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William Lambie

William John Lambie has the sad distinction of being the first ever Australian war correspondent to die in the service of his profession. He was killed in 1900 during The Anglo-Boer War. Yet today, hardly anyone remembers this brave and dedicated man.   Perhaps it is now time that we should recall the exploits of William Lambie and remember him.

For a time he worked for The Mercury Newspaper and lost his life while on patrol with the Tasmanians and is buried with Tasmanians.  He is often referred to, wrongly, as a Tasmanian.

Lambie was born in Scotland in 1860 and arrived in Australia with his family at the age of three.  He was educated in Victoria and in 1883 arrived in Tasmania.

Lambie’s time in South Africa was short lived.  He was attached to the 1st Australian Regiment, a pre Federation unit combining contingents from all the Australian colonies. Just three months later it was reported:  “It is with the deepest regret that we publish the sad news cabled from England of the death of Mr W.J. Lambie special correspondent in South Africa.” (Feb 13, 1900).

It was the first war to be substantially serviced by local journalists.  Some Australian journalist represented English papers, while other represented multiple newspapers. It was where the famous ‘Banjo’ Paterson worked as a journalist for Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Argus. Paterson only writes briefly of Lambie’s death, saying “We hear that the infantry has had a bad time at Colesberg and that Lambie is killed – a very simple matter to happen among these kopjes.” ( kopje – a small hill)

Lambie was with a Tasmanian patrol under the command of Captain St. Clair Cameron.  A large party of Boers closely watched their movements. A scout spied the enemy and as a consequence, Captain Cameron split his command, one to move towards the kopjes and the other to fall back to protect the rear. Lambie and fellow correspondent Alfred Hales decided to move with the advance party.

The Tasmanians came under fire, dismounted and returned the fire.  Trooper Pearce was shot through the neck, but survived.  Trooper Atherly Gilham cried out that he had been shot through the shoulder and in trying to get under better cover received a mortal shot through his heart.  Fellow trooper, Alfred Button was killed outright. The Boers called on Lambie and Hales to surrender, but ignoring the call they galloped in the hope of reaching cover.  The Boers opened fire and shot accurately, toppling Lambie from his saddle, to die on the spot.  Hales made it, but stated of Lambie’s death, “had come to him sudden and sharp”.

The toll of the ambush was two Tasmanians killed, one war correspondent, one trooper wounded and four Tasmanians taken prisoner together with correspondent Hales.  It is reported that 11 Boers were killed. So ended the short life of William Lambie, war correspondent. Eventually his next of kin would receive the Queens South African Medal, without clasps.

A Melbourne newspaper reported: “The late Mr. Lambie was barely forty years old. A native of Argyleshire.  Mr. Lambie is the son of the manse, his father being the late Rev. James Lambie, a well-known Presbyterian minister on the Werribee. He was thoroughly Australian and had had varied experience of journalistic work in these colonies.”

Lambie had previously covered the Australian involvement in the Sudan Campaign of 1885. It was there where he was first ambushed that time by Arabs on camels and was wounded.

In South Africa Lambie was buried with those who also were killed on the spot.  In December 1905 his body was exhumed and reburied in the military cemetery of Colesberg with the Tasmanians and with a trooper F. Clark, who although not a Tasmanian also rests with them.  It has been difficult to find out exactly where Clark fits in, as there is no mention of him during the ambush.  I suspect that he belonged with an English regiment and that during a skirmish in the region March 6, he was killed and when the bodies exhumed, it was judged that he too was a Tasmanian.

Sadly, when Lambie was re-buried at Colesberg, the inscribers got it wrong.  Being listed as a Tasmanian, as he was killed with them, is understandable, but his inscription reads: “PTE. W.I.LAMBIE.

Lambie left a widow, Clara Ada Church Lambie (1862-1946)

At one time a memorial tablet was erected to his memory at the entrance to The Age newspaper in Collins Street, Melbourne.  Since the move to Spencer Street it has been mislaid. Lambie remains forgotten.  Surely this is unjust.

In 2012 Lambie was inducted into the Melbourne Press Club Hall of Fame. Several years ago I made an effort to have a plaque dedicated to Lambie to be placed at the Boer War Memorial, Hobart.  Sadly, the Hobart City Council rejected my application.

My book, “Heroes All” deals with Tasmania’s involvement with The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).


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Let’s Make Growing Your Online Business Easy

Be guided by ecommerce specialists who have helped countless small & medium business entrepreneurs just like yourself generate over $100,000,000 in total combined revenue since 2007.

Say Hello to Your New Ecommerce Team

From humble beginnings in 2007, Reign has cemented its position as a premiere ecommerce specialist in Australia, thanks to its team of exceptional local and international talent based in Sydney, Brisbane, Manila, Ukraine and the United States.

Our mission is to help thousands of small business entrepreneurs grow their businesses online by leveraging the power of ecommerce so that they can move closer to financial freedom, work for passion and realise their dreams. In turn, these entrepreneurs can make a bigger impact on the world such as through creating more jobs, giving back to the community and helping other small businesses grow.

To achieve our mission, we’ve made our ecommerce products as affordable and value-packed as possible by packaging over a decade’s worth of experience and proven formulas. This reduces the barriers to entry for small businesses and helps them become more self sufficient online.

Ecommerce Specialists

Meet the Founder

It was the year 1996 when I connected to a local electronic bulletin board system (BBS) with my 2400bps dial-up modem and posted an ad to sell my Intel 486DX2 computer chip. After exchanging details with a buyer over NetMail, I hopped on the bus to a suburban Sydney shopping mall to meet ‘Robert J L’ who was going to be wearing a black Metallica t-shirt. After finding the right Robert and some last-minute haggling, he handed over $38 and I made my first ever online sale. What a buzz!

Since launching my first website on Geocities in 1997, the Internet has always been something of great intrigue to me. Fast forward 23 years, online shopping has become just a tad more advanced with the likes of smartphones, eBay, Amazon, Facebook and Instagram Shopping, Google, and, of course, BigCommerce—which was co-founded in 2009 in Sydney by my awesome mentor Mitchell Harper.

But it wasn’t until 2007 that I decided to pursue my true calling on the web when I quit my soul-sucking corporate consulting job and founded Reign in a spare bedroom. Along this 13 year journey, I’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of fellow small business owners get online and grow to seven-figure revenues, as well as starting several ecommerce stores with my wife, including Toy Hunters and Perfect Pet Tags.

Today, Reign is one of Australia’s leading independent BigCommerce Certified Partners specialising in affordable ecommerce consulting and solutions for small retail businesses. I look forward to sharing the many things I’ve learnt from my experience of working with clients and my own stores so that you can accelerate your online growth within months.

Speak soon,
Karsen Wong

P.S. Don’t expect a suit and tie when we meet 🙂

Meet the Team

Our global team is distributed throughout the world including Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Manila, Ukraine and the United States. Here’s our senior leadership team that you’ll likely come across when you work with us.

Ecommerce Specialists

Technical Lead

Mitch is the most senior member of our leadership team and has been an integral part of Reign for more than 6 years across Sydney and Manila. With over 20 years’ experience in web development, Mitch excels in PHP, BigCommerce, WordPress, Magento, JS and technical project management. He resides in metro Manila and enjoys keeping fit, learning new web development languages, Netflix, and spending quality time with his wife and daughter.

Ecommerce Specialists

Project Lead

Brandon is our senior project lead and has superpowers of multitasking dozens of projects and remembering everything about everything! Brandon cut his teeth at various web agencies in Sydney and Brisbane, and is an expert in BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, HTML/CSS and digital project management. He currently resides in Brisbane with his wife and two kids where he enjoys the great outdoors.

Ecommerce Specialists

Support Lead

Hailing from Athens, Greece, and bearing the brunt of The Matrix jokes around here, Neo is definitely The One when it comes to making sure our website care team is responding quickly and accurately to support tickets! He has had a truly worldly career with digital stints in London, New York, Palo Alto, Melbourne and Sydney. Neo enjoys travelling (obviously) as well as good food, wine and coffee, and is currently in search of his real life Trinity.

Why Choose Reign?

6 Reasons Why Small Businesses Choose Us

Small Business Specialists

We run two online stores ourselves, so we understand your ecommerce and operational challenges. Get the inside scoop on what’s worked to grow our clients’ stores as well as our own.

Battle-Tested Strategies

Since 2007, we’ve helped our clients generate over $100,000,000 in total revenue. Get exclusive access to our winning playbook and fast track your success.

The Fast and the Friendly

As an extension of your team (your pit crew!), we know that turning things around quickly and accurately contributes to your success, and that service with a smile can go a long way 🙂

Unlimited Lifetime Support

Never worry about running out of monthly support hours, paying $$$ by the hour or ghosts (disappearing developers) again. We’re here to support the long-term growth of your business and even have unlimited development plans to help you expand.

Sharing Is Caring

We like to regularly share our findings of what’s working well online so that you can benefit from it too. Practical advice and e-consulting is readily available so that you can keep growing your ecommerce store after it’s launched.

Making Life Easier

Building and running a website shouldn’t be hard so we’ve compiled a library of useful cheat sheets, checklists and how-to guides to make your life easier. And unlike some, we won’t try to confuse you with technical jargon or sneer at you if you don’t know something technical (how rude!).

