text:
It always takes me a few days to get over the funk I feel when my girls leave. Distance is hard y'all. I've had plenty of it in the last ten years, but I tell myself there are still things God must need me to learn or remember because here I am thousands of miles from my Daughter1 trying to get my groove back after a wonderful week of nearly 24/7 togetherness. Even my youngest who is only an hour away can make me cry when she pulls out of the driveway and heads for home.
I'm so happy to have independent, faithful, optimistic grown up girls. That's the goal in parenting, right? Just checking. If someone wants to tell me otherwise I'd be okay with that. I fight against the deep down desire I have to keep them in my back pocket because I want my girls to live big and bold.
Sometimes living miles from your mama is the way God makes you who He has called you to be.
And sometimes my children living out of arms reach is what God uses to make me who He wants me to be.
I've been thinking a little bit about our years overseas, and how I put my babies on airplanes to attend university stateside while we lived on the other side of the pond. About how I had a front row seat to beauty in the making as my daughters grew into their adult selves via the distance. How when I was tempted to wallow in the missing or go for a swim in the worry waters I'd review my list of simple truths that are ours for the taking and the knowing and the remembering.
His eye is on my little chicks and I know He watches me.
God has a plan for my children.
So grateful for one that never fails.
I'm glad that you had a great visit with your girls. I think parenting is harder the older our children get. Trusting God's plan for their lives becomes even more important once they reach adulthood.
Wise reminders. Your girls are amazing and so are you!
I needed to read this. Sometimes I feel like I am moving away too soon and my youngest still needs me close. I know it will all be fine, but it's hard isn't it?
Oh, Joyce, I so get it and I so love your words of wisdom. I went into a bad funk last week when we left those boys and Clancy always cries when we leave. Oh, it tears me up and his Poppa too. But, I lived 1000 miles away from my parents for 35 of my 46 years of marriage and it wasn't a technical time and we made it somehow. I'm telling you when that little boy is born, your funk will double when you leave or they leave. But, FaceTime will become an intergal part of your life for sure. Hugs!
Joyce I really do get what you are trying to say. My oldest son lives right here in the same town with me and I haven't spoken to him in almost 3 years. His choice, not mine. If it is God's will then okay!! Just thought I would throw out a little perspective for you!! Your daughters are beautiful!!
I'm sorry for that distance Paula. I know it must be so hard.
Soo glad you had this special time together. Boy do I ever know how you feel. I still struggle even believing that my only daughter is 1000 miles away from me, and there are times I just mark time between visits. But your right. I love that she was strong enough to leave her whole family and all her friends and what was familiar behind to go where God has so called her to be. And God? Well He knows my heart. And He picks me up out of my blues every time we part and it isn't long and I shake those feelings off and I've learned to just look forward to the next time. I do FaceTime with those little grands of mine frequently though because they have soooo added to the hardness of it all. The other day I got a FaceTime call from her oldest... 5 year old Sam who said, "grandma I was just missing you so mama said I could just call you up". My heart just melted. We talked for quite a while. Just him and me. How grateful I am that there is such a thing as FaceTime. I was high for a while from that call. But it also assured me too that 1000 miles or not those real connections can still be made. Hugs!
I love how you wrote that you would keep them in your pocket, but you want them to do great things, as God as for them.
We are navigating the waters of sending our first son to college. Next Tuesday we will be at our first open house.
Yep, I would love to keep him in my pocket. I understand just what you wrote and needed to hear it again today.
This is such a sweet post, Joyce. I know our goal is to raise independent, Christian children, but I agree with you. I want to keep them in my back pocket...or rather, my Mary Poppins purse, here with me.
It is very hard, this mama-ing of grownups.
Your girls are beautiful, just like their mama. Have a blessed day.
Your post was very apt for me when I read it. We had all our kids home at the weekend plus the addition of 2 dogs. It was hectic and hard work at times but I wouldn't have it any other way and yes, when they all left and the house was empty I felt empty too. I'm lucky that mine are nearer but probably for their sakes not so close they are still in my pocket. It's hard to let go but it has to be done. But these visits are special and make memories for us to treasure and look back on when we need to feel close to them. And thank goodness for technology these days!
Such an adorable photo of your girls. The distance has been hard for me with my Amber. It is nice having Adam nearby. This isn't how I pictured my life but I trust in God's plan for us.


text:
Each year at EDR’s PRISM conference, an up-and-coming risk management or due diligence professional is recognized for impressive achievement in leadership, visibility, professional competency and/or industry involvement. Building on this popular awards category, EDR is excited to launch a new Developing Leaders program aimed to further the development of our industry’s future leaders. This new initiative will provide education and mentor/mentee connections to leverage the industry knowledge of prominent business leaders, and provide newer professionals with the tools and resources they need to fulfill their education and professional development goals.
Each of the webinar speakers is an industry veteran who is deeply committed to helping rising professionals learn what they wish they knew when they were just starting out. Whether you’re a seasoned manager looking to retain top talent—or a newbie just starting out, join us for this kickoff webinar to hear what’s in store from EDR’s new Developing Leaders program!

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


text:
Most will agree that the Internet has given rise to a major upheaval in Unified Communications, including Voice over IP (“VoIP”). Business worldwide is embracing VoIP solutions as a tool to reduce communications costs, increase communications effectiveness and increase company profile.
It’s not just in the ability to make toll-free or low-cost calls that VoIP Solutions are having an effect. Company culture is changing too.
In recent times there has been a quantum increase in the use of digital communications, both in the business and domestic sectors. Businesses use IP Telephony to reduce their communications costs, improve interactions and service levels with staff and customers and present a better business image to the world at large.
Domestic users can now use VoIP to talk with and see far-flung friends and relatives easily and cheaply over long distances from their smart devices using VoIP capable apps like Skype and WhatsApp. No more expensive long-distance calls.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text: Looking for great value bike servicing? Need a reliable MOT and too busy to book a day off work? We provide this service for you. We pride ourselves on our excellent service. Our trained mechanics will be happy to answer all of your questions regardless of the make or model. Call us today or fill out the form below for a great deal on your next bike MOT or service.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


text: Once I started The Challenge workout I quickly realized it’s a push/pull workout. If you’re familiar with P90X Chest and Back then you’ll know exactly what to expect with The Challenge. The Challenge workout is very similar to Chest and Back but not so much explaining and a lot more go go go. In fact we complete this workout in 26 minutes. But Tony quickly says 30 minute workout means 30 minutes, so off the Burnout round! So after doing about 16 moves and pushing myself fairly hard now we are about to do the last 3 minutes of 3 to 1 (or something like that). Meaning we do 1 pull up then 3 push ups in and variation we want. I use the bands for pull ups since my shoulder will not allow me to hang from a bar without extreme pain. I had to pace myself not really knowing what to expect but still feel like I crushed it. I know that I can up my numbers for next week so we’ll see how I do on week 2 with this routine.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
So all that was left was a story about the passing of power, told by a small company of only 8 people. It wasn’t really a history play – much of the politics of the period was removed, and characters were combined to become archetypes rather than genuine historical figures. Or they were uneasily resurrected – Gaunt became the visitor who tells the imprisoned Richard so gleefully of Bolingbroke’s coronation, which worked better than you might think. And what you were left with, for the most part, was a swirling, semi-anonymous mass of lords whose shifting allegiance was physically demonstrated by their ebb and flow through the space and their very hands-on relationships with each other. I can’t imagine the rehearsal process but I think it must have been incredibly intense to build the bonds that sustained that kind of action.
The play opened with Richard’s speech from his cell** – Simon Russell Beale standing alone in a spotlight talking about peopling “this little world” with his thoughts and imagining himself king’d again, and unking’d. This speech led straightforwardly to the idea that the audience was Richard’s mind’s eye, that all the action took place in the recollection of a damaged man, and this was the reason patterns of behaviour seemed to repeat themselves (those scenes of treachery and throwing down gages, and of course the first time is tragedy and the second time is most definitely farce!) It also made it totally reasonable for the 57-year-old Simon Russell Beale to play a king who died at the age of 33***.
In terms of the rest of cast, the stand outs for me were Robin Weaver’s aggressive, thrusting Northumberland, Natalie Klamar’s vacillating Carlisle – a wonderful barometer for the mood of the court as a whole, and John Mackay’s conflicted uncle York (“grace me no grace nor uncle me no uncle was particularly fine). I couldn’t quite get my head around Lee Bill’s Bolingbroke, though. He came across, to me at least, as nervy and rather beige – certainly lacking in the sort of personal magnetism Simon Russell Beale has in spades. I really was not sure why everyone was following him. And of course this is where the set doesn’t help – there’s nothing to invest anyone with the trappings of power or wealth, so it’s not clear what any of this is for (what is the value of the crown when all it is, is that hollow circle and no more power or wealth). And the just cause of Bolingbroke’s annoyance with Richard II (when Richard claims all of his father’s wealth), the threat to the whole court, is gone. But that sort of enhances the pathetic core of the action – death, misery, treason, just squabbling over a metal hat.
Thinking about the death, it’s a play that has a surprisingly large death count for a history play, rather than an overt tragedy****. This production was a literal bloodbath. Those buckets I mentioned earlier? They are helpfully labelled things like “blood” and “water” and every one ended up strewn across the stage, starting with Bagot and Bushy (or possibly Green)*****. Saskia Reeves was so absolutely drenched that she managed to coat at least one other member of the cast who wasn’t in the scene, an early foretaste of the way treason seemed to spread like contagion. And it gave Martins Imhangbe a bad start as Aumerle, being already bloodstained. Poor Simon Russell Beale ended up absolutely covered in everything – since they cut the character of the Queen, among others, the famous gardeners’ scene was played to Richard and they covered him in soil and water. A right sorry state he was in.
Luckily he didn’t have to endure it long, thanks to the lickety-split speed of the production – not only the cuts but also the speed at which the speeches were delivered. I don’t think I have ever heard a John of Gaunt get through the “scepter’d isle” speech as quickly as Joseph Mydell did. To be fair, this was in no way to the detriment of audibility or comprehension, and lent a much more modern and conversational air to the whole production, in keeping with the stripped back staging. It was fresh, and surprisingly funny!
* I may review the Q&A – especially the Q portion – if I am feeling particularly waspish.
** Yes, another play that started at or near the end – but this sort of made sense.
*** SRB was quite funny about this in the Q&A – basically saying he thought he’d missed his chance to play the role and was delighted to be asked to do it – there was no way he was going to tur it down!
**** So yes the title character usually ends at the end of both, and if you counted the battles the death counts in histories would sky rocket, but you know what I mean!
***** I have never been able to remember which of these flatterers is which, and the way the cast kept swapping roles didn’t help. Also, I swear they referred to everyone by name much less than in the original text – again, I think a deliberate choice as the Q&A referenced the famous spoof scene with the “Westmoreland, go thou to Wessex, While you Wessex, go to Bristol, And you Bristol go to Essex” monologue which I actually saw performed long before I ever saw Richard II.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


