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Friday, July 7, 2017

Army Brat

This is the first of three short flash fiction pieces by Mitchell Grabois.

Army Brat
Mitchell Grabois

When I was an army brat, we used food stamps to get by. Whether my father was with us or gone, my mother felt the weight on her shoulders.

He was in an M-48 Patton tank when it was blown up, fulfilling its fate. The only objects left intact were him and a Bible. He sat in the dirt among twisted wreckage and reached for the Bible, but couldn’t extend his arm that far. He thought he’d be frozen in that reaching position forever, that he had left Temporary Hell for the Permanent One.

There were many ways to interpret this event. Most soldiers probably would have decided that God had saved him for a purpose--to serve Him, that once he left the Army, he should be a minister or a missionary. My father became a gambler. We never had to use food stamps again. His luck held for a long time.

He felt like he was ten feet tall. My mother was shrinking. Anxiety made her hair and teeth fall out. She was clearly approaching death. Have you made a pact with the Devil, I asked my father. He laughed at me. He lifted my mother onto his shoulders and rode her around the back yard, as if she were a disabled Girl Scout in uniform or a wax saint on a narrow street in Spain, or Queen for the Day.

He knocked over the barbeque grill. The coals glowed red. Before I asked him about the Devil, he was about to grill fish with their heads on and their eyes wide, like his were after that tank blew up. There in the backyard, he was barefoot. He was fooling around, trying to make my mother think that he was going to flip her off his shoulders, or just drop her. She shrieked in his ear.

I felt a whiff of melancholy. I wanted to punch someone in the face. I stood, deathly tired. My mother bit his ear, as if she were a chimpanzee. She would have torn his face off if it weren’t so tightly attached. He walked across the hot coals that spread out from the toppled barbeque. He didn’t plan it, he was just wheeling around like a crazy man. The barbeque was old and rusty and a wheel had fallen off. He was the first man in the modern West to walk across hot coals. I saw astonishment on his face--not pain, or not enough to concern him.

I grew up, became hyper-individualistic, detached, a person who takes his boots off and trims his toenails with a Leatherman when he gets nervous. My father couldn’t get blown up in a tank, couldn’t be burned by hot coals. No wonder he didn’t become a missionary. No wonder he felt more powerful than God, felt it more than thought it. God kept trying to screw him over, but he kept coming through everything unscathed. I would not be that lucky.

Mitchell Krockmalnik Grabois has had over twelve-hundred of his poems and fictions appear in literary magazines in the U.S. and abroad. He has been nominated for numerous prizes.  His novel, Two-Headed Dog, based on his work as a clinical psychologist in a state hospital, is available for Kindle and Nook, or as a print edition. To see more of his work, google Mitchell Krockmalnik Grabois. He lives in Denver.

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Break Even Stan

 This is a very old story which I submitted only a couple of times without success. I never though much of it. It's a bit of a 'so what' story, but I thought I'd share it with you because reading it made me aware of how far I've come as a writer, and how I have changed. What do you think?

Break Even Stan
D.A. Cairns

Stan Ledlin stood staring in disbelief at the monitor.  The race was over.  Running a large hand through his thick brown hair, he trudged out the door of the Kirrawee TAB.  He tore up the tickets and threw them into a garbage bin.
‘Hey Stan!’
He stopped and turned, lifting his hand to greet his friend Theo.
‘Did you blow much mate?’
The two men shook hands and Stan looked at Theo’s face briefly before settling his gaze over his shoulder.
‘You win some, you lose some,’ said Stan with a shrug.  ‘I come out even in the end.’        Theo nodded and gave Stan a good natured punch on the arm.  ‘You always break even Stan.  I gotta go.  See you later.’
‘Yeah, see you,’ replied Stan with a smile.  He did usually break even and that was
good enough.  It was a bit of fun.  Something for a single man to do in his spare time.  Beat the hell out of staying home and watching the walls.  Eating alone.  Drinking alone.
His girlfriend Jean came over a few nights a week to cook for him but she never stayed the night, although he wished she would.
Stan tugged at his belt to lift his sagging trousers and made a feeble attempt to tuck his shirt in.  Then he shuffled across the quiet street and entered the take-away shop where he bought a hamburger.  Jean nagged him about his love for  junk food and the effect it was having on his waistline but he ate it anyway.  It was convenient and tasty. Years of bachelorhood had made Stan a competent cook but he could not be bothered.
He was aware of his spare tyre belly and he grew a bushy beard to hide his second chin but generally Stan was unconcerned about his appearance.
Sitting down at the bus stop outside the shop, Stan munched on his hamburger and contemplated  life.  A persistent restlessness plagued him.  He didn’t know why after so many years of happily rolling along with his simple life, he should begin to feel dissatisfied.  Stan was in a rut.  His comfortable routines were suffocating him.
After wiping barbecue sauce off his mouth and brushing crumbs out of his beard, Stan stood up and made his way to the train station.  His mates would be expecting him at the Gymea Hotel.

Early in the afternoon the pub had only a handful of patrons.  Stan saw John Miles standing at the bar so he strode over and offered to shout the next round.
John was mildly surprised.  ‘Did you have a win this arvo?’
‘No,’ replied Stan. ‘I came out even.’
‘I thought you must’ve hit the big time.  You never offer to pay.’
Stan was happy to pay his share but he always waited his turn and if his turn never came that was okay by him.  Whenever he stood in the TAB, tickets in hand and heart in mouth, he imagined how good it would be to win big and shout not only his mates but everyone else in the pub.  The man who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Which wise man smart arse said that? Bloody horses were always spoiling his dreams.
‘Even Stan!’ yelled one of the blokes at the table, ‘What’s wrong?  Not like you to be so quiet.’
His mate John could read him like a book, unfortunately. ‘Nothing,’ he lied before taking another mouthful of beer from his half empty schooner.
‘Seen Jean lately Stan?’ John asked.
‘Yeah she was over last night.’
‘When you gonna marry her?’ asked another bloke.
‘Pull your head in Chris,’ said John as Stan retreated to his now near empty glass.
‘Your shout Chris,’ ordered Stan while giving Chris a mind-your-own-business look.                       If there was a good reason for Stan not asking Jean to marry him he wished someone would tell him.  She would definitely say yes.  He did love her.  They had been together for three years and everyone said they were right for each other.  At forty two years of age maybe he was afraid. His head hurt when he thought of how much his life would change if he married her.  He didn’t really understand what Jean saw in a stubborn slob like himself.  And he was worried that living together would ruin their relationship.  Was there a chance though, of losing her if he didn’t propose?  Possibly.
As the minutes passed the picture became clearer.  Stan downed his beer in one go then said goodbye to his mates and left.
Exhilarated by the prospect of breaking out of his shell and taking a chance, Stan went to the payphone outside the hotel and called Jean.  He asked her to come over that night because he had something important to say.

 Feeling like his luck was about to change, Stan called in to the TAB on his way home for one last bet.  An omen bet.  A nag called My Bonnie Bride was running in the last at long odds.  Stan laid his money down and waited for the starters gun.

Jean was very pleased with the wonderful dinner Stan had prepared for her and completely overwhelmed when he popped the question.  Naturally she said yes and when they finished kissing and hugging, Stan announced that he would have two pieces of good news for the boys tomorrow.
‘What’s the other one?’ asked Jean.

‘I backed a horse called My Bonnie Bride.  She came in first at 50 to 1.  I won ten thousand dollars!’

Sunday, February 12, 2017

A Sympathetic Interlocutor

A Sympathetic Interlocutor

D.A. Cairns

Decorated was the word that first came to mind when he noticed her cheeks. Breaking eye contact only very briefly because he wanted to hold her gaze as long as possible, the strange patterns on her cheeks caught his attention. They might have been scars, burn scars or, had they been located somewhere else on her body, the kind of scars left after a surgical attempt to remove tattoos. The thought intrigued him for a moment and suspended the moment of greeting in time.

Suddenly aware of her soft hand inside his, he let go and stepped back gesturing for her to take a seat. When he had settled himself opposite her, he saw that she was watching him and he instinctively stiffened. Her eyes were huge, round and dark chocolate. Adorned with lid liner and shadow, her lashes were spruced and unnaturally thick, and she would have elicited a comment in his mind about her being overdone had she been someone else. Had they been somewhere else. Everything seemed different. He felt different. She shifted her weight slightly and tilted her head to the right, apparently waiting for him to speak.

Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and summoned sufficient strength to concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing. But even as he spoke, those funny marks on her cheeks wrestled for his attention. They could have been freckles, although they were lightly coloured in contrast to her olive complexion, but not single freckles gathered together in clumps. More like thousands of them packed into adjacent rooms for all night dance parties. This thought amused him, and his accidental smile was returned warmly and sincerely. This woman was breathtaking. Not classically beautiful because of her cheeks and the way her thick black hair was held away from her face in a clumsy ponytail -she looked like she had spent all her preparation time on her face and not left enough to do her hair properly. She was indisputably stunning nevertheless.

‘Why are you here?’ he asked her. ‘Why have you come here today?’

‘Well,’ she began slowly, finally looking away and thus releasing him from the spell she was casting over him. ‘I think I need to improve my reading and writing.”
A perfectly constructed sentence delivered in a languid Middle Eastern accent. Improve, he thought, how could you improve on perfection?
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘Is not being able to read and write as well as you would like to stopping you from doing something you want to do. Like further study, for example?’

She thought for a moment, averting her eyes and thus giving him the chance to study her more closely. From her full lips dressed in red, over her chin and down her slender neck, his eyes stopped when they reached a golden angel sitting astride her cleavage. The line of the thin chain which suspended the angel matched the low vee cut of her white dress.

