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2019-02-15T19:06:11Z | 3,772 | en | 15 | How old do you have to be in Australia to be able to drink? I don't want to harm you. Pedro has only been here three days. The eyes are the mirrors of the soul. Look at me in the eyes. Shean put his hat back on and left. My husband is the jealous type.
Rich is taking care of the kids. Imagine what it would be like if you had a time machine. I'll tell someone. The plane had just taken off when my wife suddenly started to panic.
She was similar to me in many ways. It takes time. It's a six minutes' walk to the bus stop. I'm not giving you any money. This dress fits me very well. I'd be very happy if you'd help me. The new street is being built. Masanobu seems to have caught a cold. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Is anything the matter?
I didn't try to go any further.
Forgive them. Ning is innocent. Robert bakes bread about once a week. I have once lived in Beijing, but now live in Seoul. What do you intend to do with that girl? Having no will is the worst handicap. You will melt.
Be prepared! Tell me how it goes. The meeting is held once in three years. Define for me stupidity! But that's not all that happened. He's closing everything. Southern men, Northern women.
Since the bus was late, I took a taxi. What are his true intentions?
We took it for granted that he would approve of the plan. "What did you have for dinner?" "Grilled shrimp and baked zucchini with garlic sauce over rice noodles." You were lucky to catch up with us. Sugih did well. You're vain. We are still shocked by what has hit us, but we will never give up our values. Our response is more democracy, more openness, more humanity. We went there. She is not old enough to travel abroad by herself.
A book is lying on the desk. Valerie and Ken have never been close friends. How many girlfriends does Hunter have? The colony declared independence. Del tried to stop Fletcher from talking to John.
I love passing time with you. Colin is studying in Boston. Keep an open mind. Don't you want to know the reason? I will prove them wrong. How come you know French so well?
He is one of the most hilarious comedians. Elaine wants me to do this now. The permafrost is thawing. How do I know who I can trust? He did not repent of his idleness till he failed in the examination. Sedovic and Isidore were trapped by a blizzard. The great river was dark with silt. How long is your spring vacation? I love fairy tales. The princess wore a golden dress.
Because of his great professional skill, the lawyer has a large number of clients. You chicken out again, you coward? I didn't expect to ever see him again. Joyce has the information Turkeer needs. I'll stay here a whole month. Rain by its absence ruins men; and by its existence restores them to fortune I think Cristina is unambitious.
Put your sunglasses on. He is looked up to by his friends. Willie didn't answer the question directly. Let's sing that English song.
I can play the piano after a fashion. I lost my temper. We know who they are. It would've been better if you'd stayed with Frederic. I am wondering if you would like to go and see Kabuki with me while staying in Japan. He failed because he did not have money.
Willie couldn't reach the top shelf. This better not happen again. This is an impossible task. This test will gauge your reading comprehension. I want some albums. Please show me some. Why won't you accept it? Why did Toerless tell you? "Why am I so tall?" someone asked his father. The father answered him: "Because you're my son, of course." Is it exciting? | 3,531 | (915) 298-8554 | 0.99 | 30 | 298.7 | sha1:IKUMPPPXKGVXV6SH765WRQE4YHNPGK2X | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://ablach.com/9152988554 | ablach.com |
2019-02-15T19:16:45Z | 1,690 | en | 4 | Meredith McCord resides primarily in Houston, TX, where she runs a successful chain of paint-your-own-pottery studios, The Mad Potter (est. 1998). Thanks to her incredible staff at The Mad Potter, Meredith has the opportunity and availability to work/travel part-time for Tailwaters Fly Fishing Travel, as a lodge scout, ambassador and trip hostess. She has parlayed her passion for fishing and travel into doing some fun TV and film work with a fly rod in hand, stalking fish on flats, rivers and lakes around the globe and in her home state.
This year, the IGFA (International Game Fish Assoc.) named Meredith the Top Female Angler of 2015, as well as awarded her Most “Catch and Release” Records, Top Female on Freshwater Fly and Heaviest Saltwater Record on Fly in 2015.
When she is not at work or on the water, she’s usually enjoying family and friends, leading mission trips to work with orphans in 3rd world countries, bird hunting or cooking at home. To keep in fishing shape, Meredith spends her time training for and competing in triathlons throughout the Houston and Austin area.
She is passionate about many things in this earth, but her biggest love is for the Creator of it all. | 1,192 | MEREDITH MCCORD - Able Women | 0.96 | 39 | 328.4 | sha1:VGL2VJQSDAKHHZ6T4JTZGKN7H45F5KFS | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://ablewomenflyfish.com/team/meredith-mccord/ | ablewomenflyfish.com |
2019-02-15T18:48:43Z | 2,020 | en | 1 | Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Improving Consistency of Performance” | 106 | Improving Consistency of Performance | ADD in School | 0.99 | 37 | 128.6 | sha1:R6ZUNAUQDH4TW6LPG6W2JE77ZBPFYNQQ | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://addinschool.com/category/consistency-performance-adhd/ | addinschool.com |
2019-02-15T18:46:39Z | 9,849 | en | 18 | I was in Calgary and Edmonton last week attending two meetings.
The first was the BIM Health Check run by the Calgary BIM Community. The second was organised by a friend of mine from Athabasca University on Virtual Design Studio. Both meetings were very informative and were well attended by prominent members of the local AEC industries.
What I realized after participating in the discussions during the meetings and the conversations that transpired afterwards was that I believe we are in a cross roads in the AEC industry. All be it a rather large cross road, the days of kicking off BIM are behind us, most of us have now adopted BIM and it is now an integral part of our workflow. We now "collaborate" with each other by sharing models for the purpose of coordination. Some of us are collaborating with the construction companies for QTO and 4D and 5D scheduling and cost analysis, however few of us are utilizing the model beyond construction.
Two answers came to mind when I asked why...
1: The client. Typically the building owner or operator do not understand the value and implications of utilizing the Building Information Model.
2: Demand. Currently in Canada we do not have a mandate by the authorities to demand projects be completed utilizing BIM.
I'll address point #1 first.
Throughout my BIM career I have had the opportunity to speak to many people, train and instruct Architects, Engineers, tech's, contractors, sub trades etc.... but very few opportunities to actually speak to the people who gain the most from BIM... the Client! Be it the building owner or operator... not sure if it's because it's hard to get these people together in one room or if they are a shy, rare species?
There is no demand for north America to embrace BIM, really... compared to Europe where space and resources are limited they have a vested interest to build and design spaces that are efficient and innovative. Here in North America we have lots of space and resources. In comparison to Europe we have recently adopted a sustainability initiative.
There is no mandate by the authorities demanding us to utilize BIM.
Right now what I'm seeing is a push by the large construction companies demanding full collaboration as they can utilize the BIM for clash detection, construction sequencing and cost analysis. This is great, however we need to take it a step further and use the BIM for building maintenance and facilities management and even one step beyond that for building demolition and recycling (cradle to cradle design).
Currently the construction industry is based upon a outdated model that has not progressed with the technology available to us, this includes the contract types, bid process and even submission to authorities. We need to change that, for the better of our projects and ultimately for the better of the industry.
On my way to the airport on Thursday I had dinner with a friend of mine Justin James of Reach Consulting, we (actually mainly him) talked about making a difference to the industry.
I agree, we can make a difference and the changes don't have to be huge. We can initiate change in small increments, which as a whole can initiate larger change.
So if you have the opportunity to talk to your client, contractor, sub trades and authorities about utilizing BIM you too can initiate change.
Labels: Initiating Change
Michael W. Sullivan 10 November 2014 at 15:14
Right on Scott! It is up to us in the industry to be at the forefront of initiating change and to be part of the solution in ensuring success in adopting these changes. To this end, I had lunch today with an instructor at VCC and also meet with the Department Head to express my views on implementing program curriculum that reflects the effect of BIM on our industry. | 3,770 | The BIM Jedi (formally the Revit Jedi): Initiating Change | 0.97 | 192 | 330.2 | sha1:DL4VGTRX4XARN4KO6CM6ACYDLBOBL367 | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://bim4scottc.blogspot.com/2014/11/initiating-change.html | bim4scottc.blogspot.com |
2019-02-15T19:06:08Z | 7,822 | en | 26 | Home BlogBusinessFinanceNew to Investing? What are the basics?
The richest man in Babylon a best-selling book told readers of the knowledge passed down the centuries to becoming wealthy, for a free copy sign up to our newsletter.
The book told us that ten percent of all you earn should be used to invest in things that make more money, and nothing works more ardently for money than money itself.
So you have a bit of cash saved how to make that work harder for you?
Deciding what to invest in is a constant challenge for even the most seasoned investor. Nobody really knows that the stock market will do tomorrow. However, an analysis of the last 20 years, 50 years and even 100 years shows that among stocks, bonds, gold, real estate, ICO’S and bank money markets, without a doubt the best place to invest has been the stock market.
Therefore if you are trying to decide what to invest in, if you have a time horizon of more than a few years, the best place to invest is the stock market.
Now that you have a good financial advisor, (if you don’t then contact us we can introduce you to well-regulated and experienced financial people) it’s time to decide what your risk factor is and what to invest in.
The best place to start is with some Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs. ETFs are a way to buy a basket of stocks in a single transaction. One of the most popular ETFs is one that matches the S&P500 Index. It has a ticker symbol of SPY.
Money works hardest for money
This is popular because a lot of people have the attitude of ‘if you can’t beat them, then join them.’ In other words, instead of trying to pick stocks that will outperform the stock market, just invest in stocks that match the market. The SPY is the probably the safest place to start when you are trying to decide what to invest in for the first time.
When you are ready to start choosing individual stocks, we suggest you subscribe to one of the top performing stock newsletters. The one that has performed best over the last decade has been the Motley Fool’s Stock Advisor which is up 300% compared to the SP’85%. This service is very well priced and is well worth it as you get up to a dozen picks each month.
We suggest signing up for their service, and reading their stock analysis. Even if you don’t buy all of their picks, it is a GREAT way to learn about researching stocks and what to look for when you are trying to decide what to invest in.
Having a good financial investor and keeping an eye on how things are developing should always stand you in good stead.
In the main you should;
Research ETFs
ETFs have become hugely popular over the recent years as a way for novice investors to begin investing. In addition to index ETFs that match the SP500 or the DOW Jones Industrial Average, there are ETFs specific to industries, countries, metals, oils, currencies, etc.
Select your stocks based on specific criteria (sector, industry etc.) Use a screener to further sort companies by dividend yield, market cap and other super useful metrics.
Try to stay up-to-date. Read stock analysis articles. Read financial news releases. Stay critical. But try to remember the real money is in the long term but there is no harm in keeping an eye on things.
Bonds, or fixed-income securities, are debt investments in which an investor loans money to an entity, with interest. The borrower borrows the funds for either a fixed or variable period of time.
Mutual funds are operated by money managers and should match the investor’s objective. They are made up of a bunch of funds collected from many investors and the purpose is to invest in securities like stocks, bonds, etc.
Small-cap investors are the risk takers. These small companies have huge potential for growth. However – because they are often under-recognized, more research is necessary. This requires the investor to have more time available to properly crunch numbers.
Large-cap investors are more conservative – these guys like to play it safe. With their steady dividend payouts, these big-cap blue chip companies are as stable as they come.
Penny stocks are super high risk because of their lack of liquidity. Beginners are often lured in to these stocks because of their insanely low share price. This allows investors to hold thousands of shares for a relatively small amount of invested capital. With a scale like that, the gain of just a few cents per share can translate into major returns.
Penny Stocks worth it?
If you feel that all this is just too much for your noggin to handle, contact us and we can put you into a well-managed investment portfolio with good communication between the managers and the investor. People who can give you clear layman’s terms how these stocks work and how to help you get into the best investment vehicles.
Contact us for a free no obligation meeting with our experienced and certified Investors | 4,874 | Investing basics EFT's to Penny Stocks Biz-find Thailand | 0.96 | 184 | 270.7 | sha1:OO3US2I5EWQDH6AOHN3VRFEMK67WH6NK | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://biz-findthailand.com/new-to-investing-what-are-the-basics/ | biz-findthailand.com |
2019-02-15T18:54:48Z | 4,388 | en | 1 | CHARLIE GROSS has been a member of BlackInAmerica.com since Nov 9th, 2008. CHARLIE represents Alcorn State University class of 1984 and is located in the VICKSBURG, MS area. You can connect with CHARLIE GROSS and other interesting members of BlackInAmerica.com by signing up or logging in. | 289 | Connect with CHARLIE GROSS on BlackInAmerica.com | 0.97 | 20 | 258.5 | sha1:Q36KXP2SX4NR7VXRDQO4UG73LF55FPD5 | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blackinamerica.com/cgi-bin/show_member.cgi?registry_id=964439 | blackinamerica.com |
2019-02-15T20:06:47Z | 3,842 | en | 2 | Floyd Landis in the last five stages of the Tour de France has one of the top sport’s performances of the year. Winning the yellow jersey, then hitting the wall to lose it, then coming back in the mountains to be in a position to win it back in the sprint the following day. Plus, he has a personal story and seems to be embraced by the French though his francais vocabulary est petit.
But does the main stream media (MSM) in America follow this story? Hardly. The Washington Post had their Foreign Service cover the story, not a sports reporter. One of the local TV sports channels didn’t even mention it last night. Most media lead with a story about Barry Bonds not be indicted like the MSM said he would the previous day. So the MSM was the news and not a truly heroic sports story. Jim Caple on ESPN’s Page Two thought this was nuts. No wonder the term MSM was invented and now it is becoming an unflattering adjective. | 924 | ABCEDmindedness: MSM and Tour de France | 0.97 | 158 | 232.1 | sha1:U4D7OOKFAOOZ5WQNK3VRKY7QNUZU6T6J | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.abcedmindedness.com/2006/07/msm-and-tour-de-france.html | blog.abcedmindedness.com |
2019-02-15T19:35:15Z | 4,910 | en | 5 | seeking mr. hyphen
It's that time again! Looking for a few good men... Hyphen and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center present the fourth annual Mr. Hyphen competition on November 14, 2009, celebrating the men of the Asian American community. Are you worthy of the crown?
Each year, Hyphen and OACC celebrate Asian American men who devote themselves to worthy community causes. While structured like a pageant with rounds of talent, fashion and Q&A, Mr. Hyphen turns stereotypes on their heads in front of a sold-out crowd.
It's a fun night of community and "equal-opportunity all-in-good-fun ogling." Rounds will be decided alternately by an audience vote and by an illustrious panel of judges. The man who is crowned Mr. Hyphen wins a $1000 cash donation to his nonprofit organization.
If you think you've got what it takes, or know a good man who is, download the Mr. Hyphen application here. Applications are due on October 4th. You could win $1000 for your nonprofit org, a kickass crown, and of course, supreme bragging rights. | 1,030 | seeking mr. hyphen | 0.96 | 272 | 269 | sha1:4W76I2VQTTZWP2VQPWPW6GTWKKXX5FGA | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.angryasianman.com/2009/09/seeking-mr-hyphen.html | blog.angryasianman.com |
2019-02-15T19:41:11Z | 4,280 | en | 15 | In the next few weeks DOGTV’s Production Assistant, Mike, will be reporting from the road, on his US trip, and share with us his observations about the United States of Dogs.
“Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart.” – Walter Cronkite
My home-base is San Francisco, California, a city where there’s a common belief that there are more dogs in residence than kids. After living here for over four years, I can tell you that the city is dog friendly to a point. The city by the bay consistently ranks up there as one of the most dog friendly in the country, but before you decide to bring Fido everywhere you go, you should consult some resources, so you’ll be sure to have a great experience. Here are a few lists that should help:
These Are the Places to Take Your Dog in SF
San Francisco Dog Friendly 12 Dog-Friendly SF Bars and Restaurants
The 11 Best Dog Parks In San Francisco
“From them comes silence and awe” – John Steinbeck
There is so much to see and do in Northern California: San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Wine Country, the state’s capital, and the list goes on. I grew up here, so I decided to go to a place I had never been before: Redwood National Park.
Steinbeck got it right. The trees that give this park its name are truly something to behold. Redwood National Park is in the very northwestern corner of California. In addition to the trees, Redwood includes vast prairies, oak woodlands, wild rivers, and miles of rugged coastline. Redwood is a beautiful and relaxing park to visit. I enjoyed it because due to its location, it doesn’t get the massive crowds that many of the other California parks get.
If you’ve traveled to any National Park, then you already know about the challenges that come with bringing your dog to one. Redwood does follow the standard rules regarding dogs in the park and on trails, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great experience there with your pooch with a little bit of planning. There are number of trails and beaches around the park that welcome dogs. Check out the official Pet Brochure that has a map of 12 different spots that are dog-friendly.
You can also let your dogs off their leashes and run free at any of these beaches:
Luffenholtz
Mad River County Park
Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
And if there are a few spots you want to check out where dogs aren’t allowed, it’s almost always cool temperatures in the area, so you can leave your pup in the car for a short while if necessary. | 2,473 | United States of Dogs: Northern California - DOGTV Blog | 0.95 | 78 | 276.8 | sha1:G6V2OMR3I7QASODVOPC4664UN66DM6BW | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.dogtv.com/united-states-of-dogs-northern-california/ | blog.dogtv.com |
2019-02-15T18:35:28Z | 22,225 | en | 3 | Researching Criminal Records - free webinar by Ron Arons now online for limited time
The recording of today's webinar, "Researching Criminal Records" by Ron Arons is now available to view at www.FamilyTreeWebinars.com for free for a limited time.
If you could not make it to the live event or just want to watch it again, the 1 hour 45 minute recording of "Researching Criminal Records" PLUS the after-webinar party is now available to view in our webinar library for free for a limited time. Or watch it at your convenience with an annual or monthly webinar membership. | 570 | GeneaWebinars: Researching Criminal Records - free webinar by Ron Arons now online for limited time | 0.91 | 1,058 | 315.9 | sha1:JGWCNHD5YI4AWNR5A4GQFRLC7JDECPGF | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.geneawebinars.com/2017/04/researching-criminal-records-free.html | blog.geneawebinars.com |
2019-02-15T18:39:56Z | 19,107 | en | 10 | October 2017 ISGS Webinar - Funeral Homes and Family History: They're Dying to Meet You
UPDATE: This webinar is now FULL and no further registrations can be handled. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that if you are registered, that you connect to the webinar EARLY on Tuesday, October 10th, starting at 7:30 pm Central.
Title: Funeral Homes and Family History: They're Dying to Meet You
Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 8:00 pm Central
Description: Most genealogists know to look in a cemetery to find their ancestors, but what about the funeral home? Funeral home records can provide loads of genealogically rich information. This presentation will teach participants what types of records are typically found in funeral homes, how to locate these resources online and "in the field", as well as provide real life examples of how to search for ancillary clues in funeral home records.
Presenter: Daniel Earl
Daniel Earl got his start in family history at age 10 when his father took him to the grave of his great-grandfather; that sparked a lifetime of interest in family history. Dan has spent the last 25 years researching his own family history and helping others make history a part of their story. Dan has experience doing research in the following regions: United States Midwest, Mid-Atlantic United States, New England, Eastern Canada, Eastern Europe, Great Britain and Ireland.
