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Always be a student, always keep learning

One of the most rewarding things being human is learning. After going to post-secondary school for 10 years and now working for 10 years my interest in learning is even greater. Being a rock star information worker requires a never ending thirst to learn.

Nowadays more than ever there are a variety of opportunities for us to keep learning. Some of these opportunities have had barriers lowered by free or near free learning opportunities. Some of the key avenues for you to continue learning include:

  1. In-Person Classes: No matter if it is undergraduate or graduate coursework or continuing education that best fits your current needs and interests take the opportunity if it makes sense. Something to always ask when taking expensive formal college courses is the return on investment and what other avenues are there. Often times employers will help contribute to your continued learning if it will benefit your employer. There are many community colleges that are doing specialized training that once required attendance at a formal four-year college and you will get the benefit of reduced tuition. There are also more schools that offer certificate options which is often times a good and cost-effective option when looking to make a career change. There are even a new breed of “bootcamp” training where you go for 8 to 12 weeks generally and learn some marketable skills like programming, data science, and design.
  2. Certifications: Many different industries have certifications available through different associations. These certifications are often achieved by one or more courses, tests, and industry tenure. Certifications are often times beneficial and well worth the time and money and many employers will help you with both of these and encourage you towards this path. If you are newer to an industry then it is good to get the opinion of others on the benefit of one certification over another. One thing to be careful about is going certification happy and sometimes you will see people get so many certifications and really the knowledge between the certifications does not vary and really you are just paying for additional letters without the value of learning and the continued return of each certification usually is greatly diminished.
  3. Online Classes: There are tons of online classes today and this can be from MOOCs (massive open online courses) or it can be through free or minimal cost online go at your own pace training. These opportunities let you learn everything from programming to history to chemistry to whatever. This can be a good way to just take a course that you had always wanted to but never did or to learn a new programming language to enhance your marketability.
  4. Online Portals: Previously if you wanted to read about a topic you would generally have to pick up a book and then you may have gotten lucky and a magazine or two started writing on your item of interest. Nowadays there are so many other avenues including: blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn groups, online forums, websites, and more. So pick your preference and engage. You will benefit most from these portals when you are a contributor along with a consumer. One line of advice here is to not drink from the fire hose and instead select a group of things where you can consume and from the higher quality sources. For example, there are dozens of blogs on nearly every topic so look at a variety of them and see what others say also and then pick a couple to read.
  5. User Groups/Professional Associations: User groups and professional associations are both good ways to not only continue your learning but also network which is also rewarding. When you are new to your career it is good to get input of others that you look up to and get advice on user groups and professional associations in your area that others find of value. Your goal should be to engage more highly in a couple of these groups or associations as this will allow you to build deeper connections with others in these groups and eventually take on leadership roles if that is of interest. At first try a number of these out until you settle on a couple associations or groups that fit your career or skill interests. Remember user groups and professional associations are also good avenue for those that are looking to make a career change.
  6. Conferences: There is nothing quite like a good conference to focus a lot of learning in a short period of time. There are a variety of conferences available and more than ever there are even free or near free conferences available for us to keep learning. Going to a conference and not just attending sessions but participating in other activities that may be available before or after normal conference sessions is also important as you are continuing your learning. Two of my favorite conferences are the BarCamp conferences and the Product Camp conferences and both of these occur in a number of cities across America and even the world.

In short, there are tons of opportunities for you to be a student and take advantage of this and your career and life will be more rewarding — an engaged mind is a happy mind.

As always appreciate your feedback, emails, comments, likes, and re-tweets!

Links of Interest related to above:

  1. The Ultimate Guide to Coding Bootcamps: Really more than just coding for some of these bootcamps including things such as data science, user interface design, online marketing. http://www.skilledup.com/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-coding-bootcamps-the-exhaustive-list/
  2. Coursera: Coursera is a MOOC and is simply awesome. It provides a great way to take classes from some of the most prestigious professors across the country and learn some cool things whether it is gamification, irrational behavior, or probabilistic models — all courses I in fact took and were great. Coursera does a great job in breaking lectures into small very consumable chunks with questions to check understanding. You can audit classes for free all the way to very inexpensive formal certifications. https://www.coursera.org/
  3. edX: Similar to Coursera in that it is a MOOC where colleges like Harvard, MIT, and Berkley have a number of courses on nearly everything. There are hundreds of courses available currently. https://www.edx.org/
  4. Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a site geared at teaching people of all ages nearly everything in easy to digest chuncks of information. https://www.khanacademy.org/
  5. Udemy: Udemy is a platform where people put together courses on nearly anything. Key here is to know that nearly anyone can sell their course on Udemy so ensure that the course is rated well and a number of people have purchased. I have had good luck on a couple Udemy courses but did my research beforehand. https://www.udemy.com/
  6. Lynda.com: Lynda.com has thousands of online courses taught by experienced professionals on technology, business, design and many more. http://www.lynda.com/
  7. ProductCamp: ProductCamp is an unconference geared at product management, product development and product marketing professionals. http://www.productcamp.org/
  8. BarCamp: BarCamps are an unconference geared at anyone working in technology space. These conferences are generally free and people speak on nearly anything and everything related to technology. http://barcamp.org/
  9. Meetup.com: Meetup.com has thousands of different Meetups occurring all over the world. Anyone can start a Meetup and some are more engaged than others. It is a great avenue to see what types of groups are meeting in your area.  http://www.meetup.com/
  10. Eventbrite: Eventbrite similar to Meetup is a forum for groups to host and advertise events. Another good forum to learn what type of events that may be of interest to you in your area.  https://www.eventbrite.com/

photo credit: Celestine Chua via photopin cc

Good habits go a long way

Good habits go a long way in moving your career and life forward. Those habits are not as hard to do as many people think and starting out with small things is the way to go. Important habits to ensure success include: 1) make lists; 2) start difficult; 3) don’t multitask; 4) prioritize; 5) get in early; and 6) never eat alone.

  1. Make Lists: Knowledge workers need to use lists because a lot of things are on our plate and lists help us organize things and free up mental space. Having a list of high priority items and low priority items is important. High priority items are items that either have high impact or have upcoming deadline. Low priority items are items that are everything else. Make sure you focus efforts on high priority items. Of course low priority items that take little effort are good to knock off the list. Review your lists at least weekly and if items should move from low priority to high priority or vice versa make sure to do so. Note your high priority lists should not have more than five things on it at a time and if it does so consistently then it is time to talk with your manager.
  2. Start Difficult: People start the day off with a full tank after a night’s rest and getting the difficult stuff done when you are on full just makes sense. Now there are some people that are rare where the best time for them to do difficult work is at night but this is rare. Key is no yourself and when your best mental time is and use this time to focus on the difficult tasks.
  3. Don’t Multitask: Difficult tasks deserve focus and should not be spent multitasking. This means when you are working on difficult tasks you might turn off instant messaging and block that time of day off on your calendar. Even logging out of your email is best and letting calls go to voicemail. Now of course how much of this you can do will depend a lot on your job but the general theme of not multitasking and putting focus on tough tasks is essential.
  4. Prioritize: Understand the priority of the work you are doing and focus on things with highest priority. This seems like an easy thing to do but many of us have so many different items on our plate that we lose sight of this and just do things that are convenient or we like to do at a given time when they do not have the highest priority. Further, if you are a manager make sure to clearly prioritize items for your team so that they can meet expectations.
  5. Get in Early: Getting in early is one of the things I consistently see of nearly all highly successful people. This goes in part to your tank is full discussion mentioned in (2) above and also not having others distracting you. Even if you don’t consider yourself a morning person, I recommend that you give a try for a month and see how you like it because I have seen people that never considered themselves morning people change their mind after they have given it a try.
  6. Never Eat Alone: Not only be successful in your day to day work but also making sure to build relationships with team members, colleagues, and others is important. The famous book “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz is a great read and I certainly believe in the thought of having as many coffees, lunches, and happy hours as you can fit in with other obligations is a great way to spend time. Doing this not only helps you get away from your desk and frees up your mind but it also helps further relationships that not only are rewarding as a human being but also often proves beneficial when trying to get work done or looking for that next opportunity.

Putting these good habits into practice will not only help you be more successful at work but work will also be more enjoyable. Let me know how these habits work for you and other key habits you practice to move your career and life forward.

As always appreciate your feedback, emails, comments, likes, and re-tweets!

photo credit: M.Ryan Photography via photopin cc

Customer first mentality is always the path to success

It seems cliché that the customer is always right but having that mentality will lead to success. No matter what your job is you have a customer or likely many customers and they can be internal, external, or both. When you have the opportunity to engage with your customer take this opportunity to treat the customer first.

