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How To Build Planet Scale Mobile App in Minutes with Xamarin and DocumentDB

1월 24, 2017에 게시됨

Principal Engineering Manager, Azure Cosmos DB

As of May 10th 2017,

Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft’s globally distributed multi-model database. Azure Cosmos DB was built from the ground up with global distribution and horizontal scale at its core. It offers turnkey global distribution across any number of Azure regions by transparently scaling and replicating your data wherever your users are. Elastically scale throughput and storage worldwide, and pay only for the throughput and storage you need. Azure Cosmos DB guarantees single-digit-millisecond latencies at the 99th percentile anywhere in the world, offers multiple well-defined consistency models to fine-tune performance, and guarantees high availability with multi-homing capabilities—all backed by industry leading service level agreements (SLAs).

Azure Cosmos DB is truly schema-agnostic; it automatically indexes all the data without requiring you to deal with schema and index management. It’s also multi-model, natively supporting document, key-value, graph, and column-family data models. With Azure Cosmos DB, you can access your data using APIs of your choice, as DocumentDB SQL (document), MongoDB (document), Azure Table Storage (key-value), and Gremlin (graph) are all natively supported.

Most mobile apps need to store data in the cloud, and Azure DocumentDB is an awesome cloud database for mobile apps. It has everything a mobile developer needs, a fully managed NoSQL database as a service that scales on demand, and can bring your data where your users go around the globe -- completely transparently to your application. Today we are excited to announce Azure DocumentDB SDK for Xamarin mobile platform, enabling mobile apps to interact directly with DocumentDB, without a middle-tier.

Here is what mobile developers get out of the box with DocumentDB:

DocDB Xamrin_300

  • Rich queries over schemaless data. DocumentDB stores data as schemaless JSON documents in heterogeneous collections, and offers rich and fast queries without the need to worry about schema or indexes.
  • Fast. Guaranteed. It takes only few milliseconds to read and write documents with DocumentDB. Developers can specify the throughput they need and DocumentDB will honor it with 99.99% SLA.
  • Limitless Scale. Your DocumentDB collections will grow as your app grows. You can start with small data size and 100s requests per second and grow to arbitrarily large, 10s and 100s of millions requests per second throughput, and petabytes of data.
  • Globally Distributed. Your mobile app users are on the go, often across the world. DocumentDB is a globally distributed database, and with just one click on a map it will bring the data wherever your users are.
  • Built-in rich authorization. With DocumentDB you can easy to implement popular patterns like per-user data, or multi-user shared data without custom complex authorization code.
  • Geo-spatial queries. Many mobile apps offer geo-contextual experiences today. With the first class support for geo-spatial types DocumentDB makes these experiences very easy to accomplish.
  • Binary attachments. Your app data often includes binary blobs. Native support for attachments makes it easier to use DocumentDB as one-stop shop for your app data.

Let's build an app together!

Step #1. Get Started

It's easy to get started with DocumentDB, just go to Azure portal, create a new DocumentDB account,  go to the Quickstart tab, and download a Xamarin Forms todo list sample, already connected to your DocumentDB account.

Or if you have an existing Xamarin app, you can just add this DocumentDB NuGet package. Today we support Xamarin.IOS, Xamarin.Android, as well as Xamarin Forms shared libraries.

Step #2. Work with data

Your data records are stored in DocumentDB as schemaless JSON documents in heterogeneous collections. You can store documents with different structures in the same collection.

Screenshot 2017-01-23 14.44.12

In your Xamarin projects you can use language integtated queries over schemaless data:

Screenshot 2017-01-23 14.47.29

Step #3. Add Users

Like many get started samples, the DocumentDB sample you downloaded above authenticates to the service using master key hardcoded in the app's code. This is of course not a good idea for an app you intend to run anywhere except your local emulator. If an attacker gets a hold of the master key, all the data across your DocumentDB account is compromised.

Instead we want our app to only have access to the records for the logged in user. DocumentDB allows developers to grant application read or read/write access to all documents in a collection, a set of documents, or a specific document, depending on the needs.

Here is for example, how to modify our todo list app into a multi-user todolist app, a complete version of the sample is available here

  • Add Login to your app, using Facebook, Active Directory or any other provider.
  • Create a DocumentDB UserItems collection with /userId as a partition key. Specifying partition key for your collection allows DocumentDB to scale infinitely as the number of our app users growth, while offering fast queries.
  • Add DocumentDB Resource Token Broker, a simple Web API that authenticates the users and issues short lived tokens to the logged in users with access only to the documents within the user's partition. In this example we host Resource Token Broker in App Service.
  • Modify the app to authenticate to Resource Token Broker with Facebook and request the resource tokens for the logged in Facebook user, then access users data in the UserItems collection.

This diagram illustrates the solution. We are investigating eliminating the need for Resource Token Broker by supporting OAuth in DocumentDB first class, please upvote this uservoice item if you think it's a good idea!

Now if we want two users get access to the same todolist, we just add additional permissions to the access token in Resource Token Broker. You can find the complete sample here.

Step #4. Scale on demand.

DocumentDB is a managed database as a service. As your user base grows, you don't need to worry about provisioning VMs or increasing cores. All you need to tell DocumentDB is how many operations per second (throughput) your app needs. You can specify the throughput via portal Scale tab using a measure of throughput called Request Units per second (RUs). For example, a read operation on a 1KB document requires 1 RU. You can also add alerts for "Throughput" metric to monitor the traffic growth and programmatically change the throughput as alerts fire.

Step #5. Go Planet Scale!

As your app gains popularity, you may acquire users accross the globe. Or may be you just don't want to be caught of guard if a meteorite strkes the Azure data centers where you created your DocumentDB collection. Go to Azure portal, your DocumentDB account, and with a click on a map, make your data continuously replicate to any number of regions accross the world. This ensures your data is available whereever your users are, and you can add failover policies to be prepared for the rainy day.

We hope you find this blog and samples useful to take advantage of DocumentDB in your Xamarin application. Similar pattern can be used in Cordova apps using DocumentDB JavaScript SDK, as well as native iOS / Android apps using DocumentDB REST APIs.

As always, let us know how we are doing and what improvements you'd like to see going forward for DocumentDB through UserVoice, StackOverflow #azure-documentdb, or Twitter @DocumentDB.


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  • hardie karges 12:47 pm on January 28, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,

    #Lahore #Pakistan, Part III: Swimming to Afghanistan

    Best Ice Cream in Lahore

    Best Ice Cream in Lahore

    After a day or two, Lahore is fairly predictable, with old city and historic sights and shopping—for others.  The food is less attractive than India’s rampant vegetarian options, but good enough. At least there are some broad avenues to walk if and when I want them.  There’s only one real problem—no women.  It’s not that I’m looking to get laid.  I just want to look at something in my field of vision besides a bunch of old men with beards or young men without. Old men with bean bellies selling fresh-cut flowers?  Gross!

    I’d say the ratio of men to women on the street is about 100:1, and I’m probably being generous.  It’s not that there are none, mind you, or that the ones there are all burkha’d to the max.  They just aren’t there, for the most part (and the ones there are not driving motorbikes, either).  I don’t know why women have to be kept behind closed doors, and I don’t know why some men—and apparently an entire religion—feel threatened by female empowerment.

    Women are really pretty nice people once you get to know them.  Some of my best friends are women (sshhh! Don’t tell).  True, if they got too much power, then they might just ditch us males totally, keeping only a few for breeding purposes, but they wouldn’t do that, would they?  And admittedly ‘female empowerment’ in the Thai fashion is not optimal, either, and probably where ‘free women’ get their bad rep, but still…  There is entirely too much testosterone here in one place, with no outlet. (More …)

  • hardie karges 12:38 pm on January 27, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,

    #Lahore #Pakistan: Part II, Not-so-Mellow Drama and Backpack Flashbacks

    Old Lahore #1

    Old Lahore #1

    My first day’s not-so-mellow drama in Lahore is far from over after the runaround from the border.  Despite the fact that I’m feeling a bit peaked, I agree to go to the ‘Sufi dancing’, hosted by one of the hostel’s hangers-on; let’s call him Hassan, Hassan-i-Sabbah, nickname Cheb, yeah.  Now I was expecting some sort of sit-down concert setting.  But what we got was far different: a crowded side room at a Sufi mosque.

    The ‘sit-down’ was cross-legged with people stepping on me and over me for hours.  But the drumming was good, and so was the dance, the goal being trance, apparently.  Critics would probably say they’re just getting dizzy, disoriented and exhausted.  But I suppose that’s a release in itself.  The lights go out soon enough, as they do all the time with the rolling blackouts which are commonplace in Pakistan.  That’s one way to avoid increased electricity bills, I guess.

    Then at one point Hassan excuses himself to go the toilet—for an hour.  This is after asking me if I wanted some hashish, which is being fired up in abundance, along with tobacco cigarettes and incense, enough smoke to float a Goodyear blimp.  As the place grows more and more crowded, I start growing a little uneasy.  I have no control over any of this. (More …)

  • hardie karges 1:23 pm on January 25, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , ,

    #Lahore #Pakistan: Part I, Crossing Borders

    Mall Road, Lahore, Pakistan

    Mall Road, Lahore, Pakistan

    The line that divides India and Pakistan is one of the world’s most definitive borders, visible from space, and cross-able at only one point, and even then with no special ease—no international buses or trains do the route and flights cost out the yin-yang. You have to take taxis, cheap enough to the border itself for the special daily closings, but not intended for actual crossings. Only limited amounts of freight cross, too, the majority going by sea, between two countries with miles of contiguous border.