‘I would like to go back to work now that my children are older.’

He loved the way information was revealed slowly during these interviews, morsel by juicy morsel, peeling away the layers of protection, the walls people built around their personal lives. Those walls invariably crashed to the floor as the interview progressed. Whether verbally, in their speech or their writing, or non verbally in their body language, they communicated their lives to him, their hearts and minds and he was an avid reader.

‘How old are your children?’

‘I have three. Thirteen, eleven, and nine. All girls.’

It was impossible not to stare as the enchantment grew, filling the room like fog. He had thought she was probably aged in her early thirties. It was hard to tell sometimes, especially with women who were able to hide their age so much more efficiently than men. However with children that age she was more likely to be in her late thirties, even early fortes though that was scarcely believable. Desperately curious to confirm his suspicions that she was older than she looked, he selected a piece of paper from the pile on the desk which filled the space between them and placed it in front of her.

‘Please fill in this form.’

Date of birth was the fourth question so he watched eagerly as she wrote, his eyes glancing occasionally past her hands with jewelled fingers, to her breasts which seemed to have risen higher, threatening to spill out of her dress. Maybe it was the way she was sitting, leaning forward with her arms pressed tight into her sides.

She wrote 11/9/64. He wanted to tell her how surprised he was that she was forty three and how beautiful she looked but he couldn’t. How could one compliment a woman without her thinking that you were a pervert at worst, or a sleaze at best? The words would always be construed as flattery with intent, no matter how politely you phrased them. How could one be sure in himself that the words were merely a genuine compliment and not expressions of desire, or worse: lust? How could he be sure? There was a place, an inside world where he could be alone with his thoughts and feelings, where he could sift through memories and adjust them as necessary and use them however he wished. A place to fantasize and twist reality to feed his insatiable lust.  It was a place of both refuge and repression. A haven and a hell.

The interview proceeded normally; she answered questions, did the tasks, the reading, the writing and the mathematics while he filled in forms, ticked boxes, interpreted and analysed both her and her work, made her laugh, made her blush, made himself blush with his boldness, noticed the delicate chain around her ankle and her painted toenails, and averted his eyes when she needed to adjust her clothing to recover what was being gradually, conspiratorially revealed. All the while he wondered whether the chemistry he felt between them was real or imagined, and whether the way she tilted her head and played with her hair was flirtatious or merely absent minded. He even went so far as to suggest they could go on talking for the rest of the day, and she had agreed, and although the exchange was light hearted he felt the words expressed genuine sentiment. He really did enjoy her company. This admission was followed by a fist of guilt jabbing him in the ribs a few times. He was married and so was she.

‘The interview is finished now. You can go and have a nice cup of coffee. Thanks for your time and good luck,’ he said, slowly standing up.

She smiled as he took her soft hand in his and he wished her well a second time.

They stood behind the door in the small interview room savouring a ridiculously long good-bye. The truth was he did not want her to go and she was in no hurry to leave. In the pregnant silence, he began to feel dizzy and was still holding her hand when he opened his mouth to speak. Nothing but air escaped his nervously dry lips, and soon he felt as though he was drowning, like he had fallen into the deep, deep pools of her eyes and they had magically stolen his ability to swim. Seconds passed recklessly into what felt like long minutes as they stood there. Still, no words were spoken and the door to the outside world remained firmly shut.

Finally he released her hand, more from the carelessness of drowsy enchantment than deliberate action, and she looked away. The moment was over. The spell, shattered.

‘Goodbye,’ she said quietly as she opened the door. ‘Thank you.’

He swallowed and managed a very faint, ‘You’re welcome. Good luck.’

Then she left the room and walked away down the corridor. Away from him, away from the mysterious connection they had just undoubtedly shared. He smiled. She was now a new resident in his inside world. A traveller who had landed on his planet and not been allowed to leave, despite wanting to. A fellow prisoner, though not consciously aware of the fact, or even vaguely impacted by the reality of her incarceration.

‘Liliane,’ he breathed wistfully. ‘Goodbye Liliane.’

He sat down, and when he had completed the paperwork and written in his comments and recommendations, he collected all her papers and placed them neatly together inside a red manila folder. He closed the folder and read her name one last time.


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), progress;} Black Moustache 2013 S1-09 English Language Blog: English Composition

Sunday, 24 March 2013

English Composition

Name: Lok Yang Teng
Date: 5 March 2013

I was walking in a dark alley after I finished school. My eyes flecked with gold when the sun was on them. And as the sun set over the mountain, drawing a deep red wound on the sky, there was more than just gold in my eyes, there was anger;for I was cut to the quick by the teacher’s remarks-----the culmination of insults from the teacher,whom we called madame had given me.

I was in the school for the girls. The only girl’s school in the whole entire village. Tuition was almost obligatory in the school. I was poor,poorer than all other girls. “You have to spend another year in the eighth grade if you continue with this result.”  “And if you don’t like that idea, you can transfer out, a school where they accept student’s whose blouse is torn, socks are never clean, and your tunic is tattered.”

Madame shown her large crooked teeth, which was supposed to be a good nature grin. All the students nodded dutifully. Sycophancy was part of the school curriculum. “Ring,Ring......”the school bell reverberated throughout the whole school compound. Students immediately streamed out of the school compound, back to the village.

“She’s a mean old thing. Ugly, smelly.”Usher was speaking. “Her laugh reminds me of donkey-braying.” But in fact, I wasn’t listening, I was staring at the silhouette of the tall pine trees. A full moon was coming, a thing that meant something special to me. Abruptly, I said, “I’ll take the shortcut home” Nevertheless, my friends were used to my sudden whim.

The short cut took me through the oak forest. The crooked, tormented branches of the oak threw twisted shadows across the path. A jackal,a dog like wild animal,howled at the moon; a nightjar called from the bushes. I walked fast, not because of fear, but of urgency and my breath came in short gasp. Something is going to happen.

As I sprinted back home, my limbs were becoming more sinewy, steps became lighter.Refusing dinner, I went to my small room and flung the window open. Moon-beams crept through the window-sill and over my long arm with were now covered with golden furs. My strong nails have shredded the rotten wood on the window-sill. Tail swishing and ears pricked, a leopard came swiftly out of the windows, crossed the open field behind the house, and melted into the shadows.

Being a cheetah now, my senses improved, my eyes could see the slight moving animals, my ears could hear the slightest noise despite in the winter. Bright moonlight bathed through the trees to the path. But I knew where the shadow was the deepest and I beautifully merged with them to avoid being spotted.

Firstly, how to get to madame? Having been there once before for a short drunken visit that started well but ended in a haze not unlike, in it’s texture, for once I now grouped, had only the dimmest memory to go there.

(I mistakenly drank a bottle of rum and got drunk, the vision I had at that time was similar to now except for now was winter, luckily I am able to go there but with the slightest memory now.)

Luckily I somehow remembered when I reached the bakery, I had to turn left. Fortunately, there was enough light to distinguish people from letter boxes. The letter boxes in my embittered view, had warmer personalities than the people, but the people although not notably less taciturn, at least know how to give directions --- if they feel like it. I asked a little nice old lady to where the Cat’s Club was were where I was going to have my lunch, if I ever found it, but perhaps I partially located her by touch, I took only me quarter an hour to calm her down. She pointed down the street and told me to turn right once reached the end. How I wish there was this ‘GPS’ in my era. I turned right too early and went to a pub which I mistook for the Cat’s Club until put right by the man at the counter. Before I could leave, he managed to regale me with his entire repertoire of jokes about kangaroo, koalas, dunnies and walking in the upside down outback. Ha Ha Ha...but I have gotten use to the English’s sense of humor, but preferred to steer clear of it as possible, for fear of laughing too hard

That was recalled in seconds.

Madame was walking home through a dark alley. She has just finished dinner in cat’s club just to foil their husbands’ affiliation. Seconds later, a huge majestic creature appeared in front of her. I lunged myself to her throat. Unfortunately, her screamed did not materialised. This was the perfect murder. No one would ever suspect me of murdering madame. Morning was coming, home was the next destination.  Hours past and Usher and Bindi was coming.

“Quickly or you will be late, or madame would scold you again.”
“I don’t feel like going today”
“Madame wouldn’t be pleased”
“Shall we tell her that you’re sick?”
“Don’t bother, I’m sure it’s going to be a holiday” and I gave her one of my mysterious smile.

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Nicene and Ante-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol I:
The Church History of Eusebius.: Chapter VIII

Early Church Fathers  Index

Chapter VIII.

1. Up to the sixth year the storm had been incessantly raging against us. Before this time there had been a very large number of confessors of religion in the so-called Porphyry quarry in Thebais, which gets its name from the stone found there. Of these, one hundred men, lacking three, together with women and infants, were sent to the governor of Palestine. When they confessed the God of the universe and Christ, Firmilianus, 2663 who had been sent there as governor in the place of Urbanus, directed, in accordance with the imperial command, that they should be maimed by burning the sinews of the ankles of their left feet, and that their right eyes with the eyelids and pupils should first be cut out, and then destroyed by hot irons to the very roots. And he then sent them to the mines in the province to endure hardships with severe toil and suffering.

2. But it was not sufficient that these only who suffered such miseries should be deprived of their eyes, but those natives of Palestine also, who were mentioned just above as condemned to pugilistic combat, since they would neither receive food from the royal storehouse nor undergo the necessary preparatory exercises.