Get in Touch

Got questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!

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Why Bellville | Warren Hewitt, The Greater Tygerberg Partnership

“Bellville is a mature, easily accessible and affordable urban centre. It’s a place of potential, a place of opportunity. And it’s ripe for development.” –  Warren Hewitt, CEO of Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP).

TUHF’s Leading Lady | Velda Derrocks

Velda Derrocks , Regional Manager- Cape Region for TUHF, shares her journey as an ambitious woman in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

property investment just right

Find the Property Investment Just Right for You | Paul Stevens, CEO at Just Property

Read about Just Property CEO, Paul Stevens, market predictions and advice on where to look for the investment property #JustRight for you.

From Everyday Employees to Property Moguls | M5 Property Addicts

Taurai Jack and Retha van Rooyen were two worlds apart with a vast difference in background and upbringing, but their paths led them to the same middle-class trap and has now put them on the same journey into the future.

Section 12J Specialists | Flyt Property Investment

SARS is giving investors a window of opportunity until 30 June 2021 to write off R2,5 million in taxable income (or R5 million in taxable income if you are a company) in the 2022 tax year on Flyt’s 12J partnership fund.

SA’s Biggest Provider of Real Estate Management Solutions | MRI Software

From a small local software company to SA’s biggest provider of real estate management solutions, MRI’s global reach and innovative approach is supporting the region’s property management and real estate businesses to evolve and embrace digital technologies.

starting a business

‘Technoking’ of Tesla | Elon Musk

In addition to the billions that he has made in the tech industry, creating space cars and diversifying the world through Artificial Intelligence, Musk is constantly improving his real estate investment portfolio too.

IWG explores the aspects of franchising that makes it a popular choice amongst African Investors in times of uncertainty.

Crossways Farm Village | Dr Chris Mulder

“It all boils down to how society can meet basic human needs and nurture economic growth without undermining the natural resource base and the environmental integrity” – Dr Chris Mulder

Evergreen Lifestyle | Cobus Bedeker

Established in 2008, Evergreen Lifestyle is South Africa’s premium retirement brand.

WeconnectU | Danie & Johann van der Merwe

Danie and Johann van der Merwe are the visionaries behind WeconnectU, a rapidly growing property management software solutions company in South Africa.

Kim Faclier | Challenging The Status Quo

Kim has an unquenchable thirst for expansive networking across a global landscape, vigorously interacting with a diverse range of people and leaning into her exceptional role models.

SA’s Development Maestro Steps onto the Global Stage

Rabie Property Group, now indisputably one of South Africa’s most successful independent property development companies.

Wayne Van der Vent & Karen Miller

This month’s Master Investors, Karen Miller & Wayne van der Vent from Quoin Online, discuss virtual property transactions & offer innovative solutions for commercial investors with their accessible property portal.


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learn how to protect your property investment during covid

Protecting Property Investments in a Challenging Market

After a tumultuous 2020, the New Year shows no signs of slowing down. Pearl Scheltema, CEO of Fitzanne Estates, emphasises the need for good training and a solid understanding of the property industry throughout 2021.

“We need to be realistic,” Scheltema says. “The real estate landscape has changed dramatically. And now isn’t the time to be reckless with an investment.” Instead, it’s an opportune time to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. “Every property role-player – whether involved in a sectional or full title scheme – needs to be informed about the legislation that applies to their property,” Scheltema insists, explaining that having a well-informed view of your investment is key in weathering this economic storm.

This means attending HOA meetings, staying abreast of updates and financial news, and equipping yourself with knowledge of the finer details of any agreements you’ve signed. “It also means keeping your property in good shape, implementing the necessary maintenance, and ensuring the building remains a viable investment. This protects the owner, tenants, and all other role-players.”

Realistic solutions to the current market

With the advent of the initial lockdown, Fitzanne Estates implemented comprehensive action plans to assist landlords in collecting rent and finding ways to assist tenants who couldn’t manage during periods of unemployment. These strategies showed positive results and it’s been a driving force behind current plans to further support landlords in finding new tenants for new rental terms in 2021.

“A key factor for many prospective tenants – and a major hindrance in placing tenants in properties – is the initial lump sum needed to secure a home. This includes a deposit, first months’ rent, and admin fees.” Scheltema explains.  As a solution, Fitzanne Estates has been working with landlords to offer good standing prospective tenants with payment plans, reducing that initial financial strain.

Read: Landlord’s guide to rental collections during lockdown

“We are working with our clients to find realistic solutions to the current market. While it isn’t an easy time to be a landlord, our team is excited to work with our clients to not only place tenants but equip property owners with the knowledge they need to keep their property in shape and in good investment order,” Scheltema says.

Education is key

While there’s much uncertainty about what 2021 will hold, one thing that remains abundantly clear is that property professionals need to stay informed and at the forefront of the knowledge pool. “Comprehensive Scheme Executive training such as the courses offered by Fitzanne Estates cover all necessary information needed to protect a property’s value and equips property owners to be effective trustees,” Scheltema says. “Bite-sized tips and insights are also at hand in the form of the Fitzanne Estates Property Exchange Podcast, available on iono.fm and Spotify.”

You can’t afford to fall behind on property trends and legislative requirements, least of all if you’re a Trustee or Scheme Executive, so make sure you equip yourself in every possible way.


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property investors

What Global Trends can Property Investors Leverage?

COVID-related lockdowns have created a global village that is more connected digitally than ever before. While South Africa has always been an alluring short-visit travel destination, it now also appeals as an extended-stay destination to those who can remain for longer because they can work remotely. Property investors can tap into the potential offered by both short- and long-stay accommodation demands from the international community.

Read: Ensure your rental income is covered even if your tenants don’t pay the rent

Look for property features that align with a discerning resident/ tenant:

  • Environmentally efficient
  • Digitally enabled/ smart
  • Secure
  • Well-appointed for a comfortable lifestyle

Featured developments that meet these criteria: Solaris CrestAdmiral Beach

Interest rates are at a 50-year record low, which favours investment returns. Further market indicators tell a positive story (click the link or scan the QR code above to read more). Our industry partners, BetterBond, are reporting year-on-year increases in first-time buyer income, approved loan amounts and purchase prices, and our partners Lightstone report that the current annual property inflation rate is 4.56%.

The Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) provides an opportunity for first-time buyers in the ‘affordable or gap’ market, i.e. those who earn between R3 501 and R22 000 per month, to take advantage of these market conditions.

Read: Earn less than R22 000 a month? You can still buy a home

“Individuals in these salary bands generally find it hard to qualify for housing finance; their income is regarded as low for a home loan (mortgage or pension/provident backed loan), but too high to qualify for the government ‘free-house’ subsidy scheme”1.

It’s the first step in building a property portfolio.

Featured developments that meet these criteria: Pioneer Valley

What local demands can property investors tap into?

According to Statistics South Africa’s 2020 Mid-year population estimates2, about 28,6% of the population is aged younger than 15 years. That’s almost ⅓ of our population (more than 17 million people) who still need to finish school and, for those who are able, to complete their tertiary education. The demand for student housing is already staggering and estimates place the current shortfall at more than 500 000 beds; this is predicted to grow to 781 000 beds by 2025.

If you live near a university or other tertiary institution/s, look at opportunities to meet this need.

Featured developments that meet these criteria: The Edge

The “semigration” trend offers another opportunity. Many South Africans have moved temporarily/ permanently from cities like Johannesburg in order to remote-work from smaller towns. Coastal towns especially are seeing good growth rates in property prices and the shortage of cheaper rental properties in many of them offers interesting investment possibilities.

Read: Thinking about semigrating? Here’s how you can make a smooth move out of town

There has not been a better opportunity in many years to enter the investment-property market or to increase one’s holdings. Do your own research and speak to highly regarded agents in the areas where you decide to focus. This is the best way to assess local value and demand.


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Questions? 1-888-481-3375

Mechanical Engineer – Remote - Industrial and Injection Molding Machinery – Direct Hire

Worcester, MA

Apply Now

  • $80k - $90k or more depending on experience and full benefits
  • Remote position
  • Rapidly growing and expanding 50+ year old OEM manufacturer of casting equipment
  • Create custom mechanical designs of injection mold machinery.

The Company

  • 50-year-old “Made in America” manufacturing company of automated machinery in the industrial injection and casting industry.
  • This position is open due to company growth.
  • A strong focus for the company is on service and high quality - main reason for sustained growth

The Position

  • Create custom mechanical designs of injection mold machinery.
  • Oversee the completion of assigned engineering projects.
  • Work closely with Electrical Engineering to coordinate electrical design and PLC programming.
  • Provide support to assemble team.
  • Maintain accurate project status and documentation for reporting updates to team and customer.

The Details

  • Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or related experience
  • 4 years of Mechanical Engineering experience
  • Knowledge of electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical design.
  • Understanding of automation machine tool design.
  • Proficient with engineering design software/SolidWorks
Apply Now


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The renoprotective effect of dapagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) extends to those with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), according to study data presented at the 58th European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association virtual annual meeting.

The data are from a prespecified subgroup analysis of the phase 3 randomized placebo-controlled DAPA-CKD trial, which had a median follow-up duration of 2.4 years. Overall results from that trial showed that dapagliflozin, an oral diabetes drug that increases urinary glucose excretion by inhibiting sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), decreased the risk for adverse kidney and cardiovascular events and mortality among patients with CKD regardless of diabetes status compared with placebo.