    The reasons for this go beyond the scope of this write, but the relationship is not always cozy, to say the least. But already in Amritsar on the Indian side the region is starting to feel a bit different, a bit more like what Uzbekistan felt like, though I dream of those broad avenues right now, and don’t expect Pakistan to be much better on that account. It’s over-crowded, too, and I don’t expect that to change any time soon. That’s where I’ll soon be, two taxi rides away. There are just a few pesky details.

    Post Office in Lahore, Pakistan

    Post Office in Lahore, Pakistan

    It is an axiom of independent travel that you break your big bills whenever and wherever you can, especially if you’re using ATM’s. That’s the way they work, and you can’t really ask for small change. It’s much more convenient to do it before you really need them. Another less savory aspect of the game is dealing with skanky bills, those limp mangy ones that you really don’t even want to touch, much less put in your pocket. In India they have refined this to a high art. Bills are used until they’re almost—almost—falling apart. The minute they get even a small tear, though, no one will take them. And God forbid you try to mend one with tape. Now it’s marked for life.

    Everybody gets stuck with them, though, of course. That’s another high art. You slough them off on to unsuspecting victims: kids, old people, beggars—and foreigners, of course. People you’ll never see again are prime marks. Night time is the right time. On my last day in India I’ve still got one, and relatively big, almost a dollar US. I’ve given up looking for suckers and I really don’t want to hold it for two-three months, or even two-three days. So when my taxi driver to the border asks for a tip—you guessed it. Now I’m good.

    This is one of the most sterile borders I’ve ever seen. Many are an absolute cacophony of sights and sounds, and an entrepot for trading and smuggling: not here. So few people cross this border that it’s no wonder that the two sides have diverged so fully. The two peoples are genetically virtually identical, linguistically the same, but thousands of miles apart culturally. If Pakistan takes its cues from Islam and Arabia, then India takes its cues from… itself, and its past.

    Lahore Backpackers Hostel, Pakistan

    Lahore Backpackers Hostel, Pakistan

    There are few touts in Pakistan, just the sun-glass sellers and the few tuk-tuk drivers who speak enough English to be a nuisance. I wish my driver from the border had spoken more. We had problems right from the start, he finally conveying to me that his tuk-tuk can’t enter the urban zone, probably because it’s a two-stroke smogger, probably doing double service as a mosquito fogger. So he drops me off at the edge of town, and puts me on another tuk-tuk to Mall Road, my destination.

    The new tuk-tuk just drops me off, too, at the intersection of Mall Road, far out of the center. But I don’t have a map, so I don’t know any of that. The next time I travel, I will have GPS, confirmed. So a new tuk-tuk driver picks me up, doesn’t speak a word of English, and the comedy only thickens. We get stopped by cops—twice—the second of which takes a thumbprint of me since I don’t have a cell-phone (!?), all to take me to a mall, that I don’t want to go to.

    “I’m just a tourist! I want to find my room!” Showing a print-out of my hostel reservation does no good. Finally—finally—I find a driver who speaks some English. He knows what I want, more or less. But he can’t find it right away, either. After another half-dozen false endings, I finally see a sign for my hostel. “Stop! Stop here! Thank God! Allahu akhbar!” Lesson: take the more expensive taxi from the border to town.

    And the Mall Road area where my hostel is located is not bad, definitely an improvement over most of India. This is as good as the best I saw in Delhi and the worst I’ve seen here so far is far better than the worst I saw there. I feel as though the bacteria are at bay here, no small consideration with a lingering sore throat. That’s a good time to indulge in some cough syrup, but they won’t sell you the good stuff over the counter. To rub salt in the wound, it’s alcohol-free; just my luck: Muslim cough syrup.

    The food in Pakistan is very different from India, though much of that is available, too. In addition, there are kebabs, shashlik, shawarma, etc., the standard Muslim fare from Morocco to here. Strangely there are few curries, their natural birthright and definitely considered ‘Muslim food’ in SE Asia. Such is the DNA of cuisine. Then there are tons of nuts, which I don’t remember seeing in India at all, and of course: dates, straight from Arabia no doubt. They DO have French fries, though. I’m good.

    (to be continued)

  • hardie karges 3:51 am on January 24, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Amritsar, , , , ,

    India the Mother: Passing through Amritsar, looking for Kulcha

    Sikh Gold Temple in Amritsar, India

    Sikh Gold Temple in Amritsar, India

    The train ride from Delhi to Amritsar is like a dream, due to the difference between cheap ‘sleeper-class’ and ‘2nd class sleeper’, though I won’t comment on the semantics. I only know it cost 3-4 times as much. I guess the previous was ‘rack rate’, like being placed on a rack, in a freezer, and slowly frozen to death. This was much nicer, windows that actually shut tight, complete with heat, and sheet.

    The weather outside is certainly no nicer. For not only have I been coming steadily westward from Kolkata, but steadily northward also, daytime temps tolerable at 15C/59F, but no spring picnic. I bet it’s cold in Kabul, too. That’s where I’m supposed to be in about a week or two. I know exactly what the temps are in February at 35N latitude at 6000 feet elevation.

    The big deal in Amritsar is the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh shrines, and the one that cost former President Indira Gandhi her life, when she ordered it stormed to seize so-called separatists holed up there. Her Sikh bodyguards didn’t forgive her that transgression. Other than that, there isn’t much to do here, just wander another Indian town dreary and dingy, especially when it’s raining.

      (More …)

  • hardie karges 3:23 am on January 22, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: bckpackers, , , , , ,

    India the Matrix: Passing through Delhi, looking for coffee

    Train station, India

    Train station, India

    The bus from Bikaner drops us off in Delhi, in the dark, on the side of the road, next to the pissing wall, right in the middle of a huge mud-puddle, and with little pomp or ceremony otherwise. At least the train usually takes you to a station somewhere. It’s 6 a.m., and that means it’s still dark in Delhi, in January. But that’s the trade-off, I guess: bus for train, comfort for convenience.

    The bus was certainly more comfortable. I had my own single sleeper. The other side of the bus has doubles, so I guess you and your’n could double-clutch in sync with the bus if you felt so inclined, tres kinky. No one would ever know, what with the bumping and grinding from the bus already. India is not known for its smooth roads.

      (More …)

  • hardie karges 12:23 pm on January 18, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: backoacjers, Bikaner, , , , , Rasthan

    #Bikaner #Rajasthan #India : Camels and Corn, Babes and Beards…

    Rajasthan beauties at Bikaner's camel festival

    Rajasthan beauties at Bikaner’s camel festival

    Bikaner is not on most people’s tourist itineraries, backpacker or package tour, and that’s a shame, because it has some things that are in short supply on the road—human warmth and friendliness, for one… uh, two. Now that may sound corny, but it’s currency when you’re a long way from home, with no direction clearly shown. Apart from that, it’s just another dusty Rajasthan desert city, with more camels than cows, and more goats than sows, forbidden in Islam, of course, of which there are quite a few here, like all good ‘stans.

    But once a year the place comes alive with its eponymous camel festival, and that’s when the locals get to strut their stuff—the women, the men, and the camels, too. For the women that means donning the glittering nose rings, ankle bracelets and red robes for which they are famous, and the men let their beards fly to the wind, which must surely otherwise be bound by turbans and tradition. Here and now it becomes a cause celebre, and best of all: you’re invited.

    Rajasthan's manliest at Bikaner's camel festival

    Rajasthan’s manliest at Bikaner’s camel festival

    If tourists are sometimes shuttled and shuffled around at a speed that would seem to make enjoyment difficult, here they’re encouraged to join in on the ceremonies, especially feats of strength like tug-of-war (which the foreigners are bound to lose). Then there are the beauty pageants for the local women, something similar for the local men (featuring significant beardliness), and the ever-present spectacle of the camels themselves. Night time features a cultural show of dancing and music which is well worth the effort. Did I mention that the whole shebang is free? That includes entry to the town’s fort.

    If interaction with the locals is the holy grail of independent travel, then this is about as good as it gets; no wonder, either, since they had a big hand in creating the event some 20-odd years ago. But it’s not just that nor the tugs-of-war. About every five to ten minutes, some local will come up to you and ask: 1) Where are you from? 2) What’s your name? 3) How do you like Bikaner? Like I say, it’s all corny, but generally sincere and genuine. I’ve heard about those kinds of queries long ago from 60’s-era travelers, but never experienced it—really, anywhere—myself. It’s sweet, if silly.

    Backdtage at the Bikaner camel festival

    Backdtage at the Bikaner camel festival

    The only problem in being off the tourist circuit is that some things almost taken for granted elsewhere—like WiFi—fall short. “What do you mean ‘technical problem’?” I bellowed. “That ‘technical problem’ is called ‘paying your bill’ and don’t insult my intelligence by telling me it’ll take 2-3 days to fix, exactly the length of my stay. I’m a travel writer, and I’ll skewer you.” I’ve never said anything like that before. So he gave me a pre-paid dongle for my USB port, problem solved, best Internet I’ve had all trip. So much for the soft touch. Don’t mess with my WiFi, dude.

