text:
In the latest sign of rancor in Tea Party circles, a convention billed as an effort to bring together conservative activists from across the country is being attacked by some leading Tea Partiers as inauthentic, too tied to the GOP, and — at $549 per head — too expensive for the working Americans the movement aspires to represent.
The National Tea Party Convention, scheduled for early February in Nashville, grabbed headlines after announcing that Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann would appear as speakers, Palin as the keynote. According to a message on the convention's website, the event "is aimed at bringing the Tea Party Movement leaders together from around the nation." But organizers are a long way from unifying the notoriously fractious movement.Tea Party Patriots, which helped put together a September rally that drew tens of thousands to Washington, view the confab — which is being held at Nashville's swank Opryland Gaylord hotel — as the "usurpation of a grassroots movement," according to Mark Meckler, a leader of the group. "Most people in our movement can't afford anything like that," Meckler told TPMmuckraker, referring to the price tag. "So it's really not aimed at the average grassroots person."
Robin Stublen, a Tea Party Patriots volunteer, echoed that view. "This convention is $550 dollars," said Stublen. "How grassroots is that?"
Indeed, one conservative activist who has organized Tea Parties with several local groups told TPMmuckraker that even though she lives in the Nashville area, she still can't afford to attend. "To me its not worth it," said Toni, who blogs at Bear Creek Ledger and asked that her last name not be used. "I'm not gonna throw my money around for that."
"The Tea Party I know never had $1000 to pay for anything," another conservative activist told TPMmuckraker.
The high cost may be driven by the speakers' fees that organizers are shelling out. One activist who is familiar with organizers' plans told TPMmuckraker that Palin is being paid $100,000, much of which is said to have been raised by wealthy local donors. That figure could not be confirmed.
The convention's prime organizer, Nashville criminal defense lawyer Judson Phillips, founded Tea Party Nation, a for-profit company that runs a networking site for activists. Phillips, a former local prosecutor, didn't respond to several requests for comment, but he told Politico that the convention was intended to make a profit so that Tea Party Nation can "funnel money back into conservative causes" through a 527 group it plans to set up.
Mark Skoda, another of the activists behind the event, told TPMmuckraker that the fees were required to pay for the event's costs. He added that Tea Party Nation had urged volunteers to have their local Tea Party group sponsor their attendance — an idea that Stublen derided as inconsistent with the concept of personal fiscal responsibility that the movement professes. Skoda declined to comment on Palin's fee, citing "the non-disclosure of speakers contracts."
Lurking beneath the concerns about the price-tag are vaguer fears. First, that Phillips and his allies are using the convention to boost their group's resources and its profile within the movement.
"The tea party movement is a grass-roots movement; it's not a business," one skeptical Tennesee Tea Partier declared to Politico.
"Who are they and what do they stand for?" another conservative activist asked TPMmuckraker, describing Phillips as "someone who is trying to make a grab."
Perhaps even more unnerving to some activists, though, is the prospect that Tea Party Nation may be co-opting the movement — which prides itself on its independence and authenticity — on behalf of a professional political class with ties to the GOP.
It hasn't been lost on members of the Tea Party Patriots that the Tea Party Express — which is run by a group of well-connected GOP consultants and who the Patriots already view as a group of astroturf parvenus — will be at the convention. Perhaps even worse: though Phillips has said that Tea Party Nation isn't working with the Republican party, one activist told TPMmuckraker, with disapproval, that organizers had voted to invite RNC chair Michael Steele to speak. Skoda said he did not know whether such a decision had been made, but that he would support the idea. The RNC did not say whether Steele has received an invitation.
"The Tea Party Movement is about to be hijacked," wrote one activist in an online comment recently. "TeaPartyNation.com orgaziners are hard lined GOP who use the proverbial veil of 'conservatism' to attract supporters."
Stublen echoed that suspicion. "I think what we have in the movement is the GOP trying to take control, and a lot of the groups are trying to fight them on this," he told TPMmuckraker. Stublen described the convention as "too GOP" and Phillips as "too politically connected."
Stublen also said he viewed with distrust two Phillips allies with ties to the GOP. Michael Patrick Leahy, a delegate to the 2008 Republican convention, founded Top Conservatives On Twitter, which has been embraced by Beltway Republicans like Karl Rove. And Eric Odom, whose Liberty American Liberty Alliance is a co-sponsor of the convention, is a professional conservative organizer.
"I think they're all good people," said Stublen. "But I question the motive in this."
Late Update: RedState founder Erick Erickson — an important voice in conservative activist circles — is wary of the convention too. He writes:
…I think this national tea party convention smells scammy.
Let me be blunt: charging people $500.00 plus the costs of travel and lodging to go to a "National Tea Party Convention" run by a for profit group no one has ever heard of sounds as credible as an email from Nigeria promising me a million bucks if I fork over my bank account number.
I am led to believe a number of the sponsors who lent their names early on have grown wary of the event. That lines up with what I am hearing.
The tea party "leaders", if there are any, are actively at work in their home towns changing things one letter to the editor, one contribution to a candidate, and one protest at a time. They are not on bus tours headed to Nashville licking their lips at the $500.00 per person payments coming in to their for profit company.
- -Hiring More Journalists
- -Providing free memberships to those who cannot afford them
- -Supporting independent, non-corporate journalism


text:
Indiana offers many assistance programs for business, some of which are mentioned in this document. Often, the best source of information regarding assistance is a local economic development office.
IV-A-1. Small Business Administration (SBA)The SBA acts as an advocate for small business interests. Most SBA programs are administered through partnerships with private entities. The SBA has loan guarantee programs available to persons who have made every effort to obtain a loan through conventional means. SBA does not have grant programs for starting a small business. For more information regarding the SBA, contact:
Small Business Administration
IV-A-2. Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE)SCORE provides free, confidential individual counseling for starting a new business and for important decisions and problems of an existing business. SCORE also conducts a monthly seminar on "Starting and Operating a Small Business". Free business literature and publications are available. Some chapters offer a textbook, The Guide To Starting a Business. There are 11 local SCORE chapters throughout the State. (See Appendix E) or www.score.org
IV-A-3. Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)The Indiana SBDC Network serves as the "First Stop Shop" with 10 Centers across the state offering free, confidential consulting to start up and existing businesses in Indiana. Seminars, workshops and conferences are geared to the specific needs of small business owners as well as those just starting out. Access to information regarding state and federal programs and to business experts on how to successfully start and/or operate a business in Indiana is available. Help with business and market planning, obtaining financing, and other business related topics are available. For more information, contact the SBDC (888-472-3244) or the local SBDC nearest you. (See Appendix F) or www.isbdc.org
IV-B-1. State Information CenterThe State Information Center is a cooperative effort of all state agencies, providing easier access to Indiana State Government. Counselors are available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer general questions regarding state programs, services and requirements, and to direct callers to the correct office for assistance with more specific needs. Many of the forms mentioned in this document are available from the State Information Center as well. For any state government information, contact:
State Information Center
IV-B-2. IN.GOVIN.gov, the State of Indiana's official website, provides convenient, 'round the clock access to state government information and services. With just a computer (or even a handheld device) and an internet connection, users can access an ever-increasing variety of up-to-date information and services, including Bureau of Motor Vehicle renewals, Indiana legislation and Code , tax services and forms, economic development information, tourism guides, professional and trade association information, and much more. Visit the Indiana website at http://www.IN.gov. For more information about the State's services on IN.gov, please e-mail email@example.com or: IN.gov
IV-B-3. Indiana Economic Development Corp (IEDC)
- The IEDC offers business incentives, technical and site selection assistance to expanding businesses already located in the state or to companies relocating to the state.
- Trade Show Assistance Programs (TSAP) provides financial assistant to Indiana manufacturers by reimbursing a portion of the costs incurred while exhibiting product at overseas trade shows.
- For more information about the IEDC or any of its programs, contact:
Indiana Economic Development Corp (IEDC)
IV-B-4. Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD)The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) provides employers with a free labor exchange service designed to help build Indiana's workforce by bringing together qualified job seekers and employers seeking qualified workers. Through a statewide network of One-Stop Employment Centers, job seekers and employers have free access to a variety of information to help make the match between employers and job seekers more effective. Each One-Stop Center maintains an Information Resource Area available to the public, which provides access to information, and technology designed to improve employability.
Information may also be obtained on job openings and training opportunities available throughout the local community, state, and nation. Full time staff assistance is available for those in need.
Employers may contact any Department of Workforce Development local office in Indiana to find qualified workers to meet their workforce needs. Using Customer Self Service System (CS3), the state maintains a state wide data bank of qualified job seekers to meet the specialized needs of employers. Employers may post jobs on-line through CS3 and access job seekers' work history and skills for an annual fee. Employers may also access prospective employees by submitting a job order to any local DWD office. (See Appendix D). Also, visit DWD's Internet site at http://www.in.gov/dwd.
IV-B-5. Indiana Department of AdministrationProcurement/Public Works: Any company, individual, partnership or corporation seeking to sell a product or service to the State of Indiana will need to obtain a Vendor Application (in or out of state). An out-of-state corporation will also need a Certificate of Authority from the Office of Secretary of State. For more information regarding sales to Indiana, contact:
Indiana Department of Administration, Procurement Division
Minority & Women's Business Enterprises Division: The Minority and Women's Business Enterprises Division (M/WBED) was created in order to ensure that Minority- and Women- owned businesses are given an equal opportunity to participate in the state purchasing process. The office is governed by the Governor's Commission on Minority and Women's Business Enterprises.
Each year the Commission votes on contracting goals, which set the level of participation for minority- and women-owned firms on state contracts. Their office reviews applications for certification, provides advocacy services and training opportunities and monitors state contracts for compliance.
In order to be certified as a Minority-owned or Women-owned Business, a minority or women (or both) must: Own 51% of the business, control the business enterprise and be a U.S. Citizen.
The Minority and Women's Business Enterprises Division provides advocacy services and training to its clients. Training opportunities and public outreach events are planned to keep the certified firms educated about the state purchasing process and contracting opportunities.
The M/WBED has Business Development Unit in which state contracts are randomly monitored to ensure that contract participation goals are being attained. In addition, they will investigate concerns that arise out of contract relationships. The Department of Administration has the authority to impose sanctions on contractors that are found in non-compliance. Their program actively promotes, monitors, and enforces the state's M/WBE participation goals.
If you feel that your firm would be eligible for certification, contact M/WBED office.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
If you've been following me for a while, you know that Umbra perfume is special. So special that I don't talk about it, I don't promote it, and I rarely list it. It's a mystery even to me, really. Umbra has dark magic that is very powerful.
By dark magic, I don't mean anything evil. I am speaking of the greater mysteries, the outer realms where you must lean into your intuition and move beyond the boundaries of your conscious mind. These mysteries summon us who work with energy, and Umbra is a potion that assists you as you channel these unique frequencies. It brings out the wise woman in you.
The magic of Umbra perfume
My Umbra perfume contains sandalwood from the most remote regions of Australia. This sacred sandalwood is then mixed with two types of cinnamon, three types of patchouli, tonka bean, and other oils I shall never reveal. I drizzle it with pure vanilla bean oil once the blend is complete and store it with obsidian, gray moonstone, labradorite, and tektite.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime perfume that you will never see anywhere else in your life. And it is released only a few times a year in tiny batches because each drop is made with care right here at SGHQ.
***Note: This product is made with natural essential and carrier oils, and may contain fragrance oils. Cap color, chip stone, and color may vary slightly.***
This listing is for one (1) 10 mL roller bottle of Umbra perfume. Yours will arrive lovingly parceled for your enjoyment and delight.
Perfume Blessings,
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Charge your tools with orgone energy on my custom Orgonite Charging Plate.
Anoint your crystals and gemstone jewelry with my SG Anointing Blend.
Want to learn more about gems, minerals, and crystal healing? Join our private Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/GemHaven
Want to learn more about perfume and aromatherapy? Join our private Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/SGPerfumery


