VPN Consortium 127 Segre Place Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA EMail: email@example.com Hoffman Standards Track [Page 3] RFC 3664 The AES-XCBC-PRF-128 Algorithm for IKE January 2004Show full document text


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Spain has one of the best climates in the world
Spain lies in the temperate zone and its climate is determined by its world position, its continental land mass and high mountainous terrain. This produces one of the most diverse and varied climates in Europe.
The Cantabrian mountains in the central northern region marks the first well-defined division to Spain's climate.
To the north of this range lies what we may refer to as rainy Spain, this includes the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia. This region has a maritime climate par excellence, with only slight variations in temperature, mild winters and cool summers, lots of cloud and frequent rainfall during the winter months.
This climate in Spain as a whole is typical of western Europe that favours a northern European type of vegetation.
In terms of surface area, rainy Spain accounts for about a third of the country, while the other two thirds make up dry the dryer warmer part of Spain.
Spain's Climatic Zones
Spain's climatic zones range from the snow-peaked Pyrenees and the Sierra Nevada to the sun-baked semi-desert of the high central plain and Almeria.
In Northern Spain, there is a great deal of climatic variation (both regionally and seasonally).
Green Spain, which stretches from the Basque country along the Atlantic seaboard through Cantabria and Asturias to Galicia, is obviously named because it rains a lot (so take waterproofs, umbrellas and suitable footwear – even in summer). Bilbao and Santiago are renowned for being very rainy and the pasture-clad hills are often swathed in mist.
Winters in the north and north-west can be very wet, and it may even snow. Summers, on the contrary, have lavish measures of sunshine and warmth everywhere, increasing in intensity as you travel inland and cross the mountains of the Cordillera Cantabrica.
The north is, therefore, an ideal destination for a family beach holidays. There are hundreds of beautiful coves and beaches (many sheltered and backed by green fields), as well as seaside resorts that have long been popular among Spaniards in the hot season.
In Central Spain, the climate is continental, with baking hot summers and quite cold winters. The southern Meseta is also exceedingly dry; Madrid has a relatively temperate climate.
In autumn and spring, both extremely pleasant seasons, average temperatures range from 12-15°C (54-60°F), with a spread of 6°C (43°F) minimum, to 21°C (70°F) maximum. Summer and winter are more extreme.
In summer, the temperature rises as high as 40°C (104°F), although mountain breezes can make the evenings slightly cooler. The average winter temperature is 5°C (41°F), although it can drop below 0°C (32°F) in January, the most unsettled month of the year.
You'll need to bring your winter coat and although it does not rain often (with an annual rainfall of about 438mm per year), the wettest months are January-April. In Eastern Spain, Catalonia has a climate as varied as its geography.
In Andorra and the Pyrenees, the temperature can drop to below freezing in winter (it is almost certain they do so).
North of the Costa Brava, winds apparently generate out of nowhere and last for several days. But a little further south the climate is more reliable, with little rain in summer. The average temperature in coastal resorts is 25°C (77°F) in summer and 11°C (52°F) in winter.
Inland it can be much hotter and spring and autumn may be preferred by visitors. In Southern Spain, Andalusia's position at the southern edge of Europe gives it a privileged climate.
Summers are hot and winters generally mild. However, there are considerable variations due to the size of the region, its mountainous character and the fact that it is bordered by both the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
In areas of Spain, summers can be extremely hot in the interior, with temperatures rising to 45°C (113°F) and even higher in the provinces of Seville and Cordoba.
Almeria has an extremely arid, desert-like climate. Snow covers the Sierra Nevada from November to June and frost is common in upland areas.
The Levante wind has considerable influence, often blowing hard for days on the Cadiz coast and creating a persistent cloud over the Rock of Gibraltar.
June to October are usually dry months, except for sporadic torrential downpours. Heavy rain in the winter months is usually interspersed with brilliant sunshine.
The Canary Islands, experience a subtropical climate and mild temperatures all year round (an average of 24ºC). Winter/summer temperatures range on average from 17-23°C (64-74°F) in Tenerife or 16-22°C (62-72°F) in Gran Canaria.
The more mountainous zones of Tenerife and the Gran Canaria result in abundant rain in winter, which is responsible for the beautiful landscape, in direct contrast to the other drier and more desert-like islands.
The Balearic Islands, have more or less the same weather conditions, with local variations caused by phenomena such as Mallorca's high mountain ranges. The Balearics' average high temperature is 21.2°C (70°F), average low 13.8°C (57°F), and the sun shines annually to an average 59 per cent. Rainfall in Mahon, Menorca, is 580mm (23 inches) a year, while that in Palma, Mallorca, only reaches 480mm (19 inches).
Continental Climate
A continental climate is characterized by wide seasonal variations in temperature and by low, irregular rainfall with high rates of evaporation that leave the land arid. Annual rainfall generally is thirty to sixty-four centimetres; most of the central plains receive about fifty centimetres.