    Unfortunately the last day of the three-day affair is held out in the desert, and this could be the best part, featuring the camels themselves, of course, in their native habitat. But alas and alack, that’s 27mi/45km away, and I ain’t got no ride. It’d probably be over by the time I got there anyway (pardon me while I riff on Townes’ ‘Marie’). Or I’d probably miss my night bus if I risked it, or the taxi would charge me twice the rate to come back, being captive and all. Oh, well, maybe next time.

    Camel high-fashion in Bikaner, India

    Camel high-fashion in Bikaner, India

    But the strangest part of the trip was my hotel itself. After the WiFi hassle, the room was still cramped and iceberg-like, and I’m not talking lettuce (I prefer red-leaf BTW). The windows were only translucent, so I couldn’t even see the pigeons flocking on the other side. This is the most upscale hotel of my entire trip, and the results were worst, though the Cable TV was nice (if no substitute for WiFi).

    Then on checkout I returned the dongle and asked for the bill (Indian room bills are usually done at the end of the stay). “No bill.” Not for the dongle, I know. “I mean for the room.” “No bill.” So I assume I must have prepaid it on Priceline, which works with Agoda and Booking.com and others, so confusing sometimes, as to which one works which way.

    This confusion has already happened—both ways—twice before on this trip. But if they say it’s paid, then I don’t argue. Thing is: I can’t find the payment anywhere. I think they comped me. Being an a**hole really works. Now I know. So let me tell you about this great hotel where I stayed…

  • hardie karges 2:08 pm on January 15, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Jodhpuyr

    Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India: Almost Blue

    Jodhpur, India: Blue City

    Jodhpur, India: Blue City

    At the Rajasthan state line, there are changes that must simply come with the state’s identity: camels appear as if on cue.  Here you’re just as likely to hear as greeting an “as salaamu aleikum” as you are a “namaste,” i.e. Urdu not Hindi.  Here you’ll likely see a woman or two in a burkha if you look hard enough.  There are lots of women in Rajasthan’s favorite color red, many of them driving motorbikes.

    Best of all, though, is the blue sky, and the sunshine, and the reduction of fog/smog/smoke/dust clouding the skies elsewhere.  It’s not true desert yet, but it’s getting there, more Sahel than Sahara, more Texas than Arizona.  Clothes dry overnight. I like Jodhpur (pronounced ‘Joad-pur’, aka ‘the blue city’), probably the first city in India I’ve truly liked.  Unlike Jaipur’s mock-up ‘pink city’, here the accommodations are right in the heart of the city and the thick of the action—the clock-tower market area.  I think I’ll stay a few days.

      (More …)

  • hardie karges 3:11 am on January 13, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , Jaipur

    Got Kolkata, Been to Benares, Vied for Agra, Jaded Pink in Jaipur…

    Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, India

    Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, India

    My train from Varanasi to Agra left three hours late, so by the time it arrived it was eight hours late, of course, thus throwing my whole schedule for the day off.  What was intended to be a brief stopover in Agra for the Taj and maybe the Red Fort became an overnight fast crash and an early morning tour of the world-famous masjid and mausoleum.  The only problem is that it delayed my arrival in Jaipur by a full day, confusing my hotel booking.  Such are the trials and tribs of travel.

    So I enlisted a fellow traveler named Yoshi—from Japan, of course—to help mitigate my lodging conundrums on what was admittedly a bit pricey to begin with… $15 a night, yeow!  With him sharing and the hotel finally not charging for the unclaimed night, I came out okay.  I think that’s only because I didn’t protest when they initially indicated I’d have to pay all three nights as booked. I just shrugged—and sulked—Indian-like, rather than protest American-like.  They caved. Score one for the soft touch.

      (More …)

  • hardie karges 3:56 pm on January 10, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Agra, , Taj mahal

    From the Big Bang to the Taj Mahal

    Taj Mahal in fog at sunrise…

    The fact that the Big Band has slowed down and cooled off enough that you can actually touch the frequencies is a source of endless fascination for me. It didn’t have to be this way, after all—unless you believe in intelligent design—especially not in some multi-planet array splayed out like harp-strings on a gold frame, delicately tuned to produce the sweetest of harmonies. And if that’s not incredible enough, then the rise of biological life from that primordial pop and fizz is a pretty strong second act.

    From there the plot only thickens. If the evolution of bacteria from blue-green algae is not so incredible, then the ascent/descent of homo sapiens sapiens certainly is. Then what? India’s place in space and time is about as unlikely as anything else in the universe, and more unlikely than most. This is chaos at its finest, proceeding from point to point with no center, much less any central plan, just like biological evolution itself. And just look what it gets you.

    (More …)

  • hardie karges 2:52 am on January 10, 2014 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ghats, , , Varanasi

    Benares/Vanaras/Varanasi: Sacred Cows, Sacred Water

    Benares/Varanasi, City of the holy Ganges

    If Goa is too groovy and Rishikesh too guru-y, then Vanaras (locally no one says “Varanasi”) may be just the place for a person wanting the authentic Indian experience. It’s got everything: all the filth and chaos that India in general is known for, a decent batch of tourist sights and sites, plus a healthy dose of the religious experience that still attracts many psychic adventurers.

    That includes a healthy dose of ashrams and spiritual centers, Indian music recital halls, a plethora of temples, and of course the famous ghats down by the water which are special places of bathing, worship… and cremation. Cremation is actually one of the main causes of pollution in the river Ganges, which is revered as the source of life for many Indians, and a place to die for many more. (More …)

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Advertising Agency Software: What You Need to Know

There are many different types of software that an advertising agency needs to conduct business efficiently. Here are some examples of tasks that can be supported by software that is currently available to agencies:

ï Create estimates and quotes, invoices and schedules for client approval
ï Prepare drafts of a new brochure, print ad, or annual report for review
ï Manage client feedback on direct mail materials
ï Track key project milestone dates
ï Prepare and review media plans
ï Prepare a storyboard presentation for a client
ï Prepare market research
ï Schedule project tasks
ï Review rough cuts
ï Create project timelines
ï Manage external client and prospect requests
ï Schedule media
ï Time tracking
ï Track expenses against estimates
ï Plan and analyze resources usage
ï Accounting and bookkeeping

To meet these needs, an advertising agency should consider the following:

Graphic Design Software ñ The agency will need a creative design Application Suite like Macromedia Design Suite or
Adobe Creative Suite to do the basic graphic design, storyboarding and other more creative aspects of producing
advertising material.

Audio and Video Editing Software ñ If they do the mockups of their radio and television commercials in-house they will need to be able to edit them for client review before they turn everything over to the actual production company that produces the final versions.

Office Applications – Most companies use Microsoft Office for word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software since it has become the standard for businesses.

Contact Manager ñ The agency needs a good contact manager to keep track of all of their client information. Larger agencies may want to opt for a sophisticated customer relations management (CRM) system instead.

Email Client ñ An agency needs a good email client. Although there are a lot of good email clients available, Outlook is the business standard and has scheduling capabilities for meetings, distribution lists, public folders, the ability to flag all correspondence from specific individual clients and basic content management capabilities.

Project management, Time & Expense Tracking Software ñ because they work on individual projects, an agency needs software that can track all of the costs associated with each project. The software should be able to track employee time with the ability to use split rates and multiple rates, raw materials, outsourced invoices, etc.

Accounting Software ñ They need standard accounting software that provides invoicing, accounts receivable, accounts payable and general ledger functions. Larger agencies may need the software to handle multiple currencies and tax codes.

New Possibilities

With the advent of extranets, special software suites have been developed specifically for advertising agencies. They include programs that can provide contact management, time & expense tracking, project management, scheduling and email management. Some of the applications can even interface directly with the firmís accounting software.

Another innovation is the client service extranet. They have replaced email as the favored forum for sharing and organizing the vast number of documents that are part of all client/agency relationships.

Using an extranet allows all employees, vendors, suppliers, clients and others on the project team to have real time access to all of the pertinent project details from anywhere in the world. Best of all, an extranet makes it possible to share the design documents, audio and video clips with the project online in real time. No more waiting for courier delivery or a face-to-face meeting providing better customer service than ever before possible.

More info’s and free registrations (restricted to  pros), please join our live seminar

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Cressey Bail Bonds

If you ever find yourself in need of Cressey Bail Bonds, there is nothing to worry about! Bail Bonds Network makes it simple to locate and contact a licensed bail bonds agent in Cressey, California. Numerous Cressey CA bail bonds agents can bail you (or another person) out anytime day or night in Cressey CA. At your request, many bail bond agents will come pick you up privately. Installment payment plans are often available depending on case by case basis.

Upon arrest anywhere in Merced county, a person must be processed at the Merced county jail. In order to be released from jail, several steps must occur, including being booked into jail and posting bail. Once the bail amount is decided, a bail bond agent is sent to post the bail bond at the local jail. At this time the jail release procedure begins and typically can take anywhere from one to two hours to complete. While cash bonds are permitted, it is normally not frequently done due to financial limitations.