text:
Tony McNulty never contemplated stepping down after last year's expenses scandal.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Stanmore Politics, the Harrow East MP said that despite resigning from his ministerial position after he was found claiming second-home expenses for a house his parents lived in, he never considered not contesting the seat in 2010.
Mr McNulty, who was elected when New Labour entered power in 1997, said:
"I didn't ever consider standing down. I don't mean that in an arrogant way."
He said he wanted to let the people of Harrow decide based on his record as MP, adding that he resigned as employment minister because it was unfair to continue in the post whilst the parliamentary investigation was underway.
The MP, who has a majority of 4,730, said he had no complaint with the media about the coverage of the expenses scandal. He said
"It was perfectly reasonable for there to be such scrutiny".
Discussing the events while in his Westminster office, the walls decorated with posters of past American presidential campaigns, he said the overall political system was rotten.
"There was a degree of groupthink, collectively from MPs about the nature of the system. If I have any complaint about the coverage of expenses, it's that the starting premise is that every MP is wrong until they prove otherwise.
"We may have brought that on to ourselves. I can understand that too."
He said he accepted responsibility for his role in the scandal, and said that MPs should have been more transparent about the information.
"We should have dealt with the whole issue much, much earlier."
Mr McNulty said the toughest time over nearly thirteen years in office had been the decision to go to war with Iraq. But the MP, who supported the war, said he stood by his decision and believes the fighting in Afghanistan is justified.
"I weighed up the pros and cons either way, first and foremost as an individual not as a government minister. If I'd arrived at the opposite decision then I'd have done the decent thing and stepped down.
"Given all the information at the time it was the right decision. History is replete with people looking back with 20/20 hindsight. Afghanistan is a place that we should be and good work is being done there."
The former immigration minister denied that Labour policies in this area had boosted the BNP. He said:
"BNP members clearly dislike black or brown faces full stop, they're not saying you're a third generation Asian so you're OK, they're against black and brown people.
"There has been a failing over the last ten or twenty years, not just under Labour, that takes away the legitimate identity, particularly from white working class."
Following the official opening of the Hindu Krishna-Avanti Primary School in Harrow, Mr McNulty said faith schools were a good thing and he did not accept they were divisive. Although Labour has long been criticised for its attitude towards faith schools, the MP said this was a debate within all parties.
He said he felt he had lived up to his commitment in his maiden speech to improve education in Harrow, adding that he was committed to securing funding for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
Last month its medical director made headlines by announcing he might contest the next election if the money was not allocated. But Mr McNulty said he understood Professor Tim Briggs's frustration.
"Tim is a passionate man, absolutely committed to the hospital. I've said to Tim that if he stands against me that's entirely a matter for him.
"I will see through successfully the funding of the hospital because it's the right thing to do, not because Tim wants to stand against me. That's entirely a matter for him.
The MP would not even entertain the prospect of losing a fourth term in office. But he said if the council elections coincide with the general election by falling on May 6th – "I have to put the caveat there, but I assume it is" – the results would be interesting.
"On a 60 or 70 per cent turnout there might be some strange ward based results throughout Harrow. I'm predicting that Stanmore Park and Canons are to go Labour."
He said it was 'a real possibility' that Harrow council would swing to Labour, but admitted that not having a working website, as Stanmore Politics reported here last week, was not helpful.
"I do take the point," he said. "I will look into it."
Having just joined Twitter, although not yet active on the site, Mr McNulty was positive about the role of blogging in political campaign. But he reserved no praise for fellow Harrow politician, (Conservative PPC for Harrow West) Rachel Joyce's efforts.
"It's quite a tedious blog though isn't it."
Read the full interview here


text:
'Don't say anything negative about the other parent to a mediator' I have been told. Why would I say anything negative? The interview is about the children, right? All I want is for him to get some counseling like the rest of the family. I told her that I supported the recommendations of the therapist, but if he would agree to ongoing counseling, perhaps there was less immediate need for a psych evaluation? I want to know that he is helping himself so the kids can see him again regularly. I told her I have no desire or intention of keeping them apart unnecessarily. I want to know that he understands that depression doesn't just go away on it's own, and that nobody can deal with the death of a child on his own. He broke. It was serious. I have compassion for these issues. Compassion is positive; I want to move forward, not back!
A psych evaluation will show us, however, the real potential in that desire becoming a reality.
The interviewer never asked more than two questions about our children to me. Instead, she sat in front of me, sighed, and said, "I am required by law to give you this domestic violence questionnaire." And then she proceeded to do so. She asked about the incident in April and any threats made in our history. Then she finally asked where our children go to school and how they are doing emotionally. That last part took about five minutes. For five minutes she heard me talk about our children, then cut me off.
Seems to me that it would be very difficult to say nothing at all negative about a person when being questioned about how he hurt you (a document she could have looked up - his own police statement) and what he was yelling at you while he did.
I told her, "He can be a good father - there was a time he was a good father! He loves his children."
Do you think she told him that?
She wrote that he denies the incident happened the way I describe, and that he believes I planned the assault, in order to gain control of the children. (Again, I defer to the police report.)
Does it sometimes seem that there are more problems caused to all parties when someone erroneously suggests that the family should then spend another few thousand dollars to further incite and inflame this situation? Let us review a portion of the California Family Code, section 3044:
"(e) When a court makes a finding that a party has perpetrated
domestic violence, the court may not base its findings solely on
conclusions reached by a child custody evaluator or on the
recommendation of the Family Court Services staff, but shall consider
any relevant, admissible evidence submitted by the parties."
That makes sense. I would love to see it come to a reality.
I don't see here, in our specific situation, where our children are being addressed. How does bleeding the parents dry serve to consider our children first and foremost?
Just sayin.


