Sometimes you can plan your year out to a T, other times a crazy idea comes to you and you just have to go with it. That is how I ended up planning to have visited every Disney Park in the world before the end of 2018!
You might be aware that I already had Disney related plans for my 30th; in May I celebrated my big 3-0 in the original Disneyland park in Anaheim, California. It was the only park Walt Disney himself actually lived to see. I visited Disney's California Adventure on the first day we arrived in California before spending my actual birthday in the "happiest place on earth" (I swear I will get some posts up about this soon!). I grew up watching Disney's Sing Along Songs Disneyland Fun (anyone remember that?) and it was amazing seeing the original Disney rides for myself and the park that started it all, it was fulfilling a childhood dream.
So that's two of the twelve parks worldwide down and I've already visited the four Walt Disney World Parks in Florida more times than I care to mention, the most recent being a year and a half ago (Check out my Disney World posts including Visiting Disney Parks Solo, Marceline to Magic Kingdom Backstage Tour, Old Key West Resort and Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party). I've also been to Disneyland Paris twice, most recently two and a half years ago (find posts on Disneyland Paris' Halloween celebrations here).
So that takes me up to eight parks and leaves the Asian parks; Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Sea, Hong Kong Disneyland and the newest park, Shanghai Disneyland. My original travel plan for the latter half of this year was to visit Asia for the first time, more specifically Japan. I've been wanting to visit Tokyo for some time so our rough plan was to spend time in Tokyo including the two Disney parks before travelling around some of the rest of Japan. Then my sister came up with a crazy idea, what if instead of this we tried to visit all the Disney Parks we hadn't been to yet to celebrate my milestone age!
If you have any tips, suggestions or blog posts on Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong or any of the respective Disney Parks I'd love to see them I've got some research to do!


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Steps to Becoming an Accountant in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Accounting Examining Board regulates and licenses CPAs in the state. Prospective CPAs must complete 150 hours of college-level education and earn a bachelor's degree at minimum, pass both the Uniform CPA Exam and an online ethics exam, and then go on to fulfill one year of public accounting experience. With most bachelor's programs consisting of just 120 semester hours of college credit, a master's in accounting can provide the additional credit hours in advanced accounting coursework required for licensure in Wisconsin. Licensed CPAs work in public accounting firms with a presence in Wisconsin including "Big Four" firms Deloitte and Ernst & Young, both with offices in Milwaukee. Other accounting and professional services firms with a strong presence in the state include Jefferson Wells in Milwaukee, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause in Madison, and AXA Equitable Life Insurance, in Madison, Wausau and Green Bay.
Wisconsin's local government agencies also employ CPAs as fund managers who work for The Wisconsin State Department of Administration in Madison or as auditors for the Office of the Comptroller in Wisconsin's many municipalities.
Wisconsin Accountants: Job Trends and Salary Expectations
Accountants are in demand all across the country, but more so in Wisconsin than most places. According to the state Department of Workforce Development, the number of accounting positions in the state will grow at a projected 12.8 percent between 2016 and 2026. That impressive level of growth along with normal changes in the workforce that result from retirement and turnover will open up an estimated 2,470 accounting jobs every year during this ten-year period. Many of those jobs will be with local, regional, national and even international public accounting firms, but industry still reigns supreme when it comes to jobs for accountants and auditors.
From Johnson Controls in Milwaukee and The Kohler Company, to iconic American brands like Harley-Davidson and Kraft Foods, it's the corporate headquarters of Wisconsin-based mega-corporations that do most of the hiring of auditors, controllers, managerial and staff accountants in the state.
Many financial institutions and insurers were also either founded in Wisconsin or are otherwise headquartered here. From Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in Milwaukee – the nation's largest provider of life insurance – to CUNA Mutual Group with headquarters in Madison, the insurance industry continues to be the largest employer of actuaries and other accounting specialists in Wisconsin.
The 2018 numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the average salary for those positions is $68,410 a year, with the top earners—those in the 90th percentile—pulling down an average of $98,460.
No one knows better than accountants that you have to be careful using averages when analyzing data, though. It's a big state where economic and workforce factors create dramatic differences in the kinds of jobs and pay that can be expected in urban and rural areas.
There's room for a lot of different interpretations in that data by parsing out salaries for individual accounting job titles and roles in different industries, not to mention the qualifications and credentials that qualify a job candidate for employment at different levels within an organization.
Salaries for Accountants in Different Specialized Roles
That's why it's good practice to turn to the 2019 Robert Half Accounting and Finance Salary Guide for a more detailed and in-depth breakdown of accounting salary numbers in the state. By providing an analysis for a variety of different roles, at different experience levels, and in different industries for a number of major cities in the state, Robert Half offers a more nuanced and informative look at what a particular set of skills can deliver in terms of starting salaries.
The Salary Guide provides a range of starting salaries at the 25th, 50th, and 95th percentiles or a variety of common job titles in the accounting field, but still leaves out bonuses and other incentives that can contribute significantly to what accountants actually take home. The broad ranges in each category can largely be accounted for by:
Differences in experience level within the range
Size of the employing firm
Industry demand
Specialized credentials or training, such as a CPA license
For the state's largest accounting market, Milwaukee, those numbers look like this:
Corporate Staff Accountants in Financial Services
Financial services represents an industry that many people count on to make their fortunes, attracting some of the best and brightest accounting talent available today. Even those with as little as one year of experience can bring in between $52,015 and $97,465 (25th to 95th percentiles), and that's before accounting for the kind of incentive payment structures that are common in this business.
Experience is a big driver of salary in this role, with rates continuing to build year after year:
3 to 5 years experience: $60,348 - $114,382
5+ years experience: $68,680 - $130,542
Corporate controllers do the heavy lifting in accounting departments to keep things organized and to ensure accounting practices are in compliance with both internal policies and outside regulations. The kind of expertise and experience required to ascend to this level is worth plenty to companies, which offer salaries between $92,920 and $209,828 with a midpoint of $119,432 to start.
A forensic accountant has plenty of specialized training in following and analyzing the numbers, as well as years of experience and the right kind of intuition for this highly sensitive work. That leads to higher than average salaries in this specialty, ranging between $76,760 and $146,198 with a $92,920 midpoint.
Tax Specialists and Auditors in Public Accounting Firms
Public accounting covers a big scope, from small-town tax experts upstate to major international consultancies with glitzy big-city high-rises serving the largest corporations. That results in a big swath of possible starting salaries, each influenced by the size of the firm and the level of experience and credentials accountants with the firm are required to have.
At the high end, though, senior managers in tax service accounting are sure to be CPAs with years of experience and can make as much as $112,615 to $214,372 to start in Milwaukee. At other experience levels, salaries from the 25th to 95th percentiles in the city look like this:
Accountants in Executive Roles
CFOs have ascended to the highest rungs of the corporate ladder available to anybody with an accounting background, and they have paid their dues along the way. Almost all will have earned a CPA license at some point during the climb, and they have amassed years and years of highly relevant experience in their respective industries before getting a seat in the C-suite.
That kind of dedication and expertise demands top dollar, and in Milwaukee, that comes to starting rates of between $122,462 and $502,222, with those at the midpoint bringing in $198,718… and that's before stock options, bonuses and other incentives.
Salaries for Accountants and Auditors in Wisconsin's Cities and Rural Areas
According to 2018 BLS data, average accounting salaries throughout the state tend to be fairly uniform, regardless of the urban/rural divide. There's a pretty clear benefit from practicing close to the Twin Cities, however, as accountants in Eau Claire break away from the pack with an annual average of $78,410, more than $10,000 higher than the overall state average.
Janesville-Beloit
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
Northwestern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
Oshkosh-Neenah
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area
(This is a broad classification that includes accounting professionals in different areas of specialty, with different credentials, and with varying levels of experience.)
Tax Preparer Salaries Throughout Wisconsin
Milwaukee tax preparers do the best in the state for average salary, bringing in $55,590 a year. The discrepancy goes up even more the further up the scale they go, with the top earners there making into six figures, a level achieved nowhere else in the state.
Salary and employment data compiled by the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2018. Figures represent accumulated data for all areas of specialty within the field of accounting and auditing - https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_wi.htm#13-2011. BLS salary data represents state and MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) average and median earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Salary data for specific job titles sourced from the 2019 Robert Half Salary Guide for Accounting & Finance Professionals - https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide/accounting-and-finance. All ranges represent starting salaries at the 25th and 95th percentiles unless otherwise noted, with midpoint figures representing the 50th percentile. Experience, specialty area, credentials, and role all influence where salaries might fall within this range. These base salaries do not include bonuses or other incentives.
Job growth projections sourced from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and reported in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2016-2026) database - https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Wisconsin Resources
How to Become an Accountant in Wisconsin
How to Become a CPA in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Accounting and CPA Programs
Related Wisconsin Websites
State of Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing
Wisconsin Institute of CPAs

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Smart Planning Needed for CA Cities to Become More Walkable
By Courtney M. Fowler.
When it comes to the Millennial generation in many cities, walking more and getting into a car less appears to be driving demand for cities to plan for infrastructure and housing that makes metro areas more "walkable."
The Millennial generation, ages 18 through 33, are more likely than any other to live in a walkable urban place or "WalkUP," said a recent George Washington University study. The term refers to any area where the standard mode of transportation is walking because there are many accessible businesses.
The study ranked the top 30 largest metropolitan cities in the U.S. for their walkability score. At the top of the list were Washington D.C., ranking high because 43 percent of office and retail spaces are located in WalkUPs, and New York, which had the highest number of WalkUPs at 66.
In California, a state generally known for its car culture, San Francisco grabbed the number four spot for walkability with 83 percent of office and retail located in the city center, according to the study. The city's SFMTA and the regional BART systems certainly help out with the high walkability for area residents.
Interestingly, the researchers highlighted Los Angeles, notorious for its spread-out landscape and clogged freeways (number 19 on the WalkUP list), as a place with high potential for future walkable urbanism. Once boasting a robust rail system decades ago, the city is trying to go "back to the future" with five new rail lines under construction. Plus, the report noted high rents near walkable areas, showing pent-up demand.
There's some hope for the three California cities on the list (San Diego was number 24) and for the Millennials looking for those walkable spaces in the state.
The headlines about the state budget compromise on cap-and-trade spending–a source of funding totaling almost $1 billion annually–focused on the 25 percent going to a state high-speed rail system. But when it comes to local transit and housing, the deal will have some bang for the buck as well.
Thirty-five percent of all future cap-and-trade revenues will go toward inner-city transit, affordable housing, and sustainable communities planning. Housing alone in transit-oriented and in-fill developments will receive at least 10 percent of all cap-and-trade funds every year.
These were big wins for the Summit work to secure funding for needed infrastructure projects and a permanent source of affordable housing for the state's workforce. And those wins are also significant for walkable infrastructure here in California, with only 2.1 percent of federal transportation dollars going to those types of projects, despite the benefits of lower pollution and obesity rates.
Though California's state government is making strides toward the growth of walkable cities, in order to successfully execute such huge changes in infrastructure, it'll take a lot more than throwing dollars at the project. And San Francisco's walkable score can be countered by the problem of skyrocketing housing costs.
Truly shifting the way that residents travel during their daily commute will take smart and comprehensive planning over the long term and finding innovative ways to pay for infrastructure and more housing.
Originally posted at CA Economy.
Alexandra Applegate2014-07-01T09:18:53-07:00July 1, 2014|Cities|


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Brief Outline: For DTaP/IPV/Hib' Followed recommendations of health professionals. For MMR' Sought out information that was balanced and not biased towards only pro or anti immunisation arguments. Read books written by anthroposophical medical doctors, which influenced her decision.
Background: At time of interview' married, one son, aged 22 months. Parent's occupation' Mother- Full time mum, Father- Dental Technician. Ethnic background' White-British.
Remember the personal approach when talking to parents.
It is very important because they should respect your worries, they should be there, they should listen and they should help you out of these worries. I ended up crying there because I actually felt like, 'They really don't care' in a way. I mean it's not the right way to say it but they really don't, how do you say it in English? they don't want to come down to your level and understand your feelings in a way. They only have the medical information that is actually given by probably the government or the health authorities and that is it. There's no personal approach at all. I think that the personal approach is missing, because a doctor is more than just a conveyor of information from health authorities, especially a GP, because he sees you frequently, he sees your child frequently. I think the personal touch is missing, really treating you in a way that you are an individual and not just, 'Okay, I'm conveying the message I have from the health authorities and that's it. And I'm not interested in anything else you have to say'.
She felt that a documentary showing a mother whose child had died of measles was scaremongering.
Well, I have to say I haven't been here when the whole MMR scare come out, I didn't live in the UK then, so I've missed all that. I've only seen that programme that actually should have proved that it is safe. And obviously it was in a way done very scaremongering as well I have to say, because they showed this woman who lost her I think 14-month-old baby from measles and they showed actually the picture of the baby who was dead, and it was very scaremongering. And obviously my first instinct was, 'I'm going to go and have him vaccinated tomorrow'. But then just thinking about it again I got a little bit angry because they did it in such a, in such a way that was actually quite unfair because it, I think they did it on purpose to instigate some fear in you. I mean why would you show a child that is dead and lying there and the mum is crying over the, the dead body? I mean it, if you're a mum it's just, it's terrible, it really is, and then obviously your first instinct is, 'I need my, I need to protect my child'.
So it, I have, I have to say, I mean I didn't disagree with the whole programme, there were a few things that I actually thought, 'Yes, that, that actually makes sense'. But, yes, I think it's, you have to take it with a pinch of salt, all of it.
Objective information giving both the advantages and disadvantages of immunisation is needed.
Yes, I think objective information, I would like to see there, really objective information, not coloured in any sense, really giving both advantages and disadvantages. Statistics, as much as information is possible, statistics, both sides of information, pros and cons, really pros and cons about the MMR. But really, really objective. That, that, that I really would like to see. That, that's the only thing in my opinion that really helps parents. Anything else is unfair I think, because anything else is just scaremongering, one way or the other. Because at the end of the day, the day it's both scaremongering. You know, people say, 'No, don't do the MMR, you don't need MMR, you don't need any vaccination because vaccination is this and that'. It, it's scaremongering. And there's so much information out there that's not true.
She had difficulty getting information from her GP because her GP didn't have access to...
I think it was actually quite disappointing because, I mean everybody here told me, 'Oh, don't even talk to your GP. They won't even help you' and so on and so on. But I thought, 'No, I actually want to give it a try'. And I made an appointment with her and I think she's actually a quite good GP. And I thought, 'I just want to know what she says,' after I had read the book and I actually had made a decision, 'Okay, I'm going to go for the measles single jab for now'. And I went to talk to her and I actually asked her also if I can have access to the single measles jab and she said, 'No, absolutely, we don't, we can't do it.' I asked her, 'Can you order it, can I order it and you inject it?' She said, 'No, we can't do that, we're not allowed I think' she said. 'And I know there are clinics' she said, 'where you can go, but I don't know any of them.' And I asked, 'Well, don't, can't you help me at all because obviously if I go and find a clinic online how do I know that they are trustworthy?' So, but I couldn't get anything out of her.
I would liked, I mean the whole situation, not only with the GP but also with the health visitor, the whole medical team in a way to be a little bit more open-minded and a little bit more helpful, a little bit more listening, a little bit more open for, for alternatives in a way. I mean I know the system here works differently and obviously a GP never is a homeopath, a GP never has had any training in alternative medicine. So I do appreciate it's different here. But I still think that they should be more open-minded to the, especially to the, to the worries of parents, because it's not, it's not easy to make the decision. And they just want to assure you with their facts.
But if you read a lot about vaccinations, which almost every parent does, I think it, what happens is that the parent knows more than the GP often. I mean I know I don't know more than her, but in that conversation I had with her I actually thought I had gathered more information than she had, which is not very reassuring. And you, I felt left alone.
I have to actually say in fairness that the GP did call me back and she gave me the same clinic that I had got from JABS. So she was actually sincere when she said she hasn't got any access. I think they really don't do that, they don't have any access, and she was trying to do her best to get me a clinic, get me the name of the clinic.
She found it useful to read a book written by an anthroposophical doctor willing to discuss both...
And I have a book, it's actually called 'A Guide to Child Health' and, I'm allowed to say that? 'A Guide to Child Health'. And it's written by two German doctors and they are probably called anthroposophical doctors, more on the anthroposophical way, it's Rudolf Steiner way. So it is actually an alternative way of looking into child health. But there again they're doctors. The, she is a doctor in a Steiner school in Germany and he is a GP in Germany. In Germany it works a little bit different because a homeopath in Germany has to have a doctor's degree first and then he can specialise in homeopathy, and I think he is actually also a homeopath. So in Germany you have the possibility to get alternative information but also linked to people who really also know the normal medicine, which for me personally is very reassuring.
So I came across this book about child health. It's just a general book about everything you can imagine that can concern your child from breastfeeding, immunisations, anything, it goes up to puberty and even psychological problems you might face with your child, or your child might face. And it's really, it's got everything. It also talks about measles, the illness itself. And I like the book quite a lot because I thought what they were talking about was very down-to-earth. In a way it was, the way I was brought up, I was brought up in the countryside in Austria and it was very down-to-earth.
But the one that I really liked was very, very, he made a point of not influencing you at all. He just wanted to give you every information he had as a doctor. And at the end of the day he said, 'You have to make up your own mind'. And he wrote this book together with other doctors that are on this panel and they call themselves anthroposophical doctors in a way. So I think, I don't know if all of them are also homeopaths but they're all doctors and they all look at it a little bit in an alternative way. And I thought that book really, really good because there was lots of information. It didn't make you feel guilty if you thought, 'I want to go for the jabs' because there is a lot of reasons why you should immunise as well as there are a lot of reasons why you might not want to immunise. I don't think it's as clear-cut as everybody wants to make it out as it is. It's not. It depends on the environment, it depends where your child grows up. It depends on very, very many factors. So he really showed all the various situations and I thought that was very good.


This article explains how to perform a manual sync.
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text:
Q: How to compute p-value for Goodman and Kruskal's lambda and tau How do I calculate p-values for Goodman and Kruskal's lambda and/or tau tests for association between categorical variables (measure improvement in predictability of the dependent variable given the value of the independent one based on modal probabilities [lambda] or marginal/conditional proportions [tau])? I know SPSS can do it, but I use R instead.

A: Let's create a synthesis data for illustration:
A <- sample(c("A1", "A2", "A3"), size=1000, replace = TRUE)
B <- sample(c("B1", "B2", "B3", "B4"), size=1000, replace = TRUE)
table(A, B)

Then this is the table of A and B
    B
A    B1 B2 B3 B4
  A1 79 86 90 87
  A2 76 89 79 93
  A3 70 92 84 75

Now, you can get the p-value of the Goodman and Kruskal's lambda test
library(MESS)
gkgamma_test <- gkgamma(table(A, B))
gkgamma_test

This is what you will get:
Goodman-Kruskal's gamma for ordinal
    categorical data

data:  table(A, B)
Z = -0.35154, p-value = 0.7252
95 percent confidence interval:
 -0.08784091  0.06112170
sample estimates:
Goodman-Kruskal's gamma
             -0.0133596

You can also take only the p-value by using
gkgamma_test$p.value

then you will only have
[1] 0.7251808

NOTE: when using the gkgamma test like above, we assume that A and A are ordinal categorial.
In case A and B are nomials, use:
library(DescTools)
Lambda(table(A, B))

and the value for λ is (The value λ lies
between 0 and 1; values close to 1 correspond to a
strong association.)
[1] 0.01437815

Read more about the two comments from
https://search.r-project.org/CRAN/refmans/DescTools/html/Lambda.html
https://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/vcdExtra/versions/0.7-6/topics/GKgamma
Measure of association - How to choose

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Every February something special happens at the Full Sail Pilsner Room at the Portland harbor. In even-numbered years Full Sail rolls out a barrel-aged version of their Top Sail Imperial Porter; the odd-numbered years see the release of barrel-aged Black Gold Imperial Stout (though for some reason 2006 also got the stout and not the porter). Last night I sat at a table full of beer bloggers -- Charles (in the photo), Derek, Ezra and SNOB poster boy Ritch -- to sample this year's batch.
Usually the release party includes a vertical tasting of previous vintages. Brewmaster John Harris said that they've drained so many of those earlier kegs, that there wasn't enough old beer available for this year's release. So they hit on a wonderful idea: instead of a vertical tasting, have a horizontal tasting of single-barrel versions of this year's Top Sail, alongside the final product, which is a blend of beer aged in Maker's Mark, Stranahan's, and Four Roses barrels. Most of us at the table agreed that the blend was the best of all, capturing just the right balance between beer, wood, and bourbon. But it was wonderful to try the individual constituents side-by-side. Great idea.
I'm not a bourbon expert at all, and it would have been nice to have some experience of the three whiskeys to orient myself. Nevertheless, it was interesting to note the differences in the individual barrels. The Maker's Mark version seemed to contribute the strongest vanilla and alcohol flavors to the chocolatey porter. That barrel seemed to most closely resemble the final blend. The vanilla notes were much more subdued in the other two barrel; I'm guessing that the Stranahan's version was closest to the original brew, and the Four Roses barrel added what to me was a dry and dusty character -- Derek described it as "spicy". The blend is a delicious strong porter with a drinkable non-syrupy consistency; it has a satisfying chocolate malt flavor, with bourbon and vanilla highlights added by the barrels. Everything is very well-balanced -- you get a taste of the bourbon, but it doesn't overwhelm as it does in some bourbon porters and stouts.
Even though there were no kegs of older vintages available, John opened one bottle each of the 2004 and 2008 barrel-aged Top Sail. He passed small glasses of each around our table. The 2004 was still drinkable but is starting to lose its way (not surprising after 6 years). The 2008 was lovely, quite similar to this year's, but a little mellower. It's interesting, when I wrote up the 2008 Top Sail release, I found the 2008 a little disappointing compared to the 2004 -- age seemed to help out. But last night I decided the 2010 is plenty good enough to drink right now, easily a match for the cellared-two-years 2008. Who knows, maybe a year or two in the cellar will make it even more brilliant, but you won't be disappointed if you crack open a fresh bottle of it.


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Alison Melnick
Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Hedge Hall, Room 207
207-786-6318amelnick@bates.edu
B.A., Michigan; M.A., Ph.D., Virginia
Professor Melnick Dyer specializes in the history of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism, with a focus on the uses of hagiography and revelatory literature in the historical record. She enjoys teaching a wide range of courses in Asian Religious traditions. Her research considers questions at the intersection of authority, gender, privilege, and the role of the religious institution in Tibetan and Chinese literature and society, and she writes about how women exercise authority in these contexts. Her current work focuses on the life of Mingyur Peldron (Tib. mi 'gyur dpal sgron), an 18th century female Buddhist leader and teacher.
When not in her office, she can be found exploring Maine's mountains and rocky shoreline.
18th Century Tibetan History, Asian religious history, Chinese borderland religions, Gender and Authority in Tibet, gender and religion, Hagiography in Asian contexts, Privilege studies, Religion and Gender in Asia, Religions of China, Religions of South Asia, Tibetan religion, Tibetan religion and history
Alison Melnick Dyer's CV 2021


Japan SEIKO, CITIZEN, Hamilton-Ricoh, Orient mechanical watches for parts in 1960-70's. All for parts, for repair! The item "Lot of 5 Vintage SEIKO, CITIZEN, RICOH, ORIENT mechanical watches for parts 5" is in sale since Tuesday, October 16, 2018.


text:
CHRIS WETTERICH
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Pat Quinn's administration will an appeal an arbitrator's ruling that Quinn violated a labor agreement when the governor decided to lay off nearly 2,000 state employees and shutter seven state facilities, including the Jacksonville Developmental Center and the Logan Correctional Center.
The ruling, issued Monday by arbitrator Edward Benn, is the latest legal blow for the Quinn administration. Benn also ruled against the administration when it decided to cancel pay raises for thousands of union workers in July.
In the new ruling, Benn ordered the state to abide by a 2010 agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which says the state cannot lay off employees or close facilities before July 2012 in exchange for $400 million in concessions and cost savings.
"The language in the cost savings agreements signed by the state and the union clearly prohibits layoffs and facility closures prior to July 1, 2012," Benn wrote. "The contract language prohibiting layoffs and facility closures is clear. The state's violations of that contract language are also clear."
288 not covered
Benn's ruling applies to 1,680 state employees covered under the 2010 agreement. Benn wrote that he had no control over the fate of 288 employees not covered by the agreement.
Benn rejected Quinn's argument that he cannot keep the promises he made to the union because the legislature did not appropriate enough money to keep the state running for the full fiscal year.
As he did in the pay raise dispute, Benn declined to interpret a sentence of the state's public labor relations law that says collective bargaining agreements are "subject to the appropriation power of the employer." The meaning of that passage is for the courts to decide, he wrote.
"A party is not excused from previous contractual obligations by claiming that it presently can no longer afford to meet its obligations," Benn wrote. "The fact that the General Assembly passed a budget which the governor determined was insufficient to fund the state's obligations … is a political dispute between the governor and the General Assembly and not relevant to this contract matter.
"The state did not keep its promises. It now must do so."
No money
Quinn's office reiterated that his administration does not have the spending authority to make it through the fiscal year, which ends on June 30.
"You can't spend money you don't have," said Quinn spokeswoman Brie Callahan. "We will seek to stay and vacate the decision while we continue to manage the budget so that core services the people of Illinois depend upon can be provided for the entire year."
In a statement, AFSCME hailed the ruling.
"Benn makes clear that Governor Quinn's contention that he is free to violate the union contract based on the amount of funding appropriated by the General Assembly is without merit," the union said.
Chris Wetterich can be reached at (217) 788-1523.
--AFSCME is appealing U.S. Judge Sue Myerscough's dismissal of a federal lawsuit arguing that Quinn's cancellation of the union's 2 percent pay raises impaired its contract with the state.
--The state is appealing Benn's ruling against the state in the pay raise case.


to recommend approval of new members of the Graduate Faculty to the Graduate Council.
The Graduate Faculty Status committee consists of one representative from each college at the University.
The officers of the Committee shall consist of a chairperson and a secretary, both of whom are to be elected by the membership of the Committee for a one year term.
The committee meets once in the following months: February, April, October and November. Special meetings of the committee may be called by the chairman, the committee or the Graduate School Dean. Applications for graduate faculty status must be received in the Graduate School by the first Monday of each month.
The Graduate Faculty Status Committee shall report to the Graduate Council. Minutes of the meeting shall be kept as part of the official records of the committee. Copies shall be presented to the Graduate Council and the Graduate Dean.
The Graduate Faculty consists of the President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, the academic deans and those members of the general faculty who by their scholarly attainments in their own fields of specialization have demonstrated their competence to offer graduate instruction.
The purpose and functions of the Graduate Faculty, within limits established by the Board of Trustees, are to offer graduate courses, supervise thesis and dissertation research, and advise the Graduate Council and the Graduate Dean on the establishment of policies relating to graduate training.
The major advisory functions of the Graduate Faculty are carried on by committees appointed by the Graduate Dean. Appointment to the Graduate Faculty is made by the Vice President for Academic Affairs upon the recommendation of the Graduate Council and, with the approval of the Graduate Dean.


text:
Aleksander Kłosiński (ur. 10 lutego 1892 w Kętach, zm. 7 kwietnia 1974 tamże) – mistrz kuśnierstwa, właściciel warsztatu rzemieślniczego, działacz społeczny, zbieracz lokalnych pamiątek, które stały się podstawą zbiorów powołanego w 2003 r. samorządowego Muzeum w Kętach, które nosi jego imię.

Życiorys

Młodość i edukacja
Aleksander Kłosiński urodził się w rodzinie o tradycjach rzemieślniczych. Dziadek Jan Kłosiński był jednym z ostatnich mistrzów sukienników oraz lokalnym działaczem samorządowym. Ojciec, również Jan Kłosiński, był mistrzem kuśnierskim, właścicielem własnego warsztatu. Aleksander, jego drugi syn został wybrany na następcę ojca w warsztacie i temu został podporządkowany jego kierunek nauki.

Po ukończeniu szkoły ludowej Aleksander rozpoczął naukę w 3-letniej bialskiej szkole wydziałowej z zamiarem kontynuowania jej potem w szkole przemysłowej w Bielsku. Zdecydował jednak wbrew woli ojca podjąć od 1907 r. naukę w nowo utworzonym kęckim seminarium nauczycielskim. W trakcie nauki Aleksander udzielał się w Związku Młodzieży Kształcącej, występował w orkiestrze szkolnej, był członkiem ochotniczej studenckiej straży pożarnej, wydawał szkolną gazetkę "Świt". występował w amatorskim zespole teatralnym i pomagał ojcu w zakładzie.

W 1911 Aleksander Kłosiński zdał maturę co dawało prawo wykonywania zawodu nauczyciela. Przez rok uczył w Mariańskich Górach koło Bogumina w tej samej szkole co Gustaw Morcinek. Równolegle z maturą zdał też egzamin czeladniczy z zakresu kuśnierstwa oraz ukończył dwumiesięczny staż w Wyższej Szkole Przemysłowej w Wiedniu.

Lata późniejsze
W 1913 roku został powołany do wojska austriackiego. Przebywał w nim do końca I wojny światowej, uczestnicząc w walkach na wszystkich austriackich frontach. Po powrocie w 1918 roku, pracował w warsztacie kuśnierskim ojca, a w chwilach wolnych pracował społecznie w kilku organizacjach był m.in. członkiem Ochotniczej Straży Pożarnej, Związku Pszczelarskiego, Koła Łowieckiego, Koła Wędkarskiego.

W okresie międzywojennym nadal prowadził odziedziczony po ojcu warsztat kuśnierski. W czasie II wojny światowej warsztat został przez Niemców zlikwidowany, a maszyny i urządzenia wywiezione. Prowadzona przez okupanta akcja wysiedleńcza ludności polskiej objęła również rodzinę Kłosińskich. Aleksander zamieszkał wówczas i pracował w Andrychowie, później w Porąbce. Po II wojnie światowej wrócił do Kęt i podjął pracę w PSS "Społem", będąc równocześnie jednym z członków założycieli tej spółdzielni.

Działał w wielu organizacjach społecznych, a także w komitecie wmurowania tablicy pamiątkowej ku czci pomordowanych kęczan w czasie II wojny światowej oraz w komitecie budowy zniszczonego przez okupanta pomnika Jana Kantego.

Działalność muzealnicza i artystyczna
Aleksander Kłosiński zaczął po II wojnie światowej gromadzić pamiątki związane z lokalnym rzemiosłem, stare przedmioty codziennego użytku, militaria, dokumenty, zdjęcia związane z historią i kulturą regionu. W swoich zbiorach pragnął ukazać historię miasta i przeobrażenia, jakie się w Kętach dokonały, poświęcając uwagę zwłaszcza temu, co było mu najbliższe – przeszłości rzemiosła kęckiego, starym dokumentom cechowym, sprzętom i warsztatom tkackim. Stworzył w ten sposób zalążki przyszłego muzeum.

Po jego śmierci zgromadzone zbiory rodzina przekazała miastu, które na ich bazie powołało w 1977 roku do życia placówkę o nazwie: Zbiory Historyczne Miasta Kęty, przekształconą w roku 1981 na muzeum, któremu w 1994 r. nadano imię Aleksandra Kłosińskiego. W 2003 r. Rada Miejska Gminy Kęty powołała do życia samorządową instytucję kultury – Muzeum im. Aleksandra Kłosińskiego w Kętach.

Ofiarodawca otrzymał przyznaną przez Ministerstwo Kultury i Sztuki złotą odznakę: "Za ochronę zabytków", która stanowi pośmiertny hołd dla jego pracy kolekcjonerskiej.

Inne
Aleksander Kłosiński w wolnych chwilach zajmował się też malarstwem i rzeźbą.

Bibliografia
 J. Kłosiński, T. Rycerski, Aleksander Kłosiński, "Biuletyn Kulturalny". Kęty 1987

Linki zewnętrzne
 Muzeum im. Aleksandra Kłosińskiego w Kętach

Urodzeni w 1892
Zmarli w 1974
Polscy działacze społeczni
Ludzie urodzeni w Kętach

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Vinyl siding is emerging as a highly popular choice among most Woodbridge homeowners who want to eliminate the hassle and expense of repainting their homes every five years or so or hiring a professional to do it on their behalf. Vinyl's popularity can be attributed to its ability to withstand harsh weather conditions which is an important consideration for Woodbridge residents who experience extreme climates at different times of the year. While there's no doubt about the fact that real wood instills a feel of warmth and sophistication in your home's appearance, but it is equally true that real wood surrenders to harsh weather conditions easily, leaving you at a point where you need to re-invest in your home to restore its beauty. Vinyl siding forms a better option as it combines the aesthetic appeal of real wood with its rugged durability and immunity against weather-induced damage. PBI has the right solution for all of your home siding installation needs.
Vinyl siding boasts an upscale appeal that comes with a modest price and this is what makes vinyl siding one of the most preferred exterior home renovation options among today's Woodbridge homeowners. At PBI, we can help you choose the most appropriate vinyl siding that will address your unique needs. We understand that every homeowner has a unique personal style that he/she wants to be reflected in his/her home and we make sure to provide homeowners with options. We offer a wide selection of vinyl siding that comes in different textures, colors, and finishes so that you can make an appropriate choice. More importantly, we have a solution for every budget which means that you can really 'afford' to transform your idea into reality.
Vinyl siding closely resembles real wood siding and adds an aristocratic look and feel to your home, making you a proud Woodbridge homeowner. Besides, vinyl siding demonstrates properties that further explain why you may consider investing in it.
Firstly, vinyl siding is a low-maintenance solution which means that you can allocate your time, energy, and money in other important areas.
You do not need to invest in painting. Installing vinyl siding is a one-time investment that does not call for future outlay.
Vinyl has a long life and it is immune against cracking or rotting.
Most importantly, it comes at a price that is much lower than what you need to pay for real wood.
We, at PBI, adopt an eco-friendly idea in whatever we offer. Our high-performance vinyl siding provides additional insulation allowing you to cut down on your utility bills. Vinyl is recyclable which makes it an appropriate choice to promote green building practice in your community.
Contact us and get your free estimate today!


Your donation promotes the researchers ' response to the development of the cure of this disease, MSD-Sulfactasa multiple Deficit, help us to make it happen, it helps in Ivet.
Gene Therapy is the technique that locates the defective gene and replaces it with the correct gene to cure genetic diseases such as MSD.
This short-term project is the most promising since it wants to stop the degenerative effects of the disease. They are already in a very advanced phase.
Dr. His team, Lars Schlotava, is working to publish the Natural History of MSD. This is a preliminary step to any clinical analysis with children.
We are a normal family, female worker without any antecedent with any kind of rare disease, that we have run into in life with a great milestone, etc..
Since they were diagnosed in our youngest daughter, the Ivet, our life has done a ride and we have gone from full happiness, to a very large. To know that she has the days counted, know that you won't be able to do anything that we do, (the most simple of all, nor drink water if it's not with added), or understand things or express themselves, or walk, or run, or climb mountains …. What limitation more immense.
She is totally dependent on someone that care, that help you in everything, everything and everyone. But within their limitations, and within their own world, we believe that she is happy.
We look, we see, feel loved, it gets really happy when it comes to the common cuckoo of Dallas, the day nursery where care and love each other very much, not only the educators that are wonderful, but also children. They have a very important role in your life, have an instinct that we do not have the adults, know well that it is different and the care, shelter, and most important of all is that they have in mind for everything.
Our goal is without a doubt that she does not suffer, you smile and be happy all the time to be with us and for this reason we have no other path than that of the investigation. To improve the lives of children suffering from MSD not only with love and the constant attention that we give all who surround ourselves, but also with research advances and with full hope in a better future for her and for all the children suffering from MSD.
Best of all is that science already know how they can "cure" the disease, but that lack of resources is not thrown forward projects like what we want to promote us. Gene therapy is a technique that locates the defective gene and replaces it with the correct gene in order to cure genetic diseases, such as MSD.
We want to get resources to investigate, to move forward and to save rare disease pareixin in the future of our society, whether it be with the prevention or care, in particular the who we are at home, which is the MSD – Multiple Deficit of Sulfactasa.


text:
from __future__ import print_function

import json
import numpy as np

from app.models import Game
from app.models.tag import compute_reverse_index
from app.utils import data_file

if __name__ == '__main__':
    games = list(Game.get_all())
    reverse_index = compute_reverse_index(games)
    doc_tag_matrix = np.zeros((len(games), len(reverse_index) + 1), dtype=np.int)
    app_ids = sorted([game.app_id for game in games])
    tag_ids = sorted(reverse_index.keys())
    doc_tag_matrix[:, 0] = np.array(app_ids)

    for app_index in xrange(len(games)):
        for tag_index in xrange(len(reverse_index)):
            if app_ids[app_index] in reverse_index[tag_ids[tag_index]]:
                doc_tag_matrix[app_index, tag_index + 1] = 1

    with open(data_file("doc_tag_matrix.npy"), "wb") as f:
        np.save(f, doc_tag_matrix)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


She thought her computer was more reliable than her heart, but maybe she was wrong.
Elise, a reputable matchmaker, was making an appearance on a talk show when CEO Dax Wakefield showed up and criticized her methods. That's how she ends up in a wager to see if she can find the right woman for him. However, as the interview to create his data profile proceeds, she finds herself attracted to him. Such a funny thing. But Elise is going to be a lot more surprised when she enters his data and her computer informs her that she is his best match!


Yes, this is a job. Specifically a job I had this year. I was required to dress in a Steampunk fashion outfit for a television show. I moonlight as a background actor once in awhile. I also like to collect Steampunk and Gothic fashion for my own geekiness. I justified all of it (leaving my accountant shaking his head) when I was required to bring it on set for a scene on a comedy show.
While I can't say the name of the show until it airs, the scene was a cool, hipster party of people dressed up in vintage and Steampunk, drinking absinthe cocktails, filmed in a stunning mansion in Park Slope Brooklyn.
The show Castle on ABC with Nathan Fillion was one of the first mainstream television programs to feature Steampunk prominently. Major networks have continuously sought out material and opportunities to showcase this movement. Can you blame them? The beauty of the craftmanship, the aesthetic, the romanticism, the design, it is all a visual feast.
Stay tuned for when I announce when the show is released!


text:
SN 2006ft – supernowa typu Ia odkryta 28 sierpnia 2006 roku w galaktyce A003150-0022. W momencie odkrycia miała maksymalną jasność 21,30.

Przypisy

Supernowe zaobserwowane w 2006 roku


So you are considering or have already chosen world's most popular ecommerce platform i.e. Magento as the go-to platform for your online store. Great! But as with any major platform, security is always a concern as new vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered.
Frankly speaking, wherever there are shops there are thieves and an e-commerce webstore is a wide open place for cybercriminals to find any weakness in the code or any loopholes left by the user through which they can hijack the website.
MageReport.com is a great online tool using which you can scan existing magento site .Users can scan both Magento 1 and Magento 2 based websites using this tool. This will give you quick details about the security status of your Magento install and advise on how to fix the vulnerabilities.
This website provides list of sections like which patch is installed and which is pending. Also if a credit card hijack has been attempted and if done what could be the possible reason? It also provides solutions & steps to fix a particular issue.
While installing these patches, we need to be sure for additional check about anything suspicious.
In order to give 100% secure shopping experience to your customers, you must upgrade to a latest version of Magento. Magento is constantly working to introduce more security features in its latest versions which ensure that it is more secure than ever. You can check your magento version using magerport.com website. It will give version details of current application and also suggest if that magento version is out dated. Though you will get to know about the latest version of Magento through Magento's website, it is imperative to check with an experienced service partner like Sigma on what can be the best strategy to proceed.
It is normal practice to keep admin panel URL as yourwebsite.com/admin. For hacker it is very easy to get on admin panel using this unsecure admin panel url.
To avoid this hacking, you must provide customize admin panel url. It will prevent hackers to hack admin panel.
You can easily do it from app/code/etc/local.xml.
Restrict downloader folder by setting appropriate permission and setting changes in .htaccess file inside downloader folder.
Normally, admin URL access is open for all. You never put extra effort to secure magento website by whitelisting some of the IP Addresses.
You should make a practice to whitelist required IP address for admin access.
If you want to login from another system, you will need to change IP address. Some time is it is boring thing but it will prevent hacking attack in your site.
A password is the main key to your Magento website. Nowadays there are multiple ways to crack a password. Even so many popular algorithms are available in internet to crack password. It is very easy to crack simple passwords like "admin123".
To avoid this cracking thing, make a practice to have long password with special characters , one uppercase letter and numeric letters.
It may seem time consuming creating encrypted password but it really isn't.
Apart from this practice, we should not use Magento password in any other application. It is best practice to have different passwords for different websites or applications.
Just like two locks can't have the same key, keep your Magento password different from the rest of the passwords.
Although it is great that you take preventive steps for Magento application security, it is equally important to have a proper backup plan. There should be daily back up and offsite backup plan in place.
If you have proper backup and even if a hacker is successful in hacking your site, you can restore the website we backup which will result in minimum data loss or no data loss.
To login into Magento admin there should be a admin user and an appropriate user role assigned to that user.
You should do frequent audit for admin users. If you find something unusual with any account you should immediately delete that user account and inform same to that user.
#8 CMS's frontend script – The injection points.
You need to do frequent check on System > Configuration > Design > HTML Head > Miscellaneous Script.
If you found some code in this section, remove it immediately.
As a developer, you should frequently do magento core file audits but as an effective developer, we should never change core files of Magento. But sometime hackers modify core files lile app/Mage.php, index.php and core js to grab customer sensitive information like credit card data.
To avoid this kind of situation, you should do core files audit frequently.
There is a free plugin available https://www.magentocommerce.com/magento-connect/code-audit-1.html as Magento audit tool to help speed up this process—it instantly finds core files that have been modified. This is helpful in identifying potential breaches as well as poorly implemented customizations.
Correct file permission plays important role in magento security. To protect magento shop from hacking, you must need to make sure and use the correct file permissions.
Magento required different file permission for each directory and file .If your permissions are not proper, there is good chance for hacking. For hackers, it will be very easy to hack site with poor file permission.
A safe & secure Magento store is one of the key factors which will help a merchant build & retain trust with shoppers at your website and will ensure that they return back. Continuing on this theme of a more secure Magento store I would be coming back with additional tips in my next week's blog. Any additional tips & feedbacks on these tips? Don't forget to write them in the comments section below.
Neeraj leads the ecommerce practice at Sigma. With over 20+ years of work experience in companies like L&T, Infosys, Motorola, Agilent & Dell R&D he has in-depth knowledge on software Services, Program Management and Product Development. He is passionate about emerging technologies within the ecommerce space and loves sharing his views around them.


text:
A Seventh Generation Family Winery Looks to the Future
WEOS | By Kelly Walker
Matt Kelly
As harvest was winding down in the Finger Lakes, I visited Hunt Country Vineyards on Keuka Lake. The Hunt family has been making wine since the early 80s, but they've been farming the land far longer than that. It's a family history that's on display in their tasting room.
"These are all original photos of Hunts through the years. The barn that is out over there, that's the same barn from the 1880s. And, so there's all of this seventh generation history here."
Matt Kelly greeted me on my arrival. He's a member of the family by marriage to Suzanne Hunt. While they take pride in their history and heritage, a big part of their story today is how they're moving forward.
"I still meet a lot of people who don't know that we're a seventh generation farm. I meet a lot of people who aren't aware that we've essentially eliminated fossil fuels for heating and electricity. I meet a lot of folks who don't know that we have a pollinator habitat, bee boxes, bat boxes, wild pollinator hotels, and that we really take a holistic approach to taking care of our terroir."
From the parking lot, solar panels are clearly visible on the roof of the tasting room. In the vineyards, you can see the beehives. Suzanne Hunt Hunt operates a company separate from the winery with a portfolio that includes clean and sustainable technologies and agriculture. It's been an interest of hers pretty much her entire life.
"I actually remember having a conversation, I can show you the picture over there on the wall, with the first governor Cuomo when I was about 10. They typical politician question for a kid is what do you want to be when you grow up? So, I had a whole conversation with Mario Cuomo about how I wanted to get degrees in environmental science and public policy and all that kind of thing."
Hunt Country Vineyards is looking forward with its winemaking as well. They welcomed a new head winemaker in April. Craig Hosboch came to the Finger Lakes from the North Country. He's been impressed by the sense of community among the region's winemakers.
"Nobody feels like there's anything worth withholding. Everyone just wants to share and help each other. There's always a few outliers, but overall it's about a rising tide lifts all ships. I feel that a majority of people here believe that. The goal is for all of us to make better wine and to make the best wine we possibly can so that we're known as a region not just individuals."
As with the other winemakers I've spoken with in the region, Hosbach says the warm and sunny weather late in the season made for a good harvest and he's looking forward to what this year has to offer.
"We're going to have some really, really nice wines this year, I truly believe from here and just as the region in general. There's a lot of very good winemakers out there and more and more are coming here all the time. They know how to roll with the punches. They know how to work in challenging seasons and still produce great wine. You're going to see a lot of that this year, more than you have in the past."
With a new winemaker comes new ideas and Hosboch is already looking for ways to put his own mark on the brand.
"The one thing I did different this year is traditional port. We've always made port and this year we decided, let's go traditional. Let's stop the ferment with spirits. It's all timing. You want to hit it at the right point when the aromatics are at their peak during fermentation, but you still have a lot of residual sugar and not much alcohol. I think we nailed it. We'll see."
Suzanne Hunt is working to advance the environment in the state for the kind of sustainability she believes will carry them into the future.
"What I'm spending a lot of my personal time on right now, my volunteer time is trying to accelerate the evolution of the regulatory framework in the state. Because working with some of the big power producers in the area, I can't make a business case for large scale batteries instead of dirty fossil fuels right now because the state hasn't clarified how the services that those technologies provide will be compensated."
NewsFinger Lakes Wine
Kelly Walker
Kelly Walker started his public radio career at WBAA in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1985 and has spent some time in just about every role public broadcasting has to offer. He has spent substantive time in programming and development at KWMU in St. Louis, WFIU in Bloomington, Indiana, and Troy Public Radio in Alabama before his arrival in Geneva, New York. In addition, his work has been heard on many other public radio stations as well as NPR. Kelly also produces The Sundilla Radio Hour, which airs Sundays at 1 p.m. on Finger Lakes Public Radio and is distributed to public radio stations all over the country through PRX.
See stories by Kelly Walker
Fox Run Vineyards Offers Behind the Scenes Experience
While it may not seem so from the past week's weather, it's fall and that means grape harvest in the Finger Lakes. I stopped in to talk to Peter Bell at…
Red Newt Winemaker Brings Harvest to Social Media
The fall grape harvest has been underway for a couple of weeks in the Finger Lakes. I stopped by Red Newt Cellars on Saturday to talk to winemaker Kelby…
A 2017 Winemakers Harvest Check-In with Red Tail Ridge
As part of continuing coverage of the 2017 grape harvest in the Finger Lakes, I drove out to Red Tail Ridge last week on the west side of Seneca Lake.…
Harvest 2017 with Hosmer Winery's Julia Hoyle
My most recent stop visiting winemakers during harvest around the Finger Lakes was at Hosmer Winery on Cayuga Lake. It was a beautiful, sunny day when I…
Harvest Speeds to a Close at Keuka Spring Vineyards
My latest stop visiting Finger Lakes winemakers during harvest 2017 was with August Deimel at Keuka Spring Vineyards. On visits to other winemakers, we've…


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"Fredericton-Centennial City" by Fred H. Phillips; 1948.
"Fredericton: The Capital of New Brunswick, 1785-1935"; c. 1936.
"Fredericton; The City of Stately Elms"; c. 1960.
"From Chatham to Harper's Ferry" by Fred London in The Canadian Magazine; October, 1919.
"H. A. Cody: Parson And Poet"
"H. A. Cody: Parson and Poet: 'The New Cody' headed Saint John's Christmas shopping lists fort years"


Start A Scrapbook Community > Other than Scrapbooking > General Crafts > Frustrated! Need to vent!
View Full Version : Frustrated! Need to vent!
I want to crochet hats for my kids for Christmas; I got some really cute patterns. But the thing is, I'm trying to find a hook that is big enough to get the right guage. The pattern calls for an H hook; I have tried using H, I, J, and K. I even used the K hook and made the pattern a size larger for my son and it's still way too small. I cannot find any L or M hooks. I found an N hook but that too big to get the right guage. I got my sister on the hunt but it might take her too long to get them.
well that is a joy killer! I hope you find what you need soon.
LuLu, are you using whatever weight yarn the pattern recommends? That can make a big difference in the size of the stitch.
Also, I tend to crochet very tight stitches, and sometimes I have to force myself to relax and crochet more loosely to keep the stitches in gauge.
Thanks. Yes, it's the right yarn. I crochet tightly and can't seem to loosen the stitches no matter how much I try. I often have to use a larger hook for my chain foundation than the one I'll use on my project. I'm thinking I might have to use the larger hook, double up the yarn and make the smaller hat.
I've had to use a larger hook for the foundation chain too. Don't know why I crochet so tight. Works well that way for some things, not so great for others though.
Here's a picture of my DS's hat. I think my DD can use it for one of her dolls. LOL.
LuLu where do you live? Anyplace close to No. CA? I have every hook and knitting needle size there is and I knit and crochet so tight I have to re-do every pattern I use!
I have one of those large bamboo crochet hooks you can borrow. I'm not sure of the size of it. I'll have to check. BRB. Okay, I can't find them, but I did find an empty package from a size N hook. it probably came from ACMoore. Did you check there.
Karen, I'm from PA. I have checked into ordering hooks online but S&H is more expensive the hooks themselves.
Cassie, I checked ACM, J's, M's and Walmart. I found an aluminum N hook at M's. But I really need an L and M. I think there were spaces for these at M's but they were empty. Who knows if they will ever be back in stock.
I order a lot from Knit Picks, so the next time I do, I will try to remember to post here and see if anyone needs any needles or hooks. I get free shipping because I spend too much and I can forward on to whoever needs something.
Sorry I'm not much more help right now!
Do you have any yarn shops in town? They carry hooks and needles too.
I forgot to ask you about this when I saw you in ACMoore today. Did you find anything? Also, after you figure out the hook and gauge can I get a copy of the pattern?
Oh, and did you check Joann online? They may have it. They had free shipping on anything (no minimum) yesterday, but I didn't think of that yesterday when I read this.
FREE SHIPPING IS ON UNTIL SATURDAY!
Sure, I'll let you borrow the book. The book has 13 patterns for kids 2 to 8-year olds: 4 geared toward boys; 8 toward girls and one basic hat.
Luann, I know you don't need an N, but I found 2. One says 10 mm and the other says 9mm. The 9mm looks like the older metal type and is smaller than the 10 mm size N. Maybe it's really like a L or M? Your welcome to look at if and if you think it will work you can borrow it.
I found the plastic N at J's and that's what I used to test my guage. I then found an aluminum N at M's. It looks smaller than my plastic one. I still need to test the guage with the aluminum one. Thanks anyways. I've havent had the chance to check since I started crocheting my other Christmas gift projects.
I tested my guage using my aluminum N hook last night. It was just a tad to big but the closest I've got so far. I started the hat again and got almost halfway done. I was worried that it would come out to "airy" but it doesn't seem like it's that way. I really don't like working with this hook with this weight of yarn. It's hard to make the stitches. I think I may do my DD's hat with two yarns. She wanted a hat that was striped but I'm getting too frustrated to keep changing the yarn so I'm just going to use the two together.
post photos...we want to see!
I finally got around to taking a picture of my DD's hat and shrinking it for the web. This hat was originally suppose to be striped but since I had to use a larger hook and didn't like how one-ply looked, I combined the two yarns. I'm not crazy about the buttons but my DD likes the hat.
The hat is just darling!
Darling. I love the buttons.
Thanks. I think the reason she picked out this hat was because of the buttons. She didn't realize that I could sew on buttons on any hat.
Ya'll are so talented. I have tried crochet, tatting & knitting and can't seem to get my stitches or anything right. My g. grandmother tried to show me many yrs ago but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. I envy you all that can do all this kind of craft.


Having been under the weather for the last 2 weeks, I missed last week's speedlinking post. As such, today link list will cover both this week and the last. I should be back to my normal schedule now that I'm almost fully recovered.
Warp Drive Active Podcast #19 and #20 - wacky as ever!
So lots of news and posts over the last two weeks. Most of these might be old news to you, but I still wanted to let you know about it all.


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TOP STORIES / World / Africa
Emmanuel Macron's mission in Africa: A new approach?
The French president's trip to Africa will attempt to demonstrate a new kind of politics as Macron seeks to break away from neocolonialism across the continent.
Emmanuel Macron wants to make things right. The newest resident of the Elysee Palace is seeking a clear departure from the policies of his predecessors — and he has appointed eleven honorary consultants to help him do it. The new Presidential Council for Africa (CPA), which is made up of mostly business representatives with an African background, has spent the past few weeks educating the French president on all of the major issues across the continent before he kicks off his tour of West Africa. The French foreign media has already learned that Macron will say different things than his predecessors.
Addressing the youth
Macron will begin his African charm offensive with a speech at the University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to an audience of around 800 students, followed by a question-and-answer session. The location has been strategically chosen as the perfect place to announce his new Africa strategy.
"It's a strong sign," says Congolese political scientist Tumba Shango Lokoho, who teaches at Paris-Sorbonne University. Macron aims to send a clear message that the future of Africa belongs to the younger generation, and they need to be supported. "If African youth are the future, they need an education and work prospects on the continent to advance the transformation of Africa," says Lokoho.
But it's no easy task. "France has long been pursuing a schizophrenic Africa policy," he says. "There needs to be a renewal in discourse, but the African heads of state, who are often in office for a long time, are strategic partners in France." It's through them that France got involved, he says, adding that the goodwill of aging rulers alienated young Africans and civil society.
Macron is attempting to distance himself from his predecessor - above in a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame - when it comes to African politics
A new openness
After six months in office, there are already signs that things might change, Lokoho told DW. Macron encourages an open and respectful dialogue with his African counterparts. During his first visit to Mali, for example, he made it clear that the basis of their relationship needs to change. This means that everybody will have their own responsibilities.
But Macron is also holding himself to this standard. While visiting Algeria in February, the then-presidential candidate found clear words to describe the often troubled relationship between the two countries, describing French colonization of the country as a "crime against humanity" which deserved an apology. France held its breath as Macron's words were celebrated across Africa.
Macron's frankness sometimes backfires, however.
"In countries where the women still have seven to eight children, you can decide to spend billions of euros, but you will stabilize nothing there" — his criticism at the G20 summit in Hamburg of Germany's idea of a "Marshall Plan with Africa" caused worldwide outrage. His words recall a similar speech made by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 in Dakar, who had failed to address the history of Africa.
Macron received harsh criticism over his comments. Political scientist and feminist Francoise Vergès says high numbers of children do not slow down development — rather it is the other way around. But Lokoho reads into Macron's words differently: His statement was unfortunate, but he ultimately acknowledged a core problem which was also being addressed by African heads of state — something which Sarkozy ignored in his speech ten years ago.
Despite his different political approach, Macron has maintained strong support for France's anti-insurgent operation in Africa's Sahel region
Supporting African start-ups for regional security
Macron won't change everything, however. His security strategy picks up where Hollande left off, says Glaser. In addition to France's ongoing anti-insurgent operation in the Sahel region, he is also banking on building a new West African alliance against terror — the so-called G5 group. He continues to advocate for support, especially in the EU.
But the new president is taking another decisive step: "You can not fight terrorism effectively if you ignore the social and economic components," says Lokoho. Macron has recognized that it is necessary to support a fair and informed economic policy in order to weaken extremists on the ground.
Diversification of the economy has therefore become one of the president's goals. When Macron faces 800 students on Tuesday, 'Job Opportunities in the Region' will be his main message. At the end of the week, he will also visit a start-up in Ghana. This, too, is a strategic visit: newly-elected President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose anglophone democracy is still far ahead in terms of governance — and who just made French a mandatory language in secondary schools — would be a novel partner for France. So far, the former colonial power has been mainly associated with autocratic long-term rulers like Cameroon's Paul Biya, or Chad's Idriss Deby.
Macron calls on Germany, EU to step up Africa military presence
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on EU allies to step up their military presence in Africa in the fight against jihadist groups. Macron's remarks came during a visit to a French military base in Mali. (20.05.2017)
Macron's Franco-Senegalese advisor making waves
Following his victory, French President Emmanuel Macron's communications advisor has been recognized as a key component of Macron's success, and is even considered a role model to young African women. (15.05.2017)
Why are ex-colonies in Africa so important to France?
France is facing a second and final round in its presidential election. The winner has the daunting task of reviewing policy on Africa as the former colonies still play a significant role in French national life. (05.05.2017)
French president urges multi-national force in Sahel to start operations within weeks
Macron said he hoped the West African regional force would be operational within weeks. The G5 Sahel bloc set up the multi-national force which will work with French and UN missions to combat militants and criminals. (02.07.2017)
Author Philipp Sandner (im)
Related Subjects France, French presidential election 2017, Emmanuel Macron, Francois Hollande
Keywords Emmanuel Macron, France, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Francois Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy, African youth
Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2oGFr
Africa's CFA Franc – colonial relic or stabilizing force? 27.05.2019
Some praise the French-backed CFA franc for its stability, others denounce it as a colonial hangover. The benefits and drawbacks of Africa's CFA currencies are being more hotly disputed than ever before.
Macron orders probe into France's role in Rwanda genocide 05.04.2019
The French president has named a commission to investigate France's role in the 1994 killings. More than 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were murdered in a genocidal campaign by militias loyal to the government.
Germany's foreign policy perspectives 14.03.2019
It has been one year since German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government set out to make a policy push toward a more united Europe. So what has Berlin actually achieved over the past 12 months?
Join the discussion at facebook.com/dw.africa 02.06.2016
Follow DW (English) on Twitter 07.02.2013
Send us your feedback via SMS
Got an opinion about the stories making headlines? Send us a text at +49-160-9575 9510. International SMS charges apply. Please make sure to include your name and your country. We will sample your texts in our show.


Miller & Chevalier sadly reports that on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, retired Tax Member Robert L. (Bob) Moore, II, passed away at his home in Orleans, MA.
Jorge Castro was quoted on the significance of the first House Ways and Means Committee legislative markup under Rep. Richard Neal as chairman.
Steven Dixon will speak at the NYU School of Professional Studies Tax Controversy Forum on June 20-21, 2019, in New York, NY. Dixon will present, "Preserving APA Challenges under the TCJA."
Larry Gibbs will speak at the State Bar of Texas Taxation Section's Annual Meeting on June 14, 2019, in Austin, Texas.


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Tens of thousands at Limerick St Patrick's Day celebrations
nick@limerickleader.ie
Members of Carew Park FC enjoy the St Patrick's Day parade in Limerick PICTURE: ADRIAN BUTLER
A CROWD estimated to be around 50,000 people were in Limerick today for the city's annual St Patrick's Day celebration.
The colourful parade featured around 4,000 different participants and 78 floats showcasing some of the most creative aspects of Limerick life.
Despite dreary weather, which no doubt affected the attendance, there was a splash of colour from all the entries involved.
There was excitement in the air as award winning street performing groups Lumen, Luxe and Artastic entertained onlookers.
A tickertape parade got the party into full swing, with Limerick Person of the Year Luke Culhane the first to pass through O'Connell Street as Grand Marshal.
Luke, 14, who has fought a crusading battle against cyberbullying, said: "I'm really proud. I'm Limerick through and through. It's just class to be able to lead the St Patrick's Day parade. I'll remember this for the rest of my life."
He was followed down Limerick's main thoroughfare by the army flag.
Other highlights of the parade included the now-legendary giant tricolour flag, this year hauled down O'Connell Street by students of Sexton Street CBS.
There were appearances from a number of local brass bands, including Limerick's oldest group, the Boherbuoy Brass and Reed Band and the Limerick Rhythm Marching Band.
And there were also colourful entries from the Moyross Smurfs, the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Southside Gymnastics Club.
Community groups and sports teams represented included Janesboro FC, Regional United, and Our Lady of Lourdes St Saviour's Boxing Club.
Street performers from Lumen, Luxe and Artastic also provided entertainment to the crowds, the latter teaming up with the city's Spotlight stage school.
Metropolitan district mayor Cllr Michael Hourigan was one of many Limerick politicians present.
He said: "It's a great turnout. The people of Limerick are to supportive of St Patrick's Day. It's a great occasion and it's one of the days we all enjoy."
The atmosphere at the #LimerickStPatsFestival is just amazing ☘❤ pic.twitter.com/okRJ33Uz1B
— Grooveyard (@GrooveyardEvent) March 17, 2017
Outside the city, communities got into the festive spirit, with ten parades and St Patrick's celebrations taking place in towns and villages through the county.
In Bruff, locals gathered between the bridges for a duck race, with cash prizes on offer.
Across in the west, there were well-attended parades in Abbeyfeale, Newcastle West, Askeaton and Rathkeale.
People also marched on ceremony in Castleconnell, Herbertstown, Kilfinane and Ballylanders.
The Limerick St Patrick's Festival continues this coming Sunday from 12 noon, when 1,200 musicians from 17 groups take part in the 47th Limerick International Band Championship.
It's expected Limerick's economy will benefit to the tune of €10m from this year's celebrations.
For more pictures, and reaction to Limerick's St Patrick's Day parade, see the Limerick Leader, out Monday morning.


2005 Honda Civic 2.0 VTEC Type R Premier Edition.
Stunning Example Presented In Nighthawk Black Paintwork With Contrasting Red And Black Recaro Interior Complete With 17Inch Honda Alloy Wheels Finished In Factory Silver.
Excellent Condition Throughout Covering Only 84,000 Miles From New And Backed Up With A Full Service History Consisting Of A Fully Stamped Book And A Folder Full Of Invoices.
Sought After Premier Edition With Recaro Sports Seats, Momo Steering Wheel, Type R Embossed Callipers, Red Interior Carpet + Much More.
Its 2.0 VTEC Engine Produces 200 BHP And Matched With Its 6 Speed Manual Gearbox Makes For A Superb Drive.
Excellent Spec Includes DAB Radio, Bluetooth, Alloy Wheels(17In), Xenon Lights, Privacy Glass, Recaro Interior, Electric Windows, Electric Door Mirrors (Heated), Air Conditioning, Radio, CD Player, Alarm, Immobiliser, Remote central locking + Much More.


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Corfu All Destinations
Corfu Tours
All Corfu Tours
Horse Racing Classes
Tennis Classes
Transportation Passes
Things to do in Corfu
Paleokastritsa Tours & Tickets
Corfu Town Tours & Tickets
Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio) Tours & Tickets
Kassiopi Tours & Tickets
Achilleion Palace Tours & Tickets
Corfu Cruise Port Tours & Tickets
Spianada (Esplanade) Tours & Tickets
Outdoor Adventures on Corfu
How to Spend 1 Day on Corfu
How to Spend 2 Days on Corfu
Top Beaches in Corfu
Things to do in Greece
Things to do in Ionian Islands
Kassiopi is a village and resort sitting on a small peninsula on the northeast side of the island of Corfu. Historically a small fishing village, it is less than 40 kilometers from Corfu town and is a very popular tourist destination in the summer. Allegedly founded in the 3rd century B.C., it sits in the shadows of Mount Pantokrator. Though small, Kassiopi boasts a lively nightlife with a good mix of bars, restaurants and dance clubs around the harbor and town square.
One sight to see in Kassiopi is the former Temple of Kassios Zeus, which was converted to a church in the 5th century. Burned to the ground by the Turks and restored in late 16th century, the new church has altars to accommodate both Christian and Orthodox religions and inscriptions date from 1590, 1670 and 1832. Kassiopi Castle sits up above the village and was one of three Byzantine era castles that defended the island before the Venetian era. Though it is in a state of ruin today, it was once one of the most impressive castles in the Ionian islands.
Kassiopi, Corfu
Kassiopi is a 40 minute drive from Corfu airport and can be reached by taxi or bus. A taxi should cost 50 to 60 Euros, while the bus is only ten Euros. To take the bus, look for the blue bus station in Corfu town; they run regularly between 5:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. Buses will take you as far as the village square, but not as far as the harbor. Excursions all over the island can be organized from Kassiopi and taxis can be found in the car park at the top of the town.
More Tours in Corfu
Things to do near Corfu
More attractions near Corfu
Mount Pantokrator
Corfu Cruise Port
St. Spyridon Church (Agios Spyridon)
Corfu Town
Spianada (Esplanade)
Old Fortress (Palaio Frourio)
Aqualand Corfu Water Park
Achilleion Palace
Recommended for Corfu


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STACEY C. KALAMARAS
Stacey appears in the 2020
Top 100 Attorneys Magazine
CONTACT STACEY
Stacey C. Kalamaras is founding partner of Kalamaras Law Office, LLC, an intellectual property boutique that provides trademark, copyright, and advertising legal services to small and medium-sized businesses. She also founded Trademarkabilities™, an online trademark academy for lawyers. She is an intellectual property attorney and a recognized Super Lawyer® with a passion for teaching, who has represented some of the most well-known brands in more than 150 countries. A unique breed in the legal field, she is not only a seasoned attorney with over 15 years of experience, but is also a marketing and advertising expert with an MBA in marketing, who spent over a decade in the brand management arena. With her rare insight from dual careers, Stacey doesn't just appreciate the needs of her clients—she is her clients. "I've been in their shoes, on their side of the desk. I've walked the walk and talked the talk, and understand the pressures they face in their business," she explains.
Although she always wanted to be a lawyer, Stacey started her professional career as a marketing and advertising executive in multinational corporations. While employed in a large consumer packaged goods company alongside attorneys who worked for the corporation, she came to realize that her work was no longer fulfilling, and decided to pivot and attend law school full time in her mid-30s. Graduating cum laude from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, she began her legal career in 2005.
After spending the bulk of her career working in Big Law, assisting companies in the U.S. and abroad as a trademark and advertising attorney, Stacey founded Kalamaras Law Office in 2018 to serve her equal passions for law and teaching. Since its inception, she has educated over 1,800 lawyers on three continents on various trademark topics, including IP law for the corporate lawyer, anti-counterfeiting strategies, how to conduct a trademark search, and how to be an effective practitioner at the USPTO.
In February 2020, Stacey launched Trademarkabilities™, an online trademark academy for lawyers, with a single mission to prepare lawyers to become efficient and effective practitioners before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and to be practice ready to serve their clients. As Stacey explains, "I have a passion for teaching and giving back to the next generation of lawyers. I think it's very difficult, especially for solo and small firm lawyers, to get robust training programs. All clients deserve world-class representation, and I feel strongly that trademark lawyers (and those who want to practice in that field) are well-trained both practically and strategically. These skills are typically learned outside of law school."
Founding Partner— Kalamaras Law Office, LLC
https://www.klolegal.com/
https://www.trademarkabilities.com/
4740 N. Cumberland Ave., #309
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceykalamaras/
Download the Top 100 Attorneys Magazine
and check out Stacey's feature on page 115.