3. Having been brought on this account not only before the overseers, but also before Maximinus himself, and having manifested the noblest persistence in confession by the endurance of hunger and stripes, they received like punishment with those whom we have mentioned, and with them other confessors in the city of Cæsarea.

4. Immediately afterwards others who were gathered to hear the Scriptures read, were seized in Gaza, and some endured the same sufferings in the feet and eyes; but others were afflicted with yet greater torments and with most terrible tortures in the sides.

5. One of these, in body a woman, but in understanding a man, would not endure the threat of fornication, and spoke directly against the tyrant who entrusted the government to such cruel judges. She was first scourged and then raised aloft on the stake, and her sides lacerated.

6. As those appointed for this purpose applied the tortures incessantly and severely at the command of the judge, another, with mind fixed, like the former, on virginity as her aim,—a woman who was altogether mean in form and contemptible in appearance; but, on the other hand, strong in soul, and endowed with an understanding superior to her body,—being unable to bear the merciless and cruel and inhuman deeds, with a boldness beyond that of the combatants famed among the Greeks, cried out to the judge from the midst of the crowd: “And how long will you thus cruelly torture my sister?” But he was greatly enraged, and ordered the woman to be immediately seized.

7. Thereupon she was brought forward and having called herself by the august name of the Saviour, she was first urged by words to sacrifice, and as she refused she was dragged by force to the altar. But her sister continued to maintain her former zeal, and with intrepid and resolute foot kicked the altar, and overturned it with the fire that was on it.

8. Thereupon the judge, enraged like a wild beast, inflicted on her such tortures in her sides as he never had on any one before, striving almost to glut himself with her raw flesh. But when his madness was satiated, he bound them both together, this one and her whom she called sister, and condemned them to death by fire. It is said that the first of these was from the country of Gaza; the other, by name Valentina, was of Cæsarea, and was well known to many.

9. But how can I describe as it deserves the martyrdom which followed, with which the thrice-blessed Paul was honored. He was condemned to death at the same time with them, under one sentence. At the time of his martyrdom, as the executioner was about to cut off his head, he requested a brief respite.

10. This being granted, he first, in a clear and distinct voice, supplicated God in behalf of his fellow-Christians, 2664 praying for their pardon, and that freedom might soon be restored to them. Then he asked for the conversion of the Jews to God through Christ; and proceeding in order he requested the same things for the Samaritans, and besought that those Gentiles, who were in error and were ignorant of God, might come to a knowledge of him, and adopt the true religion. Nor did he leave neglected the mixed multitude who were standing around.

11. After all these, oh! great and unspeakable forbearance! he entreated the God of the universe for the judge who had condemned him to death, and for the highest p. 350 rulers, and also for the one who was about to behead him, in his hearing and that of all present, beseeching that their sin toward him should not be reckoned against them.

12. Having prayed for these things with a loud voice, and having, as one who was dying unjustly, moved almost all to compassion and tears, of his own accord he made himself ready, and submitted his bare neck to the stroke of the sword, and was adorned with divine martyrdom. This took place on the twenty-fifth day of the month Panemus, 2665 which is the eighth before the Kalends of August.

13. Such was the end of these persons. But not long after, one hundred and thirty admirable athletes of the confession of Christ, from the land of Egypt, endured, in Egypt itself, at the command of Maximinus the same afflictions in their eyes and feet with the former persons, and were sent to the above-mentioned mines in Palestine. But some of them were condemned to the mines in Cilicia.

Of Firmilianus, the successor of Urbanus, we know only what is told us here and in chaps. 9 and 11, below. In the latter chapter, §31, his execution is recorded.

i.e. July 25 (a.d. 308). See the table on p. 403, below.

Next: Chapter IX

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Nicene and Ante-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. XII:
The Letters and Sermons of Leo the Great.: To Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople.

Early Church Fathers  Index

Letter XXXVIII 357 .

To Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople.

Leo to Flavian, bishop of Constantinople.

He acknowledges the receipt of a letter and advises mercy if Eutyches will recant.

When our brethren had already started whom we despatched to you in the cause of the Faith, we received your letter, beloved, by our son Basil the deacon, in which you rightly said very little on the subject of our common anxiety, both because the accounts which had already arrived had given us full information on every thing, and because for purposes of private inquiry it was easy to converse with the aforesaid Basil, by whom now through the grace of God, in whom we trust, we exhort you, beloved, in reply, using the Apostle’s words, and saying:  “Be ye in nothing affrighted by the adversaries; which is for them a cause of perdition, but to you of salvation 358 .”  For what is so calamitous as to wish to destroy all hope of man’s salvation by denying the reality of Christ’s Incarnation, and to contradict the Apostle who says distinctly:  “great is the mystery of Godliness which was manifest in the flesh 359 ?”  What so glorious as to fight for the Faith of the gospel against the enemies of Christ’s nativity and cross?  About whose most pure light and unconquered power we have already disclosed what was in our heart, in the letter which has been sent to you beloved 360 :  lest anything might seem doubtful between us on those things which we have learnt, and teach in accordance with the catholic doctrine.  But seeing that the testimonies to the Truth are so clear p. 51 and strong that a man must be reckoned thoroughly blind and stubborn, who does not at once shake himself free from the mists of falsehood in the bright light of reason; we desire you to use the remedy of long-suffering in curing the madness of ignorance that through your fatherly admonitions they who though old in years are infants in mind, may learn to obey their elders.  And if they give up the vain conceits of their ignorance and come to their senses, and if they condemn all their errors and receive the one true Faith, do not deny them the mercifulness of a bishop’s kind heart:  although your judgment must remain, if their impiety which you have deservedly condemned persists in its depravity.  Dated 23 July in the consulship of the illustrious Asturius and Protogenes (449).

If we are right in thinking that Lett. XXXVI. is Leo’s acknowledgment of Flavian’s second letter (XXVI.), this (which again has no Gk. version) must be an acknowledgment of yet a third, not extant, sent by the hand of one Basil, the deacon who is probably the same as Julian’s messenger (XXXV., chap. i ).

Phil. i. 28.

1 Tim. iii. 16:  the reading here is quod manifestum est in carne, in agreement with the general Western usage.

Sc. the Tome (XXVIII.).

Next: To Flavian, Bishop of Constantinople.

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Saturday, April 12, 2014

Saturday: BayBears 5, Biscuits 3

A four-run sixth inning lifted the Mobile BayBears to a 5-3 victory over the Biscuits on Saturday.

David Peralta hit a go-ahead, two-run double with two outs in the sixth.

Mobile trailed 3-1 entering the inning. Sean Jamieson scored on a Justin Greene flyout before Jake Lamb singled in Mike Freeman to tie it. After the Biscuits called on Jake Thompson to relieve starter Mike Colla, Garrett Weber singled and Peralta doubled to make it 5-3.

The Biscuits had just one baserunner in their final three at-bats. In the eighth, Willie Argo drew a one-out walk, stole second and went to third on an error. A strikeout and popup ended the threat.

Luke Maile hit his first Double-A home run in the second inning, giving Montgomery a 1-0 lead. Peralta scored on a groundout in the bottom of the second to tie it.

Montgomery rallied in the top of the second for a 3-1 lead. Cameron Seitzer singled home Taylor Motter and Alejandro Segovia singled in Argo.

Colla (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. BayBears starter Bryan Woodall, a former Auburn player, allowed three runs in 5 2/3. Woodall retired 10 straight Biscuits at one point.

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It's Relevant: Local News, Sports and Deals
Stamford Edition
Change to: Greenwich | Norwalk | Westport

"We Need This To Stop"
Senator Duff Holds Office Hours in Rowayton

Norwalk Health Dept. Offering Flu Shots

Four clinics running through Oct. 10

Norwalk, CT | Added on October 01, 2013 At 04:19 PM

The Norwalk Health Dept. is declaring it is once again time to protect yourself from the flu.

The department is offering a handful of flu shot clinics during the first 10 days of October.  The clinics will take place as follows:

Tuesday, Oct. 1

Norwalk Health Dept.

137 East Ave.

5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 3

St. Mary's Church Hall

669 West Ave.

10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 8

St. Philip's Church Hall

25 France Street

10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 10

Norwalk Health Dept.

5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

No appointments are necessary.

For those people who cannot attend the community clinics listed here, the Health Dept. will be open for walk-in hours on Mondays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. starting Oct. 7 (except on federal holidays, when offices are closed). The flu vaccine protects against seasonal and H1N1 flu, and anyone older than six months of age is encouraged to get the shot, according the department.  All clients should wear short sleeves to allow for easy injection access.

Flu shots offered by the Health Dept. are covered by Medicare Part B, ConnectiCare and Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Residents with this insurance coverage are asked to bring all insurance cards for verification of benefits. Otherwise, standard seasonal flu shots cost $25 per person.

The Health Dept. will also offer a high-dose flu vaccine to clients age 65 and over. This high-dose vaccine costs $50 per person and is covered by Medicare Part B  The high-dose version of flu vaccine is designed to boost older patients’ immune response to influenza. These patients tend to have a weaker immune response to the standard flu vaccine compared with younger patients, and they are at greater risk for serious complications from influenza.  Clients 65 years of age and older can choose to have the high-dose vaccine or the standard seasonal flu vaccine.

For questions about the community flu clinics, or to inquire about arranging a vaccination clinic at your worksite, call the Norwalk Health Dept. at 203-854-7776.

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It's Relevant: Local News, Sports and Deals
Stamford Edition
Change to: Greenwich | Norwalk | Westport

Minimum Wage to Increase by 45 cents in 2014
Extra Trains Running Tuesday Afternoon, Evening

Getting Fit for the New Year

Some local alternatives to the traditional gym

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Stamford, CT | Added on December 31, 2013 At 08:20 AM

With 2014 just a day away, New Year's resolutions are soon to follow. For many, that means getting into shape.  And while some may go to the gym to get started, there are plenty of other ways to get fit in Stamford.