Recording and Handout Available to ISGS Members: For ISGS members who cannot attend the live webinar on October 10th, a recording of the webinar, along with the handout, will be made available in the Members Section of the ISGS website at http://ilgensoc.org/members.php. If you're not already a member of ISGS, visit Join ISGS! at http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=8 for more information.
Please direct any questions to the ISGS Education Committee at [email protected].
Labels: Daniel Earl, death records, funeral homes, Illinois State Genealogical Society, ISGS Webinars | 1,959 | GeneaWebinars: October 2017 ISGS Webinar - Funeral Homes and Family History: They're Dying to Meet You | 0.95 | 1,000 | 251.5 | sha1:BRRS3GEOLNR24LQXPN7NDHUX576F6DNX | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.geneawebinars.com/2017/10/october-2017-isgs-webinar-funeral-homes.html | blog.geneawebinars.com |
2019-02-15T18:44:09Z | 18,839 | en | 55 | E is for Everyone: E-Books and Self Publishing
I don't know how many of you read J.A. Konrath's blog, but he's been publishing his out of print backlist on e-books himself. He just hit the $100K mark on book sales. If you've ever considered a self publishing career (or any publishing career really), go spend some time on his blog. Konrath's been very candid about what he makes and what he's selling and how he's done all of it. It's a fascinating look at this side of the business.
My first thought when I started following his posts, was that it made perfect sense that he was doing so well. He has a sizable backlist (all the right had reverted to him), spent years building a following, has a popular blog and platform, and has readers waiting for his next book. He has the perfect situation for a self published scenario.
But Konrath's latest post says that this works for any author.He lists new authors who are doing this as well, and being successful.I admit I met this with skepticism. The hardest part about selling books is telling folks you have a book. If you have no one marketing your books, how would readers ever know about them?
Then something came to me last night that made me reevaluate this.
Now, I'm not an e-book reader. I don't like them, though I imagine a day will come when my issues with them will be overcome and I'll enjoy them as much as a traditional book. Technology is like that. But I know folks who love e-readers, and I thought about how they buy books.
One is a writer and is exposed to books all the time. She hears about a book, and goes to the e-book store and buys it, just like traditional book buying.
Another looks at the low-cost area of the e-book store and finds stuff that looks interesting. He'll buy a specific book when he wants it, but he wants books for his cool new gadget and he doesn't want to pay a lot for them.
This is when it hit me. This is one reason why Konrath (and perhaps those new authors he mentioned) are successful. E-books are purchased differently that traditional paper books. Those with e-readers probably also have other gadgets and are used to being able to click a button, spend a few bucks and buy something to entertain them. (There's a ap for that) Authors pricing themselves in that affordable range are sitting in prime e-book real estate. That's the "front of the store displays" for e-books. This is where e-book buyers are browsing.
With today's technology, the times they are a changing. If I had a backlist, I sure as heck would be following Konrath's advice and turning them into low-cost e-books. If/when my books go out of print, I can see myself doing this. I can even see going this route for any future books I write that a traditional publisher doesn't want.
Would I ever try this first and skip the traditional publisher?
I don't think so. I've been very lucky with my publishing experience so far. I like and find a lot of value in what they offer me. As publishing evolves, that will no doubt change (for better and for worse in some areas), and I'll naturally do what I feel is best for my writing career, but I'm happy where I am.
It's interesting to watch those future options unfold, though. There are more opportunities for writers now than ever before. And don't let the doomsayers tell you differently.
Labels: e-books, self-publishing
Piedmont Writer Sep 27, 2010, 9:57:00 AM
JA Konrath is one smart cookie that's for sure. I wish I had some back list titles. Maybe if my regency series doesn't go, I'll put that out there under a pen name. Great post thanks.
Anne R. Allen Sep 27, 2010, 12:51:00 PM
Konrath is paving the way to the future. The only reason I haven't Kindled my backlist is the issue of cover art. We don't own our cover art, even if rights to the books have reverted to us. And covers need to be different for thumbnails online than for actual books on a shelf. But I'm working on it...
Kira Sep 27, 2010, 2:47:00 PM
Would anyone mind explaining what a backlist is? It's a term I keep hearing a lot, but I'm not entirely sure what it means. Thanks!
Backlist is just the "previously published" books of an author. New releases are frontlist, everything else is backlist. Someone just did a great blog post about the difference between front and back list and midlist and I can't find it. If anyone remembers seeing it, please post.
You so nailed it Janice. It's the purchasing style that's different for e-book readers. It's hard to imagine how new authors can have much success but maybe that's just because I am still thinking in the trad print mentality - way back with the caveman to quote Konrath. Exciting times. Especially when backlisters and even out of print books can potentially make you money.
Carradee Sep 27, 2010, 6:53:00 PM
I read Konrath's post last week, and the funny thing is, when he listed some example other authors who were doing well self-publishing… I had already READ Amanda Hocking. I'd been browsing Amazon, noticed the cover art for Switched, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it had been self-published.
I've been seriously considering the self-publishing route. I like how up-front you are about if you'd self-publish and what. It actually makes me more inclined to try it, even though I'm still researching some technicalities. I'm curious to see what kind of following I could build, and I'm very glad I'm not a cat, because otherwise, my curiosity would've killed me long ago.
I've therefore been intentionally looking for self-published books to buy, to get an idea for what types of things are missed in them. Clicking on the cover for Amanda Hocking's book on Amazon (and checking out her website, and e-mailing her, and receiving her helpful reply) altogether ended up in me discovering that low-priced e-book market. I'd heard of it, yeah. But I hadn't thought of going to look for it.
That's made me look into self-publishing even more, and some of the Print-on-Demand services actually allow lower price points on books than they once did, so a self-publisher could offer a print version of their book at the same or even sometimes a lower price than a traditional publisher. (Not sure how their physical quality compares, just yet.)
This is a little scary, because it means the slush pile can move onto the customer. Hopefully, that means folks in general will gain greater appreciation for how quickly agents/editors/etc can tell they won't like a book. I fear, though, that readers seeing their grammar errors "codified" in PUBLISHED! NOVELS! will only worsen the common abuse of the English language.
Sorry if my comment's too long. >_<
Eric Sep 27, 2010, 7:37:00 PM
I think you hit the major issue when you wrote "The hardest part about selling books is telling folks you have a book." Absolutely. Is it possible that your e-book is noticed on Amazon and starts climbing the ranks and starts getting lots of great reviews? Yes, but it's going to be difficult and often you won't know exactly why or how it all got set off.
I have friends who are professional software developers. They are making i-Phone aps in their spare time. It's good stuff. Yet, it is extremely difficult to get noticed on the Ap Store. There are hundreds of thousands of aps out there, how do you get noticed even with a great product at a low price? The answer is, you get lucky or you have a major track record.
Agents and publishers are gatekeepers. It does not guarantee quality, but you certainly have a higher expectation of quality if a book is published in the traditional manner. e-book publishing removes the gatekeepers. It can be good, but more likely, you'll see more and more books published that way. How does the reader sort out the likely good books from the bad?
I think this area is where the publishers need to step up their marketing. It's the one huge benefit to having a publisher in the e-book world. They'll get you noticed and their good name will help convince people of a good product.
Will some people still go dumpster diving trying to find the gem amongst the detritus? Sure. But I doubt the majority of readers will do so.
That's just my opinion on the subject. I don't think it contradicts your take on it though.
btw, I just got my new Kindle last week. I read the latest Robin Hobb book on it and I'm hooked. I like it a lot. And, I went dumpster diving to see what I could find. Nothing yet, although I did pick up some Sherlock Holmes for $3. Doyle has a great style.
Kris Dalpiaz Sep 28, 2010, 12:08:00 AM
From what I've read, the biggest selling points for e-books are the cover and the price, so if you're going to pursue e-publishing, find a good designer and set a low price point. How is this different than traditional publishing? Gate keepers. Without gate keepers, publishing is a mess. The entire market becomes a slush pile, only we have to pay to sift through it. The market will mature as publishers figure out how to handle it, but until then I'm shooting for traditional publishing.
Exactly. Finding good books now is easy since so many blog and talk about them. I wonder if blogger's roles will increase as self publishing takes off? Will self pubbers submit to bloggers same as the big houses? With they become the *new* gatekeepers? I can see e-book only blogs popping up.
I can also see the middle man occupations popping up more. Book promoters expanding their services, more editors doing freelance work, more illustrators doing freelance covers, designers (like me) doing more layout design. I think it'll become easier and easier to self publish (and cheaper).
Self publishing isn't going to be for everyone, and I always recommend a long, hard look at the industry to anyone thinking about it, but there are avenues open to writers and book lovers now they've never had before. The stigma isn't what it once was.
I can even see blogger groups, where you have a half dozen or so writers blogging, forming their own publishing company to sell their books. They already have a platform and way to promote their work, readers coming to their blogs. Seems like a natural outlet for many.
It'll also be interesting to see how book stores adapt to this. Wouldn't it be cool to have an e-book account with a store, you wander through the shelves and just scan or enter a number into your e-reader and poof! you download the book? You can still browse the shelf and page through the book, but you have the opportunity to buy it there electronically, and then go have coffee with your friends in the restaurant area. I can see book stores enhancing the social hub they're starting to create now.
Stuart Clark Sep 28, 2010, 4:19:00 PM
I don't think you need to "skip the traditional publisher" to be able to do this. Your publisher should get the print rights to your book, but there's no reason why you can't negotiate to keep your electronic rights. In which case you can do the ebook thing on your own.
True, though standard contract is to sell those along with print rights. Too late for me now, but it's something folks can discuss with their agents (if they have them) going forward. I know e-book rights are a hot topic with agents right now regarding how they're being handled.
Thomas Hardy Oct 4, 2010, 4:01:00 PM
I spend a portion of my time watching digital trends. These digital trends tend to mimic the life cycle of larger traditional trends, but they do so at an accelerated pace. For example, a given industry may come into being, grow, reach it's peak and fade away over several decades. In a "ripped from today's headlines" example, we have Blockbuster whose decades long video rental dominance has now met with bankruptcy in the wake of Netflix and digital distribution. The digital equivalents of these trends happen in a fraction of the time, with events played out in a couple of years instead of decades. Once upon a time it took many years for a new industry or technology to take hold and build up a critical mass.
When I look at self publishing, I see a digital trend that has a strong potential to quickly build to a critical mass. The important question, I think, is to ask yourself “Where are we on the curve of adoption and what does that mean?”
Today the self-publishing market is huge right? So easy to do, so many people doing it. And success stories from today’s market are big news. But we are very early in the curve of adoption. If the self-publishing market explodes to be 100 or 1000 times what it is today, it will become even more easy to get lost in the clutter. As one poster above put it, the slush pile gets moved to the customer’s e-reader. The easier it gets to do, and the more success stores we hear to fuel the growth, the faster and further it will grow.
Making oneself visible in the e-reader store today is one kind of challenge. Making oneself visible in a few years will be a completely different kind of challenge. Think of YouTube as a corollary. A few years ago, when relatively few videos were posted, the best quickly rose to the top of the popular lists. When you look at it today, there’s so many videos hidden by obscurity that you have no way to learn they exist. A vast library of quality videos exists that do not see the light of day except by those that know of them already. It’s not a perfect example, but I think you can see what I’m getting at. When the number of self-published books reaches a critical mass, readers finding your book by stumbling across it will become less and less common.
Unlike YouTube though, readers will often be paying for the product before they know the quality. Factor in the number of books that get purchased in a year by a reader as compared to how many YouTube videos you can watch in a single hour and the challenge becomes even more daunting. It won’t take long before readers are too jaded to spend money on anything that is not well reviewed, advertised or in some way differentiated.
Another potential parallel is the App market for the iPhone. When the iPhone was new, software development teams made up of one or two people created apps and launched them. It was a brand new gold rush. Single developers made millions in just months. Flash forward to today. The App store is big business now. Individual developers see increasingly shrinking revenues because it’s not an empty space waiting for anyone to come along and post something to buy. Big companies have divisions dedicated now to making iPhone apps. Hundreds of thousands of apps are ready for download now. But the buying public only has so much money to spend and it is now divided between a hundred thousand publishers instead of a couple of dozen.
So as we look at the e-reader market, ask yourself “Where is the trend going, and what does it mean to me?” | 14,734 | Fiction University: E is for Everyone: E-Books and Self Publishing | 0.98 | 205 | 293 | sha1:LYTLSRV4IQDQ7VLBMN33D7C2MDEZOHQZ | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/09/e-is-for-everyone.html | blog.janicehardy.com |
2019-02-15T20:27:34Z | 9,417 | en | 3 | No, the two are not related, they are just the two things on my mind. I almost lost my nearly-blind BBRed hen to a Cooper's hawk this evening. "Catty" has bad cataracts (hence her name, I know, how weird) and can only see in certain directions--behind and above is not one of those directions. So I was heading in after collecting eggs, and I heard a bunch of squawking and out of the corner of my eye saw what looked like two birds "tumbling" across the driveway. Immediately I knew what was going on, so I ran out there with the dogs close at my heels. The hawk was perched on top of a roll of fencing, and Catty had scrambled inside the roll. I went straight for the hawk, and when the dogs saw me going after it, they went after it too and barked while it flew off. Good for them, I want them to learn I don't like hawks around the birds (the dogs hate pigeons too, and will chase them). Catty is fine, other than some emotional bruising. I couldn't find a scratch on her, but she was pretty shook up. Poor girl, she's unfortunately an easy target. Kids love that bird, she is so easy to catch (of course, she can't see much!) and she's really docile when caught. Seems like EVERY summer there is a very brazen juvenile Cooper's hawk that hangs out and harasses the birds. Can't be the same one, it's a juvenile every year! Arg. I am not a hawk-hater, don't get me wrong. I would never harm one. I have a lot of respect and admiration for birds of prey, and everybody has to eat. I just don't like it when they choose my birds as their potential meals! 99% of my birds are cooped up, so it's not usually an issue. Maybe it will go away.
The other thing on my mind tonight is the current state of women's fashions. I had to go to the mall today to attempt to find something to wear to a family reunion thing this weekend, and holy moley there is a lot of ugly stuff out there. Not just ugly, but totally unflattering. How do people bend over in those short skirts??? How do people cram their feet into those pointy shoes? There are some really cute looking shirts, but geez they are not flattering! Unless of course someone fits into a size small...but hey, that's not me. One would think that clothing designers would realize that someone who doesn't wear the little bitty sizes might not look really hot in a skin-tight shirt...right? Yeesh. So I think instead of trying to look nice this weekend we should have a "wear the ugliest thing you can find at the mall" party. For me, it would be the orange/black/brown/white broomstick skirt (think calico cat), a lime green velour and lace halter top so low cut that it would leave NOTHING to the imagination (I am assuming one is supposed to wear something under those?? Or do you just not bend over? Gosh if you wore that with a little butt-bearing skirt you couldn't even walk safely!) and of course to finish the outfit it would have to be the rainbow-sequined pointy-toed high heel shoes. Oh yeah, I'd be hot stuff...sheesh. Shopping is bad for self-esteem.
What a strange country this is, where you can buy diapers for ducks but it's hard to find decent clothes for humans. | 3,130 | My life, under the microscope...: Cooper's hawks and women's fashions | 0.98 | 234 | 337.5 | sha1:DKMHJT66JCUFAMCDIUEEHDK73QUMJPVF | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.katherineplumer.com/2005/07/coopers-hawks-and-womens-fashions.html | blog.katherineplumer.com |
2019-02-15T20:02:02Z | 10,008 | en | 5 | Lands’ End maintains momentum in Q4; plans major store expansion
For its fourth quarter, Lands’ End recorded its third straight period of sales growth after 11 consecutive quarters of declines.
Net income was $39.8 million, compared to a loss of $94.8 million in the year-ago period.
Net revenue increased 11.3% to $510.6 million (the period included an extra week). Direct segment revenue increased 14.3% to $455.6 million. Retail segment revenue decreased 8.7% to $55.1 million compared to the same period last year, primarily due to fewer Lands’ End Shops at Sears. Same-store sales rose 5.0%.. . . more
Labels: Lands' End, Sears, Store Openings | 648 | KeyPoint Partners Retail RoundUp: Lands’ End maintains momentum in Q4; plans major store expansion | 0.93 | 554 | 292.3 | sha1:7V6VBQM6MVAGPGGBLL4HC5OKO72BQ5QU | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.keypointpartners.com/2018/03/lands-end-maintains-momentum-in-q4.html | blog.keypointpartners.com |
2019-02-15T19:35:11Z | 5,824 | en | 9 | The Greenwich Meridian, May 1998
I guess I was mostly in the eastern hemisphere when I took the photo, but moments before I was standing with one half of my body in one hemisphere and my other half in the other hemisphere. I had fun watching a kid jump back and forth saying: "Now I'm east, now I'm west, now I'm east, now I'm west."
M33, taken with the Prime Focus Camera on the 30-inch telescope at McDonald Observatory in 1997 (AASTRA participants took the images and then I combined them into the final color image you see here.)
In honor of the Galaxy Evolution meeting that I'm working at this week, I chose the lovely image of M33.
We made the annual journey east to the piney woods and the 16th century (or rather, facsimile of the 16th century). I didn't take a whole lot of photos this year and for some reason I mostly ended up with plants. It's not huge, but you can click on the horse above and go to the whole set on Flickr.
Comet Holmes, October 2007, from the 16-inch telescope at RLM on the University of Texas campus.
The first anniversary of the rapid brightening of Comet Holmes was last week, so I chose it for this week's picture. More about the comet is in this post from last year.
I have a love/hate relationship with time changes. I love the extra hour of sleep this time of year, but I hate losing an hour in the spring. :)
Yeah, nothing profound in this update, but I have some sinus pressure tonight and I think I'm going to take an antihistamine and enjoy my extra hour of sleep! | 1,509 | It's All Just a Bunch of Rhubarb: November 2008 | 0.97 | 182 | 299 | sha1:ZDAMM7SCGBPVEAI5LRRG77GH3UHGVNTU | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.larae.net/2008/11/ | blog.larae.net |
2019-02-15T19:21:06Z | 3,273 | en | 1 | Saturday, October 18, 2008 | Posted by Matt at 8:44 AM | 54 | At the speed of light: What the f*** Quebec? || Matt Keoshkerian's Blog | 0.99 | 59 | 213.4 | sha1:VHCXDO552GXPSXNHM4ZV6HAFD7VL73JE | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.marreka.ca/2008/10/what-f-quebec.html | blog.marreka.ca |
2019-02-15T20:12:58Z | 17,816 | en | 25 | Since I retired in May of 2006 I have seen as many operas as I could, including a number of operas that I had not seen before. Anyone can still have things to look forward to. Maybe I should make a wish list.
In June 2006 I saw my first Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans at the San Francisco Opera. Dolora Zajick made this a fabulous experience.