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It can be extremely stressful when you or your loved one ends up in jail, and not knowing how bail bonds work can add on an extra element of frustration. We have created a simple guide to help you understand exactly how bail works, both at the national level and within your state.
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Our guide on bail bonds amounts is comprehensive, showing bail amounts you may see for various charges, both felonies and misdemeanors. How much bail is set to can vary based on jurisdiction, criminal history, and input from the judge. Bail Bonds Network's research focuses on all these factors to help you prepare.
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We are the trusted source for bail bonds, as well as financial help and guidance when you cannot afford to pay for the bail bond fee. Every day, we are contacted by great people who simply want to get their loved one out of jail. Read our guide to learn more about all your options, including bail emergency loans, and bail charities who often bail out low income individuals for free.
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April 2, 2014

PM of Kazakhstan Serik Akhmetov resigns

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Akhmetov has resigned today. It has been accepted by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Akhmetov was appointed Prime Minister in September 2012.

Location: Central Asia, south of Russia and northwest of China
Comparative Area: Ninth largest in the world, equivalent to the size of Western Europe. Four times the size of Texas. Five times the size of France
Independence: December 16, 1991
National Holiday: Republic Day, October 25 (1991)
Population: 14.9 million
Ethnic Diversity: Kazakh 51.8%, Russian 31.4%, Ukrainian 4.4%, Tatar 1.7%, German 1.6%. There are over 100 other nationalities.
Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, other 9%
Languages: Kazakh, spoken by over 52% of the population, is the state language. Russian, spoken by two-thirds of the population, is used in everyday business and enjoys official status under the Constitution.
Literacy: 98%
Monetary Unit: Tenge (KZT) - equal to 100 tyins. It was introduced on November 15, 1993. Exchange rate is floating, fully convertible and recently has moved in a range of 145 - 155 KZT to the dollar.
Capital: Astana (since December 10,1997).


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Barslund hag great experience in Hydraulic Engineering Work. We specialize in the following areas:

• Green wetlands
• Coastal protection
• Port and wharf work
• Sea pipes

At Barslund we have the large experience it takes when projects are conducted in or around water.
The recent storms in Denmark and Sweden have increased the demand and the need to both repair and prevent damage. We can help find the perfect solution for large as well as small aquaculture projects.

You can see our Hydraulic Engineering Work references here


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‘The Joker’ To Be Failed ComedianAccording to The Wrap, The…

‘The Joker’ To Be Failed Comedian

According to The Wrap, The Joker origin film will portray the Batman villain as failed comedian (like the graphic novel The Killing Joke). The movie is said to take place in the 80s. The report also states that Joaquin Phoenix is close to a deal to play The Joker (news first reported last month). The film will be directed by Todd Phillips and produced by Martin Scorsese.

Read more at The Wrap


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Memory Box

I bought a box.

And in it I placed letters-to-self, name-tags from various functions, cards from home, and pamphlets from everything from the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit to programs from my friends’ presentations at their English major colloquium.  I believe that this relatively small collection will sum up four years of my life when I go through it with my future children, or maybe in a few years with a glass of wine in my hand.  I’m ashamed to admit that for months, three shopping bags have sat in the corner of my bedroom, mostly untouched since May 12th, waiting for me to comb through them and decide what is vital to my memories of the best period of my life thus far.  Sure, I shifted these from place to place on my bedroom floor, and one used to hide in the back of my closet as it contained items from the beginning of college, but more or less I have ignored them because I feared the wave of emotions that would accompany the process of going through each little piece of my life.

But in the past few days, the mess finally got to me. I opened the bags and sorted it all.

And amazingly, I survived.

I got a little choked up while sorting through the bags, like when I read a Candlelight prayer reflection I wrote at the end of my sophomore year about saying goodbye to two dear friends who would be graduating that spring.  But mostly I laughed and marveled at the growth and major accomplishments that each item represented.   Some brought images of people that hadn’t entered my mind in a long time, memories of a time when the real world seemed like a generation away.  And others brought up moments that feel like they just happened yesterday – has it really been nearly 8 months since I shared an apartment with five of the most hilarious, fun-loving, and supportive people I have ever met??  But naturally, a few items came to represent bigger moments or especially fun memories, and those are the ones I’d like to share:

1. Glowstick

Contrary to first impressions in listing this as one of my favorite items, I am by no means, and never have been, in the habit of going to raves.  No, this little formerly glowing green glowstick came from my first college party down in “the Valley” – the center of all the action at AC (especially to underclassmen) – that I went to with a friend during freshman year.  We felt SO cool, chatting with the older senior boys that we knew and sipping minimal amounts of jungle juice (“Isn’t that the stuff everyone always warns you about??” we said to each other), and when we told our other friends about our adventure the next day, I think we definitely had way too much pride in our newly discovered rule-breaking ways.

2. Notes

Personal favorite from one of my dearest friends and senior year roommate, written during sophomore year on a sticky note I found on my door after I woke up: “Briotch! I was here and you were sleeping. ❤ A”.  I’m fairly certain that it’s notes like these that will continue to make me laugh no matter how old I am when I crack this box open.

3. Official Letters

Acceptances to the Campus Ministry Core Team.  Notification of my roommate group’s approval to live in the LLC. Official notice of being a recipient of the Crown and Shield Award.  These letters marked very significant parts of my undergraduate experience.  But I also kept the rejection letters, too.  Because who doesn’t need to be humbled every now and then and reminded that you can’t get it all, but that in no way makes you a failure.  Everything happens for a reason, so those rejection letters provide memories of the opportunities that came about even though I didn’t get what I at one point wanted so terribly.

4. 22nd Birthday Cards

In a word, hilarious. My 22nd was probably my favorite birthday EVER.  Even better than my 21st. My roommates and I had a huge party, for which they decorated the apartment like crazy, my best friend from home came for the festivities, and it just so happened to be Alumni Weekend, so some of my favorite ex-seniors were in Worcester to join in on the celebration.  These cards reminded me of so much laughter and friendship from people who I sadly don’t get to see all that often any more.  I had a BLAST – I wore a new sparkly dress and danced my little heart out while running all over and trying to see all my favorites.  And those cards reminded me of all the friends that had surrounded me on that day, which was the exact opposite of the kind of birthday I had this year, on which I worked and went to class and felt like I had hurriedly answered birthday texts all day on my sparse downtime.  And since this year’s birthday felt so lonely, it warmed my heart to be reminded of all those who had surrounded me with love and fun just a year before, and just because they weren’t there this year doesn’t mean their love still isn’t present in my life.

5. Senior Week Bracelet

Neon yellow-green. Black font. The ticket to all fun and games of the week right before graduation.  Cutting off that bracelet just prior to Baccalaureate Mass that Friday was definitely the end of an era, however short that era actually was.  And that’s all I think I’m going to say about that….

6. Retreat materials

Without a doubt, these will always bring tears and the realization of how far I have actually come in faith and in being myself.  Everything from homemade place-mats to talks I gave to journals responding to the experiences I had while on retreat help to paint a picture of who I was and who I became in four short years, and how my faith brought me along that journey.  And no matter what life brings me, I know these items will always fill me with START LOVE.

I suspect the box will stay shut for a time; however, I know full well that I’ll dig it out and review so many happy times and periods of growth.  But I also know that I will very likely have to buy more boxes in the future to fit all the other memories that are sure to be made in the years ahead.

Bidding Adieu to 2012

When I was younger, I liked to journal around the end of the year and do my own personal “Year in Review.”  Those seeking secrets can comb through the various journals to find what notable events happened in my life in February 2006, for example, or at any point during my senior year in high school.  I lost enthusiasm for the tradition a few years back though, but since this is my first New Year’s with a blog, I figure what better way than to revive that habit here?

2012.  For years, the idea of this year inhabited a far-off corner of my mind as the year in the future during which I would graduate college, and as such, it seemed so distant.  But a year ago at this point in time, the clock struck midnight and suddenly reality sunk in that many cherished parts of my life would come to an end.  But I don’t think I had any concept of all that would begin, either.  For in one year’s time, while I did see the endings in the form of the accomplishment of some major goals, including earning a Bachelor’s degree and completing an undergraduate thesis, I embarked on several new and exciting moments, too.

The first is the teaching career I have longed dreamed of.  I went to the wedding of a friend from high school a few weeks ago where I was reunited with a few old friends and acquaintances from high school.  Those I had lost touch with expressed a similar sentiment to me: “You’re teaching!!! That’s what you always wanted to do!!”  And there was something so refreshing and inspiring in that.  It’s so easy to become bogged down in the everyday stress of my first-year of teaching, and to have a reminder of that long-held dream was warmly welcomed to give me the refreshment I needed to get me through the second half of this long but fruitful year.

I also started graduate school.  While I openly admit I am not the student I once was, which I suspect is the case with anyone who pursues a degree while working full-time, it sometimes gives me chills to think how in a relatively short period of time I will be one step further along in my career.  Whenever I am on campus for class, I often overhear conversations of undergraduates and marvel at how that was me not too long ago – it seems so distant and yet it is not at all.