text:
Last week I read several articles calling upon us, as women, to say no to the ‘Say No to Size Zero Campaign.’ The argument being, that we should not be judging any women just because of their pants size. In fact, most of the articles I read (including one on HelloGiggles and one on XO Jane) say this campaign is about weight discrimination.
First let me state that, yes I know some women are naturally thin. There are even healthy women who have a very low BMI, which would be considered unhealthy on paper. And yet, these women are healthy in real life. Their metabolisms are just different, as all of our metabolisms are.
The ‘Say No to Size Zero Campaign’ is not about those women. It isn’t even necessarily directed to us “regular” women at all. It’s directed to the fashion industry and the media that continue to push for unhealthy women as their models.
These women just aren’t unhealthy on paper; they are unhealthy in real life too as they aren’t simply maintaining strict diets (which is unhealthy in its own right). They either teeter close to eating disorders or are already suffering from them.
Eating disorders have serious health consequences for those suffering from them and when we glorify that image in the media, it has psychological consequences for the rest of us. In the U.S. alone 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their life. A more accurate number is hard to come by as many of these disorders go unreported.
The primary contributor to such large numbers of sufferers comes from body dissatisfaction. Just think: girls begin to worry about their weight or shape at the age of six! Also, 40 – 60% of elementary school girls are concerned about their weight or becoming too fat, a concern that follows them through life.
And this is not just about girls that are already thin and who are striving to maintain what they believe to be a perfect body. Girls who are not even overweight are reporting that they are dieting! Also, this is no longer a disease prevalent to females, or even Caucasian females. More and more men and people of different ethnicity are suffering from eating disorders.
While there are many psychological, personal factors and maybe even biological factors that contribute to one’s eating disorder, we cannot overlook the fact that there are social ones too. And it’s not just our glorification of the ultra-thin or certain definitions of beauty. It’s the cultural norms the modeling industry, media and even us “regular” women continue to push, such as valuing physical appearance rather than personalities.
What we glean from the media is extremely important, especially today when we are so saturated with advertisements featuring unhealthy models. And, this body type is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females. So the arguments on HelloGiggles and XO Jane don’t really have any teeth.
I’m not saying we should shun the 5% of American women who do naturally have this body type. However, we also shouldn’t reject the ‘Say No to Size Zero Campaign’ because of them. The reality is the rest of us, in fact 95% of us, look nothing like the models we see in the media today and for us to try to look that way is incredibly unhealthy and dangerous.
Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder: 4% of those suffering with anorexia will die, 3.9% of those suffering with bulimia will die and another 5.2% of those suffering with an eating disorder will die, including from other complications such as heart failure, organ failure, malnutrition or even suicide. You can find even more sobering information in this article, which details the lives of five models that died from eating disorders back-to-back in 2006.
The scariest part of it is all that 47% of girls in 5th–12th grade report wanting to lose weight because of magazine ads and 69% of girls in 5th–12th grade say that magazines influence their idea of a perfect body shape. This is a serious problem and this is what Katie Green’s campaign is all about.
It’s not about body snarking women who are naturally thin or healthy or pushing for heavier, curvier women as the new “perfect” body image. This campaign is about “how uncomfortable even healthy women and girls can be made to feel” and the “fashion designers and clothing brands [that] target young impressionable teenage girls and make them feel uncomfortable about their weight” which “can often lead to eating disorders,” as Katie Green’s website clearly states.
This is a campaign we all can and should get behind, whether you’re a natural size zero or natural size 12.
You can read more from Ashley Strain on her blog.


text: Antwerp townhouse. The original features are re-used and combined, such as the recuperated tiling on the kitchen counter. The wish for a garden was fulfilled through a self-supporting plant wall, visibly present in the groundfloor layout. We focussed on light, natural as well as artificial, and the materialisation. Pine wood floors and bricks are combined with oak veneer and white panelling.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


text:
Ross helped me to paint a really inspiring future. I knew what happened next was up to me, it was my life and mine alone, but that gift has completely transformed my life.
I went from being scared and feeling like a victim, to seeking the uncomfortable, getting outside my comfort zone and being ok to fail and grow. In fact actively chasing that growth. It’s an amazing and exhilarating feeling. I really do finally feel alive.
I am confidently sharing my thoughts, regularly being sought out for my opinions and inspiring colleagues to step up and be a bigger version of themselves. What I love most is that I am now recognised as a leader in all my business and personal circles!

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
1&1 is probably one of the best known web hosting companies in the world and especially in the UK. Their services are fantastic and are extremely reliable.
URLJet is one of the best web hosting companies out there and they have a number of different hosting solutions. One of the things they specialise in is vBulletin hosting.
EUKHost is another great web hosting company that provides its services primarily to the UK. There is hosting for all website sizes available and it is reliable and fast.
Nethosted is a really simple and plan web host that has a lot of fantastic packages at really low prices. They specialise in all kinds of hosting.
Forgive the name and you will see that there is a fantastic web hosting company here. They are unique in the way that they are powered by wind energy.
iPage is a really well known website hosting company that has packages from just a few dollars per month. As well as this, they offer a lot of great extras.
This is a great website hosting company that specialises in low cost hosting. They have unlimited website hosting available from just £2.95 per month making it extremely low cost.
BlueHost is another low cost website hosting company with products available from just $3.95 per month. They use cPanel and also allow resellers.
FastHosts is a really great UK based company with low cost and fast hosting solutions. They have dedicated servers as well.
FastVision might not be the most well known web host but they have great services and products for great prices. It doesnt matter what kind of hosting you need, FastVision can accomodate.
Tagged: Amp, Best Web, Bluehost, Company That Specialises, Euk, Fasthosts, Hosting Packages, Hosting Solutions, Ipage, Low Cost Hosting, Nbsp, Plan Web, Reseller Hosting, Resellers, Servers, Unlimited Hosting, Web Host, Web Hosting Companies, Web Hosting Company, Website Hosting, Wind Energy.


text:
Western Australia is huge and driving distances are long, up north between the Pilbara (Karajini) and the Kimberley (Broome) you’ve got the Great Sandy Desert inland on one side and miles of wild coastline on the other. If you leave Karajini through its northern exit past Hamersley gorge you could continue through Millstream national park. This park has some nice waterfalls such as Python Pool but what really makes the park beautiful is its scenery. Just the drive through the park takes you over colourful rocky ridges alongside rolling hills, some with green grasses, some with yellow. There are flat golden plains out of which steep red plateauing hills rise. Everything looks crisp and clean and naturally perfect.
Back along the coast a lot of the cattle stations have started offering camping facilities so that passers by can take advantage of their long uncrowded beachfronts and great fishing. There are plenty that do this, two of my favourites are Pardoo Station and Eighty Mile Beach. Both have great atmosphere and good fishing from the beach. The tides here are huge some going out for kilometres along flat beaches where you can walk out and beach comb. Some beaches have islands, some beautiful shells and some mangroves where you can look for mud crabs. At a lot of the stations you can drive along the beach for miles but always be wary of the tides. All in all one of these is not a bad place to stop and break up the drive.
Thanks again for reading guys, remember to check out the rest of the blog for other cool road trip ideas.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


text: Major multi-tool manufacturer needed to wash off large amounts of coolant and cutting oil from knife lines and various metal parts from their multi-tools during the manufacturing process. Large volumes of small parts are manufactured in 3 shifts daily. This compact drum washer with a 14-inch drum was designed to clean 100,000 parts per day.