Then in September 2006 I experienced Handel's Semele at the New York City Opera in a spectacular Marilyn Monroe vs Jackie Kennedy production with Elizabeth Futral and Vivica Genaux. This may be Handel's only comedy and has become a personal favorite.
In October 2006 I went to Baltimore to see Elizabeth Futral and Vivica Genaux together again in Rossini's The Siege of Corinth. This was the version created for Beverly Sills and Marilyn Horne.
Surely I must have seen Massenet's Manon before I went to Los Angeles, but none of them made any impression at all. Perhaps Netrebko's performance erased all others.
All of these new experiences were incredible. It is a lot of fun traveling around looking for operas. I have been deliberately seeking out new operas to experience, beginning with Maw's Sophie's Choice at the Washington National Opera. It was a rare instance of a new opera with what I felt to be a good libretto and bad writing for voices. The good libretto is the rare part. Bad writing for voices is not that unusual.
In January 2007 I had a new opera experience in the simulcasts from the Metropolitan Opera with Tan Dun's The First Emperor . I liked the first half but felt it petered out after that.
Then I went to Europe to see Cecilia in Handel's Semele and saw also Handel's Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno in Zurich. This work was not originally intended to be staged, but seemed to be relatively successful as an opera.
There were no other new ones until April 2007 when I saw my first Suor Angelica from Puccini's Il Trittico in the Met simulcast. Stephanie Blythe made this successful for me. That same month I saw my first Handel's Flavio at Pocket Opera in San Francisco. This was not good. There are probably a lot more Handel Operas I haven't seen.
In May 2007 I saw something that was newly created: Gounod / Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Berkeley Opera. Shakespeare's play and Gounod's Opera were combined in a shotgun wedding.
In June 2007 I saw my first performance of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride at the San Francisco Opera. I don't really remember seeing a Gluck opera before this. I apologize for the way I described this performance, which was really quite lovely.
In July 2007 I went to Santa Fe because of all the operas they were doing that I hadn't seen. I saw Strauss' Daphne in a concert performance at Kennedy Center but Santa Fe was my first staged version. Rameau's Platée was new, as was Dun's Tea, a Mirror of Soul.
In August 2007 I went to Glimmerglass for the same reason. Monteverdi's L'Orfeo was the only opera I had seen before--last year in London. Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice , Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld and
Glass' Orphée were all new.
16 out of 31 operas in this time period were new for me. This is rather an awesome statistic. I do seek out things I haven't seen before, and I would be bored to death by endless repetitions of La Boheme. There are a couple of instances where I may have simply forgotten performances that I saw years before.
Long ago I saw Bellini's I Puritani in Sacramento at the barnlike Memorial Auditorium with Joan Sutherland, so Netrebko's version was not the first.
It has been a truly extraordinary year, and I am not suddenly poor. Of all these new operas I think these are my favorites:
Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans for the incredible power of the singing of Dolora Zajick.
Glass' Orphée for the abstraction and lyricism of a new opera.
Handel's Semele both productions for the gorgeous music, lightness of spirit and high quality performances by some great stars.
Dun's Tea, a Mirror of Soul for the depth of concept and originality of execution.
Rossini's The Siege of Corinth for Vivica Genaux.
Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride I'm not really sure why. It's sneakily engulfing.
The list does not include any videos which also included a lot of new operas. It's nice to think that after all these years of going to the opera it's still possible to see something new.
Labels: Vivica Genaux | 4,347 | Kinderkuchen for the FBI: Retirement | 0.97 | 412 | 225.8 | sha1:G6T4VB3TTJRINRVEQ4FC5EVOV2AEBRKG | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.onopera.com/2007/08/retirement.html | blog.onopera.com |
2019-02-15T19:52:58Z | 30,163 | en | 105 | Honda to collaborate on open smart-charging for EVs
We're going to lead with General Motors here. GM is one of eight automakers working with 15 utilities and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) at developing a "smart" plug-in vehicle charging system. Why did we start with GM? Because it's the first automaker whose press release we read that mentioned the other seven automakers. Points for sharing.
For the record, the collaboration also includes BMW, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Chrysler, Mitsubishi and Ford. The utilities include DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric.
The idea is to develop a so-called "demand charging" system in which an integrated system lets the plug-ins and utilities communicate with each other so that vehicle charging is cut back at peak hours, when energy is most expensive, and ramped up when the rates drop. Such entities say there's a sense of urgency to develop such a system because the number of plug-in vehicles on US roads totals more than 225,000 today and is climbing steadily.
There's a lot of technology involved, obviously, but the goal is to have an open platform that's compatible with virtually any automaker's plug-in vehicle. No timeframe was disclosed for when such a system could go live but you can find a press release from EPRI below.
EPRI, Utilities, Auto Manufacturers to Create an Open Grid Integration Platform for Plug-in Electric Vehicles
PALO ALTO, Calif. (July 29, 2014) – The Electric Power Research Institute, 8 automakers and 15 utilities are working to develop and demonstrate an open platform that would integrate plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) with smart grid technologies enabling utilities to support PEV charging regardless of location.
The platform will allow manufacturers to offer a customer-friendly interface through which PEV drivers can more easily participate in utility PEV programs, such as rates for off-peak or nighttime charging. The portal for the system would be a utility's communications system and an electric vehicle's telematics system.
As the electric grid evolves with smarter functionality, electric vehicles can serve as a distributed energy resource to support grid reliability, stability and efficiency. With more than 225,000 plug-in vehicles on U.S. roads -- and their numbers growing -- they are likely to play a significant role in electricity demand side management.
The platform enables integration across multiple communication pathways, such as automated metering infrastructure (AMI), home area networks, building energy management systems, and third party entities that aggregate energy management services for commercial and industrial power customers.
Researchers anticipate that grid operators in the future may call on electric vehicles to contribute to grid reliability by balancing solar and wind generation, mitigating demand charges and providing ancillary services such as frequency regulation and voltage support.
Utilities and regional transmission organizations participating and supporting in the software and hardware development and demonstration include DTE Energy Company, Duke Energy, PJM Interconnection LLC, CenterPoint Energy, Inc., Southern Company, Northeast Utilities, Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric, Commonwealth Edison, TVA, Manitoba Hydro, Austin Energy, Con Edison and CPS Energy.
Auto manufacturers are American Honda Motor Co., BMW Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Co., Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc., Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
"A key aspect of the platform's benefits will be giving customers flexibility and choices," said Dan Bowermaster, EPRI manager of Electric Transportation. "It can help the PEV customer determine the value of using their parked vehicle as a grid resource, and help the industry develop a convenient, user-friendly customer interface. We see this as the foundation for future developments to integrate PEVs with the grid."
Additionally, it could increase service reliability to customers by helping to mitigate the impact of strain on the grid during peak periods and could contribute to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Utilities might benefit by better managing their loads and avoiding upgrades to infrastructure --savings that can be passed onto utility customers.
Sumitomo Electric will develop the core platform technology on the first phase of the project.
This software platform aligns with the Vehicle Grid Integration (VGI) Roadmap Initiative of the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Independent System Operator, as well as conforming with standards set by IEEE, IEC/ISO, and SAE, and Open ADR Alliance, making it globally applicable.
The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public. An independent, nonprofit organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, affordability, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent approximately 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to more than 30 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, NC; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.
"Rain" -- Honda Summer Clearance Event :30
Honda Financial Services Offers $500 Discount for College Grads
While college graduation parties aren’t typically quite as lavish and overwhelming as high school graduation parties as far as gifts are concerned, Honda Financial Services is interested in giving recent college grads a big, fat $500 gift. Really, it’s more of a congrats-on-graduating-and-getting-your-first-job gift, but a gift all the same.
Labels: 2014 Honda Accord, 2014 Honda Fit
Honda Civic Tour 2014 presents Grouplove and Portugal. The Man on Honda Stage
Introducing Honda Stage
A huge, new movement in live music has begun. Honda Stage is a performance series with the biggest names and brightest stars in music, featuring live shows, exclusive videos, artist interviews, ticket sweepstakes, the Honda Civic Tour and more. Honda Stage has partnered with Live Nation, Clear Channel (iHeart Radio), REVOLT, YouTube and Vevo to create an awesome new platform to discover, share and enjoy music.
Subscribe to discover new music from #HondaStage: http://honda.us/1mFITM1
Find us on Facebook: http://honda.us/1mFI2Lk
Follow us on Twitter: http://honda.us/1mFIdWW
Follow us on Instagram: http://honda.us/1mFIIjT Visit our website: http://honda.us/1mFJ4a4
Source: Honda-Youtube
Honda Speed Patrol: Enter for your chance to win!!
Used Honda Models Top IIHS List of Safe Cars for Teens
Few things are scarier for parents than having their kids get behind the wheel of a car, but the good news is that according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are some vehicles that are much safer for those teens to drive than others. We here at Pacific Honda were very pleased to see that some of the best of them were Honda vehicles.
Labels: Honda, used Honda Accord
Select Honda Pre-Owned Vehicles Recognized as Safer Choices for Teen Drivers by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
Certain model year Honda Accord, CR-V, Element, Odyssey and Pilot vehicles rated as some of the best pre-owned vehicles for teen driver safety
Honda is the most durable, longest lasting brand in its class
Several model years of Honda pre-owned vehicles have been recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as part of its first-ever list of safer used vehicles for teen drivers. Research conducted by IIHS found that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers, and suggests that the type of vehicle driven has a big effect on the degree of risk. Further IIHS research showed many teens drive used vehicles lacking important safety technology, and, as a result, a list was compiled to help guide parents in making safer choices.
Honda pre-owned vehicles earning this first recognition from IIHS as among the best, safer choices for teen drivers under $20,0002 include the Honda Accord Sedan (2012 and later), Accord Coupe (2013-14), CR-V (2012 and later), Element (2007 and later) and Honda Odyssey (2011 and later). Additionally, the Honda Pilot (2006 and later) and the Honda Odyssey (2005-10) were included on the list of good choices for teen drivers under $10,0002.
"Enhancing the safety of our customers and the quality of our products is a top priority for Honda," said Art St. Cyr, vice president of product planning and logistics at American Honda. "Our long-term commitment to enhancing safety and durability makes Honda an ideal choice when shopping for safe, reliable transportation, new or pre-owned, for all drivers including teens."
For added piece of mind, customers choosing a Certified Pre-Owned Honda (http://www.certified.honda.com) vehicle on this list from one of our authorized Honda dealerships, an extensive limited warranty is included. According to IHS Automotive vehicle registration statistics, Honda is the most durable, longest lasting brand in its class1.
Vehicles considered "best choices" for under $20,0002 have good ratings for side crash protection, good head restraints and seats for rear crash protection, and good roof strength to protect occupants in rollover crashes. Vehicles considered "good choices" for under $10,0002 have good or acceptable side crash protection and head restraints rated better than poor. If rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the vehicles earn a 4 or 5 Star Overall Vehicle Score, for model years 2011 and later, or 4 or 5 Stars in the front and side crash safety tests for earlier models tested under NHTSA's old rating system.
All Honda vehicles on the list come equipped with standard Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control (what IIHS calls Electronic Stability Control or ESC) and provide good protection in moderate overlap front crash tests. According to IIHS, systems like Honda's VSA® reduce fatal single-vehicle crash risk by about half and fatal multiple-vehicle crash risk by one-fifth (see Status Report, June 19, 2010, at iihs.org).
Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and designs meant to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians. The company operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test facilities in the U.S. and Japan, and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. American Honda leads the industry for 2014 in third party crash test ratings with more models rated TOP SAFETY PICK and TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) than any other manufacturer.
IIHS Best Used Car Choices for Teens Under $20,000: IIHS Good Used Car Choices for Teens Under $10,000:
Honda Accord Sedan (2012 and later) Honda Pilot (2006 and later)
Honda Accord Coupe (2013-14) Honda Odyssey (2005-10)
Honda CR-V (2012 and later)
Honda Element (2007 and later)
Honda Odyssey (2011 and later)
Honda Fit Sweepstakes and Music Festivals
Honda is teaming up with your favorite music artists this summer to put on the best shows and give you a chance to win the all new Honda Fit, along with VIP tickets to this summer's music festivals. Check out the link below to enter for your chance to win.
http://music.honda.com/fbsweeps/sweeps/Honda-Fit-Sweeps
You could be the lucky fan the travel and see bands like: Jack White, John Mayer, Zac Brown, Iggy Azalea, Fitz and the Tantrums, Lana Del Ray, Skrillex, Beck, Calvin Harris, Foster the People, Spoon and more!
Visit the Austin City Limits page: http://www.aclfestival.com/ and the Music Midtown page: http://www.musicmidtown.com/ to see who else will be performing for this summer's concert series. You can also click here:http://automobiles.honda.com/music/ to see who is on the Honda stage. Don't forget to enter for your chance for the most epic music summer!!
Honda Vehicles To Feature Android Auto OS
These days, nearly everybody has access to a smart device, whether it be an Apple iPhone or one of several different Android devices, which run an operating system developed by Google. Debating which of the two is better is a long-standing debate that has no easy answer, and now it appears as though the conversation will spill into the auto world, as both Apple and Google are developing versions of their mobile operating systems for cars’ infotainment systems.
Labels: honda dealership, Pacific Honda
HPD Announces Collegiate SAE Program
Student SAE programs now eligible to join the Honda Racing Line
Includes Formula SAE, Baja SAE and other SAE university programs
Provides access to Honda Racing Line products and services
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) collegiate-level programs will now be able to join the Honda Racing Line, giving them access to products and services offered by Honda Performance Development.
Universities operating SAE-affiliated programs, such as Formula SAE and Baja SAE can now apply for membership in the Honda Racing Line, gaining direct access to HPD-developed racing products, original equipment replacement parts and support specifically tailored to the motorsports competitor.
"We are delighted to be offering memberships in the Honda Racing Line to universities involved with collegiate-level SAE programs," said Jeff Barrow, HPD Manager of Commercial Motorsports.
"Both HPD and our parent company, American Honda, have long been associated with the SAE and the organization's student competitions. Many current HPD associates participated in Formula SAE and similar programs during their university years," Barrow added. "Now these programs will have access to our performance product lines as well as our talented technical support."
To join the Honda Racing Line, a university SAE program administrator can contact HPD to obtain an HPD Collegiate SAE Program Racing Product Purchase Agreement. Once completed and returned to HPD, the university program will be assigned a membership number providing access to HPD products and services.
For more information on the HPD Collegiate SAE program, contact Jeff Barrow, Manager, Commercial Motorsports, Honda Performance Development, Tel. 661-702-7845 or e-mail [email protected].
HPD was founded in 1993 as the performance arm of American Honda Motor Company. Today, HPD offers a line of race engines and other motorsports products for track applications from karting and Quarter Midgets to Indy cars and prototype sports cars, showcasing "fun to drive" products for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.
No other manufacturer has matched Honda's success in IndyCar open-wheel racing, which includes 210 race victories, 15 drivers' championships, six manufacturers' championships and 10 Indianapolis 500 victories from 2004-2014.
HPD's Le Mans prototype sports car racing efforts have resulted in more than 70 victories and multiple American Le Mans Series engine, chassis, team, and drivers' championships. HPD won the LMP2 title in the inaugural 2012 World Endurance Championship, and has twice won the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For more information about HPD and the company's racing and street performance product lines, please visit http://hpd.honda.com.
Honda Civic Named Among Best Cars for Young Drivers
There are sort of two philosophies that parents have when deciding on what car to buy for their teenage children. One school of thought is that it’s best to buy them something really cheap since they’ll either wreck it or fail to take care of it properly anyway, but we here at Pacific Honda think that sells these kids short. For that reason, we prefer the other school of thought, which believes a high-quality car is one worth taking care of, and with newer safety features they’ll be better protected if they do, heaven forbid, ever crash the thing.
Labels: 2014 Honda Civic, Honda Civic
Honda Vehicles to Seamlessly Integrate Android Smartphone Features with Android Auto
A Honda demonstration vehicle is on display June 25-26 at Google I/O, Google's annual developer conference in San Francisco, CA
Honda vehicles featuring Android Auto will debut in 2015; models and trims will be announced at a later date
Android Auto provides a seamless connection between compatible Android-powered smartphones and Honda's advanced, in-car connectivity systems
Building on a series of advancements aimed at improving the in-car technology experience for consumers, Honda will introduce select vehicles compatible with Android Auto™ in 2015. Honda is displaying a functional prototype at Google I/O 2014, the annual developer conference hosted by Google in San Francisco, CA. Honda and Acura models and trims compatible with Android Auto will be announced in the future.
To initiate Android Auto, Honda drivers will simply connect their compatible Android smartphone to the vehicle's USB port using the cable that came with their phone, allowing them to intuitively access supported apps and features using the car's in-dash display and voice controls. After connecting the compatible Android phone to their Honda vehicle, drivers will be able to "project" their smartphone experience onto the car's in-dash display, giving them access to apps and services that have been optimized for the vehicle environment.
"Honda's goal is to integrate the power and functionality of today's smartphones directly into our vehicles in a way that is seamless and intuitive for our customers," said Nick Sugimoto, senior program director for Honda Silicon Valley Lab. "By working collaboratively with Google and other technology companies, Honda will help millions of consumers around the world more easily and conveniently access their smartphones' content, data and features."
Honda is a founding member of the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), a group of automakers and technology companies committed to bringing the Android platform to cars. The company's open innovation lab, Honda Silicon Valley Lab, spearheads Honda's global interactions with technology companies like Google, as well as developers, to create cutting-edge products and customer experiences.
Honda has been an industry leader in equipping its vehicles with technologies that support customers' efforts to be more alert drivers, including the early introduction of hands-free telephone functionality, wide application of back-up cameras to 100 percent of automobiles by model year 2015, as well as other features. Further, Honda is raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving through initiatives like the Honda "#ThumbsUp" campaign, which launched in April 2014.
Honda established operations in America in 1959, and now employs more than 39,000 associates in its North American sales, R&D and manufacturing operations with a capital investment of more than $16.3 billion.
Based on its longstanding commitment to "build products close to the customer" Honda operates 16 major manufacturing facilities in North America, producing a wide range of Honda and Acura automobiles, automobile engines and transmissions, Honda all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products such as lawn mowers, mini-tillers and general purpose engines, and the HondaJet light jet, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
Eight Honda auto plants in the region, including four in the U.S., have the capacity to produce 1.92 million automobiles each year. In 2013, 94 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in North America. Those plants today manufacture 11 different models, including four passenger cars and seven light trucks.
A fifth U.S. auto plant, the Performance Manufacturing Center, is under construction in Marysville, Ohio, and next year will become the exclusive global production location for the next generation Acura NSX.
Honda Brand Wins an Edmunds.com 2014 Best Retained Value® Award
Honda has highest projected residual value after five years among all brands
Honda earns a Best Retained Value® award three of the last four years
For the third time in four years, the Honda brand leads all non-luxury automotive brands in the Edmunds.com Best Retained Value® Brand Awards, with the highest projected residual value after five years, expressed as a percentage of "cash" True Market Value® (i.e., True Market Value less applicable generally available customer cash incentives).