Many information workers of the past may not have thought about the customer and really society in general used to have a more take-it-or-leave-it attitude. However, today’s information workers need to have strong customer focus in order to achieve success and you need to be able to:

  1. Empathize with your customer: Understanding your customer and empathizing with their situation is the first step in providing high customer service. Your boss as a customer has the pressure of a big meeting coming up and understanding that providing her not just the slides she asked for but also giving her some talking points and supporting research will make her job easier and help reduce stress. Putting yourself in the shoes of the customer will help you provide better customer service. How many times do we get an Excel doc with bad formatting or are using a website where there is little help and it is confusing and we say if only we were in charge of this or that. Well we are all in charge of what we do and while we may not be able to dictate processes and procedures most of us have influence and using that influence to think from our customer’s point of view and problems they are solving is the difference between an average employee and a rock star employee.
  2. Get satisfaction from your customer’s satisfaction: No matter your role if you ensure your customer is happy then you will be more successful. The thing to remember is your customer can be nearly anyone. Sometimes it might be auditors and the natural tendency is to view them as an adversary but that is not the best approach. Instead how can you help serve your customer the auditor better – maybe that means coming up with an improved report that provides more clarity that would benefit your auditor or instead of just satisfying the allotted response time you can provide quicker turnaround on requests. The key to remember is the more you get satisfaction from having a happy customer the more you will be motivated to provide good customer service.
  3. Leave your ego at home: There are situations where you will try to provide good customer service but you may fall short or you may not and your customer may have unrealistic expectations. However, leave your ego at home and instead appreciate your customer and apologize even. This does not mean you need to admit fault if there is no fault but you can still feel bad if your customer feels bad and it does not hurt to say something like “I am sorry for your frustration”. Taking this extra step and ensuring that your customer understands your empathy and that you do not always have to be right is required for truly exceptional customer service.

Apply these three key steps when either directly or indirectly interacting with customers and you will not only make your customer feel better but your boss will feel better and you will feel better.

As always appreciate your feedback, emails, comments, likes, and re-tweets!

photo credit: aloyr via photopin cc

“Yes and” your life

Many of you may have seen shows like “Who’s Line is it Anyway” or gone to a local improv theater and we can all learn a lot from it. Rule number one of improv is “yes and”. “Yes and” means that whatever your fellow performer says — it is your reality. You don’t disagree, you don’t complain — you just take her reality and make it your own. So if she says: “the sky over there is white with black swirls” your response would not be: “no, it is red because it is raining blood” but instead something like “yes it is raining Dairy Queen twist ice cream and it is my favorite flavor”.

The power of “yes and” can help us all in our lives because often we are quick to disagree with people. Even when we know we are right it is best to be careful how you bring the truth forward. Bluntly disagreeing with people just creates a wall between you and them. Plus many times you may think you know something for sure but it is better to think how can you “yes and” this and trying to move things forward in direction you are seeking without shutting down other people.

Using the “yes and” philosophy is especially important when in meetings geared towards brainstorming. I insist that people do not use “no” in these meetings. Brainstorming does not have a wrong answer and the goal is to get ideas out there and move things forward. Not every idea is fantastic but ideas build off of other ideas. Soon eight ideas down you come to the game winner for your new software enhancement or process improvement.

Next time you feel that “no” coming along try the “yes and” and see how you help your family, colleagues, customers, and yourself.

As always appreciate your feedback, emails, comments, likes, and re-tweets!

photo credit: Mark.Pilgrim via photopin cc

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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Summer Glau, who was very good in SERENITY, but ultimately unrelated to the season of the same name, and also, this article.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere (also known as "the Better Half"), our lives are rolling around into that daily assault of heat and haze we call Summer. Many people hate the heat, and will spend their time going from air-conditioned home to air-conditioned car to air-conditioned office. They will complain about how hot it is and wear flip-flops, bumming everyone out with negativity and exposed toes.

Friends, I welcome the heat. It can suck, yes. Hot days are tiresome and sometimes make you vomit. Yet in the humidity and oppressive warmth, you have an endless excuse to be lazy, and drink cold beer at inappropriate times. It's okay to stink a little, because everyone else is just as sweaty. It's a wonderful mix of letting yourself go, but also losing weight every time you walk three blocks. You get a little color, you throw on a pair of shades, and wear shorts to dinner. Have a beer- it's hot out!

Summer is the season of skimpy clothes, and if you are a male of the species with a functioning wiener, you may now pray to your pagan gods and thank them verily for tank tops, cleavage, short shorts, open backs, sun dresses, bikinis, and all the other hot-weather wardrobe choices of lovely and winsome lasses. Think of the sweaty hair and tan lines, the fashionable sunglasses and the strapless tops, and then thank that horrible ball of atomic destruction around which we orbit. Thank The Sun for allowing us to get a little closer to him in our journey, so that he may heat up our air and encourage girls to go poolside with oily brown bottles of Hawaiian Tropic. Can you smell that weird coconut aroma yet?

Trips to the beach, lazy afternoons in the park, and cooking out on a grill are universally beloved by all humans. Chugging ice-water and going swimming after a long and exhausting bike ride... what's not to like? Sure, there's some heatstroke here and there, and the infrequent blackout because everyone has their AC on full-throttle. But I promise you, despite the miserable weather conditions, if you go to Coney Island on a hot afternoon and have a cup of foamy beer, ride the Cyclone, then go home and fire up the grill, have a bratwurst before you go for a swim, and finish the night off with a bout of sweaty coitus, you too will see why Summer is rated A for Awesome.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Coffee helps me wake up in the morning. Coffee helps me poop. For those things alone, it wins a gold medal and the Noble Prize for best Movie Ever.

I used to not drink coffee at all, but then I helped my dad refurbish an old house for six months, and coffee became like unto a needle drug. He would wake me up at five-thirty or six, and we would go get biscuits with country ham somewhere cheap, and wash them down with disgusting, bitter, black coffee.

Then he would make a pot of coffee, and we would go to work with cups of coffee sitting close at hand. Then we would have another pot of coffee with lunch. Then I would get the shakes mid-afternoon and want to die. This was a daily ritual.

I drank my coffee black because that's how my dad did it. It wasn't something I was drinking because I liked the taste; I was drinking it so I didn't pass out from exhaustion. I'm one of those people that needs like, ten or eleven hours of sleep each night. Waking up early does not suit me. So coffee was like a foul, liquid energy source and nothing else. Creamer was meaningless!

Presently I like a little cream in my coffee, and I only have a few cups in the morning. I'm glad it's not a staple of my day anymore. I used to wake up, and the first thing i would think about was getting coffee. It was my immediate priority when my eyes opened. That's a pretty sad state of affairs considering I didn't even like the taste. I could maybe handle wanting ice cream first thing every morning, it's delicious. But the coffee I was drinking back then was an inky gas station drip that tasted like salty motor oil. That's not an addiction to be proud of.

My preferred poison lately is the Chock Full o' Nuts Hazelnut. I am no coffee snob, and I like this blend because of the packaging and the ad jingle. There are some great coffee shops in Park Slope (a favorite is MULE), and I will often sample their wares. Good coffee is quite tasty, and whenever I drink a really great cup of it, I think, "I should get this every morning! It's terrific!". But I'm lazy, and I end up going to the nearest deli instead. Whatever!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

TUESDAY TOP FIVE: World Conquerers

A quick list from me this week... No time for love, Doctor Jones.

Lrrr sometimes uses "human horn" aphrodisiac to mate with his queen, and is a fan of the television show "Single Female Lawyer". He also ate a hippie once.

Joe sez: Why this got cancelled and the Simpsons labors on in almost Family Guy levels of awfulness is beyond me.

Never actually conquered the world, but came awfully close. His initial reveal in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE is truly classic; it's the cinematic equivalent of seeing a girl from behind with a really sweet ass, only to have her turn around and reveal spectacular breasts as well.

Joe: One might think the Dr. Evil parody would kind of permanently ruin the genius of Blofeld. But that one would be completely wrong, and rather turdly. Blofeld transcends parody, all the while extinguishing the lives of less competent henchmen and stroking a cute putty tat.

The ruler of Apocolypse, whose mission in life is finding the "anti-life equation". That, and enslaving the known universe. Created by The King, Jack Kirby, in his prime.

Joe: Fuck you, Thanos, you goddam prune-looking asshole! This is the real deal here. He doesn't shoot lasers out of his eyes. No, for Darkseid you've got to have a power name more regal and unique. Darkseid is better than lasers. Darkseid has the OMEGA EFFECT!!!!

A genetic superman who ruled the earth in 1992. After being defeated by James Kirk, he quotes Milton at him. Awwwww yeah.

Joe: If Khan and Roy Batty from Blade Runner ever hung out, that would be the coolest, classiest couple of bad-guys-that-would-probably-make-the-world-better-if-they-ruled-it EVER. They would say stuff that the rest of us didn't really understand and laugh in a gentle way that doesn't make us feel ashamed. Why won't they take over now? (Unfortunately in writing this I have unwittingly given some awful nerd fan fiction writer an idea that will culminate with stilted descriptions of what he/she imagines gay sex to be like.)

The original Alien Overlord, Ming ruled Mongo with an iron fist. It's almost as if you could say he had no mercy. Max Von Sydow played him in the crappy FLASH GORDON movie... Take that, Bergman!

Did I read somewhere that someone was making a new Flash Gordon show? As long as they keep Ming awesome, they will be A-OK.

Against my better judgement, I saw that horrible new Fantastic Four movie last week. I shouldn't have to say much more about it, beyond the expected; abortion, excrement, unwatchable, etc...

If any good came out of that 90 minutes wasted, it was a kick-in-the-nuts reminder of how spectacular Jack Kirby was, and what a mind-blowing designer he could be. Early in the original run of THE FANTASTIC FOUR, he showed off his design chops with visual treats like Doctor Doom (still one of the coolest villains ever), The Inhumans, The Sub-mariner's Atlantean Army, and endless piles of weirdo machinery. Pretty quickly, Kirby established himself as a distinct voice in comics, standing out like a thunderstorm in a field dominated by the generic Eisenhower-era Sci-fi of DC Comics.

