text:
Devotional Nuggets – #93

It’s a glowing Saturday morning here in my little abode. I’ve just returned from the gym and the only thing on my mind as I walked back home was to remind us again that He is always there for us. I hope I’d reiterate the truth to us, in case we’ve lost some hope that He makes a way, where there seems to be no way.

God is able and God is faithful.

I have been a major recipient of his faithfulness and mercies. I don’t know about you but anytime I am faced with a complex situation, He always has a way of bringing me out of that tight corner unscathed. How he pulls that string, I do not know. How He is able to make easy an intricate puzzle, I still do not know.

And I always marvel at His ability to turn around the worst situations.

I don’t know if you’ve ever said to yourself at some point – “No Way”… and then you sit back in tears and watch how things begin to shift gradually. You wonder at the twist of things. You are amazed at the emergence of a breather from nowhere.

And you are completely in awe of His benevolence towards you.

This has been my testimony and my song.  And the reason I have an unwavering faith that He will always be there for me. Dear friends, I’ve tested his constant love and I became resolute to call on him constantly in prayers.

You see, every time I say to Myself “No Way, this is just too much to bear”, He watches me for a while and then turns the circumstances around in my favour. Surely, He makes a way out of no way.

Brethren, it takes only one touch from God to change the whole process. Just one word from Him turns a critical situation around. But we must be patient for this process.

I pray that He who has begun a good work in us will be faithful to complete them in us. I pray that we don’t lose our focus on His awesome powers when we are entangled in a web of confusion.

Always remember that God is in our boat and will see us through stormy weather.

Have a blissful weekend. And keep hope alive.

Peace and Love!

Copyright © 2018 by Simple Dimple.  All Rights Reserved.

6 thoughts on “Devotional Nuggets – #93

  1. Stella for sharing your strong faith. I can relate to your story. I believe the Spirit works through each of us helping to bring the best out in each of us. I believe the Spirit is with us every moment even though we may not be aware of its presence. It is clear to me how the Spirit works through you as you continue to shine the Light of God in all you do and say. Bless you! Roland

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Amen and amen. He is so good! As flawed and underserving as we are, He will never take His hand off of us as long as we keep our eyes on Him. And even when we fail He is right there waiting on us to call out to Him for help. God is my EVERYTHING. 🙌🏾

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

WARC-Type: response

text:
Roller Derby World Cup 2018

Thursday February 1st to Sunday February 4th in Manchester, England.

38 International Teams

Manchester 2018 - Full Bout Videos

Processing the footage did not start until mid April due to travel schedule - All Team Canada Games were filmed and will eventually be posted

Videos best viewed by clicking on links to YouTube & selecting 2160p60 4K then view in Full Screen - if you have video stability problems try switching to 1080p60HD

YouTube viewing speed

The World cup Video was recorded at 2160p60 4K - using a browser able to support a HTML video stream ( as of June 2015 Chrome or Safari but not Firefox) it is possible to select one quarter of normal speed - pretty amazing to see how the pack behaves and how fast the athletes are reacting to situations.

for best slow speed results select 1080p60HD and speed of 0.25

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-39
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for September 2018
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-45-127-147.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 0.11-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
If, how and when to automate qualitative research

(Wo)man vs. Machine: knowing when to think and when to automate

woman-vs-machine-research automation
Download (Wo)man vs. Machine: From Competition to Collaboration” Whitepaper

In today’s digital world, brands are facing shrinking marketing budgets and increased competition. Marketers are under more pressure than ever to uncover actionable strategic insights quicker and at lower costs. And while technology innovations are disrupting many marketing strategies, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are creating opportunities for market researchers to increase efficiency.

From Uber’s self-driving cars to Amazon’s warehouse robots, AI seems to be reaching human-level dexterity nearly everywhere. Computers and robots won’t render human researchers useless, but they can indeed help identify better insights cheaper. Companies in need of qualitative research should strongly consider next-gen automation tools.

Consider the case of Danone, one of the world’s leading food companies, which recently turned to SKIM to understand consumer consumption drivers for a new product category. With the help of Voxpopme, an automated video research platform, SKIM was able to deliver qualitative insights to inform communication claims within a very tight timeframe. All without compromising the depth and quality of insights (it can be done!).

Learn more about the Danone study and how to get started with AI today. [Download the whitepaper]

(Wo)man vs. Machine: From competition to collaboration

⇒ Download the on-demand webinar and learn about our award-winning study

With the goal of learning the benefits and drawbacks of using research automation, SKIM and Danone launched “(Wo)man vs. Machine” a head-to-head competition between human researchers and automation technology. Each team was tasked with analyzing self-recorded consumer videos using different research methodologies. One team had access to automated tools, while the other team of SKIM researchers relied on traditional human methods of analysis. In total three reports were produced and judged by William Serfarty at Danone:

  1. Mostly automated
  2. Human-only
  3. Combination human and machine

At the end of the project, William Serfaty, global strategy and insights manager, Danone, summed up the findings:

“The outcome was a nice surprise! Now we can get a report faster that provides the level of detail you’d get from a traditional report.”

Discover the 5 tips market researchers should know when beginning a study with automation [Download the whitepaper].

Getting started with automation in market research today

woman vs machine research automation teamworkCollaborating with machines can indeed enhance efficiency, without compromising the depth and quality of insights. It’s important that insights teams don’t expect machines to provide the answers. AI outputs are most helpful for the starting point for human analysis. SKIM recently introduced an automation solution to our qualitative research offerings, SKIM's Smart Qual. We use this solution as a standalone methodology, pre/post task, or to replace traditional open-ends in surveys to capture in-context insights at speed. If you need qualitative insights around category exploration, customer experience, concept testing/NPD, or communications development, contact us today to find out how you can take advantage of AI and automation!

Ready to learn how automation can drive better and quicker insights for your brand?

Contact us and we'll help guide you in navigating the path between (wo)man and machine.

Contact Us


text:
You may remember I posted a little something about the Expansion by Vital films a little while back. In fact it was Vital Films: The Expansion - Vol. 2 and I'm pleased to announce that Volumes 3, 3.1 and 4 are here and ready to be watched. Same line up as last time with Torin Yater-Wallace, Charlie Lasser, Nate Nerkel and Aidan Case Sheahan.

I'm keeping my eye out for all the latest ones when they crop up but for now, sit back and watch these three and they'll get you foaming at the mouth for some fresh snow before you know it.

http://mpora.com/videos/yDszqerDb The Expansion 2011 - Vol.4 >>

http://mpora.com/videos/7ht27DuTY More Ski Videos >>

http://mpora.com/videos/O8MROObWa More Ski Videos >>


text:
We’re launching Sky Ocean Rescue in Ireland with our second plastic whale, Poly, staff from our Irish office, Amanda Byram and The Riptide Movement.

The launch ties in with independent survey research commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue that has found that 85% of Irish people are concerned by Ireland’s plastic usage*. Sky Ocean Rescue aims to inspire everyone – including other businesses - to make simple, everyday changes to help save our oceans.

The research highlights the increasing public concern in Ireland, with most people (82%) believing that it’s one of the most serious issues facing us today and two thirds of people having seen plastics first-hand, in their local rivers and lakes. The new data sits alongside the recent revelation that Ireland is the top producer of plastic waste in Europe, producing 61kg of plastic waste per person each year.**

Each person typically buys six plastic bottles each week – stretching from Dublin to Boston if laid end to end. Less than 1 in 10 people feel that they can avoid items packaged in plastics due to lack of alternatives, preventing them from living plastic-free lives. This demonstrates further the strong public desire to see change from government and business alike, to lead the way, inspire others and work together to #PassOnPlastic.

JD Buckley, Managing Director, Sky Ireland, said: “We’ve launched Sky Ocean Rescue in Ireland to encourage people to make easy, simple changes to stop our island being surrounded by plastic. Research tells us that 85% of people are concerned with plastic usage in Ireland and as one of the top producers of plastic waste it’s time to pass on plastic and do what we can to protect our oceans.”

Supporting Sky Ocean Rescue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said: "I commend Sky Ocean Rescue for the leadership they are showing in this area. Marine litter is harmful to our oceans and to the marine life within them. To properly harness our ocean wealth, this is a challenge we need to tackle, so that we can protect the greatest national resource that Ireland has- the sea that surrounds our island."

Amanda Byram commented: “I am passionate about the environment and our beautiful Irish coastlines. I’m very proud to be a part of and to launch the Sky Ocean Rescue initiative here today, a campaign that will help to stop the increasing problem we have seen unfold in our oceans.

It’s so important to preserve our coasts and personally I’ve made small changes in my own life, such as passing on plastic water bottles, straws, bags and coffee cups - but there’s still more we can all do, we need to work together to make a difference.”

The Riptide Movement (Gar Byrne, Malachy Tuohy, JPR Dalton and Gerard McGarry) added: “We as a group are hugely passionate about the ocean and think everyone should be aware of their usage and disposal of plastic packaging. We are currently on a tour of coastal venues around Ireland to spread the message that our cities and towns need to be kept plastic free in order to ensure plastic waste doesn’t make its way to our coastline and damage marine life. For that reason, we pass on plastic.”

The launch of Sky Ocean Rescue with Poly coincided with its inaugural staff beach clean. Poly is made from the same amount of plastic that pollutes our ocean every second, arrived at Bull Island, Dublin. Throughout the day lots of plastic rubbish was collected from the beach and will be disposed of with the support of Clean Coasts.