Carol Shwidock has been teaching Yoga for 10 years. She says Yoga is a great way for people to start the year off with the right mindset. Shwidock teaches private lessons in her home studio and group lessons in a studio on Union Street. She says there’s a form of Yoga for everyone and it’s never too late to start.

For those who want to kick their New Year’s resolution into a faster gear, The Dojo of Stamford may be the place. Owner Manny Esmeraldo says martial arts training puts people and top physical shape while also enforcing discipline, focus, and most importantly, accountability.

To find out more about The Dojo, visit

To find out more about Harmony Yoga Studio, visit

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Pals Paper Art Challenge PPA157

My entry to the Pals Paper Art Challenge PPA157
and I've used some of the cardstock which is on the Retirement List

Items used:  Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Early Expresso DSP: Designer Series Paper Stack: Subtles Collection, Punches: Bird Builder, Modern Label, Stamp set: Made for You and Language of Friendhip. Big Shot Machine, Oval Framelits Dies, Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, and Mini Silver Brads

  1. This is such a pretty card, Jan! I love how you used the woodgrain embossing folder for the backdrop to the bird. Thanks for sharing with us at Pals Paper Arts this week!

  2. How cute, Jan! I love this as it reminds me of the birds visiting my backyard feeders right now (and all the bird food we're going through)! I love how you used the Woodgrain EF for the tree hole! Thanks for joining us at the Pals Paper Arts!

  3. Oh my gosh...what a cute card! I love the colors, the texture, and the bird's eye! Thanks for playing with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts!


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Sunday, August 23

Workshop samples from yesterday

This first set is what I gave as a special booking gift to the hostess...this really cute desk caddy! She adored it! (There are still ONE more EXTRA SPECIAL gift to the hostess that books workshop #3!)

Stamps - N/A
Cardstock - Cameo Coral, Raspberry Tart DPS
Inks: N/A
Accessories: Punch, silver eyelets, Purely Pomegranate ribbon

This card is a dual slider card. I had taken a slider card to show her at our "play" day last month and she so wanted to make it at her workshop so I prepped it all and they stamped and assembled. They were in such awe! My mom booked a workshop for next month and they want to do a Christmas one with embossing...I told them it would reduce the number of projects because of the complexity with the embossing...and they were all game for that! Maybe we will make a bookmark or some small instead of only two...we shall see! ;o)

Stamps - Embrace Life
Cardstock - Bermuda Blue, Almost Artichoke, Pretty in Pink
Bermuda Blue, Almost Artichoke, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Oval Scallop punch, large oval punch, 1 3/8 square punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, round tab punch, corner rounder punch, Pretty in Pink ribbon, plastic bag strip, Sticky Strip

Another post to follow!

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Stampin' Up! Country Livin' Masculine Greeting Card
#1 Stampers Meeting and a Special Recognition

Stampin' With Swirly Bird

I want to share a super sweet and quick card with you today. I used the "Swirly Bird" stamp set for this simple card..

I can't even begin to tell you how many times that I have used this set. It really is one of my most favorite sets ever. It doesn't look like much in the catalog- but once these stamps are in your hands, you won't be able to stop playing with it. It seriously has like a zillion possibilities!

Here it is: sweet and simple or simply sweet...

I used the same solid stamp that I used for the sun as I did for the soft sky clouds. I wanted them to look soft and fluffy so I stamped off once onto scratch paper before I stamped on the card.

I also used the "Thoughful Banners" stamp set for the greeting. Thats another one of my favorites- especially because its pretty much all "words."

No embellishments and only whisper white cardstock. That's pretty unusal for me... but I actually like the simplicity of it all.

That's it for today folks. Thank you all for taking a look.

Until the next time...

Keep on Stampin' and Come back again soon!

Product List


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  Grade: 9
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Morning Starbuzz – December 6th, 2012

Halo SwaddleChange: Swaddling made easy– Celeb Baby Laundry

Highlights from Snoop Lion’s Reddit IAMA – The Blemish

Jef Holm and Arie Luyendyk Jr. are looking like BFFs now – Reality Tea

Duchess Kate released from hospital and feeling much better – Celebitchy

Meet the new contestants for season 14 of The Biggest LoserCeleb Dirty Laundry

Frankie Muniz couldn’t see nor speak during stroke – Amy Grindhouse

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Civic Life

Getting Government to Work for You

You may have been taught by a cult or high-demand group that your personal needs and ideas were unimportant, but mainstream America works best when we make our personal needs known and speak up about them. This section focuses on interactions with government and public agencies about your needs and wants.

Personal Problems and Government Help

No one can fix anything unless she knows help is needed, so calling attention to a need or problem is an essential first step. This kind of information—although sometimes officially called a “complaint” —is different from the sort of general complaining we all do from time to time (“Oh, it’s so hot!” or “Oh, I’m so tired!”). This is a statement about a need or a problem, directed to the person or department that has the authority to take the needed action to fix it. Here are some suggestions to help you complain effectively.

It’s important to
  • Direct your initial complaint to the appropriate person or department. This might be
    • an agency’s Customer Service department,
    • a unit of government,
    • an elected official, or
    • the agency that supervises a private company; for instance, the agency that sets rates for cable TV.
It will help if you can get the name of the person you need to contact, as well as his title or position.

If you are not sure where to start, you can
    • Check online. Look under “contact us” on the agency’s home page, or at specific departments for department heads’ contact information.
    • Call the agency’s main number and ask. Many phones now answer with an automated menu; but, if possible, choose the option to speak with a live person. Automated contact information may not include the information you need.
    • Calling a State or Federal Agency has more information about how to find people and tips about how to get hold of them.
  • Assemble the facts fully and accurately, including dates, times, places, and other supporting information, before you contact anyone.
  • Be mindful that the person you are speaking or writing to may be learning about the problem for the first time, even though you already have told several others about it.

If you are telephoning a complaint

It helps to put your story in writing beforehand for your own use. Doing this clarifies your thinking and may alert you to gaps in your information or an overemotional tone. If people perceive you as calm and reasonable, they will hear you better. Remember to

  • Have key documents handy so you can pass along addresses, phone numbers, account or order numbers, and other helpful information.
  • State the problem calmly, no matter how brusque the person you encounter, or how many times you must repeat yourself.
  • Think of yourself as a teacher. If someone doesn’t “get it,” try a different way of explaining. Use as many “I” messages as possible.
  • Listen carefully to the response.
  • Take notes, including the name of the person you are speaking to, and the date and time.
  • Repeat any commitments, instructions, or recommendations to make sure you have them right, spelling out names, email addresses, or phone numbers.
  • Ask when you should expect to hear back.

A written record of the dates and times you call, and any voice-mail messages you have left will come in handy if you have trouble getting through and decide to take the complaint to another person.

If you are writing or emailing a complaint

You are more likely to get positive attention if you,

  • Attach copies of supporting documents.
  • Remember to include your own contact information: name, address, phone, email.
  • Mention if others are joining in the activity, and explain that you are the contact person.
  • When you are writing on behalf of others, remember to send a copy of your letter to those on whose behalf you are writing.
  • When you are writing on behalf of an organization, be sure to state that information. Briefly describe the organization and explain your role in it.
  • Show the names of people to whom you are sending copies in the lower left-hand corner of the letter.
  • Thank your contact for her time and attention.
Allow a week to ten days to hear back
  • If you don’t get a response within a reasonable time, write again; or call to ask if the addressee has received the letter.
  • A note saying, “Thank you for writing. We are looking into it and will get back to you,” is a nice response, but not a decision.
  • If the response does not indicate when you might expect an answer, allow what you think is a reasonable time, then call or write again.
Following up on a complaint varies, depending on the mode of your complaint and the response you get.
  • You may get a satisfactory response immediately.
  • You may get an indefinite “I’ll check and get back to you” kind of response. If this happens, it’s wise to request a date by which you should expect an answer, confirm the name and contact information of the person you will hear from, and keep a record of this information.
  • A promise, however, only expresses intent. You will need to note whether the promised action really does happen by the date promised, and, if it does not, to inform the person who made the commitment.
  • You may get a referral to a different office, agency, or person. The referral should include complete contact information, including the name of the office and, if you’re referred to a person, his or her position, phone number, and email address, as well as the name of the person referring you.
  • To find out whether a referral to a different person or department is real help or just buck-passing, you will have to take the advice.
  • How long you are willing to keep trying a different department or another phone number is up to you.

Getting Help from Elected Officials

If you think you are not making progress, you might decide to raise the issue at another level. You can contact the representative of an elected official, either
  • an official with supervisory responsibility over the agency in question, such as a school board member, or
  • an official elected to a more general office who represents you, such as a city or county council member, mayor, governor, or your congressperson or senators.
Elected officials are practically always in campaign mode, seeking to gain or keep their constituents’ support in the next election. You can expect members of their staff to respond promptly to your contact and to do their best to help you.

The official will want to know that you are a constituent—a voter living in her electoral area. Most officials’ email sites collect this information automatically, but if you are writing a postal letter or sending an outside email, be sure to mention this fact and include your mailing address.
  • You can find office addresses and contact information on the official’s Web site. Call or email, briefly summarizing the issue.
  • You can reasonably expect a prompt response from a member of the official’s staff, but there is no way to predict what happens next.
    • Some staffers are diligent, caring, and competent, and will keep working to help you until they have exhausted all avenues.
    • Some are overworked and overwhelmed and will take only the most basic steps on your behalf.
    • Of course, some may be just plain uncaring or incompetent.
  • Be prepared to detail the steps you have taken to resolve the problem, including the names of people you have contacted and the dates, as well as the original problem.
  • Have copies of receipts, correspondence, and other related documents or information.
  • The importance and urgency of your problem may make a difference. A caller complaining about sloppy garbage collection may not command the same urgency as a caller in dire need of shelter or food stamps.
Once you make contact, it’s important to follow up as requested to the degree that you can. Even if you can’t provide requested documents or details, it helps to let people know that.

Voting is the way American citizens make many decisions—both large and small—about the course of government. Through voting, we choose thousands of officials, from neighborhood representatives to the U.S. president, all of whom participate in decisions that affect our lives. Elected officials, whom we have chosen based on our understanding of their ideas and abilities, decide matters ranging from repairing pavements to waging war.

Who We Vote For

Elected officials in the United States

  • make the laws that govern us;
  • control the budgets of the departments and agencies that keep the country running, from roads to schools to police;
  • set the taxes we pay to maintain these services; and
  • oversee the performance of the various entities they manage or supervise.
Government workers and private companies alike pay serious attention to the requests of elected officials whose powers can affect their activities.

Elected officials usually pay attention to their constituents’ opinions and work conscientiously to help constituents in any way they can. They are powerfully motivated to help their constituents, because if they displease too many voters, they will lose their jobs.

Terms of service for elected officials vary, depending on the office. Most serve terms of two or four years, but U.S. senators, for instance, serve six-year terms. Some states limit the number of terms an official may serve in the same position. Each state also has rules about choosing successors for elected officials who, for one reason or another, don’t serve out their terms.

Many elected officials are affiliated with a political party, an organization of people with similar ideas and opinions formed to elect candidates who will promote those policies.
  • Major political parties in the United States are the Democratic and Republican parties.
  • Other, smaller parties, such as the Libertarian Party and the Green Party, may also influence elections.
  • Small, local parties, like the Conservative Party of New York State, are locally influential in their areas of activity and may affect the outcome of general elections.
Some elected officials are “independents,” affiliated with no political party.

How, Where, and When to Vote

If you are a citizen, you probably have the opportunity to vote for some elected officials every year. And if an elected official is unhelpful or disrespectful, you have the opportunity to vote against him or actively to support an opponent.

Eligibility to vote
Eligibility to vote varies, depending on your state. In most states, voters must register beforehand in order to vote.
  • In general, every citizen over the age of 18 is eligible to vote. In some states, citizens who will be 18 by election day may register before their 18th birthday.
  • The key requirements to vote are proof of address, proof of citizenship, and proof of age.
  • Some states now offer “same-day” registration, which allows citizens to register and vote on election day. Their votes are not counted, however, until their eligibility is confirmed.
  • In most states, voters must register a party preference to vote in primaries (defined below, under Elections) because these elections determine who will represent each political party in the general election.
  • You need not express a party preference to vote in a general election.
  • Most states do not allow convicted felons to vote while they are in prison or on probation. Some states withhold voting privileges for convicted felons for a set time after they have completed their sentences.
  • Persons certified as mentally incapable are not eligible to vote.
  • It is against the law to prevent anyone from voting because of her race or religion, or to require prospective voters to pass a literacy test or to pay a tax to qualify to vote.
To check your eligibility, and for information about registering to vote, google “eligibility to vote,” plus your county or state.

Registering to vote

In the United States, your place of residence determines where you will vote and which candidates will represent you, from the smallest units of government, such as wards or districts, through city, county, and state elections to the national level.
  • Voters are organized in small local units called precincts, and in general they must vote at the designated polling place in each precinct. If you are a registered voter, you will get a notice telling you where to vote.
  • Not all candidates for office are city- or statewide. Ballots are localized to include only the officials who will represent you in your particular area.
  • If you will be out of town on election day, you may ask for an “absentee ballot,” which allows you to vote long distance. The requirements and process for absentee voting differ from state to state.
  • An increasing number of states offer early voting, which allows people to vote before the scheduled election day. This is a convenience for many who would find it difficult to get to the polls on election day. Early voters will often have to vote at a central location outside their neighborhoods.
  • Some states also allow mail-in voting, which allows voters to mail their ballots, rather than appearing in person.
  • Voters may vote only in one place. If you are a student in a different city from where you live, you may be able to vote in the precinct where your school is located (in which case, it’s illegal to vote in your home town), or you may have to vote absentee.

are held yearly in most states, with different offices up for election in different years. Elections are covered in local news and publicized by the candidates who are running.
  • Most elections are held on the first Tuesday in November.
  • Primary elections, when voters from each political party select the candidates who will represent that party in the main election, may be held a month or more before the main election. To vote in those elections, you must usually declare a party preference when you register.
  • Cities, states, and other voting districts may hold special elections when an official dies in office or resigns and must be replaced.

What Is There to Vote About?

The focus in most elections is on individuals who are running for offices that range from sheriff to President of the United States. In some counties, even judges are elected. Candidates competing against each other for elected posts usually try to draw distinctions between themselves and their opponents. They may differ on such issues as
  • whether, how much, and what to tax in their jurisdictions;
  • how to improve public schools, social services, or public safety;
  • ideologies such as abortion or gay marriage.
Candidates for state office may also focus on regional or occupational issues:
  • Should the city-dwellers or the agricultural industry pay more for water?
  • Should a large corporation get a tax break for relocating to an impoverished area of the state?
  • Which is fairer, an income tax or a sales tax?
Candidates for national office weigh in on all these kinds of issues, adding
  • foreign policy,
  • defense, and
  • national issues such as Social Security
to the mix.

Choosing whom to vote for can be complicated and may require a great deal of thought.
  • It is unusual to find a candidate with whom you agree on every issue.
  • It is also unusual to find a candidate who doesn’t change positions on some issues once he is elected, although of course this change may be a sign of growth.
  • Sometimes the candidates are so unattractive that you may find yourself voting for one person simply to prevent another from winning.
You may also be asked to vote on questions such as
  • Bond issues that authorize the city, county, or state to borrow money for a particular purpose, such as building schools or transportation systems. Because the cost of this borrowing will be paid through taxes on everyone, many types of bonds require voters’ approval.
  • Referenda. Some states allow a legislative or other proposal to be put to a popular vote, called a referendum. If approved by the voters, the referendum becomes law. Approval of gay marriage, for instance, might in some states be put to a referendum.
  • Constitutional amendments. In many states, a majority of voters must approve changes to the state constitution—the state’s basic governmental structure. Issues like eligibility to vote, or the number of terms a legislator may serve, are examples of such changes.
You may feel that your vote is insignificant, one of hundreds or thousands, and unlikely to make any difference in the outcome of an election; but
  • Many local elections, like those for area city or county councils, draw relatively few voters; the margins of a few dozen votes may decide them.
  • Even the election for U.S. president can hang on a few hundred votes in a single state.
  • You will have to live with the outcome, so you might as well express your opinion.

Advocacy and Lobbying

If you feel strongly about a particular issue or candidate, you might want to do more than just vote. In fact, America depends heavily on individual involvement of all kinds to inform and encourage public debate on a host of topics, and to help bring about the desired result. Advocacy and lobbying are two key tools for influencing public policies.

Advocacy is working to promote particular interests or positions. Lobbying is pressing for specific actions by a governing body. For example, educating the public about the dangers of smoking is advocacy. Urging a legislator to vote to prohibit smoking in public places is lobbying.

Advocacy may mean

  • working as an individual, for instance, as a parent seeking a better educational placement for your child;
  • contributing money to an organization whose cause you support;
  • volunteering your time and energy to work for or against a cause; or
  • heading up a major effort on behalf of or against a cause.
Effective advocates are knowledgeable about
  • the situation in question;
  • the options for addressing it;
  • the resources needed to bring about the preferred outcome, including practical aspects such as costs, time, skills needed; and
  • how best to persuade the people or organization in authority to agree.

Speaking Up on Your Own

Here are some ways you can support or oppose a cause or program that’s important to you. Getting involved may mean combining your efforts with others in an organized group; or it may involve taking action individually.

Direct messages to elected officials

Elected officials pay attention to the preferences of the voters who elect them. Calls and emails that support or oppose a given program may not receive a personal answer, but they are carefully monitored and will count, sometimes heavily, in an official’s position on the issue.

To express your opinion on a proposed law, regulation, or program, you can call, write, email, or sometimes even text. Officials and their staffers take note of the opinions they receive and tally them up to get an idea of their constituents’ feelings.

  • Virtually all elected officials have email and postal addresses. You can Google the official’s name or title to find this information.
  • Many government Web sites have a “contact us” option that gives phone numbers and postal addresses, as well as a direct-from-the-site email option.
  • Many elected officials today have Facebook and/or Twitter pages.
  • Sometimes there will be a telephone number you can call to leave a “for” or “against” opinion.

If you belong to a union or other advocacy group, you may get messages urging you to contact elected officials about a particular issue. Often, these messages will include a form letter for you to send or a phone number to call. You are not obligated to do this, but it is an easy way to support the organization’s position.

Print and Internet media

Letters to the editor can be an effective way of making your voice heard. Editors will publish well-written letters on topics of public interest, both in print media and online. A letter to the editor can have a wide impact because it may resonate more with the people in charge than a private letter, and it may even influence officials who make decisions on the topic.  Readers may e-mail your letter to others so it gets a wider audience. If you feel strongly about an issue or want to correct an egregious error, you might want to try this approach.

A good letter to the editor includes

  • an opening that cites specifically the article or situation to which you are responding;
  • a central paragraph or two stating what you want to say about the article;
  • any useful information regarding your qualifications to dispute or comment on the topic;
  • disclosure of any personal relationship, such as being an employee of a company or agency involved, or a family member of a person involved; and
  • full contact information—your real name, postal address, email address, and phone number.

Letters should be as brief as possible, but vivid and specific. Keep the tone suitable for the publication you’re addressing—for instance, formal to a large newspaper with a national audience, ”snippy” to a sassy, counter-culture publication.

If the editor decides to publish your letter, you will receive a phone call or e-mail to verify its authenticity. The editor may cut or otherwise revise some material. Usually he will tell you this beforehand and you can withdraw the letter if you disapprove of the changes.

Uploading to the Internet

You can upload practically anything that expresses your personal positions or experiences to sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. There are no gatekeepers or editors to judge your work, and you need not worry about style or tone.

The downside to this approach is that few people in positions of influence are likely to see your communication, and you will have to work harder to get attention for it. You can post a video on YouTube, but unless you then send the link—with an attention-getting explanatory note—to whichever officials (or press) you want to see the video, they will not know about it. Busy professionals may or may not take the time to view your communication, and if they do, they may unconsciously judge it as much on technical quality as on content. Blurry or jerky camera work or sound may negate good reasoning.

Guidelines for Checking Out Advocacy and Lobbying Organizations

Full-time advocacy or lobbying isn’t realistic for most people. It is more practical and efficient to find an organization that supports the cause or program you’re interested in. You can then join them and engage at the level that fits your interest and availability.

Past experience in a high-demand group or cult may leave you reluctant to throw yourself into a cause. Indeed, some advocacy groups can become very extreme, and you should view them with caution. Others may be poorly organized or managed, making it difficult to work with them.

There is no need to push yourself to do anything you don’t want to do (see Groups for some general guidelines). You can take your time, engage gradually, and stop if you begin to feel uncomfortable.

Thousands of advocacy organizations are active in the United States today; they range from small, local groups getting together over neighborhood issues to nationwide organizations with millions of members seeking to influence key national policies. In a broad, general way, one might sort them into neighborhood groups, educational/charitable organizations, political organizations, and lobbies. A single organization may have branches that engage in all of these activities.

Local neighborhood groups, like those formed to advocate for better street lighting or school improvements, are usually informal and don’t have set rules, budgets, or agendas.
  • Most of these groups follow basic democratic procedures, such as giving everyone a chance to speak. Decisions are made by consensus.
  • As the group grows, consensus may give way to votes.

Larger, formally organized groups have a more formal structure, including

  • a Board of Directors,
  • written budgets,
  • operating rules (often called “by-laws”),
  • paid staff, and
  • programs planned well into the future.

You can usually learn more about these larger groups by checking out their Web sites. A basic Web site for any educational or advocacy group should

  • plainly state the group’s mission,
  • describe its programs,
  • list its senior staff and their qualifications, and
  • list its Board of Directors, with brief background information on each member.

Checking out charitable/educational organizations

Charitable and educational organizations and religions have a unique status: Contributions to them are tax-deductible.

  • This tax-deduction privilege is accorded on the grounds that their services are beneficial to the country.
  • Charities and educational organizations must submit detailed information about their missions and programs to achieve this status.
  • Tax-deductible status is no indication of the quality of an organization’s programs or management, however.
  • You can find information about the finances and activities of many charities online.

Many charitable organizations lobby in some ways on some occasions. They are allowed to set aside a small portion of their incomes for this purpose. Contributions for lobbying costs are not tax-deductible, and the organizations must notify donors about the portion of their contributions that is used for lobbying.

Checking out political organizations

Checking out political organizations is a different matter.  Such organizations may be
  • Committees formed to elect a specific candidate to a given office, such as city council, state legislator, or governor
  • Organizations that support candidates whose views on a particular issue agree with theirs
  • Political parties
  • Good-government groups that study issues and endorse positions, rather than individuals
  • Advocates for a particular group, such as senior citizens
  • Advocates for or against a specific cause, such as animal rights or handgun control
Contributions to political organizations are not tax-deductible.

Candidates for national offices must submit campaign finance reports to comply with the Federal Elections Commission. Those reports are available to the public.

Political organizations may be harder to evaluate than charitable organizations.
  • Some, like those promoting a candidate for office, may exist only for a few months or years.
  • Others, such as the major political parties, are large, stable associations.
  • Some political organizations exist solely to raise money that they pass on to candidates who meet their conditions. These are often called political action committees (PACs).
  • Others convene study commissions, conduct surveys, and publish recommendations on important issues of the day.
Information about some politically active organizations is available online.

Fundraising is vital for most advocacy and lobbying groups, although it is more critical for some than for others. Here are basic guidelines for fundraising in mainstream culture:

  • Nobody in mainstream America is required to give to any cause.
  • Nobody should be pressured to give, or to give more than she wants to. People accustomed to complying with group demands may feel uncomfortable saying “No” to requests for money, but learning to do so is part of daily American life. Anyone who continues to press you after a clear “No” is out of line.
  • Nobody will feel surprised or hurt if you refuse to give, or to give more. Your “I’ve already given what I can,” or “No, I don’t support that organization” should end the discussion. You may feel uncomfortable about making such statements, but the alternative is to let yourself be manipulated into doing what you don’t want to do.
  • Once you make a contribution, whatever the organization, you can expect repeated additional solicitations by mail, email, or phone. The askers don’t really expect you to give every time you’re asked. You, and no one else, determine whether, when, and how much to give.
  • Many educational or advocacy organizations offer “memberships” at a fixed price. If you can’t afford the price but want to support them, you can still give a lesser amount. Legitimate organizations will happily accept whatever you offer.

, too, takes many forms. Some lobbying is informal.
  • If you run into the president of the PTA at the supermarket, you may stop for a moment to express support for or opposition to a project currently under consideration. Or
  • You, as a citizen, may want to write to your congressperson and senators to let them know how you feel about a proposed change in the law.
A more structured form of lobbying occurs when
  • An organization representing many, perhaps thousands, of members formally adopts a position on a given issue.
  • The officers and members of the organization then meet with key legislators to express the position and urge support for it.
  • The organization also may encourage its members to contact their legislators about supporting the position.
  • Many organizations hire full-time representatives stationed in state capitals and in Washington, D.C., to guard their interests and promote legislation that is advantageous to them.
Frequently, the competing interests of different organizations lead to a struggle. For example, there’s a recurring competition between U.S. sugar growers, who favor restrictions on the amount of sugar imported, and food-manufacturing companies, which want to abolish existing limits in order to lower the price of sugar.

Representatives and senators from sugar-growing states will support the growers, while legislators from states where food manufacturers operate will work to abolish the limits.

Jury Duty

Service as a juror is the only form of participation in American government that is required by law. A jury is a group of citizens who are sworn in to decide impartially the facts of a given matter and issue a decision in a court case.

  • Juries range in size from six to twelve or more people. (Judges may include a couple of “alternate” jurors who can step in if a juror falls ill or is unable to complete his service for some other reason.)
  • Jurors are chosen from the lists of registered voters, licensed drivers, and other residents in each jurisdiction. Usually, many more people are summoned to jury duty than the court expects to need.
  • If summoned, you are legally required to attend on the date or dates named. Usually there is a procedure, explained on the summons, for you to change the date if you need to.
  • Some jurisdictions allow jurors to check in by phone to see if they are needed. Others require jurors to appear in person on the appointed date.
  • Once you arrive at the courthouse as a potential juror, you check in and wait until a judge requests a “panel.” The panel is a random selection of many more than the number of jurors actually needed. The large number of people allows for a detailed selection process.
  • In the courtroom, the judge screens the panel to eliminate people with conflicts of interest (such as relatives of someone who is a witness in the case) or connections that might make them partial to one side or another. For example, a police officer might favor the testimony of another police officer over the testimony of someone accused of a crime.
  • Usually, the judge will explain how long the trial is expected to take and will excuse anyone who cannot be away from a business or other critical activity for that length of time.
  • Lawyers for both sides, as well the judge, are allowed to screen potential jurors.
  • This elimination process continues until the correct number of jurors is selected.
If you are not selected to serve on a jury during the time stated on the summons, you have fulfilled your legal obligation simply by sitting around and not being chosen. If you are seated on a jury, however, you are on duty until the trial is finished. This means that you are expected to
  • report at the time specified each day the trial is in session;
  • listen carefully to the testimony;
  • abide by the judge’s instructions; and
  • when the presentation of evidence is completed, deliberate with the other members of the jury until the group reaches a decision about the facts of the case.
Trials may take only a day or two, or they may run for months, depending on the case.

Payment for jury service depends on local law and customs. Jurisdictions may pay a nominal fee per day of service. Some employers offer paid leave for employees on jury duty.


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Gold Member Since 2017
Audited Supplier
Shanghai Starway Engineering & Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

EDM Machining, CNC Turning and Milling, Precision Sheet Metal Fabrication manufacturer / supplier in China, offering Precision Aluminum Stainless Steel Auto Spare Components CNC Machining Parts, Customized Stainless Sheet Metal Fabrication with Laser Cutting Bendinng Welding, Good Quality High Precision CNC Machining Parts and so on.