While The Legion of Super-Heroes hung out in a Buck Rogers Rocketship, and the Justice League met in an empty cave (okay, they had a table), the Fantastic Four lived in The Baxter Building, a hi-tech skyscraper with a nuclear reactor and a rocket silo. And while everyone else was still coming to grips with jet-planes, Kirby was designing space-ships that looked like this:

Which brings us to GALACTUS, The Destroyer of Worlds. Not only does he travel through the universe in the Moebius strip shown above, but he requires a Herald. The only other arch-villain I can think of that requires a Herald was Sauron, whoi is no slouch in the villainy department. Having a minion that announces your arrival to the doomed who await your coming?

Pure class.

The rumor/urban legend is that Galactus was created when Kirby got a plot from writer Stan Lee that was simply "The Fantastic Four fight God." So the FF faced imminent apocalypse in the form of a giant alien who EATS PLANETS. Kirby took what is essentially one of the most basic super-hero plots (alien invasion/save the world), and turned it into a teeth-grinding epic that had scope and imagination almost entirely unseen in comics. Kirby raised the bar so high for Bad Guys, that Galactus still hasn't been topped. He is the King Grandaddy Most Holy Chairman of the Board of comic book villains. If you can't stop Galactus, everybody dies. And stopping Galactus is almost impossible. This is the kind of high-stakes tension that makes Lex Luthor seem like a minor annoyance. Luthor's a joke!

Visually, Galactus is not only singularly distinct, but when set against the buildings of 1960's Manhattan, he becomes imposing, bizarre, otherworldly, powerful, and downright chilling. Despite (or maybe because of) a costume some would call silly (fools, they are!), Galactus immediately reads as a Major Threat. He's huge; twenty stories tall at his smallest. He casually floats in the air, ignoring the civilization beneath him. Nothing harms him, and he's older than the universe itself. Galactus is accurately nicknamed "the Destroyer". Aliens pray to him. He wields the POWER COSMIC, and created the enormously powerful Silver Surfer as easily as you or I might hand out Smarties on Halloween.

I don't care what anyone says. If you think that a giant, swirling dust cloud is as visually exciting as this guy, you have no soul.

Monday, June 11, 2007

A new feature, here at the WORLD OF AWESOME... The TUESDAY TOP FIVE.
We'll pick something awesome, and then count down the Top Five Examples of said awesome item.

This week we start with TIME MACHINES. Time Machines are hard to beat; they take you back (or forward) in time, typically with a lot of flashing lights and flipping of switches. If I could go back in time, I wonder if my mom would try to seduce me, ala Marty McFly. I actually don't wonder that at all. My mom was a sexy little vixen, and she would totally ignore me.

But I can live with that.

NUMBER FIVE: The Time Machine

H.G. Wells wrote about a Time Traveler who went into the future and fought morlocks and banged one of the morlocks' sexy livestock. His machine was a marvel of proto-Steampunk luxury, with a a big velvety chair surrounded by filament tubes and spinning dials. It stays in the same spot while the world whizzes by in fast-forward or reverse. You can just sit back and relax, and dream about all that delicious Eloi lovin' you'll get, just by being the only male that isn't afraid of fire.

AWOL sez:Proto steampunk? I thought Wells was kind of the definition of steampunk.
Anyway, I had this heavily abridged kids version of The Time Machine when I was a kid, and for some reason it scared the bejeezus out of me.
The only other thing I remember about it? The Eloi were fascinated by pockets. Pockets? How retarded are they that they couldn't think of pockets?

Joe sez:I used to sit on my Sit and Spin and pretend it was the time machine. H.G. Welles never mentioned the debilitating vertigo and nausea I experienced, but he was probably just censored.

NUMBER FOUR: Doctor Doom's Time Platform

This is how incredible Doctor Doom is. He built a time machine, but rather than use it to conquer us all, he just uses it to annoy the Fantastic Four. He doesn't need a time machine to rule the world. Time machines are but a trifle to DOOM!

AWOL: There was a totally awesome one-shot comic where Iron Man and Dr. Doom get transported back to the days of King Arthur's court, where they have to team up to kick Morgana leFay's ass. Time travel and sexy femme fatale sorceresses? Awesome squared.
Also to get back, they have to wire their respective armors together. How sweet is that? The only thing better than a time machine is an ad hoc time machine.

Joe:I also love that it's basically a flat square with some buttons on it. Doom does not care for baroque design.

NUMBER THREE: The Guardian of Forever

Remember when Bones goes all crazy and paranoid and jumps into the portal and it shows them cowboys and Hitler and then Spock has to hide his ears and then Joan Collins dies and Kirk cries like a big baby? I love that shit.

AWOL: Trek+Nazis = Awesome
Plus, didn't Harlan Ellison write this?
Update: Yep.

Joe: The Ellison thing is actually a count against it . . .but anything that remains awesome after Harlan touches it truly deserves this ranking.

NUMBER TWO: The Tardis

Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.
With all the talk of "relative dimensions", you'd think the Tardis would do a bit more than dangle from a string in front of a black backdrop when it's flying. Chintzy special effects aside, the Time Lords of Gallifrey designed themselves some pretty nifty little tesseracts to take a spin in.

AWOL: I always thought that the best thing about the Tardis was that despite all the time traveling/relative dimensions/regeneration crap, the doctor could never fix the shapechanging thingamjig. I mean, come on, how hard could it be?

NUMBER ONE: The Delorean

This one isn't much of a contest. As Dr. Emmett Brown says, "...if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?". Between the rad eighties vibe, the nuclear engine, and the Flux Capacitor, how can anything else compete?

We've had the Delorean listed in our "Always Awesome" sidebar since Day One, and the recent pop-culture cross-referencing in KNOCKED UP serves to remind us all; if you want to go back in time, you need 1.21 jigowatts, and you have to hit 88 miles per hour.
The Delorean flies, has a Mr. Fusion appliance, and personalized tags. Doc Brown cheated Libyans out of their plutonium to get things started. He promised he'd make them a bomb... Ha! Yes my friends, where we're going, we don't need roads.

AWOL: Why is the Delorean so cool? Not because is can go fast, it has to go fast. Just because.
Also, I use the term "flux capacitor" at work in the same way that John Pertwee used the term "reverse the polarity".

Joe: Also for a while it worked on rails, and things on rails are automatically awesomer. And who hasn't sometimes pretended that his car could turn the wheels in and fly? I'll tell you who hasn't: some sick, evil jerk.

Honorable mentions:
*The Legion of Superheroes Time Bubble
*Bill and Ted's Phone Booth
*This thing: AWOL: and this thing:

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*Getting hit on the head really hard

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Let's face it- Brooklyn rules.

It's pretty much the best place in the world. When you situate yourself in a Brooklyn neighborhood, people get all chill and friendly. Before long the guys at the deli know exactly what brand of seltzer you want, the UPS guys all wave when they drive by, and you can pet strange dogs. (People just stop and let you pet their dogs. That's crazy!) Kids still play stickball, and old women hang out of their windows, asking random pedestrians about the Mets game. It's like a cozy womb filled with Italians and dirty bodegas.

If you don't care about that kind of thing (and who does?), consider the other fine elements of The Borough of Kings. There's Prospect Park, which is one of the most perfect municipal parks ever designed. Not only is it huge, and filled with great open spaces as well as hidden wooded paths, but it also has lakes and horses and a Zoo.

Also, you can grill there. Take that, every other park in the world!
Nearby is the awesome archway at Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and easy access to TWO (count 'em TWO) CHIP SHOP locations. The Chip Shop is some of the best food you can put in your mouth. Or rub all over your body.
Either way is fine.

Brooklyn at Christmastime is covered in garland and lights and dirty snow. There are the nomads that appear to sell Christmas trees on the sidewalks, so the smell of sappy evergreen trees is in the air. Brownstones pop up with lights here and there, enough to get you excited, but not so much that you're sick of sparkly lights by the time Christmas actually rolls around. In the summer, kids play in fire hydrants, public pools open up, and there's a street fair almost every weekend, somewhere. Street fairs suck everywhere else, but in Brooklyn, it's one of the only times you can walk around outside with beer, and eat disgusting fried food without your girlfriend giving you a lecture about your "health". (Whatever! My left arm hurts from workin' out!)

Brooklyn is a beautiful place, filled with amazing little spots that never get boring. I love walking over the disgusting Gowanus Canal; it's filthy and decrepit and lovely in a horrible way. I'm never happier than when riding my bike between the brownstones and tree lined streets, checking out all the incredible old buildings, and listening to people yell obscenities at each other.

Parts of Brooklyn still have remnants of a maritime past, when whaling ships set off from the naval yards, and stevedores in striped shirts loaded huge cargo crates all day. So if you yearn for the days of pea-coats and waxed canvas, you can just smell the salty air and see the tugboats and imagine you're about to set off on a tramp steamer for parts unknown. You can walk (or ride a bike) across the Brooklyn Bridge, over old wooden planks and through the haze of commuter pollution. Nothing makes you feel quite so alive as riding a bike across the bridge, angrily shouting at tourists who are standing in the "bike only" lane taking pictures.