But I have also begun adulthood more fully this year, a less tangible beginning than a career or an education, but all the more important in many ways.  Here I am, juggling work and school and responsibilities and friendships with people scattered literally all over the country, as life often spreads those closest to you at varying geographic distances.  In many ways, it is so incredibly scary to think how much more adulthood will bring within the coming years: more bills, more duties at work, my own place to live, relationships, maybe even a family.  And as scary as it is, it so incredibly exciting.  There is so much unknown that is waiting to be discovered, and while, with every unknown, there are sure to be challenges and disappointments, I also know from experience that some of the most beautiful blessings come from the unknown as well.

I will always have nostalgia for the year that was 2012, a year that started with living amongst some of the greatest friends in the world with whom I made happy memories on a constant basis and that ended amidst newness and transition. But here’s to 2013, a year that will hopefully bring many more beginnings and exciting and memorable moments in life with friends and family.

Your Friends Make Your World

Join me for a frappucino at Starbucks sometime; you’ll notice I do something strange with my straw wrappers.  After unwrapping the straw, I tie the crinkly paper wrapper into a knot and pull it until it breaks. Two of my dear friends from home taught me years ago that if the paper breaks perfectly so that the knot comes undone, then someone is thinking about you. If there is a knot in either side, well, then you are out of luck.

One of our yearly summer adventures

Now, I am not a particularly superstitious person, but I always follow this one little gesture through, although its not about whether or not someone is thinking of me (however, I will confess that I sometimes giggle at the broken knot if I’ve been thinking of someone, hoping that they are thinking of me too).  Each time the paper breaks, I feel like I am back with the three friends who always follow this trick, no matter where we are at the present moment.  In pulling that straw wrapper tight, I am transported back to when we were 16 and 17, meeting at Friendly’s for ice cream dates to stress over finals and AP exams, prom dresses and college applications. I can picture Jen’s scrunched up face as she concentrates on thinking of one of us in order to make the knot break (with minimal effectiveness), or remember the random restaurants from our yearly beach trips where all four of us have tied our straw wrappers at the same time to see who the lucky lady would be.

As the years have passed and life has grown all the more complicated,  reunions with these girls become tougher and more difficult to plan, so this single, mechanical action is like a reunion in memory, lasting just a few seconds, but bringing a small smile nonetheless.  One is currently completing an internship hundreds of miles away in Washington DC, another is seriously contemplating a move to New York City to pursue her dream writing career, and the last returned from Alabama last month from Basic Training in the Air Force and will be leaving to begin her study at medical school in less than a week, a step she has been planning go take since the days of those Friendly’s ice cream dates.

At Maura’s graduation from BU this past May.

I miss them all terribly but no matter where life takes us, I know we will always be there for each other to share joy and sorrow. I recently got a job as a teacher, a dream I have consistently pursued since I was about 15 years old.  I wanted nothing more than to call a customary Panera date with these three to tell them all in person. These inspiring and talented young women have encouraged me every step of the way, and emit sincere “awwws” when I tell them a teaching story. I can always count on them to show true interest in my passions, just as I do for them. But we couldn’t all be together to share the big news, so I settled on a phone call ( as this was too big for a simple text!).  Tiff squealed with delight when I called her as she was making her way along the 9 hour trip back home from DC, while I received an ecstatic voicemail from Jen that night after a day of training in return for the one I left her about how I couldn’t wait to tell her the news until we were able to catch each other on the phone.  I’ve known all three of these women since we were in elementary school and after these years of our friendship, I recognized this moment as the step into adulthood.  We’re all college grads now, pursuing our dreams and passions, but I know that no matter where life takes us, we will always have each other.

The next few years are sure to be a bit tumultuous as all of my friends and I settle into careers and post-grad education, but I’ve accepted it. Distance doesn’t mean the friendships are any different, even if we are unable to be there in the way we previously have been for each other through literal physical presence.  But we’re still there.

In the days since graduation, I put a magnet on the large mirror in my bedroom that once found its place on the refrigerator of my senior year apartment.  It reads as follows: “Wherever you are, it is your friends who make your world (William James).”  So whether they are interning in DC, teaching in Kansas City or Connecticut, still living life as an undergrad in Worcester, completing a year of service in New Orleans, starting grad school in Providence or Pittsburgh, laying the foundations of their careers in the Boston area, or following a dream in New York, my world will always consist of my beautiful, supportive, one-of a-kind, gift-from-God friends.


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WhatsApp recently rolled out two beta updates which brought multiple new features such as ‘High Priority Notifications’ and the ability to download your data report. The company has now released a new beta update which lets admin restrict groups giving them more control over who can join in.

The latest update (version 2.18.132), now available in the beta program, allows admins to set permissions to prevent a group’s regular members from editing group info. We tested the feature on the new WhatsApp beta build, and here’s how it works:

The update brings permissions control to admins with the Group settings options in the group info menu. Here Edit group info lets admins specify who can edit group title, description and photo. In previous versions, any group member could change these.

Selecting the Only admins option restricts permissions, and regular members will see an error message when they try to change a group title, description or photo.

However, if the admin chooses the All participants option, regular members will be able to change any of the details mentioned above.

Creating and removing admins is also easier now. Group settings also gets an Edit group admins page, which is like a dashboard for the original admin to create new admins and revoke admin permissions from any user.


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Rumors swirl about impending SeaWorld buyout

Here we go again. More rumors are swirling about what seems like an impending buyout of the SeaWorld company. The rumors come as Merlin is reportedly in talks to buy up the company, or at least parts of it.

We reported earlier this year that Merlin was very interested in buying the Busch Gardens portion of the company. It seems that Merlin is pursuing the acquisition more than ever, though reports indicate that SeaWorld doesn’t want a split, but would rather be bought out, fully and intact. While Merlin buying out SeaWorld is a possibility, it’s not likely, given the company’s policy on keeping cetaceans. Flatly, the company has pledged to not keep marine mammals in captivity.

Another company that could buyout SeaWorld is flying under the radar, and that’s Zhonghong who earlier this year bought out Blackstone’s remaining shares of SeaWorld. On September 6th, Zhonghong Holding Co Ltd announced a halt on all trade shares, pending an announcement on asset acquisition. The company could very well be the one to buyout SeaWorld as it has the most to gain, especially as the company is looking to use the SeaWorld brand to expand into China.

Another note if interest is that SeaWorld has reportedly offered “Retention Awards”. The RA’s are given to key members of management to be retained in the event of an acquisition of another company. The awards are generally given before a buyout. If it’s true, then the company is not gearing up to sell of a piece, but be completely bought out.

What does this mean? It could mean a great many things, but the biggest would be the total revamping of the company. In most cases of a buyout, the current CEO is replaced. Not all cases, but given the struggling performance of the company in the past few quarters, it’s a likely conclusion that current CEO Joel Manby could be replaced. It also means that the company will betotally controlled by one entity, and you could see changes in the way that it’s presented to the public, such as with stocks.

Is it possible that Merlin could still buy Busch Gardens? Yes, because so far Zhonghong has only shown interest in the SeaWorld brand. Merlin already has a huge footprint in the U.S. with attractions like Legoland, and the Orlando Eye as well as the Madame Tussauds and Sea Life attractions. While it would be sad for the overall brand, it could mean good things for the Busch Garden chain as Merlin parks worldwide are generally well themed and maintained.

For now we’ll have to play “wait and see” if anything will come out of the latest round of rumors. At this point, it feels almost inevitable that the company will be bought out in one way or another.

Stay tuned for more from SeaWorld, and be sure to get social with us on Facebook and follow along with us on Twitter @BehindThrills for the latest updates!″>For our latest theme park videos please be sure to subscribe to us on YouTube!

For more information about SeaWorld, including tickets, visit the official website by clicking here!


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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

General Conference Review

++++Click HERE to access our General Conference Review Lessons for Kids++++

This week at General Conference Book Club, we took the day off to party (aka celebrate two birthdays), eat, and review what we've learned over the last six months of studying the words of our prophets.

To help us "review" we all took a little "test" in order to see what we could remember and also to open up a discussion that would help us recall the precious truths that were taught last conference.  I think the little open book test really worked great, because we had such a fun discussion.  Once we got over the idea of taking a "test" we all loosened up and just had fun with it!

(Boooo!  Test,, awesome!!!)

If you'd like to jog your memory a bit, here is the 20 question quiz.  I used all of the Brethren only once, and most of the questions contain at least one clue.  Good luck and remember, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST!:

1.  Who said "don't hyperventilate" and beside His Son, "imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with."?

2.  After President Monson, who was the first speaker and what animal did he tell a creepy story about?

3.  Which apostle said, "Personal Peace is the reward of righteousness?"

4.  This apostle said that there is a single undeviating standard of sexual morality and that by following it we will experience increased love and joy?  After that talk, he received a fist bump from Elder Perry.

5.  President Uchtdorf taught:  With ______, __________ cannot succeed."

6.  Who taught that "obedience to law is liberty?"

7.  What colors did the women wear in the choir?

8.  Without Christ's Redemption, Elder Christofferson said, "we only have a gospel of ________ justice."  He also taught that the greatest service we can perform for others is to bring them to Christ.

9.  Which apostle, with a law background, taught that true followers of Christ are not casual in their commitment to Him?

10.  Elder Nelson asked us to catch the wave of what?

11.  Name three things that Elder Scott promised would help us to create a Christ-centered home.

12.  What fruit (some say vegetable) did Elder Ballard mention and what power did he advise us to use to strengthen our lives, our families, and the church?