text:
Taking a break from writing about soccer, TheCrew.com's Cody Sharrett is diving into Rock on the Range this weekend at Crew Stadium. Keep checking back for up-to-the-minute posts at ROTR from our Insider.
10:58 P.M. - MONSTER Energy Main Stage
Smashing Pumpkins just charmed the ROTR lingerers with an encore of "Today" to close out the Saturday bill here at Crew Stadium.
A full recap of tonight's headliners will be up shortly.
9:48 P.M. - MONSTER Energy Main Stage
Just three songs into their headlining set, Smashing Pumpkins have already pulled out Siamese Dream's "Cherub Rock" and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness' "Bullet with Butterfly Wings." Now Billy Corgan is leading his band through an electrified version of "The Celestials" from last year's Oceania. Great show so far.
9:08 P.M. - MONSTER Energy Main Stage
Although disappointed I missed Jim Florentine's set in the Old Milwaukee Light Comedy Tent (There's always tomorrow.), I got back from my soccer hiatus just in time to catch the beginning of Stone Sour's set on the main stage. The unmasked venture of Slipknot members Corey Taylor and Jim Root brought a high-energy set before cooling things down with their ballady hits "Bother" and "Through Glass." The group then dedicated a cover of "Children of the Grave" to its originators, Black Sabbath (Which was awesome.). Stone Sour put on a great show, never losing touch with its audience throughout its 55-minute set.
Tonight's headliner, Smashing Pumpkins, is next up to close out Saturday night.
4:37 P.M. - Jägermëister Stage
I couldn't stay long, but I enjoyed what little I saw of The Sword's set over on the Jägermëister Stage. Guitarists Kyle Shutt and John D. Cronise have a great chemistry on stage, trading metallic licks on twin Gibson Les Pauls to create the Austin band's blues-metal sound.
I'll be taking a break for the next few hours to take in the Crew's match against Toronto FC, but hope to be back by 8:00 P.M. to catch Stone Sour's set on the main stage.
3:49 P.M. - MONSTER Energy Main Stage
UK thrashers Bullet For My Valentine are currently playing to a near-capacity Crew Stadium on the MONSTER Energy Main Stage. With Michael "Moose" Crandle's double bass drum setup and Michael "Padge" Paget and Matthew Tuck's lightning-quick picking on Flying Vs, the band channels the thrash gods of Metallica and Slayer that came before them.
I'm looking forward to checking out The Sword over on the Jägermëister Stage before heading in to watch the Crew take on Toronto FC.
2:56 P.M. - MONSTER Energy Main Stage
It's not easy for a female to earn respect in the macho world of heavy metal, but Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale just showed the crowd here at Rock on the Range why her band recently took home the GRAMMY for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance with "Love Bites... (So do I)." Wielding her signature Gibson Explorer, Hale captured her audience's attention for the entirety of Halestorm's 40-minute performance on the Main Stage. Halestorm was something different and unique to experience this afternoon at ROTR.
1:50 P.M. - Pabst Blue Ribbon Stage
After checking out All That Remains on the MONSTER Energy Main Stage from atop the Nordecke (Which was really cool, by the way. The steel bleachers shake with every strike of the kick drum.), I ventured over to the Pabst Blue Ribbon Stage for the first time this weekend. Otherwise took the stage around 1:35 P.M. to a large crowd that had filed over from the Crew Stadium bowl. I was impressed with how the Sin City band brought lyrical melody to their own brand of heavy rock with songs like "Vegas Girl."
Up next, I'll be checking out ROTR veterans Halestorm on the MONSTER Energy Main Stage.
12:01 P.M. - MONSTER Energy Main Stage
Before catching Pop Evil on the MONSTER Main Stage, I was able to catch Saturday openers Scorpion Child over on the Jägermeister Stage. I was pretty impressed with their throwback Ronnie James Dio era Black Sabbath-inspired sound.
As for Pop Evil, they definitely gave the crowd a good jolt this early in the day. I've always been a fan of charismatic drummers, so I enjoyed Pop Evil. Behind a Detroit Red Wings-christened bass drum, drummer Chachi Riot rose to his feet midsong to headbang along with his audience-- all while never missing a beat with his bass pedal. Pop Evil is good entertainment to kick off Saturday on the MONSTER Energy Main Stage.
Side note: CSC Security shirts remind me of Chievo Verona kits.
10:49 A.M. - My desk in the Crew Stadium offices
After a short night of sleep, I've arrived here at Crew Stadium for day two of the Rock on the Range 2013 experience. I'm excited to get a full day of action in while juggling the Crew's match at Toronto FC later this afternoon.
There is literally a sea of people outside waiting to get in to see bands like Halestorm, Papa Roach and Smashing Pumpkins today. It's looking a little gray outside, but hopefully the weather will hold off for another memorable day here at ROTR. And if not, I'm sure the rain will make it even more memorable.
Actually, my favorite concert moment ever happened during a crazy thunderstorm in Indiana back in 2005. So who knows what could happen?


text:
Your Blue Mountains Stay
Restored to its former grandeur, this heritage listed hotel is a local landmark offering the elegance, luxury & charm of yesteryear. Spacious guest rooms & Suites are offered in an array of different styles, catering for all tastes and budgets. The Carrington is the perfect destination for a romantic getaway or a convenient base from which to explore the surrounding World Heritage listed Blue Mountains National Park. [Image shown is a Colonial room].
There are few places that can match the romance, elegance and charm of The Carrington Hotel - that's why the Hotel has been attracting lovers for well over a century. With its timeless appeal and elegant decor, The Carrington is a truly unique and beautiful wedding venue. Contact our [Image shown is on the first floor balcony].for more information on holding your fantasy wedding at The Carrington Hotel.
Dining at The Carrington
A number of bars & dining venues are on offer at The Carrington Hotel from the hearty fare of the multi award winning Old City Bank Brasserie to the a la carte dining offered in The Grand Dining Room Thursday to Saturday evenings. There is also a number of Bars including the Old City Bank Bar, reminiscent of an old English pub offering access to an outdoor beer garden, and Champagne Charlies Cocktail Bar. [Image shown is the Old City Bank Brasserie].
Business Events at The Carrington
Whether a conference, seminar, business retreat or incentive group, The Carrington Hotel offers a range of conference & event options for groups up to 200 in a unique, heritage environment. [Image shown is The Library].


text:
Part of my job as a consultant is to recognize areas of opportunity and make recommendations for strengthening a program. One of the chronic mistakes I spot quite often is the excessive use of administrative hours during a calling shift. To be clear, there are five categories of hours I typically log in a phonathon room for students: Calling, Training, System Downtime, Supervising, and Administrative. We could go further with that breakdown, but those are the five main sets of hours that my students will fall under within my budget. This blog will focus on the last one and offers some tips for improving your productivity and efficiency.
There are countless things that need to be done to make a phonathon operate at peak performance. After all, you are running a small business- and businesses need to keep track of their employees pay, schedules, etc. In a phonathon room, you also have pledge cards that need to be proofed, stuffed, and sent. In addition, you may need to run reports for your boss or advancement services staff, create motivational contests and posters for the callers, file coaching forms or other performance-related documents, or even organize shelves and other areas around the phonathon room. This work needs to be done to make the program function- but it shouldn't be done during calling, and I'll tell you why.
The main purpose of a phonathon is to raise money and bring on donors. The best way to raise money is to make superior calls and use goal-oriented teamwork to motivate the staff. However, when distractions occur that take the focus off those two main areas, a program cannot possibly be as productive as they would otherwise have been. Having student callers or supervisors off the phone working on all those before-mentioned projects is terribly inefficient during a calling shift. I almost always recommend that those things wait until daytime hours when calling is not in session, so that the actual calling shift is about raising money and nothing else.
For example, if I have a 20 station call center, I would want 20 callers in the seats along with 2 supervisors (and me) all focused like a laser beam on achieving that night's pre-determined performance objectives. I don't want supervisors working on the computer, streaming Pandora or other internet music (always a bad idea to play music during calling, but I'll save that for another blog), drawing posters, filing timecards, figuring out attendance or schedules, organizing boxes, stuffing pledge cards, or anything else that is not directly related to coaching callers for increased productivity. That is a recipe for distracting your staff and taking your collective eyes off the goal.
Another indirect repercussion of admin hours during calling is caller jealousy. When 20 callers are working their tails off making calls and trying to raise money, they don't particularly want to see one of their co-workers off the phone drawing posters or filing papers. They may not say anything to the supervisors, but they are definitely thinking that some of their peers have it easier than they do. That type of negative feeling can permeate the calling floor and create a bad vibe that is difficult to overcome- all while you're trying to motivate them for increased performance. Do you see the contradiction there? Some of the employees are working on raising money and others get the "easy tasks". Even if that is not entirely true, perception is reality to your staff.
Finally, there is a budget related issue. Sometimes the manager cannot perform all the functions needed to adequately run a calling program and they need to bring in a student to help. Most programs build some amount of admin time into their budgets, so it's completely normal to have students assist with routine tasks. However, this can often get quickly out of control to the point where students begin to expect a certain number of "hours" on their paychecks. Before long, the admin hours build up and their calling hours decrease, making them a de facto office manager. Worse yet, the budget takes a hit because tasks that a manager would normally perform as part of their salaried pay are now being done by an hourly employee. Again, most every program uses student callers in some capacity for administrative tasks. Just be careful to stay within the limits of what your budget shows at the beginning of the fiscal year. Any extra hours of administrative time you spend can take away from calling hours you may need down the road. This is especially important to remember given that we're in a challenging period of lower contact rates- meaning that it takes more labor hours to complete the same amount of work compared to 5 or 10 years ago.
The bottom line is that administrative tasks should never be used during calling. There are too many callers to coach and too many goals to achieve for the staff to be focused on other duties. Managers and their student supervisors should be working with callers to increase performance, avoiding perception that there is something more important to do than raising money.


text:
The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation works under a guiding principal that collaboration is a necessary component in creating communities that propel growth. During the last year, the foundation celebrated three decades, besides launching a new brand. So, the foundation decided to switch things up, by upping the monies available through its annual 'One Big Thing' grant, which rewards a single deserving entity, or regional project, that the foundation deems as having a positive impact on the social and business fabric of the community.
This year, the foundation made awards available to two deserving entities, culled from the foundation's 23 Early Childhood initiatives and its 26 community foundations. These entities were tasked with explaining how their projects would improve their overall community. They also had to explain how their work exemplified the foundation's mission of fostering collaborative efforts.
Read the Entire Article
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
The Social Economy Alliance, created by 23 social enterprises, co-operatives and charities, have conducted a poll that shows "clear preference exists for community-owned businesses that reinvest profits, with around half of consumers saying they would switch to one in housing, transport and banking."
Unable to select database


text:
If you try to spot California's top Republican elected officials on TV (those are state legislators since there aren't any statewide elected Republicans) at the national convention in Tampa, you may be looking in vain.
The Sacramento Bee reports that just two Republican legislators are confirmed attendees. Their main reason: this is the busy, last week of the legislative session. So they need to be in Sacramento.
But there also seems to be something of an enthusiasm gap for going to the stormy Florida Gulf Coast.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Writing at Zócalo Public Square (where I'm an editor), Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican strategist, explains why he's not going, and in the process covers many of the reasons for skipping the gathering that I've heard from other California Republicans.
One big reason: those who don't play the party game and aren't always on message don't have a place. Writes Madrid:
Truth is, I wasn't invited. I'm a Republican by registration and a political strategist by profession, but it's been years since I worried about becoming a delegate, joining the right mailing list, or taking sides in an intra-party skirmish. If you're not completely controllable, don't expect an invitation.
A second big reason: the conventions aren't about reaching the broader public or changing minds:
Campaigns are stoking this sort of rhetoric because undecided voters have left the building. According to one recent poll, they make up around 3 percent of the electorate. Swing voters won't swing the outcome anymore. That means national conventions aren't about persuading people in the middle; they're about riling up the base. As if the country needs more of that.
Of course, national conventions haven't decided anything of substance for generations. But they were important as infomercials. Because they were targeted at the flexible middle, which used to be at about 20 percent, nearly all Americans felt they should at least tune in (or pretend to tune in—no longer an option with the major TV networks declining to cover most of the convention). Conventions marked a time to start forming an opinion on where we were going to go next as a nation. Today, no one's changing his mind about these things.
Essentially, the convention is a TV show for the already converted.
This sort of thinking is a problem for the very idea of conventions. If important players like Madrid don't want to go, there's less incentive for other people to go, since the big draw of conventions is the ability to network with other people.
Lead Prop Zero blogger Joe Mathews is California editor at Zocalo Public Square, a fellow at Arizona State University's Center for Social Cohesion, and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (University of California, 2010).
Send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