The best part of it all is the wealth and diversity of culture here. My girlfriend is always up my butt about going on a trip somewhere, but where are we going to go that's better than Brooklyn? Why go to Egypt when the Brooklyn Museum has one of the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world? Why go to Japan when Prospect Park hosts a bitchin' Cherry Blossom Festival? Why go to Puerto Rico when you can sit on our stoop? Of course, she always says that "it's not the same thing", and I think, no, It's Better! Why spend all that money to go to Germany, and be surrounded by Germans, when you can just go to Cafe Steinhof during Oktoberfest? Traveling is for suckers.

Yea verily, Brooklyn rules. The bars are friendly and inexpensive, the people are cool, and the restaurants are wonderful hidden treasures, beloved by neighborhood locals who have long since stopped trying to eat out in Manhattan. Living anywhere else is crazy! Is it a little more expensive to live here? Maybe. But that's the price you pay for being in the most Awesome Place Ever.

A typical row of homes in Brooklyn, where people are happy and living fulfilled lives.

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Wigan Athletic Home Shirt for 2013-14 Season: [PHOTOS]

Wigan Athletic have unveiled their new home shirt for the 2013-14 season.

The current FA Cup holders, who were relegated to the Championship, will be playing in their familiar colors of blue and white vertical stripes next season.

Designed by Mi-Fit, the new Wigan home shirt features a traditional v-neck collar, and white cuffs at the end of the short-sleeve design.

Overall, it looks conservative but well designed to me.

The shirt will be launched on July 11, 2013.

One Response

  1. brn442 June 25, 2013

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Nolika's Research (RoM Quest)

RoM Quicklinks: NewsGuidesZonesQuestsMobsItemsPOIsObjectsClassesFactionsSkillsLoreTitles SearchHelpSiteMapAdmin PagesTemplates

RoM Quest
[+] Craft Festival
 [1] Nolika's Research

Expansion: Rise of the Demon Lord
Start: Nolika (Ggl)
Related Items: Related Objects: End: Nolika (Ggl)

Quest Reward:
 XP: 12
 TP: 1
 Gold: 25Gold
You can earn the following rewards

Other Resources: The RoM WikiGoogle
Runes of Magic
Collect 20 Southern Fern and 5 Sticky Gum.

Southern Fern is a common drop during the festival from all mobs of high enough level to grant you XP. Sticky Gum can be collected from Broken Branches.

Broken Branches are broken tree-stumps found in Silverspring near Varanas Gate.

Crafting Festival
June 16th to June 26th

This page last modified 2012-06-25 02:54:30.


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fr quest:Hidden in Mugwort's Hollow

Free Realms

To Start: Speak to Ceard Bauchlog in Shrouded Glade.
Ceard Bauchlog says,"Mugwort used to be a top student until he was accused of stealing power stones. When he ran off, most assumed he was guilty.

I need real proof before I dismiss him, though.

Will you head into Mugwort's Hollow and see if you find any of the missing power stones? "

Search within Mugwort's Hollow for the stolen power sources.
This is a Combat quest.  Membership is required to begin this quest.

Retrieve power stones from Mugwort's Hollow for Ceard Bauchlog.
   Help: for Usersfor Contributors

Druid Stone
Druid Stone
You must have at least one combat job at level 15 to begin this quest.

  • Two of the druid stones are in the frog area
  • Two of the druid stones are in the snake area
  • Two of the druid stones are in the warthog area

Unfortunately, you find the proof that Ceard was hoping to not see. It seems the Mugwort is not the druid that the pixies once knew. Your reward for assisting the academy with this investigation is a Faintly Glowing Red Diamond Shard.

Feel Better Flowers Shrouded Glade
Quest Series
Potion Problems
<< previous next >>

This page last modified 2013-03-10 00:14:20.


text:
Content Frame
Note for screen reader users: There is text between the form elements on this page. To be sure that you do not miss any text, use item by item navigation methods, rather than tabbing from form element to form element.
Skip Breadcrumb Navigation
Home  arrow Chapter 10: I get up at 7:30 everyday.  arrow Vocabulary Review  arrow Traditional Character Exercises  arrow Exercise F

Exercise F

This activity contains 1 question.

Question 1.
Pinyin-character matching:

A matching question presents 8 answer choices and 8 items. The answer choices are lettered A through H. The items are numbered 1.1 through 1.8. Screen readers will read the answer choices first. Then each item will be presented along with a select menu for choosing an answer choice. Using the pull-down menus, match each item in the left column to the corresponding item in the right column.
A 下課以後我打球。
B 我每天十點睡覺。
C 今天是幾月幾號？
D 下午兩點我很忙。
E 你每天幾點上課？
F 現在是幾點幾分？
G 你每天幾點起床？
H 我每天七點起床。
End of Question 1

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Last week we thought about how we could become ‘the dream team’ and the dream is that we become people who are living for God’s Kingdom in our community.

It is my prayer that you will say ‘I’m in’!

Imagine the Future

I found this picture helped me see what our future looks like.

We are gathered around Jesus. He has inaugurated the Kingdom of God through his death and resurrection and will bring it into completion when he returns. In the mean-time he has called us to live in anticipation of what is to come and invite people to come under his rule.

We will be part of the community. Jesus came among us (John 1:14) and the first 30 years of his life were spent amongst ordinary people. When he began his ministry he spent time in communities and now he has sent us out to continue his work.

Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ‘

John 20:21

We do this as we get among people and join in with what God is already doing in our community and telling them the Jesus story, as opportunities arise.

Invest in God’s Kingdom

This will require time, effort and money. Jesus told a story to encourage us to make sure that we are ready for the cost of being disciples:

‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 14:28–30

It was John Wesley who said, ‘The last part of a man to be converted is his wallet.’ There is no doubt that giving is an essential part of making the dream to be a church living for God’s Kingdom in our community a reality. The following passage gives us helpful guidelines for giving.

Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 (NIV – Anglicised)

Giving is a regular act of worship.

The money for this collection was to be set aside on ‘the first day of every week’, what we know as Sunday, when God’s people gathered for worship.

It is to be in proportion to our income.

Paul instructs the Christians in Corinth to ‘set aside a sum of money in keeping with [their] income.’ In Old Testament times people gave a tenth of their income to God. This was practised by Abraham and Jacob (see Gen 14:20; 28:20-22) and was commanded in the law (Leviticus 27:30-33; Num. 18:21-32; Mal. 3:7-10). Of course this is now ‘the day of grace’ however tithing is a useful guideline and if anything we should give above that – generously (2 Cor 9:6) and cheerfully (2 Cor 9:8-9).

I believe that God is going to take us on a great adventure in the months and years ahead of us as we fulfil this dream to be ‘living for God’s Kingdom in our community’ It will cost time, effort and money but I hope you’ll say ‘I’m in!’

Think it Through

  1. Does Jesus’ incarnation provide us with a model for living for God’s Kingdom in our community (see John 1:14)?
  2. Why do you think Jesus spent 30 years living an ordinary life in Nazareth before beginning his ministry? What does this teach us about the way that we relate to our community?
  3. What has Jesus sent us out do (John 20:21)?
  4. Why should we give financial support to God’s work?
  5. What are principles about giving are we given in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3?
  6. In what ways can giving be a blessing to others and ourselves?

Pray it in

Imagine our future as a church ‘living for God’s Kingdom in our Community’ and pray that God will bring it into reality.  Feel free to be creative in the way you do this!

Pray that God will supply our needs as we move forward in the vision.


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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

A feather picture and more

Picture time for those of you who are familiar with my subjects! Here are a couple of shots of the grandkids and one of Darby the Beagle. Rio's mug shot is blurry but that's what happens when you try to take one so close to a cheap camera. Heh. But don't worry; I have a buncha more far better quality pictures (and some nature/bird shots) that I'll get uploaded soon.

Picture 1: Rio snuggling in my hand. Makes it hard to type, but I don't mind.

Picture 2: Darby doing what he does best - holding down the furniture while he snoozes.

Picture 3: My granddaughter Chelsea and her cat Mesha. That cat loves her!

Picture 4: I caught my grandsons Bailey and Tyler playing in the dog crate and had to snap this one!

Stay tuned. More to come. :)

Hilary said...

Anne, these are wonderful shots. Rio is adorable an that shot of Chelsea and Mesha is so sweet. And your goofball grandsons.. thanks for the laugh. :)

Anne C. Watkins said...

Thanks, Hilary! Every time I look at the one with the boys in the dog crate it makes me smile. They are so funny! I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. Thanks so much for the visit. :)

Mary said...

Anne, enjoyed the shots of your grandchildren and pets. What is it about boys and dog crates. My grandsons also liked to play in the dog crate when they were younger.

Can you believe that Brandon graduated this year and will be going to high school. My how the years have flown by. Glad to be back in touch.

From here to Alabama...probably, for this old gal, about 30 hours. That gives me time to stop for a nap. lol

Frank Baron said...

What a gorgeous shot of Chelsea and Mesha! That one could grace the cover of a magazine. Wonderful, rich colours.

I really like the shot of Darby too - keeping a wary eye on the wielder of that camera. :)

Anne C. Watkins said...

Mary, it doesn't seem like Brandon should be that big! How old is Jordan now? Bailey is seven and his little sister Chelsea is five (she starts kindergarten this year). And Tyler is 10! My, how time flies. :)

Thank you, Frank. The picture of Chelsea and Mesha was actually taken on my daughter's cell phone! Pretty cool, huh? :)

Darby has had a camera stuck in his face since he was five weeks old. I think I have as many pictures of him as I do of the grandkids. lol


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The 2014 Emmy winners were announced during Monday's awards ceremony, broadcast on NBC and hosted by 'SNL' vet and 'Late Night' show host Seth Meyers. While there are always a fair share of shockers -- like how last year saw 'The Newsroom' star Jeff Daniels beating out Bryan Cranston for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama -- everyone had their eyes on 'Breaking Bad,' given it finished its final season late last year, HBO's breakout hit 'True Detective,' Netflix's 'Orange Is the New Black' and FX's buzzed-about 'Fargo' series.

So, who took home the big awards?

'Breaking Bad' was the clear frontrunner tonight in the Drama category. Bryan Cranston (after stealing the awards ceremony by making out with Julia Louis-Dreyfus right before she accepted her Emmy), Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn all won in their respective categories -- Lead Actor, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress -- while the series at large took home Outstanding Drama over 'True Detective,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'House of Cards,' ‘Downton Abbey' and 'Mad Men,' the latter of which just can't catch a break. McConaughey, who would've been the second male actor in history to win an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year (the only one being George C. Scott in 1971 for 'Patton' and 'ITV Sunday Night Theatre'), but he couldn't stand against Heizenberg.

As for Comedy, 'Modern Family,' once again, took home the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy (having done so for the past five years, now), while Ty Burrell was the only singular cast member who won in his respective category. Netflix's 'Orange Is the New Black,' while winning Creative Emmys, was once again left in the dust in the primary award categories.

Check out all the major wins from the 2014 Emmys below, and let us know in the comments who should have taken home top honors.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, ‘Breaking Bad’ -- WINNER
Kevin Spacey, ‘House of Cards’
Jon Hamm, ‘Mad Men’
Matthew McConaughey, ‘True Detective’
Woody Harrelson, ‘True Detective’
Jeff Daniels, ‘The Newsroom’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes, ‘Homeland’
Robin Wright, ‘House of Cards’
Kerry Washington, ‘Scandal’
Julianna Margulies, ‘The Good Wife’ -- WINNER
Lizzy Caplan, ‘Masters of Sex’
Michelle Dockery, ‘Downton Abbey’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch, ‘Sherlock’ -- WINNER
Chiwetel Ejiofor, ‘Dancing on the Edge’
Idris Elba, ‘Luther’
Martin Freeman, ‘Fargo’
Mark Ruffalo, ‘The Normal Heart’
Billy Bob Thornton, ‘Fargo’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jessica Lange, ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ -- WINNER
Sarah Paulson, ‘American Horror Story: Coven’
Helena Bonham Carter, ‘Burton and Taylor’
Minnie Driver, ‘Return to Zero’
Cecily Tyson, ‘The Trip to Bountiful’
Kristen Wiig, ‘The Spoils of Babylon’

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jim Parsons, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ -- WINNER
Matt LeBlanc, ‘Episodes’
Don Cheadle, ‘House of Lies’
Louis C.K., ‘Louie’
William H. Macy, ‘Shameless’
Ricky Gervais, ‘Derek’

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Melissa McCarthy, ‘Mike & Molly’
Taylor Schilling, ‘Orange Is the New Black’
Lena Dunham, ‘Girls’
Edie Falco, ‘Nurse Jackie’
Amy Poehler, ‘Parks and Recreation’
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ‘Veep’ -- WINNER

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell, 'Modern Family' -- WINNER
Tony Hale, 'Veep'
Andre Braugher, 'Brooklyn Nine Nine'
Adam Driver, 'Girls'
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, 'Modern Family'
Fred Armisen, 'Portlandia'

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, 'Modern Family'
Allison Janney, 'Mom' -- WINNER
Kate Mulgrew, 'Orange Is the New Black'
Kate McKinnon, 'SNL'
Mayim Bialik, 'The Big Bang Theory'
Anna Chlumsky, 'Veep'

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
‘The Amazing Race’ -- WINNER
‘Dancing With the Stars’
‘Project Runway’
‘So You Think You Can Dance’
‘Top Chef’
‘The Voice’

Outstanding Variety Series
‘The Colbert Report’ -- WINNER
‘The Daily Show With Jon Stewart’
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
‘Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’
‘Real Time With Bill Maher’
‘Saturday Night Live’

Outstanding TV Miniseries
‘American Horror Story: Coven’
‘Bonnie and Clyde’
‘Fargo’ -- WINNER
‘The White Queen’

Outstanding Comedy Series
‘The Big Bang Theory’
‘Modern Family’ -- WINNER
‘Orange is the New Black’
‘Silicon Valley’

Outstanding Drama Series
‘Breaking Bad’ -- WINNER
‘Downton Abbey’
‘Game of Thrones’
‘House of Cards’
‘Mad Men’
‘True Detective’

Outstanding TV Movie
'The Normal Heart' -- WINNER
'Killing Kennedy'
'The Trip to Bountiful'
'Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight'

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul, ‘Breaking Bad’ -- WINNER
Peter Dinklage, ‘Game of Thrones’
Mandy Patinkin, ‘Homeland’
Jim Carter, ‘Downton Abbey’
Jon Voight, ‘Ray Donovan’
Josh Charles, ‘The Good Wife’

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Anna Gunn, ‘Breaking Bad’ -- WINNER
Maggie Smith, ‘Downton Abbey’
Lena Headey, ‘Game of Thrones’
Christine Baranski, ‘The Good Wife’
Christina Hendricks, ‘Mad Men’
Joanne Froggatt, 'Downton Abbey'

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries
Colin Hanks, 'Fargo'
Martin Freeman, 'Sherlock' -- WINNER
Jim Parsons, 'The Normal Heart'
Joe Mantello, 'The Normal Heart'
Alfred Molina, 'The Normal Heart'
Matt Bomer, 'The Normal Heart'

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries
Kathy Bates, 'American Horror Story: Coven' -- WINNER
Angela Bassett, 'American Horror Story: Coven'
Frances Conroy, 'American Horror Story: Coven'
Allison Tomay, 'Fargo'
Ellen Burstyn, 'Flowers in the Attic'
Julia Roberts, 'The Normal Heart'


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Today's Spotlight

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15 arrests made in undercover prostitution operation in Windsor Locks

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (WTNH)– Police have made 15 arrests during an undercover prostitution operation in Windsor Locks.

Police say over the past two months, officers have been undercover targeting prostitutes and those who solicit prostitutes in Windsor Locks. The operation took place within the central business district, along Route 75.

Eugene Barr is in from Pittsburgh and has been propositioned before.

“It was in a hotel. I got in the elevator to get some breakfast and two young women said, ‘Hey, can we come up to the room with you?’ And I was like, ‘What?'”

Barr travels for a living and he says prostitution is more common than you would think. He’s seen it twice.

“I said, ‘I have to go to work here in a little while.’ And they are like, ‘How about one of us?’ And they were very aggressive and I was just like, ‘I have a wife and kids at home.’ And the door opened and it wasn’t even my floor and I got off,” Barr explained.

Wednesday’s arrests in Windsor Locks took a big chunk out of the sex trade.

In all, 15 arrests were made, including various outstanding warrant arrests regarding prostitution, narcotics violations, failure to appear in court and violation of probation.

Business owners in the area are thankful police are taking action against these crimes.

James Wells works at a package store in the business district. He says it attracts the wrong crowd.

“You hear about it all the time,” he said. It’s going around town and it’s all over social media. It’s not very good.”

Xue Lin, 50, of Flushing, New York; Nicole Vickers, 26, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Cassandra Summers, 30, of Tracy, California; Michelle Vakman, 20, of Farmington; and Yougin Zhang, 53, of Flushing, New York were all charged with prostitution.

Kevens Rivera Perez, John Norris, Kevin Edwards, Chris Vaughn, Asif Chaudhry, Atkim Harrigan, Ignacio Carballo, Francis Sackey and an underage male were all charged with patronizing a prostitute.

By putting it out to the media, police are hoping word will make it to the streets and out into social media that prostitution has been shut down in Windsor Locks.

WTNH NEWS8 provides commenting to allow for constructive discussion on the stories we cover. In order to comment here, you acknowledge you have read and agreed to our Terms of Service. Commenters who violate these terms, including use of vulgar language or racial slurs, will be banned. Please be respectful of the opinions of others. If you see an inappropriate comment, please flag it for our moderators to review. Also, you can now block any inappropriate user by simple selecting the drop down menu on the right of any comment and selection "Block User" from there.

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UVa. Board member: ‘The culture is to keep secrets, to not face our problems’

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors unanimously voted Tuesday to accept a zero tolerance policy for sexual assaults, but what exactly that means, remains to be seen.

“The details of the approach and how it is articulated and implemented will be refined in the near term in collaboration with the University administration,” the university said in a press release.

For now, advocates for survivors of sexual assaults at UVA, and Charlottesville’s Police Chief, told the board they are just happy to finally be seated at the board’s table.

“This is the first time I`ve ever seen the Board of Visitors in person," Ashley Brown, the President of One Less, said. "This is the first time anyone has approached us and asked us as experts, as advocates, as the people entrenched so deeply and so passionately in this work, hey, what do you think? And, for that I am deeply disappointed both in the Board of Visitors and the administration,.”

“This is the first time I`ve been invited to speak before the Board of Visitors, and I’m honored to do so,” Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo said.

The board, student leaders, law enforcement, and school President Teresa Sullivan discussed what to do about an alleged rape culture at UVA which was exposed in a Rolling Stone article last week.

“The culture is to keep secrets, to not face our problems,” board member Helen Dragas said.

The conversation lasted three hours and emotions ranged from tears to laughter.

“Like so many of you, I have been heartbroken,” Dragas said before tearing up.

Board Member Dr. Edward Miller attended the meeting by phone, and expressed concern when he heard some board members laughing during the meeting.

“I just cannot believe the laughter that is going on in this room right now...this is a serious issue and I`m very upset about it,” Miller said.

But, other board members responded by saying they had been discussing a heavy subject for over two hours, and they could not be blamed for needing a moment to relax.

“There is no degree of levity here, and every member in this room is taking this very very seriously,” one board member said in response.

As the Board of Visitors explores changes on campus, Virginia’s Attorney General has named a team from an independent law firm to investigate the administration’s response to reported sexual assaults.

Va sex assault

CLICK HERE: Why charges are rarely filed when women are sexually assaulted in Virginia

In a recent investigation, CBS 6 investigative reporter Melissa Hipolit found that sexual assault cases are rarely prosecuted, especially when the assault happens on a college campus. As part of this investigation she reached out to local colleges for their sexual assault report numbers.

Virginia Commonwealth University provided the numbers that show how many sexual assaults were reported between 2000 and 2014, and how many perpetrators of sexual assault had been arrested in those same years.

When she asked UVa. for the same information, they refused  to supply the numbers and provided this response:

"No public body is required to create a new record if the record does not already exist. Va. Code § 2.2-3704(D). This portion of your request would require University staff to abstract data that is integrated in their departmental work files and then compile the data to create an aggregate number. In doing this, the University would be creating a report, not currently in existence, solely for the purpose of satisfying your FOIA request. Pursuant to Va. Code § 2.2-3704(D), this is not required, and the University chooses to exercise its discretion not to create such a report."


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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The WVU Cancer Institute, WVU Medicine, and WVU Athletics are teaming up on several pink events to raise breast cancer awareness in October.

Mountaineer fans are encouraged to don their pink and come to the WVU Women’s Soccer pink game against Oklahoma University at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8 at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. Members of the soccer team will be decked out in pink uniforms and will celebrate the success of their annual spring fundraiser to benefit the Cancer Institute’s Betty Puskar Breast Care Center during halftime. Tickets will be $1 at the gate and are available online at

Fans will receive pink pom-pom shakers and can get the official pink Mountaineers T-shirt for a $10 donation. They can also see the new Bonnie’s Bus, WVU’s state-of-the-art mobile 3D mammography vehicle, which will be parked in the lot next to the stadium.

WVU Medicine’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons are partnering with local restaurants on Dine Out for Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day on Wednesday, Oct. 18 to help raise awareness of breast reconstruction options available to women following breast cancer surgery. Local restaurants participating in BRA Day will donate a percentage of their total receipts to a fund at WVU for patient education and assistance to uninsured and underinsured women seeking breast reconstruction. Eighty percent of the proceeds will stay in the WVU fund to benefit women in West Virginia, and 20 percent will be donated directly to The Plastic Surgery Foundation’s Breast Reconstruction Awareness Fund.

Bonnie’s Bus will be offering 3D mammograms and breast care education to women from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 20 at WVU Medicine at University Town Centre. Walk-ins will be accepted, so no appointment is necessary. Bonnie’s Bus will visit 19 communities throughout West Virginia in October.

The WVU Cancer Institute is sponsoring the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the WVU Student Recreation Center. To join the Cancer Institute’s team, Hakuna Ma TaTas, visit

The WVU Volleyball team will host a pink game against Kansas State University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the WVU Coliseum. The team will wear pink jerseys and is encouraging fans to wear pink. Fans will receive pink pom-pom shakers and will have an opportunity to receive the official Mountaineers pink T-shirt for a $10 donation.

WVU Medicine and the Cancer Institute will host a dinner for breast cancer survivors at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22 at Lakeview Golf Resort and Spa in Morgantown. At this event, cancer survivors share their personal cancer journeys with fellow survivors and visit with cancer specialists in a nonclinical setting.


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At West Virginia University we take a team approach to movement disorders to obtain accurate diagnoses and implement the most appropriate treatments. The team has a wide range of expertise and experience in delivering every mode of advanced treatment. Some patients will need to see just one physician on the team; others may see several. A great advantage of a team approach is that the physicians can pool their knowledge and the benefit of their years of medical experience to collectively address each patient’s problem.

A neurologist who specializes in movement disorders makes the initial assessment and in many cases will be the only specialist a patient needs to see.

In severe cases of Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, or dystonia that have not responded well to other approaches, a neurosurgeon may target the part of the brain responsible for the movement disorder for deep brain stimulation using implantable devices.

The role of the neuropsychologist is to assess the patient’s cognitive function. This is a crucial step in determining whether deep brain stimulation is indicated in a patient with Parkinson’s disease and whether appropriate treatment of a dementia should be initiated.

The role of the neuropsychiatrist is to determine whether a patients is suffering from depression or psychosis, which are common problems in patients with Parkinson’s disease. He will also help with the medical management of depression or psychosis.

The Movement Disorders Team also calls on the expertise of physical and occupational therapists, otolaryngologists (for patients with speaking and swallowing problems), and other specialists as needed.

The goal of treatment is to enable patients to regain optimal motor control of their bodies and to improve their quality of life.


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By  on February 1, 2008

NEW YORK — Premium denim label Earnest Sewn is setting its sights on expansion after securing a new financial backer and putting together a management team.

An investment group led by Brian Cytrynbaum, owner of Majestic Mills, has made a "significant equity investment" in the brand and is looking to grow the wholesale business, expand product offerings and open signature stores at home and abroad. In 2007, Cytrynbaum's investment group acquired a stake in Link Theory Holdings Co., owner of the Theory, Helmut Lang and Rosner labels.

Michael Press took over as president last week from founder and designer Scott Morrison. Press is a denim-industry veteran who was most recently vice president of sales at Paige Premium Denim. He began his career in 1987 at Diesel and has worked with brands such as Big Star and AG Adriano Goldschmied.

Albert Sayegh has joined Earnest as chief financial officer, overseeing the consolidation of all operations at the brand's Meatpacking District headquarters here. Sayegh spent the last several years with a Montreal-based accounting firm and has a background in accounting and consulting with Canadian wholesale and retail companies. Melissa Freeman, most recently director of merchandising at Paige Premium Denim, has also joined the company and will serve in a similar capacity.

Morrison will continue to focus on design and will take on responsibility and oversight of the brand's retail expansion.

"Scott Morrison has been a pretty creative force in the premium denim market," said Press, referring to Morrison's early success in building Paper Denim & Cloth before venturing out on his own to launch Earnest.

Press said Morrison's pioneering spirit was not only evident in his design work but in his decision to be one of the first to set the company's roots in the Meatpacking District, which has since become a mecca for designer boutiques.

Press said Morrison's team had no lack of vision for the brand, but had trouble reaching its full potential without more investment and structured operations. Consequently, overhauling the company's internal operations will be another area of focus and one that Press believes will yield almost immediate results.

Press would not give specific sales figures, but said the current Earnest business is "in the eight-figure area." With the new management, fresh operations practices, a new in-stock program and more financial backing, Press believes Earnest will be among the top four or five women's premium denim brands within 12 to 18 months.

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Saturday, 31 December 2011

12-days - day six

Day Six
Since it is day SIX of my Twelve Regenerations Of Christmas, I have something SIXTH Doctor related, and hopefully raise a smile.

Over the past year Forbidden Planet have been releasing a series of exclusive t-shirts depicting the Doctor’s costumes through the years.

Some are better than others, and there has been particular criticism of the Colin Baker shirt, which in reality doesn’t look much like the publicity image. But never mind.
I’ve just been watch the Christmas edition of Come Dine With Me, which is a celebrity special. Amongst the ‘celebrities’ is none other than Colin Baker himself, and for part of the episode he was interviewed wearing one of the Sixth Doctor t-shirts!!

How’s that for celebrity endorsement!

Friday, 30 December 2011

12-days – day five

Day Five
Today on the Twelve Regenerations Of Christmas I have another eCard for you.

This one cracks me up! Hope you enjoy it too.

Thursday, 29 December 2011

12-days – day four

Day Four
It’s day FOUR of my Twelve Regenerations Of Christmas, so I’d like to share a personal FOURTH Doctor memento with you, dating from my 1970s childhood as a Doctor Who fan.

It’s a snapshot between the end of the Jon Pertwee’s Doctor and the start of Tom Baker’s rein – but for me it encapsulated and defines my memories of the time and transports me back there in a flash.

In the mid 1970s I started keeping a scrapbook in which I stuck any Doctor Who photos (often taken from the Radio Times) or related memorabilia I found that interested me.

I eventually spanned three books, with a recurring theme of the two waves of in-packet giveaways from Weetabix in 1975 and 1976, as well as by Typhoo Tea, also in 1976.

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

12-days – day three

Day Three
Day Three of my Twelve Regenerations Of Christmas, and I have a flashback to the early days of New Who Exhibitions.

As I write, The Doctor Who Experience is still at Olympia, prior to moving next spring to its permanent purpose-built home in Cardiff Bay.

What we have now is a slick, well planned interactive show and substantial costume display, touching the whole history of the series.

But spare a thought for the early days of the exhibitions where things were on a more low key note.

I went to the first ever New Series exhibition, which was held over the summer of 2005 on Brighton Pier.

All of the displays were static, bar a spinning TARDIS with the lead’s costumes; and a single Dalek which moved its head, flashed its lights and barked some orders. It all seemed very exciting!

Tuesday, 27 December 2011

12-days – day two

Day Two
Day Two of my Twelve Regenerations Of Christmas, and I have a quirky Matt Smith costume for you.

This year’s BBC pre-Christmas trailer had a variety of personalities celebrating the festive season together, all wearing the garish knitted jumpers your Grand Mother insist on buying you for Xmas!

One shot shows Matt and Karen play a form of Twister with a Cyberman.

The jumper Matt wears may look like a one-off (and probably should have been!), but you can buy one for yourself!

They are available form The Christmas Jumper Shop.

Monday, 26 December 2011

12-days – day one

Day One
Today I’m launching my Twelve Regenerations Of Christmas. Between now and Twelfth Night I’ve got a series of special little treats for you.

Some have never been seen before – some are things you may have missed – others are from my archive.
The final day will be something very special. But more of that later.

To kick things off here is one of the eCards I have sent to some of my clients this festive season.  Enjoy!

Monday, 19 December 2011

Happy Christmas to all my readers!

Wow - another year has flown past - and what a year it’s been!

Photo by Scott Sebring
It started back in January with a once in a lifetime opportunity when I made the Ultimate Tennant Suit. To have the chance to put into practice the actual way the suit was made was an amazing experience. The timing was perfect, as I had a couple of months before started learning traditional hand-tailoring techniques, which I put to great use in making the suit.
Photo by Scott Sebring
I had to follow the suit, and with three days notice ended up going to Gallifrey One in LA!
There I met up with a number of my online friends and many of my readers who had no idea I was going. I also had the privilege of arranging a group photograph with four of my Tennant Coat clients, which was the highlight of the trip.

By the end of April news broke that THE Series Six Shetland Tweed fabric had been found, as well as the Series Five Donegal.

It was like the Tennant Suit all over again: making an iconic jacket in the exact fabric. I was lucky to find the correct buttons and elbow patches to finish it off.

In August the culmination of many month work came to fruition when I took delivery of  my rewoven Tennant Coat lining. I had been searching for years to find a suitable alternative, but finally took the plunge and commissioned my own recreation of it.

The past few months of the year have been taken up with making a popular new garment in my repertoire - the Green Greatcoat.

I spent a while carefully researching the pattern, fabric and construction until I got it just right.

Then in late November I attended Chicago TARDIS, where I entered the masquerade competition wearing a test version of the Colin Baker Six Frock Coat. I won Best In Show: Workmanship for my tailoring – for which I am very proud.

This was one of three coats I had made, the other two were for the wedding of some close friends which is due to take place just before Christmas.

Looking back it has been an exciting year, with more projects than I could have thought to have taken on.

And as the year comes to a close, an even more exciting development is breaking.

More on that in the New Year, but trust me, it’s gonna be worth the wait . . .

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Bonhams auction - 15th December 2011
viewing and results

Today was the Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia sale, where some 39 Doctor Who items went under the hammer.
All bar two were from the new series, with a vast majority from Tennant’s era.

But the main point of note were the first ever items of Matt Smith era items to come up at a Bonhams auction, after the spectacular sale of Matt’s Doctor costume on eBay in aid of Children In Need.

This will be interesting.

Sunday, 11 December 2011

Series Six - accessories

While I was at Chicago TARDIS I worn my on-off Captain Rory Williams outfit, complete with eye-patch (see right).

There were a number of Madame Kovarians around (see left), and I was asked a number of times where I got my eye-drive! Most had made their own from papier mâché, but mine was cast in latex.

I had bought mine through a member of the dw_cosplay community, and I thought it a good opportunity to trumpet his work, plus a few others I have bought things from recently.
Eye Drive
The seller on dw_cosplay makes two versions basic versions.

Version 1 - Doctor
Based on Matt Smith’s look, with the double bump in the middle

Version 2 - Generic
Based more on the Madame Kavarian, which has a smoother, flatter inner edge.

Each comes in a choice of finish.

The top row is black in colour and the bottom row is Shimmer on the left and Gunmetal on the right.

The seller recommends using spirt gum to attach the eye drive, but I’m not confident with that, so I used toupee tape! It’s easy to use and very sticky. Believe me, standard double sided tape doesn’t cut it.

The price is £15 each or 4 for £50.

P&P is free in the UK and £2 overseas. His paypal address is - Just make sure to add an address and which version / colour you want.

Friday, 9 December 2011

Dressing the Doctor - Mini Who

Recently I have had a number of emails from parents trying to find costumes for their Matt Smith obsessed children!

Although I can make jackets to order, producing a scaled version suitable for an eight or nine year old presents its own unique issues. The work involved in adjusting the pattern means the any saving on using less fabric is wiped out.
The actual construction part of making it is then exactly the same: it still has two sleeves; collar and lapels; breast, flapped and inside pockets; hand-stitched elbow patches – so there is no saving in time there.

As a result my price has to be the same as a full sized adult jacket.

Undoubtedly the BEST Matt Smith fan of a young age was Jack, who I featured last year. His superb costume was topped of with a great tweed jacket, which was a dead ringer for the season Five Donegal. He’s a very lucky boy.

So what are the alternatives?
The simple answer I would give is eBay!

Doing a simple search for Doctor Who Costume, I found a surprising number of tweed jackets or complete costumes in children’s sizes.

Here’s my opinion on what’s on offer, and the price range you can expect to pay.

Monday, 5 December 2011

Utah shirt

Well, I’ve been rumbled.

Now I’m back from Chicago TARDIS, a number of people have been on to me, asking about a shirt I wore for part of my many costume changes.

It’s a copy of the shirt first seen in The Impossible Astronaut during the Utah scenes.

I made it just in time to wear at Chicago, so only now do I have time to show it off.

Earlier this year I had the luck to get access to an original, screen-worn shirt, so have been able to crack the puzzling details that make this shirt unique.

The pattern is cut to a classic dress shirt design, just like the real thing, and I have perfected the unusual tabbed collar (see left), and distinctive mitred cuffs (see below).

I have matched the design of the fabric using Spoonflower, so after a few tests, I got it pretty much spot on.

If you want to order a
Matt Smith Utah shirt,
please drop me an email at
and I can send you full details.


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February 25, 2018
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Short Description: Algae Scrub Deep Reach Pad w/ Handle
Item #: HA2903
Manufacturer: Hagen
Category: Cleaning Supplies
Related Product: AquaBladeM Scraper 24 w/ Stainless Steel Blade
Substitute Product: Deluxe Cleaning Pad
Use product with: AquaLife Activate Freshwater 16oz Aquarium Starter and Cleaner

Marina Large Algae Scrubber is suitable for large glass and acrylic aquariums. Its long, reinforced plastic handle makes removing algae and other deposits from your tank an easy job. Its unique angled cleaning head provides better control, increased pad-to-surface contact, and easier access to hard-to-reach areas.

Type Use: Fresh & Saltwater
Sugg Price: $7.99
Our Price: $5.99

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Looking for someone?

Search by name and/or location using the search form at the top of the page

  • Get access to likely ages
  • Find old friends and family
  • Double check names of spouses and children
  • Trace your family tree
  • Find out who your neighbours are
  • Verify people are who they say they are

1 Results for Henry Abina

Looking for henry abina? Below are the results from the UK Electoral Roll and Company Director data. You can narrow your search by adding a location above if you wish.

Name Address Other Occupants Electoral Roll Director Info Length of Occupancy Neighbours Property Price
1 Henry K Abina
London, London, W12 Full Address


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Looking for someone?

Search by name and/or location using the search form at the top of the page

  • Get access to likely ages
  • Find old friends and family
  • Double check names of spouses and children
  • Trace your family tree
  • Find out who your neighbours are
  • Verify people are who they say they are

3 Results for Maureen Slinger

Looking for maureen slinger? Below are the results from the UK Electoral Roll and Company Director data. You can narrow your search by adding a location above if you wish.

Name Address Other Occupants Electoral Roll Director Info Length of Occupancy Neighbours Property Price
1 Maureen Slinger
Age Guide: 51-55
Heywood, Lancashire, OL10 Full Address
2 Maureen M Slinger
Diss, Norfolk, IP22 Full Address
3 Maureen Slinger
Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 Full Address


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Sonic Motobike Game

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Sonic Motobike Description

Rating:   65.91% with 44 votes
Sonic Motobike - Bike Games - Car Games

Help Sonic ride his motobike to the end of all levels without losing control. Try to collect as much rings as possible and make a backflip or frontflip to earn more points.

Share your Sonic Motobike tips and tricks!


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200 Proof TuneIn Radio

Thursday, April 23, 2015

"Gift Given, Gift Received"

“Receive it as gift.”  I hear Dr. Norman Nagel speak it into my mind’s ear (if there is such a thing).

This is the essence of the Theology of the Cross, “Receive it as gift.”  Forgiveness, mercy, salvation, sanctification… “receive it as gift.”

St. Paul speaks this way in Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)   The gifts - grace and faith, pure gift.