13.  What did President Eyring say we could do to draw closer to Christ?

14.  Who did President Monson tell us we need to be "tolerant to, as well as kind to?"

15.  Which Presidency was reorganized during the last General Conference?

16.  At which session did Elder Hales say "The doctrine is sacred and will not change?"

17.  What did Elder Andersen ask us to expect when we participate in missionary work?

18.  What did Sister Wixon say we should do to "reconnect" with our children?

19.  What common household chore did Sister Dalton mention doing in the Conference Center?  And how did it relate to the point of her talk?

20.  What was your favorite/most memorable teaching from the last General Conference and why?

Fantasy General Conference Brackets are now available for this weekend!

Go to the Fantasy General Conference FB Page, Like them, and download it now!

You don't want to miss a thing!! :)

Peace out, friends and good luck with your GC preparations.

After this, I'm just going to chill till the next episode...
I need to rest up for Modern-Prophet Marathon!

  1. A conference book club is a fun idea!

  2. I agree-- what a great group to be a part of! So how did everyone do on the quiz?

    I'm in the midst of re-reading the April talks, too, but I don't know how well I'd do on your quiz. There's some tricky questions there! :-)

    What a blessing it is that we get to hear from real prophets and apostles every six months! It's so wonderful.

    1. The first question is definitely tricky! But whatever, it was fun. When you're doing it together with friends...more brains put together makes the test easier. It was fun!


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Stefan Ganther – Heritage Buildings Consultant

For me, a foray into a new sector, but the principles remained the same. I interviewed Stefan over the phone and via email to establish his hopes for the site and get some ideas of other sites that have inspired him. The initial process of designing his website produced some ideas based upon those inspirational sites but ultimately yielded a unique beautiful site with some innovative animation of text and images. The example website that had inspired him led me to merge different images with the same text so that a slideshow would show seamlessly.

Posted in Uncategorized.

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Cleaning and Repair of Hearing aids

man looking in microscope

We will clean any brand of hearing aid as required. You can call the office to arrange an appointment or you can drop into the office and we will complete the service as quickly as possible.  If you have time restrictions it may be beneficial to call the office and the receptionist will suggest a time to drop in.

We are also able to complete minor hearing aid repairs in the office. If the repair cannot be done in the office we will send the aid to the manufacturer for repair.  We will honor outstanding warranties even if the aid was purchased at a different facility.  If the aid is no longer under warranty you will be informed of the repair charge upfront.

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Ancient Decal Reveals Primitive Origins of La Lengua Identity

To properly manage the delicate relationship between the Dominion of Bernalwood and our rebellious vassals from La Lengua, it is important for us to understand the longstanding roots of the La Lenguans’ search for autonomy.

Neighbor Ben recently discovered an important artifact that should assist in this quest for historical context. Hiding in plain sight on a vacant Mission Street storefront just north of 30th Street, he found a vintage decal which pledges fealty to the “South of Army – Mission Merchants Association.”

Who were these proto-La Lenguans? What can we infer about the people who roamed the flatlands in the days before Army Street became Cesar Chavez Boulevard? The decal’s intimation that “He Knows You – You Know Him” suggests they were a paternalistic tribe that was closely bound by kinship ties and sharply-defined notions of geographic solidarity.

Minus the paternalistic bias, the same might be said of the La Lenguans of 2012. The contemporary articulation of La Lengua identity is a relatively recent phenomenon, but this decal demonstrates that the area’s sense of geographic “otherness” has been present for a very long time. Good to know.

PHOTO: Neighbor Ben

11 thoughts on “Ancient Decal Reveals Primitive Origins of La Lengua Identity

      • Oh Christ, I’m being an idiot and ignoring that Cesar Chavez doesn’t exactly end where it intersects Mission. This is what happens when I multitask. Or type.

  1. I think this is pretty obvious: It’s a collection of the creation myths of the proto-La Lenguans. They descended from those entering the area on foot from the Golden Gate Bridge, by outrigger canoe from the Faralonnes, by boat then trolley from the Ferry Building and by spaceships landing at all local fire hose nozzle tributes. Only one is true of course, but that is their secret.

  2. “SoAMMA” kind of rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn’t it? Predecessors of SOMAites, for sure. This is a significant leap forward in the anthropological studies regarding the area’s population.

  3. Pingback: New Merchant Association: “We Don’t Know What to Call It Yet, But It Will Certainly Not Be La Lengua” | Bernalwood

  4. Pingback: Hail to the Chief! Meet the New President of Mission-Bernal Merchants Association | Bernalwood

  5. Pingback: Sunday: Join a Fabulous, Fascinating Bernal-La Lengua Walking Tour | Bernalwood

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Call of Agents Android free purchases, a lot of Cash for free, secrets of passing

Call of Agents hack

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Ghost in the Shell

Review: A woman is saved from a terrible crash; once she wakes up she discovers that her mind has been transplanted into an android body.
Director: Rupert Sanders
Actors: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbaek, Takeshi Kitano and Juliette Binoche
Year: 2017
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Fantasy and Sci-Fi
Conclusion: 3/5
Apparently a lot of people have said that Scarlett Johansson is miscast in this and that she shouldn’t have taken the role on. Many have argued that it is an example of “whitewashing”. I thought she was perfectly well suited and did a fantastic job considering what a hard role she had. It was great to see Juliette Binoche take on a different role to her normal sort of work. All the action scenes were very spectacular. It was filmed in Wellington, New Zealand. This did remind me of the film Ex Machina, 2014 in many ways. There has already been an animation version of this film from 1995. In this new version there are several scenes that are exact in visual comparison with the original 1995 version. For example, some scenes in the city are exact re-creations of the original artwork. Some people who really loved the 1995 version may not be keen on this new interpretation. However I think it is a much better film than it could have been. A lot of thought has been put into it. It all could have gone horribly wrong. It is a watchable film but nothing special. This film fails to achieve the depth of meaning of Ex Machina. My conclusion is that in this film you see a lot of the shell, but I would have liked to have seen more of the ghost.

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It’s easy to turn on the news or read about the latest events and become despondent about the world and our future.

It’s tempting to gain a perspective of the world that is as bleak as what we see around us.

Fear, chaos, hopelessness and despair are very powerful and can easily become our domain if we aren’t watchful.

Yet, in the midst of such a climate of negativity, I have hope.

Because even in the darkest night, the bleakest sky and the most desperate situation, the smallest light shines a long way.

Let me encourage you to play your part and be that light.

You can bring hope.

You can bring joy and life and laughter.

Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

And the great news is that it doesn’t take much light to make a difference.

Mother Teresa once said, “No all of us can do great things.  But we can all do small things with great love.”

Now, more than ever, we need acts of love, generosity and compassion to prove that there still is some light left in the world and to give hope to those who can only see darkness.

Will you be a part of that movement?

Previous post – Ideas Are Like Shark Teeth

Next post – How To Respond When Your Dreams Are Destroyed


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Friday, 4 December 2015

Anne of Green Gables

   We have toured P.E.I. and checked out all the Anne of Green Gables tourist locations.
  We also attended the play in Charlottetown.
   So, recently we took the opportunity to see the musical production at the Dunfield theatre.

While reading the program, we discovered what we had not realized before.  It was written by Don Harron!
  Mostly everyone knows and loves the stories of Anne, written by the author Lucy Maud Montgomery, but we were surprised to learn that Don Harron had written the musical.
  Do you remember Don Harron?
He was an actor who performed everything from Shakespeare to T.V. shows such as "The Man From U.N.C.L.E".
  We loved him when he did his comedy routines as Charlie Farquharson.  While we were in P.E.I. in 2003, we stopped at the Comedy Barn in Stanley Bridge, where we were very entertained by a show put on by Don Harron and his wife Catherine McKinnon.
  Actually, he had four wives.  Catherine McKinnon was his second wife.  She was a singer and the show was filled  with great music and fabulous comedy.  The Charlie Farquharson routine was like no other comedy routine that we have seen.  We loved it!
  Don Harron was very talented, writing 17 books and winning many awards- from the order of Canada to the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.
Don Harron died in January, 2015 at age 90.
Great to remember this talented man!

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About Lyle
I’m a farm boy from Nebraska and University of Nebraska graduate. In my entrepreneurial phase, I’ve experienced everything from businesses that didn’t work to the privilege of working with Restful Knights in Wayne as it grew from start up to being a major player in the bedding industry. I’ve been displaced once by a foreign worker in the USA. I’ve lived and worked as a minority in South America.

I live in Seattle and am a managing broker in an advocacy based real estate practice. Even though some of my ancestors arrived in the USA in 1628, I still admire and respect those who’ve just showed up to contribute to the American dream.

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Monthly Archives: January 2015

Psychic Angela Thomas, Precognition, and Three-dimensional Tarot – The Big Séance Podcast: My Paranormal World #26

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Psychic-Angela-Thomas-big-seance-podcastAn incredibly interesting chat with professional psychic and clairvoyant, Angela Thomas. Angela is noted over her 30-year practice for high accuracy and detail. She is a subject-participant in an elite consciousness research study focusing on precognition and has gained an enviable reputation for her psychic work in private sessions for individuals, business leaders, and celebrities. Her work has also included crime victim location and recovery, and she is a vocal advocate for related causes. Angela tells us just how she makes her many accurate predictions, and also discusses her upcoming book, Three-dimensional Tarot: The Art of Gathering Information.