The Honda brand won the 2014 award with a projected residual value of 50.1% as the highest ranked non-luxury brand, while the 2014 Honda Civic and Odyssey earned 2014 Best Retained Value® vehicle award in the Compact Sedan and Minivan segments, respectively.
"Honda's industry leading quality, reliability and durability along with our focus on individual customers as opposed to fleet business, has again put Honda in the lead with respect to long-term value," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. "This is indicative of our commitment to protect our customers investments and another reason why buying a Honda is always a smart choice."
Honda maintains the highest percentage of sales to individual customers among all non-luxury brands, eschewing bulk sales to government and corporate fleets. For the first quarter of 2014, four Honda models – the Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey – led their respective segments in retail registrations, according to the latest available new-vehicle registration data from IHS Automotive.
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive automobiles for American car buyers through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Accord, Crosstour, Civic, Fit, CR-Z, Insight and FCX Clarity passenger cars along with the Pilot, Odyssey and CR-V sport-utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan. Honda has the highest brand fuel economy1 and the longest-lasting cars2 of any mainstream automotive brand in America. Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 15 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2013, more than 94 percent of all Honda and Acura vehicles sold in U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
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Honda Brand Wins an Edmunds.com 2014 Best Retained... | 23,261 | Pacific Honda Blog: July 2014 | 0.93 | 371 | 304.5 | sha1:E37YZ4WKIK34LDFOISIM2MCJFIVTHOVK | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.pacifichonda.com/2014/07/ | blog.pacifichonda.com |
2019-02-15T18:44:11Z | 49,935 | en | 250 | My new path to self-discipline: DBT
Posted in: Knowing yourself, Productivity December 21st, 2010
My new thing is self-discipline. I am going to get better at it. I am nervous writing this, because I don't want to fail.
So this is the first thing I know: If you are really serious about doing something, it's painful to tell people, because fear of failure is so high. Once you decide that you really want something enough to shift your life to get it — at that point you want it so much that you will feel like your life is somehow incomplete if you don't get it. So it is scary just to talk about it.
This is how I'm feeling about sugar and bread. I think it only leads to bad things. I think it makes me crazy and I have googled a thousand different sites about addiction to sugar and bread, and I think it's true. Here's what I think:
1. Food acts like drugs, and some foods make us crave more and more and more like an addictive drug. Eating carbohydrates and sugar is totally unnatural to the human diet.
2. There is some sort of link between Asperger's and bread. I'm not sure what it is, but we tried taking my son off gluten when he was younger, because so many people say it makes a difference with autism. And while I couldn't really tell with him, I ate the same diet, and I could tell that I was more calm. Most people I know who have Asperger's also have an obsession with gluten. I'm not sure what this means except that I should stay away from it.
3. I definitely notice a difference when I stay off gluten. I have more energy and I lose weight effortlessly. I think this is because when I eat for emotional reasons I always choose wheat-based products.
4. When I take myself off bread, I start craving sugar. So I think I also have a problem with sugar. And, confession: I eat a lot of it. No soda or deserts, but tons of sugar in my coffee. All day long.
There is a lot that I want to change in my life:
Less nervous eating
More weight lifting
Less yelling at kids
More leaving the house
Less acting like an agoraphobic
Less mindless email administrating
This is way too big a list, though. What I really want, if I boil it down, is to have more confidence in myself. Then I would believe I could have a good life and I'd do the things I think I need to do to have a good life.
Here's what happens, though. I say, “Oh. Forget it. I'll never stop eating sugar really.”And then I dump five spoonfuls into my coffee. You have to believe in yourself that you can create a good life in order to do the life you want.
Why is that so hard? I don't know. I mean, I have a pretty good track record for getting what I want. And still: Plagued by the bread crumbs left from last night's dinner.
So I am starting dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). Actually, I started it a while ago but I thought I would sound like a crackpot on the blog if I wrote about it. But it's so cool, that I have to tell you.
First, I'm going to tell you my version of DBT, and it's sort of cultish, to be honest, so if you want to get an official version, click here.
I know you didn't click, though; of course my version will be more interesting.
The idea is that you identify a behavior you want to change, and then, each time you don't do the change, you write down everything you were feeling while you were deciding to not do the change.
I am on a conference call.
I feel frustrated that things are not more clear cut with a right path for my company.
(You have to always use feeling words.)
I feel anxious that I can’t help think of a solution.
Then I overreact to feeling powerless and I worry that I’ll be a terrible parent and I’ll never fix it. And maybe I’m terrible at everything.
(DBT makes you more in touch with how you feel.)
I tell myself don't go into the kitchen because you will eat bread. I tell myself to just be with the feelings.
Then I go in the kitchen anyway. I tell myself I can eat just one piece.
I don’t. I eat ten.
I feel a strong love for Wonderbread.
Not now. Then.
Okay. So you do this a million times for DBT, and what you end up seeing is a pattern—just as you start having strong feelings, you do your vice so you avoid experiencing the feelings.
So the only way to know your feelings and understand who you really are is to not do the thing that separates you from the feelings. It's actually a lot more persuasive to me to tell myself I will never have self-knowledge if I eat the bread.
That’s why this is a particularly inspiring message for me:
Play this game: What would you do if you were a millionaire?
Hi Penelope. I just discovered your blog after reading the book “Beyond Blogging.” I am so excited to hear you talk about DBT! I encourage you to stick with it. I have been through the six month course three times and always learn something new. I was pretty much forced to take the course by my therapist who said it was the best known treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder which I was diagnosed with about five years ago. I thought, I’m not crazy like these other people (judgement, judgement, judgement). I found it saved my life (literally) more than once. I think it should be taught in schools. Again, thanks for bringing DBT into the spotlight. I hope you continue to talk about it.
Posted by Paula Bostrom on December 21, 2010 at 7:46 am | permalink |
Hi Penelope! Good luck!
(though for future reference, you should keep your goals to yourself: http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_keep_your_goals_to_yourself.html)
Posted by Kaiti on December 21, 2010 at 7:57 am | permalink |
First time commenter…lol
I am so glad you spoke about sugar and bread. White flour is processed in the body like sugar. So if you give up bread, you crave sugar. The body still wants it.
I highly recommend one (or both) books:
Never Be Sick Again http://www.beyondhealth.com/BH_Media/Never_Be_Sick_Again-prod9
http://www.beyondhealth.com/BH_Media/Never_Be_Fat_Again-prod214
Posted by Rave on December 21, 2010 at 8:13 am | permalink |
WOW! 5 spoonfuls of sugar in one cup of coffee? Yikes. That is a lot. I don’t eat a lot of sugar but I adore bread. I used to make my own. All the time. Every Sunday. I gained so much weight.
I too have been trying to cut back. Before it was toast for breakfast, sandwich at lunch, toast after dinner. Now I have managed to cut it down to a sandwich at lunch.
I find if I eat a hard boiled egg for breakfast, that fills me up instead of the toast. It is really hard to give these things up, I agree. I wish us both lots of luck.
Why is it so difficult to do the things we know are good for us and so easy to do the things that are not?
Posted by Roberta Warshaw on December 21, 2010 at 8:16 am | permalink |
When I receive your blog posts through my email I can no longer click on the title and be directly linked to this site…. Just letting you know.
Posted by Missy on December 21, 2010 at 8:21 am | permalink |
Posted by Holly on December 21, 2010 at 9:40 am | permalink |
Thanks for letting me know. I’m bugging Jason, the man of all technical problems on my blog.
Sugaring your coffee that much is less a sign of a sugar addiction and more a sign that you’re drinking crappy coffee.
Try Trager Brothers: http://www.tbcroasters.com. They have a hilarious video on Facebook, too.
This is not spam and I don’t work for TBC. It’s just the best coffee in the world, and this seems like it might help you break the sugar-in-coffee habit.
Posted by Katelyn Sack on December 21, 2010 at 8:27 am | permalink |
I have taken very similar dietary steps and it has changed my life. Do it! It is worth it.
Read this guy’s blog: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
Posted by Cory W. on December 21, 2010 at 8:29 am | permalink |
This is one of the farmer’s favorite blogs. He talks about it all the time. That, and all his primal eating feeds.
Carbs carbs carbs. I tried a “cleanse” diet and it drove me mad. I craved bread and carbs like I never have. It was so hard to stick to and I could never stick with it long enough to allow it to work to get rid of the cravings. I have a tough time with emotional eating – sugar is my deadly sin. Chocolate when I’m stressed, doesn’t matter what the time of day is. I try to tell myself that at least it’s ‘good’ dark chocolate, like my arteries care, right? I’ll try to be ‘more in the moment’ and feel what I’m feeling more. Thanks Pen, have a great holiday season with your family.
Posted by Izzy on December 21, 2010 at 8:33 am | permalink |
Hi Penolope –
1) 5 spoonfuls of sugar in coffee?!?!? Way too much. In the past I put 2 spoonfuls of sugar in my coffee, then cut down to 1 and now I use none. Try this.
2) Watch the movie “Supersize Me” to learn about how addicting and harmful sugar and carbohydrate overloading is. I watched it with my wife and kids last night and it was very enlightening. It is a good family movie and we kept stopping the movie and discussing various points. The kids want nothing to do with fast foods any more.
3) DBT seems good. But, do you find that there may not always be a specific feeling at the time?
4) Comment above said to keep your goals to yourself. I strongly disagree. If you let others know about your goals, you have more incentive to reach those goals.
Posted by Steven Pofcher on December 21, 2010 at 8:38 am | permalink |
You can do this, Penelope! You know that minding the diet improves your life, and your kids as well. I have celiac disease, so I know well the struggle to live truly gluten free – and I did a couple of years 100% sugar-free as well, though I allow myself a little now, but it no longer gets out of control. For losing your love of sugar – try taking the natural supplement gymnema sylvestre – it will really decrease the cravings, and after a couple weeks of taking it, you probably won’t need to use it any more – sugar just won’t have the JOY anymore – and then it’s just you vs your brain to resist the ever-present sweets.
And I know that cooking’s not really a passion for you, but it really does make the gluten-free, sugar-free life easier. Cooking the meals that make me feel good is a kind of meditation now – I think of it as yoga for my hands and brain. And if you need ideas for cooking, I blog my recipes at http://thewholekitchen.wordpress.com. And if you need help/support on making the transition – feel free to reach out, I love helping people cook the food that makes them truly well.
Posted by Jenn Sutherland on December 21, 2010 at 8:50 am | permalink |
Thanks for the suggestions, Jenn. I actually do like cooking, I just don’t write about it.
So, I like your idea of cooking healthy food feeling like yoga. I mean, the ingredients we eat on the farm are good. Very basic, our own meat, potatoes, etc. So it does feel good.
But I need to figure out what to do with that torn feeling I get when, for example, I bake cookies and the farmer and the boys love eating them. Does it feel good? Does it feel bad? And do I torture myself when I have to face a plate of cookies all day in the kitchen?
Yes! Cooking whole, healthy foods is just as important as getting exercise. I can’t settle myself long enough to do yoga yet, but I can stand in a kitchen and chop and feel the tension leave me. So for now, that’s my yogic activity.
As for cookies, bake them once in awhile, and make them gluten-free, so if you eat a few of them, you won’t get the brain-fog & mood swings from the gluten. Glutenfreegirl.com has tons of amazing cookie recipes, or if you don’t like to have 12 kinds of gluten-free flours hanging around, order Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix from amazon by the case, and use it in place of wheat flour in recipes – it’s fantastic stuff. More expensive than wheat flour, but it is worth it to be good to your body and brain.
Posted by Jenn Sutherland on December 21, 2010 at 11:48 am | permalink |
Wow thanks for having the courage to post your personal struggle here. I think we all suffer with various food problems whether it’s the overanalyzing of everything we eat or food addiction itself.
Some of the people I know who have the best diets, are consumed with the stress that comes with making food choices at every meal. Sometimes I wonder if there is a trade-off between the guilt and the calories.
I wish you the best of luck on your journey. It sounds like a positive one. Outside of food, when it comes to e-mail I have pretty much declared bankruptcy.
These days, a simple auto reply telling people you don’t check your e-mail and to try and reach you via twitter or some other mutations medium is not uncommon. You can always get a virtual assistant to handle your day-to-day e-mail if needed.
Posted by Brad Gosse on December 21, 2010 at 8:54 am | permalink |
When I was a compulsive eater and felt crazy, I finally figured out that the only answer to crazy was to just stop. It sounds too simple, but its true. I never engaged in any formal therapy because I was too much of a control freak, but, I did start zooming out on myself and observing my impulses as I would have done to a child who can’t control herself. I separated myself into a thinking being and an acting being and let the one side help analyze and counsel the other. Hard to explain. Good luck.
Posted by Ali on December 21, 2010 at 8:56 am | permalink |
Jenn mentioned “meditation” in her post–and you have mentioned it as a goal recently. I second the motion.
It is a goal for me too, at this point–quieting my mind, cultivating an observing-but-not-judging stance, letting go of the drivenness. Accepting.
In the halls of Alverno College, many years ago, was this serigraph:
Be where you are.
Is that far?
It’s as far as you are.
Chris Keller, MSN, RN
Posted by chris Keller on December 21, 2010 at 8:58 am | permalink |
My personal experience with refined flour and sugar mirrors yours, but I’m not totally in alignment with the Paleo diet as a solution for everyone (I’ve been doing Crossfit workouts for years now, and the Paleo diet is a big trend with Crossfitters).
First, a fair amount of time has passed since humans started with agriculture, and a fair number of generations have gone by as well. It makes sense then that some of us have evolved to adapt to this diet. And, it also makes sense that some of us have not evolved all the way. As well, some of us may have evolved such that these foods are bad for us.
In short, the evidence I see indicates that the food which is best for us is somewhat specific to each of us (hey, we all have different talents and capabilities. For example, some folks have a huge ability to process oxygen and run forever at a high rate of speed; others can grow muscles like nobody’s business and lift massive weight; others are so flexible as to be a rubber band; etc.). And, we need to pay attention to the results of eating that food.
So, if you get all bloating and gassy when you drink milk, you might have a problem digesting it. The point is to pay attention to what you eat and what happens over the next 24 hours or so.
And that’s what is great about your story regarding sugar. You paid attention, watched what happened to you and your son, made a hypothesis, and experimented. Now, you just gotta imagine yourself drinking coffee without sugar and then do it! As with all programs to rid yourself of a drug it sure does seem to take a while to ween yourself off of it and get to 0 usage. Good luck!
Posted by Dave on December 21, 2010 at 9:11 am | permalink |
I actually went back to school at the age of 38 to study this very thing – first to finish a bachelor’s, then to get a master’s in public health. i know you’re not big on degrees, but it was very useful, very helpful. even though your use of DBT is very personal (what’s called the level of the individual) one of the things i discovered and then began to focus on were the levels outside of individual control – ie who and what’s around us. i wrote a paper called “Refined Carbohydrates as Environmental Toxins” based out of that research. http://datinggod.typepad.com/katherineturner/2007/03/refined_carbohy.html
to crave the thing you’re allergic or sensitive to is called the allergy-addiction response. and what you’re craving is bread and sugar (refined carbohydrates) which the food supply is filled with. it’s a long and complicated issue – and it isn’t just at the level of personal which is a main reason you’re having so much trouble with it. hope the paper helps add to your wisdom around it all . . .
Posted by kate on December 21, 2010 at 9:34 am | permalink |
I’ve been on a what’s-the-deal-with-eating quest recently and come to similar conclusions from different sources. I like what Dave says above about everyone’s food tolerances being different – makes sense.
A couple of books about “Intuitive Eating” echo what you said about watching your patterns and sitting with your feelings when you walk into the kitchen. It’s really hard to do.
Another intuitive eating book is really big on cognitive behavioral therapy, which seems to have some tactics in common with DBT. (Rules of Normal Eating, Koenig)
It had this image which stuck with me. Every time you do something over and over, it’s like you’ve got a little marble at the top of a sand hill, and you push it one way. Naturally, the next time the marble is back on the top of the hill, when pushed, it will run along the same track in the sand, until the track gets deeper and deeper. Changing the track in the sand is really hard. Pushing the marble the other way, there’s much more resistance in the sand than that first, easy & deeper track. And when you go back to that old behavior, it’s so easy & familiar.
I like to visualize that when I’m trying to change habits. 1) It’s hard and 2) I just try to remind myself that I’m creating a new track, and hopefully the old one will fade away.
Posted by Erika on December 21, 2010 at 9:38 am | permalink |
thanks for that great analogy!
Posted by dana on December 21, 2010 at 11:27 am | permalink |
Not to belittle all of the suggestions that have been given, but I highly doubt the level of craving that Penelope is talking about is simple a matter of will power or finding the right supplement.
There is research that out there that has examined the serotonergic system is adults with Asperger’s that has found a significant reduction in available serotonin. Low levels of serotonin, as well as other neurotransmitters, can create incredible cravings that no amount of self discipline can control.
There are some pretty simple organic acid tests that can measure metabolic byproducts of neurotransmittors and give you a good idea if you have a problem with the big three (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine).
Posted by Christine Kiparissis on December 21, 2010 at 9:39 am | permalink |
Cheering for you! My goal is to cut out red meat for the rest of my life. I gave up pork over 16 years ago and eventually I want to subscribe to a Vegetarian diet. Even with all the sugar and carbs, you still look great :)
Posted by Tina Portis on December 21, 2010 at 9:39 am | permalink |
Leo Babauta, whom I like very much as a real guy amongst the self-help charlatans, says to just change one habit at a time. Focus small. Figure out a strategy. Replace one habit, the one you don’t like, with another, one you do. Go Penelope.
Posted by Lisa on December 21, 2010 at 9:48 am | permalink |
I grew up with a mother who always said (and sometimes still reminds me) that sugar is poison. Once, I met Dr. Bernstein and he told me that my mother was right and he said that sugar is the worst possible thing for you.
But I think eliminating it completely is nuts, personally.
I think once in a while you have to have something sweet. I know I can’t live without my poppy-seed cake
Gwyneth Paltrow also wrote about sugar addiction here:
http://goop.com/newsletter/103/en/
http://www.bighugstudio.blogspot.com
p.s. one of the best things that I ever added to my diet was Carlson’s Fish Oil, (in the orange flavour). Having it in the morning really fills you up, and it gives you nice skin, plus it’s great for anyone with depression.
Posted by Ella on December 21, 2010 at 10:03 am | permalink |
Thank you for all the suggestions — Ella, and everyone, really. It’s incredible to me what a great resource the comments section here is. I am trying to figure out what to do to make the comments more accessible to people. Today’s comments, and the comments on the photography post are examples of relatively hidden treasure troves, I think.
the writing has always been on the wall… the great spray paint & marker missionaries of the world are angels & don’t lie. believe them.