The subgroup analysis included 115 patients with FSGS: 53 in the dapagliflozin group and 62 in the placebo group. The primary composite endpoint (a 50% or greater decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR], need for dialysis, or kidney or cardiovascular death) occurred in 4 patients in the dapagliflozin group and 9 in the placebo group. Dapagliflozin-treated patients had a 55% reduction in the risk of the combined primary endpoint compared with placebo, lead investigator David C. Wheeler, MD, of University College London in London, UK, reported. The dapagliflozin group also had a 48% decreased risk for the kidney-specific composite secondary endpoint (50% or greater decrease in eGFR, need for dialysis, or kidney death).

Continue Reading

“These reductions in this subgroup were not statistically significant, but they’re consistent with the overall results of the study,” Dr Wheeler said.

Over the course of the study, dapagliflozin recipients had a slower decline in eGFR compared with the placebo group (-3.6 vs -4.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year), he reported.

At week 2 of the study, dapagliflozin-treated patients had a greater reduction in urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) from baseline compared with placebo recipients (-25.1% vs 11.7%). Each 10% reduction in UACR at week 2 was associated with an average -0.58 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year lesser eGFR decline.

Dapagliflozin was well tolerated with no unexpected safety issues.

Dr Wheeler concluded that the data might encourage the use of dapagliflozin in addition to ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers in patients with FSGS.

Disclosure: AstraZeneca provided funded the DAPA-CKD trial.

Wheeler DC, Tot RD, Stefansson BV, et al. Effects of dapagliflozin on major adverse kidney events in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a prespecified analysis of the DAPA-CKD trial. Presented at: 58th ERA-EDTA 2021 virtual congress. LB003.


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2019 Residential Tenancies Act Seminars

Posted in Bylaws / Regulations, CMHC, Finance, Health & Safety, Housing, Industry Trends, Legal, Legislation, Maintenance, Newsworthy

2019 Residential Tenancies Act Seminars

Date and Time: Apr 2, 2019 8:00am to May 2, 2019 12:00pm

Location: Toronto, London, Hamilton, Scarborough and Ottawa

FRPO will once again hold the ever popular Residential Tenancies Act seminars throughout April and May. In the last couple of years, there have been many changes in our industry. This year’s event will focus on residential tenancies in a hot rental market. Topics include ‘hot button’ issues such as rent strikes, Cannabis Act impacts, renting to roommates, rules about obligations when there are floods, explosions, and fires.  Additional topics include Privacy Act compliance, Human Rights Risks & Liabilities as well as the risks of “Renovictions”.

We will also provide an update on how the new industry lease is holding up at Landlord Tenant Board, changes to visitors parking, post eviction order strategies, serving NORI’s by email (but watch out!) as well as social media trolling of landlords and staff. The session will conclude with a case law section dedicated to examples of recent LTB orders and Divisional Court decisions.  All seminars are presented by legal experts and each attendee is provided a booklet with all materials. These events are ideal for site staff, leasing agents, property managers, owners and senior management. These events will sell out, we encourage you to register early.

FRPO Members – $109.99 plus HST
Non-FRPO Members – $209.99 plus HST
Members of a recognized Regional Association – $159.99 (Please use your promo code)
All registrations include full breakfast from 8:00am-8:40am and seminar will take place from 8:40am-12:00pm

View Seminar Brochure

Please select the individual event below to register online.

Please note: All registrations must be done online  You will need to log in to access member pricing. If you do not have a login or need to reset your password, please contact us at events@frpo.orgRefunds are not available within 7 days of the event. Registrations are transferable, please email us to confirm a transfer. Thank you

Toronto – April 2nd Old Mill  Register Here

Hamilton – April 4th Waterfront Centre Register Here

London – April 9th Lamplighter Inn Register Here

Ottawa – April 17th – Ottawa Event and Conference Centre Register Here

Scarborough – April 24th Delta East Register Here

Toronto – May 2nd Old Mill  Register Here


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New laws and rules coming into effect in 2018 across Canada

Posted in Bylaws / Regulations, Communications, Employment, Finance, Health & Safety, Housing, Industry Trends, Legal, Legislation, Newsworthy, Tenancy Law

New laws and rules coming into effect in 2018 across Canada

A number of laws and regulations are coming into effect on Jan. 1 or later in 2018 across Canada, including marijuana legalization nationwide and higher minimum wages in Ontario and Alberta. Here are the highlights you need to know:

The federal Liberals have set July, 2018 as the deadline to legalize recreational marijuana. Sales of pot will be restricted to people 18 and older, although provinces will be able to set their own minimum age requirements. Provinces are also tasked with figuring out how to sell and regulate marijuana.

In Ontario, for example, pot will be sold in stores run by a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.Manitoba, meanwhile, wants to sell cannabis through private-sector retail outlets and online stores. A full breakdown of provincial marijuana plans is available here.

Under the new federal legislation, people of legal age will be allowed to publicly possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in non-dried form.

Extended parental leave

New mothers and fathers planning to begin their parental leave on or after Dec. 3 will be able to spread 12 months’ worth of federal employment insurance over 18 monthsand stay home with their child longer.

New family caregiver benefits also kicks in on Dec. 3, including a 15-week leave to care for a critically ill or injured adult, and a 35-week leave to care for a critically ill or injured child.

Carbon price plan

The federal government wants all provinces and territories to impose a $10 per tonne carbon tax by 2018. If a province or territory doesn’t implement a carbon price on its own, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa will implement a price in that jurisdiction. Ottawa has been clashing with some provinces on this issue.

Depending on where you live, a carbon price plan could result in higher gasoline prices and heating bills. You may also see your grocery bill rise, since food is often transported by diesel-burning vehicles.

Small-business tax changes

If you are a small business owner, and especially if you run a family business, you have likely already heard about the federal government’s controversial tax reform plan.

As of Jan. 1, Ottawa is tightening rules that allow small-business owners to lower their tax burden by sharing some of their earnings with family members — known as income sprinkling.

The Department of Finance has outlined the changes on its website, saying the revised income-sprinkling rules contain clear, simple tests to determine whether a relative has made a meaningful contribution to the business. The tests include checking to see whether a family member has made a substantial capital investment in the business or meets requirementson minimum age and number of hours worked.

Microbeads ban

As of Jan. 1, Health Canada will ban the manufacturing and importing of toiletries that contain plastic microbeads.The microbeads have been used in toothpaste, facial scrubs, body lotions and shower gels, among other everyday health and beauty items.

The ban will make exceptions for natural health products or non-prescription drugs that contain microbeads, but those will also be banned later in the year, starting July 1.

The tiny plastic beads are usually too small to be caught by wastewater treatment system filters and end up in lakes, rivers and oceans. They are now listed as a toxic substance under the Environmental Protection Act.

Minimum wage increase and other employment law changes

On Jan. 1, the Ontario minimum wage will increase to $14 per hour, from $11.60 per hour. Changes to provincial employment laws also include giving three weeks of paid vacation to all employees once they’ve been with a company for five years, expanding personal emergency leave to employees of small companies, and giving up to 104 weeks of unpaid leave to parents whose children die.

Scalper bot ban

Buying tickets to see your favourite band play in Ontario may be easier – and cheaper – in 2018, thanks to new Ticket Sales Act provisions that passed in mid-December.

Changes to ticket-selling laws include banning scalper bots, which buy a large number of tickets online for an event then resell them at much higher prices.

The new legislation prohibits tickets from being resold at more than 50 per cent above the face value and makes it illegal to knowingly resell tickets that were purchased by bots.

For years, frustrated consumers have been complaining about the lack of affordable tickets for popular concerts and events after scalper bots snatch up hundreds of them at once, usually within minutes of release.

New rules for Uber

Starting in January, the Quebec government has promised to impose new rules for Uber drivers in the province.Uber drivers will have to undergo police background checks and 35 hours of training. Uber initially balked at those regulations and threatened to pull out of the province, but the ride-sharing company decided to stay after meetings with Quebec’s transport minister.

Autonomy for adults with intellectual disabilities

On Dec. 28, new legislation will come into effect in Nova Scotiarecognizing the independence of adults with intellectual deficits. The Adult Capacity and Decision Making Act will recognize a person’s right to live their own life and make their own decisions, except in instances where that’s not possible because of a court-proven impairment of capacity.

The new law replaces the province’s Incompetent Persons Act, which was the subject of a constitutional challenge.

Changes to Employment Standards Code

Workplace law changes taking effect on Jan 1 include extended unpaid job protection for compassionate care leave, changes to how employees can bank their overtime hours and a new unpaid leave for employees dealing with a domestic violence situation.

On Oct. 1, 2018, the general minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour, from $13.60 per hour.

Gay-straight alliances

In mid-November, Alberta passed Bill 24, which strengthens rules on gay-straight alliances in the province’s schools.

The legislation will prevent schools from denying or delaying the formation of gay-straight peer clubs. The law also now makes it clear that school officials can’t tell parents if their children are in a gay-straight alliance except in special circumstances, such as when a student is under direct threat of harm.