Find out more about Sky Ocean Rescue, its commitments and how you can make simple, everyday changes to #PassOnPlastic at the Sky Ocean Rescue Facebook Page, @SkyOceanRescue on Twitter, or explore the rest of this website.


text:
Skip to main content
Start of menu
Close Menu
American Express® for Small Business - Built for Business Owners
Find a Card
Answer three simple questions
Cash Flow
Management Support
Managing your cash flow with your American Express Small Business® Card is as simple as 1,2,3.
  1. Maximize your cash flow with up to 55 interest free days.1 Learn more
  2. Use your Card for all of your purchases and enjoy the purchasing power that adjusts dynamically with your Card usage.2
  3. When the time to pay comes, take advantage of our real time payment options so you can continue spending and focus on what you do best : taking care of your business.3
Put more into your business.
And your pocket.
Invest in your business by turning everyday expenses into Membership Rewards® points.
Use your Card to purchase all your business supplies and equipment to earn points. Before you know it, you could be rewarding your clients, employees and yourself.
Get timely, quick and safe access to your account information.
Stop looking for more time.
Start saving it.
Get fast, safe access to your account information anywhere you are, at any time you want. It is easy to set up, can save you time and help cut down on paperwork.
Peace of mind included.
Travel and make business purchases with confidence.
Wherever your business is going, we’re there with you. Save money with benefits built to protect you and your business.
Talk to a Small Business

Sales Consultant
Fill out the form below and small business sales consultant will contact you within two business days.

This email address will be used only to respond in providing you with further card product information.

Enter your Postal Code

The information you provided will be used to contact you and provide you with information on our products and services.
Yes, you may use my email address to keep me informed of the occasional offer and promotion from American Express. You should only provide an email address that you are the owner of or have consent from the owner to use for this purpose.
Built for Business Owners
American Express®
Business Gold Rewards Card
apply now
Get a response in 60 seconds
American Express Business Gold Rewards Card
The Business Platinum Card®
from American Express
apply now
Get a response in 60 seconds
The Business Platinum Card from American Express

Or Call 1 888 721 1046
to speak to a representative.

(Available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm EST)

As a charge card, the balance must always be paid in full each month in which no interest charges will apply. The interest free grace period is 28,29, 30 or 31 days from the closing date of the current statement to the closing date of the next statement depending on the number of days in the calendar month in which the closing date occurs. The number of interest free days varies based on a variety of factors, including when charges are posted to your account, whether your account is in good standing, and the closing date of your statement.

No pre-set spending limit on purchases does not mean unlimited spending. Your purchases are approved based on a variety of factors, including your credit record, account history and personal resources. Proof of resources and security may be required.

Subject to the Electronic Payment Program Agreement and availability of the service, you can request a same day payment prior to 8 PM Eastern Time or , if your account is in good standing, a future payment within 25 days scheduled by your next due date (or 28 days after the date of your statement for Corporate Card). However, your first payment can only be scheduled 3 calendar days after enrolment of the bank account. Although we may credit your American Express account it may not appear on your Online Services summary and may not be cleared through your bank until a subsequent day.

®  Used by Amex Bank of Canada under license from American Express


text:
What Is Other Restricted Cash?

by Dennis Hartman

In financial accounting, cash refers to the money that a business holds in liquid form, available for spending or investing at any time. Both large and small business rely on cash every day, but not all cash is readily available for use. Restricted cash is money that a business has squirreled away, requiring the business that holds it to account for it differently.

Restricted cash is cash that a business sets aside, often in a separate account, for a specific purpose. Some businesses set aide restricted cash in multiple accounts and for multiple reasons. This creates the need to differentiate between the various restricted cash accounts. When a company's balance sheet lists "other restricted cash" as an asset, it refers to restricted cash that is not included in cash balances listed earlier. Some restricted cash is given the label of "other assets."

A business may have restricted cash for a number of reasons. In some cases, lenders require businesses to set aside cash to secure a loan. For example, a bank may require a small-business owner to open a restricted cash account before it will issue a small-business loan. That cash, which is unavailable for spending for a set period of time, gives the bank security in case the borrower's business fails. Businesses can also set aside cash voluntarily, in anticipation of an upcoming expense or investment opportunity. This might be called "other restricted cash," as opposed to the restricted cash that secures loans.

Whatever its purpose, other restricted cash is part of the money a business controls and therefore must be accounted for in its financial statements. The business's balance sheet must list all assets and liabilities, including cash assets. Other restricted cash is generally listed separately from cash. It may be classified as a current asset or a non-current asset, depending on how long it is expected to remain restricted. Ultimately, restricted cash must appear as part of a business's net assets, since failing to account for it would give an unclear picture of the business's financial health.

Spending Other Restricted Cash

Even though it has its own name and accounting procedure, other restricted cash has the same monetary value per dollar as any of a business's cash assets. If other restricted cash is not spent as intended, it may become regular cash that the business can spend on anything or hold in a general cash account. For example, a small business may create an account called "other restricted cash" to buy a large order of raw materials if its new product sells well. If the product launch results in slow sales, the restricted cash would be released and the owner could spend it on anything, from a new marketing campaign to paying down old debt to giving workers raises.

Photo Credits

  • Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
bibliography-icon icon for annotation tool Cite this Article


text:
What Are the Roles & Responsibilities of the Strategic Project Manager?

by Tara Duggan
In a project-based organization, most of the business functions are organized in the form of projects.

In a project-based organization, most of the business functions are organized in the form of projects.

Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

Strategic project managers focus on achieving business results. Operationally managed projects tend focus more on just getting the work completed. By focusing on improving customer satisfaction, beating the competition and analyzing market data, strategic project managers ensure long-term success and profitability. Instead of focusing on short-term results, such as meeting deadlines and operating within the budget, strategic project managers have a long-term perspective. They ensure that their project’s goals align with the company’s strategic mission and objectives.

Project Portfolio Management

A strategic project manager handles projects that contribute to the company’s success. These projects represent opportunities for the organization to develop new products, troubleshoot problems or launch initiatives designed to reduce operational costs, defects or waste. As a strategic project manager, you collaborate with other managers, such as finance professionals, to execute projects. You also analyze the project portfolio to ensure that work aligns to strategic decisions. By evaluating project flow, publishing reports and conducting review meetings to keep projects on track, the strategic project manager enables the organization to prioritize its work. This results in tangible business value to the entire company.

Resource Portfolio Management

By managing an organization’s resources effectively, a strategic project manager ensures that the company has the best personnel to complete job tasks. You facilitate the efficient use of resources across multiple projects and monitor trends to ensure use aligns with strategic goals. Effective strategic managers enable cost savings by reducing delays due to lack of resources. For example, if an organization’s goal is reduce the number of printed marketing materials, but the resources associated with these materials increases, you must adjust the allocation of resources associated with printing.

Project Management Mentoring

Experienced strategic project managers typically have responsibility for mentoring less experienced project managers. By sharing tips, techniques and templates, they help others learn how to perform this role. You work closely with team members to provide training on strategic initiatives, such as improving quality. You also typically facilitate meetings with sponsors and stakeholders to identify project requirements and ensure they align with your company’s strategic goals.

Project Management Tool Assessment

Effective strategic project managers evaluate the tools and techniques used by their organization to manage projects. By ensuring that the applications provide the benefits and features required by the organization, you help ensure data integrity, assure scheduling accuracy and maintain consistency throughout the organization.

About the Author

Tara Duggan is a Project Management Professional (PMP) specializing in knowledge management and instructional design. For over 25 years she has developed quality training materials for a variety of products and services supporting such companies as Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq and HP. Her freelance work is published on various websites.

Photo Credits

  • Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
bibliography-icon icon for annotation tool Cite this Article


text:
Mara set up RM50 Million Fund for Women Entrepreneurship Development
Mara has allocated RM50 million for its Dana Nita programme, specially for women nationwide who want to venture into entrepreneurship or business this year. Deputy Director-General (Entrepreneurship), Zulfikri Osman said under the programme, the maximum financial assistance given to each qualified applicant was RM50,000. He said some RM5 million out of the total allocation would be used to implement courses and training for the applicants before they were qualified to submit their applications.

Malaysian Palm Oil Mission To EU
Malaysia has initiated a special palm oil mission to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The mission, who took off this week seeks to discuss the European Union’s (EU) resolution on palm oil and deforestation. It is led by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong. The bilateral meetings focused on the European Commission’s proposed follow-up actions arising from the adoption of the European Parliament Resolution on Palm.

Alibaba urges brands to ‘digitise’ their entire business as part of new retail push
Alibaba Group, the world’s largest e-commerce platform operator, has called on brand operators to work cooperatively by creating a fully digitised omni-channel model to drive the retail business to the next phase. The so-called “New Retail” concept will adopt advanced cloud computing technologies including big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to study the data generated from various aspects of the brands, which will greatly improve


text:
A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow

eBook - 2016
Average Rating:
Rate this:
Deemed unrepentant by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in a hotel across the street from the Kremlin, where he lives in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history unfold.
""In all ways a great novel, a nonstop pleasure brimming with charm, personal wisdom, and philosophic insight.this book more than fulfills the promise of Towles' stylish debut, Rules of Civility." - Kirkus Reviews (starred) From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility--a transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel With his breakout debut novel, Rules of Civility, Amor Towles established himself as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction, bringing late 1930s Manhattan to life with splendid atmosphere and a flawless command of style. Readers and critics were enchanted; as NPR commented, "Towles writes with grace and verve about the mores and manners of a society on the cusp of radical change." A Gentleman in Moscow immerses us in another elegantly drawn era with the story of Count Alexander Rostov. When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of emotional discovery. Brimming with humor, a glittering cast of characters, and one beautifully rendered scene after another, this singular novel casts a spell as it relates the count's endeavor to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a man of purpose"-- Provided by publisher.
Publisher: New York, New York :, Viking,, [2016]
ISBN: 9780399564048
Characteristics: 1 online resource (462 pages) : illustration
Alternative Title: Axis 360 eBooks

From Library Staff

September Selection, meeting 9/18

January 4, 2018 selection

From the critics

Community Activity

Add a Comment

Sep 16, 2018

I didn't want it to end!