The northern Meseta, the central system and the Ebro Basin have two rainy seasons, one in spring (April-June) and the other in autumn (October November ), with late spring being the wettest time of the year.
In the southern Meseta, also, the wet seasons are spring and autumn, but the spring one is earlier (March), and autumn is the wetter season. Even during the wet seasons, rain is irregular and unreliable.
Continental winters are cold, with strong winds and high humidity, despite the low amount of rainfall.
Except for mountain areas, the northern foothills of the Sistema Iberico are the coldest area, and frost is common.
Summers are warm and cloudless, producing average daytime temperatures that reach 21° C in the northern Meseta and 24 to 27° C in the southern Meseta; nighttime temperatures range from 7 to 10 C.
The Ebro Basin, at a lower altitude, is extremely hot during the summer, and temperatures can exceed 43 C.
Summer humidity is low in the Meseta Central and in the Ebro Basin, except right along the shores of in the Rio Ebro where humidity is high.
Maritime Climate
A maritime climate prevails in the northern part of the country, from the Pyrenees to the north-west region, characterised by relatively mild winters, warm but not hot summers, and generally, abundant rainfall spread out over the year.
Temperatures vary only slightly, both on a diurnal and a seasonal basis. The moderating effects of the sea, however, abate in the inland areas, where temperatures are 9 to 18 C more extreme than temperatures on the coast.
Distance from the Atlantic Ocean also affects precipitation, and there is less rainfall in the east than in the west. Autumn (October through December) is the wettest season, while July is the driest month.
The high humidity and the prevailing off-shore winds make fog and mist common along the north-west coast; this phenomenon is less frequent a short distance inland, however, because the mountains form a barrier keeping out the sea moisture.
Mediterranean Climate
The Mediterranean climatic region extends from the Andalusian Plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees, on the seaward side of the mountain ranges that parallel the coast.
Total rainfall in this region is lower than in the rest of Spain, and it is concentrated in the late autumn-winter period. Generally, rainfall is slight, often insufficient, irregular, and unreliable.
Temperatures in the Mediterranean region usually are higher in both summer and winter, and diurnal temperature changes are more limited than those of the continental region.
Temperatures in January normally average 10ºC to 13ºC in most of the Mediterranean region, and they are 9ºC colder in the northeastern coastal area near Barcelona. In winter, temperatures inland on the Andalusian Plains are slightly lower than those on the coasts.
Temperatures in July and August average 22ºC to 27ºC on the coast and 29ºC to 31ºC farther inland, with low humidity.
The Mediterranean region is marked by Leveche winds which are hot and dry, these are easterly or southeasterly air currents that originate over North Africa. These winds, which sometimes carry fine dust, are most common in spring.
A cooler easterly wind, the Levante, funnels between the Penibetico system and the Atlas Mountains of North Africa.
Subtropical Climate
To find a subtropical climate in Spain you would need to head off to the Canary Islands which has an average temperature well above 14ºC with summer temperatures around 25ºC.


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Retail AHA & BHA Acid Percentages: What You're Really Getting
AHA and BHA products, aka acids, are everywhere: serums, toners, masks, retail peels, etc, etc. You might see the word buffered on a label, or maybe acid percentages are mentioned. Other times there's no information other than the ingredient list, your only clue. Have you ever wondered what it all means? The meaning of life?… Read More


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The most luxurious piece of furniture can be a swivel wooden barstools that is made by Usa Bar-Stools.
Offered with custom stains and endless options Like Finished Or Unfinished As Well As upholstery, some of our backless counter
stools can fit into any part of your decor. We are the only company that when
calling for information is offering a designer advise and knowledge that comes with
selling wood and metal swivel Stools for over twenty years. We offer the highest
quality of seating at the most economical prices. The most popular items that we
produce are available in 24", 26", 30", 34 inch for the height options for the seat.
We have been manufacturing stools and shipping all over the united states
longer then any other dealer in the country.
It is interesting that from different regions in the country we are getting very unique requirements for our products. While in the south east -Florida, Georgia ,NC ,SC and AL most of our customers are interested in swivel barstools with upholstery on the back we have found out that in the mid west including IN, NE ,MI, and even TX our customers prefer to have swivel bar stools with out upholstery on the back. From the north east part of the country including NY, MA, NH ,MA we are getting requests for complete custom wooden counter and bar stools that include customers own fabric and requests for luxurious vinyl's leather and micro fiber stools. Most of our customers have one thing in common they do not want a cheap products. We guarantee our swivel stool mechanism for 10 years. our wood frames are guaranteed for one to up to 5 years. The counter height seating as well as the bar height and spectator height stools are guaranteed to serve you for a long long time.
Shipping our products is as important as the barstools them self. Every shipment is palletized to reduce the chances of damages. We do sell all over the country. From Fort Lauderdale to Washington state, from Michigan to Dallas, Colorado or Alabama. If you want a great wood swivel stool with or without arms give Usa a call and we will get it for you.
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Copyright © 2020 USABarstools.com All rights reserved.


text:
Selling Twitter makes business sense for its promoters. The San Francisco based company was formed in March 2006 and went public in November 2013. But Twitter is yet to make profit. According to a Reuters report, the total accumulated loss of the company since its inception comes around $ 2.3 billion and Twitter has not showed any profit since it went public.
But Twitter is just not any other social media or information technology Company. It has become a powerhouse of news, views and information. Any big news is usually broken on Twitter first, be it Osama bin Laden's death or Prince William's engagement or many other such developments. Even back home in India, the whole nation was waiting for Nawaz Sharif's UNGA diatribe and India's first official response on it came through Twitter only. Narendra Modi had announced his sudden Lahore stopover on Twitter only. There are countless such examples – India or elsewhere.
The another aspect of Twitter that is goldmine of news and views is that people, especially those who matter, tell their anger, frustration, irritation, joy, happiness, sorrow and what not through Twitter. Sometimes a controversial tweet becomes the biggest trending news of the day. Sometimes a tweet becomes the most direct message to tell your problems and grievances that potentially reach across the spectrum.
In that sense, Twitter has become more like a mainstream media outfit – with the obvious benefits of social media – there are no restrictions, no gatekeeping, no censorship – and these are really free. Yes, there are exceptions and government poaching but then where aren't they? The good thing about Twitter is that it has fought such censorship attempts vehemently.
If we see Twitter sale in that context – the natural question that comes to us is – "would Twitter remain the same, old, free Twitter after it is sold to some big behemoth with multiple business interests across the countries?"
Don't we know how big businesses lobby with governments and do compromises to keep their operations growing?


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What's the difference? Well, in procedural programming, we have data and we have the procedures or instructions for operating on that data. In procedural programming, data and procedures, or instructions, are two separate things. In object-oriented programming, we have units of code that contain both data and instructions, such that an "object" operates on its own data structure.
Let's take a look at an example of this distinction using some methods you might find in a procedural implementation of Tic Tac Toe.
board = Array.new(9, " ") # Creates an array with 9 elements filled with " "
def current_player(board)
turn_count(board) % 2 == 0 ? "X" : "O"
def turn_count(board)
board.count{|token| token == "X" || token == "O"}
def display_board(board)
puts " #{board[0]} | #{board[1]} | #{board[2]} "
puts "-----------"
puts " #{board[3]} | #{board[4]} | #{board[5]} "
puts "-----------"
puts " #{board[6]} | #{board[7]} | #{board[8]} "
In the code above, we have a
board variable which points to an Array that represents our game board. Each of our methods must take the
board array in as an argument and operate on that array. Here, our data structure, the
board array, is operated on by each method. The data is separate from the behavior or operations.
In fact, the
board array is so separate from the behaviors defined in our method that the only indication that our data and our methods are related is the fact that the
board array is defined in the same general area (i.e. in the same file, close to the lines where we define our methods) as our methods.
Another thing to note about our procedural approach to tic tac toe above is that we constantly have to pass around the
board array to every method. This is tedious and potentially very troublesome as any method can modify that variable and continue passing it around, thus causing errors in our program.
What's so bad about our procedural approach? Ultimately, we don't want to manage our data through proximity and arguments, we want to teach our objects to manage their own data. What happens if we want to grow our tic tac toe game by adding more data or more behaviors? Our program gets messy, fast. The more we add different data and behaviors that are linked only by proximity or via arguments, the more confusing and buggy our program is likely to be.
Consider the following object-oriented implementation of our tic tac toe game:
class TicTacToe
def initialize(board = nil)
@board = board || Array.new(9, " ")
def current_player
turn_count % 2 == 0 ? "X" : "O"
def turn_count
@board.count{|token| token == "X" || token == "O"}
def display_board
puts " #{@board[0]} | #{@board[1]} | #{@board[2]} "
puts "-----------"
puts " #{@board[3]} | #{@board[4]} | #{@board[5]} "
puts "-----------"
puts " #{@board[6]} | #{@board[7]} | #{@board[8]} "
What's so great about our object-oriented approach? Notice that every method became easier to understand. They no longer require arguments and instead can rely on the internal state of the object. What do we mean by that? Well, in our
TicTacToe class, the board array is a property of an instance of the TicTacToe game. The
@board instance variable, and the data that is stored in it, is attached to the instance of the game that is playing out at a given point in time. The state of the game, i.e. who is winning, what squares have been filled in, is expressed by the content of the
@board variable, which itself is a property of the given instance of
The methods of our
TicTacToe class are also part of an object. When we called
TicTacToe.new and create a new instance of the class (and start a new game), that instance, that tic tac toe object, has properties, like the
@board variable, that describe its state. That tic tac toe instance will also have methods that allow it to enact behaviors and operate on the data stored in its properties. Our tic tac toe object has the whole package––attributes that contain data describing the state of the object and methods that enact behaviors on that data.
Not only is our code now more organized and easier to read and understand, it is also accommodating of future growth and change. We can add more methods and more attributes to our
TicTacToe class without over complicating our program.
How do we refactor a procedural program into an object-oriented one? The things you want to look for when refactoring procedural code into object-oriented code are:
Find any data the methods rely on. Is this data related to the core functionality of our program? If so, think about where this data belongs. Should you pass it in as an argument to an
#initialize method? Can the class you are writing create the data structure itself?
Are your methods passing data around as arguments? Could this data instead be made into an instance variable?
Is there any code that isn't contained in a method? Could that code be placed inside a method in your class and therefore become behavior that belongs to your object?
Anything that works procedurally can also work in an object-oriented fashion and being able to move between these two styles of programming is crucial.
View Procedural vs. Object-Oriented Ruby on Learn.co and start learning to code for free.
View Procedural vs Object Oriented Ruby on Learn.co and start learning to code for free.


text:
My BMW 750Li is burning a lot of oil. I just put in a quart of oil a few weeks ago, and I had to put in another quart yesterday. My car has no oil leaks. I see a little smoke for about 1 minute when I first start up the car. Some of my friends think it might be the oil separator causing the problem. Sometimes when my car is idling I will see a little bit of smoke and when I accelerate, but then it clears up. Could the problem be a valve guide seal?
|Oil level is low Inspection
|$79.99 - $89.99
|Get a Quote
Hi there, thanks for writing in about your 2006 BMW 750Li. The two causes of an engine to burn oil are faulty piston rings and faulty valve guides or seals. If the piston rings are faulty, this will allow oil to escape past the top of the piston into the combustion chamber and therefore burn away.
If the valve guide seals are faulty, when the engine is stopped, the oil from the camshaft area will settle down at the bottom of the valve guides. If these seals do not work, oil will slip past the valves and land on top of the pistons. The next time the engine is started, smoke will be emitted from the exhaust when the vehicle is started.
The valve guide seals are most likely the cause of your problem. I would recommend having your oil issue diagnosed and repaired by a certified professional, as this requires an engine overhaul that is best left to someone with lots of experience. If you want to have this checked before moving forward with a repair, a certified technician from YourMechanic can come to the car's location to diagnose your vehicle's burning oil.
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text:
Product Description
A formal foyer gives way to a family room large enough to include dining and living activities. A gourmet kitchen includes a large island and breakfast bar, nook dining, and bar open to the living areas and view.
The master bedroom includes large windows for natural light and coffered ceiling treatment. The master bath includes dual vanities, oversized shower, and a huge walk-in-closet.
Access to a private atrium/courtyard from the WIC flanks the nook and utility room as well.
Contemporary detailing and forms are warmed up by stone and stucco with low profile elegance.
The highlight of this plan is really in the rear with a gorgeous outdoor living area, exterior fireplace/bbq and terracing levels.
A very large utility area provides room for not only laundry functions but includes a desk, freezer, sink, island and cubbies/storage for the kids.
Speaking of kids, the bedroom area includes walk-in-closets, and private den area for relaxing and watching TV. Below there is a game room for rowdier functions. A Hollywood bath between the bedrooms provides a roomy environment for bathing and dressing.


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At the Xamarin Evolve 2014 conference, Xamarin announced their new mobile analytics solution, Xamarin Insights. When you add Insights to your mobile application, you can start tracking exceptions, crashes, user identities, and application events.
One of the best features of Insights is the ability to track the user's actions through the app to be able to trace the conditions that led to an exception. All too often, users will experience an error or, even worse, an app crash. Rarely, these users will email the developer and tell them about the crash, but don't remember any useful information that would help to recreate the exception. By adding calls Xamarin.Insights.Track() to our methods, we can track the events leading up to a particular crash.
Typical Usage
public async Task GetData ()
Xamarin.Insights.Track ("Enter GetData");
/* Implement Method */
Xamarin.Insights.Track ("Exit GetData");
private async Task GetLocalData ()
Xamarin.Insights.Track ("Enter GetLocalData");
/* Implement Method */
Xamarin.Insights.Track ("Exit GetLocalData");
private async Task GetRemoteData ()
Xamarin.Insights.Track ("Enter GetRemoteData");
/* Implement Method */
Xamarin.Insights.Track ("Exit GetRemoteData");
While this does work, it adds a lot of unnecessary noise to the code. Instead of adding line after line of analytics tracking to every method, I prefer to get that boilerplate code out of the way, and let the code focus on the problem at hand.
As I've shown before, I get a lot of use out of Fody in my mobile apps. Fody allows us to control the build time compilation and change the outputted assembly. In this case, we can use Fody's MethodDecorator package to move the Insights tracking logic into a method attribute.
Adding Fody
We'll base our custom attribute on Fody's MethodDecorator attribute, which we can add to our project from Nuget.
Install-Package MethodDecoratorEx.Fody
NOTE : There are two Fody MethodDecorators on Nuget. I'm using MethodDecoratorEx
You'll need to add the declaration to the FodyWeavers.xml file as well.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<MethodDecoratorEx />
I wrote up instructions on using Fody with Xamarin Studio
Create Attribute
Next, we'll create a custom attribute to wrap up the Insights code. Each time we enter or leave a method, we'll make a call to Xamarin.Insights.Track().
using System;
using System.Reflection;
using MethodDecoratorInterfaces;
using ArtekSoftware.Demos;
using Xamarin;
[module: Insights]
namespace ArtekSoftware.Demos
[AttributeUsage (
| AttributeTargets.Constructor
| AttributeTargets.Assembly
| AttributeTargets.Module)]
public class InsightsAttribute : Attribute, IMethodDecorator
private string _methodName;
public void Init (object instance, MethodBase method, object[] args)
_methodName = method.DeclaringType.FullName + "." + method.Name;
public void OnEntry ()
var message = string.Format ("OnEntry: {0}", _methodName);
Insights.Track (message);
public void OnExit ()
var message = string.Format ("OnExit: {0}", _methodName);
Insights.Track (message);
public void OnException (Exception exception)
Insights.Report (exception);
Add Attribute to Methods
Once the attribute is defined, all we need to do is decorate the methods that we want to track. Notice that the implementation of each method is focused simply on the method's logic and not Insights tracking.
public async Task GetData ()
/* Implement Method */
private async Task GetLocalData ()
/* Implement Method */
private async Task GetRemoteData ()
/* Implement Method */
This may seem like a lot of extra overhead, especially since we're calling out to a remote server. I asked the Xamarin Insights team about this, and got the following answers.
- When does Insights send its data?
- If Insights detects a wifi connection then generally we feel free to send data as often as we like, if we are on a Cellular connection we wait a very long time before sending data
- Does Insights.Track immediately call the server, or are the calls batched up?
- All data is batched up for a few seconds before sending out to the server
- Do Insights.Track and Insights.Report call the server asynchronously, or are these blocking calls?
- All API calls are essentially async, any Insights activity happens in a background thread
- If queued, does the queue persist across restarts of the app? Restarts of the device?
- All insights data is journaled to disk, this means track/identify/report/crashes/everything is persistent across restarts. We send out the old data whenever we have a good opportunity to do so, usually after we send out some new data successfully.
The end result of this is that we get really detailed tracking of the events that lead to an exception. This will make finding and fixing errors in our apps faster and more efficient. We get the details of constant tracking without littering our code with tracking calls.


text:
Australia Food Travel
Food, Company and a Steam TrainMay 22, 2012
This weekend I stayed up in Newcastle for a totally boring reason (had to do a mandatory 1st Aid course). However, I had quite an interesti...
This weekend I stayed up in Newcastle for a totally boring reason (had to do a mandatory 1st Aid course). However, I had quite an interesting weekend.
On Sunday, I was woken up at 12:30pm (don't judge me) by a text from Ben saying "We r outside, waiting for u", and another one saying "HURRY UP GIRL." Then I remembered the lunch plans.
We had lunch at the 3 Monkeys cafe on Darby St. Pretty sure everyone up here is familiar with it, but if you're not, I highly recommend it as the food is great. And you have to try their milkshakes and Geisha tea.
Giant steak sandwich
Salmon and potato cakes
We then drove to Bar Beach and walked around for a bit before piling back into the car because it was too damn cold.
Lone wanderer
Then cruised around town, like so:
And finally, saw a steam train pull out of the station, complete with blue-jumpsuit wearing engineers, looking like it was heading to Hogwarts. Was tempted to jump on but instead looked on enviously as everyone onboard smirked and waved grandly from their carriages. Especially those in the 1st class and dining car.
So it was a pleasant day all around. I even made my first foray into street style photography, here:
3 monkeys looks like a neat placeReplyDelete
That velour track suit set looks sooooo fab! :PReplyDelete
I busted out laughing once I saw that last photo.ReplyDelete
Yeah. :)
that rainbow photos-- AMAZING.ReplyDelete
also-- that last photo, with the purple velour tracksuit.... also amazing ;) x
again wonderful pictures. i'm always so impressed by the colors of your photos, it's just so vivid ♥ReplyDelete
Hogwarts Express! Oh man, that last picture, too funny.ReplyDelete


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We're back!Learn how we will be operating our galleries COVID secure June 16, 2020 Following the Government's guidance, we are excited to officially announce the reopening of both M1 Fine Art galleries as of... Read more
Covid-19 Company AnnouncementRead our gallery update here March 27, 2020 In an effort to protect our gallery teams and valued clients from the spread of Covid-19, we made the decision... Read more
Annual Christmas PartyJoin us for the Annual M1 Fine Art Christmas Party December 13, 2019 Relax and enjoy a display of stunning artworks in our Greenwich gallery Friday 13th December 2019 with a glass of... Read more
Fairy Tales and ImaginationNew Works by Kerry Darlington October 17, 2019 Fairy Tales and Imagination is an exhibition of works by renowned contemporary artist Kerry Darlington. Exploring the effect retelling... Read more
PENNY WARDEN | New CollectionNew Paintings and Hand Signed Limited Editions October 7, 2019 This autumn sees the launch of a new collection of artwork from renowned British expressionist Penny Warden. With an extensive... Read more
Introducing Jack VettrianoA retrospective look at the life and career of Jack Vettriano June 13, 2019 Jack Vettriano is regarded as one of the most controversial yet successful artists of the 20th century. View the limited edition Jack Vettriano artworks online at m1fineart.com. Read more
Own Art at M1 Fine ArtThe government backed initiative to make art accessible June 13, 2019 What is it? Own Art is an initiative supported by Arts Council England, Creative Scotland and Arts Council of Northern... Read more
Introducing Kerry DarlingtonTwice awarded 'Biggest Selling Artist in the UK' May 1, 2019 M1 Fine Art are excited to introduce Kerry Darlington to our portfolio of artists. Kerry Darlington delves deep into the... Read more
Pups and ProseccoOur dog-friendly event in Greenwich January 15, 2019 We are excited to share our latest Pups and Prosecco event that will take place on Sunday 17 February from... Read more
Book Launch: 'Learn to Paint People Quickly' by Hazel SoanCelebrating the launch of Hazel Soan's 15th book May 20, 2017 When London's National Portrait Gallery started acquiring artwork by Hazel Soan in 2005, it was seen as an official endorsement... Read more
Talk by artist and 'Deep Space Astro-Photographer' Chris BakerCelebrate the release of two brand new limited edition prints of his artwork June 1, 2016 This 35-40 minute talk by deep space astro-photographer, Chris Baker will celebrate the release of two brand new limited edition... Read more
Campaign to 'Find the man in the painting' heralded a successM1 Fine Art director interviewed on London Live about campaign May 1, 2016 M1 Fine Art Gallery Director Peter McAllister is interviewed live alongside Jerome Senn, the 'man in the painting'. Following an... Read more


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Bantam Lake Yacht Club celebrates 80 years
Morris >> The thunder that rumbled throughout Litchfield County Sunday afternoon thwarted the Bantam Lake Yacht Club's plans for its annual end of year race around the lake, but that didn't stop the group from celebrating the club's 80th birthday complete with a barbecue, beer and a cake.
The tradition of having a final race on Labor Day weekend dates all the way back to the club's inception in 1933. The BLYC was founded by Al and Tom Hine. The following year, racing was scheduled every Sunday afternoon from July 4 through Labor Day. That year-end "round the lake" race was originally called the French Trophy Race after Fred French, an early member, who hosted the club out of his backyard for awhile. The trophy that is engraved with the winner's name each year is still called the Fred Wellington French II Trophy.
The race normally goes all the way around the lake, but this year organizers decided to cut the route short due to wind conditions. Unfortunately the race, which was supposed to begin at 1 p.m., was delayed entirely because of the bad weather. The route was supposed to travel up the South Bay, past Camp Wonposet, across towards Point Folly, into Keeler's Cove and back to the club house. The whole race would have amounted to 2.25 miles.
The club members sail different kinds of boats, from Sunfish to Snipes, but member Michael Luskin said the winner is always a toss up.
"It's about the skill of the sailor," said Luskin.
Denis Williamson, club secretary and treasurer, got to engrave his name on the trophy last year, but all of the members have had their time to shine at one point or another.
The club moved to its current location, at 1 Yacht Club Passway, in 1962. The BLYC currently has 33 members but that number fluctuates yearly. While there are no founding members left in the club, some have been a part of the BLYC family for decades, like Paul Borse, who joined 42 years ago. Williamson joined the club 20 years ago when he was still living in New York. He and his wife moved to Morris permanently in 2007 and he became the secretary and treasurer that year.
Williamson and his wife, Ginny, decided to commemorate the club's 80th birthday with a cake this year.
"I said we have to have a cake, and that's how it started," said Ginny Williamson.
From there the event grew into a full fledged party with Litchfield-based band, Stache, playing around 6 p.m. Two of the band's members are also members of the yacht club.
When the BLYC first started, dues were $5 and $1 for junior members. Today, yearly fees cost $400 and there's a $30 charge for members who want to store their boats at the club house through the winter. Members don't have to own a boat to be a part of the club. Kayakers and canoeists are welcome too.
Williamson said the majority of the club's sailing takes place on Sundays, but members are welcome to come to the club house and go out on the lake when they like.
"Some locals come during the week. During the week it's like having your own lake," said Williamson. "This is one of the most beautiful spots on the lake. The sunsets are great."
While the BLYC calls itself a club, it's more like a family. Members and their families have been gathering and spending time together for years.
Williamson's daughter will be married at the club house later this month.
"[The club house] means a lot to her," said Emily Williamson, the bride's sister and Williamson's daughter.
It's just one more event to make the importance of this place in the lives of the members.
"It's fun," Williamson said of the club, but it seemed like more than that when the group tossed aside sailing plans to get the party started early.
Aside from sailing themselves, several members teach sailing lessons to children throughout the season. Jim Sutton, a four-year member, said the club is trying to raise money to buy new boats to get more kids out on the lake at a young age.
"It will keep them from getting fat thumbs," Sutton said as he imitated operating a video game controller.
Many of the club members have been sailing since they were young, like Williamson who got started at age 12, and they believe is teaching new sailors.
For more information on the Bantam Lake Yacht Club visit its website at bantamlakeyc.com.


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According to Larry B. Silver, MD, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, LD is not a mental disease. He further said, " Learning Disability is not a mental illness. Learning Disabilities are neurologically-based. They result from "faulty wiring" in specific areas of the brain. These disabilities will impact on an individual's ability to process and to use information and, thus, can impact on this individual's ability to be successful with reading, writing, math, and other learning tasks."
But, according to Learning Disabilities Organization, about 20-40% of those who have Learning Disability have mental disorder like autism.
So, it is wiser to seek experts to properly assess your kid whether the medical condition of your kid warrants a learning disability or a mental disorder instead.
So, how can music help address Learning Disability? While a traditional classroom can put extra pressure on the kids with LD, interventions like music can help them relax and learn at the same time.
Music is believed to have effects on the following:
- Cognitive disabilities. Study shows that music can improve Math skills and cognition by 40%.
- Speech and language difficulty. Dylexia for instance can be helped by breaking spellings into notes and clappings into syllables among others.
- ADHD/LD - Learning through music books, diverting hyperactivity through music classes with musical instruments they can work on like piano, violin or focusrite solo among others.
There are singers or musicians who have learning disability but are doing well. Learning disability cant be cured but can be addressed properly and kids with LD still do have a bright future with them ahead. We just have to help them and music can be one.


text:
Shining Stars: Brightest Moments of Identiverse 2018
Friends of identity, it's a little bittersweet now that Identiverse™ 2018 has come to an end. We can't thank all of you enough for making our inaugural year under our new branding so fun and memorable. The spirit of Cloud Identity Summit has truly evolved into something amazing, and Identiverse certainly had its Big Bang moment. Hats off to Boston for welcoming our identity family with open arms.
It would likely be the longest blog in history if we were to try and recap all of the great things we packed into four days at this year's event. Instead, we just want to highlight a handful of the brightest moments.
Record Attendance
As we tally everything up, we're happy to report that we set record numbers in Boston. Since our first year in 2010, the conference has continued to grow year after year. That's not easy to pull off, especially with a new name, but it speaks volumes about the passion of our identity community and the uniqueness of this event. The future of Identiverse is certainly very bright.
Most Diverse Expo Hall Yet
We saw record numbers in our expo hall, with 57 sponsors and exhibitors showing their latest and greatest to the masses. But almost more impressive than the numbers themselves was the diversity on the floor. We introduced a number of innovations for the expo—like our new solutions theater and our Startup Stars program—and we saw a wide variety of solution providers including familiar participants as well as newcomers. Company size ranged from small solutions providers to large technology organizations like Microsoft and Google. We thank all of our sponsors for making this event possible and for representing our industry in such a diverse way.
Content That Wowed
With content submissions up 40% from last year, Identiverse delivered the most diverse topics to date. There were sessions, master classes and keynotes that covered everything from identity security to privacy to new regulations. One of the more prevalent topics was how identity fits into the Internet of Things—or more appropriately, the Identity of Things. And one of the newer topics this year was artificial intelligence and how identity is becoming smarter. We're sure to hear a lot more about that. Keep an eye on your inbox…we'll be emailing you soon when presentations and videos are available.
Attendees Earned (ISC)2 and IAPP CPE Credits
For the first time in the conference's history, Identiverse partnered with (ISC)2, the world's leading cybersecurity and IT security professional organization. This year's attendees were able to receive up to 40 CPE credits for any sessions they attended in Boston. If you need to submit for your credits, just fill out this submission form, send it to firstname.lastname@example.com within six weeks of attending Identiverse and make sure to include your (ISC)2 member number.