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


text:
Don't treat customers like they’re just another person calling in. Provide a personalized experience and show that you remember and care for them. In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie stresses the power of using a name. He writes, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” By doing so, others feel like they are being attended to and this helps them understand that you are actively listening to what they are saying.
Although this may seem straightforward, it is easy to create a positive experience for customers by being aware of the words you use. If you are unsure of an answer to their question, rather than saying, “I don’t know,” you can change up your wording and say, “Let me take a look for you” or “I’m going to consult with a colleague.” This helps build credibility and shows your customers that you understand their challenges. Act like you know what you’re doing, even if you don’t have all the answers, and help them find a solution.
Richard Branson once said, "Great listeners are often terrific at uncovering and putting in place strategies and plans that have a big impact." He believes that leaders who are active listeners will receive great results in return. In multiple reports and studies about leadership, active listening has been cited as a critical success factor. Being present in conversations and giving your undivided attention shows others that you are giving them respect and makes them feel valued.
When speaking with customers, it’s important to focus on the emotional side of the interaction. Think about creating a personal connection and understand their perspective. It’s important to be a good listener and recognize their emotions to build trust and give them reassurance with any problems they are facing. In order to do this, look at something from their standpoint to get a new perspective. This is how you can adjust your responses to the other person. If you are communicating with someone in person, watch their non-verbal communication – facial expressions, gestures, body language, and paralinguistics (tone of voice, loudness, pitch). This can help you adjust and react to their inquiries appropriately.
By integrating your contact center with your CRM, users are presented with relevant and detailed customer information. Through screen pops, they can provide fast, personalized, and consistent service with the information that's available (including account information, purchase history, and previous call details). This can help increase customer satisfaction and allow you to facilitate communication more effectively. By having this information, you can tailor messaging and conversations, build trust, and foster customer loyalty.
Serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, David Skok writes, "The health of a SaaS business is directly tied to its ability to retain its customers and prevent churn. To do this, they have to ensure that their customers are happy."
Overall, building rapport helps you provide enhanced customer experiences and strengthens your client relationships. In all, this illustrates a good brand image and results in services that customers will continue to return to.


text:
Leanna Rathkelly shoots architecture and lifestyle imagery. She photographs private residences and commercial properties for developers, builders, architects and designers, and creates relaxed personality portraits for business leaders. Visit her Facebook page at Leanna Rathkelly Photography for updates.
Graphic designers marry visual aesthetics with the text message, to create the maximum impact in your advertising. Images are processed much faster than text, and when combined, will deliver your message quickly and with better results.
Supporting today’s decision-makers to make tomorrow’s goals a reality through professional analysis.
Our business is to provide the tools for students to foster vital IT and Office skills and encouraging them to put their knowledge to immediate use, thereby keeping clients in tune with advancements in technology and business solutions.
By applying knowledge of Information Technology and years of expertise in the field, we offer training services which are designed to empower our clients and their businesses.
At Q Academy, we find Partners in innovative companies that excel in their chosen field. Check out some of the inspiring teams we’ve paired with and their areas of expertise.
We focus on targeting employees that are looking to refine their skill set in order to advance their careers. We offer custom training based on your needs.


text:
Distilling whisky since 1870, Tennessee-based George Dickel recently added the latest addition to its portfolio—Dickel White No. 1 Corn Whiskey. This unaged white corn whisky is handmade from only the finest grains and legendary Cascade Spring water. It is then finished through George Dickel’s signature Chill Charcoal Mellowing process.
No. 1 is a 91-proof (45.5 % ABV) whisky with a clear appearance and aroma that is soft and abundant with raw grain which mellows into a creamy smooth moonshine type of finish. The Chill Charcoal Mellowing process nods to George’s historic affection for “Winter Whisky” and gives the liquor a softer, smoother finish than traditional moonshines.


text:
Please contact us @ +6584266224 instead of +6598222748. We no longer using the old number. Please take note & update it in your contact. Thank you.
If you try calling, & no answer, because due to we are busy on customer. Please kindly leave us your message, & will get back to you asap.


text:
Firstly, you could begin by brainstorming topics related to the future through acrostic poems or pictures. Ask your students to imagine they're living in the year 2100. What's life like? What can they see around them? How far has space and technology advanced?
But there aren't any birds.
But there isn't a computer.
On a more personal note, the future could be explored through the senses. You could use this example as a model to elicit ideas from your students. Play some relaxing background music and ask them to close their eyes and imagine the sensations as they think of different words.
Here's a poem on a lighter note as an example of what they could produce.
Then dance around my flat.
Please ban all dogs from Earth!


text:
"How can municipalities maximize and sustain citizen participation in solid waste recycling programs? Based on survey responses from 71 recycling coordinators, this research provides empirical evidence about what program strategies, incentives, and operational characteristics have worked best for the voluntary programs. Mandating recycling had a significant positive impact on citizen participation. But even voluntary programs worked well when combined with other implementation strategies, such as curbside pickup, increasing solid waste disposal fees on a per-trash-bag basis, length of time that the program has been in operation, campaign by local club organizations to encouraging citizens to recycle, helping school age children encourage their parents to recycle, same day pickup of the recyclables, receiving free bins, and using trucks with compartment trailers. Another useful strategy included specific goal setting for a recycling program.
Other variables that did not have a significant positive impact on citizen participation rates were composting used as a method of yard waste disposal, charging waste collection fees as a proportion of the recycling budget, and citizen participation awards and contests.
Although local conditions may influence citizen participation, the ultimate performance of each recycling program remains in the hands of its designers and managers"--Abstract, page iii.
© 1995 Sangwon Michael Kim, All rights reserved.
Kim, Sangwon Michael, "An investigation of strategies, incentives, and operational characteristics of recycling programs" (1995). Doctoral Dissertations. 1069.


text:
TORONTO, ON – May 30, 2013 – Fonolo, the company that improves the call center experience by replacing hold time with a call-back, continues to grow its portfolio of world-class partnerships with Thomas Cook, one of the world’s leading leisure travel agencies.
With the addition of Fonolo to the Cruise Thomas Cook website, consumers can easily request a call-back from a travel representative with just one click – eliminating phone menus and hold-time. Fonolo’s interface provides a convenient experience for callers and a secure, seamless process for call center agents.
“As more and more people book their travel online, forward-thinking companies like Thomas Cook are developing customer service strategies to simplify interactions with their customers. Technologies like Fonolo make it seamless to escalate from web to voice, while preserving the context of these transactions,” said Shai Berger, CEO, Fonolo.
According to a 2012 study from American Express, for complex purchases like travel, customers preferred talking to a live person on the phone two-to-one over simply using a website. Offering call-backs makes it easy for customers to reach an agent, removing a key barrier from purchasing online.
Fonolo’s cloud-based solution required no changes to their call center, so Thomas Cook was able to deploy this new functionality in a matter of days.
Thomas Cook began offering Fonolo service to its customers in March 2013.
Fonolo is the leading provider of cloud-based call-back software for the call center. With Fonolo, your customers will never wait on hold again, regardless of where the conversation begins – web, mobile, or inbound call. A growing list of organizations, including the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Thomas Cook and Abercrombie & Fitch trust Fonolo to improve the call center experience for their customers. Fonolo has received numerous awards, including “Best of Enterprise Connect,” ITExpo’s “Best Contact Center Solution”, “50 Best Websites” from Time.com and more. Learn more at fonolo.com.


text:
This Condominium is located at 7623 Baymeadows Cir W, Jacksonville, FL. The estimated value of this home is currently priced at $125,600, approximately $88 per square foot. This property was originally built in 1984. 7623 Baymeadows Cir W is within the school district Duval County School District with nearby schools including Beauclerc Elementary School, Southside Middle School, and Englewood High School.
There are currently 211 properties with a median home value on Baymeadows Cir W of $111,400, $14,200 less than this home. The median list price per square foot on Baymeadows Cir W is $120, $3 less than this home. Of the total homes on Baymeadows Cir W, 80% are For Sale, 20% are For Rent, and 61% are Single Family Homes. Interested in knowing how much your home on Baymeadows Cir W is worth? The Homes.com Automated Valuation Model (AVM) provides an estimate of the home value of every on and off market property in the US.


text:
Whether it is placing a toolbox on a shelf after use or returning a vacuum cleaner to the cleaning closet, keeping things tidy is a reliable way of creating a more organised home. But more often than not, this simple act can be a problem for the modern-day homeowner due to day-to-day challenges, such as a shortage of space or a lack of suitable organising options.
Created exclusively for Seaside Residences by Frasers Centrepoint Singapore, LIVCLO (short for Living Closet) is a home organising closet located near the living room that addresses these woes. Developed and outfitted for daily efficiency, LIVCLO ensures that things are kept tidy with its highly-functional features that allow homeowners to organise their belongings.
Here are some organising tips gleaned from LIVCLO at Seaside Residences that will not only help you achieve a tidier home but also free up more time for meaningful activities with your family.
As a rule of thumb, it is more efficient to store rarely-used belongings in higher compartments of shelves or cabinets and frequently used ones at eye-level or at the bottom for easier access. For instance, you can adopt this organising method by placing bulky luggage bags on a top shelf, item boxes in the middle and cleaning appliances at the bottom. For better organisation, you can even designate individual shelves for specific types of items.
One of the best ways to maximise every square inch in a room is to utilise empty sections of wall space for storage and organisation purposes. Multi-compartment racks and wall shelves – carefully measured to fit shoes and storage boxes perfectly – can help in making this solution a reality. As a bonus, having plenty of vertical storage also means having a clear passageway, which makes it easier to move in and out of a tight closet.
Store bulkier household appliances and belongings at the bottom shelf for easier access.
Storage attachments and containers, such as hanging racks and plastic boxes, offer simple ways to upgrade the functionality of a storeroom without taking up extra space. Put these see-through accessories to good use by using them to store cleaning products, hobby supplies, toys, winter clothes and much more for a tidier, more accessible storeroom.
This article was brought to you by Frasers Centrepoint Singapore, developer of Seaside Residences – the ultimate seaside residence in the East that offers you Sand and Sea at the doorstep of the future Siglap MRT Station.


text:
Skyscraper towers and structures over the core of Sydney build up the advance of our development, influencing us to feel glad for our enhanced level of knowledge remainder. Be that as it may, keeping up and cleaning Sydney high rises can be something beyond an overwhelming errand. With shafts of glass encasing the structures from all sides, it is the glass windows that are first to get cloudy with the steady introduction to sun, rain, ice or more all, contamination. Fortunately, Janitorial Services Lee MA are currently offered by organizations that are enabled with cutting edge types of gear and talented experts to execute the activity with accuracy.
This makes it apparent that Domestic Cleaning Services in Berkshire high achieving building requires just a decent contractual worker with master riggings and aptitudes. To guarantee incite cleaning that reflects flawlessness, you have to detect a contractual worker who has all the most recent strategies collaborated with the productivity and experience to scour a wide range of unbalanced, transcending developments, both remotely and inside. Presently, the worry emerges because of the contribution of potential hazard and trouble related with the region of work. This is accurately a similar motivation behind why just the best Cleaning Contractor Pittsfield Ma ought to be doled out the activity.
These organizations are enabled with the most present day and refreshed types of gear that are fit for scouring the soil from the concerned exterior, rubbing them shining clean. These organizations have related knowledge in cleaning Sydney tall developments like pinnacle squares, retail units, condo edifices, office squares and mechanical premises. In this way in all probabilities, they have all the best in class supplies combined with productive works to play out the activity with most extreme proficiency. Discussing skyscraper cleaning organizations, they work with water sustained shafts that are the most up and coming hardware in this field.
These shafts supply water with continuous stream over the surface. The water supply produced using unadulterated water source that when kept running over the glass exteriors assimilates all the tidy, earth and grime, leaving the surface spread free and clean. This strategy for skyscraper cleaning is financially savvy and has negligible disturbance. The organizations offering such types of cleaning don't require supports or framework to reach up the statures. This conceivably decreases the likelihood of making harm or scars the building surface. Thus, the strategy received by the contractual workers for cleaning Sydney should be gauzed a long time before doling out the errand.
In conclusion, the security and wellbeing viewpoint is a noteworthy concern notwithstanding when the contractual worker's representatives are in question. A fruitful temporary worker makes it a point to check the strength of each individual related with the activity. It guarantees that the laborers are on the whole solid rationally and physically before they are doled out for the activity. They are additionally qualified for take after the rules directed by the legislature and never delegate under-prepared stuffs for the activity.


text:
If you or your physician find an abnormality on your skin that might be skin cancer, a biopsy is needed to determine both the type and extent of the cancer. A simple shave or punch biopsy is often done if a basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma is suspected, but an excisional biopsy is usually the better choice if it could be a melanoma. For melanomas and squamous cell cancers that have spread, further tests such as CT, MRI, PET, and/or a sentinel node biopsy may be needed to determine the stage of the disease.
If you develop an abnormal skin lesion, you may see your primary care doctor or a dermatologist, a physician who specializes in skin diseases. For those who have a skin lesion that could be a melanoma, however, referral to a dermatologist is often recommended before any testing is done (such as a biopsy).
Your doctor will first do a careful skin examination of your suspicious finding, as well as a general skin exam. This is important, as other skin findings, such as the presence of many moles, may increase the chance that your skin lesion is a skin cancer.
In addition to studying your skin lesion with a naked eye, your doctor may also use a dermascope, a special instrument that magnifies the skin, to get a closer look. What he or she sees may prompt further evaluation.
Unfortunately, the only way to definitively diagnose a skin cancer is to do a biopsy. Your doctor may suggest this step if he doesn't like what he sees during your physical examination.
Skin biopsy options recommended to you will vary depending on the expertise of your doctor and the type of skin cancer suspected. Some primary care physicians are comfortable performing biopsies if a basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma is suspected, whereas others will refer you to a dermatologist. With either type of physician, a biopsy may be done at the time one has been suggested or in a follow-up visit. If a melanoma is suspected, it's likely that an appointment will be set up for you to have this done at a later time, since a wide excisional biopsy (and sometimes a sentinel node biopsy) may be needed, and these procedures are more involved than others.
After a biopsy is done, the tissue is sent to a pathologist for evaluation. Your results will include information on the type of skin cancer, and if a melanoma is found, will include information on the "mitotic rate" of the tumor or how aggressive it appears. Genetic testing of the tumor cells may also be done (see below).
A shave biopsy is the most common type of biopsy used when a basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma is suspected. In a shave biopsy, the area beneath the skin lesion is numbed with lidocaine and a doctor uses a thin, sharp blade to shave off either part or all of an abnormal growth. Sometimes the area is cauterized (burned) after the shave biopsy is performed.
A shave biopsy and/or cautery should not be done if a melanoma is suspected, as this could create problems with staging and ultimately making the best choices for treatment.
A punch biopsy may also be done if a non-melanoma skin cancer is suspected (and on rare occasions, a melanoma). In a punch biopsy, the skin is numbed with lidocaine and a doctor uses a sharp, hollow tool to remove a piece of tissue. The punch tool is inserted to a particular depth by the physician and then twisted to remove a circle-shape sample of tissue.
In an excisional biopsy, the entire area under an abnormal growth and surrounding tissue is numbed. An incision is then made that includes the growth plus some surrounding tissue (a fairly large margin of tissue if a melanoma is suspected).
This is the best method of obtaining a biopsy if a melanoma is suspected, as it preserves the original cancer and tissue surrounding it so an accurate measurement of the depth of the tumor can be made. Depending on the location of cancer and its size, however, an excisional biopsy may not always be possible.
An incisional biopsy is similar to an excisional biopsy, but only a portion of the growth is removed.
If you have a melanoma that is thicker than 0.75 millimeters or is thinner but is ulcerated, has a high mitotic rate (looks more aggressive under the microscope), or lymphovascular invasion (has extended into lymph vessels or blood vessels near the tumor), your dermatologist may recommend a sentinel node biopsy. This may be done at the same time as a wide local excisional biopsy (ideally), or as a separate procedure following an excision.
The theory behind a sentinel lymph node biopsy is that cancers drain in a specific fashion, beginning with the sentinel node and then to other nodes. Since the sentinel node or nodes are cancer's first stop as it's spreading, the absence of tumor cells in these nodes indicates that it's unlikely cancer has made its way to any lymph nodes. If cancer is found in the sentinel node(s), there is a possibility that it has spread to other nodes (or distant tissues).
In this procedure, the melanoma (or the area where the melanoma was found) is anesthetized and injected with a blue dye (isosulfan blue) and a radioactive dye (technetium-labeled sulfur colloid). The dyes are then given time to be absorbed and filtered through the lymphatics into the nearest lymph nodes.
An imaging study called lymphoscintigraphy (a test that detects radioactive activity) is then done so that the surgeon knows where to look for the sentinel nodes and which should be removed (typically, one to five are biopsied).
The lymph nodes are then sent to a pathologist to look for evidence of "macrometastases" (obvious tumor in the lymph nodes) or micrometastases (tumor cells in the lymph node that can only be seen under the microscope).
In the past, all of the lymph nodes in a region were usually removed, a procedure that may result in lymphedema, a collection of fluid in the region of the nodes due to disruption of the flow of lymph. If cancer is not found in the sentinel nodes, surgery to remove other lymph nodes is not usually needed. On the other hand, if cancer is found in the sentinel nodes, a surgeon may recommend removing more lymph nodes (a full lymph node dissection), and cancer will probably require more aggressive treatment than if cancer wasn't in the nodes.
There are a number of pros and cons to lymph node dissection with melanoma that your doctor can discuss with you if your sentinel node biopsy is positive.
Complications of a sentinel node biopsy may include infection, bleeding, a buildup of fluid in the area where the nodes were removed (a seroma), or sometimes, lymphedema. The risk of lymphedema, however, is less common than when a full lymph node dissection is performed.
Most of the time tests, other than a biopsy, are not needed with non-melanoma skin cancers or early melanoma. With other cases of melanoma, lab tests will include a complete blood count (CBC) and a chemistry profile including a test for LDH (lactate dehydrogenase). LDH, in particular, may give helpful information regarding the prognosis of cancer.
Molecular differences among melanomas define them and can provide a direction for treatment. Testing for gene mutations (done on a sample of the tissue removed via biopsy or excision) has been a major advancement, allowing physicians to address these cancers with "targeted therapies," drugs that target specific pathways in the growth of a cancer cell.
It's important to note that these are "acquired" gene mutations (somatic mutations) that develop in the process of a cell becoming a cancer cell, in contrast to mutations that are present from birth (inherited or germ-cell mutations).
A CT scan uses a series of X-rays to create a 3-D picture of the inside of the body. It can be used to look for the spread of cancer to lymph nodes or distant regions of the body.
The most common site of spread is the lungs (lung metastases) and can be detected on a chest CT. An abdominal and/or pelvis CT may be done as well, depending on the location of the tumor. After the lungs, the most common sites of distant metastases are the bones, liver, and brain, but a melanoma may spread to nearly any region of the body.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnetic fields to create a picture of the inside of the body. While an MRI may be used to look for metastases in any region, it is particularly helpful in detecting metastases to the brain and spinal cord.
Positron emission tomography (PET scan) is different than many imaging tests in that it looks at the function of the body rather than structure, though it's usually combined with CT.
A small amount of radioactive glucose is injected into a vein and allowed to travel through the body. Actively growing areas of the body (such a cancer cells) take up more of the glucose and can be seen in the images generated.
A PET scan can be helpful as a staging test and to help detect recurrences of previous cancer. Unlike structural tests, a PET scan can discriminate between an area that appears abnormal due to scar tissue and an area that looks abnormal due to active tumor growth.
Most of the time, staging is not needed with a basal cell carcinoma or an early squamous cell carcinoma. If the biopsy shows that you have melanoma, however, your doctor needs to know the extent (stage) of the disease to effectively plan treatment.
TNM staging is used to determine the stage of the tumor. Two other measures, the Breslow thickness and Clark level, can give important information about the prognosis.
Learning a bit more about this can help you put comments from your doctor in perspective, should he mention these terms.
Staging of a melanoma is done using the TNM staging system. "T" stands for tumor, and basically describes the size and depth of the tumor. "N" stands for lymph nodes, and has an associated number that describes whether cancer has spread to any nodes and how many. Sub categories also describe whether the metastases to lymph nodes are macroscopic (able to be detected during an examination) or microscopic (only seen under a microscope). "M" stands for metastasis and is associated with a number only if cancer has spread to distant regions of the body.
How your tumor can be described using the TNM system dictates what stage of melanoma is indicated.
Stage 0: The Cancer involves only the top layer of skin. It is referred to as melanoma in situ or carcinoma in situ. At this stage, the cancer is considered non-invasive and should theoretically be 100 percent curable with surgery.
Stage IB: These tumors may either be less than or equal to 1 millimeter thick and ulcerated, or between 1 millimeter and 2 millimeters in thickness but not ulcerated.
Stage IIA: These tumors are either between 1 millimeter and 2 millimeters thick and ulcerated, or 2 millimeters to 4 millimeters thick and not ulcerated.
Stage IIB: This includes tumors that are 2 millimeters to 4 millimeters thick and ulcerated, or more than 4 millimeters in thickness but not ulcerated.
Stage IIIC: These tumors are more than 4 millimeters thick and are ulcerated.
Stage IV: The cancer has spread to other regions of the body, such as the lungs, liver, bones, brain, soft tissues, or digestive tract.
While melanomas are now divided into the TNM stages above, and these stages encompass what is known as Breslow thickness and Clark level, you may hear these terms from an oncologist or in your reading if you or a loved one are diagnosed with melanoma.
With melanoma, the single most important finding that determines the prognosis is the depth of the tumor and the number that describes this is the Breslow number. The Breslow number represents the total vertical height of the tumor.
Level I: These tumors are confined to the topmost layer of skin (the epidermis) and included tumors classified as carcinoma in situ.
Level II: The tumor has invaded the upper part of the dermis, the second layer of skin (the papillary dermis).
Level III: The tumor is present throughout the papillary dermis, but has not invaded the lower dermis (the reticular dermis).
Level IV: The tumor has invaded the reticular dermis.
Level V: The tumor has penetrated through the epidermis and dermis and into the deep subcutaneous tissue.
Ferrara, G., Partenzi, A., and A. Filosa. Sentinel Node Biopsy in Melanoma: A Short Update. Dermatopathology. 2018. 5(1):21-25.
Gershenwald, J., Scolver, R., Hess, K. et al. Melanoma Staging: Evidence-Based Changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition Cancer Staging Manual. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2017. 67(6):472-492.
National Cancer Institute. Melanoma Treatment (PDQ)—Health Professional Version Updated 03/22/18.


text:
Mistakes are part of life, but you’ll be kicking yourself if they lose you money. Make sure you avoid the ones below.
It’s natural to want to help your mates out; it’s what friends do. But there are some situations where mates rates should not apply, and that includes property. The reason investors get into the property market is because they want to make an income. Friends can certainly live in properties you own, but be firm when you say they must pay rent. You’re running a business, not a charity.
Don’t attempt this unless you’re a quantity surveyor. These people work out costings for building projects and have a high level of education. They’re part of an official body (Australian Institution of Quantity Surveyors) that ensures members are aware of the latest industry standards and participate in the training required to keep up their skillset.
Long story short; unless you have a Bachelor of Urban Development (Honours) (Quantity Surveying and Cost Engineering), leave it to the experts. Book an appointment here to get a qualified surveyor in for a visit.
Just because some of the properties have a few decades on them doesn’t mean they aren’t worthless. Some capital works are still eligible for deductions.
Items that are worth $300 or less are eligible for immediate deduction; think the rubbish bins, smoke alarms, children’s play equipment and the curtains. Other overlooked deductions include spa baths, bathroom and kitchen appliances and even the swimming pool are items that can be claimed on a tax depreciation schedule.
Yes, this is one of the dangers of DIY depreciation. In the schedules that quantity surveyors create, there’s two categories; capital works and plant and equipment. They’re also known as Divisions 43 and 40, respectively.
Capital works include items that are built into the property itself; wiring, driveways, fences and some landscaping. Plant and equipment include things you can easily remove from the property such as furniture and carpeting. If you own a commercial property the desks, blinds and shelves can be claimed. You can find out more about deductions on the ATO website.
Over recent years, the ATO has paid growing attention to tax returns submitted by tax payers relating to investment properties.
It is therefore highly likely that the Australian Taxation Office will pay particular attention to tax depreciation reports for investment properties when property investors submit their tax return from 1 July.
In particular, they may pay particular attention to tax depreciation reports that are prepared without a physical inspection of the property.
Unfortunately, a growing number of tax deprecation companies are not undertaking physical inspection of properties to cut costs and this failure could result in serious problems for their clients if they are audited.
If you are a property investor and plan to visit your tax accountant regarding your tax return from 1 July, you should raise the issue of tax depreciation and obtaining an ATO compliant tax depreciation schedule for your property or properties.
It is important to raise with your accountant the fact that desktop estimates of potential tax depreciation benefits are not accepted by the ATO and that a physical inspection of the property is required.
Accountants need to protect the interests of their clients by ensuring that the tax deprecation company they recommend to their client, conducts a physical inspection of the property.
The same principle applies to other professionals related to the property sector such as mortgage brokers who refer their clients to a tax deprecation company. Similarly, they should check if the tax deprecation company undertakes a physical inspection of the investment property before making a referral.
This is a simple check but one which could ensure that their client does not have to pay substantial penalty fees imposed by the ATO because the tax deprecation report is not compliant.
Overall, it is still unfortunate fact that a large number of tax payers who own investment properties will collectively miss out on millions of dollars in tax depreciation benefits over the coming weeks simply because they do not correctly claim them through lack of knowledge.
You should engage the services of a tax deprecation company who will undertake an inspection of your property and provide you with an ATO compliant tax depreciation report which you can provide to your accountant.
This report is a ‘once off’ and will outline the amount of tax benefits you can claim on an annual basis. Anyone considering employing a tax depreciation company should ensure that they are a member of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS).
Obtaining a tax depreciation schedule that is compliant with ATO guidelines is a small investment that can deliver a huge financial return and boost cash flows during a time when rents throughout Australia are under downward pressure.
2017 was a year of rising property prices, people educating themselves about property investment, and a massive change in tax depreciation laws. We’ve collected some of the best articles that hit our news section in 2017 and bring them to you here.
The release of the 2017-18 Federal Budget sent investors into a tailspin, and for good reason. It doesn’t matter if you buy commercial properties or homes to let. These changes apply to everyone.
It’s the debate that just won’t die! A scathing critique by property expert Tim Gurner about Millenial’s ability to save for their first home became a repeat headline over the year. Now smashed avocado is a tangible comparison to property prices. We even found a ‘luxuries’ calculator showing people how much a house deposit is equal to in yoga classes, trips abroad, and takeaway coffees.
When a mate tells you they invest in property, the likelihood is they’ll only have one or two items in their portfolio. Less than one percent of investors have diverse holdings of six or more assets. If you want to emulate the one percent, educate yourself here.
It’s common practice to buy a home, renovate it, sell for a profit and then repeat the cycle all over again. From curb appeal to the garage, we found 8 inspiring builds and overhauls to help your project along.
From an apartment block built for retirees in South Australia to a two bed, two bath home with a pool in the Northern Territory. We found properties from each state that you could snap up for half a million dollars or less (at the time the article was published).
Tax depreciation specialists, accountants, and property managers are part of your team when you get into the game. Use this article to give yourself a basic understanding about what a great manager should do before you go hiring that guy off Gumtree.
The 2017/18 Federal Budget brought about some changes that directly affect investors looking at properties to buy in the future. Starting from May 9th 2017, the ability to claim depreciation on certain assets has changed.
From July 1, 2017, the Government will limit plant and equipment depreciation deductions to outlays actually incurred by investors in residential real estate properties.
When you buy a property from a previous investor, you can’t claim the plant and equipment deductions. Capital works aren’t affected, so you can still earn money back from this.
Plant and equipment are the ‘easily removable’ items located in the property such as bins, white goods and any other furniture that you bought for the home. Remember that anything $300 or less can instantly get written off as an expense.
Then you’re in the clear. You can still claim plant and equipment depreciation if you settled the home before 7:30 pm on May 9th.
If you settled after, then unfortunately you’re out of luck. It doesn’t matter if those taps or that couch are a few months old. To claim, you must ‘incur the expense’ yourself.
Capital works depreciation is still claimable, so investor’s don’t totally lose out. You can also pay less capital gains tax when the property sells for a profit. Simply subtract the resale value of the plant and equipment from the time of purchase to how much it’s valued by the time you sell.
Investor’s won’t have to do the maths themselves, however. The quantity surveyor writes these calculations on the depreciation schedule.
Do I need to rethink my investment strategy?
You certainly need to scrutinise potential purchases a lot more closely. Your aim is to generate income from a rental property, whether commercial or residential. There’ll always be a debt and recovery period before you make a profit. With the new law changes, investors will look at new homes now more than ever over second-hand properties.


text:
“Yes, mother,” I said, wondering where she was going with this.
Thus, began my education in the patriotism of deeds, the patriotism of advancing justice. The country was in the middle of World War II and the spirit of patriotism was engulfed by the war effort, by the heroics of our armed forces against the fascists, and, for my parents, by my brother Shaf’s impending enlistment into the Navy.
Still, having come as teenage immigrants from Lebanon, during the Ottoman Empire and French mandate periods, my mother and father were very sensitive to any monopolization of patriotic symbols—flags, anthems, the July 4th holiday—to induce public obedience. They were wary of how many politicians would use and misuse these symbols to stifle dissent, hide abuses and manipulate public opinion. They rejected both political and commercial manipulation of patriotic feelings for narrow, often harmful self-serving ends.
Of course, the factory town of Winsted, CT where we grew up had its July 4th parade with marching bands, flags, proud veterans and assorted ceremonies. Its mile long Main Street was perfectly suited for these festivities. Plenty of fireworks in plenty of youthful hands too. We all had a general good time.
During one such Parade, it suddenly occurred to me that no one had ever marched holding up a large replica of the Declaration of Independence, which was the reason for the celebration that day. Other than being printed in its entirety by some newspapers, this bold Declaration whose eloquent assertion of human rights was heard around the world for many years, still is not front and center for historical recollection and contemporary contemplations.
My parents prized the freedoms they found in America, and they were alert to anyone who might try to diminish them. At his sprawling restaurant on Main Street opposite the textile factories, my father would always speak his mind. He was a constant critic of power — big business, government, local and national — and readily offered solutions.
There has always been military patriotism. There is more and more commercialization of the Fourth of July. In our hometown, we were raised to respect and nurture a civic patriotism.
As my brother Shaf said many years later: “A true love for the community of human beings that is our country is expressed when each one of us helps define that patriotism by our deeds and thoughts working together.” And, he set a wonderful example when in 1965 he founded the Northwestern Connecticut Community College in town.
Ralph Nader is the author of The Seventeen Traditions (Harper Collins, 2007), a remembrance of the ways his parents raised their four children.


text:
Most hosting companies offer unlimited website hosting at an expensive price with an unresponsive support department. However, not all companies are like this. Here at Dynamic Servers, we provide all hosting accounts with unlimited disk space, bandwidth and email accounts at a reasonable price. As well as offering this at a reasonable price, we also offer full support with a support desk that will respond to you in less than one hour. Our support department is always able to help no matter how big or small your issue is.
When you subscribe to one of our unlimited website hosting plans, you will receive web space which is completely powered by renewable energy. This means that your website and emails will be helping to save the planet and will not be contributing to the fossil fuel trade. So you can rest easy knowing that you are helping to save the environment for the future.
With our service there comes guarantees. These guarantees cover everything from uptime to support. Below are just some of our guarantees.
Our network is guaranteed to provide 99.9% uptime each month. This essentially means that the network should not have a large amount of downtime. You will be pleased the hear that we are consistently exceeding our 99.9% uptime guarantee and are constantly providing users with 100% server uptime. This ensures that businesses can function efficiently with their emails and websites.
If you require support from our expert teams, we will guarantee to respond to any queries that you may have within one hour of you submitting a help request. This guarantee applies to all support methods, whether it be via phone, email, live chat, or a support ticket through our client area. Please note, on occasions our team may be under tight pressure to solve issues. We ask that you remain calm and a member of our team will support you in a polite manner. We treat all customers with the same level of courtesy.
We promise that our services are and will remain powered by renewable energy. The energy has been certified as renewable by the data centre, the energy provider (e-ON) and by the UK energy regulation organisation (Ofgem). Whilst we do have plans in place to ensure that there is no loss of power we will continue to invest in renewable practices.
Our unlimited website hosting is possibly the best investment that your business could make this year. We put pride in the service we deliver and like to reward all of our customers for choosing us. If you would like to move your hosting to Dynamic Servers Limited, please feel free to contact our team of experts. Alternatively, you can order your hosting and transfers direct online.


text:
The service Managed WiFi is always tailor-made according to customer's requirements and their premises attributes. BENESTRA handles each single solution individually as a project and therefore the final solution is not a result of finding a compromise but rather copies exact needs given by customer. The service can be used in a wide range of institutions and suitable for hotels, restaurants, spas, congress centers, offices, manufacturing halls, warehouses, stadiums, public areas, hospitals, bus and train stations, schools, etc.
Fast and effective increase of access coverage to the Internet.
Increase of user comfort and therefore increase of employees' productivity and customers' satisfaction.
Zero investments to set up the service – monthly fee is direct operational cost. No costs related to hardware, its maintenance or upgrades and no costs related to software.
Entire service management by BENESTRA specialists means a customer's IT team can focus on their work and duties.
Maximal reliability and availability of services.
WiFi configuration changes – according to customer's needs.
High level of service level agreement (SLA) – guaranteed change of a device in case of its malfunction.
WiFi signal coverage according to customer's requirements.
High scalability and management of all access points via one centralized portal.
Over industry standard reach of access points.
Simultaneous dual-band WIFI (2.4 a 5 GHz).
Simple upgrade. A customer starts with just one AP, in a month he would like to add another 3 APs and till the end of a year he might want to use 15 APs. it couldn't be easier: access points are just installed and their management is done via the same cloud controller through which the original APs are managed.
Reporting in detail – different reports can be configured.
Guest portal – interface for access, support of main credit cards, option to use vouchers, etc.
Zero handoff roaming – a sure can move from one AP coverage to another while staying connected.
WiFi (or Wi-Fi) is a local wireless network which allows for data exchange between electronic devices or access to the Internet using radio waves with length of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. Different devices, such as computers, game consoles, smartphones, digital cameras can connect to the Internet thanks to a WiFi signal broadcast by a so call Access Point (AP). AP, also called a hotspot can spread the signal from a few meters up to over 100 meters depending on the used technology, construction materials used at the site and service settings itself.
In case of WiFi connection, its security is considered more than ever, because no physical access is needed to breach the network's security. That is one of the reasons why in the last 10 to 15 years many security standards were developed (WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA-TKIP, WPA2 AES, etc.),and their primary function is to protect WiFi from dangerous misuse.
The main benefits of WiFi technology is relatively cheap and fast installation (no physical infrastructure needs to be built) and its implementation is possible at premises where physical infrastructure is missing or prohibited (historical buildings). Manufacturers of electronic devices also play in favor of WiFi technology as today all of their products contain a wireless network adapter. Because of the high user comfort, WiFi is a technology favored my many.


text:
I'm one of those people that loves the little touches. The things people probably don't notice. But detail is huge in my eyes. I whipped these up in ps6 Monday night because with Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of weeks I figure we are all somehow preparing a little bit here and there. Now if you have a lot of company over for thanksgiving this is really perfect for getting everyone seated.
Here I've made a free download for you to be able to personalize yourself with your guests names in two different formats. For those with photoshop or an editing program the psd formatted download should download and open up right into your editing program. The jpeg format download you need to click on the photo below it will then open up, you should then right click and save.


text:
There are people who come into your life and change it for the better. Elwyn did that for me as a mentor, an investor and a teacher. We regularly had lunch near his office in Rockridge to discuss math and clinical trials, a particular shared interest of ours.
what sort of clinical trials?
Elwyn was very active in bringing pulmonary fibrosis medications to patients, spending substantial amounts of his own time and money. From that experience, he was interested in how novel clinical trial designs could assess the effectiveness of therapies faster for patients while controlling for bias and luck.
I am sorry to learn that Elwyn Berlekamp has died. He was a master of mathematics and, with John Horton Conway, explored its recreational aspects including the game of life and pentomino coverings. His company, Cyclotomics, was the go-to place for custom error correcting codes.
Some months ago a colleague of mine and I were working on coming up with an intuitive lay explanation of the Berlekamp–Massey algorithm as part of a greater explanation of some of our work that uses it ( https://github.com/sipa/minisketch/ ).
It isn't terribly difficult to work through the algorithm mechanically and see that it solves the equations that it's intended to solve, but that is a long way from a good intuitive understanding of it. We spent some time going back through the original literature describing it and related contemporary work, but what we found also focused on a rather procedural description that didn't really strike the insight we were looking for.
I'm sad to hear that the world will never know for sure now.
Although Berlekamp's work has already been important to the world-- impacting most of the communications and storage devices we interact with--, I expect that its importance will increase in the future.
Many advances in computer science and related fields have their utility gated or multiplied by the power and pervasiveness of computing technology. I am always struck when I read older papers-- even ones as late as the 90s-- and find them discussing problem sizes at the limits of their computer technology which my laptop is solving thousands of times per second as part of my application (or just as part of my research). So I find that my recent work using the berlekamp-massey algorithm casually applies to problem sizes that would have probably been unthinkable in the 80s, even using Cyclotomic's expensive specialized hardware. The increasing power and decreasing cost of general purpose computing increases the importance and broadens the applicability of the algorithms we run on it.
I still remember when he interviewed me for a job at ~his hedge fund about 8 years ago. It's incredibly humbling and a bit inspiring to be talking with the man who is responsible for, at the time, DVDs working, but these days, probably most reliable data storage and transmission.
Very sad to hear. From what I know of Berlekamp's academic work, he always had a good sense of fun in his research. Such researchers are a rarity in my experience, and thus bring a very valuable aspect to the research enterprise.
Is he the one after whom the 'Berlekamp's Bat' is named?Though I forget what it is, some thought experiment in probablity/statistics?
I can't immediately find a definitive attribution, but David MacKay seems to have coined the name (https://books.google.com/books?id=AKuMj4PN_EMC&q=Berlekamp's...), and both were at the ECC Design Center (http://www.eccdesigncenter.com/researchers), so it seems reasonably likely. It appears to be a description of the geometry of code-word space with respect to the Hamming metric.
Where is obituary or news ?
He was associated with Rentech and the Medallion fund.