The governing New Democrats said they wanted to change the law in response to comments made by United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney, who has said it’s best in some cases to tell parents their kids have joined a gay-straight alliance. Alberta’s education minister accused Kenney of wanting to “out” gay students.

Condominium Property Act changes

The Alberta government is introducing new rules meant to protect condominium buyers in the province.

If you’re a condo buyer, the new rules mean you’ll get more information at the time of purchase, such as construction budgets and deadlines. The changes are also supposed to put remedies in place if your condo occupancy date is delayed.

Some parts of the Condominium Property Amendment Act, affecting condo boards and corporations, will come into effect on Jan. 1, while other changes will apply to condo sales agreements on or after April 1.

New payday loan industry rules

The provincial government says it wants to better protect consumers when they deal with payday lenders. New laws governing the payday loan industry, which take effect in January, will include licensing requirements for loan businesses, as well as various disclosure requirements for lenders.

Family Day

Starting in 2018, New Brunswickers will get another paid holiday. Family Day will be observed in the province on the third Monday of every February.

With files from The Canadian Press, CTV Atlantic and CTV Montreal


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6 Above Ground Pool Ideas for Revitalizing Your Backyard

Want to make your backyard a true destination? Use these above ground pool ideas to create an oasis in your own backyard.

If you’re planning on installing an above ground pool or already have one and want to bring new life to it, then you’ll want to keep reading. Too often than not, above ground pools are considered unattractive or the low-budget option. However, if you’re one of these thinkers, after reading through this post you might have a change of mine.

There are some pretty amazing above ground pool ideas out there that can truly transform any above ground pool from an eyesore to the focal point of any backyard! Are you looking to make your backyard a true relaxation destination? It’s possible with the help of our 6 above ground pool ideas!

To start the construction of your very own oasis, continue reading below!

1. Cover It in Tiles

If you’re tired of looking at the plastic parts and sections on your above ground pool, then consider covering it in tiles. You can cover the entire pool with an outdoors tile of your choice to fully transform the look of it. For example, consider using black mosaic tile around your pool.
Cover It in Tiles

This idea is perfect for more sleek and modern homes as the black mosaic tiles will add to this appearance. If your home has more of a desert style, then you can consider using red tiles instead. You have a lot of design and style options when it comes to choosing the right tile for you and your pool.

Choose a style that fits best with your home or backyard, and you’ll hardly notice that your pool is above ground.

2. Cover It in Stone

If you’re not a fan of the outdoors tile, then you still have some other options. One other option that isn’t tile but is similar is stone. You can cover your entire above ground pool with stones.

Stones give your pool a more natural feel to it. If you have stonework on other areas of your backyard like a walkway or sitting area, be sure to use the same stones on your pool. This is a good way to tie everything together.

For an inexpensive solution, river rocks and pea gravel is a great alternative. It’ll take any shape or style of pool and transform it into something you would never imagine. Adding stones is a gorgeous idea and simple to do.

Find out more about different above ground swimming pool designs before you decide what type of stone to cover it with.

3. Cover It with Reed Fencing

If you like the feel of the islands, then you’ll really like this next idea. Try covering your pool with reed fencing. You can then use twine to hold it all together.

If needed, go around the top of the fencing and do a bit of trimming to make it look well put together. This is an excellent way to bring the feel of the islands to your backyard. But don’t let the tropical oasis stop there.

Use an old wood pallet as a tiki bar! Place the wood pallet against the side of the pool after making some minor tweaks to it such as paint and a bar top. Place a couple of stools in front of it, and you’re ready to go!

4. Cover It with Greenery

Adding greenery to your pool is something that just about anyone can do on their own at home. Gather your favorite lush plants and other pieces of landscaping and surround or border your above ground pool with them. Not all of the greenery that you use needs to be of the same size or plant species.
Cover It with Greenery
Go ahead and mix it up using different sizes and types of plants to really draw in the naturalistic feel. Before simply placing the plants around your pool, create bedding for them. When you outline your bedding, don’t feel obligated to stick to the same exact shape of your pool.

For example, if you have a round pool, then feel free to create bedding that is round but has curves throughout it. This shows off your creativity and will make the perfect sectioned-off area after adding in some mulch!

5. Wrap a Fence Around It

You always have the option of wrapping a fence around your pool. No, we don’t mean fencing in your backyard. We mean taking fencing and wrapping it directly around your above ground pool.

Go with a fence that reaches just above your pool to give you a bit of privacy. You can also add large pieces of greenery for even more privacy. Add a deck next to the pool using the same color and style of wood that the fence is made of and you’ve got yourself an entire blocked-off section in your backyard dedicated to swimming and hanging out.

6. Spruce It Up with Lighting

If you don’t have a lot of room in your budget, don’t underestimate the importance of good lighting. You can spruce up any above ground pool with the right outdoor lighting features. Consider using Edison lights that hang above the pool, lanterns and tiki torches for a softer feel, or spotlights to light up the area surrounding the pool.

You should also consider creating a pathway to the pool, which shows that it’s the main attraction. Take lights and light up the pathway as well. This is a great idea for people who enjoy taking a dip after the sun goes down.

What Above Ground Pool Ideas Do You Like Best?

What Above Ground Pool Ideas Do You Like Best
With so many different ways to bring new life into your not-so-attractive above ground pool, you’ll have to make a decision. Which above ground pool ideas do you like best? No matter what kind of above ground pool you have, there’s something on our list to suit every pool owner’s needs!

Interested in more great posts similar to this one? Be sure to check back with us frequently!

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How difficult is it to change local parking signs?

Saffron Walden appears to have received ‘assurances’ that the third hour of parking on the Common will not be charged for as of August 1st. However, in Dunmow a similar …read more →

Spring Update from Dunmow’s Alex Armstrong!

We’re gradually seeing the first signs of Spring in the South of the District but work on promoting our local community in Dunmow has continued throughout the winter months. Our …read more →

Residential Parking Standards crucial to neighbourhood harmony!

The Uttlesford Local Residential Parking Standards drawn up 6 years ago doesn’t mention tandem car parking. Presumably no-one in 2009 thought that layouts with parking in lines, with the inside …read more →

Sharon Morris: Common sense prevails on the school run

Just before the end of last term parents at Katherine Semar Schools were sent a Parentmail advising that “…from January there will be no public access to the Goldenacre Car …read more →


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Chef / Assistant Chef

NY-AFTON, This busy full-service restaurant is seeking a Chef / Assistant Chef, who is able to work the full line experience. For full-time hours, off Sundays and Mondays. Flexible schedule required (AM and PM shifts). Serve Safe or equivalent certification preferred. Knowledge in knife cuts and proper culinary techniques required. 2-3 years of kitchen experience required. Passion for farm-to-fork and susta

To Apply to this job Please go to website address given in Source below


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Say hello to Qwick! ? We believe in a better way to work. Qwick allows you to work how and when you want. Your work belongs to you.
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Family & Couples Therapy

The place where you and your family can have a space to speak their mind and confront your disagreements in order to find a compromise that focuses on the health and union of the family as a whole.

Family therapy not only assess specific communication or behavioral aspects of the group, but it also works with the health and caring of family wounds. This model of therapy allows the family to rediscover their emotional relationships, clarify some truths and misunderstandings, but most importantly to retain or regain a sense of wholeness and happiness.

The troubles with your significant other can overwhelm the relationship and fall in a pitful cycle. Couples therapy engages the deep emotional difficulties of any relationship to help them cope with the problems on hand and the problems ahead allowing the couple enjoys a healthy relationship.

Virginia Satir: “Why family therapy? Because deals with family pain”.

We are here

to help

If you are wondering which treatment best suits you, we have a team of certified professionals that can asses and guide you to the therapy that can help you the most.

You can reach us anytime calling at 829-686-2700
o haz clic aquí para visitarnos:

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I phoned 4 companies 2 replied and promised to send a quotation which were never received. One promised to send a sample of the wood, again never received. I found this company to be 'on the ball' from day 1. A sample of the wood was sent which matched our furniture exactly. The order was placed and came within 3 weeks as promised. The installation was carried out efficiently and professionally by 2 friendly and knowledgeable installers.. Thrilled to bits with the quality of the table which plays better than any I have ever played on! Thank you Ana and all the people involved.
3 years ago
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Absolutely beautiful, the diamonds all sparkle and it fits perfectly with my slightly unusually shaped engagement ring.
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Concealed Steel Hinge - Model #208

Product #: 429208130
Finish: Brass Black Bright Chrome Nickel Oil-Rubbed Bronze Satin Brass Satin Chrome Satin Nickel Modify Options
Product number Finish
429208130 Brass
42920890 Black
429208140 Bright Chrome
429208180 Nickel
429208ORB Oil-Rubbed Bronze
429208160 Satin Brass
429208145 Satin Chrome
429208185 Satin Nickel

The hinge is invisible when closed.

Richelieu's concealed hinges offer superior appearance and durability with contemporary and functional style. They easily install and can be used for many applications on wood or metal doors to meet all your needs.