CircMary Sep 12, 2018

Delightful characters; intriguing and well-written story. This page-turner has become my favorite book of the year! I was sad to see it end.

Sep 07, 2018

Best book of 2018!

Sep 04, 2018

I really enjoyed this book. The descriptions of the times, the people, the whole atmosphere was just amazing. I felt transported back in time. I also felt a real affinity for the characters, not just a passing interest. I wanted to know how they made out, and I felt invested in them. It is not often that an author is able to convey that kind of interest. An excellent book.

Aug 17, 2018

Read this one to the end! The ending is the best part!

DCLadults Aug 09, 2018

I was swept away by the beautiful writing and fascinating characters in "A Gentleman in Moscow." This is the story of a Russian aristocrat living under house arrest in a luxury hotel. Kenneth Branagh will star in and produce the TV adaptation. Don't wait to watch it, read it first!

Aug 05, 2018

Nope, didn’t think I’d like this book despite all the 5 star reviews. By golly, they were right. The closest comparison I can think of is Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland series. Only this takes you from pre-revolutionary Russia up to the mid-1950s. And the story is told all from the point of view of a former aristocrat held in house arrest at a classy Moscow hotel. This turned out to be one of m favorite books, with a wonderful end, but not what I expected.

Aug 03, 2018

Excellent book, beautifully written. Such a joy to read.

Jul 28, 2018

Terrific!! Amazing!! One of the best novels I have read recently. Count Alexander Rostov is made a non-person for the sin of being an aristocrat in the early days after the Russian revolution. Instead of being shot he is confined to the Metropol hotel for the rest of his life. The author educates us in Russian literature and politics in such a palatable manner that you do not even realize how much you are learning. As the count lives out his life in one building he expands his experiences and loyalties to friends and children so that his existence becomes so full that the confinement almost disappears. The author is superb at creating characters !! Highly recommend!!! Kristi & Abby Tabby

Jul 24, 2018

Very charming....

View All Comments

Add a Quote

Jun 05, 2018

“…if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.” - p. 18

Jun 05, 2018

“Manners are not like bonbons, Nina. You may not choose the ones that suit you best; and you certainly cannot put the half-bitten ones back in the box. . . .” - p. 52

Jun 05, 2018

“Here, indeed, was a formidable sentence--one that was on intimate terms with a comma, and that held the period in healthy disregard.” - p. 68

Jun 05, 2018

“It is a sad but unavoidable fact of life," he began, "that as we age our social circles grow smaller. Whether from increased habit or diminished vigor, we suddenly find ourselves in the company of just a few familiar faces.” - p. 94

Jun 05, 2018

“After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By their very nature, human beings are so capricious, so complex, so delightfully contradictory, that they deserve not only our consideration, but our reconsideration—and our unwavering determination to withhold our opinion until we have engaged with them in every possible setting at every possible hour.” - pp. 120-121

Jun 05, 2018

“Showing a sense of personal restraint that was almost out of character, the Count had restricted himself to two succinct pieces of parental advice. The first was that if one did not master one’s circumstances, one was bound to be mastered by them; and the second was Montaigne’s maxim that the surest sign of wisdom is constant cheerfulness.” - p. 419

Add a Summary

Mar 14, 2018

The author shows insight into the customs. language, and values of his characters and their time. In just a few words he makes the reader picture the scene and often leaves gaps of years, leaving an explanation of what happened during this time for later in the story. A book that I couldn't put down.

Add Age Suitability

There are no ages for this title yet.

Add Notices

There are no notices for this title yet.

Explore Further

Subject Headings

Find it at SMPL

To Top


text:
FREE Nikwax Down Wash Direct Sample

Posted by on September 18, 2018 in Best Free Samples, Home Samples, Outdoor Samples

Safely clean your down jacket with this FREE sample

Its highly effective formula removes body oils and dirt from both the fabric and the down fill.

It also restores the Water Repellency of both the outer fabric and the down.

Want a FREE Sample of Nikwax Down Wash Direct?

Click the “Snag This” link and take the quick quiz to win your FREE sample of Down Wash Direct!

To buy more, shop on Amazon.

Snag This Sample

Thanks for snagging! 😀 Like it?

Sample Contact Info

Remember, Snag Free Samples does not ship out samples! If you have a question for the company providing this freebie, try this contact information:

Snag more!

Browse more Home Samples »

Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment


text:
Can anyone please explain about "Go East Movement"? And what were its Outcome?

1 Answer
Dec 21, 2016

(see below)

The "Go East" (Dong Du) Movement occurred among Vietnamese nationalists (usually cited as 1907-1908) in an effort to modernize Vietnam with the view of deposing the French rule and restoring the Nguyen dynasty. Approximately 300 intellectuals went to study in Japan following the Japanese success against Russia in 1907.

The immediate results were unsuccessful. The Vietnamese were expelled by Japan.

However, the long term results were to give focus to the desire to overthrow the French which, in turn, lead to the Vietnamese War.


text:
As we continue this series, there is a new consideration that digitized illegal transactions create. Each of outside of law enforcement must now concern ourselves with the perils of identity theft in an all together new fashion.

Stealth Identity Theft
In a world where drug dealers or other crooks can move funds around electronically, they have a new interest in doing so in a manner that doesn’t attract attention to themselves. There is already to many scenarios every day where people experience identity theft. The typical scenario is one where someone gets access to your credit card information, and runs up a tab on your account.

Over the last few years a new version started to occur where are personal information was used by criminals that would go out and setup a bank account only to then apply for credit and run up a tab under the fictitious account, which is under our name and social security number. In both situations they are stealing funds from creditors using our good name and credit history, which immediately becomes tarnished.

In a world where drug users have become the money launderers, drug dealers might attempt to learn from credit thieves and set up fictitious accounts under an alias. They could then have payments routed to this bank account for this name, and forward payments back out again through ACH transactions.

Their end goal is not to burn our good credit, but to run accounts under the radar such that we don’t know. The longer they can keep a dummy account up and running the easier their lives are.

Disposable Id’s? (To Keep or not to Keep)
There may be some natural time limits on the usefulness of such an account. As an example, as they run cash through these accounts, they may earn interest, which will be reported to the IRS under our names. So a natural limiter might include the amount of time the IRS takes to catch a discrepancy between what we report on our taxes(correctly but ignorantly not knowing that a criminal is operating under a stolen identity belonging to us).

Criminals masterminds may however seize upon checking accounts that pay no interest. So we must arm ourselves with the ability not only to monitor our credit, but with the ability to monitor open bank accounts or asset accounts. Watching our liability accounts through equifax is not enough.

Other criminal masterminds may not concern themselves with the time limit imposed by an IRS audit. They may look to torch the account on the way out. Compiling their ill gotten gains not in an interest free checking account, but instead opening up a brokerage account with the funds. They could trade stocks or options, possibly even on margin, and attempt to increase their booty.

Investment Fraud
Organized criminals could use multiple accounts to direct trades for or against accounts to push a stock price up or down. Hostile foreign governments could do the same thing. Imagine the double, triple whammy of 10 or 30,000 middle class Americans who have sacrificed their identity unknowingly to organized crime, which has funneled money from drug sales into multiple bank accounts around the country. The same funnel is then directed to margin trading accounts where its leveraged to drive up or down a stock price, while the same organized entity buys or cells the stock knowing the impact that is soon to occur.

Rumors of Al Qaida trading on the September 11th attack were rampant in the aftermath. So as we await to proceed into Part 4, I ask do you know how many bank accounts exist in your name? Can you prove that its no more and no less? If yes, how so?

A useful source I’ve found that continues this subject can be found in the Report titled “Cyberpayments and Money Laundering: Problems and Promise


text:
Solar Pool Heaters

Solar Pool Heaters

Installing a solar pool system will give you a renewable energy source with a reliable pool heating and running system. By specially designing the system to fit the needs of your swimming pool, it can be less expensive, easier to maintain, and more effective than your old system. The benefits of updating to a solar pool system are astounding. Not only will your system be easier and more effective to run, having a solar pool system will increase your property value, save you money, and extend your swimming season. Now you can enjoy your pool year-round!

How Does It Work?

By harnessing the power of the world’s cheapest and most available energy source, solar pool systems keep pool water pleasantly warm whenever you need it to be, all without moving parts, extra utility expenses, or complicated maintenance. Your only task is to set the desired temperature—the rest is solar energy at work. Your pool’s existing pump sends cold water through valves to solar collectors, where it then rises to the top and gets heated by the sun’s radiant energy. Once it’s nice and warm, it returns to your pool. That’s all there is to it!