industry_corpus2: Math & Statistics


text:
FedEx to Modernize Retirement Plans?!?!?!?!
MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX - News) today announced new measures it is taking to modernize its retirement plans for most of its employees. These measures will take place in the coming year and are in direct response to recent legislative, regulatory and demographic changes that continue to dramatically reshape U.S. retirement benefit needs.
FedEx will continue to offer highly competitive retirement benefits funded entirely by the company and will also enhance its 401(k) plans. The company expects to spend about the same amount on its employees' retirement plans over the long run as it would have spent under the current design and current rules.
Under the new program, most eligible employees who participate in a pension plan will begin accruing future benefits under a cash balance formula, which FedEx calls the Portable Pension Account, effective June 1, 2008. Any benefits already accrued under a traditional pension benefit formula will be capped as of May 31, 2008 and will be payable monthly at retirement. These changes will not affect the benefits of current retirees.
Shifting demographic trends among retirees resulting in greater life expectancy, healthier lifestyles and desire for greater control, portability and inheritability of retirement benefits.
"The retirement landscape is shifting dramatically and we have a responsibility to our employees and shareowners to meet these challenges head on. We have been studying these issues closely and actively participating in the debate about retirement program reform and believe that given the circumstances this is the right thing to do for our employees," said Alan B. Graf, Jr., executive vice president and chief financial officer of FedEx Corp. "In light of the unacceptable risk and volatility that the accounting-rule and funding changes are presenting, FedEx is making necessary changes to ensure that the company will remain competitive and help our employees prepare for a comfortable retirement."
Graf said that the Pension Protection Act, signed into law August 2006, allows FedEx to enhance its 401(k) retirement plans and to expand the number of workers covered by its Portable Pension Account, a cash balance feature that FedEx introduced in 2003.
In addition, demographic trends make it apparent employees need to be more active in saving for their retirement and participating more fully in 401(k) retirement plans. "The future is clear: Employees are living and working longer and retirement plans need to offer greater flexibility," said William J. Cahill, FedEx corporate vice president, human resources. "Updated FedEx 401(k) plans will make saving easier and investments more diversified so retirees can better control their finances."
FedEx summarized many of the changes to employees in a series of communications that began today, and it will share additional information and educational materials in the coming months.
Eligible employees who have accrued benefits under the traditional pension benefit formula will receive transition credits.
Under the 401(k) plans, FedEx will increase its matching contributions for most employees and will provide additional investment options. FedEx will take advantage of changes under recently enacted legislation that allow it to automatically enroll employees and increase their saving contributions each year to boost savings.
"FedEx retirement plans are part of an outstanding total benefits package for our employees," Cahill said. "Planning and saving for retirement is a partnership between FedEx and its employees, and we are committed to helping our employees enjoy a financially sound future."
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX - News) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $34 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 275,000 employees and contractors to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit www.fedex.com.
Certain statements in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements, such as statements relating to management's views with respect to the financial impact of the changes to the company's retirement plans. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience or from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of any future pension-related legislative or accounting standard changes and other factors which can be found in FedEx Corp.'s and its subsidiaries' press releases and filings with the SEC.
This won't apply to us. Our retirement plan is negotiated. FedEx has had the "portable pension" for all non-pilot newhires since about 2002.
True, but does it apply to the management guys who currently have a DB Plan? Are we the only ones left with a DB Plan? Yikes!
The way the company press release reads, you'd think this change to the company's retirement plan is the best thing since sliced bread for the average employee. It looks like what is actually going on is a cost reduction for the company for its pension obligations. I would love to know what the net effect will be on the average mechanic's (and other Fedex employees) annual retirement income. Anyone smart on a retirement restructuring like this? Anyone think the average employee will understand the implications of today's action on their retirement?
Last edited by hyperone; 02-27-2007 at 12:00 PM.
Said the Delta, USAIR, United Alpa members. To me it sounds like the other fdxers are getting what NW did, far superior to the others. Not b1tching about our retirement but sure would like to look at some numbers for Defined Contribution next time (with a freeze of current DB).
didn't the company offer us the cash balance plan? Our R&I committee obviously didn't think it was a very good deal.
Maybe, but we didn't try very hard to improve it either. Just think that some things not on the table last time should be next time. Again not complaining, very happy with the contract, just think my money is safer in my hands long range.

industry_corpus2: Transportation


text:
Call today, 706-851-2278, GE True Temp repair to schedule a same day or next day appointment for a small diagnostic fee, cheaper than the industry average (Appliance Blue Book pricing) which goes toward the repair price. Have an experienced GE True Temp technician service your appliance today 706-851-2278. All GE True Temp appliance technicians have extensive experience servicing all types of appliances including GE True Temp Refrigerator, GE True Temp Oven, GE True Temp Stove, GE True Temp Washer, GE True Temp Dryer, GE True Temp Dishwasher, GE True Temp Microwave, GE True Temp Cooktop, GE True Temp Freezer and GE True Temp Ice Maker. GE True Temp commercial appliance repair service as well. Same day appliance repair, GE True Temp appliance installation, ac repair, offering best pricing, affordable pricing, emergency appliance repair and weekend repair. Call now 706-851-2278.
Call today, 706-851-2278, GE True Temp repair to schedule a same day or next day appointment for a small diagnostic fee.


text:
Vickers are now part of the Eaton Group which include the other brands Char-Lynn, Sumitomo, Hydro-Line, and Aeroquip. origin Aftermarket Vickers® Vane Pump V20-1S9P-1C20L / V20 1S9P 1C20L designs, manufactures and globally markets a complete line of reliable, high-efficiency hydraulic components for markets including agriculture, construction, industrial, mining, fishing, marine and lawn and garden.
origin Aftermarket Vickers® Vane Pump V20-1S9P-1C20L / V20 1S9P 1C20L is a world-renowned hydraulic brand owned by the Eaton Group Fluid Power Division.
Eaton is the world's leading manufacturer of diversified industrial products and enjoys a highly technologically advanced and reliable reputation in the global industry. Has more than 125,000 employees in more than 125 countries on 6 continents. With annual sales of origin Aftermarket Vickers® Vane Pump V20-1S9P-1C20L / V20 1S9P 1C20L. Products related to automotive, truck, heavy equipment, civil aviation, defense and military, residential, telecommunications and data transmission, industrial equipment and public facilities, business and government agencies, as well as sports and entertainment in various fields.


text:
The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, at the D.C. Housing Finance Agency, 815 Florida Ave. NW. For details, visit anc1b.org.
The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, at Mary’s Center, 2355 Ontario Road NW.
presentation on a Historic Preservation Review Board application for a permit to alter the facade and install signage at 2481-2483 18th St. NW.
consideration of a committee recommendation to support revised policies regarding Enhanced Residential Parking Permit signage on the north side of Columbia Road between Ontario Road and Harvard Street NW.
consideration of a committee recommendation to support a proposal that would designate some parking along 18th Street NW as drop-off and pickup zones on Friday and Saturday nights.
possible consideration of an Alcoholic Beverage Control application by Infusion Club for a tavern license at the site of the former Chief Ike’s on Columbia Road NW.
consideration of a Historic Preservation Review Board application for concept approval at 1323 31st St. NW for a three-story addition and new garage with storage at rear.
The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church, California Street and Phelps Place NW.
■ commission comments and other administrative matters.
■ reports from the offices of Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans.
■ presentation by the D.C. Department of Public Works.
■ discussion of a public space application for 2320-2330 S St. NW.
■ discussion of Bill 22-0092, the Short-Term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act of 2017.
■ discussion of 2018 grant applications.
■ consideration of a Historic Preservation Review Board application for landmark designation of the Mitchell Park Field House.
■ consideration of a Zoning Commission application for proposed amendments regarding establishment and expansion of child development centers.
■ open comments and announcements.
The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, in the second-floor Heritage Room at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, 1524 35th St. NW.
administrative matters, including approval of a 2018 meeting calendar.
updates from the Citizens Association of Georgetown, Burleith Citizens Association, Georgetown Business Improvement District and Georgetown Business Association.
discussion regarding the National Park Service’s plans for tennis court renovations at Montrose Park.
consideration of a resolution regarding the D.C. Department of Transportation’s notice of intent to designate parking spaces in front of the Embassy of Antigua at 3234 Prospect St. NW as diplomatic parking spaces.
consideration of a public space application by the Georgetown House for a new unenclosed sidewalk cafe with two tables and eight seats at 1061 31st St. NW.
consideration of a public space application by Altus Realty Partners for streetscaping work at 3601 M St. NW.
consideration of a public space application by FreshFarm for the renewal of the public space permit for the weekly farmstand at 1044 Wisconsin Ave. NW.
consideration of a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for a special exception from the rear addition requirements to construct a third story and a rear addition to the existing one-family dwelling at 3608 S St. NW.
consideration of a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for a special exception under the accessory apartment regulations to permit an accessory apartment at 3238 Reservoir Road NW.
consideration of a resolution regarding the upcoming Commission of Fine Arts hearing on the Key Bridge Architectural Lighting Project.
consideration of Old Georgetown Board matters: 1026 31st St. NW, residence, site alterations, alterations to fenestration, window replacement, installation of awnings, concept; 1032 31st St. NW, residence, site alterations, alterations to fenestration, window replacement, installation of awnings, concept; 1040 31st St. NW, residence, site alterations, alterations to fenestration, window replacement, installation of awnings, concept; 1042 31st St. NW, residence, site alterations, alterations to fenestration, window replacement, installation of awnings, concept; 3103 South St. NW, residence, site alterations, alterations to fenestration, window replacement, installation of awnings, concept; 3105 South St. NW, residence, site alterations, alterations to fenestration, window replacement, installation of awnings, concept; 2900 K St. NW, House of Sweden, installation of seasonal tent on roof, permit; 1222 Wisconsin Ave. NW, signage and awnings, alterations, permit; 3024 Q St. NW, residence, alterations to rear fenestration, installation of covered porch and walkway, concept; 1511 28th St. NW, residence, new windows, new garage door, rear addition, concept; and 3023 Q St. NW, residence, two-story rear addition, alterations, concept.
The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, in the Tulip Room of the Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Ave. NW.
reports from the offices of Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans and Mayor Muriel Bowser.
consideration of Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration matters: ongoing settlement agreement discussions with Calico at 50 Blagden Alley NW and Tiger Fork at 922 N St. NW (rear); updates to the ANC 2F settlement agreement template; a new Class C tavern license for French 75, 1400 14th St. NW; and a new Class C tavern license for Players Club, 1400 14th St. NW.
consideration of a request to support D.C. Council legislation requiring the D.C. government’s divestment from Wells Fargo Bank.
The commission will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 16, at the 2nd District Police Headquarters, 3320 Idaho Ave. NW. For details, visit anc3c.org.
The commission will hold its next regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11. The location has not been announced.
The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at the Chevy Chase Community Center, Connecticut Avenue and McKinley Street NW.
adoption of a 2018 meeting schedule.
discussion and possible vote on a public space application to close an existing driveway and to construct a new driveway, leadwalk with steps, and landscaping at 7076 Oregon Ave. NW.
presentation by and discussion with D.C. Department of Public Works director Christopher Shorter on concerns related to leaf collection and lessons learned that can improve leaf collection in 2018.
presentation, discussion and possible vote on a resolution in support of full implementation of the Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act.
discussion of progress in preparing recommendations to the mayor and D.C. Council on the future of the Chevy Chase Community Center.
The commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2, in the community meeting room at the 4th District Police Headquarters, 6001 Georgia Ave. NW.
presentation by the Metropolitan Police Department on a recent fatal shooting on the former Walter Reed campus.
administrative matters, including approval of a 2008 meeting schedule and the appointment of commissioner members to ANC 4A’s Education Committee and its Transportation/Infrastructure Committee.
reports from the offices of Mayor Muriel Bowser and Ward 4 D.C. Council member Brandon Todd.
presentation by Tony Towns of the D.C. Office of the Attorney General.
presentation by Lawrence Jones of the D.C. Office of the People’s Counsel on the proposed Washington Gas merger.
consideration of a grant application by East Rock Creek Village for $1,500.
consideration of a resolution on a Board of Zoning Adjustment application for a special exception at 1724 Upshur St. NW.
consideration of a resolution on diversity in Walter Reed construction employment.
consideration of a resolution on banning gas-powered leaf blowers.
The commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, in the basement meeting room at the Petworth Library, 4200 Kansas Ave. NW. For details, call 202-723-6670 or visit anc4c.org.
This post has been updated to include newly available meeting agendas.


text:
I Samuel chapters 23 and 24 provide a fascinating look at wicked King Saul and his righteous servant David, who would eventually be king of Israel - something that provides lessons for us.
First, David hears that the Philistines are attacking the Israelite city of Keilah, and he goes to the rescue, routing the Philistine army and inflicting heavy losses. David is on the run from King Saul (who is unjustly seeking David's life) and is under no obligation to do this, but he loves God's people and does it anyway.
The one who should be doing this is King Saul, who is charged with protecting Israel against her enemies. Not only does Saul not fulfill his duty as king, he only goes to Keilah when he hears that David is there, to murder him. David discovers Saul is coming and it is revealed to him that the men of the city will hand him over to Saul - even though he had just saved the city from the Philistines.
In rescuing Keilah and in the aftermath, David shows great faith. First, he trusts that God will deliver the victory to him. Then, even though he is about to be betrayed, he simply leaves the city rather than expose them to a siege by the wicked king. He refuses to take his vengeance on the men of Keilah. This is in stark contrast to the paranoid Saul, who mercilessly slaughtered an entire city in the previous chapter because they had assisted David.
It is this backstory that makes David's actions in chapter 24 so striking. King Saul has murdered an entire city in his paranoia, did not come to the aid of another city being attacked by Israel's enemies, and instead marched on that city to get at David. Saul has been seeking to murder David for some time. David, though, refuses to kill Saul when Saul is within his grasp, because for all of Saul's wickedness he is still the Lord's anointed.
In doing this, David provides a lesson for us in dealing with authority when that authority is acting like a tyrant. David does not blindly submit to Saul's unjust pursuit of him and allow Saul to kill him, but he will not raise his hand against Saul. David resisted the unjust orders of a bad king while still respecting his position as king. As Christians, we are not to blindly follow a civil authority when that authority is unjust, but we are to respect that authority.
David trusted God's promise that he would eventually be king, and refused to grab the power for himself. Eventually, David was rewarded for his faith, as he became king of Israel. David, of course, was a flawed man, as he showed by committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband to cover it up. But his life shows us many things that we can emulate in our own lives.

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


text:
Our memory verse this month is Matthew 7:7.
There are three verbs. We talked about that a couple of Mondays ago here.
All are separate, or are they?
“Ask; represent your wants and burthens to God, and refer yourselves to him for support and supply, according to his promise.
Seek, as for a thing of value that we have lost, or as the merchantman that seeks goodly pearls. Seek by prayer, Dan. 9:3.
Ask – go to Him for all our support, for everything we need.
Seek – diligently, as though we’ve lost a treasure.
Knock – as though we desire and have hopefilled expectation to enter, to talk with God.
And all of this is wrapped in a neat virtual bow of understanding that God is God and man is man. He is the God, the master who made the universe and we are a creation of His hand. We go to Him, setting aside our will, and seeking diligently His, trusting our God knows best.
And the door opens wide.
In what area is God wooing you to ask, seek, and knock? In what area do you sense a struggle? Consider offering it to Him now.
¹ Blue Letter Bible. “Matthew Henry: Commentary on Matthew 7”. Accessed 4/20/17. http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Mat/Mat_007.cfm?a=936007.
Find past weeks of WORD17 on this Pinterest board.
Energized and encouraged by the testimony of others? Check out the beautiful stories of God in their lives here.
Kristi … thanks for helping us see the link between these words. One leads to the other and back and forth again.
Our faith walk in black and white.
Hey there, Kristi. I appreciated these thoughts on this verse, friend. I’ve never heard of BlueLetterBible. Will have to check it out!


text: Tony Buzan Richard Israel Tony Dottino - Tony Buzan is an author and educational consultant. He is a proponent of the techniques of Mind Mapping and mental literacy. He has worked with: corporate entities and businesses all over the world; academics; Olympic athletes; children of all ages; governments; and high profile individuals, in teaching them how to maximize the use of their brain power.Buzan was born in London, is an alumnus of Kitsilano Secondary School, and received double honors in psychology, English, mathematics and the General Sciences from the University of British Columbia in 1964. He is probably best known for his book, Use Your Head, his promotion of mnemonic systems and his Mind Mapping techniques. He launched his own software program to support mind mapping called iMindMap in December 2006. His website, Buzan World, cites trademarks on the phrase 'Mind Maps' which he has registered in many countries.Following his 1970s series for the BBC, many of his ideas have been set into his series of five books: Use Your Memory, Master Your Memory, Use Your Head, The Speed Reading Book and The Mind Map Book. He has since authored or co-authored over 100 books.Most of his teaching generally divides up into: general awareness of the extensive capabilities and capacities of the brain and its functions, memory skills, reading skills, Mind Map note-taking and note-making, creativity, and how brain function can be improved over time into old age.Buzan developed Mind Mapping whilst at university, out of the frustration that traditional notes took up so much time to create and review. He has argued that Mind Maps are an efficient way to take notes from lectures or books. His brother Barry Buzan, who co-wrote The Mind Map Book, suggested the technique could also be used to capture notes from one's own creative ideas and is useful in business.As a popular psychology author, Tony Buzan has written on subjects relating to the brain, genius quotient (GQ), spiritual intelligence, memory, creativity and speed reading. He is the founder and President of the Brain Foundation (not to be confused with various medical-related bodies with the same name) and also the Brain Trust Charity, the World Memory Championships and the World Championships of the Brain. He was a co-founder of London's Mind Body Spirit Festival as well as the Mind Sports Olympiad.