Posted by brandon on December 21, 2010 at 10:05 am | permalink |
Oh the food connection. Any anxiety and sensory overload I experience (and my daughter for that matter) I can usually attribute to sugar. Then I took the sugar away. Better, but not all better. AHA! It was gluten. We’re different people w/out that stuff. That having been said…..do I stay off sugar and gluten? Better than I used to, but as I type…pass the chocolate chip cookies, please. Whoever said “easier said than done” was brilliant. Then the shame spiral hits…and I think maybe I just don’t have self control? Hailing from the Mid-West, as you’ve touched on in previous posts, self control and not being lazy are huge guilt inducers. Guilt is not a motivator for me. I rebel. And eat more sugar. Sigh. Can you say cycle? Perhaps I should try DBT.
Posted by Maria on December 21, 2010 at 10:24 am | permalink |
It’s so true, Maria. My husband and I joke that he married “Crazy Jenn,” and truly he did. Before my celiac diagnosis, I had wild mood swings, needed everything in my life to go exactly as planned and on-time, otherwise I was liable to melt-down. I feel blessed that “Crazy Jenn” is now a stranger who only visits on the extremely rare occasion when I get accidentally glutened when eating outside my home.
Posted by Jenn Sutherland on December 21, 2010 at 12:06 pm | permalink |
LOL~when I’m in a bad mood my husband says “What have you had to eat?” Which can really get irritating when I need to just feel an emotion, but often I feel emotions to the extreme when I”m on a sugar roll.
Yah, well, at least its not, “expecting your period soon?” ha ha.. and darn it, he’s always right!
Posted by Helen on December 21, 2010 at 2:22 pm | permalink |
True, that. :)
Posted by Maria on December 21, 2010 at 5:44 pm | permalink |
I made a similar shift – it’s easier if you use substitutes rather than the cold turkey approach. I switched from sugar to stevia quite easily. It’s an acquired taste, but since it’s natural and unlike other natural sugar alternatives, doesn’t effect your blood sugar, it’s a great choice. You can cook with it too. And Both Arrowhead Mills and Bob’s Red Mill Organic make a great gluten-free baking mix.
Posted by Elizabeth B on December 21, 2010 at 10:27 am | permalink |
You inspired me. Really. So there’s one tiny success for today. Great post.
Posted by Kim on December 21, 2010 at 10:28 am | permalink |
Wrong! I clicked on that link but I didn’t go there until I read your post. And in fact I still haven’t read it because I wanted to comment :)
One thing I know about will power and wanting to change is that you can’t rely on just self discipline because you will fail. We aren’t good at self discipline but it sounds like you are working on creating new behaviors (or conversations on feelings) and that might be easier than just stopping old behaviors. Best of luck. I am in favor of more yoga and blog posts.
When I make a big list of changes for myself, that nervousness starts to set in…about failure, meeting my expectations, meeting the expectations of others, about everything.
But I’ve started asking myself the question, “What’s the worst that could happen if I try it for just 2 weeks?” If in two weeks I don’t notice a difference or the costs outweigh the benefits, I can quit. Just giving myself those two weeks allows me to see that the changes I want to make aren’t horrible rules imposed by some uncaring outside force – but a new game that I could really like if I give it a try.
Posted by MissMetroDC on December 21, 2010 at 11:00 am | permalink |
Hi Penelope. I’ve been through DBT too and it helped me more successfully navigate my inner swirl of feelings. It has helped me to better accept life as it is, rather than as I’d have it.
Tell me more about how you’re practicing DBT. Are you learning it in a group setting or are you doing it on your own out of a book?
One of the things DBT helped me with was tolerating the gray areas. What would happen if DBT doesn’t help you at all with the more/less list you wrote but makes you feel more at peace about that?
Of course I am not doing DBT the conventional way. That would be too much to ask, right? The closest DBT therapist to where I live (Southwestern Wisconsin) is in the north Suburbs of Chicago. Too far to drive. So I do it on the phone with her. There is no group.
And, she is probably totally annoyed with me about this, but I haven’t bought the books. Yet. I will. I read a ton about DBT online, though.
You know how the first step to solving a problem is to admit that you are not special? Well, I have not overcome that hurdle because I think that after being in therapy for 35 years (since I was five) I have a good foundation and I can just be coached through DBT verbally.
I’m sure I’m delusional and I’m not doing totally DBT, but hopefully I’ll be a success story for it anyway :)
Re not doing DBT the conventional way — Who cares? Get it however you need to get it. Take what works and leave the rest.
Posted by jim on December 21, 2010 at 8:45 pm | permalink |
First, love your writing. Just love it. But second, give truvia or some other stevia based product a try. Its a natural sweet herb that is actually sweeter than sugar but without the harmful effects. I use it in my coffee, on my cereal and I love it.
I’m not pimping any particular brand and most can now be bought in the sugar aisle in any chain grocery store. We have Krogers here in Ohio.
Posted by Scott Pullins on December 21, 2010 at 11:11 am | permalink |
Truvia or another good-tasking stevia preparation is a good idea for reducing the ill-effects of sugar without battling the cravings.
If you think the sugar/carb cravings are related to serotonin levels, 5-HTP reduces sugar cravings probably because it’s a serotonin precursor (NB that it is therefore NOT safe to combine with many psychiatric meds). It might be worth looking into, if you’d rather not address serotonin levels healthily through exercise, sunshine, or unhealthily through sugar consumption!
Posted by Sarah on February 24, 2011 at 1:32 pm | permalink |
I think that telling others about what you are trying to accomplish will help to reinforce your commitment and allow others to support your efforts/struggle.
Please keep your readers informed about how it is going for you and the results. Good luck!
Posted by Dick on December 21, 2010 at 11:27 am | permalink |
I am exactly the same. I crave bread, carbs, carbs, carbs. I especially love cake, so there’s the carbs + sugar. If we have pizza I spend the whole meal anxiously crossing my fingers that no one else eats their crusts, because ohmygosh if I don’t get more then I might die. I have a friend that is a nutritionist so I paid $65 to see her professionally so she could tell me all the same things I already know when really I know my issues with food are behavioral. So good luck. Oh my gosh do I know how hard it is! Perhaps I will scroll back up and click the link for the official version because it’s my birthday today, and maybe I will make it a present to myself that I should change, too.
Posted by Harriet May on December 21, 2010 at 11:27 am | permalink |
It’s never the first mistake that does you in. It’s the cascade that follows which does.
I’d rather someone learn to have one cookie, or one slice of bread than to compulsively avoid them altogether. All avoidance leads to is vilifying foods (like sugar).
If you like a food you should eat it. However, you should control it. It should not control you. Good luck.
Posted by Sean on December 21, 2010 at 11:30 am | permalink |
for some reason the link didn;t work . . . http://datinggod.typepad.com/katherineturner/2007/03/refined_carbohy-1.html#tp should do it . . . apologies . . .
Posted by kate on December 21, 2010 at 11:38 am | permalink |
Great and candid post. A quote I picked up recently and keeps me going is:
“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.” (Goethe)
Posted by Patrick on December 21, 2010 at 11:38 am | permalink |
to echo some fine responses above, there’s no question that gluten and sugar elimination is key to feeling so much better. what i don’t understand is that if you’ve identified the bread as detrimental to you and your son, why is it still in the house at all? eliminating gluten is not a fad–it’s proven to be extremely beneficial to a lot of people, and if you’re dedicated to taking good care of your family, you’ll ask all members of that family to adhere to the practice. it also makes making change easier when everyone understands why it’s necessary and goes along.
going gluten free needs definition for a lot of people. it’s not just elimination of refined/white flour–it’s about shedding ALL wheat (bulgur, bran, einkorn, kamut spelt are wheat derivations), rye, oats (at least those produced in facilities that process other glutenous grains; there are gluten-free oats), and barley. in spite of what the prospect sounds like, there are many substitutes–americans live in the land of plenty, and if they choose, can find alternatives they love.
having had autism spectrum (including aspergers) members in our family, this was one of the first steps recommended in getting a good baseline health state. i’ve also witnessed it change the behavior of children diagnosed ADHD. moreover, some medical professionals recommend curbing ALL grains for optimal health for this cohort (check out what doctors mercola and null say on the subject).
americans are confused about what constitutes a good grain and what does not. it doesn’t help that food labeling is, basically, lying to them. “whole grain” cheerios? hardly. if they were truly “whole grain”, they’d be inedible. as per the excellent suggestion above, watch “supersize me” and “food inc.”, which both reveal the lies americans want to believe, because change is hard. it is, but what’s the alternative? making oneself a willing guinea pig for pharma? not exactly the path to health.
bottom line, making this kind of change takes mindfulness, always being present to making good choices. some people think that making this change is far too much, and they look for some kind of 12-step program to “ease” out. when i decided to take control, i simply made the choice to do so. I dumped the offending flours and products from our pantry, and my husband joined me in making the change. doing it in one day is pretty powerful, and eventually, we watched our consumption of even the “acceptable” carbs/grains plummet. as others have put, eating wheat and sugar has a self-perpetuating quality.
DBT seems to tap into that idea of mindfulness–knowing how one feels when engaging in a behavior they want to eliminate is just that. is it difficult? maybe. but there is an amazing feeling associated with triumphing over those changes that scare or intimidate us, right?
i wish everyone who takes these courageous steps the strength it takes to persevere! peace.
Posted by thatgirlinnewyork on December 21, 2010 at 11:42 am | permalink |
Aha. You sound just like me. You might get something out of reading Ellie’s blog, particularly the posts about stopping drinking and then also dealing with food as food and not as comfort. I’m not there yet with food, but I like what you’re doing.
http://www.onecraftymother.com/
Posted by Tzipporah on December 21, 2010 at 11:50 am | permalink |
Also, it’s not really about self-discipline. It’s about self-awareness and self-confidence.
Oh, sugar. Most of the time I can banish it from my life without problem. I do this because I know I’m addicted. Consider the scene at a Christmas party last Saturday night, when the only food was dessert: I ate one cookie, decided to sample a piece of fudge, and then I was off. I could not stop. Interestingly, I wasn’t the only one doing this, there were quite a number of us going crazy for the sweets. And what I find, three days later, is that the sugar addiction is still activated, making me want more. Geesh. So maybe I’ll try the DBT. Though it sounds a bit complicated.
Posted by Charlotte Rains Dixon on December 21, 2010 at 11:54 am | permalink |
I’m on one of the diets that’s proven successful for children with autism. (The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which excludes di- and polysaccharides – complex chains of sugars – hence, no gluten, either.)
I put myself on it to manage my Crohn’s disease, but of course, like all “medications” you want to chuck as soon as they make you feel better, I wandered off for years. It’s not an un-tasty diet, but it precludes a lot of delicious foods, virtually all convenience foods, and of course, my particular comfort foods (bread and potatoes).
Getting *back* on was much harder than getting on, though. When I started, I had a huge incentive: stopping the bleeding/inflammation, keeping my intestines, getting off immunosuppressants. Once you’re feeling pretty good most of the time…well, you know the drill.
Anyway, the reason I’m blathering on here is that finally, after several unsuccessful attempts to white-knuckle it, I got hypnotized. Bam. Done. As in, I walked away from the session with the cravings gone, listened to my recording for two weeks, and have not had a problem since. I watch people eat pasta, eat bread, eat French fries, and the experience is more of a wistful memory of “Oh, yeah, I used to really like that, didn’t I?” If I hadn’t gone through the experience myself, I wouldn’t believe it.
When IBD patients go on SCD, usually the whole household goes that way, which helps to remove temptation. And the family knows it’s to keep Mom/Dad/Bucky/Jane out of the hospital, so they suck it up. If you have to live with “illegals” (our SCD term for them) in the house, I say use every weapon in your arsenal.
Good luck to you. You’re awesome and inspiring!!
Posted by Colleen Wainwright on December 21, 2010 at 11:55 am | permalink |
Here’s something you might find interesting Penelope. My wife and I have spent a great deal of time figuring out the whole bread/gluten/sugar thing because she has an especially heinous version of what you’re talking about. We wrote a book about it, and then we started a company from the book. It’s something we know a lot about.
What’s basically happening is that you crave carbs. There are lots of potential reasons, but the bottom line is that your brain doesn’t have the glucose it wants, so it says “GIVE ME CARBS NOW,” and you say “Sure, here’s 10 slices of wonderbread.” And you feel phenomenal because you’re delivered the mother load of carbs straight your little reptile brain.
So when you say “No, wonderbread is bad for me” instead, your brain gets clever and insists that you replace all those delicious carbs with sugar. Sugar is crystalized carbs. It’s like wonderbread in powder form. It’s all about the carb craving.
Your will power is a finite resource. There’s a certain chemical your brain needs to maintain the willpower it needs to not snarf a loaf of wonderbread. When it gets low on that chemical, you absolutely can’t stop yourself from eating that bread and downing 4 cups of sugar a day.
The chemical is glucose. It’s blood sugar. It’s the stuff your body was craving in the first place, that made you want all those carbs.
So the issue you’re having is that your brain is craving the stuff you shouldn’t eat precisely at the moment when you have no will power to resist that stuff.
So you have my permission not to beat yourself up about it.
There is a physical reason you burn through your glucose too fast, and you should figure out what it is with your doctor. Your doctor probably won’t be interested in figuring it out though, my wife went through a dozen before one took the time to figure it out and helped her get well again.
In the mean time there are some safe recommendations I can make regardless of what the underlying cause of the issue is. First, eat more protein. For example, when you crave bread, allow yourself to eat that bread, but only if it’s smothered in peanut butter, a good source of protein.
When you eat meals make sure the ratio of carbs to protein is at least 2 to 1–2 servings of carbs for 1 serving of protein. More protein than that is fine, but more carbs is not fine.
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you have trouble sleeping also. You wake up around 2 or 3 in the morning sometimes, feeling agitated. You may have fairly frequent nightmares. That’s all blood sugar related. Right before bed, have a high protein snack.
The thing about protein is that the energy you get from it burns more slowly. It’s like taking a slow release medication. Carbs burn up in a heartbeat and leave you craving more. Protein will burn over a longer course of time. That will stop the up-down-up-down yoyoing of your blood sugar and curb the carb cravings.
I have way more information about this if you’re interested, so just let me know and we’ll talk.
Posted by Pete Michaud on December 21, 2010 at 12:08 pm | permalink |
Penelope, I’m going to try this right along with you. Starting…now…
I enjoyed reading this post and related, but feel guilty for reading it at the office while procrastinating. I feel bored by a quick research project I have to complete. I hope to find a way to work full time on my own projects as my own boss one day. I feel overwhelmed by what will be necessary to do this.
Learning already!
I love the photo at the end of this post. Let’s all work to motivate each other into the new year.
Posted by Van on December 21, 2010 at 12:10 pm | permalink |
Van, fellow procrastinator at work here! You will find much inspiration and motivation here to get you moving towards your goal. Take it a step at a time. If you feel overwhelmed, do not just picture the final goal. Try making a list of the steps you need to take to get there. It makes things alot more concrete and manageable. I will be realizing my own goal in 2011! Cannot wait. It’s just a matter of taking that first step!
“The only real failure in life is the failure to try”
The best thing you can do for yourself is to fail at something. You make mistakes and take away new lessons! So don’t be so hard on yourself and quit weighing the risks and rewards and just do it!
Posted by PJ on December 21, 2010 at 12:27 pm | permalink |
For clarity carbohydrates are sugars, just “complex” long chained versions rather then their “simple” sugar brethren. This is why they pack such a punch to adding inches to the waist line (if your Endomorphic) or in your case being an “Ectomorph”, they will hype you up. This is why you felt claimer when you got off them. The biggest thing is to get out of the house, meaning off the property into a larger social setting as people who tend to work from home a lot tend to become agoraphobic (especially those with Asperger’s and yes I have Asperger’s which is one the reasons I read your blog). Thanks, Joe…
Posted by Joe Campbell on December 21, 2010 at 12:55 pm | permalink |
Wow! Great post! Thank you so much. I can relate to a lot of what you are writing. I’m always working on self improvement and then I can’t keep it up. It sucks. This sounds like an interesting approach. I might try this.
Posted by Heather on December 21, 2010 at 1:26 pm | permalink |
Wow! You’re stuck in the same place as me – I have no confidence in myself and I *know* I’m gonna fail in the end, so what’s the point of bothering now? Also, there’s so many things that I want/need to change in order to be living a more fulfilling life. Top of that list is (like you) self-discipline. But it’s something I generally suck at. I think.
I’m glad that you’re writing about it (and I get how scary it is: if you fail, EVERYONE knows) because you’re something of a research fiend. You do an insane amount of research whenever you get obsessed by anything, like the whole happiness vs. interestingness thing. ;) And I look forward to reading some of that.
The DBT thing is interesting (and I did click through, so there! But yours was more interesting. :) ). I’m not sure it’s something I’d do, because it requires self-discipline to write it down… it’s a vicious cycle. Grrr!
Posted by Sarah on December 21, 2010 at 1:29 pm | permalink |
Penelope, DBT sounds similar to Byron Katie’s “Loving What Is.” It also sounds like a lot of work, but I understand why you’re doing it, and I hope it helps you become more self-aware.
In the meantime — and I know this is probably falling on deaf ears — try to be gentle with yourself. You can still make great (or many) changes in your life without being so hard on *you* all the time.
Posted by Sarah Miller on December 21, 2010 at 1:54 pm | permalink |
I also have a sensitivity to wheat and sugar. I feel way better when I don’t eat them. I also couldn’t stop eating them, until I cut out all sugar, including fruit, starchy foods, alcohol, etc., from my diet. This completely eliminated cravings for sugar and wheat, and the way I feel is worth the sacrifice. I did it for over a year. Now I indulge on occasion, knowing I’ll pay for it the next day, and that’s fine – I can deal with a day of a food hangover and mild cravings. It reminds me why I stay away from it most of the time.
Posted by Sheryl on December 21, 2010 at 2:18 pm | permalink |
I’m really glad you’ve found the Paleo/Primal diet. I’ve been on it for about a year now and its done WONDERS for me! I second the recommendation for Mark’s Daily Apple, it’s a great site: http://www.marksdailyapple.com
A word of encouragement: Your taste buds will adjust after a few weeks, if you can only stay away from the sugar for that long. Anymore I find most desserts to be disgustingly sweet; a ripe peach or orange is the perfect treat. I know that might seem pretty amazing, but it really does happen! Hope that gives you some incentive. :)
I love your blog, by the way; it keeps me sane. :)
Posted by Joyce on December 21, 2010 at 4:22 pm | permalink |
Penelope, so glad that you talked about DBT here! I say that because I personally believe that DBT is just plain good sense for anyone. It is a perfect complement to Cognitive Behavior Therapy as well. I’m proud of you for writing about it. I use the strategies for myself and I recommend them to all my clients. Cheers!
Posted by Steve-Prospering With Aspergers on December 21, 2010 at 4:37 pm | permalink |
Penelope, thank you for being such an inspiration. I have just started blogging after reading your guide to starting a blog.
I have been struggling with sugar cravings and disciplining myself for the past year now and have been trying different channels to keep myself in check and stay motivated and optimistic about this process although I am often impatient and find it so hard to keep at it while I don’t get results straight away. I need to train my patience amongst other things! It just seems appropriate that I came across your post this morning after setting myself some new goals last night! I’m going to try the DBT method too and hopefully it will also be another factor to help me reach some of my goals!