Product number
Minimum Door Thickness
1 in
Type of Hinge
Wood or Metal
For Hinge #
Wood Screw Sizes
#8 x 1-1/4" (4.2 mm x 32 mm)
Dimension A
5/8 in
Dimension B
29/64 in
Dimension C
2 3/4 in
Dimension D
9/64 in
Dimension E
5/32 in
Dimension F
1 11/32 in
Dimension G
3/64 in
Dimension H
29/32 in
Dimension I
9/32 in
Hinge Opening Angle

Security: When closed, the SOSS concealed hinge cannot be seen or tampered with. When opened, the riveted hinge pin is non-removable.

Safety: The moving pivot point remains inside the hinge during movement until fully opened, eliminating an external pinch point on the back side of the door.

Strength: The installed hinge is firmly anchored in a deep, full mortise with screws to support the door and provide a rigid and secure installation.

Superior Construction: Concealed hinges are designed to ensure reliable operation for years. The standard hinges are made of high-strength steel and zinc alloy.

Smooth Operation: All hinges have been designed and developed to give smooth performance and reduce friction.

The concealed hinges are used by designers, architects, and engineers to help solve design problems associated with today`s ultra modern materials. Our hinges are found in many applications where concealment, compact size, and smooth operation are essential. Concealed hinges can be found in various high-tech products including, computers, cash registers, copy machines, medical equipment, and office equipment.

Limited only by the imagination of the designer, SOSS concealed hinges are used in Cessna Bravo jets, custom furniture by experts in the cabinet and display industry and wherever invisibility and flexibility are of paramount importance. SOSS concealed hinges open a full 180° and operate with a single action. Ideally suited for mirrored doors, gates, wall panels, pass doors, storage cabinets, electronic and computer devices, wall units, hidden doors, pharmaceutical storage areas, courtrooms, and churches.

SOSS concealed hinges are used in restaurants, homes, and offices to create environments with clean lines.

Picture for visual reference only: actual product may vary from that shown in photo.
Always use the instructions inside the packaging provided by the manufacturer, as the manufacturer reserves the right to make technical changes or modify information without prior notice!
Always make sure to fix properly the product using the right fixation for the proper material.
Never exceed the maximum weight or the maximum dimension recommended by the manufacturer.
Never use any spray lubricant on these products.

The preceding information, as well as any technical recommendations given in writing, verbally, or based on tests, is provided to the best of our knowledge. However, recommendations are non-binding and do not affect your responsibility to determine the correctness of the given recommendations and the suitability of the product for your particular purposes. The application, use, or processing of our products, as well as the production of products based on our technical recommendations, are out of our control and therefore fall exclusively under your responsibility. Sales of our products are subject to our most recent General Sales and Delivery Conditions. Please note that Richelieu will not accept any returns or claims for unpackaged products. Warning: This product can expose you to chemicals including chromium and nickel, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer or other reproductive harm. For further information go to
Concealed Steel Hinge - Model #208

Product number: 429208130


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6 Ways Agile Teams Can Use Gantt Charts

Agile vs Gantt Chart

Two opposing forces, each with its own set of principles (and staunch supporters). While the former is renowned for its flexibility that welcomes changes, the latter made its mark through thorough planning that controls changes

Do you think agile can work together with Gantt charts?

We do.

Continue reading this blog post to know the six powerful ways agile teams can use Gantt charts to improve agile value delivery.

Can Agile Teams Use Gantt Charts?

Back to our question earlier: can agile work with Gantt charts? In the world of agile where responding to changes can result in gaining a competitive edge, Gantt charts are (inaccurately) considered inefficient because they’re too rigid to accommodate changes.

But here’s the thing. The big-picture planning that Gantt charts offer perfectly complements the flexibility of agile development. Together, you and your agile teams can carefully balance iterative and incremental agile development that still follows an overarching project plan.

6 Ways Agile Teams Can Use Gantt Charts

Now, here are the six ways agile teams from various industries can use Gantt charts when managing projects to improve agile value delivery.

1: Gantt Charts Minimize Agile Scope Creep

There’s a fine line between being agile and being ad-hoc. With careful planning (AKA backlog grooming and sprint planning), sudden tasks should be minimized. However, that’s not always the case. We’re sure you’ve suffered from agile scope creep before. It’s where new and unplanned items are added or appear in the middle of the sprint, causing teams to rush to deliver them.

Gantt charts help you to minimize agile scope creep through a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)—a hierarchical tree structure that breaks down projects into smaller, manageable tasks. Once a project has been broken down to its smallest unit of work, you can then stage it for a sprint. This way, there won’t be sudden blockers popping up.

You can also use the Gantt chart and WBS as a Statement of Work (SoW) so that key stakeholders will know exactly all the tasks involved in a project as well as the estimated timeline and resources (e.g., staff) required.

A screenshot of a Gantt chart and Work Breakdown Structure that shows a main project with its corresponding tasks.
An example of a Gantt chart and WBS with “Summer Saturn Sale” as the main project that’s broken down into smaller tasks.

2: Gantt Charts Visualize Agile Project Dependencies

Usually, tasks are developed based on priority in each sprint. That said, how are you to know which task within a sprint should be done first? If Jira is your agile project management platform, you can achieve that using issue linking. However, it can be complicated to manage tons of linked issues.

Fortunately, Gantt charts come equipped with task-dependency visualization, where you can clearly see how tasks are related to one another in a logical timeline sequence. With the right Jira Gantt chart app, you can instantly map Jira issues to the Gantt chart and add dependencies between them for seamless project progress.

A screenshot of a Jira Gantt chart with a Finish-to-Start type of dependency between two tasks.
An example of a Jira Gantt chart that visualizes task dependencies.

3: Gantt Charts Support Agile Resource Planning

The beauty of agile project management is its resource planning. In Jira, you can use various estimation factors like story points to determine your team’s workload. You can still take this one step further using the resource allocation feature in Gantt charts.

With a Jira Gantt chart plugin like Ricksoft’s WBS Gantt-Chart for Jira, use its resource management feature to visualize the workload of each team member. The tool will notify if you overestimate a team member’s capacity so that you can redistribute work efficiently.

A screenshot of a Jira Gantt chart app known as WBS Gantt-Chart for Jira that notifies if a team member is overloaded with work.
An example of a Jira Gantt chart app—WBS Gantt-Chart for Jira—with its resource allocation feature that instantly shows red bars if a team member is overloaded with work.

4: Gantt Chart Milestones Guide Agile Teams to Deliver on Time

The thing with agile project management software like Jira is that it doesn’t capture business milestones like a new app release on an agile roadmap. Some companies may work around this issue by using epics in Jira as milestones and assigning them to respective releases. Alternatively, sprint deliverables may also be considered as milestones.

But this can be tricky to navigate when there’s enterprise-wide collaboration, where one team’s priority may block another team’s progress. The key is to unite various agile teams throughout the project lifecycle to ensure continuous progress.

Something that the milestone feature in Gantt charts can achieve. By visualizing milestones on a Gantt chart, you can coordinate tasks between different teams so that everyone can do their part to ensure timely value delivery.

A screenshot of a Jira Gantt chart app known as WBS Gantt-Chart for Jira with a milestone added within a project timeline.
WBS Gantt-Chart for Jira app with a milestone added within a project timeline that guides teams to do work on time.

5: Gantt Charts Enhance Agile and Non-Agile Collaboration

Not everyone in a company uses the exact same project management methodology and platform to do work. For example, you may have your agile development team working in Jira while the non-agile accounting team prefers Excel. Not unifying them can result in silos and reduced productivity.

With the help of Gantt charts’ visualization capability, you can unite agile and non-agile teams. With an easy-to-understand interface, everyone can know the task breakdown of a large project, how the tasks are related to one another, and the progress of each task.

6: Gantt Charts Easily Communicate Agile Project Progress

“Velocity, burndown, lead time, net promoter score…”

You probably understand and use these agile metrics to measure the productivity level of your team. However, your upper management may not be well-versed in agile speak. In fact, upper management folks are more concerned with the overall project progress instead of individual sprints.

So, tackle this situation by using both. Reserve the agile metrics to measure the progress of your team and use Gantt charts to visualize project progress. You can also use the latter (especially the WBS) to manage stakeholders’ expectations.

Making Your Agile Team Better with Gantt Charts

The final verdict is that Gantt charts can do wonders for your agile teams, from big-picture planning to celebrating milestones once achieved.

But to make sure that your Gantt chart is truly aligned with the fast-paced development of your agile projects and teams, choose a tool that can be easily incorporated into your project management platform. For example, if your agile teams thrive in Jira, choose a third-party Gantt chart app like WBS Gantt-Chart for Jira for better agile project management.

Check out our Complete Guide to Using Gantt Charts in Agile Project Management to learn how to power up your agile project management using Gantt Charts.

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• 685 South Arthur Avenue Suite 12D | Louisville, Colorado 80027

5 tips to help get more out of Facebook

Social media: you’ve heard of it and may have a personal profile, but does your business? It’s pretty much expected that a business, regardless of their size, has a presence on at least one social media platform. In most cases, this platform is Facebook. If you have a Facebook Page for your company, it can […]


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Friday, February 27, 2009

Unconstitutional Crisis - Part II

***Cross-posted at What Floats My Boat***

I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents. -- James Madison (As he disapproved of an attempt to appropriate $15,000 for French refugees. 4 Annals of Congress 179 [1794]).
Forever a fascinating subject, perhaps even more so now that Barry and his congressional thugs have strong-armed us with the single largest Porkulus package in US history, I have added a Debt Clock to my site. Currently, our national debt is nearly $11 trillion - or so we are told by the Bureau of Public Debt.