Get this episode on iTunes!
Direct Download Link

In this episode:

  • Angela’s background, when she developed her abilities, and how she got started as a professional psychic.
  • Her research and involvement in the study of precognition.
  • What is precognition?
  • What is Remote Viewing?
  • Are Angela’s growth-year predictions different from the predictions she makes as a part of the precognition study?
  • A look back at the predictions for 2015 that Angela made for The Big Séance Podcast’s special predictions episode, #24.

Some of Angela’s predictions for 2015:

1. The US will be involved in a new war. Initially, words such as conflict and confrontation will be used to soften the realism of the situation.

2. The US economy will suffer another recession as well as a depression.

3. Russia will directly threaten the US.

4. Also, Russia will take on new territory by force, other than today’s Ukraine, that they have invaded.

5. North Korea will push the envelope by attacking South Korea.

6. North Korea will also lose its leader, Kim Jong-un.

7. Lastly, the UK will lose a member of its royal family.

  • Three-dimensional Tarot: The Art of Gathering Information by Psychic Angela ThomasAngela explains her process and how predictions come to her.
  • How does she keep up with validating her predictions after they happen?
  • Does she ever edit her predictions? Also, why Facebook is a great way to share predictions!
  • Angela’s predictions on the future of the events surrounding Ferguson and the St. Louis region.
  • Angela shares several of her recent predictions that came true!
  • How does she predict so many international events?
  • We talk about how her psychic readings work, and how she utilizes the Tarot cards.
  • Her new book, Three-dimensional Tarot: The Art of Gathering Information, comes out in the spring of 2015!
  • Upcoming courses and classes.
  • Celebrity clients! (Shhh…)

In addition, during the mid-show break, I share really cool details of a very special reading that Angela did for’s 400th post (3 Card Tarot Spread for’s 400th Post!).

For More on Angela Thomas:

Co-founder of

Co-founder of

Thanks, Angela!

The Big Séance Podcast can be found right here, on iTunes, and on Stitcher. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!

3 Card Tarot Spread for’s 400th Post!

3-card tarot spread for BigSeance.coms 400th post!

Inspired by recent conversations that I’ve had with psychics Carole J. Obley and Angela Thomas, I decided to dust off my Tarot cards and try something different for my 400th post here at The Big Séance. I am certainly not a Tarot reader, and I haven’t had the cards out in over a year, but I feel like I was led to get them out and incorporate them into this post. In fact, I was led out of bed at 1am to do it.

Here’s how it works. If you’re not familiar with the Tarot, a 3 card spread is one of many spreads that readers use. Many of them involve more than 3 cards, and some of them are quite complicated. There are even different ways to do a 3 card spread. My intention was to see what the cards had to say about the past (card on the left), present (card in the center), and the future (card on the right) of and the Big Séance Podcast.

After a very quick meditation and sending my question (Big Séance’s past, present, and future) out to the universe, I shuffled and pulled my 3 cards. I’m not going to lie, I was a little concerned with the second and third cards. I know, I know, I know… I’m not supposed to see the violent image of the tower and the naturally scary image of the Devil and immediately think I’m in trouble. But I immediately thought, Whoa. Was this a mistake? Is The Big Séance screwed? Should I just re-draw and no one needs to know? Is this something bad? Well I reached out to Angela Thomas, who works with the Tarot regularly and even has a new book coming out on the topic, and she was quick to remind me that there are both positive and negative things associated with these cards. And so I have decided to bravely share the cards that I pulled and continue on with the idea of this 400th post!

Angela Thomas reads and interprets my 3 cards!

Psychic, Angela Thomas

Angela, who is actually the next guest on an upcoming episode of the podcast, was kind enough to give me a thorough reading, based on the three cards that I pulled above. First of all, I was immediately relieved to find that the reading seemed overwhelmingly positive, considering the imagery on the cards (which, once again, can symbolize positive or negative). With that being said, I have decided not to include this reading here, partly because some of it is personal, partly because I’m still processing some of it, and also because there may be some exciting things happening in the future, and I wouldn’t want to share that now. One thing I can tell you is that I was floored with several major hits and validations in the reading already. I want to thank Angela for sharing her time and gift for me. Stay tuned for more on Angela, but you can find her at

How would YOU read these cards?

What are your thoughts? How would you read these cards? Are you an experienced Tarot reader? Maybe you’re just learning and trying it out? It doesn’t matter. This could be a very interesting discussion. Clearly I’d prefer that these cards were interpreted positively, but I want this to be an honest exercise with honest feedback and readings.

Ready GO!

9 Tips to Keep the Paranormal Alive in Your Life Throughout the Winter – The Big Séance Podcast #25

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Sad Bronze Angel in the Snow, Bellefontaine Cemetary, St. LouisSuffering from the winter blahs? Cabin fever starting to kick in? The winter tends to be a time when many paranerds out there, struggle to find enough paranormal activity or content to keep them happy. If you’re truly one of these nerds, the autumn/Halloween season just isn’t enough to keep you going for the rest of the year. For some, the days seem longer, even though they’re shorter, and maybe you’re longing for fall once again… or at least spring. Well I’m here to get you out of that funk with 9 tips to keep the paranormal alive in your life throughout the winter.

Get this episode on iTunes!
Direct Download Link

In this episode:

Tip #1: Find a good book on a paranormal, spiritual, or metaphysical topic… or even just a good ghost story!
Here are 4 recent books that I’ve read and can recommend to you:
  1. “Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones” – Raymond Moody
  2. “Paranormal: My Life in Pursuit of the Afterlife” – Raymond Moody
  3. “The Spirit of Creativity: Embodying Your Soul’s Passion” – Karen A. Dahlman
  4. “Soul Sensing: How to Communicate With Your Dead Loved Ones” – Janice Carlson

I’m currently Reading “Soul-to-Soul Connections: Comforting Messages from the Spirit World”, by future guest, Carole J. Obley.

If you’re looking for a more detailed list of book recommendations and reviews, you can check out my Recommended Reading page. I’m very often adding to and updating that list.

Tip #2: Plan and hold a séance with a small group of friends!

Tip #3: Consider reading a how-to book on something like channeling, meditating, Ouija, Tarot, Astral Travel, EVP, or another equally interesting topic.

By the way, I plan on producing a kind of “how-to EVP” episode sometime soon. I know quite a few people who have talked about giving it a try, or have expressed interest in learning how to go about it. And I know these folks would be great at it and get a lot out of it. So stay tuned. And maybe you could let me know if you’re one of those people. Get in touch with me.

Tip #4: Find a cozy place to stay for the weekend. It doesn’t even have to be haunted. It certainly helps if the place has some interesting history to it, or maybe it just looks haunted!

  • Probably just about every region has a few cute bed and breakfasts.
  • How about the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado?
  • Or how about the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas?
  • Or the famous Lemp Mansion here in St. Louis?

Tip #5: Watch an old black and white spooky movie… or two or three. And I have a few suggestions:

Listener Feedback!
  • A Big THANK YOU to some wonderful listeners who have written kind reviews in iTunes!
  • Some exciting news and an update on a psychic development circle started by Marion, a medium and listener from the UK!

Tip #6: Start an interesting or vintage collection, perhaps one that causes you to dig into some history or genealogy.

Tip #7: Visit an old Cemetery with a camera (especially after a pretty snow!)

Tip #8: Start a Grave Adoption project.
  • If you listened to Episode #11 from September 4, 2014, I suggested that listeners consider starting a new fall tradition of adopting graves.

Tip #9: Invite a paranormal investigation team into your home or a friend’s home and convince them to let you help investigate!

The Big Séance Podcast can be found right here, on iTunes, and on Stitcher. Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance!

Randi’s Prize: What do skeptics say? The latest book to land on my doorstep!

James Randi, BigSé

James Randi, state magician and skeptic. By Terabyte at de.wikipedia [CC BY-SA 2.0 de (, GFDL ( or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (, from Wikimedia Commons

We had some very serious discussion here a few years ago after I wrote about the thoughts and opinions of skeptic Sharon Hill, in How Does the Skeptic View Paranormal Folk? It was truly eye-opening for me. This led to a great response by Randall Keller, titled Uninformed and Misled at The Voices Blog. After all of the hurt feelings that I think it’s safe to say that many of us had, I’ve actually found myself occasionally following Sharon’s writings and videos. I certainly don’t agree with all of her opinions, but there’s always that awkward moment where the skeptic side of me (the same skeptic side that I frequently rant about… the one that really ticks me off!) can appreciate the suggestion that I think about some things differently. With that being said… I still occasionally get my feelings hurt. It’s a strange and bi-polar relationship that I have with my skeptical side, and the two of us are still working things out. I’m actually considering reaching out to Sharon about a guest appearance on the podcast. We’ll see how brave I get. Good idea? Bad idea? What do you think?

Randi's Prize: What skeptics say about the paranormal, why they are wrong and why it matters, by Robert McLuhan. BigSéance.comAfter listening to another great interview by Jim Harold on the Paranormal Podcast, I decided to take a deep breath… and order Randi’s Prize: What sceptics say about the paranormal, why they are wrong and why it matters, by Robert McLuhan.