Good luck with your goals too!
Posted by Jada on December 21, 2010 at 5:54 pm | permalink |
The key to limiting your sugar and bread craving is to trick yourself. Don’t tell yourself “I can’t have any sugar or bread today”. Instead, tell yourself, “I won’t have any sugar or bread until after lunch”. Have a big lunch (no bread), then you won’t have the craving until around 3:00. Then, let you can let yourself have some. Instead of eatting all day, it will just be from 3:00 on.
Posted by Ann on December 21, 2010 at 6:15 pm | permalink | | 44,190 | My new path to self-discipline: DBT | Penelope Trunk Careers | 0.96 | 423 | 336.2 | sha1:X7AP4RMVPQW7R3SOZDE5YOPXBH74CK5X | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2010/12/21/my-new-path-to-self-discipline-dbt/ | blog.penelopetrunk.com |
2019-02-15T18:38:38Z | 10,654 | en | 35 | It was a fateful night of 8th November, 2016 when our honorable PM announced with a big fanfare his decision to demonetize the existing currency of Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1000/- notes. The citizens of the largest democracy in the world were given this ultimatum that their currency has been rendered as virtually useless after the stroke of midnight, save a few services where this currency can be used temporarily.
I remember that evening when this decision was announced. My wife and I were enjoying a nice evening drink with my brother in law at Swagath Lounge & Bar in Sector 26, Chandigarh. All of a sudden, I saw the waiters flipping over the music channels on LCD screens to some news channel where this grand announcement was being made. At first I could not believe my ears and thought that it was a horrible prank being played upon us. However, we carried on enjoying the drinks for the rest of the evening, oblivious to the disaster unfolding in front of us. When we left the restaurant we saw a beeline of cars outside the petrol pumps and in my drunken stupor reality dawned on me that people were really trying to offload their bigger notes.
So before I continue with this article, let me explain the meaning of demonetization. Demonetization is the act of stripping a currency unit of its status as legal tender. It occurs whenever there is a change of national currency: The current form or forms of money is pulled from circulation and retired, often to be replaced with new notes or coins. Sometimes, a country replaces the old currency entirely with a new one.
Now the idea begets a question as to what was the need to demonetize the existing 500 & 1000 rupee notes. They cannot even be classified as larger currencies since an evening out for a couple in a movie hall will cost them around 1000 bucks. So did it really make sense to replace common currency in a country with the world’s second largest population, having a poor digital outreach and infrastructure? Apparently it did to our honorable PM and the RBI Governor who gave it a thumb up only to disappear from the news channels for quite a few weeks thereafter.
So why did the government demonetize the existing currency? Here are some of the reasons that they have stated and continue to do so:
1.) The first and the foremost reason that was stated was that it would reduce the huge pile-up of black money into a pulp of waste paper.
2.) The second reason was to destroy the circulation of counterfeit currency which according to this government is huge in number and is funding terrorist activities.
3.) The third reason was to encourage people to start cashless transactions and hence make a push towards the idea of a “Digital India”.
4.) Demonetization will go a long way in curbing corruption in India.
If one looks at this whole episode of demonetization holistically, one can understand as to how the politicians influence the minds of the gullible voters.
The government claims that 4 lakh crore rupees out of 14 lakh crore rupees floating money in the Indian economy is Black Money. There is no basis to this figure presented by the Government or the RBI. This is the figure that has been given to the courts who are questioning the Government on demonetization.
Now let’s talk about fake currency. How much fake currency was circulating in the market? It was hardly around 60 crore which amounts to 0.001% of our economy. So to counteract this fake currency, did we really need to disturb a 14 lakh crore economy? This problem would have taken care of itself if all the banks (including the cooperative banks) were provided with proper currency counting and scanning machines.
The Government soon realized that demonetization was fast becoming a disaster in progress. To control the damage, they created a new narrative of introducing India to a cashless economy.
What a joke!!!
As per the 2011 Census, 30% of the population over 15 years of age is illiterate. When we include people with primary or lower level education, the percentage increases to 55%. It means that more than half of the Indian adult population is not educated enough to shift to digital mode of payments. The situation was not very different in 2016. According to InterMedia’s Financial Inclusion Insights (2015), only 14% of the population (15 years and above) had high digital literacy and another 26% had moderate digital literacy.
Forget about the illiterate and semi-literate class, even literate folks struggle with the idea of digital payments. My parents who are both educated, are not comfortable with the concept of net banking. Till date do not use a credit card. These estimates suggest that 60% of the Indian population is not prepared for shift to a cashless digital economy.
Another idea defending demonetization was curbing corruption. Corruption is an all pervasive evil which is present in the system itself. Every Tax payer knows where the paid money percolates in the corrupt government system. That is why they shy away from paying the entire tax since the citizen is not getting the intended benefits from the government such as social security, guaranteed employment and better healthcare. Citing corruption and demonetizing the currency is not a way to eradicate corruption. Corruption can be contained overnight if only the government chooses to do so. This can happen by targeting non-taxpayers, alter the existing laws, draft stringent rules for defaulters and most of all make taxation simple so that no one defaults.
So what have we achieved overall after demonetization? Zilch………
Six months down the line, following are the after effects of demonetization.
The purpose of demonetization was to reduce black money, corruption and fake currency. But apart from reducing fake currency for a while, it completely failed to achieve the other two objectives. It is said 97% of money in circulation came back to the bank (against a target of only 80 to 85%) and corruption didn’t reduce rather it increased in the banking system. Even after filing repeated RTI petitions, RBI refuses to reveal how much cash has come back into the system.
The government’s push for Digital India too is rendered useless as cash flows are back to normal.
The government promised that more money in the banking system will help banks provide cheaperloans. However, there is no reduction in loan rates. Instead banks have started levying extra charges on transactions and interest on saving account reduced.
Demonetization was supposed to have broken the backbone of naxalites and terrorists but the situation is even worse now.
The recent GDP data shows that GDP growth rate has gone down from an expected rate of 7.6% to 7.1% . GDP growth rate of 4th quarter is now 6.1% from 7.9% of last year.
Demonetization destroyed many small scale industries and unorganized sectors, causing mass loss of jobs.
About 198 people of this country have committed suicide due to demonetization.
I will sum up the end of this long article by saying this. Demonetization was not really a great idea to begin with. However it caused great disaster due to poor planning and implementation. The only beneficiary of this move has been the BJP which was able to trounce its rivals in the elections in U.P. This government should thank the people of India for displaying great patience and not showing any outrage against the inconvenience caused to them. I see another disaster in making in the form of GST which will be implemented now. Let us see whether the people of this country are patient enough to extend their benevolence towards a Government which is clearly out of its depth with what this economy needs.
Unemployment in India ……The devil is in the detail →
Awesome article..an eye opener!!
Superb article..!! A cashless society requires advance infrastructure. Even a superpower like USA is 45% cashless. India was not prepared for it. Unnecessary harassment.
Great work. Waiting for more to come
Sheena Aneja
Truly this article brings out the transparency of our system..
Dr Jyotiraditya
Yes, It was a disaster … Everyone was discomforted with this unplanned move by “Supposedly” a dictator Government of India. It was the real surgical strike but on people of India. Another unplanned move of this Govt is GST. No doubt It is good for our economy by again the implementation and execution is extremely poor. Moreover, we all are regarded as CHOR by the government. There is nothing like social security to us. but taxes are being levied on us to give freebies to the lower income groups as a bribe so that they keep voting for the BJP govt. We are the people who pay taxes and we are being mentally harassed. The Sad state of India…continues… | 8,696 | Demonetization......A disaster forced on India » Lets Blog | 0.97 | 82 | 321.5 | sha1:LC47W63KE7UFJBIX5YJN72HAWPGXXN46 | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blogmyspace.com/a-disaster-called-demonetization/ | blogmyspace.com |
2019-02-15T19:28:25Z | 3,207 | en | 2 | Higher education announcements
As you will all be aware, Minister Birmingham announced a range of higher education reforms earlier this week. A summary prepared by the Office of Strategy and Planning is available here. We are in the process of working through the announcement to understand the implications for Curtin and will discuss these in more detail at the VC Forum to be held on 17 May in the Elizabeth Jolley Lecture Theatre between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. A light lunch will be provided and will be available from 12.00pm. | 528 | 3 May 2017 – Vice-Chancellor- Curtin University | 0.96 | 116 | 226.8 | sha1:PLV4B32EGRHWWPXPPXIKE5SEIKBFA2YD | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/vice-chancellor/note-to-staff/2017/3-may-2017/ | blogs.curtin.edu.au |
2019-02-15T19:26:16Z | 11,802 | en | 42 | 6 February 2017 By Deborah Terry
Curtin proudly supports AFL Women’s League Fremantle Dockers game
I am very pleased to advise that as part of Curtin’s proud foundation partnership with the AFL Women’s League (AFLW) Fremantle Dockers team, we will be supporting the team’s Round 4 NAB AFLW game against the Adelaide Crows on Sunday 26 February at Fremantle Oval.
Although there were discussions about Curtin hosting the game at our Bentley campus, a decision has been made to move the game to the Fremantle Oval.
We are thrilled that five current and former Curtin students, Hayley Miller (Physiotherapy), Belinda Smith (Physiotherapy), Brianna Green (Health Science), Stephanie Cain (Construction Management), and alumna Dana Hooker (Occupational Therapy) are part of the inaugural squad. In addition Tarryn Dickerson, Curtin’s Elite Athletes Coordinator, has taken on a part-time role as the team’s Welfare Officer, providing exceptional support to the players who juggle their sporting commitments, work and study.
The development of the women’s league is a defining moment for Australian football and sends a powerful message that elite performance, both on and off the sporting field, is not restricted by gender, in the same way as it should not be restricted by race, background or religion.
Curtin’s partnership with the AFLW Fremantle Dockers team aligns with our commitment to create valuable work placement opportunities for our students across a broad range of study areas including multimedia, public relations, physiotherapy, dietetics and business, at the same time as opening up new research opportunities.
The game is free to attend and I encourage staff to head down and show their support. Event details can be found on Facebook. Place activation activities will be there on the day so bring your friends and families down to enjoy the game and support some of Curtin’s elite athletes.
26th Annual Teaching and Learning Forum
Curtin was proud to host the 26th Annual Teaching and Learning Forum at our Bentley campus on 2 and 3 February. Approximately 260 educators from 13 Australian institutions gathered to share knowledge and expertise in learning and teaching in higher education, around the theme of: Multiple Dimensions in Teaching and Learning. Engaging keynote speakers, Professor Adam Bridgeman of the University of Sydney and Curtin’s Professor Teri Balser of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, provided insights into their innovative teaching.
As Curtin strengthens its position as a global educator, innovations such as distributed learning are being used to offer a quality learning experience not only to students attending a physical campus but also those studying online as distance learners. For the first time, using a range of technologies, the Forum facilitated a borderless conference experience between different sites at Curtin and our Miri Campus, to showcase this distributed learning model.
Congratulations to the Curtin Learning and Teaching team on a highly successful event.
Curtin has been ranked 179 globally and 9 in Australia in the 2017 edition of the Ranking Web of Repositories. The ranking assesses institutions according to “the free access to scientific publications in an electronic form and to other academic material”. More than 2200 institutions are listed in the ranking.
Shenton Park campus handover
At the end of March, Curtin will hand back our Health Research Campus at Shenton Park to LandCorp. This will allow the site to be redeveloped into a residential precinct.
Curtin’s involvement with the Shenton Park site began in 1969 when the Department of Therapies opened at WAIT. A new building for the Department opened at Shenton Park in 1972, housing physiotherapy and occupational therapy. These areas transferred to Bentley in 2000 and 2002, respectively, allowing education and research in both physiotherapy and occupational therapy to grow significantly as a consequence of access to state-of-the-art amenities and equipment.
The Shenton Park site then became focused on health research. Over the past few years, its research centres and groups have gradually moved to Technology Park and Bentley. This has helped strengthen their links and collaborations with other parts of the Faculty and the broader University.
I warmly welcome all staff who have recently moved from the Shenton Park campus.
Curtin to feature on Our Town WA
I am pleased to advise that Curtin University will feature on the Channel 7 TV program Our Town WA. The segment, featuring the Town of Victoria Park, notes that the vibrant local presence of our Bentley Campus adds significantly to the liveability of the Town.
The segment will acknowledge Curtin’s close connections to industry and the local community, and will highlight the next exciting phase of Greater Curtin which will transform our facilities and bring a range of social, economic and lifestyle benefits to Bentley and the surrounding community. I encourage staff to tune into Our Town WA on Sunday 12 February from 5.00pm to 5.30pm.
Pearson Student of the Year Awards
Congratulations to Bachelor of Commerce student Mitchell Liebeck, who has won the 2016 Pearson Student of the Year Award in the category of Accounting, Economics and Finance. Mitchell is a UniPASS Peer Learning Facilitator, Future Students Course Advisor and a New to Curtin Mentor. The awards recognise outstanding effort, dedication, and academic achievement and Mitchell is the first student from a West Australian university to be recognised in the awards. I would like to thank Dr Rosie Kerr and the staff at the School of Accounting for submitting his nomination.
A highly engaged member of the Curtin community, Mitchell took up a number of opportunities whilst studying, including a business internship and a mentoring role with Chinese articulation students through the New to Curtin Mentor program. You can view Mitch’s award-winning presentation here.
Mitchell Liebeck
Curtin FM presenter inducted into Tamworth Country Music Hall of Fame
Congratulations to long-time Curtin FM presenter and volunteer, Brendon T Moylan, who was inducted into the Australian Country DJ Broadcaster’s Music Hall of Fame during the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January.
Brendon presents Curtin FM’s popular Saturday afternoon program Born in Boots, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his ongoing commitment and passion for the country music genre. Born in Boots has been voted the most popular country music program in Perth and one of the ten most popular country music programs in Australia. Brendon is Curtin FM’s second longest serving volunteer.
Brendon T Moylan
Vale Dusanka Davidson
Sadly, Dusanka Davidson, a former Human Resources Business Consultant at Curtin, has passed away from lung cancer. Although Dusanka left Curtin for other opportunities in 2013, she is well remembered by many at the University who admired her integrity, kindness, compassion and lively spirit. On behalf of the University I extend our deepest sympathies to her husband and family, and all who mourn her loss.
Donna Brookes February 6, 2017 1:59pm
Congratulations to everybody involved in the T&L Forum. I gained a great deal of practical information that I will use in my work here at Curtin. The presentations have generated much interest and enthusiasm in our area, and I am looking forward to researching further aspects of ideas outlined at the forum. A great effort from all who were involved.
Amanda Smith February 7, 2017 1:02pm
I agree Donna, it was a great forum, a really good mix of practical ideas and theoretical inspirations! I have to find time right now to incorporate a few ideas directly into my new Peer Learning Facilitator training as they are great ideas! It was also a really supportive and collegial atmosphere – I presented with a facilitator who was totally new to conferences, and she felt very supported and not really nervous because of the collegial environment. Thank you to Curtin Learning and Teaching for enabling that.
Aleisha Davidson February 6, 2017 2:01pm
Thank you, Deborah, for your note about Dusanka.
Her family are very thankful for your kind words.
Lauren Robertson February 6, 2017 8:04pm
Congratulations Mitchell for receiving this award. Your attitude towards your studies, enhancing your employability and career development is to be commended, as well as your commitment to helping your peers. Securing a graduate role with PwC is clearly a testament to your proactive approach to making the most of your university experience. Well done. You are a great role model to other students.
Amanda Smith February 7, 2017 9:03am
Congratulations to Mitch for his well deserved win in the Pearson’s Student of the Year Award – it is fantastic that he was nominated by the dedicated staff at the School of Accounting for his dedication and community spirit. He was a fantastic UniPASS facilitator and Mentor and many students benefitted from his enthusiastic, engaging and interactive work, he will be missed by our teams! | 9,044 | 6 February 2017 – Vice-Chancellor- Curtin University | 0.96 | 159 | 285.2 | sha1:M6DKZKJGFEPKH4O77D4KL5ZMFV43SWX6 | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blogs.curtin.edu.au/vice-chancellor/note-to-staff/2017/6-february-2017/ | blogs.curtin.edu.au |
2019-02-15T19:11:35Z | 13,511 | en | 13 | « To Understand Fossils, These Paleontologists Are Making Faux-ssils What Would You Do With a Third, Mind-Controlled, Robotic Limb? »
By Eric Betz | July 25, 2018 10:00 am
Astronomers have discovered a large underground lake of liquid water lurking just below the surface of Mars. The find could end a more than century-long debate over whether or not the Red Planet still has liquid water.
The newfound lake stretches some 12 miles from end-to-end, and was discovered using a radar instrument called MARSIS on board the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft, which first reached Mars nearly 15 years ago. The results were published Wednesday in the journal Science.
“This is just one small study area,” says study author Roberto Orosei, who’s also principal investigator of the MARSIS experiment. “It is an exciting prospect to think there could be more of these underground pockets of water elsewhere, yet to be discovered.”
Scientists found the lake by launching radar pulses from the orbiter to penetrate the surface and reflect back, revealing secrets from just below the surface. It was discovered as they surveyed the Planum Australe region near Mars’ southern ice cap, which is made of water ice covered by frozen carbon dioxide.
Between 2012 and 2015, the team obtained 29 radar samples and used them to map the subsurface nearly one mile deep in the area and about a dozen miles wide.
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft used radar to detect a lake of liquid water on the Red Planet. (Credit: ESA)
“We’d seen hints of interesting subsurface features for years, but we couldn’t reproduce the result from orbit to orbit,” says study co-author Andrea Cicchetti, who’s also on the MARSIS team. She says data resolution in the past was just too low. But the team found a new way to operate the instrument that avoids processing data on the aging spacecraft and instead sends observations to Earth, allowing a higher sampling rate.
The discovery is especially intriguing because underground lakes like this are also found near Earth’s poles, particularly in Greenland and Antarctica. And in recent years, scientists actually drilled deep beneath the Antarctic ice into one of these, the subglacial Lake Whillans, which had been cut off from the surface for millions of years. They found bacteria still living there in complete isolation.
Scientists have also traveled deep underground into mines and found microorganisms related to ancient species that once lived in watery environments much closer to the surface. Such migrations raise the possibility of the same thing happening on Mars — as the water retreated, life moved deeper underground.
However, while the find is tantalizing for astrobiologists eager to find alien life, it’s also a bit of a tease. It will be decades before astronauts can visit the surface of Mars, and likely much longer before we can drill a mile beneath the dusty surface. So we may not see any Martian fishing expeditions in our lifetime.
CATEGORIZED UNDER: Space & Physics, top posts, Uncategorized | 3,061 | Vast Lake Of Liquid Water Discovered On Mars - D-brief | 0.94 | 189 | 304.9 | sha1:7EHXGFNLN7665XACYY762IH3AUQIVH5P | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2018/07/25/vast-lake-liquid-water-discovered-mars/ | blogs.discovermagazine.com |
2019-02-15T20:41:58Z | 8,693 | en | 20 | SAN JOSE – Teams cannot start their NHL training camps before a certain point, which is coaches won’t be putting rookies through their paces at Sharks Ice until Friday with veterans joining them a week later.