What often happens when a company "cooks the books" is that sometimes things can.... "disappear," making the company's financial position appear stronger than it truly is. This makes the company appear sound, to keep investors' money flowing into the business and keep the doors open. The alternative, obviously, is failure and closure of the business.

Much like bankers and brokers (with the help of friends like Barney, Gregory, and Maxine) disguised the reality of the housing bubble (AKA mortgage crisis) through "leverage," the federal government of the United States disguises the reality of the public debt by striking certain items from the balance sheet. Items known as "unfunded liabilities" are not included in the $11 trillion total. They are, however, liabilities (a debt that must be paid) listed in the budget by the federal government as mandatory expenditures - to be paid by the taxpayer.

In a nutshell, here is how it works: Medicare and Social Security are pay-as-you-go systems. The workers of today pay taxes into these programs and benefits are dispersed to the preceding generation. Simplistically put, our parents paid their parents' way, we pay our parents' way, down the road our children will pay our way, and so on. To give the appearance of being a "dedicated" social insurance program, these tax revenues are listed under the "Social Security Trust Fund." (I highly recommend following this link, as there is additional information crucial to this discussion and the falsehoods underlying this supposed "trust fund," as below.) Unfortunately, this "trust fund" is only that - an appearance:
There is no cash in the Social Security trust fund, and there never has been any.
Unfunded liabilities come into play when more money is projected to be dispersed through the program than is collected via tax revenues. We hear about the baby boomer generation pushing Social Security/Medicare to the breaking point and threatening to bankrupt the program - because there are more of them (the retiring generation) than there are of us (the working and, hence, paying generation). In 2008, budgeted expenditures for Social Security were $612 billion and Medicare $386 billion; Social Security payroll taxes were $658 billion and Medicare payroll taxes $194 billion. We are already closing in on elimination of the trust fund "surplus" and in less than a decade will be operating at a deficit; Medicare has already surpassed that point.

The fact that more money will go out than comes in is irrelevant; a contract has been created between the federal government and We The People, guaranteeing payment for our needs under this program based upon our payment into the system through a lifetime of work. Taking the money then not paying would be frank breach of contract by the Federal Government. This cannot be solved merely by increasing Social Security/Medicare taxes; doing so would only generate further liability and increase the marginal tax rate laid only upon those citizens who work.

As of May 2008, unfunded liabilities related to Medicare and Social Security (the amount of money that MUST be paid based upon the tax revenues collected to date) totaled approximately $99 trillion. That would be on top of the $11 trillion you see in the debt clock.

Who can even conceptualize what a quadrillion is?

By creatively restating its financial position in this manner, the federal government is able to instill "confidence" in the economy and in our social welfare system. After all, how quickly would the flood of angry mail begin flowing into and overwhelming Congressional offices if the public knew:
  1. We have, in reality (hidden in plain sight), a QUADRILLION DOLLAR deficit rather than merely an $11 trillion deficit.
  2. We pay 15.3% of our income (directly paid in full by those who are self-employed and half of which is paid as part of our income by employers for everyone else who works) for a Social Security/Medicare program that will never - as in NEVER EVER - be able to cover what has been promised in return for that payment - made in good faith - when we could earn multitudes more by investing that same 15.3% in a 401(k) or other investment vehicle.
  3. We have a Congress and President hell-bent on spending as much as possible as quickly as possible for programs we do not need with money we do not have - covertly packing more useless spending into bills with awe-inspiring and hope-raising names like "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act" and overtly packing more useless spending into bills the public has loudly reiterated to their "representatives" in Congress they want neither created nor passed.
Flying in the face of all that a republican democracy such as ours represents ideologically - this is worse than taxation without representation - it is the epitome of tyranny, and almost all of it is unconstitutional as defined and directed by the Constitution itself. In essence, the Constitution allows for the Congress to lay and collect taxes and make expenditures for the defense and safety of the Union - and little more. Everything else falls under States' rights and the federal government has no business meddling. That includes programs like Medicare and Social Security, Medicaid, Housing and Urban Development, education, "energy" policy, health care, and basically everything else that has been corrupted with federal-level interference.

What often happens when a government "cooks the books" is that sometimes things can.... "disappear," making the government's financial position appear stronger than it truly is. This makes the government appear sound, to keep taxpayers' money flowing into the coffers and keep Washington, DC, in business and keep the executive, legislative, and judicial branches operating. The alternative, obviously, is failure and restructuring of the government.

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concept to publication

Left Abe, Right Abe

left abe lincoln, right abe lincoln

Using life masks of Lincoln owned by the Chicago History Museum, scientists have determined that Abraham Lincoln had an unusually asymmetrical face. Lincoln had a condition called cranial facial microsomia — the left side of his face was much smaller than the right. The results of the study have been widely reported, including in The Independent, in which Leonard Doyle writes:

Lincoln’s contemporaries noted his left eye at times drifted upwards independently of his right eye, a condition now termed strabismus. Lincoln’s smaller, left eye socket may have had a displaced muscle controlling vertical movement, said Dr Ronald Fishman, who led the study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Most people’s faces are asymmetrical, Dr Fishman said, but Lincoln’s case was extreme, with the bony ridge over his left eye rounder and thinner than the right, and set backwards.

So what did I think when I read that?

Right. Fodder for “Left Face, Right Face.”

Read the contract

Redesigning the Penguin UK website

  1. Amazing article on Lincoln! Even his tie and shirt collar are asymmetrical – so are his facial lines and wrinkles. Wonder if the asymmetry continued on into his brain and internal facial structures? Did his condition have any obvious side effects besides the eye socket muscle – like headaches, tics or mental illness?

  2. One thing that’s interesting to me is that the complete face is so much more interesting and full of character than either half. I suppose that’s usually the case, but it does seem especially so in Lincoln’s case, as if he had forced his two limited halves into an effective whole by a surpassing act of will.

Some rights reserved 2021 Right Reading. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons (attribution, noncommercial, no derivs: 3.0) License (US), although some of the work this blog incorporates may be separately licensed. Text and images by Thomas Christensen unless otherwise noted. For print permissions or other inquiries please request via


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concept to publication

Take care with cookies

At the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas it was demonstrated how log-in data can be stolen via cookies exchange when using hi-fi hotspots.

UPDATE: See the comments to this post for more.

The Photoshop Wizardry of Al Qaeda

Embedded journalism

1 Comment

  1. The problem here is that cookies were being passed unencrypted from the browser to the site. This is nearly as bad as passing the login and password itself in an unencrypted fashion. So, furiously pressing “delete cookies” won’t really help here. Better to realize no site is perfect which means some good tips are:

    1) Don’t use untrusted networks (the hackers in this case were privy to all the data on the network because they had hacked a router or other device that transmits all the network information up to the internet).

    2) Use different passwords for different sites, and change them periodically

    3) Only log into web sites that use https as the protocol

    I hate it when some black hat makes a finding and then makes it sound like they’ll soon be taking over the world because they’ve discovered a problem with some technology that the general public has heard about (e.g. “cookies”). The truth is, most big sites are aware of these kinds of things – they just happened to catch Gmail doing something stupid in this instance (passing an unencrypted authentication cookie).

Some rights reserved 2021 Right Reading. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons (attribution, noncommercial, no derivs: 3.0) License (US), although some of the work this blog incorporates may be separately licensed. Text and images by Thomas Christensen unless otherwise noted. For print permissions or other inquiries please request via


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Developer: Supergonk
Release date: 2018
Plattforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre: Racing

Trailblazers is a fresh co-operative racing title with an innovative on-track game mechanic: paint the track, boost on your colour and work as a team to win!

Racing in teams of up to three-versus-three, players paint the track as they race, capturing key areas to dynamically change the racing line, then boosting on their team’s colour. Racers who drive with flair and style will also amass skill points to blaze their way to victory!

Players can experience the blistering high-speed action with up to six players online, or locally via split-screen for up to four local players with additional online or CPU-controlled challengers.

Loaded with multiplayer thrills and a series of single-player challenges across an extended campaign mode, Trailblazers is an audio-visual onslaught of retro-futuristic style and attitude. The game takes place in a lavishly presented world from the creative mind of BAFTA award winning artist Will Milton. Players race through expansive and stunning scenic tracks set across locations ranging from mountain tops to lush forests and arid desert valleys. Aural soundscapes are provided via the officially licensed soundtrack featuring leaders of the Future Funk genre, including Get On Up by Skope, Bad King Kong by The Derevolutions, and Dead Ringer by A.Skillz.

© 2019 - Rising Star Games Ltd.


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With Edward's abdication from Na'Vi and NEO’s shock move to FaZe Clan, the old guard of the CS:GO community is in flux. With so many talented youngsters breaking through and the constant ebb and flow of the Counter-Strike scene, the longevity of the players is to be cherished. They are our living connection to a scruffier and more innocent time, and their stellar performances formed the foundations of the esport world we get to enjoy today. Many of their compatriots are no longer active on the servers, and even if they are, they were forced to lower rungs of the ladder – these fine people are the exception to the rule.