Gifts are not earned, we call that “pay” but gifts run the way of grace, which is God’s unmerited favor for sinners.  The gift given is Christ Jesus Himself, who is the gift and the gift giver.  He is the one who gave us His righteousness and who takes away our sins, as gift.

If one insists that he or she must “give one’s heart to Jesus,” then they are not receiving salvation as gift, but as barter.  “If I give my heart to Jesus and turn away from my sin, then I will have salvation.”
Where is the gift in that?  There is no gift in that as we are somehow either bartering for salvation or trying to earn salvation.  Instead, we who are dead in our sins and trespasses have the Great Physician visit our rotten, corrupted souls and give life to them.  He regenerates the dead and brings life where there was only death, and this He does as a free and amazing gift.  There are no works required to have this gift, it is all free, it is gift.

Sadly enough, like all gifts, this one too can be rejected, it can remain unopened and it can be thrown away.  Yet Christ in His long suffering way continues to give His gift of life freely, without reservation, without any quid pro quo, no exchanges, no bartering, it is all gift.  When we see that salvation comes to us as a gift, we see that it does not originate with us, but with God.

Now when we look to Scripture, we start to see Christ’s gifts all over the place -
In Holy Baptism, here we find the Word of God attached to the baptismal waters, as God works salvation in sinners, washing away our sin, laying us into Christ’s grave and raising us to eternal life.   We find that Christ is present in the Lord’s Supper where He joins Himself to the bread and wine through His Word and is there with His meal of mercy for sinners.  We find Him in the voice of the pastor who proclaims God’s Word to us, speaking Biblical absolution into our ear holes.  All gift, all Christ, none of our works.

When we start to see God’s gifts more and more, we find them in even more unlikely places.  Sometimes we find God’s gifts through adversity, which creates maturity.  There are times when God will allow us to suffer in order that we might receive the gift of being purged of any notions of our own worth and or virtue before the perfection of God.  There are times when God will also rescue us from our bad decisions.

Like children who think that hot fudge sundaes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, would be awesome, we want those things that are appealing to us.  We tell God what we want, but God being a Good Father, will not leave us to our own devices.  We rage and bellow because that job, car, house, spouse, boy or girlfriend, and so forth that we wanted doesn’t become ours.  We blame God for keeping us from happiness, only to find out sometime later how God protected us from our stupid desires.
We find that those things that we don’t have were a “good miss.”

For all of the things in life, things received as blessing and things perceived as a curse, we can certainly “receive it as gift.” for us!

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1 comment:

  1. When we were young kids, we looked forward to our birthdays as these were days that we would be hosting a party and be showered with gifts. Birthday Gifts


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Alpha Female: Why Men Cheat ,

Paperback   GooglePlay   iBooks   Nook   Kobo   Scribd

The concept of Alpha Female hasn’t been so explored and referred to as what happens to Alpha Male. Therefore, isn’t easy to find a common agreement about how an Alpha Woman should look like or behave. As most perspectives taken into consideration portray a negative image of what it means to be active as a woman, most end up waiting, dreaming, forgetting and giving up fighting for their rights. And, as the world evolves and changes, the gap between reality and common believes expands, leading many to despair and suffering. The need for women to be active and persistent in chasing their happiness has never been so important as now. But, in order to be fulfilled, a woman needs to become responsible for her own happiness. The role of women needs to evolve with the rest of the world, and even though women have learned this lesson well in many other areas of life, not much has changed in the field of seduction, relationships and love. But, active women take their genes into the next generation, while passive women are being drawn to extinction. The study of what it means to be an Alpha Female is not only related to behavior, appearance and relationships, or even happiness, but the whole future of mankind, because these are the women that will be ahead of their time. Nowadays, men tend to become more passive and selective, allowing their behavior to evolve with their new status, which in most cases represents a minority. And, a decrease in the number of men available leads women to problems related to competition between themselves and selection of the best available. Therefore, it becomes important to know where and how to find one, but also keep him and know which is worth choosing and having. Alpha Females have learned to be smart, quick and effective, in finding and choosing the man they want, not necessarily because they want to, but because they recognize the emergency of doing so, in order to avoid what other women reject. But, they have a clear advantage that won’t share with other women, due to their typical competitive attitude, reason why a woman won’t ever write a good book about this topic and all the best have been written by men, even though rarely covering a complete magnitude of the Alpha panorama, which as men they can’t fully understand. This book shows the path in the most complete form possible, and many women have succeeded with its application since the first edition was published. But, it’s because these same women couldn’t succeed with the application of many other bestsellers, that this one in particular distinguishes itself as the most efficient available today.

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The Conscience of Disillusion ,

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Existence is intimately linked to the identity of who we are. In view of this, this work focuses on the author’s perspective on his own life experience, reporting his most troubled and meaningful experiences.
From here, are revealed relevant findings about the meaning of life and how it allows us to form an identity with which we rediscover the world in order to redesign our reality; It is here that the author reveals the kind of truth that he could know, hidden behind experiences, both fantastic and magical as painful.
Even in the case of an autobiographical narrative, there are much learning to retain before the revealing interpretation of the most complete thoughts that can develop on human existence and the condition of mind towards the way of life we all have.
Nevertheless, this is also a challenge that remains for all humanity to confront, even though centuries have to pass before this start happening on a large scale.

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Ahhhh, it’s always sad to see established girls leave the Agency. It’s inevitable in this business as the girls circumstances are always changing and it always seems to be when you’re least expecting it. Any of you who actually bother to read what’s on the website will have notice me mourning the leaving of Erika 1..and obviously then extolling the virtues of Erika 2..you’ve got to bounce back havn’t you.

But seriously Erika was a little bit of a star and seemed to be a big favourite with you guys, loads of good reviews and as an illustration of how long she was with the Agency, she featured in the header graphic on the home page…that’s pretty much in at the beginning. I’m not one for change I guess and I hate goodbye’s so if I had my way all my favourite girls who’d never leave…(I didn’t mean that in a psycho way).

Maybe I should become a Mormon and take multiple wives then marry all my favourites at the Agency. I could become the Hugh Heffner of Crouch End..we’d have the equivalent of The Playboy Mansion..a mid terraced 3 bedroomed…least I’d have someone to mow the lawn for me. I’d be rubbing shoulders with The Osmond family at weekends down the church…at least we’d have a decent choir for church services. I’m not sure if Donny and the boys are still Mormons, I guess so, but it always seemed a strange set up to me and Marie…she did look awfully like Donny didn’t she? I’m wondering if Marie was just Donny at weekends? No they had the Donny and Marie show didn’t they.

Sorry we digress Corbet style so yes back to Erika. It’s a great shame that she left but then you get the bonus of Karolina returning who was a big favourite of mine as being someone who really knows how to wear stockings and suspenders. To really carry it off you need alabaster thighs and a peachy bum..God I just love that view from behind and you get hold of the reigns and take a type grip then ride for home like you’ve just jumped the last at the National and some midget on a horse is following you.

Finally as we’re talking about comings and goings I think Ramona deserves mention as a ‘Coming’. I guess it’s unlikely that you will be reading this without having first perused the girls and if so I’m guessing that you’re attentions will have already been drawn to said young lady but just in case you didn’t see her, please pop back and take a look. This girl is perfection for me..certainly in terms of Escorting looks. She’s also a lovely girl to chat to so that seals the deal but focussing on the look I would say Ramona is why escorting will never go away. What a beautiful face, what a fantastic body for love. I have to pinch myself sometimes that girls like this want to do this job and are willing to spend a bit of quality time with ordinary blokes like you and me….and I think we’ve nailed it with the price as well. It’s girls like Ramona that make my job very easy.

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Now that summer has decided to officially arrive and give us some real summertime weather people will be starting to think of the best ways to spend their summer, whether it is going on holiday, going to a festival or two or just chilling out as much as possible, but equally as important as to what to do and where  to go now that the summertime has finally arrived is who you spend it with and the London escorts should be at the top o your list. Deciding on who to share this holiday experience with is vitally important and one of the London escort girls would be a very good choice! From years of experience and disappointment we all know that the British summer is not to be trusted as it often flatters to deceive, fluttering its eyes at us in the early months of May and June with some lovely weather only to end up slapping us in the face with some rather average temperatures that will never give anyone the tan that they so desperately seek.

So if you are one of the hoard who has started looking into holiday ideas but you are unsure who you would like to spend your precious trip abroad with then I advise you to add one of our London escorts to your list of possible candidates. As a guy I know the temptation to go away with your mates is always there, that goes without saying, a week or two away with the guys is always good fun, but I am sure that many of you have done it before and you are likely to do it again in the future so why not try something a little different this year, after all the sight of a sexy London escort prancing around with you on the beach surely has to trump watching your mate going for a dip in his Speedo’s.

Still not convinced? OK then, lets talk sun cream. Which would you prefer…. Having one of your mates slap sun cream all over your back as quickly as possible before anyone sees whilst you both sit on the beach or having one of the London escort girls do it for you? You see my point! It isn’t just about the way they look either, our London escorts are good fun and a right laugh so you definitely will not feel like you have made the wrong decision. I know that going away with a female can seem like a bit of a chore at times but our girls aren’t just any old female are they? If this post has at all swayed you then take your pick from any of our escorts in London, give one of them a call and see if you can arrange the summer holiday of a life time with her.

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