text:
We lesbians are like labradors, loyal, adorable, liable to trip over our own feet, and eternally hopeful. You tell us there might be lesbians on a television show and we'll come sit on your feet until they appear. We're used to scraps, but we're lesbradors so we'll take what we can get and we'll wag our tails and not bark too much. Hell, we'll show up for a show without lesbians if there is a possibility of a dream sequence or a not-quite-platonic sleepover. So, it was a given we'd show up for The Fosters, a show built around a two-mom family, but we didn't know if we were in for filet mignon or the remains of that casserole your Aunt Ida brought and no one touched.
Our story begins at Shawshank where Callie is getting the crap beat out of her by a couple of ladies twice her age who just happened to wander into juvie and decided it was way cozier than the grown-up prison. It's Callie's day to finally finish digging a hole under Raquel Welch so they give her a beating just for good measure. Don't forget to write!
The music playing while Callie gets her skull cracked turns out to be coming from Brandon who is playing piano onstage while Stef sits in the audience in full proud mom mode. She's in her police uniform and solidifies her awkward gay street cred by having her phone attached to her hip with a phone holster. Oh dear. Having kids is supposed to help you avoid the mom pitfalls, like mom jeans, mom haircuts ("the best part about it is that I don't even have to think about it"), and a grasp of pop culture that extends only as far as the year you graduated from high school. Stef's just sitting there marveling at the fact that a human she made from scratch can play the piano like that. Meanwhile her phone is buzzing like the accoutrement she keeps in her "special" drawer by her bed but she's too overcome with maternal pride to answer it.
Who is making Stef vibrate? It's Lena, who is impossibly gorgeous as she sits in her car wondering why her wife is ignoring her calls. A harried looking guy taps on her window and Lena asks where her usual foster kid dealer is and David, the replacement, says that Bill had to meet Tino so he's filling in. He gives Lena the rundown on Callie who has been having issues with male authority figures so, duh, call in the lesbians. The quick story on Callie is that she got into a fight with her foster father and damaged some of his property which is how she got sent to Azkhaban. Lena tries to tell child services guy that she's not in the habit of bringing violent kids into her home and he's like "no worries, it was totes a one time thing." Lena doesn't look at all convinced when Callie pops out a side door looking like she's been in the Golden Gloves. But don't worry, David has a comforting word about how everyone gets her ass kicked before leaving, it's sort of like pledging a sorority.
When David skips over to talk to Callie she keeps asking about Jude and where Bill is and when she can talk to Jude. David introduces her to Lena and then says "well you know, I can just send her to the group down the street." But Lena is a lesbian which means she has to change the channel on those heart shredding Sarah MacLachlan, ASPCA ads, and can't bear to see Callie shipped off to a group home after she gives Lena the saddest tough girl face in the history of television. "It's only for a couple of weeks, right?" Oh Lena, that's what you say when they ask you to take care of the class gerbil over school vacation, I'm not sure it covers this situation.


text:
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
RS10: Halion, Flowchart
But we haven't successfully killed Halion on heroic mode, yet. And what's a heroic guide without excellent tips from someone that's actually seen the dragon DEAD?
So, as a hold-over until I'm able to finish a more formal stick-figure strat (or even a full-out text strat, but I know most of you would rather see stick figures screaming at each other), I have a simplified flow chart.
A simple-strat flow chart with stick figures.
Enjoy. :)
(I'm also posting this a day early, cuz it's finished and I know you all missed your dose of bad artwork while I was gone!)
7 comments:
- Hana said...
I like how it all boils down to: don't stand there. :)
- August 11, 2010 at 4:20 PM
- Theladas said...
It's sad, but true. This is more or less the ultimate "don't stand in bad stuff" encounter. It's plain dumb-easy once you can manage that, too. The problem is, even the best of us at avoiding bad stuff are hosed by the sheer number of opportunities to flail into a veritable Venn-Diagram of death.
- August 11, 2010 at 4:32 PM
- Simon said...
I like stuff like this, going to put a link to this page on our guild forums... everyone likes pictures!
- August 11, 2010 at 4:33 PM
- Kae said...
I'm going to go drop my shadow marks in this nice safe corner over--OMG I'M ON FIRE AHHH AHHH IT BURNS--carps I'm dead.
- August 11, 2010 at 4:49 PM
- Mr. Tree said...
Its... Its beautiful!
- August 11, 2010 at 9:48 PM
- Ceraphus (aka Avatar) said...
This was awesome loved it! Added the flowchart to my guild's strat section, informative and funny at the same time.
My guild has always responded well to your stick figures :)
- August 12, 2010 at 10:55 AM
- Mara said...
First time visitor, but I enjoyed this flowchart very much. I posted it and a link to the post on my guild forums after a disastrous attempt at RS10 last night. I hope you can fix our dragon-deading problems. :)
Thank you for the great post!
- August 13, 2010 at 11:33 AM


text:
Red Felt Star Stickers (1.5 to 3 Inch)
1.5 inch = 85 pc
3 inch = 22 pc
- Perfect for creative craft projects
- Peel & stick sticky-back felt
- Pre-cut stars to save you time from cutting by hand
Don't see what you're looking for? Send us a message at email@example.com [Subject Line: Custom Felt Order] and tell us what you need. We will get back to you with a quote for your order.


text:
As we brace ourselves for Mobile World Conference and the impending onslaught of mobile announcements, Samsung has leaked its own Galaxy Note 10.1. That's a Galaxy Note — not a Galaxy Tab — meaning it'll probably be similar to the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. Haha, will it be a 10-inch smartphone?
Mistake or not, The Verge has some incriminating evidence that indicates Samsung might be serious about a 10.1-inch Galaxy Note. Clues include a screenshot of a developer event that mentions a Galaxy Note 10.1 and also a casting call for a Galaxy Note 10.1 commercial.
Specs have yet to be unveiled, but it's not hard to imagine a Galaxy Tab 10.1 with support for the Galaxy Note's pressure-sensitive "S Pen" stylus. The iPad might have shunned the stylus for the finger, but the stylus can still have a place.
The stylus is still more accurate for drawing and handwriting than the finger, so a 10.1-inch Galaxy Note isn't hard to imagine.
The big question is whether or not Samsung will make it a phone too. Maybe the Korean tech giant will claim the world's largest smartphone! We're mostly joking about this, but hey, stranger things have happened before.
Would you consider buying a competent stylus-driven tablet? The great thing about the Galaxy Note is that it supports both stylus and finger touch. As we said in our hands-on preview, the S Pen is mostly responsive, unlike some other tablets we've played with before (HTC Flyer comes to mind).
Via The Verge


text: Job Discussion Forums :: View topic - ESL in Rosario Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today! Job Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in ESL in Rosario Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Argentina View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message mersshroyerJoined: 21 Aug 2012Posts: 33Location: Rosario, Argentina Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 6:56 pm Post subject: ESL in Rosario Hi everyone, so I'm currently living in Rosario and looking for work. I have a liberal arts BA with a minor in applied linguistics, plus a 100 hour TESOL certificate. I have a lot of volunteer ESL tutoring on my resume and some experience teaching in Korea.. that said, I cannot find work here! I've been on the look-out for over a month. I've been to a couple English institutes and mailed my resume out, but haven't been offered anything so far. I'm finding that being a native speaker doesn't really matter that much, unless you're from the UK (I'm from the US.) Right now, I'm putting up flyers near all the schools to advertise private lessons.. Has anyone else lived in Rosario and/or had the same problems? Is it this tough in other parts of Argentina, like BA? I really want to try and make it work here, but I have student loans to pay and I'm worried I'll never make enough to make my payments. Any advice anyone could offer would be highly appreciated! Thanks. Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Argentina All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Where to Begin----------------General DiscussionNewbie ForumCurrent Events ForumTechnology ForumOnline Teaching Forum Africa Forums----------------General Africa Forum Asia Forums----------------CambodiaChina (Job-related Posts Only)China (Off-Topic)Hong KongIndiaIndonesiaJapanMalaysiaPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandGeneral Asia ForumVietnam Caribbean Forums----------------General Caribbean Forum Europe Forums----------------Czech RepublicFranceGermanyGreeceItalyMacedonia and the BalkansPolandRomaniaRussia & C.I.S.SpainTurkeyUkraineUnited KingdomGeneral Europe Forum Latin America Forums----------------ArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCosta RicaMexicoMexico (off-topic)PeruGeneral Latin America Forum The Middle East Forums----------------BahrainEgyptIsraelKuwaitOmanQatarSaudi ArabiaUnited Arab EmiratesGeneral Middle East Forum North America Forums----------------General North America Forum Oceania----------------Australia/New Zealand You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Contact Dave's ESL Cafe Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved. Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group Teaching Jobs in China