Xizt (born February 22, 1991)

The ex-Ninja who became a Fnatic in-game leader is living quite the renaissance nowadays, with his team reaching back-to-back LAN finals in 2019 after previous shocking performances at the major and WESG seemingly heralded doom for the side. Having already pocketed a whopping $539 000 in overall winnings, no one would begrudge the Swede for riding off into the sunset – instead, he continues to push Fnatic towards the upper echelons of the team rankings.

swedish csgo superteam

GeT_RiGhT (born May 29, 1990)

The longevity of GeT_RiGhT is especially incredible if you take his well-publicized health issues into consideration. He found a way to arrest his massive decline in form by changing his playstyle from the ultra-explosive lurks he was once fabled for. The Swede’s love for the game remains as pure as it ever was, and it’s great to see that he managed to stick around until NiP managed to claw its way back to the top ten.

RpK (born December 8, 1989)

rpk csgo legend

While the French scene with its many shuffles is often considered a wasteland of potential, and it seemed like le Tank would be denying himself a CS:GO adventure when he announced his retirement in back when he was a part of the VeryGames project in 2013. Making a successful comeback after almost two years’ worth of absence is an unparalleled story, especially if you consider that his closest brushes to glory are only starting to pile up with the Vitality project going from strength to strength.

Read more: NEO, FaZe and second chances in CS:GO

f0rest (born June 10, 1988)

The ever-present part of any GOAT discussions, the other elder Ninja seemingly defies age and gravity on the servers with incredibly flashy plays time after time. Even with NiP’s diminished strength at Dallas, he still pulled off multiple ridiculous clutches to give his team a chance at the event – showing no signs of slowing down.

Zeus (born October 8, 1987)

The eldest player to feature in the top ten of the current HLTV rankings and the first person to make it to the grand finals of a major with two different teams, Zeus famously fulfilled a vow through the ultimate CS:GO underdog story, winning a major with Gambit after being discarded by Na’Vi. Shortly thereafter, the prodigal son would make a return, and while he’s oft-criticized for his showings, it will be a sad day if he follows up with his promise to hang up his jersey at some point this year.

Shoutouts to NEO – who’d actually top this list if not for his temporary position – and FalleN, who barely missed out on the fifth spot behind Xizt, celebrating his 28th birthday today!


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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Guy Fieri-City Pages Brouhaha Continues, @DadBoner Weighs In

Posted By on Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM

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To review: Our sister paper City Pages published a profile of former Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives producer David Page that painted star Guy Fieri in a less than flattering light. Though both Fieri and the Food Network refused comment to writer Gregory Pratt, after the article's publication Fieri's people released a statement slamming the piece.

Now, City Pages has posted a lengthy response, which includes an interview with one of Fieri's reps, a furious response to the article from its ostensible subject, David Page, and detail from a second source of Fieri's apparent discomfort with homosexuals.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives field producer Kari Kloster tells City Pages, as part of a longer statement, tells City Pages, "From my memory of being a field producer it's just well-known to me among the crew that Guy has a problem -- if there was a homosexual in a restaurant, as the main character, the shoot went different."

Meanwhile, a Guy Fieri superfan has addressed the subject: Karl Welzein, aka @DadBoner:

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Holbox hotel closes again saying people not respecting local health protocols

Holbox, Q.R. — A boutique hotel on the island of Holbox has reclosed its doors after only two days of reopening. The Posada Mawimbi hotel, which is located on the island, made the social media announcement of its decision to shut its doors after experiencing how many fail to respect local health protocols.

The hotel says they made the decision to close again to take care of the health of their staff and that of potential clients. Through a social media statement, Posada Mawimbi reported that it will close after two days of reopening its doors to the public due to the contagion.

The hotel says they decided to close after seeing how many people do not take the preventative health measures seriously to prevent further Covid-19 infections. They said the decision to close is to protect their staff and future clients.

The hotel did not provide a possible reopening date. The island, which remained Covid-19 free, reported 30 cases and one death within a week of reopening.


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Handcrafted Designs from the Delicate to the Bold

Zebra Earrings

The only place to find zebras living in the wild is on the continent of Africa. Zebras are part of the horse family and can run as fast as 35 mph. Baby zebras can begin running about one hour after they are born. Each zebra has a striped pattern that is unique to that individual zebra. Like fingerprints on humans, no two zebra are alike.

  • Earring Length: ~1.25″
  • These three-dimensional antique-silver metal charms have been treated with a protective coating to help prolong their shiny finish.
  • The stainless steel earwires are nickel-free and lead-free.

4 in stock

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Insulated Food Thermos - Copper

  • $ 26.00
    Unit price per

This insulated food jar is a game changer for your to go lunches. With a large 17 oz capacity, this jar is great for holding anything from your fave breakfast to a hearty lunch. It features a generous 3" wide opening, making eating and washing a breeze.

Comes with a spoon and beautiful drawstring carrying bag.

4" l x 4" w x 5.5" h

  • HOT OR COLD FOODS: This versatile double wall vacuum-insulated thermal food container is ideal for keeping foods hot for up to 6 hours or cold for up to 12 hours.
  • SAFETY FEATURES: Made of food-grade 304 stainless steel, this thermal food jar is non-toxic and BPA free. It's cool to the touch, has a pressure release button, is 360-degree leak proof and has a scratch-resistant non-slip silicone base.


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Some Of The Most Important Records To Me:

  • The Fall - Live At The Witch Trials
  • Aerosmith - Rocks
  • Deep Purple - Machine Head
  • Stranglers - No More Heroes
  • D.O.A. - Hardcore ’81
  • Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
  • Voivod - War & Pain
  • Alice Cooper - Love It To Death
  • Black Sabbath - Sabotage
  • David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
  • Black Flag - My War
  • Motorhead - Overkill
  • Wire - Pink Flag
  • Mastodon - Leviathan
  • Devo - Duty Now For The Future
  • Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
  • ElDopa - 1332
  • Queen - Sheer Heart Attack

Articles by Diane "Lifer" Farris

It’s Bandcamp Friday!

Since the early days of the pandemic, Bandcamp has waived the fees they charge bands for hosting their music/products/sites on the first Friday of each month. I’ve personally purchased at least one item each month to do my part to support this great initiative. Here is a resource list from some of our writers, poke […]

INTERVIEW: Justin Broadrick – Godflesh, Jesu

I’ve got a podcast that mainly consist of interviews done on the air on my WFMU radio show. You can listen here! This transcript is part of the current podcast episode. I spoke with Justin Broadrick of Godflesh, Jesu, Final, etc., etc. We spoke in 2010, at the beginning of the return of Godflesh cycle […]

Rockers For Life: A Playlist for the Future

If you have ever noted that there is a different Challenge every day on this site, you might wonder what for. I started the Rockers For Life Group/game on Facebook primarily to initiate conversations about music. It’s just what I’m most comfortable doing. Having music conversations goes way back into my family history. My dad […]

T. Rex, Live: 3/18/1972

The groom wore a blue satin and velvet outfit, the drummer white, the bassist sported yellow and orange, and the confounded looking percussionist was awash in red.

Favorite Album Art

On the Rockers For Life! Facebook group as well as on this site, Daily Music Challenges are posted. There is a Rockers For Life YouTube Channel, and monthly I peruse the answers and will make a playlist of the most interesting or varied ones! The channel, by the way is only playlists at this point. […]

It’s Bandcamp Friday

Today is the day! Since the pandemic affected us, the folks at Bandcamp have started something called Bandcamp Friday – I’m not sure it’s an official name, but the first Friday of every month, Bandcamp waives the fees it charges bands. So it’s a perfect time to make that purchase you’ve been contemplating to help […]

INTERVIEW: Steve Brooks Of Torche/Floor

In ’97 I went back to school to be an optometrist -I sold all my gear because I thought that I needed to grow up and by getting rid of my gear it would help me get a professional job

A Quick Memory of Johnny Thunders

The jovial and talented Walter Lure passed away recently. His departure marks the end of the existence of a certain type of rock ‘n’ roller. Walter was fun, clever and a man that had to have determination and be relaxed at the same time to be able to do what he did. His demeanor was […]


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Rocket Foods Low Gluten Products – FAQs Answered

Gluten - it’s a hot topic that’s getting considerable air time in the health and food industries. From both those who have an allergy or sensitivity to gluten, and those choosing to follow a low gluten diet for health reasons.

Here at Rocket Foods, we’ve been baking our low gluten products for a several years now. We’re delighted to offer our wholesale customers a range of low gluten cakes, small sweet items and savoury foods. We often get asked lots of questions about this range by our customers, so we wanted to put together a mini FAQ piece about our low gluten range, what this means and who this is suitable for.

We hope that this is a useful guide for you, to increase your understanding of low gluten in our food, so you can better service your customers.

What does ‘Low Gluten’ mean?

Our low gluten products are made with ingredients that do not contain gluten. However, in our production facility gluten is handled, and therefore there is potential for traces of gluten to be found in our products.

Our products are not certified by FSANZ as ‘gluten-free’, and therefore we have chosen to use the label ‘low-gluten’ to identify this group of products. Please note, as of March 2019 we have changed our terminology for our products from ‘non-gluten’ to ‘low gluten’.

What’s the difference between ‘Gluten Free’, ‘Non Gluten’ and ‘Low Gluten’?