Key Benefits

  • Renewable energy source
  • Reliable pool running and heating system
  • Easier to maintain and more effective
  • Increase your property value
  • Extend your swimming season
  • Less expensive to run
View Install Gallery


text:
A Five-Minute Cooks’ Tour

on the subject of – what else? – western Christian pilgrimage (clink on the following link) https://vimeo.com/183303404

The Way is Made by Walking

field of stones

Bare details don’t tell it all: Bær to Lundur, 17 km, Oddsstadir to Fitjar, 12.2. There is a map, but no obvious trail. Elínborg, Hulda and Floki, with few others, dream of a trail walked by Icelanders and others, to mark faith, and history, and friendship. They have planted posts over the years to help guide the way. But unlike the Camino, unlike even St Olaf’s, here there is rarely a visible path. A Spanish poet wrote that “the way is made by walking”. And isn’t that the way it is with life? The way is made by walking. And so is the trust, and the faith, and the community, and the hope. And the pilgrim.

made by walking.jpg

fording the stream

map of route

Norwegian Prairie Reunion

One of the pleasures of this North West Mounted Police Patrol trail walk was that I had the chance to do the last section of it in the company of some of the same folks who walked the St Olaf trail in Norway with me in 2013. Pictured are Allen Jorgenson, Kathryn Scott, and Gwenanne Jorgenson. The Jorgensons and I caught up (Gwenanne was a little less camera shy) and Kathryn and I got to sing and walk to our heart’s content. And Allen and I shared poetry. Mostly, the walking and lack of paper led to Haiku. Here’s one:

Listen! the trail says,         While you pilgrims toss and dream     Night’s creatures walk on.

fencepost on the Frenchman

Leaving Kongsvold

alpine pond near Dovre

For most of the morning, despite the signs saying otherwise, there really is no trail, just the steep side of the mountain. The grass is thick and slippery with overnight rain. The going is difficult: two of our group fall, one badly, somersaulting down the slope and rising painfully with an egg-sized bruise on her shin. We struggle along, unusually quiet. There are two more falls before lunch. No one says anything but I’m sure I’m not the only one worrying there will be an even more serious accident if the trail doesn’t soon improve. We’ve only gone two kilometers out of 25 planned for the day. Later, we find out that many pilgrims just skip this section of marked trail because their German or Norse guidebooks suggest going by the highway. We have no book.

“The best maps are conveyed orally and by gestures, occasionally with a pen and a scrap of paper…just where the road makes that imperceptible fork, that difficult turn” (Tomas Espedal, Tramp). But there was no informal guide to show us the secret, safe path. We are alone, six Canadians under a Norwegian sky. We manage in the only way, the old way, step by step.

When it’s safe to lift our heads, there’s a beautiful pass stretching before us. The trail, such as it is, perches us high above the highway, which is itself above a train track, all three thin parallel lines etched like afterthoughts into a narrow notch between steep granite. On breaks to catch our breath or adjust our boots, we scan the rock-face across from us, and especially the meadows between rockslides. If you want to see muskoxen look for boulders, said one of the Norwegians. Boulders that move.

It’s the end of June and there are still banks of snow on the upper flanks. Every hundred meters or so we meet another rushing mountain stream. Is there a bridge? Someone calls out from behind. There is? Thank God. Pilgrim prayers are increasingly simple. Thank God for goretex boots. Here there’s a larger stream, jumping and frothing and swollen with spring run-off. No bridge, but fortunately there are flat rocks and A moves a few into place to stand on. Two of our group take position, mid-current, to help support the others across, water coursing and spraying around our ankles. Crossing water has become routine. No one thinks much more about it until we round a switchback and come face to face with the fact that the gushing current we just traversed flies out the side of a cliff and drops fifty feet through empty space, only yards after our fording. Later that day a Norwegian pilgrim falls and manages to get out, but loses items from her backpack over the precipice.

There’s animal dung of every variety on the path. At first it’s a game to try to imagine the various creatures who have passed. But at one point just before a steep ascent it’s so thick we have to make a detour. The sheep and reindeer are smart, smiles G grimly, as she pushes up the incline; they know how to drop weight when a hill is coming. Yet climbing is easier than a descent. Your heart hammers and the moisture pools at the base of your back where most of the backpack weight sits. But there is none of the shock to your knees, the chance of slipping. And anyway, climbing is hopeful; it means going somewhere.

Eventually we emerge onto a huge flat table-plateau, where we’re rewarded by the high Norwegian landscape: moss-covered rocks and grey-green lichen stretching out in all directions to a treeless horizon. Without a mid-range, distances are deceiving. We see a cabin in the distance, perched on a giant, solitary rock. It takes forever to walk there. In front of the door is a grey mass that turns out to be a waist-high pile of reindeer antlers. We look around but there is no sign of human life, no one to explain the carnage. A flock of sheep approach and retreat, wheel around us in a spiral and disperse, alternating between curiosity and fear. For a few seconds we are two groups completely still, examining each other across the divide of species, before one of us makes a sound and they bolt away again.

After another hour or so under the huge vault of sky, someone calls for a stop. We find spots in the lee of boulders, sheltering from the increasingly cold wind. K pulls her hood up around her ears and falls back into the pillow of lichen. S, who was busy picking greenery in the lower altitudes now adds garnish from the wilderness to our bare sandwiches: leaves and flowers and herbs, edible evidence of where we’ve been. It’s late and there are still many kilometers to go before we sleep. But we pull our hats over our ears and pass the sandwiches and the tea. How long have we been walking? Four days now? Five? No one seems to remember. We lean back into the lichen, and enjoy a view we cannot name, looking out over this strange world like house-guests who are lost but can’t yet admit it.
Hjerkinn Fjellstue to Kongsvold Inn

The birthing of a pilgrimage

Allen ponderingThis hostel is accredited, begins the promotional blurb for Meso Gård , and recommended by the National Pilgrim Centre. It has met the same requirements, and holds the same standard, as the pilgrim accommodation along Camino de Santiago. But a Spanish pilgrim who comes to Norway will find themselves, not in a bunk room in barren and dusty Castrojeriz, but in a typical sod-roofed, log-cabin style Norwegian hostel in the Rennesbund district along the St-Olaf’s Way, where a river rushes by, birds are singing, mountain flowers bloom around you and everything is green. Meso is a world away from a Spanish albergue. And the differences aren’t just in the lack of Rioja and dust (the first to better deal with the second).

Those who planned the St-Olav Weg have tried to make it familiar. The elements are as standardized as the boarding procedure at airports. There is a passport, obtained from an official pilgrim centre and sized appropriately for tucking into a backpack, local business stamps validating one’s walk along the trail, trail markers along paths and roads and paint slashes on rocks to guide the way, ‘pilgrim meals’ offered at some local restaurants, and several revitalized ancient routes (traceable on a smart-phone app) toward a cathedral city celebrating a medieval saint.

Yet the similarities between the two pilgrimage routes are overshadowed by differences as high as Norway’s mountains. The mountains, in fact, may be the most obvious initial difference, at least from the Camino Frances part of the Spanish trail. It’s been less than two weeks since I walked with five other Canadians from Dovre, in the Dovrefjell district of Norway, 250 or so kilometres to Trondheim. As far as I know, we were the first group of Canadians ever to walk this way as pilgrims. Unlike my experiences on the crowded Camino Frances, there were very few others we met. Those we did echoed our experience of a satisfying but extremely tough walk through conditions more like the high Rockies than the Meseta. In part because of an unusually late, cold and wet spring, we forded swollen mountain streams, jumped from hillock to hillock through kilometres of bog, and in sections of the trail found ourselves going days without seeing other human beings, much less a store to purchase supplies. We fell down, we froze, we saw incredible beauty, one of our group broke her ankle among the endless tree roots. It may be ancient, but it was not an urban walk. Café con leche? Forget it, unless you have a thermos, some farm experience and can catch one of the abundant sheep or goats.

Because it is still early in the redevelopment of the St-Olaf Way, one of the most fascinating parts of the walk, for me, was how we met those still trying to put their mark on how the trail will develop. I felt like we were there at the beginnings of something important. We met chapel builders who want to make sure there will be a spiritual component to the walk, officials who seek the ‘new spirituality’, walkers interested primarily in ecology and environment, and others who are developing their businesses in hopes of increasing numbers of high-tech backpackers showing up at their doorsteps.

All of which raises some interesting questions. What gives a particular pilgrimage its unique character? Is there such a thing as a more or less authentic pilgrimage? It seems to me that the inevitable conflict of values in this birthing of a European pilgrimage route is useful, because it helps bring about something that, however it borrows from the past, is new. As my friend Allen Jorgenson noted, the role of land, and of landscape, is more important than some of us have realized. Maybe we should be talking about pilgrimscapes, and how the outer journey influences the shape of the inner one.

Whatever the medieval St-Olaf route once was, there is now a struggle for its modern identity. It is definitely not the Camino. What it will be remains to be seen.
Alpine shelter

The Hidden Pilgrim

sunset in Budsjord
Our first night in the mountains of central Norway, we found ourselves in the absolutely idyllic Budsjord Gard, a small farm converted into a pilgrim and traveler centre. Centre is too grand a word: one of the buildings is a former horse stable where five beds are lined up in the five stalls. The night we stayed there our eldest traveling companion was put up in one of the former granges, where even short people have to stoop to go in the door, there are holes in the walls (a temperature problem on a very cold June night) and there is a nearly-foot wide gap between the entrance and top stone stair, a hole through which it would be a 2 meter fall to the ground below. The common bathroom is a renovated interior in an old building entered through a hobbit-sized door, where a bedrock piece of granite sticks up through part of the floor in front of the wash basin. Several of the buildings have the overgrown turf roofs typical of old Norwegian farm out-buildings. I absolutely loved the place.

Add to the charm of the scenery a wide-eyed young Norwegian woman who with breathless sweetness told us that it was her first day on the job and we were her first pilgrims, and a one-armed and grizzled German pilgrim who arrived mid-way through out meal, asked for food and lodging and told us, wiping the sweat from his brow with his stump as he ate his supper that he was a former marathon runner and on the St-Olaf way was averaging 25 miles a day through the mountains. Especially impressive given that the range is traversed with swollen spring streams. Between the German’s lively and intelligent face and the almost unbelievable open-eyed innocence of the hostess it was all I could do to wait until the poor man had eaten to pull out my camera and ask them both for interviews.

I asked all the usual questions of the German pilgrim. Despite his obvious intensity and the wonderful character evident in his face, I was a bit disappointed with what I got: a listing of distances, mostly. I put away the camera.

Later, I bumped into the German outside the washroom. He motioned to me. “Listen,” he said to me in his half-English, half-German. “I didn’t say this inside. But I have another reason for going on this pilgrimage. I am walking 500 km to find out if God exists.” What I was thinking was: why does this always happen? But I fought the urge to go get my equipment. Not entirely happy, I just stayed put and listened. “34 years ago,” he said, “there was a young man – me – who had an accident and was – how do you say it – not with it, with life I mean. Out of life for three days. I was between death and life, and somehow I came back to life. Now I want to know why. Now I walk to find out if there is a God and if God brought me back as an accident, or for some reason.” “Do you want to tell me that on camera?” I ask him. “No.” he says, “But I want you to know.”

At Norwegian Customs

When it’s my turn at the customs booth the uniformed official in the booth asks why I’m visiting Norway. “The Saint-Olaf trail,” I say. Then, when her face registers nothing, I add: “I’m going to walk on the St-Olaf way from Dovre to Trondheim.” I’m careful to pronounce the “h” in Trondheim as a “y”, the way I’ve heard it done. “So you’ll be coming back to Oslo?” she asks. She’s not looking at me, making a point of it, flipping through the pages, checking where I’ve been on this passport. “No, flying out from Trondheim.” I get to say that “y” twice, a secret pleasure. “When do you leave the country?” This still looking at my passport as if it contains some secret unknown to me but that she has to discover.
She’s about my age, I realize, or only very slightly older, in her mid 50s, maybe. I think I see in her face the same kind of lines I know from my childhood among the Scandinavian settlers in the Canadian west where I grew up. But maybe that’s the romantic part of me, stretching to make some connection in this land whose people and language seems so foreign to me, even though half my genes come from this soil. “In 13 days” I answer. I wonder if there’s a problem. Then, because my default is always to try to make contact, even when I shouldn’t, I add: “I hope, at least. Depends on how it goes on the Way.” She reaches for her stamp without any indication that she’s even heard what I’ve said. Then, as she pushes the official imprint of Norway down onto the paper, she looks up and, almost unbelievably, smiles, a big broad smile. “So you’re a pilgrim?” she asks. Despite my attempts to introduce just that subject, I’m caught off guard. “I guess so,” I answer awkwardly. “Enjoy your time in Norway. Have a good trip.” She hands me back the passport, the words “Canada” on the top, facing me. Then when she looks up at me, I hesitate in place, wondering if there’s more of this conversation to come, until I realize she’s actually looking through me to the person behind me. “Next,” she calls out.


text:
How to get a job on a Ski Season (Seasonaire)

Hello Everyone!

We have a lot of people asking us “how do we do it?” or saying “that sounds great fun; I wish I could do it”. Well you can and here are some hints, tip, website links and important information to help you on your way.

Starting Out

The first thing you need is relevant skills, can you cook? Can you clean? Can you entertain a room of guests? Employers will be looking for relevant skills, if you have been a chef or worked in the hospitality industry for example. Even things like working in a supermarket on the checkouts is a great skill, it means you’ll have a serious tolerance for customers! If you’ve never worked with people before perhaps a job in a cafe or shop will help you get an idea of how to deal with customers, this would help you prepare yourself for being a Seasonaire.  A lot of companies will ask for at least a year of working in a customer face environment or within the catering/hospitality industry.

Your CV

Your CV is a chance to sell yourself to your future employers and is a very important part of getting a job no matter what it is. With the right and relevant information on your CV you have a better chance of an interview.

You should include relevant;

  • Jobs e.g. cafes, cooking, cleaning, hospitality, shops
  • Experience, for example; hosting dinner parties or cooking for groups
  • Qualifications, for example; food hygiene certificate

Finding Jobs

There are always a lot of jobs available for the winter season and finding the right one is important.

A good place to start is on Natives or Season Workers (Links to both are below). Both these websites are great for finding the correct job as they both have a search bar that you can select a country and job type.

It’s a great idea to sign up for the job alerts to both these websites. You can have specific alerts, for example “chalet host” “driver” etc. I have included the email sign up link for Natives below! Both these websites allow you to create a profile and upload your CV to your profile, making it easier to apply for jobs the click of a button. This also allows employers to contact you if they like the look of your profile. You can also go directly to companies to apply for jobs, especially if you already know which resort you’d like to work in.

Season Workers

Job Adverts

Our current employers have been so kind to let us use their job advert on Natives for this upcoming winter season 2017 as an example! Thank you Book4Alps 🙂

Book4Alps is a family run chalet company with 3 catered chalets in Les Carroz, Grand Massif. We are looking for chalet chefs and hosts who would like to join us for the winter season 2017/2018. You can apply as couples, friends or individual for these positions.

We are looking for somebody, who loves to work with people and children, is trustworthy, has a good eye for detail and has a fun personality. As chalet chef, you must have cooking experience and must feel comfortable with your knife skills. As chalet host, you need to be bubbly, need to be able to communicate well and have a good understanding of housekeeping and service standards.
We will offer 3 weeks of pre-season training and the training also continues throughout the season.

Key responsibilities
Chalet Host
Being a warm and friendly host to the guests and dealing with any guest issues that may arise
Cook breakfast (6 days a week)
Clean chalet bedrooms and public areas
Set up afternoon cake station
Set tables and serve dinner with wine (6 days a week)
be in charge of the day to day running of your chalet
Laundry and ironing of bed linen and towels
Comply with all procedures & standards as set out by your manager
Provide resort information and ski area information to your guests
Help with snow clearing
Control the wine stocks including storing & serving wine at the correct temperature
Check your chalet equipment, fixtures and fittings
Assist other team members when needed

Chalet Chef
You need to have a passion for cooking and an understanding of HACCP
Cook in a team of 4 chefs in the morning
Prepare our chalet food for your guests in the evening
Cleaning of the kitchen
Preparation of food
Assist in purchasing food
Help with snow clearing
Getting bread from the bakery
Care and maintenance of chalet equipment, fixtures and fittings
Assist team members when needed

About you
An EU passport and a permanent UK National Insurance Number
Driver’s license
A passion for cooking, people and the mountains
A positive attitude and helpful manner
Be able to work under pressure
Willingness to learn and be open minded
A love of skiing/snowboarding and the mountains
An ability to work on own initiative and be a good team player
A good communicator with guests, manager and the team
Punctual and flexible
Hospitality Experience of minimum 1 year

Please send your full CV and motivation letter.
We are looking forward hearing from you. Here – Or check them out here

This advert gives you a wide amount of information about the job and the skills that are required of you. This will also help you decide if this is the job for you.

Perks and what’s included

As with most things in life ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!’ Every company offers something different but it is usually very similar.

  • Competitive salary, around £400
  • Flights and transfers to and from resort
  • Season Ski Hire
  • Season Lift Pass for your area
  • Insurance
  • Meals provided or meal money
  • Uniform
  • Friends and Family Discount

All of the above are the generic things that you are offered when taking a season, some companies will pay you less or more. Some companies will also offer extra perks, for example when we worked in Finland we had free access to the swimming pool, use of the fat bikes and pizza discounts! Its always best the check out what’s on offer before accepting a job. All good employers will go through all of this with you either in the interview and or it will be emailed to you prior to a job offer.

It’s that time again to mention my favorite TripAdvisor! It is a great way to check out companies before you work for them. I TripAdvisor search all the companies before we apply for them as it gives you a great insight on how well things are going for them and if there are any real issues. With everything, you will find especially for bigger companies there are bad comments or bad reviews in general. Its best to read as many as you can, most of the time the bad reviews are down to things that are out of the hosts hands but how the company gives a response or has dealt with it will give you a good idea on the company itself.

Some companies don’t have a bad review in sight; these tend to be smaller more staff friendly companies. It’s always a good idea to read these reviews too!

We also use Instagram to have a look at potential companies; staff that have worked at the potential companies, food, fun etc. If the staff look like they are enjoying themselves or are posting pictures from their chalets, of their guests and on behalf of the company, its usually means they are happy. Use the company as a hashtag and see what others are posting about them!

If this hasn’t made up your mind already about taking the leap and diving into a ski season then check out our previous post ‘Working to travel or travelling for fun,’ It’s full of information to help you get you ‘on board!’

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
What’s Love Got to do With it? The Answer is EVERYTHING!

What’s Love Got To Do With It? The Answer Is Everything!

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

We must carry ourselves with such confidence that we are highly loved with no sign of rejection, hurt, and disappointment. We are what the Word says … LOVED.

Just as Jesus Christ died on the cross and gave up His life for us – so that we can be completely free — is how we are to love and care for others.

We must love them into the Kingdom.

Love them when they are hurt. Love them when they are broken. Love them when they are angry. Love them when they are proud. Love them when they feel rejected.

If we, as children of the King, were set free the day we accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour, shouldn’t we love others just like Christ did — and follow His example. If we don’t, then who will?

A broken person can’t lead the broken. An angry individual can’t lead someone else suffering from equally anger issues. The rejected can’t lead others who personally know rejection into a secure place of freedom.

Only those whose heart in child-like faith surrendered their heart to Jesus, now desiring to walk like their Saviour in love.

Indeed, what has love got to do with it? Everything.

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Mixing Engineer, Music Artist

LA on SoundBetter

I have worked with many artists over the years in the music industry, Now you can have the chance to have an amazing sounding mix & master on your song.

I will mix, master, produce, co-produce, ghost write your songs and have them Ready for radio, festivals, & charts! I've been producing for 10 years & have tracks on Spotify, ITunes, Soundcloud & More. My music has been performed and played all around the world including a major record label Mafia Records based in Czech Republic.

I have years of extensive experience working with some of the best producers and artists in the world.
I have had a #1 song on RadioSpin.cz for continuous weeks!

EDM, Progressive, Rock, Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, Trance, Deep, Tribal, Future Bass, Future House, Tropical, Trap, Techno, Tech House, Dubstep, Pop, and more!
I specialize in Pop, Hip Hop, And R&B.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Endorse LA
    Liam Adams, Confused With You

    I was the Mixing Engineer in this production

    Terms Of Service

    Please understand that all projects can take up to a week to be completed to high standard and I will not accept extra costs to speed up my work process.

    GenresSounds Like
    • Chris Brown
    • Trey Songz
    • Young Thug
    Gear Highlights
    • Presonus Studio Channel
    • Aston Origin
    • Nueman U87
    More Photos
    More Samples


text:
Matches - Mermaid

These dainty and stylish matches are the perfect way to accent your Southern Firefly candle. Toss them in with a hostess gift or lay them on top of a stack of books for a sophisticated touch. Each decorative box comes with 50 tipped, long form matches and strike strip.

Related Items


text:
, , , , , , , ,

This winter has been ENDLESS. It felt so good to see the sun this week and enjoy the opening weekend of our downtown farmer’s market!  And, there is always the excitement of living in a horse racing town during derby weekend 🙂

We were happy to stroll the farmer’s market and check out our favorite booths– Pucker’s Pickles is typically our first stop!  My son and I love it all! From sweet to spicy…pickles to kimchi…yum!  I bought a big bag of fresh baby greens to enjoy for dinner with black bean burritos (oh vegan cinco de mayo!) and the kids enjoyed their first delicious chicken pot pie of the season from the Food Florist. Their pre-prepared meals are incredible and already frozen so that it’s easy to stock up for days when you don’t feel like cooking.

Of course we had to walk down Broadway after the farmer’s market and see who won the Dog Day coloring contest at Impressions of Saratoga. This lovely shop is one of our favorite places and they frequently do fundraisers for animal welfare in our community.

We ended up watching the Kentucky Derby at home bc the hubs is on call this weekend. My son picked the winning horse and we all cheered Justify to victory!  I won’t lie–muddy tracks are terrifying and I was so glad to see that none of the horses slipped.

Cheers to summer in our sweet little city!


text:
What Method Is Best If You Can't Afford Immersion

Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Types of Spanish Classes and other Spanish topics.

What if I can't afford full immersion?

What Method Is Best If You Can't Afford Immersion

This is an ongoing debate among educators. However, it is largely agreed upon that as much immersion as possible is best. In other words, a speaking class that is taught entirely in the target language, accompanied by an exchange program with native speakers etc. However, there is some degree to which this varies with learning styles. Some people can only learn vocabulary through association, some can only learn it through memorization. Some people can only learn grammar through context, others can only learn it through formulae. The key is to find and recognize your particular learning style and then seek out an appropriate program. Forcing yourself to learn in a style that doesn't suite you will not get you far and it will only waste your time and money. That said, keep in mind that learning a language requires pushing your boundaries and your comfort zone. It can be intimidating at times and require you to push yourself to new levels. Never reject a teaching technique just because it pushes you. On the other hand don't stick with a program that isn't working once you've given it your all.

Nobody has commented on this tip yet. Be the first.

URL: (optional)

Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Spanish Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!

Guru Spotlight
Lynne Christen


text:
MMORPG is an online role-playing game in which a very large number people participate simultaneously and interact with one another within a virtual world. The player assumes the role of a character and takes control over many of that character's actions.

In most MMORPG's players earn experience points and the points are used to reach character levels. To gain these points action are taken. Combat with monsters and completing quests for non-player characters, either alone or in groups. The accumulation of wealth and useful items is also a way to progress in many MMORPGs.

World of Warcraft is a MMORPG released in 2004 by Bizarre entertainment, it is the fourth game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe. World of Warcraft is the world's most-subscribed MMORPG, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG by subscribers. Like many other MMORPG's Worlds of Warcraft players controls a character avatar within a game world in different views (first or third person), they explore the landscape, fight various monsters, complete quests, and interact with non-player characters (NPCs) or other players.

Also similar to other MMORPG, This MMORPG requires the player to pay for a subscription, either by buying prepaid game cards for a selected amount of playing time or using a credit or debit card to pay on a regular basis.

Made with Adobe Slate

Make your words and images move.

Get Slate

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a Copyright Violation, please follow Section 17 in the Terms of Use.


text:
Beginner sewer · Christmas · Holiday · Janie's Posts · Purses and Bags · Sewing

Janie’s Easy Wine Gift Bags

If you are giving a bottle of wine as a gift, why not add a homemade touch to it with a fabric wine gift bag? These easy bags can be made in under an hour and really dress up the bottle.

Makes 6 wine bags:

  • 1 yard printed cotton, with grapes, wine bottles, or xmas motif
  • 4 yards narrow ribbon, color to match print on the fabric
  • Small piece of cardboard, cut into a circle with a 4″ to 4 1/4″ diameter

  • Seam allowances are 1/4″ unless otherwise stated.
  • Always back stitch at the beginning and end of sewing, unless otherwise stated.
  • RS = right side of fabric, WS = wrong side of fabric
  1. Cut the fabric into 6 pieces, 13 1/2″ high by 11 1/2″ wide.  Pay special attention to preserve the pattern of the fabric (if applicable) in the direction you want.
  2. From the remaining fabric, cut 6 circles using the piece of cardboard as a pattern.
  3. Cut the ribbon into 6 – 24″ pieces.
  4. Seam the “body” of the bag by folding the rectangle piece of fabric in half length wise, with RS together. Use a zigzag stitch to reinforce the seam. You should now have a cylindrical-shaped piece of fabric that is 13 1/2″ high, with circular openings on each end – 11 inches in diameter.
  5. Press open your seam.
  6. With WS of the cylinder facing out, fit a circle with WS facing out into the bottom of the cylinder. Pin the circle in place.IMG_0661
  7. Using a zigzag stitch, sew around the circle (this will become the bottom of your wine bag).
  8. Hem the top of your bag. Just in case hemming is new to you: First, fold in the (raw) top edge of the bag 1/4″ and press. Then, fold in/under another 1/2″ and press. Your first fold rolls inside the second and you end up with a nice folded edge on both the top and bottom. Press this double fold and stitch down, sewing close to the fold in the fabric.
    IMG_0663 (1)
  9. Fold the ribbon in half and attach to the seam on the RS of the bag body, 2″ below the top.
    IMG_0664 (1)
  10. Place your bottle of wine in the bag and tie the ribbon, and you are ready to go!

– Janie

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Page Links

Home      About      Reviews      Contact

21 February 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Loved More Than I Thought I Would

'Top Ten Tuesday' is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. I love making lists, so this feature fits me perfectly! If you also take part in this feature or have any additions to my lists, please get in touch; I'd love to hear from you!
10 Books I Loved More Than I Thought I Would

I've skipped Top Ten Tuesday a few weeks in a row because the assignments for the past weeks just didn't really work well for me, but I'm back with a great top 10 list to share with all of you, if I may say so myself! I immediately liked this week's topic, because I think we all know that feeling of having certain expectations before you pick up a particular novel, and how amazing it is when the book turns out to exceed all those expectations you had... I had a look at some of the books I've read the past year or so and picked out 10 that I ended up loving more than I initially thought I would; check out the overview below!

Be sure to share your own TTT's in the comments section below; I'd love to hear from you!

1. 'Destination Thailand' - Katy Colins

When I received a review copy of this novel I already hoped I would end up enjoying it, but I had no idea how much I would fall in love with Katy Colins' writing and this series... You must check it out if you're a chick lit fan because you're definitely missing out on something good!

2. 'The Mating Season' - Laurie Horowitz

When I was asked to review several 'Bookshots', I was curious to give this genre of quick, short and fast-paced reads a chance. However, I didn't expect to really love some of the novellas, like 'The Mating Season', which is simply great read.

3. 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' - J.K. Rowling & others

I think we all had different kinds of expectations when this story was released last year. However, I have to say, I ended up loving it. I was afraid it would not be able to match the other Harry Potter books, but I really fell in love with this story in its own way.

4. 'The Trouble with Emma' - Katie Oliver

As a big Jane Austen fan I am always curious to find out what other authors decide to do with her classic novels. Luckily, Katie Oliver only exceeded my expectations with her adaptations and she has become one of my favourite Austen authors of the moment.

5. 'Fooling Around with Cinderella' - Stacy Juba

I had no idea what I was going to be in for when I started this particular novel I was asked to review, but I ended up loving it; such a great read that completely surprised me with its amazingness!

6. 'How to Get Ahead in Television' - Sophie Cousens

Same with this one; when I picked it up I already thought I would like it, but it turned out to be so much better than I initially thought.

7. 'The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper' - Phaedra Patrick

I wasn't really sure what to make of this one when I was asked to review, but I quickly got lost in the story and didn't want it to ever end; another unexpected fantastic read.

8. 'Missing Pieces' - Heather Gudenkauf

I'm usually not a big fan of thrillers, but this read blew me away.

9. 'Twilight' - Stephenie Meyer

I actually saw the film before I read the book. I really liked the film, but was blown away by the book.

10. 'The Help' - Kathryn Stockett

Wasn't really sure about what to expect with this one at first, but once again a novel that managed to blow me away and became one of my favourites.

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
Why Dogs are the Perfect Running Partner

Reynold Krieg
Reynold Krieg

Sep 23, 2014

All dog owners will unanimously tell you that the joys of having a dog are unparalleled.  Regardless of a bad day, there's always a tail wag and a happy tongue coming at you when you open the door after a long day at work.  Bad hair day...they think you look great.  Money problems...don't care they'll eat paper if they have to.  Wanna do nothing all day, but sit on the couch...they're in....they're always in!  Dogs are simply a man's best friend.

For many of us, the companionship of a dog isn't restricted to the house or even the yard.  The best companion for a good run is without a doubt an athletic dog.  In my personal experience, I was never a runner.  I grew up playing team sports and I thought running was just a byproduct.  Running by itself was just....boring.  Then I got a Siberian Husky.  And there was simply no choice.  Having an energetic little Siberian Husky puppy is like having a Tasmanian devil as your roommate.  Destruction and mischievous behavior will occur if they're not properly exercised!

Best Running Dogs

So we started running.  At first, as most of you know, getting used to running is like teaching your mind to meditation.  It's the opposite ADHD feeling you get when you check your phone 4 times every 3 minutes.  You first have to learn to relax your mind and just calmly enjoy the run.  Then you learn what endurance is...that part is not fun (for you).  And finally after a while you realize what stamina is.  All the while, your dog has mastered all three of these on his first jog around the blog..

.Best Running Dogs

Now most people love a running partner, similar to, but still very different to the people who like a workout (gym) partner.  A running partner is essentially a pacemaker or someone that pushes you when you start getting lazy...this is all about competition and motivation. Different from a gym partner, however, you can't really talk too much during a brisk jog, which is why a dog makes a great alternative for a running partner.  Most dogs pace fine with humans, but if you want to be pushed, there's never a question that your pooch can turn on the jets and always give you a little more of a kick in the butt when necessary.

Additionally, will never hear a lame excuse come out of your dog's snout.  In fact, dogs will run anywhere, anytime, for whatever distance you want to go for.  And on top of that, they'll do it wagging their tail with a dog smile on their pretty little face!

Best Running Dogs

Lastly, companionship...just like the bond you have with your dog when you're having a lazy day just watching the toob, the connection between you and your dog while you're running strengthens your relationship and your bond.  Running is great for both physical and mental health of you and your dog.  Releasing energy helps alleviate any unwanted, negative behavior which is rewarding to you when you don't have to have pillows or shoes eaten up every other day.  At the same time, we all know it's important to feed your dog properly, but it's just as important to keep him physically fit.  As our society has grown more and more overweight, so have our canine companions...and they don't have a choice to get up and leave to go to the gym so it's important that we get them outside and get them the proper amount of exercise to keep them healthy.

Either way, running with your dog for 3 minutes or 30 minutes a day yields enormous dividends and is great for your both you and your dog's health. Your dog will love you and you will both look and feel better every mile marker you pass.

Note:  Running a puppy too much can stunt his growth and cause longer term issues with his joints, bones, and muscles.  Similarly, running an old dog too much can cause joint, muscle, and bone discomfort or injury.  Always remember to consult your vet to ensure your dog is healthy enough to run with you.

Popular Posts

dog Dogs Lifestyle Popular

Dry Food versus Wet Food: The Debate

dog Dogs Lifestyle Popular sportleash Sports

SportLeash: At the Intersection of Quality, Function, and Style

100% Moneyback Guarantee & FREE 3 Day Shipping on all USA Orders!


text:
01:11 GMT +322 September 2018
Listen Live
    Volunteers wait for the arrival of a rubber dinghy packed with refugees and migrants on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, January 29, 2016.

    Death Toll From Migrant Boat Shipwreck off Turkey Reaches 33 - Reports

    © REUTERS / Darrin Zammit Lupi
    Get short URL
    0 37

    The number of migrants killed in the Saturday's shipwreck off Turkey's western coast reached 33, local media reported.

    MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the earlier reports, 10 people died as a boat sank on its way to the Greek Lesbos island.

    The Turkish coast guard rescued 75 people, the Anadolu news agency said. The shipwreck took place near Turkey's western town of Ayvacik. Mostly Syrian, Afghan, and Burmese refugees were on board the vessel.

    Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their home countries to escape violence and poverty. Many of them take the West Balkan route, which crosses Greece, using the county as an entry-point to the bloc.

    The International Organization for Migration, recorded more than 52,000 migrant and refugee arrivals to Greece by sea in 2016, over 35 times more than in January 2015.

    Over 20 Migrants Missing After Shipwreck Near Lesbos in Greece - Mayor
    Neva Shipwreck Discovery Sheds Light on Sailors' Miraculous Survival
    Survivors of Migrant Boat Shipwreck in Mediterranean Head to Sicily
    shipwreck, migrants, Lesbos, Turkey
    Community standardsDiscussion
    Comment via FacebookComment via Sputnik
    • Сomment


text:
Investing in youth to achieve lasting peace and sustainable development

27 April 2018

Youth4Youth: UNFPA facilitates provincial symposiums to connect young people from around the island and to promote youth participation in peacebuilding

27 April 2018: Sri Lanka’s youth population is estimated to be 4.4 million. This is 25 per cent of the total population, who have the potential to actively participate in policymaking, drive innovative ideas, and to contribute towards sustaining peace in Sri Lanka. Recognizing this, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sri Lanka, giving effect to the Security Council Resolution on Youth, Peace, and Security (UNSCR 2250), strives to mobilize young people as integral stakeholders in peacebuilding and decision-making processes.

UNFPA’s Youth4Youth programme empowers young people from the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Central provinces to come together to discuss social issues and to propose and implement community projects to address these issues, while learning from each other. During the programme, youth also have the opportunity to engage with mentors from the Government, private-sector, academia, and civil society, to receive guidance in designing sustainable and community projects.

This will be my first time travelling to the South of Sri Lanka”, said Suhail (23) from Mullaitivu, sharing his views on the upcoming Youth4Youth Southern Province symposium to be held from 3 – 6 May 2018. “I am really excited about meeting and interacting with young people of our age, who are from a totally different region in the country!

Suhail initially engaged with UNFPA through the first Youth4Youth regional symposium for youth from the Northern Province, that was held in November 2017. During the 4-day regional symposium, over 100 youth from 5 districts of the Northern Province came together to actively discuss and implement solutions to address issues within their communities.

As a member of the youth-led organizing committee of Youth4Youth, Suhail also travelled to Batticaloa to be part of the second Youth4Youth regional symposium for youth from the Eastern Province. This four-day symposium was held in February 2018, and brought together over 80 young people representing various communities from both urban and rural settings of the Eastern Province, as well as students from the Vaalvosai School for Deaf Children in Batticaloa.

Suhail is one of the 10 active members of the youth-led organizing committee, who travels to the different provinces to meet with like-minded young people from around the country, through the Youth4Youth programme.

Speaking on the importance of the Youth4Youth programme, UNFPA Representative in Sri Lanka, Ms. Ritsu Nacken, said: “The recent acts of communal violence were disheartening, and proved even more the reason why young people must be at the heart of peacebuilding. Young people are a strong force of creativity, innovation, and change. We are proud to enable youth to connect with their brothers and sisters from the North, East, South, and Central Provinces, and to provide them a platform to continuously engage with one another, towards building lasting peace.”

The Youth4Youth programme is delivered by UNFPA in partnership with UN Volunteers (UNV), and supported by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.


text:
April 15, 2018

April Challenge #15

Three pet peeves.

1.  People who forward all those chain letter type things via text or Facebook Messenger. Nothing is going to happen if you forward it to 42 of your closest acquaintances (except that you may expose them to being hacked or picking up a virus). Nothing will happen if you hit the delete button (except that you may keep your friends).

2.  When people don't say anything all day, but let me sit down to do something I enjoy and all of a sudden they have a million things to say. Then get all offended when I'm a bit put out.

3.  People who complain and moan about something just to show you they are just like you when you both know they are not.  Examples: Skinny people who complain about needing to lose weight or about not being able to gain any weight. Really??  Model-beautiful women complaining about how bad they look when you're over here with a ponytail that looks like it's been through a tornado and wearing the last clothes you had to wear until you do laundry.  Wealthy people who complain about how much their new BMW/boat/house/cruise cost.

1 comment:

  1. #1? ...AMEN!!! #2? ...Sounds like my hubby, lol! #3's a great perspective. So glad to have left that (her) behind in Phoenix!

Hi and thanks for visiting! I love hearing from readers and friends so please do leave a comment and I'll respond as soon as I can.


text:
• my photo

    Click photo for About Me

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 922 other followers

  • Watermarks

  • Pinterest

    Follow Me on Pinterest
  • Amazing Deals

    Click image for Amazing Deals!

  • PPA11, PPA35, PPA76 Artist Pick

  • Share this blog

    Bookmark and Share
  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Recent Posts

  • Blog Stats

    • 363,017 hits
  • Meta

  • Disclaimer

    All content found at Stampin' by Genny is the sole responsibility of Genevieve Valdes, a Stampin’ Up! Independent Demonstrator. Stampin’ Up! does not endorse, edit, or otherwise contribute to this website.
  • Advertisements

Isn’t it Romantic

This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments there’s a big announcement.  We’ve added five more designers to our Design Team.  We’re so excited!  Please hop on over and welcome them by leaving a comment.  Also we have a wonderful color challenge with the romantic colors of red, black and ivory or white.  You can use any shade of red – Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Riding Hood Red or any other shade of red you prefer combine it with Black Whisper White or Very Vanilla.

I’ve been wanting to make different versions of corset cards and I CASED this corset shape card from Ink Stained Roni.  Hop over to her blog to get the template and other ideas.  The card base is Very Vanilla and I covered the front of the card with the music notes background from the Newsprint DSP and I sponged the edges with Riding Hood Red.  I’m down to a couple of sheets and I must buy more Newsprint DSP.  I’ve also been playing with the Red Glitter paper and I think it’s fabulous.  It’s perfect for adding that touch of bling.  I punched the hearts with the Small Heart punch and I also used my favorite embellishments – Victoria Crochet Trim and Vintage brads.

The candle is stamped with the medallion and flourish from the Artistic Etching stamp set.  I also added a red glitter heart and crochet trim.  Stamping on candles is very easy and there is a step-by-step tutorial on  SCS.  I hope you’re inspired by this week’s color challenge and show us your romantic side on HSS.

I also love the challenges over at PPA so I submitted my project.   There are so many talented crafters that participate.  Check them out.

Stampin' Up! Valentine musical corset and Artistic Etchings stamped candle

click image to enlarge

All Stampin’ Up! supplies below may be ordered from my website or email me to place your order.

All products are Stampin’ Up! unless noted.

Isn’t it Romantic gift set

Card Size: Approx. 4.25″ w x 5.50″h

Stamp Sets: Candle:  Artistic Etchings

Paper: CS: Very Vanilla; DSP: Newsprint, Red Glitter Paper

Ink: Classic Ink Pad: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black

Card Accessories: Small heart punch,  5/8″ Victoria Crochet Trim ribbon, 5/8″ Black Satin Ribbon, 5/8″ Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Basic Pearls, sponge dauber

Candle Accessories: Small heart punch, Basic Pearls, 5/8″ Victoria Crochet Trim ribbon

Technique: Stamping, Candle Stamping, Punch Art

5 Responses

  1. Gorgeous project and oh so romantic 🙂 Love the corset with that ribbon, how pretty. Someday I really need to stamp on a candle yours is beautiful.

  2. HI Genny! Such beautiful projects, very romantic and fun. Your bow is fabulous, too. Like Kathy, you have also inspired me to try stamping on a candle. Wow, what a gorgeous effect with that stamp set.

    Thank you so much for the opportunity to work with you at HSS! I am really looking forward to having a lot of fun! Have a great day today! 🙂

  3. Gen, I love your projects this week. The candle is my favorite, but I love the way you did the bow on the corset card. So very elegant. Thanks for the invitation to the Design Team.

  4. What a great gift set! Love the corset. Thanks for asking me to be on the team. We have a great group!

  5. Genny,
    These projects are incredible! I especially love the red glitter paper on the corset card. Beautiful!

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Feb 22 through Apr 12: NEW CODA\ACOA Recovery Group Program

February 22, 2018 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

To reclaim your inner strength and truth is a courageous journey – it is The Next Step

Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 pm beginning on Feb 22, 2018 and extending for 8 weeks. Facilitated by:  Geoff Farnsworth  Tuition: $25 per session.  Space is limited to the first 8 to register. For more information contact Geoff at (856) 854-3155, ext 110 or email him at coachgf@mac.com.

Click here to view or download the pdf.


text:
Skip to main content

What a night last week in Southern Minnesota. A night of multiple motor vehicle accidents and the need for immediate medical emergency responses. The Rochester Post Bulletin had the time line recently:

• At 3:21 p.m., a tour bus carrying 22 people crashes on Interstate 90, killing two people and injuring 20.

• At 5:15 p.m., a school bus carrying 22 students from Wabasha-Kellogg High School collided with a car on U.S. 63 North in Rochester, injuring eight students and seriously injuring the car’s driver and passenger.

• Minutes later, an ambulance that was headed to the scene of the school bus crash was involved in a four-vehicle accident on Second Street Southwest. Two people were injured and had to be extricated from their vehicles.

• About 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Savior in southeast Rochester, a vehicle struck a pedestrian, then slammed into the church.

Four separate significance incidents, within four hours, all of which required quick responses. There was a need for police, sheriffs, troopers, firefighters, ambulance crews and helicopter personnel. There also the vital requirement of hospital and emergency room personnel . What a test for even a much larger area. It sounds like the test was not only met , but that it was exceeded in it’s expectations.

I often talk to clients that will point out the difference that the emergency personal made. When I get the chance I thank these individuals for their past and future service. Hopefully, everyone will do that.

  1. Gravatar for Tom

    Mike, this is excellent stuff. As a member of the Armed Forces, I appreciate the danger that these folks endure on a daily basis. It is a shame that some parts of popular culture tend to degrade these heroes. Hip-hop music and culture is especially derogatory of law enforcement. Don't get me wrong, there are police that overstep the bounds but we as a culture need to rally behind these heroes in uniform.

  2. Gravatar for Mike Bryant

    I totally agree, it is important to thank those that put themselves in harms way. They wear the uniform and each day protect what we each hold dear. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. And Thank You for your service commitment.

Comments are closed.

Of Interest


text:
Passionate about creating things

Introducing WP Present

Easily create interactive slide presentations with the power of WordPress and the elegance of Reveal.js Beta now available for download at View the Demo

Access Raspbian SD Cards in OSX

OSX does not provide native support for EXT2 and EXT3 file systems, thus preventing access to the data contained within. For my first Raspberry Pi project, I had decided that I would attempt to create...

My Podcast Debut

Today I joined Matt Medeiros of the Matt Report for the latest installment of Week in WordPress.  I was fortunate to team up with Carrie Dils, Garrett Moon of Todaymade, and Robert Neu of WP...

I’m Speaking at WordCamp Boston

This Saturday I will be giving my first ever WordCamp talk on “Breaking Away from the Blog: Unconventional WordPress“. How often have you heard the phrase, “WordPress is great, but I need more than...

WP CLI Batch Import

Sometimes you may receive your WordPress export XML files broken up into chunks.  When this happens, it can be cumbersome to import each file one-by-one.  Instead, try throwing everything into a sub-folder and running...


text:
Valentine’s Day Survey: Men expect more than Women

Chase Blueprint® released its second annual Chase Blueprint Valentine’s Day Survey highlighting the complexities of gift giving and managing money while in a relationship.

  • On Valentine’s Day, men expect nearly $230 to be spent on them, compared to women, who expect just $196. Yet, women plan to spend less ($71) than men ($98) on presents this Valentine’s Day. Overall, men (43 percent) are more likely than women (22 percent) to prefer no gifts on Valentine’s Day.

“Setting expectations for Valentine’s Day spending is just one way to begin talking about finances with your significant other,” said Tom O’Donnell, senior vice president, Chase. “Having an open and honest conversation about your financial expectations and priorities is a key to successfully managing money in any relationship.”

  • Overall, Americans plan to spend an average of $84 on gifts this Valentine’s Day.
  • Yet, those who expect to receive a gift this year want an average of $210 spent on them.
  • Those in a relationship expect an average of $240 to be spent on them.
Who's picking up the bigger tab?

Who’s picking up the bigger tab?

Surprises: Good or Bad?

  • Nearly seven-in-10 (69 percent) of Americans would prefer their spouse or significant other surprise them rather than pick out their own Valentine’s Day gift (31 percent), according to the survey.

With that in mind, here are some helpful insights from the 2014 Chase Blueprint Valentine’s Day Survey to help you plan your Valentine’s Day surprises:

  • When thinking about Valentine’s Day and asked to choose between flowers or chocolates, 60 percent of Americans prefer chocolates to flowers (40 percent).
  • Nearly two-in-three (64 percent) Americans prefer to go out to dinner at a restaurant rather than have a home-cooked meal (36 percent).
  • Sixty percent of Americans would prefer the latest technology item rather than jewelry (40 percent).

Popping the Question: When Do We Combine Finances?

  • Beyond Valentine’s Day purchases, couples face much larger financial decisions. According to the survey, 45 percent of Americans feel that being in a relationship makes it harder to manage their money, while only 26 percent believe it makes it easier. Yet a majority of couples surveyed still combine their finances.

While nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans have combined or would combine all or some of their finances with their spouse or significant other, 23 percent of Americans have not or would prefer not to, and 12 percent are not sure.

  • A majority of Americans (66 percent) feel the right time to combine finances (i.e., joint checking, savings or credit cards) with their spouse or significant other is once married.
  • A smaller number of Americans feel the right time is when moving in together (9 percent) or once engaged (6 percent).

Source: The 2014 Chase Blueprint Valentine’s Day Survey was conducted online on behalf of Chase Card Services via the OmniPulse® Omnibus survey by Research Now, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted from Jan. 6-8, 2014 among a nationally representative sample of 1,209 respondents age 18 and older. The precision of online polls is measured using a credibility interval. For all respondents, the credibility interval is ±3 percentage points with 95 percent credibility. The credibility interval for those respondents in a relationship is roughly ±4.5 percentage points with 95 percent credibility.