text:
|Add Entry
RHM Architects
Services: Code for Sustainable Homes Assessors | SAP Assessors | Architects | Sound Insulation Testing | Air Tightness Testing
WaySearch Adler Street
E1 1EG London
London UK
Contact Person: Sophie King O'Neill
Phone: 0207 247 6418
Fax: 0207 377 5791
Riches Hawley Mikhail Architects Ltd is an RIBA award-winning practice with a growing reputation for imaginative housing design and environmental architecture. Established in 2005, it has won the prestigious Housing Design Awards for the past three years consecutively and has just completed its first major public housing project. The Clay Field scheme for 26 houses in Elmswell, Suffolk for Orwell Housing Association, completed in August 2008 is gaining recognition as an exemplar for both affordable housing and sustainable architecture, it won an RIBA Award 2009 and was mid-listed for the Stirling Prize.
RHM are currently working on a scheme for 100 houses in Norwich, also won in a RIBA competition, and several housing projects for Urban Splash in Manchester and Liverpool. A second project for Orwell Housing Association, also in Elmswell is nearing completion. RHM were finalists for Young Architect of the Year 2007 and are Housing Architects of the Year 2009. We are an RIBA Chartered Practice.
Clay Field, Elmswell, Suffolk
|Date added: 2010-01-18 16:48:56 Hits: 1921
|Powered by Sigsiu.NET


text:
Estate planning content entered in module.
Whether you are buying your first home, transitioning to a larger or smaller house, or buying a vacation home . . . the process can be extensive and very intimidating. Kraft Walser Law Office will put our experience to work protecting your interests and making sure your home purchase is properly handled. We frequently work with all real estate companies and financial institutions in our areaRead More
A good estate plan will allow you to retain control of your assets and protect you from the high costs of medical care in later years to the extent that federal and state laws permit. An estate plan is a set of legal documents that are designed to preserve your assets and distribute them to your desired heirs in an intelligent and well thought out manner.
The attorneys of The Kraft Walser Law Office will discuss your situation with you. Taking into consideration the value of your assets, types of assets, your beneficiaries (and their age), tax implications and alternatives available to you they will design an estate plan for your specific needs. They will review the plan with you, explaining in detail why each part of the estate plan is created the way it is.
Protecting your assets for your later years and determining how you want your assets distributed to your heirs can be complicated. There are tax, legal and . . .Read More
Probate is a legal process in which final debts are settled and legal title to property is formally passed from you to your heirs. The probate process happens after your death. Not all estates need to go to probate court, it will depend upon the size of your estate and your estate plan.
While your death is certainly difficult for your loved ones, the probate process does not need to be. The attorneys of The Kraft Walser Law Office have the credentials, experience and expertise to counsel you in estate planning, probate administration and other legal concerns. By properly planning ahead you will assure your loved ones a smoother and worry free transfer of your assets.Read More
Kraft Walser Law Office provides you with sound business law advice, explained in a way you can clearly understand. Our attorneys are friendly and work with you on a personal level. We get to know you, identify your needs and clearly explain your options. Dealing with complex legal requirements, legal red tape, and litigation is much easier when you are working with the experienced and friendly staff of the Kraft Walser Law Office.
Whether you are a business start up or an established company, you will find that your legal team at Kraft Walser Law Office is ready to help you succeed. Our goal is to make sure every dollar you spend on legal fees strengthens your . . .Read More
Kraft Walser Law Office advocates for you. Whether you are an employer or an employee, we have helped people just like you negotiate work related disputes. You deserve to experience piece of mind knowing that the attorneys of Kraft Walser Law Office are looking after your best interest. Our goal is to make sure you are being treated fairly, and resolve your issues satisfactorily.
We have advised employers in the development of policies and practices that reduce the possibility of litigation. Clearly stating company policies, establishing well defined practices and communicating both clearly to employees works to protect the best interests of both employers and employees.
The attorneys of Kraft Walser Law Office have represented both employees and employers in district and appellate courts, at unemployment hearings and before the EEOC and Minnesota Department of Human Rights.Read More
Recovering from a personal injury can effect your life for months, years or perhaps even your entire life. Your immediate needs are to deal with medical bills and finding a way to continue to support yourself and your family. Long term there may be continuous medical care, special equipment or other needs required to help you cope with the injuries you have suffered.
You need the experienced attorneys of Kraft Walser Law Office to help you receive fair compensation for your current and future medical costs, lost income, permanent impairment, and your pain & suffering.
Generally speaking, your needs are not your insurance company's primary concern. they are a business and as a business they need to bring in more money than they pay out.
Your insurance company may present you with an offer that looks very appealing. It is in your best interest to contact an experienced attorney and discuss your situation before signing any documents given to you by your insurance company.Read More
Are you concerned about how to pay for the skyrocketing costs of long-term medical care without wiping out a lifetime of savings?
Our attorneys and staff help families throughout Minnesota navigate the maze of complicated regulations of medical assistance planning.
We understand the your needs and the needs of your family. The potential of a nursing home stay needs . . . Read More
You pay your insurance premiums year after year, but what do you do if your claim for payment is denied or less than you feel you deserve? You can feel helpless negotiating with an insurance company. With the legal representation of The Kraft Walser Law Office, you need not feel helpless any longer.
Anytime your insurance company is dealing with a claim involving you, their own policy holder, they have a duty to treat you in good faith. Failing to treat you reasonably and in good faith could . . .Read More
Dealing with your family's legal matters may be the most challenging experience you and your family may endure. You may need to make serious and far-reaching decisions that will effect you and your family for many years yet to come. You may feel overwhelmed as you deal with legal concerns, strong emotions and relationships.
It is important for you to work with an attorney who will represent your interests with strength and stability. The attorneys of The Kraft Walser Law Office are committed to helping you secure . . .Read More
As a rural Minnesota law firm, representing the interests of you and your farm is important to us. We have a unique perspective as several of our attorneys and staff were raised on farms or currently live on a farm.
Farm law is a unique field of practice that needs to take into account the various legal needs that apply to you in the farming industry. Farm contracts, grain contracts, agricultural law are some of the things the farming industry brings to the table. The attorneys of Kraft Walser Law Office are prepared to help you navigate the legal sea involved with farming.Read More
A criminal arrest can be the most frightening experience of your life, especially is it is your first arrest. You will want to hire an attorney who understands your situation and applicable laws. The attorneys of The Kraft Walser Law Office are ready to answer your questions and offer sound legal advice.
Your criminal defense attorney should be less concerned with your guilt or innocence and more concerned that your rights are being represented. The attorneys of The Kraft Walser Law Office will fight to protect your rights and help you get the best possible outcome for your situation.
There have been situations where qualified attorneys have helped to reduce charges, get charges dropped or reduce jail time and other penalties resulting from a conviction. Defending your rights and providing you with honest legal advice on the best course of action to pursue in your defense is at the core of our representation.Read More
Estate planning content entered in module.
2015 - 2020 © Kraft Walser Law Office -
all rights reserved.


text:
Job Seekers, Welcome to UMCVM Career Center
The job you tried to view is no longer active.
See similar jobs below or perform a new job search.
See similar jobs below or perform a new job search.
Sort By
2,881 'associate OR veterinarian OR fulltime/parttime OR alburquerque OR nm OR STATECODE:"NM"' Jobs
San Diego, California
Best Friends Veterinary Hospital
3 Weeks Ago
Santa Rosa , California
Canine Companions for Independence
3 Weeks Ago
Birmingham, Michigan
Gasow Veterinary Hospital
3 Weeks Ago
Lebanon, New Jersey
Crown Veterinary Specialists & Associates
1 Month Ago
Powered By


text:
Pantum P2050 full review
Pantum will undoubtedly be a new name to the majority of PC Advisor readers, but this Chinese company has designs on becoming one of the leading laser printer manufacturers by the end of 2015.
Read: more mono laser printer reviews.
The new laser printer division of Seine Technology, the corporation behind Pantum, has already cut some finely chiseled teeth on the 'compatible consumables' market. But can it make similarly significant inroads into the tightly contested gaggle of established laser titans?
Pantum has started by rolling out what will be its cheapest model in the forthcoming range, with plans to bring out a slew of better models over the course of 2013.
The Pantum P2050 looks and feels like a deluxe version of an entry-level inkjet printer. This is the black model – a more traditional-looking white and grey model is also listed, known as the P2000.
The case feels reasonably tough, and the black livery gives it a brutal but smart appearance. Construction is solid, with the company at pains to point out the use of a metal rather than plastic internal frame.
The paper input trays aren't perhaps the strongest though, and they can be a little sensitive – if the paper isn't pushed right up to the edge, the printer can't detect it. Nonetheless, they do the job satisfactorily.
Given that the Pantum P2050 is a £60 model, it's also nice that we can talk about input trays in the plural, and besides the ample 150-sheet main tray, a second allows you to insert paper manually. Given obvious limitations, this allows you to operate two different paper feeds.
We're also pleased to see that the output tray is situated at the top of the printer, and Pantum has avoided that short-cut favoured on many a cheap model, of placing the output unit directly above the input tray. The cheap option may save space, but it does make it too easy to get paper mixed up.
You don't get a lot of detail on the Pantum P2050. Unsurprisingly, given the price, there's no screen – not even a text display. The controls consist of a single button and a pair of lights.
Connectivity is also kept to a minimum, with a simple USB 2.0 interface offered. If you want wireless or ethernet networking you'll need to wait until Pantum brings out one of its more expensive models.
The P2050's simplicity does at least make for a fast installation routine – lift up the lid and drop in the toner, load up the drivers and, less than five minutes later, you're done. You don't get fancy utilities or software applications with the Pantum, but the speedy setup is a nice alternative to the long-winded 15-20 minute processes created by some other manufacturers.
Pantum P2050: Performance
Printer manufacturers tend to make some outlandish claims for the speed of their products, but Pantum's figures are pretty close to the truth. Quoted is 20 pages per minute and we got as high as 15.8ppm with a 10-sheet workload.
It takes around 10 seconds for the printer to start churning out pages, but once it's into its stride, it does turn out sheets at almost exactly 20ppm.
Admittedly, you probably aren't going to use a printer like this for large workloads, so in practice you're rarely going to get beyond the 16ppm mark. Nonetheless, 15.8ppm is nothing to be ashamed of. The Samsung ML-2955DW offers a significantly faster 22.2ppm, but that model does cost half as much again.
The Pantum P2050 isn't going to win awards for the quality of its text, but it's still very serviceable. Lettering tends to be a little faint, although it's still very easy to read. In particular, it struggles with detail at the smallest font sizes. But for everyday text printing, the Pantum is quite adequate.
It's not a great graphics printer, with much of our output showing significant banding. At a pinch it'll do for printing out roughs of presentations. For more sophisticated material, though, it'll struggle.
But then, we doubt many will buy a £60 mono laser for its graphics. As a cheap text printer to slot in alongside an inkjet photo printer, it performs admirably.
Running costs are not the cheapest but roughly in line with what you'll end up paying when you try to skimp on the intitial printer purchase. The Pantum's toner is available in 1500- and 2300-page sizes, which means you'll pay around 2.4p per page with the highest capacity cartridge, or 4p for the smaller version. A Samsung ML-2955DW will set you back around 2.7p per page, for instance.
Running costs are, certainly a factor to consider if you think you'll be turning to the P2050 for more than occasional use.
Pantum P2050: Specs
- Mono laser printer
- 1200x600dpi print resolution
- quoted print speed B=20ppm (A4)
- actual print speed B=15.8ppm
- 150-sheet input tray + 1 sheet
- 8MB memory
- manual duplex printing only
- toner cost B= £95
- Print life (pages) B=2300
- 380x260x236mm
- 6.1kg


text:
A team of surgeons, neuroscientists, and electrical engineers has developed a cochlea chip that extracts electrical signals from the inner ear to power itself.
The chip is the latest in a series of inventions aimed at creating entirely self-sufficient, self-powering implants that will remove the need for external power and enable permanent surgical implantation in some cases. This year alone, Stanford University announced the creation of its radio wave-powered heart implant and infrared light-powered retinal implants.
Cochlear implants have been around for decades, with the first electrical stimulation of auditory nerves taking place in the 50s. Though the implant has been a great success, with hundreds of thousands of people with severe hearing difficulties receiving the implant each year, they still run on batteries so are fairly cumbersome. MIT hopes to change all that by taking advantage of a natural battery that lies dormant within the ear.
"In the past, people have thought that the space where the high potential [in the ear] is located is inaccessible for implantable devices, because potentially it's very dangerous if you encroach on it," said Konstantina Stankovic, an otologic surgeon at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. "We have known for 60 years that this battery exists and that it's really important for normal hearing, but nobody has attempted to use this battery to power useful electronics."
Inside the ear chamber, negatively charged potassium ions and positively charged sodium ions are active either side of a membrane—this combination of ions helps convert the mechanical force of eardrum vibrations into electrochemical signals transmitted to the brain. It's this potential for electric charge Stankovic and her team are taking advantage of with their tiny electronic chips, fitted with several low resistance electrodes and a low-power radio transmitter. Although the inner ear is capable of producing a significant electrical current, it's still very low and the team could only extract a little so as to keep the charge low and not interfere with the hearing. Power-conversion circuitry was therefore also included to help power the low-energy chip.
The implant was tested on guinea pigs (their inner ears operate very much like humans'), with the electrodes attached to both sides of the cell membrane. Though the biological battery within the ear had the power to charge the chip, it needed a kick-start in the form of a radio wave burst. It took the capacitor between 40 seconds and four minutes to fill with enough energy to power the radio, after which time it ran without incident for up to five hours without affecting the guinea pigs' hearing, all the while transmitting chemical data to an external receiver.
The team hopes to make the devices even smaller and less invasive, since running them for long periods of time could mean damaging the inner tissue. But the results are promising and suggest that future cochlear implants could one day transmit vital biological and chemical statistics to monitor therapy progress, or even transmit the therapy itself.
Stankovic says the findings suggest there is a whole world of possibilities when it comes to using our own cells to self power devices. "A very futuristic view is that maybe we will be able to extract energy from individual cells using similar designs," she says.
The study was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.


text:
Meet the Faculty
Charlotte Artese
Professor of English and Chair
Contact Information
Phone: 404.471.6163
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Office Location: Buttrick 220
Academic Degrees
B.A., Yale University
Ph.D., Northwestern University
Ph.D., Northwestern University
Teaching and Scholarly Interests
Professor Artese is especially interested in Shakespeare's borrowings and lendings, how he adapted his sources and how later artists have adapted his works. She is currently writing about Shakespeare's use of folktales. Her interests also include gender and race in early modern literature.


text:
SUPERIOR — The sound of molten rubber hitting metal can be music to a goalie's ears.
"(The bar) can also be your best friend," Monarch goalie Ian Oden said.
Oden was stellar in the Coyotes' season opener against Resurrection Christian on Friday night, stopping 24 of 25 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Cougars at the Boulder Valley Ice Rink.
To continue reading this story visit DenverPost.com/sports.


text:
OhioLINK Seeks Executive Director
OhioLINK, my employer, is seeking nominations and applications for the position of Executive Director. The search is being conducted with the assistance of Brill Neumann Associates, and the position description is linked from their current searches page (direct link to PDF, cached link to PDF).
The text was modified to remove a link to http://www.brillneumann.com/searches.html on May 17th, 2011.
The text was modified to remove a link to http://www.brillneumann.com/pdf/ohiolink_pd.pdf on May 17th, 2011.


text:
The Madrid based Estudio Arquitectura Campo Baeza realised this light and open pavilion in order to cover and protect an archeological excavation at of the most significant location in the history of Cadiz, the oldest city of the Western World.
Here is what the architect explains:
"Additionally, we would like this covering plane to serve as the base for a public area facing the sea, at a height that provides a clear view, so the cars on the access highway cannot be seen. It is conceived as a light white platform, perched over the excavation, as if on tiptoes, and is reached by a side ramp. On this plane, light holes will be opened, as skylights, so that the excavation can be seen from above. Above, in the back, covering the current party wall, a stone face to provide continuity to the stone façades of the two cathedrals, an awning is constructed to protect us from the rain and sun"
"The entirety is built with light elements, perhaps metal, as if in shipbuilding, all painted white to accentuate its lightness. The passable area will be carpeted in white marble.
The construction of the base recollects ships. The awning above, as if a canopy on poles, recollects a religious procession.We wish to make a beautiful piece of architecture, capable of revealing this marvelous place to its best advantage, capable of remaining in the memory of Cádiz."
(Alberto Campo Baeza, architect)
Project period: 2006- 2009
Surface: 1000 m2
Architect: Alberto Campo Baeza
Collaborating architects: Ignacio Aguirre López, Emilio Delgado Martos
Structure: Andrés Rubio Morán, Jorge Conde Conde – IDEEE
Construction Manager: Manuel Cebada Orrequia
Costs: 1.475.000 €
Constructor: GEOCISA
to the Estudio Arquitectura Campo Baeza profile @ Architonic


text:
FOX averaged a 1.8 overnight rating for its coverage of the 2011 Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United, which is an increase of 64% over 2010's numbers according to a FOX Sports representative.
The best ratings were generated in Washington DC, Seattle, New York, Providence (RI), Los Angeles and Austin. Note that those are preliminary household ratings.
How does that compare to the 2009 Champions League Final on ESPN? The 2009 Final, which featured Barcelona against Manchester United on a Wednesday afternoon, drew a 1.0 rating.
More details to come.


text:
Energy, never run out of power again
If you've ever heard those beeps sound before your mobile's battery shuts down – or had the plug pulled on your garden party as the speaker batteries run out – then you'll know just how important power is to us all today. In our wireless world we can do almost anything remotely. As long as we have the power.
Have you ever had the experience of running out of battery when you wanted to take that perfect picture or wanted to answer that text to find your friends? We have too.
At Nedis we are at the forefront of backup. Batteries, power banks and other forms of back up are not luxuries – they are essential to our daily lives. And for your wired devices power strips and other solutions can be super useful.
Never run out of power again – and let the party of everyday life never stop.


text:
Getting to Graceland
A little less conversation, a little more action
By ALAN K. STOUTMUSIC ON THE MENU
In Memphis, the days leading up to August 16 have become known as "Elvis Week." It's a celebration of the life of city's most famous son and The King of Rock and Roll, and it centers around the anniversary of his death. Year after year, people come from around the globe to experience all-things-Elvis Presley. There's even an all-night vigil at The King's former home, Graceland. Last year, on the 35th anniversary of Presley's death, the event was attended by an estimated 75,000 people.Think about that. There's only a handful of recording artists today that can attract that kind of crowd. They're the ones that play football stadiums, not theaters or arenas, when they're out on tour. Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2 come to mind, but they are a select few. And yet in Memphis, that many people showed up just to walk past a man's grave, in silence, while holding a candle. A man who hadn't sung a song in 35 years.
Such is the impact of Elvis Aaron Presley. And though I've never been to "Elvis Week," I did recently have myself an Elvis weekend. Two good friends and I - to borrow from the inspiring song by Mark Cohn - did some walking in Memphis. We're all lifelong Presley fans, and we figured it was time we got down there. And so we put on our blue suede shoes, so to speak, boarded a plane, and touched down in the land of the Delta blues. We made the 1,032 mile journey to Graceland.
It's been nearly three months since our trip, and not a day has passed that I haven't thought about it. Memphis, for anyone with an appreciation for the history of rock and roll, is a special place. And as I told some people upon my return, "I brought home a little bit of Memphis with me, but I also think I left a little piece of me there."It stays with you.
Graceland was wonderful. Though you sometimes might hear people say that it's not as big as they had expected, I didn't feel that way at all. It's a mighty big house, and yet it still has the feel of a home. There are moments on the Graceland tour that are simply fun, such as the rooms dedicated to Elvis's gold records and jumpsuits, yet there are also moments that are sad and poignant, such as when you find yourself standing before the very same piano that Presley played on August 16, 1977 - just hours before his death. You see a swing-set in the backyard, where his daughter once played, and a pool where good times were had by family and friends. And yet just 20 yards away, you also visit his grave.
Directly across the street from Graceland on Elvis Presley Boulevard is an annex plaza. And while no merchandise is sold at the actual home and the tour is extremely tasteful and serene, the plaza is a haven for the Elvis collector. Some of the gift shops even have special themes, such as "The '68 Comeback Special" and "Elvis's Hawaii." I loved it all, and I admit I bought a bit more than I had expected. While there, you can also visit the radio booth of Elvis Radio, a Sirius XM station devoted exclusively to Presley. My friends and I got lucky upon our visit there, as George Klein happened to be broadcasting at the time. Klein is a Memphis legend on TV and radio and was a close personal friend to The King, and there is certainly something very cool about standing directly across the street from Graceland and chatting with a man who once partied there many times with Elvis. Elvis had also served as best man at Klein's wedding, and Klein served as a pallbearer for Elvis. And there he was, more than happy to come out of the radio booth to meet with fans.This is the type of stuff that can happen when you visit Memphis.
Of course, if you're in Memphis, you also have to visit Sun Studio. It's history is well-documented. Early recordings of not only Presley, but also Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, B.B. King and Roy Orbison were all done there. You can stand in the exact spot where Elvis recorded "That's All Right" and you can see some of the vintage recording gear used at the time. For me, however, there was a moment at Sun that remains even more memorable. Just prior to visiting the city, I read the book "Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley." Written by Peter Gurlanick, it is considered to be the definitive Presley biography. And the truth behind Elvis's early recordings at Sun, wonderfully described in the text, is actually far more interesting than the myth or the drive-by Hollywood version ...
There is a perception that Elvis walked into the studio off the street, recorded "That's All Right," quickly became a regional sensation, signed with RCA, and soon became King. But that's not what happened. Presley recorded several songs at Sun prior to "That's All Right" without much success. Sam Phillips, the owner of the studio, thought he had a pretty good voice, but there was nothing particularly special about the first few tracks he recorded. But Elvis kept coming back. He'd come to the reception area of the studio - polite, shy and unassuming - looking for more opportunities to record. This went on for about a year. The receptionist at Sun, a woman named Marion Keisker, took a liking to the well-mannered young man. Ultimately, she helped get him the session that led to "That's All Right."I don't know how many people that take the tour of Sun fully appreciate the significance of that little reception area, where a nice young woman once took a nice young man under her wing and, is essence, changed pop culture history. Most of the people on the tour I took part in moved quickly through the reception area and into the actual recording studio, but I stood there for a while, imagining the inward yet also obviously determined young Elvis coming back again and again, hoping for another chance to realize his dream.
Keisker, when she first met the 18 year-old Presley while working in that small office, asked him what kind of singer he was.
She then asked whom he sounded like.
"I don't sound like nobody," he replied.You stand in that little room, 60 years later, and you see Keisker's little desk, and you can still feel the moment.
These are the types of experiences you can have when you visit Memphis.My friends and I did a lot of walking in Memphis. We visited Lauderdale Courts, a housing complex where Elvis lived during his high school years, and we stood on the steps of Humes High School, from which he graduated. We walked up on the stage of the Overton Park Bandshell, an amphitheater where Elvis performed in 1954, and we visited the site of the Lansky Brothers clothing store, where The King first bought his cool threads. We strolled by the now abandoned Chisca Hotel, the home of the first radio station to play Elvis, and we visited 1034 Audubon Drive, the site of the home that Presley bought with the royalties from his first No. 1 hit, "Heartbreak Hotel." We also took a ride out to the site of the former Stax Recording Studio, where Presley recorded material for three albums in 1973, and we even visited the old Arcade Diner, one of Elvis's favorite eateries. While there, the grandson of the original owner came over to our table and told us some great stories about some of the times Elvis had eaten there, and he pointed us towards Elvis's favorite booth. Of course, we sat in it.
These are also the types of experiences you can have when you visit Memphis.You can also party on Beale Street and hang out at clubs owned by B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis. You can see the great Mississippi River and the solemn site where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. We did all of that, too. And on the corner of Beale and Main Street, we visited Elvis Presley Plaza, where a striking statue stands in his honor of Memphis' favorite son.
If you are a fan of Elvis Presley, you should really try to visit Memphis. You need to go to Graceland. And Sun. And pack in as much as you can in the time that you have there. I also suggest reading "Last Train To Memphis" before you go, as well as George Klein's "Elvis: My Best Man" and Jerry Schilling's "Me and a Guy Named Elvis." Both are entertaining and thoughtful books written by two of Elvis's closest friends, and the stories they share of their time at Graceland and growing up in Memphis will make your visit even more enjoyable. I actually read the latter two books after my visit there, and I found that having personal visuals of the city and Graceland in mind really helped bring the texts to life. Simply put: if you go there, and you can truly picture things as they were, the stories are even better.Elvis passed away 36 years ago today. I was only nine years old at the time, but I was already a fan and I remember it well. Throughout my life, I've always done something to note the day. I'd watch an Elvis special on TV, or listen to some of his music. This year, it feels different. Though I am not at Graceland for "Elvis Week," this was the year I finally got down there. I stood on one of the same stages where he first performed and in the same room where he first recorded. I saw his home, his cars and his airplanes and met one of his best friends. I placed a flower on his grave as a gesture of thanks, for not only his music, but for all of rock music. I paid my respects to The King.
These are the types of experiences you can have when you visit Memphis.If you've ever thought about going, do it. "TCB," as Elvis would say. Take care of business.
It will stay with you.


text:
Latest Stories
Archive Calendar
Make a selection
Make a selection
Touring Exhibitions
Print Sales
Sign in / Register
Contact Us
About Us
Cart (0)
Advanced Search
Free Research
Magnum partnership with Spéos – 24 hours
November 27, 2013
The Champs Elysées is one of the most iconic streets in the world. Eighteen photographers from Spéos photographic institute coming from all around the world captured the spirit of the Champs Elysées over 24 hours. Having been given a short time to decide on a feasible project and having to put eighteen people's thoughts and ideas into consideration, was testing for the new and emerging collective.
The group decided to carry out the project on the Champs Elysées, a busy avenue in the heart of Paris which from day to night remains full of life. It's a street that is constantly evolving throughout 24 hours. It is a cycle which takes us from morning rituals, to crowds of store-hopping tourists and then into the wilder night life of the avenue. The shoot was at times difficult, with photographers facing drunk and disorderly behavIor, attempted robbery and indecisive weather conditions.
In order to document this daily rhythm, the collective decided to split the 24 hours into 6 time slots managed by 3 photographers.
The idea was to give the photographers the freedom to express their own points of view and style within the confines of one street. As a result, the final selection of images illustrates what drives them as photographers.
As for the editing, the process was made easier with each group selecting 6 of their strongest images including an image from each photographer. 4 images were then chosen to best represent that time slot.
This collective working experience was certainly interesting. Working as a team of 18 photographers was sometimes challenging with people having alternating priorities. However, the group enjoyed and appreciated this experience where the individual expression was at the service of a collective creativity.


text:
Miller 4th in Birds Training Opener
BEAVER CREEK, CO (Nov. 30 - Ski Racing Magazine News Service) - Swiss veteran Didier Cuche was the fastest skier down the Birds of Prey downhill course today in Beaver Creek, Colo. for the first training run after yesterday's run was canceled for last-minute course work.
Cuche is looking to continue his early season success after wining the season-opening downhill last weekend in Lake Louise.
"The fun is when you ski like that...sunny perfect snow, pushing carves and good turns., nice jumps, coming through the finish and seeing you're fast," said Cuche who has hinted at retirement at the end of this season.
The sun was back out again today, but additional course work delayed the start an hour after forerunners were sent down at the original 11:00 start time and found some areas that needed adjustment.
"That's one of my favorite courses, you have to see that from the top to the bottom, you have no two turns that have the same technique," said Cuche. "If you make the perfect run here, even if you are are not on the top like you wanted to, that's a undescribeable thing."
Reigning super G World Champion, Italian Christof Innerhofer was a tenth of a second behind Cuche in second, while Austrian Hannes Reichelt landed third, one hundredth of a second behind Innerhofer.
American Bode Miller, the event's athlete representative and key voice in yesterday's training run cancellation, was pleased with the work done on the course and crossed the line with the day's fourth-fastest time. Fellow American Andrew Weibrecht was the next fastest for the home team in 25th, followed Wiley Maple in 26the and GS specialsit Ted Ligety in 29th.
The Canadian men also had a strong day with three men in the top 30, Robbie Dixon led the way in 7th, followed by Erik Guay in 14th and Jan Hudac in 22nd.
Racing begins Friday with the downhill race, followed by a super G Saturday and a GS Sunday. Additionally, races originally scheduled in Val d'Isere, France have been moved to Beaver Creek due to lack of snow in Europe. The men will have a GS Tuesday and a slalom Thursday. The World Cup women will also come to town for a super G on Wednesday.
Bode Miller
"The course preparation is as good as I've ever seen it here."
Marco Sullivan
"It feels great. It felt good to finally get that run off. We've been waiting around for a couple days in perfect weather. To get down it takes away a little bit of the nerves as we now know what to expect for the next few days."
"I definitely feel good, the body feels good, and I'm looking forward to this weekend."
Andrew Weibrecht
"It's awesome to be on a hill that really challenges you and brings everything you've got. This is a full on downhill - you have to be going the whole time."
Ted Ligety
"We've prepared really well here so it's nice not to have to travel across the ocean in a hurry to do the race."