Gluten free products are certified by FSANZ and have no trace of gluten present. Non gluten products are also often certified, but it’s best to check with the manufacturer on this.

Low gluten products are made with gluten free ingredients, but in a facility where gluten is present. Therefore, there could be some cross contamination of gluten. These products are not certified.

Non gluten is not a recognised term, hence why we have changed all the terminology we use at Rocket Foods to Low gluten as per legislation.

What guidelines do you follow for this?

Our food standards follow guidance from Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). Their standards are some of the strictest in the world.

Are your products tested for Gluten?

We have tested our products, and the results allow us to confidently state that the products are Low gluten. We have a commitment to test all our Low Gluten products yearly to ensure we can continue to label them as low gluten.

Are your products suitable for those with Celiac?

No. Whilst we do our best to ensure that no cross contamination happens in our production facility, we would not recommend that our products are consumed by those who suffer with celiac, or whom are particularly sensitive to gluten. We recommend that you share this guidance with your customers.

What is your labelling procedure for Low Gluten products?

All our low gluten products have a sticker on the box that they come in, which states that they are low gluten, but still may contain traces of gluten. This is under guidance of FSANZ.

Will you ever produce a range of ‘Gluten-Free’ products?

This is something that we’d like to look to do in the future. In order to achieve a Gluten Free standard, we would need to have our production facility certified. This certification is a strict procedure, and to achieve this we would need to significantly alter our operations – that’s not to say we won’t look to do this in the future.

Do you have ‘Low Gluten’ and ‘Low Dairy’ products?

Yes, our Orange and Plum cake and individual loaf cake are both low gluten and low dairy. Please note these products do have eggs.

Got questions, then speak with a member of our sales team. They’d be happy to help you.


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The studio is a rococco profusion of large-leaf plants, ornatelycarved furniture, sculptures, masks, costumes and a phantasmagoric array of whatnots and doodads. Hand-painted lampshades and fanciful light fixtures of strange devising dangle from the ceiling alongside Casablancan propeller-fans, as does a three-foot pterodactyl (a functional kite) with a maiden dangling from its beak, and a delightful DaVinci-like airplane fashioned out of twigs and leaves.
Zebulon – Unfinished
Eve and Adam
The Tree House

Over to the side, a Tolkein-esque treehouse twists like a helix from tabletop to ceiling alongside a magnificent wooden table with a rotund base into which Rockey has carved an ingenious series of gargolye-like figures he calls “The Three Egos.” An arm’s-length away sits an imposing, straight-backed love seat with its headboard and armrests carved into caricatures, nudes and leafy patterns.

Midroom is dominated by a nine-foot plaster torso of a nude Zeubulon Pike that Rockey says was intended to be, and will one day still be, a bronze statue. To its side is a six-foot-high dressing screen upon which Rockey has painted life-sized, Rubenesque-proportioned male and female nudes cavorting lasciviously against a backdrop of classical arcadia. Rockey cut out oval holes where their faces would be in hope of enticing visitors to peek out and ham it up.
Rockey’s living quarters in the far back reaches of the studio consist mostly of a mattress on the floor adjacent to a simple, sparse and decidedly “rustic” kitchen. Fountain Creek flows by in melodious burble at the bottom of the backdoor steps. These digs — purchased by Rockey back in 1972 for $17,000 — are a direct extension and manifestation of the playful irreverence and creative exuberance that drive his life and art. If he had the inclination and were he to play his cards right, C.H. Rockey could be rich, but he lives happily in near-Franciscan frugality amid a cornucopia treasure trove of art. = = =

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The Museum is open by Appointment

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The Rockey Art Museum is in an Historic Building

10 Canon Avenue – Built in 1887

= = =

The Rockey Art Museum is a Non-Profit Organization

Mission Statement – Board of Directors

= = =

Get Involved

Become a Volunteer Donate Become a Member

= = =

Museum Activities

Share a Rockey Story Share your Rockey Story(s)

Rockey was Here! Explore a Manitou Map with corresponding Rockey Artworks

Discover Characters in Clouds – Cloud Paper Sharing –

= = =


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Rock's Backpages

Let's Twist again

Richard Williams, The Guardian, 4 June 2011

Fifty years ago, a new dance craze swept the world and changed for ever the way people move. Richard Williams, up on his feet when it first hit the dancefloor, celebrates the birth of a revolution.

Total word count of piece: 2113

Becoming a member is easy. Membership gives you access to all the thousands of articles in the library.

Click here to go to Subscribe page.

Click here for academic and other group subscriptions.


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The 2006 College Football Blogger Awards: Best Big 12 Blog

Hey, have you heard about the awards? Okay, well, to recap today's festivities anyway:

Note: The Tyrone Prothro and His Amazing Catch Award will be along shortly, probably sometime today, at MGoBlog.

And now for the Best Big 12 Blog Award. The nominees are:

Best Big 12 Blog

CFB Award Nominee: Best Big 12 Blog

And this year's winner is:

Burnt Orange Nation

Kyle at Dawg Sports, in nominating his SBN colleaque, put it best:

I doubt whether anyone failed to nominate Burnt Orange Nation for this category, so there likely is little I can add to augment the praise that has been and will be heaped upon Peter Bean and his coevals at B.O.N.

Accordingly, I simply will say this: Peter is a leader in the blogosphere, not just through the example of his weblog (although his influence there is profound), but in the manner that he conducts himself behind the scenes. He is both genuine and gentlemanly, offering aid, advice, and encouragement to all who take up this endeavor and seek his counsel.

In that respect, he is apt to be remembered as the Bear Bryant of the blogosphere, whose impact set off ripples that long will radiate as those who learned from him continue to carry that knowledge outward and upward. Coach Bryant's coaching staffs produced a myriad of future head coaches and those who have profited from Peter's example likewise have gone on to attain some success as webloggers that is due in large measure to his guidance. I know that to be true because you are reading one such weblog right now.

I am not nominating a Man of the Year here, though, so I should get back to the business at hand. Burnt Orange Nation, which epitomizes what it means for a weblog to be fan-friendly, is the handiwork of co-authors who bring their personalities to bear on a variety of questions, from the whimsical to the profound, while relying heavily on the quantitative without ever forgetting the importance of the qualitative to any analysis involving a game of emotion. B.O.N. generally, and Peter particularly, succeeds at being inventive without sacrificing tradition and the site is unstinting in its devotion to its team without ever being guilty of viewing its athletics program through Rose Bowl-tinted glasses. Burnt Orange Nation is the model many of us strive to follow.

Hear, hear, Kyle. I second Kyle's characterization and that of BON reader/commenter/poster extraordinaire, 54b, who recently said "THE PETER . . . always brings insightful, thought provoking content to the site. His contribution is often timely and well-researched, usually makes a valid point or argument, and most importantly and notably, shows a mutual respect for his fellow reader/contributor. Without these type of commentators, there would be no BON. One might even be so bold as to call them the "backBON" of the site."

Peter would be the first to tell you, though, that he's just one of the herd over there. (ED. I wrote this a few days ago, and then, this. See? I told you so.) After all, there's a reason (about 1,400 of them, actually) that BON won this year's award for Best Community. Just take a look at the content on the right sidebar. Peter has made the site more adhesive than Billy Donovan's hair gel by, among other things, showcasing certain timeless BON posts such as the Schadenfreudian Rhett Bomar Dismissal Thread, What Kind of Longhorn Fan Are You?, How to Deal with a Sooner, and more. And take special note of just how many of those BON Classics are reader-submitted posts.

Burnt Orange Nation is a stampeding herd, I'm telling you. And it's this year's winner of the Best Big 12 Blog.

RUNNER UP: Double Extra Point. This Nebraska Cornhuskers blog launched in August, 2006, with blogger "Jeffie Husker" wondering aloud whether "Fall camp [would] provide[] sufficient "grist for the mill'' to keep this thing going." Well, suffice it to say, he had plenty of material, and with only one football season under his belt, he's already the runner up for the Best Big 12 Blog. Congratulations to Double Extra Point.

UP NEXT: MGoBlog, with the Best Pac-10 Blog Award, at around 2:00 EST.


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Number Arm Bands Deluxe- Camo Pink

  • $26.95

Will be in stock after

Our Arm bands are made from a durable neoprene and are available in a range of colours and sizes.

They are a great alternative to the permanent marker which can be a nuisance to scrub off and to ensure your number is dark enough to cover tattoos. And not to mention sweat, ever tried using a permanent marker on sweaty arms? Doesn't work. Permanent marker also rubs off onto other player’s uniforms and theirs to yours, so spread the word... Everyone should be wearing Arm Bands!

Our arm bands are completely machine washable, however we recommend not putting them in the dryer.

These bands are sold as a pair. They come with a number Print only. If you want your derby name, league/team names printed on the arm bands please click here to see the other Arm Bands also available.

  • XSmall 25.0cm - 27.5cm
  • Small 27.5 cm - 30.0cm
  • Medium 30.0cm - 32.5cm
  • Large 35.0cm - 37.5cm
  • XLarge 37.5cm - 40.0cm

    If you're measurement is not listed here please put the measurement of your relaxed bicep in the 'arm measurement' box

    NOTE: NO these do not have velcro on them, they are sewn to size upon ordering. They still have stretch and are very comfortable to wear.

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