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Supplier Homepage Product Precision Mechanical Parts CNC part Precision Aluminum Stainless Steel Auto Spare Components CNC Machining Parts

Precision Aluminum Stainless Steel Auto Spare Components CNC Machining Parts

FOB Price: US $0.9-2 / Piece
Min. Order: 1 Piece
Min. Order FOB Price
1 Piece US $0.9-2/ Piece
Get Latest Price
Production Capacity: 500000
Transport Package: Wooden Case
Payment Terms: L/C, T/T, D/P, Western Union, Paypal, Money Gram

Request a custom order and have something just for you!

Send Customized Request
Basic Info
  • Model NO.: sw-c627
  • Die Casting Method: Soluble Die Casting
  • Machining: CNC Machining
  • Surface Preparation: Polishing
  • Tolerance Grade: 4
  • Certification: SGS, CE, RoHS, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 9001:2008
  • Mqq: 1PCS
  • Service: OEM ODM
  • Type: Accessories
  • Sample Delivery: Around 10days
  • Related: Sheet Metal Farbication
  • Origin: Shanghai, China
  • Die Casting Machine Type: Cold Chamber Die Casting Machine
  • Application: Hardware
  • Material: Aluminum
  • Pressure Chamber Structure: Vertical
  • Casting Surface Quality Level: 3
  • Mode Number: Metal Stamping
  • Process: Laser Cutting- Bending -Welding
  • Key: Steel Fabrication
  • Item: Machining
  • Sensing Type: Automatic Sensing
  • Trademark: starway
  • HS Code: 7326901900
Product Description
processcutting bending welding
surface tretmentpowder coating
coloraccording to costomer

CNC Machining: It is mainly used for small or medium-size lot order production that requires fine surface, precise tolerance. Metal materials like steel, stainless steel or aluminum are suitable for this process. Starway is able to provide CNC machining services based on customers' drawings or designs.

CNC Machining Center: We have the CNC machining centers that are able to realize different manufacturing processes at high quality, precise tolerance.

CNC Turning Machine: CNC lathe with universal tools to reach different features.

CNC Milling Machine: Our milling machine work table is 1500*400mm max.

Drilling Machine: We are able to provide drill Countersunk holes, Metric or imperial size threads.

CNC Grinding Machine: It is used to manufacture products at high quality surface

EDM Wire Cutting Machine: It is used to cut thick plate with high quality cutting edge

Q: Are you trading company or manufacturer ?

A: We are factory. Q: How long is your delivery time?

A: Sample 15~25days . Mass order usually within 30days depend on your quantity .

Q: Do you provide samples ? is it free or extra ?

A: Yes , we can send the sample for free . But you need pay the tooling cost & freight if the products need open mould .

Q: How to deal with the problem of the product ?

A: We will ensure that our products are fully customized according to the customer's requirements. We will make the sample for quality testing . After confirmation to continue the mass production .

Extra Functional or Visual Furnish:
• Taping: Drill threads on the material
• Nut Insertion: Press or fit PEM nuts on the material.
• Powder coating, zinc plating, hot dipped galvanization, painting etc

For steel farbication metal stamping have big advantage

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See also: Page Styles, \pagestyle.
Go to LaTeX Table of Contents
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Louisville, Kentucky, United States

Craftsman-style in Louisville KY

House 6 3 2
About Our Home
Craftsman-style three-bedroom home in the Old Louisville neighborhood. The location is excellent – we are midway between the downtown restaurants and shops, and Churchill Downs. About 2 miles from each. The Space Cozy, comfy house walking distance from Churchill Downs.
Special Considerations
No smoking in the house
Doc Crow's Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar, Proof On Main, Jack Fry's
Manny & Merle On Whiskey Row, Comedy Caravan, Fourth Street Live!
Louisville Stoneware, Mall St. Matthews
Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum
Churchill Downs, Louisville Extreme Park
Muhammad Ali Center, Slugger Field, 21C Museum Hotel,
Special Events
Kentucky Derby, St. James Art Festival , PGA
The Green Building, Historic Louisville Homes, Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Send a Message

Member since: Mar 2014
Availability:   Depends on the offer
Prior exchanges: 0

  Our Dream Trip

destinations Anywhere,  United States,  France,  United Kingdom
Anywhere, France, United Kingdom, Italy, california beach city, Florida beaches.
destinations Anytime
Summer dates are Flxible. May date are during KY Derby - we would like to be out of town during that time

  About Us

  1. We are a couple in our late 40's with no children and no pets.
  2. I work at the local University as a business manager.
  3. We're interested in exploring culture and food, and making new friends.

  Personal Message

We are looking for Europe this summer, preferably outside of Paris.We are interested in exchanging with other cities in the USA, especially NYC as well as the West Coast


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Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cinco De Mayo

I wore this fun dress from Jcrew. It was nice and cool, which was good because it was warm out.

Aaron's all set:)

We spent the evening here and it was great. The kids loved the butterfly tent and feeding the butterfly's nectar.  They loved the fire dancers later in the night, wrestling, stuffing themselves with awful fair food like cotton candy and elephant ears, playing tag with one another and enjoying a couple of rides.

My favorite part of the weekend was a wonderful 10 mile trail run on Sunday.  Here's the view from Pittock Mansion-halfway through our run.

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Contact Us

Estate & Trust Planning & Administration

Estate & Trust Planning & AdministrationOur team serves our clients in the areas of estate and trust planning and administration, which is a principal focus of our firm. We counsel a diverse group of families and individuals throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as in other states, on a wide array of estate planning and wealth preservation issues. Working closely with our clients and their professional advisors, we help our clients understand and accomplish personal family objectives and financial goals. We assist with trust and probate administrations, providing personal and legal assistance during times of transition in families. We provide counsel on the use and distribution of pensions and retirement accounts and life insurance. To minimize family conflict as well as to reduce income taxes and estate and gift taxes, we advise partnerships and closely-held businesses on organization, reorganization and succession planning. In addition, we act as fiduciaries.

Our Estate and Trust Planning and Administration team assists individuals in all aspects of personal and asset planning for incapacity and death. Our team combines a multifaceted group of professionals with the extensive financial, business, legal and tax experience required by our diverse group of clients.

Professional Expertise:

Personal financial and asset analysis;
Preparation of wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, and durable powers of attorney for health care (also known as advance directives);
Estate, gift, and generation-skipping tax planning;
Estate and gift tax return preparation;
Review and preparation of documents relating to IRA and pension beneficiary elections;
Review of life insurance issues;
Planning for closely held businesses;
Organization of business entities; transfer and succession planning for these entities;
Charitable giving strategies including charitable trusts, gift annuities and other charitable gift opportunities;
Creation of, and counseling for, not-for-profit organizations;
Estate planning and tax planning services for individuals who own property in other states and/or countries and/or are married to a non-U.S. citizen;
Incapacity and long-term care planning;
Estate, probate and trust administration;
Ancillary probate administration for real estate and personal property located in New Hampshire and Vermont;
Counsel to fiduciaries including executors and trustees, both individual and corporate;
Counsel to probate and trust beneficiaries;
Legal representation in all courts and administrative agencies in connection with the resolution of trust and estate, including fiduciary litigation, and gift and estate tax audits.

Members of the Estate & Trust Planning & Administration Team:

Catherine Richmond
Ethan Frechette
Nicholas D.N. Harvey, Jr.
John Storrs Stebbins
Gary T. Brooks
Eunice Lee
Eileen G. Pornelos
Nissa Cullen
Vicki H. Raymond
Julie A. Lyon

Estate & Trust Planning & Administration Business & Commercial Law Real Estate Law Family Law Dispute Resolution School Law Contact Us Community News


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Friday, February 19, 2010

U.S. Dollar Strength Will Reduce U.S. Corporate Profits

During much of the stock market rally, one factor driving the rally was the weak U.S. dollar, which was likely to boost corporate profits both by increasing margins or competitiveness of U.S. exporters and by increasing the dollar value of the profits of foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies (while higher import costs for U.S. companies would partly offset this, the net aggregate effect was clearly positive).

Now that the U.S. dollar has again started to rally this will negatively affect corporate profits. As the rally has been particularly strong against the euro (+12% from the November lows) and the pound (+9%) and as euro area and the U.K. aren't among the biggest trade partners, but do have large domestic markets where subsidiaries of U.S. multinationals earn much of their profits, the negative effect will mainly come in the form of reductions in the dollar value of the profits of foreign subsidiaries.

The markets haven't appeared to notice this yet, but ultimately they will as profits falls as a result.


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About us

Speed swimming made it’s debut in Steinbach in 1990.  With only and outdoor pool, the season was limited, but interest in the sport grew with more and more swimmers becoming involved.  With the opening of the Steinbach Aquatic Centre’s new facility in 2002, the club was able to practice year-round. and in 2004 the Steinbach Skimmers Swim Club was officially formed.

Today, the Steinbach Skimmers have over 20 club members and continue to grow every year.  If you are interested in participating and becoming part of this exciting sport, please contact us.

Our Mission

About SkimmersOur mission is to provide our members with an opportunity to develop their speed swimming abilities in an atmosphere that they will find exciting and rewarding.  Our coaches will encourage these athletes to be the best that they can be by improving their confidence and strength in the water.  An important club objective is to continue to promote sportsmanship and team spirit.  The Steinbach Skimmers Swim Club is committed to provide training and opportunities to compete that will be consistent with each swimmers’ abilities, personal goals and desires.

Why be part of the Steinbach Skimmers Swim Club?

  • Meet new friends
  • Develop skills and abilities
  • Enjoy a healthy lifestyle and benefits of physical activity
  • To in various levels and team and individual competition

Training opportunities vary depending on individual ability and skill levels

Our club offers swim times Tuesday and Thursday mornings as well as Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.  Please see our calendar of events for a complete listing.


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The IMOIIMAX is an important step in our common pursuit to create a more sustainable shipping concept combined with a flexible design to offer our customers better business solutions at competitive freight.

Your first class seaborne solution

The IMOIIMAX is designed to carry IMO 2 and 3 cargoes as well as clean and dirty products. The vessels are all equipped with eighteen cargo tanks of max 3,000 m³ capacity as well as a nitrogen based inert gas system.

No stone left unturned

Hull lines, engines and the propeller have been extensively tested and which resulted in an extraordinarily well performing design. No stone has been left unturned to ensure reduced bunker consumption as the vessels are equipped with the latest concepts in main and auxiliary engine designs. These engines are optimized to be the best in their segment for overall performance and reduced fuel consumption. Less emissions from reduced fuel consumption decreases the environmental impact.

innovation and performance

The key words for the IMOIIMAX are innovation and performance. When merged with the best technology available, innovation ensures efficient and flexible carriage of cargoes. Performance means safe and cost efficient transportation for our customers.

Fully Optimized Design

Stena Teknik have together with Guangzhou Shipyard in China succeeded after extensive development and towing tank tests obtained a design that is probably the most energy efficient Eco MR Tanker existing today. Completely new and revolutionary hull lines together with specially designed propeller, rudders, engines, exhaust gas energy recovery and onboard systems will reduce the overall energy consumption to a minimum.

Latest Main Engine Design

The MAN6S50ME-B9.3 type main engine is the latest version with higher fuel efficiency at part load operation compared to earlier versions. IMOIIMAX is optimized to perform well over a range of both loading conditions and speeds. The low load optimization of the main engine including a Exhaust Gas By-pass contributes to an overall excellent performance. With an auto-tuning system the combustion process in each cylinder is continuously automatically controlled for optimal engine performance in all conditions.

improving the overall performance

Normally auxiliary engines are fuel optimized for high load operation rather than part load operation. Part load operations are becoming a higher percentage of normal operations. For IMOIIMAX, the new auxiliary engines have been part load optimized improving the overall performance and reducing fuel consumption.

Bridge & Performance System

The vessel has an integrated bridge systems that allows access of all essential navigation information from the centralized workstations. System components include 2 radars, 3 ECDIS, conning display, 2 gyro compass, auto pilot, 2 DGPS, Navtex, speed log, AIS and echo sounder.

reducing the environmental footprint

IMOIIMAX is equipped with a ship performance system for better and efficient onboard control of the systems resulting in energy savings and reducing the environmental footprint of the vessel.

Two oil fired boilers provide for flexibility and redundancy which is of particular advantage when carrying heated cargoes. In many instances only part steam heating capacity is required. In such cases, both boilers can be run efficiently instead of having only one big boiler operating at non-preferable conditions.

recovers the exhaust gas energy

The vessel is also equipped with an exhaust gas multi-inlet composite boiler as one of the very first installations. This boiler not only recovers energy from the main engine’s exhaust gas but also recovers the exhaust gas energy from two of the auxiliary engines. In addition the boiler has an oil fired section providing for an adapted steam production to suit the vessel’s domestic steam demand without the need to run the bigger oil fired boilers.

Precious Cargo

Thanks to the eighteen cargo tanks arrangement no single tank is larger than 3,000 m3. Consequently, the IMOIIMAX can load a full IMO 2 cargo in each tank.High performing well proven cargo tank coating ensure the Charterer will have full flexibility to carry an extensive spectrum of products and chemicals at desired temperatures.Instead of simpler coated mild steel piping with flanged couplings the cargo piping on IMOIIMAX is of stainless steel in order to comply with FOSFA recommendations and the chemical trade.The deep well hydraulic FRAMO cargo pump system provides full flexibility so that all cargo pumps can be run and controlled individually, at the same time. Consequently, a high cargo discharge capacity is offered together with a high degree of flexibility of cargo circulation.

Nitrogen Inert Gas System

Clean Nitrogen instead of traditional inert flue gas will decrease the time between discharge and loading due to faster tank cleaning. No need of portable nitrogen bottles for purging and/or cargo tank padding. From a fuel efficiency point of view inert gas generation by means of a nitrogen generator is also more fuel efficient compared to a traditional inert gas generator.

Effective Tank Cleaning

The tank cleaning system provides for four tanks to be washed simultaneously with heated as well as cold sea and fresh water. Fulfilling Lloyd’s Register voluntary class notation Effective Tank Cleaning, there has been an arrangement of the tank cleaning machines to minimize the shadow areas which maximizes efficient tank cleaning operations in turn minimizing the time between discharge and loading.


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Keep A Fresh Looking Carpet With This Advice.

You should get your carpet professionally cleaned once in a while. Cleaning your carpets takes a while and takes a lot of energy, so you might want to hire a service. But, how can you be sure what to ask for and what you should be paying attention to? The following tips will help you find a good carpet cleaning service.

Before hiring a carpet cleaner, you should find out their reputation. When it comes to carpet cleaners, there are many to choose from at a wide variety of levels of expertise. Ask for references from trusted individuals and check online as well. This increases your chances of finding a reputable cleaning company that will suit your needs.

When you have new carpet laid in your home, have them cleaned. Many carpets are treated with chemicals while they are still in the showroom in order to preserve their quality. These chemicals can irritate your loved ones and pets, so give the carpet a good cleaning when you get it home.

Check customer reviews and ratings for a prospective cleaning company. A lot of businesses that have been in business for a while may not be as good as one might think. To know whether or not a company takes care of their customers and provides great service, you're going to have to do some research.

Know that when chemicals are used to clean your carpet, you may be exposing your loved ones to substances that are harmful. Don't use any products on your carpet before the professional cleaner arrives.

Some carpets don't react well to harsh cleaning chemicals, even from professionals. You should test a hidden area before receiving carpet treatment. Silk and wool rugs may get damaged during the cleaning process. Talk to a professional if you find yourself struggling to get your carpets clean.

Once the carpet-cleaning professional has completed their cleaning, you should ask them for suggestions on how to take care of your carpets in the future. You want to make sure that you do not cancel out any work that they have just done. By using this advice, your carpet can be attractive for a long time.

Clean rugs with a solution of vinegar and warm water. The results are great and the cost is unbeatable. Just create an equal mixture, pour and scrub using a sponge. Do a nice warm water rinse and dry with a fan.

Vacuum before the cleaner comes over. If you spend more time vacuuming each area, you can eliminate a substantial amount of dirt and stains. This can have your flooring looking great in no time. Taking times to do this is worth it.

Read all included instructions on any industrial strength carpet cleaner prior to using it. The cleaner may have certain instructions that claim the best material to use it on, the requirements for ventilation, and what a person should do in case a chemical gets on their skin. These things need to be known prior to using this kind of product.

There are quite a few ways that a carpet can be cleaned, and companies differ. Certain companies might clean with absorbent pads. This form of cleaning utilizes equipment that resembles wooden floor buffers. It uses absorbent pads which spin that soak up the gross germs, mold and dirt from below the carpets.

When having your carpets cleaned, empty the premises of plant life. Chemicals that professional carpet cleaners use might harm your plants; therefore, removing them is a precaution you should not take lightly. Many carpet cleaners are not likely to reimburse you for that particular loss, so pro-activity is essential.

Having the right tools can help you to get rid of carpet stains. If you spill something, like red wine, having a good quality stain remover near at hand can help you to act immediately and prevent the stain from setting in. Later, you can call in a professional cleaner. This solution should be applied to the surface of the stain without rubbing, as you should let it sit for about five minutes. To ensure that you cover all of the stain, spray it on in a clockwise direction.

When treating a stain, blot instead of scrubbing. This will only push the stain deeper into your carpet and it could even spread it to a larger area. It is better to blot any spilled liquids. When dealing with dirt and mud, try to get under the dirt to keep it from becoming embedded.

Look carefully if you are using a coupon to hire a carpet cleaning company. You may find that they have disclaimers and limitations. You may have to pay extra for some services. Talk to the company ahead of time about what you need to have done. Ask them to explain the use of the coupon to you in detail. Find out if there are other specials you might take advantage of.

Generally, you can find awesome discounts from carpet cleaning companies during the summer months. Call around and see what types of deals are being offered. The deals may be very enticing, like getting an extra room done for free. You may even get them to clean some upholstered furniture for free.

Almost immediately after your carpets are cleaned, carefully scrutinize the areas that were treated. Contact the company that did the cleaning as soon as possible if something isn't right. If you delay too many days, it's not likely that the a replacement problem will be resolved.

Keep in mind that you don't want to merely believe what they say. A company who owns nice equipment and cleaning products does not mean that they are certified. Before they work on your carpet, have them show you their certification. Verification of this information is extremely important.

Read the fine print of a company's guarantee. See how long it lasts. Don't trust a company that only guarantees a week of spotless carpets. Find a company that has a very long guarantee, which can help you feel more safe.

If any liquid spills on your carpet, blot it immediately. Using dry towels to blot up the spill can really help. The stain is going to be easier to clean if the liquid doesn't reach too far down into the carpet fibers. You will need a steam cleaner if the stain reaches deeper layers.

Keep in mind that you don't want to merely believe what they say. Just because a cleaning company has expensive equipment doesn't mean that they know what they are doing. Don't let anyone treat your carpet without first verifying their credentials. This step is essential and the most important.

You don't have to settle for carpet stains. Carpet cleaning services can eliminate these stains with one phone call. Use the advice in this article to find a reputable company. You can get rid of those unsightly stains by hiring a good carpet cleaning company.

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