Here’s the description from Amazon:

James ‘The Amazing’ Randi is a stage magician who says he has a million dollars for anyone who can convince him they have psychic powers. No one has even come close to winning, proof, say sceptical scientists, that there is no such thing as ‘the paranormal’. But are they right? In this illuminating and often provocative analysis, Robert McLuhan examines the influence of Randi and other debunking sceptics in shaping scientific opinion about such things as telepathy, psychics, ghosts and near-death experiences. He points out that scientific researchers who investigate these things at first hand overwhelmingly consider them to be genuinely anomalous. But this has shocking implications, for science, for society and for even perhaps for ourselves as individuals. Hence the sceptics’ insistence that they should rather be attributed to fraud, imagination and wishful thinking. However, this extraordinary and little understood aspect of consciousness has much to tell us about the human situation, McLuhan suggests. And at a time when militants are polarising the debate about religion, its mystical, spiritual element offers an optimistic and enlightened way forward. Randi’s Prize is aimed at anyone interested in spirituality or those curious to know the truth about paranormal claims. It’s an intelligent and readable analysis of scientific research into the paranormal which, uniquely, also closely examines the arguments of well-known sceptics.

I’ve got a couple of books in line ahead of this one, but I’ll keep you posted. Has anyone out there read it?

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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Katy Season Opener 2017

Posted: February 2, 2017 in Uncategorized

katyWe will not be open this Sunday the 29th. We planned to open the season, Sunday Feb.5th. Oops…that’s Super Bowl. What to do?

How about a Saturday BMX Double Header with Pearland BMX! Katy will race Saturday, Feb. 4th with Sign Ups from 1:30 to 3p. Racing ASAP. Then head over to Pearland BMX for Saturday evening racing with sign ups 5:30 to 7p.

Two tracks – One Day! That’s a full day of racing and Double Points. No excuses. Take a vacation day. Skip soccer. We’ll see you at the track.

Just your Standard 20OS

Posted: January 8, 2017 in Uncategorized

Change is in the air and is a new tire size one of them? For Vet Pro Chris Williams it’s looking that way.

Chris is around 5 inches shorter than Damien Lacombe, but rides a long frame. He started looking into the 20OS wheels last year. His sponsor, STANDARD Bicycles built him up this new ride.

The frame is built off Chris’ current 20 frame and fork. They just changed it a little to accommodate the bigger wheels and adjusted the geometry a just touch.

In order to get it as close as possible to his 20, Standard also made some new bars. Again just making little adjustments to get it all dialed in.

I took a few cranks on this beast and it felt really good. Didn’t notice the wheel size difference. I did notice the extra two inches in top tube length and 182 Profile Elite cranks.

I don’t know own if this 20OS will be the way of the future, but if it is, STANDARD Bicycles and Chris Williams will be on the pointy end of the trend.

LoneStarBMX Rebuild Day Two

Posted: June 17, 2016 in Uncategorized

Day two of Lone Star BMX!

#usabmx #lonestarbmx #dirttrendz (more…)

There’s a new BMX Facebook Page called Factory Dad Inc  that is taking the world of BMX Racing by storm.

The page seems to be a good place for parents of racers to relax, share ideas and concepts. I’m not sure that I’d follow all the advice that’s posted, but you may learn something.

factory dad

Sample image from Factory Dad page.

So go check it out;

Tongue in cheek fun to be sure…

Yesterday was MetroPlex BMX’s Texas State Qualifier. fb_img_1457917685894.jpg

Thanks to a few people out at Lone Star BMX, I have some pictures of the kids racing. I’ve never been able to take pictures while announcing.

So far I’ve seen Facebook posts or Rainedout texts for Pearland BMX, LoneStar BMX, CTXBMX and STXBMX being closed tonight.


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Lake Garnett is located adjacent to the Prairie Spirit Trail on the northeast side of Garnett. Also known as “North Lake Park”. The lake was a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) project in the 1930s, and included a 48-acre lake, two shelter houses, restrooms, a football stadium and swimming pool. A designated wilderness campsite (tent camping or no hookup) is located within the north side camping area. Cost for visitors is $9 per unit per night, via an on-site self-pay station. Camping is first come/first serve.

Lake GarnettCity: Garnett
Address: 200 East Park Street, Garnett, KS 66032 [ MAP ]
Phone: 785-448-5496
Distance From Trail: On the Trail

Location Map

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The Prisoner : 'Fall Out' | A Culture Vulture Joint with Film Fringe and Radical Film Network

May 25 2018 19:00 - 21:00

Leeds Town Hall, Leeds Town Hall, LS1 3AD Leeds

Who is Number One? The Prisoner returns for one night only...

Here at CV Towers we are huge fans of 60s television, particularly the cheesy offerings of cigar toting Sir Lew Grade and his ITC organisation, the company which brought you such entertainments as The Champions, Department S and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

For its contribution to Radical Film Network’s citywide festival to mark the 50th anniversary of May 1968, theCV is screening Fall Out, the final episode of ITC’s surreal, pioneering series The Prisoner.

When it first aired in 1967, there was no stranger television programme and no more strange a hero than Patrick McGoohan’s Number Six, the ‘prisoner’ of the show’s title.

Hoping to capitalse on the huge popularity of its Danger Man franchise - in which McGoohan had appeared as spy John Drake - ITC bankrolled the star’s largely temporised new project on the basis of a handshake. The resulting television series was more bizarre than even Sir Lew could have predicted...

In The Prisoner, McGoohan plays a former secret agent, rendered to a mysterious coastal resort known only as The Village (architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis’s Portmeirion doubling as a kind of pop art Guantanemo). Assigned the number Six, every week sees him attempt to outwit his captors and escape, only to be recaptured and imprisoned again.

If the cartoon capers of Steed and Mrs Peel in The Avengers can be said to bottle the essence of Swingin’ London, McGoohan’s weekly bouts of doomed to fail escapology represent the comedown from the Summer of Love... As broadcasts of The Prisoner ran into the next year, the stuff of dreams turned into the fabric-weave of nightmares.

Written and directed by McGoohan himself, Fall Out was first broadcast in February 1968 and can be viewed as an expression of the social and political turbulence that would erupt into pitched running battles on the streets of Paris a mere few months later.

Fall Out is not your average telly fare. A freewheeling struggle of wills, it promises to finally reveal the identity of Number One - the mysterious oft-mentioned, hitherto unseen figure behind it all - but deliberately, and some would say perversely, poses more questions than it bothers to answer.

While contemporary television audiences are hip to this sort of post-modern ambiguity, back in 1968 people were affronted. McGoohan was forced into hiding, hounded by outraged viewers who demanded some sort of explanation.

“Everyone wanted to know who Number One was,” recalled McGoohan ten years later. “When they did finally see it, there was a near-riot, and I was going to be lynched.”

The actor persistently refused to give much away about British television’s most enigmatic series, taking his secrets with him to his grave in 2009. It may have run to just seventeen episodes, but over the intervening years, McGoohan had watched The Prisoner grow into a cultural force to be reckoned with.

theCV is proud to present this one-off screening of The Prisoner - Fall Out in the appropriate surroundings of the Central Charges Court in Leeds Town Hall, The Headrow, Leeds. theCV thanks Laura Ager, Alex Cox, Chris Fell and Roger Langley.

For more Prisoner related loveliness, Six of One, the official Prisoner Appreciation Society, can be found at

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BILLI (billinaction) wrote,

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highschool.. oh the fun

my class consists of 19 other students who are all younger than me. they are all in highschool (middle college actually). Why did my advisor suggest this for me? The teacher said the class is for highschoolers to learn about leadership in your career and being responsible person. Ok, i'm going to vomit. not only will this be a piece of cake BUT i have to sit in a room with people who are sort of stupid. they all kept talkin about how much cooler Miss Craft was than highschool teachers. This woman is traditionally a k-6 teacher. she acts like the class is in kindergarten.. with the exception that she uses larger words. i'm gonna croak.
been up all day. need sleep. peace.
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Working to find actionable solutions to the nation's key challenges.

Election Law Continuing Legal Education, Memphis Session

WHEN: Saturday, June 25, 2016 4:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT

WHERE: Holiday Inn Memphis-Downtown, 160 Union Ave., Memphis, TN, 38103

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The International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers (IACREOT), the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks (NACRC), and the Bipartisan Policy Center hosted subject matter experts from federal, state and local government, elections activists, and private practice attorneys.

Session topics included:

  • Hot Topics in Access and Integrity
  • UOCAVA Voters: Legal Trends
  • Preparing for Voting Equipment Issues and General Election
  • PCEA, Election Day and the Law
  • Legal Issues in Considering Automated Voter Registration
  • Recounts and Contests: How to Prepare/What to Expect

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IACREOT offers members opportunities to exchange ideas, elevate standards through education, develop efficient ways to serve the public and promote the ethics of public service, while developing contacts in furtherance of our profession.

NACRC is an association that aims to provide professional training and leadership development, through the promotion of networking, technology innovations, educational programs and legislative monitoring on national issues that affect county recorders, election officials and clerks, to better serve the public.

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Logo: National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks