text:
Ankita Raina Interview Series, Interviews
"Face challenges. Do not get bogged down. Do not look back. March ahead despite all the difficulties." advises Ravinder Krishan Raina ji, father of the Indian no. 1 at WTA Rankings, Ankita Raina.
by Gautam Belday / March 30, 2020 March 31, 2020
Ankita Raina has become a household name for all the Indian tennis fans who follow the sport. She has been steadily climbing up the singles and doubles WTA rankings over the years, and has managed to stay atop the charts for a very long time. Known for her grit and determination, and pulling off upsets while it matters the most – playing for the Tricolor. Her father sheds some light on her childhood, and all those qualities that has made the woman of substance that she is today!
These are series of articles going in-depth into the journey of Ankita Raina, the Indian no.1 in singles and doubles on the WTA Rankings. Find out more from the previous articles here.
1. "She is waiting for her opportunity. And it will come – sooner or later" – Lalita Raina ji, sharing a mother's perspective, on the tennis journey of Ankita Raina
The articles will also be available for read on http://www.scroll.in – a popular Indian news website.
What role did you and your family play in Ankita's journey?
Like every parent we tried to give Ankita every possible form of support – be it physical, mental, moral, or financial, wherever it was required and possible especially once we did realize that she has both the right attitude and aptitude towards the game.
When did you first realize of Ankita potential?
When Ankita was playing under-10 National ranking tournaments, she was performing better as compared to other players both at State Level and National Level, so we did guess she can go ahead in this field.
Can you shed a little light on her childhood?
Ankita Raina has been a very good, well-behaved, diligent and witty child right from her childhood. She used to sacrifice her sleep for practice in the early morning, attending school and later private tuition after the school, and then practice again in the evening, and sometimes dance classes during the weekdays.
Besides, Ankita Raina has been a very courageous, bold, and dedicated girl throughout her childhood and continues to be so. Worthy to mention, Ankita used to juggle between two auto-rickshaws and one bus, all by herself, both in the morning and evening during the practice sessions at the age of 13. She started to travel alone from the age of 13 on the International circuit, as the company of any single parent could have added to expenses which was not affordable for the salaried-class parents.
How and when did she decide to pursue Tennis as a sport? Did you ever think that she would become a professional player?
When Ankita was performing very well during the Asian juniors ranking tournaments, and was declared by the Asian Tennis Association as the 'Player of the year 2014' and subsequently emerged as the 'runner-up' at the Asian Junior's Championship held at Melbourne, Australia, it reinforced her zeal towards the game and our hopes also kindled up that – one day Ankita Raina will emerge as a world champion in tennis.
Did she receive a lot of support from your extended family? Did anyone persuade you and your wife or Ankita from not going along this path?
Ankita got physical, moral encouragement and help from grandparents in the childhood particularly. In fact, all the relatives from the parental side tried to encourage her and did not dissuade her in any way.
Childhood picture of Ankita with her father.
Growing up, how did she balance school and tennis training?
Very tough situation for the child as well as parents, but by God's grace as both the sides, that is, the child and the parents have been hard working right from the very beginning, so did manage the things very well. Worthy to mention,Ankita Raina has been good at studies also securing more than 50% in the exams. and has not lapsed any academic year except one during Graduation as
she was not able to appear in the exam because of an important tournament during that period which she could not have missed.
Based on reports I read, Ankita and her mother stay in Pune for training. How difficult has this arrangement been for you and your family?
This is a very difficult, striving phase for everybody in the family – the father, mother and even children physically, mentally, financially but the only solace is that Ankita Raina is marching ahead despite all the hurdles.
Tennis is an expensive sport. How did you support her all through these years?
As rightly put, I do observe that the game needs lot of time, lot of efforts and lot of financial backing. While the first two requisites – time and efforts – we could somehow manage, the third aspect – finances – was a very difficult part. When
Ankita grew up and started performing well, travel on International circuit for tournaments became necessary. So, we started looking for the avenues, due to which we tried seeking help through several business corporates, although nobody even responded – except one (regarding whom I had an intuition), respected Mr. Janamjay Vyas, M.D. Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals,whose help at that stage became very crucial for Ankita's future. (May god bless Mr. Janamjay Vyas sir!)
After winning the Women's Nationals, Lakshya Foundation (Sunder Iyerji) was te first to come forward and support her. In the later years, when Ankita started performing at higher levels, consequently demands for more International tournaments soar up, involving the huge expenses. We approached our worthy Hon'ble Narendrabhai Modi, the then C.M. of Gujarat State and currently Hon'ble P.M. of India , who gave a patient hearing and assured needful help in the matter with the result he designed 'Shaktidoot Yojana', for all the top players of Gujarat which covers the major expenses of the players only (not any support staff/parents), which came as a great blessing and due to which sports scenario has improved a lot in Gujarat/India. It is thus due to support of Hon'ble P.M. Mr. Narendrabhai Modi and Sports Authority of Gujarat that Ankita Raina is marching ahead.
What are some of the challenges that she had to overcome so far to reach where she is?
As mentioned earlier, arranging finances was a difficult job. Besides, managing studies while continuing sports was also a tough task but God has helped Ankita at every step.
I've noticed that Ankita trained with Mr. Hemant Bendrey for many years. Has she ever considered training abroad?
Mr. Hemant Bendrey is a coach, by God's grace who is more dedicated towards the progress of the players rather than any other part including money matters. Mr. Bendrey is always ready to help his players out of his way, a man of integrity and very good mental and moral conduct. It was initially very difficult to get Ankita trained under him as he trains only limited number of players. It is only after the persuasion of Ankita's mummy Ms. Lalita Raina, brother Ankur Raina with respected Bendrey Sir's esteemed mummy & esteemed wife that finally Bendrey sir agreed to train Ankita, and I accompanied Ankita to Pune and got her admitted there .
Ankita and the whole family has every trust in him. We, do act only as per his advice and never interfere in the matters. So far, I believe he never found any need for Ankita's training abroad and we equally believe that when Bendrey sir is here, there is no need. If need arises, he will definitely advise without any second thoughts and Ankita will follow the same.
She has achieved a lot for her country. What achievements of hers are you most proud of?
Ankita's untiring efforts, courage and boldness has made it possible for her to shine. Out of all her achievements, Ankita's bronze medal in women's singles category at the Asiad 2018, Ankita's victory in all the Fed-cup matches, especially 2018, and runners –up at the Asian Junior's Championship 2007, top the list.
Ravinder Kishen Raina ji (Father), Ankita Raina (Daughter) and Lalita Raina ji (Mother), in one frame.
If you had to change something about her training during her formative years, what would it be?
Being a layman regarding Sports, this is an area which only her coach ca reply except that I feel it would have been more fruitful for Ankita if she had participated in International tournaments at an earlier stage had been there any sponsors during that period.
As parents, what is some advice you can give to other parents?
Allow children to follow their passion, inculcate discipline, good manners, good behaviour and make your children good human beings firstly, before anything else.
What advice do you have for the upcoming players who are aspiring to play at
the highest levels?
Face challenges. Do not get bogged down. Do not look back. March ahead despite all the difficulties. "God helps those who help themselves". Hard work and good behavior never goes unrewarded.
What are the next set of goals for Ankita and what do you think she needs to do to achieve those goals?
Indeed, her next goal is and should be to emerge as an Olympic Champion/ World Champion, for which she has to put more efforts and discipline in her schedule, and also needs some financial support from some sponsors to cover the expenses of the support staff during the tournaments, which also plays a vital role at the higher level, as all the top players have always a support staff in the form of coach, trainer, physiotherapist, parents or sometimes even a psychologist, which currently Ankita is not in a position to afford.
← Chai With Raja : Episode 5 – "#NKRising"
"Playing in Champions Tennis League (CTL) was fun. We had the most fun as a team in CTL" – Richard Krajicek, former Wimbledon Champion →
"We would have loved a fairytale ending" – Sania Mirza, after ending runners-up with Bopanna in her last Grand Slam
"Competitiveness is in my blood" – Sania Mirza, after making the final in her final Grand Slam
Pingback: Ankita Raina has it in her to be inside the WTA top 100 - echo her nemeses on-, and friends off-the-court. - Indian Tennis Daily
Menaka Kumaran says:
Ankita , as a Tamilian I admire your drive , passion and tenacity. I am watching you at Roland Garros. God Bless You !

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At A Joyous Affair, we are all about providing for all of your wedding ceremony and receptions supplies. Starting with personalized Save the Date Cards to Invitiations, Decor, Table Glam, Flower Baskets, Ring Pillows and Personalized Gifts and Favors....We have it all. We carry a full ine, thousands and thousands of products to make sure that your special event is A Joyous Affair!
See our photo album, and visit our website at A-JOYOUS-AFFAIR.COM.
We also have a small personalized studio in San Diego North County for your personalized needs. Book an appointmen t to come and shop from thousands of samples before you purchase online. We also make custom gift baskets for bridesmaid gifts, mother of the bride gifts, etc.


The DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) was announced in 2012 as the currently most challenging and most competitive robotics competition for advancing humanoid robotics to assist human responce forces in recovering from disasters.
The DRC consists of three events and the final prize is 2M US$. Several GKmM Members from different GRK groups participated in or actively supported the international joint team formed by TU Darmstadt together with Virginia Tech and lead by TORC Robotics, a spin-off company of VT. On June 27, 2013, the results of the first DRC event, a virtual challenge (VRC) of response tasks for a supervised semi-autonomous humanoid robot have been announced. From original over a hundred registered teams, only 26 qualified for the VRC which our joint team finished as overall 6th.
Now our team will get funding including one of the most advanced and powerful humanoid robots, Atlas from Boston Dynamics, and will prepare this robot for participation in the second DRC event on December 21, 2013.
will be officially presented on July 11th.


Clip Box Tops from your favorite General Mills products. Get your extended family and neighbors clipping, too. Send in your Box Tops in an envelope with your family name. Shop online through Box Tops Marketplace, designating St. Brigid/Our Lady of Hope School as the beneficiary. Visit boxtops4education.com.


text:
A Szent Erzsébet-kápolna a mexikói Mérida városának egyik régi műemléke.

Leírás
A kápolnát egy Gaspar González de Ledesma nevű birtokos építtette saját vagyonából ismeretlen időben (valószínűleg a 17. században, de az is lehet, hogy a 16-odikban), azért, hogy oda remeteként bevonulhasson. Eredeti neve Nuestra Señora del Buen Viaje-kápolna volt, majd valószínűleg az építtető halála után az egyház tulajdonába került, és felvette a Szent Erzsébet nevet.

Az épület Mérida történelmi központjában, San Sebastián városrészben található, annak a helynek a közelében, ahol a régi várost el lehetett hagyni a campechei királyi út irányába. Előtte egy kis park található, közepén egy hatszögletű pavilonnal, amit padok vesznek körül. A teret határoló utcák mellett több régi, gyarmati stílusú lakóház is áll. A kápolna homlokzata egyszerű, szögletes falfelületének tetején egy csúcsos oromfaldarab emelkedik, amelyben a harangok számára három nyílást alakítottak ki. Ezen egy 1748-ból származó felirat is található, mellette pedig egy-egy alacsony, toronyszerű kiemelkedés. Az épület belső udvarán Yucatánban honos gyógy- és dísznövényeket, virágokat, cserjéket és harasztokat tartalmazó kert helyezkedik el. A kert ingyenesen látogatható, de mivel nem közterület, ezért a kápolnában valakitől engedélyt kell kérni a bebocsáttatásra. Déli oldalán egy régi temető terül el, ahol egy másik kápolna romjai még láthatók.

Képek

Források

Yucatán építményei
Yucatán kultúrája
Mexikó katolikus templomai, kolostorai
Mérida (Mexikó)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: error in Execute SQL Task with parameter I have an Execute SQL Task object in the Error handlers section of a SSIS package. What it does is inserting a record to a table using OLE DB connection. There is a value in the insert statement that should be sourced from a user variable.
When I try to pass the query I get the following error, I searched internet a lot and tried different things, but still get the error message:
"The query failed to parse. Parameter Information cannot be derived from SQL Statements. Set parameter information before preparing command."
What I have set to the SQLStatement is:
INSERT INTO ErrorLog(ErrorDateTime, ErrorDescription) VALUES(GETDATE(),?)

What I have in the Parameter Mapping section of the Task:

The SQLSourceType is "Direct input" and as there is no result to this query the ResultSet has been set to "None".
The ErrorDescription column in the target table is varchar(max).
Any idea how fix this issue?

A: Have you actually tried executing the package or are you just trying to parse the query?
Attempting to parse OLE DB queries with params will fail with the error you've described. Don't parse the query if using OLE DB.
I've created your task and tested. It executes fine, but if you click "Parse query" it returns the same error that you are getting.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Mens T-Shirts & Clothing
New Products - Men
Men's Rock Concert T-shirts & Tour T-shirts
Men's Rock Album Cover T-shirts
Men's Rock Band and Artist Logo T-shirts
Men's Rock Band Jewelry
Men's Rock Band / Artist Sweatshirts & Jackets
Men's Rock Band Hats and Caps
Men's Vintage Pop Culture T-Shirts
Men's Corello Clothing and Accessories
Men's Generra Clothing
Men's Indian Motorcycle Jackets
Men's Original Penguin Clothing & Hats
Men's Roar Clothing Shirts
Alchemy of England Jewelry
Womens T-Shirts & Clothing
New Products - Women
Women's Rock Concert & Tour T-shirts
Women's Rock Album Cover T-shirts
Women's Rock Band and Artist Logo T-shirts
Women's Rock Band Jewelry
Women's Rock Band / Artist Sweatshirts & Jackets
Women's Rock Band Hats and Caps
Women's Vintage Pop Culture T-Shirts
Women's Chaser T-shirts
Women's Corello Clothing and Accessories
Women's Dirty Cotton Scoundrels T-shirts
Women's Esprit Clothing and Accessories
Women's Original Penguin Clothing & Hats
Women's Recycled Karma Shirts
Rocker Baby
CLICK HERE to choose your size
Led Zeppelin Concert T-shirt - United States of America 1977 Tour
Hi! I've attached a photo of me wearing the Led Zeppelin shirt I ordered and wrote a review on! I'm so glad I discovered your company! Best, Katie Our Led Zeppelin concert tshirt is from the...
Led Zeppelin Concert Tour T-shirt - Los Angeles North American Tour 1975. Men's Gray Tie-Dye
This Led Zeppelin tshirt spotlights the promotional poster artwork for the classic rock band's March 24-27, 1975 Los Angeles concerts, which were the final shows of their 1975 North American Tour...
Led Zeppelin T-shirt - Led Zeppelin IV Symbols Inner Sleeve Art
Our Led Zeppelin tshirt features the four symbols first seen on the inner sleeve of Led Zeppelin's fourth album, Led Zepplin IV. Each symbol was individually chosen by the members of Led Zeppelin...
Led Zeppelin T-shirt - Wembley Empire Pool Concert Promotional Poster. Women's White Tie-Dye Shirt
This Led Zeppelin women's concert t-shirt features the promotional poster artwork from the classic rock band's Wembley Empire Pool shows, which were part of Led Zeppelin's 1971 Tour of the United...
Led Zeppelin Vintage Concert T-shirt - May 5, 1973 Tampa Stadium, Promo Poster Artwork | Men's Beige Tie-Dye
This vintage Led Zeppelin concert tshirt features the promotional poster artwork from the band's Saturday May 5, 1973 Tampa Stadium, in Tampa, Florida, show. Performed to promote Led Zeppelin's most...
Led Zeppelin Women's Concert T-shirt - UK United Kingdom Tour 1971 | Red, Black, Blue Tie-Dye Shirt
Our women's Led Zeppelin concert t-shirt is from the classic hard rock band's winter 1971 Tour of the United Kingdom. These shows were performed to promote Led Zeppelin's most recent album, at the...
Mens T-Shirts & Clothing (4)
Womens T-Shirts & Clothing (2)
Double Extra Large (4)
Double Extra Large: 27"wide, 30" long (2)
Large: 23 1/2" wide, 28" long (3)
Medium: 21" wide, 25" long (3)
Small: 19: wide, 23" long (3)
Extra Large: 41" wide, 21" long (1)
Large: 37" wide, 20 1/2" long (2)
Small: 18" wide, 28" long (1)
Small: 33" wide, 18 1/2" long (2)
Black Tie-Dye (1)
Red, Black and Blue Tie-Dye (1)
White with Tie-Dye (1)
Graphic Tee (6)
Rocker Rags
Rebel Luxe Management, LLC
5010 Arroyo Chamisa NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87111
Copyright © Rocker Rags All Rights Reserved.


Did you miss Microsoft's Convergence 2015? Attend this session to get the inside scoop on the Microsoft Dynamics SL information and sessions available to view from Convergence 2015. Also get a view at the upcoming Microsoft Dynamics SL 2015 CU1 Web App release.


LIVINGSTONE is improving with each national Judo league tournament, says Judo for Fred coach Mama Hamoonga.
In an interview, Hamoonga said three players had won winning in their categories at the just ended contests held in Lusaka on Saturday. He said the next national league tournament will be at the Youth Community Training Centre (YCTC) in Livingstone on May 26.
"The lads are improving on a daily basis and with each national league tournament held the standards are getting higher and higher. I am happy that Felet Musonda who won the fight in the 44 kilogramme category has made it to the national team," Hamoonga said.
She added that in the 30 kilogramme category Livingstone's Judo for Fred judokas ended up fighting each other with Tabo Sitali losing to his team mate Fred Musonda.
"In the -25 kilogramme category Morrison Mwachiyaba was first while William Mulenga lost in the semi-finals of the 55 kilogramme category," Hamoonga said.
She further noted that William Mulenga lost in the 55 kilogramme category while Costic Mainza and Mufalari Swembo all lost in their first fights.
Judo for Fred is financed by Norwegians through a non-governmental organisation Response Network.
Hamoonga further appealed to all Livingstone residents to turn up in numbers on May 26 to watch the national judo league at YCTC in Libuyu Township.


Campaign bumper sticker from the unsuccessful 2014 gubernatorial candidacy of Kirk W. Dillard, Republican; a classic election color scheme of white, red and blue theme is used, with a union label appearing in the lower dexter corner, and reference to Dillard's campaign website appears prominently beneath his name and declaration. The Republican elephant logo replaces the dot above the lowercase letter 'i' in his surname. Dillard was defeated 40%-37% by Bruce Rauner, who went on to win in the final polls. This was Dillard's second attempt for the Republican candidacy for Illinois Governor. The first, in 2010, pitted Dillard against six other Republican contenders; Dillard, however, lost to Bill Brady by a slim 193 votes. The cost of sticker production for the 2014 campaign was borne by the "Dillard for Governor" Committee; Union Local 820 did the printing. Contributor Mary Hudgins is a former legislative intern. A graduate of Sangamon State University (now University of Illinois at Springfield) in Political Science, she is originally from Naperville. She believes that the election items in her personal collection are rare, and wants to insure their preservation through digitization in the 2016 UIS History Harvest project.
Dillard for Governor Committee, "Bumper Sticker, "Dillard for Governor", Kirk Dillard, Republican Primary Candidate for Illinois Governor, 2014," UIS History Harvest, accessed April 20, 2019, http://uishistharv1.uis.edu/items/show/192.


Quantum cascade laser-based frequency combs have attracted much attention as of late for applications in sensing and metrology, especially as sources for chip-scale spectroscopy at mid-infrared fingerprint wavelengths. A frequency comb is a light source whose lines are evenly-spaced, and only two frequencies are needed to describe the system—the offset and the repetition rate. Because chip-scale combs have large repetition rates, for many spectroscopic applications is important to be able to change both parameters independently, without substantially changing the comb spectrum or spectral structure. Although it is possible to modulate both the offset and the repetition rate of a comb by tuning the laser current and temperature, both properties affect the laser by changing its index of refraction, and both frequencies will be affected. Here, we show that by integrating a mirror onto a MEMS comb drive, the dispersion and group delay associated with a quantum cascade comb's cavity can be modulated at kilohertz speeds. Because the MEMS mirror primarily affects the group delay of the cavity, it is able to adjust the comb's repetition rate while leaving the offset frequency mostly unaffected. Since this adjustment is linearly independent from current adjustments and can be adjusted quickly, this provides an avenue for mutual stabilization of both parameters. In addition, we show that dynamic modulation of the comb drive is able to allow the laser to recover from comb-destroying feedback, making the resulting comb considerably more robust under realistic conditions.
This paper, originally published on 20 April 2017, has been withdrawn per author request.


A WOMAN has died after being hit by a car in North Yorkshire.
The 63-year-old was walking along Bridge Road, Stokesley at around 12.25pm yesterday when she was struck by a grey Vauxhall Astra car.
Witnesses are being urged to come forward, North Yorkshire Police said.
A spokesman added: "The collision happened at about 12.25pm on Bridge Road, Stokesley, and involved a grey Vauxhall Astra car and a female pedestrian.
"Sadly, the pedestrian, a 63-year-old woman from the Hartlepool area, was pronounced dead at the scene."
Contact North Yorkshire Police Traffic Constable Mark Mullins in the Major Collision Investigation Team by calling the 101 number.


The National Assembly yesterday, Tuesday enacted the Legal Practitioners Bill 2015 and The Gambia Law School Bill 2015.
These bills were introduced by Mama Fatima Singhateh, Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
Madam Singhateh noted that the bill sets the criteria for a person who can be called and enrolled to legal practice in the Gambia. She explained that in this bill it is stated that after the completion of four years studies in the University one has to go to the Law school for one year and later one will be attached to a Lawyer who has experience of 10 years of services in the common Law jurisdiction, for a period of five years before becoming a fully qualified legal practitioner.
Madam Singhateh argued that the First Legal Practitioners Act was enacted in 1988 and over the years there were many changes that have occurred in the country, such as the Introduction of the Law Faculty of the University of the Gambia and the establishment of the Gambia Law School.
She added that it also sets out the boundaries for legal practice for non Gambian legal practitioners in the service of the Government of The Gambia.
This Bill was seconded by Hon Seedy Njie a nominated member of the National Assembly.
The Minority Leader Honourable Samba Jallow, made some observations. In the first place he pointed out that the 5 years attachment period for young student Lawyers from the law school is too long. Secondly he said that there should be a provision in the bill that will help protect students from being rejected by practising Lawyers in their Chambers after their completion at the Law school for their attachment period.
He argued that Lawyers might choose people they want to take and others will end up being on the streets.
During the Meeting of the Committee of the whole house it was suggested that the period of attachment be reduced from five years to three years. Deputies then passed the Bill with this amendment.
Upon passing the Legal Practitioners Bill 2015, the Minister of Justice also presented the Gambia Law School Bill 2015 which was also passed as well with few clarifications.
Madam Singhateh revealed that since the establishment of the Law school in 2011, it has been operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice, and the General Legal council.
She said with the expansion and the increment of students, her Ministry deemed it necessary to put the affairs of the Law School on more sound Legal footing with the introduction of this Bill.
"With the passing of this Bill, the law school would be weaned from the Ministry of Justice and begin operation as a parastatal in terms of its governance and accountability. It will appoint full time staff, with its own scheme of service and report to the Public Accounts Committee/Public Enterprises Committee of the National Assembly," she explained.
Madam Singhateh expressed hope that with the enactment of the Bill into Law it will contribute towards the strengthening of the gains made so far by the law school.


Best 40th Birthday Present best 40th birthday present fortieth birthday presents 37 best 40th birthday gifts images on. best 40th birthday present the 12 best 40th birthday themes for women blog posts from catch download. best 40th birthday present 100 40th birthday party ideas a professional party planner template.


text:
Marti Hampton Broker | Owner
Email: marti@martihampton.com
View Sold Listings »
Starting out as a Triangle Realtor nearly 30 years ago, Marti Hampton was rebuilding her life from the ground up. As a single mother on welfare with little to her name, she laid a firm foundation for herself through hard work, long hours, and incredible energy. Marti's determination and grit developed into the masterful career she has today. With over 50 awards and accolades, her tenacity and talent is evident in all she has accomplished.
Over the course of her career, Marti has accrued multiple awards for being the #1 RE/MAX Team in the US, #3 RE/MAX Team in the World, multiple Diamond Club Awards, and continuous ranking as a Top Agents in the US. She has also earned the RE/MAX Circle of Legends, Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement, and Luminary of Distinction Awards. She has been listed as one of "The Most Powerful Women in Real Estate" in National Relocation & Real Estate Magazine and has been a finalist for Inman's "Innovator of the Year Award" for her international Coming Soon Homes platform.
After being #1 at RE/MAX from 2014-2019, in 2020 Marti is taking on a fresh, new challenge—to be #1 amongst other innovative, game-changing agents and teams at eXp Realty.
"I am in the business of doing it differently; I have a different way of looking at things. We, as agents, have to think bigger and better."
Marti's passion for innovation sparked the creation of Coming Soon Homes which has grown into an international business venture. Coming Soon Homes is an extensive database of homes preparing to enter the market. It is a remarkable service that increases the marketability of homes by sharing listings before they're live. Marti Hampton as CEO has fostered numerous business partnerships through the ingenuity of Coming Soon Homes.
Throughout her career, Marti Hampton has remained steady in her drive, passion, and always remembers her humble beginnings. She chooses to give back to the community that lifted her up in times of need. Marti supports local charities such as United Veteran's Corp, Frankie Lemmon Foundation, Beads of Courage, First in Families, Miracle Jump Start, Passage Homes, Autism Society, Children's Miracle Network, and House of Hope.
It is with the strength of heart and mind that Marti has built her incredible team of real estate professionals. She keeps education, technology, and community at the center of her business transactions and it is evident in the relationships she continues to build moving forward.
"You can always Do Better, Be Better, and Serve Better."


CBSE office is located at Preet Vihar Delhi. One of the readers of recently paid a visit to the CBSE office. To show his appreciation to the efforts of Tecah Club, here is a post helping the 'first time' visitor to the CBSE office. I thank him for this invaluable contribution.
I just visited the CBSE office. Here are the details, that may be useful to people visiting your blog.
a. The office opens at 9:30 AM. Security does not allow visitors inside then. I was let in exactly at 9:30 AM.
b. There is a reception inside where you could go and state your request. They will ask you to fill a small form with your name, your designation, your school name + address and the Registration Number that was received during the online application process.
(i) We (our school) will get a letter within 7 days regarding this deficiency. The letter could either be a physical letter that will be posted to us, or will be put up online. So we have to check for both.
(ii) The letter will state the exact nature of the deficiency and will give us an opportunity to rectify it. He mentioned that we will get 15 to 20 days to rectify it and mail the proof of rectification to CBSE.
(iii) If CBSE is satisfied, then they will constitute an IC (Inspection committee) of two people. We will be given their names and phone numbers. We will need to coordinate with them to facilitate their visit to our school.
(iv) After their visit, CBSE will issue a letter that could state that the process is successful and we have got the affiliation, or that there are some deficiencies. In case of the latter, we will be given an opportunity to rectify the deficiencies.
(v) Upon rectification of the second set of deficiencies (if any), CBSE will then issue the approvals. If CBSE is not satisfied with the rectification, it will reject our application.
d. Other information: While visiting the CBSE office in Preet Vihar, it is better to go early to beat the crowd. By the time I met the officer, there were a reasonable number of people who had queued up and it looked like many more were walking in. Also, one needs to be ready with all pertinent information including the registration number, application id, school name, address, phone number etc. Almost everyone (security, receptionist, officer from affiliation dept) prefers to converse in Hindi, so if there are people from parts of India who are not familiar with the language, they may find it a bit more cumbersome to get their work done.
As I go through my journey of getting the affiliation, I'll let you know about the other events or issues that take place.
Hai sir, cbse inspection team has inspected and given a feedback as recommended online. What is the time frame one gets affiliation update from cbse.
Should be by End of March or April.


Q: In an effort to update my kitchen, I had the two fluorescent lights removed and three recessed lights put in. I did not realize they would not give out much light. Can you advise me on what options I have now that I have three holes in the ceiling? Is there any other kind of bulb I can use?
A: One of the most important things to consider in updating a kitchen is lighting. It ranks right up there with appliance placement, cabinets and countertop material. But lighting is often overlooked.


Adam Lambert was commended for knowing who he was while competing on "American Idol.'' The eighth-season runner-up might want to let his handlers in on it. From his provocative performance on the "American Music Awards'' Sunday night to the album-by-committee feel of his debut, his musical identity isn't completely clear.
For pop fans that committee is a blue-ribbon panel that includes Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Lady Gaga, Green Day producer Rob Cavallo, and Swedish mastermind Max Martin among many others. Each member contributes his or her expertise, but no one seems concerned if it all fits together.
A week passed between Lambert's chameleonic performances on "Idol.'' On "For Your Entertainment'' the pauses are about five seconds. That may not be enough time to adjust from the subpar retro metal of opener "Music Again'' to the less-than-compelling wink-wink, Britney-evoking throb-pop of the title track. Or maybe it's just that some of the songs aren't that compelling regardless of genre or pedigree.
The least famous names here contribute the album's catchiest, cheekiest song, "Sure Fire Winners,'' which sounds like Warrant's raunch metal anthem "Cherry Pie'' stripped naked and redressed by Gaga. "Fever,'' actually co-written by the Lady, makes a convincing case for Lambert as a long-lost Scissor Sister with its eruptive synths. Matthew Bellamy of Muse contributes the high-drama ballad "Soaker,'' on which the singer merges his love for Freddie Mercury, Thom Yorke, and overdoing it to gorgeously windswept results.
Lambert's got the goods to sell a lot of styles, but the songs don't always showcase those goods in the best light.


text:
De Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk in Noord-Amerika (Engels: Old Roman Catholic Church in North America, ORK) of Onafhankelijke Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk is een kerkgenootschap dat voortgekomen is uit de beweging van de oudkatholieke Engelse bisschop Arnold Harris Mathew. Ondanks de aanduiding rooms maakt zij géén deel uit van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, maar is een autocefale, onafhankelijke kerk die een eigen jurisdictie heeft. Zij bezit volgens de opvattingen van de orthodoxe en katholieke kerken een geldige apostolische successie en dus eveneens geldige sacramenten.

Er komen allerlei spellingsvarianten van de naam voor, zoals Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk, oud-Rooms-katholieke kerk Oud-Rooms Katholieke Kerk, Oud Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, Oud-Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, Oud Rooms Katholieke Kerk en Oud-Roomskatholieke Kerk.

In 1991 werd in Nederland de eerste Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk gesticht, die in 1992 een aartsbisschop voor de Benelux kreeg. 1994 splitste deze kleine kerk zich in tweeën toen de in dat jaar tot hulpbisschop gewijde A.B.M. van Achthoven de kerk verliet en zich rond hem een nieuwe gemeenschap vormde, die zich om juridische redenen aanduidt met "Onafhankelijk" in de naam.

Geschiedenis
De Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk is ontstaan in 1908 toen de oudkatholieke aartsbisschop van Utrecht Gerardus Gul de Engelse geestelijke Arnold Harris Mathew tot bisschop wijdde voor de Engelse Old Roman Catholic Church. Mathew was een gesuspendeerde voormalig rooms-katholieke priester die zich in alliantie gesteld had met de bisschoppen van de oudkatholieke Unie van Utrecht. Enkele jaren eerder had een kleine groep ex-rooms-katholieke geestelijken en leken contact opgenomen met de oudkatholieken op het continent, omdat volgens hen grote behoefte zou bestaan aan een oudkatholieke, zich tegen de pauselijke onfeilbaarheid, primaatschap en de roomse centralisatie richtende, beweging in Engeland. Mathew werd naar voren geschoven als elect-bisschop, wat hij weigerde. Met name de priester O'Halloran drong enorm aan, zodat Mathew toch de keuze aanvaardde.

Na aankomst in Nederland kon hij echter teleurgesteld terugkeren; de wijding ging niet door, omdat bleek dat Mathew reeds getrouwd was, nadat hij als celibatair priester uit de Kerk van Rome uitgestoten was. Na beraad besloten de Nederlandse bisschoppen hem toch maar te wijden, omdat het in de toekomst niet uitgesloten zou zijn dat er meer getrouwde bisschoppen zouden komen.

Terug in Engeland kwam Mathew erachter dat hij slachtoffer was geworden van oplichting. O'Halloran eiste namelijk direct van hem de bisschopswijding. Mathew trok zich aanvankelijk uit de beweging terug. De bisschoppen op het vasteland echter steunden hem door te gaan, en schreven daartoe een ingezonden brief naar de krant "The Guardian" in juni 1910.

Door bisschop Mathew werden in de decennia hierna meerdere bisschoppen gewijd en over de gehele, maar vooral de Engelstalige, wereld verspreid. Een van de lijnen van successie afkomstig van Mathew, via Willoughby, was Wedgwood, die de Vrij-Katholieke Kerk (Liberal Catholic Church) heeft gesticht. In de Verenigde Staten heeft de Old Roman Catholic Church een aanzienlijk aantal gelovigen.

Aanvankelijk maakte de ORK van Engeland deel uit van de oudkatholieke Unie van Utrecht, maar stapte hier zeer snel weer uit in 1910, omdat zij de beslissingen van de continentale (met name de Nederlandse) oudkatholieke kerken niet mee wilde en kon dragen. Vooral de liturgische vernieuwingen en disciplinaire wijzigingen bij de Nederlandse oudkatholieken gaven aanleiding tot deze breuk. Zo waren volgens Mathew te veel Nederlandse oudkatholieke priesters tegen de biecht. Ook klaagde hij over een afwijzing van de heiligenverering en religieuze afbeeldingen door sommige oudkatholieken. Daarnaast wilde Mathew geen al te harde koers tegen de Romeinse paus aannemen. Mathew verklaarde zich in 1910 onmiddellijk autonoom van de oudkatholieke Unie. Volgens de continentale bisschoppen had Mathew zich nog nooit eerder op deze punten geuit; de liturgie, waar hij tegen zou zijn, was zelfs in Engeland ingevoerd na de Nederlandse uitgave. Omdat hij zonder toestemming van de bisschoppen van de Unie wijdingen verrichtte, zijn de banden sinds 1913 met hem helemaal verbroken. Toch is de Engelse oudkatholieke beweging tot op de dag van vandaag in Nederland blijven bestaan, zij noemen zich de Oud-Episcopaal Katholieke Kerk.

In de jaren hierna trachtte de ORK van Engeland steeds banden aan te knopen met het Vaticaan. De ORK verzocht eveneens om opname in de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk als een zogenaamde met de Paus van Rome geünieerde kerk met de status van zelfstandigheid en een eigen jurisdictiegebied. Rome heeft dit verzoek niet ingewilligd, aangezien de ORK een recent genootschap van gelovigen die tot het gebied van de Latijnse ritus behoorden was, en geen oude plaatselijke kerk zoals de geünieerde oosters-katholieke kerken. Rome zou slechts een bekering willen aanvaarden en de geestelijken van de ORK tot de lekenstand willen terugbrengen. Evenwel bevestigde het Vaticaan in 1982 nogmaals de geldigheid van de apostolische successie van de toenmalige ORK-bisschoppen, wier wijdingslinies zelfs op enkele bisschoppen van Rome waren te herleiden.

Vanaf de jaren zestig is de kerk ook in Nederland actief. Vanuit de verschillende apostolische successielijnen is er vanaf die tijd wel een bisschop in Nederland actief met één of meerdere (huis)kapellen. Ook in Engeland ontstonden er meerdere jurisdicties na het overlijden van bisschop Bernard Mary Williams, de laatste door Mathew gewijde bisschop, die in 1952 stierf zonder opvolger te wijden.

De ORK bestaat in verschillende nationale structuren in onder meer België, Nederland, VS, Canada, Frankrijk en Duitsland.

Vooral omdat de ORK eigen jurisdictie opeist en niet aan de paus ondergeschikt is en daarnaast niet de gehele rooms-katholieke moraal volgt, wordt de ORK door Rome en de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk gezien als een afgescheiden, schismatiek kerkgenootschap, hoewel de onderlinge banden al lang steeds sterker worden.

Opvattingen
De Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk (ORKK) is zowel een conservatief als een progressief genootschap. Het kerkgenootschap houdt in principe vast aan een variant van de Tridentijnse liturgie, die tot vlak na Vaticanum II de eeuwenoude verplichte liturgie in de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk is geweest. Ze hanteert hierbij het Romeins Missaal 1962 (Tridentijns). De ORKK viert deze Tridentijnse Mis echter niet uitsluitend in het Latijn, zoals officieel moet volgens de Tridentijnse voorschriften, maar ook geregeld in het Nederlands (of een andere volkstaal), aangezien de moderne mens niet meer in staat is een Latijnse Mis te volgen, zoals hun grootouders dat nog wèl konden. Hierbij wordt uitsluitend gebruik gemaakt van de door de Aartsbisschop Mgr. Dr. Antonius Bertinus Maria van Achthoven geautoriseerde vertaling, waarin - overeenstemmend met het Motu Proprio van paus Pius V, elke andere vertaling of gebruik niet is toegestaan.Het gebruik van de volkstaal is er dus allerminst verboden. In de voorkeur voor de Tridentijnse ritus voor de viering van de eucharistie leunt de ORKK dicht aan tegen de stroming van het Traditionalisme in de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, ofschoon de ORKK wel uitzonderingen toestaat en eigentijdse zang in bepaalde gevallen toestaat, gebaseerd op het gestelde in het rondschrijven 'de Musicae Sacra Disciplina' van paus Pius XII (1956). Aldus blijft de ORKK erbij, dat zij niet, zoals de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk sinds het Tweede Vaticaans Concilie doet, de liturgie zal veranderen noch rockliederen of nieuwe gedichten zal toestaan als liturgische teksten. Zij speelt daarbij in op het verlangen onder oudere rooms-katholieken naar de religieuze sfeer van hun jeugd. Haar leer en liturgie is theocentrisch, niet homocentrisch, gebaseerd op de H. Schrift en de Traditie. De ORKK legt er de nadruk op, dat de oude Latijnse liturgie in de ORKK nog een plaats heeft.

Toch is de ORKK niet traditionalistisch als het op de inhoud aankomt, maar gematigd modern. De ORK is progressiever in haar opvattingen over moraal en geschiedenis. Zij gelijkt in dit opzicht op de Oudkatholieke Kerk, die ook een sterke invloed van het kerkelijke modernisme kent. De ORK accepteert bijvoorbeeld homoseksualiteit, kent eveneens gehuwde priesters en bisschoppen die geen celibaat moeten naleven. De ORKK wil hiermee naar eigen zeggen op een eigentijdse wijze in de maatschappij staan en door oude rituelen invulling geven aan de spirituele leegte, maar aan de andere kant niet de aloude moraal van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk en andere christelijke kerken opleggen, met name inzake homoseksualiteit en het priestercelibaat. Echtscheiding en hertrouwen wordt onder strikte voorwaarden toegestaan. De moderne opvattingen van de ORKK hieromtrent liggen in lijn van de recente vernieuwingen in de Anglicaanse Kerk en de Oudkatholieke Moederkerk van de ORK. Op theologisch vlak wil men bijvoorbeeld ook in zaken rond leven en dood geen strenge leer opleggen. De leer is - volgens de ORKK - geen statisch uitgangspunt voor kerkelijk leven, maar verandert met de tijd mee. De kerk baseert zich op levende Traditie.

De Nederlandse ORKK aanvaardt het Primaatschap van de Paus van Rome slechts in bepaalde zin, namelijk enkel in het geval van definitie van een dogma; verder onttrekt de ORK zich geheel aan het leergezag van het Vaticaan. Het zg. dagelijks leergezag wordt onder welwillende beschouwing voor kennisgeving aangenomen. De overige ORK-kerken (buiten de Nederlandse ORKK) geloven eveneens niet in de dogmadefinitie en houden de oudkatholieke opvatting – die het rooms primaatschap afwijst – aan. De Heilige Stoel heeft geen invloed op de ORKK. De Amerikaanse ORK neemt sinds 1922 in het algemeen een meer anti-Romeinse houding aan dan de Europese ORK-kerken. Toch hoopt de ORK een brug te kunnen vormen tussen de moderne samenleving, andere kerkgenootschappen en het Vaticaan.

De ORK is democratisch georganiseerd: haar bisschoppen komen samen en nemen in een synode besluiten over het bestuur van de kerk. Een centrale primaat of een boven de overige bisschoppen staand college of orgaan bestaat niet.

In hoeverre de ORK de Oecumene meedraagt is onbekend; ze gaat allereerst uit van herbronning van eigen identiteit, hoewel de overeenkomsten met de oudkatholieken, rooms-katholieken en autocefale kerken overduidelijk zijn. Men haalt echter soms wel protestantse dominees aan in publicaties, wanneer uitkomsten van theologisch onderzoek kunnen stroken met de eigen opvattingen van de kerk.

ORK in de Benelux
In 1991 kwam op instigatie van enkele Nederlanders een Nederlandse afdeling van de Old Roman Catholic Church tot stand: de Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk. Aartsbisschop Thatcher wijdde in 1992 de Nederlander Theodorus Anthonius van Beek tot bisschop en stelde hem aan als aartsbisschop van de ORK over de gehele Benelux. De kerk had slechts enkele leden / sympathisanten.

In 1994 werd de Nederlandse afdeling een zelfstandig kerkgenootschap, onafhankelijk van de Engelse Old Roman Catholic Moederkerk. De Nederlandse geestelijkheid was door de Engelse moederkerk geëxcommuniceerd door het in opspraak raken van Van Beek in de landelijke pers. In 1994 wijdde Van Beek Dr. Antonius Bertinus Maria van Achthoven tot ORK-bisschop. Van Achthoven begon nog in hetzelfde jaar een eigen kerkgenootschap, de Onafhankelijke Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk. Van Beek overleed in 1999 en werd opgevolgd door de Roland E.O. van den Bussche als aartsbisschop van de Benelux van de Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk. De Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk in de lijn van Van Beek had in 2008 gemeenten in Stadskanaal en Dendermonde.

De Onafhankelijke Oud-rooms-katholieke kerk van Van Achthoven heeft in Nederland onder andere kerken in Arnhem en Hengelo met in 2005 ongeveer 500 parochianen. In België bestaan er kerkgemeenschappen in Gent en in Bentille, een deelgemeente van Sint-Laureins in de provincie Oost-Vlaanderen. Ook in Luxemburg bevindt zich een kerkgemeenschap van de ORK. De ORK wordt geleid door bisschop Dr. Antonius Bertinus Maria van Achthoven. Van Achthovens wapenspreuk is: In caritate veritas. Het magazine van de ORK heet Katholiek Contact.

ORK wereldwijd
Er bestaan wereldwijd oud-rooms-katholieke kerken, elk met een eigen bisschoppencollege en jurisdictiegebied.

Oudkatholieke Kerk


text:
Ranger man dies in two-vehicle crash Tuesday in Brown County
EARLY — A Ranger man died in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning 5.6 miles southeast of here in Brown County.
Pronounced dead at Hendrick Medical Center in Brownwood was Joshua L. Chapa, 36, the driver of a 2003 Ford Ranger. The driver and passenger of a 2016 Dodge Challenger were hospitalized, according to a Department of Public Safety report.
Driver Tiffany A. Lofaso, 38, of Killeen was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with serious injuries, the DPS reported.
Her passenger, a 15-year-old male also from Killeen, was transported to Hendrick in Brownwood with injuries but was in stable condition, according to the DPS.
Chapa at 9:25 a.m. attempted a left turn from a roadside park on U.S. Highway 84 and was struck head on by Lofaso's vehicle. The DPS said Chapa was not wearing a seat belt. The Challenger occupants were belted.
The crash remains under investigation.


A perennial issue in the payments world is fraud. Fraud is never going to go away but requires constant vigilance and ever-evolving counters to new threats devised by fraudsters. The advent of EMV chip-enabled cards has raised the bar for fraudsters in card present transactions so it was expected that there would be a rise in fraud attempts for online card-not-present transactions, principally in online e-commerce. It should be no surprise then that reports are beginning to appear that show a huge bump in fraud in online e-commerce this past holiday season. MultiChannelMerchant reported on a study by Forter that found a 79% jump in e-commerce fraud risk over the holiday period.
The other trend coming out of this week's news is that B2B businesses and platforms remain slow to adopt new payment technology principally because the banks upon which they depend are very slow to adopt more advanced technology. In addition, a secondary factor is that B2B companies themselves can be slow to choose to move. Those B2B companies and platforms that are adopting integrated payment technology are doing it through alternative solutions from the Fintech world. (Incidentally, if you are a B2B SaaS platform looking into payment solutions then take a look at ours).
In other payments news, Technavio has a report that says the global payment gateway market is expected to have a CAGR (combined annual growth rate) of 17% through 2021.
Finally, PYMNTS.com has a great piece about the surprising and strong resiliency of cash as a form of payment. They even argue that the rise of payment technology is helping cash to survive and even thrive. There are even tech solutions cropping up to help facilitate cash payments!


It was the talk of the TopBetta Brisbane Carnival $250,000 Tournament sledge box, how the brave but utterly bonkers leader placed a $1.3 million bet at Doomben on Souchez and watched as it failed to win. More than that, it also left the Tournament wide open with toddfrey taking his chances and topping the leaderboard at the end of a cracking competition. The then leader jamespk had built his betting stack with three fantastic bets turning his $10,000 into a whopping $1,584,000 by going all-up all of them. Current Tournament leader toddfrey summed it all up when he said: "His first three bets were incredible! You only dream of that, he got to $1.5 million and people were claiming he already won. "For me, that's not the winning amount you need overall, it's at least $3 million, so kudo's to that part, however he should have kept $300,000 or $400,000 in the bank at that stage," toddfrey said. It proved that in the space of three bets anyone can top the leader board and potentially walk away with $100,000, which shows that if you have not bought in to our Tournament then you really should do now and aim for the top spot. Then came the biggest surprise of the day and one that had the sledge-box buzzing: jamespk stuck the lot on a horse in Doomben. Here at TopBetta, after realising what he had done post-jump, the office sat in silence at such an audacious move and watched the $2 favourite Souchez miss the jump. Tournament player, Turkeyguzzler, also picked up what the leader had done. "I almost spat my Wild Turkey all over my laptop when I clicked on his name to see if he had a bet in the race. "What a bloody crazy yet brave bet and if that had come in, it would be hard to believe he would not have gone on to win the Tournament. "Glenn Pollett said 'Go Hard or Go Home,' and somehow jamespk managed to do both in the space of two minutes," he said. As jamespk disappeared into oblivion toddfrey took his chance, realising it was now or never. "It goes to show if you still have $10000 you can still win this and as far as I'm concerned any of the 1000 players can win it. "Even our mate jamespk, but he's probably got a major headache," he said. Towards the end of the Tournament toddfrey rode momentum home, backing a few horses in each race until he landed the big one with a $166,500 collect on Spinning Diamond that paid $11.10 at Morphetiville. As for confidence toddfrey is very wary, although he knows he has himself well placed with $396,300 in the bank and he is also astute enough to realise others are ready to pounce. With over 1000 tournament players was there anyone he was afraid of? "There's one person I'm afraid of... and that's myself. "I got to the top of the leaderboard near the end of the first week in the $250000 Sydney tournament and blew it, though not like the amount jamespk had, poor guy. "So I'm counting on my experience as well, however if I had to chose others there's Madde2015 on $74500; she's a sneaky one, she tries to steal my tips and I'm surprised lewster isn't among the leaders," he said. With Week 3 of the Tournament this Saturday todffrey has to work throughout the day so will have less chance to bet, but he's seriously considering calling in sick. As for the $100,000 1st Prize it would mean more than the world to him, in fact he'd travel the world then become a professional punter. And would he tell his partner if he won? "I have no misses! So I could use the money to get a missus," he laughs. This article first appeared on TopBetta.
It was the talk of the TopBetta Brisbane Carnival $250,000 Tournament sledge box, how the brave but utterly bonkers leader placed a $1.3 million bet at Doomben on Souchez and watched as it failed to win.
More than that, it also left the Tournament wide open with toddfrey taking his chances and topping the leaderboard at the end of a cracking competition.
The then leader jamespk had built his betting stack with three fantastic bets turning his $10,000 into a whopping $1,584,000 by going all-up all of them.
"His first three bets were incredible! You only dream of that, he got to $1.5 million and people were claiming he already won.
"For me, that's not the winning amount you need overall, it's at least $3 million, so kudo's to that part, however he should have kept $300,000 or $400,000 in the bank at that stage," toddfrey said.
It proved that in the space of three bets anyone can top the leader board and potentially walk away with $100,000, which shows that if you have not bought in to our Tournament then you really should do now and aim for the top spot.
Then came the biggest surprise of the day and one that had the sledge-box buzzing: jamespk stuck the lot on a horse in Doomben.
Here at TopBetta, after realising what he had done post-jump, the office sat in silence at such an audacious move and watched the $2 favourite Souchez miss the jump.
Tournament player, Turkeyguzzler, also picked up what the leader had done.
"I almost spat my Wild Turkey all over my laptop when I clicked on his name to see if he had a bet in the race.
"What a bloody crazy yet brave bet and if that had come in, it would be hard to believe he would not have gone on to win the Tournament.
"Glenn Pollett said 'Go Hard or Go Home,' and somehow jamespk managed to do both in the space of two minutes," he said.
As jamespk disappeared into oblivion toddfrey took his chance, realising it was now or never.
"It goes to show if you still have $10000 you can still win this and as far as I'm concerned any of the 1000 players can win it.
"Even our mate jamespk, but he's probably got a major headache," he said.
Towards the end of the Tournament toddfrey rode momentum home, backing a few horses in each race until he landed the big one with a $166,500 collect on Spinning Diamond that paid $11.10 at Morphetiville.
As for confidence toddfrey is very wary, although he knows he has himself well placed with $396,300 in the bank and he is also astute enough to realise others are ready to pounce.
With over 1000 tournament players was there anyone he was afraid of?
"There's one person I'm afraid of... and that's myself.
"I got to the top of the leaderboard near the end of the first week in the $250000 Sydney tournament and blew it, though not like the amount jamespk had, poor guy.
"So I'm counting on my experience as well, however if I had to chose others there's Madde2015 on $74500; she's a sneaky one, she tries to steal my tips and I'm surprised lewster isn't among the leaders," he said.
With Week 3 of the Tournament this Saturday todffrey has to work throughout the day so will have less chance to bet, but he's seriously considering calling in sick.
As for the $100,000 1st Prize it would mean more than the world to him, in fact he'd travel the world then become a professional punter.
And would he tell his partner if he won?
"I have no misses! So I could use the money to get a missus," he laughs.


This entry was posted in Bereavement, God, Life, Memories, Poem, Relationships and tagged mother, Mother's Love, soul, Theist by Akanksha. Bookmark the permalink.
I never ever imagined that I will have to write this one day. Just hoping that my thoughts, my voice is still reaching my mother.
Lovely!!!💖💖💖💖💖 Mothers are the Goddesses in our lives.. this is beautiful..
This is so heartfelt I cried as I read. Beautifully expressed thoughts ! I can everyone can connect with your tribute ! You spoke for all of us.
Your comment means so much , "I search for her before God. I trust her more". Blogging do helps in finding like minded people and I am glad to meet you.


Potret Cafe: Spesial Menu Nila Bakar + Nasi Bakar lengkap hanya 6.500 saja. Maen ke potret di Jl Anggajaya III KOmpleks taman kuliner concat (Selatan terminal concat ke barat 100 m) Free Hotspot gan..
Great post. I was checking continuously this blog and I�m impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part I care for such information a lot. I was seeking this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
Asli ini tempat nongkrong yang asyik banget.


Rural mountain lodge in La Rioja, Rio Oja with capacity 2/3 people.
Oja River to the apartment, which gives a special value that terrace is accessible through the living room and bedroom overlooking the Iregua valley and the castle, a luxury for lovers of nature, Room 150 bed with access to the terrace overlooking the castle where you can enjoy a quiet dinner outdoors. It consists of fully equipped kitchen. The living room with access to the terrace and sofa bed 135.


As covered in Biospace, SignalPath, a healthcare technology company developing innovative software tools that dramatically improve the ease and efficiency of trial execution and management, today announced the formation of the SignalPath Research Consortium. By partnering with technology companies, life sciences sponsors, and cutting edge research sites, SignalPath is building an ecosystem to empower the redesign of clinical trials.
The SignalPath Research Consortium is a rapidly growing network of sophisticated clinical trials sites connected via a technical foundation. New York Cancer and Blood Specialists is a leading example; this innovative community-based oncology practice is deploying SignalPath's novel operational, financial, oversight and study start-up software to support the conduct of research at their sites. "By converting clinical trial protocols into a digital footprint that runs behind the scenes, SignalPath has developed workflow tools for sites that are simple, intuitive, and easy to use. I expect this will dramatically improve our ability to deliver on our research mission to bring life-saving therapies to cancer patients more quickly," said Jeff Vacirca, M.D., CEO, New York Cancer and Blood Specialists.


text:
Nuns who work with trafficking victims find high stakes, dark realities
Sisters tie ribbons with the name of their country and a trafficking survivor with whom they have worked Sept. 27 at the 10th anniversary gathering of Talitha Kum in Rome. Sisters later took a different ribbon with the intention of keeping that survivor in their prayers. (CNS photo/courtesy Talitha Kum)
Soli Salgado
ROME -- Sister Mercy Muthoni would often suffer sleepless nights when she heard from the Cameroonian girls she helped escape human trafficking in Kuwait.
They'd call to tell her they hadn't eaten for days, or that one of them was sick and they were struggling to carry her for part of their journey.
"Even if I go to bed, it keeps ringing in my mind," said Sister Muthoni, a Missionary Sister of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary who ministers in the English-speaking region of Cameroon.
"When they say especially that they have not eaten for two days, I would go without eating. I carried their suffering with me, and it was really weighing me down," she told Global Sisters Report.
Without a Cameroonian embassy in Kuwait, this particular case wound up resolved as sisters connected across countries with the help of Talitha Kum, the international umbrella network for sisters against trafficking.
"There are times I say, 'I need to take a break.' But the pressure will be too much that I'm not able to," Sister Muthoni said.
The stress, sadness and anger that comes with ministering to trafficking victims -- a ministry where the realities are dark and the stakes feel high -- is not unique to Sister Muthoni. The work of women religious often cannot be contained in a tidy 9-to-5 schedule that allows them to set aside those experiences at the end of a workday.
How women religious recharge and care for themselves is what allows them to persevere in challenging ministries. Music, meditation, stitching, retreats -- Talitha Kum sisters find different ways to bring peace and distraction into their lives, putting on pause the tragedies that occupied their minds throughout the day.
"Giving life to others gives you life. That becomes an energizing force for us," said Bethany Sister Jyoti Pinto of India.
"We look at those vulnerable people's faces, their tears, their sufferings, and then with that compassion, we are moved to do something for them, to free them from those kinds of terrible situations in which they are in," said Sister Pinto, coordinator of the Asian Movement of Women Religious Against Human Trafficking.
"That is a movement within, and it is not humanly possible unless we have a divine strength and energy to keep it going year after year, day after day."
Sister Muthoni said she has learned to tell herself a "story" to help her cope with not being able to help everyone: "I am not the savior of the world, and I cannot do everything. One day at a time, one moment at a time, because if I try to cover everything, I will not be of service to them."
The recent founder of Talitha Kum's presence in Cameroon, Sister Muthoni has learned to incorporate regular time off into her schedule, taking two days off a month without her phone and visiting her family in Kenya for two months every other year.
"Within that time, I make sure I take a bit of a retreat, rest, connect with my family and friends and just forget about it a bit," she said.
Dorothean Sister Mary Quiroga from Argentina said even during time away, "You still have them on your mind."
"I'll be on a mission heading somewhere else, and when I cross (a) border, immediately, I think, 'How many others have crossed illegally? Who came to my country looking for work?' They are always present with me. When you embrace a cause, you can't get it out of your heart."
For Sister Quiroga -- and for nearly every other sister who spoke to Global Sisters Report for this story -- daily prayer is vital for finding peace and strength.
"Oftentimes, we feel helpless or that we're doing so little within this immense scourge. Prayer is what, above all, sustains me," she said.
Sister Jean Schafer, a Sister of the Divine Savior from the United States, said she enjoys beginning her day with prayer, the "quiet, calm centering, and that immediately is self-care."
"As you pray ... your mind turns to some issue, and then you can bring that into your prayer, you can hand that circumstance over to God and say, 'In your providence, you know about this, and you're going to guide us in whatever it is we have to do to help this individual,'" she said. "You feel your dependency on God in that prayer, and you count on that inspiration."
Sister Schafer, who belongs to U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking, added that the hope she gets from staying in touch with survivors who now have fulfilled lives serves as a reminder that "you can do that for others, too."
Charity Sister Kathleen Bryant said when she learns of little girls who have been kidnapped and mutilated, girls whose journeys she's followed only to hear eventually of their deaths, she has to figure out, "How do I protect my heart so I can be a joy-filled woman? Because the personal stories I hear, they break my heart."
A classical pianist, Sister Bryant, who lives in Los Angeles, said music and dancing "make me feel whole and healed," adding that she has a "creative prayer life."
When Sister Bryant learned of a 12-year-old girl who needed money for vaginal and anal reconstructive surgery after five years in slavery suffering sexual violence, she turned to her congregation to help raise money to pay for her needs. But just months after the procedure, on Easter Sunday in 2017, Sister Bryant learned that the cartel had executed the girl.
"That one knocked me out for a week. She had been sold at age 7, and she escaped," Sister Bryant said the girl had told another sister. "She'd always cover her hands, saying, 'I never want to see my hands again after the things they made me do with my hands.' And then they killed her. I was so mad at God."
Comboni Sister Gabriella Bottani said belonging to the Talitha Kum network is, in itself, self-care.
"More and more, I realize that our gatherings are not only for planning, but that it is a way to feel that we are not alone, that we can share and understand one another because we all have those experiences," said Sister Bottani, Talitha Kum's international coordinator.


text:
Preserve Ancient New Testament Manuscripts for the Modern World
Our mission is urgent and significant
Donation Frequency One-time Monthly Quarterly
Preserving Ancient New Testament Manuscripts for the Modern World
There are nearly 2,500,000 pages of Greek New Testament manuscripts remaining from the ancient and medieval worlds, which are scattered across the globe in more than 250 libraries, institutions, monasteries, and private collections. These handwritten documents are the foundation for determining the original words of the New Testament and understanding the history of how the text was copied over the centuries.
Our initial mission is to digitally preserve Greek New Testament manuscripts for the modern world. And since 2002, we have digitized more than 300,000 pages!
CSNTM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Plano, TX. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.
We digitize because it is critical for preserving, sharing, and studying Christian Scriptures.
Preservation matters because even the best conservation methods cannot prevent manuscripts from natural decay. Our digitization process captures the text and features of the document in high-resolution images so that it is digitally archived for future generations.
Sharing matters because it allows modern world-wide access to these ancient documents. Before, people examined low-quality microfilm reels or, if they were lucky, traveled to the manuscripts. Today, anyone can see thousands of pages of the Greek New Testament at the click of a button.
Study matters because Greek New Testament manuscripts are essential for determining the original text of the New Testament as far as humanly possible. We also study manuscripts to learn how the New Testament was passed down through the centuries and to understand the people who copied and read them. CSNTM's images are actually easier to read than the physical artifact!
Todd Jordan
Monthly $10
Michael Heiser
Bruce Fogerty
Tim and Mary Lynne Taft
Jay and Ginny Burns
Elton and Judy Floyd
Michael Munoz
James and Karen Misenheimer
Mary Ohlen
Chris Watson
Kenneth Macleod
Christopher Milligan
LOUIS KORKAMES
View All 1612 Supporters


Dakota Rods and Classics is a supercharged car club!
The purpose of this club shall be the uniting of its members to promote the mutual interest in the hobby and sport of street rodding as a constructive sport among its members, the public, the press, the community and law enforcement agencies; to increase the knowledge of its members in the proper construction of, and guidance in operation of, overall safe vehicles; create good fellowship and sportsmanship among members and to promote the attitude that the sport of street rodding is a safe family activity to be enjoyed by all.
Membership and participation shall be open to all regardless of age, race, color, creed, religion, or national origin.
Dakota Rods and Classics will be open to anyone with a 30-years-old or older vehicle.
Dakota Rods and Classics is a group of auto enthusiasts who want to emphasize a family atmosphere. Dakota Rods and Classics is managed and operated by the members for the enjoyment of all participants. Decisions with regard to activities, cruises, shows, and meetings will be made by the members, on behalf of the entire club. Emphasis will be placed on activities centered around driving the cars and providing an atmosphere for families as well as individuals. Frequent cruises, attending shows, and dinner meetings will be opportunities for members to socialize and celebrate their interest in cars. The club will have one membership meeting per month and one Board of Directors meeting per month, with members always welcome to attend. The Club understands today's hectic schedules and promotes attendance but does not require participation in meetings or events.
On the menu above is a link to our membership application.
If you would like to join us, please submit the application and/or join us at our next event!


text:
As COVID-19 cases in Florida surpass 100, containment is key
By Jeffrey Schweers USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau
With 39 new cases reported early Sunday, the number of novel coronavirus cases in Florida is now over 100 as test kits are being distributed across the state, and officials said the number of people diagnosed positive will continue to increase sharply.
South Florida — with three international airports, busy cargo and passenger shipping ports, and a large concentration of elderly — continues to be the epicenter of that growth with more than half of all positive cases diagnosed so far.
Broward County alone has 36 cases, including a group of young people who all traveled as a group to Europe, reportedly Ireland, and exposed their relatives to the virus. The World Health Organization on Saturday called Europe the new epicenter of the pandemic.
On Sunday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the state would partner with Memorial Healthcare and the Florida National Guard to start mobile drive-through testing in Broward. He said he's also asked the state's Department of Health for as much "amplifying information" as possible regarding positive COVID-19 tests, possibly to see details on clusters within counties.
"This is a situation that has continued to evolve rapidly," he told reporters at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.
The state also reported its fourth death this weekend, a 77-year-old Lee County man related to a woman who tested positive after she died.
He and other officials continued to stress the need for "social distancing," mentioning that he was not ordering bars and restaurants to close, however. Still, as Florida Health Secretary and state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said Sunday, "The best way to avoid getting COVID-19 is to avoid crowds."
Indeed, precautionary measures to mitigate and contain the spread of the virus that causes the deadly COVID-19 illness is critical now, officials said, especially in light of comments made Saturday by Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the President's Coronavirus Task Force, that the disease will peak in 6-8 weeks.
On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Fauci said "Americans are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing."
Fauci also said the country should take more extreme measures to slow the spread of the disease. "I would prefer as much as we possibly could. I think we should really be overly aggressive and get criticized for overreacting," he said.
The U.S. has more than 3,200 reported cases and 62 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.
DeSantis had previously activated the state EOC to its highest level to help marshal resources and coordinate state agencies.
Also, after a week of denying there was community spread — people testing positive for the virus but who had no history of international travel — DeSantis conceded that it is now evident to some degree. But he said most of the cases appear travel-related and that he'd ask the White House about restricting flights into Florida.
The youngest positive case so far is a 17-year-old from Cuba who is now in Hillsborough County.
North Florida sees rise in cases
The number of cases in North Florida is growing, too. Two new cases were reported by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry on Twitter Saturday night, bringing the total in Duval County to four. Curry said state health officials told him they expect more positive results today. State health officials don't list ages for three Duval cases.
New cases were reported in Baker, Clay, St. Johns and Alachua counties, as well.
On Sunday, a 65-year-old woman from New York who is in Alachua County tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the fourth person in the county to test positive for the disease.
Several new cases emerged in Central Florida, including a TSA worker at Orlando International Airport, WFTV in Orlando first reported.
The number of non-Florida residents infected is growing as well. Two of the new cases include a Connecticut woman in Baker County and woman from New York in Alachua County. That brings the number of non-Florida residents to nine.
DeSantis also has asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to release 61 Florida residents who were previously aboard the Grand Princess voyage outside of California from Dobbins Air Force Base in Georgia.
The governor Saturday ordered all nursing homes to bar visitors for 30 days. He also extended all nursing home licenses for 90 days and 30 days for other group home facilities so that staff would not "be distracted" during the crisis.
Following federal guidelines, the state has ordered the cancellation of all events of more than 250 people. Universities, colleges and public schools have closed. Cruise lines have announced they are suspending voyages and tourist attractions are shutting down.
The state has received 1,000 of 2,500 new test kits from Integrated DNA Testing, an Iowa firm that contracted with the CDC to provide test kits after CDC's in-house kits were found to give faulty results. Another shipment of test kits is expected today.
As the number of diagnosed cases grows, so does the number of cases that are still under investigation. That's because the private labs that have been enlisted to help with the load can only test patients, officials said. Once they get a positive result, they deliver that to the Department of Health to conduct the epidemiological investigation.
More people will be needed to process the results, so DeSantis has directed the Department of Health to hire additional epidemiologists from university health programs to help with workload.


text:
Dead Man Vacationing
The 49-year-old had left his home a couple of months earlier for an extended break but hadn't informed his friends. Police were contacted and officers broke into his home, but couldn't find any evidence of his whereabouts. Then last week, friends of the man felt their fears had been confirmed when a family announcement was made in the local evening newspaper. By coincidence, it announced the death of another Michael O'Neill from Middlesbrough.
Both men were of almost the same age – the late Mr O'Neill was 50 – and both have brothers named Kevin and Terry.
Mr O'Neill from Coulby Newham, Middlesborough said: "I went out on June 2 to stay with a friend and when I got back last Monday I found my door had been smashed in!" said Mr O'Neill.
"My neighbours thought I had died so they got in touch with police who came and broke the door down.
"The police were watching the flat but then one of the neighbours received a postcard from me and said 'So that's where he is!'."
But Mr O'Neill said many of his friends are still mistaking him for a ghost!
"Everywhere I am going, people I know are grabbing hold of my hand, saying 'I thought you were dead!'
"They can't believe it's me and I'm still alive. I'm a nervous wreck because everywhere I go people keep grabbing me!"
Mr O'Neill said he made the decision to visit Australia last minute and it slipped his mind to inform his neighbours.
General»People
T-Mobile Gets Dibs on Google Android
Beijing Blocks Olympics


text:
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (Portuguese: [ʒeˈtulju doɾˈnɛlis ˈvaɾɡɐs]; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was President of Brazil. He was the dictator from 1930 to 1945.[1] Then he was elected President in 1951 and served until 1954.[2] Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the longest of any President. He was second in Brazilian history only to Emperor Pedro II among heads of state. He favored nationalism, industrialization, centralization, social welfare and populism. Vargas won the nickname "The Father of the Poor". He was a supporter of workers rights and was very much an anti-communist. He shot himself dead.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Getúlio Vargas.
↑ "Getulio Vargas". Brazil Travel. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
↑ "The Era of Getúlio Vargas, 1930-54". Library of Congress. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
This short article about a person or group of people can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Getúlio_Vargas&oldid=5390762"
Politicians who committed suicide
Presidents of Brazil
Suicides by firearm
World War II political leaders
People stubs


American entrepreneurship may well be dying a slow and undignified death.
For the last 14 months of this Presidential electoral cycle I have not heard very much (if anything) about our increasingly troubled entrepreneurial sector.
This is serious stuff for everyone, our politicians included, not just entrepreneurs.
The Brooking Institution's recently concluded that census data indicates more businesses are dying than are being born.
The US Census Bureau reports 400,000 new businesses being born annually, while 470,000 are dying. That is not good for the living/breathing core of American business. And it is alarming for our future.
And things are worse for millennial entrepreneurship.
Some of the explanations for the steep decline of millennial entrepreneurship include a lethargic recovery from the Y 2008 recession, lower savings rates, crushing student debt, and overly rigorous new bank lending standards.
Equally important is the massively increased level of regulation that militates or works against small business formation. Much of the regulation is directed at big business, who can easily absorb the extra cost.
Not so bootstrapping young entrepreneurs.
Niall Ferguson cites Clyde Wayne Crews of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who notes that over-regulation costs are 36% higher/employee for small business than for big business. And the Federal Register, the official directory of regulation, today is 78,961 pgs. In Y 1986 it was 44,812 pgs and in Y 1936 it was 2,620.
Note this hypothetical from a LinkedIn Pulse essay of January, 2016 by Zachary Slayback.
Plus, there is also a moral and spiritual problem for young entrepreneurs.
They lack encouragement and cultural support for creative risk-taking. The "everyone-gets-a-trophy" narrative of current teaching and educational philosophy creates the image of entitlement. It does not inspire and summon the animal spirits and competitive incentivization necessary for risky new business enterprise.
Caution and laziness become ingrained like a disease in the community.
Impassioned courage and individual vision are culturally muffled by the coverage.
So it is with the increasingly stressed, increasingly regulated small business climate for entrepreneurs.
Democrat Hillary Clinton gave some token "lip-service" to the problems of small business in her convention acceptance speech, but if you sneezed you missed it.
A superficial nod is not enough to cure the growing conundrums of the small business eco-sphere. Our whole economy depends on healthy small business for macro economic health. It merits direct attention from the political powers to encourage it to live and thrive.


text:
Culture Sauce
Thom Geier serves up commentary on movies, TV, books, theater, and all manner of pop culture
Thom's top 10: Best theater of 2014
Date: December 13, 2014Author: Thom 0 Comments
Stephen McKinley Henderson and Elizabeth Canavan in 'Between Riverside and Crazy' (Photo credit: Kevin Thomas Garcia)
Every year around this time, the list-making comes. Who was naughty, who was nice, and who kept us engaged when the lights went down. Here's my list of the best NYC stage productions of the year.
1. Between Riverside and Crazy (Off Broadway) Stephen Adly Guirgis' drama is one of the most stirring American plays of the decade — a portrait of a prickly diabetic ex-cop who is fatherly and kind-hearted as well as petty and bull-headed. In other words, he's familiarly and challengingly human — and he's played by the superb Stephen McKinley Henderson with all those contradictions intact. Thank heavens Second Stage will remount Austin Pendelton's superb production next month following its premiere run last summer at the Atlantic Theater Company. (Is it too much to hope that the Second Stage transfer it to its soon-to-be-reclaimed Helen Hayes Theatre for a Tony-qualifying Broadway run?)
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Broadway) To dramatize Marc Haddon's 2003 best-seller about an autistic 15-year-old boy named Christopher, director Marianne Elliott and her team created a jewel-box performance space that mimics the workings of its hero's brain — with artful projections, flashing lights, and staircases that appear out of nowhere. The tour-de-force production also boasts a star turn by the young Juilliard grad Alex Sharp, who makes Christopher both convincingly closed-off as well as compellingly accessible. It's a magical evening of theater.
3. The Cripple of Inishmaan (Broadway) Daniel Radcliffe's name may have been above the title, but this spot-on revival of Martin McDonagh's 1997 Irish dramedy was truly an ensemble effort. In director Michael Grandage's hands, what at first seemed like a grab-bag of stock characters became a rich stew of quirky townfolk who continually defied our expectations.
4. Father Comes Home From the Wars, Parts 1, 2 & 3 (Off Broadway) Forget the off-putting business about the parts. Suzan-Lori Parks' stunning new work unfolded like an old-fashioned three-act drama, the first in a planned trilogy (or nine-part saga, in her preferred terminology) that aims to chart the African American experience from the mid-19th century to the present day. The first installment, focusing on a slave who "volunteers" to join his master in fighting for the Confederacy, is thought-provoking, inventive, and (yes!) deeply entertaining. Who said that works about slavery have to somber?
5. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Broadway) I'm tempted to include The Hurt Locker: The Musical on my list, but I should stick to actual productions rather than the faux bomb that offered a clever conceit and set design for Michael Mayer's rockin' revival. Who'd have thought this downtown cult phenomenon could play so well on the Main Stem, or that dude next door Neil Patrick Harris scruff up his image in fishnets and four-inch heels?
6. A Doll's House (Brooklyn) British playwright Simon Stephens emerged as this year's wunderkind. Not only was he responsible for the stunning adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and the jolting Off Broadway drama Punk Rock, but he created a notably sprightly version of Henrik Ibsen's classic as well. Hattie Morahan played a memorable Nora scrambling to keep her household intact — a feat made more difficult by the spinning of Ian MacNeil's multi-room turntable set. She was like a rat caught in a maze of her own devising.
7. Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (Broadway) One of my favorite theater-going moments of the year came during the "curtain call" of this show. The lights dimmed on the bedraggled Billie Holiday, and then seconds later came up on bright-eyed Audra McDonald — revealing the Tony-winning star's remarkable transformation, body and soul, into the legendary jazz singer with the equally epic personal traumas.
8. Violet (Broadway) Sutton Foster un-glammed herself in revelatory revival of Jeanine Tesori's undersung country-folk musical about a disfigured woman on a naive quest for a miracle from a TV preacher. It's a homespun gem, boasting a memorable turn by Joshua Henry as a Vietnam-bound soldier who befriends the heroine.
9. Bullets Over Broadway (Broadway) Yes, I realize this short-lived musical based on Woody Allen's 1994 film will land on many critics' worst list. I had a blast. And the production boasted some of Susan Stroman's best choreography and her most fluid directing with almost cinematic scene changes. Plus, Helene Yorke was a hoot as champagne-bubblehead yearning to be a Broadway star.
10. Macbeth (Off Broadway) In terms of sheer spectacle, it's hard to top Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh's elaborate jousting-on-the-heath production of the Shakespeare tragedy at the cavernous Park Avenue Armory. You could even smell the peat as you entered. But Branagh backed up the visuals with a bold interpretation of the Scottish usurper as both sweat-soaked action hero and apologetically naughty little boy.
Honorable mentions: The Elephant Man on Broadway; Grand Concourse at Playwrights Horizons; The Open House at Signature; Our Lady of Kibeho at Signature; Rock Bottom at Joe's Pub.
2014StageTop 10
Published by Thom
View all posts by Thom
Previous Previous post: First casualty of the Sony hackers: Angelina Jolie's Oscar chances
Next Next post: Thom's top 10: Best films of 2014
Follow Culture Sauce via email
Enter your email address to follow Culture Sauce and receive emails about new posts.
Thom Geier is an award-winning writer and editor with a special passion for American pop culture. He serves as managing editor of TheWrap.com, a digital news site covering Hollywood. He previously was a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly, where he oversaw coverage of movies, theater, and books.
Follow me on Twitter @thomgeier
Prepared for the banquet of seldom-seen Shakespeare (with Thomas Middleton)
Beautiful setting for an Indian wedding.
David Alan Grier, who co-starred in the 1984 movie, is back in the new revival.
An evening with Laura Linney ... amd Elizabeth Strout.
Broadway review: 'My Name Is Lucy Barton' with Laura Linney
Off Broadway review: John Carney's 'Sing Street'
Off Broadway review: 'One in Two'
Archives Select Month January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 May 2017 February 2017 December 2016 February 2016 December 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013
© 2020 Culture Sauce


You only get one chance to make a strong first impression—especially when it comes to the restroom. Foul odors, unkempt floors and puddled-up sinks are all but enough to make most tenants feel unappreciated. In fact, 60 percent of respondents in a 2016 Kimberly-Clark Professional* survey thought an unhygienic restroom reflected management's little concern on the well-being of the tenants.
Unpleasant restroom odors are one of the most common occurrences for office employees and can have a significant impact on an employee's perception of cleanliness. One of the biggest perpetrators of unpleasant odors are messy urinals and toilets. Though management cannot control this, there are proactive measures to not only remediate the smell but also give restroom goers a chance to voice their complaints.
Installing air-care systems like the Scott® Continuous Air Freshener Dispenser makes it easy to eliminate a smell—not mask it—by repeatedly refreshing the air quality throughout the day. Additionally, hanging a dry-erase whiteboard inside the restroom can encourage tenants to leave their complaints or compliments in an honest way, even anonymously. Taking these first steps will help facility managers monitor restroom usage trends in a way that lets them build schedules around restroom frequency.
In the U.S., office workers have a strong preference for paper towels, with 83 percent preferring dispensed hand towels in office restrooms. This means building managers must constantly be refreshing restroom amenities. Luckily, facility managers can be better informed about product consumption by leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) where they would least expect it—in the restroom.
Smart restroom solutions such as the ONVATION* System by Kimberly-Clark Professional* works alongside management teams by alerting facility managers when consumables need to be replaced. This offers real-time value by allowing building managers to identify problems before they become a complaint. The ONVATION* System can cut costs and expenses by reducing waste while effectively boosting sustainability. Furthermore, it optimizes labor by allowing management to make informed decisions about budgeting, planning and scheduling. The ONVATION* System works in tandem with proactive systems like the Kimberly-Clark Professional MOD* Stainless Steel Recessed Wall Unit to improve building management's visibility of consumption trends and keep them one step ahead of the waste.
Littered floors can be an eyesore, but they're not the lone offender that can repel tenants. Smudged and streaky mirrors are unsightly and can obscure a tenant's view of himself as he attempts to put on his best face. Pair that with a stack of napkins sitting in a puddle of sink water or some dripping hand soap, and you have the recipe for a dissatisfied tenant. To truly satisfy restroom goers, facility managers need to offer up a whole new set of standards and bring comfort to the one place users would least expect it.
A recent study found that women prefer amenities like facial tissue and hand lotion for rejuvenation, as well as a full-length mirror to readjust for the day. Placing a box of Kleenex®-brand facial tissues by the sink or mirror not only offers functional benefits but, given their variety, can add some interior flair to the restroom. Additionally, the Kleenex Reveal™ Countertop System offers the perfect balance between aesthetics and efficiency, keeping towels fresh and easily accessible.
Facility managers note that one of their main issues is with supplies. This includes keeping restrooms stocked, the overuse of products, and dispensing problems that result in excessive use. Those issues become even more tenacious, however, when tenants are involved. Imagine standing at a sink with wet hands as you look at a pile of paper towels on the floor. You're bound to be upset. Now imagine if you were standing there with wet hands, staring at an empty dispenser with a pile of paper towels on the floor. At that point, facility managers are sure to your respect.
Luckily, the ONVATION* System uses embedded sensors to let management know when it is time to change supplies. Leveraging the insights that come from those sensors can also help managers know what times of day a restroom should be serviced, making scheduling seamless.
When it comes to properly managing a facility, it's the little things that count. Facility managers know that keeping the restroom facilities fresh is just one way of showing their tenants they care. Through smart restroom solutions, facility managers can retain happy tenants by making that first good impression a lasting one.