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Women's Lacrosse Doubled Up by Mitchell
Mitchell (1-1) 17 3 20
Albertus Magnus (0-3) 7 3 10
G: Aida Sarr - 4
A: 2 Players (#2, #16) - 1
Sv: Lexie Fenn - 10
GB: 2 Players (#17, #21) - 3
G: 2 Players (#5, #11) - 7
Sv: Samantha Ryan - 10
New Haven, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College women's lacrosse team fell to in-state foe Mitchell, 20-10, at Celentano Field on Thursday evening in non-conference action. With their third straight setback, the Falcons move to 0-3 on the year, while the Mariners earned their first victory of the spring to improve to 1-1 overall.
Freshman attack Aida Sarr (Bronx, N.Y.) had her best game as a Falcon, scoring a team-best four goals and adding an assist for the hosts. Senior captain Miranda Jassil (North Branford, Conn.) continued her strong play with two goals for Albertus Magnus, while sophomore midfielder Alex Chan (Monroe, N.Y.) added a marker and a helper. Defensively, freshman Taylor Bisaillon (Columbia, Conn.) had a team-leading three caused turnovers and three other Falcons had two apiece. Freshman Kerrigan Loughman (Trumbull, Conn.) had a team-best four draw controls.
It was a two-headed attack for Mitchell with juniors Amanda Rowan and Ashley Murtha combining for 14 goals and four assists. Both Rowan and Murtha netted seven tallies and added two helpers apiece. On the offensive end, freshman Kate McCormack contributed three goals and classmate Francesca Pinard added two markers. Rowan registered a game-high nine draw controls and Pinard won four.
Between the pipes, AMC freshman Lexie Fenn (Oakville, Conn.) turned aside 10 shots in a losing effort. On the opposite end, senior Samantha Ryan made 10 saves to earn her first win of the spring.
Albertus Magnus came out of the gates charging, as Sarr scored twice in the first 90 seconds of play to give the home team a 2-0 edge early. Mitchell answered quickly with Rowan putting the guests on the board with her first of the day with 28:17 left in the first half. After Rowan's tally, the visitors ran off 10 straight goals before Chan stopped the Mariner run with a marker. AMC senior Maria Case (West Haven, Conn.) netted her first career goal with 8:30 left in the first frame to pull the Falcons within seven at 11-4.
Down the stretch in the opening half, Mitchell outscored Albertus, 6-3, to take a 17-7 edge into the break.
The scoring slowed down in the second half with each squad potting three tallies apiece. Mitchell controlled possession throughout the final 30 minutes to record the triumph.
Mitchell forced 25 Albertus Magnus turnovers and outshot the hosts, 37-24. The Mariners were 6-of-9 on free-position shots, while the Falcons converted on one of three free-position attempts.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Tuesday, March 29, with a road conference clash at Emmanuel that gets underway at 8:00 pm.
For the latest information on the women's lacrosse team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.


The choice of whether or not to us a property management company is a tough one for many real estate investors. Some wouldn't dream of investing in real estate without a property management firm in place before closing. Others struggle to break free of the DIY mind-set that prevents them from accomplishing more. Most of this argument, and rightfully so, revolves around cost. However, few actually understand what it is that property managers actually do.
Rent Collection: Collecting the rent is one of the most obvious tasks of a property manager. If that's all property managers did, however, it would certainly be harder to justify hiring one – especially with online payment capabilities. Of course, that doesn't mean collecting rent is easy by any means. If all of your tenants are paying their leases up font in full and you don't mind paying a great law firm when things don't go right, you might wait to evaluate all of the services. Yet, most real estate investors are not in that situation. Some operate in markets where it is a battle to reel in the rent every week.
Servicing Maintenance Calls: Dealing with tenant maintenance calls is perhaps the biggest driver for real estate investors to enlist the help of a property manager. It isn't just about the maintenance, however: dealing with the tenants can often be the biggest challenge. Sometimes their needs aren't big or expensive, but the timing and urgency is. It may be blocked and back flowing pipes on the weekend, or being locked out in the middle of the night. A lot of these calls can be irritating to a landlord, but if they are always treated that way, bigger issues with renters and rental property performance are sure to arise. Rapid and responsive customer service is needed to optimise income properties.
Property managers will deal with these requests, alleviating you from the burden. If it is small, the requests may be handled internally. Larger and more complex issues may be delegated to outside specialists. Sophisticated property investors normally have a property management agreement which authorises the company to handle up to a certain dollar amount of repairs without needing express permission first. This just streamlines the process, and ensures issues don't get worse if you can't be reached.
Dealing with Defaulters: This goes beyond slow payers to those seriously in breach of their leases. They could be more than a month past due, or be risking the condition of your asset, or the police could be involved in a criminal issue. Sometimes these things can be worked out directly with renters. In other cases, it may require lawyers, or even going to court. A property management firm can handle this for you, and save you a ton of time and stress in these situations. Having a professional third party in between can often speed up better solutions compared to a DIY landlord that may appear an easier target for malicious tenants.
Property management companies are required to make regular inspections, routine maintenance such as lawn care, pressure washing roofs, and other proactive items to prevent code violations and to preserve real assets. That way, you aren't expected to keep up with every rental property you own.
Sourcing Tenants: This is a lot more work than some understand at first. A good management company is taking on the cost of marketing for tenants, showing units, and screening prospective renters. There is a lot of expertise brought to the table here. It may be the most valuable thing property management companies offer. Then there is supervising move-in and move-out activity. One thing Propertyscouts does that is different to most other property management companies, is offer owners Guaranteed rent for tenants they have put in to a property. So if the rent is unpaid for any reason, the owner does not miss out, and it's up to us to chase the arrears.
Bookkeeping: Bookkeeping is probably the least fun part of real estate for most investors. At the same time, great bookkeeping and invoice handling is critical for minimising taxes, keeping the best vendors, and generally keeping the cash flowing. Most of the companies use computerised systems, so reports are easy to get to and provide.
Buffer from Liability: One of the little understood perks of having a third party property management firm is the buffer from liability. Despite all of the best screening and learning the best practices, it is easy to mess up when it comes to property management. That's on top of those problem renters that are out to take landlords for whatever they can get. It's too easy for opportunistic tenants to make false accusations about your rent collection tactics, illegal eviction practices, and negligent maintenance if you aren't covered. A third party manager can deflect most of that instantly, like a shield.
Thanks Craig from Property Scouts Nelson.
Craig and his wife Kathy run Property Scouts Nelson and can be contacted on 027 411 2012 or email nelson@propertyscouts.co.nz they are happy to answer any of your questions about renting a property.


St. Joseph Pain Management Center now offers the only chronic pain treatment to automatically adapt stimulation by recognizing a change in body position and posture changes.
"Chronic pain is a disabling condition," said Dr. Tracy L. Neuendorf, St. Joseph Pain management center medical director. "And this new technology will help our patients enjoy daily living without worrying about adjusting stimulation levels."
HOWLAND - Chronic pain affects an estimated 116 million American adults. For some, chronic pain is so severe that it interferes with working, eating, participating in physical activity and enjoying life.
That's why the St. Joseph Pain Management Center in Howland is pleased to announce it is the first pain management center in Ohio to offer the AdaptiveStim™ with RestoreSensor™ neurostimulation system, the first and only chronic pain treatment to provide effective pain relief and convenience by automatically adapting stimulation levels to the needs of people with chronic back and/or leg pain.
Traditional neurostimulation systems consist of an implantable medical device similar to a pacemaker to interrupt pain signals from reaching the brain. A change in body position can result in an increase or decrease in the intensity of stimulation as a patient's spinal cord moves closer or further away from the stimulation site. As a result, patients may need to make frequent manual adjustments to their stimulation levels as they move, using a handheld patient programmer.
No need for manual programming. AdaptiveStim with RestoreSensor reduces the need for manual programming changes by automatically adapting stimulation levels to the needs of the patient by recognizing and remembering the correlation between a change in body position and the level of stimulation needed. It also records and stores the frequency of posture changes, providing objective feedback to clinicians to help understand how a patient's individual stimulation requirements are changing over time.
The St. Joseph Pain Management Center offers proven methods of treatment for people with chronic pain. The pain management team includes physicians and other health care professionals specially trained in the alleviation of pain that has been unresponsive to usual treatment methods.
The St. Joseph Pain Management Center is located at 1934 Niles-Cortland Rd., Howland. For more information, call 330-841-4032.


Meet Jessica and Mark. Jessi works for Google and Mark is a special ed teacher at a local school. The pair are world travelers and couldn't be more in love. Eight years ago Jessica and Mark went to their high school prom together. Fast forward to 2011, a relocation to the (great!) state of Michigan and now they are attending a wedding, their own!
If I were making up a title for this wedding it would be: No Detail Left Behind! Jessica, her mother, sister, friends and family members made sure of it. From a collection of vintage vases and frames to a homemade wedding cake, this wedding had all sorts of personal and thoughtful detail.
Jessica and Mark can throw a party! Mix a little Killer Flamingos (local rock band legends) with a open air barn and sprinkle in a reception party that is ready to dance and boom! You've got fun!
Wishing Jessica and Mark a lifetime of happiness! Congratulations!