We also partnered with the IAPP, the world's largest global information privacy community—to be able to offer CPE credits for IAPP qualifications including CIPM, CIPT and CIPP. We look forward to growing these industry connections in future years.
Traditions Live On
Anyone who's come to this conference before knows a thing or two about our traditions. We're happy to say that they're alive and well! The family program was buzzing with activities and excitement. Boot camp was another fun, sweaty and fulfilling ride. Plus, back by popular demand, ZZAuth and the Love Tokens rocked the House of Blues for our closing party, which is an incredible feat because this band is made up of identity professionals from across the country. With members from Ping Identity, Forgerock, Optiv, Microsoft and KPMG…ZZAuth's dedication and collaboration is music to our ears!
Open Banking & OpenID Made a Big Announcement
Identiverse provided a timely catalyst for representatives of the OpenID Foundation and the UK Open Banking Implementation Entity to announce their collaboration on the financial-grade API (FAPI) specification. It was an ideal venue for both organizations to emphasize the importance of building on top of the award-winning OpenID Certification Program to expand the scope to enable certification of deployments of FAPI specifications.
Andre Durand, Ping Identity CEO, spoke for those who understand the impact that open-banking initiatives are now having across the globe and across industries. The announcement demonstrated the importance of open standards to the cross-industry conversation Identiverse convenes and the concrete progress it enables.
Networking Flourished
Identiverse has become the world's largest identity industry event. Naturally, it's THE place to be for the best networking opportunities, and Boston was no exception. There was a wide variety of networking luncheons that spanned diverse groups, including Women in Identity, the LIGHTest Forum and the Identity Defined Security Alliance. Not to mention the countless ad hoc networking moments that happened all throughout the week. Identiverse is also the home event for IDPro, with many individual and corporate IDPro members participating in a variety of ways. This year's conference was the perfect example of all the right people in one place. And it's only going to get better.
We could go on and on. But suffice it to say, Identiverse 2018 really delivered. If Boston is any indication of how Identiverse is going to continue to grow and evolve and attract this caliber of identity people, we can't wait to see what's in store for our tenth anniversary next year in Washington, D.C.—and beyond. Thanks again for being part of this Big Bang moment for Identiverse. See you next year.
Keep the conversation going on Twitter via #Identiverse, and stay tuned for session recordings on Youtube and slides via Slideshare.
By Andrew Hindle
Content Chair, IdentiverseView More Posts


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Snow happens.
Barring any major tragedy that occurs with bad weather most youth workers see this as God's little gift for rest and relaxation, and I couldn't agree more. Here are some effective ways to capitalize on a new opportunity for ministry while still maintaining the rest God has provided you.
Don't "write". Dream.
It's tempting to want to dive right into the "necessary" tasks of ministry since you will have no event or people distractions. Instead create a new task list. Rest is not inactivity. Rest can be stimulating spiritual activity. Take time to pray, brainstorm, and dream about your ministry. Journal it, draw it, dream it. When school is canceled kids fill their morning with dreams of forts, snowball fights, and adventure (at least they used to). What dream do you have for your ministry? Rest in your dreams.
Talk less and listen more.
Snow really does have an effect on the way sound travels; specifically, it muffles noise. Snow stacks up with plenty of space between flakes, which means that sound waves have less surface area to bounce off than, say, raindrops (bustle.com). God made snow to have a quieting effect for a reason. What is he trying to tell you? How does he speak to you?
Be weird.
Avoid spending time communicating with your students who also have a snow day via social media. Call them. The same goes with other people in your life who matter. 2-3 minutes of a conversation is more powerful than any like, comment, or share. I know it can be uncomfortable to do that, but try it and see how much equity you gain. Then tell me later if it wasn't worth it. I doubt I'll hear from you.


text:
A recent article in the Chicago Tribune discussed the IRS woes of the father-in-law of the million-dollar lottery winner who died of cyanide poisoning shortly after winning. The father-in-law, Fareedun Ansari, allegedly owed the IRS a significant sum of money. The amount that Urooj Khan's father-in-law owed the IRS is apparently around $120,000. As a result of the back tax issue, the IRS placed liens on Khan's Chicago home, according to an investigation by Tribune reporters.
Ansari resided in Khan's home at the time of his son-in-law's poisoning, according to statements made by Ansari's criminal defense attorney. The criminal investigation into Khan's death began after a relative voiced concern after the Cook County Medical examiner's office found that Khan had died of natural causes. A more extensive examination showed that Khan had actually died of cyanide poisoning.
According to records from the county recorder of deeds, the tax liens that were filed by the IRS were related to unpaid back taxes for a business that Ansari had operated and that Khan had financed.
Both Ansari and his daughter, Shabana, have hired criminal defense lawyers as the investigation intensifies.Segal, Cohen & Landis, LLP 9100 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 601E Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (310) 285-3999