But, as usual, players have been gathering at the practice rink for almost a month now — a few at first, more as the days went on — for what traditionally have been known as Captain’s Skates.
Wait a minute. The Sharks took the ‘C’ off Joe Thornton’s jersey back on Aug. 20. So how does that work?
Turns out, same as it always does.
When the expected was made official, six Captain’s Skates were already in the history books and the complete schedule set for the summer. But even if it hadn’t been, the whole process isn’t as focused on a captain as it sounds, say those familiar with the way things work.
During the off-season, veteran players who stick around San Jose meet collectively with Sharks Ice management and set up the schedule.
And there’s never been any requirement that the captain – in this case Thornton, though it also applies to those before him – must show up every day. As things have played out, Thornton has been there for some practices, stayed away others. Same as in the past.
Count on things being different in training camp this year, what with the “clean slate, no equity” approach spelled out by Doug Wilson and Todd McLellan. But for now, it pretty much has been business as usual even if there’s no designated captain for the Captain’s Skates.
And we’ve got plenty of time for a more serious look at what comes next.
****Obviously, leadership positions are to be determined in training camp as well as future ice time. So I’m thinking there’s extra value right now in paying attention to what players do off the ice as well as on it, things that in the past may have gotten overlooked in the shuffle.
Like Patrick Marleau’s visit to the UCSF Children’s Hospital in San Francisco on Aug. 29. Or the announcement today that Logan Couture has organized a fund-raiser to help raise money in the search for Sierra LaMar, the Morgan Hill teen-ager who authorities believe was abducted from her home in March 2012.
Couture and five other players – Tomas Hertl, Alex Stalock, Jason Demers, Jason Sheppard and Andrew Desjardins – will be signing autographs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 17, at Britton Middle School in Morgan Hill. A $20 donation to the cause gets you an autograph from each player and the details can be found here .
“We are all proud residents of the Bay Area and we want to send a message to Sierra’s family, her friends and the entire community that we have not forgotten about her and we are not giving up hope,” said Couture in a prepared statement released by the team.
****About 5,000 of the free tickets to San Jose’s inaugural Fan Fest were gobbled up within hours of last week’s announcement of the Sept. 27 event and Sharks chief operating officer John Tortora says that figure has now climbed to about 13,000.
“To prevent overcrowding,” he added late today, “we are planning to cap the requests at around 15,000.”
Yes, the price is right, but that’s also a pretty good sign that the fan base hasn’t turned its back on the team just yet.
The Saturday event starts with a seat at SAP Center for the Sharks morning skate on the day of their pre-season game that night against the Anaheim Ducks. After that, there’s everything from roundtable discussions with the redefined broadcast teams to a chance to have a photo taken with the lowered Sharks head that the team skates through before every game.
Other teams have held similar events for years, and this was on Tortora’s to-do list as the team looks for ways to engage fans on different levels.
*********Back on Aug. 20 the Sharks also announced that a second surgery would be required to repair the ACL damage in Raffi Torres’s right knee after an infection set in and the original repair job had to be undone. That surgery still has not taken place and no date has been disclosed for the procedure.
Hard to see that as anything but a delay in Torres’s eventual return. | 4,093 | 'Captain's Skates" without a captain, Couture and teammates raising money to help search for missing girl - and 13,000 tickets for Fan Fest already gone - Working the Corners | 0.97 | 65 | 282.4 | sha1:CREE7ZJPF7YQ4WPVFIDM4Q76INQN75RC | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2014/09/10/captains-skates-without-a-captain-couture-and-teammates-raising-money-to-help-search-for-missing-girl-and-13000-tickets-for-fan-fest-already-gone/ | blogs.mercurynews.com |
2019-02-15T20:07:31Z | 2,822 | en | 4 | Home > Articles > Shikhandin
Shikhandin was born a girl, the daughter of King Dhrupad of Panchala. In her previous life, she was Amba, the daughter of the king of Kashi and was in love with the prince Shalva. Before she could choose him to be her husband, Bhishma abducted her and her two sisters from their swayamvara for the prince Vichitravirya. When she told Bhishma of her love for Shalva, he set her free. As she had been abducted once, Shalva refused to marry her. She went to Bhishma and told him that as he had abducted her, it was now his duty to marry her. Bhishma stuck by his pratigya and refused to marry her. Amba then vowed to be the cause of his death. She did tapa of Lord Shiva who granted her the boon that in her next life she would be born a girl to become a man later – the one who would be the cause of Bhishma’s death. Upon receiving the boon, Amba did not wait to live out her life; she immediately jumped into the fire and killed herself.
Hence, Shikhandin was born a girl. A heavenly voice told Dhrupad that she would become a man one day and hence, was brought up a boy. She was married to King Hiranyavarma’s daughter as a man, but the daughter came to know of the deceit and left Shikhandin. Shikhandin then went into the forest where she met Sthunakarna, a ‘yaksha’ or demigod. He heard her story and agreed to exchange his manhood with Shikhandin for some time. The Lord Kubera was Sthunakarna’s master and when he heard what had happened, he cursed Sthunakarna that he would only be able to get his manhood back after Shikhandin’s death.
The Pandavas, led by Yudhisthira, on the ninth day of the Mahabharata war, go to Bhishma and ask him how they could kill him. Bhishma knew the time had come to repay Amba’s debt and he told them that if a woman came in front of him on the battlefield, he would put down his weapons. Krishna knew that Shikhandin had been born a woman and so asked Arjuna to put Shikhandin in his chariot and fire arrows at Bhishma. On seeing Shikhandin, Bhishma put down his weapons and Arjuna’s arrows felled Bhishma. | 2,073 | 3 Step Breath | 1 | 48 | 287.4 | sha1:TNOFSVGSL4OE4F3JZKAMAAXW2VA5KORA | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://3stepbreath.com/shikhandin.html | 3stepbreath.com |
2019-02-15T19:06:25Z | 6,137 | en | 5 | NYSEAMERICAN:MTNB - Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc.
Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc., incorporated on May 21, 2013, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in identifying and developing therapeutics for the treatment of serious and life-threatening infections. The Company is engaged in developing a pipeline of product and development candidates, with an initial focus on serious fungal and bacterial infections. The Company's cochleate delivery technology platform is designed for the targeted delivery of pharmaceuticals directly to the site of infection or inflammation. The Company's technology utilizes lipid-crystal nano-particle cochleates to nano-encapsulate existing drugs, which is designed to make safer, more tolerable, less toxic and orally bioavailable. The Company's technology combines the use of lipids as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and the use of lipids in cochleate-shaped lipid-crystal nano-particle drug delivery vehicles. The primary chemical components of its cochleate delivery technology are soy-derived phosphatidylserine (PS) and calcium. The size of the Company's lipid-crystal cochleate particles is typically in the range of 50-500 nanometers.MAT2203The Company's anti-infective product candidate, MAT 2203, is an application of its cochleate delivery technology to a spectrum anti-fungal drug called amphotericin B. Read more at reuters.com
MTNB avg for
2019-02-14 : MTNB
. 42.107 :: FINAL WEIGHT for NYSEAMERICAN:MTNB | 1,495 | NYSEAMERICAN:MTNB | 0.87 | 118 | 258.7 | sha1:V4AUC7T54MOZ6N65ZX6RXUX4NMHTFDHE | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://42stocks.com/cgi-bin/symbol.py?symbol=mtnb | 42stocks.com |
2019-02-15T19:09:19Z | 2,889 | en | 5 | Locating the ideal health care dentist is important when you would like the very best care for the little one. You need to be certain you create a great decision since you’re most likely going to need the very same dentists during the years as your child develops. There are two or three things you have to search for to be able to locate a fantastic dentist. Dentist in Roseville CA provides a full range of dental treatment for patients of all ages.
The very first thing you ought to search for is a dentist with all of the credentials. Ensure the dentist is certified for pediatric work. You wish to also ensure the dentist is accredited by the condition which you’re living in. There are cases where dentists can perform pediatric perform but haven’t finished a course in pediatric dentistry.
The next thing that you should look for would be to determine whether the dentist has expertise with children and may communicate with them efficiently. Children are going to want the encouragement to go through using a process since most children are terrified of the dentist’s office. Your dentist should be quite accommodating to your kid and be certain the child’s needs are satisfied.
Eventually, they wish to check the waters. The only way to find out whether the pediatric dentist is best for you would be to opt for a couple appointments. Watch how your child responds and search for a different dentist if you believe it isn’t best for you. It’s possible to find the very first therapy but appear elsewhere after everything is completed.
Posted in Business and Management, Health and Fitness, Machine and Tools, Marketing and Advertising | 1,643 | Find The Right Pediatric Dentist - Bonanza Gold Fields | 0.96 | 56 | 278.7 | sha1:B4MVXVQ4LNV52AXFGKXNLYMRUIJFBYVC | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://bonanzagoldfields.com/find-right-pediatric-dentist/ | bonanzagoldfields.com |
2019-02-15T18:56:19Z | 2,503 | en | 4 | Systemic standardisation approach to empower smart cities and communities
Development of a conceptual Smart Cities Information Framework, which consists of a platform and data provision and processing services to integrate data, workflows, and processes in applications relevant for Smart Cities.
It focuses on the development of a conceptual Smart Cities Information Framework, which consists of a Smart City platform (the so-called Smart City enterprise application) and a number of data provision and processing services to integrate data, workflows, and processes in applications relevant for Smart Cities within a common framework. To build this framework, the project will identify relevant open standards, technologies, and information models that are currently in use or in development in the various sectors. It analyzes potential issues caused by gaps and overlaps across standards developed by the various standardization organizations and provides guidelines on how to effectively solve those issues. Particular emphasis will be put on common denominators in order to eventually allow horizontal interoperability between the various sectors of a smart city. Though horizontal interoperability is out of scope for this project, emphasizing the integration reference models as a key common denominator (e.g. in the form of multi-dimensional city models) already defines essential parts of the foundation for future levels of interoperability.
http://espresso-project.eu/ | 1,480 | ESPRESSO | Research & Innovation | 0.92 | 77 | 257.9 | sha1:ZJP674T7CGYSGU7VHHH2BRBEI5NWI4FI | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://booklet.atosresearch.eu/node/1521 | booklet.atosresearch.eu |
2019-02-15T20:04:01Z | 1,447 | en | 3 | Home » City of Destiny
City of Destiny grabs the reader from the start and never lets go as it follows the violent twists and turns of a cop trying to keep his life on track and doing his best to keep the drug lords from killing everyone in their path.
Brian T. O'Neill | 269 | City of Destiny | Self Publishing Experts: Book Publishers Network | 0.98 | 58 | 302.2 | sha1:BCAL3L2RGJQ2EDLSLYDQE6YB2RM3G6AP | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://bookpublishersnetwork.com/city-destiny/ | bookpublishersnetwork.com |
2019-02-15T20:10:10Z | 10,504 | en | 25 | White House and Congress: Assault Weapons Ban IS Imminent
H.R. 45: Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009
To provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms, and for other purposes.
This is the first FEDERAL bill introduced in the house that mandates licensing for all firearms owners. If it passes and is signed into law:
•You will have to carry a photo ID firearms license.
•A training class is required to be licensed.
•Disclosure of your storage method is required for license.
•A thumb print is required for license.
•Every sale recorded by the federal government.
•If you move, and don't tell the Attorney General within 60 days, you are a criminal.
•If a firearm is stolen and you don't report it, you are a criminal.
There will be no grandfathered firearms. If you do not obtain a license and report every firearm you currently own, you are a criminal. There will be a license fee and a fee for the "services" provided at purchase time. Licenses must be renewed every five years.
THE AGENDA • URBAN POLICY - Crime and Law Enforcement
Study Finds Gun control doesn't reduce crime or violence.
This report noted that many schools have programs intended to prevent gun violence. However, it added, some studies suggest that children's curiosity and teenagers' attraction to risk make them resistant to the programs or that the projects actually increase the appeal of guns.
This study noted the number of criminals who obtained guns from retail outlets was dwarfed by the number of those who picked up their arms through means other than legal purchases. The report was the result of interviews with more than 18,000 state and federal inmates conducted nationwide. It found that nearly 80 percent of those interviewed got their guns from friends or family members, or on the street through illegal purchases.
Less than 9 percent were bought at retail outlets and only seven-tenths of 1 percent came from gun shows.
The Justice Department's interviews also showed so-called "assault weapons" are not a major cause of gun violence. Only about 8 percent of the inmates used one of the models covered in the now-expired assault weapons ban, signed into law by the Clinton administration in 1994.
Saw this coming. I live in NY which is already more Nazi gun control then many other states, but wow crazy.
Liberals were going to win the Presidency no matter what this year so they have an excuse for severe gun control. The Liberals did it!!
http://www.prokr.net/2016/09/anti-bugs-8.html
http://www.prokr.net/2016/09/anti-bugs.html
http://antiinsects.jigsy.com/blog
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White House and Congress: Assault Weapons Ban IS I... | 2,750 | Indoctrination Realization: White House and Congress: Assault Weapons Ban IS Imminent | 0.95 | 270 | 274 | sha1:RHGQOEM36GSSE62ROMIU5ROUHYMFYG6Z | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://bootme21.blogspot.com/2009/01/white-house-and-congress-assault.html | bootme21.blogspot.com |
2019-02-15T18:50:50Z | 2,688 | en | 3 | Paul Krugman sees possible US recession with little Fed wiggle room
Nobel laureate Paul Krugman said the US economy may be heading into a recession at a time when the Federal Reserve doesn’t have the firepower to properly combat a slump. “There seems to be an accumulation of smaller problems and the underlying backdrop is that we have no good policy response,” he said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Dubai.
The headwinds facing the economy prompted Federal Reserve this month to halt its interest-rate hiking cycle, which Krugman said was never “grounded in the data” to begin with. “Continuing to raise rates was really looking like a bad idea,” he added. Krugman isn’t alone in seeing a gloomy outlook for the world’s biggest economy. US chief financial officers in a Duke University survey published in December overwhelmingly said they expect a recession within two years. “I wouldn’t be as definitive, but it seems pretty likely,” Krugman said. | 959 | BUREAUCRACY TODAY | 0.97 | 60 | 306.8 | sha1:DM27IANTWRM3WVYPNGIRFZL53JWZFAPH | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://bureaucracytoday.com/global_bureaucracy.aspx?id=186790 | bureaucracytoday.com |
2019-02-15T19:58:24Z | 6,082 | en | 30 | Luanne Hildebrandt Keeps Iconic Augusta Food Store Going
November 3, 2014| Gary Kauffman
Businessperson of the Month
When Nicholas Hildebrandt opened a grocery store on Sixth Street, Augusta and the rest of the South were still recovering from the Civil War, Reconstruction and carpetbaggers.
That was in 1879 and now, 135 years later, Hildebrandt’s has become an iconic fixture of Augusta, the second-oldest downtown business (only Platt’s Funeral Home is older). The store doesn’t sell as many groceries as it once did, but a lot more specialty sandwiches, most notably those of German origin.
Nicholas Hildebrandt sold his grocery store to his German-immigrant nephew, also named Nicholas, in 1902. The business passed to his wife, Edna, and then his son, Louis. Today, Louis’ daughter and the original Nicholas’ great-great niece, Luanne, runs the business.
For most of its existence, Hildebrandt’s sold groceries. A lack of time led to the business becoming a sandwich shop.
Lacking time to go home to eat, Louis often made himself a sandwich from his stock of deli meats. The sandwiches looked so appetizing to customers that they began ordering them. About 25 years ago the business became primarily a lunch counter.
German meats, shipped from Milwaukee, are a staple and the King Louis – a four-meat, two-cheese sandwich – is one of the favorites. German potato salad is another staple.
The business still offers odds and ends of grocery items, an array of antiques and plenty of eclectic seating. Portraits of Hildebrandt family members, some going back more than a century, line one wall.
It has become an iconic Augusta fixture that the locals point visitors to when asked for a local place to eat.
Luanne has been an integral part of the business for the past 40 year, although it wasn’t her first choice for a career.
As the oldest daughter, she wanted to get away and attended colleges in Minnesota and Illinois, and then taught parochial school in Connecticut. She eventually returned to Augusta as an elementary education teacher. In 1972-73 she went to school in Oregon.
While she was on the West Coast, a friend told her that her parents, who were running the store by themselves, needed some help. She returned to “straighten things out” until her brother could take over the store. But he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in 1979, and she continued her role in the family business.
When her father died in 1993, Luanne knew it was up to her to continue the family business.
What are you passionate about in your business?
Giving everybody a good experience, doing their sandwich right, the way they want it.
Are there any special pressures or benefits from being in a business with a long family tradition?
Knowing that the family has been involved in the business as long as it has makes me want to keep it going. The business has been tough the past couple of years, but now that there is some family involved there’s a fresh outlook.
For years we were the only Hildebrandts around even though it’s a common German name. We hosted a Hildebrandt reunion here in 2011 and people from all over and Germany came. Some of the first Nicholas’ great grandchildren came.
My grandfather was known to take in any of his nephews; he was the one everyone looked to for help even if he didn’t have much himself. He was even known to give up his bed to the preacher when he came to town. So it’s an inspiration.
When I lived in Oregon I lived in a tent and camped out on a beach. I call that my hippy phase. But when I was growing up you couldn’t get me to sleep in a tent. I slept in the car when we went camping.
What are the best and worst things about your job?
The best is meeting people. The worst is the hours because everything we serve we make here. It’s been much better the last few years with Fred and Joyce here, and the seating up front.
What is one thing you always make sure you pack in your suitcase?
My toothbrush.
We try to support some non-profit organizations, and we support some fundraisers, sometimes by furnishing lunches.
What does the future hold for you and Hildebrandt’s?
I hope to be able to work another four or five years. I have a cousin who might be interested in the business. I want to try to keep the family involved. I think it’ll stay a sandwich business although there’s been some interest in adding breakfast.
This entry was posted in Featured Article, Today's Buzz by Gary Kauffman. Bookmark the permalink. | 4,470 | Luanne Hildebrandt Keeps Iconic Augusta Food Store Going - Buzz On BizBuzz On Biz | 0.98 | 95 | 260.2 | sha1:Q4KHJCAYQD3UNAVYVJZ4SX2Y5RXHPLGJ | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://buzzon.biz/2014/11/luanne-hildebrand-keeps-iconic-augusta-food-store-going/ | buzzon.biz |
2019-02-15T19:40:27Z | 6,903 | en | 10 | Former Yahoo CEO Launches Tech Startup Incubator, Bezos-backed Grail to Raise $1B, Tencent to Invest $100M in Dream11 & More
Walmart may retain the management team of Flipkart, including CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy if the proposed deal of the e-commerce firm goes through.
Below is a list of deals that happened in the Startup Ecosystem (Indian/Globally) today. Read a brief description about all of them:
1. Former Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer is starting a technology business incubator, Lumi Labs that will focus on consumer media and artificial intelligence, reported ET. Mayer launched this venture with longtime colleague Enrique Munoz Torres in Palo Alto, California, in the office where she began her career at Google.
2. Grail Inc., the cancer-detection startup, is seeking to raise about $1 billion to boost growth ahead of its planned initial public offering in Hong Kong. The company which is backed by the world’s two richest men, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and the personal venture fund of Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, is planning an initial public offering in Hong Kong this year, as reported by ET.
3. Hyderabad-headquartered fund that invests in early and growth-stage enterprises, Caspian is looking to raise Rs 600 crore of funds to invest in startups through novel debt instruments. Caspian, which has set up four impact funds include Bellwether Microfinance Fund, India Financial Inclusion Fund, Caspian Impact Investments and Caspian SME Impact Fund to invest in startups in social and environmental fields, is aiming to help startup founders in need of short-term funds and hesitating to part with equity, according to a report published by ET.
4. Tencent Holdings, the world’s fifth-largest internet company, is in advanced stages of negotiations to invest an estimated $100 million (Rs 656.63 crore) in Mumbai-headquartered online fantasy sports platform Dream11, at a pre-money valuation of $400-$450 million, reported ET. If successful, this will be the second major deal closed by Tencent in India, after it agreed to lead a $115-million investment in music streaming service Gaana in February.
5. FundTonic Group today made an announcement for its recent round of funding (for an undisclosed amount) from Yesss Capital, Germany and other Investors. Fund Tonic is an angel network with over 700 angel Investors and a leading co-working player with operations in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. Led by co-founders – Akshit Gupta and Bhavin Parikh, FundTonic Group is the only startup ecosystem player in the country that operates a seed fund, angel network, incubation centers, co-working spaces and entrepreneurship development programs under one roof.
6. Walmart which is eyeing about 55 percent stake in Indian eCommerce major Flipkart through a mix of primary and secondary stake sale, may retain the management team of Flipkart, including CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy if the proposed deal of the e-commerce firm goes through, reported LiveMint. Walmart has also expressed interest in giving a bigger role to Flipkart executive chairman Sachin Bansal and wants him to be more involved in the running of the company.
indian startups Former Yahoo CEO Tech Startup Incubator Jeff Bezos Grail Inc. tencent holdings Dream11 marissa mayer | 3,285 | Former Yahoo CEO Launches Tech Startup Incubator Bezos backed Grail to Raise 1B Tencent to Invest 100M in Dream11 More - BW Disrupt | 0.94 | 122 | 324.2 | sha1:FPXL7N56226ST7KFGK43POJX2YRUPOEK | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/article/Former-Yahoo-CEO-Launches-Tech-Startup-Incubator-Bezos-backed-Grail-to-Raise-1B-Tencent-to-Invest-100M-in-Dream11-More/19-04-2018-146906/ | bwdisrupt.businessworld.in |
2019-02-15T20:03:39Z | 406 | en | 1 | Choosing an engineering services partner is a big decision. When you choose CA Engineering, you’re in good company with a lot of good companies. Coming from the Fortune 50 all the way to the Global 5000, some of our clients include: | 232 | CA Engineering | Clients | 0.94 | 8 | 247.5 | sha1:KSNL34DPB2IQU7MYLQSPA5LAHPBIY2DA | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://caengineering.com/who-we-are/?a=clients | caengineering.com |
2019-02-15T18:44:15Z | 3,612 | en | 2 | Level 4 USA Hockey Certified Coaching Philosophy. My mission and philosophy as a coach is to focus on development as a team and as individuals. As a coach I strive to teach my players discipline, competitiveness and teamwork. Individual improvement as a player and as person throughout the season is my ultimate goal as a coach. My philosophy is that these individual improvements are what make a team grow and develop.
I have been playing hockey since the age of five and I have always truly believed it was the best game of all time. I have matured greatly as a person and a player throughout the years of playing hockey. Hockey has taught me communication, commitment and responsibility. My love for the sport has only grown each and every year because of the aspects and teachings of the game. As my hockey career came to an end I always saw my self on the ice giving back to the sport after receiving from it for so many years. | 933 | CA HEAT HOCKEY » Kelly Stirzel | 0.99 | 150 | 291.5 | sha1:LYEI3SJKXBIUMT2UJW27AFFI3UDXRQRG | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://caheathockey.com/kelly-stirzel/ | caheathockey.com |
2019-02-15T19:42:01Z | 1,001 | en | 1 | Send us an email using the form below and we'll reply as soon as possible. | 74 | Contact Us | 0.98 | 48 | 196.4 | sha1:5KSRO7V6B6NN4LQ2WGJDF6EBYEPFMYMU | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://callahan1.com/contact-us.html | callahan1.com |
2019-02-15T20:03:45Z | 1,364 | en | 1 | The Harlaxton | 13 | Harlaxton - Camstead Homes | 0.56 | 91 | 186.2 | sha1:2NJ6ZOVVFH6VA2BBSOXR2JE2IPPIW2QR | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://camstead.co.uk/housetypes/harlaxton/ | camstead.co.uk |
2019-02-15T19:59:10Z | 18,095 | en | 107 | Home | Programme | Basic information
Programme Autorities
The following Authorities, designated for the implementation, management, monitoring and control of the Programme, are completely independent from each other.
The Monitoring Committee
The Single Managing Authority
The Slovenian info point
The Single Certifying Authority
The Single Audit Authority
The Cross-Border Groups
The Environmental Authorities
Programme-area
The Programme area, that extends for 30.740 km2 and has a population of more than 5.5 million inhabitants includes, on the Slovenian territory, Goriška, Gorenjska, Obalno-kraška and the flexibility areas of Osrednjeslovenska and Primorsko-notranjska; on the Italian territory, the Provinces of Udine, Gorizia, Trieste, Venezia, Padova, Rovigo, Ferrara e Ravenna and the flexibility areas of Pordenone and Treviso.
In accordance with art 7. of Regulation n. 1083/2006, art. 21 of Regulation 1080/2006 and the Commission Decision dated October 31st 2006 n. 2006/769/EC, the Managing Authority has proposed, in agreement with the partners, the inclusion of the following areas.
For the Republic of Slovenia
Statistical Region of Goriška
Statistical Region of Obalno-Kraška
Statistical Region of Gorenjska
Statistical Region of Osrednjeslovenska (flexibility area)
Statistical Region of Primorsko-notranjska (flexibility area)
For the Republic of Italy
For the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia:
Province of Pordenone (flexibility area)
For the Region of Veneto:
Province of Venezia
Province of Treviso (flexibility area)
For the Region of Emilia-Romagna:
In compliance with the principle of simplification and in order to avoid the doubling of roles, as well as to ensure a more efficient and focused implementation of the Programme, the choice is made not to establish a Monitoring Committee for the selection of operation, as allowed by art. 19, 3 of Regulation n. 1080/2006.
In accordance with Art. 65 of Regulation n. 1083/2006 the tasks of the Monitoring Committee are:
a) consider and approve the criteria for selecting the operations financed within six months of the approval of the Operational Programme and approve any revision of those criteria in accordance with programming needs;
b) approve all the documents necessary for the implementation of the Programme prepared and made available by the JTS on behalf of the Managing Authority;
c) select the operations to be financed, on the basis of the evaluation reports prepared by the JTS and the cbc WGs .
d) periodically review progress made towards achieving the specific targets of the Operational Programme on the basis of documents submitted by the Managing Authority;
e) examine the results of implementation, particularly achievement of the targets set for each Priority Axis and the evaluations referred to in Article 48 of Regulation n.1083/2006 (3);
f) consider and approve the annual and final reports on implementation referred to in Article 67 of Regulation n. 1083/2006 ;
g) be informed of the annual control report, or of the part of the report referring to the Operational Programme concerned, and of any relevant comments the Commission may make after examining that report or relating to that part of the report;
h) propose to the Managing Authority any revision or examination of the Operational Programme likely to make possible the attainment of the Funds’ objectives referred to in Article 3 of Regulation n. 1083/2006 or to improve its management, including its financial management;
i) consider and approve any proposal to amend the content of the Commission decision on the contribution of the Funds.
In compliance to the principle of transparency, the Monitoring Committee shall lay down in its Rules of procedure the modalities to organise the preparatory meetings aimed at assessing the evaluation reports of the operations.
The Single Managing Authority of the O.P. is:
In accordance with Art. 60 of Regulation n. 1083/2006 and Art. 15 of Regulation n. 1080/2006, the Single Managing Authority is responsible for managing and implementing the O.P., in particular for:
a) ensuring that operations are selected for funding in accordance with the criteria applicable to the Operational Programme and that they comply with applicable Community and national rules for the whole of their implementation period;
b) satisfying itself that the expenditure of each beneficiary participating in an operation has been validated by the controller referred to in Art. 16 of the Regulation n. 1080/2006;
c) ensuring that there is a system for recording and storing in computerised form accounting records for each operation under the Operational Programme and that the data on implementation necessary for financial management, monitoring, verifications, audits and evaluation are collected;
d) ensuring that beneficiaries and other bodies involved in the implementation of operations maintain either a separate accounting system or an adequate accounting code for all transactions relating to the operation without prejudice to national accounting rules;
e) ensuring that the evaluations of the Operational Programme referred to in Article 48(3) are carried out in accordance with Article 47;
f) setting up procedures to ensure that all documents regarding expenditure and audits required to ensure an adequate audit trail are held in accordance with the requirements of article 90;
g) ensuring that the Certifying Authority receives all necessary information on the procedures and verifications carried out in relation to expenditure for the purpose of certification
h) guiding the work of the Monitoring Committee and providing it with the documents required to permit the quality of the implementation of the Operational Programme to be monitored in the light of its specific goals;
i) drawing up and, after approval by the Monitoring Committee, submitting to the Commission the annual and final reports on implementation;
j) ensuring compliance with the information and publicity requirements laid down in Article 69;
k) providing the Commission with information to allow it to appraise major projects;
l) signing the contracts with Lead partners.
The Managing Authority shall, in addition, inform the Monitoring Committee about the communication plan and progress in its implementation, information and publicity measures carried out and the means of communication used.
As provided for by Regulation n.1080/2006, art.14, the Managing Authority, after consultation with the Member States represented in the Programme area, shall set up a Joint Technical Secretariat, in order to assist the single Managing Authority, the single Audit Authority and the Monitoring Committee in carrying out their duties.
The Joint Technical Secretariat shall be located by the Managing Authority and its staff shall come from both Member States, equally represented. In recruiting the JTS’s staff, the principles of equality between men and women and non-discrimination shall be duly taken into consideration.
The JTS shall in particular:
a) prepare proposals for Monitoring Committee decisions on operations to be financed as well as perform secretariat function for the Managing Authority and the Audit Authority;
b) act as a first “contact point” for potential beneficiaries, to provide them with information, in co-operation with the info point located in Slovenia (which will provide information in the Slovenian territory).;
c) support the Managing Authority in the preparation and implementation of communication activities (including events, info-days, Communication Plan) in co-operation with Italian partner regions and the Slovenian info-point;
d) support the MA in administrative tasks;
e) prepare and make available all documents necessary for the implementation (application form, application package/guidelines, guidelines on eligibility, reporting forms, terms of references/calls, standard contracts between the Managing Authority and the Lead partner and between the Lead partner and the Project partners) for approval by the Monitoring Committee;
f) collect project proposals/project ideas;
g) set up, regularly maintain and update the monitoring system (responsibility for setting up and functioning, inputting of data on Programme and project level);
h) acquire from the Programme partners the list of regional/national experts to be involved in the evaluation process;
i) evaluate project proposals/project ideas on the basis of the criteria set by the Monitoring Committee, supported by the CBC Groups of experts;
j) notifies the Lead Partners of the results of the selection procedure;
k) check reports prepared by Lead partners;
l) draw up all the reports concerning the programme implementation, to be submitted by the Managing Authority.
The Slovenian info point shall support the Managing Authority in spreading the information on the implementation stages of the Programme across the Slovenian territory.
The staff of the Info Point will work in close coordination with the JTS in the execution of the following tasks.
- act as a first “contact point” for potential beneficiaries to provide information and advice to the project partners in the Slovenian territory;
- support the Managing Authority in the implementation of communication activities (including events, info-days, Communication Plan).
The Single Certifying Authority of the O.P. is:
Tributes, Fiscal Fulfilments, Personnel and EU Programming Expenditure Documents Control Office
In accordance with Art. 61 of General Regulation, the Single Certifying Authority is responsible, in particular, for:
a) drawing up and submitting to the Commission certified statements of expenditure and applications for payment
b) certifying that:
i) the statement of expenditure is accurate, results from reliable accounting systems and is based on verifiable supporting documents;
ii) the expenditure declared complies with applicable Community and national rules and has been incurred in respect of operations selected for funding in accordance with the criteria applicable to the programme and complying with Community and national rules;
c) ensuring for the purposes of certification that it has received adequate information from the Managing Authority on the procedures and verifications carried out in relation to expenditure included in statements of expenditure;
d) taking account for certification purposes of the results of all audits carried out by or under the responsibility of the Audit Authority;
e) maintaining accounting records in computerised form of expenditure declared to the Commission;
f) keeping an account of amounts recoverable and of amounts withdrawn following cancellation of all or part of the contribution for an operation. Amounts recovered shall be repaid to the general budget of the European Union, prior to the closure of the Operational Programme by deducting them from the next statement of expenditure;
g) receiving the funds from the European Commission, in compliance with the Italian national rules.
The Single Audit Authority of the O.P. is:
Presidency of the Region
In accordance with Art. 62 and Art. 71 of Regulation n.1083/2006, the Single Audit Authority is responsible, in particular, for:
a) ensuring that audits are carried out to verify the effective functioning of the management and control system of the Operational Programme;
b) ensuring that audits are carried out on operations on the basis of an appropriate sample to verify expenditure declared;
c) presenting to the Commission within nine months of the approval of the Operational Programme an audit strategy covering the bodies which will perform the audits referred to under points a) and b), the method to be used, the sampling method for audits on operations and the indicative planning of audits to ensure that the main bodies are audited and that audits are spread evenly throughout the programming period;
d) by 31 December each year from 2008 to 2015:
- submitting to the Commission an annual control report setting out the findings of the audits carried out during the previous 12 months period ending on 30 June of the year concerned in accordance with the audit strategy of the Operational Programme and reporting any shortcomings found in the systems for the management and control of the Programme. The first report to be submitted by 31 December 2008 shall cover the period from 1 January 2007 to 30 June 2008. The information concerning the audits carried out after 1 July 2015 shall be included in the final control report supporting the closure declaration referred to in point (e);
- issuing an opinion, on the basis of the controls and audits that have been carried out under the responsibility, as to whether the management and control system functions effectively, so as to provide a reasonable assurance that statements of expenditure presented to the Commission are correct and as a consequence reasonable assurance that the underlying transactions are legal and regular.
- submitting, where applicable under Article 88 of regulation n.1083/2006, a declaration for partial closure assessing the legality and regularity of the expenditure concerned.
e) submitting to the Commission at the latest by 31 March 2017 a closure declaration assessing the validity of the application for payment of the final balance and the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions covered by the final statement of expenditure, which shall be supported by a final control report.
f) ensuring that the audit work takes account of internationally accepted audit standards;
g) drawing up the report setting out the results of an assessment of the systems set up and the opinion on their compliance with Articles 58 to 62 of Regulation n. 1083/2006;
The Audit Authority for the O.P. will be assisted by a Group of auditors composed by representatives from Italy and Slovenia. The Group shall be chaired by the Audit Authority of the O.P. and draw up its own Rules of procedure.
The Group shall, in particular, assist the Audit Authority to carry out the duties provided under letter c) and d)i), paragraph 1 of art. 62 of the General Regulation.
The Cross-Border Working Groups of Experts
WGs which will provide technical expertise and support the evaluation of project proposals/project ideas.
The Working Groups shall be composed by regional/national “experts” (civil servants and/or external experts) from Italy and Slovenia, selected on the basis of their experience and skills in the various issues financed by the Programme. The WGs shall evaluate the projects' quality (i.e. work plan and budgeting) as well as their compliance with regional/national sector policies.
Cross-Border Cooperation Working Team
The CBC Team is responsible for:
a) supporting the Monitoring Committee in taking decisions;
b) to explicate in detail the priorities foreseen in the programe documents, in order to provide strategic guidelines for beneficiaries during the project implementation.
The rapresentatives of the Envirnmental Authorities who seat in the Monitoring Committee shall assist the representatives of the Italian Regions and of the Republic of Slovenia partner of the Programme in the initial phase of public selection of the projects and in the definition of the selection criteria as well as in the evaluation and monitoring of the Programme, with particular reference to the effects on environment. They assist also the drafting of the Annual Report of Execution of the Programme and cooperate in relation to matters pertaining to environmental objectives. | 15,542 | ita-slo.eu | 0.92 | 207 | 305.7 | sha1:EWCWYRVU3QIS5R3NIWS5P6KKXOS2OYBR | head | crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247479101.30/wet/CC-MAIN-20190215183319-20190215205319-00000.warc.wet.gz | http://2007-2013.ita-slo.eu/programme/basic_information/ | 2007-2013.ita-slo.eu |
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CCNet Reproduced Split (4M rows, 3.7B Tokens (Mistral tokenizer))
Overview
This dataset is a reproduced subset of the larger CCNet dataset, tailored specifically to facilitate easier access and processing for researchers needing high-quality, web-crawled text data for natural language processing tasks. The CCNet dataset leverages data from the Common Crawl, a non-profit organization that crawls the web and freely provides its archives to the public. This subset contains 4 million datapoints that have been carefully processed and structured.
The CCNet repository is archived and unmaintained, so we hope this is useful for those who require to use this dataset.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or requests.
Dataset Description
Data Collection
The data in this subset was collected as part of the Common Crawl project and has been processed to retain only high-quality text contents with valuable metadata. Each entry in the dataset is derived from web pages across a diverse set of domains, ensuring a broad representation of the internet.
Number of tokens, mistral tokenizer: 3679227613.
Data Format
Each entry in the dataset is stored as a compressed JSON object in a newline-delimited format (JSONL). This format makes it straightforward to parse the data lazily, one record at a time, which is memory efficient for large datasets.
Fields
url: The webpage URL from which the content is derived (part of CC).date_download: The date when the webpage was downloaded.digest: SHA1 digest of the webpage's content.length: Number of characters in the webpage content after deduplication.nlines: Number of lines in the webpage content after deduplication.source_domain: Web domain of the webpage.title: Title of the webpage (part of CC).raw_content: The text content of the webpage after deduplication.original_nlines: Number of lines before deduplication.original_length: Number of characters before deduplication.language: Language of the webpage, detected using FastText Language Identification.language_score: Confidence score of the detected language.perplexity: Perplexity of the text based on a language model trained on Wikipedia.
Usage
This dataset is suitable for use in pre-training language models, studying internet-based text, and other NLP tasks that require diverse text inputs. To use this dataset, load it via the Hugging Face Datasets library:
from datasets import load_dataset
dataset = load_dataset("Jorgeegf/CCNet")
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