text:
Animals in the News
by Gregory McNamee
The stereotype, nearly a cliché, is this: A man hits 45 or 50, suffers a breakdown of confidence and conscience, and reacts badly. He buys a red sports convertible, takes up with young women, turns to drink, abandons his family. Thus the so-called midlife crisis, or what some behavioral scientists call the "U-shape in human well-being." (After hitting the cusp of the U, we presume, it's all downhill.) Now, given our primate nature, would a silverback gorilla in similar circumstances go jetting down the highway away from work and family, given half the chance?
Apparently so. A team of scientists from Scotland, England, Arizona, Germany, and Japan has assembled evidence that there is, as the title of their paper announces, "a midlife crisis in great apes consistent with the U-shape in human well-being." The great apes in question are chimpanzees and orangutans, granted, so perhaps that silverback might be a little more steadfast—or at least would buy a car with a lighter insurance load.


text:
Ohio towns challenge state over fracking
As the New York Times reports, a portion of Ohio's recovery has come directly from the boom in fracking. And then there's the question of who gets to regulate fracking, with its risk of contaminating your well or rattling your house with earthquakes. In Ohio lately, cities and towns are asking for say. The industry is not having it. From the Columbus Dispatch:
"This issue has been debated at the General Assembly, and they wisely concluded that oil and gas regulation is a complex, technical issue and should be regulated by people who are experts in oil and gas," said Tom Stewart, executive vice president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association.
"I have yet to meet a local official who understands … well-construction issues and all the other complexities associated with drilling. City councils are very good at what they do, but they do not have that expertise."
I'm not sure if the gas guy means that state legislators are experts in oil and gas, which seems on the whole not so plausible, or if he means administrators with the state should be in charge. If it's the latter, then it's worth remembering that in Youngstown, in particular, when state administrators said a wastewater injection well caused earthquakes, the company involved didn't like that, either.
Every week now in Ohio, you'll find a new story about a town wanting some control over fracking – whether it's the ban being considered in Youngstown, or the prohibition on injection wells passed in big Cincinnati and tiny Niles. You'll also find the story of folks like Julia Fuhrman Davis in Beaver Township, who want a vote on "home rule" status so they could pass some kind of anything to regulate the industry that has moved into their backyards, even if local ordinances don't count for much. From the Youngstown Vindicator:
"We can't ban fracking, and we know that," said Fuhrman Davis. "But with limited home rule, we can adopt local rules on hours of operation, noise limits, truck traffic and routes, local nuisance rules, fences and sign rules for drillers, waste shipments. We can use those rules to fight back a little bit, to give us more control. It's David versus Goliath. But it's a way to fight drilling."
Up top, video from yet another group of local activists, in Trumbull County, who blockaded a wastewater injection well this summer.
(See also Pennsylvania, New York and Colorado.)


text:
Five Years of Cutting the Chai
May 29, 2010 marks the fifth anniversary of this blog. Of late, I haven't been paying much attention here. But this web log has been a constant element in my life, while things have moved on a fast pace in both the professional and the personal fronts.
Today is a big day and the Chaiwali gifted me a Harley to celebrate the occasion. And not just any Harley-Davidson, but a 1936-vintage EL, also known as the "Knucklehead." So what if it is only a miniature scale model, it's the closest I can get to owning a Harley in the near future.
In the days to come I'll be posting a series of special 'Cutting the Chai @ 5' posts.
For now I've an announcement to make. Cutting the Chai is moving on to its own domain and hosting (and powered by Wordpress). Still working on a few things there and will post a post when everything's good to go.
The last major change on this blog was when the title changed from 'Mindless Musings of an Unmindful' Mind to 'Cutting the Chai' on April 14, 2006.
And here's my very own Harley:


text:
Law enforcement officials found country singer Mindy McCready and her 5-year-old son Zander hiding in the closet of her boyfriend's Heber Spings, Ark. home, noting the young boy is in custody and safe, Friday night.
"I'm real excited that he's safe," said Gayle Inge, McCready's mother and the boy's legal guardian. "But I can't explain what this is like. We feel for Mindy and we feel for Zander."
McCready said Thursday she would not bring her son back to Florida, where Inge lives, despite violating a custody arrangement and a judge's order. And she seems prepared to be locked up for it.
U.S. & World
"I'm a mom first," McCready told the Associated Press. "No matter what happens, I'm going to protect my kid. If I have to go to jail, so be it."
Terri Durdaller, a Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman, told the AP Friday night authorities there were working with officials in Arkansas to return Zander to his grandmother.
McCready took the boy during a recent visit at her father's southwest Florida home and a judge signed an order Thursday ordering authorities to take the boy into custody and return him.
"I'm doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble," McCready wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday. "I don't think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place."
McCready and her mother have had a long custody battle over the boy. Until recently, the boy was living with McCready's mother. Her mother was awarded guardianship in 2007. McCready says her son has suffered abuse at her mother's house; her mother, Gayle Inge, denies the abuse allegations.
"Once the child is located, we will pick him up and bring him back to Florida," said Durdaller. "Although these circumstances are unfortunate for a young child, his safety and well-being are our number one priority."
Durdaller said any criminal charges would come at the discretion of law enforcement or the Lee County (Fla.) State Attorney's office.
McCready provided a series of emails to the AP with Lee County Judge James Seals' ruling to return the boy and correspondence with her attorney. Seals wrote to McCready's lawyer that once the boy is back in Florida "we'll pick up the pieces."
"Mom has violated the court's custody order and we are simply restoring the child back into our custody," the judge wrote. "Nothing more. Nothing less. The court makes no judgment about whether Mom will or will not competently care for the child while in her custody. It only wants the child back where the court placed him."
McCready was born in Florida and found fame in Nashville as a singer in the mid-1990s, including a No. 1 hit, "Guys Do It All the Time." She has lived a complicated life in recent years.
In August, she filed the libel suit in Palm Beach County against her mother and the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., over a story published in the tabloid newspaper that quoted Inge.
In July 2007, she was accused of scuffling with Inge and resisting arrest at her mother's home in Florida. She was sentenced to jail for 60 days for a probation violation and released; she served 30 days in jail. She also lost custody of her son.
And in 2008, McCready was admitted to a Nashville hospital after police said she cut her wrists and took several pills in a suicide attempt.
During the TV show "Celebrity Rehab 3" in 2010, McCready came off as a sympathetic figure, and host Dr. Drew Pinsky called her an angel in the season finale.
Also in 2010, police went to Inge's home for a report of an overdose, and McCready was taken to a Florida hospital. However, neither the hospital nor McCready's publicist would say why the singer was hospitalized.
McCready also fought the release of a tape in which she reportedly talked about former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, with whom she had an affair as a teenager.


text:
Re: Favourite Clone
You're just like one of my friends, correcting my on every little thing. It gets annoying after awhile.
Dude, I know EXACTLY how you feel
( and my favorite clones are Boss, Fixer, Scorch, and Sev)
Message Boards - Boba Fett Fan Club → Serious Geeking → Favourite Clone
You're just like one of my friends, correcting my on every little thing. It gets annoying after awhile.
Dude, I know EXACTLY how you feel
( and my favorite clones are Boss, Fixer, Scorch, and Sev)
Gotta love Delta. But I really like the Nulls in general. A'den is pretty cool, but how can you not like Ordo?
meh, the dudes in RepCom (should i have to list them? I'm sure you know the fearsome foursome...)
Scorch is the best. funny guy, murderizer of robots.
I miss Sev
The Scorch, Sev talks are classic.
dude, on Kashyyk, with the wookie babies.
Scorch: I think Sev hight have an anger problem. Sev: I think you have an intelligence problem.
I think that was my favourite.
I like this one:
Scorch: Why do we always get the tough jobs?
Sev: try aiming instead of talking!
ordo is now my fav
I'd definitely pick Scorch and Sev. I haven't heard/read much on the Nulls but tey sound awesome too. From what I HAVE heard though, I'd like Ordo and A'den (no bias there....). I don't know anyone from Omega but, again, going by word of mouth, Fi sounds pretty neat.
Besides Boba? Boss or Sev I think
Fi's awesome--so's the rest of omega, especially darman. The Nulls are amazing too. Just go the game today--still on Geonosis. The levels immensly long!! I don't dislike Delta, but they're not my favorite, either. I've read all the books, so i love omega
Mainly Scorch or Sev.
Huh. Sev's phycotic---more than the rest of the squad, I mean. And they were trained by Vau!! Horrible man, Vau. Omega was trained by skirata. Very good man, him. A true Buir, a father to his men. Anyone else read the books?
Reading the books, just because the guy who trained them is insane doesnt mean they all are. Exept for Sev.
well, maybe not. But Sev is for sure. Which are you on?
Tripple Zero, just to where they found the whatchamathingy from that one place they were for a bit.
(Trying to be unspoiling for those who have not read.)
?? not sure which part that is, btw. Triple 0's great. So's true colors. They're great books, action and story wise, but funny too.
Some of that humor is Delta.:P
true. but most is Fi......
Scorch is still the best. You must play through the campaign.
i will. I'm on geonosis--its fun, but they dont even have similar voices!! what's with that! they're CLONES!!
Well if they all sounded the same you wouldent know who was talking. Its just for the player
i know.....but still. I'm sure i'll like them more after i've played some. I don't like that they've got personal shields--that's not very Star Wars-ish. Btw.
Ha! What Now Mandal????
Message Boards - Boba Fett Fan Club → Serious Geeking → Favourite Clone
Generated in 0.102 seconds (91% PHP - 9% DB) with 10 queries
11,568 card-carrying members
94,288 forum posts
3,954 forum topics
825 customized avatars
418,029 profile views *
381 profile follows ** Newer community features circa 2019–Present